Friday, January 22, 2016

Parsha Beshallach, Encountering the Shabbos with Manna, stories, new


Kayla bas Chana has finished her treatment now and is being taken off the prayer list for now.


Yoel HaCohain ben Henia, Chaim Yisrael ben Chana Tzirel needs prayers.


Rabbi Shmuelovitz Rosh Yeshiva Mir passed away this week.


Dr. Harry sent me this in the name of Rabbi Avi Shvat Shlita: In my previous e-mail I discussed the erroneous, popular, new age concept that G-d is equal everywhere, and all paths and religions are the same.

If all religions and everything is holy, why does G-d consider the Sabbath a special, unique day of holiness? If all people and religions are holy, why was Israel chosen as G-d's special people, with the Kohanim (priests) blessed with additional holiness? If every land is holy, why did G-d choose Zion as a place for his habitation? Why were the Jews singled out, and told to separate themselves as G-d's holy people? Why did G-d choose Israel as His resting place forever, where he will dwell because He desires it? Why did G-d choose Ya'akov for Himself, Israel as his special possession? Why when a Jew does a mitzvah is it different and more holy than when a gentile does a mitzvah? Why is a mitzvah and prayer performed in Israel worth 20 times more than if done abroad? Why is there only prophecy in the Land of Israel, or for her sake?


Let me just say that if you or your Rabbi don’t know the answers to this, one will have to undergo a big Tikkun.


Parsha Beshalach


Avoiding war is a hallmark of Yisrael throughout the centuries and freed slaves are not the group to start conquests without military training. It is no wonder that HASHEM circumvented the route to Eretz Yisrael until the people were to be readied for war. It is not easy to handle freed slaves. They have been used to getting food for work and beaten and now nobody beats them and nobody hands them food. It is easy to say HASHEM will provide but will HE? Some of the stories in this week’s Parsha are repeated in Sefer Bamindbar in more details such as the “Slav” or quail coming to be eating for 30 days and the water story there may be different but the people and their complaints are the same. This week which always occurs around Tu B’Shevat contains Parsha Ha Mann. (Manna)

13:17 And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not by the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said: 'Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt.'

Contemplate this: During the fleeing from Egypt 600 chariots and horses are pursing 600,000 foot soldiers. Take 1000 men per chariot and over-power them with a bit of a difficulty but not that much difficulty. But no they are used to be servants to these 600 masters. They cannot comprehend doing battle with the Egyptians.

18 But God led the people about, by the way of the wilderness by the Red Sea; and the children of Israel went up armed out of the land of Egypt.

They went out armed.

19 And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him; for he had straightly sworn the children of Israel, saying: 'God will surely remember you; and ye shall carry up my bones away hence with you.'

Moshe personally worried to take the bones.

For he had adjured: Heb. הִֹשְבִּיעַ הַֹשְבֵּעַ. [The double expression indicates that] he [Joseph] had made them [his brothers] swear that they would make their children swear (Mechilta). Now why did he not make his sons swear to carry him to the land of Canaan immediately [when he died], as Jacob had made [him] swear? Joseph said, “I was a ruler in Egypt, and I had the ability to do [this]. As for my sons-the Egyptians will not let them do [it].” Therefore, he made them swear that when they would be redeemed and would leave there [Egypt], they would carry him [out]. — [from Mechilta] And you shall bring up my bones from here with you: He made his brothers swear in this manner. We learn [from this] that the bones of all [the progenitors of] the tribes they brought up [out of Egypt] with them as it is said “with you” -[from Mechilta]

20 And they took their journey from Succoth, and encamped in Etham, in the edge of the wilderness. 21 And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; that they might go by day and by night: 22 the pillar of cloud by day, and the pillar of fire by night, departed not from before the people.
14:1 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 2 'Speak unto the children of Israel, that they turn back and encamp before Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, before Baal-zephon, over against it shall ye encamp by the sea. 3 And Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel: They are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them in.

The ones who say that they got to Nuweba one can agree there was no way to move or flee north so that would make Baal-zephon a rock that did not allow them to flee north towards Eretz Yisrael. This is a road-map of the area and they would have had to flee into the Egyptians to flee further or the Sea. http://www.alternativeegypt.com/Maps/Map-Gulf-of-Aqaba.html Now for Rashi’s commentary:




4 And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he shall follow after them; and I will get Me honor upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host; and the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD.' And they did so.

When Pharaoh sent his army in after the Bnei Yisrael, did he survive or did he die? There is sort of Midrashic dispute. After what is about to happen it would be centuries until Israel came in contact again with Mitzrayim.

And I will be glorified through Pharaoh: When the Holy One blessed be He wreaks vengeance upon the wicked, His name becomes magnified and glorified. So it [Scripture] says: “And I will judge against him, etc.” and afterwards [the prophet says], “And I will magnify and sanctify Myself and I will be known, etc.” (Ezek 38:22, 23) And [Scripture similarly] says: “There he broke the arrows of the bow,” [which refers to Sennacherib’s defeat,] and afterwards [i.e., the result of that], “God is known in Judah” (Ps. 76:2,4) And [Scripture similarly] says: “The Lord is known for the judgement that He performed” (Ps. 9:17). — [from Mechilta] Through Pharaoh and through his entire force: He [Pharaoh] initiated the sinful behavior, and [thus] the retribution started with him. — [from Mechilta] And they did so: [This is stated] to tell their praise, that they obeyed Moses and did not say, “How will we draw near to our enemies [by returning in the direction of Egypt]? We have to escape.” Instead they said, “All we have are the words of [Moses] the son of Amram.” [I.e., we have no other plan to follow, only the words of the son of Amram.]-[from Mechilta]

5 And it was told the king of Egypt that the people were fled; and the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants was turned towards the people, and they said: 'What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us? 6 And he made ready his chariots, and took his people with him. 7 And he took six hundred chosen chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt, and captains over all of them.

Think about the fact that the economy was based on slave labor and so much so that it pays to put the army together to go bring back the slaves and this is only after all the 10 Makkos that Egypt was hit with economically.

8 And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued after the children of Israel; for the children of Israel went out with a high hand. 9 And the Egyptians pursued after them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, and his horsemen, and his army, and overtook them encamping by the sea, beside Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon. 10 And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians were marching after them; and they were sore afraid; and the children of Israel cried out unto the LORD.

They are afraid of being killed! But in truth they have nothing to fear but the return to the previous status (aka status quo ante). They cannot understand Pharaoh’s thoughts. He might want to kill Moshe, Aaron and a few others and maybe the small group of fighters but not the bulk of the slaves.

11 And they said unto Moses: 'Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to bring us forth out of Egypt? 12 Is not this the word that we spoke unto thee in Egypt, saying: Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it were better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.'

The doom and gloom people with slave mentalities did not want to leave their flesh pots in Egypt as they were essentially happy being slaves and getting their meals. Freedom and working for their food independently as they had grown used to the Pharaoh welfare and food stamp system.

13 And Moses said unto the people: 'Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will work for you to-day; for whereas ye have seen the Egyptians to-day, ye shall see them again no more forever. 14 The LORD will fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.'

You will be free of and from Egypt and never will worry about them in the future. HASHEM will fight for you and you will be free.

15 And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Wherefore do you unto Me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward.

Moshe was praying and HASHEM  told him this is not a time for prayer but for action.

16 And lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thy hand over the sea, and divide it; and the children of Israel shall go into the midst of the sea on dry ground.

Moshe’s rod could only be used by Aaron for the river to do something bad but to make a miracle and a Kiddush HASHEM, Moshe is allowed to use his rod.

17 And I, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall go in after them; and I will get Me honor upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen. 18 And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gotten Me honor upon Pharaoh, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen.'

The Mitzrim are about to see the war powers of HASHEM and the Bnei Yisrael are about to see a miracle that eclipses the 10 Makkos.

19 And the angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud removed from before them, and stood behind them;

They started shooting arrows and spears into the cloud and the cloud shot the arrows and spears back at them.

And went behind them: to separate between the Egyptians’ camp and the Israelites’ camp and to catch the arrows and the catapult stones of the Egyptians. Everywhere it says: “the angel of the Lord (ה),” but here [it says]: “the angel of God (אֱלֹהִים).” Everywhere [in Scripture] אֱלֹהִים denotes [God’s attribute of] judgment. This teaches that at that moment, the Israelites were being judged whether to be saved or to perish with the Egyptians. And the pillar of cloud moved away: When it became dark, and the pillar of cloud delivered the camp to the pillar of fire, the cloud did not go away as it would customarily go away completely in the evening, but it moved away and went behind them [the Israelites] to make it dark for the Egyptians.

20 and it came between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel; and there was the cloud and the darkness here, yet gave it light by night there; and the one came not near the other all the night.

And he came between the camp of Egypt: This can be compared to a person walking along the road with his son walking in front of him. [When] bandits came to capture him [the son], he [the father] took him from in front of him and placed him behind him. A wolf came behind him; so he put him [his son] in front of him. [When] bandits came in front of him and wolves behind him, he put him [his son] on his arms and fought them off. Similarly [the prophet depicts the angel protecting Israel when they drew near to the Red Sea], “But I sent to train Ephraim, he took them on his arms” (Hos. 11:3). — [from Mechilta] And there were the cloud and the darkness: for the Egyptians. And it illuminated: [I.e.,] the pillar of fire [illuminated] the night for the Israelites, and it went before them as it usually went all night long, and the thick darkness [from the cloud] was toward the Egyptians. And one did not draw near the other: [I.e., one] camp to [the other] camp. — [from Mechilta, Jonathan]

21 And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all the night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.

Last year I brought down that at a certain steady wind speed of perhaps 40mph at even an average Sinai Temperature for late March or early April would cause the water to freeze on the left and the right and as the morning came as the winds died down before dawn, the Mitzrim would follow into the Yam while it was parted and the ice melting that would get the wheels of the chariots stuck in thawing out mud.

22 And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.

A wall of ice on the right and on the left. One can see that at times in photos of the Artic and Antarctic where waves freeze in wind-chills.

23 And the Egyptians pursued, and went in after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. 24 And it came to pass in the morning watch, that the LORD looked forth upon the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of cloud, and discomfited the host of the Egyptians. 25 And He took off their chariot wheels, and made them to drive heavily; so that the Egyptians said: 'Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the LORD fights for them against the Egyptians.'

They realized that HASHEM Shofet Ha Aretz (JUDGE of the world) was fighting for the Bnei Yisrael and they were the Rashaim (wicked ones). With this realization WHOM they were up against, they began to flee. I have always wondered if some did such Teshuva that they could make it back and recount a Kiddush HASHEM for future Egyptian Generations or that they all died and only a straggler or two of the foot soldiers survived?

26 And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Stretch out thy hand over the sea, that the waters may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.' 27 And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it; and the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. 28 And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, even all the host of Pharaoh that went in after them into the sea; there remained not so much as one of them.

I asked before if somebody repented from the stragglers but the main chariot soldiers all perished.

29 But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left. 30 Thus the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea-shore. 31 And Israel saw the great work which the LORD did upon the Egyptians, and the people feared the LORD; and they believed in the LORD, and in His servant Moses.

This is a special thing that happened that the people really believed.

15:1 Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD, and spoke, saying: I will sing unto the LORD, for He is highly exalted; the horse and his rider hath He thrown into the sea.

Because of the future tense some people call this the resurrection of the dead in times to be others call it Gilgul Neshamos or reincarnation.

Then…sang: Heb. אָז יָשִׁיר. [The future tense presents a problem. Therefore, Rashi explains:] Then, when he [Moses] saw the miracle, it occurred to him to recite a song, and similarly, “Then Joshua spoke (אָז יְדַבֵּר יְהוֹשֻׁעַ)” (Josh. 10:12); and similarly, “and the house [which] he would make (יַעֲשֶׂה) for Pharaoh’s daughter” (I Kings 7: 8), [which means] he decided to make it for her. Here too, יָשִׁיר [in the future tense means that] his heart dictated to him that he should sing, and so he did, “and they spoke, saying, I will sing to the Lord.’ ” Likewise, with [the above reference to] Joshua, when he saw the miracle [of the defeat of the Amorite kings (Josh. 10:11)], his heart dictated to him that he speak [praises to God], and so he did, “and he said in the sight of Israel” (Josh. 10:12). Likewise, the song of the well, with which [Scripture] commences: “Then Israel sang (אָז יָשִׁיר)” (Num. 21:17), it explains after it, “Ascend, O well!, sing to it.” [I.e., in these three instances, the “yud” of the future tense denotes the thought, and after each one, Scripture continues that the thought was brought to fruition.] “Then did Solomon build (אָז יִבְנֶה) a high place” (I Kings 11:7); the Sages of Israel explain that he sought to build [it] but did not build [it] (Sanh. 91b). We [thus] learn that the “yud” may serve to indicate a thought. This is to explain its simple meaning, but the midrashic interpretation is [as follows]: Our Rabbis of blessed memory stated: From here is an allusion from the Torah to the resurrection of the dead (Sanh. 91b, Mechilta), and so it is [i.e., the future tense is used] with them all, except that of Solomon, which they explained as [implying] “he sought to build but did not build.” One cannot say and explain this form like other words written in the future, but which mean [that they occurred] immediately, such as “So would Job do (וָעִשֶׂה)” (Job 1:5); “by the command of the Lord would they encamp (יַחֲנוּ)” (Num. 9:23); “And sometimes the cloud would be (יִהְיֶה)” (Num. 9:21), because that is [an example of] something that occurs continually, and either the future or the past is appropriate for it, but that which occurred only once [i.e., the song that was sung], cannot be explained in this manner. — For very exalted is He: Heb. גָאֹה גָאָה, [to be interpreted] according to the Targum [He was exalted over the exalted, and the exaltation is His]. Another explanation: [The] doubling [of the verb] comes to say that He did something impossible for a flesh and blood [person] to do. When he fights with his fellow and overwhelms him, he throws him off the horse, but here, “a horse and its rider He cast into the sea,” [i.e., with the rider still on the horse]. Anything that cannot be done by anyone else is described as exaltation (גֵּאוּת), like “for He has performed an exalted act (גֵּאוּת)” (Isa. 12:5). Similarly, [throughout] the entire song you will find the repetitive pattern, such as: “My strength and my praise are the Eternal, and He was my salvation” (verse 2); “The Lord is a Master of war; the Lord is His Name,” (verse 3); and so on, all of them (in an old Rashi). Another explanation: גָאֹה גָאָה means for He is exalted beyond all songs, [i.e.,] for however I will praise Him, He still has more [praise]. [This is] unlike the manner of a human king, who is praised for something he does not possess. — [from Mechilta] A horse and its rider: Both bound to one another, and the water lifted them up high and brought them down into the depths, and [still] they did not separate. — [from Mechilta] He cast: Heb. רָמָה, [meaning] He cast, and similarly, “and they were cast (וּרְמִיו) into the burning, fiery furnace” (Dan. 3:21). The aggadic midrash, however, [states as follows]: One verse (verse 1) says: רָמָה בַיָם, [derived from רוּם, meaning “to cast up,”] and one verse (verse 4) says: יָרָה בַיָם [meaning “to cast down”]. [This] teaches us that they [the horse and rider] went up and [then] descended into the deep, [i.e., they were thrown up and down]. [The meaning of יָרָה is here] similar to: “who laid (יָרָה) its cornerstone” (Job 38:6), [which signifies laying the stone] from above, downward. — [from Mechilta, Tanchuma, Beshallach 13]


2 The LORD is my strength and song, and He is become my salvation; this is my God, and I will glorify Him; my father's God, and I will exalt Him.

We say this song by the sea every morning.

3 The LORD is a man of war, The LORD is His name.

They saw the battle of the Mitzrim.

4 Pharaoh's chariots and his host hath He cast into the sea, and his chosen captains are sunk in the Red Sea. 5 The deeps cover them--they went down into the depths like a stone. 6 Thy right hand, O LORD, glorious in power, Thy right hand, O LORD, dashes in pieces the enemy. … 19 For the horses of Pharaoh went in with his chariots and with his horsemen into the sea, and the LORD brought back the waters of the sea upon them; but the children of Israel walked on dry land in the midst of the sea.
20 And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances. 21 And Miriam sang unto them: Sing ye to the LORD, for He is highly exalted: the horse and his rider hath He thrown into the sea.

This was one of the high points in the belief of the people only surpassed by the Sinai experience.

22 And Moses led Israel onward from the Red Sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water. 23 And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore the name of it was called Marah. 24 And the people murmured against Moses, saying: 'What shall we drink?' 25 And he cried unto the LORD; and the LORD showed him a tree, and he cast it into the waters, and the waters were made sweet. There He made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there He proved them; 26 and He said: 'If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in His eyes, and wilt give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases upon thee, which I have put upon the Egyptians; for I am the LORD that heals thee.'

Lack of water was a legitimate complaint for both man and beast will die without drink.

27 And they came to Elim, where were twelve springs of water, and three score and ten palm-trees; and they encamped there by the waters.
16:1 And they took their journey from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt. 2 And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron in the wilderness; 3 and the children of Israel said unto them: 'Would that we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh-pots, when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.'

From Rabbi Barak Kochavi: The lack of bread to eat as a basic minimum food was a just complaint for bread and water or in the case of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, Carob and water can supply the nutritional value for people to survive. (For we have seen Rabbi Eliyashiv and others in the previous generation in Yerushalayim live on bread and an occasional egg and grow to live over 100 years.) They had flocks and herds and this was an illegitimate complain and we shall see that because of their welfare mentality instead of supplying themselves, Amalek would

4 Then said the LORD unto Moses: 'Behold, I will cause to rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day's portion every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in My law, or not. 5 And it shall come to pass on the sixth day that they shall prepare that which they bring in, and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.'

This is a very important difference between Kodesh and Chol for everyday the Mann fell if left over would be wormy while on Friday it fell in a double portion and was fresh for Shabbos.

6 And Moses and Aaron said unto all the children of Israel: 'At even, then ye shall know that the LORD hath brought you out from the land of Egypt; 7 and in the morning, then ye shall see the glory of the LORD; for that He hath heard your murmurings against the LORD; and what are we, that ye murmur against us?' … 11 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 12 'I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel. Speak unto them, saying: At dusk ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God.'

At dusk you shall eat but not be satisfied as this was an unjust lust but in the morning requesting basics like Yacov [remember clothing to wear and bread to eat] you will be blessed.

13 And it came to pass at even, that the quails came up, and covered the camp; and in the morning there was a layer of dew round about the camp. 14 And when the layer of dew was gone up, behold upon the face of the wilderness a fine, scale-like thing, fine as the hoar-frost on the ground. 15 And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another: 'What is it?'--for they knew not what it was. And Moses said unto them: 'It is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat. 16 This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded: Gather ye of it every man according to his eating; an omer a head, according to the number of your persons, shall ye take it, every man for them that are in his tent.' 17 And the children of Israel did so, and gathered some more, some less. 18 And when they did mete it with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man according to his eating.

It did not matter if a large man gather his arms full or a child a little less when they reached home to weigh it, it was an Omer per person.
19 And Moses said unto them: 'Let no man leave of it till the morning.' 20 Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses; but some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and rotted; and Moses was wroth with them. 21 And they gathered it morning by morning, every man according to his eating; and as the sun waxed hot, it melted.

This was on a normal day and this happened every weekday.
22 And it came to pass that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each one; and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses. 23 And he said unto them: 'This is that which the LORD hath spoken: To-morrow is a solemn rest, a holy Sabbath unto the LORD. Bake that which ye will bake, and seethe that which ye will seethe; and all that remains over lay up for you to be kept until the morning.' 24 And they laid it up till the morning, as Moses bade; and it did not rot, neither was there any worm therein. 25 And Moses said: 'Eat that to-day; for to-day is a Sabbath unto the LORD; to-day ye shall not find it in the field. 26 Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day is the Sabbath, in it there shall be none.'

Although this is before Matan Torah at Sinai, this is the preparation that shows the difference between the six days of creation and Shabbos. Shabbos is a day unto the L-RD. The Mann and legendary Sabayon River were proof of HASHEM’S Chashgacha. Yet each generation has their Datan and Amiran or George Soros and J-Street who will make war on the Shabbos, the Torah and Judaism in general.  

27 And it came to pass on the seventh day, that there went out some of the people to gather, and they found none. 

There appears to have always been an anti-Shabbos movement in Yisrael from the get-go. But in the end they lose out and perish and Shabbos and Torah survive them. For the L-RD created heaven and earth in six days and on the seventh HE rested! This is the whole rule of nature and natural order of things!

28 And the LORD said unto Moses: 'How long refuse ye to keep My commandments and My laws? 29 See that the LORD hath given you the Sabbath; therefore He giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.'

THE FAILURE TO OBSERVE SHABBOS WHICH THE CREATOR BLESSED IS WITH IS LIKE SPITTING IN THE CREATOR. ONE MUST REALIZE THE PURPOSE OF THE CREATION OF THE WORLD AND PURPOSE OF MANKIND IN IT AND NOT COME TO SIN. Otherwise the individual is just a living breathing organism no better than a cow, sheep or amoeba.
30 So the people rested on the seventh day.

The whole purpose of Shabbos was given to rest and reflect on the service to HASHEM and what we should be doing.

31 And the house of Israel called the name thereof Manna; and it was like coriander seed, white; and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey.

It was a tasty and nourishing food. I saw a film of a part of Sinai where the Bedouins[RP1]  claim this to be the Mann and they gather it in the morning. It is a white thing that grows overnight and lifts with the clearing of the fog.

32 And Moses said: 'This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded: Let an omerful of it be kept throughout your generations; that they may see the bread wherewith I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you forth from the land of Egypt.' 33 And Moses said unto Aaron: 'Take a jar, and put an omerful of manna therein, and lay it up before the LORD, to be kept throughout your generations.' 34 As the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept. 35 And the children of Israel did eat the manna forty years, until they came to a land inhabited; they did eat the manna, until they came unto the borders of the land of Canaan. 36 Now an omer is the tenth part of an ephah.

When we recover the lost Teva of HASHEM, we will be able to view the Mann when HaCohain HaGadol opens the contents of the Aron.
  
17:1 And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, by their stages, according to the commandment of the LORD, and encamped in Rephidim; and there was no water for the people to drink. 2 Wherefore the people strove with Moses, and said: 'Give us water that we may drink.' And Moses said unto them: 'Why strive ye with me? wherefore do ye try the LORD?' 3 And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said: 'Wherefore hast thou brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?'
Instead of complaining unto Moshe and murmuring again, they should have prayed unto HASHEM with repentance and supplication. But they were fickle and weak in their belief. What is this like to a newly wed who praised his wife every day that he got a tasty meal. But one day she was delayed and in her haste burnt the food. Instead of saying, “Darling did you have a bad day?” He went into a tirade against her. So the wife became enraged against her groom and in our case HASHEM is the groom who provides and Am Yisrael the bride on Shabbos.

4 And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying: 'What shall I do unto this people? they are almost ready to stone me.' 5 And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Pass on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smote the river, take in thy hand, and go. 6 Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink.' And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 And the name of the place was called Massah, and Meribah, because of the striving of the children of Israel, and because they tried the LORD, saying: 'Is the LORD among us, or not?'

Another complaint and this time the punishment.

8 Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim. 9 And Moses said unto Joshua: 'Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek; tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand.' 10 So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek; and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11 And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. 12 But Moses' hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. 13 And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword. 14 And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Write this for a memorial in the book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.' 15 And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Adonai-nissi. 16 And he said: 'The hand upon the throne of the LORD: the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.'

This was the first nation that dared attack the Bnei Yisrael but not the last and we will not forget the Destruction, Inquisition or the Shoah and “On THAT DAY” we shall see what happens to all the nations.

Even before Jonathan Pollard was born, the previous Rebbe stated that America was no different and with Obama we see this daily now: http://www.chabad.org/multimedia/media_cdo/aid/3201685/jewish/10-Shevat-Farbrengen-with-the-Rebbe.htm

This week is Parsha Ha Mann and some people read the Manna portion for employment and monetary success.
The Silver Nitrate Disaster by Rabbi Yerachmiel Tilles

Though I [Rabbi Aaron L. Raskin] was just a teenager, I'll never forget the day I was sitting at ULY (United Lubavitch Yeshiva, in Brooklyn) when my English teacher, George Landberg, put down his chalk and interrupted the lecture. He was a fine teacher. Usually he liked to talk to us about literary things like onomatopoeia in poems or characters in fiction. But that day he told us an amazing story that was not fiction, but pure fact. A real miracle of tefillin had occurred to real people…him and his tragically blind son, Daniel.
Daniel Landberg was born in 1973 with normal eyesight. New York State law at that time required the eyes of all newborns to be treated, as a prophylactic measure against infection, with a one percent silver nitrate solution while still in the hospital. An inexperienced nurse's assistant, on duty in the delivery room that day, picked up a stick of silver nitrate intended for cleaning the area of the umbilical cord, a medication seventy times stronger than the one percent intended for ophthalmologic use and highly corrosive, and tragically used it on Daniel's eyes. As a result, both the infant's eyes were burned by the chemical solution, his skin scarred, and his eyelashes gone. Worst of all, he was blinded.
For three weeks, Daniel remained in the hospital, receiving antibiotic treatments and getting tests from one specialist after another in an attempt to cure him. None of the doctors believed Daniel's sight would return. To make matters worse, each was more callous than the next in their treatment of the frantic parents. Why was this couple even bothering? It was clear their child would forever e blind.
A window of hope opened when Dr. Albert Hornblass took up their case, though not quite in the way the Landbergs expected. Dr. Hornblass was an ophthalmologist who, two years earlier, had returned from Vietnam, was an expert in chemical burns and, importantly, an observant Jew.(1) Hornblass applied himself to Daniel's case with a prognosis for healing that others had ignored. He wrote to the Center for Disease Control in Washington and obtained their permission to treat Daniel with steroids that had not yet been approved.(2)
He also took a more personal interest in Daniel's healing, suggesting more spiritual, Jewish channels of healing. In particular, he shared with the couple how a healing from G-d had occurred for him, personally. His own father had suffered a heart attack, and the prognosis was very, very bad. A religious man, he wrote to the Lubvitcher Rebbe asking for a berachah. He received one, and within a week, his father was cured. Might not the Landbergs do the same?
Fortunately, the means to implement the doctor's suggestion were close at hand. George already had a connection to Lubavitch, having worked at ULY for ten years, and his bosf and principal, Rabbi Tenenbaum, had personal access to the Rebbe. Landberg asked Tenenbaum to approach the Rebbe. Tenenbaum agreed and in no time was face-to-face with the Rebbe in private audience, beseeching him on Daniel's behalf.
The Rebbe gave his blessing
One week later, the Landbergs got a call from Dr. Hornblass in the hospital, "I'm witnessing a miracle," he told them, "I'm watching all the conjunctiva and stain ooze out of Daniel's eyes. I dare say I'm confident his vision will return!" Indeed, within a short time, Daniel was no longer blind.
The Rebbe didn't exact any payment or thanks, but Rabbi Tenenbaum pursued Landberg. "You owe us," he asserted. "Now you must lay tefillin every day!"
A first, Landberg was stunned; he didn't have the mitzvah of tefillin anywhere on his personal spiritual radar, so it was unfamiliar to him.
But he was a good father, and he saw an inkling of what Tenenbaum was after. No matter how skeptical he was, he observed. The road to medically ensure Daniel's newfound sight was a long and often hard one, but through it all, every day, George Landberg laid tefillin.

Daniel was only six months old when he developed cysts on his cornea, a condition that would require surgery. But Dr. Hornblass had strong feelings against it. The child had so many steroids in his system, anesthesia would be risky. He delayed the surgery. Then one night, little Daniel rubbed his eyes in his sleep and broke the cysts. NO surgery was necessary.
As a preschooler, Daniel, like all small children, touched everything around him, including the floor and his eyes. As a result, the Landbergs were constantly at the eye doctor for treatment of eye infections, some so severe they oozed pus.
When Daniel was ten, a different sort of cyst developed on his eyelid that would affect the shape of his cornea. Surgery was required. When the surgeons went to remove the cyst, they also removed a great deal of scar tissue on the underside of his eyelid, further relieving the pressure on his cornea and improving his vision.
Years passed. Today Daniel is in his forties. His vision isn't perfect, but it is amazingly good, and the only physical damage remaining is a scar on the cornea of his right eye. He drives a car, coaches high school football, and has a child of his own. What's more, Daniel lays tefillin every day and is passing his connection to the mitzvah to his young son. He knows, without questions, that health and tefillin go together.
"We do feel it was all miraculous," Rita Landberg, Daniel's mother, concludes. There was this special berachah. It was miraculous that we found Dr. Hornblass and had a connection to Rabbi Tenenbaum, and that he, in turn, got a private audience with the Rebbe. Tefillin will always be intertwined with Daniel's wellbeing. There is no doubt his health is directly connected to the mitzvah."
I can attest that what Rita Landberg says is true. The mitzvah of tefillin is directly caught up with her family's health and wellbeing. I heard at school one day that George Landberg had fallen down the stairs at home and injured himself. Had he put on tefillin that day? No. He'd skipped it! He went right back up the stairs and put it on. Never again did he miss a day.
Thus, it was my English fiction teacher who taught me a Torah fact. When we observe the mtizvos assiduously, carefully, and without fail, we ourselves bring down enough power to transform darkness, quite literally, into light.
Notes:
1. For another story in this email series with Dr Hornglass that occurred several decades later, EYE FOR EYE.
2. The entire story of Daniel's amazing recovery wad documented by Dr. Hornglass in 1976 in the New York State Journal of Medicine; it is archived only at the NYU Health Sciences Library, reference cited as: New York State Journal of Medicine. Hornblass; October, 1976; Issue II; "Sever silver nitrate ocular damage: in newborn nursery"; pp. I,875-8. [Many state statutes requiring treating newborns' eyes with 1% silver nitrate have been changed in favor of less caustic treatments with fewer chances for error. Silver nitrate as treatment was a law in place for a century prior; cases like Daniel's over the course of many years influenced this change in medical policy.]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Source: "Guardian of Israel: Miracle Stories of Tefillin and Mezuzah" by Rabbi Aaron L. Raskin

Eye for Eye by Rabbi Yerachmiel Tilles

[As heard personally from Rabbi Grossman last month (see credits below).]


This happened in 5745 (1985 C.E.), when Mrs. Chaya-Rivka Hoenig, the oldest daughter of Rabbi Yitzchak-Dovid Grossman, the famous chief Rabbi of Migdal HaEmek in northern Israel, was 16 1/2 years old. One Friday, when she returned home for Shabbat from Beit Chana High School in Tsfat, her parents noticed that her right eye was swollen. She told them it was also painful.
At first her parents didn't think this was something to particularly worry about. They assumed it was a minor infection that would soon go away. But the swelling continued to increase, and her eye started to drip blood and ooze pus.* They rushed her to the emergency room and subsequently to each of the local eye doctors, but none of them were able to diagnose the cause of the problem. Instead they referred them to more expert doctors in the nearest large city, Haifa. But the doctors there too were at a loss how to help her, and sent them onward to a medical center in Tel Aviv. Weeks after that they went to Israel's leading hospital, Hadassah in the Ein Kerem district of Jerusalem, but there too no solution was found. Meanwhile the condition of her eye steadily worsened.
Several of the specialists they visited proffered explanations, but they conflicted one with the other. One proposed that the root of the problem was a malfunction in the eye itself. Another thought it to be a form of skin disease, while a third claimed it must be the result of an allergy. All agreed that the damage was very serious and that she would probably lose all vision in that eye.
For seven months the girl suffered from severe pain, and the whole time her eye continued to deteriorate.
Soon thereafter Rabbi Grossman flew to the USA on behalf of his Migdal Ohr educational institutions and charitable organizations. When he shared the pain of his daughter's situation with one of his friends in New York, the latter recommended that he seek a consultation with Dr. Albert Hornblass, a Jewish doctor in New Jersey who was an internationally known ophthalmologist of good reputation, and chairman of the Ophthalmologic Surgery department at New York's Eye, Ear and Throat hospital.
Rabbi Grossman arranged an appointment. He related to the doctor the background of his daughter's eye problem, and showed him the copies of the medical records from Hadassah-Ein Kerem that he had brought from Israel. The specialist was warm towards him, but explained he couldn't possibly provide a diagnosis without seeing the eye itself. So the rabbi immediately purchased a ticket for his daughter, and by 6AM the next morning she had already landed at JFK International Airport.
When he met her, after they exchanged greetings, her next words were a request to go immediately to see the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
Her father complied. As soon as they reached Brooklyn from the airport, they hurried over to 770 Eastern Parkway, Lubavitch international headquarters and the location of its main synagogue and yeshiva, as well as the Rebbe's office, arriving there only a few minutes before the Rebbe was due to appear for the morning prayer service.
They were not the only ones. Both sides of the lane leading to the entrance were packed with people anticipating the opportunity to see the Rebbe at close range, and maybe even to be noticed by him. Rabbi Grossman and his daughter joined the crowd.
Finally the car chauffeured by one of the secretariat parked in front, and the Rebbe stepped out from the back seat. At that moment Rabbi Grossman determined to request the Rebbe's blessing, even though this was not a time or occasion when the Rebbe interacted with his Chasidim or other visitors. As the Rebbe approached the entrance, Rabbi Grossman brazenly jumped in front of him and blocked the path! "What won't a father do for his daughter?" he shrugged in retrospect.
"Rebbe!" he cried out with great emotion. He gestured with his hand. "Here is my daughter. The one I wrote to you about with the eye problem. She very much needs the Rebbe's blessing for a complete healing."
The Rebbe already knew about the eye problem of Chaya-Rivka Grossman. He had received by mail several reports and requests for a blessing over the course of the year. He looked over to where she was standing and briefly glanced at her damaged eye. In less than a second he turned to Rabbi Grossman and said, "Immediately do a mezuzah check, and may she have an immediate complete recovery. And may you merit to raise her to a life of Torah, Jewish marriage and good deeds."
Rabbi Grossman called out "Amen v'Amen!" and ran for the nearest public telephone as soon as the Rebbe passed from sight. He told his wife what the Rebbe had said and that she should try to summon right away the expert sofer (scribe) whom they always use, and he should minutely examine all the mezuzahs in the house.
Rabbi Grossman returned to "770" to pray in the Rebbe's minyan. At the same time, his wife,succeeded to contact the sofer and explain to him the urgency of an immediate visit.
It did not take long to discover the problem. An entire word was blotted out from one of the mezuzahs! Which word? "Ainecha"-"your eyes," in the verse, "and they [the words in the head-tefilin] should be for an ornament between your eyes (Deut. 6:8, 11:18). The scribe immediately replaced the defective mezuzah with a high-quality one that he had brought with him, just in case.
After the prayers, Rabbi Grossman went to meet his daughter at the "Ess 'n Bentch" restaurant across Kingston Avenue. "Abba ('Dad')," she said excitedly; "what is going on with my eye?"
"What do you mean?" he worried.
"I sense that something is happening. It feels like it doesn't hurt as much."
Rabbi Grossman, who did not yet know the results of the scribal inspection, looked at her eye, but couldn't see any change. He suggested to her that she go back to the apartment where they were staying and rest from her long all-night journey. "In the afternoon," he added, "we have an appointment with the doctor."
After a long nap, she reported happily that her eye didn't hurt any more. Rabbi Grossman looked, and indeed the swelling was almost entirely gone. Chaya-Rivka suggested they not bother traveling to the doctor, but her father insisted they should still go.
In the doctor's office, Rabbi Grossman presented Chaya-Rivka to Dr. Ornblatt and handed to him the folder of her medical records, which now included the results of the most recent examinations which she had brought with her. The doctor looked at her eye and at the X-rays and the charts of examinations and test results in her thick folder. Then he looked at both again, even more carefully. "I can't understand this," he said wonderingly. The condition of her eye as I see it now is pretty much normal. It does not match at all the descriptions in this folder. Yet there are CAT scan results here that are dated just a few days ago, showing swelling, bleeding and pus. How can that be?"
Rabbi Grossman, who by then had heard about the invalid mezuzah in Migdal HaEmek, told the doctor the whole story about the Rebbe's blessing and the mezuzah checking. The doctor's eyes bulged. "We have witnessed an actual miracle!" he exclaimed.
Day by day her eye continued to improve. She returned to Israel, while Rabbi Grossman remained in USA.
Weeks passed. At a major Chasidic farbrengen (gathering) with the Lubavitcher Rebbe, during an intermission between talks while the crowd was singing soulful Chasidic tunes with great passion, Rabbi Grossman approached the dais and asked the Rebbe for a blessing that he should be successful in his mission in America.
"Amen!" said the Rebbe. And then immediately added, "Is your daughter alright?"
"Much much better," said the happy father, and asked for a blessing for her too.
"She should get even better," responded the Rebbe. "Completely better."
And, of course, that is exactly what happened.
Eighteen years later, in 2003, Rabbi Grossman was in New Jersey as the Guest of Honor at a local Jewish community event. When he entered the synagogue on Shabbat Day, a congregant wearing a tallit (prayer shawl) jumped from his seat, ran to him, hugged and kissed him with enthusiasm and then started crying. Rabbi Grossman felt a bit embarrassed because as hard as he tried, he couldn't place who this man was, although he did seem a bit familiar.
The man noticed his confusion and announced, "I am Dr. Hornblass, the eye doctor who saw with my own eyes the miracle that occurred for your daughter through the blessing of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. Since then I am continually aware with clear knowledge that there is G-D."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Source:
Transcribed and adapted by Yerachmiel Tilles from a speech by Rabbi Y. D. Grossman at a dinner in the Emperion Hall in Tsfat on the eve of Gimmel Tammuz 5774 (June 30,2014 C.E.) in honor of the 20th yahrzeit of the Lubavitcher Rebbe (n.d., z.y.a). Supplemented with a few details from an 8-minute JEM video of Rabbi Grossman telling the story (in Hebrew, with English subtitles) a few years ago -- http://www.chabad.org/therebbe/livingtorah/player_cdo/aid/2111305/jewish/Seeing-is-Believing.htm .

* Editor's note:
Other renditions of the story contain a quite different and more frightening description of the eye problem, based on details supplied by other family members, but I thought it appropriate to stick with what I heard with my own ears from Rabbi Grossman himself.

Connection: Weekly Readings (both last week and this): "Shma Yisrael...an ornament between your eyes."
Biographical notes (in order of appearance):
Rabbi Yitzchak Dovid Grossman, chief rabbi of Migdal Ha'Emek since 1969 at age 23, is a sixth generation Jerusalemite. He is a member of the Chief Rabbinate Council and a recipient of the Israel Prize and many other prestigious government awards for his successful efforts to bridge the gap between the religious and secular populations in Israel (thus his nickname from 40 years ago, the Disco Rabbi). His Migdal Ohr educational institutions and charitable organizations in Migdal Emek service thousands of underprivileged and at-risk children and teenagers.


Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the Lubavitcher Rebbe: [11 Nissan 5662 - 3 Tammuz 5754 (April 1902 - June 1994 C.E.)], became the seventh Rebbe of the Chabad dynasty after his father-in-law's passing on 10 Shvat 5710 (1950 C.E.). He is widely acknowledged as the greatest Jewish leader of the second half of the 20th century. Although a dominant scholar in both the revealed and hidden aspects of Torah and fluent in many languages and scientific subjects, the Rebbe is best known for his extraordinary love and concern for every Jew on the planet. His emissaries around the globe dedicated to strengthening Judaism number in the thousands. Hundreds of volumes of his teachings have been printed, as well as dozens of English renditions.




Abuse of the IRS by the Clintons and  death lists: http://www.wnd.com/2016/01/death-list-and-irs-ravaged-women-of-clinton/


Thursday he realized his dream to memorialize his daughter. Friday he joined her: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/206505

After sandstorm of last week, Israel preparing for snow this coming week: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/206877


Inyanay Diyoma

Netanyahu slams Europe and especially the Swedish Foreign Minister: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4753222,00.html

Hezballah with Russian weapons worries Israel: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4753347,00.html



For me Ben Dror Yemini is almost in left field but yet sometimes it is a person like him to Ed-Op the left: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4753465,00.html

With Obama and Kerry, they took their time. I saw of photo of the almost row boat that captured the two PT boats twice their size we are not being told the whole story and how does somebody with GPS going on a coastal route end up by an Island miles from the coast? http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4753621,00.html




You can try to PC the truth but it is there: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/206535


85 killed by ISIS in Syria and people killed in Africa in a hotel: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4753510,00.html




Woman murdered in home near Chevron: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4754113,00.html


Another stabbing this time of a pregnant woman: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/206616

The Russians are going to fight with robots to take back Aleppo for Assad. http://debka.com/article/25170/Russian-robots-on-the-ground-for-four-army-assault-to-retake-Aleppo


Election year politics the State Dept. condemns Arab terrorism. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/206661#.Vp24mSp96M8


More than one third of terror attacks come from Chevron. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4754744,00.html


In a speech dictated by Barak Hussein in support of Muslims: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4754628,00.html


Father of terrorist is proud of his son: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/206696









The terrorist have advanced into using drones as they try to counter air superiority. http://debka.com/article/25173/ISIS-is-flying-homemade-drones-developing-a-missile-armed-model


Israeli technology to produce drinking water from humidity in arid areas: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4755550,00.html







Have a wonderful Shabbos,
Rachamim Pauli