As you probably all know, my Mother, Dorothy, passed away a few weeks ago. The loss of such a lovely and loving person, and devoted and doting mother, still fills me daily with a deep sadness. But the way of the world is that time heals, albeit gradually. The vibrant lives of the large families she left behind continue to amuse and amaze. And so, despite the grief, we carry on the newsletter tradition.

Elisheva (5) – The king was in his counting house counting out his…
How good were you (or are you) at parting peacefully – and preferably rapidly - from your children at kindergarten in the morning? I’ve had some heart-rending guilt-ridden spats in my time, as my angelic offspring, their faces stained with real tears, plead pitifully or hysterically not to leave them. A recommended strategy for such occasions is a parting ritual. Elisheva’s self-developed ritual makes all other Mummies jealous. The ritual is: I carry her into kindergarten, but my reward is generous - 25 big, noisy, slurpy kisses on each cheek! As the currency of true wealth is affection, I am very contented with my lot.

Abigail (8) - Cleanliness and G-dliness
I have recounted before Abigail’s tireless efforts to redeem the lost soul of her vagrant father (remember the mezuzah kissing?). Now, she flexes her missionary muscles into supervising the entire family’s ritual cleanliness. On Friday nights after Kiddush, Abigail rushes to the kitchen and takes charge of filling the נטלות with water for washing hands before eating bread. (I’m at a loss for an English translation for נטלות . נטלות are those funny-shaped two-handled beaker-like things used for ritual washing of the hands). No one is allowed to fill a נטלה for themselves.

We are a family of eight (without guests) with two sinks each fitted with aנטלה - which means Abigail races back and forth from sink to sink, for several intense minutes, like a wobbling weeble, until all 16 Isaacs hands are, under her eagle eye, duly cleaned and cleansed of dirt and impurity.

Orly (15) on a holy mission
Orly was chosen to be Bnei Akiva madricha for the village next door – Sha’arei Tikva. In the kitchen one evening, following her appointment and before her first meeting, Naphtali, who has been a madrich for the past two years, opened up and delivered a pep talk which left me and Judy speechless.

“You have to understand” insisted Naphtali, his curly locks twirling with passion “before you even think of becoming a madricha, what is your purpose in the world. How can you be responsible for the education of others before you know why you were created and what you are supposed to do?” And then rhetorically, “Do you know your purpose in the world? Do you know why you were created? Do you? Your purpose” he continued, no one daring to interrupt, ”is to fulfill G-d’s will. That’s what it’s all about. You have to fulfill G-d’s will. That’s the purpose. Everything you do, you have to ask yourself ‘is this fulfilling G-d’s will?’. Only once you understand that can you even begin to think of becoming a madricha. How can you teach others anything if you don’t even know the purpose of your own existence?”

Now, I learned a long time ago never to underestimate my children; they have knowledge, skills and depths that they keep discretely to themselves. But this particular speech, delivered with previously un-exhibited passion and conviction, left me and Judy flabbergasted (and very proud).

Orly seems to have taken Naphtali’s words to heart. She devotes many hours to preparing and delivering weekly activities. She has already faced a number of tricky questions and dilemmas, especially as she is dealing with a population less observant that what she is familiar with in Elkana. And she has become a friend and confidante to a number of young children in sometimes tickly situations. Of Orly’s achievements too, we are extremely proud.

Naphtali (17) – Before and After
You wouldn’t recognize Naphtali if you saw him. He’s had a “baldy”. When his hair became unmanageable (half way down his back), he twisted it into rather stubby dreadlocks. This was not a success. Dreadlocks are not bearable, it transpires. One night, his friends gathered to ceremoniously shear his locks one by one, then shaved his scalp almost clean. He now looks like a normal teenager (if there is such a thing as a “normal teenager”), which to be honest, takes some getting used to. Bli Neder, I will post some “before” and “after” pictures to the blog.

Elon (19) – Game-changing times
One thing both Naphtali and Elon can testify to - with short hair, your tefillin fit much better!

Elon shed his long hair, at the last moment possible, together with his civvies, the day before his call up to the army two weeks ago when he joined the Givati infantry brigade. As we speak, Elon is setting up camp somewhere in the desert north of Eilat beginning his first of many weeks training in the field.

Before going in, Elon participated in a local basketball competition conducted in memory of a friend and neighbor who tragically passed away two years ago aged just 36. The competition pitched seven local neighbourhood teams against each other. Elon played 35 minutes each game, scoring an average of 10 points and battling heroically for every rebound. The whole family turned up to cheer him along at every game. Elon’s team (the 80’s) won the competition with a 100% record, and the Isaacs family earned a special prize as the most enthusiastic supporters! The competition was such a success, the organizers promised to make it an annual fixture. See more about the competition here (in Hebrew).

Ari (22) – An officer’s work is never done
Ari is now a fully-fledged officer, sporting a bar on his shoulder in place of stripes on his arm. This is an outstanding achievement and we are immensely proud of him. He carries responsibility for 30 soldiers. Their military training is the least of his worries; he cares also for their medical, psychological, economic and domestic problems. And believe me these are plentiful. It’s a busy life. He came home at mid-day on Friday and over the following 32 hours, slept 29 rising briefly to fill his stomach to sustain him through the hours ahead of arduous sleep. Ari will accompany his soldiers through a nine-month training program. I hope he gets more control over his sleep regime, otherwise, all we’ll see of him is his dirty wash bag.

Wishing you all a Happy Passover.