Rosh Hashana

Our first Rosh Hashana in Mitzpeh was our first opportunity to take some pictures of the kids in their new Yom Tov clothes in the new house.

Ezra was the first one dressed

Then Elazar

Then everyone else

No guests and no meals out. Just the family, apples and honey, Ema's challah with raisins and plenty of quality family time.

How The Kids Spend Their Afternoons

After school its still pretty hot out, but around 2 hours before sundown its starts to cool off a little bit. The older kids have the freedom on the Yeshuv to go to their friends houses or take their bicycles/rollerblades/scooters just about anywhere. You can probably walk to any part of the Yishuv in under twenty minutes.

The younger kids have to stay a little closer to home still but Elazar and Noam find things to do

Which usually involves designated times each day for crying on the floor

And of course, Tali happily spends most of her daytime hours in the swing

Binyamin comes for a visit

Binyamin and Talia

Binyamin and his father Yitzy came to Israel for an end of the summer trip.

Abba was actually the first to see Binyamin. When Abba showed up at the Bostoner Rebbe's for work one morning, Binyamin was sitting at the dining room table. It seems Yitzy remembered R' Mayer from his yeshiva days at Sha'arei Yerushalayim, when they used to rent space at the Boston Shul. While the Rebbe was talking with Yitzy, Abba took Binyamin for a tour of Har Nof, including Derech Etz Chaim, Ezra's old school and the candy store.

Later in the week, on their way back from the Dead Sea and Masada, Binyamin and Yitzy stopped of at our home in Mitzpeh for a shower and dinner. Yitzy got a chance to catch up on his e-mails while Binyamin had a chance to play and shmooze with his cousins. After hotdogs, french fries and Maariv at Yagel Yaakov, Binyamin and Yitzy headed back Yerushalayim.

Zaidy Betzalel's 46th Yahrteit - 17 Elul 5772

I don't know how many of you were able to visit Zeidy Betzalel or remembered to commemorate his Yahrtzeit on Tuesday so I had everyone in mind that I could think of when I said the Tehillim from 118 with the letters of his name and lit a Ner Nishama by his Kever.
(There is a small crack between the bottom of the kever and the ground that is big enough to fit a 24 hour candle - and you just have to protect the flame from the wind with some rocks)

I was there around 5:00 PM on Tuesday afternoon on the way home from Har Nof. It was pretty quiet and not nearly as hot anymore with a slight breeze.

I looked for Howard's father's kever, Yizchak Szabo, and it was exactly where he described it along the front left rim. Across from Yitzchak's kever is actually a convenient place to park your car, there are about two or three spots there without blocking the road. 

Just a reminder that mom's 3rd yahrtzeit is Sunday night / Monday the 23rd of Elul. IY"H, I'll be making a siyum on Meseches Brachos at Derech Etz Chaim during Monday dinner before Shkiyah.