Merhaba,

Leshana tova tekatev v’techatem.  May you be inscribed for a good year!  

      How are Randal and I celebrating Rosh Hashanah?  We’re going to a marina barbecue over by the pool but I promise not to eat pork or shell fish if there is any.  I did eat an apple today and some dried fruit mash spread that I made.  So I have had something sweet.  Funny enough the picture from the Huffington Post whose info I stole (ok as they don’t pay for it either) shows a photo from Ashdod, Israel where a man is throwing bread into the Mediterranean symbolizing throwing away your sins.  Throwing bread into the Mediterranean is something I can do! 

     For those who are unfamiliar with Rosh Hashanah or those like me who don’t remember so much from Hebrew School here is the article……

Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, is celebrated in 2012 from sundown on Sept. 16 to nightfall on Sept. 18. The Hebrew date for Rosh Hashanah is 1 Tishrei 5773.

Though Rosh Hashanah literally means "head of the year," the holiday actually takes place on the first two days of the Hebrew month of Tishrei, which is the seventh month on the Hebrew calendar. This is because Rosh Hashanah, one of four new years in the Jewish year, is considered the new year of people, animals and legal contracts. In the Jewish oral tradition, Rosh Hashanah marks the completion of the creation of the world.

Rosh Hashanah is the beginning of the Jewish High Holy Days, or Yamim Noraim (the "Days of Awe"), and is followed 10 days later by Yom Kippur, the "day of atonement." The Mishnah refers to Rosh Hashanah as the "day of judgment," and it is believed that God opens the Book of Life on this day and begins to decide who shall live and who shall die. The days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are viewed as an opportunity for Jews to repent (teshuvah, in Hebrew) and ensure a good fate.

Jews traditionally gather in synagogues on Rosh Hashanah for extended services that follow the liturgy of a special prayerbook, called a mahzor, that is used during the Days of Awe. At specific times throughout the service, a shofar, or ram’s horn, is blown. The mitzvah (commandment) to hear the shofar, a literal and spiritual wake-up call, is special to this time of year.

The new year is the only Jewish holiday that is observed for two days by all Jews (other holidays are observed for just one day within the Land of Israel) as it is also the only major holiday that falls on a new moon.

A common greeting on Rosh Hashanah is shana tovah u’metukah, Hebrew for "a good and sweet new year." Many traditional Rosh Hashanah foods — apples and honey, raisin challah, honey cake and pomegranate — are eaten, in part, for this reason. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/16/rosh-hashanah-2012-the-je_n_1887610.html

………………………………

You may recall that while we were in North Cyprus DEKS was a favorite place where I took Turkish lessons and Randal and I joined the Thursday morning hikes.  Denise was both teacher and hike leader.  Her daughter Deena and son-in-law would come visit from Marmaris, Turkey where TK is a headquartered as a member of the Turkish Navy.  Deena and TK came for dinner Friday night.  Deena has a wonderful voice.  You saw photos of her singing at a DEKS Good-bye dinner for the cruisers we all attended.  She would like to learn guitar and Thursday night she had her first lesson from Randal.  When we come back in November hopefully they will continue.

Ru

DoraMac

Deena and TK come to dinner on DoraMac Friday, September 14, 2012

Motorbike salt and pepper shakers and Deena eating all of her vegs.

Guitar lesson # 1