The Life & Mind of Omri
11 months ago
Usually I wake up each morning, say hi to my wife and Adina and grab my phone to check the latest news. I do need to keep track of what is going on in the digital world to a certain extent; however, when it comes to politics, israel & the middle east or especially sports & entertainment related news… I’m starting to question what benefit (if not detriment) there is to doing this.
Recently, a friend of mine asked me to give him a tour of android. I hadn’t looked so objectively at my use of it until I sat down with him and went through my “favorite” apps and uses. To be totally honest I don’t waste a ton of time on my phone and this isn’t a major revolution for me but I am starting to figure out the appropriate balance between where technology assists me and where it distracts me
Starting tonight I’m unfollowing a bunch of twitter news sources and am going to avoid jumping on google news for random snippits of what the rest of the world is seeing as top news on tv etc… and I’ll try to use that time either truly productively or at least in a way that revitalizes me.
One example I felt especially well today, watching the e3 video game conference, was related to my down time. I got rid of a bunch of violent/untznius games because I didn’t want to have them around anymore and then held on to the ones that were okay. Obviously, video games are not the best use of ones time. But looking at the past three months of middle east related tweets, reading jpost and other news and peoples comments on that news, refreshing google news to see what people are talking about…. I would have been 100% better off playing a game that I know is a waste of time… but that is fun and gives me energy… vs wasting my emotional energy on topics I have very little influence on.
Is all of this justification for me to eventually buy a kinect for xbox 360 that will have some caloric burning value but be mostly for fulfilling my desire to have incredible digital experiences? Probably… but I think I’m ok with that if it means less brain juice spent on politics and maybe some more control over what I see.
1 year ago
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Too much has happened which I regret not having kept track of and in getting more involved in blogging both publicly and privately I wanted to re-start my journaling of hashgacha protis in my life.
There have been many many many more instances of hashgacha protis than what I will list below over the past few years… especially with regard to our marriage, the birth of our daughter Adina Rachel Levin… my immediate family mkareved… but here are a few to start that I can remember… hopefully I can keep this up!
The Hunt For a Job
When Kayla Miriam and I got married we were unemployed for over 3 months… all of a sudden around Rosh Hashana time… after she had completed tehillim … I was approached walking home from shul and asked if I could come in for an interview! I got the job that week…
The next year… same time… I decided that sales wasn’t up my alley for the long term so I set a date to leave my job and look full time for a marketing position. I interviewed for over a month and just as the date, Sept 1, approached… Ari Sirner referred me to Isaac Chinitz who referred me to Razorfish… they brought me in after a phone interview and hired me that week… all within a few days… and my starting date: Sept 1st.
Davening for Parnasa
I have davened for parnasa since leaving Yeshiva… to pay off our debt, be able to give more ma’aser, to give Kayla more time to be with the baby and not have to work. I recently started to read Garden of Emuna (A book I cannot recommend enough for frum yiddin - link below), had an incredibly inspiring Pesach with the Schwarzmers and am counting the Omer with assistence from My wife’s Rabbi’s sefer Sefiros by Rabbi Haber and Rabbi Sedley. My second day back at work I was pleasantly surprised with an adjustment of my position to allow me to make a little bit more money!
Tzedaka
I’ve always been told that whenever someone approaches me for charity, I have to give something even if it is very little (I assume this is only if I have something to give… but then again it’s probably my responsibility to keep some change or small bills on me all the time for this mitzvah!). Recently I resolved to follow this to the best that I could and started to give… a lot of this is thanks to Garden of Emuna and the idea that money and people collecting all come from Hashem. This morning Hashem gave me a little surprise.
Even though I know I’m going to give… I still get nervous and rummage through my wallet when I see people collecting at Shul. Today I only had one 1 dollar bill and saw one collector. I was nervous because I didn’t know if there would be more people coming in later but I offered my dollar to this person anyway. Without me motioning or anything he took out three quarters and gave me them as change! Two more collectors came and I gave each a quarter leaving me with a quarter to give during the part of davening where it is customary to set aside tzedaka! It really brightened up my entire davening and I couldn’t refrain from giggling to myself a few times.
Whoever this collector is… Thank you!…you should be blessed with enough parnasa that you become someone that people come to for tzedaka! And may Hashem give you extra points for brightening up my davening and emuna!
3 years ago
I was just looking out into the amazing view from my room and witnessed, within the windiest day we’ve had all year, a small, dark, bird doing barrel rolls seemingly for fun. And I thought to myself… I haven’t written in my blog for too long… so here I am.
I don’t know where I left off and I’m too lazy to check but lets see how I do giving you an update…
I’m planning on leaving March 15, right after Purim which is basically the funniest holiday because we listen to the story, drink a lot and then the Yeshiva puts on a big production to make the whole community laugh. I’m happy I got to stay for this haha.
I’ve been learning a ton and, especially now that I’m going home soon, trying to finish up all of the things I wanted to do here before I left. I’m really happy with where I’ve gotten. And I have a lot of people to thank for it but mostly Kate. She also has grown insanely. She even has a love for life in Israel which is amazing. She said something to me the other day which I’m about to misquote but it was something that when I heard it I knew why I love her so much… she said “Omri, I want us to be people who do what they believe in” talking about wanting to live in Israel if we were in a position where it was logical.
Also since I’m coming back to the US soon I got to pick out a phone and car and whatnot that I’ll have to get to start working. The plan for the first few months is to study at Ohr Somayach in Monsey in the morning and night and work in the afternoon with one of my father’s best clients in real estate. Then, when Kate gets back, we’ll move to Passaic, NJ and make a happy family!
It’s going to be hard leaving because, although I haven’t spent a ton of time here… I’ve learned a lot, changed a lot, and understand a lot more than I ever did. Norbert just left and it was really intense… but hopefully I’ll just sneak out and no one will notice haha.
Anyway I’m gonna head out and see ya’ll later.
Hope all is well
Omri
3 years ago
Hey peeps an peepettes,
Yeshiva has been pretty chill lately. Kate’s back in Israel which is nice! We just had Shabbat with her educational director’s family and the Schwartzmers (I hope I spelled that right). I also got to go over after Shabbat and play with Tehila and help move a bookshelf! And got cake!
Right now I’m doing amazing in Yeshiva. I’ve been keeping on top of my learning and I can see all the progress I’ve made. At the same time I have a ticket for America on March 15 which is very soon. I definitely feel the urge to go back. I half wish I could come back for some time next year but at the same time I feel weird about it. I often wonder whether I’ll grow faster in NY or Israel. There’s so much to consider… Kate and her choices in each place, my citizenship issues, the Rabbis here vs. there, the environment and distractions here vs. there, healthcare, money, working, etc. But we’ll see…. no one freak out on me because of this btw! haha
I am reading Kate’s mom’s book which is awesome so far… I also linked to her blog which you should check out! I’ll try and leave something for when I finish!
I would give more update but I want to read and watch movies and study etc etc so I’m gonna do that now! If you want more info you gotta email me!
Love
Omri
3 years ago
My cousin, Karen, is pregnant! AMAZING!!!! She’s probably one of 4 people who read this but thats ok cuz its AWESOME!!!!
Congrats to Karen, and I wish everything goes extremely well :)
Just to give everyone an update. Kate’s deciding whether or not she’s coming back to Israel but I think she’s leaning more towards coming. We’re being extremely careful beyond most other people’s standards and there is nothing to worry about. I appreciate all the worries though.
I hope to write again soon but I gtg watch a movie :)
I hope to write again soon but I gtg watch a movie :)
Hope all is well
Omri
3 years ago
Wow… so I just got back from a kumzitz… which I’ve heard means come and sit… so i don’t know if its just ridiculous english or yiddish or what… but it was unbelievable.
It was held for Bracha Elisheva Bat Kayla because she has recently become ill. First of all the entire community has been praying for her. Second, there were at least 40 people packed into their aparment and this group was made up of many Yeshiva and Seminary students but also almost every Rabbi I know came. This along with 5 guitars, a violin, a tamberine and tons of food and drinks. It was beautiful. It’s times like these that I really can’t imagine what life would be like without such a community. I was talking to Jeff about it afterwards and I usually imagine an ill person in the hospital barely getting visitors… and I’m sure that’s the average case. But here it’s unbelievable. I hear stories all the time of random people coming and singing on Shabbat in the hospitals and bringing food… It’s a mitzvah so tons of people take advantage and build up their “Heaven” or Shamayim as we say.
And Sisi Wu gets a shout out because she emailed me and that doesn’t happen all so often. And if you did email me and ur reading this and I haven’t given you a shout out… then shame on me… but if you’re not reading it then you can’t do anything about it and sucks for you!
So I should prolly be going to bed but just to let everyone know I wasn’t affected at all with what happened today. I actually didn’t even know it was happening. I’m sure you’ve heard about it but if you haven’t then don’t worry. The farthest area that can usually be reached by attacks is still 60 miles west of me and I’m staying away from public areas and transport. As they say I do my best and G-d does the rest… or if that’s too religious for you: I deal with what’s in my control.
Hope all is well with everyone!
Omri
3 years ago
If you don’t understand the title it’s prolly better haha.
Life is pretty awesome right now. We’re on Chanukah vacation and Kate and I went all over the city the past two days and had a lot of fun seeing Jerusalem. I feel very at home here now. It’s an amazing feeling to know I know Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and New York city as well if not better than I know Rochester. AND I was walking around with Kate and we ran into three groups of people on trips in Israel that we knew! It was amazing. The JEC, MEOR and someone else… I can’t remember but it was awesome!
I want an electric car!
did you see the new mini? Yoni just showed me… ima go look… mini e
3 years ago
Hey homiez,
Sorry I haven’t written in forever. I’ve been very busy. Chanukah is coming up so I’m super excited. I’ve been selling lots of wine, had an amazing trip to Tzfat, switched up my learning so I’m learning a lot more and have spent a lot of time on Shabbat with some of the most amazing people in the community. It’s amazing how close I am to some really big Rabbis and amazing people, not that I’m special… it’s just easier to be close to them here because the community is so close and involved.
Two stories… In Tzfat we went the the Mikvah of the Ari-Zal (he is basically the source of Kaballah that we have today.) And Jeff was about to get in when a guy dives in next to him… and if you’ve never been, there is no room to dive let alone get around someone who is about to go in… and then flails wildly while Jeff is waiting to go in. It was hilarious. Then Jeff gets dressed and leaves and he immediately witnesses a man vomiting. So we get back to the hotel and he asked Rabbi Bernstein if it was some weird sign from G-d HAHAHA.
Two stories… In Tzfat we went the the Mikvah of the Ari-Zal (he is basically the source of Kaballah that we have today.) And Jeff was about to get in when a guy dives in next to him… and if you’ve never been, there is no room to dive let alone get around someone who is about to go in… and then flails wildly while Jeff is waiting to go in. It was hilarious. Then Jeff gets dressed and leaves and he immediately witnesses a man vomiting. So we get back to the hotel and he asked Rabbi Bernstein if it was some weird sign from G-d HAHAHA.
Also about learning… I’m now learning with Jeff alone, no prep shiur. Meaning we have no one feeding us the words in English and basically have to work through it on our own in Aramaic. Its extremely hard because you can’t just look words up in a dictionary without knowing their roots and even finding the roots is hard. But I’m learning an amazing amount and it has brightened up my days a lot more to have such a big challenge every evening.
I hope everyone is doing well! Rabbi Lynn had a baby girl on Friday!
ttyl
ttyl
Omri
