Caution being advertised on YNet: Center for Biblical Studies – THE ONLY THING YOU WILL REALLY STUDY IS THAT Yeshu is allegedly the Moshiach.
Remembering the victims of 9/11 and the soldiers that died in the war on terror. Despite the political statements below -
Let us remember that we are all on the list that terrorist want to murder as citizens of world. There is more to unite us than divide us.
Elul & Tshuvah
We are getting closer to Rosh Hashanah and so I have changed the color of the Mussar. Who is my Mussar Hero this week? Sugar Ray Robinson! Robinson held the world welterweight title from 1946 to 1951, and won the world middleweight title in the latter year. He retired in 1952, only to come back two and a half years later and regain the middleweight title in 1955. He then became the first boxer in history to win a divisional world championship five times, a feat he accomplished by defeating Carmen Basilio in 1958 to regain the middleweight championship.
How can we Jews learn Mussar from a black boxer you might ask? The fact of the matter is we can learn a great deal. My folks had a summer house in Greenwood Lake, NY. Sugar Ray would train there every summer. He would run/jog every day from Coconut Grove Beach to the town of Greenwood Lake some two miles and back. Sometimes, he would run by the side of the highway in the other direction and past our bungalow colony. One could see him jumping rope, shadow boxing for hours upon hours. He made himself into a tireless boxing machine for hours on end. Now each day from Elul to Yom Kippur the Sephardim and each day from a week before or ten days before Rosh Hashanah like this year on a Motzei Shabbos the Ashkenazim say Selichos. We should be shadow boxing our Yetzer Hara yelling “We have sinned, we have transgressed, we have stolen, etc.” We should be running to repent with the 13 Midos and Jumping rope with “Shema Kolaynu” (Hear our Voice/Prayer) that is with the fervor of a boxer that wants to be world champ training for the big event on Rosh Hashanah and World Championship on Yom Kippur.
TWO LASHON HARA STORIES: My granddaughter suffered a bit from a problem child in her nursery school who was bullying the whole class. My daughter wrote a letter to the Principal of the School requesting that my granddaughter be placed in any class but the one where the bully was. Last week my daughter personally went to check up on my granddaughter and asked that my granddaughter be removed from the class after seeing her in the class with the bully. The Principal promised. In the meantime, Mrs. Yak-Yak Talebearer saw my daughter leave the classroom with a Tisha B’Av face on her. She wanted her daughter in the class but the bully removed so she said to the Principal that my daughter was spreading reports about the family of the girl and they are a good family. The Principal then got angry at my daughter and did not remove my granddaughter from the class. My daughter explained to the Principal that she never said anything of the kind and the family is a good family with a problem child. My daughter also told the Principal that Mrs. Yak-Yak wanted the bully removed from the class and not her daughter removed. Mrs. Yak-Yak has no right to request a removal of somebody else’s child from the class and that she only wanted little Reut placed in another class. Finally we have Shalom and Reut is happy in her new first grade environment.
The other one is an out and out vicious lie set upon by a woman from a rival political party. Sarah Palin as Mayor of her city was perturbed about a display of certain magazines and books that were not for everybody’s eyes in public view such as Hustler and mentioned that to Librarian her opinion. Sarah never said to remove books from the shelves but about a display. She only spoke to the Librarian and when the librarian refused, she left things alone. The e-mail went out to everybody and their grandparents and even got to me through a friend.
If one’s spouse had a ticket for double parking or worst that should not be anybody’s business as it does not have an affect on the person’s ability to act in public office. Only if the spouse was a member of the Communist Party, Al Qaeda or something that could put at jeopardy the security of the United States of America. Also nowadays, a political candidate usually has to put their family also on display whether the cute little children of Barak or Sarah’s children. But comments like this below start flying around the net back and forth and some people do believe that a mother of a special needs child should put him above serving her country while others think the opposite. Here is just a comment I picked up from Robert the Preacher: Channah writes: "Arnold, you are certainly entitled to your opinion as are the rest of us. Gov. Palin's daughter should not be part of this whole election process!!!!!! The liberal media and hypocritical democrats won't let it rest.”
If the only reason that I would be voting for a candidate is because they are attractive, you could call me a sexist and you would be right. Further, it says in Perkei Avos a guard for appearing intelligence is silence. After a lady makes a joke about hockey moms and pit bulls you don’t make comments about lipstick on a pig. I am sure there are a few Clinton supporting Democrats who may revise their votes because of a foolish use of ones tongue. We have a saying: “Life and Death are in the possession of the tongue.”
Parsha Ki Seitzei
21:10 When thou goest forth to battle against thine enemies, and the LORD thy God delivers them into thy hands, and thou carry them away captive,
The verse here is referring to an optional war [i.e., non-obligatory] (Sifrei 21:1), since in reference to the [obligatory] war [to conquer] the land of Israel, it would be inappropriate to say “and you take his captives” because it has already been stated [regarding the seven nations of Canaan],“[from these peoples’ cities…] you shall not allow any soul to live.” (Deut. 20: 16). and you take his captives. Heb. וְשָׁבִית ָשִׁבְיוֹ. [The double language here comes] to include Canaanites in their midst, even though they are from the seven nations. — [Sifrei 21:2; Sotah 35b]
According to the Drasha one can say a fight against your Yetzer Hara. For the Yetzer has many ways of enticing a person through food, drink, money and relations.
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;
[and you desire her,] you may take [her] for yourself as a wife. [Not that you are commanded to take this woman as a wife,] but Scripture [in permitting this marriage] is speaking only against the evil inclination [, which drives him to desire her]. For if the Holy One, blessed is He, would not permit her to him, he would take her illicitly. [The Torah teaches us, however, that] if he marries her, he will ultimately come to despise her, as it says after this, “If a man has [two wives-one beloved and the other despised]” (verse 15); [moreover] he will ultimately father through her a wayward and rebellious son (see verse 18). For this reason, these passages are juxtaposed. — [Tanchuma 1] a…woman. Heb. אֵשֶׁת, even a married woman (אֵשֶׁת אִישׁ). - [Kid. 21b]
The Torah tells the Israeli soldier that you are not to act like the rest of the world in battles like Dafur where even the UN aid mission comes and humbles women. You like the woman because she is what your heart desires from a physical standpoint. Then you can take her, but she is to be a wife unto you in all respects and not a sex slave like the Nations of the World used to do at that time. Sorry no white or black slavery for female captives.
12 then thou shall 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 may go in unto her, and be her husband, and she shall be thy wife.
And she shall remove the garment of her captivity. [So that she should not be attractive to her captor,] for they are pretty [clothes], because gentile women adorn themselves during wartime, in order to seduce others [namely, the enemy] to have relations with them. This is because they either want to save themselves or with the men living there they entice the Bnei Yisrael so as to exhaust them by dissipating energy through relations. — [Sifrei 21:8] and stay in your house. In the house he uses. Upon entering, he will stumble upon her, and upon leaving, he will stumble upon her, see her weeping and see her unsightly appearance-all this, so that she should become despicable to him. — [Sifrei 21: 9] and weep for her father and her mother. Why is all this necessary? So that an Israelite woman [i.e., this man’s Jewish wife] should be happy, and this [gentile captive woman] should be grief-stricken, an Israelite woman should be dressed up, and this one should make herself repulsive. — [Sifrei 21:11]
The Torah is trying to make her unacceptable as a wife. A man took her because of her beauty and now she has her time to weep and she has no nails and complains about them all the time and she must have a shaven head.
14 And it shall be, if thou have no delight in her, then thou shall let her go whither she will; but thou shall not sell her at all for money, thou shall not deal with her as a slave, because thou hast humbled her.
And it will be, if you do not desire her. Scripture informs you that eventually you will despise her. — [Sifrei 21:14. You shall not keep her as a servant. Heb. לֹא-תִתְעַמֵּר בָּהּ. [This means:]“You must not use her [as a slave]” (Sifrei 21:16). In the Persian language, the term for slavery and servitude is עִימְרָאָה [the term used here]. I learned this from the Yesod of Rabbi Moses the Darshan.
It is only natural that one should not like the woman. She is complaining and hating you for capturing her and humbling her. She no longer is the beauty that you saw. You saw a good looking Britney Spears with make-up and a sexy outfit now you see a bald Britney and no make-up and perhaps without full rehab. Suddenly Britney is not what you dreamed of and you gradually get to hate her just like she is angry at you.
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.
It is very possible that if the couple marries young, they may not grow up together and mature at the same level. What he/she saw in the other one at first are now love replaced by faults and mistake the other made in his/her youth. Since more than one wife is permitted he keeps her on to raise her brats and he goes out to look for a second wife. Being more mature, experienced and refine – the second marriage gets on better and therefore the Torah reminds him that is first born is his real first fruit and therefore the son of the despised wife.
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 shall thou put away the evil from the midst of thee; and all Israel shall hear, and fear.
From here, [we learn that] the court must make a public proclamation, announcing: “So-and-so has been stoned because he was a wayward and rebellious son!” - [San. 89a]
The Gemara makes such impossible conditions that almost nobody can kill a rebellions son. One Rabbi states that there never was and never will be one. Another says there was and his grave is in such and such a place and I saw it.
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 shall 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 gives thee for an inheritance.
Rashi brings down part of the Gemara on death sentences.
22. If a man commits a sin for which he is sentenced to death. The juxtaposition of these passages [i.e., this one and that of the wayward and rebellious son] teaches [us] that if his father and mother spare him, he will eventually lead an evil life style and commit [grave] sins for which he will be sentenced to death by the court. — [Tanchuma 1] you shall [then] hang him on a pole. Our Rabbis said: All who are stoned [by the court] must [afterwards] be hanged, for the verse (23) says, “a hanging [human corpse] is a blasphemy of God.” [Thus, we find that the sin of blasphemy is connected with hanging,] and a blasphemer is punished by stoning. [Consequently, our Rabbis taught that all those stoned must be hanged.]- [San. 45b]
23. For a hanging [human corpse] is a blasphemy of God. Heb. קִלְלַת אלֹהִים. This is a degradation of the [Divine] King in Whose image Man is created, and the Israelites are God’s children. This is comparable to two identical twin brothers. One [of them] became king, while the other was arrested for robbery and hanged. Whoever saw him [the second brother, suspended on the gallows], would say, “The king is hanging!” [Therefore, the king ordered, and they removed him (Reggio ed.).] - [Sanh. 46b] Wherever [the term] קְלָלָה appears in Scripture, it means treating lightly (הָקֵל) and degrading. For example, “[And behold, you have with you Shimei the son of Gera…] and he cursed me with a severe curse (וְהוּא קִלְלַנִי קְלָלָה נִמְרֶצֶת)” (I Kings 2:8). - [See II Sam. 16:5-13]
Mitzvos such as returning lost property and forbidding marriages to a Ammonite, Moabite and Maumzer follow. I have too many chores left over for tomorrow and therefore am sending this out tonight. PERHAPS NEXT WEEK, I MAY CONTINUE.
Don’t look down on Gerim with your nose!
There are always bigots and snobs that look down on people who they consider less them themselves. Some of us have experienced it as Baalei Tshuvah. When I became a Baal Tshuvah, I was looked down upon by many. “You have no Ancestry” – so I found out from my grandmother who was still alive that I was from great Rabbis. “You have no learning.” – Okay, I was a fellow just starting to plow through Mishnah and the Shass and had a long way to go but I had potential energy. David B. was my doctor. He was a Ger married to a Giyores, Miriam. His brother is a Protestant Minister in Holland and yet he was inspired by Judaism. His hobby was botany and next to Professor Yehuda Felixs Zal I never saw some one so dedicated to the study of plants. Of course he was Orthodox and was one of the doctors who served the Steipler Rebbe TzZal. Being a Dr. with means and his children educated in the highest Orthodox Tradition, he had no problem finding Shidduchim for his children. However, if his children had been Gerim at the age of 20 or 22 with blond hair looking for Shidduch, the story might have been different.
Rabbi Morey Schwartz Shlita told me a story of family that converted. They lived in the middle of Missouri. They studied with him Torah and Halachos and finally made the move from mid-MO to Kansas City to live in the Jewish Community to Convert. Eventually because of the Jewish Education for their children, they moved to a town on the east coast.
The following is a letter and a story of an e-mail pal of mine of a struggle that many of us would not go through if we had to convert. It required moving, patience and hardships: It is not spectacular , probably not very inspiring either. I don’t know if I would have had the stamina to go though all this below – RP.
I am just a simple convert who converted through the regular Rabbinate in Amsterdam, NL , in 1999, after a very long time of thinking and preparation , and study , of course.
I had already decided to leave Xtianity and to become Jewish when I was at high school. Unfortunately , after the Shoah, the Jewish community here is small , it was even smaller at the time. Most of it was concentrated ( as it is now ) in Amsterdam and I did not live there, nor was it possible for me to move there for my studies, when I started studying medicine . The place at a university was allocated and I was placed at Leiden.
During my studies I could not do much , but I did start trying to keep kosher- style ( ?!) - not eating non- kosher meat, not eating milk and meat together, separate dishes and pots etc, and from time to time , buying kosher things in the nearest city where I could buy things, The Hague. i had no money to speak of, either ; 50 guilders did not go a long way , even in those times.
Still , by the end of my time in Leiden , the Schul there opened after a long era of restoration. It was the start of a better beginning - one orthodox family lived in the city , the community was very small, and they were very nice , non- judgemental people. I will always remember them gratefully. They taught me a lot , gave me books to read, answered questions before I could think to ask them ( i have never been good at asking questions...) etcetera.
After one or two years they moved to Amsterdam, shortly after , so did I , but through circumstances I lost touch with them.
Still , I had to work through my residency years. The chances of being shomer Shabbat in these circumstances is nil ; if you refuse to work on Shabbat , you can easily lose your education place - which means loss of job and future jobs. I decided to wait - somehow I had this feeling of "if H" wants me to convert , it will happen all right - and up to that time : I will be studying.
So I did. I had slightly more money by now and I bought books as I could find and afford them. It was way before the web was developed. Art Scroll and Feldheim were just touching the market here. Even a Dutch Siddur and Chumash had basically just been published ( after the war, everyone believed this community would die off and, although several people invested great energy in rebuilding parts of the community, not much really new was developed - it was just starting at the time) Then there was a problem intra- rabbinate - the rabbis changed more often than I could keep up with. It meant a problem trying to make an appointment - before I knew which rabbi was working out there , he often had gone !
As i lived far from the Schuls at the time ( about 2 hours ) I usually spent Shabbat at home , and in summer , when Shabbat ends 11 pm , I studied long hours. I assure you that I really did know a lot after I moved out there....
At last , however , I was a specialist and I found a permanent job in Amsterdam - and a house in the neighborhood of the Schuls ( in the south of the city ).
After again some hesitation , as I did not know whether the rabbinate would approve of my job ( I am a pathologist ), I did make an appointment. Well , they did not make a problem of it , fortunately.
In this country ,each year, lots of people ( among whom many whacko's ) visit the rabbinate telling them they want to convert. Basically, the Rabbis often find these visits a waste of their time, since most of the would -be -candidates don't even bother to follow it up at all. They have seen the light and want a mikvah - pronto.
Most of them do not know even the basics of Judaism. others are Xtians who are disappointed in their religion ( nothing wrong with that ) , but who just seem unable to shake off their Protestantism off. Especially the Liberal community exists for a greater part of former reverends...I hear from friends that the liberal community has become even more of a kind of "protestant church "during the last years.
I forgot to tell that in my earlier years I sure did visit the Liberal community. Basically , it is( or was ) about the same as Conservative in the USA, I would say. I think , this has been of help as well. I learnt the basics of prayer there. I also read articles written by their spokesmen and some of them , while I would not exactly applaud them today , were certainly well- written and well-thought out.
Still , after some time I decided I would be a very bad liberal - it was not logical to say one accepts the concept of Torah and mitzvot and then doing whatever one likes on Shabbat and eat whatever one likes etc. So : thank you , but no, thank you.
The Dutch rabbinate is ( and was) famous for having slow , long drawn out - but recognized -conversion procedures. Still , I figured that was OK with me - I a not the type who wants to jump in head over heels, or better : I simply even cannot do that , even if I wanted to. Also , one has to integrate Jewish living into one's daily life ( like looking for a job where one can take Friday afternoon off and be free on Yom Tov).
I was fortunate to find the Schul which I have attended since. It is an orthodox Schul , but the kind of "with an open door ". Nowadays , it is too much of an open door , if I am quite honest ; often there are at least as many non- Jews as there are Jews. Not all of them are conversion candidates ; some Xtians , who have "made Schul their home " . Bit much....
At the time , though , it simply was a small community with barely a minyan , but dedicated enough . There are and were some star people in it , with whom I have since become firm friends. It also caters very well for singles.
These people , who are frum in the best sense of the word, were also good role models. They are not ostensibly frum , though there is a steel core when you touch really important things in Judaism ( and they are fine- tuned to that ). They are kind , giving and caring, they have as their slogan "strict for oneself , lenient towards others". I reckon myself happy to know them.
I needed several years , of course , to get through the process.( Which existed of a once a year appointment with the rabbi ). It takes at least about 5 plus years in this country.
One of the hardest things was , that at a given point one had to find a family ( approved by the Rabbinate ) where one could hang out and see how things are done etc. They would also check whether your kitchen was kosher and how you lived generally. There are NO lessons ( Nowadays sometimes people can get lessons). The real problem was, however, that the Rabbinate did not help out finding such a family and did not approve of most of the families , even if they were nice orthodox people. Fortunately I stumbled upon a young pair , he the son of our last Dutch Rabbi , she the daughter of a London rabbi who had been the head of LSJS ( which used to be the British Orthodox Rabbinate school ). Even our difficult Dutch rabbinate had to approve of them !! ( check-mate )
After about 1 1/2 years Rachel had had enough and told them to get on with it . Of course , one of the Rabbis had "lost my file " - that is also standard ; it helps if one knows that !. So she phoned in and told the Chief Rabbi to go ahead.
At that point , one has to make appointments with all Rabbis of the Rabbinical Council of the Netherlands. One talks to them for about one hour in private ; they all have lots of questions , usually about how one handles several situations ( either with the non- Jewish family one keeps in touch with , and how I handle Xtian holidays etc , but also about questions on kashrut etc ). It as nice.
The procedure is then , that all rabbis in the council come together and discuss the candidate. If one disagrees, it is end of story, at least for the time being. They all have to agree. If they do, then a date for Mikvah is set.
So there I was , on a cold January day. Just before I went into the mikvah I had the session with the Beth Din , but because of the long discussions before , it is just the standard questions they ask , basically it is a formality. I think that is not too bad , given the nervous condition one is in at that moment...!
And on the fifteenth of Tevet I went into the Mikvah and became a Jewess – with a Jewish Name.
That is it - basically ! I hope you are not asleep as yet ( I mean , during reading this post -grin- ). If you have questions about it and want me to embellish some points please let me know.
Only the Lonely
This Story comes from two non-Jewish friends of mine:
Hi,
Have you heard of the Harrari harps? I heard of them years ago. I didn't get the details straight until I recently read their story from their web site. It's fascinating. To me, anyway.
This young Jewish man and young Jewish woman were married in the U.S. They didn't know what it meant to be Jewish....only that they were Jewish. They moved around, preferring to be alone. They wound up renting a cabin in Colorado one winter. They did not have a television. They went to town once a week and rented books from the library. They read to each other at night, especially remembering Dr. Zhivago. Then there was a snow storm and they couldn't get to town. The first day was romantic and exciting. Then cabin fever set in, and they were desperate for something to do. The only book they hadn't read was the Tanach. They began reading and fell in love with it.
They left Colorado and came back east to Vermont. For some reason, they didn't stay. They felt the need to go to Israel. They came to Israel with no knowledge of what it meant to be a Jew or to be in Israel. After a short time in Israel, the husband came home one day and said, "You know that harp you always wanted? I'm going to make it now."
The Talmud says that when David finished playing his harp for King Saul, he'd set it on the ground, and the wind would play on the strings of the harp. The very fact that this is mentioned means it's not usual for the wind to play on a harp. And since there, it's said Jews who make harps in Israel put them outside to see if the wind might play it. It's a sign of the Spirit of God on Israel again. It hasn't happened until this fellow named Harrari made a harp for his wife. And the wind plucks the strings of the harp.
It's supposedly the first harps made by a Jew in Israel since the Diaspora. Actually, the first Diaspora I think. There's a saying that Jews used to make lots of heavenly music in the Temple, but when Nebuchadnezzar took them away, they hung their instruments in the willows, until their return. I wondered if you'd heard of these people and their Harrari harps. It's an awfully nice story.
Luther and I hope to build a house next spring. I plan to get one of the door harps, which makes a sound whenever the door is opened. I have a CD of the music and it's beautiful.
Love, Kathy
I looked at the prices of the Harps and they are handcrafted and therefore not cheap as they are made in Israel and not the Far East. – RP
Quote of the week. I was originally thinking of quoting Private Joe Louis who was even a greater boxer than Sugar Ray Robinson who said in his fight against the Nazis “We’re going to win because G-D is on our side.”
But Emmanuel Winston’s comments moved me more perhaps because they are current politics: “Olmert had statistical data from Israel's Intelligence Agencies that released Terrorists go back to killing Jews. Therefore, subsequent murders of Jews puts blood on the hands of Olmert and his Cabinet.
I suppose I could add Shas who kept the Olmert government in power for the money Olmert bribed them with. That is a shame for all Jews when a supposedly religious Party behaves like common politicians and thugs. But, that is merely short term stupidity and greed, whereas, what Olmert's gang is doing is literally subverting the nation.
Olmert and his entire crew must be removed from power before they can unleash more damage, mostly at the behest of the Rice-Bush-Saudi cabal. With the connivance of Olmert, Israel is being offered up as a sacrifice to the Muslim Palestinian Arabs, so the Arab Muslim world will be theoretically appeased.”
Received this from Fern the site of Rebbitzen Esther Jungreis: http://www.hineni.org/
Israeli Science from Seth: ISRAEL'S ACHIEVEMENTS IN THE FIRST MONTHS OF 2008
1. Scientists in Israel, found that the brackish water, drilled from underground desert aquifers, hundreds of feet deep, could be used to raise warm-water fish. The geothermal water, less than one-tenth as saline as sea water, free of pollutants, and a toasty 98 degrees on average, proves an ideal environment.
2. Israeli-developed designer-eyeglasses, promise mobile phone and iPod users, a personalized, high-tech video display. Available to US consumers next year, Lumus-Optical's lightweight and fashionable video eyeglasses, feature a large transparent screen, floating in front of the viewer's face that projects their choice of movie, TV show, or video game.
3. When Stephen Hawkins visited Israel recently, he shared his wisdom with scientists, students, and even the Prime Minister. But the world's most renowned victim of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig's disease, also learned something, due to the Israeli Association for ALS' advanced work in both embryonic and adult stem cell research, as well as its proven track record with neurodegenerative diseases. The Israeli research community is well on its way, to finding a treatment for this fatal disease, which affects 30,000 Americans.
4. Israeli start-up, Veterix, has developed an innovative new electronic capsule that sits in the stomach of a cow, sheep, or goat, sending out real-time information on the health of the herd, to the farmer via email or cell phone. The e-capsule, which also sends out alerts if animals are distressed, injured, or lost, is now being tested on a herd of cows, in the hopes that the device will lead to tastier and healthier meat and milk supplies.
5. The millions of Skype users worldwide will soon have access to the newly developed KishKish lie-detector. This free internet service, based on voice stress analysis (a technique, commonly used in criminal investigations), will be able to measure just how truthful that person on the other end of the line, really is.
6. Beating cardiac tissue has been created in a lab from human embryonic stem cells by researchers at the Rappaport Medical Faculty and the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology's biomedical Engineering faculty. The work of Dr. Shulamit Levenberg and Prof. Lior Gepstein, has also led to the creation of tiny blood vessels within the tissue, making possible its implantation in a human heart.
7. Israel's Magal Security Systems, is a worldwide leader in computerized security systems, with products used in more than 70 countries around the world, protecting anything from national borders, to nuclear facilities, refineries, and airports. The company's latest Product, DreamBox, a state-of-the-art security system that includes Intelligent video, audio and sensor management, is now being used by a major water authority on the US east coast to safeguard the utility's sites. 8. It is common knowledge that dogs have better night vision than humans and a vastly superior sense of smell and hearing. Israel's Bio-Sense Technologies, recently delved further, and electronically analyzed 350 different barks. Finding that dogs of all breeds and sizes, bark the same alarm when they sense a threat, the firm has designed the dog bark-reader, a sensor that can pick up a dog's alarm bark, and alert the human operators. This is just one of a batch of innovative security systems to emerge from Israel, which Forbes calls 'the go-to country for anti-terrorism technologies.'
9. Israeli company, BioControl Medical, sold its first electrical stimulator to treat urinary incontinence to a US company for $50 Million. Now, it is working on CardioFit, which uses electrical nerve stimulation to treat congestive heart failure. With nearly five million Americans presently affected by heart failure, and more than 400,000 new cases diagnosed yearly, the CardioFit is already generating a great deal of excitement as the first device with the potential to halt this deadly disease.
10. One year after Norway's Socialist Left Party launched its boycott Israel campaign, the importing of Israeli goods has increased by 15%, the strongest increase in many years, Statistics Norway reports. In contrast to the efforts of tiny Israel to make contributions to the world so as to better mankind, one has to ask what have those who have strived to eliminate Israel from the face of the earth done other than to create hate and bloodshed.
NO HECKSHIR FOR CRIMINALS FROM Tsila: OU Threatens to Pull Hechsher From Agriprocessors
Following the news reported by YWN a few hours ago, that criminal charges have been filed against the owners of Agriprocessors, the Orthodox Union is threatening to pull its Hechsher.
According to a report by the JTA, the OU’s head of Kosher Supervision, Rabbi Menachem Genack said that the OU will withdraw its kosher certification from Agriprocessors "within two weeks unless new management is hired". "Within the coming days, or lets say a week or two, we will suspend our supervision unless there's new management in place," Rabbi Menachem Genack told the JTA.
It is interesting to note, that on May 28 YWN posted an article (HERE) from The Jewish Star which stated that the OU insisted that management be replaced at Agriprocessors. EXCERPTS OF ARTICLE: It is at the insistence of the Orthodox Union that Sholom Rubashkin is to be replaced as chief executive officer of Agriprocessors, the kosher meatpacking giant his father, Aaron Rubashkin, founded, The Jewish Star has learned.
"We have said that if there were criminal culpability that we would withdraw our supervision,? said Rabbinic Administrator Rabbi Menachem Genack in an interview Tuesday. "The OU spoke to the company to say that we would suggest –– for lots of reasons –– that they should look for professional management.?
(Dov Gordon - YWN / YW-Lipas) http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/article.php?p=23281
Must read news articles on religion: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3594634,00.html and http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3593162,00.html
Inyanay Diyoma
From Seth regarding too much pill popping: http://www.cafeoflifepikespeak.com/Videos/Licensed%20To%20Pill.swf
Getting ready for Gog and Magog thanks to Marc S.: Norway challenged by Russian plans in Spitsbergen waters
http://www.barentsobserver.com/norway-challenged-by-russian-plans-in-spitsbergen-waters.4500045-28235.html
Russian units raid Georgian airfields for use in Israeli strike against Iran – report
The raids were disclosed by UPI chief editor Arnaud de Borchgrave, who is also on the Washington Times staff, and picked up by the Iranian Fars news agency. The Russian raids of two Georgian airfields, which Tbilisi had allowed Israel to use for a potential strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities, followed the Georgian offensive against South Ossetia on Aug. 7.
Under the secret agreement with Georgia, the airfields had been earmarked for use by Israeli fighter-bombers taking off to strike Iran in return for training and arms supplies. DEBKAfile’s intelligence sources report that flying from S. Georgia over the Caspian Sea to Iran would sharply trim the distance to be spanned by Israeli fighter-bombers, reducing flying time to 3.5 hours.
Northern Iran and the Tehran region, where most of the nuclear facilities are concentrated, would be within range, with no need to request US permission to pass through Iraq air space. Russian Special Forces also raided other Israeli facilities in southern Georgia and captured Israeli spy drones says the report.
Israel was said to have used the two airfields to “conduct recon flights over southern Russia as well as into nearby Iran.” The US intelligence sources quoted by UPI reported that the Russian force also carried home other Israeli military equipment captured at the air bases. Our sources say that if the Russians got hold of an Israeli unmanned aerial vehicle complete with sophisticated electronic reconnaissance equipment, they will have secured some of the IDF’s most secret devices for spying on Iran and Syria. When this happened before, Russian military engineers quickly dismantled the equipment, studied it and passed the technology on to Tehran and Damascus.
Family Honor: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,418025,00.html
TOP IDF OFFICER: ISRAEL NOT PREPARED FOR NEXT WAR By Amos Harel, Haaretz forwarded by Emanuel A. Winston, a Middle East Analyst & Commentator
THIS FRONT PAGE STORY APPEARED IN THE HA'ARETZ ENGLISH EDITION OF FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 5, 2008. It merely emphasizes the article we just sent to you:
"WHY OLMERT & THE KADIMA REGIME MUST CEASE TO EXIST AS ISRAEL'S RULING POWER" TOP IDF OFFICER: ISRAEL NOT PREPARED FOR NEXT WAR By Amos Harel, Haaretz Correspondent Last update - 08:39 05/09/2008
Former Ground Forces Chief Says More Training & Funding Are Needed http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1018427.html
Major General (res.) Moshe Ivri-Sukenik, who resigned as Commander of the Israel Defense Forces' Northern Corps earlier this year, has sharply criticized the way the army is training. In his first public comments on the matter, Sukenik says the army's training program is flawed and troops are not being prepared for future challenges. "We are not training enough," Sukenik, who led an IDF in-house probe after the Second Lebanon War, said Thursday.
Sukenik served as commander of the IDF's ground forces several years ago. After the Lebanon war he led the investigation into battles by Division 162. Sukenik was asked to return to the ranks and command the Northern Corps, but he resigned in January, in part to protest what he calls the insufficient allocation of funds for training the land forces.
Sukenik spoke Thursday in Ramat Efal at a conference on the land war in Lebanon. "After a year at the Corps, I told a forum of the most senior ranks in the army [the General Staff] that it is not taking things seriously. We are not training sufficiently. We are not giving people the minimum means to succeed," Sukenik said.
Although since the war a major effort has been taken to restore the ground forces' readiness, this is not enough, he said.
"I did what I could to restore knowledge. It will take time for the IDF to recover from the wounds of the war .... Now they are once more talking about cuts in the defense budget. The easiest thing to do is to cut training budgets, because that is where there is big money. The result is that next year, after the cut, the readiness level will once more be low," Sukenik said.
Describing the army before the war as having "rusted," he said about one division: "Would you believe they did not have maps of the Golan Heights? They had no operational plans on a critical front. Their plans were for an entirely different front. This is the sort of vertigo the IDF found itself in."
Sukenik blames the war's failures on the conduct of the senior officers and the confusion in the orders given. "The soldiers in the field heard in the media and in the Knesset that there would not be a ground offensive. 'We can end this with the air force,' they said. In the end it trickles down and has an effect. I say with authority: 70 to 80 percent of responsibility for the results [of the war] lie with the command and the General Staff. The gaps in readiness are not a pleasant thing, but in the end these led to only 10 to 15 percent of the final results."
Sukenik described the results of the war as "embarrassing" and said he accepted the invitation to lead an in-house probe of the performance of a division because he wanted to understand "what had happened to the most skilled group. Why did they behave this way? These are the best people we have." He also criticized the decline in the ground forces' preparedness in the years before the war, and he himself accepted blame because he was a member of the General Staff.
"People did not understand what a mountainous passage means. An armored battalion goes into a mountainous passage [during the war] without an engineers APC [armored personnel carrier], without bulldozers - and they think that's okay. Things that used to be maxims evaporated. In the air force there is a someone leading a flight of aircraft. If he does not practice twice a month, he is not ready," Sukenik said.
"Everything is written in orders. In the ground forces the company commander is always ready, even if he has not trained all his life. This is not something you learn on the Web .... A battalion goes on a three-week training session in a year - and they trained for deployment in the Gaza Strip or Nablus, not for a major war. Unfortunately this is still not sufficiently understood. A battalion commander needs to know how to defend and attack on the Golan Heights."
Sukenik said one of the biggest lessons of the war is that the IDF must deal with short-range rockets. "Since the war we made this part of our orders: The mission of every force is to end the indirect fire from its area of operations. This is a problem the commander must deal with, no one else."
CAN ISRAEL SAVE A WORLD THAT DOES NOT WISH TO BE SAVED? by Emanuel A. Winston, a Middle East Analyst & Commentator
On June 7, 1981, when Israel bombed the Osirak Nuclear Plant in Iraq, built by the French, the nations of the world publicly condemned Israel.
But, in the privacy of their various meeting rooms in the U.S., the U.N., Saudi Arabia there was cheering and popping of champagne corks. Israel saved many but, it was only when America attacked Iraq during desert Storm January 15, 1991, that American leaders publicly thanked Israel.
Associated Press just reported that by year's end Russia will load Iran's Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant with radioactive fuel. This is an exact repeat of when the French were weeks away from shipping fuel rods and installing them in the Osirak Nuclear Power Plant, putting Saddam Hussein well on his way to powering up nuclear weapons' capability.
At this time, the world again has a problem with only two nations - with the ability to delay, if not solve the Iranian Nuclear problem. America and Israel, have both leadership problems. President George W. Bush seems to want to disable Iraq but, he and his Party have bigger political problems than saving the planet from two rogue nuclear nations: Iran and Russia. (Yes, Russia's back in hostile action. They held a small war against the peaceful neighboring state of Georgia last month - as well as powering up Iran's Nuclear Plant.)
Israel also has its own leadership problems with a Prime Minister embroiled in at least 6 or 7 scandalous investigations of corruption - totally inept and a stumbling block to making decisions that will defend the nation.
Hopefully, Israel's military and capable politicians will join together immediately to remove the entire Kadima government from power. That they will not wait for PM Olmert, FM Livni, and DF Barak to fulfill their self-anointed 'destiny' to retain their power and subvert the Jewish nation. Shabak and Mossad could resolve this problem in moments.
Although bureaucracy often waits until all is lost to act but, nevertheless there are solutions:
1. The U.S. and Israel can take out Iran's Nuclear facilities even those buried deep in rock and cement. (No need to explain the weapons' systems that can do the job.
2. A lesser strike would mean taking out the Bushehr Nuclear Facility. That, of course, could be either total destruction of the Plant or something called "area denial".
"Area denial" would, in effect, mothball the plant without the loss of life and ramped-up conflict with Russia, as follows:
America and/or Israel could launch two salvos of missiles.
The first would contain low levels of radio-active fissile material. As they penetrate the containment and other parts of the facility, the radio-active particulates would set off all evacuation alarms, much the same as if the reactor was leaking radioactive material. The alarms would drive all personnel from the facility. The levels of radiation would be very low.
In 30 to 60 minutes, the second salvo would hit. These missiles would carry a load of highly radioactive particles which would spread throughout the plant. They would contaminate every surface. The empty building would be permanently contaminated and, in effect, mothballed. The explosives in the warheads would be relatively small but enough to distribute the radio-active particulates but, not large enough to escape in a plume.
If, however, it is decided that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the Ayatollahs will not stop, then the decision must be taken to remove them. At the first gathering of these evil leaders, their meeting place must be utterly destroyed. Sometime evil must simply destroyed when it cannot to be contained.
I know that one cannot make suggestions or offer out-of-the-box thinking to politicians or generals so, just send this on to the Pentagon or the Mossad.
Perhaps they will listen but, don't count on it.
From Eleazar: Three Jewish counselors from the Bnei Akiva youth movement were attacked not far from the organization's central branch in Paris on Saturday afternoon. The boys, aged between 17 and 18, had just finished the Sabbath Mincha prayer when they were attacked by a group of Muslims, the head of Bnei Akiva's French desk, Binyamin Tuati, told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday.
ISRAELI POLICE RECOMMEND INDICTMENT OF PM OLMERT by Emanuel A. Winston, a Middle East Analyst & Commentator
Don't hold your breath for Justice in Israel's extraordinarily corrupt political and legal system.
The Police decision to officially indict PM Olmert now goes to Israel's Attorney General Menahem Mazuz. Let's remember that Mazuz was hand-picked by then PM Arik Sharon - who himself was being investigated for illegal deals and who was likely to be slated for indictment. Sharon, a great planner, knew that he needed a future shield from prosecution and so he selected Meni Mazuz as his Attorney-General. Mazuz has proven his worth to the political Left in his decisions.
IN A STUNNING SLIP ON ABC NATIONAL TV, OBAMA REFERS TO "MY MUSLIM FAITH" forwarded with comments by Emanuel A. Winston, a Middle East Analyst & Commentator
It was Sunday evening September 7th. My wife and I were watching the first version of "The Manchurian Candidate" with Frank Sinatra and Lawrence Harvey. This was the story of a soldier brain-washed in the Korean War who could be triggered to commit murder by what is called post-hypnotic suggestion. Coincidentally, my wife pulled the following Email off of the computer:
As you read the following, perhaps you will agree that Barack Hussein Obama may be some variation of a "Manchurian Candidate" - with the exception that this is NOT a film fantasy nor was he given a post-hypnotic suggestion to play a hidden Muslim to reach the highest office in the land - with all the power that goes with the Oval Office.
P.S. Last Friday I posted an article which spoke of funds laundered through the convicted Syrian Tony Rezko from Dr. Khalid al-Mansour - some of which assisted Obama's rise politically. The title of the article was: "THE MANSOURIAN CANDIDATE".
Now, it's up to the Secret Service and the investigative Media to confirm the following: Please send this on to your own lists and your local Media.
COMMENTS BY EMANUEL A. WINSTON
Israelinsider Israel's daily newsmagazine September 7, 2008 OBAMA - MOMENTS AFTER HIS FATEFUL REMARK
Inconsistencies undermine FactCheck report on Obama "birth certificate". As Obama's poll numbers plunge, he reaches out to US Jews for help AP photo of school register reveals "Barry Soetoro" as Muslim Indonesian.
LOLO: one certificate theory crashes but new Obama citizenship doubts arise Sharansky calls Obama "a risk" for Israel, as candidate panders to US Jews. Obama's Muslim outreach director quits after being ousted for terror ties. Claim: Obama's "birth certificate" forged with sister Maya's original Palestinians losing their shirts making illegal donations to Obama campaign.
Expert: Obama's fake birth certificate forged from original of a woman
IN STUNNING SLIP ON ABC NATIONAL TV, OBAMA REFERS TO "MY MUSLIM FAITH" By Israel Insider staff September 7, 2008
In one of the most astonishing gaffes in American political history, in a national televised interview with ABC's George Stephanopoulus, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Hussein Obama referred to "my Muslim faith," confirming what researchers and political opponents have been claiming.
While Stephanopoulus several seconds later tried to correct him, saying "Christian faith," it was too late. The damage was done. Obama clearly did not mean his Christian faith, since he was admitting that "John McCain has not talked about my Muslim faith." The term "Christian faith" would not make sense in that context.
Here is the ABC transcript:
STEPHANOPOULOS: You mention your Christian faith. Yesterday you took off after the Republicans for suggesting you have Muslim connections. Just a few minutes ago, Rick Davis, John McCain's campaign manager, said they've never done that. This is a false and cynical attempt to play victim.
OBAMA: You know what? I mean, these guys love to throw a rock and hide their hand. The...
STEPHANOPOULOS: The McCain campaign has never suggested you have Muslim connections.
OBAMA: No, no, no. But the -- I don't think that when you look at what is being promulgated on Fox News, let's say, and Republican commentators who are closely allied to these folks-
STEPHANOPOULOS: But John McCain said that's wrong.
OBAMA: Now, well, look. Listen. You and I both know that the minute that Governor Palin was forced to talk about her daughter, I immediately said that's off limits. And-
STEPHANOPOULOS: But John McCain said the same thing about questioning your faith.
OBAMA: And what was the first thing the McCain's campaign went out and did? They said, look, these liberal blogs that support Obama are out there attacking Governor Palin. Let's not play games. What I was suggesting -- you're absolutely right that John McCain has not talked about my Muslim faith. And you're absolutely right that that has not come-
STEPHANOPOULOS: Christian faith.
OBAMA: -- my Christian faith. Well, what I'm saying is that he hasn't suggested-
STEPHANOPOULOS: Has connections, right.
OBAMA: -- that I'm a Muslim. And I think that his campaign's upper echelons have not, either. What I think is fair to say is that, coming out of the Republican camp, there have been efforts to suggest that perhaps I'm not who I say I am when it comes to my faith -- something which I find deeply offensive, and that has been going on for a pretty long time.
What is "fair to say", in fact, is that an off-balance Obama, in an unguarded moment, said three words that undid all of the carefully crafted efforts by his campaign to conceal his muslim family, his Muslim childhood, and his adult Muslim connections.
Because if Obama were not a Muslim, he could not possibly have said "My Muslim Faith" and indeed, "my Christian faith" would make no sense in that context. He might have said "accusations that I am a Muslim" or "claims that I have Muslim connections".
Even Obama's attempt at recovery -- "what I'm saying is that he hasn't suggested ... that I'm a Muslim" is in no way equivalent to, or a substitute for, "John McCain has not talked about my Muslim faith."
Common sense dictates: Obama could never have said "my Muslim faith" -- using the first person possessive -- unless it was an integral part of his identity.
It confirms, at the very least, the accusations, and not just from Republicans -- that "perhaps I'm not who [sic] I say I am when it comes to my faith." Yes, it would seem to be a concealment that has "been going on for a pretty long time, indeed, most of a lifetime of hiding three tell-tale words that could not have been spoken by anyone but a believer: "my Muslim faith."
Are you Perturbed as a Jew about Sarah Palin’s hunting? Remember Esav was a hunter and the Bnei Esav are hunters by nature. Emmanuel Winston put it in proportion: When I heard Sarah Palin, Governor of Alaska, speak I was reminded of our Constitutional fathers. Most had little or no experience in drafting a document which became a bedrock of our national purpose.
Compared to the lounge lizards of today's politicians, the drafters of our Constitution must look like back-woodsmen. Most would chop wood, shoot a black power rifle and dress out a deer, moose or elk for the winter's provisions.
HERE IS MY PLATFORM: (1) 'Press 1 for English' is immediately banned. English is the official language; speak it or wait at the border until you can. (2) We will immediately go into a two year isolationist posture to straighten out the country's attitude. NO imports, no exports. We will use the 'Wal-Mart's policy, 'If we ain't got it, you don't need it.' (3) When imports are allowed, there will be a 100% import tax on it. (4) All retired military personnel will be required to man one of our many observation towers on the southern border. (Six month tour) They will be under strict orders not to fire on SOUTHBOUND aliens. (5) Social security will immediately return to its original state. If you didn't put nuttin in, you ain't gettin nuttin out. The president nor any other politician will not be able to touch it.
(6) Welfare - Checks will be handed out on Fridays at the end of the 40 hour school week and the successful completion of urinalysis and a passing grade. (7) Professional Athletes --Steroids - The FIRST time you check positive you're banned for life. (8) Crime - We will adopt the Turkish method, the first time you steal, you lose your right hand. There is no more life sentences. If convicted, you will be put to death by the same method you chose for your victim; gun, knife, strangulation, etc. (9) One export will be allowed; Wheat, The world needs to eat. A bushel of wheat will be the exact price of a barrel of oil. (10) All foreign aid using American taxpayer money will immediately cease, and the saved money will pay off the national debt and ultimately lower taxes. When disasters occur around the world, we'll ask the American people if they want to donate to a disaster fund, and each citizen can make the decision whether it's a worthy cause. (11) The Pledge of Allegiance will be said every day at school and every day in Congress. (12) The National Anthem will be played at all appropriate ceremonies, sporting events, outings, etc. Sorry if I stepped on anyone's toes but a vote for me will get you better than what you have, and better than what you're gonna get. Thanks for listening, and remember to write in my name on the ballot in November. God Bless America!!!!!!!!!!!
Bill Cosby!!!!!!!!
Now for M. Wolfberg's No good deed goes unrewarded:
Several years ago, thousands of Jews were crowded into the huge shul at 770 Eastern Parkway, the shul of the Chabad Chassidim in Brooklyn ,New York to hear the Lubavitcher Rebbe speak. And although it was Shabbos and he didn't use a microphone somehow every single person heard every word he said. Not only religious Chassidim but all sorts of Jews were there and even those who didn't understand a word of Yiddish were hypnotized by the awesomeness of the man.
Mr. Dovid Asulin came to see for himself and, although he didn't exactly belive all the stories, he was glad he came. He had been born in Morocco. There everyone believed in Tzadikim; unique Jews who were very G-dly. So all this wasn't completely new to him. In fact since he moved to France twenty years ago he had almost forgotten about the Tzadikim and now he felt at home. This was his first visit to America, he was going for business, and his friends told him that if he wanted an unforgettable experience he had to see the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
And it was just as they said. After about two of listening, with ten minute pauses between topics people began to stand up and form lines to the Rebbe which eventually became one line and when they reached him he would give each one a bottle of vodka.
Mr. Asulin didn't understand that the bottles were only for those people that were making simchas (such as weddings or bar mitzvahs) throughout the world, he thought that everyone was entitled to a bottle. So he got in line as well!
When it came his turn and he was face to face with the Rebbe, the Rebbe smiled, gave him a large bottle and said in French "This is for the wedding." He was amazed; how did the Rebbe knew he spoke French! That was astounding, it just verified all the other stories he had heard. The Rebbe certainly had uncanny powers of perception! But one thing for sure...it also proved he wasn't infallible. Dovid had been happily married for years! What he said about the wedding was clearly wrong.
A week later he returned to France, unpacked, and when he showed his wife the bottle they had a good laugh over what the Rebbe said. But when he visited his local Chabad house (Rabbi Chiam Malul in Cartel France) the Rabbi didn't agree with Dovid's conclusion and assured him that in time he would see that it was no mistake.
"The Rabbi is certainly a bit out of it..." David laughed to himself, "But he is a nice man, very dedicated. So what if the Rebbe made a little mistake" and Dovid promptly forgot the entire incident.
Months later he happened to open the cabinet where he had put the bottle and it reminded him of his experience in Brooklyn. "You know" he said to his wife, "It's a shame that this should just remain unused. Let's make a party, invite all our friends and family and give them all to drink a Le'chiam. It will be fun for everyone and a blessing as well. And I'm sure they will all come."
They began making plans. At first they thought of making the party at their home but at the last moment decided it would be less trouble to move it to the small wedding hall of the local shul (in Rancee near Paris) and to have it catered by a local kosher restaurant.
The day of the party arrived and the guests began arriving in good spirits. A small band played happy music and people were exchanging greetings and handshakes. But as they were sitting down to begin the meal the Rabbi of the synagogue entered the room with a smile, looked around for Dovid and when he found him took him aside and whispered something in his ear.
Dovid turned to the crowd and said: "The Rabbi needs nine men to join him to make a minyan. It will only take a few minutes, who wants to come? I'm going to go."
In no time he had the required number following the Rabbi to the next room for what they thought would be prayer (Jews are supposed to pray in groups of at least ten adult males) but they were in for a surprise.
In the room stood a bride and groom alone; it was a wedding! In fifteen minutes the entire ceremony was over. Dovid and the other men shook the groom's hand, wished the newlyweds 'Mazal Tov' and gingerly asked where the wedding meal would be (they also were wondering why there were no guests but were ashamed to ask).
When the groom answered that no meal had been arranged Dovid joyously announced that they were invited to his. Dovid's informal party suddenly became a real wedding party. The band played merrily and the men began to dance on one side of the room with the groom, while the women on the other side danced with the bride.
When the dancing finished they all sat down to eat. Then in the middle of the meal Dovid stood, held up the Rebbe's bottle, cleared his throat for silence and told the story of the Rebbe saying it was "For the Wedding!"
Now he understood that the Rebbe wasn't mistaken at all. "What!" exclaimed the bride. "That bottle is from the Lubavitcher Rebbe for my wedding?" and she burst into tears; she was weeping from sheer joy. When she calmed down she explained.
This was her second marriage. Her first ended in a bitter divorce that, coupled with the fact that she decided to be an observant Jew, resulted in a major rift in her family and none of her relatives showed up. No one came from her husband's side either but his reason was more simple. He converted to Judaism and simply had no family. She felt so uncertain and alone that she felt she was bothered to no end. Then someone suggested she write a letter to the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
And a few weeks previous she did it and in the letter she asked for some sign that the marriage would succeed. "And here you are with the Rebbe's blessing!!" Good Shabbos Everyone.
Have a healthy, happy and peaceful Shabbos,
Rachamim Pauli
