Where Did Half of Menashe Come From? The Amazing Approach of Tzror Hamor

 

The Holy Hikers: HIKING THE HOLYLAND

 

On Substack: The Geography of the Soul

This one's more personal. We spent much of last summer traveling in America — we saw national parks, redwoods, Pacific sunsets, and family from New Orleans to Connecticut.  And somewhere in the middle of all that beauty, everything started to feel oddly muted, like life was happening behind a filter.

It wasn't until we came home and I walked a dusty, thorny trail through the Judean hills that the world snapped back into focus. I wrote about what that filter is, and why this land — which doesn't always photograph as beautifully — feels so much more alive.

Read it on Substack: The Geography of the Soul
(This one was also featured by the Times of Israel this week.)

The Three Weeks, David & BatSheva give Birth to Moshiach on Shabbos, Victory in Straits of Hormuz

 

How does The Three Weeks, between the Straits relate to the Redemption from Egypt, and a US Victory over Iran in the Strait of Hormuz? Will the Summer of Moshiach begin? Did King David & Queen BatSheva give birth to Moshiach on Shabbos, a week before the Shabbos of Tisha B'Av? We will learn Sanhedrin 107 and 2 Samuel 12 to look for answers.

Jerusalem Today! From the Jewish Quarter to the Western Wall

 

Yosef haTzaddik – Hilula on Tammuz 27th.

 https://dailyzohar.com/tzadikim/52-Yosef-HaTzaddik-Joseph-The-Righteous

Yosef was of the 12 sons of Yaakov Avinu,  and became a chariot (merkavah) for the sefirah of Yesod.

 Yosef was the son of Yaakov Avinu (Jacob the Patriarch) and Rachel Imeinu.

Some people celebrate the Hilula on Tammuz 27th.

 Yaakov took the birthright away from Reuben and gave it to Yosef. It was suitable for the birthright to come from Rachel. (Bava Batra 86:6, 123a).

   Ruach HaKodesh (Divine Inspiration) rested on Yosef from his youth until his dying day, guiding him in all matters of wisdom (Pirkei d'Rabbi Eliezer 39).

  When Yosef went out to rule over Egypt, the daughters of kings would peek out of the lattices and pelt him with jewelry and rings so that he would look at them - but he did not look (Bereishit Rabbah 98:18). Every day he saw daughters of kings - sometimes adorned, sometimes perfumed, sometimes unclothed - but he did not allow himself to be tempted (Yalkut Shimoni, Vayeshev 145).

   After being sold by his brothers, he ended up in Egypt. He worked at the house of Potiphar. Potiphar's wife tried everyday to seduce him, but he refused again and again to surrender to her.
     The Zohar (Zohar I, p. 194b) states: "Rabbi Shimon says, prior to the occurrence of that test to Yosef, [he] was not called a tzaddik. Because he kept from damaging the covenant of the foundation (Yesod) he was called a tzaddik." Thus, Yosef's encounter with Potiphar's wife was a turning point in Yosef's life. 

   A Tzaddik is the foundation of the world (Yesod Olam). Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzato (in the book of rules, Sefer HaKlalim) explains that the quality of Yesod, foundation, is that it funnels the abundance from the other qualities (Sfirot). The Lord is overflowing with mercy (Chesed) and wisdom (Binah). This abundance is directed through the foundation (Yesod) to its final destination, our physical mundane level.
   Foundations also have another quality they are well anchored. Because they transfer energy between two forces, they are connected to both. The tzaddik is connected both to the spiritual world and the materialistic world acting as a channel by which the spiritual abundance can be received in the materialistic world. As such, the just (Tzadik) has deep roots and is not easily blown away. Joseph was a tzaddik, because Joseph funneled the Lord's bountifulness. Had it not been for Joseph's nomination as viceroy Egypt would have wasted the seven bountiful years. 

Yosef's Soul

  When Yosef was released from jail he received an incarnation of the soul of Chanoch ben Yered (who became the angel Matatron), a high soul from the level of Neshama of Atzilut of Zihara ila'ah. This level of soul was included in Adam, but was not impured by his sin. This high level of soul gave Yosef the beauty of Adam. At that same night the angel Gavriel appeared to Yosef and taught him 70 languages (Sha'ar HaGilgulim, hakdama 31).    

Yosef's soul returned as one of the Asara Harugei Malchut (Ten Martyrs), (an incident which took place after the destruction of  The Second Temple), Rabbi Yishmael Kohen Gadol was the reincarnation of Yosef. 
According to the Ari (R' Yitzchak Luria).

Yosef himself caused the brothers to sell him, and all that happened to him as a result (Sha'ar HaGilgulim, hakdama 31). Between publicizing his dreams of rulership, and speaking lashon haraabout his brothers, Yosef brought upon himself all of his misfortune. 

   "The city of Shechem, is the secret of Yosef, who corresponds to the sefirah Yesod? This is why Shechem was given to Yosef [and his descendants) for his attribute is Yesod." 
(Chesed L'Avraham, Ma'ayan 3, Nahar 13, by Rabbi Avraham Azulai). Yosef was buried in the city of Shechem

Look from the inside out

Panoramic view of the outside. 

Panoramic view of the inside.

May the merit of  Yosef HaTzaddik protect us all, Amen.

Yosef ben Yaakov Avinu zt"l……. הרב יוסף בן יעקב זצ"ל

 

Yahrzeits for Sunday

27th of Tammuz

כ"ז תמוז התשפ"ו

Yosef ben Yaakov Ovinu zt"l

“Yosef HaTzaddik” Tammuz 27, 0 / 0 Tehillim Leilui Nishmas Yosef ben Yaakov Ovinu  ידֶיךָ עָשׂוּנִי וַיְכוֹנְנוּנִי הֲבִינֵנִי וְאֶלְמְדָה מִצְוֹתֶיךָ: יְרֵאֶיךָ יִרְאוּנִי וְיִשְׂמָחוּ כִּי לִדְבָרְךָ יִחָלְתִּי: יָדַעְתִּי יְהוָה כִּי צֶדֶק מִשְׁפָּטֶיךָ וֶאֱמוּנָה עִנִּיתָנִי: יְהִי נָא חַסְדְּךָ לְנַחֲמֵנִי כְּאִמְרָתְךָ לְעַבְדֶּךָ: יְבֹאוּנִי רַחֲמֶיךָ וְאֶחְיֶה כִּי תוֹרָתְךָ שַׁעֲשֻׁעָי: יֵבֹשׁוּ זֵדִים כִּי שֶׁקֶר עִוְּתוּנִי אֲנִי אָשִׂיחַ בְּפִקּוּדֶיךָ: יָשׁוּבוּ לִי יְרֵאֶיךָ (וידעו) וְיֹדְעֵי עֵדֹתֶיךָ: יְהִי לִבִּי תָמִים בְּחֻקֶּיךָ לְמַעַן לֹא אֵבוֹשׁ: כָּלְתָה לִתְשׁוּעָתְךָ נַפְשִׁי לִדְבָרְךָ יִחָלְתִּי: וִיבֹאֻנִי חֲסָדֶךָ יְהוָה תְּשׁוּעָתְךָ כְּאִמְרָתֶךָ: וְאֶעֱנֶה חֹרְפִי דָבָר כִּי בָטַחְתִּי בִּדְבָרֶךָ: וְאַל תַּצֵּל מִפִּי דְבַר אֱמֶת עַד מְאֹד כִּי לְמִשְׁפָּטֶךָ יִחָלְתִּי: וְאֶשְׁמְרָה תוֹרָתְךָ תָמִיד לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד: וְאֶתְהַלְּכָה בָרְחָבָה כִּי פִקֻּדֶיךָ דָרָשְׁתִּי: וַאֲדַבְּרָה בְעֵדֹתֶיךָ נֶגֶד מְלָכִים וְלֹא אֵבוֹשׁ: וְאֶשְׁתַּעֲשַׁע בְּמִצְוֹתֶיךָ אֲשֶׁר אָהָבְתִּי: וְאֶשָּׂא כַפַּי אֶל מִצְוֹתֶיךָ אֲשֶׁר אָהָבְתִּי וְאָשִׂיחָה בְחֻקֶּיךָ: סֵעֲפִים שָׂנֵאתִי וְתוֹרָתְךָ אָהָבְתִּי: סִתְרִי וּמָגִנִּי אָתָּה לִדְבָרְךָ יִחָלְתִּי: סוּרוּ מִמֶּנִּי מְרֵעִים וְאֶצְּרָה מִצְוֹת אֱלֹהָי: סָמְכֵנִי כְאִמְרָתְךָ וְאֶחְיֶה וְאַל תְּבִישֵׁנִי מִשִּׂבְרִי: סְעָדֵנִי וְאִוָּשֵׁעָה וְאֶשְׁעָה בְחֻקֶּיךָ תָמִיד: סָלִיתָ כָּל שׁוֹגִים מֵחֻקֶּיךָ כִּי שֶׁקֶר תַּרְמִיתָם: סִגִים הִשְׁבַּתָּ כָל רִשְׁעֵי אָרֶץ לָכֵן אָהַבְתִּי עֵדֹתֶיךָ: סָמַר מִפַּחְדְּךָ בְשָׂרִי וּמִמִּשְׁפָּטֶיךָ יָרֵאתִי: פְּלָאוֹת עֵדְוֹתֶיךָ עַל כֵּן נְצָרָתַם נַפְשִׁי: פֵּתַח דְּבָרֶיךָ יָאִיר מֵבִין פְּתָיִים: פִּי פָעַרְתִּי וָאֶשְׁאָפָה כִּי לְמִצְוֹתֶיךָ יָאָבְתִּי: פְּנֵה אֵלַי וְחָנֵּנִי כְּמִשְׁפָּט לְאֹהֲבֵי שְׁמֶךָ: פְּעָמַי הָכֵן בְּאִמְרָתֶךָ וְאַל תַּשְׁלֶט בִּי כָל אָוֶן: פְּדֵנִי מֵעֹשֶׁק אָדָם וְאֶשְׁמְרָה פִּקּוּדֶיךָ: פָּנֶיךָ הָאֵר בְּעַבְדֶּךָ וְלַמְּדֵנִי אֶת חֻקֶּיךָ: פַּלְגֵי מַיִם יָרְדוּ עֵינָי עַל לֹא שָׁמְרוּ תוֹרָתֶךָ בַּמֶּה יְזַכֶּה נַּעַר אֶת אָרְחוֹ לִשְׁמֹר כִּדְבָרֶךָ: בְּכָל לִבִּי דְרַשְׁתִּיךָ אַל תַּשְׁגֵּנִי מִמִּצְוֹתֶיךָ: בְּלִבִּי צָפַנְתִּי אִמְרָתֶךָ לְמַעַן לֹא אֶחֱטָא לָךְ: בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְהוָה לַמְּדֵנִי חֻקֶּיךָ: בִּשְׂפָתַי סִפַּרְתִּי כֹּל מִשְׁפְּטֵי פִיךָ: בְּדֶרֶךְ עֵדְוֹתֶיךָ שַׂשְׂתִּי כְּעַל כָּל הוֹן: בְּפִקֻּדֶיךָ אָשִׂיחָה וְאַבִּיטָה אֹרְחֹתֶיךָ: בְּחֻקֹּתֶיךָ אֶשְׁתַּעֲשָׁע לֹא אֶשְׁכַּח דְּבָרֶךָ: נֵר לְרַגְלִי דְבָרֶךָ וְאוֹר לִנְתִיבָתִי: נִשְׁבַּעְתִּי וָאֲקַיֵּמָה לִשְׁמֹר מִשְׁפְּטֵי צִדְקֶךָ: נַעֲנֵיתִי עַד מְאֹד יְהוָה חַיֵּנִי כִדְבָרֶךָ: נִדְבוֹת פִּי רְצֵה נָא יְהוָה וּמִשְׁפָּטֶיךָ לַמְּדֵנִי: נַפְשִׁי בְכַפִּי תָמִיד וְתוֹרָתְךָ לֹא שָׁכָחְתִּי: נָתְנוּ רְשָׁעִים פַּח לִי וּמִפִּקּוּדֶיךָ לֹא תָעִיתִי: נָחַלְתִּי עֵדְוֹתֶיךָ לְעוֹלָם כִּי שְׂשׂוֹן לִבִּי הֵמָּה: נָטִיתִי לִבִּי לַעֲשׂוֹת חֻקֶּיךָ לְעוֹלָם עֵקֶב: ידֶיךָ עָשׂוּנִי וַיְכוֹנְנוּנִי הֲבִינֵנִי וְאֶלְמְדָה מִצְוֹתֶיךָ: יְרֵאֶיךָ יִרְאוּנִי וְיִשְׂמָחוּ כִּי לִדְבָרְךָ יִחָלְתִּי: יָדַעְתִּי יְהוָה כִּי צֶדֶק מִשְׁפָּטֶיךָ וֶאֱמוּנָה עִנִּיתָנִי: יְהִי נָא חַסְדְּךָ לְנַחֲמֵנִי כְּאִמְרָתְךָ לְעַבְדֶּךָ: יְבֹאוּנִי רַחֲמֶיךָ וְאֶחְיֶה כִּי תוֹרָתְךָ שַׁעֲשֻׁעָי: יֵבֹשׁוּ זֵדִים כִּי שֶׁקֶר עִוְּתוּנִי אֲנִי אָשִׂיחַ בְּפִקּוּדֶיךָ: יָשׁוּבוּ לִי יְרֵאֶיךָ (וידעו) וְיֹדְעֵי עֵדֹתֶיךָ: יְהִי לִבִּי תָמִים בְּחֻקֶּיךָ לְמַעַן לֹא אֵבוֹשׁ: כָּלְתָה לִתְשׁוּעָתְךָ נַפְשִׁי לִדְבָרְךָ יִחָלְתִּי: עָשִׂיתִי מִשְׁפָּט וָצֶדֶק בַּל תַּנִּיחֵנִי לְעֹשְׁקָי: עֲרֹב עַבְדְּךָ לְטוֹב אַל יַעַשְׁקֻנִי זֵדִים: עֵינַי כָּלוּ לִישׁוּעָתֶךָ וּלְאִמְרַת צִדְקֶךָ: עֲשֵׂה עִם עַבְדְּךָ כְחַסְדֶּךָ וְחֻקֶּיךָ לַמְּדֵנִי: עַבְדְּךָ אָנִי הֲבִינֵנִי וְאֵדְעָה עֵדֹתֶיךָ: עֵת לַעֲשׂוֹת לַיהוָה הֵפֵרוּ תּוֹרָתֶךָ: עַל כֵּן אָהַבְתִּי מִצְוֹתֶיךָ מִזָּהָב וּמִפָּז: עַל כֵּן כָּל פִּקּוּדֵי כֹל יִשָּׁרְתִּי כָּל אֹרַח שֶׁקֶר שָׂנֵאתִי: קָרָאתִי בְכָל לֵב עֲנֵנִי יְהוָה חֻקֶּיךָ אֶצֹּרָה: קְרָאתִיךָ הוֹשִׁיעֵנִי וְאֶשְׁמְרָה עֵדֹתֶיךָ: קִדַּמְתִּי בַנֶּשֶׁף וָאֲשַׁוֵּעָה (לדבריך) לִדְבָרְךָ יִחָלְתִּי: קִדְּמוּ עֵינַי אַשְׁמֻרוֹת לָשִׂיחַ בְּאִמְרָתֶךָ: קוֹלִי שִׁמְעָה כְחַסְדֶּךָ יְהוָה כְּמִשְׁפָּטֶךָ חַיֵּנִי: קָרְבוּ רֹדְפֵי זִמָּה מִתּוֹרָתְךָ רָחָקוּ: קָרוֹב אַתָּה יְהוָה וְכָל מִצְוֹתֶיךָ אֱמֶת: קֶדֶם יָדַעְתִּי מֵעֵדֹתֶיךָ כִּי לְעוֹלָם יְסַדְתָּם: בַּמֶּה יְזַכֶּה נַּעַר אֶת אָרְחוֹ לִשְׁמֹר כִּדְבָרֶךָ: בְּכָל לִבִּי דְרַשְׁתִּיךָ אַל תַּשְׁגֵּנִי מִמִּצְוֹתֶיךָ: בְּלִבִּי צָפַנְתִּי אִמְרָתֶךָ לְמַעַן לֹא אֶחֱטָא לָךְ: בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְהוָה לַמְּדֵנִי חֻקֶּיךָ: בִּשְׂפָתַי סִפַּרְתִּי כֹּל מִשְׁפְּטֵי פִיךָ: בְּדֶרֶךְ עֵדְוֹתֶיךָ שַׂשְׂתִּי כְּעַל כָּל הוֹן: בְּפִקֻּדֶיךָ אָשִׂיחָה וְאַבִּיטָה אֹרְחֹתֶיךָ: בְּחֻקֹּתֶיךָ אֶשְׁתַּעֲשָׁע לֹא אֶשְׁכַּח דְּבָרֶךָ נֵר לְרַגְלִי דְבָרֶךָ וְאוֹר לִנְתִיבָתִי: נִשְׁבַּעְתִּי וָאֲקַיֵּמָה לִשְׁמֹר מִשְׁפְּטֵי צִדְקֶךָ: נַעֲנֵיתִי עַד מְאֹד יְהוָה חַיֵּנִי כִדְבָרֶךָ: נִדְבוֹת פִּי רְצֵה נָא יְהוָה וּמִשְׁפָּטֶיךָ לַמְּדֵנִי: נַפְשִׁי בְכַפִּי תָמִיד וְתוֹרָתְךָ לֹא שָׁכָחְתִּי: נָתְנוּ רְשָׁעִים פַּח לִי וּמִפִּקּוּדֶיךָ לֹא תָעִיתִי: נָחַלְתִּי עֵדְוֹתֶיךָ לְעוֹלָם כִּי שְׂשׂוֹן לִבִּי הֵמָּה: נָטִיתִי לִבִּי לַעֲשׂוֹת חֻקֶּיךָ לְעוֹלָם עֵקֶב: שָׂרִים רְדָפוּנִי חִנָּם (ומדבריך) וּמִדְּבָרְךָ פָּחַד לִבִּי: שָׂשׂ אָנֹכִי עַל אִמְרָתֶךָ כְּמוֹצֵא שָׁלָל רָב: שֶׁקֶר שָׂנֵאתִי וַאֲתַעֵבָה תּוֹרָתְךָ אָהָבְתִּי: שֶׁבַע בַּיּוֹם הִלַּלְתִּיךָ עַל מִשְׁפְּטֵי צִדְקֶךָ: שָׁלוֹם רָב לְאֹהֲבֵי תוֹרָתֶךָ וְאֵין לָמוֹ מִכְשׁוֹל: שִׂבַּרְתִּי לִישׁוּעָתְךָ יְהוָה וּמִצְוֹתֶיךָ עָשִׂיתִי: שָׁמְרָה נַפְשִׁי עֵדֹתֶיךָ וָאֹהֲבֵם מְאֹד: שָׁמַרְתִּי פִקּוּדֶיךָ וְעֵדֹתֶיךָ כִּי כָל דְּרָכַי נֶגְדֶּךָ: מָה אָהַבְתִּי תוֹרָתֶךָ כָּל הַיּוֹם הִיא שִׂיחָתִי: מֵאֹיְבַי תְּחַכְּמֵנִי מִצְוֹתֶךָ כִּי לְעוֹלָם הִיא לִי: מִכָּל מְלַמְּדַי הִשְׂכַּלְתִּי כִּי עֵדְוֹתֶיךָ שִׂיחָה לִֿי: מִזְּקֵנִים אֶתְבּוֹנָן כִּי פִקּוּדֶיךָ נָצָרְתִּי: מִכָּל אֹרַח רָע כָּלִאתִי רַגְלָי לְמַעַן אֶשְׁמֹר דְּבָרֶךָ: מִמִּשְׁפָּטֶיךָ לֹא סָרְתִּי כִּי אַתָּה הוֹרֵתָנִי: מַה נִּמְלְצוּ לְחִכִּי אִמְרָתֶךָ מִדְּבַשׁ לְפִי: מִפִּקּוּדֶיךָ אֶתְבּוֹנָן עַל כֵּן שָׂנֵאתִי כָּל אֹרַח שָׁקֶר: הֲבִינֵנִי וְאֶצְּרָה תוֹרָתֶךָ וְאֶשְׁמְרֶנָּה בְכָל לֵב: הַדְרִיכֵנִי בִּנְתִיב מִצְוֹתֶיךָ כִּי בוֹ חָפָצְתִּי: הַט לִבִּי אֶל עֵדְוֹתֶיךָ וְאַל אֶל בָּצַע: הַעֲבֵר עֵינַי מֵרְאוֹת שָׁוְא בִּדְרָכֶךָ חַיֵּנִי: הָקֵם לְעַבְדְּךָ אִמְרָתֶךָ אֲשֶׁר לְיִרְאָתֶךָ: הַעֲבֵר חֶרְפָּתִי אֲשֶׁר יָגֹרְתִּי כִּי מִשְׁפָּטֶיךָ טוֹבִים: הִנֵּה תָּאַבְתִּי לְפִקֻּדֶיךָ בְּצִדְקָתְךָ חַיֵּנִי:

Rebbetzen Tziporah

 Every Stop Matters

Dear friends,

Making a vow is a serious thing. In essence, it is declaring that your word is connected to the Source of all reality. With that in mind, imagine how ridiculous this scene would be:

Suri (a made-up name just for the letter): "Tziporah, I hate being at a simchah when I don't know anyone else who is there. I know you are going to the Nadler's bar mitzvah. Swear that you will be there by 9." She guilts me into swearing, but before we each go our separate ways, she gives me a drink that causes me to forget anything that happened within the last 24 hours. Is a forgotten vow still a vow?

This question can be applied seriously to the most important commitment you will ever make. Before you were born, an angel taught you the entire Torah. When it is time for you to enter the world, you have to make a vow. "Be a tzadik, and do not be a rasha," we swore. "Even if the entire world tells you that you are a tzadik, in your own eyes, regard yourself as a rasha." The angel then hits you on your mouth, and neither the Torah you learned nor the vow is consciously remembered. What is remembered is a quiet inner voice that says, "You're not there yet." You want to be righteous, but you are not yet there. This voice can be one of the greatest forces in your life.

Or the most destructive.

Without Hashem, that voice becomes relentless self-criticism. With Hashem, the same voice hears Him saying, "I created you for more" – who you are today isn't the end.

Parshas Matos tells you about vows. Parshas Masei tells you about journeys. Close to a whole parshah lists the 42 journeys we made in the desert. The Baal Shem Tov would say that these 42 journeys are the story of every life. Every one of us has a place that is barren – a wilderness. We make stops along the way. Some of them are beautiful and fulfilling, and others are not. Every stop matters. You keep moving.

Living with Torah isn't about arriving. It's about the journey and its stops. It's recognizing that you are always in process, always becoming.

Do you ever "get there"? You do, in the ultimate sense. Steve Jobs (not one of the Tribe) put it well. He said, "You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward." The detours are part of the route. The delays are part of the preparation. Failures are often turning points. When you think you have arrived, you may be at the place you have to use as your point of departure, taking you further than you ever imagined possible.

Hashem is with them every step along the way. They moved forward when the Clouds of Glory moved, telling them that this is His will. The various spellings of the letters within Hashem's four-letter Name (Yud, Hei, Vav, Hei) are often used as Kabbalistic formulas to tell you what aspect of Himself He is allowing you to perceive at a given time. For instance, the letter vav can be spelled vav-vav or vav-alef-vav. Thus, each of the alternative spellings gives you a different total in gematria. The Forty-Two-Letter Name is used to hint at the way Hashem "transitions," so to speak, and "moves between worlds."

Some of you may have noticed that one of the deepest moments of "movement" is moving between your ordinary life and the life you live on Shabbos. Some of you may not – it happens consciously or not, but it happens. The short prayer right before Lecha Dodi has seven lines with six words per line, hinting at Hashem's allowing us to move toward Him at these moments of transition.

A much less esoteric forty-two is one that you are familiar with but most likely never gave much thought to (don't worry, neither did I – I saw this in a sefer). There are 42 words in the first paragraph of Shema, the one that tells you how to love Hashem. This is where each stop on your personal journey can take you.

You can love Hashem with your heart, with all of your longings, even when they are misdirected. You can turn them around. With your soul (and it may take some effort to notice its presence in your minute-to-minute rush against the clock), with your resources... when you lie down and hardly feel alive, and when you have the spiritual adrenaline flowing so that you are more awake than awake.

One of the greats who wrote about this with depth and passion was Rebbe Nachman. He would tell you how to make it all work.

"The world is a very narrow bridge.

The main thing, the rule, is not to scare yourself."

(The correct translation is not "not to be afraid at all," but rather "not to scare yourself at all.")

I will be at his tomb tomorrow.

I'll let you know about the journey next week, BEH.

Love,

Tziporah

The atmosphere in the Old City of Jerusalem and at the Western Wall.

 

Noam HaShabbos

Do You Have Shabbos For Shabbos? | Rabbi Naftali Reich.

 
 

 Shabbos Light Shines Brighter | Rabbi Yoni Levin  

 Preparation Is The Key To Yom Hashvii | Rabbi Mordechai Groner

Matot-Matsei: Machlah, Tirtzah, Choglah, Milkah, and Noa

 

“Tzelofchad’s daughters—Machlah, Tirtzah, Choglah, Milkah, and Noa"

 

(Numbers 36:11)

 

Tammuz 25, 5786/July 10, 2026

 

WIth the parasha mechuberet - double Torah portion - of Matot-Masei we conclude the book of Numbers. It has been a turbulent, tumultuous and, at times, troubling forty years in the wilderness. And the drama doesn't stop, even as we approach Israel's final days east of the Jordan river. HaShem commanded Moshe to lead Israel into a war of vengeance against the Midianites who had seduced Israel into brazen acts of idolatry, and a brutal war it was. Israel, by G-d's command, slaughtered every last man and woman save for virgin girls, and along with them, the Torah specifically mentions, the heathen prophet Bilaam, whose last minute advice to Balak, king of Moav, is what led israel into the abyss of idolatry. 

The conclusion of the war is followed by a meticulous accounting of all the booty seized by Israel, and then, unexpectedly, the heads of the tribes of Reuven and Gad approach Moshe   with a request, one very difficult for Moshe to accept. They sought to end their journey east of the Jordan, in the fertile lands Israel has just conquered from the Midianites. Moshe is irate that Reuven and Gad should make such a request: hadn't they learned a thing from the sin of the spies? But when the heads of the two tribes vow to join their fellow tribes in conquering the land of Canaan and acquiring their G-d given land inheritances before returning to the land of Ya'zer and Gilead, Moshe accedes to their request. 

We might assume that this is the last bit of unfinished business before entering into Canaan, but one last contingent of Israelites, these from the tribe of Menashe approach Moshe with a petition. They are concerned that the five daughters of Tzelophchad, having acquired their father's land inheritance, might marry outside of the tribe and therefore enable the tribal land of Menashe to be annexed to a fellow tribe. Moshe hears their concern and states that the five daughters of Tzelophchad, Machlah, Tirtzah, Choglah, Milkah, and Noa, must marry within their tribe. 

And so they do. After forty years of travel through the wilderness, stopping at forty two locations along the way, (as listed by Moshe at the beginning of parashat Masei), and after endless, and at times, pointless complaining, lashon hara, a catastrophic collapse of national will and faith in  HaShem, rebellion, being swallowed up by the earth, heated confrontations, serpents and promiscuity and idolatry and insolent demands, the Torah's account of Israel's forty years in the wilderness ends, surprisingly, on a positive and  positively happy note:

"Tzelofchad’s daughters did as HaShem had commanded Moshe. Tzelofchad’s daughters — Machlah, Tirtzah, Choglah, Milkah, and Noa — married their cousins. They married into the families of the sons of Menashe, son of Yosef, and their inheritance remained with the tribe of their father’s family."   (Numbers 36:10-12) One last verse follows this happy news, bringing our journey to an end: 

"These are the commandments and the ordinances that HaShem commanded the children of Israel through Moshe in the plains of Moav, by the Jordan River, opposite Jericho." (ibid 36:13)

Far from being a simple fairy tale ending, there is much more here than meets the eye. First of all, the five daughters of Tzelofchad are mentioned by name on three different occasions in the book of Numbers. And they are mentioned one more time in the book of Joshua (chapter 17). Why does the Torah honor them so? There are other figures who appear in the book of numbers whose names are not mentioned once, let alone three times. The men who came to Moshe wanting to partake in the Passover offering despite being ritually unclean are not named. 

We don't know the names of the seventy elders, nor those who were granted a one time spirit of prophecy, with the exception of Eldad and Medad. And only very rarely are women in the Torah mentioned by name at all! Miriam, the prophet and sister of Moshe and Aharon, who guarded over her baby brother Moshe and saw to his survival is mentioned by name in the Torah a total of nine times only. And five of those mentions were in connection to her speaking ill of Moshe and her subsequent punishment. 

Yet, each of the five daughters of Tzelophchad, Machlah, Tirtzah, Choglah, Milkah, and Noa, who appeared out of nowhere, late in our story, are mentioned by name three times! Even the post biblical literature, the Talmud, Midrash and the Zohar discuss the virtues of the five sisters at great length. What was so special about Machlah, Tirtzah, Choglah, Milkah, and Noa?

We know that the sisters displayed great courage approaching Moshe and petitioning him before the entire assembly of Israel, the seventy elders and the Kohen Gadol included. But they also exhibited great wisdom. Their reasoning was spot on. The logic of their argument was unassailable. So much so that when Moshe turned to HaShem for an answer, HaShem responded: "Zelophehad's daughters speak justly." (ibid 27:7) One can sense HaShem's delight in His succinct approval. The sisters received a direct reply from HaShem! He then amends His own laws concerning inheritance in order to accommodate the sisters' request. And scripture doesn't stop here. In the book of Joshua we read of the actual fulfillment of HaShem's ruling:  

"But Tzelofchad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Menashe, had no sons, but daughters; and these are the names of his daughter: Machlah, and Noa, Choglah, Milkah, and Tirtzah. And they came near before Eleazar the kohen, and before Yehoshua the son of Nun, and before the princes, saying, 'HaShem commanded Moshe to give us an inheritance among our brothers.' According to the commandment of HaShem, he gave them an inheritance among the brothers of their father. And there fell ten portions to Menashe, besides the land of Gilead and Bashan, which is on the other side of the Jordan. Because the daughters of Menashe had an inheritance among his sons; and the rest of Menashe's sons had the land of Gilead." (Joshua 17:3-6)

The Torah sees to it that we witness the fulfillment of HaShem's reply to the five sisters. Why all the fuss? The sisters' petition wasn't just any old request. They were determined to have a share in the land of Israel. Unlike the leaders of Reuven and Gad, who saw opportunity outside of the promised land and longed for it, Machlah, Tirtzah, Choglah, Milkah, and Noa wanted a portion in the land G-d has promised their father when he left Egypt with all his contemporaries. 

Tzelophchad, like all his brethren, would not see his inheritance because the males of his generation rejected G-d's promise. But his daughters, like all the other women who left Egypt, were not a part of the sin of the spies. 

Nor had they partaken in the sin of the golden calf. In fact, going back to Pharaoh's attempt to annihilate the Hebrew slaves, we witnessed the women, the midwives, Puah and Shifrah, and the efforts of Yocheved, Moshe's mother, and Miriam, Moshe's sister, and the righteous women who donated their copper mirrors for the building of the Tabernacle laver, all of whom played a major role in Israel's redemption, and, if not for their love and trust in HaShem, Israel's story would have ended back in Egypt before it even started. Machlah, Tirtzah, Choglah, Milkah, and Noa are the proud carriers of the same fire and faith that inspired the women who preceded them. They fought for their share of the land of Israel and will forever be praised.

Midrash tells us that the five sisters excelled in wisdom, and points out that their names are listed one time as "Machlah, Noa, Choglah, Milkah, and Tirtzah," (Numbers 27:1) and another time, in a different order, as "Machlah, Tirtzah, Choglah, Milkah, and Noa," to teach us that they were equal both in wisdom and in righteousness. 

So it is only fitting that the book of Numbers should conclude on the happy note of their marriage: "Tzelofchad’s daughters did as HaShem had commanded Moshe. Tzelofchad’s daughters — Machlah, Tirtzah, Choglah, Milkah, and Noa — married their cousins." "As HaShem had commanded." 

They were not only righteous in demanding their fair share of HaShem's gift of the land, they were also righteous in fulfilling HaShem's commandment to marry within their tribe. Again, tradition tells us that the sisters did not rush into marriage. Despite the limitations on whom they might marry, they each waited patiently for just the right man. 

And despite their advanced ages beneath the chuppah, they all, due to their righteousness, were blessed with many children. Machlah, Tirtzah, Choglah, Milkah, and Noa — may their names and their righteous deeds forever be a blessing!

 

Reb Neuberger: Matos - Masei

 BS"D

HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO TREAT EACH OTHER?

 

I was riding the Light Rail in Yerushalayim. The train passes through the Arab community of Shuafat, which looks like Damascus or Baghdad. Basically, everyone who boards the train in Shuafat is an Arab.
 
At one of the stations in Shuafat, a huge man boarded the train. He sat down next to me; he was so big that he squashed me against the window. Then he turned and apologized (because he knew he was squashing me). The last thing I expected was an apology! But the surprises were not over. As my station approached, he looked at me again and put his finger to his lips. Then he whispered in my ear, “My mother is a Jew! My father is an Arab and that is why I speak Arabic. But in my heart I am a Jew!” 
 
Can you imagine this! I gave him blessings and told him, “Moshiach is coming soon.” Then I wished him well and left the train. My heart was pounding. 
 
My friends, do you understand this? I want to say that the imminence of the Geulah Shelemah is palpable in the world. There are two parallel phenomena: on one hand, the forces of evil are attacking kedusha. The Jewish People, as Hashem’s representatives, are being harassed on every level. 
 
Yet, at the same time, more and more people are seeking Hashem. Recently, a prominent American rabbi told my friend that he had never before seen so many non-Jews seeking to convert! And, on a train, an “Arab” approaches a complete stranger and tells him that he is a Jew! 
 
At this time of ferment, as we approach Tisha b’Av – the day when sinas chinom caused the destruction of Bayis Shaini– I would like to examine a matter of derech eretz, namely how we are supposed to relate to each other. Let’s cite some sources. 
 
“Who is destined for a share in the World to Come? One who is modest and humble, who enters bowing and leaves bowing, who learns Torah constantly but doesn’t take credit for himself.” (Sanhedrin 88b) This is how we are to behave! This is an entire lifestyle! The nations of the world say, “I am Number One,” but that is the opposite of the Torah way. We are – lehavdil -- to go out of our way to excel in humility and gentleness. 
 
What words do we say every night before we go to sleep? “Ribono shel Olam … Master of the Universe, I hereby forgive anyone who angered or antagonized me or who sinned against me,” followed by a long list of every situation in which this can occur. Hashem wants each day to conclude with total peace among all His Children! 
 
At the end of every Shemoneh Esreh we say, “To those who curse me, let my soul be silent, and let my soul be like dust to everyone.” We are called upon to nullify our egos in order to create harmony. This is not optional! This is halacha!
 
But, according to the Ari Hakodesh, we are not even allowed to begin Shemoneh Esreh without accepting upon ourselves the mitzvah to love every Jew as we love ourselves! In other words, we cannot ask for anything from Hashem before we elevate ourselves to the level where we feel totally united with our brothers and sisters!
 
The Chofetz Chaim zt”l quotes Tanna D’vei Eliyahu: “So said Hashem to the Jewish People: My Beloved Children … What is it that I ask of you? Only that you love each other and honor one another and respect one another!” (Shmiras ha Loshon)
 
My friends, I really wonder how any thinking Jew can fight with another Jew, or imagine that another Jew is – chas v’Shalom – on a lower madreiga than he is! I understand that we are all human, but we have to know that this catastrophic attitude is the root of all our troubles! We went into Egyptian slavery because the brothers fought with Yosef! Bayis Shaini was destroyed because of sinas chinom!
 
Enough! When will we wake up? I have to train myself to love my fellow Yid. So it is difficult! So it goes against the grain! What are we doing in this world if we fail to remake ourselves in the image which Hashem desires? 
 
We have already dwelt too long in the “Valley of weeping!” (Lecha Dodi) We can save ourselves! “Uri, Uri Shir Dabairi … Wake up! Wake Up! It is time to sing a new song!”
 
Let the Great Shabbos dawn upon us! It is within our power to bring this about! 

 
 


The Jerusalem Light Rail
 

 

GLOSSARY
Bayis Shaini: the Second Temple
Geulah Shelemah: The Final Redemption
Derech Eretz: proper behavior
Kedusha: sanctity
Lehavdil: to distinguish between two opposite things
Madreiga: spiritual level 
Shemoneh Esreh: the central prayer of each prayer service
Sinas Chinom: unwarranted hatred among the Jewish People 
Tisha B’Av: Ninth day of the month of Av, the day on which both Temples were destroyed

Everything Is READY To Build the THIRD TEMPLE

 

Do we finally know the location of the Ark of the Covenant? Across Israel, preparations for rebuilding the Third Temple are nearing completion. In this powerful interview, Rabbi Josh Wander and Aron Sokol discuss the latest archaeological discoveries including the reported testing of material believed by some to be connected to the Temple incense (ketores) along with the ongoing efforts to restore the Temple service. https://open.substack.com/pub/geulamo... ‪@IsraelTorah‬

[When I begin gathering info re Mashiach, temple, Geula et al, the “algos” go bizarre.]

Aroer: King David's Warrior City by the Arnon River….. A Timely Message

 This is a very timely message to us.  David HaMelach and the Ten Tribes!

Join us as we explore the ancient site of Aroer, situated on the edge of the Arnon Valley, known today as Wadi El Mujib. This location holds significant biblical history, serving as a boundary for the tribes of Israel on the eastern side of the Jordan River. By examining texts from the Books of Joshua, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, we investigate the historical questions surrounding the settlement of the tribes of Reuben and Gad in this region and how shifts in control may have occurred over time. Beyond its biblical narrative, Aroer functioned as a strategic center due to its proximity to the ancient King’s Highway and its position overlooking the Arnon River. The archaeological evidence at the site, which includes a triple-wall fortification system, suggests a long history of human activity spanning from the 3rd millennium BCE through the Nabataean and Roman periods. We look at the site’s turbulent history, including its time under the kingdoms of Israel and Moab as well as the important role it served as a supplier of worriers to King David. For more information in English - https://historicalsitesinisrael.com/e... For more information in Hebrew - https://historicalsitesinisrael.com/%... Yehuda Holtzman

King Jeroboam and Tzredah: The 3,000-Year-Old Story of Israel's Split How did the United Kingdom of David and Solomon collapse after just 73 years of unity? In this episode, we journey deep into the mountains of Samaria to Horvat Bint Bar, widely identified by researchers as the biblical site of Ha-Tzredah (The Tzredah)—the fortified birthplace of Jeroboam ben Nebat, the first king of the divided Northern Kingdom of Israel. Opening the first book of Kings (chapters 11–12), we uncover the explosive political, economic, and spiritual crisis that tore the nation apart. While King Solomon is remembered for his wisdom and wealth, the Bible reveals a darker reality: a regime of forced labor and heavy taxation that bordered on slavery. Standing on a breathtaking cliff 312 meters above sea level, we explore the archaeological evidence on-site. We trace the Iron Age guard fortresses protecting the mountain pass, examine ancient water cisterns, and view the remains of typical Israeli "Four-Room Houses" buried beneath historic olive terraces. Finally, we analyze the dramatic political standoff between Solomon's heir, Rehoboam, and the people. By rejecting the wise counsel of the tribal elders and threatening harsher punishments, Rehoboam triggered a historic rebellion. We examine how a passive Jeroboam was elevated to the throne, and his subsequent controversial moves to secure his borders—including shifting the date of Sukkot and establishing the golden calves at Bethel and Tel Dan. Don't miss our trivia question at the end: After Tirtzah, which city became the most significant capital of the Kingdom of Israel? Watch to find out! For more information in English visit: https://historicalsitesinisrael.com/e... For more information in Hebrew visit: https://historicalsitesinisrael.com/%... Yehuda Holtzman

Trump beware. Turkey is the enemy

 IVE been saying this for years, Turkey is a big danger to Israel!

“I Warned Trump…” Netanyahu Sends Urgent Message To Erdogan & Turkey

 Listen here:  https://youtu.be/cB7sTP-_dTQ?si=0l4nFw_b-CnG3qsF

Turkey =  Sakana

[there may be a hidden msg here. Iran is planning to kill the President. Turkey is full of those extremists]

Rabbi Weissman: What Is the Heter to Serve in the IDF?

What Is the Heter to Serve in the IDF?

 In this week’s Torah class we learned two more chapters from Yirmiya, focusing on a powerful Abarbanel about the real purpose of the Babylonian exile, the real purpose of the second Beis Hamikdash, why Hashem didn’t fully restore everything from the first Beis Hamikdash, the clearly stated formula for redemption, how false prophets helped torpedo the redemption, and how this has everything to do with the modern State of Israel.

Naturally, I learned nothing of this in yeshiva and neither did you, even though it’s right in the open and so fundamental. The class is embedded above and on Rumble here.

---

There’s so much hate-bait these days over IDF service (from a lashon of servitude). Manpower shortage! Sharing the burden! Contributing to society! Making sacrifices! National obligations! Caring about your fellow Jews! Milchemes Mitzvah!

Jews are conveniently being baited to hate each other over IDF service so they won’t hate the ones pulling their strings and causing them all the suffering in the first place. Why hate the people who brought you October 7 and made the IDF stand down, for example, when you can hate yeshiva students who refuse draft orders from the same people who brought you October 7 and made the IDF stand down? 

Works like a charm every time.

Lost in all the brouhaha, finger-pointing, melodramatic language, and talking points (dutifully prepackaged by establishment influencers) is a simple question no one seems to be asking.

Everyone is so busy fighting over the presumed default obligation for everyone to “serve”, unless they are such an exemplary Torah scholar that they merit an exemption (if even then), or whether exemptions for yeshiva students should be liberally granted, or how severely “draft dodgers” should be punished, and how much we may and should hate them, that they have forgotten to answer the most basic of questions.

The new battleground over mixed gender units — because we’ve become desensitized enough to the atrocity of women fighting in an army that dares refer to itself as Jewish, even if they aren’t sleeping in tanks with men — has made it even easier for Religious Zionists, those most willing of sacrificial lambs, to further pretend the most essential question isn’t even a question at all.

What heter is there for anyone to “serve” in the IDF? Before you rail about it being a mitzvah, let alone the greatest of all mitzvos, how is it even permitted?

I’m not talking about women “serving” in the IDF — halacha strictly forbids it, even though fake-religious loudmouths cherry-pick a single line from Chazal about a bride leaving the wedding canopy during a milchemes mitzvah, take it literally in a way exactly zero classical poskim understood it, practically apply it in a way exactly zero Jewish armies historically ever applied it, and then pretend the halacha is obviously on their side, as if the Rambam would send his own wife and daughter to the IDF. 

To borrow a line from Chazal, whoever taught them how to read didn’t teach them how to learn.

No, anyone who celebrates women in the IDF is a spiritually diseased person, a total disgrace to the Jewish people. I’m not talking about the heter for that. It’s a non-starter.

I’m talking about “charedi” yeshiva students who aren’t really sitting and learning as much as they claim, or who clearly won’t amount to much in terms of Torah scholars. 

I’m talking about Religious Zionists who believe serving in the IDF is the most essential Jewish act, to the point that those who don’t serve aren’t really part of the Jewish people, and are less Jewish than gentiles who do serve in the IDF.

I’m even talking about secular Jews.

What heter is there for any of them to “serve” in the IDF? 

Before you go wax melodramatic about what a mitzvah it is, you need to establish that it is even permissible. The Dati Leumi world skipped this essential step. 

What heter is there to join an army that calls itself Jewish, yet tramples all over the Torah, and whose leadership is decidedly secular, even anti-religious?

What heter is there to join an army whose ideology is kefira and has made no secret of its intention to indoctrinate its subjects with kefira?

What heter is there to join an army that conscripts people against their will (a form of kidnapping and trafficking) and forces them to fight a war they do not necessarily support?

What heter is there to join an army that shows wanton disregard for the physical, mental, and spiritual wellbeing of its soldiers, and has a long history of treating them with various forms of abuse?

What heter is there to join an army that sends soldiers into death traps under false pretenses, with dubious objectives, fighting endless wars over the same buildings and tunnels, with no intention of achieving a decisive victory?

What heter is there to join an army that did everything wrong in just the perfect way to allow October 7 to happen (surely not on purpose…), then ordered soldiers to stand down, then prosecuted those who went in on their own to rescue Jews from slaughter?

Honestly, how could one’s love and devotion for such an army remain completely unchanged by this?

What heter is there to join an army that, if they didn’t do this on purpose, is incompetent beyond comparison?

What heter is there to join an army that gets 20,000 soldiers maimed and killed in little Gaza in less than two years, without achieving anything remotely worth the staggering cost, then has the chutzpah to rail about a manpower shortage . . . of roughly the same number of soldiers they got maimed and killed, and, instead of holding accountable those responsible, demands yeshivas serve up fresh meat for the grinder, or else?

What heter is there to join an army that is rampant with Shabbos desecration and immorality — which drives away Hashem’s protection and directly endangers everyone — even if accommodations are made for religious people who are willing to insist on it, fight the system, and go to jail over it if necessary?

What heter is there to join an army that facilitates the transfer of money, weapons, and critical resources to the very people they send you to fight?

How does all this add up to a milchemes mitzvah? 

Why doesn’t this even bother you much at all?

I’ve never heard a Religious Zionist even grapple with these questions, let alone thoughtfully answer them. This cannot be excused.

If you claim to be a religious person — not a secular nationalist — you must provide a serious, thoughtful answer to these questions based on firm Torah ground. A throwaway line doesn’t cut it. An emotional argument doesn’t cut it. 

Furthermore, you cannot claim that the heter — nay, the mitzvah — to join the IDF is so clear and so obvious that anyone who disagrees is ignorant or disingenuous. The Torah-based argument in favor of your position is flimsy at best. Conversely, the Torah-based argument against your position is easy to make. It requires no mental gymnastics, no cherry-picking and massaging of sources, no primitive emotional appeals (gaslighting), no straw men, no games, no shtick. 

Indeed, the overwhelming position of our greatest Torah scholars from the beginning of the Zionist movement until today were against participation in the Zionist’s army in principle, even if some of them felt compelled to give a bit of ground under exceptional circumstances. If one has the temerity to disagree with them, he had best be humble, respectful, and check himself a thousand times before speaking. At best he is a lightweight, and he should know that.

The fact one decides to join the IDF in spite of the serious reasons against it doesn’t give him the right to blaspheme all those who draw different, entirely reasonable conclusions. They don’t have to suffer more and die more just because you made a yoizel out of the state and the IDF.

So before you say another word against your fellow Jew who doesn’t “serve” in the IDF, or before you spend another moment celebrating those who do, please calmly and respectfully explain, in substantive Torah terms, why it’s even allowed. Your entire ideology depends on it.

* 

As I noted in my open letter to the Dati Leumi community, I was not indoctrinated with my current views about the Erev Rav state and the IDF. On the contrary, most of the educational institutions I attended were very pro-state and pro-IDF. I even spent a year in Gush, a premier hesder yeshiva. I admired Rav Aharon Lichtenstein zt”l and had great respect for those who were joining the army. I heard their best sales pitch, saw the best of what they have to offer, and appreciated their idealism.

At the same time, I always stood apart and retained the right to think for myself. I recognized the flaws in their ideology, the readiness to compromise so much for the sake of serving the state, the laxity with so much of halacha even when serving the state couldn’t be offered as an excuse, the cold intellectualism that lacked authenticity and spiritual connection, the severe lack of reverence for Chazal (often reaching the level of a superiority complex and blatant kefira), the knee-jerk impulse to be the opposite of whatever the Charedim were, the hypocrisy, the pressure to mindlessly conform (ironically one of the main things they bashed Charedim for), the way so many of my peers in yeshiva became so secular so quickly, and more.

I said Hallel on Yom Ha’atzmaut (without a bracha), but I never got into the day, didn’t care for the festivities, and hated so much about what the State of Israel did. I admired those who were willing to fight for our land and our people (or at least believed that’s what they were doing), but there was no way I was joining the IDF. I wasn’t prepared to just follow orders, and I wasn’t willing to die for Israeli leaders and their agenda, under false pretenses of sacrificing for something so much greater. 

That was when I was much younger and knew far less than I know now. I could circulate comfortably in Dati Leumi communities, but I never really fit in, because, as I now fully understand, Religious Zionism is an un-Jewish cult in which demonstrating unconditional love for a secular state and serving in the IDF are the highest religious principles, and dying in the IDF is the most sacred religious act.

As Rav Elchonon Wasserman put it best even before the state was founded, Zionism is avoda zara and Religious Zionism is avoda zara b’shituf — serving idolatry together with (ostensibly) serving Hashem as well.

I still love my Religious Zionist relatives, friends, and fellow Jews, and pray for their welfare, but it is my duty to speak the truth and urge them to do teshuva. 

You’ve sacrificed enough for this cult. You’ve lost enough bodies and souls, for so little in return. You’ve compromised enough on the rest of the Torah for the sake of a fantasy. You’ve repeated the same experiment over and over again, with consistently disappointing results.

When will you finally say “Enough!”?