Please
add to your prayer list Esther Rachel bas Sarah!
Parsha Vayelech
We are heading into the end of the Chumash. Last week we had the
commandment to get together each Motzei Shmita Sukkos to hear Sefer Devarim
read. Fortunately for the sake of logistics of placing six million plus Jews in
the old city on Chol HaMoed plus the danger of attack that a smaller amount
goes. In fact you will need computer programmers and administrators to allow so
and so many people from such and such a place into the area at one time while
some enter and some leave. One thing is the Midbar, another thing Shilo but in
the midst of a built up city things are not so simple. We continue this week
with the last Drasha of Moshe Rabbaynu. Last week it was Rashi who explained
that this was the day of Moshe’s death. This week we hear his age straight
forward and we continue.
31:1 And Moses went and spoke these words
unto all Israel. 2 And he said unto them: 'I am a hundred
and twenty years old this day; I can no more go out and come in; and the LORD
hath said unto me: Thou shalt not go over this Jordan.
From the prophecies of Eldad and Medad people knew that
Moshe would not cross the Yarden. Now he explains that he has reached the age
where he can no longer lead and will be gathered with his fathers.
3 The
LORD thy God, He will go over before thee; He will destroy these nations from
before thee, and thou shalt dispossess them; and Joshua, he shall go over
before thee, as the LORD hath spoken.
You will not be forsaken, the L-RD will go before you
and help in fighting your battles. Then the example of past victories are
mentioned.
4 And
the LORD will do unto them as He did to Sihon and to Og, the kings of the
Amorites, and unto their land; whom He destroyed. 5 And
the LORD will deliver them up before you, and ye shall do unto them according
unto all the commandment which I have commanded you.
Just as you have defeated them be prepared to have
HASHEM help you defeat others.
6 Be
strong and of good courage, fear not, nor be affrighted at them; for the LORD
thy God, He it is that does go with thee; He will not fail thee, nor forsake
thee.'
Chazak V’ Amatz (be strong and of courage) for the L-RD
will fight your battles with you just as you had to do an act to split the sea
so too you will be the sword, arrow and shield that HE will guide for you.
7 And
Moses called unto Joshua, and said unto him in the sight of all Israel: 'Be
strong and of good courage; for thou shalt go with this people into the land
which the LORD hath sworn unto their fathers to give them; and thou shalt cause
them to inherit it.
We will see this theme of Chazak V’ Amatz with Yehoshua
here and with the first chapter of Sefer Yehoshua where these words are
mentioned four times. It is hard to go from Moshe Rabbaynu’s student and
assistant unto the national leader. Moshe was the sun and Yehoshua is only the
moon aka a reflection of Moshe.
8 And
the LORD, He it is that does go before thee; He will be with thee, He will not
fail thee, neither forsake thee; fear not, neither be dismayed.'
Let us put it this way with 100,000 rockets ready in
Lebanon and probably 10,000 in Gaza and how many in Iran and ISIS - if I did not believe this, I would be a bit
dismayed.
9 And
Moses wrote this law, and delivered it unto the priests the sons of Levi, that
bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and unto all the elders of Israel.
This is Sefer Devarim for the other Seforim were
already written. He is ending the writing. There is a dispute as to whether or
not Moshe wrote the last 8 lines via Prophecy or Yehoshua wrote them. It seems
that he wrote this after the blessings in Zos HaBracha but it is recorded now
where it was placed.
10 And Moses commanded them, saying: 'At
the end of every seven years, in the set time of the year of release, in the
feast of tabernacles, 11 when all Israel is come to appear
before the LORD thy God in the place which He shall choose, thou shalt read
this law before all Israel in their hearing. 12 Assemble the people, the men and the
women and the little ones, and thy stranger that is within thy gates, that they
may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the LORD your God, and observe to
do all the words of this law; 13 and that their children, who have not
known, may hear, and learn to fear the LORD your God, as long as ye live in the
land whither ye go over the Jordan to possess it.'
The review of Sefer Devarim every 7
years with 200 Mitzvos and the reminders of history, the Decalogue, review of
Kashrus and other laws such as Yom Tov would insure the survival of the people
and through the elders the other Seforim would be told orally. Aren’t we lucky
today to go through the Chumash each year and this Sukkos because it is Motzei
Shmita there will be a Hakehel in Yerushalayim with many participants.
14 And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Behold,
thy days approach that thou must die; call Joshua, and present yourselves in
the tent of meeting, that I may give him a charge.' And Moses and Joshua went,
and presented themselves in the tent of meeting.
This is the changing of the guard or the King over
Yisrael and Moshe’s farewell address on his last day but there is one last
prophecy. There were no great horses and carriages like in England or other
lands but two simple men standing before the assembly of the nation. For even
though Moshe was not a King nor Yehoshua, their authority was absolute like a
King.
15 And the LORD appeared in the Tent in a
pillar of cloud; and the pillar of cloud stood over the door of the Tent.
This is Moshe’s last prophecy from HASHEM and as he
turns the reigns over to Yehoshua, Yehoshua receives prophecy which Moshe is
not privy to. Moshe starts to get jealous and then says it is better 1000
deaths than a moment of being jealous in this world. So he realizes that he
cannot play second fiddle to Yehoshua (based on the Zohar).
16 And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Behold,
thou art about to sleep with thy fathers; and this people will rise up, and go
astray after the foreign gods of the land, whither they go to be among them,
and will forsake Me, and break My covenant which I have made with them. 17 Then
My anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them,
and I will hide My face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils
and troubles shall come upon them; so that they will say in that day: Are not
these evils come upon us because our God is not among us? 18 And
I will surely hide MY face in that day for all the evil which they shall have
wrought, in that they are turned unto other gods.
Despite all your warnings and teachings, the people
will go astray after strange gods. However, you are commanded to write and they
are commanded to sing this song (Hazinu) so that perhaps some of them will be
saved from the punishment and survive for centuries.
19 Now therefore write ye this song for
you, and teach thou it the children of Israel; put it in their mouths, that
this song may be a witness for ME against the children of Israel. 20 For
when I shall have brought them into the land which I swore unto their fathers,
flowing with milk and honey; and they shall have eaten their fill, and waxen
fat; and turned unto other gods, and served them, and despised ME, and broken
My covenant; 21 then it shall come to pass, when many
evils and troubles are come upon them, that this song shall testify before them
as a witness; for it shall not be forgotten out of the mouths of their seed;
for I know their imagination how they do even now, before I have brought them
into the land which I swore.'
HASHEM will give them a land flowing with milk and
honey but the trials and tribulations of serving other gods will ruin them.
22 So Moses wrote this song the same day,
and taught it the children of Israel. 23 And he gave Joshua the son of Nun a
charge, and said: 'Be strong and of good courage; for thou shalt bring the
children of Israel into the land which I swore unto them; and I will be with
thee.'
Again Chazak V’ Amatz for Yehoshua has big pants to
fill.
24 And it came to pass, when Moses had made
an end of writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished, 25 that
Moses commanded the Levites, that bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD,
saying: 26 'Take this book of the law, and put it
by the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be
there for a witness against thee.
This is with most of the Parsha Zos HaBracha if not
until the end which includes his death.
27 For I know thy rebellion, and thy
stiff neck; behold, while I am yet alive with you this day, ye have been
rebellious against the LORD; and how much more after my death?
If you did things like the golden calf in my life time,
all the more so after I am gone.
28 Assemble unto me all the elders of
your tribes, and your officers, that I may speak these words in their ears, and
call heaven and earth to witness against them.
Before the elders, heaven and earth will be witnesses.
29 For I know that after my death ye will
in any wise deal corruptly, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded
you; and evil will befall you in the end of days; because ye will do that which
is evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him through the work of your
hands.' 30 And Moses spoke in the ears of all the
assembly of Israel the words of this song, until they were finished:
Moshe now goes about teaching the
song Hazinu which is our next Parsha.
Shabbos Teshuva Drasha
Don’t be a fool! I have a friend who actually helped me get Smicha
to the Rabbinute. He is ordained and I have problems with him. He does not
follow Chachamim. He has diabetes and essentially is forbidden to fast. Yet he
puts his life in danger on Yom Kippur despite the Heter of Chazal to eat. Of
course we want to fast. I must take certain medicines and for that I have
poured out ready cups with a line on them for how much water I can use in taking
my pills and I have that handy for a sip or two in this heat. We have 9 minutes
between drink for those who are capable of fasting and usually one for the
pills or so is enough for the day. One who is pregnant and feels a compulsion
can eat the larger olive’s bulk size aka about half an average egg every 9
minutes. This goes for people recovering from strokes, cancer patients, heart
patients, mild diabetics, and others in the hospital or at home.
Question: Should I fast or stay at home. I know that if I go to
Schul on Yom Kippur I will need to eat because of the exertion. However, if I
stay at home I will not. Our Rabbis say stay at home!
Question: I have no Eruv for walking in my town but because of my
problems I need an inhaler what should I do? There are two possible answers for
Shabbos and Yom Kippur for on Yom Tov, carrying would be permitted. The first
answer is tying a string around the inhaler as if it were a belt buckle and
don’t wear a belt. Another is if one will not need it on the way to Schul but
only at home and in the Schul have one that you have at home and another you
bring to your seat in Schul or at Kol Nidre.
Question: I am healthy and I start fasting. Suddenly, I fainted
what should I do? First of all lie down and see if you recover. If that does
not work cup your hands and take a sip. What happens if one feels faint again?
One should try eating and drinking like a pregnant woman for starters and if
that does not work, like the pregnant woman describe in the Shulchan Aruch just
eat and drink as usual. Have a checkup after the fast.
Repentance comes from three things thought, talk and deed. The
first step in Teshuva is regretting the sin and to avoid it by thinking about
how to do it. The second step is talking about it either to oneself or others.
The third step is if one is not a politician is doing it. For example one knows
that his friend Ali Mohammed is doing such and such. He tells his good friend
Timothy Pope about this. Now he resolves not to commit Lashon HaRa so the next
time he sees Ali doing something, he does not tell Timothy that is the deed of
not doing the same with sins of modesty in refraining. Another example is not
getting up to go to Schul on time, he goes to bed an hour earlier and wakes up
in time for Schul.
When one does Teshuva, he must resolve not to sin again and when
the opportunity arises, he refrains from sinning that is true Teshuva if he is
with all his facilities and health. But if he does so at an older age, that too
is Teshuva but not as strong as during his youth.
Remember during the Vidui (confession) to mention or concentrate
on your own personal sins. It should be done quietly but if you sinned against
man then you must try to compensate him. HaRav Uri Zohar Shlita when he became a Baal
Teshuva confessed to committing adultery with his best friend’s wife which
caused them to divorce. He said “Rather be embarrassed publically in this world
than in the next.”
Rosh Hashanah 1654-2015 by Rabbi Y. Y. Jacobson
Arriving to New York
Exactly 361 years ago, on Sept. 12 1654, a small vessel named the Ste. Catherine sailed into the port of New Amsterdam, present-day New York. Many of the ship’s passengers — “twenty-three souls, big and little,” according to a contemporary record — were disheveled Jewish refugees expelled from Recife, Brazil, when the Portuguese recaptured the colony from the Dutch. These Jews, who were seeking a new home, became the founding members of what would grow into the North American Jewish community.
What was the Hebrew equivalent of September 12, 1654?
You guessed it: It was the first day of Rosh Hashanah of the Jewish year 5415. On Rosh Hashanah, 360 years ago, a diaspora people laid its roots and built a home more comfortable and secure than almost any other in its history.
Technically speaking, the Recife refugees were not the first Jews to arrive in North America. From 1585 onward, small numbers of Jews, mostly brave merchants bent on trade, made brief stops at American ports to conduct business. The “big and little” refugees from Recife, however, differed from the Jews who preceded them. Though without funds, they were determined to rebuild their lives by beginning a permanent Jewish community in North America. They petitioned for the right to "navigate and trade near and in New Netherland, and to live and reside there."
Exactly 361 years ago, on Sept. 12 1654, a small vessel named the Ste. Catherine sailed into the port of New Amsterdam, present-day New York. Many of the ship’s passengers — “twenty-three souls, big and little,” according to a contemporary record — were disheveled Jewish refugees expelled from Recife, Brazil, when the Portuguese recaptured the colony from the Dutch. These Jews, who were seeking a new home, became the founding members of what would grow into the North American Jewish community.
What was the Hebrew equivalent of September 12, 1654?
You guessed it: It was the first day of Rosh Hashanah of the Jewish year 5415. On Rosh Hashanah, 360 years ago, a diaspora people laid its roots and built a home more comfortable and secure than almost any other in its history.
Technically speaking, the Recife refugees were not the first Jews to arrive in North America. From 1585 onward, small numbers of Jews, mostly brave merchants bent on trade, made brief stops at American ports to conduct business. The “big and little” refugees from Recife, however, differed from the Jews who preceded them. Though without funds, they were determined to rebuild their lives by beginning a permanent Jewish community in North America. They petitioned for the right to "navigate and trade near and in New Netherland, and to live and reside there."
They
did have some help. Fellow Jews in Amsterdam, some of them "principal
shareholders" in the Dutch West India Company that controlled New
Amsterdam, helped them overcome numerous political and legal obstacles. The
worst of these was the anti-Jewish governor of the colony, Peter Stuyvesant,
who tried to expel what he called "blasphemers." But the fledgling
Jewish community won the right
Three
waves of Immigration.
The first immigrants to arrive to this land in 1654 were
Sephardic Jews. Their numbers continued to grow, and during the American
Revolution, between 1000 and 2,500 Jews lived here.
Between 1820 and 1840, America’s Jewish population increased fivefold, from 3,000 to 15,000. Between 1840 and 1860 it increased another tenfold, to 150,000. By the time the first “official” census of the American Jewish community took place, in 1877, the American Jewish community’s numbers had ballooned to about 250,000. Most of these immigrants came from Germany.
The end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century saw the mass Jewish immigration from Russia and Eastern Europe that ultimately brought some two million Jews to America’s shores. Immigration was halted during World War I, and though it resumed afterward, it was drastically restricted by the quota legislation of 1924, which reduced the flow of Jewish immigration to the United States to just a trickle.
Between 1820 and 1840, America’s Jewish population increased fivefold, from 3,000 to 15,000. Between 1840 and 1860 it increased another tenfold, to 150,000. By the time the first “official” census of the American Jewish community took place, in 1877, the American Jewish community’s numbers had ballooned to about 250,000. Most of these immigrants came from Germany.
The end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century saw the mass Jewish immigration from Russia and Eastern Europe that ultimately brought some two million Jews to America’s shores. Immigration was halted during World War I, and though it resumed afterward, it was drastically restricted by the quota legislation of 1924, which reduced the flow of Jewish immigration to the United States to just a trickle.
My thanks to Rabbi Nir Gurevitch, spiritual leader of the Australian community of Surfers Paradise, for turning my attention to this Midrashic episode and its moral lesson. My thanks to Professor Jonathan D. Sarna for much of the historical information included here. My thanks also to Shmuel Levin, a writer and editor in Pittsburgh, for his editorial assistance. Try to google the story as the story of the tailor that became governor and was corrupted by power and repentance comes in but was encoded perhaps under ‘360 years of Jewish immigration;.
My Journey from Chinese to Jewish by Aaron Wood http://www.aish.com/print/?contentID=175209391§ion=/sp/so
Under Communist rule, I received a very secular education. The very idea of religion seemed nonexistent. Although traditionally China is not an atheistic country – there are hundreds of millions of Buddhists, Taoists and Confucians – the more recent influence of Communism, nationalism, and even Western consumerism has produced a strong atheist component.
I attended university and studied mechanical engineering. In my senior year, after submitting my thesis, I had a lot of free time. So I began attending graduate-level English classes, taught by an American teacher.
One day after class, the teacher began speaking with me about religion and the Bible – a topic with which I was completely unfamiliar.
He gave me an English-Chinese Bible to read. I was eager to learn English, and the book seemed liked an excellent learning tool: English and Chinese sentences side-by-side, with each sentence numbered, making it easy to find the corresponding words.
I started to read the book carefully, word by word. This raised many questions – not only the definitions of certain English words, but also the concepts discussed in the book.
I went back to the teacher, again and again with my questions. I didn’t realize that he was a Christian missionary who had come to China on the pretense of teaching English… with the hidden agenda of proselytizing.
With my many questions, he did not waste the opportunity to indoctrinate me with Christian philosophy.
This process came to a sudden halt when his true identity was unmasked by the Chinese government. Though China generally has tolerance for religious activity, the government is suspicious of foreigners who may also possess subversive political goals – so he was not welcome to stay in China any longer.
I decided to seek out local Christian churches to continue my studies and began to attend church every Sunday. The Chinese pastors were not able to read the Bible in English (not to mention the original Hebrew), yet they impressed upon me Christian ideas such as: the Jews are guilty of deicide; Jews invented tradition to replace the holy revelation; Jews are blind and unable to see the light of truth, etc.
I had never met a Jew, nor knew anything of their history. All my information came from the Chinese media which depicts Jews as evil thieves and Israel as aggressive imperialists and an American proxy. So I did not question the validity of these negative Christian teachings about Jews.
Years in the Library
After graduation I got a good job working as an engineer in automotive design.
I spent most of my free time undertaking a more thorough study of religion. I obtained various versions of the Bible, both in Chinese and English, and read all of them very carefully, word by word. This was not an easy task. I spent years studying the Bible, along with any books I could find about Western religions.
I encountered various discrepancies in the translations. For example, the "virgin birth" is of fundamental importance to Christianity, yet in some Bibles the Hebrew word almah (Isaiah 7:14) is translated not as "virgin" but as "young woman."
I tried to find a pastor who could help resolve this contradiction, but unfortunately, even in a country of a billion-plus people, I could not locate anyone with sufficient scholarship in the text.
I realized that if I truly wanted to understand the authentic meaning of the Bible, my only choice was to learn Hebrew myself.
I set my sights on the huge central library, whose foreign language section took up almost an entire building. This was before the Internet and the book catalogue was not computerized. The religion section was particularly poorly done and I had to pore through each book by hand. The good news is there were two librarians and I was the only customer.
It was a slow, steady process to becoming proficient in Hebrew. After about two years the library acquired a Hebrew-English dictionary which helped me learn the alphabet. Unfortunately I still didn’t know how to pronounce anything, because while a dictionary helps for reading, you can only guess at the sounds.
Another couple of years later, with Israel and China normalizing diplomatic relations, a Chinese tourist went to visit and brought back a “learn Hebrew” CD. That eventually got passed along to me and I crossed another hurdle in my quest, finally hearing spoken Hebrew for the first time.
After that I met a nice man, Avigdor Cohen from Maaleh Adumin in Israel, on a Bible-related Internet forum. We began corresponding by email and he sent me a Hebrew-English Bible. For those who have always had access to Judaism, it’s probably hard to appreciate how thrilling it was for me to finally have the authentic original text in my hand.
At the time I was teaching Chinese to foreign visitors, and one of my students gave me a Hebrew-only Bible. I brought it to church and showed it to the pastor in order to gauge his reaction. There was no reaction, however, because he had no idea that it was Hebrew he was looking at. At this point I was becoming more and more reluctant to rely on anyone claiming to be a “faithful believer in God’s Word” who could not even recognize the Words.
Again I became more independent in my search. I set out to read any book I could find that was even remotely connected to the Jews – everything from Holocaust memoirs to Israeli politics. Around this time the Internet was coming into full swing. The Chinese government had not yet instituted filtering technology, so I had full access to everything from Maimonides to Martin Buber. All this made a tremendous intellectual impact on me.
The more I read about the Jews, the clearer I saw how Christianity had taken Judaism and twisted it into something else. I assumed it was all a series of unintentional misunderstandings, so I began writing articles in Chinese about the Jews and publishing them on the Internet with the hope of dissipating Christian misunderstanding.
Before long, I received vehement threats from Chinese fundamentalist Christians. This awakened me to the persistent reality of anti-Semitism.
This attitude really bothered me because it raised a contradiction between what I read in the Jewish books of a nation subscribing to mankind's loftiest ideals – universal education, care for the sick and the poor, justice for all – with the evil image of Jews that pervades the Chinese media.
I started to think about what being Jewish might mean for me and decided to try locating a Jew in China. You might think this was easy. After all, in the first half of the 20th century, thousands of European Jewish refugees arrived in China, and there has been a steady influx of Jews concurrent with the economic expansion of Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing.
Finally I got in touch with a man named David Buxbaum, an American Jewish lawyer practicing in East Asia. (Coincidentally, his son Benyamin Buxbaum is the email list manager at Aish.com.) We met in David’s office in Beijing, in the same building that houses the Israeli Embassy. It was a real breakthrough to talk with a flesh-and-blood Jew who believes in the veracity of the Jewish Bible.
Yet what really impressed me was how humble, sincere and scholarly this man was. Now I knew that the negative stereotypes I had been getting from the Chinese media were indefensible.
Coming Home
Throughout this process, I kept coming back to a memory I had from years earlier as a teenager.
I had been listening to my shortwave radio and although I could not understand what the people were saying, it sounded like they were reading Scripture. The only words I understood was a phrase that was repeated several times: “Return to Israel.” I didn’t pick up the context of their discussion, and at the time I didn’t even know what Israel was. Yet I somehow felt a deep emotional connection every time I heard “Return to Israel,” time and again.
During my years of research, this refrain kept ringing in my head. I identified very clearly with the Jews, wandering the world in search of the promised land. I felt that I, too, was wandering in search of my homeland.
After a long build-up I finally reached a point of utter clarity. I decided to become Jewish and move to Israel… although I had no clue of what precisely that would entail.
I soon discovered it was logistically impossible to achieve this from the confines of China. I needed a halfway stop to serve as a launching point – enabling me to gain Western citizenship, become Jewish, and then go to Israel.
There was no direct path and I needed a plan.
I had a friend living in Canada, a Chinese guy who had successfully navigated the immigration process. He showed me exactly how to do it. So in 2005 I moved to Toronto and that became part of my destiny.
I got a job in mechanical engineering. I began attending the Village Shul, which is part of the Aish network. I saw Judaism alive and in action. Imagine my first taste of matzah, my first shofar blast, my first dance at a Jewish wedding. It was all so beautiful, so pure, so untainted by the cynicism and materialism that has overrun our lives.
As I learned more and more, it felt hypocritical that I was not putting this into practice. So I made a decision to become observant: Lighting Shabbat candles. Prayer. Kosher. The big deal was when I stopped eating pork products, which is a main ingredient in almost all Chinese food.
I studied, I struggled, and I questioned. I was determined to take this as far as the truth would allow.
A few years past and I was starting to feel like a Jew. I identified with the Jewish people who have been so unjustly slandered and persecuted. I understood that Judaism is true, and in order to solidify my love for the truth, I was ready to become Jewish.
I studied extensively with Rabbi Robinson in Toronto, who guided me carefully through the whole process. In 2011, after 16 long years of journey, I completed my conversion with Rabbi Shlomo Miller in Toronto. I had finally come home to the Jewish people.
Some converts describe the conversion process as “gaining a new identity.” I did not feel that way, however. For me, it was more like the actualization of a longtime identity that I yearned to fulfill.
Not in a Vacuum
Since the conversion I have continued my passion of studying Torah, and in May 2012 I arrived at the Aish Yeshiva in Jerusalem. For me this opportunity was like winning the lottery. Who would have thought that a kid growing up in Tianjin would one day be studying Torah at the best location in the world – directly across from the Western Wall.
My goals are to study Torah, settle in the land of Israel, and fight anti-Semitism. As I have become more aware of modern anti-Semitism in the form of demonizing Israel, I began a Chinese blog to provide basic knowledge of Jews and Israel so Chinese people will not become easily brainwashed by the overwhelming media bias.
I am also working to translate counter-missionary materials into Chinese, in order to refute religious slander against the Jews.
I am disappointed that the modern State of Israel has less Jewishness than I expected. For me this was a culture shock. Ironically, I discovered there are around 20,000 Chinese workers in Israel, mostly involved in menial labor.
This whole thing has not been easy with my family. My parents don’t like religion and they have a very closed mind about this. I have a younger sister who is more understanding; she studied in D.C. and is now living in Shanghai.
Looking back, I see that my Jewish identity did not totally arise in a vacuum. The history of Jews in China actually dates back many centuries. Some people even suggest that China harbors some remnants of the Lost Ten Tribes.
It is believed that Jews first immigrated to China, through Persia, following the Roman Emperor Titus's capture of Jerusalem in 70 CE. Jews lived in China throughout the Middle Ages and till today some Chinese communities practice rituals that resemble Judaism. For many centuries (1163-1860) there was a Jewish community in Kaifeng, 650 miles from Beijing. They did not eat pork, they placed some form of mezuzah on their doorposts, and they spoke of a faraway homeland called Israel. (Recently, 14 people from Kaifeng made aliyah and converted.)
In the early 20th century, Russian Jews fleeing pogroms moved northeast to China, as did Jews escaping the 1917 Russian Revolution via the Trans-Siberian Railway. Only much later did I discover that my own city of Tianjin actually has a non-functioning synagogue, built in the early 1900s by Russian refugees.
Ironically, today there is a growing Chinese fascination with Judaism. Three universities have departments of Jewish studies, with probably a few hundred master’s and doctoral candidates, all of whom are Chinese. In operating on a purely academic level, however, these studies tend to miss out on the spiritual core driving the Jewish people. The Talmud in particular has gained a reputation as the “grand repository of secret business advice.” With popular Chinese titles like Crack the Talmud: 101 Jewish Business Rules, this faux-Talmudic wisdom has now become a guide for those seeking fortunes.
As for myself, I am grateful to have discovered that the real “wealth” of Judaism is in its ethics and spirituality.
My Chinese family name is Chai, which translates as “wood.” It’s amazing that this same word is the iconic Hebrew word for “life.” I chose a new Jewish first name, Aaron, because the biblical Aaron was known as a man of truth and a lover of peace. The Jewish people are lovers of truth and peace. That’s why I joined.
I hereby issue a temporary ban on travel by Jews to Iceland: http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Politics-And-Diplomacy/Icelands-capital-votes-to-boycott-all-Israeli-products-416316
The prayer of Rabbi Amnon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JW0jGLaZh9k
Inyanay Diyoma
F-35 coming to Israel by next Dec. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/200603#.VfRZaTYViM8
Form
Laura: Once in a while I agree with Rabbi Riskin: http://www.jewsnews.co.il/2015/04/03/wow-jewish-rabbi-compares-obama-to-1-of-the-most-evil-men-in-the-bible-refuses-to-apologize/
From
Martin Sherman what has happened to a friend of the Jews like Corey Booker? http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Into-The-Fray-The-Democrats-depraved-indifference-415912
Fact
Obama is the best vote getter for Jews becoming Republican: http://www.jpost.com/Diaspora/Will-Obamas-Iran-deal-push-more-Jews-to-vote-Republican-in-2016-416069
Russia
and the Israeli gas fields: http://debka.com/article/24885/Putin%E2%80%99s-offer-to-shield-develop-Israel%E2%80%99s-gas-fields-predated-Russia%E2%80%99s-military-buildup-in-Syria
Arabs
bring weapons to attack people at the Kotel the riots stopped by police nipped
in the bud. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/200658#.VfV5svmqqko
Arab
attacks in Yerushalayim a planned operation by Hamas including pipe bomb
seizures by the Shin Bet. http://debka.com/article/24889/Palestinians-launch-new-confrontation-tactic-of-“localized”-terror-against-Israel
Arabs
riot against Hamas lack of electricity while in Yerushalayim they riot against
us one Jew dead: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/200674#.VfhfCTYViM8
Re: Arabs
rioting -Time to take off the PC gloves and deal with them like Patton or
Truman would: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4700794,00.html
Netanyahu
to meet a tough cookie regarding Syria: http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Politics-And-Diplomacy/Netanyahu-to-visit-Russia-next-week-for-talks-with-Putin-on-Syria-416286
Crazy
weather in Israel: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4700653,00.html
Why is
the west ignoring Christians? http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/200706#.VflNPvmqqko
11
Republican Contenders on the stage have our backs: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4701261,00.html
Iron
deployed in the south after the rearrest of terrorist: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/200755#.Vfpyg_mqqko
Snipers
will be deployed to take out stone throwers which will work for a week or two
before Bibi gets a new yellow streak: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/200752#.VfpzNPmqqko
Netanyahu
and Putin the reasons for the meeting: http://debka.com/article/24891/Netanyahu-Putin-to-discuss-continued-Israeli-air-force-freedom-of-action-over-Syria
A good writing in the book of life, peace, happiness and be well,
Rachamim Pauli
