Parsha Shelach Lecha
Last week’s Parsha ended with sisterly
and brotherly Lashon HaRa and listening to it. This was about a human. But
Lashon HaRa about the land of the Kabbalistic Domain of inanimate would that be
acceptable or is that bad too? We are about to find out. Now Hoshea Bin Nun was
saved by Moshe adding part of the DIVINE NAME making him Yehoshua. What saved
Calev? Praying by the graves of the Avos and Emaos (mothers outside of Rachel -
not mentioned). He was rewarded by
receiving in his portion the cave of the Machpelah.
13:1
And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying:
2 'Send thou
men, that they may spy out the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children
of Israel; of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man, everyone a
prince among them.'
Not an ordinary person but a leader of princely
status.
3 And Moses sent them from the
wilderness of Paran according to the commandment of the LORD; all of them men
who were heads of the children of Israel. 4
And these were their names: of the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur. 5 Of the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori. 6 Of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh.
Each one had merits and were learned they were
leaders of thousands.
7 Of the tribe of Issachar, Igal
the son of Joseph. 8 Of the tribe of
Ephraim, Hoshea the son of Nun. 9 Of the
tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu. 10 Of the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi. 11 Of the tribe of Joseph, namely, of the tribe of
Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi. 12 Of
the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli. 13 Of the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael. 14 Of the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi. 15 Of the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi. 16 These are the names of the men that Moses sent to spy
out the land. And Moses called Hoshea the son of Nun Joshua.
The change in his name by adding the Yud before
the Hey was enough to keep the Shechina on him. Calev was greater in this case
as he did so by himself.
17 And Moses sent them to spy out
the land of Canaan, and said unto them: 'Get you up here into the South, and go
up into the mountains; 18 and see the
land, what it is; and the people that dwell therein, whether they are strong or
weak, whether they are few or many;
He told them privately. He did not expect a
public report but a secret military spy report.
19 and what the land is that they
dwell in, whether it is good or bad; and what cities they are that they dwell
in, whether in camps, or in strongholds;
Is it well fortified or can we easily conquer the
area and other military and tactical advice.
20 and what the land is, whether it
is fat or lean, whether there is wood therein, or not. And be ye of good
courage, and bring of the fruit of the land.'--Now the time was the time of the
first-ripe grapes.
Sometime between late June and early August for
most grapes although Chevron is late Sept.
-- 21 So they went up, and spied out the land from the
wilderness of Zin unto Rehob, at the entrance to Hamath.
Northern Syria.
22 And they went up into the South,
and came unto Hebron; and Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the children of Anak,
were there.--Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.
These three brothers were very tall.
23 And they came unto the valley of
Eshcol, and cut down from thence a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they
bore it upon a pole between two; they took also of the pomegranates, and of the
figs.
Figs are late July and early August but
pomegranates are closer to late August and we know that the spies returned by
Tisha B’Av therefore, it appears that during the year 2449, the pomegranates
ripened earlier.
24 That place was called the valley
of Eshkol, because of the cluster which the children of Israel cut down from
thence.
Modern Eshkol is in the Negev but this appears to
be a place such as a valley near Chevron similar to where the massive satellite
antennas are.
25 And they returned from spying
out the land at the end of forty days. 26
And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of
the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought
back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, and showed them the fruit
of the land.
The problem arises here is not that their initial
report was to Moshe but they were not sworn to secrecy and they told stories
that like the game of ‘telephone’ became distorted by repeating. It turned into
Lashon HaRa.
27 And they told him, and said: 'We
came unto the land whither thou sent us, and surely it flows with milk and
honey; and this is the fruit of it.
First tell the truth about what the
land is about.
28 Howbeit the people that dwell in
the land are fierce, and the cities are fortified, and very great; and moreover
we saw the children of Anak there.
These cowards with slave mentalities
were scared and without faith.
29 Amalek dwells in the land of the
South; and the Hittite, and the Jebusite, and the Amorite, dwell in the
mountains; and the Canaanite dwell by the sea, and along by the side of the
Jordan.'
Nobody took a census if they could
raise an army of 600,000 men or take into account that we have HASHEM on our
side? There are those scholars who claim that the princes did not want to lose
their political status that they had in the desert and become ordinary farmers,
shepherds and ranchers.
30 And Caleb stilled the people
toward Moses, and said: 'We should go up at once, and possess it; for we are
well able to overcome it.'
HASHEM of Hosts is with us the ELOKIM
is backing us as the G-D of Yacov.
31 But the men that went up with
him said: 'We are not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger
than we.'
Nobody asked them for their Ed-Op and
the cowardness of fear.
32 And they spread an evil report
of the land which they had spied out unto the children of Israel, saying: 'The
land, through which we have passed to spy it out, is a land that eats up the
inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of great
stature.
Fools – HASHEM brought a plague upon
them that they would bury their dead and not be on the lookout for spies.
33 And there we saw the Nephilim,
the sons of Anak, who come of the Nephilim; and we were in our own sight as
grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.'
We were in OUR sight as grasshoppers
but not really so. We were shaking in our boots because of our shortness and
their towering height.
14:1 And all the
congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night.
They cried the night of Tisha B’Av for
no reason at that time a Gezaira came that they would cry that night in the
future for a tragic reason.
2 And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and
against Aaron; and the whole congregation said unto them: 'Would that we had
died in the land of Egypt! or would we had died in this wilderness! 3 And
wherefore doth the LORD bring us unto this land, to fall by the sword? Our
wives and our little ones will be a prey; were it not better for us to return
into Egypt?' 4 And they said one to another: 'Let us make a captain, and let us
return into Egypt.'
Moshe and Aaron said Tachnun over these
rebellious individuals after all the two had done for the nation. G-D heard
their prayers.
5 Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly
of the congregation of the children of Israel. 6 And Joshua the son of Nun and
Caleb the son of Yephunneh, who were of them that spied out the land, rent
their clothes. 7 And they spoke unto all the congregation of the children of
Israel, saying: 'The land, which we passed through to spy it out, is an
exceeding good land. 8 If the LORD delight in us, then He will bring us into
this land, and give it unto us--a land which flows with milk and honey. 9 Only
rebel not against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they
are bread for us; their defense is removed from over them, and the LORD is with
us; fear them not.' 10 But all the congregation bade stone them with stones,
when the glory of the LORD appeared in the tent of meeting unto all the
children of Israel.
Despite the truth from these two
witnesses, the people were afraid and rebellious willing to return to slavery
rather than fight as free men.
11 And the LORD said unto Moses: 'How long will this people
despise Me? and how long will they not believe in Me, for all the signs which I
have wrought among them? 12 I will smite them with the pestilence, and destroy
them, and will make of thee a nation greater and mightier than they.'
The L-RD was ready to kill all of them
and again Moshe had to pray for the people.
13 And Moses said unto the LORD: 'When the Egyptians shall
hear--for Thou brought up this people in Thy might from among them. 14 they
will say to the inhabitants of this land, who have heard that Thou LORD art in
the midst of this people; inasmuch as Thou LORD art seen face to face, and Thy
cloud stands over them, and Thou go before them, in a pillar of cloud by day,
and in a pillar of fire by night; 15 now if Thou shalt kill this people as one
man, then the nations which have heard the fame of Thee will speak, saying: 16
Because the LORD was not able to bring this people into the land which He swore
unto them, therefore He hath slain them in the wilderness. 17 And now, I pray
Thee, let the power of the LORD be great, according as Thou hast spoken,
saying: 18 The LORD is slow to anger, and plenteous in lovingkindness,
forgiving iniquity and transgression, and that will by no means clear the
guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, upon the third
and upon the fourth generation. 19 Pardon, I pray Thee, the iniquity of this
people according unto the greatness of Thy lovingkindness, and according as
Thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.'
Moshe’s prayer we say on fast days to
avoid the evil decree.
20 And the LORD said: 'I have pardoned according to thy word.
I have forgiven the average man.
21 But in very deed, as I live--and all the earth shall be filled
with the glory of the LORD-- 22 surely all those men that have seen My glory,
and My signs, which I wrought in Egypt and in the wilderness, yet have put Me
to proof these ten times, and have not hearkened to My voice; 23 surely they
shall not see the land which I swore unto their fathers, neither shall any of
them that despised Me see it.
This generation must die out.
24 But My servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him,
and hath followed Me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went;
and his seed shall possess it. 25 Now the Amalekite and the Canaanite dwell in
the Vale; tomorrow turn ye, and get you into the wilderness by the way to the
Red Sea.'
You should have easily conquered them
but now you must move backwards away from Eretz Yisrael towards the Red Sea.
26 And the LORD spoke unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying: 27 'How
long shall I bear with this evil congregation, that keep murmuring against Me?
I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they keep
murmuring against Me. 28 Say unto them: As I live, says the LORD, surely as ye
have spoken in Mine ears, so will I do to you: 29 your carcasses shall fall in
this wilderness, and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole
number, from twenty years old and upward, ye that have murmured against Me; 30
surely ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I lifted up My hand
that I would make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Yephunneh, and
Joshua the son of Nun.
You will not be able to enter the land
flowing with milk and honey. As for the princes, they died on the spot so their
political ambitions stopped in their tracks.
31 But your little ones, that ye said would be a prey, them will I
bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have rejected. 32 But as for
you, your carcasses shall fall in this wilderness. 33 And your children shall
be wanderers in the wilderness forty years, and shall bear your straying, until
your carcasses be consumed in the wilderness. 34 After the number of the days
in which ye spied out the land, even forty days, for every day a year, shall ye
bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know My displeasure. 35 I
the LORD have spoken, surely this will I do unto all this evil congregation,
that are gathered together against Me; in this wilderness they shall be
consumed, and there they shall die.'
What should have been an easy as pie
thing to enter the land, would be delayed because of that generation.
36 And the men, whom Moses sent to spy out the land, and who, when
they returned, made all the congregation to murmur against him, by bringing up
an evil report against the land, 37 even those men that did
bring up an evil report of the land, died by the plague before the LORD. 38 But
Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Yephunneh, remained alive of those
men that went to spy out the land. 39 And Moses told these words unto all the
children of Israel; and the people mourned greatly. 40 And they rose up early
in the morning, and got them up to the top of the mountain, saying: 'Lo, we are
here, and will go up unto the place which the LORD hath promised; for we have
sinned.'
From Yehoshua’s tribe were willing to
fight and some of them went up to show their loyalty but without the help or
will from HASHEM they were slaughtered and became the dry bones that Yechezkel
saw.
41 And Moses said: 'Wherefore now do ye transgress the commandment
of the LORD, seeing it shall not prosper? 42 Go not up, for the LORD is not
among you; that ye be not smitten down before your enemies. 43 For there the
Amalekite and the Canaanite are before you, and ye shall fall by the sword;
forasmuch as ye are turned back from following the LORD, and the LORD will not
be with you.' 44 But they presumed to go up to the top of the mountain;
nevertheless the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and Moses, departed not out
of the camp. 45 Then the Amalekite and the Canaanite, who dwelt in that
hill-country, came down, and smote them and beat them down, even unto Hormah.
A tragic ending to a group that did not
cry but would not listen to the Gezaira.
It is as if the spying had not occurred
or G-D is talking about the future after 40 years. The passage is not dependent
on the recent behavior of the spies but upon the generation that will enter the
land.
4 then shall he that bring his offering present unto the LORD a
meal-offering of a tenth part of an ephah of fine flour mingled with the fourth
part of a hin of oil; 5 and wine for the drink-offering, the fourth part of a
hin, shalt thou prepare with the burnt-offering or for the sacrifice, for each
lamb. 6 Or for a ram, thou shalt prepare for a meal-offering two tenth parts of
an ephah of fine flour mingled with the third part of a hin of oil; 7 and for
the drink-offering thou shalt present the third part of a hin of wine, of a
sweet savor unto the LORD. 8 And when thou prepare a bullock for a
burnt-offering, or for a sacrifice, in fulfilment of a vow clearly uttered, or
for peace-offerings unto the LORD; 9 then shall there be presented with the
bullock a meal-offering of three tenth parts of an ephah of fine flour mingled
with half a hin of oil.
This is the amount of oil and flour
brought for the various animal sacrifices.
… 17 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 18 Speak unto the
children of Israel, and say unto them: When ye come into the land whither I
bring you, 19 then it shall be, that, when ye eat of the bread of the land, ye
shall set apart a portion for a gift unto the LORD. 20 Of the first of your
dough ye shall set apart a cake for a gift; as that which is set apart of the
threshing-floor, so shall ye set it apart. 21 Of the first of your dough ye
shall give unto the LORD a portion for a gift throughout your generations.
This is the separation of Challah for
bread made in the quantity of over a kilogram.
… 32 And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they
found a man gathering sticks upon the Sabbath day. 33 And they that found him
gathering sticks brought him unto Moses and Aaron, and unto all the
congregation. 34 And they put him in ward, because it had not been declared
what should be done to him.
It was obvious that he had be warned on
Sinai not to do a Melacha on Shabbos. The question was what was his punishment?
35 And the LORD said unto Moses: 'The man shall surely be put to
death; all the congregation shall stone him with stones without the camp.'
Now Moshe had been given clear
instructions about what to do and was going to follow the Halacha.
Below is the third and last section of the Kirias Shema but comes first in the order of the Torah. The Mitzvah of wearing fringe garments. The people used to dress in a garment we call an Afghan with four corners on it. Nowadays it is hard to find a garment like that outside of Afghanistan but when I was a child people wore it like a poncho during the cool to cold weather.
37 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 38 'Speak unto the
children of Israel, and bid them that they make them throughout their
generations fringes in the corners of their garments, and that they put with
the fringe of each corner a thread of blue.
There should be a Techelles thread on
the four fringes but today we are quite uncertain what it is. There are a few
scholars with a good opinion what it is and how to make the dye but the vast
majority of Charedim are against doing things without a tradition including
what is obviously locusts which can be eaten as we have no oral tradition on
this. The Yemenites do and they eat them. I would go according to the Yemenites
but would have to have a Sanhedrin to approve such a move for Ashkenazim and
Sephardim.
39 And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon
it, and remember all the commandments of the LORD, and do them; and that ye go
not about after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go
astray;
The Talmud brings down a story about
this and I have a story of a Henry P. The Talmudic Story is in Menachos 44A:
(source https://talmudictreasures.blogspot.com/2014/02/menachot-44a-redemption-for-prostitute.html )
It was taught: R. Nathan said: There is not a single commandment
written in the Torah, even the lightest, whose reward is not enjoyed in this
world; and as to its reward in the world to come I do not know how great it is.
Go and learn this from the commandment of Tzitzit (fringes).
Once there was a man, who was very careful about the commandment
of Tzitzit. He heard about a certain harlot in one of the towns by the sea who
charged a fee of four hundred gold coins for her hire. He sent her four hundred
gold coins [in advance] and scheduled a time [to meet her]. When his time
arrived he came and sat at her door step. The harlot’s maid told her: “The man
who sent you four hundred gold coins is here and is waiting at the door”; to
which the harlot replied “Let him come in”. He came in.
The harlot prepared for him
seven beds, six of silver and one of gold; and between one bed and the other
there were steps of silver, but the last were of gold. She then went up to the
top bed and sat upon it naked. He too went up and sat naked next to her, when
[all of a sudden] the four fringes (Tzitzit) of his garment struck him across
the face; he slipped off the bed and fell upon the ground. She also [let
herself fall] and sat upon the ground.
She said to him; “By the Roman Capitol (A form of oath.
According to Rashi: By the head of Rome, referring to the Emperor), I will not
leave until you tell me what blemish you saw in me.” He replied: “By the Temple
(the service of the Temple), never have I seen a woman as beautiful as you are;
but there is one commandment which God has commanded us, that is called Tzitzit,
and with regard to it the expression “I am the Lord your God” is written twice,
signifying, I am He who will exact punishment in the future and I am He who
will give reward in the future. The Tzitzit appeared to me as four witnesses”.
She said; I will not let you go until you tell me your name, the
name of your town, the name of your teacher, and the name of your school in
which you study the Torah.” He wrote all this down and handed it to her.
Thereupon she arose and divided her estate into three parts; one third for the
kingdom, one third to be distributed among the poor, and one third she took
with her in her hand; the bed linen she kept.
She [then] came to the house of study of Rabbi Chiyya, and said
to him, ‘Master, give instructions that they may make me a convert’. ‘My
daughter’, he replied; ‘perhaps you have set your eyes on one of my students?’
She thereupon took out the paper and handed it to him. ‘Go’, said he ‘and enjoy
your acquisition’… Those very bed-linen which she had spread for the student
for an illicit purpose she now spread out for him lawfully.
This was his reward in this world. And as far as the reward in
the world to come, I do not know." – I assume that she was the Jenna
Jameson of her day. [Former adult movie star who converted to Orthodox
Judaism.]
Unfortunately, my generation was about
hippies, free love and this occurred the summer of Woodstock. When I entered
College we had many placement tests and psychological tests. Sitting next to
atheistic me was a fellow my age named Henry P. from Crown Heights, Brooklyn.
He started College with a black Yarmulke and wearing Tzitzit and I started out
like a typical American Student.
That summer Henry went to one or more
of the Scandinavian Countries. There he met a beauty young woman. Since the
lady was not brought up in Beit Yacov or Beit Rivka she was as moral as most
liberated woman of the days of the mini-skirt.
It did not take very long until in some
private place Henry started removing his garments as our story with the student
of Rabbi Chiyya. When she asked Henry what was the garment of Tzitzis? Instead
of waking out of his stupor like the Talmid (student) above, he decided to
abandon wearing them. – I heard this from a friend in English Literature Bible
Class who was from Crown Heights when I enquired of Henry.
The moral of the story is that some
people can obtain both their portion in the next world and perhaps also in this
world in the blink of an eye and others who can lose their portion in the blink
of an eye.
40 that ye may remember and do all My commandments, and be holy
unto your God.
By being cautious about the Mitzvah,
the student kept his holiness before G-D.
Just as G-D is holy so you too should
be holy and the fringes are to remind you of that.
Rabbi Michael Skobac Shlita: A few days before he died in 1898, R' Simcha Zissel of Kelm sent
all of his clothing to the cleaners. He knew that soon, all of his clothes would
be distributed to the poor, so he wanted to make sure that they would be clean
and fresh when received. This kind of presence of mind was the result of a
lifetime of devotion to the Torah and concern for others.
Keeping
the faith or non-faith. By R’ Rachamim Pauli
When
I was 14 I was missing a real Bar Mitzvah so I asked my mother to send me to a
Reform Synagogue for Confirmation (Some nonsensical ceremony that does not
exist in the Torah). This time, instead of taking two trains to the Steven Wise
Free Synagogue. (I guess it was free of being a Synagogue with the Church like
Organ and mixed choir and plays it put on.) So I was in the Free Synagogue of
Flushing that required taking only the number 7 train to get there. There the
assistant Rabbi and soon to become the head honcho Rabbi was teaching my class.
He was a complete Atheist. He denied all miracles and called them natural
occurrences. (It would take me realizing the probabilities to understand that
they really were miracles but that would be in a bit over 5 years.) In the
meantime, the poison began sinking into my system.
It
did not help that Richard J. the son of the Synagogue’s President was making
out with one of the girls cutting class and going to get the same Confirmation
Certificate. I left and only returned once more about Nov. 25, 1963 for my
personal grief at the loss of my beloved President and inspiration for walking
sports and patriotism, JFK. Whatever consolation I looked for, was not in that
Synagogue and that was certain.
Time
went on and I became a right of center Democrat Atheist (It was the days of
LBJ, Skip Jackson, Lieberman, etc. shall I say blue collar and WWII hero types
of Democrats and the US not letting Communism spread in Vietnam – so I
thought.)
In
the 12th grade at 17.5years old, I got the Chicken Pox. It was with
104 or 40 fever, pains in my groin and other areas. I thought of praying it was
so bad. It was like there are no Atheist if fox holes as the veterans of WWII
would say. But I said either I believe or I don’t. I am not one to play games
and return to being an Atheist. Perhaps it was a test of my lack of faith and
how strongly I felt from HASHEM.
I
remained steadfast and stuck to my principles the same principles that would
guide me when I began to understand the miracles of G-D through the laws of
probability and which brought me to wait for the Moshiach in Israel and not in
Brooklyn New York. Today, I steadfastly continue learning slowly but surely
with my Rabbinical Judge Studies to conquer the Shulchan Aruch.
Stubbornness
is generally a bad trait but Avraham in his fight against idol worship had to
persist with the truth. “To thy own self be true” may not be a Jewish idiom but
it is a good philosophy to follow. How else can one tell the truth in the Beit
Din when your adversary is lying through his teeth? One has to be strong in
this world for a place in the next world.
Thanks to Tamar Yonah Arutz 7.
Why do Orthodox Jews want to stay in
America? (powerful)
Written by Chananya Weissman
My brothers and sisters in America, we need to have a frank discussion. Much of this applies to fellow Jews in other parts of the world, but I single out American Jews because they are the epicenter of Diaspora Jewry, and the situation there is deteriorating more quickly than anywhere else.
I want you to consider the following four views that are not only considered mainstream but morally required in much of America today. Then I want you to consider the implications for Orthodox Jews.
1) White people are inherently privileged and must profess shame and guilt for the sin of being born with that skin color. Their actual socioeconomic status and life story is irrelevant. They should even bow down to complete strangers to express their worthlessness as human beings.
Orthodox Jews have not yet been compelled to bow down in submission and contrition as they did to Haman, but they have already needed to grovel to black protesters to prevent rioting in Jewish neighborhoods. You really didn't have much of a choice, but how much time do you think you bought for yourselves? How long before they are no longer satisfied with your “solidarity”, and your communities will be forced to offer protection money in the form of “contributions” to stave off the justice-seeking mob? And how much time do you think that will buy you before they come for more?
2) Believing that the country should even have a police force is now considered racist and evil. This happened virtually overnight.
There are many corrupt police forces on this planet – probably all of them are corrupt to some degree – yet there is only one country on earth that is even debating whether there should be a police force altogether. Extremely intelligent people are actually trying to explain why doing away with law enforcement is a bad idea – and they are losing.
'Chazal' [Our Sages of blessed memory] teach that we should always pray for the government, which by definition includes law enforcement, because otherwise each man would swallow his fellow alive. A bad government is better than no government, and a highly flawed police force is better than none at all. The trendiest moral belief in America today is, essentially, that there should be anarchy, lawlessness, and the rules of the jungle in the streets of America.
You've already gotten a taste of the riots, which for the moment have mostly subsided. There is no rational reason to believe there will not be other “injustices” to spark new, more furious outbreaks of violence. The rioters have already gotten lots of free loot and tasted blood, with no consequences. They have no incentive to retire from this lucrative and satisfying new career. How long before they come for all the money the Jews supposedly stole from them?
Even with the police force still in existence, it took all their resources and all your groveling to stave off the first round of riots from your communities. A few days ago your communities were literally hanging by a thread. Tell me one logical reason to believe this will all just go away. If next time the rioters get violent, are you sure the cops are going to open fire on them to save you? In this climate? If you believe that, you are certifiably insane.
Either way, is this a society in which Orthodox Jews should choose to remain? What bright future are you looking forward to in America? The riots were a warning sign, not an aberration, and not something that happens every so often. How many more warning signs do you need? How many more will you get? Why wait to find out?
3) Being proud of America is a sin. Expressing positive feelings about America is grossly insensitive, racist, sexist, even a violent act. Those who do so are liable to lose their livelihoods and be attacked by mobs both online and physically. This is considered an acceptable way for those with hurt feelings to express themselves. In fact, nothing is out of bounds anymore.
This puts Jews in an impossible situation. Jews traditionally express appreciation for their host countries, but now the mob is trashing the very foundations of America. It's difficult enough to toe the line, artfully expressing loyalty to the country while standing in support of those at war with it from within. How much longer can you play neutral and appease everyone? What will you do when you are forced to choose a side?
4) Roughly half of the country would declare a 'Yom Tov' [holiday] if something unfortunate happened to President Trump. They would dance in the streets. If he were murdered in cold blood, they would praise his killer as a hero.
Supporting the President of the country in even the slightest way renders one worthy of destruction. If you publicly show support for the President, you are liable to be beaten by a mob.
This alone should be enough to make you seriously consider why you, as a 'frum' [religious] Jew, would want to live in such a society and raise a family there. This is a very unhealthy society, and it won't have a miraculous refuah [healing] regardless of who the next President is.
The fact that President Trump is closely associated with Orthodox Jews and has made great gestures of support for Israel only makes your situation more perilous. You're stuck right in the middle whether you like it or not.
5) Gays, transgender, women who wish to kill their babies, and all those who push the envelope in the endless war on traditional family values must receive unflinching support. Objecting to anything they demand is increasingly dangerous.
Orthodox Jews are, by their very existence, ambassadors for God's definition of genders and moral boundaries. It is only a matter of time before they come for you, too, even if you want to stay out of that arena.
Chazal teach us: “Who is a wise person? One who sees what is coming.” Chazal expect us to see the writing on the wall and act accordingly. The writing on the wall in America is spray-painted in graffiti, plastered on social media, and broadcast daily in the news.
Expressing hatred for the President, the country, the police, and values that used to be sacrosanct, has become a game of “can you top this”. There is nothing like this on earth or in American history, and you should find it incredibly disturbing.
Even if your personal safety could be guaranteed, in spite of all the ominous signs to the contrary, is this where a frum person belongs?
The United States is in a state of moral decay, societal upheaval, and an internal war for its very soul. Do you really need to be in the middle of it? Are whatever material possessions you can't take with you worth being in the center of this storm that is really only beginning?
There is nowhere else in Gallus [diaspora] for the millions of Jews in America to go. There is only one other option for the frum Jew.
The Gallus train has reached its final stop. The doors are still open, for now.
What are you holding on to? It's time to get off the train wreck.
After 14 years finally a Get. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/281463
Latest political polling. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/281540
Inyanay Diyoma
Corona cases grow by almost 500 active cases from
the start of the week. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/281414
Ed-Op On Corona Israel is rudderless. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/ryktv4Ln8
Hurricane season begins and already 3rd
tropical storm. https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_at3+shtml/173135.shtml?cone#contents
Jewish BDS activist deported to Israel. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/281415
Bnei Brak sees many stores failing. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/281389
French kill N. Africa’s Al Qaeda leader. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/281411
Tourist Industry plans recovery. https://www.debka.com/travel-industries-plan-recovery-while-living-with-coronavirus/
Ed-Op Dr. Sherman False conviction. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/281384
Hezballah in Germany. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/281413
Baldness an indicator of Covid severity. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/281397
Turkey to have a 2-day curfew vs. corona. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/281372
Another Holocaust denier. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/281373
Testing out new Cancer Drug. https://www.ynetnews.com/health_science/article/SJtwEwW28
IDF planning through 2030. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/SyHY4r112L
Kidnapped Navy Vet released by Iran. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/SyOEV5Ih8
Netanyahu-Ganz to form a mini-cabinet. https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog-june-6-2020/
Attempted murder-suicide by Charedi on Shabbos. https://www.timesofisrael.com/police-suspect-man-tried-to-murder-his-wife-then-jumped-from-apartment-window/
Drive by shooting in Lod. https://www.timesofisrael.com/3-men-killed-in-drive-by-shooting-near-central-city-of-lod/
Joe Biden’s ‘deplorable’ moment. https://www.foxnews.com/media/rob-smith-joe-biden-gaffe-10-to-15-claim-voters-disturbing
PLO Flags at anti-annexation rally. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/281422
Former Jihadist lead kick the bucket. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/281432
US riots hit black and Jewish mom and pop stores
more. One example: https://www.hillygram.com/jewish-iranian-immigrant-loses-lifes-work-in-melrose-looting/
Attack in E. Syria kills 12 pro-Iranians. https://www.debka.com/drone-attack-kills-12-pro-iranian-militiamen-in-e-syria/
Israel opens up N95 factory. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/ByJlod9nL
Out of 2.5 million in schools 17,605 quarantined. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/BkGmss93I
Infection rate up discipline down. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/281448
El Al not enough bailout. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/ByJlod9nL
Murderer of soldier captured at start confesses. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/281466
Trump warns Biden will defund police/army. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/281469
Overhaul of Minn. Police https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/281485
Russia’s Chief Rabbi has Corona. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/281483
New Ambassadors after freeze. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/281482
Never look a gift horse in the mouth or a terrorist
state? https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/281467
Even Rabin did not recognize PLO State. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/281460
Bereaved families deigned request. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/281458
Jewish neighborhood organizations to protect Schuls
and stores. https://www.algemeiner.com/2020/06/07/as-chaos-erupted-during-george-floyd-protests-in-los-angeles-local-jewish-security-group-mobilized-to-protect-fearful-community/?fbclid=IwAR3WHqmjpzEOyPsrXu2yhLnGUwj8n8l1WVmIQAb7mhAQzKehDKbm6ur3GWw
Two policemen run over (close to E. Yerushalayim)
trying to play it down. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/281539
N. Syria opposition clashes with troops. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/B1lGEJnnI
Lebanon many injured in protests. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/281517
Iranians chant death to America 4 G. Floyd. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/281551
Chief of Chabad against annexation. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/281504
N. Korea cuts communications w/South. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/281547
Washington slows down annexation. https://www.debka.com/gantz-in-separate-dialogue-with-washington-on-annexation/
Corona cases grow people ignore masks. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/ryxNng2nU
Ed-Op Barnea too many experts = panic. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/BkXzv9s3U
Gov’t freezes Corona civilian spying. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/S1qci6j2I
Trump against defunding police. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/281550
Recently 3 mentally disabled killed by Police. 1
Jew and 2 Arabs George Floyd of Israel riots. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/S11K1P628#autoplay
Corona cases among foreign workers and schools
continue to rise. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/HJ6XxBp28
Cases increasing as masks becoming rare.
https://www.ynetnews.com/article/ByItAET3L
Medical Marijuana Reform in pipe-line. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/H1KtKUan8
Iran prepares for war with USA. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/281623
Morocco almost 1death a day at times. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/281581
"It's not for us physically, it's not for
us mentally, it's not for us emotionally. Hashem (G-d) took away a lot of the
money that was keeping us here, the education that was keeping us here.”
First marriage in Rome since Corona. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/281625
30 Israeli Teachers were recalled from the
diaspora. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/281627
Saudis against annexation. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/281622
National Guard soldiers impressed by Jewish
Community offer of toilets, coffee and other hospitality items. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/281617
D. Weiss reject the ‘Deal of the Century’. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/281610
Israel hails UAE Space Program. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/281602
Iranians in Syria and riots – Sherman. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/281606
Joe Lieberman the importance of Shabbos. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/281597
Iran spied on Hezballah now crisis. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/281701
Economic crisis in Syria dangerous. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/HkmlyaJ6L
214 new Corona Cases 1000 new patients this week. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/Sy0oD1xp8
POTUS reviewing US-ICC relations. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/ryIEtglaL
FL sees rise in Covid cases. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/florida-reports-highest-single-day-total-of-coronavirus-cases/ar-BB15magA?ocid=spartanntp
Leaving the USA to lord of the flies’ land. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/281720
Ed-Op Kaddish for the USA. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/281677
Islam Jihad force rises in the Shomron. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/SJPb900A2U
Antisemitic BLM bad for the Jews. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/281570
No social distance on buses but no trains. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/HkVVbYA2U
Annexation is dangerous Ed-Op Gilad. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/r100rCT3h8
Bennett: There will be no Annexation. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/281683
Shin Bet Corona tracking ends. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/281667
Woman w/virus cleared boards plane. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/281634
Starbucks closes stores only take-out. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/281675
PLO refuses medical supplies. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/281681
Elimination of Iranian General deterred. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/281682
E. Yerushalayim resident charged. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/281649
Have a good Shabbos and be well,
Rachamim Pauli
