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Parsha Ki Seitzei
In last week’s Parsha the wording was similar in Chapter 20 about
going to war. This week we have a double enemy the physical enemy and our
Yetzer. There will always be a pretty female non-Jew out there. The question is
where or not we succumb to our Yetzer or not. Our Parsha talks about taking her
captive but it appears that she has taken the Lev (heart) of the soldier
captive.
This week outside of the Yetzer for the beautiful captive we also
have other problems between men and women covered in Chapter 22 and divorcing a
wife and not taking her back if she married somebody else in 23. We have two remembrances
here one about Miriam and the other about Amalek. Due to the large number of
Mitzvos I have taken only a few to discuss.
21:10 When thou go forth to battle
against your enemies, and the LORD thy God delivers them into thy hands, and
thou carry them away captive, … 18 If a man have a stubborn and
rebellious son, that will not hearken to the voice of his father, or the voice
of his mother, and though they chasten him, will not hearken unto them;
The Talmud says that their voices must sound alike not that they
speak with one voice. The age for this rebellious son is from 13 years and one
day until 13.5 years very limited indeed. The object is that if he is behaving
like this now then when he grows up he will be completely impossible and a
criminal bully.
wayward: Heb. סוֹרֵר,
deviating (סָר) from the [proper] path. rebellious: Heb. מוֹרֶה, [meaning] one
who disobeys the words of his father. [The word מוֹרֶה is] derived from [the
same root as] the word מַמְרִים [meaning “to rebel”] (see Deut. 9:7). they shall
chasten him: They must warn him in the presence of three [people, not to steal,
nor to eat a certain quantity of meat and drink a certain quantity of wine (see
further in Rashi)], and then they must have him flogged [by the court] (San.
71a; see Sifrei). [The Talmud (San. 71a) emends this to read: They must warn
him in the presence of two (witnesses) and have him flogged in the presence of
three (judges).] The wayward and rebellious son incurs punishment only if he
steals [money from his father], consumes [at one meal] a tartemar [a weight
equal to half a maneh] of meat, and drinks [at the same meal] half a log of
wine, as it is said [referring to him], “a glutton and a guzzler (זוֹלֵל
וְסֹבֵא)” (verse 20), and [elsewhere] it says, “Do not be among wine-guzzlers
(בְסֹבְאֵי-יָיִן), among gluttonous eaters of meat (בְּזֹלְלֵי-בָשָׂר)” (Prov.
23:20), [which indicates that the term “guzzler” refers to wine and “glutton”
refers to meat] (San. 70a, Sifrei). The wayward and rebellious son is executed
on account of [what he will become in] the end-the Torah penetrates to his
ultimate intentions. Eventually, he will squander his father’s money, seek what
he has become accustomed to, not find it, and stand at the crossroads and rob
people [killing them, thereby incurring the death penalty. Says the Torah, “Let
him die innocent [of such crimes], rather than have him die guilty [of such
crimes].” - [San. 72b]
19 then
shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the
elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place; 20 and they shall say unto the elders of his city: 'This our son
is stubborn and rebellious, he doth not hearken to our voice; he is a glutton,
and a drunkard.'
If he only is piggish or only a drunkard he does not classify as a
rebellious son.
21 And
all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die; so shalt thou
put away the evil from the midst of thee; and all Israel shall hear, and fear.
and all Israel will
listen and fear: From here, [we learn that] the court must make a public
proclamation, announcing: “So-and-so has been stoned because he was a wayward
and rebellious son!” - [San. 89a]
22 And if
a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be put to death, and thou
hang him on a tree; 23 his body
shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt surely bury him the
same day; for he that is hanged is a reproach unto God; that thou defile not
thy land which the LORD thy God gives thee for an inheritance.
The purpose that the body is hung on a tree is to prevent others
from repeating the sin. They will come along and ask what is it that this
person did and refrain. However, as the sun sets it becomes a desecration of a
body and the Torah demands dignity even for sinners.
22:1 Thou shalt not see thy brother's ox
or his sheep driven away, and hide thyself from them; thou shalt surely bring
them back unto thy brother. 2
And if thy brother be not nigh unto thee, and thou know him not, then thou
shalt bring it home to thy house, and it shall be with thee until thy brother
require it, and thou shalt restore it to him. 3 And so shalt thou do with his ass; and so shalt thou do with his
garment; and so shalt thou do with every lost thing of thy brother's, which he
hath lost, and thou hast found; thou may not hide thyself.
One must make an effort to return the lost
object to its owner.
4 Thou shalt not see thy brother's
ass or his ox fallen down by the way, and hide thyself from them; thou shalt
surely help him to lift them up again.
One should help his fellow. The modern
equivalent to a donkey transport is a broken down car of course if you have no
idea like I have no idea on how to repair the best thing is just to ask if he
called for help or you call for help.
5 A woman shall not wear that which
pertains unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment; for
whosoever doeth these things is an abomination unto the LORD thy God.
A man’s attire shall
not be on a woman: making her appear like a man, thereby enabling her to go
among men, for this can only be for the [purpose of] adultery. — [Nazir 59a]
nor may a man wear a woman’s garment: to go and abide among women. Another
explanation: [In addition to not wearing a woman’s garment,] a man must also
not remove his pubic hair or the hair of his armpits [for this is a practice
exclusive to women]. — [Nazir 59a] because… is an abomination: The Torah
forbids only [the wearing of] clothes that would lead to abomination [i.e.,
immoral and illicit behavior]. — [Nazir 59a]
This is the third mention of the word
abomination with homosexuality and cross dressing is a horrible thing.
6 If a bird's nest chance to be
before thee in the way, in any tree or on the ground, with young ones or eggs,
and the dam sitting upon the young, or upon the eggs, thou shalt not take the
dam with the young; 7 thou shalt
in any wise let the dam go, but the young thou mayest take unto thyself; that
it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days.
This is the Mida of Chessed & Rachamim
(mercy and compassion).
8 When thou built a new house, then
thou shalt make a parapet for thy roof, that thou bring not blood upon thy
house, if any man fall from thence.
Human safety has top priority.
9 Thou shalt not sow thy vineyard
with two kinds of seed; lest the fullness of the seed which thou hast sown be
forfeited together with the increase of the vineyard.
This Mitzvah and the following one were discussed in different
words in Vayikra 19 Parsha Kedoshim.
10 Thou shalt not plow with an ox and
an ass together. 11 Thou shalt
not wear a mingled stuff, wool and linen together. 12 Thou shalt make thee twisted cords upon the four corners of thy
covering, wherewith thou cover thyself.
I have selected sections here to discuss but for
the first time I have over-worked myself and need to physically rest so I will
tackle this section in part 2 next week.
The Rabbis ordained that the 40 stripes be no more than 39 and given in the presence of a doctor it was 13 sets of 13 stripes of which after each 3 the person was examined to determine his health or it was stopped if the doctor observed signs that the person could die from another stripe. This was not given in most cases but only in certain cases such as slander. Meseches Makkos discussing this in its 40 folio pages in great details.
4 Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treads out the corn.
The Torah thinks about the poor Ox grinding the grain and if some falls down he is allowed to eat it. The next Mitzvah exists on the books today of Yebum but in practice we perform Halitza and free the widow. In the days when there was land proportioned to the Tribes was involved such as stated in Megillas Ruth, it was a very big Mitzvah to redeem the land and the widow.
11 When men strive together one with another, and the wife of the one draws near to deliver her husband out of the hand of him that smites him, and puts forth her hand, and takes him by the secrets;
If… men… are fighting
together: they will eventually come to blows, as it is said: “[to rescue her
husband] from his assailant.” [The moral here is:] Peace cannot result from
strife. — [Sifrei 25:160]
12 then thou shalt cut off her hand, thine eye shall have no pity.
We are not talking about a woman defending her husband by hitting the other man with a rolling pin or punching him but the disgusting behavior of grabbing a person by his private parts (reminder in those days and among Arabs and Scots to this day, men wore a robe with no underwear such behavior by a woman married to somebody else is immoral to put it in the nicest language).
You shall cut off her
hand: [This verse is not to be understood literally, but rather, it means:] She
must pay monetary damages to recompense the victim for the embarrassment he
suffered [through her action. The amount she must pay is calculated by the
court,] all according to the [social status] of the culprit and the victim (see
B.K. 83b). But perhaps [it means that we must actually cut off] her very hand?
[The answer is born out from a transmission handed down to our Rabbis, as
follows:] Here, it says לֹא תָחוֹס,“do not have pity,” and later, in the case
of conspiring witnesses (Deut. 19:21), the same expression, לֹא תָחוֹס, is
used. [And our Rabbis taught that these verses have a contextual connection:]
Just as there, in the case of the conspiring witnesses, [the literal
expressions in the verse refer to] monetary compensation (see Rashi on that
verse), so too, here, [the expression “You must cut off her hand” refers to]
monetary compensation. — [Sifrei 25:161]
13 Thou shalt not have in thy bag diverse weights, a great and a small. 14 Thou shalt not have in thy house diverse measures, a great and a small. 15 A perfect and just weight shalt thou have; a perfect and just measure shalt thou have; that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God gives thee.
One must use standard and honest weights and measure and not to pervert justice and truth.
16 For all that do such things, even all that do unrighteously, are an abomination unto the LORD thy God.
17 Remember what Amalek did unto thee
by the way as ye came forth out of Egypt; 18 how he met thee by the way, and smote the hindmost of thee, all
that were enfeebled in thy rear, when thou were faint and weary; and he feared
not God. 19 Therefore it shall
be, when the LORD thy God hath given you rest from all thine enemies round
about, in the land which the LORD thy God gives thee for an inheritance to
possess it, that thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under
heaven; thou shalt not forget.
Steve = Shlomo = Simcha
I first met Steve in the fall of 1968 (5729) he was a graduate
student giving a course in either Astronomy or Physics. He had long hair and
was very much against the draft and the fact that if he failed students they
might be forced to serve in Viet Nam. I invited him up for a weekend to my home
in Greenwood Lake NY. I was still a new Baal Teshuva and was barely Shomer
Shabbos (I might have been carrying a key and handkerchief in a place with no
Eruv which certainly Halachically was not a real Public Domain for I was still
very ignorant). I lit the Shabbos Candles made Kiddush and celebrated the prays
and Shabbos with Steve as well as our meteor observing. I don’t really recall
if we saw meteors or not that Friday and Motzei Shabbos but I explained to him
my very rudimentary knowledge of Yiddishkeit.
My father came up to the bungalow the next day. He saw me with a
fellow who looked more Hippie than Physicist. He came back home to my mother
sort of defeated an after his passing my mother told me he felt for the first
time like an old man. I was his first born, the chance to make better than him
by having a College Education and what was I doing? To make a long story short
just at grading time, Steve’s conscience would not let him give out grades and
he fled the States to Canada. When my father passed away about a month later
and I heard the story from my mother. I said to myself what have I done? I let
my father down trying to light a Jewish Spark in this fellow and I was plagued
with this conscience.
Well I spoke to my father that I wanted to go into a Yeshiva and
since it was not far from his mother he drove me there and got the Mitzvah of
Kibud Aym (honoring [his] mother). He also got a Mitzvah of Teaching your son
on that day (Pessach Haggada). That was on Wednesday and on Sunday evening he
completed his mission in this world with a son in the Yeshiva.
I continued learning in the Yeshiva tackling the Mishna and Talmud
and from the CCNY library the Medrash and Zohar on the weekly Parsha. I always
had a better Drasha than the rest of the fellows because even if they said what
I had prepared, I had something else. However, missing my father, finished with
College and not being brought up as Frum from birth I longed to get married and
two days after the Yahrzeit, I was married.
I began looking for a descent paying job to support my wife as living
in the Yeshiva could be OK to have a roof over my head but the Yeshiva was at
140th Street in Spanish Harlem and not the best environment for
newlyweds. Well the best job that I could find was working in the post office
at night and in the Yeshiva during the day to keep out of Viet Nam. Prior to my
marriage I was looking into the Navy or Air Force but once married did not want
anything to do with the army. [little did I know that I would be a front line
soldier with three children at home in Yisrael].
In 1968, Nixon got elected and by 1969 had cut the Space Program
and the job that I had worked in along with tens of thousands of jobs in
science and engineering. It was this economic time that pushed Yacov Glicksman
to move to Israel and a little over a year later me too. I wanted to make it
over to Yisrael for the High Holidays so the only absorption center available
was in Ashdod because Yerushalayim had a waiting list. I made Aliyah the last
day of the hijackings of black September, Elul 5730. So off I went to Ashdod.
However, I traveled in those days a lot to Yerushalayim.
One day in 5731 or 5732, I ran into Steve in Chassidic dress in
Yerushalayim. I asked him what happened and where he disappeared to. He told me
that shortly after we had been together for the Geminid Meteor Shower, he fled
the States to Canada and went to Montreal. There he was greeted by Chabad and
they had gotten him to become Shomer Shabbos and he made Aliyah to Eretz
Yisrael. He told me his name was Shlomo in Hebrew.
About a year later in Moshav Yesodot or Beit Chilkiya he told me
he was now called Simcha and was a Breslov Chassid. He gave me a book or two of
Rebbe Nachman and told me that he was learning Kabbala with Rav Ginsburg of
Chabad. He told me that Mercury is called in Hebrew Kokav and in Gematria is 48
and Mercury is 46, to 48,000,000 km from the sun. However Venus or Noga does
not make the grade but he had something with Gematria or twice the Gematria 58
to make up 106 to 108,000,000 km from the sun. After this I never ran into him
again although I thought that I saw him once or twice in the distance. At
least, I never ever felt bad that I had him up to the bungalow even though
indirectly my father was saddened. Perhaps it was a Yesurim of Tikun (trouble
to bring about a soul repair).
Albert sent me this idea: As you know the Prophets that were canonized were not only for the past but also for the future: Isaiah Chapter 19
1 The burden of Egypt. Behold, the LORD rides upon a swift cloud, and cometh unto Egypt; and the idols of Egypt shall be moved at His presence, and the heart of Egypt shall melt within it. 2 And I will spur Egypt against Egypt; and they shall fight every one against his brother, and everyone against his neighbor; city against city, and kingdom against kingdom. 3 And the spirit of Egypt shall be made empty within it; and I will make void the counsel thereof; and they shall seek unto the idols, and to the whisperers, and to the ghosts, and to the familiar spirits. 4 And I will give over the Egyptians into the hand of a cruel lord; and a fierce king shall rule over them, says the Lord, the LORD of hosts. 5 And the waters shall fail from the sea, and the river shall be drained dry, 6 And the rivers shall become foul; the streams of Egypt shall be monished and dried up; the reeds and flags shall wither. 7 The mosses by the Nile, by the brink of the Nile, and all that is sown by the Nile, shall become dry, be driven away, and be no more. 8 The fishers also shall lament, and all they that cast angle into the Nile shall mourn, and they that spread nets upon the waters shall languish. 9 Moreover they that work in combed flax, and they that weave cotton, shall be ashamed. 10 And her foundations shall be crushed, all they that make dams shall be grieved in soul. 11 The princes of Zoan are utter fools; the wisest counselors of Pharaoh are a senseless counsel; how can ye say unto Pharaoh: 'I am the son of the wise, the son of ancient kings'? 12 Where are they, then, thy wise men? And let them tell thee now; and let them know what the LORD of hosts hath purposed concerning Egypt. 13 The princes of Zoan are become fools, the princes of Noph are deceived; they have caused Egypt to go astray, that are the corner-stone of her tribes. 14 The LORD hath mingled within her a spirit of dizziness; and they have caused Egypt to stagger in every work thereof, as a drunken man staggers in his vomit. 15 Neither shall there be for Egypt any work, which head or tail, palm-branch or rush, may do. 16 In that day shall Egypt be like unto women; and it shall tremble and fear because of the shaking of the hand of the LORD of hosts, which He shakes over it. 17 And the land of Judah shall become a terror unto Egypt, whensoever one makes mention thereof to it; it shall be afraid, because of the purpose of the LORD of hosts, which He purposes against it. 18 In that day there shall be five cities in the land of Egypt that speak the language of Canaan, and swear to the LORD of hosts; one shall be called the city of destruction.
One of the three ingredients to avoid an evil
decree on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is Charity or Tzeduka so I brought down
the entire Drasha of Rabbi Winston Shlita
Perceptions Parshas Ki Seitzei Tzedakah vs. Charity Text Copyright © 2013 by Rabbi Pinchas Winston and Torah.org. http://www.torah.org/learning/perceptions/5773/kiseitzei.html?print=1
What is the Difference?
. . . And you see among the captives a desirable, beautiful woman who you want to marry . . . (Devarim 21:10)Charity begins at home. That may be true, but it is tzedakah that makes the greatest difference to the outside world.
But aren’t they exactly the same act? Sometimes yes, and sometimes, in a very big way, no. They may look like exactly the same thing at times, but in fact, they are very different from each other. And, with Rosh Hashanah about to begin in just two and a half weeks, B”H, it is important to understand how, and why.
Let’s start with a definition of charity:
Char.i.ty
Noun
1. The voluntary giving of help, typically money, to those in need
2. Help or money given in this way
1. The voluntary giving of help, typically money, to those in need
2. Help or money given in this way
Synonyms
alms - mercy - beneficence - benevolence - philanthropy
So far, this sounds like tzedakah as well. When people think of
tzedakah, both the giving and receiving of it, they think of money given to a
person who lacks the financial means to take care of even his most basic needs.
A philanthropist is someone who, upon seeing the need of such a person, opens
his hand and shares his wealth with him. alms - mercy - beneficence - benevolence - philanthropy
However, what is the Halacha, of which there are many for giving tzedakah, if the person in need is lazy? What if the person collecting tzedakah is someone who could be working to make his own living, but has chosen to live off the consciences and free hand-outs of generous others? I posted on my Facebook Page this week a sign: “I believe in helping the needy not able bodied people who refuse to work! {Sometimes even disabled people can contribute a lot. In fact I get sometimes inspiration from poorer people who are disabled by their struggles – story paralyzed bride walks down the isle http://shine.yahoo.com/love-sex/paralyzed-bride-walks-wedding-210209868.html }
The black-and-white Halacha? It is forbidden to give anything to such a poor person. This is because whereas charity is a means to financially help the poor, either with money or something else of value, tzedakah is a way to give a person what he really needs, and what he would really want if he knew better. But what else is there?
The Talmud makes the following statement:
It was taught: Four are considered to be like dead people: A
poor man, a leper, a blind person, and one who is childless. A poor man, as it
says, “For all the men [who wanted to kill you] are dead” (Shemos 4:19).
(Nedarim 64b)
This seems like a harsh assessment, especially of some of those
people who may have found themselves in their predicament for no fault of their
own. However, the question is not so much how they got into their positions,
but the impact it has once they get there, which is why, almost without
exception, such people work so hard to get out of them. To appreciate what each of these four has in common, we must recall the following verse:
God said, “Let us make man in Our image, in our likeness.” (Beresheis 1:26)
According to the Arizal, to live up to this statement is to become an Adam Shalaim, a complete person (Sha’ar HaGilgulim, Ch. 18), the goal of every human being. We don’t have much of a choice, because we have been hard-wired this way by virtue of the fact that we have a soul, which itself is a piece of Divine Light.
Life is the stage on which we are able to perform acts that allow us to achieve this goal, and the Torah is the book that tells us which acts allow us to succeed, and which ones bring failure. It is no coincidence that Hitler, ysv”z, a Social Darwinist by self-admission, was capable of both of abolishing the concept of tzedakah and of the most barbaric of acts.
He ignored the Torah in favor of worldly experience, drawing an analogy between the animal kingdom and the human condition. Just as the jungle, he reasoned, only allows the strong to survive, and provides no artificial means to keep the weak afloat, likewise society should allow the poor and weak to die off on their own without an artificial means of support.
Among the many intellectual errors he made, this is the greatest, and is what made him the most evil. Animals were not made b’Tzelem Elokim and therefore they are not expected to strive to be anything more than they already are. It is a world, for the most part, that was created to allow the strong (whether it is physical or mental strength) to survive, and the weak to die off.
Not man, however. As the Sforno points out on this verse, a Tzelem Elokim is what we are created as, and even that is only a potential. Over the course of our lives, we are supposed to work on ourselves until we stop being only a Tzelem-Elokim, and actually become an Elohim, a term that can be used for God, angels, and even human judges.
This is what life is about. To the degree that a person loses his ability to function as an Elohim, that is the extent to which a person lacks life, and needs help to regain that capacity. This is what the Talmud states:
Evil people, even when alive, are dead. (Brochos 18a)
This is what it means to be evil, to willingly abandon one’s sense of Godliness. This is what it means to be dead: to be unable to act as a Tzelem Elokim in some capacity, by helping others, something a poor person has difficulty doing, especially while he is busy just trying to survive.
This is what it means to perform an act of tzedakah. Tzedakah goes past charity inasmuch as its goal is to help a person to gain or regain a capacity to be more like an Elohim. Sometimes this might mean giving a person a free hand-out, sometimes it might mean closing one’s hand and forcing the person to try and find a job.
The connection to this week’s parshah should be a little more obvious at this point. One of the greatest casualties of war, with which this week’s parshah begins, is a person’s Elokus—Godliness. War knocks mankind down a few levels, to the point that we begin to resemble Hitler’s, ysv’z, version of mankind more than God’s.
The taking of a yafas toar, the ‘beautiful’ gentile female captive is just one casualty of war. We’re not talking about a secular soldier for whom spiritual greatness is not a personal goal in life. The Torah is talking about a soldier who learns Torah and performs all relevant mitzvos on a regular basis. This is a soldier who normally, when it is time to get married, goes out on shidduchim and performs Kiddushin and Chupah before being intimate with his wife.
The fact that such a holy person can act in such an unholy way shows just how powerful a distraction, and therefore how destructive, war can be, both the one we fight against the external enemy, and the one we fight against the inner enemy: the yetzer hara, whose goal it is to reduce a person to nothing more than a glorified animal.
Hence, just as charity begins at home, so does tzedakah, especially at this time of year. Do tzedakah for yourself and the ones you love by taking the time to see where it is you are most vulnerable to lose your sense of Elokus, and devise methods to save yourself and your loved ones from such situations. This too is what it means to be a Ba’al Tzedakah, one who is ‘owns’ the mitzvah of tzedakah.
The following story was sent to me by Anonymous (name known to me)
I have left out or changed details to protect the person.
Let me share with you
a nice story with you.
I went thru this, and
I found out, that Hashem does LOVE me, and CARES for me, and is looking out for
me too, and Hashem is looking out for my Rav and my friends too.
My Mother and Father passed
on not far apart a number of years ago.
On the 1st Yahrzeit,
my Chavrusah and I decided to go and visit my Mother and Father and talk to
them on the day of the Yahrzeit.
After speaking to
them, and lighting a candle, my Chavrusah pointed to me, a group of people
about 50 feet away from me.
So, we approached
them, asking them, if we can be of service to them.
The person told us,
that he was looking for a Minyan for his friend who has to say Kaddish.
So, my Chavrusah asked
this person, how many do you have??
That person told my
Chavrusah, that there were 8 people here, and my Chavrusah said, perfect.
I am 9 and my Chavrusah Anonymous who has parental Yahrzeit is TODAY also needs
to say Kaddish.
So, we both said
Kaddish, and we shook their hands and walk away.
Then my Chavrusah
said, Anonymous, we did NOT get their names, and as we turned around to see
them, we saw NOTHING, NO people, cars, NOTHING!!
So, my Chavrusah said
to me, when we get to the office, they will know who these people are.
So, after washing our
hands, we went into the office, and my Chavrusah asked the office manager, that
we were at this location and there was a group of people there, and we wanted
their names??
The office manager
said to us: How many cars are in the parking lot, and we looked outside
and we saw ONE car, and then the office manager said to us, take a look at the
sign in book, and how many names do you see on the list, and we saw NO
names.
So, my Chavrusah said
to the office manager, that we did not have our coffee yet.
We drove back to the Schul,
and we related this story to our Rav.
Our Rav asked us the
following questions:
How many of them had a
jacket on and what color was it??
What was the color of
their car or van??
How many wore a white
shirt??
We looked at each
other, and the answer we came up with was WE DON'T KNOW!!
Our Rav told us, you
know who they were, Anonymous needed a Minyan to say Kaddish at the
cemetery.
And if you think that
this is the FIRST TIME this has happened to Anonymous, NO, Anonymous has seen
MORE times already.
We don’t know the mysterious ways that HASHEM helps orphans and
widows.
Main
stream Charedi condemn extremists: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/170884#.UgpV8FffrIU
People
protest the release of murderers: Egypt http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4416233,00.html http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/170812#.UgfmYFffrIU
From
Miriam Esther: Sesame Street for Jews: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ucEIPOxR-bs#at=404
Yaalon
was PM for one hour: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/170768#.UgcTDVffrIU
Perfidy - Being sold down the river by a person who cannot lead.
http://debka.com/article/23183/US-sponsored-Israel-Palestinian-interim-peace-talks-near-moment-of-decision
Holocaust
memorial gone Islamic: http://evanston.suntimes.com/news/mosque-EVA-08082013:article
Well it
is about time isn’t it! http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/170823#.UgiEOlffrIU
GOI
caves to terror: http://www.jpost.com/Diplomacy-and-Politics/Israeli-govt-caved-to-terror-by-approving-Palestinian-prisoner-release-322780
From
Meir: IDF Pilot speaks out: https://www.dropbox.com/s/1aepni9dra5n3ww/Noa160113_720.mov
And you
call this a supervised visit? http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4416570,00.html
Was ist los heir (what is wrong here)?http://www.algemeiner.com/2013/08/08/raised-jewish-comedian-chelsea-handler-discovers-her-familys-nazi-past-video/
Chaim B
sent me this film I guess it explains how we won the cold war: http://www.youtube.com/embed/5RAaW_1FzYg?autoplay=1&modestbranding=1&rel=0&showinfo=0
IDF
gets US Volunteers: http://www.jns.org/news-briefs/2013/8/13/aliyah-2013-nefesh-bnefesh-flight-brings-331-immigrants-125-future-idf-soldiers-to-israel
Jewish
Actors who played Nazis in TV and the Movies: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Banner http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werner_Klemperer
Popular
songstress stayed married for 55 plus years until her passing with her husband
by her side: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eydie_Gorm%C3%A9
Egypt: Muslim brotherhood and now anarchy
Libya: Islamic takeover and now
anarchy
Yemen: Islamic
takeover and anarchy
Iraq:
Civil war
Afghanistan:
Civil war and soon the drums will begin for war with Syria, and a war with
Russia. But before the war comes the internal propaganda:
Inyanay Diyoma
Thanks to
Valerie: This is what we are up against: http://www.jwire.com.au/news/melbourne-al-quds-day-features-anti-semitic-cartoons/36364
Who
are the good guys and who are the bad guys here? I am not happy with treason I
am not happy with losing the first amendment! My Fellow
Users,
I have been forced to make a difficult
decision: to become complicit in crimes against the American people or walk
away from nearly ten years of hard work by shutting down Lavabit. After
significant soul searching, I have decided to suspend operations. I wish that I
could legally share with you the events that led to my decision. I cannot. I
feel you deserve to know what’s going on--the first amendment is supposed to
guarantee me the freedom to speak out in situations like this. Unfortunately,
Congress has passed laws that say otherwise. As things currently stand, I
cannot share my experiences over the last six weeks, even though I have twice
made the appropriate requests.
What’s going to happen now? We’ve already started
preparing the paperwork needed to continue to fight for the Constitution in the
Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. A favorable decision would allow me resurrect
Lavabit as an American company.
This experience has taught me one very important lesson:
without congressional action or a strong judicial precedent, I would _strongly_
recommend against anyone trusting their private data to a company with physical
ties to the United States.
Sincerely,
Ladar Levison
Owner and Operator, Lavabit LLC http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/08/lavabit-edward-snowden-email_n_3728005.html?icid=maing-grid7%7Chtmlws-main-bb%7Cdl3%7Csec1_lnk3%26pLid%3D355613
Ladar Levison
Owner and Operator, Lavabit LLC http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/08/lavabit-edward-snowden-email_n_3728005.html?icid=maing-grid7%7Chtmlws-main-bb%7Cdl3%7Csec1_lnk3%26pLid%3D355613
30 less Al Qaeda in Yemen: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/170746#.UgT4MFffrIU
I hope this is true and not Isra-bluff.
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/170743#.UgT4e1ffrIU
Eid el Fitah holiday greetings: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4415804,00.html
Israel
denies this as it was an Egyptian Apache Helicopter that did the job. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4415974,00.html
The
religion of peace murders Muslims: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/08/10/6-killed-by-wave-bombings-in-iraq/?test=latestnews
In
every generation they come to destroy us but THE HOLY ONE BLESSED BE HE saves us from their hands: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4416032,00.html
Wow
thanks to Sheldon: Huma Abedin, a Muslim and wife of
Anthony Weiner, is facing her own troubles -- less salacious than her
husband's, but potentially more severe.
On June 13, Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, wrote her and Secretary of State John Kerry asking why Abedin, the deputy chief of staff at the State Department under former Secretary Hillary Clinton, was granted status as a "special government employee" after the birth of her son. That title allowed her to work from home as a part-time consultant to State, earning $135,000 as a government employee -- while also earning $355,000 as a consultant for Teneo, where former President Bill Clinton is a board member.
Read the whole article: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/07/26/huma-abedin-faces-employment-questions/
Her mother, Dr. Saleha Mahmood Abedin is one of the founding members of the Muslim Sisterhood, and more importantly the long-time chairperson of the International Islamic Committee for Woman and Child (IICWC), which wants to impose Sharia law on Egypt, and eventually, the West.
Can anyone see why this woman might want to stand by her idiot husband and get him elected as Mayor of New York? This would give Muslim terrorist sympathizers inside access to the largest city in America and a major in-road to affecting the politics and laws of our country; all while this idiot is off playing fantasy games online and choking his chicken. No wonder she doesn't care about what he is doing! Her long-term goal is to provide access to our government to Muslin terrorist organizations. These people will stop at nothing to take us down! Read the whole story: http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Peace/2012/07/20/Huma-Abedin-mother-linked-Muslim-Brotherhood
On June 13, Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, wrote her and Secretary of State John Kerry asking why Abedin, the deputy chief of staff at the State Department under former Secretary Hillary Clinton, was granted status as a "special government employee" after the birth of her son. That title allowed her to work from home as a part-time consultant to State, earning $135,000 as a government employee -- while also earning $355,000 as a consultant for Teneo, where former President Bill Clinton is a board member.
Read the whole article: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/07/26/huma-abedin-faces-employment-questions/
Her mother, Dr. Saleha Mahmood Abedin is one of the founding members of the Muslim Sisterhood, and more importantly the long-time chairperson of the International Islamic Committee for Woman and Child (IICWC), which wants to impose Sharia law on Egypt, and eventually, the West.
Can anyone see why this woman might want to stand by her idiot husband and get him elected as Mayor of New York? This would give Muslim terrorist sympathizers inside access to the largest city in America and a major in-road to affecting the politics and laws of our country; all while this idiot is off playing fantasy games online and choking his chicken. No wonder she doesn't care about what he is doing! Her long-term goal is to provide access to our government to Muslin terrorist organizations. These people will stop at nothing to take us down! Read the whole story: http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Peace/2012/07/20/Huma-Abedin-mother-linked-Muslim-Brotherhood
Brits
and Yanks your foreign aid to Muslim Countries at work: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4416589,00.html
Iron
Dome at your service: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/170858#.UgmIQlffrIU
FL
terror plot: http://www.jpost.com/International/Florida-man-pleads-not-guilty-in-alleged-terror-plot-322856
Groups
clash in Egypt: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/170880#.UgpIL1ffrIU
Maybe
it is time to refresh the water in my shelter: http://debka.com/article/23191/Dempsey-in-Israel-Jordan-to-tie-last-ends-before-Obama-decides-finally-on-US-military-action-in-Syria
Syrian
Rebels receive supplies from Sudan (Remember the US bombing Al Qaeda there and
Israel bombing them) please draw your own conclusions. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/170886#.Ugp-YlffrIU
Who is
running Israel and the foreign policy? http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/170904#.Ugsb-lffrIU
This is
what Jews and now Christians face in Muslim countries: http://youtu.be/TN-8HkTRjj8
After 2
rockets lobbed into Sderot, Israel sends the terrorist a message: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4417480,00.html
Front
line Paramedics like myself and my cousin Rabbi Samuel Shlita are backed up by
front line Doctors and sometimes front line Rabbis like Rabbi Daniel Shilo
Shlita. To remind the folks in July before the Yom Kippur War I wanted to go
back to see an eye-doctor and was told that I would have to wait until Oct. so
I went to Tel Aviv to an old doctor with hands that shook for treatment. The
young doctor never returned alive from the war! http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4417336,00.html
Kerry
not happy neither is Abbas but boo-hoo-hoo to them: http://www.jpost.com/Diplomacy-and-Politics/Kerry-works-to-prevent-settlement-dispute-from-harming-peace-talks-322945
This is
a tragic story http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/08/14/indian-naval-submarine-sinks-catches-fire/
One
must take this initial report with some kilograms of salt from the Dead Sea: What
is true is that the Muslim Brotherhood burned a church or two and two police
stations: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4417915,00.html
Hamas,
Hezballah, Iran and Assad join forces at least on paper: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/170922#.UgvBkVffrIU
More on
the Dempsey meeting: http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Yaalon-to-Dempsey-We-must-prevent-axis-of-evil-from-winning-regional-conflict-323006
If they
lost the NYT then Hillary loses in 2016: http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/timstanley/100231113/the-new-york-times-takes-down-the-clinton-foundation-this-could-be-devastating-for-bill-and-hillary/
Broadcast
in Israel but ignored by the liberal press. This is what the kiddies learn in
Gaza: http://www.mrconservative.com/2013/08/22820-camp-jihad-trains-kids-to-destroy-israel/
Car
bomb in Beirut: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4418440,00.html
Egypt
ignores the friend of the Muslim Brotherhood as three churches and a police
station or two are burned by MB supporters. http://debka.com/article/23197/US-Egyptian-relations-on-the-rocks-El-Sisi-wouldn’t-accept-Obama’s-phone-call
The
Beirut blast by the Sunnis the crackdown by the army in Egypt it is all
Israel’s fault: Ed-op http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4417855,00.html
Yehonatan
Pollard speaks out: http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Op-Ed-Contributors/Restoring-Israel-to-greatness-323271
The
leaders are bad but the people are good: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/170979#.Ug3R_FffrIU
Dempsey
talks of better options on Iran: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/170940#.Ug3SZFffrIU
Now for M. Wolfberg’s Good Shabbos Stories “On the Run” and
“Holier than thou”
Good Shabbos Everyone. It was World War II... grabbing their tefillin, the
two young brothers the darted into the forest, dodging the gunfire from the
German troops that had stormed and stampeded through their mall village.
They knew that many of their family and friends had been killed, and revenge was foremost on their minds, but now was not the time. Right now they needed to create as much distance as they could between themselves and the enemy.
Moshe and Chaim Lechovitch, the "fugitive" brothers, ran away as fast and as far as they could. After running for over five miles they finally stopped to catch their breath. They had barely had enough time to take their most cherished possession, their tefillin, but they had brought no food or drink, nor pictures of their loved ones. All they had now was their memories — their tefillin — and each other.
For the first time since they had fled they looked each other in the eye. Their emotions overcame them and they held each other close, fearful of what the future held in store.
Suddenly they heard a noise. They listened for a few moments, trying to remain completely silent. It sounded like a group of men, there was some gunfire, and it seemed very, very close. The brothers were terrified. They had obviously run from one regiment directly into another.
Moshe peeked through the overgrown marsh weeds and noticed that the men appeared quite different than German soldiers. He had heard that a growing number of partisan groups were roaming the area and assumed that this must be one. With no place to run, Moshe led his brother with their hands raised above their heads, toward the group.
As soon as the brothers were spotted, the soldiers raised their guns and took aim, but then realized that these two young teenagers were not the enemy. The brothers' lives had been saved.
Moshe and Chaim surveyed the group of scraggly men, whose numbers kept increasing as others joined, one at a time. They were not the finest class of men, neither very well armed nor trained, but Moshe and Chaim were grateful that these partisans had found them. After a brief training session in using weapons, the brothers became members of the troop.
Every morning they would wake up a few moments before the others and don their tefillin. The other members of the group, though mostly indifferent, thought that it was strange to practice religion in a world which to them was so obviously void of a G-d, but as long as it did not interfere with their movements and did not endanger the rest of the group's lives, it was fine.
One morning, as Moshe and Chaim were about to put on their tefillin, they heard some bushes rustling in the distance. Immediately they awoke the others and it was quickly decided that everyone move out. Moshe and Chaim ran with the Partisans through swamp and forest for nearly three miles until they reached a safe area and were able to stop.
When they unloaded their backpacks and placed their guns by their sides, Chaim and Moshe realized they had left behind their tefillin. They were absolutely devastated. Their one and only connection to their Yiddishkeit was these tefillin; without them, how would they differentiate themselves from their fellow soldiers, who were so bad mannered and boorish?
They could not help but wonder why the Hashem had allowed them to forget their tefillin. They had shown such mesiras nefesh - self sacrifice in order to put them on, and had done so solely to maintain a closeness to Him — and now they were gone.
Moshe and Chaim looked at each other and knew what they had to do. They were going back. They knew that they were risking their lives, but who knew when they would next find another pair? Who knew when this war would end, and if they would be victorious?
They informed their comrades; the crude men laughed and dismissed their religious friends as fanatics, warning them that if the need came to move on, the troop would not wait for them. But the brothers remained steadfast, committed to retrieve their treasured tefillin. And so they set out on their dangerous mission.
The three-mile hike was filled with moments of fear and apprehension. With each step that they took the battle within themselves raged on. Thoughts of second-guessing themselves for their foolish decision conflicted with the proud feeling of sacrifice for Hashem and His Torah.
Finally, they reached their destination and there, untouched, were the two pairs of tefillin. But their mission was only half over; they still had to return to the troop. Frightened and wary, they began the return trek.
Just over the hill was where they had last seen the Partisan troop. They hoped with desperation that the men were still there. They trudged to the top of the hill and could not believe what they saw. The entire troop was dead. They immediately realized what had happened. The Germans had deceived the partisans into thinking that they were approaching from one angle while they were really preparing an ambush from the opposite side.
The brothers did not say a word to each other. They were hit hard by the magnitude of what had transpired. They stared at the scene of wanton slaughter that lay before them and then looked at the tefillin they held in their hands. It all made sense now.
But they could not waste time. After all, it was almost sunset and they had not yet donned their tefillin. (Reb Yechiel Spero, Touched by a Story p.296)
The Torah tells us in this week's parsha, Parshas Shoftim, "For Hashem, your G-d is the One Who goes with you, to fight for you with your enemies, to save you." (Devorim 20:2) There are many levels of understanding of the Torah. On the surface, the Torah is telling us that Hashem escorts the Jewish nation when the Jewish nation goes out to battle. On a deeper level, we can perhaps say that the verse is coming to teach us that Hashem is our primary strength against the attacks by the Nations. The story we told illustrates this principle.
Let us remember this story and always put our faith in Hashem and dedicate our lives to His mitzvahs, especially the mitzvah of Tefillin. Good Shabbos Everyone.
They knew that many of their family and friends had been killed, and revenge was foremost on their minds, but now was not the time. Right now they needed to create as much distance as they could between themselves and the enemy.
Moshe and Chaim Lechovitch, the "fugitive" brothers, ran away as fast and as far as they could. After running for over five miles they finally stopped to catch their breath. They had barely had enough time to take their most cherished possession, their tefillin, but they had brought no food or drink, nor pictures of their loved ones. All they had now was their memories — their tefillin — and each other.
For the first time since they had fled they looked each other in the eye. Their emotions overcame them and they held each other close, fearful of what the future held in store.
Suddenly they heard a noise. They listened for a few moments, trying to remain completely silent. It sounded like a group of men, there was some gunfire, and it seemed very, very close. The brothers were terrified. They had obviously run from one regiment directly into another.
Moshe peeked through the overgrown marsh weeds and noticed that the men appeared quite different than German soldiers. He had heard that a growing number of partisan groups were roaming the area and assumed that this must be one. With no place to run, Moshe led his brother with their hands raised above their heads, toward the group.
As soon as the brothers were spotted, the soldiers raised their guns and took aim, but then realized that these two young teenagers were not the enemy. The brothers' lives had been saved.
Moshe and Chaim surveyed the group of scraggly men, whose numbers kept increasing as others joined, one at a time. They were not the finest class of men, neither very well armed nor trained, but Moshe and Chaim were grateful that these partisans had found them. After a brief training session in using weapons, the brothers became members of the troop.
Every morning they would wake up a few moments before the others and don their tefillin. The other members of the group, though mostly indifferent, thought that it was strange to practice religion in a world which to them was so obviously void of a G-d, but as long as it did not interfere with their movements and did not endanger the rest of the group's lives, it was fine.
One morning, as Moshe and Chaim were about to put on their tefillin, they heard some bushes rustling in the distance. Immediately they awoke the others and it was quickly decided that everyone move out. Moshe and Chaim ran with the Partisans through swamp and forest for nearly three miles until they reached a safe area and were able to stop.
When they unloaded their backpacks and placed their guns by their sides, Chaim and Moshe realized they had left behind their tefillin. They were absolutely devastated. Their one and only connection to their Yiddishkeit was these tefillin; without them, how would they differentiate themselves from their fellow soldiers, who were so bad mannered and boorish?
They could not help but wonder why the Hashem had allowed them to forget their tefillin. They had shown such mesiras nefesh - self sacrifice in order to put them on, and had done so solely to maintain a closeness to Him — and now they were gone.
Moshe and Chaim looked at each other and knew what they had to do. They were going back. They knew that they were risking their lives, but who knew when they would next find another pair? Who knew when this war would end, and if they would be victorious?
They informed their comrades; the crude men laughed and dismissed their religious friends as fanatics, warning them that if the need came to move on, the troop would not wait for them. But the brothers remained steadfast, committed to retrieve their treasured tefillin. And so they set out on their dangerous mission.
The three-mile hike was filled with moments of fear and apprehension. With each step that they took the battle within themselves raged on. Thoughts of second-guessing themselves for their foolish decision conflicted with the proud feeling of sacrifice for Hashem and His Torah.
Finally, they reached their destination and there, untouched, were the two pairs of tefillin. But their mission was only half over; they still had to return to the troop. Frightened and wary, they began the return trek.
Just over the hill was where they had last seen the Partisan troop. They hoped with desperation that the men were still there. They trudged to the top of the hill and could not believe what they saw. The entire troop was dead. They immediately realized what had happened. The Germans had deceived the partisans into thinking that they were approaching from one angle while they were really preparing an ambush from the opposite side.
The brothers did not say a word to each other. They were hit hard by the magnitude of what had transpired. They stared at the scene of wanton slaughter that lay before them and then looked at the tefillin they held in their hands. It all made sense now.
But they could not waste time. After all, it was almost sunset and they had not yet donned their tefillin. (Reb Yechiel Spero, Touched by a Story p.296)
The Torah tells us in this week's parsha, Parshas Shoftim, "For Hashem, your G-d is the One Who goes with you, to fight for you with your enemies, to save you." (Devorim 20:2) There are many levels of understanding of the Torah. On the surface, the Torah is telling us that Hashem escorts the Jewish nation when the Jewish nation goes out to battle. On a deeper level, we can perhaps say that the verse is coming to teach us that Hashem is our primary strength against the attacks by the Nations. The story we told illustrates this principle.
Let us remember this story and always put our faith in Hashem and dedicate our lives to His mitzvahs, especially the mitzvah of Tefillin. Good Shabbos Everyone.
Good Shabbos Everyone. As Reb Moshe passed
the synagogue, he noticed a sign which caught his eye “Attention: This
coming Thursday night our guest speaker will be Dr. Aurel Stein, the prominent
humanitarian physician. His topic: Judaism Superior. Don’t miss it!” Reb
Moshe stopped suddenly. Where had he heard this name before? His mind led him
back 35 years earlier to 1944 in war-torn Hungary. Reb Moshe now remembered. He
knew Dr. Aurel Stein from their time together as forced Jewish laborers in the
Hungarian army.
We read about war in this week’s portion Ki-Seitzei, as the opening verse tells us, “When you go out to war against you enemy...” (Devarim-Deuteronomy 20:1) This verse begins a discussion of some of the rules that a Jewish army must observe when battling the enemy. On a deeper mystical level, the holy commentator Ohr HaChayim explains that this verse is referring to a different battle: the battle which rages within every individual. We are referring to the battle between the good and evil impulses. Every Jew is born with an impulse to do good and an impulse to do bad. The impulse to do good tells a Jew to do mitzvahs, to help others and to be a faithful servant of Hashem. The impulse to do bad tells a Jew not to do mitzvahs, to hurt others and to be a rebellious servant of Hashem, heaven forbid. Why did Hashem create us with both impulses? In order to answer this question, we must discuss the meaning of life according to the Ramchal, Reb Moshe Chayim Lutzatto, of blessed memory. (brought by Rav Amnon Yitzchok, Shlita)
The Ramchal explains that Hashem is good. The way of being good is by doing good for others. Hashem therefore created the world to benefit others.
In order for someone to feel benefit, he needs to be lacking something. For example, if you give a hungry person food to eat, you have not done him any favor. Therefore, in order for the creation to be able to feel the good that that Hashem wants to give, Hashem created us with deficiencies. For example, we need to eat; Hashem gives us food; we appreciate Hashem because we need food to survive; and Hashem has therefore done good for us.
Now that we have determined that Hashem wants only the highest good for us, we must discuss the issue of what is commonly called in America “a free lunch.” Most people are embarrassed to receive handouts. The same is true with us; if Hashem gave us everything for free without us having to put in any effort, we would be embarrassed; consequently, Hashem would not be doing good for us. Therefore, Hashem created us with two impulses: the good impulse and the bad impulse. If we were only created with an impulse to do good, we would have no free choice in life, we would always do good. We would be robots.
Because we have two competing impulses, we have an inner struggle to do the right thing according to the Torah or to violate the Torah, heaven forbid. Therefore, Hashem can reward us for choosing to do good and for doing the mitzvahs. The reward for doing Hashem’s will is the highest good, because we have earned it; it is not a free lunch.
To recap: Hashem is good. The way of good is to do good for others. So, Hashem created the world. In order for us to feel the good, Hashem created us with deficiencies, because a hungry person receives no benefit from receiving food. In order that the good be on the highest level of good, it must be a good that we earn. Therefore, Hashem created us with both good and bad impulses. Consequently, the good that we receive for following our good impulses and for doing the mitzvahs, is the ultimate good, and it is a good that we have earned. This is the meaning of life, doing mitzvhas….
Reb Moshe’s mind wandered back to some abandoned horse stables on the Hungarian plains nearly 35 years earlier. In April of 1944, Reb Moshe Holczler, of blessed memory, and many other unfortunate Jews were forced to work in the Hungarian army.
Jewish laborers enjoyed a relative safety in the Hungarian army; however, this safety was very fragile. At that point in War War II, nobody cared much about saving Jews. Among the Jewish workers was Dr. Aurel Stein.
Dr. Stein had come to the workers one Sunday afternoon to offer them a way out of the approaching German danger. “His high honor the Prince Primate of Hungary is offering a helping hand,” Dr. Stein began. “The protective umbrella of Christianity.” The was a hiss among the assembled Jewish laborers. “The holy Church guarantees safety from any further deportation procedures to anyone willing to enter its ranks and be baptized. Those who accept the loving hand of the Church... will be transferred to a different squadron together with me.” The air was filled with indignation and disgust at the offer to convert. Although not all the soldiers were observant Jews, none of them could bring themselves to commit such a treacherous act against the religion of their fathers. Dr. Stein quickly left the horse stable without anyone joining him.
Eventually, the war was over and the few survivors made their way out of blood soaked Europe. Moshe Holczler and his family eventually made their way to America where they rebuilt their shattered lives. 35 Years after his experiences in the forced labor camps, Reb Moshe had nearly forgotten about his horrible experiences as a forcer laborer. One day, Reb Moshe found himself walking down the street in the Flatbush area of Brooklyn, New York. As Reb Moshe passed by a synagogue, he noticed a sign which caught his eye “Attention: This coming Thursday night our guest speaker will be Dr. Aurel Stein, the prominent humanitarian physician. His topic: Judaism Superior. Don’t miss it!”
Reb Moshe could barely contain himself. Dr. Stein speaking the about the benefits of observant Judaism? The same Dr. Stein who had been baptized in the Church during the war? Reb Moshe showed up that Thursday night to hear Dr. Stein speak. Not wanting to embarrass Dr. Stein in front of others, Reb Moshe quietly made an appointment with Dr. Stein to speak with him about the developments of the last 35 years. Dr. Stein did not immediately recognize Reb Moshe as a fellow member of the forced labor brigade of 35 years ago.
Soon after, Dr. Stein and Reb Moshe were sitting together in Dr. Stein’s office. By then, Dr. Stein was reminded that he and Reb Moshe had worked together in the Hungarian army during the war. Dr. Stein began to tell his story. Dr. Stein told how he initially had mixed feelings about his conversion. Soon however, after seeing the full extent of the death and destruction, Dr. Stein became a committed member of the Church. He was very thankful to the Church for helping to save his life during the war.
After the war ended, Dr. Stein embraced his new identity in the Church with full gusto, as Dr. Stein told Reb Moshe “I diligently observed the ways of thinking of the gentiles and I wanted to assimilate myself to the best possible extent... My interest did not let me stop halfway. I wanted to see and understand everything about the church.” Dr. Stein proceeded to tell Reb Moshe about his trip to the Vatican in Rome, Italy, the largest and most important church in the world.
Dr. Stein recounted his mixed feelings as he entered the dark and musty church chambers. The highlight of the tour came when the group entered the main section of the giant church. There was a giant statue of an angel of marble with wings spread out from its back. As Dr. Stein examined the huge statue, he noticed that the angel held something in its marble hands. The hands of the gigantic statue were stretched out, pointing towards the throne of the Pope. Dr. Stein told Reb Moshe how he craned to see what was written on the tablet in statue’s hands, he could see that there was something written on the tablet in golden letters.
Dr. Stein became very curious to read what was written on the tablet high above. He borrowed a fellow tourist’s binoculars and focused in on the marble tablet. “I was taken aback. I was startled to discover Hebrew letters on the tablet...” Said Dr. Stein to Reb Moshe. Then I started to read the letters slowing, using my long-forgotten Hebrew knowledge “Onochi Hashem Elokecha... I am Hashem, your Lord. The first of the Ten Commandments! And these words were facing the Pope’s throne!?!” Dr. Stein was shocked. He quickly and quietly made his way out of the building.
Once out of the building, Dr. Stein paused to reflect on what he had just seen. So this is all their knowledge? They base their entire religion on the revelation of Hashem to the Jews? They have to put Jewish commandments in their holiest place? Why then should they be considered superior to the Jews?
A few days later, Dr. Stein arranged for a visit with the Chief Rabbi of Rome. Dr. Stein was told that the Vatican museum contained some of the utensils of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem which the Romans had destroyed almost 2000 years earlier. Dr. Stein returned to the Vatican museum and saw for himself ancient articles of the Holy Temple, including the Kohen Gadol’s golden forehead plate engraved with the words “Kodesh L’HaShem.” Dr. Stein left Rome with his faith shaken. Perhaps he had made a mistake in converting. Nevertheless, Dr. Stein continued in his assimilated lifestyle in the church.
A couple of years later, Dr. Stein made a trip to Israel. By then, he was disenchanted with his assimilated lifestyle and he was reconsidering his choices in life. As he approached the Western Wall, he became consumed with emotion. He began to cry uncontrollably. “On that same day, I approached the Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem to discuss my problem and I returned to Judaism, never to part again.” (from Late Memories, Moshe Holczler, p.160-175)
Dr. Stein’s amazing story of his return to the faith illustrates one Jew’s victory in the war against the evil impulse. As Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur approach, we must follow Dr. Stein’s lead and go to war against our evil impulses.
The evil impulse stands in the way of spiritual growth and happiness. We must therefore take up arms in battle against the evil impulse. By beating the evil impulse we can improve our lives and the lives of others. The best way to beat the evil impulse is by learning torah and by doing mitzvahs, as the Hashem tells us, “I have created the evil impulse and I have created the Torah as a treatment against it. If you busy yourselves in Torah, you will not fall into its (the evil impulse’s) hands.” (Kiddushin 30b)
By increasing our mitzvah observance, we will fulfill our true purpose in life and we will be able to receive the true Good that Hashem has in store for us. Good Shabbos Everyone. M. Wolfberg 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
We read about war in this week’s portion Ki-Seitzei, as the opening verse tells us, “When you go out to war against you enemy...” (Devarim-Deuteronomy 20:1) This verse begins a discussion of some of the rules that a Jewish army must observe when battling the enemy. On a deeper mystical level, the holy commentator Ohr HaChayim explains that this verse is referring to a different battle: the battle which rages within every individual. We are referring to the battle between the good and evil impulses. Every Jew is born with an impulse to do good and an impulse to do bad. The impulse to do good tells a Jew to do mitzvahs, to help others and to be a faithful servant of Hashem. The impulse to do bad tells a Jew not to do mitzvahs, to hurt others and to be a rebellious servant of Hashem, heaven forbid. Why did Hashem create us with both impulses? In order to answer this question, we must discuss the meaning of life according to the Ramchal, Reb Moshe Chayim Lutzatto, of blessed memory. (brought by Rav Amnon Yitzchok, Shlita)
The Ramchal explains that Hashem is good. The way of being good is by doing good for others. Hashem therefore created the world to benefit others.
In order for someone to feel benefit, he needs to be lacking something. For example, if you give a hungry person food to eat, you have not done him any favor. Therefore, in order for the creation to be able to feel the good that that Hashem wants to give, Hashem created us with deficiencies. For example, we need to eat; Hashem gives us food; we appreciate Hashem because we need food to survive; and Hashem has therefore done good for us.
Now that we have determined that Hashem wants only the highest good for us, we must discuss the issue of what is commonly called in America “a free lunch.” Most people are embarrassed to receive handouts. The same is true with us; if Hashem gave us everything for free without us having to put in any effort, we would be embarrassed; consequently, Hashem would not be doing good for us. Therefore, Hashem created us with two impulses: the good impulse and the bad impulse. If we were only created with an impulse to do good, we would have no free choice in life, we would always do good. We would be robots.
Because we have two competing impulses, we have an inner struggle to do the right thing according to the Torah or to violate the Torah, heaven forbid. Therefore, Hashem can reward us for choosing to do good and for doing the mitzvahs. The reward for doing Hashem’s will is the highest good, because we have earned it; it is not a free lunch.
To recap: Hashem is good. The way of good is to do good for others. So, Hashem created the world. In order for us to feel the good, Hashem created us with deficiencies, because a hungry person receives no benefit from receiving food. In order that the good be on the highest level of good, it must be a good that we earn. Therefore, Hashem created us with both good and bad impulses. Consequently, the good that we receive for following our good impulses and for doing the mitzvahs, is the ultimate good, and it is a good that we have earned. This is the meaning of life, doing mitzvhas….
Reb Moshe’s mind wandered back to some abandoned horse stables on the Hungarian plains nearly 35 years earlier. In April of 1944, Reb Moshe Holczler, of blessed memory, and many other unfortunate Jews were forced to work in the Hungarian army.
Jewish laborers enjoyed a relative safety in the Hungarian army; however, this safety was very fragile. At that point in War War II, nobody cared much about saving Jews. Among the Jewish workers was Dr. Aurel Stein.
Dr. Stein had come to the workers one Sunday afternoon to offer them a way out of the approaching German danger. “His high honor the Prince Primate of Hungary is offering a helping hand,” Dr. Stein began. “The protective umbrella of Christianity.” The was a hiss among the assembled Jewish laborers. “The holy Church guarantees safety from any further deportation procedures to anyone willing to enter its ranks and be baptized. Those who accept the loving hand of the Church... will be transferred to a different squadron together with me.” The air was filled with indignation and disgust at the offer to convert. Although not all the soldiers were observant Jews, none of them could bring themselves to commit such a treacherous act against the religion of their fathers. Dr. Stein quickly left the horse stable without anyone joining him.
Eventually, the war was over and the few survivors made their way out of blood soaked Europe. Moshe Holczler and his family eventually made their way to America where they rebuilt their shattered lives. 35 Years after his experiences in the forced labor camps, Reb Moshe had nearly forgotten about his horrible experiences as a forcer laborer. One day, Reb Moshe found himself walking down the street in the Flatbush area of Brooklyn, New York. As Reb Moshe passed by a synagogue, he noticed a sign which caught his eye “Attention: This coming Thursday night our guest speaker will be Dr. Aurel Stein, the prominent humanitarian physician. His topic: Judaism Superior. Don’t miss it!”
Reb Moshe could barely contain himself. Dr. Stein speaking the about the benefits of observant Judaism? The same Dr. Stein who had been baptized in the Church during the war? Reb Moshe showed up that Thursday night to hear Dr. Stein speak. Not wanting to embarrass Dr. Stein in front of others, Reb Moshe quietly made an appointment with Dr. Stein to speak with him about the developments of the last 35 years. Dr. Stein did not immediately recognize Reb Moshe as a fellow member of the forced labor brigade of 35 years ago.
Soon after, Dr. Stein and Reb Moshe were sitting together in Dr. Stein’s office. By then, Dr. Stein was reminded that he and Reb Moshe had worked together in the Hungarian army during the war. Dr. Stein began to tell his story. Dr. Stein told how he initially had mixed feelings about his conversion. Soon however, after seeing the full extent of the death and destruction, Dr. Stein became a committed member of the Church. He was very thankful to the Church for helping to save his life during the war.
After the war ended, Dr. Stein embraced his new identity in the Church with full gusto, as Dr. Stein told Reb Moshe “I diligently observed the ways of thinking of the gentiles and I wanted to assimilate myself to the best possible extent... My interest did not let me stop halfway. I wanted to see and understand everything about the church.” Dr. Stein proceeded to tell Reb Moshe about his trip to the Vatican in Rome, Italy, the largest and most important church in the world.
Dr. Stein recounted his mixed feelings as he entered the dark and musty church chambers. The highlight of the tour came when the group entered the main section of the giant church. There was a giant statue of an angel of marble with wings spread out from its back. As Dr. Stein examined the huge statue, he noticed that the angel held something in its marble hands. The hands of the gigantic statue were stretched out, pointing towards the throne of the Pope. Dr. Stein told Reb Moshe how he craned to see what was written on the tablet in statue’s hands, he could see that there was something written on the tablet in golden letters.
Dr. Stein became very curious to read what was written on the tablet high above. He borrowed a fellow tourist’s binoculars and focused in on the marble tablet. “I was taken aback. I was startled to discover Hebrew letters on the tablet...” Said Dr. Stein to Reb Moshe. Then I started to read the letters slowing, using my long-forgotten Hebrew knowledge “Onochi Hashem Elokecha... I am Hashem, your Lord. The first of the Ten Commandments! And these words were facing the Pope’s throne!?!” Dr. Stein was shocked. He quickly and quietly made his way out of the building.
Once out of the building, Dr. Stein paused to reflect on what he had just seen. So this is all their knowledge? They base their entire religion on the revelation of Hashem to the Jews? They have to put Jewish commandments in their holiest place? Why then should they be considered superior to the Jews?
A few days later, Dr. Stein arranged for a visit with the Chief Rabbi of Rome. Dr. Stein was told that the Vatican museum contained some of the utensils of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem which the Romans had destroyed almost 2000 years earlier. Dr. Stein returned to the Vatican museum and saw for himself ancient articles of the Holy Temple, including the Kohen Gadol’s golden forehead plate engraved with the words “Kodesh L’HaShem.” Dr. Stein left Rome with his faith shaken. Perhaps he had made a mistake in converting. Nevertheless, Dr. Stein continued in his assimilated lifestyle in the church.
A couple of years later, Dr. Stein made a trip to Israel. By then, he was disenchanted with his assimilated lifestyle and he was reconsidering his choices in life. As he approached the Western Wall, he became consumed with emotion. He began to cry uncontrollably. “On that same day, I approached the Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem to discuss my problem and I returned to Judaism, never to part again.” (from Late Memories, Moshe Holczler, p.160-175)
Dr. Stein’s amazing story of his return to the faith illustrates one Jew’s victory in the war against the evil impulse. As Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur approach, we must follow Dr. Stein’s lead and go to war against our evil impulses.
The evil impulse stands in the way of spiritual growth and happiness. We must therefore take up arms in battle against the evil impulse. By beating the evil impulse we can improve our lives and the lives of others. The best way to beat the evil impulse is by learning torah and by doing mitzvahs, as the Hashem tells us, “I have created the evil impulse and I have created the Torah as a treatment against it. If you busy yourselves in Torah, you will not fall into its (the evil impulse’s) hands.” (Kiddushin 30b)
By increasing our mitzvah observance, we will fulfill our true purpose in life and we will be able to receive the true Good that Hashem has in store for us. Good Shabbos Everyone. M. Wolfberg 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
Good Shabbos and remember only 2.5 weeks to Judgement Day repent
now and avoid the Rosh Hashanah rush!
Be well,
Rachamim Pauli
