Of course by the same token, there is something to be said for reinvention...

It must have been about twenty years ago, a young upstart cable network aimed at, well, young'ems that start up with whomever (presumably their parents mostly) reinvented getting a pie in the face. And thus Nickelodeon begat

GREEN SLIME!

From the Famous

To the Not So Famous

Shabbat Shalom!

Oh watch out where the huskies go; Don't you eat that yellow snow...

Everything old is new again...

Love, as they say, is wasted on the youth. Fortunately, they have enough sense to watch old Three Stooges clips...

How Suite It Is!

TAXI!

Drive me off this picture...

Yankee Bean Soup, Coleslaw, and Tuna Surprise -- Kaching!

Keep your eye on the pie...

I'm amazed they did this shot without Tony Curtis getting hit.

Brandy! More Brandy!

Doin' a what comes naturally.

This is actually part of a set of clips from Moe Howard's 1970's appearance on the Mike Douglas Show, and in one of the earlier clips, he talked about Curly's physical gestures and humor -- the running of his hands over his face, getting down on the floor and spinning in circles for example.

As it turned out, Curly would forget his lines. These acts of his were a way of him buying time to remember them without interrupting the take!

Regardless, even after forty years, Moe still has it. And Ted Knight gets it.

Deep thought for Parshah Ki Tisa

By way of background, Ki Tisa is notable for two things: First and formost, the story of the Golden Calf is told here, and the second is the instructions on the census, where every Jewish male 20 years and older, regardless of their wealth (or poverty), had to give half a shekel.

We learn a number of things here, but one thing in particular is that we are not individually whole, that we are but half, and must be with another in order to complete ourselves. In a sense, this first reading (which reviews the census) itself reinforces this.

This reading is 41 sentences long, and twice that is 92, which in turn is written as Tzadek-Bet. I would suggest that there is an underlying reinforcement that we must have two Tzadeks, wise men, from which we learn, that when two wise men review Torah and reach a consensus, then there is some underlying assurance they have reached a correct reading of Torah.

Shavuah tov!

3.14159265

What? You thought I was going to resort to math humor? [Although if anyone can find something funny about 2.71828183, power to 'em!] Regardless, these three did it first, and they did it the best.

Why I oughta...

The Beagle Has Landed

I actually wanted to do this last week, but I preferred Sid Caeser and Milton Berle.

First Charlie Brown wins out over both Underdog and Stewie in Coca Cola's memorable ad from this year's Super Bowl, and now "K-Run's Park Me in First", better known as Uno, has avenged Snoopy after all the losses to the cursed Red Baron -- last week, for the first time, the Westminster Kennel Club awarded "Best In Show" to Uno. Beagles are tremendously popular dogs and in this clip from the Associated Press, the audience certainly affirms this, and Uno seems happy about it as well:

RELEASE THE HOUNDS!

I'd also like to play tribute to what has to be the most famous beagle in the world

CURSE YOU RED BARON!!!

Shabbat Shalom everyone, see you Motzi Shabbat!

Who knew?

Frum Hillbillies!

They do look like your friendly neighborhood Chassidic Rabbi...

Fyvush Finkel, Itzhak Perlman, and Red Buttons walk into a Klezmer DVD

Priceless

Gonzo gets the last laugh...

As a companion to yesterday's clip of Sid Caeser, here is Milton Berle. And Statler and Waldorf. And Gonzo.

Woka-woka-woka!

In The Beginning...

...there was Milton Berle and Sid Caeser. The impact these two had on comedy cannot be understated. Caesers writers included Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner, Neil Simon, Woody Allen, and others, led by Mel Tolkin.

Today's clip is of Caeser with Nanette Fabray. No translation needed.

No No Nanette!

I actually have an Uncle Martin...

...although he does not have antennae growing from the back of his head, nor can he make his spaceship levitate, nor does he even HAVE a spaceship.

Funny. He doesn't look like Ray Walston.

Ketchup catch up

Well, the great Cholent Competition was not to be. The Rabbi's brother will not be in town afterall. Well, at least not THAT brother. Another brother (and fellow Red Sox Nation member!) will be here however.

And in the "Strike Two" category, I couldn't get buffalo either, so instead, I made Brunswick Stew for the cholent.

What could be more perfect for Shabbat in Adar...

...then two videos about a Happiness Factory? (Or the inside story on that Coke machine on the corner.) Eat your heart out Pixar...

Part 1 (for Friday) -- The Happiness Factory Documentary

Part 2 (for Shabbat) -- Happiness Factory, The Movie

COIN IN THE HOLE!

Who? I don't know....

While there are many outstanding comics today, it all began with these two clowns...

THIRD BASE (You were expecting George Burns?)

And now for something completely different...

Who say's Jewish kids can't dance?

You were expecting maybe Monty Python? NI!

Strictly News...

...Strictly Kosher. Supervision by Aish Hatorah.

My parents met Dr. Rice if that helps.

Mick Jagger and Keith Richards should spin in their graves about this...

...of course there is this tiny problem that they're still alive.

Schlock Rock -- Purim 1991

Catch a wave, all caught up!

I've already put a snippet from Jay Leno's second "A Priest, a Rabbi, and a Minister" segment, with Rabbi Mendy Pellman, so to finish catching up with the Adar-a-palooza, here is Rabbi Levi Cunin from the first segment:

The Surfing Malibu Rabbi
(Don't forget to watch Rabbi Cunin and Rabbi Pellman chat afterwards, and Jimmy Kimmel's bit at the end)

The Shnowz Al stops here.

SILENCE!!!!

I keeeeeeel you!

(If you're not doubled over in laughter, you will be.)

Achmed -- The Dead Terrorist

Get. down. Boogie oogie oogie.

iFabrengen (even if it's an ad)

The Shnowz Al stops here...

Seeing as it is now Adar (OK, Adar I), I'm going to try and put up some amusing tidbit on a daily basis, maybe several today, since it is already 4 Adar I...)

Rabbi Mendy Pellin on Jay Leno

The Mendy Report on chabadtube.com or for you YouTube Fans, ChabadNewsOnline.

Game on man!

And in a bit of friendly competition, after my Beef Burgundy cholent this past Shabbat, my Rabbi's brother (also a Rabbi, just younger) wants to make the cholent this week. Now on the one hand, I suspect he may have made the comment in jest, because he's in Philadelphia during the week helping ANOTHER brother (and yes, he's also a Rabbi -- there are just way too many Rabbi Deitschs in my life!) in Philadelphia. Hmmm. Cincinnati Chili or Cinnamon Spiced Buffalo... (I had originally planned to do the chili, but maybe the buffalo is a better option...)

Deep thought for last week, 3 Adar I 5768

In this past week's parshah, Terumah, we're taught about the Mishkan -- the portable Tabernacle that Eretz Yisrael carried with them throughout the desert. In the course of this reading, there is the first mention of the showbreads -- these loaves of bread baked fresh each week and placed in the Tabernacle. The miracle of the showbreads is that when the old ones were replaced by the new ones, the old ones were still as warm and fresh for the Levites to eat, as they were the week before when they were first placed on the alter. There were twelve showbreads on the Tabernacle, and we remember this today on Shabbat by having two challahs, each with six braids, for a total of twelve braids.

Six Braid Challah

Now making a six braid challah isn't so hard. It takes some practice -- it's not as intuitive as a three braid challah. On the other hand, I noticed that it seems to come out "fuller" then the simpler three braid challah. This however got me to thinking. Can you make a single twelve braid challah? Well the folks at Black Widow Bakery have a pretty cool one!

A new option in Washington

Last Shabbat, I had the pleasure of being with a couple from Potomac, and they mentioned that there is a new option coming to the National Capitol area for kosher dining, the Pomegranat Bistro (see this article in the Washington Jewish Week). If you are familiar with the Washington DC area (and Lower Montgomery County in particular), the restaurant is located in the Cabin John Mall, at the intersection of Tuckerman Lane and Seven Locks Road (down the street from Chabad of Potomac, Beth Sholom, and Young Israel Ezras Israel). I made the point to stop by Cabin John Mall and the restaurant is clearly nearly completion -- the front part of the establishment has a take out counter with a refrigerated display case, while the rear is clearly a proper dining area. They are located between the Giant Food and CVS Pharmacy.

The same WJW article also mentions that Mama Leah's Gourmet Pizza, in the Koshermart Plaza on Boiling Brook Parkway has folded. Now while I do not happily view the demise of a kosher eatery, the area is fortunate that Sienna's is still going strong.

Deep thought for the week, 26 Shevat 5768

I will never be able to look at Ben and Jerry's the same way again.

In studying the parshah this week, I learned a couple things.

By way of background, this week's parshah, Mishpatim, is the first time in the Torah that the focus is not one a historical event, but rather upon Jewish Law. We know that when Hashem gave the Torah to Eretz Yisrael at Har Tzinai, the people responded "We will obey, and we will understand". This is reinforced in the parshah, as the first statutes that are presented and discussed focus on slavery, and from this we learn that we must approach observance in the same manner that a slave approaches a master (although I personally find the image of a disciple to a master as a more palatable image). It is not necessary for the slave to understand why the master says to do something, simply that the slave do so.

Regardless, Jews are prohibited from eating or even benefiting from animals that have been wounded (which is the actual meaning of the word treyf) and are expected to die of those wounds. Well, this really was not much of an issue until several years ago.

It seems that dairy farmers, in order to lower costs and increase production, started to give their herds feed that help stimulate the production of milk. The feed however had the side effect of causing a build-up of gases in the stomach and intestines of the herd, which left untreated, would prove fatal. Not good.

Fortunately, the treatment was very simple and straight-forward -- a catheter would be instered into a small incision in the stomach or intestines, and the gases would be vented out. Once the catheter is removed, the puncture would seal immediately, and the animal would be perfectly healthy. By and large, most Rabbis agreed that consequently, the animal would still be considered kosher, and fit for use. But not all.

A small number of Rabbis insisted upon a stricter adherance to the law, that while the animals would remain healthy, because they had been punctured in the abdomen, they were now and forever more treyf. Now the argument was hard to dissmiss, as it is absolutely correct. Consequently, milk that is marked Cholov Yisrael is guaranteed to have come from cows that have never been given this feed and thus never have been surgically treated as I described above.

Good news / bad news...

The good news is that I spent HOURS yesterday with all these beautful Jewish women, preparing for Shabbat!

The bad news is that they were all young enough to be my daughters!

Having worked out the logistics of preparing and making cholent for the shul last Shabbat (and having the congregation be surprisingly enthusiastic for the cholent I made, bland as I thought it was), this week was the first "real" cholent -- a Moroccan Dafina with Kouclas. I don't think Rabbi's house has ever smelled this good, with the Dafina and challah cooking at the same time.

Regardless, I've written about this on an adjunct web log -- Iron Cholent.