I have book lust that I can't immediately satisfy. Imrei Madrich
is a copy of the torah text that shows the root of every word.
Because it's not always obvious, and it would be a big help. Google found
me someone who wrote about it on a mailing list, but I haven't found
anyone who's selling it yet. I guess I'll call the local Jewish bookstore
and see what they can do for me. (Do any of you know this book? Should
I be looking for it under a different name?)
Apropos of that, I love studying with both of my rabbis. It is so cool
that I get to do this. With one (known as "my rabbi") I'm studying talmud
(and occasional other stuff), and with the other I'm reading midrash in
Hebrew and not completely sucking at translation. :-) (Though I still
have a long way to go.)
Speaking of my congregation (sort of), we are having a talent show in
January, and the song I'm writing/arranging for it seems to be going
well.
kayre rocks for giving me some really great feedback
on the piano part. I was also trying to get a quartet together for a
Salamone Rossi piece (the organizer encouraged me even though I'm doing
the other thing), but altos (among congregants) seem to be particularly
elusive at the moment, so that might not work out.
Also speaking of my congregation, we sell Giant Eagle gift cards at
face value and get a cut. (I know other congregations do this too.)
If you're local and inclined to help us out in this, and we see each
other frequently enough for it to work out, I would be happy to turn
your check made out to the congregation into gift cards. Just ask.
Speaking not at all about my congregation now, a question
for the "Stargate: SG-1" fans out there: do we eventually get an
explanation for why almost everyone on various distant worlds speaks
English, or am I supposed to just ignore that? The conceit is that
many of these folks are humans who were taken from Earth, but that was
thousands of years ago. Just wondering, since this show doesn't
bother with the conceit of a universal translator. (Which is fine,
since the show that did didn't always use it correctly. :-) )