It seems that the ill and the poor of the land will not disappear until the dead are resurrected: Please pray for Sarah Chana Bat Fagie.
Also Sarah bas Yehudit is still alive. I removed her after a very long hiatus from the internet after I prayed for my Friend Eliyahu for 7 months after his passing as I must have skyped with him just a short time before his soul departed.
Pessach is a heroic time for our people. One woman is Don Quixote fighting against both Israel and the US Administrations to gain justice against Hamas. Her husband is a US Lawyer and prepares the briefs on the US end together they are partners in a fight as the EVRI like Avraham Avinu against a wicked cruel world. Aish HaTorah has honored the woman who is a neighbor of mine: http://www.aish.com/v/hoi/86748722.html
Parsha Vayikra
Sefer Vayikra is called Chumash Cohanim as most of the Sefer deals with Korbanos and the dedication of the Mishkan and holiness in matrimony especially for the Cohain. G-D has given us chances and channels to repent, the Korbanos are one of them. Always remember that G-D is around. If HE did not answer your prayer with a yes - then perhaps a no is the best for your development.
I had great plans to write the introductions of Rav Eleazar, Rav Chiya and Rabbi Shimon on the Sefer. But I miss planned my Pessach shopping, wedding, shampooing the rugs, and the fact that the solar water heater tank sprung a very small leak after close to 22 years of use and last Fridays plumbing repairs. I don’t usually write myself an excuse because all said and done it was mismanagement of my own time so in conclusion hopefully next week with the help of G-D.
Halachos and Mitzvos by Danny Schoemann
It's a Mitzva to give charity to poor Jews - even numerous times to the same person, if needed. If possible one should supply the poor with whatever they need. If one cannot afford that, one gives what one can afford. Even people living off charity have to give charity. One who sees a poor person asking for charity and ignores them, has transgressed this Mitzva. Applies to everybody, everywhere, always Verse: "You shall surely open your hand..." (Devarim 15:11)
Source: The Chafetz-Chaim's Sefer HaMitzvos HaKatzar; Positive Mitzvah 38
It is forbidden to cause others to sin. Included in this Mitzva is the prohibition of giving people bad advice on any subject; religious, financial, with relationships or any other subject. Included is the prohibition of helping people, or assisting them, or making it easier for them to do a sin. This also applies to non-Jews transgressing any of the 7 Noachide laws. Applies to everybody, always, everywhere Verse: "and in front of the blind do not put a stumbling block" (Vayikra 19:14)
Source: The Chafetz-Chaim's Sefer HaMitzvos HaKatzar; Prohibition 76
One may not inform people about what others say about them, even if the statement is true and complimentary. This is called Rechilus (tale bearing). Worse is to inform people that others spoke badly about them; this is called Lashon Hara. Worst is the "Motzei Shem Ra" who spreads lies about people. Even hinting at the shortcoming of others is forbidden. Applies to everybody, everywhere, always Verse: "Do not go around tale bearing" (Vayikra 19:16)
Source: The Chafetz-Chaim's Sefer HaMitzvos HaKatzar; Prohibition 77
On the second night of Pessach we start counting the 49 days of Sefiras HaOmer; culminating with Shevouos. On the second day of Pessach one should do something at the meal to commemorate Queen Esther's second feast, which ended with the wicked Haman being hanged on that day. Source: Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 103:6
Chametz is Muktzeh on Pessach, since it may not be used for anything. Chametz (that was not sold to a non-Jew) found in ones possession on Pessach needs to be burned. If one finds Chametz on Yom Tov or Shabbat during Pessach, (to ensure that one doesn't eat it accidentally), one covers it with a bowl until after Havdalah - and then one burns it. When burning Chametz on Pessach one says the Bracha of "Al Biur Chametz" if the Chametz is the size of a Kezayis (size of an olive) or larger. Chametz found on the closing Yom Tov of Pessach, must be burned after Pessach without a Bracha. Source: Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 111:17
1 Nissan - was the last of the 8 inaugural days of the Mishkan (tabernacle) and the first day that Aaron served as Cohen Gadol (high priest) and his 4 sons as Cohanim. That same day, two of them - Nadav and Avihu - brought an offering not in accordance with Halacha and were killed by a heavenly fire. Today the heads of the 12 tribes started bringing their inaugural sacrifices - one prince each day. Some people have the custom of reading that days sacrifice during the first 12 days of Nissan. This can be found in the Siddur as the Torah Reading for Chanukah. One does not say Tachanun during the entire month of Nissan. One may not fast during Nissan, with the following exceptions:
- Firstborns fast on Erev Pessach.
- Fasting for distressingly bad dreams. Rav Boaz Baruch Shlita heard from his Rabbis to say, “Chalom (Chet at the beginning not the French Shalom) Tov Chalamta” (A good dream you have dreamed) and repeating it three times and one need not fast. For in Berachos we have learned that ‘The dream goes according to the interpretation’.
- Couples getting married during Nissan. Even today - Rosh Chodesh - they fast, whereas on any other Rosh Chodesh the bride and groom do not fast.
Source: Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 107:1,2
During the month of Nissan trees start to blossom (in the Northern hemisphere). The first time a year that one sees edible fruit trees blossoming one says:
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה' אֱ-לקינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם - Blessed are you Hashem, our G-d, King of the universe, שֶׁלּא חִסַּר בָּעוֹלָמוֹ כְּלוּם - for nothing is lacking in His universe, וּבָרָא בוֹ בְּרִיוֹת טוֹבוֹת וְאִילָנוֹת טוֹבוֹת - and He created in it good creatures and good trees, לְהַנּוֹת בָּהֶם בְּנֵי אָדָם- to cause mankind pleasure with them. Once the flowers have fallen off and the fruit is visible then one can no longer say this Bracha. One makes this Bracha only once a year. Source: Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim, 226:1,
Untying knots is one of the 39 forbidden categories of work forbidden on Shabbats. Any type of knot that you may not tie on Shabbat (as we learned in Halacha #508 - Knots on Shabbats) you are not allowed to undo on Shabbat. In case of great need/discomfort you may ask a non-Jew to untie knots. Source: Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 80:46
Miracle of the week
From Rebbitzen Mimran: Over the Shabbos Candles the smoke rose and created an image of the Baba Saly OBM. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPLiybzYiJk&feature=related
In Gannei Modiim on the other side of my neighborhood lives this woman. Who tells a story of clinical death in Hebrew copy and paste if you understand Hebrew. Rabbi Mimran told me of this and perhaps it also came from his wife. http://www.emet865.fav.co.il/23844910_
The following Ed-Op has to do with Israel and Judaism so I have removed it from Inyanay Diyoma
HURVA SYNAGOGUE CONSECRATED IN JEWISH QUARTER, OLD CITY, JERUSALEM without PM NETANYAHU by Emanuel A. Winston, Middle East Analyst & Commentator
Israel’s Prime Minister Binyamin (Bibi) Netanyahu has shamed Israel and the Jewish people by his abject apologies to Vice President Joe Biden and the President Barack Hussein Obama Mafia. Perhaps Netanyahu was once a proud Jew but, clearly, he has voluntarily given that up to appear to be an empty Jew.
It has been reported that Bibi will not even show up for the inauguration of the venerable Hurva Synagogue which was destroyed (along with 57 other synagogues) by the Jordanians while they occupied and desecrated the North, South, Central and Eastern parts of Jerusalem from 1948 to 1967.
Bibi will only be seen and heard by the people on a remote TV screen, claiming his schedule was "too busy". Surely, his busy business is crawling around the U.S. Embassy like a dog on a leash, howling his apologies for being a Jew in Jerusalem - for that is how it appears to the outside world of both friend and foe.
As for Biden - Mitchell - Obama - Clinton, they collected to display the rot that is Washington as the Obama government implodes under his/their leadership. As Netanyahu shows no pride or honor for the ancestral home of the Jews in the Jewish Quarter of David’s City, Jerusalem, those who lead America also seem to have no national memory and pride for what once was a noble nation.
Some people of vision speak of the end-of-times. Like the ancients who saw this coming and the visionaries of our time, they know the end of times may have arrived. The trash that worms its way into leading positions in government have accelerated the collapse of civilization as they grovel at the feet of their would-be conquerors.
Many religions from their own perspectives believed that the portals of Hell have now opened sufficiently to allow the advanced legions of Hell to take over the planet. These are the recruiters who find the most malevolent among us to be their willing partners to enslave the planet.
It is not only the Washington Mafioso but, even in Israel - the corrupt non-Jewish Leftists who attack their own people. Aware Jews call these creatures "Rashas" or wicked people, as in the evil inclination, "Yetzer Ha Ra". Christians have a sense of what they call the anti-Christ and his followers.
We see the lowest and most corrupt of humanity raging around the Planet and they call themselves Muslims. In the Free West, we see the nations of England, France, the Netherlands and, now America welcome these predators as friends and acceptable conquerors.
If the Devil was the maestro, orchestrating the "end-of-times" (and perhaps he is), his recruits would be those who have risen to power through corrupt greed and ruthlessness. They can be named anything but, they are all one-and-the-same: Muslims, Jihadists, Leftists, Socialists, Communists, anti-Christ, Rashas, the Erev Rav (mixed multitudes out of Egypt), etc.
Once in power, they appoint more of their own - like the 35 or 45 Obama Czars and Czarinas whose histories keep leaking out, demonstrating weakness, evil, contemptible character but, they all belong to Obama - heart and soul (if they have one).
So, what might the End-of-Times look like in G-d’s retribution for the desecration man has brought to this planet, to the Jewish holy sites, to the Jewish people? Please understand that my view will be from the perspective of a Jew who is reasonably familiar with the continuous persecution of my own people, including the most bestial events over the centuries.
I expect and have prayed for the following but, not limited to, G-d’s creation of selective means for the disposal of unholy peoples and nations:
I foresee the extinction of the Church who, through centuries of time, has initiated the campaign to dispose of the Jews as a challenge to their own claim to being the only religion which is the rightful heir to G-d’s Covenant with the Jews. I expect Rome and the Vatican to be submerged in lava that will pour out of Mount Vesuvius and the connecting subterranean tunnels. For the teaching of Jew-hatred that spread across the nations and the horror that brought to the Jews, there can be no forgiveness and no forgetting.
I have prayed that, for the nations of Europe who gathered to murder the Jews, they should be plagued with disease, crops frozen or flooded or burnt in a relentless sun. The disease is already upon them as Muslims invade like an especially virulent virus and subject them to the cruelty that is Islam.
The Muslim countries chased, confiscated possessions of, evicted or murdered their Jews who had contributed to their nations for thousands of years. Now we see parasitic Muslims demanding every entitlement service possible - for free in their host countries of the Free West.
I have prayed that the Earth’s mantle would shift so the fault lines that run underneath the Muslim Arab countries would lurch from Turkey through Syria-Jordan-Iran-Egypt-Libya (circumventing Israel). For the cities of Ishmael, let not one brick be left standing on another.
It is already known that most of Iran’s Nuclear sites for Research and Development lie on major earthquake fault lines.
As for hostile governments and their leaders, they have chosen to track plague into their own households for the evil they have planned and done to the Jews. Let no Jew lift his hand against such leaders (except in self-defense) because these leaders are "Tamei" (contaminated). Even touching such evil creatures is impermissible unless they come as thieves with weapons. Then Biblical injunction gives you permission to kill the intruder or threat to save your life and defend your family and country.
G-d has a vast selection of methods and tools to rid the earth of those recognized as evil. It’s time for the bill to be presented and collected. Humans will try to explain away the disasters to come as merely the weather or normal cycles of shifting plate tectonics, rises in sea level and melting polar caps, etc. That’s fine as far as it goes but, it really won’t matter as they disappear from a Planet they treated so badly. Their inhumanity to G-d’s chosen people has sealed their fate and, no doubt, they will go to their graves, screaming hate for the Jews and the G-d who gave us His laws of restraint.
As for Netanyahu - which brought me to share my other thoughts with you, clearly he has not changed since his submission to American pressure at the Wye River Conference where he surrendered 80% of Israel’s ancient holy city of Hebron. Remember that Islam means "submission".
Bibi has demonstrated that he is a thoroughly whipped and cowed Jew who cannot possibly lead and protect the Jewish Nation/State of Israel. His late brother and his father have more guts than he ever will have.
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Disclaimer neither I nor my dietician are responsible for the following Pessach recipes: http://www.aish.com/f/r/87612867.html
This one came from Chaim Szmidt: http://kosherscene.wordpress.com/2010/03/17/flourless-chocolate-cake/
FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT IN THE LEAST INTERESTED IN NEWS ABOUT ISRAEL, POLITICAL VIEWS AND COMMENTARY THAT I PERSONALLY BELIEVE ARE RELATED TO THE MOSHIACH AND END OF DAYS, THEN FEEL FREE TO SCROLL DOWN TO THE TWO GOOD SHABBOS STORIES.
Inyanay Diyoma
Warning Gog and Magog starts with Christians vs. Islam (Malbim) and then on Yisrael: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3863920,00.html
The original post came from Leon and was published by Pamela and mailed to me by Shona - I think as our Sages said that the deeds of the fathers is a warning to the sons.
http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/2010/03/call-to-strike.html
You go and figure out after reading Vayikra chapters 18 and 20 what HASHEM has to do with this:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,589403,00.html?test=latestnews
From Joey: Article from the Wall Street Journal by Eddie Sessions:
"I have this theory about Barack Obama. I think he's led a kind of make-believe life in which money was provided and doors were opened because at some point early on somebody or some group took a look at this tall, good looking, half-white, half-black, young man with an exotic African/Muslim name and concluded he could be guided toward a life in politics where his facile speaking skills could even put him in the White House.
In a very real way, he has been a young man in a very big hurry. Who else do you know has written two memoirs before the age of 45? "Dreams of My Father" was published in 1995 when he was only 34 years old. The "Audacity of Hope" followed in 2006. If, indeed, he did write them himself. There are some who think that his mentor and friend, Bill Ayers, a man who calls himself a "communist with a small 'c'" was the real author.
His political skills consisted of rarely voting on anything that might be deemed controversial.. He went from a legislator in the Illinois legislature to the Senator from that state because he had the good fortune of having Mayor Daley's formidable political machine at his disposal.
He was in the U.S. . Senate so briefly that his bid for the presidency was either an act of astonishing self-confidence or part of some greater game plan that had been determined before he first stepped foot in the Capital. How, many must wonder, was he selected to be a 2004 keynote speaker at the Democrat convention that nominated John Kerry when virtually no one had ever even heard of him before?
He outmaneuvered Hillary Clinton in primaries. He took Iowa by storm. A charming young man, an anomaly in the state with a very small black population, he oozed "cool" in a place where agriculture was the antithesis of cool. He dazzled the locals. And he had an army of volunteers drawn to a charisma that hid any real substance.
And then he had the great good fortune of having the Republicans select one of the most inept candidates for the presidency since Bob Dole. And then John McCain did something crazy. He picked Sarah Palin, an unknown female governor from the very distant state of Alaska . It was a ticket that was reminiscent of 1984's Walter Mondale and Geraldine Ferraro and they went down to defeat.
The mainstream political media fell in love with him. It was a schoolgirl crush with febrile commentators like Chris Mathews swooning then and now over the man. The venom directed against McCain and, in particular, Palin, was extraordinary.
Now, nearly a full year into his first term, all of those gilded years leading up to the White House have left him unprepared to be President. Left to his own instincts, he has a talent for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. It swiftly became a joke that he could not deliver even the briefest of statements without the ever-present Tele-Prompters.
Far worse, however, is his capacity to want to "wish away" some terrible realities, not the least of which is the Islamist intention to destroy America and enslave the West. Any student of history knows how swiftly Islam initially spread. It knocked on the doors of Europe, having gained a foothold in Spain.
The great crowds that greeted him at home or on his campaign "world tour" were no substitute for having even the slightest grasp of history and the reality of a world filled with really bad people with really bad intentions.
Oddly and perhaps even inevitably, his political experience, a cakewalk, has positioned him to destroy the Democrat Party's hold on power in Congress because in the end it was never about the Party. It was always about his communist ideology, learned at an early age from family, mentors, college professors, and extreme leftist friends and colleagues.
Obama is a man who could deliver a snap judgment about a Boston police officer who arrested an "obstreperous" Harvard professor-friend, but would warn Americans against "jumping to conclusions" about a mass murderer at Fort Hood who shouted "Allah hu Akbar." The absurdity of that was lost on no one. He has since compounded this by
calling the Christmas bomber "an isolated extremist" only to have to admit a day or two later that he was part of an al Qaeda plot.
He is a man who could strive to close down our detention facility at Guantanamo even though those released were known to have returned to the battlefield against America. He could even instruct his Attorney General to afford the perpetrator of 9/11 a civil trial when no one else would ever even consider such an obscenity. And he is a man who could wait three days before having anything to say about the perpetrator of yet another terrorist attack on Americans and then have to elaborate on his remarks the following day because his first statement was so lame.
The pattern repeats itself. He either blames any problem on the Bush administration or he naively seeks to wish away the truth.
Knock, knock. Anyone home? Anyone there? Barack Obama exists only as the sock puppet of his handlers, of the people who have maneuvered and manufactured this pathetic individual's life.
When anyone else would quickly and easily produce a birth certificate, this man has spent over a million dollars to deny access to his. Most other documents, the paper trail we all leave in our wake, have been sequestered from review. He has lived a make-believe life whose true facts remain hidden.
We laugh at the ventriloquist's dummy, but what do you do when the dummy is President of the United States of America ?"
A HALF TRUTH IS A WHOLE LIE by Emanuel A. Winston, Middle East Analyst & Commentator
Vice President of the United States, Joe Biden and George Mitchell didn’t come to Israel to negotiate a true peace between the Jews and Muslims. Both of them, in the name of President Barack Hussein Obama came to force a killing, national suicidal peace on the Jewish Nation/State of Israel.
The Half Truth is that the arrogant President needs a political surrender from Israel so the benefits of the Whole Lie would assist Obama and his Democratic Party to re-election, both in 2010 and 2012. So this team of miscreants, working with the infamous Arab League, ignoring their unbreakable Charter with the Islamic force of a "fatwa" (Islamic degree of death) to utterly destroy Israel. The smell of Bill Ayers is coming out of the sewer.
Now we are talking business: http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=171188
From Pamela D. T. - Rabbi Lapin warns Christians of the Danger approaching them: http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=53748
Forger among us from the Charity Org. of Miami: We understand that an individual collecting in town now was alleged by 2 sources in different cities to have altered checks, raising the amount from 18 to 118 and 180. The allegations surfaced in 2009.
Be advised that he will not have one of our current certificates to show you. (Inasmuch as documents can be altered, we suggest that you can check the current certificate holders listed at our website, www.VaadMiami.org. --- there aren't many at this time. The current certificate numbers, listed at the bottom of the document, are now in the 3300s, and have increased by about 300 per year)
However, in the latter part of 2007, we did give him a certificate, so it is possible that he may present that to you. The Vaad has a policy (stated in the top portion of the certificates) that the certificate is solely the property of the Vaad and is subject to confiscation for improper conduct. If you decide to confiscate it from him, and if you wish to justify your action, we recommend that you mention just that it expired and that at the end of the 3rd line below the picture it states that the permit must be returned immediately upon expiration. You are authorized to confiscate it.
He may also have certificates from other Vaadim than us in his possession.
We always recommend that you give to people with current UOCCSF certificates, and not to rely on certificates of other Vaadim.
OBAMA OPENS HIS NEXT PHASE OF ATTACKS AGAINST ISRAEL by Emanuel A. Winston, Middle East Analyst & Commentator
Using the excuse that Israel is going to build 1600 apartments in Jerusalem previously agreed that it was NOT to be part of the insidious building freeze in Judea and Samaria, Obama and Hillary attacked.
Please note that, although all the pundits in the Media, the Obama Administration and, especially the Muslims claim this neighborhood of Ramat Shlomo is EAST Jerusalem, it is not! Get a map! Ramat Shlomo is directly North of Jerusalem and has always been in the Jerusalem municipal boundaries. One can only imagine the abject silence of this duo if apartments were ever being built over the objections of the separatists in Moscow, North Korea, Venezuela, Iran, Syria but, of course, I forgot that the Muslim Arabs illegitimately claim Jerusalem as their own - ALL of it!
If fact, this flotsam collected from all over the Arab and Muslim world claim ALL of Israel, from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea as their own. See their maps on their children’s TV, Army badges, stationary, and every official document.
Strangely, this pagan people were not there for several thousand years before King David made Jerusalem the Capital of the Jewish people. Only when the Jews returned and suddenly work was available along with good medical care and education, did the Arab Muslims begin to drift in. But, along comes a man: half Black, half White, half Muslim, half Christian - and declares that an ancient people must divide their ancestral Capital with a non-people who claim all Jewish holy sites as belonging to Muslims.
Some time ago, I wrote numerous articles, indicating that the Christian, Jew-killing nations of Europe who disposed of as many Jews as they could, would bond with Arabists in Washington to attack Israel on behalf of the wealthy Muslim and Arab oil nations. Regrettably, my forecasts were accurate. (I wish to note that over 100 years ago the Malbim on Daniel wrote this about the beast with 10 horns.)
Today, Wednesday March 16th I listened to CNN where the host, Rick Sanchez (no friend of Israel or the Jews) interviewed Mark Perry, an author who Sanchez said was formerly an advisor to Yasser Arafat. Perfect credentials for both to huff about Israel’s "great insult" to President Obama over Israel building apartments in her own Capital. Later, Perry and Sanchez spoke about General Petraeus writing a letter to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, "offering" to have his CentCom (Central Command) take over Judea, Samaria and Gaza. Since Petraeus already had more on his plate than he could handle, one would likely find the fingerprints of Obama, Rahm Emanuel and any number of Obama’s advisors like James Baker III, Zbigniew Brzezinski, and likely Baker’s Jew Boys: Dennis Ross, Aaron David Miller, and Daniel Kurtzer, possibly Martin Indyk from the sidelines.
I’ve already heard Miller and Kurtzer pontificating on the "great insult" on NPR (also known as National Palestine Radio). Suddenly, there was talk of American troops being "injured" due to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. (Now here it gets a bit twisty.) Since Israel has always stated plainly: "We do NOT want American soldiers fighting for us and we will fight our own battles." I wonder what American soldiers would be injured. Is this a pre-emptive bit of propaganda wherein Israel would be pre-blamed for injuries to American soldiers who are not even deployed in these areas? (General George Patton on the night before D-Day briefed his officers and after swearing that all the female nurses left the room, he called the war a “Jew War”.)
Please note that Israel is America’s staunchest ally who "has America’s back" and provides a militarily effective umbrella for American troops stationed all over the Middle East. Is it Obama’s Plan to make Petraeus his Czar over Judea, Samaria, Gaza and possibly the Golan Heights by actually sending American and NATO troops into these areas? Surely, they would indeed be in danger - as follows: First they would have to invade Israel where they would likely be met with a defense of Israel‘s natural homeland.
Should they succeed in occupying Judea, Samaria, Gaza, the Jordan Valley, the Golan Heights and all those parts of Jerusalem that Jordan occupied and desecrated for 19 years from 1948 to 1967. There would be little doubt that Fatah, Hamas and Hezballah would shoot the Hell out of American forces as occupiers much as happened in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The body bags would certainly flow from these areas as Palestinian and "Mujahidin" (warriors for Islam) currently being trained by General Keith Dayton used their new skills to murder American soldiers - like they did in Lebanon 1983, blowing up the American HQ and killing 242 Marines. Then you can be certain that the likes of Obama and the Arabist State Department would mount a propaganda campaign to the effect that if, it wasn’t for the Jews of Israel, American soldiers would not be being killed. (Forget the illogic of them being there because they were going to educate and pacify the Arab Muslims but, that’s the way the Propaganda lie would go.)
Then what would follow would be the crawling expansion of the American and multi-national forces in Israel, making it another Saigon. If, per chance, they could occupy and replace the Israeli soldiers and civilians on the Golan Heights, they would build the biggest base and airfield in the entire Middle East. That was also planned for Iraq with numerous bases and is a work-still-in-progress IF the Iraqi natives don’t get restless and throw the Americans out.
An American base on the Golan Heights was in their planning years ago, IF they could force Israel to give up her northern defenses against Syria. Because Israel is there, Syria cannot start up a war without being observed from the mountains. So, at the moment, the game is to feign being insulted and force Netanyahu to grovel and allow the Palestinians Terrorists to occupy Judea and Samaria as another Arab Terrorists nation with American and European troops under the flag of NATO, acting like the Nazi Wehrmacht to force Jews out of the territories.
I suppose I ought to say something about Obama’s assisting Iran to fulfill its Nuclear Capability, acting as would any loyal Muslim but, of course, Obama’s a Christian ...isn’t he? Petraeus had one other comment. He said his Intelligence informs him that Iran cannot have an operational Atomic weapon for one year. Gee-Gosh-Golly...our vaunted Intel which has been so wrong on Pakistan, India, North Korea and, especially, Iran is telling our illustrious General that everyone has a year with which to plan their last days.
I feel sorry for the General who is clearly a decent, competent leader being pulled into Obama’s political pig-pen and forced to go along with a failing one-term President who may be impeached even before his first term ends.
Now for M. Wolfberg’s Good Shabbos Stories “Pass the Pot” and “Loose lips sink ships”.
Good Shabbos Everyone. Despite his isolation from mainstream Orthodox communities, Sam Goldish was committed to keeping a Torah way of life in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Sam did all he could to pass his commitment on to his children. One of the most important mitzvahs for Sam and his family was Shabbos. Sam realized that the only way his children and his children’s children would remain loyal to Judaism, was through keeping Shabbos. Keeping Shabbos would help ensure that Sam’s children would marry Jewish, because Shabbos precluded his children’s participation in Church socials, etc., which often took place on Friday nights and Saturday afternoons.
There was one particular incident which typified Sam strictness with Shabbos observance. Once, Sam needed to sell a boat. He put an ad in the local paper, describing the excellent condition of the vehicle and asking $7500. The advertisement did not provoke very much interest. Only a small handful of people bothered calling to find out more information. Of those who did show interest, just one, a man named Stan, made him an offer. But the amount he offered was much less that the amount Sam had wanted to sell it for. Sam was in a quandary. Should he take the offer? He really needed the money. But there didn’t seem to be much interest in his boat. Perhaps it would be best to take what he could get. Reluctantly, Sam agreed to Stan’s price. “But I have one I stipulation,” Sam told him. “I want you to give me a certified check from the bank.”
Stan looked a bit uneasy. “Uh, okay. Look, I’ll get back to you on it.” But the week went by with no further word from him. It was Shabbos afternoon and Sam was savoring the Cholent when there was a knock on the door. Sam found the prospective buyer Stan standing on the doorstep with a big smile on his face. “Look, I brought you your bank check!”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Sam said, “but today is my Sabbath, and I can’t do business now.”
“Oh, come on. I don’t need you to do anything. Here, I’ll just put the check down. I’ll take care of removing the boat myself. How’s that?” But Sam Goldish stood firm. “I’m sorry, but I can’t take care of it right now. [you’ll have to] come back tonight…”
Stan grew angry. “What’s the matter with you? I have your check, and you’re not willing to accommodate me! Well, forget it then. I won’t come back at all!” With that, he left. Sam refused to let the incident ruin his Shabbos; he enjoyed his Cholent and the rest of the holy day. Motzei Shabbos (Saturday night), the phone rang.
“Hi, I’m calling about the ad for the boat. Is it still available?”
“It sure is. You’re welcome to come over and see it.” Said Sam
A short time later, two men had arrived to look at the boat. After circling the vehicle a few times, they decided they were interested in buying it for the full amount that Sam had wanted. They gave Sam the money, took the boat and left.
"Stan," a family member later said, "spells Satan, if you use Hebrew letters to write the name. The Satan wanted to test you, to see if you were willing to compromise the holiness of Shabbos." This incident strengthened the family’s belief in holiness of Shabbos. And although Sam Goldish has left this world, his legacy lives on in his children and children’s children. (Visions of Greatness, Rabbi Yosef Weiss, Volume 3 p.64)
It was through Sam’s dedication to Shabbos that he ensured that his family would remain committed Jews. Sam recognized the importance of Shabbos, as the Sages tell us: “Observing Shabbos is equal to fulfilling all the mitzvahs of the Torah.” (The 39 Avos Melacha of Shabbos, Rabbi Baruch Chait citing Pesikta) And, “Whoever takes pleasure in the enjoyment of the Shabbos will be granted all his heart’s desires.” (Ibid., citing Shabbos 118b)
This week we will focus on one way to maximize our enjoyment of Shabbos: Cholent. By Shabbos morning, the sumptuous aroma of Cholent fills the Jewish household. Cholent (Chamin to Sephardim) is a stew containing some or all of the following ingredients: meat, beans, potatoes, barley, spices and kishke. Cholent is cooked almost to completion by Friday and is then left to simmer over night on a heating element or in a crock-pot, later to be enjoyed on Shabbos morning.
Besides tasting good, we will learn this week that eating Cholent symbolizes some of the most basic beliefs of our religion. In fact, according to Jewish law, one who refuses to eat warm food such as Cholent on Shabbos, needs to be checked out to make sure he is not a heretic!!! (Baal Hamaor, Shabbos, cited by Reb Hershel Rosenfeld, Shulchan HaShabbos p. 83, see also Rama on Shulchan Aruch 257:8) Whoever thought that eating Cholent was such an integral part of being Jewish? In the discussion which follows, we will show how important the mitzvah of eating Cholent really is.
Before we enjoy the Cholent, we must review some important concepts in Judaism. First of all, we must mention once again that Moshe received two Torahs on Mt. Sinai, the written and the Oral Torah. The written Torah consists of the text we find in a Torah scroll, while the Oral Torah is discussed in the Talmud. The Oral Torah consists of the oral explanation of the mitzvahs, as well as an explanation of the methods the Sages use to analyze the written Torah.
Belief in the Oral Torah is crucial to being Jewish. Without the Oral Torah, we really have no idea what the Torah means. For example, opening up a Torah scroll, we see that there are no vowels. Thus, how do we know that it is forbidden to eat milk and meat together? We look at the verse: “Do not cook a kid in its mother’s milk.”(Shemos – Exodus 23:19) The words for “milk” (Chalav) and “fat” (Chelev) are spelled the same – Ches, Lamed, Beis. (Pronunciated ‘Bays’) (Compare these two words in verses Shemos- Exodus 23:18 and 23:19) Since there are no vowels in the Torah, how do we know that the verse is talking about not cooking a kid in its mother’s milk; maybe it is a mitzvah to eat a steak with a tall glass of chocolate milk, while a violation to eat a burger with fat?!? Only with the Oral Torah do we know how to read the Torah. Only with the Oral Torah can we be Jews.
Throughout history, there have been groups which have denied the validity of the Oral Torah. Once such group was the Karites. Once, there was a dispute in a kingdom as to whether the traditional Jews or the Karites should be the true representatives of the Jewish people. The king called a representative from the Karites and a representative from the Jews. Before going in to speak with the king, the Jew took off his shoes and carried them into the king. The king was bewildered and asked the Jew why he exhibited such strange behavior of carrying his shoes. The Jew answered: “When Moshe Rabeinu (our teacher) went up to receive the Torah at Mt. Sinai, he left his shoes at the base of the mountain. When Moshe returned, his shoes were gone; for they had been stolen by a Karaite!” (As heard from Eliezer Zuckerbraun)
At that moment, the Karaite spoke up and said: “That’s impossible, there were no Karites at Mt. Sinai.” Needless to say, the discussion was over and the king chose the traditional Jew as the representative of the Jews.
We received a recipe on Mt. Sinai: one part Oral Torah and one part written Torah; this is a recipe, which cannot be altered. Any group among the Jewish people which has denied the validity of the Oral Torah has virtually, if not totally, disappeared. In fact, when was the last time anyone was invited to join a Sadducean (another group which denied the Oral Torah) or a Karaite Minyan? We see therefore, that the Oral Torah is an inseparable part of the Jewish recipe for belief.
Speaking of recipes, let us now return to Cholent. We will see that eating Cholent on Shabbos is very much related to our belief in the Oral Torah. We find the source of the mitzvah of Cholent in this week’s double parsha Vayakhel-Pekudei, as the verse states: “You shall not kindle fire in any of your dwellings on the Shabbos day.”(Shemos -Exodus 34:3) We know from the Oral Torah that this verse forbids the creation or the increasing of a fire on Shabbos. (See the discussion of this part of the Oral Torah in the Tractate Shabbos.) However, there are generally no prohibitions against enjoying the benefits of a fire started before Shabbos. In other words, one may light a fire before Shabbos and enjoy its benefits on Shabbos, but one may not make or increase a fire on Shabbos itself. One of the benefits of fire is to keep food warm.
Those who sought to deny the Oral Torah, read literally the above verse: “You shall not kindle…etc.” concluding that it was forbidden to enjoy a fire Shabbos, even if the fire was lit before Shabbos. These groups would eat cold food and sit in the dark throughout Shabbos, just as they sat in spiritual darkness all their lives. (Artscroll Tanach, commentary to Shemos – Exodus 35:3) The Sages therefore enacted that we should eat warm Cholent on Shabbos to show that we believe in the Oral Torah. Namely, we believe that on Shabbos we may benefit from a fire lit before Shabbos. We now see why eating Cholent is so important on Shabbos. Cholent symbolizes our belief in the Oral Torah. Therefore, we are suspicious of one who insists on not eating warm food on Shabbos, that perhaps he denies the Oral Torah.
We see then that eating Cholent is one of the most physically and spiritually delicious mitzvahs. So, when we sit down to the table together with family and friends Shabbos around noontime, and we are served a big plate of steaming Cholent, let us have in mind that we are fulfilling a mitzvah of the highest order. Take a spoonful and enjoy. Good Shabbos Everyone.
Good Shabbos Everyone. The Torah tells us in this week’s parsha Vayikra “And He [Hashem] called to Moshe, and Hashem spoke to him from the tent of meeting, saying..." (Vayikra - Leviticus 1:1) This verse seems to be repetitive. The beginning of the verse says “And He [Hashem] called to Moshe…” and the end of the verse states “saying.” Therefore, the last word in the verse “saying” seems to be extra. We know that nothing in the Torah is extra, thus, the Sages learn out a spiritually fulfilling lesson from the this verse. The Talmud (Yoma 4b) explains that the word “saying” denotes: "What I am about to say, you may say to others."
Therefore, we learn that a person has no right to repeat what someone tells him unless that person gives him explicit permission to do so. (Love Your Neighbor, parshas Vayikra p.216 Reb Zelig Pliskin)
The Talmud relates that a certain student revealed a secret that was twenty-two years old. Rabbi Ami expelled him from the Bais Hamedrash (study hall) saying "this person is a revealer of secrets." (Ibid. citing Sanhedrin 31a)
A person should be careful not to disclose his own secrets to others. Before someone reveals a secret, he is the secret's master. But once a person reveals his secret, the secret is his master, for he lives in fear that it will become known to others. (ibid. Citing Menoras Hamaor 2:4) A wise man once joked: “I can keep a secret, but the people I tell cannot.” (Rabbi Avrohom Braun – Monsey, New York)
During World War II, the United States Navy instructed its sailors to be very careful not to speak about their ship’s destination. At the time, enemy spies were not uncommon in America. If the information fell into the wrong hands, it could spell disaster for the ship. Therefore, in order to impress upon the sailors the importance of keeping quiet, the Navy coined the phrase “Loose Lips Sink Ships.” We should remember this example when we are tempted to reveal another’s private information.
Almost every relationship we have in life depends on the ability to trust that information we share will be kept confidential. It is simply impossible to maintain a friendship or a business relationship without confidentiality. People who are in the position to hear sensitive personal information, such as lawyers, doctors, accountants and shadchanim (matchmakers) have a professional obligation to maintain confidentiality. These people’s careers depend fully on confidentiality. Who would go to an accountant who talked about people’s finances? The more sensitive the information involved, the better the person must be at keeping their mouth tightly sealed.
The following amazing story shows the importance of keeping secrets.
Among the most gentle and caring charities in Jewish neighborhoods today are the Tomchei Shabbos-type of organizations, which provide needy families with food every Shabbos. Every week, with remarkable efficiency, a group of volunteers picks up Shabbos staples, such as grape juice, challah, fish, chicken, and cake from wholesalers who provide their food free or at cost. Another group of volunteers converges on the building where the provisions are stored. They package the food in cartons, depending on the size of the families. On Wednesday or Thursday, a third set of volunteers delivers the packages to the needy families.
Rarely do any of the volunteers know the identity of the recipients of these Tomchei Shabbos packages. Sometimes, the cartons are left at the front door of the recipient so that there is no face-to-face contact between the volunteer and a family member. In some cities, volunteers are permitted to deliver only to a part of town where they do not reside, so they will not recognize the address or the dweller. Maintaining the dignity of the needy is uppermost in any Tomchei Shabbos volunteers mind.
In London, Reb Yoel Becker was in charge of fundraising for his local Tomchei Shabbos operation. Two nights a week he visited potential donors. One night he was at the home of Reb Zev Kringold who was known in the past for his charitable donations to other charities. After some small talk, Reb Yoel came to the point. "I am sure you know about Tomchei Shabbos," he said to Reb Zev. "We are in desperate need of funds and we need your help."
The prospective donor Reb Zev answered: “I will give you 100 pounds (the equivalent, at the time, to $180) on the condition that you tell me who receives the food packages."
The Tomchei Shabbos volunteer Reb Yoel was surprised. "Reb Zev, you know I can't do that," he said. "We never reveal the names of people getting packages. It is strictly confidential." "Look," said Reb Zev, "it is important to me to know that I am helping a specific individual. It makes me feel that I am truly relieving the burden of a fellow Jew." Seeing that the volunteer Reb Yoel was not moved by his plea, the prospective donor Reb Zev said, "I will double my donation. I'll even give you 400 pounds!"
"I'm sorry," said Reb Yoel the volunteer. "I won't do it. I have never revealed a name and I won't do it now." "Look," said Reb Zev, getting exasperated. "Make this one time an exception [and reveal the information to me] and I'll give you 1,000 pounds! I want to feel connected with the poor family and this way I will."
The volunteer Reb Yoel realized it was hopeless. "Reb Zev," he said, "[even] if you gave me 5,000 pounds, I wouldn't reveal who is getting your package or any other package. It's our policy and we will never change it as long as I am in charge." Suddenly, Reb Zev put his hands to his face and wept. "Reb Yoel, please put me on your list," he sobbed. "People don't realize that I no longer have the money I once had. My family and I are destitute. I am out of work and struggling every day. I was only testing you. I was ashamed to call you to be put on the Tomchei Shabbos list because I feared that others would find out I was getting packages. I was trying to see if there was any way under any circumstances that you would reveal your recipients - but now that I see that you wouldn't. Please make sure that I am on your list." (Echoes of the Maggid, p.55 Rabbi Paysach J. Krohn)
By keeping private information private, we keep friends. Almost all of our relationships in life depend on trust. Whenever we are tempted to reveal another’s private information, we should remember “Loose Lips Sink Ships,” and the potential damage and embarrassment we can cause. Let us be inspired by this week’s lesson to rededicate ourselves to a policy of confidentiality with our friends and business associates. If we are trustworthy, people will run to us to be our friends and to associate with us in business. Good Shabbos Everyone.
People ask me many times why I befriend physically Karites and virtually Messianic Jews. The former because they will definitely return when the Moshiach comes and the second because most of them are תינוקות שהיו בשבי הגויים. (lost sheep) and may return on their own or when the Moshiach comes – some of them even think as follows: If my father was right then in any case I am Jewish and if the Strangers are right then I can’t lose. This philosophy will only get them tribulations.
M. Wolfberg’s stories are sponsored by: In Memory of Leah bas R' Dovid Edlen (Wolfberg) Refuah Shleima to Mordechai Menachem Mendel ben Tziporah Yitta Refuah Shleima to Tsviah bas Bracha Leah Refuah Shleimah to Chana Ashayra bas Dodi
Have a wonderful Shabbos, rest and reflect on the creations and miracles of G-D
Rachamim Pauli
