17 March 2026
Epic Fury, Roaring Lion, Epstein, Putin, Light of Moshiach
Conversation with Rabbi Mordehay Darwish of @THEGATEOFMORDEHAY about the USA, Israel War with Iran, Complex Media Landscape, Corruption of Epstein, Breakdown of NATO, Vilna Gaon says Russia will Invade Constantinople, Light of Moshiach.
Ancient Historical Shelters
Recalling those days when the Roman’s were seeking out our ancients:
Pre-state vaults and ancient cisterns provide shelter for Jerusalemites again under siege
In a city where thousands of buildings lack safe rooms offering protection from Iranian rockets, many residents run to improvised spots rich with historical significance
Maybe this will recall the reason it happened? We didn’t listen to HKB”H to keep His Words
Excerpt from article:
“[…] in a city where thousands of buildings predate Israel’s founding, residents often improvise, turning ancient cisterns, bank vaults and forgotten basements into places of refuge when sirens sound.”
Source:
16 March 2026
Derech Oleh HaRegel ....Zoom Tour
מפגש זום ייחודי על דרך עולי הרגל בעקבות הביקוש נפתח מועד נוסף: יום חמישי, 19.03.26 | בין השעות 15:30 - 14:00 אם טרם נרשמתם, מוזמנים להצטרף אלינו לסיור בירושלים - מהבית. במפגש זום מיוחד נכיר מקרוב את דרך עולי הרגל, רחובה הראשי של ירושלים הקדומה. ההדרכה תועבר בזמן אמת על ידי אורי אוחיון, מורה דרך ומדריך עיר דוד, באמצעות מצגת עשירה, הכוללת סרטוני הנפשה על התגליות באתר, צילומים מתהליך החפירה ותחנות הדרכה מצולמות מתוך האתר. לתשומת לבכם: המפגש מועבר כהרצאה מלווה במצגת ואינו סיור מצולם בשידור חי מהשטח. ההשתתפות ללא עלות, בהרשמה מראש. לאחר ההרשמה יישלח קישור לצפייה בזום. |
Help the Shachar Family Rebuild Their Life Before Pesach
A SCOOTER BATTERY DEVASTATED THIS FAMILY AND NOW WITHOUT A HOME
Those dastardly evil scoother battery. I've warned about them before.
If every viewer gives just a little, this family will not face Pesach alone !
JOIN US AND DONATE FOR SHACHAR'S FAMILY
100% goes to the family
Shalom Pollack: Pesach Tour
Sunday, April 5
Depart from the INBAL hotel at 9:00
Return approx. 5:00
220 shekels
bring lunch
Traveling through the Judean Desert in its beautiful springtime coat of green and flowers, our first stop will be the "Good Samaritan Inn " museum.
This little-known gem houses the most extensive collection of original Eretz Yisrael, Talmudic/Byzantine-period mosaic floors.
Jewish, Christian, and Samaritan communities express their faith, culture, and art in these magnificent mosaic works.
We will see an educational film in a cave, originally the home of a Byzantine-era hermit.
History and art come alive.
We will continue through the Judean desert to the area of Jericho. There, we will visit pioneers in new hilltop farms.
The presence of proud, undeterred Jewish shepherds and their far-ranging flocks is reclaiming land for the Jewish people from encroaching Arabs.
Amazingly, large numbers of Arab squatters recently left when a handful of confident Jews moved into the neighborhood.
The squatters sense that the true owners are back.
We are witnessing a prophecy fulfilled through these young heroes,
"Not by might, nor by power, but my spirit says the Lord of Hosts" (Zechariah 4:6)
We will meet these isolated heroes and show them our love.
Close by is a direct blessing of the new Jewish presence.
The beautiful "Ayn Yitav" spring/pools and nature reserve is once again safe for Jewish visitors after years of Arab usurping and intimidation.
We will celebrate these prophetic times and enjoy a picnic lunch (brought from home) at this magnificent oasis.
Reserve via: shalompollack613@gmail.com, and please include your phone contact
Reminder of Rabbi Levi Sa'adia Nachamani and Gog U’Magog (and Mashiach?)
REPOST…….IS IT STILL APPLICABLE?
When the noted Kabbalist, Rabbi Levi Sa'adia Nachamani, gave a speech in 1994, one month before he died, he surprisingly warned that of all the threats to Israel, North Korea posed the most danger.
"Not Syria, not Persia (Iran), and not Babylon (Iraq), and not Gaddafi (Libya)", the rabbi said, naming Israel's greatest threats at the time. "Korea will arrive here."
Rabbi Nachmani's prediction was shocking for many reasons. He had accurately predicted the Six Day War in 1967 and the Yom Kippur War in 1973, giving credence to his prediction, but it was inconceivable that the threats he mentioned, all posing the greatest dangers to Israel at the time, would vanish. As time has shown, that is precisely what has happened since the rabbi made his speech.
Even more perplexing was his prediction that North Korea would threaten Israel, since North Korea was not even considered a real threat to any country other than South Korea at the time.
AFTER THE ABOVE I FOUND REB DOV BAR LEIB’s REFERENCE TO GOG UMAGOG:
Korea in Kabbalah - April 24, 2017
(from: BreakingIsraelNews.com)
"For a fire is kindled in My nostril, and burns unto the depths of the nether-world, and devours the earth with her produce, and sets ablaze the foundations of the mountains." (Deut. 32:22)
North Korea has only recently emerged as a major threat to the Western world, but a noted kabbalist predicted 22 years ago that the rogue nation would become the nuclear key to the final war of Gog and Magog. Now that politics have shifted, revealing the prophetic nature of the rabbi's words, another look reveals a deeper, Biblical understanding of the threat that faces us today.
When the noted Kabbalist, Rabbi Levi Sa'adia Nachamani, gave a speech in 1994, one month before he died, he surprisingly warned that of all the threats to Israel, North Korea posed the most danger.
"Not Syria, not Persia (Iran), and not Babylon (Iraq), and not Gaddafi (Libya)", the rabbi said, naming Israel's greatest threats at the time. "Korea will arrive here."
Rabbi Nachmani's prediction was shocking for many reasons. He had accurately predicted the Six Day War in 1967 and the Yom Kippur War in 1973, giving credence to his prediction, but it was inconceivable that the threats he mentioned, all posing the greatest dangers to Israel at the time, would vanish. As time has shown, that is precisely what has happened since the rabbi made his speech.
Even more perplexing was his prediction that North Korea would threaten Israel, since North Korea was not even considered a real threat to any country other than South Korea at the time.
That has changed dramatically in recent years. Since its first nuclear test ten years ago, North Korea's weapons testing has increased in frequency and size. Coupled with its missile program, condemned by the UN and neighboring countries, North Korea has made its aggressive intentions and capabilities clear. Earlier this month, White House representative Nick Rivero was quoted saying the United States was "very close" to engaging in some sort of retaliation towards North Korea.
In Rabbi Nachmani's prediction, he provided an oblique Biblical reference to support his claim that the distant country would one day become a major threat. He warned that 'She'ol' would come to Israel. She'ol is Hebrew for Hell, but it is spelled the same way in Hebrew as Seoul, the capital of South Korea. The rabbi cited a verse hinting at the name of the distant city with nuclear overtones.
They have roused Me to jealousy with a no-god; they have provoked Me with their vanities; and I will rouse them to jealousy with a no-people; I will provoke them with a vile nation. For a fire is kindled in My nostril, and burneth unto the depths of the nether-world (She'ol), and devoureth the earth with her produce, and setteth ablaze the foundations of the mountains. (Deuteronomy 32:21-22)(The Israel BibleTM)
* * *
[Dov Bar Leib, an "end-of-days" blogger, explained the apparent conflation of North and South Korea to Breaking Israel News.]
"Rabbi Nachmani was hinting that God's fire cited in the verse is a nuclear war that would begin between North and South Korea. North Korea will attack Seoul, the capital of South Korea. Those same nukes will be used by Iran to threaten Israel," he clarified.
"In the verses, the 'no-god' is the current global tendency towards atheism," Bar Leib explained. "The 'no-people' are the Palestinians who are not a nation."
Bar Leib explained that Rabbi Nachmani's reference to North Korea had its source in the Zohar, the foundational work of Jewish mysticism. He cited a section of the Zohar (VaEira 32a) which states that the nation of Islam would be given 1,300 years to rule in the land of Israel, 100 years for every year until Ishmael was circumcised. After that period, a nation "from the edge of the earth" would be aroused against Rome and wage war against it for three months.
"The globe does not have an edge," acknowledged Bar Leib. "But the international date line runs through North Korea. That line is in effect the dividing line on the globe, technically the beginning and the end."
The Zohar, Bar Leb notes, quotes a verse in Isaiah which describes this catastrophic war with the country at the edge of the world.
The sword of G‑d is filled with blood, it is made fat with fatness, with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams; for G‑d hath a sacrifice in Bozrah, and a great slaughter in the land of Edom. (Isaiah 34:6)
"Bozrah is a Shi'ite city in Iraq, technically controlled by Iran," explained Bar Leib. Bozrah is described in the Zohar as aligned with the country at the edge of the world, which, according to Bar Leib, is North Korea.
"This is the Biblical source for this unholy and unlikely connection between Iran, named as Bozrah, and North Korea, described as the edge of the earth. Edom, their common enemy, is the Western World."
An alliance between Iran and North Korea seems illogical, since the two nations have nothing in common, sharing neither a religion or a border. They seem to be united only in their hatred for the Western World, a commonality that has led them to cooperate on their intercontinental ballistic missile programs, and perhaps on their nuclear programs as well.
"When the two come together, as described in the Zohar," said Bar Leib, "It will be the final war of Gog and Magog, as described by Rabbi Nachmani."
Does Eisav Build the Third Beis? So asks Rabbi Glatstein….
But I cannot open that video bc I am not a “memb$r”. Is there a member out there to help me with this?
“Will Esav Build the Third Beis Hamikdash??” By RDG
15 March 2026
The BRACHOT For When Mashiach is Here – REPUBLISHED
BE PREPARED
The BRACHOT For When Mashiach is Here
The BRACHOT For When Mashiach is Here
Rav Kanievsky Shlit"a said to be ready to say the blessings when Mashiach arrives (The Rav has periodically spoken about Mashiach). If Rav Kanievsky Shlit"a happens to be Eliyahu HaNavi, and he announces "who" Mashiach is, the following are the Brachot to be said IY"H [written in a sequence depending what happens first, second, etc.]
When we first hear from a reliable source the good news of Moshiach’s arrival, we will recite
• “Baruch Attah Hashem Elokeinu Melech HaOlam HaTov V’HaMeiteiv.”
When we see the huge throngs of Jews assembled to greet him, which will no doubt number at least 600,000 people, one recites
• "Baruch Attah Hashem Elokeinu Melech HaOlam Chacham harazim.”
When one sees the rebuilt Beis HaMikdash or rebuilt shullen or Batei Medrash, one recites,
• "Baruch Attah Hashem Elokeinu Melech HaOlam matziv gvul almanah.”
When we actually see the Moshiach, we will recite
• "Baruch Attah Hashem Elokeinu Melech HaOlam She’chalak Mikevodo Li’rei’av."
Immediately after reciting this bracha, we will recite the bracha
• "Baruch Attah Hashem Elokeinu Melech HaOlam She’chalak Meichachmaso li’rei’av."
And the following Shehechiyanu and Go'el Yisrael:
*For a deeper explanation of these Brachot, and about Mashiach, visit When Moshiach Comes at Yeshiva.org.il by Rabbi Yirmiyohu Kaganoff
AM YISRAEL THE PEOPLE OF THE MOON – Part I The Nation of the Moon
Commemorating Rosh Chodesh Nissan, the Month of Miracles, Yom HaMishi L'Parshas ViyikrA
As posted from Parashas Vayakhel-Pekudei by Rabbi Avigdor Miller ztz'l
Part I. The Nation of the Moon
Shabbos HaChodesh
On Shabbos HaChodesh we read maftir from Parshas Bo (12:1); the Bnei Yisroel are going to be leaving Mitzrayim very soon, and Hashem is speaking to Moshe and Aharon. He’s telling them the first dinim, the first Torah laws, that the people are going to be commanded to keep as a new nation; about Rosh Chodesh Nissan and the various dinim for preparing the korban Pesach.
Now, Rashi at the very beginning of the Chumash, in Bereishis, says the Torah could have begun right here: with these pessukim in Parshas Bo. After all, the nation was being born right now, and they were being commanded for the first time by their Creator. Rashi explains a certain reason why it’s not that way, but actually it’s right here in Parshas HaChodesh where the Torah begins.
A New Beginning
And so, it pays therefore to take especial note of what’s written here, what the Torah ‘starts’ with: הַחֹדֶשׁ הַזֶּה לָכֶם רֹאשׁ חֳדָשִׁים רִאשׁוֹן הוּא לָכֶם לְחָדְשֵׁי הַשָּׁנָה – Hakadosh Baruch Hu tells us that from now on the first month of our calendar, of counting months, will always be the month of Nissan.
From now on, all the years that we find in the Tanach are calculated according to the Exodus of Mitzrayim. When Hashem wants to tell us that Shavuos falls out on a certain date, He says “in the third month” — it means the third month from Nissan. When He wants tell us that Rosh Hashanah is the first day of a certain month, He says “on the first day of the seventh month” — the seventh month from Nissan. So you see that even Rosh Hashanah is not called the first month. The Torah doesn’t count from the creation of the world; all the calculations of the years are from the Yetzias Mitzrayim.
And why is that? What’s Nissan more than Tishrei when the world was created? Because this month, that’s the beginning of time. Bereishis, that’s when the history of the world began, but for the Am Yisroel, it was right now. “You’re becoming a nation now,” Hashem says. “You’re going to leave Egypt to serve Me and therefore, הַחֹדֶשׁ הַזֶּה – This month, when you went out to freedom, לָכֶם רֹאשׁ חֳדָשִׁים – that’s the beginning of your history (ibid.).” The creation of שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ, the entire universe, that’s important but it’s nothing compared to the creation of a people to serve Hashem.
The Mitzvah of Rosh Chodesh
But it wasn’t only the lesson of Chodesh Nissan that the Am Yisroel was being taught now. It’s much more than that because at this time הֶרְאָהוּ לְבָנָה בְּחִדּוּשָׁהּ – Hashem showed Moshe the moon in its renewal, וְאָמַר לוֹ כְּשֶׁהַיָּרֵחַ מִתְחַדֵּשׁ יִהְיֶה לְךָ רֹאשׁ חֹדֶשׁ – and He told him, “When the moon renews itself like this, that will be the beginning of the month for the Am Yisroel” (ibid. Rashi).
It means that the entire principle of Rosh Chodesh, of the Am Yisroel counting according to the moon, was being taught to them now. Yes, the principle of Nissan being the first month, that’s true, but also Rosh Chodesh in general. A new idea, a new mitzvah, for the Am Yisroel: Your months are calculated according to the moon.
The nations of the world don’t make any fuss about the new moon because they follow the sun in their calculations. January, February, March, April, they’re all sun months. The truth is that even the gentile word ‘month’ from the word moon is just a borrowed term from us. The Gentiles don’t have a moon month; it’s a sun month.
The Jewish Calendar
Whereas for the Am Yisroel, our month is a lunar month. That’s why every year, our year, the moon year, falls eleven days behind the sun year. Every once in a while, by a certain arrangement, there’s a leap year, an extra month to make up for that. But our calendar is moon-based; the moon is our criterion of time.
That’s what we say in Barchi Nafshi, עָשָׂה יָרֵחַ לְמוֹעֲדִים – Hashem made the moon for the festivals (Tehillim 104:19). Moadim means אֵלֶּה מוֹעֲדֵי ה׳. A remarkable statement! עָשָׂה יָרֵחַ – Why did Hashem make a moon? לְמוֹעֲדִים – So that the Am Yisroel should utilize it to know when Rosh Chodesh is and calculate our yomim tovim according to that. And so the moon is like a Jewish calendar hanging in the sky.
The Jewish Moon
Imagine that you would see a great calendar suspended in space with pages of light — inscribed with stars instead of letters — and telling you when Pesach will fall out, when Shavuos and Sukkos will fall out. That’s the moon — it’s there for the Am Yisroel.
Now that may seem very chauvinistic or parochial, very narrow-minded. Here is a little nation down below, looking up at the moon. “It’s our moon,” they say. “It’s a Jewish moon.”
The whole world would laugh at such a thing. The New York Times will have a cartoon about that. It’ll show a Yid’l in the velt’l pointing to the moon, “It’s my moon.” They’ll put a yarmulkah on the moon and ridicule us. “Ha! A Jewish moon! The Jews want to own everything for themselves. Ha! Ha! Ha!” A big guffaw.
So they can laugh but that’s the plain truth; it’s our moon. I’ll tell you more, it’s our sun too. All the stars are ours. The universe is ours. Everything is for the Am Yisroel. But the moon is especially ours — it’s our calendar. There’s a luach hanging in the sky for us.
The Moon Nation
But we’re going to say something now, an additional point. Not only is the moon for the Am Yisroel but we are also compared to the moon. We find that reiterated in a number of ways in the seforim. That’s why when we go outside once a month to thank Hakadosh Baruch Hu for renewing the moon, so when we make the bracha we say as follows: וְלַלְּבָנָה אָמַר – Hashem spoke to the moon; it means He gave the command, שֶׁתִּתְחַדֵּשׁ – that the moon should go through phases. The sun doesn’t wax and wane; the sun is a sun all the time. But the moon becomes smaller and then it disappears. עֲטֶרֶת תִּפְאֶרֶת לַעֲמוּסֵי בָטֶן – And it does that as a crown of glory for those who are carried from the belly. ‘Those carried from the belly’ means the Am Yisroel, like the possuk says about us: הָעֲמוּסִים מִנִּי בֶטֶן – The ones carried by Hakadosh Baruch Hu from our inception; from the beginning of our history, the moon symbolizes us.
And so not only do we count according to the moon, but we are also symbolized by the moon. And we have to study that analogy and gain the information that it wishes to provide us; what it means that we are like the moon not like the sun.
Interpreting the Allegory
You know, the sun is most obvious in the world; the entire world is bathed in the light of the sun. Whereas the moon is many times overlooked, it gives off only a little light, and sometimes it disappears entirely. And so Rosh Chodesh signifies an important principle. It’s a symbol that the Am Yisroel was especially made to be a small people. We are a minority in the world. And we are going to remain a minority. The nations of the world, no matter how diverse they are, all together they comprise one vast majority in opposition to the Am Yisroel. It makes no difference whether they are Mohammedans, or Christians or Buddhists or evolutionists, all together the nations are standing in opposition to us.
Now, it doesn’t mean that we fight with them, no. And on certain issues we can even ally with the good gentiles; in fighting against immorality and wickedness. Certainly, we can. But fundamentally, we stand alone against all the nations of the world. We are a unique people because there’s nothing in the nations of the world that can equate what the Jewish people stand for. The Jewish people stand for Hashem Who gave us a Torah at Sinai. That’s a Jew summed up in one sentence. We are the nation that accepts the obligation of obeying the Word of Hashem that was delivered at Sinai.
United Nations
And this, no creed in the world follows. Some say there never was a Matan Torah at Har Sinai and the others say it was abrogated later. Others say there never was a Sinai. Some say there’s no God at all. Hatzad hashaveh she’bahen, the common denominator is that we are the only one that upholds the Toras Hashem from Sinai. You could be Chassidic or Misnagdic, it doesn’t make any difference. Sefardi, Ashkenazi, no difference. All together we were mekabel the Torah at Sinai and we are standing faithfully by that. That’s the Jewish nation.
And because of that we’re the one nation that doesn’t mix. The Jew doesn’t intermarry. The Jews have certain moral principles. And therefore, all the nations of the world feel estranged from the Jew. The fact is that even today, when there are so many Jews who have lost their identity, there are still a lot of traits in them that don’t permit them to mingle. They’re misfits in gentile society.
That’s why the world doesn’t like us. They can’t agree on anything but this one thing they know, that we’re dirty Jews. The Negro will call you “a dirty Jew”. The WASP will call you “a dirty Jew” and the Irishmen will also call you “a dirty Jew”. They all unite for that. You’re a dirty Jew to everybody, no matter where you go. In all languages you’re a dirty Jew, worse than a dirty Jew. Don’t expect anybody to side with you. You’re a minority. You’re a me’at. You’re the smallest of all the nations. That’s what it means to be like the moon.
Kiddush Levanah
So you’ll say if we’re so small, so disregarded, what’s going to happen to us? What’s going to be?
And that’s why every month when the moon renews itself after disappearing, we go outside on the street and we say, עֲטֶרֶת תִּפְאֶרֶת לַעֲמוּסֵי בָטֶן – It’s being renewed as a crown of glory to the Am Yisroel, שֶׁהֵן עֲתִידִין לְהִתְחַדֵּשׁ כְּמוֹתָהּ – to remind us that we too are going to be renewed. That’s what the moon is saying to the world.
Of course, the Gentiles will put up a protest about that: “What kind of business is this? You hear the arrogance of these people? Orthodox Jews standing outside in the street, they say, the reason the moon is now renewed, it’s a symbol that they too will reappear once again as a great nation! Ignoramuses! Living in darkness! Don’t they know the moon has phases? The moon orbits around the earth, and therefore its appearance changes according to the changing angles of sunlight. It’s a natural thing. So what’s this business about a symbol?”
Revealing the Secret
And so we say to the world, “Oh, you poor, ignorant fellows. You never learned Parshas HaChodesh. So we’ll tell you the secret. Everything has a natural purpose too, but we live on a higher plane than that, and we know that Hakadosh Baruch Hu says it’s for us: ‘There is a higher purpose. I made it this way to be a message from Me to you, to My nation that is symbolized by the moon, that You will someday reappear and become the greatest in the world.’”
Right now, we are like the moon. Until the end of days, we’re going to be a minority, like the moon is so small compared to the sun. Sometimes we don’t even see it at all because it’s so small. But the moon in its phases is a symbol of what’s going to happen eventually. Someday we will be renewed. Eventually the truth will be demonstrated to all mankind. Eventually, the nation of the moon will grow full again, and we’ll become the great nation recognized by everyone.
“Someday the world will discover the truth,” Hashem says, “and then you’re going to shine. וְהַמַּשְׂכִּלִים יַזְהִרוּ כְּזֹהַר הָרָקִיעַ – And those who had seichel, those who understood someday they’ll shine with the splendor of the firmament. You’re going to shine then with a light, with a splendor that’ll make the sun look inconspicuous. The sun will be lost in your brilliance someday.” But until then, until the end of history, we live with the knowledge that we learned when we came out of Mitzrayim: “My people,” Hashem says, “Rosh Chodesh means that you’re like the moon; you’ll walk through history as the small one, the ones who live in the shadows of the night.”
Continued in Part III
https://torasavigdor.org/parshah-booklets/shabbos-hachodesh-5786-nissan-and-the-new-moon/
THE PEOPLE OF THE MOON – Part III The Ancient Holiday
Part III. Celebrating the New Moon
Rosh Chodesh: Recalibration Day
So we come back now to Parashas HaChodesh and we understand why Rosh Chodesh Nissan is so important, why it’s the first month of history. When the Bnei Yisroel went out of Egypt, they were beginning now a career of accomplishment; they were being born now for the all important function of being מְעַט מִכָּל הָעַמִּים.
Now, a nation that is going to have to undergo that test of being the מְעַט מִכָּל הָעַמִּים and pass that nisayon successfully, needs to be reminded from time to time about its function in this world. And that’s why, besides for Rosh Chodesh Nissan, they were taught the dinim of Rosh Chodesh in general. Because what better time to recalibrate, to take stock, than Rosh Chodesh, the symbol of our smallness and our greatness.
Don’t Squander the Chodesh
But there’s more. Rosh Chodesh is an important day for a nation being born now because of all the principles we discussed but also because it teaches us about time, about not squandering our one chance in this world to accomplish what we were born for. That’s one of the most important purposes of counting months – to remind us that time is passing.
A month is a big slice of life and when we count months we’re reminding ourselves that we have too important a function in this world to let time just go by. And so Rosh Chodesh means, “What have you done for Me lately? I gave you a function in this world,” Hakadosh Baruch Hu says, “and what did you accomplish with this past month, with this great gift of life that I gave you?”
The Watermelon of Life
Rosh Chodesh is like the woman who has a lot of children and the father brought home a watermelon. It was a big watermelon and she wanted the children to appreciate it. She knew that if she would just put the whole thing on the table it would be finished up and forgotten about so she cut it up into little slices and gave each one a little piece. “Tomorrow,” she said, “is another day and we’ll sit down and enjoy it all over again.” And so she intentionally handed out little pieces each day so they should appreciate it more.
Life is the biggest watermelon there is! There’s no bigger fun than being alive. Practice that tonight when you walk out; you’re walking down Ocean Parkway thinking how much fun it is to be alive. To walk, to breathe, to see! Ahh! But not only fun. It’s an opportunity! It’s an opportunity to make something from yourself. Achieving, that’s the best fun of this world!
A Slice of Life
But the trouble is if it’s dished out in in one long monotonous string, one big watermelon. Hakadosh Baruch Hu gives you seventy or eighty or ninety or a hundred years in one big chunk and you might feel it’s nothing. It’s easy to swallow up the whole thing without paying attention and before you know it it’s almost finished.
So what does He do? He dishes it out in portions. Life is chopped up in small portions, so that we should make the best use of it. He cuts it up first of all in years. Every year you feel, “Oh, it’s another year I’m getting. Baruch Hashem, an additional year.” And you take stock.
But even that is too much. It’s too big a portion. So He chops it up in months. A month! Thirty days! That’s a nice slice of life! And it’s renewed constantly so it should be an opportunity for us to appreciate it. That’s why He made a moon — the new moon says, “Wake up sleepyhead! Another month just passed you by and another one is heading your way.”
The Gift of Rosh Chodesh
That’s why we say in Mussaf Rosh Chodesh, רָאשֵׁי חֳדָשִׁים לְעַמְּךָ נָתַתָּ – You, Hashem, gave to Your people Roshei Chadoshim. Nasata means that You gave it to us as a gift. And what is the gift of Rosh Chodesh? There are many reasons why it’s called a gift but the first thing is what it says in the siddur: “You gave it to us as a זמן כפרה לכל תולדותם – a time when they make atonement for all that happened to them.”
On Rosh Chodesh you bring korbanos, offerings, that atone for everything that happened in the past month and therefore when Rosh Chodesh comes, it’s intended as an opportunity to stop and think, to take stock of your life. It’s not done but it should be done. Stop and think, “What did I do in the past month? How much did I accomplish in the past month?”
That’s why erev Rosh Chodesh some people use it as a yom kippur katan. In many places they used to fast the day before Rosh Chodesh and say special tefillos. Now, I’m not saying everyone must do that but there’s no question that everyone should utilize Rosh Chodesh itself as an opportunity to make a little pause and think about the past month.
A Day of Atonement
Zman kapparah means that the Jew who lives with an awareness of his function in the world thinks back over the past month and he considers whether he committed any errors, whether he forgot about Hakadosh Baruch Hu, whether he was in any detail disloyal to the Torah, he wronged his fellow man. It’s not for the entire year — that’s Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur — but at least in the month that has ensued, we review it, we look back.
And if you look you’ll discover. If you don’t look, you never have any errors. People can live with a clear conscience all their lives although they committed sometimes serious things. But if you look back, and you spend more time on it, you’ll be surprised how much you’ll discover that needs to be rectified: mistakes made between yourself and your neighbors, members of your family, the wrong things you said, the way you reacted. And also to people on the street, how did you behave. How did you behave when it came to your obligations in giving tzedakah, or dealing with Hakadosh Baruch Hu, did you think about Him enough.
There’s a great deal of work on Rosh Chodesh, to look back since the last Rosh Chodesh. What happened; what happened in our tefillah. What happened in our bein adam laMokom, bein adam lachaveiro, what happened in the families. It’s a very good idea to give an accounting to yourself of what happened in the past month. In general, a Jew lives with cheshbon. “בֹּאוּ חֶשְׁבּוֹן” a Jew is told. “Come and make calculations.” A bookkeeping of life is just as important — much more important — than the bookkeeping of business, and Rosh Chodesh was created for that.
Plan Ahead
And cheshbon includes the future too. So on Rosh Chodesh he sits down by himself for a few minutes and he thinks, “What am I going to do with my coming month?” Because Rosh Chodesh is a new beginning, a fresh start, and a nation that lives for a purpose — not for pastimes, not for entertainment and restaurants and baseball — makes sure to utilize that day as a preparation for a new beginning; it’s a chance for a new start.
So let’s say you were discouraged last month and you didn’t accomplish much. So now you look back and you say, “I was a flop, a failure, but no matter! I’ll start all over again.” And Hakadosh Baruch Hu is going to aid you. He’ll help you make that new beginning because that’s His system with those who try to make a beginning; He’s going to help them.
Pray Ahead
Now, when you take stock of the past and plan for the future, included in that is to ask for the future. Because now you appreciate what a month means and you want the upcoming thirty days to be successful. That’s why when the Rosh Chodesh bentchen used to take place, Jews used to weep. Yehi Ratzon is a serious time in the synagogue, on Shabbos Mevorchim.
And so Rosh Chodesh is a day when we ask Hakadosh Baruch Hu to prosper us for the month to come; that we know from Yaaleh V’yavo. Today everybody is confident and they just rattle it off but you’re missing out because it’s important to prepare for the month ahead with tefillah. We want to be remembered for tovah and bracha and chayim tovim and yeshua v’rachamim. We’re asking for a lot! And so when you say Yaaleh V’yavo next time, remember that the month depends to a big extent on how you asked for it.
Not only in Yaaleh V’yavo. Yaaleh V’yavo symbolizes all of our tefillos for the coming month. All day long you should be busy speaking to Hashem asking Him that the month that’s coming should be a successful month, that the next month should be a month of good health, a month of success in parnassa, a month of aliyah; we should make progress in serving Him and in knowing Torah more.
There’s a lot of things to ask for! And we shouldn’t generalize! Ask Hakadosh Baruch Hu that the month that’s coming should be a month free of automobile accidents, free of illnesses – a million things could happen chas v’shalom, and we don’t want any one of them to happen. And therefore it’s so important for a person to pray ahead of time. If you usher in a new month with the proper prayers, Hakadosh Baruch Hu listens to your requests, you have much more opportunity of being successful.
Don’t Forget to Say Thank You
And of course we can’t just merely beg always and say give me. You have to say thank You too. And so a big part of Rosh Chodesh is thanking Hakadosh Baruch Hu for the past month. And that’s what Hallel says; Hallel is to thank Hashem that you lived to this Rosh Chodesh. “Another month I lived! Oh Hashem, I thank You so much!”
You know when you’re being served something that’s delicious so you don’t say, “I’ll wait till the end of the meal and then I’ll say thank you to the host.” Every dish that he hands you say “thank you.” Every separate course you say “thank you.” And so we don’t wait only till the end of the year. Every Rosh Chodesh we say Hallel because we’re thanking for the past month.
We should put work into that, effort into thanking, and the Hallel should be with great gratitude. Thirty days of happiness, thirty days of life. Thirty days that you ate meals almost every day. Maybe every day. And so there’s a lot to be grateful for. Thirty days that you wore clothing. Thirty days that you were able to sleep. Thirty days that you breathed. Breathing thirty days! There’s a lot to be grateful for.
Hallel means to thank Hashem that you lived to see another Rosh Chodesh. Suppose a man was sentenced to be put to death and he received a reprieve for one month, a month is a gift. Many people pay big money in order to live another month. And Hakadosh Baruch Hu certainly deserves a great Hallel for a gift not of a minute. A minute? יש קונה עולמו בשעה אחת – In one minute, a person can do teshuva. And the next minute if you’ll get busy, you could become a ben Olam Haba.
And therefore we sum up now; besides for all the secrets, the allegories and lessons of Rosh Chodesh, there are also three elements to the day. Number one is the element of zman kaparah, to atone for the past month which means retrospect, to go back and consider what happened, mistakes we made or the progress we made in order to hold onto it. If you started good things, you have to consider what good things you began in order to hold onto it. Second, to beg and ask that the month should be a month of happiness and success. And number three, to thank Hashem for the past month; to express our gratitude that we lived to see another Rosh Chodesh.
The Ancient Holiday
And so you understand now why Rosh Chodesh was so important in the ancient times. Although the Torah did not forbid any work on Rosh Chodesh, it’s remarkable that our forefathers voluntarily refrained from work on Rosh Chodesh. During the entire time of the first Beis Hamikdash, our forefathers refused to work on Rosh Chodesh. You see that everywhere in Tanach. It was to them like a regular festival, a holiday, a yom tov.
And it’s easy to understand why. Parshas HaChodesh is the beginning of the Torah! That’s when we became a nation! Rosh Chodesh Nissan is the beginning of our history! And how did we survive history? How is it that we’ll remain standing until the end of time? Because we’re a nation that lives with all the lessons of Rosh Chodesh, all the attitudes and principles that can be gained by living according to the lessons of the new moon.
And that’s the best way to go into Nissan, the month of Pesach, the month when we were born — by recommitting ourselves to live by the lessons that Moshe Rabbeinu taught the nation on that first Rosh Chodesh of our history.
Have a Wonderful Shabbos
This week’s booklet is based on tapes: 134 – Jacob the Little | 149 – He Made Darkness | 421 – Rosh Chodesh and the Moon | 491 – I Created All Of Them For You | E-71 – Hallel
The Final War Before MOSHIACH Has Begun…...IY"H
Are we on the brink of the final battle before Moshiach? Isaiah 34:6 uncovers the secret connection between the Strait of Hormuz and end-time prophecy. Rav Baruch Rosenblum Shlit”a explains…
[did we not read a special piece by Eliezer Meir Saidel quoting Rav Rosenblum?]
But I Digress.....Why ARAB Countries Do Not Attack IRAN? The Answer Will Shock You!
Elucidates many of the terms and names being discussed in the present War Situation
Reb Neuberger: Vayikra – The Ships of Kittim
THE SHIPS OF KITTIM, PART 2
“[Bilaam] declaimed his parable and said, ‘Oh! Who will survive when he imposes these! There will be big ships from the place of Kittim, and they will afflict Assyria … but it, too, will be forever destroyed.’” (Bamidbar 24:23-24)
The possuk, “Oh! Who will survive when he imposes these” is widely understood to refer to the travails of the Messianic Period. The Sforno, for example, says this possuk is similar to the Gemara (Sanhedrin 98b) which says, “Let [Moshiach] come, but let me not be there when he comes (because of the suffering at that time.)”
In the aftermath of October 7, 2023, a fleet of American warships was dispatched by American President Joe Biden to the Eastern Mediterranean, ostensibly to protect Israel and prevent the Gaza conflict from widening. At that time, I wrote an article entitled, “The Ships of Kittim,” identifying this incident with the prophesy of Bilaam. Just last week, one of our readers recalled that article, with the comment that “it is even more relevant now!”
I am very grateful to this reader. In fact, the fleet now surrounding “Assyria” (which is modern Iran) is many times larger than the fleet sent by President Biden in 2023, and contemporary events seem to be in amazing conformity with the prophesy of Bilaam.
What, in fact, are these “big ships from Kittim?”
Onkelos (himself a Roman convert) identifies “Kittim” with Rome. Rashi says, “Kittites … are Romans.” Ramban says, “big ships will come from the place of the Kittim, those being the Romans.” Rome stands for the entire Western Culture, who are the descendants of Esav, our primordial enemy who destroyed Bayis Shaini and sent us into our present Golus.
Ramban continues: “Now, [Bilaam] concludes his words with the destruction of the Kittim (Romans) because they are [the nation represented by] the fourth [and final] beast [of Daniel’s dream], which is to be destroyed by the hand of the Moshiach, as [Scripture] states…. And this matter is known from the words of our Sages, that the fourth beast that Daniel saw is Rome, which exiled us, and that is [the kingdom] that will be destroyed by the hand of Moshiach [in the End of Days].” (Artscroll Ramban on Bamidbar 24:24)
My friends, please pay close attention: “Targum Yonason explains that, in the End of Days, a huge fleet of ships will depart from ‘Italy’ (referring to Edom, the Western World) and they will fight against the legions of Yishmoel (the Arab nations). In the end, both of them – Edom and Yishmoel – will fall into the hands of Moshiach and be obliterated … and Yishmoel will be destroyed.” (Translation from Redemption Unfolding)
A huge fleet is now surrounding and attacking Iran/Persia. This seems to be in accordance with the prophesy of Bilaam, but there is a question, because, at least for the moment, the fleet is on our side. If this fleet represents Edom attacking Assyria/Yishmoel, then how do we understand that it is apparently friendly toward us?
Here is a possible solution.
First, we are – as a result of two thousand years of Golus Edom – very much absorbed into the Kingdom of Edom. We will be extricated only at the Geulah Shelemah. Secondly, we do not know where the current war is going. President Trump – the friend of Israel – will not be President forever.
Today, the inheritance of Edom/Rome has passed to the United States, as the leader of the Western World. We have to remember that “Rome” is the “fourth beast,” the hated power which destroyed Bayis Shaini. They are the ones who sent us into Golus, and they are the ones who have tortured us during this entire Golus. During some periods, we have experienced the sword of Esav and during some periods the “kiss of Esav.” Esav is always dangerous, but the “kiss” may be even more dangerous than the sword!
As this mighty fleet battles the “legions of Yishmoel” before our very eyes, can we doubt that we are seeing prophesy unfold? With gratitude to President Trump, we must not lose sight of the fact that our victory will come solely through the hand of Moshiach ben Dovid.
Please remember Mitzraim. When we left Mitzraim, we had thought we were free forever, but, at the Yam Suf, we were suddenly surrounded by the vicious enemies we had thought we had left behind! Victory seemed to turn to catastrophe until Moshe told us, “Do not fear! Stand fast and see the salvation of Hashem that He will perform for you today.” (Shemos 14:13) Then, Nachshon ben Aminadav walked into the sea and it split for us!
We cannot allow ourselves to believe that the Ships of Kittim will save us. Know that our salvation comes from Above. “On high, may merit be pleaded upon … us for a safeguard of peace. May we receive a bracha from Hashem and kindness from the G-d of our salvation and find favor and good understanding in the eyes of G-d and man.” (Mishlei 3:4)
We are now surrounded by mighty events, which may be the prelude to a world of truth and salvation. May we be worthy of seeing the Ultimate Consolation with the coming of Moshiach ben Dovid, the final destruction of all our enemies and the revelation of the Bais Hamikdosh, soon in our days!
GLOSSARY
Bais Hamikdosh: the Holy Temple
Bayis Shaini: the Second Temple
Esav: the twin brother of Jacob, our primordial enemy
Geula Shelema: Final Redemption
Golus: Exile
Golus Edom: the Exile of Rome, the present exile of the Children of Israel
Mitzraim: Ancient Egypt
Possuk: sentence in the Torah
Yam Suf: the Sea of Reeds, where the Egyptians surrounded our ancestors
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