Who checks the weather excessively? I guess we do and why do you think we do it? Is the weather going to change just because we have foreknowledge of it and can we possibly effect any kind of change over it?
I’m sitting in the Florida sun at the start of this article. It’s 75 degrees right now and I have to squint my eyes because it’s hard to see my computer screen with my sunglasses on. So, I have to switch to my regular glasses to be able to read and review the words I’m typing.
Right now, in New York it’s about 47 degrees (Tuesday), which I understand is not cold compared to last week. Then, G-d willing, when we will be in Jerusalem in a few weeks, we’ll swipe over to see what the forecast is like there over Chanukah.
Of course, it’s too early to tell at this point, but I spoke with a friend in Israel earlier today and he said that it’s in the 40s at night and around 60 degrees during the day. Pretty good for this time of year.
Actually, I’d say that’s about average for this time of year in Israel. But it seems to me that Chanukah in Israel is, meteorologically speaking, anything but usual from year to year. And as the reader knows, I’ve been there many times during the last 35 years to observe my father’s yahrzeit, which occurs on the sixth day of Chanukah, which I’m pleased to report falls on a Tuesday this year.
What that means is that after all these years, I’ve discovered a very significant difference when the yahrzeit falls on a Shabbos as opposed to a weekday. On a weekday, like this year, the yahrzeit kind of comes and goes with alacrity.
I go to the Kotel for Ma’ariv on Monday night. Afterwards, we get together with friends and family depending on who is available for the seudah, which we usually hold in a local quiet restaurant. The next morning, I head back to the Kotel for Shacharis, where it’s fairly easy to patch together a minyan for a nice holy and meaningful davening. Unless, of course, it’s a rainy morning, which has happened on occasion on those tough wintry Jerusalem days.
One of the most outstanding things about those early, rainy Shacharis minyanim at the Kotel is that everyone squeezes into the plaza, with different minyanim every six inches or so. Of course, that means it’s hard to hear anyone, but somehow, we manage.
A Shabbos yahrzeit is another matter entirely. Whether it’s in Israel or back home, it involves more of a production of sorts. I forgot to mention that my father’s yahrzeit falls out on Rosh Chodesh Teves, which I’m sure you know the significance of Shabbos Chanukah, which is also Rosh Chodesh Teves in terms of davening. It’s a lot of words that have to be prayed and spoken.
I discovered a few years ago that when my dad’s yahrzeit falls on a Shabbos and I’m davening at the Amud, it involves saying just about every word printed in the siddur that pertain to Shabbos, Chanukah, and Rosh Chodesh.
I sometimes like to say that one of the things my father left me was the opportunity to recite every word printed in the siddur. That means the words not usually said that are in the parenthesis, above the lines, below the lines, and so on. That is, everything in the prayer book pages except for the page numbers. I think in some shuls I’ve been in over the years, they also read out the page numbers aloud. This way all the bases are covered, so to speak.
The plan is to be in New York for the next few weeks waiting for a grandchild to make their way into the world, which is always an exciting event, b’shaah tovah. This week have weddings on two consecutive nights, one in Crown Heights and one in Monsey. Then, next week, as I already recounted last week, we have three dinner events, all in Manhattan at different venues. This is the season when so many of these events have to be squeezed into the space on the calendar between Thanksgiving and the end of the holidays.
Now I’m back in New York where it’s 44 degrees, while at the same time (Tuesday) it’s 70 degrees down in Boynton Beach and 66 degrees in Jerusalem.
The flight back to New York on Monday was nice and quick. That is, after sitting near the runway in West Palm Beach for 45 minutes without budging. At that point, the pilot announced that whatever caused our delay had been fixed and he would do whatever possible to make up the time in the air so we could get back to New York as close to schedule as possible.
The distance between West Palm Beach and JFK is a little over 1,000 miles. Once we reached cruising altitude, we were doing about 545 miles per hour. Of course, as you approach your destination, the plane has to decelerate as you descend and you touch down at around 160 miles per hour.
There’s no question that when the weather is cold and rainy up north, you can easily pine for those warm, sunny Florida days. But, as I have stated repeatedly in this space, you can only be in one place at a time. So, it’s fairly obvious that wherever you are, you need to deal with that reality accordingly.
We are just about two weeks away from traveling to Israel. Getting there is still posing a challenge for many. As of today, the only airline with non-stop, direct flights to Israel is El Al. Many used to travel with either Delta or United, but for now, that service has stopped.
The other day, after rebels overthrew Bashar al-Assad in Syria, I checked to see what the schedule was for flights from JFK to some of the other Middle Eastern capitals. The Delta website says there are still daily flights to Damascus, Beirut, and Tehran. That’s odd when you consider that there is no better airspace or airport that is better protected then Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv.
Perhaps once Donald Trump is back in the White House, he can bring the necessary pressure on those airlines to resume service to Israel. In the meantime, airlines like American, United, and Delta extended their suspension of flights to Tel Aviv until well into 2025. While Delta has said its flights will remain suspended until the end of October, America may resume flights in March, which may hopefully bring ticket prices back down again. One can only hope. n
Read more of Larry Gordon’s articles at 5TJT.com. Follow 5 Towns Jewish Times on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for updates and live videos. Comments, questions, and suggestions are welcome at 5TJT.com and on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
