May 28th should have been the 53rd birthday of my cousin Esther Horgen instead she remains 52 forever HY” D.
BDE Esther bas Alice passed away and a week ago Denise Esther bas Leah was sent home by the doctors. Since I will get a notice I will pray for her.
Parsha Naso
We continue from where we left off last week with the work of the Leviim.
4:21 And the LORD spoke unto Moses saying: 22 'Take the sum of the sons of Gershon also, by their fathers' houses, by their families; 23 from thirty years old and upward until fifty years old shalt thou number them: … 25 they shall bear the curtains of the tabernacle, and the tent of meeting, its covering, and the covering of giraffe skin that is above upon it, and the screen for the door of the tent of meeting; 26 and the hangings of the court, and the screen for the door of the gate of the court, which is by the tabernacle and by the altar round about, and their cords, and all the instruments of their service, and whatsoever there may be to do with them, therein shall they serve. … and their charge shall be under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest. 29 As for the sons of Merari, thou shalt number them by their families, by their fathers' houses; 30 from thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old shalt thou number them, … the boards of the tabernacle, and the bars thereof, and the pillars thereof, and the sockets thereof; 32 and the pillars of the court round about, and their sockets, and their pins, and their cords, even all their appurtenance, and all that pertains to their service; and by name ye shall appoint the instruments of the charge of their burden. 33 This is the service of the families of the sons of Merari, according to all their service, in the tent of meeting, under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.' 34 And Moses and Aaron and the princes of the congregation numbered the sons of the Kohathites by their families, and by their fathers' houses, 35 from thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that entered upon the service, for service in the tent of meeting. 36 And those that were numbered of them by their families were two thousand seven hundred and fifty. 37 These are they that were numbered of the families of the Kohathites, of all that did serve in the tent of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the commandment of the LORD by the hand of Moses. 38 And those that were numbered of the sons of Gershon, by their families, and by their fathers' houses, 39 from thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that entered upon the service, for service in the tent of meeting, 40 even those that were numbered of them, by their families, by their fathers' houses, were two thousand and six hundred and thirty. 41 These are they that were numbered of the families of the sons of Gershon, of all that did serve in the tent of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the commandment of the LORD. 42 And those that were numbered of the families of the sons of Merari, by their families, by their fathers' houses, 43 from thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that entered upon the service, for service in the tent of meeting, 44 even those that were numbered of them by their families, were three thousand and two hundred. 45 These are they that were numbered of the families of the sons of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the commandment of the LORD by the hand of Moses. 46 All those that were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron and the princes of Israel numbered, by their families, and by their fathers' houses,
From the time of Yacov, the Bnei Yisrael had six wagons. 2 wagons and 4 oxen were given to the Bnei Gershon to carry the curtains. The Bnei Merari were given 4 wagons and 8 oxen for the boards and pegs of the Mishkan. *In previous years I calculated the weight of the boards and we had a few tons of wood to move.
47 from thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that entered in to do the work of service, and the work of bearing burdens in the tent of meeting, 48 even those that were numbered of them, were eight thousand and five hundred and fourscore. 49 According to the commandment of the LORD they were appointed by the hand of Moses, everyone to his service, and to his burden; they were also numbered, as the LORD commanded Moses.
So the census taken of the working Leviim.
5:1 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 2 'Command the children of Israel, that they put out of the camp every leper, and every one that hath an issue, and whosoever is unclean by the dead; 3 both male and female shall ye put out, without the camp shall ye put them; that they defile not their camp, in the midst whereof I dwell.' 4 And the children of Israel did so, and put them out without the camp; as the LORD spoke unto Moses, so did the children of Israel.
The Leper is with a disease and isolation is good. What about the man dripping seed or the women bleeding? It seems that they too have gonorrhea or a different disease and have to be also kept out of the camp.
5 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 6 Speak unto the children of Israel: When a man or woman shall commit any sin that men commit, to commit a trespass against the LORD, and that soul be guilty; 7 then they shall confess their sin which they have done; and he shall make restitution for his guilt in full, and add unto it the fifth part thereof, and give it unto him in respect of whom he hath been guilty.
Taking something that belonged to the Mikdash then he adds a 20% fine.
… 11 and the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 12 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them: If any man's wife go aside, and act unfaithfully against him, 13 and a man lie with her carnally, and it be hid from the eyes of her husband, she being defiled secretly, and there be no witness against her, neither she be taken in the act;
She has deviated from the path of a married life.
14 and the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be defiled; or if the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be not defiled;
The problem is when jealousy is justified and when it is not. In one case where I knew the couple, the man put nonsense in his head and murdered his wife and committed suicide on Shabbos Kodesh. In another case, the man was so possessive of his girlfriend that he wanted her to send photos of where she was. He managed to drive her into the arms of another man and they both left the country for another place. If the jealousy comes from a righteous man and is justified then the following applies.
15 then shall the man bring his wife unto the priest, and shall bring her offering for her, the tenth part of an ephah of barley meal; he shall pour no oil upon it, nor put frankincense thereon; for it is a meal-offering of jealousy, a meal-offering of memorial, bringing iniquity to remembrance. 16 And the priest shall bring her near, and set her before the LORD. 17 And the priest shall take holy water in an earthen vessel; and of the dust that is on the floor of the tabernacle the priest shall take, and put it into the water.
There was such a case where the Chida called the unsuspecting husband and the wife refused. Since the Chida was a Cohain after he read her the Pasuk and she left his office, her leg swelled and she died on the spot.
18 And the priest shall set the woman before the LORD, and let the hair of the woman's head go loose, and put the meal-offering of memorial in her hands, which is the meal-offering of jealousy; and the priest shall have in his hand the water of bitterness that causes the curse. 19 And the priest shall cause her to swear, and shall say unto the woman: 'If no man have lain with thee, and if thou hast not gone aside to uncleanness, being under thy husband, be thou free from this water of bitterness that causes the curse;
She will bear the full curse for swearing rather than a divorce while if not she will be blessed with a child. [All this provided that the man was not a sinner for he is was such the curse and the blessing did not work. – The commentary went on previous generations in our generation I wonder.]
20 but if thou hast gone aside, being under thy husband, and if thou be defiled, and some man have lain with thee besides thy husband-- 21 then the priest shall cause the woman to swear with the oath of cursing, and the priest shall say unto the woman--the LORD make thee a curse and an oath among thy people, when the LORD doth make thy thigh to fall away, and thy belly to swell; 22 and this water that causes the curse shall go into thy bowels, and make thy belly to swell, and thy thigh to fall away'; and the woman shall say: 'Amen, Amen.' 23 And the priest shall write these curses in a scroll, and he shall blot them out into the water of bitterness. … 27 And when he hath made her drink the water, then it shall come to pass, if she be defiled, and have acted unfaithfully against her husband, that the water that causes the curse shall enter into her and become bitter, and her belly shall swell, and her thigh shall fall away; and the woman shall be a curse among her people. 28 And if the woman be not defiled, but be clean; then she shall be cleared, and shall conceive seed.
For Shalom Beis the Holy One Blessed Be HE lets HIS name be erased. For Shalom Beis, the couple is then rewarded with a child. Some say that a few false accusations occurred so that the having the child part could come to fruit.
29 This is the law of jealousy, when a wife, being under her husband, goes aside, and is defiled; 30 or when the spirit of jealousy cometh upon a man, and he be jealous over his wife; then shall he set the woman before the LORD, and the priest shall execute upon her all this law. 31 And the man shall be clear from iniquity, and that woman shall bear her iniquity.
With two points I would like to conclude here. I would not want to be woman married to a jealous husband or a man married to a woman where he would become jealous of her behavior. Rather, couples should reach a level where they supply each other with physical, spiritual and mental compatibility. Perhaps the story of the Arabian Nights says it best where the king would murder the wife each morning after his first wife cheated on him but Scheherazade supplied him not only with the physical but spiritual and mental needs that in the end there was a happy and satisfying marriage. MARRIAGE IS A PARTNERSHIP and like any partnership investment requires time, money, effort and a committed investment and consideration for the partner.
Speaking of partnership, the Medrash brings down a story of two brothers. One brother was married with a number of children and his brother a bachelor. The bachelor would sneak in a sack of grain at night to the married brother to pay for the larger family. The married brother said to himself, my other brother has no sons to help him, I will give him a sack a grain each night. One night in the middle of the way they met each with his sack of grain and hugged each other.
6:1 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them: When either man or woman shall clearly utter a vow, the vow of a Nazirite, to consecrate himself unto the LORD, 3 he shall abstain from wine and strong drink: he shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of strong drink, neither shall he drink any liquor of grapes, nor eat fresh grapes or dried.
The Medrash says, “When one sees a Sotah in the Mikdash exposed from the waist up, in order not to get bad thoughts, one should sear off wife hence the conjunction of Nazir and Sotah together.
4 All the days of his Naziriteship shall he eat nothing that is made of the grape-vine, from the pressed grapes even to the grapestone. 5 All the days of his vow of Naziriteship there shall no razor come upon his head; until the days be fulfilled, in which he consecrates himself unto the LORD, he shall be holy, he shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow long.
The last Nazir recorded was Rabbi David HaCohain https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Cohen_(rabbi)
He was also a vegetarian. His son was Chief Rabbi of Haifa and his daughter was married to Rabbi Shlomo Goren who later became Chief Rabbi of Israel. He was allowed to cut his hair once a year like Shimshon but since he was a Cohain could not defile himself like Shimson.
6 All the days that he consecrates himself unto the LORD he shall not come near to a dead body. 7 He shall not make himself unclean for his father, or for his mother, for his brother, or for his sister, when they die; because his consecration unto God is upon his head.
This is a person who becomes a Nazir for 30 days or more but not a life time one who can like Shimshon defile himself for the dead.
8 All the days of his Naziriteship he is holy unto the LORD. 9 And if any man die very suddenly beside him, and he defile his consecrated head, then he shall shave his head in the day of his cleansing, on the seventh day shall he shave it. 10 And on the eighth day he shall bring two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, to the priest, to the door of the tent of meeting. 11 And the priest shall prepare one for a sin-offering, and the other for a burnt-offering, and make atonement for him, for that he sinned by reason of the dead; and he shall hallow his head that same day.
This is atonement for over stepping himself in a relationship with G-D instead of just being a better man. As if a Nazir is holier than his fellow.
12 And he shall consecrate unto the LORD the days of his Naziriteship, and shall bring a he-lamb of the first year for a guilt-offering; but the former days shall be void, because his consecration was defiled. 13 And this is the law of the Nazirite, when the days of his consecration are fulfilled: he shall bring it unto the door of the tent of meeting;
He is punished with this Korban and atonement for he has made himself too holy unnecessarily.
14 and he shall present his offering unto the LORD, one he-lamb of the first year without blemish for a burnt-offering, and one ewe-lamb of the first year without blemish for a sin-offering, and one ram without blemish for peace-offerings, 15 and a basket of unleavened bread, cakes of fine flour mingled with oil, and unleavened wafers spread with oil, and their meal-offering, and their drink-offerings. 16 And the priest shall bring them before the LORD, and shall offer his sin-offering, and his burnt-offering. 17 And he shall offer the ram for a sacrifice of peace-offerings unto the LORD, with the basket of unleavened bread; the priest shall offer also the meal-offering thereof, and the drink-offering thereof. … 20 And the priest shall wave them for a wave-offering before the LORD; this is holy for the priest, together with the breast of waving and the thigh of heaving; and after that the Nazirite may drink wine. 21 This is the law of the Nazirite who voweth, and of his offering unto the LORD for his Naziriteship, beside that for which his means suffice; according to his vow which he vows, so he must do after the law of his Naziriteship. …
Now our Parsha covers Birchas Cohanim.
22 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 23 'Speak unto Aaron and unto his sons, saying: On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel; ye shall say unto them: 24 The LORD bless thee, and keep thee;
The first blessing is for health.
25 The LORD make His face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee;
This blessing is for satisfaction in wealth and happiness.
26 The LORD lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
For Am Yisrael there is no greater gift than peace.
27 So shall they put My name upon the children of Israel, and I will bless them.'
When you do so, the Bnei Yisrael will be blessed.
7:1 And it came to pass on the day that Moses had made an end of setting up the tabernacle, and had anointed it and sanctified it, and all the furniture thereof, and the altar and all the vessels thereof, and had anointed them and sanctified them; 2 that the princes of Israel, the heads of their fathers' houses, offered--these were the princes of the tribes, these are they that were over them that were numbered. 3 And they brought their offering before the LORD, six covered wagons, and twelve oxen: a wagon for every two of the princes, and for each one an ox; and they presented them before the tabernacle.
As mentioned these were the wagons that brought Yacov and the young ones to Egypt 211 years previously.
4 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 5 'Take it of them, that they may be to do the service of the tent of meeting; and thou shalt give them unto the Levites, to every man according to his service.' 6 And Moses took the wagons and the oxen, and gave them unto the Levites. 7 Two wagons and four oxen he gave unto the sons of Gershon, according to their service. 8 And four wagons and eight oxen he gave unto the sons of Merari, according unto their service, under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.
This was for the weight of the curtains and the weight of the boards etc.
9 But unto the sons of Kohath he gave none, because the service of the holy things belonged unto them: they bore them upon their shoulders.
The Gold Menorah was heavy but a strong man could lift it for a short distance and it could be transferred from one to another as we do with things found in one’s pocket Muktzeh. And the object would be taken from hand to hand less than 4 Amos through a public domain until one can put it down in a way and place that does not violate Shabbos.
10 And the princes brought the dedication-offering of the altar in the day that it was anointed, even the princes brought their offering before the altar. 11 And the LORD said unto Moses: 'They shall present their offering each prince on his day, for the dedication of the altar.'
The Altar would be dedicated for 12 days. From this point until the end of the Sedra, we are going to read of the princes and their presents that were equal for each tribel
12 And he that presented his offering the first day was Nahshon the son of Amminadab, of the tribe of Judah; 13 and his offering was one silver dish, the weight thereof was a hundred and thirty shekels, one silver basin of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meal-offering; 14 one golden pan of ten shekels, full of incense; 15 one young bullock, one ram, one he-lamb of the first year, for a burnt-offering; 16 one male of the goats for a sin-offering; 17 and for the sacrifice of peace-offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, five he-lambs of the first year. This was the offering of Nahshon the son of Amminadab.
In order not to slight the tribes, the name of the tribe and price will be brought down as the gifts and Korban are equal there will be no repetition.
18 On the second day Nethanel the son of Zuar, prince of Issachar, did offer: … 24 On the third day Eliab the son of Helon, prince of the children of Zebulun:
These three tribes were in the East or Machane Yehuda. Now comes Machane or Degel Reuven, etc.
… 30 On the fourth day Elizur the son of Shedeur, prince of the children of Reuben: … 36 On the fifth day Shelumiel the son of Zurishaddai, prince of the children of Simeon … 42 On the sixth day Eliasaph the son of Deuel, prince of the children of Gad:
These were the tribes of the South followed by Yosef-Benyamin in the west and Machane Dan in the north.
… 48 On the seventh day Elishama the son of Ammihud, prince of the children of Ephraim: … 54 On the eighth day Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur, prince of the children of Manasseh:
Instead of a great celebration of Menashe, it is a day of mourning when the two sons of Aaron die.
… 60 On the ninth day Abidan the son of Gideoni, prince of the children of Benjamin: … 66 On the tenth day Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai, prince of the children of Dan: … 72 On the eleventh day Pagiel the son of Ochran, prince of the children of Asher: … 78 On the twelfth day Ahira the son of Enan, prince of the children of Naphtali: … 84 This was the dedication-offering of the altar, in the day when it was anointed, at the hands of the princes of Israel: twelve silver dishes, twelve silver basins, twelve golden pans; 85 each silver dish weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and each basin seventy; all the silver of the vessels two thousand and four hundred shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary; 86 twelve golden pans, full of incense, weighing ten shekels apiece, after the shekel of the sanctuary; all the gold of the pans a hundred and twenty shekels; 87 all the oxen for the burnt-offering twelve bullocks, the rams twelve, the he-lambs of the first year twelve, and their meal-offering; and the males of the goats for a sin-offering twelve; 88 and all the oxen for the sacrifice of peace-offerings twenty and four bullocks, the rams sixty, the he-goats sixty, the he-lambs of the first year sixty. This was the dedication-offering of the altar, after that it was anointed.
Anybody who knows simple math can compute this so why the accounting? To show you that a leader like Moshe or even Avraham Avinu in the battle to free lot did not take as much as a shoe lace for himself. Everything was present and accounted for.
89 And when Moses went into the tent of meeting that He might speak with him, then he heard the Voice speaking unto him from above the ark-cover that was upon the ark of the testimony, from between the two cherubim; and He spoke unto him.
HASHEM would call Moshe there to instruct him but the Cohain HaGadol only on Yom Kippur.
Parsha Behaalosecha Part 1
The 12 tribes outside of Levi brought gifts but not Levi so HASHEM gave Levi via Aaron the gift of lighting the lamp.
8:1 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 2 'Speak unto Aaron, and say unto him: When thou lightest the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light in front of the candlestick.'
Rabbi Pinchas Winston at Thirty-Six.org or Torah.org brings down the Rashi which paraphrases the Medrash on the subject and other commentaries about lighting the lamp. LAST WEEK’S PARSHA ended with the Chanukas Hamizbayach, vis-a-vis all the gifts the princes of each tribe brought for the occasion. This week’s Parsha begins with the mitzvah of lighting the Menorah, causing Rashi to question the juxtaposition. He explains that because Aharon’s tribe Levi had not participated in the inauguration ceremony, it made Aharon believe that it was because of his involvement in the golden calf, and he felt dejected. So God told him:
“By your life, yours is greater than theirs, for you will light and prepare the lamps.” (Rashi, Bamidbar 8:1)
The Ramban rejects Rashi’s explanation saying that if this was meant to be Aharon’s consolation, it wasn’t much consolation. Any kohen could have done the mitzvah of lighting the Menorah, so what was special about it? Furthermore, the gifts brought by the princes of each tribe were voluntary, whereas lighting the Menorah was an obligation, making it far less personal.
Instead the Ramban says that the consolation for Aharon was a prophecy about how it would be the kohanim, in the future, who would heroically re-dedicate the Temple in the time of the Chashmonaim. The Pri Tzaddik adds to this that the Menorah would continue to be kindled by families all over the world even after the Temple was no longer standing. So the mitzvah of Menorah, unlike the inauguration-offerings of the tribes, was not a one-time thing. It was eternal.
To this we can add another idea. Rather than view the mitzvah of kindling the Menorah as a separate matter altogether, it should be considered to be the continuation and crowning achievement of the Chanukas Hamizbayach. It should be understood as the climax of all that took place before it, just as we read the parsha on Zos Chanukah. Then the Torah reading continues from the end of the offerings to the lighting of the Menorah, making Aharon’s consolation:
“By your life, yours is greater than theirs, for you will light and prepare the lamps, which will be the culmination and completion of all that preceded it!”
How so? The answer to this question is actually in the way the Menorah was to be kindled:
Speak to Aharon and say to him: “When you light the lamps, the seven lamps shall cast their light toward the face of the Menorah.” (Bamidbar 8:2)
The six on the six branches; the three eastern ones—that is their wicks—facing towards the center one, and likewise, the three western ones, the tops of their wicks facing toward the center one. Why [were the wicks facing inwards, thus giving off so little light]? So that [people] should not say that He [God] needs the light. (Rashi)
3 And Aaron did so: he lighted the lamps thereof so as to give light in front of the candlestick, as the LORD commanded Moses. 4 And this was the work of the candlestick, beaten work of gold; unto the base thereof, and unto the flowers thereof, it was beaten work; according unto the pattern which the LORD had shown Moses, so he made the candlestick.
So he did as commanded.
5 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 6 'Take the Levites from among the children of Israel, and cleanse them. 7 And thus shalt thou do unto them, to cleanse them: sprinkle the water of purification upon them, and let them cause a razor to pass over all their flesh, and let them wash their clothes, and cleanse themselves. 8 Then let them take a young bullock, and its meal-offering, fine flour mingled with oil, and another young bullock shalt thou take for a sin-offering.
The Leviim were set apart for purification one time only for service.
9 And thou shalt present the Levites before the tent of meeting; and thou shalt assemble the whole congregation of the children of Israel. 10 And thou shalt present the Levites before the LORD; and the children of Israel shall lay their hands upon the Levites. 11 And Aaron shall offer the Levites before the LORD for a wave-offering from the children of Israel, that they may be to do the service of the LORD. 12 And the Levites shall lay their hands upon the heads of the bullocks; and offer thou the one for a sin-offering, and the other for a burnt-offering, unto the LORD, to make atonement for the Levites. 13 And thou shalt set the Levites before Aaron, and before his sons, and offer them for a wave-offering unto the LORD. 14 Thus shalt thou separate the Levites from among the children of Israel; and the Levites shall be Mine. 15 And after that shall the Levites go in to do the service of the tent of meeting; and thou shalt cleanse them, and offer them for a wave-offering.
Originally, prior to Chet HaEgel, the first born were to have served instead of the Leviim but since some first born sinned, the Leviim replaced them.
16 For they are wholly given unto Me from among the children of Israel; instead of all that opens the womb, even the first-born of all the children of Israel, have I taken them unto Me. 17 For all the first-born among the children of Israel are Mine, both man and beast; on the day that I smote all the first-born in the land of Egypt I sanctified them for Myself. 18 And I have taken the Levites instead of all the first-born among the children of Israel. 19 And I have given the Levites--they are given to Aaron and to his sons from among the children of Israel, to do the service of the children of Israel in the tent of meeting, and to make atonement for the children of Israel, that there be no plague among the children of Israel, through the children of Israel coming nigh unto the sanctuary.' 20 Thus did Moses, and Aaron, and all the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the Levites; according unto all that the LORD commanded Moses touching the Levites, so did the children of Israel unto them. 21 And the Levites purified themselves, and they washed their clothes; and Aaron offered them for a sacred gift before the LORD; and Aaron made atonement for them to cleanse them. 22 And after that went the Levites in to do their service in the tent of meeting before Aaron, and before his sons; as the LORD had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so did they unto them. 23 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 24 'This is that which pertains unto the Levites: from twenty and five years old and upward they shall go in to perform the service in the work of the tent of meeting; 25 and from the age of fifty years they shall return from the service of the work, and shall serve no more;
Most of the work of the Leviim started at thirty but there was a five-year apprenticeship.
26 but shall minister with their brethren in the tent of meeting, to keep the charge, but they shall do no manner of service. Thus shalt thou do unto the Levites touching their charges.'
At the age of 50, they no longer moved the holy objects but could guard and sing in the Temple with their brethren.
9:1 And the LORD spoke unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt, saying: 2 'Let the children of Israel keep the Passover in its appointed season. 3 In the fourteenth day of this month, at dusk, ye shall keep it in its appointed season; according to all the statutes of it, and according to all the ordinances thereof, shall ye keep it.' 4 And Moses spoke unto the children of Israel, that they should keep the Passover. 5 And they kept the Passover in the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, at dusk, in the wilderness of Sinai; according to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so did the children of Israel. 6 But there were certain men, who were unclean by the dead body of a man, so that they could not keep the Passover on that day; and they came before Moses and before Aaron on that day. 7 And those men said unto him: 'We are unclean by the dead body of a man; wherefore are we to be kept back, so as not to bring the offering of the LORD in its appointed season among the children of Israel?' 8 And Moses said unto them: 'Stay ye, that I may hear what the LORD will command concerning you.' 9 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 10 'Speak unto the children of Israel, saying: If any man of you or of your generations shall be unclean by reason of a dead body, or be in a journey afar off, yet he shall keep the Passover unto the LORD; 11 in the second month on the fourteenth day at dusk they shall keep it; they shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs; 12 they shall leave none of it unto the morning, nor break a bone thereof; according to all the statute of the passover they shall keep it. 13 But the man that is clean, and is not on a journey, and forbeareth to keep the passover, that soul shall be cut off from his people; because he brought not the offering of the LORD in its appointed season, that man shall bear his sin. 14 And if a stranger shall sojourn among you, and will keep the passover unto the LORD: according to the statute of the passover, and according to the ordinance thereof, so shall he do; ye shall have one statute, both for the stranger, and for him that is born in the land.'
So our Parsha takes on the yearly observance of Pesach and the laws of Pesach Sheni
Sheik Jarrah the Facts by Dr. Alex Safian
https://www.aish.com/jw/me/Sheikh-Jarrah-The-Facts.html?s=hp2
A long-simmering controversy over the fate of Jewish-owned land and Palestinian tenants in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of Jerusalem has once again become front page news after yet another court decision reaffirming the pre-1948 Jewish ownership of the land and the obligation of the Palestinian tenants to pay their rent or be evicted. At the same time, false claims have been made that the Israeli laws are unfair because Jews can recover property in the West Bank, but Palestinians can’t recover property in pre-1967 Israel.
While Sheikh Jarrah is home to the American Colony Hotel and the former Orient House of the late Faisal Husseini, it is perhaps best known to Jews for two reasons:
First, in April 1948 Palestinian attackers carried out a horrific massacre in Sheikh Jarrah, killing 78 Jewish doctors, nurses, patients and others, who were in a convoy up to Mt. Scopus and Hadassah Hospital. The massacre was observed by British soldiers, who did nothing to stop it.
Second, the proximity of Sheikh Jarrah to the Tomb of Simon the Just, a prominent Second Temple High Priest. Simon’s Tomb has been a Jewish pilgrimage site for many hundreds of years, and religious Jews have therefore been eager to buy land and live in the area. In 1876 Jews bought Simon’s Tomb and an adjacent field of 18 dunams from Arab owners. The buyer, a committee of Sephardic and Ashkenazi Jews, divided the property. While the Ashkenazi half remained vacant, the Sephardic Jews began building homes on their half, establishing a community that eventually numbered in the hundreds before diminishing in the face of Arab violence in the 1930’s.
During the war invading Jordanian forces took Judea and Samaria, including Sheikh Jarrah and other parts of Jerusalem, and the Jews who survived the fighting had to flee. The Jordanian Custodian of Enemy Property took control of all West Bank property owned by Jews including Jewish buildings and land in Sheikh Jarrah. Incidentally, the Jordanian Custodian also took property in the West Bank that belonged to Arabs who continued to live in what became Israel, since like Israeli Jews, these Israeli Arabs were now citizens of an enemy state.
(It should be mentioned that the laws underlying the Jordanian Custodian of Enemy Property, and the similar Israeli Custodian of Absentee Property that will be discussed below, were based on inherited British Mandate law, which is why the offices had similar names and responsibilities.)
Ownership of much of the Jewish land taken by the Jordanian Custodian was transferred to the Jordanian government, which used it, for example, to construct government buildings in East Jerusalem, and to create the Dheisheh Refugee Camp – which is built entirely on Jewish-owned land. In addition, Palestinian refugee camps at Qalandia and Anata were built in part on Jewish land that had been taken by the Custodian. (See Arab Building in Jerusalem: 1967—1997, Israel Kimhi, p48-49; for Dheisheh, see also, from the leaked Palestine papers, NSU Draft Memo Re: Rights of Jews Within the OPT Acquired pre-1967.)
In 1956 the Jordanian Government reached an agreement with UNRWA to use the vacant Ashkenazi land in Sheikh Jarrah to build hou ses for 28 Palestinian refugee families. Under the scheme the Custodian leased the land to the Jordanian Ministry of Development, and the United Nations (UNRWA) funded the construction:
The refugees would agree to give up their refugee assistance and ration cards and would pay nominal rent for a probationary period of three years and three months. Those tenants who lived up to the lease terms would be allowed to sign a long-term lease of 30 years, and after that a further 33 years.
The tenants claim that under a side agreement they received title to their homes after the initial three-year period, but there is no evidence of such an arrangement, which would obviously conflict with the fact that they had to sign a lease.
In any event, there is no evidence that any of the 28 families ever gained title to the homes from Jordan or UNRWA. They were tenants paying rent.
Speaking generally, the Jordanian government purchased, or took by eminent domain, much of the Jewish property held by the Custodian, at which point the property being held in trust for the Jewish owner was replaced by the money gained in the transaction. The property in question was no longer Jewish-owned, and even after 1967 there is no way for the original Jewish owners to regain rights to such property, such as the previously mentioned Dheisheh Refugee Camp and Jordanian government buildings. The Jewish owners were only able to file for compensation from the Israeli Custodian who took over for the Jordanian Custodian.
In contrast to this, the land in Sheikh Jarrah was exceptional as it continued to be held in trust for the Jewish owners by the Jordanian Custodian, and then by the Israeli Custodian after 1967.
The Jordanian Custodian took the land in Sheikh Jarrah after 1948 because it was Jewish-owned, and in the next 19 years no one in the West Bank or Jordan disputed the fact that it was Jewish-owned land. While in recent years some Palestinians have come forward claiming to be the rightful owners of the land, their silence for so many years, especially when the land was first taken by the Jordanian Custodian, makes their claims extremely dubious, and Israeli courts have consistently found against them.
It must be stressed also that this is a civil dispute over ownership rights and rent, and the Israeli government is not a party to the litigation. Over the years some of the Palestinian tenants have been evicted over non-payment of rent, but this is a private rather than a government matter. The Israeli government is not evicting anyone.
Once the Jewish claimants proved their ownership to the Sheikh Jarrah land in court, they also did not try to evict the Palestinian families – they merely informed them they would have to pay rent.
In 1982 the Jewish owners sued the Palestinian tenants for non-payment of rent and the lawyer representing the Palestinian families did not dispute the Jewish ownership of the land. Instead, he worked out a court-sanctioned agreement between the Jewish owners and the Palestinians, under which the families would agree to pay rent and would be considered “protected tenants.” As such, they could not be evicted if they lived up to the lease, including by paying rent, and under certain circumstances their families could inherit their rights to the apartment.
Perhaps under pressure from the PLO, along with monetary inducements, most but not all of the tenants soon renounced the agreement and once again claimed they owned the units and refused to pay rent.
Property left behind by Arabs who fled during the fighting in 1948 (i.e., absentee property) was turned over Israel’s Custodian of Absentee Property, which sold most of the property to state or related bodies for public purposes, such as housing the hundreds of thousands of Jewish refugees from Arab countries who found refuge in Israel. The Custodian held the value of the property in trust for the registered Arab owner (with adjustments for inflation and interest).
Those registered owners are eligible to file for compensation from the Custodian, but Palestinians were pressured not to make claims, lest that legitimize Israel’s existence and sovereignty. Still, over the years at least 14,692 claims have been filed, claims have been settled with respect to more than 200,000 dunums of land, more than 10,000,000 NIS (New Israeli Shekels) has been paid in compensation, and more than 54,000 dunums of replacement land in Israel has been given in compensation. Israel has followed this generous policy despite the fact that not a single penny of compensation has ever been paid to any of the more than 500,000 Jewish refugees from Arab countries, who were forced by the Arab governments to abandon their homes, businesses and savings.
Critics of Israel charging unfairness or “asymmetry” in application of absentee property laws might want to consider that asymmetry first.
12year old Charedi Boy lost in Nahal Zin
Time is of the essence in some rescues in the Arava Desert as places like Nahal Zin can flood quickly. Unlike the boy scouts and other scouting organizations, most of the Charedi trips are carried on by Charedi Teachers and many of them have never had any army training. The most elementary form of trips carried out by professional or ex-army guides is to get a head count and take a few during the trip.
A modest 12year old looked for an opportunity to go to the toilet with real relief. The guide was making tea for the group so he wondered off far from the others and went behind a boulder to relieve himself. When he saw that the others had left, not having had any guidance in looking for foot prints or a trail, he remained where he was.
When the Charedi Group got to the vehicle, somebody noticed that the boy was not there. The guides did not make any attempt to walk back to the last encampment and they called for a rescue party while they returned towards Yerushalayim.
Police on horses were sent up and down Nahal Zin, a police helicopter was sent out and police on jeeps to no avail. Then came two volunteers that when to the head of the Arava Rescue. He told thanks but he did not need them. Their faces showed it all these ole timer volunteers had helped founded the rescue in the area. He changed his mind and said OK since you are here please go up Nahal Zin in the jeep but come back soon as we expect flooding within two hours.
About a half-hour goes by and the two ole time volunteers found the boy and radioed in.
The question remained how come the police never found the boy? So the head of rescue questioned the boy. It seems that some week’s prior there had between trouble between the police and the Charedim. The Rosh Yeshiva told the boys to avoid all contact with the police and to remain in the Yeshiva or far away from the police. That is what the boy did he hid from the police but civilian search and rescue was not trouble for Charedim.
The coward who won the Congressional Medal of Honor. Watch/listen 8 minute You tube. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/306915
Milestone Charles Grodin, 86, actor. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/306591
Milestone Roman Kent, 92, Holocaust Survivor who got reimbursements for people.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/306630
Milestone Eilat Mazar 64. https://www.timesofisrael.com/fearless-pioneering-biblical-archaeologist-eilat-mazar-dies-at-64/
Inyanay Diyoma
Israeli-Gulf relations pass first test. https://www.ynetnews.com/magazine/article/BJXexxHFu
Antisemites use anti-Israel celebs. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/Skc2WuLFu#autoplay
Military Operation over not finished. https://www.debka.com/israels-military-chiefs-the-operation-is-over-not-finished-an-interim-balance/
Policy towards Hamas changes. https://www.timesofisrael.com/minister-from-now-on-well-preemptively-strike-hamas-rocket-activity/
Hamas leaders could still be targeted. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/306618
Biden says there is no change in my policy. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/306626
Pakistan FM gives an antisemitic slur. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/306558
Bomb kills 6 act pro-PLO rally. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/306619
Israel wins a gold medal in swimming not main headlines.
Sinwar emerges from the tunnels unscathed and claims victory. https://www.timesofisrael.com/hamass-sinwar-emerges-to-claim-victory-group-warns-against-hits-on-leaders/
Israel at Eurovision Song Fest. https://www.timesofisrael.com/italy-wins-eurovision-2021-israel-places-17th/
Masked Pro-Arab thugs in midtown Manhattan. https://www.algemeiner.com/2021/05/21/shocking-video-shows-masked-pro-palestinian-thugs-beating-jewish-man-in-broad-daylight-in-midtown-manhattan/
Fireworks attacks on Diamond District NYC. https://www.algemeiner.com/2021/05/20/frightening-assault-firework-attacks-target-jews-in-new-york-citys-heavily-jewish-diamond-district/
Suspect arrested in LA assault. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/306646
Bal Harbor, FL antisemitic attacked stopped by gun-store owner. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/306607
Tucson antisemitic attack. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/306606
Two teens attack by mob in Brooklyn. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/306650
CDC looking into possible heart problems from Covid Vaccine among younger Teens. My advice hold off for a while. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/306648
Gov’t w/o Netanyahu not off the table. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/306649
Lamestream Media ignores antisemitic attacks. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/306594
FM any agreement must guarantee Israeli’s security. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/306633
Prayers for Esther bas Rivka. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/306638
Arab MD murdered by Arab Mafia. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/306639
Gaza-Déjà vu again – Dr. Sherman. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/306636
Arab who shoved policeman arrested. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/306620
4,300 rockets in 11 days. 680 landed in Gaza injuring and killing Arab civilians that the terrorist blamed that the Israelis did so. 280 fell in the sea. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/306614
Melbourne Rally may change venues due to Islamic threats. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/306623
Residents of Ashdod pick up the pieces. https://www.timesofisrael.com/residents-of-ashdod-building-hit-by-gaza-rocket-try-to-pick-up-the-pieces/
Jewish man attacked by pro-Palestine mob. https://www.timesofisrael.com/i-thought-i-was-going-to-die-jewish-man-recounts-assault-by-pro-palestine-mob/
US Jews hiding or covering Jewish Symbols. https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-gaza-conflict-has-triggered-a-wave-of-antisemitic-incidents-in-us/
I am of the opinion that antisemitism is coming up. When Esav is up then Yacov is down and when I visit the States plan to walk around with a baseball rather than the black Yarmulke of my last visit. I think it is a time to make Aliyah and in Gallus lay low. Diane Weber Bederman has almost 180degree opinion. Her opinion is good for Israel but not necessarily for Gallus. https://dianebederman.com/dear-jews-its-time-to-throw-caution-to-the-wind-if-not-now-when/
Cable car disaster. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/306689
Vaccines for teens – in lieu of problems with heart muscle in some I suggest to wait until we have more data. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/306744
“Slaughter the Jews” at pro-Israel Rally. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/306739
Protestors demand crush Hamas. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/306739
Judges don’t understand the riots. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/306732
Polls show anti-Netanyahu still the same or stronger. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/306713
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/306706
Synagogue goers attacked in Brooklyn. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/306728
No racism charges for Yaffa Mob. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/306728
Covid restrictions to end June 1st. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/306700
Senator asks CDC point blank mask rules. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/306745
Iran reports explosion in UAV plant. https://www.timesofisrael.com/iran-reports-explosion-at-plant-that-reportedly-produces-uavs/
War is over but not finished. https://www.debka.com/israels-military-chiefs-the-operation-is-over-not-finished-an-interim-balance/
Terror attack in Yerushalayim. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/306749
Blinken wants to rebuild relations with Arabs. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/306833
3 New Hope MK’s will back Netanyahu. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/306838
BDS raising money for antisemites arrested in violence. https://www.algemeiner.com/2021/05/24/hardline-bds-organizations-in-new-york-raising-legal-funds-for-protestors-charged-in-pro-palestinian-demonstrations-that-descended-into-anti-jewish-violence/
Irish Parliament calls for removal of Israeli Ambassador. https://www.algemeiner.com/2021/05/24/irish-members-of-parliament-to-vote-on-motion-calling-for-the-expulsion-of-israeli-ambassador/
Borat slams Twitter’s Dorsey for allowing “Hitler was right” etc. https://www.algemeiner.com/2021/05/24/sacha-baron-cohen-slams-twitter-and-ceo-jack-dorsey-for-enabling-antisemitism-online/ BBC opens probe into reporter on subject. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/rJjlcN5t00
NY Gov. ups police presence in Jewish areas. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/H11IplqKu
No need to vaccinate 12-15years old Israel has herd immunity. https://www.ynetnews.com/health_science/article/H1psq7cY00
What Blinken will find out about Gaza. https://www.debka.com/us-secretary-blinken-will-find-hamas-fiery-islamism-nullifies-two-state-solution/
Terror suspect shot dead. https://www.timesofisrael.com/palestinian-shot-dead-by-border-police-in-predawn-operation-near-ramallah/
Without Trump evangelistic support drops. https://www.timesofisrael.com/support-for-israel-among-young-us-evangelicals-drops-sharply-survey/
New Israeli tech allows for DNA monitoring. https://www.timesofisrael.com/new-israeli-tech-gives-accuracy-boost-to-microscopic-scissors-for-dna-editing/
What’s App shuts down right wing activists. https://www.timesofisrael.com/whatsapp-shuts-accounts-of-far-right-activists-among-them-mks-wife/
British FM visits Israel. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/306914
Synagogue exposed as Missionary Center. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/306910
UK actors’ guild becomes antisemitic. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/306919
Agreements of the left-anti-religious to pressure Bennett. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/306908
Hanky-Panky on Cable Car leads to arrests. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/306897
Nasrallah may have Covid. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/306872
Jon Voight antisemitic liberals a disgrace. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/306915
20% of Seattle Police retire early. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/306907
Chabad backs Eric Adams 4 Mayor. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/306899
Belarus sanctioned. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/306913
Chicago Mayor heckled at Press Conf. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/306916
Jimmy Durante comments. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJYI930RdW8
61 terrorist killed in Gaza War. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/rJK00100sYd
70% of Gaza Casualties caused by Israeli strikes were combatants. https://www.algemeiner.com/2021/05/25/in-first-two-days-of-conflict-over-70-of-gaza-casualties-caused-by-israeli-strikes-were-combatants-analysis/
BDS wins major court victory. https://www.algemeiner.com/2021/05/25/bds-advocates-claim-major-victory-after-federal-judge-overrules-georgia-anti-boycott-law/
Blinken shocked by US antisemitism. https://www.algemeiner.com/2021/05/25/visiting-israel-blinken-condemns-shocking-eruption-of-antisemitic-attacks-in-us/
Milestone Sen. John Warner 94, also sec. of the Navy. https://www.aol.com/news/former-us-sen-john-warner-115342818-115847777.html
IAEA worried over Iranian Enrichment. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/BkDzPDiKd
Israel bungles PR again. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/rJoLWyOYu
Players at odds with US on policy. https://www.debka.com/blinken-finds-hurdles-in-us-plans-to-mend-palestinian-ties-and-aid-gaza-us-at-odds-with-israel-on-jerusalem-iran/
80% rise in antisemitism in one month. https://www.timesofisrael.com/antisemitic-acts-in-us-soared-80-in-a-month-jewish-security-group-reports/
Former Mossad Chief may join investment fund. https://www.timesofisrael.com/mossad-head-could-join-mnuchin-fund-possibly-violating-waiting-period-report/
Consulate to reopen in East Yerushalayim. https://www.timesofisrael.com/in-ramallah-blinken-announces-plans-to-reopen-us-consulate-in-jerusalem/
TV news too explicit when teens and children watch it – it should have been late night. https://www.timesofisrael.com/woman-publicly-alleges-sexual-assault-by-former-likud-minister-silvan-shalom/
Somebody living in Judea ate non-kosher fish. https://www.timesofisrael.com/bad-judeans-despite-biblical-ban-non-kosher-fish-were-eaten-in-ancient-israel/
Facebook sued over wiretapping. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/306948
Milestone Earl Carle 91. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/eric-carle-dies-age-91-very-hungry-caterpillar/
8 incredible IDF technologies. https://www.idf.il/en/minisites/technology-and-innovation/8-incredible-technologies-used-by-the-idf/
Hamas no 2 State solution. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/306989
Calm in mixed towns an illusion. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/306983
Palestinian Human Rights Activist. https://www.algemeiner.com/2021/05/26/israel-is-using-missiles-to-protect-its-people-hamas-is-using-its-people-to-protect-its-rockets-says-palestinian-human-rights-activist/
Israelis have been warned that a possible second round of guardian of the walls will occur so the army is resupplying and intelligence is working out more plans for their metro.
Have a peaceful and healthy Shabbos,
Rachamim Pauli
