Haveil Havalim #248 — Welcome to Tevet

Founded by Soccer Dad, 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 Jack. The term ‘Haveil Havalim,’ which means “Vanity of Vanities,” is from Qoheleth, (Ecclesiastes) which was written by King Solomon. King Solomon built the Holy Temple in Jerusalem and later on got all bogged down in materialism and other ‘excesses’ and realized that it was nothing but ‘hevel,’ or in English, ‘vanity.’”

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Chanukah

Though Chanukah 5770 is now a thing of the past, it provided many interesting posts this past week!

Good News from Israel shows that America has not cornered the market when it comes to the commercialization of a religious holiday. Check out his pictorial observation at Only in Israel: 21 Chanukah Hebrew Ads.

This is one busy guy! Good News from Israel has also been busy collecting Chanukah videos from around the globe. One hundred seventy-one, to be exact!

In honour of Chanukah, Lady Light shares a humourous post (The Essential Oils of Chanukah) and a more serious one (They Tried to Kill Us…).

Get an interesting perspective of what it is like for an Israeli to travel outside of Israel. David is abroad for Chanukah and shares his thoughts at Israelity in The Travelling Israeli.

Also from Israelity — Rachel shares some pictures of what Chanukah looks like in Jerusalem in Foto Friday – Hanukkah in Jerusalem.

The Writer Formerly Known as The East Village Mamale gives us Festivismukkah!

Midianite Manna shows us that the Chanukah story can teach us a really basic life lesson in Mom’s Lessons from Chanukah.

For next year — a fun Chanukah treat to make! Hanukiah? Chanukkiyah?…Cupcake Menorah.

Or, there’s always Shammai’s Chanukiah over at The Edible Torah.

The JazzRabbi reminds us the importance of sharing Chanukah family memories in The Potato Chanukiah – A Family Story for the 6th Nite. [JazzRabbi is new to the blogosphere — Baruch HaBa!]

Oil is reason for OUR season! In celebration,Homeshuling gives us not one, not two, but THREE posts on oil!!!

OY — Frum Satire is at it again! Woman Sues Missionary Organization That Gave Her Faulty Menorah.

The Maccabees aren’t just for Chanukah, according to Maya at How to be Israeli.

Can one ever be thankful enough? Geshmack Dvar Torah ponders this very question in Being Thankful — For What?

Hadassah and her family certainly had much for which to be thankful in Our Chanukah Miracle.

What does football have to do with Chanukah? Everything, as it turns out. Yechezkel makes it so clear in Fumbling the Ball in the Red Zone – A Chanuka parable.

SO with whom would you have sided? The Hellenists or the Zealots? Rebgiraffe, in his debut guest post right here at Frume Sarah, helps us understand the internal struggle at the time of the Maccabees and what that means for us today in What’s it All About?

Speaking of this, A Chassidishe Farbrengen comments on Hellenism vs. Torah — The Perennial Struggle.

Speaking of A Chassidishe Farbrengen, he also weighs in with Chanukah: Absolute Truth, Not Pluralism!

How one family deals with the psak regarding the Chanukah lights in the home of one who permanently resides in The Land in Holy Land, Holy Lights by Isramom

When it comes to lighting the chanukiah, this week’s Geshmack Dvar Torah wonders Is There a Hidur Mitzva after the Mitzva is Done?

Hallel is typically recited on Chanukah. Artzeinu discusses why on Chanukah and not on Purim in a Chanukah Dvar Torah.

Is it really better to give than to receive? Seraphic Secret shares a heart-warming gift-giving story in Tuesday Weld and , Um, Chanukah.

And I share some thoughts about a loving gift that I received in Nothing Says Happy Chanukah…

And so it Ends. A pictorial wrap-up over at Around the Island.

Leora has also wrapped up with week with both photos and blog suggestions in Review with Stained Glass Menorah.

Israel

You can’t always believe what you read. Get a more accurate understanding of the Deir Yassin Massacre Hoax over at Best Hoaxes and Pranks.

Netanyau could learn something from some Yorkshire folk-wisdom. Tzedek-Tzedek offers A Yorkshireman’s Advice to Netanyahu.

Get caught up with a variety of issues regarding Religion and State in Israel here and here

Listening to a newscast prompted Batya to share her thoughts in Typically Delusional Left.

Exciting new things are happening for artists and art-lovers in Jerusalem. A New Artist “Incubator” Opens in Jerusalem at Agrippas 88 in the center of the city.

Chaviva was An Israelite for 10 Days.

Over at Esser Agaroth, Yoel Metzer makes some very compelling arguments in Why Make Aliyah.

The Torah from Zion sheds some light on this strange development: The Jerusalem municipality is using Jewish tax dollars to give away free X-mas trees.

Some interesting things to see by foot in Jerusalem thanks to Batya in Jerusalem, Never Dull.

The West Bank Mama remembers the war in Gaza in Operation Cast Lead, One Year Later.

Maya is learning How to be Israeli and is teaching us along the way important lessons such as Don’t Call Between Two and Four.

Judaism

The lie that just won’t go away. Best Hoaxes and Pranks gives the background on the Dangerous Fraud of the Elders of the Protocols of Zion.

Ben-Yehudah rejects the notion of Judeo-Christian Values.

Batya questions tradition in Are There Really 613 Seeds in a Pomegranate?

Who helps a rabbi become the rabbi that he or she is? The Rebbetzin’s Husband answers the question in The Making of a Rabbi.

Over at Artzeinu, a look at last week’s Torah portion in Parshat Vateishev: Man is Safer in Eretz Yisrael…ALWAYS!

And yet, not all are safe (or free) in Israel, according to Tzedek-Tzedek. “When We Were Slaves in Israel” should pry us from our complacency and demand that we right this wrong.

A Chassidishe Farbrengen shares his approach to The Key to Understanding Torah.

In response to an EU call to divide Jerusalem into the capitol of two states, freelance writer Morey Altman (Jerusalem Report, Jewish Independent, etc.) looks at some of the historical details the EU missed in Jerusalem, Jerusalem.

Ilana-Davita shares her shock at discovering her co-workers lack of compassion in Stingy or Selfish?

A Mother in Israel takes a look back at her Ten Best Comment Threads from the past (secular) year.

Tzedek-Tzedek takes a visit to Turkey and shows us the importance of understanding the culture in Is Turkey Kosher?

Looking for some new Jewish music? Check out Reunion by Julie Silver – Review & Giveaway over by the Ima. She’s giving away Julie Silver’s latest release!

Mazal tov to Hadassah for having her poem, Friday Night Lights, featured on Chabad.org.

Leah has a great way to use Twitter for mitzvot in Twitter Challa!

Been thinking about those cows that the Pharaoh saw in his nocturnal visions? Take a look at what Geshmack Dvar Torah thinks about this in Cow Spirituality. What?

Barbara’s Tchatzkah’s gives us the Flow of Spirituality.

The Jew & The Carrot reports on the Climate Change Bus Tour that has been winding its way across the United States in Topsy Turvy Time.

Personal

I know that I am not alone in welcoming back Chavi from her self-imposed blogging break. She returns with I’m Here to Start a Fire…and boy, does she!

Remember what it’s like…waiting for your date to arrive? Be swept into Frum N’Flipping’s experience, Until He Shows Up.

We typically think that aliyah is for the young. And while it is easier to do in one’s earlier years, it is STILL possible to go home…no matter what the age. Batya shares some snapshots of her father’s experience here and here.

At what moment does fatherhood begin? Jack shares his journey in How Do You Become a Father?

Israeli poet, Zelda, wrote that each one of us has a name. Lady Light expands on this in The Importance of a Name (or, What’s in a Name, Part II).

Beneath the Wings takes control of her life in Nobody Can Fix Your Life for You.

It’s been six months since the death of Shira’s mother, z”l. She shares some perspective in Six Months of Kaddish: Lost in the Transportation.

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And that concludes this week’s edition of Haveil Havalim. I hope that you enjoy these varied posts!!

Next week will be hosted by I’ll Call Baila. Submit your blog article to the next edition of Haveil Havalim using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.