Haveil Havalim #214 - The Radiant Ziv edition

Here I am, back in the saddle for my third turn hosting Haveil Havalim, the Jewish and Israeli Blog Carnival. [Earlier attempts here and here.]

I finally feel like I am getting the hang of this hosting thing, at least to the extent that I no longer feel a need to apologize for hosting. One day I may even get to be good at it.

There were many more submissions this time than there were in the past; I think I linked about 80 posts here, but I haven't bothered to count. I take this as a sign of HH Health, as well as a sign that this week was a very busy blogging week!


Boilerplate:
Founded by Soccer Dad way back in the mists of the early blogosphera, Haveil Havalim is a carnival of Jewish blogs -- a weekly collection of Jewish & Israeli blog highlights, tidbits and points of interest collected from blogs all around the world. It's hosted by different bloggers each week and coordinated by the inestimable Jack.


This week's edition is named in honor of the lunar month of Iyyar, which began this weekend. Iyyar is also identified in Tanach (all references to Jewish sources appear at the end of this post) as זיו Ziv, meaning radiance, and our Jewish/Israeli blogosphere is nothing if not radioactive radiant!

Here's my favorite post of the week, one with a special radiant association: Since reading Charlotte's Web as a child, I've always associated the word "radiant" with spiders. So go here for a truly radiant Muqata Spider, courtesy of Jameel! (Spiderman made me associate "radioactive" with spiders as well, but that's another story.)


Now, on to the many radiant aspects of the month of Iyyar, as represented in this week's edition:

Section I: Gd is the source of radiance, and Divine glory is talmudically described as זיו השכינה (ziv hashechinah), so our Judaism section is a pretty good place to start:

Some random items: The Parsha Blog does a Wellhausen-worthy analysis of a be-ethical-and-be-rewarded story making the rounds, The Velveteen Rabbi offers poetry and prose on childbirth, Hirhurim has an interesting piece on the Jewish view of avoiding danger and The Real Shliach is waiting for mashiach in a re-post of old material here

On the Fringe contrasts different Jewish religious views and practices, while Hillel Goldberg at Cross-Currents talks about the respective futures of different approaches, and SerandEz looks at Jonathan Mark’s piece on Very Open Orthodoxy and Maharat Hurwitz .

But enough about denominations, let’s talk lashon hara. Or about lashon hara, anyway. I really like what Chinuch Adventures had to say about combatting lashon hara nastiness . I did battle with those who pit Jew vs. Jew with their slander, in The Idiot Brigade Rides Again, my brother over at Kosher Beers discussed a parshah thought by Rabbi Frand on slander, and Barzilai posted a thought on arrogance and slander and tzaraas.

Letters of Thought is troubled by nomenclature in Lubavitch children's reading material. Maybe he should try reading the Breslov books that Frum Satire doesn’t want?


Section II: And then we move from the religious to the Personal, since midrash describes personal charm as זיו איקונין של אדם (ziv ikunin shel adam).

An ideal start to this category is ShtetlFab’s musing on why some people just hit it off, and others don’t. Sportsbiz offers the story of a Jew and his dogs in the Iditarod, and Ki yachol nuchal blogs Pesach and Yom haShoah thoughts.

I have long admired Jack, and I wish him Mazal Tov for his interview with DovBear.

Shira bat Sarah is at her synagogue’s post-Katrina dedication, and RenReb has a range of thoughts on her mind, as usual. (But didn't she see Ice Age? I'm pretty sure the dodos went extinct in that one.)

Beneath the Wings deals with two very different guests – the Repairman and Flat Stanley – as well as a desperately dreaming daughter. Trip’n Up doesn’t need guests, she’s got triplets!

Rivka at Wings Like a Dove posted an update on her mother’s condition.

This story at Writes Like She Talks, about a politician who wasn’t careful with his email, isn’t particularly Jewish - but it has a Jewish lesson in it. Orthonomics wants us to rein in deficit spending, and I’m with her. In a piece that is by turns headachey and humorous, The Crown Heights Underground offers the One-Sentence-Piece-Joint-Writing-Exercise.

For a little more humor, here’s an odd work memo via A Time of the Signs, and for a piece radiating with Joy, read “Fantastic things that make me happy” at The Curious Jew.


Section III: Moving along to some more somber radiance: Early in the week we had Yom haShoah, a day commemorating the murder of so many of our ancestors. The gemara calls our patriarchs זיותני עולם (zivtanei olam), the radiant ones of the world, and I'll borrow the term for the martyrs killed in the Shoah.

There were many commemorations, on many blogs; here are a few:

Everyone Needs Therapy remembered Irena Sendler, Elms in the Yard remembered the victims on Yom haShoah, as did Tikkun Olam here and here. Jack did it here, and Israelity did it too. Gila at My Shrapnel did it in the context of Defiance, and contemplating a modern Holocaust in Israel.

Jack tries to explain it all to his son.

Esser Agaroth and For Zion’s Sake talk about fitting memorials for the victims of the Holocaust, and preventing current/future Holocausts from happening, while chabad.org has a blog post about a new Holocaust museum in Skokie.


Section IV: Then we have another type of ziv, with what the gemara calls זיוא דאילני (ziva d'ilanei), the radiance of the trees, and this week was Earth Day!

Home-shuling is talking about the Jewish elements of Earth Day, and here’s a recycling post at In the Pink, suitable for Earth Day as well.


Section V: Which brings us to Israel, the radiant beauty and joy of the world, not to mention the country whose Independence Day, Yom haAtzmaut, is celebrated in the month of Ziv.

Occidental Israeli describes beautiful Israeli Ziv days here.

We have some history of Israel with State of Exile arguing we should never have revolted against the Roman Empire, Shiloh Musings talking about the murder of Lechi activist Alexander Rubovitz, Lion of Zion memorializing Haganah soldiers, Treppenwitz reviewing the history of the Gush while hitching and Isramom blogging Anda, a play about the Eichmann trial and the politics of the early State of Israel.

You want to talk government? Religion and State in Israel depicts the on-going saga of the Chief Rabbinate’s difficulties administering marriage and divorce, while Esser Agaroth beefs about the secular government, and Jewlicious presents thoughts on West Bank withdrawal.
Oh, and Shiloh Musings discusses secret military plans.

Israelity has some very appetizing Shuk photos, as well as a piece on Beyonce’s new Israeli choreographer, Kobi Rosenfeld.

And to wrap the category: Israel is the joy, beauty and radiance of the world, but The Israel Situation asks why it is also the topic of the world’s daily conversation.


Section VI: The holiday of Pesach Sheni (aka Passover Redux) is celebrated in this month of Ziv, so here are some Pesach reviews.

Me-ander is trying to recover from Pesach, and there are some Pesach and post-Pesach recipes at the Kosher Cooking Carnival at A Mother in Israel. And Letters of Thought schmoozes about his Pesach in Uman, complete with pictures.


Section VII: Lest we forget to count the Omer, note that Lag baOmer is another holiday in this great month of Ziv, with radiant bonfires!

Our Shiputzim has a tree cut down… and it may become someone’s Lag baOmer bonfire.


Section VIII: And then there's Yerushalayim, which the Talmud says will have a beautiful Ziv radiating from its walls in the time of mashiach, and which celebrates Yom Yerushalayim in the month of Ziv!

Here’s an interesting Jerusalem photography riddle for Jerusalemites, at Leora’s.

Take advantage of the fine weather and learn some history at The Railroad Track Park in Jerusalem, described by Elms in the Yard. Or just complain about pharmacy prices with What War Zone.


Section IX: And then, last and definitely least, the world of Anti-Israel, Anti-Judaism, Anti-Life... the world of the misspelled Zivah.
Zivah spelled זיוה is radiance; Zivah spelled זיבה is an impure bodily discharge, and that's what we have in this category with the United Nations, Iran, Durban II and Arab Terror. Lots of זיבה here, and not too much radiance.

News Beyond News has Back to the Dark Ages with Durban II, and Jewschool has a particularly hideous moment on video.

Israel Situation talks Hezbollah, Hamas, Sunnis, Shiites, Egypt and Israel, and, speaking of Jews and Arab lands, see the article and pictures offered by Sephardic Secret here.

Shiloh Musings argues that Israel is not a product of world sympathy, and that truly learning from the Holocaust would result in a stronger reaction to Durban II.

Occidental Israeli notes a contrast between UN policy toward Somali pirates and the UN’s expectations for Israel’s response to terrorism. He's also looking at the future of Israel, critiquing a recent talk by Michael Oren, and Yisrael Medad looks to the future as well here and here.

Torat Yisrael talks about Arab fear of Haredi Midgets; maybe, as Judeopundit asserts, they've been hitting the Scotch a little too often.

Esser Agaroth talks about a dog’s heroic response to terrorism here. Maybe we need some of these canines to replace inept UN forces around the world… or at least to write newspaper headlines, as I noted in Israel, Gaza and White Phosphorus.

And, in closing, Schvach offers a musical message for Iran and the man Jon Stewart calls “the world’s tiniest autocrat." Do you know if he keeps the first or second days of the omer? He seems to have a perpetually pathetic sefirah beard...


And that's all we have for this radiant week, folks; enjoy, and submit your links for next week's edition here!

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Iyyar is called "Ziv" in Kings I 6:1; see also Rosh HaShanah 11a.
Ziv ikunin shows up, among other places, in Bereishit Rabbah 64:6.
Zivtanei Olam brings us back to Rosh HaShanah 11a, as does ziva d'ilanei.
Bava Batra 75a says the walls of Yerushalayim will be given radiance, courtesy of the Leviathan!