Please daven for the soldiers from Yeshivat HaGolan who were injured yesterday in Gaza:
Yair been Naami Esther
Moshe Aharon ben Leah Bayla
Elroi Yanon ben Siegel
Yotam ben Zehava
Haim ben Miriam
Ariel ben Efrat
Itai ben Rachel
The names for tefillah are:
יאיר בן נעמי אסתר
משה אהרון בן לאה ביילא
אלרועי ינון בן סיגל
יותם בן זהבה
חיים בן מרים
אריאל בן אפרת
איתי בן רחל
What do we learn about party planning from the Torah?
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Even after millennia of analysis, commentary and sagacious insights, the story of the Jewish people creating and worshiping the Golden Calf, as recorded for us in this week's Torah reading, remains an enigma and a mystery. After all of the miracles of Egypt and the splitting of Yam Suf, manna from heaven and the revelation at Sinai, how is such a thing possible?
The fact that our great sainted priest Aharon, the most beloved of all Jews and the symbol of Jewish brotherhood and service to G–D and man, is not only involved but is described as being the catalyst for the actual creation of the Golden Calf, simply boggles our minds. One is almost forced to say that there is no logical or even psychological explanation as to how and why this event occurred.
The Torah tells us the story in relatively dry narrative prose. Apparently it comes to teach us that there is no limit to the freedom of thought and behavior of human beings, to act righteously or in an evil fashion as they wish. No logic, no series of miracles, no Divine revelations can limit the freedom of choice that the Lord granted to humans.
The assumption of Western man and his civilization and society was and is that there is a logic and rationale for everything that occurs. This assumption is flawed and false. History is basically the story of the follies, mistakes and irrational behavior of individuals and nations. This week's Torah reading is merely a prime illustration of this human trait. Our freedom of choice is so absolute that we are able to destroy ourselves without compunction, thought or regret.
Nevertheless, I cannot resist making a point about what led up to Israel's tragic error in creating and worshiping the Golden Calf. The Torah emphasizes that perhaps the prime cause for the building of the Golden Calf by Jewish society then was the absence of Moshe.
While Moshe is up in heaven, freed of all human and bodily needs and restraints, the Jewish people are in effect leaderless. It is true that Aharon and Chur and the seventy elders are there in the midst of the encampment but they do not have the qualities of leadership that can guide and govern an otherwise unruly, stiff-necked people.
Successful nation building is always dependent upon wise, patient, strong and demanding leadership. The leader has to be able not only to blaze the trail ahead for his people but he also must be able to stand up to his people in a manner that may be temporarily unpopular. The failures of both Aharon, as recorded for us in this week's Torah reading, and of King Saul as described for us in the Book of Samuel, are attributed to their inability to withstand the popular pressure of the moment.
Moshe, the paragon for all Jewish leadership throughout the ages, is cognizant of the wishes and wants of the people but he does not succumb to that pressure. The Torah describes Moshe as one whose “eye never dimmed.” He always sees past the present with a penetrating view and vision of the future. The absence of such a person, and leader, can easily lead to the creation and worshiping of a Golden Calf.
Shabbat shalom
Rabbi Berel Wein
March 3: Dani Centre, Thornhill, Toronto, 9AM-6PM
March 5: Congregation Ahavath Torah, Englewood, NJ, 4PM-9PM
March 7: Young Israel of Lawrence-Cedarhurst, NY, 4PM-9PM
March 10: The Leffell School, Hartsdale, NY, 9AM-4PM
TO REGISTER
https://homeinisrael.com/en/keller-williams-israel-road-show-march-2024/
Kiryat Ye'arim: Haredi residents vote in protest
A political imbroglio in the small council: incumbent head of the Kiryat Yearim (Telzstone) Council, Yitzhak Ravitz, won last night’s local elections.
No candidate stood against Ravitz. But in such a case, the residents can cast a protest vote using a green slip.
Last night, after counting the votes, results showed that Yitzhak Ravitz won 63.9% of the votes, but 36.1 voted with a green slip.
But this is only Ravitz's minor problem. As far as voting for the city council is concerned, a real drama is unfolding in the local council, as it has become clear that the largest list may run as an opposition to the head of the council.
This is the "Shatz" list that received 51.6% of the votes, while the "Yad" list, led by council head Ravitz, won only 48.4%.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/385958
Only 32 million Americans (living in a narrow path a mere 115 miles wide) will experience the totality of April's eclipse.
All 332 million Americans will experience the totality of totalitarian NWO and digital enslavement. Their agenda is to wield total control. All rights will be blocked, darkened, dimmed, obscured. And it's not only North America that will be affected. The whole world will be totally engulfed by it. Tragically, we're on the verge of a total eclipse of humanity.
However, there's just a narrow path that leads to it. It's called narrow-minded compliance. You can easily opt out by leaving the path of compliance and getting onto the expansive path of defiance, but you need to do so TOTALLY.
Although partial eclipse viewing is fine if you're in the penumbra, partial noncompliance will not work for totalitarian world takeovers. It's gotta be TOTAL noncompliance.
There can be NO partiality towards dystopian totality. However, impartiality and passive complacence won't help either. You must exercise your G-d-given rights totally, unambiguously, publicly, and vocally.
They'll try to block you, obscure you, eclipse you, but don't be intimidated. Don't be blinded by fear of their phony corona virus narrative, or any other of their phony fear-mongering narratives.
Just shine your light. Don't grovel in their darkness.
Be a source of light and lead by example! You'll inspire others to take off their blinders and see the truth.
If enough of us stand up in defiance, their totalitarian agenda will end as a total failure, and humanity will prevail.
May G-d totally redeem us in the true and total redemption. Amen
Source: R G
In Mitzrayim, after many years under the heavy yoke of the back-breaking decrees of Pharaoh, the Children of Hashem, the Israelites, "groaned" and "cried out" –
"And the L‑rd heard our voice" as it said: "And G‑d heard their groaning, and G‑d remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob."
"Supreme Court orders State to explain: Why not enlist yeshiva students?…Supreme Court justices demand State explain why yeshiva students should not enlist, freezes reduction of military service for haredim."
I wasn't planning on voting in the municipal elections. Your life stinks, you're a slave, and it's going to keep getting worse no matter who you vote for. You're getting Klaus and friends no matter who you vote for. I'm done giving legitimacy to the system.
Some people tell me that I'm just one person, and boycotting the elections won't make a difference. But it makes a difference to me. And your vote doesn't. |
| Shanghai |
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| Ramat Beit Shemesh Daled |
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| Jerusalem “luxury” apartments |
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| ...and Tokyo Detention House. A prison city. |
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Pregnant Woman Shot in Last Week’s Attack Describes Saying ‘Shema’ Before Rescue.
“Adi Zohar, who was severely injured in a shooting attack last week as she traveled on Route 1 near Maaleh Adumim, spoke Sunday about the miracle she experienced. "Thank G-d, I am slowly recovering," Zohar told the media from her hospital bed. "I had a great miracle, and I want to focus on that. I got my life back.” […]“”He looked at me, I tried to slide down in my seat and I thought about my fetus and I said, 'Shema Yisrael,' and he fired at me, I saw blood on my shirt.” In the first News reading of this incident, I read that Adi said she didn’t know the formalized prayer, she just said it FROM MY HEART! Current article: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/385792
This is what PRAYER was before it was “formalized”. Speaking to G-d from one’s heart; full of emotion and entreaty. This, I propose, is what Hashem wants from His Children, Am Yisrael.
Prayer is returning to its roots
The ancient Israelites were taught by Avraham Avinu, and passed down from Yitzchak Avinu to Yaakov Avinu how to 'pray' (speak) to our Creator. Avraham is credited with Shachris, Yitzchak would be known for Mincha, and Yaakov Maariv.
Because of the dispersal of our ancestors from their Land and the only home they knew, Eretz Yisrael, prayerful words were "formalized" and written down for all Israelites and Yehudim henceforth to be read daily in communication with HKB"H, our Father in Shamayim.
No longer did we have the Shechina close to us in our Temple. (IY"H we hope to see the third Beis soon)
An explanation from Chabad.org:
there was not always formal prayer in Judaism. Until the time of Ezra, each person would pray according to his ability and eloquence. A person who was so inclined would offer many lengthy prayers and requests, and one who was less articulate would pray less. Some would pray once daily; others, several times.
After the destruction of the First Temple and towards the end of the Babylonian Exile, the Jews were dispersed in Persia, Greece and other lands. The Jewish children born in these foreign countries spoke a peculiar mix of Hebrew and other languages, and were unable to express themselves coherently in any one language. In the words of Nehemiah: “Their children spoke half in Ashdodite, and did not know how to speak the Jewish language. Rather, [they would speak] according to the language of various other peoples.”2
This greatly hampered their ability to pray to G‑d in unadulterated Hebrew. When Nehemiah’s co-leader Ezra and his court saw this, they formalized the 18 blessings of the Amidah, which is the heart of the daily prayer service. (The formalized Amidah leaves room for one to express personal requests and prayers.)
At that time, they determined that this formula of standard prayer be said thrice daily, corresponding to the Temple sacrifices.
In truth, even in the centuries between the patriarchs and Ezra, some people prayed three times a day. For example, King David declared, “Evening, morning and noontime, I speak and moan, and He hearkened to my voice.”3 Concerning Daniel, the verse states, “Daniel . . . came to his house, where there were open windows in his upper chamber, opposite Jerusalem, and three times a day he kneeled and prayed and offered thanks before his G‑d, just as he had done prior to this.”4
Thus, Ezra, together with the Men of the Great Assembly, instituted and formalized the prayer routine that had already been practiced by a select few.5
Concerning prayer, the Torah states, “And serve Him with all your heart.”6 The sages explain: “What is the service of the heart? This is prayer.”7 Thus, while the words and order are extremely important, don’t lose sight of the fact that the most important ingredient in prayer is the part that comes from your heart. [about the "Heart", see below from Mayim Achronim]
see also Prayer is returning to its Roots PART II (separate post)
It has been assumed that the source of all thought, prayer, and heart, stemmed from the BRAIN, and that the heart was just another organ. But we can read from recent scientific studies that the heart contains a "mini brain". This is important in many respects, especially when determining "time of death" in halachic terms.
In this respect, see also Mishkan Kabbalah = "Although Binah is a mental faculty, it is also associated with the heart. Today, scientists know that the heart has a neural network of its own, and may indeed play some role in our emotions and unconscious. The heart has even been called “the little brain” by some researchers. Thus, Binah is a fitting place for the circulatory system. Binah is described as the “mother” that gives birth to the Sefirot below and keeps them nourished....."
Continuing in dialogue about the Prayers of Am Yisrael:
Concerning prayer, the Torah states, “And serve Him with all your heart.”6 The sages explain: “What is the service of the heart? This is prayer.”7 Thus, while the words and order are extremely important, don’t lose sight of the fact that the most important ingredient in prayer is the part that comes from your heart.
About Nechemiah ben Chachalyah:
A minister in the Persian King Artaxerxes' court, he returned to Israel in 335 BCE to strengthen the fledgling Jewish commonwealth. Under his leadership, the walls surrounding Jerusalem were rebuilt, increasing the city's security against its hostile neighbors. Together with Ezra, he reintroduced the observance of laws of the Torah, many of which had been forgotten in exile.
Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah (Nechemiah ben Chachalyah) was appointed as the governor of Israel by the Persian king Darius during the beginning of the Second Temple period. He was instrumental in rebuilding the defenses of Jerusalem and the surrounding area and provided much-needed stability and management to the fledgling Jewish community who had just returned there from Babylon.
THE FOLLOWING IS THE (Chabad) ENGLISH VERSION OF THE VIDEO I POSTED FROM IR DAVID IN IVRIT: https://habayitah.blogspot.com/2024/02/yerushalayim-my-yerushalayim.html
One day, in the 20th year of the reign of King Darius, Nehemiah was speaking to his friend Hanani. He asked Hanani how the Jews who had journeyed to Israel years earlier were doing. The Temple had been rebuilt more than 12 years before this, and the Jews of Babylon were eager to hear news of their fellow Jews’ lives.
Hanani related to him how the Samaritans of the area had been enraged by the completion of the Temple and had descended on Jerusalem, destroying the walls and ransacking the city. The situation was worsening by the day.4
Overcome with sadness, Nehemiah began fasting and weeping. His grief continued unabated for several days. He prayed to G‑d to help his brethren in Israel, to forgive them for their unfaithfulness and to fulfill His promise to gather all the Jews back to the land of Israel.5
The next month, Nehemiah was called in to serve King Darius wine. Despite his best efforts, his grief could not be contained, and King Darius realized immediately that something was wrong. After being pressed to share what was on his mind, Nehemiah told the king that the plight of the Jews in Israel weighed heavily upon him, and that he wished more than anything else to travel to Israel, with the permission of the king, in order to assist the Jews with rebuilding the city and protecting them from their enemies.6
Moved by his sincerity, Darius allowed Nehemiah to travel to Israel, giving him travel permission, and timber from the royal storehouse to be used for roofing. Accompanied by an armed royal escort, Nehemiah gathered a few of his friends and set out for Jerusalem.7
Three days after arriving in Jerusalem, Nehemiah went on a secretive night excursion to evaluate the damage to the city walls and assess the possibility of repairing them. He traveled up and down the length of the wall, noting the areas that had been breached and the towers that had been burned. Although it was painful to see, the evaluation of the extent of the damage also gave him room to hope.8
The next morning, Nehemiah gathered the leaders of the Jewish tribes and exhorted them to begin rebuilding the walls so that they would be protected from their enemies. He told them of the approval that he had received from King Darius and of the supplies that he had been given.
Strengthened by his words and the support of the king, the people feverishly began rebuilding the walls.9 They divided the wall into sections, with each family and tribe responsible for the repair of one section.10
When the Samaritans, headed by a man named Sanballat, heard that the Jews were attempting to rebuild the walls, they became enraged. They organized a force of fighters to attack the builders and prevent the wall from being rebuilt. The idea that a group of refugees could gain independence and military security was not something they were willing to tolerate.11
Knowing of the danger, Nehemiah took steps to protect the workers and allow the project to continue. He split the men into two groups, one of which would always be armed and would stand guard, while the second one continued the work. He also gave each group trumpets to blast in case of attack, so that the other defenders could rally to them quickly. Additionally, everyone was encouraged to sleep in Jerusalem during the construction, even if they lived in other towns, so that the could join the night guard. Nehemiah himself took part, standing guard night and day.12
The work continued unabated for 52 days, morning to night. Finally, the wall had been completely re-enclosed. It still only stood at half its previous height but had no more breaches or openings. Only the doors of the gates were yet to be completed. Finally, after years of fear, the Jews of Jerusalem felt secure.
One of the primary issues that Nehemiah had to deal with was the staggering wealth inequality. The widespread poverty in the land had forced many to borrow large sums of money from the wealthy. Later, when they were unable to pay the debt back, they had to pawn off all their possessions one by one in order to repay their loans. The situation had deteriorated to the extent that some of the poverty-stricken populace had already sold their daughters into slavery to pay off their debts. With mounting debt and no source of income now that their fields and vineyards had been repossessed, many of the Jews had no way of pulling themselves out of the red. With no other recourse, many saw no options other than selling themselves as slaves.13
Nehemiah immediately set out to rectify this. He gathered the nobles and wealthy men and began berating them in front of a large crowd. He reminded them of how money was being continuously raised to buy back Jews from slavery, and that their actions were likely to force many of their brethren to sell themselves as slaves voluntarily.
Leading by example, Nehemiah announced that he would forgo all money owed to him by the poor, and would be returning any property that he had collected from them in lieu of payment. He encouraged the wealthy that had gathered there to do the same.
His words were heeded, and those gathered there agreed to return all confiscated property and forgo any outstanding debts. This drastic reform allowed many a clean slate and jump-started the economy of the land.14
Additionally, Nehemiah refused to accept payment for the entirety of his tenure as governor of Jerusalem. This was in stark contrast to his predecessors, who had used their power to levy high taxes to support lavish lifestyles. Nehemiah also hosted more than 150 people daily for meals, paid for from his own pocket.15
After 12 years16 of serving as the governor of Jerusalem, long overstaying the date that he had originally been given, Nehemiah returned to Babylon to King Darius. After a short time there, Nehemiah once again begged to return to Jerusalem and resume his duties. Once again his request was granted.
Although he had not been gone that long, Nehemiah returned to find that Tobiah, an Ammonite official and an enemy of Nehemiah who had opposed the rebuilding of the walls, had actually been given a room in the Temple for his possessions. That room had housed many important items, including the money allotted to pay the Levites for their time in the Temple. With no payment forthcoming, the Levites had abandoned their posts and returned to their homes to work their fields.
Overcome with rage, Nehemiah had all of Tobiah’s possessions thrown out of the room and the entire room purified. He ordered that the Levites be paid once again, and coaxed them to return to their posts. He also doubled down on tithes, making sure that they were properly collected and sent to the Temple.
Then he appointed new officials to be in charge of the rooms of the Temple, trustworthy men who would not do such a thing again.17
The observance of the Sabbath had slowly eroded over the time that the exiles had returned to Jerusalem, and despite his best efforts, Ezra had been unsuccessful in reversing the tide. During Nehemiah’s absence things had deteriorated even further. It was common to see people crushing grapes on the Sabbath, and vendors publicly displayed their wares for sale.18
Nehemiah tackled the problem from another angle, using practical obstacles and preventative edicts to change the culture, rather than relying solely on Ezra’s methods of inspiration and education. He instructed that the gates of Jerusalem be closed at sunset on Friday evening and remain locked throughout the Sabbath. This ensured that merchants and vendors could not bring in their goods to sell. Many a merchant was forced to spend the Sabbath outside the city walls. If Nehemiah saw vendors arriving on the Sabbath, he warned them not to do so again. Levites were posted at all the gates to make sure that no one entered on the Sabbath.19
He also convened the court and instituted the laws of muktzeh, forbidding handling certain items on the Sabbath.20 These restrictions helped curb the transgression of the Sabbath in a very short period of time.
He also convened the court and instituted the laws of muktzeh, forbidding handling certain items on the Sabbath.20 These restrictions helped curb the transgression of the Sabbath in a very short period of time.
SOURCE and FOOTNOTES: https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/4166033/jewish/Nehemiah.htm
"Three in one" tour
Yishmael: Origins of Evil
There is ultimately only one way to prevent the massive destruction of areas of major Lebanese cities, and that is for Hezbollah to remove the rockets and missiles embedded in those areas. Op-ed.
If Hezbollah doesn't remove the rockets and missiles it has embedded in Beirut and other populated areas of Lebanon, those areas will be turned into moonscapes, which will make Gaza, by comparison, seem like Paradise.
To be clear:
We won't turn those areas into a moonscape as punishment.
We will do this because the rockets and missiles are so deeply embedded inside the civilian population that even precision attacks will level the areas.
We have no choice.
The devastation we could suffer in a full-scale battle with Hezbollah is unprecedented.
We are being warned to expect no electricity for days, and that some areas may have no power for many weeks.The Israeli authorities are starting to provide a glimpse of what we are facing, and the public is reacting.
The Ministry of Health is scrambling to arrange solutions for the many tens of thousands of Israelis who rely on oxygen concentrators to survive.
People are buying battery systems that include solar panels to recharge them
And since the telephone system and mobile towers will crash in areas with extended blackout periods, many who must maintain constant contact with the world are buying telephones and modems that communicate via satellite.
It is finally sinking in that when this full-scale battle takes place, we will not have the resources to even attempt to intercept rockets and missiles on the way to hitting non-strategic targets.
Indeed, it is a nightmare scenario.
But a real one.
There is ultimately only one way to prevent the massive destruction of areas of major Lebanese cities, and that is for Hezbollah to remove the rockets and missiles embedded in those areas.
I say "ultimately" because even if there is some kind of deal that pulls back Hezbollah from our border, those rockets and missiles will continue to be a clear and present danger.
The only question is if on "judgment day," our leadership chooses to take the initiative in a surprise attack, which will save thousands of Israeli lives and a huge chunk of our economy.
Because that is the difference in the destruction we will endure between a surprise Israeli attack and an Israeli response.
And I will add an important note: if we are as clueless about Hezbollah as it turned out we were clueless about Hamas, then this makes weighing the options that much more difficult for our policymakers.
Dr. Aaron Lerner heads Independent Media Review Analysis., founded with his late father Joseph in 1982
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/385821
For years, the media has portrayed Israel's hilltop youth, settlers and pioneering families as extremists, while ignoring the daily re...
