Nechemiah Arieh Liab Peretz ben Esther Rachel passed away.
The great Rabbi lived in a house with a leaky roof, wooden chairs
and the most modest conditions. His whole life was Torah. With his death ends
the era of the last pre-WWII educated in Europe Rabbis who lead in Israel for
Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau Shlita was educated in Israel. The Rabbi made peace in
the Torah World between the Litvaks and Chabad and other Chassidic Groups. He
ordered his followers to work with the Draft on Darchei Shalom (path of peace)
with the Israel Lawmakers. The harsh decree was cancelled by the later Knesset.
He asked not to be eulogized. He said that from his standpoint only a simple
epitaph be put on his tomb stone. He was buried by a few Torah Giants and some
family members. Police and Ambulance drivers were there. The Police kept the
more than 600,000 funeral attendees in order but still 86 people were injured
by the crowding. Women were given special streets to stand on and Rechov Chazon
Ish was a sea of men in black jackets and hats. One grandson was already
learning in Bnei Berak and had no problem returning to his Yeshiva. The other
made it back to his as the bus was the first to leave but my son-in-law was
stuck 1.5 hrs in his bus leaving Bnei Berak. With the exception of Knesset
Members or leading Rabbis no private vehicles were at the funeral secured by
2600 policemen and over 1000 paramedics.
Miracle alert: Stabbing victim no longer in life danger
despite knifing into his heart. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/239206
HEALTH ALERT
CANOLA OIL SPEEDS UP THE DEVELOPMENT OF ALZHEIMER DESEASE.
In a study https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-17373-3
laboratory rats were exposed to Canola oil. Their
weight went up and their ability to handle a maze went down. Those in the
control group given olive oil had more cognizance.
Chaya wrote me: An omelette fried in olive oil has a strange taste. One can use coconut oil or safflower oil.
Parsha
Mikeitz
Yosef still has a trauma from his brothers and has been
either a slave, in prison or too busy to contact home. He is working constantly
to build stores for grain. Whenever we see the English word “corn” it does not
mean American maize but rather grain. Now his brothers have come down to Egypt
henceforth Mitzrayim and Yosef now remembers his dreams that long ago fled from
his consciousness.
Pay attention to something that Rabbi Barak Kochavi
Shlita pointed out. Yosef had two dreams with the same theme 11 sheaves and 11
stars but one was of the physical world and the other of the spiritual world.
Pharaoh, the Baker and the wine Steward had dreams but they were only of the
physical world. This shows the difference in spirituality.
Yosef did not google anything like this on dreams but
rather had a tradition and perhaps also Ruach HaKodesh on them.
More on dreams: Berachos 55B R. Huna b. Ammi said
in the name of R. Pedath who had it from R. Johanan: If one has a dream which
makes him sad he should go and have it interpreted in the presence of three. He
should have it interpreted! Has not R. Hisda said: A dream which is not
interpreted is like a letter which is not read? … 'Sovereign of the Universe, I
am Thine and my dreams are Thine. I have dreamt a dream and I do not know what
it is. Whether I have dreamt about myself or my companions have dreamt about
me, or I have dreamt about others, if they are good dreams, confirm them and
reinforce them like the dreams of Joseph…’ … R. Johanan said: If one
rises early and a Scriptural verse comes to his mouth, this is a kind of
minor prophecy. R. Johanan also said: Three kinds of dream are fulfilled: an
early morning dream, a dream which a friend has about one, and a dream which is
interpreted in the midst of a dream. Some add also, a dream which is repeated, as it says, and for that
the dream was doubled unto Pharoah twice, etc.
41:1 And it came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh
dreamed: and, behold, he stood by the river.
It was two full years
and the dream was on the night of Pharaoh’s birthday.
2 And, behold, there
came up out of the river seven kine, well-favored and fat-fleshed; and they fed
in the reed-grass. 3 And, behold, seven other kine came up after them
out of the river, ill favored and lean-fleshed; and stood by the other kine
upon the brink of the river. 4 And the ill-favored and
lean-fleshed kine did eat up the seven well-favored and fat kine. So Pharaoh
awoke. 5 And he slept and dreamed a second time: and, behold,
seven ears of corn came up upon one stalk, rank and good. 6 And,
behold, seven ears, thin and blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them. 7 And the thin ears swallowed up the seven rank and full ears. And
Pharaoh awoke, and, behold, it was a dream. 8 And it came to pass
in the morning that his spirit was troubled; and he sent and called for all the
magicians of Egypt, and all the wise men thereof; and Pharaoh told them his
dream; but there was none that could interpret them unto Pharaoh.
I heard from Rabbi Tuvia
Wein of blessed memory when I learned Sefer Daniel, that sometimes the advisors
of Pharaoh or Nebuchadnezzar were so afraid that they were too scared to tell
the interpretation. Here it does appear that they did not know the meaning as
it was so strange for lean to eat fat and remain the same.
9 Then spoke the chief butler
unto Pharaoh, saying: 'I make mention of my faults this day: 10
Pharaoh was wroth with his servants, and put me in the ward of the house of the
captain of the guard, me and the chief baker. 11 And we dreamed
a dream in one night, I and he; we dreamed each man according to the
interpretation of his dream.
The butler was scared
for he saw the interpretation of the baker in the second half of his dream. The
backer was hopeful as he saw the second half of the dream or the interpretation
of the butler.
12 And there was with us
there a young man, a Hebrew, servant to the captain of the guard; and we told
him, and he interpreted to us our dreams; to each man according to his dream he
did interpret.
Egypt had a
constitutional law society. Under their constitution a young man, a Hebrew and
a slave could not hold office all he more so become Prime Minister.
13 And it came to pass,
as he interpreted to us, so it was: I was restored unto mine office, and he was
hanged.' 14 Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they
brought him hastily out of the dungeon. And he shaved himself, and changed his
raiment, and came in unto Pharaoh. 15 And Pharaoh said unto
Joseph: 'I have dreamed a dream, and there is none that can interpret it; and I
have heard say of thee, that when thou hear a dream thou canst interpret it.' 16 And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying: 'It is not in me; God will
give Pharaoh an answer of peace.' … And I told it unto the
magicians; but there was none that could declare it to me.' 25
And Joseph said unto Pharaoh: 'The dream of Pharaoh is one; what God is about
to do He hath declared unto Pharaoh. 26 The seven good kine are
seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years: the dream is one. 27 And the seven lean and ill-favored kine that came up after them
are seven years, and also the seven empty ears blasted with the east wind; they
shall be seven years of famine. 28 That is the thing which I
spoke unto Pharaoh: what God is about to do He has shown unto Pharaoh. 29 Behold, there come seven years of great plenty throughout all
the land of Egypt. 30 And there shall arise after them seven
years of famine; and all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land of Egypt;
and the famine shall consume the land; 31 and the plenty shall
not be known in the land by reason of that famine which follows; for it shall
be very grievous. 32 And for that the dream was doubled unto
Pharaoh twice, it is because the thing is established by God, and God will
shortly bring it to pass.
At this moment Yosef’s
interpretation of the dream has left Pharaoh with a bureaucratic mess what to
do. Politicians love committees that investigate. However, Yosef, unlike a
politician looking to keep his job until he drops, has a solution. Here is the
disease and here is the cure!
33 Now therefore let
Pharaoh look out a man discreet and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt. 34 Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint overseers over the
land, and take up the fifth part of the land of Egypt in the seven years of
plenty. 35 And let them gather all the food of these good years
that come, and lay up corn under the hand of Pharaoh for food in the cities,
and let them keep it. 36 And the food shall be for a store to
the land against the seven years of famine, which shall be in the land of
Egypt; that the land perish not through the famine.' 37 And the
thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants.
Wow this guy is wise. He
knows his stuff when it comes to interpret dreams and he has a solution on how
to deal with it.
38 And Pharaoh said unto
his servants: 'Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom the spirit of God
is?' 39 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph: 'Forasmuch as God hath
shown thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou. 40 Thou shalt
be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled;
only in the throne will I be greater than thou.'
Pharaoh was considered a
god. Therefore the Egyptian Constitution can be either amended or discarded by
the god.
41 And Pharaoh said unto
Joseph: 'See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt.' 42 And Pharaoh took
off his signet ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph's hand, and arrayed
him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck. 43 And he
made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him:
'Abrech'; and he set him over all the land of Egypt. 44 And Pharaoh said unto
Joseph: 'I am Pharaoh, and without thee shall no man lift up his hand or his
foot in all the land of Egypt.' 45 And Pharaoh called Joseph's name
Zaphenath-paneah; and he gave him to wife Asenath the daughter of Poti-phera
priest of On. And Joseph went out over the land of Egypt.-- 46 And Joseph was
thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt.
It was at the age of 17
when Yosef was sold and brought down to Egypt. He served an extra 2 years in
jail for he did not rely upon HASHEM to provide him a way to be released.
Zaphenath-paneah means like in the Haggadah “Zaphon” or hidden and the second word
means to solve.
And Joseph went out from
the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt. 47 And in
the seven years of plenty the earth brought forth in heaps. 48 And he gathered
up all the food of the seven years which were in the land of Egypt, and laid up
the food in the cities; the food of the field, which was round about every
city, laid he up in the same. 49 And Joseph laid up corn as the sand of the
sea, very much, until they left off numbering; for it was without number.
Ancient man could count
into thousands and ten thousands. Then came hundreds of thousands and a
million. It became too much for them the concepts of billion, trillion and
sextillion. [Remember the zero would only be invented in the early Arab Culture
Period.]
50 And unto Joseph were
born two sons before the year of famine came, whom Asenath the daughter of
Poti-phera priest of On bore unto him. 51 And Joseph called the name of the
first-born Manasseh: 'for God hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father's
house.' 52 And the name of the second called he Ephraim: 'for God hath made me
fruitful in the land of my affliction.' 53 And the seven years of plenty, that
was in the land of Egypt, came to an end. 54 And the seven years of famine
began to come, according as Joseph had said; and there was famine in all lands;
but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. 55 And when all the land of Egypt
was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread; and Pharaoh said unto all
the Egyptians: 'Go unto Joseph;
This is written for us
as he is known as Zaphenath-paneah!
what he says to you,
do.' 56 And the famine was over all the face of the earth; and Joseph opened
all the storehouses, and sold unto the Egyptians; and the famine was sore in
the land of Egypt. 57 And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph to buy corn;
because the famine was sore in all the earth.
42:1 Now Jacob saw that
there was corn in Egypt, and Jacob said unto his sons: 'Why do ye look one upon
another?' 2 And he said: 'Behold, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt. Get
you down thither, and buy for us from thence; that we may live, and not die.' 3
And Joseph's ten brethren went down to buy corn from Egypt. 4 But Benjamin,
Joseph's brother, Jacob sent not with his brethren; for he said: 'Lest
peradventure harm befall him.' 5 And the sons of Israel came to buy among those
that came; for the famine was in the land of Canaan. 6 And Joseph was the
governor over the land; he it was that sold to all the people of the land. And
Joseph's brethren came, and bowed down to him with their faces to the earth. 7
And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, but made himself strange unto
them, and spoke roughly with them; and he said unto them: 'Whence come ye?' And
they said: 'From the land of Canaan to buy food.'
It seems strange to me
that a high official like Yosef would be only selling gain, unless he was there
mainly to over-see the goings on. It could be that he also gave an order that
if more than a certain amount of people come to buy grain that they had to come
before him. Thus the ten brothers were now within his power.
8 And Joseph knew his
brethren, but they knew him not.
Yosef was 30 when he was
raised to authority and then were was seven years of plenty making him 37 and
then at least one year of famine making him 38. The brothers remembered this
lanky teen with a straggly beard. Now there was a man before them who was
either with a full beard or shaven. The man spoke Egyptian through a translator
into Hebrew. He was not dressed like a shepherd but like Egyptian Royalty. He
was wearing gold and perhaps make-up like one sees in Hieroglyphics. It is no
wonder they did not know him. They were looking for a slave and possibly being
used as a male paramour (not upon us). The Medrash says that they inquired
regarding a slave named Yosef on the grounds to return him to his aged mourning
father. Another thing is that even modern day Haran is a small village and they
lived in farming and herding areas. These men had no idea of the size of the
Egyptian Metropolis that they visited and were awed by the sheer size of the
city.
9 And Joseph remembered
the dreams which he dreamed of them, and said unto them: 'Ye are spies; to see
the nakedness of the land ye are come.' 10 And they said unto him: 'Nay, my
lord, but to buy food are thy servants come. 11 We are all one man's sons; we
are upright men, thy servants are no spies.' 12 And he said unto them: 'Nay,
but to see the nakedness of the land ye are come.'
This is the first of
many false charges throughout history. This continued through Dreyfus and
beyond. This time it was a brother trying to make a Tikun and testing their
feelings.
13 And they said: 'We
thy servants are twelve brethren, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan;
and, behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is not.'
They were afraid to
mention the existence of Yosef lest they also be questioned to produce him.
14 And Joseph said unto
them: 'That is it that I spoke unto you, saying: Ye are spies. 15 Hereby ye
shall be proved, as Pharaoh lives, ye shall not go forth hence, except your
youngest brother come hither. 16 Send one of you, and let him fetch your
brother, and ye shall be bound, that your words may be proved, whether there be
truth in you; or else, as Pharaoh lives, surely ye are spies.'
He wants to make sure
that Benyamin is OK and that they are not jealous of him as he too came from
Rachel.
17 And he put them all
together into ward three days.
This was part of their Tikun
as they must have place Yosef in the pit for three days. Perhaps they had or
one of the brothers gave him food and water. As the children of
Bilhah must have grown
up close to Yosef.
18 And Joseph said unto
them the third day. 'This do, and live; for I fear God: 19 if ye be upright
men, let one of your brethren be bound in your prison-house; but go ye, carry
corn for the famine of your houses; 20 and bring your youngest brother unto me;
so shall your words be verified, and ye shall not die.' And they did so. 21 And
they said one to another: 'We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that
we saw the distress of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear;
therefore is this distress come upon us.'
G-D is demanding Mida
Knegged Mida from us. We brought this calamity upon ourselves.
22 And Reuben answered
them, saying: 'Spoke I not unto you, saying: Do not sin against the child; and
ye would not hear? Therefore also, behold, his blood is required.' 23 And they
knew not that Joseph understood them; for the interpreter was between them. 24
And he turned himself about from them, and wept; and he returned to them, and
spoke to them, and took Simeon from among them, and bound him before their
eyes.
Shimon was the
instigator of the hatred for Yosef from their talk. So Yosef bound him and
threw him into the jail. The Medrash says that afterwards he had Shimon bathed
and made him into a high class servant. However, the Pshat is that he went to the
same jail that Yosef was in.
25 Then Joseph commanded
to fill their vessels with corn, and to restore every man's money into his
sack, and to give them provision for the way; and thus was it done unto them.
26 And they laded their asses with their corn, and departed thence. 27 And as
one of them opened his sack to give his ass provender in the lodging-place, he
espied his money; and, behold, it was in the mouth of his sack. 28 And he said
unto his brethren: 'My money is restored; and, lo, it is even in my sack.' And
their heart failed them, and they turned trembling one to another, saying:
'What is this that God hath done unto us?'
They did not know that
this was a gift from their brother but panicked and shook with fear of an evil
Gezaira from HASHEM.
29 And they came unto
Jacob their father unto the land of Canaan, and told him all that had befallen
them, saying: 30 'The man, the lord of the land, spoke roughly with us, and
took us for spies of the country. 31 And we said unto him: We are upright men;
we are no spies. 32 We are twelve brethren, sons of our father; one is not, and
the youngest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan. 33 And the man,
the lord of the land, said unto us: Hereby shall I know that ye are upright
men: leave one of your brethren with me, and take corn for the famine of your
houses, and go your way. 34 And bring your youngest brother unto me; then shall
I know that ye are no spies, but that ye are upright men; so will I deliver you
your brother, and ye shall traffic in the land.'
Now really how could the
man know if they brought Benyamin or not as four mothers were involved and the
brothers must have looked different? Still in my face I look my mother and my
brother looks like my father, still we look close enough to tell that we are
brothers.
35 And it came to pass
as they emptied their sacks, that, behold, every man's bundle of money was in
his sack; and when they and their father saw their bundles of money, they were
afraid. 36 And Jacob their father said unto them: 'Me have ye bereaved of my
children: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away;
upon me are all these things come.' 37 And Reuben spoke unto his father,
saying: 'Thou shalt slay my two sons, if I bring him not to thee; deliver him
into my hand, and I will bring him back to thee.'
Yacov must have thought
regarding Reuven that he was a blundering idiot and could not be trusted with
Benyamin. Yacov was not Lavan nor Esav and how in the world could he go out and
kill Reuven’s sons which were his own grandchildren and a continuation of Yacov
himself.
38 And he said: 'My son
shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he only is left; if
harm befall him by the way in which ye go, then will ye bring down my gray hairs
with sorrow to the grave.
43:1 And
the famine was sore in the land. 2 And it came to pass, when they had eaten up
the corn which they had brought out of Egypt, that their father said unto them:
'Go again, buy us a little food.' 3 And Judah spoke unto him, saying: 'The man
did earnestly forewarn us, saying: Ye shall not see my face, except your
brother be with you. 4 If thou wilt send our brother with us, we will go down
and buy thee food; 5 but if thou wilt not send him, we will not go down, for
the man said unto us: Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with
you.' 6 And Israel said: 'Wherefore dealt ye so ill with me, as to tell the man
whether ye had yet a brother?'
You country bumpkins how
could you do this to me. Did you not learn from Lavan to be cunning in your
speech with authority lest they find something that they can use against you?
7 And they said: 'The
man asked straitly concerning ourselves, and concerning our kindred, saying: Is
your father yet alive? have ye another brother? and we told him according to
the tenor of these words; could we in any wise know that he would say: Bring
your brother down?' 8 And Judah said unto Israel his father: 'Send the lad with
me, and we will arise and go, that we may live, and not die, both we, and thou,
and also our little ones. 9 I will be surety for him; of my hand shalt thou
require him; if I bring him not unto thee, and set him before thee, then let me
bear the blame for ever.
Yehuda was G-D fearing
and had placed his Olam HaBa as surety for Benyamin.
10 For except we had
lingered, surely we had now returned a second time.' 11 And their father Israel
said unto them: 'If it be so now, do this: take of the choice fruits of the
land in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm, and a
little honey, spicery and labdanum[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labdanum/], nuts, and almonds; 12 and take double money in your hand; and
the money that was returned in the mouth of your sacks carry back in your hand;
peradventure it was an oversight; 13 take also your brother, and arise, go
again unto the man; 14 and God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he
may release unto you your other brother and Benjamin. And as for me, if I be
bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.' 15 And the men took that present, and
they took double money in their hand, and Benjamin; and rose up, and went down
to Egypt, and stood before Joseph. 16 And when Joseph saw Benjamin with them,
he said to the steward of his house: 'Bring the men into the house, and kill (slaughter) the beasts, and prepare the meat;
for the men shall dine with me at noon.' 17 And the man did as Joseph bade; and
the man brought the men into Joseph's house. 18 And the men were afraid,
because they were brought into Joseph's house; and they said: 'Because of the
money that was returned in our sacks at the first time are we brought in; that
he may seek occasion against us, and fall upon us, and take us for bondmen, and
our asses.'
Now we are really deep
in trouble because of the money that we had in our sacks so they spoke to the
steward to prevent trouble regarding this.
19 And they came near to
the steward of Joseph's house, and they spoke unto him at the door of the
house, 20 and said: 'Oh my lord, we came indeed down at the first time to buy
food. 21 And it came to pass, when we came to the lodging-place, that we opened
our sacks, and, behold, every man's money was in the mouth of his sack, our
money in full weight; and we have brought it back in our hand. 22 And other
money have we brought down in our hand to buy food. We know not who put our
money in our sacks.' 23 And he said: 'Peace be to you, fear not; your God, and
the God of your father, hath given you treasure in your sacks; I had your
money.' And he brought Simeon out unto them.
No this is a peaceful
gesture and the ruler does not need your money. Here is your other brother who
was held for surety that you would return with your youngest brother and I see
that he recognizes him.
24 And the man brought
the men into Joseph's house, and gave them water, and they washed their feet;
and he gave their asses provender. 25 And they made ready the present against
Joseph's coming at noon; for they heard that they should eat bread there. 26
And when Joseph came home, they brought him the present which was in their hand
into the house, and bowed down to him to the earth. 27 And he asked them of
their welfare, and said: 'Is your father well, the old man of whom ye spoke? Is
he yet alive?'
The Medrash comments
about the “old man” being Yitzchak. But how could this be as even on their
previous visit, Yitzchak was gone. For Yitzchak became a father at the age of
60 and Yacov was 130 or thereabouts. Yitzchak lived 180 years so he was gone
for 9 or 10 years. This is perhaps one of the reasons that Midrashim are taken
with a grain of salt for sometimes they are allegories to hide secrets from the
Romans or other non-Jews. The Pshat must be that Yacov was 130 years old and
considered an old man.
28 And they said: 'Thy
servant our father is well, he is yet alive.' And they bowed the head, and made
obeisance. 29 And he lifted up his eyes, and saw Benjamin his brother, his
mother's son, and said: 'Is this your youngest brother of whom ye spoke unto
me?' And he said: 'God be gracious unto thee, my son.'
By not correcting the
brothers regarding the use of “Servant” for Yacov, Yosef lost ten years of his
life. He could have said, I don’t want your father as a servant for he is
elderly and deserves to spend his last years in peace.
30 And Joseph made
haste; for his heart yearned toward his brother; and he sought where to weep;
and he entered into his chamber, and wept there. 31 And he washed his face, and
came out; and he refrained himself, and said: 'Set on bread.' 32 And they set
on for him by himself, and for them by themselves, and for the Egyptians, that
did eat with him, by themselves; because the Egyptians might not eat bread with
the Hebrews; for that is an abomination unto the Egyptians.
The Egyptian god was a
sheep and they could not be seated with these disgusting sacrilegious
shepherds.
33 And they sat before
him, the firstborn according to his birthright, and the youngest according to
his youth; and the men marveled one with another. 34 And portions were taken unto
them from before him; but Benjamin's portion was five times so much as any of
theirs. And they drank, and were merry with him.
He caught them off guard
for the next stage of his plan.
44:1 And he commanded
the steward of his house, saying: 'Fill the men's sacks with food, as much as
they can carry, and put every man's money in his sack's mouth. 2 And put my
goblet, the silver goblet, in the sack's mouth of the youngest, and his corn
money.' And he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken.
This was bungling on the
part of Yehuda not checking their sacks. For the last time they found their
money so this time they should have checked just in case. As the saying goes if
you fool me once you are the fool. If you fool me twice, I am a fool. (I once
saw an election saying if you vote for this politician a third time you’re a
darn fool. In fact that is what President Trump basically said regarding the US
Policy on Korea and Yerushalayim that if it hasn’t worked for 20 years why
repeat over again the same mistake.)
3 As soon as the morning
was light, the men were sent away, they and their asses. 4 And when they were
gone out of the city, and were not yet far off, Joseph said unto his steward:
'Up, follow after the men; and when thou dost overtake them, say unto them:
Wherefore have ye rewarded evil for good? 5 Is not this it in which my lord
drinks, and whereby he indeed divines? ye have done evil in so doing.' 6 And he
overtook them, and he spoke unto them these words. 7 And they said unto him:
'Wherefore speak my lord such words as these? Far be it from thy servants that
they should do such a thing. 8 Behold, the money, which we found in our sacks'
mouths, we brought back unto thee out of the land of Canaan; how then should we
steal out of thy lord's house silver or gold? 9 With whomsoever of thy servants
it be found, let him die, and we also will be my lord's bondmen.'
Very foolish words. For
Yacov used that with the Idol which was in Rachel’s possession and she died in
childbirth because of Yacov’s big mouth. I assume this Jewel of wisdom came
from the mouth of Reuven who was ready to lose his two sons. It would also be
logical for the eldest to speak first.
10 And he said: 'Now
also let it be according unto your words: he with whom it is found shall be my
bondman; and ye shall be blameless.' 11 Then they hastened, and took down every
man his sack to the ground, and opened every man his sack. 12 And he searched,
beginning at the eldest, and leaving off at the youngest; and the goblet was
found in Benjamin's sack.
His mother stole the
idol from Lavan and now he stole the cup which in truth was a ruse.
13 And they rent their
clothes, and laded every man his ass, and returned to the city. 14 And Judah
and his brethren came to Joseph's house, and he was yet there; and they fell
before him on the ground. 15 And Joseph said unto them: 'What deed is this that
ye have done? know ye not that such a man as I will indeed divine?' 16 And
Judah said: 'What shall we say unto my lord? what shall we speak? or how shall
we clear ourselves? God has found out the iniquity of thy servants; behold, we
are my lord's bondmen, both we, and he also in whose hand the cup is found.' 17
And he said: 'Far be it from me that I should do so; the man in whose hand the
goblet is found, he shall be my bondman; but as for you, get you up in peace
unto your father.'
I am a just man. The 10
of you have done nothing wrong. You can return to your father and this fellow
will be my slave. This is the ultimate test for Yehuda should be the slave as
he was the man who suggested that Yosef be sold. Benyamin had nothing to do
with the sale. This was not Mida Knegged Mida and it should not be so!
The Parsha ends on this
cliff hanger so tune in next Parsha (Vayigash) to see what happens.
The Patient Menorah
by Rabbi Yerachmiel Tilles
One morning during
Chanukah of 5773 (12/72), a group of teenaged boys including Shmuel Lipsch from
the Chabad Junior Yeshiva in Tsfat set out to the Golan Heights to bring the
light of Chanukah and other mitzvot to the residents of many
of the small scattered communities there. After a long afternoon and evening of
hard work and bright success, when they finally departed for home it was nearly
ten o'clock at night.
As they approached the highway exit to the town of Hatzor - 15 minutes before Tsfat - they decided to detour to the large shopping center near the exit where they knew the stores would still be open, even at this late hour, to spread the light of Chanukah there too. As they went from one shop to another, they came upon a store where positioned on a shelf near the plate-glass window was a Chanukah menorah, set up with the proper number of candles for that night, but as yet unlit, as if it were waiting just for them.
The students entered together. Immediately the shopkeeper approached them and welcomed them with great joy. "I was praying you would come. I know that the Chanukah lights bring blessing to my business. I would never let the menorah go unlit, not even one night" she added enthusiastically.
The teenage boys were puzzled. "It's already quite late at night. Why did you wait for so long for someone to come? Why did you not just light the candles yourself?"
"Because," she smiled, "I am not Jewish.
"I am a Druise woman," she continued. "I live in the Druise village of Tuba az-Zanghariyya."*
Not only were the boys surprised by her answer, they were more confused than before. "Why are the Chanukah lights of such significance to you if you are not Jewish?"
She related to them at length and with great sincerity why the lighting of the Chanukah menorah was so important for her. From the content of her words the yeshiva students grasped instantly that the lights were not just an "aid" for her business; it was clear that she was well aware that the fulfillment of a commandment brought an increased relationship to the Commander, to the Creator of All.
Indeed, the spiritual sensitivity revealed in her reply led the boys to suspect that perhaps she had a connection to Judaism beyond the mitzvahof Chanukah. They began to question her about her background.
It did not take more than a minute to verify their hunch, as in answer to their first question, about her family, she innocently revealed that her mother was Jewish! (In the Muslim world, religious status follows the father, so she never had a clue that she herself is Jewish according to Torah law.)
The young boys explained that through her mother she too possesses inside her the unique G-dly soul of a Jew, and therefore she is 100% Jewish. It must be, they added, that her strong commitment to having a lit menorah on the eight nights of Chanukah each year was caused by her divine Jewish neshama-soul burning within her, seeking to express itself.
Her reaction was pure happiness. She asked to clarify whether her sisters and brothers are Jewish too. With great emotion she proclaimed that she would tell all her siblings that she is Jewish and that they are also. She thanked the boys profusely.
That night the menorah of the store was lit and the blessings were said by a proud Jewess, newly ready to take her part among the Jewish people.**
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Source: Translated and adapted by Yerachmiel Tilles from an article by Rabbi Yitzchak Lipsch published in "Lubavich": the weekly newsletter of the Chabad community in Tsfat (Dec. 12, 2012).
** R. Lipsch's note: The boys too were proud (including one of my sons); they had been instrumental in bringing one more lost soul back to its roots, their mission as young chasidim of the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
* Translator's note: Tuba az-Zanghariyya is less than a half-hour's drive from Tsfat, and even closer to Hatzor. It is located close to Kfar Nassi.
I almost published the blog and then I read this news
item which is similar to the story above. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/239378
Chanucha Holocaust Story sent to me by Cindy (I posted this in
the past)
A young man named Avrumel Greenbaum
lost his entire family in the Holocaust. After the war, he came to America and
wanted nothing to do with Judaism. He was no longer Avrumel Greenbaum; now he
was Aaron Green. He moved to Alabama and happened to marry a Jewish woman
there. The day his oldest son Jeffrey turned thirteen, they were not going to
celebrate his bar mitzvah. Aaron decided to recognize the day by taking Jeffrey
to the mall and buy him anything he wanted there. They went to a big
electronics store and while browsing, Jeffrey's eye caught something in an
antique shop across the way. He was mesmerized by it. He couldn't take his eyes
off of it.
He told his father, "I don't want anything from the electronics store. I want to go across to the antique shop." When they got there, the boy pointed to an old wooden menorah and said, "That's what I want for my bar-mitzvah." His father couldn't believe it. He was letting his child buy anything he wanted in the whole mall and this is what he was choosing? Nevertheless, he couldn't talk him out of it.
Aaron asked the shop-owner the price of the menorah, but he replied "Sorry, that's not for sale." The father said, "What do you mean? This is a store." He offered a lot of money for it. The owner said, "I found out the history of this menorah. A man constructed it during the war and it took him months to gather the wood. It survived, but he did not. It's going to be a collector's item. It's not for sale."
Jeffrey kept telling his father, "That's what I want. All I want is the menorah." So Aaron Green kept offering more money until the owner finally agreed to sell. The boy was so excited. He took the menorah up to his room and played with it every day. One day the parents heard a crash from Jeffrey's room. They ran upstairs and saw the menorah shattered to pieces. The father yelled at his son for being so careless, as he paid so much money for it. Afterwards, he felt bad; he told the boy, "Let's try to glue it back together."
While holding one of the pieces, the father noticed a piece of paper wedged inside. He pulled it out and started reading. He had tears welled up in his eyes and then he fainted. His family threw water on him and revived him. "What happened?", they asked.
He replied, "Let me read you this letter." It was written in Yiddish, and it said, "To whoever finds this menorah, I want you to know, I constructed it not knowing if I would ever have the opportunity to light it. Who knows if I will live to the day to see it being kindled? In all probability, going through this war, I will not. But if Providence brings this menorah to your hands, you who are reading this letter, promise me you will light it for me and for us, my family, and those who gave their lives to serve Hashem."
Aaron Green then looked up at his family with tears in his eyes and, in a choked-up voice, said, "The letter is signed by my father."
They were all speechless. That family recognized the hashgacha of Hashem and they came back to Torah and mitzvot. The hashgacha was unbelievable, taking a menorah from Europe and bringing it back to the family in a remote mall in Alabama.
Hashem wants everybody back. Hanukah means to re-dedicate. It's a time to rededicate ourselves and come closer to Hashem.
He told his father, "I don't want anything from the electronics store. I want to go across to the antique shop." When they got there, the boy pointed to an old wooden menorah and said, "That's what I want for my bar-mitzvah." His father couldn't believe it. He was letting his child buy anything he wanted in the whole mall and this is what he was choosing? Nevertheless, he couldn't talk him out of it.
Aaron asked the shop-owner the price of the menorah, but he replied "Sorry, that's not for sale." The father said, "What do you mean? This is a store." He offered a lot of money for it. The owner said, "I found out the history of this menorah. A man constructed it during the war and it took him months to gather the wood. It survived, but he did not. It's going to be a collector's item. It's not for sale."
Jeffrey kept telling his father, "That's what I want. All I want is the menorah." So Aaron Green kept offering more money until the owner finally agreed to sell. The boy was so excited. He took the menorah up to his room and played with it every day. One day the parents heard a crash from Jeffrey's room. They ran upstairs and saw the menorah shattered to pieces. The father yelled at his son for being so careless, as he paid so much money for it. Afterwards, he felt bad; he told the boy, "Let's try to glue it back together."
While holding one of the pieces, the father noticed a piece of paper wedged inside. He pulled it out and started reading. He had tears welled up in his eyes and then he fainted. His family threw water on him and revived him. "What happened?", they asked.
He replied, "Let me read you this letter." It was written in Yiddish, and it said, "To whoever finds this menorah, I want you to know, I constructed it not knowing if I would ever have the opportunity to light it. Who knows if I will live to the day to see it being kindled? In all probability, going through this war, I will not. But if Providence brings this menorah to your hands, you who are reading this letter, promise me you will light it for me and for us, my family, and those who gave their lives to serve Hashem."
Aaron Green then looked up at his family with tears in his eyes and, in a choked-up voice, said, "The letter is signed by my father."
They were all speechless. That family recognized the hashgacha of Hashem and they came back to Torah and mitzvot. The hashgacha was unbelievable, taking a menorah from Europe and bringing it back to the family in a remote mall in Alabama.
Hashem wants everybody back. Hanukah means to re-dedicate. It's a time to rededicate ourselves and come closer to Hashem.
From Nettie very important involving donations to
non-profit institutions. Not listed the salary of Rabbi Pauli $0 and Rabbi
Mimran $0 + his airfare and transportation fees on collections outside of
Israel. Kollel Beit Shlomo C/O Mimran Rehov Ohr HaChaim 5/2 71919 Modiin Illit
Kiriat Sefer, Israel https://forward.com/news/388240/how-much-do-top-jewish-non-profit-leaders-make/
Inyanay
Diyoma
No profit for Arabs in Intifada as heads of PLO don't send their children from private schools to the fronts. https://www.debka.com/palestinian-protests-wont-swell-mass-resistance-long-arab-rulers-iran-see-no-gain/
Czech
President blasts the EU on their support of Arab Terrorists http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/239098
Attackers were from Pakistan and
Syria: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/239298
IDF does
not tolerate nonsense. Commander takes apples from vendor is suspended. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5054351,00.html
Ed- Op Alex Fishman on
Yerushalayim and the Arabs. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5052693,00.html
Ed-Op Ben Dror Yemeni: If the left
wants to return to power it must stop repeating mistakes of the past. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5051742,00.html
Summary of things as of
Monday morning. Problems started after the Jerusalem declaration
by President Trump. In Wadi Ara the Arabs threw stones and a bus and
a young woman was injured and the road closed. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/239066
In Sderot Rockets. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/239077 with a reply: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/239075
In Yerushalayim stones, fire
bombs and a guard stabbed in the heart. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/239157
In Neve Suf a device was
found inside of a tire. Two shooting incidents.
Lebanon an Iranian Hezballah
contingent visits Israeli border with a terrorist who escaped from US custody. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/239079
Terror from Bangladesh Immigrant. https://www.aol.com/article/news/2017/12/11/new-york-police-reports-possible-explosion-on-manhattan-subway/23303480/
Summary of Tuesday’s news of our Arab Neighbors. Near midnight
Monday rockets fired at Ashkelon area. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/239190
Terrorist shot charging soldiers. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/239222
Jihadi work accident. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/239221
Another rocket fired after the work accident.
Sunday the TV broadcasted this. Debka is updating us. https://www.debka.com/qassem-soleimani-sends-minion-odyssey-iraq-lebanese-israeli-border/
Drones the biggest security threat. I dreaded to write about this
but now the idea is in the open. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/239251
Earlier today Israel sent a message to Hamas. They are not stopping
the Jihad. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/239285
Watch undercover cops make arrest of rioters. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5056551,00.html
My late friend Carl used to say in our teen years “Hit them again,
harder, harder!” http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/239291
The mismanagement of Teva since they purchased a company with $40
Billion in Debit. 14,000 layoff worldwide. 1,700 here. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5057316,00.html
High Court of Injustice. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5057215,00.html
Ed-Op Yossi Yoshua Israeli Gaza Deterrence has collapsed. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5056742,00.html
Police & Army do nothing as Arabs surround a Jewish Town. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/239376
I heard on the radio on Thursday about the Charedi Army Group and
the Rabbi’s neighbor who wanted to join. However, that would hurt the Tzaddik
so much that his door to door neighbor was not learning and in the army that
the young man returned to Yeshiva and learned seriously. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/239375
This unit did not exist when my son was eligible for
the draft and he went to a Yeshiva with Army as Golani. Ben Zion Glixman
encouraged by my son when to the Nahal Charedi.
Have a wonderful Shabbos remember to light the Chanucha
Candles before the Shabbos Candles so give extra time,
Rachamim Pauli
