It's Noah Time, Once More

Send Out the Dove!  This Shabbat we will again read Parshat Noah, the one portion of the Holy Torah that has us New MexiJews lamenting the tragic loss of Earth's entire dinosaur population, who (quite literally) missed the boat.

Abq Jew exhorts everyone, especially those in whatever Hurricane Epsilon's path turns out to be, to be safe and stay secure. 

Hurricane Epsilon is (Abq Jew claims) the 26th named storm and 10th named hurricane of this season. If you consider "Epsilon" a name. We long ago used up the permitted (hey, some aren't!) letters of the English alphabet. 

Hurricane Epsilon will be the final named hurricane of this season (Abq Jew also claims), because no one (certainly no one in the White House) can remember what comes after Epsilon.

Alright ... Abq Jew looked it up. The next three Greek letters turn out to be the names of Abq Jew's favorite Rosenfield relatives - his grandmother and her two sisters. Zeta, Eta, and Theta. Or, as we used to call them -

Bubbe Kama   Bubbe Metzia   Bubbe Batra

Alright ... this is an old yeshiva joke. Possibly THE OLDEST yeshiva joke. Abq Jew can tell - you, Abq Jew's loyal readers, don't care one Iota. Good old Uncle Iota!

But for those of you who were not fortunate enough to attend a yeshiva for even a short time (some say the shorter the better), be it known that

Bava Kamma (Talmudic Aramaic: בבא קמא "The First Gate") is the first of a series of three Talmudic tractates in the order Nezikin ("Damages") that deal with civil matters such as damages and torts. 

The other two of these tractates are Bava Metzia (Talmudic Aramaic: בבא מציעא "The Middle Gate") and Bava Batra (Talmudic Aramaic: בבא בתרא "The Last Gate").

Originally all three formed a single tractate called Nezikin, each "Bava" meaning "part" or "subdivision." Bava Kamma discusses various forms of damage and the compensation owed for them.

The odds are low that Hurricane Epsilon will strike the US mainland. But the odds were low that we wouldn't now be re-electing President HRC, too. So shelter at home; shelter in the shelter; or shelter at Uncle Stan's place. But shelter. And remember that time when

Noah of Arc and his wife, Joan, 
build a boat to survive a great flood.

But Abq Jew digresses. 

Surely you remember (and if she doesn't, please remind her) that it was just eight (8) years ago (!) (see Noah! Send Out The Dove!) that Abq Jew first brought you Matti Caspi and Chocolat, Menta, Mastik singing their '70s hit.

And here it is again, and only because a) it is Parshat Noah; and b) this performance reminds Abq Jew of days ... and years ... gone by. Nostalgia.

Abq Jew just discovered this wonderful version, by Andrew Leibowitz!

Parshat Noach. A time to

Send out the dove.

Watch for the plaid in the rainbow.

Stegosauruses had beautiful singing voices, and they
knew all the words to The Seekers' greatest hits.

And remember the stegosaurus.