Archive for March 27th, 2007

The Poem I wrote:

Tuesday, March 27th, 2007

 

 

When everyone walked in, they found a little matchbox by their place with the chosson and kallahs pictures on one side and the words: Leba and Mordehai – What a Match! on the other. This is the poem that accompanied it.

Match poem
For Leba and Mordechai Katz’s Sheva Brachos: March 25, 2007

Matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a match
Find me a find, catch me a catch –
But these souvenirs that you’ll take home and let burn,
Are not just for shtick, there’s a message to learn.

Matches and fires can ignite and inspire
The spark that’s within us as we watch the flames go higher.
And there are so many uses we Jews have for fire.

Although matches are made up in Heaven, that’s true;
Down on earth, there are also mitzvos that we need matches to do
Let’s try to use our minds and think up a few. 

There’s the menorah on Chanukah that we light for eight nights
And the havdalah candle after shabbos, when three stars are in sight.

We’ll be striking two matches when next week rolls around,
- As we search for, and than burn the chometz that we’ve found.

And of course, one of the three special mitzvos, given to us bnos.
This past Friday night, Leba lit her very first Shabbos neiros.
So we’re seeing how fire and matches are used for mitzvos.

But then – there’s the other type of match that’s a mitzvah as well.
And that’s making matches in klal yisrael.

Boruch Hashem, our families have had many matches made recently.
And have share many simchas together so happily –
And while I’d like to believe that I started this trend
The important thing to make certain is that the trend has no end.

It’s no fun to be matchless, I can attest,
So let’s think of shidduchim, and try our very best.
To help the singles we know in their marriage quests.

And just as this shidduch resulted from another –
Let’s keep an eye out for our single sisters and brothers.
Not to mention all of their worried Jewish mothers!

I almost forgot – a shalom bayis tip I know,
My father used to give us this advice, years ago. 

Leba – if you ever find your house to be in disarray
You have no time to clean, its late in the day,
And Mordechai will be home soon to see it – oy vey!
Take a deep breath, tell yourself it’s OK,
And than strike up a match – it’ll all go away!
To our chosson and kallah, the match of the night
May the flame of torah keep forever burning bright,
May your passion for mitzvos keep burning inside
May your faces keep glowing with nachas and pride.

 May you never have ‘aish’, in the home you’ll create
As the schenia will rest between you and your mate.

May you continue to inspire us, your family and friends.
With a warmth and a simcha that never will end.

May you keep giving all of us ‘much’ nachas and ha’naah
And keep that match-ik going – ad meah v’esrim shana.

Mazel Tov!!! 

(BTW, Adiel brought the house down too. I think together we make a good team)

Sheva Brachos for Leba Katz (Price)

Tuesday, March 27th, 2007

I was asked to speak at the sheva brachos for Leba and Mordechai Katz this last sunday night. Leba (Price) is a cousin of Esthers. So here is what i said – which turned out better than i thought:

Being that tonight is the 9th month anniversary of my wedding, i would qualify myself as a marraige veteran and an expert in shalom bayis.

so i would like to the give the chosson and kallah a few tips as a stepping stone into their marraige.

There is a difference of opinion how to place the mezuzah on the door post. One person holds that it should be placed vertically and the other holds that it be placed horizontally. To resolve this difference we do something that is never done in halacha. We split the difference between these two positions, and place the mezuzah on a slant.

The reason for this is that the mezuzah is the first thing that one sees when he comes into the house, and should teach us all an important lesson.

If you think about the solution that was given to the machlokes in halachah, we don’t find that either party got what they wanted – they both had to settle for a new solution in which both parties we’re ok with. sometimes people misunderstand ‘compromise’ and they think they have to give up something they want so that the other party will be happy. thats not true. compromise is being open to new solutions in which both parties win. shalom bayis is win-win solutions.

an example of this:
when esther and i married, the summer went very quickly into the winter. and shabbosim get early and people make an effort to have chulent later in the evening. so one time, esther and i had a ‘discussion’ about having chulent friday night. i felt that there are many halachos of taking chulent friday night – and would put our chulent at risk. esther wanted chulent, and felt that i wasnt validating her feelings and that im a meanie for not letting er have it. so we came to a win-win shalom bayis solution – we got another mini-crockpot from which she can have her chulent without putting the other chulent at risk. and now we call it shalom bayis chulent.

so i put together the MANLY MACHO MAN’S LIST OF TRICKS for shalom bayis. It’s a list of of very very practical ideas to increase the shalom bayis – from one man to another.

IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD

memorize the addresses and phone numbers of every florist in the area. flowers help immensely when your have shalom bayis issues.

there is nothing about flowers which say “im thinking of you”, “i love you” or “i’m sorry”. and it makes absolutely positively no sense – which is probably why it works for women.

IN THE KITCHEN

stay out of it.

if she makes you do the dishes, break one and you’ll never have to do it again. if you do, break another until she gets the hint.

IN THE BATHROOM

remember the machlokes with the mezuzah? unfortunately, that can’t be done with the seat.

we lift the seat as a courtesy, if they have a problem putting it down, just don’t make the effort to lift it up.

IN THE BEDROOM

buy a hamper. she’ll appreciate doing your laundry from one clothing source instead of running around the room picking your things up.

IN THE CAR

buy a GPS. you’ll be amazed at how valuable this is. it’s avoids the tension of getting lost or fumblings with maps. and on top of that, you’ll look like you’re technologically advanced and will never have to succumb to asking for directions.

besides, most GPS devices come with the voice of a woman who you won’t mind telling you what to do.

also – buy a blindfold – for when SHE is driving.

follow these tips and tricks from the MANLY MACHO MAN’S LIST OF TRICKS and i assure that you’ll be zoche to build a shalom bayis neeman biyisroel.

mazel tov!

BTW – Esther wrote up an amazing poem (which she read to everyone) on the theme of the evening – matches! Maybe i’ll bug her to post it here online.

woo hoo!