Sketching Out Blog: Sketches of art, watercolor, photos, recipes, books, interviews, Jewish topics, and Highland Park, New Jersey

Weekly Review with Portulaca

Pink Portulaca (Moss Rose) among White Alyssum
Pink Portulaca (Moss Rose) among White Alyssum

Images on My Blog

sedum_small leaf_red Plants at Edge of Pond at Howell Living History Farm, New Jersey
Blacksmith Sign at Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania Catbird Fluttering in the Bald Cypress Tree, July 2009 Wildflowers near the pond at Howell Living History Farm in New Jersey

Guest artists this week:

Traffic, a painting by Jill Caporlingua
Jill Caporlingua
Lee Avenue in Brooklyn, illustration by Elke Reva Sudin
Elke Reva Sudin

Elsewhere in the Blogosphere

  • If you have never been to an Orthodox Jewish wedding (or even if you have), visit Mottel’s post of his wedding photos. Oh, and he also did the Jewish blog carnival Haveil Havalim this past week.
  • How would you respond if you got this comment on your blog:
    What I find so cringe-inducing in this blog is your unconditional belief in the virtue of your son serving in the IDF. There are things worth dying for, but I posit that maintaining the status quo in Israel is not one of them. I would take no pride in having a son of mine be a pawn in a political game.

    Read A Soldier’s Mother’s response.

  • If you need to read a topic more uplifting, visit ImaBima and read her poem on the month of Elul.
Mrs. S. says

A week of lovely images!

Is the portulaca in your garden?

Chodesh Tov and Shabbat Shalom!

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Leora says

Yes, I grow it in my front yard. You need to weed out the encroachers to make sure the portulaca, an annual which reseeds each year, can survive.

As it has rather fat leaves, I bet it would do well in Israel. A friend told me that Italians love this flower.

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James says

Thanks Leora for the link too “A Soldier’s Mother’s response”, it was an eye opener for me. Great Picture!

Shabbat Shalom!

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Leora says

James, I follow her on Twitter @ASoldiersMother - she's a smart woman! I like when she engages mothers of U.S. soldiers and finds common ground.

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Ilana-Davita says

The portulaca is lovely. Shabbat Shalom.

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ramblingwoods says

I enjoyed the wedding photos but there didn't seem to be many of the bride....

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Leora says

Good point, Michelle. I was considering mentioning that in my post (but it got censored for information overload reasons).

In hassidic and more right wing Yeshivishe weddings, the men and women don't spend too much time with each other. My guess is Mottel posted the few that he did of his bride and himself with modesty (tzniut) in mind.

In my family, the men and women meet in the hallway or outside when there's a mehitza (wall of separation between men and women) down the middle.

We didn't have a mehitza at our wedding, but we did have separate dancing circles for men and women.

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ramblingwoods says

Leora..I have only been to reformed weddings, but my husband's Uncle and Aunt are hassidic so I have some idea, but have only met him briefly and that was at a wedding where Uncle was in the hallway. I understand he wasn't even supposed to do that, but has never shunned the rest of his family. I don't know, I think it would be a very challenging life for a woman with so very many children...But I am an an outside looking in....

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Leora says

think it would be a very challenging life for a woman with so very many children
Yes, (as someone who only has 3), it is challenging, but some women rise to the challenge and others flounder.

One of the benefits of living in a more right-wing community in America or in almost any religious community in Israel is the bonding between women. I can see that in my own community, which has a lot of "baalei teshuva" (people who returned to Orthodox Judaism). These women have experience other lifestyles, and for whatever reason find Orthodox Judaism attractive.

On the other hand, Orthodox Judaism does tend to favor men, in many situations.

In general, my favorite part of being in Orthodox Jew is when the men come home from shul on Friday night, and we share a beautiful meal together.

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ramblingwoods says

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I appreciate your candor Leora and I only ask questions in order to understand. My MIL is reformed and I am afraid that my husband doesn't practice therefore allowing him to marry a non-jew. LOL. But I think that the sense of community would be wonderful and probably something that I would have enjoyed.

I think escaping from Nazi Germany affected my MIL and her siblings differently. Two are very religious, one reformed and I don't think my MIL has much of a belief system after her parents were murdered...but that is only a feeling I get.

Now I am babbling....

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phyllis says

thanks for the link! shabbat shalom!

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