I have established a new policy regarding pray for the sick. I receive dozens of requests each quarter from people in my Yeshuv to say Tehillim for so and so. However, more often than none they haven’t the faintest idea who the person is. So and so has cancer, etc. So I request this from you. After a routine Chemo or Radiation time of approximately 4 months, I return and request information if these people still need prayers? Are they still alive ? Are they cured? The response on 8 out of 8 names was zero. I cannot request from 4,000 people to pray for persons who may not be ill anymore or may not be even alive. I therefore will set a time limit on the prayers. If I am not informed of any disease, the pray should be once as far as I am concerned and one has done the Mitzvah of Praying for a fellow who is ill.
The following people should receive prayers because I have the ability to be informed of their status so that we will not pray in vain.
Avraham HaCohain ben Yocheved – cancer survivor in extreme pain every night
Yacov Armand ben Cecilia – prostate and spinal cancer
Levi Yitzchak ben Sara Sosha – the Bostoner Rebbe recovering from heart failure
Asher ben Malka- diabetes
Avraham ben Devorah – diabetes
Zev ben Miriam
Aaron Yoshua ben Chaya Shoshana – gravely injured in
Shalom Charles ben Gracia – cancer and heart
Eliyahu ben
Meir Yisrael ben Faige – once a week prayers – Parkinson and stress disorder
For the next week at least: Chaim Ayal Tzafrir ben Osna Chanita, a young man with a family and a decorated IDF combat veteran who
suffered a stroke and is now in critical condition.
Menachem ben Sarah – this week only. This brings the total of 8 men who could use daily prayers and another weekly and another one time only.
The following 3 women are in the Terminal Sage of Cancer
Sarah bas Yehudit, Rachel Sarah bas Osnat and this last one who I received from somebody on the internet and I cannot follow up pray for her up to Rosh Hashanah and I will make inquiries before then. Bracha Elisheva bas Kalia
Zelda bas Lieba
Bryna bas Gina Sarah – aged with the beginnings of Alzheimer still at home.
3 MS patients:
Keren Neshama bas Esther Ruth, Chaya Melecha Rachel bas Baila Alta and the last one is also a cancer survivor Sviah Simcha bas Devorah Yached.
Esther bas Chana – Cancer
Faige Rachel bas Taube
Leah bas Rachel – Cancer
Nirit bas Mazel – Cancer
Chaya Yached Elka bas Chana Rachel
Tamar bas Naama.
Please pray for employment and the ability to make Aliyah for David ben Rivka, who is Sagina Ohr as the Talmud says like the Amorah Rava Yosef.
Quote of the week from Stephen Guy Hardin: “I always recommend that if you want to know about a politician forget the speeches and campaign promises and look at their life before politics. That is where the answers are usually found.”
Parsha Devarim
As we enter Chodesh Av and the days before Tisha B’Av we always start Sefer Devarim. We are coming down home stretch in the Chumosh as Moshe Rabbaynu’s time frame is from Rosh Chodesh Adar until his death on the 7th of Adar 5488. The 40 years of the Midbar are coming to an end. Moshe is going to review the commandments with the people. The first question that comes to my mind is how come over 200 or close to the third of the Commandments are only mentioned now in the week before Moshe passes away?
My answer is probably what any Rabbi would answer. These 200 written commandments were not really new. These commandments like the beautiful captive or when one enters the land and bring the first fruits were in existence. They existed with the oral Torah. These 200 had the merits to be written down. Had they not been written down, we still would have put on Tephillin and treated the confession over the first fruits in the same manner as the Oral Torah has its place. The only difference between Oral Torah and Written Torah is that the recorded word has a binding seal to it for all to see.
The Oral Torah remained unwritten and uncodified until the Mishnayos were written by Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi. This would be some time around the year 4000 and the Talmud codified between 4200 to 4300 as the laws began to be forgotten due to exile or persecution.
1:1 These are the words which Moses spoke unto all
Now the Aravah or prairie of Eretz Yisrael today is between Maaleh Akravim and Eilat. It rises from slightly below sea level to
I had to reread the Rashi as Rav Mimran Shlita mentioned to me that some of these places are like Mussar Rebuke. Tophel in Hebrew means miniscule or petty things. Teufel in German might have come from this as the idle brain is a Devil’s playground. With both the physical idea and the rebuke idea we can now learn Rashi much better.
These are the words. Since these are words of rebuke and he [Moses] enumerates here all the places where they angered the Omnipresent, therefore it makes no explicit mention of the incidents [in which they transgressed], but rather merely alludes to them, [by mentioning the names of the places] out of respect for
2 It is eleven days journey from Horeb unto Kadesh-Barnea by the way of
Rashi: It is eleven days journey from Horeb. Moses said to them: “See what you caused! There is no shorter route from Horeb to Kadesh-Barnea than the way through
The 11 days travel from Horeb to Kadesh Barnea would add another 11 stops in the travels to the last year and thus the whole 38 years in the desert might have been only 5 stops going around in circles so as not to over graze the land.
3 And it came to pass in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, that Moses spoke unto the children of Israel, according unto all that the LORD had given him in commandment unto them;
After He had smitten [Sihon]. Moses said: If I rebuke them before they enter [at least] part of the land, they will say, “What [claim] has this [man] on us? What good has he ever done for us? He has come only to vex us and to find some pretext, for he does not have the power to bring us into the land.” Therefore he [Moses]waited until he had defeated Sihon and Og before them and had given them possession of their land, and [only] afterwards did he rebuke them. [Sifrei] Sihon… who dwelt in Heshbon. “Even if Sihon himself had not been powerful, but had dwelt in Heshbon, he would have [nevertheless] been powerful because the city was a powerful one; and even had it been another city, and Sihon had dwelt in it, it would have [also] been powerful because the king was powerful. How much more so now, since both the king and the city were powerful!” [Sifrei] [And Og…] who dwelt in Ashtaroth. [Here, too,] the king was powerful, and the city was powerful. [Sifrei] Ashtaroth. This is an expression denoting sharp cliffs and strength, just as “Ashteroth-karnaim” (Gen. 14:5) [the hard rocks of Karnaim]. And the Ashtaroth [referred to here] is indeed that same Ashteroth-karnaim where the Rephaim [the giants] were, whom Amraphel smote, as it is said, “And they smote the Rephaim in Ashteroth-karnaim ” (Gen. 14:5). And Og escaped from them, and that is the meaning of that which is stated, “And the fugitive came” (Gen. 14:13), and Scripture states (further, 3:11)“For only Og, king of the
This just goes to show that the spies were afraid of the giants because they felt like grasshoppers before them and yet without any problem Moshe Rabbaynu takes care of Og and Sihon and gets their land. The fear was of losing political power and their cronies with the beef-barrel legislation that they push through. Because the people went after these crooked forked tongued politicians that they suffered. Legend has it that on the 15th of Av besides Calev ben Yefunah and Yehoshua ben Nun some extreme right wing supporters of Moshe Rabbaynu numbering 15,000 men did not die of that generation. Yep these crazy extremists were on the side of G-D as was the super-zealot Pinchas. So says the legend that every year on the 9th of Av people would dig their own graves and lie down to sleep. Those who woke up would fill in the dirt and those who did not arise the next day would have a burial ceremony at approximately 15,000 men each Tisha B’Av for 40 years.
At the end of 40 years, the last 15,000 dug their graves and arose. They thought that perhaps their calendar calculations were off so they lay down again and again until the 15th of Av when they saw the full moon. They then made a big celebration with a great Kiddush and songs before the Congregation.
4 after he had smitten Sihon the king of the Amorites, who dwelt in Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, who dwelt in Ashtaroth, at Edrei; 5 beyond the Jordan, in the land of Moab, took Moses upon him to expound this law, saying: 6 The LORD our God spoke unto us in Horeb, saying: 'Ye have dwelt long enough in this mountain; 7 turn you, and take your journey, and go to the hill-country of the Amorites and unto all the places nigh thereunto, in the Arabah, in the hill-country, and in the Lowland, and in the South, and by the sea-shore; the land of the Canaanites, and Lebanon, as far as the great river, the river Euphrates.
Rashi now comes up with specifics of where the borders of the land are and which cities are mentioned. Even though
This is the way to
I once spoke to Rabbi Shlomo Goren Zal and it appears to me that this border almost certainly went down to Nahal El Arish if not down to where the Satellite Photos show was another off-shoot of the Nile River which would be very close to the current Suez Canal. But we will only know the southern border in the days of the Moshiach so pray for his speedy coming.
8 Behold, I have set the land before you: go in and possess the land which the LORD swore unto your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give unto them and to their seed after them.'
Obviously the Nations of the World use this to prove that the land belongs to the Arabs. While Barack Hussein Obama was listening for 20 years in church to sermons of hatred from his Reverend Wright and others, he did not bother reading the old Testament and learning what was in it. He only heard the hatred towards
9 And I spoke unto you at that time, saying: 'I am not able to bear you myself alone;
Thus the leaders of 10, 50, 100, 1000, 10,000 etc. By having these judges, Moshe was relieved of some of the burden. Just as our Torah Leaders today can’t inspect every factory wanting a kashrus certificate or every question about Shabbos. Example: is it forbidden to handle a knitting needle to push out parts of wall nut meat from inside the shell? For this one does not have to be a Torah Giant to answer but for something more difficult a specialist is needed. However, if one is the only heart specialist in
10 the LORD your God hath multiplied you, and, behold, ye are this day as the stars of heaven for multitude.-- 11 The LORD, the God of your fathers, make you a thousand times so many more as ye are, and bless you, as He hath promised you!--
At this point Moshe reminds them of the spies and the unnecessary weeping of the first Tisha B’Av and the delay of 38 years for the generation to die out in the wilderness. Now the way to conquer the land via the eastern front is opened in the last year of Moshe’s life.
2:1 Then we turned, and took our journey into the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea, as the LORD spoke unto me; and we compassed
turn northward: Turn along the eastern side [of
I might think that this is completely along the Syrian-African fault (Eilat or Aquaba through the Kinneret up through Metulla – Agam Karoun in Lebanon) thus Rashi tells me that all this is east of the fault apparently behind the initial mountains and quite a bit into modern Yarden.
3 'Ye have compassed this mountain long enough; turn you northward. 4 And command thou the people, saying: Ye are to pass through the border of your brethren the children of Esau, that dwell in Seir; and they will be afraid of you; take ye good heed unto yourselves therefore; 5 contend not with them; for I will not give you of their land, no, not so much as for the sole of the foot to tread on; because I have given mount Seir unto Esau for a possession.
There is a very important principle at work here. Just as the Nations of the world have no right to tell us what land is or is not legitimately ours from G-D; here too we have absolutely no right whatsoever to take land away from Nations other than the land promised to us or ordained by G-D such as what happened with Og, Sichon and the Midianites. Rashi explains this principle in perhaps different words from our modern situation but certainly clear enough.
not so much as a foot step: meaning, even only for the sole of the foot to tread a single step, I do not permit you to enter their land without permission. An Aggadic interpretation is: [I will not give you of their land] until the day arrives when the foot will tread upon the Mount of Olives [the Messianic era], as it said: “And His [God’s] feet will [figuratively] stand [on that day upon the
6 Ye shall purchase food of them for money, that ye may eat; and ye shall also buy water of them for money, that ye may drink.
Esav was not part of the Nations to be replaced by the Bnei Yisrael and therefore the right to the land and produce belonged to them and had to be purchased if they would sell it and if not one had to bring their own food with them like some airlines that offer meals for money but the meals are not kosher so one must bring his own food with him if he is hungry.
you shall buy: Heb. תִּכְרוּ. This is an expression of purchase. Similar is (Gen. 50:5),“which I have purchased (כָּרִיתִי) for myself.” In the coastal cities, for“selling” (מְכִירָה) , they use the word“ כִּירָה” (Rosh Hashanah 26a).
7 For the LORD thy God hath blessed thee in all the work of thy hand; He hath known thy walking through this great wilderness; these forty years the LORD thy God hath been with thee; thou hast lacked nothing.'
For the Lord, your God, has blessed you: Therefore you should not be ungrateful for His goodness [to you] by acting as though you were poor. Rather, show yourselves as rich people.
While the people ate the Mann and they did not multiply, the cattle that did not rebel against HASHEM did multiply. Their clothing did not wear out 40 years in the desert by miracle and so need for food, clothing and they were sheltered by the cloud of glory and not rained upon or hurt by the sun. With conditions like this one can only prosper and have time to learn Torah and Halacha.
8 So we passed by from our brethren the children of Esau, that dwell in Seir, from the way of the Arabah, from Elath and from Ezion-geber. And we turned and passed by the way of the wilderness of
17 that the LORD spoke unto me saying: 18 'Thou art this day to pass over the border of Moab, even Ar; 19 and when thou come nigh over against the children of Ammon, harass them not, nor contend with them; for I will not give thee of the land of the children of Ammon for a possession; because I have given it unto the children of Lot for a possession.
Would you have imaged that Moshiach could come from Moav? Note because of the prayers of Avraham protecting
Rashi makes the following comment which I want to add to that
37 Only to the land of the children of Ammon thou came not near; all the side of the river Jabbok, and the cities of the hill-country, and wheresoever the LORD our God forbade us.
3:1 Then we turned, and went up the way to Bashan; and Og the king of Bashan came out against us, he and all his people, unto battle at Edrei. 2 And the LORD said unto me: 'Fear him not; for I have delivered him, and all his people, and his land, into thy hand; and thou shalt do unto him as thou didst unto Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt at Heshbon.' He was a giant and his height alone had made 10 spies shake in their boots. 8 And we took the land at that time out of the hand of the two kings of the Amorites that were beyond the Jordan, from the valley of Arnon unto mount Hermon-- 9 which Hermon the Sidonians call Sirion, and the Amorites call it Senir—
The Sidonians call Hermon, etc.. But in another passage, it states, “Until
10 all the cities of the plain, and all Gilead, and all Bashan, unto Salcah and Edrei, cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan.-- 11 For only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant of the Rephaim; behold, his bedstead was a bedstead of iron; is it not in Rabbah of the children of Ammon? nine cubits was the length thereof, and four cubits the breadth of it, after the cubit of a man.
according to the cubit of a man: I.e., according to the cubit of Og [from the elbow to the end of the middle finger].
This would make his bed
-- 12 And this land we took in possession at that time; from Aroer, which is by the valley of Arnon, and half the hill-country of Gilead, and the cities thereof, gave I unto the Reubenites and to the Gadites; …18 And I commanded you at that time, saying: 'The LORD your God hath given you this land to possess it; ye shall pass over armed before your brethren the children of
Rashi:And I commanded you: He was addressing the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad. pass over, armed] before your brothers: They would go in front of the [other] Israelites to battle, because they were mighty, and the enemies would fall before them, as it is said [of Gad],“He tears the arm together with the crown” (Deut. 33:20).
19 But your wives, and your little ones, and your cattle--I know that ye have much cattle--shall abide in your cities which I have given you; 20 until the LORD give rest unto your brethren, as unto you, and they also possess the land which the LORD your God giveth them beyond the Jordan; then shall ye return every man unto his possession, which I have given you. 21 And I commanded Joshua at that time, saying: 'Thine eyes have seen all that the LORD your God hath done unto these two kings; so shall the LORD do unto all the kingdoms whither you go over.
22 Ye shall not fear them; for the LORD your God, He it is that fights for you.
Any front line soldier who does not shake with the earth from the
Revolutionary Halachic Ruling for the blind: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3747261,00.html
Hashem always listens.
A boy age seven, lived in
The boy then turned to the wall and started talking to Hashem: “My merciful father, I am certain that whatever you do to me is for my good. I am certain. There is no one that has pity on me more than you do; this is what
I am prepared to sacrifice my hair, despite the grave embracement and fear. I am prepared for everything, everything but my peyote (side locks)???? And the boy started crying bitterly. “My peyote??? How can I sacrifice them??? How? They are the symbol of a Jewish boy, and I want to continue being one…. I beg you, my father, my father in heaven, to at least leave my peyote that my peyote should not fall out along with the rest of my hair.”
This is how the boy prayed for a full hour, crying bitterly. And the parents stood on the side and cried with him. The miracle is, Hashem our merciful father listened to the prayer of the boy. Who prayed with a pure heart.
All his hair fell out, but his peyote stayed untouched!!! The doctors were mind boggled, they could not believe their eyes, and they said that such a thing never happened before. Let our words only send positive, encouraging and bless full messages for one another to the heaven.
Binyamin Jadidi
Mussar: A water- bearer had two large pots, each hung on each end of a pole which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, and while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the master’s house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.
For two years, this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water to his master’s house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do.
After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water-bearer one day by the stream. “I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you”. “Why?” asked the bearer. “What are you ashamed of?”
“I have been able for these past two years to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your master’s house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don’t get full value from your efforts,” the pot said. The water-bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in his compassion he said, “As we return to the master’s house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path.” Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and this cheered him.
The bearer said to the pot, “Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of the path, but not on the other pot’s side? That’s because I have always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back from the stream, you’ve watered them.”
For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my master’s table. Without you being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to grace his house”. We are all cracked pots. Each of us has our own unique flaws and weaknesses. We are all put in our particular situation, position standing, and situation in life. Instead of dwelling upon what we lack on our “cracks” let us strive to see the good and the benefit in everything.
Binyamin Jadidi
This one which as usual Gene Alberts sent me fulfills the words of Perkei Avos: “Mitzvah pulls along another Mitzvah”
I was sitting in my synagogue office wondering how our congregation would be able to pay off a $42,000 bank note that was coming due when the phone rang. “My name is Lenny,” a voice with a deep
“Well Lenny,” I said to him in my most professional manner, “I think I can squeeze you in. Can you meet me in a half hour?” “That will be fine, rabbi.” That short conversation was the beginning of a relationship that changed my life. Half an hour later, a tall tanned Texan walked into the synagogue, and I gave him the deluxe 5 minute VIP tour of or facility (a house converted into a synagogue). I explained to him our different classes and programs geared to show our fellow Jews the beauty of our heritage. He seemed very impressed and told me he wanted to make a $100,000 donation to the synagogue. I told him we would be happy to accept his generous gift, but asked why he wanted to give such a large amount to a synagogue he head first seen less than an hour earlier.
“Well Rabbi, “he said with a smile, “I just returned from a tour of
My dear readers, imagine the conversation that might have taken place when the Hassid whom Lenny saw praying at the Western Wall returns home. “Berel,” his wife asks “What did you do today?” “Nothing special, my dear wife,” is his laconic response. Now, look forward down the road 120 years, as Berel the Hasid appears before Hashem and finds out that he has been credited with causing a synagogue in
More than all, the Rabbi of the synagogue will never find the opportunity to even show his gratitude to the Hasid! Because which Hasid should he look for?
Let’s learn how to make a right move, so we’ll able to inspire others even with out moving our lips! And let’s start with our own family first!
Binyamin Jadidi
When their family was deported from
However, Golda was not comfortable with this arrangement. It was not fair, she felt, to deprive her sister and friends of even a tiny portion of their meager rations. She decided to put her life in danger and stand on the food line twice in order to obtain an extra portion. One day, a gentile inmate noticed what she was doing and informed their supervisor. The Nazi guard, a strong, rough woman ordered Golda to lie on the ground and then she whipped her brutally, shouting, “You are a thief! You took two portions of bread!”
Golda’s sister Miriam could not stand idly by, watching her sister's ordeal. A story came to her mind, a story she had heard back in the good days, in high school, about a man who discovered that his best friend had been sentenced to death by hanging for burglarizing the kings’ palace. A charge he knew was false. This friend of the accused hurried to the palace and forced his way in, shouting loudly that he was the guilty party, in order to save his friend's life.
Remembering this story, Miriam who bore a very strong resemblance to her sister threw herself down in front of the guard and shouted, “Let her go! It was I! I took the extra portion!” The guard turned away from Golda and started to beat Miriam instead. But now Golda could not bear to watch. “No, no! She didn’t do anything! It was I who stole!” she insisted, and the guard resumed whipping her as before. Miriam tried to intercede again. “My sister is lying!” she protested. “She only wants to spare me!”
Suddenly the guard stood stock still. She looked from one young woman to the other, and a spark of compassion was ignited in her stony heart. She turned away from the sisters and stalked away, and there are those who insist she wiped tear………….
Aharon HaCohen passed away, on the first day of Av. He is the only one! that the day he passed away is mentioned in the Torah.
The only one
And why?
Because he was always chasing after people in order to create peace between them and to bring Am
The only different between the word united and untied is where you place your "I". Lets humble ourselves, forgive and forget and place our I in the right place. So we can have our Beit Hamikdash back in session and for the merit of Aharon HaCohen soon, Amen.
Binyamin Jadidi
Tisha B’Av Special thanks to R’ A.L.: http://www.israguide.com/panoramic.asp
For the model of the Second Beis HaMikdash and city: http://www.imj.org.il/panavision/walk_eng.html
If I forget thee O’Yerushalayim may my right hand forget its cunning: Valerie C. sent me this: “I’m surprised nobody has mentioned this but both Hillary and the Pope who have been pressing
Halacha
On the fast of 9 B'Av it is customary not to sit on chairs from the time the fast begins (next week, Wednesday afternoon before sunset) until noon the following day (Thursday). Instead, one sits on the floor. Anything within 3 Tefachim (about 9" -
Since I deal with people who have had stomach problems, hip problems, wheel chair patients, etc., there are times when common sense replaces that of asking a Rabbi. For example you are reading a post written by a stiff necked Rabbi who thought that he could walk to Schul last Yom Kippur in cloth sneakers with his arches inside instead of his orthopedic leather shoes and then could barely walk for the next two months. I also have a stiffed neck Rabbi friend who fasts on Yom Kippur despite his diabetes and the recommendations from his doctor. He was lucky but one day his luck may run out.
When the month of Av begins, one diminishes joy. From Rosh Chodesh Av until midday on 10th Av is the period known as the "9 days". During the 9 days one does not do any laundry even if one only intends wearing the clothes after the 9 days. One may not even give laundry to a non-Jew to wash during the 9 days, but a Jew may do laundry for non-Jews. One does not wear freshly laundered clothes during the 9 days except on Shabbat. This does not apply to garments worn directly on the body; undergarments, socks, PJs and the like. One may not change bed linens, tablecloths and towels during the 9 days. The "9 days" starts on Tuesday evening and ends 10 days later on Friday morning.
-- Therefore it's advisable to prepare a week's supply of shirts, pants, skirts, etc. by wearing them for a short while before Rosh Chodesh. One can also prepare towels by using them once. Baby clothing that get dirty all the time and need to be changed many times a day are exempt from the above and may be laundered and used during the 9 days. Anything Halachically needed for her 7 clean days; a Niddah may launder and wear during the 9 days. Source: Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 122:9
From Rosh Chodesh Av (Tuesday evening) until midday on 10th Av is the period known as the "9 days". The custom is to not eat meat and chicken and to not drink wine during the "9 days", except on Shabbat. Food cooked together with meat should not be eaten - even if one doesn't eat the meat. Those who need to eat meat (or drink wine) for health reasons may do so. If possible, even they should refrain (with the Doctor's permission) from the 7th of Av; the day the Romans entered the Bet Hamikdash. At a Seudat Mitzva (a Mitzva meal) - a Brit, Pidyon HaBen or Siyum - one may serve meat and wine. Besides for close family, one may invite up to 10 friends whom one normally invites. Source: Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 122:8
There are different customs and the Yemenite Jews eat meat up until just before Tisha B’Av. The Sephardim eat meat until the week where Tisha B’Av falls. As a soldier, I made a Siyum for the other Paramedics in my unit on Mishnayos up until the 8th of Av when we requested sardines. There are exceptions.
I WANT TO REPEAT THAT PEOPLE SUFFERING FROM DISEASES THAT CAN EFFECT THEIR HEALTH STATUS SUCH AS DIABETES AND OTHER CONDITIONS THAT ARE NOT AN IMMEDIATE THREAT TO LIFE IF ONE EATS PROPERLY AND DRINKS PROPERLY SHOULD CONSULT FIRST THEIR PHYSICIANS AND IF NEED BE AN ORTHODOX RABBI.
One can “fast” by drinking less than about two thirds of a Kiddush Cup every 18 minutes and eating less than an average egg’s size of solid food every nine minutes and still be considered observing the fast. However, if the situation is life threatening or the patient is extremely weak or is aged and becomes dehydrated, one may eat or drink in the usual way. It is not that I am liberal on Tisha B’Av it is that I am extremely careful about preserving a human life.
From Rosh Chodesh Av one diminishes happiness. One also refrains from going to court, if possible. Eating meat and drinking wine is forbidden from the first of Av until 10th Av at midday with the exception of Shabbat. Source: Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 122:7
Yesterday we learnt that the custom is to not eat meat and chicken and to not drink wine during the 9 days except on Shabbat. How does one make Havdallah this week? One makes Havdallah as usual this week using wine (and spices and a candle). If there is a small child who can drink most of the cup of wine, then one gives it to him to drink. If not, then the person making Havdallah drinks the wine. Source: Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 122:8
Some people have the custom of using beer for Havdallah this week. If one uses beer for Havdallah then the first Bracha needs to be "Shehakol" instead of "Borei Pri HaGofen". Source: Halachos of the 3 weeks by Rav Shimon Eider zt"l page 7 My Rosh Yeshiva - Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach zt"l - always used wine for Havdallah and always drank it himself. Shabbat Shalom, - Danny Thursday, 2 Av 5769
All Through the Night
Hamavidil ben Yisrael l’haAmim. This week one my non-Jewish FB friends, Lynette, sent a parody of the non-Jewish prayer of going to sleep at night. It was the prayer that I had learned from my childhood records. There were among the records of “Train to the Zoo”, “Train to the Farm”, “Teddy Bear’s Picnic”, etc. a song called “All Through the Night” which was a non-Jewish prayer before going to sleep.
The prayer started off nicely for a 3 or 4 year old which I was at the time. “Now I lay me down to sleep, pray the L-RD my soul to keep.” But then came the scary part which the non-Jewish comedian touched upon. “If I DIE before I awake, pray the L-RD my soul to take” The ending was OK too, “G-D bless my mother, my father, etc.”
Now I often had nightmares and it was so bad that a light had to be left on for me. Now let us examine the Jewish Prayer and although one of my children at times made some noise in his sleep, he never woke up in dread like I used to wake up.
We first start out with the blessing (paraphrasing not a translation) about our eyes getting heavy and sleep coming upon us. We say the Shema, in the middle we repeat 3 times verses said by Yacov Avinu about salvation, The angel who redeemed me, the Cohanim blessing, Calling upon 4 Arch-Angels and the Holy Spirit three times to be with us and finally ending with Adon Olam with the placing our soul in G-D’s hand and that G-D is with us and we shall have no fear. Also my Israeli grandchildren don’t whimper in the night unless they were nursing or teething. So the kids don’t bless their parents, siblings, etc. at the end but their confidence in protection from G-D is there and that is the main reason for the prayer.
Mikvah to serve ID, MO, SD, ND and maybe parts of WY: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3747975,00.html
A medical Miracle: If you tell the doctors who first received badly wounded Ronen in the Emergency right after the action and the doctors who treated him in the intensive care that he got married and expecting, they won’t believe it. They considered him as one whom going to die or stay vegetable for the rest of his life. But Ronen an amazing warrior with the strongest will ever known wins them all. http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=US&v=DvYmete0Ovs
I think that this was organized by
Massive Global Shabbat (יולי JULY 24-25) כל ישראל בכל העולם שומרים שבת! GLOBAL JEWISH SHABBAT OBSERVANCE - GOING STRONG JULY 24-25 2009
This happened on Tisha B’Av 5764 from Stephanie T.: http://usliberals.about.com/od/extraordinaryspeeches/a/ObamaSpeech.htm
Instead of the normal diamond ring effect a Magen David appeared: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8161578.stm
Yosef Meir forwarded this to me: RCA statement regarding the call of the Chief Rabbi of Israel: This week the Chief Rabbi of Israel Shlomo Amar sent a letter to many US Rabbinic Organizations asking them to take action against the anti settlement policies of the US government. The letter stated, "We ask you to take advantage of your strength and power to influence the authorities in the
Please call and email Rabbi Basil Herring at the Rabbinical Council of
Rabbi Basil Herring
Executive Vice President
Phone: 212-807-9000 x 5
execvp@rabbis.org
The following is a terrible desecration of the DIVINE NAME by some Rabbis of the NY Syrian Jewish Community: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3751358,00.html
Inyanay Diyoma
ON THE WAR OF GOG AND MAGOG: The original article appeared in Yediot Achronot last Shabbos Edition. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3748014,00.html
In my years of studying history, physics, etc., I came to the conclusion that an Atomic Bomb would kill everybody within a relatively small radius of let us say a kilometer or less. However, the radiation would effect people within
Gates puts the squeeze on
Lynette fwd to me Sammy’s blog: http://yidwithlid.blogspot.com/2009/07/obama-to-israel-no-more-jews-in.html
From Sammy on Health Care, I am wondering if Obama’s cost reduction will be socialistic enough that men and women will share hospital rooms, showers, toilets, etc.???? http://yidwithlid.blogspot.com/2009/07/stupid-healthcare-tricks-government.html
From Gary N.: http://www.israpundit.com/2008/?p=15462
From Jason: If you are a member of the Kupat (Kaput) Holim Clalit, Canadian or something similar you are exempt from spending the 20 minutes to view this as you know how good it gets. Health Care: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2jijuj1ysw
Chief Rabbi Amar joins in a plea to American Jews to protest the potential economic boycott of
From Renaud: http://www.mesi.org.uk/ViewNews.aspx?ArticleId=2836
Another Ponzi Scam??? http://www.fool.com/retirement/general/2009/07/21/is-social-security-a-giant-ponzi-scheme.aspx
From Americans against hate: http://www.americansagainsthate.org/
Health Care will disappear from
Dr. James David Manning: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBYyJe06V68
From Renaud texted to me: In a landmark case, France
Center's Director for International Relations, Dr. Shimon Samuels of charges of
"conspiracy to defame" brought by The Committee for Welfare and Aid to the
Palestinians (CBSP).
This judgment ended a six year series of lawsuits in French Courts suing Dr.
Samuels for writing "[through the] CBSP, a French organization that funds
terrorism and which is banned in the United States
the families of Hamas suicide terrorists, a campaign masked under the slogan -
For just 50 euros, you can sponsor an orphan in Palestine
The Supreme Court found "...it had been shown that the goal being pursued was
legitimate and that the defendant could not be accused of harboring personal
animosity against the CBSP... ."
The Supreme Court ruling stated further that, "...based on the large number of
exhibits produced by Stanley [Shimon] Samuels and which formed the basis of his
conviction, the investigation was thorough "and "... based on the large number
of exhibits produced, the court found that it had been repeatedly reaffirmed
that since December 27, 2001 and September 12, 2003, Hamas has been considered a
terrorist organization as defined in EU legislation and in French law..." and
"...the governments of the United States , Australia and Canada
August, September and November 2003 put the CBSP on the list of organizations
'specifically identified with global terrorists'"; that "the U.S. State
Department therefore froze the organization's assets"; and that "it has not been
disputed that starting in August 2003 the Central Bank of Lebanon
private banks about organizations tied to Hamas, among which the CBSP was
cited".
The Court's ruling found that the Wiesenthal Centre "press release was backed
by a report that was forwarded to the Interior Minister, which denounced, among
other things, acts of anti-Semitism, UOIF's ties with the Muslim Brothers and
Sheik Qaradawi, an ideologue with ties to Hamas, who had authorized 'human
bombs'..." and "... reminded people of the United States
to freeze the assets of individuals and organizations, including the CBSP...
designated as supplying financial support to the terrorist group."
"In the final analysis, as Director of International Relations of the Simon
Wiesenthal Center Europe, which was founded to combat anti-Semitism throughout
the world, Stanley [Shimon] Samuels had information constituting a sufficient
factual basis to make the statements in controversy, which, when contextualized,
are understood to be a call for the Interior Minister to carry out a wide-scale
investigation of the CBSP..."; "...[these statements] do not overstep the bounds
of what is acceptable free speech guaranteed under domestic law and
international conventions... ."
"On these grounds, the Supreme Court, rejects the appeal; finds inadmissible
the motion brought... by Le Comité de bienfaisance et de secours aux
palestiniens [The Committee for Welfare and Aid to the Palestinians]; ...", the
Supreme Court's ruling stated.
"The French Supreme Court's decision is a victory for Simon Wiesenthal Center
in its world-wide campaign for truth and justice," said Rabbi Marvin Hier, Dean
and Founder, Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles
This week the Arrow Missile II long range test did not succeed but the following article is very important too. : http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1248277877473&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
OBAMA AIMS AT ISRAEL’S DIMONA REACTOR & ALL THAT ENTAILS by Emanuel A. Winston,
Moshe Dann wrote an article published in AMERICAN THINKER June 16th, entitled: Obama’s Real Agenda: Israel’s Dimona Nuclear Facility. I have enclosed his thoughts so you may decide for yourself. However, there is more on the record of prior American efforts to strip
In 1991
Naturally, he was hammered and harassed at the Madrid Conference which put greater negative ‘energy’ into what was to happen later...the Oslo fiasco under Yitzhak Rabin, Shimon Peres and Yossi Beilin. That can be explained in future articles. Not being able to persuade Shamir NOT to attend, I wrote what would happen and - then, what did happen. [See short list at end of article and/or Google “Madrid Conference of 1991 Emanuel A. Winston”]
The stench was in the air for a significant double-cross. The betrayal I (and others) speculated on at the time was that then Secretary of State James Baker III and those who came to be known as his “Jew Boys”, Dennis Ross, Aaron David Miller and Daniel Kurtzer would try to entrap Shamir by using one of the Arab delegates as a ‘front’ - or mouthpiece of the U.S. State Department.
Although denied (vigorously), their participation in guiding the Conference was significant. They bounced from room-to-room, meeting and lobbying the various delegates. It seemed to me (and others) that one of the Muslim Arab representatives would be persuaded to offer a proposal to the effect that the entire Middle East would or should be a “Nuclear-Free Zone”.
Sure enough,
Since all knew that
But, an Israel without a Nuclear Deterrent would be sufficiently vulnerable to surrounding hostile Muslim Arab neighbors attack with only conventional arms - having been supplied in great perfusion by the American Military/Industrial Complex, the Billions of dollars American tax-payers’ aid and the great wealth extorted by the Arab Oil nations. It is estimated that the Muslim and Arab oil nations have received at least $12 Trillion dollars from the West for their black gold since 1973 alone - without lifting finger to assist their poorer Muslim brother countries. (1)
Such a combined attack in such overwhelming manpower and weapons could drive
Strangely, the same gang that wanted to drive
A more ruthless band of highly placed, scurrilous vested interests could not easily be found - except for their current resurrection under the Barack Hussein Obama regime.
Israel is currently in Obama’s sights, to be weakened and crushed, if possible. To some it’s astounding that Baker’s Jew-Boys, now including Martin Indyk, aided by Rahm Emanuel and David Axelrod, would once again gather under a Leftist ‘Peace Banner’, to force Israel to accept vulnerability in order to please the Muslim Arabs and the Arabists in America - especially in the U.S. State Department.
So, in addition to all other threats and pressures to which
Aside from his engaging smile and his articulate banter, it appears that Barack Hussein Obama has sold his immoral soul in a Faustian Bargain with Jew-hating Devils. Regrettably,
###
SHORT LIST OF WINSTON ARTICLES RE: MADRID CONFERENCE
DEFENSIVE CONQUEST: THEY ATTACKED; WE ADVANCED; G-D PROMISED” Feb. 2004
PROPOSED INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE July 26, 2007
THE VALUE OF ISRAEL’S NUCLEAR DETERRENCE Dec. 24, 2003
TERRORISTS IN SUITS Nov. 21, 2004
A DOUBLE-CROSS Dec. 19, 2004
COME INTO MY PARLOR, SAID THE SPIDER TO THE FLY July 20, 2007
THE DRUM BEATS START UP AGAIN July 24, 1998
NY TIMES Headline: "Iran Said To Test Missile Able to Hit Israel & Saudis" Sub-title: "Officials in Washington Worry Over Israel's Reaction"
(1) Radio: "
ROLLING HORIZONS-2 July 22, 2008
THE US PLANNING TO EXTRACT MORE CONCESSIONS FROM OLMERT ISRAEL PUNDIT July 26, 2008
“The planned Trilateral Conference is scheduled to give birth to a document wherein Olmert will give up many areas of Israel’s ancient historic heartland has the same rotten smell as the James Baker Madrid Conference in October 1991 wherein Israel’s then Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir was trapped and tricked.”
DOES BARACK OBAMA PLAN TO EMASCULATE ISRAEL’S ALLEGED NUCLEAR DETERRENCE? Nov. 20, 2008
************************************************************************************************************
1. “Obama's Real Agenda: Israel's Dimona Nuclear Facility” By Moshe Dann June 16,
"I understand those who protest that some countries have weapons that others do not. No single nation should pick and choose which nations hold nuclear weapons. That is why I strongly reaffirmed
As a policy statement, this means that
Amidst all of the distortions and inaccuracies of Pres Obama's speech in
Obama's emphasis on a commitment to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, something which Israel has refused to agree, since that means opening all of its facilities to inspection - including its top secret plant in Dimona - is a direct threat to
By linking support for
Aware that no Israeli government can agree to a complete freeze in building, Obama can blame
"Israeli intransigence" will be given as the reason for
But Obama's real agenda is not settlements; it's
The key to neutralizing
Unlike any other President, Obama has put
Well aware of terrorist threats to America, and concerned about investments and interests throughout the world, Obama sees pushing Israel against the wall as a convenient way of deflecting Muslim terrorism. As long as Islamists think that Obama is on their side, they'll refrain from attacking, keep the oil flowing and the prices low.
Obama's speech is an ominous warning of what he is prepared to do in order to strip
The face of this Jihad is not one of ranting, bearded clerics, but smooth-talking, clean-shaven smiling apostles of peace and the Philosopher-King of Hope [President Barack Hussein Obama].
Once:
Twice: 1990-1991 -
Thrice: 2003 - Again
NOTE! The careful exclusion of
Here again we see that, first under President George H.W. Bush, then Bill Clinton and George W. Bush - now under Barack Hussein Obama - America has seemed to abandon their role as world leader by allowing the Iranian Hitler, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to build a nuclear weapon.
COMMENTS BY EMANUEL A. WINSTON
###
IsraelNationalNews.com
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Wednesday that if Iran continued with its nuclear program despite President Barack Obama's overtures, her country would respond by increasing its military aid to friendly nations in the region.
Israel, which prefers an offensive approach to the Iranian danger rather than a defensive one, was unhappy with the remarks.
In 2007, the
"If the US extends a defense umbrella over the region, if we do even more to support the military capacity of those in the Gulf, it's unlikely that Iran will be any stronger or safer because they won't be able to intimidate and dominate as they apparently believe they can once they have a nuclear weapon," said Mrs. Clinton in Thailand, ahead of an Asian security conference to be held in the Thai resort of Phuket.
Mrs. Clinton said that her country "still hold[s] the door open" to talks with
"I heard without enthusiasm the American declarations according to which the
"This is a mistake," he added. "We cannot act now by assuming that
NPR quoted Flynt Leverett, a senior fellow at the New America Foundation in Washington, D.C., as saying that
Leverett explained that "The Israelis' preferred way to stop [the Iranian nuclear program] would be to launch a military strike. For them, this is troubling because it raises questions about whether the
Robert Malley, an analyst with the International Crisis Group, also told NPR that Secretary Clinton's comments do not mean that the
Now for two Good Shabbos Stories: Soul Train and Repeat After Me.
"In October of 1971 I came to Crown Heights from Kentucky and enrolled in Yeshiva Hadar HaTorah, the very first yeshiva for baalei teshuva -- young men like myself who were new to Torah learning. The Yeshiva's 76-year-old founder, Rabbi Yisrael Jacobson, obm, looked upon me as a child of his old age. Months later, Rabbi Jacobson said to me with a glowing smile, "You don't have to worry about paying for anything anymore. Just give me your cameras, and you will be able to learn without distractions."
But my cameras were my freedom and my sole means of support. Determined to keep my options open, I said, "I will go to Yeshiva full-time, but I still want to support myself by photography."
The following week, I arranged to meet a wedding photographer in Far Rockaway, Queens. It was about 10 pm when I took the IRT bound for Manhattan -- my first solo subway trip. It was after one o'clock when I boarded the subway train to return to Crown Heights. The train ride seemed to go on forever, and, as all the maps in the deserted train were obscured by graffiti, I had no idea where I was. When the train pulled into a station I got out and headed for a toll booth, relieved to find a black gentleman sitting there reading a Bible.
"Sir, could you tell me how to get to Crown Heights?"
"Take the AA to Manhattan, and change at 42nd for the 2 to Brooklyn. On Saturday nights the AA runs but once an hour. You should have stayed on that train."
I sighed. It was 2:45 a.m. "There's a shortcut, if you're interested," he said. He sketched a map on a scrap of paper. "Go out those doors, take a right, and at the corner of the building, you'll see a fence with a hole. Climb through it and follow the tracks. "At the end of this field, you'll see an old, swinging bridge hanging across the tracks. Cross it. On the other side there's a staircase going into an alley. Make a right into the alley and follow it for 5 or 6 blocks. On your right, there'll be an elevated platform for the IRT."
"By the way, where I am?" I asked. "East New York," the man answered.
I headed out of the station. A mangled chain-link fence connected the station to a bridge abutment. I crawled through the hole in the fence and saw the path leading to a field littered with rotting garbage, rusty car fenders and other refuse. Pressing on, I came to the swinging bridge, and walked gingerly to its center. I surveyed the panorama: bombed-out tenement houses, garbage heaps, graffiti. I crossed the bridge, went down the staircase and -- just as the man described -- stepped into a dark alley.
"Empty your pockets!" A voice growled from the darkness. A black man, aged 24 or so, walked up to me and pressed a .38 revolver into my chest. Click. He cocked the gun's hammer. "Empty your pockets before I kill you," he barked.
I pondered the double meaning of his words and concluded that I was probably about to meet my Maker.
"Before I empty my pockets," I said, looking straight into his fierce eyes, "there is something you must know: G-d gave everyone seven basic commandments and one of them is 'Thou shall not steal.' Now that you know this, if you steal from me, you will lose your portion in the World to Come."
After a moment of silence, he frothed, "I hate Jews!" Just then, another man emerged from the shadows carrying a large club. "Yo man, what's taking so long?" the club man asked the gunman.
"This Jew is giving me jive," the gunman responded. "Shoot him," he retorted. "Let me explain," I said, and I again went through the scenario of the Seven Commandments. I told him that if he stole from me he would forfeit Eternal Life.
The club man said angrily, "Is your G-d white? I don't like no white G-d." "My G-d is invisible," I answered, "Yet, He is the Creator of all colors." They seemed placated by my words, so I continued. "You know, if you don't steal from me, G-d will owe you. When the time comes, He's going to pay you." Silence. Then, the club man said to the gunman, "He is a jiving Jew! I'm going to empty his pockets." "Put your hands up Jew boy," the club man said.
His hand searched my pocket. His fingers became tangled in my tzitzis, (ritual fringes) and he couldn't reach the money in my pocket. He pulled his hand out, but the tzitzis held fast. He suddenly became terrified. Frantically, he untangled the strings from his fingers and jumped behind the gunman. "This Jew's got pocket guards," he said.
Both men examined my tzitzis. They argued vehemently about whether my tzitzis were strings or elastic bands, then growled, "What are those things?" "You see these knots?" I said, showing them the knots made from the strings. "There are five knots. Coming out of these knots are eights strings. Five plus eight is thirteen. The strings are called 'tzitzis' in Hebrew. The numerical value of the letters of the word 'tzitzis' add up to 600. Six hundred plus 5 knots, plus 8 strings, is 613, which is the number of commandments G-d gave to the Jewish people. These tzitzis always remind us of G-d and His commandments." There was silence followed by a long "Naah, you puttin' us on."
"I'm telling you the truth," I answered. "I want to see your G-d. Where can I see your G-d?" I answered, "G-d fills the world, transcends the world, and is continuously creating the world anew. In fact, He is creating this whole scene right now. G-d is also creating you, but because you have chosen to do evil, you are nothing more than a stick in G-d's hands." The guy with the club walked away, disappearing into the shadows.
The other guy approached me. "Where are you headed?" he asked. "I'm trying to get to the number 2 train," I said. "Man, you gonna die six times before you reach the number 2. But don't worry. I'm going to protect you."
Taking the gun in his left hand, he draped his right arm over my shoulder and escorted me to the platform. The next day I told Rabbi Jacobson what happened. With very little coaxing, Rabbi Jacobson convinced me to fork over my cameras, and supported me while I studied in yeshiva for the next four years." Good Shabbos Everyone.
Shaul Dovid Zimmerman was born in Europe to a very religious family about 100 years ago. As a young man he learned in some of Europe’s finest yeshivas. Just after World War I, Reb Shaul Dovid moved to the United States. At the time, there was discrimination against religious Jews who kept Shabbos. Jews who were unwilling to work on Shabbos had to look for a new job every week, because they were fired on Friday afternoon.
Unfortunately, Reb Shaul Dovid was unable to stand the test and he too found himself working on Saturdays, in violation of the Holy Shabbos. Little by little, Reb Shaul Dovid lost all of his traditional Judaism.
Some years later, after World War II, Reb Shaul Dovid found himself a taxi driver in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, New York. It was spring time and the sky was overcast as Reb Shaul Dovid drove through the streets of Williamsburg in his taxi cab. Reb Shaul Dovid was suddenly flagged down by a man who appeared to be a Rabbi. The Rabbi was clutching a small package under his coat as he gave Reb Shaul Dovid the address of his destination. The address was only a few blocks away, a distance that a healthy person would normally be able to walk.
Reb Shaul Dovid was puzzled by the behavior of the Rabbi: holding a package under his coat and taking a cab for a few blocks. As the Rabbi was leaving the cab, Reb Shaul Dovid could no longer contain his curiosity. He asked the Rabbi what he was doing with the small package and why he took such a short ride. “This,” explained the Rabbi holding the small package in his hand “is flour I just received from the Satmar Rebbe. I am planning to bake matzahs. It is overcast outside and I am worried that it might rain. If this flour gets wet, I will not be able to use it for matzahs.” Reb Shaul Dovid now understood the behavior of the Rabbi. Reb Shaul Dovid suddenly remembered his learning from yeshiva several years earlier. “Actually,” said Reb Shaul Dovid “I remember a discussion of that concept in [the Talmudic Tractate] Pesachim.”
“The Talmud?!?” said the Rabbi, “you know about the Talmud?” The Rabbi was very surprised that the apparently non-religious taxi driver was familiar with the topic of baking matzahs.
The two struck up a conversation and found out that their lives had crossed paths in Europe several years ago. Reb Shaul Dovid had spent some time at the Pressburg, Czechoslovakia home of Reb Gavriel Neuschloss, the grandfather of the man now sitting in his cab Rabbi Moshe Neuschloss, of blessed memory. The men discussed the past for several minutes, before it was time for the two to part company. As Rabbi Neuschloss was leaving, Reb Shaul Dovid told him, “You know, I have been considering coming back for a long time now. When I do come back, I will spend my first Shabbos with you Rabbi Neuschloss.” Reb Shaul Dovid drove away very touched by Rabbi Neuschloss' warmth, yet for the time being, he continued to live a secular lifestyle.
A couple months later, Reb Shaul Dovid was driving down the street when he noticed religious Jews filing out of a synagogue. It was a weekday; it was not Saturday. What were these religious men doing wearing their Shabbos finest? Reb Shaul Dovid stopped his cab and asked one of the men coming out of the synagogue: “What’s today?”
“Today is Shavuos,” said the man leaving the synagogue. Shavuos! Today is Shavuos?!?
These words rang like an air raid siren in Reb Shaul Dovid’s head. He had forgotten about the festival day Shavuos. He could not believe it. Where had his life taken him? He thought back to his conversation with Rabbi Neuschloss. Then, Reb Shaul Dovid parked his car on the street and walked home, vowing never to drive on Shabbos or Yom Tov again.
The next Shabbos, Reb Shaul Dovid spent with Rabbi Neuschloss. By observing Shabbos again, Reb Shaul Dovid re-kindled within himself the spark of his soul. Soon after, he returned his life to genuine Torah observance. Reb Shaul Dovid passed away in the early 1970's and was buried in the far corner of the cemetery in New Square, New York. To this day, many people ask why Reb Shaul Dovid’s grave is so far away from the other graves. One of the reasons Reb Shaul Dovid had insisted that he be buried on the edge of the cemetery because of the shame he had felt for having violated Shabbos for so many years. Good Shabbos Everyone.
Mr. Wolfberg’s stories are sponsored by: Refuah Shleima to Mordechai Menachem Mendel ben Tziporah Yitta
In memory of Shosha Malka bas R' Avrohom 21 Cheshvan Refuah Shleimah to Chana Ashayra bas Dodi
Be well and have a great Shabbos,
Rachamim Pauli
