Other Bar Mitzvah Stuff

I had a conference call with Terry this morning. Thanks to the miracle of blogging, she knows exactly what I need done to fix my prayer shawl. So tomorrow, it's all getting bundled up and shipped to Phoenix. After she has all the revisions done, she is going to ship it back up (along with the one she just made for mum) so Joshua and I can begin tying the tzitzit.

The tzitzit is the knots that go on the four corners of the prayer shawl. To make the prayer shawl "Kosher" special strings must be used (which I already purchased from a Judaica shop in Phoenix) and they have be tied in a specific pattern of knots.

According the Rashi (one of Judaism's most famous rabbinic scholars) the Hebrew word "tzitzit" has the value of 600. Each tassel has eight threads (when doubled over) and five sets of knots, totalling 13. The sum of all numbers is 613, which is traditionally the number of commandments in the Torah. This reflects the concept that donning a garment with tzitzyot reminds its wearer of all Torah commandments.

The tying of the tzitzit is a very special ritual. The task must be performed by a Jewish adult (i.e. someone who is at least 13 years old) and a specific blessing is said as each knot is tied.

I am sure you can all guess who will be performing this function at my house?

Yes, thank goodness my Jewish Boy Scout is considered an adult BEFORE his Bar Mitzvah (because he's already 13). To be honest, I think I am worse at tying knots than I am at sewing... just ask any of the boys that used to be in my Cub Scout den. Somehow, I just seem to be lacking the visual/spatial gene that other family members have.

So now that the prayer shawl is off my plate, I am beginning to focus on other Bar Mitzvah stuff. Today I began looking at what's involved with ordering yalmukes (aka kippots, kippahs, skull cap, etc.) I found out that a LOT of places require a 6 week processing time. Yikes! I don't have 6 weeks... so it looks like I will be placing that order today. Joshua has already decided on navy blue.

My mum had mentioned that she didn't know what to wear on her head. So I might order her this head covering to go with her new prayer shawl. So mom, have a look at this and tell me what you think?

S.O.S.

Okay... I am finally ready to admit defeat!

I pulled out my prayer shawl today, the one I worked on for days, and decided "I just don't like it!" I think that the purple I chose is just too dark. It makes me go "Yuck!!!".

(Just in case anyone is wondering what those Hebrew letters say? It is the Sh'ma (the central prayer in Judaism. )

So off I went to the store to see about purchasing additional supplies. While I still want my prayer shawl to be purple, I decided that a light purple/violet/lavender is more of what I am looking for.

So instead of going to Joanne's (despite my 40% coupon) I headed up to Hobby Lobby (what a name) to see if they had different ribbons to choose from. They had a ton. In addition, they also had some really nice satin fabric ... that is light purple... on sale for $2.99 a yard.

My good sport husband, patiently hung out while I matched a million different types of ribbon to get just the look I wanted. (I told him that the way he was feeling, was exactly the way I feel when he is looking in the plumbing section at Home Depot.) $15.00 later, we were checking out of the store with a whole new look.

Here is how I am envisioning my new prayer shawl (of course I am not sure what to do about the neck piece... so ignore that for now):

Here's a closer look.

And, an even closer.

So now, I am at a crossroads. I have to decide if I should take another stab at sewing my Prayer Shawl (rev. 1.01), or do I take my sister up on her sincere and generous offer of help?

Since, as my dear friend Sue fondly says, "You have the artistic vision of Monet, but the technical skills of a pre-schooler", I am going to ask Terry for help.

Instead of making myself nuts with this, I am going to acknowledge how very lucky I am that I have a big sister thatis a sewing whiz... and is willing to help me. (To see any of Terry's sewing creations... visit http://terrycreations.blogspot.com/)

So, come Monday morning, I am going to package up all this stuff up and ship it down to Phoenix. Then, once that is done, I can get back to the other stresses of Bar Mitzvah Planning... like trying to learn my Torah Portion. Or trying to figure out where to bulk order 50 yalmukes when you live in Utah. Ai Yi Yi.