I'm Sorry Folks I Just Can't Do Haveil Havalim #107

More than a month ago, I volunteered to host Haveil Havalim #107, I thought it would be easy read a couple of posts and tie them together with a theme. I was warned too. When Soccer Dad heard about my wife's illness, he emailed me--are you sure you have the time ? No prob I told him, I'll get it done I proudly replied. That should have served as a warning.

Last Saturday, when I got home from Shabbos Mincah I did my evening posts and then began to research themes. My Idea was to develop a theme from the Gematria of 107 but that didn't work, there are too many words with a gematria of 107 and they cover such a diversity of topics, I couldn't develop a theme around that. Plus I don't have a keyboard that will type out Hebrew letters, so that is out.

So, here I sit at 12:03 on Sunday morning, my family in the other room watching a Saturday Night Live rerun and I am realizing that I just can't do this. I made a commitment to host and edit Haveil Havalim #107 and I just can't. I am a failure at hosting Haveil Havalim.

The Saddest part of it all is that there were so many wonderful posts submitted that wont get the extra attention that HH 107 could have given them. I read them all. But for you folks looking to gain insight into what is really going on by the Mughrabi gate near the Temple Mount, you will have to explore for yourself because I really can't come up with something to tie Israel Matzav's And for this we gave them Sinai or The real story of the Mughrabi gate
Yisrael Medad gives the real reason for the Arab protest of the construction on his blog My Right Word It's The New Entrance Route; Not the Digging! but since there will be no HH this week there will be no coverage of that or Kesher Talk's The Orwellian erasing of Jewish history continues,and none of my readers will be able to see Joe Settler's pictorial tour of the construction area The Riot Act.Well at least they already read my defense of Sheik Salah with But Rabbi Metzger you got it wrong--Salah is just trying to be a good Muslim

Helping others was a big theme this week. But thanks to my writer's block, people will not be able to read about Jeremy Jacob's Nine Day trek to honor his sister's memory and raise money for breast cancer research FROM MARGATE TO THE MAASAI or how Laurie Richter of Florida is fighting against her Condo board to be able to put a Mezuzah on her doorpost in Jew Hatred in Our (other) Ancestral Homeland: Florida. My Friend Yael at Boker Tov Boulder, starts off each one of her posts reminding us not to forget about the three Kidnapped Israeli soldiers but I can't help her cause this HH stuff is too much of a challenge.

I am truly saddened by the fact I won't be able to help rally around one of our own, Orthomom, who is facing a law suit because of a reader comment regarding one of her stories. I just hope that plenty of people go to Muqata and read Bloggers United Against Pamela Greenbaum or Seraandez Board Member Sues Google Over Orthomom? or just go to Orthomom to keep up to date on protecting our blogging freedom of speech. My Rabbi tells me that the purest act of kindness is one made toward the dead, after all they can't say thank you. Thats why I am very sorry that people won't be able to read Cosmic X kind words about Rabbi Ya'ir Uriel zt"l, Maybe If I read about tzedaka it would help me get an Idea, I know there was... oh here they are Reb Chaim's Tithes and Charities and Cross-Current's Tzedakah Postscript.

So now that I have really messed up and probably Pissed off Soccer Dad foever, I will probably be banned from Tov Pizza, which is the best I ever had. Maybe I will try to relax for a while, I love reading non-fiction books. Especially the ones show people as humans with faults, kind of like Letters of Thought talks about with American Pride. This week many in the blogging universe tried to remind not to forget what we learned from history like Shiloh Musings who reminds us that a loss of faith and forgetting what life was like in the pre-1967 boarders is leading Israel to National Masochism and Cosmic X reminds us that Kahane was not a racist Street named after Kahane irks residents Ynetnews. It Shines For All taught me about Belgium and the Nazis. and Life in Israel reminded me that Anne Frank's Dad was not the only one who wasn't allowed to come to the US and save his family, Anne Frank and my great grandfather.

Chaim from Freedom's Cost wrote a three part series about recent history and how the real story of the war on terror in the Mid East is being distorted called As the World Turns…, the second is called As the World Turns - Part II, and believe it or not the last is called As the World Turns - Part III. Sorry Chaim I really loved these posts,, but it is now almost 2 am and I still can't think of a way to write HH 107.

Many people try to distort history, and some of the HH 107 entries tried to correct them, but you will not see them here because I just can't do it. So if you want to read Abbagav's post on how an AP photographer continues to distort the what is going on in Israel and the territories Prisoner Propaganda Time Again , you will just have to go else where. As you with other explanations of distorted history, Israel Matzav's Trying to shift the blame,Fundamentally Freund's Do Arab states really care about the Palestinians?and Bookworm Room's Crazy like a particularly malevolent fox. and A Blog For All'sGrisly End To Hostage Victim From Entebbe. The Ignoble Experiment has an explanation for all of this false history as she ponders The Failure of the Marketplace of Ideas . Sorry guys, it just can't be done this week.

Even though the US presidential elections are still twenty months away the race received plenty of attention especially the announcement of one Mormon candidate in one automotive museum. Well it only got attention because one Jewish political group thought it was anti-Semitic. Two of my favorite bloggers wrote calm rational posts about the NJDC charge of bigotry Why Do Jews Not Vote For Republicans? from Town Hall. and Can Anti-Semites Be Great Men? from Daled Amos. My Mom's favorite blog also covered it but it was more of a frothing at the mouth rant called NJDC: What A Bunch of Hypocrites. Not all of the political talk was controversial, Joshua Pundant reported on Nita Lowey,One gutsy congresswoman blocks US funding of Palestinian terrorists and Ocean Guy Responding to a comment gives a heartfelt explanation regarding how a life long Democrat sometimes just can't pull the lever for his party. Maybe you can submit it to HH 108, cause 107 ain't happening. Like Shifting the Paradigm I’m beginning to think that I might need an internet/blog break.

Even if I could do HH a 107, there are two submissions I could not include because they would get me in trouble at home Ari's Valentine's Day: A Goyish Holiday (sorry Ari I agree with you but my couch is very uncomfortable) but my wife would be happy if I posted West Bank Mama's Righteous Women Have Brains Too . My dog growls at me every time I read A Bisele Babka's Dog People, sorry Babka I have relatives that are social parasites but my dog Soos is not. Maybe you would feel different if you read NY's Funniest Rabbi: Always Had More Dogs Than Bones

The unity agreement between the two terrorist organizations stirred up some ire,Celebrating the unity, from Simply Jews, not only discussed the issue but showed great pictures of a Palestinian Toga Party. By the end of the week the US hinted that it would break ties with the terrorist government but Israel said it wouldn't leading Soccer Dad to wonder if Israel Matzav, Joshuapundant and I were suffering from A mass hallucination? or is it Olmert? Well, I cant speak for Carl or Joshua, but I haven't had a hallucination since Woodstock, Besides French Hill says the whole thing is on of those Non-Issue Issues....The sick part of this is while the Israel PM is rushing to make buddy-buddy with Abbas, there is Simply no excuse that the settlers thrown out of Gaza 19 months ago still do not have homes.

Most schools are off this coming week, but not in my town, president's day which started from Lincoln's birthday is not big in the south. Last week's celebration of Apartheid Week was not big in my house but I did like Kesher Talk's"Digital Night" at "End Israeli Apartheid Week" in NYC Jewislicious exposes the ,The hypocrisy is laughable. Speaking of hypocrisy My Right Word shows the British Army for the Hypocrites they are with Perfidious Albion. and Simply Jews writes about IJV - a new British super- strawman-builder. Compounding all of this IRIS Blog is telling us that Jewish Federations Fund Anti-Zionism

Now I am really getting depressed. All of these great posts and I am going to look like a horse's pituey for not doing Haveil Havalim #107 and showing them off. Maybe I will turn on the TV. I understand there are reruns of 24 on...wait that would just remind me that Book and Beliefs wrote something about Why I Can't Watch "24"

Great I can't watch 24 maybe I will read some more of these posts that won't have a place to go because I just couldn't motivate myself.

There are some really good ones about people with anti-Semitic views, such as Washington Post worries about Jews buying homes in Jerusalem from Carl at Israel Matzav,Does Barnard Need Junk Academics? by the Muquata , The Arab Bank offers insurance for suicide bombers,from Secular Blasphamy or even Iran and Jews/They Hate us they Really Hate us.

Great its now 4am and still nothing and I need to relax to be able to sleep. I went to Yehuda the Jewish Gaming blog and took a look at his Judaism promo, a Jewish sex ad the small print is really funny. By the way Yehuda can you help me find a game for my kids nintendo in Hebrew?

Maybe I will cheer up if I re-read some of the real warm and cozy entries that wont be read because of my laziness. The w0nderful post from the View From Here on the naming of their little girl Why the name Tzofia Reev, Maybe I can find joy in watching the wedding video of Therapydoc's son' s wedding Jewish weddings-embarrassing your kids,or Sephardic Secrets heartfelt The Solace of Lost Siddurim.

Well thats it. Its 4:15 and I got to be at minyan in less than four hours. For those of you who worked so hard to get you posts in, I do apologize, but I just can't get it done. I even tried to get some inspiration from snacking on some chicken left over from Shabbos Dinner. But that got me depressed too because it reminded my that Jewish Blogmeister wrote about Kosher Food: Emprie doing away with Plumbas..

Folks All I can say is I am sorry. I was given a Job and couldn't follow through. Please accept my apology and If anyone wants to quickly put up a Haveil Havalim #107 in my stead because I couldn't get it done....please forgive me. And if you start to get real angry just remember,Purim is coming...are you ready?

Night folks. I hope you forgive me.

Sammy