My son (the middle son, the filmmaker) went on a field trip last week with his class to the Rutgers Agricultural Museum in New Brunswick. Here is an old-fashioned firetruck that he photographed. (I didn’t go on the trip; he took his own camera).
Part of the reason for the trip was the boys have been studying the 39 Melachot, the 39 acts of work that a Jew is not allowed to do on the Sabbath. All of these Melachot are agriculturally-based, so their teacher used the museum as a way to show them threshing, winnowing, grinding sheaves (I have no idea what those are; I took those words off Wikipedia). Each boy had been assigned one Melacha to study in detail.
My son’s Melacha was weaving. He had already presented to the class, and his teacher told me later that he gave my son weaving because it was a more difficult one, but he knew my son could handle it. He did an origami basket project with his class. Yes, I am proud of him!
For more posts with a little or a lot of red:
I love these old fashioned RED fire engines! That sound difficult an origami woven basket…wow! 🙂
How interesting! Congratulate the filmmaker for his photos for me please, I mean it!
Wow, did they put work in utility vehicles back then!
Christians also had their “Melachot” they have more or less been wiped out during the last fifty years.
I remember quarreling with my other if knitting on a Sunday was allowed.
She meant no, cause it was a kind of work.
Putting out a fire sure must be allowed, or what?
Becoming older, I now see the wisdom in not doing unnecessary work on the Sabbath (or Sunday).
Were it not for the Melacha, people would have been forced to strive around the clock all week. No time for rest or studying the scripture.
How wisely our creator made it; forcing us to rest, even when people hardly could afford it.
And what a loss when we (I) don’t use my time for reflection, but mess around with all kinds of leisure activities.
A Norwegian poet called it using everything to fill the gap of a missing God.
From Felisol
Thanks for all that information, Felisol. I had no idea that Christians also called them Melachot. I know that the Puritans didn’t do a lot of their work on Sundays, similar to how we keep Shabbat.
That’s such a great firetruck – how difficult their job must have been with it.
I’ve always been fascinated by weaving, I wish I could have tagged along on your son’s trip.
I love all old stuff. Back “then” they made much nicer looking things than today. Take one look at that pic and you know exacly what I mean. Great photo for RT. You have a great week!
Oh this is the first time I see such a firetruck! How beautiful! I didn’t know the word “Melachot”. Thanks for this interesting and informative post! 🙂 Congratulations to your son for these nice photos and for his successful homework!
I miss the Sundays when most things were closed on…it meant church and a family Sunday dinner at 2:00 or so. It truly was a more relaxing day. The seventh day should be that day of rest.
That is a massive fire wagon, probably requiring a reallr BIG horse to haul it to the fire!
I remember when Massachusetts repealed the Blue Laws. Most people I knew were happy to be able to go to the malls on Sundays. But my father didn’t care for the increased traffic.
Love the old fashioned firetruck!
Wonderful firetruck. Your son takes good photos, Leora!
Great photos! Good for him! I can imagine how proud you are!
WordPress is great…you can write away before Shabbat, and save it to post at a later time. I do it often.
Great RT photo, your son did a fine job!
Can you imagine having to race to a fire in a horse drawn wagon? And Ralph’s probably right, it would’ve taken some BIG horses to pull that thing. Some kind of draft horses, and probably at least two — possibly four.
Water’s heavy!
Great shots for the theme!
great picture.
what age is the museum for?
Any age. It’s fun to go on a day when they have special demonstrations. But the last time I took my daughter, she and her friend (5 years old) got rather bored by the lecture, and they preferred to wander around the farm equipment. There are animals outside.
We once went with the Cub Scouts, and we had the opportunity to learn how to start a fire with two sticks. It was hard! I couldn’t get it to work, but the demonstrator did it with ease.
He certainly framed that shot well!
Your son’s teacher showed remarkable insight on choosing that field trip. A real learning experience in giving them something tangible to relate their studies to.
wow, i didn’t know fire trucks used to look like this!
Hi!
Your son did a great job with the photos and the weaving! Have a great day!!
Sherrie
The old-fashioned fire wagon looks like it would fall over in a strong wind LOL! Great choice for Ruby Tuesday
Happy Tuesday,
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Great pictures!
It sounds like your son has a very creative and understanding teacher…
We like this teacher (a rabbi) a lot. He relates well to “tween” age boys. My older son went on the same trip three years ago. I think Rabbi M. brought his waffle iron so they could have waffles for lunch, since the ones made at the museum (one of the exhibits) are not kosher.
That old fire engine is very neat!
What an absolute treat, thanks for posting the fire truck I would love to see it up close.
I love those old fire trucks too. It makes you image what it was like in those days…probably from old movies. 🙂 And how can you not be proud of your son? For his teacher to have that sort of confidence that he can handle the more difficult challenges says a lot about him. You’re doing great Mama!
That fire truck is a gorgeous piece of antique,and perfect for a RT post!
And of course you’re proud of your son, you have every right to be!
What a cool antique fire truck. And an interesting lesson, too.
This is my first time to see an old firetruck. Nice one!
This is very interesting. Seeing how people live in the past.
Nice pictures..This reminded me of a story my MIL told me about how she was such a ‘fresh’ and ‘willfull’ child in Germany that she used to do things she wasn’t supposed to on the Sabbath to see if something would happen…What would happen in that she would get in trouble from her parents. LOL
For me, it is SO important that my children enjoy Shabbat and feel its beauty. I’m rather sad that your MIL had negative reactions to her own natural response of being told “no, no, no.” Accentuate the positive. It’s such a pleasure that I don’t have to pick up the phone for 25 hours, for example (I hate the phone).
Not just weaving, I had 4 melachos; mesech, osay beita nirin, weaving, and unraveling. Two of those don’t even make sense!
Dear “me,”
I guess you are saying “mesech” and “osay beita nirin” are just a tiny step in the weaving process and not very relevant to our times?
Feel free to offer to be a guest host sometime.