/=,' COMPILED BY ELIZABETH APPLE
Our. House
our house may be a typical
blue or brown or white, or
it could be a house of a dif-
ferent color, like purple.
What matters, though, is whether
it has a mezuzah on each of the
doorposts.
In Deuteronomy 6:9 and 11:20,
the Bible directs Jews to "write
them (God's words) upon the
mezuzot of thy house and in thy
gates." A mezuzah consists of a
parchment containing these vers-
es, which is inserted into a casing
affixed to the right-hand doorpost
of a room. It should be placed in
the top third of the post, slanting
inward. A special bracha, or bless-
ing, is stated when one hangs a
mezuzah.
Mezuzot must be in every "liv-
y
Ben-Gurion Airport.
Consider
B
is
en-Gurion Airport is probably the safest of its kind
in the world. Security here is extensive — and
for good reason.
Imagine you are working at Ben-Gurion airport and it's
your job to stop suspicious individuals. What do you think
you would look for? Who would you stop? Do you think
terrorists are easily recognizable? Under what circum-
stances would you sort through someone's luggage? Do
you think airport officials should be allowed to do a body
search of visitors, or does that constitute a violation of
one's right to privacy? What would you do if you found
questionable materials in someone's suitcase?
Flying High
o you have dreams of becoming the first Jew-
ish boy or girl in space? Well, we can't actu-
ally get you to Mars, but there's a contest that
could bring you just a little closer to heav-
en.
The Lego Toy Co. and Space Center in Houston
are sponsoring the Lego Space Challenge, a national
model design and building contest for children aged
5-12. Boys and girls are being asked to use Lego
bricks to develop, design and construct their vision
of space stations, shuttles and other spacecraft, satel-
lites or space-themed inventions.
The grand-prize winner will receive a trip for four,
including accommodations for two nights, to a shut-
tle launch at Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaver-
al, Fla. The group will then be taken to Space Center
Ice, Ice
Baby
ing room" in a home, which ex-
cludes bathrooms, and should be
inspected twice every seven years
to make certain they are still
kosher. In Israel, mezuzot must
be hung immediately upon set-
tling in a new home, though out-
side of Israel one has 30
days.
If you're feeling in a Zionist
kind of mood, don't just talk
about it — set your words
in ice!
You can make beautiful
blue ice with just a few
drops of blue food coloring
added to water, then frozen
in trays. It really looks snap-
py in lemonade or water,
but blue ice in orange juice
is a bit strange.
r .....••••• •••••••■••••■••-".■•Tdromek
■
Parsha Project
he coming week's Torah
portion, Genesis 18:1-
22:24, is Vayera. It is a
parsha of dramatic and
symbolic events.
In spite of her old age, Sarah
gives birth to a son, whom
Avraham names Yitzhak. At
Sarah's insistence, Avraham
sends their Egyptian servant,
Hagar, and Ishmael, her son
by Avraham, into the desert.
God appears to Hagar and
promises to make Ishmael's de-
scendants into a great nation.
God tells Avraham that the
sinful city of Sodom will be de-
stroyed. Avraham's nephew,
Lot, resides in Sodom. Avra-
T
ham negotiates with God and
God agrees not to destroy
Sodom if 10 righteous persons
can be found there. God sends
angels to rescue Lot and his
family. Lot, his wife and their
two daughters flee from the
city as it is being obliterated.
Ignoring the angels' warning,
Lot's wife turns to view the
devastation and is turned into
a pillar of salt.
In one of the most famous
episodes in the Torah, God
commands Avraham to sacri-
fice Yitzhak. This event is tra-
ditionally known as akaydat
Yitzhak, the binding of Yitzhak
upon the sacrificial altar. Just
.
as Avraham is about to
slaughter his son, God makes
a ram appear which is offered
up instead. God then promis-
es that because of Avraham's
unquestioning obedience, his
descendants will be numerous
and the source of blessing for
the entire world.
For a project, make a pillar
of salt. Take the cardboard
core of a roll of toilet paper or
paper towels. Coat it with glue
and roll it in table salt or, for
a more dramatic effect, roll the
core in coarse, kashering salt.
After it dries, you may want to
paint facial features on your
pillar.
Do you have an idea
or photo that would be
good for The Jewish News
Fun for the Family section?
Houston, where they
will receive a VIP
Please send to
tour and have a
Elizabeth
Applebaum,
chance to meet with
Family Fun, c/o The Jewish News,
astronauts. Finalist
27676 Franklin Rd.,
prizes also will be award-
Southfield, ML 48034.
ed.
To enter, send a photo
Photos become the
of the model and a written
property
of The Jewish News
description of the project, to-
and
cannot
be returned.
gether with an entry form
(available at local toy stores
where Legos are sold). Multiple
entries are acceptable, but each must
be postmarked separately.
Entries must be postmarked no later than Dec. 31, 1995.