Parsha Re’eh Part 3
Parsha Re’eh through Ki Savo is one
speech. I love to present new ideas each year as I mellow and get better and
not to rely on old ideas and copy and paste unless there is an emergency. So
this week we continue on with the ending of this Parsha, last week’s Parsha and
this week’s Parsha.
15:1
At the end of every seven years thou shalt make a release. 2 And
this is the manner of the release: every creditor shall release that which he
hath lent unto his neighbor; he shall not exact it of his neighbor and his
brother; because the LORD'S release hath been proclaimed. 3 Of a
foreigner thou mayest exact it; but whatsoever of thine is with thy brother thy
hand shall release. 4 Howbeit there shall be no needy among
you--for the LORD will surely bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God
giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it-- 5 if only thou
diligently hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all
this commandment which I command thee this day. 6 For the LORD
thy God will bless thee, as He promised thee; and thou shalt lend unto many
nations, but thou shalt not borrow; and thou shalt rule over many nations, but
they shall not rule over thee.
You shall be wealthy enough to lend
out money and never borrow if you follow the commandments.
7 If there be among you a needy man, one of thy brethren, within
any of thy gates, in thy land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt
not harden thy heart, nor shut thy hand from thy needy brother; 8
but thou shalt surely open thy hand unto him, and shalt surely lend him
sufficient for his need in that which he wants. 9 Beware that
there be not a base thought in thy heart, saying: 'The seventh year, the year
of release, is at hand'; and thine eye be evil against thy needy brother, and
thou give him nought; and he cry unto the LORD against thee, and it be sin in
thee. 10 Thou shalt surely give him, and thy heart shall not be
grieved when thou give unto him; because that for this thing the LORD thy God
will bless thee in all thy work, and in all that thou put thy hand unto. 11 For the poor shall never cease out of the land; therefore I
command thee, saying: 'Thou shalt surely open thy hand unto thy poor and needy
brother, in thy land.'
First always give to the needy. One
cannot give all the time to all as second, there will always be poor. The poor
of your city come first.
12 If thy brother, a Hebrew man, or a Hebrew woman, be sold unto
thee, he shall serve thee six years; and in the seventh year thou shalt let him
go free from thee. 13 And when thou let him go free from thee,
thou shalt not let him go empty; 14 thou shalt furnish him
liberally out of thy flock, and out of thy threshing-floor, and out of thy
winepress; of that wherewith the LORD thy God hath blessed thee thou shalt give
unto him. 15 And thou shalt remember that thou were a bondman in
the land of Egypt, and the LORD thy God redeemed thee; therefore I command thee
this thing to-day.
He was sold to you for debit or
stealing; now he has worked six years and deserves worker’s compensation so
that he can get a fresh start.
16
And it shall be, if he say unto thee: 'I will not go out from thee'; because he
loveth thee and thy house, because he fares well with thee; 17
then thou shalt take an awl, and thrust it through his ear and into the door,
and he shall be thy bondman forever. And also unto thy bondwoman thou shalt do
likewise. 18 It shall not seem hard unto thee, when thou let him
go free from thee; for to the double of the hire of a hireling hath he served
thee six years; and the LORD thy God will bless thee in all that thou do.
The ear that heard I am the L-RD
thy G-D on Sinai should get bored through as he has placed you as his master instead
of his CREATOR.
19 All the firstling males that are born of thy herd and of thy
flock thou shalt sanctify unto the LORD thy God; thou shalt do no work with the
firstling of thine ox, nor shear the firstling of thy flock.
They belong to a Cohain. Today, we
have no Korban Bechor without the Mikdash in Yerushalayim or no Temple no
Sacrifice therefore the Jewish Farmers make a fiction of a Cohain Partner with
the pregnant animal and everybody is happy.
20
Thou shalt eat it before the LORD thy God year by year in the place which the
LORD shall choose, thou and thy household. 21 And if there be
any blemish therein, lameness, or blindness, any ill blemish whatsoever, thou
shalt not sacrifice it unto the LORD thy God. 22 Thou shalt eat
it within thy gates; the unclean and the clean may eat it alike, as the
gazelle, and as the hart. 23 Only thou shalt not eat the blood
thereof; thou shalt pour it out upon the ground as water.
The eating of blood is forbidden
and perhaps the most vicious antisemitic lies is the one of using blood of
children to bake Matzos.
16:1
Observe the month of Abib, and keep the passover unto the LORD thy God; for in
the month of Abib the LORD thy God brought thee forth out of Egypt by night. 2
And thou shalt sacrifice the passover-offering unto the LORD thy God, of the
flock and the herd, in the place which the LORD shall choose to cause His name
to dwell there. 3 Thou shalt eat no leavened bread with it; seven days shalt
thou eat unleavened bread therewith, even the bread of affliction; for in haste
didst thou come forth out of the land of Egypt; that thou mayest remember the
day when thou came forth out of the land of Egypt all the days of thy life.
The main thing is to bring a Korban
Pesach to the chosen place – in the future the Mikdash in Yerushalayim. There
shall be no leavened bread in your possession. You shall remember the day of
the Exodus all your life.
4
And there shall be no leaven seen with thee in all they borders seven days;
neither shall any of the flesh, which thou sacrifice the first day at even,
remain all night until the morning.
You should not find or see leaven
on your property but if so much leaven we left for the birds before Pesach in a
public place it is not yours.
5
Thou mayest not sacrifice the passover-offering within any of thy gates, which
the LORD thy God giveth thee; 6 but at the place which the LORD thy God shall
choose to cause His name to dwell in, there thou shalt sacrifice the
passover-offering at even, at the going down of the sun, at the season that
thou came forth out of Egypt. 7 And thou shalt roast and eat it in the place
which the LORD thy God shall choose; and thou shalt turn in the morning, and go
unto thy tents. 8 Six days thou shalt eat unleavened bread; and on the seventh
day shall be a solemn assembly to the LORD thy God; thou shalt do no work
therein.
The first and seventh day are Yomim
Tovim.
9
Seven weeks shalt thou number unto thee; from the time the sickle is first put
to the standing corn shalt thou begin to number seven weeks. 10 And thou shalt
keep the feast of weeks unto the LORD thy God after the measure of the
freewill-offering of thy hand, which thou shalt give, according as the LORD thy
God blesses thee. 11 And thou shalt rejoice before the LORD thy God, thou, and
thy son, and thy daughter, and thy man-servant, and thy maid-servant, and the
Levite that is within thy gates, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the
widow, that are in the midst of thee, in the place which the LORD thy God shall
choose to cause His name to dwell there. 12 And thou shalt remember that thou were
a bondman in Egypt; and thou shalt observe and do these statutes.
All of Am Yisrael shall rejoice on
the feast of Shavuos.
13
Thou shalt keep the feast of tabernacles seven days, after that thou hast
gathered in from thy threshing-floor and from thy winepress. 14 And thou shalt
rejoice in thy feast, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy man-servant,
and thy maid-servant, and the Levite, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and
the widow, that are within thy gates. 15 Seven days shalt thou keep a feast
unto the LORD thy God in the place which the LORD shall choose; because the
LORD thy God shall bless thee in all thine increase, and in all the work of thy
hands, and thou shalt be altogether joyful. 16 Three times in a year shall all
thy males appear before the LORD thy God in the place which He shall choose; on
the feast of unleavened bread, and on the feast of weeks, and on the feast of
tabernacles; and they shall not appear before the LORD empty; 17 every man
shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD thy God which
He hath given thee.
Sukkos is the third and last of the Oleh Regel (walking up to
Yerushalayim).
Parsha Shoftim
Up until this point in Sefer Devarim we have discussed a lot of
things but not the choosing of righteous men to be judges and police officers.
16:18
Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, which the LORD thy
God giveth thee, tribe by tribe; and they shall judge the people with righteous
judgment. 19 Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons;
neither shalt thou take a gift; for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and
pervert the words of the righteous. 20 Justice, justice shalt thou follow, that
thou mayest live, and inherit the land which the LORD thy God gives thee.
Often Rabbinical Judges would
excuse themselves if one of the complainants even did so much as dust off their
jacket along with others during a sandstorm.
21
Thou shalt not plant thee an Asherah of any kind of tree beside the altar of
the LORD thy God, which thou shalt make thee. 22 Neither shalt thou set thee up
a pillar, which the LORD thy God hates.
Certain trees grow in the desert
next to some natural water source or well or a lone tree on a mountain top that
in days gone bye became objects of worship. One was forbidden to plant them
near a Mizbayach or put up a pillar. But Yacov put up a pillar, but it was to
be the foundation of Beis HASHEM. No a special pillar for worship.
17:1
You shalt not sacrifice unto the LORD thy God an ox, or a sheep, wherein is a
blemish, even any evil thing; for that is an abomination unto the LORD thy God.
All Korbanos had to be whole in
body.
2 If
there be found in the midst of thee, within any of thy gates which the LORD thy
God giveth thee, man or woman, that doeth that which is evil in the sight of
the LORD thy God, in transgressing His covenant, 3 and hath gone and served
other gods, and worshipped them, or the sun, or the moon, or any of the host of
heaven, which I have commanded not; 4 and it be told thee, and thou hear it,
then shalt thou inquire diligently, and, behold, if it be true, and the thing
certain, that such abomination is wrought in Israel; 5 then shalt thou bring
forth that man or that woman, who have done this evil thing, unto thy gates,
even the man or the woman; and thou shalt stone them with stones, that they
die. 6 At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is to
die be put to death; at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death.
7 The hand of the witnesses shall be first upon him to put him to death, and
afterward the hand of all the people. So thou shalt put away the evil from the
midst of thee.
Any idolatry deserves the death
penalty.
8 If
there arise a matter too hard for thee in judgment, between blood and blood,
between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke, even matters of
controversy within thy gates; then shalt thou arise, and get thee up unto the
place which the LORD thy God shall choose. 9 And thou shall come unto the
priests the Levites, and unto the judge that shall be in those days; and thou
shalt inquire; and they shall declare unto thee the sentence of judgment.
The death sentence was rare perhaps
once or less in 70years and inquires were made to certify the witnesses, time,
date and hour. Afterwards, the sin causing the death penalty was inquired into.
10
And thou shalt do according to the tenor of the sentence, which they shall
declare unto thee from that place which the LORD shall choose; and thou shalt
observe to do according to all that they shall teach thee. 11 According to the
law which they shall teach thee, and according to the judgment which they shall
tell thee, thou shalt do; thou shalt not turn aside from the sentence which
they shall declare unto thee, to the right hand, nor to the left. 12 And the
man that doeth presumptuously, in not hearkening unto the priest that stands to
minister there before the LORD thy God, or unto the judge, even that man shall die;
and thou shalt exterminate the evil from Israel. 13 And all the people shall
hear, and fear, and do no more presumptuously.
You should worship in the place of
the Mishkan/Mikdash. You should follow the Chacham/Judge/Cohain who advices you
on Torah Matters.
14
When thou art come unto the land which the LORD thy God gives thee, and shalt
possess it, and shalt dwell therein; and shalt say: 'I will set a king over me,
like all the nations that are round about me'; 15 thou shalt in any wise set
him king over thee, whom the LORD thy God shall choose; one from among thy
brethren shalt thou set king over thee; thou mayest not put a foreigner over
thee, who is not thy brother. 16 Only he shall not multiply horses to himself,
nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply
horses; forasmuch as the LORD hath said unto you: 'Ye shall henceforth return
no more that way.'
No matter how qualified the person
is, only a Ben Yisrael can be king. There is a warning about too many wives or
horses (call them automobiles today). Shlomo HaMelech had horses but the too
many wives turned his head.
17
Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away;
neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.
He did not have enough time to see
what all his wives or concubines were doing. Even if he did not know what they
did in secret, he was blamed for their idolatry. Silver and gold were necessary
for maintaining weapons, building roads, schools, housing for the sick so that
doctors or maternity wards could exist and other public buildings like
Synagogues.
18
And it shall be, when he sits upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall
write him a copy of this law in a book, out of that which is before the priests
the Levites. 19 And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the
days of his life; that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the
words of this law and these statutes, to do them;
It is interpreted that two Sifrei
Torah. One for the Cohanim and Leviim. The other with him all the time being
for war or searching for advice.
20
that his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside
from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left; to the end that he may
prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his children, in the midst of Israel.
Dovid Melech Yisrael was short in
statute. He was humble most of the days of his life and acted like one of the
people – not snobby.
18:1
The priests the Levites, even all the tribe of Levi, shall have no portion nor
inheritance with Israel; they shall eat the offerings of the LORD made by fire,
and His inheritance. 2 And they shall have no inheritance among their brethren;
the LORD is their inheritance, as He hath spoken unto them.
They had 24 cities for Leviim but
no inheritance among the tribes.
3
And this shall be the priests' due from the people, from them that offer a
sacrifice, whether it be ox or sheep, that they shall give unto the priest the
shoulder, and the two cheeks, and the maw. 4 The first-fruits of thy corn, of
thy wine, and of thine oil, and the first of the fleece of thy sheep, shalt
thou give him. 5 For the LORD thy God hath chosen him out of all thy tribes, to
stand to minister in the name of the LORD, him and his sons forever.
The Cohain/Cohanim shall receive
these gifts and Teruma Gadol and Teruma from the Maaser of the Levi.
6
And if a Levite come from any of thy gates out of all Israel, where he sojourned,
and come with all the desire of his soul unto the place which the LORD shall
choose; 7 then he shall minister in the name of the LORD his God, as all his
brethren the Levites do, who stand there before the LORD. 8 They shall have
like portions to eat, beside that which is his due according to the fathers'
houses.
If a Levite comes. I might think that Scripture is speaking of anyone who is definitely a member of the tribe of Levi, whether priest or Levite. Scripture therefore states: “and serve.” This excludes the Levites, who are not fit
for priestly service. He may come whenever his
soul desires…and serve. This teaches us that a priest may come and offer up his own voluntary or obligatory
sacrifices even when it is not his weekly shift that is officiating. Another explanation: It also teaches us that the priests who come
to the Temple for the pilgrim festival
offer up the sacrifices with the officiating shift, performing the service of the sacrifices associated with
that festival, such as the additional sacrifices, even though it is not their
shift that is on duty.
There was 24 cities of Leviim and 24 Mishmoros (shifts) of
Cohanim coming from different places in Eretz Yisrael.
9
When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God gives you, thou shalt
not learn to do after the abominations of those nations. 10 There shall not be
found among you any one that makes his son or his daughter to pass through the
fire, one that uses divination, a soothsayer, or an enchanter, or a sorcerer,
11 or a charmer, or one that consults a ghost or a familiar spirit, or a
necromancer. 12 For whosoever doeth these things is an abomination unto the
LORD; and because of these abominations the LORD thy God is driving them out
from before thee.
Most of these things are either
connected with con-artists and tricksters like some spoon benders today or
perhaps negative spiritual energy called the “dark side” in Star Wars. They
have remnants of idolatry in that we don’t trust in prayers and HASHEM.
13
Thou shalt be whole-hearted with the LORD thy God.
No and’s, if’s or but’s but serve
HASHEM with all your heart and might.
14
For these nations, that thou art to dispossess, hearken unto soothsayers, and
unto diviners; but as for thee, the LORD thy God hath not suffered thee so to
do. 15 A prophet will the LORD thy God raise up unto thee, from the midst of
thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken; 16 according to
all that thou didst desire of the LORD thy God in Horeb in the day of the
assembly, saying: 'Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God, neither
let me see this great fire any more, that I die not.' 17 And the LORD said unto
me: 'They have well said that which they have spoken. 18 I will raise them up a
prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee; and I will put My words in
his mouth, and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. 19 And it
shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto My words which he
shall speak in My name, I will require it of him. 20 But the prophet, that
shall speak a word presumptuously in My name, which I have not commanded him to
speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall
die.'
The one that has signs and wonders
in the name of anybody else but HASHEM is practicing Idolatry and deserves
death.
21
And if thou say in thy heart: 'How shall we know the word which the LORD hath
not spoken?' 22 When a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the thing
follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken;
the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously, thou shalt not be afraid of him.
Most cult leaders know how to
manipulate people bestirring awe and perhaps fear in them. But as soon as they
go against HASHEM, they shall be destroyed.
19:1
When the LORD thy God shall cut off the nations, whose land the LORD thy God
gives thee, and thou dost succeed them, and dwell in their cities, and in their
houses; 2 thou shalt separate three cities for thee in the midst of thy land,
which the LORD thy GOD giveth thee to possess it. 3 Thou shalt prepare thee the
way, and divide the borders of thy land, which the LORD thy God causes thee to
inherit, into three parts, that every manslayer may flee thither. 4 And this is
the case of the manslayer, that shall flee thither and live: whoso kills his
neighbor unawares, and hated him not in time past; 5 as when a man goes into
the forest with his neighbor to hew wood, and his hand fetches a stroke with
the axe to cut down the tree, and the head slips from the helve, and lights
upon his neighbor, that he die; he shall flee unto one of these cities and
live; 6 lest the avenger of blood pursue the manslayer, while his heart is hot,
and overtake him, because the way is long, and smite him mortally; whereas he
was not deserving of death, inasmuch as he hated him not in time past.
It is a mitzvah to establish cities
of refuge for the accidental manslaughter.
7
Wherefore I command thee, saying: 'Thou shalt separate three cities for thee.'
8 And if the LORD thy God enlarge thy border, as He hath sworn unto thy fathers,
and give thee all the land which He promised to give unto thy fathers-- 9 if
thou shalt keep all this commandment to do it, which I command thee this day,
to love the LORD thy God, and to walk ever in His ways--then shalt thou add
three cities more for thee, beside these three; 10 that innocent blood be not
shed in the midst of thy land, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an
inheritance, and so blood be upon thee.
These people deserve exile for not
guarding safety but not to be killed by the avenger of blood. [Since people
lived in tribes, chances are they were most likely related maybe distantly.]
11
But if any man hate his neighbor, and lie in wait for him, and rise up against
him, and smite him mortally that he die; and he flee into one of these cities;
12 then the elders of his city shall send and fetch him thence, and deliver him
into the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die. 13 Thine eye shall not
pity him, but thou shalt put away the blood of the innocent from Israel, that
it may go well with thee.
However somebody who commits murder,
shall be warned by witnesses and killed.
14
Thou shalt not remove thy neighbor’s landmark, which they of old time have set,
in thine inheritance which thou shalt inherit, in the land that the LORD thy
God giveth thee to possess it.
The is a difference if a contractor
does it or on purpose. Still it should be rectified if possible.
15
One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin,
in any sin that he sins; at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of
three witnesses, shall a matter be established.
At least two witnesses otherwise it is a he said; she said battle.
16
If an unrighteous witness rise up against any man to bear perverted witness
against him; 17 then both the men, between whom the controversy is, shall stand
before the LORD, before the priests and the judges that shall be in those days.
18 And the judges shall inquire diligently; and, behold, if the witness be a
false witness, and hath testified falsely against his brother; 19 then shall ye
do unto him, as he had purposed to do unto his brother; so shalt thou put away
the evil from the midst of thee. 20 And those that remain shall hear, and fear,
and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil in the midst of thee. 21 And
thine eye shall not pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for
hand, foot for foot.
Judges must be impartial and
neither have pity on somebody or take revenge but go according to the Torah and
Halacha only.
20:1
When thou go forth to battle against thine enemies, and see horses, and
chariots, and a people more than thou, thou shalt not be afraid of them; for
the LORD thy God is with thee, who brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. 2
And it shall be, when ye draw nigh unto the battle, that the priest shall
approach and speak unto the people, 3 and shall say unto them: 'Hear, O Israel,
ye draw nigh this day unto battle against your enemies; let not your heart
faint; fear not, nor be alarmed, neither be ye affrighted at them; 4 for the
LORD your God is He that goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies,
to save you.' 5 And the officers shall speak unto the people, saying: 'What man
is there that hath built a new house, and hath not dedicated it? let him go and
return to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man dedicate it. 6
And what man is there that hath planted a vineyard, and hath not used the fruit
thereof? let him go and return unto his house, lest he die in the battle, and
another man use the fruit thereof. 7 And what man is there that hath betrothed
a wife, and hath not taken her? let him go and return unto his house, lest he
die in the battle, and another man take her.' 8 And the officers shall speak
further unto the people, and they shall say: 'What man is there that is fearful
and faint-hearted? let him go and return unto his house, lest his brethren's
heart melt as his heart.' 9 And it shall be, when the officers have made an end
of speaking unto the people, that captains of hosts shall be appointed at the
head of the people.
This is a war for conquest but not
a Mitzvah War for the later has no exemptions even a groom from the bridal
chamber. There were always in the army those who prayed and learned for
success.
10
When thou draw nigh unto a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace unto
it. 11 And it shall be, if it make thee answer of peace, and open unto thee,
then it shall be, that all the people that are found therein shall become
tributary unto thee, and shall serve thee. 12 And if it will make no peace with
thee, but will make war against thee, then thou shalt besiege it. 13 And when
the LORD thy God delivers it into thy hand, thou shalt smite every male thereof
with the edge of the sword; 14 but the women, and the little ones, and the
cattle, and all that is in the city, even all the spoil thereof, shalt thou
take for a prey unto thyself; and thou shalt eat the spoil of thine enemies,
which the LORD thy God hath given thee. 15 Thus shalt thou do unto all the
cities which are very far off from thee, which are not of the cities of these
nations. 16 Howbeit of the cities of these peoples, that the LORD thy God
giveth thee for an inheritance, thou shalt save alive nothing that breathes. 17
but thou shalt utterly destroy them: the Hittite, and the Amorite, the
Canaanite, and the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite; as the LORD thy God
hath commanded thee; 18 that they teach you not to do after all their
abominations, which they have done unto their gods, and so ye sin against the
LORD your God.
Theoretically we could take Gaza
this way, but it is not done this way in modern times.
19
When thou shalt besiege a city a long time, in making war against it to take
it, thou shalt not destroy the trees thereof by wielding an axe against them;
for thou mayest eat of them, but thou shalt not cut them down; for is the tree
of the field man, that it should be besieged of thee? 20 Only the trees of
which thou know that they are not trees for food, them thou mayest destroy and
cut down, that thou mayest build bulwarks against the city that makes war with
thee, until it fall.
You should leave the trees for
fruits in the area.
21:1
If one be found slain in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee to possess
it, lying in the field, and it be not known who hath smitten him; 2 then thy
elders and thy judges shall come forth, and they shall measure unto the cities
which are round about him that is slain. 3 And it shall be, that the city which
is nearest unto the slain man, even the elders of that city shall take a heifer
of the herd, which hath not been wrought with, and which hath not drawn in the
yoke. 4 And the elders of that city shall bring down the heifer unto a rough
valley, which may neither be plowed nor sown, and shall break the heifer's neck
there in the valley. 5 And the priests the sons of Levi shall come near--for
them the LORD thy God hath chosen to minister unto Him, and to bless in the
name of the LORD; and according to their word shall every controversy and every
stroke be. 6 And all the elders of that city, who are nearest unto the slain
man, shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the
valley. 7 And they shall speak and say: 'Our hands have not shed this blood,
neither have our eyes seen it. 8 Forgive, O LORD, Thy people Israel, whom Thou
hast redeemed, and suffer not innocent blood to remain in the midst of Thy
people Israel.' And the blood shall be forgiven them. 9 So shalt thou put away
the innocent blood from the midst of thee, when thou shalt do that which is
right in the eyes of the LORD.
This Din of Egel Arufa (calf whose
neck is broken) stems for the lack of accompanying the stranger on his way out
of the city. To protect him from local thieves and bandits. It also prevents
medical emergencies if accompanied.
Ki Seitzei
21:10 When thou go forth to battle against thine
enemies, and the LORD thy God delivers them into thy hands, and thou carry them
away captive, 11 and see among the captives a woman of goodly form, and thou
hast a desire unto her, and would take her to thee to wife; 12 then thou shalt
bring her home to thy house; and she shall shave her head, and pare her nails;
13 and she shall put the raiment of her captivity from off her, and shall
remain in thy house, and bewail her father and her mother a full month; and
after that thou mayest go in unto her, and be her husband, and she shall be thy
wife. 14 And it shall be, if thou have no delight in her, then thou shalt let her
go whither she will; but thou shalt not sell her at all for money, thou shalt
not deal with her as a slave, because thou hast humbled her.
Your worse enemy is your Yetzer
HaRa. A person sees a beautiful captive with a face and body like a Hollywood Star.
He captures her, humbles her to satisfy his Yetzer. She then has to be given
time to mourn by shaving her hair, mourning her family and letting her nails
grow for a month. Chances are like most coherence women, she will try to take
vengeance on her captor by teaching the son to be a rebellious one against his
father or nagging him on things making herself hatede by her captor.
15
If a man have two wives, the one beloved, and the other hated, and they have
borne him children, both the beloved and the hated; and if the first-born son
be hers that was hated; 16 then it shall be, in the day that he causes his sons
to inherit that which he hath, that he may not make the son of the beloved the
first-born before the son of the hated, who is the first-born; 17 but he shall
acknowledge the first-born, the son of the hated, by giving him a double
portion of all that he hath; for he is the first-fruits of his strength, the
right of the first-born is his.
In such a case, the son of his
first wife whether the captive woman or not gets the double portion.
18
If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, that will not hearken to the voice
of his father, or the voice of his mother, and though they chasten him, will
not hearken unto them; 19 then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him,
and bring him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place;
20 and they shall say unto the elders of his city: 'This our son is stubborn
and rebellious, he doth not hearken to our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard.'
21 And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die; so
shalt thou put away the evil from the midst of thee; and all Israel shall hear,
and fear.
As I mentioned, the captive woman
hates this man and raises their son to hate him. It is possible also with love
turned sour but the juxiposition of the captive woman and the rebellious son
like Avshalom the son of Chaggit seems to bare this out.
22
And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be put to death, and
thou hang him on a tree; 23 his body shall not remain all night upon the tree,
but thou shalt surely bury him the same day; for he that is hanged is a
reproach unto God; that thou defile not thy land which the LORD thy God giveth
thee for an inheritance. 22:1 Thou shalt not see thy brother's ox or his sheep
driven away, and hide thyself from them; thou shalt surely bring them back unto
thy brother. 2 And if thy brother be not nigh unto thee, and thou know him not,
then thou shalt bring it home to thy house, and it shall be with thee until thy
brother require it, and thou shalt restore it to him. 3 And so shalt thou do
with his ass; and so shalt thou do with his garment; and so shalt thou do with
every lost thing of thy brother's, which he hath lost, and thou hast found;
thou mayest not hide thyself.
He desired to die but the diseased
body is made in the Image of G-D and should be treated with honor.
4
Thou shalt not see thy brother's ass or his ox fallen down by the way, and hide
thyself from them; thou shalt surely help him to lift them up again.
This includes a sinner in Yisrael.
Perhaps if he sees a Tzadik helping him when his car breaks down, he will even
repent.
5 A
woman shall not wear that which pertains unto a man, neither shall a man put on
a woman's garment; for whosoever doeth these things is an abomination unto the
LORD thy God.
Just as homosexual behavior is an
abomination (Lev. 18:22, 20:13) so too cross dressing.
6 If
a bird's nest chance to be before thee in the way, in any tree or on the ground,
with young ones or eggs, and the dam sitting upon the young, or upon the eggs,
thou shalt not take the dam with the young; 7 thou shalt in any wise let the
dam go, but the young thou mayest take unto thyself; that it may be well with
thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days.
The birds are kosher and not
domesticated like pigeons, ducks, geese, quail, turkey, etc. One may take the
eggs or fledglings and raise them.
8
When thou build a new house, then thou shalt make a parapet for thy roof, that
thou bring not blood upon thy house, if any man fall from thence.
Safety so that one does not commit
manslaughter.
9
Thou shalt not sow thy vineyard with two kinds of seed; lest the fulness of the
seed which thou hast sown be forfeited together with the increase of the
vineyard.
As with animals, cross breeding is
forbidden. But as with a mule or the Zebra-Donkey in the Biblical Zoo in
Yerushalayim, one can eat a nectarine or drive a mule team.
10
Thou shalt not plow with an ox and an ass together. 11 Thou shalt not wear a
mingled stuff, wool and linen together.
They will not cross breed but
pitting a strong animal vs. a weak animal is forbidden and cruel.
12
Thou shalt make thee twisted cords upon the four corners of thy covering,
wherewith thou cover thyself.
Written at the end of Leviticus
(Vayikra) 15 the mitzvah of Tzitzis to see the fringes, here we are taught if
you have a four cornered garment, it is a mitzvah to put Tzitzis on such a
garment. [Something like an ‘Afghan’ or Poncho.]
13
If any man take a wife, and go in unto her, and hate her, 14 and lay wanton
charges against her, and bring up an evil name upon her, and say: 'I took this
woman, and when I came nigh to her, I found not in her the tokens of
virginity'; 15 then shall the father of the damsel, and her mother, take and
bring forth the tokens of the damsel's virginity unto the elders of the city in
the gate. 16 And the damsel's father shall say unto the elders: 'I gave my
daughter unto this man to wife, and he hates her; 17 and, lo, he hath laid
wanton charges, saying: I found not in thy daughter the tokens of virginity;
and yet these are the tokens of my daughter's virginity.' And they shall spread
the garment before the elders of the city. 18 And the elders of that city shall
take the man and chastise him. 19 And they shall fine him a hundred shekels of
silver, and give them unto the father of the damsel, because he hath brought up
an evil name upon a virgin of Israel; and she shall be his wife; he may not put
her away all his days.
After the bridal night, he humbles
the woman and laid charges against her, he is given a fine for his slander and
has to support her as a wife all his days.
20
But if this thing be true, that the tokens of virginity were not found in the
damsel; 21 then they shall bring out the damsel to the door of her father's
house, and the men of her city shall stone her with stones that she die;
because she hath wrought a wanton deed in Israel, to play the harlot in her
father's house; so shalt thou put away the evil from the midst of thee.
The Halacha is good for the age of
twelve to twelve and a half years. After which, the claim cannot be made. It
was done when engagements were by written contract or money/ring that was
betrothing without consummating the marriage. In Yehuda there was a custom of
women to deflower themselves so that the first act would result in a pregnancy.
Alternately the engagement/betrothal was via living together for a night while
the husband earned enough for a wedding and house. Today all three methods
occur under the Chupa with a ring (money), Ketuvah (contract) and the Yehud
Room (locked in a room together for 5 to 10 minutes). Halachic Betrothals don’t
happen today so no virginity claims or death penalties applicable.
22
If a man be found lying with a woman married to a husband, then they shall both
of them die, the man that lay with the woman, and the woman; so shalt thou put
away the evil from Israel.
Whether Halachically Betrothed or
Married.
23
If there be a damsel that is a virgin betrothed unto a man, and a man find her
in the city, and lie with her; 24 then ye shall bring them both
out unto the gate of that city, and ye shall stone them with stones that they
die: the damsel, because she cried not, being in the city; and the man, because
he hath humbled his neighbor’s wife; so thou shalt put away the evil from the
midst of thee.
I assume this is rape. But the
generation today, it would
be more persuasion and
most likely could not
withstand such a moral test. If they are mature enough, we might want to
encourage them to marry properly per Halacha.
25 But if the man find the damsel that is betrothed in the field,
and the man take hold of her, and lie with her; then the man only that lay with
her shall die. 26 But unto the damsel thou shalt do nothing;
there is in the damsel no sin worthy of death; for as when a man rises against
his neighbor, and slays him, even so is this matter. 27 For he
found her in the field; the betrothed damsel cried, and there was none to save
her.
Either this was a case of rape or
persuasion. No death penalty and depending on the evidence it would have to go
before Beis Din.
28
If a man find a damsel that is a virgin, that is not betrothed, and lay hold on
her, and lie with her, and they be found; 29 then the man that
lay with her shall give unto the damsel's father fifty shekels of silver, and
she shall be his wife, because he hath humbled her; he may not put her away all
his days. 23:1 A man shall not take his father's wife, and shall not uncover his
father's skirt.
It is forbidden to have relations
with a step parent or grandparent.
2 He that is crushed or maimed in his privy
parts shall not enter into the assembly of the LORD.
He is defective to bring a Korban.
3 A
bastard shall not enter into the assembly of the LORD; even to the tenth
generation shall none of his enter into the assembly of the LORD.
He is defective to bring a Korban
for he was born from a forbidden union.
4 An
Ammonite or a Moabite shall not enter into the assembly of the LORD; even to
the tenth generation shall none of them enter into the assembly of the LORD forever;
5 because they met you not with bread and with water in the way, when ye came
forth out of Egypt; and because they hired against thee Balaam the son of Beor
from Pethor of Aram-naharaim, to curse thee. 6 Nevertheless the LORD thy God
would not hearken unto Balaam; but the LORD thy God turned the curse into a
blessing unto thee, because the LORD thy God loved thee. 7 Thou shalt not seek
their peace nor their prosperity all thy days for ever.
The male yes but not the females.
8
Thou shalt not abhor an Edomite, for he is thy brother; thou shalt not abhor an
Egyptian, because thou were a stranger in his land. 9 The children of the third
generation that are born unto them may enter into the assembly of the LORD.
They can undergo conversion and in
the third generation become a ben/bas Yisrael. Nowadays, the people living in
Mitzrayim are not the same people that lived in the time of Pharaoh.
10
When thou go forth in camp against thine enemies, then thou shalt keep thee
from every evil thing. 11 If there be among you any man, that is not clean by
reason of that which chances him by night, then shall he go abroad out of the
camp, he shall not come within the camp. 12 But it shall be, when evening
cometh on, he shall bathe himself in water; and when the sun is down, he may
come within the camp. 13 Thou shalt have a place also without the camp, whither
thou shalt go forth abroad. 14 And thou shalt have a paddle among thy weapons;
and it shall be, when thou sit down abroad, thou shalt dig therewith, and shalt
turn back and cover that which cometh from thee. 15 For the LORD thy God
walketh in the midst of thy camp, to deliver thee, and to give up thine enemies
before thee; therefore shall thy camp be holy; that He see no unseemly thing in
thee, and turn away from thee.
Ritual Purity and covering over
excrement for religious and physical needs/hygiene.
16
Thou shalt not deliver unto his master a bondman that is escaped from his
master unto thee; 17 he shall dwell with thee, in the midst of thee, in the
place which he shall choose within one of thy gates, where it likes him best;
thou shalt not wrong him.
18
There shall be no harlot of the daughters of Israel, neither shall there be a
sodomite of the sons of Israel. 19 Thou shalt not bring the hire of a harlot,
or the price of a dog, into the house of the LORD thy God for any vow; for even
both these are an abomination unto the LORD thy God.
Two different abominations and two
different wages. One is forbidden behavior and the other is earnings of such a
nature that could not be used to purchase a Korban as these are not holy
actions or fees that could be used.
20
Thou shalt not lend upon interest to thy brother: interest of money, interest
of victuals, interest of anything that is lent upon interest. 21 Unto a
foreigner thou mayest lend upon interest; but unto thy brother thou shalt not
lend upon interest; that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all that thou put
thy hand unto, in the land whither thou go in to possess it.
One lends to a bank as a business
contract but to a fellow Jew without interest.
22
When thou shalt vow a vow unto the LORD thy God, thou shalt not be slack to pay
it; for the LORD thy God will surely require it of thee; and it will be sin in
thee. 23 But if thou shalt forbear to vow, it shall be no sin in thee. 24 That
which is gone out of thy lips thou shalt observe and do; according as thou hast
vowed freely unto the LORD thy God, even that which thou hast promised with thy
mouth.
Be true to your word and not a
slacker on payments due.
25
When thou come into thy neighbor's vineyard, then thou mayest eat grapes until
thou have enough at thine own pleasure; but thou shalt not put any in thy
vessel.
We are not allowing the wealthy to
do this but the corner of the field for the poor.
26
When thou come into thy neighbor's standing corn, then thou mayest pluck ears
with thy hand; but thou shalt not move a sickle unto thy neighbor's standing
corn. 24:1 When a man taketh a wife, and marries her, then it cometh to pass,
if she find no favor in his eyes, because he hath found some unseemly thing in
her, that he writes her a bill of divorcement, and giveth it in her hand, and
sends her out of his house, 2 and she departs out of his house, and goes and
becomes another man's wife, 3 and the latter husband hates her, and writes her
a bill of divorcement, and giveth it in her hand, and sends her out of his
house; or if the latter husband die, who took her to be his wife; 4 her former
husband, who sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after that
she is defiled; for that is abomination before the LORD; and thou shalt not
cause the land to sin, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.
Just like a bad business
partnership, a bad marriage partnership should deserve to be dissolved. Beitei
Dinim trying too long to make “Shalom Beis” in the end can damage one or more
children and make it the goal of one or more partners to try to cut corners to
escape a bad marriage.
5
When a man taketh a new wife, he shall not go out in the host, neither shall he
be charged with any business; he shall be free for his house one year, and
shall cheer his wife whom he hath taken.
He is free from military service for a conquering army, but for a
war when danger to the nation occurs, he can be called up immediately. {It is
customary even today to allow a night or a week off.}
6 No
man shall take the mill or the upper millstone to pledge; for he taketh a man's
life to pledge.
One can take things for a pledge
but an item that is his livelihood can only be kept when not in use – example
his laptop computer.
7 If
a man be found stealing any of his brethren of the children of Israel, and he
deal with him as a slave, and sell him; then that thief shall die; so shalt
thou put away the evil from the midst of thee.
You steal you have to compensate.
If one is so dirt poor, then Beis Din shall sell him as a slave.
8
Take heed in the plague of leprosy, that thou observe diligently, and do
according to all that the priests the Levites shall teach you, as I commanded
them, so ye shall observe to do. 9 Remember what the LORD thy God did unto
Miriam, by the way as ye came forth out of Egypt.
In conjunction with Miriam it
appears to warn about Lashon HaRa.
10
When thou dost lend thy neighbor any manner of loan, thou shalt not go into his
house to fetch his pledge. 11 Thou shalt stand without, and the man to whom
thou dost lend shall bring forth the pledge without unto thee. 12 And if he be
a poor man, thou shalt not sleep with his pledge; 13 thou shalt surely restore
to him the pledge when the sun goes down, that he may sleep in his garment, and
bless thee; and it shall be righteousness unto thee before the LORD thy God.
The Torah has mercy on the dirt
poor not the modern person with a lean on some item that he volunteered to
have.
14
Thou shalt not oppress a hired servant that is poor and needy, whether he be of
thy brethren, or of thy strangers that are in thy land within thy gates. 15 In
the same day thou shalt give him his hire, neither shall the sun go down upon
it; for he is poor, and sets his heart upon it: lest he cry against thee unto
the LORD and it be sin in thee.
A daily or migrant worker has to be
paid for his labor. Example a cleaning man or woman today.
16
The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the
children be put to death for the fathers; every man shall be put to death for
his own sin.
No vicarious atonement in the Torah
but everyone is responsible for their own sins. No sin, no punishment!
17
Thou shalt not pervert the justice due to the stranger, or to the fatherless;
nor take the widow's raiment to pledge. 18 But thou shalt remember that thou
were a bondman in Egypt, and the LORD thy God redeemed thee thence; therefore I
command thee to do this thing.
The Torah has compassion on orphans
and widows the weakest in society, so therefore you too should have compassion
on these people.
19
When thou reap thy harvest in thy field, and hast forgot a sheaf in the field,
thou shalt not go back to fetch it; it shall be for the stranger, for the
fatherless, and for the widow; that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the
work of thy hands.
The forgotten sheaf that Boaz left
for the poor in the Book of Ruth and he made sure that his workers followed his
directive.
20
When thou beat thine olive-tree, thou shalt not go over the boughs again; it
shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow. 21 When thou
gather the grapes of thy vineyard, thou shalt not glean it after thee; it shall
be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow. 22 And thou shalt
remember that thou were a bondman in the land of Egypt; therefore I command
thee to do this thing.
The poor shall have access to
olives and oil. One must remember his own family’s poverty of yo.
25:1
If there be a controversy between men, and they come unto judgment, and the
judges judge them, by justifying the righteous, and condemning the wicked, 2
then it shall be, if the wicked man deserve to be beaten, that the judge shall
cause him to lie down, and to be beaten before his face, according to the
measure of his wickedness, by number. 3 Forty stripes he may give him, he shall
not exceed; lest, if he should exceed, and beat him above these with many
stripes, then thy brother should be dishonored before thine eyes.
Each three stripes he shall be examined so as not to cause death
or collapse.
4
Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treads out the corn.
Compassion of the Torah is not only
upon mankind but not to be cruel to animals.
5 If
brethren dwell together, and one of them die, and have no child, the wife of
the dead shall not be married abroad unto one not of his kin; her husband's
brother shall go in unto her, and take her to him to wife, and perform the duty
of a husband's brother unto her. 6 And it shall be, that the first-born that
she bears shall succeed in the name of his brother that is dead, that his name
be not blotted out of Israel. 7 And if the man like not to take his brother's
wife, then his brother's wife shall go up to the gate unto the elders, and say:
'My husband's brother refuses to raise up unto his brother a name in Israel; he
will not perform the duty of a husband's brother unto me.' 8 Then the elders of
his city shall call him, and speak unto him; and if he stand, and say: 'I like
not to take her'; 9 then shall his brother's wife draw nigh unto him in the
presence of the elders, and loose his shoe from off his foot, and spit in his
face; and she shall answer and say: 'So shall it be done unto the man that doth
not build up his brother's house.' 10 And his name shall be called in Israel
the house of him that had his shoe loosed.
A mitzvah of Levirate Marriage
(Yebum) was when the inheritance in the land of Israel went from father to son
or daughter. But now a days, we perform the mitzvah of Hatlitza or the removal
of the shoe. However, if the widow and the brother do move in together based on
the original Ketuvah, we do not tell them no but let the union continue.
11
When men strive together one with another, and the wife of the one draws near
to deliver her husband out of the hand of him that smites him, and puts forth
her hand, and taketh him by the secrets; 12 then thou shalt cut off her hand,
thine eye shall have no pity.
A stiff money fine is given to her.
A woman has no business grabbing the private parts of a man other than her
husband and to the husband not in this way.
13
Thou shalt not have in thy bag diverse weights, a great and a small. 14 Thou
shalt not have in thy house diverse measures, a great and a small. 15 A perfect
and just weight shalt thou have; a perfect and just measure shalt thou have; that
thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. 16 For
all that do such things, even all that do unrighteously, are an abomination
unto the LORD thy God.
Use standard and honest weights and
measures as in Leviticus(Vayikra 19).
17
Remember what Amalek did unto thee by the way as ye came forth out of Egypt; 18
how he met thee by the way, and smote the hindmost of thee, all that were
enfeebled in thy rear, when thou were faint and weary; and he feared not God.
19 Therefore it shall be, when the LORD thy God hath given thee rest from all
thine enemies round about, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for
an inheritance to possess it, that thou shalt blot out the remembrance of
Amalek from under heaven; thou shalt not forget.
One of the Remembrances like
Remember what HASHEM did to Miriam. Remember the Shabbos. This one adds that
one should not forget. A never again like the Inquisition, Holocaust, Hamas
attack, Haman, etc. they are all rooted in Amalek one way or another.
Hidden Miracles
In Sept. 2001, I wrote about an
Israeli Man from Boston who used to travel to California every week for a
business meeting and returned too late to put the child(ren) to bed. His wife
was after him so instead of the 8 O’clock Flight, he flew out at 6AM. He went
to his conference early but did not make it home that night but after a while
he was able to tuck his child(ren) back into bed,
I read this week a story from
Danny S. on Facebook.
A man from Norfolk, Virginia called a local radio
station to share this on Sept 11th, 2003, TWO YEARS AFTER THE TRAGEDIES OF
9/11/2001.
His name was Robert Matthews. These are his words:
A few weeks before Sept. 11th, my wife and I found out we were
going to have our first child. She planned a trip out to California to visit
her sister. On our way to the airport, we prayed that God would grant my wife a
safe trip and be with her. Shortly after I said 'amen,' we both heard a loud
pop and the car shook violently. We had blown out a tire. I replaced the tire
as quickly as I could, but we still missed her flight. Both very upset we drove
home.
I received a call from my father who was retired NYFD. He asked
what my wife's flight number was, but I explained that we missed the flight.
My father informed me that her flight was the one that crashed
into the southern tower. I was too shocked to speak. My father also had more
news for me; he was going to help. 'This is not something I can't just sit by
for; I have to do something.'
I was concerned for his safety, of course, but more because he
had never given his life to G-D. After a brief debate, I knew his mind was made
up. Before he got off of the phone, he said, 'take good care of my grandchild.'
Those were the last words I ever heard my father say; he died while helping in
the rescue effort.
My joy that my prayer of safety for my wife had been answered
quickly became anger. I was angry at G-d, at my father, and at myself. I had
gone for nearly two years blaming G-d for taking my father away. My son would
never know his grandfather, my father had never accepted G-D, and I never got
to say good-bye.
Then something happened. About two months ago, I was sitting at
home with my wife and my son, when there was a knock on the door. I looked at
my wife, but I could tell she wasn't expecting anyone. I opened the door to a
couple with a small child.
The man looked at me and asked if my father's name was Jake
Matthews. I told him it was. He quickly grabbed my hand and said, 'I never got
the chance to meet your father, but it is an honor to meet his son.'
He explained to me that his wife had worked in the World Trade
Center and had been caught inside after the attack. She was pregnant and had
been caught under debris. He then explained that my father had been the one to
find his wife and free her. My eyes welled up with tears as I thought of my
father giving his life for people like this. He then said, 'there is something
else you need to know.'
His wife then told me that as my father worked to free her, she
talked to him and led him to G-D. I began sobbing at the news.
Now I know that when I get to Heaven, my father will be standing
beside Jesus to welcome me, and that this family would be able to thank him
themselves.
When their baby boy was born, they named him Jacob Matthew, in
honor of the man who gave his life so that a mother and baby could live.
Please take time to share this amazing story. You may
never know the impact it may have on someone. G-d doesn't call the qualified,
He qualifies the called.
Dick A. commenting on the Houthis
not quitting:
From a WW2 history site:
The Third Reich was coming undone and Walther Model knew it. He
was stuck in the Ruhr Pocket, his Army Group B surrounded, and things were
going poorly. On April 15, 1945, he was faced with a decision: order his men
into a futile last battle for Hitler's vision, or he could take a
different route. He took the other route.
Model essentially gave Hitler a middle finger. He broke up his
army. Sent home the old men and the boys, go be civilians again, put this
nightmare out of your minds. For the rest, he didn't sugarcoat it: surrender to
the Allies, or try to fight your way out alone. No epic battle, no suicidal
charge. Just reality. And naturally Berlin went nuts. Accused him of being a
traitor. But by then? Too late. He'd already prevented thousands of deaths.
Model did not wish to surrender himself. There would be no trial
and no surrender. Six days later he shot himself in the head. That was it. It
was a messy and cruel end to a general who, in the final instant, chose his men
over a failed government's false ideologies.
A Lesson for Jewish War Combatants from the Sikh
By Rabbi Yerachmiel Tilles
https://ascentofsafed.com/cgi-bin/ascent.cgi?Name=1447-49
Although my parents
originally came from Warsaw, I [Efraim Mol] was born in Belgium in 1938. They
had fled Poland to Brussels in the 1920s in order to escape Communism. In May
1940, the Nazis invaded Belgium, and with their army came the Gestapo. My
parents tried to find safety in Switzerland. Unfortunately, the locals informed
on them, and in 1942 they were sent to Auschwitz, where they perished...
I was spared, thank G-D, and wound up in a Jewish orphanage in Paris. I was 4
years old at the time. I was adopted by non-observant French Jews who raised me
as a good French citizen, but without any Torah education. In 1960, I came to
Israel, to the religious kibbutz Sde Eliyahu in the Beit Shean Valley. That's
when I began to live a life of Torah observance.
Sometime after I
arrived at Sde Eliyahu, I heard for the first time about the Tanya, the seminal
work of Rabbi Schneur-Zalman, the 18th century founder of the Chabad Movement,
and I realized how much more there was to Judaism. While studying the Tanya, I
began to see there is something deeper than Jewish identity, that there's
something that has to do with the soul. I wrote to Kfar Chabad, the Chabad
enclave in Israel, and asked them to send me the lectures of the Rebbe.
In 1962, tapes of
the Rebbe's lectures - farbrengens - began to circulate amongst the Israeli
Chabad chasidim, and they sent some tapes from Kfar Chabad to my kibbutz. I
studied like this for several years, together with my wife, until we left the
kibbutz and moved to Jerusalem, where I connected with Chabad - the person who
helped me in particular was Rabbi Yaakov Tzirkus.
When the Six Day War
began, I was recruited into the IDF, and I served as a sapper, laying and
dismantling landmines. Then came the Yom Kippur War of 1973. During the Yom
Kippur War, I was stationed at Israel's southern border with Sinai. This was
opposite Ismailia, the Egyptian port - literally in the land of Goshen, where
our ancestors lived during the time of Moses.
I was part of the
ongoing operations there, when news came in from the Chief of Staff: "The
Egyptians might attack with chemical weapons, and everyone must have gas masks
ready. Any soldiers with beards must shave, so that the gas mask fits tightly
over the face."
I was one of three
soldiers who had a beard in keeping with the Torah commandment [Levit. 19:27]
not to shave the corners of the face with a razor. And when I heard this order
I said to myself, "How can I possibly remove my beard?" It was like
some terrible nightmare - I could not picture myself without a beard.
In my unit there
were some religious guys from the organization Bnei Akiva. They used a special
shaver that worked like scissors, not a razor. And they said to me,
"Efraim - Jewish law permits you to shave with this machine, and your life
is in danger. Do it!"
I said, "Guys,
a risk to life means when the danger is right before you. But in this case,
they may or may not attack." I just couldn't do it. I couldn't imagine
myself doing it.
I went into the
officers' tent - the company commander of our unit was there, Major Shimon
Yekutiel. Though he was not religious, he liked us a lot - the three of us with
beards. He saw that we never took advantage of religion in order to get out of
military tasks, including on Shabbat when we had to drive in armored combat
vehicles.
I said to him,
"Look, I know there was an order from the Chief of Staff, but I feel that
if I remove my beard, I will no longer be a soldier. I will be a wimp, a
shmatteh-a worthless rag." I also said to him, "Have you ever heard
of Samson? They cut off his hair, and he was powerless. If I remove my beard,
I, too, will be powerless."
He said, "But
it's an order from the Chief of Staff!"
I said, "Have
you heard of the Lubavitcher Rebbe?"
"Yes, I've
heard of him."
"Please let me
ask him whether this constitutes a danger to life. If the Rebbe says that it
does, then I and the other two guys - all three of us - will remove our
beards." He agreed.
I wrote a letter to
the Chabad Youth Organization, to Rabbi Yehosef Ralbag, requesting that he ask
the Rebbe whether this constituted a danger to life. I sent this letter with an
officer who was returning home on leave because his wife had given birth to a
baby. This officer took the letter and said, "Don't worry, I'll take a
taxi and bring it to Chabad in Jerusalem." I awaited a response.
Two nights later,
while I was on guard duty, the field phone rang with the message that I was to
call my wife. When I reached her, my wife said: "Rabbi Tuvia Blau called
that the Rebbe said that there will be no poison gas attack. Do not touch your
beard." The Rebbe also sent a written reply, which read as follows:
1. It is clear that
there will be no poison gas attack.
2. The soldier may take the gas mask, put it on, and demonstrate that the beard
does not obstruct it. Those who hold otherwise either lack knowledge, or
haven't studied the matter in depth, because they don't consider it all that
important.
3. The soldier should present the above points. If, however, these points are
not accepted, then as an extra precaution, to satisfy their opinion, he may
concede by carrying scissors with him and if the need arises, he can remove his
beard in one minute - the same amount of time it would take to put on the gas
mask - if there is an attack of the type which they fear.
P.S. During World
War One, poison gas was widely used, and all the armies, including the British,
used masks. Yet the Indian Sikhs, who fought in the ranks of the British, were
permitted not to remove their beards, and they distinguished themselves in
battle. This should be transmitted to the soldiers, and it may be publicized
immediately.
When my wife read
this to me over the phone, I immediately asked her to send me three pairs of
scissors - one for each of the soldiers with a beard. The next day, I went into
the commander's tent, and I told him, "The Rebbe said there will be no
chemical attack.'"
"How can he
know? He's not in military intelligence, and it's a matter of life and
death."
I said, "How
can he know? He's a Rebbe. When you're connected to a Rebbe, he senses what is
good for you and what isn't. There won't be a chemical attack. I don't want to
remove my beard."
So what did the
commander do? He asked the three of us to sign a letter stating that for
reasons of religion and conscience, we do not want to remove our beards. Of
course, in the end, everyone saw that the Rebbe was right - there was no poison
gas attack.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Source: Modified and
reformatted by Yerachmiel Tilles from a weekly email of "Here's My
Story," a part of JEM's superlative "My Encounter with the
Rebbe" project.
Mr. Efraim Mol lives with his family in Jerusalem, Israel. He was interviewed
in his home in March of 2012.
Why This Week? The first verse in this week's Torah reading is:
"When you go out [Ki Teitzei] to wage war against your enemies,…"
During the first Gulf War, I used
an electric razor to trim my beard and kept the goatee and moustache but not
during the second one. I have since learned that Vaseline is a sealer and
placing it on the beard and gas mask prevents penetration. It is like the
Houthi Missile or stray bullet that killed a soldier last week. If your name is
on it as a target from heaven nothing can help. Put prior to that REPENTANCE,
PRAYER AND CHARITY AVOIDS THE EVIL DECREE.
Inyanay Diyoma
Aug. 30th
Swords of Iron Day 694 start of week 100
Friday somehow I managed to format my word in
such a way it was impossible to work with. Fortunately, my computer man –
friend for 43years and about a mile from me came. He is Daniel the son of Rabbi
Schatz and managed in 5 minutes to rectify things enough to publish a watered
down Torah Drasha. This leaves me with probably more than 100 Mitzvos to cover
in a week so it will not be each and every one. Along with today’s news, Friday
updates will appear.
I got out next to no news other than Iran is
facing “Snap Back” sanctions from Europe and that a boy was stuck in the sewer
or rain drain pipe. Most likely we took care for ministers, chief of staff and
deputy chief of staff of the Houthis. They launched a missile that landed the
Saudi Desert.
Why
do they use this same staged photo in a Jewish Paper?
The IDF issued an apology on
Friday to the Lebanese army after two of its soldiers were killed and two
others wounded in an explosion linked to an Israeli drone in southern Lebanon.
The explosive device failed to kill a Hezballah operative an hour before. Israel
apologizes after 2 Lebanese troops killed by drone blast near border
Sergeant
First Class (Res.) Ariel Lubliner fell in battle in Gaza | Israel National News
Palestinian
factions hand over weapons from Beirut camps | The Times of Israel
Belzer
Rebbe hospitalized | Israel National News
Seven
soldiers injured in Zeitoun neighborhood | Israel National News
Target
of Gaza strike: Hamas spokesman Abu Obaida | Israel National News
Watch:
IDF takes out Hamas terrorist cell in northern Gaza | Israel National News
Turkey
cuts economic ties with Israel | Israel National News
Ashkelon:
Haredi man hospitalized after rock attack by cyclist | Israel National News
Bones
found during Travis Decker manhunt for three daughters' murders | Fox News
Clinton
spotted with portable medical device raising health questions | Fox News
Aug.31st
Swords of Iron Day 695
Body
of slain hostage Idan Shtivi identified days after recovery from Gaza | The
Times of Israel
900th Soldier Casualty. IDF
reservist killed in suspected friendly fire incident in southern Gaza | The
Times of Israel
Can
the US legally ban Mahmoud Abbas and the PA from the UN General Assembly? | The
Times of Israel
Jewish
woman in her 70s stabbed in suspected Ottawa hate crime | The Times of Israel
167 as a man 41 shot dead and a 40year old from
Lod in ICU. Man
in his 70s shot dead in Umm al-Fahm; Tel Aviv car bomb wounds 4 | The Times of
Israel
After
5 years: IDF approves reopening of main access to Nahal Oz | Israel National
News
Suspect
tries to spray paint again: 'There is a holocaust in Gaza' | Israel National
News
Report:
UN aid workers arrested in Houthi raid in Sanaa | Israel National News
Miriam
Adelson, Druze leader among Presidential Medal of Honor recipients | Israel
National News
Hilltop
youth sue commander accused of opening fire at them | Israel National News
Israel
confirms: Hamas spokesman Abu Obaida eliminated | Israel National News
Sept. 1st
Swords of Iron Day 696
Rudy
Giuliani injured in highway car crash, his spokesperson says | The Times of
Israel
Another Yemenite Rocket and an attack on a ship
yesterday.
Arab Mafia wars 170 dead.
2.5
million students start the new school year today | Israel National News
Soldier
detained for filming spoiled food on base | Israel National News
High
schoolers block traffic, burn desks on Ayalon in protest for hostage deal | The
Times of Israel
Fears
in the Negev: Weapons offered in Bedouin communities for rent | Israel National
News
Lebanon’s
Speaker rejects US call to disarm Hezbollah, urges calm dialogue | Israel
National News
Bomb
from IAF aircraft explodes near Israeli forces | Israel National News
Rabbi
Leo Dee detained on Temple Mount on his wedding day | Israel National News
Following
tragedy: Rabbi Leo Dee remarries | Israel National News
Central
Command Chief: 'Hamas is the Amalek of our time' | Israel National News
IDF
demolishes Hezbollah structure in southern Lebanon | Israel National News
Hundreds
killed in Afghanistan's Kunar earthquake | The Jerusalem Post
Man
argued with police, then crashed into gate of Russian consulate in Sydney
Iran
launched cyberattack on Gaza ceasefire talks, Israeli firm reports
Yemen's
Houthi rebels raid UN premises, detain at least 11 staff, envoy says | The
Times of Israel
Police
arrest revered Haredi rabbi suspected of preying on underage girls | The Times
of Israel
In
rare find, Israeli archaeologists discover intact 4,000-year-old lamp wicks |
The Times of Israel
AG
tells High Court that government’s move to fire her was ‘totally invalid’ | The
Times of Israel
New
York Jewish man files $1 million libel suit against Al Jazeera | The Times of
Israel
Sept. 2nd
Swords of Iron Day 697
Two
Houthi missiles aimed at Israel explode in Saudi Arabia | Israel National News
IAF
downs Houthi drone over Sinai | Israel National News
Those who prayed for my wife’s aunt many
thanks. She was the mother of Rebbetzin Chedva Silberfarb OBM “Chedva’s Bridge”
against Lashon HaRa.
IDF
destroys antitank structure used to fire at Israeli forces | Israel National
News
MK
Gafni: 'Our schools are too small to accommodate Sephardi students' | Israel
National News
Fatal
prank: Ringing the doorbell ended in an 11-year-old's death | Israel National
News
After
300 days of reserve duty: Man wins 10 million NIS lottery | Israel National
News
Belgian
doctor lists 'Jewish, Israeli' as medical issue | The Jerusalem Post
Palestinian
Arab reports: IDF forces arrest Hebron Mayor. | Israel National News
10.7
terrorist and ambush organizer eliminated in targeted assassinations | Israel
National News
Longtime
US Democratic congressman Jerry Nadler won't seek reelection | The Times of
Israel
China
and Russia back Iranian rejection of European sanctions snapback | The Times of
Israel
Terror
attack thwarted: Terrorist shot in operation in village of Tamun | Israel
National News
Belzer
Rebbe's surgery concludes successfully | Israel National News
Knife-wielding
man arrested after threatening Jews near Paris synagogue | Israel National News
New
families are heading to Gaza border, boosting returning communities | The Times
of Israel
High
Court unanimously urges government to revoke attorney general's dismissal | The
Times of Israel
Sudan
landslide kills at least 1,000 people in Central Darfur village | Fox News
Minivan
plows into crowd at Harrisburg Kipona festival, 3 injured | Fox News
Venezuela's
Maduro slams US naval buildup as military intervention | Fox News
Sept. 3rd
Swords of Iron Day 698
20 satellites in total with cloud penetrating
radar newer technology. Israel
successfully launches Ofek 19 satellite into space | Israel National News
During the repairs last week, one of
the “flowers” on my Chandelier broke a bit so we decided to go with a more
modern light bulb like in the rest of the living room, kitchen area for the
dining room. Now we were putting in a LED 80W round bulb when the 3-4minute
warning went off. The former Aircraft Maintenance Sargent Major said, “We have
time to go to the shelter when the siren sounds. At 09:39 we walked downstairs
ten minutes passed and the replacement work continued. IDF
intercepts missile from Yemen | Israel National News
Ariel, Kfir and Shiri Bibas are
looking around and smiling. IDF
& ISA announce: Terrorist who held Bibas family hostage eliminated | Israel
National News
Trump
announces U.S. military shot Venezuelan drug boat in Caribbean | Fox News
Houthis
strike ship in Red Sea over alleged Israeli ties | Israel National News
'Held
like a dog': Or Levy’s testimony shakes South African Jews | Israel National
News
Ahead
of Gaza takeover operation: Marco Rubio to arrive in Israel in ten days |
Israel National News
Iran:
US missile demands sabotage nuclear talks | Israel National News
Watch:
Man rams Orthodox Jews with scooter in antisemitic attacks in London | Israel
National News
Shavei
Hebron Yeshiva students return to historic Hebron home after 96 years | Israel
National News
'Hamas
will not release hostages, Israel must fight to finish the mission' | Israel
National News
Op-Ed Dr. Martin Sherman Malevolent
Macron has no claim to the moral high ground | Israel National News
The news below is not necessarily
in importance order just easier for me to present. Algemeiner also has old news
that I may or may not have posted a few days ago so sorry if I repeated
something but don’t want to lose out.
Pledges
of Unity in Beijing Mask Deep Skepticism Among Iran, China, Russia |
Algemeiner.com
Teachers
Unions Across US Under Fire for Alleged Antisemitism | Algemeiner.com
Texas
Opens Investigation Into K-12 Antisemitism in Plano School District |
Algemeiner.com
New
Movie Features Jewish Villains — But Is an Entertaining Ride | Algemeiner.com
Palestinian
Summer Camp Teaches Children to Fight for Elimination of Israel |
Algemeiner.com
172 Arab Mafia Deaths.
UK
police arrest man suspected of shooting Jewish teen in head with air rifle |
The Times of Israel
Israel
seals spot in EuroBasket final 16 for the first time in a decade | The Times of
Israel
Education
Ministry intervenes after Haredi schools refuse to admit Sephardim | The Times
of Israel
Gaza
flotilla carrying Greta Thunberg sets sail for 2nd time after storm delay | The
Times of Israel
Sept. 4th
Swords of Iron Day 699
Yesterday afternoon a missile was sent from
Yemen towards the Dead Sea area and this morning towards Ben Gurion both were
shot down far away over Saudi territory. Newshttps://www.timesofisrael.com/houthi-missile-3rd-in-a-day-falls-short-of-israel-katz-threatens-all-10-plagues/
Missile fired from Yemen falls in open area, no
sirens sounded | Israel National IDF: Missile from Yemen
was carrying a cluster munition | Israel National News
Ilhan
Omar found concealing millions of dollars of assets | Israel National News
Superman DC Comics was written to counter the
Nazi Ubermensch. Lead
Writer of Upcoming DC Comics Series Celebrated Oct. 7 Massacre in Resurfaced
Social Media Posts | Algemeiner.com
Report:
Trump team mulls jobs for Adams, Sliwa to boost Cuomo against Mamdani | Israel
National News
Activists torched dumpsters and tires near
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s residence in Jerusalem, with the fires
accidentally burning an IDF reservist’s car. The incident led to condemnations
from across the political spectrum, with Netanyahu himself saying the
protesters acted “like fascists.” Reservist named as
suspect in arson near PM's residence | Israel National News
Be'er
Sheva: Three-year-old forgotten in car dies | Israel National News
Watch:
Hamas members beat Gazans for taking food | Israel National News
IDF: This
is how senior Hamas officials ate in the tunnels | Israel National News
Hamas says
it is ready to discuss comprehensive deal ahead of Gaza City op | Israel
National News
Shin
Bet says it busted Hamas plot to assassinate Ben Gvir | The Times of Israel
Elbit
Systems booth targeted by anti-Israel activists in Poland | Israel National
News
Trump
admin condemns Norway’s divestment from Caterpillar over Israel | Israel
National News
Hamas says
it is ready to discuss comprehensive deal ahead of Gaza City op | Israel
National News
Can Curtis
Sliwa be NYC’s guardian angel? | Israel National News
Report:
Netanyahu blocked Macron visit over Palestinian state recognition | Israel
National News
https://www.timesofisrael.com/dramatic-growth-nyc-is-home-to-560-tech-startups-founded-by-israelis-report-finds/
173 Woman
shot dead near Rahat; police suspect family member | The Times of Israel
Turkey
bans veteran Jewish-French singer's concert in anticipation of protests | The
Times of Israel
Netanyahu
brands Belgian PM 'weak' for plans to recognize Palestinian state | The Times
of Israel
Israeli
cyber unicorn Cato snaps up Tel Aviv AI security startup | The Times of Israel
French
Authorities Replant Memorial Olive Tree and Launch Seventh Ilan Halimi Award |
Algemeiner.com
UN
Nuclear Chief Presses Iran to Strike Deal on Inspections Soon | Algemeiner.com
Silence
and Bias: When NGOs Lose Their Moral Compass | Algemeiner.com
https://www.foxbusiness.com/retail/billionaire-fashion-designer-giorgio-armani-dead-91
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/federal-judges-anonymously-criticize-supreme-court-overturning-decisions-emergency-rulings
Trump administration ends second TPS protection
for Venezuelans | Fox News
Sept. 5th
Swords of Iron Day 700 end of week 100
176 or 10 Arabs killed this week 1 was a wife
but the rest Mafia.
New problems Arab children crossing in from the
Shomron in the north both begging and stealing from Jews. Another Houthi
Missile fell short B”H. https://www.algemeiner.com/2025/09/04/suspect-killing-israeli-embassy-staffers-washington-pleads-not-guilty/
https://www.algemeiner.com/2025/09/04/lebanon-faces-crunch-point-hezbollah-arms/
https://www.algemeiner.com/2025/09/04/activist-judge-white-house-vows-fight-harvard-legal-setback-funding/
https://www.algemeiner.com/2025/09/04/sen-tom-cotton-urges-fbi-investigate-palestinian-youth-movement-leader-called-targeting-f-35-program/
In the Pallywood Movie he was killed dead as a
doornail but is really alive.
https://www.algemeiner.com/2025/09/04/gazan-boy-said-killed-idf-shown-alive-new-video/
The
Jews Are Not Colonizers in the Land of Israel | Algemeiner.com
Claims
of ‘Genocide’ and Intentional Starvation Are Used to Wage War Against Israel |
Algemeiner.com
Do not be afraid Israel because you are a
lion’s welp. Am Yisrael Chai (lives). Press sound: https://www.facebook.com/netre52/videos/1102164294849644/?rdid=zo6COMCFhCfywed7
https://www.timesofisrael.com/after-new-york-united-renews-flights-from-chicago-and-washington-to-tel-aviv/
Biden
seen with giant scar on head after skin cancer surgery | Fox News
Liberals
slam reports Bari Weiss may lead editorial overhaul at CBS News | Fox News
First
pig-to-human lung transplant reported in China | The Jerusalem Post
What
is the newest Israel-Korea defense agreement? | The Jerusalem Post
Israel fears
Hamas could hide hostages among civilians during Gaza City evacuation
US considers
banning Iranians from shopping at Costco during UN meeting
Yossi
Cohen: Netanyahu responsible for everything before, during and after October 7
Shabbat
candle-lighting times | Israel National News
For cities not on this list, Aish.com has more
times.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-tells-hamas-to-surrender-or-see-gaza-city-leveled-as-group-says-its-open-to-deal/
Have a healthy, peaceful, restful
and Torah filled Sabbos,
Rachamim Pauli
