Prayers for Men: Yoel HaCohain ben Henya,
Shalom Charles ben Gracia, Yosef ben Esther, Daniel ben Rivka, Moshe ben
Briendel, Avrum ben Fagel, Moshe ben Bella,
Baruch Dayan Emmet just before publication I was notified that Reuven Shmuel Avraham ben Yosilfina returned his soul to the CREATOR.
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, Esther bas Alice, Golda Shulamis bas Celia, Devorah bas Sara
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,
For those who want to know
about the importance of prayers for the people who are ill from afar see the
article and story of Rabbi S. Alpern with links below.
Parsha Devarim
The Torah looks upon history as lessons to learn from. Moshe has
taught 413 Mitzvos up until now. We had only 3 Mitzvos in Sefer Beresheis. In
Sefer Devarim, we have 200 or almost a third!
Learning from history can be Mussar. Moshe brings now the first of
three Drashos which are going to take place in his last 37 days. It is now Rosh
Chodesh Shevat 2488.
1:1 These are the words which Moses spoke unto all Israel beyond
the Jordan; in the wilderness, in the Arabah, over against Suph, between Paran
and Tophel, and Laban, and Hazeroth, and Di-zahab.
All these places are hints of impropriety of the Bnei Yisrael.
Dealing with minor things and making complains, glutton behavior and the golden
calf.
Mt. Seir is opposite Eilat and Kadesh-Barnea in modern times is
the continuation of the Philadelphia Road on the Egyptian Border or about 20 to
25 KM from Rafah Gaza what is probably the end of road 40 in the south at
Nitzana. I found this interesting map of the travels in the last year from Kadesh-Barnea
to the Golan at his non-Jewish site: http://www.bible.ca/archeology/bible-archeology-exodus-route-kadesh-barnea-jordan.htm
3 And it came to pass in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month,
on the first day of the month, that Moses spoke unto the children of Israel,
according unto all that the LORD had given him in commandment unto them; 4 after he had smitten Sihon the king of the Amorites, who dwelt in
Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, who dwelt in Ashtaroth, at Edrei; 5 beyond the Jordan, in the land of Moab, took Moses upon him to
expound this law, saying: 6 The LORD our God spoke unto us in
Horeb, saying: 'Ye have dwelt long enough in this mountain; 7
turn you, and take your journey, and go to the hill-country of the Amorites and
unto all the places nigh thereunto, in the Arabah, in the hill-country, and in
the Lowland, and in the South, and by the sea-shore; the land of the
Canaanites, and Lebanon, as far as the great river, the river Euphrates.
The Bnei Yisrael did not reach the Euphrates. Even last week it
was mentioned an area below the Euphrates. So when will this be? It will be in
the future. It is written this way and what will be with the Kurds there? An
alliance a federation up to the Euphrates?
8 Behold, I have set the land before you: go in and possess the
land which the LORD swore unto your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to
Jacob, to give unto them and to their seed after them.' 9 And I
spoke unto you at that time, saying: 'I am not able to bear you myself alone; 10 the LORD your God hath multiplied you, and, behold, ye are this
day as the stars of heaven for multitude.-- 11 The LORD, the God
of your fathers, make you a thousand times so many more as ye are, and bless
you, as He hath promised you!-- 12 How can I myself alone bear
your cumbrance, and your burden, and your strife?
Even with the Shechina present and miracles from Mitzrayim until
the day Moshe spoke still there is strife. It is no surprise to us then that
without the Mikdash to bring Shalom, the Temple has not yet been rebuilt.
13 Get you, from each one of your tribes, wise men, and
understanding, and full of knowledge, and I will make them heads over you.' 14 And ye answered me, and said: 'The thing which thou hast spoken
is good for us to do.' 15 So I took the heads of your tribes,
wise men, and full of knowledge, and made them heads over you, captains of
thousands, and captains of hundreds, and captains of fifties, and captains of
tens, and officers, tribe by tribe. 16 And I charged your judges
at that time, saying: 'Hear the causes between your brethren, and judge
righteously between a man and his brother, and the stranger that is with him.
The Judges were more learned than most of their neighbors. If we
are talking about one out of ten from the same family. One out of 50 from the
same neighborhood. One out of 100 from the same area and one out of thousand
still from the same tribe. So it could literally be part of the family. In fact
it might lead to an internal family dispute if one was too close a relative.
The law became that only from second cousin onward to be a witness and the same
with judging unless like some Chassidic families do they let the Rebbe decide
and they both consider him a fair judge.
17 Ye shall not respect persons in judgment; ye shall hear the
small and the great alike; ye shall not be afraid of the face of any man; for
the judgment is God's; and the cause that is too hard for you ye shall bring
unto me, and I will hear it.' 18 And I commanded you at that
time all the things which ye should do. 19 And we journeyed from
Horev, and went through all that great and dreadful wilderness which ye saw, by
the way to the hill-country of the Amorites, as the LORD our God commanded us;
and we came to Kadesh-Barnea. 20 And I said unto you: 'Ye are
come unto the hill-country of the Amorites, which the LORD our God giveth unto
us. 21 Behold, the LORD thy God hath set the land before thee;
go up, take possession, as the LORD, the God of thy fathers, hath spoken unto
thee; fear not, neither be dismayed.' 22 And ye came near unto
me every one of you, and said: 'Let us send men before us, that they may search
the land for us, and bring us back word of the way by which we must go up, and
the cities unto which we shall come.' 23 And the thing pleased
me well; and I took twelve men of you, one man for every tribe;
They made a good case and a good presentation before me and I
accepted that there should be guides on the way so that we know where the wells
are and where the fortified cities are. With HASHEM on our side, we had the
upper hand.
24 and they turned and went up into the mountains, and came unto
the valley of Eshcol, and spied it out. 25 And they took of the
fruit of the land in their hands, and brought it down unto us, and brought us
back word, and said: 'Good is the land which the LORD our God giveth unto us.'
The initial reports of the spies were positive until they added
their commentary about giants and the land eating up the (wicked) inhabitants
were unnecessary additions to what was requested of the spies.
26 Yet ye would not go up, but rebelled against the commandment of
the LORD your God; 27 and ye murmured in your tents, and said:
'Because the LORD hated us, He hath brought us forth out of the land of Egypt,
to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us. 28
Whither are we going up? our brethren have made our heart to melt, saying: The
people is greater and taller than we; the cities are great and fortified up to
heaven; and moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakim there.' 29
Then I said unto you: 'Dread not, neither be afraid of them. 30
The LORD your God who goes before you, He shall fight for you, according to all
that He did for you in Egypt before your eyes; 31 and in the
wilderness, where thou hast seen how that the LORD thy God bore thee, as a man
doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came unto this place. 32 Yet in this thing ye do not believe the LORD your God, 33 Who went before you in the way, to seek you out a place to pitch
your tents in: in fire by night, to show you by what way ye should go, and in
the cloud by day.'
I pleaded with you. I called upon you to remember the miracles and
that HASHEM fought for you but you refused to see the miracles and learn the
history of HASHEM. I reminded you of the Chanchaga. Yet you refused and at this
point HASHEM became wroth with you.
34 And the LORD heard the voice of your words, and was wroth, and
swore, saying: 35 'Surely there shall not one of these men, even
this evil generation, see the good land, which I swore to give unto your
fathers, 36 save Caleb the son of Yephunneh, he shall see it;
and to him will I give the land that he hath trodden upon, and to his children;
because he hath wholly followed the LORD.' 37 Also the LORD was
angry with me for your sakes, saying: Thou also shalt not go in thither; 38 Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before thee, he shall go in
thither; encourage thou him, for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.
39 Moreover your little ones, that ye said should be a prey, and
your children, that this day have no knowledge of good or evil, they shall go
in thither, and unto them will I give it, and they shall possess it.
Your parents are gone and I have encountered the wrath of HASHEM
too I therefore accept that I shall not enter the land and Yehoshua Bin Nun
will lead you to the conquest.
40 But as for you, turn you, and take your journey into the
wilderness by the way to the Red Sea.' 41 Then ye answered and
said unto me: 'We have sinned against the LORD, we will go up and fight,
according to all that the LORD our God commanded us.' And ye girded on every
man his weapons of war, and deemed it a light thing to go up into the
hill-country. 42 And the LORD said unto me: 'Say unto them: Go
not up, neither fight; for I am not among you; lest ye be smitten before your
enemies.' 43 So I spoke unto you, and ye hearkened not; but ye
rebelled against the commandment of the LORD, and were presumptuous, and went
up into the hill-country. 44 And the Amorites, that dwell in
that hill-country, came out against you, and chased you, as bees do, and beat
you down in Seir, even unto Hormah. 45 And ye returned and wept
before the LORD; but the LORD hearkened not to your voice, nor gave ear unto
you.
These rebels became the skeletons of the “dry bones” mention in
Yechezkel. (37:1-14)
46 So ye abode in Kadesh many days, according unto the days that
ye abode there.
2:1 Then we turned, and took our journey into the wilderness by
the way to the Red Sea, as the LORD spoke unto me; and we compassed mount Seir
many days.
We avoided Har Seir recently. But in the Messianic Days when the
Tomb of Yosef shall become a flame, we shall eventually judge Har Seir and the descendants
of Esav.
2 And the LORD spoke unto me, saying: 3 'Ye have compassed this
mountain long enough; turn you northward. 4 And command thou the people,
saying: Ye are to pass through the border of your brethren the children of
Esau, that dwell in Seir; and they will be afraid of you; take ye good heed
unto yourselves therefore; 5 contend not with them; for I will not give you of
their land, no, not so much as for the sole of the foot to tread on; because I
have given mount Seir unto Esau for a possession. 6 Ye shall purchase food of
them for money, that ye may eat; and ye shall also buy water of them for money,
that ye may drink. 7 For the LORD thy God hath blessed thee in all the work of
thy hand; He hath known thy walking through this great wilderness; these forty
years the LORD thy God hath been with thee; thou hast lacked nothing.' 8 So we
passed by from our brethren the children of Esau, that dwell in Seir, from the
way of the Arabah, from Elath and from Ezion-geber.
They did not act as brothers or cousins but as enemies. But there
will be a Day Of Judgement (Ovadia) and we shall possess that land.
And we turned and passed by the way of the wilderness of Moab. 9
And the LORD said unto me: 'Be not at enmity with Moab, neither contend with
them in battle; for I will not give thee of his land for a possession; because
I have given Ar unto the children of Lot for a possession.
Was this command only for the merit of Lot? Perhaps the L-RD saw
that Ruth would come out of Moav and from her David and Moshiach.
10 The Emim dwelt therein aforetime, a people great, and many, and
tall, as the Anakim; 11 these also are accounted Rephaim, as the Anakim; but
the Moabites call them Emim. 12 And in Seir dwelt the Horites aforetime, but
the children of Esau succeeded them; and they destroyed them from before them,
and dwelt in their stead; as Israel did unto the land of his possession, which
the LORD gave unto them.-- 13 Now rise up, and get you over the brook Zered.'
And we went over the brook Zered. 14 And the days in which we came from
Kadesh-barnea, until we were come over the brook Zered, were thirty and eight
years; until all the generation, even the men of war, were consumed from the
midst of the camp, as the LORD swore unto them. 15 Moreover the hand of the
LORD was against them, to discomfit them from the midst of the camp, until they
were consumed. 16 So it came to pass, when all the men of war were consumed and
dead from among the people,
So these giants were consumed with the help of HASHEM. So all the
worry by the spies who lost faith was in vain.
17 that the LORD spoke unto me saying: 18 'Thou art this day to
pass over the border of Moab, even Ar; 19 and when thou comest nigh over
against the children of Ammon, harass them not, nor contend with them; for I
will not give thee of the land of the children of Ammon for a possession;
because I have given it unto the children of Lot for a possession. 20 That also
is accounted a land of Rephaim: Rephaim dwelt therein aforetime; but the
Ammonites call them Zamzummim, 21 a people great, and many, and tall, as the
Anakim; but the LORD destroyed them before them; and they succeeded them, and
dwelt in their stead;
Og was a giant of a man as we shall see from the size of his bed
to be given next week. Yet we defeated him. Let not your hearts be troubled
about future wars. We shall see this now in historical order.
… 24 Rise ye up, take your journey, and pass over the valley of
Arnon; behold, I have given into thy hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon,
and his land; begin to possess it, and contend with him in battle. 25 This day
will I begin to put the dread of thee and the fear of thee upon the peoples
that are under the whole heaven, who, when they hear the report of thee, shall
tremble, and be in anguish because of thee.'
Not only should you not be afraid but they should be afraid of
you.
26 And I sent messengers out of the wilderness of Kedemoth unto
Sihon king of Heshbon with words of peace, saying: 27 'Let me pass through thy
land; I will go along by the highway, I will neither turn unto the right hand
nor to the left. … 30 But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass by him;
for the LORD thy God hardened his spirit, and made his heart obstinate, that He
might deliver him into thy hand, as appears this day.
He did not harken and was delivered into our hand by HASHEM.
… 34 And we took all his cities at that time, and utterly
destroyed every city, the men, and the women, and the little ones; we left none
remaining; 35 only the cattle we took for a prey unto ourselves, with the spoil
of the cities which we had taken.
3:1 Then we turned, and went up the way to Bashan; and Og the king
of Bashan came out against us, he and all his people, unto battle at Edrei. 2
And the LORD said unto me: 'Fear him not; for I have delivered him, and all his
people, and his land, into thy hand; and thou shalt do unto him as thou didst
unto Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt at Heshbon.'
The Bnei Yisrael were between average height to short and he was a
giant but he could not handle the power of HASHEM with the Bnei Yisrael.
… This is what we took from Og: 9 which Hermon the Sidonians call Sirion, and the Amorites call it
Senir-- 10 all the cities of the plain, and all Gilead, and all Bashan, unto
Salcah and Edrei, cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan.-- 11 For only Og king
of Bashan remained of the remnant of the Rephaim; behold, his bedstead was a
bedstead of iron; is it not in Rabbah of the children of Ammon? nine cubits was
the length thereof, and four cubits the breadth of it, after the cubit of a man.
The length of the bed is about 4 meters or 12 feet plus. However,
he may have made the bed so that he could stretch his arms and legs and still
have room and the width is that of a regular king size bed of today. Whatever
his height was it would intimidate a man. I know that when I confronted about
Kashrus the fellow who was 5 to 8 inches taller than I, I did feel a bit
intimidated but still did it.
…20 until the LORD give rest unto your brethren, as unto you, and
they also possess the land which the LORD your God gives them beyond the
Jordan; then shall ye return every man unto his possession, which I have given
you. 21 And I commanded Joshua at that time, saying: 'Thine eyes have seen all
that the LORD your God hath done unto these two kings; so shall the LORD do
unto all the kingdoms whither thou go over. 22 Ye shall not fear them; for the
LORD your God, He it is that fights for you.
So do not fear HASHEM is with you!
From two weeks ago repeating
introduction:
Lack of proper training and
preparedness for IDF Paramedics
By Rabbi Rachamim Pauli
Before I even start my
article-editorial, I will bring down from Debka from last week a quote. Training
sessions for reserve units do not focus on their prospective assignments in the
next potential war.
Depots holding emergency supplies of war materiel are
not properly maintained and much of the equipment is not fit for operational
use.
The IDF has been unable to combat the prevalence of
smartphone use by officers and other ranks. Their ingrained use of Whatsapp
betrays their location to the enemy and undermines discipline. Field
intelligence is only partly functional. Seven months ago, the IDF announced the
issue to combat units of encrypted cell phones, the development of which cost
the vast sum of $100m. What happened to those phones? – Gen. Yitzchak Brick. This
appeared in the article by Debka that Israel is not prepared for the next war.
I experienced along with my friends around 1986 things
like gears falling out of my jeep. Danny having a tire pop off his jeep. A
vehicle opposite Syria loosing it’s brakes and the men jumping out before the
crash into the valley below. I thought some of this was corrected with newer equipment
but what was new in the 1990’s is close to 20 years old today.
A paramedic wrote in the magazine section of lack of
proper training and review of paramedics. I will have to continue next week as
there is too much to write and will repeat this introduction for
consistency.
I start here with my own story. Back at the end of 1976 (5737) people
were being trained to be various levels of paramedics. Level 4 was the bare
minimum. My group had a six weeks course and we were level 5. We were not
notified but upon completion of the course our ranks were not corporal.
The first weeks and months after the course in my 29 year old
brain, I was contemplating even going to medical school and signing up for the
military to be a military doctor instead of where I worked. It was sort of
touch and go but having three children and years of medical school before me I
had some doubts. In the end, the children needed a father to step up to the
plate.
In 1977, I already wrote about being
sent to the border and told to be at Margalit as a base paramedic as the
sergeant major did not think me worthy of being on border patrol less than
level 6.
I received in the course of the next
years one refresher course and the doctor gave Danny and I a few hours
refresher before I went into Lebanon. Perhaps one more refresher but never an
upgrade to level 6, working in a hospital to learn more and of course not level
7. Perhaps if made a scandal, I could have been upgraded. Over the years, my
brain forgot how to deal with a lung full of air, lung full of blood, how to
preform or assist in a tracheotomy. I even forgot the 4th operation
that was taught for battlefield conditions. During the Yom Kippur War a
paramedic was guided into preforming a tracheotomy and saved a life as no doctor
was there.
We were taught gas warfare and at one
base the use of iron pills as there was a civilian radiometry research facility
nearby. So some basics in WMD warfare I have and still remember.
But one serious course in 20 years in
the reserve is not sufficient by any standard. Not to mention that field kits
were lacking the minimum required bandages or lacking sterility dates.
The newspaper article showed that some things partially changed
but not preparedness.
The lessons from perhaps the second Lebanese War or battles in
Gaza taught the army to have better first aid supplies for paramedics and
medicine did advance in the last 40 years.
Still the same complaints about lack of training days or upgrades
still exist and 90% of the paramedics can’t remember the basics of the 4
operations and some of the training after a while yet they are expected to
function in the units of the IDF.
The final cause of the Temple
Destruction. Gittin 55 B
Soncino Talmud: http://come-and-hear.com/gittin/gittin_55.html#chapter_v
R. Johanan said:
What is illustrative of the verse, Happy is the man that feareth alway, but he
that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief? The destruction of Jerusalem
came through a Kamza and a Bar Kamza; the destruction of Tur Malka came through
a cock and a hen; the destruction of Bethar came through the shaft of a
leather. The destruction of Jerusalem came through a Kamza and a Bar Kamza in
this way. A certain man had a friend Kamza and an enemy Bar Kamza. He once made
a party and said to his servant, Go and bring Kamza. The man went and brought
Bar Kamza. When the man [who gave the party] found him there he said, See, you
tell tales about me; what are you doing here? Get out. Said the other: Since I
am here, let me stay, and I will pay you for whatever I eat and drink.
56A He said, I won't. Then
let me give you half the cost of the party. No, said the other. Then let me pay
for the whole party. He still said, No, and he took him by the hand and put him
out. Said the other, Since the Rabbis were sitting there and did not stop him,
this shows that they agreed with him. I will go and inform against then, to the
Government. He went and said to the Emperor, The Jews are rebelling against
you. He said, How can I tell? He said to him: Send them an offering and see
whether they will offer it [on the altar]. So he sent with him a fine calf.
While on the way he made a blemish on its upper lip, or as some say on the
white of its eye, in a place where we [Jews] count it a blemish but they do
not. The Rabbis were inclined to offer it in order not to offend the
Government. Said R. Zechariah b. Abkulas to them: People will say that
blemished animals are offered on the altar. They then proposed to kill Bar
Kamza so that he should not go and inform against them, but R. Zechariah b.
Abkulas said to them, Is one who makes a blemish on consecrated animals to be
put to death? R. Johanan thereupon remarked: Through the scrupulousness of R.
Zechariah b. Abkulas our House has been destroyed, our Temple burnt and we
ourselves exiled from our land. He [the Emperor] sent against them Nero the Caesar. As he was coming he shot an arrow towards the east, and it fell in Jerusalem. He then shot one towards the west, and it again fell in Jerusalem. He shot towards all four points of the compass, and each time it fell in Jerusalem. He said to a certain boy: Repeat to me [the last] verse of Scripture you have learnt. He said: And I will lay my vengeance upon Edom by the hand of my people Israel. He said: The Holy One, blessed be He, desires to lay waste his House and to lay the blame on me. So he ran away and became a proselyte, and R. Meir was descended from him.
He then sent against them Vespasian the Caesar who came and besieged Jerusalem for three years. There were in it three men of great wealth, Nakdimon b. Gorion, Ben Kalba Shabua' and Ben Zizith Hakeseth. Nakdimon b. Gorion was so called because the sun continued shining for his sake. Ben Kalba Shabua 'was so called because one would go into his house hungry as a dog [keleb] and come out full [sabea']. Ben Zizith Hakeseth was so called because his fringes [zizith] used to trail on cushions [keseth]. Others say he derived the name from the fact that his seat [kise] was among those of the nobility of Rome. One of these said to the people of Jerusalem, I will keep them in wheat and barley. A second said, I will keep them in wine, oil and salt. The third said, I will keep them in wood. The Rabbis considered the offer of wood the most generous,10 since R. Hisda used to hand all his keys to his servant save that of the wood, for R. Hisda used to say, A storehouse of wheat requires sixty stores of wood [for fuel]. These men were in a position to keep the city for twenty-one years.
The biryoni (tough guys in modern Heb.) were then in the city. The Rabbis said to them: Let us go out and make peace with them [the Romans]. They would not let them, but on the contrary said, Let us go out and fight them. The Rabbis said: You will not succeed. They then rose up and burnt the stores of wheat and barley so that a famine ensued. Martha the daughter of Boethius was one of the richest women in Jerusalem. She sent her man-servant out saying, Go and bring me some fine flour. By the time he went it was sold out. He came and told her, There is no fine flour, but there is white [flour]. She then said to him, Go and bring me some. By the time he went he found the white flour sold out. He came and told her, There is no white flour but there is dark flour. She said to him, Go and bring me some. By the time he went it was sold out. He returned and said to her, There is no dark flour, but there is barley flour. She said, Go and bring me some. By the time he went this was also sold out. She had taken off her shoes, but she said, I will go out and see if I can find anything to eat. Some dung stuck to her foot and she died. Rabban Johanan b. Zakkai applied to her the verse, The tender and delicate woman among you which would not adventure to set the sole of her foot upon the ground. Some report that she ate a fig left by R. Zadok, and became sick and died. For R. Zadok observed fasts for forty years in order that Jerusalem might not be destroyed, [and he became so thin that] when he ate anything the food could be seen [as it passed through his throat.] When he wanted to restore himself, they used to bring him a fig, and he used to suck the juice and throw the rest away. When Martha was about to die, she brought out all her gold and silver and threw it in the street, saying, What is the good of this to me, thus giving effect to the verse, They shall cast their silver in the streets.
Abba Sikra the head of the biryoni in Jerusalem was the son of the sister of Rabban Johanan b. Zakkai. [The latter] sent to him saying, Come to visit me privately. When he came he said to him, How long are you going to carry on in this way and kill all the people with starvation? He replied: What can I do? If I say a word to them, they will kill me. He said: Devise some plan for me to escape. Perhaps I shall be able to save a little. He said to him: Pretend to be ill, and let everyone come to inquire about you. Bring something evil smelling and put it by you so that they will say you are dead. Let then your disciples get under your bed, but no others, so that they shall not notice that you are still light, since they know that a living being is lighter than a corpse. He did so, and R. Eliezer went under the bier from one side and R. Joshua from the other. When they reached the door, some men wanted to put a lance through the bier. He said to them: Shall [the Romans] say. They have pierced their Master? They wanted to give it a push. He said to them: Shall they say that they pushed their Master? They opened a town gate for him and he got out.
When he reached the Romans he said, Peace to you, O king, peace to you, O king. He [Vespasian] said: Your life is forfeit on two counts, one because I am not a king and you call me king, and again, if I am a king, why did you not come to me before now? He replied: As for your saying that you are not a king, 56 B in truth you are a king, since if you were not a king Jerusalem would not be delivered into your hand, as it is written, And Lebanon shall fall by a mighty one. 'Mighty one' [is an epithet] applied only to a king, as it is written, And their mighty one shall be of themselves etc.; and Lebanon refers to the Sanctuary, as it says, This goodly mountain and Lebanon. As for your question, why if you are a king, I did not come to you till now, the answer is that the biryoni among us did not let me. He said to him; If there is a jar of honey round which a serpent is wound, would they not break the jar to get rid of the serpent? He could give no answer. R. Joseph, or as some say R. Akiba, applied to him the verse, [God] turneth wise men backward and maketh their knowledge foolish. He ought to have said to him: We take a pair of tongs and grip the snake and kill it, and leave the jar intact.
At this point a messenger came to him from Rome saying, Up, for the Emperor is dead, and the notables of Rome have decided to make you head [of the State]. He had just finished putting on one boot. When he tried to put on the other he could not. He tried to take off the first but it would not come off. He said: What is the meaning of this? R. Johanan said to him: Do not worry: the good news has done it, as it says, Good tidings make the bone fat. What is the remedy? Let someone whom you dislike come and pass before you, as it is written, A broken spirit dries up the bones. He did so, and the boot went on. He said to him: Seeing that you are so wise, why did you not come to me till now? He said: Have I not told you? — He retorted: I too have told you.
He said; I am now going, and will send someone to take my place. You can, however, make a request of me and I will grant it. He said to him: Give me Jabneh and its Wise Men, and the family chain of Rabban Gamaliel, and physicians to heal R. Zadok. R. Joseph, or some say R. Akiba, applied to him the verse, '[God] turneth wise men backward and maketh their knowledge foolish'. He ought to have said to him; Let them [the Jews] off this time. He, however, thought that so much he would not grant, and so even a little would not be saved.
How did the physicians heal R. Zadok? The first day they let him drink water in which bran had been soaked; on the next day water in which there had been coarse meal; on the next day water in which there had been flour, so that his stomach expanded little by little.
This is the story of Rabbi S. Alpern of Chabad San Paulo Brazil who has a vacation spot in FL. His second wife, Yael, has an apartment where we stay in FL. Thanks to Dov O. I can share his encounter with the Rebbe. He has been an encouragement to Menashe, my forester child. http://myencounterblog.com/?p=3103#more-3103 or http://myencounterblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/289.-Devarim-5778.pdf
According to the Mishnah (Taanit 4:6), five specific events occurred on the ninth of Av that warrant fasting:
- The Twelve Spies sent by Moses to observe the land of Canaan returned from their mission. Only two of the spies, Joshua and Caleb, brought a positive report, while the others spoke disparagingly about the land. The majority report caused the Children of Israel to cry, panic and despair of ever entering the "Promised Land". For this, they were punished by God that their generation would not enter the land. The midrash quotes God as saying about this event, "You cried before me pointlessly, I will fix for you [this day as a day of] crying for the generations", alluding to the future misfortunes which occurred on the same date.
- The First Temple built by King Solomon was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar in 587 BCE, and the population of the Kingdom of Judah was sent into the Babylonian exile. The First Temple's destruction began on the 7th of Av (2 Kings 25:8) and continued until the 10th (Jeremiah 52:12). According to the Talmud, the actual destruction of the Temple began on the Ninth of Av, and it continued to burn throughout the Tenth of Av.
- The Second Temple built by Ezra and Nehemiah was destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE, scattering the people of Judea and commencing the Jewish exile from the Holy Land that continues to this day.
- The Romans subsequently crushed Bar Kokhba's revolt and destroyed the city of Betar, killing over 500,000 Jewish civilians (approximately 580,000) on August 4, 135 CE.
5. Following the Bar Kokhba revolt,
Roman commander Turnus Rufus plowed the site of the Temple in Jerusalem and the
surrounding area, in 135 CE.
Other calamities
Over time, Tisha B'Av has come to be a Jewish day of mourning,
not only for these events, but also for later tragedies which occurred on or
near the 9th of Av. References to some of these events appear in liturgy
composed for Tisha B'Av (see below). - The First Crusade officially commenced on August 15, 1096 (Av 24, AM 4856), killing 10,000 Jews in its first month and destroying Jewish communities in France and the Rhineland.
- The Jews were expelled from England on July 18, 1290 (Av 9, AM 5050).
- The Jews were expelled from France on July 22, 1306 (Av 10, AM 5066)
- The Jews were expelled from Spain on July 31, 1492 (Av 7, AM 5252).
- Germany entered World War I on August 1–2, 1914 (Av 9–10, AM 5674), which caused massive upheaval in European Jewry and whose aftermath led to the Holocaust.
- On August 2, 1941 (Av 9, AM 5701), SS commander Heinrich Himmler formally received approval from the Nazi Party for "The Final Solution." As a result, the Holocaust began during which almost one third of the world's Jewish population perished.
- On July 23, 1942 (Av 9, AM 5702), began the mass deportation of Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto, en route to Treblinka.
- The AMIA bombing, of the Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, killed 85 and injuring 300 on 18 July 1994 (10 Av, AM 5754).
- The Israeli disengagement from Gaza began in the Gaza Strip, expelling 8000 Jews who lived in Gush Katif; 15 August 2005; 10 Av, 5765.
From
Miriam. Democrats wanting to bring back their party to a more centrist policy. https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/270706/walkaways-threat-democrats-base-matthew-vadum
Turning
the army into Yiddishkeit. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/249060
Knesset
approves Nationality Law. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5311657,00.html
CA
Dems want to drain their swamp but with a more liberal. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/249050
Charedim
attack teenaged girls in Beit Shemesh. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5311877,00.html
US
DOD works on mind control technology. https://www.nextgov.com/emerging-tech/2018/07/pentagon-wants-bring-mind-controlled-tech-troops/149776/
IDF
equipment return yields: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/249187
Another
extreme Charedi protest. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/249204
From
Zahava Pauli Jewish Emojis. http://oychicago.com/article.aspx?id=26359&blogid=132
Inyanay Diyoma
After
a grenade injures a soldier, Israel replies. The result is 190 to 200 mortars
or rockets which was like a bad day in Protective Edge. Syrian situation also
worsens. Are we in for a multi-front war? Will we do what we should do with
Hamas once and for all? Or does Bibi want to be another Shaul regarding Amalek?
War
with Syria not far behind war in Gaza or both. https://www.debka.com/massive-syrian-hizballah-golan-war-preparations-tie-idf-down-from-reining-in-gaza-terror/
The
Grenade incident. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/248900
As
of this morning, Sderot family injured still in hospital and soldier injured by
grenade light to moderate. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/248909
Friday
afternoon another drone shot down. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/248891
Putin
meets with Argentinian Murderer. https://www.algemeiner.com/2018/07/12/ignoring-extradition-request-russian-president-putin-meets-with-senior-iranian-envoy-wanted-by-argentina-for-1994-amia-bombing/?utm_content=news1&utm_medium=daily_email&utm_campaign=email&utm_source=internal/
Syria
– Israel holds back Iran. https://www.algemeiner.com/2018/07/12/top-idf-official-due-to-israeli-military-actions-iran-is-far-away-from-where-it-wants-to-be-in-syria/?utm_content=news1&utm_medium=daily_email&utm_campaign=email&utm_source=internal/
Russia endangers Israel in Syria. https://www.algemeiner.com/2018/07/13/how-russia-is-endangering-israel-in-syria/?utm_content=commentary1&utm_medium=weekend_email&utm_campaign=email&utm_source=internal
But
Israel demands Iran 80 km from border. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5309475,00.html
French
Jews furious over murder trial obstacles. https://www.algemeiner.com/2018/07/13/french-jews-furious-as-new-obstacle-emerges-to-future-trial-of-jewish-pensioners-antisemitic-killer/?utm_content=news1&utm_medium=weekend_email&utm_campaign=email&utm_source=internal
From
a week ago. Israeli Professor attacked and then beaten by police until identified.
https://www.algemeiner.com/2018/07/13/israeli-professor-attacked-by-palestinian-in-germany-then-mistakenly-assaulted-by-police/?utm_content=news2&utm_medium=weekend_email&utm_campaign=email&utm_source=internal
This
is a reason to go to war on Shabbos but Bibi waits. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5309548,00.html
Weak
PM brings this on as Hamas threatens more attacks until sanctions are removed. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5310379,00.html
From
Miriam. Democrats wanting to bring back their party to a more centrist policy. https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/270706/walkaways-threat-democrats-base-matthew-vadum
Syria
9 dead in Israeli attack. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/248993
Truman fired MacArthur but Bibi will not fire Eisenkot. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5310844,00.html
IDF
will act again. 44% believes Hamas won the round and 27% the IDF. https://www.algemeiner.com/2018/07/15/iaf-official-after-gaza-escalation-we-will-act-again-if-hamas-commits-further-violence/?utm_content=news1&utm_medium=daily_email&utm_campaign=email&utm_source=internal/
Iron
Dome in the center and call-up: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/248961
With
the call-up massive troop movements. https://www.debka.com/israel-announces-nationwide-military-drills-amid-war-preparedness-on-northern-and-gaza-fronts/ This trick was used in early June 1967.
Arms
seized in Chevron. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/248990
Iran
has abducted Lebanon. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/248991
Kurdish
Student tortured to death in Iran. https://anfenglishmobile.com/women/kurdish-student-disappeared-in-iran-tortured-to-death-28260
The
right is becoming weak by Dr. Martin Sherman. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/22458
A private Ed-Op for this blogspot: Much has been
written about the Jews "walking into the ovens." We were derided by
the rest of the world. Now the Jews defend themselves and the world attacks
again. Until the leaders of Israel come to accept the fact that the vast
majority of people on this planet hate the Jews and act only in the best
interest of the Jewish state of Israel, our people will be slaughtered. Israel
must never again appease any other country or worldwide organization. The world
"forgave" the Jews after we went into the ovens. The bear their
chests and apologized. That's over. They have forgotten. We must Never Forget.
Diane Weber Bederman
Putin
wants Iran out of Syria. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/249064
FL
Nazi arrested. http://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/miami-dade/fl-reg-miami-beach-man-arrested-trying-to-burn-down-building-jewish-neighbors-20180713-story.html
Schmeling
Synagogue gets donations from Arabs. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/249061
Fire
balloon lands in Kindergarten sandbox https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5311701,00.html
IDF
is prepared. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5311659,00.html
Egypt
presses Hamas to stop balloons and kites. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5311533,00.html
Chevron
illegal weapons seized. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/249052
Nowhere
to go. Syrian refugees move on the Israeli Border. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/249065
Head
of coordination calls on Gazans to pressure Hamas. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/249075
Netanyahu
has agreed to hand over the border to Syria. https://www.debka.com/netanyahus-secret-consent-to-hand-golan-crossing-to-syria-led-to-trump-putin-deal-on-israels-border-security/
Trump
– Putin want safety for Israel. https://www.algemeiner.com/2018/07/16/putin-and-i-want-safety-for-israel-trump-declares-at-joint-news-conference-with-russian-leader/?utm_content=news1&utm_medium=daily_email&utm_campaign=email&utm_source=internal/
Israel
ready to strike Hamas I guess after Tisha B’Av: https://www.debka.com/with-idf-poised-to-strike-hamas-what-about-israels-northern-front/
The
clock is ticking not in our favor. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/249101
Hamas
may stop balloons and kites after the above ultimatum. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5312093,00.html
Would
or wouldn’t? https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5311902,00.html
Photos
of facility hit in Syria. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5312137,00.html
Obama
blocked Israeli Law. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/249107
IDF
slowly becoming more religious. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/249086
Heavy
fighting in southern Syria. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/249098
Steven
Cohen on the Summit. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=53&v=cHhKi7K7gtE
Terrorist
down mortars rockets. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5313063,00.html
Syria
an update: https://www.debka.com/quneitra-falls-to-syrian-army-damascus-1974-accord-permits-syrian-air-flights-over-israels-golan-border/
Arab
who stole documents caught. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/249144
Mossad
thwarts terror in France. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5313291,00.html
Security
chiefs meet on Gaza. https://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Top-security-heads-meet-to-asses-situation-in-the-South-563000
US
offers Hamas billions for peace and return of prisoners. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/249254
Arab
land thieves demolish Jewish homes that they lived in. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5313303,00.html
Ed-Op
Egyptian king maker. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5313455,00.html
Police
arrest weapons thief. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/249227
El Al nightmare a drunk. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/249253
Duck
boat overturns tourists killed. http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/07/20/duck-boat-capsizes-on-missouri-lake-multiple-casualties-reported.html
From Dov O. antisemitism is alive and well: https://www.timesofisrael.com/swedish-parliamentary-candidate-suggests-deporting-all-jews-from-israel/amp/?__twitter_impression=true
Have a good Shabbos and a protective fast.
Rachamim Pauli
