"My gift is my song..." -- (Sir Elton)

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December 11th, 2009

Tonight marks the first night of Hanukkah, and if you know your Adam Sandler oeuvre, that is "The Festival Lights."
("Instead of one day of presents we get eight crazy nights")

I received my first present today, when my wife of (nearly) 6 months gave me the most precious gift of all... (wait for it)... a haircut!

That's right!

After watching (literally) a 3-minute tutorial she found on Youtube, using only my razor and some scissors she found in a desk drawer… SHE cut my hair!


And, might I add, I look great!
(now that the bleeding has stopped... kidding! ha ha... gulp).

Really-- If Brad Pitt were short and Jewish and received a haircut from my wife, he’d look just like me!


It was a great gift.

Which reminds me:


“…A gift doth blind the eyes of the wise and pervert the word of the righteous”
(Deut. 16:19)

So I guess my wife made me a pervert!

Oh happy day! I have an excuse to continue my curious “experiments” with hummus
& babganoush
(even *I’m * sure what that’s supposed to mean)


Actually, this saying about “gifts blinding the wise” is listed as a part of the modus operandi of judges and officers among the Israelites. It’s basically a prohibition against bribing officials… which is a pretty good rule.

Because it’s true— gifts can cloud our judgment.

Over the last four years I have taught Hebrew School in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Every December, the parents of a few students would give me a little Hanukkah gift— a book, a giftcard, banana bread, what-have-you. And I must admit, after receiving the gift I tended to be more patient and complimentary with the children of those gift-giving parents (“Wow! Great job, Shlomo! What a… creative drawing of Moses… How’s about you try it again, but draw some pants on him, ‘kay? It looks like he’s about to violate at least three of the Ten Commandments.”).
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