DO AS “I” SAY, NOT AS “I” DO

DO AS I SAY AND NOT AS I DO!!

US Angry at 65% Tax on Hostile Israeli NGOs Receiving Foreign Contributions

On Sunday, the Ministerial Legislative Committee will debate a bill submitted by Likud MK Ariel Kallner that takes away the tax credit from Israeli donors to NGOs that receive donations from a foreign entity, and in the two years before or after said donations promoted a public cause by appealing to the court, the Knesset, the government, the municipalities or bought advertising space.

In addition, the NGO will lose its not-for-profit status and be taxed at a rate of 65% of its income. The bill is part of Otzma Yehudit’s coalition agreement with Likud, which committed to enacting it within 180 days of the formation of the Netanyahu government.

On Thursday, MK Kallner tweeted his reason for the bill and mentioned Sven Kuehn Von Burgsdorff, Head of “the delegation representing the EU in West Bank and Gaza and to UNRWA,” who last August participated in the reopening of Addameer, which Israel had declared to be an arm of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. The PFLP was designated as a terrorist organization by the US, EU, Canada, and Israel, and according to a 2021 NGO Monitor report, many individuals employed at Addameer have links to this terror group (Addameer Employees’ Violent Social Media Accounts).

“We’re putting an end to foreign political subversion!” Kallner tweeted, adding, “The fact that the head of the European Union delegation, Mr. Sven Kuehn Von Burgsdorff, thinks that the Jews are occupying the land to which they have returned, is the small problem in the story,” although, as he puts it, saying this about the remnants of European barbarism and mass murder is a tad insolent.

“The problem is that in addition to taking the position, foreign countries, mainly from Europe, do not stop acting within the Jewish state by funding civil society organizations,” and he mentions the anti-Zionist NGOs Yesh Din, Emek Shaveh, and Peace Now – to name but a few.

This did not go over well with US Ambassador to the UN Human Rights Committee, Michele Taylor, who said publicly that “Israel must ensure that human rights organizations and other non-governmental organizations can operate freely, without economic or legal pressures being applied to them that would harm their activities.”

Ambassador Taylor should consult her government’s Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, requiring the registration of, and disclosures by, an “agent of a foreign principal” who, among other things, solicits, collects, disburses, or dispenses contributions, loans, money, or other things of value for or in the interest of a foreign principal.

According to the FARA website, it is an important tool to identify foreign influence in the United States and address threats to national security. The central purpose of FARA is to promote transparency with respect to foreign influence within the United States by ensuring that the United States government and the public know the source of certain information from foreign agents intended to influence American public opinion, policy, and laws, thereby facilitating informed evaluation of that information.

Asked about the pending Israeli bill on Wednesday, Matthew Miller, Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller responded: “I will just say that as a general matter, the United States supports the essential role of NGOs as part of civil society. We believe they’re critical to a democratic and responsive, transparent government. And we firmly believe that civil society should have the opportunity and space to operate and raise resources around the world.”

He, too, must take a refresher course on the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938.

IN THE MEANTIME:

SOME FRIENDLY BLACKMAIL

US ultimatum to Netanyahu: Drop bill limiting aid to PA Arabs, score a meeting with Biden

Netanyahu, who has been working hard to score a meeting with the US President, had no choice but to capitulate and shelve the legislation.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly agreed to shelve the Nonprofits legislation, which aims to limit the aid foreign governments and bodies provide to Palestinian Authority Arabs, following increasing international pressure.

According to a report by Galei Tzahal's Yanir Cozin, a significant part of that pressure came from members of the Biden administration, who presented Netanyahu with an ultimatum.

According to the report, the White House made it clear to the Prime Minister that if he is interested in a meeting with President Biden and assistance in advancing normalization with Saudi Arabia, he would need to shelve the legislation that would harm civilian organizations immediately.

Netanyahu, who has been working hard to score a meeting with the US President and is aware of the vitality of American assistance in normalizing ties with the Saudis, had no choice but to capitulate to the American demands.

As reported, according to the bill initiated by Likud MK Ariel Kallner, a nonprofit which receives a donation from a foreign government will not be recognized as a public institution or a nonprofit and will be required to pay a 65% tax on every donation. In addition, its donors will not be able to receive a tax credit for their donations.

In addition to the Americans, several European governments vocally opposed the bill.

The French Embassy in Israel commented, "The draft of this bill is worrisome. We reaffirm our commitment to the crucial task of civil society in the life of every democracy, in Israel and in the entire world. Countries are responsible to create and protect the space and environment appropriate for their work since an active civil society can bring about a culture of peace and diversity."

Swedish Ambassador in Israel Erik Ullenhag tweeted, "A vital and strong civil society is crucial for every democracy. Therefore we are deeply concerned about the draft bill on NGO taxation - would severely limit Israeli civil society. As a friend of Israel, I have raised, and will continue to raise, the issue.”

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN:

International pressure to drop law against foreign interference

Nonprofit Law initiated by Likud MK Kallner would heavily tax organizations receiving donations from foreign governments.

Israel is facing increasing international pressure not to pass the Nonprofits Law in the Ministerial Committee for Legislation.

The bill, initiated by Likud MK Ariel Kallner, aims to limit the aid foreign governments and bodies provide to Palestinian Authority Arabs. If the bill passes, a nonprofit which receives a donation from a foreign government will not be recognized as a public institution or a nonprofit, and will be required to pay 65% tax on every donation. In addition, its donors will not be able to receive a tax credit for their donation. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/371989

Rabbi Goldsmith – Torah for the Sake of Torah

 Shavuot

Shalom Pollack - The Dog and The Covenant

 Still catching up on late submissions before Shavuot:

The  dog and the covenant

Adjoining my synagogue is a lovely garden, Not many enter it as it is not on street level and there are bushes and flower pots that define its boundaries. And it is special for the shul.

Nevertheless, there are people in my neighborhood who bring their dogs into this lovely holy reserve

It happened yet again this morning.

As I left the morning prayer service, I noticed someone walking their dog as it was crouching rather ominously on the beautiful grass. My first reaction was one of disgust. Obviously, the dog owner who entered the synagogue property with her dog did not share my sensitivities.

Most of my fellow worshippers do not engage in conversation with the dog masters. They probably are not happy about what they see but like most people, do not want to "get involved" so they hurry on and put it out of their minds.

What can I say? I know that I am different and it isn't always popular.

So there I went again.

I asked her if she thought that a synagogue garden was the proper place for a dog to be roaming about?

She wasn't happy about my addressing her and said something like," Did not God also create dogs''.?

Instead of answering her with a philosophical/theological thought I simply asked her the following: "would you walk your dog in the garden of a church or a mosque?

Would you not respect "the other '' and multi-cultural sensitivities...?

Why do you show disdain for your own?

She wasn't expecting anything like this response to her wise guy comment.

She did not answer.

I repeated my question as she made her exit from the shul's garden.

What can one learn from this encounter and similar ones?

As is becoming clearer lately, there is a showdown looming in Israel.

The tension has always been below the surface but recent events are revealing sensitive issues hidden under the carpet for a long time.

This lady was an Ashkenazi middle-aged /elderly secular Jew, the kind that dominated the antigovernmental demonstrations lately and have similarly dominated Israeli society until today..

My  assumptions are based on almost half a century of observations:

I assume that she is high on the socio-economic scale and is well-educated in secular studies yet ignorant of things Jewish.

I assume that she was not raised to appreciate her Jewish roots or her forebears who were true to the Torah despite every "practical" reason not to. If they had succumbed to the easy way out, she would not be Jewish today. But those are not her heroes or models .

In Israel, one finds that the most ideologically motivated sector is the Ashkenazim - European Jews.

It is usually they who are the ideologues and leaders of the Left and  of the Right, of the religious and the anti-religious. It has something to do with the European experience. There, one had to take a stand and choose a position and a group to belong to in a world of  political and intellectual upheaval and debate.

It wasn't as clear in  Sephardic, non-European Jewry.  In those lands, life was not as jolted by great waves of intellectual and political revolution.

Life there carried on the way they were for the most part.

So it is today in Israel; the large majority of Sephardic Jews in Israel  have a natural understanding of why one should not walk their dog in a synagogue garden. They respect their own. That is the norm.  If one did bring his dog into that garden and someone like me made a comment, he would understand and quietly leave. He would naturally understand

Not so with the  arrogant, educated lady I met today.

Not so the woman who would never bring her dog to a church or mosque garden but feels smug  doing the same to a Jewish house of worship.

She is Jewishly insensitive.  She is the Israeli who underplays if not hostile to things Jewish.

I became an Israeli because I am a Jew. Her Israeli identity tries to cover and hide her Jewish identity

A million like her now live outside of Israel where they can breathe fresh air, free of the burden of Judaism, and thus do not need their  Israeli identity. Free at last!

I remember a time when all Israelis would be ashamed to even suggest leaving the country. Those times are gone. As the Jewish moorings progressively weaken, the tree no longer has a reason to exist or even pretend.

These Israelis are lining up for foreign passports (which has become a burgeoning industry of late)

Years ago, one of the intellectual /political leaders of the anti-religious Left, Yaakov Chazan  bemoaned, "We hoped to raise a generation of apostates but were left with ignoramuses"

These ignoramuses are leaving. They are raising fewer families. They are disappearing.

On the holiday of Shavuot, we are told that the entire Nation stood as one at Mt Sinai to receive the Torah covenant that defined us as a Nation. The entire  Nation no longer stands together

but those who remained faithful to that covenant are still standing.

shalompollack613@gmail.com

tour guide and author

"Jews, Israelis, and Arabs".

Shavuos is Still With Us – Second Day Visitors From Chu”l

 A truly fascinating read, save this for next year:

The 24 Ornaments of a Bride and Tikkun Leil Shavuot

In this week’s parasha, Emor, we read the command to count the days between Pesach and Shavuot. The Torah doesn’t explicitly say why we should do this. The Zohar (III, 97b) comments on the parasha that when the Torah says to count sheva shabbatot temimot (“seven complete [or pure] weeks”) there is a hint in there that we are supposed to become tamim, “pure”.  The point is to purify ourselves over these seven weeks in preparation for the great revelation at Sinai which took place on Shavuot. The Sages always describe the Sinai Revelation as a wedding between G–D and His people. In fact, the Zohar compares the counting of the seven weeks to a woman’s counting of seven “clean days” following menstruation and before immersing in the mikveh, after which she can reunite with her husband.

On the next page, the Zohar goes on to describe the “wedding”, where G–D is the “groom” and the Jewish people are the “bride”. The Zohar alludes to an ancient teaching that a bride should be adorned with 24 ornaments on her wedding day. This actually goes back to the Garden of Eden, where G–D made Eve and adorned her with 24 ornaments before her marriage to Adam. The Midrash (Beresheet Rabbah 18:1) brings Scriptural proof for this, citing Ezekiel 28:13, which says:

You were in Eden, the garden of G–D; every precious stone was your covering: the ruby [odem], the topaz [pitdah], and the diamond [yahalom], the beryl [tarshish], the onyx [shoham], and the jasper [yashfe], the sapphire [sapir], the carbuncle [nofech], and the emerald [varkat or bareket], and gold [zahav]; the workmanship of your settings and of your sockets was in you, in the day that you were created they were prepared.

If we count the precious stones and metals in the verse, we find only ten, not 24. However, one of the minor principles of Torah interpretation is when a general statement is introduced followed by a specific list, the general statement both includes the specific list, and adds to it (כְּלַל וּפְרַט, עָשָׂה אֶת הַכְּלַל מוֹסֶפֶת לַפְּרַט). So, since the verse begins with a general statement (“every precious stone”) and then goes on to list ten precious materials, we actually learn from this that there was a total of twenty precious materials. Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish held that one should also add “every precious stone” as a special stone of its own, meaning there were eleven stones, and since we double that, we have a total of 22. Plus, the verse goes on to speak of “your settings and your sockets”, bringing us to a total of 24 ornaments!

This article is from Mayim Achronim, but I added the photos of Traditional Yemenite Bride and Groom, and the various ornaments bedecked on the Kallah that may be the source thereof as written about in this article: https://www.mayimachronim.com/the-24-ornaments-of-a-bride-and-tikkun-leil-shavuot/ 

screenshot yemeni couple on wedding day

Alternatively, there is another Scriptural verse which brings us the 24 ornaments more simply and directly (though without mentioning Eden), listing explicitly what each specific piece of jewellery was. This is Isaiah 3:17-23, which says how the daughters of Zion were adorned with

…the anklets [‘achasim], and the ribbons [shvisim], and the crescents [saharonim]; the pendants [netifot], and the bracelets [sheyrot], and the veils [ra’alot]; the headdresses [pe’erim], and the armlets [tza’adot], and the sashes [kishurim], and the corselettes [batei hanefesh], and the amulets [lehashim]; the rings [taba’ot], and the nose-rings [nizmei ha’af]; the aprons [mahalatzot], and the shawls [ma’atafot], and the hair-coverings [mitpachot], and the girdles [charitim]; and the robes [gilyonim], and the fine linen [sadinim], and the headscarves [tzenifot], and the mantles [redimim]…

A count of these brings us 21. In addition, the verse that follows speaks of perfume [bosem], a belt [chagorah], and hair curls [petigil], giving us a total of 24 ornaments. Rashi references these 24 ornaments in his commentary on Exodus 31:18, which says how G–D concluded speaking with Moses on Sinai using the term k’khalloto, which can also be read as “like His bride”.

screenshot

Kabbalistically, these 24 ornaments have tremendous meaning. The sefirah of Chessed, which represents love and kindness, has three inner states, each of which is made up of 24 parts. (The gematria of Chessed [חסד] is 72, and dividing that number by three gives us 24.) This is why Eliyahu poured an extra three measures of water (water being Chessed) on his altar when he went head-to-head with the idolatrous priests (see I Kings 18). The altar which he built was actually made up of precious stones, too (I Kings 18:31-32), and then he had water poured from a jug called a kad (18:34). The gematria of kad (כד) is, as we might expect, 24.

That word is the exact same used when the Torah introduces Rebecca: “And it came to pass, before [Eliezer] had done speaking, that, behold, Rebecca came out… with her jug [kadah] upon her shoulder.” (Genesis 24:15). Kabbalistically, Rebecca is the embodiment of Chessed (see Zohar I, 137a) and she graciously provides water for Eliezer and all of his camels. Eliezer realizes that she is the perfect one for Isaac, and immediately proceeds to adorn her with all kinds of jewellery: “And it came to pass, as the camels had done drinking, that the man took a golden nose-ring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands, of ten shekels weight of gold…” (Genesis 24:22) After the marriage was arranged, Eliezer gave the soon-to-be bride even more jewellery: “And the servant brought forth jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment, and gave them to Rebecca…”

If one looks carefully at these verses in Genesis 24 (not a coincidental number), and applies the classic rules of interpretation, they will find that Eliezer also brought for Rebecca 24 ornaments in preparation for her wedding! Rebecca went on to marry Isaac, and they had the purest love of all the forefathers and figures in the Torah. In fact, the first time that the Torah describes a husband loving his wife is with Isaac and Rebecca (Genesis 24:67). This is one reason why there was an old custom to adorn a Jewish bride with 24 ornaments. Alternatively, a husband may fulfil this special segulah by purchasing 24 adornments or pieces of jewellery for his wife—not necessarily all at once! (It is especially good to get white gold, since it is symbolic of Chessed, while yellow gold is the opposite, Gevurah.)

24 Ornaments of the Jewish People

If a bride is adorned with 24 ornaments, and the Jewish people were G–D’s “bride” at Sinai on Shavuot, what were our 24 ornaments? They are the 24 books of the Tanakh! The Ba’al HaTurim (Rabbi Yakov ben Asher, 1269-1343, on Exodus 31:18) comments that every Torah scholar is adorned with these 24 books just as a bride is adorned with 24 ornaments. And this is why, the Zohar states, one should stay up all night on Shavuot and study Torah, especially the 24 books of the Tanakh (Zohar I, 8a; though in Zohar III, 98a there is an alternate suggestion to study the Oral Torah at night and the Tanakh in the day). In so doing, one is spiritually adorning himself in preparation for the wedding (as well as adorning the Shekhinah herself).

Today, it has become the norm in all synagogues and yeshivas around the world for everyone to stay up all night and learn Torah, as the Zohar instructs. This practice was initially popularized by the kabbalists of Tzfat in the 16th century. The earliest reference to a tikkun leil Shavuot, a fixed text of study for the night of Shavuot, comes from a letter of Rabbi Shlomo HaLevy Alkabetz (c. 1500-1576), most famous for composing Lecha Dodi. He was born to a Sephardic family in Thessaloniki, or Salonica (then in the Ottoman Empire, now the second largest city in Greece).

In 1533, Rabbi Yosef Karo (1488-1575) settled in Salonica (he was born in Toledo, Spain before the Expulsion), and the two became close. One Shavuot night, they stayed up together studying Torah as the Zohar states. (In addition to Tanakh, they learned a little bit of Mishnah). Suddenly, the Shekhinah filled Rabbi Karo and spoke out of his mouth! Such revelations would continue for most of his life, and are recorded in his book, Maggid Mesharim. On that Shavuot night, the Shekhinah revealed many secrets and instructions. Among other things, She instructed the pair to move to Israel. In 1535, they did so and settled in Tzfat, the centre of Jewish mysticism.

In Tzfat, the pair would meet the Ramak (Rabbi Moshe Cordovero, 1522-1570), who later married the sister of Rabbi Alkabetz. When he was twenty years old, the Ramak heard a Heavenly Voice instructing him to seek out Rabbi Alkabetz and learn Kabbalah with him. He did so, and went on to become the preeminent Kabbalist of Tzfat. He was succeeded in the position by the Arizal (Rabbi Isaac Luria, 1534-1572).

Meanwhile, Rabbi Yosef Karo (1488-1575) went on to publish the Shulchan Arukh, still the central code of Jewish Law. Interestingly, he did not write anything about a tikkun leil Shavuot in the Code. He believed that it was a practice for Jewish mystics, not for the average Jew. Nonetheless, the custom spread very quickly, first in Tzfat, then across all of Israel. When the Shelah HaKadosh (Rabbi Isaiah Horowitz, 1555-1630), who was born in Prague, moved to Israel in 1626 he wrote how all the Jews living in the Holy Land stay up all night on Shavuot. The Shelah put together a text of study of his own for the night of Shavuot. In addition to portions from the 24 books of the Tanakh, he added the first and last verse of every Mishnaic tractate, and the first and last verse of Sefer Yetzirah, along with the Zohar passage from this week’s parasha with which we began, and a recitation of the 613 mitzvot.

In the ensuing centuries, the custom spread further across the entire Jewish world. Various other tikkun texts have arisen over that time. Today, it is normal for many synagogues not to follow any tikkun at all, but simply to have lectures on different topics by multiple speakers, or to learn whatever Torah text people wish, and this is appropriate as well. Having said that, the original Kabbalistic way—as suggested in the Zohar, practiced by the early Tzfat mystics, and affixed by the Arizal—is to study specific portions from the 24 books of the Tanakh, together with mystical commentaries on them. (This is the version used in our Tikkun Leil Shavuot, which has the proper text of study in both Hebrew and English, along with commentaries from the Zohar and Arizal.)

Rectifying Sinai and Purifying Our Souls

On a simple level, the word tikkun may refer to a “fixed” text of Torah, such as that which a ba’al kore uses to study the weekly parasha before reading it publicly in the synagogue. On a mystical level, “tikkun” refers to a spiritual rectification. When it comes to tikkun leil Shavuot, it is commonly taught that staying up all night in study is a spiritual rectification for what happened at Sinai over three millennia ago. At that time, the people had fallen asleep before G–D’s great revelation. Though some say they slept so that they would have energy to witness the tremendous event, others state that they were wrong to fall asleep so casually the night before the biggest day of their lives. Would a bride sleep so soundly the night before her wedding? Therefore, when we stay up all night on Shavuot, we are spiritually rectifying the mistake that the Jewish people made.

If we delve a little deeper, we might find an even greater tikkun on the night of Shavuot. The Talmud (Shabbat 146a) tells us: “When the Serpent came upon Eve, it infused in her a spiritual contamination [zuhama]. When Israel stood at Mount Sinai, the zuhama was removed.” Eve was the first to be decorated with 24 ornaments in the Garden of Eden, but then fell from grace and was spiritually contaminated. In a cosmic rectification, the Jewish people were “decorated” with 24 books of the Tanakh on Shavuot, and that impurity was removed. Each year since, we have a tremendous opportunity to cleanse ourselves of our own spiritual impurities on this special night, by immersing ourselves in the purifying words of our holy books.

What might be the ancestral custom (practiced by the Yemenite People) of covering the Bride (and Groom) with the symbolic 24 Ornaments:

NYT screenshot

Traditional Yemeni Bridal Necklace or Headdress
with the Red Stone (might be the Tribe Stone
as elucidated in Me'am Lo'ez Bamidbar p30-31)

Some photos from NTY article :

For Jewish Israelis of Yemenite Heritage, Reviving a Past 
Prewedding henna ceremonies have regained popularity in Israel’s Jewish Yemenite community, an expression of ethnic pride in their heritage and traditions. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/17/style/bride-wedding-jewish-yemen.html

Other screenshot photos from Wikipedia and traditional Yemenite Jewelry from the https://ritaokrent.com/products/traditional-yemeni-silver-bridal-wedding-necklace-or-headdress-with-red-glass-settiings-and-dangles-rita-okrent-collection-c689

Shmuel Sackett – “If I were the Israeli Ambassador”

“If I were the Israeli Ambassador”

What my response to the Deputy Secretary of State calling me in for a scolding about the return to Homesh, would have been. Op-ed.

Recently, Israel’s Ambassador to the USA, Michael Herzog, was summoned to a meeting with Deputy Secretary of State, Wendy Sherman. This might not seem like a big deal to you – after all, he was simply asked to attend a meeting, right? Wrong! In the diplomatic world of ambassadors, being “summoned to a meeting” is the equivalent of being asked to see the Principal in High School for something you did… not good!

The reason for this disciplinary, finger-pointing, “you-better-behave” meeting was due to the fact that the Knesset approved a law repealing the Disengagement in northern Shomron. Here is how it was reported by Arutz-7 on their website: www.israelnationalnews.com; “The Deputy Secretary conveyed US concern regarding legislation passed by the Israeli Knesset rescinding important aspects of the 2005 Disengagement Law, including the prohibition on establishing settlements in the northern West Bank.”

Arutz-7 went on to report that “a meeting of this type is very rare in Israel-US relations and constitutes an official diplomatic protest.” The report ended with a quote by Deputy State Department spokesman, Vedant Patel who said that “Homesh, (of the four communities evacuated in 2005 but recently resettled around a small Yeshiva) is illegal because it was built on private Palestinian land” and that the US “strongly urges Israel to refrain from allowing the return of settlers to the area…”

Obviously, I was not at that scolding session of the ambassador, yet I have not stopped thinking about it. How insulting it must have been. How degrading and shameful did Ambassador Herzog feel as some Washington diplomat who is “here-today-yet-gone-tomorrow” rebuked him for an action Israel had every right to take.

I know Michael Herzog personally. He is the brother of Israel’s President, Isaac Herzog, and is a quiet, unassuming guy. For many years we davened in the same shul and he always impressed me as being a decent, modest fellow. There’s only one problem. While we are taught to be quiet and humble, a trait associated with Ambassador Herzog, that must be limited to the personal and individual level only. When it comes to the Nation of Israel – the people selected by Hashem to carry His flag, settle His land and teach His world – we are not allowed to be humble! When representing or speaking in the name of Israel, we must have national pride… as Hashem Himself does. (see Tehillim chapter 93 – “Hashem will have reigned, He wears His pride/grandeur…”)

Therefore, please allow me to write what my response to the Deputy Secretary of State would have been.

“My dear friend. Israel recognizes and appreciates the wonderful relationship it has with the United States. Throughout the years, as most countries condemned and criticized Israel, the US has generally stood by Israel’s side. Furthermore, the financial and military assistance that the US has given Israel has helped both Israel and the US fight terror and injustice in a volatile region. The State of Israel sincerely and genuinely has nothing but gratitude for our years together as friends and partners. That having been said, there are a few points that need to be clarified.

The modern State of Israel, whic just celebrated its 75th birthday, is a continuation of the Jewish people’s connection to the land that started with our father, Abraham, over 3,700 years ago. The one and only G-d of the world promised the following to Abraham in Genesis 15:18, “To your descendants I have given this land (the Land of Israel) from the Egyptian River (the Nile) to the Euphrates (a river which rises in Turkey and flows southeast across Syria and through Iraq!)” This promise was repeated throughout the Bible to Isaac, Jacob and Moses who led the Children of Israel out of slavery and into the Promised Land under the leadership of Joshua 3,295 years ago.

Since the day we entered the land, the Jewish nation has valiantly fought against countless enemies for the right to settle, build and populate their G-d given land. Millions of Jews died, rather than live elsewhere. In this country, we built our Kingdom and our Temples. Even when we were forcibly driven from the land, we prayed to return there… and our prayers were answered! A desolate land was reclaimed by its rightful inheritors! A modern society was built, and a language was revived – something never before accomplished by any nation in the world!

"Today, Eretz Yisrael – the Land of Israel – is a beautiful country with modern technology just steps away from 3,000-year-old archeological sites. Most of world Jewry has returned to live there and the millions of happy children attest to a bright future. Of all accomplishments, the greatest has been the return of the sweet sound of Torah which can be heard across the land and in every city. What greater pride can there be to our Father and King when He sees and hears His Bible and Talmud studied throughout the day and night? Today – in what you call 2023 – there is more Torah studied by men, women and children in the Land of Israel than ever before in Jewish history. How proud we are of that!

"Furthermore, in addition to returning spirituality to the land, we have constructed homes, dried swamps and irrigated fields. We have planted millions of new trees and built communities in the very areas settled by Joshua and the Nation of Israel close to 3,300 years ago.

Therefore, while we respect our relationship with the US – and would like it to continue – we hereby make it clear to you, Madam Deputy Secretary of State, Wendy Sherman, that the Jewish people will build where they want and what they want in the land given by G-d… the Land of Israel.

"In that land, there is no area 'illegal' for us to build and we will never 'refrain from allowing the return of settlers' to anywhere in the country. On the contrary! We will encourage Jews – from all over the world – to settle every inch of the Promised Land and will help them, in any way possible, to fulfill their dream of returning to Zion.

"If you want, you can summon me every day on this issue, but our position will never change. From time immemorial, we are Israel and Israel is us and that bond will never be broken.”

Shmuel Sackett is the Founder and Director of the Am Yisrael Chai Fund, which supports agricultural, educational and building projects across Eretz Yisrael. www.AmYisraelChaiFund.org

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/37188

MY JERUSALEM

 During this time of year, we experience two interrelating periods each linking two festivals – the period between Pesach and Shavuot, and the period between Yom Ha-Atzma’ut and Yom Yerushalayim (the day commemorating the liberation of Jerusalem during the Six-Day War). The fact that the biblical pair (Pesach-Shavuot) and the modern pair (Yom ha-Atzma’ut and Yom Yerushalayim; both related to modern day Israel) occur during the same time span is no coincidence. These two intermediary periods in fact share a profound connection.

Pesach commemorates the Exodus from Egypt, then on Shavuot – fifty days later – we received the Torah. The transition during the intermediate days is one of ascent beginning with a physical liberation, from slavery, (Pesach) “upwards”, as it were, towards spiritual liberation (Shavuot – the receiving of the Torah).

The period between Yom ha-Atzma’ut and Yom Yerushalayim can be characterized in a similar way. On Yom ha-Atzma’ut we celebrate something akin with Pesach. This day commemorates, principally, the attainment of our physical and political independence, our exodus from subjugation to foreign nations.

Yom Yerushalayim is more akin to Shavuot. During the Six-Day War, Israel regained many places whose strategic importance for its survival and security needs are immeasurably greater than that of Jerusalem. The I.D.F. expanded the country’s narrow waistline in Judea and Samaria, defended the Galilee “finger” (panhandle), and even took over the Hermon, the “eyes of the country”. All of these are important achievements, and without them Israel’s security situation would be all but impossible. Nonetheless, Jerusalem is in a different category: it is neither the waistline, the “finger”, nor even the “eyes” of the country. Jerusalem is its heart.

There are no stories of Golani soldiers shedding tears upon reaching the Hermon; no emotional scenes recorded among the tank companies following the liberation of the Sinai. However, the paratroopers weeping at the Western Wall have become a symbol. These soldiers – like the nation as a whole – understood that the liberation of Jerusalem had significance far beyond the relief that it brought to the city’s inhabitants, living in fear of sniper fire. It was a spiritual, historical moment, the sort that happens once in thousands of years.

We recite the phrase, “Next year in Jerusalem” a few times each year. Many believe that this motto is relevant for those who live outside of Israel; for those who were born in Israel or immigrated there, they believe, it has no real meaning. However, not everyone feels this way, and it is interesting to read what two great people who share a common background have to say in this regard.

Natan Sharansky, a “prisoner of Zion” for many years, and later a minister in the Israeli government, after finally arriving in Israel, said: “Now the next time I say, “Next year in Jerusalem”, these words will finally have only symbolic meaning, for I – body and soul – now dwell in the capital of Israel.” These heartfelt words came from someone who suffered and waited for many years in order to reach that moment.

However, another former “prisoner of Zion” presented a completely different view. Yosef Begun, also a “refusenik” for many years, said the following, when he was already living in Israel:

“Some people say that there’s more depth when you’re in the Diaspora. I, too – during the long nights in prison, on the Pesach nights, used to ask myself, 'Nu, so when I get to Jerusalem – what then? What significance will there be to the words of the Haggadah there, in Eretz Yisrael?' And here I am now, in Jerusalem, and I still utter with the same intention in my heart, with the same passionate hope and prayer: 'Next year in the rebuilt Jerusalem.' Because a 'rebuilt Jerusalem' means the Temple, it means the Sanhedrin; it means a fully Jewish life. And it is specifically here, since I made aliya, that I see and am more conscious of the deficiencies and delays in our lives. It is specifically here that I understand better the spiritual content, not the physical, geographical aspiration towards the rebuilt Jerusalem. And on the Seder night I am able to utter these words with the heartfelt prayer that I, too, shall be able to make my contribution towards the rebuilding of this Jerusalem – may it be rebuilt soon.”

Aliya is not the end of Zionist fulfillment. After this great step comes the readiness to improve the situation in Israel – in all aspects; to work towards the goal of us all being together next year in a Jerusalem that is rebuilt in all sense of the word.

Rabbi Yaakov Meir is former Rosh Kollel in Montevideo (1999-2001), currently Rabbi of the Lechu Ne'ranena cummunity in Ra'anana and a teacher For comments: yukimeir@gmail.com

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All from http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/371621

Rabbi Winston: Naso – Shavuos and Kabbalos HaTorah B”H

 

Do blessings really work today? Not the kind you make over food or a mitzvah, because those are rabbinical enactments for other reasons. But what about Birchas Kohanim mentioned in this week’s parsha, or when a parent blesses their children on Shabbos night? Do they have the effect they once did, or are we just keeping tradition?

What about curses? Balak told Bilaam that he knew that whomever Bilaam cursed was cursed. Is that true today, that someone can curse another person and actually have it come true? There is a story about someone who refused to acknowledge the existence of G–D, so the person arguing with him told him, “If you truly do not believe in G–D, then tell Him to kill your mother!”

 

The sworn atheist couldn’t get himself to do it (he liked his mother) just in case (what if she “coincidentally” died for another reason), which downgraded him to being only an agnostic. But would it have made a difference anyhow had he been brazen enough to utter such a curse? Do words have that kind of power today? If they did, a lot of people would probably be either sick or dead now, given today’s political climate and all the cursing going on…

The answer is yes and, no. It’s not just a matter of uttering a blessing or saying a curse, though sometimes they can come to fruition more a matter of Hashgochah Pratis than the power of the blessing or curse. If we learn anything from the story of Bilaam, it is that a person can only bless or curse someone G–D wants to bless or curse, and He will arrange for that to happen through the appropriate blesser or curser. 

It has to do with how blessings and curses work. Blessings are the result of an influx of Divine light and curses are the withdrawal of that light. Everything in Creation exists as a function of G–D’s light, the extent to which is determined by how much Divine light flows to the thing or person. A blessing therefore increases the light, and the positive impact is the result. That’s why it is called a “brochah,” from the word “breichah,” which is a spring of water or, in this case, a “stream” of light. 

But unlike everyday light, which is physical, Divine light is exceptionally holy. The amount that we automatically receive to stay alive and function is a gift, and one that needs to be respected. A major part of a sin is the abuse of this light by doing something of which G–D does not approve. Every sin is a profanation of Divine light. 

But if you want extra light, because you need a better parnassah, or you have shalom bayis issues, or you want children, or to marry off a child, etc., then you had better consider your spiritual appropriateness. In general, holy things only go to holy people. This is why Bilaam was blind in one eye, Chazal say. At least there was a space in him that wasn’t impure like the rest of his body. It was through that “space” that G–D spoke with him for the sake of the Jewish people.

ON THE OTHER hand, the Gemora says that one should not take the blessing or curse of a “simple” person lightly (Megillah 15a). It brings examples of such blessings and curses coming to fruition. Avimelech told Sarah, “I have given a thousand pieces of silver to your brother; behold it is to you a covering of the eyes for all who are with you, and with all you shall contend” (Bereishis 19:16). The Gemora says that this had to do with Yitzchak later becoming blind (even though Avimelech seemed to mean it in a good way!).

But that could have more to do with what we said before, that the curse or blessing was destined to happen anyhow, and for some reason G–D wanted it to be announced by someone down here. As the Gemora says, merit comes through the merit worthy, and bad comes through the culpable (Bava Basra 119b). It is true with respect to blessings and curses as well.

Isn’t this true of all blessings and curses? As Bilaam told an angry and frustrated Balak, “If Balak gives me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot transgress the word of G–D to do either good or evil on my own. Only what G–D speaks can I speak” (Bamidbar 24:13). 

This is what Chanina ben Dosa told the witch who tried to curse him: 

“If you succeed, go and do it. I am not concerned about it, as it is written: ‘There is none else besides Him’  (Devarim 4:35).” He meant, “You, witch, have no power to do good or bad to me. If your curse seems to take effect, it is only because G–D has decided to impact me in this way. I am only concerned about the judgment that might have led to this, not about you.”

So what then does this mean?

And I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you, and I will aggrandize your name, and [you shall] be a blessing. (Bereishis 12:2)

The blessings are entrusted into your hand. Until now, they were in My hand; I blessed Adam and Noach. From now on, you may bless whomever you wish. (Rashi)

This would seem to imply that Avraham had the power to bless whomever he saw fit. It doesn’t sound as if he was being given the ability to bless only those people whom G–D wanted blessed. And it sounds as if this was not only unique to him, but all of his descendants as well…throughout all of history. 

While we’re at it, let us discuss not just blessings, but miracles themselves. Miracles were rare and such a big deal in Tanach. Avraham being saved from the fire in Ur Kasdim. Ya’akov being saved from Eisav and Lavan. But in the Gemora, such miracles happened all the time, and in some of the seemingly most trivial of circumstances. Did something change historically, and if yes, what?

THE PHYSICAL WORLD is the way it is because of the spiritual world. Even though they are both very different worlds, as the world of a son compared to that of his father (hence, the generation gap). Since the former came from the latter however, they can’t help but be similar, both the son and the father and the physical world and the spiritual one. 

Take electricity, for example. It is very physical and therefore its effects are quite visible. When the light goes on, you know that it is because you flicked the switch, allowing electricity to flow through the wires to the bulb. Thus, just as only certain materials are good conductors for electricity, only certain types of people are good “conductors” for Divine light. Just as electricity can be dangerous if improperly used, likewise Divine light kills when improperly used, such as in the case of Nadav and Avihu.

The miracle workers in the Gemora, the Tannaim, were good conductors of Divine light. They achieved this by aligning their perspectives with G–D’s, so they looked at the world and history as He did, so G–D looked at both as they did. They may have done miracles at will, but it was a will they shared with G–D. Even when they initiated the brochah or miracle, G–D agreed to it so he fulfilled it as they willed it. As they say, “Righteous people decree and  G–D fulfills.”

When then must we be careful with the blessing or curse of a simple person? Firstly, we can’t always tell who is righteous in G–D’s eyes. A person may look “simple” to us, but from G–D’s perspective they may be spiritually powerful people. We don’t know what they have had to overcome to be who they are, and that might have made them relatively righteous as far as G–D is concerned.

Secondly, we may only see a simple person giving the blessing or hurling a curse, but everything is a function of Hashgochah Pratis—Divine Providence. G–D has many messengers and means to deliver His message or warning to a person. You can discount the messenger but the message might be crucial information from G–D about your direction in life. 

As the mishnah says, a wise person is one who learns from every person (Pirkei Avos 4:1). It doesn’t qualify what kind of people are excluded from this. Rebi Meir even went so far as to continue to learn Torah from Elisha ben Abuya, even after he became Acher, the quintessential heretic (Chagigah 15b).  

The Gemora questioned the wisdom of Rebi Meir’s choice of teacher, but concluded that he had the ability to keep the good and reject the bad. The rest of us don’t, so we should only learn from reputable teachers who have the proper Torah credentials. But it has been said that G–D talks to the Jewish people through their enemies, so even though they do not make good teachers, their messages often unwittingly contain information G–D wants us to know.

Shavuos

THREE THINGS ARE necessary for a person to have free will. They have to believe in G–D, they have to believe that G–D communicated His truth to man, and they have to at least be aware of their yetzer hara and its efforts to spiritually undermine them. All of this happened for the Jewish people when G–D gave them Torah.

Until Mt. Sinai, the Jewish people had not personally heard G–D speak. Until that time, G–D had communicated with them through Moshe Rabbeinu, which always left some room for doubt about G–D or the message. But once G–D addressed the nation Himself at Har Sinai, everyone had a first-hand experience with the reality of G–D unparalleled throughout history.

Though we had started receiving mitzvos at Marah, and really back in Egypt, it wasn’t until Har Sinai that we received the entire Torah in the most awesome way possible. Absolute truth had been shared with mankind, and there was no question about its veracity. 

As for the yetzer hara, we got a clear picture of how quickly it can be aroused through the episode of the golden calf. We always knew we had it, but we lost  it temporarily after saying Na’aseh v’Nishma. This is why most Jews did not participate in the sin of the calf, only the stragglers who were more like the Erev Rav than the rest of the Jewish nation.

When we returned to being mortal once again and regained our yetzer hara, the war began against it because we now had mitzvos to keep, and the yetzer hara was not keen about that at all. As G–D said, “I created the yetzer hara, and I created Torah as its spice” (Kiddushin 30b). 

Therefore, the greatest gift we received at Kabbalas HaTorah was the gift of bechirah, free will. Without it, we are not much better than the animals around us, and we certainly can’t earn a portion in the World to Come. We can’t live up to being made in the image of G–D, which is the basis of true and lasting happiness. 

So even though Moshe Rabbeinu broke the first set of tablets, he did not break our gift of free will. On the contrary, if anything, it increased after regaining the yetzer hara. Bechirah is what we have over the animals, and even over the angels, who can only do what they’re told by G–D. 

It’s something to think about and appreciate, perhaps when deciding if you really need that second piece of cheesecake.

Chag Samayach and great Kabbalas HaTorah.