crazy boots

hey ..uhur uhur...chi chi...yeah.. (DJ Mark is scratching the board)

dude u know what...last night, toward the end of the night, as everyone was like all chilling and closing, two DJs from our club walked out, and we were like chatting, and then they invited me and some pals over to his home and joined this "carzy boots"thing afterwork on Sunday. i had no idea what it is about.. I found out that it;s a home party that's gonna be at his place..and he was like..so u r invited, and hey, let's get drunk and high..oh shiiiii dont tell though..forget everything about work...he was pretty drunk...i dont know if i should go...man..i just hope that he was too drunk when he told me that...and then he will forget about mentioning it to me...but yeah...those 2 DJs in our club are awesome...i love when Dj buff break dances with his "not so small" body..it's like a potato moving around..quite a scene! Dj jaylen is great, too..really like his gentleness, yeah still gotta have that spiritual conversation with him..anyways..last night was interesintg..oh oh F1-the car-Renault is coming to the house tonight..gotta check that billion Dollars car out!!! yeah yeah..baby...are you ready!!!! chi chi..uhr..with mark scratching the board and the music fading ...

Two most holy holidays in Jewish culture?

hey this will be the last article about Jewish holidays for a while!!
it is going to be on two most significant(holy) jewish holidays-Purim and Yom kippur..
very interesting to me!!!! and there are some christian applications , too!!! think about..especially since i am working in a club...this article makes me think! and i hope u pals can ask me questions..i'll be very gald to answer or discuss with u!!! i know the jewish culture thing might be kidna dry for some..no one seem to give me any feedbacks..perhaps only a jewish nerd like me are so into this..whatever.. Ba vaka sha...hehe and i love shiwarma and Fallafal!!! have a wicked weekend pals.

The Talmud says that every Shabbos and Holiday is "half spiritual, half physical." We spend part of the day praying and learning Torah (the spiritual), and the rest of the day eating a fine meal and resting (the physical).

One exception to this rule is Yom Kippur, when both halves are spiritual: We spend our entire day praying in the synagogue, with no food, no marital relations, and minimal rest.

The other exception is Purim, when both halves are physical: We feast, make lots of noise to drown out Haman's name, get drunk, and wear funny costumes.

Interestingly, we see the balance of half-physical/half-spiritual reflected within each holiday itself. On Yom Kippur, we prepare for the fast by having a feast the day before. On Purim, we prepare for the feast by fasting the day before (Taanis Esther).

The Vilna Gaon (18th century Lithuania) explains that "Purim" shares the same letters as "Yom hakipurim" - the official Biblical name for Yom Kippur. That which we accomplish on Yom Kippur with spiritual pursuits, we accomplish on Purim with physical pursuits. These holidays are two sides of the same coin, two halves of the same day.

We would assume that Yom Kippur is the greater of the two days. But in one sense, Purim is even greater. Why? Because it is easier to achieve spiritual elevation on a day like Yom Kippur, when we spend all day in the synagogue and have no time for forbidden activities like gossip or getting angry. By fasting, the soul achieves dominance over the body. However on Purim, in our state of rambunctious drunkedness, it is much harder to maintain our human dignity.
Rabbi Eliyahu KiTov writes: "If one attains holiness through affliction, and another attains holiness through indulgence, who is the greater of the two? It may be said that the one who attains holiness through indulgence is greater, for the attainment of holiness through indulgence requires an infinitely greater degree of striving and effort." (Book of Our Heritage)

In this way, the potential for spiritual elevation on Purim is greater than on Yom Kippur. And this is reflected in the Hebrew name: Literally translated, Yom hakiPurim means "a day like Purim" - i.e. Yom Kippur is a shadow of the greatness of Purim.

Party Hearty - and Party Holy!

Hanukah or CHanukkah

Hannukah or Chanukkah ? well, either way! It is spelled Hannukah because in Hebrew CH is pronouced as "Ha" with a strong throaty sound.
Chanukkah, the Jewish festival of rededication, also known as the festival of lights, is an eight day festival beginning on the 25th day of the Jewish month of Kislev.
Chanukkah is probably one of the best known Jewish holidays, not because of any great religious significance, but because of its proximity to Christmas. Many non-Jews (and even many assimilated Jews!) think of this holiday as the Jewish Christmas, adopting many of the Christmas customs, such as elaborate gift-giving and decoration. It is bitterly ironic that this holiday, which has its roots in a revolution against assimilation and the suppression of Jewish religion, has become the most assimilated, secular holiday on our calendar.
The story of Chanukkah begins in the reign of Alexander the Great. Alexander conquered Syria, Egypt and Palestine, but allowed the lands under his control to continue observing their own religions and retain a certain degree of autonomy. Under this relatively benevolent rule, many Jews assimilated much of Hellenistic culture, adopting the language, the customs and the dress of the Greeks, in much the same way that Jews in America today blend into the secular American society.

More than a century later, a successor of Alexander, Antiochus IV(who is the Emperor of the Selucid empire(one of the 3 empires that split after the death of Alexander the great!) was in control of the region. He began to oppress the Jews severely, placing a Hellenistic priest in the Temple, massacring Jews, prohibiting the practice of the Jewish religion, and desecrating the Temple by requiring the sacrifice of pigs (a non-kosher animal) on the altar. Two groups opposed Antiochus: a basically nationalistic group led by Mattathias the Hasmonean and his son Judah Maccabee, and a religious traditionalist group known as the Chasidim, the forerunners of the Pharisees (no direct connection to the modern movement known as Chasidism). They joined forces in a revolt against both the assimilation of the Hellenistic Jews and oppression by the Selucid Greek government. The revolution succeeded and the Temple was rededicated.
According to tradition as recorded in the Talmud, at the time of the rededication, there was very little oil left that had not been defiled by the Greeks. Oil was needed for the menorah (candelabrum) in the Temple, which was supposed to burn throughout the night every night. There was only enough oil to burn for one day, yet miraculously, it burned for eight days, the time needed to prepare a fresh supply of oil for the menorah. An eight day festival was declared to commemorate this miracle. Note that the holiday commemorates the miracle of the oil, not the military victory: Jews do not glorify war. (i'll skip the ritual parts this time)!

Yom Kippur-here it comes

i finally put this together..very tired lately this one is long!
Yom Kippur is probably the most important holiday of the Jewish year. Many Jews who do not observe any other Jewish custom will refrain from work, fast and/or attend synagogue services on this day. Yom Kippur occurs on the 10th day of Tishri. The holiday is instituted at Leviticus 23:26 et seq.

The name "Yom Kippur" means "Day of Atonement," and that pretty much explains what the holiday is. It is a day set aside to "afflict the soul," to atone for the sins of the past year. In Days of Awe, I mentioned the "books" in which G-d inscribes all of our names. On Yom Kippur, the judgment entered in these books is sealed. This day is, essentially, your last appeal, your last chance to change the judgment, to demonstrate your repentance and make amends. Yom Kippur atones only for sins between man and G-d, not for sins against another person. To atone for sins against another person, you must first seek reconciliation with that person, righting the wrongs you committed against them if possible. That must all be done before Yom Kippur.

Yom Kippur is a complete Sabbath; no work can be performed on that day. It is well-known that you are supposed to refrain from eating and drinking (even water) on Yom Kippur. It is a complete, 25-hour fast beginning before sunset on the evening before Yom Kippur and ending after nightfall on the day of Yom Kippur. The Talmud also specifies additional restrictions that are less well-known: washing and bathing, anointing one's body (with cosmetics, deodorants, etc.), wearing leather shoes (Orthodox Jews routinely wear canvas sneakers under their dress clothes on Yom Kippur), and engaging in sexual relations are all prohibited on Yom Kippur.
As always, any of these restrictions can be lifted where a threat to life or health is involved. In fact, children under the age of nine and women in childbirth (from the time labor begins until three days after birth) are not permitted to fast, even if they want to. Older children and women from the third to the seventh day after childbirth are permitted to fast, but are permitted to break the fast if they feel the need to do so. People with other illnesses should consult a physician and a rabbi for advice.
Most of the holiday is spent in the synagogue, in prayer. In Orthodox synagogues, services begin early in the morning (8 or 9 AM) and continue until about 3 PM. People then usually go home for an afternoon nap and return around 5 or 6 PM for the afternoon and evening services, which continue until nightfall. The services end at nightfall, with the blowing of the tekiah gedolah, a long blast on the shofar(horn). It is customary to wear white on the holiday, which symbolizes purity and calls to mind the promise that our sins shall be made as white as snow (Is. 1:18). Some people wear a kittel, the white robe in which the dead are buried.

Yom Kippur Liturgy
The liturgy for Yom Kippur is much more extensive than for any other day of the year. Liturgical changes are so far-reaching that a separate, special prayer book for Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah. This prayer book is called the machzor.

The evening service that begins Yom Kippur is commonly known as Kol Nidre, named for the prayer that begins the service. "Kol nidre" means "all vows," and in this prayer, we ask G-d to annul all personal vows we may make in the next year. It refers only to vows between the person making them and G-d, such as "If I pass this test, I'll pray every day for the next 6 months!" This prayer has often been held up by anti-Semites as proof that Jews are untrustworthy (we do not keep our vows), and for this reason the Reform movement removed it from the liturgy for a while. In fact, the reverse is true: we make this prayer because we take vows so seriously that we consider ourselves bound even if we make the vows under duress or in times of stress when we are not thinking straight. This prayer gave comfort to those who were converted to Christianity by torture in various inquisitions, yet felt unable to break their vow to follow Christianity. In recognition of this history, the Reform movement restored this prayer to its liturgy. There are many additions to the regular liturgy (there would have to be, to get such a long service ). Perhaps the most important addition is the confession of the sins of the community, which is inserted into the Shemoneh Esrei (Amidah) prayer. Note that all sins are confessed in the plural (we have done this, we have done that), emphasizing communal responsibility for sins.

There are two basic parts of this confession: Ashamnu, a shorter, more general list (we have been treasonable, we have been aggressive, we have been slanderous...), and Al Chet, a longer and more specific list (for the sin we sinned before you forcibly or willingly, and for the sin we sinned before you by acting callously...) Frequent petitions for forgiveness are interspersed in these prayers. There's also a catch-all confession: "Forgive us the breach of positive commands and negative commands, whether or not they involve an act, whether or not they are known to us."

It is interesting to note that these confessions do not specifically address the kinds of ritual sins that some people think are the be-all-and-end-all of Judaism. There is no "for the sin we have sinned before you by eating pork, and for the sin we have sinned against you by driving on Shabbat" (though obviously these are implicitly included in the catch-all). The vast majority of the sins enumerated involve mistreatment of other people, most of them by speech (offensive speech, scoffing, slander, talebearing, and swearing falsely, to name a few). These all come into the category of sin known as "lashon ha-ra" (lit: the evil tongue), which is considered a very serious sin in Judaism.

The concluding service of Yom Kippur, known as Ne'ilah, is one unique to the day. It usually runs about 1 hour long. The ark (a cabinet where the scrolls of the Torah(1st 5 books written by Moses) are kept) is kept open throughout this service, thus you must stand throughout the service. There is a tone of desperation in the prayers of this service. The service is sometimes referred to as the closing of the gates; think of it as the "last chance" to get in a good word before the holiday ends. The service ends with a very long blast of the shofar.

Rosh Hashana

happy new year! Lashana Tovah This past Wensday is the Jewish New year!!
so what is Rosh Hashana exactly? here u go!
Rosh Hashanah occurs on the first and second days of Tishri. In Hebrew, Rosh Hashanah means, literally, "head of the year" or "first of the year." Rosh Hashanah is commonly known as the Jewish New Year. This name is somewhat deceptive, because there is little similarity between Rosh Hashanah, one of the holiest days of the year, and the American midnight drinking bash and daytime football game. There is, however, one important similarity between the Jewish New Year and the American one: Many Americans use the New Year as a time to plan a better life, making "resolutions." Likewise, the Jewish New Year is a time to begin introspection, looking back at the mistakes of the past year and planning the changes to make in the new year. More on this concept at Days of Awe.
The name "Rosh Hashanah" is not used in the Bible to discuss this holiday. The Bible refers to the holiday as Yom Ha-Zikkaron (the day of remembrance) or Yom Teruah (the day of the sounding of the shofar(Ram's horn-some of you might recall that i brought one back from Israel-diffrent sounds of it has different meanings religiously) The holiday is instituted in Leviticus 23:24-25.
The shofar is a ram's horn which is blown somewhat like a trumpet. One of the most important observances of this holiday is hearing the sounding of the shofar in the synagogue. (4 major different soundings). The Bible gives no specific reason for this practice. One that has been suggested is that the shofar's sound is a call to repentance. The shofar is not blown if the holiday falls on Shabbat(Friday, when the week starts in jewish and biblical tradition).
No work is permitted on Rosh Hashanah. Much of the day is spent in synagogue, where the regular daily liturgy is somewhat expanded. In fact, there is a special prayerbook called the machzor used for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur because of the extensive liturgical changes for these holidays.
Another popular observance during this holiday is eating apples dipped in honey, a symbol of our wish for a sweet new year. This was the second Jewish religious practice . Jews also dip bread in honey (instead of the usual practice of sprinkling salt on it) at this time of year for the same reason.
Another popular practice of the holiday is Tashlikh ("casting off"). We walk to flowing water, such as a creek or river, on the afternoon of the first day and empty our pockets into the river, symbolically casting off our sins. This practice is not discussed in the Bible, but is a long-standing custom. Religious services for the holiday focus on the concept of G-d's(jews intensionally miss the letter "o" when God's name is used-it's a way of respect. religious explanation behind it can be lengthy, i 'll skip this time) sovereignty. The common greeting at this time is L'shanah tovah ("for a good year"). This is a shortening of "L'shanah tovah tikatev v'taihatem" (or to women, "L'shanah tovah tikatevi v'taihatemi"), which means "May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year." More on that concept at Days of Awe.
You may notice that the Bible speaks of Rosh Hashanah as occurring on the first day of the seventh month. The first month of the Jewish calendar is Nissan, occurring in March and April. Why, then, does the Jewish "new year" occur in Tishri, the seventh month?
Judaism has several different "new years," a concept which may seem strange at first, but think of it this way: the American "new year" starts in January, but the new "school year" starts in September, and many businesses have "fiscal years" that start at various times of the year. In Judaism, Nissan 1 is the new year for the purpose of counting the reign of kings and months on the calendar, Elul 1 (in August) is the new year for the tithing of animals, Shevat 15 (in February) is the new year for trees (determining when first fruits can be eaten, etc.), and Tishri 1 (Rosh Hashanah) is the new year for years (when we increase the year number. Sabbatical(安息年 and Jubilee years 千憘年 begin at this time).

Paintball

I know...wasnt it gonna be some Jewish holiday column-hehe...well I just gotta share this with you.

well, Guys after working till 6am in the morning, supposely i should had be very tired and dragged myself into my bed, but i didnt, I went to 林口 with lots of friends and we played paintballs. It was a first to me. It was really fun. Smith(yeah smith the Belisian went along, too) with 2 other friends went together. We had around 80 people, so we were divided into 4 teams. IN one specific battle, I went over from the west wing and got behind the enemy line!! I took 5 pals down in that battle. I was soon found out and shot pretty bad though. hehe. But yeah, there is this one battlefield which is like in the jungle. I love that field, man, and one side would have to advance to another side's headquater and take their flag..it was intense...like really war man...and I love it when each side found the other, and crossfire...it's like saving Private Ryan...dude...I always went to the front...and i was shot pretty bad that game,too. but i was totally rambo...killed like 10 in that game. dude..gotta love that..i thirst for blood!

hehe, anywyas..so that was my highlight of the week..and we had pretty good times with some other friends...smithy was pretty serious, too...he kills people like he is some drugking from Cental American or something..hehe just gotta let you know this, and I've got the gene for this type of thing man..my dad is a cop, and like father like son...but i do realize that in real life, I am probabaly dead for 10 times though..hehe.. and with all the brusies on my body...? wonder if i should take my regular gakuzee next few days..hehe

About Jewish Holidays

Shalom Friends, and L'shanah tovah (what u say in Rosh Hashana , which means FOr a good new year)if i recall it correctly.

Few days ago, Akanie requested that I put up some information about Jewish holidays, specifically on Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, and Hannukah. I thought it'd be a wonderful chance to impart a bit knowledge about Jewish Culture to all who are interested. However, long ago have I left my books in the shelves after those exams at school, and I hope to give y'all a more through report rather then just me blahing. So, I've done some cut and paste works from internet and put up a few pages(with my comments here and there) that I will soon post up on this blog. Starting order from ROsh-hashana, Yom Kippur , and Hannukah. I am prety excited about it, and I hope you are , too. Let me, just start with this. Lots of people ask me why I like Jewish culture so much, and even citationed in Jewish studies. Well, the answer is simple. When I first started to learn about Jewish culture, I found many close links between it and the Bible, and that;s what interest me!! The more i understand about Jewish people and its culture, the stories, customs, and so on, the more I get enjoy reading and relate to the Bible. We all know that festivals are vital parts of the culture, as we go on reading about these three holidays, you might find some "links" between Jewish culture and the Bible, so get ready and don't be surprised!!!
Finally, there are some Jewish holidays that are not mentioned in the Bible, one may wonder why?, like many cultures, it changes after a long period of time, Jewish culture , too , changes. Another reason is because the religious Jewish people today have two major holy scriptures that they followed. One is called the Torah(the first 5 books of the Old testment(to them there is no OT), which "religious" Jews believe are the written tradition (words )of God through Moses. (The other part of the OT other the TOrah are not considered "the most holy " in Jewish trandition!) The other one is called, Talmud, basically the "oral" tradition that is also through Moses given by God in Mt. Sinai, and what's in the Talmud?-the expandtions of explainations of biblical stories of different rabbis troughout the Jewish history-and the expandtions of explaninations of the original expandtions of explanations...go on and on...of course, it was finalized in a period of Jewish history.) That's why there are some different holidays than the Bible recorded!!! if u are interested in other Jewish holidays , go find out yourself. www.aish.com is a good site for it! ALready, i was gonna be short for this one, but well....the JC (jewish culture) is very rich and i just love to blah...anyways..get ready for some good stuffs!!!! sorry for some typos..i just got off work..very tired

hey guys last episode on Joey

guys Joey went back to canada. so we had our moments in front of the club, and we hugged goodbye... sign...i gave him a binlang(chinese gum) as a farewell gift..so i am gonna stop talking about Joey for at least a good while of time. and please do not mention about him to me anymore, i think it's time to move on!! anyways...just to let u know, I've been sick and havent really got time to write anything..but mark shall be back..cheers...
oh and my good DJ friend went back to Wales for his brother's wedding!!! gonna be aways for 2 weeks..and he promised to bring PS2 back, yeah,.that means i'll visit him more(hehe, oh..i also hope to share the good news with him sometimes..please do remember us in thoughts!!!! i've given him a Bible and a spiritual reading book already!!! later y'all

I talked to Joey again

Hey all

I spoke to Joey again, tonight!!! Man, not only does he speak Chinese, he also eats Chinese Gum, "BIn Lang". I was impressed! Oh, he also told me his mom is from Peru. and that made me really miss Peru chicken. hum, i gotta ask him whether I can get somewhere in Taiwan next time. well i guess i 'll stop here, very tired tonight.