Anniversaries : Jewish ways to celebrate as we mark a special occasion

This week marks the happy occasion of this Blog's first " Birthday". For one, in retrospect very short year, I have attempted to research, review, read and write about contemporary events in life from a Jewish perspective including an educational component that would appeal to a wide range of individuals. I have spent an entire week reading different blessings, learning the structure of a blessing and learned ( no surprise here) that there are not blessings appropriate to "machshev" computers or computer based enterprises.

 Since the title of this blog is "studying Torah on the iPhone" and it is computer based,I thought simply that thanking HaShem for technology would work. Then I got to thinking about a story that I had to write for my Hebrew class this past year. My final thought was that after a "lifetime" of working a computer doesn't really die, it instead becomes extinct!
So, if it has a lifetime, and this blog was technically born, then this is truly it's  first Birthday.

During this past year I have become fond of a website called Ritual Well. It can be found at http://www. ritualwell.com . It is here that I read that one way to celebrate an anniversary or Birthday is to recite special prayers: Special times call for special blessings.

"The following prayers appropriate for birthdays are suggested in On the Doorposts of Your House: Prayers and Ceremonies for the Jewish Home, edited by Chaim Stern (Central Conference of American Rabbis). God of days and years, Author of life, our times are in Your hand. We thank You for the blessing of life and for all that enriches our lives. We gather today in special thankfulness to share in the happiness of [your child's name]. Be with him (her) always as the joy of his (her) life. May he (she) be blessed with health and happiness, and with the strength to overcome sickness and sorrow. May we have the joy of coming together for many more years, united by mutual reverence and love. Then will our lives be filled with abundance and blessing."

I hope that you my readers will continue to share with me the enrichment of learning through technology for many more years. I thank you for following me along my journey. I leave you today with  my story about a computer, that I wrote in Hebrew... Gosh I have come a long way on my journey :-)

מה המחשב עושה?
מחשב עושה הרבה עבודות בבית.
המחשב עובד ועובד ועובד.
כה כותב מכתבים ואימייל.
שכה לא מדבר בדרך כלל.
מחשבימ מסוימת יכולים לדבר.
מחשבימ לא מתימ שהיא מתפתחת.

What does a computer do?
A computer does many jobs at home.
A computer works and works and works.
It writes letters and emails.
It doesn't usually talk.
Some computers can talk.
Computers don't die, they become extinct!

Fortunately, learning lasts forever :-)