On Tet Elul 5730, I made Aliyah to Israel. Despite Mapam in charge of the Absorbsion Ministry. Pure faith in the Moshiach coming here and a bit of stubborn determination kept me here.
Last week I got the information at the last minute. Here is the link I did not have. BDE Milestone along with the hundreds of Torah Jews lost this year, Rav Zalman Nehemiah Goldberg passed away on Thursday. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/285625
Parsha Ki Seitzei
Last week, we had a lot of Mitzvos but this week, we have the most Mitzvah intense Parsha. We are in the middle of the Drasha of Moshe started in Parsha Re’eh and continues through next week.
21:10 When thou go forth to battle against thine enemies, and the LORD thy God delivers them into thy hands, and thou carries them away captive,
The Yetzer HaRa works in many ways. You go to war and carry off captives. Among the captives is a beautiful woman. In truth the Torah wants you to ignore her. But she is an outstanding beauty.
11 and see among the captives a woman of goodly form, and thou hast a desire unto her, and would take her to thee to wife;
This woman is so outstanding in beauty that she is like the girl of the soldier’s dream. She is not from the Nations that we are told not to take in but from a war that is optional and we capture the woman.
12 then thou shalt bring her home to thy house; and she shall shave her head, and pare her nails;
This whole process and dumping her in a Mikvah humbles her. She was not happy about being captured, really loved getting her head shaved and her nails removed and may be happy or unhappy about the new modest garment.
And let her nails grow: Heb. וְעָשְׂתָה אֶת-צִפָּרְנֶיהָ. She must let them grow, so that she should become repulsive [to her captor, to induce him to change his mind about marrying her]. — [Sifrei 21:7, Yev. 48a]
13 and she shall put the raiment of her captivity from off her, and shall remain in thy house, and bewail her father and her mother a full month; and after that thou may go in unto her, and be her husband, and she shall be thy wife.
And she shall remove the garment of her captivity: [so that she should not be attractive to her captor,] for they are pretty [clothes], because gentile women adorn themselves during wartime, in order to seduce others [namely, the enemy] to have relations with them. — [Sifrei 21:8]
One can imagine that the beautiful captive dresses like one of the Hollywood Actresses all made out and showing her 50 to 70 kg of flesh in an immodest way.
14 And it shall be, if thou have no delight in her, then thou shalt let her go whither she will; but thou shalt not sell her at all for money, thou shalt not deal with her as a slave, because thou hast humbled her.
What are the chances that a woman who was captured and perhaps had a husband killed in war after having her clothing changed, head shaved and nails messed up beyond all recognition really go for the man who humbled her?
15 If a man has two wives, the one beloved, and the other hated, and they have borne him children, both the beloved and the hated; and if the first-born son be hers that was hated;
This could be related to the captured woman who shows hatred towards him. It is also possible that a man ordinarily takes a wife who is not in love with him but has produced children for him. He then goes and finds a new wife who is much better for a romantic marriage and this one less loved is the mother of the Bechor.
16 then it shall be, in the day that he causes his sons to inherit that which he hath, that he may not make the son of the beloved the first-born before the son of the hated, who is the first-born;
The Torah teaches this but what happens if the first one is a girl? We are not told.
17 but he shall acknowledge the first-born, the son of the hated, by giving him a double portion of all that he has; for he is the first-fruits of his strength, the right of the first-born is his.
All this from children that listen to and respect their father.
18 If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, that will not hearken to the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and though they chasten him, will not hearken unto them;
The conjunction between the rebellious son and the captive woman is striking. It seemed to Chachamim that if the man captures a woman and she rebels and hates him, she will perhaps not say it in words but the message will go to her so that he will rebel against the authority of the father and then the mother.
A man’s attire shall not be on a woman: making her appear like a man, thereby enabling her to go among men, for this can only be for the [purpose of] adultery. — [Nazir 59a]
Nor may a man wear a woman’s garment: to go and abide among women. Another explanation: [In addition to not wearing a woman’s garment,] a man must also not remove his pubic hair or the hair of his armpits [for this is a practice exclusive to women]. — [Nazir 59a]
Because… is an abomination: The Torah forbids only [the wearing of] clothes that would lead to abomination [i.e., immoral and illicit behavior]. — [Nazir 59a]
Also from the Talmud Nazir 59A: It must therefore mean that a man should not put on a woman's garment and mix with women, nor a woman a man's garment and mix with men. R. Eliezer b. Jacob says: How do we know that a woman should not go to war bearing arms? Scripture says, 'A woman shall not wear that which pertains unto a man.' [The words] 'Neither shall a man put on a woman's garment,' [signify] that a man is not to use cosmetics as women do.
19 then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place; 20 and they shall say unto the elders of his city: 'This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he doth not hearken to our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard.'
He becomes Hefker (loose) in his moral and makes a glutton out of himself.
21 And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die; so shalt thou put away the evil from the midst of thee; and all Israel shall hear, and fear.
Not because of what he has done but what will be when he grows up to being an adult.
22 And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree; 23 his body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt surely bury him the same day; for he that is hanged is a reproach unto God; that thou defile not thy land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.
From here we learn to honor the dead. For even a dead criminal who deserved the death sentence, has the right of a human being to be buried like every other Jew.
22:1 Thou shalt not see thy brother's ox or his sheep driven away, and hide thyself from them; thou shalt surely bring them back unto thy brother. 2 And if thy brother be not nigh unto thee, and thou know him not, then thou shalt bring it home to thy house, and it shall be with thee until thy brother require it, and thou shalt restore it to him. 3 And so shalt thou do with his ass; and so shalt thou do with his garment; and so shalt thou do with every lost thing of thy brother's, which he hath lost, and thou hast found; thou may not hide thyself. 4 Thou shalt not see thy brother's ass or his ox fallen down by the way, and hide thyself from them; thou shalt surely help him to lift them up again.
For you shall surely help him.
5 A woman shall not wear that which pertains unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment; for whosoever doeth these things is an abomination unto the LORD thy God.
This combines with the two mentions of homosexual abominations Lev. 18:22 and 20:13 is completed and complimented by the anti-cross dressing. It goes further into Halacha about wearing make-up and dying one’s hair.
6 If a bird's nest chance to be before thee in the way, in any tree or on the ground, with young ones or eggs, and the dam sitting upon the young, or upon the eggs, thou shalt not take the dam with the young;
The Kabbalah often speaks of the place of the “Bird’s Nest” before the throne of G-D. The story goes that two Mitzvos in Torah talk about prolonging one life. That is this Mitzvah and that of honoring one’s parents. The story goes that Elisha Ben Abuya saw a man tell his son to climb a palm tree and bring down the bird’s nest. The youth started to do so, fell on his head and died. Since both Mitzvos said literally prolong they days, he broke away from Torah and became Acher (The Other one). His student, Rabbi Meir Baal HaNes, (miracle worker) tried to get him to repent but he said it was too late.
7 thou shalt in any wise let the dam go, but the young thou may take unto thyself; that it may be well with thee, and that thou may prolong thy days.
What Acher did not learn is that prolonging ones’ days is not necessarily in this world but in the next world. So when we hear or read statements “You should be happy and good for you” it means in happy and good for you in the next world.
8 When thou build a new house, then thou shalt make a parapet for thy roof, that thou bring not blood upon thy house, if any man fall from thence.
Fall from there is interpreted that on the previous Rosh Hashanah it was ordained that this man should fall from your roof. But my making the parapet, you shall prevent this from occurring on your watch and he can fall off another building or a cliff.
9 Thou shalt not sow thy vineyard with two kinds of seed; lest the fullness of the seed which thou hast sown be forfeited together with the increase of the vineyard. 1 10 Thou shalt not plow with an ox and an ass together. 2 11 Thou shalt not wear a mingled stuff, wool and linen together! 3 12 Thou shalt make thee twisted cords upon the four corners of thy covering, wherewith thou cover thyself.
I purposely numbered the three types of Shatnez aka forbidden mixtures.
13 If any man take a wife, and go in unto her, and hate her, 14 and lay wanton charges against her, and bring up an evil name upon her, and say: 'I took this woman, and when I came nigh to her, I found not in her the tokens of virginity'; 15 then shall the father of the damsel, and her mother, take and bring forth the tokens of the damsel's virginity unto the elders of the city in the gate. 16 And the damsel's father shall say unto the elders: 'I gave my daughter unto this man to wife, and he hates her; 17 and, lo, he hath laid wanton charges, saying: I found not in thy daughter the tokens of virginity; and yet these are the tokens of my daughter's virginity.' And they shall spread the garment before the elders of the city. 18 And the elders of that city shall take the man and chastise him. 19 And they shall fine him a hundred shekels of silver, and give them unto the father of the damsel, because he hath brought up an evil name upon a virgin of Israel; and she shall be his wife; he may not put her away all his days.
After this, he will never live down the charges in front of his wife, and he cannot divorce her and he will receive nagging and revenge all his life and that is his punishment for spreading lies about a kosher woman in Yisrael.
20 But if this thing be true, that the tokens of virginity were not found in the damsel; 21 then they shall bring out the damsel to the door of her father's house, and the men of her city shall stone her with stones that she die; because she hath wrought a wanton deed in Israel, to play the harlot in her father's house; so shalt thou put away the evil from the midst of thee.
This whole section refers to a betrothed woman. For in the old times, marriages were contracted an betrothed is not like our engagement with a ring. Betrothed in ancient times could be with a ring, contract or by intercourse and her status is like that of a wife right at that point only she is missing Chupa, Sheva Berachos but considered married. If he betrothed her via intercourse, then he cannot come with this complaint as she is no longer a virgin through his own actions.
22 If a man be found lying with a woman married to a husband, then they shall both of them die, the man that lay with the woman, and the woman; so shalt thou put away the evil from Israel. 23 If there be a damsel that is a virgin betrothed unto a man, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her; 24 then ye shall bring them both out unto the gate of that city, and ye shall stone them with stones that they die: the damsel, because she cried not, being in the city; and the man, because he hath humbled his neighbor's wife; so thou shalt put away the evil from the midst of thee.
This is in a city in Yisrael and not a place like Chicago where normal people are afraid to intervene. The Pasuk is describing an engaged woman according to Halacha.
The Pasuk is not describing a place where teens come to get drunk and have a fling at it. https://www.timesofisrael.com/netanyahu-alleged-eilat-gang-rape-of-teen-by-30-men-a-crime-against-humanity/ - https://www.ynetnews.com/article/Ska5drBXw The people of Israel this week were upset by a story of a teenage girl who rode with her friend to Eilat and was getting herself drunk already on the bus to Eilat. Two adults in their late 20’s with criminal records and according to police and perhaps two dozen or more teens taking advantage of this drunk girl. Where were the parents of the girl? What type of education did they give her? Also where were the parents of the boys? I heard of stories like this when I was a teen in New York City so there is nothing new under the sun. But my friends and I could not care if we were number three, ten or thirty in line, we would not have participated in such a disgusting act.
Last but not least, I am right now raising a 15 plus year old forester child. I cannot be with him every minute. I gave him an education and I can only hope that he would not try tricks like this with his friends. I also note that most of his friends have a Torah education but as the Torah says “There is no Apitropos (guarantor) on matter of lust.
25 But if the man find the damsel that is betrothed in the field, and the man take hold of her, and lie with her; then the man only that lay with her shall die. 26 But unto the damsel thou shalt do nothing; there is in the damsel no sin worthy of death; for as when a man rises against his neighbor, and slays him, even so is this matter. 27 For he found her in the field; the betrothed damsel cried, and there was none to save her.
The Torah views the rape of an engaged woman like murdering her.
28 If a man find a damsel that is a virgin, that is not betrothed, and lay hold on her, and lie with her, and they be found; 29 then the man that lay with her shall give unto the damsel's father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife, because he hath humbled her; he may not put her away all his days.
His punishment is that he has to live with this woman who will eventually assert herself on him and will humble him for the rest of his days.
23:1 … 4 An Ammonite or a Moabite shall not enter into the assembly of the LORD; even to the tenth generation shall none of them enter into the assembly of the LORD forever; 5 because they met you not with bread and with water in the way, when ye came forth out of Egypt; and because they hired against thee Balaam the son of Beor from Pethor of Aram-naharaim, to curse thee. 6 Nevertheless the LORD thy God would not hearken unto Balaam; but the LORD thy God turned the curse into a blessing unto thee, because the LORD thy God loved thee. 7 Thou shalt not seek their peace nor their prosperity all thy days for ever.
This Pasuk would cause trouble in the days of Boaz as Ruth was a Moav Princess. The Sages learned a male from these people but not a female from these people.
8 Thou shalt not abhor an Edomite, for he is thy brother; thou shalt not abhor an Egyptian, because you were a stranger in his land. 9 The children of the third generation that are born unto them may enter into the assembly of the LORD.
Edom except for Amalek and Egyptians can become Gerim.
…13 Thou shalt have a place also without the camp, whither thou shalt go forth abroad. 14 And thou shalt have a paddle among thy weapons; and it shall be, when thou sit down abroad, thou shalt dig therewith, and shalt turn back and cover that which comes from thee. 15 For the LORD thy God walks in the midst of thy camp, to deliver thee, and to give up thine enemies before thee; therefore, shall thy camp be holy; that He see no unseemly thing in thee, and turn away from thee.
A soldier should dig a make-shift latrine and cover-up his excrement so the camp can remain holy at all times for prayer and blessings.
16 Thou shalt not deliver unto his master a bondman that is escaped from his master unto thee;
Once a slave has run away, it is assumed by the Torah that the slave was willing to work for his food, board and perhaps wife and children. The reason the slave ran away was because of mal-treatment. In such a case, he was not to be returned to his master.
…18 There shall be no harlot of the daughters of Israel, neither shall there be a sodomite of the sons of Israel. 19 Thou shalt not bring the hire of a harlot, or the price of a dog, into the house of the LORD thy God for any vow; for even both these are an abomination unto the LORD thy God.
Harlotry and immodesty is frowned upon by G-D. Getting back to the girl who was drinking on her way to Eilat to have a fling. She might have been underage and the behavior on the males was not acceptable but where were her parents and the education that did not warn her like the Torah does. PARENTS BE WARY
20 Thou shalt not lend upon interest to thy brother: interest of money, interest of victuals, interest of anything that is lent upon interest.
The exception to this is a business loan and one can take a reasonable amount if one is going to lose part of his investment to lend to the other.
21 Unto a foreigner thou may lend upon interest; but unto thy brother thou shalt not lend upon interest; that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all that thou put thy hand unto, in the land whither thou go in to possess it.
During the Middle Ages, the Jews ended up lending money to the non-Jews and sometimes they took too much. One time the Knight or local land owner got angry at the Jew and made him eat the loan contract under threat. It did not take long until he needed another loan but this time the Jew asked that the loan be written on a Matzo so that if he had to eat it at least it was good even during Pesach.
… 24:1 When a man taketh a wife, and marries her, then it cometh to pass, if she find no favor in his eyes, because he hath found some unseemly thing in her, that he writes her a bill of divorcement, and giveth it in her hand, and sends her out of his house,
This could be bad breath, bad smells, bad habits, uneven body parts, refusing to have relations within a period of a month, or immodest behavior among other things. These are grounds for a divorce but we do try to make Shalom Beis but not everything can be reconciled.
2 and she departs out of his house, and goes and becomes another man's wife, 3 and the latter husband hateth her, and writeth her a bill of divorcement, and giveth it in her hand, and sends her out of his house; or if the latter husband die, who took her to be his wife; 4 her former husband, who sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after that she is defiled; for that is abomination before the LORD; and thou shalt not cause the land to sin, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.
Among other things she has known this other man. Secondly, so as not to have plots that the wife get divorced and marry a rich man and then return to split the earnings.
5 When a man taketh a new wife, he shall not go out in the host, neither shall he be charged with any business; he shall be free for his house one year, and shall cheer his wife whom he hath taken.
Our Rabbis have interpreted that this war is an optional war. Such an optional war like conquering Baghdad or Cairo and spoiling them would be such a war that one would be free not to go out to war. However, our current situation is that each war is a Mitzvah War but one could forego being in battle for seven days of Sheva Berachos.
6 No man shall take the mill or the upper millstone to pledge; for he taketh a man's life to pledge.
This goes for a microbiologist’s microscope, personal computer, fireman’s ax or hose, etc.
7 If a man be found stealing any of his brethren of the children of Israel, and he deal with him as a slave, and sell him; then that thief shall die; so shalt thou put away the evil from the midst of thee.
There is no greater evil in society than to take away one’s freedom except by court of law for violations.
10 When thou dost lend thy neighbor any manner of loan, thou shalt not go into his house to fetch his pledge. 11 Thou shalt stand without, and the man to whom thou dost lend shall bring forth the pledge without unto thee. 12 And if he be a poor man, thou shalt not sleep with his pledge; 13 thou shalt surely restore to him the pledge when the sun goes down, that he may sleep in his garment, and bless thee; and it shall be righteousness unto thee before the LORD thy God.
For maybe the man is so poor that he has only one blanket or coat and you hold it over night he could catch pneumonia and die.
… 17 Thou shalt not pervert the justice due to the stranger, or to the fatherless; nor take the widow's raiment to pledge. 18 But thou shalt remember that you were a bondman in Egypt, and the LORD thy God redeemed thee thence; therefore, I command thee to do this thing.
It does not matter whether she is a widow or divorced you shall not take a good garment of hers as it might mean a Shidduch for her.
19 When thou reap thy harvest in thy field, and hast forgot a sheaf in the field, thou shalt not go back to fetch it; it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow; that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thy hands.
This is the whole idea of chapters 2 and 3 in Sefer Ruth.
... 4 Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treads out the corn.
There shall be no sorrow for your animals and if you want to eat, you should feed them first.
5 If brethren dwell together, and one of them die, and have no child, the wife of the dead shall not be married abroad unto one not of his kin; her husband's brother shall go in unto her, and take her to him to wife, and perform the duty of a husband's brother unto her. 6 And it shall be, that the first-born that she bears shall succeed in the name of his brother that is dead, that his name be not blotted out of Israel. 7 And if the man like not to take his brother's wife, then his brother's wife shall go up to the gate unto the elders, and say: 'My husband's brother refuses to raise up unto his brother a name in Israel; he will not perform the duty of a husband's brother unto me.' 8 Then the elders of his city shall call him, and speak unto him; and if he stand, and say: 'I like not to take her'; 9 then shall his brother's wife draw nigh unto him in the presence of the elders, and loose his shoe from off his foot, and spit in his face; and she shall answer and say: 'So shall it be done unto the man that doth not build up his brother's house.' 10 And his name shall be called in Israel the house of him that had his shoe loosed.
We usually perform the ceremony of Chalitza described here. But if the woman and the brother live together as husband and wife that is Yebum or levirate marriage and the Ketuvah of the first brother is sufficient if one wants to divorce the wife.
11 When men strive together one with another, and the wife of the one draws near to deliver her husband out of the hand of him that smites him, and puts forth her hand, and taketh him by the secrets; 12 then thou shalt cut off her hand, thine eye shall have no pity.
If she throws a rock at him or hits him with a rolling pin or something else, that is a different Din. But to touch him by the privates there is something wrong with this woman. (Remember the men wore skirts without underwear in those days).
13 Thou shalt not have in thy bag diverse weights, a great and a small. 14 Thou shalt not have in thy house diverse measures, a great and a small. 15 A perfect and just weight shalt thou have; a perfect and just measure shalt thou have; that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. 16 For all that do such things, even all that do unrighteously, are an abomination unto the LORD thy God.
One cannot cheat with smaller weights or measures for selling and larger for purchase. But rather have stand weights and measures. They can be diverse such a half pint, pint, half-quart, quart, or one gram, five grams, ten grams, fifty grams, though half kilogram and kilogram if needed but according to the standard’s institute.
17 Remember what Amalek did unto thee by the way as ye came forth out of Egypt; 18 how he met thee by the way, and smote the hindmost of thee, all that were enfeebled in thy rear, when thou wast faint and weary; and he feared not God. 19 Therefore it shall be, when the LORD thy God hath given thee rest from all thine enemies round about, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it, that thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven; thou shalt not forget.
The Mitzvah is to remove Amalek from the world but also remember how horrible he was when he attacked women and children and not go after soldiers in war.
Quote of the week: Dr. Arlene Krieger: “Real love can and does exist. Not for the faint of heart, love entails dedication and commitment, along with the responsibilities that come with this type of devotion to allow another person into your soul and life energy.”
Rabbi Pauli: when a man loves the L-RD with all his heart, soul and might. Deut. 6:5 then he has a chance at a good relationship with his commitment to making a marriage work.
Elul according to the Sages of Blessed memory is quoting Shir HaShirim 6:3 (Song of Songs) I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine. It is a time that THE KING comes to visit his subject in the field. The field can be a Schul, Electronics Plant, Street Minyan, Yeshiva, Stock Market, etc. HASHEM wants to see us repent. Just like a husband belongs in certain ways to his wife and she belongs in certain ways to her husband. A friend of mine, Sandy, is married to Jerry 53 or 54 years and she says “we are joined at the hip”. If a woman can feel that way towards her hubby, so too we must feel that way from our DIVINE NESHAMA inside towards the L-RD our G-D!
The Angels including Samael, known in the common term as the Devil, cannot understand mankind. They have no temptation to rob, commit murder or adultery or covet things. It is our heavenly father who knows and gave us DNA-RNA spacing hiding HIS NAME in gaps adding up to the Gematria of Yud-Kay-Vav-Kay where Kay is really Hay. The Gaps are like 10, 5, 6, 5 The possible letters are A, C, G, and T, representing the four nucleotide bases of a DNA strand – adenine, cytosine, guanine, thymine. So HASHEM knows us not only from the Kidneys and the Heart as we say on the High Holidays but also from subatomic particles in our bodies. HE is Avinu Malkaynu our Father our King and knows where we come from. So HE is capable of being merciful and compassionate. That is why Elul is called Chodesh Ha Rachamim or the compassionate month.
The frail nature of a human being makes him vulnerable to sin and the ability to over-come it is our reward. It is up to us to observe the Mitzvos and make the best of the month to repent.
To what is repentance now similar to? It is like a husband that knows his wife is having a milestone birthday or their wedding anniversary 10, 20, 30, 40 etc. years. So he can buy her a piece of jewelry now and wait for the day. Just before the day, he buys flowers to go with the jewelry box that he presents her with. So too our repentance should start now with the flowers ready for the Selichos or Rosh Hashanah Prayers.
The Making of an Israeli by Rabbi Rachamim Pauli
Background: In 1968 (5728) I worked at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in Cambridge, MA. That was my dream as a non-religious Jew. I got the job 50days after I started putting on Tephillin. I was still not 100% Shomer Shabbos mostly because of ignorance of Halacha. Then on the third Shabbos of June, I returned to Brooklyn New York to make a Bar Mitzvah Party that I never had and read the Haphtarah.
That year I met more and more Orthodox Jews at College. I heard about Yeshiva Haichel HaTorah and asked to exchange teaching-helping for tuition. I was unsure what a Yeshiva was about and how to handle it. Less than a week after I entered Yeshiva, my father returned his soul to the CREATOR. I was now the oldest male son after son in my family.
The desire to continue learning was there and the desire to get married. Being a Baal Teshuva did not appeal to many of the Charedim as they were looking for a real learned fellow. The probably of me surpassing most of the fellows in learning quantity, quality and becoming a Rabbi was low. Outside of Yeshiva Haichel HaTorah, my learning desire and level did not make an impression on anybody.
I received my diploma and continued learning Torah. That kept me away from the draft and the Viet Nam war. I was 22 and looking to get married. After a lot of trials and tribulations got married but realized that unless I lived in the Yeshiva Dormitory and learned all my life, I was about to go nowhere.
I tried looking for work and returning to the Smithsonian. I had one problem and that was the man I voted for, Richard M. Nixon, cut the space program. PhD’s in physics and aerodynamics were pumping gas. Yacov Glicksman, who would go on to win the Defense Prize in Israel for his look down radar, was lucky to find a job as a school teacher in New York City. I wanted to work in computers but was told ‘affirmative action’ and most of the company has Orthodox Jews working there.
Finally, I took a job at night as a postal worker and registered and learned in a day Yeshiva. Rabbi Eider Zal of Lakewood would teach us the Laws of Shabbos and his first volume was only a pamphlet.
Being a Postal Worker or being a supervisor was not my cup of tea. The job market looked bleak for the present time. There was a religious promise that I had made to G-D as I began to believe and that was to learn Hebrew and go to Yisrael. I decided in the summer of 5730 that to make Aliyah was what I wanted to do.
One day, instead of looking for a job in computers, I went down to the Jewish Agency to find out about Aliyah. I looked into this and that religious Kibbutz and into an Absorbsion Center. There was one in Yerushalayim with openings only in the late Autumn. I wanted to be close to the action and wait for the Moshiach before Rosh Hashanah. This left one in Nazareth in the North and Ashdod in the South. I chose the south.
The Absorbsion Center was run by the anti-religious Mapam Party. The man who was supposed to get people with academic degrees a job told me: “We made a mistake in letting you come on Aliyah and are willing to pay your plane ticket back to the States.” Fortunately, Yad Le Achim (hand to our brothers) which is still in existence but the group that deals with cases like mine is now called Lev Le Achim (heart for our brothers). Avraham Goldstein came to the Absorbsion Center and told me about Kiriat Ponevez. A short time later the Pittsburgher Rebbe told me about Shikun Pittsburgh. Wow I thought, they seemed to be two wonderful places. It turned out like a half dozen of this or six of that to be same place. It was where the health clinic was at the time.
However, I could not move out of the Absorbsion Center and in there according to the rules and regulations unless I had a steady income. I finally looked for a job as a High School Graduate level and once I had it left the Absorbsion Center and I never looked back.
It was not easy, I worked here and there and tried out for a collective Moshav of Poali Aguda Yisrael and a Kibbutz but perhaps both I was not for them and they were not for me. A small family would only get two rooms and my books and beds would fill most of the small place.
Finally, the Education Ministry was expanding teaching positions. They needed English Teachers as they lowered the starting grades in schools. I ended up teaching in Ashdod 180 students with close to 340 parents as some of the most problem kids were from broken homes. Some kids smelled from lack of sanitation, one jumped up on a window sill of the second floor outside. The discipline was not what I was used to from the States. Cheating on tests was the rule for the dumber kids not the exception. But what broke me down from teaching was a father of a boy named David. David did not want to learn English no matter how I tried to teach him. He always wanted to go to the toilet or do nothing in class. I called his father to tell him that in the future without knowledge of English one could not get ahead. The father was a Stevedore. He told me: “What do you mean one can’t succeed without English! (basically) I am a donkey the son of a donkey and a jackass. I know that the teachers just got a raise from the minimum wage to 1,000 Lira a month and I get before overtime 5,000 Lira a month. I earn 5 times what you do and you tell me that my son can’t get ahead without English.” After that I lost all appetite in trying to work as a teacher for horrible pay, little respect and two principals, 4 inspectors and 340 parents with 180 children pre-teens and teens.
I finally got a job in an electronics plant starting out at the lowest level that was twice what a teacher made and plenty of over-time. I got tenure and worked in the industry until I received my medical retirement after a car accident. Did the army like most Israelis and slowly but surely integrated into the country.
Like my becoming very Orthodox and remaining in Israel. I had to have faith in what I was doing. I am very Orthodox and still living in Israel not because of the powers that be but in spite of them. It took me between 3 years plus to adjust to being an Israeli and it took plenty of Talmud and Halacha perhaps 7 to 10 years to be considered plain Orthodox and not a Baal Teshuva.
The Apartment Next Door by Rabbi Yerachmiel Tilles
http://ascentofsafed.com/cgi-bin/ascent.cgi?Name=1185-48
Rabbi Yossel, an emissary of the Lubavitcher Rebbe in a town in Israel, followed the Chabad custom to have his mezuzot and tefillin inspected once a year, during the month of Elul. In Elul 5749 (1989), R. Yossel brought his tefillin and mezuzot as usual to the home of a scribe. Every single mezuzah was found to be kosher. Satisfied and relieved, R. Yossel took the mezuzot home and re-affixed them on his doorways.
As an emissary of the Rebbe, Yossel wrote regular reports to the Rebbe. In his weekly letter, Yossel reported on the preparations that his community was making towards the upcoming Rosh Hashana holiday, and mentioned that his mezuzot had been checked and were found to be kosher.
The month passed quickly in a whirl of activity. Yossel barely had a moment's rest as he ran around carrying out his communal duties, helping his congregation prepare for the holidays. After all his dashing about, Yossel was not surprised to find that his feet were aching, although this was unusual for him.
The pain intensified to a stabbing, throbbing ache. As the days went by, walking became more difficult for Yossel and he realized that he could ignore the situation no longer. He hobbled to the doctor who inspected the foot and told Yossel that he had a serious infection. The doctor prescribed therapeutic soaks, cream and antibiotics. He cautioned Yossel to let his feet air out and stay off his foot until it healed.
Rosh Hashana arrived, and Yossel could barely drag himself to shul. Every step was agony. Instead of leading his congregation in prayer, Yossel was forced to stay seated the entire time with his feet elevated. His condition worsened as the infection did not respond to any treatment.
On the day after Rosh Hashana Yossel was once again in bed, being examined by his close friend a doctor. "The infection is very serious and has penetrated deep inside your foot. If it doesn't begin to subside, the foot may have to be amputated."
What more could be done? They had already tried everything. Yossel's wife decided to fax a letter to the Rebbe. Generally, Yossel believed in not being a "fair-weather friend" and writing to the Rebbe only when there were problems. He preferred to report only positive news to the Rebbe which was why he had not written yet about his foot. But now there was no other option.
He gave the letter to his wife to fax, but before she had a chance to do so, they received a phone call from the Rebbe's secretary. "The Rebbe instructs you to check your tefillin and mezuzot, and he will mention you in his prayers at his father-in-law's gravesite."
Yossel's first thought was, my mezuzot were just inspected last month. What could the Rebbe mean? After a short consultation with his wife and children, they came up with a possible explanation.
The family lived in an apartment building. The apartment next door belonged to a friend who had moved out. Before leaving, the friend had handed the keys to the empty apartment to Yossel and told him that the apartment was his to use for his Chabad activities, free of charge. Yossel was surprised and grateful for this generous offer.
The friend moved out, taking all the contents of the apartment with him, including the mezuzot. Yossel set up the apartment as his office and put up plain mezuzot, since he was not sure if, according to Jewish law, he was actually responsible for maintaining mezuzot on the apartment. Because of the Rebbe's instruction, Yossel decided to take down all the mezuzot in his office and have them inspected.
Two weeks later, during the holiday of Sukkot, R. Yossel received a call from the scribe. The mezuzot were checked, and all were found kosher…except for the one on the doorway leading to the porch. Yossel's wife ran out to purchase a new mezuzah and then attached it properly in place.
That same day, she 'happened upon' an article in a medical journal that described a simple, natural remedy for the infection her husband had. Yossel was incredulous--could such a simple method help his foot, after he had already used the most powerful antibiotics? Still, it was worth a try.
Wonder of wonders, as soon as Yossel applied the salve, the infection began to subside. Within a day, his foot was completely healed.
The following day was Simchat Torah, and Yossel gave his congregation a most pleasant surprise, when he walked in on two healthy feet to dance with the Torah together with his community.
From Nancy: Black Bar Mitzvah Dancers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=E0ijTPri5us&feature=emb_logo
Miracle that injuries were not worse. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/285683
MK compares police with Adolph Eichmann ‘following orders’ as they brutally disperse demonstrations. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/285716
Tel Aviv to let Synagogues expand for High Holidays. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/285732
Latest Poll. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/285751
Better late than never. A Holocaust Survivor obtains her High School Diploma. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/285986
Milestone Arnold Spielberg 103. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/286018
Trials and tribulations of a Ger Tzeddek. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/285778
Ukraine afraid of Corona from Chassidim. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/286096
Inyanay Diyoma
Thursday saw 10 rockets showdown soon. https://www.debka.com/israel-prepares-for-gaza-showdown-after-7-rockets-notch-up-palestinian-aggression/
Israeli Tanks pound Gaza. https://www.debka.com/israel-prepares-for-gaza-showdown-after-7-rockets-notch-up-palestinian-aggression/
Anti-Netanyahu Demonstrators deigned permit. https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/anti-netanyahu-demonstrators-denied-request-to-march-639565
Obama’s money went into weapons and material for Beirut Blast. https://www.debka.com/beirut-blast-triggered-by-chemicals-owned-by-hizballah-supplied-by-iran-report/
Deep State in FDA slowing down drug trials. https://www.jpost.com/american-politics/trump-says-without-proof-that-fda-deep-state-slowing-covid-trials-639562
Balloons spark 35 fires. https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/incendiary-balloons-spark-25-fires-in-southern-israel-639559
Dr. Martin Sherman sacrificing substance for ceremony. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/285650
IDF drone falls in S. Lebanon. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/285690
On Shabbos Iron Dome did not rest. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/285674
Ed-Op Bennett’s outrageous punishment. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/285671
US Gov. seeks execution of Boston Bomber. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/285677
Three Antisemitic actions starting in Austria:
Free Palestine sprayed on graves. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/285680
S. Africa graves disturbed. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/285679
France Nazi victim’s memorial desecrated. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/285688
Bill to have budget only to end of year postponed we have until Dec. 24th. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/285760
Pilots of plane hit by missile were alive. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/285758
Obama/Biden knew of 500 US servicemen killed by Iran when they dished out $150 billion. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/285752
Former MK in Monsey w/Corona. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/285740
No normalization with Morocco. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/285755
Politicians fiddle as the South burns. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/Hy8FB00zGv
Israelis find ways to dodge Corona tracing. https://www.ynetnews.com/business/article/HyKooQlQv
Wishful thinking about Kim. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/285754
More attacks on Gaza. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/285757
Incident on Northern Border limited number of Hezballah Observation Posts attacked. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/HydiPx7QP#autoplay https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/285938
Mossad and PM argue about selling advanced weapons to UAE. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/BkvTN4f7v
US to host ME Summit next month. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/285870
IDF pounds Gaza. Thurs: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/285946
Wed. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/ry2V2mz7D
Miracle in Boro Park watch film. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/285832
FOTUS hosts a 19th Amendment Centennial. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/285845
If there is no Shabbos violation wants to run in the Olympics. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/285810
GOP opens up their convention. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/BJH11ttWXv
Turkey and Hamas cooperation. https://www.debka.com/turkey-befriends-hamas-amid-spiraling-anti-israel-rocket-fire-from/
Turkey and Greece conduct exercises over gas and oil. https://www.debka.com/turkey-befriends-hamas-amid-spiraling-anti-israel-rocket-fire-from/
I don’t know why it was necessary to shoot Blake 7 times and Senator does not know why he did not yield. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/lindsey-graham-questions-why-jacob-blake-didn-t-yield-in-wisconsin-police-shooting/
Crushed Jewish Gravestones used on road. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/285899
One of 3 or more cases of 2nd Covid. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/285824
Gaza Corona lockdown. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/rJEtzsbXv
First flight to UAE next week. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/rJdYU0MXv
Jenin Terrorist Captured. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/285911
Berlin Neo-Nazi bar attack. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/285905
Can your nose infect you with Covid? https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/285922
Bomb threat on VA Synagogue. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/285921
Images show damage to heritage site. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/285908
Kelly Anne resigns for Shalom Beis. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/285804
Suspected murder in Charedi area. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/285873
Terror attack at Segula Junction. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/286035
IDF believes Hezballah will try again. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/286037
Ed-Op Ben Yishai on warning to Hezballah. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/rkywQ3Xmw
Ed-Op Defense Sellers should remember that today’s allies can be tomorrow’s enemies (like Turkey and Iran). https://www.ynetnews.com/article/B1Rd1KQmD
Thank goodness the plans to sell Turkey versions of the Merkava tank and the Ofek-class spy satellite did not go through before Recep Tayyip Erdogan came to power.
Gaza is under Covid Lockdown. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/rJIgoXVQw
Nikki Haley’s speech: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/285995
Hikind takes on Dems over support of terrorist. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/286029
Better late than never. A Holocaust Survivor obtains her High School Diploma. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/285986
Milestone Arnold Spielberg 103. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/286018
Trials and tribulations of a Ger Tzeddek. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/285778
After bombing for balloon fires, six rockets hit and the IDF makes a day time reply. https://www.timesofisrael.com/rocket-sirens-wail-in-southern-israel-shortly-after-idf-strikes-hamas-in-gaza/
Arms factory was hit. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/286130
Ed-Op arms sanctions against Iran will stop death. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/BJgXBWEQD
Again IDF has abandoned tanks this time with a lot of munitions and guns. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/286100
Rabbi Spero blesses President Trump. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/286067
Border Policeman injured in E. Yerushalayim. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/286134
Leftist pro-activist Judges hate Jews love Arabs. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/286132
Ukraine afraid of Corona from Chassidim. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/286096
A healthy and peaceful Shabbos,
Rachamim Pauli
