Parsha Vayigash Part 1
I would like to imagine a conversation between the brothers as
they return to Egypt with their goods. Yehuda steps up and says to his
brothers, it is my fault that Yosef was sold as a slave and we all know that
Benyamin is innocent of our crimes. Therefore it is a sign that I must take his
place and I must return him to his father as I promised. There could have been
accusations against Yehuda by his brothers but when he is big enough to step up
to his mistake and fate they are left silent.
44:18 Then
Judah came near unto him, and said: 'Oh my lord, let thy servant, I pray thee,
speak a word in my lord's ears, and let not your anger burn against thy
servant; for thou art even as Pharaoh.
Yehuda thought that Zaphenath-paneah wanted to use Benyamin for
unnatural intercourse and he would substitute himself and he wants to show his
guarding and warrior skills so that he will be the slave and not Benyamin.
Contrary to Sefer HaYashar and the Medrash, I do not believe that Yehuda was
crazy enough to try to take on the Egyptian Army even using the NAME of G-D
rather, he was more in an obliging mood and apologetic. Rashi’s explanation is
better than the two books.
For you are like
Pharaoh: This is its simple meaning. Its midrashic meaning is, however: You
will ultimately be punished with צָרַעַת because of him, just as Pharaoh was
punished because of my great-grandmother Sarah for the one night that he
detained her (Gen. 12:17). Another explanation: Just as Pharaoh issues decrees
and does not carry them out, makes promises and does not fulfill them, so do
you. Now, is this the “setting of an eye,” concerning which you said [that you
wanted] “to set your eye upon him” ? [See verse 21.] Another explanation: For
like you, so is Pharaoh-if you provoke me, I will kill you and your master.
[From Gen. Rabbah 93:6]
19 My
lord asked his servants, saying: Have ye a father, or a brother?
My lord asked his
servants: From the beginning, you came upon us with a pretext. Why did you have
to ask all these [questions]? Were we looking to [marry] your daughter, or were
you looking to [marry] our sister? Nonetheless, “we said to my lord” (verse
20). We did not conceal anything. [From Gen. Rabbah 93:8]
20 And we
said unto my lord: We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a
little one; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother, and
his father loves him. 21 And
thou said unto thy servants: Bring him down unto me, that I may set mine eyes
upon him. 22 And we said unto my
lord: The lad cannot leave his father; for if he should leave his father, his
father would die. 23 And thou
said unto thy servants: Except your youngest brother come down with you, ye shall
see my face no more. 24 And it
came to pass when we came up unto thy servant my father, we told him the words
of my lord.
Yosef lost 10 years of his life because he let them call Yacov his
servant. He should have said, “How old is your father? Based on your ages, I do
not need him as a servant.”
25 And
our father said: Go again, buy us a little food. 26 And we said: We cannot go down; if our youngest brother be with
us, then will we go down; for we may not see the man's face, except our
youngest brother be with us. 27
And thy servant my father said unto us: Ye know that my wife bore me two sons; 28 and the one went out from me, and I
said: Surely he is torn in pieces; and I have not seen him since; 29 and if ye take this one also from
me, and harm befall him, ye will bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the
grave.
And misfortune befalls
him: For Satan accuses at the time of danger. [From Gen. Rabbah 91:9] you will
bring down my hoary head in misery, etc.: Now that he is with me, I comfort
myself over [the loss of] his mother and over [the loss of] his brother, but if
this one [too] dies, it will seem to me as if the three of them died in one
day. [From Gen. Rabbah ff. 93:8]
30 Now
therefore when I come to thy servant my father, and the lad is not with us;
seeing that his soul is bound up with the lad's soul;
Again silence by Yosef.
31 it
will come to pass, when he sees that the lad is not with us, that he will die;
and thy servants will bring down the gray hairs of thy servant our father with
sorrow to the grave.
It will come to pass,
when he sees that the boy is not here, he will die: His father will die because
of his calamity [of the loss of his son].
The rebuke is about to come “And when you sold me, I, his favorite
son, he did not die!
32 For
thy servant became surety for the lad unto my father, saying: If I bring him
not unto thee, then shall I bear the blame to my father forever.
For your servant
assumed responsibility for the boy: Now if you ask why I enter the fray more
than my other brothers, [I will reply that] they are all [standing] from the
outside [without commitment], while I have bound myself with a strong bond to
be an outcast in both worlds. [From Gen. Rabbah 93:8]
I was wondering if the Egyptian Idolater could understand about
the next world but then I remembered why they built the pyramids so this was a
language that Yosef as a Goy would understand.
33 Now
therefore, let thy servant, I pray thee, abide instead of the lad a bondman to
my lord; and let the lad go up with his brethren.
Please let your
servant stay: I am superior to him in all respects: in strength, in battle, and
in service. [From Gen. Rabbah 93:8]
Yehuda was built like one of the actors that could play Conan,
Samson, Superman, Thor and Benyamin was like the average Beis Medrash goer not
much in the way of muscles or strength.
34 For
how shall I go up to my father, if the lad be not with me? lest I look upon the
evil that shall come on my father.'
The plea is impassioned and it shows to Yosef that Yehuda has
fully repented for his deed of selling Yosef and is willing to take his lumps
in this world for Benyamin who to him is a full brother not like the 17 year
old “Dreamer of Dreams”!
45:1 Then
Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood by him; and he
cried: 'Cause every man to go out from me.' And there stood no man with him,
while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren.
At this point Yosef must have scared them beyond their previous
fears. He is alone with them what will happen to them now?
Now Joseph could not
bear all those standing: He could not bear that Egyptians would stand beside
him and hear his brothers being embarrassed when he would make himself known to
them. [From Tanchuma Vayigash 5]
2 And he
wept aloud; and the Egyptians heard, and the house of Pharaoh heard.
And the house
of Pharaoh heard: Heb. פַּרְעֹה בֵּית, the house of Pharaoh, namely his servants
and the members of his household. This does not literally mean a house, but it
is like “the house of Israel” (Ps. 115:12), “the house of Judah” (I Kings 12:21), mesnede in Old French, household. [From
Targum Onkelos]
3 And
Joseph said unto his brethren: 'I am Joseph; doth my father yet live?' And his
brethren could not answer him; for they were affrighted at his presence.
Up until now he spoke Egyptian to them through an interpreter and
pretended not to know Hebrew.
They were startled by
his presence: Because of embarrassment. [From Tanchuma Vayigash 5] They were in complete shock and were stunned
beyond words.
4 And
Joseph said unto his brethren: 'Come near to me, I pray you.' And they came
near. And he said: 'I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt.
Please come closer: He
saw them drawing backwards. He said, “Now my brothers are embarrassed”
(Tanchuma Vayigash 5). He called them tenderly and pleadingly and showed them
that he was circumcised (Gen. Rabbah 93:10).
It is compared to a person dying and going to Beis Din Shel Maalah
and cannot speak in defense of himself.
5 And
now be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither; for God
did send me before you to preserve life.
To preserve life: Heb.
לְמִחְיָה, to be to you a preserver of life. [From Targum Jonathan]
I don’t hold a grudge against you as this was G-D’s plan.
6 For
these two years hath the famine been in the land; and there are yet five years,
in which there shall be neither plowing nor harvest.
For already two years
of famine: have passed of the [total] years of the famine.
The whole purpose of Yosef going down before Yacov and the famine
was to get Yacov to go voluntarily to Egypt. For according to the Medrash he
was supposed to be brought to Egypt in chains but because he was such a Tzaddik
he went on a chariot.
7 And
God sent me before you to give you a remnant on the earth, and to save you
alive for a great deliverance.
Don’t think of it as your plan but part of a greater good from
heaven.
8 So now
it was not you that sent me hither, but God; and He hath made me a father to
Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and ruler over all the land of Egypt. 9 Hasten ye, and go up to my father,
and say unto him: Thus says thy son Joseph: God hath made me lord of all Egypt;
come down unto me, tarry not.
Now they have to break the news to Yacov slowly so that he does
not die from shock.
10 And
thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near unto me, thou,
and thy children, and thy children's children, and thy flocks, and thy herds,
and all that you have; 11 and
there will I sustain thee; for there are yet five years of famine; lest thou
come to poverty, thou, and thy household, and all that you have.
lest you become
impoverished: Heb. פֶּן-תִּוָּרֵשׁ, [which Onkelos renders:] דָּלְמָא
תִתְמַסְכַּן, lest you become impoverished, [which is] an expression similar
to“impoverishes (מוֹרִישׁ) and makes rich” (I Sam. 2:7).
12 And,
behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth
that speaks unto you.
And behold, your eyes see: my glory and that I am your brother,
for I am circumcised like you, and moreover, that it is my mouth that is
speaking to you in the holy tongue (Gen. Rabbah 93:10). As well as the eyes of
my brother Benjamin: He compared them all together, saying that “just as I
harbor no hatred against my brother Benjamin, for he did not participate in
selling me, neither do I have any hatred in my heart against you.” [from Meg.
16b]
Note my features compared to Benyamin’s features and even yours.
13 And ye
shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that ye have seen;
and ye shall hasten and bring down my father hither.' 14 And he fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck, and wept; and Benjamin
wept upon his neck.
And he fell on his
brother Benjamin’s neck and wept: for the two sanctuaries which were destined
to be in Benjamin’s territory and would ultimately be destroyed. [From Meg.
16b] and Benjamin wept on his neck: for the Tabernacle of Shiloh, which was
destined to be in Joseph’s territory yet would ultimately be destroyed. [From
Meg. 16b, Gen. Rabbah 93:12]
The Medrash that Rashi
brings down is beautiful but the Pshat is that after 22 years to meet they both
let their emotions go and wept. Afterwards he hugs all his brothers and again
reassures them that he means no harm that all is from HASHEM and for the best.
15 And he
kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them; and after that his brethren talked
with him. 16 And the report
thereof was heard in Pharaoh's house, saying: 'Joseph's brethren are come'; and
it pleased Pharaoh well, and his servants. 17 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph: 'Say unto thy brethren: This do
ye: lade your beasts, and go, get you unto the land of Canaan; 18 and take your father and your
households, and come unto me; and I will give you the good of the land of
Egypt, and ye shall eat the fat of the land. 19 Now thou art commanded, this do ye: take you wagons out of the
land of Egypt for your little ones, and for your wives, and bring your father,
and come. 20 Also regard not
your stuff; for the good things of all the land of Egypt are yours.' 21 And the sons of Israel did so; and
Joseph gave them wagons, according to the commandment of Pharaoh, and gave them
provision for the way. 22 To all
of them he gave each man changes of raiment; but to Benjamin he gave three
hundred shekels of silver, and five changes of raiment.
This time there was no jealousy for Benyamin. And the story will
continue next week as at this point starts the last 17 years of Yacov until
next week’s Parsha when his soul comes to rest.
During
World War II there was a group of fighting partisans who had broken out of the
Nazi camps in Poland. The group comprised a few Jews and some former Polish
army officers. They organized a resistance force that used to harass the
Germans.
On
one of their missions, they found an old, starving rabbi who had been left for
dead by the Nazi murderers. One of the Catholic partisans took mercy on the man
and nursed him back to health. The rabbi was of no real use to the partisans,
so he was given the job of cooking and praying for the safety of the fighting
men. Remarkably, this group of partisans suffered no casualties for the rest of
the war.
When
the war was over the group broke up. Some went back to Poland; others traveled
to Latvia. Others became wandering people with no homeland. As the Russian
government clamped down on the people, depriving them of their freedom, those
of the group that were still in Russia decided to flee together.
A
plan was made to leave the Russian territories by night. An informant helping
these escaping partisans told them, "You must cross the river in the
winter when it is frozen. When you reach the other side of the river you'll be
entering no-man's land. There you will find a hut. This hut is used by a
Russian soldier who is in charge of preventing border crossings by all
unauthorized people. His job is to shoot anything that moves. However, at one
o'clock in the morning he leaves his hut and walks a few miles to the next hut,
where he meets another soldier. There the soldiers exchange reports and
supplies. Then he returns to his watch. The complete trip takes him
approximately two hours. During that time, you can warm yourselves in his hut
but you must be out of there by the time he returns."
This
group of brave men consisted only of the younger people. Most of the older
people had given up hope, deciding to remain behind in the Russian territories.
The only old man willing to travel with them was the rabbi. A heated argument
broke out: "Let's leave him," said one. "After all, he can find
food in one of the towns. We really do not need to be slowed down by a frail,
old man. We have done our share."
But
then, a religious Christian partisan exclaimed, "If we leave him, we are
all doomed. I will not leave without him." So, reluctantly, they included
the rabbi.
It
was a cold and miserable night. A blizzard broke out. Sure enough, the leader
was correct: the old man could not keep up with the rigorous climbing and
running. The blizzard increased and more than once they had to stop to carry
the old rabbi. As light as he was, he was now a big burden, slowing down the
entire group. More than once, they argued if they should just leave him.
It
was one o'clock in the morning when they arrived at the hut which, by now, was
half buried in the snow. They could smell the fire and warmth coming from the
hut. They waited and waited for the soldier to leave. It seemed like forever.
It wasn't a moment too soon that the soldier left. Almost frozen to death, the
fleeing group fell into the hut, each one trying to get his icy hands and
frostbitten feet closer and closer to the fire.
The
old rabbi moved away from the group. He opened a small bag and took out an old
and rusty menorah. Then he took a small piece of string, rolled it into
a wick and proceeded to fill the menorah with some oil from a small tin
bottle that he somehow had managed to bring with him. The act taking place put
everyone into a trance. Not a word was uttered nor a sound heard. Spellbound,
everyone watched the rabbi.
In a
barely audible voice, the rabbi recited the blessings for the lighting of the menorah,
picked up the menorah, and placed it by the window of the hut. Then he
lit the menorah and began to sing an old Jewish song traditionally sung
after lighting the Chanuka candles: "Maoz Tzur" - "Rock
of Ages," which speaks of G-d's miracles for his people through the
generations.
Like
an erupting volcano, the leader was jolted out of his stupor and yelled,
"Put out that light!" You will bring the Russian soldier back here.
We will all be caught and shot."
The
rabbi tried to explain that it was the first night of Chanuka and that he had
kindled the light in order to keep the commandment of remembering the miracle
of Chanuka. "No," said the rabbi. He would not extinguish the flame.
"It must burn for half an hour. This is according to the ancient Hebrew
law."
Suddenly
the door of the hut flew open. A tall soldier holding a machine gun yelled at
the startled group to put their hands up into the air. The Russian soldier
approached the old rabbi, looked at the menorah, and said to him in
Russian, "I, too, am a Jew. I have not seen a menorah in six
years." He kissed the rabbi's beard and broke into tears.
The
soldier proceeded to tell the group, "After I left the hut I suddenly
remembered that I had left some reports in a drawer. As I was returning I saw a
light coming from the hut. I couldn't believe my eyes-a menorah in
no-man's land, in the middle of a blizzard, right in my hut."
The
soldier told the group that they were safe and proceeded to take out a large
bottle of vodka, giving each one a drink. He said, "It's good that I was
on guard. Another guard would have killed all of you! Come, I will show you how
to cross the border. Remember me, Rabbi. Pray that I have a Chanuka miracle and
will be able to leave the army safely and be with my family."
The
very shaken but relieved little group followed the soldier out across the
border. Somehow they made their way to freedom and then they all went their
separate ways. The old rabbi went to Israel. He told his story to fellow
survivors. One of them, in turn, told it to me as a small boy.
[Source:
Adapted by Yerachmiel Tilles from an article by Rabbi Eli Hecht written for //LchaimWeekly.org,
and then reprinted by "Living Jewish" (a Jerusalem weekly).]
Editorial Mediocrity and Superficiality
After years of writing before this blog/Drasha, I know how to fake
things but I refuse to go for a substandard Drasha. I am not talking only about
politicians which one can expect such shoddy work but scientists. It started
with data for global warming which is suspect one way or the other and if it is
man-made or sun-cycle made. Archeology is prejudiced by Darwin’s theory.
Perhaps mankind was once more advanced. Adam was created with a lot of DIVINE
knowledge. A Ben Noach wrote this and it was sent to me by Roger M. Pearlman. I
am not saying that this is 100% correct and the Tesla Tower theory could be
wrong but it does make a nicer explanation for the lack of burnt torches. Are
we that mediocre that we must fit the mold and think within the box? Christian Schiffer: Very interesting video
about ancient technology
I think the authors of this video may be on to something, however, the ark of the covenant was created by the Israelites after Moses's and ultimately YKWK's instructions AFTER they left Egypt, not stolen from Egypt. But of course it is a super-capacitor as the video says, a very-very powerful beam weapon. But we all know why Pharaoh came after the Israelites the way he did, yes it was about the comfort and wealth of the Egyptians, the comfort and wealth only an army of slaves could provide.
But indeed, today’s technology is nothing new under the sun, Egypt as we can see in this video had some rests of it implemented in their civilization and the pyramids most likely did work as Tesla towers providing wireless electricity.... But these things were the remnants of the technology and scientific knowledge of pre flood and babel, technology so powerful but used for evil, so powerful and so evil that YKWK had to cleanse the earth from it and all them using it for evil.
The people before the flood conducted gene manipulation and created transgenic beings and hybrids between angels and women corrupting all of creation. The sages of the pagans, their religions are based on these things, like the minotaur and other perverted transgenic beings, demigods meaning hybrids between angels and humans - giants not only in size but also in intelligence. (There is Aggadah in the Gemara that Esav with his knowledge of creation created a half man half fish creature or mermaid.)
YKWK put an end to that by the great cleansing (the flood) and by reducing our intelligence significantly after we tried to build the Tower of babel which was so enormous that it would have a man with a rucksack a full year to climb has they not had express elevators to transport them. Even the topmost floor was so large that it took 3 days to travel around it by foot. The tower must have been at least 30 000 feet high (10 000 meters).
So indeed, the "great wonders of science" we see today and are so proud of are just shadows pictures of what we created back in those days before people started to deny the existence of our Creator. Read the book of Jasher for more information on these topics. Yashar – available in Hebrew and I have Robinson’s English Translation it is out of print.
RM Pearlman comments: to extent true gives new meaning to the 'store' cities of Pitom and Ramses that we built during our stay in Mitzrayim. as first great Pyramid (the stepped pyramid) by Joseph (AKA Imhotep) as a beacon for the fortified grain storage complex, distribution point constructed between 217 to 210 years before the Exodus. This is an 11 minute presentation with photos from hieroglyphics so think outside of the box and maybe the people were not as primitive as we can imagine. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gMhYWHscpg There are more films to show on the Pyramids and one film and calculation that the ice-age started after the flood of Noach but this would ruin the atheistic scientists. This is an embarrassment to the whole scientific community including the religious who don’t study ice-core data or open up their minds. Nowadays, books, term papers, College entrance standards, classes, etc. have lowered the standards to that of basketball and football players and not to the level of lawyers, accountants, scientists and doctors. Where is the world heading?
I think the authors of this video may be on to something, however, the ark of the covenant was created by the Israelites after Moses's and ultimately YKWK's instructions AFTER they left Egypt, not stolen from Egypt. But of course it is a super-capacitor as the video says, a very-very powerful beam weapon. But we all know why Pharaoh came after the Israelites the way he did, yes it was about the comfort and wealth of the Egyptians, the comfort and wealth only an army of slaves could provide.
But indeed, today’s technology is nothing new under the sun, Egypt as we can see in this video had some rests of it implemented in their civilization and the pyramids most likely did work as Tesla towers providing wireless electricity.... But these things were the remnants of the technology and scientific knowledge of pre flood and babel, technology so powerful but used for evil, so powerful and so evil that YKWK had to cleanse the earth from it and all them using it for evil.
The people before the flood conducted gene manipulation and created transgenic beings and hybrids between angels and women corrupting all of creation. The sages of the pagans, their religions are based on these things, like the minotaur and other perverted transgenic beings, demigods meaning hybrids between angels and humans - giants not only in size but also in intelligence. (There is Aggadah in the Gemara that Esav with his knowledge of creation created a half man half fish creature or mermaid.)
YKWK put an end to that by the great cleansing (the flood) and by reducing our intelligence significantly after we tried to build the Tower of babel which was so enormous that it would have a man with a rucksack a full year to climb has they not had express elevators to transport them. Even the topmost floor was so large that it took 3 days to travel around it by foot. The tower must have been at least 30 000 feet high (10 000 meters).
So indeed, the "great wonders of science" we see today and are so proud of are just shadows pictures of what we created back in those days before people started to deny the existence of our Creator. Read the book of Jasher for more information on these topics. Yashar – available in Hebrew and I have Robinson’s English Translation it is out of print.
RM Pearlman comments: to extent true gives new meaning to the 'store' cities of Pitom and Ramses that we built during our stay in Mitzrayim. as first great Pyramid (the stepped pyramid) by Joseph (AKA Imhotep) as a beacon for the fortified grain storage complex, distribution point constructed between 217 to 210 years before the Exodus. This is an 11 minute presentation with photos from hieroglyphics so think outside of the box and maybe the people were not as primitive as we can imagine. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gMhYWHscpg There are more films to show on the Pyramids and one film and calculation that the ice-age started after the flood of Noach but this would ruin the atheistic scientists. This is an embarrassment to the whole scientific community including the religious who don’t study ice-core data or open up their minds. Nowadays, books, term papers, College entrance standards, classes, etc. have lowered the standards to that of basketball and football players and not to the level of lawyers, accountants, scientists and doctors. Where is the world heading?
Rabbi Schneur Zalman of
Ladi the Baal HaTanya stated that the finance in the world will be like the man
who rakes the streets and gathers the leaves into piles. At first the leaves
are like the money among everybody and then before Moshiach the wealth will be
gathered into the hands of a few and perhaps one big pile by the government and
the people will have little or none. Society cannot go on much longer on
mediocrity and superficiality and things are coming to head.
Lastly, we must always learn from history otherwise something like
Gilgul Neshama we are to repeat it. In 1941 after Pearl Harbor, the US declared
war on Japan. FDR was still undecided to declare war on Germany even though he
had the policy of “Quarantine the Aggressor”. Fortunately for the English and
the World, Hitler was more loyal in being an ally and declared war on the
United States first ending the hemming and hawing of FDR. What we have in the
White House is a person so afraid of war that he will bring about the worse of
the worst wars to ever happen. It was Ronald Regan the man big on defense and
Menachem Begin the ‘terrorist’ who made peace. Peace is made from a position of
strength a sign of weakness only brings on more aggression like Neville
Chamberlain did.
Evil
evolution theory protectors thanks to Roger: http://news.discovery.com/human/evolution/stone-tipped-spears-pre-date-existence-of-humans-131113.htm#mkcpgn=emnws1
Our
Rabbis say that a good solid clean jokester has a place in heaven for bringing
cheer to many this week we lost Israel’s Bob Hope. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sefi_Rivlin http://www.jpost.com/National-News/Israeli-actor-and-comedian-Sefi-Rivlin-passes-away-at-age-66-333891
He
tried to set up a Jewish Community Internet in Cuba: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/03/alan-gross-cuba_n_4377784.html?ncid=webmail24
Kathy M. had a sign on her FB page: 6 million Israeli Jews do not
pose a threat to 1.7 billion Muslims in our vicinity but actually we do for we
prove that our Prophets are true and their Koran is false so they must mount a
Jihad to remove our threat for the truth is dangerous.
Many
moons ago, I made a comment about Prof. Yoel Barak of the University of Tel
Aviv that modern humans and Neanderthals sharing the same cave in the Galil. http://news.discovery.com/human/evolution/neanderthal-skeleton-provides-evidence-of-interbreeding-with-humans-130327.htm
Was it
6 or 7 million? http://www.timesofisrael.com/former-intel-agent-discovers-jews-in-mass-christian-graves/
A fellow named Bill sent me this: I have a
question for you. all the time I read about Zionism being a very bad thing. I
do not understand what it is, or why people say its a really bad thing. I am
going to ask our preacher but I would like to hear it from your view point also
if you would please explain to me!
I replied: In Orthodox Jewish circles there
are 2 types of Zionism. One to return to the land for religious reasons like
myself and I don't consider myself a Zionist and in the non-religious circles
to have a secular homeland for the Jews like all the nations of the world. The
former is in sequence with G-D the latter is a very bad thing. For we are not
"like" the rest of the world but as it says in Psalms "A lamp to
light or enlighten the world" Tehillim 119:105. Returning to Zion to wait
the coming of the Moshiach is good returning to live only in a Jewish State is
bad - for secular Zionism does not have the LRD G-D KING of the universe in it
while the former is only for the sake of heaven.
Noah posted
this the only Chassidic Female Rebbe:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maiden_of_Ludmir
Ayelet
Shaked has brains even though she is non-religious she has a aura of Godliness: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/174799
For
Israelis from Phyllis via Denise: The
rabbanut has discovered a trick played on people who order from restaurants
from a single source. Some of the restaurants don't exist and some of them
don't have kashrut certification. The rabbanut discovered that additional
restaurants were illegally added to the kashrut certificate. The businesses
involved: Max Bagels on 24 Kanfei Nesharim (doesn't exist), Bar Salat Bari on
15 Kanfei Nesharim (doesn't exist) and Nichoah Cafe on 8 Hamrapeh in Jerusalem
(forged certificate).
Imported cheese with strange declaration
Cheese imported from chutz l'aretz under supervision of "Nachalat Yitzchak" has strange wording on its packages: "לאוכלי חלב חו"ל משעת עשייה". This terminology is not recognized by the rabbanut and may
pertain to chalav akum. These products were not imported with the approval of the rabbanut and should be sold in kosher stores. In addition, since the wording may pertain to chalav akum, this is in contradiction with the statement that the product is mehadrin.
Forged kashrut certificate
"Catering gadol le eruim ketanim" from Moshav Luzit (Lozit?) presents a teudah from "Badatz Nachalat Yitzchak" which does not have authorization to give kashrut certificates.
Disposable dishes do not need hashgacha
The person putting this stamp (see original post) on disposable dishes is not authorized to provide kosher supervision as required by law. In addition, it is the policy of the rabbanut that disposable dishes
do not need kashrut certification. This does not refer to Pesach.
Crab leg found packaged with frozen hake fillet This product contained a crab arm with the fish at no extra charge. This is the second time in a few months that the rabbanut has received notification of non-kosher animal parts in with fish. This product is generally repackaged on arrival to Israel but it is wise for the consumer to be aware.
Improper signage
This Feldman fish product has a symbol from the Machon for mitzvoth taluyot baaretz and says "ללא חשש לתלועים" which is incorrect since it has a high percentage of worms present. Upon investigation it was
discovered that the symbol was put on without permission from the Machon. The distributor has promised not to market the product.
Treif meat sold in kosher packaging that was returned
Beit HaBasar Dabach on Sderot Ben Gurion 19 in Haifa was caught packaging treif meat in used cartons of kosher meat. Mashgiachs are warned to confirm the identify of the meat inside the carton and that
it matches with the delivery form.
Places falsely advertising that they are kosher Falafel Gina, 1 King George St, Tel Aviv Macho Macho Restaurant, 274 Dizengoff, Tel Aviv Gorilla Bar on 11 Oppenheimer St and 57 Yehuda HaMacabee St in Tel Aviv
Druze food stand in Kenyon Zim Center in Maalot has a false teudat kashrut. Aharon food stand, 34 Eli Horowitz St, Kfar Saba Avram restaurant, 97 Yafo St, Jerusalem Event Hall Ahuzat Tal in the Ad Halom industrial area near Ashdod Camilia restaurant, 125 Hismin St, Mevasseret Zion HaPizzeria restaurant, Kenyon Harel gas station,Mevasseret Zion- has regular, not mehadrin kashrut
Businesses that no longer have teudot kashrut
Shefa HaBasar Vebracha butcher, Menachem Begin St- Rova Hacity, Ashdod HaDayag Hatarvayni, 240 Haganennet St, Jerusalem
Imported cheese with strange declaration
Cheese imported from chutz l'aretz under supervision of "Nachalat Yitzchak" has strange wording on its packages: "לאוכלי חלב חו"ל משעת עשייה". This terminology is not recognized by the rabbanut and may
pertain to chalav akum. These products were not imported with the approval of the rabbanut and should be sold in kosher stores. In addition, since the wording may pertain to chalav akum, this is in contradiction with the statement that the product is mehadrin.
Forged kashrut certificate
"Catering gadol le eruim ketanim" from Moshav Luzit (Lozit?) presents a teudah from "Badatz Nachalat Yitzchak" which does not have authorization to give kashrut certificates.
Disposable dishes do not need hashgacha
The person putting this stamp (see original post) on disposable dishes is not authorized to provide kosher supervision as required by law. In addition, it is the policy of the rabbanut that disposable dishes
do not need kashrut certification. This does not refer to Pesach.
Crab leg found packaged with frozen hake fillet This product contained a crab arm with the fish at no extra charge. This is the second time in a few months that the rabbanut has received notification of non-kosher animal parts in with fish. This product is generally repackaged on arrival to Israel but it is wise for the consumer to be aware.
Improper signage
This Feldman fish product has a symbol from the Machon for mitzvoth taluyot baaretz and says "ללא חשש לתלועים" which is incorrect since it has a high percentage of worms present. Upon investigation it was
discovered that the symbol was put on without permission from the Machon. The distributor has promised not to market the product.
Treif meat sold in kosher packaging that was returned
Beit HaBasar Dabach on Sderot Ben Gurion 19 in Haifa was caught packaging treif meat in used cartons of kosher meat. Mashgiachs are warned to confirm the identify of the meat inside the carton and that
it matches with the delivery form.
Places falsely advertising that they are kosher Falafel Gina, 1 King George St, Tel Aviv Macho Macho Restaurant, 274 Dizengoff, Tel Aviv Gorilla Bar on 11 Oppenheimer St and 57 Yehuda HaMacabee St in Tel Aviv
Druze food stand in Kenyon Zim Center in Maalot has a false teudat kashrut. Aharon food stand, 34 Eli Horowitz St, Kfar Saba Avram restaurant, 97 Yafo St, Jerusalem Event Hall Ahuzat Tal in the Ad Halom industrial area near Ashdod Camilia restaurant, 125 Hismin St, Mevasseret Zion HaPizzeria restaurant, Kenyon Harel gas station,Mevasseret Zion- has regular, not mehadrin kashrut
Businesses that no longer have teudot kashrut
Shefa HaBasar Vebracha butcher, Menachem Begin St- Rova Hacity, Ashdod HaDayag Hatarvayni, 240 Haganennet St, Jerusalem
Inyanay Diyoma
I am
not a prophet the son of a prophet yet our Sages of blessed memory tell us that
everything in the True World (HaOlam Ha Emmes) goes according to Measure for
Measure or Mida K’neged Mida. Europe has treated the Jews bad for thousands of
years and has let Jews perish right and left some 72 to 68 years ago and is
abandoning Israel now. Well guess who will get the bomb and guess who will not
have defenses against the Jihad. http://debka.com/article/23488/Enough-enriched-uranium-in-Iran-for-4-nuclear-weapons-N-Bomb-awaits-Saudis-in-Pakistan
Aw he
only had an ax on a treeless street and was shot dead. http://www.jpost.com/National-News/Border-Police-volunteer-shoots-to-death-Palestinian-who-allegedly-tried-to-hit-him-with-an-ax-333534
When
the liberal Washington Posts criticizes Obama then we are in trouble and we got
it. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/174656#.UprNZSv8LIU
Most we
shut up for Obama and Kerry? http://www.jpost.com/Diplomacy-and-Politics/Olmert-faults-Netanyahu-on-Iran-nuclear-diplomacy-says-PM-has-declared-war-on-US-333630
From Chaim B. Look who's new in the white house! Arif Alikhan - Assistant Secretary for Policy Development for the U.S.
Department of Homeland Security Mohammed Elibiary
- Homeland Security Adviser Rashad
Hussain - Special Envoy to the
Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) Salam al-Marayati
- Obama Adviser and founder of the Muslim Public Affairs Council and is its
current executive director Imam
Mohamed Magid - Obama's Sharia Czar
from the Islamic Society of North America Eboo
Patel - Advisory Council on Faith-Based
Neighborhood Partnerships This is flat-out scary!!!
New
Chief for the Pakistani Army: http://debka.com/article/23490/Pakistan’s-new-army-chief-Nuclear-ties-with-Saudis-US-exit-from-Afghanistan-Riyadh’s-anti-Iran-drive
Adele
Chaya did not fare as good as this girl: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/174687#.UpuhlSv8LIU
Somebody
down under has brains: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/174707#.UpxGUiv8LIU
The
west gives up but they will be the ones to suffer in the war of Gog and Magog
get your prayers, repentance and charity ready because it is coming to your
local military theater or home front within less than half a decade the Jihad
will not stop until HASHEM stops it. As I have posted the ICBM’s are not for Israel. http://debka.com/article/23492/Former-CIA-AMAN-chiefs-Iran-is-a-nuclear-threshold-state-and-can-no-longer-be-stopped
If big
brother is watching you it is because you used the following words. They must
have a full time agent assigned to me. At least have him give 10% of his income
to charity like I do. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2150281/REVEALED-Hundreds-words-avoid-using-online-dont-want-government-spying-you.html#ixzz1wAbAJEL0
Reverse
Flotilla: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/174725#.UpzOECv8LIU check out we con the world http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCQuTVsCWgA
Socialism
from cradle to the grave? http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/02/baby-taken-from-womb-forcibly-removed-social-services_n_4372065.html?1386007878&icid=maing-grid7%7Chtmlws-main-bb%7Cdl14%7Csec1_lnk3%26pLid%3D413637
Gilo is
only a stone’s throw from the Arab neighborhood: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/174731#.Up1drCv8LIU
Iran
deal is bad news: http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/alan-dershowitz-iran-deal-cataclysmic/2013/11/24/id/538374?ns_mail_uid=3978782&ns_mail_job=1547416_11252013&promo_code=15B80-1
The
world is now a better place: http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Hezbollah-says-commander-killed-in-Beirut-blames-Israel-333934
What
does the religion of peace need a heavy water reactor for? Hydrotherapy? http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4461643,00.html
Iran/Syria/Hezballah
axis suffers a blow: http://debka.com/article/23496/Slaying-Hizballah-commander-ratchets-up-Saudi-covert-war-on-Iran-and-Lebanese-proxy
The
Arabs want peace less that I want to dance a tango and that is almost absolute
zero: http://www.jpost.com/Diplomacy-and-Politics/Palestinians-reject-US-proposals-security-ideas-for-peace-accord-334115
The
western media prefer Debka over Iran: http://debka.com/article/23498/FM-Javad-Zarif-accuses-Iranian-media-of-quoting-US-Fact-Sheet-and-DEBKAfile-instead-of-himself
Muslim
members of the White House Staff will not be pleased with this: http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Egypt-reportedly-to-declare-Muslim-Brotherhood-terrorist-organization-334166
From Chaim B. Ed Op
from the liberal magazine Newsweek: Finally, Matt Patterson and Newsweek speak out about Obama. This is
timely and tough. As many of you know, Newsweek has a reputation for being
extremely liberal. The fact that their editor saw fit to print the following
article about Obama and the one that appears in the latest Newsweek,
makes this a truly amazing event, and a news story in and of itself. At
last, the truth about our President and his agenda are starting to trickle
through the“protective wall” built around him by the liberal
media....
'Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall [he fell down & broke his crown]...All the kings horses and all the kings men, couldn't put Humpty together again....' I Too Have Become Disillusioned
By Matt Patterson (Newsweek Columnist – Opinion Writer)
Years from now, historians may regard the 2008 election of Barack Obama as an inscrutable and disturbing phenomenon, the result of a baffling breed of mass hysteria akin perhaps to the witch craze of the Middle Ages. How, they will wonder, did a man so devoid of professional accomplishment beguile so many into thinking he could manage the world's largest economy, direct the world's most powerful military, execute the world's most consequential job?
Imagine a future historian examining Obama's pre-presidential life: ushered into and through the Ivy League, despite unremarkable grades and test scores along the way; a cushy non-job as a "community organizer;" a brief career as a state legislator devoid of legislative achievement (and in fact nearly devoid of his attention, less often did he vote "present"); and finally an unaccomplished single term in the United States Senate, the entirety of which was devoted to his presidential ambitions.
He left no academic legacy in academia, authored no signature legislation as a legislator. And then there is the matter of his troubling associations: the white-hating, America-loathing preacher who for decades served as Obama's "spiritual mentor;" a real-life, actual terrorist who served as Obama's colleague and political sponsor. It is easy to imagine a future historian looking at it all and asking: how on Earth was such a man elected president?
Not content to wait for history, the incomparable Norman Podhoretz addressed the question recently in the Wall Street Journal: To be sure, no white candidate who had close associations with an outspoken hater of America like Jeremiah Wright and an unrepentant terrorist like Bill Ayers, would have lasted a single day. But because Mr. Obama was black, and therefore entitled in the eyes of liberal Dom to have hung out with protesters against various American injustices, even if they were 'a bit' extreme, he was given a pass. Let that sink in: Obama was given a pass - held to a lower standard - because of the color of his skin.
Podhoretz continues: And in any case, what did such ancient history matter when he was also so articulate and elegant and (as he himself had said) "non-threatening," all of which gave him a fighting chance to become the first black president and thereby to lay the curse of racism to rest?
Podhoretz puts his finger, I think, on the animating pulse of the Obama phenomenon - affirmative action. Not in the legal sense, of course. But certainly in the motivating sentiment behind all affirmative action laws and regulations, which are designed primarily to make white people, and especially white liberals, feel good about themselves.
Unfortunately, minorities often suffer so that whites can pat themselves on the back. Liberals routinely admit minorities to schools for which they are not qualified, yet take no responsibility for the inevitable poor performance and high drop-out rates which follow. Liberals don't care if these minority students fail; liberals aren't around to witness the emotional devastation and deflated self-esteem resulting from the racist policy that is affirmative action. Yes, racist. Holding someone to a separate standard merely because of the color of his skin - that's affirmative action in a nutshell, and if that isn't racism, then nothing is.
And that is what America did to Obama. True, Obama himself was never troubled by his lack of achievements, but why would he be? As many have noted, Obama was told he was good enough for Columbia despite undistinguished grades at Occidental; he was told he was good enough for the US Senate despite a mediocre record in Illinois ; he was told he was good enough to be president despite no record at all in the Senate. All his life, every step of the way, Obama was told he was good enough for the next step, in spite of ample evidence to the contrary.
What could this breed if not the sort of empty narcissism on display every time Obama speaks? In 2008, many who agreed that he lacked executive qualifications nonetheless raved about Obama's oratory skills, intellect, and cool character. Those people – conservatives included - ought now to be deeply embarrassed.
The man thinks and speaks in the hoariest of clichés, and that's when he has his Teleprompters in front of him; when the prompter is absent he can barely think or speak at all. Not one original idea has ever issued from his mouth - it's all warmed-over Marxism of the kind that has failed over and over again for 100 years. (An example is his 2012 campaign speeches which are almost word for word his 2008 speeches)
And what about his character? Obama is constantly blaming anything and everything else for his troubles. Bush did it; it was bad luck; I inherited this mess. Remember, he wanted the job, campaigned for the task. It is embarrassing to see a president so willing to advertise his own powerlessness, so comfortable with his own incompetence. (The other day he actually came out and said no one could have done anything to get our economy and country back on track). But really, what were we to expect? The man has never been responsible for anything, so how do we expect him to act responsibly?
In short: our president is a small-minded man, with neither the temperament nor the intellect to handle his job. When you understand that, and only when you understand that, will the current erosion of liberty and prosperity make sense. It could not have gone otherwise with such an impostor in the Oval Office.
'Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall [he fell down & broke his crown]...All the kings horses and all the kings men, couldn't put Humpty together again....' I Too Have Become Disillusioned
By Matt Patterson (Newsweek Columnist – Opinion Writer)
Years from now, historians may regard the 2008 election of Barack Obama as an inscrutable and disturbing phenomenon, the result of a baffling breed of mass hysteria akin perhaps to the witch craze of the Middle Ages. How, they will wonder, did a man so devoid of professional accomplishment beguile so many into thinking he could manage the world's largest economy, direct the world's most powerful military, execute the world's most consequential job?
Imagine a future historian examining Obama's pre-presidential life: ushered into and through the Ivy League, despite unremarkable grades and test scores along the way; a cushy non-job as a "community organizer;" a brief career as a state legislator devoid of legislative achievement (and in fact nearly devoid of his attention, less often did he vote "present"); and finally an unaccomplished single term in the United States Senate, the entirety of which was devoted to his presidential ambitions.
He left no academic legacy in academia, authored no signature legislation as a legislator. And then there is the matter of his troubling associations: the white-hating, America-loathing preacher who for decades served as Obama's "spiritual mentor;" a real-life, actual terrorist who served as Obama's colleague and political sponsor. It is easy to imagine a future historian looking at it all and asking: how on Earth was such a man elected president?
Not content to wait for history, the incomparable Norman Podhoretz addressed the question recently in the Wall Street Journal: To be sure, no white candidate who had close associations with an outspoken hater of America like Jeremiah Wright and an unrepentant terrorist like Bill Ayers, would have lasted a single day. But because Mr. Obama was black, and therefore entitled in the eyes of liberal Dom to have hung out with protesters against various American injustices, even if they were 'a bit' extreme, he was given a pass. Let that sink in: Obama was given a pass - held to a lower standard - because of the color of his skin.
Podhoretz continues: And in any case, what did such ancient history matter when he was also so articulate and elegant and (as he himself had said) "non-threatening," all of which gave him a fighting chance to become the first black president and thereby to lay the curse of racism to rest?
Podhoretz puts his finger, I think, on the animating pulse of the Obama phenomenon - affirmative action. Not in the legal sense, of course. But certainly in the motivating sentiment behind all affirmative action laws and regulations, which are designed primarily to make white people, and especially white liberals, feel good about themselves.
Unfortunately, minorities often suffer so that whites can pat themselves on the back. Liberals routinely admit minorities to schools for which they are not qualified, yet take no responsibility for the inevitable poor performance and high drop-out rates which follow. Liberals don't care if these minority students fail; liberals aren't around to witness the emotional devastation and deflated self-esteem resulting from the racist policy that is affirmative action. Yes, racist. Holding someone to a separate standard merely because of the color of his skin - that's affirmative action in a nutshell, and if that isn't racism, then nothing is.
And that is what America did to Obama. True, Obama himself was never troubled by his lack of achievements, but why would he be? As many have noted, Obama was told he was good enough for Columbia despite undistinguished grades at Occidental; he was told he was good enough for the US Senate despite a mediocre record in Illinois ; he was told he was good enough to be president despite no record at all in the Senate. All his life, every step of the way, Obama was told he was good enough for the next step, in spite of ample evidence to the contrary.
What could this breed if not the sort of empty narcissism on display every time Obama speaks? In 2008, many who agreed that he lacked executive qualifications nonetheless raved about Obama's oratory skills, intellect, and cool character. Those people – conservatives included - ought now to be deeply embarrassed.
The man thinks and speaks in the hoariest of clichés, and that's when he has his Teleprompters in front of him; when the prompter is absent he can barely think or speak at all. Not one original idea has ever issued from his mouth - it's all warmed-over Marxism of the kind that has failed over and over again for 100 years. (An example is his 2012 campaign speeches which are almost word for word his 2008 speeches)
And what about his character? Obama is constantly blaming anything and everything else for his troubles. Bush did it; it was bad luck; I inherited this mess. Remember, he wanted the job, campaigned for the task. It is embarrassing to see a president so willing to advertise his own powerlessness, so comfortable with his own incompetence. (The other day he actually came out and said no one could have done anything to get our economy and country back on track). But really, what were we to expect? The man has never been responsible for anything, so how do we expect him to act responsibly?
In short: our president is a small-minded man, with neither the temperament nor the intellect to handle his job. When you understand that, and only when you understand that, will the current erosion of liberty and prosperity make sense. It could not have gone otherwise with such an impostor in the Oval Office.
When there is nothing left but God, that is when you find out
that God is all you need.
The GOP
does nothing to fight voter fraud: http://dcclothesline.com/2013/06/30/why-the-gop-wont-challenge-vote-fraud/
Ed C.
wrote: THIS JUST BLOWS MY MIND:
I just heard on Fox News (Bill Hemmer) that the back
end of the Obamacare web site is not just broke or laden with so called
"glitches" but rather that it has not yet even been built. They are
still designing it after over three years. Utterly amazing! Just shocking!
What does this mean? According to FOX News the POTUS
has now dictated, like a true tyrant does, that health insurers will
"estimate" what the government owes them for "subsidy
reimbursements" because the part of the web site that is supposed to
calculate it is not yet built. Then Obama will orders multi-billion dollar
checks to be written to the insurers on the backs of us tax payers.
Who here thinks the insurers will "under
estimate" their subsidy reimbursements? Who even thinks their estimates
will be correct? Is their any doubt but they they will grossly overestimate
those reimbursements and stick it to the tax payers in a monumental way? Also,
it is outright "free taxpayer money" for insurers because their is no
way for the government to calculate what is actually accurate. The government
is obliged to accept the insurers numbers o matter how enormously high and
fraudulent they may be.
These billions in tax payer money will be lost forever.
Moreover, insurers even have a substantial monetary incentive to
"fraudulently" subsidize as many people as possible so they can
overestimate their own subsidy reimbursements. There is no way for the
government to catch them in this fraud either unless they admit it. Fast chance
of that happening. The fraud will be so immense that we can't even begin to
contemplate how awful it will be. Obamacare will be the biggest taxpayer fraud
and rip off not only in American history, but in world history, and Obama is
steadfast in allowing it to happen. In fact, he is orchestrating it.
Who can now doubt, for even a second, that this is
DELIBERATE? Without doubt Obama intends to effect the full scale economic demise
of our Republic. This level of treason is so plainly obvious that Americans
should be gathered in front of the nation’s capital with fists waving and with
screams of anger and outrage demanding the immediate impeachment of Obama - and
his "criminal trail" for treason. It is no longer sufficient to just
stop Obama and remove him from office. His crimes are so horrific that his
trial for treason and his capital punishment following conviction by a jury of
his peers is the only level of justice that is appropriate for his crimes
against our people and our Republic.
To not understand and acknowledge is to be complicit
with Obama in this treason. Nothing can be more obvious.
If something isn't done about this soon I fear that the
only recourse left will be violent revolution and I fully expect that we will
see this in the near future if congress fails to remove Obama from office soon.
I don't think this can wait until 2017. Do you?
Folks, this isn't just speculative. This is 100%
verified. Get it through your heads that this fraud against the American people
perpetrated by Obama and his cohorts is actually true. Now I ask you, how many
Americans do you think know about this? What are the chances that the MSM will
report it? How much are you willing to share this post and do everything you
possibly can to make it go viral? Knowledge is power. Spread this news now --
PLEASE!!!
Good Shabbos Everyone. The Torah in this week’s portion Vayigash tells
us about the emotional reunion between Yosef and his brothers. During his
opening remarks to his brothers, Yosef refers to the divine intervention which
brought about the unusual set of circumstances of the reunion, namely, that
Yakov’s sons had come to Egypt to ask for food from their long-last brother
whom they had sold into slavery many years earlier.
The verse quotes Yosef as saying, “Thus Hashem has sent me ahead of you to insure your survival in the land and to sustain you for a momentous deliverance.” (Bereishis 45:7) We see from here Yosef’s recognition of the concept of Hashgacha Pratis – divine intervention, which is one of the foundations of Jewish belief. As the Rambam teaches us in the first of his 13 Principles of Faith: “I believe in perfect faith that the Creator blessed is His Name, is the Creator and the Guider of all creations…”
Believing in Hashgacha Pratis – divine intervention means believing that Hashem guides even the minutest details of the universe. From this belief stems the belief that life is not random. Rather, everything that happens in life is for a purpose.
Once, one of the Baal Shem Tov’s students noticed that a leaf had fallen from a tree in the distance. The student asked the Baal Shem Tov about the significance of this occurrence; why did Hashem cause the leaf to fall? The Baal Shem Tov instructed his student to lift up the leaf, which the student did. Under the leaf was a caterpillar. Now the student understood the reason why the leaf had fallen; the leaf fell in order to provide shade for the caterpillar.
Another outgrowth of our belief in Hashgacha Pratis – divine intervention, is that everything that Hashem does is ultimately for the best. Although this belief may at times seem hard to internalize, it is a belief that is basic to Judaism. Because, if everything that happens in life is not for the best, then what is the purpose of Hashem creating this world? Hashem could have saved us the anguish and not created the world in the first place.
Let us now tell a moving story which illustrates the exact calculations with which Hashem guides the world.
The young man's name was Lazlo, or as his father called him, Ezra. His father was one of the most famous maggidim (Jewish inspirational speakers) in Budapest and traveled throughout Hungary holding drashos (inspirational speeches) in every Jewish community.
One day, in the maggid's home town, the tailor died. He had been a simple but deeply religious man, yet his son Moshe, who worked alongside him, had no religious convictions at all. Nevertheless, out of respect for his father, Moshe sat shivah (the mourning period of seven days).
During the week of shivah, Ezra's father, the maggid, went to pay a condolence call on Moshe. Little nine-year-old Ezra tagged along. When the maggid walked into the room where Moshe was sitting alone, Moshe was stunned. Everyone knew that Moshe was a rebellious lad and few in the community had much to do with him. That the esteemed maggid came and consoled him during his time of mourning, and then spent time chatting with him, was truly remarkable.
A day later the maggid came again. Moshe sat and listened attentively as the maggid said softly, "I think, for your father's honor, it would be nice if you would come to shul to say Kaddish." To everyone's surprise, Moshe agreed.
Throughout the months, as Moshe continued coming to shul, the maggid slowly began having a calming influence on the young man. At first they discussed Jewish concepts and attitudes and then they began to study together.
By year's end Moshe had become a religious man. With a rekindled spirit that burned enthusiastically, Moshe began performing mitzvos with a fervor that left very little tolerance for those less committed than himself. In shul it was he who would demand that others refrain from talking during the services, unlike past years, when people had silenced him constantly on the few occasions that he came to shul with his father. Eventually everyone got to know Moshe the schneider (tailor) as a man in whose presence one would dare not violate a mitzvah.
Two years later, the German barbarians overran their Hungarian town, and the Jews were taken to forced-labor camps. Moshe the tailor was swept off the streets as were the maggid and his son Ezra.
Together with multitudes of other frightened Jews they were crammed into the tightest quarters imaginable. With calculated cruelty, the Nazis tore children from parents — and that was the last time little Ezra, now twelve years old, ever saw his father. Ezra was placed in bunks together with other children his age, and soon began to pick up their bad habits and corrupt behavior, in the daily struggle for survival. Any religious commitment that he had before the war slowly began to ebb away as he battled to stay alive in any way he could, even if it meant cheating, lying, or stealing. Like everyone else he suffered from malnutrition and indecent living conditions, but together with a tight group of friends, managed to persist and survive.
When the horror finally ended, the feeble remnants of the Holocaust had to be taken to rehabilitation areas where they were slowly re-acclimated to normal foods and regular living conditions. Many could not eat solid meat, and it had to be ground so that their bodies could slowly relearn the process of digesting heavy foods.
The facility in which Ezra found himself was located high on a hill overlooking the city. The only way to get to the downtown area was to take a trolley down the long hill.
One Friday night, Tomas, a friend from another camp, suggested to Ezra (now called Lazlo) that they go downtown to enjoy themselves. They had begun to feel like human beings once again and Tomas said it would be interesting to see nightlife in the city. Ezra was in a dilemma, for in the rehabilitation camp he had begun to think about going back to the religious practices of his father.
In the labor camps it had been an insurmountable challenge for Lazlo to be observant, but now that he was back in civilization, perhaps it was time to return. He knew that the trolley was the only feasible way to town but that was an open violation of Shabbos. True he had been very lax these last years, but now that he was on his own, he was trying to become observant again.
"Have a cigarette," Tomas said, offering one to Lazlo. In an automatic reflex Lazlo stuck out his hand to accept it. The cigarette trembled in his hand. He wondered if Tomas noticed it. He wanted to throw it away because it was Shabbos, but he could not do so, not in front of his good friend Tomas. He thought that if he inhaled his first puff, he would surely choke on it. He was going to have to make a decision: would he make the return to a religious lifestyle now, or never?
Before he could organize his thoughts, Tomas lit a match and held it to Lazlo's cigarette. Lazlo put the cigarette in his mouth, bent forward, squinted as the flame caught on the tip, and inhaled slowly. It felt good. He was going downtown. Laughing nervously, they both got onto the trolley and began planning their night out.
The trolley rolled into the brightly lit town, while Ezra stood away from the window, hoping that no one he knew would see him. And then he saw him. It couldn't be! But it was, Moshe the schneider - tailor, walking alone!
Ezra's stomach tightened. He recalled the first visit he and his late father, the maggid, had made to Moshe's home on a shivah call. Then he remembered Moshe reprimanding people in shul to be more respectful during prayers, and he said to himself firmly, "I will never allow the man whom my father made religious to see that his son has become a irreligious." And with that newly formed resolution, he got off the trolley at the next stop, walked all the way back up the hill to the rehabilitation camp and has remained an observant Jew to this very day. (The Maggid Speaks, p.114 Rabbi Paysach Krohn)
Hashem created this world for our benefit. Therefore, Hashem guides this world with an exact calculation. By recognizing these eternal truths, we will all live happier lives. Good Shabbos Everyone. M. Wolfberg is sponsored by: In Memory of CHAYA CHAVA BAS REB MOSHE YAKOV 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 verse quotes Yosef as saying, “Thus Hashem has sent me ahead of you to insure your survival in the land and to sustain you for a momentous deliverance.” (Bereishis 45:7) We see from here Yosef’s recognition of the concept of Hashgacha Pratis – divine intervention, which is one of the foundations of Jewish belief. As the Rambam teaches us in the first of his 13 Principles of Faith: “I believe in perfect faith that the Creator blessed is His Name, is the Creator and the Guider of all creations…”
Believing in Hashgacha Pratis – divine intervention means believing that Hashem guides even the minutest details of the universe. From this belief stems the belief that life is not random. Rather, everything that happens in life is for a purpose.
Once, one of the Baal Shem Tov’s students noticed that a leaf had fallen from a tree in the distance. The student asked the Baal Shem Tov about the significance of this occurrence; why did Hashem cause the leaf to fall? The Baal Shem Tov instructed his student to lift up the leaf, which the student did. Under the leaf was a caterpillar. Now the student understood the reason why the leaf had fallen; the leaf fell in order to provide shade for the caterpillar.
Another outgrowth of our belief in Hashgacha Pratis – divine intervention, is that everything that Hashem does is ultimately for the best. Although this belief may at times seem hard to internalize, it is a belief that is basic to Judaism. Because, if everything that happens in life is not for the best, then what is the purpose of Hashem creating this world? Hashem could have saved us the anguish and not created the world in the first place.
Let us now tell a moving story which illustrates the exact calculations with which Hashem guides the world.
The young man's name was Lazlo, or as his father called him, Ezra. His father was one of the most famous maggidim (Jewish inspirational speakers) in Budapest and traveled throughout Hungary holding drashos (inspirational speeches) in every Jewish community.
One day, in the maggid's home town, the tailor died. He had been a simple but deeply religious man, yet his son Moshe, who worked alongside him, had no religious convictions at all. Nevertheless, out of respect for his father, Moshe sat shivah (the mourning period of seven days).
During the week of shivah, Ezra's father, the maggid, went to pay a condolence call on Moshe. Little nine-year-old Ezra tagged along. When the maggid walked into the room where Moshe was sitting alone, Moshe was stunned. Everyone knew that Moshe was a rebellious lad and few in the community had much to do with him. That the esteemed maggid came and consoled him during his time of mourning, and then spent time chatting with him, was truly remarkable.
A day later the maggid came again. Moshe sat and listened attentively as the maggid said softly, "I think, for your father's honor, it would be nice if you would come to shul to say Kaddish." To everyone's surprise, Moshe agreed.
Throughout the months, as Moshe continued coming to shul, the maggid slowly began having a calming influence on the young man. At first they discussed Jewish concepts and attitudes and then they began to study together.
By year's end Moshe had become a religious man. With a rekindled spirit that burned enthusiastically, Moshe began performing mitzvos with a fervor that left very little tolerance for those less committed than himself. In shul it was he who would demand that others refrain from talking during the services, unlike past years, when people had silenced him constantly on the few occasions that he came to shul with his father. Eventually everyone got to know Moshe the schneider (tailor) as a man in whose presence one would dare not violate a mitzvah.
Two years later, the German barbarians overran their Hungarian town, and the Jews were taken to forced-labor camps. Moshe the tailor was swept off the streets as were the maggid and his son Ezra.
Together with multitudes of other frightened Jews they were crammed into the tightest quarters imaginable. With calculated cruelty, the Nazis tore children from parents — and that was the last time little Ezra, now twelve years old, ever saw his father. Ezra was placed in bunks together with other children his age, and soon began to pick up their bad habits and corrupt behavior, in the daily struggle for survival. Any religious commitment that he had before the war slowly began to ebb away as he battled to stay alive in any way he could, even if it meant cheating, lying, or stealing. Like everyone else he suffered from malnutrition and indecent living conditions, but together with a tight group of friends, managed to persist and survive.
When the horror finally ended, the feeble remnants of the Holocaust had to be taken to rehabilitation areas where they were slowly re-acclimated to normal foods and regular living conditions. Many could not eat solid meat, and it had to be ground so that their bodies could slowly relearn the process of digesting heavy foods.
The facility in which Ezra found himself was located high on a hill overlooking the city. The only way to get to the downtown area was to take a trolley down the long hill.
One Friday night, Tomas, a friend from another camp, suggested to Ezra (now called Lazlo) that they go downtown to enjoy themselves. They had begun to feel like human beings once again and Tomas said it would be interesting to see nightlife in the city. Ezra was in a dilemma, for in the rehabilitation camp he had begun to think about going back to the religious practices of his father.
In the labor camps it had been an insurmountable challenge for Lazlo to be observant, but now that he was back in civilization, perhaps it was time to return. He knew that the trolley was the only feasible way to town but that was an open violation of Shabbos. True he had been very lax these last years, but now that he was on his own, he was trying to become observant again.
"Have a cigarette," Tomas said, offering one to Lazlo. In an automatic reflex Lazlo stuck out his hand to accept it. The cigarette trembled in his hand. He wondered if Tomas noticed it. He wanted to throw it away because it was Shabbos, but he could not do so, not in front of his good friend Tomas. He thought that if he inhaled his first puff, he would surely choke on it. He was going to have to make a decision: would he make the return to a religious lifestyle now, or never?
Before he could organize his thoughts, Tomas lit a match and held it to Lazlo's cigarette. Lazlo put the cigarette in his mouth, bent forward, squinted as the flame caught on the tip, and inhaled slowly. It felt good. He was going downtown. Laughing nervously, they both got onto the trolley and began planning their night out.
The trolley rolled into the brightly lit town, while Ezra stood away from the window, hoping that no one he knew would see him. And then he saw him. It couldn't be! But it was, Moshe the schneider - tailor, walking alone!
Ezra's stomach tightened. He recalled the first visit he and his late father, the maggid, had made to Moshe's home on a shivah call. Then he remembered Moshe reprimanding people in shul to be more respectful during prayers, and he said to himself firmly, "I will never allow the man whom my father made religious to see that his son has become a irreligious." And with that newly formed resolution, he got off the trolley at the next stop, walked all the way back up the hill to the rehabilitation camp and has remained an observant Jew to this very day. (The Maggid Speaks, p.114 Rabbi Paysach Krohn)
Hashem created this world for our benefit. Therefore, Hashem guides this world with an exact calculation. By recognizing these eternal truths, we will all live happier lives. Good Shabbos Everyone. M. Wolfberg is sponsored by: In Memory of CHAYA CHAVA BAS REB MOSHE YAKOV 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
Have a good and healthy Shabbos,
Rachamim Pauli
