Halacha prior to the Parsha: In the Diaspora, Shavuot was on Friday and Shabbat. This coming week will be Parshat Naso - נשא.
In Israel, Shavuot was on Friday; on Shabbat we already read Parshat Naso. This coming week we will read Parshat Beha'alotcha - בהעלותך. This divergence continues for the next 5 weeks, at which time in Israel we will read Parshat Balak - בלק, while in the Diaspora they will read the double Parsha of Chukath-Balak - חוקת-בלק. From then on we will be reading the same Parsha again for almost 3 years, until after Pessach 2012 - ה'תשע"ב when we will diverge again for 6 weeks. (Pessach will end on Friday on Israel and on Shabbat in the Diaspora.) - Danny
In Israel, Shavuot was on Friday; on Shabbat we already read Parshat Naso. This coming week we will read Parshat Beha'alotcha - בהעלותך. This divergence continues for the next 5 weeks, at which time in Israel we will read Parshat Balak - בלק, while in the Diaspora they will read the double Parsha of Chukath-Balak - חוקת-בלק. From then on we will be reading the same Parsha again for almost 3 years, until after Pessach 2012 - ה'תשע"ב when we will diverge again for 6 weeks. (Pessach will end on Friday on Israel and on Shabbat in the Diaspora.) - Danny
Parsha Naso (outside of Israel) Behaloscha in Israel (next week)
Levi was the smallest of tribes. Even by counting each of the children of the three sons of Levi from thirty days upwards, they never reached the massive number of the other tribes. They did not participate in the affliction work as they were already a priestly cast=2 0as Levi was the last brother to pass away and he kept up their spiritual level in Egypt. He was exempt from slave work like the Priests of Egypt had been exempt from taxes under Yosef. This kept the tribe a quality tribe and their wives did not have to use the make up of the brass mirrors to encourage their husbands to fulfill the Mitzvah of Be Fruitful and Multiply and therefore they did not do special things with make-up, messages and perfumes to revive their men. Levi being unafflicted did not get the blessing of the “The more they afflicted the Israelites, the more they multiplied.”
4:21 And the LORD spoke unto Moses saying: 22 ‘Take the sum of the sons of Gershon also, by their fathers’ houses, by their families; 23 from thirty years old and upward until fifty years old shalt thou number them: all that enter in to wait upon the service, to do service in the tent of meeting. …48 even those that were numbered of them, were eight thousand and five hundred and fourscore. 49 According to the commandment of the LORD they were appointed by the hand of Moses, every one to his service, and to his burden; they were also numbered, as the LORD commanded Moses.
The above section is the detailed division of the work in the Temple and loving numbers of Leviim who did the hard work of mantling and dismantling the Tabernacle. If I were back in Eretz Yisrael, I would have written in greater details on this. The boards had a tremendous weight and the curtains too. If they were washed the Talmud states that it took 300 men to pull them out of the water. Dr. Rabbi Shalom Friedman MD Shlita was giving the Daf Yomi and said it was a Guzma (exaggeration) until I did the mathematics of the weight of water assuming that the material weighed zero times the length width and height of the curtains and the weight of a soaked garment was phenomenal. That is why often women washing the thick winter blankets have to call their husbands to help them remove the blankets from the washing machine because of the heavy weight of the water absorbed. This was the only heavy work outside of walking that the Bnei Yisrael did in the desert. The only difference that this was done by free men with free will and energy to do so to perform the will of their loving CREATOR who took them out of Egypt.
5: 1 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 2 'Command the children of Israel, that they put out of the camp every leper, and every one that hath an issue, and whosoever is unclean by the dead; 3 both male and female shall ye put out, without the camp shall ye put them; that they defile not their camp, in the midst whereof I dwell.' …
This was to keep the camp in spiritual purity. Perhaps more details some other time in the future. The whole incident of a wife going astray or a male being a rouge with a married woman is told below. The Talmud devotes a whole chapter to this and so does the Eben HaEzer Shulchan Aruch devote a complete Siman to the subject as men are usually busy working. However, sometimes peddlers, sailors, nefarious characters like cheating husbands – non-commitment types – Don Juan types, and just plain lustful types will pursue a married woman. Then of course there was and will be throughout time loose woman and immodest women. Of course in Judaism there are always the “Holier than Thou types” who act like they are close to being the Moshiach in public and are really the biggest con-artists. This includes a man who was married for years without a complaint towards his wife and as soon as the son got engaged started up with the bride-to-be’s mother who was divorced and started making all hell for his wife.
11 and the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 12 Speak unto the20children of Israel, and say unto them: If any man's wife go aside, and act unfaithfully against him, 13 and a man lie with her carnally, and it be hid from the eyes of her husband, she being defiled secretly, and there be no witness against her, neither she be taken in the act; 14 and the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be defiled; or if the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be not defiled; 15 then shall the man bring his wife unto the priest, and shall bring her offering for her, the tenth part of an ephah of barley meal; he shall pour no oil upon it, nor put frankincense thereon; for it is a meal-offering of jealousy, a meal-offering of memorial, bringing iniquity to remembrance. 16 And the priest shall bring her near, and set her before the LORD. 17 And the priest shall take holy water in an earthen vessel; and of the dust that is on the floor of the tabernacle the priest shall take, and put it into the water. 18 And the priest shall set the woman before the LORD, and let the hair of the woman's head go loose, and put the meal-offering of memorial in her hands, which is the meal-offering of jealousy; and the priest shall have in his hand the water of bitterness that causeth the curse. 19 And the priest shall cause her to swear, and shall say unto the woman: 'If no man have lain with thee, and if thou hast not gone aside to uncleanness, being under thy husband, be thou free from this water of bitterness that causes the curse; 20 but if thou hast gone aside, being under thy husband, and if thou be defiled, and some man have lain with thee besides thy husband-- 21 then the priest shall cause the woman to swear with the oath of cursing, and the priest shall say unto the woman--the LORD make thee a curse and an oath among thy people, when the LORD doth make thy thigh to fall away, and thy belly to swell; 22 and this water that causeth the curse shall go into thy bowels, and make thy belly to swell, and thy thigh to fall away'; and the woman shall say: 'Amen, Amen.' 23 And the priest shall write these curses in a scroll, and he shall blot them out into the water of bitterness. 24 And he shall make the woman drink the water of bitterness that causeth the curse; and the water that causes the curse shall enter into her and become bitter. 25 And the priest shall take the meal-offering of jealousy out of the woman's hand, and shall wave the meal-offering before the LORD, and bring it unto the altar. 26 And the priest shall take a handful of the meal-offering, as the memorial-part thereof, and make it smoke upon the altar, and afterward shall make the woman drink the water. 27 And when he hath made her drink the water, then it shall come to pass, if she be defiled, and have acted unfaithfully against her husband, that the water that causes the curse shall enter into her and become bitter, and her belly shall swell, and her thigh shall fall away; and the woman shall be a curse among her people. 28 And if the woman be not defiled, but be clean; then she shall be cleared, and shall conceive seed. 29 This is the law of jealousy, when a wife, being under her husband, goes aside, and is defiled; 30 or when the spirit of jealousy comes upon a man, and he be jealous over his wife; then shall he set the woman before the LORD, and the priest shall execute upon her all this law. 31 And the man shall be clear from iniquity, and that woman shall bear her iniquity.
In Parshat Naso we learn about the Sotah; a wife who has been warned by her husband not to seclude herself with a man she seems [too] friendly with. If she disobeys - and secludes herself with him - she is forbidden to live with her husband until she is taken to the Bet Hamikdash and giving the Sotah-water to drink to prove her innocence. It's a Mitzva for a husband to ensure that his wife follows Halacha - especially in matters of modest behavior. However, he has to be careful never to say to her "do not seclude yourself with Mr. So-and-so". Even warning her privately is a problem, since if she disobeys she may be a Sotah; and nowadays there's no way to give her Sotah-water to drink. Source: Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 145:25 - Danny
In the past I mentioned that the Chida TzZal had in the late 5500’s called into his office a husband and wife. The husband was such a pure man that he hadn’t the faintest clue why he was being called there. The Chida read them the passage of the Sotah and gave the wife a choice to either admit her infidelity or get a divorce. She feigned innocence. He gave her a second warning and read the Parsha as soon as she left the office as the Chida was a Cohen and was on the street, her abdomen began to swell and her legs collapsed and she died on the spot. So a blight was taken from Am Yisrael. (One should know that at the same time the woman dies, the adulterous male passes away too and that was one of the hidden miracles of the Temple.)
A Nazir is considered by the Torah in two different ways: 1) As a sinner and 2) Kadosh. Why as a sinner? This is because the Torah gives 613 Mitzvos and the Mitzvah of Nazir is going beyond and above the Mitzvos of the Torah. So why would anybody want to affront the L-RD by saying “I can add on to your Mitzvos.” Now this person will bring his Korban Asham (guilt offering) because of it. Why isn’t G-D’s Mitzvos enough? Why or when is he considered Kadosh? When the Second Temple was build, the Sages formed Anshei Kennesset HaGadola. That Sanhedrin under Shimon HaTzaddik banned the Yetzer Hara for a man to fall in love with his daughter or mother and visa versa among other things and Shimon HaTzaddik greeted Alexander the Great with bread and wine and Alexander bowed down unto him. Shimon HaTzaddik never ate from a Korban Nazir because he was afraid of the sinner part except one time.
The only Korban that Shimon ate was from a simple shepherd. Once Shimon saw a handsome youth with long hair come before him to be Shawn. He asked the youth with such beautiful hair why did you choose to be a Nazir? The youth replied, “I am a simple shepherd tending my father’s sheep. One day I brought the sheep to drink and I saw my reflection on the water. The Yetzer Hara took over my thoughts and I began to fantasize what I could do. I shouted to myself ‘Empty one why do you give me so much trouble’. So I vowed a Nazirship to keep me out of too much drinking and I would have to cut my hair after 30 days. I did so to keep myself holy.” Shimon said, “Like you should be more Nazirim in Yisrael.”
The Talmud gives another reason for a holy Nazir and it is as follows: CIf one sees a Sotah who has gone astray, one should vow Nazirship in order to refrain from wine and levity to let evil thoughts into his body.” The majority of the Talmudic Tractate is that the Nazirship is expressed as a hasty vow or whim or to show that the man is holier than thou and these types are that of the sinner.
6: 1 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them: When either man or woman shall clearly utter a vow, the vow of a Nazirite, to consecrate himself unto the LORD, 3 he shall abstain from wine and strong drink: he shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of strong drink, neither shall he drink any liquor of grapes, nor eat fresh grapes or dried. 4 All the days of his Naziriteship shall he eat nothing that is made of the grape-vine, from the pressed grapes even to the grapestone. 5 All the days of his vow of Naziriteship there shall no razor come upon his head; until the days be fulfilled, in which he consecrates himself unto the LORD, he shall be holy, he shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow long. 6 All the days that he consecrates himself unto the LORD he shall not come near to a dead body. 7 He shall not make himself unclean for his father, or for his mother, for his brother, or for his sister, when they die; because his consecration unto God is upon his head. 8 All the days of his Naziriteship he is holy unto the LORD. 9 And if any man dies very suddenly beside him, and he defile his consecrated head, then he shall shave his head in the day of his cleansing, on the seventh day shall he shave it. 10 And on the eighth day he shall bring two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, to the priest, to the door of the tent of meeting. 11 And the priest shall prepare one for a sin-offering, and the other for a burnt-offering, and make atonement for him, for that he sinned by reason of the dead; and he shall hallow his head that same day. 12 And he shall consecrate unto the LORD the days of his Naziriteship, and shall bring a he-lamb of the first year for a guilt-offering; but the former days shall be void, because his consecration was defiled. 13 And this is the law of the Nazirite, when the days of his consecration are fulfilled: he shall bring it unto the door of the tent of meeting; 14 and he shall present his offering unto the LORD, one he-lamb of the first year without blemish for a burnt-offering, and one ewe-lamb of the first year without blemish for a sin-offering, and one ram without blemish for peace-offerings, 15 and a basket of unleavened bread, cakes of fine flour mingled with oil, and unleavened wafers spread with oil, and their meal-offering, and their drink-offerings. 16 And the priest shall bring them before the LORD, and shall offer his sin-offering, and his burnt-offering. 17 And he shall offer the ram for a sacrifice of peace-offerings unto the LORD, with the basket20of unleavened bread; the priest shall offer also the meal-offering thereof, and the drink-offering thereof. 18 And the Nazirite shall shave his consecrated head at the door of the tent of meeting, and shall take the hair of his consecrated head, and put it on the fire which is under the sacrifice of peace-offerings. 19 And the priest shall take the shoulder of the ram when it is sodden, and one unleavened cake out of the basket, and one unleavened wafer, and shall put them upon the hands of the Nazirite, after he hath shaven his consecrated head. 20 And the priest shall wave them for a wave-offering before the LORD; this is holy for the priest, together with the breast of waving and the thigh of heaving; and after that the Nazirite may drink wine. 21 This is the law of the Nazirite who vowed, and of his offering unto the LORD for his Naziriteship, beside that for which his means suffice; according to his vow which he vowed, so he must do after the law of his Naziriteship.
Sometimes Baalei Tshuvah want to go overboard and their Yetzer Hara wants to drive them to the Mishugas (crazy fanaticism) of becoming a Nazir so it is a blessing that we have not Nazirship but that of a life time like David HaCohain the last of the Nazirim (the late father of the Chief Rabbi of Haifa, Shaar-Yeshuv Cohen) and that of Shimshon the Judge. A 30 day Nazirship does not exist today. Some people sort of swear off Alcohol in wine and strong drink as a safety measure, because there was an alcoholic in their family or for health reasons. It is not a bad idea for one, even on Purim, to drink alcohol in moderation. The Lubavitcher Rebbe made a Gezara of no more than three Lechaim drinks at any occasion due to the fact that once a Chassid got drunk and came home and beat his wife. The Rebbe saw that too much alcohol can lead to danger even if one does not drive that one should not get inebriated.
The Torah at this point goes into the Priestly Blessing as the Mishkan was discussed, the woman visiting the Priest, no alcohol of the Nazir and that Priest can bless only if they have not had wine as we learned in Parsha Acharei Mos.
22 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 23 'Speak unto Aaron and unto his sons, saying: On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel; ye shall say unto them: 24 The LORD bless thee, and keep thee; 25 The LORD make His face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee; 26 The LORD lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. 27 So shall they put My name upon the children of Israel, and I will bless them.'
Parshat Naso includes the Mitzva of the priestly blessing; it's a Mitzva for the Cohanim to bless the Jews with the Bracha as written in the Torah:
יְבָרֶכְךָ ה', וְיִשְׁמְרֶךָ
יָאֵר ה' פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ, וִיחֻנֶּךָּ
יִשָּׂא ה' פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ, וְיָשֵׂם לְךָ שָׁלוֹם
Before giving the blessing, the Cohanim remove their shoes. Then they wash their hands - up to their wrists - from a cup, but do not say a Bracha on the washing.
It's the Levi's privilege to pour the water over the hands of the Cohanim. If no Levi is present, a firstborn (from his mother; one who qualifies for Pidyon HaBen) may wash the Cohanim's hands. If no Levi and no firstborn is present, the Cohanim wash their own hands. Source: Kitzur S hulchan Aruch 100:1, 5-6 - Danny
יְבָרֶכְךָ ה', וְיִשְׁמְרֶךָ
יָאֵר ה' פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ, וִיחֻנֶּךָּ
יִשָּׂא ה' פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ, וְיָשֵׂם לְךָ שָׁלוֹם
Before giving the blessing, the Cohanim remove their shoes. Then they wash their hands - up to their wrists - from a cup, but do not say a Bracha on the washing.
It's the Levi's privilege to pour the water over the hands of the Cohanim. If no Levi is present, a firstborn (from his mother; one who qualifies for Pidyon HaBen) may wash the Cohanim's hands. If no Levi and no firstborn is present, the Cohanim wash their own hands. Source: Kitzur S hulchan Aruch 100:1, 5-6 - Danny
The Parsha continues now with the dedication of the Mishkan and the gifts of the Princes. The Parsha takes a long time to read to show that all tribes are equal but each prince essentially brings the same gifts and sacrifices.
7:1 And it came to pass on the day that Moses had made an end of setting up the tabernacle, and had anointed it and sanctified it, and all the furniture thereof, and the altar and all the vessels thereof, and had anointed them and sanctified them; 2 that the princes of Israel, the heads of their fathers' houses, offered--these were the princes of the tribes, these are they that were over them that were numbered. 3 And they brought their offering before the LORD, six covered wagons, and twelve oxen: a wagon for every two of the princes, and for each one an ox; and they presented them before the tabernacle. 4 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 5 'Take it of them, that they may be to do the service of the tent of meeting; and thou shalt give them unto the Levites, to every man according to his service.' 6 And Moses took the wagons and the oxen, and gave them unto the Levites. …
84 This was the dedication-offering of the altar, in20the day when it was anointed, at the hands of the princes of Israel: twelve silver dishes, twelve silver basins, twelve golden pans; 85 each silver dish weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and each basin seventy; all the silver of the vessels two thousand and four hundred shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; 86 twelve golden pans, full of incense, weighing ten shekels apiece, after the shekel of the sanctuary; all the gold of the pans a hundred and twenty shekels; 87 all the oxen for the burnt-offering twelve bullocks, the rams twelve, the he-lambs of the first year twelve, and their meal-offering; and the males of the goats for a sin-offering twelve; 88 and all the oxen for the sacrifice of peace-offerings twenty and four bullocks, the rams sixty, the he-goats sixty, the he-lambs of the first year sixty. This was the dedication-offering of the altar, after that it was anointed. 89 And when Moses went into the tent of meeting that He might speak with him, then he heard the Voice speaking unto him from above the ark-cover that was upon the ark of the testimony, from between the two cherubim; and He spoke unto him.
Jewish American Heroes
In my oral Torah Drasha before Yizchor on Shevous in the Schul for my Condominium Complex, I mentioned about the fact that on Memorial Day there were over 50 Jewish Soldiers who had perished in Iraq and Afghanistan. A soldier named Mansoor laid down his life … He was a Navy Seal with a few more weeks to go on his second tour of duty in Iraq. He was deployed as a back-up force on a roof with other soldiers. A grenade was thrown at the force. He could have ducked for shelter and let his married buddies die. Instead he threw himself on the grenade so that they might live to go home to their families. His family of course was devastated. For this he was given the Congressional Medal of Honor. This is similar to Major Weiss in the Second Lebanese War who through himself on a grenade to save the young Ethiopian Soldier under his command. Both stories are typical of our average Jew who respects the life and property of others. Unfortunately, there are politicians and others who do not respect the lives, property and rights of others. (A film about how a person can win a place in a primary and be pushed off the party list http://htmlspecialmessage.blogspot.com/2009/05/war-of-worlds.html ).
Halacha
It's forbidden to squeeze fruit on Shabbat, in order to use the juice. Therefore one may not squeeze lemons into water to make lemonade. One may not squeeze out grapes to make grape juice. There are opinions that even sucking out the juice from the fruit is forbidden. If one has no use for the juice, then there is no prohibition squeezing it out. Therefore one may squeeze out cucumbers - and pickles - if the juice will be thrown out. One may squeeze out the juice from fruit into solids. For example, one could squeeze out lemons into a salad. Source: Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 80:12, Shulchan Aruch 120:4 Shabbat Shalom, - Danny
PRACTICAL HALACHA: If one has a bottle of grape juice or lemon juice and wants to add the former to wine to dilute it or the later to a glass of water and the bottle was bought or prepared by Friday before the entrance of the Holy Shabbos, one may use the lemon juice for example tea or orange juice with his meal. However, the squeezing of the fruit other than on to a solid object such as lemon juice on lettuce and tomatoes, fish or schnitzel would be forbidden. One may however slice a lemon to put in slices into water, tea or a cocktail as long as he does not squeeze it in anyway into the liquid.
From Golani to Kabul's killing fields: Friends and colleagues of an Israeli-American intelligence contractor killed in Afghanistan saw him laid to rest on Tuesday at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.
Shawn Pine, a former US Army Ranger working as a contractor training Afghan army soldiers, was killed in a roadside bomb in Kabul US Army Reserves, he also served in the IDF and wrote extensively on military policies of Middle Eastern nations and Israel
On Tuesday, Pine's family - who live in San Antonio, Texas - mourned the intensively private man who friends and colleagues said often appeared tough on the outside. "Beneath the rough exterior beat a heart of gold that only a few people knew," a friend said at a memorial service. "Shawn chose a life where nothing was about him. It was always about the other guy, and he wanted it that way."
Born in 1958, Pine grew up in a military family. The son of a sergeant-major in the US Army, Pine grew up on army bases and made aliyah with his family at age 17, after his father's death. He served in the Golani Brigade, and spent time in Sinai. Following his discharge, he graduated from Georgetown University, where he majored in foreign relations. Later, he earned a master's in Middle Eastern studies at the University of Texas.
After college, Pine was commissioned into the US Army, where he was assigned to the 2nd Battalion Ranger Regiment. In 1995, Pine returned to Israel to study international relations at Jerusalem's Hebrew University. He also completed his Israeli reserve duty at that time. His career was not without tumult, and in 2001 Pine accused the US Army of stripping him of his security clearance because of his close ties to Israel.
"They're looking for Jewish officers," he said at the time in an interview with the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. The Army denied the charge and said Pine's clearance had been revoked because of a new rule preventing anyone with dual citizenship from having top security clearance. Six months later, a US Army appeals board ruled that the procedure for revoking Pine's security clearance was faulty and decided to reinstate the clearance. He was a member of the active reserve at the time.
In recent years, Pine expressed his support for Israel in his writing - for Israel Affairs, The International Journal of Intelligence and Counterintelligence, The Jerusalem Post and others. He published four policy papers for the Ariel Center for Policy Research. In 2003, he wrote an article for the arts and politics journal Nativ, in which he argued that Egypt's military expenditures were closer to $14 billion than $2.7b., as the country was reporting officially.
“What Shawn Pine did, excellently, he took all the numbers and the cost of arms, every bullet and tank, and came to the true numbers," said Arieh Stav, director of the Ariel Center and editor of Nativ, who worked briefly with Pine. Stav called it an "important" article that shed light on how much money Egypt was really spending on defense. "If you check, as Shawn Pine did, you find you have a country which is prepared for war," he said. http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1243872319758&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
From Deborah the wife of Tito The Builder in Hebrew and Spanish for support of Israel in a lieu of the abandonment of the current Administration of Israel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsLZzGW-UIw
From Gene: There was a Jewish solider who took upon himself the challenge to only eat kosher. And during the entire time that he was in the army he stopped himself from eating meat and only ate fruits and vegetables. His officer noticed that the solider was becoming extremely weak. And decided to force him to eat meat so he can be strong and serve in the army.
But the solider refused and when his officer saw his stubbornness he started to hit him and punish him cruelly.
The Jewish solider did not give in but he decided to write a letter to the head general. In his letter he complained about the army forcing him to eat foods that were against his religion.
A few weeks passed and one morning during roll call his officer called the Jew over. Terrified, the Jew went over to his officer. The officer asked him
“Was it you who sent a letter to the head general”? and before the Jew can answer him he asked
“Was it you who complained that we don’t give you food which is permitted by your religion”?
The Jew answered
“Yes”
“If so”, the commander continued in a loud voice “I will read you the general‘s answer in front of everyone”
Everyone was quiet.
“I received your letter regarding the complaint of not receiving food permitted by your religion, and that you are refusing to eat the food you are given. If so, I do not permit such behavior in my army! All the officers have an obligation to provide you with kosher food. Specifically your officer is responsible to provide for you kosher food, and if he cannot obtain any he must find a way to bring them from afar. And if he still cannot acquire any for you he must transfer you to a different camp where there kosher food can be obtained.And he ende d off by saying
It is forbidden for any man to harm you”!!!
The mitzvot (commands) are the representitives of Hashem the same way when you buy a special manufactured item or a top brand clothing or a special model car you get a different respond and attention from people - according how well known,expensive or famous that product is.
In the same way when you do the mitzvot you represent Hashem becouse thats what his products are (613) and thats what He wants us to follow.
DO THE COMMANDS THEN PEOPLE HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO RESPECT AND LISTEN TO YOU.
But the solider refused and when his officer saw his stubbornness he started to hit him and punish him cruelly.
The Jewish solider did not give in but he decided to write a letter to the head general. In his letter he complained about the army forcing him to eat foods that were against his religion.
A few weeks passed and one morning during roll call his officer called the Jew over. Terrified, the Jew went over to his officer. The officer asked him
“Was it you who sent a letter to the head general”? and before the Jew can answer him he asked
“Was it you who complained that we don’t give you food which is permitted by your religion”?
The Jew answered
“Yes”
“If so”, the commander continued in a loud voice “I will read you the general‘s answer in front of everyone”
Everyone was quiet.
“I received your letter regarding the complaint of not receiving food permitted by your religion, and that you are refusing to eat the food you are given. If so, I do not permit such behavior in my army! All the officers have an obligation to provide you with kosher food. Specifically your officer is responsible to provide for you kosher food, and if he cannot obtain any he must find a way to bring them from afar. And if he still cannot acquire any for you he must transfer you to a different camp where there kosher food can be obtained.And he ende d off by saying
It is forbidden for any man to harm you”!!!
The mitzvot (commands) are the representitives of Hashem the same way when you buy a special manufactured item or a top brand clothing or a special model car you get a different respond and attention from people - according how well known,expensive or famous that product is.
In the same way when you do the mitzvot you represent Hashem becouse thats what his products are (613) and thats what He wants us to follow.
DO THE COMMANDS THEN PEOPLE HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO RESPECT AND LISTEN TO YOU.
Binyamin Jadidi
There was once an elephant who felt very good about himself. Once as the elephant started running very fast, a rat appeared next to him and ran alongside with him. The elephant stopped and the rat stood right in front of him and said, “see how much dust we made !!”
Many times in life we often forget who the boss is and who our real savior is. We tend to turn to doctors, lawyers, etc, believing that they will bring us our savior. Of course we should turn to them in times of need, however we should not forget that they are only an INTERMEDIATE !
We must ask Hashem to give them the right wisdom in which they can help us and also plead to Hashem that we woul d be DESERVING of redemption. We should not think that these intermediates are the cause of our savior.
It would be very funny to think that a little rat can make so much dust!
It might get dusty, but surely does not cause the dust
Binyamin Jadidi
Many times in life we often forget who the boss is and who our real savior is. We tend to turn to doctors, lawyers, etc, believing that they will bring us our savior. Of course we should turn to them in times of need, however we should not forget that they are only an INTERMEDIATE !
We must ask Hashem to give them the right wisdom in which they can help us and also plead to Hashem that we woul d be DESERVING of redemption. We should not think that these intermediates are the cause of our savior.
It would be very funny to think that a little rat can make so much dust!
It might get dusty, but surely does not cause the dust
Binyamin Jadidi
Inyanay Diyoma
Yona Baumel, father of MIA Zachary Baumel passed away on Yom Tov Shevous, Friday: The funeral was after Shabbos, in Jerusalem. Yona spent the last 27 years of his life searching unrelentingly for his beloved son. Zachary and his fellow MIAs Tzvi Feldman and Yehuda Katz were sent into battle on June 11, 1982 during the first Lebanese War near the village of Sultan Yaqub. 21 Israelis were killed during the fighting and the three soldiers are still missing. Yona has always insisted that the three were captured alive and are being held, most likely in Syria. The Baumels made aliyah from Brooklyn in 1970.
THE DEATH OF
From Caroline Glick, deputy editor and op-ed writer for the
More ominously, Glick reports (likely from sources high up in the Israeli government) that the Obama administration has all but accepted as irreversible and unavoidable fact that
She goes on to write that the Obama administration is desperate to stop Israel from attacking Iran writing that "as far as the [Obama] administration is concerned, if Israel could just leave Iran's nuclear installations alone, Iran would behave itself." She notes that American officials would regard any harm to American interests that flowed from an Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear facilities as
In classic Stockholm Syndrome fashion, the Obama administration is empathizing more with the Iranian leaders who are holding
Obama's end-of-the-year deadline for Iranian talks aimed at stopping its progress toward nuclear weapons is just window dressing without the threat of military action. As Metternich wrote "diplomacy without force is like music without instruments." By warning only of possible strengthening of economic sanctions if the talks do not progress, Obama is making an empty threat. The sanctions will likely have no effect because
All this means is that
Those sunshine Jewish patriots who voted for Obama must realize that we, as Jews, are witnessing the possible end of
Because one thing is increasingly clear: Barack Obama is not about to lift a finger to stop
Obama may have held the first White House cedar, but he's not planning to spend next year in
Go to DickMorris.com to read all of Dick's columns! - Thanks to Mindy.
Also from Mindy: In his speech to the Muslim world today (Thu rsday, June 4) from Cairo, President Barack Obama called on Palestinians to renounce violence, stop firing rockets at Israelis and said Palestinians – as well as the Arab world – must recognize Israel’s right to exist.
However, President Obama did not go far enough to stop the threat of Iran and protect Israel in other ways. Please read the President's speech and see TIP's press release. Then send an urgent letter to media and leaders on the issues that are key to Israel's security and were discussed in President Obama's speech today in Egypt.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi
Founder & President
www.theisraelproject.org
Founder & President
www.theisraelproject.org
Kim sent me this primer on the middle-east conflict and it is written very nicely: http://americanfreedomnow.com/2009/05/07/understanding-middle-east-propaganda/
Why I don’t want to work in NH: http://news.aol.com/article/teacher-battling-leukemia-fired/506805?icid=main|htmlws-main|dl1|link5|http%3A%2F%2Fnews.aol.com%2Farticle%2Fteacher-battling-leukemia-fired%2F506805
From Lukas ...1,183 killed and 8,340 wounded since September 2000... BUT THE PRESIDENT COMPARED THE ARABS TO HOLOCAUST VICTIMS!!!!
Shimon Shiran, 57, of Haifa, seriously wounded in the 31 March 2002 terror bombing of the Matza restaurant, died of his wounds on April 11, 2009, having remained hospitalized for seven years.
Just after 2:30 PM on Sunday afternoon, during the Passover holiday, the terrorist entered the popular Matza restaurant in the Neve Sha'anan district near the Grand Canyon mall. The explosion tore the roof off the one-story building, and blew out the windows, instantly killing 14 people, and leaving horrific scenes of people on fire, and people with lost limbs. Over 40 people were injured.
Shimon Shiran, an engineer and owner of a plastics company, was eating lunch with his wife Hili and their daughter Adi. Adi was killed in the blast; both parents were seriously injured. While Hili eventually recovered, Shimon, who suffered a serious head wound, remained hospitalized for seven years until succumbing to his wounds on April 11, 2009.
Shimon Shiran was buried in Haifa on the day of the seventh memorial ceremony of the victims of the bombing. He is survived by his wife Hili, his son Eyal and daughter Anat.
Shimon Shiran, 57, of Haifa, seriously wounded in the 31 March 2002 terror bombing of the Matza restaurant, died of his wounds on April 11, 2009, having remained hospitalized for seven years.
Just after 2:30 PM on Sunday afternoon, during the Passover holiday, the terrorist entered the popular Matza restaurant in the Neve Sha'anan district near the Grand Canyon mall. The explosion tore the roof off the one-story building, and blew out the windows, instantly killing 14 people, and leaving horrific scenes of people on fire, and people with lost limbs. Over 40 people were injured.
Shimon Shiran, an engineer and owner of a plastics company, was eating lunch with his wife Hili and their daughter Adi. Adi was killed in the blast; both parents were seriously injured. While Hili eventually recovered, Shimon, who suffered a serious head wound, remained hospitalized for seven years until succumbing to his wounds on April 11, 2009.
Shimon Shiran was buried in Haifa on the day of the seventh memorial ceremony of the victims of the bombing. He is survived by his wife Hili, his son Eyal and daughter Anat.
Now for M. Wolfberg’s Good Shabbos Story: “Cover up”.
A woman's head covering is the source of great holiness for the woman and all those who are around her. As the Sages tell us, "The head is king over all the limbs." (Ibid., citing Shabbos 61a) Thus, metaphorically speaking, a kosher head covering cause holiness to permeate her entire being. Let us now tell an inspirational story on the topic of head coverings.
Josh and Ruthie are ba'ale teshuvah who were married a few years ago. While they were considering the shidduch (the match), Josh and Ruthie discussed a wide range of practical matters, such as where they would live, how they would run their home and what they would expect from each other. And of course, they spent many hours discussing religious views.
They disagreed on one issue, however, and it eventually became a point of contention between them. Josh had always expected that his future wife would cover her hair, as is required according to Jewish law. Just as he always wore a yarmuike, he practically took it for granted that his wife would wear a wig or a headscarf after marriage.
Ruthie, on the other hand, was not at all comfortable with the idea of covering her hair after marriage. Every new mitzvah she accepted, as she was becoming religious, was a major struggle for her. Even if she had come to terms with almost all of the halachos (Jewish law) of an Orthodox lifestyle, the mitzvah of covering her hair was something which Ruthie just could not accept. Ruthie felt that to cover her hair would be too confining and restrictive. In addition, she felt it would compromise her appearance too much. Finally, she felt that covering her hair would be "making a statement" that she was more stringent than she really saw herself to be. So when Josh brought up the subject for the first time just before they got engaged, she made it clear to him that it was one mitzvah she was not ready to accept upon herself.
Josh was not fazed by Ruthie's resistance. He hoped in his mind that she would probably change her mind as the wedding approached. To his dismay and disappointment, however, she did not budge. Josh was deeply committed to marrying Ruthie, in spite of her refusal to accept upon herself the mitzvah of covering her hair.
When the Sheva Brachos week was over, they each went back to work. The evening following that first day back at work, Ruthie greeted Josh with the surprising news that she had decided to cover her hair! Josh was so thrilled that he wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. He was speechless.
Ruthie then told him what had happened to her on the way to work, earlier that morning. In the elevator on her way up to her job, Ruthie met Sabrina, a non-Jewish co-worker. Sabrina candidly said to Ruthie, "I see you are not wearing anything on your head. I thought all Orthodox married women cover their heads - am I mistaken about this?"
Ruthie was put on the spot. She responded, "Uh, well, most Orthodox married women do wear some head covering, but not all. Anyway, I don't plan on doing it myself."
"Really? I always thought it was required and not optional..." Said Sabrina. Ruthie took a deep breath and said: "Look, Sabrina, let me explain something to you. The reason Orthodox married women wear something over their hair is because a woman's hair could be attractive to men. Once a woman is married, it is considered immodest for a woman to have her hair uncovered in front of any man other than her husband." Ruthie reached up and ran her fingers through her hair to demonstrate her point. Then she continued. "Now I ask you, Sabrina, look at my hair. It's s o oily, drab, and unmanageable. What man could possibly find my hair appealing? So, you see, since my hair looks like this, it really isn't necessary for me to cover it."
At the 17th floor, the elevator doors opened and in walked a young man in a finely tailored, pinstriped suit. The man was unfamiliar to both Sabrina and Ruthie. As soon as he entered, the young man began to stare at Ruthie.
Ruthie pretended that she did not notice that the man in the pinstriped suit was staring at her. She deliberately looked in the other direction. Nevertheless, she kept checking with her peripheral vision to see if he was still staring at her... and he was.
At the 20th floor, the man in the pinstriped suit was the only other person in the elevator besides Ruthie and Sabrina. At that point he furrowed his brow and began to apologize. "Please excuse me for staring at you," he began, looking straight at Ruthie. "I really didn't intend to make you feel uncomfortable. But it's just that you have the most beautiful hair I've ever seen." With those words, the man picked up his briefcase and got off the elevator at the 21st floor.
Neither Ruthie nor Sabrina had ever seen that man before. Ruthie was speechless. Her face turned red and she felt her mouth go dry. She avoided eye contact with Sabrina and barely managed to mumble,
All day long, Ruthie kept replaying the elevator episode over in her mind. How could the man have possibly known what she had said to Sabrina just before he entered the elevator? As the day progressed, Ruthie realized that the comment made to her by the man in the elevator could not be dismissed as merely a coincidence. It was a message from Heaven. How else could she explain the uncanny timing of the comment? Thus, she accepted upon herself the mitzvah of covering her hair. (Adapted from "Zorei'a Tzedakos," by Dr. Meir Wikler, p. 181)
Every Jew is a member of the Royal Jewish Nation. Just as Jewish men crown themselves with a yarmulke, so too do Jewish woman crown themselves with a head covering. Let us all be encouraged and let us encourage those around us to cover their heads properly, thereby demonstrating membership in the Royal Jewish Nation. Good Shabbos Everyone.
Mr. Wolfberg’s stories are sponsored by: Mazal Tov to Elazar Friedman on his recent Chasuna Refuah
In memory of Shosha Malka bas R' Avrohom 21 Cheshvan Refuah Shleimah to Chana Ashayra bas Dodi
Have a wonderful Shabbos and I hope to get back on track and earlier in future weeks,
Rachamim Pauli
