L'Chanukah Tovah m'Reilly!

 

An Early Card From Reilly

A Virtual Pesach Card From Reilly and Camille For Pesach 5779

We had only some of the karpas (celery) and betzim because the other food—even the matzah—isn't safe for puppies this year!

Reilly did get some of the matzah, though, when her "Momma" was putting matzah crumbs over her own meal for shulchan orech!

At least there was an alternative to the afikomen—a third of a salmon-and-sweet-potato treat (The matzah was gluten-free and had grape juice, and gluten-free at the behest of Auntie Michelle/Mimi).

Of course, Momma/Auntie Nicole had a hard time hiding the afikomen—we didn't help her by being impatient, the albe-benevolent stalkers that we are!

I, Camille, especially didn't help Auntie Nicole!

Meanwhile, she tricked us—she got us to pose for pictures as she ate karpas dipped in leftover brisket sauce and we watched her!

Reilly, though, did get part of a betzah later because Camille found the afikomen!  

Chag Pesach Same'ach v'Shabbat Shalom (even though Pesach doesn't begin until tomorrow night)!

A Special Card From Reilly

PS That should've been World Poetry Day ("Momma" misheard Alexa!)

Early Hanukkah 5778 and Belated National Mutt Day 2018 Card

PS: 1) "Momma" and Reilly get an extra day of Hanukkah, since Hanukkah begins this evening. 2) This card affected OCD/Anxiety, too—thus, part of why it's late.

An Early Yom Kippur Card From Reilly and Camille

PS Since the sun has not set west of the EST Time Zone and some celebrate Shabbat until three stars appear in the sky, the card was technically not late 🙂.

Commentary: Why Does Yehovah Give Us Yom Teru'ah In the Middle Of the Year, and Rosh HaShanah In the Spring?

1. "1 And Yehovah spoke unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying: 2 'This month shall be unto you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you." (From Exodus 12, JPS 1917)
2. "3 And Moses said unto the people: 'Remember this day, in which ye came out from Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand Yehovah brought you out from this place; there shall no leavened bread be eaten. 4 This day ye go forth in the month Aviv." (From Exodus 13)
3. "And in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, ye shall have a holy convocation: ye shall do no manner of servile work; it is a day of blowing the horn unto you." (Numbers 29:1. This might look familiar 🙂.)
4. "And on the tenth day of this seventh month ye shall have a holy convocation; and ye shall afflict your souls; ye shall do no manner of work;" (Number 29:7)
5. "Then shalt thou make proclamation with the blast of the horn on the tenth day of the seventh month; in the day of atonement shall ye make proclamation with the horn throughout all your land. 10 And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout the land unto all the inhabitants thereof; it shall be a jubilee unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family. 11 A jubilee shall that fiftieth year be unto you; ye shall not sow, neither reap that which groweth of itself in it, nor gather the grapes in it of the undressed vines." (From Leviticus 25)
6. "The spirit of Adonai Yehovah is upon me; because Yehovah hath anointed me to bring good tidings unto the humble; He hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the eyes to them that are bound; 2 To proclaim the year of Yehovah's good pleasure, and the day of vengeance of Eloheinu; to comfort all that mourn; 3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them a garland for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the mantle of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called terebinths of righteousness, the planting of Yehovah, wherein He might glory." (From Isaiah 61)
7. "And he lifted up his eyes, and saw the wayfaring man in the broad place of the city; and the old man said: 'Whither goest thou? and whence comest thou?'" (Judges 19:17)

Ken...anachu tovim? Anachu tovim achshi'av?

Ken. Anachu tovim. Anachu tovim achishi'av.   

So, why the long drash of verses here? Well, to answer the question as to why Yehovah give us Yom Teru'ah in the middle of the year, and Rosh HaShanah in the spring:

1. If for nothing else, Yom Teru'ah marks the middle of the year to both prepare us for the next year—especially if the year is the Shanah HaYovel—and have us thank Yehovah that we've survived the year so far—see especially Passages 3-6.
2. Yom Teru'ah and Yom Kippur help us reflect on the year so far, where we're going and where we've been in terms of walking with Yehovah, and what we can do differently with the rest of the year and with the coming year—see especially Passages 2, 6, and 7. Also note how Yom Teru'ah parallels with Rosh HaShanah, Yom Kippur with the picking out of the Pesach lamb (See Exodus 12:3-17), and Pesach with Sukkot (ibid.).
3. In light of Yom Teru'ah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot being times of reflection (since—remember—we should, if we can, dwell in sukkot during Sukkot to remember that we were strangers in Egypt—not to mention gerim v'toshavim like Avraham, Yitzchak, v'Ya'akov Avoteinu. Thus, no day of the year is unto our ourselves—every day is to Yehovah and thus for what we might do to both glorify Yehovah and to help others (and glorify Yehovah in doing so). See especially Passages 3-6.

There are other reasons as well. Meanwhile, these are the three main reasons: preparing for the rest of the year and the coming of the next year, stopping to take stock of where we're going and where we've been, and renewing our commitment to Yehovah and to helping others commit and recommit to Yehovah. 

PS:

1. I wasn't afraid to change the euphemisms "The LORD", etc. to "Yehovah", nor "Abib" to the more-correct "Aviv".
2. In full disclosure, I'm a Jewish Christian and see additional reasons as to why Yom Teru'ah is in the middle of the year and Rosh HaShanah in the spring, although I think that everyone can agree on the reasons that I cited above—regardless of what each of us believes about Yeshua (Jesus)—thus, I think to cite the reasons that I cited is sufficient. 

Shavu'ot Card From Reilly

We are relaxing after counting the Omer...L'Shavu'ot Tov! [And for believers in Yeshua, receiving the Holy Spirit!]

A Special Card From Reilly And Camille

PS What Netanyahu and the Haredim are doing is another matter that "Momma" wishes that she could explain to Reilly!

Passover 5778 Card From Reilly And Camille

#MaltipooMonday: Photos From the Recent Card Photoshoots

For St. Patrick's Day

For Rosh HaShanah

L'Shanah 5778 Tovah u'Metukah From Reilly!

Hanukkah 5777 Card From Reilly and Camille

Easter 2017 Card From Reilly

Hoppy Easter From "Momma" and the Easter Rei-bbit!

PS Reilly would not put that paw down for anything—when she wants her belly rubs, she stretches her legs out and keeps that one up in particular.

Happy Easter From "Momma" and Reilly!

Be on the lookout for an Easter card from Reilly soon—she (albe very begrudgingly) did a Passover card, after all.

By the way, remember that Easter/Resurrection Day/ Día de la Resurrección/ יום התחיית/ , celebrates miracles*—including the Exodus*, since Easter commemorates Aviv/Nisan 16, the day after Israel left Egypt and the day on which Jesus is believed to have risen from the dead in 3793 (on April 5, 33)—and the hope of the Resurrection Of the Dead—which is a big deal for pets and pet owners alike, since no human or animal is guaranteed the next moment, let alone tomorrow—and especially nowadays, humans and pets are either almost as much as or equally in danger of not seeing each other tomorrow (Ask, e.g., Gary Fisher ☹—his "Mommy" is not here to celebrate Easter with him.).


*And "Momma" really needs a miracle—if (and, as "Momma" and Reilly believe) the Resurrection did happen, can't God perform an albe-smaller-and-nonethless-important miracle to a "Momma" whom needs miracle after miracle, even when small miracles like occasional IBS-flareup reliefs happen for her and Reilly's sakes?

A Passover 5777 Card From Reilly

A Day To Let the Self-Cleaning Oven Clean & A Freaked-Out Reilly

And "Momma" thought that Reilly was freaked out over the harness and leash—poor baby! Notwithstanding that windows and the backdoor with the albe-closed screendoor are open, the fans are on, and the aide whom comes over every day to help "Momma" get out and walk is here, Reilly is sufficiently freaked out—and notwithstanding "Momma"'s assurances, either. "Momma" has decided to leave Reilly in the crate for the meantime, then, and Reilly's stress—which "Momma" is trying to let Reilly work out at present—is freaking "Momma" out. As for Camille, meanwhile, she freaked out for a while and is okay now.

By the way, the self-cleaning oven has needed cleaning for a while; and "Mom-Mom" or "Auntie Michelle" could've been nice enough to let the self-cleaning oven clean for Pesach, since "Momma
warms up matzah in there and would like to avoid as much chametz v'se'or as possible during Pesach—they didn't, though someone else∗ probably would've nice enough to let Reilly out for Pesach.

¡Pobre Reilicita!∗

∗Nota al él, incidentalmente: ¿estás me dando una respuesta clara eventualmente or continuando no me dar una  respuesta clara? ¡Soy muy frustrata en esto momente! Feliz Pascua y Día de la Resureción a tí, por cierto.

One Heart-Breaking & One Hilarious Moment

On the second day of the early Pesach observance:

1. Reilly finally had it and ran away from night-owl "Momma" when "Momma" wanted to put back on her harness and leash, since "Auntie Michelle" took it off despite knowing that "Momma" can't get Reilly to go upstairs like she's supposed to without Reilly having the harness and leash on, and "Momma" had to bribe Reilly with matzah crumbs and actually go by the hallway gate.
2. When Reilly and Camille heard a car-door sound in a video, they thought that "Mom-Mom" was home and ran to the front door. Then Reilly was even more confused and started barking loudly when she heard a truck outside.

By the way, as much as it is hard to be a Jew, it surely is interesting when you have puppies like Reilly and Camille around—as, for example, Reilly following "Momma" around for matzah crumbs reminds "Momma", and Reilly's bringing out of gray hairs in her Jewish "Momma" reminds her.

Also, by the way, a Happy Belated National Pet Day to all from "Momma" and Reilly.

First Day Of the Early Pesach Observance...And No Card Yet...

At least "Momma" completed part of what she needed to complete for the card photoshoot, though—and to say that Reilly did not like some of the pre-photoshoot preparation is needless, as she hates trying on anything and having her photo taken in general.

Meanwhile, both Reilly and Camille received some matzah pieces as treats—beyond that, neither Reilly nor Camille partook in any of the dietary requirements for Pesach; and they'll receive more matzah in the coming days (י ר י ל ר). As for other treats? If they're, e.g., macaroons with chocolate or matzah-ball-mix-formed matzah balls, lo! Besides, having Reilly wait for matzah crumbs to drop while "Momma" was sprinkling matzah crumbs into the matzah-ball-soup-turned-matzah-ball-mix soup added more gray hairs to "Momma"'s head, as that particular brand of matzah-ball mix contains onion powder—and so did being afraid of Reilly getting even the slightest crumb of chocolate-chip-containing macaroons. 

An Early "Happy Pesach" From "Momma" and Reilly!

Notwithstanding that Pesach actually begins on the 12th, "Momma" caved and started observing Pesach yesterday because most people who observe Pesach it observe it per the Rabbinical calendar. By the way, be on the lookout for a Pesach card featuring Reilly and Camille. Also, Reilly will get some matzah as a treat and does not need to observe mitzvot v'halacha l'kashrut l'Pesach —meanwhile, only time will tell whether "Momma" and Reilly get a miracle that'll liberate (or at least help liberate) "Momma" (and Reilly) on individual levels.