Nachas Story - "Did you ask Rebbe yet?"

On my wife's initiative, after speaking with our rebbe, Rav Moshe Weinberger (a/k/a "Rebbe"), we began keeping Chlov Yisroel a little less than a year ago. Though it has been challenging in certain small respects for everyone in the family, everyone has accepted it relatively happily except for our nine year old daughter.

A couple of months ago, she began announcing "I don't keep Cholov Yisroel," and also asking me for permission to eat non-Cholov Yisroel things. My wife and I tried explaining that it isn't so hard, that virtually everything out there is available in a Cholov Yisroel version, and that it isn't so hard to avoid the one or two things that aren't available in Cholov Yisroel, etc.

She was having none of it. About a month ago, she began asking for Nestle hot chocolate (which is not Cholov Yisroel) because she didn't like the Cholov Yisroel hot chocolate, and anyway, we didn't always have it. Then, she heard that a friend of hers kept Cholov Yisroel only at home. Thinking that this was a genius of an idea and an ideal middle-ground, she began to ask me frequently if she could do that too. Because she kept asking, I finally told her that I would ask Rebbe if it was okay. After all, I didn't know if this chumra was something that we should push relative to other things.

I began working with her to make hot chocolate from scratch in the mornings, and putting her off when she asked me if I asked Rebbe her question yet. I was hoping that the hot chocolate would diffuse her desire and she would drop it, but no such luck. She continued asking every couple of days, "Did you ask Rebbe yet? Can I stop keeping Cholov Yisroel outside the house?"

Finally, this Shabbos at kiddush, I asked Rebbe her question. After the seuda at home afterward, I told her I had just spoken with Rebbe about her question. She asked me what he said, and I told her that he said she should continue keeping Cholov Yisroel everywhere because it would make her healthier, it is good for her, and it's a very important thing.

Her response: "Okay, good." Period. End of sentence. No protests or complaints at all (which would not be entirely out of character for her). After months of asking and pleading, as soon as she heard what Rebbe said, she accepted it happily and we haven't heard anything else about it.

What My Son is Thinking About in the Middle of the Night

This past Sunday my son told his rebbe in cheder that it was his sixth birthday. His rebbe then taught him that it's a special zechus for someone to get a bracha from someone who's having his birthday that day, so he asked my son for a bracha! Then all of the other rebbeim in that section of the cheder also got brachos from my son shortly afterwards.

Please note that my oldest daughter is becoming a bas mitzvah very soon and her gettogether at her school is on Sunday.

Fast-forward to yesterday (Thursday) morning. I was getting ready to leave for Shul in the morning well before anyone else in the house had gotten up and my son had relocated to our bedroom. As I'm getting various things from the room ready in the dark, my son, still half asleep, suddenly sits up and says, "Daddy, when you pick me up at carpool on Sunday, we need to bring the Rebbe with us to the house so [my sister] can give him a bracha on her Bas mitzvah!" He then promptly went back to sleep.

I heard in the name of one of the Chabad rebbeim that you can really tell what is internalized within a person by waking him up in the middle of the night and asking him a question. Whatever he answers before he has a chance to think about what he *should* answer reflects what and who he truly is.

I love this cheder!

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Elementary School International Espionage Conference Dialogue

As heard from a reader in Yerushalayim:

Older intelligent child who considers himself quite worldly to a younger sibling in all seriousness: "I think I know who hacked into Iran's computers."

Younger child: "Really? Who?"

Older child: "I think it was Rebbe S. from the cheder. He knows everything there is to know about the office's computer system!"

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Please donate to my son's cheder by going to minivanraffle.org to buy a raffle ticket. The drawing for a new minivan, car, or $20,000 cash will be IY"H Chanukah time. $100 for 1 ticket. $360 for 5. Where the form says "Referred by," please write "Dixie Yid." Tizku l'mitzvos!

My Child Became a Tortfeasor This Morning!

When my 5 year old son secretly snuck into our bed during the night despite the fact that we told him he had to stay in his own bed, I could not be liable for this little undiscovered tresspassor's transgression because of the attractive nuisance doctrine.

Yes, I admit it, it's hard to get my brain out of bar exam mode.

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Please donate to my son's cheder by going to minivanraffle.org to buy a raffle ticket. The drawing for a new minivan, car, or $20,000 cash will be IY"H Chanukah time. $100 for 1 ticket. $360 for 5. Where the form says "Referred by," please write "Dixie Yid." Tizku l'mitzvos!

These Yingelach Really Know How to Dance!!! - Uman 2009 Video

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My first trip to the Lubavitcher Rebbe's Ohel Since About 1997

My in-laws brought over some supplies yesterday for a barbecue for all of us, plus my father-in-law's da'ati sister from Netanya and her husband. Having just come in from Israel, one of the first things they wanted to do was to go to the Lubavitcher Rebbe's z"l's kever. So I agreed to go drive my wife, her family from Israel, her aunt, and my 7 year old daughter and 5 year old son over there.

Backtrack: I have been very reticent to go to the Lubavitcher Rebbe's kever (hereinafter "the Ohel") for a long time, even though it is only about 15 minutes from where I live. In fact, the last time I was there was when I attended a "Pegisha" in Crown Heights in about the fall of 1997. They took everyone to the Ohel that Sunday morning.

While I enjoy and benefit tremendously from learning Tanya with a chevrusa and other Ma'amarim of the Baal Hatanya with Rav Moshe Weinberger over the years, I have never particularly connected with the teachings or personality of the most recent Lubavitcher Rebbe in particular.

Even last week, on the Rebbe's 16th Yohrtzeit, despite the fact that a few people in my Shul and in the blogosphere (thanks Menashe!) encouraged me to go, I simply did not feel the need to go. But circumstances being what they are, Hashem made it that my wife asked me to take her and the family to the Ohel, so I agreed.

A couple of funny things happened despite my efforts to conduct myself at this Tzadik's kever the same as I would at any other Tzadik's kever. I saw that people were writing kvitelach to the Rebbe (or Hashem, I'm not sure) with all of their bakashos/problems, reading them at the Ohel and then tearing them up and throwing them in. In my experience, we write k'vitelach when we go into see a living Tzadik, but not when going to a kever, so I didn't do this although my wife was busy writing up her k'vitel.

I took my Tehilim and went in with my 5 year old son to the Ohel. I said one kepitel Tehillim with him and then he watched everyone else while I continued saying some Tehillim. He asked me why people were ripping up their papers so I told him what they were doing with their k'vitelach. He told me he wanted to do it to. Sigh. The best laid plans of mice and men...

I walked him back into the (amazingly large) building by the Ohel so we could prepare his k'vitel. I asked him what he wanted to daven for so he told me three things. Now bear in mind, he has never really heard of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, he's only 5, and doesn't know of any of the "inyanim" relating to the Rebbe or Lubavitch today. So it was quite interesting to hear the three things he wanted to daven for. One interesting aspect was that he didn't want to ask for anything for himself. Here they are:

-That the Lubavitcher Rebbe should come alive again
-That Moshiach should come
-That the Lubavitcher Rebbe should have a refuah sheleima and not get sick again

That boy is something! So we went back into the Ohel and before we went in, I reminded him that when we go to the kever of a Tzadik, we're davening to Hashem, in the zechus of the Tzadik, but that we never daven to the Tzadik himself. He said his tefilos for those three things, happily ripped up his kevitel, and threw the pieces into the Ohel.

Afterwards, we were waiting for everyone else to finish so I showed him a picture of the Lubavitcher Rebbe on a brochure so he would know what the Tzadik looked like before he was niftar.

Thinking of his recent tefilos, a short while later, we saw a man sitting in the library over there who had a long white beard just like the Rebbe's. My son pointed excitedly over at the man and said, "Look, he came back already!!!"

Ah, such temimus! B"H K"AH!

Picture of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, z'l, courtesy of Lubavitch Children's Centre. Picture of the Ohel courtesy of Lubavitch.com. Click here to get Dixie Yid in your e-mail Inbox or here to subscribe in Google Reader.

My Son Explains Why the Sun is Not Visible When It Rains

Conversation this morning between my seven year old daughter and four year old son:

Seven: Why is it sunny outside if it's so cold?

Four: Because it's the morning.

Seven: But then is it sunny on rainy mornings?

Four: No, Hashem doesn't put out the sun when it's raining because He doesn't want it to get wet!

Picture courtesy of dailyclipart. P.S. Notice that a small portion of the "sun" is covered up by the umbrella. Click here to get Dixie Yid in your e-mail Inbox or here to subscribe in Google Reader.

Quite an Unusual Sunday Daytrip...

Before my wife had fully woken up yesterday morning, our six-year-old came in to ask her "What are we doing today?"

My wife answered her honestly. "I dunno."

I was later informed by her sibling compatriots when I asked them if they knew what we were doing that day that "Mommy said that today we're going to Idaho!"

Picture courtesy of cropandsoil.oregonstate.edu.

Cleansing That Which is Soiled

For the second time on Monday, we noticed that our four year old son had washed his disposable bowl and spoon before throwing them away. I was highly amused by this since it would seem pointless to me to wash something that will be thrown in the garbage in a minute anyway. So I asked him why he was washing them even though he was about to throw them away?

He answered me that he just likes to make dirty things clean. G-d willing he should always be that way!

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Look Who is Pretending to Daven

I took my four year old son to davening on Friday morning. He sat very nicely the whole time and at the end, he began wrapping the straps of my head-tefilin around his arm and shuckeling (swaying) as if he was davening. This got me to thinking which of the following phrases would be more correct:

"Look, he's pretending to daven just like me."

Or:

"Look, he's pretending to daven, just like me."

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Amar Rabi Akiva - Yeshiva Boys Choir - Hilarious Music Video

My kids, especially my son, love this song, "V'Ahavta," by the Yeshiva Boys Choir, and think this video by some very creative camp counselors is hilarious. Thought you might enjoy.

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The Atheist, the Bear & My Four Year Old Comedian

I want to share the following funny story that I received from Rabbi Tal Zwecker followed by some great antics by my four-year-old son:

The Diehard

An atheist was walking through the woods. "What majestic trees! What powerful rivers! What beautiful animals!" He said to himself.

As he was walking alongside the river, he heard a rustling in the bushes behind him. He turned to look. He saw a 7-foot grizzly bear charge towards him. He ran as fast as he could up the path. He looked over his shoulder & saw that the bear was closing in on him.

He looked over his shoulder again, and the bear was even closer. He tripped and fell on the ground. He rolled over to pick himself up but saw that the bear was right on top of him, reaching for him with his left paw and raising his right paw to strike him.

At that instant the Atheist cried out, "Oh my G-d!" Time Stopped. The bear froze. The forest was silent.

As a bright light shone upon the man, a voice came out of the sky: "You deny My existence for all these years, teach others I don't exist and even credit creation to cosmic accident... do you expect Me to help you out of this predicament? Am I to count you as a believer?"

The atheist looked directly into the light, "It would be hypocritical of me to suddenly ask You to treat me as a believer now, but perhaps You could make the BEAR a believer"?

"Very Well," said the voice. The light went out. The sounds of the forest resumed. And the bear dropped his right paw, closed his eyes and recited - in perfect Hebrew -the blessing one says before eating meat: "Boruch Atoh Hashem Elokeinu melech ha'olam shehakol nih'yeh bi'dvaro."

Let's not be stubborn diehards. Sooner or later, everybody will be calling Hashem's Name. Now's a good time to start.

I told my four year old son this story on Sunday, making sure that he understood that it didn't really happen, but that it was a joke. He found it very amusing and a few minutes later, his 19 month old younger sister walked by and dropped a costume bear head from her Purim costume. My son put on the bear head and then said "Baruch Atah Hashem Elokeinu Melech Ha'Olam She'hakol Nihiyeh Bidvaro!!! Yum yum!" My four year old comedian!

Picture courtesy of alaska-bear-viewing.net. Click here to get Dixie Yid in your e-mail Inbox or here to subscribe in Google Reader.

Why Do Your Kids Like Chunkah...

Comment on Daled Amos with your kids-under-five's reasons why they like Chanukah...

-Dixie Yid

(Picture courtesy of Levine Judaica)

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The Dixie Family at the Jewish Children's Museum

My family and I went to the Jewish Children's Museum a few weeks ago. The kids love it there. One of their favorite parts is a supermarket designed especially for those who are between 2 and 4 feet tall. It comes complete with a bakery section and grocery scanners which test your knowledge of the brachos on the food. My wife took the above picture of me using my phone. We definitely recommend it as a good place to go with the kids if you're within driving distance of Crown Heights!

-Dixie Yid

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Voting With My Kids

I took my girls with me before school to vote this morning. it was a good opportunity to teach them about how one way we show our hakaras hatov, our appreciation, for living in a great country that lets us choose our own leaders is by voting. My 9 year old moved the switch to vote for my Ethics professor for State Senate and my 6 year old pulled the lever to register our votes. It was a great quality time and educational experience.

-Dixie Yid

(Picture courtesy of blognetnews.com)

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My Three Year Old Son, The Philosopher

Exchange this morning with my son:

My Son: Where's John (a workman he'd just seen)?

Me: He's outside.

My son: But we can't see him.

Me: You're right. We can't see him but we know he's there. It's just like Hashem. Can we see Hashem?

My son: No.

Me: But do we know He's there?

My son: Yeah!

Me: Right, we know he's there because he made us.

My son: You and me, right?

Me: Right. He made us and he gives us our food.

My son: Yum Yum. And he gives us lollypops!

Me: Right, he gives us our food every single day.

My son: Who? John?

Me

-Dixie Yid

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My "Progressive" Children

Exchange Between My 5 year old daughter, her five year old friend and our 3 year old son:

My daughter: Okay, let's play Chasunah. I'll marry [my brother].

Friend: No, I said I was going to marry [your brother]!

My daughter: Okay we'll both marry him. Now everyone get in a circle and hold hands... Okay, Ode Yeshama B'arei Yehuda U'vechutzos Yerushalayim...!

-Dixie Yid

(Picture courtesy of jewish-history.com)

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Conversation With My Five Year Old

Me (pouring cereal into her bowl): Okay, say "when..."

Her: (immediately) When!

Me: That's enough already?

Her: No, but you told me to say "when."

Ah, my literal children. I have to be more careful with how I ask things. :-)

-Dixie Yid

(Picture courtesy of dkimages)

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A Taste of the Reasons for Upsherin, the First Hair Cut

In response to a reader's comment to my post about my son's Upsherin, I wanted to post some selected translations from Rav Gavriel Zinner's sefer Nitei Gavriel on Upsherin and Chinuch.

(Page 17) The custom to cut a boy's hair for the first time is mentioned in the Responsa of the Radvaz (Rav David ibn Zimra, mid-1500s) (2:608), regarding one who vowed to cut his son's hair at the [grave] of Shmuel Hanavi, only to find that the place had already been taken by the gentiles... and Jews were not allowed to enter there...

[From this source, it appears that] it was the custom to cut the hair of the boys for the first time by the grave of Shmuel haNavi, and to dedicate silver, equivalent to the weight of the hair, for the purpose of lighting the grave of Shmuel, and to give the rest to the congregation and to tzedaka.

(Page 31, note 2) And so too in the Sefer Mat'amim Erech Sa'aros V'Otzar Minhagei Yeshurun, that the reason for the custom that we don't cut the hair of a little boy until he begins to speak is because it is written in the Gemara in Sukkah 42a, that a child, when he begins to speak, his father should teach him Torah. And what is Torah? "Torah Tziva Lanu Moshe, etc." Thereby, he sanctifies him to Heaven. And it is written (Devarim 18:4), The first shearing of your flock shall you give to me." and the Jewish people are called [Hashem's] flock. And therefore, when the child begins to speak, and we bring him into holiness, we his hair from him, and give its [weight's] monitary value to Heaven. And then, we also educate him to Mitzvos and leave for him Peyos, and make him a Jew, so that it will be recognizable to all that this child is a Jew."

Rav Zinner also says in the text of perek 1, halacha 1 that the main purpose of the Upsherin is to begin the child's education by teaching him the isur, the prohibition of "Lo sakifu p'as rosheichem," "do not round the corners of your heads."

Here are a few guidlines I heard from my rebbe about the ideal ways to do an Upsherin, whenever possible, and if Shalom Bayis can be maintained:

-Have a small Upsherin, preferably with just the parents and the Rav, or at least with as few people as possible. The smaller, the better.
-Have as few people as possible cut the hair. And preferably, the people who cut his hair should be Shomer Shabbos men.
-A gentile should not be his first barber.
-The first spot where the hair should be cut is in the place of the Tefillin, as a preperation for that mitzva later in life by getting rid of the excess hair there, which would be a chatzitza, a barrier to the Tefillin.
-Both parents should say the short tefillah before the Upsherin that's in the back of the Nitei Gavriel.

-Dixie Yid

(Video is of a Biala Upsherin)

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A Boy Becomes a Man

Mazel tov to Dixie Yid Jr. on his Upsherin earlier this week! May you grow up to Torah, Chupah, Ma'asim Tovim and Yiras Shamayim!

-Dixie Yid

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