Tunes for day 40

Now it is the 40th day of the Omer, making 5 weeks and 5 days. Here are some reminders so that you don't get confused:

1. See You When You're 40 by Dido


2. 40 by U2


3. Life begins at 40 by Dave and the Dynamos


4. 40' by Franz Ferdinand


5. Forty Miles of Bad Road by Duane Eddy

Songs for 39th day of the Omer

Tonight we count 39 in the Omer, making 5 weeks and 4 days. Here are some "39" themed songs to help you remember:

1. '39 by Queen


2. 39 by The Cure


3. The 39th Street Blues by Spock's Beard

Lag Ba-Omer Songs

By which I mean four songs called 33 (just in case you forget that today is the 33rd day of the omer making 4 weeks and 5 days)

1. 33 by Coheed and Cambria


2. Extension 33 by Yoko Ono


3. Catch 33 by Meshuggah


4. Thirty-three by Smashing Pumpkins

31st day of the Omer

Here are some "thirty-one" themed songs:

31 Days by Zee Avi

Ghost on 31 by Fightstar

31 Candles by The Mendoza Line

31 Flavors by Trevor Hall

29 Days (4 Weeks and 1 Day)

Today is the 29th day, making 4 weeks and 1 day of the Omer.

Ringtones anyone? (btw I had to reset my phone, and lost my ringtone app. Now I cannot reload it, so I'm suffering without ringtones. Any other suggestions from anyone?)

29 X the Pain by the Wildhearts

29 Ways by Marc Cohn

29 by The Gin Blossoms

28th day, 4 weeks of the Omer

Today is the 28th Day of the Omer, making 4 weeks.

Here are some theme tunes for the day.


What's the Deal by 28 Days

Twenty-Eight Teeth by Buck-O-Nine

Forever 28 by Malkmus And The Jicks
28 Weeks Later - 28 Days Later Theme Song - In a Heartbeat by John Murphy
Love Song 28 - Jullian Gomes

RIngtones for the 27th day of the Omer

27 by Biffy Clyro

27 by Fall Out Boy

27 by The Silencers

27 Jennifers by Mike Doughty

Today is the 27th day of the Omer, making 3 weeks and 6 days.
Don't forget to count, and to change your ringtone.

Day 26 of the Omer

It is getting harder to find songs with these numbers. Please leave any suggestions in the comments.

26 Temptations" by DeVotchKa

26 Miles (Santa Catalina) by The Four Preps

Today is the 26th day of the Omer making 3 weeks and 5 days.

Omer count 22

Today is the 22nd day of the Omer, making 3 weeks and 1 day. Here are some songs to help you remember that fact.

 

22 by Lily Allen (Best English accent in a song with 22 in the title)

 

22 by Taylor Swift (Very different kind of accent)

 

Twenty Two by Millencolin (Swedish Punk Omer song)

 

22: The Death of All Romance by The Dears (Canadians who stole the beginning of the song from the Clash)

 

22 Dreams by Paul Weller (Former Jam and Style Council member dreams of the Omer)

 

Waiting For 22 by Queensrÿche (Operation Mind:Crime)

 

Fell in Love at 22 Starflyer 59 (Shoegazing from California)

 

22 Acacia Avenue by Iron Maiden (part II of "Charlotte the Harlot" - as if you didn't know. This clip is from before Bruce Dickenson got his hair cut)

21st Day of the Omer - some ringtones

Today is the 21st day of the Omer making 3 weeks. It is also Yom HaAtzma'ut. Happy Birthday Israel.

1. 21 Days by Cory Morrow (Texan knows how to count the Omer)

2. 21 by The Cranberries (Irish folksy-rock Omer reminder)

3. 21 Questions by 50 Cent (change from a dollar?)
 

4. 21st Century Digital Boy by Bad Religion (weird video)

5. Retired at 21 by Black Flag (Not 21, not retired. Just American Punk)

 

6. 21 Guitar Salute by Dropkick Murphys (American Celtic Punk with the right number of guitars but too many "F" words)

7. Freedom at 21 by Jack White (Always odd, always brilliant)

8. 21 Guns by Green Day (Nice song, too much eyeshadow and too many tatoos though)

  

9. 21st Century Schizoid Man by King Crimson (Best song ever sung through a distortion pedal)

10. This Is The 21st Century by Marillion (Marillian were never the same after Fish left - sorry)

11. 21st Century by Red Hot Chili Peppers (This song will be outdated in another 87 years, so enjoy it not)
 

12. 21 Seconds by So Solid Crew (I can't believe I am posting this - I can't even understand what the lyrics mean, except the "N" word - please skip straight to the next song)

13. 21st Century Girl by Willow Smith (This is only here to get the last song out of your head. The Omer count multiplied by 100 (with a girl))

Twentieth Day of the Omer - Some Ringtones

Today is the 20th day of the Omer, making 2 weeks and 6 days of the Omer. Here are some songs which you could use as ringtones to help you (and those around you) to remember.

1. 20 by Travis (Scotsman gets the right day of the Omer)
 

2. 20 Good Reasons Thirsty Merc

3. 20 Flight Rock by Eddie Cochran (classic rock n' roll from the 50s)

4. 20 Small Cigars by Frank Zappa (Chunga's Revenge - nothing better than slow jazz from Frank)

5. 20 Eyes by Misfits (Brilliant Punk and equally Brilliant Lyrics)

6. Twenty Years by Placebo (20 days, not 20 years!)

7. 20th Century Boy by T. Rex (20 days, not centuries! But I challenge you to sit still while this classic is rocking)

8. 20th Century Fox by The Doors (20 days, not centuries. And why the fox?)

9. 20 Killer Hurts by Gene Loves Jezebel (Are we talking about electricity here?)

10. 20 Seconds to Comply by Silver Bullet (not seconds! 20 days!)

Today is also Yom HaZikaron. In memory of all those who have fallen defending the State of Israel. May their memory be blessed.

Omer Nineteen Ringtones

Are there fewer songs about prime numbers than other numbers (I suspect not, since 2 is a prime number, and there are lots of songs about 2).

I find that by changing my ringtone every day I always remember what day of the Omer it is (however I don't always know when it is my phone that is ringing).

Today is the 19th day of the Omer, making 2 weeks and 5 days.

1. 19 by Paul Hardcastle (Vietnam War used for Omer reminder?)
 

2. 19 by Phil Lynott (Great song. Rubbish video. By the "only black man in Dublin" - may he rest in peace)
 

3. 19th nervous Breakdown by The Rolling Stones (Even though the Stones are not really coming to Israel - they are still a great band)
 

4. 19 by Old 97s (I have never heard of this song or band, but apparently the people in the audience are familiar with both)
 

5. Hey Nineteen by Steely Dan (Great band. Interesting Name, nudge nudge wink wink)
 

6. Nineteen Forever by Joe Jackson (chill out with 80s New-Wave)

 

Eighteenth Day of the Omer (Ringtones)

What can one do when it is Shabbat? How can we do ringtones for the 18th day of the Omer? Not sure, but I must admit that apart from Shababt, I find having a different ringtone every day constantly reminds me of which day it is (and my wife also knows which day of the Omer it is by my ringtone).

Anyway, whether you can use them or not, here are some 18 themed songs which could be used as rintones on your Shabbat approved phone.

1. 18 by Moby (Named after a white whale)

2. 18 and Life by Skid Row (What kind of name is "Rachel" for a guy? And Sebastian Bach? You're having a laugh).

3. I'm 18 by Alice Cooper (What kind of name is that for a boy - Vince?? Oh, and NEVER wear shiny trousers on TV!)

4. She's Only 18 by Red Hot Chili Peppers (funk - bad for the soul)

5. Eighteen by Pat Metheny Group (laid back jazz to sooth the soul)

17 Ringtones

Today is the 17th day of the Omer, making 2 weeks and 3 days of the Omer (Tiferet in Tiferet)

Here are some 17 related tunes

1. Seventeen by The Regents

2. Seventeen by Winger (A bit of hair-metal anyone?)

3. Seventeen by Jimmy Eat World

4. 17 by The Kings of Leon

5. Seventeen by The Sex Pistols (I don't wear flares)

6. Seventeen by Ladytron (a blend of electropop, New Wave and shoegazing from Liverpool)

7. The Edge of Seventeen by Stevie Nicks (Fleetwood Mac were never the same after Peter Green left the band. Jews do make a difference!)

8. 17 by Smashing Pumpkins (Only 17 seconds long)

9. At Seventeen by Janis Ian (Another New York Jew)

and finally

10. Sixteen Going on Seventeen by Rogers and Hammerstein (1 Jew and 1  Episcopalian), from the Sound of Music (I'm not sure that really counts - should probably be for yesterday)

Seven Years Old - Free Download

I see that today is the seventh birthday of my blog. My first post was 10th April 2006 (I know, English birthday, not the "real" birthday, but unfortunately Blogger doesn't record the Hebrew date, and I can't be bothered checking it).

In honour of my blog's birthday I would like to leave a present for anyone who wants something to read about Pesach, Shavu'ot and Sefirat HaOmer. This is a book that I self-published three years ago for my daughter's bat mitzvah. It is selections from an amazing book by Rav Tzadok HaCohen entitled "Machshavot Charutz" ("Deep Thoughts")

My original plan was to finish translating the entire book, but I got busy with other things and never did. Maybe one day I'll get back to it.

Anyway, here it is. If you want to order a print copy you can go to Lulu and order it.

I would appreciate any feedback (and/or corrections etc.) in case I ever get back to finishing the translation of the entire book and publishing it properly.

Machshavos_Charutz

16 Sixteens

Tonight is the 16th day of the Omer, making 2 weeks and 2 days (Gevurah in Tiferet)

Here are sixteen "16" songs which you could use as ringtones

1. Sixteen by Musical Youth (If you remember Musical Youth you must be older than 16 now)

2. Sixteen by No Doubt

3. Sweet Little Sixteen by Chuck Berry (from a very long time ago - sounds a lot like BeachBoys doesn't it)

4. 16 by Green Day

5. Just Sixteen by Velvet Revolver (What Slash did next)

6. 16 Shells from a Thirty-Ought Six by Tom Waits (Who can ever compare to Tom Waits? Fantastic. Though it is not "music" (according to my wife) so perhaps it is permitted to listen to Tom during Sefirah?)

7. Sixteen by The Buzzcocks (Just what you'd expect from Manchester)

8. 16 Days by Whiskeytown (Before Ryan Adams became famous. Not the "e" to show it is not scotch whisky)

9. Christine Sixteen by KISS (Chaim Witz aka Gene Simmons on vocals)

10. Sixteen Tons by Eels

11. Sixteen by Sebadoh (LoFi indeed)

12. Sweet Sixteen by Billy Idol (Generation X)

13. Sixteen Blue by The Replacements (Or did they mean "Sixteen, Gevurah she-be-tiferet"?)

14. Sixteen by Iggy Pop and the Stooges (Ok, maybe they come close to Tom Waits in brilliance)

15. Sixteen Saltines by Jack White (I love this one - Jack is so mental he is brilliant)

16. Only Sixteen by Sam Cooke (Something sweet to complete the list)

 

"Fifteen" themed Ringtones

Here are some ringtones that you may consider using for the 15th day of the Omer (making 2 weeks and 1 day)

1. 15 Miles by Barnyard Ballers
 

2. TVC 15 by David Bowie
 

3. Little 15 by Depeche Mode
 

4. 15 by Marilyn Manson
 

5. 15 Step by Radiohead
 

6. 15 Minutes by The Strokes
 

7. Fifteen by Taylor Swift (Kol Isha)
 

8. The 15th by Wire (What a great guitar he is playing)

Ringtones for Day Fourteen

Here are some possible ringtones for today, the fourteenth day of the Omer

1. Fourteen Years by Guns N' Roses

2. 14th Street by Rufus Wainwright

3. 14th St. Break by Beastie Boys

4. Fourteen by The Vandals

5. The Fourteenth Of February Billy Bragg

6. 14 Forever by Stars

"Thirteen" Ringtones

Here are some (in) appropriate ringtones for the thirteenth day of the Omer:

1. Thirteen by Johnny Cash

2. Thirteen by Garbage

3. 13 by Megadeth, the 13th track from the album TH1RT3EN

4. Thirteen by Big Star 

5. Thirteen by The Antlers

6. Thirteen by Venom

7. 13 by The Brian Jonestown Massacre

8. Lucky 13 by Smashing Pumpkins

There are a bunch more "Thirteen" ringtones (already formatted as ringtones) on Audiko

Interesting Fact No. 4: Rabbi Akiva was Widely Travelled

It seems from the Gemara in Rosh HaShana that Rabbi Akiva had travelled the world (or at least Africa, Europe and Asia).

Rosh Hashana 26a

אמר רבי עקיבא כשהלכתי לערביא היו קורין לדכרא יובלא ואמר ר"ע כשהלכתי לגליא היו קורין לנדה גלמודה מאי גלמודה גמולה דא מבעלה ואמר ר"ע כשהלכתי לאפריקי היו קורין למעה קשיטה למאי נפקא מינה לפרושי (בראשית לג, יט) מאה קשיטה דאורייתא
 

Or in English

As it has been taught: R. Akiba said: When I went to Arabia, they used to call a ram yobla. R. Akiba further said: When I went to Gallia, they used to call a niddah‘galmudah’. How galmudah? — [As much as to say], gemulah da [this one is isolated] from her husband. R. Akiba further said: When I went to Africa, they used to call a ma'ah ‘kesitah’. What is the practical importance of this? — For explaining [the Scriptural expression] a hundred kesitah;it means, a hundred danki

Rabbi Akiva went with Rabban Gamliel, Rabbi Yehoshua and Rabbi Elazar ben Azaria to Rome (this is from Sifri Devarim siman 47) but a similar story appears at the end of Gemara Makkot)

וכבר היה רבן גמליאל ורבי יהושע ורבי אלעזר בן עזריה ורבי עקיבא נכנסים לרומי שמעו קול המייה של מיפטילון עד ק"כ מיל התחילו הם בוכים ורבי עקיבא מצחק.

אמר להם רבי עקיבא: אתם למה בכיתם?

אמרו לו: ואתה למה אתה מצחק?

אמר להם: ואתם למה בכיתם?

אמרו לו: לא נבכה שהגוים עובדי עבודה זרה מזבחים לאלילים ומשתחוים לעצבים יושבים בשלוה ושאנן, ובית הדום של אלהינו יהיה לשריפת אש ומדור לחית השדה.

אמר להם: אף אני לכך צחקתי, אם כן עשה למכעיסיו קל וחומר לעושי רצונו.

 

Apparently (according to Wikipedia) Rabbi Akiva went to Ethiopia. However I haven't managed to find this story in the sources cited (I can't find it in Bamidbar Rabba 9:34, I did find this story in Bereishit Rabba 73:10 but there it is not about Rabbi Akiva, and there is no evidence that it happened in Ethiopia. Apparently the story also appears in Soranus' treatise on obstetrics, but I couldn't find that either).

The story (as told by wikipedia) is

 In Ethiopia he was called upon to decide between the swarthy king and the king's wife; the latter having been accused of infidelity because she had borne her lord a white child. Akiva ascertained that the royal chamber was adorned with white marble statuary, and, basing his decision upon a well known physiological theory, he exonerated the queen from suspicion
 

The story in Bereishit Rabba is:

מעשה בכושי אחד שנשא לכושית אחת והוליד ממנה בן לבן תפס האב לבן ובא לו אצל ר' א"ל שמא אינו בני א"ל היה לך מראות בתוך ביתך א"ל הן א"ל שחורה או לבנה א"ל לבנה א"ל מיכן שהיה לך בן לבן 

Of course, travelling in those days was not without its dangers. The Gemara in Yevamot 121a states that Rabbi Akiva was nearly killed in a shipwreck

תניא אר"ג פעם אחת הייתי מהלך בספינה וראיתי ספינה אחת שנשברה והייתי מצטער על תלמיד חכם שבה ומנו רבי עקיבא וכשעליתי ביבשה בא וישב ודן לפני בהלכה אמרתי לו בני מי העלך אמר לי דף של ספינה נזדמן לי וכל גל וגל שבא עלי נענעתי לו ראשי

Or in English

It was taught: R. Gamaliel related, 'I was once travelling on board a ship when I observed a shipwreck and was sorely grieved for [the apparent loss of] a scholar who had been travelling on board that ship. (And who was he? — R. Akiba.) When I subsequently landed, he  came to me and sat down and discussed matters of halachah. "My son", I asked him, "who rescued you?" "The plank of a ship", he answered me, "came my way, and to every wave that approached me I bent my head"

More interesting facts in these posts