Parsha Vayishlach
We all try our best to avoid problems. Sometimes we procrastinate over them. I believe that Yacov for 34 years was trying to avoid his main problem at home and that was Esav. True he was sent by his parents but he could have gone straight to Lavan without learning 14 and returned sooner. Instead, he chose to remain safe and sound.
However, he went from one problem to
another problem. Esav was planning his version of “The Final Solution” that
Lavan also contemplated in the end but he loved his daughters and grandchildren
but Yacov could easily have been eliminated and the children assimilated. It
was only the original promise of HASHEM and the vow of Yacov to build Beis El
that kept him alive. (Or did the blessing of Yitzchak at the end of two
Parshiyos ago play also a good sized part?) Whatever it was or all three, Yacov
managed to survive Lavan HaArami and come out wealthy.
32:4 And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother unto the land of Seir, the field of Edom. 5 And he commanded them, saying: 'Thus shall ye say unto my lord Esau: Thus say thy servant Jacob: I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed until now.
Rashi reminds us that the Hebrew with Lavan ‘Garti’ is “Tayag’ or 613 in Gematria hinting that despite everything Yacov still had the strength of Mitzvos. But Yacov married two or four sisters according to some in the other’s lifetime. As I mentioned this is before Matan Torah and some of the other Mitzvos were observed. Obviously not the Mitzvah of not eating the sinew from the leg yet. But when a Tzaddik talks and our commentator Rashi writes this is of importance both in protecting Yacov and in guarding against Esav thinking that Yacov has become lax in Mitzvos because he lived Chutz LaAretz.
6 And I have oxen, and asses and flocks, and men-servants and maid-servants; and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find favor in thy sight.'
Time heals all wounds and perhaps Esav has settled down a bit at the age of 97 with grandchildren and maybe great-grandchildren.
7 And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying: 'We came to thy brother Esau, and moreover he comes to meet thee, and four hundred men with him.'
Wouldn’t it have been enough for a known murderer of Nimrod to kill Yacov by himself? Wouldn’t it have been enough for Esav to come with his sons and grandsons? Woe unto Yacov an army of 400 that is larger than the 318 men that defeated the four kings!
8 Then Jacob was greatly afraid and was distressed. And he divided the people that was with him, and the flocks, and the herds, and the camels, into two camps.
You would be distressed too if you heard news like this from some wicked character that vowed to murder you.
9 And he said: 'If Esau come to the one camp, and smite it, then the camp which is left shall escape.'
Yacov divided his camp into three parts the first outstanding near Yacov with two wives was that of Yacov and the children of the concubines. The second was of Leah and sons and the last was Rachel and Yosef. This would become practical in World War II where Esav fell upon the camp of Europe and the camp of the United States and that of Yisrael survived.
10 And Jacob said: 'O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, O LORD, who said unto me: Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will do thee good; 11 I am not worthy of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which Thou hast shown unto Thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two camps.
Since you have been merciful to me maybe I used up all my merits and mitzvos.
12 Deliver me, I pray Thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, lest he come and smite me, the mother with the children.
Save me from Esav when he acts like a brother or his daughter wants to intermarry with me. (See this week’s story from Rabbi Efrem Goldberg.
13 And Thou said: I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.' 14 And he lodged there that night; and took of that which he had with him a present for Esau his brother: 15 two hundred she-goats and twenty he-goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, 16 thirty milch camels and their colts, forty kine and ten bulls, twenty she-asses and ten foals. 17 And he delivered them into the hand of his servants, every drove by itself; and said unto his servants: 'Pass over before me, and put a space betwixt drove and drove.' 18 And he commanded the foremost, saying: 'When Esau my brother meet thee, and asks thee, saying: Whose art thou? and whither go thou? and whose are these before thee? 19 then thou shalt say: They are thy servant Jacob's; it is a present sent unto my lord, even unto Esau; and, behold, he also is behind us.' 20 And he commanded also the second, and the third, and all that followed the droves, saying: 'In this manner shall ye speak unto Esau, when ye find him; 21 and ye shall say: Moreover, behold, thy servant Jacob is behind us.' For he said: 'I will appease him with the present that goes before me, and afterward I will see his face; peradventure he will accept me.'
Yacov prepares for battle with prayer, with presents to prove good intention and for war.
22 So the present passed over before him; and he himself lodged that night in the camp. 23 And he rose up that night, and took his two wives, and his two handmaids, and his eleven children, and passed over the ford of the Jabbok. 24 And he took them, and sent them over the stream, and sent over that which he had. 25 And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.
Yacov had forgotten some knickknacks that had the value of a pack of gum or something and he was like a billionaire but Din Peruta is like a Din of a hundred Perutos.
26 And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was strained, as he wrestled with him.
The Angel of Esav tried every way to destroy and wrestle with Yacov but he could not prevail.
27 And he said: 'Let me go, for the day breaks.' And he said: 'I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.' 28 And he said unto him: 'What is thy name?' And he said: 'Jacob.' 29 And he said: 'Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel; for thou hast striven with God and with men, and hast prevailed.'
Sometimes a man overcomes his generation. Chanoch became an angel. The Chofetz Chaim was on the level of a Tanna (writer of the Mishnah) but others were on a high level too. Yacov got up to the level of an Angel with his work and Emmes.
30 And Jacob asked him, and said: 'Tell me, I pray thee, thy name.' And he said: 'Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name?' And he blessed him there. 31 And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: 'for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.'
Essentially, the wrestling with the Angel and winning saved Yacov from Esav, himself.
32 And the sun rose upon him as he passed over Peniel, and he limped upon his thigh.
When Esav saw the limping Yacov coming towards him face to face and how he aged. He realized that Yacov was not the same Yacov and threat that he was 34 years earlier. Esav’s would finally get brotherly compassion.
33 Therefore the children of Israel eat not the sinew of the thigh-vein which is upon the hollow of the thigh, unto this day; because he touched the hollow of Jacob's thigh, even in the sinew of the thigh-vein.
The Bnei Yisrael are forbidden to eat the “Gid HaNashe” and the whole length is less than 4 inches.
33:1 And Jacob lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, Esau came, and with him four hundred men. And he divided the children unto Leah, and unto Rachel, and unto the two handmaids.
I assume that there was a dust cloud of an army on horses or camels galloping from a distance.
2 And he put the handmaids and their children foremost, and Leah and her children after, and Rachel and Joseph hindermost. 3 And he himself passed over before them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother. 4 And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him; and they wept.
There are two commentaries here. He really felt brotherly love or tried to bite Yacov’s neck and his teeth broke and he wept.
5 And he lifted up his eyes, and saw the women and the children; and said: 'Who are these with thee?' And he said: 'The children whom God hath graciously given thy servant.' 6 Then the handmaids came near, they and their children, and they bowed down. 7 And Leah also and her children came near, and bowed down; and after came Joseph near and Rachel, and they bowed down. 8 And he said: 'What meanest thou by all this camp which I met?' And he said: 'To find favour in the sight of my lord.' 9 And Esau said: 'I have enough; my brother, let that which thou hast be thine.' 10 And Jacob said: 'Nay, I pray thee, if now I have found favor in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand; forasmuch as I have seen thy face, as one seeth the face of God, and thou was pleased with me. 11 Take, I pray thee, my gift that is brought to thee; because God hath dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough.' And he urged him, and he took it. 12 And he said: 'Let us take our journey, and let us go, and I will go before thee.' 13 And he said unto him: 'My lord knows that the children are tender, and that the flocks and herds giving suck are a care to me; and if they overdrive them one day, all the flocks will die. 14 Let my lord, I pray thee, pass over before his servant; and I will journey on gently, according to the pace of the cattle that are before me and according to the pace of the children, until I come unto my lord unto Seir.'
Yacov never got to Seir. When will Yacov come to Seir? He will come via the Moshiach as described in Sefer Ovadia. 1:18 And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall kindle in them, and devour them; and there shall not be any remaining of the house of Esau; for the LORD hath spoken. 19 And they of the South shall possess the mount of Esau, and they of the Lowland the Philistines; and they shall possess the field of Ephraim, and the field of Samaria; and Benjamin shall possess Gilead. 20 And the captivity of this host of the children of Israel, that are among the Canaanites, even unto Zarephath, and the captivity of Jerusalem, that is in Sepharad, shall possess the cities of the South. 21 And saviors shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the LORD'S.
15 And Esau said: 'Let me now leave with thee some of the folk that are with me.' And he said: 'What needs it? let me find favor in the sight of my lord.'
Military Escorts for Yacov to come to Esav.
16 So Esau returned that day on his way unto Seir. 17 And Jacob journeyed to Succoth, and built him a house, and made booths for his cattle. Therefore, the name of the place is called Succoth.
The exact place is unknown it is somewhere between the area of Chatzor HaGalil and Shechem. Probably a plain similar to the area near the Golani Junction or a bit further south when one could graze for stretches.
18 And Jacob came in peace to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Paddan-aram; and encamped before the city. 19 And he bought the parcel of ground, where he had spread his tent, at the hand of the children of Hamor, Shechem's father, for a hundred pieces of money. 20 And he erected there an altar, and called it El-elohe-Israel.
The city is a relatively flat area between Har Eval and Har Gerizim and goes down steep towards Yarden but is a sloping plain towards the sea to the west or Yerushalayim to the south.
34:1 And Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne unto Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land.
Dinah is somewhere between seven and eight which today in Gaza is marital age. She was thinking about meeting and playing with girls her age but that was not to be.
2 And Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land, saw her; and he took her, and lay with her, and humbled her.
It would appear from the Pshat to be one act but our commentaries tell us that he lay with her the normal way and that he humbled her by turning not the usual way.
Rashi: Lay with her: in a natural way. — [from Gen. Rabbah 80:5] And violated her: Heb. וַיְעַנֶהָ, lit., and afflicted her. [I.e. he was intimate with her] in an unnatural way. — [from Gen. Rabbah 80: 5]
3 And his soul did cleave unto Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the damsel, and spoke comfortingly unto the damsel.
Unlike the local girls who were wiser to the ways of the world she was in shock. He liked her response and realized that she had a value character and personality.
4 And Shechem spoke unto his father Hamor, saying: 'Get me this damsel to wife.'
She was more refined than the girls of Canaan and I assume that his talking to her comforted her enough and his promises that she impressed him that she would be a good wife.
5 Now Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter; and his sons were with his cattle in the field; and Jacob held his peace until they came.
She told Leah of her adventures and neither Leah nor Yacov were pleased by this Canaan immorality.
6 And Hamor the father of Shechem went out unto Jacob to speak with him. 7 And the sons of Jacob came in from the field when they heard it; and the men were grieved, and they were very wroth, because he had wrought a vile deed in Israel in lying with Jacob's daughter; which thing ought not to be done. 8 And Hamor spoke with them, saying 'The soul of my son Shechem longs for your daughter. I pray you give her unto him to wife. 9 And make ye marriages with us; give your daughters unto us, and take our daughters unto you. 10 And ye shall dwell with us; and the land shall be before you; dwell and trade ye therein, and get you possessions therein.' 11 And Shechem said unto her father and unto her brethren: 'Let me find favor in your eyes, and what ye shall say unto me I will give. 12 Ask me never so much dowry and gift, and I will give according as ye shall say unto me; but give me the damsel to wife.'
After the rape, he is trying to make amends and wants Dina as his wife.
13 And the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father with guile, and spoke, because he had defiled Dinah their sister, 14 and said unto them: 'We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one that is uncircumcised; for that were a reproach unto us. 15 Only on this condition will we consent unto you: if ye will be as we are, that every male of you be circumcised; 16 then will we give our daughters unto you, and we will take your daughters to us, and we will dwell with you, and we will become one people. 17 But if ye will not hearken unto us, to be circumcised; then will we take our daughter, and we will be gone.'
Was it circumcision alone or was it belief in G-D also? The first part is clear and the second is not.
But, when Hamor and his son Shechem spoke to their townsmen, they reversed the matter, [and said (verse 21),] “We will take their daughters for ourselves as wives, and our daughters we will give them,” in order to appease them (the townsmen), that they would consent to be circumcised.
18 And their words pleased Hamor, and Shechem Hamor's son. 19 And the young man deferred not to do the thing, because he had delight in Jacob's daughter. And he was honored above all the house of his father. 20 And Hamor and Shechem his son came unto the gate of their city, and spoke with the men of their city, saying: 21 'These men are peaceable with us; therefore let them dwell in the land, and trade therein; for, behold, the land is large enough for them; let us take their daughters to us for wives, and let us give them our daughters. 22 Only on this condition will the men consent unto us to dwell with us, to become one people, if every male among us be circumcised, as they are circumcised. 23 Shall not their cattle and their substance and all their beasts be ours? only let us consent unto them, and they will dwell with us.' 24 And unto Hamor and unto Shechem his son hearkened all that went out of the gate of his city; and every male was circumcised, all that went out of the gate of his city. 25 And it came to pass on the third day, when they were in pain, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brethren, took each man his sword, and came upon the city unawares, and slew all the males.
Jacob’s two sons: They were his sons, but nevertheless, Simeon and Levi conducted themselves like other people, who were not his sons, for they did not take counsel with him. — [from Gen. Rabbah 80:10]
26 And they slew Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah out of Shechem's house, and went forth.
When Yacov dies he curses their anger and separates Shimon and Levi. It is Shimon who wants to kill Yosef but the tribe of Shimon under Zimri sins and it is Pinchas from Levi to acts against them and saves the day.
27 The sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and spoiled the city, because they had defiled their sister. 28 They took their flocks and their herds and their asses, and that which was in the city and that which was in the field; 29 and all their wealth, and all their little ones and their wives, took they captive and spoiled, even all that was in the house.
So they took the women and children. It does not say that they whether as slaves or as wives. Therefore we need a commentary like Achilles and Rashi to explain it to us.
They captured: Heb. שָׁבוּ, a term denoting captivity. Therefore, the accent is on the latter syllable. — [from Targum Onkelos]
30 And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi: 'Ye have troubled me, to make me odious unto the inhabitants of the land, even unto the Canaanites and the Perizzites; and, I being few in number, they will gather themselves together against me and smite me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house.'
Sefer HaYashar explains the war that follows in the mountains about Shechem and the miraculous withdrawal and the neighboring Hittites killing each other.
31 And they said: 'Should one deal with our sister as with a harlot?'
From the Halachic perspective perhaps they were correct but not from Pekeuach Nefesh because of the battle that occurred. One cannot put himself into danger to follow an ordinary Halacha nor expect miracles to happen. If they do because of the great mercies of HASHEM so be it in praise and glory but often we do not merit such honor.
35:1 And God said unto Jacob: 'Arise, go up to Beth-el, and dwell there; and make there an altar unto God, who appeared unto thee when thou didst flee from the face of Esau thy brother.' 2 Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him: 'Put away the strange gods that are among you, and purify yourselves, and change your garments;
Since when did the children of Yacov have idols? They captured everything that the people of Shechem had and among them the women and children took their idols. Maybe Rachel got rid of the Terrapin at this point or perhaps before.
3 and let us arise, and go up to Beth-el; and I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went.' 4 And they gave unto Jacob all the foreign gods which were in their hand, and the rings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the terebinth which was by Shechem.
I hope that with the years of sandstorms that they are buried deep and cannot be found by archeologists.
5 And they journeyed; and a terror of God was upon the cities that were round about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob. 6 So Jacob came to Luz, which is in the land of Canaan--the same is Beth-el--he and all the people that were with him. 7 And he built there an altar, and called the place El-beth-el, because there, God was revealed unto him, when he fled from the face of his brother.
When Yacov left he was by himself now he had a daughter and 11 sons.
8 And Deborah Rebekah's nurse died, and she was buried below Beth-el under the oak; and the name of it was called Allon-bacuth.
Since Yacov was 97 and his parents were married 20 years beforehand with Rivka between 3 and 14 per commentators at the time of marriage. That makes Deborah even older. The tree must have been a large pine tree and he called it the tree or pine of weeping.
9 And God appeared unto Jacob again, when he came from Paddan-aram, and blessed him. 10 And God said unto him: 'Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name'; and He called his name Israel. 11 And God said unto him: 'I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins; 12 and the land which I gave unto Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land.' 13 And God went up from him in the place where He spoke with him. 14 And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where He spoke with him, a pillar of stone, and he poured out a drink-offering thereon, and poured oil thereon. 15 And Jacob called the name of the place where God spoke with him, Beth-el.
Similar to the dream he had on the first night of his journey so too, here he had a dream.
16 And they journeyed from Beth-el; and there was still some way to come to Ephrath; and Rachel travailed, and she had hard labor. 17 And it came to pass, when she was in hard labor, that the mid-wife said unto her: 'Fear not; for this also is a son for thee.' 18 And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing--for she died--that she called his name Ben-oni; but his father called him Benjamin.
Rachel called him ‘poor son’ and Yacov called him ‘son of my right (hand)’. Rachel was saddened that the child would be an orphan from her.
19 And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath--the same is Beth-lehem.
She was buried there to pray for the exiles to Babylon. The place was called the house of the bread or probably bakery or for the reach wheat fields nearby.
20 And Jacob set up a pillar upon her grave; the same is the pillar of Rachel's grave unto this day. 21 And Israel journeyed, and spread his tent beyond Migdal-eder. 22 And it came to pass, while Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father's concubine; and Israel heard of it.
We have a tradition not to believe that Reuven took by force Bilhah but rather he took the bed of his father from her tent to the tent of Leah. Yacov wanted to cry and be comforted by Bilhah as they both loved Rachel deeply in different ways.
Now the sons of Jacob were twelve: 23 the sons of Leah: Reuben, Jacob's first-born,
The Pasuk here next to the story of Bilhah show that Reuven behaved like Yacov expected from a son and did not take by force Bilhah.
and Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Zebulun; 24 the sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin; 25 and the sons of Bilhah, Rachel's handmaid: Dan and Naphtali; 26 and the sons of Zilpah, Leah's handmaid: Gad and Asher. These are the sons of Jacob, that were born to him in Paddan-aram. 27 And Jacob came unto Isaac his father to Mamre, to Kiriatharba--the same is Hebron--where Abraham and Isaac sojourned. 28 And the days of Isaac were a hundred and fourscore years.
Yacov returned to his father after a hiatus of 36 years but we only count the 20 years he was with Lavan and two years on the way for the years of Torah learning that does not count as being away for spiritually he was carrying on what Yitzchak was obliged to teach him. Yacov was 99 and Yitzchak 159 when he joined his father.
29 And Isaac expired, and died, and was gathered unto his people, old and full of days; and Esau and Jacob his sons buried him.
The brothers did remain in contact with each other and their father.
36:1 Now these are the generations of Esau--the same is Edom. 2 Esau took his wives of the daughters of Canaan; Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Oholibamah the daughter of Anah, the daughter of Zibeon the Hivite, 3 and Basemath Ishmael's daughter, sister of Nebaioth. 4 And Adah bore to Esau Eliphaz; and Basemath bore Reuel; 5 and Oholibamah bore Jeush, and Jalam, and Korah. These are the sons of Esau, that were born unto him in the land of Canaan. 6 And Esau took his wives, and his sons, and his daughters, and all the souls of his house, and his cattle, and all his beasts, and all his possessions, which he had gathered in the land of Canaan; and went into a land away from his brother Jacob. 7 For their substance was too great for them to dwell together; and the land of their sojournings could not bear them because of their cattle.
Similar to Lot he does not value Eretz HaKodesh and leaves for the mountains of Seir.
8 And Esau dwelt in the mountain-land of Seir--Esau is Edom. 9 And these are the generations of Esau the father of the Edomites in the mountain-land of Seir. 10 These are the names of Esau's sons: Eliphaz the son of Adah the wife of Esau, Reuel the son of Basemath the wife of Esau. 11 And the sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, and Gatam, and Kenaz. 12 And Timna was concubine to Eliphaz Esau's son; and she bore to Eliphaz Amalek. These are the sons of Adah Esau's wife. … 43 the chief of Magdiel, the chief of Iram. These are the chiefs of Edom, according to their habitations in the land of their possession. This is Esau the father of the Edomites.
And so as with Noach, Yishmael and now Esav the Torah leaves them and their desendants.
Hanukkah Halachos Condensed by me sent to me by Jeff taken from the Young Israel of Fort Lauderdale Hollywood with some practical things that happened to me.
A number of years ago, I was on a trip to the States. My Forester Child, Menashe, is hard to handle. I told my that that I would be back before his school vacation. Rushing here and there and an early Hanukkah, I found myself returning home one or two days into the holiday. There was going to be one night in which I would not light the candles. So here is the Halacha: A woman may kindle the Menorah for a man, and vice versa. Although a woman may light the candles to exempt her husband, this should not be done, unless he will not be home to light them himself. So that year, I depended on this Halacha and Menashe did not give her trouble that year.
Other Halachos: A person wishing to join with another in the Chanukah candles should arrange to be a partner in the ownership of the oil, wicks, or candles. The person doing the lighting may give a share of the oil et al as a gift (no transfer of money is needed). When lighting the Menorah inside the house, the lights should be placed at a window facing a public area. If not possible, they should be placed facing a neighbor. The proper time to light Chanukah candles is 10minutes after sunset. The Chanukah lights should last for at least 30 minutes from the time they are lit. One should not begin a meal, learn, or do other work before lighting the Menorah. While the lights are burning, work which is prohibited on Chol HaMoed is customarily not performed. On Erev Shabbat, the candles or oil should burn until ½ hour after nightfall. If this is impossible, at least one light should burn for this time. These lights are lit before the Shabbat candles are lit. On Saturday night, it is questionable whether the Menorah or the Havdalah candle is lit first. In shul, the Menorah is lit first and then Havdalah is made so that people are present longer while the Chanukah candles are burning. At home, the common practice is to first make Havdalah and then light the Menorah.
My long term readers may recall that 10 years ago I underwent an operation at the N.I.H. and it passed over into Hanukkah. At that time, I was given an electric Menorah by my son and lit it as one cannot have a flame and oxygen outlets in the same room. But outside of safety concerns, one should light with a flame the Menorah.
The lights should be set in a straight row (not including the Shamash), in order that the number of lights be discernable. For the same reason, a space of one inch should separate the lights.15. If the lights are blown out before the required length of burning time, they should be relit without repeating the Bracha. It is forbidden to use the Chanukah lights for any purpose (e.g. to read or to eat by them). Similarly, one is not allowed to light a Chanukah candle from another Chanukah candle. The Shamash candle should be used exclusively. If the Shamash candle goes out before one is finished using it, be sure not to relight it from a Chanukah candle. All Berachos should be recited before beginning the lighting. The reason for this is that all Berachos are fully recited before the performance of the mitzvah. The complete Hallel is said on all eight days of Chanukah. Al Hanissim is added in the Shemona Esray and Birchas Hamazon. If one forgot the Al Hanissimin Shemona Esray until after the following Bracha, one does not go back to say it. There is a custom to eat fried foods on Chanukah. Though it would make sense to fry in olive oil, common practice is to fry in whatever oil you prefer.
There is one Halacha that I have not mentioned and that is lighting the candle starting in the eastern corner and moving westward with the additional candle each night and starting to light from the new candles. If your door or window faces north in the northern hemisphere the candle you light would be on your right side. If you are facing south aka the sun at noon, then the candle would be on your left side.
This story is probably the best one so far of 5781.
Joshua Safran’s Childhood by Rabbi Shraga Simmons
https://www.aish.com/sp/so/Off-the-Grid-Joshua-Safrans-Childhood-Was-Nothing-like-Yours.html?s=hp1
From a commune to Yerushalayim
For a Jewish kid growing up in 1980s America, Joshua Safran's childhood was unconventional to say the least. Much of it was spent hitchhiking with his free-spirited mother Claudia across the rural west – living intermittently in a commune, a dilapidated ice cream truck, and on the forest floor without electricity, running water, toilet, or refrigeration.
With great resilience and a sharp mind, by age 25 Joshua was a top-10 law school graduate, happily married, and an observant Jew. This is his incredible journey.
Joshua Safran was born in 1975 into a commune of witches in the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco. Rather than cackle over caldrons, these wymyn – the extreme wing of the feminist movement – channeled pagan spiritual energies to "rescue the goddess and heal the world."
"My mother is an incredible idealist," Safran told Aish.com from his home in Portland, Oregon. "She was in search of utopia and brought me along for the ride."
His mother Claudia was a "red diaper baby" – the term for children raised as American Communist. Her father was blacklisted by McCarthy for encouraging the downtrodden proletariat to rise up in a Marxist revolution and overthrow the U.S. government. "They were willing to sacrifice for a utopian ideal," Joshua explains.
When Joshua was 4, Ronald Reagan was elected president. Claudia anticipated nuclear war and took to the hills of the Pacific Northwest to "keep the struggle alive." Mother and son spent the next five years off the grid and on the open road. Joshua had no rules, no father, and no stability.
This tenuous childhood declined further when Claudia married a Marxist guerilla commander from El Salvador – an occultist who also turned out to be a violent alcoholic. Amidst regularly beatings of his mother, young Joshua would hide under the covers, terrified to confront the monster. By age 12, Joshua's soul was so desperate for justice that he plotted to kill his stepfather.
Joshua describes his early years as "nominally home-schooled," his mother opposing public school for "teaching bad values of capitalism, violence and competition." When his formal education began in sixth grade, Joshua could read and write at a college level, and was expert in Russian literature, Marxist theory, geography and geopolitics. Yet he was ignorant of basic math and science.
Joshua's social transition was difficult, as the other kids mocked his hippy style. "The paisley patches on my thrift store clothing and tree sap in my hair made me a prime target for redneck bullies of the rural west," he demurs.
One evening, Joshua and his mother were hiking to their home – a tarp in a temperate rain forest of the Pacific Northwest. They met a man who took one look at Joshua and said, "He's got a rabbi's nose!"
Joshua later asked his mother to explain. "Oh, I never told you we're Jewish?" she said, describing it as a family they shared with Freud, Marx and Einstein. Joshua was shocked to find he had deep roots, "that I belonged somewhere." When he pressed for more information about being Jewish, his mother gave a classic Jewish answer: "Let's go to the library and look it up."
Starting with Encyclopedia Britannica, Joshua discovered he was "descended from an ancient tribe that emerged from the mists of prehistory to teach the world about ethics and God." He looked at the portrait of Maimonides and had a visceral sense this was his personal family photo album.
He also learned that the Jews – scattered to the wind, oppressed and demeaned – soldiered on, believing in their cause and making an impact wherever they went. "On some level this mirrored my life story," Joshua says. "Outcast, wandering through adversity, seeking a higher purpose."
At age 12, Joshua heard the stirring words of Bob Marley's "Corner Stone":
The stone that the builder
refuse,
Will always be the head cornerstone.
These words of rejection and ultimate redemption resonated deeply with Joshua, inspiring him that "all this adversity was somehow laying the foundations of a wonderful life." When his mother claimed those words were written by King David, Joshua pored through the entire book of Psalms to disprove her. "I discovered, to my surprise, King David speaking to me across three millennia."
From there Joshua took refuge in the public library, where he "rode the reading room through space and time," soaking up history books and the Bible, and as a bonus finding refuge from his violent stepfather at home.
"I was deeply affected by Moses," Joshua says. "Moses grows up disconnected from the Jewish people, goes into the wilderness to find God, and is later reunited with his people. For me, this was an important invitation to reclaim my heritage."
Joshua excelled at school and earned a full scholarship to Oberlin College, where he studied Politics, Environmental Studies, and Judaic/Near Eastern Studies. Joshua's research of anthropology, spirituality and philosophy led to the conclusion that his mother's road to utopia – expressed in Wiccan spirituality and Marxist politics – were fabricated fads, incapable of true personal and societal transformation.
Joshua craved authenticity, what he calls "the one and only original, no imitations or substitutions." Seizing on his Jewish roots, he visited the Jewish Federation of Cleveland and – pre-Birthright – wrangled a free ticket to Israel.
Searching for the core of the 4,000-year-old Jewish story, Joshua connected in the Old City of Jerusalem, where he stayed at the Heritage House youth hostel and enjoyed Shabbat meals with the Machlis family. "Every square space was filled with upwards of 100 people," he describes. "I felt the wave of Simcha as we walked in."
What impressed him most was the Abrahamic hospitality and sense of inclusion. "I looked pretty weird with my long hair and flannel shirt. In America, they'd call the sheriff. In Israel, people fought over the honor to host me in their home."
Joshua's breakthrough experience came while attending a High Holidays beginner's service at Aish HaTorah overlooking the Western Wall. He recalls: "The rabbi announced: 'It's time for the Priestly Blessing. Are there any Kohens here today?' So the guy in front of me – a London gutter punk with orange dreadlocks and a safety pin though his nose – raises his hand. I'm thinking, ‘This will be so embarrassing when security has to escort this guy out.’
"But they brought him up front, unfurled a prayer shawl over his shoulders, and all of us, including the esteemed rabbis, stood back to receive the Priestly Blessing. At that moment of acceptance and unity, I knew I was home."
When Joshua returned from Israel, his mother pointed out the irony of – growing up with no rules and no father – and now subscribing to a ‘rule-based patriarchal system’.
“From a young age I felt by a tangible paternal presence, guiding me through life-and-death situations. I was swept by waves in California and almost drowned; I fell out of a massive tree, and I careened down a cliff in a car with no brakes. Each time I felt a calm, omniscient presence coaching me out of it.”
Joshua was on a spiritual search, knowing very little except that he didn't want a derivative knock-off product. "I'd seen all the contrived spiritual systems and how they failed. As the original monotheistic faith, Judaism has full legitimacy and authenticity. And if it's all an elaborate scam to get me to behave like an ethical, compassionate human being? That's an excellent 'worse-case' scenario!"
After graduating Oberlin, Joshua spent a year studying in the mystic Israeli city of Tzefat. The clean mountain air, storied cobblestones and ancient Jewish wisdom illuminated Joshua's return to his Jewish roots. At Yeshiva Shalom Rav, he discovered Rabbi Shlomo Freifeld's zt"l approach to Torah life – emphasizing inclusion, and not judging people with different traditions or backgrounds. "It uses warmth to show what Judaism can be," Joshua says. "That spoke to my heart."
In looking toward a career, Joshua saw lawyers as exemplars of success in America – both financially and in their ability to assist the poor and powerless in a chaotic legal system. Joshua applied to prestigious Berkeley law school and was accepted. That set into motion a new life direction – marriage to his soul mate Leah, fatherhood, a home in trendy North Berkeley, and a corner office at a corporate mega-law firm.
"After living for so long on the margins of society," he says, "I wanted to experience the 'American dream.' Representing Fortune 100 companies, with my own secretary and a hefty salary, I felt I'd finally arrived."
Yet that feeling lasted for six months; the material pleasures failed to satisfy his thirst for a meaningful life. "You're deeply entrenched on a hamster wheel, working ungodly hours," Joshua says, "You're either on the partner track or you're fired. Because of how I grew up, I felt I had to prove that I could compete and succeed as well as everyone else."
"At the law firm, the average burnout rate of an associate – from his first day on the job until the time he either collapses or quits – is 18 months. I lasted for 8 years, and without question what saved me was the mandatory weekly recharge of Shabbat."
Around this time, California adopted a new law to assist women who'd been sent to prison after defending themselves against an abusive intimate partner. With another lawyer, Joshua took on a pioneering case that tested this law and unknowingly stumbled into a 7-year ordeal that led him to confront the demons lurking from encounters with his own abusive stepfather.
The case centered on Deborah Peagler, a sweet and dynamic woman who led the world's largest women’s prison gospel choir. At age 15 she'd been taken by a pimp and drug dealer in south central Los Angeles, forced into prostitution and horrifically abused for six years. When the pimp was found dead, Deborah was falsely charged and convicted of murder. By the time Joshua entered the picture, she'd already languished 20 years in prison.
The case caught the interest of Yoav Potash, Joshua's friend and filmmaker who agreed to document the case. In the seven-year process to obtain freedom ("a nightmarish, bureaucratic rabbit hole of injustice"), Joshua exposed deep corruption in the LA District Attorney's office and attracted nationwide media attention.
For Joshua, the case became personal when Deborah explained how the pimp, after a beating, would use raw steaks to heal her wounds. The words hit Joshua like an anvil, conjuring up his darkest childhood memories of his mother being beaten by the Salvadorian revolutionary. "Deborah was a metaphorical extension of my own experience," he says. "I'd plotted to kill my abusive stepfather. That could have been me sitting in prison."
Joshua subsequently shared his experiences with Deborah, the first time he'd ever discussed them openly. "I had therapy sessions with a convicted murderer at the maximum security prison," he says wryly.
Employing legal creativity and prodigious tenacity, Joshua eventually obtained Deborah's release from prison. The case – especially Joshua's unique involvement – was immortalized in the documentary Crime After Crime, winner of dozens of awards and featured at the Sundance Film Festival and Oprah Winfrey Network.
For Joshua, this entire ordeal was a Tikkun, a spiritual repair of sorts. "For years I'd been carrying the burden of my own cowardice when my mother might have been killed and I didn't do anything to protect her," he says. "The fight for Deborah's freedom helped prove to my 10-year-old self that I finally had the courage to stand up against domestic abuse."
Out of this caldron, Joshua produced a memoir of his childhood, Free Spirit: Growing Up On the Road and Off the Grid. Critics called it “beautiful, powerful, introspective, hilarious, heartbreaking... and a remarkable account of survival despite the odds."
Joshua is now a nationally recognized expert on domestic violence and wrongful imprisonment, and a regular on the Jewish lecture circuit. His message is one of liberating people from stigmas that ruin their lives. "With my own childhood, I needed the courage and permission to confront my experiences, to talk about it, and not be ashamed," he says. "Everywhere I go I get pulled aside by people carrying around these lifelong secrets."
Joshua's childhood left him with jagged edges, and he is determined to provide a more "normal" life for his three daughters, ages 10-14. "Everything I do as a father, I view dramatically as a Tikkun for my own childhood," he says. "I'm trying to navigate this middle path, where my children gain the resilience I had growing up – but without the difficult experiences that gave me that training."
Joshua and his wife are applying ancient Torah wisdom to navigate life's core areas: marriage, parenting, community, and spiritual growth.
Viewers of the domestic abuse film see how Torah ideals impact Joshua's devotion to the cause. The film shows Joshua at morning prayers, praising God for "releasing those who are bound" (matir asurim). Joshua tells the camera: “If someone is wrongfully imprisoned, we have an obligation to fight to free them, to liberate them.”
With sensitivity guided by Torah, Joshua’s role in this story is a Kiddush Hashem. Joshua says he was particularly inspired by the stories of Rabbi Aryeh Levin (A Tzaddik in Our Time), a Jerusalem holy man who dedicated his life to helping prisoners. "Every inmate prays for the day when a team of lawyers will show up and fight for their release," he says.
As for domestic violence, it is an issue that remains close to Joshua's heart. "I always wondered why my mother would allow herself to be beaten. I later discovered that the problem extends back to my great-great-grandfather who became an orphan when the Cossacks murdered his parents while he hid in a closet. He was devastated and raged out violently like a family lightning rod, starting a chain passed down through each generation. Here I am, five generations later, experiencing the fallout of that pogrom."
Meanwhile, Joshua is grateful for the sense of idealism he inherited from his Jewish grandparents. "They were raised with traditional eastern European Jewish values, so had strong Messianic yearnings. Yet they applied our 4,000-year-old yearnings onto Communism, the popular 'ism' of the time."
Joshua's mother inherited both this idealism and lightning rod syndrome, heading for the hills in what Joshua calls "the last woman standing, seeking a higher truth, and called to sacrifice for the good of humanity."
Safran is not Joshua's given last name. He and his wife chose it together, based on the root Sefer, book. That's where this whole story begins, as the People of the Book, and reversing a generational search for utopia – from one direction to a traditional Jewish ideal. His three daughters attend Jewish day school; one a recent Bat Mitzvah was a family first in 110 years.
Joshua reflects: "If I could do it all over again, I'd choose the experience slogging through muddy trails at my mother's side, over the cushy sugar-and-television suburban life I'd once dreamed of. At Oberlin, I met kids from suburban families who were clinically depressed, on medication, suicidal, and complained their parents never cared about them. The grass is always greener. So I enjoy the small pleasures like a hot shower and I get excited when the utility bills come."
For Joshua Safran, it's all part of his miraculous storybook adventure.
This Scares me more than Antisemitism by Rabbi Efrem Goldberg.
https://www.aish.com/jw/s/This-Scares-Me-More-Than-Antisemitism.html
The statistical threat of antisemitism pales in comparison to the damage that we are doing to ourselves that is spurring the disappearance of our people.
Several years ago, I was standing with our new assistant rabbi, who had just moved here from South Africa, when a stranger came over and engaged us. In the course of our conversation, the man mentioned something about his non-Jewish wife. When he walked away, I looked over and the new rabbi was visibly shaken. I asked what was wrong and he told me it was the first time he had ever met someone who is intermarried. Coming from a Jewish community in South Africa where even those who aren’t observant are overwhelmingly traditional, he had never personally encountered someone who married out of our faith and it left him startled and shaken.
I, too, was startled that day, but for an altogether different reason. I was startled by how not startled I was. Intermarriage has become so “normal” and “mainstream” in America that we meet or hear about someone married to a non-Jew and we don’t flinch.
Indeed, I thought about this story recently when I saw a headline, “Kamala Harris and Douglas Emhoff made history for interfaith families. All Jews should celebrate that.” Politics aside, many have expressed excitement over Kamala’s step-children calling her “Momala” and how Doug broke a glass at their wedding. Others have kvelled that all of President-Elect Joe Biden’s three children, who are Roman Catholic, married Jews.
According to a 2013 Pew survey, 44% of married Jewish respondents, and 58% of those who have married since 2005, are married to a non-Jewish spouse. The rate of intermarriages among non-Orthodox Jews, who make up the majority of the American Jewish population, was a staggering 71%. This data is seven years old and I shudder to think what the numbers look like today.
Correctly, we are all outraged by and concerned with growing antisemitism. This week, the FBI published its 2019 hate crime report, which found that antisemitic hate crimes rose by 14% last year and once again comprised the overwhelming majority of hate crimes based on religion. (60.2% of all hate crime victims were targeted because they were Jews; next on the list were victims of anti-Islamic bias, who comprised 13.2% of the total.) Last year saw a series of lethal antisemitic attacks in Poway, Jersey City, and Monsey that created understandable concern and worry.
Nevertheless, as disturbing as these horrific incidents and troubling trends are, when it comes to Jewish continuity, the statistical threat of antisemitism pales in comparison to the damage we are doing to ourselves and our contributions to the disappearance of our people.
We should continue to make all Jews feel loved, welcomed, and secure with the knowledge that they always have a place within our people.
In his blueprint for sustainable synagogues, Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president of the Union for Reform Judaism said, “Interfaith families are now the majority of the movement. Audacious hospitality says, ‘You know what? We’re not going to be just nice and let them in. We’re going to say we can’t be who were meant to be without them.’”
Make no mistake, I am not suggesting we make those who choose differently feel rejected, alienated, or marginalized, or believe that they have no place or future in our people. We should continue to make all Jews feel loved, welcomed, and secure with the knowledge that they always have a place within our people. We should not only leave the door open but welcome them to walk through it.
At the same time, we must not provide hospitality by diluting our values, distorting our principles, or worst of all, compromising on our continuity. The rampant assimilation and growing intermarriage won’t be solved by moving the goal posts, offering a new and convenient definition of who is a Jew or what is a Jewish family, any more than an accountant can solve a bad quarter by cooking the books. We must find a way to simultaneously be hospitable to all Jews while inhospitable to some decisions.
We must love all Jews, and we must also love the Almighty, feel His pain, fight for His values and vision and pursue His blueprint for the Jewish people in His world.
Intermarriage is not a Reform or Conservative challenge, it is not the problem of the “unaffiliated” or “secular.” Too many Orthodox parents have reached out to me about their children who have gone through a robust Jewish education and grew up in observant homes who have met someone non-Jewish and are building a life with them. We are one people, one nation, and we are watching our family hemorrhage.
We need to celebrate the joy of being Jewish in our homes and be willing to sacrifice in our dedication and devotion to Judaism.
This is a time for all of us to dig deep, to draw from the wellsprings of our heritage and our timeless Torah. We must bring God back into the conversations in our homes, celebrate the joy of being Jewish, and be willing to sacrifice in our dedication and devotion to Torah lifestyles.
To be clear, there are parents who are excellent role models, who are deeply and profoundly devoted to Jewish life and living and whose children nevertheless make their own choices about life and about religion. There are no guarantees in life. I share these thoughts not to assign blame or promote guilt or cast aspersions on anyone, but to motivate action and inspiration.
Someone once asked me to meet with a man and his son whom I didn’t know. The son was in a serious relationship with a non-Jew and the father was devastated. He was hoping I could meet and “talk some sense” into the son. I will never forget the conversation in my office. The father began by describing how betrayed he feels, how pained he is and what a mistake his son is making.
When he was done, the son turned to his father and said, "Dad, you speak so self-righteously, you claim to care so much about Judaism and Jewish continuity, but what sacrifices are you making for your Judaism? You have a casual attitude towards Jewish law, you pick and choose as you see fit, you are not consistent about praying or study. You aren’t willing to give up the foods you love, the things you want to do, your time or energy and you want me to give up a girl I have fallen in love with who will make a wonderful wife and mother?"
I was floored. The son had made an articulate and compelling case, not in defense of his tragic choice, but rather as an indictment of a father he believed had no right to be surprised or upset.
If we have a casual and selective attitude towards our Judaism, what can we expect from our children and grandchildren. We need to return to the wells that have sustained us and kept us hydrated throughout our history. We must double down on lifestyles of deep commitment to Jewish law, Jewish life, Torah study, character development and lovingkindness. We must work to share our treasured Torah with Jews around us making outreach a priority, not only for outreach professionals but the responsibility of every concerned Jew.
Hearing about intermarriage, whether in the highest office in the land, or anywhere else, is not something to “celebrate” or admire, it is something to grieve, to be pained by, but most of all, to be driven to do something about.
Before TV there were news reels WWII Victory roundup. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n96hb8Uqb8g
A Portuguese Jew returns. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/292333
Puppy Mill in N. Israel closed down. Police raid puppy mill in northern Israel - ILTV ISRAEL DAILY - Israel National News
How not to bore your date. https://www.aish.com/d/w/How-Not-to-Bore-Your-Date.html?s=mpbot
Poll released on Friday. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/292517
Inyanay Diyoma
Iran threatens revenge for Nuke Scientist killing. https://www.debka.com/khamenei-weighs-in-with-threat-of-retaliation-for-the-fakhrizadeh-killing/
How the chief of A-Bomb & Missiles eliminated. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/292123
Iran tried to bomb event where Rudy spokes. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/292126
Israeli Embassies on Alert. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/ryZBV2kiP
Ed-Op Fishman Saudis and Israelis in trepidation over Biden. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/SyIH11855v
USS Nimitz ordered back to Persian Gulf after assassination. https://www.foxnews.com/world/pentagon-orders-uss-nimitz-back-to-persian-gulf-after-irans-supreme-leader-threatens-revenge-over-slain-scientist
Retired General prepares already for 2022 NH Senate Race. https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/new-hampshire/articles/2020-11-09/bolduc-says-hes-running-for-us-senate-in-2022
First Covid19 Vaccines to arrive in Dec. https://www.ynetnews.com/health_science/article/BJY7lZhqv
Ed-Op Ben Yishai: Iran’s revenge could include missiles on Eilat. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/H17viRxjD
Israel and UAE saving endangered birds. https://www.ynetnews.com/environment/article/BJzk1p9cw
The isolation of Corona Patients by Dr. M. Shapiro: https://www.ynetnews.com/article/rkwPzLFcP
The Biden Syndrome may speed-up Aliyah. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/292098
Dominion VP in hiding. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/292135
Outgoing Health Professor ahead of his time. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/292135
Trump’s lawsuits converge on SCOTUS. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/292129
Iran the end of Israel is near. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/292146
Trump plans to announce 2024 campaign. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/292145
Stoning incident south of Yerushalayim. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/292167
Crown Prince delayed Israel Deal because of Biden. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/292151
Gewalt! Kissinger! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPcQ0kMD-qo&feature=youtu.be
Jerusalem fears a terror attack. https://www.timesofisrael.com/jerusalem-fears-attacks-on-israelis-visiting-uae-following-iran-hit/
Nuke Chief was killed by remote control. https://www.timesofisrael.com/top-iranian-nuclear-scientist-was-killed-by-remote-controlled-gun-report/
Ed-Op Fishman Iran and Israel two step. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/HyrXElWjw
Senior Police Officer changed with beating. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/BJqvm4biP#autoplay
Twice delayed court gives to remove squatters. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/292192
Iranian terrorist diplomat. https://www.debka.com/iranian-diplomat-tries-to-dodge-belgian-trial-for-notorious-bomb-plot/
Ganz sick of Netanyahu. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/292221
Nasrallah steps up security. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/292216
Israeli Insulin Pill. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/292220
UAE condemns assassination of Nuke Director. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/292204
Saar why are we not doing general Covid tests. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/292203
Ganz freezes Submarine Probe. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/292202
Dr. Brix third wave worse than expected. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/292197
More claims of dead voters and fraud. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/292191
Biden has terrorist sympathizer on his staff. https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2020/11/biden_appoints_rationalizer_of_palestinian_suicide_bombers_to_his_white_house_staff.html
Drone kills the Commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/Sye2PrmjD
UAE arms sales draw human rights criticism. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/SJsX9IXsw
Ed-Op Nachman Shai Israel must learn humility. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/SJsX9IXsw
Despite Bibi’s big mouth Saudis allow overhead flights. https://www.algemeiner.com/2020/11/30/saudi-arabia-agrees-to-allow-israeli-commercial-planes-to-cross-its-airspace/
Six months to antisemitic thug: https://www.algemeiner.com/2020/11/30/antisemitic-thug-who-assaulted-jewish-street-artist-in-strasbourg-sentenced-to-six-months-by-french-court/
Ed-Op Diane Bederman on lack of tolerance towards Christians and Jews. https://dianebederman.com/trudeau-mohamed-jesus-and-free-speech/
Virus Cabinet votes to reduce mall capacity. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/H155sAMoD
Virus cases rise threatening 3rd lockdown. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/S1d1ovmiv
Israel to sell 29 used F-16’s to Canadian Firm for simulated battles. https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3877557,00.html
Dead Pig thrown at door step of Rabbi in Lakewood, NJ. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/292304
Hadassah Hospital may give 1.5 million doses of Sputnik 5 Corona Vaccine to Arabs. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/292308
Bibi refuses to budget in agreement Ganz to vote for elections. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/292268
Hendel and Hauser to vote for elections. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/292270
Experts were wrong about lockdowns and children suicides rising. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/292306
Israel heads for 4th election as Netanyahu violates coalition agreement on budget and other things. https://www.debka.com/israel-government-heads-for-a-fall-while-struggling-with-new-covid-crisis/
Potential bribe scandal in White House Pardons. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/292361
Germany ramming attack. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/292335
Hit & Run near Rachel’s Tomb. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/292369
Arabs attack Jews with fireworks and firebombs. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/292358
Sudan-Israel deal in jeopardy. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/292359
Saudis claim Iran ready to blame them. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/292368
Israel to force quarantine on travelers. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/SJCBU34sP
No legal evidence of wide spread voter fraud. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/HyFLu9Eow
Iran’s security gaps and the advantage taken. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/ryXTcR7jw
The squeeze is on Iran. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/292345
Couple kills infant daughter. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/292339
A Portuguese Jew returns. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/292333
Hamas Gaza leader http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/292330
CDC cuts quarantine time from 7 to 10 days. https://apnews.com/article/politics-pandemics-coronavirus-pandemic-fcbc8b93537033b749fb4900ee2027d5
Biden wants to return to Iran deal. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/292437
Israel Bahrain non-defense trade to top $200,000,000. https://www.ynetnews.com/business/article/B1m317Bjw
Ben Dror Yemeni Terrible government elections worse. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/BykvBkrsv
Tel Aviv metro system botched up. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/292409
First recorded death of somebody who got twice Corona. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/292433
Saudis and Qatar in US deal. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/292433
Public Opinion with or without new party. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/292431
Hackers steal insurance company data. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/292439
Czechs to open mission in Yerushalayim. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/292425
Trump my most important speech. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/292436
Baghdad Embassy lowered. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/292446
4,000,000 doses on way to Israel. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/292518
First People to get the vaccine will be medical workers and the elderly but there will be opposition. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/292515
4 arrested in Belgistan at a LeChaim. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/292521
General Keane analyses killing of Nuke Scientists. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiFAQgOC9eA
Insurance Company will not pay hackers. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/292518
FMs of Israel and Yarden meet. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/292496
Nasrallah to move to Iran. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/292508
Arab Authority depends upon Israel. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/rJAewvLiP
50,000 Israelis to visit Gulf States worries of Iranian attack. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/HJFxeaUjv
A wonderful and peaceful Shabbos stay well and Hanukah Samayach,
Rachamim Pauli
