31 January 2024
Rabbi Glatstein: "AI" Artificial Intelligence Part 2
Frightening !! When did Israel lose the war in Gaza ?
אהבתם את השיעור? שתפו אותו כך שעוד אנשים יזכו ללמוד תורה | Did you like the lesson? Share it so that more people can learn Torah
Six Week LULL is NOT Two Months! Two months is 8 weeks. Which is it??
Report: Israel agrees to six-week ceasefire in exchange for all hostages
Israel has signaled its agreement to a plan that would see all civilian hostages released in exchange for a two-month lull in the fighting in Gaza. If you want to read this – http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/384458. [I wonder what is really included. And will ALL HOSTAGES be alive and released all-together?]
What is Propaganda? (Video link fixed)
What is propaganda? Where does it have its origins? Who utilized it in the past, and how is it abused in the present? Will it be a weapon used to further insidious agendas in the future?
From Nazi Germany to the Rockefeller Foundation, financial institutions to the military-industrial complex, the propaganda machine has its roots dug deep into our society. And its branches are wide-reaching.
Watch this damning video for a jaw-dropping, succinct and critical look at the history of propaganda and the role it plays in the time to come.
Written and produced by Vera Sharav, human rights advocate, Holocaust survivor, and founder of the Alliance for Human Research Protection. Directed by Vera Sharav and Debora Blake. Edited by Debora Blake.
Hello Fellow Freedom Loving People,
Wanted to let you know about a couple of positive developments…
1) If you haven’t seen my new short film about Propaganda & Its Insidious Tactics of Persuasion, please do give it a listen on Children’s Health Defense TV:
2) Thanks to David Webb, as word has been spreading about the hidden legal pathways the Central Bankers have put in place for The Great Taking, brave attorneys have begun fighting back to break their state’s Uniform Commercial Code’s Section 8 links to this contemplated robbery. Please join the fight by signing their petitions and help if you’re able: https://thegreattaking.com/action
3) I am hard at work trying to finish the book manuscript for Never Again Is Now Global Genocide together with a number of distinguished scientists, doctors, and freedom fighters. It has never been clearer that we are in the fight of our lives and I am so grateful for all my fellow brave contributors to this important book. I will certainly keep you posted as we get closer to the finish line, but never has there been a more crucial time where the light of truth needs to be shown throughout the darkness of deception.
As always, if you are in a position to do so, please consider helping us financially to continue our work. We are a non-profit 501c3, and would greatly appreciate any and all tax-deductible support you can give. (Please see button below:)
Never Give In, Never Give Up
Vera
ALLIANCE FOR HUMAN RESEARCH PROTECTION, INC.
142 West End Ave. - 28P
New York New York 10023
USA
30 January 2024
A stop to the trucks
Eliezer Katzoff: A Stop to the Trucks
A birth at Alumim
Cautionary Note About Our Food
‘Israel Has to Be Much More Food Self-Sufficient,’ Expert Warns
and it doesn’t mean fake meat, and other lab-created stuff
JERUSALEM (JNS) – Since 1948, when the fledgling State of Israel celebrated its independence and began exporting and importing goods from other countries, it has become reliant on global trade. Now, as the Jewish state and it faces potential boycotts and sanctions, and trade routes threatened by terrorist factions, this dependence could have dire consequences.
Shipping prices have soared 461% since the ongoing attacks by Houthi rebels in Yemen on ships in the Red Sea, which affects 12% of global trade. Rates on the Asia to North American routes have also climbed significantly. Shipping companies are adding security surcharges that can be as high as $2,700 per 40-foot container and have added weeks to each trip, reducing the global capacity for transporting cargo.
Agricultural experts are warning that if Israel does not make concerted efforts to become food secure, it may soon be facing shortages.
Growing concern
“Currently the shelves in the supermarkets are full,” said Yuval Lipkin, deputy director general of Israel’s Agriculture Ministry. “There are no shortages and we are proud of that.”
But he admits that with more than 90% of grains coming from Europe, a shortage of working hands in the fields and with border farms being evacuated in both the north and south since the Gaza war began, the ministry is concerned and is taking active steps to mitigate future shortages.
Local and national change needed
“Israel has to be much more self-sufficient than it is at the moment—and the problems must be addressed immediately,” stressed professor emeritus Hendrik Bruins of the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Beersheva.
“It is very important that the Israeli administration, local as well as national, implement changes. When local government couldn’t depend on the army, community security patrols were set up. This should be the same for food,” he said.
“Israel now imports more than 90% of its basic food—grains and cereals. Famines are not caused by a lack of tomatoes, they are caused by a lack of grains, rice and maize [corn]. These have been the staple foods on all continents since time immemorial,” said Bruins. He noted that most countries tended to be self-sufficient up to the 1800s because of the limitations of trade back then.
‘Flowers don’t increase food security’
For many Middle Eastern countries, according to Bruins, Ukraine has always been an important wheat producer and a major supplier of grains.
“While we value our local eggs and milk,” he explained, “grains are necessary to feed our livestock—chickens and cows. If Israel becomes the target of an economic boycott, and grains are withheld, even our dairy and egg supplies could be affected.”
In the 1970s, Canada and the United States had large grain reserves that helped relieve famine conditions in many parts of the world, he explained. Political changes reduced the amount of grain in silos—they did away with food reserves and instead helped countries monetarily, he said. American farmers sold their products directly to countries, destroying local food economies and causing food dependence.
The problem of our dependence on foreign wheat is not new.
“Israel has had a problem for many years,” said Bruins. “North of Beersheva there are significant areas of land that can grow wheat if the government helped farmers grow wheat and lower our risk. Currently, 95% of Israel’s wheat is imported. If the farmer cannot make a living from growing wheat, he will grow flowers instead, but flowers don’t increase food security.”
‘Trade sounds nice as long as the world is nice’
The problem has been exacerbated by Israel’s war against Hamas.
“International trade sounds nice as long as the world is nice—but if the world is not behaving fairly, then it’s stupid to rely totally on an economy that relies on the free market as threats of boycotts rise,” said Bruins. There must be drastic changes in how local farmers are organized, he continued. “With enough workers, Israel could supply itself with fruit and vegetables.”
He also advised stockpiling wheat, saying a plan exists called the “Genesis Strategy,” based on the advice the biblical Patriarch Joseph gave Egypt to store grains in case of lean times ahead. Technological solutions have been implemented in other countries, such as Singapore, that include hydroponic, highly sophisticated, multi-level greenhouses and new ways of boosting the resilience of food supply, he said.
‘The main issue is manpower’
Yoel Zilberman is director and one of the founders of HaShomer HaChadash, an NGO that provides hands-on help to embattled Israeli farmers and ranchers who are seriously considering abandoning their land. The organization supports farmers and runs volunteer programs and training courses.
Pointing out that since Oct. 7 a severe manpower shortage has badly affected Israeli farmers, Zilberman said: “We need a confluence of talent, manpower and technology to fix the problems. According to a recent survey, only 44% of farmers displaced by the war in the south and north plan to return to their farms, and 89% of farmers lost foreign workers after Oct. 7.”
He further pointed out that agriculture used to be an integral part of the Israeli educational system. HaShomer HaChadash oversees four agricultural high schools in the Arava, Galilee, Golan and near Ashkelon, which are attended by 250 students—tomorrow’s farmers.
However, Amit Meir, director and founder of the four high schools, says that the average age of farmers in Israel is 65 and there are only 8,000 farmers left, down from 20,000 20 years ago. One hundred students graduate each year from the schools.
is this a deliberate diminution of our greatest agricultural miracle?
Agriculture Ministry Deputy Director General Lipkin asserted that his team is working hard along with other ministries to solve the problems. “The main issue is manpower. Even before the war, there was a shortage of 10,000 workers,” he told JNS in a recent interview.
“We recently signed a manpower contract with Sri Lanka, and we already have one with Thailand. We need 40,000 workers. We lost 10,000 foreign workers in the wake of Oct. 7. An additional 10-20,000 workers from the Palestinian Authority are not allowed in. We also need more Israeli workers and we are offering them bonuses to work in agriculture,” he said.
one ‘global’ purpose of why this war, is an attack on everything that made us an agricultural miracle
The Agriculture Ministry is also offering subsidies for upgrading agricultural buildings and formulating compensation packages for farmers.
“People understand how important the farmers are,” Zilberman added. “They are the ones that wake up every morning just a few meters away from our borders. Farmers are constantly keeping our borders safe—they know the lay of the land…. As the Book of Joshua says: ‘Every place you walk will be yours’—it’s not a one-time walk. Planting, weeding, maintaining, harvesting and developing farming routines allows us to keep the land.”
Israel is an agricultural society and the attack on our farmers that was waged some time back by the govt. is downright evil
Rabbi Glatstein: AI - Artificial Intelligence Part I (of 4)
SNOW, RAIN, Kinneret Rises
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| screenshot of Mt Hermon |
The recent rain and storms across Israel have brought significant snowfall to Mount Hermon, as well as a rise in the Kinneret's (Sea of Galilee) water level.
The Kinneret has risen five centimeters (1.96 inches) since Monday, and now stands at 2.05 meters below the upper red line signaling maximum capacity. At the same time, 25 centimeters (9.84 inches) of snow fell Monday night on Mount Hermon, bringing the snowfall for its lower slopes to over 60 centimeters and on its upper slopes to over 80 centimeters.
The site, however, remains closed to visitors. Refael Nave, CEO of the Mount Hermon Ski Resort, mourned, "In a normal winter, we would have declared the site open to skiers after the storm ended. It is a sad feeling to see the site closed."
Northern Israel has been mostly evacuated due to the ongoing fire from the Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon.
The unusually cold and rainy weather will continue through most of the week, forecasters predict.
Tuesday will see intermittent rainfall and isolated thunderstorms, especially in northern Israel and along the coastline.
Snowfall is expected on Mount Hermon, and there is a chance of local flooding, especially along the northern coastline. Harsh winds will blow and temperatures will be lower than usual for the season.
Beginning in the afternoon hours, the rain will gradually spread to central Israel, and there may be snowfall on the higher peaks of the northern mountains.
Tuesday night will see intermittent rainfall and thunderstorms in northern and central Israel. There is a chance of local flooding along the coastline, and there may be snowfall on the higher peaks of the northern mountains.
Wednesday will see intermittent rainfall, especially in northern Israel and along the coastline, and there will be isolated thunderstorms. On the higher mountains in northern Israel, there may be snow. In central Israel, the rain will lessen and gradually cease, but there will still be a chance of local flooding along the coastline. Temperatures will remain below seasonal average.
Thursday will be partly cloudy or cloudy, with intermittent rainfall and isolated thunderstorms, especially along the coastline. Temperatures will remain below seasonal average.
Friday will see intermittent rainfall and isolated thunderstorms in northern and central Israel. In southern Israel, there may be local rainfall. Temperatures will rise slightly but remain below seasonal average.
29 January 2024
The Wonderful Rabbi Jonathan Rietti
קריאת קדש אל המפונים לירושלים וסביבתה
Unfortunately geegle cannot do justice to the following.
Can anyone give a synopsis of this message?
קריאת קדש אל המפונים לירושלים וסביבתה
"צדיק בא לבית מלוני ויפטר בלא לינה?!"
"ויפגע במקום" - נעקר הר המוריה ובא לכאן וזהו היא קפיצת הארץ האמורה במסכת חולין, שבא בית המקדש לקראתו עד בית אל. ואם תאמר: וכשעבר יעקב על בית המקדש מדוע לא עכבו שם? – הוא לא נתן לבו להתפלל במקום שהתפללו אבותיו ומן השמים יעכבוהו?! הוא עד חרן הלך, והמקרא מוכיח: "וילך חרנה"! כשהגיע לחרן אמר: "אפשר שעברתי על מקום שהתפללו אבותי ולא התפללתי בו?!" נתן דעתו לחזור, וחזר עד בית אל וקפצה לו הארץ. (רש"י בראשית כו,יא)
לא לחינם גולים היום יהודים לירושלים! ירושלים עיר בית מקדשנו זקוקה נואשות לעזרה, ומי ישים לב אליה אם לא אנשים שסדר יומם התערער?
"איכה כל עיר על תילה בנויה ועיר האלקים מושפלת עד שאול תחתיה?!" בית קדשנו ותפארתנו אשר הללו בו אבותינו היה מרכז לאויבינו הגרועים עלי אדמות, וכל מחמדנו היה למוחמד למרכז טרור, וכל זאת תחת שלטון (ימין) ישראל!!!
סרן הראל שרביט ה' יקום דמו, השאיר צוואה לעם בה קונן על כך שבכל בית בעזה תמונות ומונומנטים של כיפת הסלע (=אבן השתיה שבקודש הקדשים) והשקצה אל אקצה, ואילו אצלנו עוד לא התחילו לדרוש לציון, כקינת ירמיהו הנביא: "נדחה קראו לך, ציון היא דורש אין לה"!
הלוחם אלרון זבטני ה' ישמרהו ויצילהו מספר שבמרכז כל השלטים המופנים מלבנון לישראל, נמצא הר הבית; כידוע כל מלחמות עיראק ואירן הם 'בדרך לירושלים'. משמים מכוונים מכל העולם כל החיצים וכל הבליסטראות אל בית ה' המגורש מביתו, ואנחנו – "אחורינו אל היכל ה'??!!
ולא יהיה קודש קדשים שלנו כעבודה זרה תפֵלה שלהם?! עם שלם מוותר על ביתו-בית אל-היו, ומסגד רצחני שוכן תחתיו לבטח בבירת בירתו ןנשען על כוחם וגבורתם של "כוחות הבטחון" של הק ושים שלנו!!!
התורכים לוטשים עין על הר הבית מקום בית מקדשנו, הסעודים לוטשים עין על הר הבית, ירדן לוטשת עין על המקום, מרוקו לוטשת עין, הרשות לוטשת עין (ואבנים...), מי לא לוטש עין? - הפלא ופלא! רק עם ישראל שהמקום ממש ממש שלו, ממש ממש תקותו, אך ורק הוא מעלים (אפילו קריצת)עין!! האם חרפה כזאת נסלחת ? האם על בגידה כזו יוצאים בחינם ?
אתה הפליט/מפונה שזכית לגלות לאזור ירושלים - גלות הפוכה מזו של אבות אבותנו שבכל הדורות - האם זה לא אומר לך כלום? הרשה נא לי לעזור לך לעשות חשבון נפש...
בוא וראה: לשכינה לכנסת ישראל אין בית, זה כאלפיים שנה שהבית שרוף; זה כאלף וחמש מאות שנה זרים ששונאים התנחלו בו; זה כשישים שנה שמדינת ישראל מחזיקה את בית ה' כקן צרעות, כקוץ בעיני אלקים ואדם.
הגעת בעזרת השם עד למחוז הר הבית מקום מקדשנו, אולי תקשיב אל תפילותיך ותפילות כל הדורות ואל תחנוניהם והאר פניך - ותראה פניך - על מקדשך השמם למען ה'. בוא הזדהה עם צער/צרת שכינתא בגלותא, ובזכות פקידת בית ה', "אדיר הוא יבנה ביתו בקרוב" - וגם בתינו/בתיכם יבָּנו במהרה בימינו בקרוב.
בוא בעצמך (אל תסמוך על אף אחד!) וראה; אל תעלם אזנך לזעקת בית ה' ולשוועתו. מי כמוך מפונה/פליט מבין מה זה בית עזוב ומה זה חסר בית - זהו בדיוק מה שקורה בהר הבית!.
הסבל בימינו הנמשך כבר כמה חודשים, אינו רק פרטי - הוא בעיקרו לאומי, והתיקון חייב לבוא מתיקון שורש לאומי, ונקווה ש"כמים הפנים לפנים כן" יהיו לב ה' אל לבֵּנו.
אנא אסור רכבך בעבותים עד קרנות המזבח, בא ובקר בהר הבית בשעות המעטות הפתוחות ליהודים: 7.00 – 10.30 בבוקר ובצהרים 12.30 – 14.00 בימים א-ה בלבד.
בכל השעות הנ"ל ישנם ב"ה מדריכים תלמידי חכמים מופלגים צמודים שמדריכים את הסיור, לכל המעוניין.
מי יודע אם לעת כזאת הגעת לירושלים, אולי בתחילת התיקון של חילול השם יתוקן גם מצב עם ישראל ובתוכם מצבך האישי.
כל המניעות שהיו לך עד היום ידועות, זה לא חדש - מה שחדש הוא שמן השמים מעוררים יותר ויותר חזק - והלוואי שלא נצטרך חלילה להתעוררות מעין זו שהיתה באירופה לקראת קום המדינה. יפה שעה אחת קודם! ודי למבין
[לטענת 'ההתגרות באומות' למדנו על בשרנו: קונספציית ה'אל תעירו ואל תעוררו' מובילה לשואה].
אנא העבר פניה נרגשת זו למפונים באיזור ירושלים, והדפס ותלה בכל ריכוזי המפונים ותבא עליך ברכה!.
לאיתור מקוואות לתיאום עליות ולפרטים נוספים lamikdash@gmail.com.
להזמנת הרצאה 052-5743827.
וְיָדְעוּ, הַגּוֹיִם, כִּי אֲנִי ה', מְקַדֵּשׁ אֶת-יִשְׂרָאֵל - בִּהְיוֹת מִקְדָּשִׁי בְּתוֹכָם (יחזקאל לז)
MORE TO THINK ABOUT ........ One is Six Million and one is Thousands = same intent
after listening to Rabbi Kessin Shlit”A and Rabbi Glatstein Shlit”A ISRAEL is sliding further down the slippery slope .....
"[...] The controversy over the comparison between the Holocaust and the October 7th massacre has spread through Israel in recent weeks. It has drawn conflicting views from such individuals as Israeli Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan, who wore a yellow Star of David to the General Assembly;
Yad Vashem director Dani Dayan, who denounced Erdan’s step in an interview with Arutz Sheva- Israel National News; Elon Musk, who called to let each event stand by itself;
and the Israeli Foreign Ministry, who recently began a campaign declaring that the Holocaust had happened again, led by a woman who had survived both the Holocaust and the October 7th massacre.
* * * * *
New Campaign: 'When infants are murdered - that's a Holocaust'
Ruth Haran, who survived both the Holocaust and the October 7th massacre, leads viewers on a chilling journey showing the similarities between the two.
Article excerpt:
Ruth Haran, who survived both the Holocaust and the October 7th massacre, is leading the campaign and speaks about the disturbing similarities between the horrors perpetrated by the Nazis in Europe and the tragedy that took place in Israel.
WITH A GRAIN OF SALT.....
Report: Israel and Hamas close to hostage deal that would halt Gaza war for two months
New York Times report: American-led negotiators are edging closer to an agreement in which Israel would suspend Gaza war for about two months in exchange for release of hostages.
American-led negotiators are edging closer to an agreement in which Israel would suspend its war in Gaza for about two months in exchange for the release of more than 100 hostages still held by Hamas, The New York Times reported on Saturday night.
According to the report, negotiators have developed a written draft agreement merging proposals offered by Israel and Hamas in the last 10 days into a basic framework that will be the subject of talks in Paris on Sunday. More here: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/384257
28 January 2024
Rabbi Glatstein ….. The State of the Torah at the End of Days
And the unity that Rabbi Glatstein implies in order to receive the Torah
(is to be explained in PART II of Rabbi Kessin, i.e. the Study of Mishnayos)
B”H this gives me such nachas that my Emunah and Bitachon were given a vaccine (lehavdel)
Its Snowing in Northern Israel ......
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| screenshot |
Snow falls in northern Israel, day of rain expected
Cold temperatures and continual rain are expected for at least the next 24 hours in most parts of Israel.
Localized rain and thunderstorms are expected today in the north and central areas of Israel. A minor flooding warning is in effect in the Judean desert and the Dead Sea region.
The weather is colder than usual for the season. Snow has begun to fall in the Hermon region, and the Sea of Galilee has risen significantly over the past day.
Beginning in the evening, and throughout the night, the rain will increase and spread from the northern border to the Negev desert.
Over this period, flooding is expected throughout the coastal plain cities.
____________
IY"H flooding should turn into a river and travel down to Gaza and flood ALL the tunnels
Rabbi Yehuda RIchter Shlit”A …..Kol HaKavod!
38-Year-Old News Anchor Dies Suddenly and Unexpectedly 1/28/24
Yahrtzeit of Rav Chaim Pilagi …. and Parshas Yisro
The Life & Times of Rav Chaim Filagi on His Yahrtzeit - י"ז שבט
Plague of Darkness?
Israel Preparing for Widespread Blackouts as War with Hezbollah Intensifies
You know what this means, beside the obvious, thousands and thousands and thousands of refrigerators and freezers would not keep food fresh and eatable! Part of the Plan to destroy our food supply?? OR is this a hint to "the days of darkness" before .......
"[...] Israel’s Ministry of Agriculture is making preparations for a possible expansion of the war to the northern part of the country, something that could happen at any time as the terrorist group Hezbollah, which is based in Lebanon, continues to launch rockets indiscriminately into Israeli territory.
"The ministry pointed out that in recent days there has been an escalation in the northern sector, which is already directly affecting chicken coops and other types of farming.
"In light of the above, the ministry is warning that it is necessary to make sure there is no stock of fuel in any kind of chicken coops or barns in the region. People are also instructed to check the functioning of generators, to increase food stocks and to perform any additional action they think is right in order to be prepared for the possibility of an attack."
https://www.jewishpress.com/news/middle-east/hezbollah/israel-instructs-northern-farmers-to-be-prepared-for-expansion-of-war/2024/01/25/
This is my God and I will beautify Him
"Veanvehu" build him a sanctuary or beautify your way of doing mitzvot?
The timeless words of the Shirat Hayam are brought in our Parasha, the Torah relating (14:31 - 15:1-2):’Israel saw the great hand that Hashem inflicted upon Egypt; and the people revered Hashem, and they had faith in Hashem and in Moshe, His servant.
‘Then Moshe and the Children of Israel chose to sing this song to Hashem, and they said the following:’I shall sing to Hashem for He is exalted..; this is my G-d ואנוהו : and I will build Him a Sanctuary; the G-d of my father, and I will exalt Him.’
We have translated the word ואנוהו as ‘build Him a Sanctuary’, as the word is commonly translated.
We also find commentators who translate the word as: ‘I will beautify Him’ - Hashem.
Our Sages offer several other understandings of the word.
In the gemara (Shabbat 133:) our Sages expound the word in two seemingly different ways: One: as ‘beautify yourself before Him in mitzvot’.
This, as the gemara there itemizes, includes making a beautiful sukkah, having beautiful tzitzit, a beautiful shofar, and even extends to writing a torah scroll with a beautiful quill.
The second exposition, also brought in that Gemara, is based on the allusion in the word ואנוהו, to אני והוא: ‘I and He’, requiring us, as it were, ‘to be like Him’: just as He is compassionate and merciful, so too, we should be compassionate and merciful.
Rav Chaim Friedlander comments:’The wondrous events that Bnei Israel witnessed at the splitting of the sea, when they were able, as it were, to each proclaim:’this is my G-d’, brought them to an acceptance that, in their avodat Hashem, they were obligated to ואנוהו : not only to perform the mitzvot, accepting upon themselves, the yoke of Hashem’s kingship, but also to perform them beautifully.
The Maharal asks rhetorically: ’can man truly beautify his Maker’? Yes! He beautifies Him when he performs mitzvot in a beautiful manner, as the world thereby comes to know that Hashem is glorious: מהודר.
The beauty in the manner that we perform the mitzvot, shows their supreme importance in our eyes of doing Hashem’s Will; by not being content to ‘mere’ performance of His Will, but showing thereby our great love of His mitzvot, by beautifying the way we perform them.
‘By these ‘adornments’, which appear to be but secondary - such as using a beautiful quill when writing a sefer torah - we truly show how much we value the mitzvot.
‘Our Sages also saw an allusion in the word ואנוהו to an acceptance ‘to be like Him’, to be compassionate and merciful as He is.
When Bnei Israel saw His wondrous acts, they yearned with all their being, to be ‘like Him’.
‘Here we ask:’how can we ‘be like Him’? The answer: By learning His ways and His attributes, and going in them, we can ‘be like Him’, as far as human beings can be.
The Maharsha combines two of these views, saying that, by going in His ways, we are an adornment to Hashem.’
Rav Aryeh Leib Heiman brings the Sages teaching, as to beautifying yourself in the performance of mitzvot, commenting:’This is a chiddush, as there are reasons for being concerned that this might adversely effect the performance of the essence of the mitzvah.
‘Amongst these concerns, is that undue emphasis on the external aspects of the mitzvah - its appearance - may be from concern of our own honor, and thus, at the expense of the honor of Hashem, as it were.
‘In an extreme case, the focus on the external aspect may even lead the unwary to wrongly forego performing a mitzvah, if he deems himself unable to perform it ‘beautifully’.
In short, great care must be taken not to replace the essence -performing Hashem’s mitzvot, due to this external, and secondary, aspect.’
Rav Elya Lopian brings a deeper understanding as to the other exposition, ‘being like Him’.
He expounds:’Hashem created this world so that He could do chessed for His creations, and He demands from His creations that they too, build this world on the foundation of doing chessed for one another.
‘This is the underlying teaching of our Sages, from our pasuk, that ‘we be like Him’, in our conduct.
This means that, ‘just as He is compassionate and merciful’, not because it benefits Him in any way, , but solely because of His goodness - that He wants to do chessed - so too, you, do chessed and good without expectation of any reward or benefit yourself.
‘Understand this, for it is a great principle.
‘Our Sages do not say: ‘do chessed’, but ‘BE charitable’, internalize Hashem’s attributes, as far as possible, and love them, so that they become your own attributes.’
Rav Avigdor Nebenzahl sweetens our appreciation of the great value that Hashem places on ‘being like Him’.
This emerges from an original insight into the language Moshe Rabbeinu chose to use, in his final plea, that the decree that he not enter the Land, be annulled.
We read, in Parashat Vaetchanan, that (3:25) Moshe pleads:’Let me, I pray, אעברה נא: cross over and see the good land, on the other side of the Jordan..; ..but Hashem said to me:’Enough! Never speak to Me of this matter.’’
Expounds the Rav:’For the first time, after his previous 515 ‘ordinary‘ prayers went unheeded, Moshe in his overwhelming yearning to enter the land, decided to utilize a ‘weapon’ that Hashem had promised would never go unheeded: the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy, that Hashem had taught him - the attributes by which Hashem, in His attribute of Chessed, conducted this world.
‘Note that Moshe did not say:’I will enter and see’, but אעברה: ‘I will cross’.
‘What was he alluding to in choosing אעברה: ‘I will cross’?
Answers the Rav:’He was thereby alluding to the passuk:(Ki Tissa 34:6): ‘ויעבור ה' על פניו': ‘And the Lord passed before him’, and taught him His thirteen attributes of chessed, and, as our Sages expound ( Rosh Hashanah 17.) entered into a covenant with him, that they would always be heeded.
‘As. a desperate last resort, Moshe seeks to utilize this weapon - not just ‘another’ prayer, but one that has been promised to always be accepted.
‘At this point, when Moshe alludes, but does not actually use this weapon, Hashem asks of him:’Enough! Never speak to Me of this matter’.
‘And the faithful servant nullifies his dearest wish, to the Will of His creator.
Here you ask: How does this relate to our query? The answer is that it directly relates to our translation of ואנוהו, as ‘be like Hashem’.
Clearly, ‘the most faithful servant of Hashem’s household’ - as Hashem called Moshe - followed the ways of his Master in everything that he did - certainly in the thirteen attributes of chessed.
‘In his great wisdom - and matchless humility - in choosing his words, Moshe was hinting that, as far as it is possible for man to do so, in everything he did, he fulfilled the commitment of ואנוהו: to ‘be like Hashem’.
‘Hashem acknowledged this, as it were, by ‘asking’ him not to raise this matter, as proof that, had he done so, his wish would have been granted - and the decree annulled.’
Concludes the Rav: ‘our Sages, in expounding on Hashem’s promise, stress that Hashem said to Moshe:’whenever Bnei Israel transgress, they should ACT in this order, and I shall forgive them’ - we have to perform these thirteen attributes, not merely to say them, to be forgiven’.
In other words: be like Hashem - in our conduct, as clearly Moshe Rabbeinu (Vezot Habracha 33:1) ‘the man of G-d’, always was.
Rav Baruch Halevi Epstein adds:’The Sage who proffered the second of the two expositions as to the allusion in the word ואנוהו - ‘be like Him’ - did not come to disagree with the first exposition - ‘beautify yourself before Him in mitzvot’ - but came to add, that it is not enough to beautify ourselves in mitzvot between man and his maker, but one needs also to do so in the mitzvot between man and man.
‘Both are needed to fulfill the pasuk, as one without the other can, רחמנא לצלן, lead to chillul Hashem - instead of exalting Him.’
A parting thought: we brought at the outset the literal interpretation of ואנוהו: ‘build Him a Sanctuary’.
Rav Shimshon Raphael Hirsch expounds:’We are obligated to be a home for Him, that in all that we do, we should merit that He should say:’and I will dwell in their midst’.
Adds the Alshich Hakadosh:’Bnei Israel, at their exalted level at the splitting of the sea, knew with their ruach hakodesh, that they were then truly a Sanctuary for Hashem; as it says ‘I will dwell in their midst’, not ‘in it’, but ‘in their midst’- they themselves were the Sanctuary for Hashem.’
Rav Friedlander comments: ‘this exalted level, as a result of that experience, is still within each of us’.
This, might we add, is why the Shirat Hayam is in the future tens: ‘אז ישיר’ : ‘then WILL sing..’- may we merit to be the generation that fulfills that prophecy!
Rebbetzin Tziporah — Song of the Heart
Dear Friends
It’s hard to translate your 2024 reality to the person you would be over 4,000 years ago. You would still be you. You would be wearing different clothes, speak another language, and not be defined by your current job or profession, but you would still be you. Now try asking yourself what standing at the edge of the Yam Suf after witnessing everything would be like for you.
The difference between who you would have been at that moment, and who you were the day before, Sfas Emmes says, is that the latent emunah that you have would be strong enough for you to feel it with such passion that it would lead you to song.
Everything in existence has a potential to experience something of Hashem’s glory. This is what you can call, “its song”. Some of you may be familiar with Pirkei Shirah, an amazing masterpiece of a ballad composed jointly by Dovid and Shlomo in which each subchapter begins with revealing the “song” on of 86 selected creations. “What does the earth say?” and “What does a duck say?” are not telling you what you will hear if you happen to pass a duck pond. It’s telling you the statement and song articulated by a duck by its specific nature, and it gives you a verse to help you “hear “it.
At the Yam Suf, all of us, the Jewish people, found our song. This discovery was great enough to touch all of creation – everything in the world was part of the experience that you would have had if you were standing there. The song is called “Truth”.
The truth is that Hashem renews reality moment by moment. Nothing is here just because it was here a moment ago. Being able to experience this truth is up to you. What you do and what you choose lifts the veil that conceals this from you by blocking it out.
In Pirkei Avot it says that there is no person who doesn’t have “his hour”, a moment in his life when the curtain disappears. When you have a moment like that, its purpose is to stay with you, to let you feel Hashem’s presence and creativity when you are busy having ice cream at Katzefet or feeling martyred by your employer, husband, or parents, or The Fates, depending on where you happen to be in life at the time. It can take a miracle to awaken the part of you that knows your song. There are people like king Chizkiyahu (who was so great that he potentially could have been Moshiach), who never sing this kind of song in response to a miracle because, a person like that experiences every moment as a miracle. If you aren’t the Chizkiyahu type (such things have happened), and you are too dulled by life to notice the concealed miracles that surround you, shabbos can provide this sort of opening.
What do you do to preserve this sort of moment? He (still Sfas Emmes) says to hear your inner outcry, hear it in your heart, and then give it outer expression thro ugh tefillah, through deeds, through actual song. You may think that this will never happen to you. It may never be within your reach – you may have a less passionate nature, you may have a life in which you developed deep seated fear of vulnerability even to Hashem – but don’t worry. It’s not up to you, it’s up to Him.
[Yalkut Shimoni, end of Psalms:] The Sages said concerning King David that when he completed the book of Psalms, he became proud. He said before the blessed Holy One, “Is there any creature you have created in your world that says more songs and praises than I?” At that moment a frog happened across his path, and it said to him: “David! Do not become proud, for I recite more songs and praises than you. Furthermore, every song I say contains three thousand parables, as it says, ‘And he spoke three thousand parables, and his songs were one thousand five hundred.' And furthermore, I am busy with a great mitzvah, and this is the mitzvah with which I am busy: there is a certain type of creature by the edge of the sea whose sustenance is entirely from [creatures living in] the water, and when it is hungry, it takes me and eats me, such that I fulfill that which it says, ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; for you shall heap coals of fire on his head, and Hashem shall reward you'; do not read ‘shall reward you’ but instead ‘shall make him complete you.’”
The word for frog in Hebrew is “tzfardea” which means, “proclaim-know!” This is what he told Dovid Hamelech, the author of Tehillim. Each of us has what to proclaim. Each of us preserves the world, and is consumed by it. Each of us can face her enemies and emerge stronger, and take the encounter that you had and bring it over to the side of positive achievement and new shirah.
I received my electric bill today. The envelope that it came in had an interesting history and future. It was printed by the printing press from Kibbutz Be’eri, which as you recall was destroyed on October 7. It was rebuilt by people who returned, and is now operating. In small letters it said, “We can win together”, as Jews. That too is a song.
Know that
each and every shepherd
has his own tune.
Know that
each and every blade of grass
has its own song,
And from the song of the grasses
is born the shepherd’s melody.
How beautiful,
how lovely and fitting
it is to hear their music.
Good indeed
it is to pray among them,
serving God in joy
As the heart,
awakened with the grasses’ song,
fills with yearning.
Then, when the song-filled heart yearns
for the Land of Israel,
A great light
from the holiness of the land
is drawn toward it:
Thus from the song of the grasses
is born the song of the heart.
...is how Rebbe Nachman expressed it.
Have a wonderful Shabbos Shirah,
Love,
Tziporah