You'll Get it All | Rabbi Alex Mizrahi

 

Cancelled Due To... | Rabbi Shlomo Landau

 

No More Mitzvah of Hashavas Aveidah on a Nickel

For decades, the value of a prutah – the minimum halachic monetary unit – has hovered at approximately two or three cents. This meant that virtually any coin in circulation other than a penny, including the humble nickel, was halachically significant enough to trigger the mitzvah of hashavas aveidah, the obligation to return a lost object. However, with the unprecedented surge in silver prices, we have crossed a historic threshold. As of this writing, the mitzvah of hashavas aveidah no longer applies to a found nickel.

The Calculation: How a Prutah is Determined

The Shulchan Aruch (Choshen Mishpat 88:1) rules that a prutah is equal to half a grain of pure silver. Based on the calculations of the poskim, this translates to 1/1244th of a troy ounce of silver. To determine the current value of a prutah, one simply takes the spot price of a troy ounce of silver and divides it by 1244.

As of January 26, 2026, the current spot price of silver is approximately $109.76 per troy ounce. Silver has experienced an extraordinary rally, having risen from approximately $29 per ounce at the start of 2025 to over $100 per ounce today – an increase of nearly 280%.

Applying the formula: $109.76 ÷ 1244 = $0.0882 (8.82 cents)

This means that a prutah is now worth nearly nine cents. A nickel, worth only five cents, is therefore less than a shaveh prutah and does not trigger the mitzvah of hashavas aveidah. However, a dime, worth ten cents, still exceeds the value of a prutah and remains subject to the mitzvah.

When Did This Threshold Get Crossed?

For a nickel to lose its halachic significance, silver would need to reach a price where 1/1244th of a troy ounce exceeds $0.05. The calculation is simple: $0.05 × 1244 = $62.20. When silver crossed $62.20 per troy ounce, the prutah officially exceeded the value of a nickel.

This historic moment occurred on Thursday, December 11, 2025, at approximately 8:15 a.m. Eastern Time, when silver was trading at $62.30 per troy ounce. By that afternoon, silver had surged further, touching an intraday high of $64.21 per ounce. Since that date, silver has continued its meteoric rise, and the gap between the prutah value and a nickel has only widened.

Hashavas Aveidah: The Halachic Fundamentals

Now that we understand the new monetary reality, let us review the essential halachos of hashavas aveidah:

1. The Minimum Value Requirement. For the mitzvah of hashavas aveidah to apply, the item must be worth at least a prutah (CM 262:1). If it is worth less than a prutah to the finder, but more to the one who lost it, such as a driver’s license, there is still a mitzvah. Rav Elyashiv zt”l ruled that most people view a pen as nearly worthless, and therefore, pens are considered less than a shaveh prutah and there is no need to be machriz and announce that it was found (Kuntrus HaShavas Aveidah p.31).
2. The Severity of Violation. If you find a lost object which qualifies for hashavas aveidah and keep it, you violate three Torah mitzvos – two negative commandments and one positive one. If you simply ignore your obligation to return something, you violate one negative mitzvah.
3. The Obligation to Announce. Lost objects need to be announced. Nowadays, poskim have ruled that an advertisement in the paper also qualifies as an announcement (See Chavatzeles HaSharon CM #28).
4. Who is Obligated? Men and women are equally obligated in this mitzvah, but older people are exempt if returning the item would be embarrassing for them.
5. Abandoned Objects. Objects that are clearly abandoned, such as something found lying in the street, do not have to be returned.
6. Items Found in Stores. Items without identifying marks found in a store belong to the finder, unless it is a section of the store exclusive to the owners. The reason the storeowner’s property does not acquire it for him is because it is not a watched property – a chatzer hamishtameres (SA CM 260:5).
7. Vending Machine Change. Money found in a vending machine change slot belongs to the finder (ruling of Rav Azriel Auerbach cited in Kuntrus Hashavas Aveidah p. 30).
8. Yei’ush – Loss of Hope. The mitzvah of hashavas aveidah applies only as long as the owner did not give up hope of finding the item. Giving up hope is called yei’ush. The owner gives up ownership at the point of yei’ush. If, however, you found the item before the owner gave up hope, then there is an obligation to return it (CM 262:3). There is a debate in the Rishonim as to why this is so. Tosfos (BK 66a) understands that the obligation of returning the item has already kicked in and must still be fulfilled even if there is loss of hope. The Ramban (BK 26b), on the other hand, explains that the picking up of the lost item renders the finder a guardian over the item.
9. Simanim – Identifying Marks. There is a concept in halacha that a person is always checking his pockets. Therefore, if the item is very important and had no identifiable marks, we can assume that he gave up hope. What are considered identifying marks (simanim in halacha)? (A) Unique marks found on the object itself. (B) If the owner identifies where the object was lost and it is rare to lose such items there (CM 262:9). (C) If the owner identifies how the object was packaged (CM 262:35). (D) If the owner identifies how many of the item was lost (CM 262:3). (E) If the owner identifies the specific weight or size of the object. Money, however, is not considered to have identifying marks (CM 262:3).
10. Heavy or Large Items. Likewise, we can assume that an owner gave up hope on a very heavy item or a large item when there are no simanim – identifiable marks. Likewise, if it was lost in flowing river waters, we can assume that the owner lost hope in recovering it (CM 259).
11. Kiddush Hashem and Chillul Hashem. It is proper to return all lost items in order to make a kiddush Hashem – to sanctify Hashem’s Name. There is a full-fledged obligation to return items that one is technically exempt from returning if not doing so may possibly result in a chillul Hashem (CM 266:1). Thus, all bank errors must be returned as soon as possible.

Conclusion

The dramatic rise in silver prices has created a new halachic reality. While it may seem strange that a nickel no longer carries the same halachic weight it once did, this is a natural consequence of our monetary system and the fluctuating value of precious metals. Of course, one should always strive to return lost items l’fnim mishuras hadin, beyond the letter of the law, and certainly to avoid any possibility of chillul Hashem. Nevertheless, it is important to be aware of the technical halachic parameters, as they affect many areas of monetary law beyond hashavas aveidah, including kinyanim, kiddushin, and damages.

May we all merit to fulfill the mitzvos of the Torah with understanding and precision, and may our careful observance of bein adam l’chaveiro bring about a kiddush Hashem.

_______________________

The author can be reached at yairhoffman2@gmail.com

Note: Silver prices fluctuate constantly. Readers are encouraged to check current silver prices when making halachic determinations. As of this writing (January 26, 2026), with silver at approximately $109.76 per troy ounce, a prutah equals approximately 8.82 cents.

 https://vinnews.com/2026/01/26/no-more-mitzvah-of-hashavas-aveidah-on-a-nickel/

Journey to Chevron 2026:

The Kever of the Chesed L'Avraham, Rav Avraham Azulai; Great Great Grandfather of the Chida

 

 The Kever of Rav Elazar Archa - Tel Romeida

You Won’t Believe How Stunning Jerusalem Looks in Winter

 

On a winter's day, I began my walk from the heart of Jerusalem, where the city buzzed softly with daytime life. 🚋 The trams glided past, their quiet hum echoing between the ancient stone buildings. The pale winter sunlight touched the streets, warming the stones beneath my feet, and for a moment, the world felt both alive and gentle. I turned into Teddy Park, and calmness enveloped me. 🌿❄️ The green paths and hidden corners seemed to whisper, inviting me to slow down, to breathe, to feel the stillness of the city for just a while. The wind danced with the fallen leaves, and I felt a strange kind of peace, rare and fragile. Following the ancient walls of the Old City, each crack and stone bore the weight of centuries. Walking there, I felt time stretch and fold, past and present blending together in the winter light. My steps led me finally to the Zion Gate, where history seemed to breathe alongside me, and the city’s soul opened quietly, without words. 🏛️✨ This winter's day became more than just a walk. It became a story of Jerusalem itself: its heartbeat in the streets, its serenity in the parks, and its eternal strength in the stones of the Old City. Come with me, and feel the quiet magic of Jerusalem in winter.

Rabbi Weinberg: Nishmas HaChassidus (12)

 

Beshalach: Turning FFBs Into BTs

 

One dedication for this Shiur is Malka bas Yosef [and also happens to be the same as my mother] however I don’t know who his dedication belongs to. In Shamayim, may it be for every Malka bas Yosef!

Journey to Chevron 2026:

The Kever of Yishai and Rus - Tel Romeida

 

 The Kever of Rav Eliyahu Mani - Tel Romeida 

  

The Kever of the "Reishis Chochma", Rav Eliyahu Vidaas - Tel Romeida

"And Moshe took with him the bones of Yosef"

there are differing opinions concerning the happening elucidated below

 "And Moshe took with him the bones of Yosef"

(Exodus 13:19)

Shevat 12, 5786/January 30, 2026

"And Moshe took with him the bones of Yosef, who had exacted an oath from the children of Israel, saying, “G-d will be sure to take notice of you: then you shall carry up my bones from here with you.” (Exodus 13:19)

Parashat Beshalach, the Torah reading which features the splitting of the Sea of Reeds, the sweetening of bitter waters at Mara, the first appearance of manna - bread from heaven - upon the desert floor, water from a rock and the victory over Amalek, led by Moshe's outstretched arms, is rich with miracles. G-d is taking care of His children.

But before the miracles take place, while Israel is still in Egypt, Moshe sees to it that Israel keeps its ancient oath to Yosef, and carries his bones out of Egypt, to bury him one day, who knows when, in the land of Israel. We recall Yosef's final words to his brothers: "'I am going to die; G-d will surely remember you and take you up out of this land to the land that He swore to Avraham, to Yitzchak, and to Yaakov.' And Yosef adjured the children of Israel, saying, 'G-d will surely remember you, and you shall take up my bones out of here.'" (Genesis 50:24-25)

Midrash tells us that Moshe, in a race against time, searched high and low for the coffin containing Yosef's bones, and, finally, with the aid of the ineffable name of HaShem, caused them to rise out of the the Nile, where they had been long submerged. We won't hear again about Yosef's bones until we read in the book of Yehoshua of their burial in the city of Shechem. But the fulfillment of an oath, the fulfillment of responsibility of one brother to another, even if it took more than two hundred and fifty years to complete, had to be done. No one is left behind. Not even their bones.

Redeeming our brethren, dead or alive, is a supreme and ancient value for the nation of Israel, long predating Yosef. Avraham wasted not a moment when he heard of his nephew Lot's abduction, mustering up a small commando force of three hundred and eighteen of his compatriots to rescue him from far away Damascus. And, of course, the burning desire to be buried in the land of Israel was first fulfilled by Avraham, who purchased the Machpelah cave and field for a burying place for Sarah, his wife. Six of the seven patriarchs and matriarchs, Avraham and Sarah, Yitzchak and Rivkah, Yaakov and Leah, would be buried at Machpelah. Rachel would find her final resting place on the road to Efrat. 

Maimonides writes, (Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Matanot Aniyim 8:10):

"The redemption of captives receives priority over sustaining the poor and providing them with clothing. [Indeed,] there is no greater mitzvah than the redemption of captives. For a captive is among those who are hungry, thirsty, and unclothed and he is in mortal peril. If someone pays no attention to his redemption, he violates the negative commandments: "Do not harden your heart or close your hand" (Deuteronomy 15:70 , "Do not stand by when the blood of your neighbor is in danger" (Leviticus 19:160 , and "He shall not oppress him with exhausting work in your presence" (ibid. 25:53). And he has negated the observance of the positive commandments: "You shall certainly open up your hand to him" (Deuteronomy 15:80 , "And your brother shall live with you" (ibid. 19:18), "Love your neighbor as yourself" (Leviticus 19:18 0, "Save those who are taken for death" (Proverbs 24:11 , and many other decrees of this nature. There is no mitzvah as great as the redemption of captives.” 

Miracles are gifts from G-d. Redeeming captives (pidayon shevu'im) is a sacred responsibility that only we can and must perform. There are other incidences of the redeeming of the captured, dead or alive, in the Hebrew Scriptures, one concerning Shimshon (Samson), who who ended his life in the selfless act of taking down Israel's bitter enemies of Gaza: "And Shimshon said, 'Let my soul die with the Philistines,' and he bent with his might, and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. And the dead that he killed at his death were more than he had killed in his lifetime. And his brothers and all his father's household came down, and carried him, and brought him up and buried him between Tzorah and Eshtaol in the burying place of Manoach his father. And he judged Israel twenty years." (Judges 16:30-31) Paying exorbitant ransoms was a common feature of Jewish life in Europe throughout the centuries of exile, as the local lieges saw kidnapping Jews as an easy way to extort money from a people who placed the highest priority of securing the release of their fellow Jew. 

***********

*This week Israel returned the last of the 251 hostages taken by Hamas on October 7th, 2023. Four additional hostages, two dead and two alive, had been previously redeemed after twelve years in captivity. With this week's return of Ran Gvili for burial in the sacred soil of Israel, the entire nation breathed a long repressed sigh of relief and gratitude. At long last, our commitment to our brethren was fulfilled. Ran Gvili, who set out on the morning of October 7th, 2023, despite an injured shoulder requiring surgery, succeeded in eliminating sixteen terrorists before running out of bullets and succumbing to his wounds. He had led more than a hundred terrified souls, fleeing from the Nova concert to safety, and prevented the infiltration of terrorists into kibbutz Alumim, saving countless lives in doing so. For this he earned the title, "Shield of Alumim." And for his unique fate he earned the title, "The first one in (to the inferno) and the last one out." Just like Yosef, who was the first to enter Egypt and the last to be brought out. 

The entire nation lined the streets and saluted Ran, who had served in the elite anti-terrorist unit of the Israeli police, as his body was brought out of Gaza, first to an army base half way across Israel, and the next day, to be buried in his hometown in southern Israel. Thousands attended his funeral, the number limited only by security concerns. From Avraham, that man of lovingkindness, we learned of the great mitzvah of redeeming our captives. Four thousand years later we have not forgotten. 

The splitting of the sea, the daily appearance of the manna, and all the other miracles that sustained Israel throughout its long trek in the wilderness night never have happened had Moshe not seen to it Yosef's bones were with his people on their march to the promised land.

We read in Psalms 114: "When Israel left Egypt, the house of Yaakov left a people of a strange tongue, Yehudah became His holy nation, Israel His dominion. The sea saw and fled; the Jordan turned backward. The mountains danced like rams, hills like young sheep. What frightens you, O sea, that you flee? O Jordan, that you turn backward? You mountains, that you dance like rams; you hills, like young sheep?" What, indeed, caused the Jordan, the sea and the hills, themselves, to shrink back in fright? The answer, our sages teach us, were the bones of Yosef, testimony to the spirit of a nation whose responsibility to one another is an inseparable part of their faith in HaShem. 

"Therefore You are great, HaShem G-d: for there is none like You, neither is there any G-d beside You, according to all that we have heard with our ears. And who is like Your people, like Israel, one nation in the world, whom G-d went to redeem for Himself as a people, and to make Him a name, also to accomplish for you the greatness and fearful things for Your land, in driving out from before Your people, whom You did redeem for Yourself out of Egypt, the nations and their gods?" (II Samuel 7:22-23)

**********

If the 'details' are like what is being reported, or maybe a zionist mfg'd concoction, what is important is how Am Yisrael responded, with a flowing heart and unity.

Rabbi Green: ICE PROTEST

 

Ice Protest:

This unacceptable Ice situation has gone on long enough. Silence is no longer an option. I hereby protest Ice. 

Please join me in my protest. It’s incumbent upon every human being of sound moral conscience to speak out against the diabolical assault on humanity in the form of Ice.

No, I’m not talking about acronyms of rogue federal agencies. Rather, I’m referring to all this freakish ice that covers our streets and has taken down lots of trees, not to mention our power.

We must stop their illegal and unlawful spraying of our skies without our informed consent. We cannot sit by quietly while they despotically manipulate our weather and bombard us with ice apocalypses and snowmageddons, hurricanes, and other weather nightmares, weaponized “climate disasters” of their own making.

You might be wondering, why did I single out “ice” in particular?

It’s because ice has a double meaning.

Tragically, most people are oblivious to the fact that they’re under attack by their own democidal government. When I point up to sky and draw their attention to the incessant streaks of chemtrails, obvious weather weaponization staring at them in broad daylight, most folks react with icy indifference. And that’s the most dangerous “ice” of all, to the great peril of humankind. I hereby protest that ice too. That sort of ice is a vice, not a virtue. This is no time for apathy.

Once we’re protesting ice, we might as well protest ICE too, but not necessarily for the same reasons that all those people sheeple are protesting it. 

They’re tragically being played as useful idiots by their overlords in the typical divide-and-conquer distractions.

Of course ICE is tyrannical, but its nefarious goal isn’t just to seize and deport immigrants. It’s to habituate us to their encroaching digital police state.

And truth be told, we are already living in a pol-ICE state. We must protest that -ice too. CPS and Family Court have been seizing and trafficking children for years. The police state has been force-injecting children and adults, poisoning our water and food for years without our informed consent. Why have we put up with this outrageous treatment? 

It’s not just police state. It’s sinister surveillance state. Through their device and AI that you’ve grown dependent on, Big Brother is constantly watching you, recording your every move and even your thoughts. And your device, wi-fi, and towers that transmit to them, are also poisoning you with 5G. You’re getting microwaved.

And now we confront the shocking reality that they’re spraying toxins from their planes to poison our weather (not to mention our bodies) with impunity. Hence these freak ice storms.

And while their ICE killed two people and their engineered ice and icy temperatures killed dozens, one can only shudder to think how many people they are planning to kill in their relentless obsession to depopulate us.

It’s time to reject all these ices vices and devices once and for all. Let’s melt the ice of indifference and rouse the masses from their slumber.

PS: I don't recommend joining any silly street protests. Instead, protest by exercising your essential human liberties. Stop complying. Stop drinking their poisoned water and consuming their toxic products. Take back your food sovereignty. Home school your children. Get trained and armed. Join with other like-minded folks and create your own off-grid farming community. Unplug, detox, free yourself from pharma, and purge your house of toxins and plastics. Reject and ignore their phony headlines and fear mongering. Trust in God alone and none other.

Rabbi Michoel Green's Newsletter is a reader-supported publication..

67 - The Secret of the Universe, Torah, Moshiach, Third Temple

 

With Gratitude to Hashem

Reb Ginsbourg: Beshalach – Miracle of the Waters...

 

The Miracle of The Waters of Marah 

Why did Hashem cause the Israelites to worry about lack of water, and - further - bring them to a place of bitter waters?

Our Parasha relates, that after the wondrous event of the splitting of the sea, and the demise of the Egyptians - (15:22-26):

"Moshe caused Israel to journey from the Sea of Reeds ‘ - the Red Sea -‘and they went out to the Wilderness of Shut; they went for a three day period in the Wilderness, but did not find water.

"They came to Marah, but they could not drink the waters of Marah because they were bitter; therefore they named it Marah.

"The people complained to Moshe, saying:’What shall we drink?’

"He cried out to Hashem, and Hashem showed him a tree; he threw it into the water and the water became sweet.

"There he established for the nation a decree and an ordinance, snd there he tested them.

"He said:’אם שמוע תשמעו: If you hearken diligently to the voice of Hashem, your G-d, and do what is just in His eyes, give ear to His commandments and observe all His decrees, then any of the diseases that I placed in Egypt, I will not bring upon you, for I am Hashem, your healer.’"

Rav Shimon Schwab comments: The Gemara ( Baba Kama 82. ) expounds: ‘They went for a three day period in the Wilderness, but did not find water’: Water means Torah, as the Prophet ( Isaiah 45. ) says:’Whoever is thirsty, go to the water’.

As they went for three days without Torah, נלאו: they became worn out - the prophets among them set for them that they should read in the Torah on Shabbat, on Monday and on Thursday, so that they should not be three days without Torah.

At first glance, this exposition seems far from the literal meaning of the words - however, if the Sages expounded in this way, they must have found an allusion to it in the literal sense of the words.

Perhaps this can be expounded, that they had just departed from the Sea of Reeds, where great miracles were wrought for them, and they saw prophetic visions greater even than Yechezkiel ben Buzi had merited- the prophet - as the Torah states, they were able to testify: ’This is my G-d and I shall be an adornment to Him’, and :’Hashem will reign forever’.

Despite this, when they went for three days and did not find water, they did not search their deeds, to cast the fault in themselves, nor did they submissively ask Moshe to pray for them, but - instead - came with a complaint to him:’What shall we drink?’

We learn from this, that the great impression of the events at the splitting of the Sea, had already lost their potency, after three days.

Our Sages deduced that, similarly, the potency of reading the Torah in public, loses its potency after three days, and they therefore established that we should not go for three days, without reading in the Torah.

Rav Yitzchak Karo wonders: How were they - including women and children - able to go without water, for three days?  

Rabbeinu Chananel explains: They traversed the distance that usually takes three days, in one day - and for the one day, they had adequate water.

‘We might surmise - that their donkeys had been laden with water, in the manner of wayfarers traversing deserts, and on the third day, the water they had brought, ran out, from the containers.’

The Abarbanel introduces his commentary, by asking: Why did Hashem, in starting this long journey in the desert, bring Israel to a lack of water - which is a necessity for life, more so, for such a large number of people.

How were they able to go for three days without water, Marah being at the end of this journey - and when He brought them there, the waters were bitter and not fit for drinking?

Had Hashem wanted to perform a miracle, would it not have been preferable to have provided them with all their needs in the desert, from beginning to end - not that the beginning should be difficult, and hard to bear, as it was in the matter of the water.

A number of drashot have been proffered on this matter, but - in my eyes - the answer is, that since Hashem intended to give them the Torah at Sinai, it was necessary in this first journey, for them to face difficulties, so that Hashem would fill their needs, and they would know thar the G-d of Israel, would provide for all their needs.

This was an essential preparation, to perfect their Emunah in Him, for the acceptance of the Torah - it was for this reason, that Hashem brought these tests on the, and why they were not punished when they spoke disrespectfully.

Therefore, in their ‘complaint’ to Moshe:’What shall we drink?, they did not demand:’Give us water’- but spoke in the manner of: 'Moshe, our Master, look at these bitter waters, we cannot drink from them’ - they were therefore not punished for these words, nor did Moshe include this incident in his rebuke in Devarim.

Rather - as we read - ‘Moshe cried out to Hashem’, on seeing the distress of his people, and Hashem ‘showed him a tree; he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet’ - this to induce in the people trust in Hashem.

What then was ‘the decree and the ordinance (that) Hashem established, and therefore He tested’?

The truth is, that in this, Hashem taught the people the true Torah way - which to them was new, truly a חוק: a decree, as it was beyond their intellect - that one who puts his trust in Hashem, would be answered, and that whenever they called to Hashem, He would hear their cry, and would answer them - performing miracles and wonders - as they saw there, with the bitter waters, which turned to being sweet, when Moshe beseeched Hashem, concerning them.

The Alshich Hakadosh - like the Abarbanel we brought - also opens his commentary, with the same question: Why did Hashem cause them to worry, by the lack of water, and - further - bring them to a place of bitter waters - and then, miraculously turn the bitter waters, sweet?

Expounds the Sage: This clearly was not the natural order of things - contrary to human understanding.

‘This was precisely the Divine message: the ways and minds of people, are not the ways of Hashem - that which may appear in our eyes, as having no benefit, is the true and blessed way in Hashem’s eyes.

This was the הוראה : the lesson of the tree which turned the bitter waters, to being sweet - this, because whatever Hashem commands us to do, though it appears strange and bitter in our eyes - is good, so that man should seek to do that which Hashem commands, trusting in Him.

Rav Zalman Sorotzkin elucidates:The ordinance and decrees that Hashem gave them at Marah - Shabbat, honoring parents and judgements ( Sanh’ 54 ) - though Rashi substitutes the Red Heifer instead of honoring parents - can be understood, as there was an immediate need to learn the laws of judgements between man and man, as the people were numerous, and inevitably disputes would arise, which needed to be resolved.

Shabbat is the foundation of Emunah, and was stilll in its early stages among many of the people - yet, until it was firmly instilled in all of them, they could not be given the Torah.

Observing the Shabbat, in all of its details, requires close supervision ans teaching by the parents, as it says: ’Do not perform any labor, you, your son and your daughter’ - an obligation we do not find in any other Mitzvah.

Rav Ahron Kotler adds: We need to find a reason why they were not given water to drink, before they had to call out to Moshe - it is, after all, a necessity for existence.

‘The explanation is, that the objective of creation was that we should recognize the benevolence of Hashem - this being, apart from a good attribute, also the basis for our service of Hashem, as is said many times, in regard to this obligation, for Hashem redeeming us from our servitude in Egypt, from which we learned to ‘recognize’ Hashem, and His Divine Providence in all that we do.

We usually only feel the receipt of benevolence, after we had undergone tribulation.

The Kuzari sagely teaches that everything comes from Hashem in his benevolence, and this obligates one to give praise and thanks to Hashem - by doing so, one truly feels that he owes a debt of gratitude to Hashem.

One who is traversing the desert, and whose water has run out, there is no limit to his joy and gratitude, when his need is met - this would not have been the case, had he been in a settled area, with plenty of water available.

Yet, had the Creator not ‘renewed the act of Creation’, each and every day, we would be thirsty for water in a settled area, no less than in a desert - so how much more should our gratitude to Hashem be, in that case, for meeting our need, without us being in distress?

In all of the aspects of the exodus from Egypt - be it in food, drink, or clothing - the needs were met, so that they would recognize the Divine Providence, and that what might appear to be ‘the natural order’, is from the benevolence of Hashem - no less than the miracles wrought in Egypt.

This was instilled in the people, in their forty years travels in the desert.

Rav Shimshon Raphael Hirsch comments: The opening words: ‘Moshe caused Israel to journey’, do not appear in any of their other journeys, and suggests that they needed a push - as it were - which is understandable, as they were presently in a place where miracles had been wrought for them, and were now required to traverse the very different desert.

The exodus from Egypt and the splitting of the Sea, led them to feel the closeness of Hashem; the journey across the desert - on which they were about to embark - was necessary to teach them, that their everyday life, was equally subject to Hashem’s Divine Providence - as is every breath that we take.

The purpose of their exodus - as Hashem told Moshe, at the ‘burning bush’ - was to receive the Torah, which governs all we do, in every time and in every place - knowing that in their merit of the observance of the Torah, He will see us safely through deserts, and sweeten any bitterness.

The foundation of ‘decree and ordinance’ seems to be connected with the sweetening of the bitter water, by the ‘drug’ that Hashem instructed - the objective of this trial was to establish in the eyes of the people, of the Torah in our daily lives

‘This is emphasized by the word שם:: ‘there they were given the foundation - the Torah prevents not only physical ailment, but, equally, spiritual ailments - which were what mainly struck the idolatrous Egyptians.’

Rav Avigdor Nebenzahl, brings the exposition of our Sages, that what Bnei Israel lacked, was not water - as is written - but Torah, which is likened to water - and this is why Hashem, there, established for them the Mitzvot which our Sages laid out, in the Midrash.

The Rav asks: ‘Granted that these new Mitzvot were import ant ones, why were they given here, now? Had Bnei Israel not already received - in Egypt - mitzvot: sanctification of the New Month and the myriad mitzvot of Pesach? ‘Why does the Torah therefore say that ‘THERE Bnei IsraeL received ordinances and decrees - as if telling us, that only from that point, began the giving of the Torah and of Mitzvot?

‘It would seem, from the repetition of the word שם: ‘there’, that what occurred there - the miracle of the water - more than all the preceding miracles - was required, before the giving of thd Torah - only after this miracle, the propitious time for giving Mitzvot to Israel, had arrived

‘This can be seen from their observance being commanded in our parasha, in the juxtaposition of this passuk.

‘What was the unique aspect of this miracle, that was not found in all of the preceding miracles?

‘All the other miracles, did not effect a change in nature- there was nothing in the natural order of things, for instance, in the waters in Egypt turning to blood - which was not the case of what occurred with the waters, at Marah.

‘That something bitter, should turn something bitter, to be sweet, was the very opposite of the natural order of things - and was therefore the perfect preparation for the receipt of the Torah.

‘Why?’ Let us recall that this miracle occurred three days after the events at the Sea, when Bnei Israel saw the last of the Egyptians. Since the purpose of taking Bnei Israel out of Egypt - as Hashem told Moshe, at the ‘burnIng bush’ - was that they should receive the Torah.

‘True, they should have received it immediately upon leaving Egypt, but their spiritual level required healing, before this could occur.

‘Only now, after the necessary period of healing, in the desert, were they able to be taught the necessary preceding lesson: in the usual order, we sweeten something bitter, by something sweet, not so with the Torah- you sweeten something bitter, by something bitter!

‘Why was this lesson so critical for those engaged in learning Torah? Because the Torah is ‘bitter’ initially - requiring many hours of toil, at the expense of all one’s mundane pleasures - this requires that the toiler believe, that that which appears bitter, will turn out to be the sweetest of things.

‘If he does not truly believe this, he is likely to turn to other, less demanding pursuits.

‘Only after learning this essential lesson at the waters of Marah, could Bnei Israel be given ‘ordinances and decrees’ , and, as they passed that ‘test’, receive the Torah at Sinai.’

https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/421611

Rabbi Green: Stop Being Played

The real problem with the Zionist State is not that it’s a “Jewish” state per se, but that it’s a modern state altogether, like all other rogue modern states.

Its feigned Jewishness is just a veneer, a ruse to justify its sinister statehood. 

As a modern state, its true agenda is depopulation and dystopian enslavement of its surviving population. Its ultimate objective is totalitarian New World Order.

If you single out the Zionist State as being worse than any other modern state, you’ve lost the plot. You’ve been tragically duped by their divide-and-conquer narrative and/or consumed by Jew hatred. 

Instead, the Zionist State is just like the United States, North Korea, et al. It’s a sinister surveillance state that exists solely to do the bidding of its depopulationist masters.

Stop falling for the lie. Zionism has absolutely nothing to do with our Holy Land. It's just that their democidal state happens to wield its ill-gotten tyranny areas that are partially in our Holy Land and partially in close proximity to it. To the contrary. The state seeks to dispossess us of our Land. Hence their never-ending web of falsehoods and psyops.

Don't celebrate when they toss us a proverbial doggy biscuit like allegedly finding the remains of a Jew they murdered by proxy. Mourn. Mobilize. Man up to the fact that your government actively seeks your demise.

Understand that their designs are never good, and that everything they dish us is part of their democidal agenda, hence their NWO "Gaza technocracy” soon to be unveiled.

Please understand that they don't intend for this to be the “last” hostage. They're just getting started. They seek to hold the entire population hostage and worse. 

Bibi isn't your friend. He's a boobah (puppet) doing the bidding of Big Brother to “Build Back Better,” i.e deliver you to their New World Order.

Alas, we are all being played. It’s all a facade. Israel’s government and Hamas both answer to the same “master class” of dystopian deletes.

The sooner we awaken to this reality the better.

Rabbi Winston: Parashas Beshallach

 THE GEMORA MAKES a rather ominous statement that making a zivug is as difficult as splitting the sea (Sotah 2a). Hearing this, most minds immediately jump to the conclusion that it means that just as it is very hard to split the sea, so is it very hard to make a match between people. 

The Gemora questions this because elsewhere we are taught that a pairing of man and woman is actually announced in Heaven forty days before birth. The Gemora concludes therefore that the original statement only applies to subsequent marriages, should they prove necessary. Finding one’s “first” soulmate pre-dates birth, but subsequent “soulmates” are difficult to find. 

The Arizal explains that “second marriage” doesn’t mean of a different person in the same lifetime. It means the same soulmate in a different lifetime (Sha’ar HaGilgulim, Introduction 20). A person in the world for the first time has spiritual innocence which the angels can work with. But a person reincarnating to fix up past mistakes discourages angels from helping out with the shidduch. 

The bigger question that doesn’t seem to get asked is, “Hard for whom?” Certainly not for G–D. He just has to think about something and it is already history. The sea split the moment G–D decided it should, just like that.

Therefore, maybe what the Gemora really means is, “Just as it isn’t difficult for G–D to split the sea, likewise is it easy for him to make the right shidduch for a person.” And the Gemora’s question and answer? Back up, not argument, perhaps just saying why do we need the one statement if we already have the other?

Okay, so when then do so many people have a struggle finding their soulmate, and do so many people have to struggle to keep them? Furthermore, what is the comparison? The problem with splitting the sea is taking two parts that already have shalom bayis and separating them from each other. A zivug is about finding two separate and very different entities and achieving shalom bayis.

But that’s the point, isn't it? It is “hard” for G–D to split the sea but not because it is hard to cause the sea to split. It is hard because G–D loves unity and undoing it is contrary to His nature, so-to-speak. So, how much so therefore would G–D be prepared to help two strangers become one when their yetzer hara’s fight to keep them apart.

This is alluded to, the Gemora says, by the words “ish—man” and “ishah—woman.” They have an Aleph  and Shin in common, which spells “aish—fire.” What they do not have in common is the Yud of ish and the Heh of ishah, the first two letters of G–D’s holiest Name. The message: While G–D is in a marriage, there will be shalom bayis. When He is not, then the marriage will be consumed by aish (Sotah 17a), which often means anger.

And therein lies the “difficulty” for G–D in making a zivug. Few marriages start off perfect, and even fewer end that way. And yet, G–D is even prepared to have His non-erasable Name dissolve in water to make mei sotah (Sotah Water, not Soda Water) to promote shalom bayis, peace in the house. Similarly, He’ll even hang around a struggling couple as long as possible to help them put out their “fire” and achieve shalom bayis. 

And then there is the other side of the story, the people who struggle to find their zivugim, sometimes for years. That’s hard for G–D too, Who prefers to see everyone happily married. But our idea of perfection is clearly different from G–D’s at times, since He does everything perfectly while we rarely do. 

Perhaps that is part of the Gemora’s message as well. Maybe it is telling all of us that, no matter what your zivug situation is, G–D knows it all…does it all…worries about it all. That may not give you the “shalom bayis” you hoped for in the meantime, but on the cosmic scale, we’re all in the same boat, trying to achieve personal perfection and a personal relationship with G–D, as He is with us, regardless of current marital status. We just have to work with what we have, and do the best we can, and the results will take care of themselves. 

And may everyone looking for their soul mate find them one way or another, sooner or later, and be blessed with shalom bayis inside and outside. 

New Seminar starting this week: Da’as: The Only Frontier. For details go to: https://www.shaarnunproductions.org/seminars.html (based on the new book of the same name available through Amazon and Thirtysix.org.

Only good news.

Good Shabbos,

Pinchas Winston