Hamechadesh is reporting that Chief Rabbi Rav Yitzchak Yosef has paskened in a recent shiur that one can decorate the shul for Shvuos with branches and leaves even during the shmitta year.

2 different events, one for men and one for women, to raise money for the local yeshiva high school - Mesivta of Bet Shemesh

this is pretty funny, and pretty sad.. a street survey checking how much, or little, people know about Shavuot.

Just a brief introduction - this bake sale/auction is to benefit the Mesivta of Beit Shemesh. The Mesivta is a Yeshiva High School that teaches both a full kodesh curriculum and general studies for a full Bagrut...

So, buy a cake for the holiday, or you can even bake a cake to be sold at the sale, and check the Mesivta out for your son!

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Shavuos is next week...do you know where your cheesecakes are???
Ladies, please join us at the Pre-Shavuos Bake Sale/Auction!!

WHERE:   At the Fingerer Family, Nachal Dolev 2/2, RBS A
WHEN:     Sunday, May 12th,

For questions or more information, please call Rivky at 992-2682 or email
mesivtabeitshemesh@gmail.com

Explaining Shavuos

cute kid..


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Stay Up All Night..

Shavuos is just a week away...


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Mehadrin Routes To The Kotel On Shavuos

Somebody, anonymously, is putting up signs around Jerusalem encouraging men and women to walk on separate routes to the Kotel Shavuot morning. Actually, they want females to stay home completely - the paths are narrow and it causes a mixing of the genders. However, any women who will be going to the Kotel should be sure to leave using a route separate from the route being used by the men.

Of course the person who chose the route made sure to give the men the shorter, more direct, route out of the Old City, via Damascus Gate or Shaar Shchem, and directs the women to the longer route out of the Old City, via Jaffa Gate, Shaar Yafo.

Picture Of The Day

PM Benjamin Netanyahu Receives a basket of "Bikurim" in honor of the upcoming Shavuos holiday

"Stay Up All Night"
It is not Shavuot yet, but it is getting close. Here is a great new video about staying up all night Shavuot night to learn Torah

Chag Sameach to everybody.

Don't forget to make your Eruv Tavshilin. Here in Israel it is a rare occurrence that it is needed, so it is easy to forget.... Don't forget! Go do it right now, before you forget again!

A lesser known name for the holiday of Shavuos is "Chag HaMayim".

The first time I heard of this was when I was in yeshiva in Israel, probably my first year in yeshiva in 1990, and walking to the Kotel for sunrise davening.

From the yeshiva, the quickest route to walk was right down Jaffa street all the way to the Old City. I remember the throngs of people - all the different types of people - walking through downtown jerusalem. The crisp early morning air had a festive feel to it.

Suddenly, bam. People all around are being hit by water balloons. They are smashing into the ground and exploding, spraying water everywhere.

Not knowing what this was all about, I asked someone. They told me that Shavuos is also known as "Chag HaMayim", and the secular always throw water at the religious passerby on their way to the Kotel. They keep that holiday religiously.

I still don't know how this developed, but according to this site, it is because the Torah is compared to water. I am not sure how that takes a leap to throwing water at people, but it seems it was a common custom in some sefardic countries. The examples he brings are:

• In Algeria they would ride on their mules and pour water on each other while singing. This was thought to be a segula for a successful crop of fruit.
• In Tripoli they would go out in the fields on the second day of the holiday and pour water on each other. it was thought to be a segula for having lots of kids.
  
• In Morroco they did this because water is the symbol of blessing, as well as the symbol of Torah.
  

This year this poses a problem, considering the serious water shortage we are encountering. In Beer Sheva the Municipality has announced that the residents should be careful and not waste water and not throw it at each other this holiday.