Random Thoughts From the Road

I am about to return to galus after spending a few days on business in Londonistan and then the weekend in Jerusalem.

1. The dollar. As one of my colleagues said about London, "If I can't eat it, I don't buy it". Even eating is painful. One night, after being blown off by one of my other colleagues, I ate by myself at a well known restaurant in the West End.

Fifty quid for a meal consisting of soup, a main (lamb), one glass of wine, dessert and tea. Fifty quid, as in one hundred dollars. The same meal at Wolf & Lamb would have been $40. (It was equivalent in quality, at best, to W&L, certainly not comporable to the higher end restaurants in New York.)

And, for that matter, it's no better with the shekel. 3.58 to the dollar today.

And, the prospects for it to get any better anytime soon are slim.

2. The Lipa Ban. Blogin Dm has done a great job focusing on the issue and providing excellent links. (None better than the fabulous article by Dr. Schick which was featured in a post by Hirhurim last Wednesday.)

If I had to summarize Dr. Schick's impassioned plea, it would be "Whatever happened to 'Dracheha Darchei Noam'" (The paths of the Torah are pleasant). I was thinking about that all week, even before I read his article. What I kept thinking about was how meanspirited the ban was, without any regard chosen mishpat or issues "bain adam l'chaveiroh". It was a nasty power play, short and simple, and the Rabbanim who participated were either picked off by madmen (inexcusable, as Gil pointed out) or, worse, complicit.

3. Today was our grandson's upsheirin. I am blessed to have been here in person for this wonderful, sweet occasion. I am indebted to MHW, my hero, who could not make it but deserves to be here much more than I.

4. I arrived the morning after the murderous attack by one of our evil and demented enemies on Mercaz Harav. I got to watch it unfold at the British Airways lounge. It is difficult to understand events like these and difficult to understand the depravity of a people that would organize attacks like these and then celebrate them publicly in the streets. I daven that the leadership of this country (and the US, for that matter) comes to its senses and finally recognizes the Pera adam with which it is dealing.