I accidently wrote the other week Avraham ben Leah that name is no longer on my list.
Rafael Alexander Alter Ben Chaya Sheina (for the next two weeks as I cannot follow or
trace this), Naftali Moshe Ben Tzipporah, Yosef Moshe Ben Perel, Shaul Ben Sirrel and
more for my friend (HaRav) Chanan ben Shulamit. Rivka Bat Yael Seth sent me this: Regarding the question of Michael Moore why no parts of the aircraft that hit the world trade center was ever found. The Answer was a film from the Air Force of a Phantom that was deactivated slamming into a wall at 600 mph. The film shows the aircraft vaporizing. This was done to test hardened nuclear facility walls and potential homicide bombers. The following is another story coming to light from the twin towers from Laib.
BTW, I watched the 2nd plane hit the towers on TV as it happened (what is it -- a 10 second delay?). One of my favorite stories is of the man who was in the second tower hit and on one of the hit floors. He looked out and saw the plane heading for him, so he jumped under his desk. When he looked up -- the floor was missing, fire was dripping down on him. He and his desk still stood next to the wall, but there was no path to safety. He prayed and started to yell for help. If Gd would only help him. And then a pair of arms came through the wall and grabbed him and pulled him though the wall.
I heard the story twice -- once from the man with the desk and once from the man who put his arms though the wall (obviously plasterboard). The major difference in the stories was that the large white wall-man left out what happened after he dragged the man out through the wall. The much smaller black "calling-for-help" man said he immediately kissed his rescuer, which, in his retelling, embarrassed his rescuer. – Laib HaCohain
On the serious side of things, everybody should have a living will. On the comical side of things Naomi supplied me with this joke: LIVING WILL: Last night, my husband and I were sitting in the living room, and I said to him, "I never want to live in a vegetative state, dependent on some machine and fluids from a bottle. If that ever happens, just pull the plug." He got up, unplugged the Computer, and threw out my wine!
Gog and Magog aka Armageddon
Before the Yom Kippur War there appeared a book in hard cover with many pages Kol HaTor by Rabbi Ashlag the late Tzaddik Zal who authored the Sulam Commentary on the Zohar HaKadosh. 37 years ago, the book I saw was in hard cover and a few hundred pages. We have progress closer to Moshiach and now a paperback of 92, which are after the forward, 85 pages is being distributed by his Chassidim for Free in a number of Synagogues. Don’t Mitzvos fudge because here comes the Judge! If you know Hebrew and can get your hands on it – do it! This was made criticizing George W. Bush all the more so today: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-w77sLtz754
Parsha Acharei Mos – Kedoshim
Another double Parsha this week – we start out with the death of Aaron’s sons and the Yom Kippur Service and then go on to forbidden relationships and marriages. We end up with a tremendous amount of Mitzvos in fact too much to really handle in the short time that I can devote to the Drasha. Furthermore, there are forbidden mixtures such as wool and linen, plowing with two different species, mating two different species, grafting two different species, etc. We can learn also by an easy to a difficult thing that if wool and linen which once were alive and now inanimate are forbidden all the more so a marriage between a Jew and a non-Jew. Today the non-Jew is forbidden tomorrow the non-Jew converts and is permissible to all but a Cohain. Thus we see that the Children of Sanheriv who invaded Yerushalayim in the days of Yishayahu and Hezkieyahu became the leading teachers to Shammai and Hillel in the Sanhedrin.
The first thing that Rashi writes on our double Parsha is a message: And the Lord spoke to Moses after the death of Aaron’s two sons: What does this teach us [when it specifies “after the death of Aaron’s two sons”]? Rabbi Eleazar ben Azariah illustrated [the answer] with a parable of a patient, whom a physician came to visit. [The physician] said to him, “Do not eat cold foods, and do not lie down in a cold, damp place.” Then, another [physician] visited him, and advised him, “Do not eat cold foods or lie down in a cold, damp place, so that you will not die the way so-and-so died.” This one warned that patient more effectively than the former. Therefore, Scripture says, “after the death of Aaron’s two sons” [i.e., God effectively said to Aaron, “Do not enter the Holy in a prohibited manner, so that you will not die as your sons died”]- [Torath Kohanim 16:3]
16:1 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they drew near before the LORD, and died; 2 and the LORD said unto Moses: 'Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the veil, before the ark-cover which is upon the ark; that he die not; for I appear in the cloud upon the ark-cover. 3 Herewith shall Aaron come into the holy place: with a young bullock for a sin-offering, and a ram for a burnt-offering. 4 He shall put on the holy linen tunic, and he shall have the linen breeches upon his flesh, and shall be girded with the linen girdle, and with the linen mitre shall he be attired; they are the holy garments; and he shall bathe his flesh in water, and put them on. 5 And he shall take of the congregation of the children of Israel two he-goats for a sin-offering, and one ram for a burnt-offering.
I have already mentioned implications of a holier level through the garments of the Cohain Gadol. The mysteries are deep and above my current understanding and the same goes for the five times the Cohain Gadol goes to the Mikvah on Yom Kippur and the 10 times washing of his hands. Why the different garment for the different Korban and why the Tevilla after each Korban I can ask but not tell as I don’t know the answer but let me assure you that perhaps one on a very high spiritual plane can answer this. This is so powerful and holy that I dare not even attempt to speculate at this. The only answer I know of is that this process of holiness allows the Cohain Gadol to enter the Kadoshei Kadoshim (Holy of Holies) on Yom Kippur.\
With this as an introduction, I have to refer to the Medrash Rabbah before going on with the two goats. The Medrash tells us of Shelichos (messengers and messages from G-D do not confuse with Selichos which are forgiveness prayers) from HASHEM. Once either Rabbi Yitzchak or Rabbi Shimon saw a thigh bone rolling in the wind so the Rabbi tried to put it back in its place but it rolled again and again. He decided to watch where it rolled as perhaps it was the will of HASHEM. The bone rolled into the pathway tripping the runner from the Roman Emperor cause him to trip and bang his head into the pavement that his skull fractured and he died. The town’s people then check for his identity and found in his possession a document with a decree to the governor against the town. The L-RD foiled the communications, command and control of the evil Emperor.
One time Rabbi Shimon was learning with the Companions and a snake was in the room. The chased the snake to the other side of the room past the door and it did not try to escape and they did this again. So they realized that the snake was a Sheliach. They let the snake be and a short period of time they heard that so and so was bitten by a snake. Another time Rabbi Yitzchak saw a frog carrying on his back a scorpion across a river. The scholars continued to learn and they saw the frog ferryman carrying the scorpion back to the other side. After some time, there was a wailing in the town that so and so had been stung by a scorpion and had passed away. In Haifa or the north a few years ago a man with a serve allergy passed away after being stung by a bee.
Another aspect of the two goats of the Yom Kippur Service that I want to cover is Tzar Baalei Chaim (cruelty to animals). Judaism is the most human people on earth. Yet we take an eight day old infant and circumcise him. This eventually is better for him and his wife in the future and part of the covenant but the child feels pain. We can only look at the here and now when it comes to the two goats. We do not know that in the past life these two goats were human souls that sinned so badly that they could not atone for their sins in a normal human lifespan. In order to become human again they had to undergo a life or series of lives in a lower living state and the kosher slaughter or the scapegoat will allow them to reincarnate human and make the necessary repairs to themselves and the world. However, just as the Bris Milah appears to be Tzar to a human but is not so the Azazel on the surface appears to be Tzar Baalei Chaim but is a giant Chessed for the Neshama inside the goat. Believe you me if I was that wicked that I had to make such an atonement for my soul, I would like to be that goat. The Halacha is that when a Mitzvah is performed and it is to repair the whole Universe, it is not Tzar Baalei Chaim!
The Talmud in Yoma specifies the process of the scapegoat aka Azazel. The two goats are twins in every way and cannot be told apart. One goes to the altar and is slaughtered. The Azazel goat is chosen to go out into the wilderness. There were walkers along the way to help the man moving the Azazel if necessary go out into the wilderness with the goat. Food and drink was in each booth just in case he needed it. After the last booth he was on his own with the goat. Interestingly enough the man throwing the goat over the cliff would die within the year but he would be completely atoned for his sins. There was a lineup of people waiting to be chosen for this task.
The man would then take the goat and throw him off the cliff (somewhere between Yerushalayim and Yericho) but not far from the Temple Mount. The goat would hit stones along the way until it was DOA at the bottom. As for the man, he would go back to the Sukkah to wait until after sundown and make Havdala and return home. He would then set his own affairs in order and enjoy the short time allowed that year until his soul rested in the highest heights of the Beis Medrash shel Maala.
Rabbi Meir Baal HaNes (the miracle worker) said, “Don’t look at the pitcher but what is within it. Sometimes you have a new pitcher with aged wine inside and sometimes you have an old pitcher that is empty that even new wine is not in it.” – Pirkei Avos. So before you accuse the Torah of being cruel to the Azazel and the man taking it out into the wilderness look at the end user and the end results. As for me I can always say that I do not understand the ways of G-D but I know for certain that HIS paths are straight and mankind’s is crooked.
6 And Aaron shall present the bullock of the sin-offering, which is for himself, and make atonement for himself, and for his house.
The engineering side of the Torah: When the second or third Mercury capsule went into orbit there was a failure with the computer system and the back-up computer had to be used. On a Gemini mission once the fuel injection system began spinning the capsule out of control. A human over-ride saved the mission from failure and certain death for the Astronauts. So long before modern engineering back-up systems were in place, our Sages of blessed memory instituted the Cohain Gadol backup system. Now a house in Hebrew is Beis and a daughter/woman/wife is called Bas which is the foundation or root of the household. A second wife who was a virgin was given to the Cohain Gadol just in case his wife would pass away during the week of Atonement prior to Yom Kippur. The redundancy of the system did not stop here for during the second Beis HaMikdash there were scandals and bribery rampant and wicked and unqualified people became Cohanim Gedolim. One case even had a Cohain who married a rich widow use her money to become Cohain Gadol. The bigger the bribe the chance of being Cohain Gadol got better. So an assistant Cohain Gadol was put in place. He probably was the one who should have been Cohain Gadol for his merits. What would happen was when these wicked ones enter the Holy of Holies; they would die on the spot and have to be pulled out so a rope was attached to them. The assistant would then continue with the service. Each year it was same story or even before Yom Kippur they would die.
7 And he shall take the two goats, and set them before the LORD at the door of the tent of meeting. 8 And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats: one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for Azazel.
And Aaron shall place lots upon the two he-goats: He would place one [he-goat] on his right and one on his left. Then, he would insert both his hands into an urn [which contained two lots, one bearing the inscription “to the Lord” and the other “to Azazel.” These lots were mixed up, and Aaron, with both hands inside the urn] took one lot in his right hand and the other in his left hand, and he would place them upon them [the he-goats]: [The one] upon which [he placed the lot] with the inscription “to the Lord,” would be for God, while the one upon which [he placed the lot] with the inscription “to Azazel,” would be sent off to Azazel. — [Yoma 39a]
Azazel: This is a strong and hard mountain, [with] a high cliff, as the Scripture says [in describing Azazel] (verse 22 below),“a precipitous land (אֶרֶץ גְּזֵרָה),” meaning a cut-off land [i.e., a sheer drop]. — [Torath Kohanim 16:28; Yoma 67b]
It appears from the Gemara that each time the Cohain picked it, the lot would always be on his right hand “To the L-RD”.
9 And Aaron shall present the goat upon which the lot fell for the LORD, and offer him for a sin-offering. 10 But the goat, on which the lot fell for Azazel, shall be set alive before the LORD, to make atonement over him, to send him away for Azazel into the wilderness. …17 And there shall be no man in the tent of meeting when he goes in to make atonement in the holy place, until he come out, and have made atonement for himself, and for his household, and for all the assembly of Israel. 18 And he shall go out unto the altar that is before the LORD, and make atonement for it; and shall take of the blood of the bullock, and of the blood of the goat, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about. 19 And he shall sprinkle of the blood upon it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it, and hallow it from the uncleanness’s of the children of Israel. 20 And when he hath made an end of atoning for the holy place, and the tent of meeting, and the altar, he shall present the live goat. 21 And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions, even all their sins; and he shall put them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of an appointed man into the wilderness. 22 And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land which is cut off; and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness. 23 And Aaron shall come into the tent of meeting, and shall put off the linen garments, which he put on when he went into the holy place, and shall leave them there. 24 And he shall bathe his flesh in water in a holy place and put on his other vestments, and come forth, and offer his burnt-offering and the burnt-offering of the people, and make atonement for himself and for the people. 25 And the fat of the sin-offering shall he make smoke upon the altar. 26 And he that lets go the goat for Azazel shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he may come into the camp. 27 And the bullock of the sin-offering, and the goat of the sin-offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the holy place, shall be carried forth without the camp; and they shall burn in the fire their skins, and their flesh, and their dung. …
17:1 – 16 deals with more details aspects of kosher slaughter of animals and the covering of the blood of wild animals such as deer and mountain goats.
18:1 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them: I am the LORD your God. 3 After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do; and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do; neither shall ye walk in their statutes. … 6 None of you shall approach to any that is near of kin to him, to uncover their nakedness. I am the LORD. … 21 And thou shalt not give any of thy seed to set them apart to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD.
This whole section deals with incestuous and other forbidden relationships. Even giving over of an infant to Molech which is idol worship is not an abomination. They are condemned and the soul gets Kares or cutting off from the people in the next world. But one act is so hideous that it is an abomination that even bestiality does not get this adjective in front of it.
22 Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind; it is abomination.
When G-D gave the Torah he knew the level of interaction of the Neshama when a soul interacts with another soul but the good L-RD was so disgusted by this act that HE wrote in HIS Torah that it is an abomination. (Interesting enough these people call themselves gay and gay pride – Shlomo HaMelech wrote in Proverbs “An abomination before the L-RD is all proud of heart.”)
23 And thou shalt not lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith; neither shall any woman stand before a beast, to lie down thereto; it is perversion.
This is depravity: Heb. תֶּבֶל, an expression denoting prostitution, sexual immorality, and adultery. Similarly, “and My wrath, because of their depravity (תַּבְלִיתָם).” (Isa. 10:25) Another explanation of תֶּבֶל הוּא: An expression which denotes mingling (בּלל) and mixing up; [here, it refers to the perverted mingling of] human seed and animal seed.
24 Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things; for in all these the nations are defiled, which I cast out from before you. 25 And the land was defiled, therefore I did visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land vomited out her inhabitants. 26 Ye therefore shall keep My statutes and Mine ordinances, and shall not do any of these abominations; neither the home-born, nor the stranger that sojourns among you--- I am the LORD your God.
Rabbi Berel Wein Shlita of the Torah Organization summed up chapter 18 in a few words: In a very detailed fashion, the Torah outlines for us the liaisons between humans that are permitted and forbidden. These laws have been the basis of Jewish life and of much of the rest of humankind as well for millennia on end. The world has witnessed great swings in what is accepted as acceptable social and sexual behavior. However the principles of the Torah have remained unchanged, proven safeguards to family and society.
The Torah recognized sexuality as one of the driving forces of human existence. It literally is the primary force of human creativity. Such a powerful force needs to be guided and harnessed for good purposes. Unchecked it can lead to destruction and disaster.
So the Torah regulated it and channeled it into productivity and creativity and away from wanton behavior and disastrous promiscuity. Today’s society has set much looser norms in these matters and therefore the entire family structure, which is the backbone of society, is being endangered. The rabbis of the Talmud, foreseeing such a periodic decline in morality and sexual behavior, insisted that these laws be read publicly on Yom Kippur. The way to holiness and purity and to forgiveness lies in the observance of this code of behavior.
19:1 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 2 Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them: Ye shall be holy; for I the LORD your God am holy. 3 Ye shall fear every man his mother, and his father, and ye shall keep My Sabbaths: I am the LORD your God. 4 Turn ye not unto the idols, nor make to yourselves molten gods: I am the LORD your God.
We have moved on to the next Parsha in our double Parsha and we have returned from the lowness of base sexual desires to holiness.
… 11 Ye shall not steal; neither shall ye deal falsely, nor lie one to another. 12 And ye shall not swear by My name falsely, so that thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD. 13 Thou shalt not oppress thy neighbor, nor rob him; the wages of a hired servant shall not abide with thee all night until the morning. 14 Thou shalt not curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling-block before the blind, but thou shalt fear thy God: I am the LORD.
You shall not place a stumbling block before a blind person: Before a person who is “blind” regarding a matter, you shall not give advice that is improper for him. [For instance,] do not say to someone,“ Sell your field and buy a donkey [with the proceeds], ”while [in truth,] you plan to cheat him since you yourself will take it from him [by lending him money and taking the donkey as collateral. He will not be able to take the field because a previous creditor has a lien on it.] - [Torath Kohanim 19:34]
Good Ole Merrill Lynch with my mother and Goldman Sachs even with Warren Buffett. I have a funny feeling that after 120 years somebody is going to get Justice by the Beis Din shel Maala. And a broker who advised me on certain things.
It is particularly repulsive to make fun of the death or try to trip a blind person. One of the fellows on my joke list is unfortunately blind. He reads my Drasha but sometimes I send out some humor in cartoons which may or may not have captions. If I remember, I try my best to be careful to erase his name from the e-mail. It is very upsetting to him when he receives this or upsetting to me after I mailed the e-mail out to have forgotten him and unwittingly let him down. I wish that this did not happy but not to include him as a normal person with high intelligence might be far more insulting as he is capable of lecturing, writing and even in the case of NY State governing.
15 Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment; thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor favor the person of the mighty; but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbor. 16 Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people; neither shalt thou stand idly by the blood of thy neighbor: I am the LORD.
You shall commit no injustice in judgment: This verse teaches us that a judge who corrupts the law is called unjust, hated and disgusting, fit to be destroyed, and an abomination. For an unjust person is called an abomination, as the verse says, “For whoever does these things, whoever perpetrates such injustice, is an abomination to the Lord…” (Deut. 25: 16); and an abomination, is called a חֵרֶם, [something doomed to destruction], and a disgusting thing, as the verse says (Deut. 7:26), “Nor should you bring an abomination into your house, lest you be destroyed (חֵרֶם) like it, but you shall utterly detest it (שַׁקֵּץ תְּשַׁקְּצֶנּוּ) ” [and an abomination is called hated, as it is said, “for every abomination to the Lord which He hates”] (Deut. 12:31).
These two mitzvos can if used improperly literally kill a person. A Dayan who does not investigate all angles of the case and record the testimony properly is perverting justice and we have seen recently a spate of My Space or Facebook suicides do to tale bearing and falsehoods.
17 Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart; thou shalt surely rebuke thy neighbor, and not bear sin because of him.
But, you shall not bear a sin on his account: I.e., [in the course of your rebuking your fellow,] do not embarrass him in public. — [Torath Kohanim 19:43; Arachin 16b]
I always wonder this when I give out general Mussar as sometimes if I write something about it is forbidden to sew or knit on Shabbos and then somebody who was ignorant of this knows that it is Shabbos and knows through me that sewing or knitting is forbidden then goes and does this. The Melacha of Shabbos now instead of not having intent has intent. So instead of helping guide the person to desist from Melacha on Shabbos which was before an accidental occurrence is now done with intent and the person gets a large punishment after 120 years all because I wanted to gently help the person. I yell at kids all the time in my Yeshuv breaking bottles or attempting to break glass bottles on Shabbos. “Do you want to perform the Av Melacha of destruction on Shabbos? Do you want also to be over the sin of Baal Tashchis (random destruction of property)?”
18 Thou shalt not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.
You shall neither take revenge: [For example:] He says to him, “Lend me your sickle,” and he [the latter] replies, “No!” The next day, he [the latter] says to him, “Lend me your ax.” [If] he says to him, “I will not lend it to you, just as you did not lend to me!” this constitutes revenge. And what constitutes “bearing a grudge?” [For example:] he says to him, “Lend me your ax,” and he [the latter] replies, “No!” Then the next day, he [the latter] says to him, “Lend me your sickle.” [Now, if] he says to him, “Here it is for you; I am not like you, who did not lend me!” this constitutes “bearing a grudge,” for he keeps the hatred in his heart, even though he does not take revenge. — [Torath Kohanim 19:44; Yoma 23a]
You shall love your neighbor as yourself: Rabbi Akiva says: “This is a fundamental [all-inclusive] principle of the Torah.” - [Torath Kohanim 19:45]
If you teach a child at an early age or an adult over 21 with a fully developed brain they can understand this concept and would be a good rebuke like in the sentence above. However, a teen often cannot see the logic to this. A rebuke cannot work properly for a developing teenager’s brain as his logic is not trusting like a child or mature like an adult. The children at this age know better than the rebuke and like in the case with teens with a bottle you have to question them if that are the results that they were really planning for. BTW with my grandson and friends, peer pressure brought on Shalom Beis between the two boys but they keep their distance.
Rabbi Yisrael of Ruzin explains it with the following episode: A man was once sentenced to be put to death. As they were leading him to the gallows his friend came running, screaming on top of his lungs, "Do not hang him. He is not guilty!! I am the guilty one!!" At the same time the one being let to the gallows said, "Do not believe him. He is lying, I am guilty!!"
The case was brought back to the King who told the judges to re-hear the case. The case was re-opened and in the end both were found not guilty.
The King asked them, "Both of you knew that you were innocent why did each of you claim that you committed the crime??"
Each one replied, "I love my friend with all of my heart and I knew that he was innocent. I was ready to do anything, even give my life, so that he would live!!" the King was exclaimed, "With such two great friends, please accept me as a friend too!!"
G-D says, "Love your fellow as yourself, I am G-D." Between friends who love each other as themselves, "I too want to be there, as your friend!!" – R’ A.L.
Also from R' A.L. : I did not We found the following teaching from the best-selling work the Power of Positive Words to be especially meaningful: "In some cases, people resort to written Ona'as Devarim because they are afraid to face the person with whom they are angry at. They feel that the distance provided by the written word will somehow protect them from the other person's reaction. Nevertheless, if the words are hurtful and insulting, they are not permitted. One would be wise to heed the inner voice that says, "I can not say to his face," and realize that this means the words are probably ones that should not be said at all. In the age of e-mails, the challenge of restraining one's written words has become enormous. The spontaneous nature of the medium makes people far looser in their verbiage and for quicker to respond. At the click of a mouse, their diatribe can travel through cyberspace and assault another person's dignity within a few seconds. The time needed for composing a "Snail-Mail" letter, time devoted to the process of writing, printing, addressing and mailing, can serve as a cooling-off period, at the end of which people often decide that the better choice is to throw the letter away. With e-mails and text messaging, this barrier is gone. There is no time for second thoughts. When used properly, however, writing can offer tremendous help in avoiding Ona'as Devarim. Even e-mails is less spontaneous than verbal communication. The writer can take his time in framing his statements. He can review his words and think about how they will be reviewed. He can erase and rewrite. Someone who goal is to address a problematic situation while avoiding insult to the other party has every opportunity to do so when the written word is the medium."
Let us take these significant words and thick twice-- or even three times-- before we make that click!!
19 Ye shall keep My statutes. Thou shalt not let thy cattle gender with a diverse kind; thou shalt not sow thy field with two kinds of seed; neither shall there come upon thee a garment of two kinds of stuff mingled together. 20 And whosoever lies carnally with a woman, that is a bondmaid, designated for a man, and not at all redeemed, nor was freedom given her; there shall be inquisition; they shall not be put to death, because she was not free.
There shall be an investigation: Heb. בִּקֹרֶת תִּהְיֶה [which will result in] the woman being given lashes but not the man (Torath Kohanim 19:54) The court is obligated to investigate the matter in order not to sentence him [her] to death, since “she had not been [completely] freed” [and therefore,] her marriage is not completely binding. Our Rabbis, however, learned from [this verse], that whoever is sentenced to lashes [as this woman, those lashes] shall be accompanied by a “recitation” [בִּקֹרֶת בִּקְרִיאָה, derived from the בִּקֹרֶת, so that the phrase בִּקֹרֶת תִּהְיֶה is expounded to mean “she is to be given lashes with a קֹּרֶת, a recitation.” And what is the recitation referred to here? It is] that the judges who mete out the lashes, shall recite to the one receiving them (Deut. 28:58-59),“If you will not observe to fulfill [all the words of this Torah]…the Lord will bring upon you…uniquely [horrible] plagues!”- [Kereithoth 11a': because she had not been [completely] freed: And therefore, the man is not liable to the death penalty because of [his intimacy with] her, since her marriage is not binding. It follows then, that if she had been freed, her marriage would be binding, and he would be liable to the death penalty. — [Torath Kohanim 19:55; Gittin 43b]
Rashi writes a lot more than I brought down. However, the point is that the slave woman was designated for a bondman and he has taken her by force or persuasion. If the later she deserves lashes if the former he is a few not so nice things. He may not get judgement in this world but in the next he will get more than just a shame on you from the Beis Din.
21 And he shall bring his forfeit unto the LORD, unto the door of the tent of meeting, even a ram for a guilt-offering. 22 And the priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt-offering before the LORD for his sin which he hath sinned; and he shall be forgiven for his sin which he hath sinned.
However, if he has humbled himself with the Korban or was so very much in love with her that he bought her freedom and then married a free woman then the heavenly court will view things differently.
23 And when ye shall come into the land, and shall have planted all manner of trees for food, then ye shall count the fruit thereof as forbidden; three years shall it be as forbidden unto you; it shall not be eaten. 24 And in the fourth year all the fruit thereof shall be holy, for giving praise unto the LORD. 25 But in the fifth year may ye eat of the fruit thereof, that it may yield unto you more richly the increase thereof: I am the LORD your God. …
This is the law of Orlah.
29 Profane not thy daughter, to make her a harlot, lest the land fall into harlotry, and the land become full of lewdness.
You shall not defile your daughter by making her a harlot: [This is speaking of] a person who hands over his unmarried daughter to have relations that are not for the purpose of marriage. Torath Kohanim 19:77; Sanh. 76a]: lest the Land fall into harlotry: Heb. וְלֹאתִזְנֶה, for if you do so, the Land itself will cause its fruits to go astray (מְזַנֶּה), producing them elsewhere and not in your Land. And thus the verse says (Jer. 3:2-3), “[and you defiled the Land with your harlotries (בִּזְנוּתַיִ) …] Therefore, the rains were withheld.” - [Torath Kohanim 19:77]
In some poor lands this was the norm to support the parents or some prevented fertility cult. As we read about in Parshas Balak with the worship of Baal Peor and the Midian Women.
30 Ye shall keep My Sabbaths, and reverence My sanctuary: I am the LORD.
And revere My Sanctuary: One may not enter [the Temple Mount] with his [walking] staff, his shoes, with his money belt, or with the dust on his feet.[Yev. 6b] And although I warn you regarding the [holiness of the] Sanctuary, [says God,] nevertheless-“You shall observe My Sabbaths”-the construction of the Sanctuary does not supersede [the laws of the] Sabbath. — [Yev. 6a].
How many times does G-D tell Am Yisrael to observe and guard the Shabbos and yet we still violate it? Some people don’t violate the Shabbos and they read text books. Many Rabbis disapprove of this. I claim that if for example I enjoy reading the history of the American Revolution or Civil War or Physics then why not. It is not kosher to do what Velivolsky did while prepare “Worlds in Collisions” and make a sign on the page for his reference for Motzei Shabbos. That it is forbidden to prepare on Shabbos for Motzei Shabbos.
31 Turn ye not unto the ghosts, nor unto familiar spirits; seek them not out, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God. 32 Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honor the face of the old man, and thou shalt fear thy God: I am the LORD.
You shall rise before a venerable person: One might think [that the commandment refers to rising before] an old person, [even though he may be] guilty [of transgression]. Scripture, therefore, says, זָקֵן the term זָקֵן exclusively refers to one who has acquired wisdom [see Num. 11:16, where the same term refers to great, wise men, and therefore not guilty of transgression]. — [Torath Kohanim 19:80; Kid. 32b]: and you shall respect the elderly: What is meant by “respecting” [the elderly]? One may not sit in his place, speak in his stead [when it is the elder’s turn to speak], or contradict him. [Since one is obligated to rise before the elderly only when the latter enters within one’s four cubits,] one might think that he may close his eyes [when the elder approaches], as if he did not see him [and thus evade the obligation to rise before him]! Therefore Scripture adds here, “and you shall fear your God,” for this matter is privately known to the one who commits it, and no one knows about it except the person himself, and, concerning any matter known only in the heart [of one person,], Scripture says, “and you shall fear your God,” [for God knows man’s thoughts]. — [Torath Kohanim 19:80; Kid. 31b, 32b]
Usually this refers to a person over 70 but also effects honor to a Talmud Chacham.
9 For whatsoever man there be that curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death; he hath cursed his father or his mother; his blood shall be upon him.
… 12 And if a man lie with his daughter-in-law, both of them shall surely be put to death; they have wrought corruption; their blood shall be upon them.
Note as bad is this section which continues more detailed with a death warning for violation it is not an abomination from the standpoint of the Torah for if the son did not marry the woman, the father could have. They have committed a depravity: Heb. תֶּבֶל, a shameful act. Another meaning: They mingle (בּלל) the seed of the father with the seed of the son. — [see Torath Kohanim 20:108] No ‘The Bold and the Beautiful’ or ‘Days of our Lives’ type of mess. The TV writers missed on this whole section of the Torah.
13 And if a man lie with mankind, as with womankind, both of them have committed abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.
This is a clarification with the death penalty. If you want read the Rashi here: http://www.chabad.org/parshah/torahreading.asp?AID=15581&p=7&showrashi=true
14 And if a man take with his wife also her mother, it is wickedness: they shall be burnt with fire, both he and they; that there be no wickedness among you.
The rest of the Parsha goes into all sorts of Depravity like this enough to turn your stomach. AFTER READING JUST THE PSHAT OF TORAH YOU WONDER HOW REFORM “rabbis” CAN SUPPORT CONGREGATIONS OF THE WICKED AND SUPPORT ALL THE ANTI-TORAH WICKEDNESS AND PERVERSITY. Wake up my fellow Jews it is better to be a non-observant Orthodox Jew and sit in the consul of the righteous. David HaMelech put it succinctly:
Psalms Chapter 1 תְּהִלִּים
Just as I was about to go to press I opened up an e-mail from ‘Daas Torah’ and this year I did not comment on this important section of an Ephod Tzeddek and Hin Tzeddek of our Parsha, I thought that this commentary would be good for all:
B"H
This week's 2nd Torah portion, Kedoshim, teaches us the laws of being honest with our weights. This is not about diets but about weighing merchandise for customers. Before the invention of the electronic scale it was customary to weigh the merchandise on one side of the scale against stones on the other side. Tampering with these stones (even putting them in salt which makes them slightly smaller) is a sin. The verses warning us about these laws are followed by a verse
reminding us that G-d is the one who took us out of Egypt.What is the connection between leaving Egypt and this law?
Rambam (based on the Midrash) writes in his laws of theft that anyone who denies the laws of the weights is to be considered as denying the exodus from Egypt which is `the beginning of the commandments', and anyone who accepts this commandment is considered to be accepting the exodus which `is the cause of the commandments. One explanation given to this connection is that tampering with the weights is done secretly which shows that the one doing so is under the impression that G-d does not see his actions. This in contrast with the open wonders that took place in Egypt which show that G-d is on top of every situation.
Based on this explanation we would expect a reference to the miracles in Egypt in connection with every sin done in secrecy. All stealing and deceiving should fall in that category, something we do not find in the Torah.
Why is it that Rambam mentions that leaving Egypt is the beginning and reason for this commandment? Isn't that true for all the 613 commandments?
The mitzvah of the unfair weight differs from other laws dealing with dishonesty.
One does not transgress the mitzvah of stealing unless he actually stole. In order to be punishable one must steal something the worth of a `pruta'. This is a very small coin worth several cents in today's currency. Nevertheless it remains a minimum amount. Unjust weights one is not allowed to make or keep in his possession. Even if they were never used one transgresses this law. And as
opposed to all other laws, there is no minimum measurement. Any slight change in the weight is punishable. Why this stringency?
We'll understand this by explaining the difference between regular stealing and cheating the customers with unfair weights. A thief is only involved with one deed. A bad deed. His sole intention is to take away money from someone else unrightfully. The cheating merchant on the other hand is doing two contradicting
actions. He is measuring the merchandise to show the customer he is getting what he is paying for. This is an act of righteousness. Yet at the same time he is cheating him by not using real weights! That is sheer hypocrisy!
When the Torah makes rules about stealing, the focus is on the person that has been stolen from. Once he has lost the minimum amount the Torah considers an object of worth, the thief needs to replace that and has to be punished for his deed. The laws of cheating focus on the bad character of the cheater. This is evident
as soon as the person creates or possesses unjust measuring equipment.
This explains why Rambam wrote that one who `denies' the laws of the unfair measurements is as one who denies the exodus. We would have expected a different wording. Something like `whoever keeps the laws'. A thief expect G-d to be upset about his actions the same way he knows all humans will be. He doesn't deny that, he just choosesto ignore it. The cheater denies the fact that G-d can be upsetabout being dishonest at heart even before he caused any financial loss to his fellow.
This, according to the Rambam, has to do with the story of the exodus from Egypt as we will now see. In the laws of repentance he discusses free will. Although G-d knows the future and knows who will sin tomorrow, this does not take away free will. No one is forced to sin. The same way our knowledge of past events do not force those events, so does G-d's knowledge of future events not force those. Humans live in a system of time so they can only read history books. G-d is higher than time so he can read the future book too. But that has no influence on the actions of the person.
This even applies to prophecies in the Torah, Rambam continues. When G-d said "this nation will turn away and serve idols etc" this did not give anyone specific the right to be one of those turning away.And when G-d foretold Avraham that his descendants would be slaves, this did not give any Egyptian the right to be the one to enslave them. These are all actions the sinner is accountable for, for they were done out of his bad nature.
There are great sages who argued with this theory. They say that if G-d were to confront one of the idol worshipers and tell him that He had never decreed on him specifically that he was going to sin, he would be able to answer: "If not on me, than on who did you decree? On the people who didn't sin? Obviously you had me in mind!"
Concerning the case of the Egyptians they explain that the reason why they were punished is not because they enslaved the Jews on their own. Rather because they over did it. G-d had spoken about a little pain, they forced them into backbreaking labor.
Since the contra argument against the Rambam claims that only the extra dose of slavery is what caused the punishment, it follows that Rambam is not of that opinion. He maintains that whatever they did was considered part of the prophecy to Avraham that a nation was going to hurt his children.
As to the argument that every sinner can claim that after all is said and done the fact remains that G-d had already decreed that this would happen, we answer the following. When G-d decides that someone needs to be punished for some wrong doing by a punch in his face, this punch does not have to be given by anyone specific. It is up to the puncher to decide to make his fist and forcefully bring it into contact with the face of his opponent. G-d will not thank him for helping him in meting out punishments but will in turn punish him. Not so much for his deed, but for his bad nature that made him do it.
The same applies to the Egyptians. According to the Rambam they were indeed `helping' G-d fulfill his prophecy. But no one asked them to. They ended up being punished for these actions because their evil nature made them do it.
This applies to all the Egyptians, none of whom had received specific instructions from G-d to be the one to enslave the Jews. But what about pharaoh? He was the king in whose country they lived. About him we can say that he had no choice but fulfill G-d's will to enslave the Jewish people. Why then was he too punished?
Indeed, if his intentions had been to fulfill a mitzvah, he would not have been punished. His punishment came as a result of his intentions. Since he decreed all his evil decrees out of his own sadistic nature, he was a candidate to receive G-d's punishment together with all his subjects.
To summarize, ALL Egyptians were punished as a result of their bad intentions. The regular people because they volunteered out of ill intentions to be the ones to fulfill G-d's prophecy, and Pharaoh ONLY for his bad intentions although he was forced to do the actions. This explains the connection between the miraculous punishments in Egypt which were given for bad characters and not for the deeds, and the laws of cheating which are also given for the bad character even before there is any actual cheating.
Rambam picked this specific mitzvah to mention that leaving Egypt was the beginning of all Mitzvot. The Midrash tells us that Amalek attacked "on your way out of Egypt" as a result of not keeping the laws of unjust measures. Amalek is called the `first' of nations. Here too we find the concept of beginning. What is the meaning of this?
Preparing or maintaining these weights is also only a beginning. The cheater is not sticking his hand in someone else's pocket to steal. He `only' cheats him as he is `honestly' measuring the merchandise. The Torah warns us that such a beginning will have an end that willbe far worse. This is the tactic of Amalek. The numerical value of Amalek is equal to that of the word `safek' which means doubt. Amalek is not a feeling of complete rebellion against all the mitzvot. It starts with a little doubt in one of them. In the words of the Torah (not to have) "a stone and a stone". Having one `kosher' stone and one altered version is a sin. Amalek tells us to have two measuring stones. Be religious in shul but take it easy on G-d at work or at home. That is what the Torah warns us for. Keeping one yardstick for everything we do, bringing G-d into all aspects of our life equally, leads us to fulfill the Torah in its entirety.
Halachos and Mitzvos by Danny Schoemann
I do not recall if I sent this one out: Honoring parents includes providing them with food and drinks, clothing and warm covers. A child should serve his parents like a slave would serve his master. One should not obey ones parents if they request one to transgress a Mitzvah or Halacha. A father's honor takes precedence over the mother's honor, when there's a conflict. A wife is exempt from this Mitzva if her husband prevents her from doing it. One who doesn't take their parent's honor seriously has transgressed this Mitzva, unless the parents willingly allowed him to behave so. Applies to everybody, everywhere, always Verse: "Honor your father and mother" (Shemos 20:12 - 5th of the 10 commandments) Source: The Chafetz-Chaim's Sefer HaMitzvos HaKatzar; Positive Mitzvah 41
It's a Mitzva for men to get married and have children. The obligation begins when he turns 18 unless he prefers to spend all his time learning Torah, in which case he can delay getting married until his 25th birthday. Applies to men, everywhere, always Verse: "And He said to them: be fruitful and multiply" (Beresheis 1:28)
Source: The Chafetz-Chaim's Sefer HaMitzvos HaKatzar; Positive Mitzvah 43
Shulchan Aruch Eben HaEzer Siman 1 Se’if 1: A man is required to take a wife in order to “Be fruitful and multiply.” Anybody who is not engaged in procreation, it is as if he sheds blood and this eventually causes the Shechina to depart from Yisrael. Rema: Whoever does not have a wife is without blessing, without Torah, etc. and is not called Adam (meaning a complete human). When he takes a wife his sins are uprooted and he is fulfilling the will of HASHEM. It is the equivalent to shedding of blood – The Tur.
The Mitzva of marriage consists of a two-step process: First the man has to give a woman something of value in front of 2 Kosher witnesses - this is called Kidushin and requires a Bracha beforehand. He then has to write her a Ketuba and seclude himself with her, after which he says the 7 blessings (Sheva Brachos) - this is called Nisuim. They are now considered husband and wife. To get divorced, a special document has to be given from him to her - this is called a Get. One who has not studied the intricacies of the laws of marriage and divorce is not allowed to officiate at weddings or divorce proceedings. Applies to everybody, everywhere, always Verse: "When a man marries a woman... if he doesn't like her... he should write her a book of detachment" (Devarim 24:1) Source: The Chafetz-Chaim's Sefer HaMitzvos HaKatzar; Positive Mitzvah 44
Also found in my mail backlog: A judge is forbidden from taking bribes - even if he intends to mete out justice. A judge who took a bribe has to return it. A judge may be paid for his time; but only if both parties pay the same amount. Applies to everybody, everywhere, always Verse: "Do not take bribery" (Shemos 23:8) One who gives bribes to a judge has transgressed "Do not put a [spiritual] stumbling block in front of the blind" (Vayikra 19:14)
Source: The Chafetz-Chaim's Sefer HaMitzvos HaKatzar; Prohibition 71
Any animal or fowl that is considered Trafe - torn - may not be eaten, even if it was slaughtered properly. This includes:
Animals with wounds that would prevent them from living another 12 months
Animals with punctured internal organs
Animals with missing vital organs
Animals which fell and can no longer walk
Animals with certain limbs broken
One who eats a Trafah - animal or fowl - deserves 39 lashes by Bet Din. Applies to everybody, everywhere, always Verse: "And torn meat in the field do not eat" (Shemos 22:30) Source: The Chafetz-Chaim's Sefer HaMitzvos HaKatzar; Prohibition 87
Certain animal fats - like the fat around the intestines and kidneys - are sacrificed on the altar. These fats are forbidden to be eaten from those types of animals which are sacrificed; cattle, sheep and goats. All the fats from non-domestic Kosher animals - like deer - may be eaten. Applies to everybody, always, everywhere Verse: "Do not eat the Chelev-fat of the ox, sheep or goat" (Vayikra 7:23) Source: The Chafetz-Chaim's Sefer HaMitzvos HaKatzar; Prohibition 88
There's a Mitzva to not eat the blood of any animal or bird. One who eats blood on purpose deserves Kares. One who eats blood by mistake will need to bring a Korban-Chatas (sin offering) as soon as the Bet Hamikdash is rebuilt. Human blood is forbidden by Rabbinic decree, once it has separated from the body. Blood from kosher fish and kosher grasshoppers is permitted. Applies to everywhere, everybody, always Verse: "Don't eat any blood... from fowl and animals" (Vayikra 7:26) Source: The Chafetz-Chaim's Sefer HaMitzvos HaKatzar; Prohibition 89
Rosh Chodesh is a "minor" Yom Tov - and after Schacharis one adds the abridged Hallel, Torah Reading and Mussaf. All types of work are permitted on Rosh Chodesh. Some women have a family custom to not do certain types of work on Rosh Chodesh. This is a valid custom and they may not disregard it. Source: Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 97:3
One may not lace a shoelace into shoes for the first time on Shabbat. If existing shoelaces are pulled out, one can only replace them on Shabbat if the holes are wide enough that it's not a big bother to thread them. Similarly, if a drawstring gets pulled out of clothes, one can only re-thread it if the opening is wide enough so that the operation is not a big bother. One cannot thread a drawstring for the first time on Shabbat Source: Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 80:48 So do so Erev Shabbos on a new pair of shoes.
During the Omer period the great sage Rabbi Akiva (who lived during and after the destruction of the second Temple) lost almost all of his thousands of Torah students; reducing Torah Scholars to a handful. As a result, 33 days of the Omer are customarily observed as days of mourning, during which weddings and haircuts are forbidden. One may get engaged during the Omer and even celebrate with a meal, but dancing and music is not allowed. The Sandek, Mohel and father of the newborn may take haircuts the day before the Brit. Source: Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 120:6 – 9
A basting stitch is sewn with long stitches and unfinished ends. The basting stitch is used for temporarily holding sandwiched pieces of fabric in place. The stitch is removed after the piece is finished. One is not allowed to remove basting stitches on Shabbat. (This week is Shabbat Mevorchim Chodesh Iyar; Rosh Chodesh will be on Wednesday and Thursday.) Source: Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 80:47
This Shabbat we read a double Parsha; אַחֲרֵי מוֹת and קְדוֹשִׁים. When there is a double Parsha, we usually read the Haftarah of the second Parsha, except for Acharei-Mos with Kedoshim This week we will read the Haftarah of אַחֲרֵי מוֹת which is from Amos Ch. 9:7 - הֲלוֹא כִבְנֵי כֻשִׁיִּים Source: Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 79:6 Sephardim read the Haftarah of Kedoshim this week. Source: Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 128
A Lori Story: http://www.aish.com/sp/lal/91332369.html
Why can’t we Jews open up our eyes to measure for measure?
This is a very powerful statement from Valerie a non-Jew living in Northern Ireland a righteous among the nations. This past week the UK advertisers wanted to boycott ads about travel to Israel. (Lo yetoesh HASHEM Amo v’ nachalto lo ya-azov … The L-RD will not forsake HIS Nation and not leave HIS inheritance – Tehillim) Now if only the Jews would look upon Shabbos, Kashrus, and Taharos HaMishpacha to observe these the Moshiach would come immediately. What is wrong with this picture? Maybe it is my persuasion technique for I don’t want to complain against my nation so let me blame myself.
The Long Arm of Hashem's Justice:
Some people think they're smart, like the British folks who run the British Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). The day before yesterday, the senseless stuffed-shirts declared that the Western Wall and the site of our Holy Temple in Jerusalem are not part of Israel, banning Israeli Tourist adverts that included photos of these holy sites.
The bumbling Brits didn't realize that when you mess around with Jerusalem and the Wall, you mess around with Hashem.
"Aha, Great Britain - are you so brazen to discourage tourism to My Holy City?" Hashem asks. "You question MY children's right to their Father's palace? You shall not have a single tourist entering or leaving your silly Island!"
So what did Hashem do?
Hashem let a remote volcano in Iceland erupt, from the Icelandic mountain Eyjaffjalljokull, whose ash cloud grounded all air traffic above Britain yesterday, leaving thousands of passengers stranded. You see, the microscopic particles which make up volcanic ash pose a threat to aircraft because they can affect visibility and get sucked into aircraft engines, causing total breakdown.
No one remembers when British airspace was totally closed. Such a natural phenomena as an atmospheric ash cloud is one in a zillion. But, Hashem in implementing His Divine justice is defying statistics more and more as we get closer to Moshiach.
Britain's air traffic service said late Thursday it was extending a ban on most air traffic until 1200GMT (8 A.M EDT) Friday, this morning. Meanwhile the financial losses and the chaos is mindboggling.
Who else wants to fool around with Hashem and Jerusalem? Step up to the plate...
Overweight blame your genes: http://www.jpost.com/HealthAndSci-Tech/Health/Article.aspx?id=173575
Inyanay Diyoma
I am proud of the USA but when the State Dept and Obama start up with Israel this old Dry Bones cartoon says it all: http://jewsforsarah.com/wp-content/uploads/image0011.gif
Please note the Nuke Conference’s logo: http://thinkprogress.org/2010/04/14/conservatives-summit-logo/
http://www.debka.com/article/8726/ and http://www.debka.com/article/8716/
While Iran will have missiles with nuclear war heads by the end of 2014 or 2015 capable of hitting the USA: http://www.debka.com/article/8731/
Did you ever feel that you are modernizing Herman Wolk’s ‘The Winds of War’? http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3879217,00.html
Washington, D.C. (April 9, 2010) -- The Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) expressed serious concern today after a report in one of Israel's leading newspapers, Maariv, that the Obama administration is denying visas to Israeli nuclear scientists working at the nuclear research center in Dimona. In the past, scientists and researchers from Dimona have routinely come to the United States to study chemistry, physics, and nuclear engineering at American universities and to attend professional seminars.
According to the report, the Obama administration has stopped issuing visas to Dimona scientists solely because of their affiliation with the Israeli nuclear center. Reactor employees reportedly have also complained that the Obama administration has stopped selling them reactor components that the U.S. routinely sold to them in the past. Professor Zeev Alfasi, the head of Nuclear Engineering at Ben-Gurion University in the Negev, told Maariv that the U.S. has never sold nuclear material to Israel, but now the Israeli nuclear center must buy other items, such as radiation detectors, from France, because the U.S. is no longer selling anything to Dimona.
RJC Executive Director Matthew Brooks said: We are very seriously concerned by media reports that the Obama administration is denying U.S. visas to Israeli nuclear scientists working at the center in Dimona and refusing to sell equipment to them.
This would seem to be another example of the unprecedented, harsh, and hostile posture the Obama administration has adopted toward Israel. President Obama continues to extend a friendly hand to Mideast dictatorships like Iran and Syria, while slapping our most important strategic ally there - and fellow democracy - in the face.
This is apparently yet another breach in the bipartisan tradition of U.S. support for and friendship with Israel that built the U.S.-Israel alliance over many years. We call on the Obama administration to cancel any policy of discrimination against Israeli nuclear scientists and to restore the traditional friendship and cooperation that have characterized the U.S.-Israel relationship.
THE FOLLOWING IS MORE RELIGIOUS OPINION THAN AN EDITORIAL:
A SMOKE SIGNAL by Emanuel A. Winston, Middle East analyst & commentator
Observant Jews are of the opinion that G-d has been sending signals to the nations that, if mankind doesn’t change its ways, more catastrophic plagues are on the way.
Iceland, though small is well known to Jews as having citizens known to be exceptionally anti-Semitic.(1) One store has even posted a sign:"Jews not welcome" Some mentions of Hamas have also appeared. (2)
It’s poignant to see one section of the notorious thousands of miles long "Ring of Fire" under Iceland’s glaciers erupting and sending heavy ash clouds across Europe, to include England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France, Spain, Russia, Poland, Germany, the Netherlands. All of these European countries have a history of virulent anti-Semitism from the Crusades, to the English expulsion, the Spanish Inquisition, the Russian pogroms - culminating in the German Nazi Genocide. The Muslim Arab countries evicted 850,000 of their Jews who had lived there for centuries after expropriating all their property. The millstones of G-d’s justice and retribution grind slowly but, ever so fine, in time.
Many believe they had seen the Hand of G-d when Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast August 29, 2005, two weeks after 10,000 Jewish men, women and children were driven from their homes, farms, schools, synagogues, factories, innovative businesses (even their cemetery) in Gush Katif/Gaza. This was a hostile "take-over" instigated by President George W. Bush, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and the Arabist State Department.
Retribution and Justice can take many forms.
Now the volcanoes in Iceland have started up again, we might see the Hand of G-d in Retribution and Justice.
Other visible "Smoke Signals" are the daily headlines describing America’s once great nation being led into bankruptcy by a President who seems dedicated to Muslim ways straight out of Mohammed’s Koranic teachings. President Barack Hussein Obama, in linkage with the Europeans and the Terrorist Muslim and Arab nations - like Iran, Syria, Egypt and Saudi Arabia are gathering to attack and eliminate the Jewish Nation/State of Israel - as more and more deadly plagues are ramping up.
Regrettably, nations are judged by their leaders and the willingness of the people to follow, regardless, of how vile the road he chooses.
It’s instructive to see a volcano ash cloud close down Europe’s transportation, play havoc with business and commerce - and it’s not over yet. The volcanic dust cloud began around the same day as Yom HaShoah, the day most Jews commemorate the Holocaust. Now the dust is settling over Europe where the Jewish ashes from the Krupp Ovens rest.
Vital meetings have been canceled as the airlines determine that their engines can be destroyed in flight, possibly bringing their aircraft crashing to the ground, splattering their human cargo to Kingdom Come, G-d forbid. Cargo has been delayed or destroyed by the delays, costing more billions.
Meanwhile, Iceland’s first volcano continues to spew ash and other toxic chemicals into the air. A second volcano nearby which, if awakened, could spew much more. This first volcano (E5 for short) is ‘connected’ to others along the "Ring of Fire", especially Kalia a particularly vicious volcano; 15 miles away - which last time blew 2 weeks after this currently spewing E5 started erupting.
Some may recall the history of the Krakatoa volcanic eruption which blew enough material into the sky to lower the global temperature for years, causing severe crop damage (the sun’s were blocked), and famine for years. Strangely, after Krakatoa erupted, the weather-watchers, carefully noted when certain skies in certain cities were inflamed and colored by the passing high-altitude volcanic dust clouds. They produced a map showing just how these wind currents moved around the world. The first name they used for this phenomenon was the "equatorial smoke stream". Today this is the jet stream - a discovery that remains perhaps the most important legacy of Krakatoa.
The earth’s mantle is now moving, as we see from the earthquakes in Haiti, Baja California, Indonesia (Jakarta), Afghanistan, Turkey, China.... These are not merely scribbled lines on a seismograph but, high numbers on the Richter Scale.
I am searching for a prophetic statement where it speaks of the nations and their people seeking out Jews, to take them by the elbow, requesting assistance from the Jews in catastrophic times. That will be difficult, given that there are only approximately 15 million Jews left in the world after the nations decimated their Jewish populations over centuries.
In the Tanach (Bible) it speaks of "fire going out across the nations" as punishment for what they have done to G-d’s servants. Perhaps it’s coincidental that Iceland sits on what geologists call the "Ring of Fire", a 10,000 mile long crevice in the Earth’s mantle. Should it open, it would produce a very long line of fire. But, why worry, Pharaoh died thousands of years ago after the 10 Plagues that punished Egypt before he finally let them go.
Surely, Obama could not possibly be the reincarnation of Pharaoh.
COMMENTARY BY EMANUEL A. WINSTON
###
1. Iceland, the Jews, and Anti-Semitism, 1625-2004 by Vilhjálmur Örn Vilhjálmsson Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs www.jcpa.org/phas/phas-vilhjalmur-f04.htm
2. Iceland - Anti-Semitism, Hamas Support Growing in Iceland www.vosizneiias.com/iceland-anti-semitism-hamas-support-growing-iceland/
!!!!
Get ready for decades of Icelandic fireworks by Kate Ravilous April 16, 2010
We're not quite back to the pre-plane era, but air travel over and around the north Atlantic might get a lot more disrupted in the coming years.
Volcanologists say the fireworks exploding from the Eyjafjallajökull volcano on Iceland, which is responsible for the ash cloud that is grounding all commercial flights across northern Europe, may become a familiar sight. Increased rumblings under Iceland over the past decade suggest the potential for some very large bangs.
"Volcanic activity on Iceland appears to follow a periodicity of around 50 to 80 years. The increase in activity over the past 10 years suggests we might be entering a more active phase with more eruptions," says Thorvaldur Thordarson, an expert on Icelandic volcanoes at the University of Edinburgh, UK. By contrast, the latter half of the 20th century was unusually quiet.
Along with increased volcanism, more seismic activity has been recorded around Iceland, including the magnitude-6.1 quake that rocked Reykjavik in May 2008.
****
RIFTING STRAIN
In 1998 Gudrún Larsen from the University of Iceland in Reykjavik and colleagues used 800 years' worth of data from lava layers, ice cores and historical records to show that Iceland's volcanism goes through cycles of high and low activity. The peaks of these cycles seem to be strongly linked to bursts of earthquakes, which release the build-up of strain on tectonic faults near Iceland caused by the rifting of the Atlantic Ocean.
In addition, the periodicity may be linked to pulses of magma coming from the mantle and pressure fluctuations at the surface caused by glaciers melting and geothermal activity.
Larsen and colleagues showed that the Vatnajökull ice cap region – which includes the highly active Grímsvötn and Bárdarbunga volcanoes – experienced between 6 and 11 eruptions every 40 years during phases of high activity, compared with no more than three eruptions per 40 years during low-activity phases. Other regions of Iceland appear to follow a similar pattern to Vatnajökull.
As well as becoming more frequent, eruptions seem to get more intense during the high-activity phases. A number of Iceland's most devastating eruptions – including that of the volcano Laki in 1783 that killed over half of Iceland's livestock and led to a famine that wiped out about a quarter of its human population – have occurred when the Atlantic rift system has been active. "If we are entering a more active phase, these bigger eruptions will become more likely," says Thordarson.
Judging by recent volcanic and earthquake activity, Thordarson and his colleagues believe that Iceland is entering its next active phase and estimate it will last for 60 years or so, peaking between 2030 and 2040.
Journal reference: Geology , vol 26, p 943
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by Aryeh Zelasko
"In the history of the world, no tyranny has ever voluntarily relinquished power or been replaced by peaceful means."
It is human nature to take things for granted. We just assume that what is around today and what has been around in our recent past will always be there.
There are many Jews in the world that plan "some day" to come home to Israel. They expect that when they are finally ready the world will be obliging and not interfere. As we can see, we have been given a clear example of how un-obliging the world can be.
There is a tradition that at some point in time Israel will be closed off. Just as we were surrounded in the desert on all sides by the clouds of glory, so in the future a similar event will occur. It is not clear if this will happen before Moshiach comes or after. What is known is that for forty years no one will be able to leave or enter Israel. During that time there will be terrible event outside of Israel and a very large number of people will die. This will be the first judgement of the Nations. Those Jews who are living amongst them will be judged as they are. This will be due to the fact that they were voluntarily living with them and did not come to Israel when they had the opportunity to return.
From the MABUL (Noah's Flood), we know that G-D sends warnings prior to His final judgement. Prior to the MABUL there were many small disasters that were clearly unnatural. The people at the time chose to ignore these warning and continued in their stubborn evil. They formed all sorts of explanations as to why all that was happening were only "natural" events. It was just the normal cycle of "nature" and there was no need to look further.
My dear friends please, please look further.
Have a nice day Aryeh Zelasko :-) Beit Shemesh
My personal opinion: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xscZeFD2m_o
The "New Hezb’Allah" built by Syria sparks ME summer war fear from DEBKAfile forwarded with commentary by Emanuel A. Winston, Middle East Analyst & Commentator
Everything reported in the following DEBKAfile report is well known to President Barack Hussein Obama (or should be). As America’s President he should have access to U.S. Satellite observation, U.S. Humint (Human Intelligence Agents), reports by Israeli Intel and Intel reports from European agencies.
But, Obama acts as if he is unaware and continues his pacification policies toward Syria, Iran and their Terrorist proxies Hezballah and Hamas.
Obama may believe a war between Syria and Israel may bolster his re-election opportunities while he blames Israel for Syria’s move to a war footing.
Remember how Adolph Hitler moved his repressive actions against the Jews one step at a time and, when no Western nation objected and neither did the Pope, he felt free to carry through his annihilation of the Jews people in Europe, leading to the deaths of 6 million Jews and a total of 50 million dead from Hitler’s War to establish his Third Reich.
Such evil, violent bullies with the military powers to carry out their inhuman goals need to be stopped before they evolve out of their planning stages.
Obama’s seemingly deliberate inaction against Iran and/or Syria - as well as his hostile actions against Israel merely give license to Syria, Iran and their proxies, Hezb’Allah and Hamas.
COMMENTARY BY EMANUEL A. WINSTON
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The "New Hezballah" built by Syria sparks ME summer war fear DEBKAfile Exclusive Report April 18, 2010, 5:24 PM (GMT+02:00)
DEBKAfile's military sources disclose that Syria has expanded the flow of smuggled Syrian and Iranian weaponry across the Lebanese border to Hezballah in line with a master-plan charted in Tehran and Damascus for transforming the 25,000-strong Hezballah terrorist militia into an organized, mobile army with a whole range of sophisticated missiles and other weapons. The new Hezballah is being trained to carry out such offensive operations as capturing parts of Israel's Galilee and equipped with the hardware for knocking out warplanes, warships and armored strength.
One of their missions will be to defend the Syrian capital, Damascus. Tehran and Damascus calculate that the next time a war erupts on Israel's borders, its army will try and outflank Syrian forces on the Golan and drive past the units defending Damascus. That is where Hizballah is expected to come in.
Even after the Kuwaiti Al Rai claim that Syria had smuggled Scud ground missiles into Lebanon proved inaccurate and was denied in Washington, regional war tensions remained high - although not for the reason ascribed by Jordan's King Abdullah during his current visit to Washington.
The king forecast an outbreak of Middle East hostilities in the coming summer because of the Israel-Palestinian diplomatic stalemate. What's the connection? Our sources ask. Rather than admit he is nervously watching his aggressive Arab neighbor to the north, the Jordanian ruler is pinning the region's troubles on Israel because it is the right tune to sing in Barack Obama's Washington.
In actual fact, a Middle East war this summer depends on two actions which have nothing to do with the Palestinians: a decision by the US and/or Israel to strike Iran's nuclear facilities together or separately, and a decision in Tehran to unleash its allies against Israel - spearheaded by Hizballah - to preempt such an attack.
Ready to step into its new shoes, Hizballah is being armed with five major military capabilities, debkafile reports:
1. Surface-to-surface missiles able to reach as far as the Dimona reactor in southern Israel: They include Fajr-5, which has a range of 33 km, and the M-600, developed by Syria from the Fateh-110, whose range is 250 km. Both are precise, propelled by solid fuel and carry 500-kilo warheads of conventional explosives, as well as being able to deliver chemical, biological and radioactive materials.
This dangerous new arsenal tops up the 40,000 rockets Hezballah was allowed to pile up since the 2006 Lebanon war.
Saturday, April 17, Israel's deputy defense minister Mattan Vilnai, warned that Syria and Hezballah between them had ballistic missiles that could reach every millimeter of Israeli territory.
But he did not explain how the national defense leadership, of which he is a senior member, allowed this to happen.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has said nothing to account for his 14-month old government's failure to make good on its pledges for change, and first of all to deal with the Iranian nuclear threat. Instead, he follows his predecessors' same old passive routines on Iran, Syria and Hezballah, an open invitation to aggression and a recipe for armed conflict. Of late, he is hardly to be seen or heard except for the irrelevant comments he makes at state ceremonies.
2. Iran has built for Hezballah five expanded commando brigades whose mission in a future conflict will be to capture and hold key northern Israeli towns and villages, including the town of Nahariya or parts thereof. This tactic would force Israeli forces marching into Lebanon to turn back and recover lost land.
On March 28, DEBKAfile revealed this Iranian-Syrian master plan in detail.
3. Syrian instructors are training Hizballah militiamen at top speed in the operation of ground-to-air weapons, including self-propelled missiles, against warplanes and incoming missiles and cruise missiles. Israel has threatened to destroy these batteries if they cross the border into Lebanon. They are therefore being held back in Syrian bases up against the border until such time as fighting flares. They will then be transferred into the hands of Hizballah units standing by on the Lebanese side of the border.
4. Syria has set up a Hizballah special unit for attacking warships and fighting off Israeli coastal landings. It is equipped with advanced Chinese SS-26 Yakhont marine cruise missiles, which combine assault features with the ability to intercept attacking missiles or cruise missiles.
5. Iranian and Syrian military engineers have constructed fortified anti-tank lines in many parts of Lebanon. They are linked by fast highways, to be closed to all traffic barring Hezballah units in an emergency, and by a military-grade communications network. Copyright 2000-2010 DEBKAfile. All Rights Reserved.
IS OBAMA SEVERING AMERICA FROM ISRAEL? by Emanuel A. Winston, Middle East Analyst & Commentator
President Barack Hussein “Barry Soetoro” Obama indicates that he is advancing his mission to sever America from Israel - rapidly.
When the Arab Muslim nations (aka Arab League) couldn’t crush Israel in seven wars, they patiently proceeded to use their valuable oil. The oil weapon was effective in recruiting other oil-dependent nations to chew away at the U.S.-Israel relationship. The Muslim Arabs were certain that, without America, their vast numbers of Muslims, unlimited money and huge weapons’ stockpiles, would allow them to succeed in the Genocide of the Jews in the Jewish Nation/State of Israel.
Buying politicians has never been a problem. If the purchase was made when bright Muslim students were still very young, they could be sent to the best American and European universities. When they emerged with a different persona, excellent, unaccented language of the nation which hosted them, their next stop would be a series of pre-planned (and paid for) steps to higher office in their host country.
Always behind them in the Shadows was the Saudi oil money, laundered by their confederates in the host countries to patiently support their campaigns to office. But, these “students” were first taught the Koran in Islamic “madrassas” (schools that taught strictest Islam).
President Barack Hussein Obama was registered in an Indonesian school as Barry Soetoro by his stepfather Lolo Soetoro with his religion listed as Muslim and citizenship as Indonesian.
They were Muslims at birth and Muslims by brain-washing in strict Islamic schools. Once taught this form of Islam, they remained Muslims - forever - regardless of what other religion they adopted as their cover in their host Western country.
From his very first day in office as America’s President, Barack Hussein “Soetoro” Obama launched direct and indirect attacks against the Jewish Nation/State of Israel. Shortly thereafter Obama went on an “apology” tour of the world, bowing to dictators and denigrating America - promising he would change America’s face. Then he adopted an “outreach” policy to the Muslim and Arab nations. There are 22 Arab/Muslim nations plus 34 more Muslim nations, for a total of 57 Muslim countries in the world.
Obama particularly honored Iran and Syria with his favors. These two countries had assisted the “Jihadists” (warriors for Islam) who had been killing American soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. They also had aided the suicide truck bomber who blew up the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon October 23, 1983, killing 242 Marines, wounded countless others, plus the April 18, 1983 suicide bombing of the American Embassy, in West Beirut, killing 63. (1) A judge ruled that Iran was responsible for the 1983 Marine Barracks bombing. (2)
Many speculated that Obama not only kept the Muslim persona of his youth but, he may have been a “sleeper mole”serving Islamic nations, some of whom funded his Harvard and Columbia education and later his run in Chicago politics and for his short stint as Senator from Illinois.
The Jewish Nation/State of Israel has complained bitterly and rightfully so that Obama’s promises to use sanctions to stop Iran’s irrevocable march to Nuclear Capability and Nuclear Genocide. Obama’s promises were deceitful, misleading and dangerous - as well as deliberate foot-dragging. As it turned out, Obama and his advisors used every stratagem to avoid effective action to stop Iran’s acceleration of its Nuclear Empire. The promises were more directed at Israel to force them NOT to strike Iran’s 20 or so nuclear facilities than to actually stop Iran.
Others were involved in purposefully allowing Iran to achieve full Nuclear Function. We all recall the falsified NIE Report (National Intelligence Estimate) of December 2007, initiated by the U.S. State Department through the CIA during the Bush Administration falsely claiming that Iran had ceased Nuclear development in 2003. That was in the title of the 2007 NIE Report but, the body of the Report told the truth to any who cared to really read it.
The “idea” was to subvert any plans of President George W. Bush to strike any of Iran’s Nuclear facilities. You can see most of them fully displayed in the August 2008 issue of National Geographic, labeled as exactly what they were.
Clearly, this deception/subversion assisted Iran to actually Nuclearize. Clearly, this was an overt act of High Treason but, the Congress refused (so far) to act against the State Department, the NIE under its Director Dennis Blair and the CIA. This act remains on the books.
I believe that when Iran either directly or indirectly uses their Nuclear devices on America, Israel and/or Europe, President Obama will be impeached and charged with High Treason. However, at this moment in time Obama is protected by a majority in Congress who will probably not investigate Obama’s role in bringing America to her knees. (They would rightly be too embarrassed.)
Should a Nuclear device be unleashed against American cities by Islamic proxies that will be the time to start impeachment proceedings under a new Congress.
At the moment however, Obama and his appointees are vigorously working at subverting and re-partitioning Israel for the benefit of Fatah and Hamas politicians before declaring a severance between America and Israel for whatever reason, he will invent.
But, first the softening up campaign must go further along in the American public to defame Israel and insure no significant political backlash by the American public, particularly from the pro-Israel Christians and Jews.
As for Hillary, Biden, Mitchell, Rahm Emanuel and David Axelrod, their assurances of Obama’s commitment to back Israel or protect her in case of an attack, well, those assurances can be filed in the waste basket - along with every agreement with the Muslim Arabs which Israel was forced to sign - none of which were kept by the Arab Muslims.
As the famous Chinese warrior philosopher, Sun Tzu, taught - mislead your enemy (victim) with false promises of peace - or words to that effect.
That is also the Muslim principal of "al-Taqiyya' (deception, lying, dissimulation, pretense) as Mohammed put into the Koran and his “Hadith” (Oral Teachings of how he lived his life that his followers are supposed to emulate.)
Israel would give the Muslim Arabs "peace for peace" but not Jewish Land for Peace. That's a classic oxymoron.
###
1. www.historynet.com/blowup-beirut-us-marines-peacekeeping -mission-turns-deadly.htm
This period of chaos witnessed the beginning of attacks against U.S. and Western interests, such as the 18 April 1983 suicide attack at the U.S. Embassy in West Beirut, which killed 63. Following the bombing, the Reagan White House "ordered naval bombardments of Druze positions, which resulted in numerous casualties, mostly non-combatant," and the "reply to the American bombardments" was the suicide attack.[28] Then, on 23 October 1983, a devastating suicide bombing in Beirut targeted the headquarters of the U.S. and French forces, killing 241 American and 58 French servicemen.
2. http://www.search.com/reference/Lebanese civil war
With Syria arming Hezbollah with missiles and Iran repeatedly stating that they want to wipe Israel off the face of the map, it would appear that it's only a matter of time before all hell breaks loose in that region. If Iran does indeed already have nukes, and war breaks out, then Israel may have no choice but to use hers against Iran. This is all... See More speculation on my part, as their are a lot of variables to consider in this war scenario. Iran may just continue and hide behind it's cronies, letting them to their dirty work. If that's the case, then Israel will prevail, as it will be purely conventional weapons, and Israel has military superiority.
Now for last week’s Good Shabbos Story from M. Wolfberg “Talking Trash”:
Last week's parsha discusses the cleansing process of one who was stricken with tzora'as, a skin disease which struck those who spoke Lashon Horah - evil speech. The commentator Chofetz Chayim generally defines Lashon Horah as any true
Also in the general category of Lashon Horah is speech called Motzi Shem Ra. The Chofetz Chayim generally defines Motzi Shem Ra as any false negative statement about a Jew. This makes Motzi Shem Ra even more severe than Lashon Horah, because it involves falsities. An example of Motzi Shem Ra is: "Moshie abused his pet llama." In fact, the Sage Reish Lakish teaches us in the Talmud that the term "Motzi Shem Ra" is derived from the word Metzorah - the name of this week's parsha. (Erchin 15b)
The following true story about the famous S'dei Chemed - Reb Chizkiyahu Medini (1835-1908) gives us insight into the harms of Lashon Horah in general and Motzi Shem Ra in particular.
Shortly after he was married, R' Chizkiyahu Medini, later known as the S'dei Chemed, was accepted into an exclusive kollel (a yeshivah for married men). A wealthy philanthropist, R' Zorach, had agreed to support a select group of exemplary Torah scholars, in order to ensure that his town maintained the highest level of Torah observance.
A young man who lived in the neighborhood of the kollel had a deep hatred for those who studied Torah. He was a vicious man of evil intent and so he devised a malicious scheme to humiliate and disgrace the most prominent scholar of the group, R' Chizkiyahu.
The wealthy philanthropist, R' Zorach, had a maid who did the household chores. As part of her duties, the maid was required to tidy up the building where the kollel studied. She cleaned up very early in the morning, before anyone was due to arrive, so as not to disrupt the Torah learning. Only R' Chizkiyahu, who seemed to be learning all the time, was in the study hall when the maid arrived. The malicious schemer planned that one morning, as men entered the synagogue for Shacharis (morning) prayers, the maid would run out screaming, claiming that she'd been physically abused by R' Chizkiyahu. For this shameful hoax she was promised a goodly sum of money by the devious schemer.
On the chosen morning, as they had arranged, the maid came shrieking out of the synagogue much to the surprise and shock of the people about to enter. She claimed that while no one else was around, she was abused by the "vulgar" kollel student now sitting by himself in the synagogue. A commotion started, and as she continued her tirade, the young schemer began shouting that R' Chizkiyahu should be thrown out of the kollel, for not only was he a disgrace to the kollel, but to the community as well. He further demanded that R' Chizkiyahu be expelled immediately and never be allowed to come back.
Many from the crowd joined the battle cry and soon there was a mob marching to the home of R' Zorach - the supporter of the kollel, to let him know what had transpired. When R' Zorach came home, he was told of the morning's events and he rushed over to the kollel. When he arrived he found no evidence of the earlier uproar; the students were learning diligently. He quietly walked up to the bimah (central platform) and looked around without saying a word. For half an hour he observed R' Chizkiyahu sitting and studying peacefully, totally oblivious to anything else but his learning. By now a small crowd of townspeople had gathered, muttering to each other while they waited and wondered what R' Zorach would do.
After a while R' Zorach announced, "The man R' Chizkiyahu is a holy person. I don't for a moment believe one word of the maid's vicious accusation. He stays in the kollel, if he will so honor us, and from this moment onward, my maid is fired! And anyone who discusses this matter shall not put a foot into my beis midrash - (shul and study hall)."
For days afterwards, the incident was all anyone thought about - although hardly anyone spoke about it openly. The maid was paid by the instigator in secret for her role. Within a week of the incident, the instigator of the Lashon Horah against R' Chizkiyahu died suddenly. After a while, things quieted down, and people resumed their normal routine; everyone having drawn his own conclusions about the event.
Although she no longer had a job, the maid lived well from the money she had been paid. In a few months, however, her money ran out and she needed a job. While she had worked for R' Zorach she had been well paid, but now she could not find employment. One early morning she came to the synagogue to talk to R' Chizkiyahu. "I need your help," she pleaded. "I have no more money and I need a job. You know that what I said about you was a lie. I am truly sorry that I accused you falsely. In truth, I did it because I was offered a large sum of money by the young man who died shortly afterwards, and I couldn't resist the temptation. The money is gone now, and I'm willing to go to R' Zorach to admit the truth. But I need you to intervene for me to get my job back. I am ashamed to have to come to you for help, but I am desperate. Please help me."
R' Chizkiyahu was so shocked that he could hardly believe what he was hearing. With a clear mind he curbed his turbulent emotions and considered his options. On the one hand there had to be some people who believed that he was guilty of the crime he had been accused of. Thus it was a chillul Hashem (desecration of G-d's Name) for it to be known that a person learning in a kollel would behave in such an immoral manner. If he now revealed the maid's admission, that would certainly clear his name, but once again there would be a chillul Hashem for it to be known that one Jew could perpetrate such an act against another by scheming with the maid.
And so, the S'dei Chemed thought, what would Hashem gain? Either way there was a desecration of His Name, so why do something that would only bring everlasting shame and humiliation for the dead young man who had planned the hoax? Therefore, R' Chizkiyahu told the maid that he would try to help her in a different way. He knew of another wealthy individual who might need a maid for his home. If he could convince this man to hire her, she could have a job and the whole malicious plan of the past would not have to be revealed. And so R' Chizkiyahu approached the affluent man and convinced him to hire the maid.
After he completed the story, the S'dei Chemed added,"... and when I walked out of that man's home, after he had agreed to hire the maid, I felt as if my mind had opened wide and Hashem had rewarded me with knowledge of kol haTorah kulah - the entire Torah, all because I was concerned only with Hashem's honor, and not with my own." (R' Pesach Krohn, The Maggid Speaks, p.58)
Besides learning a lesson about the evils of Lashon Horah, we also see the midos - character traits of Torah scholars such as the S'dei Chemed, who was able to forgive the maid who had wronged him.
It should be enough that the Torah forbids Lashon Horah. However, the Sages, wishing to emphasize the severity of this violation, have expressed in many places the evil of Lashon Horah. For example, the Sages tell us, "Anyone who speaks Lashon Horah and anyone listens and accepts Lashon Horah as being true… is fit to be thrown to the dogs." (Pesachim 118a) Also, "Anyone who speaks Lashon Horah should be killed by stoning." (Erchin 15b) And if this were not bad enough, the Sages go on to tell us: "Concerning one who speaks Lashon Horah, the Holy One blessed be He says, 'he and I cannot live [together] in this world.'" (Ibid.)
Let us be inspired by this week's discussion to dedicate and rededicate ourselves to avoiding speaking bad about others. A simple rule to remember which has helped many is: "Don't mention mentschen (people)." If we avoid talking about others, we will avoid most forms of Lashon Horah. Good Shabbos Everyone. negative statement about a Jew. For example, "Yanky is lazy." Yanky may very well be lazy, but we are forbidden to relate this fact to others, barring certain limited exceptions. Speaking or listening to Lashon Horah is forbidden by the Torah; just as eating pork or stealing are also forbidden.
Mr. Wolfberg’s Shabbos sponsored by: Refuah Shleima to Mordechai Menachem Mendel ben Tziporah Yitta Refuah Shleima to Tsviah bas Bracha Leah
In memory of Shosha Malka bas R' Avrohom 21 Cheshvan Refuah Shleimah to Chana Ashayra bas Dodi
Have and wonderful restful and peaceful Shabbos,
Rachamim Pauli
