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11.13.08

I havent updated the site in a long time only because I have been extremely busy with school, work, life, and everything in between. I painted a few new paintings, and hopefully I will have them on the site shortly. New life updates: For one, I started working on a new research project with Dr. Bruno Galantucci. The goal is to get some glimpse into how language communication and writing systems are created from the ground up. Very interesting stuff. You can take a look at what we're doing here.

Other than that I still work in Boro Park at one of the resident homes for mentally and physically disabled individuals. Those experiences have given me a lot of perspective and have fostered a great deal of growth. I'm very thankful for the time that I'm able to spend there.

Have a Gut Shabbos!

01.03.08

I would like to wish everyone a Happy 2008! I have been very busy with school lately, as the term is finally coming to an end.  I have some pictures here of the latest painting I'm working on.  Sometimes when you run out of ideas you decide to paint that which bothers you the most... It still needs some work though.

12.09.07

Power to the People...this is kinda cool.  Thanks to Mobius at OrthodoxAnarchist.com. 

12.09.07

I would like to wish all the Yidden out there a Happy Sixth Night of Chanukah! Chag Sameach and Shavua Tov.  In the past month I have been paintings non-stop, but I just haven't had the time to upload all of them to the site.  So, pretty soon everything will be available for your viewing pleasures.  The past month has been filled with so many different experiences, learning, and simchas. 

I recently started a number of chevrusas with some dear friends of mine.  I have begun learning Ben Sorer Umoreh from Maseches Sandhedrin and  sichas from the Rebbe on the weekly parsha.  All really good stuff.

In light of the holiday of Chanukah in which we find ourselves, I want to share a wonderful dvar Torah I heard this past week lest I forget it.  As many know, the great miracle of Chanukah is not necessarily that the oil burned for eight days instead of one (great!  so we saved money on oil for the menorah!), but that the Jews were able to defeat the Syrian Greeks.  How did we defeat them? We defeated them in a physical and spiritual sense.  The Jewish army, which consisted of only a few Jews defeated the professional Greek army of almost 100,000.  Ok, so that's the physical aspect - great.  It should be noted that when the Greeks came to the Land of Israel they brought with them a wealth of culture, art, science, and many physical pleasures and luxuries.  The Jews welcomed many of these new concepts and ideas warmly.  But, after awhile the Jews, like in America, became obsessed with Greek culture.  Why study Torah and live as a frum Jew when there are so many pleasures in this world that I could occupy my time with?  Great food, great sports, a great life.  This was the spiritual darkness that the Greeks brought to the Jews- this was the true enemy and opponent of Israel.  As great as these editions to life can be, we can't neglect the Torah and substitute one for the other.  The light of Chanukah is not the physical light that we see from the flame of the candle, but rather the spiritual light of Torah that prevailed over the physical darkness of the Greeks.  Every night we light one more candle to symbolize that every day as our light increases the darkness diminishes.  Because of the oil, השמן (hashemen), did the Jews prevail.  The oil is the source of the light.  For those that read Hebrew, a beautiful thing can be seen with the word השמן.  Rearrange the letters and you get  נשמה (neshama), soul.  Because of this oil were our souls allowed to bask in the great light of the Channukiah (menorah).  And rearrange the letters yet again, and we see that for שמנה (shmona), eight days are we able to fully nurture our neshamas in such a way that we can really feel Hashem's presence in this world.  So, when we say that the miracle of Chanukah was the discovery of the jar of oil, it was really the return to the Torah and to Hashem.  We found the oil in which to maintain the light of Torah. 

So, if we learn from this that many Jews during this time separated themselves from Hashem's Torah why did He give them this great miracle?  Why would He help the Jews when they neglected His mitzvot?  So, one can find in various sources that the Jewish people are compared to Roses.  Any botanist would know that when a rose becomes punctured it miraculously heals itself.  Even though the Jewish neshama was punctured with so many holes and foriegn elements, Hashem, Yisbarach Shemo, knew that the Am Yisrael would heal itself and return to the ways of Torah just as so many Jews have been doing over the past 60 years. 

As this Chanukah begins to come to an end, may all of Klal Yisrael be inspired by the light the this great Yom Tov, and with it, return to Hashem. 

11.10.07

Shavua Tov! Today is also the anniversary of Kristalnacht...

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11.06.07

It's time for midterms again, the weather is beginning to get much cooler in NY, and the ceiling in my bathroom has a huge leak.  In fact, it's not even a leak.  There is a huge gaping hole in the ceiling with two cute mushrooms dangling from it.  We have called our superintendent a number of times to come and fix it, but nothing.  It's BS.  Maybe I will post some pictures, but then again it's a little too embarrassing.  Oh well...

I have a nice idea to share though.  One day I wasn't feeling too well, and suddenly this thought popped into my head - ruach hakodesh if you will.  The world will be alright.  Why? Because it is only logical to think so.  I would never call myself an optimist or even a pessimist for that matter, but more of a realist.  So, I usually try to think in terms of practicality (of course unless it has to do with money and ladies) and the world without all of the sugar coating.  Thus, the world will be alright:

A craftsman or an architect or anyone who manages projects, even a student, will immediately stop his work as soon as he realizes it will not bear fruit.  It is irrational to continue any task if it is a hopeless one because then it is nothing but a waste of time and resources.  Hashem is also a craftsman of sorts, and the world is his project.  Not that God relies on time or materials, but if he for one instance knew that the world in which we live would not be able to fulfill its mission, then it would have been destroyed...or never even created.  Hashem destroyed the world during the time of Noach because it couldn't fulfill its purpose. 

There's hope for the world.  Even though things appear to be very bad they really aren't.  It's very easy to repair the world.  It's just a matter of taking initiative and doing what's right when it counts - the little things are the most important of all. 

On another note...I think I may have a job tomorrow....

.....לילה טוב

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10.24.07

I met a great man today. 

Last Shabbos I was fortunate enough to daven in my first Sephardic shul – the Beit Kennest and headquarters of the movement Shuva Yisrael.  This movement was started by the tzaddik and great Rav Yehoshua Pinto who just happens to be the grandson of the Baba Sali.  I think it’s safe to say that Pinto is the Sephardic Schneerson, but with much less association with Mashiach.

Anyway, after the service my roommate Chaim spotted an old family friend from LA trying to restrain his children a few rows in front of us.  Being the charismatic and talkative guy that Chaim is, he restored his friendship with this man and sure enough we were invited to his beautiful home on Lexington for the Shabbos day meal.  Wow, do Moroccans know how to eat!   Seriously the best meal I have had in a long time. 

As the ba’alas ha’bayis prepared dessert, Chaim’s friend began conversing with me about my life and my present ambitions.  So, I began telling him about my family’s situation, our various attitudes toward the world and Hashem, and an assortment of other things.  Immediately, my host told me that I need to speak with HaRav Pinto.  He said that he himself was never religious until he spoke with Pinto, who at the time of their meeting knew exactly what my host was thinking. After they befriended one another my host became much more observant.  He then told us that he would get us an appointment with Pinto.  As I was told during the meal and would find out today, every businessman in New York knows of Rabbi Pinto and will attribute him with their financial success.  

So, both of my roommates and I set out to go to the Rav’s shul on 61^st and 2^nd Ave to meet with Rav Pinto.  We were told that we would be able to see the Rav around 9 o”clock in the morning.  So, we waited…and waited…and waited.  After about 30 affluent businessmen, 7 hours, and 8 trips back to refill the parking meter later, we all finally met with the Rav. 

The Rav’s office unlike the lobby was pleasantly air conditioned, and being in this holy man’s presence made my heart beat with excitement and slight anxiety.  I was a little skeptical about whether or not this man could help me with my problems in one sitting.  People usually spend years speaking with their therapists with the hopes of resolving personal issues, and this man was supposed to give me the answers to my most personal tribulations in five minutes. 

I sat down and immediately told him that my Hebrew wasn’t so great, and that I would try my best to articulate my thoughts appropriately.  Luckily a few of the rabbi’s “managers” were there to translate what he was telling me.  Basically, the rabbi told me that the key to my future success and stability is my source of influence.  He said that I can’t rely on my family for influence mainly because they may detract from my goal of becoming religious.  Basically he was hinting at getting married.   Okay, sounds good.  Now all I need to do is find a wife….

I think it was a pretty good experience overall.  This little trip prevented me from taking a test, took 8 hours to see him, and I found out that I need to get married ASAP.  COOL!!

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10.17.07

So, it's my birthday.  Went to Le Marais on 46th, and had some duck.  It wasn't too bad, but any time I eat fatty meat I feel like I'm only adding to the artery clogging material deposit.  It was a really good 20th birthday thanks to all my friends and my family.  But, on one hand it's just a teaser because I still can't drink...legally.  It's not really a problem anyway especially here in The Heights where law doesn't really exist anyway. 

Oh, I did learn about something very interesting in my Arabic class today about Ebla...

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10.15.07

A lot of crazy things have happened over the past few days. 

You get the point I'm sure...,

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10.11.07

I want an iPhone. 

It's time for Psych!

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10.09.07

It finally started to rain in NY! The problem is that we have a leak in our bathroom, and I don't think that it's just rain water that's dripping, but a soupy mix of something I really don't want on my skin... Nevertheless we really needed the rain to cool things off.  Yesterday it was so unusually hot - it must have been in the upper 80's. 

On another note- on Sunday, October 14th the Hillel at Columbia and Barnard, Yeshiva University, and Stern College are sponsoring a great social justice activity within New York City called Mission Possible.  You can choose from an array of causes with various organizations including DOROT, Riverside Park Conservancy, and Women In Need.  After the gemilut chassadim packed day there is an after party at the Knitting Factory down in in the Village. It should be a great way to meet people and do something nice for the Jewish community. 

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10.08.07

 Last night I put up a new painting I finished yesterday afternoon. 

It's a piece that portrays the seriousness and care that goes into the Ketubah, a couples' marriage contract, and the love that a man has for his beloved, which can be detected in the verse.  The text is taken from שיר השירים, Song of Songs, and this is the English translation:

"My dove, my undefiled, is but one; 
she is the only one of her mother;
she is the choice one of her that bore her. 
The daughters saw her, and
called her happy; yea, the queens 
and the concubines, and they praised her."

That's that.  So far there's nothing new under the sun.  I'm working 
on a few other paintings though.  And thank god it's finally fall 
in New York...  

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10.04.07

Yay! The Site is up!  So, I'm sitting in Exton, PA by myself right now with nothing to do.  It was a last minute decision to come here from New York for Simchas Torah, because my plans at Columbia U didn't really fall through as I had hoped for.  I have been staring at my Arabic and Bio books thinking whether or not I should crack them open.  Just the thought of touching them makes me cringe because it signifies that I just might do some necessary studying.  I don't want to.  It's safe to say that I'm a pretty good student.  Not the best, but above average.  I know I have a lot of potential, but deep down I'm not a studier.  Don't get me wrong - I do study, and I do very well in school.  But, all I think about when I force myself to read about hydration reactions or monosaccharides or whatever, I just can't help but think how none of it pertains to anything I really care about.  I don't really care what the table in front of me is made of.  It's here, I can feel and see it, and you can't convince me that it's made of tiny little particles that vibrate and collide with one another. 

On another note, the other day I stumbled upon a blog article by Edward Winkleman about the art gallery scene and what it takes to get one's work into a gallery.  I was thinking about maybe one day once I build up my portfolio I might try to look for a gallery somewhere in NYC.  I could even start now, I'm sure.  I mean, if I'm here now, why give up the chance to take advantage of what the city has to offer?  One day I'll be back in Florida or something kicking myself in the ass because I didn't push.  It's a matter of searching for the perfect fit and selling yourself.  I'm doing the research now.  Hopefully next week I will have the time to head down to Chelsea and take a look at a few galleries.  I found a nice list of galleries here. 

Oh great.  The dog just puked on the floor.....