Parsha Ekev
Ekev has sometimes the meaning Heel like the name Yacov but here it means after a time.
7:12 And it shall come to pass, because ye hearken to these ordinances, and keep, and do them, that the LORD thy God shall keep with thee the covenant and the mercy which He swore unto thy fathers, 13 and He will love thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee; He will also bless the fruit of thy body and the fruit of thy land, thy corn and thy wine and your oil, the increase of thy cattle and the young of thy flock, in the land which He swore unto thy fathers to give thee.
This is very similar to Bechukotai if you behave and follow the Mitzvos you will get a lot of blessings. One HIS Love, two your children will be blessed and three your crops and property will be blessed.
14 Thou shalt be blessed above all peoples; there shall not be male or female barren among you, or among your cattle.
One of the most horrid things that happen to Jews are that 15% of our population is barren either from the male seed or from miss aborts by women so this blessing is very special.
15 And the LORD will take away from thee all sickness; and He will put none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which thou know, upon thee, but will lay them upon all them that hate thee.
Plagues and germs will be placed upon your enemies.
16 And thou shalt consume all the peoples that the LORD thy God shall deliver unto thee;
Kick them out of your land.
your eye shall not pity them;
No poor unfortunate Palestinians of Arabs that immigrated less than a century ago.
neither shalt thou serve their gods; for that will be a snare unto thee.
Letting the Mosques blast “It-Bach Yehud” or Slaughter the Jews will be more than a snare to you and a mortal danger.
17 If thou shalt say in thy heart: 'These nations are more than I; how can I dispossess them?' 18 thou shalt not be afraid of them; thou shalt well remember what the LORD thy God did unto Pharaoh, and unto all Egypt:
As large as the enemy army is, it will fall apart and fight among themselves for HASHEM will deal personally with each and every of them.
19 the great trials which your eyes saw, and the signs, and the wonders, and the mighty hand, and the outstretched arm, whereby the LORD thy God brought thee out; so shall the LORD thy God do unto all the peoples of whom thou art afraid. 20 Moreover the LORD thy God will send the hornet among them, until they that are left, and they that hide themselves, perish from before thee.
We saw this in the aftermath of the Six Day War but Moshe Dayan stopped them from fleeing for cheap labor for the Kibbutzim. We see where that got us with well over 1000 dead and 10,000 plus rockets from Gaza. Don’t work out to well for us for not listening to HASHEM.
21 Thou shalt not be affrighted at them; for the LORD thy God is in the midst of thee, a God great and awful.
Be strong like David HaMelech who feared not the lion, bear, wolf or Golyad - Though that I walk through the valley of death, I shall fear no evil for YOU are with me – Tehillim 23.
22 And the LORD thy God will cast out those nations before thee by little and little; thou may not consume them quickly, lest the beasts of the field increase upon thee.
The nations will leave but it shall take a while in order that the Bnei Yisrael shall populate the land.
23 But the LORD thy God shall deliver them up before thee, and shall discomfit them with a great discomfiture, until they be destroyed.
Your enemies will be destroyed before you because you are doing what is written in the Torah and observing the Mitzvos properly.
24 And He shall deliver their kings into thy hand, and thou shalt make their name to perish from under heaven; there shall no man be able to stand against thee, until thou have destroyed them.
Where is the might of Assyria, Babylon, Ancient Greece, Rome, Constantinople and others who dominated us or for that matter the Empires of Spain and Portugal who made the inquisition to the Jews? All of the Empires crumbled and Rome is now reduced to city status and the glory long gone with Greece, Italy, Spain and Portugal deep in financial trouble and the mighty British Empire crumbled like a house of cards during my infancy and youth. French Kings have burned Jews in their Synagogues and the famous burning of the Talmud in Paris which rivaled the Third Reich’s burning of remnants of Synagogue and plowing over graveyards etc. Where is the French Kingdom today or for that matter Barbarossa or the Kingdom of Karl Der Grosse? Islam is taking its last stand against Yisrael now and as populous, wealthy and mighty as it is in truth is having the last flames before being snuffed out from its glory.
25 The graven images of their gods shall ye burn with fire; thou shalt not covet the silver or the gold that is on them, nor take it unto thee, lest thou be snared therein; for it is an abomination to the LORD thy God.
Anything from a foreign culture that offends the Torah is dangerous. As much as a copy-cat religion Islam is to Judaism it is a man-made creation and Christianity split off from Judaism under the Heckshir of Rabban Gamliel through the undermining of Paul changing the Shabbos to Sunday, allowing work and eating of everything.
26 And thou shalt not bring an abomination into thy house, and be accursed like unto it; thou shalt utterly detest it, and thou shalt utterly abhor it; for it is a devoted thing.
An abomination is idolatry here but essentially many other things that go against the Torah should not be in one’s house.
8:1 All the commandment which I command thee this day shall ye observe to do, that ye may live, and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the LORD swore unto your fathers.
Six years ago, the Prime Minister under corruption charges from the police and the left moved to give up all the Gush Katif Settlements for supposedly a zone free of Jews and supposedly peace would prevail. I was planning more to write more on 11:23 which is a repeated theme in Yehoshua and on the other side of the Yarden one can find rocks in the shape of a sole of a foot placed there by the Bnei Yisrael as we travelled to conquer the Golan Heights and Eretz HaBashan for the two and a half tribes.
We have been warned in the past of leaving a population of enemies in our midst that will be thorns in our sides. I cannot help but comment on the Al Qaeda style of terror attack that occurred today with 7 Israelis dead of which six were civilians. The giving up of Gush Katif, Yamit and strategic areas of Sinai have lead the way for these attacks. The terrorist have no respect even for their dead and booby trapped two of the seven bodies of their members. Instead of observing the Mitzvos and on top of that clearing out the terrorists, the Israeli government has cleared out Jews and in Yehuda and Shomron continues the failed policy. Our politicians are like drunks wanting to stay in office and power and will not stop at anything to be re-elected without USA interference so they do this over and over again. Don’t think that the Senate and House of Representatives in the USA or other politicians are clean. Food Stamps and other wastes are for their own re-election. If the government would clean-up their own act and behave like a thrifty person saving up for the future the USA and Israel would look better. We are exhorted in our Parsha to follow the Mitzvos and a King warned us once: Tehillim 146:3 Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. 4 His breath goes forth, he returns to his dust; in that very day his thoughts perish. So read the Parsha and follow what HASHEM has told us.
2 And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God hath led thee these forty years in the wilderness, that He might afflict thee, to prove thee, to know what was in thy heart, whether thou would keep His commandments, or no. 3 And He afflicted thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knew not, neither did thy fathers know; that He might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live. 4 Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years. …
Your food, clothing and even shelter essentially come from HASHEM. One should try his best to learn for a good honest profession but essentially what one eats, wears and where one sleeps is all from HASHEM. We say my house, my spouse, etc. but all is from HASHEM and one must observe to deserve.
11:13 And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto My commandments which I command you this day, to love the LORD your God, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul, 14 that I will give the rain of your land in its season, the former rain and the latter rain, that thou may gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and your oil. 15 And I will give grass in thy fields for thy cattle, and thou shalt eat and be satisfied.
This is the second paragraph of the Shema which we say twice daily and a partial repeat of the wording of the first paragraph which we read in Chapter Six of Devarim. Serving G-D means strengthening oneself in his love for G-D even at risk to his own finances or even his life, too many Jews died over the centuries on a Kiddush HASHEM but one should trust and be devoted to G-D. In turn for this G-D will bless you back. Because Ayn Od Bilado – there is nothing with HIM neither your money or you soul so be devoted no matter what stumbling blocks or wounds that the evil inclination might have in store for you. The Yetzer HaRa or your own ‘dark side of the force’ appears to be easier and stronger than your Yetzer HaTov. If I were to give into the Yetzer in two minutes after meeting a Catholic Priest I could convert or to a Muslim say the Allah formula twice and within one minute become one. Yet to become a Jew we place heavy obstacles in the way of potential Converts. Why? Well I want to be a Billionaire and enjoy the company of Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, Carlos, etc. but they will not give me a Billion to convert to their club or even a measly million so it must be very exclusive they don’t look for converts to their club. The same with Judaism we are Mitzvah rich 613 vs. 7 and we don’t splurge and give our Pessach and Shabbos away as they are only between HASHEM and the Bnei Yisrael. We are religiously the billionaires of the spiritual world and the poor people are jealous of us. To get into our club one must work hard and prove that he has earned the right to be Jewish. When the Reform make conversion easy like jumping into a swimming pool wearing a bathing suit they are no better than the Muslim Cadi or Catholic Priest converting a Jew as they too work with the Yetzer as the Reform weaken us from within.
16 Take heed to yourselves, lest your heart be deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them; 17 and the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and He shut up the heaven, so that there shall be no rain, and the ground shall not yield her fruit; and ye perish quickly from off the good land which the LORD gives you.
All right already Israeli Government you violate the Shabbos and Kashrus in public and give our G-D ordained land away as if it were some cheap dust and not an inheritance of the Congregation of Yacov so we have now for 7 years a drought 10,000 rockets over 1200 murdered since the Oslo Accords. When will you wake up and repent. UNTIL WHEN?
18 Therefore shall ye lay up these My words in your heart and in your soul; and ye shall bind them for a sign upon your hand, and they shall be for frontlets between your eyes. 19 And ye shall teach them your children, talking of them, when thou sit in thy house, and when thou walk by the way, and when thou lie down, and when thou rise up. 20 And thou shalt write them upon the door-posts of thy house, and upon thy gates; 21 that your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, upon the land which the LORD swore unto your fathers to give them, as the days of the heavens above the earth.
These are the laws of wearing Tephillin, saying the Shema and having a Mezuza on your door posts to guard your house and protect you.
22 For if ye shall diligently keep all this commandment which I command you, to do it, to love the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, and to cleave unto Him, 23 then will the LORD drive out all these nations from before you, and ye shall dispossess nations greater and mightier than yourselves. 24 Every place whereon the sole of your foot shall tread shall be yours: from the wilderness, and Lebanon, from the river, the river Euphrates, even unto the hinder sea shall be your border.
Every place and not what the bullies of the world tell you what to do or the oil money but listen to the creator of heaven and earth for he can destroy nations with volcanoes and earthquakes completely or through a giant meteor strike out of the blue. Put your trust in HASHEM and love him with all your heart all your soul and all your strength and money.
25 There shall no man be able to stand against you: the LORD your God shall lay the fear of you and the dread of you upon all the land that ye shall tread upon, as He hath spoken unto you.
Think about a little phrase on the one dollar bill “In G-D we trust” no more than the value of the declining dollar but that statement is priceless.
Halacha from Danny Schoemann
For 3 years after planting a tree, one may not eat its fruit, nor derive any benefit from the fruit, peels or pits. This is a Torah prohibition and applies to trees planted anywhere on the planet by anybody. How to count these 3 years:
- Trees planted until Tu B’Av (tomorrow - 15th of the month of Av; 45 days before Rosh Hashanah) have their first birthday on Rosh Hashanah, and 2 years later they turn "three years old".
- Trees planted less than 45 days before Rosh Hashanah need to count three years from their first Rosh Hashanah.
The laws of Orlah apply to trees grown from shoots or pits, and sometimes to trees that have been replanted. A tree that was cut and its stump is less than 1 Tefach (about 9 cm - 3.5 inches) high becomes Orlah again. One does not say Tachanun on Tu B'Av, nor at Mincha the afternoon before. The bride and groom do not fast on their wedding day if it's on Tu B'Av. Source: Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 22:8, 146:2, 173:1,3,4
A number of joyous events happened over the years on Tu B'Av.
- It was the day the Generation-of-the-Wilderness realized that the sin of the spies had been forgiven, in the year 2488.
- It was the day that the tribes were allowed to intermarry, including orphaned daughters (as per Bamidbar 36:8) once all those who conquered the Land had passed away.
- On the same day the tribe of Binyamin were allowed to intermarry with other tribes, after the scandal of Give'ah (as per Shoftim 19 - 21), around the year 2524.
- It was the day that King Hoshea ben Elah removed the blockades that the wicked King Yerevoam ben Nevat had placed on the roads, preventing the Jews from going to Jerusalem for the Festivals about 75 years earlier, around the year 3040.
- It was the day the Romans allowed those massacred by the wicked Hadrian in Beitar to be buried, some time after he died in 138 (C.E).
- It was the day they stopped chopping wood for the altar in the Bet HaMikdash every year, as it marks the end of "summer" (as per Rashi on Beresheis 8:22) and the start of the 2 months of "heat". The wood had to be worm free to be used on the altar, and had to be fully dried before the rainy season.
This gave everybody more time for learning Torah - and therefore Tu B'Av is the Joyous Day of Increased Torah Learning (and one does not say Tachanun on Tu B'Av.)
Source: The Book of our Heritage, Vol 3 page 307-313
Orlah - ערלה - is the Torah prohibition of eating fruit from tress less than 3 years old, as per Sunday's Halacha. In the 4th year the fruit is called "Neta Revo'i" - נטע רבעי - and needs to be "redeemed" by transferring its status onto a coin. The coin needs to be worth at least a "Peruta" (0.025 grams of pure silver; about 3¼ US pennies at today's rate.)
One says "I am redeeming the Neta Revo'i into this coin". The coin is then destroyed and disposed of. Instead of a coin one can use fruit worth about 4 pennies, which then needs to be destroyed. After redeeming them, the "Neta Revo'i" (4th year fruit) can be eaten, anywhere by anybody. Sources: Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 173:2, Mishna Orlah, 3:9
Fresh fruit is always Kosher, however it may have an Orlah problem, as per yesterday and Sunday's Halacha. When in doubt if the tree is less than 4 years old:
- In Israel the fruit from such a tree is forbidden. (This is one of the reasons that fruit needs Rabbinic Supervision in Israel. Other issues include Shmita, "Neta Revo'i" and the separation of Teruma and Maasros.)
- Outside of Israel the fruit is allowed, as long as you don’t pick it yourself. This is the way Moshe was given the Halacha at Har Sinai.
Source: Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 173:2, Mishna Orlah, 3:9
Perkei Avos Chapter 5 Mishnah 16 – 22 http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/682520/jewish/English-Text.htm
16. Any love that is dependent on something--when the thing ceases, the love also ceases. But a love that is not dependent on anything never ceases. What is [an example of] a love that is dependent on something? The love of Amnon for Tamar. And one that is not dependent on anything? The love of David and Jonathan.
The examples are clear. If you love a woman for her beauty only and it is taken away and cease loving her you are a shallow character. This is how John McCain behaved towards his first wife who fought for five years to free him but was deformed in a traffic accident and he divorced her. One should always choose a wife with good characteristics that he can love for 50, 60 years through old age and the same in choosing a husband. People change but a basically good person with good attributes will stay that way.
17. Any dispute that is for the sake of Heaven is destined to endure; one that is not for the sake of Heaven is not destined to endure. Which is a dispute that is for the sake of Heaven? The dispute(s) between Hillel and Shammai. Which is a dispute that is not for the sake of Heaven? The dispute of Korach and all his company.
A dispute for the sake of heaven will remain so even in the secular world. The Steady State Theory vs. The Big Bang Theory of the Universe is still learned because it was for the sake of science and not for personal gain. The Dispute between Lincoln and Douglas is learned in American History but is of no value today to anybody as it was for political gain vs. the dispute of owning slaves vs. freedom since one was for personal gain and the other was for the sake of humanity one side won in the end.
18. One who causes the community to be meritorious, no sin will come by his hand. One who causes the community to sin, is not given the opportunity to repent.
A person causing the community to repent or give charity to help the poor or volunteer for a blood bank to bring blood to the injured will build up his own protection from sin while the person causing a community to sin will get his share in this world and not have the opportunity to repent.
Moses was meritorious and caused the community to be meritorious, so the community's merit is attributed to him; as is stated, "He did G-d's righteousness, and His laws with Israel" (Deuteronomy 33:21).Jeroboam the son of Nevat sinned and caused the community to sin, so the community's sin is attributed to him; as is stated, "For the sins of Jeroboam, which he sinned and caused Israel to sin" (I Kings 15:30).
19. Whoever possesses the following three traits is of the disciples of our father Abraham; and whoever possesses the opposite three traits is of the disciples of the wicked Balaam. The disciples of our father Abraham have a good eye, a meek spirit and a humble soul. The disciples of the wicked Balaam have an evil eye, a haughty spirit and a gross soul.
I want everybody to watch films and interviews of George W. Bush and Barak H. Obama and see which one or if both are humble before G-D or haughty.
What is the difference between the disciples of our father Abraham and the disciples of the wicked Balaam? The disciples of our father Abraham benefit in this world and inherit the World To Come, and as is stated, "To bequeath to those who love Me there is, and their treasures I shall fill" (Proverbs 8:21). The disciples of the wicked Balaam inherit purgatory and descent into the pit of destruction, as is stated, "And You, G-d, shall cast them into the pit of destruction; bloody and deceitful men, they shall not attain half their days. And I shall trust in you" (ibid., 55:24).
20. Judah the son of Teima would say: Be bold as a leopard, light as an eagle, fleeting as a deer and mighty as a lion to do the will of your Father in Heaven.
Don’t be lazy jump out of bed like a leopard pounces, act as if you are light as an eagle when you rise, run like a deer to the Synagogue and be strong as a lion in prayer. This is an ideal case and how I behaved when I was young and it should be my goal to behave thusly now. Interesting enough outside of Israel it is easier for me and I can’t figure out if this is the greater Yetzer in a Holier Place or just a matter of a biological clock or both?
He would also say: The brazen--to purgatory; the bashful--to paradise. May it be Your will, L-rd our G-d and G-d of our fathers, that the Holy Temple be rebuilt speedily in our days; and grant us our portion in Your Torah.
People who walk around like gigolos or sluts and are boisterous and call attention to themselves vs. people like the modest Ruth HaMoavi and what becomes of them – Rachav humbled herself and joined Am Yisrael while Acher (The other) had the flames shoot forth from his grave.
21. Ben Bag-Bag would say: Delve and delve into it, for all is in it; see with it; grow old and worn in it; do not budge from it, for there is nothing better.
One should review and review his learning for the 101st time is better than the 100th time.
Ben Hay-Hay would say: According to the pain is the gain.
In sports we say no pain no gain but the principle with learning Judaism is that it does not filter down from heaven by an Angel but through hours of learning for the sake of heaven.
Both Ben Hay-Hay taking the Yod from Sarah and adding the Yod to Avraham would make him a Ger and Ben Bag-Bag was the son of Gerim both from famous people who were disguised because of the Roman persecution.
22. He would also say: Five years is the age for the study of Scripture. Ten, for the study of Mishnah. Thirteen, for the obligation to observe the mitzvot. Fifteen, for the study of Talmud. Eighteen, for marriage. Twenty, to pursue [a livelihood].
To become a Bnei Yisrael soldier.
Thirty, for strength,
Koach in Gematria is 28 and that is strength Yad is 14 and the two Yadayim together make strength and the nearest round age is 30.
Forty, for understanding. Fifty, for counsel. Sixty, for sagacity. Seventy, for elderliness. Eighty, for power.
I would not translate Gevurah using power but to mighty in that HASHEM granted him a long life.
Ninety, to stoop. A hundred-year-old is as one who has died and passed away and has been negated from the world.
There are exceptions to the last one depending on the work for HASHEM – one was Avraham Avinu who was still dynamic until the time he passed away because he did everything for HASHEM.
A Wake Up Message from the Next World
I visited my friend and neighbor Zvi on Friday evening after the Shabbos meal. I asked him how his brother Yacov was doing. Here is what he told me as I also knew his brother and sister from years of friendship. Yacov at the age of 16 one day on vacation from the Yeshiva cut his Peyos in the bathroom and from that moment on became anti-religious with the emphasis on the word ANTI. I knew Yacov for the course of a year or more and he would put on a Kipa to come to Zvi to eat the Shabbos meal and return to his apartment downstairs. Yacov had done some not nice things on the personal level too and alienated his daughters because of his behavior towards their mother in a divorce (no violence).
Recently Yacov was diagnosed with bone and other cancer. During his stay in the hospital his daughters came to visit him once. His brother, Zvi and wife had to pick up the burden of being with him constantly. This weekend, the Nephew for London came to relieve them for Shabbos. In the last few weeks Yacov underwent 7 operations for removal of the disease. At one point the doctors had to either remove two bones of spinal cord or chop them. It was unclear to me the full procedure. Yacov was given a strong anesthetic for a 7 hour operation. During this operation he felt himself floating over the operating table and looking down at the doctors. Suddenly, he was pulled upwards and black threatening Angels beat him on his body and face with iron rods. He yelled at them, ‘The Angel Zvi is protecting me’.
After the operation, he told Zvi the story and how he was waking up he knew exactly that his sister-in-law was standing behind the door as he called her. He soul was like half in and half out at the time. As soon as he was able to sit up again, he asked for a Yarmulke and Siddur and began to pray and even put on Tephillin for the first time in about 50+ years. He had been upstairs and seen what awaited him for his bad behavior. Since then he, who never had a conscience or cried, has been crying and praying constantly. The out of body experience was Chessed to help him see the REAL WORLD and Emmes. He is now in a Teshuva mode.
Autistic Children Speak Out yet Again
A good deal of what I read in the bulletins that somebody puts out in the name of the Autistic Children come from a Charedi Standpoint and I take a bit of the writing with a grain of salt but some of the messages although they contain little new do call for an awakening of ourselves inside. It is a matter of months now that there will be a great war and Nations will be wiped off the face of the earth and billions will die. Only the real righteous will survive. Many of the religious will not survive while some of the non-religious will repent and cling to the truth and be saved. For it is a matter of months (my addition) Yermiyahu 23:5 Behold, the days come, says the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous shoot, and he shall reign as king and prosper, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. 6 In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely; and this is his name whereby he shall be called, The LORD is our righteousness.
I do not usually go out of my way to give the religious Jews a black eye but last week a ring of pedophiles was caught and on television one could see four Charedi men in their late 40’s through their 50’s based on their bear color who were arrested even though their faces were covered. The Autistic Children were clear about the wickedness in the so-called ultra-Orthodox Community and what will happen to them. I have taken the liberty to insert Yermiyahu 23:9 Concerning the prophets. My heart within me is broken, all my bones shake; I am like a drunken man, and like a man whom wine hath overcome; because of the LORD, and because of His holy words. 10 For the land is full of adulterers; for because of swearing the land mourns, the pastures of the wilderness are dried up; and their course is evil, and their force is not right. 11 For both prophet and priest are ungodly; yea, in My house have I found their wickedness, says the LORD. 12 Wherefore their way shall be unto them as slippery places in the darkness, they shall be thrust, and fall therein; for I will bring evil upon them, even the year of their visitation, says the LORD. 13 And I have seen unseemliness in the prophets of Samaria: they prophesied by Baal, and caused My people Israel to err. 14 But in the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a horrible thing: they commit adultery, and walk in lies, and they strengthen the hands of evil-doers, that none doth return from his wickedness; they are all of them become unto Me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah.15 Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts concerning the prophets: Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, and make them drink the water of gall; for from the prophets of Jerusalem is ungodliness gone forth into all the land. To my great sorrow I have seen this over and over (Don’t think the other Orthodox get an out of Gehennom Card free in the Monopoly Game of Real Life – the problem is that the distributor of the pamphlet does not take into consideration other Orthodox and Traditional Jews and only treats the black and white extremes on what the Autistics Say). There are too many that are insincere in their observation especially in private and sometimes I have to give myself Mussar on my own thoughts and behavior. One who does not give himself self-reflection is a conceited ass and will not escape THE TRUE JUDGE. But one who checks his deeds and does his best to repent is at least attempting to do right in the eyes of the L-RD even if he fails to be what he should be. TO BE CONTINUED ble Neder …
Recently there have been social protests in tents. It started with food prices that went over to home prices which everything is way out of proportion. My wife looked at what we pay for food and says it is time now to cut back on some items. After Pessach I paid around 8 Shekel for soup nuts in Kiriat Sefer which is now 10 NIS and in Modiin 14 NIS. The prices are rising faster and faster. One of my wife’s wealthier friends complained that melons are so high priced that she is considering not buying them anymore. The protests have continued and it does not matter if two weeks ago 300,000 or 180,000 people protested and Motzei Shabbos this week about 100,000 some of the complaints are real. Others like government supported kindergartens from 3 months of age upwards is outlandish. The original protest was very left wing oriented but now has taken on a neutral political stance and Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau Shlita has given his blessing to the movement: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4109523,00.html
Should a Jew really support gun control from Sylvan or perhaps be allowed to defend himself like in the Book of Esther? http://jpfo.org/filegen-a-m2/movieplay-nogunsforjews-yt.php
An Article on the Alpine Legion of the Israeli Army as my cousin is jumping over another soldier an old photo from the IDF now in Russian just look at the photos. http://mignews.com/news/photo/world/160811_155024_90074.html
From Aharon about the love for HASHEM: http://thewriterscafe.org/a-jew-needs-torah-like-a-fish-needs-water
Inyanay Diyoma
7 Israelis Dead in this attack which progressed for a many hours after it started: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4110634,00.html http://www.debka.com/article/21215/
Correction to the report 34 injured: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/146954#.Tk1nA-jnEqk
20 years ago this week http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2011/08/world-wide-web-20-years/
Did somebody set an alarm clock to wake them up finally? http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/12/world/middleeast/12gaza.html
Ron Paul modern day Hitler with less brains because missile technology can destroy Europe and eventually hit the USA: http://www.newsmax.com/InsideCover/ron-paul-iran-bomb/2011/08/11/id/407043
Remember September: http://www.debka.com/article/21203/
Now if the USA needs to get rid of second hand stuff: http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Article.aspx?id=233531
I prefer the Yiddish over the British: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4107895,00.html
I would not work in Pakistan for all the gold in Fort Knox: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4108297,00.html
He gets two weeks of grace: http://www.debka.com/article/21205/
Get out and vote because: http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/muslim-americans-give-obama-80-percent-a
Allen West on China, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, things are not good with a Neville Chamberlain in the White House. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4g2nn_TqeSE&feature=share
Egypt wakes up: http://www.debka.com/article/21209/
This would make matters worst for Israel http://www.wnd.com/?pageId=333897
I think that I might have posted it but I saw this on Audrey’s FB Page: http://www.israeltoday.co.il/tabid/178/nid/22912/language/en-US/Default.aspx
I found this interesting enough of a question to post - Where are the man's girlfriends and students? http://www.wnd.com/?pageId=334541
Ron Paul will not defend Israel if attacked http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=5kDD9FwCLt4
Israel is not a complete banana republic: http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=234133
Gilad Shalit is a pawn in a game of Arab Power Chess: http://www.debka.com/article/21213/
From Meira: This could have been very dangerous but heroes are not stopped easily. http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2011/08/17/2011-08-17_quickthinking_hero_antonio_diaz_chacon_chased_down_kidnapper_saved_6yearold.html
On August 24. That is the day that former Fox News commentator Glenn Beck will convene his “Restoring Courage” rally at the Teddy stadium. Arabs being their threats: http://www.jpost.com/NationalNews/Article.aspx?id=234227
Now for M. Wolfberg’s Good Shabbos Story “The Gentile Giant”
Good Shabbos Everyone. It states in the verse in this week's portion, "And you shall love Hashem, your G-d" One of the inspirational explanations of this verse is as follows: The Sages explain, that the Name of Hashem should become beloved through a Jew's behavior. A Jew should study Torah and Mishnah, serve Torah scholars and deal graciously with his fellow man. Then others will say of him, "Fortunate is his father who taught him Torah! Fortunate is his teacher who taught him Torah! Woe to those who do not study Torah! He who studies Torah — how pleasant is his behavior and how proper are his deeds." To him may the verse be applied: (Yeshayahu 49:3). "And He said to me: 'You are My servant Israel, in whom I will be glorified' " (Yoma 86a). The following two stories illustrate the power of a "Kiddush Hashem" - behavior which brings honor to Hashem and the Jewish people.
Bernie, the gentile janitor at Beis Medrash Govoha (in Lakewood, New Jersey), was wholeheartedly devoted to the Rosh Yeshiva, Rabbi Aharon Kotler, of blessed memory. One Friday morning, Bernie was seen running at top speed toward the yeshiva building, clutching a package in his hand. When someone asked him if everything was all right, he replied, "The Rabbi needs this," and he continued to run.
As it turned out, all R' Aharon had needed was to know the time. However, when R' Aharon, with his broken English, had asked Bernie for the time, the janitor had mistakenly thought that R' Aharon was asking him to purchase a certain item in a local store. Faithful servant that he was, Bernie shot out of the building like a lightning bolt before R' Aharon could stop him.
The night after R' Aharon passed away, Bernie stood in the lobby of the yeshiva with his head bowed in mourning. "The Rabbi was a saint," he told a student. "You see this coat I'm wearing? The Rabbi gave it to me." And now for our second story...
Rabbi Leibish Langer is a rebbe at the Mirrer Yeshiva in Brooklyn and teaches one night a week at Yeshiva Darchei Torah in Far Rockaway, near Queens. One night, Rabbi Langer was on his way back to Brooklyn with a carload of talmidim-students when his car hit a pothole and stalled in one of the crummier areas of Queens. He could not restart the car.
The neighborhood where the mishap occurred was known to be dangerous and the boys were tense. Rabbi Langer told the boys that they should collectively pledge money to a R' Meir Baal HaNeis tzedakah and then recite a chapter of Tehillim together.
Rabbi Langer assured the boys that Hashem would surely watch over them. Almost immediately, two policemen cruising by noticed the stranded car and stopped. Just then a yeshiva student driving by also stopped. The police radioed a road service company, which responded that its crew could be there in an hour and a half. The police could not wait there all that time, but they cautioned Rabbi Langer that if he abandoned the car he would probably not find it intact when he returned.
Rabbi Langer asked the yeshiva student to take the boys to the nearest yeshiva while he waited alone for the road service. The police cautioned him to remain in the car with the doors locked. The other two cars drove off and Rabbi Langer returned to his car, locked the doors from the inside and turned on a tape of a Torah lecture.
Almost immediately, a car passing by came to a halt and out stepped an African American fellow of imposing appearance. "Got a problem?" the man asked. "No, I'm fine," Rabbi Langer replied.
"Well, I'm a mechanic and I see you've got a problem. Open the hood and I'll see what I can do." Rabbi Langer remained in the locked car and opened the hood. It was obvious that the man was making a real effort to get the car started. Finally, the man came around to the driver's window and said, "The fuel is not going into the engine but I can't figure out why. Listen, you can't stay here alone — this is a very dangerous neighborhood! What are you going to do?"
Before Rabbi Langer could respond, the man went on. "I'll tell you what to do. Come out of the car and stand next to me. You'll see, any Jew that passes by and sees you will stop to help you out. I know — you Jews are humanitarians. And besides that, if you are standing next me, nobody will lay a hand on you!" Somehow, Rabbi Langer believed the man, and he stepped out of the car.
As they stood there, neighborhood teenagers walking by eyed them suspiciously. The man yelled at them in a language they understood to stop staring and get on their way. Within a few minutes, a former yeshiva student who had studied under Rabbi Langer pulled up. "Rebbi, what's the problem?"
"See!" the man shouted. "I told you someone would stop. Just wait, we'll be here long enough, they'll be twenty Jewish cars lined up to help you. I know you people. I worked for Elite Caterers, a fellow named Shlomo Katz runs it — now, that's a good man!"
While they were talking, the driver who had taken the boys to a local yeshiva returned to see if he could be of further help. Rabbi Langer assured the African American man that he now had enough help and that the man could leave.
Rabbi Langer thanked the man and insisted that he accept some money for his services. The man refused, and he told Rabbi Langer that in truth, he was not a really mechanic, he merely claimed that he was, in order to be able to protect Rabbi Langer from neighborhood thugs. The man left and moments later, Rabbi Langer and the other two students got the car started. One of the other two drivers followed Rabbi Langer in his car until they were safely out of the neighborhood. (Rabbi Shimon Finkelman, p. 206Shabbos Stories)
Jews have a challenge in this life. We must always be on our best behavior. We are Hashem's people. Whatever we do reflects on Hashem. The Talmud tells us that one who makes Jews look bad, can only achieve atonement at death! (Yoma 86a) Surely therefore, one who makes Hashem look good, is guaranteed great reward. Good Shabbos Everyone. M. Wolfberg is sponsored by: Refuah Shleima to Reb Mordechai Menachem Mendel ben Tziporah Yitta Refuah Shleima to Tsviah bas Bracha Leah Mazal Tov to Mr. and Mrs. Tuvia Wolfberg of Los Angeles, CA on the birth of their granddaughter Shusha Tzvia to their son and daughter in-law Avrohom Dovid and Vered Rivka Wolfberg
Next week why the US Jewish Community instead of increasing is going down in numbers.
Have a great Shabbos,
Rachamim Pauli
