13 March 2026
This was posted already and received a comment. But now shows up as a draft. Who did this!
Mount of Olives reclaimed in historic events
Israei and world Jewry celebrate reclamation of Mt. of Olives with major ceremonies in Jerusalem in February.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/423413
Here is the comment from March 3:
Mar 8, 2026
🔥כל הצלת עם השם היא בדרך ניסית: המנהיג הרב לנדו מחזק את בני ישיבת עוצם הגולים ממקומם בעקבות המלחמה
מנהיג הדור מרן ראש הישיבה הגר"ד לנדו שליט"א במשא מיוחד בעניני התקופה לאחר שיעור כללי בהיכלה הזמני של ישיבת נר זרח עוצם בראשות הגאון רבי יצחק פיינשטיין שליט"א. הישיבה פונתה ע"י הרשויות עם תחילת המלחמה וכעת שוהה בבני ברק. לאחר השיעור רבינו נשא דברי הדרכה בחובת התקופה, מול הסכנות מבית ומחוץ, ולקראת ימי בין הזמנים להלן הדברים המלאים: במדרש שיר השירים רבה על הפסוק 'האלף לך שלמה מאתים לנוטרים את פריו', ר' חייא בריה דרבי אבא אמר, הלומד תורה בצער נוטל אלף, שלא בצער מאתים נוטל בשכרו. ר' יודן בשם ר' בון אמר, הלומד תורה שלא במקומו נוטל שכר אלף, ובמקומו נוטל שכר מאתים. פלאי פלאים, לא במקומו אלף, במקומו מאתיים. זה כבר יותר משנתיים, שבני הישיבות לומדים תורה מתוך צער, כאשר הרשויות מצרים את צעדיהם, וכך התווסף עוד צער לבני ישיבות רבים שנאלצים ללמוד תורה שלא במקומם, זה צער גדול. מאידך, כבר יותר משנתיים, שהעם היושב בציון שרוי במצב מלחמה, הסכנות עצומות, והחששות כבדים, אבל שומר ישראל שומר שארית ישראל, וכל הצלת עם השם היא בדרך ניסית, לא בדרך טבעית כלל, ואנו מאמינים ובטוחים שתורה היא זו שמגנא ומצלא. אין לנו נביא, ואיננו מבינים את הנהגת הבורא, אבל צריך לדעת שהסכנות גדולות מאד וצריך זכויות גדולות של לימוד התורה הרבה יותר מאשר בימים כתיקונם, והלומד תורה בצער נוטל אלף, חמש ידות על פני לימוד תורה שלא בצער. והלומד שלא במקומו נוטל אלף, חמש ידות על פני לימוד במקומו. כולנו בני הישיבות כל לומדי התורה נזר הבריאה, אנחנו מקיימי העולם, לימוד התורה שלנו מגן על עם ישראל, מגן ומציל במשמעות הכי פשוטה, ולכן עלינו לקיים את תפקידנו ביתר שאת, ללמוד וללמוד ושוב ללמוד, להיות שקועים בתורה, ללמוד שעות רצופות, ולחיות את התורה, להתלהב מקושיה, ולהתענג על דברי תורה. זה תפקידנו, זו חובתנו, זה זכותנו, ורק כך נציל את עם ישראל ונגן עליו מכל האויבים הרבים האומרים לכו ונכחידם מגוי. יחד עם זה עלינו להרבות תפילות בכוונה, להקפיד יותר על הלכות תפילה, ואומרים בשם החזון איש זצ"ל שבזמן פורענות להגיד מזמור 'יושב בסתר' מסוגל מאד. כמובן שצריך להתחזק באמונה ובבטחון שכל מה שקורה הוא מאת השם יתברך, ומי שחי בידיעה הזאת הוא רגוע ומאושר וכל תקוותו בהשם יתברך שהוא הטוב והמיטיב, וכל מאי דעביד רחמנא לטב עביד, וכשמתחזקים באמונה ובבטחון, השם יתברך משפיע טובה על אוהביו, וקרוב השם לכל קוראיו. יחד עם זה יש חובת השתדלות, ויש דיני פיקוח נפש, וצריכים להקפיד מאד מאד על ההנחיות, לא להקל בזה, זה החיוב דאורייתא של ונשמרתם מאד לנפשותיכם, ואומרים בשם מרן הרב מבריסק זצ"ל שעל ידי קיום חיוב 'ונשמרתם' הקדוש ברוך מביא את ההצלה. ועוד דבר חשוב: לשמור על רוגע ושלוה ואוירה טובה, והעצה לזה, להתעניין מה שפחות במה שקורה, מספיק מה שיודעים ממילא, לא צריך לחפש עוד מידע ועוד מידע, זה מיותר, וזה גם גורם לגרום לפחד ולחרדה מיותרים. בשבוע הבא מתחיל בין הזמנים, בבין הזמנים אין שום פטור מלימוד תורה, ובפרט במצב כעת שעם ישראל זקוק להגנה של התורה, חס ושלום שבני הישיבות והכוללים לא יתרפו מעסק התורה בבין הזמנים, ואדרבה בבין הזמנים אפשר ללמוד מסכתות או נושאים אחרים שבמהלך הזמן פחות עוסקים בהם. צריך בבין הזמנים גם לנצל את ההזדמנות לקיים כיבוד אב ואם, ולעזור בבית כשצריך את העזרה, כבד את אביך ואת אמך למען יאריכון ימיך. יהי רצון שיערה השם רחמים על עמו ישראל, ויצילנו מכל פורעניות וגזרות רעות, ונשב באהלה של תורה כל הימים ללא שום הפרעות, ויגאלנו גאולת עולמים במהרה בימינו אמן.
Rabbi Freund: A time to cleanse and begin again
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| Rosh Chodesh at Cave of Patriarchs |
Every national future must rest on something deeper than power alone.
As the month of Nissan approaches and Passover draws near, the Jewish people are called upon to prepare not only their homes, but also their hearts.
That is one of the enduring messages of Shabbat HaChodesh, when we read the special Torah portion proclaiming the advent of the first month of the Jewish calendar: “This month shall be for you the beginning of months" (Exodus 12:2). It is a moment of national renewal, the threshold of redemption, the point at which a slave people first began to emerge into freedom.
And fittingly, the accompanying Haftorah from Ezekiel 45:16-46:18 is likewise centered on renewal, one rooted in purification, discipline and the proper ordering of national life before G-d.
The prophet opens with instructions for offerings to be brought by the people and by the prince on behalf of Israel. Then comes a striking command: “In the first month, on the first day of the month, you shall take a young bull without blemish and cleanse the Sanctuary" (Ezekiel 45:18).
That is no coincidence.
Just as Nissan marks the beginning of Israel’s national calendar, Ezekiel teaches that a true beginning requires cleansing. Before the festivals can be observed, before the people can gather in worship, before the rhythm of sacred national life can proceed, the Sanctuary itself must be purified.
In other words, renewal does not happen automatically. A new month on the calendar is not enough. A nation seeking redemption must first engage in moral and spiritual preparation.
That message is as timely today as ever.
We live in an age in which the Jewish people, after centuries of exile and persecution, have merited to witness the restoration of Jewish sovereignty in the Land of Israel. The return to Zion, the ingathering of exiles and the rebirth of Hebrew are all part of a historic process that previous generations could scarcely have imagined.
But Shabbat HaChodesh reminds us that national rebirth is not only a matter of borders, armies and institutions. It is also a matter of values.
A people can be physically restored and yet still be in need of inward repair. A nation can achieve astonishing success and yet still require spiritual recalibration. Ezekiel’s vision insists that before redemption can be fully realized, there must be cleansing.
One need not look far to see how relevant this is in the present moment. Israel continues to confront enemies who seek its destruction, while Jews around the world face a wave of hatred and delegitimization that has grown more brazen and more dangerous. At the same time, the Jewish world is grappling with internal division, political rancor and deep cultural tensions.
In such an environment, it is tempting to think only in terms of immediate threats and tactical responses. Those are of course necessary. A nation under siege must defend itself.
But the Haftorah urges us not to lose sight of the deeper task. The Jewish future will not be secured by military strength alone, vital though it is. It will also depend on whether we know how to renew ourselves spiritually, clarify our priorities and restore a sense of sacred purpose to our national existence.
That idea is reinforced in the reading when Ezekiel declares: “In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, you shall have the Passover, a festival of seven days; unleavened bread shall be eaten" (45:21).
Passover is not presented here merely as a commemoration of the past. It is embedded in a larger framework of national worship, covenantal order and collective responsibility. The Exodus was never meant to be remembered as a one-time escape from bondage. It was meant to shape the character of the Jewish people in every generation.
Freedom without purpose quickly descends into emptiness. Independence without holiness becomes hollow. National revival without covenant is incomplete.
The Haftorah also emphasizes the sanctity of time and public devotion. “Thus says the Lord G-d: The gate of the inner court that faces east shall be shut on the six working days, but on the Sabbath day it shall be opened, and on the day of the New Moon it shall be opened" (46:1). A society worthy of redemption is one that knows the difference between the ordinary and the holy. It is one that opens its gates, literally and figuratively, for Shabbat, for renewal and for an encounter with the Divine.
That, too, is part of the challenge before us.
Can the Jewish state remain not only a refuge for Jews, but also a vessel for Jewish ideals? Can Jewish communities in Israel and abroad maintain not only continuity, but also seriousness of purpose? Can we rise above the noise of politics and headlines to remember why our people survived in the first place?
Shabbat HaChodesh answers with a quiet but firm insistence: every true beginning demands preparation. Every redemption requires purification. cc
As Nissan arrives, the Jewish people are summoned once more to begin again. To cleanse. To remember. To reorder our lives around what is holy.
For that is how redemption begins: not only with deliverance from without but with renewal from within.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/423815
😭עם ישראל כעת במצב קשה: מרן פוה"ד הרב זילברשטיין בהספד נרגש ומרטיט על אמא של נאמן ביתו מוטי פורגס
שהיא טיפלה באמי ע"ה במסירות רבה'
מרן פוסק הדור הגר"י זילברשטיין שליט"א השתתף במסע הלויית מרת יפה פורגס ע"ה – עמו של מקורבו ונאמן ביתו הרב מרדכי פורגס שליט"א | כמו כן הגיע רבינו לניחום אבלים לזמן ממושך בו פירט את זכויותיה של הנפטרת הדגולה ע"ה | צפו בתיעודים באדיבות דברי חמד
ביום חמישי שעבר (פ' כי תשא) השתתף מרן רבינו שליט"א במסע הלוייתה של האשה החשובה והצדקנית מרת יפה פורגס ע"ה, אמו של מקורבו ונאמן ביתו עשרות בשנים הר"ר מרדכי פורגס שליט"א, שנסתלקה לעולמה בשיבה טובה כשהיא מותירה אחריה מורשת מפוארת של חינוך וחסד.
המנוחה ע"ה, בתו של הרה"ח ר' מרדכי צבי ויזל ז"ל, הייתה דמות של 'אם בישראל', כאשר במשך עשרות שנים כיהנה כגננת ותיקה בבני ברק, וזכתה לטעת אמונה טהורה בלבבותיהם של אלפי תשב"ר, יחד עם בעלה הרה"ח ר' אביגדור פורגס ז"ל (שעל שמו הוקם מכון 'זכרון אביגדור' להפצת תורת רבינו בסדרת הספרים – 'אשמרה שבת'), שהיה מעמודי התווך של ביהכ"נ המרכזי בשכונת 'נווה אחיעזר', והיה מעורר תמיד את הציבור בחביבות אך בתקיפות שלא לדבר בעת התפילה.
רבינו הספידה לפני מיטתה, ואמר: "עם ישראל נמצא כעת במצב קשה, כל רגע..., ה' ישמור מה שהולך, ולכן בתקופה זו חבל בכפליים על אשה צדיקה שהלכה מן העולם. היא שימשה את אמא שלי ע"ה, היא טיפלה בה במסירות רבה. ואני פשוט בעל חוב...".
"האמת היא שר' מרדכי, שיהיה בריא, יבדל לחיים, יש לו חלק גדול מאד בהרבצת תורה, הוא מגדיל את התורה, מחבב את התורה, והחיים שלו זה תורה. לכל אדם יש את הדברים שמהם הוא חי".
"ר' מרדכי חי מהתורה, מגדל אותה, מפאר אותה, מפרסם את התורה, לחבר ולהדפיס ספרים, היכן שיש לו רק אפשרות להגדיל תורה ולהאדירה – זה ר' מרדכי, והוא קיבל את זה מאמא שלו".
"אני זוכר אותו כבר עשרות בשנים, ומכיר אותו כאיש התורה, וזה בזכות אמא שלו. איש התורה זה נקרא שכל מה שיש לו זה סביב התורה, הוא ורעייתו, יבדלו לחיים. בשבילנו זה יום עצוב, אבל כעת האמא תעלה לשמים, וישאלו אותה, מה עם כיבוד אם? – היא תגיד דברים מאד גדולים.
"לנו עצמינו, כאנשי השכונה כואב, סוף כל סוף, הכאב שלו זה גם הכאב שלנו, אשה גדולה הלכה לעולמה. נבקש מהקב"ה שיתן לר' מרדכי ורעייתו שיחי' אושר ועושר שיוכל להחזיק את התורה כמו שעושה כעת, שהקב"ה יתן לו כח להמשיך, ולאמא יהיה קורת רוח, ועם ישראל יזכה לגאולה השלימה, ונאמר אמן", סיים רבינו את דבריו.
***
למחרת, ביום שישי ערש"ק פרשת כי תשא, הגיע מרן שליט"א לניחום אבלים אצל מקורבו ונאמן ביתו, שם ישב במשך זמן רב ושוחח עם בנה הרב מרדכי פורגס שליט"א על מסירותה של הנפטרת, למען אמו (של רבינו שליט"א).
הרב מרדכי פורגס סיפר לרבינו: "אמא של הרב היתה אזרחית חוץ, ולא היה זכות להיכנס למועדון הקשישים בבני ברק, ולאחר שביקשנו במיוחד אישרו את הדבר, כדי לעזור לרב שיוכל ללכת ללמוד בכולל, והיתה שם שנים על גבי שנים".
רבינו הגיב ואמר: "אמך כיבדה וטיפלה את אמי מאד יפה, כעת נזכרתי שאמך היתה מאד עוזרת לי, ואני חייב הכרת הטוב. אמא שלכם מאד עזרה לי, היא היתה קשישה, ובאה מאמריקה אחרי שאבא שלי נפטר, והייתי צריך עזרה, ואמא שלכם עזרה לה מאד".
לאחר מכן סיפרו בני המשפחה כי יש בידם תיעוד וידאו מדרשתו של רבינו במסיבת פרידה שנערכה במועדון הקשישים לרבנית רחל ע"ה. רבינו התרגש ואמר: "צריכים לזכור שאף דבר לא נשכח, אם עושים חטאים – זה לא נשכח! גם דברים טובים לא נשכחים. על הקב"ה אומרים בתפילה בראש השנה, כי זוכר כל הנשכחות אתה".
את דבריו סיים רבינו ואמר: "ובנוסף לכך אנחנו חייבים מאד לרבי מרדכי, באופן אישי, אני בעל חוב גדול. אנחנו מצטערים בצער שלך".
ת.נ.צ.ב.ה.
12 March 2026
Excellent Shiur by Parsha Inspired.....This Week Changes Everything
Prophecy Says This Week Changes Everything
We are in the midst of this Third Temple Prophecy, This week marks the start of the messianic process which will lead to the final redemption in Jerusalem.
This was fascinating.
"The World Has No Clue What Iran Is Really Planning..."
Parsha Inspired:
Glenn Beck Warns: "There Is a Much Bigger War Driving The Iran War..."
2400 casualties
Rabbi Weissman: Gaslighting Hundreds and .....
*Gaslighting Hundreds of Thousands of Israeli "War Deniers"
Plus Religious Zionism in a nutshell, and more
“Our job is not just to pack everyone in the building,” says the state operative on Channel 13 at the start of the embedded video. (Wow, he actually said that.)
No, their job is much more grandiose than just packing everyone in the building. They want to have different kinds of people meeting each other in convenient cities. How thoughtful of them! Pack me in the building, please!
The rest of the video is a montage from Israeli media demonstrating a strong correlation between recent missile strikes and state plans for pinui binui, widespread demolition of existing homes and neighborhoods to replace them with ugly skyscrapers — of course, for our safety from earthquakes and missiles.
These plans are highly lucrative for real estate developers and the state, and very much in line with globalist objectives (such as 15-minute cities/ghettos/prisons) that Israel has publicly adopted as goals for the near future.
However, many citizens object to being forced to move when their apartment is demolished, enduring a years-long construction nightmare, then returning to live on floor 33 in a smart tower of Bavel, surrounded by thousands more people all sharing the same infrastructure.
This is a conundrum, because the state has to pretend that citizens still have rights and their vote matters.
It’s quite convenient, therefore, that Iran has often chosen to fire missiles specifically at buildings and neighborhoods that the state and its ruling class had in mind for pinui binui anyway. With the demolition stage already thrust upon the citizens, like it or not, approvals for construction are fast-tracked, and building back better can proceed without inconvenient objections and other delays.
The state also recently decided that those who don’t voluntarily agree to sign off on these projects can be forced to sell their home to the state — an offer they can’t refuse — because Israel is a Jewish state and the only democracy in the Middle East.
Of course, correlation does not equal causation. Then again, a smoking gun is not proof that a bullet has been fired. Would any insurance company accept this many coincidences from you?
Mordechai Sones explores this subject in greater depth:
How Iran’s Missiles Happen To Be Clearing the Path for Israel’s Real Estate Giants: The curious case of the 10% ‘misses’ that became multi-million dollar hits
Read it here.
Western-educated people tend to be the dumbest people around — the higher the education the lower the critical thinking skills — so you might be surprised to learn that hundreds of thousands of Israelis from across the spectrum are not buying the official narrative about this “Iranian war”.
If you’re one of them, it’s good to know that you’re not in the extreme minority, as the media would have you believe. The same was true during Covid; the 90% who distrusted the narrative believed they were just 10% or less, and were timid because of it.
Now pause for a moment and consider the following. Imagine you were the leader of a country, you loved the country and its people, and you were doing everything in your power to protect them and improve their lives.
However, a very significant and increasing percentage of the population believes the exact opposite about you. They believe you are thoroughly corrupt, a criminal, a traitor, possibly even a foreign agent. They believe you have sold them out time and time again for power and profit. They believe you and your cohorts are monsters, literally killing and enslaving your own population to advance an evil globalist agenda.
They could not be more wrong! You might not be perfect — you have an impossible job, after all — but you are sincere and righteous. You even went to the Kotel with a tallis and a camera crew, and you attended a Megilla reading on Purim when it was forbidden for everyone else!
So what would you do when one Israeli Facebook group alone has 40,000 members who believe the worst conspiracies about you, and numerous other social media groups have tens of thousands of additional members, not to mention all the haredim and Arab citizens who view you with utmost suspicion, to say the least?
Rightly or wrongly, there is a serious trust issue here. As someone who cares so much about the people, you would want to know why so many people thing the worse things about you, and you would sincerely address their concerns in a transparent, genuine, human way. You would understand that trust is not earned with theatrical statements and media stunts, but with accessibility, respect, and meaningful actions.
Of course, you might just choose to gaslight them instead.
That’s what the regime did once again, in a recent article in Mako (Hebrew here, passable English translation here).
Instead of addressing why hundreds of thousands of citizens are not buying the official narrative, why they find it more likely that their own government or the Americans are firing missiles at them than Iranians, the author refers to them as “war deniers”, lumps all “conspiracy theorists” together — as if all “conspiracy theories” are both ludicrous and equally ludicrous — and that these people are mentally ill.
“As absurd and outrageous as they may be,” the article condescendingly states, “such stories serve a clear psychological function: they serve as a defense mechanism against a dangerous and unpredictable world.”
I will be the first to admit that “conspiracy theorists” are far from perfect in their reasoning, and have shared information that turned out to be false. But you know what? The same is true of the media, many times over, with contempt. What right do they have to talk down to anyone? Why does anyone still believe them at all? Why are they held to a much more lenient standard than those who are skeptical of them?
Why do those who distrust the official narratives have the full burden of proof squarely on them, every single time, with no amount of evidence ever deemed sufficient? Why do I have to bat a thousand, and even then be ignored or dismissed by the pseudo-intellectuals, but the media can publish lies, spin, and utter nonsense day after day, and still be viewed as authoritative sources of information?
The answer is that those who trust the official narratives want to believe the lies, because they too have sold out in one way or another. At the end of the day, they have sellouts as leaders because that is what they want, and that is what they deserve.
The priests of Molech didn’t snatch children. The people offered them up.
While waiting to be allowed out of your kefira room, consider this:
The typical reaction is to be proud of these Jews for keeping the synagogue open.
But wait a second. Shouldn’t they close the shul down in light of this clear and present danger? Shouldn’t members pray at home, or in shelters in small groups?
Why are the same people who reflexively praise the defiance of Jews outside of Israel for keeping their shuls open, despite the risk of being killed, vilifying the very same reaction of Jews inside Israel who refuse to close their shuls?
Here’s another fascinating exhibit from Arutz Sheva:
The head of the Sderot Hesder Yeshiva, Rabbi David Pendel, together with the yeshiva’s rabbinic staff, recently sent a letter to students currently serving in the IDF. The letter responds to questions from soldiers about whether it is permissible under Jewish law to serve in close quarters with female personnel, particularly in the context of the cramped space inside military vehicles.
In short, they acknowledge that it’s forbidden for many reasons.
The letter ends with a clear directive: soldiers should avoid being in these circumstances. If a soldier encounters such a situation, the rabbis wrote, he should request that his commanders and the military rabbinate prevent it from occurring.
In other words, even though it’s forbidden for many reasons, the directive is pointedly not to uphold the supremacy of the Torah above all else and refuse immoral orders that violate the Torah. The directive is certainly not to tell the IDF to go to hell and you’re done with them.
No, the directive is to politely request of wicked IDF commanders not to compel you to violate the Torah, then to just follow orders and violate the Torah anyway. The Torah always bends to the will of the state. That’s the ruling of rabbis who work for the state.
Religious Zionism in a nutshell.
FYI, I tried calling the yeshiva to speak to question them about this, but couldn’t get anyone on the phone. Funny how the people preaching to the masses tend to be so difficult to reach and question if you aren’t part of their little club. The dialogue is always one-sided.
Maybe you should wear a bulletproof vest 24/7. You never know when there will be a terrorist attack, or a sudden burst of crossfire from gang warfare. Surely it would save a life.
If you consider that an unreasonable precaution, you need to explain exactly where you draw the line between responsible and unreasonable, and why specifically there.
Where should a Jew be running in a time of trouble? To communal places of prayer and Torah, or away from them?
מוֹדִים אֲנַחְנוּ לְפָנֶיךָ ה’ אֱלֹקינו
שֶׁשַּמְתָּ חֶלְקֵנוּ מִיּוֹשְׁבֵי בֵּית הַמִּדְרָשׁ
וְלֹא שַׂמְתָּ חֶלְקֵנוּ מִיּוֹשְׁבֵי מִקְלָטים
שֶׁאָנוּ מַשְׁכִּימִים וְהֵם מַשְׁכִּימִים
אָנוּ מַשְׁכִּימִים לְדִבְרֵי תוֹרָה
וְהֵם מַשְׁכִּימִים לִדְבָרִים בְּטֵלִים
אָנוּ עֲמֵלִים וְהֵם עֲמֵלִים
אָנוּ עֲמֵלִים וּמְקַבְּלִים שָׂכָר
וְהֵם עֲמֵלִים וְאֵינָם מְקַבְּלִים שָׂכָר
אָנוּ רָצִים וְהֵם רָצִים
אָנוּ רָצִים לְחַיֵּי הָעוֹלָם הַבָּא
וְהֵם רָצִים לִבְאֵר שָׁחַת
Rabbi Wein: Vayakhel – Pekudei
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“The power of government is so enormous that it can
(and often does) infiltrate every aspect of its citizens’ lives”
(Rabbi Berel Wein - In My Opinion)
WEEKLY PARSHA FROM THE DESTINY ARCHIVES
Vayakhel – Pikudei 5777/2017
The Torah reading of the book of Shemot concludes this week with the reading of the total portion of Vayakhel and Pekudei. These two portions are a fitting conclusion to the long narrative describing the construction of the Taberncle/Mishkan. Every great project, whether physical or spiritual, is yet incomplete without an accounting being given as to the investment, effort and cost relating to the project.
One of the great principles of the Torah and of Jewish life generally is accountability – for behavior, speech, actions and even thoughts. The Talmud phrased it succinctly: “Human beings are always accountable and liable for their actions.” We have a concept in the Talmud that one can be found not to be liable for actions caused by human negligence or mistakes by an earthly court but still be liable in the heavenly court, which judges all of our behavior.
As human beings we hold ourselves to a far less stringent standard of behavior and liability. But Heavenly judgment, which knows our true capabilities and potential, holds us to its lofty standard of accountability. And we are witness to that in the accounting that Moshe submits to us in this week’s Torah reading, of the wealth accumulated and spent in this great construction project of the Tabernacle/Mishkan.
The project was enormous in scope and in cost. Yet Moshe was aware that one thousand measures of silver were not accounted for. He could not rest until he traced the missing silver - which was actually used for the hooks that held the curtains that constituted the hanging tapestries of the structure.
One of the great demands of current politics that now engulfs us is the issue of transparency. We wish for transparency in government affairs, financial dealings and even in personal relationships. All governments are currently besieged by the leaking of sensitive documents and information and all of this is justified by the idea that the public has a right to know everything about everybody at all times.
In theory, transparency is a good and necessary component of a democratic republic. But the question arises as to whether there are any limits to this right to transparency. From the Torah itself it seems that in monetary matters and in accounting for the use of public funds, especially charity funds, there is no limit to the necessity for transparency and accountability.
However, in matters of personal behavior and past actions of human beings, the Torah does impose limits on the need for revelation. The laws of evil speech and slander apply even when one speaks the truth about others. Then, the so-called right to know is severely curtailed. Such distinctions do not exist in the culture that currently surrounds us. Private information about people’s lives, which at one time was considered sacrosanct, is today visible to all on social media and through the hackers and leakers that abound in our world. Even transparency has to have its limits of decency and restraint.
Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi Berel Wein
Reb Neuberger: The Sun, The Moon, And All The Stars – Vayakhel-Pekuday/HaChodesh
THE SUN, THE MOON AND ALL THE STARS
Among the Children of Israel there is euphoria and there is fear.
Euphoria because people are convinced – for good reason – that they have seen the Hand of G-d. The Geulah seems close. At the very moment we read Parshas Zachor, the chief of Amalek was struck down. But there is also fear, because powerful bombs are falling across the Middle East, and, clearly, the enemy is not completely vanquished. The war is in fact spreading and it is not clear where or when it will stop.
In the interests of facing reality, I would like to state my ideas on how this may play out. The war may well spread to the four corners of the earth. If that happens, the face of the world may change radically. Empires may fall and mighty rulers may topple. Before it is over, it is possible that the Geulah Shelemah will have arrived.
The Chofetz Chaim is quoted as having said that there would be three wars before Moshiach: the First World War occurred during his lifetime. He then predicted that there would be a Second World War, which would make the first war look like “child’s play.” Then, after a time, there would be a Third War, which would make the Second World War look like “child’s play.” After that war, Moshiach will come.
I am going to quote from passages you have heard before. I apologize, but they are so relevant that I cannot ignore them. “In the year in which Moshiach will be revealed, all the nations of the world will be in conflict. The King of Persia will quarrel with the King of Arabia … and the King of Persia will destroy the entire world. The nations will be confused and agitated,” but Hashem will tell Am Yisroel, “Do not fear, for the time of your redemption has come.” (Yalkut Shimoni as seen in Book of Our Heritage)
This passage seems to be describing events occurring at this very moment.
A midrash says that Mordechai asked bochurim in Shushan ha Bira what passages they had studied in yeshiva that day, and they quoted the very passages many of us recite daily, in a tefilla called “Al tira,” which is found after Aleinu in the Siddur. It begins, “Do not fear the holocaust when it comes ….” And it ends, “I will be with you until your old age….” The Midrash applies these possukim to the wars of Amalek against the Jews. The last one could apply to contemporary events.
The Midrash says that Haman advances an argument to Achashverosh to insinuate that the Jews are “sleeping” and that our Covenant is no longer in effect, G-d forbid. But the possuk in “Al Tira” says, “Until your old age I am unchanged, and until your aged years I will carry you. I made you and I will bear you. I will carry you and I will rescue.” (Yeshiah 46:4) The Covenant will always be in effect. When Mordechai heard the bochurim recite these possukim, he was reassured that Haman’s plot would fail. (Book of Our Heritage, quoting Esther Rabbah)
The Malbim says that, when the Jews return to the Holy Land at the end of our Golus, the nations of the world, Bnai Yishmoel and Bnai Esav, will form a worldwide coalition against us. What will save us? The answer is that our primordial enemies, the Children of Esav and the Children of Yishmoel, will clash, and these two monumental supercultures will destroy each other! When that happens, Moshiach ben Dovid will be revealed. (Malbim on Yechezkel 32:17)
My friends, this scenario may be playing out right now, but we have to be ready. Are we prepared to live in a world which seems to be turning upside down, in which anything can happen at any moment? Are we sufficiently anchored in Hashem to keep sane in such a situation? Furthermore, assuming all this happens, are we prepared for a world ruled by Torah in which we will be the leaders of the world?
After Bnai Yisroel left Mitzraim, after we had thought that we were completely free of our former Egyptian slave masters, we were surrounded once again at the Yam Suf and believed that we would never escape. It took the courage of Nachshon ben Aminadav to walk into the sea with total trust in Hashem. This is what we need as the nations surround us today.
When Harry S. Truman suddenly became President upon the death of former President Franklin D. Roosevelt, he made an a deep and humbling statement: “I felt as if the sun, the moon, the stars and all the constellations had just fallen on my head.” Even more than this is what will be expected of us if and when the leadership of the world is suddenly thrust upon us.
However, we should be prepared, because it could happen and happen soon, and we will not be permitted to fail. May Hashem protect us and guide us and may we rise to the madreiga on which we can give nachas to the Ribono shel Olam.
“The sun, the moon and all the stars”
GLOSSARY
Amalek: the nation which hates us more than any other
Bnai Esav: the Western nations
Bnai Yishmael: the Moslem nations
Bochurim: yeshiva students
Geulah: Redemption
Geulah shelemah: Final Redemption
Mitzraim: Ancient Egypt
Parshas Zachor: Torah portion describing the defeat of our enemies
Possukim: sentences in the Torah
Ribono shel Olam: G-d, the Master of the Universe
Shushan ha Bira: Persian city where the action of Purim takes place
Siddur: prayer book
Yam Suf: The Sea of Reeds, where the Egyptians surrounded us before they drowned
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