Easy Riders

Hells Angels they ain't. 

A tough-looking, leather-clad gang of Hasidic bikers who call themselves "Rebbe's Riders" are cruising the tri-state area, bringing God's word to other motorcycle-riding Jews they meet on the road. 

The Riders -- members of the Brooklyn-based Lubavitch sect -- say their love of choppers gives them something in common with Jews who might have strayed onto the Highway to Hell. 

"If a rabbi walks into a bikers club, he doesn't exactly fit in. But if he comes riding up on a bike, doors open to him," said Jonah Halper, 30, who founded the Riders earlier this year. 

"[Some fellow Jews] make comments that what we do is not a Jewish thing. They say, 'How can you ride bikes as Jews and say it's for a Jewish purpose?' " Halper said. 

On the road, the Riders get more respect -- especially from other bikers. 

"No one sees the Rebbe's Riders and says, 'Who are you guys?' " Halper said. "It's not like the Crips and Bloods. There's a certain kind of respect you have for other riders that transcends lifestyle or creed. When we pass a gang on the road, they wave and we wave back." 

They sport cool colors -- T-shirts with a logo of a bearded Hasid wearing a wide-brimmed fedora and badass sunglasses, à la ZZ Top.

Read more NY Post

ZZ Top?  [it's a band from the "olden days" - as my kids would say -  olden days being a world without computers or cellphones, totally unimaginable for them..... anyway this isn't ZZ Top, this is Steppenwolf - 1968 - "Easy Rider"... for all the ex-hippies who morphed into baál teshuvas and read this blog. Enjoy!

Relax

After the mist clears, sunrise on a lake of English lavender as far as the eye can see

 

 

 

Alef and Elula

Two babies and two unique names.

Actress Isla Fisher and partner Sacha Baron Cohen have named their second baby girl Elula.  More here

Isla Fisher and baby Elula

Unconfirmed reports say that actress Natalie Portman and partner Benjamin Millepied have named their baby boy Alef. More here

Natalie Portman and Benjamin Millipied

Lost Penguin Update

For those who were worried about last week's Lost Penguin [now named "Happy Feet"] - you will be pleased to hear he is being looked after and New Zealand zoo staff are hoping he will make a full recovery, and that he will be well enough to take up the offer of a place onboard a cruise-ship back home to Antarctica.

The emperor penguin swam about 3200km from its Antarctic home to Peka Peka beach, about 60km north of Wellington. The only previous recording of an emperor penguin in New Zealand was at Southland's Oreti Beach in 1967.

Full story here

Can you see it?

This is a photo from 2008 - a Lag B'Omer bonfire - but some people can see a face, right in the centre of the photo: a woman smiling.  Please leave a comment if you can see it.  Don't strain your eyes for hours... you either see it straight away, or not at all.    The face is of someone who died a few months before this photo was taken. [Yes it's really there]

A Mystical Jewish Formula....(not)

Received via email -  there are people who actually believe all this stuff, and forward it on to their closest friends, even when it's total nonsense, as this one is.

For those who believe in segulot (A mystical Jewish formula for good mazel) and who of us can't use that!?   Please do not break! Just 27 words.

"G'mar Chatima Tova!   GOD our Father, walk through my house & take away all my worries & illness & please watch over & heal my family ... Amen."

This prayer is so powerful. Pass this to 12 people including me.  A blessing is coming to you in 4 mins of a new job, a house, marriage, good health, or financially'.
 Do not break or ask questions.

For those who don't know:  "G'mar Chatima Tova!" is what we say to each other at Rosh Hashanah time: it means "you should be written for a good year".  That's all it means.

Granny saves the Jewellery Store

I love this: an elderly woman has beaten off a gang of thieves in the UK:

The robbery was - initially - no less successful for being brutally basic: three men with sledgehammers simply smashed the windows of the jewellery shop in the broad light of day, and grabbed the loot.

As they filled their bags with gold from the Michael Jones Jewellers in Northampton UK, their accomplices waited, revving their getaway mopeds. Staff at the Northampton shop froze in horror and members of the public walked on by.

But then, the cavalry arrived, in the shape of a woman in a red coat, matching hat and sensible shoes - handbag flailing.

In a film that instantly became a viral internet clip, the elderly-looking woman is shown charging towards the armed robbers. The thugs - twice her size - didn't stand a chance.

A swing at the head of one of the moped drivers saw him accelerate down the street in alarm, leaving his accomplice without his ride.

Four of the six men are now in custody, police confirmed, and the mystery hero of Northampton will be rewarded.

Source: Woman beats off robbers with handbag

By Special Request: This post is dedicated to "Y" from "B".

Art: Philippe A. Fernandez

The greatest thing you'll ever learn

Is just to love

And be loved in return.

[Eden Ahbez]

Moshe Yess a"h

Legendary musician Moshe Yess passed away Motzoei Shabbos Shvat 4, 5771 in Arizona after an illness. "He taught us how to compose music," known composer Yossi Green told COLLive.com.

Also see: Mystical Paths

Yess, known for the song 'Zaide Made us Laugh,' lived in Montreal, Canada, for many years after he became a Baal Teshuva and made a living singing and teaching.

Video: Moshe Yess "Zaide Made Us Laugh"

Falling Blackbirds and Dead Fish in Arkansas, Falling Birds and Earthquake in Chile

"Some patterns emerging from the latest natural phenomenon in the Western hemisphere:

1. According to NPR, there is no causal connection between the 100,000 fish washed up over the weekend in Ozark, Arkansas, and the 5,000 birds that fell from just before New Years' Eve, solely within a 1-square-mile area. "There's no evidence connecting the two incidents. Beebe is about 40 miles northeast of Little Rock. Ozark is about 125 miles away from Beebe, to the west near the Oklahoma border."

Continue reading at: Rucho shel Mashiach

Update: More dead birds - in Labarre, Louisiana -   Hundreds of dead blackbirds

And in Kentucky: see video below

The Complete Guide to Problem Solving



Art:  Mike Worrall



There is no problem in the world that cannot be solved by using one of the four options below:

(1)  Fix it

Some people know they have a problem but they forget they can actually fix it. There's a story told about a man who complained that every day for lunch he had tuna sandwiches.  “If I have tuna sandwiches one more time I”m gonna kill myself!” he said.  But the next day, he again has tuna sandwiches! Someone asked him who made the sandwiches, and he replied: “I make my own sandwiches”.    This may sound like a silly story, but if you think about a situation hard enough, you may come to the conclusion that you are the one responsible for it, and you can do the changing.

(2)  Seek Advice

If you personally can’t fix the problem, talk to someone who can.  Talk to a doctor, a friend, a lawyer, an accountant.... whatever the problem is, talk to someone who you respect and has the extra knowledge with which to help you fix it.

(3) Walk Away - and don't look back

If the first two solutions are not applicable: that is, you cannot fix it, and you cannot talk to anybody who can fix it, then there’s a simple solution: Walk away from it.  Remove the problem from your life and your thoughts and forget it ever existed.

(4)  If none of the above are applicable to your situation: in other words, you cannot fix it and you cannot walk away from it..... because it could involve a child, or close friend or relative.... and you cannot change them and you cannot walk away from them....... then there is one more solution:

Accept it.

“Accept it” doesn't mean “tolerate it” - it means Accept it. This is what Hashem has given you, and there is obviously no way out. You must accept it, and by doing so your entire outlook will instantly change.

Strength in Unity

A father invited all of his children to his home. When they arrived, they gathered around him.

The father held several thin twigs in his hand. He gave one to each of his children and then asked them to break them.

His children snapped the dry twigs with ease.

The father then passed around a bundle of several twigs.  "Now" said the father "please try breaking this bundle."  Each one tried to break the bundle but none succeeded.

"You see" said the father "as long as you remain united in the same way that these branches are united, nobody will ever be able to harm you! But if you act divisively and there is disharmony among you, then be aware that a lone individual is as feeble and easily broken as a thin twig."

Yours

That which is meant for you, can never be taken away.

Last day of Spring....

.... or Autumn if you're on the other side of the world.

It's my birthday... another year older... my daughter made me this cake: (she's very talented... b"eh)

I just clicked onto my Stat Counter and saw that the 770,000th visitor had just visited Shirat Devorah.

Truly amazing! Thank you to everyone who clicks onto this site every day, and all the other occasional visitors, and all the commenters and emailers, I really appreciate your input.

The Lawyer and The Mystic

is the latest book by best selling author Robert Kremnizer.  It tells the remarkable story of what happens when an average person, with all the normal stresses of life, encounters a Mystic and begins to drink of an ancient wisdom. In this gripping account of the conversations between the Lawyer and the Mystic, the reader is introduced to Kabbalistic secrets for finding happiness and shown the keys to a life with new meaning, aspirations, and motivation. Through the The Lawyer and The Mystic, acclaimed author Robert Kremnizer shares life skills, wisdom and secrets appropriate for all people, no matter what their race, religion or creed.

This easy to read novel captivates from the outset and is impossible to put down.

The Lawyer and The Mystic  is Robert Kremnizer's fourth book. He is a highly-respected lawyer, businessman, and writer who is based in Sydney, Australia.

If you would like to purchase a copy of THE LAWYER AND THE MYSTIC, please see the link in the left side column of this blog.  To purchase multiple copies Email me for details.

Other books by Robert Kremnizer:
The Ladder Up: Secret Steps to Jewish Happiness

The Curtain Parted

The Second Ladder Up: Secret Steps to a Happy Jewish Marriage

Holtzberg's First Gavriel Noach

At an emotional bris ceremony in Crown Heights, the Holtzberg family welcomed their first baby named after Rabbi Gabi OBM.

A baby boy born last week to Shmuel and Devorah Spielman of Crown Heights was named Gavriel Noach after the child's uncle.

While hundreds of Lubavitch and Jewish parents around the world have named their newborns in memory of the slain Shluchim in Mumbai Rabbi Gabi and Rivky Holtzberg, this is the first in the family itself.

Devorah is Gabi's sister, and her baby was the first boy born into the Holtzberg family since the horrific terror attack which claimed their lives and 6 others in the Chabad House in India's capital.

In attendance at the emotional bris ceremony were the baby's grandfathers, Rabbi Nachman Holtzberg and Rabbi Yosef Baruch Spielman.

More photos at: COL Live