The Book of

Raanan

FOREWORD TO MY GRANDSON RAANAN

It seems like only yesterday you
were born, and now you are being bar mitzvahed. Back in June
2002, I described you as that
"really cute little guy, all 5
pounds and change, with sculptured features and little chicken
legs." Your mom got your name
from the first verse of the Haftorah that was read in synagogues
that week. "Roni v'simchi bat Zion," says the prophet Zechariah, which
means, "Sing out and Rejoice, O Daughter of Zion." Your mom, whose
Hebrew name is.Bat Zion, was so inspired by this beautiful and optimistic verse that she named you Raanan. I think your mom must be a
prophetess, too, because you have certainly lived up to what Raanan
means in Hebrew, namely, refresh, renew, and reenergize.
In preparing this book for you, I was inspired by the Torah portion that
you will be reading, particularly the story of the 12 spies. I particularly
saw some parallel between you and the spy Caleb; I admired Caleb's
grit, his courage, his ability to stand up for what he believed.
I see some of those same qualities in you, and I wanted to highlight
these in this book by letting people know, if they were not already
aware, that you have great pedigree from both sides of your family, that
you are a fantastic student and amazing athlete, and that you are looking forward to taking on more responsibilities and living next year in Israel. But I hope that this book, inspired partly by the lyrics of Stephen
Sondheim and a children's story "Caleb G-d's Special Spy," will reveal
some heretofore unknown details, such as the fact that nicknames are
used in your family and that you are literally in a class of your own!
Above all, I hope people have fun with this book because you are first
and foremost a fun guy; and Grandma and I love you very much.
Love, Grandpa Karan
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Forward

RAANAN AND THE SPY,

REACH FOR THE SKY!

Let me tell you the tales,

Of two young Jewish males,
One modern and one long ago.
Who stood out from the crowd
And did themselves proud,
Bravely but without bravado.
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Our modern hero,

Is a nice young fellow,
Who thinks Hillel School
should be fun,
But I wouldnt be lyin
When I say Kitah Ziyan,
Is a class of his ownnamely,
one!
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His friends there arent many,

Theres Zev, Gidon and Benny,
So you cant say hes ever
alone,
Plus hes got cousins galore,
And his sister, whats more,
And lots of new pals from
Camp Stone.
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His brothers number two,

And they tease him, its true,
With Torque and Lewis
nicknames.
But dont get me wrong,
They do get along,
In sports and rough-housing
games.
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You can share a last name,

And still not be the same,
Says our wise young Raanan
Tzvi.
Like the Buffalo Bills,
We all have different skills,
And thats quite alright with
me.
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Both parents of mine,

Are MDs which is fine,
And they make peoples pains go
away,
Abba treats kids,
And my Mom closes lids,
Cause she passes them gas every day.
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With English Grandpa toyed,

Until he learned about Freud,
That wise old shrink from Vienna,
He loves Grandma a lot,
But hes always forgot,
Her names are Annette and Henna!
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My family has folks

Who like to tell jokes,
Which isnt exactly a sin,
Just ask Zaidy a Rav,
Whom I really love,
Along with Bobbi his Rabbetzin.
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Now people like us,

Might feel quite non-plus,
If our lives followed that of Raanan
Tzvi,
I am fast and Im smart,
He can say from his heart,
Happy with my lot, thats me!
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And hell feel even finer,

When he stops being a minor,
And can be part of the Torah reading
scene,
And from where I am sitting,
Its naturally fitting,
His Bar Mitzvah is on 6-13!
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Hell be reading the Toreh,

Taught by Abba as his Moreh,
On a man with whom he can identify,
Someone called an outlier,
But whose vision was higher,
Who became a most excellent spy.
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They laughed at him, too,

Saying he wasnt even a Jew,
And his name made them think of a
pup,
But when Moses needed scouts.
To plan out the routes,
Caleb was one of the twelve he called
up.
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What they found was amazing,

Herds of animals grazing,
And lots of fruits and crops galore,
Like a land of milk and honey,
This place was rolling in money,
Like a free-for-all Wegmans Store!
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But almost all of the spies,

Came back and told lies,
That the people they saw were too
strong,
Theyll stomp us with their feet,
And theyll chew us like meat,
Theres no way we can last very
long.
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Even Moses got flak,

When the spy guys got back,
For all of his words they doubted,
We want Egypt instead,
Because here well be dead,
Get us out of here fast! They all
shouted.
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Only two of the scouts,

Reported no doubts,
That the Israelites should surely go in.
Said Caleb and Josh,
Were like LeBron, Wade and Bosh,
Theres no way were not going to
win!
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Now we all know the story,

Didnt end in quick glory,
For the cowardly spies and their band,
Since they didnt have trust,
They wandered in dust,
Never reaching G-ds Promised Land.
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When Raanan ends the layning,

There will be no complaining,
And well propel gobs of candy,
But I think that well see,
That Caleb and he,
Have the same modus operandi.
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Its how he conducts himself,

That a man constructs himself,
And Raanan like Caleb has true
grit,
They dont flaunt their talents,
And always keep their balance.
And what they admit, they admit!
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So whether out or inside,

Let truth be your guide,
And you shall have, I guarantee,
Perhaps not always first prize,
But youll tell fewer lies,
Which is the way G-d wants us to
be.
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So Caleb was proud,

When G-d allowed,
Him to enter the promised nation,
So, too, Raanan will be ecstatical,
On his family Sabbatical,
For his Bar Mitzvah Caleb-ration!
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AFTERWORD TO OUR GRANDSON RAANAN

The Spies were leaders and representatives
of each of the Tribes, but they failed in their
mission to return with an encouraging report about the Land of Israel. Instead, they
gave a positive report of their mission, but it
was riddled with fear and full of doubt. The
panic and stress caused by the ten of the
spies infected the spirit and hope of the
people. Only Joshua ben Nun and Caleb
ben Yefuneh spoke up on behalf of the Land and its greatness. They
alone with courage and conviction arose to the occasion and defended G-d, Mosheh and
Eretz Yisroel. They insisted, Aloh Naaleh, we can certainly Go Up to the Land.
As a result of their unique greatness, Joshua becomes the next leader of the Bnai Yisroel.
Caleb is chosen to be the leader of the Tribe of Yehudah. He is also given ownership of
Chevron Kiryat Arbah for his guidance. His son, Otniel also is to become the first Shofet
(Quasi King) of Bnai Yisroel.
Why was Caleb rewarded in this way?
There are two reasons. He was able to silence the peoples complaint in a diplomatic way.
He also made sure to visit the resting places of our Avot v Imaote who are buried in Chevron. By silencing a revolution with the correct words and by paying tribute to his ancestors, he is rewarded and recognized as a great leader, scholar and Jew.
Our dear Raanan, Caleb was given Chevron which was the first capital of Israel. It was the
place where King David was coroneted. Chevron was also a place of Enemy Giants known
as the Anakim. It is also called Kiryat Arbah because of the four biggest Giants that lived
there and the name of the Leader was Arba. Caleb stood up to them by going to Chevron
and demonstrated that even though the spies were perceived as insects, he could appear
as a single Giant in their eyes. After all , he comes with the strength of his Mother, Father,
Grand Parents and all before him.
Dear Raanan. In my book, you are a Giant and Gibor. Your respect to your parents and
grandparents, your love for family and kindness to friends speaks of your positive energy.
Your humor, knowledge and leadership awards Bubby and me with such great Nachas. This
Shabbos, when you are called to the Torah to layn the Sedra and conduct the Tefilah for
the Tzibur, I am certain that this will be the beginning of many giant steps you will take as
you journey into the your Jewish life as Bar Mitzvah. Let the model of Caleb be an inspiring
one in your life and may the teaching of all the Torah Giants of Jewish history be your
guiding light.
Love ,
Zaidy & Bubby Kilimnick
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