Daniel Aryeh, who was injured by the anti-tank missile, passed away. HY”D
Note there is a story in the Parsha this week.
Robert Lowry posted this quote:
Parsha Kedoshim
This week’s Parsha is dedicated to holiness and what makes holiness.
Here are a few examples from the Tanach on Holiness: The Zohar opens up with Mankind is better than a horse or a mule which has no understanding and with the Medrash, there are a list of Pasukim of which I added two which are underlined:
Yechezkel 38:23 Thus will I magnify Myself, and sanctify Myself, and I will make Myself known in the eyes of many nations; and they shall know that I am the LORD. Combined with Tehillim 9:16, Thou hast rebuked the nations, Thou hast destroyed the wicked, Thou hast blotted out their name for ever and ever. Micah 6:5 O My people, remember now what Balak king of Moab devised, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him; from Shittim unto Gilgal, that ye may know the righteous acts of the LORD. and Yermiyahu 16:21 Behold, I will send for many fishers, says the LORD, and they shall fish them; and afterward I will send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain, and from every hill, and out of the clefts of the rocks.
Tehillim 14:7 Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! When the LORD turneth the captivity of His people, let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.
Tehillim 19:9 – 10 The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the ordinances of the LORD are true, they are righteous altogether;
Tehillim 20:2 The LORD answer thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob set thee up on high;
Tehillim 32:9 Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding; whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, that they come not near unto thee.
Tehillim 56:11 In God--I will praise His word--in the LORD--I will praise His word--
Tehillim 92:9 But Thou, O LORD, art on high for evermore.
Tehillim 100:1 A Psalm of thanksgiving. Shout unto the LORD, all the earth. 2 Serve the LORD with gladness; come before His presence with singing. 3 Know ye that the LORD He is God;
Tehillim 110:2 The rod of Thy strength the LORD will send out of Zion: 'Rule thou in the midst of thine enemies.'
Tehillim 111:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all they that do thereafter; His praise endures for ever.
Tehillim 116:3 The cords of death compassed me, and the straits of the nether-world got hold upon me; I found trouble and sorrow. This and Yeshaya 8:1 with the rustling of wings I could not find the connection with being holy.
Tehillim 133:3 Like the dew of Hermon, that cometh down upon the mountains of Zion; for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for ever.
Tehillim 134:3 The LORD bless thee out of Zion; even He that made heaven and earth.
Yeshaya 2:3 And many peoples shall go and say: 'Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths.' For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
Yeshaya 5:16 But the LORD of hosts is exalted through justice, and God the Holy One is sanctified through righteousness.
Yeshaya 6:2 and 3 Above Him stood the seraphim; each one had six wings: with twain he covered his face and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. Modesty And one called unto another, and said: Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory.
When somebody profanes THE NAME then 1 Shmuel 3:4 that the LORD called Samuel; and he said: 'Here am I.'
When Am Yisrael is a Holy Nation then 2 Shmuel 7:23 And who is like Thy people, like Israel, a nation one in the earth, whom God went to redeem unto Himself for a people, and to make Him a name, and to do for Thy land great things and tremendous, even for you, [in driving out] from before Thy people, whom Thou didst redeem to Thee out of Egypt, the nations and their gods?
Bamidbar 18:19 All the heave-offerings of the holy things, which the children of Israel offer unto the LORD, have I given thee, and thy sons and thy daughters with thee, as a due for ever; it is an everlasting covenant of salt before the LORD unto thee and to thy seed with thee.'
Pinchas Sanctifies THE NAME Bamidbar 25:10 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 11 'Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, hath turned My wrath away from the children of Israel, in that he was very jealous for My sake among them, so that I consumed not the children of Israel in My jealousy. 12 Wherefore say: Behold, I give unto him My covenant of peace; 13 and it shall be unto him, and to his seed after him, the covenant of an everlasting priesthood; because he was jealous for his God, and made atonement for the children of Israel.'
Iyob 1:21 And he said; naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither; the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.
Melachim 1 22:23 Now therefore, behold, the LORD hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets; and the LORD hath spoken evil concerning thee.'
Divrei HaYamim 2 13:5 ought ye not to know that the LORD, the God of Israel, gave the kingdom over Israel to David forever, even to him and to his sons by a covenant of salt?
Salt was of great value those days as a preservative hence the old expression: “He’s worth his weight in salt”.
Yoel 2:15 Blow the horn in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly;
Mishlei 9:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the All-holy is understanding.
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.
I heard a story this week of a near death experience. It supposedly happened 11 years ago while one person told me the story is written in the Zohar. The story appeared to be very pungent with Mussar which led me to believe that it was tampered with for extra Charedi purposes. I therefore am condensing two pages of Hebrew and making the Mussar more palatable to people as my wife and I questioned the pungency of the message.
One of the listens to the story said that this is from the Holy Zohar and did not occur 11 years ago. The Story is one of a near death experience. A woman in Yerushalayim did not feel well and went to lay down during the Shabbos Table. She saw an Black Angel with a long sword coming at her. She wanted to say the Shema but the Angel was preventing her and he offered her a fruit to bite that would enable her to say the Shema but she refused and then came out spiritual garbage that she had accumulated called Kelipos which are shells or rinds of incomplete Mitzvos or half-hearted Mitzvos. She was being attacked by them and her body was becoming black and blue from the attack.
The Angel and the Kelipos accused this very modestly dressed woman, stockings, head covering, modest garments, etc. of attracting me through her loud voice and of Lashon Hara. She was being beaten by them mercilessly. Finally a white Angel came to help her say the Shema. She then saw her body below and the white Mitzvos were weighed against the Kelipos but still the dark side outweighed the light side. Until she took it upon herself not to speak good or bad about anybody for by speaking good one could say something like “yes, but” so when she did that the scales took a turn to her favor. Her modest dress helped but the immodest voice attracting attention to her ruined a lot of modesty.
When she was revived, she showed her sister all the welts that she had received from the Kelipos and how horrible it was.
Rabbis then told her to tell her story about guarding modesty not only in dress for holiness but also in voice and even more so not to fragrance oneself with expensive and much perfume that men would have to turn around to look at the person. These are degrees of holiness. So in short a holy Jewish woman is not boisterous, flaunting body parts in public and drawing attention to herself. As for speaking Lashon Hara see below:
Michael Z. sent me this list regarding Lashon Hara but it is missing the 3 curses from the Torah. Here is a list of some of the negative commandments from the Torah related to Lashon Hara!!
1. "You shall not go about as a talebearer among your people" (Vayikra 19:16)
2. "You shall not utter a false report" (Shemos 23:1)
3. "Take heed concerning the plague of leprosy" (Devarim 24:8)
4. "Before the blind do not put a stumbling block" (Vayikra 19:14)
5. "Beware lest you forget the Lord, your G-d" (Devarim 8:11)
6. "You shall not profane My holy name" (Vayikra 22:32)
7. "You shall not hate your brother in your heart" (Vayikra 19:12)
8. "You shall not take vengeance nor bear any grudge against the children of your people" (Vayikra 19:18)
9. "You shall not take vengeance nor bear any grudge against the children of your people" (Vayikra 19:18)
10. "One witness shall not rise up against a man for iniquity or for any sin" (Devarim 19:15)
11. "You shall not follow a multitude to do evil" (Shemos 23:2)
12. "You shall not act similar to Korach and his company" (Bamidbar 17:5)
13. "You shall not wrong one another" (Vayikra 25:17)
14. "(You shall rebuke your neighbor) and you shall not bear sin because of him" (Vayikra 19:17)
15. "Any widow or orphan shall you not afflict" (Shemos 22:21)
16. "You shall not pollute the land wherein you are" (Bamidbar 35:33)
17. "You shall not curse the deaf" (Vayikra 19:14)
Positive Commandments Relating to Lashon Hara
1. "Remember what the Lord you G-d did until Miriam by the way as you came forth out of Egypt" (Devarim 24:9)
2. "Love your neighbor as yourself" (Vayikra 19:18)
3. "In righteousness shall you judge your neighbor" (Vayikra 19:15)
4. "If your brother be waxen poor and his means fail him when he is with you, then you shall uphold him" (Vayikra 25:35)
5. "You shall rebuke your neighbor" (Vayikra 19:17)
6. "To Him shall you cleave" (Devarim 10:20)
7. "You shall fear My sacred place" (Vayikra 19:30)
8. "Before the old person you shall rise up, and you shall honor the face of the sage" (Vayikra 19:32)
9. "You shall sanctify Him" (Vayikra 21:8)
10. "Honor your father and mother" (Shemos 20:12) (see also fearing your parents a few lines down)
11. "The Lord your G-d shall you fear" (Devarim 10:20)
12. "You shall teach them diligently to your children, and you shall talk of them by the way when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up" (Devarim 6:7)
13. "From a false matter you shall keep yourself far" (Shemos 23:7)
14. "Walk in His ways" (Devarim 28:9) [See also the Measure for Measure Story below]
3 Ye shall fear every man his mother, and his father, and ye shall keep My Sabbaths: I am the LORD your God.
Shabbos is one of the foundations of holiness. The above story or the modest lady and Lashon Hara is only part of the story. For each person gets judged on his own level. One person will come from nothing to light the Shabbos Candles, make Kiddush, eat Challah and make Havdalah and that is a world shaking event. Another needs to sing more etc. on Shabbos. So for the Reform Jew to come to observe Shabbos and not go swimming, sailing, dancing or dating on a Friday night that moves the balance for Moshiach while for a Frum (religious) from birth Jew not to sing songs or do something special on Shabbos, it does not move the world closer to Moshiach. The observation of Shabbos will eventually bring about Moshiach. So when one sees a Jew violating the Shabbos, one sees a delay in the Moshiach’s coming and redemption until the final date which is the point of no return. For up until this time, one could repent or want to convert to Judaism. But after this time it is too late if one has become a potential convert; or Shabbos Observe in the beginning stages, he will be allowed to continue but all others may be prevented or made very rare.
Just as violating Shabbos is a desecration of the DIVINE NAME so are bad things that Orthodox Jews do. I remember when M. from Bene Barak was caught having relations with a 16 year old youth, his picture was put in the Newspapers and his father-in-law’s heart could not take it. While further down in the article was some character that had attacked a 3 year old girl who was arraigned in the same court but he was non-religious so the desecration was less.
… 9 And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corner of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleaning of thy harvest. 10 And thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather the fallen fruit of thy vineyard; thou shalt leave them for the poor and for the stranger: I am the LORD your God.
The Torah forces poor farmers to remember where their sustenance comes from and that if they don’t want to be on the gleaming end they better let the poor gleam.
11 Ye shall not steal; neither shall ye deal falsely, nor lie one to another.
The ‘Thou shall not steal’ of the Decalogue is talking about a human being and enslaving him. Here it is only financial and also a derivative of ‘Not bearing false witness’ for a lie to a person or a false witness is really not different. The distinction being the white lie to bring peace at home between husband and wife where the Torah does not particularly approve of this but twists words that Sarah said by reversing instead of ‘My husband is old’ becomes, ‘I am old’.
12 And ye shall not swear by My name falsely, so that thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD.
This is similar to not taking the name in vain but with a slightly different twist as the first case is more in a cursing and here in ‘I swear by the life of Bashir Assad that I saw two camels take your bicycle.’
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.
A thief mentioned above sneaks around and take things while a here it is an out and out confrontation with a brut or armed robber.
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.
Taking advantage of anybody by bullying is disgusting. Once a Rabbi taught the laws of Pessach to his town: He told them they could only make Matzos from water shel lanu (which verbally in Hebrew would me either shel lanu = of ours or shel lanu = that rested {overnight} so as to be cool. The townspeople were willing to pay the Rav for his water but he told them the truth. How many times have religious people heard that the Heckshir of Orthodox Rabbi so and so is no good? Or only the Heckshir of so and so or this Rebbe is good. I could vomit over these people who want to do what they do to themselves to force on others.
Putting a stumbling block before the blind should be taken in a broader sense. For one should not put a Halachic or health stumbling block before people. How is this so; one should not leave cash around Mr. Kleptomaniac or bring a man trying to repent named Don Juan back stage to meet chorus girls. But the worst Jewish tradition is trying to stuff a guest and tell him just for the sake of a Bracha as many of us, myself included, are in a constant fight with our inclination to eat a kosher Bavarian Cream Pie vs. guarding our health. The rule applies to all forms of the Yetzer – you look tired go to sleep. One has to fight all of these.
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.
I don’t want to be in the shoes of many a Judge – Rabbinical or Otherwise when the Moshiach comes.
One of the main things in holiness is to control one’s urges – to be lazy, anger, steal, be a glutton and the strongest urge especially in our youth is that of the libido.
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.
Just because one is not put to death in this world does not mean that the piper will not be paid in the next.
28 Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor imprint any marks upon you: I am the LORD.
One does not have to go too far but a newsreel to see Hezballah make cuttings on their heads and flesh for blood.
29 Profane not thy daughter, to make her a harlot, lest the land fall into harlotry, and the land become full of lewdness.
No matter how poor and how much one needs money never lower oneself to this degradation for once the land becomes lewd, HASHEM throws us out. Lewdness is just the opposite of holiness.
30 Ye shall keep My sabbaths, and reverence My sanctuary: I am the LORD.
Observing the Shabbos “Remember the Shabbos and keep it holy” is part of being holy.
35 Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment, in meter yard, in weight, or in measure. 36 Just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin, shall ye have: I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt. 37 And ye shall observe all My statutes, and all Mine ordinances, and do them: I am the LORD
Righteous standardized weights and measures prevent thievery and usually manufacturers will put in a few grams more into a kilogram so as not to be accused of falsifying weights. Government inspectors allow for a divergence. Also expiry dates on foods or medicines are sometimes days or months under to prevent lawsuits but regarding medicines that could be stealing as if one dates a medication good until Tammuz when one knows that it is really good in 99.9999% of the cases until Tevet he is stealing from the customer who may throw out the medication in Av which is still good and buy another. The law should state best to use before so and so and final date before possible spoilage is so and so but instead manufacturers fear ungrounded lawsuits and everybody suffers with injustice. The Torah then returns back to moral excessiveness.
20:10 And the man that commits adultery with another man's wife, even he that commits adultery with his neighbor's wife, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death. 11 And the man that lies with his father's wife--he hath uncovered his father's nakedness--both of them shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them. 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. 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 act repeated from chapter 18:22 is again called an abomination. According to the Arizal, Kalba Savua was a homosexual in his past life. Because of his great charity; he was allowed to return as a woman in this life to satisfy his Yetzer. He came in the form of the wife of Chaim Vital and the couple being both male souls could not have children. The Ari prayed and they had a child which culminated in the fulfillment of the soul’s mission on earth and Chaim married a second wife who reared the baby. ONE CANNOT MAKE UP THE EXCUSE THAT HASHEM MADE A MISTAKE AND PUT A FEMALE SOUL IN A MALE’S BODY AND VICE VERSE TO JUSTIFY THIS HENIOUS ACT. HASHEM MAKES NO MISTAKES AND IT IS A TEST OR A TIKUN OF THE NESHAMA AND HAS TO BE ACTED OUT IN FULL DESPITE THE YETZER OR DESIRE OF THE MALE OR FEMALE SOUL TO BE WHAT IS MAYBE SHOULD BE. THIS IS A TEST AND A TIKUN!
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. 15 And if a man lie with a beast, he shall surely be put to death; and ye shall slay the beast. 16 And if a woman approach unto any beast, and lie down thereto, thou shalt kill the woman, and the beast: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.
This perversion like homosexual relations interferes with the purpose of procreation and the whole physical existence of the world. Instead of being holy the persons doing these acts sink to the level of depravity and wickedness. Such a blight on the world has to be erased as since the human dies because of his perversion so too must the beast.
17 And if a man shall take his sister, his father's daughter, or his mother's daughter, and see her nakedness, and she see his nakedness: it is a shameful thing; and they shall be cut off in the sight of the children of their people: he hath uncovered his sister's nakedness; he shall bear his iniquity. 18 And if a man shall lie with a woman having her sickness, and shall uncover her nakedness--he hath made naked her fountain, and she hath uncovered the fountain of her blood--both of them shall be cut off from among their people. 19 And thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy mother's sister, nor of thy father's sister; for he hath made naked his near kin; they shall bear their iniquity. 20 And if a man shall lie with his uncle's wife--he hath uncovered his uncle's nakedness--they shall bear their sin; they shall die childless. 21 And if a man shall take his brother's wife, it is impurity: he hath uncovered his brother's nakedness; they shall be childless. 22 Ye shall therefore keep all My statutes, and all Mine ordinances, and do them, that the land, whither I bring you to dwell therein, vomit you not out.
LIVING IN ERETZ YISRAEL IS CONDITIONAL NOT EVERYBODY DESERVES TO LIVE HERE AND THERE IS A LIMIT TO PATIENCE OF HASHEM YISBORACH.
B"H The Parable of the Drunkards I read in the Medrash but had no strength to copy the story but Yaffa did it for me and she deserves a strengthening for it.
"PARSHA KEDOSHIM" (Lev. 19:1-20:27)
"Ye shall be holy." Said the Holy One, Blessed be He, to Moses, "Go tell Israel, My children, just as I am pure, you be pure, just as I am holy, you be holy." Said Rabbi Jodan in the name of Rabbi Samuel bar Nachman. A king once said to his favored servant, take good care of this vest of mine that it be perfectly aired and clean. Said the servant, your Majesty, You have so many royal garments, why do you tell me to take special care of this vest? Because, answered the king, this vest I put directly on my person, it cleaves to me.
Similarly Moses said to G-d, 'You have seventy nations in the world, why do you give me so many instructions concerning the people of Israel only?' Answered G-d, because they are nearest to Me, they cleave to me.
Rabbi Simeon Ben Gamliel put it in another way. A Cohain Gadol (High Priest) was walking on the road. He met a man who said to him, may I accompany you? Replied the Priest, my son, I am a Priest and walk only on a clean path, I do not walk through a cemetery. If you want to walk with me, you will have to avoid all unclean places. Similarly Moses said to Israel, you must keep clean, pure, and holy, for the L-rd thy G-d walks in the midst of thy camp, that He sees no unseemly thing in thee and turn away from thee. (Deut. 23).
The portion of Kedoshim teaches us not only to abstain from indulgence in things which are prohibited to us, but also to use moderation in things that are permitted to us. For instance, kosher goods and kosher wines are permitted, but if we indulge in them to such an extent that we become gluttons and drunkards, then, obviously, we cannot be regarded as "holy."
For exercising moderation in our daily life without indulging in superfluous things we are promised a very great reward, a reward denied even to the angels. Said Rabbi Abon. A king had a wine cellar and placed men to guard it. Some men were Nazirites (men who do not drink wine), and some were habitual drunkards. In the evening when the king inspected the cellar and saw that no wine was missing he began dealing out the reward.
To the drunkards he gave a reward twice as great as the one he gave to the Nazirites. Said they, 'Your Majesty, we all guarded the wine cellar equally, why do you give to some of us twice as much as to others?' Said the king, the drunkards had a more difficult task, for it is their habit to drink, yet they carried out my command faithfully. Similarly G-d says to the angels, 'You have no evil inclination. It is not difficult for you to be holy. But the human being has evil inclinations. If he remains pure and holy, he surely deserves a double reward.' Medrash Rabbah this week and Sources: Deut. 23, Rabbi Jodan, Rabbi Samuel bar Nachman, Rabbi Abon.
Yaffa
"Beyond all of the differences that stand between us, we are all the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We are all one family, with one land, and one destiny."
"PRAY FOR THE PEACE OF ISRAEL"
Perkei Avos Chapter 1
Between Pessach and Shavuos it is customary on Shabbos to learn Perkei Avos. Avos starts out with all of Yisrael have a place in the next world. However, as we saw in this week’s Parsha there are conditions such as violations of certain Mitzvos which cut off the soul via Kares from that portion and either no portion is earned or just an inkling of a portion.
1. Moses received the Torah from Sinai and gave it over to Joshua. Joshua gave it over to the Elders, the Elders to the Prophets, and the Prophets gave it over to the Men of the Great Assembly. They [the Men of the Great Assembly] would always say these three things: Be cautious in judgment. Establish many pupils. And make a safety fence around the Torah.
When Moshe died immediately 3000 verbal Halachos were forgotten. Yehoshua and the Chachamim prayed and all but 700 were regained. When the Moshiach comes these 700 will become clear to us! Written and Oral Torah was passed down from Moshe to Yehoshua and Pinchas who in turn taught the Elders and the Judges. Just as Metushalach lived when Adam was alive and Noach his grandson gave it to Shem and Ever who taught Yacov so the chain after Moshe was even stronger. For even if one never met a previous Sage perhaps ones parents did. For Example: My younger grandchildren were born after Rabbis Feinstein and Schach passed away yet their parents hear either Torah from them or in their name when they were alive. I had a father who grew up in a family where my grandfather broke away from all tradition. Yet some of the Agadda was orally told to my father who told me in order that moral lessons be passed down. It was only a while after my father had already passed away did I learn them from books. A Jew can throw off what he thinks is all of Judaism but that spark from Sinai is still buried deep down inside.
2. Shimon the Righteous was among the last surviving members of the Great assembly. He would say: The world stands on three things: Torah, the service of G-d, and deeds of kindness.
There is a paradox in the tradition. If there is no Torah there will be no flour (food) and if there is no flour there will be no Torah. In order for the Gashmiyus world to exist one needs people who learn Torah and pray for food. If the wicked were to destroy the 36 hidden Tzaddikim, the world would cease to exist and mankind would go the way of the dinosaurs. Therefore a balance of a minimum of Torah allows for a minimum of life on this planet. In this case it is not the spiritual world but the physical world depends on Torah. In my Inyanay Diyoma I discuss the relationship between the US Policy towards Israel and the massive flooding and Tornados in the Central States. When Teva (Nature) Gematria 86 goes very haywire in a country they should check their deeds and leaders like Nineveh in the book of Yona. For Teva and ELOKIM both have the Gematria 86 and WHOM do we really think is in charge of nature?
Service: The Avoda of the Beis HaMikdash is written but today our prayer 3 times a day replaces it. While the Bnei Noach are bound by laws and we Jews by 15, 600 plus Halachos it is what goes beyond the law for good that brings peace and existence into the world. For when a Goy brings food to an unknown stranger who just lost his possessions in a Tornado and Hurricane and perhaps a blanket and a place to bathe those deeds go before HASHEM. There is not a week that goes by when somebody comes into the Synagogue with a charity request sometimes to the extent that people run out of change or are overwhelmed by the number of requests. There are over 2 million people in Israel under the poverty level. If I were to give a 100th of a Shekel to all it would be more than twice my salary after Tax deduction. So one is only required by the Torah to give 10% of his earnings to charity and by extra righteousness 20%.
In conclusion Torah leads to Repentance and combined with Prayer and Charity the world continues to exist.
3. Antignos of Socho received the tradition from Shimon the Righteous. He would say: Do not be as slaves, who serve their master for the sake of reward. Rather, be as slaves who serve their master not for the sake of reward. And the fear of Heaven should be upon you.
Don’t look for a reward in this world. Our Soul is built for raising the world and our real place is the next world so let us do what should be done to raise humanity towards the DIVINE and let us avoid depravity which comes from excess pleasures in this world.
4. Yossi the son of Yoezer of Tzreidah, and Yossi the son of Yochanan of Jerusalem, received the tradition from them. Yossi the son of Yoezer of Tzreidah would say: Let your home be a meeting place for the wise; dust yourself in the soil of their feet, and drink thirstily of their words.
As the generations weakened one man could no longer lead to be both ruler and Av Beis Din. The leadership for continuing the tradition was split. The person who has Chachamim come into his house will show the way of tradition to his children that the Torah will not leave his mouth or the mouth of his seed forever.
5. Yossi the son of Yochanan of Jerusalem would say: Let your home be wide open, and let the poor be members of your household. And do not engage in excessive conversation with a woman. This is said even regarding one's own wife--how much more so regarding the wife of another. Hence, the sages said: One who excessively converses with a woman causes evil to himself, neglects the study of Torah, and, in the end, inherits purgatory.
This is a paradox too. (1) For if one talks too much with his wife he will end up being pulled away from Torah and all the more so if he talks with her and her friends. If the friend is unmarried he might want to pursue her as a second wife, mistress or even replacement to his wife. When a male is among females the Yetzer is in a holiday mood and it is easy to pull him away from Torah. (2) The second side of the Paradox is that one has to treat his wife like his own physical body. So if his leg, arm, ear or stomach was to complain he would have to try to find a solution to solve the problem and before the fulfillment of the Mitzvah of Be Fruit and Multiply, one must talk nice words to one’s wife.
The Paradox is resolved by setting aside time for talking either by taking a walk & talk which is also good for physical health or a particular time. With the age of cellphones one can be constantly in contact with the partner miles apart and while on the whole is good for some information it sometimes becomes annoying. Therefore one should find with his own partner the right limits between talking and distracting from Torah learning.
The translation taken from: http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/682498/jewish/English-Text.htm
The Counting of the Omer
Although I brought down the Halacha before Pessach that one should count the Omer, I did not give examples of Omer Counting. The Sefiros go Chessed (guttural Ch.) which is mercy/love/compassion, Gevurah which Rabbi Jacobson translates as Severity or discipline, Tiferes which is beauty/glory, Nesach with is endurance/lasting, Hod which is splendor/glory, Yesod which is foundation and Malchus which is kingship/rule and with 49 days we have combinations of the Sefiros within the other Sefiros. The first week which passed was Chessed and as I publish this we will be in the beginning of Gevurah.
BA-RUCH A-TAH ADO-NAI E-LO-HE-NU ME-LECH HA-OLAM ASHER KID-E-SHA-NU BE-MITZ-VO-TAV VETZI-VA-NU AL SEFI-RAT HA-OMER Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us concerning the counting of the Omer.
Then we say today is so and so day which is so and so weeks in Omer. (Example - today is day nine which is one week and two days in Omer)
May the Merciful One restore the Holy Temple to its place, speedily in our days; Amen.
For the Choirmaster; a song with instrumental music; a Psalm. May G-d be gracious to us and bless us; may He make His countenance shine upon us forever; that Your way be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations. The nations will extol You, O G-d; all the nations will extol You. The nations will rejoice and sing for joy, for You will judge the peoples justly and guide the nations on earth forever. The peoples will extol You, O G-d; all the peoples will extol You, for the earth will have yielded its produce and G-d; our G-d, will bless us. G-d will bless us; and all, from the farthest corners of the earth, shall fear Him.
We implore you, by the great power of Your right hand, release the captive. Accept the prayer of Your people; strengthen us, purify us, Awesome One. Mighty One, we beseech You, guard as the apple of the eye those who seek Your Oneness. Bless them, cleanse them; bestow upon them forever Your merciful righteousness. Powerful, Holy One, in Your abounding goodness, guide Your congregation. Only and Exalted One, turn to Your people who are mindful of Your holiness. Accept our supplication and hear our cry, You who knows secret thoughts. Blessed be the name of the glory of His kingdom forever and ever.
Master of the universe, You have commanded us through Moses Your servant to count Sefirat Ha-Omer, in order to purify us from our evil and uncleanness. As You have written in Your Torah, "You shall count for yourselves from the day following the day of rest, from the day on which you bring the Omer as a wave-offering; shall be for seven full weeks. Until the day following the seventh week shall you count fifty days," so that the souls of Your people Israel may be cleansed from their defilement. Therefore, may it be Your will, L-rd our G-d and G-d of our fathers, that in the merit of the Sefirat Ha-Omer which I counted today, the blemish that I have caused in the sefirah be rectified and I may be purified and sanctified with supernal holiness. May abundant bounty thereby be bestowed upon all the worlds. May it rectify our nefesh, ruach and neshamah from every baseness and defect, and may it purify and sanctify us with Your supernal holiness. Amen, selah.
Day One of Week 2: Chesed of Gevurah
8th Day of the Omer April 27th about 20 minutes after sunset throughout the daylight hours of April 28th
Week Two - Gevurah
If love (chesed) is the bedrock of human expression, discipline (gevurah) is the channels through which we express love. It gives our life and love direction and focus. Take a laser beam: Its potency lies in the focus and concentration of light in one direction rather than fragmented light beams dispersed in all different directions.
Gevurah - discipline and measure - concentrates and directs our efforts, our love in the proper directions. Another aspect of gevurah is - respect and awe. Healthy love requires respect for the one you love.
Day One of Week 2 (8th day of Omer): Chesed of Gevurah
The underlying intention and motive in discipline is love. Why do we measure our behavior, why do we establish standards and expect people to live up to them - only because of love. Even judgement of the guilty is only to express love. In other words punishment is not vengeance; it is just another way to express love by cleansing anything antithetical to love. Tolerance of people should never be confused with tolerance of their behavior. On the contrary: love for people includes wanting them to be the best they can and therefore helping them be aware of anything less than perfect behavior.
Chesed of gevurah is the love in discipline; awareness of the intrinsic love that feeds discipline and judgement. It is the recognition that your personal discipline and the discipline you expect of others is only an expression of love. And that comes across when disciplining. It is the understanding that we have no right to judge others; we have a right only to love them and that includes wanting them to be their best.
Ask yourself: when I judge and criticize another is it in any way tinged with any of my own contempt and irritation? Is there any hidden satisfaction in his failure? Or is it only out of love for the other?
Exercise for the day: Before you criticize someone today think twice if it is out of care and love.
Day Two of Week 2: Gevurah of Gevurah
9th Day of the Omer April 28th about 20 minutes after sunset
Examine the discipline factor of discipline. Is my discipline disciplined or is it excessive. Do I have enough discipline in my life and in my interactions? Am I organized? Is my time used efficiently? Why do I have problems with discipline and what can I do to enhance it? Do I take time each day for personal accounting of my schedule and accomplishments? Does my discipline include the other six aspects (see here for more on these traits), without which discipline cannot be effective and healthy?
Exercise for the day: Make a detailed plan for spending your day and at the end of the day see if you've lived up to it.
Day Three of Week 2: Tiferet of Gevurah
10th Day of the Omer
Not just love but compassion has to drive discipline. Love comes from recognizing one's merits and positive qualities (discipline channels and directs those strengths and weeds out the negative). Compassion is unconditional love. It is love just for the sake of love, not considering the others position. Tiferet is a result of total selflessness in the eyes of G-d. You love for no reason; you love because you are a reflection of G-d.
Does my discipline have this element of compassion?
Exercise for the day: Be compassionate to someone you have reproached.
Day Four of Week 2: Netzach of Gevurah
11th Day of the Omer
Effective discipline must be enduring and tenacious. Is my discipline consistent or only when forced? Am I perceived as a weak disciplinarian?
Exercise for the day: Extend the plan you made on day two for a longer period of time, listing short-term and long-term goals and review and update it each day, and see how consistent you are; if you follow through.
Day Five of Week 2: Hod of Gevurah
12th Day of the Omer
The results of discipline and might without humility are obvious. The greatest catastrophes have occurred as a result of people sitting in arrogant judgement of others. Am I arrogant in the name of justice (what I consider as just)? Do I ever think that I sit on a higher pedestal and bestow judgement on my subjects below? What about my children? Students?
A judge has to be the most humble of creatures, recognizing that he sits in judgement not by his own merit but only because G-d gave the right to judge His children.
Exercise for the day: Don't judge anyone unless you are doing so selflessly with no personal bias.
Day Six of Week 2: Yesod of Gevurah
13th Day of the Omer
For discipline to be effective it must be coupled with commitment and bonding. Both in disciplining yourself and others there has to be a sense that the discipline is important for developing a stronger bond. Not that I discipline you, but that we are doing it together for our mutual benefit.
Exercise for the day: Demonstrate to your child or student how your bonding with each other is an essential ingredient in discipline and growth.
Day Seven of Week 2: Malchut of Gevurah
14th Day of the Omer
Discipline, like love, must enhance personal dignity (see week one day seven). Discipline that breaks a person will backfire. Healthy discipline should bolster self-esteem and help elicit the best in a person; cultivating his sovereignty. And that does not compromise the discipline; on the contrary it fosters and enhances it. Does my discipline cripple the human spirit; does it weaken or strengthen me and others?
Exercise for the day: When disciplining your child or student foster his self-respect.
Day One of Week 3: Chesed of Tiferet
15th Day of the Omer
Week three - Tiferet
Tiferet - compassion - blends and harmonizes the free outpouring love of chesed with the discipline of gevurah. Tiferet possesses this power by introducing a third dimension - the dimension of truth, which is neither love or discipline and therefore can integrate the two.
Truth is accessed through selflessness: rising above your ego and your predispositions, enables you to realize truth. A clear and objective picture of yours and others needs. The imbalance of love and discipline (and for that matter, any distortion) is a result of a subjective, hence limited perspective; introducing truth, by suspending personal prejudices, allows you to express your feelings (including the synthesis of chesed and gevurah) in the healthiest manner.
This quality gives tiferet its name, which means beauty: it blends the differing colors of love and discipline, and this harmony makes it beautiful. For tiferet to be complete it needs the inclusion of the following seven facets: love of compassion, discipline of compassion, compassion of compassion, endurance of compassion, humility of compassion, bonding of compassion and sovereignty of compassion.
Day One of Week 3 (15th day of omer): Chesed of Tiferet
Examine the love aspect of compassion.
Ask yourself: Is my compassion tender and loving or does it come across as pity? Is my sympathy condescending and patronizing? Even if my intention is otherwise, do others perceive it as such? Does my compassion overflow with love and warmth; is it expressed with enthusiasm, or is it static and lifeless?
Exercise for the day: When helping someone extend yourself in the fullest way; offer a smile or a loving gesture.
Day Two of Week 3: Gevurah of Tiferet
16th Day of the Omer
For compassion to be effective and healthy it needs to be disciplined and focused. It requires discretion both to whom you express compassion, and in the measure of the compassion itself. It is recognizing when compassion should be expressed and when it should be withheld or limited. Discipline in compassion is knowing that being truly compassionate sometimes requires withholding compassion. Because compassion is not an expression of the bestower's needs but a response to the recipient's needs. Am I more compassionate with strangers than with close ones? If yes, why? Is the compassion coming from guilt? Does my compassion for others compromise my own needs? Am I helping others at the expense of helping myself? Perhaps the contrary is the case: Does my compassion for my family and close ones overshadow others needs? Is my compassion impulsive and careless? Do I assess the measure of compassion necessary for a given situation? Is it commensurate with the recipient's needs? Can I possibly be hurting him with my compassion? Does my compassion overwhelm others? Is it respectful? Do I give too much or too little? Do others take advantage of my compassionate nature? When I see a needy person do I impetuously express compassion out of guilt or pity without any discretion? Do I commit the "crime" of compassion by helping him with something harmful (give him money to buy a harmful substance etc.)? Do I apply myself to determine this person's needs and help him in the best way possible?
Exercise for the day: Express your compassion in a focused and constructive manner by addressing someone's specific needs.
Taken from Rabbi Simon Jacobson’s Spiritual Guide (available for purchase) and Chabad site: http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/276687/jewish/Omer-16.htm
Excerpt from The Spiritual Guide to Counting the Omer, by Simon Jacobson. ©Copyright The Meaningful Life Center, 2011. All rights reserved. www.meaningfullife.com
Halachos from Danny Shoemann
The day after Pessach, Sukkoth and Shavuot is called Isru-Chag. That would be today (Tuesday) in Israel and Wednesday everywhere else. Various reasons are given for Isru Chag after Pessach and Sukkoth. On Isru Chag the custom is to eat a larger meal than usual. Nobody - not even a bride and groom on their wedding day, nor a Yahrzeit - may fast on Isru Chag. One does not say Tachanun on Isru Chag. Some communities don't say ×œ×ž× ×¦×— (before Uvo L'Zion in Shacharis) on Isru Chag.
Source: Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 22:8, 103:14, 146:2
We learned that making roofs on Shabbat is forbidden. Making a roof on Shabbat is forbidden; even if it's a temporary flimsy roof. A roof is defined as a cover, over an area of at least 1 Tefach (8 cm, 3") by 1 Tefach, and at least 1 Tefach of space underneath it.Any roof that one is not allowed to make on Shabbat, one is also forbidden from dismantling.
Source: Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 80:81 Shabbat Shalom, - Danny
Measure for Measure
From Eliezer Margolis Shlita: Approximately 20 years ago when Rav Yaakov London, Z”l was about 71 years hold, he was accused of wrongdoing involving some buses purchased for a Headstart Program being administered by him. When the affair broke, it made the evening television news; Rav Yaakov was shown denying the charges. The main part of the news article, however, was the accusation. The accuser was a young, up & coming politician named Alan Hevesi. Although Rav Yaakov was ultimately exonerated, his reputation was besmirched. Until then he was known as Yaakov, ish emes to everyone. Hevesi indeed reached higher office eventually becoming NYC Comptroller & then NYS Comptroller. Last week he was sentenced to 1 to 4 years on a felony charged involving malfeasance of office. He obviously got what he richly deserved. What bothered me was why Hashem took so long to punish him. When I read beyond the headline I found what I think is the answer. Hevesi is now 71 years old.
Giffords’ personal miracle story: http://www.giffordsforcongress.com/2011/04/13/the-arizona-republic-gabrielle-giffords-keeps-defying-odds-with-recovery-theres-no-question-shes-the-same-person-staff-says/
Frist sent to me years ago by Elio of blessed memory: A possible site for the Crossing of the Sea but this is not exactly the Sea of Reeds. I dragged the cursor on YouTube to minute 18 as it is 26 minutes and the real action starts. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaN2acVMGC8&feature=share
From Eric Ziv: A must read of heroism that hid 800 Jews but ended in Ravensbruk Concentration Camp. http://www.jerusalemchronicle.com/Journal/Article.aspx?id=167270
A news story called the fatal mistake a must read!!! http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/143673
Pro-Semitic worshipper of Islam who will never deny the holocaust: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4056986,00.html
Holocaust Memorial Day: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4056650,00.html
Bergen Belsen April 20th 1945 a recording of Jews singing after the liberation from Valerie C. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syUSmEbGLs4&feature=share
Danny Kaye OBM appears in this film against the Nazis marching in the USA: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyZwxFfjFbk&feature=related
Tuvia Freedman Nazi Hunter tells his story via an encounter with the Rebbe: http://www.chabad.org/therebbe/livingtorah/player_cdo/aid/1491005/jewish/We-Need-Justice.htm
Prisoner of Zion thanks to Shimon Peres former Foreign Minister: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4059704,00.html
In Novi Ovadiah it is written Yosef will be a flame it is the second time that they burned the tomb the day of Judgement for the Arabs is nearing but we don’ t know when? http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=AK9EviRAJOU#at=16
Inyanay Diyoma
Sick People and self-hating Jews: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/143663
Hezballah is going from bad to worst: http://www.debka.com/article/20865/
Ed Op: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4057290,00.html
Assad’s own smuggling network threatens himself: http://www.debka.com/article/20856/
Hamas and Fatah not good for Israel: http://www.debka.com/article/20878/
Only a Himalayan size blunder by the USA: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syUSmEbGLs4&feature=share
Spies: http://www.jpost.com/NationalNews/Article.aspx?id=217190
Thanks to Yael, anti-Semites rear up their heads both Christian and Muslim before the day of Judgement: http://www.jta.org/news/article/2011/03/30/3086629/reexamine-kosher-slaughter-ban-bill-holland-asked
Who pays the taxes on Obama’s Chicago home? http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=289501
Could Gog be really György: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Soros
Assad in deep trouble: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4059784,00.html and http://www.debka.com/article/20868/
Why will somebody spend over a million dollars to prevent people from seeing a birth certificate? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faZsjQ1VGMc
In Physics I don’t know what this means but I have claimed for years that a desire or will (Ratzon) must exist to physically bind the atoms together. http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/04/22/worlds-largest-atom-smasher-detected-god-particle/
Right on target: http://www.jpost.com/IranianThreat/News/Article.aspx?id=217795
An old Begin follower who still has sense: http://www.jpost.com/VideoArticles/Video/Article.aspx?id=217476
Gas flow interrupted again: http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=218033
L’Chaim, Tovim u’b’Shalom thanks to Karen Holt: http://www.examiner.com/historic-americans-in-national/tea-for-two-or-maybe-six
I know a little about Photoshop and very little about Adobe Reader but: http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread694949/pg1
Do you think that the early Tornados and flooding in the middle part of the country are an accident? Obama' interference in Israel and helping Al Qaeda in Libya has a price to pay.
An article by Kevin Ross: Jewish brains invent the technology and then it is used against us.
Islamic militants have developed sophisticated ways of spreading propaganda via mobile, a study suggests. Researchers found jihadists were compiling packages of information designed to be received on smartphones. They contained copies of videos, songs, speeches and images that followers are encouraged to pass on. Some were using Bluetooth short-range radio technology to anonymously spread information to potential supporters. The study was led by German researcher Nico Prucha who has spent seven years cataloguing the materials put online by Jihadists. Mr. Prucha said that without technologies such as the web and mobile phones, al-Qaeda may well have withered a long time ago. "It's the only way for them to remain part of the debate," he said. "Without it they would be isolated like they were in the 1980s." Mr. Prucha said that before the rise of the internet it was difficult for those interested in al-Qaeda or other militant groups to find information. Often, he said, it came down to a chain of personal connections that led to someone directly involved in one of the active cells of the group. Propaganda materials produced by these cells did manage to reach some followers by being copied again and again as they were passed around. However, the endless copying limited their effectiveness, especially when it came to videos. "If you copy a VHS tape 10 times the quality gets really bad," said Mr. Prucha, adding that the web had removed these limitations. "Now I don't need to know any jihadists to see these materials," he said. "And the quality does not degrade over time."
Open mobile
The study by Mr. Prucha and security consultant Nigel Stanley suggested that Jihadist efforts to reach people seeking information about the Islamic faith is extending to mobiles and smartphones. Some militant groups have established wings or brigades that specifically prepare material for smartphones and brand their productions with their logo as a guarantee of authenticity. Included in the packages of material studied by the researchers were copies of the Koran, audio readings, songs, speeches by Osama Bin-Laden, photo shopped pictures of the 9/11 attacks and videos shot by Jihadist fighters during military campaigns. Logos help supporters spot if what they are seeing is authentic Much of the material appeared to be professionally produced, said Mr. Stanley. "It's not the rubbish you might get from someone in a back bedroom" said Mr. Stanley. "It's been thought about, considered and has high production values."
The material is formatted for viewing on mobiles and for the particular mobile operating systems found in Arab nations. Mobiles had become popular with militant Islamists as a propaganda spreading tool because they were "intimate" devices and rarely shared, said Mr. Stanley. They had also assumed particular importance in many Arabic nations where contact between the sexes is limited. In such situations, many people leave their Bluetooth connection turned on so they can make contact with members of the opposite sex without breaking local or religious.
Jihadists were exploiting this tendency to leave Bluetooth on and using the technology to anonymously distribute the propaganda packages, said Mr. Stanley. To have any lasting influence, knowledge about how militants spread their messages must go beyond the academic community and places such as Jihadi that document the online efforts of militant Islamists, said Mr. Prucha. "We need to understand their appeal and their calls to radicalize," he said. "But if we keep that information to ourselves without sharing it with Muslim communities there's no greater good coming out of it."
Be well and have a wonderful Shabbos,
Rachamim Pauli
