Monday, October 29, 2007

Touring the solar system

Today HG told Abba that she had visited the sun. "What was it like?" Abba asked. "It's very hot there, it's a very hot star." HG explained. "Actually I come from Mecury, it's hot there too." She said with a grin. "And then I moved to Israel." When Abba looked a little incredulous, she smiled mishchievously and said that she was really from Earth, not Mercury.

HG was bitterly disappointed when she visited the Eretz Yisrael Museum in Tel Aviv and was denied access to their planetarium because she was too little - admission is from 5 years and up. "But why am I too little?" she asked in hurt little voice "I want to learn more about the planets and comets and stars and space too". The woman on the door was oblivious.

Thursday, October 25, 2007

Life, the Universe and Everything

October 25 - (HG baba's birthday) Lunch conversation - who am I?

Why are you called Ima?
Who am I? Why did you name me HG?
Ima explained who HG is named after. HG claimed that HG baba visited her on Simhat torah, played with her, read her stories and danced and sang with her. Ima explains this is impossible, HG asks why, why is HG baba a special lady, why did Hashem take her to with him etc.

Dinner conversation - life the universe and everything

HG was doing something dangerous and Ima explained how we have to look after our bodies, they are the only ones we get and Hashem gave them to us so that we could live and be well.

HG - why do we live? Why are we alive?
Ima - because that's how Hashem made us
HG - but why are we alive? Why do we need to be alive?Ima - that's the way the world works, that's how Hashem made us, so that
HG - Tell me the story about HashemIma - which story?
HG - About Hashem, Hashem is a special person
Ima - Hashem isn't a person, Hashem made all the people and all the world, He is much more powerful and wonderful than any person.
HG - Why?
Ima - because He is, He made everything.
HG - Tell me the story of how Hashem made the world (Note: this is one of HG's all time favourite stories)
Ima - In the beginning everything was a big mess, this is the first story in the Torah and it starts "Bereshit..."
HG - "...bara Elokim et hashamayim ve-et ha'aretz, veha'aretz hayta tohu vavohu"
Ima - That's right, that's exactly how the Torah starts.
HG - now tell the rest of the story
Ima - First Hashem made light and dark. Hashem can do anything, all He had to say was "Let there be light" and he made light. Next He made the different kinds of water, the salty water for the seas, the water in the sky for the clouds and rain, the freshwater for the rivers...
HG - and lakes and waterfalls!
Ima - That's right. Next Hashem made the plants and the flowers
HG - and the trees, and the trees with fruit on them and the grass!
HG - Ima why did he made the trees and flowers and plants next?
Ima - Because Hashem had made the light and water that they need to grow and be healthy.
HG - Why do plants need light and water? Ima, why did Hashem make plants that need light and water to grow?
Ima - Because that's how Hashem made them. Next Hashem made the sun to shine during the day, and the moon and the stars to give light at night.
HG - Why does the sun shine during the day and the moon at night? Why does the moon shine with the stars but the sun doesn't have other stars?
Ima - Because that's how Hashem made them. The sun is big and bright, but the moon isn't so bright, so the stars are there to help it give light, so it won't be lonely. The stars and moon are around during the day, but usually the sun is so bright that we can't see them.
HG - Why would the moon get lonely? The sun is also a star, why doesn't it shine at night? (Ima's note: need to think of more sophisticated answers on the spur of the moment!)

Thursday, October 11, 2007

I'm a brakhiausaurus

Thursday dinner -

HG made a beautiful (and spontaneous) brakha over her pomegranate and peach desert

When Ima complimented her on her beautiful brakha HG responded:

"That's because I'm a brachiousaurus, I'm a brakhiausaurus! That's a brakha making dinosaur." (big grin and impish expression)

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Reading Hebrew

Over lunch yesterday:

- Ima, what is a teacher?
- Someone who teaches you things, helps you learn things
- Ima, you are my teacher. My teacher is my Ima.
And I am ima's teacher becaus sometimes I teach Ima things

Her Hebrew reading is gradually developing, though it still lags way behind her English reading, which is now at about 2nd grade level. At the library on Tuesday morning she asked to look at the volcano volume from a Hebrew children's encyclopedia and successfully sounded out the Hebrew words magma, har ga'ash (volcano) and bazelet (basalt). Over lunch that day she read the Hebrew matza box (words like matza, Yisrael, kasher, mayim and hita (wheat))