Friday, August 23, 2019

Parsha Eikev Part I, story up to the minute news


 
Please add Chava bat Tirsiah to prayer list.


More miracles: I knew that there was another miracle last week and when I opened the papers on Shabbos there it was – Russian plane hits flock of birds and lands safely in corn field. https://www.cbsnews.com/video/russian-plane-makes-emergency-landing-in-corn-field-after-hitting-a-flock-of-birds/
Attack on JCC in Youngstown OH thwarted. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/267573
3-year-old left in car hospitalized with minor heat exhaustion.
2-year-old with egg allergy receives injection in the nick of time.
There was an attempt to Kidnap a soldier by 4 Bedouin last week that was stopped by him cocking his automatic rifle as they approached and they scattered.


Parsha Eikev Part I


7:12 And it shall come to pass, because ye hearken to these ordinances, and keep, and do them, that the LORD thy God shall keep with thee the covenant and the mercy which He swore unto thy fathers, 13 and He will love thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee; He will also bless the fruit of thy body and the fruit of thy land, thy corn and thy wine and thine oil, the increase of thy kine and the young of thy flock, in the land which He swore unto thy fathers to give thee.

Both you and your wealth will thrive.

14 Thou shalt be blessed above all peoples; there shall not be male or female barren among you, or among your cattle.

Based on modern statistics, about 15% of all Jewish marriages are barren relationships. Sometimes with the help of G-D and modern medicine, there is success but other times nothing helps. Perhaps the most famous of all couples was the last Rebbe and Rebbitzen of Lubavitch.

15 And the LORD will take away from thee all sickness; and He will put none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which thou know, upon thee, but will lay them upon all them that hate thee.

Not like today when there are deaths in Israel to diseases like the measles.

16 And thou shalt consume all the peoples that the LORD thy God shall deliver unto thee; thine eye shall not pity them; neither shalt thou serve their gods; for that will be a snare unto thee.

The Pshat here is so obvious that Rashi does not comment as it is clear what we must do. We conquered the Temple Mount and then Moshe Dayan gave the keys to the Arabs and Netanyahu allowed the Jordanians to run the mount. I rest my case!

17 If thou shalt say in thy heart: 'These nations are more than I; how can I dispossess them?' 18 thou shalt not be afraid of them; thou shalt well remember what the LORD thy God did unto Pharaoh, and unto all Egypt:

If you believe in and trust in HASHEM, you will have no problem in dealing with powerful nations.

19 the great trials which thine eyes saw, and the signs, and the wonders, and the mighty hand, and the outstretched arm, whereby the LORD thy God brought thee out; so shall the LORD thy God do unto all the peoples of whom thou art afraid.

There is nothing to fear for even if one dies, HASHEM will claim his soul on a Kiddush HASHEM.

20 Moreover the LORD thy God will send the hornet among them, until they that are left, and they that hide themselves, perish from before thee. 21 Thou shalt not be affrighted at them; for the LORD thy God is in the midst of thee, a God great and awful. 22 And the LORD thy God will cast out those nations before thee by little and little; thou may not consume them quickly, lest the beasts of the field increase upon thee.

It will take time to conquer them to prevent wild animals overtaking the land.

23 But the LORD thy God shall deliver them up before thee, and shall discomfit them with a great discomfiture, until they be destroyed. 24 And He shall deliver their kings into thy hand, and thou shalt make their name to perish from under heaven; there shall no man be able to stand against thee, until thou have destroyed them.

Seeing war with the noise, the threats, the blood and fear so that you should not be afraid but they will be destroyed.

… 25 The graven images of their gods shall ye burn with fire; thou shalt not covet the silver or the gold that is on them, nor take it unto thee, lest thou be snared therein; for it is an abomination to the LORD thy God. 26 And thou shalt not bring an abomination into thy house, and be accursed like unto it; thou shalt utterly detest it, and thou shalt utterly abhor it; for it is a devoted thing.

Beware of their Avoda Zara and destroy it.

8:1 All the commandment which I command thee this day shall ye observe to do, that ye may live, and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the LORD swore unto your fathers.

You are expected to perform the commandments and have children for raising the population.

2 And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God hath led thee these forty years in the wilderness, that He might afflict thee, to prove thee, to know what was in thy heart, whether thou would keep His commandments, or no. 3 And He afflicted thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knew not, neither did thy fathers know; that He might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.

You will have everything you need to eat with you for 40 years. This is the proof that one can survive on nourishment from HASHEM alone.

 4 Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years. 5 And thou shalt consider in thy heart, that, as a man chastens his son, so the LORD thy God chastens thee.


This is most amazing as most garments wear out over time or as we add or lose weight we need new garments. This is an obvious Nes (miracle) as children grew so did their garments and the garments matched the person for 40 years. Walking around in sandals for 40 years and there was no problems with one’s feet!

6 And thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, to walk in His ways, and to fear Him. 7 For the LORD thy God brings thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths, springing forth in valleys and hills; 8 a land of wheat and barley, and vines and fig-trees and pomegranates; a land of olive-trees and honey;

A bountiful land. Now I wonder since the earth moved 10 degrees in the time of Yeshayahu if the earth shifted from a more northern Eretz Yisrael which had more rain until the position on the globe of Eretz Yisrael today?

… 11 Beware lest thou forget the LORD thy God, in not keeping His commandments, and His ordinances, and His statutes, which I command thee this day; 12 lest when thou hast eaten and art satisfied, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein; 13 and when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied; 14 then thy heart be lifted up, and thou forget the LORD thy God, who brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage; 15 who led thee through the great and dreadful wilderness, wherein were serpents, fiery serpents, and scorpions, and thirsty ground where was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint; … 17 and thou say in thy heart: 'My power and the might of my hand hath gotten me this wealth.'

Everything you have is from HASHEM so don’t be haughty. Remember to observe the Mitzvos so that things go well for you both in this world and next.

19 And it shall be, if thou shalt forget the LORD thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I forewarn you this day that ye shall surely perish. … because ye would not hearken unto the voice of the LORD your God.

The 613 Mitzvos are your instructions in behavior and survival. Observe, guard them and all will be well for you and your progeny even if there is a Gezaira against the people, your family will survive.

9:1 Hear, O Israel: thou art to pass over the Jordan this day, to go in to dispossess nations greater and mightier than thyself, cities great and fortified up to heaven,

I, HASHEM Yisborach, guarantee this for you. Their fortifications will not hold and their numbers and power will be much less.

2 a people great and tall, the sons of the Anakim, whom thou know, and of whom thou hast heard say: 'Who can stand before the sons of Anak?' 3 Know therefore this day, that the LORD thy God is He who goes over before thee as a devouring fire; He will destroy them, and He will bring them down before thee; so shalt thou drive them out, and make them to perish quickly, as the LORD hath spoken unto thee.

Anak is a giant so these people who might be giant in size but the bigger they are, the harder they fall.

… 5 Not for thy righteousness, or for the uprightness of thy heart, dost thou go in to possess their land; but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee, and that He may establish the word which the LORD swore unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.

So it is because of the merits of the Avos and the wickedness of these nations that we have gained the right to be in the land and not from our own merits.

… for thou art a stiffnecked people.

…9 When I was gone up into the mount to receive the tables of stone, even the tables of the covenant which the LORD made with you, then I abode in the mount forty days and forty nights; I did neither eat bread nor drink water. 10 And the LORD delivered unto me the two tables of stone written with the finger of God; and on them was written according to all the words, which the LORD spoke with you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly. 11 And it came to pass at the end of forty days and forty nights, that the LORD gave me the two tables of stone, even the tables of the covenant. 12 And the LORD said unto me: 'Arise, get thee down quickly from hence; for thy people that thou hast brought forth out of Egypt have dealt corruptly; they are quickly turned aside out of the way which I commanded them; they have made them a molten image.' 13 Furthermore the LORD spoke unto me, saying: 'I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people; 14 let Me alone, that I may destroy them, and blot out their name from under heaven; and I will make of thee a nation mightier and greater than they.'

With the Chet HaEgel, Moshe had to pray very hard to save them and he continues talking about grinding the Egel to powder and making them drink it.  

…19 For I was in dread of the anger and hot displeasure, wherewith the LORD was wroth against you to destroy you. But the LORD hearkened unto me that time also. 20 Moreover the LORD was very angry with Aaron to have destroyed him; and I prayed for Aaron also the same time. 21 And I took your sin, the calf which ye had made, and burnt it with fire, and beat it in pieces, grinding it very small, until it was as fine as dust; and I cast the dust thereof into the brook that descended out of the mount.

Then you fell lusting for food and displeased HASHEM. Before Moshe hinted of these sins back in Parsha Devarim now he spells them out and after th 

25 So I fell down before the LORD the forty days and forty nights that I fell down; because the LORD had said He would destroy you. 26 And I prayed unto the LORD, and said: 'O Lord GOD, destroy not Thy people and Thine inheritance, that Thou hast redeemed through Thy greatness, that Thou hast brought forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand. 27 Remember Thy servants, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; look not unto the stubbornness of this people, nor to their wickedness, nor to their sin; 28 lest the land whence Thou brought us out say: Because the LORD was not able to bring them into the land which He promised unto them, and because He hated them, He hath brought them out to slay them in the wilderness. 29 Yet they are Thy people and Thine inheritance, that Thou didst bring out by Thy great power and by Thy outstretched arm.'

Essentially at this point the L-RD heard and accepted Moshe’s prayer.


Due to all sorts of minor family things I had to cut short the Drasha this week Part II will be next week ble neder (no vow intended).



From Reiki to Rabbi by Rav Yitzchak Fanger via R’ Tilles


Rabbi Yitzchak Fanger from Israel tells the following story about himself.

After finishing his army service in the IDF, he decided to learn Reiki, a Japanese technique for healing. After taking courses and excelling in his new trade, his Reiki teacher urged him to go to the Far East to become a Reiki master.
Fanger obeyed and traveled to India. He pursued more learning and he became heavily involved in Buddhism. Eventually, he became a Buddhist priest and was encouraged to go for an extended stay at a type of monastery up in the mountains to further enhance his career. There, one was forbidden to speak. Their task was to concentrate on meditation and yoga, and to try to achieve Nirvana ('enlightenment').
A few months went by and Yitzchak was becoming antsy. He had an urge to talk, to hear his own voice. So he ran away far from earshot of the retreat. He arrived at a brook and he opened his mouth to speak. The first words that came out of his mouth, after months of silence, were from his Bar-Mitzvah portion that he read from the Torah, 13 years before. He was shocked. Why those words? He had no affiliation with Judaism and no desire for it either. He came back to the monastery and put the incident out of his mind.
A few days later, Yitzchak was ready to go to sleep, but he had an uneasy feeling about sleeping in his room. He decided to pick up his sleeping bag and go sleep outside. As he reached for it, a scorpion jumped out from the part of the bag where his head was supposed to be. He realized then his life was just saved, and there was somebody watching over him.
About a week later, in the evening, after practicing his meditation, the candle in Yitzchak's room went out. He went to search his bag for more candles and found a card with Hebrew print on it. It was then that he remembered; when he was in an airport in Israel, a [Chabad] Chassidic man was passing out cards to people. He told Yitzchak, "Keep it and it will protect you."
He picked up the card and figured he'd meditate on those words instead of the Japanese words that he was used to meditating on. He held up the card and started to read, and it said, "Shema Yisrael HaShem Elokeinu HaShem Echad". (Hear Israel, G-d your G-d is One"). At that moment, Yitzchak had a burst of spiritual enlightenment and decided, enough was enough, he was going back to Israel.
In Israel, Fanger right away began attending lectures on Judaism and became inspired. He started to grow in Jewish knowledge, awareness and lifestyle, until eventually he became fully religious.
To earn a living, he opened up his own Reiki Center in Israel and it caught on fast. Throngs of people were flocking to his center, and he was making an exorbitant amount of money. His mother, who was also his secretary, called him one day and said, "Yitzchak, you are booked for the next two years and you are almost a millionaire!"
A couple of days after that, a religious Jewish woman attended his class. Afterwards she approached him and asked if what he was teaching was Kosher.
Yitzchak was taken aback. He decided to consult with an authoritative rabbi, and was advised to consult with Rabbi Yitzchak Zilberstein.[1] The rabbi's answer was that what he is doing is based on Avoda Zara ('idol worship') and forbidden to teach.
But this was his whole career, and a highly prosperous one at that. What would he do?
After letting the leading rabbi's words settle on him, he said, "I'm willing to give up everything for you, Ribono shel Olam, (Master of the Universe) just please don't leave me, ever."
Still uncertain what to do, he was told to consult next with Rav Chaim Kanievsky[2] for advice. The Rabbi told him, "Before you decide what you are going to do, go learn Torah in a Yeshiva for three months."
He listened and went to Yeshivas Ohr Sameach. He was so mesmerized by the learning, he decided to stay in Yeshiva. He got married a year later and continued to study Torah full time in yeshivas for nine more years.
Finally, he went back to Rabbi Zilberstein and consulted with him again. He said, "I gave up my career, I gave up Reiki; I studied Torah intensively for ten years. Now I'm ready to start something. What should I do now?"
Rabbi Zilberstein's reply changed Yitzchak Fanger's life forever. He told him about a Holocaust survivor who comes to him every year on a certain day to cry over the losses of his loved ones.
Rabbi Zilberstein asked this man why he chose that particular day each year? The man replied that he had lost his family at the beginning of the war and all he had left was his older brother. He and his brother were forced into doing slave labor every day in a concentration camp.
One night, they had to work until 4:00 am. They were exhausted, but they knew they had to be up for roll call at 5:00 am, or else it would be over for them. He decided he wouldn't go to sleep because it was too risky, but his brother didn't have an ounce of strength left. His brother said, "Please, I'm going to go to sleep, wake me up in 45 minutes."
A short while later, a Nazi grabbed the man and forced him to do a job. He got so caught up with it that he forgot to wake his brother. After roll call, he went to the barracks to find his brother, and found that he was killed. He screamed in anguish, "Why didn't I wake up my brother?" This thought haunts him, and, every year, on his brother's yahrzeit, he gets emotional and comes to talk to the Rabbi.
Rabbi Zilberstein then looked at Yitzchak Fanger in the eye and said, "G-d woke you up and saved your life, but there are still so many of your brothers asleep who don't know anything about Judaism. You have talent; you have charisma. You don't want, Chas v'Shalom, ('G-d forbid') after 120 years for your brothers to ask you why you didn't wake them up. You should dedicate your life to spreading Torah and
waking up your sleeping brothers."
Rabbi Fanger took this advice and he has spent years now teaching Torah all over the world. Tens of thousands of people are listening to his classes online. One of those classes has had over 140,000 people listen to it [so far, as of 1/1/19 -- ed.]. The Holy One led him in the right direction to fulfill his purpose and he made the right decisions. The few inspired words of encouragement from Rabbi Zilberstein went a long way.
[1]One of the most respected authorities on Jewish Law in Israel.
[2]One of the most respected authorities on Jewish Law in Israel, and unofficial leader of the Lithuanian Yeshiva world.
~~~~~~~~~
Source: Adapted by Yerachmiel Tilles from the emailing of "Shabbos Stories for Parshas Vayechi 5779" (keren18@juno.com), based on the article by Rabbi David Ashear in the December 4, 2018 email of Emunah Daily.
Connection: Weekly readings - Last week's contained the first section of the Shma Yisrael prayer, and this week has the second.


Audio-Video story of the man who kept Shabbos in Siberia 20 years. https://www.aish.com/sp/so/The-Man-who-Kept-Shabbat-in-Siberia-for-20-Years.html?s=hp1



Chabad, 21, volunteer drowns in Mexico. Charedi, 24, drowns when he swims at night in Tel Aviv. Rabbi, 38, dies in Greenwood Lake, NY trying to save his child who had a life jacket. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/267679

Orthodox Schools save NY State money. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/267689


Israeli company sues Apple on 10 patent violations on cameras. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/267732

Lieberman plays Netanyahu at his own game. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5572910,00.html

AG allows sexually segregated events. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5573837,00.html

Yeshiva HS abuse from the 60’s to 80’s scandal. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5573872,00.html

Arabs will not join Ganz Government. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/267770


Inyanay Diyoma




Ramming attack prayer-Psalm request: The public is asked to pray for Nachum Elimelech ben (son of -ed.) Zahava Rivka, and Noam bat (daughter of - ed.) Zahava Rivka. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/267533


General censured for unauthorized foray in tunnel. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/267505

Netanyahu’s personal attacks is a sign he wants a leftist government. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/267523

Israeli female student lost in Ethiopia. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/267536

Congresswoman hates Israel more than she loves her grandmother – A. Deri Interior Minister. The area where she lives I used to drive through on my way to Yerushalayim until road 443 was built. https://www.algemeiner.com/2019/08/16/congresswoman-rashida-tlaib-agrees-not-to-promote-anti-israel-boycott-during-humanitarian-visit-to-see-family-in-west-bank/?utm_content=news1&utm_medium=weekend_email&utm_campaign=email&utm_source=internal

Rockets and infiltration attempt. 3 Shachidim one or two injured. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/267549

No-win and no-lose policy how is it working for you? – Dr. Phil. If you don’t learn from history, history will repeat itself: https://www.debka.com/israels-no-win-no-lose-gaza-policy-has-too-many-layers-to-be-scrapped-in-a-hurry/

Exposed the plans of the wicked congresswomen. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/267563

Hatred of Israel stronger than love of grandmother. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/267565




Teen still fighting for his life-prayers: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/267601

Paraguay declares Hamas and Hezballah terrorists. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/267620

Ed-Op the danger of political apathy. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5571608,00.html

Soldiers who ran away during battle terminated from Golani. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/267611

Gaza threatens while they wait for their hush money. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/267635

Iran threatens with proxies while they complain about their nuke deal. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/267636

While sneaky PM is out of the country his style of attack on the right-wing party. Discrediting attempt. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/267624





Jews who vote Democrat with this Omar and Tliab show disloyalty to Am Yisrael. Don’t call the president antisemitic as I have said to my friends for years that if Louis Farrakhan or David Duke ran as a Democrat against a Republican like Rabbi Shmuel of NJ or myself, the vast majority of Jewish would vote Democrat. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/267675



Politicians holding up Mevo Modiin Arson Report. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/267679



Milwaukee Schul suspicious packages. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/267684


Suspect arrested in FL Synagogue shooting. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/267734


If I forget you, Yerushalayim, let my right hand forget it’s cunning and my tongue stick to my pallet. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/267714

Terrorists still have parts of Baumel’s body. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/267696


California Students and their Nazi salute. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5572341,00.html


Satellite images show Iranian land bridge missile production and transportation sites in Iraq bombed out. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/267786

Syrian stabber in Germany sentenced. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/267777

Baruch Rofeh Holim: Dr. Martin Sherman returns with an Ed-Op Tough questions for AIPAC. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/24336

Two Arab Israelis indicted for joining ISIS. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/267758

After 7 rockets this week, Hamas having their sites bombed, they demand that Jihad turns over 4 terrorists. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/267773

Fishman Ed-Op Netanyahu’s Gaza illusion. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5572247,00.html

Fatach to get half a billion from Israel. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5573792,00.html

Yehuda and Shomron road improvements due to high volume and slow speeds. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/267767



10:30 AM terror attack daughter did not survive. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/267802


Have a peaceful and pleasant Shabbos and stay healthy as things cool off at night north of Israel
Rachamim Pauli
Posted by Rabbi Rachamim Pauli at 1:55 PM