This Blogspot is out almost every week even when I am on vacation unless there is a problem with communications. I found that because more and more Arab or antisemitic attacks groups are moderating posts. I also found a Facebook group or two that are only interested in news and not Torah or vice versa. Therefore, I am requesting that the reader look for the blog. I will continue to post on most forums as a reminder.
Parsha Vaeschanan
Moshe pleaded with G-D but was refused despite all his prayers and supplications. He had to remain outside of Eretz Yisrael proper on the other side of the Yarden.
3:23 And the thing pleased me well; and I took twelve men of you, one man for every tribe;
I liked the idea of sending out spies to check out the roadways and the weaknesses of the cities.
24 and they turned and went up into the mountains, and came unto the valley of Eshcol, and spied it out. 25 And they took of the fruit of the land in their hands, and brought it down unto us, and brought us back word, and said: 'Good is the land which the LORD our God giveth unto us.'
Such large and beautiful fruit. Such a bounty did not exist in Egypt.
26 Yet ye would not go up, but rebelled against the commandment of the LORD your God;
But instead of wanting to inherit such a land and fruit, you rebelled.
27 and ye murmured in your tents, and said: 'Because the LORD hated us, He hath brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us.
All of a sudden you became scared of war.
28 Whither are we going up? our brethren have made our heart to melt, saying: The people is greater and taller than we; the cities are great and fortified up to heaven; and moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakim there.'
Instead of fighting the giants like we did with Og you were yellow bellied and feared man instead of trusting and fearing your G-D.
29 Then I said unto you: 'Dread not, neither be afraid of them.
I tried to reason with you by logic and by the miracles you saw in Egypt and by the Sea.
30 The LORD your God who goes before you, He shall fight for you, according to all that He did for you in Egypt before your eyes;
You saw miracles and heard the L-RD at Sinai but yet you were afraid of flesh and blood.
31 and in the wilderness, where thou hast seen how that the LORD thy God bore thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came unto this place. 32 Yet in this thing ye do not believe the LORD your God, 33 Who went before you in the way, to seek you out a place to pitch your tents in: in fire by night, to show you by what way ye should go, and in the cloud by day.'
You had daily miracles and yet you cowered in fear.
34 And the LORD heard the voice of your words, and was wroth, and swore, saying: 35 'Surely there shall not one of these men, even this evil generation, see the good land, which I swore to give unto your fathers, 36 save Caleb the son of Yephunneh, he shall see it; and to him will I give the land that he hath trodden upon, and to his children; because he hath wholly followed the LORD.'
What a failure in Emunah on your side.
37 Also the LORD was angry with me for your sakes, saying: Thou also shalt not go in thither; 38 Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before thee, he shall go in thither; encourage thou him, for he shall cause Israel to inherit it. 39 Moreover your little ones, that ye said should be a prey, and your children, that this day have no knowledge of good or evil, they shall go in thither, and unto them will I give it, and they shall possess it. 40 But as for you, turn you, and take your journey into the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea.' 41 Then ye answered and said unto me: 'We have sinned against the LORD, we will go up and fight, according to all that the LORD our God commanded us.' And ye girded on every man his weapons of war, and deemed it a light thing to go up into the hill-country. 42 And the LORD said unto me: 'Say unto them: Go not up, neither fight; for I am not among you; lest ye be smitten before your enemies.' 43 So I spoke unto you, and ye hearkened not; but ye rebelled against the commandment of the LORD, and were presumptuous, and went up into the hill-country. 44 And the Amorites, that dwell in that hill-country, came out against you, and chased you, as bees do, and beat you down in Seir, even unto Hormah.
For if G-D does not guard a city or a people the cry of the watchman is in vain.
45 And ye returned and wept before the LORD; but the LORD hearkened not to your voice, nor gave ear unto you. 46 So ye abode in Kadesh many days, according unto the days that ye abode there. 4:1 And now, O Israel, hearken unto the statutes and unto the ordinances, which I teach you, to do them; that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD, the God of your fathers, giveth you. 2 Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.
What I commanded you in the way of Mitzvos (until my death) you shall do but you cannot add or subtract from them. Even the Levirate Marriage (Yebum) that is not really practiced today as there is no original inheritance of the land left. Still if the brother and sister-in-law live together we do not force them to separate. However, we do prefer to observe this Mitzvah today.
3 Your eyes have seen what the LORD did in Baal-peor; for all the men that followed the Baal of Peor, the LORD thy God hath destroyed them from the midst of thee. 4 But ye that did cleave unto the LORD your God are alive every one of you this day. 5 Behold, I have taught you statutes and ordinances, even as the LORD my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the midst of the land whither ye go in to possess it. 6 Observe therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, that, when they hear all these statutes, shall say: 'Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.'
More Mussar on the weakness of the people because of immodesty. It was only the actions of Pinchas that saved Am Yisrael.
7 For what great nation is there, that hath God so nigh unto them, as the LORD our God is whensoever we call upon Him? 8 And what great nation is there, that hath statutes and ordinances so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day? 9 Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes saw, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life; but make them known unto thy children and thy children's children;
Remember what your fathers told you and pass it on to your children so the power of the miracles continue.
10 the day that thou stood before the LORD thy God in Horev, when the LORD said unto me: 'Assemble Me the people, and I will make them hear My words that they may learn to fear Me all the days that they live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children.' 11 And ye came near and stood under the mountain; and the mountain burned with fire unto the heart of heaven, with darkness, cloud, and thick darkness. 12 And the LORD spoke unto you out of the midst of the fire; ye heard the voice of words, but ye saw no form; only a voice. 13 And He declared unto you His covenant, which He commanded you to perform, even the ten words; and He wrote them upon two tables of stone.
Besides remember the Ma’amad of Har Sinai one should remember the 10 words and transfer them to the next generation.
14 And the LORD commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and ordinances, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go over to possess it. 15 Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves--for ye saw no manner of form on the day that the LORD spoke unto you in Horev out of the midst of the fire--
Not only did the people see the fire and Har burning but they heard the voice of G-D.
16 lest ye deal corruptly, and make you a graven image, even the form of any figure, the likeness of male or female, 17 the likeness of any beast that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged fowl that flies in the heaven, 18 the likeness of anything that creeps on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the water under the earth; 19 and lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou see the sun and the moon and the stars, even all the host of heaven, thou be drawn away and worship them, and serve them, which the LORD thy God hath allotted unto all the peoples under the whole heaven. 20 But you hath the LORD taken and brought forth out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to be unto Him a people of inheritance, as ye are this day.
No images whatsoever lest you make them into an idol and worship them.
21 Now the LORD was angered with me for your sakes, and swore that I should not go over the Jordan, and that I should not go in unto that good land, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance; 22 but I must die in this land, I must not go over the Jordan; but ye are to go over, and possess that good land. 23 Take heed unto yourselves, lest ye forget the covenant of the LORD your God, which He made with you, and make you a graven image, even the likeness of anything which the LORD thy God hath forbidden thee. 24 For the LORD thy God is a devouring fire, a jealous God.
Should you make an idol you will be destroyed either in this world or the next and woe to you if it is the later.
25 When thou shalt beget children, and children's children, and ye shall have been long in the land, and shall deal corruptly, and make a graven image, even the form of anything, and shall do that which is evil in the sight of the LORD thy God, to provoke Him; 26 I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that ye shall soon utterly perish from off the land whereunto ye go over the Jordan to possess it; ye shall not prolong your days upon it, but shall utterly be destroyed.
Even if heaven and earth are inanimate the very nature of the world can destroy you. [Floods in Germany, China this week or tornadoes and hurricanes not to mention lightning fires anything can be used to punish you.]
27 And the LORD shall scatter you among the peoples, and ye shall be left few in number among the nations, whither the LORD shall lead you away. 28 And there ye shall serve gods, the work of men's hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell. 29 But from thence ye will seek the LORD thy God; and thou shalt find Him, if thou search after Him with all thy heart and with all thy soul. 30 In thy distress, when all these things are come upon thee, in the end of days, thou wilt return to the LORD thy God, and hearken unto His voice;
Only when G-D will break your renegade ways and you call upon HIM from true repentance can you be answered.
31 for the LORD thy God is a merciful God; He will not fail thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which He swore unto them. 32 For ask now of the days past, which were before thee, since the day that God created man upon the earth, and from the one end of heaven unto the other, whether there hath been any such thing as this great thing is, or hath been heard like it? 33 Did ever a people hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as thou hast heard, and live? 34 Or hath God assayed to go and take Him a nation from the midst of another nation, by trials, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by an outstretched arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before thine eyes?
Wake up and be aware what your G-D has done for you or your fathers.
35 Unto thee it was shown, that thou might know that the LORD, He is God; there is none else beside Him. 36 Out of heaven He made thee to hear His voice, that He might instruct thee; and upon earth He made thee to see His great fire; and thou didst hear His words out of the midst of the fire. 37 And because He loved thy fathers, and chose their seed after them, and brought thee out with His presence, with His great power, out of Egypt, 38 to drive out nations from before thee greater and mightier than thou, to bring thee in, to give thee their land for an inheritance, as it is this day; 39 know this day, and lay it to thy heart, that the LORD, He is God in heaven above and upon the earth beneath; there is none else. 40 And thou shalt keep His statutes, and His commandments, which I command thee this day, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, and that thou may prolong thy days upon the land, which the LORD thy God giveth thee, forever.
So 1953 years after the destruction or 1951 according to the Romans, we are still in Gallus so there is a reason of it and it is the lack of faith and repentance of the whole nation. Maybe, you and I have awaked from our slumber but not yet the general population.
41 Then Moses separated three cities beyond the Jordan toward the sunrising; 42 that the manslayer might flee thither, that slays his neighbor unawares, and hated him not in time past; and that fleeing unto one of these cities he might live: 43 Bezer in the wilderness, in the table-land, for the Reubenites; and Ramoth in Gilead, for the Gadites; and Golan in Bashan, for the Manassites. 44 And this is the law which Moses set before the children of Israel; 45 these are the testimonies, and the statutes, and the ordinances, which Moses spoke unto the children of Israel, when they came forth out of Egypt; 46 beyond the Jordan, in the valley over against Beth-peor, in the land of Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt at Heshbon, whom Moses and the children of Israel smote, when they came forth out of Egypt; 47 and they took his land in possession, and the land of Og king of Bashan, the two kings of the Amorites, who were beyond the Jordan toward the sunrising; 48 from Aroer, which is on the edge of the valley of Arnon, even unto mount Sion--the same is Hermon-- 49 and all the Arabah beyond the Jordan eastward, even unto the sea of the Arabah, under the slopes of Pisgah.
Three out of the six cities were separated by Moshe but the other three had to be conquered.
5:1 And Moses called unto all Israel, and said unto them: Hear, O Israel, the statutes and the ordinances which I speak in your ears this day, that ye may learn them, and observe to do them. 2 The LORD our God made a covenant with us in Horev. 3 The LORD made not this covenant with our fathers, but with us, even us, who are all of us here alive this day. 4 The LORD spoke with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire-- 5 I stood between the LORD and you at that time, to declare unto you the word of the LORD; for ye were afraid because of the fire, and went not up into the mount--saying:
The first 10 Commandments were spoken directly to the people from the L-RD. This is Moshe recalling from memory what happened. I learn from here it is not a complete tape recording or photographic memory but the main gist of the message that Moshe is conveying when teaching the next generation.
6 I am the LORD thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before Me. 7 Thou shalt not make unto thee a graven image, even any manner of likeness, of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 8 Thou shalt not bow down unto them, nor serve them; for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the third and upon the fourth generation of them that hate Me, 9 and showing mercy unto the thousandth generation of them that love Me and keep My commandments. 10 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain.
Moshe brings down the first four commandments about how we should view and pray to G-D with humility and respect and thanks for bringing us out of slavery.
11 Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the LORD thy God commanded thee.
The first Decalogue had Remember the Shabbos and now it is more guarding your observance. The Hebrew word used now is Shamor which indicates watching or guarding over the details of the Halachos of Shabbos the 39 Av Melachos and the many Toldos (derivatives of the main Melachos).
Many years ago I got into a discussion about solid state devices on Shabbos. They are good for hospitals, police, the cyber division of the army, electrical company and other places. However, these devices cannot be used for “Avoda shel Chol” or work like one does during the week. I cannot write my blog or a person start posting on Facebook on Shabbos or check e-mail. What is good for an emergency situation or saving a life is not good for a regular situation. This is where we guard the Shabbos. We may remove rubble from Surfside Building Collapse for maybe we can save a life of one Jew but we cannot dig in a pile of rubble when there are no Jews trapped. This is the guarding of the laws of Shabbos for if we can save a Jew alive for a few more minutes or more Shabbosos all the more so.
12 Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work;
We do not define labor or work as force times distance as I can place dozens of chairs in a room that holds 1000 people and not do Melacha Labor or I can write two letters, do two stitches, ignite an automobile which is less physical labor but a complete Melacha. Therefore one should learn the Halachos of Shabbos to guard from doing a Melacha.
13 but the seventh day is a Sabbath unto the LORD thy God, in it thou shalt not do any manner of work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thine ox, nor thine ass, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; that thy man-servant and thy maid-servant may rest as well as thou.
In the first Decalogue, the reason for your man and maid servant not doing work is not given, here the addition is that your non-Jewish Servant shall rest as well similar to your animal not working as you ‘own’ the slave or pay the modern servant for his work. One can hint about air conditioning, left on hot water heater or over charging one’s phone. The Servant then takes the initiative.
14 And thou shalt remember that thou was a servant in the land of Egypt, and the LORD thy God brought thee out thence by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore, the LORD thy God commanded thee to keep the Sabbath day.
The original Decalogue, it was because HASHEM rested on Shabbos, here an alternative reason is given.
15 Honor thy father and thy mother, as the LORD thy God commanded thee; that thy days may be long, and that it may go well with thee, upon the land which the LORD thy God gives thee.
There are two commandments that say one will have long days. This and the bird’s nest. Once the teacher of Rebbe Meir saw a father commanding his son to take a bird’s nest. The son fell and died. He lost his mind and became Acher (outsider to Judaism) but if he had thought it would have meant days in the next world, he would not have lost his mind.
16 Thou shalt not murder.
I am sure that a few times people really get furious at somebody else but taking a life is destroying a world.
Neither shalt thou commit adultery.
Even I as an Orthodox person in my thinner, younger and more handsome days have been tempted by more than one woman. In one case, I had to pray not to fall into a trap.
Neither shalt thou steal.
Stealing a person and selling this one into slavery.
Neither shalt thou bear false witness against thy neighbor. 17 Neither shalt thou covet thy neighbor's wife; neither shalt thou desire thy neighbor's house, his field, or his man-servant, or his maid-servant, his ox, or his ass, or anything that is thy neighbor's.
Who is rich? Asks our Sages in Perkei Avos. The answer is one who is satisfied with his portion. There are men with younger, spryer, perhaps more intelligent and movie starlet looking wives, better cars, larger houses. I must say B”H for them and wish them all the best. I want to be happy with what I have.
18 These words the LORD spoke unto all your assembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice, and it went on no more. And He wrote them upon two tables of stone, and gave them unto me. 19 And it came to pass, when ye heard the voice out of the midst of the darkness, while the mountain did burn with fire, that ye came near unto me, even all the heads of your tribes, and your elders; 20 and ye said: 'Behold, the LORD our God hath shown us His glory and His greatness, and we have heard His voice out of the midst of the fire; we have seen this day that God doth speak with man, and he lives. 21 Now therefore why should we die? for this great fire will consume us; if we hear the voice of the LORD our God any more, then we shall die. 22 For who is there of all flesh, that hath heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as we have, and lived? 23 Go thou near, and hear all that the LORD our God may say; and thou shalt speak unto us all that the LORD our God may speak unto thee; and we will hear it and do it.' 24 And the LORD heard the voice of your words, when ye spoke unto me; and the LORD said unto me: 'I have heard the voice of the words of this people, which they have spoken unto thee; they have well said all that they have spoken.
Spoken well: “We have heard and we shall do.” The original is more powerful in Parsha Yisro saying “We shall do and we shall listen.” This is the level of the soldier following orders even though he has no idea what the general wants from him.
25 Oh that they had such a heart as this always, to fear Me, and keep all My commandments, that it might be well with them, and with their children forever! … 28 Ye shall observe to do therefore as the LORD your God hath commanded you; ye shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. 29 Ye shall walk in all the way which the LORD your God hath commanded you, that ye may live, and that it may be well with you, and that ye may prolong your days in the land which ye shall possess.
Only do the Mitzvos and Observe them nothing more.
6:1 Now this is the commandment, the statutes, and the ordinances, which the LORD your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go over to possess it-- 2 that thou might fear the LORD thy God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son's son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged. 3 Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as the LORD, the God of thy fathers, hath promised unto thee--a land flowing with milk and honey.
Almond milk and date honey. We read about this in Melech David’s walk from one place to Lod that he scraped up date honey from the ground.
4 Hear, O Israel: the LORD our God, the LORD is one.
Shin Mem Ayin. The 72 letter name and the 70 other names of G-D. The Ayin in the first word and the Dalet in the last makes Ayd or witness that the L-RD is one.
5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
Next month it will be 55 years since I turned from being a non-believer or Reform Jew to a believing Jew. I did not know what it entailed, bit I did reason that if G-D existed and was active in our affairs that one must: love the LORD thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be upon thy heart; 7 and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sit in thy house, and when thou walk by the way, and when thou lie down, and when thou rise up.
Since I was 19years old and unmarried I did not think about teaching children but I did think about prayers at night and upon awakening but I knew not what to pray.
8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thy hand, and they shall be for frontlets between thine eyes. 9 And thou shalt write them upon the door-posts of thy house, and upon thy gates.
At that time, I had completely no idea what Tephillin was and my house did not have a Mezuzah. I was Jewish but with no more knowledge that a potential convert.
10 And it shall be, when the LORD thy God shall bring thee into the land which He swore unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee--great and goodly cities, which thou didst not build, 11 and houses full of all good things, which thou didst not fill, and cisterns hewn out, which thou didst not hew, vineyards and olive-trees, which thou didst not plant, and thou shalt eat and be satisfied--
Some Jews like Rabbi Tovia Wein (HaYayin HaTov) got housing in Ramla with grapes growing there and some Kibbutzim in 1948 but those who came later, we had to rebuild the land from scratch. My step-father when he saw my Parcel of Land in 1984 told me that hair would grow on the palm of his hand before this was built up. When he visited at the age of 98 in 1999, there were sidewalks and many houses built that it looked like a town. That is how the modern Eretz Yisrael developed.
12 then beware lest thou forget the LORD, who brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 13 Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God; and Him shalt thou serve, and by His name shalt thou swear. 14 Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the peoples that are round about you; 15 for a jealous God, even the LORD thy God, is in the midst of thee; lest the anger of the LORD thy God be kindled against thee, and He destroy thee from off the face of the earth.
You might not die on the spot but slowly but surely you will be punished.
16 Ye shall not try the LORD your God, as ye tried Him in Massah.
G-D is not a burden to you but a loving father and creator who gives you instructions how to best live your life with your own free will.
17 Ye shall diligently keep the commandments of the LORD your God, and His testimonies, and His statutes, which He hath commanded thee. 18 And thou shalt do that which is right and good in the sight of the LORD; that it may be well with thee, and that thou may go in and possess the good land which the LORD swore unto thy fathers,
Just do it correctly and you will possess the land and remove your enemies.
19 to thrust out all thine enemies from before thee, as the LORD hath spoken. 20 When thy son asks thee in time to come, saying: 'What mean the testimonies, and the statutes, and the ordinances, which the LORD our God hath commanded you? 21 then thou shalt say unto thy son: 'We were Pharaoh's bondmen in Egypt; and the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. 22 And the LORD showed signs and wonders, great and sore, upon Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his house, before our eyes. 23 And He brought us out from thence, that He might bring us in, to give us the land which He swore unto our fathers. 24 And the LORD commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive, as it is at this day. 25 And it shall be righteousness unto us, if we observe to do all this commandment before the LORD our God, as He hath commanded us.'
We have this condensed in the Haggadah of Pesach. We see the importance of Moshe demanding from Pharaoh that our little ones must go with us. This is the mistake made by sons or grandsons of Americans that delegated their traditions to being taught in school by Marxist trained teachers. Men that risked their lives in Normandy and/or the Battle of the Bulge or in Iwo Jima found the current generation hating the USA. OUR TORAH DEMANDS THAT WE TAKE THE RESPONSIBILITY TO EDUCATION OUR CHILDREN IN OUR TRADITIONS. WE ALSO HAVE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF CHOOSING COMPETENT TEACHERS FOR OUR CHILDREN AND NOT DELGATE THEM TO POLITICIANS AND UNIONS.
7:1 When the LORD thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou go to possess it, and shall cast out many nations before thee, the Hittite, and the Girgashite, and the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite, seven nations greater and mightier than thou; 2 and when the LORD thy God shall deliver them up before thee, and thou shalt smite them; then thou shalt utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor show mercy unto them;
Avraham was promised 10 nations but here there are only seven. The question is had three died out or the other three are for the future.
3 neither shalt thou make marriages with them: thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son. 4 For he will turn away thy son from following Me, that they may serve other gods; so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and He will destroy thee quickly. 5 But thus shall ye deal with them: ye shall break down their altars, and dash in pieces their pillars, and hew down their Asherim, and burn their graven images with fire.
We recently saw what happened to Zimri and 24,000 others who fell prey to the wiles of these type of women. Therefore, they and their images had to be completely destroyed. {We shall see that by trickery the Citizens of Giveon tricked Yehoshua into making an alliance with them. They could not intermarry but they were part that had to observe completely as hewers of wood and gatherers of water for the Congregation. Have they become one with us in Torah after the year 3338 or have they become the Bernie Sanders, George Soros, etc. nobody knows.}
6 For thou art a holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be His own treasure, out of all peoples that are upon the face of the earth. 7 The LORD did not set His love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people--for ye were the fewest of all peoples-- 8 but because the LORD loved you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. 9 Know therefore that the LORD thy God, He is God; the faithful God, who keeps covenant and mercy with them that love Him and keep His commandments to a thousand generations;
The L-RD kept his promise with your forefathers, not because of you but in spite of you to keep HIS Word.
10 and repays them that hate Him to their face, to destroy them; He will not be slack to him that hates Him, He will repay him to his face. 11 Thou shalt therefore keep the commandment, and the statutes, and the ordinances, which I command thee this day, to do them.
Take heed how HE punishes the wicked and is faithful to those that fear HIM.
I think is a repeat story about the American Soldier who stood up to the Nazis and won. https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/5182523/jewish/The-American-Soldier-Who-Stood-Up-to-the-Nazisand-Won.htm#utm_medium=email&utm_source=1_chabad.org_magazine_en&utm_campaign=en&utm_content=content
Being a Vietnam Vet and a Christian Pastor led me to becoming a Jew. By B. Howard
My youth was filled with a lot of rebelliousness. My father died when I was 8 and to a certain extent, I had to raise myself on my own. As a teen and young adult, I got involved in many troubling behaviors. I began to hang around the wrong crowds and experimented quite a bit with many different recreational drugs.
But a part of me always had deep-rooted principles. I believed in American democracy and strongly opposed communism. So when the Vietnam war began, I volunteered and joined the Air Force. Several experiences in Vietnam shaped me into who I am today. I distinctly remember some near-death experiences. Once when I was in the latrine shaving, I felt a voice in my head telling me, "Get out right away!" I immediately ran and a few minutes later the base was attacked and many people killed.
Another incident occurred at the end of my tour in Vietnam. A friend of mine wanted to go to Saigon to party and celebrate the end of our tour. Something inside of me said that this was dangerous and I had a strong premonition that there was a chance I would die. I didn't go. Sure enough, there was an attack that night and my good friend was killed.
When I came home, I did a lot of introspection and was ashamed of some of my previous behaviors. I always believed in God and the intricate design of our universe and I began to think more about what my purpose in this world was. At the time street preaching began to explode on the streets of America. I got caught up in it and began to study ministry. I became an ordained pastor and ministered three different congregations, each with 75 to 100 people. I began leading Bible study groups and self-help groups. The ministry that I was a part of was very much into Replacement Theology, believing that the Jewish people had been replaced by believers in Christ and that Christianity was now the new Israel.
As I continued preaching this belief, questions began to plague me. I started seeing discrepancies and contradictions between the Jewish Bible and the Christian Bible. I began to see that Jesus did not seem to be the Messiah as predicted by the Hebrew Prophets. This became magnified even more when I once came across a Torah in Hebrew and English. I felt the ground beneath me begin to sway. I would take my questions to my elders and they would scoff at me and tell me I was going down a dangerous path and not to question anymore. But the questions only grew stronger.
I felt a strong sense of loneliness. I was divorced and longed to meet my true soulmate. I cried out to God constantly to bring the special someone into my life. I was at a restaurant in Tacoma, Washington that had live jazz music which I loved. Little did I know that I would meet my future wife there. Mimi was planning on going to a different restaurant that also had live music, but at the last moment one of the band members had gotten sick and they canceled their performance. So Mimi headed out to the restaurant I was at. I'll never forget the first time I laid my eyes on her. I felt swept away. I introduced myself and we started dating, and were married eight weeks later!
We discovered that although our lives were diverse, we both had the same hearts. Mimi was very unfamiliar with her Jewish identity, being raised secular with no close family around. Her mother had lived in fear of her Jewishness and moved far away from her family. It wasn’t until Mimi was grown that her mother finally shared the family secret that she was Jewish. But God had a plan and was moving the pieces and pulling us towards Judaism.
During this time I tried leading a Messianic congregation. This focused much more on Judaism but still held the belief that Jesus was the Jewish Messiah. I also started to actively support Israel and dabble into Judaism. One day a member of my congregation suggested that I go visit Israel. What was supposed to be a two-week trip to Israel ended up becoming a 2-month stay. While in Israel, I felt an unexpected familiarity. As if a part of me suddenly came alive and magnified. When my trip was over and I returned to the US, it felt as if part of me was left behind. My love for Israel was truly born.
When I came home, I decided it was time to leave Christianity and embrace Judaism and Zionism. My Christian brethren and many in my congregation were devastated and some reacted angrily. But my wife and I felt that this was our destiny. We found a special Chabad rabbi in California who began teaching us more about Judaism and Jewish practice, and eventually we decided we wanted to convert.
Four years ago I converted to Judaism and today live in Jerusalem where my wife and I are building our home. We spend a lot of our time supporting Israel and Jewish causes.
I chose the name Boruch Ovadiah. Boruch means “blessing” in Hebrew, as I saw my entire life a blessing from God. And Ovadia means “servant of God” as I strive to serve Him every day of my life. Living here is a daily inspiration for realizing my destiny. It is truly a blessing to serve God! Am Yisrael Chai!
Jewish RAF Bomber Pilot Remembered for “outstanding service”
https://www.algemeiner.com/2021/07/19/jewish-royal-air-force-hero-remembered-for-outstanding-contribution-against-nazi-targets-in-world-war-ii/ July 20, 2021 6:12 pm
One of the last surviving British pilots from a Royal Air Force (RAF) squadron that carried out 30 operations against German enemy targets during World War II died on Sunday at the age of 100, The Telegraph reported.
Jewish squadron leader Lawrence “Benny” Goodman volunteered to join the RAF at age 18 at the outbreak of war, in September 1939. He began training as a pilot in June 1941 and then as a bomber pilot, before joining the No. 617 Squadron, the RAF’s precision bombing unit known as the “Dambusters.”
He was involved in the attack against the German battleship Tirpitz in late 1944, and in the final weeks of the war, during March of 1945, he helped demolish Germany’s Arnsberg railway viaduct with a 22,000-pound “Grand Slam” — the biggest bomb ever dropped by the RAF.
In April 1945, Goodman was part of the team that dropped a Tallboy bomb on Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler’s “Eagle’s Nest” retreat in Bavaria, Germany. His career with the RAF spanned 24 years and in 2017 he was awarded France’s highest honor, the Légion d’Honneur. Goodman was also honored in March 2020 at an exhibition for Jewish war veterans at the RAF Museum.
After facing social media accusations of blaming the Jewish state for rising antisemitism in the United Kingdom, the head of...
Maggie Appleton, CEO of the RAF Museum, paid tribute to Goodman, saying, “So many of us will be mourning Benny while celebrating his outstanding contribution during the Second World War and his faultless RAF Service. The RAF Museum has been fortunate to call Benny a friend.”
“He supported us in sharing the incredible story of Jewish servicemen and women during the war and the brave airmen who were in a particularly perilous situation should they have been captured,” Appleton added. “Benny was a special man who lived a long and fruitful life and brought joy and inspiration to many. He will be sadly missed by his friends at the RAF Museum, but we will ensure that his stories live on to inspire generations to come.”
Goodman was born on September 24, 1920, in London and educated at Herne Bay College in Kent. He was also a flight commander in the 80 Squadron based in Germany and after a tour in the Air Ministry, he finally left the RAF in 1964 to work in his family’s film and advertising business in London. He obtained British and American civil pilot’s licenses and flew until he was 93.
“In retirement, Benny supported several RAF charities and worked hard to promote reconciliation with Germany and educate younger people about the realities of war,” according to the RAF Museum. “More recently, he offered tireless support to the RAF Museum’s ‘Jewish Hidden Heroes’ project, which highlights the vital role played by Jewish people, like himself, in the RAF’s battle against Nazi tyranny.” He also supported the RAF Museum’s partnership with the British soccer team Chelsea FC and the club’s campaign to combat antisemitism and racism through education.
Goodman is survived by a son. The last surviving member of the Dambusters Squadron is now 99-year-old squadron leader George Leonard “Johnny” Johnson, who was an air gunner.
From Chaim B. American Nazism, we must not forget the Bund. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/opinions-the-long-history-of-american-nazism-%e2%80%94-and-why-we-cant-forget-it-today/ar-AAM6eDD?ocid=se
Inyanay Diyoma
US Drone hits Iranian Militia Truck. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/sj3rpkbcu
Israel’s Covid cases pass 1,100. https://www.ynetnews.com/health_science/article/bjp009v110u
NYPD searching for Jew-hating robbers. https://www.algemeiner.com/2021/07/16/nypd-investigating-after-brooklyn-man-beaten-robbed-on-way-to-synagogue/
Israel-US Air Defense Pact. https://www.algemeiner.com/2021/07/16/us-israel-sign-air-defense-cooperation-deal/
UK Rabbinate on the laws of divorce. https://www.algemeiner.com/2021/07/16/us-israel-sign-air-defense-cooperation-deal/
Israeli Scientists vs. toxic algae. https://www.algemeiner.com/2021/07/16/israeli-scientists-working-to-cure-lakes-struck-blue-green-by-toxic-algae/
Saudi scaled down Hajj. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/hk30kkzro
Shaky wooden bridge could collapse. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/rjlcf2wau
Stop Delta before it gets worse. https://www.timesofisrael.com/top-immunologist-douse-israels-delta-fire-before-it-needs-lake-full-of-water/
Police to track quarantined Israelis. https://www.timesofisrael.com/pm-police-to-track-quarantined-israelis-with-criminal-charges-for-violators/
NY Mom thwarts kidnapping. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/310042
Arabs threw stones at us. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/310076
At Kotel we are fighting wrong war. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/310092
Tisha B’Av thousands visit wall. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/310066
Judge blocks illegals from aid. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/310070
Hezballah and human shields. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/310083
BLM dismantlers exposed https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/310082
Admin contacting FB unacceptable. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/310078
Bennett’s gamble is doomed. https://www.debka.com/bennetts-gamble-to-avoid-tough-measures-wont-work-for-covid-19/
Right calls for evacuation. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/310115
Left calls for reevaluation. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/310107
Pope calls for stop of prayer calling for Jewish Conversion. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/310126
Chief Rabbi we are not meeting our obligation to bring our boys home. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/310116
Bennett-Lapid foreign policy sucking up to the left. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/310097
The Problem with the Delta Variant is that it hits vaccinated people. They flew in a small jet without masks. https://www.aol.com/news/3-fully-vaccinated-texas-delegation-181636613.html
This drove me ape. https://www.timesofisrael.com/escaped-orangutan-causes-stir-at-ramat-gan-zoo/
Milestone a cartoonist that drew Mohammed. https://www.timesofisrael.com/danish-muhammad-cartoonist-kurt-westergaard-dies-aged-86/
Judge slams Biden on UN. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/310105
Eric Adams wishes Jews a meaningful fast. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/310114
Prof. Ash not time to travel abroad. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/310103
Lapid to visit Morocco. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/bkqnwxgcd
Israel to digitally track Corona. https://www.ynetnews.com/health_science/article/bjum9twcu
Ben and Jerry Boycott Divest Sanction. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/07/19/ben-jerrys-israel-west-bank/
Field Artillery responds to rocket attack. https://www.debka.com/israeli-artillery-responds-to-rocket-fire-lebanon-idf-air-strikes-over-syria/
Bennett states: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/310216
Syria claims strikes in Aleppo. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/310190
Close to 1,400 new cases. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/310210
People leave to Uman early same rules for theaters and Schuls. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/310212
100,000 pledge lives for Har HaBeis. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/310217
Israel calls 35 Governors with State Laws against BDS to crack down on Ben and Jerry’s. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/310205
Larry Elder has legal battle to be on CA Ballot. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/310206
SCOTUS to revoke 230 for companies. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/310195
Nikki Haley Israel isn’t responsible for Palestinian suffering, Hamas is. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/310192
Montreal Auction of Nazi Memorabilia. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/310172
Israeli NSO hack for hire. https://www.ynetnews.com/magazine/article/hjn3r14cu
Three existing drugs target Covid. https://www.timesofisrael.com/3-existing-drugs-fight-coronavirus-with-almost-100-success-in-jerusalem-lab/
Ex-Mossad accused of sharing secrets I THINK THIS MIGHT BE POLITICS. https://www.timesofisrael.com/ex-mossad-chief-accused-of-sharing-classified-intel-with-flight-attendant-tv/
Israeli firm hopes to be worth a lot. https://www.timesofisrael.com/spotlight/israeli-startup-aims-to-be-the-mellanox-of-quantum/
US against Ben and Jerry’s BDS. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/310255
What is wrong with Hagen Daas, Breyers, Good Humor, Baskins Robins, etc?
US hits Islamists in Somalia. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/310260
IDF Intelligence Directorate moves to Negev. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/310263
Time to announce no construction freeze. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/310265
Rochester, NY Vegan Shop a Kosher hit. https://www.timesofisrael.com/pastrami-is-king-at-a-couples-new-kosher-vegan-butcher-shop-in-upstate-ny/
Ra’am shows its true colors. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/310222
Ghosts of Poland’s past haunting us. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/hjlplsn0o
People not observing mask mandate on public transportation. https://www.ynetnews.com/health_science/article/b1p0yxq0u
Health Min. against lockdown. https://www.ynetnews.com/health_science/article/sk8ppl4ao
Former Trump Ally charged with being unregistered Foreign Agent. https://www.timesofisrael.com/top-trump-ally-arrested-for-being-uae-agent-conspiring-to-influence-us-policy/
Israel – Sudan trying to save Coral Reefs. https://www.timesofisrael.com/winds-of-peace-fuel-israeli-led-expedition-to-sudan-to-save-red-sea-coral-reefs/
Chief Rabbinate will lose control of Kashrus. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/310237
Chief Rabbinate is against new Kashrus. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/310239
U. of Toronto unchecked antisemitism. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/310256
There is no vacation from learning Torah. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/310220
De facto Building Freeze. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/310277
Children trapped on roller coaster. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/310285
Taliban Fighters hit Palace with rockets. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/310295
US Senators appeal to Polish President. https://www.algemeiner.com/2021/07/20/us-senators-appeal-to-polish-president-to-oppose-bill-blocking-holocaust-restitution/
The Baal Shem Tov says that if a leaf falls it is because of HASHEM’s will. Mali’s President safe after attempted assassination. https://www.news24.com/news24/africa/news/mali-president-goita-targeted-by-stabbing-attack-20210720
Milestone RAF Pilot Benny Goodman, 100 see story above.
3D printer Spiderman artificial skin. https://www.algemeiner.com/2021/07/19/israeli-companys-spiderman-technology-spins-new-artificial-skin-for-patients/
To be hit in their pocketbooks. https://www.algemeiner.com/2021/07/20/israel-looks-to-us-state-anti-bds-laws-in-warning-ben-jerrys-of-legal-consequences-over-west-bank-ban/
Miss Universe Contest to be in Eilat. https://www.algemeiner.com/2021/07/20/miss-universe-competition-to-be-held-in-israels-resort-city-eliat-in-december/
From Gail: Bottled water. https://pro.turapitchers.net/p/TUR_turapitchshortOF_1017FLR2020/WPITX600/
Putin breaks promise to Netanyahu on Syria. https://www.debka.com/putin-steps-away-from-deal-with-netanyahu-for-a-blind-eye-on-syria-air-strikes/
Testing Infiltration from Lebanon. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/rkol900lrd#autoplay
More strikes in Syria. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/bk74lyuc00#autoplay
New Covid Cases continue rising. https://www.ynetnews.com/health_science/article/hyury9l0d
Great news for Shmita imports. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/310360
Eid Festival a big blast in Gaza. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/ryb1mticd
Macron meets regarding Pegasus Spyware. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/ryzblsi0o
Netanyahu bypasses gov. speaks to companies. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/skla6ylcu
Yemeni – Ben & Jerrys hand hate a victory. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/hywkxdnco
Barry Shaw – Ice Cream with a bad taste. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/310297
Republicans boycotting antisemitism. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/310336
Vaccine effectiveness drops to 50%. https://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-study-claims-major-drop-in-vaccine-protection-experts-dont-believe-it/
IDF has a new Nahal Commander. https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-taps-oren-simcha-to-lead-nahal-brigade-after-predecessors-sudden-death/
Fires in the west pollute the air in the east. All the counter-global warming of Biden has been neutralized by one fire in OR. https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-east-coast-skies-filled-with-smoke-and-ash-from-wests-wildfires/
UCLA professors ask Pres. To condemn anti-Israel Statements. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/310326
Antisemitic graffiti on back of Philly Store. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/310328
Suspect caught for stealing special needs boy’s scooter. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/310332
Larry Elder a victim not of Racism but Wokeism. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/310367
Last Jew killed in Surfside laid to rest. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/310334
Liberal Zionist Rabbis against Kashrus Change. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/310329
3 Hillside Youth destroy Arab Property and then almost lynched. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/310368
Justice Min. considering law disallowing a person who has to go to the docket for criminal offense to be PM. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/310425
Vaccine Refusers are hurting us all. https://www.ynetnews.com/health_science/article/rktmcxda00
Algerian Judo quits rather than face Israeli. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/310419
Two missing in Dead Sea. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/310418
Gov’t will fall soon. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/310423
Bederman on China and the west. https://dianebederman.com/the-sun-rises-on-the-east-as-it-sets-on-the-west-china-the-light-unto-the-nations/
Monkey pox from Nigeria. https://www.aol.com/news/more-200-people-may-exposed-170711071.html
Un Orthodox or ... https://www.algemeiner.com/2021/07/21/orthodox-jews-have-the-best-sex/
IAF holds int’l drone exercise. https://www.algemeiner.com/2021/07/22/israeli-air-force-holds-first-of-its-kind-international-drone-exercise/
British Neo-Nazi gets 7years. https://www.algemeiner.com/2021/07/22/british-neo-nazi-who-called-for-extermination-of-jews-sentenced-to-7-years-in-jail/
Pill fights Covid. https://www.algemeiner.com/2021/07/21/a-simple-pill-to-treat-covid-19-an-israeli-pharma-company-may-have-potent-formula-as-variant-fears-grow/
Former wife of Pakistani PM faced antisemitism. https://www.algemeiner.com/2021/07/21/still-it-continues-jewish-former-wife-of-pakistani-prime-minister-imran-khan-protests-ongoing-antisemitic-abuse/
China State run media anti-Israel. https://www.algemeiner.com/2021/07/21/alarming-news-chinas-state-media-pushing-clear-anti-israel-narrative/
Unilever has a special agreement with Ben and Jerry but not boycotting Israel. https://www.algemeiner.com/2021/07/22/unilever-chief-expresses-full-commitment-to-israel-as-states-supermarkets-consider-action-over-ben-jerrys-west-bank-boycott/
Anti-Jew hate crimes rise in Hungary. https://www.algemeiner.com/2021/07/22/despite-small-number-of-hate-crimes-targeting-jews-antisemitic-sentiment-remains-widespread-in-hungary-new-report-concludes/
Israel rejoins African Union as observer. https://www.algemeiner.com/2021/07/22/israel-to-rejoin-african-union-as-observer-in-day-of-celebration-for-warming-ties/
Scientist find 33 viruses from 15,000yrs ago. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/310388
Worse than Chinese Virus – Marxism taking over the USA. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/310359
US ceases artifacts looted in WWII from Eastern Europe. https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-seizes-artifacts-looted-from-wwii-eastern-european-jewish-communities/
Have a good and healthy Shabbos,
Rachamim Pauli
