Two miracles. Plane loses
power lands on railway crossing safely then pilot pulled to safety with seconds
to go before the train hit the plane. https://myfox8.com/news/pilot-rescued-moments-before-crashed-plane-hit-by-train/
Parsha Beshallach
Pharaoh finally let the
people go after his first born died. The people that were escaping were not
traveling the fastest way into Eretz Yisrael via the Coastal Road but a rough
way that had a dead end as we shall soon see. The Sea Level at this time was a
number of meters lower than it is today so we must take that into account.
13:17 And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had
let the people go, that God led them not by the way of the land of the
Philistines, although that was near; for God said: 'Lest peradventure the
people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt.'
They did not go 'Derech Eretz Plishtim' not the
ways that normal people customarily going north take but with special
miraculous things like a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. These are
people with a slave mentality. They would panic if they saw war.
MY OWN STORY – I grew up in an Irish Catholic
Neighborhood. I was sort of the only Jew on the block. My friend Carl was
Jewish from his mother but his 6foot tall father was not Jewish and had scars
from a fire he survived scaring off wood-be attackers of Carl. I learned that
when a clan of 5 to 8 kids run after you and you have had no martial arts
training you flee. Unlike Carl's father, who grew up in the States my father
grew up in Austria and had to flee more than just kids on the day that Hitler
annexed the Sudetenland. I am happy that my father survived but that did not
put up much fight in me. In my senior year of College. Black protestors came to
shut down my University that was 60% or more Jewish. The JDL held a rally and I
was a representative for Young Americans for Freedom. Rabbi Meir Kahane
HY"D spoke and a dozen or more blacks with guns plus other weapons rushed
the State I started to flee but my friends from my Yeshiva that were younger
were behind me by the blacks. I rushed back to save them no matter what would
happen to me. Suddenly, it was a standoff. The Jews with the exception of one
person who never had an ally had stood their ground. I felt embarrassed at my
cowardliness. It never happened afterwards. I went on to do border patrol
knowing that there would be backing if I was fired upon. I was on the Lebanese,
Syrian and even the Egyptian Border and not a coward any more.
18 But God led the people about, by the way
of the wilderness by the Red Sea; and the children of Israel went up armed out
of the land of Egypt.
Some of the people knew how to fight and were not
cowards but most had the slave mentality. Those that fought saw that HASHEM was
fighting and backing us and were fearless.
19 And Moses took the bones of Joseph with
him; for he had straitly sworn the children of Israel, saying: 'God will surely
remember you; and ye shall carry up my bones away hence with you.'
As Trump says "Promises made, promises
kept." That is the most important thing in leadership.
20 And they took their journey from Succoth,
and encamped in Etham, in the edge of the wilderness. 21 And the LORD
went before them by day in a pillar of cloud, to lead them the way; and by
night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; that they might go by day and by
night: 22 the pillar of cloud by day, and the pillar of fire by
night, departed not from before the people.
They had miraculous guidance.
14:1 And
the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 2 'Speak unto the children of
Israel, that they turn back and encamp before Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and
the sea, before Baal-zephon, over against it shall ye encamp by the sea.
They left Egypt and ran
north east instead of the highway by the sea. Now they had a reached a dead end
as they are by the sea but cut off by a mountain to the north of them and no
way to really flee south and the Egyptians behind them on the southwest.
3 And Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel:
They are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them
in. 4 And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he shall follow after
them; and I will get Me honor upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host; and the
Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD.' And they did so. 5 And it
was told the king of Egypt that the people were fled; and the heart of Pharaoh
and of his servants was turned towards the people, and they said: 'What is this
we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?
The problem with Egypt was that
there is nothing cheaper than human slave labor. The whole economy was based on
it and so was part of the Nazi War Effort years later.
6 And he made ready his chariots, and took his
people with him. 7 And he took six hundred chosen chariots, and all
the chariots of Egypt, and captains over all of them. 8 And the LORD
hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued after the children
of Israel; for the children of Israel went out with a high hand.
600 chariots and foot soldiers
might not be impressive in fighting a trained ground army with spears and
arrows consisting of 600,000 men but runaway slaves was a different story.
9 And the Egyptians pursued after them, all the
horses and chariots of Pharaoh, and his horsemen, and his army, and overtook
them encamping by the sea, beside Pi-hahiroth, in front of
Baal-zephon. 10 And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel
lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians were marching after them; and
they were sore afraid; and the children of Israel cried out unto the
LORD.
To their credit, they first cried
unto the L-RD
11 And they said unto Moses: 'Because there were
no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore
hast thou dealt thus with us, to bring us forth out of Egypt?
To their discredit they complained
to Moshe at his leadership.
12 Is not this the word that we spoke unto thee in
Egypt, saying: Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it were
better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the
wilderness.'
Just the thought of the Egyptian
Army was enough to bring surrender into their minds.
13 And Moses said unto the people: 'Fear ye not,
stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will work for you
to-day; for whereas ye have seen the Egyptians to-day, ye shall see them again
no more forever. 14 The LORD will fight for you, and ye shall hold your
peace.'
You might be cowards, but the L-RD
will fight for you.
15 And
the LORD said unto Moses: 'Wherefore do
you cry unto Me? speak unto the children of
Israel, that they go forward. 16 And lift thou up thy rod, and
stretch out thy hand over the sea, and divide it; and the children of Israel
shall go into the midst of the sea on dry ground.
It is simple just stretch out your
hand. However, it took the action of Nachson ben Aminadav to enter the sea
until his nostrils with pure faith for it to split.
17 And
I, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall go in
after them; and I will get Me honor upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host, upon
his chariots, and upon his horsemen. 18 And the Egyptians shall know
that I am the LORD, when I have gotten Me honor upon Pharaoh, upon his
chariots, and upon his horsemen.'
The trained Egyptian Soldiers would
follow orders from their god-king and go into the Sea after the fleeing slaves.
19 And
the angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind
them; and the pillar of cloud removed from before them, and stood behind
them; 20 and it came between the camp of Egypt and the camp of
Israel; and there was the cloud and the darkness here, yet gave it light by
night there; and the one came not near the other all the night.
The Egyptians could do nothing to
attack and still they would go into the sea when released to attack.
21 And
Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go
back by a strong east wind all the night, and made the sea dry land, and the
waters were divided.
I once read an article that a
professor of engineering calculated that at 8 Degrees Celsius a wind of 39miles
per hour or 64.4 km. per hour from the east would blow the water enough to freeze
it. Sea water because of the salt needs even a lower temperature to freeze than
zero C or 32 F. Still the strong east winds that we get during the late spring
season from the east are very great in speed.
22 And
the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground; and
the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their
left. 23 And the Egyptians pursued, and went in after them into the
midst of the sea, all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. 24 And
it came to pass in the morning watch, that the LORD looked forth upon the host
of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of cloud, and discomfited the
host of the Egyptians. 25 And He took off their chariot wheels, and
made them to drive heavily; so that the Egyptians said: 'Let us flee from the
face of Israel; for the LORD fights
for them against the Egyptians.'
When the frozen ground and walls of
water started melting it caused the wheels to get stuck in the sand/mud at the
bottom. Even their heavy combat gear caused them to sink into the wet sand.
26 And
the LORD said unto Moses: 'Stretch out thy hand over the sea, that the waters
may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their
horsemen.' 27 And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and
the sea returned to its strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians
fled against it; and the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the
sea. 28 And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the
horsemen, even all the host of Pharaoh that went in after them into the sea;
there remained not so T
Soldiers that were trained to fight
on land with heavy armor had no chance against the depths of the sea and the
waves as the walls on the right and on the left collapsed upon them.
29 But the children of Israel walked upon dry land
in the midst of the sea; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right
hand, and on their left. 30 Thus the LORD saved Israel that day out
of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the
sea-shore.
There would be nothing to fear from
Egypt ever again.
31 And Israel saw the great work which the LORD
did upon the Egyptians, and the people feared the LORD; and they believed in
the LORD, and in His servant Moses. 15:1 Then
sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD, and spoke,
saying: I will sing unto the LORD, for He is highly exalted; the horse and his
rider hath He thrown into the sea.
Then in the future Moshe and the
Bnei Yisrael will sing upon the resurrection of the dead. This is the 'Song by
the Sea' and our Parsha has a second name after Shelach and that is Parsha
Shira for the Parsha of Song.
2 The LORD is my strength and song, and He is
become my salvation; this is my God, and I will glorify Him; my father's God,
and I will exalt Him. 3 The LORD is a man of war, The LORD is His
name. … 19 For the horses of Pharaoh went in with his chariots and
with his horsemen into the sea, and the LORD brought back the waters of the sea
upon them; but the children of Israel walked on dry land in the midst of the
sea. 20 And Miriam the prophetess,
the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out
after her with timbrels and with dances. 21 And Miriam sang unto
them: Sing ye to the LORD, for He is highly exalted: the horse and his rider
hath He thrown into the sea.
The song was first sung by Miriam
and the Women, taught to their children and then the men learned it and sang
it. Learning was by heart in ancient times. Letters were usually sent by verbal
carrier who memorized the messages. There were no books and that is why written
Torah and Oral Torah are equal. There were a few Sifrei Torah written similar
to what we have today in Synagogues and perhaps we have more today.
22 And
Moses led Israel onward from the Red Sea, and they
went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the
wilderness, and found no
water. 23 And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the
waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore the name of it was called
Marah. 24 And the people murmured against Moses, saying: 'What shall
we drink?'
This is the first time that the
people have a weakened belief and Moshe has to intervene.
25 And
he cried unto the LORD; and the LORD showed him a tree, and he cast it into the
waters, and the waters were made sweet. There He made for them a statute and an
ordinance, and there He proved them; 26 and He said: 'If thou wilt
diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is
right in His eyes, and wilt give ear to His commandments, and keep all His
statutes, I will put none of the diseases upon thee, which I have put upon the
Egyptians; for I am the LORD that heals thee.'
Trust and believe in HASHEM and you
will not get ill. What about Orthodox today that die of Corona? Either their
trust and belief is weak or they don't make the effort of "G-D helps them
that help themselves". We are weak today and Corona is not one of the
diseases of the Egyptians. I do not have a complete answer to this or the
Holocaust.
27 And
they came to Elim, where were twelve springs of water, and three score and ten
palm-trees; and they encamped there by the waters. 16:1 And
they took their journey from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of
Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the
fifteenth day of the second month after their departing out of the land of
Egypt. 2 And the whole congregation of the children of Israel
murmured against Moses and against Aaron in the wilderness;
The whole congregation were angry
at lack of food as their Matzos began running out. Moshe and Aaron were
trusting in HASHEM but were not masters of logistics.
3 and the children of Israel said unto them:
'Would that we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we
sat by the flesh-pots, when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought
us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.'
What have you incompetent leaders
with no plan done to us. We are starving and there is no food.
4 Then said the LORD unto Moses: 'Behold, I will
cause to rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather
a day's portion every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in My
law, or not. 5 And it shall come to pass on the sixth day that they
shall prepare that which they bring in, and it shall be twice as much as they
gather daily.'
Moshe's answer is I am truly
incompetent without a plan in my mind. But to the L-RD you are always on his
mind and his plan is to clear before even Yitzchak was born how he would take you
out of Egypt and supply you with food and drink. This section is called Parshas
the Mann as they said "What is this?" (Mann Hu). Some people make the
mistake of feeding birds because of a Medrash about leaving crumbs that the birds
ate up. However, this practice is wrong. If the creature is not dependent upon
you for food like my cat and her kittens since they started growing or daily, then
one cannot feed on Shabbos wild creatures like birds.
6 And Moses and Aaron said unto all the children
of Israel: 'At even, then ye shall know that the LORD hath brought you out from
the land of Egypt; 7 and in the morning, then ye shall see the glory
of the LORD; for that He hath heard your murmurings against the LORD; and what
are we, that ye murmur against us?' 8 And Moses said: 'This shall be,
when the LORD shall give you in the evening flesh to eat, and in the morning
bread to the full; for that the LORD heareth your murmurings which ye murmur against
Him; and what are we? your murmurings are not against us, but against the
LORD.' 9 And Moses said unto Aaron: 'Say unto all the congregation of
the children of Israel: Come near before the LORD; for He hath heard your
murmurings.' 10 And it came to pass, as Aaron spoke unto the whole
congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness,
and, behold, the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud.
Aaron and I did not bring the
plagues upon Pharaoh, split the sea and brought you here. We are just messengers
of G-D but it is from the L-RD that you are here. Your complaints are against
the L-RD and not against us mere messengers.
11 And
the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 12 'I have heard the murmurings of
the children of Israel. Speak unto them, saying: At dusk ye shall eat flesh,
and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know that I am
the LORD your God.' 13 And it came to pass at even, that the quails
came up, and covered the camp; and in the morning there was a layer of dew
round about the camp. 14 And when the layer of dew was gone up,
behold upon the face of the wilderness a fine, scale-like thing, fine as the
hoar-frost on the ground. 15 And when the children of Israel saw it,
they said one to another: 'What is it?'
Hebrew: Mann Hu? So the bread from
heaven was called Mann.
for
they knew not what it was. And Moses said unto them: 'It is the bread which the
LORD hath given you to eat. 16 This is the thing which the LORD hath
commanded: Gather ye of it every man according to his eating; an omer a head,
according to the number of your persons, shall ye take it, every man for them
that are in his tent.' 17 And the children of Israel did so, and
gathered some more, some less. 18 And when they did mete it with an
omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had
no lack; they gathered every man according to his eating. 19 And
Moses said unto them: 'Let no man leave of it till the morning.'
Every weekday you will receive this
bread and an Omer of this heavenly bread will fill you up and nourish you.
20 Notwithstanding
they hearkened not unto Moses; but some of them left of it until the morning,
and it bred worms, and rotted; and Moses was wroth with them. 21 And
they gathered it morning by morning, every man according to his eating; and as
the sun waxed hot, it melted. 22 And it came to pass that on the sixth
day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each one; and all the
rulers of the congregation came and told Moses.
You
will receive a double portion on Friday for Shabbos and it will not spoil on
the morrow.
23 And
he said unto them: 'This is that which the LORD hath spoken: To-morrow is a
solemn rest, a holy sabbath unto the LORD. Bake that which ye will bake, and
seethe that which ye will seethe; and all that remains over lay up for you to
be kept until the morning.'
So one will prepare on the sixth
day or Erev Yom Tov the needs for Shabbos or Yom Tov. (Although one can cook if
Yom Tov fell on a weekday, one had to collect the ingredients Erev Yom Tov or
during the proceeding weekdays for the meal.
24 And
they laid it up till the morning, as Moses bade; and it did not rot, neither
was there any worm therein. 25 And Moses said: 'Eat that to-day; for
to-day is a sabbath unto the LORD; to-day ye shall not find it in the
field. 26 Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day is the
sabbath, in it there shall be none.' 27 And it came to pass on the
seventh day, that there went out some of the people to gather, and they found
none.
Thus the people learned by the example
of this miraculous food that six days one may harvest his food but the seventh
day one must rest. The Hebrew is stronger in a Pasuk later on using the word
'Yenafesh' To renew or restore the Neshama/Nefesh of a person.
28 And
the LORD said unto Moses: 'How long refuse ye to keep My commandments and My
laws? 29 See that the LORD hath given you the sabbath; therefore He
giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his
place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.'
I, THE L-RD, HAVE TOLD YOU TO
OBSERVE THE SHABBOS – THEREFORE DO SO AND OBSERVE!
30 So
the people rested on the seventh day.
Thus, the Bnei Yisrael, saw and began
observing Shabbos from the heavenly example before them.
31 And
the house of Israel called the name thereof Manna; and it was like coriander
seed, white; and the taste of it was like wafers made with
honey. 32 And Moses said: 'This is the thing which the LORD hath
commanded: Let an omerful of it be kept throughout your generations; that they
may see the bread wherewith I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you
forth from the land of Egypt.' 33 And Moses said unto Aaron: 'Take a
jar, and put an omerful of manna therein, and lay it up before the LORD, to be
kept throughout your generations.' 34 As the LORD commanded Moses, so
Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept. 35 And the
children of Israel did eat the manna forty years, until they came to a land
inhabited; they did eat the manna, until they came unto the borders of the land
of Canaan. 36 Now an omer is the tenth part of an ephah.
A
sample of the Mann was put in a glass jar in the Teva for people to view every
generation. But because of our sins, the Aron HaAidut is hidden away from us.
17:1 And
all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of
Sin, by their stages, according to the commandment of the LORD, and encamped in
Rephidim; and there was no water for the people to drink. 2 Wherefore
the people strove with Moses, and said: 'Give us water that we may drink.' And
Moses said unto them: 'Why strive ye with me? wherefore do ye try the
LORD?' 3 And the people thirsted there for water; and the people
murmured against Moses, and said: 'Wherefore hast thou brought us up out of
Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?' 4 And
Moses cried unto the LORD, saying: 'What shall I do unto this people? they are
almost ready to stone me.' 5 And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Pass on
before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod,
wherewith thou smote the river, take in thy hand, and go. 6 Behold, I
will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the
rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink.'
Again the people mummer against the
Shaliach whom they see but not the L-RD or by prayer who is the ONE who listens
and provides.
And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of
Israel. 7 And the name of the place was called Massah, and Meribah,
because of the striving of the children of Israel, and because they tried the
LORD, saying: 'Is the LORD among us, or not?'
It is not the question if the L-RD
is among us but is your mind towards the L-RD?
8 Then
came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim. 9 And Moses said
unto Joshua: 'Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek; tomorrow I will
stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand.'
Because the people were weak (Rephadim
or without spiritual muscles), at Rephidim came Amalek to attack.
10 So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and
fought with Amalek; and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the
hill. 11 And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that
Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek
prevailed. 12 But Moses' hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and
put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands,
the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were
steady until the going down of the sun.
The Gemara asks "Does the
hands of Moshe work miracles? Only, that the people turn their eyes heavenward
does the miracle occur." It became a psychological boost.
13 And
Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.14 And
the LORD said unto Moses: 'Write this for a memorial in the book, and rehearse
it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek
from under heaven.'
After the miracle of defeating the
Egyptian Army by the sea, the nations were afraid to attack Israel. It was like
boiling water, but when Amalek jumped into the fray the water temperature went
down and the nations saw that they could attack.
15 And
Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Adonai-nissi. 16 And
he said: 'The hand upon the throne of the LORD: the LORD will have war with
Amalek from generation to generation.'
The word for throne aka
chair is written missing a Samech and
Sidney Poitier and the Jewish Waiter who taught him
how to read. By Dr. Yvette Alt Miller.
https://www.aish.com/ci/a/Sidney-Poitier-and-the-Jewish-Waiter-who-Taught-Him-How-to-Read.html?s=ss1
Sidney Poitier, who died last
week at the age of 94, was a towering presence for much of his life. The first
Black Hollywood movie star, Poitier was the first Black actor to win an Academy
Award for Best Actor, for his starring role in the 1963 movie Lilies of
the Field. He appeared in over 39 movies and worked as a director, novelist
and served as ambassador from the Bahamas (where his family lived) to Japan and
the UN.
“I walked with kings,” Poitier
said about his seemingly charmed life. Yet in a 2013 interview, he revealed the
secret to his early success: an elderly Jewish man who taught him to read,
enabling Poitier to escape from poverty and illiteracy to achieve his
potential.
Born in 1927, Poitier’s parents
Reginald and Evelyn Poitier were impoverished tomato farmers. “There is the
phrase that says he or she worked their fingers to the bone,” Poitier later
recalled. “Well, that’s my dad. And he was a very good man.”
Poitier was born in Miami – three
months premature – while his parents were in America on a trip to sell
tomatoes. His parents already had six children, and they weren’t sure whether
Sidney would survive. His father even bought a casket, thinking there was no
way his premature baby would make it.
Against all odds, Sidney
survived, but his childhood was a difficult one. He wore flour sacks, lived in
a series of impoverished towns in Florida and the Caribbean, and attended
school for only two years – he left at the age of 12 to take a menial labor
job.
By the time Poitier was 14, he
was hanging around with an unsavory crowd. His older brother Cyril was married
and living in Miami, and his parents sent Sidney to stay with him to take him
away from negative influences. Once he was living in America, Poitier decided
he wanted to be an actor, and made his way to New York City in 1943, at the age
of 16.
There, he auditioned with the
prestigious American Negro Theater in Harlem, but when they handed him a script
to read, Poitier wasn’t able to make out the words. With so little schooling,
he was effectively illiterate. Unfit for any other job, he went to work as a
dishwasher in a New York restaurant where he met the elderly Jewish waiter who
would change his life.
“There was one of the
waiters, a Jewish guy, elderly man, and he looked over at me, and he was
looking at me for quite a while,” Poitier recalled. “I had a newspaper, it was called Journal American.
And he walked over to me, and he said, ‘What’s new in the paper?’ And I looked
up at this man. I said to him, ‘I can’t tell you what’s in the paper, because I
can’t read very well.’ He said, ‘Let me ask you something, would you like me to
read with you?’ I said to him, ‘Yes, if you like.’”
They studied late at
night in the restaurant, long after closing time. The elderly Jewish waiter –
Poitier later described him as patient and bespectacled – painstakingly taught
Poitier the meanings of punctuation marks and how to sound out words. Poitier
later described: “He sat there with me week after week after week.” They used
newspapers to sound out words. During the day, Poitier listened to the radio to
expand his vocabulary and diction; at night he read with the Jewish waiter.
Eventually, after about six months, Poitier was finally a fluent reader.
He tried out again for
the American Negro Theater, and was accepted as an apprentice. Still a complete
unknown, Poitier had to work in the theater as a janitor, as well. One day,
another of the theater’s actors – none other than future superstar Harry
Belafonte – failed to show up for rehearsals on a day that a Broadway producer
was in the audience. Poitier stood in for Belafonte, and was chosen for the
Broadway play: an all-Black production of Lysistrata in 1946.
Poitier continued to
work on stage and in television, and still had to resort to menial jobs to make
ends meet. In 1950, he finally gained widespread recognition as a serious actor
for his role as a doctor pursued by a racist patient in the film No Way
Out. Other hit movies soon followed, including Cry, the Beloved
Country in 1952 and Blackboard Jungle in 1955, in
which he plays a gifted, troubled, student.
Poitier continued to
work on stage and in television, and still had to resort to menial jobs to make
ends meet. In 1950, he finally gained widespread recognition as a serious actor
for his role as a doctor pursued by a racist patient in the film No Way
Out. Other hit movies soon followed, including Cry, the Beloved
Country in 1952 and Blackboard Jungle in 1955, in
which he plays a gifted, troubled, student.
He always insisted on taking dignified roles, playing
upstanding characters with strong moral fiber.
Poitier wrote three
autobiographies and one novel, a science fiction-tinged mystery called Montaro
Caine, published in 2013. The main character, named Montaro, is a Jewish
graduate student whose parents were Jewish immigrants from Austria. The book
was critically panned and never sold many copies, but it might have been
Poitier’s tribute in some form to the elderly Jew years before who first taught
him to write.
Once Poitier was
established as a successful actor, he tried to find the waiter who’d helped him
so much during his teenage years. To his lasting regret, Poitier never found
him.
The Titan
of Teheran a man who gave up his life for his community.
JTA — As a news photo editor currently with NBC News,
Shahrzad Elghanayan has worked with many photojournalists whose instinct is to
run toward danger. It is, she said, “a sign of courage, empathy, and feeling
responsible for your fellow human beings.”
That instinct is part of what connects Elghanayan with her
grandfather, Tehran businessman Habib Elghanian, who was the head of the Jewish
Association of Iran until he was executed during the country’s Islamic
revolution in 1979. There were so many times when Habib, at the time Iran’s
most prominent secular Jewish leader, could have saved himself — but chose
instead to stay in Iran helping Jews.
“He stayed there to protect the Jewish community he had led
since 1959 and what he had built from scratch,” Elghanayan said. “I can understand
that.”
In her
book “Titan of Tehran: From Jewish
Ghetto to Corporate Colossus to Firing Squad — My Grandfather’s Life,” published by the
Associated Press in November, Elghanayan not only researched her grandfather’s
death, but also celebrated his life.
As a business “titan” who, with his brothers, headed a
conglomerate that made plastics, refrigerators, stoves and aluminum, among
other goods, Habib was an instrumental figure in pre-revolutionary Iran’s
modernization. (In 1962, the brothers built Iran’s tallest private sector
high-rise at the time, the Plasco Building.) As a Jew, he benefited from a
brief atmosphere of tolerance, albeit with limits, under the shah.
In fact, Elghanayan’s grandfather’s lifetime coincided with
a “golden era” for Iran’s Jews, she told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. But in
the end, Habib suffered an ending that seems familiar to Jews in many nations
at many times in history — scapegoated and executed for perceived secret
loyalties to Israel.
Elghanayan was 7 years old on May 8, 1979, when her
grandfather was killed on trumped-up charges of spying for Israel. She and her
family had left Iran for the safety of the United States the previous
September. Still in her possession is a commemorative coin depicting the shah
on one side and a menorah on the other. It was meant to commemorate Jews’
acceptance in Iran, and Habib had contributed $40,000 for its issue.
That was how Habib felt, like two sides of the same coin:
Iranian and Jewish.
“How he felt and how he was seen are two different things,”
Elghanayan said. “He was Iranian and Jewish like I’m American and Jewish. No
one can take that away from us.”
Yet Elghanayan discovered that as early as 1964, Habib was
known to the future Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who had issued a veiled threat
to the Jewish leader in a speech.
“He made clear in
his speech against Iran’s modernization efforts that in the country he would
rule, there would be no place for a successful Jewish businessman,” Elghanayan
said. “Khomeini didn’t consider my grandfather Iranian. It’s that old
antisemitic trope of dual allegiances, except that for Khomeini, it wasn’t even
a dual allegiance. It was an allegiance only to Israel.”
In the end, that was the charge that led to Habib’s
execution in front of a firing squad.
“This accusation is best described in three words: bigoted,
nebulous and nonsensical,” Elghanayan said.
The scapegoating of Jews, and Habib in particular, was not
solely the pastime of Islamic revolutionaries. The shah had arrested Habib as
well. And while Elghanayan does not blame the shah for her grandfather’s
eventual execution, she said he was responsible for creating an environment
that made a revolution possible.
“One ineffective totalitarian regime was replaced by a
different oppressive government,” she said. “The old one, supposedly friends of
the Jews, had secret service files about my grandfather’s trips to Israel when
it was perfectly legal for him to be there. The shah also scapegoated my
grandfather and other businessmen for inflation because the shah didn’t know
how to fix Iran’s overheated economy.”
Habib did have strong ties to Israel and helped many
Iranian Jews move there, with the assistance of the Magbit, an Israeli organization
that raises money to support immigration to the country. He and other Iranian
Jewish leaders undertook a Magbit-organized trip to Israel in 1974, the details
of which wound up in the secret dossier on Habib maintained by the shah’s
secret police.
“He was helping Iranian Jews make aliyah long before the
revolution, but my research didn’t indicate that that was because he thought
Iran wasn’t safe for them,” Elghanayan said. “He thought Israel was a great
development in the history of Jews. In fact, when he went to Israel, the Magbit
was not satisfied with the number of Jews immigrating to Israel from Iran.”
As for Habib himself, Elghanayan said he had on
“noise-canceling headphones” as the revolution was underway. But, she said, it
wasn’t all about refusing to believe he was in danger. Habib wanted to be where
he could help his people the most.
“He was the leader of the Jews, and hearing that the
situation was dangerous for them in 1979, he wasn’t going to watch them get
hurt from the outside,” she said.
But Habib did send his son, Elghanayan’s father, to America
in the mid-1950s. Elghanayan writes that she was “mystified” as to why Habib
would “uproot his own son and send him to America” when he wouldn’t go there
himself, but she offered some guesses.
“By then, he was already very attached to Iran, where Jews
had deep roots for millennia,” she said. “He and his brother Davoud were
heavily involved in philanthropy to support Iran’s Jews. He had also
established roots in the bazaar since 1936, when he had his own business before
partnering with his brothers. He had also built a good lifestyle for himself.”
As for whether her grandfather’s story should be
interpreted as a cautionary tale for Jews who rise to great success anywhere in
the Diaspora, Elghanayan said that’s beyond the scope of her research. “I wrote
this book to inform people and didn’t want a piece of history to be lost,” she
said. “In general, it’s important for watchdog groups and journalists to
document antisemitic acts around the world and keep track. A free press helps
expose and see reality as it is.”
But this is not just a “piece of history” to the author.
It’s very personal.
“It’s traumatic to think that he was alone during his
trial, couldn’t say goodbye to anyone before his execution and that my father
had to find out about it on the radio in New York,” she said. “I cried a lot
while I wrote this book, but I knew I was rebuilding something that was
destroyed so that it would never be forgotten.”
In publishing a book about her grandfather’s treatment at
the hands of Iran, Elghanayan hoped to bring his accomplishments back to life.
“As much as the book is about the events that led to his
execution, it’s also a celebration of his life and something that bullets can’t
destroy,” she said. “He was alone then, but now his story will live in readers’
homes and hearts.”
No Expiration Date on
Your Spouses Need for Respect and Appreciation
By Emuna Braverman
There is a story in
the Book of Genesis that I always find beautiful and slightly puzzling. The
Almighty deliberately hides from Abraham the fact that his wife Sarah said he
was old.
The thing is, he was old.
Ninety-nine to be precise! Was Abraham so sensitive about his age? And by then,
they had been married for over 70 years. Did he really need her to think of him
as young, or conversely would he really be insulted to hear that she considered
him old? I understand the lesson about sensitivity in marriage but is really
still necessary at their advanced ages?
The Torah seems to be
saying that the answer is yes.
Perhaps we should look
at ourselves and our marriages and to continue to be sensitive in our
relationships even as we too start getting older (although not quite 99!). It’s
a well-known idea that men crave respect. We might think that the need fades with
time. Haven’t they already achieved so much? Don’t they already know how much
we respect them? Haven’t we been telling them for years? Do we really still
need to demonstrate my respect?
The Torah seems to be
suggesting yes. The need/desire to be respected by the one person in the world
whose opinion really matters to you never fades. It may even intensify. Perhaps
as our husbands’ impact on the world fades, their need for respect grows, and
we (and perhaps their children and grandchildren) may be the only external
source of it.
Whatever the
circumstances, it would be a mistake to think there is an expiration date on
our husband’s need for respect and our obligation to offer it.
Simultaneously, our
desire to be loved and even admired physically doesn’t seem to diminish with
time. Even as the wrinkles encroach, even as our hair turns gray, even as our
knees and backs and hips start to creak, we want to be told how beautiful we
look (and we may even go to some desperate lengths to try to encourage that praise!).
Like men, I suspect that our need for that admiration may increase
proportionately to our aging process as opposed to decreasing.
When I first read that
story in the Torah, I almost thought it was silly. I was young and being
sensitive to aging seemed a long way in the distance. Now, after covering a
significant portion of that distance (!), it looks very different. I applaud
the need for sensitivity and recognize with new appreciation the importance of
intensifying my respect and admiration for my husband, not to mention his need
to intensify his appreciation in return!
Milestone: Sidney Poitier, 94, actor and often
mentor of youth. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320066
Milestone: Lani Guinier, 71, ultra-liberal
civil rights lawyer. https://www.timesofisrael.com/pioneering-us-civil-rights-lawyer-professor-lani-guinier-dies-at-71/
Milestone: Marilyn Bergman, 93, three time
Oscar winning composer. https://www.timesofisrael.com/marilyn-bergman-oscar-winning-composer-dies-at-age-93/
Milestone: Michael Lang, 77, organizer of
Woodstock. https://www.aol.com/michael-lang-woodstock-co-creator-060027285.html
Milestone: Aura Hertzog, 97, widow and mother
of presidents. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320156
19 Dead in Bronx Fire. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320139
Milestone: Bob Saget, 65, actor. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320149
Milestone: Peter Bodanovich, 82, film maker
Austrian Jew mother. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320158
Milestone: Robert Durst, 78, convicted
murderer. https://www.timesofisrael.com/robert-durst-real-estate-heir-convicted-of-murder-suspected-of-another-dies-at-78/
Inyanay Diyoma
Millions may get infected with Omicron. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320100
Police brutality against the right. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320092
Minister (former general) says Homesh Yeshiva
should remain. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320093
Lebanon suffers a blackout. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320096
UFO a threat to security or not? https://www.aol.com/news/disclosure-deception-ufo-pentagon-office-093007322.html
MK's test positive for Covid. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320097
Arabs try to steal a tank from a memorial. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320080
31,000 new cases diagnosed. https://www.timesofisrael.com/around-29000-new-covid-diagnoses-over-weekend-as-serious-cases-rise-to-172/
John Thune to seek 6th Senate Term. https://www.aol.com/news/south-dakota-sen-john-thune-180847830-211136527.html
IDF shoots at suspects from Syria. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/319943
7 Dead in Boulder collapse in Brazil. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320091
22 Dead in Pakistan Resort. https://www.aol.com/news/cold-kills-16-stuck-cars-085647792-182104159.html
Israeli killed in Kazakhstan. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320076
Body of 24year old female hiker found. https://www.timesofisrael.com/body-of-woman-24-found-near-university-of-haifa/
MA mayor condemns antisemitism. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320073
Gun battle breaks out between the Tanzim and
PLO. https://www.timesofisrael.com/pa-arrests-son-of-gilboa-prison-escapee-sparking-clashes-gun-battle-in-jenin/
U. of MD. Professor claims fired for her Jewish
Beliefs. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320070
NJ to probe antisemitic slur against NJ
lawmaker. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320065
Investigators find floatation device that
failed in copter crash. https://www.timesofisrael.com/investigators-said-to-find-that-flotation-device-failed-in-deadly-helicopter-crash/
Lebanon getting tired of Hezballah. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/bkys5a113t
White supremacy note delivered on Amazon in IDF
Tee Shirt pack. https://www.algemeiner.com/2022/01/07/f-k-your-white-supremacy-nation-says-handwritten-note-in-amazon-package-containing-idf-sweatshirt/
U. of Bristol denounces training module against
hiring Orthodox Jews. https://www.algemeiner.com/2022/01/07/university-of-bristol-denounces-training-module-that-advised-not-to-hire-shabbat-observant-jews/
Israel trying to prevent the next Gaza War. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/byrd11l4nk
Statue of Soleimani burned. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320016
Drugs from Egypt thwarted. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320074
Time for Orthodox Woman to run for Congress. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320049
Israel mulls letting infected staff work in
hospitals. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/hjqvagu2k
US hate blaming Jews for Covid. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/bybo0y002t
UT Tech Exec. Sends out antisemitic e-mail. https://www.algemeiner.com/2022/01/06/fallout-from-utah-tech-executives-antisemitic-email-rant-continues/
Israel to spend $6 million for Space Tech. https://www.algemeiner.com/2022/01/06/israel-spends-6-million-to-boost-space-tech-startups-from-microchips-to-zero-gravity-vegetables/
New growth investment fund in Israel worth $300
million. https://www.algemeiner.com/2022/01/06/former-goldman-sachs-israel-execs-launching-300-million-tech-growth-fund/
Republicans ask SEC to investigate Ben and
Jerry's. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320060
Heart inflammation may rise with booster shots
among youth. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320052
CDC children who had Covid may have more risk
for diabetes. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320075
Eight time this year car set on fire in Shimon
HaTzadik Neighborhood. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320101
IDF returns to capsules. https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-puts-troops-back-in-separated-capsules-as-covid-tears-through-army/
Love triangle husband murdered. https://www.timesofisrael.com/man-found-dead-in-ashdod-wife-another-man-held-on-suspicion-of-murder/
Brutal interrogations. https://www.timesofisrael.com/high-profile-cases-shine-harsh-light-on-israels-draconian-interrogation-tactics/
Diane Weber Bederman on socialism and the death
of medical care. Anybody remember when doctors made house visits when
necessary? https://dianebederman.com/socialism-and-the-death-of-medical-care/
Racism against Chinese caused his death. https://www.aol.com/news/chinese-american-man-attacked-nyc-151550939-142837846.html
Pregnant women vaccinated in 2nd
trimester pass on antibodies. https://www.algemeiner.com/2022/01/09/israeli-study-finds-pregnant-women-vaccinated-in-second-trimester-pass-on-high-levels-of-covid-19-antibodies/
Stone throwing victim speaks out. https://www.algemeiner.com/2022/01/09/my-whole-face-was-bloodied-victims-of-palestinian-stone-throwing-attacks-speak-out/
Consequences if Iran attacks Amer4icans. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320151
Only positive thing about AOC is her Corona
Test. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320148
Pandemic exposes Israeli weak educational
system. https://www.ynetnews.com/magazine/article/b1fr2v00ny
Israeli Ministers assail gov. for giving up on
Corona. Https://www.ynetnews.com/article/hkh1muuhf
Nazis were documenting Free Masons. https://www.ynetnews.com/magazine/article/byp05dohy
Omicron cases soar. https://www.timesofisrael.com/as-omicron-cases-soar-israel-also-faces-flu-storm-intensified-by-vaccine-lethargy/
Malaysia arrests a suspect in killing of Hamas
Eng. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320153
Two arrested in attempting to Shave Charedi MK. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320123
Rabbi Edelstein 98 tests positive for Corona. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320111
Rabbi David Lau tests positive for Corona. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320145
First case of heart inflammation from Omicron. https://www.timesofisrael.com/first-case-reported-in-israel-of-heart-inflammation-linked-to-omicron-infection/
Netanyahu sues Olmert. https://www.timesofisrael.com/the-netanyahus-vs-olmert-trial-to-open-in-libel-case-between-former-pms/
IDF Dog Rescue Unit saves 2 in one day. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320226
USGS
announced earthquake felt in N. Israel. M 6.6 - 48 km WNW of Pólis, Cyprus https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320236
N. Korea going ballistic. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320234
Milestone: Peter Bodanovich, 82, film maker
Austrian Jew mother. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320158
Milestone: Robert Durst, 78, convicted
murderer. https://www.timesofisrael.com/robert-durst-real-estate-heir-convicted-of-murder-suspected-of-another-dies-at-78/
Close to 31,000 reported cases. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320233
Ed-Op Daniel Greenfield Six Years after
agreement, Iran killing Americans. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320193
Mexican President again. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320237
Lapid test positive for Corona. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/bk1yimq3k
VADM Brad Cooper CENTCOM 5th Fleet meets
Israel Navy. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320218
Vaccine for Omicron will be ready in March. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320238
DA may consider prison for woman who violated
quarantine. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320211
Bird Flu spreads to Benyamina. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320214
Russia-USA Cold War Chill. https://www.debka.com/cold-war-chill-hangs-over-us-russia-security-talks-in-geneva/
Arab who poured boiling water on Jew sentenced. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320132
Hamas leader – Israel has no future. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320157
Mizrachi Diaspora Rabbis thank Bennett for
reopening Israel. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320125
New book for Grand Parents to read. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320135
Shas supports Homesh Yeshiva. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320215
NY man arrested for wanting to take down Trump.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320217
Extreme leftist Lipstadt must walk back words
to be confirmed. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320142
New Deltacron strain. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320143
Last week I got into a debate with my wife,
friends over the 4th dose. I said, I will wait until the clinical trials are
over. Nobody knows the effect of 4 injections in one year. Contrary to many I
am pro-vaccine but I prefer the command I used to give my dog. "sit and
wait". Patience often pays off. https://www.bloombergquint.com/onweb/repeat-booster-shots-risk-overloading-immune-system-ema-says
High Court orders Interior Minister to address
Arab Family as Citizen Law expires. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320275
Two soldiers dismissed for posting against
removing Jews from homes. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/180668
MK Abbas calls out Netanyahu and fights
Bennett. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320306
Berlin launches an antisemitism awareness
campaign. https://www.algemeiner.com/2022/01/11/das-ist-antisemitismus-city-of-berlin-launches-awareness-campaign-to-counter-bias-hatred-against-jews/
Reserve call-up drills canceled by the IDF. https://www.algemeiner.com/2022/01/11/israeli-military-cancels-reservist-drills-as-omicron-infections-reach-record-levels/
Swastika draped coffin in Rome for
neo-Nazi. https://www.timesofisrael.com/swastika-draped-casket-at-neo-fascist-funeral-in-rome-sparks-outrage/
77year old head of Library accused
of sexual doings resigns. https://www.timesofisrael.com/national-library-board-chief-resigns-over-sexual-harassment-hush-money-allegations/
Suspect in BKLYN antisemitic attack
arrested. https://www.algemeiner.com/2022/01/11/ny-police-arrest-suspect-behind-brutal-antisemitic-attack-on-brooklyn-man-who-wore-idf-sweatshirt/
Senate Leadership urged to pass
bi-partisan bill on Iron Dome. https://www.algemeiner.com/2022/01/11/jewish-pro-israel-groups-urge-senate-leaders-to-advance-bipartisan-iron-dome-funding-bill/
2 elite unit majors die in friendly
fire incident. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320388
31soldiers died in 2021. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320284
Apt fire two serious two moderate. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320392
Army Vet speaks out first time since
self-immolation. https://www.timesofisrael.com/in-recording-army-vet-heard-speaking-for-first-time-since-self-immolation/
5th victim of shopping
cart killer. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320268
30Nazi Propaganda films available on
Amazon. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320287
Geriatric hospitals on the brink of
collapse. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320393
Right Wing MK's willing to help
government extend citizenship law. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320320
3 leading modern Orthodox Rabbis
oppose conversion reform. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320370
Netanyahu negotiating plea deal for
resignation. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320372
Terrorist taken to hospital without
handcuffs in same ambulance as his victim. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320376
Charedim are the best reformers. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/187014
IDF expels soldiers who refused to
remove Jews. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/180668
NYC Councilman compares vaccine
mandate to Nazis retracts. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320317
Hamas welcomes attack near Neve Suf.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320312
Syrian Mt. Mohammed ben Ali is a
missile base. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320312
Israel thwarts Iranian attempt to
spy. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/sy1oyv22f
Hamas officials leave Gaza for 5
star hotels. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/320255
Millions bound to catch Omicron. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/hjqsmej2k
Man breaks into American Airlines
Cockpit. https://www.aol.com/news/passenger-breaks-cockpit-american-airlines-015022987-143833948.html
Indiana State Senator apologizes for
neutralism on Nazism. https://www.algemeiner.com/2022/01/11/indiana-state-senator-apologizes-for-advocating-neutral-teaching-on-nazism/
Fallen soldier's sister denounces
Wikipedia. https://www.algemeiner.com/2022/01/11/fallen-idf-soldiers-sister-denounces-wikipedia-editors-for-erasing-brothers-page/
US Supreme Court "Biden's
vaccine mandate is unconstitutional." https://www.foxnews.com/media/supreme-court-ruling-covid-harmeet-dhillon-tucker-carlson
N. Korea fires second missile this
week. https://www.foxnews.com/world/north-korea-fires-missiles-response-us-sanctions
Prince Andrew loses royal titles. https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/royals-stripped-titles-prince-andrew
Women who vanished 20 years ago with
kids charged after bone found. https://www.foxnews.com/us/ohio-mother-arrested-stabbed-children
Off duty LA Cop shot dead house hunting.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/los-angeles-off-duty-police-officer-shot-dead-while-house-hunting-with-girlfriend-4-arrested
Former female US Soldiers become
pin-ups for their male counterparts. https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/former-black-hawk-helicopter-pilot-jana-tobias-pin-ups-for-vets
A good Shabbos all and
do your best to stay healthy and pray hard,
Rachamim Pauli
