Unfortunately, Nehemiah Arieh Liab Peretz ben Esther Rachel passed
away.
However, do you know where the name is derived? The
revolt of the Maccabees took place between the common years 167 to 160 BCE or
approximately 3593 to 3600 on our calendar. After seven years of war, Am
Yisrael was victorious. Therefore, they rested in Yerushalayim HANU. This took
place on the 25th or Chaf Hey Kislev. Hence the name Chanucha -
Kitzur Shulchan Aruch Siman 139 Se’if 1.
Parsha
Vayeishev
Rabbi Edward Davis Shlita in his Drasha last week
points out an interesting fact that I am putting in my own words. When Parsha
Vayeitzei opened Esav was rising and the sun set on Yacov. When Yacov returns
to Eretz Yisrael the Angel of Esav in the last minute has a fling at Yacov, but
his sun is rising and the Angel cannot harm him. Rabbi Davis points that in the
history of the Jews even in our darkest moments (my example) the inquisition
and the Holocaust the dawn would come and the sun would rise.
Another point I believe that I heard from Dr. Irving
Skolnick Shlita that in the 1940’s people were investing in building
Conservative Synagogues as the Movement grew and Orthodox Rabbinical Students
were unable to find work so they went the Jewish Theological Seminary and
became Conservative Rabbis. The Holocaust was gathering momentum and Rommel was
on his with tanks to Eretz Yisrael. Things looked quite bleak for the Yeshiva
World. Fast forward around 75 years, Yeshivos in Eretz Yisrael are thriving and
places in the suburbs like Woodmere Long Island and the Five Towns have an
Orthodox Minyan starting about every 10 minutes from the pre-dawn one to at
least mid-morning one.
Up until this point, we have seen G-D in every Parsha.
Suddenly, G-D is missing in this Parsha. So what is HE doing? HE is working
behind the scenes making Moshiach ben Yosef and Moshiach ben David. – Rabbi
Simcha HaCohain Kuk Shlita.
Menashe is very brilliant and when I mentioned Rabbi
Kuk’s Drasha he said to me that is not so. 39:2
And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the
house of his master the Egyptian. 3 And his master saw that the LORD was with
him, and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand. G-D was truly not missing but in hiding as it was that
reason that the Eunuch’s wife started up with him.
Try never to favor one child over the other as it leads to jealousy but sometimes a child will feel left out by a parent whether it is true or not.
3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age; and he made him a coat of many colors.
If this was bad enough, Yosef had his dreams and told all. It was almost fatal for him.
38:1 And it came to pass at that time, that Judah went down from
his brethren, and turned in to a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah. … 11
Then said Judah to Tamar his daughter-in-law: 'Remain a widow in thy father's
house, till Shelah my son be grown up'; for he said: 'Lest he also die, like
his brethren.' And Tamar went and dwelt in her father's house. 12 And in
process of time Shua's daughter, the wife of Judah, died; and Judah was
comforted, and went up unto his sheep-shearers to Timnah, he and his friend
Hirah the Adullamite.
Making the Moshiach. Yehuda was a Tzaddik so he would
never go to a prostitute but his wife had passed on. He was then given a
supernatural urge when he saw Tamara hiding her face.
13 And it was told Tamar, saying: 'Behold, thy father-in-law goeth
up to Timnah to shear his sheep.' 14 And she put off from her the garments of
her widowhood, and covered herself with her veil, and wrapped herself, and sat
in the entrance of Enaim, which is by the way to Timnah; for she saw that
Shelah was grown up, and she was not given unto him to wife. 15 When Judah saw
her, he thought her to be a harlot; for she had covered her face. 16 And he
turned unto her by the way, and said: 'Come, I pray thee, let me come in unto
thee'; for he knew not that she was his daughter-in-law. And she said: 'What
wilt thou give me, that thou may come in unto me?'
She wanted Yebum and Yehuda was withholding his youngest
son. She would be willing to be built up with Yehuda instead.
17 And he said: 'I will send thee a kid of the goats from the
flock.' And she said: 'Wilt thou give me a pledge, till thou send it?' 18 And
he said: 'What pledge shall I give thee?' And she said: 'Thy signet and thy
cord, and thy staff that is in thy hand.' And he gave them to her, and came in
unto her, and she conceived by him.
The signet ring and staff of the Kingship of Israel no
more and no less.
19 And she arose, and went away, and put off her veil from her, and
put on the garments of her widowhood. 20 And Judah sent the kid of the goats by
the hand of his friend the Adullamite, to receive the pledge from the woman's
hand; but he found her not. 21 Then he asked the men of her place, saying:
'Where is the harlot, that was at Enaim by the wayside?' And they said: 'There
hath been no harlot here.' 22 And he returned to Judah, and said: 'I have not
found her; and also the men of the place said: There hath been no harlot here.'
23 And Judah said: 'Let her take it, lest we be put to shame; behold, I sent
this kid, and thou hast not found her.'
Yehuda finished with his supernatural lust wants to
return to honest living and keep his bargain. He is also a bit confounded that
he no longer has his staff and signet ring.
24 And it came to pass about three months after, that it was told
Judah, saying: 'Tamar thy daughter-in-law hath played the harlot; and moreover,
behold, she is with child by harlotry.' And Judah said: 'Bring her forth, and
let her be burnt.' 25 When she was brought forth, she sent to her
father-in-law, saying: 'By the man, whose these are, am I with child'; and she
said: 'Discern, I pray thee, whose are these, the signet, and the cords, and
the staff.'
Our Rabbis say better to be thrown into a fire than
speak Lashon HaRa about a person.
26 And Judah acknowledged them, and said: 'She is more righteous
than I; forasmuch as I gave her not to Shelah my son.' And he knew her again no
more.
Now he was afraid for himself and restrained for he
never knew why his two sons died.
…32:4 And Joseph … 10 And it came to pass, as she spoke to Joseph
day by day, that he hearkened not unto her, to lie by her, or to be with her.
11 And it came to pass on a certain day, when he went into the house to do his
work, and there was none of the men of the house there within, 12 that she
caught him by his garment, saying: 'Lie with me.' And he left his garment in
her hand, and fled, and got him out. 13 And it came to pass, when she saw that
he had left his garment in her hand, and was fled forth, 14 that she called
unto the men of her house, and spoke unto them, saying: 'See, he hath brought
in a Hebrew unto us to mock us; he came in unto me to lie with me, and I cried
with a loud voice. 15 And it came to pass, when he heard that I lifted up my
voice and cried, that he left his garment by me, and fled, and got him out.' 16
And she laid up his garment by her, until his master came home. 17 And she
spoke unto him according to these words, saying: 'The Hebrew servant, whom thou
hast brought unto us, came in unto me to mock me. 18 And it came to pass, as I
lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment by me, and fled out.' 19
And it came to pass, when his master heard the words of his wife, which she
spoke unto him, saying: 'After this manner did thy servant to me'; that his
wrath was kindled.
He could easily have killed the Hebrew Slave. So why
didn’t he kill Yosef? According to the Medrash Osnat told him the truth of the
matter and so he put him in jail. Another possibility is that Mrs. Potiphar
suggested jailing him to teach him a lesson and she would try to visit him in
jail to tempt him.
20 And Joseph's master took him, and put him into the prison, the
place where the king's prisoners were bound; and he was there in the prison. 21
But the LORD was with Joseph, and showed kindness unto him, and gave him favor
in the sight of the keeper of the prison.
Even though hidden the background, the L-RD was aiding
Yosef.
22 And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand all the
prisoners that were in the prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the
doer of it. 23 The keeper of the prison looked not to anything that was under
his hand, because the LORD was with him; and that which he did, the LORD made
it to prosper.
I think that perhaps Minister Potiphar spoke to the
prison warden and told him that Yosef was a good servant and he would not try
to escape and could help him.
These men were also under Potiphar as he was the Minister in Charge of Cooking for the Royal Household and their guests.
3 And he put them in ward in the house of the captain of the guard, into the prison, the place where Joseph was bound.
HASHEM makes no accidents and these men were place in Yosef’s care for that reason. Their dreams which he interpreted without reward would lead to his redemption from prison.
… 18 And Joseph answered and said: 'This is the interpretation thereof: the three baskets are three days; 19 within yet three days shall Pharaoh lift up thy head from off thee, and shall hang thee on a tree; and the birds shall eat thy flesh from off thee.' 20 And it came to pass the third day, which was Pharaoh's birthday, that he made a feast unto all his servants; and he lifted up the head of the chief butler and the head of the chief baker among his servants. 21 And he restored the chief butler back unto his butlership; and he gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand. 22 But he hanged the chief baker, as Joseph had interpreted to them. 23 Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but forgot him.
The Shabbos the Yeshiva Boys worked through the night on Shabbos
to dig trenches.
As told to me by Rabbi Chaim Kovacs Shlita
It was 1948 and 7 Arab Armies invaded Eretz Yisrael.
David Shaltiel, the commander of the Yerushalayim Defense Garrison by the
Hagana was in charge. Rabbi Shlomo Goren was the Chief Army Rabbi at that time.
Rabbi Yitzchak Hertzog was Chief Rabbi of Eretz Yisrael.
Rabbi Goren was called via walkie-talkie to the office
of David Shaltiel. He was given top secret intelligence that King Abdullah
(grandfather of the present King) of Yarden was about to invade Yerushalayim
with tanks coming from Sheik Jarach at 11AM on Shabbos. Most able-bodied men
were taken up in the army or Kibbutz – Army. He needed Yeshiva Bochurim to dig
anti-tank ditches all Friday Night in the middle of the road. Rabbi Goren was
of course OK in giving the Hetir for the action, but was not a big enough
authority. Rabbi Goren said that he would have to have authorization from Rabbi
Hertzog to do so. He also needed to tell the other Rabbi the top secret
intelligence information. He was given authority.
Rabbi Goren sped off to see Rabbi Hertz under constant
sniper and mortar bombardment. He arrived at the Rabbi’s house or study and
explained the situation. The Rabbi wrote a Hetir but wanted Rabbi Goren to get
one from the Charedi Rabbi Dushinsky for the Yeshiva Bochurim would listen to
him over Rabbi Hertzog. Rabbi Dushinsky was not at home but learning in a basement
shelter Minyan by the Ger Chassidim.
Rabbi Goren explained the situation to Rabbi Dushinsky
and he showed him the letter from Rabbi Hertzog. Rabbi Dushinsky did not want
to Poskin. Rabbi Goren pleaded that many people would die. He pleaded that it was
Pekuach Nefesh. The other replied that they were negligent and that he was not
prepared to Poskin. Rabbi Goren retorted quoting the Gemara in Eruvim 45A that
if a person did not listen to his doctors and ended up in the hospital on
Shabbos Yom Kippur we do everything to keep him alive even cooking food on the
fast day. Still Rabbi Dushinsky would not budge. Rabbi Dushinsky said that he
was prepared to die and to leave him alone. Rabbi Goren then returned to Rabbi
Hertzog. At that point the phone rang in Rabbi Hertzog’s office. It was Rabbi
Dushinsky. He said that he was prepared to die but would let Rabbi Hertzog
decide what should be done. With that both Rabbi Goren and Rabbi Hertzog walked
on the streets under sniper fire to the Chevron Yeshiva and others with many
Bochurim. They asked the young men to Daven Kabbalas Shabbos and have a meal
and then dig the deep trenches which the army needed under the cover of
darkness.
The Bochurim finished the anti-tank ditches before dawn
and Davened Netz (sunrise). It was then a matter of waiting. The tanks were
coming through Sheik Jarach at full speed to make a swift end to the Jewish
Settlement of Yerushalayim. [To those Politically Correct People – Yerushalayim
was called a Settlement in those days.]
Suddenly, the first tank hit the ditch and flipped
over, the second did too and the third crashed into the second. The other 10
tanks in the column halted, turned around and Yerushalayim was saved.
[During my border patrolling in the IDF, I did not have
to ask anybody about a Hetir for patrolling the Lebanese Border from a Fatach
Attack on Shabbos or the Syrian Border on another occasion. I just took the
minimum supplies that I needed and once sang Lecha Dodi as I crossed from an
Israeli held position back into the border fence on Mt. Hermon.]
Poll shows Gideon Saar a better vote getter than Netanyahu. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/238745
Bully Charedim sometimes are no better than extreme Muslims and I
am myself Charedi.
Inyanay
Diyoma
With technology from the 1960’s, Israeli Missiles penetrate
Syrian’s Russian Defenses. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5050932,00.html
Convicted terrorist named person of the year. https://thinkamericana.com/2017/11/28/linda-sarsour-named-person-year-time-magazine-calling-jihad-trump/
The relation between N. Korea Missiles and Iranian Hegemony. http://www.wnd.com/2017/12/dershowitz-n-korean-nuclear-crisis-all-about-iran/
The Israeli Missiles were against big wig Hezballah and Iranian
Officers. https://www.debka.com/160187-2/
Travel Ban upheld. http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/us-top-court-lets-trumps-latest-travel-ban-go-into-full-effect/ar-BBGexik?li=BBmkt5R&ocid=spartanntp
US moves and Israeli Air Strike coordinated. https://www.debka.com/new-us-military-moves-mid-east-israels-syria-air-raid-coordinated/
Syria hit again by IAF. http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Syrian-media-says-Israel-struck-near-Damascus-for-second-time-in-days-517011
Test of Arrow 3 missile stopped last minute as target was off
course. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5051824,00.html
What peace can you have if you make threats about recognition of a
capitol of the country? http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/238894
Iranian Hackers Fake News Site: https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3726650,00.html
From Denise C. Times good Editorial: To fight N. Korea fight like
Israel. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/03/opinion/to-stop-north-korea-act-like-israel.html
Bad Ed – Op by Cable Nazi Network a Ted Turner
(who loved to beat up Jews in Chevy Chase MD during his College Days) – They
are against moving the US Embassy or even recognizing Yerushalayim as the
Eternal Capitol of Yisrael.
The third intifada will have no financial backing so Abbas is alone.
https://www.debka.com/abbas-lacks-important-arab-support-trumps-recognition-jerusalem/
A big mistake by the PLO isolating VP Pence. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5053782,00.html
Poland: Jewish Cemetery now a parking lot. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5053780,00.html
Rocket attack and response in Gaza. They are planning a massive
cannon fodder march towards the border Friday after their “prayers”. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/239049
Good Shabbos and Chanucha Samayach,
Rachamim Pauli
