Little Known Jewish Dragons (Part I)

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After enjoying "The Hobbit" I started thinking of the Jewish tradition of dragons. In the coming week, I'm hoping to examine some of the lesser known Jewish sources dealing with dragons, especially from the Apocrypha. I'm no Natan Slifkin, and my knowledge of these issues is very casual, and meant mostly as "Whoa, dragons, cool". 
That the dragon was a potent symbol for Jews is undeniable. Perhaps the clearest sign that dragon were a widely used symbol comes from the apocryphal additions to the book of Esther. The additions to Esther begin with Moredchai dreaming a puzzling dream,  foretelling the story:

[2] In the second year of the reign of Artaxerxes the Great, on the first day of Nisan, Mordecai the son of Jair, son of Shimei, son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin, had a dream.
[3] He was a Jew, dwelling in the city of Susa, a great man, serving in the court of the king.
[4] He was one of the captives whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had brought from Jerusalem with Jeconiah king of Judea. And this was his dream:
[5] Behold, noise and confusion, thunders and earthquake, tumult upon the earth!
[6] And behold, two great dragons came forward, both ready to fight, and they roared terribly.
[7] And at their roaring every nation prepared for war, to fight against the nation of the righteous.
[8] And behold, a day of darkness and gloom, tribulation and distress, affliction and great tumult upon the earth!
[9] And the whole righteous nation was troubled; they feared the evils that threatened them, and were ready to perish.
[10] Then they cried to God; and from their cry, as though from a tiny spring, there came a great river, with abundant water;
[11] light came, and the sun rose, and the lowly were exalted and consumed those held in honor. 

Two dragons are fighting, while the world is brought into a great distress.  We are not offered much of a description of the dragons, so it is impossible to understand whether "dragon" = flying lizard spewing fire, or just a generic word for monster. The dream itself is solved in a later chapter:

[1]
And Mordecai said, "These things have come from God.
[2] For I remember the dream that I had concerning these matters, and none of them has failed to be fulfilled.
[3] The tiny spring which became a river, and there was light and the sun and abundant water -- the river is Esther, whom the king married and made queen.
[4] The two dragons are Haman and myself. 

[5] The nations are those that gathered to destroy the name of the Jews. 

The author clearly saw dragons as creatures of great power, though they don't really do much in this narrative. The dream as an addition to the book of Esther, seems to be intent on adding "God's" influence into the biblical narrative.

Hopefully, some future dragons will be slightly more active.

Little Known Jewish Dragons (Part II)

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This is a continuation of my examination started in the previous post, of some of the less known dragons in the Jewish tradition.

Our next dragon, also from the apocrypha appears in a story normally called "The book of Bel and the Dragon", which is a supposed continuation to the book of Daniel. The book, has come to us in two different translations - Greek and Theodotian, though the differences are not great.

The first few verses (which I will omit) tell of how Daniel proves to King Cyrus that "Bel" the god worshiped in Babylon is false. The King admits that Bel - an idol - is a false God, but insists a dragon worshiped in Babylon is a true deity:

1:23 And in that same place there was a great dragon, which they of Babylon worshipped.
1:24 And the king said unto Daniel, Wilt thou also say that this is of brass? lo, he liveth, he eateth and drinketh; thou canst not say that he is no living god: therefore worship him.
1:25 Then said Daniel unto the king, I will worship the Lord my God: for he is the living God.
1:26 But give me leave, O king, and I shall slay this dragon without sword or staff. The king said, I give thee leave.
1:27 Then Daniel took pitch, and fat, and hair, and did seethe them together, and made lumps thereof: this he put in the dragon’s mouth, and so the dragon burst in sunder : and Daniel said, Lo, these are the gods ye worship.

Is this a fire breathing dragon? the use of pitch and fat would seem to me to suggest it. I assume that the dragon bursts because the fat and pitch catch fire, though this conjunction is not in the text.
The story also exists in the Midrash -

 ×ž×“רש בר×�שית רבה סח, ×™×’: "והנה מל×�×›×™ ×�להי×�", ×–×” דני×�ל, "עולי×� ויורדי×� בו", שעלה והוצי×� ×�ת בלעו מתוך פיו. ×”ד×� הו×� דכתיב: (ירמיה × ×�) "ופקדתי על בל בבבל והוצ×�תי ×�ת בלעו מפיו". שהיה לו תנין ×�חד לנבוכדנצר, והיה בולע כל מה שהיו משליכין לפניו. ×�"ל נבוכדנצר לדני×�ל, כמה כחו גדול, שבולע כל מה שמשליכין לפניו. ×�מר לו דני×�ל: תן לי רשות ו×�× ×™ מתישו. × ×ª×Ÿ רשות. מה עשה? נטל תבן והטמין לתוכו מסמרי×�, השליך לפניו, ונקבו מסמרי×� ×�ת בני מעיו. ×”ד×� הו×� דכתיב: "והוצ×�תי ×�ת בלעו מפיו". 

In this version the monster is a Crocodile (תנין) and not a dragon, though possibly they are one and the same in early Hebrew. Daniel kills the beast not with Pitch and Fat, but with straw filled with nails.

Yated Ne'eman Publishes The Wrong Picture

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File this under the amusing/giggle worthy.

Yated Ne'eman, the foremost daily Haredi paper in Israel, published a recipe for a real "Italian Pizza". Haredim it would seem enjoy a pizza like the rest of us. The problem? the picture illustrating the recipe was a pizza with pepperoni on top. Not Kosher. Not even Mostly Kosher.

Yated Ne'eman famously has an extremly strict censor, making sure their readers are not exposed to anything that may offend Haredi sensibilites. However, they explained that their censor "simply didn't know it was pizza with pepperoni. The Haredi public is not exposed to this kind of food, and didn't realize it was a picture of unkosher food."

Hat Tip: ICE

Second Worst Singing of Hatikvah By A Politician Award

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Wow, I didn't think I'd get to give two of these out day after day..

This version was released by Balad "in an animated clip showing Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman and several nationalist MKs singing Hatikva in to a Middle Eastern tune."

In the clip, Lieberman explains that he was the one who proposed a law requiring citizens to pledge allegiance to the state of Israel in order to be eligible for an ID card. He then announces that he has now become convinced that the tune of Hatikva – Israel's national anthem – should be changed so that Arabs feel comfortable singing it as well.

The Problematic Use Of B'Tselem Statistics

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For the purpose of an academic paper I'm writing, I needed to find out how many Jewish terrorist attacks against Palestinians there have been. Statistics about the Arab-Israeli conflict are notoriously hard to come by, and endlessly debated. However, the common method has evolved to cite B'Tselems statistics. As such I went to the B'Tselem statistics page found the following summary (the list is up to operation Cast Lead):

The Fatalities' data can be shown either by the date of the event in which they were hurt or by the date of their death. Since some of the fatalities died of their injuries days, weeks and sometimes months after they were hurt, choosing the view affects the distribution of data.

Data by the date of event, 29.9.2000-26.12.2008	Occupied Territories			Israel
	Gaza Strip	West Bank	Total
Palestinians killed by Israeli security forces	2999	1790	4789	69
Palestinians killed by Israeli civilians	4	41	45	2
Israeli civilians killed by Palestinians	39	200	239	492
Israeli security force personnel killed by Palestinians	97	146	243	89
Foreign citizens killed by Palestinians	10	7	17	37
Foreign citizens killed by Israeli security forces	4	6	10	0
Palestinians killed by Palestinians	474	134	608	0
Palestinians executed by the Palestinian Authority	8	2	10	0
Palestinians executed by the Hamas Government	0	0		0

I then clicked on "Palestinians killed by Israeli civilians" where there is a description of how each person died. Here are two of the descriptions from 2008:

Mahmoud Khalil 'Abd al-Fatah Sabarneh
20 year-old resident of Beit Ummar, Hebron district, killed on 24.01.2008 in Kfar Ezyon, Bethlehem district. Additional information: Killed by gunfire of teachers in a yeshiva after he entered the yeshiva area with another armed person and stabbed the instructors.

Muhammad Fathi Yunes Sabarneh
21 year-old resident of Beit Ummar, Hebron district, killed on 24.01.2008 in Kfar Ezyon, Bethlehem district. Additional information: Killed by gunfire of teachers in a yeshiva after he entered the yeshiva area with another armed person and stabbed the instructors.

In other words - Palestinians killed by Israeli Civilians includes those Palestinians that were committing terrorist acts at the time.  When you think about it, the title is clear enough - it is counting people killed by civilians, and not civilians killed. However, I highly doubt anyone would realize that the list includes terrorists, unless he goes and examines the cases. Additionally, for some reason, B'tselem does not count Israeli deaths in the same manner. It clearly separates between Israeli soldiers and civilians killed.

Childish Hell, Childish Religion

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The Economist has this to write about Hell:

Hell hardly hurts any more. In everyday parlance (“What the hell are you doing?”), it is merely a bark, not a place. As a place, it is anywhere nasty: the London Underground in summer, the worst bits of Lower Manhattan, department stores at sales time, a publisher’s party. Philosophically, Jean-Paul Sartre has encouraged the idea that Hell is other people. Theologically, even the Vatican now defines Hell as a state of exile from the love of God. The devils and pitchforks, the brimstone clouds and wailing souls, have been cleared away, rather as a mad aunt might be shut up in the attic.

 After explaining how differnet religions still have their purists who believe in a literal, pitchfork holding demon hell, the Economist comments:

Hell’s democratisation seems to have begun in Judaism, with both Isaiah and Ezekiel arguing that it did not seem right that good and bad alike should go to Sheol. The wicked, surely, should have deeper and sharper punishment. God should deal with them as they deserved—especially since, in life, they had usually prospered from their wickedness, whereas the virtuous, like Job, had been struck with disasters and covered with sore boils. The Essenes, a more extreme sect, injected the idea of eternity into it, as well as storms and dungeons. Just as man has always made God in his own image, so he projected his own notions of fairness on to the world to come; and ended up with a real horror story.

I haven't actually thought of Hell (with a capital H) for a few years. I think I lost my conception of hell as a physical place early in my teens, replaced with a conception of hell as a place where the soul suffers  and then later as a place of shame.

I don't think I've had a conversation with anyone who believes in a physical hell for many years. I take this as an encouraging sign that most of us do not believe in the religion of our youth.

It's time for another Giveaway!

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***CLOSED***
 
Do you remember this little beanie? 

It came from the same shop as this one.


I loved the football beanie so much that I asked Deux des Amis to create a custom order. I explained Ledger was going to be Batman for Halloween,and they took the idea and ran with it. I was sooo pleased with the end result.
I'm excited to announce Deux des Amis is hosting a giveaway! One lucky reader will win a $50 gift card to their Etsy shop. Yes, $50, which will be all too easy to spend.
They take custom orders, so if there's something you want, they will make it.

Here's How to Enter:  Three options available
Requirements 
 Leave a comment stating your favorite item from Deux des Amis.

Extra Entries (Leave separate comments) "Share" this giveaway via Facebook or your own blog.  Follow Deux des Amis on Facebook.
Winner will be announced Wednesday, November 14th.Good luck! 

Books

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Just the other day, I walked past our front room, and caught a glimpse of Ledger laying with his face on a book...I took a few steps closer and realized Ledger had pulled a few books off our bookshelf and was reading one he had never seen before. He was laying on a book that contained Preslee's life sketch along with pictures of her. Intrigued, I watched him for a few minutes as he studied different pages and then repeatedly laid his face on different pictures...I realized he was 'hugging' Preslee. I was a bit taken back, because most of the pictures he had never seen. After a few moments, I picked him up, placed him on my lap, and we read the book together. I realized it was the first time he had seen pictures of Preslee with Pog, and Pres sitting in the same high chair he uses. I could see the wheels spinning inside his little head. He even gave a few pictures a big slobbery kiss. Once again, I was reminded that he knows his sister. 


As Ledger was touching the pictures of his older sister, hugging them, and even kissing them, I realized I've made a mistake. Every picture of Preslee in our house is high up, far out of his reach. I purposely placed them there after he began walking, in fear he would ruin them. But as I watched him hold an actual item in his hands, and in a way 'interact' by hugging and kissing pictures of his sister, I realized it was time to place a few items down where he can reach them. After moving some, I'm often amazed how often he grabs, jabbers, loves, and holds them.

 (This picture is taken down at least once everyday)

 I still receive e-mails asking about more gift ideas when someone loses a loved one. While I was reading the book with Ledger, I realized a picture book is a wonderful gift. My Aunt and her Mother-in-law gave us a year subscription to Heritage Makers to make a book after Preslee passed away. We gave a copy to each of our parents. Click here to view it. It's usually the first thing Ledger grabs at my mom's house and they read it together. Until lately, I've kept mine out of reach on display. But it's time to lower it so little brother can look at it anytime.

I was also given these three books, which I've started rotating for him, and often take one to church. 


The reason I love this one, is because it's not just a book about her, but she's included with all the family members.


Each time I see Ledger holding one, I realize the importance of having tangible items to teach him about his sister. We're grateful to all who gave them to us.

December

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I have a love/hate relationship with December. There's something magical about the Christmas season, celebrating Christ's birth, and partying it up for Patrick's Birthday, but celebrating another Christmas, and especially another Birthday without Preslee is painfully overwhelming.
And to add to the events, on the 14th, Ledger will turn 18 months, which is the same age Preslee passed away. Just the thought of Ledger reaching 18 months 3 days before Preslee's Birthday shoots my anxiety through the roof.
As I watch Ledger grow, I realize in a short time, he will reach milestones Preslee never did. And though having two separate family pictures up next to one another, one with Preslee, and the other with Ledger looks fine now, I'm not quite sure how I'll feel about it when Ledger and anymore children to come are fully grown. It might just look out of place. As I was thinking about all of this a few months ago, I came up with a plan. A couple of days before Ledger turned 15 months, my friend Kassie let me book a session for sledgehammer, the same age Preslee was when we had her last photo shoot. I realized by doing this, I can create a wall with all my children and Preslee will never look out of place as a toddler.

And so far, I'm in love with the two that I have.
Thank you Kassie at Kassie Crapo Photography for taking such incredible photos! I'm in love with each and every one! When Pat hung up Ledgers, I couldn't help but cry.






 And of course a couple funny ones...


Ledger, I'm sure I'll say this until the day I die, but I don't think you'll truly ever understand how much you saved me. Your jabbering, slobbery kisses, destructive boy personality, and even the reoccurring tantrums gives your momma a reason to live.

I don't know where I'd be without you. Love you.

Four

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One week from today, this little girl should be turning 4.


Every Birthday, I try to imagine what she would be like today. What would her interests be? What would she ask for? How long would her hair would be? What would it be like to hear her talk? And then I force those those thoughts out of my mind, because I simply can't imagine her as a 4 year old.

One of the many lessons I've learned from losing Preslee is how powerful motherhood truly is.Even though Preslee isn't physically with us anymore, I still think about her, worry about her, pray for her, hope she is happy and finding success in whatever she might be doing. I realize I'm still her mom, and all of the motherly feelings and emotions I have for Ledger, still exist for Preslee. None of those feelings were buried along with her, which surprised me at first. I was so scared I wouldn't feel like her mom anymore.
December 17th will always be her Birthday, and each year, I find that I still want to make it 'her' day. I want to give her something she really does want. After 3 years, it seems like I'm always led to the same thing...service.


For Preslee's 2nd Birthday we held the Pay It Forward Project, where hundreds of you got involved, and I loved it with all my heart. PCMC didn't have room to store the boxes of bags, so each time my parents drove to UT they filled their SUV with boxes and dropped them off at the front desk. Just last month, the last of the bags were delivered. As desperately as I wish we could repeat this, Pat and I just don't have the space to store the boxes, and a vehicle to transport them. My parents were amazing, and pretty much took over, but I don't want the task to be placed on anyone but us. (It's a big task) I'm hoping we will be able to repeat the project in the future.

Over the past two years, I've received e-mails, asking if we plan on repeating the Pay It Forward project again, expressing it was a wonderful opportunity to serve, and a great way to teach children the importance of service. After the question kept repeating itself, my mind began racing. If others are wanting to get involved, I'd be crazy to turn them down. After a lot of thought and prayer, I decided to take it in a little different direction.
Have you heard of RAK?Random Acts of Kindness?(If not, read about it here, minus the Christmas part)
I thought what else could be better?Anyone can get involved, wherever they live, spend what they can afford, all the while making the world a better place.I don't think there's much more Preslee would want for her Birthday.So this is what our little family will be doing next Monday, along with a trip to the cemetery.
If you wish to get involved, click here to print the image below. If you have problems, feel free to e-mail me ashleysullenger(at)gmail(dot)com and I'll e-mail you the page.

I hope these kinds of things become traditions in our home, because I feel it's the perfect way to teach Ledger about his sister, and all that she accomplished in a short 18 months.

Toddler Swimming Lessons

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Growing up, I loved the water. I spent hours swimming in the Snake River behind my parent's house. When I was around 12 years old, I picked swimming lessons over all the other summer activities, and swam laps in Ricks College. 

And then my daughter drowned, and I went through a phase where I hated it. I was terrified to take Ledger around it. Then one day it hit me, while I training for a triathlon. I can't live my life in fear for Ledger. Just because it scares me, doesn't mean it will scare him.  I can't deny Ledger everyday opportunities because of what happened to his sister, it just wouldn't be fair. What if I would have missed out on swimming while growing up because I was placed in Ledger's situation? I would have missed out on a big part of my life.

Sometimes comments are left or e-mails are sent that leave me feeling criticized.
I understand that comes along with writing a blog, but I've come to the conclusion that many people expect me to fear anything that could possibly end in a bad situation for Ledger. And almost everything can end in a bad situation if you think about it. It's taken a lot of work for me to get where I am today.

One reoccurring comment deals with the fact I let Ledger go swimming. I think many people expect us to avoid water for the rest of our lives. And though we spent a lot of time swimming this past summer, it was still hard for me. I know even if Preslee would have known how to swim, the canal was moving too fast for a 18 month old to survive. As Ledger gets older, I want him to understand water. I want all of my kids to be strong swimmers. I think it will help reassure me.

After discussing this with Pat, we signed up for a Mommy & Me toddler swim class. The instructor owns her own pool, and is amazing. Ledger is a little young for the class, but it's been such a big thing for me to see that he no longer fears water in his face. When I used to see him panic in the water, my thoughts would turn to what Preslee endured in the canal, and I'd usually end up in tears.

(He now goes underwater about three times a lesson, and it doesn't seem to bother him anymore) 

These lessons have been a big deal for me, I feel like I'm taking control of my fear. And Ledger is doing great. We both look forward to lessons every Tuesday and Thursday.

He loves to swim!




Practicing rolling over from his stomach to his back.



Practicing holding on to the edge and walking along it with his hands.

Do we look alike? :)

Last lesson, he was able to pull himself out of the water all by himself.

He loves jumping back in.

Kicking while on his back.
The kids grab the balls...
and then put them in the bucket, practicing the front stroke movements.

If they are good, they get to go down the slide at the end.

I'm sure I'm saying, "Ledger, we need to be patient."

After the instructor catches the kids, the older ones are taken underwater with her.Then they work on climbing out of the pool.
It's been a process, a big process to overcome my fear.Will I always be extra cautious? Definitely.I'll continue to take it one step at a time. The day Ledger asks me to float down a canal... well, that might be a different story.
We'll let that fear present itself when the situation arises.

The craftiest Christmas I ever crafted

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I was inspired this year, thanks to Pinterest to do a lot more crafting than I have in past years. I usually manage to get a blanket or something quick and easy made for at least one child, but this year I went all out.

It all started with the Juggling Chickens for A...



Then Cupcake Pin cushions for the girls.

Well, of course the pin cushions needed sewing kits to accompany them.



I finally got around to finishing the PJ pants I've intended to sew for a few years now and they ended up being too small, so W inherited them.  No pattern.  I just laid a pair of my pants down and cut around them.


I made up some of these Sweet little birdies and M gave me a hand with them.





A got a gnome hat, which I just winged and a Tutu from my Oliver and S: Little Things to Sew book.




Bath Salts with a slight variation to this recipe.

Oh, the Sock Monkey army!  Each kid got one and hubby adopted the red eyed guy and named him Lucifer.



The Crayon and Make-up brush rolls weren't done with a pattern.  I just melded together a few different tutorialsI found online.


Heat bags:
Tea Party accessories:
Couldn't leave out  my big girl's wish for a tutu:
Dolly diapers.  One of which the vacuum has already eaten.


A Terrarium for my boy:
And last, but not least, what I consider to be the Piece de la resistance, made by my talented husband.  Wooden popsicles:


Phew!  It's been a couple months of evening crafting, but I love it!