Friday, August 16, 2019

Miracles, Pasha Vaeschanan, story, news


Please add Eliezer Binyamin ben Faiga Dina to the prayer list.


Two miracles in two days: Story 1: Man forgot his daughter in locked car. Passerby in Bnei Brak sees the baby breaks the window, the sweaty child is freed without damage. Story 2: Mother sees baby choking even though she sliced a plumb into small slices. He ran from the other children and put all slices in his mouth. She tried to clear him by half Heinrich maneuver but fails. Passerby applies first aid until child starts breathing and ambulance arrives 9 minutes of hell for the mother but all’s well that ends well.


Yet another Miracle that a man and wife were almost lynched in the Arab Section of Yerushalayim and a policeman shot into the air and dispersed the crowd at the last minute.

Editorial and Mussar: Before I even go into the El Paso and Dayton OH shootings or the 50 shootings and 7 dead a weekend ago and 40 shootings and 4 or 5 dead in Chicago. I want to bring down an article about the selfishness of the younger generation. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/267336
The cause in my humble opinion is the life on the cellphone and computer of the youth. My children are basically the last generation to grow up without video games, internet and smart phones. They had to interact and play with life and real friends. They did not spend their time killing pop-up figures on-line. My grandchildren in the Charedi Community are shielded from this. The children have to learn to interact with siblings, things called library books, friends and the community. They are not selfish and self-centered. I have the misfortune of fostering a boy with a 160 IQ raised on TV, internet games and other stuff. He is impatient, has fears and other problems that are not real because the world he grew up in is not real. As a child my friends and I had our external fears of bullies, nuclear attack on NYC etc. We did see a Godzilla movie and had dreams from that but not the kind of stuff that would lead to mass shooting. I did receive a few BB gun pellets in my rear from an older prankster but did not even bother reporting it to my parents or his parents. We were not snowflakes.
A friend of mine joked that he was ADHD as a child until his parent took out the belt from the loops. Maybe it was too much punishment? When I used a word that started with the letter F on an adult even though I did not have any idea what it meant, I had my mouth washed out with soap by my mother. I learned how to control my language. My hands in the 5th grade were very busy during the Reform Rabbi’s lecture. My mother whispered sit on your hands and I did so through the 8th grade when I was bored. We respected our parents and teachers. Nobody had to plead with us the orders were barked and it was pronto to help the family. There were no mass shootings.


Parsha Vaeschanan

The Torah reading of this week always coincides with the Shabbat that falls after the fast of the ninth day of Av. Because of the nature of the prophetic reading, it is seen as the Shabbat of comfort and consolation, which are difficult commodities to acquire. Tragedies are not easily erased from one’s mind and affect one’s permanent personality and view of life. Comfort and consolation rarely come from outside sources, that are almost completely dependent upon the personality and psychological makeup of the one who has suffered the tragedy.
The Torah is always realistic about human nature and never provides simplistic or instantaneously magical solutions to personal problems and difficulties. Rather, consolation is to be viewed as a process of maturity and development. Tragedies are never really forgotten but they can be sublimated by future events and experiences of life that follow. – Rabbi Beryl Wein Shlita

The Haftarah starts the 7 weeks of comfort after the fast of Tisha B’Av. So my fellow Jews be comforted with the mourners of Tzion and Yerushalayim when the Mikdash will be rebuilt.

3:23 And I besought the LORD at that time, saying: 24 'O Lord GOD, You have begun to show Thy servant Thy greatness, and Thy strong hand; for what god is there in heaven or on earth, that can do according to Thy works, and according to Thy mighty acts? 25 Let me go over, I pray Thee, and see the good land that is beyond the Jordan, that goodly hill-country, and Lebanon.' 26 But the LORD was wroth with me for your sakes, and hearkened not unto me; and the LORD said unto me: 'Let it suffice thee; speak no more unto Me of this matter.

According to Kabbala, a spark of the soul of Moshe Rabbaynu returned to earth in Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai and the Ari Zal. 

27 Get thee up into the top of Pisgah, and lift up thine eyes westward, and northward, and southward, and eastward, and behold with thine eyes; for thou shalt not go over this Jordan.

You shall see the land from afar but not enter.

28 But charge Joshua, and encourage him, and strengthen him; for he shall go over before this people, and he shall cause them to inherit the land which thou shalt see.'

Yehoshua will replace you as leader of Am Yisrael. The meaning here is obvious, the Gadol HaDor is not an inherited position but comes from learning and serving the people. Cohanim, Kings and Chassidic Dynasties are inherited but the great leader of Torah in each generation is earned not inherited.

29 So we abode in the valley over against Beth-peor.

This shows consistency with the Mussar Drasha started in Parsha Devarim.
4:1 And now, O Israel, hearken unto the statutes and unto the ordinances, which I teach you, to do them; that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD, the God of your fathers, giveth you. 2 Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.

The Torah is not to be added to or subtracted from. Later the Torah will warn not to go to the right or left of the command.

… 8 And what great nation is there, that hath statutes and ordinances so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day? 9 Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes saw, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life; but make them known unto thy children and thy children's children;

The most important thing a person does in life is educating his children and children’s children in Torah.

10 the day that thou stood before the LORD thy God in Horeb, when the LORD said unto me: 'Assemble Me the people, and I will make them hear My words that they may learn to fear Me all the days that they live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children.' 11 And ye came near and stood under the mountain; and the mountain burned with fire unto the heart of heaven, with darkness, cloud, and thick darkness. 12 And the LORD spoke unto you out of the midst of the fire; ye heard the voice of words, but ye saw no form; only a voice. 13 And He declared unto you His covenant, which He commanded you to perform, even the ten words; and He wrote them upon two tables of stone. 14 And the LORD commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and ordinances, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go over to possess it. … 32 For ask now of the days past, which were before thee, since the day that God created man upon the earth, and from the one end of heaven unto the other, whether there hath been any such thing as this great thing is, or hath been heard like it? 33 Did ever a people hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as thou hast heard, and live? … 41 Then Moses separated three cities beyond the Jordan toward the sunrising; 42 that the manslayer might flee thither, …
5:11 Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the LORD thy God commanded thee. 12 Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work;

The Hebrew word is also used to guard the Shabbos. Remember was the original but now we are given more to guard the holiness of the day.

13 but the seventh day is a Sabbath unto the LORD thy God, in it thou shalt not do any manner of work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; that thy man-servant and thy maid-servant may rest as well as thou.

This is not physical work W=F x D force times distance. For I can carry watermelons and cakes from one spot in the Synagogue to another for a Kiddush and do a heavier workout than I do in two hours in the gym. Rather this is Melacha which is a creative or destructive work. Writing, erasing, carrying a handkerchief in a public domain from a private one, harvesting even one fruit from a tree, etc. 39 Melachos are mentioned by the Sages and each has 39 subcategories (Talmud). Surely turning on or off a light or placing food on a flame nowadays are not that much of force times distance but the light is either building a circuit or completing a circuit or causing a spark to jump across a gap. Even solid state devices may pose halachic problems. One thing is for sure SSD’s are not in the spirit of holiness of Shabbos and that’s where “Remember the Shabbos and KEEP IT HOLY” comes in.


14 And thou shalt remember that thou was a servant in the land of Egypt, and the LORD thy God brought thee out thence by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore, the LORD thy God commanded thee to keep the Sabbath day.

Your permanent non-Jewish servants should not be commanded to carry out work. One can hint and if they understand, they will do what is needed. They also must rest. However, their rest is rest and relaxation and they can use a Melacha to enjoy their rest.

15 Honor thy father and thy mother, as the LORD thy God commanded thee; that thy days may be long, and that it may go well with thee, upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

That you have a long life. It might be more a good life in the true world aka afterlife.

… 17 Neither shalt thou covet thy neighbor's wife; neither shalt thou desire thy neighbor's house, his field, or his man-servant, or his maid-servant, his ox, or his ass, or anything that is thy neighbor's.

One is commanded to not to be jealous or keeping up with the neighbor and not looking for the grass being greener on the other side. We see a false public image of the neighbor’s house, wife or material possessions. The Torah was given to people at the base of Har Sinai that heard the first two commandments straight from the L-RD. They had seen the Divine Chariot by the Sea witnessed the ten plagues and were living on Mann. Yet, these people had within a Yetzer to commit stealing, murder and adultery. I don’t know about you, perhaps you are a saint but sometimes someone will do something so rotten that I get the urge to wish to send them at best to a desert island. Perhaps being born in the USA and trying to be happy with my lot, the urge to steal has been kept down but a person with a rotten marriage seeing a person with a good wife or most beautiful wife or husband might be tempted.

…  out of the fire … 21 Now therefore why should we die? for this great fire will consume us; if we hear the voice of the LORD our God any more, then we shall die. 22 For who is there of all flesh, that hath heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as we have, and lived?

They heard two commandments by the voice of the ALL-MIGHTY and they kept fainting and were over-come with fear. Had they heard the next 8, perhaps sin would have been over-come.

23 Go thou near, and hear all that the LORD our God may say; and thou shalt speak unto us all that the LORD our God may speak unto thee; and we will hear it and do it.' 24 And the LORD heard the voice of your words, when ye spoke unto me; and the LORD said unto me: 'I have heard the voice of the words of this people, which they have spoken unto thee; they have well said all that they have spoken.

As holy as the nation was, they were so scared when they heard THE VOICE OF HASHEM, that they cowered and asked Moshe to continue for them.

25 Oh that they had such a heart as this always, to fear Me, and keep all My commandments, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever! 26 Go say to them: Return ye to your tents.

This is end of the history review of the Mussar from Moshe. Now he is updating them on their future in the conquest of the land and what they must do.

27 But as for thee, stand thou here by Me, and I will speak unto thee all the commandment, and the statutes, and the ordinances, which thou shalt teach them, that they may do them in the land which I give them to possess it.' 28 Ye shall observe to do therefore as the LORD your God hath commanded you; ye shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.

A commandment from G-D requires complete obedience similar to a military command. One cannot deviate too far to the left or the right. Example the Liberal Jewish Movements go so far as to say the Mitzvos are (heaven forbid) outdated and we can do so and so and such and such. The fanaticism of Chumros (extra-ordinary fences around the Torah) drive people away from Orthodox Judaism. Extreme bullying of some modern Charedim driving them of off the net like the “Good Shabbos Stories” or Halachos that I used to copy and paste I am sure contributed to ignorance and people not following some Halachos or coming closer to Torah. [There are things on the internet and ‘What’s App’ that to put it mildly were distractions from Torah. The question is does the good outweigh the bad or the bad outweigh the good?]

29 Ye shall walk in all the way which the LORD your God hath commanded you, that ye may live, and that it may be well with you, and that ye may prolong your days in the land which ye shall possess.

Perhaps some of the illnesses that I have had come from not exactly walking in the path of the L-RD as I should. Doing the right things on the right path should prolong your life.

6:1 Now this is the commandment, the statutes, and the ordinances, which the LORD your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go over to possess it.

Avraham, Yitzchak and Yacov merited to live in the land. However, they were few in numbers and could not possess it. Now you can possess it but you must follow the commandments!

2 that thou might fear the LORD thy God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son's son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged.

The most important thing in preserving Judaism the commandments to teach your children and grandchildren.

3 Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as the LORD, the God of thy fathers, hath promised unto thee--a land flowing with milk and honey.

However, teaching and learning is not enough. Today they teach foreign languages like a dictionary words without conversation. So one can be a walking German or French dictionary but cannot put a sentence into place to say “I am hungry, I need the rest room, where can I buy a…, I am attracted to you, etc.” That is why the Torah says when it comes to Mitzvos we must observe it in order to practice it.

4 Hear, O Israel: the LORD our God, the LORD is one.

When I was a young man I once met an old Messianic Jew trying to convert people from my College that had at the time a 60% Jewish Population. I asked him does in not say this Pasuk straight from Rabbi JC in your Gospel of Mathew? How can you believe that a singular L-RD who is our G-D who is One can be a trinity? I will not repeat his dopey answer and brushed him off like “old foolish friend” in Koheles (Ecclesiastes 4:13) A poor youth is better than an old foolish king. Iyob (Job 32:9) The aged are not always wise.
For those who know Hebrew it is clear from the printing in the Siddur that one is combining the 72 Letter NAME with the other 70 NAMES for it is written Shin Mem aka Shaym or name with a large Ayin that is 70 in Gematria. The LRD showing the aspect of Chessed (mercy) to Avraham, your G-D showing the aspect of Din or Judgement to Yitzchak at the Akeda, the L-RD of Yacov in Beresheis (Gen. 32:11) “11 I am not worthy of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which Thou hast shown unto Thy servant;”. In the word Ehud (one) the Dalet is larger when combined with the Ayin makes the word Aid or witness that there is only one G-D.

In the past I have mentioned from the Kabbala that the Dalet also indicates the L-RD rules over air, fire or plasma, solids and liquids aka air, fire, earth and water. Dalet indicates the directions of rule: north, east, south and west. Other aspects of Dalet are inanimate objects, plants, animals and man. Three components of the soul in living beings and the DIVINE SPARK soul in man which is split into ordinary Chaya level and Yechis level that is clinging unto G-D. There is also the sun, earth, planets and stars. So we have plenty of things to contemplate when saying the Shema.

5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

If you truly believe that you were created by HASHEM then it is obviously that you should love HIM full-heartedly with everything that is yours and even to the point that HE may even take your soul.

6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be upon thy heart; 7 and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sit in thy house, and when thou walk by the way, and when thou lie down, and when thou rise up.

The Shema must always be with you and it should be taught to your children as a principle of faith and all day or evening long shall you remind your children.

8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thy hand, and they shall be for frontlets between thine eyes.

The words shall be in the Tephillin of Yad (hand) and Rosh (head) that it shall be with you.

9 And thou shalt write them upon the door-posts of thy house, and upon thy gates.

This is the Mezuzah on the door post that guards your house and your goings in and out.

10 And it shall be, when the LORD thy God shall bring thee into the land which He swore unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee--great and goodly cities, which thou didst not build, 11 and houses full of all good things, which thou didst not fill, and cisterns hewn out, which thou didst not hew, vineyards and olive-trees, which thou didst not plant, and thou shalt eat and be satisfied—

These shall be gifts from G-D as you conquer the land.

12 then beware lest thou forget the LORD, who brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 13 Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God; and Him shalt thou serve, and by His name shalt thou swear. 14 Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the peoples that are round about you; 15 for a jealous God, even the LORD thy God, is in the midst of thee; lest the anger of the LORD thy God be kindled against thee, and He destroy thee from off the face of the earth.

Heed this warning.

… 19 to thrust out all thine enemies from before thee, as the LORD hath spoken.

Later on it will be written that if they are not thrust out they will become thorns in your side.

20 When thy son asks thee in time to come, saying: 'What mean the testimonies, and the statutes, and the ordinances, which the LORD our God hath commanded you? 21 then thou shalt say unto thy son: 'We were Pharaoh's bondmen in Egypt; and the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. 22 And the LORD showed signs and wonders, great and sore, upon Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his house, before our eyes. 23 And He brought us out from thence, that He might bring us in, to give us the land which He swore unto our fathers. 24 And the LORD commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive, as it is at this day. 25 And it shall be righteousness unto us, if we observe to do all this commandment before the LORD our God, as He hath commanded us.'

Each year we repeat the story before the children from the Chagadah especially for the children. The whole Seder of Pesach is for the family unit to continue for future generations and their children.  

7: 1 When the LORD thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou go to possess it, and shall cast out many nations before thee, the Hittite, and the Girgashite, and the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite, seven nations greater and mightier than thou; 2 and when the LORD thy God shall deliver them up before thee, and thou shalt smite them; then thou shalt utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor show mercy unto them; 3 neither shalt thou make marriages with them: thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son.

We are not to have mercy upon these nations. We have been given the land by the Creator of physical objects from nothing (Ex-nilo). If he has given it to us, it is ours. We shall not intermarry with these nations.

4 For he will turn away thy son from following Me, that they may serve other gods; so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and He will destroy thee quickly. 5 But thus shall ye deal with them: ye shall break down their altars, and dash in pieces their pillars, and hew down their Asherim, and burn their graven images with fire.

According to the RAMBAM, a Mosque is not a place of Avoda Zara. On the other hand, if one interferes with the place of our holy Mikdash, we can remove it.

6 For thou art a holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be His own treasure, out of all peoples that are upon the face of the earth.

You are chosen to be “a light unto the nations” Yeshayahu (Isa. 49:6).

7 The LORD did not set His love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people--for ye were the fewest of all peoples.

You are few in number spiritual quality vs population quantity.

8 but because the LORD loved you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. ... 11 Thou shalt therefore keep the commandment, and the statutes, and the ordinances, which I command thee this day, to do them.

It is not for us to ask the question why but for us to do the commandments as this we have been created for!


Judith: Can you mourn the Temple like an Ethiopian? https://youtu.be/P_Y1Z0Nh8kk


A Saturday Surprise Sign by Rabbi Yerachmiel Tilles


My father, Abba HaCohain (Albert) Cass, was born in 1921 in the town of Llanelli in South Wales. Jewish life and education in the UK during the 1920's and 30's was remotely distant from that of nowadays. Each community was small and isolated. There was no Chabad movement in the country to assist Jews in times of need and the Jewish London of those days was far removed from the Golders Green and Stamford Hill that we know today.
At the outbreak of the 2nd World War in 1939, the authorities posted my father to work in a factory in London making instrumentation panels for airplanes. He had trained as a jeweler and this work was not greatly different from repairing and making clocks and watches. It was certainly a better offer than being drafted into the armed forces. Life in the armed forces was not easy for any one. Paradoxically, despite the fact that England was fighting the accursed Nazis; anti-Semitism was rife in the British army and little was done to help Jewish soldiers keep the faith.
His mother imbibed in him a genuine affection for yiddishkeit from a young age. It was quite natural that when leaving Llanelli he took with him his tzitzit, tefillin, a siddur, and a Chumash. He hoped that despite the ongoing hostilities and the blitz on London he would still be able to keep as many mitzvot as possible. However, London was far removed from Llanelli both geographically and spiritually. His living quarters and work site were distant from the Jewish areas of London. He had no contact with Jewish people and was informed by his superiors, in no uncertain terms, that England was at war. The factory was open seven days a week and failure to work on Shabbat was an offence. The loss of his job would mean being drafted to the front lines. For the first time in his life, he was unable to keep Shabbat. (Making airplane parts if could be done on Motzei Shabbos and over-time would have been preferred but like my border patrolling near the Lebanese or Syrian Borders it was Pekeuach Nefesh.)
When the war was finally over, a cousin, serving as a Rabbi of a small community, near London, introduced him to my mother. Mother had been brought up with much Jewish awareness but without any formal Jewish Education. After the wedding, they settled in Llanelli for a short period. Mother learned much about Judaism while living there, but lacking a livelihood, the young couple moved to my mother's hometown. My grandfather gave father a section of the family store where my father opened a jewelry division. My father wanted to close his department on Shabbat but was told quite clearly that this was "impossible". Business takes place on Saturday. "Better to close 6 days a week, so long as you work on "Saturday" was a phrase that he and many other young Jews heard in those days.
He loathed having to work on Shabbat but always hoped that one day the situation would change. As a "second best", he organized his work breaks to fit in with Shul attendance on Friday night and/or Shabbat morning whenever he could.
After some years, my parents moved to a different town, with no Jewish population, to open their own business. Over the years that followed, he often tried in thought or deed to close his business on Shabbat, but the old mantra overpowered his good resolutions.
During our childhood, we siblings were encouraged to practice yiddishkeit as much as possible. As my brother and I were older, it became the custom in our family that we would run the business for 3 weeks every summer holiday. This gave my parents a well-deserved annual vacation. We brothers were, by now, fully Shabbat-observant, thus for three Shabbatot every year the business was closed.
Time moved on, my brother married while I decided to go to Yeshiva, before settling down in my chosen profession. * I went to learn in Kfar Chabad under the tutelage of HaRav S.Z. Gafni. At the end of that year I made my very first visit to the Lubavitcher Rebbe at his court in the famous '770.' On the way there, I made a stop in England for three weeks to allow my parents to take their time-honored holiday.
My first action in the store was to prepare a notice announcing that the shop would be closed on Shabbat. This put me in a dilemma. As much as I wanted, I had no authority to assert that the store would now be closed every Shabbat. Similarly, I had no desire to write that it would be closed only on this Shabbat. I searched for a suitable compromise. Utilizing the vagaries of the English language, I printed, "This shop will be closed all day Saturday."
After, two weeks my parents came home unexpectedly, they had decided to cut their holiday short, thinking that it was inappropriate for a yeshiva boy to be working in a business instead of learning in Yeshiva. As the weekend approached, my father decided to keep the status quo. There would be no change in the family tradition of many years and the third Shabbat was honored as usual. The notice remained in place and my parents went to London to spend a happy family Shabbat.

OPEN AND REVEALED MIRACLES
In the UK, in those years, businesses were closed on Sunday and reopened on Monday morning. Accordingly, on the following Monday morning the doors of my parents' shop were duly opened at 9:00 a.m. Lo and behold, after no more than 10 minutes a large tourist coach pulled up outside the store. Over 50 visiting tourists entered and started to buy everything that the eye could see. Money was flowing like the water in Niagara Falls. Somewhat taken aback, my father asked one of the people, "Where are you from? Who are you? What is going on?"
They explained that they lived about 400 kilometers away from the shop and they were a group of friends who occasionally travelled to see different parts of the U.K.; always on a Saturday. They came to the town two days previously, fell in love with the shop from the outside but were bitterly disappointed that they could not enter. They had therefore they hired another bus and returned on that remarkable Monday morning; spending money like it was going out of style.
At the end of the week, on Friday morning my parents realized that, remarkably, their weekly takings thus far, was more, much more, than in an average week. My father concluded that the Creator was very happy that the shop had been closed on the previous Shabbat. Leaving the notice firmly attached to the door they decided to leave the shop closed for the upcoming Shabbat. So, Friday afternoon saw my parents drive home to London and keep another Shabbat. The miracle repeated itself week after week less working hours with a larger turnover!
During the month of Elul, the final month of the Jewish year, I was in 770 basking in its unique atmosphere of holiness. Nevertheless, I received regular reports about my notice. My father said that it was as if G-d had picked up the pavement and people were sliding into the shop and spending their money at the behest of a higher force.
The next test came quickly for Rosh Hashanah was approaching. Yom Tov was Thursday and Friday. My parents left the shop on Wednesday afternoon and did not return until five days later. This meant that the shop was only open for half of that week yet their income did not waver at all. Yom Kippur, the first two days of Succot, Shmini Azeret and Simchat Torah came and went. The notice stayed bonded in place and the Al-mighty took care of their income.

THE YETZER HARA'S LAST ATTEMPT
Those brought up in Western countries, may remember there is a time of the year when the local population goes completely wild, buying presents for their end of the year annual holiday. The day before the holiday is the busiest shopping day in the whole of the UK. The day before not much less. Businesses relied on the time to carry them through, financially, for a large part of the year. Looking at the calendar, my father noticed that this amazingly profitable day fell out that year on no less a day than Shabbat. The day before, Friday, Shabbat started at 3pm. London was 2 hours' drive away. Both days were "lost".
The Yetzer Hara ('evil inclination') persuaded him that G-d no longer loved him; otherwise, this could not have happened. "You just cannot afford to close your shop for two such busy and profitable days." Inexplicably my father pulled the notice off the door.
This was a Monday morning. That Monday not a single customer came into the shop. The next day Tuesday the notice was still down and again no customers came in. On the Wednesday, my mother who did not speak very much and always kept her thoughts to herself, looked at my father in the eyes and said, "Put back the notice or else you will destroy your Neshama (divine soul)."
The word 'Neshama' was not part of her known vocabulary. Somewhat taken aback by this bold statement, my father without as much as a word replaced the notice on the door. Within a matter of minutes, customers poured into the shop from every conceivable direction. The miracle had restarted. It goes without saying that the shop was never open again on a Shabbat and the notice stayed in place until the day the business was sold.

FRIDAY STREET
After Chanukah, I became engaged. I brought my kallah (bride [to-be]) to see the shop and our apartment above it. The shop was mostly on a main street, but continued around the corner along the side street. My family had only ever used the name of the main street for the store's address. However, the main window of the apartment faced the side street.
The first time my kallah looked out the window, she was immediately confronted by the bold street sign facing the window: FRIDAY STREET. She turned to my father and asked him if he had ever noticed the name of the street. He smiled and said, "Yes of course. It's there to remind me to go home for Shabbat!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*Source: Submitted by Yaakov Cass. Cass, a Lubavitcher Chasid, is a former District Pharmacist of the Israel Ministry of Health.
Editor's note: A shorter version of this article appeared in Living Jewish several weeks ago. The above is the full version, as requested of me by the author.





Despite injection, El-Al stewardess dies of measles. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/267329

Brother of Yitzchak Rabin blasts grandniece who met with Abbas. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/267360










Inyanay Diyoma


Four terrorist armed to the teeth killed crossing the border Friday night. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4650925,00.html

Walmart copycat did not kill but scared people. https://www.foxnews.com/us/missouri-suspect-idd

The murderer opened his eyes and saw us there: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/267211

Tisha B’Av fast Shachid opens fire on IDF. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/267207

Muslims change prayer time to stop Jews. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/267225

Fi fie Fofo fum I smell something fishy in the auditorium somebody like Lady Macbeth used her influence in DOJ. https://www.foxnews.com/us/epstein-taken-off-suicide-watch-before-death

Mass evacuation in Ukraine after explosion and higher radiation levels. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/watch-explosions-at-russian-ammo-dump-leads-to-mass-evacuations

37 years ago former French Intelligence helped terrorists. Mystery blast in Iranian-Hezballah missile assembly post. https://www.debka.com/mivzak/mystery-blasts-at-shiite-militia-missile-depot-near-baghdad/

Mysterious blast at Iran-Hezballah missile assembly in Iraq. https://www.debka.com/mivzak/mystery-blasts-at-shiite-militia-missile-depot-near-baghdad/


FL Pastor calls Jewish Actress whore of Zionism. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/267229

Jewish Teen who was framed now charged with terrorism. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/267245


IDF maps out terrorist house for destruction. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/267261



Netanyahu’s bunker mentality instead of offense. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/267301


Holocaust survivor who lost family was shot in the head copes with loss of grandchild. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5567872,00.html

IDF has post trauma with new recruits from Gaza area. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5567849,00.html

Canadian Paper runs an antisemitic cartoon. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/267290

250% complaints from religious soldiers. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/267340

Three Jews attacked in Brooklyn within an hour. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/267314

Berlin another antisemitic attack. https://www.timesofisrael.com/rabbi-assaulted-in-berlin-second-such-attack-in-as-many-weeks/

A letter written by a Professor Denis MacEoin, PHD to his students who voted to boycott Israel:https://www.facebook.com/israel.news.videos.analysis.opinion/photos/a.207109782805124/1269469859902439?type=3&sfns=mo

It's a response from Dr. Denis MacEoin a non-Jewish Professor, to the motion put forward by The Edinburgh Student's Association to boycott all things Israeli, in which they claim Israel is an apartheid regime. Denis is an expert in Middle Eastern affairs and was a senior editor of the Middle East Quarterly. Here's his letter to the students:

TO: The Committee Edinburgh University Student Association.

May I be permitted to say a few words to members of the EUSA? I am an Edinburgh graduate (MA 1975) who studied Persian, Arabic and Islamic History in Buccleuch Place under William Montgomery Watt and Laurence Elwell Sutton, two of Britain 's great Middle East experts in their day. I later went on to do a PhD at Cambridge and to teach Arabic and Islamic Studies at Newcastle University. Naturally, I am the author of several books and hundreds of articles in this field. I say all that to show that I am well informed in Middle Eastern affairs and that, for that reason, I am shocked and disheartened by the EUSAmotion and vote.

I am shocked for a simple reason: there is not and has never been a system of apartheid in Israel . That is not my opinion, that is fact that can be tested against reality by any Edinburgh student, should he or she choose to visit Israel to see for themselves. Let me spell this out, since I have the impression that those members of EUSA who voted for this motion are absolutely clueless in matters concerning Israel, and that they are, in all likelihood, the victims of extremely biased propaganda coming from the anti-Israel lobby.

Being anti-Israel is not in itself objectionable. But I'm not talking about ordinary criticism of Israel. I'm speaking of a hatred that permits itself no boundaries in the lies and myths it pours out. Thus, Israel is repeatedly referred to as a "Nazi" state. In what sense is this true, even as a metaphor? Where are the Israeli concentration camps? The einzatsgruppen? The SS? The Nuremberg Laws? The Final Solution? None of these things nor anything remotely resembling them exists in Israel, precisely because the Jews, more than anyone on earth, understand what Nazism stood for.

It is claimed that there has been an Israeli Holocaust in Gaza (or elsewhere). Where? When? No honest historian would treat that claim with anything but the contempt it deserves. But calling Jews Nazis and saying they have committed a Holocaust is as basic a way to subvert historical fact as anything I can think of.

Likewise apartheid. For apartheid to exist, there would have to be a situation that closely resembled how things were in South Africa under the apartheid regime. Unfortunately for those who believe this, a weekend in any part of Israel would be enough to show how ridiculous the claim is.

That a body of university students actually fell for this and voted on it is a sad comment on the state of modern education. The most obvious focus for apartheid would be the country's 20% Arab population. Under Israeli law, Arab Israelis have exactly the same rights as Jews or anyone else; Muslims have the same rights as Jews or Christians; Baha'is, severely persecuted in Iran, flourish in Israel, where they have their world center; Ahmadi Muslims, severely persecuted in Pakistan and elsewhere, are kept safe by Israel; the holy places of all religions are protected under a specific Israeli law. Arabs form 20% of the university population (an exact echo of their percentage in the general population).

In Iran, the Bahai's (the largest religious minority) are forbidden to study in any university or to run their own universities: why aren't your members boycotting Iran? Arabs in Israel can go anywhere they want, unlike blacks in apartheid South Africa. They use public transport, they eat in restaurants, they go to swimming pools, they use libraries, they go to cinemas alongside Jews - something no blacks were able to do in South Africa.

Israeli hospitals not only treat Jews and Arabs, they also treat Palestinians from Gaza or the West Bank. On the same wards, in the same operating theatres.

In Israel , women have the same rights as men: there is no gender apartheid. Gay men and women face no restrictions, and Palestinian gays often escape into Israel, knowing they may be killed at home.

It seems bizarre to me that LGBT groups call for a boycott of Israel and say nothing about countries like Iran, where gay men are hanged or stoned to death. That illustrates a mindset that beggars belief.

Intelligent students thinking it's better to be silent about regimes that kill gay people, but good to condemn the only country in the Middle East that rescues and protects gay people. Is that supposed to be a sick joke?

University is supposed to be about learning to use your brain, to think rationally, to examine evidence, to reach conclusions based on solid evidence, to compare sources, to weigh up one view against one or more others. If the best Edinburgh can now produce are students who have no idea how to do any of these things, then the future is bleak.

I do not object to well-documented criticism of Israel. I do object when supposedly intelligent people single the Jewish state out above states that are horrific in their treatment of their populations. We are going through the biggest upheaval in the Middle East since the 7th and 8th centuries, and it's clear that Arabs and Iranians are rebelling against terrifying regimes that fight back by killing their own citizens.

Israeli citizens, Jews and Arabs alike, do not rebel (though they are free to protest). Yet Edinburgh students mount no demonstrations and call for no boycotts against Libya, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Iran. They prefer to make false accusations against one of the world's freest countries, the only country in the Middle East that has taken in Darfur refugees, the only country in the Middle East that gives refuge to gay men and women, the only country in the Middle East that protects the Bahai's... Need I go on?

The imbalance is perceptible, and it sheds no credit on anyone who voted for this boycott. I ask you to show some common sense. Get information from the Israeli embassy. Ask for some speakers. Listen to more than one side. Do not make your minds up until you have given a fair hearing to both parties. You have a duty to your students, and that is to protect them from one-sided argument.

They are not at university to be propagandized. And they are certainly not there to be tricked into anti-Semitism by punishing one country among all the countries of the world, which happens to be the only Jewish state. If there had been a single Jewish state in the 1930's (which, sadly, there was not), don't you think Adolf Hitler would have decided to boycott it?

Your generation has a duty to ensure that the perennial racism of anti-Semitism never sets down roots among you. Today, however, there are clear signs that it has done so and is putting down more. You have a chance to avert a very great evil, simply by using reason and a sense of fair play. Please tell me that this makes sense. I have given you some of the evidence. It's up to you to find out more.

Yours sincerely,

Denis MacEoin

25 years ago on the southern border with Egypt, we got a radio signal some objects approaching your base. There were two of us on guard. I walked around the base. It turned out to be a pack of wild dogs who must have smelled or garbage or mess hall. The eyes of the Israeli Border – young women behind plasma screens today. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5568589,00.html

Wake up call for Israeli Politicians. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5567508,00.html


Anchors away no anchor babies in Israel. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5568518,00.html


China may have military take over Hong Kong. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5568772,00.html

From Barry Shaw. Dr. Mordechai Kedar and Dr. Martin Sherman on Moshe Dayan’s blunder (my word). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc2461B41kA&feature=share&fbclid=IwAR0pGEa_E0Tm8XQvlxiIkXW_dpFBGVTwgPexkivaVCTZo65pRXpPOybUdeA


Syria receives greetings via missiles. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/267474




Austria fears radical Islam terrorism. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/267483

On the squad members from the President. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJX90wIsdA8


Latest is that Tliab may be allowed to see her family but not Omar. https://www.debka.com/us-reps-omar-and-tlaib-refused-permission-to-visit-israel/

"No country in the world respects America and the American Congress more than the State of Israel.
As a free and vibrant democracy, Israel is open to critics and criticism, with one exception: Israeli law prohibits the entry into Israel of those who call for and work to impose boycotts on Israel, as do other democracies that prohibit the entry of people who seek to harm the country. In fact, in the past the US did this to an Israeli member of Knesset, as well as to other public figures from around the world.
Congresswomen Tlaib and Omar are leading activists in promoting the legislation of boycotts against Israel in the American Congress. Only a few days ago, we received their itinerary for their visit in Israel, which revealed that they planned a visit whose sole objective is to strengthen the boycott against us and deny Israel’s legitimacy. - Jewish Republicans.

Have a peaceful and wonderful Shabbos,
Rachamim Pauli
Posted by Rabbi Rachamim Pauli at 1:27 PM