12 May 2026
URGENT IMMEDIATE ACTION: NY Children Summer Camp Attendees…..Pass along
URGENT PHONE CALLS NEEDED TODAY TO STOP A DANGEROUS BILL! The vote is scheduled for tomorrow.
If children you care about attend summer camp in New York State, this bill matters for you
Bill S3958a would require all New York State summer camps to only admit campers who are up-to-date on all of their vaccines. This bill will be voted on tomorrow May 12.
Below are the key talking points against this Bill, put together by Children’s Health Defense. Further down is the list of key legislators whom CHD believes are the most critical to contact to stop this bill from passing. Please reach out to your networks and encourage them to call today to these legislators and ask them to vote against Bill S3958a.
If you have any questions, you can reach out to Curtis Cost, who is with Children’s Health Defense: 347-335-6455
For FULL INFORMATION go to https://truth613.substack.com/p/urgent-phone-calls-needed-today-to
11 May 2026
מול קמפיין התרעלה: רה"י הרב שלזינגר יוצא מגדרו בהתייחסות פומבית לחזק את שד"ר המסדירים את חוק הדיחוי
מרן ראש ישיבת "קול תורה" חבר מועצת גדולי התורה הגרמ"י שלזינגר שליט"א מתבטא נגד גזירת הגיוס, ומחזק את שלוחי דרבנן הפועלים להסדיר את חוק דיחוי: "בפוליטיקה זה חמור מאד מה שעושים. אבל חייב, יש מצוה לסדר את זה. סתם שצועקים זה לא מביא תקנה. בציבור שלנו ישנם אברכים, ישנם כאלו שאם לא דואגים להם לא יודעים מה שיצא. כבר שמעתי כמה קלקולים מזה.
קרדיט תיעוד: ישיבע זוכער.
Maran Rosh Yeshiva "Kol Torah" and member of the Council of Torah Elders, ..... Rabbi Schlesinger Shlita, speaks out against the draft decree, and supports the rabbinical emissaries working to regulate the deferral law:
"In politics, what they are doing is very serious. But it must be done, there is a mitzvah to sort it out. Just shouting will not bring about a solution. In our community, there are avrechim, there are those who, if they are not taken care of, do not know what will happen. I have already heard some bad things about this.
Documentation credit: Yeshiva Zukar.
Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein: Glenn Beck: "I Told You Something is Coming & Now It's Here..."
Its their Islamic Prophecy!
🔥הדרמה במעון המנהיג - ההכרעה על איך ייראה חוק הסדרת מעמד בני הישיבות: כניסת החכי''ם להמנהיג הרב לנדו
לקראת פתיחת מושב הקיץ של הכנסת ובצל הגזירות הקשות על עולם התורה נכנסו חברי הכנסת של דגל התורה למעונו של מרן מנהיג הדור הגר"ד לנדו שליט"א.
מרן הודה לחברי הכנסת על פעילותם ומסירותם לסדר את מעמדם של בני הישיבות בחוק המתגבש, והוסיף כי זה הדבר שהיה נצרך עד כה לעשות ושלא יתפעלו מביקורת כזו או אחרת. ולגבי קידום החוק בוועדת חוץ וביטחון לקראת הצבעתו בכנסת הודיע מרן כי ייתן את החלטתו בתחילת השבוע עם פתיחת מושב הקיץ - לאחר בדיקת כמה נושאים נוספים.
צילום דוד קשת
As the summer session of the Knesset opens and in light of the harsh decrees on the world of Torah, the Knesset members of Degel HaTorah entered the residence of Maran, the leader of the generation, Rabbi Lando Shlita. Maran thanked the Knesset members for their activity and dedication to arranging the status of yeshiva students in the law that is being formulated, adding that this is what had to be done so far and that they should not be surprised by one kind or another criticism.
Regarding the advancement of the law in the Foreign Affairs and Security Committee ahead of its vote in the Knesset, Maran announced that he would make his decision early this week with the opening of the summer session - after examining several additional issues. Photo by David Keshet
מה משנה את אופי השכונה? מנהיג הדור הרב לנדו במשא מיוחד בביהכנ"ס המרכזי בשיכון ה'
בשיאו של מעמד הנחת אבן הפינה לבית מדרש "תפארת מנחם", הנבנה בתוך בית הכנסת המרכזי בשיכון ה' בראשות הגאון רבי מרדכי בונים זילברברג שליט"א, שנערך במעמד מרנן ורבנן גדולי ישראל שליט"א קיבלו המשתתפים בחרדת קודש וביראת הכבוד את מנהיג הדור רבינו מרן שליט"א. רבינו נשא את המשא המרכזי במעמד, ובדבריו אמר: ברשות המרא דאתרא שליט״א וברשות הרבנים הגאונים שליט״א. זכיתם להרחיב ולשכלל בית לתורה ותפילה, הדבר ודאי משפיע טובה על כל בני הקהילה, ולא פחות חשוב - משפיע טובה על כל הסביבה ובפרט בית מדרש שמתקיימים בו סדרי לימוד רבים, ובמיוחד בימי שישי ושבת שיש בהם רפיון מסויים, כל הצביון והאופי של השכונה מתעלה ע״י לומדי התורה ומתרומם בזכות זה, להיות מקום של תורה ושל הקב״ה. ה' יעזור, תזכו לסיעתא דשמיא להרבות כבוד שמים, ונזכה לגאולה שלמה במהרה בימינו אמן. אח"כ מנהיג הדור רבינו מרן שליט"א ירה את אבן הפינה וחתם על מגילת היסוד קרדיט תיעוד: מנחת דבר
Journey to Jacksonville with Rabbi Glatstein:
Rebbi Meir and the Principle That Awarded Us the Torah {Book Signing}
The Miracle of Spanish Moss
Rabbi Weissman: De-HUMAN-izing.....
The Dreaded Shidduch Résumé, If Shidduch Profiles Were Honest, and recent anecdotes
In 2018, before I was banned by the Times of Israel for writing against the perversity movement, I published a lengthy article called “An End to Shidduch Résumés”. It begins as follows:
When I was growing up, which wasn’t that long ago, there was no such thing as shidduch résumés or profiles. Proponents of the “shidduch system” will one day argue that it was always done this way, dating back to the idyllic shtetls in Europe, where the Torah was given to the Jewish people and our traditions officially began. This is the way Jews always got married, we will be told. This is the way it is, this is the way it always was, and this is the way it must always be
.
My memory serves me correctly. I did an online search, and shidduch résumés did not become widely used until 2004. Prior to 2004 there is nary a single online result to the term “shidduch résumé” or “shidduch profile.” If shidduchim were always conducted this way — as so many proponents of the “system” would have us believe — one can only wonder why shidduch résumés didn’t exist 30 years ago, let alone 3000. They had paper back then, too.
The outbreak of the shidduch résumé virus began a mere 14 years ago, but it has spread like wildfire ever since, and has overtaken virtually the entire Orthodox Jewish world. Whoever says the shidduch world cannot change is clearly proven wrong. It has undergone an extremely radical change (with shidduch résumés being only one part of that), in a relatively short span of time.
Virtually no parent of marriageable-age children used a shidduch résumé themselves. Those who pay lip service to “Da’as Torah” to stifle criticism of the “system” must acknowledge that no Rosh Yeshiva or Gadol has ever used one. The introduction of shidduch résumés into the “system” is actually more recent than my creating EndTheMadness to bring sanity and true Torah values back to the shidduch world. When I first began writing and speaking out about the shidduch world, shidduch résumés were almost entirely unheard of, if they even existed at all!
A mere 14 years later and you will be hard-pressed to find any Orthodox singles who do not have one. An entire generation is being taught that they must have a shidduch résumé, and anyone who doesn’t might as well take a lifetime lease on a bachelor pad. Singles today under the age of 30 do not even remember a world without shidduch résumés. It is all they know and the only option ever presented to them.
Fourteen years represents a generation of singles, and it is ample time to determine the results of a social experiment of this magnitude. It is time to lay it all on the table and decide if shidduch résumés help the situation or hurt the situation — and if they should continue to be used, or eliminated.
The rest of the article is available here.
The rest of this post is available HERE and much more.
🎼מה ריגש את המנהיג? צפו בתיעוד המרתק של המנהיג הרב לנדו בוחן את הילדים, מדריכם, ומאזין לניגון המיוחד
ילדי ת"ת בראשות הרה"ג רבי אליעזר זייצ'יק שליט"א בקרית הרצוג, נכנסו יחד עם הגאון רבי משה שטיין שליט"א רב קהל חסידים בקרית הרצוג והבוחן בת"ת, והמנהל והמלמדים. למבחן על הנלמד ממנהיג הדור רבינו מרן שליט"א, וקבלת דברי חיזוק וברכה. רבינו בחנם על הנלמד והביע הנאתו מידיעתם, וחיזקם: אתם יודעים טוב אתם לומדים תצליחו תשמעו למה שמלמדים אתכם. תהיו נחת לאלה שרוצים בטובתכם כולם רוצים, תלמדו ותהיו תלמידי חכמים. לרבנים יהיה ברכה של חז"ל ירבה גבולם בתלמידים הגונים, תלמוד תורה זה האושר הכי גדול, דבר הכי טוב. רבינו האזין בהנאה לניגון המיוחד המביא לחשקת התורה ללמוד בעיון את הגמרא ששרו הילדים ברגש רב, ואמר שזה שירים יפים, וסיים בהדרכה וברכה: אשריכם שאתם לומדים תורה תלמדו טוב ותשמעו למה שמלמדים אתכם, תשמעו למה שמדריכים אתכם תלמדו טוב ותאהבו אחד את השני, להתנהג יפה עם השני, עם החבר, כלל גדול בתורה ואהבת לרעך כמוך, זה מה שקוראים כעת. ה' יעזור תהיו תתעלו. אומר לרבנים אשריכם ה' יתן תזכו עוד ועוד שיהיה לכם תלמידים הגונים כלשון חז"ל ונרבה כולנו כבוד שמיים כי זה העיקר. קרדיט תיעוד: מנחת דבר. *נהנתם מהסרטון? תנו לייק והרשמו כמנוי ותתנו לנו את הכוח להמשיך................* צופים יקרים: הקליקו "הירשם כמנוי" ואחר כך לחצו על הפעמון, ואז תהיו המעודכנים הראשונים בכל סרטון חדש שעולה ליוטיוב ! נו, לא כדאי להירשם ? *יש לכם תיעוד וידאו מעולם התורה לפרסום? שלחו אלינו מייל 6701822@gmail.com* *המערכת מכבדת זכויות יוצרים*
Bechukosai: Ohr Gedalia: Nature of Reality, Miracle of Creation, Spiritual to Physical Blessings
Arrived late
Bechukosai - Moshiach, Trump asks American Jews to Celebrate Shabbos, Blessings of the Torah
Jonathan Pollard tells i24news: US-Israel alliance is 'finished'; he is entering Israeli politics
“Every party has blood on its hands”
Another Message From Shamayim
HaRav Dovid Yosef Urges Netanyahu, Herzog To Join Trump’s Call To Observe Shabbos
This includes this news website
PS. the nuklear issue is the antisemitism and will get louder plus. This Shabbos I needs to be kept by all Am Yisrael this Shabbos Bamidbar.
10 May 2026
My Take on the Trump Bamidbar Shabbos
THIS IS REALLY HKB"H ASKING AM YISRAEL
TOGETHER
TO KEEP THIS ONE SHABBOS
TO BRING THE GEULAH
And the Chief Rabbi of Israel is
Asking Netanyahu
to declare
Shabbat Bamidbar
Encumbent on All Israelis to
Keep this Shabbos
TOGETHER WITH ALL JEWS ON PLANET EARTH!
Shalom Pollack: Special Tiyul – Tuesday, June 16.
Tuesday, June 16.
The great return is underway, BH!
The biblical northern Shomron was declared "Judenrein" by the Israeli government in 2005 as four Jewish villages were razed to the ground.
The large, empty Northern Shomron, home to four flourishing Jewish villages, with few Arab neighbors, met the same fate at the time as the larger Jewish settlement area in Gaza.
Sharon never explained why he "threw it in " along with Gaza as a further gift to our enemies, but he was determined.
Chomesh saw the first heart-wrenching destruction and expulsion in 2005.
They were the first Jews to return last year, and once a thriving community
Our group had the honor of being one of the first visitors to that restored village in Shomron.
It is an experience not to be forgotten
Recently, its neighbor up the road is welcoming its people back, too.
The ruins of Sanur are being rebuilt by the enthusiastic pioneers who never stopped dreaming of a return.
We will, please God, be the first English-speaking group to visit these special Jews and celebrate with them in the midst of the rebuilding.
(Hopefully, we will do the same for the remaining two)
Not far from these villages is the biblical Mount Eval and the altar of Joshua overlooking Shechem.
The connection between Joshua's entrance into the promised land to reaffirm the covenant, and the pioneers of today in the same area is clear and enthralling.
There are plans to build a museum around this unique biblical site.
Hopefully, future VIPs will be brought there and not whisked off to "Yad Vashem" to gain pity.
Joshua will provide the original and correct understanding as to why we returned to our land and will never leave again.
We will have a local English-speaking guide from the Shomron field school.
We will travel to and from Yerushalayim in a (costly) bulletproof bus.
This tour requires military coordination and accompaniment, and so there is a theoretical chance for late cancellation due to security considerations on their part.
We will meet at the Inbal hotel at 9:00. Return approx 6:00
320 shekels
Bring lunch
Limited seating.
shalompollack613@gmail.com
Not The Exercise or Omega 3 - R' Daniel Glatstein
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09 May 2026
We Love Israel - AKA: Aliyah Snob Syndrome
In this episode, we sat down with the Rosen family for a fun and honest conversation about life in Eretz Yisrael—why some people hate it, why others absolutely love it, why you should get involved, and why this is where it’s all going down. 🇮🇱
Rebbetzen Tziporah: Meron and Volozhin
Dear friends,
There used to be tzadik stickers. Kids collected them, pasted them into albums, and traded them. I once saw the Trade of the Century.
The kids were on the living room floor. The cards were scattered, and the intensity would have put Wall Street to shame. I heard one of them say, “Okay, I’ll give you 15.” There was awed silence as the little boy across from him slowly counted out 10 Chofetz Chaim stickers. “No!” “Chofetz Chaim is ‘pusht’ (ordinary).” “15 or no trade.” A slight nod was his answer as he held out the card that was the most “yakar” (expensive) of his whole collection. It was my dear brother-in-law, Rav Moshe Pindrus, a highly esteemed maggid shiur at… Ohr Sameach. The Chofetz Chaim was famous, so there were many pictures of this gadol. Moshe Pindrus is rare, the ultimate big ticket.
THIS YEAR’S LESSON: SMALL CAN BE BIGGER THAN BIG IF THAT’S WHAT HASHEM WANTS
This Lag’Omer was so different. The decision to try to get to Meiron or not was taken out of our hands. The security issue involved both fear of what could be done to adequately get 200,000 into shelters in less than 3 minutes, plus the pseudo secret that Mount Meiron (Israel’s highest mountain) is a military target, added salt to the stew.
My initial plans included walking around Har Nof and watching the 14-year-old pyromaniacs play with fire while singing Bar Yochai off tune, or watching Meiron of yesteryear online. Then the reports began to come in. There would be bonfires in Beit Shemesh, in Beitar, in the heart of the chassidic shopping paradise, Shefa. And more. At Shimon HaTzadik, Shmuel HaNavi Street, and still more. And yes, there were those who managed to go through the forest to Meiron, eluding the security authorities. Not the unmanageable hundreds of thousands, but about a thousand or two, enough to feel the intense joy. This made me think of the yeshiva of Volozhin.
This is a bit of a jump, since the heavy-duty Litvish are usually happy to leave Lag B’Omer to the chassidim, sefaradim, and Various Others (although in recent years there has been a bit of a defrost in that regard). Still, between Meiron and Volozhin was a common thread.
WHAT HAPPENED AFTER THE CLOSURE
In Meiron, it was the birth of many mini-Meirons. In Volozhin, the story was more complex. What was there before Volozhin?
Volozhin was the first time a yeshiva as we know it (3 sedarim, dormitory, financial responsibility for a building, and more) came into being. Around 1803 (some date it to 1802), Rav Chaim Volozhiner founded what came to be known as the Etz Chaim Yeshiva in Volozhin (in present-day Belarus). This was something entirely new.
And most importantly, it was built on an idea: that Torah learning is not simply one value among many – it is the central, defining, occupation of life for those who enter it.
Rav Chaim himself was, of course, the first Rosh Yeshiva.
But more than that, he set a tone: depth, intellectual honesty, independence in thinking, and a certain seriousness about Torah that would shape generations.
AFTER RAV CHAIM
Rav Chaim passed away in 1821.
He was succeeded by his son, Rabbi Yitzchak of Volozhin (often called Rav Itzele), who led the yeshiva for many years. Under him, the yeshiva not only continued but expanded its influence.
After Rav Itzele, leadership eventually passed to his son-in-law, Rabbi Naftali Tzvi Yehuda Berlin (the Netziv) – a figure of enormous depth, whose warmth and breadth gave the yeshiva a somewhat different tone. Alongside him, toward the later years, was also Rabbi Yosef Dov Soloveitchik (the Beis HaLevi), who served as a Rosh Yeshiva there as well.
Already, you can begin to see something important: even within Volozhin, there was not one single expression. Different personalities, different emphases – but one core.
THE CLOSURE – EXACT AND PAINFUL
And then came the breaking point.
The Russian government, in its efforts to reshape and “modernize” Jewish life, demanded that the yeshiva introduce secular studies into its curriculum – not as an optional addition, but as a structured, enforced component, with government oversight.
For the Netziv, this was not a small adjustment. It was a change that would alter the very Neshama of the yeshiva.
He refused.
And so, in January 1892 (often given as January 21, 1892), the authorities forced the yeshiva to close.
Try to sit with that for a moment.
Nearly ninety years of uninterrupted Torah learning. Generations shaped. A world centered there.
Closed.
Not because it failed – but because it would not bend.
And then… what happened next?
If the story ended there, it would simply be tragic.
But it didn’t.
The talmidim did not disappear. The ruach did not disappear.
It spread.
In the decades that followed, the great yeshivot we think of as pillars began to rise – Mir, Grodno, Slabodka (which later gave rise to Chevron in Eretz Yisrael), Ponevezh, and others. Each one, in some way, a continuation – but not a copy.
Mir developed a certain expansiveness and warmth in its learning environment.
Grodno became known for depth and analytical sharpness.
Slabodka emphasized gadlus ha’adam – human greatness – and from it emerged Chevron, carrying that dignity into Eretz Yisrael.
Ponevezh, later, would embody rebuilding after destruction, almost carrying the memory of what had been lost in Europe.
Would they have emerged as they did if Volozhin had remained the singular center?
It is very hard to imagine.
The closing did not end the world of Torah – it multiplied it.
And the same pattern, again and again
When Chassidus emerged, it did not remain one derech.
There were paths of fiery joy and emotional closeness, paths of deep intellectual contemplation, paths of simple, unembellished sincerity. Different neshamos, different openings.
When Mussar developed, it too unfolded into distinct streams:
Kelm – structured, measured, almost architectural in its precision.
Slabodka – uplifting, focused on the greatness and dignity of the adam.
Novardok – intense, breaking illusions, demanding radical honesty.
All emes. All needed.
And all, in some sense, emerging from challenge – from moments where something had to be rethought, rebuilt, or rescued.
So what are we meant to hear this year?
Maybe something very quiet, but very demanding.
When one great fire is not accessible, we are not meant only to mourn it.
We are being asked: what will you build instead?
Love,
Tziporah
YERUSHALAYIM (2)
Walk from the Hurva Synagogue to Mount Zion and along the walls of the Old City to the Damascus Gate
Jerusalem Today! Experience the City’s Atmosphere Fully Immersed.
08 May 2026
Shalom Pollack: Spring Tiyul
At the peak of the beautiful Spring, we will get out and enjoy our lovely land.
May 12
Depart at 8 am and return approximately 6 pm
We will take the longer but rarely used, scenic route via Ein Kerem toward the coast through the blooming Jerusalem hills.
Our first stop will be the new "Eli Cohen" ("Our man in Damascus") museum in Herzliya, where we will have a guided tour.
We shall learn about the greatest Israeli spy and how he saved a country.
His life and that of the very young and vulnerable country come alive for us.
We shall proceed up the Mediterranean coast to enjoy the rehabilitated "Alexandra Stream" nature reserve, where flora and fauna have been restored and protected.
In particular, the famous indigenous "soft-shelled sea turtles " have been brought back from near extinction.
We will have a guided tour of the unique "National Turtle Rehabilitation Center."
We will have our (own) picnic lunch in the beautiful reserve that spills out into the Mediterranean.
250 shekels
This tour is limited to twenty participants
✨מרתק מאד: איך בונים תלמיד חכם? מנהיג הדור מרן ראש הישיבה הרב לנדו שליט"א בשיחת הדרכה מכוננת
שיח של תורה הוראות הדרכות וניצוצי תורה מאת רשכבה"ג הגאון הגדול מרן רבי דוב לנדו שליט"א בשיחה מיוחדת בביתו עבור אברכי 'כולל עיון' שבביהמ"ד הגדול פני מנחם ירושלים עיה"ק בראשות הרה"ג ישראל לוין שליט"א איך חוזרים על לימוד העיון ואיך אפשר לזכור סוגיות שנלמדו בעיון? מה המטרה בלימוד הו"א בגמרא ודברים שלא נשארו למסקנה? איך אפשר לגדול תלמיד חכם כשחלק נכבד מהיום לומדים בעיון? האם ללמוד כל סוגיא על הדף או שיש מקום להרחיב לסוגיות אחרות בנידון? יו"ל לרגל שבת התאחדות לאברכי הכולל פר' אמור - הר שמואל י"ד - ט"ו אייר תשפ"ו
Reb Neuberger: Behar - Bechukotai
“I DON’T WANT THEM TO KNOW WHERE WE ARE”
Last week, I discussed double-meaning words in Hebrew and English. One other example stands out. Many years ago, when my wife and I were about to embark on our first trip to Israel, Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis’ father, Ha Rav Avraham ha Levi Jungreis zt”l, saw our group off at Kennedy Airport. I clearly remember his words: “The name of the place to which you are going is ‘Israel.’ Why does it have that name? Because it ‘is real!’ Israel is real! All the events that you study in the Torah are real! And they occurred in the Land which Hashem gave us! When you go to the Land, you see that everything you learn in the Torah ‘is real!’”
In this week’s Parsha, we learn that we have one home. Throughout all the many years of our exiles, there is only one real home, and that is the Land of Israel, the place to which we are all going when our exiles come to an end. The entire Torah which we perform is to enable us to live a life of kedusha in the Land of Israel, as it says, “You shall perform My decrees and observe My ordinances and perform them. Then you shall dwell securely on the land.” (Vayikra 25:18) After every fifty years, all land in Israel reverts to its original owner. And so it is with us: at the end of our exile we will revert to our true existence, which can only be in the Land which Hashem gave us.
Recently, one of our dear acquaintances spoke about something which was troubling him deeply. He is very disturbed about the lies which are being spread publicly about Am Yisroel and Eretz Yisroel. High profile figures are spewing lies which are reminiscent of the “big lies” perpetrated against us throughout the centuries which have no basis in reality, but which have spawned anti-Jewish riots and pogroms because our enemies are looking for any provocation, whether or not it has any basis in truth.
For example, we read recently in Parshas Acharei Mos, “no person among you may consume blood.” (Vayikra 17:10) There is a direct, clear mitzvah not to eat blood. No observant Jew would consider consuming blood. We run away from this with all our strength. Yet it is precisely this which our enemies accuse us of! This is the most absurd accusation in the world! No normal person could accuse us of consuming blood! This demonstrates the utter emptiness of the lies which are being spewed forth about us.
Dovid ha Melech compares the voices of our enemies with the roar of rivers: “like rivers they raised their voice!” (Tehillim 93) The louder they scream, the emptier the words.
Our friend asked why our eloquent spokesmen and community activists don’t sue these slanderers for millions of dollars and bring them down in shame so they stop their lies?
My friends, I want to tell you where I believe we are in history.
There was a time when America seemed much more welcoming to Am Yisroel. Yes, there have always been slanderers, but America historically has been a “medina of chessed.” I remember hearing about a Yid who worked in the White House under President George W. Bush. One Friday afternoon, the President said to him, “Shlomo*, what are you doing here? It’s almost Shabbos! Go home!” Of course, President Trump is our good friend, but, outside the White House, a vicious wind is sweeping through the entire world.
Someone asked the Klausenberger Rebbe zt”l why he did not make his own village in America like other rebbes. “Indeed,” he answered, “I once contemplated establishing our own little town … but my memory brought me back to darker times. There are people who say … the Churban can never happen again. Sadly, they don’t know what they are saying…. Don’t think that, if someone comes after us, America will step in to save us. They won’t…. I remember when the accursed Germans came in. All the Yidden were gathered together in one place and all he had to do was take them and shecht them…. I will not gather all of us together in one town! I don’t want the goyim to know where we are!” (Klausenberger Rebbe, Artscroll/Mesorah)
In Germany, they never thought such a thing would happen. German Jews were extremely powerful just prior to the advent of the Third Reich. The same was true in Spain before the Inquisition. And the same was true in Mitzraim before a “new king arose over Egypt who did not know Yosef.” (Shemos 1:8)
“B’chol dor vador … in every generation they rise up against us to destroy us.” (Haggadah)
After the Tochacha in this week’s Parsha come the incredibly comforting words of Hashem: despite our sins, our infighting, our rebellions, our Father in Shomayim will never abandon us. And Hashem says, “Despite all this, while they will be in the land of their enemies, I will not have been revolted by them and nor will I have rejected them to obliterate them [nor will I] annul My covenant with them… I will remember for them the covenant of the ancients… to be G-d unto them. I am Hashem!” (Vayikra 26:44ff)
May we see the full revelation of the Great Promise soon in our days!
Rabbi Avraham ha Levi & Rebbetzin Miriam Jungreis
GLOSSARY
Chessed: kindness, charity
Churban: destruction
Kedusha: sanctity, holiness
Medina: land
Parsha: Torah Portion
Shecht: slaughter
Shomayim: heaven
Tochacha: words of rebuke
Tochacha: words of rebuke
Rabbi Wein: Behar-Becukotei
WEEKLY PARSHA FROM THE DESTINY ARCHIVES
Behar - Bechukotei 5770-2010
The double parsha of this week has, so to speak, bookends to it. It begins with the statement that the Torah was given to us at Sinai and that all of its commandments and not only the commandment of shemitta – the sabbatical year – are of Divine origin as given to Moshe on Mount Sinai.
The book of Vayikra concludes with the tochacha – the uncanny forecast of the troubles that will befall Israel as it strays away from its G–Dly mission and the values and standards of behavior of the Torah. The ways of the Lord are hidden from us and often we are unable to see the causes of our difficulties, troubles and persecutions.
The severity of the tochacha shocks and bewilders us. Any explanation, let alone justification, of such hideous events always fall short of the mark. And, therefore, we are left with the thought expressed at the beginning of the parsha that the decrees of Sinai somehow bind all of us throughout our existence. The ongoing mystery of Jewish survival and existence is part and parcel of the entire package of the Torah that was delivered to us at Sinai.
Both the microcosm and the macrocosm of Jewish life are derived from Sinai and from the Torah. There is no other logical way to view the story of the Jews and of Israel except through the prism of Torah and Sinai. We find ourselves unable to comprehend the causes of Jewish suffering but we can certainly testify to the fact that the Torah predicted all of this with minute detail and that it came to pass in our history.
The entire thrust of the debate and the difference between traditional Judaism and other groups of non-conforming Jews is regarding the divinity of the Torah from Sinai. This is the principle that all of traditional Judaism rests upon. Without it the entire jumble of laws, commandments, customs and traditions becomes almost meaningless.
All of the Sinai deniers have eventually caused assimilation, conversion, intermarriage and terrible difficulties for themselves and other Jews. A man-made Judaism will never be able to stand the challenges and overcome the vicissitudes of time and place that always arise.
I recall the famous quip that Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch used in replying to the Bishop of Frankfurt as to why Hirsch’s Jews would not join so many other Jews in the nineteenth century in converting to C…..nity. Hirsch stated to the Bishop that the difference between us (C.....nity and Judaism) was that C.....nity was a man made religion used to describe G–D while Judaism was a G–Dly given religion used to describe humans.
In its most simplistic form, this statement really sums up the essence of Judaism - its commandments and goals. The revelation to Israel on Sinai, the granting of the Torah, the observance of its values and laws are the keys to Jewish survival. They enable us to overcome the dire tochacha and continue forward bearing the message and hope of Sinai to all of humanity at all times and in all places and situations.
Shabbat shalom
Rabbi Berel Wein
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