🚨 "זה לא רק גדול הדור - זה אבא שלנו!" • התרגשות ראשי הכוללים במעונו של מרן הגרמ"ה הירש 😭

דבריו המרטיטים והכואבים של ראש הכולל במעונו של מנהיג הדור: צפו בתיעוד בלעדי (עם כיתבויות), תיעוד דומע ומרגש מדבריו של ראש כולל "בית הלל", הגאון רבי יוסף מן שליט"א, שנשא במעמד "צאתכם לשלום" של ראשי הכוללים במעונו של מנהיג הדור מרן ראש הישיבה הגאון רבי משה הלל הירש שליט"א. בדבריו הכואבים, הגר"י מן שליט"א מתאר את תחושותיהם של אלפי אברכי הכוללים בארץ ישראל לנוכח הרדיפות, הגזירות והקשיים הכלכליים, ומבטא הערכה עצומה למסירות הנפש הפלאית של מרן ראש הישיבה למענם: "אנחנו מרגישים שיש לנו אב זקן. זה לא רק גדול הדור, אלא זה אבא שמוסר את נפשו לכולנו... זה מאוד מחזק אותנו כשאנחנו חשים את זה". צפו בדבריו המרגשים של ראש הכולל ממעונו של מרן הגרמ"ה הירש שליט"א. --- English Translation: The moving and painful address of the Rosh Kollel at the home of the leader of the generation: Watch the emotional footage of the address delivered by the Rosh Kollel of "Beis Hillel," HaGaon Rabbi Yosef Mann shlit"a, during the farewell assembly of Roshei Kollelim at the home of the leader of the generation, Maran Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Moshe Hillel Hirsch shlit"a. In his painful remarks, Rabbi Mann shlit"a describes the feelings of thousands of Kollel scholars in Israel in the face of the ongoing persecutions, draft decrees, and financial hardships. He expresses immense gratitude for the wondrous self-sacrifice of Maran Rosh Yeshiva on their behalf: "We feel like we have an elderly father. It is not just a leader of the generation, but a father who gives up his soul for all of us... It strengthens us immensely when we feel this." Courtesy of "Keren Olam HaTorah

🏛️ לראשונה במסע ההיסטורי: ראש ישיבת פוניבז' הגרח"פ ברמן במשא מפתיע בבורו פארק למה רודפים את הישיבות

 

נאום הבכורה ההיסטורי ⏱️ | "הקדוש ברוך הוא דופק לכם בדלת בפעמון!" • המשא המרטיט של ראש ישיבת פוניבז' הגרח"פ ברמן שליט"א בבורו פארק (תיעוד בלעדי - עם כיתוביות בעברית). לפניכם התיעוד המלא והרשמי מנאום הבכורה ההיסטורי והסוחף של הגאון רבי חיים פרץ ברמן שליט"א, מראשי ישיבת פוניבז', שהצטרף לראשונה למסע החירום הדרמטי של "קרן עולם התורה" (שבנשיאות מרן הגרמ"ה הירש שליט"א) בארצות הברית. בנאומו המפתיע שנשא בדינר סגור בבורו פארק (ברוקלין), הציג הגרח"פ ברמן מבט אמוני ומצמרר על גזירות הגיוס והקיצוצים בארץ הקודש, כשהוא משתמש במשל נפלא משיר השירים: "קול דודי דופק, יהודים יקרים הקב"ה דופק לכם בדלת בפעמון ואומר: תראו מה קורה כאן, פתחי לי אחותי רעייתי! מה עם הילדים שלי?". צפו בתיעוד המלא. The official, full-length video of the historic debut address delivered by Hagaon Rav Chaim Peretz Berman shlit"a, one of the Roshei Yeshiva of Ponevezh, who joined the emergency campaign of "Keren Olam HaTorah" in the United States for the first time. Speaking at an exclusive dinner in Boro Park (Brooklyn), Rav Berman delivered a deeply moving and inspiring message on the yeshiva crisis in Israel, using a beautiful metaphor from Shir HaShirim: "The voice of my beloved knocks! Hashem is knocking on your door, ringing the bell, saying: Look what is happening here, open to me my sister, my love! What about my children?". Watch the full historic address. --- 📖 תמליל השיחה המלא (Full Transcript):

מה המסר שלמד הרב אזרחי מהמנהיג הרב לנדו במסע ההסטורי למען עולם התורה? גדו"י בסוד שיח בנעילת המסע

אחרי הדינר בבית הנדיב הרב משה פשרהרפר, מרן ר"י מיר האון הגדול רבי יצחק אזרחי שליט"א שוחח עם מנהיג הדור רבינו מרן שליט"א הנכד: הוא הצטרף מיום ראשון למסע. הוא היה היה בפלורידה איפה שלא היינו, אבל אתמול הוא היה איתנו בקווינס. רבינו שמע בהנאה וברך: ה' יעזור שנצליח הראש ישיבה: אני רוצה להגיד משהו שלמדתי מכם. יש בגמרא בדף ו' עמוד ב'... הנכד: איפה? באיזה מסכת? הראש ישיבה: בברכות. הגמרא אומרת, שכשראיתי שהם גם רצים בשבת, אמרתי שתלמידי חכמים מחללים שבת. אז אמר לא, כתוב "נלכה נרדפה לדעת את ה'". מה ההווא אמינא ומה המסקנה? ההווא אמינא הייתה, שזה הידור, שזה דקדוק, אז זה לא עושים על חשבון שבת, המסקנה היא מה שלמדנו מהרב'ה, מה שלמדנו מכם עכשיו, שמיד בהתחלה צריכים להיות "נלכה ונרדפה". זה תנאי מיד בהתחלה! אם לא מתחילים ככה, לא יהיה כלום! רבינו: תודה רבה לך שאתה מזכיר לי. הראש ישיבה: לא, אבל זה מציאות! זה למדנו מכם. שהכל בבת אחת, מיד! שהכל מיד, לא לחכות, "נלכה נרדפה" – ככה לומדים, ככה מתפללים, ככה מתקרבים אל בורא עולם, ככה הקדוש ברוך הוא מקרב אותנו אליו. זה מה שלמדתי אני, מאז שבאתי, מגדול הדור. רבינו: ה' יעזור ה' יתן לכם כל טוב מכל הבחינות ונזכה כולנו לגאולה בקרוב בקרוב. 

הראש ישיבה: אבל אנחנו רוצים הכל ביחד רק איתכם. 

איחוד של קדושה: תיעוד מסכם - גדולי ראשי הישיבות בכינוס חסר תקדים למען עולם התורה

The REAL LIONS at any age, with vigor for Hashem and Torah 

📖✨🙌 נקודות עיקריות מהכינוס ההיסטורי של קרן עולם התורה בבית גבריאל בקווינס ביום שלישי האחרון בהשתתפות מרן רבי יצחק אזרחי, מרן רבי אברהם סלים, מרן רבי יעקב הלל, הגאון רבי אשר וייס, ורבי יוסף חברוני בין הרבנים המקומיים שנכחו היו יו"ר ראשי ישיבות חפץ, הרב דוד האריס והרב עקיבא גרינבלט; הרב דניאל לנדר, ראש ישיבת אור החיים; הרב נח יצחק אולבוים, רב קהילת נחלות יצחק; הרב הראשי של הקהילה הבוכרית הרב יצחק ישראלי; יחד עם רבנים ובני תורה בולטים רבים אחרים.

Rav Gustman zt"l: The Youngest Dayan of Vilna....

(repost)

I saw this link at yeranenyaakov. This is about a very famous Rav, established the Shul – Beis Medrash that my Husband is a member, and where I daven. The Rav zt’l is no longer with us, but his daughter, the Rebbetzen of the present Rav of the Shul, Rabbi Berniker is very much with us. Therefore, I herewith present an article written by David Page for Matzav.com.

Rav Gustman: “I Fulfilled the Mitzvah of Mechiyas Zecher Amalek With My Bare Hands”

On the eve of our reading Parshas Zachor, there are few Jews today who can say that they merited to fulfill the Mitzvah of Mechiyas Zecher Amalek even in a small way. Yet there are many alive today who knew such a person personally and who learned from him: Until twenty-five years ago, one of the greatest Torah scholars and Dayanim of his generation used to say that he himself had fulfilled that Mitzvah, even among the horrors of the Holocaust in Europe. The Torah scholar was Rav Yisrael Ze’ev Gustman, ZT”L, the last Dayan of pre-War Vilna and the great Rosh Yeshiva after the War.

Rav Gustman indeed had survived as the only pre-War Dayan of Rav Chaim Ozer Gradzhensky’s Beis Din in Vilna. The Nazis Y”S rounded up all the members of the Rabbinical Court when they marched into Lithuania on the 16th of Sivan, 5700, and then on the night of the 17th of Tammuz systematically rounded up and murdered all the prominent rabbinic figures and dayanim in Vilna. Among those on their target list was Rav Gustman. 

The Nazis took out the distinguished dayan, the star student of the great Rosh Yeshiva R’ Shimon Shkop ZT”L and the right-hand man of R’ Chaim Ozer Gradzhensky, into the courtyard in front of his home and beat him until his blood flowed, briefly leaving him for dead. 

But he was only unconscious, and he managed to pick himself up and hide in the tall vegetation growing near his home. He shaved off his beard so as not to be identified and passed as a simple Jew. Soon thereafter, he and his family were rounded up and forced into the Vilna Ghetto, where he helped countless of his fellow Jews via acts of kindness, including sharing his meager rations with the elderly widow of R’ Chaim Ozer and ruling on many questions of life and death as a dayan.

Rav Gustman escaped together with his wife and daughter to the forest outside Vilna. There he sought to join the Jewish Partisans fighting the Nazis. But the condition of joining was to bring one’s own weapon, so Rav Gustman, who was immensely physically strong (and until the War had used his strength to aid him in his Torah studies and rabbinical duties), ambushed and killed a Nazi soldier, and took his weapon. He used to look down at his hands and relate, “I fulfilled the Mitzvah of Mechiyas Zecher Amalek with my bare hands.” He once saw an Israeli soldier disassembling and reassembling his rifle and said, “I know how to do it faster.” With very little food, Rav Gustman and his fellow partisans fought on until the end of the War. At one point, he split a single pea he found in the forest with his wife and daughter, relating that he found out at that time on just how little a person could survive.

When he was asked immediately after the War by the Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi of the State of Israel, Rav Yitzchak HaLevy Herzog, ZT”L, to explain the miracles (nisim) of survival that occurred during the War, he replied that in the context of such immense tragedy and catastrophe, it was incorrect to speak of miracles, but rather of “decrees” (gezeiros) of “who shall live, and who shall die.”

Yet Rav Gustman’s contribution to the fight against Amalek was not only physical, but also spiritual, in Amalek’s manifestation as the Gematria of safek, doubting the rule of G-d in the world and His Torah. First, in the Ghetto, Rav Gustman strengthened the faith of his fellow Jews, even those facing imminent death. He testified about himself that at no point did he lose his own faith in the Ribono shel Olam. He encouraged desperate people to hope, not to despair, and not to end their own lives, telling them that the War would soon end with the survival of the Jewish people. He himself related that he often had to encourage himself as well, so difficult were those days. 

Among other unspeakable atrocities, Rav Gustman witnessed the murder of his own son, Meirke, whom the Nazis discovered in a makeshift hiding place. And after the War, Rav Gustman assisted in the rebuilding of the devastated Torah world, raising up a wealth of distinguished Talmidim and Dayanim both in America and Israel. He stressed the shlemus (integrated character development with Torah scholarship) of the person. He was infinitely patient, sitting with even the slowest students going over Sugyos in the Gemarra until they understood. Yet at the same time, he would recite from memory R’ Shimon Shkop’s shiurim and his own Kuntrasei Shiurim are a model of depth and clarity.

Yet R’ Gustman’s story is one that embodies hope for the Jewish people. He was not broken by his experiences, but deepened by them. He was a person of both deep Simcha and deep dedication to life in its fullest sense. In his approach, he provided a window into the pre-War Torah world for his students, both via his own learning and teaching and by relating stories of that world that inspired and challenged the students. One such story was that of his fellow Grodno student, R’ Moshe Zaretsky, ZT”L, subsequently the Rav of Karkur in Israel.

R’ Moshe, a powerfully built and tough-as-nails young man, came to Grodno at the age of 19. His parents were Jewish farmers and someone back home had told him that he would never become a Torah scholar. The young man had said, “Before you become a Torah scholar, hair will grow from your palms!” R’ Moshe was resolved to prove that assessment wrong. He asked the Steipler Gaon, R’ Yaakov Yisrael Kanievsky, who the best Rosh Yeshiva was, and the Steipler replied that R’ Shimon Shkop was the greatest Rosh Yeshiva in Lithuania. And so young Moshe traveled to Grodno to learn in the yeshiva there.

But when Moshe was tested, R’ Shimon felt that the boy was not sufficiently advanced in his studies and thus not yet prepared for the shiur in Grodno. R’ Shimon therefore did not admit the earnest young student; when that decision was transmitted to Moshe, the young man wept.

But young Moshe was not going to be deterred so easily. Even if he had not been accepted in the yeshiva, no one could deny him his right as a Jew to sit in the beis medrash. He resolved not to budge from that study hall and to learn without ceasing for one year. With the iron will of a powerful young man, it seemed as if he did not budge. He learned all day and all night, every day and every night, and in exhaustion he would fall asleep on his shtender in the wee hours of the morning.

Moshe had very little to eat since in Grodno — as in the rest of the Lithuanian yeshiva world at the time —even the registered students lived in relative poverty, often missing meals and going hungry. In Grodno, the students’ breakfast consisted of a slice of bread and a hot drink of some kind, nothing more. (There was a debate among the students as to whether this piece of bread should be eaten quickly so as to minimize enjoyment or whether it should be eaten very slowly to gain control over the innate animalistic appetite of a hungry person.)

But for Moshe, who had not yet been admitted as a student and had to make due with whatever scraps he managed to find around the study hall, the fare was even more meager. He had no hot beverages but instead drank from a barrel of water situated outside the study hall. That water was meant to be used for netilas yadayim, ritual hand-washing, but Moshe used the washing cup there as his drinking cup. The other students took pity on him, and although he could expect nothing from the yeshiva kitchen, they broke off portions of their own meager rations and gave them to him. This nutritional regimen fueled 18-20-hour days of study for Moshe, who came to be known by the nickname Moshe Masmid (Moshe the Diligent). When local physicians heard about his sleep and nutritional regimen, they opined that he could not survive for very long in that fashion.

But the Ribono shel Olam had different plans, and when the righteous women of Grodno heard about Moshe and his diet, they took great pity on the young man. They began to bring pots of hot food to the study hall for Moshe. In fact, he had the distinction of being one of the few students in all of the yeshiva world at that time to eat meat nearly every day. As the Rosh Yeshiva would relate with a smile, “He ate much better than we did.”

To the end of his life, Rav Gustman accorded R’ Moshe Zaretsky a privilege accorded to no one else other than himself:   To say the weekly shiur in the Rav Gustman’s Yeshivas Netzach Yisrael.

Rav Gustman inspired his students to understand that the ultimate victory of the Jewish people was not to be deterred from achieving their potential to grow in closeness to Ribono shel Olam, via dedication to learning His Torah and by combining that dedication with attaining good traits of character (midos) and acts of kindness (gemilus chasadim). 

In the merit of his example, may we merit to see the ultimate fulfillment of the Mitzvah of Mechiyas Zecher Amalek mi’Tachas HaShamayim and the establishment of G-d’s eternal rule in a rebuilt Jerusalem.

David Page is the author of Rav Gustman: The Youngest Dayan of Vilna and Illustrious Rosh Yeshiva in New York and Yerushalyim (Artscroll 5777). He lives with his wife and children in Jerusalem.

The Lomdus of "Toich Kdei Dibbur" of the Ran & Rabbeinu Tam Explicated By Rav Gustman

 

 

Rav Gustman zt"l was father of Rebbetzen Berniker z"l here in Rehavia at Netzach Yisrael Shul and Beis Medresh. Her son, Rav Berniker is the Rav now. A family passing on the traditions of Rav Gustman and the Gaon of Vilna. (see next post about Rav Gustman, a repost).

❗📢 למה יש אנטישמיות בעולם? התשובה המפתיעה והמטלטלת של מרן ראש הישיבה הגרמ"ה הירש

 

to listen:  Rav Hillel

במעמד מרגש ומיוחד שנערך בדיל, ניו ג'רזי, בביתו של הנגיד ג'ימי קזרי, נשא מרן ראש הישיבה, הגאון רבי משה הלל הירש שליט"א, דברים נוקבים ומעוררי מחשבה על המצב המורכב של עם ישראל בעולם. מהו השורש הרוחני של האנטישמיות הגואה? וכיצד תמיכה בעולם התורה היא המפתח לביטחון בארץ ישראל ובעולם כולו? במהלך הדינר, חשף ראש הישיבה את התשובה: "הסיבה שיש כל כך הרבה אנטישמיות בעולם היא בגלל שהשכינה לא בינינו". הפתרון נמצא בידינו – כאשר יהודים מראים שהם רוצים את השכינה על ידי תמיכה בלימוד התורה, הקדוש ברוך הוא חוזר אלינו. תמלול המשא / Full Transcript: עברית: "ומצד שני, תורה. כדי לוודא שיש לנו תורה בארץ ישראל. תורה בארץ ישראל – ללא תורה בארץ ישראל, לא יהיה ריבונו של עולם בארץ ישראל. אז אנחנו באים עכשיו לבקש, לא רק עבור תורה בארץ ישראל. אנחנו חיים בעולם של אנטישמיות מוחלטת. העולם כולו נגד... נגד יהודים כיום. למה זה כך? איך זה שיש אנטישמיות כזו כיום?

הסיבה לכך היא שהקדוש ברוך הוא אינו איתנו. אילו הקדוש ברוך הוא היה בעולם כיום, ואנשים היו מרגישים את הקדוש ברוך הוא, לא הייתה שום אנטישמיות. האנטישמיות בעולם כיום מגיעה מכיוון שיש סילוק שכינה. ולנו יש... התפקיד שלנו הוא לוודא שאותו הדבר שמביא את השכינה בחזרה, יהיה... יהיה קיים. מה שמביא את השכינה בחזרה הוא עצם לימוד התורה. ולא רק עצם לימוד התורה, אלא כשאנשים מראים שהם רוצים לעזור לשבילי התורה, כשאנשים... אנשים אומרים, 'אנחנו רוצים את הריבונו של עולם'. וכשהם אומרים 'אנחנו רוצים את הריבונו של עולם', הריבונו של עולם אומר, 'אם זה המצב, אני חוזר'. וכשהריבונו של עולם יחזור, לא תהיה... לא תהיה שום בעיה בארץ ישראל מצד... מצד... מצד כל האנשים שנגד ארץ ישראל, יהיה..." English: "And on the other hand, Torah. To make sure that we have Torah in Eretz Yisrael. Torah in Eretz Yisrael, without Torah in Eretz Yisrael, there will be no Ribono Shel Olam in Eretz Yisrael. So we are coming now to ask, not only for Torah in Eretz Yisrael, we are living in a world of total anti-Semitism. The entire world is against... is against Jews today. Why is that? How come there is such anti-Semitism today? The reason is because Hakadosh Baruch Hu is not with us. If Hakadosh Baruch Hu would be in the world today, and people would feel Hakadosh Baruch Hu, there will be no anti-Semitism. The anti-Semitism in the world today comes because there is a Silluk Shechina. And we have, our job is to make sure that that thing which brings the Shechina back should be... be there. What brings the Shechina back is the Etzem Limud HaTorah. And not only the Etzem Limud HaTorah, when people show that they want to help Shvilei HaTorah, that people... people are saying, 'we want the Ribono Shel Olam'. And when they say 'we want the Ribono Shel Olam', the Ribono Shel Olam says, 'if that's the case, I'm coming back'. And when the Ribono Shel Olam will come back, there'll be... there'll be no problem in Eretz Yisrael from... from... from the... from the... all the people who are against Eretz Yisrael, there'll be..." 🎥 צילום: מאיר זלזניק תיעוד בלעדי מהמסע ההיסטורי של מרן ראש הישיבה לארה"ב לחיזוק עולם התורה. רוצים להישאר מעודכנים בתיעודים בלעדיים מקודש פנימה? ✅ הירשמו לערוץ ולחצו על הפעמון 🔔 ✅ שתפו את המסר החשוב הזה עם חברים ומשפחה.

Israeli PM Netanyahu speaks at the JNS International Policy Summit

I24 video of PM Netanyahu’s JNS Speech

The Master of Prayer - Secrets of the Summer of Moshiach

 

Rabbi Nachman of Breslov's Story of The Master of Prayer. The Secrets of how Moshiach ben David and Moshiach ben Yosef will fix the world. Links to the Story of The Master of Prayer: Part 1:    • Rabbi Nachman of Breslov - The Master of P...   Part 2:    • Rabbi Nachman of Breslov - Master of Praye...   Part 3:    • Rabbi Nachman of Breslov - The Master of P...   Part 4:    • Rabbi Nachman of Breslov - Master of Praye...   Part 5:    • Rabbi Nachman of Breslov - The Master of P...  

My estimation is still that Rabbi Dov Landau is the neshoma of MBYosef who has waged a spiritual war against the forces of evil and the erev rav! Especially getting the American Jewish Torah Community to join in the war, being the bringing together “the sticks” joining Yisrael with Yehuda. Hashem please continue to watch over Rav Landau in his efforts. The war is not over, but IY”H will be climaxing …….

Entire Crowd STUNNED as Melanie Phillips Gives Chilling Warning on Islam!

 

What's Happening to the Coastlines of the US?

In light of dire predictions of US decapitation, consider the following:

North Carolina's Coast CAVES IN - 31+ Homes SWALLOWED, 1$ Billion In Damages

 

North Carolina's coast is caving into the Atlantic — and the Outer Banks are dissolving one house at a time. 

Thirty-one oceanfront homes have already fallen into the sea since 2020, sixteen of them in a single six-week stretch, as the shoreline at Rodanthe and Buxton retreats up to twenty feet a year. The barrier islands of Cape Hatteras National Seashore were never solid ground — they are ribbons of sand built to migrate landward. We anchored them with houses, roads, and septic lines, and now the Atlantic is taking it all back. 

This is the ongoing collapse of one of America's most exposed coastlines: why the homes keep falling, why a single storm erased up to 141 feet of beach, why there is still no fund to move them — and who pays the price as Dare County watches the sea reach the pilings. 

California’s Coastline Is Changing Faster Than Expected

What is the Meaning of ALL the “airplane disasters” Recently?

 This is but one of the “many” planes downed:

Three Israelis were killed when a small aircraft crashed in eastern Maryland while traveling from New Jersey to Montgomery County, less than 20 miles east of Washington, D.C.

The aircraft went down shortly before midnight, prompting a large-scale emergency response after local dispatchers received an automatic crash alert from an iPhone. Law enforcement, fire, and rescue crews launched an extensive overnight search in an effort to locate the missing plane.

At approximately 3:45 a.m., search teams discovered the wreckage in a wooded area behind a residential complex and playground on Scarlet Oak Terrace. Emergency responders who reached the scene found the pilot and two passengers deceased.[…]

https://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/israel-news/2565065/tragedy-in-maryland-three-israelis-killed-in-plane-crash-near-washington-2.html

THE PRIDE OF AMERICA

And there have been many more plane crashes.

Shalom Pollack: Star Gazing

 🌠a shooting star

After a  hiatus due to the war and Corona, we resume  our annual 💥🌌✴️☄️✨stargazing tour, God willing, on Tuesday, July 14

In the heart of the Ramon Crater, our professional and entertaining astronomer, Moshe, will once again help us penetrate worlds beyond ours with the aid of powerful telescopes and guidance.

You may bring your own dinner or grab a bite at one of the eateries in the   Mitzpe Ramon outdoor mall

We will be provided with mattresses.🥱🛏️
You may bring a folding chair if you wish.🪑

Bring a jacket for the evening desert chill🥶
We will be served tea to warm us up and enhance the ambience

On our way to the Crater, we will visit Moshav Lachish in the Judean foothills  (next to the imposing, famous archaeological site, Tel Lachish), where we will visit the most extensive and beautiful private cactus gardens in Israel.🌵🏜️

Departure will be  at the Inbal Hotel at 2:30 pm
Return after midnight to the Inbal Hotel.

Our driver will drop people off along the way back along his route to the hotel.


Cost: 320 shekels💲
shalompollack613@gmail.com

What To Do on the Summer Solistice?

The longest day of the year:

The Trump Iran Deal is Already Dead

 

Hezbollah continues to violate the ceasefire and attack Israel. In recent days, multiple IDF soldiers have been killed.

Put aside, for a moment, the deeply troubling statements made recently by President Trump and Vice President Vance regarding Israel. Focus on the fatal flaw built into this entire framework.

The deal leaves Iran in control of Lebanon through Hezbollah. The United States says it wants to stop Iranian aggression and bring stability to the region. Yet Hezbollah remains untouched—Iran’s military, political, and terror arm inside Lebanon. Hezbollah is not simply another terrorist organization. It is Iran’s occupation force in Lebanon. It dominates major parts of Lebanon’s political and security system, exists to advance Tehran’s regional jihad, and remains armed for one central purpose: threatening and attacking Israel. Any serious agreement designed to curb Iranian aggression would have required Hezbollah to be removed from Lebanon’s military and political equation. Instead, the framework leaves Iran’s most important regional proxy intact. The result is predictable. Iran will continue using Hezbollah to attack Israel. Iran will continue using Hezbollah to dominate Lebanon. And Lebanon will remain hostage to Tehran. This is why Netanyahu faces a test—not merely from Trump, but from God.

Will Israel surrender to international pressure and abandon the security zones necessary to protect Israeli lives? Will Israel stop acting against Hezbollah while Hezbollah continues preparing for the next war? So far, Netanyahu is passing that test. Israel has not withdrawn from southern Lebanon. The IDF continues operating against Hezbollah. Israel understands that no foreign leader, friend or foe, can be trusted with Israel’s security. The clearest proof came last night: Israel struck Hezbollah, Iran walked away from negotiations, and the fighting continued. Nothing fundamental has changed. Iran will never accept a final agreement that ends its nuclear ambitions, dismantles its terror network, and abandons its regional jihad. This diplomatic theater is a temporary pause before the next stage. Israel must remain clear-eyed. Every area Israel leaves in southern Lebanon becomes an opportunity for Hezbollah to rebuild, rearm, and prepare for another October 7th-style attack. Permanent Israeli security control in southern Lebanon is not a luxury. It is a necessity. And if Israel truly wants lasting security for the north, the IDF must eventually push Hezbollah back to the Litani River—the nearest defensible geographic line for protecting Israel’s northern communities. The deeper lesson is simple: do not place your faith in politicians, agreements, or headlines. Place your faith in God, in the strength of the Jewish people, and in our historic responsibility to defend our sovereign homeland. The road ahead will not be easy. But with faith, courage, and determination, Israel will emerge stronger. Am Yisrael Chai!!!

כנראה שמשיח צריך להגיע! 🫵 התגובה הדרמטית מאד של מרן הרב זילברשטיין על המהפך של טראמפ

 

⛓️כתב האישום בשערי כלא 10: החיילים נהרגים מפני שרודפים את התורה! מצמרר, רה"י רבי חנוך כהן בנאום חריף

 

Connecting the Pipes Properly | Rabbi Doniel Osher Kleinman

 

Mezuzah Of The Mouth - R' Yaakov Moshe Twerski

 

Thousands Of Haredi Jews Clash With Police Over Military Draft In Jerusalem | APT

 

Haredi Jew Protest:Thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jewish demonstrators gathered in Jerusalem after a member of the Haredi community was jailed for refusing military service, reigniting one of Israel's most divisive domestic debates. Footage showed protesters praying, chanting and clashing with police as they condemned the imprisonment of the draft refuser. Demonstrators argued that compulsory military service threatens the ultra-Orthodox way of life and religious traditions, with some saying Torah study should not be treated as a crime. The issue of military conscription for Haredi Jews has become increasingly controversial in Israel, particularly as legal challenges and security pressures have intensified calls for broader military service requirements.

Meanwhile: “SHE WILL REGRET HER ACTIONS”:

 …….. Chacham Nissim Ben Shimon Leads Emergency Gathering Over Arrests Of Bnei Torah

Dozens of Sephardi rabbanim, roshei yeshiva, and heads of mosdos gathered Thursday at the Halichos Moshe Bais Medrash in Bnei Brak for an emergency meeting led by Chacham Nissim Ben Shimon and Chacham Shlomo Machpud.

The purpose of the gathering was to express a clear and firm position on behalf of the Sephardi Torah world and to protest the arrests of yeshiva bochurim and kollel avreichim.

Rabbanim, roshei yeshiva, and community leaders who addressed the gathering spoke about the importance of safeguarding the honor and standing of Torah and called for unity and a public outcry over what they described as ongoing disrespect toward lomdei Torah.

In his address, Chacham Nissim Ben Shimon cited the Chazal that, “Whoever disgraces Torah scholars has no remedy for his affliction.” He then referred directly to Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara and said that by next week she is expected to feel unwell and come to regret her actions. He concluded by calling on the public to strengthen itself and awaken to the situation.

At the conclusion of the gathering, a joint decision was made to hold a mass public rally in Bnei Brak on Motzaei Shabbos Parshas Balak. According to the organizers, the event is expected to be attended by rabbanim, roshei yeshiva, roshei kollel, and leading Torah figures from across the city.

Organizers said the rally is expected to include significant declarations, and that far-reaching steps regarding the future public response of the Sephardi Torah world may be presented.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

https://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/israel-news/2564401/she-will-regret-her-actions-chacham-nissim-ben-shimon-leads-emergency-gathering-over-arrests-of-bnei-torah.html

BREAKING: Gog Umagog Just Entered Its Final Stage

 Actually, just the “next” step in the process. We are watching a lot of maneuvering on the world stage (Hashem moving the chess pieces for the next big event). Recommend reading this Purim opinion: https://shiratdevorah.blogspot.com/2026/06/its-all-written.html

Rebbetzen Tziporah: The Moshe In You

 Dear friends,

It happened many years ago. One of my kids brought home cute little chicks from Machane Yehuda. They were soft and yellow – really adorable. The problem (or more correctly, my problem), was that they didn’t die. Needless to say, the kids got tired of them once they reached the awkward adolescent stage, (as happens to many “parents”) and their care, feeding, and the cleanup that goes with them became my job. They outgrew their box, and I moved them to the porch. The new reality of life at the Hellers began to feel normal. (I am sure lots of people have half-grown chickens on their porches.) …Until the Guest From South Africa came. She was very civilized….

The guest room adjoined the porch. When she wanted a bit more air, she opened the door and They came in on a search and destroy mission. When she called me (“So sorry to trouble you, but…” was how she began), I was in a real quandary. I couldn’t chase them back onto the porch and close them in. It was shabbos, and trapping animals is forbidden. I explained the situation as best as I could. I tried shooing them on to the porch and bribing them with food to stay there, but to them it was a no-go. I will save the end of the story for another letter, (suffice to say it wasn’t one of the “And that’s how I came to Neve and became frum” stories), but the part that is relevant to us now is the fact that Judaism is not always easy to explain.

The Sefer HaChinuch divides the mitzvos into three categories paralleling the ability of humans to use their capacities to serve Hashem in each aspect of what makes us ourselves. The first category is called Mishpatim, judgements: mitzvos that our minds affirm easily as moving you beyond the limitations of the animal self (which only wants survival and pleasure). An example of this kind of commandment – not speaking lashon hara. Anyone can see how much more positivity is generated. Another category is called Eidos: mitzvos that create memories from which deeply spiritual emotions are born. Eating matzah makes you remember Hashem’s presence and His love and His miracles in ways that just reading the haggadah will never do on its own. The last category is Chukkim, literally laws that are “engraved” into reality. There are reasons, but not ones that the human mind can grasp easily.

No chok is harder to unlock than the one about sacrificing a red cow, throwing in cedar and hyssop, and many, many more details none of which are easily explained. To make things even more complicated, those who were involved in the offering were defiled, but the ashes purified.

A WORD OF WARNING – PROCEED WITH CAUTION
A chok is meant to be seen as a decree, and when you obey it, it changes your relationship with Hashem, not in spite of the fact that you don’t see how obeying the law in question benefits you rationally or emotionally, but because, at least at the time, you worship Hashem and not your own ego.

Explanations can describe the effect of keeping the chukkim. The effect that you can see or experience, and the cause are not the same thing. One effect of a rational law, such as not speaking lashon hara, is that it prevents degradation and negativity, but it also makes you more aware of the creativity and destructive power of speech and many other effects that you may or may not have already noticed. Hashem’s intent may be far wider and definitely is far deeper than your ability to track down the effect and “translate” it as being the cause.

Sforno points out that sin is comparable to death, in that by its nature you are cut off from the source of all life, Hashem. Each sin generates a specific kind of blockage. Changing without getting at the character trait that generates the sin can be like cutting weeds without uprooting them – they grow back.

How do you “uproot” a bad character trait (and by “bad,” it goes without saying the intent is “misused” in a way that generates spiritual blockage)? Sforno quotes the Rambam, who tells us that all excessive expression of character traits ends up being a blockage. An example is that too much thrift becomes stinginess; too much reaching out to others (disguised as kindness) can degenerate into promiscuity.

If you look at yourself honestly (which, as you know, is always a hassle), and you discover that you have crossed the line, Rambam tells you the way to go is to head towards the opposite extreme. The way this works is similar to what you would do if you planted a tree and saw that it was growing crooked. To keep it straight, you would put a stick on the other side and tie the tree to the stick to compensate for the imbalance. Of course, you would have to be careful not to tie it too tightly because if you do, you will break the tree. Your aim is the middle, but to get there you have to spend some time at the opposite extreme.

The cedar tree is very tall and is often used as a symbol of arrogance. Hyssop is close to the ground and can be seen as a symbol of self-destructive disbelief in yourself and your potential. They are both forces that can take you further and further away from your inherent closeness to Hashem. They belong in the fire where they become one, and now can be used for purification.
This is only one aspect of this sacrifice, and only one “face” of this aspect. Even Shlomo, the wisest of men, didn’t really understand this mitzvah entirely, but there was one person who did.

MOSHE, YOU, AND THE PARAH ADUMAH
Moshe is referred to frequently in the Zohar and other similar works as the Raya Mehemna, which literally means the faithful shepherd. The words can also be interpreted as meaning the shepherd of faith.

Keeping the chukkim doesn’t demand brilliance. It demands faith. Every one of you has a deep repository of faith. Before your soul entered a body, it was exposed to Hashem’s infinite light.
Can you see it now? Not consciously, but to use the words of the Zohar, “Your mazal sees it,” meaning the way Hashem leads you through your life gives you a glimpse of Who created you and where you came from.

This is expressed by focusing on the word emunah. It doesn’t mean faith in the sense of an intuitive desire to find meaning. It means faithfulness to something that is real and there within you. The way it finds expression is by letting go of your ego and keeping the mitzvos (especially the chukkim) because they were decreed by Hashem.

Moshe is never praised in the Torah for any trait other than his humility. That was the key to his understanding what the parah adumah is about. Something of Moshe is in the spiritual leadership of every generation, and there is even a bit of Moshe in ordinary people like us.
When do you see it? When you do something that demands that you see beyond yourself and serve Hashem with even a small degree of mesiras nefesh.

You really are a little bit like Moshe. I will give you a couple of examples of what that looks like.

1.     My downstairs neighbors, the Diamond family (who really deserve their name), have a box gemach. What that means is that when people get their orders delivered from the local supermarkets, instead of throwing away the cartons they leave them in front of Diamond’s door. He then folds them, stores them in his machsan, and makes them available to anyone who is moving or needs boxes for other purposes. They recently expanded their “business” and now have a box in which you can put returnable bottles to be picked up by a woman who is in deep financial distress, who redeems them and can then put a few shekels in her pocket.

2.     I was at a sheva brachos this Shabbos. I mentioned to my husband’s daughter, Chaya Baila (I hope she sees this), that the waiters were working so hard. They hardly had a moment to sit down. She told me that she noticed this a while back, and now when she goes to a simchah, she takes a few really good chocolate bars for the waiters.

3.     Another neighbor, Rabbi Gedalya Elfenbein zt”l, was weakened severely in the course of his final illness and was unable to stay up Shavuos night as he had done for many years. He “made up” for having missed many recitations of Kaddish and Kedushah by going to the local minyan factory (Imrei Shefer) for a few hours the next day to give himself the chance to praise Hashem as much as possible.

Did you notice that none of these deeds made the news? That’s what galus haShechinah is about. We don’t see the Shechinah. We are busy with Trump and more....

Hearing about the Moshe in other people makes it easier to see it in yourself. Please send me some of your Moshe moments, with or without names.

Love,
Tziporah

Yahrzeit of Aaron HaCohen z"l on Rosh Chodesh Av

 

"Let Aharon be gathered to his kin"

(Numbers 20:24)

Tammuz 4, 5786/June 19, 2026

"Let Aharon be gathered to his kin." (Numbers 20:24) So begins 

one of the Torah's most poignant descriptions: the final moments of Aharon's life on earth. 

He is brought up to Mount Hor by Moshe and Elazar, his son. HaShem tells Moshe, "Strip Aharon of his vestments and put them on his son Eleazar. There Aharon shall be gathered unto the dead. Moshe did as HaShem had commanded. They ascended Mount Hor in the sight of the whole community. Moshe stripped Aharon of his vestments and put them on his son Eleazar, and Aharon died there on the summit of the mountain. When Moshe and Eleazar came down from the mountain, the whole community knew that Aharon had breathed his last. All the house of Israel bewailed Aharon thirty days." (ibid 20:26-29)

Aharon's death is not the first of the deaths of the three siblings 

who led Israel out of Egypt. 

Miriam's death is recorded earlier in the parasha, albeit the description of her passing was quite succinct: "The children of Israel arrived in a body at the wilderness of Tzin on the first new moon, and the people stayed at Kadesh. Miriam died there and was buried there." (ibid 20:1) 

The announcement of Miriam's death comes as a shock. The brevity of the Torah's announcement of her demise reflects the brevity of life itself. We are here today, and, literally, gone tomorrow. The lesson imparted in the account of Aharon's death teaches us a more comforting lesson. Aharon dies, but his legacy lives on in his children. 

Elazar  inherits Aharon's garments and replaces Aharon as the Kohen Gadol. Want to live forever? Have children. Teach them well. 

While Miriam's death comes as a shock, the same cannot be said about the death Aharon and Moshe.  Although Moshe's death will not be described by the Torah until the conclusion of the book of Deuteronomy, both he and Aharon received their death sentence at the precise same moment:  
  
"But HaShem said to Moshe and Aharon, “Because you did not trust Me enough to affirm My sanctity in the sight of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not lead this congregation into the land that I have given them.” (ibid 20:12) While it is true that we have been forewarned about the deaths of Moshe and Aharon, the reason for HaShem's thunderously swift decision to end their time on earth does come as a shock. Yes, Moshe erred, striking the rock when he was instructed to talk to it. 

Yes, Moshe was wrong to so severely castigate the children of Israel, calling them "rebels." (ibid 20:10) But after all that Moshe has done for Israel, how can HaShem, who called Moshe "My servant Moshe; most trusted throughout My household," (ibid12:7) so summarily call it a day for Moshe? And Aharon? How was he implicated in Moshe's misstep?

Our sages have struggled with all these questions and every attempted explanation, while insightful and meaningful, ultimately come up short. We mortals simply can't see things as HaShem sees things. And as troubling as that might be at times, ultimately, it is a comfort. We live our lives, we do our best and we accept our fates. 

Perhaps the greatest comfort is what we are taught at the beginning of this week's parasha, Chukat: the commandment of the red heifer, whose ashes remove the impurity of death from the living. Every bit as incomprehensible as death itself, and quite possibly intentionally so, the carefully prepared ashes of the red heifer guarantee, not only purity for  the living, but also transmit the message that death itself is not an end. 

There is life after death. And though we do not know what awaits us in the world to come, and we are even forbidden, Maimonides teaches us, to speculate on what might await us, we nevertheless are allowed a glimmer of that divine promise through the ashes of a simple, uncomprehending cow, whose hairs happen to be red, (edom, in Hebrew), like the earth, (adamah) of which we are formed. 

If it all seems bewildering, perhaps it is meant to. Death, as is life, is G-d's decision. He decides at what moment we enter the world and He decides what moment we exit. What is up to us, and this is the most important thing in G-d's eyes, is how we live our lives, to what purpose do we dedicate our days on earth. 

By the merit of Miriam Israel was provided with fresh water all throughout her desert sojournings. When she died the well disappeared, but tradition holds that Miriam's well's final resting place is beneath the Sea of Galilee (the Kinneret), where it continues to provide life for Israel. When Aharon died, we are told that the clouds of glory which hovered over Israel and protected Israel from harm, also vanished. But those clouds of glory are most certainly found today in the skies over Israel, guarding over HaShem's children. 

And Aharon's children, to this day bless every morning the children of Israel with the priestly blessing first uttered by Aharon, as they anxiously await the moment they will be called once again to serve haShem in the Holy Temple. And every aspect of our lives, indeed, of our civilization, is imbued with the teachings of Moshe, who died with his one greatest wish, to enter into the land promised by G-d, the land to whose border he led Israel, unfulfilled. Take comfort, Moshe. We are here today by your merit.

Life, like the red heifer, is full of contradictions, of puzzles, of unanswered questions. We are told that King Solomon,the wisest man on earth, sought to understand the statute of the red heifer and threw himself into its study, only to come up empty handed. But at the end of his search Solomon did come up with this sage advice: "The end of the matter, everything having been heard, fear G-d and keep His commandments, for this is the entire man." (Ecclesiastes 12:13) And that, truly, is the answer to all our questions.