Friday, October 4, 2019

Parsha Vayelech, Shabbos Teshuva Drasha, story and story links.


Shabbos Teshuva

Part of my work on Kaboom Creation was to read a lot of physics books and a biology book to understand the physical aspect of creation and the probability. The deeper I delved into physics books written by Atheists the more and more I saw intelligent design. In fact, I see a Goldilocks Universe that just has the right conditions for life as we know it and that the Universe is held together.

Reflecting on a Creator is the most important thing to repenting. Right on Rosh Hashanah I was with a terrible head cold. In fact, it was so bad that concentrating on the meaning of the prayers was hard. I was saying the pre-Kedusha Pray of Utan Tokef. Were Teshuva, Tephilla and Tzeduka (Repentance, Prayer and Charity) avoid the evil decree. In the Machzor of the Gaon from Vilna it said fasting, pray and money in small print.

In the course of the year we have to rush to work or for a blood test or elsewhere. Our prayers become hasty not like our lives depend upon it as the world is judged. That is how we should feel and pray with intent.  We must return to the simple innocent prayer of our youth of course with belief, more feeling and understanding.

Teshuva is to cease and desist from sin. We are to confess those that we know and pray that we will be forgiven. However, our sins are great from going against the Sages, the Torah itself, ignoring Mitzvos or doing less than the minimum of the minimum in our work for HASHEM. There is a big one that is wasting Torah learning time that all of us rack up during the year. The Gaon from Vilna had a book in which he wrote time the time. It added up to close to three hours in a year and he would cry of the Bitul Torah that he did.

Back in Gan Eden before the since of disobedience, all sins would have been accidental or without knowledge. Once the Yetzer was let in by Adam the majority of sins had a tinge of Mayzid (with intent) about them.

 Returning to the theme of illness especially a stuffed up head cold. The first day I prayed the Mussaf Amidah Prayer and it took 15 minutes instead of the 45 minutes with intent on each word back in my youth. The second day the illness was worse and I ended the prayer in 11 minutes which is the shortest I ever did. What part of all the prayers could I rely on as I really had next to no merits in my prayers? Then I remembered the simplest prayer request. OUR FATHER OUR KING ANSWER OUR PLEA AS WE HAVE NO DEEDS (OR MERITS) PLEASE HAVE CHARITY AND MERCY AND SAVE US.

When in doubt be with faith and rudimental belief of the L-RD’s great Mercy and Salvation.


Parsha Vayelech

This is the shortest Parsha in the Torah only 30 Pasukim and starts the third and final Drasha of Moshe as he turns 120 years and hands over the reins to Yehoshua.

31:1 And Moses went and spoke these words unto all Israel. 2 And he said unto them: 'I am a hundred and twenty years old this day; I can no more go out and come in; and the LORD hath said unto me: Thou shalt not go over this Jordan.

I am 120 years old today and G-D has told me that my mission in this world is complete. I shall not lead you into the promised land.

3 The LORD thy God, He will go over before thee; He will destroy these nations from before thee, and thou shalt dispossess them; and Joshua, he shall go over before thee, as the LORD hath spoken.

Yehoshua Bin Nun will remove the nations and tribes of Canaan before you. He is my replacement and will be your leader.

4 And the LORD will do unto them as He did to Sihon and to Og, the kings of the Amorites, and unto their land; whom He destroyed.

Og was a giant of a man who welded a long sword and wrought fear in his enemies. Yet Moshe slew him according to the Medrash.

5 And the LORD will deliver them up before you, and ye shall do unto them according unto all the commandment which I have commanded you. 6 Be strong and of good courage, fear not, nor be affrighted at them; for the LORD thy God, He it is that doth go with thee; He will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.'  

Be strong Chazak and of courage V’ Amatz. This is the theme of the first chapter of Sefer Yehoshua where it appears at least four times. You must understand that when one ruler takes over from the previous or a child takes over from a parent as being the head of the family it is a task with a heavy burden of authority.

7 And Moses called unto Joshua, and said unto him in the sight of all Israel: 'Be strong and of good courage; for thou shalt go with this people into the land which the LORD hath sworn unto their fathers to give them; and thou shalt cause them to inherit it.

Yehoshua knows what he is up against and needs the encouragement. He is going to become a leader of a stiff necked people that one minute see a miracle and the next are willing to stone the leader.

8 And the LORD, He it is that does go before thee; He will be with thee, He will not fail thee, neither forsake thee; fear not, neither be dismayed.'

HASHEM will be with you at all times. What is amazing is that when the Archangel Michael appears before Yehoshua Bin Nun, he is asked if he is friend or foe. Yehoshua is prepared for battle. However, as soon as, the 72 letter NAME is said, Yehoshua falls on his face. That is the strength that Yehoshua has received the ability not to fear an awe inspiring Angel prepare like Yacov Avinu for battle with an Angel.

9 And Moses wrote this law, and delivered it unto the priests the sons of Levi, that bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and unto all the elders of Israel.

This is Sefer Devarim including Hazinu and Zos HaBracha up to the last 8 lines that may have been inserted by Elazar HaCohain HaGadol or Yehoshua after the death of Moshe. There is an opinion that it was written by Moshe and as he wrote, he forgot and the ink only appeared after the event.   

10 And Moses commanded them, saying: 'At the end of every seven years, in the set time of the year of release, in the feast of tabernacles, 11 when all Israel is come to appear before the LORD thy God in the place which He shall choose, thou shalt read this law before all Israel in their hearing. 12 Assemble the people, the men and the women and the little ones, and thy stranger that is within thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the LORD your God, and observe to do all the words of this law; 13 and that their children, who have not known, may hear, and learn to fear the LORD your God, as long as ye live in the land whither ye go over the Jordan to possess it.'

This assembly of the congregation and the reading of Sefer Devarim has been revived at the Kotel after Shmita year.

14 And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Behold, thy days approach that thou must die; call Joshua, and present yourselves in the tent of meeting, that I may give him a charge.' And Moses and Joshua went, and presented themselves in the tent of meeting.

Unlike the Nations of the World when a new President, Prime Minister or King takes over and all the pomp and ceremonies occur. Am Yisrael is different and modest and the changing is done in a very private ceremony before G-D. Unlike the Nations of the World that have the chief justice or high priest officiate at the swearing in, there is no swearing but a DIVINE command and instruction.

15 And the LORD appeared in the Tent in a pillar of cloud; and the pillar of cloud stood over the door of the Tent. 16 And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Behold, thou art about to sleep with thy fathers; and this people will rise up, and go astray after the foreign gods of the land, whither they go to be among them, and will forsake Me, and break My covenant which I have made with them. 17 Then My anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide My face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall come upon them; so that they will say in that day: Are not these evils come upon us because our God is not among us?
The hiding of the ‘face’ or existence of G-D is done for the purpose of education. Oh you have rejected ME and have chosen that human crafted idol, so too I will hide from you. The hiding of the ‘face’ of G-D partially continues today. Certain people with simple faith and horse sense can actually see miracles here and there while others are blinded. In my book KABOOM CREATION I bring down the thoughts of a Nobel Prize in Physics winner and that of the father of “String Theory” who are way above the average IQ and yet they see no Intelligent Design while layman like myself understand that a slight change in energy in a vacuum, the gravitational constant or the cosmology constant; the universe could not exist! We are living in a Goldilocks Universe that is ‘just right’!

18 And I will surely hide My face in that day for all the evil which they shall have wrought, in that they are turned unto other gods.

G-D in hiding most of the time from the destruction of the second Mikdash until the founding of the State of Israel. Starting at this point more and more people began to recognize the miracles involved until sometime after the Shalom HaGalil Operation, the newspapers printed headlines of miracles. As the Moshiach approaches, the more and more recognition of miracles is embraced.

19 Now therefore write ye this song for you, and teach thou it the children of Israel; put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for Me against the children of Israel.

This is Hazinu.

20 For when I shall have brought them into the land which I swore unto their fathers, flowing with milk and honey; and they shall have eaten their fill, and waxen fat; and turned unto other gods, and served them, and despised Me, and broken My covenant;

Too much prosperity can lead to laziness, boredom and trying out other gods.

21 then it shall come to pass, when many evils and troubles are come upon them, that this song shall testify before them as a witness; for it shall not be forgotten out of the mouths of their seed; for I know their imagination how they do even now, before I have brought them into the land which I swore.'

If you go astray this is what you are going to get.

22 So Moses wrote this song the same day, and taught it the children of Israel. 23 And he gave Joshua the son of Nun a charge, and said: 'Be strong and of good courage; for thou shalt bring the children of Israel into the land which I swore unto them; and I will be with thee.'

This is the third time Chazak V’ Amatz as within a short time, Yehoshua is going to be alone and in charge.

24 And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished, 25 that Moses commanded the Levites, that bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD, saying: 26 'Take this book of the law, and put it by the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee.

I know via prophecy that sometime in the future you will go astray and the words written in the Sefer Torah of the curses and punishment will come as described in this Sefer.

27 For I know thy rebellion, and thy stiff neck; behold, while I am yet alive with you this day, ye have been rebellious against the LORD; and how much more after my death?

This is called in the 13 learning principles of Rabbi Yishmael a Kal V’ Chomer. Learning from the easy case to predict the difficult case. If during my lifetime you rebel, all the more so after I am dead and while I was like the sun, Yehoshua will only be like the moon.

28 Assemble unto me all the elders of your tribes, and your officers, that I may speak these words in their ears, and call heaven and earth to witness against them. 29 For I know that after my death ye will in any wise deal corruptly, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will befall you in the end of days; because ye will do that which is evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him through the work of your hands.'

The elders will bring down these words to their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

30 And Moses spoke in the ears of all the assembly of Israel the words of this song, until they were finished:

A time this point the learning of the song will start. Some religious schools require the children to learn this by heart and in the days of Moshe, all learned the song by heart on his last day.


Rosh Hashanah in a non-kosher restaurant by Rabbi Yerachmiel Tilles


Rabbi Moshe-Meir Lipszyc (pronounced Lipshitz), a Chabad representative in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, hosts up to 50 guests for Shabbat dinner - together with his wife, of course. The guests don't come just for a piece of gefilte fish and a portion of noodle kugel; it is primarily a Jewish identity experience, getting more in touch with and experiencing their spiritual essence, the neshama, the unique Jewish soul.
Exactly thirty days before Rosh Hashana, on Friday, Erev Rosh Chodesh Elul, 5779 (8/30/19), the Lipszycs were expecting even more guests than usual. So the rabbi decided to invite his friend, Rabbi Yehoshua Mendelson, to also come and thereby be available to help enhance all the guests' experience of a genuine, traditional Shabbat meal.
In that area of Florida, the sun sets much later than most of the rest of the USA. One consequence is that many Jews, for the sake of their children or other personal reasons, start their Shabbat [by accepting its restrictions] while it is still daytime, and complete the entire Shabbat Evening prayer services before nightfall [hopefully remembering to repeat the entire Shma Yisrael prayer sometime after dark].
The local Chabad synagogue also adjusts its Friday afternoon prayer times accordingly, for the sake of its congregants. Rabbi Mendelson joined in with the lively Kabbalat ('Welcoming') Shabbat service even though the sun was still high above the rippling Atlantic waters, but he elected to delay his personal Shabbat Maariv ('Evening') prayer until it was actually night.
When the stars came out and he had completed his prayers, he left the synagogue, heading towards the Lipszyc house. On the way, a man passed him walking in the same direction. It was too dark to recognize if the stranger was Jewish or not, so Rabbi Mendelson wasn't sure if he should say to him "Gut Shabbos." Then he recalled one of the praises attributed by the great sages of the Mishna and Talmud to Rabbi Yochanan ben-Zakkai:
"No one ever greeted him before he greeted them, not even a non-Jew in the marketplace."
This inspired him to call out "Good Shabbos" to the other, even though he had no idea who or what he was.
To the rabbi's delight, the man responded with his own hearty "Gut Shabbos," and a friendly conversation quickly developed. The man, who introduced himself as 'Jerry,' related that he was on his way to "Nick's Restaurant."
As it turned out, Jerry was not going there to eat. He was the representative of a group of friends who desired to have a Rosh Hashana festive dinner together. So he was going to 'Nick's,' the well-known, upscale, expensive establishment, situated on a nearby beach - but absolutely not kosher, of course -- to order a menu appropriate for the occasion. This would involve teaching Nick's elite gentile chef what is a traditional Jewish holiday meal and how it is prepared, Jerry explained to the astonished rabbi listening intently to him.
R. Yehoshua recovered quickly. He thought to himself, "'Who is like you, O Israel?' Jews so assimilated they don't care about Keeping Kosher or Observing Shabbat, yet a dot of Jewishness beats in their hearts that draws them to desire to celebrate Rosh Hashana together with other Jews, to the extent they are prepared to teach a Gentile chef how to prepare a meal for a Jewish holiday…and pay a lot of money for the result."
Looking Jerry in the eye, he suggested calmly, "I think that all of you should come to the Rosh HaShana festive meal at the Fort Lauderdale Chabad House, which by the way, just happens to be located directly across the street from Nick's. I can assure you that the menu and the food itself will be much more authentic than in a non-Jewish restaurant."
Jerry was astonished. Just like that? To invite him and his eight companions so casually for such a major undertaking?
He found himself intrigued by the idea. The more he thought about it, the more he was attracted to it. A genuine authentic Jewish holiday meal on Rosh Hashana…and with real Chasidim too!
Jerry smiled broadly and accepted the invitation on behalf of himself and his friends. He knew they too would be receptive to the spontaneity and the authenticity. He told the rabbi he would continue on to Nick's and cancel the group's reservation.
But R. Yehoshua was not finished inviting. He asked Jerry, "What about the Shabbat meal tonight? Where will you eat it?"
"What? A Shabbos meal! It's been years since I participated in one of those."
"Then why don't you come along with me and enjoy the Shabbat meal at the Rabbi's house?
Jerry stared at his new friend, the chasidic rabbi. It was difficult for him to believe that it was possible - and acceptable! - to show up suddenly for a large meal at a stranger's house without advance notice. But the courtesy and friendliness of R. Yehoshua's invitation overwhelmed his reservations, and he agreed to come along.
The rabbi perceived that Jerry's acceptance was not because he was especially hungry. Rather, he could see on his face that it was a result of an inner spiritual arousal of his Jewish soul. When Jerry entered the Lipszyc's home, one sweeping glance was enough to take in the dozens of other guests and the tables laden with delicious-looking food. Add to that the free-flowing wine and the lively singing of traditional Shabbat Table songs, and it wasn't long until Jerry was 'out of his mind' with delight and emotional upheaval.
Although his original intention was to remain for just a short time, he ended up staying for two full hours. Before he left, he shyly approached R. Lipszyc to ask if it would be alright for him to attend again the following Shabbat eve, this time together with his wife. “Something sparked in me here tonight," he murmured.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Source: Excerpted and translated by Yerachmiel Tilles from an article by Rabbi Baruch Wilhelm of Nahariya, Israel, as printed in Alon Lubavitch, a weekly publication of the Chabad community of Tsfat.
Connection: Seasonal - Rosh HaShana 5780! Let's start the year as kosher as possible -- in all aspects of our lives, not just food.
Rabbi Wilhelm adds:
Besides the beauty and depth and pleasure awaiting those Jews who commit to Shabbat, there is a major life-lesson for every human being to be gained from this episode.
We should always be prepared to greet others warmly, no matter who they are or what the situation. This applies not only to these that are in 'the people business,' so to speak. Everyone should cultivate this awareness. We should always relate to others with courtesy and sincerely say, "Hello. How are you?" Lives can be changed for the better from one extreme to another simply because of a few simple words.


Yad L’Achim and the lost children. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/269751


He stopped listening to Sarah and listens to the polls: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/269683

Netanyahu firms up coalition base. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5601242,00.html
Lieberman to meet with Netanyahu. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/269665




Inyanay Diyoma


Israel’s population reaches 9,092,000 with 6,744,000 Jews 196,000 births and 50,000 deaths in 5779 and 35,000 make Aliyah. https://www.timesofisrael.com/on-eve-of-rosh-hashanah-israels-population-tops-9-million/

Terrorists who murdered Rina captured. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/269566



Mortar from Sinai lands near Synagogue. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/269560



Some 130,000 Sephardim claim Spanish citizenship. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5600716,00.html








Bernie Sanders hospitalized problem dealt with. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/269662



Lesbian pedophile released house arrest. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5601241,00.html





Another member of the terror cell arrested. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/269688



French Policeman who became Muslim kills 4 colleagues. https://www.france24.com/en/20191003-live-four-killed-knife-attack-paris-police-hq

Netanyahu weighs primaries for strength. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5602210,00.html




Demographics show Jewish birthrate higher than Arab birthrate. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/269748





Ex-Chief of Staff temporary head of Defense Committee. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/269736




Swedish political party wants to ban circumcision. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/269719

Have a good writing in the book of life, health and happiness with a wonderful Shabbos.
Rachamim Pauli
Posted by Rabbi Rachamim Pauli at 12:56 PM