Facing Facebook

When the screen grows dim

And you lose focus, hooked, faced
With the dizzying news and noise,

General, impersonal, fake,
Vague, unlikely, faceless
Complex, incomplete, remember

That after all is said and done
All you have is a mountain,
A field, and a home.

The ladder you dream of climbing,
The plot in which you chose to plant,
And the one to whom you will return.

You know it's all just One, yet
All you'll truly have is home,
Along with those let in,

And those that out will come.

Miami

Miami

Eu que fui 

Meio louco

Vivi de tudo 

Um pouco

Mas até que

Chegue o moço

Não troco por nada

Isso aqui.

Minha capital,

Grandeza sem igual (em potencial)

Ou alguém normal,

Mistura tropical

De Nova Iorque, Rio,

Nice, Odessa,

Havana, Disney, 

Buenos Aires, Haiti.


Translation:

Miami

Me, who's been
Kind of crazy
Lived it all
a bit

But until
The man arrives
I switch for nothing
This here.

My capital
Greatness without equal (in potential)
Or anyone normal
Tropical mix

Of New York, Rio,
NIce, Odessa,
Havana, Disney,
Buenos Aires, Haiti.

Rio, Rosh Chodesh Tammuz

Rio, Rosh Chodesh Tammuz

When

You're left

To enjoy 

The cream

Of the land

What's there

Not to like

Between

The sea and

The sand

I came

Not to spy

On all the

Naked lies

Or uncover

The shame

So close

To the game

That manages

Still to

Be the talk

Of the

Town.

Gimmel Tammuz and Yud-Beis/Yud-Gimmel Tammuz

The Previous Rebbe wrote, "Yud Kislev marks the birth of a chassid, and Yud-Tes Kislev is the bris (circumcision)." (Likkutei Dibburim, p. 976; more info here)

There are nine days between Yud Kislev and Yud-Tes Kislev. On Yud Kislev we celebrate the liberation of the Mitteler Rebbe, the 2nd Lubbavitcher Rebbe, which also marks the date of his birth and yahrzeit (9th of Kislev). Yud-Tes Kislev is the liberation of the Alter Rebbe, the 1st Rebbe, as well as the yahrzeit of his teacher, the Maggid of Mezeritch.

There are nine days between Gimmel Tammuz and Yud-Beis/Yud-Gimmel Tammuz, which is today. On Gimmel Tammuz, we celebrate the beginning of the liberation of the Previous Rebbe, the 2nd-to-last Lubavitcher Rebbe, which also marks the yahrzeit of the last Rebbe. Yud-Beis/Yud-Gimmel Tammuz marks the complete liberation of the Previous Rebbe, as well as his birthday.

When the Previous Rebbe had his bar mitzvah, his father, the Rebbe Rashab, made a seven-day celebration like that of a wedding (sheva brachos). Therefore, perhaps we can say as follows, "Gimmel Tammuz marks the wedding of a chassid, and Yud-Beis/Yud-Gimmel Tammuz is the sheva brachos."

Open

Open
My lips
Because
I can't
Seem to
See past
What is
In it 
For me
So to
Unfool 
Myself
Then my 
Mouth shall
Declare
Your praise.