Prayers for
Men: Shalom Charles ben Gracia, Yosef ben Esther, Daniel ben Rivka, Avrum ben Faigel, Ephraim ben Mazel, Zev ben
Rachel, Menachem Mendel Shlomo ben Chaya Rochel
Women: Karen Neshama bas Esther Ruth,
Chaya Melecha Rachel bas Baila Alta, Rachel Shoshana bas Chana, Hodaya Nirit
bas Mazel Yaish, Tsvia Simcha bas Devorah Yachad, Miriam bas Irene Taita Malka, Shulamis bas Etta, Chana Friedel bas Sara, Esther bas Alice, Drorah Rivka
bas Chana, Penina
Bas Zeisa Preeya, Denise Esther bas Leah, Chava bas Tirtzah, Leah bas Sara,
Tikva bas Chava, Miriam Esther bas Golda Chaya.
The following persons
are recovering from long term non-threatening injuries and need Psalms. Binum
Benyamin Tuvia ben Chana Friedel, Avraham HaCohain ben Yocheved, Melech David ben Sulah
Pearla,
Amazingly
on Shabbos I thought about this ordinary hand respirator as a solution using
soldiers. Others figured out about the same time a mechanical solution and Israel
Aircraft Industries is going to digit print a prototype or two to be tried in
hospitals. If this works full production goes into effect.
Parsha Vayikra
Last week, our Parsha covered the
Kedusha of Shabbos, the construction of the parts of the Mishkan and the
clothing of the Cohanim. It ended with the erecting of the Mishkan on Rosh
Chodesh Nissan or the month of Spring (Chodesh HaAviv). We continue now with
HASHEM speaking to Moshe from within the Ohel Moed.
Each Korban has a particular time,
place and concentration by the Cohain. The name of the Korban has to be
mentioned as the hands are laid on it. The Cohain has to at the time of
slaughter concentrate on the type of Korban, where the gathered blood is
sprinkled and on what Mizbayach or side of the Mizbayach it is offered. If the
Korban is eaten, over what time period and where in Yerushalayim or the Mikdash
it has to be eaten. The libation wine, oil, types of Matzo except the Korban
Todah (Thanksgiving) in which leaven is used.
1:1 And the LORD called unto Moses, and spoke unto him
out of the tent of meeting, saying: 2 Speak unto the children of
Israel, and say unto them: When any man of you brings an offering unto the
LORD, ye shall bring your offering of the cattle, even of the herd or of the
flock.
We are missing right now the Korbanos
that use either doves or pigeons. But the doves and the pigeons are specific
offerings and not for the general population. Therefore, the Torah begins
telling us of the general cases that are prevalent for the Korbanos and they
are from the cattle, flock of sheep or goats. Kosher wild animals are not found
under normal circumstances domestically. So even if a person were to grow
Moose, Buffalo, Elks, Deer, Mountain Goats, Water Buffalo, Giraffe, Gazelles
and the like, they are exceptional and not the rule.
3 If his offering be a
burnt-offering of the herd, he shall offer it a male without blemish; he shall
bring it to the door of the tent of meeting, that he may be accepted before the
LORD.
The
stronger and larger animals are more appropriate for an ordinary offering and
therefore the Torah mentions males even though that some Korbanos require a
female. Other could be either male or female.
4 And he shall lay his hand upon
the head of the burnt-offering; and it shall be accepted for him to make
atonement for him.
The laying of the hands on shows
ownership of the Korban and the type of Korban is declared and the Cohain comes
in the name of Korban so and so I am slaughtering this animal.
5 And he shall ritually slaughter the bullock before the LORD; and Aaron's sons, the
priests, shall present the blood, and dash the blood roundabout against the
altar that is at the door of the tent of meeting.
Ritually Slaughter: This has replaced
the poor translation of killing. For killing could imply Trafe or Nevaillah
animals that were killed by beasts or chopping off their heads or road kill.
The ritual slaughter required a proper knife cutting the arteries and veins in
the proper way. The dashing with Assop (Hebrew) or Hyssop is used for the
sprinkling of each Korban. The plant can be found at varying heights but can
grow as I grow them to close to an Amah.
The removal of the skin except the
burnt offering and the forbidden fats are part of the preparations and the
pieces displayed on the altar.
7 And the sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire upon the altar,
and lay wood in order upon the fire. 8 And Aaron's sons, the
priests, shall lay the pieces, and the head, and the suet, in order upon the
wood that is on the fire which is upon the altar; 9 but its
inwards and its legs shall he wash with water; and the priest shall make the
whole smoke on the altar, for a burnt-offering, an offering made by fire, of a
sweet savor unto the LORD.
All this was done by one of the sons of
Aaron or years later the grandson until he was just called a Cohain. Later we
shall learn that a stranger cannot do this at the penalty of death. This
includes a Levi. If you want to say that Moshe and Eliyahu HaNovi offered
Korbanos, it was a special calling from HASHEM for that hour. Moshe for
teaching the Cohanim and Eliyahu as a reincarnation of Pinchas ben Elazar ben
Aaron.
10 And
if his offering be of the flock, whether of the sheep, or of the goats, for a
burnt-offering, he shall offer it a male without blemish.
A Korban has to be perfect and choice.
Therefore, no blemish.
11 And he
shall RITUALLY SLAUGHTER it on the side of the altar northward before the LORD;
and Aaron's sons, the priests, shall dash its blood against the altar round
about. 12 And he shall cut it into its pieces; and the priest
shall lay them, with its head and its suet, in order on the wood that is on the
fire which is upon the altar. 13 But the inwards and the legs
shall he wash with water; and the priest shall offer the whole, and make it
smoke upon the altar; it is a burnt-offering, an offering made by fire, of a
sweet savor unto the LORD.
The whole process including the laying
out on the Mizbayach is described here.
14 And
if his offering to the LORD be a burnt-offering of fowls, then he shall bring
his offering of turtle-doves, or of young pigeons.
Only at this point does the Torah come
to mention the offering of fowls. These offerings are slaughtered by the sharp
thumbnail of a Cohain and not a knife.
15 And
the priest shall bring it unto the altar, and pinch off its head, and make it
smoke on the altar; and the blood thereof shall be drained out on the side of
the altar. 16 And he shall take away its crop with the feathers
thereof, and cast it beside the altar on the east part, in the place of the
ashes. 17 And he shall rend it by the wings thereof, but shall
not divide it asunder; and the priest shall make it smoke upon the altar, upon
the wood that is upon the fire; it is a burnt-offering, an offering made by
fire, of a sweet savor unto the LORD.
Above is the burning of the Korban
Olah.
2:1 And when any one brings a meal-offering unto the
LORD, his offering shall be of fine flour; and he shall pour oil upon it, and
put frankincense thereon. 2 And he shall
bring it to Aaron's sons the priests; and he shall take thereout his handful of
the fine flour thereof, and of the oil thereof, together with all the
frankincense thereof; and the priest shall make the memorial-part thereof smoke
upon the altar, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto the LORD.
Korban Mincha is made without leaven
and is 3 fingers of a fist with the pinky and thumb removing the excess. The
oil used from last week is pure olive oil.
3 But that which is left of the
meal-offering shall be Aaron's and his sons'; it is a thing most holy of the
offerings of the LORD made by fire. 4 And
when thou brings a meal-offering baked in the oven, it shall be unleavened
cakes of fine flour mingled with oil, or unleavened wafers spread with oil. 5 And if thy offering be a meal-offering baked on a
griddle, it shall be of fine flour unleavened, mingled with oil. 6 Thou shalt break it in pieces, and pour oil thereon;
it is a meal-offering. 7 And if thy
offering be a meal-offering of the stewing-pan, it shall be made of fine flour
with oil. 8 And thou shalt bring the
meal-offering that is made of these things unto the LORD; and it shall be
presented unto the priest, and he shall bring it unto the altar. 9 And the priest shall take off from the meal-offering
the memorial-part thereof, and shall make it smoke upon the altar--an offering
made by fire, of a sweet savor unto the LORD. 10 But that which is left of the meal-offering shall be Aaron's and his
sons'; it is a thing most holy of the offerings of the LORD made by fire. 11 No meal-offering, which ye shall bring unto the LORD,
shall be made with leaven; for ye shall make no leaven, nor any honey, smoke as
an offering made by fire unto the LORD.
The meal offering itself is for HASHEM
but is Kosher Le Pesach and the left-over flour can be cooked, baked, fried and
eaten by the Cohanim.
12 As an offering of first-fruits
ye may bring them unto the LORD; but they shall not come up for a sweet savor
on the altar.
Bikurim could be brought to the
Mizbayach but not burnt upon it.
13 And every meal-offering of thine
shalt thou season with salt; neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant
of thy God to be lacking from thy meal-offering; with all thy offerings thou
shalt offer salt. 14 And if thou bring a
meal-offering of first-fruits unto the LORD, thou shalt bring for the
meal-offering of thy first-fruits corn in the ear parched with fire, even
groats of the fresh ear. 15 And thou
shalt put oil upon it, and lay frankincense thereon; it is a meal-offering. 16 And the priest shall make the memorial-part of it
smoke, even of the groats thereof, and of the oil thereof, with all the
frankincense thereof; it is an offering made
by fire unto the LORD.
We see that salt must be added to the
Korban Mincha and incense is brought with the Korban.
3:1 And if his offering be
a sacrifice of peace-offerings: if he offer of the herd, whether male or
female, he shall offer it without blemish before the LORD. 2 And he shall lay
his hand upon the head of his offering, and ritually slaughter it at the door of the
tent of meeting; and Aaron's sons the priests shall dash the blood against the
altar round about. 3 And he shall present of the sacrifice of peace-offerings
an offering made by fire unto the LORD: the fat that covers the inwards, and all the fat that is upon the inwards,
4 and the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the loins, and
the lobe above the liver, which he shall take away hard by the kidneys.
This is the Korban Shlamim.
… 6 And if his offering for a sacrifice of peace-offerings unto
the LORD be of the flock, male or female, he shall offer it without blemish. 7
If he bring a lamb for his offering, then shall he present it before the LORD.
8 And he shall lay his hand upon the head of his offering, …12 And if his
offering be a goat, then he shall present it before the LORD. …17 It shall be a
perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwellings, that ye
shall eat neither fat nor blood.
After the fat, kidneys, etc. was
burned, the rest was for the owner of the Korban with certain gifts for the
Cohanim.
4:1 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 2 Speak unto the
children of Israel, saying: If any one shall sin through error, in any of the
things which the LORD hath commanded not to be done, and shall do any one of
them: 3 if the anointed priest shall sin so as to bring guilt on the people,
then let him offer for his sin, which he hath sinned, a young bullock without
blemish unto the LORD for a sin-offering.
This is the Korban Chatas. The Chatas
can be for a Shabbos violation for example and the Korban must be for doing
something in error.
4 And he shall bring the bullock unto the door of the tent of
meeting before the LORD; and he shall lay his hand upon the head of the
bullock, and ritually slaughter
the bullock before the LORD.
As mentioned at the introduction to the
Parsha the name of the Korban has to be stated: “Le Shaym Korban Chatas” in our
case.
5 And the anointed priest shall take of the blood of the bullock,
and bring it to the tent of meeting. 6 And the priest shall dip his finger in
the blood, and sprinkle of the blood seven times before the LORD, in front of
the veil of the sanctuary. 7 And the priest shall put of the blood upon the
horns of the altar of sweet incense before the LORD, which is in the tent of
meeting; and all the remaining blood of the bullock shall he pour out at the
base of the altar of burnt-offering, which is at the door of the tent of
meeting. 8 And all the fat of the bullock of the sin-offering he shall take off
from it; the fat that covers the inwards, and all
the fat that is upon the inwards, 9 and the two kidneys, and the fat that is
upon them, which is by the loins, and the lobe above the liver, which he shall
take away by the kidneys, 10 as it is taken off from the ox of the sacrifice of
peace-offerings; and the priest shall make them smoke upon the altar of
burnt-offering.
It is a bull and not an ox. The
non-Jews castrate (blemish) their animals and make an Ox from a bull but since
the Koban has to be without blemishes, it is a bull.
11 But the skin of the bullock, and all its flesh, with its head,
and with its legs, and its inwards, and its dung, 12 even the whole bullock
shall he carry forth without the camp unto a clean place, where the ashes are
poured out, and burn it on wood with fire; where the ashes are poured out shall
it be burnt. 13 And if the whole congregation of Israel shall err, the thing
being hid from the eyes of the assembly, and do any of the things which the
LORD hath commanded not to be done, and are guilty: 14 when the sin wherein
they have sinned is known, then the assembly shall offer a young bullock for a
sin-offering, and bring it before the tent of meeting. 15 And the elders of the
congregation shall lay their hands upon the head of the bullock before the
LORD; and the bullock shall be killed before the LORD. 16 And the anointed
priest shall bring of the blood of the bullock to the tent of meeting. 17 And
the priest shall dip his finger in the blood, and sprinkle it seven times
before the LORD, in front of the veil.
How can this be? Beit Din, Sanhedrin or
the Av Beis Din/Melech (king) made a mistake and the whole Nation Erred.
Example they added another month to the calendar on the day they called 30th
of Adar Aleph but it was an intercalculation of the year making it Nissan and
adding a second month of Nissan in Nissan. After or on what should have been
Pesach and Chametz was found, the whole congregation is guilty. There is a
small tractate of the Talmud dealing with this called Horayos.
18 And he shall put of the blood upon the horns of the altar which
is before the LORD, that is in the tent of meeting, and all the remaining blood
shall he pour out at the base of the altar of burnt-offering, which is at the
door of the tent of meeting. … and the priest shall make atonement for them, and they
shall be forgiven. 21 And he shall carry forth the bullock
without the camp, and burn it as he burned the first bullock; it is the
sin-offering for the assembly.
The whole congregation or the whole
Beis Din.
22 When a ruler sins, and doeth through error any one of all the
things which the LORD his God hath commanded not to be done, and is guilty:
The Melech was a Just Ruler but made a
horrible mistake so he has a special Korban.
23 if his sin, wherein he hath sinned, be known to him, he shall
bring for his offering a goat, a male without blemish. 24 And he
shall lay his hand upon the head of the goat, …26 And all the
fat thereof shall he make smoke upon the altar, as the fat of the sacrifice of
peace-offerings; and the priest shall make atonement for him as concerning his
sin, and he shall be forgiven.
The fat is laid out like that of a
Korban Shlamim and not like a Chatas of the Congregation.
27 And if any one of the common people sin through error, in doing
any of the things which the LORD hath commanded not to be done, and be guilty: 28 if his sin, which he hath sinned, be known to him, then he shall
bring for his offering a goat, a female without blemish, for his sin which he
hath sinned.
A female as the size of the Korban goes
down. The Congregation gets a bull, the King a large male and an average person
gets a smaller Korban, a female.
32 And if he brings a lamb as his offering for a sin-offering, he
shall bring it a female without blemish. …and the priest shall
make atonement for him as touching his sin that he hath sinned, and he shall be
forgiven. 5:1 And if any one sin, in that he hears the voice of
adjuration, he being a witness, whether he hath seen or known, if he do not
utter it, then he shall bear his iniquity; 2 or if any one touch any unclean
thing, whether it be the carcass of an unclean beast, or the carcass of unclean
cattle, or the carcass of unclean swarming things, and be guilty, it being
hidden from him that he is unclean; 3 or if he touch the uncleanness of man,
whatsoever his uncleanness be wherewith he is unclean, and it be hid from him;
and, when he knows of it, be guilty;
The Korban Asham or guilt offering is
for the violation of the Mikdash in some form of Tuma. He did not purposely
violate the holiness but found on the soul of his shoe or sandal a dead mouse
or snake or a Zav, Zava, Corpse, etc. made him Tumay and then unaware he entered
the Mikdash.
4 or if any one swear clearly with his lips to do evil,
or to do good, whatsoever it be that a man shall utter clearly with an oath,
and it be hid from him; and, when he knows of it, be guilty in one of these
things; 5 and it shall be, when he shall be guilty in one of these things, that
he shall confess that wherein he hath sinned; 6 and he shall bring his forfeit
unto the LORD for his …11 But if his means
suffice not for two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, then he shall bring his
offering for that wherein he hath sinned, the tenth part of an ephah of fine
flour for a sin-offering; he shall put no oil upon it, neither shall he put any
frankincense thereon; for it is a sin-offering. …14 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 15 If any one
commit a trespass, and sin through error, in the holy things of the LORD, then
he shall bring his forfeit unto the LORD, a ram without blemish out of the
flock, according to thy valuation in silver by shekels, after the shekel of the
sanctuary, for a guilt-offering.
This is only for an error. Example he
thought that the sheep was his Korban Todah and it turned out to be somebody
else’s Asham then he has to bring this Korban and make restitution.
16 And he shall make restitution for that which he hath done amiss
in the holy thing, and shall add the fifth part thereto, and give it unto the
priest; and the priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of the
guilt-offering, and he shall be forgiven.
The fine is an additional 20% of the
value of the original Korban.
…21 If any one sin, and commit a trespass against the LORD, and
deal falsely with his neighbor in a matter of deposit, or of pledge, or of
robbery, or have oppressed his neighbor; 22 or have found that which was lost,
and deal falsely therein, and swear to a lie; in any of all these that a man
does, sinning therein; 23 then it shall be, if he hath sinned, and is guilty, that
he shall restore that which he took by robbery, or the thing which he hath
gotten by oppression, or the deposit which was deposited with him, or the lost
thing which he found, 24 or anything about which he hath sworn falsely, he
shall even restore it in full, and shall add the fifth part more thereto; unto
him to whom it appertains shall he give it, in the day of his being guilty. 25
And he shall bring his forfeit unto the LORD, a ram without blemish out of the
flock, according to thy valuation, for a guilt-offering, unto the priest. 26
And the priest shall make atonement for him before the LORD, and he shall be
forgiven, concerning whatsoever he does so as to be guilty thereby.
This is how theft can be forgiven. But he must placate the victim
or if many and unknown, he has to donate something for public use with the value.
Pesach and Corona
A few months ago; cruises, hotels,
airlines and Chabad had great plans for Pesach. Suddenly, the world has turned
upside down. NY, NJ, Italy, Paris, Israel are in quarantine. Advertisements are
popping up for a catered Seder Dinner. I will not know if it will be the three
of us at home or having the Seder at my daughter’s. As Clifford in AZ, a former
USAF soldier a year older than I wrote me: “Confined to Barracks”. People on my
prayer list above have to order store delivery or need help purchasing.
Synagogues and Churches are conducting
lectures and prayers via the internet. The Ultra-Orthodox who are fighting the
internet are fewer and fewer each year. Some on the surface like with
televisions have internet in the closets. We cannot hide our heads in the sand
and there are kosher internet filters.
In short, this year there are fewer and
fewer people who can just sell their Chametz and rent out their house. So the
laws of Pesach and the work of making a Seder are upon us all. Those who want
to help with the environment will use regular dishes and wash well. There will
be some who will use disposables. Let’s be tolerant as there is so much work
and perhaps the family is large, let’s not get angry especially if this is a
onetime even.
Large Sederim are out this year and a
great pity it is. Here are some sites.
The Laws of the Pesach Seder through
Shavuos you can print a PDF. https://ohr.edu/holidays/pesach/laws_and_customs/3468
OU guide for Passover 2020: https://oukosher.org/passover/download-passover-guide-signup/
Halacha: Rather than I copy and paste
please go and read or print: Preparing for Pesach rid of Chametz: https://torah.org/learning/shulchan-aruch-classes-orachchayim-chapter32/
Seder to Shavuos: https://torah.org/learning/shulchan-aruch-classes-orachchayim-chapter35/
Aish on Pesach Seder: https://www.aish.com/h/pes/l/48968741.html
After you have read all this, you are a
bit more informed and intelligent. I will try to find some old writings where I
brought down the Halachos themselves including the recipe for Charoses found in
the Code of Jewish Law or Kitzur Shulchan Aruch.
Any questions can be posted on my
message board at: https://www.facebook.com/rabbirachamim.pauli
A letter from Rabbi Simon Jacobson
Shlita:
Dear Rabbi Rachamim,
First and foremost, it is my sincerest hope and prayer that you are all feeling well both physically and emotionally.
Though you are always in my heart, at a time like this, when all otherwise-reliable security blankets and comfort zones have been stripped away and we're being tested in ways we could never have previously imagined, it is more important than ever to know how deeply connected we really are.
In “normal” times we often make do by relying on our conventional routines and habits, convinced that our material comforts provide us with ultimate security. But when those have all virtually been upended and we're suddenly faced with deep unknowns, we realize that all we have left is our one and only true and ultimate security – the one that comes from our soul’s connection to G-d and to each other.
Although no one wanted or expected this upheaval, it has been thrust upon us and presents us with two choices: 1) To cower in fear and retreat into the clouds of uncertainty. 2) To rise to the occasion and let our souls shine forth in the best and most beautiful way they can.
I am confident that both you and I have chosen correctly.
Obviously, we need to be prudent, responsible and listen to the health authorities to do whatever it takes to protect ourselves, our families and all those around us. But at the same time we must reach deeper into our inner resources and remain calm and confident as we face these challenges. We must use this time to build up our inner and intimate lives – our love and connection with our families and loved ones, our inner fortitude and values system, and to remind each other what it is we stand for and are ready to fight for. Despite the darkness around us, now more than ever, we embrace being agents of light, particularly when the light is so drastically needed.
While we have no control over the virus and the events going on outside of ourselves, we do have full control over what is going on inside ourselves: what our attitudes are, which message we will give our children, families and friends, how nobly and in how dignified a manner we behave during this unprecedented time; which new skills and strengths – perhaps lying dormant within us until now – will emerge.
So while we may need to be socially distant for the time being, we must become soulfully closer than ever.
In the spirit of brotherhood I share with you that we are here for you and with you. We will neither slow down nor curtail any of our activities. On the contrary, we have chosen to accelerate them – by focusing all our resources toward providing everyone with empowering, life-affirming messages and life skills to ease the strain felt by all of us. Just as the body needs nourishment to be healthy, so too does the soul. In many ways, demoralization and fear can be even more debilitating than the virus itself. We are committed to doing everything in our power to boost the emotional and psychological immunities of our brethren.
In the coming weeks, we will be rolling out special online programs and classes which will address many different segments of society, including online interactive sessions with students across the country and the world which will respond to their questions and concerns, short daily spiritual messages (Soulful Antidotes), and much more. Please see the special coronavirus section we created on our site, which is being updated daily with new materials.
I invite you to join me in this effort. Firstly, by personally partaking in these programs, and of course, by extending the invitation to all others who may benefit as well. Secondly, by sharing your suggestions about programs and ideas you feel would be of service to you and others you know. I would love to hear your thoughts.
And above all, do your part! Express your unique voice and illuminate everyone you can reach!
We may be quarantined within our homes, but we are certainly not quarantined in our souls – we have enormous ability to reach deeper into the hearts and souls of our loved ones, our friends and strangers too. Indeed, these crazy times have opened up new unprecedented opportunities – and a great need – for just such soulful connections.
Let us use this opportunity to transform what may appear as a “distancing” and “isolating” experience, into a connecting and unifying experience -- a global unity revolution -- uniting and bringing us closer together than ever before, until we merit to see the personal and global redemption of the entire world.
I believe this may be the defining event of our lives: how we respond today will be etched into the annals of history for eternity.
We will not be known for having been silent in the face of such upheaval. When this story will be told by our children and grandchildren, we will be remembered as having done everything humanly possible to mitigate the crisis, emerging a much stronger people in the process.
We shall see the sun rise and our planet restored to excellent health.
With blessings and prayers for complete, perfect health and many long years, physically and spiritually.
With love and warmth,
Simon Jacobson
First and foremost, it is my sincerest hope and prayer that you are all feeling well both physically and emotionally.
Though you are always in my heart, at a time like this, when all otherwise-reliable security blankets and comfort zones have been stripped away and we're being tested in ways we could never have previously imagined, it is more important than ever to know how deeply connected we really are.
In “normal” times we often make do by relying on our conventional routines and habits, convinced that our material comforts provide us with ultimate security. But when those have all virtually been upended and we're suddenly faced with deep unknowns, we realize that all we have left is our one and only true and ultimate security – the one that comes from our soul’s connection to G-d and to each other.
Although no one wanted or expected this upheaval, it has been thrust upon us and presents us with two choices: 1) To cower in fear and retreat into the clouds of uncertainty. 2) To rise to the occasion and let our souls shine forth in the best and most beautiful way they can.
I am confident that both you and I have chosen correctly.
Obviously, we need to be prudent, responsible and listen to the health authorities to do whatever it takes to protect ourselves, our families and all those around us. But at the same time we must reach deeper into our inner resources and remain calm and confident as we face these challenges. We must use this time to build up our inner and intimate lives – our love and connection with our families and loved ones, our inner fortitude and values system, and to remind each other what it is we stand for and are ready to fight for. Despite the darkness around us, now more than ever, we embrace being agents of light, particularly when the light is so drastically needed.
While we have no control over the virus and the events going on outside of ourselves, we do have full control over what is going on inside ourselves: what our attitudes are, which message we will give our children, families and friends, how nobly and in how dignified a manner we behave during this unprecedented time; which new skills and strengths – perhaps lying dormant within us until now – will emerge.
So while we may need to be socially distant for the time being, we must become soulfully closer than ever.
In the spirit of brotherhood I share with you that we are here for you and with you. We will neither slow down nor curtail any of our activities. On the contrary, we have chosen to accelerate them – by focusing all our resources toward providing everyone with empowering, life-affirming messages and life skills to ease the strain felt by all of us. Just as the body needs nourishment to be healthy, so too does the soul. In many ways, demoralization and fear can be even more debilitating than the virus itself. We are committed to doing everything in our power to boost the emotional and psychological immunities of our brethren.
In the coming weeks, we will be rolling out special online programs and classes which will address many different segments of society, including online interactive sessions with students across the country and the world which will respond to their questions and concerns, short daily spiritual messages (Soulful Antidotes), and much more. Please see the special coronavirus section we created on our site, which is being updated daily with new materials.
I invite you to join me in this effort. Firstly, by personally partaking in these programs, and of course, by extending the invitation to all others who may benefit as well. Secondly, by sharing your suggestions about programs and ideas you feel would be of service to you and others you know. I would love to hear your thoughts.
And above all, do your part! Express your unique voice and illuminate everyone you can reach!
We may be quarantined within our homes, but we are certainly not quarantined in our souls – we have enormous ability to reach deeper into the hearts and souls of our loved ones, our friends and strangers too. Indeed, these crazy times have opened up new unprecedented opportunities – and a great need – for just such soulful connections.
Let us use this opportunity to transform what may appear as a “distancing” and “isolating” experience, into a connecting and unifying experience -- a global unity revolution -- uniting and bringing us closer together than ever before, until we merit to see the personal and global redemption of the entire world.
I believe this may be the defining event of our lives: how we respond today will be etched into the annals of history for eternity.
We will not be known for having been silent in the face of such upheaval. When this story will be told by our children and grandchildren, we will be remembered as having done everything humanly possible to mitigate the crisis, emerging a much stronger people in the process.
We shall see the sun rise and our planet restored to excellent health.
With blessings and prayers for complete, perfect health and many long years, physically and spiritually.
With love and warmth,
Simon Jacobson
Famous
Mohel and Nazi Fighter succumbs to Covid 19 By Yvette Alt Miller
Romi Cohn’s legacy of helping others began when he was a young child and he saved scores of his fellow Jews from the Holocaust. He faced unimaginable horrors. Born in Pressburg, Czechoslovakia, in 1929, his family were Chassidic Jews, and would regularly open their home to students who were boarding at local yeshivas, providing them with meals and a family away from home.
All that changed in 1938 when Germany invaded Czechoslovakia. Suddenly it was terribly dangerous to live openly as a Jew. Though he was only ten years old, Romi’s parents sent him to safety in Hungary where he enrolled in the Pupa Yeshiva, and was helped by the Rosh Yeshiva who hid the fact that Romi was an illegal refugee. For a few years, life seemed fairly normal – until 1944, when Germany invaded Hungary and began deporting Jews to death camps.
Romi used forged identification papers that identified him as a Christian to return to Czechoslovakia, and there he made contact with secret partisan fighters who were resisting the Nazis. For a time, Romi worked with resistance fighters, supplying Jews with forged documents that identified them as Christian and finding hiding places. A sympathetic worker in the local Gestapo headquarters helped Romi and the other partisans, supplying them with German seals so they could stamp their forged documents with authentic Nazi insignias.
Romi was arrested on suspicion of carrying forged documents but managed to escape from custody. Realizing that he’d face certain death if he was caught a second time, Romi fled to the mountains in Hungary where groups of partisan fighters were hiding. He forged a Nazi military travel order, identifying him as a non-Jewish Jan Kovik, who was carrying a message to a distant military outpost near territory where partisans were fighting. Nazis who checked these forged travel orders, Romi later recalled, “all shook my hand and wished me luck. They thought I was going to go strike a blow for the Reich.”
By then, German forces were already in retreat, and Romi’s unit of partisan fighters drove them further westward. They also captured soldiers and senior Nazi officials. In all, Romi helped save the lives of 56 Jewish families during the Holocaust. He was awarded the Silver Star medal by the International Partisans after the war.
Europe in 1945 was in disarray and Romi had no idea if anyone in his family had survived. He was only sixteen years old, and returned to Czechoslovakia to see if he could find anyone he’d once known. He met with returning survivors, asking them if they’d heard any news about his family. One day, he met a man who was so emaciated that Romi burst into tears. Suddenly, this survivor called out Romi’s name. It was his father! He was ill Romi hadn’t even recognized him. The pair embraced, and Romi’s father told him the terrible news that his mother, his sisters and his brother had all died at Nazis’ hands.
Romi eventually got permission to move first to Canada, then the United States. He settled in New York, where he met his wife Malvine. Together, they built a new life dedicated to Jewish observance and rebuilding the Jewish community that the Nazis had tried so hard to destroy.
With the rise of Holocaust denial, Romi began to speak out about his Holocaust experiences. In 2002 he published The Youngest Partisan: A Young Boy Who Fought the Nazis, about his experiences during World War II. “We have to keep in mind today, we live in a free country and we say, ‘This could never happen here,’ which is a tremendous mistake,” Romi warned. “I come from Czechoslovakia. Democracy in Slovakia was even superior to American democracy – total democracy. And if this could happen in a civilized country, overnight… Within six months, propaganda turned the population completely.”
In the decades after the Holocaust, Romi did all he could to rebuild Jewish life. He set up a foundation to help support Jewish students, wrote books on Jewish subjects, and helped build synagogues and Jewish schools. He even wrote an entire Torah scroll which he gave to Rabbi Chaim Zanvl Abramowitz, also known as the “Ribnitzer Rebbe”, who was Romi’s rabbi and spiritual guide. n January 27, 2020, the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, Romi delivered the opening prayer in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Rabbi Romi Cohn passed away on March 23, 2020 at the age of 92 from Covid-19 related illness. “Many people, they lost their faith in God” during the Holocaust Rabbi Cohn explained. His experience was different: “The Holocaust enforced my belief because I was in situations where...I had continuously two angels walking next to me. No matter what situation I was in, impossible situations, and they protected me.”
If there were
elections today: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/277580
Sign of
our times very sad for me: A young lady in her early forties whom I knew from
the time she was born called me and asked me for a place for a young couple to
meet for a Shidduch. Because of the danger to me with my health problems and
age, I had to turn her down.
In my e-mail: Dear Residents, As you
know we are trying to prevent the spreading of the Corona virus which is
affecting our daily lives. Unfortunately, there is a real concern that we will
not go back to our everyday lives before Pesach. In light of this, Rav Itamar
Orbach, Rav of the Yeshuv, has deemed that there will not be a Yeshuv vessel
kashering this year.
Regarding the
utensil Mikvah: it is recommended that you wear gloves and wash the dishes with
soap when you get home!
Rumors have it that Harvey Weinstein
has Corona. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/r1V00zJL8L
Former Justice Minister demands tit for tat. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/277635
Chief Rabbi called for a fast on Wednesday. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/277645
If the Blue and White change Knesset Speaker there
will be a 4th election. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/277642
Sign of Corona Virus. https://www.foxnews.com/health/loss-of-taste-smell-could-be-telltale-sign-of-coronavirus
United Hatzalah Chief has Corona. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/277675
Woman who violated curfew listened to the
opposition. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/277672
From Michael: QUARANTINE AND
WASH YOUR HANDS BELLE HEB. https://www.facebook.com/1236511454/videos/10222576927272015/
Erroneous Ruling: Zoom Software opened before Yom
Tov is permitted only for emergencies but contact your local Orthodox Rabbi. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/277764
Ruling on Zoom Software is improper
says Tzomet Institute and Chief Rabbi. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/277840
Likud submits election fraud complaint. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/277753
Milestone: Former youth leader and Rosh Yeshiva
dies. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/277798
From both Yehuda and Sophia: Milestone Corona
victims two Rabbis. https://forward.com/fast-forward/442258/two-new-york-city-rabbis-die-both-diagnosed-with-coronavirus/
Inyanay Diyoma
Iran relocates headquarters in Syria. https://www.debka.com/iran-hizballah-forces-relocate-hq-from-damascus-to-aleppo/
Corona tests rise so does cases. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/8HYJRQ6S4
First fatality: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/277592
Health Officials see too many violations. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/Hy3UFimL8#autoplay
Jews organize help righteous gentiles. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/277568
UK too little too late. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/277594
Two Al Qaeda trained in Pakistan Gazans return with
first cases of Corona. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/277615
BDE Head of Beit Hanna Chabad in Paris dies of
Corona. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/277613
3000 Israelis are in India, 1100 in Italy as rescue
missions take effect. https://www.timesofisrael.com/fm-says-will-launch-emergency-plan-to-rescue-israelis-stranded-abroad/
Medical staff in quarantine rises to 3000 with 42
ill. https://www.timesofisrael.com/number-of-sick-medical-staff-rises-to-42-with-over-3000-quarantined/
B”H Karen and Mike Pence test negative. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/277618
Marriage with no congregation. https://www.ynetnews.com/magazine/article/HyR2iEMU8
Protest rise Netanyahu spins unity. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/Sy00ZFx488
Dr. Martin Sherman: Why Netanyahu must step down. www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/25408
Police escort Corona
Patient in Hospital transfer. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/277620
FAA temporarily halts flights due to Corona. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/277606
Hamas threatens. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/277603
Jordan has 3day curfew. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/277596
Trump takes on reporter over scare tactics. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/277593
Trump offers N. Korea help. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/trump-writes-to-kim-jong-un-offering-help-in-virus-fight-north-korea-says/ar-BB11wg3x?ocid=spartanntp
Brooklyn under quarantine. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/277631
IDF eliminates threat. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/277655
Argentina Synagogues to close down. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/277667
1,238 with Corona or had. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/277669
Wanted
a director of crises for Corona. After the toilet paper, paper towels and
pasta disappeared it is now the eggs. Some of it
stems from the memories of the Yom Kippur war and one other time. However,
there is no blackout that caused the former. It is psychological as General “I
heard” is directing the public. Hens are laying them as usual. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/BkSen5sSL
Democracy
in the cross-hairs. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/rkCS7ECBU#autoplay
Netanyahu convinced Austria to follow us. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/277622
FBI discovers neo-Nazis trying to spread Corona to
Jews and US Police. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/277647
Trump activates the National Guard. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/277656
Will he pull a Ben Gurion and ignore the court? https://www.debka.com/supreme-court-gives-speaker-48-hours-to-call-a-vote-for-his-ouster/
Israel not prepared for a pandemic: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/277688
Finally, a bailout for the little mom and pop shops
and ordinary workers and politicians kill it. https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/488925-senate-democrats-block-mammoth-coronavirus-stimulus-package
No buses, no sports, no theaters for the first time
Israelis must stay at home and have a Shabbos. Actress decides to try Shabbos. https://www.algemeiner.com/2020/03/22/amid-coronavirus-crisis-jewish-actress-emmy-rossum-shares-plans-to-focus-on-shabbat/
From Lynette: This is in the States. As idiotic as
teens are in Israel they have some semblance of decency. https://www.theblaze.com/news/cops-say-teenage-idiots-are-going-around-coughing-on-produce-on-purpose-filming-it-and-posting-it-to-social-media
Israel goes to full lockdown. https://www.debka.com/israel-faces-full-lockdown-as-coronavirus-rate-mounts-to-200-a-day/
Number of cases 1656 today & rising. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/277722
Japan may have a DNA medication. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/277709
Last of the German righteous gentiles dies. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/277715
UK 180degree reverse on Corona. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/277703
Ed-Op Diane W.
Bederman: China not the virus is the enemy. https://dianebederman.com/china-not-the-virus-is-the-enemy/
Justice for
Palestine mocks Israeli dead. https://www.algemeiner.com/2020/03/23/ex-sjp-leader-at-nyu-responds-to-israels-first-coronavirus-death-with-nasty-tweet/
UK amends Corona for burial. https://www.algemeiner.com/2020/03/23/uk-government-amends-emergency-coronavirus-bill-to-ensure-jewish-and-muslim-burial-practices-are-respected/
Iran continues with false propaganda. https://www.algemeiner.com/2020/03/23/coronavirus-fabrications-pushed-by-iranian-regime-put-world-at-risk-says-us-secretary-of-state-pompeo/?utm_content=news1&utm_medium=daily_email&utm_campaign=email&utm_source=internal/
5th Corona victim in Israel. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/277783
Top health officials in dispute. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/277776
Possible Tsunami from 7.8 quake. https://www.debka.com/mivzak/russian-kuril-islands-quake-prompts-us-hawaii-tsunami-warning/
Paris, Jewish area hit the hardest Satmar in Monroe
NY, Crown Heights, Williamsburg, NJ, Borough Park the hardest hit areas. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/277766
Olympics postponed. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/277768
Likud submits election fraud complaint. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/277753
Charity removes Protocol Book. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/277782
Egypt orders night curfew. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/277778
17days later traces
of Virus found on ship. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/277781
Disease spreads and stronger curfew takes effect. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/277854
Ruling
on Zoom Software is improper says Tzomet Institute and Chief Rabbi. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/277840
Argentina Health Authorities place medical rules
for Mikvah. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/277842
Likud to get Police Min. Blue & White Justice
Min. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/277840
Family believes Levinson died in Iran. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/277826
Arab MK sends mother of terrorist greetings. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/277812
Israel gives Arabs test kits. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/277833
Milestone: Former youth leader and Rosh Yeshiva
dies. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/277798
Deal reached $25 million Kennedy Center hundreds of
millions for Public Broadcasting as aid for the poor approved. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/277839
Courts and left control Legislature. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/277839
Streets empty. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/rkAYEVYU8
Yossi Yehoshua: Netanyahu won the political battle
but lost the Corona War. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/Sy8oZaOIL
Arab workers may go back home. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/H1kNp1FIL
Health Min. braces for abundant patients. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/r10OfMKL8
Ron Ben Yishai threat of a civil war. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/ryYOO5dUU
Last effort before complete closure. https://www.debka.com/netanyahu-coronavirus-figures-double-every-three-days-may-surge-into-thousands-requiring-full-lockdown/
New 78 MK or more government to form. https://www.debka.com/likudkahol-lavan-near-unity-netanyahu-to-lead-joint-government-gantz-knesset-speaker-then-acting-pm/
Blue and White Party breaks up on hatred for
Netanyahu. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/277867
IDF shoots down Hezballah drone. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/277868
Corona in Gaza rises. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/277838
The amount of testing for the virus has gone up and
more found but it is not exponentially but arithmetically when all is taken
into account the closure appears to be working but we will only know in a week
and a half or more. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/277902
Sunday Soldiers to enforce curfew. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/277903
Children recite the 12 Pasukim. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/277903
GM, Ford, My Pillow,
Fruit of the Loom, Hanes, 3M and now ‘Fanatics’ making ventilators or masks: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/277899
Ganz you are a man that I can count on. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/277896
This little one will grow to Torah, Chupa (wedding
canopy) and good deeds despite Corona. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/277896
Ganz becomes a hero avoiding a 4th election
others heels. https://www.debka.com/likudkahol-lavan-near-unity-netanyahu-to-lead-joint-government-gantz-knesset-speaker-then-acting-pm/
Likud’s allies in the dark. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/ryPkko5LU
Working on voice test to find Corona. https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3803369,00.html
Guard your health, pray for salvation,
relax and have a healthy, happy Shabbos.
Rachamim Pauli
