I’m off to Israel today. I depart this year from my usual custom (over the past four years) of going there for Sukkos. My grandson’s Bar Mitzvah is next Wednesday night - Bo BaYom – 9 Ellul (August 18th) in Ramat Bet Shemesh.
I will miss being in Israel for Yom Tov but I will not miss my grandson’s Bar Mitzvah for that. I will return to Chicago on August 23rd. As I have done in the past on these trips, I will continue to post as regularly as possible. But as I am in less control of things –especially this time - I don’t know if I will be able to do it every day. Although that is still my goal.
This is a great Simcha for me and my entire family. Shimon is my first grandson to be Bar Mitzvah. My granddaughter was Bat Mitzvah a few years ago, But I couldn't attend a family gathering held then celebrating it. I regretted that. I am not going to miss this one and am truly looking forward to it. My wife and I have managed to provide airfare for our three daughters to attend. This will be the first time in a long time that our family will be together.
In the meantime because of my limited time – I have removed moderation for the duration of this trip – as I did last year. I ask that commenters to please take extra care in following my commenting rules. I will of course still be deleting offensive material after the fact as I encounter it. But I hope I don’t have to delete anything. Please do not make me regret it. If I discover serious abuse I will be turning moderation back on immediately.
