Friday, September 30, 2016

Parsha Netzavim, Elul Conclusion, 4 stories or biographies


Elul Conclusion


We have had a month to ask for forgiveness from both G-D and man. We have had time to give charity and improve our prayer. This coming Sunday night know in Hebrew as Ohr Le Yom Sheni, we stand before THE CREATOR OF THE WORLD. We pass like sheep who will live, die, become married, get divorced, become rich or poor, in good health or bad.


I was discussing a number of things with Rabbi Elihu Schatz Shlita between Mincha and Motzei Shabbos prayers. We came to a number of conclusions. 1) The original Rosh Hashanah as written in the Torah and practiced was a festive day of rejoicing and Yom Kippur was the day of Atonement. After the destruction of the first Beis HaMikdash, it took on a more solemn nature. 2) Tashlich is a troubling custom from Europe that the Vilna Gaon was against saying. However, I have used this Minchag and the saying of the Psalms does not hurt but one should not throw bread crumbs into water. 3) Selichos of the Sephardim make sense as they are done similar to the 40 days of Moshe Rabbaynu’s Prayers for forgiveness. The beginning and the end of the Ashkenazi Prayers make sense and are in simple Hebrew but the 100 poem-prayers in alphabetical acrostics and special Hebrew Words make no sense to the common Rabbis much less the majority of the population. It would be far more effective to pray the same words in simple Hebrew as the Sephardim do. 4) Kaporos only came into effect in the times of the Gaonim and appears to want to make some sacrifice for Yom Kippur for atonement. The giving of charity instead of the chicken is a better custom. 5) Removing Nederim with a Beis Din or Kol Nidre is not a bad custom but one in normal circumstances would have to say which Neder about what. It is a bit incomplete but goes back very long in time.


It is good to take prayer seriously on Rosh Hashanah. But it is just as imperative to be happy and enjoy the festival. For those who have a custom to eat special foods like beets or beet leaves and say “may our enemies hurry away”, carrots or black-eyed peas “may we increase”, (Dates) Tamar “may our enemies become confused”, apples with honey or sugar “may we have a sweet year like honey”, Leeks “May our enemies be cut off”, gourd “May the evil decree on Israel be ripped up and a good one read in its place”, pomegranates “may be multiply our merits like the seeds of the pomegranate”, a head of a fish “may be the head and not the tail and may we be fruitful and multiply like fish”, I use a tongue which tastes better for the head and it is also what Avraham served the three angels on Rosh Hashanah and I add “may it be a year of guarding our tongue [Shemiras HaLashon]”.  


Sing songs, eat and be merry because it is Yom Tov as it is said, “Serve HASHEM with joy come before HIM with rejoicing” Tehillim 100:2. Pay attention to the Shofar that is to wake you up out of your stupor. Enjoy, enjoy and enjoy Rosh Hashanah a smile goes a long way.



Parsha Nitzavim


29:9 Ye are standing this day all of you before the LORD your God: your heads, your tribes, your elders, and your officers, even all the men of Israel,



All of you are here today from the simple person, leaders of ten through the elders on the Sanhedrin. This is being said on the morning when Moshe is to depart up the mountain for the last time.


10 your little ones, your wives, and thy stranger that is in the midst of thy camp, from the hewer of thy wood unto the drawer of thy water;


Both your woodcutters [and your water drawers]: [The mention of these people separate to the main community of Israel] teaches us that in the days of Moses, Canaanites came to convert [to Judaism], just as the Gibeonites came [to convert] in the days of Joshua. This is the meaning of the verse regarding the Gibeonites, “And they also acted cunningly…” (Josh. 9:4), [i. e., pretending that they had come from a faraway country. When they were discovered, Joshua made them woodcutters and water drawers for Israel (see Josh. 9:3-27). Likewise here, the Canaanites attempted to deceive Moses, ... but they did not succeed, and Moses did not accept them to be Jews. Rather,] Moses made them woodcutters and water drawers [i.e., slaves for Israel]. — [Tanchuma 2; Yev. 79a; see Rashi Gittin 23b]



11 that thou should enter into the covenant of the LORD thy God--and into His oath--which the LORD thy God makes with thee this day;


That you may enter: Heb. לְעָבְרְךָ‏. [Meaning,] “That you may pass through [i.e., enter] the covenant.” One should not understand this verb [to be in the causative conjugation,] to mean “to cause you to pass through,” [but rather, the verb is in the simple conjugation, and means that you yourselves will pass through]. This is similar to the expression, לַעֲשׂתְכֶם, “that you [yourselves] should do them” (Deut. 4:14) That you may enter into the covenant: [lit.] “that you may pass through the covenant.” This was the method of those who made covenants: They would set up a demarcation on one side and a demarcation on the other, and [the respective parties of the covenant] “passed through” between [these partitions], as the verse says, “[when] they cut the calf in two and passed between its parts” (Jer. 34:18).



12 that He may establish thee this day unto Himself for a people, and that He may be unto thee a God, as He spoke unto thee, and as He swore unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.


Just as HE established with the three fathers his covenant and now fulfilling it, so too must you establish it on your part and HE will be unto you.



13 Neither with you only do I make this covenant and this oath; 14 but with him that stands here with us this day before the LORD our God, and also with him that is not here with us this day—


And [also] with those who are not here: also with future generations. — [Tanchuma 3]



15 for ye know how we dwelt in the land of Egypt; and how we came through the midst of the nations through which ye passed; 16 and ye have seen their detestable things, and their idols, wood and stone, silver and gold, which were with them—


Don’t even think about for:


18 and it come to pass, when he hears the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying: 'I shall have peace, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart--that the watered be swept away with the dry'; 19 the LORD will not be willing to pardon him, but then the anger of the LORD and His jealousy shall be kindled against that man, and all the curse that is written in this book shall lie upon him, and the LORD shall blot out his name from under heaven;



He will have no course to repentance for there are things which we do in our life that we cannot reverse. 1) Idol Worship 2) Murder and 3) Forbidden relationships with married women or incest.



…21 And the generation to come, your children that shall rise up after you, and the foreigner that shall come from a far land, shall say, when they see the plagues of that land, and the sicknesses wherewith the LORD hath made it sick; 22 and that the whole land thereof is brimstone, and salt, and a burning, that it is not sown, nor beareth, nor any grass groweth therein, like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which the LORD overthrew in His anger, and in His wrath; 23 even all the nations shall say 'Wherefore hath the LORD done thus unto this land? what means the heat of this great anger?' 24 then men shall say: 'Because they forsook the covenant of the LORD, the God of their fathers, which He made with them when He brought them forth out of the land of Egypt; 25 and went and served other gods, and worshipped them, gods that they knew not, and that He had not allotted unto them;


This sounds so much like Samuel Clemens’ aka Mark Twain’s visit to Eretz Yisrael about 150 years ago (1867 CE) he would not believe what has sprung up today for it was a barren land with a few weeds and a tree here and there on his way from Haifa to Jerusalem with an Arab or two on the way.



26 therefore the anger of the LORD was kindled against this land, to bring upon it all the curse that is written in this book; 27 and the LORD rooted them out of their land in anger, and in wrath, and in great indignation, and cast them into another land, as it is this day'.-- 28 The secret things belong unto the LORD our God; but the things that are revealed belong unto us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.



The secret things of the time of the return and Moshiach are unknown. Everybody gets ready for a time. Some Rabbis thought this year and one Rabbi who was a Kabbalist about 800 years ago believe that next year would be

30:1 And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt bethink thyself among all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath driven thee, 2 and shalt return unto the LORD thy God, and hearken to His voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thy heart, and with all thy soul; 3 that then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the peoples, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee. 4 If any of thine that are dispersed be in the uttermost parts of heaven, from thence will the LORD thy God gather thee, and from thence will He fetch thee.

This is what is happening today. The Torah then gives us a formula to keep the land by choosing a Torah Life and cleaving unto HASHEM Yisborach.

…19 I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that I have set before thee life and death, the blessing and the curse; therefore, choose life, that thou may live, thou and thy seed; 20 to love the LORD thy God, to hearken to His voice, and to cleave unto Him; for that is thy life, and the length of thy days; that thou may dwell in the land which the LORD swore unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.

We all have our ups and downs.
This is a story that a Rabbi whom I shall keep anonymous shared with a few people. I too was down in College before I found Frumkeit as the non-religious way of life had nothing to offer me. Here the Rabbi wondered if his purpose in this world had ended.


A Rabbi’s Story


I want to share a story with you. This was shared with me on the 4th day that I was sitting Shiva for my Mother.

I have a very close friend, and his name is R' Bezalel Jacobs and he lives in Boro Park.  
He has a Minchag that after his Shabbos day meal, he would walk from his home on 12th Avenue and walk to the Metropolitan Jewish Geriatric Center which is now called the Boro Park Center. He would go to EACH room that there was a Jewish patient and wish him or her or them a Good Shabbos. He would start from the 8th Fl. and go down. On one particular Shabbos, my Father was on the 8th Fl. for rehab, when Bezalel, came into the room, and wished my Father a Good Shabbos.

My Father asked if he could come closer to the bed, that he wanted to speak to him.  
My Father told him the following:

I am soon to die, and when I leave this world my wife will follow me shortly.

I want your word that when I die and my wife dies, that you will look out after our son.  
He is a very special person, he took care of me and my wife and he risked his life, his Parnasa for us, and took care of us, as if we were his children. I am afraid, that once we have left this world, our son will find a way to join us, and I know that he has a purpose and has to stay here. He is very quiet, very little friends, and after we have left this world, he will have NO one to be close to him.

Bezalel told my Father you have my word. Then I walked into the room, and I saw that something was wrong. Bezalel related this story to me in front of my Rabbi and others. In that first year, I would go to their home once a month, and it was VERY hard to live, but Bezalel showed me that there is a life after the death of my Mother and Father.

He introduced me to other families who are like him. Eventually to this day, when Hashem has given me the Bracha of serving as His Soldier, a Chassid to my Rabbi and a Shamus to my Kehillah.

So, I went from the lowest point of my life, to the point I am now, and I would NEVER trade of what I have now, because ALL of you played a part in this one way or another.  
Each of you, have given me life and I am VERY grateful for that, even though most of you I NEVER met or ever will, still you are in my heart and soul and I am very happy to know you.

We should meet at Simchas until Moshiach comes. - Rabbi ...


Israel is still feeling the effects for the Crusades


Lately, it appears that the # of wild boar have increased dramatically! The following have happened just to us in the last two weeks: 
1) At 4am one night, 4 wild boar came onto our front lawn from the street and dug up the whole lawn (we witnessed this on the video cameras around our house) 
2) Two nights after that, at 10:30 at night, I came home from a meeting and saw 6 wild boar on the neighbor’s lawn. 
3) Last week at 9pm, our 12-year-old daughter and a friend left the house of another friend. Wild boars were in the street. They screamed and ran back into the house whereupon the dad drove the girls home (which is crazy as we live about 20 seconds from the friends' house) 
4) Last night at 11:30pm, our daughter came home from babysitting and ran into 4 wild boar on our street. She screamed loudly to the point that the neighbors heard her and came out, and ran away. As it was late, she felt bad knocking on anyone’s door and so she sat at the kikar (traffic circle or round about) until nearly 12:30 when we came home from a Simcha. Additionally, about 8 months ago, our daughter was going to meet friends on a Friday night and a small wild boar chased her and scratched her on the back of the leg! 
Wild boar are very dangerous!! When the situation has gotten such that our children are afraid to leave the house, it has reached an intolerable level! I have already complained 3 times at the mazkirut (secretariat) and filed an official report with moked (call center) of the moetza (greater municipal authorities). I implore everyone to also go into the mazkirut and complain. 
We must protect our children and give them a safe and caring environment. 

Epilogue: Good morning Tonight between the hours of 7:00 pm - 3:00 am there will be hunters hunting the wild boar. You may hear shots during those hours.


If they don’t win it’s a shame: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/218320


Sarah Lee wrote this well-known story but I figured that I would share if for nothing else some new comers to Orthodox Judaism: Someone once came to the Chofetz Chaim’s house to speak with him. She noticed that his house was extremely simple. There was just a table, a few chairs and a small portable kitchen. She asked the Chofetz Chaim, “Where is your couch? Where is your nice furniture?” The Chofetz Chaim replied, “Tell me, when you go to a hotel, do you bring your couch, your table, your chairs and all your other furniture along?”
“Of course not,” she replied. “Well, why not?” asked the Chofetz Chaim.” “Because I’m not planning on staying there for a long time; I’m only there for a few days and then returning home.” The Chofetz Chaim smiled and said, “That’s exactly how I look at life; I’m not here forever. I am just passing through this world and in a few years my Neshama will be going back home!” ~ From the book, The Gadol HaDor


On 24th of Elul 5693 (1933) the Chofetz Chaim’s soul came to rest. He once met a Cobbler working late into the night. He asked him, “why so late?” The Cobbler replied, “As long as the candle burns, it is possible to repair!” From the Cobbler, the Chofetz Chaim learned Mussar. As long as the eternal soul is in our bodies, we can repair it.






The “Hug Rebbe” passes away: Rabbi Dr. Simon L. (Shimon) Eckstein Z"L
[YC 44, RIETS 46, BRGS]

Husband of Beila Eckstein.
Father of Ahuva Epstein [SCW 70], our Chaver Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein [YUHS 68, YC 73, BRGS 75, RIETS 75], Rachayl "Rock" [SCW 75] (and our chaver Rabbi Dr. Hillel [YC 72, BRGS 75, RIETS 75]) Davis, and Beryl Eckstein (YUHS 75, YC 79).

Rabbi Simon L. “Sy” Eckstein, a beloved Canadian-Jewish leader and renowned psychologist and authority in the field of gerontology, passed away at his Jerusalem home on Sept. 24. He was 96. Rabbi Simon Eckstein was born on December 4, 1919 in Jerusalem, where he eventually settled in his last years after living most of his life in the U.S. and Canada. In 1928 Eckstein moved with his family to the U.S., and settled in the Benson Hurst section of Brooklyn, where he attended Yeshiva Chaim Berlin in middle school, then Torah Vidas in Williamsburg. Like so many in the Jewish community, his family prized education, and he earned a bachelor's degree, a doctorate, and ultimately his Smicha from Yeshiva University. Rabbi Eckstein went on to attain a master's degree in psychology from New York University. After marrying Belle Hirschman he became the assistant rabbi of the revered modern Orthodox leader, Rabbi Leo Jung, of the Jewish Center of the West Side of Manhattan. In 1952, R' Eckstein moved his family to Ottawa, Canada for a rabbinic posting that would become an important part of his legacy. Over a quarter century, R' Eckstein served as chief rabbi of Ottawa, where he oversaw four synagogues. He later joined the faculty of the Department of Religious Knowledge at Carleton University. Under his leadership, two synagogues merged to establish Congregation Beth Shalom, which flourished for half a century. R' Eckstein retired from the rabbinate in 1975, but continued to influence the community's Jewish life, both as a senior clerical figure and through columns in local media like The Ottawa Citizen and Ottawa Journal. He also appeared on radio talk shows and continued to contribute to local Jewish life. Meanwhile, R' Eckstein returned to his other passion, psychology, and went back to school at Ottawa University to attain a second master's degree in the field, specializing in gerontology. He later joined the university's psychology faculty and became a leading specialist in the field. As a senior citizen himself, R' Eckstein became a psychologist in Hollywood, Florida, where he focused on counseling and lecturing on issues relating to aging and retirement. His teachings were captured in an eponymous 
book his children compiled to preserve his wisdom. At age 91, R' Eckstein realized another dream, immigrating to Israel with Belle and returning to Jerusalem, the city of his birth. One of R' Eckstein's lifelong missions was to bridge the gap between the older and younger generations, especially of Jews. He once quoted Rabbi Berel Wein, saying: "One of the blessings of our generation is the unique role of grandparents and great-grandparents in providing a bridge as well as a perspective: a bridge to the past and a perspective on life for the present and future." 
(ifcj.org)







Inyanay Diyoma


Out of the mainstream: Because of the possible loss of the election, is Obama willing to risk a nuclear war? http://osnetdaily.com/2016/09/ww3-just-break-middle-east/









Ted Cruz decided to keep his written word: http://www.wnd.com/2016/09/cruz-to-endorse-trump/




Netanyahu to meet both US Presidential Contenders: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/218256


What happens in Northern Syria may be soon near the Israeli Border: http://debka.com/article/25676/Russian-Syrian-Aleppo-tactics-await-the-South


Obama with the help of Kerry are writing a new book “The Art of a Bad Deal”. Giuliani hopes that the Iran deal will be cancelled: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/218271


Turkish immigrant in mall shooting strange he did not look Christian or Jewish: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/09/25/mall-shooting-suspect-was-zombie-like-when-arrested-officials-say.html

Terrorist murderer dies during sports activity: Blessed is the true JUDGE: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/218284

Is the US Nuclear Deterrent enough for N. Korea? https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/us-nuclear-deterrent-north-korea-rachel-ehrenfeld

Ed-Op on Turkish Treachery: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4858247,00.html

Personal advice to all Christian Cartoonists in Jordan – don’t think about freedom of the press: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4859341,00.html

Iran gains Naval bases in Italy and Syria: http://debka.com/article/25684/Iran-gains-Mediterranean-bases-in-Italy-and-Syria

From Rita: Communist China cracks down on its 1000 Jews: http://www.timesofisrael.com/chinese-authorities-crack-down-on-tiny-jewish-community/

What Trump told Netanyahu: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4859481,00.html

Former Chief Rabbi of France passes away: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/218330

In Houston they don’t play games with terrorists: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/218340

From Judith: This man is a bad, bad, bad guy masquerading as a “Catholic".  Breitbart has reported that Clinton’s V.P.  pick Tim Kaine is among the top anti-Israel senators.  He is the top recipient of PAC funds from George Soros’s anti-Israel group, J Street.  He distinguished himself as one of eight senators to walk out on Benjamin Netanyahu’s historic speech to a joint session of Congress warning against the Iran nuclear deal.  Kaine’s record on the Islamic threat here in America is far, far worse than that.

In exchange for campaign contributions, he appointed a radical jihadi to the Virginia Immigration Commission.  Esam Omeish runs a group described by federal prosecutors in a 2008 court filing "as the overt arm of the Muslim Brotherhood in America." Omeish is the V.P.  of a radical mosque that had the al-Qaeda operative Anwar Al-Awlaki as its imam and two of the 9/11 hijackers and Nidal Hasan, the perpetrator of the Fort Hood shooting, in the congregation.  Omeish is still a board member, even as he serves on the Virginia Immigration Commission.  Omeish was also chairman of the board of a New Jersey mosque with terrorist ties, including an imam whom the Department of Homeland Security wants to deport for having links to Hamas.  As if that weren’t enough, Omeish pledged in a video to help Palestinians who understand that "the jihad way is the way to liberate your land."

When a state delegate wrote a letter to then-Governor Kaine warning him that the MAS has "questionable origins, "a Kaine spokesperson said the charge was bigotry.  Kaine also has close ties with Jamal Barzinji, whom the Global Muslim Brotherhood Watch describes as a founding father of the U.S.  Muslim Brotherhood.?

He first came on to the FBI’s radar in 1987-1988 when an informant inside the Brotherhood identified Barzinji and his associated groups as being part of a network of Brotherhood fronts to "institute the Islamic Revolution in the United States."

The source said Barzinji and his colleagues were "organizing political support which involves influencing both public opinion in the United States as well as the United States Government using "political action front groups with no traceable ties."

(snip) Barzinji was nearly prosecuted but the Obama Justice Department dropped plans for indictment.

Barzinji played a major role in nearly every Brotherhood front in the U.S.  and was vice president of the International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT), which came under terrorism investigation also.

What is truly chilling about Kaine’s association with known terrorists is that the indictment of Al-Arian says the jihadist’s strategy was to "seek to obtain support from influential individuals, in the United States under the guise of promoting and protecting Arab rights."

The quotes about Brotherhood operative Barzinji’s aspirations to use civil rights advocacy as a means to influence politicians are especially relevant when you consider that video from the event honoring Barzinji shows Kaine saying that it was his fourth time at the annual dinner and thanked his ?friends?  that organized it for helping him in his campaign for lieutenant-governor and governor and asked them to help his Senate campaign.

Like Hillary, Tim Kaine’s affection for jihadists is a quid pro quo: he gives them cover and appointments to positions of power, and they give him money.

(snip) The Barzinji-tied New Dominion PAC donated $43,050 to Kaine’s gubernatorial campaign.

The PAC has very strong ties to the Democratic Party in Virginia, with almost $257,000 in donations.  This likely explains why Barzinji’s grandson served in Governor McAuliffe's administration and then became the Obama Administration's liaison to the Muslim-American community.

The Middle East Forum’s Islamist Money in Politics database shows another $4,300 donated to Kaine’s Senate campaign in 2011-2012 by officials from U.S.  Muslim Brotherhood entities.  Another $3,500 came from Barzinji’s IIIT organization.

The New York Sun sees Kaine as one of the few senators who fully backed the Obama-Hillary Middle East disaster, including the open disrespect and hostility to our ally, Israel.

Can it be a coincidence that of all the millions of Americans Secretary Clinton could have picked as her running mate, she chose, in Senator Kaine, one of the eight Democrats who boycotted Prime Minister Netanyahu’s address last year to a joint meeting of Congress.  Not a chance.  It’s one marker of the fact that for all Mrs.  Clinton’s protestations of support for the Jewish State, it would be a fool’s wager to count on her when the chips are down.

Hillary’s choice of Tim Kaine reveals her intentions as president to continue the Obama policy of promoting the Muslim Brotherhood and Iran and betraying Israel.  The choice of Kaine also reveals Hillary’s reckless disregard for homeland security.  She has chosen a man who is willing to cozy up to well-known terror-promoters here in America in exchange for cash.

The media wants us to think Donald Trump is dangerous.  This is the face of danger: Clinton-Kaine, importers of jihadi terror to America.

186,923 babies born in the last year in Israel and other statistics: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4859811,00.html

Labor MP gives up seat as an anti-Semite is elected their leader: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4859920,00.html

As a politician Hillary was more prepared for the debate but she was condescending and Trump appeared presidential. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/19544

Tank Commander injured by turret: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4860158,00.html

Trump-Clinton race remains a tie after the debate: http://debka.com/article/25685/Clinton-attacked-a-defensive-Trump-Tie-holds

Shimon Peres also known as Peres Gump after he was in every major event since the founding of Israel passes away: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4860743,00.html
From Shulamit: Not so Neutral Michael Moore disputes this: http://www.newsmax.com/Headline/michale-moore-trump-won-debate/2016/09/27/id/750445/?ns_mail_uid=27661111&ns_mail_job=1689832_09282016&s=al&dkt_nbr=9ixkbm3u

First Temple Era buildings found. Funny not one Arab or symbol of the “Palestinian People” found. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/218442




From Dr. Harry: Several Afghan nationals undergoing military training in the United States disappeared from U.S. military bases this month, according to Pentagon and Homeland Security officials.

“During the month of September, seven Afghan students were considered absent without leave (AWOL) during international military student programs,” Pentagon spokesman Cmdr. Patrick L. Evans said.

Three of the Afghan military trainees fled from a Pentagon training program two weekends ago during the bombing spree in New York and New Jersey by Afghan-born bombing suspect Ahmad Rahami, raising concerns among security officials that the missing Afghan students may be linked to terrorism or plans for attacks in the United States.

The disappearance of the Afghans comes amid heightened fears of increasing Islamist terror attacks around the country. The attacks have included the New York area bombings and attempted bombings, a knife attack at a Minnesota mall by a Somali jihadist, and other regional shootings.


Two of the missing Afghans had been training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, and one was training at Fort Gordon, Georgia.

An Army source said the Afghans who left the weekend of the New York area bombings appeared to be part of a coordinated effort. The three men are being probed for possible connections to Rahami. “Initial assessment is that there is not relation and the timing is coincidental,” the source said.

Evans declined to comment on whether the Pentagon has security concerns about the missing Afghans.

Sarah Rodriguez, a spokeswoman for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement service, said authorities are pursuing the Afghans.

“ICE Homeland Security Investigations is aware of the situation, and is actively working to locate these individuals in coordination with the State Department and the Department of Defense,” she said, declining specifics because of the ongoing investigation.



Aleppo the real Obama Middle-East Legacy Ed-Op by Alex Fishman: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4859657,00.html



Dr. Martin Sherman Ed-Op the Nexus Jihad: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/19545



Horrific train enters station w/speed: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4861562,00.html


Assistant Prosecutor of Egypt survives assassination attempt: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/218524








German Foreign Minister calls on Iran to recognize Israel. Reminds me of John Foster Dulles “Why can’t the Jews and the Arabs get together like good Christian Gentlemen (Northern Ireland).” http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/218513


A healthy, happy, blessed, successful, fruitful, prosperous, joyous, wonderful, Torah-filled new year with the Moshiach coming as soon as possible.
Rachamim Pauli

Friday, September 23, 2016

Parsha Ki Savo, Elul, A Big Grin


Elul Part 4 To be a minimum Jew


My return to Judaism perhaps should have concluded with the fact that I never ever tried to be one to be a maximum Jew. On some things, I was stricter when I was younger and I still have special Pareve Pots and cutlery because things like mustard, radish, onion, garlic, pepper etc. are pungent but I often eat them with both milk and meat meals. Humus and Tahini contain often onions, pepper and maybe garlic for flavor which makes them subject to knife and plate that they are used with. Once a meat knife goes into the Humus, it cannot be eaten with a milk meal. On the other hand, a piece of fruit like a pear or an apple does not ‘eat into the absorbed milk or meat’ and therefore can be cut with any knife.


Rabbi Ovadia Yosef always looked for the strength of a Heter aka Koach Ha Heter for Halacha for the average person. However, he might have been stricter on himself. Any boor and Am HaAretz can forbid an action. It takes a Rabbi to Permit. A case was once brought before HaRav Ovadia regarding a belt that used a house key as a buckle for use on Shabbos. Rav Amar brought it before Rav Ovadia and said the item looks permissible as the key holds the belt together. At first HaRav Ovadia wanted to say no because of the Shulchan Aruch where Rabbi Yosef Caro says that it forbidden. However, he might not have been talking about a key as a buckle that holds the pants together. For years the people of Paris had been using this but lately at that time the Chumra of the month club had decided that it was no good. After two days and 50 sources later, Rav Ovadia agreed with Rav Amar on it.


So when I am talking about being a better Jew, I am not asking somebody to go out of their way to spend $150, $250 dollars on an Esrog for Sukkos but to buy a kosher one for the lowest price or a bit higher grade. The Torah was not given to Angels or for people to knock themselves out in order to buy an Esrog. In fact, in the old days may Jews used the one Esrog and Lulav that the Congregation had.


What is a good Jew – visiting or at least calling the sick. Attending a funeral, making happy a bride and groom. Helping somebody find employment, giving away clothing for the poor all sorts of things to help others. As a child, I used to help a blind lady cross the street and carry her bundles about 100 feet to her house and up the stairs for her. It was not much for me but it helped her. Of course cities can be run by Amalek laws that arrest people for giving out 100 meals to the homeless: http://m.nydailynews.com/news/national/man-90-arrested-week-feeding-homeless-article-1.2002790



Do the right things. Learn Torah and Halacha, help raise children to be G-D fearing Jews. Keep Shabbos, Kosher, Family Purity and help one’s spouse or parents. These are minimum things but there is no limit to these things. Note kosher is kosher and if you are not Glatt Kosher there is nothing wrong with it. I recently saw something that almost made my eyes pop. I was reading that the OU asked for an OU on all Coca Cola products. Unless they have changed their secret formula which Rabbi Moshe Feinstein approved for Pessach, they should be kosher anywhere in the world. Is there something different with their bottling plant somewhere in the world? Is the Cola placed before an idol for a sacrifice and then we get the left-overs? I don’t know their reasoning.


We are about to start saying Selichos Prayers asking for forgiveness. I bought the Art Scroll Selichos for I could not figure out what these great Alphabetic 100 Songs of forgiveness were. Even 46 years in Israel and practical Hebrew, the poetic Hebrew is above me. But what there is some element of Kabbala inside too. The Sephardic Selichos which are said for almost all of the 40 days from Rosh Chodesh Elul to Yom Kippur are simple understandable Hebrew and even if not repeated every morning until one can learn them. As I wrote in my thoughts about pray over the last few weeks. Maybe we are saying Selichos for the sake of heaven but if said so fast that I can’t pray in Hebrew and skim the English it is just mumbling sounds not even words. We beat our breasts and say the 13 Midos and then return to the mumbling many times. Finally, Hallelujah, we start saying Remember aka Zachor to the end and it means something similar to the preamble of the prayers. It is hard to break a Minchag but in my humble opinion the Sephardim got it right and the Ashkenazim got it wrong. (Based on the second ascent of Moshe from Rosh Chodesh Elul until Yom Kippur.) Ok Rabbi Pauli is a renegade and a trouble maker but observes the custom nevertheless.


Master of the world we are a people trying our best to serve you. Some with more love, some with more awe, some out of fear, some out of habit, but please forgive us and judge us for life. 


A little epilogue to my 9-part story which is half story and half Elul and half Repentance: When I was becoming Frum, I had a bit of regression here and there in my path. Life is not simple neither black nor white but gray. 20 to 25 days I improve my Davening and charity and 5 days I revert. That is how human and fallible we are. It is not a matter of being one way or the other. We all make mistakes. Learning a new religion, customs and way of life was hard enough for me as a Jew where I did not have the Bnei Noach option but I had all 613 Mitzvos in front of me. But Ger has a choice so if he converts he should be praised. Concepts like a Bastard are different from a Maumzer for a child born to a married man and a bachelorette out of wedlock is kosher but a child born to a forbidden or incestuous relationship is a Maumzer. Moving 100 chairs in a room on Shabbos is not Melacha (mistranslated work) but carrying a handkerchief from a private domain to a public domain is a Melacha. These are just some new concepts combined with not turning on electric switches or activating the internet or phone on Shabbos is hard at first [Ok 50 years ago there was no internet] but not travelling to the beach by foot and swimming was hard for me or not sailing or rowing. Each of us has a Yetzer.


This week, my Drasha is strong but sometimes strong medicine will remove the evil decree upon us and the wicked will dissipate as smoke blown away by a strong wind.




Ki Savo


Last week, I debated whether to write Ki Seitzei or Ki Teitzei. I looked at my spell checker and it was the later. However, Art Scroll which I only got hold of on Shabbos uses the former. Since I speak in Israel the Tav and not the Sav, I decided to play it safe. In fact, when I started this Drasha turned into blogspot, I only used the Sephardic Hebrew of Eretz Yisrael and wrote Xtians instead of Christians for that was the standard writing in a small group. However, as I expanded my outreach I went to the standard for outside of Israel instead of the Israeli version.



This week we start our Parsha with the Mitzvah of Bikurim and the confession for it. We have the taking of the stones from the Yarden and plastering them over in order to write on them the whole Torah.


We continue with the blessing on Har Gerizim and the curse on Har Eval. But then comes the worse reproof of the Nation for misbehavior that has not yet started.



This week we start our Parsha with the Mitzvah of Bikurim and the confession for it. We have the taking of the stones from the Yarden and plastering them over in order to write on them the whole Torah.


We continue with the blessing on Har Gerizim and the curse on Har Eval. But then comes the worse reproof of the Nation for misbehavior that has not yet started.


As pessimistic as the curses told by Moshe were and as accusing my Drasha is today the Parsha ends on an optimistic note that the people are going into Eretz Yisrael soon and they must remember the miracles and the warnings so as not to lose it.
I end the Drasha with the belief that we are on the very edge of the Moshiach coming but until then be prepared and cautious.


26:1 And it shall be, when thou art come in unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance, and dost possess it, and dwell therein; 2 that thou shalt take of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which thou shalt bring in from thy land that the LORD thy God giveth thee; and thou shalt put it in a basket and shalt go unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose to cause His name to dwell there.

The Bikurim have no set Shuir. If you have one tree it could be one fruit and only from the 7 Minim (species) mentioned in the Torah. One can bring the whole tree or a few fruits and perhaps add from the same species. I now bring down the confession that a man does. It has to come from his inheritance of the land and not nourished by the neighbor’s ground this about a meter or more away from the neighbor.


3 And thou shalt come unto the priest that shall be in those days, and say unto him: 'I profess this day unto the LORD thy God, that I am come unto the land which the LORD swore unto our fathers to give us.' 4 And the priest shall take the basket out of thy hand, and set it down before the altar of the LORD thy God. 5 And thou shalt speak and say before the LORD thy God: 'A wandering Aramean was my father, and he went down into Egypt, and sojourned there, few in number; and he became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous. 6 And the Egyptians dealt ill with us, and afflicted us, and laid upon us hard bondage. 7 And we cried unto the LORD, the God of our fathers, and the LORD heard our voice, and saw our affliction, and our toil, and our oppression. 8 And the LORD brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terribleness, and with signs, and with wonders. 9 And He hath brought us into this place, and hath given us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. 10 And now, behold, I have brought the first of the fruit of the land, which Thou, O LORD, hast given me.' And thou shalt set it down before the LORD thy God, and worship before the LORD thy God.13 then thou shalt say before the LORD thy God: 'I have put away the hallowed things out of my house, and also have given them unto the Levite, and unto the stranger, to the fatherless, and to the widow, according to all Thy commandment which Thou hast commanded me; I have not transgressed any of Thy commandments, neither have I forgotten them. 14 I have not eaten thereof in my mourning, neither have I put away thereof, being unclean, nor given thereof for the dead; I have hearkened to the voice of the LORD my God, I have done according to all that Thou hast commanded me. 15 Look forth from Thy holy habitation, from heaven, and bless Thy people Israel, and the land which Thou hast given us, as Thou didst swear unto our fathers, a land flowing with milk and honey.'


The people are to set up in stone the whole Torah by plastering great stones upon entrance into the land.

27:1 And Moses and the elders of Israel commanded the people, saying: 'Keep all the commandment which I command you this day. 2 And it shall be on the day when ye shall pass over the Jordan unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, that thou shalt set thee up great stones, and plaster them with plaster. 3 And thou shalt write upon them all the words of this law, when thou art passed over; that thou may go in unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, a land flowing with milk and honey, as the LORD, the God of thy fathers, hath promised thee. 4 And it shall be when ye are passed over the Jordan, that ye shall set up these stones, which I command you this day, in mount Eval, and thou shalt plaster them with plaster. 5 And there shalt thou build an altar unto the LORD thy God, an altar of stones; thou shalt lift up no iron tool upon them. 6 Thou shalt build the altar of the LORD thy God of unhewn stones; and thou shalt offer burnt-offerings thereon unto the LORD thy God. 7 And thou shalt sacrifice peace-offerings, and shalt eat there; and thou shalt rejoice before the LORD thy God. 8 And thou shalt write upon the stones all the words of this law very plainly.'

When my wife and I visited the area two years ago on Chol HaMoed Sukkos, we saw the excavations of the Altar that Yehoshua Bin Nun built. The stones are long gone and buried or transported elsewhere by the Romans. In the times of the Talmud the of the 12 Stones set up in the Yarden River, there were still available for viewing.

… 12 'These shall stand upon mount Gerizim to bless the people, when ye are passed over the Jordan: Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Joseph, and Benjamin; 13 and these shall stand upon mount Eval for the curse: Reuben, Gad, and Asher, and Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali.

The tribes were set by the Torah and not arbitrary. For I would think after the incident with Zimri and the 24,000 sinners that Shimon would be on the curse side. Or at least Shimon and Levi separated as Yacov blessed on his death-bed.

14 And the Levites shall speak, and say unto all the men of Israel with a loud voice:

The Cohanim were in the valley between the two mountains.

15 Cursed be the man that makes a graven or molten image, an abomination unto the LORD, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and sets it up in secret. And all the people shall answer and say: Amen. 16 Cursed be he that dishonors his father or his mother. And all the people shall say: Amen.

This is why around 20 a person becomes cuperable for the Mitzvos. For teenagers often rebel and dishonor their parents.

17 Cursed be he that removes his neighbor’s landmark. And all the people shall say: Amen. 18 Cursed be he that makes the blind to go astray in the way. And all the people shall say: Amen. 19 Cursed be he that perverts the justice due to the stranger, fatherless, and widow. And all the people shall say: Amen. 20 Cursed be he that lies with his father's wife; because he hath uncovered his father's skirt. And all the people shall say: Amen.

Among the nations, this was the practice of older sons to show that they were now the head of the household (this is not his mother but his father’s wife).

21 Cursed be he that lies with any manner of beast. And all the people shall say: Amen.

Ever since I heard about astronomers in Chile on a mountain top (back in 5728) using sheep I concluded that if intelligent people among the nations do this and are not laughed at then it is common among the nations.

22 Cursed be he that lies with his sister, the daughter of his father, or the daughter of his mother. And all the people shall say: Amen. 23 Cursed be he that lies with his mother-in-law. And all the people shall say: Amen.

All these were practiced among the nations.

24 Cursed be he that smites his neighbor in secret. And all the people shall say: Amen.

I would not advise doing this in public but the curse goes on the person who attacks when no witnesses are around.

25 Cursed be he that taketh a bribe to slay an innocent person. And all the people shall say: Amen.

Through false testimony.


26 Cursed be he that confirms not the words of this law to do them. And all the people shall say: Amen.'

The laws of the Torah are supreme and above the secular law. Exception is the rule Din of the Kingdom is Din. But it should not go against the Torah but with the Torah.

28:1 And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all His commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all the nations of the earth. 2 And all these blessings shall come upon thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God. 3 Blessed shall thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field. 4 Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the young of thy flock. 5 Blessed shall be thy basket and thy kneading-trough. 6 Blessed shalt thou be when thou come in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou go out. … 13 And the LORD will make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if thou shalt hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them; 14 and shalt not turn aside from any of the words which I command you this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.

These are the blessings which HASHEM will give you and conquering your enemies. So why are we having trouble all the time? Unnecessary Shabbos work. Attacks from the non-religious on G-D and our way of life that have kept us a nation since Avraham found the true G-D sometime over 3800 years ago. In Beresheis it says: 24:1 And Abraham was old, well stricken in age; and the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things. The blessings come from observance and the curses come from non-observance. What we have now is a combination of both. So we see certain blessings and from time to time certain curses. In Sivan 5727, we were given a golden opportunity to rid the land of usurpers that came in after the Aliyah and the Jews supplied them with jobs and a scapegoat Dhimmi. All we had to do was to let them lea(sdeve on their own. Some would resettle and others would remain in a “refugee camp” with free food and 15 story high shanties with a marble entrance and tiles on the sides of the shanties if they were propagandists while others in standard Arab Country buildings. In case I did not make my point on why the blessings are not coming through with more observance of the Nation here is an example from Inyanay Diyoma: Why are Israeli Settlements being demolished by the GOI and courts and not illegal Arab building??? http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4858227,00.html (see below).


15 But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all His commandments and His statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee.

But no, our non-observing Jews let them become thorns in our side and as we violate Mitzvos, the attacks increase. It might not be my fault or your fault.

Bearing false witness against our neighbors is not just in the court of law. READ THIS WELL AND TO YOUR CHILDREN. There are some “religious” people going around acting as if they were 10, 20 or 30 times holier than you or I. They can even wear Charedi Clothing that make me look non-religious in my usual white or light blue dress shirt and black pants. Then at night they go elsewhere to a night club or worse. It is not a big Kiddush HASHEM. Many times I have stated that the Torah was not given to the angels and every forbidden mentioned in the Torah unfortunately has been violated. Some in food. Super-duper in Israel they go outside of Israel all of a sudden Kashrus is gone and maybe more. On the other hand, if you ever see some Frum Jew going into a Big Mac, it might be to use the toilet or buy a take-away coffee so don’t judge him harshly. I was once picked up in the airport by my non-Jewish friend. He told me that he was hungry from the 3-hour drive from Farmington to St. Louis and he went with his wife to eat a hamburger while I drank a coke there. It was long before the internet was invented and I was not known as a Rabbi so I was in my Baseball Hat as a bearded American not as a Jew.

Perhaps that is a problem of a Kosher Jew in a non-Jewish environment. The other is complete assimilation. But in Israel there should be no excuse and yet we see people going out and sin even right after Yom Kippur.

… 69 These are the words of the covenant which the LORD commanded Moses to make with the children of Israel in the land of Moab, beside the covenant which He made with them in Horev.

Moshe is about to depart this world so he has given the Am a choice for whether they want to observe the Torah and be blessed or not observe and face the music. The problem is a merciful G-D that delays punishment based on past merit or gives the reward in this world that let the wicked prosper.

29:1 And Moses called unto all Israel, and said unto them: Ye have seen all that the LORD did before your eyes in the land of Egypt unto Pharaoh, and unto all his servants, and unto all his land; 2 the great trials which thine eyes saw, the signs and those great wonders; 3 but the LORD hath not given you a heart to know, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day. 4 And I have led you forty years in the wilderness; your clothes are not waxen old upon you, and thy shoe is not waxen old upon thy foot. 5 Ye have not eaten bread, neither have ye drunk wine or strong drink; that ye might know that I am the LORD your God. … 8 Observe therefore the words of this covenant, and do them, that ye may make all that ye do to prosper.

Remember all the miracles which some have seen and are continuing before your very eyes. From leaving of Egypt to your clothing and shoes. You have been sustained on Mann all these years and that has been your nourishment for you and your children to grow.

As pessimistic as the curses told by Moshe were and as accusing my Drasha is today the Parsha ends on an optimistic note that the people are going into Eretz Yisrael soon and they must remember the miracles and the warnings so as not to lose it.

I end the Drasha with the belief that we are on the very edge of the Moshiach coming but until then be prepared and cautious.


The Big Grin by Rabbi Rachamim Pauli


This story had to have occurred sometime between 43 to 40 years ago because after that time, Yacov Glicksman moved away from Ashdod.

It must have been around July or August and we either did not work on Friday or worked until 13:00. We lived in Ashdod in Kiriat Ponovez which is also known as Shikkun Pittsburgh after the Rebbe from Pittsburgh who lives there. By bicycle it was about 10 to 15 minutes to the beach in those days as there were not many cars on the road in Israel and I think no traffic lights then.


So we went to the separate religious men’s beach. We used the ocean as a Mikvah and once over waist deep pulled on our bathing suits for no imposition of water and body and then dipped.


As we left the ocean we saw where the work was being done for the new section of Ashdod, Yud-Aleph. There appeared to be a torn piece of Eruv here and there. There was no time to contact the Chief Rabbi and the repair crew. It was up to us to improvise. I stretched out some broken wires and in one case made an extra pole from a board we found and pushed it under the wires to hold them up.


We completed our work, pedaled to the house of the Chief Rabbi of the city to report the area and what we did. He said that it was the Eruv and thanked us. Our doing that bit of repair had saved the Orthodox and Traditional Jews of Ashdod from carrying from a private domain to a public domain on Shabbos.


When we started our repair we had well over an hour to get home but as we worked and went to the Rabbi we drove into the religious area at candle lighting and I smiled a big grin at the ladies who had just lite candles and were pushing their baby carriages relying on the Eruv. They looked at Yacov and I in shock and scorn that we had been so careless as to come home from the beach so late. Little did they know. That is why it says in Perkei Avos always judge a person on merit.


Another Eruv Story which I heard from Rabbi Simcha HaCohain Kuk was that Erev Shabbos in Rehovot construction and a storm had knocked out a small section of the Eruv. He managed to get hold of a ladder and some wire and tie the wire from one pole to the next fixing the Eruv. Did you ever hear people say “It is not my job”, “Not your job” or “Why get involved?” I always say, “If you are too big to do a small job; then you are too small to do a big job.”




After avoiding a mine field Nazi Capsule from 1934 opened: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4856493,00.html


Private Ambulances gathered the dead on Shabbos for year for outrageous prices. That is now coming to an end. http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=36561



Inyanay Diyoma





Terrorists stabs soldier in Chevron: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/217926


Iron Dome stops projectiles from Syria: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4855806,00.html


Pentagon  is sort of fighting Russia and perhaps Obama on Syria: http://debka.com/article/25670/Rockets-on-Golan-Pentagon-flouts-Obama-no-truce


Pipe bomb in NJ where charity run was to take place: http://edition.cnn.com/2016/09/17/us/nj-explosive-trash-can/index.html


One explosive device in pressure-cooker with wires attached to a cellphone neutralized while another device blocks away explodes injuring 29 –blubber brained nightmare De Blasio “it is not terror” maybe he needs some N. Korea re-education. http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/09/18/explosion-in-new-york-city-believed-to-be-intentional-mayor-says-29-injured.html






Another stabbing or attempted stabbing in Chevron as IDF boosts forces: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/217935


Ethnic Cleansing an Ed-Op by Dr. Martin Sherman: http://www.israpundit.org/archives/63617753


What is with Clinton’s health deep vein thrombosis and on Coumadin: http://www.wnd.com/wnd_video/ed-klein-hillary-frequently-faints-huma-brings-her-cold-compresses/



Ed-Op on the Syrian-Israeli tit for tat: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4854954,00.html


With the help of HASHEM, Drs. In Hadassah reverse paralysis in 6 year old Down’s-Syndrome girl: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/217955


An Editorial from Dr. Harry.
What is going to happen when America finally doesn’t have any manufacturing jobs left at all? On Wednesday, we learned that Ford Motor Company is shifting all small car production to Mexico. Of course the primary goal for this move is to save a little bit of money. This hits me personally, because my grandfather once worked for Ford. He was loyal to Ford all his life, and he always criticized other members of the family when they bought a vehicle that was not American-made. He used to play bridge with Henry Ford every Weds. night at the plant, and my cousin manufacture car batteries. My family started making polishing cloths for cars in Detroit. My first job was working at Fruhoff Trucking, When I was young I didn’t fully understand why making vehicles in America is so important, but I sure do now. By shipping jobs overseas, we are destroying jobs, we are destroying small businesses and we are destroying our tax base. If we want to be a wealthy nation, we have got to make things here, and hopefully we can get the American people to start to understand this.

In 1914, Henry Ford decided to start paying his workers $5.00 a day, which was more than double the average wage for auto workers at the time.

One of the reasons why he did this was because he felt that his workers should be able to afford to buy the vehicles that they were making. This is what he wrote in 1926…

“The owner, the employees, and the buying public are all one and the same, and unless an industry can so manage itself as to keep wages high and prices low it destroys itself, for otherwise it limits the number of its customers. One’s own employees ought to be one’s own best customers.”

These days Ford is going in the complete opposite direction. Pretty soon, Ford won’t be making any more small vehicles in the United States at all…

Ford is shifting all North American small-car production from the U.S. to Mexico, CEO Mark Fields told investors today in Dearborn, even though its plans to invest in Mexico have become a lightning rod for controversy in this year’s presidential election.

“Over the next two to three years, we will have migrated all of our small-car production to Mexico and out of the United States,” Fields said.

Could Ford keep jobs in America?

Of course they could. During the second quarter of 2016, Ford reported a net income of 2,000,000,000 dollars.

But if they move production to Mexico they can boost that profit just a little bit higher.

Shame on them.

Needless to say, Donald Trump is quite upset about this move by Ford. This was his response…

“We shouldn’t allow it to happen. They’ll make their cars, they’ll employ thousands of people, not from this country and they’ll sell their car across the border,” Trump said. “When we send our jobs out of Michigan, we’re also sending our tax base.”

And he is exactly right about all of this. We can’t afford to lose more good paying jobs, we can’t afford for the middle class to shrink any more than it already has, and we certainly can’t afford our tax base to continue to deteriorate.

We may think that we can live on borrowed money indefinitely, but that is going to catch up with us in a major way at some point.

Sadly, Ford is not the only auto company doing this. Just like Ross Perot once predicted, there is a giant sucking sound as good paying auto jobs leave the United States and head to Mexico…

Ford isn’t alone. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles said earlier this year it will end production of all cars in the U.S. by the end of this year as it discontinues production of the Dodge Dart in Belvidere, Ill. and the Chrysler 200 in Sterling Heights, Michigan.

In recent years, automakers that include General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Nissan, Mazda, Toyota and Volkswagen have all announced plans to either expand existing plants or build new ones in Mexico.

The bad news for American workers won’t end once all of our manufacturing jobs are gone.

Today there are millions of Americans that make their living by driving, but the revolution in self-driving vehicles threatens to make large numbers of those jobs obsolete.

Ford, General Motors, Tesla, Google, Apple and a whole host of other big corporations have been feverishly working on this technology, and many of the tests have gone very well so far.

Once this technology starts being rolled out on a widespread basis, the job losses could be absolutely staggering. Just consider the following numbers which come from Wolf Richter…

1.8 million heavy-truck and tractor-trailer long-haul drivers in 2014, expected to grow 4% a year (BLS), with a median pay of $40,260 in 2015. At this growth rate, there will be 1.94 million long-haul drivers by the end of this year.
1.33 million delivery truck drivers in 2014, expected to grow 4% a year (BLS), with a median pay of $27,800 in 2015. They’re picking up and/or delivering packages and small shipments within the city or region, driving a vehicle of 26,000 pounds or less, usually between a distribution center and businesses or households. At this growth rate, there will be 1.44 million drivers by the end of this year.
233,700 taxi drivers and chauffeurs in 2014, growing at 13% annually (BLS). They earned a median pay of $23,510 in 2015. One in five worked part time. This doesn’t – or doesn’t fully – reflect the “rideshare” drivers working for Uber, Lyft, and the like.
“Over 500,000” rideshare drivers are estimated to ply the trade in the US. It’s a high-growth sector: the number of Uber drivers in the US doubled in 2015 from the prior year to 327,000. Half of them worked 15 hours or less per week.
In order to have a thriving middle class, we have got to have middle class jobs.

Unfortunately, big corporations have become absolutely obsessed with finding ways to eliminate expensive American workers by sending jobs overseas or by replacing them with technology altogether.

The elite will always need people to cut their hair and wait on them at restaurants, but those aren’t the kinds of jobs that can support middle class families.

As I noted yesterday, for the first time ever the middle class in America has become a minority and poverty is on the rise all over the nation. The long-term trends that are eviscerating the middle class are accelerating, and there doesn’t appear to be any quick fix which will turn things around dramatically any time soon.

So the middle class is going to get smaller and smaller and smaller, and that has dramatic implications for the future of this country.




Attack on Police in Yerushalayim one in serious to critical condition: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4856622,00.html


Israeli Intelligence is not Politically Correct for NYC Mayor while ‘Eid El Feta to you: http://debka.com/article/25672/First-ISIS-Al-Qaeda-cooperation-for-US-bombings


The Turks are against the Kurds and endangering Israel’s interest: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/217997










US Senators want Obama to back Israel: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/218048




Attempted terror attack in Chevron on Tuesday: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/218058


70% of European Jewry afraid to go to the Synagogue: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/218058


UN aid convoy blasted by Syrian or Russian air power: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4857206,00.html


Where does John Kerry keep his brains: The U.S. Consulate General reminds U.S. citizens to avoid areas where there is a heavy police presence, as this is often an indicator of an ongoing investigation, demonstration, or that an attack or an attempted attack may have just occurred.  U.S. citizens are also reminded to exercise a heightened sense of situational awareness at all times and to monitor local news sources. I usually feel more secure with police patrolling. One German lady was being followed by a Pakistani immigrant with a Taser and she went next to the policeman.  


Now I know why they gave my wife trouble that she gave up her green card! http://linkis.com/josephbotts.com/2015/EwLXi?next=2




Mail going over Santa’s head to a higher authority: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4857580,00.html








13-year-old wanted to meet a Shachid she is shot in the leg: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4857690,00.html


Israeli Embassy in Turkey attacked assailant dead? http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/218124


FBI seeks two men in question to NY Bombing (Note they look young and middle-eastern). http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2016/09/21/fbi-asks-help-finding-2-nyc-bombing-witnesses/90782984/


ISIS has used some Saddam’s not found Chemical Weapons on US base. http://www.foxnews.com/world/2016/09/21/isis-may-have-attacked-us-base-in-iraq-with-chemical-agent.html


Syria negotiations: Somebody must have punched John Kerry below the belt and he woke up out of his stupor: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4858071,00.html


Iran testing longer and longer range missiles they already by-passed Israel. Next the atomic bomb that will destroy Paris: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/218148




It started off bad but Ofek 11 is now fully functional: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4858497,00.html




Why are Israeli Settlements being demolished by the GOI and courts and not illegal Arab building??? http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4858227,00.html


Will the Syrian Conflict spill over into a skirmish between Israel and Syria? http://debka.com/article/25676/Syrian-buildup-with-Druze-OC-for-major-Golan-op


Ed-Op Obama’s last UN speech was almost right by Dr. Martin Sherman: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/19527


Good Shabbos all and next week will contain by Rosh Hashanah blessings starting with good health and afterwards all the other blessings. The week before Yom Kippur I discuss what is Pekuach Nefesh and eating. All the best for a healthy rest,

Rachamim Pauli