Prayers needed Dikla bat
Ora
Motzei Shabbos all
Ashkenazim start saying Selichos.
Remember to make an Erev
Tavshillin when a holiday falls before Shabbos.
If you google it also
Aish, Star K and CRC have instructions.
Example: Take two rolls
and some Tuna perhaps some hardboiled eggs and put them together to make the
Eruv then say the blessing. The food should be set aside and of course eggs in
the refrigeration. Read the articles for other suggestions.
Parsha Nitzavim
This week we have a double Parsha. We have essentially finished at this time 611 Mitzvos. We have 2 more Parshiyos. Hazinu will be Shabbos Teshuva and Zos HaBracha which is always on Simchas Torah. We left off last week about defeating Og and Sichon and the coming into Eretz Yisrael. This week we start off the same but this is not history but to say do not fear your enemies, you will defeat them like HASHEM helped you with Og and Sichon.
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, 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;
Although the wood cutter and water carrier are people who earn their money honestly, these professions were looked down upon. Years later in the late 2nd Temple Times cobblers and weavers were so abundant that they were frowned upon. Today who has not had a shoe or suitcase repaired and a weaver is rare and a special skill so I would conclude one should not look down upon them.
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; 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.
You have a contract with G-D that you are born into and no escape clause. You must do what is expected of you. The owner (L-RD) is pressing and the workers are lazy (us) but we must rise to the occasion and do the Mitzvos, Teshuva, Tephilla and Tzeduka that is required of us.
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.
You must always realize that HASHEM is present in everything. Every atom is bound together by his will otherwise they would fly off or the negative would bind with the positive and the atom would collapse. Since HASHEM is eternal, just as HASHEM was with Moshe so with us today and future generations that we will not see in our limited life time.
… 20 and the LORD shall separate him unto evil out of all the tribes of Israel, according to all the curses of the covenant that is written in this book of the law.
The evil on this planet can only last a certain amount of time until it comes crashing down. The Soviet Union crumbled after 70 years but the half moral and half immoral behavior of the people during the first and second Temples led to a slower accounting. However, I have seen with my own eyes groundless hatred of ethnic Jews from different countries. This has slowed down our redemption but that evil too shall pass.
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 bears, nor any grass grows therein, like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which the LORD overthrew in His anger, and in His wrath;
Samuel Clemens aka Mark Twain wrote about his visit to Eretz Yisrael. If just before his passing we could bring him in a time machine to today, he would not believe what has happened. During his visit, between the area of Acre and Yerushalayim he did not even see trees or people for hours along his trip.
… 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 are sometimes shared with those that fear HIM. However, for us simple folk, the Torah is available and perhaps if we are capable of learning to love and fear HASHEM, we too will get some of HIS secrets and treasures. (See story in orange below about the barren woman and the woman who could not get married – it is a true story which happened in our days.)
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.
I have met Jews that were born in Afghanistan, China, Siberia and other far off places. They are coming back to Eretz Yisrael.
5 And the LORD thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and He will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers. 6 And the LORD thy God will circumcise thy heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, that thou may live.
It is not a fast process and the founders of Modern Israel were divided into two camps. 1) The religious like Moshe Solomon founding Petah Tikva and the Jews who founded Rehovot. 2) The non-religious socialists. At first they brought over many people and cut their Peyos and told the children that religion was no longer needed. At one point, like the Reform in the States, they were winning. The masses were in their numbers. However, they did not count on what spiritual emptiness did. For their parents had brought them up weakly religious with morals. As soon as the morals left things became chaotic. Both immoral and illegal behavior followed including certain religious for that was the norm in the country. Between the Reform outside and the Socialist inside Israel, it looked like the religion was going away. However, nobody counted on the Baal Teshuva movement. It started in a small trickle. The London Brothers opened up a small Yeshiva for Jews who returned to the fold in the 1940’s. At the end of World War II Jewish Education by the Young Israel brought back a few returning soldiers. In Eretz Yisrael the return was slower due to the nature of the Socialist Government and the first major group was Aish HaTorah and the Shalom Hartman Institute for mainly English Speakers. Then after the 1973 elections when Menachem Begin be say “Baruch HASHEM”, “Bezrat HASHEM” and then HASHEM reappeared in peoples’ lives. Sephardim returned to their roots. The Shass movement was born. Rabbis Uri Zohar, Amnon Yitzchak, Rami Levy and many more began preaching to the masses. Arachim, Gesher and other groups began lectures to educate people. Today the demographics are beginning to shift towards more and more religious. In the States, the once largest Conservative Congregations as the older folks died out and they got more and more Liberal, their numbers decreased. The Reform are the largest denomination on paper but who attends these Synagogues and when. However, what do we see in the Orthodox three daily prayers, Shuirim, Kollelim for working people, Daf Yomi, Mishnah Yomi, etc. The return is on before our eyes. We ARE RETURNING. The critical mass of the majority of the Jewish Population is shifting to Eretz Yisrael now. Once that happens, we will experience great things.
7 And the LORD thy God will put all these curses upon thine enemies, and on them that hate thee, that persecuted thee. 8 And thou shalt return and hearken to the voice of the LORD, and do all His commandments which I command thee this day. 9 And the LORD thy God will make thee over-abundant in all the work of thy hand, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy land, for good; for the LORD will again rejoice over thee for good, as He rejoiced over thy fathers;
Most of our population are not farmers anymore but many will return to plots of land and private houses in the land of Yisrael. Even in the times of the second Beis HaMikdash, many people lived in cities. The meaning here is that our labor will be blessed and we will become wealthy. We will be able to communicate and travel and receive Torah information at our finger tips. Seforim that were rare are not on the net and available.
10 if thou shalt hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this book of the law; if thou turn unto the LORD thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul.
All this prosperity and the return of the people will come about with our own return through either repentance by immediate Teshuva or through learning with the intent to perform correctly the Mitzvos.
11 For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not too hard for thee, neither is it far off. 12 It is not in heaven, that thou should say: 'Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, and make us to hear it, that we may do it?'
For the original observance and belief of Adam through Noach was through oral accounts. It was Avram who caused the initial return to Monotheism. Now Moshe has given us written Torah at Sinai along with some Oral Torah explanations. (How to make Tzitzis, Tephillin, slaughter animals and the knife used, koshering, what constitutes leaven and other every day or every week actions.)
13 Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou should say: 'Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, and make us to hear it, that we may do it?'
We don’t have to explore the planets and stars to find Torah but perhaps there are moral systems elsewhere on the planet.
14 But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou may do it.
Rather, the Torah and best instructions for mankind straight from THE CREATOR is here before us. It is up to us to read and observe the instructions for being a good human being.
15 See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil, 16 in that I command thee this day to love the LORD thy God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His ordinances; then thou shalt live and multiply, …
Observe and live and be blessed.
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 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.
Torah = life and the length of our days. Non-Observance or non-compliance = death or punishments and exiles. It is up to us to do what HASHEM has told us.
Parsha
Vayelech
When I graduated High School, College or first got
married and had children, I could not picture myself at 70. The world was
before me. Now that I am 70, I cannot picture myself at 120 or Moshe’s age in
this Parsha. I still have some strength but am not what I was at 50 or 60.
Reading of Moshe in Pasuk Bet that can no longer go out and come it. I can sort
of imagine it as I saw my step father at the age of 100 but still what appears
to be so far away on the human scale is like yesterday before HASHEM. We do not
know when our time will come that is why Teshuva is imperative to be a daily
occurrence.
I have no permission to pass over the Yarden but Yehoshua and Calev shall lead you in the conquering of the land. Still more important than a leader is the fact:
3 The LORD thy God, He will go over before thee; He will destroy these nations from before thee, and thou shalt dispossess them; and Joshua, he shall go over before thee, as the LORD hath spoken.
For HASHEM will guide you and lead you to conquest.
4 And the LORD will do unto them as He did to Sichon and to Og, the kings of the Amorites, and unto their land; whom He destroyed.
Do not be as the spiteful Goyim say “A Jew with a yellow streak down his back” but just as Sichon and Og were conquered, so shall you conquer the land.
5 And the LORD will deliver them up before you, and ye shall do unto them according unto all the commandment which I have commanded you. 6 Be strong and of good courage, fear not, nor be affrighted at them; for the LORD thy God, He it is that doth go with thee; He will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.'
Chazak V’ Amatz be strong and of courage is repeated 4 times in chapter 1 of Yehoshua. One must be this way and fearing of G-D and not man in order conquer. One cannot be afraid of people a head taller than them or with more muscles or numbers but rely upon the Holy ONE blessed be HE. If you trust and rely solely upon HIM, HE will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. But when Defense Minister Moshe Dayan said a month before the Yom Kippur War our strength and our might – the rest is history with many good Jews dead and buried and few still missing in action.
7 And Moses called unto Joshua, and said unto him in the sight of all Israel: 'Be strong and of good courage; for thou shalt go with this people into the land which the LORD hath sworn unto their fathers to give them; and thou shalt cause them to inherit it.
Not only the people need Chazak V’ Amatz but all the more so, the leader needs Chazak V’ Amatz.
8 And the LORD, He it is that does go before thee; He will be with thee, He will not fail thee, neither forsake thee; fear not, neither be dismayed.'
Having been myself on the front line and having a son on the front line it takes a lot of strength as an individual and perhaps trust in HASHEM as a parent to get through a situation.
9 And Moses wrote this law, and delivered it unto the priests the sons of Levi, that bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and unto all the elders of Israel. 10 And Moses commanded them, saying: 'At the end of every seven years, in the set time of the year of release, in the feast of tabernacles,
This Mitzvah is starting to be reinstated at the Kotel in the eight year or the first year of the Shmita cycle.
11 when all Israel is come to appear before the LORD thy God in the place which He shall choose, thou shalt read this law before all Israel in their hearing. 12 Assemble the people, the men and the women and the little ones, and thy stranger that is within thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the LORD your God, and observe to do all the words of this law; 13 and that their children, who have not known, may hear, and learn to fear the LORD your God, as long as ye live in the land whither ye go over the Jordan to possess it.'
I think nowadays it could be done by a TV or Podcast to each Synagogue from the Kotel even World Wide. It is for all. From the greatest and most learned Rabbis to the suckling child. The message of Torah should get out.
14
And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Behold, thy days approach that thou must die;
call Joshua, and present yourselves in the tent of meeting, that I may give him
a charge.' And Moses and Joshua went, and presented themselves in the tent of
meeting. 15 And the LORD appeared in the Tent in a pillar of cloud; and the
pillar of cloud stood over the door of the Tent. 16 And the LORD said unto
Moses: 'Behold, thou art about to sleep with thy fathers; and this people will
rise up, and go astray after the foreign gods of the land, whither they go to
be among them, and will forsake Me, and break My covenant which I have made
with them. 17 Then My anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I
will forsake them, and I will hide My face from them, and they shall be
devoured, and many evils and troubles shall come upon them; so that they will
say in that day: Are not these evils come upon us because our God is not among
us? 18 And I will surely hide My face in that day for all the evil which they
shall have wrought, in that they are turned unto other gods.
Since HASHEM is above the fourth dimension, the future is
available. Even to this day, many even observant Jews, cannot see the miracles
which I often point out. We are blinded by nature. However, blood in the water
followed by frogs, followed by lice, … starting every 30th day is
beyond the state of probability and statistics. That is where science, nature
and statistics fail us. We have to say that THIS IS THE FINGER OF G-D just like
the Egyptian Magicians and Scientists.
19
Now therefore write ye this song for you, and teach thou it the children of
Israel; put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for Me against
the children of Israel.
The song is Parsha Hazinu which is a Mussar warning for the
people.
20
For when I shall have brought them into the land which I swore unto their
fathers, flowing with milk and honey; and they shall have eaten their fill, and
waxen fat; and turned unto other gods, and served them, and despised Me, and
broken My covenant; 21 then it shall come to pass, when many evils and troubles
are come upon them, that this song shall testify before them as a witness; for
it shall not be forgotten out of the mouths of their seed; for I know their imagination
how they do even now, before I have brought them into the land which I swore.'
22 So Moses wrote this song the same day, and taught it the children of Israel.
23 And he gave Joshua the son of Nun a charge, and said: 'Be strong and of good
courage; for thou shalt bring the children of Israel into the land which I
swore unto them; and I will be with thee.'
Chazak V’ Amatz again. It is an awesome job to hold together a
nation of individuals where each and every man has his own independent thought
process and acts like a king.
24
And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this
law in a book, until they were finished, 25 that Moses commanded the Levites,
that bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD, saying: 26 'Take this book of
the law, and put it by the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your
God, that it may be there for a witness against thee.
This is Sefer Devarim. It appears to me that the blessings in Zos
HaBracha is also there. There is a dispute if Moshe wrote the last 8 lines or
they were finished by Yehoshua. Only when we recover the original Teva and
scroll will we be able to see the hand writing.
… 30
And Moses spoke in the ears of all the assembly of Israel the words of this
song, until they were finished:
Elul Determination, Drive, Direction
Last week the three R words were my own. The three D
words came from the book “Illuminations of the Maggid” by Rabbi Krohn. He
quoted the three words came from Rabbi Shlomo Freifeld.
For us the determination is to do sufficient Teshuva as
our driving force is to be written in the Sefer Ha Chaim. Our direction to live
another year as good Jews.
The Rambam in Hilchos Teshuva writes that one should
see himself and the whole world as half innocent and half guilty with Mitzvos.
One more sin and we are given (not upon us) a bad judgement. One more Mitzvah
and not only ourselves but the whole of Am Yisrael gets written in the book of
life. Life and death is a fine line. We watched in horror as 8 very elderly people
in a nursing home died of what appears to be carbon monoxide poisoning from an
inside generate to move fans or air conditioning when their A/C unit failed do
to a blown out transistor during Hurricane Irma. Not only did people die, but
some perhaps dedicated staff may face criminal charges. When was the initial
Judgement Passed? On Rosh Hashanah 5777 and was sealed on Hoshana Rabbah.
So a simple thing like a regret for a sin or just a
visit to somebody who is ill or helping somebody in need could put us and the
whole world over to the side of life wouldn’t it be worth it. In fact, even
restraining from a sin (Traveling, Cooking, Driving, etc. on Shabbos) can save
the whole world. That is the power of the individual inside of the
Congregation. It is written “all of Israel is a guarantor one for another”.
It is not upon me to know everybody’s strength or
weakness. It is upon me as it is upon you to strengthen my prayer, repentance
and charity. Let us give just a little more of a try to make sure that we are
written in the book of life for 5778.
I took this story from Bracha Din who wrote this out.
The Greatest Segula. (treasure) Rabbi Ashear #668.
Many people look for some type of segula to bring them the yeshua (redemption or redeeming factor) they need. However, there are no quick fixes. לפום צערא אגרא, the more effort put in, the greater is the merit. Mesirut nefesh, (willing to do soul rending things or literally like a soldier willing to give their life for another) doing something that requires tremendous inner strength is the greatest segula.
Many people look for some type of segula to bring them the yeshua (redemption or redeeming factor) they need. However, there are no quick fixes. לפום צערא אגרא, the more effort put in, the greater is the merit. Mesirut nefesh, (willing to do soul rending things or literally like a soldier willing to give their life for another) doing something that requires tremendous inner strength is the greatest segula.
The Gemara tells us (Rosh HaShana
17) כל המעביר על מידותיו, מוחלין לו על כל פשעיו,whoever
forgives and overlooks a wrong done to him, is forgiven for all of his sins.
What could possibly be a greater segula than to be totally cleansed from sin?
This is a powerful segula because the difficulty involved is enormous. It is
not easy for a person to recognize that what was done to him was from Hashem
and not bear a grudge; or for a person to lower himself and take the first step
to bringing shalom, instead of saying, "Let him come to me."
Rabbi Lugassi related a story
told to him by a woman from Israel, who we'll call Rachel. She had a friend in
high school that was from a wealthy family, while she was from a poor family.
The wealthy friend's attitude towards her made her feel so low. Her ga'ava and
condescending remarks were like arrows shooting into Rachel's heart. The girl
might not have realized the damage she was causing, but Rachel said she was
broken. She lost all of her self-esteem and it had an adverse effect on her
life. It was hard for her to date and she found herself alone, with no
direction, at the age of twenty-eight.
One day, Rachel met one of her
old friends, Sarah, on the street, who asked her how she was doing. She
replied, "Not so great," and proceeded to tell her about all the
negative feelings she had towards that girl. She just could not let it go.
Sarah decided to look up that
girl and try to bring peace. She found out that the girl now lived in the
United States. She gave her a call and asked how things were. The girl replied,
"Baruch Hashem, but I have been married for many years without children
and it's so hard. We've been trying doctors and Rabbis, but nothing is
working."
Sarah told her about the
heartache that she had caused her friend and said that the best segula would be
to appease her. The woman was shocked that her comments had done so much
damage. Nevertheless, she did not hesitate to admit guilt. She didn't make
excuses, saying, "Come on, it wasn't that bad," or, "Please,
she's blaming her problems on me." Rather, she immediately decided to fly
to Israel to ask for forgiveness in person.
The two women met and Rachel
later described how difficult it was for her to totally forgive. They actually
had to meet several times until Rachel was מעביר על
מידותיה and released all of her negative feelings. Finally, the two
hugged and kissed each other. Before they departed, the friend said to Rachel,
"I am anticipating that you get married this year. Please send me an
invitation. I am going to come back and dance with you."
Later that year, Baruch Hashem,
Rachel did get married. However, her friend could not make it; she was in labor
with her first baby.
Being מעביר על מידותיו,
lowering oneself to give in and forgive is a wondrous segula that can produce
the greatest yeshuot.
Time for a Change by
Rabbi Yerachmiel Tilles
In the days of the
third Rebbe of Chabad, the Tzemach Tzedek, the lands in Russia were
controlled by the 'nobility'.
The town of
Lubavitch happened to be under the jurisdiction of a particularly savage one; a
'Poritz' (Baron) that from time to time revealed a sadistic pleasure for
issuing cruel decrees on 'his' serfs… especially the Jewish ones.
The decrees would
come like lighting on a clear day sometimes because he needed money, sometimes
from boredom, but most often from pure meanness.
All of his serfs,
Jew and gentile alike, hated and feared him and secretly hoped that he die and
leave them alone permanently (although the other Nobles weren't much better).
But to even dream that he have a change of heart and treat them more kindly was
unthinkable.
Once it so happened
that the Poritz came out with a new decree that was so severe that the gentiles
went to the Chabad chasidim in the Poritz's domain and asked them to request
their leader to do something to help.
But Just as the
chasidim were preparing a delegation to visit the Rebbe, one of the Rebbe's most
faithful followers received a message from the Rebbe to come see him
immediately.
The chasid entered
the Rebbe's room and stood in awe before him waiting for the Rebbe to speak.
"Go to the
Poritz and tell him, in my name, 'It's time you changed!'"
The chasid looked
with disbelief at the Rebbe. Suddenly he felt faint. It was difficult for him
to breathe, his knees began knocking and he felt dizzy.
Perhaps he had heard
incorrectly. But no. It was no mistake. Just the thought of the Poritz was
overwhelming. The man was simply not human! To actually visit him would be
suicide!
"But Rebbe! How
can …? There are guards…with dogs!…at the castle door. I'll be killed before I
can say a….!"
He stopped. He knew
that the Rebbe never made a mistake.
"Don't
worry," The Tzemach Tzedek continued, "I will teach you a special
holy 'Name' (a Kabbalistic word) that will protect you from all evil. You have
absolutely nothing to worry about."
The Rebbe taught the
chasid how to pronounce this word and what to think when he said it. Finally,
when he was sure that the chasid understood and would remember, he told him to
set off as soon as possible.
The Chassid returned
home (for what he hoped would not be the last time) told his wife he would be
gone for a day or so, kissed his children and set off in the direction of the
Poritz's castle.
After an hour he
began to see the huge building looming in the distance through the forest trees
and mist. A cold fear filled his soul. He tried to muster up courage but he
just couldn't. So he pictured the Rebbe's face and although he was still
frightened, he continued walking.
Suddenly he got a
glimpse of the guards with their dogs. Thank G-d they were far away and he was
downwind, so the dogs didn't smell him. He stepped behind a tree, peeked out,
composed his thoughts and said the 'name' the Rebbe taught him.
They came closer and
closer, the dogs sniffing the ground before them. But they passed some fifty
yards away and didn't notice him at all.
Nevertheless, he
wasn't taking any chances. He waited till they were sufficiently distant and
again proceeded to the castle, trying to be as quiet and quick as possible,
repeating the name over and over as he went. When he reached the steps before
the massive castle door he said it with even more fervor.
Standing there at
attention were two huge guards armed with spears and swords, each with a jumbo
fierce dog at his side.
But strangely, the
guards suddenly turned to one another and began a lively conversation, while
the dogs just lay there panting as though they sensed nothing.
The chasid stepped
gingerly by them, pushed the door open and entered. There sitting on a plush
chair, drinking a glass of vodka with a smoking cigar dangling from his
fingertips and one foot on the table, sat the dreaded Poritz.
He turned toward the
door to see who entered.
"What the…? Who
are you? You, Jew! How did you get into my castle?" He screamed with fury
and disbelief as he rose to his feet and put his hand on the handle of his gun
in his belt. But the chasid, having become accustomed to miracles, calmly
straightened himself and said,
"My Rebbe, the
Tzemach Tzedek of Lubavitch, sent me. He told me to tell you that…."
He cleared his
throat and spoke slowly and clearly, "It is time for you to
change!"
It was as though
someone threw a bucket of cold water on the Poritz. He took one step back and
his body shook as though awakened from a dream.
He lowered his head
for an instant, then looked up directly into the eyes of the Chassid and said
….. "Yes".
The chasid,
realizing his mission was complete, turned on his heels, and being careful to
saying the 'name' the Rebbe had given him, walked quietly out the door past the
guards and exited the Castle grounds.
Interestingly, the
instant he didn't need the name, it simply slipped out of his mind. No matter
how he tried he could not remember even one letter of it!
Several months
later, a rumor spread that the Poritz went on a hunting excursion alone and his
horse returned a few days later without him. A search was made with no results.
All trace of him had been lost as though the ground had swallowed him up.
But the chasid knew
that it must have been because of the Rebbe's message to him. Probably a
partial punishment for the suffering he had caused to others.
Months afterward, a
disheveled, long-haired beggar appeared in the town of Lubavitch, chose a seat
in the main shul, opened a book of Psalms and didn't leave.
Someone got the idea
of asking him if perhaps he knew the Poritz and what happened to him. The
beggar answered that in fact he did know, and then revealed that he was none
other than the evil Poritz himself! He told his story:
He had been born
into a Jewish family but somewhere down the line had fallen into the hands of
the Church, and once in their clutches he not only changed his religion but
transformed into a sworn anti-Semite. In time he rose in power and riches until
he was virtually a king.
But when he heard
the message the chasid gave him it somehow awakened his Jewish soul and he
changed totally, like a man awakening from a dream.
When the elder
Chassidim saw what happened they discussed it with the other followers of the
Rebbe and decided to appeared as a group before the Rebbe and demand that he do
the same miracle for them.
"If the Rebbe
has the ability to completely change the stone-heart of someone such as the
Poritz, then please do the same with us. Open our hearts as well so we can have
true love and fear of the Creator!"
The Rebbe smiled.
"When a shepherd tends his flocks he can't personally run after every
animal that strays a bit. That would deplete all his energy. Rather he whistles
and throws small stones or sends his dogs so they will return on their own. But
if occasionally one sheep happens to fall into a deep pit then the shepherd has
no other choice than to do the job himself. That is why I did what I did with
the Poritz.'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Source: Adapted and supplemented by Yerachmiel Tilles from the rendition of Rabbi Tuvia Bolton on //ohrtmimim.org/torah (submitted by Daniel Keren).
Source: Adapted and supplemented by Yerachmiel Tilles from the rendition of Rabbi Tuvia Bolton on //ohrtmimim.org/torah (submitted by Daniel Keren).
Biographical note:
Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneersohn [of blessed memory: 29 Elul 5549 - 13 Nissan 5626 (Sept. 1789 - April 1866)], the third Rebbe of Chabad, was known as the Tzemach Tzedek, after his books of Jewish Law responsa and Talmudic commentary called by that name. He was renowned not only as a Rebbe, but also as a leading scholar in his generation in both the revealed and hidden aspects of Torah. (Photo from chabad.org)
Connections:
1) Weekly Reading-Tshuvah
2) Seasonal-End of Elul month: Tshuvah
3) Seasonal-Erev Rosh Hashana (next week) marks 151 hundred years since the birth of the Tzemach Tzedek.
Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneersohn [of blessed memory: 29 Elul 5549 - 13 Nissan 5626 (Sept. 1789 - April 1866)], the third Rebbe of Chabad, was known as the Tzemach Tzedek, after his books of Jewish Law responsa and Talmudic commentary called by that name. He was renowned not only as a Rebbe, but also as a leading scholar in his generation in both the revealed and hidden aspects of Torah. (Photo from chabad.org)
Connections:
1) Weekly Reading-Tshuvah
2) Seasonal-End of Elul month: Tshuvah
3) Seasonal-Erev Rosh Hashana (next week) marks 151 hundred years since the birth of the Tzemach Tzedek.
Chief Rabbi calls for new law over-ruling court as it paves the way
for Kashrus Fraud. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/235530
Israeli education lacking. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5015723,00.html
The “Rabbi” who converted. A special investigation published in the
magazine "Searching" (Michapsim) published by anti-missionary organization Yad L'Achim's information
department reveals the truth about a "rabbi" from Hungary whom
missionaries often present in their writings as having converted to
Christianity. The investigation unmasks the "rabbi", documenting a
criminal record in the United States for impersonating a rabbi and a flight
from Hungary after the man, who is a farmer, was suspected of theft. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/235430
Embarrassment to Deri: Charedi Knesset Member attended same-sex
marriage. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/397969
After The Rosh Yeshiva of Porat
Yosef called him “What is this BARNASH (not a nice guy) doing?” He had to
resign. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5016063,00.html
They have their own spot for mixed prayers (see photo) why do they
trash Israel? http://www.jewishpress.com/news/us-news/597-conservative-clergy-to-netanyahu-give-us-kotel-territory-or-well-trash-talk-israel/2017/09/09/
I am not thrilled that crippled and other disabled people on $500 a
month are blocking traffic for a livable stipend from the government. But the
cesspool does nothing for them. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5014105,00.html
7200 years ago had a way of
preserving grain found. http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=45181
It
looked from the start like hot air business. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/bitcoin-tumbling-chinese-regulators-exchange-121718805.html
Inyanay Diyoma
US pulls out pro-Iran moves in. http://debka.com/article/26220/US-set-to-quit-Al-Tanf-Pro-Iranian-force-moves-in
After helping with Hurricane Harvey another group of Israeli
Volunteers goes out to Miami to help after Irma. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/235278
Did Iran Help N. Korea with the Nuke Technology? http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/235280
Soldier seriously injured by grenade in training. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5013926,00.html
French Jewish family targeted in antisemitic robbery. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5014757,00.html
Sometimes D. J. Trump makes statements without having brain in gear
but Netanyahu is worse and his son follows suit. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5014498,00.html
Hurricane Jose may not be a fish storm after all it back tracks. http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_at2+shtml/211029.shtml?gm_track#contents
For the first time since WWII Russian-US Air Forces in coordinated
battle against ISIS. http://debka.com/article/26221/US-Russian-pincer-for-ISIS-in-Euphrates-Valley
Hurricane left at one point 15,000,000 without power and more
deaths. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5015439,00.html
Northern Command Drill where Hezballah fighters penetrate Israel,
repelled and the war taken deep into Lebanon. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5015475,00.html
Next war in the north will be swift and decisive. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/235422
Sweden: It is not enough that basically all guided tours from
Israel has been cancelled due to the Arabs and Islamists there but now
Neo-Nazis plan a march on Yom Kippur. Reminder to the
world when a country loses their Jews their economy or military takes a
downward spirial. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/235432
9/11 Rick saved 2700 people but sacrificed his own life. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/235404
Iranian Build-up the reason for the Drill. http://debka.com/article/26223/Iran-buildup-in-S-Syria---riposte-for-IDF-drill
Axis of evil missile project Ed-Op https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5014472,00.html
Russian Defense Min. in Damascus against ISIS. http://debka.com/article/26224/Shoigu-in-Damascus-Tehran-for-anti-ISIS-drive
Criminals using GPS to steal vehicles. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/235525
Jerusalem Arab Hamas Leader. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/235528
From May: Iran preparing to destroy Israel. https://www.israelvideonetwork.com/iran-is-preparing-to-annihilate-israel/
Iran not complying with spirt of peace. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/235562
Trump Administration supports defunding the Palestinians until they
stop rewarding terrorism. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5016895,00.html
Ed-Op A. Fishman the missed opportunity with the Sunni world. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5016070,00.html
Good Shabbos and a healthy, happy, wonderful, joyous,
marvelous, prosperous, successful, blessed, fruitful and Torah filled New Year,
Rachamim Pauli
