Parsha Vayeitze Part 2
One of the great misunderstandings of Midrash
is connected with the pursuit of Yakov by his nephew Elifaz. We are told that
Eisav ordered his son Elifaz to kill Yakov.
Chazal tell us that Elifaz couldn't
bring himself to slay Yakov because he had been raised "on the lap"
of Yitzchak. Elifaz then asked "How do I fulfill my father's
command?" Yakov replied, "Take all my possessions and a poor man is
thought of as dead."
People walk away thinking Elifaz was a
great guy. Nothing could be further from the truth! If we examine Elifaz's
portfolio, we find him to be one of the greatest degenerates in biblical
history.
If we examine the language of the Midrash, we see that Elifaz was not afraid that Eisav would punish him. Rather, he really felt he was obligated to fulfill his father's command. Just as his own father's prime concern was "respect to father" with no concern with other morals, his sentiments were the same.
We all know that if one's parents tell him to violate the Torah, he can't listen. But Elifaz's upbringing indicated otherwise. Even more fascinating is the fact that someone who had such closeness with Yitzchak, could end up so depraved. The answer is that his association with Eisav undid any positive influence that Yitzchak had on him.
If we examine the language of the Midrash, we see that Elifaz was not afraid that Eisav would punish him. Rather, he really felt he was obligated to fulfill his father's command. Just as his own father's prime concern was "respect to father" with no concern with other morals, his sentiments were the same.
We all know that if one's parents tell him to violate the Torah, he can't listen. But Elifaz's upbringing indicated otherwise. Even more fascinating is the fact that someone who had such closeness with Yitzchak, could end up so depraved. The answer is that his association with Eisav undid any positive influence that Yitzchak had on him.
This is an important
lesson. We can teach our children Torah and Midos, but we must also be on our
guard to shield them from anyone and anything which might endanger their
spiritual growth. Rabbi Salid Shlita from PATH-Young Israel of Hollywood, FL
weekly e-mail. This
is a much clearer understanding of what I wrote with the Chiddush that Yitzchak
taught him making things clearer. It also explains his being a friend with a
Tzaddik like Iyob.
29:1
Then Jacob went on his journey, and came to the land of the children of the
east. 2 And he looked, and
behold a well in the field, and, lo, three flocks of sheep lying there by it.
Three separate flocks waiting by a covered
well.
For out of that well they watered the
flocks. And the stone upon the well's mouth was great.
This must be the same well that Rivka used
but it appears to have been expanded.
3
And thither were all the flocks gathered; and they rolled the stone from the
well's mouth, and watered the sheep, and put the stone back upon the well's
mouth in its place.
A very heavy stone.
4
And Jacob said unto them: 'My brethren, whence are ye?' And they said: 'Of
Haran are we.' 5 And he said
unto them: 'Know ye Laban the son of Nahor?' And they said: 'We know him.' 6 And he said unto them: 'Is it well
with him?' And they said: 'It is well; and, behold, Rachel his daughter cometh
with the sheep.'
All the indications are that Yacov was 63
when he left Beer Sheva. The Medrash tells us that he was with Shem and Ever 14
years. When he arrived at Haran, he would have been 77 years old by these
accounts. Now he begins to act like a young man when he sees Rachel.
7
And he said: 'Lo, it is yet high day, neither is it time that the cattle should
be gathered together; water ye the sheep, and go and feed them.' 8 And they said: 'We cannot, until all
the flocks be gathered together, and they roll the stone from the well's mouth;
then we water the sheep.' 9
While he was yet speaking with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep; for
she tended them. 10 And it came
to pass, when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother's brother, and
the sheep of Laban his mother's brother, that Jacob went near, and rolled the
stone from the well's mouth, and watered the flock of Laban his mother's
brother.
Yacov’s Shepard’s crook
was most likely of olive wood that is a hard wood and very strong. He must have
used this with a small stone to form a fulcrum and apply the law of physics to
move the very large stone over the well. I have done this with small boulders
left over from the construction of my house.
11
And Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice, and wept.
The man who was G-D fearing and powerful
enough to receive prophecy and wrestle with an Angel does the most
extraordinary thing. He kisses a maid. I can just imagine this in Beit Shemesh
or Meah Shaarim in Yerushalayim. How did he kiss her? On the forehead? Cheeks?
Lips? We can only imagine.
And wept: Since he foresaw with the holy spirit that she (Rachel) would
not enter the grave with him. Another explanation: Since he came empty-handed,
he said, “Eliezer, my grandfather’s servant, had nose rings, and bracelets and
sweet fruits in his possession, and I am coming with nothing in my hands. [He
had nothing] because Eliphaz the son of Esau had pursued him to kill him at his
father’s orders; he (Eliphaz) overtook him, but since he had grown up in
Isaac’s lap, he held back his hand. He said to him (Jacob), ”What shall I do
about my father’s orders?“ Jacob replied, ”Take what I have, for a poor man is
counted as dead." - [from Bereishit Rabbathi by Rabbi Moshe Hadarshan]
12
And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father's brother, and that he was
Rebekah's son; and she ran and told her father.
Imagine Rachel she has just been kissed by
this total strange and now she is told that she is his Bashert!
13
And it came to pass, when Laban heard the tidings of Jacob his sister's son,
that he ran to meet him, and embraced him, and kissed him, and brought him to
his house. And he told Laban all these things.
He came looking for jewels, gold and
silver. He French Kissed Yacov to feel with his tongue for jewels in his mouth.
But nothing!
14
And Laban said to him: 'Surely thou art my bone and my flesh.' And he abodes
with him the space of a month.
Still Yacov was his nephew and “staying”
probably meant tending the sheep and other voluntary duties like a person who
is invited to dinner volunteers to clear the table or read to the children in
our day.
15
And Laban said unto Jacob: 'Because thou art my brother, should thou therefore
serve me for nought? tell me, what shall thy wages be?' 16 Now Laban had two daughters: the name of the elder was Leah,
and the name of the younger was Rachel. 17
And Leah's eyes were weak; but Rachel was of beautiful form and fair to look
upon.
Weak eyes because she was crying that she
might have to marry Esav instead of Yacov. The Chabad translation is ‘tender
eyes’ not weak. I mentioned the first Rashi but there is more to the Rashi
commentary:
Features:
Heb. תֹּאַר. That is the form of the countenance, an
expression similar to (Isa. 44: 13)“he fixes it (יְתָאִרֵהוּ) with
planes
(בַשֶׂרֶד) ,” conpas in Old French, outline, shape. Complexion:
That is the shine of the countenance.
18
And Jacob loved Rachel; and he said: 'I will serve thee seven years for Rachel
thy younger daughter.'
He was mesmerized by her inner and outer
beauty.
I will work for you seven years: (Gen.
Rabbah 67:10, 70:17) They are the few days of which his mother said, “And you
shall dwell with him for a few days.” (27:44 above) You should know that this
is so, because it is written: “and they appeared to him like a few days.”
(verse 20) For Rachel, your
younger daughter: Why were all these
signs necessary? Since he (Jacob) knew that he (Laban) was a deceiver, he said
to him, “I will work for you for Rachel,” and lest you say [that I meant]
another Rachel from the street, Scripture states: “Your daughter.” Now, lest
you say, “I will change her name to Leah, and I will name her (Leah) Rachel,”
Scripture states: “[your] younger [daughter].” Nevertheless, it did not avail
him, for he (Laban) deceived him. — [from Gen. Rabbah 70:17]
Although Rashi writes the fact that Lavan
was a deceiver, unless Rivka warned Yacov, or he received Ruach HaKodesh
(prophecy) there is no indication from the Pshat that Lavan will deceive Yacov
at the wedding.
19
And Laban said: 'It is better that I give her to thee, than that I should give
her to another man; abide with me.'
Since you are from a good family, I prefer
that you will marry her over another.
20
And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but a few
days, for the love he had to her. 21
And Jacob said unto Laban: 'Give me my wife, for my days are filled, that I may
go in unto her.' 22 And Laban
gathered together all the men of the place, and made a feast. 23 And it came to pass in the evening,
that he took Leah his daughter, and brought her to him; and he went in unto
her.
He put the veil over Rachel and then
walked to the Chupa. Leah pulled a switch and with the think veil he could not
tell the difference between her and Rachel.
24
And Laban gave Zilpah his handmaid unto his daughter Leah for a handmaid. 25 And it came to pass in the morning
that, behold, it was Leah; and he said to Laban: 'What is this thou hast done
unto me? did not I serve with thee for Rachel? wherefore then hast thou
beguiled me?'
After his honeymoon night in either a tent
or one of the small huts they had in Haran which either have been rebuilt for
tourism or still stand today, Yacov woke up surprised and furious at the
deception. This is what we call in Hebrew Menchak Tauout. With this clause
faulty or defective goods can be returned immediately to the vendor.
26
And Laban said: 'It is not so done in our place, to give the younger before the
first-born. 27 Fulfil the week
of this one, and we will give thee the other also for the service which thou
shalt serve with me yet seven other years.'
Finish the week of Sheva Berachos and you
will marry Rachel.
28
And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week; and he gave him Rachel his daughter
to wife. 29 And Laban gave to
Rachel his daughter Bilhah his handmaid to be her handmaid.
It is said that Lavan also fathered the
handmaidens by a different mother than that of the first sisters pair.
30
And he went in also unto Rachel, and he loved Rachel more than Leah, and served
with him yet seven other years. 31
And the LORD saw that Leah was hated, and he opened her womb; but Rachel was
barren.
Nothing is more binding upon a couple than
children.
32
And Leah conceived, and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben; for she
said: 'Because the LORD hath looked upon my affliction; for now, my husband
will love me.' 33 And she
conceived again, and bore a son; and said: 'Because the LORD hath heard that I
am hated, He hath therefore given me this son also.' And she called his name
Simeon. 34 And she conceived
again, and bore a son; and said: 'Now this time will my husband be joined unto
me, because I have borne him three sons.' Therefore, was his name called Levi. 35 And she conceived again, and bore a
son; and she said: 'This time will I praise the LORD.' Therefore, she called
his name Judah; and she left off bearing.
With four sons, Leah hoped to have won
over Yacov’s heart, but he was still like a puppy in love with Rachel.
30:1 And when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no
children, Rachel envied her sister; and she said unto Jacob: 'Give me children,
or else I die.' 2 And Jacob's
anger was kindled against Rachel; and he said: 'Am I in God's stead, who hath
withheld from thee the fruit of the womb?'
This time, Yacov became angry at Rachel as he
was able to have children with Leah and could not have with Rachel despite the
fact that he was with her most of the time.
3 And she said: 'Behold my maid Bilhah, go in
unto her; that she may bear upon my knees, and I also may be built up through
her.' 4 And she gave him Bilhah
her handmaid to wife; and Jacob went in unto her. 5 And Bilhah conceived, and bore Jacob a son. 6 And Rachel said: 'God hath judged
me, and hath also heard my voice, and hath given me a son.' Therefore, called
she his name Dan.
Dan as in Din and Dayan. Bilhah is the
surrogate mother for Rachel and she loves Dan as if he were her own. So even
though Rachel has not been blessed with children, she now has Dan. Bilhah is
happy from this as contrary to modern surrogate mothers, she is nursing Dan and
with him in Rachel’s tent or hut. For them it is a win-win situation and Yacov
is happy with another son.
7 And Bilhah Rachel's handmaid conceived again,
and bore Jacob a second son. 8
And Rachel said: 'With mighty wrestling have I wrestled with my sister, and
have prevailed.' And she called his name Naphtali.
Now Rachel has two surrogate sons and Yacov
six.
9 When Leah saw that she had left off bearing,
she took Zilpah her handmaid, and gave her to Jacob to wife.
The rivalry between the sisters is now quite
bad. Zilpah has become the surrogate for Leah. But she is so happy that she
will call the first boy the equivalent to lucky and the second happy.
10 And Zilpah Leah's handmaid bore Jacob a son. 11 And Leah said: 'Fortune is come!'
And she called his name Gad. 12
And Zilpah Leah's handmaid bore Jacob a second son. 13 And Leah said: 'Happy am I! for the daughters will call me
happy.' And she called his name Asher.
At this point Yacov has eight sons but poor
Rachel has not bore even one and she prays and cries prays and cries.
14 And Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest,
and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them unto his mother Leah. Then
Rachel said to Leah: 'Give me, I pray thee, of thy son's mandrakes.' 15 And she said unto her: 'Is it a
small matter that thou hast taken away my husband? and would thou take away my
son's mandrakes also?' And Rachel said: 'Therefore he shall lie with thee
to-night for thy son's mandrakes.' 16
And Jacob came from the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him,
and said: 'Thou must come in unto me; for I have surely hired thee with my
son's mandrakes.' And he lay with her that night.
The mandrakes grow in the Negev desert and I
guess other places. It is supposedly a fertility aphrodisiac.
17 And God hearkened unto Leah, and she
conceived, and bore Jacob a fifth son. 18
And Leah said: 'God hath given me my hire, because I gave my handmaid to my
husband. And she called his name Issachar.
The Mandrakes do not help Rachel but instead
Leah bares him two more sons. Now he has a Minyan of boys.
19 And Leah conceived again, and bore a sixth son
to Jacob. 20 And Leah said: 'God
hath endowed me with a good dowry; now will my husband dwell with me, because I
have borne him six sons.' And she called his name Zebulun.
Similar to a celebration with a pie or kugel.
Like a party celebration.
21 And afterwards she bore a daughter, and called
her name Dinah.
I have accepted the Din of having a daughter.
22 And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened
to her, and opened her womb. 23
And she conceived, and bore a son, and said: 'God hath taken away my reproach.'
24 And she called his name
Joseph, saying: 'The LORD add to me another son.'
Yosef has a root in the word for gather or
collect. So she was finally happy but wanted another son so that she would be
equal to the hand maidens.
25 And it came to pass, when Rachel had borne
Joseph, that Jacob said unto Laban: 'Send me away, that I may go unto mine own
place, and to my country. 26
Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served thee, and let me go;
for thou know my service wherewith I have served thee.'
14 years are up now. Lavan now has 12
grandchildren and his sister, Rivka might have gotten the news via merchants
but she has not seen one. In the background of all this is Devorah, Rivka’s
nurse who is in the background this whole time.
27 And Laban said unto him: 'If now I have found
favor in thine eyes--I have observed the signs, and the LORD hath blessed me
for thy sake.' 28 And he said:
'Appoint me thy wages, and I will give it.' 29 And he said unto him: 'Thou know how I have served thee, and
how thy cattle have fared with me. 30
For it was little which thou had before I came, and it hath increased
abundantly; and the LORD hath blessed thee whithersoever I turned. And now when
shall I provide for mine own house also?' 31 And he said: 'What shall I give thee?' And Jacob said: 'Thou
shalt not give me aught; if thou wilt do this thing for me, I will again feed
thy flock and keep it.
Yacov essentially wanted to go home. Lavan
offers him an opportunity to gain wages while he keeps Yacov as a worker and in
the meantime physically the animals that he worked for can be stolen back by
Lavan or Lavan and sons.
32 I will pass through all thy flock to-day,
removing from thence every speckled and spotted one, and every dark one among
the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats; and of such shall be
my hire. 33 So shall my
righteousness witness against me hereafter, when thou shalt come to look over
my hire that is before thee: every one that is not speckled and spotted among
the goats, and dark among the sheep, that if found with me shall be counted
stolen.' 34 And Laban said:
'Behold, would it might be according to thy word.'
Yacov would have the sheep at time of
conception “think” of the wood that saw in the water and produce an offspring
similar to what it saw. Lavan also entrusted everything to Yacov and was too
old or lazy to check on the sheep for otherwise he might have made a different
wage scale.
35 And he removed that day the he-goats that were
streaked and spotted, and all the she-goats that were speckled and spotted,
every one that had white in it, and all the dark ones among the sheep, and gave
them into the hand of his sons. 36
And he set three days' journey betwixt himself and Jacob. And Jacob fed the
rest of Laban's flocks.
With such a
distance, it was hard for Lavan to make claims on his son-in-law. During the
course of the six years after the birth of Yosef until the time that Yacov
flees for his life, Lavan has changed Yacov’s wages 10 times. Prior to Yacov
coming according to the Medrash, Lavan only had the two daughters and the two
hand-maid daughters. Now suddenly over the age of 100, he has gotten sons. It
is his sons who complain about the fact that Yacov is getting their
inheritance.
31:1 And he heard the words of Laban's
sons, saying: 'Jacob hath taken away all that was our father's; and of that
which was our father's hath he gotten all this wealth.' 2 And Jacob beheld the countenance of Laban, and, behold, it was
not toward him as beforetime.
The wicked one began
hatching a plot to take things away from Yacov even at the cost of Yacov’s
life. It did not matter that when Yacov arrived Lavan was poor with a small
herd of sheep and now had a gigantic flock despite the wages he paid Yacov.
Lavan had a fleet of camels, cattle and goats too. He might have been the
equivalent to Warren Buffett in terms of Haran wealth but it was not enough for
Yacov was like Bezos of Amazon.
3 And the LORD said unto Jacob:
'Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with
thee.'
Yacov does not get prophecy everyday like
Balaam but receives it as a gift when needed. He is now ordered to return with
a promise of HASHEM being by his side.
4 And Jacob sent and called Rachel
and Leah to the field unto his flock,
Unlike most of the Middle East, Yacov does
nothing, not even a command by G-D, without consulting with his wives. This
practice continues with the Bnei Yisrael and Judaism unto this day. Anybody,
who does not consult with his wife is either a bully or a fool – my opinion.
For marriage is a partnership and in a joint venture, the equal partner should
be consulted.
5 and said unto them: 'I see your
father's countenance, that it is not toward me as beforetime; but the God of my
father hath been with me. 6 And
ye know that with all my power I have served your father. 7 And your father hath mocked me, and
changed my wages ten times; but God suffered him not to hurt me.
This is the prelude to the big move that
Yacov plans but in order to do so, he has to convince his partners of his idea.
8 If he said thus: The speckled shall
be thy wages; then all the flock bore speckled; and if he said thus: The
streaked shall be thy wages; then bore all the flock streaked. 9 Thus God hath taken away the cattle
of your father, and given them to me. 10
And it came to pass at the time that the flock conceived, that I lifted up mine
eyes, and saw in a dream, and, behold, the he-goats which leaped upon the flock
were streaked, speckled, and grizzled. 11
And the angel of God said unto me in the dream: Jacob; and I said: Here am I. 12 And he said: Lift up now thine
eyes, and see, all the he-goats which leap upon the flock are streaked,
speckled, and grizzled; for I have seen all that Laban does unto thee. 13 I am the God of Beth-el, where thou
didst anoint a pillar, where thou didst vow a vow unto Me. Now arise, get thee
out from this land, and return unto the land of thy nativity.'
He now tells of the Angel that visited him
in the dream. Now is the time to return to the spot of your vow, erect a pillar
and show the spot of the miracle unto your sons so that they too can praise ME.
14 And Rachel and Leah answered and
said unto him: 'Is there yet any portion or inheritance for us in our father's
house?
Are we to have no dowry?
15 Are we not accounted by him
strangers? for he hath sold us, and hath also quite devoured our price.
Are we to be sold like slaves on the
market?
16 For all the riches which God hath
taken away from our father, that is ours and our children's. Now then,
whatsoever God hath said unto thee, do.'
For these are riches for our children, his
grandchildren. Now listen to G-D and we willing will go with you to serve HIM.
17 Then Jacob rose up, and set his
sons and his wives upon the camels; 18
and he carried away all his cattle, and all his substance which he had
gathered, the cattle of his getting, which he had gathered in Paddan-aram, to
go to Isaac his father unto the land of Canaan. 19 Now Laban was gone to shear his sheep. And Rachel stole the
teraphim that were her father's.
She wanted to stop Lavan from observing
Avodah Zara but would cost Rachel her life.
20 And Jacob outwitted Laban the
Aramean, in that he told him not that he fled.
Yacov escapes Lavan. He puts a good
distance between himself and Lavan and covers what one can driving sheep, goats
and cattle in a day.
21 So he fled with all that he had;
and he rose up, and passed over the River, and set his face toward the mountain
of Gilead.
He has passed over the river but it is
hard to cover the tracks of a gigantic herd of animals. He is driving them
towards the southern Golan Heights.
22 And it was told Laban on the third
day that Jacob was fled. 23 And
he took his brethren with him, and pursued after him seven days' journey; and
he overtook him in the mountain of Gilead.
As fast as Yacov could go, he could not
out-race a pose of men on either camels or horses. They can cover a large
distance and with Esav it was quite easy to manage a large distance. We shall
see this in Parsha Beshalach when Pharaoh stars out on the fourth day of the
travel of the Bnei Yisrael and catches up to them on the seventh.
24 And God came to Laban the Aramean
in a dream of the night, and said unto him: 'Take heed to thyself that thou
speak not to Jacob either good or bad.'
I assume that either he dreamed of the
Angel Gavriel or Michael with a double-edged sword or was shown the Malach
HaMaves (Angel of Death) in his dream.
25 And Laban came up with Jacob. Now
Jacob had pitched his tent in the mountain; and Laban with his brethren pitched
in the mountain of Gilead. 26
And Laban said to Jacob: 'What have thou done, that thou hast outwitted me, and
carried away my daughters as though captives of the sword?
Outwitted is not the Hebrew and Chabad
writes concealed from me. But it is more like stolen way in predawn light.
Rashi: And concealed from me: [lit.,
you stole me, meaning] you concealed from me.
27 Wherefore didst thou flee secretly,
and outwit me; and didst not tell me, that I might have sent thee away with
mirth and with songs, with tabret and with harp;
He is not permitted by G-D to harm Yacov
but he cannot stop lying for a second to speak the truth.
28 and didst not suffer me to kiss my
sons and my daughters? now hast thou done foolishly.
Foolishly? Not really so as we see from
the next sentence why Yacov escapes unscathed.
29 It is in the power of my hand to do
you hurt; but the God of your father spoke unto me yesternight, saying: Take
heed to thyself that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad.
This is the only reason why Yacov escapes
unscathed.
30 And now that thou art surely gone,
because thou sore longest after thy father's house, wherefore hast thou stolen
my gods?'
Yacov would have nothing to do with such
filth.
31 And Jacob answered and said to
Laban: 'Because I was afraid; for I said: Lest thou should take thy daughters
from me by force. 32 With
whomsoever thou find thy gods, he shall not live; before our brethren discern
thou what is thine with me, and take it to thee.'--For Jacob knew not that
Rachel had stolen them.
Tzaddik issues a death sentence on Rachel
in his innocence.
33 And Laban went into Jacob's tent,
and into Leah's tent, and into the tent of the two maid-servants; but he found
them not. And he went out of Leah's tent, and entered into Rachel's tent. 34 Now Rachel had taken the teraphim,
and put them in the saddle of the camel, and sat upon them. And Laban felt
about all the tent, but found them not.
By doing so, she may have prevented
Benyamin’s death and prevented her father from worshipping the idol.
35 And she said to her father: 'Let
not my lord be angry that I cannot rise up before thee; for the manner of women
is upon me.' And he searched, but found not the teraphim. 36 And Jacob was wroth, and strove with
Laban. And Jacob answered and said to Laban: 'What is my trespass? what is my
sin, that thou hast hotly pursued after me? 37 Whereas thou hast felt about all my stuff, what hast thou found
of all thy household stuff? Set it here before my brethren and thy brethren,
that they may judge betwixt us two. 38
These twenty years have I been with thee; thy ewes and thy she-goats have not
cast their young, and the rams of thy flocks have I not eaten. 39 That which was torn of beasts I
brought not unto thee; I bore the loss of it; of my hand didst thou require it,
whether stolen by day or stolen by night. 40 Thus I was: in the day the drought consumed me, and the frost
by night; and my sleep fled from mine eyes. 41 These twenty years have I been in thy house: I served thee
fourteen years for thy two daughters, and six years for thy flock; and thou
hast changed my wages ten times. 42
Except the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the Fear of Isaac, had
been on my side, surely now had thou sent me away empty. God hath seen mine
affliction and the labor of my hands, and gave judgment yesternight.'
Yacov, after honoring his
uncle/father-in-law for 20 years, lets him have what is on his mind.
43 And Laban answered and said unto
Jacob: 'The daughters are my daughters, and the children are my children, and
the flocks are my flocks, and all that thou see is mine; and what can I do this
day for these my daughters, or for their children whom they have borne? 44 And now come, let us make a
covenant, I and thou; and let it be for a witness between me and thee.'
Ok take what you have earned from me but
do not take another other wives so that my daughters and grandchildren will
keep their inheritance.
45 And Jacob took a stone, and set it
up for a pillar. 46 And Jacob said
unto his brethren: 'Gather stones'; and they took stones, and made a heap. And
they did eat there by the heap. 47
And Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha; but Jacob called it Galeed.
The pile (stones) of witness.
48 And Laban said: 'This heap is
witness between me and thee this day.' Therefore, was the name of it called
Galeed; 49 and Mizpah, for he
said: 'The LORD watch between me and thee, when we are absent one from another.
50 If thou shalt afflict my
daughters, and if thou shalt take wives beside my daughters, no man being with
us; see, God is witness betwixt me and thee.' 51 And Laban said to Jacob: 'Behold this heap, and behold the
pillar, which I have set up betwixt me and thee. 52 This heap be witness, and the pillar be witness, that I will
not pass over this heap to thee, and that thou shalt not pass over this heap
and this pillar unto me, for harm. 53
The God of Abraham, and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge
betwixt us.' And Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac. 54 And Jacob offered a sacrifice in
the mountain, and called his brethren to eat bread; and they did eat bread, and
tarried all night in the mountain.
He reminds them that instead of gods they should be
monotheists like Nahor was.
32:1 And early in the morning Laban rose up, and
kissed his sons and his daughters, and blessed them. And Laban departed, and
returned unto his place.
Lavan parts from his children and
grandchildren. He was commanded not to go to the right or the left regarding
Yacov.
2 And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of
God met him. 3 And Jacob said
when he saw them: 'This is God's camp.' And he called the name of that place Mahanaim.
The name of the place is Camp or Camp Grounds.
These will be the Angels that Yacov will send to Esav with the various animals.
Parsha Vayishlach
Thirty-four
years have passed since Yacov left Beer Sheva. He is now 97 years-old. Perhaps
Esav has calmed down and his hatred has softened towards Yacov. Esav is a
grandfather perhaps a great grandfather and has a lot of valuables. He is
popular enough to call-up a 400-man mulita. Our Parsha takes place over a 2-year
period. Yosef is six and Dina is seven.
32:4 And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau
his brother unto the land of Seir, the field of Edom. 5 And he commanded them, saying: 'Thus shall ye say unto my lord
Esau: Thus says thy servant Jacob: I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed
until now.
I have sojourned: Heb. גַּרְתִּי.
I did not become an officer or a dignitary, but a stranger (גֵּר). It is not
worthwhile for you to hate me on account of your father’s blessing, [with]
which he blessed me (27:29): “You shall be a master over your brothers,” for it
was not fulfilled in me (Tanchuma Buber Vayishlach 5). Another explanation: גַּרְתִּי
has the numerical value of 613. That is to say: I lived with the wicked Laban,
but I kept the 613 commandments, and I did not learn from his evil deeds.
Of course he did not observe 613 Mitzvos like not marrying two
sisters during their life-time. Rather it is as if he observed the Mitzvos and
did not change from the ways of Yitzchak in behavior.
6 And I have oxen, and asses and flocks, and
men-servants and maid-servants; and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may
find favor in thy sight.'
There is a hidden message to Esav here. I have
what I need in this world and do not have any reason to take your inheritance.
So don’t worry about me disturbing your heritance or that of your children.
7 And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying:
'We came to thy brother Esau, and moreover he cometh to meet thee, and four
hundred men with him.' 8 Then
Jacob was greatly afraid and was distressed. And he divided the people that was
with him, and the flocks, and the herds, and the camels, into two camps. 9 And he said: 'If Esau come to the
one camp, and smite it, then the camp which is left shall escape.'
If Esav attacks one, the other one can escape.
HaChofetz Chaim used this sentence prior to the outbreak of World War II.
10 And Jacob said: 'O God of my father Abraham,
and God of my father Isaac, O LORD, who said unto me: Return unto thy country,
and to thy kindred, and I will do thee good; 11 I am not worthy of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which
Thou hast shown unto Thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan;
and now I am become two camps. 12
Deliver me, I pray Thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau;
for I fear him, lest he come and smite me, the mother with the children. 13 And Thou said: I will surely do
thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered
for multitude.'
Yacov is physically afraid and shaken to his
foundation. He is afraid that despite the promise from HASHEM with all the
Chessed that he received unto now, that he used up his Mitzvos.
14 And he lodged there that night; and took of
that which he had with him a present for Esau his brother: 15 two hundred she-goats and twenty
he-goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, 16 thirty milch camels and their colts, forty kine and ten bulls,
twenty she-asses and ten foals. 17
And he delivered them into the hand of his servants, every drove by itself; and
said unto his servants: 'Pass over before me, and put a space betwixt drove and
drove.' 18 And he commanded the
foremost, saying: 'When Esau my brother meet thee, and asks thee, saying: Whose
art thou? and whither do you go? and whose are these before thee? 19 then thou shalt say: They are thy
servant Jacob's; it is a present sent unto my lord, even unto Esau; and,
behold, he also is behind us.' 20
And he commanded also the second, and the third, and all that followed the
droves, saying: 'In this manner shall ye speak unto Esau, when ye find him; 21 and ye shall say: Moreover, behold,
thy servant Jacob is behind us.' For he said: 'I will appease him with the
present that goes before me, and afterward I will see his face; peradventure he
will accept me.'
The spaces between gifts were to purchase
Esav’s heart and lower his desire to kill Yacov. For if they came all at once
it would be less effective. This was the first political advertisement perhaps
with different ways to say the message vote for a living Yacov.
22 So the present passed over before him; and he
himself lodged that night in the camp. 23
And he rose up that night, and took his two wives, and his two handmaids, and
his eleven children, and passed over the ford of the Jabbok. 24 And he took them, and sent them
over the stream, and sent over that which he had. 25 And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him
until the breaking of the day. 26
And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his
thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was strained, as he wrestled with him.
The Angel of Esav was in the form of a man.
Elsewhere Gavriel in Daniel is mentioned to be a man and in Sodom “the men of
G-D”.
27 And he said: 'Let me go, for the day breaks.'
And he said: 'I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.'
It is time for the Blessings and Songs in the
heavenly court around the time of Netz (sunrise). That is why until this day
there are special Netz Minyanim that vary day to day in starting time to say
Shemona Esray the second the sun starts rising.
28 And he said unto him: 'What is thy name?' And
he said: 'Jacob.' 29 And he
said: 'Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel; for thou hast
striven with God and with men, and hast prevailed.'
Even though it will be later on that HASHEM
will give Yacov the name Yisrael, the Angel has the prophecy and blesses him
now.
30 And Jacob asked him, and said: 'Tell me, I
pray thee, thy name.' And he said: 'Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my
name?' And he blessed him there.
So instead of cursing or killing Yacov, he
blesses Yacov. But in doing so he manages to hurt him in the sciatic nerve.
31 And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel:
'for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.'
Literally the face of G-D.
32 And the sun rose upon him as he passed over
Peniel, and he limped upon his thigh. 33
Therefore the children of Israel eat not the sinew of the thigh-vein which is
upon the hollow of the thigh, unto this day; because he touched the hollow of
Jacob's thigh, even in the sinew of the thigh-vein.
At
this point Yacov is victorious but injured in battle.
33:1 And Jacob lifted up his eyes and looked, and,
behold, Esau came, and with him four hundred men. And he divided the children
unto Leah, and unto Rachel, and unto the two handmaids. 2 And he put the handmaids and their children foremost, and Leah
and her children after, and Rachel and Joseph hindermost. 3 And he himself passed over before
them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his
brother.
Esav had a fight with a vibrant 63year-old.
However, now he sees this elderly man limping towards him placing himself at
the mercy of Esav and his 400-man army. He is submissive bows down and for the
first time since their childhood Esav realizes that he is in fact a brother.
4 And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him,
and fell on his neck, and kissed him; and they wept.
I hold that the Pshat is the truth and his
compassion was truly kindled. I do not buy the Medrash that Esav tried to bite
Yacov on the neck and broke his teeth. After 34 years each brother saw how his
twin had aged and true Chessed and Rachamim was stirred up in each heart.
5 And he lifted up his eyes, and saw the women
and the children; and said: 'Who are these with thee?' And he said: 'The
children whom God hath graciously given thy servant.'
Outnumbered by Esav, Yacov wisely is
subservient.
6 Then the handmaids came near, they and their
children, and they bowed down. 7
And Leah also and her children came near, and bowed down; and after came Joseph
near and Rachel, and they bowed down. 8
And he said: 'What meanest thou by all this camp which I met?' And he said: 'To
find favor in the sight of my lord.'
I want to find favor by you.
9 And Esau said: 'I have enough; my brother, let
that which thou hast be thine.'
Esav had a lot of riches from Avraham and
Yitzchak and did not really need the gifts worth hundreds of thousands of
dollars in today’s values.
10 And Jacob said: 'Nay, I pray thee, if now I
have found favor in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand; forasmuch as
I have seen thy face, as one sees the face of God, and thou were pleased with
me. 11 Take, I pray thee, my
gift that is brought to thee; because God hath dealt graciously with me, and
because I have enough.' And he urged him, and he took it.
It is like a bribe even the gift between
brothers and he becomes blinded by it.
12 And he said: 'Let us take our journey, and let
us go, and I will go before thee.' 13
And he said unto him: 'My lord knows that the children are tender, and that the
flocks and herds giving suck are a care to me; and if they overdrive them one
day, all the flocks will die. 14
Let my lord, I pray thee, pass over before his servant; and I will journey on
gently, according to the pace of the cattle that are before me and according to
the pace of the children, until I come unto my lord unto Seir.'
This is Seir in the mountains opposite Eilat
and not the place by the same name near Har Hermon.
15 And Esau said: 'Let me now leave with thee
some of the folk that are with me.' And he said: 'What needs it? let me find favor
in the sight of my lord.' 16 So
Esau returned that day on his way unto Seir. 17 And Jacob journeyed to Succoth, and built him a house, and made
booths for his cattle. Therefore, the name of the place is called Succoth. 18 And Jacob came in peace to the city
of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Paddan-aram; and
encamped before the city. 19 And
he bought the parcel of ground, where he had spread his tent, at the hand of
the children of Hamor, Shechem's father, for a hundred pieces of money.
Every place where our forefather’s purchased
has become a place of contention. Avraham in Chevron the Machpelah and Har HaBeis
in Yerushalayim by David HaMelech. So here too. Any place that was conquered
was always less contention. I do not know if the forefathers purchased it
because they foresaw contention and wanted to prevent this or instead of conquering,
their purchase caused the contension.
20 And he erected there an altar, and called it
El-elohe-Israel.
34:1 And Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she had
borne unto Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land. 2 And Shechem the son of Hamor the
Hivite, the prince of the land, saw her; and he took her, and lay with her, and
humbled her. 3 And his soul did
cleave unto Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the damsel, and spoke
comfortingly unto the damsel. 4
And Shechem spoke unto his father Hamor, saying: 'Get me this damsel to wife.'
This section deals with
the rape of Dina followed by the murder of all the men and war against Yacov
and his sons. Rashi covers the rape and marriage of the 7 year-old after see
what goes on in Gaza this is considered OK for the Middle East except for [the
brutal barbaric] Israelis who view things by a [decadent] western society.
… At this point the curse of whoever took
Lavan’s god shall die. Rachel is now in danger or giving birth,
and she had hard labor. 17 And
it came to pass, when she was in hard labor, that the mid-wife said unto her:
'Fear not; for this also is a son for thee.' 18 And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing--for she
died--that she called his name Ben-oni; but his father called him Benjamin. 19 And Rachel died, and was buried in
the way to Ephrath--the same is Beth-lehem. 20 And Jacob set up a pillar upon her grave; the same is the
pillar of Rachel's grave unto this day.
The Arabs realize the power of prayer
there and do everything in their power to prevent the Bnei Yisrael from praying
there.
21
And Israel journeyed, and spread his tent beyond Migdal-eder. 22 And it came to pass, while Israel
dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father's
concubine; and Israel heard of it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve:
When Israel sojourned in that land: Before
he came to Hebron, to Isaac, all these [incidents] befell him. And
lay: Since he (Reuben) disarranged his
(Jacob’s) bed, Scripture considers it as if he had lain with her. Now why did
he disarrange and profane his bed? [It was] because when Rachel died, Jacob
took his bed, which had been regularly placed in Rachel’s tent and not in the
other tents, and moved it in to Bilhah’s tent. Reuben came and protested his
mother’s humiliation. He said, “If my mother’s sister was a rival to my mother,
should my mother’s sister’s handmaid [now also] be a rival to my mother?” For
this reason, he disarranged it. — [from Shab. 55b] And
so, the sons of Jacob were twelve: [Scripture]
commences with the previous topic (i.e. the birth of Benjamin). When Benjamin
was born, the marriage bed (i.e. the destined number of sons) was completed,
and from then on, it was proper that they be counted, and [so] it (Scripture)
counted them. Our Sages, however, interpreted that these words are intended to
teach us that all of them (Jacob’s sons) were equal, and all of them were
righteous, for Reuben had not sinned. — [from Shab. 55b]
The Cohen Soncino
edition implied that it was the custom of the chief inheritor to sleep with his
father’s concubine. I guess over 35 to 36 centuries the truth has been hidden
from us. It could well be that all Reuven did was to fight for the honor of
Leah and move Yacov’s bed and this makes a lot of sense to me. Now why was
Yacov with Bilhah? Bilhah had always been by Rachel’s side and loved her a lot.
Yacov and Bilhah used to cry together in each other’s arms and she comforted
him the most for Rachel. Reminded to all – Yacov is buried next to Leah in his
eternal resting place but during his life needed to be comforted by Bilhah.
23
the sons of Leah: Reuben, Jacob's first-born, and Simeon, and Levi, and Judah,
and Issachar, and Zebulun; 24
the sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin; 25 and the sons of Bilhah, Rachel's handmaid: Dan and Naphtali; 26 and the sons of Zilpah, Leah's
handmaid: Gad and Asher. These are the sons of Jacob, that were born to him in
Paddan-aram. 27 And Jacob came
unto Isaac his father to Mamre, to Kiriatharba--the same is Hebron--where
Abraham and Isaac sojourned. 28
And the days of Isaac were a hundred and fourscore years. 29 And Isaac expired, and died, and
was gathered unto his people, old and full of days; and Esau and Jacob his sons
buried him.
Even though they were brothers again Yacov
never came to Seir.
36: 1 Now these are the generations of Esau--the same is Edom. … These are the chiefs of Edom, according to their habitations in the land
of their possession. This is Esau the father of the Edomites.
This
is the last we hear of Esav and family until Sefer Bamidbar. They will also be
mentioned in the rest of the Holy Scriptures here and there. Esav will be associated
with Rome, Amalek with Haman HaRasha in Iran (the wicked) and Nazi Germany.
Our
Miraculous Escape from the 2017 Firestorm by Rabbi Shraga Simmons Shlita
From the window of his office in Davis, California, Justin Rosenthal sees thick plumes of smoke from the “Camp” wildfire now ravaging northern California. With dozens dead and 6,000 homes destroyed, this eerily echoes Justin’s own harrowing escape from a northern California firestorm just one year ago.
The winds were intensely strong that night, so the Rosenthal family – Justin, his wife Shacharit, 18-year-old twins Ari and Elias, and 16-year-old daughter Moriah – went back inside their house. When a power blackout hit around midnight – due to high winds impacting power lines – everyone went to sleep.
At 3:30 am, Eli heard a fire truck roaring through the neighborhood, sounding an alert: “Evacuate NOW!” It was to be the final warning.
One gaze out the window confirmed the worst. A downed electric transformer had ignited the parched landscape suffering one of the worst droughts in California history. Winds of 60 mph fanned the flames and carried them at high speed. Emergency personnel were caught by surprise, leaving residents virtually no time to escape.
Eli
quickly woke up the others and there no time to take anything – heirlooms,
photos, or IDs. Within 25 seconds – with no electricity, in the pitch dark –
the Rosenthals made their way downstairs to the garage. “We touched the garage
door and could feel the intense heat,” Justin says. “But the only option, if we
didn't want to die in this inferno, was to make a run for it.”
With
an electric garage door – and no electricity – the escape almost never started.
Fortunately, Justin knew to pull the emergency cable, but he first needed to
find it in the dark, then contend with manually lifting the heavy garage door.
“We
opened the door and saw the entire neighborhood was an inferno,” Justin says.
To
compound the situation, the entrance to their long driveway had an electric
security gate. Without the key for manually opening the gate, they were
trapped. “We made a mad dash back into the house,” Justin says. They groped
around in the dark to find the right drawer, and as precious moments ticked by,
they found the key.
Shacharit
quickly unlocked the gate, jumped back in the car, and the Rosenthals pulled
out – the flames mere seconds from igniting their house.
Justin
focused on navigating the obstacle course of flaming tree branches falling in
the road, along with thick smoke and walls of flame that made it nearly impossible
to see. “We didn't think we were going to make it,” he says. “As we drove
through the flames, we all said Shema.”
They
called Justin’s elderly parents who were living in a nearby retirement
community. Finally, after many attempts, they answered the phone. They’d had no
warning whatsoever, and already some of the community’s buildings were on fire.
“By the time we arrived, it was impossible to reach my parents through the wall
of flames,” Justin recalls. “So my parents stayed shelter in place. We had no
choice but to drive away. We lost contact with them and didn't know if they'd
survived.”
The
Rosenthals, pajamas and all, headed south to Berkeley, where Justin’s sister
helped them decompress. Justin reports: “The sun was coming up and the first
thing the kids wanted to do was find a sukkah, shake the lulav, and thank God
for having survived.”
Prized Possessions
When the Rosenthals went back to examine the wreckage, they discovered that not all their neighbors had survived. In Santa Rosa alone, 22 people were dead, 4,500 homes destroyed, 100,000 people displaced, and untold billions in damage. “Many of the deaths occurred with people inside their garage, unable to escape,” Justin says. “Either they didn't know how to use the emergency cable, or didn't have the strength to lift the garage door.”The Rosenthal’s’ home was completely obliterated. From the intensity of the heat, their second car had completely melted. Only one item miraculously survived the inferno: The Rosenthal’s’ Etrog. Discovered unscathed amidst a totally melted and burned sukkah, it symbolized the Jewish people’s heart and faith during challenging times.
The Rosenthal’s’ daughter Moriah had her own incredible experience. Having attended Camp Stone in Pennsylvania, she’d participated in an educational program where she made a list of her most meaningful possessions, ready to take anywhere, anytime. Justin explains: “They described this as a personal ‘Moshiach Bag,’ in the sense of being ready to leave everything behind on a moment’s notice, to greet Moshiach.”
Moriah took that lesson to heart, and upon returning home from camp, packed a backpack with her diary, a tzedakah box, book of Psalms, prayer book, and a few family photos. She then hung it on her bedroom door. Then, on the night of the fire, in those fateful moments before rushing out, Moriah grabbed her Moshiach Bag, which (along with the Tefillin her brother Ari grabbed) became the family's most important possessions. Moriah’s “essential items” now occupy a prominent place on the Rosenthal’s’ living room mantel.
“When the moment comes, what will you grab?” Justin asks.
Family Faith
Justin was raised as a non-religious Jew, “in synagogue only once, for my Bar Mitzvah,” he says. When he met Shacharit, who had grown up Reform and become observant, Justin needed to catch up on Judaism. So in the mid-1990s, he attended Aish HaTorah’s Discovery seminar in San Francisco. “My reaction was: Where has this been my whole life?” Justin says. “So I became an ardent reader of Aish.com and haven't stopped since. I’ve always shared the content with my children. Aish.com has made a world of difference.”Prior to the fire, the Rosenthal children attended public school, while maintaining a strong Jewish identity. “They really love Judaism,” Justin says. “At high school they started a Jewish Club to teach other kids.”
Events of the past year have greatly impacted the Rosenthal’s Jewish life. After the fire, they relocated to Oakland, where they’d already been involved with Beth Jacob Congregation. Shul members opened their homes, and the local Jewish high school immediately accepted the children, infusing the family’s Jewish life. Today Eli is studying at the Aish Gesher program in Jerusalem. His twin brother Ari attends Yeshivat Har Etzion and plans to become a rabbi.
Ongoing Crisis
Today, 15 months after the fire, Santa Rosa is a city in crisis. The flames were so intense that they melted the plastic water pipes embedded three feet underground – destroying plumbing infrastructure and releasing chemicals into the soil and water supply. The federal government has since removed much of the toxic soil, leaving massive empty pits where beautiful homes once stood.The firestorm is never from the minds of Justin and Shacharit who speak publicly, sharing their experience and promoting home safety. "In a group of 100 people, perhaps one knows how to open the garage manually,” Justin says. “In event of a natural disaster, we're woefully unprepared."
Besides the need for flashlights, smoke detectors, and an evacuation plan, Justin recommends making electronic copies of important documents and uploading them to the cloud. It’s a lesson he discovered too late. “All our documents were destroyed, and we had to spend countless hours in government offices establishing our own identification,” he laments.
The 2017 Santa Rosa fire was not the first for Justin’s parents. In 1991 they were living in Oakland when a huge firestorm broke out that killed 25 people and destroyed 3,000 homes. “Most of the deaths occurred on my parents' street, and they were the last ones to get out alive,” Justin says. “The smoke was so thick that they couldn't tell which way was downhill. So my father put the car in neutral and let gravity guide them. He needed to keep banging into the curb to gauge where he was going.”
As for the Rosenthals’ future, they still await settlement from the insurance company. “With so many natural disasters, these companies are facing financial ruin,” Justin says. “The concern is that they will become insolvent and not pay anything out.”
Today Justin works in Davis, California, where the current inferno has claimed over 50 lives and 8,800 structures, making it the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in the state's history. One of Justin’s colleague's is searching for her missing family; her uncle is already declared dead.
Every day, Justin is grateful for his family’s survival. “Had my son not heard the warning,” he says, “we would have slept right through it.”
From Yaffa the return of the
forced converts. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gf8QJAOjiy8&fbclid=IwAR0okooiSUx7NU6WP2KMPo20G3PhpzBj9xA-Bxn8q64d1XiWlREdLwrWyg4
May the soul of Rabbi Shmuel Baristovsky be an eternal
merit for us all. And may his selfless hospitality inspire us to constantly try
and do more for others.
Milestone last Pearl Harbor
Survivor Passes away. https://www.aol.com/article/news/2018/11/22/oldest-surviving-us-veteran-of-pearl-harbor-dies-in-california/23596801/
Secular
people do not get it. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5408617,00.html
El-Al
being sued by the people who were on the Shabbos flight. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/254989
After
spinning against religious Jews, El Al backtracks. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/255018
Antisemitic
Jews Ben and Jerry support Linda Sarsour. https://www.algemeiner.com/2018/11/21/ben-jerrys-untimely-embrace-of-linda-sarsour/?utm_content=news1&utm_medium=daily_email&utm_campaign=email&utm_source=internal
Police and Charedim
reach a secret agreement. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/255163
Inyanay Diyoma
Now
in Gaza new danger. https://www.debka.com/ashkekon-home-was-wrecked-by-new-iranian-rocket-designed-to-smash-idf-defenses-including-iron-dome/c
Likud
and National Religious face off. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/254849
El-Al
lands in Europe to prevent Shabbos violation. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/254833
Ed-Op
Lieberman was a political burden to Netanyahu. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5403956,00.html
Coin
smuggling Arab stopped by antiquities police. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5403710,00.html
What
happened last week with Lt. Col. M. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5400949,00.html
Netanyahu’s
weakness Iranian gain. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/254871
I
make it my habit not to fly on Fridays with one exception in 1982 or 1992 when
I left Israel in time to arrive in NY 6 AM and make it to my destination with
time to spare. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/254851
Freedom
Medal awarded to Dr. Adelson. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/254846
US
sends a carrier strike force off Syria to counter Russian threats to Israeli
planes. https://www.debka.com/uss-truman-carrier-and-strike-force-bound-for-waters-off-syria-amid-russian-naval-buildup/
When
I laughed off the spin of Netanyahu in his speech he is no longer “Mr.
Security” as he sold himself in the days of PM Olmert. He comes off to our
enemies as weak. https://www.debka.com/netanyahu-takes-over-defense-nixes-election-cites-coming-security-step-with-sacrifices/
2
Israeli Analysts: Trump’s ME policy won. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/23021
Trump
won the elections. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/23021
Police
pull Charedi’s beard remove him without Kipa and he sues. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/254902
Anti-Infidel
attack in Holland. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/254907
If
the anti-Netanyahu forces put their egos aside, they can defeat him: https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5408408,00.html LET ME ADD that if all the religious parties put their egos
aside we could have a religious PM.
“The south has been suffering for seven months being on the
receiving end of rockets and the government is trying to
buy quiet. We obtain some quiet for the short term while damaging
national security in the long run, a situation I cannot
accept," he said.
Netanyahu’s
Popularity goes down. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5408416,00.html
Also
in the news: https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5408226,00.html
Netanyahu’s
legacy with the PLO https://www.algemeiner.com/2018/11/18/palestinian-president-abbass-fatah-party-mocks-fearful-israelis-running-from-hamas-rocket-attacks/?utm_content=news1&utm_medium=daily_email&utm_campaign=email&utm_source=internal/
When your Rabbis say no –
coalition crises ends! http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/254932
Lt.
Col. M. was trying to locate terror tunnels. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/254938
Fickle
public indicated in poll. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/254956
Dershowitz:
Democrats are tolerating antisemitism. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/254931
Rabbi
Druckman ruled and the politicians listened. https://www.debka.com/jewish-home-ministers-call-off-walkout-no-snap-election-netanyahu-rides-out-cabinet-crisis-with-expected-gaza-move/
Tel
Aviv too expensive becoming childless. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5409353,00.html
Ed-Op
Netanyahu minister of war and fear. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5409650,00.html
Iranian
backed terror targeted civilians. https://www.algemeiner.com/2018/11/19/iran-backed-palestinian-terror-groups-targeted-israeli-civilians-during-recent-gaza-flare-up-us-envoy-haley-tells-un-security-council/?utm_content=news1&utm_medium=daily_email&utm_campaign=email&utm_source=internal/
Boycott
the boycotters. https://www.algemeiner.com/2018/11/19/prominent-israeli-official-calls-for-boycott-of-airbnb-over-delisting-of-settlements/?utm_content=news1&utm_medium=daily_email&utm_campaign=email&utm_source=internal/
Israel
did not want a three front war: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/254961
Sheikh
who took land arrested. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/255023
Finger
or frame MBS? https://www.debka.com/mbs-fingered-again-for-the-khashoggi-murder-to-deny-him-a-seat-at-the-g20-buenos-aires-summit/
Canadian
antisemitism: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/255022
Ed-Op
Yehoshua Israel needs a full time Defense Minister. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5409335,00.html
Democrats
to allow Hijabs and Kipos. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5410403,00.html
El-Al
being sued by the people who were on the Shabbos flight. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/254989
After
spinning against religious Jews, El Al backtracks. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/255018
Iranian
Commander of Guards threatens US bases in Gulf. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/255080
Illegal
Immigrants a security threat. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/255062
Keystone
Cops not the first time. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/255049
This
is how Rabbis root for their teams. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5411224,00.html
NY Chassidic
Yeshivas do not meet the secular learning. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/255073
Saudi
Text Books antisemitic. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5411308,00.html
Shin
Bet foils bomb plot. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5412061,00.html
USAF
takes control of Syrian skies. https://www.debka.com/usaf-takes-control-of-syrian-skies-unidentified-air-strike-on-iranian-target/
Iran
and Hezballah build new militias. https://www.debka.com/iran-hizballah-build-new-militias-in-syria-against-northern-israel-what-is-eisenkot-missing/
Politicians
don’t need generals telling them. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/255165
Israel
needs a clear policy - Ben Dror Yemeni. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5410684,00.html
Two
nights in a row shots fired at a Jail. Arabs arrested. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/255151
Hamas
runs out of credit - Fishman. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5411154,00.html
Good
Shabbos all. Five days and about 7 or 8 swims at the Dead Sea almost healed my
strained leg muscle. (hydrotherapy) I am not ready for the Olympics but much
better. Have a good rest folks, stay healthy and don’t over work oneself at
sports to try to turn excess weight into muscles.
Rachamim
Pauli
