In the industrialized world, the average person watches 3 hours of TV a day.
In 75 years, that adds up to 9 years of television. What would our children, an entire generation of children, be like if they had those 9 years back?

Judy and her husband are raising 3 girls, aged 7, 5, and 3. In the following interview, Judy opens us to the beautiful world of the TV-free home.

iHN: How do you approach the issue of TV?

J: We have a TV with an antenna and get 5 or 6 channels. And we have DVD/VCR player. The kids don’t watch any TV at all though. What we do is we let each of our three girls get one 30 minute video a week, or they can all watch something together that’s 90 minutes long, such as a movie from our movie shelf.

iHN: Why do you choose not to watch TV in your home?

J: Well, I would break the issue of TV down into two components The first is the medium itself: We want them to learn to entertain themselves, not to be trained [by TV] to have a passive experience as a spectator – you know, “Entertain me!”

The second issue with TV is the content: I’m not comfortable with anything that’s on [TV] today. Nick Jr. is medium-okay, but I would rather they played on the Nick Jr. website for 15 minutes, because it’s at least interactive. But even the website is really not so good for them.

iHN: And what about you and your husband? Do you guys watch TV?

J: We watch maybe one hour a week. Saturday Night Live, or sitcom or something.

But I definitely notice it has an addictive nature. Most shows are setup to leave you hanging so I will want to watch again. When I’m tired at the end of the day, it’s so easy to just plop on the couch. And I think that what will be refreshing is watching TV for an hour, but in the end [it never is], and I end up thinking that I wasted that hour or hour and a half.

[iHN: Actually, the statistics show that most TV viewers believe that they watch more TV than they should.]

iHN: Can you describe your children’s reaction just before you turn the TV on?

J: They get ecstatic! They jump up and down, they scream, they run to the video closet. They start debating and negotiating – which is really interesting to watch. And usually they come up with a good resolution on which video to watch.

iHN: Can you describe what you observe about your children while they are watching TV?

J: Oh gosh. Well, one time I have had my perfectly potty trained 7-year old wet her pants because she didn’t want to ask me to pause the movie so she could go to the bathroom. She knew she was going to pee her pants, but that I would get upset if she did it on the couch – so she stood up, moved to the floor and peed her pants, all without taking her eyes off of the screen.

They can be hungry, and have food in front of them, but they won’t eat. TV just overrides all other needs. And if I pause it, they will put food in their mouths immediately.

iHN: Can you Describe your children’s reaction to turning off the TV?

J: They’re so sad. They were so excited right before, and during, and now it’s over – total let down. If it’s really [a] great [video], then there is a sense of conclusion and closure. Then they are satisfied and happy – “oh, that was great Momma.” Otherwise, it’s sadness, moaning, whining - totally like an addiction. They will almost always ask for another one, even though there has never once been a time where they got to watch another and I always say “no” to their requests.

iHN: Can you describe your children’s behavior for the first 15 minutes after the TV is turned off?

J: If they watch just before going to sleep, the whining continues for a while because it transfers into the general going to sleep routine, so about 45 minutes all together.

But if it’s during the day, the withdrawal lasts 10 or 15 minutes. But that’s usually because I put a lot of effort preparing another activity to have ready before we even turn on the TV. Otherwise that whining could easily last an hour if I didn’t have another activity waiting for them to transition from TV.

iHN: Wow. I’m so impressed that you think of things like that. You really take an active role in raising your children, rather than “dealing” with them.

J: Thank you!

iHN: And what what do you notice different about your children’s behavior, imagination, problem-solving, and other skills compared to children that watch TV regularly?

J: Well, you have to first know that our kids are impacted by both home-schooling and No-TV.

But I would say that their creativity is unique:

My kids have much longer attention spans and are much more creative than the average kids in our community.

For example, my children can easily spend 2 - 3 hours making blanket forts. And during that time they will be 100% engaged with their story of blanket forts. For 2 - 3 hours!

iHN: Wow! 2 - 3 hours. What a blessing that must be.

J: Absolutely. Another example is paper dolls. They can play with paper dolls for 2 - 3 hours, and they will have an elaborate plot with subplots and characters with different relationships!

And I have never heard my children tell me that they’re bored. It just doesn’t happen. They find things to do. For example, they love to take my camera, then they take toys, set it up, take pictures and make an animation with them.

Socially:

A lot of it is Home Schooling. But part of it is that [since they don’t watch TV] they are not able to predict what’s going to happen next in life.

For example, when we watch a video, they will not catch some subtle foreshadowing, whereas other kids will predict what’s going to happen next. In the Sound of Music, they were totally shocked when the young boy becomes a Nazi. A kid who is more media savvy may have picked that up.

iHN commentary: So in other words, her children have retained the natural wonder and awe of the world that all children are born with. This wonder and awe usually comes with an optimism about the world we live in.

However, the cultural trend today is bent on “preparing” kids for the dangerous and terrible world that awaits them. This does not leave much room for children to grow a love and appreciation for the world they are inheriting.

If we want kids to become responsible caretakers of our society and our planet, one of the keys to our success will be our ability to unplug from the plug-in drug: TV.

iHN: So Judy, I gotta ask. After everything you’ve said, why watch TV at all?

J: That is a really great question!

I think some of the stories and movies out there are very classic, and can create a bonding experience. And for our kids, watching a movie as a family is a lot more special because it’s so limited for them.

There are a couple videos that are educational to – like some biblical stories videos.

I like showing them musicals because it’s so interactive. They start singing! It’s the major difference between bad videos and good videos.

Lion King for example: it’s funny and they laugh, but mostly it’s just jaws open and eyes staring.

But if we watch The Sound of Music, or Singing in the Rain, they are up dancing around the room – and so am I! It’s great. They also ask me to pause and explain what’s going on. We did that with The Sound of Music, and it took us 3 nights to explain and learn everything together!

iHN: Wow, that really is amazing. Thank you so much for sharing with us, Judy.

J: Your very welcome.

1. Brock, Barbara. Living Outside the Box.
2. Kubey, Robert, and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. Television Addiction is No Mere Metaphor. Scientific American (2002): 48-55.
3. Michael Medved and Diane Medved PhD. Saving Childhood: Protecting Our Children from the National Assault on Innocence.
4. Winn, Marie. The Plug-In Drug: Television, Computers, and Family Life.

This week’s parsha is parshat “Balak.”

The evil prophet¹ Balaam is summoned by Balak to curse the Jews.

Against Hashem’s desire, Balaam saddles his she-donkey and journeys to the land of Moav to curse the Jews. Hashem sends an angel to impede Balaam’s way.

If we pay attention to the order in which things happen here, we can get a sense of the infinite love Hashem has for all of His creations - even donkeys.

1. Hashem sends an angel with a sword (i.e. ready to kill them), but only reveals the angel to the donkey; Balaam doesn’t see the angel.

2. The donkey moves out of the angels way - Balaam strikes the donkey - the angel closes in.

3. The donkey moves out of the angels way again - Balaam strikes the donkey a second time - the angel closes in further.

4. The donkey moves out of the angels way once again, but is now cornered - Balaam strikes the donkey a third time - the angel closes in further.

5. Hashem causes the she-donkey to speak to Balaam, and the donkey says:
“What have I done to you that you have struck me these three times?”

Balaam answers her:
“For you have mocked me. If only I had a sword in my hand, I would right now kill you.”

The she-donkey:
“Am I not the she-donkey that you have rode upon me from your youth until this day? Have I been accustomed to do such to you (i.e. to mock him)?

Balaam:
“No.”

And only now - after Balaam admits to the she-donkey that she did nothing wrong, does Hashem reveal the angel. And furthermore, the rest of the story revolves around Hashem defending the donkey before Balaam, the self-centered.

6. Hashem reveals the angel to Balaam, at which point Balaam becomes terrified and bows down on his face.

7. The angel of Hashem says to him, why have you struck your she-donkey these three times? Behold, I have come to impede your way because you have journeyed (to curse the Jews) against Me.

8. And the donkey saw me and moved out of my way these three times. Unless she had turned aside from me, surely now I would have slain you and saved her!

9. Balaam finally repents, and only afterwards does Hashem commences with instructions for Balaam’s journey.

Hashem cares for the well being (and apparently the honor and respect) of all of His creations. Clearly, mankind who is made btzelem elokim - in G-d’s image - is paramount, which is why we use animals for food, medicine, clothing, or sacrifices.

But nonetheless, Hashem loves all of his creatures, for they are His creations. Therefore, we should act as Hashem does in whatever way is appropriate to each of us on our own situations.

Shabbat Shalom.

Many of the Torah’s prophecies have been reexamined in the context of our modern world - especially those relating to weapons of mass destruction and the Jewish People’s return to the Land of Israel.

But what about this prophecy from Zachariah:

Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them, that they shall make themselves fringes on the corners of their garments throughout their generations…
- Numbers 15:38

And then you start to see tzitzit everywhere…

Israeli soldier during Second Lebanon War 2006.

Ehthiopian Jews getting married in Israel, using the Tallit (tzitzit and garment) as their chupah.

Another wedding using the Tallit as their chupah.

Bloody tzitzit garmet in aftermath of the 2008 Merkaz HaRav terrorist attack in Jerusalem.
(Source: IsraelNN.com)

Jewish children, keeping the mitzvah of wearing tzitzit for generations and generations!

What are Tzitzit?

HaRav Yoel Shwartz shlit”a says in his book “The Noahide Commandments”:

It is stated in the book of Zechariah that after the Temple will be restored, during the holiday of Succoth (Sukkot) all the nations of the world will make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem to bow down before G-d. (Zechariah 14:1-21)

It is worthwhile for a person to take his vacation during this time. By doing so, a Noahide can use this free time to study, to observe nature and to meet with fellow Noahides for mutual prayer with emphasis on world peace just as Israelites did when the Temple existed and, as sacrifices were made for the welfare of all the nations, to pray for the coming of the Messiah who will amend the ways of the world.

The following video is from sukkot 2006, when gentile families made their way to Jerusalem to accept the Seven Laws of Noah before the Beit Din of Bnei Noah.

The great sage, Rambam, writes that “Anyone who accepts the Seven Laws and is careful to do them, this person is one of the Chasidei Umos HaOlam (very pious of the nations of the world), and he has portion in the world to come.“¹

Rambam goes on to explain that this applies not when a person accepts the Seven Noahide Laws because they seem logical, but rather because G-d commanded them in the Torah, and taught them to the Jewish people through Moshe a”h.

Therefore new Noahides make the following declaration before a legal Jewish court (beit din)²:

“I Susan Richardson, do hereby freely take upon myself the commandments of G-d to Noah and his offspring and the covenant between G-d and Noah as pronounced in the Torah, given to Moses, as interpreted by the Beit Din of Bnei Noah (High Court of the Children of Noah) in Jerusalem.”

Links:

The next best place for Noahides to gather during Sukkot: OKBNS Sukkot 2008

A new poll is up!

New Noahide Poll - Next Step for Bnei Noach Communities

If you answer “Other,” please comment at the bottom of this post on what “other” ideas you have.

Can’t wait to see the results.
The poll will remain open so new readers can still vote weeks from now.

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In my opinion, the things that have to be strengthened the most in order to ensure and safeguard that this phenomenon that we’re seeing so boldly and so beautifully in our time now, that it carries into the next generation, we have to see a very serious effort made by the Bnei Noach themselves to ensure that their children have a very very clear feeling of community and of functioning, vibrant religious-life within the family. And each situation is different….this is something that has to be developed…it’s not going to be easy. There’s a lot of challenge there.

- Rabbi Richman, High Council of Bnei Noah

Power to ya Bnei Noach!

Two major public events happened this past week.

Both were public gatherings.
Both happened on Thursday.
Both have symbolism in the rainbow.
And both are reflected in this past week’s Torah portion, parshat “Korach.”

Yet the core and essence of the two events are polar opposites, spiritually speaking.

What is the core and essence behind the Gay Pride Parade in Jerusalem?

This is a group of people gathering to display their personal and intimate lifestyle to the entire world. If they did not wish to show off and prance in front of the cameras, they would have been satisfied to hold their parade in Tel-Aviv alone (which they already had done earlier this year).

Yet they emphatically chose to override the majority of Jerusalem residents, and even the wishes of the Jerusalem municipality, who do not want their children exposed to such material.

They zealously fought in court for the “right” to put their intimacy on display in the city that is the center of Torah and G-dliness for Judaism and other faiths.¹

In essence, their parade shouts
“Look at me! Accept me! Me! Me! Me! I demand my rights!”

On the other hand,
you have the righteous Noahides, whose gathering is rooted in something completely opposite of the Gay Pride Parade.

In essence, the Noahide World Conference shouts
“We love G-d! We yearn for G-d! G-d! G-d! G-d! We demand to know what our responsibilities are!

The core of the Noahide World Conference is Hashem.
How can the Noahide community strengthen their connection to Hashem.
How can the Noahide community fulfill their purpose on Earth as desired by their Creator.
How can the Noahide community live up to the name they bear, as descendants of a person who was completely righteous in his generation and devoted to Hashem.

As relates to this week’s parsha, parshat “Korach”:

The rebellion against Moshe and Aaron was rooted in Korach and his followers’ belief that they deserved to be leaders, just as much as Moshe and Aaron.

Yes, Korach was extremely learned, and extremely wealthy. He was probably a great and passionate orator as well. He concluded, therefore, that he was entitled to a position of leadership. The rebellious group’s focus was “Me! Me! Me!” I have a “right to be a high priest!”

Yet G-d demands and values humility in leaders. That is to say, leaders who have zero focus on self, and are entirely focused on Hashem.

We see today that most of the great Torah leaders of the world arrived at their position of prominence simply because of who they are. The great Torah scholars of our generation and previous generations ran no campaigns. They simply listened to those who asked for their guidance. They answered according to the Torah they learn. And they continuously refine themselves as did Moshe and Aaron in their days of devotion to Hashem.

May we all merit to be those who seek to know Hashem, and seek to live according to His Will and Wisdom. Amen.

Source: chabad.org

A lush green garden at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem commemorates the “Righteous Among the Nations,” non-Jews who risked their own lives during the Holocaust to save Jews. The foliage rustles in the soft, shady breeze, and the still movements of the trees’ leafy branches echo the quiet acts of kindness and humanity that this garden celebrates.

On a modest incline here stands a large, brown, hollow birch tree-trunk. Holocaust survivor Jakob Silberstein, 83, leans against it, solemn and pensive. A small printed sign beside the tree-trunk explains the tree-trunk’s presence in this Garden:

“This tree trunk stood in the backyard of Jana Sudova, a Czech Righteous Among the Nations, who in early 1945 hid four Jewish escapees of the death marches. Jakob Silberstein hid in the hollow trunk while the Germans searched the premises.”

Our sages tell us that if you save a life, you save a whole world. Had it not been for Jana Sudova, entire worlds would have been destroyed. Not just the Jewish survivors that she saved, but their children, and their grandchildren, and great grandchildren, ad olam - forever

The First Noahide World Conference is to be held June 26th through June 29th, 2008 in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, USA.

The conference is organized by Noahide Nations which runs a spectacular Noahide community website. May Hashem send success and blessing to Executive Director Ray Pettersen and his dedicated staff.

I found out about the conference too late to attend. Hopefully next year I will get a chance to observe and learn form this most historic gathering.

I would love to share pictures, mp3’s, or other materials form the conference. Send an email to NoahGear at gmail dot com

I have recreated the details of the First Noahide World Conference from the Noahide Nations website.

Technical Details

WORLD CONFERENCE INVITATION

This is an invitation to what is sure to be the most exciting and significant Noahide Conference to date.

CONFERENCE ITINERARY

This area will provide you with the conference itinerary for each day of the 4 day event.

CONFERENCE VENUE AND LOCATION

This section will provide details on the venue itself, its exact location and other pertinent information.

REGISTRATION FEE

This section will inform you of the various registration options.

Conference Events

GOLDEN CROWN OF THE HIGH PRIEST AT CONFERENCE

The Golden Crown of the High Priest will be on display at the Noahide World Conference.
See YouTube video about the Golden Crown.

PROFESSOR VENDYL JONES

Professor Vendyl Jones is the recipient of the Noahide Nations Noah Award.

JON VOIGHT

Oscar-winning actor Jon Voight has been announced as the recipient of the Tzedekah Award from Noahide Nations. The Tzedekah award will be presented for the very first time by Noahide Nations at its first Noahide World Conference.

“The Seven Noahide Commandments appeal to my own sense of what I feel is a higher purpose, which is to try to get everyone to an understanding of what they’re asked to do, what life’s responsibilities are. These very simple Seven Laws of Noah, are good basics.”

- Jon Voight

CONFERENCE SPEAKERS - (13 speakers)

Here you will find a list of the honored speakers.

1. 
   Rabbi Tovia Singer - Israel National Radio
2. 
   Rabbi Chaim Richman - Director Temple Institute
3. 
   Rabbi Yeshayahu HaKohen Hollander - Sanhedrin
4. 
   Rabbi Joel Bakst - Noahide Nations Torah Instructor
5. 
   Rabbi Michael Katz
6. 
   Rabbi Moshe Ben Chaim - Mesora.org
7. 
   Rabbi Reuvan Mann - Yeshiva B’nei Torah
8. 
   Rabbi Zvi Aviner - Noahide Nations Torah Instructor
9. 
   Dr. Andrew Goldfinger - Author
10. 
    Judge Rabbi Sander Goldberg
11. 
    Jack Saunders - B’nei Noah Study Center
12. 
    Jim Long - Author of Riddle of the Exodus
13. 
    Professor Vendyl Jones - Biblical Archeology & Copper Scroll

Other Details

AREA ACTIVITIES

This section will tell you about many of the activities in the Ft. Lauderdale/Hollywood Florida within close proximity of the Ft. Lauderdale Hilton Airport Hotel.

WORLD CONFERENCE SPONSORS

List of Corporate and Individual Sponsors of the Noahide World Conference.

SPONSOR A NOAHIDE