Parsha Vayigash
Not always does G-D give
us the opportunity to fully repent. This time Yehuda was to take full advantage
of repentance for the sale of Yosef. He would be a slave instead of Benyamin.
It was his chance at true Teshuva.
44:18 Then Judah came near unto him, and
said: 'Oh my lord, let thy servant, I pray thee, speak a word in my lord's
ears, and let not thine anger burn against thy servant; for thou art even as
Pharaoh.
Our Sages treat this with a double
meaning. The Pshat is that you are very much like Pharaoh in your ability to
rule. The Drash is you are like Pharaoh here today and gone tomorrow.
19 My lord asked his servants,
saying: Have ye a father, or a brother? 20 And we said unto my lord:
We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a little one; and his
brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother, and his father loves
him. 21 And thou said unto thy servants: Bring him down unto me, that
I may set mine eyes upon him. 22 And we said unto my lord: The lad
cannot leave his father; for if he should leave his father, his father would
die. 23 And thou said unto thy servants: Except your youngest brother
come down with you, ye shall see my face no more. 24 And it came to
pass when we came up unto thy servant my father, we told him the words of my
lord. 25 And our father said: Go again, buy us a little
food. 26 And we said: We cannot go down; if our youngest brother be
with us, then will we go down; for we may not see the man's face, except our
youngest brother be with us. 27 And thy servant my father said unto
us: Ye know that my wife bore me two sons; 28 and the one went out
from me, and I said: Surely he is torn in pieces; and I have not seen him
since; 29 and if ye take this one also from me, and harm befall him,
ye will bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave. 30 Now
therefore when I come to thy servant my father, and the lad is not with us;
seeing that his soul is bound up with the lad's soul; 31 it will come
to pass, when he sees that the lad is not with us, that he will die; and thy
servants will bring down the gray hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow
to the grave. 32 For thy servant became surety for the lad unto my
father, saying: If I bring him not unto thee, then shall I bear the blame to my
father forever. 33 Now therefore, let thy servant, I pray thee, abide
instead of the lad a bondman to my lord; and let the lad go up with his
brethren. 34 For how shall I go up to my father, if the lad be not
with me? lest I look upon the evil that shall come on my father.'
Yehuda's impassioned
speech to become a slave instead of Benyamin and for the younger man to go
free.
45:1 Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that
stood by him; and he cried: 'Cause every man to go out from me.' And there
stood no man with him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren.
Now the brothers were shaking from
fear as he was alone with them.
2 And he wept aloud; and the
Egyptians heard, and the house of Pharaoh heard.
Such brotherly love for Benyamin from
the man who instigated his sale was too much for Yosef.
3 And Joseph said unto his
brethren: 'I am Joseph; doth my father yet live?' And his brethren could not
answer him; for they were affrighted at his presence.
Partial question and partial rebuke as
if to say, I am Yosef, my father's favorite how is it that he is still alive.
4 And Joseph said unto his
brethren: 'Come near to me, I pray you.' And they came near. And he said: 'I am
Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. 5 And now be not
grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither; for God did send me
before you to preserve life.
What you did in your anger And sale
was part of G-D's plan to save the world from famine.
6 For these two years hath the
famine been in the land; and there are yet five years, in which there shall be
neither plowing nor harvest. 7 And God sent me before you to give you
a remnant on the earth, and to save you alive for a great
deliverance. 8 So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God;
and He hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and ruler
over all the land of Egypt.
I am a mere Shaliach of G-D. Yosef is
very powerful but humble and not vengeful on his brothers but full of
compassion.
9 Hasten ye, and go up to my father,
and say unto him: Thus saith thy son Joseph: God hath made me lord of all
Egypt; come down unto me, tarry not. 10 And thou shalt dwell in the
land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near unto me, thou, and thy children, and thy
children's children, and thy flocks, and thy herds, and all that thou
hast; 11 and there will I sustain thee; for there are yet five years
of famine; lest thou come to poverty, thou, and thy household, and all that
thou hast. 12 And, behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother
Benjamin, that it is my mouth that speaks unto you. 13 And ye shall
tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that ye have seen; and ye
shall hasten and bring down my father hither.'
Look at me and look at Benyamin how
similar we look. You are hearing Hebrew straight from me and not a translator.
14 And he fell upon his brother
Benjamin's neck, and wept; and Benjamin wept upon his neck.
If you read Rashi it is because they
saw the destruction of Shiloh and that of the Mikdash. But the Pshat is
brothers crying that have not seen each other in 22years.
15 And he kissed all his
brethren, and wept upon them; and after that his brethren talked with
him. 16 And the report thereof was heard in Pharaoh's house, saying:
'Joseph's brethren are come'; and it pleased Pharaoh well, and his
servants.
His servants hear and the translators
translated and like leaks of any government, the news spread fast and reached
Pharaoh.
17 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph:
'Say unto thy brethren: This do ye: lade your beasts, and go, get you unto the
land of Canaan; 18 and take your father and your households, and come
unto me; and I will give you the good of the land of Egypt, and ye shall eat
the fat of the land. 19 Now thou art commanded, this do ye: take you
wagons out of the land of Egypt for your little ones, and for your wives, and
bring your father, and come.
Yosef was wise and a hard worker and Pharaoh
could use more like him. So he gave Yosef wagons to bring his father and the
younger children to Egypt.
20 Also regard not your stuff;
for the good things of all the land of Egypt are yours.' 21 And the
sons of Israel did so; and Joseph gave them wagons, according to the
commandment of Pharaoh, and gave them provision for the way. 22 To
all of them he gave each man changes of raiment; but to Benjamin he gave three
hundred shekels of silver, and five changes of raiment.
And they were happy with their new
garments and not jealous of Benyamin.
23 And to his father he sent in
like manner ten asses laden with the good things of Egypt, and ten she-asses
laden with corn and bread and victual for his father by the
way. 24 So he sent his brethren away, and they departed; and he said
unto them: 'See that ye fall not out by the way.'
Do not tarry, hasten as there are five
more years of famine.
25 And they went up out of Egypt,
and came into the land of Canaan unto Jacob their father. 26 And they
told him, saying: 'Joseph is yet alive, and he is ruler over all the land of
Egypt.' And his heart fainted, for he believed them not. 27 And they
told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said unto them; and when he saw
the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father
revived.
The last Halacha Yacov was learning
with Yosef was that of Egel Arufa (the calf who has its neck broken if a dead
man is found close to a city). No wagon (Agala) is close to Egel in sound. Also
royal wagons seemed to back up their words. 210years later, these wagons would
serve the Leviim in carrying the boards and curtains of the Mishkan.
28 And Israel said: 'It is
enough; Joseph my son is yet alive; I will go and see him before I die.'
Originally, there had
been plans to bring the tribes down to Egypt in chains. In the end, the merit
of Yacov and the fact that Yosef went in chains was enough. So Yacov and family
went to Egypt in style instead sweeting up the years of Gallus.
46:1 And
Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beersheva, and
offered sacrifices unto the God of his father Isaac.
We often make the
mistake of assuming that all prophets are similar to Moshe, Bilaam or an Edgar
Cayce (google his story). This is not so. With Lavan, we see G-D speaking to
Yacov at the beginning of his journey and calling him home 34years later we do
not see any other indication of prophecy. It is a tradition that when Yacov was
depressed because of missing Yosef, he had no prophecy for that can come about
only though Simcha. Now Yacov is happy and offering up sacrifices.
2 And God spoke unto Israel in the visions of the
night, and said: 'Jacob, Jacob.' And he said: 'Here am I.' 3 And He
said: 'I am God, the God of thy father; fear not to go down into Egypt; for I
will there make of thee a great nation. 4 I will go down with thee
into Egypt; and I will also surely bring thee up again; and Joseph shall put
his hand upon thine eyes.'
So for the first time in 22years, Yacov receives a
message from HASHEM. Yacov is living one big Kiddush HASHEM the whole time. Now
that he is leaving Eretz Yisrael, he needs the extra backing and promise from
HASHEM of proper burial and visions for his children becoming the great nation
that was promised to Avraham.
5 And Jacob rose up from Beersheva; and the sons
of Israel carried Jacob their father, and their little ones, and their wives,
in the wagons which Pharaoh had sent to carry him. 6 And they took
their cattle, and their goods, which they had gotten in the land of Canaan, and
came into Egypt, Jacob, and all his seed with him; 7 his sons, and
his sons' sons with him, his daughters, and his sons' daughters, and all his
seed brought he with him into Egypt.
Yacov was voluntarily moving to Egypt. The prophecy
that Avraham received was about to be fulfilled.
8 And these are the names of the children of
Israel, who came into Egypt, Jacob and his sons:
From my personal commentary standpoint, I am not going
to remember all these names and some are mentioned here but historically we see
no world shaking commentary or even in the Midrash yet the Torah takes time to
mention them and some of the names are even popular today while others are not.
Reuben, Jacob's first-born. 9 And the sons of
Reuben: Chanoch, and Pallu, and Hezron, and Carmi. 10 And the sons of
Simeon: Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar, and Shaul the son of
a Canaanitish woman. 11 And the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and
Merari. 12 And the sons of Judah: Er, and Onan, and Shelah, and
Perez, and Zerah; but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. And the sons of
Perez were Hezron and Hamul. 13 And the sons of Issachar: Tola, and
Puvah, and Iob, and Shimron. 14 And the sons of Zebulun: Sered, and
Elon, and Jahleel. 15 These are the sons of Leah, whom she bore unto
Jacob in Paddan-aram, with his daughter Dinah; all the souls of his sons and
his daughters were thirty and three. 16 And the sons of Gad: Ziphion,
and Haggi, Shuni, and Ezbon, Eri, and Arodi, and Areli. 17 And the
sons of Asher: Imnah, and Ishvah, and Ishvi, and Beriah, and Serah their
sister;
and the sons of Beriah: Heber, and
Malchiel. 18 These are the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah his
daughter, and these she bore unto Jacob, even sixteen souls. 19 The
sons of Rachel Jacob's wife: Joseph and Benjamin. 20 And unto Joseph
in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, whom Asenath the daughter
of Poti-phera priest of On bore unto him. 21 And the sons of
Benjamin: Bela, and Becher, and Ashbel, Gera, and Naaman, Ehi, and Rosh,
Muppim, and Huppim, and Ard. 22 These are the sons of Rachel, who
were born to Jacob; all the souls were fourteen. 23 And the sons of
Dan: Hushim. 24 And the sons of Naphtali: Jahzeel, and Guni, and
Jezer, and Shillem. 25 These are the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave
unto Rachel his daughter, and these she bore unto Jacob; all the souls were
seven. 26 All the souls belonging to Jacob that came into Egypt, that
came out of his loins, besides Jacob's sons' wives, all the souls were
threescore and six. 27 And the sons of Joseph, who were born to him
in Egypt, were two souls; all the souls of the house of Jacob, that came into
Egypt, were threescore and ten.
If we count Yosef, Osnat and children we get 70.
However, the Midrash uses Yocheved as being born just before entering Egypt
making it 70. My way is easier because Yocheved is otherwise 130years old when
Moshe is born.
28 And he sent Judah before him unto Joseph, to
show the way before him unto Goshen; and they came into the land of
Goshen.
The Pshat is: to direct him: Heb. לְהוֹרֹת לְפָנָיו, as the Targum
renders (לְפַנָאָה
קֳדָמוֹהִי), to clear a place for him and to show him how to settle in it. The Drash is to set up a Talmud Torah and Yeshiva: him: [Lit.,
ahead of him.] Before he would arrive there. The Aggadic interpretation of [לְהוֹרֹת] is [that there should be teaching]: to
establish for him a house of study, from which teaching would emanate. [From Tanchuma
Vayigash 11]
29 And Joseph made ready his chariot, and went up
to meet Israel his father, to Goshen; and he presented himself unto him, and
fell on his neck, and wept on his neck a good while.
And Joseph harnessed his chariot: He
personally harnessed the horses to the chariot to hasten to honor his father.
[From Mechilta, Beshallach section 1]
And he appeared to him: Joseph
presented himself to his father. And
he wept on his neck for a long time: Heb.
עוֹד וַיֵבְ, an expression of profuse weeping, and
likewise, “For He will not place additional [guilt] on a man” (Job 34:23), an expression of
profusion. He (God) does not place upon him additional accusations over [and
above] his sins. Here too he wept greatly and continuously, more than was
usual. Jacob, however, neither fell on Joseph’s neck nor kissed him. Our Sages
said that he was reciting the Shema. [From Derech Eretz Zuta 1:10, ed. Hager,
p. 62; quoted in Beresheis Zuta ; Yichusei Tannaim v’Amoraim , p. 180,
Teshuvoth Hageonim, ch. 45]
30 And Israel said unto Joseph: 'Now let me die,
since I have seen thy face, that thou art yet alive.' 31 And Joseph
said unto his brethren, and unto his father's house: 'I will go up, and tell
Pharaoh, and will say unto him: My brethren, and my father's house, who were in
the land of Canaan, are come unto me; 32 and the men are shepherds,
for they have been keepers of cattle; and they have brought their flocks, and
their herds, and all that they have.
Flocks were a problem as the Ram was an Egyptian god.
33 And it shall come to pass, when Pharaoh shall
call you, and shall say: What is your occupation? 34 that ye shall
say: Thy servants have been keepers of cattle from our youth even until now,
both we, and our fathers; that ye may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every
shepherd is an abomination unto the Egyptians.'
We do not want to make
waves and be out of the ordinary as shepherds disgust the Egyptians.
So that you may dwell in the land of Goshen: which
you need, for it is a land of pasture, and when you tell him that you are not
skilled at any other work, he will send you away from him and settle you there. Are abhorrent to the
Egyptians: Because they (the sheep)
are their gods.
47:1 Then Joseph went in and told Pharaoh, and said: 'My father
and my brethren, and their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have, are
come out of the land of Canaan; and, behold, they are in the land of
Goshen.' 2 And from among his brethren he took five men, and
presented them unto Pharaoh. 3 And Pharaoh said unto his brethren:
'What is your occupation?' And they said unto Pharaoh: 'Thy servants are
shepherds, both we, and our fathers.' 4 And they said unto Pharaoh:
'To sojourn in the land are we come; for there is no pasture for thy servants'
flocks; for the famine is sore in the land of Canaan. Now therefore, we pray
thee, let thy servants' dwell in the land of Goshen.' 5 And Pharaoh
spoke unto Joseph, saying: 'Thy father and thy brethren are come unto
thee; 6 the land of Egypt is before thee; in the best of the land
make thy father and thy brethren to dwell; in the land of Goshen let them
dwell. And if thou know any able men among them, then make them rulers over my
cattle.'
The land of Goshen is closer to
kilometer 101 where the Israelis advanced during the Yom Kippur war full of
mosquitoes today but good for grazing and that is where the tribes went. Far
enough away to avoid full assimilation into the idol worshipping Egyptian
Culture.
7 And Joseph brought in Jacob his
father, and set him before Pharaoh. And Jacob blessed Pharaoh. 8 And
Pharaoh said unto Jacob: 'How many are the days of the years of thy
life?' 9 And Jacob said unto Pharaoh: 'The days of the years of my sojourning's
are a hundred and thirty years; few and evil have been the days of the years of
my life, and they have not attained unto the days of the years of the life of
my fathers in the days of their sojourning.'
You are dealing with one of the
leaders of the world at that time. I certainly think he had better things to
talk about other than his aches and pains to the equivalent of Xi and Putin.
Although perhaps Joseph Biden at his age might be more receptive and
understanding to this.
10 And Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and
went out from the presence of Pharaoh.
Since Yacov was the Gadol HaDor, his
blessing was very powerful.
11 And Joseph placed his father
and his brethren, and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best
of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded. 12 And
Joseph sustained his father, and his brethren, and all his father's household,
with bread, according to the want of their little ones.
This was not something simple as we
shall see from the next Pasukim.
13 And there was no bread in all
the land; for the famine was very sore, so that the land of Egypt and the land
of Canaan languished by reason of the famine. 14 And Joseph gathered
up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt, and in the land of
Canaan, for the corn which they bought; and Joseph brought the money into
Pharaoh's house. 15 And when the money was all spent in the land of
Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came unto Joseph, and said:
'Give us bread; for why should we die in thy presence? for our money fails.' 16 And
Joseph said: 'Give your cattle, and I will give you [bread] for your cattle, if
money fail.' 17 And they brought their cattle unto Joseph. And Joseph
gave them bread in exchange for the horses, and for the flocks, and for the
herds, and for the asses; and he fed them with bread in exchange for all their
cattle for that year. 18 And when that year was ended, they came unto
him the second year, and said unto him: 'We will not hide from my lord, how
that our money is all spent; and the herds of cattle are my lord's; there is
nought left in the sight of my lord, but our bodies, and our
lands. 19 Wherefore should we die before thine eyes, both we and our
land? buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be bondmen unto
Pharaoh; and give us seed, that we may live, and not die, and that the land be
not desolate.'
The tragedy of famine in an area of Egypt
and Yisrael is caught in these few sentences. The money runs out and the
possessions run out until there is nothing left but the people with the clothes
on their backs.
20 So Joseph bought all the land
of Egypt for Pharaoh; for the Egyptians sold every man his field, because the
famine was sore upon them; and the land became Pharaoh's. 21 And as
for the people, he removed them city by city, from one end of the border of
Egypt even to the other end thereof.
Pharaoh owned literally everything
minus the priests.
22 Only the land of the priests bought
he not, for the priests had a portion from Pharaoh, and did eat their portion
which Pharaoh gave them; wherefore they sold not their land. 23 Then
Joseph said unto the people: 'Behold, I have bought you this day and your land
for Pharaoh. Lo, here is seed for you, and ye shall sow the land.
Now I am giving you seed for Pharaoh's
land give back 20% of your crop.
24 And it shall come to pass at
the ingatherings, that ye shall give a fifth unto Pharaoh, and four parts shall
be your own, for seed of the field, and for your food, and for them of your
households, and for food for your little ones.' 25 And they said:
'Thou hast saved our lives. Let us find favor in the sight of my lord, and we
will be Pharaoh's bondmen.' 26 And Joseph made it a statute
concerning the land of Egypt unto this day, that Pharaoh should have the fifth; only the land of the priests alone became not
Pharaoh's.
The tax was reasonable and everybody was happy
especially Pharaoh as the people were loyal. Religious exemption as the priests
had the ability to whip up the people to be pro- or anti- and Pharaoh would
have them under his wing so to say.
27 And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in
the land of Goshen; and they got them possessions therein, and were fruitful,
and multiplied exceedingly.
And the population of
the 70 that went down to Mitzrayim began to grow.
This week, I started with story number three but it
did not impress me as much as the others.
Growing a Spiritual Present by Rabbi Yerachmiel
Tilles
http://ascentofsafed.com/cgi-bin/ascent.cgi?Name=1252-14
Rabbi Abraham Gluck of blessed memory was a successful
English businessman. In the early 1970's, he met the Lubavitcher
Rebbe for the first time. The Rebbe said to him, "You manufacture
light bulbs, correct? Well a person in the lighting business knows that a bulb
must be lit. Every Jew is like a light bulb, and we should help him glow. So
everywhere you happen to be you must ignite and illuminate Jewish souls."
In a short space of time Rabbi Gluck became the emissary of the
Rebbe in Europe. He was the Rebbe's "shadar," - Shliach
D'Rabbanim/"emissary of rabbinical leaders" -- a venerable title, in
Chabad bestowed upon select individuals who travelled the world at the Rebbe's
behest, promoting Torah education and observance.[1]
Rabbi Gluck was accustomed to travel to 770 on Yud-Aleph (11th
of the Jewish month of) Nissan for the Rebbe's birthday and each year he would
deliberate as to what birthday present he could give the Rebbe. Clearly it had
to be something spiritual that would bring the Rebbe joy. One time, before he
was due to fly, he decided that this year's birthday present would be to stop
shaving and grow a full, untrimmed beard.
This was not a simple resolution in those days, given that it
was quite unusual then for even orthodox Jews in the UK to grow a beard; for a
number of reasons. One is that the vast majority of men in England were
clean-shaven. Bearded men were easily identified as Jewish and open to
anti-Semitic abuse.
The week before his flight to New York, and now sporting a
fully-grown beard, his business took him to Leicester, a town in The Midlands.
Arriving at the outskirts of the town, he saw to his dismay that the roads had
been closed by the police and he was unable to proceed in any direction.
"No doubt this is Divine Providence, so I will get out and see what is
happening," he thought.
He soon discovered that a new shopping mall was opening very
close to where he was parked. Shopping malls were still a great novelty in the
UK having only been recently imported from the United States. So much so, that
none other than the Queen of England, Queen Elizabeth II, and her husband,
Prince Philip, were opening this new mall.
Joining the large and excited crowd, he decided to take this
special opportunity to get a glimpse of the royal couple when they came out of
the mall. Somehow or other he managed to find himself at the very front of the
barriers which were to separate the public from the Queen and the Prince
Consort on their upcoming 'walkabout.'
After the ceremonies inside the mall were over, the royal couple
came out to the cheering crowd. Those at the front strained forward to try to
greet them. Prince Philip scanned the crowd and his eyes fell on Rabbi Gluck.
Before his protectors could stop him, he walked straight over to him and struck
up a conversation.
"That's a magnificent beard you've got. Were you in the
navy?" Prince Philip had been a senior commander in the British navy for
many years even after his marriage to the Queen, and explained that he was
wondering if he was talking to a comrade-in-arms.[2]
Rabbi Gluck explained that no, he was not a sailor, but rather
an orthodox Jew and growing a beard was part of his religious observances. The
prince expressed his admiration for a man who adhered to his religion with such
obvious happiness. Then followed a very friendly and lively discussion between
the two men.
The conversation continued for quite some time, much to the
annoyance of those people whose job it was to get the prince to his next
engagement on time. He finally walked away, smiling.[3]
A few days later Rabbi Gluck flew to the Rebbe. Arriving at 770
he knocked on the door of the Rebbe's office without the intervention of the
Rebbe's secretaries, as he was allowed to do, in order to give the Rebbe
reports of all the activities that he had been busy with since his last visit.
The Rebbe looked up and upon seeing Rabbi Gluck broke out into a
broad welcoming smile. The Rebbe put his hand up to his own beard and gently
moved it around his face. "Thank you for such a beautiful birthday
present," he said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Source: As heard by Rabbi Yaakov Cass from Rabbi E.Z. Gorman
of London who heard it from Rabbi Gluck. Rabbi Cass is a Lubavitcher Chasid
living in Jerusalem. Before his recent retirement, he was a senior official in
the Israel Ministry of Health.
Connection: The first paragraph reminds us of Chanukah. The theme of
beards is mentioned in the Torah reading of last week (Gen. 42:8 with Rashi).
Biographical note:
Rabbi Avraham-Yitzchak Gluck was a successful British lighting contractor
with interests in many European countries. The Lubavitcher Rebbe once told him
that his mission was to spread spiritual light as well as electric light
throughout the continent. Rabbi Gluck dedicated himself to this purpose with
self-sacrifice and as result there are Chabad Houses in Hungary, Germany, and
Spain. [from Chabad.org]
Footnotes:
[1]A mission in which Rabbi Glick was famously successful - Y.T.]
[2]Sailors who were out at sea for a long time under difficult physical
conditions were accustomed to grow beards. Thus, a beard was considered a
'naval thing.'
[3]For another story with Prince Philip and a mitzvah-observant Jew, see
story #1111 in this series.
The Jew who cracked the Japanese Code before Pearl
Harbor but nobody listened.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/318164
"Oh,
that? I never thought it was eavesdropping, Aslan. Wasn't it magic?
"Spying
on people by magic is the same as spying on them in any other way.'
C.S.
Lewis
On the eightieth anniversary
of the Japanese surprise attack at Pearl Harbor, the "date which shall
live in infamy" — as President Franklin D. Roosevelt famously put it on
December 7, 1941, the controversy as to the responsibility for one the greatest
intelligence disaster of World War II continues unabated. An avalanche of
books, conspiracy theories, documentaries, cover stories in magazines,
revisionist articles, and 'true stories' allegedly 'long-buried in dusty and
‘secret archives’ have continued to delve into how and why America in the words
of the late Gordon W. Prange ‘slept at dawn’ and failed to exploit the
invaluable intelligence collected by a group of gifted cryptographers. The
wages of failure were paid in both blood and treasure: more than 2,400
Americans fell and 21 US ships were either sunk or damaged. While the facts of the Pearl Harbor's disaster are
well-known, what remains shrouded in mystery is the decisive role played by
William F. Friedman, the Jewish cryptographer, and his team in breaking the
Japanese codes. This is his story.
William Friedman was born Wolf Frederic
Friedman in Romania, the son of Frederic Friedman, a Jew from Bucharest who
worked as a translator and linguist for the Russian Postal Service and the
daughter of a wealthy wine distributor. Like many Jews, they fled Russia in
1892 to escape pogroms and settled in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Fast forward, on January 1,
1921, William, possessing an extraordinary ‘puzzle-solving’ mind, began to work
for the US Army Signal Corps to design cryptographic systems. As the danger of
war grew in the mid-thirties, three other Jews, Solomon Kullback, Leo Rosen,
and Abraham Sinkov, together with Frank Rowlett, joined Friedman, who had become
the doyen of US airwave intelligence services. They were destined to make
history with ‘Operation Magic.’ What Alan Turing was to breaking
the Nazi Enigma in the UK at Bletchley Park under 'Ultra,' William Friedman was to deciphering the
Japanese 'PURPLE’' under 'Magic' at the
US Navy's cyptological unit and the SIS.
After Japan's ally Germany
declared war in 1939, the German government began sending technical assistance
to upgrade Tokyo’s communications and cryptography capabilities. One part was
to send them modified Enigma machines to secure Japan's high-level
communications with Germany. The new system, codenamed ‘PURPLE’ (from the color obtained by mixing ‘RED’ and ‘BLUE’ previous
systems), was highly complex; the Japanese believed it was unbreakable.
Thanks to Friedman's uncanny
ability to identify structural patterns in astronomic permutations and
mathematically devise solutions to decipher messages [he was no mathematician;
this made his discoveries all the more remarkable] and the computing work of
his collages, a reverse-engineered machine was built in 1939. The team could
now decrypt some of the ‘PURPLE’ codes by replicating
the settings of the Japanese. This achievement enabled American cryptographers
to read secret Japanese communication in real-time: it was a game-changer; it
was magical.
'Magic' worked as follows: the US
Signal Services harvested Japanese signals from the ionosphere, 'unbuttoned,'
translated, and transmitted the ‘raw’ information to all key decision-makers
rapidly through a secure communication system. Unfortunately, the only civilian
agency, the OSS, the precursor of the CIA under Bill Donovan, due to
interagency rivalries, was excluded from the list of recipients. The military
did not trust the upper crust civilian spies called the ‘cardinals’ to keep
secrets much less analyses the material coherently. It was a prelude to
calamity!
"By
1941," wrote
Anthony Cave Brown in The Last Hero The 'Wild' Bill
Donovan, "'Magic' was
producing a great volume of most secret intelligence about Japanese plans,
capabilities, intentions, and instructions, not only in the field of diplomacy
but also on intelligence matters, on a current, worldwide basis.” For example,
the ‘Magic’ intercept dated November 14, 1941, and
accumulating HUMINT [human intelligence], made it abundantly clear that Pearl Harbor
was the target. Yet, the American security system failed miserably as there was
no one in charge of placing the jigsaw pieces, from all sources, on the
intelligence board [integrating multi-sourced material], which would have
revealed Tokyo's malignant plans.
Writing for the US National Security
Agency in 1955, Friedman stated, "In 1946, when we reread those
messages...., I realized that it is fantastic that somebody in the US
Intelligence did not or could not see that the coming blow was being prepared
against Pearl Harbor."
After the war, Friedman continued
to work for Signals Intelligence. In 1949 he became head of the cryptographic
division of the newly formed Armed Forces Security Agency (AFSA) and in 1952
became chief cryptologist for the National Security Agency. He wrote a series
of canonical textbooks on Military Cryptanalysis widely used to train a new
generation of NSA staff. During his early years at NSA, he encouraged the
agency to invest in mega computers which revolutionized data processing and
integration. Today, the multi-billion NSA complex in Utah, containing super
computers managing a gargantuan trove of secret intelligence, stands as the
affirmation of Friedman’s vision.
America recognized William F.
Friedman as one of the “world's leading cryptologists,” and bestowed upon him
many awards for his inventions and achievements, including the War Department's
Civilian Service Award, the Presidential Medal for Merit by President Truman,
and the National Security Medal by President Eisenhower. Friedman was also
inducted into the Military Intelligence Hall of Fame. Also a building was named
after William and his wife Elizabeth, America's first female crypto analyst, at
the NSA complex at Fort George G. Meade in Maryland.
On
Sunday, November 2, 1969, William Frederic Freidman, the 'Einstein of the
airwaves,' the dapper-dressed, ballroom dancer, golf player with exquisite
old-world manners passed away in Washington. He was interred with full military
honors in Arlington Cemetery. When Elizabeth passed away in 1980, she was laid
to rest next to her husband.
His disciple, successor and life-long
friend Lambros D. Callimahos, distinguished US Army cryptologist, writing in
the Winter 1974 edition of Cryptologic Spectrum,
paid him the ultimate tribute: "The legendary figure is with us still- in
the works he left behind, in the science he created, in the inspiration to his
colleagues and friends."
One Woman
Battle against Pro-Nazi Bias on Wikipedia. by Dr. Yevette Alt Miller
https://www.aish.com/ci/s/The-One-Woman-Battle-Against-Pro-Nazi-Bias-on-Wikipedia.html?s=hp3
Ksenia Coffman might be one of the most influential
historians you’ve never heard of. If you’ve ever consulted Wikipedia for topics
related to World War II, it’s likely that you’ve read some of her work.
The Silicon Valley history buff has spent years correcting
thousands of articles on Wikipedia that showed a pro-Nazi bias or soften
accounts of Nazi atrocities during World War II. In a recent Aish.com
interview, Ksenia explained how she embarked on this monumental task and what
still needs to be done.
Ksenia grew up in the Soviet Union where she recalls that
her history education “was very fragmentary and there were a lot of omissions.”
She studied computational linguistics, then won a scholarship to attend
business school in the Bay Area in California, and settled in the US.
One day fifteen years ago, she was visiting relatives and
noticed a book about the Battle of Stalingrad, the intensely bloody conflict
between German and Soviet forces at the Russian industrial city of Stalingrad
during World War II. The battle helped turn the tide of the war in favor of the
Allies. Ksenia realized that her knowledge about it was superficial at best. “I
wanted to learn more.”
The book was a turning point in her understanding of World
War II. “It opened up a whole new world for me.”
In the Soviet Union, the Holocaust was not taught in depth.
“It was only as a young adult that I learned about the Holocaust.” Ksenia
credits the 2002 movie The Pianist, which portrays a
fictionalized account of the real-life Polish Jewish musician Wladyslaw
Szpilman, with opening her eyes to the intense horror of the Holocaust. Ksenia
began reading everything she could about the Nazi genocide of Europe’s Jews and
others. “I took a crash course in Holocaust history (through intense reading)
because I realized there was such a gap in my knowledge.”
Like many of us, Ksenia occasionally turned to Wikipedia
for information to elucidate some points. Founded in 2001 by bond trader Jimmy
Wales, Wikipedia is one of the most visited sites on the internet, functioning
as an encyclopedia using an “open-source” team of volunteer contributors and
editors whose work is overseen by a not-for-profit group called Wikimedia
Foundation. Anyone can become a Wikipedia contributor or editor and help build
and shape the site’s information.
As she read Wikipedia’s many articles on subjects related
to the Holocaust, Ksenia found that some contained strange statements or terms
that seemed to be whitewashing Nazi history.
“In a Wiki article about the SS functionary who set up the
Riga Ghetto,” Ksenia recalls, referencing the rabid Nazi Otto-Heinrich
Drechsler, “I read that he was a ‘prominent dentist’ and that he merely
‘resided in Riga’ during World War II. I was picking up on these Holocaust
distortions and obfuscations. I want to be on the side of the victims: they
didn’t get to survive and didn’t get to write self-serving memoirs like all
these German generals who wrote about how upstanding they were.”
Ksenia was moved to act in 2015 when she read a Wikipedia
article about the “20 July Plot,” an unsuccessful 1944 plot to assassinate
Hitler that was hatched by a group of senior Nazi officers who were concerned
that Germany’s two-front fighting against both the USA and Britain and the
Soviet Union was doomed to end in Germany’s military defeat.
She noted the article described the plot as “a grand, if
futile gesture” that was meant to save “the honor of themselves, their
families, the army and Germany.” The description struck Ksenia as made up and
fawning and hardly supported by facts.
Intrigued, Ksenia read more about the plot and the
perpetrators – and wound up feeling “totally disoriented.” She turned to a
Wikipedia article about one of the plotters, the senior SS official Arthur
Nebe, who invented mobile gas chambers. The Wikipedia entry baselessly asserted
that Nebe acted to “reduce the atrocities committed”. The entry also said that
Nebe, in an attempt to protect the very Jews and others whom his death squad
meant to murder, lied about the number of people killed and padded the death
totals he passed along to his superiors.
These claims about Nebe seemed highly dubious to Ksenia, so
she checked the footnotes to the Wikipedia article and what she found was
shocking. The claims that Nebe tried to save Jews was credited to a 1995 book
called War of Extermination – a book that Ksenia happened to
have on loan from the library. She looked up the citation which seemed to
support the claims, but then it continued with a sentence that was missing from
the entry: “This is, of course, nonsense.”
“I was extremely disturbed,” Ksenia explains. “It wasn’t an
honest mistake: it was a malicious manipulation of sources. I started to wonder
where all this was coming from. Before that, I thought, Oh, Wikipedia
is a free, valid source of information.” Now she felt disillusioned.
“Growing up in a
non-democratic country, I experienced a lot of propaganda, lots of
obfuscation,” Ksenia explains. “That's why I’m more sensitive, perhaps, to
propaganda. I didn’t grow up trusting my government; I didn’t grow up thinking
that what I see in the paper is the truth. That might have helped me start
noticing the bias in some Wikipedia articles."
Incensed, Ksenia decided to do something. She registered
several calls for action in the entry about Arthur Nebe. Ksenia read up on Nebe
to better understand why some accounts of him seemed to minimize his
wrong-doing. She found historical accounts can vary widely, with the author’s
own prejudices and political goals sometimes coloring their accounts of events.
Ksenia looked at more and more Wikipedia entries, in some
cases finding other bizarre pro-Nazi slants to some entries. Wired writer Noam
Cohen has provided a detailed account of Ksenia’s editing
history:
“...Coffman realizes that she’s supposed to fill out her
User page – the Wikipedia equivalent of a profile, where editors broadcast
opinions, grudges, achievements, pet peeves. One Saturday night she updates it
for the first time. ‘I’m a new editor to Wikipedia,’ she writes. ‘I enjoy
contributing and engaging with other editors.’ An hour later, past midnight,
she adds: ‘My editing style tends to be bold.’”
Ksenia edited hundreds of articles, cutting away fawning
descriptions of Nazi exploits in some entries. A few users directed dismissive
or inflammatory comments at her, but she remained undeterred. One Wikipedia
editor began harassing her through the site and was eventually banned. Despite
the abuse, she plowed on, refusing to back down. Ksenia continued to read
through article after article, eventually becoming one of Wikipedia’s top 1,000
most active editors.
In some cases, entries glorified the German combat forces,
especially SS units. Some Wikipedia entries contained bizarre passages,
describing “how they were brave lads, that they had great adventures, that they
fought valiantly… There was very little information on the crimes they
committed, or it was tucked away, almost as just a footnote to a heroic
narrative,” Ksenia notes.
Some entries softened their accounts of Nazi atrocities by
using a passive voice: “These SS Divisions were involved in
massacres, for example.” She noticed that some users had an inexplicable
propensity to use euphemisms when discussing Nazis and Nazi atrocities. Some
Wikipedia passages seemed incapable of passing judgment on even the most
horrible crimes.
“The thing that really made my blood boil was the
debasement of victims,” Ksenia noted, when victims of Nazi crimes weren’t
described in fully human, sympathetic ways. "Another term I started
using was selective empathy,” Ksenia recalls. For instance, “the whole war was
so hard for the Germans… There was no consideration (in some Wikipedia entries)
given to the suffering of the Soviet army and Soviet civilians." As a
Russian who knew how much her fellow country-men had suffered during World War
II, Ksenia found this stomach-turning.
Ksenia discovered the existence of disturbing books and
websites that romanticize the Nazis and produce highly biased accounts of World
War II. An entire subculture seemed devoted to describing Nazis in highly
sanitized terms. “I call it pro-Nazi fan fiction,” Ksenia describes.
She was shocked by the extent these views were present in
some Wikipedia articles. When she edited their inaccurate entries, Ksenia found
herself under heavy criticism. “I received pushback from those who viewed me as
an interloper. Am I living in the same reality as these people are living?”
For a while, Ksenia was editing thousands of World War
II-related articles every month, removing uncited content. “People called me a
Nazi hunter. Nazi hunters were heroes, but on Wikipedia it was used in a
pejorative way.” What motivated her was the knowledge that she was speaking for
victims of Nazi atrocities who could not tell their own story. “I wanted to
present the view of the victims, the people who were on the receiving end of
these bombings and these Nazi actions… To create some balance. If we’re talking
about these ‘brave’ Nazi fighters, we should also include mention of the
victims.”
In recent years Ksenia had been slowing down her editing
work. At times, reading account after account of Nazi atrocities felt too
grueling. When Wired profiled her in September 2021, Ksenia’s
work received renewed interest. Some people volunteered to help her carry out
her editing work, and she now, for the first time in years, is working as part
of a team of colleagues.
“There’s still a lot more that needs to be done,” she
explains to Aish.com. “I think what I did was raise awareness.”
Readers should be aware that there are pernicious attempts
to whitewash unsavory aspects of history. Ksenia’s noticed this not only in
some historical accounts of Nazi atrocities, but in accounts of other historical
eras too, such as the Confederacy in the United States. “It took a considerable
amount of effort to learn about the Holocaust,” Ksenia recalls. Educating
ourselves about history can take hard work, but it’s important.
Ksenia encourages people who notice inaccurate or
misleading information to act. “They should register an account on Wikipedia so
they can become editors. Start slowly, tackling small editing jobs." She
is happy for anyone who would like to become an editor to reach out to her
through her discussion page on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_talk:K.e.coffman
Finally, Ksenia encourages us to be skeptical of what we
read on Wikipedia. If something seems to excuse or whitewash Nazi or other
atrocities, take action! May we all be inspired by Ksenia’s years of dedicated
work to make a difference.
Milestone: Antony Sher, 72, Royal
Shakespeare Actor. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/318055
Milestone: Bob Dole, 98, Former
Republican Presidential Nominee, wound in WWII. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/318121
Milestone: Edward Shames, 99, last
of the band of brothers. https://www.timesofisrael.com/jewish-american-wwii-vet-who-entered-hitlers-bunker-dies-at-99/
Inyanay Diyoma
Stabbing attack and no Shahid if
woman killed him. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/318066
US Intel – Russia planning Ukraine
invasion. https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-intelligence-finds-russia-making-plans-for-ukraine-offensive/
1000man Mossad team hit Iran. https://www.debka.com/a-1000-strong-mossad-team-plus-10-dissident-iranian-scientists-ran-11-month-sabotage-of-iranian-nuclear-sites-report/
Israel arming for Iran conflict. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/bjwddbutf
UN does it again. https://unitedwithisrael.org/at-un-129-countries-erase-jewish-ties-to-jerusalem/
Fresno names Library after Nazi
Supporter. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/318067
Israeli NBA star lights Menorah. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/318064
Iran not serious – US has other
options. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/318060
F15I makes an emergency landing all
is well. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/318039
Pray for Rabbi Mordechai ben Rivka. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/318050
Scottish Conservative Offices
painted with Swastikas. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/318061
Stolen School bus rams 15 to 20
parked cars: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/318015
Jihad in Mali. https://www.timesofisrael.com/at-least-30-killed-in-suspected-jihadist-attack-in-central-mali/
State Dept. shocked by Iran's
intransigence. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/318100
Explosion near Iranian Nuke areas. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/318077
Charedi Women trained for hi-tech
coding job. https://www.algemeiner.com/2021/12/03/israeli-program-trains-haredi-women-for-coding-jobs-to-meet-high-techs-human-capital-shortage/
Former French Soldier planned massacre
of Jewish Community. https://www.algemeiner.com/2021/12/03/french-anti-terror-judges-order-trial-of-former-soldier-alleged-to-have-plotted-massacre-of-jewish-community/
Israel worries over UAE
rapprochement with Iran. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/318102
Homestead FL antisemitic incident. https://www.algemeiner.com/2021/12/02/florida-cops-searching-for-suspect-who-hung-antisemitic-88-banner-outside-jewish-center/
Aussie antisemitism on the rise. https://www.algemeiner.com/2021/12/02/top-australian-jewish-organization-finds-35-rise-in-antisemitic-incidents-over-last-year/
Fishman: The silence before the
storm in Gaza. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/rj7fgdxkf
Israel urges US to hardline. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/hjgezf9tf
Unlike the Elor kangaroo trial,
policemen get backing. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/318080
13Dead 98Injured by Volcano. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/318093
Marie Le Pen lays wreath at Warsaw
Ghetto. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/318065
US Ambassador lights the Menorah by
the Wall. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/318081
ISIS kills 13 Kurds. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/318054
Rammed Guard miraculously in
moderate cond. after operation. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/318136
Iranian talks stall. https://www.algemeiner.com/2021/12/05/as-vienna-talks-stall-israel-calls-for-new-tools-against-iran-nuclear-program/
Israeli Drones deliver food. https://www.algemeiner.com/2021/12/05/israeli-startups-drones-deliver-food-within-five-minutes-to-us-homes/
ID Anne Frank memorial vandalized. https://www.algemeiner.com/2021/12/05/boise-idaho-anne-frank-memorial-again-targeted-with-antisemitic-vandalism/
Phila. Commerce Dept. head resigns
discrimination & antisemitism. https://www.algemeiner.com/2021/12/05/philadelphia-commerce-dept-head-resigns-after-alleged-antisemitic-comments-workplace-harassment/
Artifacts found in Yerushalayim. https://www.algemeiner.com/2021/12/05/hasmonean-artifacts-found-in-eastern-jerusalem-at-end-of-hanukkah/
Former Commander-in-chief calls
Miley an F…ing Idiot. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/318141
Son of Min. Zevi accused of murder. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/318112
Border Police deserve a medal not an
investigation. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/318133
IDF launches 'Red Granite' drill to
defend south. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/318124
It is not clear that Israel or US
have plans for Iran. https://www.timesofisrael.com/ehud-barak-its-not-clear-that-israel-or-us-have-a-viable-plan-to-attack-iran/
Man who threatened witness detailed
gun taken away. https://www.timesofisrael.com/police-detain-confiscate-gun-from-man-who-threatened-key-netanyahu-trial-witness/
Russia plane from Tel Aviv dives to
avoid NATO spy plane. https://www.timesofisrael.com/nato-spy-plane-forced-tel-aviv-flight-to-dive-to-avoid-catastrophe-russia/
Many secondary explosions in
containers after Israeli attack on Syrian Port. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/318209
Hamas threatening a new round of
fighting. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/rjhjs1htf
Israel to up pressure on US to
strike. https://www.algemeiner.com/2021/12/06/israel-said-to-up-pressure-on-us-to-strike-iranian-targets-as-nuclear-talks-risk-collapse/
Illegal Arab Homes to be supplied
electricity. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/318211
Herzog and Meta launch a good
campaign vs. remarks. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/318206
Israeli Astronaut to bring Dreidel
to space mission. https://www.algemeiner.com/2021/12/06/israeli-astronaut-shows-dreidel-he-will-take-on-upcoming-rakia-space-mission/ or as we say in Yiddish don't spin my head around.
Why isn't antisemitic Mel Gibson
canceled? https://www.algemeiner.com/2021/12/06/jewish-actor-asks-why-hollywood-wont-cancel-mel-gibson-over-antisemitic-racist-past/
Swastika on Mt. Laurel NJ Schul. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/318204
Israelis discover how bats teach
young navigation. https://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-scientists-discover-how-bat-moms-teach-young-to-navigate/
Germans get it right break ties with
Arab anti-Israel propaganda. https://www.algemeiner.com/2021/12/06/amid-internal-antisemitism-scandal-german-public-broadcaster-breaks-ties-with-arabic-station-over-inflammatory-israel-reporting/
We may be nearing a 6th
mass extinction. https://www.timesofisrael.com/headed-for-a-sixth-mass-extinction-mit-geophysicist-warns-oceans-are-on-the-brink/
Ashkelon no more protected than in
May. https://www.timesofisrael.com/six-months-after-gaza-conflict-battered-ashkelon-no-better-protected-from-rockets/
Millionaire collected illegal
artifacts will return them no consequences. https://www.timesofisrael.com/avoiding-prosecution-michael-steinhardt-to-return-70-million-in-looted-antiquities/ I assume that many were bought at auctions where somebody
did not do his or her homework.
Because of NSO Israel puts
restrictions on cyber-exports. https://www.timesofisrael.com/amid-fallout-from-nso-scandal-israel-imposes-new-restrictions-on-cyber-exports/
Netanyahu demands extended security
for his family. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/318213
Algeria pledges $100million to PLO. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/318215
DeBlasio orders mandate for private
companies. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/318179
No dealing with Kay's killer's home.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/318178
Wow Biden's massive boycott of
Chinese Olympics a joke. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/318210
Big Ruv: The government is lying but
we should get vaccinated. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/318232
CDC one day travel test restriction. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/318079
Panel delays airport housing
project. https://www.timesofisrael.com/planning-panel-significantly-delays-e-jerusalem-housing-project-that-sparked-us-ire/
Bedouin running wild in the Negev-
Bennett to stop wild west. https://www.timesofisrael.com/like-the-wild-west-bennett-vows-to-crack-down-on-crime-in-southern-israel/
Breaking 2 Iranian ships carrying arms
to Houthis stopped by USN. Mysterious country supplied intel. https://english.alarabiya.net/News/world/2021/12/08/US-Navy-seizes-two-caches-of-Iranian-arms-in-Arabian-Sea-destined-to-Yemen-s-Houthis
Central Idiot Agency or Brandon does
not think Iran plans to Weaponize Nukes. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/318269
Military Option against Iran still
open. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/318194
Senate to supply weapons to Saudis. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/318279
A-G Netanyahu a danger to democracy.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/318263
Finally home of monster who murdered
Eli Kay mapped out. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/318248
Cocaine found in a special security
area in Parliament. https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/uk-police-contacted-report-cocaine-parliament-81584567
Yerushalayim – mother stabbed while
walking kids to school by 15yr. old. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/318284
4th Vaccine possible. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/318261
Principal covers up rapes in elite
High School. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/318292
Lockdown effected Menashe and friends
stir crazy but others worse. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/318286
Ed-Op Yemeni: Israel must save the
Arab Sector from itself. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/ry4j7n5ff
IDF Paramedic saves Arab Baby at
checkpoint. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/s1bhr4tff#autoplay
Israel has completed the above and
underground barrier around Gaza. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/b1jf9j6yt
Thousands rally to oppose current
government. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/bkle8haty
Shin Bet deals with failure to
detect spy at Ganz Home. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/h1pi9gttk
Gov. holds off on vaccinating
recovered children. https://www.ynetnews.com/health_science/article/bjk4sh6tt
Israel aka Netanyahu feel asleep on
Iran. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/r1bytk3kk
Expert on Sugary Drinks was Coca
Cola lobbyist. https://www.timesofisrael.com/sugary-drinks-expert-unmasked-as-coca-cola-lobbyist-in-knesset/
Intel to take Mobileye Public in
2022. https://www.timesofisrael.com/intel-to-take-mobileye-public-in-2022-at-estimated-50b-valuation/
Spanish town hit by antisemitic
graffiti. https://www.timesofisrael.com/spanish-town-until-recently-called-fort-kill-the-jews-hit-with-antisemitic-graffiti/
Miss Puerto Rico great granddaughter
of holocaust survivor. https://www.timesofisrael.com/puerto-rican-miss-universe-contestant-reveals-great-grandfather-survived-holocaust/
UK Rabbis blast Beit Din Reform. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/318264
Kansas City MO Chabad House Vandalized.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/318266
Under Left-wing Gov. Yad Vashem
covers up Islamic pushing the Holocaust. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/318218
US sanctions for Iranian Human
Rights abuse. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/318268
Ganz-Austin discuss joint military
drills against Iran. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/318331
UAE-Saudis fed up with slow Israel-US
on Iran. https://www.debka.com/uae-saudis-seek-detente-with-tehran-fed-up-with-us-israel-slow-motion-on-nuclear-armed-iran/
Ed-Op Yoshua – Israel slept while
Iran moved. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/r1bytk3kk
Omicron Carriers to be in quarantine
longer. https://www.timesofisrael.com/omicron-carriers-to-require-14-day-quarantine-instead-of-10-mandated-for-others/
Booster Shot reduces death by 90%. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/318325
United Nations campaign ignores the fact that half of all victims of
domestic violence and psychological abuse are male. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/318084
Compulsory National Service? https://www.timesofisrael.com/government-committee-to-consider-reforming-idf-draft-broadening-national-service/
Alzheimer's research. https://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-drug-candidate-slows-alzheimers-causing-protein-in-mouse-brains/
Wings of Zion ready but not
approved. https://www.timesofisrael.com/israels-air-force-one-is-ready-for-takeoff-but-bennetts-not-boarding-yet/
Flags and dancing to counter attack.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/318332
Mark Meadows sues Congress over
Executive Privilege. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/318329
IDF opens fire on rock throwers. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/318323
Guard: Luckily I moved to the right
and survived. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/318280
Kim Potter accidently used gun
instead of Taser. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/318321
NYPD hate crime rises. https://www.algemeiner.com/2021/12/08/nypd-stats-new-york-hate-crimes-doubled-in-2021-with-50-spike-in-antisemitic-incidents/
Man testifies against Nazi stenographer:
https://www.algemeiner.com/2021/12/08/holocaust-survivor-testifies-against-former-typist-at-concentration-camp-who-signed-his-fathers-death-certificate/
More Unilever Stock being sold. https://www.algemeiner.com/2021/12/08/new-jersey-pulling-182m-in-unilever-stock-after-investigation-into-ben-jerrys-west-bank-boycott/
Elderly Jew attacked in Paris Apt. https://www.algemeiner.com/2021/12/08/are-you-a-jeweler-and-a-jew-elderly-french-jewish-man-attacked-and-robbed-in-his-paris-apartment-by-antisemitic-assailants/
Measure for measure. He mocked Rittenhouse
for crying and he cried. https://www.essentiallysports.com/nba-basketball-news-watch-lebron-james-gets-his-ankle-broken-by-clippers-serge-ibaka-on-his-lakers-return/
Have a healthy and peaceful
Shabbos rest,
Rachamim Pauli
