In
Continuing with the time for Repentance be for Yom HaDin (Day of Judgement)
The biggest problem everyone has is not making a fool out of himself in public or as the Scottish Preacher John Dunne wrote: “Oh the POWER the gift to give us to see ourselves as others see us it would from many a blunder free us and foolish notion and leave us with an air of devotion.” Sometimes one needs cosmetic surgery in order to get married. I knew a fellow with a slight deformation near his eye, he thought that this was delaying him finding a Shidduch and the Bostoner Rebbe advised him on Plastic Surgery. Sometimes it is a fatty growth as with the case of a man with a lump coming out of the upper back almost making him look like a hunchback. Cosmetic Surgery does not mean a complete overhaul like the actress Sher did. Sometimes because of one breast being larger than another and one of the halachic grounds for a divorce, a Rav would recommend cosmetic surgery in that case to a woman but not for the purpose of blowing oneself up like a balloon as sometimes is done today.
Now that we covered the physical appearance, let us work on the spiritual appearance. One man likes to be a liar and make up tales sort of a Baron Von Munchhausen http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baron_Munchhausen or one cheats and even lies in the courts to defraud money from his neighbor. Another person is a womanizer, another person will be a petty thief from other people or work such as one who borrows and does not return things or takes a small loan from a cigarette or two among smokers to tools, books, etc. Still another sneaks food on Yom Kippur but not eating less than an olive bulk as a non-endangered person with diabetes would do, or he eat Chometz or drinks whiskey on Pessach, or the womanizer ignores Niddah, Adultery and Incest. Last two but not least are people who go about in immodest dress in public and violating the laws of Shabbos. I hope that nobody reading this is going after idols, familiar spirits, tarot cards, reading coffee grinds, etc. (I am not talking about kosher Palm Readings, Face Readings, etc.) 613 Mitzvos means also 613 types of Avairos.
If the fellow is a person who tells tall tales and everybody knows it like the above mentioned Baron, it makes for entertainment and is good at parties. However, cheating at cards, board games, etc. even if for fun needs spiritual cosmetic surgery if not on the level of a major overhaul where one needs even a psychologist because they can not discern not only between right and wrong but true or false. Something like the Arabs and
Some of us will run to a movie but come the last second to a funeral after the body is interned in the earth and the people are putting pebbles on the grave before leaving the funeral to form a comfort line for the mourner to pass through. Couldn’t we do better here? There is a song in
Getting back on the track of Judgement Elio asked me about the film I put in my Drasha and Blog http://www.rabbipauli.blogspot.com/ Elio asked the following question. The link was sent to me by an Israeli cousin. I have to mention that he practices, or studied some type of theory of heavenly powers that are hidden within us.
I have also to mention although I would describe myself as a secular Jew, I have experienced, in dreams and awake, unexplainable incidents that proved to explain happenings. I do not claim the power of prophecy, in fact I fear these dreams, or visions, that I cannot control. I am sending the link in the hope more learned people than I am, may shed some light on the claims of the person in the clip. In your opinion, does anyone think this is a setup film or the person is recanting his experience.
http://www.nevehshalom.com/jewish-links/images/the-seal-of-truth.htm My answer is that the film and reader hit by lightning a week ago were wake up calls. It’s not Ding Dong
Parsha Re’eh
11:26 Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse:
I have yet to figure out why 95% of our Kennesset members tend to chose the side of the curse. Is it a megalomania that drives them to the Kennesset? Usually the few who do things for the sake of heaven like Rav Peretz Shlita, Rav Azran Shlita, Rav Mizrachi Zatzal, Menachem Begin Zal are either eaten alive or undermined. Benyamin Begin could not take the hypocrisy, Rav Ba-gad Shlita was threatened and driven out, and Michael Kleiner was just over-run by seat grabbing politicians who pounced on the opportunity to rule. When Perkei Avos says “Despise the Rabbinute” mainly acquiring office they mean just what we see corruption on a major scale. Mark Twain said, “It can be proved by statistics that the biggest bunch of crooks in this country is the Congress.” Melech Shlomo wrote, “There is nothing new under the sun.”
Rabbi Pinchas Winston (Perceptions at the www.torah.org brings down another perspective: See, I place before you this day blessing and curse. The blessing is for listening to the commandments of God, your God, which I command you today. The curse is for not listening to the commandments of God, your God, and for turning away from the way which I command you today, and going after foreign gods which you did not know. (Devarim 11:26-28)
It seems like a no-brainer. Who in their right mind would want to go against God, and lose everything? No one. Hence, the Talmud writes: A person does not sin unless a spirit of insanity enters him. (Sotah 3a) However, if it is so insane to sin, why are the shuls packed on Yom Kippur? They are supposed to be synagogues, not sanitariums. And, judging by the sincerity of the people who pray around me, they take the viduy — the confessional prayer — quite seriously, as if they truly have what to atone for.
I certainly do, and I seem to function somewhat normally on a day-to-day basis. At least I think I do …I remember once being at the check-in counter of an airport when a man, in line ahead of me, lost his temper at the airline employee behind the counter. Obviously, something had not gone with his reservation, and extremely disappointed, he gave the airline employee a piece of his mind, and loud enough for all of us to share. It was embarrassing for all those who could hear what was happening. If I recall correctly, the man stormed off, seemingly oblivious to what he had done, and who had heard him. The look of anger on his face was scary,
even maniacal, and I think we all felt a sigh of relief once he was gone from the area. I, for one, certainly hoped that he would not return until I was long gone.
After checking in rather smoothly, and sitting down by my gate, the events that had just transpired went through my mind. The face of the man was still quite fresh in my mind, and I wondered what he would have done had he seen his own face in a mirror at that time. I recall once catching my own angry face in a mirror, and quite frankly, I scared myself! Obviously I cut the Drasha short but it can be read by going to: http://www.torah.org/learning/perceptions/5768/reeh.html
27 the blessing, if ye shall hearken unto the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you this day; 28 and the curse, if ye shall not hearken unto the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known. 29 And it shall come to pass, when the LORD thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou go to possess it, that thou shall set the blessing upon mount Gerizim, and the curse upon mount Ebal. 30 Are they not beyond the
27. The blessing. on the condition that you listen [and obey].
28. [If you… depart] from the way that I command you this day, to follow [other gods]. This teaches that whoever worships idols departs from the entire path that
29. you shall place those blessing. As the Targum [Onkelos] renders it: יָת מְבָרְכַיָא,“those who bless.” upon
This commandment should be fulfilled even before conquering all of Eretz Yisrael.
12:1 These are the statutes and the ordinances, which ye shall observe to do in the land which the LORD, the God of thy fathers, hath given thee to possess it, all the days that ye live upon the earth. 2 Ye shall surely destroy all the places, wherein the nations that ye are to dispossess served their gods, upon the high mountains, and upon the hills, and under every leafy tree. 3 And ye shall break down their altars, and dash in pieces their pillars, and burn their Asherim with fire; and ye shall hew down the graven images of their gods; and ye shall destroy their name out of that place. 4 Ye shall not do so unto the LORD your God.
There is no room for idol worship of any kind not even in a museum it must be uprooted and utterly destroyed. This week the Anglican Church issued a survey that showed since the film Buffy the Vampire Killer that more and more young women are turning to the Wicca witchcraft belief. One stupid fictional movie and witchcraft is back in style. So the Torah is not written as idle talk when it comes to idol but a strong Mitzvah to up root the nonsense before it can become a cancer among the Bnei Yisrael. Rashi writes on the fourth line:
You shall not do so [to the Lord your God]. to burn sacrifices to God in any place you choose, but rather at the place that He will choose. Another explanation is: “And you shall tear down their altars… and destroy their name… [but] do not do so [to the Lord your God]”; this is an admonition [addressed] to one who would erase the Name [of God from any writing] or remove a stone from the altar or from the courtyard (Mak. 22a). Rabbi Ishmael said: Would it enter your mind that the Israelites would tear down the altars [of God]? Rather, [the meaning of “You shall not do so” is that] you should not do like the deeds of the nations so that your sins would cause the sanctuary of [i.e., built by] your fathers to be destroyed. — [Sifrei]
5 But unto the place which the LORD your God shall choose out of all your tribes to put His name there, even unto His habitation shall ye seek, and thither thou shall come;
This is the Mishkan in
This chapter repeats the need for tithes and mentions some sacrifices and some of the rules for not eating blood and the covering up of the blood of wild kosher animals.
6 and thither ye shall bring your burnt-offerings, and your sacrifices, and your tithes, and the offering of your hand, and your vows, and your freewill-offerings, and the firstlings of your herd and of your flock; … He gives you rest from all your enemies round about, so that ye dwell in safety; 11 then it shall come to pass that the place which the LORD your God shall choose to cause His name to dwell there, thither shall ye bring all that I command you: your burnt-offerings, and your sacrifices, your tithes, and the offering of your hand, and all your choice vows which ye vow unto the LORD. 12 And ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God, ye, and your sons, and your daughters, and your men-servants, and your maid-servants, and the Levite that is within your gates, forasmuch as he hath neither portion nor inheritance with you. 13 Take heed to thyself that thou offer not thy burnt-offerings in every place that thou see; 14 but in the place which the LORD shall choose in one of thy tribes, there thou shall offer thy burnt-offerings, and there thou shall do all that I command thee.
Reinforcement of a centralized religious authority and not the anarchy we see today between Reconstructionists, Reform, Conservative, Modern Orthodox, Litvak Charedi and Chassidic Charedi.
11. It will be, that the place [which the Lord your God will choose… there you shall bring all that I am commanding you]. [At that time,] build for yourselves the
13. Beware, [lest you offer up your burnt-offerings any place you see]. [This negative form of the positive command in verse 11 is repeated in order] to attach a negative commandment to this matter. any place you see. [i.e.,] that enters your mind. However, you may offer [anywhere] by the bidding of a prophet, for example, as Elijah [did] on
14. [But only in the place the Lord will choose] in one of your tribes. in the
15 Notwithstanding thou may kill and eat flesh within all thy gates, after all the desire of thy soul, according to the blessing of the LORD thy God which He hath given thee; the unclean and the clean may eat thereof, as of the gazelle, and as of the hart. 16 Only ye shall not eat the blood; thou shall pour it out upon the earth as water.
Although I said that these [animals] do not require sprinkling the blood on the altar, you shall not eat it. you shall spill it [on the ground] like water. [This comes] to tell you that it does not require covering [with earth (see Lev. 17:13)] (Sifrei ; Chul. 84a). Another explanation: [The phrase, “like water,” teaches us that] it is like water insofar as it renders seeds susceptible [for receiving ritual uncleanness (Lev. 11:38).] - [Chul. 35b]
17 Thou may not eat within thy gates the tithe of thy corn, or of thy wine, or of your oil, or the firstlings of thy herd or of thy flock, nor any of thy vows which thou vow, nor thy freewill-offerings, nor the offering of thy hand;
17. You may not eat within your cities the tithe of your grain]. Scripture comes to attach a negative commandment to this matter [i.e., eating the firstborn, tithes, etc., outside the walls of
18. [But you shall eat them] before the Lord. [i.e.,] within the walls [of
Rashi is bringing down the importance of the Mishkan in Shilo at first and then the Mikdash in Yerushalayim.
18 but thou shall eat them before the LORD thy God in the place which the LORD thy God shall choose, … 22 Howbeit as the gazelle and as the hart is eaten, so thou shall eat thereof; the unclean and the clean may eat thereof alike. 23 Only be steadfast in not eating the blood; for the blood is the life; and thou shall not eat the life with the flesh. 24 Thou shall not eat it; thou shall pour it out upon the earth as water. 25 Thou shall not eat it; that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, when thou shall do that which is right in the eyes of the LORD. 26 Only thy holy things which thou hast, and thy vows, thou shall take, and go unto the place which the LORD shall choose; 27 and thou shall offer thy burnt-offerings, the flesh and the blood, upon the altar of the LORD thy God; and the blood of thy sacrifices shall be poured out against the altar of the LORD thy God, and thou shall eat the flesh. 28 Observe and hear all these words which I command thee, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee for ever, when thou doest that which is good and right in the eyes of the LORD thy God.
23. However, be strong not to eat the blood. Since it is stated “be strong” [i.e., resist temptation], you learn that the [Israelites] were inclined to eating blood. Therefore, it is necessary to state, “be strong.” [These are] the words of Rabbi
24. You shall not eat it. This is an admonition against the eating (דָם הַתַּמְצִית), (the last blood oozing [from the incision of slaughtering]). — [Ker. 4b]
25. You shall not eat it. This is an admonition against the eating of the blood contained in the limbs [of the animal]. — [Ker. 4b] in order that it be good for you…. Go forth and learn the [magnitude of] the reward for [observing] the commandments: If [in the case of] blood, which disgusts a person, he who abstains from it earns merit [both] for himself and for his children after him, how much more so [does this apply] to abstaining from theft and immorality, after which man’s soul of does lust. — [Mak. 23b]
26. However, your holy offerings [… you shall carry, and come to the place which the Lord chooses]. Although you are permitted to slaughter unconsecrated animals, I did not permit you to slaughter consecrated animals and eat them in your cities without offering [them] up [on the altar]; rather, you must bring them to the
… 28. Keep [and hearken to all these words that I command you]. This [term שְׁמֹר, “keep”] refers to the studying of the Oral Law. [Since it is not written down,] you must “guard” it “in your innards,” so that it should not be forgotten
29 When the LORD thy God shall cut off the nations from before thee, whither thou go in to dispossess them, and thou dispossess them, and dwell in their land; 30 take heed to thyself that thou be not ensnared to follow them, after that they are destroyed from before thee; and that thou inquire not after their gods, saying: 'How used these nations to serve their gods? even so will I do likewise.' 31 Thou shall not do so unto the LORD thy God; for every abomination to the LORD, which He hates, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters do they burn in the fire to their gods.
… 31. for also their sons [and their daughters they would burn in fire to their gods]. The word גַם, “also,” [comes] to include their fathers and mothers [among those they burned]. Rabbi Akiva stated, “I [once] saw a heathen who bound his father before his dog, which then devoured him.” [Sifrei] [The dog represents the idol, either because it was made in the form of a dog, or this is a pejorative. The dog’s eating the father means that the heathen burned his father in fire before the idol (Zedah Laderech).] commandment. — [Sifrei] [That it may benefit you…when you do] what is good. in the eyes of Heaven. and proper. in the eyes of man. — [Sifrei]
13:1 All this word which I command you, that shall ye observe to do; thou shall not add thereto, nor diminish from it.
We are not to go to the right or to the left of the command. However, later on it is written: “Not in heaven is (the Torah) and not over the sea; but very close unto you this (Torah) in your mouth and in your hand to do it.” Today we have no real tribal inheritance from one brother to the next to perform the Mitzvah of Yebum so that the land stays within the family as in the time of Ruth. Today the Rabbis have enjoined the “Halitza” ceremony of removing the shoe to free the woman from marrying the brother. What happens if she moves in with the brother? They are legally married as the original Ketubah holds for the brother too and no further ceremony is needed. If they don’t get along, she no longer can be removed by Halitza but she most get divorce papers. Originally a widow could remarry after the death of her husband immediately but now we have enjoined 90 days because of the possibility of pregnancy from the first husband.
I discussed this theoretically problem with Dayan and Rav Mimran Shlita regarding Mickey Goldwasser after the body was brought back because it was obvious that for two years they were not together so she could not be pregnant from him. However, we do have a Levirate (Yebum) problem as the deceased had a brother. This is one example of a slight deviation because of the fear of not truly wanting to build up the name of the deceased in Yisrael as proscribed in the Torah.
Another example is the inability to discern from Niddah to Zava when a woman bleeds so that we add on an extra seven days. What happens if the women can only become pregnant during the days prior to the 12th day? Well today we have a pill that releases all bleeding in one day like a blood stain and then we count 7 days and send her to the Mikvah. So we do have slight changes and the since we have no Temple and are uncertain but when we will return to our proper inheritance and watching Tahor (ritual purity) in the Temple we will be more within the true frame of not moving to the left or the right. In the meantime lacking a
2 If there arise in the midst of thee a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams--and he give thee a sign or a wonder,
Today we have no Prophecy among our people. There are people who still receive dreams for various reasons, ESP gut feelings and even a personal sign but this is not the level of Prophecy that existed in
3 and the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spoke unto thee--saying: 'Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them'; 4 thou shall not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or unto that dreamer of dreams; for the LORD your God puts you to proof, to know whether ye do love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
Either he produces a sign like a magician with the hand is quicker than the eye, he bends spoons let’s say or some other trick. There is a slight possibility that he is using the Sidra Acher (but since Tahor is basically non-existent today so too is Tuma to run the Sidra Acher).
5 After the LORD your God shall ye walk, and Him shall ye fear, and His commandments shall ye keep, and unto His voice shall ye hearken, and Him shall ye serve, and unto Him shall ye cleave. 6 And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken perversion against the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed thee out of the house of bondage, to draw thee aside out of the way which the LORD thy God commanded thee to walk in. So shall thou put away the evil from the midst of thee.
Forty years ago, Missionaries tried to give me a Prophecy Edition of Bible with 33 “Prophecies” that occurred on the day that Yeshu got crucified. I hit them back with the above Pasukim telling them not to go after Jews with statements out of context as we will use the above. A few of them even quit after that. The rest of the chapter as some more warnings regarding behavior of the Bnei Yisrael and I bring down the following from the next chapter as it concerns Kashrus and the third warning about mixing and cooking milk and meat together.
14:1 Ye are the children of the LORD your God: ye shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead. 2 For thou art a holy people unto the LORD thy God, and the LORD hath chosen thee to be His own treasure out of all peoples that are upon the face of the earth. 3 Thou shall not eat any abominable thing. 4 These are the beasts which ye may eat: the ox, the sheep, and the goat, 5 the hart, and the gazelle, and the roebuck, and the wild goat, and the pygarg, and the antelope, and the mountain-sheep. 6 And every beast that parts the hoof, and hath the hoof wholly cloven in two, and chews the cud, among the beasts, that ye may eat. 7 Nevertheless these ye shall not eat of them that only chew the cud, or of them that only have the hoof cloven: the camel, and the hare, and the rock-badger, because they chew the cud but part not the hoof, they are unclean unto you; 8 and the swine, because he parts the hoof but chews not the cud, he is unclean unto you; of their flesh ye shall not eat, and their carcasses ye shall not touch. 9 These ye may eat of all that are in the waters: whatsoever hath fins and scales may ye eat; 10 and whatsoever hath not fins and scales ye shall not eat; it is unclean unto you. 11 Of all clean birds ye may eat. 12 But these are they of which ye shall not eat: the great vulture, and the bearded vulture, and the ospray; 13 and the glede, and the falcon, and the kite after its kinds; 14 and every raven after its kinds; 15 and the ostrich, and the night-hawk, and the sea-mew, and the hawk after its kinds; 16 the little owl, and the great owl, and the horned owl; 17 and the pelican, and the carrion-vulture, and the cormorant; 18 and the stork, and the heron after its kinds, and the hoopoe, and the bat. 19 And all winged swarming things are unclean unto you; they shall not be eaten. 20 Of all clean winged things ye may eat. 21 Ye shall not eat of any thing that dies of itself; thou may give it unto the stranger that is within thy gates, that he may eat it; or thou may sell it unto a foreigner; for thou art a holy people unto the LORD thy God. Thou shall not seethe a kid in its mother's milk.
15:1 At the end of every seven years thou shall make a release.
This refers to the release of Jewish slaves followed my more rules of Shemita.
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 may exact it; but whatsoever of your 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 gives 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 shall lend unto many nations, but thou shall not borrow; and thou shall rule over many nations, but they shall not rule over thee. 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 gives thee, thou shall not harden thy heart, nor shut thy hand from thy needy brother; 8 but thou shall surely open thy hand unto him, and shall 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 your 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 shall surely give him, and thy heart shall not be grieved when thou gives 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.
You may see the blessing outright or it may be hidden from your eye but know that you will receive it at some time and some place.
11 For the poor shall never cease out of the land; therefore I command thee, saying: 'Thou shall surely open thy hand unto thy poor and needy brother, in thy land.'
This is a fact that even the times of the Moshiach, there will be poor and need for charity. Charity, remember does more for the rich person than the poor. It can even save from a lightning strike as I wrote about.
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 shall let him go free from thee. 13 And when thou let him go free from thee, thou shall not let him go empty; 14 thou shall 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 shall give unto him. 15 And thou shall remember that thou were a bondman in the
Judaism has rules for even non-Jewish bondsmen but especially Jewish. A non-Jewish bondsman or woman undergoes conversion so that upon freedom can be a Jew for everything. Of course the servant who wants to stay with the master has his ear drilled to the door post as a sing that the same ear that heard “I am the L-RD thy G-D” at Sinai would not want to be free so as to observe every Mitzvah instead of except from some Mitzvos as a slave. From this week’s Daf Yomi regarding slaves: Gittin 42a-b
As we learned on yesterday's daf (=page) both Bet Shammai and Bet Hillel agree that a non-Jewish slave cannot be left in a situation where he is half owned and half free, and that in such a situation the remaining owner will be obligated to make the slave a fully free man. Our Gemara asks what such a person's status is until the master formally sets him free. For example, if a slave is gored by an ox, the ox's owner pays a penalty of 30 shekalim to the slave's owner (see Shmot 21:32). If a half-free slave is gored, does the master who owns half of him receive payment?
The Gemara tries to bring a proof that the owner deserves nothing in a case where a slave's owner knocks out his tooth and then blinds his eye (note that either of these actions will allow the slave to go free - see Shmot 21:26-27). In this case we find that the slave is set free and paid for the loss of his eye. This appears to be a case - similar to ours - where the slave is technically free and is missing only his formal release papers, and the ruling is that the owner must pay for the loss of his eye. Yet if the owner deserves to receive payment for the slave's injuries until the time of his formal release, then we would have the absurd situation in which the owner would be paying himself!
The rishonim point out that in the case of a slave becoming free because of loss of shen va-ayin (tooth or eye), it is only after formal court proceedings that the change of status takes effect. Until the completion of those proceedings the slave remains in his original situation; thus, why would the second injury be viewed as taking place when he was already a free man? Some suggest that in the case under discussion the second injury must take place after the slave had already been declared free by the court, but is still waiting for his formal discharge papers. The Ramban and Rashba disagree, explaining that once the court decision is made it takes effect retroactively, and the second injury will be seen as having taken place after the slave had already been declared free.
12. If [your brother…] is sold to you. By others [but not one who sells himself because of poverty]. Scripture is speaking here of one whom the court sold [for a theft that he had committed]. But has it not already been stated, “If you buy a Hebrew servant” (Exod. 21:2) and there, too, Scripture is referring to one whom the court sold (Mechilta)? Nevertheless, [it is repeated here] because of two points which are new here: The first is that it is written [here] “or a Hebrew woman,” that she, too, [like a manservant,] goes free at the end of six [years]. This does not mean a woman whom the court has sold, for a woman is not sold [by the court] on account of a theft, since it is stated [that the thief will be sold] “for his theft” (Exod. 22:2), not for her theft. Thus, [we are referring here to] a minor whom her father sold [as a handmaid], and it teaches you here that if six years terminate before she shows signs [of puberty], she goes free (Exod. 21:7-11). The second new point here is: “You shall surely provide him.”
14. You shall surely provide him. Heb. הַעֲנֵיק תַּעֲנִיק. [The root ענק] denotes an ornament worn high [on the upper portion of the body] within view of the eye. [Thus, this verse means that you should give him] something through which it will be recognized that you have benefited him. Others explain [the word הַעֲנֵיק] as an expression of loading on his neck [meaning that you should load him with gifts]. [You shall surely provide him] from your flock, from your threshing floor, and from your vat. One might think that I must [give him] only these things [listed in the verse here]. Therefore, Scripture states, “from what the Lord, your God, has blessed you,” meaning, from everything with which your Creator has blessed you. Then why are these mentioned? Just as these particular things are within the realm of blessing, so too, you should provide him only with what falls within the realm of blessing. This [therefore] excludes mules, [which are sterile, and are thus not considered within the realm of blessing] (Kid. 17a). In tractate Kiddushin (17a)our Rabbis derived by means of a gezerah shavah how much one must give the servant of each kind.
Furthermore: Gittin 44a-b
The Mishnah on the last daf (=page) taught that a person who sells his non-Jewish slave to a non-Jew – or even to another Jewish person living in the Diaspora – loses ownership of the slave and the slave becomes a free man. The basis for this is that a "non-Jewish" slave is actually obligated in a variety of commandments – generally speaking, the same mitzvot in which women are obligated – and selling him to a non-Jew will keep him from fulfilling these mitzvot.
On our daf the Gemara brings the ruling of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi that someone who sells his slave to a non-Jew is penalized up to one hundred times his value. Most of the commentaries explain this to mean that if an owner sells his slave to a non-Jew we force him to redeem the slave. In the event that the buyer is unwilling to sell the slave at the market price, the original owner should pay up to one hundred times his value and set him free. In the responsa of the Ge'onim we find a different explanation. They do not understand Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi's ruling as obligating the original owner to buy back the slave, but rather that a penalty of one hundred times the value of the slave is imposed and paid to a community fund that will be used for pidyon shevuyim - redeeming captives - or other important needs.
The Gemara asks whether the amount - one hundred times - is to be taken literally. Rashi explains that the question is whether the penalty is to be understood as it is written or if it just means "a large amount." Tosafot understand it differently. According to them the question is whether one hundred times is the upper limit, or perhaps the original owner will have to pay even more, if necessary.
19 All the firstling males that are born of thy herd and of thy flock thou shall sanctify unto the LORD thy God; thou shall do no work with the firstling of your ox, nor shear the firstling of thy flock. 20 Thou shall 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 shall not sacrifice it unto the LORD thy God. 22 Thou shall eat it within thy gates; the unclean and the clean may eat it alike, as the gazelle, and as the hart. 23 Only thou shall not eat the blood thereof; thou shall pour it out upon the ground as water
[Although eating the blood of any animal is prohibited, this prohibition is mentioned here] so that you should not say: “Since this [blemished firstborn animal] is entirely permitted [to be eaten now after its blemish, even though] it started out from a forbidden status, since it was sanctified, [and now it is permitted] for it is slaughtered outside [the Temple] without having to be redeemed, and [it may be] eaten. I might [therefore] think that its blood is permitted as well!” Therefore, Scripture states, “However, you shall not eat its blood.”
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
This section is a reiteration of the observance of the three Regelim (festivals) stated in the Torah. Perhaps the Chiddush here is that Pessach must be observed at night – the Korban and even today the non-Beis HaMikdash celebration is by night. The rest is normal holiday prayers.
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.
The wording and the Rashi should be a guide to a charity giver. This year is a bad economic year and I have been forced to delay a lot of my normal charity giving. The same would apply for Korbanos of the Regelim as Rashi mentions below:
One who has many eaters [i.e., a large family] and many possessions should bring many burnt-offerings and many peace-offerings. — [Sifrei; Chag. 8b]
The Story Here reminds me of some of Rabbi Glixsman’s stories about our soldiers in World War II
What a long, strange trip it's been. By Capt. Shlomo Shulman http://www.aish.com/jewishissues/jewishsociety/A_Chaplain_Says_Goodbye.asp
My 15-month deployment to
I'll miss the people I've met, the friends I've made, my job here, and of course, the action and adventure.
I signed up at the beginning of 2007 and reported to the
What a long, strange trip it's been.
I wore a yarmulke everywhere I went, a bit of a strange sight in a place like
I was featured on CNN News, in the Boston Globe, the Jerusalem Post, various websites and other media. I lit the menorah on Chanukah with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in
I heard the Megillah -- the biblical scroll of Esther -- read on Purim on the porch of one of Saddam's vacation cottages; and on Passover, I hosted Seders for 65 people, using a Haggadah signed and inscribed with holiday wishes from President George W. Bush himself.
I looked after the spiritual and religious needs of 400 soldiers in my battalion, safeguarding their Constitutional right to freedom of religion. I performed Jewish services at
I managed to get a mezuzah hung on one of the last Jewish homes in
I talked a platoon of Arkansas National Guard engineers into building a sukkah, and for roofing material, I hacked off palm fronds from the date trees that grow on the base.
I answered hundreds of emails from schoolchildren, reporters, long-retired veterans, American diplomats concerned about the status of the synagogues left in Baghdad, and countless Jewish mothers asking me to look after their sons, "who seemed a little sad the last time we spoke on the phone." One sent a photo of her daughter who was on the way to
One woman wrote to say she found a Jewish sailor's profile on JDate. It mentioned he was headed to
I answered the call when one of our Blackhawks was sprayed with AK-47 rounds from a lone gunman behind a house as it approached to land. The young sergeant behind the machine gun that hangs out the side of the helicopter had the attacker in his sights, but the weapon jammed before the enemy managed to kill one of the infantry soldiers in the back of the aircraft. The battalion commander thought it would be a good idea if I rehashed the event with the crew later that day, and afterward they told me how much better they felt just talking about it. And I coached more than a few broken-hearted guys through tears when they found out their wives had betrayed them.
I even wrote love letters to unhappy women whose husbands wanted to win back their hearts... but didn't know how to say it.
I served close to 650 kosher meals for Shabbat and holidays -- with Army-supplied wine for Kiddush; challah loaves that Mrs. Debbie Lowsky sent each week from Columbia, South Carolina; canned gefilte fish, matzah ball soup, olives, pickles, hummus, dried salami and usually a main course of chicken or beef MREs (dry rations called "Meals, Ready to Eat") all using an electric burner I bought at Walmart before I left -- without a kitchen, sink, or even running water.
I spent Shabbat at a
I gazed for long hours at that structure, thinking how Abraham and Sarah must have seen it each time they left their house... until the Almighty sent them on a journey that would change the face of civilization.
Coffin with a Flag
Unfortunately, it wasn't all fun. In a place like
The week before Passover, a
He was killed in the attack, along with an Army colonel about to retire after a lengthy military career that spanned three decades.
Two days later, I received word of yet another Jewish casualty, also an Army officer -- a married father of two young boys, one just a baby. He'd been hit by an IED -- an improvised explosive device -- and rushed, mortally wounded, to the combat support hospital in the Green Zone.
By the time I got the news, his remains had already been flown by helicopter to the mortuary affairs center at an airbase down the road from me, to await the long journey home.
I dropped what I was doing and got a ride to the airbase.
Once at the morgue, I asked one of the young soldiers who worked there if I could sit for awhile with the body, in accordance with ancient Jewish tradition.
A young private walked me down the hall to a small room, where four large gurneys seemed to fill every bit of space, save for a giant ice machine that took up the entire back wall.
On three of the gurneys lay black plastic body bags. A lifeless arm lay on the fourth, still in its camouflage sleeve. The Army doesn't risk the chance of error in the awful task of match-up, so detached limbs and body parts are sent along separately for conclusive DNA testing.
The soldier showed me to my Jewish casualty -- the body bag hadn't been zipped up yet. I sat in a chair next to him and recited Psalms while they filled plastic bags of ice, and steam-cleaned the creases out of the American flag that would drape over the transfer case for the plane ride.
I looked at the body bags and thought about the three women back home, who'd probably just received news right about then that they were now young widows, single mothers of fatherless children. The three little girls in
I thought of the parents who were soon to get the phone call letting them know the baby they'd carried home from the hospital, taught to ride a bike, watched graduate from high school, get married and start a family of his own, was coming home on an Air Force plane in a metal box, packed in ice, paperwork fitted neatly in a large manila envelope, his last name written across it with a black, felt-tipped marker, taped to the inside of the lid to avoid any chance of mistaken identity.
At that moment, sitting in the makeshift mortuary, so noticeably quiet, with three bulging body bags and an arm for company, I realized that it's time to go home.
I want to drink coffee in the morning and wash the mug out in the sink. I want to take my daughters to the park and push them on the swings until they giggle, then we'll go home and play a board game with new rules we'll make up on the spot.
But the first thing I'll do is give my beautiful wife Lori a big hug for looking after everything at home while I was here, paying the bills and taking care of the house and going shopping and mailing me care packages. I'm going to sit on the couch with her and hold her hand, and buy her a new dress or something special.
Maybe I'll write her a love letter. I've gotten pretty good at it.
Upset in the Yeshiva World from Tsila: In July of this year, YWN broke the news of the visit of Rabbi Moshe Tendler to the Har Habayis - causing a fury of comments to be submitted to YWN (Click HERE for story). Now, Haaretz reports the following:
Rabbi Shalom Elyashiv, Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky and Chacham Ovadia Yosef sent a letter recently to Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovich, the overseer of holy places in the Western Wall complex, urging him to reiterate the religious decree signed 40 years ago by most rabbis in
The rabbis’ efforts follow the publication in Haaretz last month of the visit of Rabbi Moshe Tendler, the son-in-law of prominent
Rabbi Tendler was photographed visiting the plaza atop the Mount (posted HERE on YWN), where the Dome of the Rock Islamic shrine now sits, igniting a firestorm of controversy in the ultra-Orthodox community. Several other prominent ultra-Orthodox rabbis have ascended the Mount in recent years, including Rabbi Dov Kook of Tiberias, the husband of Rabbi Elyashiv’s granddaughter.
The rabbis’ statement calls for a complete ban on entering any part of the
The declaration stated that “as time passed, we have lost knowledge of the precise location of the Temple, and anyone entering the Temple Mount is liable to unwittingly enter the area of the Temple and the Holy of Holies,” referring to the inner sanctuary of the Temple tabernacle.
Rabbi Elyashiv urged Rabinovich to place notices and guards around the complex to warn the faithful of the prohibition.
Rabbi Kanievsky wrote that “entrance to the
After
But recent years have seen a change in position among national-religious rabbis, many of whom have made efforts to lift the ban on visiting the Mount. The change in position is due partly to damage caused to Jewish antiquities at the site, and the denial by Muslim authorities of Jewish links to the area. Kiryat Shmona chief rabbi Zephania Drori, chief rabbi of
Visits by religious Jews to the site have also increased significantly. Some rabbis have cited the principle of the “law of conquest,” according to which territories in the
From Meir K. in English and Spanish subtitles: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnxEY4gIEVo please fwd to every Jew you know.
The art work shown here is similar to what our forefathers produced prior to the year 2448 thanks to Simcha: http://www.panoramas.dk/2008/flash/valley-of-the-kings.html
Crossing the
REMEMBER WHAT I WROTE ABOUT THE MODESTY SQUARD? http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3586142,00.html and http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3588003,00.html and the arrest with the riot that followed: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3587654,00.html
Inyanay Diyoma
Last minutes before mailing and putting on my blog:
The following scares me a bit but there was a bug in publishing this on the blog so you will have to google "Ocean Dead Zones" about the growing parts of the ocean with lack of oxygen. Our planet is a delacate balance that HASHEM put into place and we must guard it well.
From Tsila on fuel cell technology of the near future: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3SoRz2Girw http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EACRD70nYQ0&feature=related%C2%A0 The second U-tube, I found.
Tsila: The following article is based on Adult Cell regeneration instead of Embryonic Cells: http://wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=73028
This week, I have posting a larger number of Emmanuel Winston Commentaries after a hiatus on my part. I also most likely deviated from my recent attempt to remain non-partisan until after the election some serious and some with humor. Remember this is my personal opinion who I believe is best for both
Corruption – some questions raised by E. Winston: *Do you remember Elhanan Tannenbaum, an Israeli businessman who went to
*Why did
*One does wonder if Israeli high-ranking politicians and/or judges were on a drug payroll?
*Is this why Olmert didn't invade
*Was he getting and/or does he still want to get Syrian and Lebanese drug money pouring out of the poppy fields in Lebanon? He is known to like getting envelopes of cash. Who is paying him now?
*Is this perhaps why Ehud Barak, when he was Prime Minister, precipitously withdrew from
Unfortunately,
*Who at the political level is being paid off?
*Also, who are known as “takers” able to be blackmailed into obedience?
Presently, we watch PM Olmert and his Kadima Gang maneuvering to stay in power as long as they can. Why should they spoil a good thing of their big salaries and perks, etc.?
As the West awaits Moscow’s threatened reprisal for the treaty installing American missile interceptors at Redzikowo, on Poland’s Baltic coast – signed in Warsaw Wednesday - the Kremlin is striking back in the Middle East – hence Russian president Dimitry Medvedev’s honeyed words of reassurance to Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert in a call he made to
At the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Syrian president Bashar Assad told reporters Thursday, Aug. 21, that he is considering a Russian request to deploy missiles in his country in view of Russian-Western tensions over the Georgian conflict, which he said had polarized East and West anew. Assad signaled he would also be representing
Assad’s arrival coincided with a visit by a large Syrian military delegation Thursday at the Russian weapons manufacturing giant, the Kalinin Machines Plant, east of
I received this from one of my many Jewish Groups that I belong to: In 1998, Sen. Biden was one of only four senators to vote against the Iran Missile Proliferation Sanctions Act, a bill that punished foreign companies or other entities that sent Iran sensitive missile technology or expertise. Biden was one of the few senators to oppose the bipartisan 2007 Kyl-Lieberman Ammendment labeling the Iranian Revolutionary Guard a terrorist organization. In a December 2007 debate, Biden said "
Biden's Inconsistent Record on
- June 2008, Landrieu/Collins Letter to President Bush Supporting
- December 2005, Talent/Nelson Letter Urging President Bush to Press Palestinian Leadership to Bar Terrorist Groups from Participating in Palestinian Legislative Elections; 73 Co-signers: Biden did not sign this letter barring terror groups from participating in Palestinian elections. The letter had 73 co-signers.
- March 2004, Schumer-Hatch-Clinton-Smith Letter Urging Kofi Annan to Reverse Support for ICJ Hearings on the Security Fence; 79 Signers: Biden did not sign this letter urging Kofi Annan to reverse support for the International Court of Justice Hearings on the Security Fence. The letter had 79 signers.
- November 2001, Bond/Schumer Letter Urging President Not to Meet with Arafat until the Violence Ends, 89 Signers: Biden did not sign this letter urging President Bush not to meet with Arafat until Palestinian violence ceased. The letter had 89 signers.
- March 1998, Mack/Lieberman Letter Urging the
- May 1993, Kennedy/Grassley Letter Urging President to Press Syria let Syrian Jews Leave; 73 Signers: In 1993, Sen. Biden refused to sign this letter calling on Syria to allow Syrian Jews to leave Syria. Ultimately, 73 signers approved.
Joe Biden Threatens to Cut Off US Aid to Israel in 1982
(Commentary Magazine, Aug. 26, 2008 citing the Jerusalem Post, March 13, 1992)
"In a conversation with Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, after a sharp confrontation in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the subject of the settlements, Begin defined himself as 'a proud Jew who does not tremble with fear' when speaking with foreign statesmen. During that committee hearing, at the height of the
Chaim S. sent me this clip on a famous political commentator named Bob Hope on the Democratic Convention: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWpU8sX10_4
Peace – Some people think that only Barak Obama can bring peace but:
"Our next president will have a mandate to build an enduring global peace on the foundations of freedom, security, opportunity, prosperity, and hope."
--Sen. John McCain
From Micah: Death in
Denver Police have closed their investigation into the mysterious death of an indigent man in a suite of a luxury
The man was Saleman Abdirahman Dirie and, the coroner's verdict notwithstanding, his death raises far more questions than have been answered by the
The facts, as far as they have been released, are these: Saleman Abdirahman Dirie was a 29-year-old Canadian citizen, a Muslim, and a former refugee from
If you consider that this all took place in the city where the Democratic National Convention was about to take place, suspicion becomes alarm. The questions themselves are disquieting. Why was he in
Sodium cyanide is one of several cyanide salts that are among the most rapidly acting of all known poisons. These crystals are potent inhibitors of respiration, depriving the body of its ability to use oxygen. Its effect is deadly and swift. Mixed with acid, it becomes significantly more potent as it generates a highly toxic gas. Its close cousin, hydrogen cyanide, was used by the Nazis to produce Zyclon B, the gas of choice to murder millions of Jews in the Nazis' infernal gas chambers.
In short, a little goes a long way. So no one needs a pound of sodium cyanide to commit suicide, when a mere taste will do. A more likely scenario is that his curiosity got the better of him and he opened the jar, accidentally breathing or ingesting some of the cyanide. That would make it, perhaps, an accidental poisoning, but hardly a suicide.
The more important question remains: why else would anyone need a pound of cyanide? The timing of Dirie's visit to
The combined circumstances make the possibility that Dirie was an operative part of a jihad plot very real. Evolving strategies among the terrorists groups seem to lean towards small cells carrying out limited attacks on prime targets. This situation could be that, with Dirie being a one man jihadi whose job was to place the poison where it would do the most damage. On the other hand, if a very large attack were planned, as seems possible in this case, he might have been one of a larger group of terrorists, each with a single role to play. In this case, he would not have known the parts of the plots or the people who would carry them out. If the accidental death scenario is correct, then his extreme incompetence, which ended in his contamination and death, would indicate that the latter situation would be the most plausible one.
And that means that there are others like Dirie still out there, taking courage in the statements of the
There is a pervading opinion among our leaders that Americans need to be protected from uncomfortable and frightening truths. Instead of giving us the opportunity to protect ourselves and our families, they prefer to tell us that everything is okay and under control, even when the threat is real and current. The time to be honest with the American people began a long time ago and the time for concern is now.
Ilana Freedman is Editor of Intel Analysis and CEO of Gerard Group International, Inc.
A neighbor of mine has penned a book based on the Torah: http://www.cityofrefugenovel.com/Reader%20Reviews.htm and http://books.google.com/books?id=9MVa_lr3b_MC Another reader of my Drasha Chelle Cordova is a novelist but on subjects other than Judaism. She is a paramedic like me and a friend for a long time – I mention her now as her books are good but not in a Torah theme.
Any Israeli who accepts this plan is either a candidate to be institutionalized or a hidden Hitler Jungen. DEBKAfile’s military sources report that a new 11-point scheme, just developed by Saudi King Abdullah and Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, provides for the bulk of the 3,000-strong force to be Egyptian. The plan would effectively restore
Hamas is offered a political comeback on the West Bank and a seat on the Fatah-dominated Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO)’s ruling institutions. When Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s arrives in
If
DEBKAfile’s sources reveal here the 11 points of the new plan:
1. The rival Palestinian Hamas and Fatah must end their vendetta.
2. They will both release prisoners.
3. Fatah fugitives from the
4. The tit-for-tat bans on Fatah and Hamas institutions in the Gaza Strip and West Bank must be lifted.
5. Hamas must hand
The last six clauses present the toughest challenges.
6. Hamas must suspend the operations of its militia and police forces.
7. Inter-Arab monitors, headed by Egyptian officers, will supervise the
8. Another panel headed by Egyptian officers will compile a reform program for the Palestinian security bodies in Gaza, effectively removing them from Hamas’ hands.
11. The PLO’s governing institutions will be overhauled to make room for Hamas representation for the first time.
If you ever think politics is dirty this year read this: http://edition.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/wayoflife/08/22/mf.campaign.slurs.slogans/index.html
Public service announcement for Israelis: On September 11th at 21:30, there will be a Fundraising Concert in Heichal HaTarbut Modiin for the
The concert will be the "Tribute to Simon & Garfunkel", with Moni Arnon and Larry Fogel.
The aim of the
The cost of training a guide dog, including instructing the blind person and supporting the couple during the dog's life time, is over $25,000. The blind person pays nothing.
Over 300 guide dogs have been coupled with needing people – almost all of the expenses were covered by donations – and many more blind people could benefit from being accompanied by a guide dog, with your help!
Tickets can be purchased from Heichal Hatarbut, 08-9737333, Or directly from the Guide Dog Center, 08-9408213
Please visit the Guide Dog Center's websites: www.israelguidedog.org And http://mitzvahdog.blogspot.com
"Simon & Garfunkel Tribute" website: http://larry-moni.tripod.com Please tell all your friends, and help us make this event a success! Larry Fogel
SHARE THE PAIN!
GESTURES by David Wilder - Jewish Community of
"SHARE THE PAIN!!!" Isn't it long overdue to have PM Ehud Olmert and his Kadima Cabinet "Share the Pain"? With malice aforethought, they released hundreds of committed Terrorists to prey on the Jewish people for nothing at all in return. Leftist apologists can say that releasing killers was just an error in judgement except for the fact that Israeli Intelligence has irrefutable proof that released Terrorists usually revert to their old cells and attempt to kill again. They promise to kill again. Why don't we believe them?
Therefore, because Olmert and his Cabinet know all this, they have become co-conspirators to the murders and maiming which those released Terrorists have done in the past and will commit in the future. Those who act as enablers to assist Terrorists to kill, should themselves be made to pay the same price as their victims. Assisting Terrorists to be free to kill, is the same as pulling the trigger or exploding the bomb. Olmert, his Cabinet and all those who acted as collaborators to Terror should be made to "Share the Pain" of their innocent victims.
COMMENTS BY EMANUEL A. WINSTON
###
GESTURES by David Wilder The Jewish Community of Hebron August 18, 2008
This afternoon a group of people gathered at the ancient Jewish cemetery in Hebron to participate in a memorial service on the anniversary of the killing of Hebron resident Elazar Leibovitch six years ago. Murdered at the same time were three members of the Dickstein family- the mother, father and young son.
Elazar Leibovitch was murdered, by the Hebrew calendar, on the 17th day of the month of Av. On the same date, at almost the identical hour, Shmuel HaLevy Rosenhaltz, nicknamed "the Matmid' or perpetual student, was the first victim of the 1929 riots and massacre in
This week the Israeli government decided to commemorate these two events in a unique way. They decided to release 200 terrorists, as a 'good-will' gesture to Holocaust denier, Abu Mazen, presently head of the Palestinian authority. In order to express support for one Jew-hater over another Jew-hater (Hamas), the Israeli government is freeing 200 terrorists from prison. Not only isn't
Of course, in their opinion, this isn't enough. All prisoners must be released, unconditionally. But, this is a good beginning, a step in the right direction. This is how the Olmert administration is marking the 79th anniversary of the 1929 riots, instigated and initiated by Amin el-Husseini, who later met with Hitler in Berlin, formed the Muslim Brigades, and had plans to annihilate all the Jews living in Eretz Yisrael when they expected Rommel to invade during World War Two. Amin el Husseini's direct successor was Abu-Mazen's predecessor, Arafat. Abu-Mazen is trying hard to follow in his footsteps.
However, the government's decision was not enough to mark the current occasion. They had to go just one step further, stick the knife in just a little deeper. The common rule of prisoner releases over the years has been to refrain from freeing terrorists with 'blood on their hands.' In other words, those that just helped, or attempted to kill but didn't succeed, and the like, they're ok to set free. But those who actually pulled the trigger, they're another story.
That's the way it was, until today. For the first time, the Israeli government decided to release a couple of 'real terrorists,' those who went all the way, and did the dirty act to its fullest degree. So, who's being released, in celebration of the anniversary of the killings in
It's interesting to note: Yehoshua Saloma was the first Jew to be killed in
Ah, what's the difference you ask? Very simple. In 1929 we could (rightfully) blame the British. Today who do we have to blame? We need only look in the mirror and point a finger at the image we see. But, then again, it's only a gesture.
NEW YORK TIMES NATIONAL SUICIDE NOTE FOR
Once again, the New York Times demonstrates its anti-Israel pro-Arab bias.
As radical Islamic "Jihadists" (holy warriors for Islam) rage across the globe, the New York Times offers a national suicide note, drafted for the Israeli Leftists to leave behind if and when she takes their advice to become a corpse. The August 18th NYT editorial "Perils of Israeli Transition" is a 'spin', telling us how PM Ehud Olmert is on the right track in dividing the Jewish nation to accommodate a non-people called 'Palestinians' who support Terror and the elimination of the Jewish State.
So, let's go over the NYT suicide note: First, we are told that history is unlikely to be kind to Ehud Olmert, implying that he will be unfairly treated for what most consider the most corrupt and incompetent government Israel has ever had.
In the next paragraph, editorial spin tell us that, according to the NYT, Olmert understood that a two-state solution was vital for
The NYT slips forward, saying "Without jeopardizing its security,
First, they position themselves as being concerned about
The editors of the NYT already know that Yitzhak Rabin, Shimon Peres and Yossi Beilin, with the assistance of the Europeans, greased through their secret, abortive agreement with Yassir Arafat, called the
As a relevant aside, the only reason that Arafat's partner of 40 years, Mahmoud Abbas, current President of the Palestinian Authority, can maintain the fiction of controlling these cities are the Israeli patrols and constantly ferreting out Terrorists in such cities as Jenin, Nablus (Schehem), Ram'Allah, Qalqilya, Tulkarem and Jericho. Without Israeli soldier’s supervision and control, all would have passed over to Hamas - like
The NYT then recommends that Olmert could "burnish his legacy" and the prospects for an agreement if he announced a full freeze on an expansion of Jewish settlements and reduces the number of roadblocks in the 'West Bank', which the NYT claims is strangling the Palestinian economy which subsists on massive donor funding from America and the European Union.
Examine the next set of NYT lies and spin in this paragraph: First, Olmert could indeed burnish his legacy - with the Arabs, Rice and Leftists generally - by pushing hard for the re-partitioning of
No doubt, the grateful 'Palestinians' would sequester a burial place for Olmert next to Arafat in honor of what the NYT calls his "burnished legacy". Clearly, the NYT's "burnish" paragraph and their recommendation to freeze Jewish settlements and reduce the number of roadblocks which were set up to catch inflowing Muslim Arab Terrorists is an important segment of their national suicide advice. At a great cost, the security fence and the roadblocks have successfully reduced bloody Terror attacks. Many of those Terrorists were caught with arms and explosives. They were tried, convicted by the courts and then released by Olmert's corrupt government so they could continue to maraud and kill Jews.
I wonder why the NYT hasn't demanded that American troops cease setting up checkpoints in
As the story goes about a typical
Let's move on:
The editorial speaks of two other gullible stupid 'alligators':
The NYT tells us that, making deals to divest Jewish Land to the 'Palestinians' will take enormous political courage for both the Jews and the 'Palestinian' leaders. As stated earlier, those risks for peace were already taken and, it was the Jews who paid the price each time.
The NYT, in its pernicious wisdom, says permanent borders are to be drawn up, which will give
First, any borders that
All are economic basket cases, contributing nothing to the world, who are keeping their own populations in abject ignorance and poverty, while they spend their donor money and/or oil loot on Western weapons. Is this then the economically viable nation the NYT tells us will be built by the 'Palestinians'? Once they were economically better off than Arab Muslims in surrounding countries because the State of Israel employed them - until every 'Palestinian' was suspected of being a Terrorist simply because some had shot or stabbed their own bosses - or blown up civilians, mostly Jews but also including Muslims.
The NYT burbles and airily dismisses the fact that Hamas does not acknowledge Israel's right to exist and refuses to accept any past (or future) agreements. This follows both the Arab League charters and the 1964 Charter of Arafat's PLO, calling for
The NYT goes on to say that Israeli politicians unwilling to work with Mr. Abbas will only strengthen the hand of Hamas and other extremists. Oh. Really?
The corrupt government of Olmert, Kadima, his Cabinet, the Knesset offer little or no resistance to peddling large parts of the Jewish country's ancient historic heartland. In each perfidious give-way, the failure of these confidence-building gestures becomes apparent in the number of dead Jewish men, women and children - both civilians and soldiers.
Yes, indeed, assisting Mr. Abbas with such things as releasing hardened, convicted and jailed Terrorists must appear beneficial to the NYT - although one cannot point to what those benefits were.
Finally, the NYT makes its grand wish that all that has to happen is that the Arab/Muslim countries simply need to face up to their responsibilities. Responsibility to whom? Allah? Mohammed? The Ayatollahs or President of
The fact is, they hate the prosperous, humanitarian Jewish State, both religiously and, because by comparison, the Israelis show the Arab Muslims they are a hopelessly backward people whose only success through the ages has been war and living on the loot built by other industrious nations,
Now the world waits for the primitive and savage people to explode one or more nuclear devices which we in the West passed on to them. This then is the story of how the New York Times became a fellow traveler of a pagan people who still believe in the blood cult of human sacrifice - be it us and our children or them and their children.
One last thought: The NYT would have
Have you ever seen vegetable gardens and fields of crops invaded by wild hogs? Nothing is left but destroyed crops as happened as soon as
Thank G-d, it is not. The people of
###OLMERT SACRIFICES
Once again,
The problem always was that
Relying on early warning systems NOT controlled by
IF, for reasons of oil,
America is an invaluable friend but, the
COMMENTS BY EMANUEL A. WINSTON
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DEBKAfile Exclusive Report August 19, 2008, 10:41 PM
In granting Israel the powerful FBX-T radar system to enhance its early warning resources against incoming missiles, Washington laid down a strict hands-off proviso. The system will be installed at a
This discovery, revealed here for the first time by DEBKAfile's military sources, has aroused astonished rancor in senior
Even
Yet none of the Israeli officials involved in the radar transaction saw fit to carry this point. The FBX-T was requested to allow
sooner than the Arrow's Green Pines radar is capable of doing.
The FBX-T can track objects in space such as a missile tipped with a chemical, germ or nuclear warhead.
When they swung the deal in
But they erred badly in failing to demand its integration in Israel's national interceptor system for four reasons:
1. Israel will have no denied direct access to the data gathered by the system and can only hope the American operators will pass on the information as and when Israel needs it for self-defense rather than when it suits US interests.
2. The FBX-T will not only be able to track Iranian and Syrian missiles and aircraft but also keep watch on Israeli operations, giving the
3.
4. Barak and Ashkenazi said on their return from Washington that they had procured US consent to links between Israel's early warning and missile interceptor systems, the X-band radar (which can pick up a missile
This [according to DEBKAfile] not the case.
Any links between the IDF's radar and interceptors and the JATG satellites must be channeled through the X-band radar base in the
Several billion dollars of US and Israeli funds have been sunk into developing the Arrow, which Israeli officials until recently claimed was a match for
RUSSIAN NUCLEAR NAVY AT SYRIAN PORT - RUSSIAN ARMS TO SYRIA, HEZB'ALLAH & IRAN by Emanuel A. Winston, a Middle East Analyst & Commentator
The Media are offering up their wisdom about how
Putin knew well that the technology, once in the hands of radical Islamists, would spread to all other Muslim nations and their Terrorist proxies. Putin's hatred for the West is greater than the risk
Putin never actually left the KGB and now, as the power behind Putin's puppet, the current President Dmitry Antolyevich Medvedev, Putin wishes to bring back the years of fear that prevailed during the Cold War. During the Soviet days there were KGB and other training camps dedicated to training Terrorists like Carlos, the Jackal. Training Middle East Muslim Terrorists was the KGB specialty. Mahmoud Abbas (aka Abu Mazen) took his degree from the
Where were the Media pundits who have access to vast files on every bit of history but seem to never crack a reference book? It is said that "Dumb is curable, but Stupid is forever." Why haven't investigative journalists been on
I must say that the U.S. State Department under Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (a so-called expert on
Rice remains untouchable to the media simply because she is a woman; she is black and, therefore, should be considered free of rational scrutiny by the Media. Granted she smiles nicely, makes seemingly erudite speeches but, she solves nothing of the world's problems. Her vaunted, supposed expertise about
Petting the Russian Bear, thinking it is a tamed, civilized animal is a grave error and wishful thinking one the part of any nation. The Bear is dangerous, has giant claws and teeth and artful avoidance by the West is a giant sized mistake. The Media have played a role in lulling the nations into becoming a main course in the Bear's dinner. But, the Brezhnev Doctrine is alive and well. (1)
PT. 2: RUSSIA BLAMES ISRAEL FOR CASUALTIES IN GEORGIA & SEEKS A PRETEXT TO SUPPLY EVEN MORE ARMS TO SYRIA, HEZB'ALLAH & IRAN TO KILL ISRAELIS
The vice-chairman of the Russian Chiefs-of-Staff - Anatoloy Nogoveichin - is accusing Israel of supplying arms to Georgia that were used to kill Russians. This is a very worrying development. This pretext will be used by
What the Russians fail to mention is that they never told the Israelis to rein in private arms supply firms based in
The Russians should be informed that using what transpired in
PT. 3 from DEBKAfile: "Big Russian flotilla led by Admiral Kuznetsov carrier heads for Syrian port" [paraphrased]
Now [August 23rd] a powerful Russian naval contingent, led by the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov is sitting off shore at the Syrian port of Tartus. This includes the Russian Navy's biggest missile cruiser Moskva and at least four nuclear missile submarines. Before the Russian flotilla departed
On Thursday August 21 Syria's President Bashar Assad at the Black Sea resort of Sochi, told reporters he is considering a Russian request to deploy missiles in Syria because of Russian-Western tensions over the Georgian conflict. Assad signaled that he would also be representing
While Assad was meeting at Sochi, a large Syrian military delegation visited the Russian weapons manufacturing giant, the Kalinin Machines Plant, east of Moscow. This plant makes sophisticated anti-air missile systems, including the S-300 and the BUK M, for which
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1. "The Brezhnev Doctrine: Alive and Well" by Srdja Trifkovic http://www.chroniclesmagazine.org/?p=712#more-712
2. "Big Russian flotilla led by Admiral Kuznetsov carrier heads for Syrian port" DEBKAfile August 21, 2008 http://www.debka.com/headline.php?hid=5526
Slut thinks she a Kabbalist can somebody clue her in that non-Jewish sluts can’t understand Kabbala. Also although she can’t vote in the
Mofaz: Prisoner release big mistake:
Kadima chairmanship candidate blames Livni for 'pushing for bad decision' in releasing 198 Palestinian prisoners as good will gesture to Abbas without securing Shalit's freedom first. FM's office: We won't stoop to Mofaz's level: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3587607,00.html
Gay rights org lodges complaint against Gaydamak: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3587604,00.html
From Golda: http://jewishworldreview.com/cols/gaffney082608.php3
Jewish World Review August 26, 2008 / 25 Menachem-Av 5768 The Dems' ‘soft’ jihadist By Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.
On Sunday, Democratic delegates convening in
After all, the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) has been identified by the Department of Justice not only as a front for the Muslim Brotherhood - a global Islamist movement with the stated mission in
Like other Brotherhood operations, ISNA's purpose is to promote what might be called "soft jihad" - the task of steadily insinuating the brutally repressive and subversive program the Islamists call Shariah through da'wa, proselytizing and social networking.
The more one learns about Dr. Mattson and her organization, the more questions will be raised about Barak Obama's judgment and that of his party in affording them a prominent role in the 2008 Democratic convention. For example:
Ingrid Mattson is director of the Macdonald Center for the Study of Islamic Studies and Christian-Muslim Relations at the Hartford Seminary in Connecticut . Her program is used to credential Muslim chaplains for
A course taught by Mattson at the Hartford Seminary entitled " The Koran and Its Place in Muslim Life and Society" featured readings from texts by two of the Islamofascist ideology's most revered figures: Syed Abul A'la Mawdudi and Sayyid Qutb. She has publicly credited the former with producing "probably the best work of [Koranic commentary] in English." As Robert Spencer has observed in his invaluable Jihad Watch blog http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/022342.php
Maududi succinctly described the Islamists' Shariah agenda as follows: "Islam wishes to destroy all states and governments anywhere on the face of the earth which are opposed to the ideology and program of Islam regardless of the country or the nation which rules it. The purpose of Islam is to set up a state on the basis of its own ideology and program, regardless of which nation assumes the role of the standard bearer of Islam or the rule of which nation is undermined in the process of the establishment of an ideological Islamic State....Islam does not intend to confine this revolution to a single State or a few countries; the aim of Islam is to bring about a universal revolution."
As to Qutb, an amicus brief filed last week by the Center for Security Policy before the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals noted that his "writings expand on [Maududi's] theme of Jihad against wayward Muslim regimes and the infidel West and the establishment of a hegemonic Shariah-based political order. His work has been credited as a central doctrinal source for al Qaeda's doctrine of Jihad, as well." According to the brief prepared for the Center by two of the West's foremost scholars of Shariah, attorneys David Yerushalmi and Stephen Coughlin (resident expert on the subject for the Joint Chiefs of Staff until he was purged by an ISNA admirer in the office of Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon England), "Da'wa is used to prepare the battle space for violent Jihad."
Unbeknownst to most Americans, such Da'wa is being systematically advanced through the Islamists' take-over of the vast majority of
Insofar as the Muslim Brotherhood explicitly seeks and is working for the destruction of our government and Western civilization more generally, it is engaged in a criminal conspiracy that constitutes treasonous sedition. That reality has two critical implications:
First, the Brotherhood must be formally designated a terrorist organization, putting an end to the reckless notion - promoted by, among others, the U.S. State Department - that practitioners of soft jihad are less dangerous and an effective antidote to co-religionists who are prepared to use violence immediately, rather than later on.
Second, under 18 US Code 2382: " Whoever, owing allegiance to the United States and having knowledge of the commission of any treason against them, conceals and does not, as soon as may be, disclose and make known the same to [appropriate officials] is guilty of misprision of treason and shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than seven years, or both."
Senator Obama, his party, Bush administration officials and, for that matter, ordinary citizens of the United States are obliged to take steps to counteract seditious Muslim Brotherhood activities in our midst. To do otherwise is not just suicidal.
It is a crime.
FROM WND'S JERUSALEM BUREAU Condi pulls a Solomon: Split Jerusalem in 2 Sources reveal status of secret talks to create Palestinian state this year
Posted: August 25, 2008 10:00 pm Eastern
By Aaron Klein © 2008 WorldNet Daily http://wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=73428
Condoleezza Rice
JERUSALEM – Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, completing a visit to the region today, has been pressing Israel to sign a document by the end of the year that would divide Jerusalem by offering the Palestinians a state in Israel's capital city as well as in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, according to top diplomatic sources involved in the talks.
The Israeli team, led by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, has been negotiating the division of Jerusalem – despite claims to the contrary – but would rather conclude an agreement on paper by the end of the year that would give the Palestinians a state in the West Bank, Gaza and some Israeli territory, leaving conclusions on Jerusalem for a later date, the informed diplomatic sources told WND.
The sources said the Palestinian team has been pushing to conclude a deal by January on all core issues, including
Rice, the sources said, has asked Israeli leaders to bend to what the
The diplomatic sources said the plan is that once an Israeli-Palestinian deal is reached on paper by January, Bush would issue an official letter guaranteeing that the
Any Israeli-Palestinian paper agreement is to finalize a process that began at last November's U.S. backed Annapolis conference, which seeks to create a Palestinian state, at least on paper, before Bush leaves office.
One Palestinian negotiator speaking to WND described as "crazy" the intensity and frequency of Israeli-Palestinian talks in recent weeks, saying both sides have been meeting on a daily basis, usually at the highest levels. The negotiator said Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Chief Palestinian Negotiator Ahmed Queri has been leading the talks.
The negotiator said
This claim was verified to WND by other diplomatic sources involved in the negotiations.
The Palestinian negotiator said
Palestinian Authority while
Israel recaptured eastern Jerusalem, including the
A number of Arab-majority eastern
Asked by WND whether
Olmert has several times denied
Olmert, facing several criminal investigations described as "serious," recently announced he will resign after his Kadima party holds primaries next month to chose a new leader. That leader is widely expected to continue Israeli-Palestinian talks, especially if frontrunner Livni takes Olmert's place.
The diplomatic situation in
WND first exclusively reported Aug. 1 that Olmert told the PA he intends to accelerate negotiations to reach some understanding on paper as soon as September.
Over the weekend, the Israeli media quoted officials close to Olmert stating the prime minister is working for an interim document as soon as next month to be presented to the United Nations. The document likely will not be the conclusion of negotiations but an outline of some of the breakthroughs regarding the West Bank and
One PA negotiator told WND of the planned paper: "Papers are very important. It puts limits on the new prime minister. For example, the weak point of Israeli-Syrian negotiations are papers signed by former prime ministers that now must be abided during current negotiations."
U.S.-influenced plan splits nation
Regarding the expected agreement on the Gaza Strip and West Bank, the general plan, according to top diplomatic sources, is to create a Palestinian state in the vast majority of the West Bank, but for Israel to retain large West Bank Jewish community blocs of Ma'aleh Adumim, Gush Etzion and the areas surrounding Jerusalem, and some land in the northern West Bank adjacent to Israel.
A plan being floated and heavily influenced by the U.S. grants the Palestinians passage between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip on territory that would be jointly patrolled by Israel and the PA. The passageway would give the Palestinians access to areas close to central Israeli population centers.
An area from the Israeli Negev nearly equivalent in land mass to the territory Israel would retain in the West Bank would be transferred to the West Bank – marking the first official Israeli plan that calls for pre-1967 land to be given to the Palestinians. Pre-1967 refers to Israeli territory that was not reconquered in the 1967 Six Day War. Much of the plan previously was published by WND in a series of articles in recent months and was published last week by
The plan would be set out on paper and implemented on the Israeli side in stages, while the PA would need to first retake control of the
Regarding the division of
One PA negotiator claimed the U.S. has guaranteed the Palestinians that sensitive areas in eastern Jerusalem in which what he termed "extremist Jews" are purchasing real estate would be handed to the Palestinians.
"The Israelis had no problem with this," the PA negotiator claimed. "We were also told not to worry too much about scattered Jewish properties in Arab neighborhoods, or yeshivas (Jewish seminaries) in the
The PA negotiator's claim could not be verified by sources in
According to informed Israeli and Palestinian sources, officials from the State Department in 2008 presented both negotiating sides with several proposals for consideration regarding the future status of
One
According to the first stage of the
The initial stage also calls for the PA to operate
After five years, if both sides keep specific commitments called for in a larger principal agreement, according to the U.S. plan the PA would be given full sovereignty over agreed upon eastern Jerusalem neighborhoods and discussions would be held regarding an arrangement for the Temple Mount. The plan doesn't specify which parts of the
The PA also could deploy official security forces in
The
According to diplomatic sources familiar with the plan, while specific neighborhoods were not officially listed, American officials recommended sections of Jerusalem's Old City as well as certain largely Arab Jerusalem neighborhoods such as Jabal mukabar, Beit Hanina, Abu Dis, and Abu Tur become part of the Palestinian side. Also recommended were the
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1219572136078&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull IAF Buys New Fix for Runways by Yacov Katz.
The Israel Air Force has purchased a unique material that can be laid on bombed-out runways within minutes to enable fighter jets to take off with barely any delay, defense officials revealed Tuesday. Until now, the IAF had been dependent on asphalt companies to repave damaged runways. The new solution can allow a base to resume operations within minutes. The air force recently conducted a number of tests with the new material, including the takeoff of fully-loaded fighter jets.
A top IAF officer told The Jerusalem Post the decision to buy the material was made in line with the lessons learned from the Second Lebanon War, when more than 4,000 Hizbullah rockets pounded
For this reason, the IAF is also considering purchasing several Joint Strike Fighters, which have vertical-takeoff capability. The IDF has announced plans to purchase at least 25 F-35 jets with the option to purchase dozens more. The decision to consider the vertical-takeoff airplane, the F-35B, was made due to an understanding that in time of war Israeli bases and runways would be heavily targeted by enemy missiles. Also Tuesday, the Israel Air Force's official magazine reported on a new avionics system installed in F-15I fighter jets that enables pilots to drop several smart bombs simultaneously. Smart bombs, or precision-guided munitions, are guided weapons intended to maximize damage to the target while minimizing civilian damage. The F-15I is
A bit old fashioned: http://www.wfsb.com/family/17303708/detail.html#-
Now for M. Wolfberg's Good Shabbos Story from Last Week: "{Perfect Stranger"
Often times in life, people are dependent on others to give a helping hand. Sometimes, the people in need seem hardly "deserving" of the helping hand. Similarly, the bystander seems hardly obligated to help out.
This is perhaps why our tradition teaches that the world stands on chessed; people, who are under no obligation to help another - who nevertheless extend a helping hand to someone who by all appearances doesn't "deserve" the help. That is chessed! And that is why the world depends on it, because Hashem created us to work on our character traits, especially the selfish nature with which we were born. By doing chessed, especially when not we are not obligated and the recipient is not "deserving" we demonstrate that we are breaking the horrible character trait of selfishness and we are thus fulfilling one of the purposes of Creation, character development.
The following amazing story is told (ironically) by a person named "Chessed" Halberstam, who worked in the employ of Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka Schneersohn, wife of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, for eighteen years -- from 1970 until the Rebbetzin's passing in 1988 -- performing household chores and serving as the Rebbetzin's driver.
"The Rebbe requested that I try to see to it that the Rebbetzin gets out of the house every day for fresh air. Usually we would drive out to a park in Long Island. In the years that my son, Ari, was a young child, we would often drive by his school on Ocean Parkway to take him along; the Rebbetzin, who was unfortunately childless herself, enjoyed playing with him, pushing him on the swings in the park playground, etc.
One day, as we neared the park, we found our regular route closed off due to road work, and were forced to proceed instead on a parallel street. As we drove along that street, we heard the sound of a woman screaming in Russian.
When I stopped at the next traffic light, the Rebbetzin turned to me and said: "I heard a woman screaming; can you go back and see what that was about?" We drove back to the beginning of the street.
There we saw a woman standing on the curb and weeping, while near her workers were carrying furniture and household items from a house and loading them on to a truck belonging to the county marshal.
At the Rebbetzin's request, I parked behind the marshal's truck and went to learn the details of what was going on. The marshal explained that the woman had not paid her rent for many months and was now being evicted from her home. When I reported back to the Rebbetzin, she asked me to go back and inquire from the marshal how much the woman owed, and if he would accept a personal check; she also asked that I should not say anything to the family being evicted.
At this point, I still did not realize where all this was leading, but I fulfilled the Rebbetzin's request. The sum that the family owed was approximately $6,700.
The marshal said that he had no problem accepting a personal check, as long as he confirms with the bank that the check is covered; he also said that if he received the payment, his men would carry everything back into the house.
When I informed the Rebbitzin of the details, she took out her checkbook and, to my amazement, wrote out a check for the full amount, and asked me to give it to the marshal.
The marshal made a phone call to the bank, and then instructed his workers to take everything back into the house. The Rebbitzin immediately urged me to quickly drive away, before the woman realized what had transpired. I was completely amazed at what I had seen and later, when we were in the park, I could not contain myself and asked the Rebbetzin what had prompted her to give such a large sum to a total stranger?
"Do you really want to know?" asked the Rebbetzin. "Yes, I do," I replied. "Then I'll tell you," she said. "Once, when I was a young girl, my father took me for a walk in the park. He sat me down on a bench and started to tell me about the idea of hashgachah pratis ('divine providence').
'Every time' -- said my father -- 'that something causes us to deviate from our normal routine, there is a divinely ordained reason for this; every time we see something unusual, there is a purpose in why we've been shown this sight.'
"Today," continued the Rebbetzin, "when I saw the 'Detour' sign instructing us to deviate from our regular route, I remembered my father's words and immediately thought to myself: Every day we drive by this street; suddenly, the street's closed off and we're sent to a different street. What is the purpose of this? How is this connected to me? Then I heard the sound of a woman crying and screaming. I realized that we have been sent along this route for a purpose." (from Chabad of Bel-Air) Good Shabbos Everyone.
