Friday, May 18, 2018

Parsha Bamidbar, two stories, interesting things grandma blog.



Prayers for­ Men: Yoel HaCohain ben Henya, Shalom Charles ben Gracia, Yosef ben Esther, Daniel ben Rivka, Moshe ben Briendel, NEW NAME: Avrum ben Fagel

Women: Karen Neshama bas Esther Ruth, Chaya Melecha Rachel bas Baila Alta, Rachel bas Chana, Hodaya Nirit bas Mazel Yaish, Rivka bas Idit, Tsvia Simcha bas Devorah Yachad, Miriam bas Irene Taita Malka, Shulamis bas Etta, Chana Friedel bas Sara, Drorah Rivka bas Chana, Zahava bas Sara, Esther bas Alice, Sara Naomi bas Gittel, Rena Leah bas Chana Friedel, NEW NAME : Golda Shulamis bas Celia

The following persons are recovering from long term non-threatening injuries and need Psalms. Binum Benyamin Tuvia ben Chana Friedel, Avraham HaCohain ben Yocheved, Melech David ben Sulah Pearla,

There hopefully will be an issue next week. I have something special for Naso planned. However, due to the fact that we have so logistics issues with the Bar Mitzvah of our Forester Child, Menashe, with the addition of the extra day, Yom Tov that slows down writing it may come out only with the copy and pasted story or stories. Publication of the blogspot should be by 2 PM Israel time at the latest or 7 AM Eastern Time in the States. Please look for it as I will have close to zero time to advertise for it on Facebook Groups.


Parsha Bamidbar


Am Yisrael has been wondering around the desert or wilderness for a year. We are still in the time frame of the dedication of the Mishkan. Yermiyahu 31:1 Thus says the LORD: the people that were left of the sword have found grace in the wilderness, even Israel, when I go to cause him to rest. As much as the people complained it was a truly productive time for them in turns of Torah, Mitzvah learning and very little work being sustained by Mann from heaven.

1:1 And the LORD spoke unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tent of meeting, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt, saying: 2 'Take ye the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, by their families, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of names, every male, by their polls; 3 from twenty years old and upward, all that are able to go forth to war in Israel: ye shall number them by their hosts, even thou and Aaron.

There is no early or late in the Torah! This week there is the census of the second year in the second month aka Iyar on our calendar. However, next week the dedication by the princes took place starting the second year first month. Since the Torah is above time, this need not bother us but only for the sake of chronological time.

4 And with you there shall be a man of every tribe, every one head of his fathers' house. 5 And these are the names of the men that shall stand with you: of Reuben, Elizur the son of Shedeur.

At this point each prince is mentioned and then the census for each tribe. For living in tents and marching purposes for war, the camps are broken up to not each population of three tribes each. At this point the danger is from the east and they are marching eastwards when they start out. The tribes under the flag of Yehuda are the most populous with the west being covered by the flag of Ephraim or essentially Rachel’s children in the west covering the rear. The North is covered by the flag of Dan and there was also a danger from here. With the flag of Reuven in the south, the least amount of population was needed as Egypt had be squarely defeated.

\6 Of Simeon, Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai. 7 Of Judah, Nahshon the son of Amminadab. 8 Of Issachar, Nethanel the son of Zuar. 9 Of Zebulun, Eliab the son of Helon. 10 Of the children of Joseph: of Ephraim, Elishama the son of Ammihud; of Manasseh, Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur. 11 Of Benjamin, Abidan the son of Gideoni. 12 Of Dan, Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai. 13 Of Asher, Pagiel the son of Ochran. 14 Of Gad, Eliasaph the son of Deuel. 15 Of Naphtali, Ahira the son of Enan.' 16 These were the elect of the congregation, the princes of the tribes of their fathers; they were the heads of the thousands of Israel. 17 And Moses and Aaron took these men that are pointed out by name.

These men were approved by HASHEM to lead the tribes. I listed them all so as not to show favor to Reuven as I only needed the name of one prince for my point. Since the Torah lists them all, they are men of renowned and G-D fearing Sages.

18 And they assembled all the congregation together on the first day of the second month, and they declared their pedigrees after their families, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, by their polls. 19 As the LORD commanded Moses, so did he number them in the wilderness of Sinai.
44 These are those that were numbered, which Moses and Aaron numbered, and the princes of Israel, being twelve men; they were each one for his fathers' house. 45 And all those that were numbered of the children of Israel by their fathers' houses, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war in Israel; 46 even all those that were numbered were six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty. 47 But the Levites after the tribe of their fathers were not numbered among them.

The age group numbered were 20 until 60 for the foot soldiers. Those older were excused from Army Duty and those younger too unexperienced to be good fighters. The person that were in the Census were men only and usually in this age group there is close to the same amount of women not to mention children and elderly. Without exaggeration, the population was probably close to 2,400,000 which also included the Leviim.

48 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 49 'Howbeit the tribe of Levi thou shalt not number, neither shalt thou take the sum of them among the children of Israel; 50 but appoint thou the Levites over the tabernacle of the testimony, and over all the furniture thereof, and over all that belongs to it; they shall bear the tabernacle, and all the furniture thereof; and they shall minister unto it, and shall encamp round about the tabernacle. 51 And when the tabernacle sets forward, the Levites shall take it down; and when the tabernacle is to be pitched, the Levites shall set it up; and the common man that draws nigh shall be put to death. 52 And the children of Israel shall pitch their tents, every man with his own camp, and every man with his own standard, according to their hosts. 53 But the Levites shall pitch round about the tabernacle of the testimony, that there be no wrath upon the congregation of the children of Israel; and the Levites shall keep the charge of the tabernacle of the testimony.' 54 Thus did the children of Israel; according to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so did they.

They did as they were commanded with joy. It is a lot of responsibility to take care of holy objects. There is a high price to pay for damage to anything and they had to be handled in purity and cautiously. Most of the people I know would be happy not to have this responsibility and the dangers both in this world and the next for be weak in their pursuit. In fact the age group of Leviim that did the main brunt of the work were between 30 and 50. Before that was apprenticeship and after that teachers of the apprentices.

2:1 And the LORD spoke unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying: 2 'The children of Israel shall pitch by their fathers' houses; every man with his own standard, according to the ensigns; a good way off shall they pitch round about the tent of meeting. 3 Now those that pitch on the east side toward the sunrising shall be they of the standard of the camp of Judah, … 5 and those that pitch next unto him shall be the tribe of Issachar; …7 and the tribe of Zebulun; … 9 all that were numbered of the camp of Judah being a hundred thousand and fourscore thousand and six thousand and four hundred, according to their hosts; they shall set forth first. 10 On the south side shall be the standard of the camp of Reuben according to their hosts. …12 and those that pitch next unto him shall be the tribe of Simeon; … 14 and the tribe of Gad; … 16 all that were numbered of the camp of Reuben being a hundred thousand and fifty and one thousand and four hundred and fifty, according to their hosts; and they shall set forth second. 17 Then the tent of meeting, with the camp of the Levites, shall set forward in the midst of the camps; as they encamp, so shall they set forward, every man in his place, by their standards. 18 On the west side shall be the standard of the camp of Ephraim according to their hosts. … 20 and next unto him shall be the tribe of Manasseh … 22 and the tribe of Benjamin;  … 24 all that were numbered of the camp of Ephraim being a hundred thousand and eight thousand and a hundred, according to their hosts; and they shall set forth third. 25 On the north side shall be the standard of the camp of Dan according to their hosts; … 27 and those that pitch next unto him shall be the tribe of Asher; … 29 and the tribe of Naphtali; … 31 all that were numbered of the camp of Dan being a hundred thousand and fifty and seven thousand and six hundred; they shall set forth hindmost by their standards.' 32 These are they that were numbered of the children of Israel by their fathers' houses; all that were numbered of the camps according to their hosts were six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty. 33 But the Levites were not numbered among the children of Israel; as the LORD commanded Moses. 34 Thus did the children of Israel: according to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so they pitched by their standards, and so they set forward, each one according to its families, and according to its fathers' houses.
3 … 5 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 6 'Bring the tribe of Levi near, and set them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister unto him. 7 And they shall keep his charge, and the charge of the whole congregation before the tent of meeting, to do the service of the tabernacle. 8 And they shall keep all the furniture of the tent of meeting, and the charge of the children of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle. 9 And thou shalt give the Levites unto Aaron and to his sons; they are wholly given unto him from the children of Israel. 10 And thou shalt appoint Aaron and his sons, that they may keep their priesthood; and the common man that draws nigh shall be put to death.'

Previously the danger of death was for doing the work of the Leviim and now for usurping the Avoda of the Cohanim this included Leviim. Moshe handed over the reigns to Aaron after the 7 days of Milluim.

11 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 12 'And I, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of every first-born that openeth the womb among the children of Israel; and the Levites shall be Mine; 13 for all the first-born are Mine: on the day that I smote all the first-born in the land of Egypt I hallowed unto Me all the first-born in Israel, both man and beast, Mine they shall be: I am the LORD.'

It should have been the first-born but some first-born children participated in the since of the Egel HaZahav while the Leviim did not participate. They were rewarded by being granted the work of the Mishkan.

14 And the LORD spoke unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying: 15 'Number the children of Levi by their fathers' houses, by their families; every male from a month old and upward shalt thou number them.' 16 And Moses numbered them according to the word of the LORD, as he was commanded. 17 And these were the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari. … these are the families of the Gershonites. 22 Those that were numbered of them, according to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, even those that were numbered of them were seven thousand and five hundred. 23 The families of the Gershonites were to pitch behind the tabernacle westward; 24 the prince of the fathers' house of the Gershonites being Eliasaph the son of Lael, 25 and the charge of the sons of Gershon in the tent of meeting the tabernacle, and the Tent, the covering thereof, and the screen for the door of the tent of meeting, 26 and the hangings of the court, and the screen for the door of the court--which is by the tabernacle, and by the altar, round about--and the cords of it, even whatsoever pertaineth to the service thereof. 27 And of Kohath was the family of the Amramites, and the family of the Izharites, and the family of the Hebronites, and the family of the Uzzielites; these are the families of the Kohathites: 28 according to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, eight thousand and six hundred, keepers of the charge of the sanctuary. 29 The families of the sons of Kohath were to pitch on the side of the tabernacle southward; 30 the prince of the fathers' house of the families of the Kohathites being Elizaphan the son of Uzziel, 31 and their charge the ark, and the table, and the candlestick, and the altars, and the vessels of the sanctuary wherewith the priests minister, and the screen, and all that pertains to the service thereof; 32 Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest being prince of the princes of the Levites, and having the oversight of them that keep the charge of the sanctuary. 33 Of Merari was the family of the Mahlites, and the family of the Mushites; these are the families of Merari. 34 And those that were numbered of them, according to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, were six thousand and two hundred; 35 the prince of the fathers' house of the families of Merari being Zuriel the son of Abihail; they were to pitch on the side of the tabernacle northward; 36 the appointed charge of the sons of Merari being the boards of the tabernacle, and the bars thereof, and the pillars thereof, and the sockets thereof, and all the instruments thereof, and all that pertaineth to the service thereof; 37 and the pillars of the court round about, and their sockets, and their pins, and their cords. 38 And those that were to pitch before the tabernacle eastward, before the tent of meeting toward the sunrising, were Moses, and Aaron and his sons, keeping the charge of the sanctuary, even the charge for the children of Israel; and the common man that drew nigh was to be put to death. 39 All that were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron numbered at the commandment of the LORD, by their families, all the males from a month old and upward, were twenty and two thousand.

The subtribe of Kohath took care of the holiest objects and carried them on their shoulders from Mt. Sinai onwards until the caravan rested.  Gershon and Merari had wagons to move about what they carried during transportation as these objects such as the planks and the curtains were very heavy.

40 And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Number all the first-born males of the children of Israel from a month old and upward, and take the number of their names. 41 And thou shalt take the Levites for Me, even the LORD, instead of all the first-born among the children of Israel; and the cattle of the Levites instead of all the firstlings among the cattle of the children of Israel.' 42 And Moses numbered, as the LORD commanded him, all the first-born among the children of Israel. 43 And all the first-born males according to the number of names, from a month old and upward, of those that were numbered of them, were twenty and two thousand two hundred and threescore and thirteen.
44 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 45 'Take the Levites instead of all the first-born among the children of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle; and the Levites shall be Mine, even the LORD'S. 46 And as for the redemption of the two hundred and three score and thirteen of the first-born of the children of Israel, that are over and above the number of the Levites, 47 thou shalt take five shekels apiece by the poll; after the shekel of the sanctuary shalt thou take them--the shekel is twenty gerahs. 48 And thou shalt give the money wherewith they that remain over of them are redeemed unto Aaron and to his sons.' 49 And Moses took the redemption-money from them that were over and above them that were redeemed by the Levites; 50 from the first-born of the children of Israel took he the money: a thousand three hundred and threescore and five shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary. 51 And Moses gave the redemption-money unto Aaron and to his sons, according to the word of the LORD, as the LORD commanded Moses.

Since that time we do Pidyon HaBen unless the mother is a Levi or Cohain.

4:1 And the LORD spoke unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying: 2 'Take the sum of the sons of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, by their families, by their fathers' houses, 3 from thirty years old and upward even until fifty years old, all that enter upon the service, to do work in the tent of meeting. … 17 And the LORD spoke unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying: 18 'Cut ye not off the tribe of the families of the Kohathites from among the Levites; 19 but thus do unto them, that they may live, and not die, when they approach unto the most holy things: Aaron and his sons shall go in, and appoint them every one to his service and to his burden; 20 but they shall not go in to see the holy things as they are being covered, lest they die.'

Why did the Kohathites go first as Gershon was the Bechor? Menashe suggested to me is that they dealt with the holiest objects and carried on their shoulders and therefore went first in the dismantling. We read in Pasuk 4:18 not to cut off the family of Kohathites from the Leviim. If so why did the Sages when they divided up the Parshiyos separate them from the other Leviim and not all the Leviim together either in this Parsha or the next and divide up all the Parshiyos in Bamidbar differently? The answer will appear in Parsha Naso.


The Silent Story Teller by Rabbi Y. Tilles


Before the Baal Shem Tov passed away he called all of his main disciples to his bedside and spoke to each one individually. He told each one what occupation he was to undertake in the future and how he was to behave. Last of all, he called his devoted student and attendant, Yaakov, to him and said:
"You, Yaakov, are to travel about telling stories about me. This will serve you as your means of livelihood as well, for people will pay you to hear such incidents and happenings."
"But Rebbe," protested Yaakov, "is that to be my aim in life, to be forever wandering and to tell stories?"
"Don't you worry. You will be rich from this, with G-d's help"
The Baal Shem Tov passed away. All the disciples fulfilled his last instructions and Yaakov, too, went forth to visit settlements and villages to tell tales of the Baal Shem Tov as he had witnessed them, earning a handsome income to the bargain.
After two and a half years of such an existence Yaakov head that there was a certain wealthy man in Italy who paid a valuable gold coin for each story he was told about the Baal Shem Tov. He rejoiced at this information for with his wealth of stories he felt he could earn enough to let him stay home for a year or so.
As soon as he was able, he bought himself a horse and wagon, hired an assistant, and set forth on the long trip to Italy. The voyage took him seven months, for he was forced to stop at the villages and towns along the way in order to earn enough to cover his expenses.
When he entered the city of his destination he asked around to find out what sort of a person this wealthy man was.
"Oh, he is a man of great means," he was told. "He holds court like a king, though he himself is a pious and righteous man. He spends all his time in study and prayer for he has faithful employees running his business for him. And every Shabbos, at the Third Meal, he has someone tell stories about the Baal Shem Tov. He later pays a gold coin for each story told!"
"Where does this man come from?" asked Yaakov curiously.
"No one really knows. He came here about ten years ago and bought himself a mansion with expansive grounds. He built himself a Beit Midrash on his property which is open to the public for daily prayers. And on Shabbos he invites half of the city to join him at his table!"
Yaakov told his attendant to go to this rich man and announce that his master, a former close disciple of the holy Baal Shem Tov, had just arrived in town. The servant was told that his master was very welcome to spend Shabbos in the mansion, during which time he would have many opportunities to tell all the stories that he knew of the Baal Shem Tov.
The Jews of the town were overjoyed to hear of the arrival of a master storyteller. They all gathered at the Shabbos table of the rich man after their own meals to listen avidly to the stories that Yaakov had to offer. After the traditional Shabbos night songs, the host finally turned to his important guest and nodded to him to commence.
Yaakov opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. Suddenly the strangest sensation had come over him and he actually went blank. He forgot everything that he had ever known concerning his rabbi. He tried desperately to reconstruct an image of his rebbe before his mind's eye so that he might better recall some incident of his life, but he couldn't even remember any of his features. He tried to recall all the places that he had visited with his rebbe, but even his most supreme efforts were of no help.
He was utterly confused and helpless; he sat at his place with downcast eyes and a fallen countenance.
The townsfolk who had expressly come to hear his tales began whispering to one another, hinting that he was really a fraud, that he only sought a free meal and had never in his life seen the Baal Shem Tov. But the host, most disappointed of all, contained himself and said:
"We will wait until tomorrow. Maybe until then you will remind yourself of some incident."
That night Reb Yaakov wept in bed. He struggled to conjure up an image of his rebbe's face or even the faces of some of his friends, the Baal Shem Tov's disciples, but it was as if he had never seen the Baal Shem Tov at all. His mind was a complete blank; every trace of those former days was completely erased from his memory.
On Shabbos day the whole city had again gathered at the rich man's table, this time out of curiosity, to see if the guest had recovered his memory and had any stories to tell of the Baal Shem Tov. They suspected him more than ever of being a fraud, and when their host nodded to his guest after the zemiros, the guest only shrugged his shoulders hopelessly with tears in his eyes.
"Believe me", he said pathetically, "such a thing has never happened to me before! This is a most unusual occurrence".
What could be the reason for this unusual loss of memory - wondered the perturbed Yaakov all the Shabbos. Is it maybe because I ventured out of my familiar territory? The Baal Shem Tov said that I was to travel among the villages and cities where he had been known, where people had heard of the Baal Shem Tov and desired to hear more.
Yaakov spent the whole day in tearful prayer seeking a solution to his dilemma.
At the Third Meal, the rich man's house was packed. Everyone had come to scorn the faker who had dared to take advantage of their benevolent host. They teased him and jeered at him but he took it all in his stride.
However, that evening after the havdala ceremony signaling the end of Shabbos, Yaakov went to the rich man to bid him farewell. "I can no longer avail myself of your gracious hospitality. I have been prevented by heaven from telling any of the many stories that I know of my rebbe and have no excuse to remain. I therefore beg your forgiveness and seek your permission to leave."
"Please remain until Tuesday," his host urged him. "Give yourself another chance. It may be that the trials of your journey have made you temporarily forget. Your memory may yet return to you. Stay until Tuesday and then we shall see."
Yaakov reluctantly prolonged his stay. But he did not remember anything in the interval and when Tuesday finally arrived he again sought his host. "I thank you kindly for your gracious hospitality and beg forgiveness for the embarrassment I have caused you. Please let me go now."
The wealthy man gave Yaakov a generous donation and bade him farewell.
Yaakov took his place in his wagon and signaled to his attendant to drive. But as soon as the horses began trotting he shouted at him to stop the wagon.
"I remember! I remember!" he screamed excitedly as he jumped down and ran back to the rich man's house.
The rich man was waiting for him and begged him to tell his story.
It happened, he began, once just before the gentiles celebrated their Easter. That Shabbos the Baal Shem Tov seemed most upset and tense, continuously pacing back and forth. Immediately after Shabbos he had Alexei, his customary driver, prepare the wagon. He took along with him three of his close followers, including myself. We sat in the wagon and traveled all that night. When we reached our destination in the morning, the horses stopped of their own accord at a large house in a big city.
The windows and doors were tightly barred but the Baal Shem Tov told me to knock nevertheless. An old woman peered out and shouted angrily:
"What are you doing here now? Are you all mad? Do you want to be murdered? Don't you know that today the gentiles kill any Jew who is out on the streets! Today is the day that they take revenge on the Jews who they say killed their god. If they find out it will be tragic for you and we will also suffer the consequences. Now hurry, get out of town while you still can!"
The Baal Shem Tov gently urged her aside and entered, ushering us after him and closing the door behind us all. The members of the household were huddled together, speechless with fright. The old woman began ranting and raving against the Baal Shem Tov but he paid her no heed. He took his position by a window, moved the curtain aside and looked out. The woman shrieked that he was bringing destruction upon them all.
The Baal Shem Tov could see the city square from his vantage point. He saw a high platform with thirty steps erected in the center and a mob of people already assembled, waiting for the bishop. The bishop's address was the signal for the rampage, bloodshed and havoc that was annually wrought upon the lives and property of the Jews of the city.
Soon the sounds of bells announced the coming of the bishop's procession. The Baal Shem Tov watched the procession advance until the bishop finally took his place at the podium on the platform. Then he turned to me and said:
"Yaakov, go to the bishop and tell him to come to me immediately!"
When the members of the household heard these words they were shocked. "How can you send a man to his slaughter! Why, that bloodthirsty mob outside will rip him apart limb from limb!"
But the Baal Shem Tov paid them no heed and just told me to do as he had bidden, and to hurry.
I had implicit faith in my master for I had seen him perform great wonders and miracles in the past and I went forth fearlessly to do his bidding. And wonder of all wonders, the mob ignored me. I passed through them unharmed and untouched. I reached the central platform and climbed up the thirty steps while all was silent.
I went boldly up to the bishop and delivered my message.
"The Baal Shem Tov is here and he summons you to come immediately."
"I am aware of his presence," answered the bishop. "Tell him that after I have finished my speech I will come to him."
As I returned to the house I could see all the Jews peering out with baited breaths, from cracks and slits, while I threaded my way back. I delivered the message to the Besht and he answered angrily:
"Tell the bishop that he must come instantly, without further delay! Tell him not to be a fool!"
When I made my way back to the platform the bishop had already commenced his address. I tugged at this robe and repeated the words of the Baal Shem Tov. The bishop listened and then turned to his audience.
"Please excuse me. I shall presently return."
The bishop followed me down the steps and back to the house. When we entered, the Baal Shem Tov took the bishop aside into another room, and was closeted with him there for two hours. When the rebbe emerged from the room, he ordered the wagon prepared and we journeyed back home.
This took place about ten years ago and to this day, I don't know what transpired between them or what happened afterwards with that bishop.
It's very strange, mused Yaakov, that I haven't remembered this story all these ten years until today.
"Praise be to G-d," said the rich man lifting his hands upward in thanksgiving. "I can testify to the truth of your story. The moment that you came to me I recognized you but I was silent. Now I shall tell you the end of the story.
"I am the very bishop in your tale! I had converted from Judaism, tempted by the lure of false knowledge. I was saved in the end by the merit of my ancestors who were saintly men. They begged the Baal Shem Tov to help me. They appeared to me in a dream as well, beseeching that I return to the fold. I promised them that I would run away the next morning, before the crowd assembled.
"But when the morrow dawned I was again swayed by my evil inclination. I saw all the people gathered, waiting for me to address them. I also saw that the Baal Shem Tov had arrived and I was undecided. When the church bells began chiming I found myself walking to the central platform. I felt that I could not disappoint the crowd that was waiting for me. I could not forego all the honor and glory that went with my position.
"When you called to me the first time, I was still in the clutches of my evil inclination. But when you came the second time…I suddenly became another person. I followed you to the Baal Shem Tov and he showed me how I was to repent.
"I subsequently gave half of my fortune to the poor and a quarter of it to the king that he might permit me to leave the country upon some pretext that I had given him.
"The Baal Shem Tov gave me a sign at the time. He told me that if someone were to come and tell me this very story - I would know that my repentance had finally been accepted. When I first saw you in my house I was overjoyed, for I remembered you. But when I realized that you had forgotten the incident, I knew that heavenly intervention had prevented you from remembering.
"All the time that you stayed by me, I prayed and repented and was finally rewarded now when you returned to tell me this very story.
"You will no longer have to continue your wandering. I shall shower you with gifts and money that will last you for the rest of your life."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Source: Lightly edited and supplemented by Yerachmiel Tilles from the English edition of Tales of the Baal Shem Tov (vol. 2) by Y. Y. Klapholtz , as translated by Sheindel Weinbach
Biographical notes:
Rabbi Yisrael ben Eliezer [of blessed memory: 18 Elul 5458 - 6 Sivan 5520 (Aug. 1698 - May 1760 C.E.)], the Baal Shem Tov ["Master of the Good Name"-often referred to as "the Besht" for short], a unique and seminal figure in Jewish history, revealed his identity as an exceptionally holy person, on his 36th birthday, 18 Elul 5494 (1734 C.E.), and made the until-then underground Chasidic movement public. He wrote no books, although many works claim to contain his teachings. One available in English is the excellent annotated translation of Tzava'at Harivash, published by Kehos.
Connection: This Shavuot is the 258th yahrzeit of the Baal Shem Tov.


                      by Prof. Robert Rockaway

How the FBI prevented Jewish American gangsters from altering the course of history in 1933.

“In 1933, I was approached by someone respectable, a Jew not involved in any criminal activity, and asked for my help. He wanted me to contact some of my underworld pals in a plan to kill Hitler.” I stared at the man sitting across from me. I was incredulous. A plan to kill Hitler in 1933? Involving Jewish American mobsters? Was he serious? The story seemed far-fetched, a bube meyseh (old wives’ tale). I was skeptical.
Still, I wrote down what he told me. He said the hit man or men selected for the job had to be Yiddish speakers, so they could get around any language problems in Germany. He said they would be paid $2,500 plus expenses. He said the “respectable Jew” told him, “There are people in Germany ready to assist us.” This is how he remembered the scheme to kill Hitler.
My source’s nickname was “Dutch.” He was one of the elderly “retired” mobsters I interviewed for my book, But He Was Good to His Mother: The Lives and Crimes of Jewish Gangsters. According to my notes, I met him on Aug. 15, 1988, at the Picasso CafĆ© in Herzlia Pituah, an upscale seaside suburb of Herzliya, 15 miles north of Tel Aviv. When we met, he was living in Israel. He said, “My friends call me Dutch. You seem OK, so call me Dutch, too.” This was our only face-to-face meeting, and he asked me not to use his family name while he was still breathing. I promised him I would not. He died in 1993. Later I learned his last name was Goldberg. As far as I know, I was the last person he spoke to about this.
I recall Dutch as being about 5 feet 7 and of stocky build with thinning gray hair. I estimated his age to be somewhere in the 80s. I surmised he must have been good-looking in his youth. But time took its toll. His skin showed age spots, and his right hand shook slightly when he lifted his coffee cup. At first, he asked me to tell him about my work and background and why I wanted to speak to him. I told him that I’d grown up in Detroit, got my doctorate in history at the University of Michigan, and was teaching at Tel Aviv University. I explained that I was researching Jews and organized crime in the United States. We then discussed some underworld figures, including Meyer Lansky, whom I interviewed in 1980.
Dutch looked at me for awhile. “Gangsters,” he said. “Why is a nice Jewish professor like you writing about that stuff? There are a lot of other things you could write about, but gangsters is not one of them.” For the next 10 minutes or so, we went back and forth about my research and topics Dutch thought I could pursue. Then he told me about his background. He said he grew up on New York’s Lower East Side. He dropped out of school at the age of 13 and stole from peddlers and robbed drunks to make some money. Because he was tough and a good fighter, he worked as a shtarker (muscleman) and for a price would beat up someone who owed money. He sometimes worked as a strikebreaker and for bootleggers during Prohibition guarding their shipments of illegal liquor. He claimed he was arrested more than 40 times and said he had killed “more than one man.” In the early 1930s he became a soldier in the Bug (Siegel) and Meyer (Lansky) mob in New York.
Dutch finished his story about the alleged scheme to kill Hitler by saying that after he had been approached, he “talked to some of the boys about it. They hated the Nazis and knew what was happening to the Jews. And they were willing to go to Germany and do the job.” But before the contract could be formalized, “that mamzer [bastard] J. Edgar Hoover and his feds started snooping around and asking questions.” So “the boys” thought it was wise to drop the matter. It was bad for business. Reflecting on the plot, Dutch concluded: “It was really a shame. I wish we’d done it and killed the son of a bitch. Can you imagine? We woulda been heroes. They woulda given us all medals.”
When he finished, I asked him if he had hard evidence on this plot. “Evidence,” he asked. “What kind of evidence?”
“I’m talking about documents, letters; I’m a historian after all. I like documents.”
He laughed. “You gotta be kiddin’,” he said. “There’s no documents.” A moment later though, Dutch told me that Hoover probably wrote something about it and that maybe I should check in Washington. Other former Jewish mobsters I had interviewed told me how they had helped Jews and how they had taken action against anti-Semites and Nazi Bundists in the United States during the 1930s. Maybe they were trying to impress me. Maybe in their old age they wanted to erase some of the more nefarious deeds of their youth. They conveniently forgot to tell me that they got their start in crime by beating and robbing Jews in their neighborhood. The same, I thought, might be true with Dutch. Maybe he made the story up, or told me what he thought I wanted to hear.

A year later I was doing research in the archives of the FBI building in Washington. I was seated at a desk waiting for a file to be brought to me when a file on the adjacent table caught my eye. It was labeled “Adolf Hitler.” I wondered why the FBI would have a file on Hitler. I opened the file and found memos, reports, and letters documenting an alleged attempt by American Jews to assassinate Hitler in 1933. Maybe Dutch had told me the truth.
The file, number 65-53615, details a plot involving one man. The plot passed the initial planning stage but may have been foiled by the U.S. Department of Justice. In an effort to prevent an international incident—an American citizen assassinating a German leader—American law-enforcement officials might have helped save Hitler.
The tale of the conspiracy to kill the German chancellor came to the attention of the American government by way of a letter dated March 23, 1933, typed on plain white paper and addressed to “The German Ambassador, Washington D.C.” The ambassador passed the letter to the Secretary of State Cordell Hull on March 28, and Hull forwarded it to the U.S. Attorney General Homer Cummings. It read:
Dear Sir:
I have asked President Roosevelt to publicly remonstrate with your government [about] the outrages committed upon the Jews in Germany, and to demand an immediate and complete end of this persecution.
In the event that he does not make such a statement, I notify you that I shall go to Germany and assassinate Hitler.
Yours sincerely,
Daniel Stern
German diplomats demanded an immediate and full investigation of the threat. It should be mentioned that the German ambassador, Friedrich Wilhelm von Prittwitz, resigned from the German government in April 1933 in protest over Hitler’s appointment as chancellor.
Franklin Roosevelt had been in office only a few weeks and had a nationwide Depression to contend with. Events in Germany, including Hitler’s accession to power, hardly concerned the government or most of the American public. Nonetheless, the threat expressed in the letter could not be ignored or simply attributed to a crank. More militant members of the American Jewish community had reacted to Hitler’s anti-Semitic policies by taking to the streets. Hundreds picketed German consulates, businesses, and stores selling German products. Thousands attended protest rallies and parades in New York, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, and other cities. In this atmosphere, Stern’s personal declaration of war against Hitler was taken seriously.
Attorney General Cummings turned to J. Edgar Hoover, director of the Justice Department’s Division of Investigation, and asked him to locate Daniel Stern and stop him. Hoover headed the division since his appointment by President Calvin Coolidge in 1924. The division became the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 1935. Hoover’s “G-Men” (agents of the FBI) searched for Stern through the spring, summer, and into the fall of 1933. Among their primary contacts were figures in the Jewish American underworld, where Meyer Lansky, Bugsy Siegel, Dutch Schultz, and Lepke Buchalter—all associated with New York’s Murder, Inc. syndicate—had well-earned reputations for using violence to protect their business interests or to defend their communities.
Hoover assigned one of his top agents, Dwight Brantley, to coordinate the national investigation. An early lead from Detroit sent that city’s G-Men scrambling but went nowhere. Another lead came from a special agent in charge of the division’s Chicago office. He’d heard about a Daniel Stern who was rumored to have mob associations and who had moved to Philadelphia, where the letter to the German embassy had been postmarked. Agents in Philadelphia searched local telephone directories, but they failed to turn up the name Daniel Stern. They did find a reference to a Daniel Stern in the city directory. When they went to the address, the janitor told them that Daniel Stern had “left the apartment over a year ago and that his present address is unknown.”
The agents then turned to Jewish gang contacts for information. Max “Boo Boo” Hoff, who dominated Philadelphia’s criminal enterprises at the time, offered to cooperate. He talked to Agent G.R. Hardy for several hours but could not recall meeting Stern or knowing anyone else who had met the man. Harvey interviewed several of Hoff’s associates, but all claimed they’d never heard of Stern or of a plan to kill Hitler. However, almost all of them, Harvey reported, were impressed by the scheme and thought it was “a great idea.”
On the other hand, the German consul in Philadelphia stated that, “in all probability, it was written by some crank, who is a sympathizer of the Jewish element.” The consul further stated that “he is besieged by individuals who make threats upon him, but that they are all of the crank type, and he dismisses them and pays no attention to them as he does not consider their threats serious.”
In April, the Justice Department received a promising lead from a letter dated April 21 to the German embassy and postmarked Highbridge Station, New York. The translation of the letter from German stated, “Having overheard a conversation between several Jews in New York, I learned that there is a movement on foot to assassinate Chancellor Adolf Hitler and that a young American Jew has already been selected to commit this murder. The Jews present were joyfully enthused over this plan. I communicate this to you in order that if possible any such act be prevented. Very respectfully, C Portugall.”
Hoover had Agent Brantley pass along the information to the division’s New York office. From July 18 to July 23, agents scoured city directories, telephone books, and postal records. They tapped their covert sources in the underworld in search of Stern and the so-called “joyfully enthused” Jews. Every clue led to a dead end.
Meanwhile the Criminal Division received a letter dated May 27 from the German embassy that had been written by an individual staying at the San Carlos Hotel in Phoenix, Arizona. The writer, whose name has been blacked out of FBI memos, reported that “he overheard two Jews say Hitler was to be assassinated between May and September 1933 by an agent of New York City Jews.” He wrote that Hitler was either to be poisoned or shot and “a young American Jew had already been chosen to perform the act.” He immediately sent a letter reporting what he had heard to the German embassy.
Brantley immediately dispatched agents from Los Angeles to Phoenix. When they interviewed the man, he was reluctant to discuss the matter and was unclear about the details. The agents later reported that the man “is a political exile from Mexico and is a citizen of that country. It seems that he is strongly pro-Hitler and anti-Jewish in his conversation.” The agents searched the hotel register from April to June 1933, without finding anyone by the name of Stern or Stearn registered. They then interrogated everyone on the hotel’s staff. No one remembered anything of the alleged meeting or recalled anything unusual. The agents examined the hotel’s registry and wrote down every “Jewish sounding” name. They transmitted the names and the results of their inquiry to division headquarters in Washington.
The trail went cold again.
On Aug. 19, 1933, Special Agent J.M. Keith sent a progress report, “Daniel Stern and the Threat to Assassinate German Chancellor Hitler” to Hoover. Keith summarized the investigations in Chicago, Philadelphia, Detroit, Phoenix, and New York. He conceded that that the division had failed to locate Stern or to uncover any assassination plot.
On Sept. 2, Special Agent Brantley submitted a final report to Hoover. He wrote that all outstanding leads regarding the threat to assassinate Hitler “have been completed without any definite information having been obtained. Accordingly, this case is being closed at the Washington field office.” Brantley assured Hoover that the case would be reopened if the German embassy received any additional information.
Upon my return to Israel, I called Dutch and told him what I’d found in the FBI files. I asked him if he had heard of Daniel Stern. Was the name an alias? Was he a professional killer? He said he heard a rumor about a young man named Stern but didn’t know much about him and had never met him. “Supposedly this Stern fellow had a lot of enthusiasm, but not a lot of brains or seykhl [sense]. Maybe he was meshuge [crazy]. He was determined to kill Hitler, and someone thought he was expendable. The timing was all wrong,” he said. “And maybe somebody backed the wrong horse. Nobody knew much about Stern. That was supposed to be good at first. But you never know. You never know.”
“That summer of 1933, we learned that just about everybody and his brother thought about taking a whack at the Fuhrer. When you got to Germany, I mean, you had to take a ticket and get in line for your shot. Later someone said there were more than a dozen attempts to get Hitler in the 1930s. Public figures are well-guarded, but Hitler, he was somethin’ else. I mean someone even tried to kill Roosevelt in 1933. That was close. But Hitler? He was bulletproof. I swear to God, the devil was his bodyguard. And you gotta remember that in the end, the only guy who could whack Hitler was Hitler himself.”
Filmmaker Daniel Benchimol is working with Robert Rockaway to turn this story into a documentary film, "FBI file #65-53615:" The Jewish American plot to kill Hitler. Click here to help support their kickstarter campaign.



Sometimes one thinks his life is a unique story and every individual has one to tell. Nissim Black is a Rapper who became a Orthodox Jew. Chinese Jews, Baalei Teshuva but it is rarer when a Muslim becomes a Jew especially one who is a fashion designer. Mordechai Ben Avraham.
Yaffah Batya runs a Spanish Jewish Descendants Organization for non-Jews who want to return. She sent me this regarding the US Jerusalem Embassy and Parsha. From the Zohar Bamidbar commentary (Shabbat reading for week ending 5-18-2018). "R. Eleazer began a discourse, citing the verse: 'Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad in her, all ye that love her.' etc. (Isa. 66:19): ... The truth is that so long as She (the Community of Israel) is in exile and lies in the dust there will be no real gladness. But only when the Holy One blessed be He, will raise Her from the dust, saying 'Shake thyself from the dust' (Isa 52:2). 'Arise, shine', etc. (Isa. 60:1); and the people will be assembled together, then there will be gladness indeed - gladness for all"
And later, in that same reading of the Zohar, it says "In all his deeds, it behooves a man to imitate the celestial model, and to realize that according to the nature of a deed below there is a responsive stirring on high."
I (Yaffah Batya) will be at the opening of the US Embassy in Jerusalem (GD willing) on Monday May 14th to represent ALL Bnei Anousim worldwide who are working on coming HOME to the Land of our Sephardi forefathers and foremothers. Bezrat HaShem !!!

Volcano National Park is closed for now how much a danger does this pose to the people of Big Island Hawaii? www.foxnews.com/us/2018/05/13/hawaii-volcano-spurs-new-evacuations-on-big-island-after-new-lava-fissures-reported.html

When a maid marries an Arab she is promised heaven but gets hell. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/245899


Trudy wrote: As I watched the opening ceremony of the American Consulate in Jerusalem this morning, I had two recurrent thoughts.  First:
·     We are very fortunate to witness the full acceptance of the state of Israel by the United States. 
·     We are lucky to have a president of the United States who has the foresight and the courage to recognize Israel’s capital.
·     We are lucky to have the state of Israel recognized for its incomparable contributions to technology, agriculture and medicine.
·     Finally, all Jewish Americans (or American Jews) should realize how fortunate we are to have elected Trump president.
Second:
·     We must remember that we were exiled from Israel because we failed to live the life that the Torah prescribed.
·    Today, hatred, immorality and other violations of Torah life abound.
·     What will it take to avoid a recurrence of galut?
·     Leadership must arise within world Jews that all will accept and move us closer to keeping the privilege of Yerushayim Hashlema. 




Inyanay Diyoma







Ed-Op Caroline Glick: Netanyahu’s finest hour. https://www.jpost.com/Opinion/COLUMN-ONE-Netanyahus-finest-hour-556118

Real target of T4 was a defense system. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5258754,00.html

This is the 4th or 5th torching of the home of a member of this family but a poor “Hill-top Youth” was tortured by the Shin Bet into “confessing” the murders when it was clear that two people were needed. www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/245812

3 articles about Gaza. Kites-firebombs: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/245845
Because of this border closed. www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/245841












The only reason that they stopped a second day of protests was their hospitals were full. Grenades and explosives 2nd article. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5261606,00.html


Time to recognize Aramean Genocide. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/246012





50 or the 60 slain were terrorist. One baby with a heart condition was a “Shachid”. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5261458,00.html



Two MIAs and two civilians sold out. www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/246040


After the bullets, Hamas was attacked. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/246103

Turkey sells Israeli Capacitors to Iran that can be used in Nukes. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5263040,00.html





Shooting in FL at Trump Golf Course. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/246178

Bibi agrees w/Hamas they’re violent. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/246157

False alarm sirens on N. Golan rest of Security Forces on High Alert for first Friday of Ramadan. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5264011,00.html



A wonderful Shabbos and a Joyous Sukkos Holiday,
Rachamim Pauli