Please
remove Esther Rachel bas Sarah from the prayer list. FOR THIS WEEK ONLY AS I
CAN’T FOLLOW YESHAYA BEN CHANA.
Parsha Vayigash
Not having a printed Chumash, in the days before the invention of
the printing press, people who did not know or children who never heard the
story were left with a real cliff hanger on what Yosef is going to do with
Benyamin. Will he hold him for ransom for Yacov to come to try to save him or
will he reveal himself. Phil Chernofsky in Torah Tidbits brings down this idea
of bringing down Yacov in this way. However, the willingness of Yehuda to
become a slave shows complete Teshuva and this brings about the change of heart
of Yosef.
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 thine anger
burn against thy servant; for thou art even as Pharaoh.
The Pshat is just reading the words, the Drasha is that
you are like Pharaoh here today and gone tomorrow and can repent from your
words and laws.
19 My lord asked his servants, saying: Have ye a father, or a
brother? 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 should have said I don’t need your elderly father
for my servant but because he kept his peace with this at the time of the
saying, he lost 10 years off of his lifespan.
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. 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; 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.
The counter argument is that his favorite son Yosef did
not return, 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. 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.
The Medrash stated during this time Yehuda roared and shook up all
Egypt to prove that he could be a great soldier but only Yosef was unmoved by
this. I am stronger and a harder worker
than this lad, take me as a slave in his place. Because -
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.'
When Yosef heard the complete Teshuva of Yehuda and the
evil that might happen to his beloved father, he abandoned his plan and broke
down.
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 alone with the man, the brothers trembled that
perhaps Yehuda had gone too far and even might have brought death upon them
all. But like three things mentioned in Eruvin that happen suddenly – a find, a
scorpion and Moshiach – so this was like the latter and redemption for the
brothers was at hand.
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. 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.
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]
There was no greater rebuke than this: The dreamer of dreams now
had his dream come true and how wrong Shimon was with Levy following his older
brother.
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. 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.
This was all part of HASHEM’s plan from 22 years ago. I am not
angry at you. Now they began to have a harder look at him.
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. 7 And God sent me before
you to give you a remnant on the earth, and to save you alive for a great
deliverance.
I am the progenerator of the Moshiach ben Yosef and I am going to
bring salvation now on the world. Yehuda the progenerator of the Moshiach ben
David through the Kol of Yacov has brought salvation upon you through his
Teshua.
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. 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 thou 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 thou have.
Now go and tell these words from Yosef ben Yacov to my father.
12 And,
behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth
that speaks unto you.
And suddenly they were able to see that the cruel Egyptian was
really their brother for he and Benyamin did look alike in facial features.
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 now after 22 years he was reunited with his full brother
Benyamin and they had a good cry together.
15 And he
kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them; and after that his brethren talked
with him.
They were scared of revenge for when he kissed Benyamin they knew
that he was secure but Shimon, Levy and Yehuda were really in deep trouble if
he decided to avenge himself. Yet he chose not to.
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.
It is not explained here if this was like a newspaper leak from
some politician or if Pharaoh had spies just in case to keep an eye on Yosef.
However, it appears as Rashi explains in Pasuk 2 above that it was Yosef’s ease
dropping servants and eventually it came to Pharaoh more like a news leak.
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.
And you [Joseph] have
been commanded: By me to say to them. [From Targum Jonathan] Do this: So shall
you say to them, that it is in my power [to provide for you].
20 Also
regard not your stuff; for the good things of all the land of Egypt are yours.'
Even though Yosef had 11 brothers, the country the size of Egypt
could sustain them on the best land and Pharaoh supplied wagons. In this way
Yosef would never have an excuse to leave the land.
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.
The brothers did not show jealous towards Benyamin and for a
change were happy for him and accepted their presents too.
23 And to
his father he sent in like manner ten asses laden with the good things of
Egypt, and ten she-asses laden with corn and bread and victual for his father
by the way. 24 So he sent his brethren away, and they departed; and he said
unto them: 'See that ye fall not out by the way.'
Do not quarrel on the
way: Heb. אַל-תִּרְגְזוּ בַּדָּרֶ.
Do not engage in a halachic discussion lest the way cause you to stray. Another
explanation: Do not walk with large steps, and enter the city while the sun is
shining (Ta’anith 10b). According to the simple meaning of the verse, we can
say that since they were ashamed, he (Joseph) was concerned that they would
perhaps quarrel on the way about his being sold, debating with one another, and
saying, “Because of you he was sold. You slandered him and caused us to hate
him.”
The last thing you need now is to blame Shimon the instigator or
Yehuda who suggested the sale. I have forgiven you for it was the path for
HASHEM to bring us down here.
25 And
they went up out of Egypt, and came into the land of Canaan unto Jacob their
father. 26 And they told him, saying: 'Joseph is yet alive, and he is ruler
over all the land of Egypt.' And his heart fainted, for he believed them not.
And [they told him]
that he ruled: Heb. וְכִי הוּא משֵׁל, and that he rules. And his heart changed: Heb. וַיָפָג לִבָּוֹ. His heart changed and went away from
believing. His heart did not turn to [believe] these words. [וַיָפָג is] a term similar to “their taste changes” (מְפִיגִין טַעְמָן) in the language of the Mishnah (Bezah
14a), and “without respite (הֲפֻגוֹת)” (Lam. 3:49). Also “and
its bouquet did not change” (Jer. 48: 11) is translated [into Aramaic] as לֹא פָג . וְרֵיחֵיה
He was so overwhelmed that he fainted.
27 And
they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said unto them; and when he
saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their
father revived.
All of Joseph’s words:
He (Joseph) gave them a sign, viz., in what topic he was engaged when he
(Joseph) separated from him (Jacob). [That was] the section dealing with the heifer
that was to be beheaded (עֶגְלָה עִרוּפָה)
(Deut. 21), and this is what [Scripture] says, “and he saw the wagons that
Joseph had sent,” And the spirit of…Jacob was revived: The Shechinah, which had
separated from him [because of his grief], rested upon him [once again]. [From
Avoth d’Rabbi Nathan , ch. 30, Targum Onkelos , Targum Jonathan] and it
(Scripture) does not say, “that Pharaoh had sent.” [from Gen. Rabbah 94:3]
The sign that he still remembered their last Torah lesson together
and the return of the Shechina upon Yacov revived him.
28 And
Israel said: 'It is enough; Joseph my son is yet alive; I will go and see him
before I die.'
Enough! My son Joseph
is still alive: I have enough happiness and joy, since my son Joseph is still
alive. [From Targum Onkelos, Targum Jonathan]
From the original prophecy of Avraham, Yacov and family should
have gone down to Mitzrayim in chains but since Yacov was Ish Emmes and Yosef a
Tzaddik, they went down in joy. Now Yisrael had a reason to go to Mitzrayim for
his long lost favorite son was there.
46:1 And
Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beer-sheba, and
offered sacrifices unto the God of his father Isaac.
From this we learn that before going on an undertaking it is
advised to visit the grave of Tzaddik and pray where your fathers prayed.
2 And God
spoke unto Israel in the visions of the night, and said: 'Jacob, Jacob.' And he
said: 'Here am I.' 3 And He said: 'I am God, the God of thy father; fear not to
go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation. 4 I will go
down with thee into Egypt; and I will also surely bring thee up again; and
Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes.'
Now he has heard this from HASHEM and he will be allowed some
years to enjoy Yosef, Ephraim and Menashe and teach them Torah. He will have an
easier life but teaching Torah is hard work.
5 And
Jacob rose up from Beer-Sheba; and the sons of Israel carried Jacob their
father, and their little ones, and their wives, in the wagons which Pharaoh had
sent to carry him. 6 And they took their cattle, and their goods, which they had
gotten in the land of Canaan, and came into Egypt, Jacob, and all his seed with
him; 7 his sons, and his sons' sons with him, his daughters, and his sons'
daughters, and all his seed brought he with him into Egypt.
We only know of two daughters Dina and Serach bas Asher. Daughters
may be more and also daughters-in-law. For number 70 does not include wives so
some daughters might not have been mentioned.
8 And
these are the names of the children of Israel, who came into Egypt, Jacob and
his sons: Reuben, Jacob's first-born. 9 And the sons of Reuben: Hanoch, and
Pallu, and Hezron, and Carmi. 10 And the sons of Simeon: Jemuel, and Jamin, and
Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanitish woman. 11 And
the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. 12 And the sons of Judah: Er,
and Onan, and Shelah, and Perez, and Zerah; but Er and Onan died in the land of
Canaan. And the sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul. 13 And the sons of
Issachar: Tola, and Puvah, and Iob, and Shimron. 14 And the sons of Zebulun:
Sered, and Elon, and Jahleel. 15 These are the sons of Leah, whom she bore unto
Jacob in Paddan-aram, with his daughter Dinah; all the souls of his sons and
his daughters were thirty and three. 16 And the sons of Gad: Ziphion, and
Haggi, Shuni, and Ezbon, Eri, and Arodi, and Areli. 17 And the sons of Asher:
Imnah, and Ishvah, and Ishvi, and Beriah, and Serah their sister; and the sons
of Beriah: Heber, and Malchiel. 18 These are the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban
gave to Leah his daughter, and these she bore unto Jacob, even sixteen souls.
19 The sons of Rachel Jacob's wife: Joseph and Benjamin. 20 And unto Joseph in
the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, whom Asenath the daughter of
Poti-phera priest of On bore unto him. 21 And the sons of Benjamin: Bela, and Becher,
and Ashbel, Gera, and Naaman, Ehi, and Rosh, Muppim, and Huppim, and Ard. 22
These are the sons of Rachel, who were born to Jacob; all the souls were
fourteen. 23 And the sons of Dan: Hushim. 24 And the sons of Naphtali: Jahzeel,
and Guni, and Jezer, and Shillem. 25 These are the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban
gave unto Rachel his daughter, and these she bore unto Jacob; all the souls
were seven. 26 All the souls belonging to Jacob that came into Egypt, that came
out of his loins, besides Jacob's sons' wives, all the souls were threescore
and six. 27 And the sons of Joseph, who were born to him in Egypt, were two
souls; all the souls of the house of Jacob, that came into Egypt, were
threescore and ten.
Now the number 70 is either rounded off, includes Yacov, or
includes Yocheved born to Levi but as much as the Medrash was to say Yocheved
was a daughter Mamash (not a child of the tribe but from Levi himself) still
that appears a bit farfetched for the life spans went down except per a Medrash
Serach bas Asher and Basya the daughter of Pharaoh.
28 And he
sent Judah before him unto Joseph, to show the way before him unto Goshen; and
they came into the land of Goshen.
Supposedly this was for establishing a Beis Medrash which is so, but
to me he also went out to scout the land for the best area for building,
grazing and security purposes.
29 And
Joseph made ready his chariot, and went up to meet Israel his father, to
Goshen; and he presented himself unto him, and fell on his neck, and wept on
his neck a good while. 30 And Israel said unto Joseph: 'Now let me die, since I
have seen thy face, that thou art yet alive.'
Yisrael had prophecy that if one of his sons died in his lifetime
he would not have a complete place in heaven, now he was guaranteed a place in
heaven and could die in peace.
31 And
Joseph said unto his brethren, and unto his father's house: 'I will go up, and
tell Pharaoh, and will say unto him: My brethren, and my father's house, who
were in the land of Canaan, are come unto me; 32 and the men are shepherds, for
they have been keepers of cattle; and they have brought their flocks, and their
herds, and all that they have. 33 And it shall come to pass, when Pharaoh shall
call you, and shall say: What is your occupation? 34 that ye shall say: Thy
servants have been keepers of cattle from our youth even until now, both we,
and our fathers; that ye may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is
an abomination unto the Egyptians.'
This is to prevent assimilation into Egyptian society as they were
stooped in immorality and idolatry. Yosef might have weathered this but if
Yehuda could succumb to Tamar even for the sake of heaven on her part, it was
possible that a deterioration might occur in Mitzrayim. Egyptians worshipped
the sheep.
47:1 Then
Joseph went in and told Pharaoh, and said: 'My father and my brethren, and
their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have, are come out of the land
of Canaan; and, behold, they are in the land of Goshen.' 2 And from among his
brethren he took five men, and presented them unto Pharaoh. 3 And Pharaoh said
unto his brethren: 'What is your occupation?' And they said unto Pharaoh: 'Thy
servants are shepherds, both we, and our fathers.' 4 And they said unto
Pharaoh: 'To sojourn in the land are we come; for there is no pasture for thy
servants' flocks; for the famine is sore in the land of Canaan. Now therefore,
we pray thee, let thy servants dwell in the land of Goshen.' 5 And Pharaoh
spoke unto Joseph, saying: 'Thy father and thy brethren are come unto thee; 6
the land of Egypt is before thee; in the best of the land make thy father and
thy brethren to dwell; in the land of Goshen let them dwell. And if thou know
any able men among them, then make them rulers over my cattle.'
Those that were capable administrators could rule over the
administration of Pharaoh’s herds.
7 And
Joseph brought in Jacob his father, and set him before Pharaoh. And Jacob
blessed Pharaoh. 8 And Pharaoh said unto Jacob: 'How many are the days of the
years of thy life?' 9 And Jacob said unto Pharaoh: 'The days of the years of my
sojourning’s are a hundred and thirty years; few and evil have been the days of
the years of my life, and they have not attained unto the days of the years of
the life of my fathers in the days of their sojourning’s.'
You are going before a king who asked you a simple question must
you tell him of your aches and pains?
10 And
Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from the presence of Pharaoh.
So Jacob blessed: According
to the custom of all those who leave the presence of princes, that they bless
them and take their leave. Now what blessing did he bless him? That the Nile
should rise at his approach, because Egypt does not drink rain water, but the
Nile rises and waters it, and since Jacob’s blessing, Pharaoh would come to the
Nile, and it would rise to greet him and water the land. [From Tanchuma, Naso
26]
11 And
Joseph placed his father and his brethren, and gave them a possession in the
land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had
commanded. 12 And Joseph sustained his father, and his brethren, and all his
father's household, with bread, according to the want of their little ones. 13
And there was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very sore, so that
the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan languished by reason of the famine.
Yisrael and his children eat well and so did the nobles and
priests but not the ordinary people.
14 And
Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt, and in
the land of Canaan, for the corn which they bought; and Joseph brought the
money into Pharaoh's house.
By being famished for a number of years the people ran out of
money and commerce went down and all they wanted was grain to eat.
15 And
when the money was all spent in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan,
all the Egyptians came unto Joseph, and said: 'Give us bread; for why should we
die in thy presence? for our money fails.'
Now the Egyptians were reduced to bartering. For they had to eat
to live.
16 And
Joseph said: 'Give your cattle, and I will give you [bread] for your cattle, if
money fail.'
Now Pharaoh is taking over herds of cattle and that is where the
brothers of Yosef came in with management skills.
17 And
they brought their cattle unto Joseph. And Joseph gave them bread in exchange
for the horses, and for the flocks, and for the herds, and for the asses; and
he fed them with bread in exchange for all their cattle for that year.
They have nothing. At this point they are like refugees in their
own homes maybe they have a stove straw or twigs to burn some kitchen cooking
utensils and the clothing on their backs.
18 And
when that year was ended, they came unto him the second year, and said unto
him: 'We will not hide from my lord, how that our money is all spent; and the
herds of cattle are my lord's; there is nought left in the sight of my lord,
but our bodies, and our lands. 19 Wherefore should we die before thine eyes,
both we and our land? buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will
be bondmen unto Pharaoh; and give us seed, that we may live, and not die, and
that the land be not desolate.'
They reduced themselves unto slavery and their land unto Pharaoh.
20 So
Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for the Egyptians sold every
man his field, because the famine was sore upon them; and the land became Pharaoh's.
21 And as for the people, he removed them city by city, from one end of the
border of Egypt even to the other end thereof. 22 Only the land of the priests
bought he not, for the priests had a portion from Pharaoh, and did eat their
portion which Pharaoh gave them; wherefore they sold not their land. 23 Then
Joseph said unto the people: 'Behold, I have bought you this day and your land
for Pharaoh. Lo, here is seed for you, and ye shall sow the land. 24 And it
shall come to pass at the ingatherings, that ye shall give a fifth unto
Pharaoh, and four parts shall be your own, for seed of the field, and for your
food, and for them of your households, and for food for your little ones.' 25
And they said: 'Thou hast saved our lives. Let us find favour in the sight of
my lord, and we will be Pharaoh's bondmen.' 26 And Joseph made it a statute
concerning the land of Egypt unto this day, that Pharaoh should have the fifth;
only the land of the priests alone became not Pharaoh's. 27 And Israel dwelt in
the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen; and they got them possessions
therein, and were fruitful, and multiplied exceedingly.
While we are celebrating the joy of Chanucha and the aftermath, let
me remind you that next week is the fast10th of Tevet: http://yonanewman.org/kizzur/kizzur121.html
Yonah, a Jew of Color, tells her story: I was inspired to write about what happened to me by a fb friend who
recounted a story of a holiday miracle that happened to her.
I am disabled and use a walker to get around. This seriously limits by ability to do things,but not having help,I am very grateful I can do for myself.
My mobility problems force me to use a local macolet,owned by Chaseidai Gur,that in the past I had a problem with one of the clerks who refused to respond to my Shabbat Shalom and once,when I wished him a Chag Kasher V'Sameach before Pesach,actually turned his back on me! I assumed they didn't think I was Jewish,but I did tell what had happened to a Chassidic lady who works there and has always been gracious to me. They got rid of that other Chassid,but I had ceased to greet any of the men who worked there in case I'd receive the same treatment.
On the second day of Chanukah I was in the store and since my walker is wide and takes up aisle space,I sometimes park it and slowly walk to pick up a few items.This day I noticed a man standing next to my walker and I thought I was blocking him,so I moved it and checked out.When I got home,my cell phone was missing! I was too exhausted to return to the store immediately,but did return in an hour.
No one had seen it and no one had turned it in. I went home in a state of shock because this was not an iPhone,but a plain old Nokia with all my numbers in it! The next day I stopped by to see if someone had turned it in because I expected it to be returned after whoever had stolen it got a look at it. By the way it was in the bottom of a little bag I use as a purse and tie it onto my walker. The man standing near the walker wasn't a Chassid,just a man without a kippah.
On the 4th day of Chanukah,I was visited by one of my HI friends and believe it or not,she had my cell phone! She'd dropped into that store and they asked her if she knew me and gave her my phone to return to me!
For me it was a Chanukah miracle,because there was no way I could buy another one.My fb friend had left her pocketbook on a bus and found it. She promised tsadakah to Rabbi Ba'al Ha Nes,and I said הודו לה כי טוב.
There was one more miracle. When I left the store the first time,the Chassid behind the counter wished me a Happy Chanukah! That was a first for me,and was almost as miraculous as getting my cell phone back!
I am disabled and use a walker to get around. This seriously limits by ability to do things,but not having help,I am very grateful I can do for myself.
My mobility problems force me to use a local macolet,owned by Chaseidai Gur,that in the past I had a problem with one of the clerks who refused to respond to my Shabbat Shalom and once,when I wished him a Chag Kasher V'Sameach before Pesach,actually turned his back on me! I assumed they didn't think I was Jewish,but I did tell what had happened to a Chassidic lady who works there and has always been gracious to me. They got rid of that other Chassid,but I had ceased to greet any of the men who worked there in case I'd receive the same treatment.
On the second day of Chanukah I was in the store and since my walker is wide and takes up aisle space,I sometimes park it and slowly walk to pick up a few items.This day I noticed a man standing next to my walker and I thought I was blocking him,so I moved it and checked out.When I got home,my cell phone was missing! I was too exhausted to return to the store immediately,but did return in an hour.
No one had seen it and no one had turned it in. I went home in a state of shock because this was not an iPhone,but a plain old Nokia with all my numbers in it! The next day I stopped by to see if someone had turned it in because I expected it to be returned after whoever had stolen it got a look at it. By the way it was in the bottom of a little bag I use as a purse and tie it onto my walker. The man standing near the walker wasn't a Chassid,just a man without a kippah.
On the 4th day of Chanukah,I was visited by one of my HI friends and believe it or not,she had my cell phone! She'd dropped into that store and they asked her if she knew me and gave her my phone to return to me!
For me it was a Chanukah miracle,because there was no way I could buy another one.My fb friend had left her pocketbook on a bus and found it. She promised tsadakah to Rabbi Ba'al Ha Nes,and I said הודו לה כי טוב.
There was one more miracle. When I left the store the first time,the Chassid behind the counter wished me a Happy Chanukah! That was a first for me,and was almost as miraculous as getting my cell phone back!
From Linda a story posted by Michael N: In
Crown Heights, there was a Jew, Yankel, who owned a bakery. He survived the
camps. He once said, “You know why it is that I’m alive today? I was a kid,
just a teenager at the time. We were on the train, in a boxcar, being taken to
Auschwitz. Night came and it was freezing, deathly cold, in that boxcar. The
Germans would leave the cars on the side of the tracks overnight, sometimes for
days on end without any food, and of course, no blankets to keep us warm,” he
said. “Sitting next to me was an older Jew – this beloved elderly Jew - from my
hometown I recognized, but I had never seen him like this. He was shivering
from head to toe, and looked terrible. So I wrapped my arms around him and
began rubbing him, to warm him up. I rubbed his arms, his legs, his face, his
neck. I begged him to hang on. All night long; I kept the man warm this way. I
was tired, I was freezing cold myself, my fingers were numb, but I didn’t stop
rubbing the heat on to this man’s body. Hours and hours went by this way.
Finally, night passed, morning came, and the sun began to shine. There was some
warmth in the cabin, and then I looked around the car to see some of the other
Jews in the car. To my horror, all I could see were frozen bodies, and all I
could hear was a deathly silence.
Nobody
else in that cabin made it through the night – they died from the frost. Only
two people survived: the old man and me… The old man survived because somebody
kept him
warm; I survived because I was warming somebody else…”
warm; I survived because I was warming somebody else…”
Let me
tell you the secret of Judaism. When you warm other people’s hearts, you remain
warm yourself. When you seek to support, encourage and inspire others; then you
discover support, encouragement and inspiration in your own life as well. That,
my friends, is “Judaism 101”. https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=10156227893220387&id=661185386
Our last story this week came from the group “Children of
Holocaust Survivors” on the last 11 entertainers still alive who survived the
Holocaust including a lady from the real list of Schindler and Dr. Ruth thanks
to Esther L.: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/holocaust-survivors/celina_biniaz/
American
history is Gen. O.P. Smith, who commanded the Marines at the Battle of Chosin
Reservoir in North Korea, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rf-KpVgus8
Trafe is
a big business among Eastern European Immigrants to Israel: http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Terrifying-traif-Ton-of-pig-meat-spilled-onto-Rishon-Lezion-street-437272
Inyanay Diyoma
The news from Friday and Shabbos: Arab trying to drive his car into
civilians drove himself in oblivion:http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/204772
Martin Sherman deals with folly of Kerry/Obama team: http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Into-the-Fray-Folly-at-the-Forum-436995
I liked three gems
this week that were so good if you have not read it you must. First the joke: Q:
How do Knesset members commit suicide? A: They jump off their ego on to their
IQ. then the comment on Kerry: US Secretary of State John Kerry, never accused
of being the sharpest knife in the drawer. and in the paragraph "What
could go wrong" - we can already foretell the plausible outcome: The
emergence of a misogynistic, homophobic Muslim-majority tyranny, that will
comprise a forward base for jihadi terrorism, reflect the diametric antithesis
of all the noble values invoked for its establishment and precipitate the very
perils it was designed to prevent.
Arab stabbing attempt on Friday stopped and here is from a week
before: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/204784
Iran is not meetings its bargain to dismantle its military program:http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4737825,00.html
San Bernardino investigation continues:http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/204745
Saudis do
not take in Syrian Refugees but criticize Donald Trump. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/204803#.Vm0G6vl96M8
Yad
Vashem to honor US Soldier who saved his Jewish Soldiers: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2015/12/11/are-all-jews-israel-honors-us-soldier-who-stared-down-nazi-70-years-ago/#.Vm0lesW3yrI.email
Saudis
retake a shipping route from Iran: http://debka.com/article/25078/Saudi-and-Egyptian-marines-capture-Iran-held-island-at-Red-Sea-chokepoint
Fully
neutralized during his stabbing attempt: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/204827#.Vm1vBvl96M8
EMP
threat to the USA: http://start.new.toshiba.com/tv/3/player/vendor/Fox%20News/player/embedded/asset/fox_news-rep_franks_says_congress_must_act_on_securing_us_p-foxnews/source/Clips
Thanks to
Yosef S. http://www.jewsnews.co.il/2015/12/06/video-surfaces-of-president-obama-mocking-jesus-and-the-new-testament-classy-huh/
From
Rachel – Obama turns ceremony with Rivlin into a political not Chanucha
Festival: http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2015/12/disgraceful_white_house_hanukkah_celebration.html#.Vm3AkEiKWEM.facebook
I guess
the IAF will bomb empty buildings and fields: http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Red-alert-sounded-in-Shaar-Hanegev-regional-council-surrounding-areas-437204
Enemy
funding of anti-State-of- Israel Jews: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/204875#.Vm6cJvl96M8
Sky Hawks
often played the enemy against the Phantoms and Kfirs back in my IAF days: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4738755,00.html
The last
time they did this was during the Yom Kippur War: http://debka.com/article/25080/Syrian-war-as-testing-ground-for-Russia%E2%80%99s-latest-sea-and-air-weapons
ISIS like
Sparta and the Nazis: http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/ISIS-Threat/Unconfirmed-reports-ISIS-has-started-murdering-babies-with-Downs-Syndrome-437261
Car
attack in Yerushalayim 14 injured terrorist had an axe and screw driver in his
car but neutralized: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4739169,00.html
Ever hear
of burn Jews not oil well Diane had a similar experience in 1973 and here is
her Ed-Op: http://unitedwithisrael.org/lies-our-leader-tell-us-when-will-the-sacrifice-of-the-jews-come-to-an-end/
“Peace
Partner” is leading the uprising of the Arabs: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4739356,00.html
Hamas if
funding the Islamic State in Sinai: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4739234,00.html
Pollard
restrictions appeal goes forward with the Judge questioning the restrictions: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/204920#.Vm-sXfl96M8
From Miriam
Esther: Syrian visits, entrances, visa over-stays and the DHS is incompetent: https://www.facebook.com/RepDeSantis/videos/1001434629914597/?theater
Russia
friend or foe a ME prospective; http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4737666,00.html
14
minutes from a Sunni Muslim on what the Radicals are doing: http://go.clarionproject.org/numbers-full-film/
Instead
of a good offense a bad defense: http://debka.com/article/25082/Fortified-bus-stops-for-Jerusalem-commuters-after-latest-terrorist-outrage
Arab
attacks two in Modiin as he is subdued by other Arab Workers: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/204953#.VnAhZPl96M8
Guess who
just arrived in Europe. http://www.jewsnews.co.il/2015/12/13/newly-arrived-syrians-arrested-in-geneva-with-explosives-and-chemical-weapons/?fb_action_ids=10207731306231269&fb_action_types=og.shares&fb_source=other_multiline&action_object_map=%5B911553498935711%5D&action_type_map=%5B%22og.shares%22%5D&action_ref_map=%5B%5D
Shona: They
can speak English like us, get a driver’s license to use as an ID for the DHS
to fly and they can legally buy guns. http://i-supportisrael.blogspot.co.il/2015/12/watch-american-muslims-allah-commanded.html
Three
soldiers wounded in car attack by friendly fire during an operation to round up
terrorists and weapons: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/204992
LA over
reacted while NY based their decision on the FBI: http://debka.com/article/25084/Los-Angeles-Vs-New-York-over-school-terror-threat-And-the-winner-is-ISIS
Egyptian
Planes over-fly southern Israel on way to attack the Islamists in Sinai: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4739912,00.html
could the w area or by making a turn. http://www.allsinai.info/bilder/maps/sinai01-b.jpg
Obama and
Kerry make an about face: http://debka.com/article/25087/US-bows-to-Russian-demand-to-keep-Assad-in-office-Israel-follows-suit
Wednesday
afternoon shots were fired from Gaza on the rebound three wounded Gazans in a
tower. “Refuge” camp raided you should see some of the Villas there: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/205059
Kerry
issues a warning against travel to Israel. In Israel there have been much less
terror attacks, murders, stabbings, shootings than in LA, Chicago, Miami or NY
in the same period perhaps we should issue the reverse warning and I have not
gone into sexual assaults or burglary: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4740442,00.html
After
criticism of the Israeli Presidential remarks in front of an anti-IDF Group
both the right and the left have gone too far with freedom of speech: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4740046,00.html
IDF
thwarts a stabbing attack: http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/IDF-soldiers-thwart-attempted-stabbing-attack-near-Nablus-437600
A blessed and peaceful Shabbos and be well,
Rachamim Pauli
