The first four parts are available on Dangerous Docs and at chananyaweissman.com/articles.php.
Be sure to check out the links so you can see the evidence for yourself.
Moles and Mosrim in Brooklyn – Part Five
On April 6, 2022 the representatives of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) met again with their contracted field agents at the Boro Park Jewish Community Council (BPJCC), the Boro Park Y (BPY) and JOWMA. The meeting notes are available here. As always, the meeting began with a detailed breakdown of race-based "vaccination" statistics. This was presented by Korin Parrella, the COVID Disparities Grant Program Director for DOHMH. Parrella held the purse strings. She authorized the payments to the BPJCC (see sample invoices here, here, here, and here). Needless to say, whoever pays for services is the one who sets the agenda and needs to be satisfied. In this case, it was the DOHMH, and the Jewish organizations were working directly for them, not for the Jewish community.
A couple of items from the data she presented:
“Growth since CDG [Covid Disparities Grant] contract start date:
▪ Overall vaccination rate for 11230 has increased from 52% at the beginning of Dec. to 59% as of the end of March
▪ Overall vaccination rate for 11219 has increased from 46% at the beginning of Dec. to 53% as of the end of March”
In just a few months, nearly 20% more people in the targeted zip codes had been convinced to take the shots. The propaganda campaign was working. The results were acceptable. The payments were made.
Parrella also made the following observation: “Limitations to race-based demographic data – if people select more than one race, or do not select any race, they are not captured in the data”. What a shame. The “progressive” government of New York would hate to have to judge people strictly as people, not by their race. How can you fight racism and have equity if you don't make everything about race?
Dr. Jennifer Berkovich then presented “JOWMA Preventive Health Initiatives”, as follows:
“Monthly article/column in publications: Mishpacha (Family First), Wellsprings
▪ Mostly focused on pediatrics health, has not explicitly ventured into COVID-specific content
▪ Also contribute articles to a lifestyle blog – Between Carpools
o Focus on broader preventative health topics (chronic disease, general wellness) as opposed to leading with COVID.”
you catch that? A regular column in two magazines that specifically target the Orthodox Jewish community designed to introduce the Covid agenda in a subtle fashion. We're no longer talking about print advertisements or even a special insert, but government-sponsored and approved propaganda embedded in religious magazines, masquerading as general content.
We're talking about “religious” media being just another Trojan horse to attack Orthodox Jewry inside their homes.
Many people have expressed concern and confusion over the way magazines like Mishpacha and Ami covered Covid and the shots. They were filled week after week with ads that openly came from the government and ads from government proxies like JOWMA and Hatzalah. This was concerning enough, but at least one could rationalize that these were paid advertisements, and it wasn't for the editors of these magazines to assess health messages from “professionals”.
But it went far beyond that. Editorials, “news” reports, and featured articles were heavily slanted in one direction with little to no variance between them. Contributors frequently referred to those who deviated from the approved view on masks, social distancing, mass house arrests, and the shots in the most derogatory of terms. Considering the high percentage of readers who held unapproved views, and were thus being directly targeted by this defamation, this is astonishing.
We would have expected some semblance of balance, or at least respectful acknowledgment of differing views, if only not to antagonize much of their readership. Essentially calling much of your base self-centered murderers is not a wise business decision.
Unless, of course, the alienation of some subscribers was being more than made up for.
This would explain why letters to the editor protesting the slanted Covid content, and offering potentially life-saving information that countered the official narrative, were rarely if ever published. The editors of these magazines love a robust back and forth in the letters section about issues great and trivial, but not when it comes to Covid. Was this the divinely inspired ruling of their “rabbinic advisors”, and the even more divinely inspired wisdom of “health experts”, or a business decision like few others?
We cannot say with absolute certainty, and those responsible should be given every opportunity to defend themselves at a fair trial.
Ami Magazine was in lockstep with this widespread media policy. A screenshot was posted on Twitter in May of 2021 showing an internal email from Zack Blumenfeld of Ami Magazine, in which he related that unspecified higher-ups at the company reneged on an earlier agreement to print an ad:
“Hi,
Sorry they just told me they don't feel comfortable running it.
Sorry”
The ad in question presented a series of fact-based concerns about taking the Covid shots. Since that time, all of these concerns have been eminently substantiated. Why did Ami refuse to run this paid advertisement that presented factual information and reasonable concerns? What was the source of their “discomfort”? Were they afraid of jeopardizing far more lucrative advertising deals with the government and their proxies? Were they more afraid of angry letters from JOWMA and their ilk than the responsibility of withholding potentially life-saving information from their readers?
We have no way to know for sure at the present time. But one thing we do know for sure is that Ami Magazine was featured on the BPJCC's Partner Engagement Plan just a few months later (see here). Their “potential role” was to “publish Bi-weekly articles on furthering public health and on combatting misinformation”.
Once again, note that we are not talking about content that is clearly marked as sponsored, but government propaganda masquerading as regular articles – every two weeks! If it seemed to you that Ami was more than a little obsessed with “furthering public health” and waging a jihad against “misinformation”, maybe a “partner engagement plan” had something to do with it.
But pumping out covid propaganda in the form of articles was just part of the overall strategy. Intelligence-gathering about the Orthodox Jewish community, and how best to manipulate them, was a critical component of the operation. The Judenrat at the BPJCC planned to meet with their partners at Ami to “pull data” and “meet with Ami staff to discuss the effectiveness of the articles and ideas how to further spread correct public health information.”
While you were reading the article, they were reading you.
Also note how the BPJCC slavishly referred to government-sponsored and approved information as “correct” information. They were all in, no questions asked.
Working with Ami was designated as a high priority.
If you believe all of this is perfectly fine, by all means, renew your subscription. If you don't think this is perfectly fine, but your supposedly “kosher” Shabbos reading material matters more to you, then do the same.
If, however, you feel betrayed, and you believe this conduct is horrific, maybe you should send a message to Mishpacha, Ami, and all the other pretend-kosher media that really counts. For example, perhaps the next time they “pull data on weekly magazine circulation” they will learn that Trojan horse media are no longer welcome in Orthodox Jewish homes – even if they have interesting articles and kosher recipes. Perhaps the next time the government or other shady entities want to subvert Jewish media to push “correct” information, there won't be any takers.
It's your choice. You always have a choice.
To be continued.
__________________________
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BS”D
Dear Friends;
Today is the 25th of Elul, the anniversary of the onetime event when HaShem created ex nihilo – physical matter from nothing. The day when the Torah begins and HaShem proclaimed “Let there be light”. Six days later on the first of Tishrei year 2, HaShem brought forward the first man and woman.
From then on, all that exists was formed from the original matter that emerged on that first day – day one.
Was the creation of Man a good thing? In Pirkei Avot Hillel says it was not, but Shammai disagreed; the argument ending with both agreeing that from the point of view of mankind it was not such a great idea, but since it is a fait accompli, we must try to be sin free.
As we study the history of mankind and the potential horrors in the future, one tends to agree that HaShem knows what he is doing, but for us it’s a dilemma.
Over the last 20 years I have written variations on the theme of aliya. I have cajoled, threatened, put the fear of punishment into the hearts of good Jews. I have pleaded to people’s sense of history and belonging to HaShem’s Chosen Nation. Not always was the music in my words pleasant to the ear, for that I regret. However, my intentions were first and foremost to save Jewish lives from the degradation of galut, and to rebuild our holy land after 2000 years of anger for our sins of yesterday.
Despite it all, I love every Jew for the simple reason that HaShem loves every Jew. I wish for our small band of tzadikim, not more than 12-13 million men, women and children (much less than the 18 million before the holocaust), to be inscribed in the book of life for health, clarity of mind and good deeds. However, to end this year’s sequence of my traditional warning to come home now would be negligence on my part.
Russia is soon to begin drafting another 300 thousand troops. I believe that the US will have to follow suit and reinstate the selective service act. Your sons and daughters will be taken to military service – yes, daughters too. And when that happens youngsters from the age of 14 until 28 will not be permitted to leave the US, as was the law 60 years ago when I was denied permission to leave for Israel, and I appealed before having to take stronger measures.
Life doesn’t stand still; it is volatile and mercurial with the resha’im dictating the direction of world affairs.
As I have suggested many times in the past, if you cannot come on aliya then send your sons and daughters here. It is not an easy decision to take but it can mean the difference between life and death.
In closing for this year of 5782
On Rosh HaShana HaShem judges individuals and nations. Each individual has an intimate connection with the Creator, so, there are people who have what to be worried about, while others can feel assured of another great year.
Among nations there are those whose destiny is bleak and others who will squeak through one more year, however, Am Yisrael will ascend from strength to strength. How do I know?
The answer is in a little parable:
A passenger plane entered air turbulence and fear gripped the passengers. All aboard showed signs of desperation and fear except for one young girl who stayed calm. When she was asked how she was able to contain herself, she responded quietly, “My father is the pilot”.
Now you can understand why we in Eretz Yisrael can look forward to another great year, getting ever closer to the ge’ula.
Shabbat Shalom & K’tiva vachatima tova, Nachman Kahana
Copyright © 5782/2022 Nachman Kahana
Leah’s Blog Rosh Hashana 2022
Leah’s Blog Rosh Hashanah 2022- THE TIME HASHEM REMEMBERS US AS WE REMEMBER HIM!
Dusky red grapes still cling on the vine as Tomer and Meytal complete their ritual to the last plonk. Volunteers of all ages have been plucking and pulling the final sun ripened fruit with them. The air is beginning to feel crisp. Tomer says, “The fact is, all of this goodness is the true product of prophecy in our crazy times. We could not have done it without you.” Sabbatical year is ending in just a few days. Our farmers here on Itamar have turned the landscape from grey to green, toiling in returning to roots with much sweat of the brow. These are people that dare to stand up to hard tests in bringing true peace and answering Hashem’s wish to walk with the vision- come what may! These are the mountains our forefathers walked and lived on! Nothing could be more real. Looking back on this past year and all the blessings we have received during these difficult times, this is the fruit of your labor too. ISRAEL IS REVIVED!
Inspired by our love of Torah and the Land of Israel, Friends of Itamar represents an ideology that mirrors these very mountains located in the heart of Israel. It is the steadfast genuine devotion to ideals that calls us to be dedicated to pro action. We have extreme challenges here in holding down this land, in securing its integrity, in securing against encroachment and theft, in thwarting terrorism and in maintaining the momentum of building up here against the odds. We have huge accomplishments on the ground, this is in YOUR merit as well. For all of you who stand with us and support Friends of Itamar, Thank you! We believe in our cause and are so proud of what we have done over this past year with you. Making progress, we recently built a Visitors Center, I’m happy to report it’s a beauty. This is a place with a heart from the heart of Israel- we have great plans for this special place. We want to make a film to be able to show visitors the history of Judea Samaria. The interior still has not been done, we still have work to do on it as well as planting a garden around it as Sabbatical year ends now. We have been blessed to have donors contribute to the Educational Campus here on Itamar – a huge project funded by the Israeli government and people that believe in schooling and rearing a new generation of lovers of Eretz Yisrael. Here on Itamar the implanting and instilling of enlightening core inspiring ideals is the vanguard of quality forefront education in Israel. Dedications are still available.
A project close to my heart that we miraculously completed is a clothing gmahch center renovated and expanded in order to accommodate the growing number of people that live here. It has become increasingly dangerous on the roads that lead to our community- at times we are locked down completely. This project was single handedly donated by dear friends, Keees and Tinekeh who saw the need for a place people could shop in dignity and for a fair price in a beautiful fine ambience. The plan is to also make it become a social place where we can sit down and even have a cup of coffee, not feeling the need to travel out. THANK YOU FOR SPOILING US! Special thanks to Nachamu Ami and Yad Leah who have been working with Friends of Itamar insuring the people here never lack anything to wear and also put an emphasis on new or high quality clothing. This has impacted our community greatly in so positive a way- I can say for myself that I feel incredibly indulged and it feels great. Thank you so much!
Friends of Itamar has been working on infrastructure here, making the roads easier and safer to drive on and helping out in a plethora of other chesed projects. This goes without saying that our freedom and surveillance sturdiness depends on higher levels of technology we need to purchase to maintain our safety. Our WeWork Center is thriving with the need to expand. We delivered thousands of packages of food over the year to families in need as well as through the Matzoh Fund all over Samaria for Passover. The list is long of endless things we do and still need to do and we still have so much to do in preparing for Geulah! Rosh Hashana here marks a new time for continued planting and reaping. Establishing God’s kingdom requires a lot of work. Itamar is a self- sustaining community yet the challenges it faces require assistance as well. We turn to you now as doing Tzeddakah is on the front page of the New Year. Your chesed sweetens our lives. שנה טובה ומתוקה
From here we want to wish you a very sweet and happy New Year. We should hear GOOD NEWS and feel thanksgiving always as we approach the Day of Judgement. Thank you for supporting us, impacting our lives with so much love and bringing dignity to a terror struck community. When we hear the shofar this year we will be holding you close to us.
Blessings- Shabbat Shalom and Shana Tova!, Leah
This is not my story, but it could be anybody’s.
It was the first day of Selichos, Motzei Shabbos, 12:30 am. I never enjoyed being up so late, and I never looked forward to having to saying Selichos at that time of night. But there I was once again with everyone else in my minyan, saying Ashrei to kick off another year of many days of long dovening. It made me more tired just thinking about it.
But then something happened to me, and quite unexpectedly. I don’t remember during which verse of Ashrei, but something “touched” me inside, and all of a sudden, my whole mood changed. Within a moment this feeling welled up inside of me, and the next thing I knew I was fighting back tears, totally unexpected tears, and I hoped no one else noticed. Suddenly, I had this second wind and all of my tiredness just…vanished.
For three weeks I had dutifully listened to the shofar being blown after Shacharis, and said L’Dovid like everyone else. The shofar, if blown well, has its own power to get “inside” you. A trumpet sounds regal, ceremonious. A shofar sounds like a heart crying and personally, that gets to me, at least a little.
But not once did a shofar blowing ever make feel what I felt that first night of Selichos. It even happened a few more times that night, and by the time Selichos was over, I was charged up. I was definitely still tired, but another part of me was wide awake and feeling the serious of the time of year. It was over a week until Rosh Hashanah and I was already connected. I wondered how long that would last. Normally I might have walked home with a neighbor, but I made a point of slipping out quickly to walk on my own. I was curious about the experience I had and wanted to figure it out. It was like there was this other side of me that I had never met, and I wanted to know more about him.
The next day I spoke about it with my chavrusa. He listened the entire time without saying a word, just smiling the whole time. When I finished, I asked him what his smile was about, and he told me something I have never forgotten, even decades later.
“That was no other side of you,” he told me. “That was your soul. Your body is like a hard stone mountain, and your soul is like the magma inside of it. When enough pressure builds up inside, the soul, like the magma, blows the top off the mountain…your body that is…and reveals the inside to the outside. That experience may have been new to you that night, but you’ve been carrying it around with you your entire life. It just finally made it out. You finally made it out.” And then, grinning once again, he said, “Welcome…to yourself!”
I THOUGHT ABOUT his words. “But why now?” I asked my chavrusa, “What triggered it all of a sudden?”
“I’m not sure,” he said. “Only you can really answer that question. Was there anything special that happened just before that?” “Are you kidding?” I said. “I was so tired and just wanted to go to bed already.” “That sure is spiritual,” he teased.
But as he did, something inside me caught my attention. I had asked the question to him, but seemed to be answering it myself, from the inside. I don’t even know what made me think of it, but once I did, it made sense to me. At the time of the incident, I had thought little of it, but I guess it left an impression on me, or rather, inside of me.
My wife and I had been guests for Shabbos lunch at our neighbor’s. It was Parashas Ki Savo, and the host, while talking about the curses found in the parsha, spoke about hester panim, the hiding of G–D’s face. He explained something that in all my years I had never heard, and used a moving story to make his point.
The story was about two brothers, and how the younger of the two liked to tag along with the older brother and his friends, especially on the day they decided to play hide-and-go-seek. The older brother would have said no, but their father insisted that the younger brother be allowed to join them. As everyone ran to hide in one place or another, the younger brother did the same and waited to be found. But instead, his brother and friends used the opportunity to ditch the tag-along, who waited in vain to be found. When no one came looking for him for a long while and he could no longer hear any voices, he came out to investigate.
He didn’t understand at first what had happened, but it slowly dawned on him that while he had hidden, everyone else had left. Feeling abandoned, he began to cry and went home. When he was close enough to his home, his father recognized his crying and came running out to see what had happened. The younger brother explained everything to his father in between his sobbing, after which his father began to cry as well. This distracted the son who then stopped crying as his father began to cry even harder.
Confused, the boy asked his father, “Abba, why are you crying? It happened to me, not to you!”
The tearful father said, “Because my son, until now I did not understand. You hid from the other boys, but not because you didn’t want to be found. You wanted the others to come looking for you, but was saddened when they didn’t. I realize now that the same can be said for G–D. He has hidden Himself, but not so we shouldn’t find Him, as many might think. But to see if care enough to go looking for Him…and yet so few do. How sad He must be!”
As the host finished his dvar Torah, my wife turned to look at me to see if I had enjoyed the analogy as much as she had, and was surprised to see a tear in my eye. What she did not know until later was that the story had happened to me with my older brother, several decades back. But my father had not heard me or come out to comfort me like in the story. Nevertheless, the story hit home and gave new meaning to an incident from my past. For a short while, I again felt the same pain, but this time I transferred it to G–D.
After all, my incident had experienced been an isolated incident, but it has been happening to G–D daily for thousands of years now. I was able to move on, but G–D has to deal with it every day. My brother and I eventually became the best of friends, but so much of mankind has turned its back on G–D. I found myself feeling very sad for Him. We enjoyed the rest of seudah with our hosts and later returned home. The story, I had assumed, had simply become a memory.
WE ARE NOT always aware of the things that change us. Sometimes the subtlest of ideas can have the profoundest of impacts on a person, for good and unfortunately, for bad. Sometimes ideas can be planted as “seeds” in our minds, and take root and sprout on their own over time, changing us into better or, G–D forbid, worse people.
My neighbor may never know it, but his little story was such seed for good. It took a past sensitivity of mine that I had forgotten about and turned into one in the Present. But not for me this time, but for G–D. It enhanced my relationship with Him in a way I had not done before that.
What incredible hashgochah pratis—divine providence…that we were invited for a Shabbos seudah…the Shabbos of Parashas Ki Savo…which led to a dvar Torah with a story that seemed custom-designed for me. And it was amazing hashgochah that the first Selichos was later that night, while I was still impacted by the story. As a result, when I said Ashrei that Selichos night, I already felt a connection to G–D, and the sadness I had felt that afternoon once again moved me emotionally.
The more I thought about it, the more I realized that it wasn’t just sadness I was feeling for G–D. It was also love, a more intense love. I mean, I had wanted to believe that I had always loved G–D, but the “sympathy” I felt for Him somehow made Him seem less far away…more accessible. Or maybe it was the other way around. Maybe it made me less far away…more accessible. Until that day, I lived my Judaism from day to day, trying to be sincere but often falling short. Life can be very tiring and very distracting, especially when it comes to do mitzvos properly. I always knew G–D was there, you know, “there.”
My chavrusa thought that was really going on was that G–D had reached out to me. He thought that, once G–D saw me reach out to Him, He reached out to me. As the Gemora says, “Someone who comes to sanctify themself a little, they sanctify him a lot” (Yoma 38b). I told him that I really liked that idea. The story, and the idea behind it made G–D seem more here to me, more a part of my everyday life. It talked to my soul and kind of neutralized my body in the process. The feeling of love just automatically resulted, and it spilled over into the way I learned, prayed, and did the rest of my mitzvos.
Who would have thought it? But then I began learning the next parsha, Nitzavim, and even that seemed to talk directly to me now. And all the promises that G–D made about bringing all of us back to Eretz Yisroel seemed so much more real, as if they were being made now. But the verse that really made me stop and think was this one:
And G–D, your G–D, will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, [so that you may] love G–D your G–D with all your heart and with all your soul, for the sake of your life. (Devarim 30:6)
“Wow…” I said to myself softly, feeling all emotional again. I thought, “Did this not just happen to me?”
Though I had read that verse countless times before, it was always as if it was going to happen to some future generation, not mine. Not now. Now I felt blessed that it had happened to me, and wondered how many others it was happening to as well.
Ain Od Milvado, Part 19
IT ALSO GAVE me a new perspective on the following:
You have been shown, in order to know that G–D, He is G–D; ain od Milvado—there is none else besides Him. (Devarim 4:35)
I always had two questions about this. First of all, why does G–D have to show us anything to prove Himself? Humans are limited and have to prove they can do what they say. But G–D is unlimited, and by definition He can do anything He says. Secondly, they were shown, not us. And just reading about it doesn’t do very much to fight back atheism and agnosticism, or to help with the lack of zealousness that results from not taking G–D seriously. Just as they needed to see to believe that G–D is the only one, we need to see it as well, probably now more than ever.
But we do. All around us is evidence of G–D and His providence…if we’re open to see it. It is amazing how we can look at something one moment and see it one way, and then have an experience that shows us the same thing the next moment in different, sometimes even an opposite way. The verse is telling us that G–D is showing us things so that we can know He is the only one. We just have to learn to see it.
As for the first question, He doesn’t need to prove Himself. We need to prove Him to ourselves because of our own fears and insecurities. We doubt G–D but not because G–D is doubtful, but because we don’t make enough effort to work out why He is not. The verse is telling us that G–D knows this and even accommodates us. “What a chesed!” I thought to myself, and that only made me love G–D more.
With Rosh Hashanah just a few days away, I never felt more ready. In fact, I even looked forward to all the dovening coming up, something new for me. I used to look at it as just something I had to do at this time of year. I was beginning to look at it as something I wanted to do at this time of year. I planned to use it as an opportunity to expand upon what I had experienced over the last week.
And if my chavrusa was correct, and the Gemora seems to say that he is, I can expect G–D to do the same. Rosh Hashanah is not a one-way street. It is the time that the Jewish people run towards G–D, and G–D runs towards the Jewish people. As G–D says, “I am to My beloved, and My beloved is to Me” (Shir HaShirim 6:3).
I can’t wait.
Thanks for another year of Perceptions reading. I hope you’ll keep reading in the new year, b”H.
Kesivah v'Chasimah Tovah
Pinchas Winston
WORDS FAIL
Since the Churban and the advent of our Golus two thousand years ago, we have been at the mercy of violent and ruthless enemies. Sometimes the violence is physical and sometimes it is aimed at our holy Torah way of life, attempting to destroy the very basis of our existence. There have been brief respites, but the attack is virtually unrelenting.
The history of the Jews in the United States of America has been a remarkable interlude.
Until now.
Now the government of the State of New York is trying to destroy the very foundation of our existence, the holy yeshivos where our children learn the essence of life.
The Third Reich, ymak shemo, wanted above all to destroy the Shas Yidden, the holy repositories of Torah who guided and sustained our People. They wanted to cut our Tree of Life not only to the ground but below the ground, to destroy the roots so the tree would never grow again. They almost succeeded.
America has been good to us, but we must understand the gravity of the current situation. Our enemies want a world without Hashem and without Yidden, without Torah, without morality.
They want chaos. Life without Torah is death.
I mamash feel sorry for the officials of the State of New York. The depth of their guilt is beyond measure. They are attacking the Ruler of the Universe.
With what I hope is humility, I want to propose a reason why this could be happening to us.
What is the problem here? The State of New York is proposing to give non-Jews authority over our holy yeshivos. This is like making Haman the Rosh Yeshiva, G-d forbid. How could this happen and why is this happening?
My friends, please forgive me, but I want to say that we as a nation have brought aliens into our collective neshoma. The culture of the surrounding nations is being allowed to enter our souls. Their non-values, their immorality, their desires, their “entertainments,” their empty culture has become “normal” in our eyes. We are ingesting the culture of golus the way Chava and Adam ingested the poisonous fruit in Gan Eden. In the words of Reb Elchonen Wasserman zt”l, “There is no place for [the Jew] in the circuses of the other nations."
The result of ingesting this poison is that Jews -- filled with hatred against their own brethren who are living by the Torah -- actually become our most zealous enemies. This was the genesis of the current war against yeshivos, which was supported strongly (as I mentioned last week) by the vicious attack on Jewish education orchestrated by the New York Times, a newspaper owned and controlled by Jews.
What is the solution?
Rabbi Wasserman continues: “When a Haman persecutes Israel, it must be realized that he is merely a rod sent by Heaven to chastise us…. We must seek the means to prevent Heaven from wielding these rods against us.” (Reb Elchonen, Artscroll/Mesorah)
This means teshuva! But how do we do it? It is too much! It is too difficult!
My friends, it is challenging to daven. Proper kavana is always a challenge, but the tzouris in our days is too much for words. It is impossible to enunciate the scope of the tragedies that are occurring on every level, the attacks, the sickness, the pain, the anguish … the sword of Esav and the kiss of Esav … it is all too much.
In Mitzraim, it was also too much. We cried out to Hashem. “The Children of Israel groaned because of the work and they cried out. Their outcry … went up to G-d. G-d heard their moaning and G-d remembered His covenant with Avraham, with Yitzchak and Yaakov.” (Shemos 2:23)
It doesn’t say that we “prayed;” it says that we “cried.” When the tzouris becomes too much for words, one can only cry, because there are no words for the depth of our anguish.
A very choshuve Jew said to me that he cannot cry when he davens; it’s not his nature. I understand that. The Gates of Tears are never closed, but not everyone can cry.
My friends, Hashem gives us a gift on Rosh Hashanah. It is called Shofar.
The Shofar cries for us! Listen to the Shofar! It is crying. If we cannot cry, then let the shofar cry for us. Let the cry of the Shofar ascend to the Kisei ha Kavod and carry all our tears with it, all the tears we do shed and all the tears that we should shed. Even if we don’t know how to cry, the Shofar will cry for us.
The Navi tells us, “Hashem, Master of Legions, will … eliminate death forever and my L-rd Hashem Elokim will erase tears from all faces. He will remove the shame of His Nation from upon the entire earth, for Hashem has spoken …. For the hand of Hashem will descend upon the mountain and Moab will be crushed in its place as straw is crushed into a pile of refuse. … And He will topple the stronghold of [their] powerful walls …. until the dust.” (Yeshiah 25:6ff)
The Hand of Hashem will bring salvation to the entire world. The reign of our enemies will end. Ksiva v’chassima tova … may we see a year of blessing, with the Ultimate Redemption. Let the Shofar cry for us!
Let the year and its curses conclude! Let the year and its blessings begin! (Achos Ketana)
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| Majdanek Concentration Camp, Poland |
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| New York State Capital |
GLOSSARY
Choshuve: Holy, distinguished
Churban: Destruction of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem
Gan Eden: The Garden of Eden
Golus: Exile
Kavana: Concentrating on the meaning of prayer
Kisei ha Kavod: The “Throne” of G-d
Mamash: Truly
Mitzraim: Ancient Egypt
Navi: Prophet
Neshoma: soul
Shas Yidden: Jews who study the Holy Torah
Tzouris: Trouble, anguish
Yidden: Jews
Ymak Shemo: May its name be ground to dust
