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I get these in my email all the time and I it occurred to me I should be sharing them. So here it goes.
עַל קוֹצִים
Al Kotzim

Literally: On thorns
Idiomatically: On edge

This modern phrase is basically slang. The word "kotzim" is found in Genesis (3:18), and is part of God's curse on Adam and all of humankind. A "kotz" in general refers to any kind of thorn. Now if someone tries to sit on a thorn bush - he won’t very comfortable , and as such he will be well, on edge , hence the phrase.
A more popular thorn phrase is "kotz betachat" קוץ בתחת) ( which is gently translated into English as a thorn in one's side. In Hebrew we use a more descriptive word that refers to a body part further south.

הוא ישב על קוצים עד שהוא קיבל את התשובות של המבחנים
"Hu yashav al kotzim ad shehu kibel et hateshuvot shel hamivchanim." He was on edge until he received the results of the test. Anyone have a pair of tweezers?
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I love Sephardic Jewry history. I have been able to trace my line to early 1400's #sephardichistory
I love horses. I just joined the @horse-breeds's ....any one else own, have owned or just enjoy horses?
#sephardichistory
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First day of Winter BREAK! #winterbreak2017
The message here gives me hope. HaShem cares about the smallest of details, like a sciatic nerve. That G-d loved Yaacov so much that when the evil Angel of Esav touched his hip, HaShem prohibited anyone from eating that part of an animal. It is just so awesome. Well enough of what I think. This is from Azmut.com, Rabbi Alon Anava.

It’s Not Petty When It’s Your Child

“….Therefore, the bnei Yisrael may not eat the Gid Hanasheh, which is on the socket of the hip, until this day, for he touched the socket of Yaakov’s hip, in the tendon which became displaced….” – Bereishit 32:33
״…על כן לא יאכלו בני ישראל את גיד הנשה אשר על כף הירך עד היום הזה כי נגע בכף ירך יעקב בגיד הנשה…״ – בראשית לב, לג

This mitzvah is to serve as a reminder to the Jewish people that though they will suffer many hardships in their exiles, at the hands of the nations and at the hands of the children of Eisav, they will be confident that they will never be lost. —Sefer HaChinuch, Mitzvah 3

Vayishlach
It is remarkable that such a crucial aspect of Jewish faith, our eternal hope of survival, is commemorated with a law so narrow in scope. The prohibition of eating the sciatic nerve seems to be a mere technicality in the laws of Kosher, applicable only to the precise nerve that the angel wounded in Yaakov, which is in and of itself only a minor detail in the story of Yaakov’s miraculous salvation!

The emphasis on detail in this mitzvah is extremely significant. It highlights that G-d’s intimate concern extends even to the most negligible details in the life of a Jew!

Truly, the Baal Shem Tov taught that every single aspect of creation is governed by Divine Providence, and serves a specific role in the Divine plan for the universe. Nevertheless, in the rest of creation, the significance of the role played by each blade of grass is still minor in comparison to that played by the sun or the clouds, or by animals and humans.

Not so in the details which transpire in (and effect) the life of the individual Jew; the health of even a nerve in his hip is as important and cherished by G-d as is the whole of the entire universe and even more so. Each Jew is uniquely chosen by G-d to be a part of His treasured nation, each member of which He loves like His very own biological child. Therefore, even the seemingly trivial details of a Jew’s life are of infinite and essential importance to Him and are His most pressing issue and concern.

—Likutei Sichos vol. 30, pp. 148-154
I am running slow and behind today. Ever have days like that?

I just wanted to give everyone a shout out for @clear-brewer leadership in the class tonight "Prohets and Kings-Study Group." Clear has such great insights to make these stories new and exciting.

If you have never attended, I encourage you to log in to Skype 4 business and join the class. There is always something new to learn. 7 pm EST.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful day.
 
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