28 June 2026
Live From Jerusalem: KOL BERAMA RADIO {The Amazing Relevance of Parshas Balak to Shiva Asar B'Tamuz}
Rabbi Daniel Glatstein in Eretz Yisrael
HaRav Moshe Sternbuch Shlit"a - Heresy and Miracles
HERESY and MIRACLES
And Hashem opened the mouth of the donkey (22:28).
The Sforno says that Hashem opened the donkey’s mouth for Bilaam’s benefit in order to give him a chance to repent as a result of witnessing this open miracle. However, in practice he did not utilize this opportunity, and continued in his wicked ways. A person can witness an extraordinary miracle right before his eyes and continue as if nothing was happening, as noted by Rabbeinu Bachaye.
Rav Yehoshua Leib Diskin said that in light of all the evidence of a Creator all around us and inside us, heresy that denies the existence of Hashem, claiming that the only reality is nature, is so irrational that it can only be explained as a supernatural phenomenon created by Hashem, in order to maintain free choice. This explains, for example, how Amalek could have espoused such views after the unprecedented miracles of Yetzias Mitzrayim.
Rav Diskin added that much siyatta d’Shmaya is needed to enable us to keep our distance from epikorsus, especially in the final period prior to the coming of Moshiach, when the powers of tumah drastically increase, knowing that their end is near.
Rav Sternbuch was once visiting the Brisker Rav when an American visitor told the Brisker Rav that in America people were waiting for Moshiach to come. The Brisker Rav asked him whether people were preparing themselves for this great event. The visitor responded that Moshiach should come already with or without our preparations. The Brisker Rav replied that this would not work. We must start the process of repentance and strengthening our faith now, intensifying our Torah and prayer and working on our character traits so that we will be worthy of welcoming the Moshiach and witnessing the unprecedented miracles that Hashem will perform at that time. Even revealed miracles, the Brisker Rav said, will not change a person who is stubborn or steeped in his desires.
Although epikorsim (heretics) clothe their views in an intellectual veneer, in reality their outlook usually does not have intellectual roots, but rather stems from negative character traits. Deep down they feel the emptiness of their lives, and seek to justify licentious behavior by citing sundry intellectual “problems” that they claim to have detected with regard to leading a religious lifestyle.
HaRav Moshe Sternbuch Shlit"a - פרשת בלק תשפ"ו
POPULATION GROWTH
And Moav became disgusted with life (see Rashi) because of B’nei Yisroel (22:3).
If the people of Moav were scared of a battle with the Jewish nation, why should that have made them become disgusted with life? Moreover, Balak knew that the Jews were forbidden to wage a full-scale war against Moav, and he was only afraid that they would impose taxes on him. Surely the thought of that is not enough to make the whole nation disgusted with life.
In truth, they were not worried for their pockets, but were disgusted at the thought of having to come into any contact with the Jewish nation. The thought that their licentious and corrupt lifestyle could be affected by the holy way of life practiced by the subduing nation made them become disgusted with life. They preferred death as opposed to having restrictions imposed on their unbridled lifestyle.
In Eretz Yisroel, too, we hear about the alarmed reaction of local residents when even one religious family moves into a fortress of secularism. This stems from their fear of the influence these new neighbors could wield on their way of life.
Our erring brethren worry about the population increase among the Chareidim. One of their methods of dealing with this “problem” is to hold out all sorts of baits in order to encourage Chareidim to assimilate into the way of life followed by the general population. In several cities in Eretz Yisroel mayors do what they can to counteract the influence of the Chareidim, and they fight against Shabbos observance.
In a similar vein, Israel's Education Ministry once accepted criticisms voiced by the Secular Forum bewailing the promotion of Jewish religious observance in state secular schools. More than 70% of Jewish children receive their education in these schools. Parents are worried that any mention of G-d or religion might provide the Chareidim with unwarranted influence. They insist on secular schooling with no religious content of any kind. In other words, they are disgusted by the thought that their children might become closer to the religious. For the same reason, one previous government wanted to make it a criminal offense to attempt to influence a boy under 18 to enter a Torah educational institution without his parents’ consent.
The current feverish attempts to enlist Chareidim into the army stem from the same motives. They are not interested in more soldiers. If that would be their motive, they would focus on secular draft dodgers or on working Chareidi boys. Their aim is to destroy the Torah world, and they do not even deny it. Almost forty years ago they imported a million secularist Russians, almost none of them religious, and many of them not even Jewish. The fact that many of the non-Jewish immigrants were not idealistic Zionists but rather anti-Semitic Christians interested in the financial benefits of aliyah and likely to form a fifth column in the future did not matter, as long as the presence of all these immigrants would guarantee a continued secular majority in the country.
They would like all Chareidim to acculturate into the melting pot of the country’s Hellenistic army. That would take care of the demographic problem posed by the Chareidim. However, neither financial incentives, nor financial penalties, nor incarceration, will induce any yeshiva bachur or avrech to become a deserter by abandoning the Torah world for a hotbed of immorality and heresy.
ADMIRING POLITICIANS
Bilaam refused to go with the elders of Moav and the elders of Midian, who had magic charms in their hands, and conveyed Balak's message to him (22:7). Only when Balak subsequently sent “dignitaries, more and higher in rank than these” (22:15) did Bilaam accompany them to meet Balak.
The first group consisted of religious leaders, with their magic charms, and Bilaam had no respect for them, whereas the second group was composed of government ministers, who were held in very high regard by Bilaam.
Unfortunately, there are also people today who think that a government minister or a professor is worthy of being honored, whereas a yeshiva bachur is not. Similarly, there are some parents who have the great fortune of having a son who has studied Torah for many years, but instead of taking pride in this, they do not find religious matters important enough, and would prefer their son to acquire an academic degree. This attitude is reminiscent of Bilaam’s approach.
On the subject of government ministers, Rav Sternbuch notes with pain that we should feel no affinity with any politician, irrespective of his political affiliation. Rav Sternbuch heard from the late Gerrer Rebbe, the Beis Yisroel, that we do not distinguish between left and right, and we do not oppose any party that does not fight us. In any event, it is a desecration of the divine name to feel any personal connection with a secular politician. Anyone who has a personal or social connection with a heretic and non-observant politician demonstrates that he has lost any sensitivity for any matter of kedushah.
He who overcomes trials is sanctified greatly by Hashem. Our whole desire in this world is to attain sanctity, and, by doing so, we hasten the coming of Moshiach. As for the current attempts to recruit boys to the army, Rav Sternbuch noted that the Jews have always displayed mesirus nefesh for Torah in all conceivable situations. As the Torah testifies, we are a “stiff-necked” nation that does not compromise on its principles, and stubbornly adheres to Hashem and His Torah.
The Ancient Way Of Serving GOD
Mazal Tov on your new baby brother! Mazal Tov to both mother and father, Michoel !
I think this is his son’s name:
B”H Benayahu ben Jehoiada
A commenter wrote:
What I truly appreciate about you, Michael, is that you bring things straight to the point.
When we study the Torah by reading it, we do not encounter people who spent their entire day only reading Torah, but people who truly lived. People who made decisions, both good and bad. From all of this knowledge, we are allowed to learn today, so that where our fathers went wrong, we do not repeat the same mistakes, but, be’ezrat Hashem, do better. In the same way, we too should do the one without neglecting the other.
“In the end, we will not be asked “How much did you know?”, but “What did you do with what you knew?”
May your efforts continue to increase, and may even more people awaken through the work you are doing. This will certainly happen.
חזק ואמץ
Benaiah was born in the town of Kabzeel in southern Judah. His father, Jehoiada, was a prominent priest. His name in Hebrew means "the Lord has built".
Wikipedia: According to the text, Benaiah was one of David's Mighty Warriors, commander of the third rotational army division; (2 Samuel 23:20; 1 Chronicles 27:5). He helped David's son Solomon become king, killed Solomon's enemies, and served as the chief of Solomon's army. On Solomon's instructions he was responsible for the deaths of Adonijah (1 Kings 2:25), Joab (1 Kings 2:34) and Shimei (1 Kings 2:46). He was in charge of the Cherethites and Pelethites. Several verses in 1 Kings 1illustrate Benaiah's close association with Solomon's party and his exclusion from Adonijah's faction.[7] He is also mentioned in 2 Samuel 8:18, 23:20–23, 30 and 1 Chronicles 27:5–6.
Gravesite
According to Rabbi Hayyim Vital, the grave of Benaiah is in Biriya. In 1869, Rabbi Yosef Hayyim of Baghdad visited the grave and stayed there for a few days. In the introduction to his book, "Ben Ish Chai", he wrote that "many and great secrets" were revealed to him there, and even that "his soul came from the soul of Baniahu ben Yehoida," and that is why he named his books after him.
Israeli Govt. To Freeze Arrests Of Yeshiva Students:
THE ONLY PURPOSE TO ALL THIS IS TO UNDERMINE TORAH DEVOTEES AND ADHERENCE TO HKB”H [ie, the Only God of All Life of the Universe]
…..’ Could Cause Civil War’
JERUSALEM (VINnews) — The Israeli government is promoting a freeze on arrests of Haredi yeshiva students who evade military service during the coming months, warning that the arrests are deepening the rupture with the charedi public and could lead to what Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs described as a “civil war.”
Fuchs sent a letter to Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Chairman Boaz Bismuth stating that the government supports a temporary freeze on the arrests, after heads of charedi hesder yeshivas demanded a one-year halt.
According to the letter, the proposed freeze would be for three months and would apply only under supervision and only if the individuals are proven to be Torah students. Those who are not studying would not be able to benefit from the proposed temporary order.
Defense Minister Israel Katz is expected to send Bismuth a separate letter calling on him to convene the committee and discuss Fuchs’ proposal. The letter argues that the arrests are pushing charedim away from enlistment rather than encouraging them to serve.
“The legal counsel, which had never previously intervened in the issue of IDF enforcement, instructed that frequent arrest operations be carried out without distinguishing between yeshiva students who sit and study in yeshivas and those who are not studying,” Fuchs wrote. “This deepened the rift with the charedi public and did not contribute meaningfully to enlistment.”
He added that an examination of recent charedi enlistment figures and the impact of the arrests “indicates that these arrests of Torah students do not promote enlistment among the charedi public, but rather distance it, and there is a real fear of tearing the rope with the charedi public to the point, God forbid, of civil war, less than a week before the start of the Three Weeks.
Fuchs stressed that the temporary order would not exempt yeshiva students from military service, would not allow them to receive IDF approval for deferment and would not exempt them from the financial sanctions already imposed on them.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the issue during a press conference on Lebanon on Saturday evening, claiming that charedi hesder yeshiva heads had sent him a message saying: “When you send people into the yeshivas, take Torah students out and send them to prison, no one enlists.”
Netanyahu quoted what he presented as the yeshiva heads’ message and said, “We received a simply enormous response from the charedi public, young charedim want to enlist, but when arrests are sent into Torah study, this is something that causes us to get the opposite result.”
He then added: “If I told you, if I told you that in some country in Europe they send police into yeshivas, take young men studying Torah and put them in prison, you would be shocked.”
However, no such cases are known. In incidents in which military police arrived to arrest a Haredi deserter and were caught at the scene, they were surrounded by rioting crowds and required rescue. In cases where a deserter was arrested, the arrests led to protests, road blockages and even break-ins at the homes of senior officials. The police do not assist the IDF in arresting deserters.
Netanyahu said that anyone who is not studying Torah should be subject to the law, including arrest. “In my view, anyone who is not studying Torah, where the special arrangement that is being made needs to apply, which will also include sanctions, can have the full weight of the law applied to him, including arrest,” he said. “Here I would make a certain pause in order to reach broad agreements. That is what I am looking for. That will be my policy.”
In their letter to Netanyahu, the heads of the Haredi hesder yeshivas wrote that for more than a decade they had worked “out of deep Torah and public responsibility” to build tracks that allow young Haredi men to combine Torah study with sharing the burden of Israel’s security.
“In recent months we have watched with deep concern as this enterprise is being undermined before our eyes,” they wrote. “The wave of arrests of yeshiva students and Torah learners is causing a severe shock in the heart of the charedi public. Instead of bringing closer, it distances; instead of building trust, it breaks it; and instead of allowing a responsible dialogue, it creates a feeling of persecution, pain and radicalization.”
They demanded “immediate legislation of a temporary order defining a one-year halt to arrests of yeshiva students,” but did not claim that students were being arrested inside yeshivas.
They wrote that the goal of the freeze would be “to create during this year the full conditions in which charedi young men who wish to do so will be able to combine the burden of Torah, fear of heaven and sharing the burden of security.”
They added that during that year, legislation would also regulate the status of Torah students alongside those combining Torah study and military service.“At this time, the people of Israel need unity, responsibility, protection of the world of Torah and protection of Israel’s security, not another rupture within the camp,” they wrote.
Under the current legal situation, and in the absence of a new Knesset law, draft orders have been sent to about 90,000 Haredim who did not report for service. Of them, only a negligible share of draft evaders has been arrested and later released.
The Purpose of Our Living in Eretz Yisrael
The primary
PURPOSE
of going to
ERETZ YISRAEL
*****
IS TO FULLFILL THE COMMAND OF HASHEM
TO ENTER ERETZ YISRAEL
AND SO WE COULD
FULLFILL
ALL 613 COMMANDMENTS
THAT COULD NOT BE DONE
ANYWHERE ELSE
ON EARTH
27 June 2026
The Shocking Truth About Resurrection in the Messianic Age - Rabbi Moshe Chaim Eade
What if everything you thought about death was wrong?
In this powerful Torah class, we explore one of Judaism's most profound beliefs: Techiyat HaMetim (The Resurrection of the Dead).
Drawing from the teachings of the Ben Ish Chai and the wisdom of our sages, this lesson reveals why death is not the end of the story, how the resurrection will unfold, and why every soul is on an eternal journey.
Follow us:
https://www.hidabroot.com
Rav Moshe Chaim Eade, originally from Toronto, is a Rebbe and Mashgiach in Yeshivas Aish HaTorah Jerusalem and Certified Mohel performing brissim throughout the Jewish world.
His warm approach to Gemerra learning combines classical mefarshim with mussar and chassidus with the goal to help each student unlock their personal relationship to Hashem through the joy of Talmud Torah. Rav Moshe Chaim teaches the Seven Noahide Laws to groups internationally with the belief that Klal Yisroel has a core responsibility to be a 'Light Unto the Nations' and that through this teaching the Jewish People and all humanity will reach their ultimate destiny under The One God. Moshe Chaim Eade lives with his wife and children in Jerusalem, and enjoys packing guests into his home and singing late into the night in honor of the Holy day of Shabbos.
Come join us in Yeshiva - foundations.aish.com
To connect with Rav Moshe Chaim - linktr.ee/RavMosheChaim
Conversation In The Womb - Abie Rotenberg
Journeys, Vol. 1
℗ M & M Enterprises
Released on: 1985-06-02
HaRav Shlomo Machpud: “They Cut Off My Payos Three Times; The Attorney General Is Wicked”
Pic
Kol Chai Radio held a special interview recently with HaGaon Rav Shlomo Machpud, Zakein Rabbanei Teiman and member of the Moetzet Chachmei HaTorah, who compared today’s religious persecution in Eretz Yisrael to the persecution of Yemenite immigrants in 1949–1950.
Rav Machpud reflected on his youth and spoke painfully about the persecution he personally experienced at Kibbutz Beit HaShita, where he said systematic spiritual persecution took place, including tempting children to be mechallel Shabbos with trips to Haifa in exchange for shoes, and counselors who forced them to hold lit cigarettes on Shabbos. The Rav revealed that his payos, known among Yemenite Jews as “simanim,” were cut off three times.
“In those days, they stole our children, they stole our daughters, and nobody said a word,” HaRav Machpud said, emphasizing that, unlike in the past, today the Chareidi public can defend itself. “Back then, we had no protector. Today, Baruch Hashem, we have a nation of Torah, so it can defend itself.”
HaRav Machpud described the judicial persecution of Lomdei Torah as a comprehensive campaign against the very existence of religion and Torah, aimed at transforming Am Yisrael into a nation like all other nations. HaRav Machpud spoke harshly about Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, saying, “That wicked woman, the attorney general, her decree is worse than Pharaoh’s. Worse than Haman’s.”
HaRav Machupud also spoke harshly about secular culture, comparing people’s behavior to that of animals due to a lack of derech eretz, bar culture, eating without brachos, and excessive involvement in soccer, which he defined as a goyish practice that was forbidden to Jews in Yemen.
The Rav said that he made an official visit last week to Prison 10 to provide chizzuk to the imprisoned bochurim and avreichim there. He described the conditions of the detainees, saying that some are particularly difficult, “especially those who were placed in solitary confinement—they have only a chair and the four walls of a small room.”
The Rav called on the public to sacrifice themselves for Torah and sent a reassuring message to Chareidi mothers worried about their sons being arrested: “No, no. On the contrary. They should be happy that they are being arrested for this. They have sacrificed themselves on behalf of their parents. There is no one like them.”
HaRav Machpud concluded the interview on an optimistic note regarding the future of the Torah world, expressing confidence that Am Yisrael would overcome the current trials just as they had been saved throughout the generations. He called to be mechazeik those who toil in Torah in accordance with the words of the Gemara that four things require chizzuk: Torah, mitzvos, good deeds, and derech eretz.
(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
26 June 2026
16 Million People. Seven Letters. One misunderstood word.
Zionism belongs to the Jewish people.
Others can have opinions about it. But they don’t get to define it.
Not our enemies, not hateful mobs, not bots or useful idiots regurgitating lies on social media as if they know our history better than we do. Our national liberation movement has been recast as colonialism, racism, apartheid, and genocide, through repetition, inversion, and a sustained campaign to pressure Jews into surrendering its very meaning.
It’s only by understanding what Zionism is that we can see antizionism for what it is, too. Not the opposite of Zionism, but a comprehensive and sinister assault on Jewish life everywhere, wearing a sophisticated mask.
Enough.
In a world where the true meaning of words seems to matter less, we’ll speak up more. Where words are twisted into weapons, we’ll speak louder. Where lies spread, we’ll continue to fight for truth, because that is who we are.
We are the Jewish People. We are the People of Israel. We are Am Israel. Zionism is our identity, carried for thousands of years of exile by hope, faith, and memory, and now embodied in our survival, our sheer will, and our refusal to disappear.
Zionism is the Jewish People’s movement for self-determination in our ancestral homeland. It affirms our rights without denying anyone else’s. It is freedom, justice, co-existence, strength, innovation, diversity, survival, indigenous rights, and so much more.
For the People of Israel, the Land of Israel is our one and only home, the only place that ever was – and the only place that ever will be.
That’s Zionism. And it’s in our souls.
HaRav Zilberstein: “Is There A Greater Zechus Than This?”
In recent days, HaGaon HaRav Yitzchak Zilberstein was asked by members of the public how it is possible that bochurim and avreichim are being thrown into prison for the “offense” of learning Torah.
Those asking the question noted that the Mishnah states (Avot 3:5): “Whoever accepts upon himself the yoke of Torah, the yoke of government is removed from him.” Rabbeinu Yonah explains that “once a person makes Torah his primary occupation and his work secondary, Hakadosh Baruch Hu protects him from harm and ensures that he won’t be forced to interrupt his Limmud Torah, nor will He place it in the heart of a tyrant who takes lives to impose his will upon him.”
HaRav Zilberstein responded that accepting the yoke of Torah does not merely mean learning in a yeshiva. Rather, a person must devote himself entirely to Torah learning, so that the only burden he carries is the burden of Torah, without worrying about anything else.
The Rav added that, in truth, “it’s a tremendous maa’leh for those who are arrested. For Chazal said: ‘Fortunate are you who were siezed for the sake of Torah.’ One who is arrested has merited to suffer for the sake of Torah, and can there be a greater zechus than that? Just like the Jewish officers in Egypt, who merited to be beaten because they refused to strike their fellow Jews; therefore, they were rewarded by becoming Nevi’im and Zakeini Yisrael.”
HaRav Zilberstein concluded: “We are living in the final moments of Galus, and there is now a great clarification of ‘Who is for Hashem, come to me.’ There is no greater zechus than demonstrating one’s devotion to Torah, and suffering for the zechus of refusing to become contaminated by the impurity of those who seek to be like all the other nations.”
“It is clear that anyone who suffers for this has a great zechus. It is not far-fetched to say that one needs a special zechus for this. Whoever accepts upon himself the yoke of Torah merits to be arrested for Torah, and afterward will receive great sechar for it. All those who have merited to sit in prison because they merited to learn Torah will yet see their greatness revealed.”
(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
"A nation that dwells alone"
(Numbers 23:9)
Tammuz 11, 5786/June 26, 2026
"There is nothing new under the sun." (Ecclesiastes 1:9) Truer words were never spoken. Bilaam, the heathen Midianite prophet, may have been the first individual in history hired to curse Israel, but he certainly hasn't been the last. What appears to have been a boutique industry in his day, and one which he dominated, has burgeoned in our day into a global industry on steroids. One crucial difference, however, exists. While Bilaam, despite being an idolater, had G-d's ear, or, to be more precise, G-d has total control over what came out of Bilaam's mouth, today's mercenary cursers of Israel have cut themselves off completely from G-d. Bilaam, despite being hired to curse, was compelled by G-d only to bless Israel - and what astonishing blessings they were! Today's wanna-be Bilaams fill their mouths, not with G-d's truth, but with manufactured lies designed to malign Israel in any and every way possible.
Bilaam, in his thrice repeated efforts to place a curse upon Israel, chose each time a different location, gaining a different perspective, a different angle, seeking an opening, a breach in HaShem's protective shield over Israel. Each time he failed. Today's would-be Bilaams likewise try every angle under the sun, attacking Israel from the left and from the right. And from where do they draw upon their rich source of depravities that they accuse Israel of? From Israel's very enemies, of course. Apartheid, genocide, rape, bestiality, influence purchased with"dark money," you name it. Even a cursory search will reveal that these are the very iniquities being pursued by Israel's enemies, be they the Palestinians, the jihadists, Iran, Turkey, Qatar, the European Union, the socialists and communists and fascists, the weak-kneed, pusillanimous and morality deprived politicians, and all the other posers and pretenders. Not a single one measures up the the ankles of Bilaam, who, for all that he lacked in integrity and decency, was, nonetheless, a mouthpiece for G-d. Today's Bilaam impersonators enjoy no such status. The may write for the New York Times, they may have millions of followers on X or TikTok, they may be presidents or prime ministers, dictators or ayatollahs, but not a single one is in touch with G-d, let alone with what remains of the image of G-d in which they were created.
Nor will their curse stick. They make a tremendous noise. They are hurled with such fury that they do make dents. But they will never pierce the heart or the soul of the nation of Israel. When Bilaam arrived at Moav to curse Israel he did so from a distant perch upon a high mountain overlooking the Israelite encampment. He had Israel in his sights, but there is no evidence that Israel was even aware of his presence, and certainly not within ear shot of his words. Had he, in fact, uttered a curse, it would have fallen to the ground, unheard by the very people for whose ears it was intended. In fact, the only thing that Israel ultimately heard and recorded in the Torah, were the soaring words of praise, the unparalleled blessings that Bilaam spoke. As if to drive this point home, Bilaam's words, from ancient times to this day, form part of Israel's daily liturgy, spoken every morning by Jews the world wide: "How goodly are your tents, O Yaakov, your dwelling places, O Israel!" (Numbers 24:5)
The reason that today's curses won't stick is that Israel is not listening. Israel is not hearing the vile words. Yes, Israel is painfully aware of all the vitriol being slung in its direction, and yes, damage has been done. But ultimately, Israel is doing what Israel has to do, and that is to stay close to HaShem, to truly listen to His word only, and to never leave off from pursuing the path of redemption and rebirth in the land of Israel. Balak acted out of fear. In a panic he opened up his coffers to finance the greatest PR artist of his day to defame Israel. And yet, Israel posed no threat to Balak. Israel had no interest in Balak's territory or in his idolatry. Had he kept his mouth shut and saved his money he would have been much better off. It's a pity today's curse mongers don't take note. Billions upon billions of dollars are being spent to slander, defame and libel Israel. It provides a lot of salaries and keeps a lot of low life ne'er-do-wells afloat, but, ultimately it is money down the drain. What a shame it isn't being used for nobler purposes. But if learning a lesson from the experience of Balak and Bilaam proves too obscure for today's bible ignorant, self appointed princes of righteousness, a much more well known biblical phrase should surely come to mind:
"And HaShem said to Avram, "Go forth from your land and from your birthplace and from your father's house, to the land that I will show you. And I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you, and I will aggrandize your name, and you shall be a blessing. And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse, and all the families of the earth shall be blessed in you." (Genesis 12:1-3)
These words came straight from HaShem hundreds of years before Bilaam rediscovered them. Today's losers could do themselves and the world a big favor by learning this lesson, and like Bilaam, going home and getting a real job. Israel is "a nation that dwells alone." Like it or lump it. But don't mess with G-d's nation.
"אלימות המתנחלים" - סיפורם המטורף של המתנחלים האלימים מהשמאל הישראלי שהקימו את המדינה. #מתנחלים
What do you think about this??
"Settler Violence" - The Crazy Story of the Violent Settlers from the Israeli Left Who Founded the State.
Rabbi Wein: Balak
WEEKLY PARSHA FROM THE DESTINY ARCHIVES
Balak
This week's parsha introduces us to the usual suspects who are always present and active in Jewish history and world affairs. Balak and Bilaam are prototypes of the enemies of the Jewish people throughout the ages. They really have no legitimate cause to be our enemies. They impute hostile and aggressive behavior to the Jewish people, when in reality none of this is present.
They are motivated by jealousy, greed, and a terrible misreading of the situation that leads them to unreasoning hatred and the wish to eliminate the Jewish people completely. It is the existence of the Jewish people that truly troubles them. They resent the fact that the Jewish people left Egypt and were rescued from bondage. They also resent the special and unique experience of the Jewish people in receiving the Torah.
Still further, they resent the fact that the Jewish people will have a homeland and national state in the Land of Israel. So they engage in a seemingly nonviolent campaign to destroy the Jewish people. False accusations, curses and hatemongering create the tools of their campaign.
The Talmud pointed out to us that from the so-called blessings of Bilaam we are able to deduce what his real intentions were and what curses he intended to inflict on the Jews. Balak is willing to invest time, a great deal of money and his personal and national prestige in this attempt to discredit and eventually destroy the Jewish people.
He knows that he needs someone who will spearhead this drive and he also knows that such people are always available…..for a price. And it is also obvious that when it comes to the opposition to the Jewish people, money is no object. Therefore Balak and Bilaam form the perfect pair, the odd couple that is joined by their common goal of hatred of the Jewish people.
This couple is alive and well in our time. There are countless numbers of people, supported by all sorts of high sounding nongovernmental organizations, all dedicated to the cause of delegitimizing Israel, Judaism and the Jewish people generally. And there is no shortage of money, just as in the case of Balak, to finance this project. EU money, Arab money, and private money all flow into this effort to curse Israel and the Jews.
The goal of Balak is not so much to help his own people as it is to destroy others. All of this money, which currently is directed solely towards destroying Israel could be channeled into helping millions of Moslems rise from poverty, hunger and disease. But that is not the goal of this money.
Balak only wants the destruction of the Jews. And in our time, there is no shortage of spokespeople who wish to advance this nefarious cause. There are always many Bilaams ready and prepared to ride the populist cause of blaming the Jews and the Jewish state for all of the ills and problems of the world.
Bilaam has a serpent’s tongue. He speaks in a complimentary tone and in a reassuring voice. But that only serves to mask the enmity that he feels towards the Jewish people, an enmity that has no personal or national basis. Well, he is around today as well and we have to simply recognize that the world will eventually realize that its curses should be transmuted into blessings.
Shabbat shalom
Rabbi Berel Wein
This article is from 5775-2015.
Reb Neuberger: The Climactic War Against Torah
THE CLIMACTIC WAR AGAINST TORAH
The prospect of Rosh Hashanah without shofar is on my mind. I feel the pressure of forthcoming events so heavily, as if deep, dark clouds are in the western sky, heading in our direction. It seems imperative that we prepare for whatever is coming. It is a mistake to say that we cannot influence events, because each mitzvah influences events. If Yidden would live with the mission of sanctifying this world, we could – and b’ezras Hashem we will! – save the world.
Every Erev Shabbos, we say “Uri, Uri …. Wake up!” Maybe we are asleep.
I heard about a medical conference, at which the doctors heard frightening speeches on the fatal consequences of smoking. Then they went out for a smoking break! This is not a joke; it was apparently a true story.
It seems to me that we are acting like sleepwalkers. What about the so-called music at weddings, where people lose their hearing? A great rosh yeshiva told us that he suffers from tinnitus as a result of going to so many chassanas. Someone told me that he had a headache after a recent wedding and his wife had to leave because of the noise. What are we doing to ourselves? Are we living in reality?
If you walk in your sleep, you are going to bump into something or fall down the stairs, G-d forbid. It is not a joke. If the world is sleepwalking, then how will we survive?
In Europe before World War II, how many read the handwriting on the wall? Were the simanim not in plain view? Today, we are walking as if our eyes are closed. We are building palaces for ourselves in places where tomorrow may never come.
What will be in the year 5787? “Who will live and who will die?” Maybe Moshiach ben Dovid will come, but what will be before he comes? Right now, the signs are not hopeful. What is with the President of the United States? Once perceived as our “best friend,” he suddenly seems to be acting like our enemy.
Last week Rav Don Segal Shlita”h stated that the sharp reversal of Mr. Trump’s attitude is due to the “persecution of bnai yeshivos in Eretz Yisroel.” (Yeshiva World News)
My friends, we should all be shaking. One could really tear one’s garment over this. For months and years, it has been clear that there is something terribly wrong here. We have to know that the salvation of Am Yisroel comes from only One Place, and that is from our Father in Shomayim. No earthly power, king or political figure can save us. We have been placing our trust in dust and ashes. Each day we say, “Shomer Yisroel … Guardian of Israel, protect the remnant of Israel. Let not Israel be destroyed, those who proclaim, ‘Hear Oh Israel!’” That is the Source of Life.
Are we crying when we say these words? Are we begging the Ribono shel Olam to save us? Do we literally believe we are in mortal danger, G-d forbid? These words are not an exaggeration. We have to know that our lives hang in the balance.
When the government of Israel persecutes our uniquely holy Torah scholars, what is wrong with us? There is no other nation which possesses this treasure, our bnai yeshiva. This is our reason for existence and our only hope! Why are we harassing our national treasure?
My friends, this is nothing short of a death wish, national suicide G-d forbid! We have to know that there is a war going on. I am not talking about Iran; I am talking about the war against Torah!
Someone said last week that this is the proof of our kedusha, that the Satan is going after the “Kodesh ha kadoshim … the holy of holies.” Now, when the entire world perceives that Moshiach ben Dovid is around the corner and the Final Redemption is about to unfold, now -- precisely now! -- the forces of evil, both inside and outside Am Yisroel, are rushing frantically to try to stop the Redemption. They know that this is their last chance. They are desperate to destroy all kedusha in the world, G-d forbid.
“The worlds continue to exist in the merit of the few remaining Torah scholars who learn day and night. [Due to their Torah study] the world is not destroyed …. When people stop learning Torah, Hashem seeks to destroy the world…. If not for the synagogues and study halls where Torah scholars are sitting and learning, the destructive angels would instantly annihilate the entire world!” (Nefesh ha Chaim, Gate 4, Ch. 25)
My friends, Rosh Hashanah is in approximately eleven weeks. There will be no Shofar on the first day. We have to become our own shofar! Each one of us can cry out like a shofar, penetrating the Heavens, with voices of passion, begging Hashem to save us.
Dovid Ha Melech said, “Ani sefilasi … I am prayer!”
I want to say, “I am a shofar!” I am crying out to you, Avinu Malkainu, Our Father and King, Who wants to save us: “Ana Hashem hoshia na … Please Hashem, save us now!” Please Hashem, protect Am Yisroel, the Torah and Torah scholars.
Now is the time to cry out, night and day, and beg for the Redemption, the downfall of our spiritual and physical enemies and the coming of Moshiach ben Dovid, who will flood the world with the healing waters of Torah and bring a never-ending era of peace and justice when “Hashem will be King over all the world. On that day Hashem will be One and His Name One!” May we see it soon in our days!
Shofar
GLOSSARY
B’ezras Hashem: With G-d’s help
Kedusha: Sanctity
Ribono shel Olam: The Master of the World, G-d
Rosh yeshiva: the head of a yeshiva
Shofar: Ram’s horn sounded on Rosh Hashanah
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