<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr"><span><div><span style="font-size:13px">Dear Friends,</span><br></div><div style="font-size:13px"><br></div><div style="font-size:13px"><span style="white-space:pre-wrap"> </span>I write to you from Bar-Ilan University in Israel, where I am into my second year of post-doctoral research in the Department of Mathematics. Here in Israel, we began praying for rain 6 weeks ago, on the Jewish-calendar date of 7 Heshvan, according to Mishna Taanit 1:3. Thank God we've received some rain since then. Nevertheless, I have a feeling that many of you still expect my annual friendly reminder....</div><div style="font-size:13px"><br></div></span><div><div class="h5"><div><div style="font-size:13px"><span style="white-space:pre-wrap"> </span>Jews outside of Israel should include the request for rain in daily prayers, beginning with Maariv this motzei Shabbat (Saturday evening), December 5, 2015, corresponding to the evening of 24 Kislev, 5776. The phrase ותן טל ומטר לברכה "Veten tal umatar livracha" - "Give us dew and rain for a blessing" is inserted into the 9th blessing of the weekday shemone esrei, from now until Pesach. I encourage everyone to remind friends and family members of this event, especially those who may not be in shul at that time.</div><span><div style="font-size:13px"><br></div><div style="font-size:13px"><span style="white-space:pre-wrap"> Diaspora Jews </span>begin requesting rain on the 60th day of the fall season, as approximated by Shmuel in the Talmud (Taanit 10a, Eiruvin 56a). For more information about this calculation, follow the link below, to a fascinating article giving a (very brief) introduction to the Jewish calendar, followed by a discussion on why we begin praying for rain when we do: </div><div style="font-size:13px"><a href="http://www.lookstein.org/articles/veten_tal.htm" target="_blank">http://www.lookstein.org/articles/veten_tal.htm</a><br></div><div style="font-size:13px">(Thanks to Russell Levy for providing the link.)<br></div><div style="font-size:13px"><br></div><div style="font-size:13px">In unrelated news, here is some recent work of mine in Set Theory:</div><div style="font-size:13px"><br></div><div style="font-size:13px">A seminar talk I gave at the Israel Institute for Advanced Studies in Yerushalaim, including a video recording:</div><div><a href="http://u.math.biu.ac.il/~brodska/Souslin-trees-Oct-2015-IIAS.htm" target="_blank">http://u.math.biu.ac.il/~brodska/Souslin-trees-Oct-2015-IIAS.htm</a><br></div><div><br></div><div>Research paper recently submitted:</div><div><a href="http://www.assafrinot.com/paper/20" target="_blank">http://www.assafrinot.com/paper/20</a><br></div><div><br></div><div>Older work - my PhD thesis, completed in 2014:</div><div><a href="http://hdl.handle.net/1807/68124" target="_blank">http://hdl.handle.net/1807/68124</a><br></div><div>External examiner's report on my thesis:</div><div><a href="http://u.math.biu.ac.il/~brodska/BrodskyThesisReportMar2014.pdf" target="_blank">http://u.math.biu.ac.il/~brodska/BrodskyThesisReportMar2014.pdf</a><br></div><div>American Mathematical Society review of my thesis work:</div><div><a href="http://www.ams.org/mathscinet-getitem?mr=3274402" target="_blank">http://www.ams.org/mathscinet-getitem?mr=3274402</a><br></div><div><br></div><div>Possibly more understandable to many people: If you're curious about how often we read from three sifrei Torah when Rosh Chodesh falls on Shabbat during Chanukka, as will be the case this year, then see here for this as well as other Chanukka-related calendrical facts:</div><div><a href="http://individual.utoronto.ca/aribrodsky/Chanukka.htm" target="_blank">http://individual.utoronto.ca/aribrodsky/Chanukka.htm</a><br></div><div>And here for how to calculate the molad, as this week we will announce the upcoming month of Tevet:</div><div><a href="http://individual.utoronto.ca/aribrodsky/MentalMoladMethod.htm" target="_blank">http://individual.utoronto.ca/aribrodsky/MentalMoladMethod.htm</a><br></div><div><br></div><div>Finally, I would like to apologize to many of you for not maintaining communication over the past year since I've arrived in Israel. I'm sorry I haven't always responded to your messages. It's taken me a while to get used to my new surroundings, but I hope to make more effort to keep in touch with you in the near future.</div><div><br></div><div>Wishing everyone a happy Chanukka,</div><div>-Ari Meir Brodsky</div><div><br></div><div><br></div></span></div><span><div><div><div dir="ltr">---------------------<br>Ari M. Brodsky<br><a href="mailto:ari.brodsky@utoronto.ca" target="_blank">ari.brodsky@utoronto.ca</a><br></div></div></div>
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