Shana Tova!

vanity

Our Shabbos table discussion this week was about Idolatry. Someone mentioned learning that at the time of the second Beis Hamikdash, the rabbis prayed to Hashem to remove the urge to worship idols from the Jew's yetzer harah. (see here for more info: http://www.aish.com/torahportion/kolyaakov/Sacrifices_and_the_Value_of_Idol_Worship.asp )

Somehow, that led to a discussion on what has replaced this urge to worship idols in our society today. What do we "worship" today that could be likened to idolatry?

One of our guests had a really interesting response - he said that today, people are concerned with one thing - THEMSELVES.

Being vain or self-absorbed is similar to idol worship, because in both cases, you are ignoring Hashem. Being vain means your needs are considered first. You choose whether or not to uphold certain halachot based on whether you feel that it is convenient to keep it. You choose to daven or learn based on your schedule or mood.

We've even taken the word 'G-d' out of our vocabulary. We rarely hear the word mentioned on TV or in newspapers anymore.

What about you? How often do you talk about G-d with your non-Jewish or even Jewish co-workers? How often do you refer to G-d when you speak? Do you say 'Thank G-d', 'G-d willing' or 'G-d forbid'? Do you mean it when you say it?

sorry for the serious. more fun to come :)

does this dress come with sleeves?

I WANT THIS DRESS!

Can you believe it's made out of toilet paper?

It was designed by Joeffer Caoc for the 2008 White Cashmere Collection for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.

(thank you to one of my canadian besties for sending it over)

mm revealed

some of my friends have been figuring out who the girl behind MM is....

should I just reveal all or keep going with the MM mystery?

dating on the phone

can you tell i've been very busy today?

So, I spoke to this guy on the phone last night. Ever had that experience? Someone tries to set you up and asks if they can give some guy your number. They tell you, "just talk to him, see how it goes".

So you figure, why not, what have you got to lose. All you have to do is talk to some random stranger for a 1/2 hour - the only real commitment is that you have to remember to call him back when he leaves a voicemail.

Now, I'd like to think I'm a pretty good conversationalist. But when a guy's calling me, I like to let him lead the convo.

Actually, more often than not, he's basically performing a monologue, with me interrupting to say things like "uh huh, ya, that's funny, ok".

Then there are the guys who jump from topic to topic while you're trying to figure out exactly what on earth he is tring to say. Sometimes I'm pretty impressed when they refer to something they said 10 minutes earlier. I can barely remember the last thing I typed.

Or how about the guys with bad cellphone reception? After having told him that you still can't hear him at least 10 times, you just give up and say "ya I can hear you now" and then let him proceed with said monologue.

Then there are the dvar torah guys. The ones who think you'll be impressed with their shtarkness and want to tell you about the shiur they just went to. Dont they know Rabbi's speeches put people to sleep? (i thought that was a classic jewishism?)

What's probably worse are the guys who try to impress you with things they have or people they know. If you have to talk about it, you probably don't really have it in the first place. Soooo 'Nouveau Rich'.

would this be kosher?

http://www.wsoctv.com/news/17539538/detail.html

"PETA Urges Ben & Jerry's To Use Human Milk".

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals sent a letter to Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, cofounders of Ben & Jerry's Homemade Inc., urging them to replace cow's milk they use in their ice cream products with human breast milk, according to a statement recently released by a PETA spokeswoman.
"PETA's request comes in the wake of news reports that a Swiss restaurant owner will begin purchasing breast milk from nursing mothers and substituting breast milk for 75 percent of the cow's milk in the food he serves," the statement says.
PETA officials say a move to human breast milk would lessen the suffering of dairy cows and their babies on factory farms and benefit human health.
"The fact that human adults consume huge quantities of dairy products made from milk that was meant for a baby cow just doesn't make sense," says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. "Everyone knows that 'the breast is best,' so Ben & Jerry's could do consumers and cows a big favor by making the switch to breast milk."

All I have to say is - will there still be an OU on the box?

Who Shall Live

A 6-minute film that will change how you pray over the High Holidays.
Please take 6 minutes of your day before this Rosh Hashanah to watch this amazing clip.

80 year old Rabbi gettin jiggy

I want this guy at my wedding (i'yh!)! The video is not the best quality, but this Rabbi sure can move!

funny israeli wedding

If you understand ktsat ivrit, you'll appreciate this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdr9SMju51w

dating on a rollercoaster

So I recently went out with this guy. Let's just say he was NOT for me. (but he's still single if anyone is interested!) Here's a snippet of our conversation (let me know what you think):

Guy: So what do you like to do for fun?

MM: Oh, you know, the usual, go shopping, watch movies, hang out with friends. What about you?

Guy: I ride rollercoasters.

MM: That's interesting. I hate rollercoasters.

Guy: Really? I go to the amusement park every week.

MM: Every week?

Guy: Yup, I have a family season pass.

MM: Oh, you dont go with your friends?

Guy: Welllll, I haven't made many friends since I moved to this city.

MM: How long have you been here?

Guy: About two years.

if women don't exist where do babies come from

If you haven't already heard, read this: http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1222017348452

Have you heard of Tzipi Livni? She is the female Knesset member poised to become the next Israeli Prime Minister.

Well apparently, the Charedi newspaper, Hamodia, has said that they will not publish photographs of Ms. Livni - or even mention her first name, Tzipi, in any of its articles! Apparently, the mere sight of this "babe" breaks some serious tznius laws. (some online articles have been calling her a "Mossad beauty - I just think she looks like an Ellen Desgeneres wannabe)

I'm just wondering - what's so wrong about acknowledging the place of women in society (beyond the kitchen!)? If a Jewish woman is an accomplished scientist, or an experienced doctor or a high-profile politician, then she should be celebrated and embraced. Where does it say that a Jewish woman's place is strictly in the home? (I'm pretty sure that men are the ones obligated to reproduce..... if only they could do it without our help! lol actuallly you know what - I don't know if I would be confident in our world's future if that were the case!)

And seriously - what's wrong with printing this woman's face in your paper! Why does everything have to be about tznius? (if this woman turns you on, then you've got problems.) Are charedi guys really that hyper-sexualized?

i dont want to be the old lady who lives in a shoe

My friend Chaya just sent me this link to a recent Lion of Zion post: http://agmk.blogspot.com/2008/09/19th-child-born-to-tzefat-mother-with.html

It's about an Israeli Charedi woman, aged 47, who has just given birth to her 19th child.

I don't know about you, but doesn't that sound kinda GROSS! (I'm trying not to think what that's done to her body!)

But then... I got this pamphlet in the mail about this Israeli organization called Efrat, which tries to prevent women from having abortions (these women abort because they do not think they have the financial means to raise a child, so Efrat supplies these mothers with everything they could possibly need: http://www.friendsofefrat.org/ )

According to Efrat, there are 50,000 abortions performed in Israel EACH YEAR. The Israeli army actually supplies soldiers with free abortions (which probably explains for at least 25,000! what do you think female soldiers actually DO in the army? Oh, and birthcontrol is NOT free, because that's religiously controversial....)

So with all the Jewish babies NOT being born, maybe I shouldn't be so quick to judge one crazy Charedi (she lives in Tsfat after all).

dating a fan

I'm sure you'd rather I didn't label you a "Fan" - but what else can I call you?



I get that you think I'm cool and funny and have an awesome personality (all true I might add!).



But considering I'm about as real as a Barbie doll....



Why would you ask me out?



Persistently?



You know who you are....

jdate's competition

Jdate - you've got competition! No, it isn't frumster or sawyouatsinai.....
It's www.muslima.com !

Looks like the dating crisis isn't just a jewish thing!

(ohhh and if you're interested, there are some cute guys in Israel on there too! I kid you not....http://muslima.com/member_profile.cfm?ID=957335&searchposition=1&searchtotal=611)

5,000 views!

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you

to all my MM readers! (YOU included)

And as it is Elul, please forgive me for anything I have written or implied if I have caused offense or incited hatred, or if I have been rude or insincere or unsympathetic,

and for any other reason to which you may feel justifies an apology.

Oh - and please forgive me for sometimes taking too long between posts or for not responding to your comments or for not going out on a date with you.

Keep reading!

so I should be at slichos....

I know I should be at slichos right now, but I had a really weird dream during my usual Shabbos nap and now I still feel so exhausted.

I know, I know, its almost Rosh Hashanah, and I have a lot to say "slicha" over. So how come I'm not at Shul?

For some reason, I was raised believing that going to shul and davening were more part of a man's job. It kinda is, when you're ortho - isn't that the reason that rabbis and chazans and more importantly, shul presidents, are male? My mother goes to shul each Shabbos and even davens a little, but for some reason, I always saw davening as something my father has to do before work.

I know that there are different opinions about a woman's obligation to daven. So maybe I shouldn't feel too bad that I'm watching tv on surfthechannel rather than asking G-d for forgiveness?

lindt chocolate

Whenever I am at Ben Gurion, I make sure to load up on anything and everything that I forgot to buy during my trip, as well as anything and everything with any sort of hechsher on it.

In the past, I bought Ferrero Rocher and cool liquors that aren't available kosher where I live.

This time, I bought LINDT, loads and loads of LINDT chocolate.

The hechsher was on the price tag, and it said that it was kosher according to the Rabbanut of Israel. Good enough for me!

So I've been trying to find kosher Lindt online, but to no avail. Anyone know where I can get some? It truly is THE best chocolate EVER. (in my humble opinion).

I'm also kinda hoping that the hechsher wasn't a mistake.......

Maybe I should eat the rest of the truffles before I find out....

paid to date

my friend Shaindy heard it from her mother who heard it from a friend who heard it from her daughter who heard it from a shadchan, that......

apparently there is this new shtick in some parts of Brooklyn where guys are PAID to go out with girls.

ok, you know me, trying to see the bright side in all of this....

maybe it gets a little pricey for a guy to take out a different girl every night...(how is he supposed to save up for a house?)

maybe he's still in school and doesn't have money yet....

maybe his parents aren't too well off either.....

or maybe he's so f--ing sick of dating he needs a good incentive!

which is it?

the color purple

i got this really cute dark purple top a few days ago and decided to rock it to school yesterday with a coordinated silver headband and designer flats... i thought i was stylin....

then as soon as i get into my class, i notice about 5 other girls wearing purple too!

is it just me or has everyone got the violet fever these days?

goodbye facebook

im sure that some of you facebook stalkers out there have noticed that MM's profile page is missing.

apparently you can't use facebook for "professional reasons" (their words, not mine).
wish i actually was making money off this.... my credit card statement could definitely use the extra help!

soo goodbye facebook!

being ghetto

so my new co-worker Maggie is GHETTO.
She knows she is, and loves it.
I learned a few things chatting with her today:
Being ghetto means no one messes with you because you take care of yourself - you beat the ___ of another chick if she touches your man.
Being ghetto means you scrub the ground when you dance and show off your assssets while wearing an ultra-low "shirt".
Being ghetto means knowing a bunch of people on crack, selling crack or in jail.

All I have to say is Baruch Hashem the only ghetto I know is the Jewish one I live in....

teachers should be ugly

i couldn't concentrate in class today.

the prof was way too hot.

ok, maybe he isn't Brad Pitt hot...

but when most profs look like Christopher Walken,

this guy certainly steams up a room.

writing in bathrooms

so I was going about my usual business in the ladies' room at school...
and of course those little 'poems' or 'words of wisdom' kept me from being too bored...
(i didn't have my usual girls with me to chatter away with - i'm pretty sure only girls do that, right?)
just wondering...
who comes up with that stuff?
who can reach that far?? (when you're sitting down; these people must have super-long arms to scrawl on the door).
and who carries pens to the bathroom???

why r frummies haters?

I saw this film in the Hamptons this summer, which you should definitely catch if you haven't already seen it.

It's called Arranged and it's about a friendship between a young Frum girl and a young Muslim girl and their somewhat similar dating lives.

(here's a link to the film website: http://www.arrangedthemovie.com/ )

A friend of mine, Perry, wanted to have a screening of the film in order to raise money for her Jewish organization, which is pretty well-known in the Frum community where she lives.

BUT, because the film kind of 'promotes' friendship with non-Jews, and especially Muslims, no one from the frum community will come to the screening.

I'm not saying frummies have to turn into liberal arab-loving tree-huggers, but why does being a hater have to be the norm? Can't we all get along? (or maybe I'm being naive?)