“ISRAEL IS YOUR HOME” until Yasam, ISS, or Mishtarim Throw You Out Into The Street

Prime Minister Netanyahu:

 'Israel is your home'

Netanyahu addressed Birthright-Taglit, urges participants to come live in Israel

so that one day this might happen

Security forces demolish Jewish family's *home - without warning:  

They threw a family with small children onto the street

_______________________

Israel Police and Border Police forces arrived on Monday with Civil Administration officials at the Binyamin-region Yishuv Hada'at Farm. According to residents, the forces destroyed a family's home and acted towards the family with violence, using tear gas against those who attempted to protest the destruction.




Otzma Yehudit CEO Tzvi Sukkot, who was at the scene, suffered both from the tear gas as well as from beatings he received from the police. Sukkot was transferred for medical treatment.

Yishuv Hada'at resident and Otzma Yehudit activist Meir Bartler said, 

"The security forces used severe violence. It's a complete injustice to throw a family with babies out of their home on a winter day, and we're protesting that as well. This situation cannot continue, and the Israeli government and all parties are completely responsible for the despicable act which was done here today."

"We will no longer tolerate activities like this, and we call on the public to protest.”

________________________
*Footnote:  Though Israel regularly destroys legal Jewish homes and other buildings, rarely is the Arab sector's rampant illegal building, road construction, and land takeovers even noticed. Even more rarely are the structures ordered demolished, and when they are, the court will often intervene and cancel the demolition.

Jews who legally buy homes may be forced out of their homes if Arabs protest the transaction, and Arabs are allowed to build illegally on privately-owned Jewish land.

Source for above article and footnote: ArutzSheva

** Yishuv HaDa’at Farm is an Israeli outpost in the West Bank. Located near Shilo, it falls under the jurisdiction of the Mateh Binyamin Regional Council. It was established in 2001 by Nati Rom.

Homeless at Home:  The Schwartz family struggles to rebuild their lives in Yishuv Hada’at after a traumatic evacuation from Amona. JPost  [this might not be the family in the above article, but I show this as an example of what the hypocritical Israeli Government does to idealistic families who love the Land and want to put down roots]

# Hypocrisy: Hypocrisy is the contrivance of a false appearance of virtue or goodness, while concealing real character or inclinations, especially with respect to religious and moral beliefs; hence in a general sense, hypocrisy may involve dissimulation, pretense, or a sham. Hypocrisy is the practice of engaging in the same behavior or activity for which one criticizes another. 

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Who not to vote for:

Yair Lapid: Yesh Atid Chairman Yair Lapid says he's willing to sacrifice 'isolated settlements' in exchange for Jerusalem, settlement blocs. [Oh, really Yair, its not yours to give away. I think Rashi knows better than you: 

There will be a time when the nations of the world will claim that Israel “stole the Land of Israel”. It belongs to others, not to the Jewish People (does this sound familiar?) God tells the story of creation first to establish the fact that the ENTIRE WORLD belongs to God. And only He has the right to apportion the Holy Land. We see very clearly, through the stories of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and Moses that the Land of Israel was promised as the exclusive inheritance for the Nation of Israel. Period. The Land belongs to the Jewish People/Nation, ALL OF US!

I think the UN needs to hear this (again) also.

Meir Ettinger: "For a prophet was among them” 12/24/2017

בס"ד

"For a prophet was among them"

Meir Ettinger writes about his uncle, Rabbi Binyamin Kahane, who was murdered with his wife Talia 17 years ago, who seemed to have preceded his time and analyzed reality in a wonderful way

On Saturday, 17 years since the murder of Rabbi Binyamin Kahane, together with his wife Talia, were killed by cursed terrorists who received weapons from the State of Israel.

For me, Rabbi Binyamin Hy "d seemed to have preceded his generation fifteen years, the insights we understand today, the description of the processes taking place before our eyes, he wrote, when he was still alive.

Who else warned and warned before the election of Ariel Sharon for the first time when he was the darling of the settlers when he was perceived by the public as a "security minister," and the right saw him as a redeemer and savior. Which, unfortunately, happened, would carry out the most dangerous move, only to save his skin from interrogation.

Only Rabbi Benjamin knew that a man who was not honest enough to admit that the evacuation of Yamit was identical to Oslo would end up pretending to be honest, Only a rabbi who declared that Benny Begin would be a disaster for the national camp would be abandoned.

In those days, when the rot in the IDF only began to spread, he recognized that the problem was not only the government or the media, but also bodies that were considered "neutral" at the time, like the IDF, not interested in fighting terrorism.

Who then, when Rabbi Binyamin was convicted as much as the "rebellion," for calling upon the people to call on the leaders, that the problem is not in Lebanon but in Umm el Fahm, that 20 years later, the defense minister of the State of Israel, To El Fahm.[?]

There are dozens of cases and precise diagnoses[?] here, in which Rav Binyamin, may G-d's prayers and peace be upon him, was able to discern the root of the problem, many years before they broke into the public consciousness [?(and, of course,] But the goal is to understand where he [?derived] these rabbis, how he could read the political map so well

In one of his books about his great father, Rabbi Binyamin spoke about the fact that in the past he did not understand the point of saying "we told you," only at that time did he understand why it was so important to "know that a prophet was among them."

If I try to find the main idea that [are] interwoven [throughout] the great writings of Rabbi Binyamin Hy "d it is clear that this is the point of absolute faith in G-d.

In his articles, Rabbi Binyamin repeatedly repeats the same principle, just as the role of every Jew in the world is to publicize G-dliness and to believe in the reality of G-d. Thus, the sole and exclusive role of a Jewish state is to publicize the existence of G-d in the world. [?meaning.]

In a lengthy article appearing at the beginning of the anthology "Tal Binyamin", he elaborates on his father's method, that the famous rule "we can not rely on miracles," is true only for a private person, To rely solely on G-d, even when it is contrary to nature, and seems to lack real feasibility.

Rabbi Binyamin taught that any decision on public matters should be made out of the question of sanctifying G-d. Does this decision fulfill our purpose of sanctifying Gd's name in the world, or does it conceal the fact that our existence here is not like the existence of all nations? He did not reject the practical considerations, but asked himself what was gained from this practice. Does it advance us to the final destination? Which is [a] Kiddush Hashem['s name], will it help us.

It is no wonder that it was clear to him that the secular right (or that of the religious non-believers) would produce worse results than the left, for without faith in Gd, practice would always lead to opposite results. Without faith in G-d, there is no point in being different from everyone else, there is no point in not looking for simple and easy solutions even at the price of giving up national assets.

The last public letter left by Rabbi Binyamin, which was written several months before his murder, was a letter written to the residents of the Hilltop, after the shame of abandoning the navel of the land - the tomb of Yosef Tzadik Zt”l, and the murder of his good friend Rabbi Hillel Lieberman Zt“l.

In this letter, he calls on the residents of the hilltop, with the exception of a public statement, that they are prepared to take the weight of the security responsibility, of Yosef's grave, on the heart of the country, on the dream.

Rabbi Binyamin did not intend to bear this responsibility by virtue of his military experience, which he did not have, but rather by virtue of faith in G-d, from the strength that David derived when he fought in Goliath.

Rabbi Binyamin did not want people to take their fate into their own hands. It is not certain that he thought that in the present situation, this would change the situation, but as someone who understood that a real change must be a change of leadership, he raised the public demand.

With open eyes, he understood that the same Zionism that was led from practice would not be interested in defending dreams. It would leave the residents of Elon Moreh to death and embark on the operation when terror threatened Netanya.

He understood that if we do not decide that we are prepared to lead and take our fate into our own hands, the state will in one way or another contain parts of the existing settlement for practical reasons, but the vision of the Greater Land of Israel, the national faith and pride will abandon all public leadership from the far left.

It is a wonder that even today, 17 years later, things are so relevant, how even today, without being able to demand that we want to take our fate into our own hands, we can not say anything else in the public sphere.

G-d avenge his blood.

Meir Ettinger: "כי נביא היה בתוכם” 12/24/2017

"כי נביא היה בתוכם"

מאיר אטינגר כותב על דודו הרב בנימין כהנא הי"ד, שנרצח עם רעייתו טליה לפני 17 שנה, שכמו הקדים את זמנו וניתח את המציאות בצורה מופלאה

בס"ד.

בשבת מלאו 17 שנים להירצחו של הקדוש הרב בנימין כהנא, יחד עם טליה אשתו, על ידי מחבלים ארורים, שקיבלו נשקים ממדינת ישראל.

בשבילי, הרב בנימין הי"ד כמו הקדים את דורו בחמש עשרה שנים, את אותם התובנות שאנו מבינים היום, את תיאור התהליכים שמתרחשים לנגד עינינו, הוא כתב, אז כשעוד היה בחיים.

מי עוד הזהיר והתריע לפני בחירתו של אריאל שרון, בפעם הראשונה, כשהיה יקיר המתנחלים, כאשר נתפס בציבור כ"מר ביטחון", והימין ראה בו גואל ומושיע, אז הזהיר הרב בנימין הי"ד שמי שפינה את ימית, יהפוך שוב את עורו, וכפי שלדאבוננו קרה, יבצע את המהלך המסוכן ביותר, רק כדי להציל את עורו מחקירה.

מי עוד ידע לצפות את סוף דרכו של בני בגין, כשעוד מינו אותו לעמוד בראש ה"איחוד הלאומי", רק הרב בנימין הי"ד ידע שאדם שאינו ישר מספיק, כדי להודות שפינוי ימית זהה לאוסלו, סופו שיתחזה לישר שבאדם, ובעקמימות ראויה לשבח, יפקיר חייל שחיסל מחבל ארור. רק הרב בנימין הצהיר, כי בני בגין יהיה אסון למחנה הלאומי.

מי באותם ימים, כאשר הריקבון בצה"ל רק התחיל להתפשט, זיהה שהבעיה היא לא רק הממשלה, או בתקשורת אלא שגם גופים שנחשבו באותם הימים ל"ניטרליים", כמו צה"ל אינם מעוניינים במלחמה בטרור, ועסוקים כבר אז, בלתכנן את הגירוש הבא.

מי אז, כאשר הרב בנימין הי"ד הורשע בלא פחות מ"המרדה", על כך שקרא לעם לקרוא למנהיגים, שהבעיה היא לא בלבנון אלא באום אל פאחם. שיער שכעבור 20 שנה, שר הביטחון של מדינת ישראל, יקרא לאזרחים להחרים את תושבי אום אל פאחם.

אפשר עוד למנות כאן, עשרות מקרים ואבחנות מדויקות, שבהם הרב בנימין הי"ד ידע להבחין בשורש הבעיה, שנים רבות לפני שפרצו לתודעה הציבורית. (וכמובן, שגם היום, כדרכם, הם אוחזים בטפל, במקום להבחין בשורש). ותיאר בכתיבתו הבהירה, את דרכה של תורה. אבל המטרה היא להבין מאיפה שאב את הרבינות האלו, כיצד ידע לקרוא כל כך טוב את המפה הפוליטית

באחד מהספדיו על אביו הגדול, דיבר הרב בנימין על כך, שבעבר לא הבין מה הטעם להגיד "אמרנו לכם", רק באותה התקופה הוא הבין למה כל כך חשוב ש"ידעו כי נביא היה בתוכם".

אם אנסה למצוא מהו הרעיון המרכזי ששוזר את כתיבתו המרובה של הרב בנימין הי"ד. ברור שזהי הנקודה של האמונה המוחלטת בה'.

במאמריו חזר הרב בנימין שוב ושוב על עיקרון זהה, כשם שתפקידו של כל יהודי בעולם, הוא לפרסם אלוקות, ולהאמין במציאות ה', ככה תפקידה היחידי והבלעדי, של מדינה יהודית, היא לפרסם את קיומו של ה' בעולם, ללא כן, אין לה כל משמעות.

במאמר ארוך שמופיע בתחילת קובץ המאמרים "טל בנימין", הוא מרחיב לבאר את שיטתו של אביו, שהכלל המפורסם "אין סומכין על הנס", נכון אך ורק לגבי אדם פרטי, ממקורות רבים בתנ"ך ובחז"ל הוא מוכיח, שמעם ישראל נדרש, להישען אך ורק על ה', גם כאשר הדבר נוגד את דרך הטבע, ונראה כחסר היתכנות ממשית.,

הרב בנימין לימד כי כל הכרעה בענייני ציבור, צריכה להתקבל מתוך שאלת קידוש ה', האם בהכרעה זו יש משום מילוי ייעודנו, לקדש את שם ה' בעולם, או שמא היא מסתירה את העובדה שקיומנו כאן, הוא לא כמו קיומם של כל העמים. הוא לא דחה את השיקולים הפרקטיים, אלא שאל את עצמו מה מרוויחים מפרקטיקה זו. האם היא מקדמת אותנו ליעד הסופי? שהיא קידוש שם ה', האם היא תסייע לנו.

מה הפלא שהיה ברור לו, שהימין החילוני (או זה של הדתיים שאינם מאמינים), יביא לתוצאות גרועות מזה של השמאל, שהרי בלי האמונה בה', הפרקטיקה תמיד תוביל לתוצאות הפוכות. ללא האמונה בה', אין טעם להיות שונים מכולם, אין טעם שלא לחפש פתרונות פשוטים וקלים גם במחיר וויתור על נכסים לאומיים.

המכתב הציבורי האחרון שהשאיר הרב בנימין שנכתב שלוה חודשים לפני רציחתו, מכתב שנכתב לתושבי גב ההר, אחרי חרפת נטישת טבור הארץ – קבר יוסף הצדיק זיע"א, ורצח חברו הטוב הרב הלל ליברמן הי"ד נשא את הכותרת: "ניקח את גורלנו בידינו".

במכתב זה הוא קורא לתושבי גב ההר, להוציא אמירה ציבורית, שהם מוכנים לקחת את כובד האחריות הביטחונית, על קבר יוסף, על לב הארץ, על החלום.

את האחריות הזו, לא התכוון הרב בנימין לשאת דווקא מכוח ניסיונו הצבאי שלא היה לו, אלא מכוח האמונה בה', מאותו הכוח ששאב דוד כשיצא להלחם בגוליית.

הרב בנימין לא רצה שאנשים יקחו את גורלם בידיים, לא בטוח שהוא חשב שבמצב הנוכחי זה מה שישנה את המצב, אבל כמי שהבין ששינוי אמיתי צריך להיות שינוי מנהיגותי, הוא העלה את הדרישה הציבורית "ניקח את גורלנו בידינו”.

בעיניים פקוחות הוא הבין, שאותה ציונות המובלת מפרקטיקה, במבחן המעשה לא תהיה מעוניינת להגן על חלומות, היא תפקיר למוות את תושבי אלון מורה, ותצא למבצע כשהטרור יאיים על נתניה, אבל תמיד תיעצר שם.

הוא הבין שאם לא נחליט שאנחנו מוכנים להנהיג, ולקחת את גורלנו בידינו, המדינה תכיל באופן כזה או אחר חלקים מההתיישבות הקיימת מטעמים פרקטיים, אבל את חזון ארץ ישראל השלמה, את האמונה והגאווה הלאומית תנטוש כל ההנהגה הציבורית מהקצה הכי שמאלי, עד הקצה הכי ימני.

ומה פלא, שגם היום 17 שנים אחרי, עדיין הדברים כל כך רלוונטים, כיצד גם היום, ללא שנהיה מסוגלים לדרוש כי אנחנו רוצים לקחת את גורלנו בידינו, לא נוכל להגיד שום אמירה נוספת במרחב הציבורי.

השם יקום דמו.

The Secret of Tears – “and he wept”

The Secret of Tears

There are various types of weeping; the most profound occurs when a mystery is revealed

The story of Joseph and his brothers reaches its climax in Parashat Vayigash when Judah approaches Joseph and surrenders himself as a servant in place of Benjamin, so that Benjamin can return home to Jacob unharmed. When Joseph sees Judah’s dedication to protecting Benjamin and his remorse for wishing to harm Joseph so many years ago, he is unable to contain his tears and weeps before his brothers saying, “I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?” Joseph’s revelation to his brothers was accompanied by weeping. It is not the first time that we read of Joseph weeping, nor the last. A few verses later we read how Joseph “…fell upon Benjamin’s neck and wept and Benjamin wept upon his neck. And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them.” All in all, the verb “and he wept” (וַיֵּבְךְּ) appears seven times in the Torah with reference to Joseph—more than any other Biblical figure.

Joseph in Egypt was famed for his great wisdom. Practically speaking, he was a king; a ruler who governed a land and its people with the same restraint with which he controlled his own inclinations. Although one might imagine that such a wise and influential man would be stern and unsympathetic, here it becomes clear that Joseph could be deeply emotional. In general, he controlled his emotions, directing them with restraint, but he was by no means cold or removed.

But is weeping merely a release of pent up emotions or does it signify something more?

The First Weepers

As with any concept that we meditate upon in depth, to discover the real meaning of tears, we need to analyze every phenomenon of weeping in the Torah, beginning with the first instance.

Hagar, Sarah’s handmaiden, was the first to weep in the Torah. Banished from Abraham’s household, she wandered through the wilderness with her son Ishmael. After their water supply was drained, she left the child under a bush and walked away to avoid seeing his inevitable death. As the tragic moment approached “she raised her voice and wept.” Hagar’s weeping was an expression of her total despair and dejection. The Torah’s inner dimension explains that the impure husks thrive on depression and tears whereas holiness has an affinity to those who serve God with joy. The first appearance of many phenomena in the Torah is often negative and unrefined. This is true in the case of Hagar’s weeping too.

Abraham also wept when Sarah died, “Abraham came and eulogized Sarah and wept for her.” Weeping over his wife’s death is a proper reaction; indeed, Jewish law encourages shedding tears upon hearing that a virtuous individual has passed away. The mourners’ tears express respect for the deceased, and stimulate emotional healing for the bereaved. When a loved one passes away, it is not a time to resolutely hold back one’s tears. If social norms tend to encourage such restraint, they need to be reconsidered.

The third person to weep in the Torah was Esau. When he learned that Jacob was the recipient of Isaac’s blessing in his place, “Esau raised his voice and cried.” Like the first appearance of weeping, this first appearance of the word “and he wept” (וַיֵּבְךְּ) is also an expression of deep despair.

In its next appearance, weeping swings back to the side of holiness. When Jacob met Rachel, “He raised his voice and wept.” This is new form of weeping. In each of the three previous examples, weeping was related to some type of loss, but Jacob’s weeping was an expression of intimacy. Fleeing from Esau’s death-threat, Jacob suddenly encountered a kindred soul, a member of his own family, and like someone who has met a long-lost brother, he burst into tears.

The two brothers, Jacob and Esau finally meet in an emotionally charged reunion after years of separation; and they weep together. “Esau ran towards him [Jacob] and hugged him and fell upon his neck and kissed him, and they wept.” However, in this case, it is unclear whether Esau’s kisses and tears were truly whole-hearted, as Rashi comments.

From this point onwards, weeping remains in Jacob’s family, as if it has found its natural abode. Jacob wept when he believed that Joseph had been devoured by a wild animal; “His father wept for him.” Or, according Rashi, it was Isaac, Jacob’s father (who was still alive when Joseph was sold into slavery), who wept in sympathy with Jacob’s pain. Although Isaac knew that Joseph was alive, he was not permitted to reveal the secret to Jacob. This indicates another type of weeping―in sympathy for someone else’s sorrow.

Influential Tears

Joseph was similar to his father Jacob in many ways, including his characteristic tears. Every one of Joseph’s encounters with his brothers is accompanied by weeping. At first, Joseph conceals his tears and turns aside to weep (twice in the previous parashah). Now, as Judah pleads with him, he allows himself to weep out loud, kissing his brothers and weeping, like Jacob when he first met Rachel.

So far, we have seen four types of weeping:

negative weeping in despair

the positive weeping of bereavement

weeping as an expression of intimacy

weeping in sympathy with another person’s sorrow.

Joseph’s weeping does not fit into any of these categories. It is an expression of profound compassion, as stated explicitly the second time Joseph weeps, “Joseph made haste because his compassion for his brothers overwhelmed him and he felt a need to weep, and he entered the room and wept there.” The connection between compassion and weeping is clear; a merciless stone-hearted individual will never weep. But, what arouses one’s compassion will move a sensitive person to tears.

There is a fine line between self-pity and real compassion. Tears of self-pity are passive. They serve to inflate the individual’s ego with self-centered thoughts about how deprived and unfortunate they are. This egotistic tendency may become so powerful that it causes the individual to turn against others by blaming them for his misfortune. Ultimately, self-pity can deteriorate into turning against the Almighty Himself.

True compassion motivates the individual to actively influence the situation in some way for the better, whether by offering assistance, or through prayer, etc. In Kabbalah, Joseph represents the masculine sefirah of yesod (the sefirah of foundation), which transmits all that it receives to the feminine malchut (the sefirah of kingdom), its recipient. From this perspective, Joseph’s tears are a form of influence.  Tears from the eyes are a positive emanation from within that transmits great potential to the recipient. Joseph is the ultimate conduit of such positive influence, as we see from his ability to feed the Egyptian multitude and to provide for them in their time of need.

Jacob’s wife Leah, also cries, so much so that her eyes were “soft” from crying. From the literal perspective, she cried over her own fate, thinking that she was destined to marry Esau. Kabbalah teaches us that Leah’s tears represent the concealed world of thoughts. In contrast, Rachel, a generally happy soul, adopted the attribute of positive weeping. Of her it says that “Rachel weeps for her sons.” Thus, Joseph inherited his tendency to weep from both his father Jacob and his mother, Rachel. Rachel and both of her sons, Joseph and Benjamin represent the revealed world. Their task is to influence mundane reality by realizing hidden abundance.

But, the passage between the hidden world and the revealed world is sometimes blocked. Tears represent the great effort that is required to release the blockage and navigate the strait to realize that abundance in the physical world. As mentioned above, Joseph and Benjamin wept upon one another’s neck. The neck relates to the narrow channel of abundance that connects the mind (concealed thoughts) with the heart (revealed emotions).

Tears Lodged in the Heart

So far, we have related to tears of sorrow and sadness as negative, following the directive that we should “serve God with joy.” However, sadness can sometimes be positive. There are many positive references to weeping in the Bible and in the sages’ teachings, even when they relate to an individual’s unfortunate circumstances. In the book of Psalms, for example, King David often refers to his tears.

Refining our feelings of sadness is one of the main topics that the Alter Rebbe deals with in the Tanya. He distinguishes between negative sadness in the sense of morbid depression, and positive sadness, which he relates to “bitterness.” Positive sadness is the result of a broken heart that results from our distance we are from God. Broken-hearted weeping of this type is not a sign of dejection and despair. It purifies the heart and leads to constant refinement through repentance.

Paradoxically, this type of bitter sadness does not contradict our sense of joy, as stated in the Zohar (and quoted in Tanya) “Weeping is lodged in one side of my heart, and joy is lodged in the other.” The heart is capable of bearing these two contradictory emotions at one and the same time. As a result, the rectified individual can weep about his sorry state, while simultaneously rejoicing that God is with him at all times.

Tears of Revelation

The realization that tears and joy reside together in our hearts brings us to a new and deeper understanding of our emotions. Have you ever watched as parents escort their children to the chuppah? Why is it that at times of great joy, we suddenly feel tears gathering in our eyes? On such occasions, something above and beyond us makes its first appearance, and our heart overflows with emotion at the great moment, so much so that tears well up in our eyes. Together with a sense of joy and yearning, the revelation emphasizes my own distance from the beauty and purity of this new level. This paradoxical type of tears appears from the highest, super-conscious level of the soul; the yechidah (“single one”), where all opposites unite. This is alluded to in the numerical equivalence of yechidah (יְחִידָה), and “weeping” (בְּכִיָה), both of which have a numerical value of 37. Similarly, the numerical value of “living one” (חַיָה)—the second super-conscious level of the soul—is 23, which is the numerical value of “joy” (חֶדְוָה). In the soul, the yechidah, the root of weeping, is higher than the chayah, the root of joy.

Weeping relates to the essence of revealing a secret that is hidden in the future. This is especially apparent from the words of the Zohar, which explains that when Joseph kissed all his brothers and wept, he was crying over the destruction and exile of the ten tribes who were dispersed to all ends of the earth. Similarly, when Joseph and Benjamin wept on each other’s necks, Joseph wept for the two Temples that were destined to be built and later destroyed in Benjamin’s land-inheritance. Benjamin also wept for the Mishkan that was destined to be constructed in Joseph’s land-inheritance, and would also be destroyed. Their weeping was an expression of profound sorrow.

However, the Zohar explains, although Joseph and Benjamin wept, their brothers did not weep. Joseph and Benjamin were blessed with “a spark of Divine inspiration,” which their brothers did not merit. Similarly, the Zohar relates that when Rabbi Akiva heard the hidden secrets of the Song of Songs from his teacher, Rabbi Eliezer the Great, “his eyes poured with water.” Such weeping results from the revelation of one’s soul-root; the “singular” level of the soul, where the deepest Torah secrets are hidden. This is the type of weeping that will herald the redemption speedily in our days, as Jeremiah prophecies (in the same prophecy where he describes Rachel’s weeping for her sons and their ultimate return to their borders):

Behold, I bring them from the northern land and gather them from the loins of the earth; among them are the blind and the lame, the pregnant [woman] together with the birthing [woman]; a great company, together they shall return here. They will come weeping, and with supplications I will lead them, I will conduct them along rivers of water, upon a straight road upon which they will not stumble; for I have become a Father to Israel, and Ephraim is My firstborn.

The tears of the future redemption are the tears of the reunion between the Jewish people and their Father in Heaven, tears of intimacy and arousal of great compassion, influential tears, tears of the revelation of the innermost secrets. The sages teach, “Just as Joseph appeased his brothers only by weeping, so too, the Almighty will redeem the Jewish people by weeping, as the verse states, ‘They will come weeping, and with supplications I will lead them.’”

Translated from Harav Ginsburgh’s, Hameimad Hapenimee for parashat Vayigash (originally based on a class from 30th Kislev 5772).

For Those Who Need to Know: Let the Truth Be Heard

Rabbi Yehoshua Balkany Shares Insights on Rubashkin's Commutation

I’m sorry “they” removed the video from the internet??
It’s possible a “certain Senator from NY” didn’t like it.

Salvation Of Egypt Vs. Messiah: Kosher Judaism *AND* Fasting for Rain

Salvation Of Egypt Vs. Messiah 

(Trump's Tax Cut, Rubashkin's Release, UN Vote)

"You all have to fast,”

Rabbi Meir Mazuz, a top Sephardi-haredi authority who heads Yeshivat Kisei Rachamim, has called for announcing the traditional day of fasting and prayer to atone for sins which the Torah says can be the factor preventing Israel's direly missing rainfall.

In his weekly class, Rabbi Mazuz instructed his students to fast and atone for their sins, pointing out that according to the Talmud, a series of fast days are to be instituted after a period at the beginning of winter when rain fails to fall properly.

"There is one thing that God controls totally-it is rain,” 

"You'll never know how much you will get. When there is no rain, it's because God is angry at the Jewish people,"

"You all have to fast,”"We all have a lot of sins. 

Whoever can fast on Monday, should.”

“[…] the Talmud adds that the "key" to three things are in G-d's, not man's, possession: 

"Rain, childbirth and resurrection (Tractate Taanit)."

"The Egyptians could not eat bread with the Hebrews”

"The Egyptians could not eat bread with the Hebrews”

(Genesis 43:32) Tevet 4, 5778/December 22, 2017

In this week's parasha, Vayigash, Yosef and his brothers are finally reunited, as Yosef reveals his identity to the stunned brothers and they all draw near and embrace. This is the moment that G-d has been waiting for since the beginning of time as there is nothing dearer to G-d's heart than brothers living in harmony, as King David expressed years later, "Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brothers also to dwell together!" (Psalms 133:1)

Yet, while the court of Pharaoh is excited for Yosef and Pharaoh himself will invite the brothers to return with their father Yaakov and dwell permanently in Egypt, the actual welcome the brothers receive from the Egyptians is rather icy.

Earlier, when the brothers, whose identity was still unknown to the Egyptians, sat and ate with Yosef, we learn that "they set for him [Yosef] separately and for them [the brothers] separately, and for the Egyptians who ate with him separately, because the Egyptians could not eat bread with the Hebrews, because it is an abomination to the Egyptians." (Genesis 43:32) But even now, after Pharaoh has called upon Yosef's family to dwell in Egypt, Yosef needs to warn them: "And if it comes to pass that Pharaoh calls you and asks, 'What is your occupation?' You shall say, 'Your servants have been owners of livestock from our youth until now, both we and our ancestors,' so that you may dwell in the land of Goshen, because all shepherds are abhorrent to the Egyptians."(ibid 46:33-34) While translated in one verse as an abomination and in the other as abhorrent, the Hebrew word in both instances is the same, toe-evah. The Hebrews were simply unacceptable, repulsive, in fact, to the Egyptians. Why?

First we must understand that the Egyptians weren't repulsed at the prospect of dining with the Hebrews, per se. They were repulsed at the idea of eating bread with the Hebrews: "the Egyptians could not eat bread with the Hebrews, because it is an abomination to the Egyptians." (ibid) Historians agree that the secret of leavening bread was discovered in Egypt shortly before the time in which our story takes place. Egypt, which at that time was the jewel of the ancient world, whose culture and science and technology far outstripped any rival, took national pride in their leavened bread, and the idea of breaking bread with the Hebrews was out of the question. For the Hebrews baked and ate flat bread, unleavened bread, what Torah will refer to as matzot. These ancient matzot were not like the hard matzot commonly consumed today, but more akin to modern pitot (pitas), soft, flat and unleavened. Egypt was the the world's 'big city,' the cultural capital of humanity and as far as they were concerned, Canaan was a backwater, and the Hebrews, who shared few, if any cultural similarities with the pagan Egyptians, were looked upon as particularly uncouth. Sharing bread with them at a meal was unthinkable.

The Hebrews also brought with them to Egypt their sheep and livestock, as they were shepherds from time immemorial. This practice was also shunned by Egypt, whose entire economy and diet and religion was dependent upon the Nile river, and therefore held shepherding in contempt. Furthermore, the ram was considered a deity in ancient Egypt, and the raising of sheep for consumption was taboo. Nevertheless, as Yosef shares with his brothers, there is a land in Egypt called Goshen, far from the Egytian capital, where the raising of sheep was tolerated, and this is where the Hebrews would be resettled.

Torah makes it very clear, even as Yosef and his family are rejoicing together, that, while the family's descent into Egypt was a life saver, their prolonged stay in the land was ultimately an impossibility. The double motif of the lamb and the eating of bread has persisted throughout the story of Yosef. After selling him to Ishmaelites, Yosef's brothers dipped his cloak in the blood of a lamb they slaughtered, and then sat down to eat bread. When Yosef is granted the task of overseeing Potiphar's household, we are told that Potiphar "left all that he had in Yosef's hand, and he knew nothing about what was with him except the bread that he ate." (ibid 39:6) (Again, the Hebrew is kept away from the precious Egyptian leavened bread.) While in prison, Yosef interprets the dream of Pharaoh's chief baker.

The lamb has been an integral part of Israel's spiritual and national identity from the moment that a ram appeared before Avraham "and Avraham named that place, HaShem will see, as it is said to this day: On the mountain, HaShem will be seen." (ibid 22:14) "That place," of course, was Mount Moriah, the future home of the Holy Temple. Yitzchak was a spectacularly successful shepherd, as was Yaakov, who received his father's blessing while robed in sheep skins.

In our current Torah reading Israel is entering into a long and brutal exile. But, as Yosef is quick to point out to his brothers, G-d has a plan. The Egyptian disgust with shepherds and with the unleavened bread of the Hebrews, far from being a curse, was a blessing for the sons of Yaakov. It would keep them far from the intoxicating enticements of Egyptian culture, which Torah later emphasizes, was decadent in the extreme. G-d has also supplied for Israel, even as they first set foot in Egypt, the keys to their ultimate redemption and escape from Egypt. It will be the Passover offering of a lamb for each Hebrew household, and the baking of fabulously unleavened bread that will mark not only Israel's departure from Egyptian slavery, but Israel's re-embrace, forever, of her own personal and national identity, and her eternal covenant with G-d.





www.templeinstitute.org

Parshas Vayigash – A TEN-STRINGED INSTRUMENT AND A LYRE

A TEN-STRINGED INSTRUMENT AND A LYRE

By Roy S. Neuberger

A Lyre

As I have mentioned in the past, this week’s parsha is to me the emotional high point of the entire Chumash. I am unable to stop at the end of Mikeitz; I must always continue into Vayigash, until I reach the following words:

“Now Yosef could not restrain himself in the presence of all who attended him, so he called out, ‘Make everyone withdraw from me!’ Thus no one remained with him when Yosef made himself known to his brothers. He cried uncontrollably…. And Yosef said to his brothers, ‘I am Yosef. Does my father still live?’” (Artscroll translation)

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch zt”l comments, “Such uncontrolled sobbing is a manifestation of deep feeling [and] great sincerity.”

Yosef, the King of Mitzraim, cried in public! Can you imagine the drama, the palpable heartbeat of history which pulsed through this room? Can you imagine the awe and shock on the faces of the brothers? Can you imagine the heart-rending sobs emanating from Yosef?

Yosef had been able to restrain himself twice before. He “turned away from [his brothers] and wept; [then] he returned and spoke to them.” (Beraishis 42:24) And similarly, “Yosef rushed, because his compassion for his brother had been stirred and he wanted to weep, so he went into the room and wept there. He washed his face and went out…” (Beraishis 43:30)

How was it that, at this time, “he could not restrain himself?”

Let’s hold that question for a few seconds.

Is it osur for a Jew to display emotion? I don’t think so. Not only are we permitted to express emotion, but we are expected to express emotion! “Al naharos Bavel … By the rivers of Bavel, there we sat and also wept when we remembered Tzion…” (Tehillim 137)

“[Chazal] said: All those who mourn for Yerushalayim will merit to witness her joy, and [all those] who do not mourn for Yerushalayim will not [merit to] witness her joy.” (Taanis 30b)

Chazal tell us, “One who gives much and one who gives little [are equally pleasing to Hashem], provided he directs his heart to heaven.” (Berachos 5b) But the heart must be directed. As Dovid Hamelech says to Hashem, “You examined my heart … You tested me.” (Tehillim 17:3)

“Hakadosh Baruch Hu desires the heart.” 

(Sanhedrin 106b)

Emotion is a derech, a path toward serving Hashem. But it has to be directed; we cannot let emotion direct us. We say in Shema, “Do not go after your heart and your eyes, after which you stray.” The heart is vital, but it cannot lead. The Shema mentions the heart in connection with tzitzis. If the heart is governed by the Taryag Mitzvos – represented by the tzitzis – it will assist us. But if the heart governs, it will lead us astray, chas v’Shalom.

Our possuk says, “Yosef could not restrain himself.” What does that mean? What happened?

“It would appear … that Yosef had not planned as yet to divulge his identity, but he could no longer restrain himself.” (Ibn Ezra) Our son, Reb Aharon Yaakov, heard Rabbi Aryeh Malkiel Kotler Shlita”h, state in the name of his father, Rabbi Schneur zt”l, that we can learn from these words that Yosef was indeed not ready to reveal himself at this time.

Why was Yosef unable to restrain himself?

I would like to speculate that it was because of his overwhelming desire for reconciliation with his brothers. When it came to resisting aishes Potiphar (see Baraishis 39:7ff), he summoned super-human strength, but when it came to reconciliation with his brothers – when Yehuda opened a door by which Yosef could justify revealing his identity – Yosef’s emotion became so strong that he revealed himself ever-so-slightly before he was ready, perhaps before his brothers’ teshuva was complete.

Perhaps not only Yehuda, but all the brothers were to have been required to show their willingness to reverse their previous deeds, to show regret for their actions by a willingness to sacrifice themselves the way Yehuda was willing to sacrifice himself for Binyomin. Perhaps at that point, reconciliation would have been complete and mechilla would have been completely effective. But that moment was not reached, at least not then. As a result, Yosef’s revelation appears to have been premature. The proof may be the fact that this reconciliation led directly to Golus Mitzraim, the archetypal Golus for Am Yisroel!

“Maase Avos siman l’bonim …the Fathers’ actions are a sign for the children.” Down the road of history, the evil seed of discord sprouted once again in the catastrophic events of Churban Bayis Shaini and the agonizing Golus in which we find ourselves today, all rooted in “sinas chinom … unwarranted hatred” among the brothers. It had never been completely eradicated!

My friends, let us make no mistake. A day is coming when reconciliation will be a complete reality. In the Chapter of Tehillim beginning “Mizmor Shir L’Yom HaShabbos,” Dovid Hamelech mentions two musical instruments, “asor” and “navel,” a “ten stringed instrument and a lyre.” These will make perfect harmony on the Day which is all Shabbos.

I wonder whether the “ten-stringed instrument” is keneged Aseres Hashvatim, the “Ten Lost Tribes,” and the lyre is keneged Yehuda and Binyomin, the two remaining shvatim. Yehuda is the brother who was willing to sacrifice himself for Binyomin, and Binyomin is the only brother who did not participate in selling Yosef! The classic lyre has two arms reaching upward, like someone reaching out toward reconciliation!

On “the Day which is completely Shabbos,” all the shvatim will be reunited. Eternal harmony will prevail among the brothers. Then Yosef’s “restraint” will become unnecessary, Golus will be over; an eternal era of brotherhood will have enveloped Am Yisroel, Eretz Yisroel and – in fact – the entire world.

May we see it soon in our days!

* * * *

Roy Neuberger, author and public speaker, can be reached at roy@2020vision.co.il.

© Copyright 2017 by Roy S. Neuberger

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[me:  Amen]

Vayigash: Pharaoh Welcomed the Jews to Egypt

Vayigash: Pharaoh welcomed the Jews to Egypt

Hashem directs the timing of events that lead to the obvious rational decisions that He wishes to come about in history. See Pharaoh then and the Saudis today

The most surprising and even amazing reaction exhibited by any of the personalities in our parasha is that of Pharaoh (45,16) when he was informed that Joseph’s brothers had arrived in Egypt (45,16):

16 When the news reached Pharaoh’s palace that Joseph’s brothers had come, Pharaoh and all his officials were pleased.

17 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Tell your brothers, ‘Do this: Load your animals and return to the land of Canaan,

18 and bring your father and your families back to me. I will give you the best of the land of Egypt and you can enjoy the fat of the land'."

This was surprising and amazing in light of the repugnance that Egyptians felt towards Hebrews, as stated when the brothers were brought to eat in Joseph’s home (43,32):

32 They served him (Joseph) by himself, the brothers by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because Egyptians could not eat with Hebrews, for that is detestable to Egyptians.

and in 46,33-34:

33 When Pharaoh calls you in and asks, ‘What is your occupation?’

34 you should answer, ‘Your servants have tended livestock from our boyhood on, just as our fathers did.’ Then you will be allowed to settle in the region of Goshen, for all shepherds are detestable to the Egyptians.”

From here we get a glimpse of Hashem’s intervention in directing human affairs without negating the principle of free choice, as follows:

Why was it necessary for the parasha to inform us of the financial transactions that occurred during the initial years of famine? That during the first year, Joseph concentrated all the county’s currency (gold and silver coins) in the hands of Pharaoh. In the second year, the Egyptians purchased seed and food from the central government by paying with all their livestock; in the third year the people sold themselves and their lands to Pharaoh in return for seed and food.

The Egyptians were farmers who detested the culture of livestock breeding, except for horses which were used for war. But suddenly at the end of the second year of famine, Pharaoh finds himself in control of all the nation's livestock with no one to manage the millions of animals. At this crucial time in Pharaoh’s governing, Joseph’s brothers arrive on the scene. Pharaoh is informed that they are masters in managing livestock.

Pharaoh was elated that the brothers would now create a system for dealing with this national problem, even turning it into a profitable venture. He did not suddenly become a Judeophile, he gave them the choice grazing area of the country to fulfill their task.

Hashem did not dictate what Pharaoh should do. Hashem directed the timing of events that led to the obvious rational decision that He wished to come about in history.

Hashem’s timing is the major factor in human decision-making in every generation, as He guides the Jewish people through the difficult challenges of galut, He is working overtime in our generation.

The contemporary Egyptians, Jordanians, Saudis and others detest the Jews and the Jewish state. However, Hashem has timed it so that their fear of Shi’at Iran is greater than their hatred of the Jews. So, we Israelis find ourselves being wooed and solicited by our enemies.

In conclusion: As in the words of King Solomon, “There is nothing new under the sun... after all is said and heard, the essence of life is to be in awe of Hashem and to follow His commandments”.

Fake news – fake Jews or real Jews with fake beliefs

Many years ago, when I was young and naive, I was interviewed twice by different newspapers here and once by radio, an interview which was recorded and edited. In all three interviews, my words and intentions were misrepresented to serve the interests of the interviewer or his editor.

I learned my lesson. Since then I have refused all offers to be interviewed. The well-known television interviewer, Peter Jennings, came to my home and requested an interview regarding Yerushalayim in its many aspects. I consented on the condition that it be live and unedited. He claimed that it was against company policy. He left disappointed. Several months later, he called again and received the same answer. He has since passed away.

Perversion of the truth, distortion of reality, aberration of the intentions of well-meaning people, intentional creation of a hostile atmosphere and attitude towards a person or an ideal is in one word - sheker (lying).

Goyim; Christians and Moslems are masters of sheker when it comes to Jews. The top experts came out of Berlin with the big lie that eventually ended with people being incinerated in death camps.

President Trump coined the term “fake news". I would humbly borrow a leaf from his book and say we suffer from “fake Jews” and from “real Jews” who possess fake beliefs.

From the time when Hashem appeared at Mount Sinai to this day, our nation has suffered from “real Jews” with fake interpretations of Judaism. Its first manifestation was the episode of the Golden Calf. Korach contributed his distortion, as did the ten scouts who convinced the people not to enter the holy land.

It continues to this very day in the galut. When the Reform movement recognizes the offspring of a Jewish father and gentile mother as Jews, they create “fake Jews”.

On the other side of the coin, there are the “real Jews” who cling to “fake” presentations of Judaism. Such as the deniers of the most fundamental truth of the Torah: that our status as God’s chosen people is not based on human rights or on liberal equality for all, but on living a Torah life in Eretz Yisrael. Shabbat in the public domain and halakha governing industry, the military, import and export, the medical field, in short, in every human endeavor and discipline.

“Real Jews” with “fake” beliefs are to be found even among people who fulfill the mitzvot, but whose practical application of Torah is perverted. The fact that with rabbinic consent Jews are still in the galut after the establishment of Medinat Yisrael, whose first law was the “Law of Return”, is a distortion of the will of Hashem - “real Jews” with fake beliefs.


By Rabbi Nachman Kahana, ArutzSheva

IT WILL LOOK LIKE THIS WHEN MASHIACH COMES!!

A FREE MAN

Rubashkin recites emotional Hagomel Blessing

IT WILL LOOK LIKE THIS WHEN MASHIACH COMES!!

Rabbi Mizrachi: Judgment on a Whole Community

At the same time as the Zot Chanukah Miracle, we had a Community Tragedy, all happening during the 8 days of “A Little Light Dispels the Darkness” and a “Little Truth Dispels Falseness"

The Biggest Enemy Of Israel And God - The Liberal Judges In The Supreme Court

[listen especially from about 1:00 when Rabbi Mizrachi elucidates 
why we call it Zot Chanukah - fascinating]

And at the same time ('they say things happen in threes'):

Eminent Rabbi calls to fight altered conception of morality; calls to fight State descent 'into abyss of dehumanization, destruction of family, abolition of fatherhood, and loss of humanity.'

Rabbi Tzvi Yisrael Tau, Dean of Yeshivat Har Hamor, spoke with unusual forcefulness in lessons of recent weeks against attempts to turn the country into a "modern Sodom," as he put it, and called for a fight.

"For the past two years, we have witnessed a sharp rise in the consistent and ongoing process of changing the character of the State and society," Rabbi Tau explained, "by introducing postmodern concepts and altering the ideals of education and morality, diminishing the importance of family and values of purity in Israel, and establishing norms and standards of filth and abomination in the army and in every public place.

"There is no doubt that there are those who want to turn the State and society in Israel into flag-bearers and the point of the spear in the international marketplace of transgressors to erase human morality in favor of all the abominations of the gentiles.

"They are working to topple the delicate balance that has been preserved in the country throughout its existence - even by leaders who are far from Torah - in which religious symbols were set as a basis for public order, anchored in law, and rooted in government institutions. And they do all this without public consent, by determining facts and taking control of media discourse creating a dictatorship over thought. Thus in a consistent way they work to turn the country into a modern Sodom.

"Indeed, we are in the midst of a culture war," he said. "This demands of us, requires of us ... 'If you come against me in war, in this I trust,' says the verse. It is incumbent upon us to wake up. By the fact that war has been waged against me, I trust that I have the strength and obligation to withstand it and prevail.

"For the Holy One, blessed be He, does not come to His creatures with unreasonable demands. He is the Master of War, and He who brought upon us this war as well, so that we may discover new forces buried within us, and the conscious understanding that the present obstacle and our awakening to deal with it will lead us to reach our potential and bask in its light. Then we shall stand firm in the struggle for the State's and society's character, to elevate it to its own intrinsic abilities and to preserve it that it not sink into the abyss of the dying Western culture sinking into the morass of dehumanization, destruction of the family, abolition of fatherhood, and loss of humanity."

The rabbi's words presented here were prepared and edited in Hebrew by Rabbi Yosef Chaikin. ArutzSheva

ZOT CHANUKAH MIRACLE: SHOLOM MORDECHAI RUBASHKIN IS FREE B”H

The Parsha this week is Vayigash: And Rabbi Kahana Begins his essay: "Hashem directs the timing of events that lead to the obvious rational decisions that He wishes to come about in history.” It is so apropos to the Zot Chanukah Miracle:

We thank HKB”H for His Benevolence

Chabadniks Rejoice as Trump Commutes Sentence of Sholom Rubashkin

[there are so many *videos, I spent the whole morning viewing them; also at 770, plus of my friends at his family’s chassanah, and of his father, Reb Aharon Rubashkin, et al.]

President Trump is a Class Act and will go down in Jewish History for his Benevolence toward the Jewish Nation.

“Mr. Rubashkin has now served more than 8 years of that sentence, which many have called excessive in light of its disparity with sentences imposed for similar crimes,” President Trump’s announcement noted, reflecting deep resentments over the exceptionally harsh sentence in the Jewish community as well as in the legal community at the time of the trial.

In fact, six amicus briefs were filed with the Supreme Court supporting Rubashkin’s appeal—which the court refused to touch, from 86 former federal judges and Department of Justice officials (27 federal judges, two Attorneys General, one Inspector General, two FBI directors, four Deputy Attorneys General and one Solicitor General), the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the Washington Legal Foundation, 40 legal ethics professors, the Association of Professional Responsibility Lawyers, and the Justice Fellowship.

“This action is not a Presidential pardon,” President Trump wrote. “It does not vacate Mr. Rubashkin’s conviction, and it leaves in place a term of supervised release and a substantial restitution obligation, which were also part of Mr. Rubashkin’s sentence.”

Nevertheless, President Trump noted that his decision to commute Rubashkin’s sentence was based on “expressions of support from Members of Congress and a broad cross-section of the legal community.”

“A bipartisan group of more than 100 former high-ranking and distinguished Department of Justice (DOJ) officials, prosecutors, judges, and legal scholars have expressed concerns about the evidentiary proceedings in Mr. Rubashkin’s case and the severity of his sentence. Additionally, more than 30 current Members of Congress have written letters expressing support for review of Mr. Rubashkin’s case,” Trump wrote.


Source: JewishPress

Videos: search the Yeshiva World News youtube site and you will find many videos of the Zot Chanukah miracle. Also when active, 770 LIVE

WHITE HOUSE PRESS RELEASE:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 20, 2017

*President Trump Commutes Sentence of Sholom Rubashkin*

Today, President Donald J. Trump commuted the prison sentence of Sholom Rubashkin, an action encouraged by bipartisan leaders from across the political spectrum, from Nancy Pelosi to Orrin Hatch.

Gavriel Sasson Writes Open Letter to Yosef Azan

Gavriel Sassoon Writes Open Letter to Yosef Azan, Father & Husband to Those Who Perished in [Recent] Flatbush Blaze

“I mourn for you my brother Yosef,” writes Gavriel to the father of the Azan family. “The fire by my house also occurred on Rosh Chodesh. Rosh Chodesh Nissan. The day that the nessiem began bringing their sacrifices to consecrate the altar in the Mishkan. By you, the fire took place on Chanukah itself. We were part of the same community and our children learned in the same schools. Some of them were even friends in the same class.

The nessim consecrated the altar to make the Mishkan useable for its holy service. On Rosh Chodesh, God asked for sacrifices to be brought in order to atone for his diminishing of the moon. The Temple does not exist today. Therefore, God takes the righteous from among us in order to be an atonement.

Our families were worthy enough to fulfill the passuk of: “Among those who approach me I will be proved holy; in the sight of all the people I will be honored.” Not only were they close to God, but they also brought the rest of the nation closer to God.

Yosef, now you are no longer just one of the regular people… Now you must rise. This is the command of your life!! Without it, there is no way to cope with a pain so all-encompassing.

How do you rise? You must simply love. Accept with love the tribulations and suffering. Love Hashem. Love everyone in the whole nation of Israel and do whatever you can for them. In the power of that love, it is possible to overcome all of the feelings that will continually try to pull you down and silence you. Feel that you are really resting in Hashem’s embrace. Love is life.

Gavriel Sasson



Source: Yeshivawordnews

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I am very upset by this. Again another beautiful family destroyed by fire. Not by a Shabbos Blech, but by the Chanukah Candles. What does Hashem want us to learn from this? It affects all of us Jews; we must take this to heart and try to do Teshuva in some personal way. What does this mean for the Flatbush and Brooklyn Jewish communities? Devash will be posting a video by Rabbi Yosef Mizrachi, please go to her TomerDevorah blog and watch it.

'A special family of Torah and kindness'
Rabbis and family members eulogize Aliza Azan and her three children, who perished when their Flatbush home went up in flames. ArutzSheva

Tragedy in Brooklyn: 4 killed in house fire: Authorities say a 40-year-old woman, her 11-year-old son, 7-year-old son, and 3-year-old daughter died as a result of a house fire that broke out overnight. At least 10 people were injured in the fire, including three people who suffered serious injuries. Five of the injured were firefighters attempting to rescue people trapped inside the burning building. Arutz Sheva

Avraham Azan Sings For His Mother A"H At His Bar Mitzvah (this was videod just days before the tragedy)