Friday, May 11, 2018

Parsha Bechukosai, story, the Golan and I


Parsha Bechukosai


Last week’s Parsha had the ending theme about a brother perhaps cousin or just plain fellow Jew who became poor and how to deal with and treat him. However, the best way to treat the whole of Am Yisrael is to observe the statutes, ordinances and commandments of HASHEM.
26:3 If ye walk in My statutes, and keep My commandments, and do them; 4 then I will give your rains in their season, and the land shall yield her produce, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.

When we receive this blessing through observance, then nobody will be crushed into being poor. Everybody can live and work and make a reasonable living. Some better than others but with honor and without having to rely upon others for help. *There is a statement in the Tenach that the poor will not disappear. But one can be poor and proud that they have earned their meager wages, clothing and food.
5 And your threshing shall reach unto the vintage, and the vintage shall reach unto the sowing time; and ye shall eat your bread until ye have enough, and dwell in your land safely.

Dwell in your land safely – means that the leaders, government and people observe the Torah. One does not have to look for shelter every few years from various enemy attacks.

6 And I will give peace in the land, and ye shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid; and I will cause evil beasts to cease out of the land, neither shall the sword go through your land.

In truth, the only fear people will have, will be their fear of heaven. Having observed all the Mitzvos, one only stands in awe of HASHEM Yisborach.

7 And ye shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword. 8 And five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall chase ten thousand; and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword.

This Parsha is always about the time of the Six Day War and in fact his year is the day before Yom Yerushalayim.
`
9 And I will have respect unto you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you; and will establish My covenant with you.

When you observe your part of the Mitzvos, HASHEM observes his contract with you.

10 And ye shall eat old store long kept, and ye shall bring forth the old from before the new.

You will have plenty to eat and lack nothing.

11 And I will set My tabernacle among you, and My soul shall not abhor you. 12 And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be My people.

Couldn’t have anything better than this just for observing Mitzvos.

13 I am the LORD your God, who brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, that ye should not be their bondmen; and I have broken the bars of your yoke, and made you go upright.

I have taken you from being down trodden to the heights of freedom and spirituality.

14 But if ye will not hearken unto Me, and will not do all these commandments; 15 and if ye shall reject My statutes, and if your soul abhor Mine ordinances, so that ye will not do all My commandments, but break My covenant;

There are three sets of curses here. The first is against a rebellious child by a father. He first takes the rod to the naughty child: 16 … I will appoint terror over you, even consumption and fever, that shall make the eyes to fail, and the soul to languish; and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. 17 And I will set My face against you, and ye shall be smitten before your enemies; they that hate you shall rule over you; and ye shall flee when none pursue you. This hopefully will bring the rebel back and he will return to his previous status as a Baal Teshuva.


18 And if ye will not yet for these things hearken unto Me, then I will chastise you seven times more for your sins. 19 And I will break the pride of your power; and I will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as brass.

Now it appears that the rebellious ones have not learned their lesson and it will be worse and the earth will not yield the crops and you will think that your labor will carry you through but: 20 And your strength shall be spent in vain; for your land shall not yield her produce, neither shall the trees of the land yield their fruit.

Still one is given the chance to repent but three strikes and you are out of the land in exile. 21 And if ye walk contrary unto Me, and will not hearken unto Me; I will bring seven times more plagues upon you according to your sins. … 33 And you will I scatter among the nations, and I will draw out the sword after you; and your land shall be a desolation, and your cities shall be a waste. 34 Then shall the land be paid her Sabbaths, as long as it lies
desolate, and ye are in your enemies' land; even then shall the land rest, and repay her Sabbaths.

Now if the inanimate land must pay for violation of the Shabbos (Shmita) all the more so mankind for not observing the weekly Shabbos. Yet many are more tempted by the electronic media to be on-line and active on Shabbos or heading for the beach. One may end up being like a beached whale or worse. It is time to observe.

35 As long as it lies desolate it shall have rest; even the rest which it had not in your Sabbaths, when ye dwelt upon it. 36 And as for them that are left of you, I will send a faintness into their heart in the lands of their enemies; and the sound of a driven leaf shall chase them; and they shall flee, as one flees from the sword; and they shall fall when none pursues.

You will lose any semblance of strength and become as fearful as an unarmed white fellow walking at night in a black neighbor in Chicago will all the killings. At least in my example the fear is real and logical. But for defying HASHEM instead of Tehillim 23:4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me; one will be in panic over nothing but a rustle of leaf.   

37 And they shall stumble one upon another, as it were before the sword, when none pursues …
Still HASHEM will await Teshuva from the people. 39 And they that are left of you shall pine away in their iniquity in your enemies' lands; and also in the iniquities of their fathers shall they pine away with them. 40 And they shall confess their iniquity, and the iniquity of their fathers, in their treachery which they committed against Me, and also that they have walked contrary unto Me. … 42 then will I remember My covenant with Jacob, and also My covenant with Isaac, and also My covenant with Abraham will I remember; and I will remember the land. 43 For the land shall lie forsaken without them, and shall be paid her Sabbaths, while she lies desolate without them; and they shall be paid the punishment of their iniquity; because, even because they rejected Mine ordinances, and their soul abhorred My statutes. 44 … I will not reject them, neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly, and to break My covenant with them; for I am the LORD their God.

Like a father who has a rebellious son. He will wait patiently until the son comes to realization that he was wrong.

27:1 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them: When a man shall clearly utter a vow of persons unto the LORD, according to thy valuation,

If one vows his physical worth like a slave then he must donate in accordance to what is written here for example:


3 then thy valuation shall be for the male from twenty years old even unto sixty years old, even thy valuation shall be fifty shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary. 4 And if it be a female, then thy valuation shall be thirty shekels.

The Torah is not Politically Correct. The Torah knows that a man is made out of muscle, blood, skin and bones but can dig 16 tons of number 9 coal in a mine each day. A woman can only dig about 60% of that based on her physical height and weight.

… 7 And if it be from sixty years old and upward: if it be a male, then thy valuation shall be fifteen shekels, and for the female ten shekels.

The Torah might view a Sage with all his Torah background and a sharp mind as something but as a laborer my age my production value is about 5 tons of coal and not as a younger man. I have gotten heavy from the fact that I cannot keep up a heart beat in aerobics of 130 bpm for an hour and a half and am lucky to exercise at 90 bpm for 40 minutes to an hour. I burn up less calories and if I were not retired produce less unless I was an experienced manager or advisor.

8 But if he be too poor for thy valuation, then he shall be set before the priest, and the priest shall value him; according to the means of him that vowed shall the priest value him.

The Torah is talking about a man who is dirt poor and cannot even give 15 shekels in silver. You might say an 80, 90 year old who dedicated his working value to the Temple.

9 And if it be a beast, whereof men bring an offering unto the LORD, all that any man giveth of such unto the LORD shall be holy.

… 30 And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD'S; it is holy unto the LORD. 31 And if a man will redeem aught of his tithe, he shall add unto it the fifth part thereof. 32 And all the tithe of the herd or the flock, whatsoever passes under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the LORD.

If a man cheats on his Teruma he has to pay a 20% fine. He must give Ma’aseh of each additional animal in the herd or flock that was born between Elul of last year to Elul of this year and it shall pass through the stockade and be separated for the Cohain.

33 He shall not inquire whether it be good or bad, neither shall he change it; and if he change it at all, then both it and that for which it is changed shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed.

Number 10 it shall be no less, no more no matter what quality he cannot add or decrease for WHO made that animal pass through at that time but the way of THE HOLY ONE, BLESSED BE HE!

34 These are the commandments, which the LORD commanded Moses for the children of Israel in Mount Sinai.


Chazak – Chazak v’ nit Chazak

The last Mishna in Kiddushin states that: The [one who considers himself to be the] best of doctors is destined for Gehenna [since he does not confer with other doctors, he may, at times, kill rather than save his patients (Tiferet Yisrael and Maharsha)] and the worthiest of butchers is Amalek's partner [has a cruel nature]. Rabbi Nehorai says: I push aside every trade in the world and teach my son only Torah, for man enjoys its rewards in this world, while the principal remains for him in the World to Come. But regarding all other professions, this is not so, for when a man falls ill or reaches old age or suffering and cannot engage in his craft, he dies of hunger. But the Torah is not so, for it guards him from all evil in his youth and provides him a future and hope in his old age [even when he no longer can study, he is maintained as a reward of his previous study of Torah]. What is said regarding his youth? “They who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength” (Isaiah 40:31). Regarding his old age what is said? “They shall still bring forth fruit in old age” (Psalms 92:15). And thus it is said of our father Avraham: “And Avraham was old, well advanced in years and the Lord had blessed Avraham with everything” (Genesis 24:1). We find that our father Avraham observed the whole Torah before it was given, for it is written: “Because Avraham listened to My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes and My laws” (Genesis 26:5). Copyright © 2008 eMishnah.com All Rights Reserved. Excerpted from "The Mishnah: A New Integrated Translation and Commentary" Distributed by Israel Book Shop (732) 901-3009 Also available at Elli Chai One Stop Judaica (301) 933-1800 https://www.aol.com/article/news/2018/05/07/teen-regains-consciousness-after-parents-opt-to-donate-organs/23428877/


When a communist give you a Tallis you keep it.

Several weeks ago Rabbi Yisrael Lein of Shul East in Milwaukee approached me at the end of morning services and said, “Bob, I think it’s time that you bought a new tallit.”
I did not need to look down to know that my tallit was ripped and discolored.
“When a communist gives you a tallit, you should not be in a hurry to discard it,” I explained. Rabbi Lein probably thought to himself, “Eh, just another difficult congregant!”
That set me thinking about my family history, and how I came to be wearing this tattered tallit. My tallit is indeed old, given to me in 1981 as a gift from my father’s sister, Goldie, and her husband, Robbie, who had flown to Milwaukee to be with me at my bar mitzvah. I was 37 years of age at the time; one could say it had been a long time coming.
I was raised in a communist household, which meant that a bar mitzvah, or any other display of Jewishness, was forbidden to me. As a result—unlike all of our Jewish friends whose celebrations we attended—neither my brother nor I had a bar mitzvah.
Following my parents’ deaths in the early ’70s, I came to Milwaukee seeking a new beginning. I worked at the JCC in their senior adult programming. Rabbi Samuels of Lubavitch House was a regular presenter at these programs, and before long I trusted him to steer my own Jewish development. After attending synagogue for two years, I decided that it was time to become a bar mitzvah.
Throughout my entire adult life I carried a void. In not having a bar mitzvah, I felt I was missing an important piece of my identity. When I shared my intentions with my family back East, they were mystified. “What in the world do you need that for now?” I knew that my parents, had they still been alive, would have been critical of my plans, and that my mother would have been unable to convince my father to attend. So I was extremely grateful when my aunt and uncle from the Bronx said they would come. It was a great source of comfort.
The morning of my bar mitzvah, my aunt and uncle presented me with a wrapped gift. It was too big to be a fountain pen, and I couldn’t imagine what it might contain. When I opened it I was stunned to discover a beautiful, traditional, white and black tallit. They explained that they had ridden the subway to the old Jewish section on the Lower East Side of Manhattan to buy a tallit for their “favorite” nephew.
Being a senior now myself, I see those days more in terms of generational clashes. My parents’ generation lived through the dark days of the Holocaust and turned to a political belief that promised a fairer world order. In doing so, they willingly surrendered a major part of their Jewish identity, one which I so badly craved.
Whether we are religious or not, we are all Jews, and I now understand that the gift of the tallit was a peace offering, fusing our family back together with love and respect. Surely now you understand why I am reluctant to replace this precious gift, aged and tattered as it may be.

A little personal note about the Golan Heights. This week my forester son, Menashe, was on tour with his class sleeping over at Nov on the Golan Heights. His big brother, who has children Menashe’s age, came and visited him. His insecurity left him and he slept well that night. Meanwhile, when the tension rose on the Golan, I became concerned for my oldest nephew as he lives in a place that was over-run by Syrian Tanks in the Yom Kippur War and a hop skip and a jump from the border. Fortunately, everything as I hoped was OK. Still he is an army officer so he gets close enough to danger a bit behind the front lines.
I have a personal connection with the border as I patrolled the northern Golan Heights. It used to be even quieter than the one string of barbed wire used as a border line between markers that one could walk under on the Egyptian Border. Now both have stronger fences.


This appears to be embedded it came from Jeff in Hollywood, FL it appears to be embedded.


I was a boy scout so it hurts me when they drop the name and PC leave my granddaughter’s girl scouts alone. I think we need a Jewish version and perhaps other churches start their own. The Mormons have woken up. http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/05/09/mormons-to-end-long-association-with-boy-scouts-america.html



Inyanay Diyoma



Gazans fake injures burn gas depot. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/245461

Netanyahu to meet with Cyrus, Greece and Russian leaders. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5252049,00.html

Malaysia finds guns used in Hamas assassination and people got away on fake passports. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5251924,00.html




I don’t understand this man. He is so sick he cannot work so why not resign and get a pension? https://www.aol.com/article/news/2018/05/05/john-mccain-doesnt-seem-to-want-trump-at-his-funeral/23427838/




Macon thinks US pull-out of bad Nuke Deal could lead to war. www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/245530

Iran-Plans in place in case US leaves. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5253129,00.html


The abandonment of the Kurds is a warning to Israel. https://www.algemeiner.com/2018/05/06/the-empire-the-five-kings-and-the-kurds/


Another Embassy moving to Yerushalayim. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5253997,00.html
This a joint message from the U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem and the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv.

In preparation for the opening of the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem on Monday, May 14, 2018, the Consular Section of the U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem (located at 14 David Flusser Street) is temporarily suspending all public non-emergency consular appointments from Wednesday, May 9, 2018 through Tuesday, May 15, 2018. 
During this period, the Consular Section will continue to assist U.S. citizens in emergency cases such as deaths, arrests, detentions, missing persons, repatriations, hospitalizations, or victims of crime.  Emergency passport services will also be available, with the exception of Monday, May 14.  U.S. citizens in Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza can continue to contact the U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem for emergencies at JerusalemACS@state.gov. For after May 15th https://il.usembassy.gov/


Victim of a kangaroo court released. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/245595

The Chief of Staff cancels prepared speech at the Security Conference. Netanyahu returns from route to Russia. Iranian-Hezballah troop movement and weapons puts the Golan on the highest alert from Iron Dome, David’s Sling, airplane activity, shelters ordered open. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/245629





Golan schools open some trips cancelled and tourist sites more limited. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/245658


Walid Shoebat (Ed-Op recently) comes out as antisemitic as his old terrorist days. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/22119







26 missiles fired at the Golan. 24 shot down over Syria 2 shot down over Israel and 50 targets attacked in Syria. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/245725 26 is the Gematria of YUD-KAY-VAV-KAY (Kay = Hay) that is the Tetragrammaton. We fired back on about 52 sites which is 2 times the help of 26.



Cruz undo damage of Iran Deal. www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/245801


Written before Wednesday night’s strikes Ben Yishai on the first attack. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5255391,00.html


Ben Yishai danger of a three front war. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5256972,00.html

Op’s by Diane Biderman on Bullying. https://dianebederman.com/mean-girls-bullying-on-social-media/

Left claims about Neo-Nazis and Conservative Jews name them??? https://dianebederman.com/who-are-the-neo-nazis-aligning-with-some-jews-on-the-right/

Netanyahu and dictatorship Ed-Op based on Albright’s note on the rise of fascism. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5254538,00.html

Iran crossed the red line with a message to Assad to stand aside our fight is not with him. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5257004,00.html


Good Shabbos all. One week left before a two or three day Shabbos – Yom Tov don’t forget to light a 2 or 3 day candle next week.
Rachamim Pauli
Posted by Rabbi Rachamim Pauli at 12:16 PM