The
Four Portions
The
month of Adar comes in and joy increases because of Spring being on the way and
perhaps the joy and fun of Purim. The Almond Trees start to bloom in Israel
around Tu B’ Shevat and now the fields are full of flowers. This year the 4
Portions started 29th of Shevat with Parsha Shekelim (in memory of
the half Shekel road repair, water supply repair and Temple Maintenance Tax) so
that we could have a one week break and
then Parsha Zachor (remembering Amalek) before Purim as Haman was of the seed of
Amalek and it would not surprise me one bit if Khamenei is also. After these two
come Parsha Para (Parah) after the red heifer for purification for Korban
Pessach in the Beis HaMikdash. Finally we have Parsha HaChodesh on or before
Rosh Chodesh Nissan for Pessach. I had meant to cite this in my Drasha last week
and was so busy rushing for taking a tour of Yerushalayim and the vicinity.
Parsha
Teruma
During
the last few Parshiyos we have been dealing with the slavery and exodus from
Mitzrayim. Then as free men receiving laws pertaining to matters between man and
man and now Moshe has gone up the mountain. At this point HASHEM begins to
establish the relationship between men a G-D. The first thing is connecting to
G-D through a house of worship. At this point we begin to receive the
requirements for the house of worship and garments of the Cohanim.
25:1 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 2 'Speak unto the children of Israel,
that they take for Me an offering; of every man whose heart makes him willing ye
shall take My offering.
The
key word here is heart and that it must be an offering from the heart not a
compulsory one. In Parsha Ki Sisa we have the requirement of offering half a
shekel. Rashi adds:
You
shall take My offering: Our
Rabbis said: [The word תְּרוּמָה, mentioned three times, denotes that] three
offerings are mentioned here. One is the offering of a beka [half-shekel] per
head, from which they made the sockets, as is delineated in [Exod. 38:26, 27, in
the parsha] “ אֵלֶּה פְקוּדֵי, These are the accounts.” Another is the offering
of a beka per head for the [community] coffers, from which to purchase the
communal sacrifices, and another is the offering for the Mishkan, each one’s
[Israelite’s] donation (Talmud Yerushalmi, Shekalim 1:1; Meg. 29b). The thirteen
materials mentioned in this section [i.e., this chapter] were all required for
the work of the Mishkan or for the garments of the kohanim, [as you will find]
when you study them closely (Tan. 5, Song Rabbah 4:25).
3 And this is the offering which ye shall take of
them: gold, and silver, and brass;
These
metals were available and of value to them. On the spiritual level these metals
and the kosher animals and precious gems mentioned later on have spiritual
values. Under the Kabbalistic System the world consists of inanimate, plant,
animal and humans. The rule of Ayn Od Blilado (nothing exists without HIM)
applies here. In physics we measure different frequencies of resonance of atoms
and that is probably where the physical and the spiritual world
meet.
Gold,
silver, and copper, etc.: They
were all given voluntarily; each person [gave] what his heart inspired him to
give, except [for] the silver, which they gave equally, a half-shekel for each
individual. We do not find throughout the entire work of the Mishkan that more
silver was required, as it is said: “The silver of the community census was…a
beka per head…” (Exod. 38:25, 26). The rest of the silver, which was given there
[in the work of the Mishkan] voluntarily, they [the workers] made into service
utensils.
4 and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen,
and goats' hair;
These
were rare and fine cloth sort of luxury items for them.
Blue…wool:
Heb.
תְכֵלֶת, wool dyed with the blood of the chillazon [animal], which bears a blue
color. — [from Men. 44a, Tosefta Men. 9:6] This
Chillazon is a kosher fish with a blue (Techeles) dye coming from the
spleen.
Purple…wool:
Heb.
וְאַרְגָּמָן, wool dyed with a kind of dye named אַרְגָּמָן. linen:
Heb.
שֵׁשׁ. This is linen. — [from Tosefta Men. 9:6] and
goat hair: Heb.
וְעִזִים, the hair of goats. Therefore, Onkelos rendered: וּמְעַזֵי, [i.e.,]
what comes from the goats, but not the goats themselves [i.e., not the goat
skins], for Targum’s [Onkelos] translation of עִזִים [goats] is עִזַיָא (Gen.
30:32).
5 and rams' skins dyed red, and giraffe skins, and
acacia-wood;
More
rare and luxury items used for the Mishkan. The red color was probably some red
earth which makes certain pottery red.
Dyed
red: Heb.
מְאָדָּמִים They were dyed red after being
tanned. Tachash skins: This was a species of animal that existed only for a [short]
time, and it had many hues (גַּוָּנִים). Therefore, [Onkelos] renders [it]
סַסְגּוֹנָא, because it rejoices (שֶׁשָׂשׂ) [ס and שׂ are often interchangeable]
and boasts of its hues (גַּוָּנִים). -[from Shab. 28a, b] and acacia wood: Where did
they get these [trees] in the desert? Rabbi Tanchuma explained that our father
Jacob foresaw with the holy spirit that the Israelites were destined to build a
Mishkan in the desert, so he brought cedars to Egypt and planted them. He
commanded his sons to take them with them when they left Egypt. — [from Mid.
Tanchuma 9]
As
I wrote over the past few years Tachash and Keresh (Unicorn) mentioned in Iyob
39:9 for the only animal with two antlers and a boney horn bump on top of the
head would have to be Kosher. Since Rashi describes different hues from the Oral
Torah I heard “Susgani” such a variety of colors is in the Giraffe skin. I
assume that in Rashi’s time February 22, 1040 – July 13, 1104 the sight of a Giraffe was not common in Worms
where he lived so he could not identify it.
6 oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil,
and for the sweet incense;
Oil
for lighting: Pure
olive oil to continually kindle the light. spices
for the anointing oil: which
was made to anoint the vessels of the Mishkan and [for] the Mishkan itself to
sanctify them, and spices were required for it, as is delineated in [the parsha]
כִּי תִשָׂא (Exod. 30:22-33). and
for the incense: Heb.
וְלִקְטֹרֶת הַסַּמִּים, which they burned every evening and morning, as is
explained in [the parsha] וְאַתָּה תְּצַוֶּה (Exod. 30:7, 8). The word קְטֹרֶת
means the raising of smoke (קִיטוֹר) and columns of smoke ותִּמְרוֹת
עָשָׁן.
The
Bnei Yisrael are compared to the olive as you beat them and crush them they
yield their oil and enlighten the world. The olive is one of the 7 species
mentioned as growing in Eretz Yisrael. I have an olive tree and can vouch of it
that the doves that Noach sent out and used for Korbanos of childbirth love to
eat olives. Spiritually olive oil is edible and also burns well not to mention
that we know now it has great health benefits.
7 onyx stones, and stones to be set, for the ephod,
and for the breastplate.
Shoham
stones: Two
were needed there [in the Mishkan] for the ephod, mentioned in [the parsha]
וְאַתָּה תְּצַוֶּה (Exod. 28:9-12). filling:
Since
they make for them a seat out of gold, like a sort of hole, and the stone is
placed there to fill the hole, they are called filling stones. The place of the
“seat” is called מִשְׁבֶּצֶת, a setting. for
the ephod and for the choshen: The
shoham stones for the ephod and the filling stones for the choshen. The ephod
and the choshen are explained in וְאַתָּה תְּצַוֶּה they are types of ornaments
[worn by the kohanim].
For
a detailed commentary on the various stones and their spiritual pleasure look at
last year and the year before www.rabbipauli.blogspot.com Of
Parsha Teruma.
8 And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell
among them.
That
I should live among them – I will have the Shechina over the Mishkan where MY
NAME is and sparks of the Shechina will rest upon the men of Yisrael and they
and their families will be blessed.
9 According to all that I show thee, the pattern of
the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the furniture thereof, even so shall ye
make it.
According
to all that I show you: here,
the pattern of the Mishkan. This verse is connected to the verse above it: “And
they shall make Me a sanctuary…” according to all that I show you.
and
so shall you do: in
future generations (Sanh. 16b, Shev. 14b, 15a). If one of the vessels is lost,
or when you make the vessels of the Temple, such as [the] tables, menorahs, wash
basins, and bases that Solomon made, you shall make them according to the
pattern of these [that I will describe in the following verses]. If the verse
was not connected to what was written before it, He would not have written, “and
so shall you do,” but" so shall you do" [without the word “and”], and it would
be speaking about the making of the Tent of Meeting and its
vessels.
In
Yerushalayim today, the Temple Institute has poured a mold for a gold Menorah
and it is standing between the Churva Synagogue and route past the Burnt House
towards the Temple.
10 And they shall make an ark of acacia-wood: two
cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the
breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof.
They
shall make an ark: like
the chests that are made without feet, made like a sort of chest called escrin
[in Old French, ecrin in modern French], (i.e., a chest or box), which rests on
its bottom [without being raised off the floor by the attachment of legs].
http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=ark+of+acacia-wood&ei=UTF-8&fr=chr-greentree_ff&ilc=12&type=902615
There are over 1,300 species of Acacia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acacias
11 And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold, within
and without shalt thou overlay it, and shalt make upon it a crown of gold round
about.
From
inside and from outside you shall overlay it: Bezalel
made three arks, two of gold and one of wood. Each one had four walls and a
bottom, and they were open on the top. He placed the wooden one inside the
golden one and the [other] golden one inside the wooden one. He covered the
upper rim with gold, thus it is found that [the wooden one] was overlaid from
inside and from outside [with gold]. — [from Yoma 72b, Shek. 16b]
a
golden crown: Like
a sort of crown surrounding it above its rim. For he [Bezalel] made the outer
ark higher than the inner one, until it extended upwards opposite the thickness
of the ark cover and slightly higher than it, so that when the ark cover lies on
the thickness of the walls, the crown extends slightly over the thickness of the
ark cover (Yoma 72b). And that [the crown] is the symbol of the crown of the
Torah (Tan. Vayakhel 8, Exod. Rabbah
34:2).
Moshe
had no engineering or metal work skills and was shown the Mishkan on Har Sinai
and either at that time or when Moshe spoke Betzalel pictured in his mind via
prophecy what it should be like.
12 And thou shalt cast four rings of gold for it,
and put them in the four feet thereof; and two rings shall be on the one side of
it, and two rings on the other side of it.
And
you shall cast: Heb.
וְיָצַקְךְתָּ, an expression of casting, as the Targum [Onkelos] renders.
its…corners:
Heb.
פַּעִמֹתָיו. As the Targum [Onkelos] renders: זִיוְיָתֵיהּ, its corners. They
were attached on the upper corners, close to the ark cover, two from here and
two from there, across the width of the ark, and the poles were placed in them
[the rings]. The length of the ark separated the poles, two and one-half cubits
between [one] pole and [the other] pole, so that the two people carrying the ark
would walk between them [the poles]. So it is explained in Men., in the chapter
entitled שתֵּי הַלֶּחֶם (98b). two
rings on its one side: Heb.
וּשְׁתֵּי טַבָּעֹת, lit., and two rings. These are the four rings [mentioned] in
the beginning of the verse, and [Scripture now] explains to you where they were
[to be placed]. This “vav” is superfluous, and it is to be interpreted as
שְׁתֵּי טַבָּעֹת, two rings. But you can reconcile it [by interpreting it] in
this way: and two of these rings [shall be] on its one side, [meaning, and two
of the four rings mentioned in the beginning of this verse shall be on one side,
etc.]. its…side:
Heb.
צַלְעוֹ, its side.
13 And thou shalt make staves of acacia-wood, and
overlay them with gold. 14 And
thou shalt put the staves into the rings on the sides of the ark, wherewith to
bear the ark. 15 The staves
shall be in the rings of the ark; they shall not be taken from it. 16 And thou shalt put into the ark the
testimony which I shall give thee. 17 And thou shalt make an ark-cover of
pure gold: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a
half the breadth thereof. 18 And
thou shalt make two cherubim of gold; of beaten work shalt thou make them, at
the two ends of the ark-cover.
And
the Keruvim had faces like children. We only have one thing more important that
building the Beis HaMikdash according to the Rambam. We do not stop teaching
young children Torah even to build the Beis HaMikdash. In fact the education of
your children and children’s children take a higher place than your own
learning. The fact that you work for and go out and teach your children and
grandchildren Torah you are fulfilling a higher learning purpose by setting an
example and continuing the next generation of Torah Scholars. As soon as I tied
in Keruvim and Mishkan I felt it was time to bring down this
Halacha.
19 And make one cherub at the one end, and one
cherub at the other end; of one piece with the ark-cover shall ye make the
cherubim of the two ends thereof. 20 And the cherubim shall spread out
their wings on high, screening the ark-cover with their wings, with their faces
one to another; toward the ark-cover shall the faces of the cherubim be. 21 And thou shalt put the ark-cover
above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall
give thee. 22 And there I will
meet with thee, and I will speak with thee from above the ark-cover, from
between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things
which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.
Casting
of gold poses a challenge as experienced with the casting of the golden Menorah
visible today in Yerushalayim with modern skills, precision and techniques all
the more so back 3325 years ago.
23 And thou shalt make a table of acacia-wood: two
cubits shall be the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, and a cubit
and a half the height thereof. 24 And thou shalt overlay it with pure
gold, and make thereto a crown of gold round about. 25 And thou shalt make unto it a
border of a handbreadth round about, and thou shalt make a golden crown to the
border thereof round about. 26
And thou shalt make for it four rings of gold, and put the rings in the four
corners that are on the four feet thereof. 27 Close by the border shall the rings
be, for places for the staves to bear the table. 28 And thou shalt make the staves of
acacia-wood, and overlay them with gold, that the table may be borne with them.
29 And thou shalt make the
dishes thereof, and the pans thereof, and the jars thereof, and the bowls
thereof, wherewith to pour out; of pure gold shalt thou make them. 30 And thou shalt set upon the table
showbread before Me always.
Out
of 600,000 men and another 600,000 women there were enough skilled craftsmen to
produce the work of the gold and wood work, casting, sewing and
weaving.
31 And thou shalt make a candlestick of pure gold:
of beaten work shall the candlestick be made, even its base, and its shaft; its
cups, its knops, and its flowers, shall be of one piece with it. 32 And there shall be six branches
going out of the sides thereof: three branches of the candlestick out of the one
side thereof, and three branches of the candle-stick out of the other side
thereof; 33 three cups made like
almond-blossoms in one branch, a knop and a flower; and three cups made like
almond-blossoms in the other branch, a knop and a flower; so for the six
branches going out of the candlestick. 34 And in the candlestick four cups
made like almond-blossoms, the knops thereof, and the flowers thereof. 35 And a knop under two branches of
one piece with it, and a knop under two branches of one piece with it, and a
knop under two branches of one piece with it, for the six branches going out of
the candlestick. 36 Their knops
and their branches shall be of one piece with it; the whole of it one beaten
work of pure gold. 37 And thou
shalt make the lamps thereof, seven; and they shall light the lamps thereof, to
give light over against it. 38
And the tongs thereof, and the snuffdishes thereof, shall be of pure gold. 39 Of a talent of pure gold shall it
be made, with all these vessels. 40 And see that thou make them after
their pattern, which is being shown thee in the
mount.
26:1 Moreover thou shalt make the tabernacle with
ten curtains: of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, with
cherubim the work of the skillful workman shalt thou make them. 2 The length of each curtain shall be
eight and twenty cubits, and the breadth of each curtain four cubits; all the
curtains shall have one measure. 3 Five curtains shall be coupled
together one to another; and the other five curtains shall be coupled one to
another. 4 And thou shalt make
loops of blue upon the edge of the one curtain that is outmost in the first set;
and likewise shalt thou make in the edge of the curtain that is outmost in the
second set. …
Now
to get an idea of the physical dimension which range from 1.5 feet or 45.72 cm
to 50 cm for an Amah or Cubit see below it is like the length of a standard
swimming pool by 10 meter or between 30 and 31 feet wide.
27:9 And
thou shalt make the court of the tabernacle: for the south side southward there
shall be hangings for the court of fine twined linen a hundred cubits long for
one side. 10 And the pillars
thereof shall be twenty, and their sockets twenty, of brass; the hooks of the
pillars and their fillets shall be of silver. 11 And likewise for the north side in
length there shall be hangings a hundred cubits long, and the pillars thereof
twenty, and their sockets twenty, of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their
fillets of silver. 12 And for
the breadth of the court on the west side shall be hangings of fifty cubits:
their pillars ten, and their sockets ten. 13 And the breadth of the court on the
east side eastward shall be fifty cubits. 14 The hangings for the one side [of
the gate] shall be fifteen cubits: their pillars three, and their sockets three.
15 And for the other side shall
be hangings of fifteen cubits: their pillars three, and their sockets three.
16 And for the gate of the court
shall be a screen of twenty cubits, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine
twined linen, the work of the weaver in colours: their pillars four, and their
sockets four. 17 All the pillars
of the court round about shall be filleted with silver; their hooks of silver,
and their sockets of brass. 18
The length of the court shall be a hundred cubits, and the breadth fifty
everywhere, and the height five cubits, of fine twined linen, and their sockets
of brass. 19 All the instruments
of the tabernacle in all the service thereof, and all the pins thereof, and all
the pins of the court, shall be of brass.
Let them make Me a sanctuary, so I can dwell amongst them . . .
(Shemos 24:1) By
Rabbi Pinchas Winston Shlita http://www.torah.org/learning/perceptions/5773/terumah.html?print=1
The
Hebrew term Shechinah refers to the Divine Presence that “dwells” amongst man.
God is everywhere at all times. However, in some places, and at some times, He
makes His Presence more palpable than it is in other places, and at other times.
This
sounds like a simple thing. Between human beings it is - just like talking face
to face is a relatively simple task. So, when we hear that God spoke with Moshe
Rabbeinu, we figure, what’s the big deal? “If God wants to talk to me face to
face,” some people say, “all He has to do is call me. I’m all ears.”
Perhaps.
But, it is not only our ears that God has given us in order to talk to us.
Prophecy is not simply a matter of God deciding to talk to man, who is always
ready to hear. Just the opposite! God hasn’t stopped talking to man ever since
He started. Man, in spite of his ears, seems to have lost the ability to hear
Him.
Hence,
the Talmud says:
Eliyahu
said to me: “My son, what sound did you hear in this ruin?” I answered: “I heard
a Divine Voice, cooing like a dove, and saying, ‘Woe to the children, on account
of whose sins I destroyed My house, and burnt My temple, and exiled them among
the nations of the world!’ ”
He
said to me: “By your life and by your head! Not only now is it exclaimed, but
three times a each day it is exclaimed!” (Brochos 3a)
Rebi
Yehoshua ben Levi said: “Every day a Heavenly Voice emanates from Mount Chorev,
announcing: ‘Woe to them, the people, because of the affront to the Torah.’ ”
(Pirkei Avos 6:2)
What?
You can’t hear it? Neither can I, nor billions of other people for that matter.
What’s that? You think that we can’t hear the voice because there really isn’t
one, and that the above rabbis were only speaking figuratively? Does that really
make a difference? After all, do you really think that prophecy took advantage
of vocal cords and ear drums?
It’s
God’s message that counts, and if He thinks you’re ready to hear it, then He
will make you know it—in your head. You will see it with your mind’s eye, and
hear it with your mind’s ear. People just inches away don’t have to, and
probably won’t be able to, see, or hear it.
So,
we’ve been asking the wrong question all along. We’ve been asking, “Why doesn’t
God speak to us?” when the real question is, “Why don’t we listen to God?” Life,
from start to finish, is one long, ongoing dialogue with our Creator, ready to
become two-sided the moment we’re prepared to jump into it and listen.
How
do we do this? The answer is in this week’s Parsha, because becoming a
God-listener is the same thing as becoming that which God can dwell within. And
the secret to becoming that, the Parsha says, is giving terumas haleiv—gifts of
the heart.
Obviously
a gift of the heart means giving it whole-heartedly, out of a love for the
recipient. However, literally, it means the gift itself should be the heart, and
least spiritually-speaking, as it says:
The
sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, You
will not despise. (Tehillim 51:17)
Practically-speaking,
what does this mean? It means that there are two ways to give something, the
first, more common way being to simply relinquish ownership of something to
someone else. Once done, the relationship between the giver and the gift ends,
and each go their own separate ways.
The
second way of giving is to use the gift as a means to give a part of oneself to
another. After the giving is complete, the previous owner and the gift do not
part ways, but rather, it is the fact that they remain attached that makes the
gift so valuable to its recipient. It is not the object that counts, but what it
represents that makes it so valuable to all parties involved.
Thus,
the Talmud states in a few places that:
Whether
you give a lot or a little, what matters is that your heart is directed towards
Heaven. (Menachos 110a)
When
it comes to roommates, it is possible for odd couples to live together. However,
when it comes to a person’s heart, the only odd couple, so-to-speak, is God and
the Yetzer HaRa, and to the extent that the Yetzer HaRa fills a person’s heart
is to the extent that God will not; God only dwells in a person’s heart by
personal invitation, that is, as a function of a person’s free will.
There
is a big difference between God “being” with a person, and God dwelling within a
person. God can help or manipulate anyone, good or bad, in a number of ways. He
can get into a person’s head, or the heads of those around him, or just create
circumstance that force a person down a particular path, to his good or to his
detriment. A person does not have to be righteous at all for that to happen.
But
for God to dwell within someone, the person has to be devoted to God. He may
still have a Yetzer HaRa, but it is more like an unwanted guest than a
time-sharing partner. He is not easily fooled by the Yetzer HaRa, and the moment
he senses its presence, he does whatever he can to manage it, to harness it for
good, rather than for sin. In such a person, God can and will dwell, even in
these non-prophecy days.
This
is a deeper understanding of what Dovid HaMelech meant when he wrote:
One
thing I ask of God, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of God
all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of God and to seek Him in his
Temple. (Tehillim 27:4)
On
a simple level, Dovid HaMelech is just dreaming of being free of all worldly
concerns, so that he can focus all of his attention on God and work on his
relationship with Him. On a deeper level, he is talking about turning himself
into a dwelling place of God, for there is no better way to dwell in the House
of God than to actually become one.
It’s
extremely hard to do with a Yetzer HaRa, especially if a person isn’t even
trying to reign it in. Then again, a person with such a frame of mind probably
has no understanding of what he is missing by not working to spiritually perfect
himself. On the contrary, he is probably quite content giving in to his yetzer
hara, “within reason.”
What
about the person who is struggling with his Yetzer HaRa, but wants to become a
dwelling place for God? The Talmud already answered that question: If the
realization leads him to ask God for help against his Yetzer HaRa, then he is
well on his way to becoming a dwelling place for the Divine Presence (Kiddushin
30b).
As
God has said:
I
created the Yetzer HaRa, and I created Torah as its spice. (Kiddushin
30b)
With
Torah, a person can outsmart his Yetzer HaRa, even win it over to the side of
holiness. Just to be moving in this direction is already a personal invitation
to God to dwell within a person, and as the Talmud says:
One
who comes to sanctify himself a little, they sanctify him a lot. (Shabbos
104b) Text Copyright © 2013 by
Rabbi Pinchas Winston and Torah.org.
Yosef
who honors the Shabbos
… Reward for Shabbos: Those in Babylon, wherewith do they merit
[it]? — Because they honor the Torah, replied he. And those in other countries,
whereby do they merit it? — Because they honor the Sabbath, answered he. For R.
Hiyya b. Abba related: I was once a guest of a man in Laodicea, and a golden
table was brought before him, which had to be carried by sixteen men; sixteen
silver chains were fixed in it, and plates, goblets, pitchers and flasks were
set thereon, thereon, and upon it were all kinds of food, dainties and spices.
When they set it down they recited, The earth is the Lord's, and the fullness
thereof; (Tehillim 24:1) and when they removed it [after the meal] they recited,
The heavens are the heavens of the Lord, But the earth hath he given to the
children of men. Said I to him, 'My son! Whereby hast thou merited this?' 'I was
a butcher,' replied he, 'and of every fine beast I used to say, ‘this shall be
for the Sabbath'. Said I to him, 'Happy art thou that thou hast [so] merited,
and praised be the Omnipresent who has permitted thee to enjoy [all]
this.'
When
Ordinary People do the Extraordinary
We
can learn a lot from gardeners and landscapers. When the State of Israel started
the Yemenites besides the stories of missing babies and toddlers were given
menial jobs. Most were unskilled and unlike the Ethiopians who made Aliyah to an
established State they received no job training. A man named Omeisi Z”L was a
landscaper and gardener in Israel Aircraft where I worked. Most of us were on
high economical social statuses as secretaries, draftsman, technicians,
engineers and academicians. He was happy doing a good honest day’s labor and
went home at night to study Torah and especially Kabbala. If he were alive today
I would honor him and sit by his feet and learn that is how great he was in the
knowledge of the hidden secrets of HASHEM.
Another
gardener was Shlomo Avraham. He volunteered in 1955 at the age of 17.5 for the
IDF. He fought in every war from the Sinai Campaign until Shalom HaGalil. He was
injured a few times and came back not as a retired injured soldier but as a
fighter time and time again. He finally had to stop working when a week or so
before the notorious bombing on Pessach in the Park Hotel he was injured Motzei
Shabbos at a Simcha in another hotel in Netanya. He lost part of an arm and a
leg. He was in the dumps that he was now disabled until a younger man from our
Yeshuv called Mah-Tov who had lost both legs below the knee and an arm in a work
accident came to comfort and encourage him the efforts paid off and he is a man
of good spirits despite loosing his grandson in the recent Pillar Cloud
operation. Last Friday we went on a tour of the hills below Yerushalayim.
Despite his peg leg, he walked around a road on Har Eitam. We then had to climb
a steep path up to the view point of Kibbutz Zova where there had been a Arab
Village. He managed to walk up and down the hill which was difficult for my wife
and he is pushing 75 soon. He did not say I can’t but I
can.
The
last story is about a fellow that I know as the son of Katriel whom I mentioned
with the Baba Sali story last week. He was an ordinary youth in a Yeshiva High
School when somebody threw a brick that opened up his head and for two years he
lay in Beit Levenstein (hospital for the very badly injured). He lost the
ability to move half of his body and has a speech impairment due to the injury.
However, his brain is working quite well. I believe that he has a job compliant
for his ability. After work he goes to the gym – swimming pool and carries his
travel bag. He neatly folds and unfolds his clothing and towels with one hand
and dresses himself he never whines for help or looks for pity. He feels that he
owes the world a living and not that the world owes him a
living.
I do
not usually mention my own disabilities as it has nothing to do in general with
the stories here but this time I will in order to inspire others. In Shevat 5757
I was in a minor accident but got my head bumped hard and was dizzy. The
middle-right ear had been affected which had the effect of making me dizzy and
in one case so badly that I was hospitalized for 3 days. It was among things
that forced my early retirement.
Almost
8 years later I joined a gym to do aerobics for my heart. On two occasions
during personal training sessions, I ended up getting dizzy and each spring with
the sinuses swelling I would get a bit dizzy. This led to many unpleasant things
like falls, almost falling backwards on the stairs or tripping going up. I
continued to try to mount and sit on a ball used for exercises. After many-many
attempts I succeeded and could sit on one. Still there was a device that looks
like a hemisphere for standing on to help one’s balance using the English
Initials Balance and Support something like BOSA. With my personal trainer I
learned to put my foot on one side of the device and the other on the floor and
do exercises. I finally went to a Vestibular Therapist who listened to my
complaints about the inner ear being out of whack and helped whack that into
place. She then gave me exercises to straighten out another 10% of my balance
problems. A few weeks ago after 16 years of trying, I cannot stand on the device
by itself but holding on to weights attached to a machine I am able to balance
myself on the device awkwardly. It is a matter of will power.
Saving
a life Pekuach Nefesh one can violate the Shabbos
A tanna recited before Rabbah son of R. Huna: If one kills snakes or scorpions on the Sabbath, the spirit of the pious is displeased with him. He retorted, And as to those pious men, the spirit of the Sages is displeased with them. Now, he disagrees with R. Huna, for R. Huna saw a man kill a wasp. Said he to him, 'Have you wiped them all out?'
Our Rabbis taught: If one chances upon snakes and scorpions, and he kills them, it is manifest that he had chanced upon them in order to kill them; if he does not kill them, it is manifest that he had chanced upon them that they should kill him, but that a miracle was performed by Heaven on his behalf. 'Ulla said: — others state, Rabbah b. Bar Hanah said in R. Johanan's name — That is when they hiss at him.
R. Abba b. Kahana said: One [of them] once fell in the Beth Hamidrash, and a Nabatean arose and killed it. Said Rabbi: A similar one must have attacked him. The scholars asked: 'A similar one must have attacked him' [means] that he had done well, or not? — Come and hear: For R. Abba, son of R. Hiyya b. Abba, and R. Zera were sitting in the anteroom of R. Jannai's academy, [when] something issued from between them. [So] they asked R. Jannai: May one kill snakes and scorpions on the Sabbath? Said he to them: I kill a hornet, how much more so snakes and scorpions! But perhaps that is (only] incidentally, for Rab Judah said: One can tread down saliva incidentally:27 and R. Shesheth said, One can tread down a snake incidentally, and R. Kattina said, One may tread down a scorpion incidentally.
How
much does a Miracle cost? An oldie from Rabbi A.L.
A
little girl went to her bedroom and pulled a glass jelly jar from its hiding
place in the closet. She poured the change out on the floor and counted it
carefully. Three
times, even.. The total had to be exactly perfect.. No chance here for mistakes.
Carefully placing the coins back in the jar and twisting on the cap, she slipped out the back door and made her way 6 blocks to Rexall's Drug Store with the big red Indian Chief sign above the door.
She waited patiently for the pharmacist to give her some attention, but he was too busy at this moment. Tess twisted her feet to make a scuffing noise. Nothing. She cleared her throat with the most disgusting sound she could muster. No good. Finally she took a quarter from her jar and banged it on the glass counter. That did it! 'And what do you want?' the pharmacist asked in an annoyed tone of voice... I'm talking to my brother from Chicago whom I haven't seen in ages,' he said without waiting for a reply to his question.
'Well, I want to talk to you about my brother,' Tess answered back in the same annoyed tone. 'He's really, really sick....and I want to buy a miracle.' 'I beg your pardon?'
said the pharmacist. 'His name is Andrew and he has something bad growing inside his head and my Daddy says only a miracle can save him now. So how much does a miracle cost?' 'We don't sell miracles here, little girl. I'm sorry but I can't help you,' the pharmacist said, softening a little.
'Listen, I have the money to pay for it. If it isn't enough, I will get the rest. Just tell me how much it costs.'
The pharmacist's brother was a well-dressed man. He stooped down and asked the little girl, 'What kind of a miracle does your brother need?'
' I don't know,' Tess replied with her eyes welling up. I just know he's really sick and Mommy says he needs an operation.. But my Daddy can't pay for it, so I want to use my money...' 'How much do you have?' asked the man from Chicago.
'One dollar and eleven cents,' Tess answered barely audible. 'And it's all the money I have, but I can get some more if I need to.' 'Well, what a coincidence,' smiled the man. 'A dollar and eleven cents---the exact price of a miracle for little brothers.'
He took her money in one hand and with the other hand he grasped her mitten and said 'Take me to where you live. I want to see your brother and meet your parents.. Let's see if I have the miracle you need.'
That well-dressed man was Dr. Carlton Armstrong, a surgeon, specializing in neuro-surgery. The operation was completed free of charge and it wasn't long until Andrew was home again and doing well.
Mom and Dad were happily talking about the chain of events that had led them to this place..
'That surgery,' her Mom whispered. 'was a real miracle. I wonder how much it would have cost?' Tess smiled. She knew exactly how much a miracle cost....one dollar and eleven cents...plus the faith of a little child. In our lives, we never know how many miracles we will need.
A miracle is not the suspension of natural law, but the operation of a higher law. I know you'll keep the ball moving! Here it goes. Throw it back to someone who means something to you!
A ball is a circle, no beginning, no end. It keeps us together like our Circle of Friends. But the treasure inside for you to see is the treasure of friendship you've granted to me.
MY OATH TO YOU... When you are sad.....I will dry your tears. When you are scared.....I will comfort your fears. When you are worried......I will give you hope. When you are confused.....I will help you cope. And when you are lost...and can't see the light, I shall be your beacon...shining ever so bright. This is my oath.......I pledge till the end.
Why you may ask...Because you're my friend. Signed: G-D
times, even.. The total had to be exactly perfect.. No chance here for mistakes.
Carefully placing the coins back in the jar and twisting on the cap, she slipped out the back door and made her way 6 blocks to Rexall's Drug Store with the big red Indian Chief sign above the door.
She waited patiently for the pharmacist to give her some attention, but he was too busy at this moment. Tess twisted her feet to make a scuffing noise. Nothing. She cleared her throat with the most disgusting sound she could muster. No good. Finally she took a quarter from her jar and banged it on the glass counter. That did it! 'And what do you want?' the pharmacist asked in an annoyed tone of voice... I'm talking to my brother from Chicago whom I haven't seen in ages,' he said without waiting for a reply to his question.
'Well, I want to talk to you about my brother,' Tess answered back in the same annoyed tone. 'He's really, really sick....and I want to buy a miracle.' 'I beg your pardon?'
said the pharmacist. 'His name is Andrew and he has something bad growing inside his head and my Daddy says only a miracle can save him now. So how much does a miracle cost?' 'We don't sell miracles here, little girl. I'm sorry but I can't help you,' the pharmacist said, softening a little.
'Listen, I have the money to pay for it. If it isn't enough, I will get the rest. Just tell me how much it costs.'
The pharmacist's brother was a well-dressed man. He stooped down and asked the little girl, 'What kind of a miracle does your brother need?'
' I don't know,' Tess replied with her eyes welling up. I just know he's really sick and Mommy says he needs an operation.. But my Daddy can't pay for it, so I want to use my money...' 'How much do you have?' asked the man from Chicago.
'One dollar and eleven cents,' Tess answered barely audible. 'And it's all the money I have, but I can get some more if I need to.' 'Well, what a coincidence,' smiled the man. 'A dollar and eleven cents---the exact price of a miracle for little brothers.'
He took her money in one hand and with the other hand he grasped her mitten and said 'Take me to where you live. I want to see your brother and meet your parents.. Let's see if I have the miracle you need.'
That well-dressed man was Dr. Carlton Armstrong, a surgeon, specializing in neuro-surgery. The operation was completed free of charge and it wasn't long until Andrew was home again and doing well.
Mom and Dad were happily talking about the chain of events that had led them to this place..
'That surgery,' her Mom whispered. 'was a real miracle. I wonder how much it would have cost?' Tess smiled. She knew exactly how much a miracle cost....one dollar and eleven cents...plus the faith of a little child. In our lives, we never know how many miracles we will need.
A miracle is not the suspension of natural law, but the operation of a higher law. I know you'll keep the ball moving! Here it goes. Throw it back to someone who means something to you!
A ball is a circle, no beginning, no end. It keeps us together like our Circle of Friends. But the treasure inside for you to see is the treasure of friendship you've granted to me.
MY OATH TO YOU... When you are sad.....I will dry your tears. When you are scared.....I will comfort your fears. When you are worried......I will give you hope. When you are confused.....I will help you cope. And when you are lost...and can't see the light, I shall be your beacon...shining ever so bright. This is my oath.......I pledge till the end.
Why you may ask...Because you're my friend. Signed: G-D
Accidently
exposed on-line Jewish Conversions a scam
For
the real kosher Conversion Site click: http://www.itim.org.il/eng/?CategoryID=208&ArticleID=547
On
one hand it is a fool who throws his money away on the other hand it is either a
sincere person or and infiltrator who is willing to become Jewish on line. If
you were a Rabbi would you be willing to take a non-Jew let us say Abdullah from
Afghanistan and send him an on-line conversion certificate? If you were a
non-Jew would you like to get a certificate from somebody who never checked if
you know how to use a Siddur? If you are kosher or not? If you are able to fit
into a Jewish Environment?
The
story starts a number of years ago when A.S. and then E.H. form on Facebook a
Jewish Conversion Discussion Group. E.H. befriends me and I join the group. E.H.
is an 18 year old sweet College Freshman and every week sincerely posts things
from Aish HaTorah and other sites on the group. E.H. suddenly gets a virtual
boyfriend who is interested in conversion and joins the group calling himself
Yehuda. The two of them on their private walls are cooing like two doves back
and forth and even make a joint wall. During this time a woman named Michelle
Childs (not her real name) joins the Facebook Group and convinces E.H. to become
an administrator of the group.
This
paragraph is speculation as to the 180 degree turn about in E.H. I suspect that she went to meet her virtual
boyfriend who turns out to be a deprogramming company of people used my parents
for teens and you people who fall under cults. Since Yehuda was in Mexico City
she probably travelled there to meet him and whatever happened to her was
outside of the USA. Both she and Yehuda disappear from FB overnight and she does
not answer e-mail or Skype. After a few months of deprogramming she returns and
is off the group and sprouting Mark, Matthew, Luke and John on her
wall.
In
the meantime on the group Michelle Childs was just participating and behaving
herself. She meets a Jewish comic who calls himself on FB Rabbi but his behavior
with women leaves something to be desired he works “as a person modeling Calvin
Klein underwear”. After she gets involved with this fellow her personality
changes from reasonably nice to a bit nasty. All this time she claims to be
living in Portland OR which has an active Orthodox Community but does not seem
to have been in contact with a Rabbi! During the time she has this personality
change she closes the group to closed and adds on a woman calling herself Bebe
Tracy as an administrator.
In
a discussion that a new member mentioned about on-line conversions I came out
against this nonsense. Of course as with most groups a number of opinions
occurred and again the pros and cons were being discussed until I came out with
a Halachic tirade to end it once and for all. I was thrown off the group. I
contacted A.S. who found out that the group had become secret which was not his
intention and he was able as founder to throw off Bebe and reinstate me. He also
put Michelle on probation but she violated the terms and he had to remove her
too.
A
private investigator friend of mine found this out for me and wrote about a
person further down named Michelle Childs https://www.facebook.com/michelle.childs.7?ref=ts&fref=ts
at the time I was “friends” with this person and her alleged boyfriend. I had no
reason to suspect Michelle of anything and I wrote her two private messages what
is going on? She managed to write a whole lot of nasty things about me elsewhere
when all I did was try to help her learn Torah in her conversion bid. The
investigator mailed me this:
"Bebe
Tracy first appeared acts a Banai Noach about a year ago. She started after a
very short time a bunch of massive teaching sites with her as the prime and only
teacher. When ever questioned she would say the teaching came from this Rabbi or
that rabbi. He husband is a green Brett according to her. Then she started she
was in conversation classes and started sharing her learning with everyone in
her teaching sites. After a while she gave up the pretense and started taking
conversion classes. She said she had rabbinical approval but did not have to
opinions should be approved by herself. Then a few
weeks ago she announced that hush had found a long list aunt that on her death
bed confessed? That they were all Jewish and then of courses conveniently died.
At that point Bebe announced that she was going to be teaching conversation
classes for online conversion. Bebe had a falling out with Rabbi Asher Mesa I
suspect it had to do with her not getting a cut on conversations. When I
question all of this I was kicked out. Denounced as a missionary and one of
their bunch threatened to kill me. I t happens all of the time. It happens all
of the time. If they want to kill me they need to schedule it quickly. What a
mess!”
She
found out that her husband’s refusing to convert would stop her conversion. So
conveniently she became Jewish. She joined a Jewish Conversion Group and somehow
convinced a non-Jewish moderator to make her a moderator so she removed me for
saying my opinion on this on-line conversion business. It turns out from
conveniently finding out that she was Jewish she started her own on-line
conversions for money. I could be that she had all the intentions of becoming
Jewish. However her on-line conversion certificate would skip the spouse part
and put aside the fear of heaven but would have full of love for money. One is a
Conservative Rabbi from Sunny Isles FL named Ceberkorn or something similar who
does on-line Jewish Conversions for $1800. At least he is recognized by the
Aliyah people so the money isn’t totally thrown out and I assume Rabbi Asher
Mesa the same but needless to say not recognized for marriage in
Israel.
Judaism
is not a commodity that can be bought or sold on the market. To be Jewish one
must work hard to earn their way in. A convert has to be tested if he/she is
sincere and if married that both members of the couple are on board. When the
time comes to accept conversion both members must be on the level to convert.
One cannot be an astronaut from books – one must be trained. Neither can one be
a soldier from books or playing as a child bang-bang nor can one be a Jew
without living in a Jewish Community and going to the Mikvah. Judaism may sound
like Utopia to a potential convert but one needs to know the minimum practical
things like the laws of Shabbos & Yom Tov, Kashrus and Family Purity. A
Rabbi testing a convert does not need to hear the Convert rattle off and
describe in fine detail all 39 Av Melachos of Shabbos or by heart a Rosh Chodesh
or Yom Tov prayer in Hebrew. But one needs to know some basic things and be seen
practicing or trying to practice.
Exposed
on FB Bebe Tracy https://www.facebook.com/bebe.tracy?ref=ts&fref=ts and
seemed to be using the name of Rabbi David Katz as her mentor. Originally the
investigator gave me information that the Rabbi who was supposed to be in Tzefat
had a Nevada Phone. It turns out that Rabbi David Katz is a 100% Glatt Kosher
Rabbi and is associated with the well-known Virtual Yeshiva which is located in
Israel and Orthodox. According to the Private Investigator and my own, Bebe
Tracy began using him as a front for her scheme. The Rabbi is using a soul mazel
Kabbala system to sell a Jewish Name for the Bnei Noach people. His Facebook
Photo was of Yacov Baal HaTurim http://lehikanes-torah.blogspot.co.il/2009/11/for-he-shall-never-be-moved-righteous.html
(if
I am not mistaken) so I jumped to a conclusion not that he was being used as a
pawn by this woman but had something to do with her. His real photo is available
on his website and I have issued an apology to him as I had sent out a limited
direct post to some close friends. I was a trusted longtime friend that set me
straight on this issue: His site is:
http://noahidenations.com/index.php?option=com_easyblog&view=entry&id=30&Itemid=524
Bebe
is running around with other pages for financial gain: http://www.oocities.org/rachav/
and
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/noahides/
(note
the Bookstore recommended is a friend of mine and suffered a mysterious fire
recently in FL. In MD Elli-Chai One Stop Judaica Shop the books are available) I
do not know 100% if Michelle is involved but let us put it this way she is not a
Tallis of pure Techeles.
Another
person to watch out for on Facebook is this so-called “Rabbi” is married to a
non-Jew and has a mixed religious Schul for everybody https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rabbi-Craig-Wyckoffs-FB-Shul-For-Everyone/146343718754165?ref=ts&fref=ts
The
Bnei Noach have gotten into a large following and with that comes along people
looking to take over the movement and become leaders and settling Halachos and
prayers which never existed to make it into a money making religious order. It
would be better than some religions but much better still if people just follow
the behavior mentioned in the Torah and Rambam and not have a formal
religion.
Baruch
Dayan Emmes http://www.jpost.com/JewishWorld/JewishNews/Article.aspx?id=302772
Jewish
Pre-nup upheld in Conn: http://forward.com/articles/170721/in-victory-for-chained-wives-court-upholds-o/?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_content=addthis-custom&utm_campaign=&p=all&utm_medium=jd.fo-facebook-share#.URUdOANsCoU.facebook
Thanks
to Ruth: Because Melech Shaul showed compassion to Agag, Haman was born. Whoever
shows compassion to cruel people ends up being cruel to compassionate people.
http://frumfollies.wordpress.com/2013/02/07/eleven-israeli-child-abuse-victims-because-charles-hynes-went-easy-on-simon-benisty/
Inyanay
Diyoma
I am
not surprised: http://debka.com/article/22744/Ali-Khamenei-shuts-door-on-direct-nuclear-talks-with-US
Opinion
via Yediot: http://www.themeshreport.com/2013/01/israel-prepares-to-preemptively-strike-syria/?utm_source=taboola
Assad is now dependent on Israel remaining out of the fight.
When I posted this a woman named Nancy replied: Yeshaya 17: 1 The burden of
Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a
ruinous heap. http://debka.com/article/22752/Israel-Air-Force-now-holds-key-to-fate-of-Damascus-Assad-regime
Haverim and Paisanos http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Article.aspx?id=302644
Iran preparing for the fall of Assad or support of Assad with
their groups on the ground: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4343388,00.html
Missile Defense Shield or lack thereof: http://debka.com/article/22754/US-withdrawal-from-Europe-based-missile-shield-will-impact-Israel%E2%80%99s-defense
Smuggling trucks into Gaza a very big business: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/165125#.URlCX2dSFwQ
Founder of IDF women passes away: http://www.jpost.com/NationalNews/Article.aspx?id=302777
A
response to the Arab lawsuit to remove buildings: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4343553,00.html
Iran speeding up the red-line date: http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=302927
Homicide bombers and the right target: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/165128#.URnVuGdSFwQ
He was infatuated by the Arabs more than Israel let him get a 2
year education of their hospitality: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4343845,00.html
I am not an Air Force General but I do know enough as a Buck
Sargent that when the enemy is closing in on your Air Base fly the darn planes
out of there and don’t let them fall into enemy hands. I guess somebody botch-up
in his military tactics 101 course. http://debka.com/article/22758/Syrian-jets-bomb-northern-air-base-seized-by-Islamist-led-rebels
Egypt is finally keeping their side of the bargain: http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=303159
Leftists and Arab MK’s endanger Israeli Security: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/165209#.URvbtmdSFwQ
Iran set for major nuclear breakthrough: http://www.jpost.com/IranianThreat/News/Article.aspx?id=303237
Somebody took care of an Iranian General
http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Article.aspx?id=303371
Ahead of Asteroid a meteor falls 400 injured and 3 serious: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4345317,00.html
Now
for M. Wolfberg’s Good Shabbos Stories “Bombs Away” and “Everyone Be
Kind”
Good Shabbos Everyone. This week's Torah portion Mishpatim
describes some of the basic mitzvahs dealing with commerce and the laws of civil
litigation and damages. As in all other Legal systems, (most of which are based
on Jewish Law) the Dayan or Rabbinic Judge is an integral part of the judicial
process. In Judaism however, the role of the judge carries with it even more
weight than in secular legal systems. Specifically, the Sages tell us that by
deciding the law in this world, the Dayan - Jewish judge can actually influence
the spiritual worlds above. The following narrative illustrates this and other
inspirational concepts:
"The wedding of my uncle, Rabbi Chaim Raitport, to Milka Sudakevitch was scheduled to take place in Kfar Chabad, a village near Tel Aviv, Israel, in the winter of 1991, on the 23rd of Shevat, 5751.
A few weeks before the wedding, the war between America and Iraq broke out, a war that was later known as Operation Desert Storm. Everyone was concerned: Should the entire family go the wedding in Israel or not?
My grandfather, Rav Yitzchok Raitport, my father and my uncle Chaim went together to 770 Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn on Sunday, the 9th of Shevat, where they waited in line to see the Lubavitcher Rebbe to ask for his blessing and to receive a dollar from his hand (later to be exchanged and distributed to charity). Many more people than usual were there that day, because that night began the yahrzeit of the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, and the 40th anniversary of the crowning of his son-in-law as his successor.
When it was my grandfather's turn, one of the Rebbe's attendants informed the Rebbe that they would be celebrating a wedding in two weeks in Israel. The Rebbe asked my grandfather if everyone in the family was going.
My grandfather replied that he did not know what to do considering the war situation and the bombings in Israel: should they postpone the wedding, move the wedding to America, or minimize the number of people going to the wedding, i.e., just my grandfather, the groom and my father.
The Rebbe looked at my grandfather and said, "You are a Rav [one who decides Jewish law] who can pasken dinim [rule in matters of Jewish law]! If you will not go, then you are ruling that the Land of Israel is a dangerous place. And if you will travel, it means that you are ruling that the Land of Israel is not in danger. You should travel--men, women and children--and I say to you that all will be good and nothing bad will happen. Everybody from the surrounding villages should come to the wedding and the wedding should be made publicly and with much simcha [joy], as nothing will go wrong. The wedding shall take place in a good and auspicious time."
Armed with the Rebbe's blessing, my uncle, father and the entire family went to Israel. The blessing became public and was even broadcast on the radio all over Israel, giving the Jewish people in our Holy Land much needed strength and assurance in those frightening times of sealed rooms, gas masks and threatened chemical warfare.
Although they had been urged to start the wedding earlier and cut the festivities short so that people could return home before dark, the wedding took place as scheduled, at 7:00 p.m. (well, 7:14 pm to be precise, which in Chabad circles is like being on time or even early! - ed.) The ceremony was held in the large area in front of the main synagogue in Kfar Chabad.
The celebrations and dancing lasted until 11:30. The wedding hall was filled to overflowing. My father was curious about who many of the guests were, as neither our side of the family nor the bride's side recognized them. When my father asked a number of people what brought them to the wedding, they explained that the Rebbe's blessing was broadcast on the radio encouraging people from surrounding villages to come, so they came!
After the wedding was over, my father and some other family members were waiting outside to go back to their hotel in Jerusalem when the local guard pulled up. With him was a soldier who had just come off duty from the Patriot Anti-Missile Battery right near Kfar Chabad. The soldier asked them what time the chupah had taken place.
When they told him "7:14 p.m." he said, "The Rebbe is watching over you." He explained that earlier that evening three American F16s were flying a night mission over Western Iraq when they saw three mobile SCUD missile launchers preparing to fire into Israel. The planes took out the SCUD missile launchers with bombs. According to the army logs the time the bombs were dropped was 7:14 p.m!" (From Reb Yerachmiel Tilles, Ascent)
By consulting with competent Rabbbis and Rebbes we can all merit to see the wisdom of the Sages "in-action;" namely, that whatever a Rav decides in this world can influence the spiritual worlds above. Good Shabbos Everyone.
"The wedding of my uncle, Rabbi Chaim Raitport, to Milka Sudakevitch was scheduled to take place in Kfar Chabad, a village near Tel Aviv, Israel, in the winter of 1991, on the 23rd of Shevat, 5751.
A few weeks before the wedding, the war between America and Iraq broke out, a war that was later known as Operation Desert Storm. Everyone was concerned: Should the entire family go the wedding in Israel or not?
My grandfather, Rav Yitzchok Raitport, my father and my uncle Chaim went together to 770 Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn on Sunday, the 9th of Shevat, where they waited in line to see the Lubavitcher Rebbe to ask for his blessing and to receive a dollar from his hand (later to be exchanged and distributed to charity). Many more people than usual were there that day, because that night began the yahrzeit of the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, and the 40th anniversary of the crowning of his son-in-law as his successor.
When it was my grandfather's turn, one of the Rebbe's attendants informed the Rebbe that they would be celebrating a wedding in two weeks in Israel. The Rebbe asked my grandfather if everyone in the family was going.
My grandfather replied that he did not know what to do considering the war situation and the bombings in Israel: should they postpone the wedding, move the wedding to America, or minimize the number of people going to the wedding, i.e., just my grandfather, the groom and my father.
The Rebbe looked at my grandfather and said, "You are a Rav [one who decides Jewish law] who can pasken dinim [rule in matters of Jewish law]! If you will not go, then you are ruling that the Land of Israel is a dangerous place. And if you will travel, it means that you are ruling that the Land of Israel is not in danger. You should travel--men, women and children--and I say to you that all will be good and nothing bad will happen. Everybody from the surrounding villages should come to the wedding and the wedding should be made publicly and with much simcha [joy], as nothing will go wrong. The wedding shall take place in a good and auspicious time."
Armed with the Rebbe's blessing, my uncle, father and the entire family went to Israel. The blessing became public and was even broadcast on the radio all over Israel, giving the Jewish people in our Holy Land much needed strength and assurance in those frightening times of sealed rooms, gas masks and threatened chemical warfare.
Although they had been urged to start the wedding earlier and cut the festivities short so that people could return home before dark, the wedding took place as scheduled, at 7:00 p.m. (well, 7:14 pm to be precise, which in Chabad circles is like being on time or even early! - ed.) The ceremony was held in the large area in front of the main synagogue in Kfar Chabad.
The celebrations and dancing lasted until 11:30. The wedding hall was filled to overflowing. My father was curious about who many of the guests were, as neither our side of the family nor the bride's side recognized them. When my father asked a number of people what brought them to the wedding, they explained that the Rebbe's blessing was broadcast on the radio encouraging people from surrounding villages to come, so they came!
After the wedding was over, my father and some other family members were waiting outside to go back to their hotel in Jerusalem when the local guard pulled up. With him was a soldier who had just come off duty from the Patriot Anti-Missile Battery right near Kfar Chabad. The soldier asked them what time the chupah had taken place.
When they told him "7:14 p.m." he said, "The Rebbe is watching over you." He explained that earlier that evening three American F16s were flying a night mission over Western Iraq when they saw three mobile SCUD missile launchers preparing to fire into Israel. The planes took out the SCUD missile launchers with bombs. According to the army logs the time the bombs were dropped was 7:14 p.m!" (From Reb Yerachmiel Tilles, Ascent)
By consulting with competent Rabbbis and Rebbes we can all merit to see the wisdom of the Sages "in-action;" namely, that whatever a Rav decides in this world can influence the spiritual worlds above. Good Shabbos Everyone.
Good Shabbos Everyone. The Talmud tells us that a Jew is
distinguished by three character traits: shyness, mercifulness, and dedication
to doing of acts of kindness. (Yevamos 79b) The Talmud goes so far as to say
that someone who lacks one of these qualities must be checked out to make sure
that he is really Jewish!
The Torah describes this week how Hashem commands Moshe to request from the people donations to build the Mishkan - Tabernacle, the portable sanctuary in the wilderness. The Jewish people were so eager to donate, that Moshe later tells them to stop the donations! (Shemos 36:6) We see from here that Jews have a generous nature. The following true story from about 200 years ago illustrates this quality of the Jewish people...
Most people just turned the other way when they saw a blind old man walking into town, led by his young son. The two looked poor, hungry and needy, especially on this damp and chilly day. No one seemed interested in helping them; the townspeople wanted to just get home, sit by their fires and eat a warm meal.
As Reb Yankel watched the father and son trudging through the town square, he took an immediate interest in them, approached and asked if they would be interested in a warm meal. The old man declined the offer, insisting that he would be just fine eating at the local inn that, he assumed, offered free meals to the poor; the young boy, however, eagerly accepted the kindness.
The father seemed irritated by the fact that his son's hunger had overridden other consideration; nevertheless, they followed their kind host to his home. As they walked, Yankel tried to make small talk, asking where they came from and about the rest of the family.
The boy, whose name was Shlomo, gladly held up his side of the conversation, but the old man repeatedly tried to hush him. The child revealed that his mother had died years before and that he and his father were alone. He added that since his father was blind they had very little resources and had not eaten a good meal in a long while. They had almost no money and were very thankful that someone had taken the time to care for their needs.
Yankel would, under normal circumstances, have asked the boy what he Torah was learning, but it went without saying that the boy did not have much of an opportunity to learn anything. He was fully occupied in taking care of his father.
They arrived at their host's home and sat down to eat the meal. Not having eaten in quite a while, the two ate heartily and listened as their host spoke; he had an offer for them and it was almost too good to be true — he would allow them to stay as guests in his home, he would provide them with food and, in addition, Yankel wanted to hire an excellent melamed for the young Shlomo. It would seem that there was very little to discuss; how could they possibly turn down such an offer?
But that did not stop the boy's father from expressing his disinterest. Although he was offered three delicious meals a day and the very best education for his son, he still hesitated out of pride.
However, Shlomo's reaction was a different story; his eyes lit up at the offer. Hope for a better life, one where he would have a chance to be just like everyone else, was right there at his fingertips and he desperately wanted it.
The father finally agreed and their new life began. Day after day Yankel catered to the needs of his guests and accommodated every request the man made. Shlomo flourished in the new environment, his thirst for learning and unquenchable desire for Torah growing daily. The boy's phenomenal memory allowed him to connect various pieces of Gemara that most boys his age could never begin to do. His comprehension, mature beyond his years, coupled with his diligence, allowed him to grow in his learning at a phenomenal pace. The middos Shlomo had cultivated by caring for his elderly father blossomed even further, and before long he became an outstanding talmid chacham as well as a young man of sterling character.
A few years later the father, to whom the boy had devoted so much of his life, passed away. The young Shlomo now channeled all of his energies into his learning. Without any distractions, nothing could stop his growth.
Yankel was not just any Yankel. He was Rav Yaakov Kranz, better known as the greatest maggid ever, the Dubner Maggid (1740-1804). And the young boy also was not just anybody. His reputation grew, eventually he married and became the great Rav of Brod, Rav Shlomo Kluger (1785-1869)!
The Chofetz Chaim would retell this story to convey the importance of uncovering the hidden treasures that lie within our very own children. Often circumstances prevent them from becoming who they are destined to be. But with a much needed break and an offer from a kind stranger they can rid themselves of the shackles that chain them down and have the freedom to chase their dreams.(from Touched by Story 4, p. 82, Rabbi Yechiel Spiro)
By doing Chesed - acts of kindness and giving to others, there is no limit to what we can help others accomplish in life. Good Shabbos Everyone. M. Wolfberg and not my Drasha is Sponsored by In memory of R' Yaakov ben Naftoly, of blessed memory In Memory of Reb Yitzchok ben Reb Shimon (Friedman) of blessed memory Refuah Shleima to Reb Mordechai Mendel ben Tziporah Yitta Refuah Shleima to Leah bas Tziporah
The Torah describes this week how Hashem commands Moshe to request from the people donations to build the Mishkan - Tabernacle, the portable sanctuary in the wilderness. The Jewish people were so eager to donate, that Moshe later tells them to stop the donations! (Shemos 36:6) We see from here that Jews have a generous nature. The following true story from about 200 years ago illustrates this quality of the Jewish people...
Most people just turned the other way when they saw a blind old man walking into town, led by his young son. The two looked poor, hungry and needy, especially on this damp and chilly day. No one seemed interested in helping them; the townspeople wanted to just get home, sit by their fires and eat a warm meal.
As Reb Yankel watched the father and son trudging through the town square, he took an immediate interest in them, approached and asked if they would be interested in a warm meal. The old man declined the offer, insisting that he would be just fine eating at the local inn that, he assumed, offered free meals to the poor; the young boy, however, eagerly accepted the kindness.
The father seemed irritated by the fact that his son's hunger had overridden other consideration; nevertheless, they followed their kind host to his home. As they walked, Yankel tried to make small talk, asking where they came from and about the rest of the family.
The boy, whose name was Shlomo, gladly held up his side of the conversation, but the old man repeatedly tried to hush him. The child revealed that his mother had died years before and that he and his father were alone. He added that since his father was blind they had very little resources and had not eaten a good meal in a long while. They had almost no money and were very thankful that someone had taken the time to care for their needs.
Yankel would, under normal circumstances, have asked the boy what he Torah was learning, but it went without saying that the boy did not have much of an opportunity to learn anything. He was fully occupied in taking care of his father.
They arrived at their host's home and sat down to eat the meal. Not having eaten in quite a while, the two ate heartily and listened as their host spoke; he had an offer for them and it was almost too good to be true — he would allow them to stay as guests in his home, he would provide them with food and, in addition, Yankel wanted to hire an excellent melamed for the young Shlomo. It would seem that there was very little to discuss; how could they possibly turn down such an offer?
But that did not stop the boy's father from expressing his disinterest. Although he was offered three delicious meals a day and the very best education for his son, he still hesitated out of pride.
However, Shlomo's reaction was a different story; his eyes lit up at the offer. Hope for a better life, one where he would have a chance to be just like everyone else, was right there at his fingertips and he desperately wanted it.
The father finally agreed and their new life began. Day after day Yankel catered to the needs of his guests and accommodated every request the man made. Shlomo flourished in the new environment, his thirst for learning and unquenchable desire for Torah growing daily. The boy's phenomenal memory allowed him to connect various pieces of Gemara that most boys his age could never begin to do. His comprehension, mature beyond his years, coupled with his diligence, allowed him to grow in his learning at a phenomenal pace. The middos Shlomo had cultivated by caring for his elderly father blossomed even further, and before long he became an outstanding talmid chacham as well as a young man of sterling character.
A few years later the father, to whom the boy had devoted so much of his life, passed away. The young Shlomo now channeled all of his energies into his learning. Without any distractions, nothing could stop his growth.
Yankel was not just any Yankel. He was Rav Yaakov Kranz, better known as the greatest maggid ever, the Dubner Maggid (1740-1804). And the young boy also was not just anybody. His reputation grew, eventually he married and became the great Rav of Brod, Rav Shlomo Kluger (1785-1869)!
The Chofetz Chaim would retell this story to convey the importance of uncovering the hidden treasures that lie within our very own children. Often circumstances prevent them from becoming who they are destined to be. But with a much needed break and an offer from a kind stranger they can rid themselves of the shackles that chain them down and have the freedom to chase their dreams.(from Touched by Story 4, p. 82, Rabbi Yechiel Spiro)
By doing Chesed - acts of kindness and giving to others, there is no limit to what we can help others accomplish in life. Good Shabbos Everyone. M. Wolfberg and not my Drasha is Sponsored by In memory of R' Yaakov ben Naftoly, of blessed memory In Memory of Reb Yitzchok ben Reb Shimon (Friedman) of blessed memory Refuah Shleima to Reb Mordechai Mendel ben Tziporah Yitta Refuah Shleima to Leah bas Tziporah
A healthy, happy and wonderful
Shabbos,
Rachamim Pauli
