What is a Prutah? . . .

 Likutei Moharan 7:1:9 - Sefaria

וְזֶה שֶׁאָמְרוּ חֲכָמֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (סנהדרין צז.): אֵין מָשִׁיחַ בֶּן־דָּוִד בָּא אֶלָּא עַד שֶׁתִּכְלֶה פְּרוּטָה מִן הַכִּיס; הַיְנוּ שֶׁיִּכְלוּ הָאֶפִּיקוֹרְסִים שֶׁאֵין לָהֶם אֱמוּנָה בְּנִסִּים, וּמְכַסִּים כָּל הַנִּסִּים בְּדֶרֶךְ הַטֶּבַע, כִּי עִקַּר הַנִּסִּים בְּאֶרֶץ־יִשְׂרָאֵל, כִּי אֶרֶץ־יִשְׂרָאֵל שׁוֹתָה תְּחִלָּה (תענית י.), וּשְׁתִיָּתָהּ מֵהַתְּהוֹמוֹת, שֶׁהֵם לְשׁוֹן: וַתֵּהֹם כָּל הָעִיר (רות א׳:י״ט), שֶׁעַל דָּבָר נִסִּי תְּמֵהִין הָעוֹלָם.

This is the meaning of what our Sages taught: The Mashiach son of David will not come until the [last] penny [prutah] is gone from the pocket (Sanhedrin 97a)

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Interesting to Note:

What is the meaning of the symbols in the prutah in the time of the second temple. I had found out that there was a 8 ray star and a ship anchor on it? what is the meaning of it? and why is there a ’8’ ray star??

Answer

Jews have a religious problem with images of people and animals, which often were the focus of idolatry, and accordingly, the bronze prutahs of the the Second Temple period (until 70 C.E.), like Jewish coins before and after (until this day) were inanimate, including sheaves of wheat, a kingly booth built for shade, and an anchor. The symbolism of the anchor isn’t clear and the guesses range from a memorial to a victory at sea, or a symbol of conservatism, and keeping the situation status quo. The 8 ray star surrounded by a crown, was used on the other side of the anchor prutahs of King Alexander Yanai (even though some pagans worshiped stars, but he wasn’t so religious), which he used (with the crown) not for paganism but just as a symbol of kingdom and rule. He ruled from 104-76 BCE.

Also:

Wikipedia: Israeli Pruta. The pruta was introduced shortly after the establishment of the state of Israel, as the 1000th part of the Israeli pound. It replaced the mil, which was the 1000th part of the Palestine pound, a currency issued by the British Mandate of Palestine prior to May 1948.

The word pruta was borrowed from Mishnaic Hebrew, in which it meant "a coin of smaller value". This word was probably derived originally from an Aramaic word with the same meaning. The pruta was abolished in 1960, when the Israeli government decided to change the subdivision of the Israeli pound into 100 agorot. This move was necessary due to the constant devaluation of the Israeli pound, which rendered coins smaller than 10 prutot redundant.

This pruta should not be confused with the halachic pruta, which is the minimal value of money for a variety of halachic applications—among them, the minimal value one is obligated to return if stolen, the minimal value needed to effect a marriage, and the minimal investment needed to be considered an investor (it is equivalent to 0.025 grams^[1] of pure silver).

Antiquity

The prutah was an ancient copper Jewish coin with low value. A loaf of bread in ancient times was worth about 10 prutot (plural of prutah). One prutah was also worth two lepta (singular lepton), which was the smallest denomination minted by the Hasmonean and Herodian Dynasty kings.

Prutot were also minted by the Roman Procurators of the Province of Judea, and later were minted by the Jews during the First Jewish Revolt (sometimes called 'Masada coins').^[1]

BaKol

Some readers after reading THIS may have thought “what?”. So I present the following for the dear ladies. Mrs. Littmann who writes a weekly column/page in the Hamodia Shabbos paper edition wrote this about Bakol. [i typed this from the paper copy, so any errors are mine]

“The MeAm Loez says on this that Avraham Avinu had a daughter named BaKol. Knowing that Jewish women are the jewel in the Crown of Hashem, Avraham Avinu recognized that the Ribbono shel Olam appreciates, values and loves all that a woman does to serve Him.

Therefore, Avraham Avinu gave Bakol clear instructions of how to cause Hashem nachas. Starting with her name, Avraham Avinu gave Bakol complete instructions on how to behave.

The name Bakol is derived from the roshei teivos of “bris krusah la’einayim – a covenant should be forged on the eyes.” By naming his daughter thus, Avraham Avinu informed her she should be modest in dress and manner and thereby not cause men to stumble through her.

Alternatively, Avraham intended “bris krusah lasfanayim – a covenent should be forged on the lips.” The Gemara says 10 parts of sichas (speech) were given to the world, of which women took nine parts. Rav Tzaddok HaKohen of Lublin explains that this shows the highest peak of the greatness of a woman. Rashi expounds on Bereishis 25:63, where we are told that Yitzchak went “lasuach basadeh – to converse in the field,” that sichah is lashon tefillah. There, Rashi also brings a passuk from Tehillim (102:1) to show us that sichas means tefillah: “Tefillah l’ani ki yatof v’lefnei Hashem yishpoch sicho – A prayer of the poor [afflicted] man when he faints and in front of Hashem, he pours his supplications.” From the fact that Yitzchak went “lasuach basadeh,” Chazal learn that Yitzchak established the tefillah of Minchah.

Ten parts of tefillah were given to the world, and 90% of that tefillah was implanted in the hearts of the Jewish daughter. Ninety percent of the koach of prayer is [in] the hands of the Jewish women. The generations’s power of tefillah is held by the women of the Jewish people.

About 30 years ago it was debated whether to close the ezras nashim in Yeshivas Ponevez for the Yamim Nora’im. Both Rav Shach, zt”l, and Rav Dovid Povarsky, tz”l, said that the teifllos of the awesome days in Ponevez would not succeed without the input of the women: We do not close. A similar question arose in Belz and the Rebbe said that the “yiddeshe treren” (Jewish tears) of the women were needed and therefore the ezras nashim should remain open.

Chazal tell us, “All the gates were locked except for the gate of tears.” They say further, “Women’s tears are close by [a woman is easily moved to tears].” Tefillah with tears is immensely powerful. Tefillah with tears breaks through all the barriers in heaven. Tears are 10 kilograms worth of hammers tearing apart all obstructions and entering all the heavenly gates to bring down brachah. And women have the power of tefillah and the power of tears.

This empowers a woman to daven profusely that her offspring succeed and be upright. That she should be privileged to raise holy generations who are wise and understanding, who love Hashem and fear Him. people of truth, attached to Hashem, who illuminate the world with Torah and good deeds and toil with every labor in the service of Hashem.

Furthermore, the power of speech a woman has helps and enables her to educate her children. It empowers a lady to speak soothingly and compassionately to her little (and not so little) children and grandchildren to train them in the ways of Hashem.

Unfortunately, the ability to speak so much has the disadvantage that it can be used incorrectly in forbidden speech. Avraham Avinu was telling his daughter to use her ability to speak correctly.

As all Jewish women are the daughters of Avraham Avinu, Avraham Avinu was also speaking to us. We all need to take his messages personally.

(Heard from Rabbi Aryeh Leib Shapiro and Rabbi Baruch Rosenblum)

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Discover the inner essence and history of Yerushalayim from a Torah perspective in Mrs. Littmann’s new book “Her Children Return.” The work also contains over 1,500 photos of the city.

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AN AMAZING EVENT:  

In a shiur that Rav Moshe Mordechai Schlesinger gave before the Gulf War in 1991, he spoke about the time that Rommel, Hitler’s, y”s, messenger was in Egypt at the gates of Eretz Yisrael. It was July 1942. There seemed to be no way of escape from his deadly advance. On 15 Tammuz, the Or HaChaim’s HaKadosh”s yahrtzeit, thousands of thousands went to his kever, where tears were spilled like rivers of water. On 17 Tammuz, women left their babies in their cribs and went and filled the shuls. The women opened the aronos kodesh and screamed in tefillah for Hashem’s salvation. These were tefillos prayed out of desperation. Rommel’s offensive was stopped at the small railway halt of El Alamein. There are derech hateva reasons given for his defeat  – the eternal curse of the desert war, long supply lines, and so on – but the Torah hashkafah is that it was the tefillah of the women that achieved his defeat.

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footnote: In our day, the phenomenon of  'jender altering' negatively falls on the female creation of Hashem, and I see this as another axe chopping away at all that Hashem created in His Kindness. Plus the ‘kneedle’ penetrating our children, daughters, and women of child-bearing age (and now the babies) is meant to “halt” this also as created by Hashem for humanity.

Leah From Itamar – Chayeh Sarah

Leah’s Blog -Chayeh Sarah  October 2021

 

The heat of the day is a great time to see someone’s true colors. The journey of Abraham’s servant had him and his camels thirsty on this dusty afternoon. Blazing in the light of mid day, a woman of chesed appears, filling earthen ware jugs for him and his caravan. Here is a true sign that this is the next Matriarch. She is then gifted in the glimmer of jewelry. 

Rivka shines. Rivka understands the criteria in what she is being asked to do- to leave her family and follow the path of Abraham, already demonstrating the criteria in the ability to discern character and morals by choosing to leave home and follow Abraham’s servant. 

When Yitzchak came from the field and saw her, it was not the shine of her gold that had him decided but of knowing she filled the vessels in deep lovingkindness and givingness. He observed her intuition that hit her like a strong wind- her appeal for him and his for her. 

The story of their meeting goes way beyond the skin deep appearance and the sheen of the sun and gold- it is a deep intuition. Rivka mirrors Sarah; the candles again are lit in the tent of the Matriarch. Sarah lives through her bride: Chayeh Sarah. He becomes consoled in the grief for his mother by taking his wife igniting her life force in order to build the next rung of history. Lighting up the world is not an easy task- not then, not now. 

The ability to be able to shine, love on people but to discern trouble and refine and process it out of society is a key factor. This is the mission of the Matriarch. She has a moral obligation to go the extra mile! Sarah fought for the sole inheritor- Yitzchak. Soon it is Rivka’s turn for declaring Yaakov, as Esau spelled CODE RED- alert. He seemed like a good guy and excelled in archery, sports and business; he had a nice white smile but something was not right with him. 

Don’t judge a book by its cover. When the United States government wants to use the Israeli Consulate for Palestinian political venues its nothing less than raping Israel. Its policy rabidly denouncing growth of communities in the heartland of Israel is nothing less than anti-Semitism. This is what Esau does, smiling with white teeth. In our own lives our ability to distinguish and note can come as early as childhood like Rivka, for some of us it can be like a “token falling” like when Sarah laughed upon realizing there is nothing G-d can’t do for us. 

Appearances are not always what they seem to be. Our innermost core reaction to them are critical if we want to keep the ner tamid, the eternal flame alive. We have carried the torch thus far, we must not lose the ability to look deeper.

Recently I was in ancient Shilo, a must for all of you who come back to Israel ASAP. There were so many fascinating things to see there. The area of the jars jugs and barrels unearthed were not only beautiful but the message of how olive oil was made right there and stored in the place of the Tabernacle, living witnesses to Israel in her majestic time was incredible. (See the above picture taken there).

In Pirkey Avot, The ethics of the Fathers Rabbi Yossi teaches, “אל תסתכל על הקנקן אלה במה שיש בו”- Do not look at the jar but what is in it. We should look not only at world events, and everything around us but it doesn’t hurt to look in the mirror. Who do we mirror? In the world of Instoosh and FB it would be a good idea to look a little deeper. Carry the light of the Temple with you.

Shabbat Shalom, Leah

Reb Neuberger: Chayei Sarah – Eastward, To The Land of the East

 

EASTWARD, TO THE LAND OF THE EAST

 

 

After the death of Sarah, Avraham Avinu “took a wife whose name was Keturah. She bore him [several sons].” Avraham “gave all that he had to Yitzchak, but to the children of [Ketura, Avraham] gave gifts. Then he sent them away from Yitzchak his son while he was still alive, [and he sent them] eastward, to the land of the east.” (Beraishis 25:1) 

 

What are these “gifts,” and why does the Torah use double language: “eastward to the land of the east?” It sounds as if these sons were sent very far away indeed, far to the east!

 

Rashi comments (based on the Gemara in Sanhedrin 91a) that the “gifts” Avraham gave the Bnai Keturah were “shaim tumah … certain words which gave them power to perform sorcery,” meaning to delve into the world of impurity.

 

Let’s go back many decades.

 

After college, my wife and I traveled to England, where I attended graduate school at Balliol College, Oxford. Many years later, after we became observant, we were living in Long Island. I was still on the Balliol College mailing list. Every year, around October, I would receive the “Balliol College Annual Record.”

 

You may not remember, but in the year 1999 there was a panic called the “Millennium Crisis.” People were afraid that, on New Year’s Day, all computers would shut down because of the date change from 1999 to 2000. The world of technology would crash; the power grid would shut down; planes would fall out of the sky and so on.

 

In the midst of this panic, during the week of Parshas Chayei Sarah, the Balliol College Annual Record arrived in the mail. One of its scholarly articles that year was entitled “Not Everyone’s Millennium,” which discussed various calendar systems in use throughout the world. In other words, not every calendar system held that this year was the end of a millennium. The article described one calendar system in which the days begin at nightfall and there are twelve lunar months. There is a nineteen-year cycle in which seven years are leap years, which contain an extra month.

 

“This system is used by the Jewish People and certain tribes in Asia!”

 

Wow! Parshas Chayei Sarah ends with the story of Avraham Avinu sending the children of Ketura “eastward to the land of the east” and here comes the Balliol College Annual Record to tell me that there is a calendar system in use by two cultures: the Jews and certain tribes in the Far East! Could this be coincidence? Perhaps these tribes are the descendants of Bnai Keturah, the children of Avraham Avinu!

 

Let’s look at the State of India. Interestingly, India has an unusually friendly relationship with the modern State of Israel, especially as compared to the rest of the world. Additionally, India is famous for mystics who perform unusual feats which seem to overcome nature, like walking on nails, walking through fire and charming venomous snakes.

 

Could these be the Bnai Ketura, to whom Avraham Avinu gave certain powers over nature?

 

Rabbi Chaim Yisroel Belsky zt”l was the legendary Rosh Yeshiva of Torah Vodaath and chief posaik of the Orthodox Union Kashrus Division. In a book called, “Rabbi Belsky on Alternative Medicine,” Rabbi Belsky is quoted^[1] regarding the Bnai Ketura. He says that they possessed powers rooted in the “sitra achra,” the dimension of darkness and impurity, and for that reason Avraham sent them far away, in order to separate his son, Yitzchak, from this “storehouse of impure wisdom.”

 

So that is why he sent them so far away!

 

This week I saw in the Meam Loez^[2] on the Torah a fascinating comment. When Avraham Avinu sent his servant Eliezer to find a wife for Yitzchak, he made Eliezer take an oath by placing his hand beneath Avraham Avinu’s thigh (Beraishis 24:2). Exactly what that means is not clear, although some say it means he swore by Avraham’s circumcision, which is like holding a Sefer Torah. Meam Loez adds that the practice of the agent placing his hand beneath the other person’s thigh was still in use in his time “in places like India.”

 

Here is another link between Avraham Avinu and the Far East!

 

Where does this bring us?

 

Avraham Avinu charted the path for his children. In the dark world of idolatry, he raised a pure son, Yitzchak. Through Yitzchak, the legacy of service to Hashem was passed down to us. But the legacy had to be kept pure; Yitzchak had to be separated from idolatry in order to succeed. First, Yishmael was expelled, and then the Bnai Keturah were sent far away. Only by raising Yitzchak in an atmosphere of purity was Avraham able to succeed in his mission of bringing the light of Hashem into the world.

 

Today, we also dwell in an impure, dark world, much like the world of Avraham. We can learn from him. We too can send the “name of tumah” far away. The nations around us are steeped in darkness, but we can have direct access to the pure light of Torah.

 

“May You shine a new light on Tzion and may we all speedily merit its light!” (Shacharis)

 

The Himalayan landscape of Northern India

GLOSSARY

Posaik: A rabbi who is an expert on deciding questions of Jewish law.

ZT”L: “Zaicher Tzaddik Livracha … may the memory of this tzaddik be a blessing.”

 

Rabbi Chaim Yisroel Belsky (left), 

Rabbi Matisyahu Salamon (right) and the author

^[1] In the name of Rabbi Yitzchok Hutner zt”l

^[2] A Torah commentary written in Ladino about 300 years ago.

Rabbi Weissman – Chayei Sarah

 Here are three Divrei Torah on the parsha that I wrote many years ago, and which I am sending out for the first time.  I still have some good stuff in my archives that I will send out periodically.  After the Torah are links to more good material.

[This disagreement, sans the rebuttal of the second opinion, also appears in Bava Basra 16B, with Rabbi Meir taking the position that Avraham didn't have a daughter and Rabbi Yehuda responding that he did.]

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חיי שרה

בכל

[כד:א] וְאַבְרָהָם זָקֵן בָּא בַּיָּמִים וַיהֹוָה בֵּרַךְ אֶת אַבְרָהָם בַּכֹּל:

בראשית רבה (נט:ז)

וה' ברך את אברהם בכל, רבי יודן ורבי נחמיה. רבי יודן אמר שנתן לו נקבה. אמר לו רבי נחמיה, עיקר ביתו [גירסה אחר "בתו", ועיין שם במפרשים] של מלך אין כתוב בה ברכה! אלא וה' ברך את אברהם בכל, שלא נתן לו בת כל עיקר:

Q: It is highly unusual for disputants in the Gemara to take positions that are polar opposites of one another.  Generally they disagree only about the limits and finer points of a Halachic matter or philosophical principle.  It is difficult to accept that some tannaim believed that having a daughter is a blessing, while others would argue that specifically not having a daughter would be a blessing!  

The latter opinion requires elucidation in any case –  how could it be that Rabbi Nechemia and Rabbi Meir could interpret not having a daughter as the fulfillment of an all-encompassing blessing?  (Some misguided Jews would take this opinion literally and as "proof" that Chazal denigrated women –  but it is not our purpose to debate nonsensical beliefs and their intellectually dishonest bearers.)    

A: Indeed, no one would seriously argue that not having a daughter is a blessing under any kind of normal circumstances.  However, Avraham was not living under normal circumstances.  Despite his lifetime of heroic dedication to spreading the concept of one living God, the world remained filled with idolaters, to the extent that his chosen son and immediate descendants married daughters from idol-worshipping families.  Especially in ancient times, a husband could compel his wife to follow his spiritual path if necessary, and thus the tremendous difficulty in finding an appropriate spouse was ameliorated somewhat for his male progeny.  

If Avraham were to marry off a daughter, she would be at the mercy of her husband, in a society where mercy in spiritual matters would not be easily forthcoming.  Indeed, the only explicit mention of daughters to the avos is Deena, whose tribulations provided nothing but heartache to Yaacov.  In light of this, it may well have been a blessing for Avraham to be spared the tzoros – and perhaps inevitable tragedy – of trying to find an appropriate husband for a daughter.                      

Rabbi Yudan and Rabbi Yehuda would argue that even in those uniquely perilous times, the blessing of having a daughter outweighed the perils and challenges of assuring her spiritual protection and fulfillment.  

As always, the words of Chazal are vindicated, and any failure to discover and appreciate their integrity and Truth is our own.

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חיי שרה

השיבתו על ראשון ראשון

[כד:כג-כה] (כג) וַיֹּאמֶר בַּת מִי אַתְּ הַגִּידִי נָא לִי הֲיֵשׁ בֵּית אָבִיךְ מָקוֹם לָנוּ לָלִין: (כד) וַתֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו בַּת בְּתוּאֵל אָנֹכִי בֶּן מִלְכָּה אֲשֶׁר יָלְדָה לְנָחוֹר: (כה) וַתֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו גַּם תֶּבֶן גַּם מִסְפּוֹא רַב עִמָּנוּ גַּם מָקוֹם לָלוּן:

רש"י (פסוק כד)

השיבתו על ראשון ראשון ועל אחרון אחרון:

[לא:כו-לב] (כו) וַיֹּאמֶר לָבָן לְיַעֲקֹב מֶה עָשִׂיתָ וַתִּגְנֹב אֶת לְבָבִי וַתְּנַהֵג אֶת בְּנֹתַי כִּשְׁבֻיוֹת חָרֶב: (כז) לָמָּה נַחְבֵּאתָ לִבְרֹחַ וַתִּגְנֹב אֹתִי וְלֹא הִגַּדְתָּ לִּי וָאֲשַׁלֵּחֲךָ בְּשִׂמְחָה וּבְשִׁרִים בְּתֹף וּבְכִנּוֹר: (כח) וְלֹא נְטַשְׁתַּנִי לְנַשֵּׁק לְבָנַי וְלִבְנֹתָי עַתָּה הִסְכַּלְתָּ עֲשׂוֹ: (כט) יֶשׁ לְאֵל יָדִי לַעֲשׂוֹת עִמָּכֶם רָע וֵאלֹהֵי אֲבִיכֶם אֶמֶשׁ אָמַר אֵלַי לֵאמֹר הִשָּׁמֶר לְךָ מִדַּבֵּר עִם יַעֲקֹב מִטּוֹב עַד רָע: (ל) וְעַתָּה הָלֹךְ הָלַכְתָּ כִּי נִכְסֹף נִכְסַפְתָּה לְבֵית אָבִיךָ לָמָּה גָנַבְתָּ אֶת אֱלֹהָי: (לא) וַיַּעַן יַעֲקֹב וַיֹּאמֶר לְלָבָן כִּי יָרֵאתִי כִּי אָמַרְתִּי פֶּן תִּגְזֹל אֶת בְּנוֹתֶיךָ מֵעִמִּי: (לב) עִם אֲשֶׁר תִּמְצָא אֶת אֱלֹהֶיךָ לֹא יִחְיֶה נֶגֶד אַחֵינוּ הַכֶּר לְךָ מָה עִמָּדִי וְקַח לָךְ וְלֹא יָדַע יַעֲקֹב כִּי רָחֵל גְּנָבָתַם:

רש"י (פסוק לא)

השיבו על ראשון ראשון...:

Q: What's the significance of responding to a series of questions or comments in the order in which they are presented, to the extent that Chazal should make an issue of it? Also, wouldn't it make more sense to give sequential preference to matters of great importance?

A: It is quite common for people engaged in a disagreement to give little or no credence to the arguments of the other side. In fact, they attempt to zero in on perceived weaknesses in the other side's arguments and ignore everything else. Their goal is not to engage in intellectually honest, genuinely respectful dialogue, but to score points for themselves and whatever agenda they are dogmatically upholding. (Tragically, this sort of thing has become standard practice even in matters directly pertaining to Torah observance, with political and personal agendas superseding Truth and the retzon Hashem. Those who abuse their knowledge of Torah in this fashion would have been better off never being born – see Taanis 7A and Tosafos there, as well as my comments in Sefer Keser Chananya.)

When one responds to his friend's comments point by point, he accomplishes several things. First, he demonstrates that he has paid at least basic attention to everything his friend has said. Second, that he heard what his friend was saying, not merely the isolated comments that he wished to hear; after all, he organizes his response based on his friend's order of importance, not his own. Finally, he takes all of his friend's points into account before responding, and thus is less likely to take something out of context in this fashion.

Indeed, responding in sequential order is a great matter of derech eretz and basic kavod for the other person.

[It should be noted that Yaacov did not favor Lavan's more ludicrous remarks with a response, but he still responded in sequential order.]

[Also see Bereishis 32:19 and Shemos 3:12 for more examples of rishon rishon.] 

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חיי שרה

יפה שיחתן של עבדי אבות

רש"י (פרק כד פסוק מב)

. . .אמר רבי אחא יפה שיחתן של עבדי אבות לפני המקום מתורתן של בנים, שהרי פרשה של אליעזר כפולה בתורה, והרבי גופי תורה לא ניתנו אלא ברמיזה:

בראשית רבה (פרשה ס אות ח)

אמר ר' אחא יפה שיחתן של עבדי בתי אבות מתורתן של בנים, פרשתו של אליעזר שנים וג' דפים הוא אומרה ושונה, ושרץ מגופי תורה, ואין דמו מטמא כבשרו אלא מריבוי המקרא:

Rabbi Acha notes almost plaintively that the Torah devotes so much space to a detailed recounting of Eliezer's experience, while many fundamental halachos are revealed to us only through derashos on the most minimal textual superfluities. We see from here that even the "ordinary conversation" of the servants of the forefathers is more precious to Hashem than the scholarship of Chazal.

Q: It is impossible to take this statement at face value. After all, Eliezer and the avos themselves had many conversations over the course of their respective lifetimes that are not recorded for all time. Surely there is more significance in the recording of this one than a quaint demonstration of affection for the avos.

Q: Why indeed should so much space be devoted to this story, considering the perfectly parsimonious wording of the Torah? Wouldn't we be better off if the Torah simply stated "And Eliezer told them all that had happened", and used the rest of the space to teach us any number of things?

A: If you read through the two accounts of the story carefully, you will find many subtle discrepancies between what actually happened and how Eliezer recounted it. Rashi and the Ohr Hachaim note several of these discrepancies, and explain that Eliezer changed some of the details to avoid making an unfavorable impression on Rivka's family.

For example, Eliezer said his tefilla with the details of the test aloud, but he recounted that he only thought it to himself. Otherwise, the relatives would have claimed that Rivka passed the test only because she knew of it in advance, and Hashem's intervention had nothing to do with it. Eliezer gave Rivka the jewelry before even asking her identity, but he recounted it differently, lest the family question his moral integrity, if not his very sanity, for giving jewelry to a strange girl.

The parsha is filled with many such discrepancies, most of which are unexplained by the meforshim, thus leaving a treasure-trove of insights for the thoughtful reader to discover. All the discrepancies, however, center around the same idea: Eliezer recognized that even one wrong word or one statement taken out of context would jeopardize the shidduch. 

Even a truly God-fearing family would hesitate to send a young daughter away to be married off and entrust her with a strange man of suspect character. Eliezer measured his every word with impeccable precision to gain their trust and demonstrate that this was truly the will of Hashem. And this wasn't "only" a shidduch at stake, but the very future of the Jewish people!

In light of this, it's no wonder that Hashem deemed this sicha extremely precious and worthy of several columns in the Torah. Those who read this story year after year have much to learn from it, moral lessons that transcend the technicalities of halacha. To clarify the latter we must study rigorously, turning every letter of the Torah this way and that. To teach us the power of every word, and the great appreciation for this demonstrated by a "mere" eved of the avos, is well worth a lengthy description.

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R&B Medical War Crimes #11 - The Farbers

This was a very inspiring discussion with a heroic family that is fighting the good fight in Israel. 

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Not sure how "safe" the shots are, but they are definitely effective...

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8 Hours of Expert Testimony Before a Beis Din, Oct 26

I didn't listen to the whole thing, but Dr. Peter McCullough provided some powerful information, as always.  His presentation starts about a half hour in.

Rabbi Winston: Chayei Sarah, Dovid HaMelech

 

AFTER THE DEATH and burial of Sarah, Avraham returned to the matter at hand, marrying of her only son, Yitzchak. The Akeidah had been a close call, as Rashi mentions at the end of last week’s parsha. It would have been a whole different Akeidah had Yitzchak already been married and had a son. 

The women of Canaan were out of the question, as Avraham had told Eliezer. He was a Canaanite, and had a daughter he wanted to marry off to his master’s son. But, as trusted as he was, and as virtuous as his daughter may have been, they were cursed going back to Noach. Avraham’s family was from those who Noach had blessed. It was an inappropriate mix.

Instead, Yitzchak’s wife had to come from outside of Canaan, from Padan Aram to be exact, and Avraham sent Eliezer off on a mission to find her and bring her back. Despite his personal disappointment, Eliezer loyally followed his master’s instructions.

Once there, Eliezer was not sure how to go about finding the right shidduch for Yitzchak. How was he to know? Many a shidduch have ended in disaster, no matter how much the shadchan claimed it was a match made in Heaven. Yitzchak needed someone special, and not being a prophet, he didn’t want to be fooled.

So Eliezer turned the whole thing over to G–D. He said: 

“O G–D, the G–D of my master Avraham, please cause to happen to me today, and perform loving kindness with my master, Avraham. I am standing by the water fountain, and the daughters of the people of the city are coming out to draw water. And it will be, [that] the maiden to whom I will say, ‘Lower your pitcher and I will drink,’ and she will say, ‘Drink, and I will also water your camels,’ her have You designated for Your servant, for Yitzchak, and through her may I know that You have performed loving kindness with my master.” (Bereishis 24:12-14)

How did that work out for him? The Torah says in the next verse: 

Now he had not yet finished speaking, and Rivkah came out, who had been born to Besuel the son of Milchah, the wife of Nachor, Avraham’s brother, and her pitcher was on her shoulder.

Mission accomplished. G–D had cooperated. He had brought Rivkah to Eliezer, and had made it clear she was the one destined for Yitzchak. It had been a great miracle. The question is, was it a necessary one?

AT THE END of last week’s parsha and just after the Akeidah, the Torah concluded with the lineage of Rivkah. Why? Rashi explains: 

It came to pass after these matters, that it was told to Avraham saying: “Milchah, she also bore sons to Nachor your brother. (Bereishis 22:20)

After these matters, that it was told, etc.: When he returned from Har Moriah, Avraham was thinking and saying, “Had my son been slaughtered, he would have died without children. I should have married him to a woman of the daughters of Aner, Eshkol, or Mamre. The Holy One, Blessed be He, announced to him that Rivkah, his mate, had been born… (Rashi)

Wait a second. So Avraham already knew who to find for his son from the Master Shadchan Himself? If yes, and it says he did, then why didn’t he just tell Eliezer where to go once he got to Padan Aram? It would have circumvented the need for a miracle, which we’re really not supposed to invoke (Shabbos 32a). Instead of making such a condition for G–D to supernaturally fulfill, why didn’t Eliezer just call Information, get the Busuel family address, and catch a camel over there? 

There might have been a couple of reasons. To begin with, the prophecy at the end of last week’s parsha was three years earlier. A lot could happen in three years, and maybe Rivkah was no longer the one for Yitzchak. It is known, according to Sod, that a person marries someone on their spiritual level at the time of dating. That zivug can change depending upon if the person goes up or down in ruchnios—spirituality. 

Then there’s the more practical reason. What was it going to sound like if Eliezer showed up at the front door of Besuel and had said, “Hi, you don’t know me, but my master back in Eretz Canaan, your relative Avraham ben Terach, told me to tell you that G–D told him that your three year old daughter Rivkah is destined to marry his son, Yitzchak. Okay? How quickly can she be ready to go?”

SLAM! That would probably have been the sound of the door as they closed it on Eliezer’s face. The odds of that one ending well were very slim. Perhaps Avraham decided to let G–D handle the details of making the shidduch work out. If Rivkah was indeed the one for his son Yitzchak, Avraham trusted that G–D would make sure Eliezer left Padan Aram with her, and no one else.

THIS IS SIMILAR to something I have mentioned in the past. People want to know why Yitzchak wanted to bless Eisav if he was so evil. The obvious answer is, Yitzchak must not have known how evil Eisav was.

Really? That’s the obvious answer? You mean that Yitzchak, being a prophet, knew about things he could not see but not about things he could? You mean that Rivkah, who was clearly concerned about to whom the blessing went, never once discussed the matter with her husband?  Surely Eisav’s Cheder rebi must have called them in discuss their son’s errant behavior! They have done it since then for every other child that didn’t get with the program.

Rather, the more obvious answer is that Yitzchak did know about Eisav’s behavior, but that did not change the fact that he had an obligation to bless him as the firstborn. Who knows, maybe it would turn Eisav around and bring out the Yitzchak in him! But if Eisav was not destined to receive the blessing, Yitzchak reasoned, it would have to be G–D’s doing to take it away from him, not his own. Likewise, Avraham may have said, “If Rivkah is indeed destined to marry my son, let G–D arrange it.”

Well, it’s not exactly the same. First of all, no halachah would have been violated by going right to Rivkah’s home to make the shidduch. There was a halachah to give the firstborn his intended blessing. From the other side, Eisav was a rasha, which might have implied an exception to the rule. 

Rivkah was a tzadeikas, which might have meant ignoring all else to make sure she married Yitzchak as soon as possible. 

Perhaps a better comparison is to Dovid HaMelech and Bas Sheva. The Talmud says that Bas Sheva was destined to marry Dovid HaMelech since Creation, even though she would marry someone else before she did. It also says that she was shown to Dovid HaMelech at the time that she was, in order to let him know that she was ready to marry him. 

Yet despite all of that, Dovid HaMelech made the mistake of taking her prematurely and consequently, they lost their first child. He was also later reprimanded by the prophet Noson. What did he do wrong?

THE TALMUD SAYS that it was like picking an unripe fruit. Bas Sheva had been meant for him, but not when he took her and certainly not how he did. As the Talmud says, anyone who pushes off the moment is pushed off instead (Brochos 64a). 

Perhaps that is why Dovid HaMelech’s and Bas Sheva’s second son, Shlomo HaMelech, later wrote in Koheles that everything has its time.  Try and change it and you tamper with history, and that can’t be good. Even the times when it looks as if you sped things up, either it is an illusion or you have set in motion something that will bite back down the road. 

The Brisker Rav once officiated at a wedding at which the ring fell into the grass just as the Shomer was passing it to the Chasan. Like all things that fall into the grass, it was not easily findable, and the wedding party spent 20 minutes looking for it. Once found, they could finally proceed with the chasanah. 

The Brisker Rav, however, could sense that people were disturbed by what had happened, perhaps even the chasan and the kallah. They probably wondered if it was a divine sign that the couple was not meant to be. To put an end to that mistaken thinking, the Brisker Rav told those gathered there the following:

Families decide that the chupah should take place at 6:30 in the evening on a certain day. They print it on the invitation and do everything they can to be on time. The only thing is that in Shamayim, the couple is destined to be married at 6:52. So what happens? Hashem arranges for an unplanned delay, in this case, a ring falling into the grass which cannot be found for 20 minutes. When the destined time for the couple to be married arrives, Hashem shows them where the ring is and the ceremony is able to be completed…exactly at 6:52, exactly as Shamayim decreed.

Avraham understood all of this. When he sent Eliezer off in search of Rivkah, she was only three years old. That is a discussion unto itself. He knew that Rivkah was the one for his son, but not when she was supposed to be the one. So he did his part by sending Eliezer off in the right direction, and left the rest up to G–D. In his merit, as Eliezer alluded, the great miracle occurred as it did, when it did.

Don’t just admire it. Emulate it.

Rabbi Weissman: Synopsis of Religious Reasons

  

Several people have asked me recently for a synopsis of the religious reasons why one should not take the crapcine.  I've written at length about this over the last year, and many rabbis have issued strong rulings to this effect, but apparently there is a need for an outline of the main reasons. Below are 15 reasons condensed into a single article.  A full treatment could easily fill several books with thousands of footnotes, but that is beyond my scope, and overkill besides.  One does not have to be the Vilna Gaon to understand that everything about these shots violates the Torah, and one should recoil from them as from the Satan himself.  

I hope this outline suffices to articulate the main arguments and bring clarity to those who are struggling with the twisted arguments of today's false prophets.

Reminder: Tonight at 7 PM Israel time will be episode #11 of the Root and Branch Medical War Crimes podcast. My guests tonight will be Rafi and Natasha Farber, an incredible couple that is reconquering Israel from the evil regime one inch at a time.  The link to join the show live is here, and a recording will be added to my Rumble channel here.

More interesting material follows the article.

Religious Reasons Not to Take the Shots

In these confusing times, many people are rightfully turning to the Torah for clarity and guidance. Unfortunately, it is easy for those with ulterior motives to cherry-pick Torah sources, take them out of context, misinterpret them, and misapply them to suit their agenda. It is therefore necessary to elucidate the main religious reasons that it is forbidden according to the Torah to take the so-called “Covid-19 vaccines”.

1. The Torah commands us in Devarim 4:15 to exceedingly guard our lives. Ironically, this is the main source for those who claim we are obligated to take these injections. In reality, this is precisely why one must refrain from the injections at all costs. There is overwhelming evidence that these injections pose a serious risk to one's health and very life, with additional evidence emerging on a daily basis all over the world. This evidence cannot be denied, dismissed, or downplayed, nor is it mitigated by concerns – real or exaggerated – about the risks of Covid-19.

Considering the fact that the threat of Covid-19 to the overwhelming majority of the population is minimal, and this threat can be reduced to essentially zero with a variety of alternative treatments that do not pose the risks and unknowns of the “vaccines”, it is incontrovertible that the obligation to protect one's life indicates avoiding the “vaccines”.

When it comes to young people, who are already at essentially zero risk of Covid-19, the notion that they should be given these “vaccines” – whose effectiveness wouldn't last long enough for them to reach the age of any plausible threat from Covid-19 – is downright preposterous.

There is also increasing evidence that these injections cause miscarriages and other fertility problems, which render them completely forbidden.

2. In cases of doubt, the Torah's unambiguous position is shev v'al ta'aseh, to refrain from actively endangering oneself, but to take a wait-and-see approach. This is especially true when the consequences of taking the injections are likely irreversible. One does not throw himself into a fire to escape a bogeyman.

3. The next primary argument in favor of the injections is that we have an obligation to protect others, which they take for granted these “vaccines” will do. This is their justification for injecting young people, and imposing upon them all the risks and long-term unknowns of these injections, even though these young people receive no health benefit in exchange for this endangerment.

The actual Torah position is squarely against this. We are forbidden to harm or endanger ourselves for the speculative prospect of making others safer. I wrote about this in more detail in an article called Public Safety in the Torah.

We are not allowed to actively and knowingly endanger others, of course, but the claim that this includes people with no sign of illness venturing into the public simply because they might somehow get others sick is a corruption of the Torah (also see Lockdowns Violate the Torah). There are no limits to such warped paranoid concerns, which, if imposed on the masses, will destroy any society. Before the Torah was corrupted to normalize such a mindset, people who harbor such fears were rightfully thought of as faithless or mentally ill.

All this is true irrespective of the fact that these “vaccines” do not provide meaningful protection to others, even in a best-case scenario. At best this presumed protection to others is limited, temporary, and speculative. There is no justification on any level for one to assume a definite health risk to essentially feed a fantasy that it makes others safer.

4. There is emerging evidence that those who take the injections pose a definite risk to others through shedding. In addition, many experts have warned that “mutations” of the virus are largely exacerbated by those who took the “vaccines”, which only prolongs and exacerbates the situation. In light of this concern, it is quite likely that one should refrain from taking the shots precisely to keep others safe!

5. The Torah's general position is to refrain from medical interventions on healthy people and limit them on sick people to what is necessary. The benefits must clearly outweigh the risks, and no risk can be disregarded. Every medical treatment has side effects, and it is impossible to predict with certainty how any individual body will respond to any medical treatment. The Torah does not recognize a one-size-fits-all approach to medicine. This principle repudiates any argument in favor of mandating any medical treatment on the general population, or sanctioning those who refrain from a medical treatment. There is simply no Torah basis for this perverse notion.

When it comes to experimental or otherwise more dangerous treatments, there is greater leeway for those whose lives are already in imminent danger. In such cases, there is far less to lose, and this may be the only chance to save the person's life. Hence, the risk/benefit ratio favors measures that would otherwise be reckless.

However, such calculations can only be made on an individual basis. There is no justification from the Torah to give experimental treatments to perfectly healthy people as a preemptive measure to hopefully reduce their chances of developing a severe case of an illness that they may never catch, that poses small risk if they do, and that they may well be immune to in any case. It is simply preposterous.

For a healthy person to assume any risk from a preemptive medical treatment is questionable, and certainly not obligatory. For this to be mandated on all of society violates the Torah from beginning to end.

Those who compare invasive medical treatments to wearing a seat belt are snakes, and one need not engage them.

For more information, see Medical Intervention in the Torah Part 1 and Medical Intervention in the Torah Part 2.

6. Before any novel medical treatment can be acceptable for widespread use, it must be thoroughly proven to have benefits that outweigh the risks, otherwise the shev v'al ta'aseh principle applies. The burden of proof is on those proposing the treatment. It is never the obligation of ordinary people to conclusively, exhaustively prove that a medical treatment is unsafe and not worth the presumed benefits before it is foisted on society.

7. This burden is not satisfied by a few highly dubious “studies” and declarations from “health officials”. According to the Torah, liars, people of ill repute, and people with clear conflicts of interest (nogei'ah b'davar) are disqualified from testifying.

The drug pushers are proven liars and criminals. Their lives are dictated by greed, lust for power, and G–Dless endeavors. They fund and perform their own studies. They massage and manipulate the data to support their desired conclusions. They trick people into believing what is false by making cleverly worded claims that are technically true. The “peers” who “review” one another's studies play for the same team, receive funding from the same sources, and scratch each other's backs. It's one big farce.

The pharmaceutical oligarchy has controlling influence over medical journals, hospitals, establishment doctors, the media, regulatory agencies, and lawmakers. Indeed, there is a revolving door between “public health” agencies and the drug companies they are supposed to keep in line. Everyone involved in this incestuous web of greed and deceit is suspect, and their testimony that any drug is “safe and effective” is worthless.

8. In some situations, it is possible for those who are disqualified from testifying due to a criminal past to regain their trust after a thorough repentance process. Drug companies have a long and glorious history of carnage and wanton disregard for human life. Those responsible have shown no conscience, no soul, no acknowledgment of the evil they perpetrated. When have drug companies even apologized for any of their wonder drugs gone horribly wrong?

According to the Torah, one is not allowed to trust anything they say, ever.

9. Even if this were undeniably the greatest drug ever invented, medical risk is a personal choice, not something that can be imposed on people, certainly not on healthy people, certainly not on the masses.

Again, this is true even when it can be argued that others are impacted by one's personal medical decisions. Other people are always affected in some way by our decisions. That doesn't give the rich and powerful the right to make all the decisions for us.

10. According to the Torah, one is always responsible for damages that he directly causes – “adam mu'ad l'olam”. In addition, a Jew is not allowed to trust a heathen to even be his barber unless the latter is afraid of repercussions should the razor “slip”.

The drug oligarchs have finagled a situation in which limitless profits are guaranteed, but they bear no liability if their “safe and effective” vaccines turn out otherwise. They don't even have to forfeit their billions and billions in profits! According to the Torah, one is forbidden to entrust his health and wellbeing to these heathens who have nothing to fear by “slipping”.

11. Despite previous claims to the contrary (“technical truths” at best), body parts from murdered children born and unborn were instrumental in the development of these “vaccines”. The full scope of this is still largely covered up from the public (naturally) but it is clear that heinous crimes were committed against the most innocent and defenseless in the interests of “science” and “public health”. It is quite likely that components derived from these murdered children are found in the “vaccines” as well.

It is unconscionable for a Jew to allow this into his body. We are so careful that whatever we put in our mouths should adhere to the highest kosher standards, but if something so impure enters our body via injection we need not be concerned?

12. Knowing all this, even if the “vaccines” were truly safe and effective – which they are clearly not – we are forbidden to support those who engage in such heinous behavior. In halachic terms, this is called “mesayei'ah yedei ovrei aveira”.

13. As it has become clear that all these “health mandates” are really about controlling the population and promoting a tyrannical agenda, one is forbidden to take the “vaccine” or otherwise support their agenda for the same reason.

14. Everyone who takes the “vaccine” is strengthening the hands of evildoers, and makes it easier for them to bully and blackmail others. Those who submit to this are endangering others to (temporarily) get the tyrants off their back.

In addition, if we knew nothing about the “vaccines” other than the bullying and blackmail, we should recoil from taking them. We cannot trust those who engage in bullying and blackmail, who cavalierly destroy so many lives in the name of protecting lives, that their drugs are “safe and effective”.

15. This slavish worship of “vaccines” and “the science”, complete with child sacrifice, is tantamount to idolatry. We are forbidden to receive benefit from idolatry or take medical treatments from idolaters, even if they are proven, even if we forfeit our life, lest this give credence to idolatry (see Avoda Zara 27B).

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This is but a brief overview of the primary reasons why these “vaccines” are forbidden. I will leave it to Torah scholars and honest scientists to elaborate on these points and bring additional sources, of which there are countless to choose from.

Chazal teach us that the best doctors go to hell. Doctors are given permission to heal the sick. They are not given permission to experiment on people, control their lives, or demand blind obedience. Doctors cure no one. They are nothing more than intermediaries of G–D's own healing, facilitating healing of the body that G–D created with infinite wisdom. Their knowledge of the human body barely scratches the surface; the more they discover, the more they realize how little they truly know.

Doctors and scientists should be the most humble of people, approaching their tasks with fear and awe. For them to have such hubris and think they can take G–D's place is idolatrous. One should sooner flee to the Sinai desert and pray for man to fall than take novel injections from such people.

Rabbis who are urging everyone to take the shots have provided no substantive Torah-based argument to the contrary, for there is none. Those who distort the Torah to endanger lives and support an evil agenda will join the “best” doctors in the deepest parts of hell.

One final point. A rabbi does not need to personally know someone to grant him a “religious exemption”. The soul of every Jew was present at Har Sinai when G–D gave us the Torah. The same Torah law applies to all Jews, regardless of whether or not they currently live according to these laws. All Jews entered a covenant in which we are responsible for one another and are spiritually connected.

Consequently, any rabbi may write a “religious exemption” for any Jew, and this must be honored. Furthermore, since the lives of all people are threatened, and the Noahide laws apply to all people, a rabbi may write a “religious exemption” for any gentiles as well.

However, this is a mere technical matter. In light of all the above, not only is everyone exempt from taking these “vaccines”, it is worse than eating pork on Yom Kippur. People should not request a religious exemption, but oppose these heinous crimes with all their heart and soul.

In the merit of standing for G–D and the Torah, G–D will surely stand with us.

__________________________

chananyaweissman.com/

rumble.com/c/c-782463

If you received this from someone else and want to receive future articles directly, please send a request to endthemadness@gmail.com.

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They want to make people act like robots and robots act like people.

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The Israeli government “…" the Jews in Meron

Excellent analysis of the situation. Please share this information widely and rouse the slumbering lion.  The blood of the slain cries out from the ground.

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I was invited to be a panelist on Dr. Zelenko's weekly program, which is Tuesdays at 3 PM Israel time.  The link to join the program live is here.  Yesterday's recording is available here.  My previous interview with Scott Mantel, which has received over 52,000 views, is available here.

 R&B Medical Fellowship #6 with Dr. Zelenko