Parsha Shemos Part 2
3:1 Now Moses was keeping the flock
of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian; and he led the flock to the
farthest end of the wilderness, and came to the mountain of God, unto
Horeb.
To the mountain of God: [Mount Horeb is called “the mountain of God”] in view of the
[events of the] future.
Although there is a
possibility that Yisro worshipped there, since it was at the far end of the
wilderness, it appears that Rashi’s explanation is the most logical.
2 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto
him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush; and he looked, and, behold,
the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. 3 And Moses
said: 'I will turn aside now, and see this great sight, why the bush is not
burnt.' 4 And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God
called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said: 'Moses, Moses.' And he
said: 'Here am I.'
In a flame of fire: Heb. בִּלַבַּת אֵשׁ,
in a flame of (שַׁלְהֶבֶת) fire, the heart (לִבּוֹ) of fire, like “the heart (לֵב) of the heavens” (Deut.
4:11), “in the
heart (בְּלֵב) of the terebinth” (II Sam. 18:14). Do not
wonder about the Tav [in לִבַּת], for we have [an
instance] similar to this: How degenerate is your heart (לִבָּתֵ)
(Ezek.
16:30).
This is a miraculous
thing, the bush is burning, then it calls him by name.
5 And He said: 'Draw not nigh hither; put
off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou stand is holy
ground.' 6 Moreover He said: 'I am the God of thy father, the God of
Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.' And Moses hid his face; for
he was afraid to look upon God.
Now Moshe will find out
what or rather who is behind the burning bush that is not consumed.
7 And the LORD said: 'I have surely seen the
affliction of My people that are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason
of their taskmasters; for I know their pains; 8 and I am come down to
deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that
land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey;
unto the place of the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Amorite, and the
Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite. 9 And now, behold, the
cry of the children of Israel is come unto Me; moreover, I have seen the
oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them. 10 Come now
therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth My
people the children of Israel out of Egypt.'
Moshe is not only a
stutterer but he also remembers that he is on Egypt’s wanted list.
11 And Moses said unto God: 'Who am I, that
I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel
out of Egypt?' 12 And He said: 'Certainly I will be with thee; and
this shall be the token unto thee, that I have sent thee: when thou hast
brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this
mountain.'
Moshe has zero belief in
himself and his ability to stutter in front of Pharaoh to convince him to let
the Bnei Yisrael go.
13 And Moses said unto God: 'Behold, when I
come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them: The God of your
fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me: What is His name? what
shall I say unto them?' 14 And God said unto Moses: 'I AM THAT I AM';
and He said: 'Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel: I AM hath sent
me unto you.'
I WILL BE. I will be
with you can control your words.
“Ehyeh asher ehyeh (I will be what I will be)”: “I
will be” with them in this predicament “what I will be” with them in their
subjugation by other kingdoms. He [Moses] said before Him, “O Lord of the
universe! Why should I mention to them another trouble? They have enough
[problems] with this one.” He said to him, “You have spoken well. So shall you
say, etc.” -[from Ber. 9b] (Not that Moses, God forbid, outsmarted God, but he
did not understand what God meant, because originally, when God said, “I will
be what I will be,” He told this to Moses alone, and He did not mean that he
should tell it to Israel. That is the meaning of “You have spoken well,” for
that was My original intention, that you should not tell such things to the
children of Israel, only “So shall you say to the children of Israel,” ‘Ehyeh
[I will be] has sent me.’” From tractate Berachoth this appears to be the
correct interpretation. Give this matter your deliberation.) [Annotation to
Rashi] [There appears to be no indication of this interpretation in tractate
Berachoth.]
15 And God said moreover unto Moses: 'Thus
shalt thou say unto the children of Israel: The LORD, the God of your fathers,
the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto
you; this is My name for ever, and this is My memorial unto all
generations. 16 Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say
unto them: The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and
of Jacob, hath appeared unto me, saying: I have surely remembered you, and seen
that which is done to you in Egypt.
You should at first
speak only to the elders.
17 And I have said: I will bring you up out
of the affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and
the Amorite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite, unto a land
flowing with milk and honey. 18 And they shall hearken to thy voice.
And thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and
ye shall say unto him: The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, hath met with us. And
now let us go, we pray thee, three days' journey into the wilderness, that we
may sacrifice to the LORD our God.
This you shall tell to
Pharaoh as he does not want to lose all his free working slaves.
19 And I know that the king of Egypt will
not give you leave to go, except by a mighty hand. 20 And I will put
forth My hand, and smite Egypt with all My wonders which I will do in the midst
thereof. And after that he will let you go. 21 And I will give this
people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. And it shall come to pass, that,
when ye go, ye shall not go empty;
Pharaoh will not give
you the ability to remove his pyramid building slave laborers readily. Five
plagues will take Pharaoh’s stubbornness to stop but from then onwards the
chance of letting the people go as HASHEM is close to zero ordering him to let
the people go but if he truly wants to repent, HASHEM will let him.
22 but every woman shall ask of her
neighbor, and of her that sojourns in her house, jewels of silver, and jewels
of gold, and raiment; and ye shall put them upon your sons, and upon your
daughters; and ye shall spoil the Egyptians.'
This will be after the
plague of darkness before the killing of the first born.
4:1 And Moses answered and said: 'But, behold, they will not
believe me, nor hearken unto my voice; for they will say: The LORD hath not
appeared unto thee.' 2 And the LORD said unto him: 'What is that in
thy hand?' And he said: 'A rod.' 3 And He said: 'Cast it on the
ground.' And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled
from before it. 4 And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Put forth thy hand,
and take it by the tail--and he put forth his hand, and laid hold of it, and it
became a rod in his hand--
Moshe had a shepherd’s
crook and as soon as he put this staff on the ground it became a snake and it
scared him. But as soon as he grabs the tail, it becomes a wooden staff.
5 that they may believe that the LORD, the God of their
fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath
appeared unto thee.'
The fact that he did not
think the Bnei Yisrael would believe him was Lashon HaRa and for that his hand
would turn leprous for a minute or two.
6 And the LORD said furthermore unto him: 'Put now thy hand
into thy bosom.' And he put his hand into his bosom; and when he took it out,
behold, his hand was leprous, as white as snow. 7 And He said: 'Put thy
hand back into thy bosom.--And he put his hand back into his bosom; and when he
took it out of his bosom, behold, it was turned again as his other flesh.
Such a discoloring and
coloring of the flesh is nothing short of a miracle.
8 And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee,
neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the
voice of the latter sign. 9 And it shall come to pass, if they will
not believe even these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou
shalt take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land; and the
water which thou take out of the river shall become blood upon the dry
land.' 10 And Moses said unto the LORD: 'Oh Lord, I am not a man of
words, neither heretofore, nor since Thou hast spoken unto Thy servant; for I
am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.'
Moshe is stuttering in a
more ancient Egyptian and it is hard for Pharaoh to try to decipher the words.
11 And the LORD said unto him: 'Who hath made man's mouth? or
who makes a man dumb, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? is it not I the
LORD? 12 Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach
thee what thou shalt speak.'
HASHEM will put the
words in your mouth like the future Bilaam.
13 And he said: 'Oh Lord, send, I pray Thee, by the hand of
him whom Thou wilt send.' 14 And the anger of the LORD was kindled
against Moses, and He said: 'Is there not Aaron thy brother the Levite? I know
that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee; and when
he sees thee, he will be glad in his heart.
Aaron was supposed to be
a Levi and Moshe HaCohain but because he angered G-D with his excuses not to
take on the task, Aaron became a Cohain and Moshe a Levi. Aaron comes and
translates the words into more modern and comprehensible Egyptian in a clear
language.
15 And thou shalt speak unto him, and put the words in his
mouth; and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you
what ye shall do. 16 And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people;
and it shall come to pass, that he shall be to thee a mouth, and thou shalt be
to him in God's stead. 17 And thou shalt take in thy hand this rod,
wherewith thou shalt do the signs.'
You will be more distant
and mysterious to Pharaoh in that Aaron will be your translator. You will work
miracles by and through the rod.
18 And Moses went and returned to Jethro his father-in-law,
and said unto him: 'Let me go, I pray thee, and return unto my brethren that
are in Egypt, and see whether they be yet alive.' And Jethro said to Moses: 'Go
in peace.'
Unlike Yacov Avinu,
Moshe had a wonderful relationship with his father-in-law and it was Derek
Eretz (manners or the custom of the land) to get permission from your
father-in-law who was hosting you.
19 And the LORD said unto Moses in Midian: 'Go, return into
Egypt; for all the men are dead that sought thy life.'
Return to Egypt as you
have nothing to fear.
20 And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an
ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt; and Moses took the rod of God in his
hand. 21 And the LORD said unto Moses: 'When thou go back into Egypt,
see that thou do before Pharaoh all the wonders which I have put in thy hand;
but I will harden his heart, and he will not let the people go. 22 And
thou shalt say unto Pharaoh: Thus says the LORD: Israel is My son, My
first-born.
Yisrael is my first-born
son. (This puts to bed the claim of the missionaries ‘That HE gave HIS only
son’.
23 And I have said unto thee: Let My son go, that
he may serve Me; and thou hast refused to let him go. Behold, I will slay thy
son, thy first-born.'
If you do not let my
first born go, then I will kill your first born.
24 And it came to pass on the way at the lodging-place, that
the LORD met him, and sought to kill him. 25 Then Zipporah took a
flint, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet; and she
said: 'Surely a bridegroom of blood art thou to me.'
Some constrictor snake started swallowing Moshe up to his bris
from up to the place of his Bris and hinted to Tzipporah to perform the Bris.
26 So He let him alone. Then she said: 'A bridegroom of blood
in regard of the circumcision.'
Once the baby was
circumcised, the snake left Moshe alone.
27 And the LORD said to Aaron: 'Go into the wilderness to
meet Moses.' And he went, and met him in the mountain of God, and kissed
him. 28 And Moses told Aaron all the words of the LORD
wherewith He had sent him, and all the signs wherewith He had charged
him. 29 And Moses and Aaron went and gathered together
all the elders of the children of Israel. 30 And Aaron
spoke all the words which the LORD had spoken unto Moses, and did the signs in
the sight of the people.
After 40years Aaron is
told by G-D to meet his brother and they meet outside of Egypt.
31 And the people believed; and when they heard that the LORD
had remembered the children of Israel, and that He had seen their affliction,
then they bowed their heads and worshipped.
They prayed whatever
prayers they had developed such as the Shema, and old Psalm or two and probably
parts of an unfinished Aleinu.
5:1 And afterward Moses and Aaron came, and said unto Pharaoh: 'Thus saith
the LORD, the God of Israel: Let My people go, that they may hold a feast unto
Me in the wilderness.'
Moshe goes to Pharaoh in
the name of the L-RD
2 And Pharaoh said: 'Who is the LORD, that I
should hearken unto His voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, and
moreover I will not let Israel go.'
The L-RD is not part of the many gods of
Mitzrayim so why should I be bothered with him.
3 And they said: 'The God of the Hebrews
hath met with us. Let us go, we pray thee, three days' journey into the
wilderness, and sacrifice unto the LORD our God; lest He fall upon us with
pestilence, or with the sword.'
I’ll tell you why for if
we do not sacrifice, HE may give us pestilence or the sword.
4 And the king of Egypt said unto them:
'Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, cause the people to break loose from their
work? get you unto your burdens.' 5 And Pharaoh said: 'Behold, the
people of the land are now many, and will ye make them rest from their
burdens?'
You Israelis are lazy
and have too much time on your hands for this rebellion.
6 And the same day Pharaoh commanded the
taskmasters of the people, and their officers, saying: 7 'Ye shall no
more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore. Let them go and gather
straw for themselves.
So he decided not to
supply them with straw they will have to gather it for the work and the burden
will not lessen.
8 And the tale of the bricks, which they did
make heretofore, ye shall lay upon them; ye shall not diminish aught thereof;
for they are idle; therefore, they cry, saying: Let us go and sacrifice to our
God. 9 Let heavier work be laid upon the men, that they may labor
therein; and let them not regard lying words.'
So now Pharaoh has made
their burdens more and more.
10 And the taskmasters of the people went
out, and their officers, and they spoke to the people, saying: 'Thus saith
Pharaoh: I will not give you straw. 11 Go yourselves, get you straw
where ye can find it; for nought of your work shall be
diminished.' 12 So the people were scattered abroad throughout all
the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw.
So the people had to
work harder.
13 And the taskmasters were urgent, saying:
'Fulfil your work, your daily task, as when there was straw.' 14 And
the officers of the children of Israel, whom Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over
them, were beaten, saying: 'Wherefore have ye not fulfilled your appointed task
in making brick both yesterday and today as heretofore?'
And the taskmasters were
pressing and beating the people but it did not help.
15 Then the officers of the children of
Israel came and cried unto Pharaoh, saying: 'Wherefore deal thou thus with thy
servants? 16 There is no straw given unto thy servants, and they say
to us: Make brick; and, behold, thy servants are beaten, but the fault is in
thine own people.' 17 But he said: 'Ye are idle, ye are idle;
therefore, ye say: Let us go and sacrifice to the LORD. 18 Go
therefore now, and work; for there shall no straw be given you, yet shall ye
deliver the tale of bricks.' 19 And the officers of the children of
Israel did see that they were set on mischief, when they said: 'Ye shall not
diminish aught from your bricks, your daily task.'
You Israelis are up to
no good so I have increased your burdens.
20 And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood
in the way, as they came forth from Pharaoh; 21 and they said unto
them: 'The LORD look upon you, and judge; because ye have made our savor to be
abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a
sword in their hand to slay us.'
This will be the first
time the Bnei Yisrael come against Moshe.
22 And Moses returned unto the LORD, and
said: 'Lord, wherefore hast Thou dealt ill with this people? why is it that
Thou hast sent me? 23 For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Thy
name, he hath dealt ill with this people; neither hast Thou delivered Thy
people at all.'
L-RD what is happening?
Instead of a sacrifice and deliverance things have gone from bad to worse.
6:1 And the LORD said unto Moses:
'Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh; for by a strong hand shall he
let them go, and by a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land.'
Moshe a little bit more
patience and you will see what will happen to Pharaoh and the Egyptians in the
end.
2 And God spoke unto Moses, and said unto
him: 'I am the LORD; 3 and I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and
unto Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name YHWH I made Me not known to
them.
I have not given unto the Fathers my 72 letter
NAME but I am giving it to you. For they only knew me by my 70 other NAMES.
4 And I have also established My covenant
with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their sojournings,
wherein they sojourned. 5 And moreover I have heard the groaning of
the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage; and I have
remembered My covenant.
I made a covenant with the Avos and now the time
has come to remember and complete the covenant.
6 Wherefore say unto the children of Israel:
I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the
Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage, and I will redeem you
with an outstretched arm, and with great judgments; 7 and I will take
you to Me for a people, and I will be to you a God; and ye shall know that I am
the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the burdens of the
Egyptians. 8 And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning which
I lifted up My hand to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will
give it you for a heritage: I am the LORD.'
And soon the Bnei
Yisrael will inherit the land for the children of Canaan.
9 And Moses spoke so unto the
children of Israel; but they hearkened not unto Moses for impatience of spirit,
and for cruel bondage.
They suffered so much they could
not listen to Moshe and so he was more frustrated. He was wondering where does
he go from here with a bitterly disappointed people and a stubborn and ruthless
Pharaoh.
Parsha Va’era
Our previous Parsha
ended with HASHEM calming down Moshe. A short time after that HASHEM starts another conversation with Moshe and
new commands.
6:10 And
the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 11 'Go in, speak unto Pharaoh king
of Egypt, that he let the children of Israel go out of his
land.' 12 And Moses spoke before the LORD, saying: 'Behold, the
children of Israel have not hearkened unto me; how then shall Pharaoh hear me,
who am of uncircumcised lips?'
Moshe thinks that
Pharaoh will not listen to him as he has a bad speech defect.
13 And
the LORD spoke unto Moses and unto Aaron, and gave them a charge unto the
children of Israel, and unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the children of
Israel out of the land of Egypt.
And HASHEM commands and
Aaron what to do.
14 These
are the heads of their fathers' houses: the sons of Reuben the first-born of
Israel: … 15 And the sons of Simeon: …16 And these are the names of
the sons of Levi according to their generations: Gershon and Kohath, and
Merari. And the years of the life of Levi were a hundred thirty and seven
years. … 20 And Amram took him
Jochebed his father's sister to wife; and she bore him Aaron and Moses. And the
years of the life of Amram were a hundred and thirty and seven years. …
23 And Aaron took him Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadav, the sister of
Nahshon, to wife; and she bore him Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. …
25 And Eleazar Aaron's son took him one of the daughters of Putiel to
wife; and she bore him Phinehas. These are the heads of the fathers' houses of
the Levites according to their families. 26 These are that Aaron and
Moses, to whom the LORD said: 'Bring out the children of Israel from the land
of Egypt according to their hosts.'
All this section is
necessary to establish the Yichus of Moshe and Aaron in order of tribes as we
don’t hear about Yehuda etc. to the last of the tribes in order of birth. It
also tells us that all tribes are equal but Levi was chosen for this purpose.
27 These
are they that spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring out the children of
Israel from Egypt. These are that Moses and Aaron.
So the only people that
went before Pharaoh are 83year old Aaron and 80year old Moshe.
28 And
it came to pass on the day when the LORD spoke unto Moses in the land of
Egypt, 29 that the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 'I am the LORD;
speak thou unto Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I speak unto
thee.' 30 And Moses said before the LORD: 'Behold, I am of uncircumcised
lips, and how shall Pharaoh hearken unto me?'
The Torah tells us this
as we learn how G-D’s spokesman was not an Abba Even or a Winston Churchill
with their great speeches but a stutterer. And the reverse occurs when the most
eloquent speaker of them all Yechezkel warns of the impending destruction of
the Temple. This is the difference if the Nation will listen to the Prophet or
not.
7:1 And
the LORD said unto Moses: 'See, I have set thee in God's stead to Pharaoh; and
Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet. 2 Thou shalt speak all that I
command thee; and Aaron thy brother shall speak unto Pharaoh, that he let the
children of Israel go out of his land.
Since you have no
confidence in your own ability to speak, Aaron will act as your prophet or
interpreter.
The Hebrew says “your
prophet” but Rashi explains the meaning thusly: Will be your speaker: Heb. נְבִיאֶך, as the Targum
renders: מְתוּרְגְמָנָך, your interpreter.
Every expression of נְבוּאָה (prophecy) denotes a
man who publicly announces to the people words of reproof. It is derived from
the root of “I create the speech (נִיב)
of the lips” (Isa. 57:19); “speaks (יָנוּב) wisdom” (Prov. 10:31); “And he
(Samuel) finished prophesying (מֵהִתְנַבוּת)
” (I Sam. 10:13). In Old French this is called predi(je) ir, advocate. —
[based on Onkelos]
3 And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply
My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt. 4 But Pharaoh will not
hearken unto you, and I will lay My hand upon Egypt, and bring forth My hosts,
My people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt, by great judgments.
That Pharaoh is not
going to let the people go that is because of me in order to perform great
miracles and judgments on Egypt.
5 And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD,
when I stretch forth My hand upon Egypt, and bring out the children of Israel
from among them.'
This will have a long
lasting effect on the Egyptians.
6 And Moses and Aaron did so; as the LORD
commanded them, so did they. 7 And Moses was fourscore years old, and
Aaron fourscore and three years old, when they spoke unto Pharaoh.
They were at an age when
they would be considered an elder of Yisrael.
8 And
the LORD spoke unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying: 9 'When Pharaoh
shall speak unto you, saying: Show a wonder for you; then thou shalt say unto
Aaron: Take thy rod, and cast it down before Pharaoh, that it become a
serpent.'
Moshe will take his rod
and cast it before Pharaoh.
10 And
Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did so, as the LORD had
commanded; and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants,
and it became a serpent. 11 Then Pharaoh also called for the wise men
and the sorcerers; and they also, the magicians of Egypt, did in like manner
with their secret arts.
Pharaoh had snake
charmers and they could make a snake look like a o
12 For
they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents; but Aaron's rod
swallowed up their rods.
Aaron’s rod came and
swallowed up the snake ‘rods’. He then pulled it by the tale and it became a
rod again minus the two physical snakes.
13 And
Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had
spoken.
The magicians might have
realized that this was a miracle but they did not let on at this time.
14 And
the LORD said unto Moses: 'Pharaoh's heart is stubborn, he refuses to let the people go.
We have a tradition that
the plague was a week with 3 week’s reprisal.
15 Get
thee unto Pharaoh in the morning; lo, he goes
out unto the water; and thou shalt stand by the river's brink to meet him; and
the rod which was turned to a serpent shalt thou take in thy hand.
Being a god, he
controlled his bowels to go only in the morning underwater. This is what Rashi
has picked up from the Midrash but since the idol worshippers had all sorts of
gods doing human activities example Zeus doing what he did with this one and
that one.
behold, he is going forth to the water: to
relieve himself, for he had deified himself and said that he did not need to
relieve himself; so, early in the morning he went out to the Nile and there he
would perform his needs. — [from Mid. Tanchuma, Va’era 14; Exod. Rabbah 9:8]
16 And
thou shalt say unto him: The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, hath sent me unto
thee, saying: Let My people go, that they may serve Me in the wilderness; and,
behold, hitherto thou hast not hearkened; 17 thus saith the LORD: In
this thou shalt know that I am the LORD--behold, I will smite with the rod that
is in my hand upon the waters which are in the river, and they shall be turned
to blood. 18 And the fish that are in the river shall die, and the
river shall become foul; and the Egyptians shall loathe to drink water from the
river.'
This is now measure for
measure for the drowning of the male babies.
19 And
the LORD said unto Moses: 'Say unto Aaron: Take thy rod, and stretch out thy
hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, over their streams, and over
their pools, and over all their ponds of water, that they may become blood; and
there shall be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood
and in vessels of stone.'
The Midrash say that if
a Ben Yisrael drank it was water and only if the Egyptians bought water from a
Yisrael did it stay water.
20 And
Moses and Aaron did so, as the LORD commanded; and he lifted up the rod, and
smote the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh, and in the
sight of his servants; and all the waters that were in the river were turned to
blood.
As soon as he smote the
waters this occurred.
21 And
the fish that were in the river died; and the river became foul, and the
Egyptians could not drink water from the river; and the blood was throughout
all the land of Egypt.
The water had such an
effect as to kill all the fish and produced a foul smell.
22 And
the magicians of Egypt did in like manner with their secret arts; and Pharaoh's
heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had spoken.
With their secret rites: Heb. בְּלָטֵיהֶם, an incantation which
they uttered silently and in secret (בְּלָּט).
[This follows Onkelos.] Our Rabbis, however, said: בְּלָטֵיהֶם
means acts of demons. בְּלַהִטֵיהֶם means acts of magic.
— [from Sanh. 67b] [See above commentary on verse 11.] And Pharaoh’s heart was steadfast: saying, “You are doing this through sorcery. ‘You are
bringing straw to Aphraim,’ a city that is full of straw. So too you bring
magic to Egypt, which is [already] full of magic.” - from Exod. Rabbah 9:11,
Men. 85a] The saying of Rashi in modern
terms is :“Are you bring coal to Newcastle?”
23 And
Pharaoh turned and went into his house, neither did he lay even this to
heart. 24 And all the Egyptians dug
round about the river for water to drink; for they could not drink of the water
of the river. 25 And seven days were fulfilled, after that the LORD
had smitten the river.
Since we know that there
was wine in Egypt and probably beer also the people did die from thrust.
26 And
the LORD spoke unto Moses: 'Go in unto Pharaoh, and say unto him: Thus saith
the LORD: Let My people go, that they may serve Me. 27 And if thou
refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite all thy borders with frogs.
It was not the normal
order of things to have blood, a red tide, red clay etc. that is putrid and
kills fish. However, with no fish to eat the tadpoles it might be a natural
consequence as a result of the blood. The miracle is when and where an the
order. According to the Rambam, all miracles are natural events but a
tremendous gust of wind blowing the Gaza Rocket from a populated place in Tel
Aviv into the sea just in time made that a miracle as told by the soldiers who
manned the radar and the same with frogs.
28 And
the river shall swarm with frogs, which shall go up and come into thy house,
and into thy bed-chamber, and upon thy bed, and into the house of thy servants,
and upon thy people, and into thine ovens, and into thy kneading-troughs.
I saw how King Charles
acted with a leaky pen I can imagine Pharaoh with frogs in his bed and pajamas.
29 And
the frogs shall come up both upon thee, and upon thy people, and upon all thy
servants.'
Load Croaking noises
must have disturbed their sleep.
8:1 And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Say unto Aaron: Stretch forth
thy hand with thy rod over the rivers, over the canals, and over the pools, and
cause frogs to come up upon the land of Egypt.'
The frogs came out of the
river as one enormous frog which that the servants of Pharaoh beat and came in
half a few times. The simple Pshat is that millions upon millions of tadpoles
grew up without natural predators and became a problem.
2 And Aaron stretched out his
hand over the waters of Egypt; and the frogs came up, and covered the land of
Egypt. 3 And the magicians did in like manner with their secret arts,
and brought up frogs upon the land of Egypt.
They brought up frogs via
black magic.
4 Then Pharaoh called for Moses
and Aaron, and said: 'Entreat the LORD, that He take away the frogs from me,
and from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may sacrifice unto
the LORD.'
They were so disgusting
that he broke down quickly.
5 And Moses said unto Pharaoh:
'Have thou this glory over me; against what time shall I entreat for thee, and
for thy servants, and for thy people, that the frogs be destroyed from thee and
thy houses, and remain in the river only?'
The frogs were so
plentiful that they died off as they had no food supply except in the river.
6 And he said: 'Against
to-morrow.' And he said: 'Be it according to thy word; that thou mayest know
that there is none like unto the LORD our God.
Tomorrow by this time
there will be no more frogs in your houses, bakeries and other stores.
7 And the frogs shall depart from
thee, and from thy houses, and from thy servants, and from thy people; they
shall remain in the river only.'
And so it was.
8 And Moses and Aaron went out
from Pharaoh; and Moses cried unto the LORD concerning the frogs, which He had
brought upon Pharaoh. 9 And the LORD did according to the word of
Moses; and the frogs died out of the houses, out of the courts, and out of the
fields. 10 And they gathered them together in heaps; and the land
stank. 11 But when Pharaoh saw that there was respite, he hardened
his heart, and hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had spoken.
Burning or burying the
heaps was stinky and tedious business.
12 And the LORD said unto Moses:
'Say unto Aaron: Stretch out thy rod, and smite the dust of the earth, that it
may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt.' 13 And they did
so; and Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod, and smote the dust of the
earth, and there were lice upon man, and upon beast; all the dust of the earth
became lice throughout all the land of Egypt. 14 And the magicians
did so with their secret arts to bring forth gnats, but they could not; and
there were gnats upon man, and upon beast. 15 Then the magicians said
unto Pharaoh: 'This is the finger of God'; and Pharaoh's heart was hardened,
and he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had spoken.
The demons could move
snakes and frogs but lice are too small for demons to move.
16 And the LORD said unto Moses:
'Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh; lo, he cometh forth to
the water; and say unto him: Thus saith the LORD: Let My people go, that they
may serve Me. 17 Else, if thou wilt not let My people go, behold, I
will send Noxious Creatures upon thee, and upon thy servants, and upon thy
people, and into thy houses; and the houses of the Egyptians shall be full of
Noxious Creatures, and also the ground whereon they are. 18 And I
will set apart in that day the land of Goshen, in which My people dwell, that
no Noxious Creatures shall be there; to the end that thou mayest know that I am
the LORD in the midst of the earth. 19 And I will put a division
between My people and thy people--by to-morrow shall this sign
be.' 20 And the LORD did so; and there came grievous Noxious
Creatures into the house of Pharaoh, and into his servants' houses; and in all
the land of Egypt the land was ruined by reason of the Noxious Creatures. 21 And
Pharaoh called for Moses and for Aaron, and said: 'Go ye, sacrifice to your God
in the land.'
With lions, tigers, hyenas,
bears, foxes, wolves, etc.
22 And Moses said: 'It is not
meet so to do; for we shall sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians to the
LORD our God; lo, if we sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their
eyes, will they not stone us?
We sacrifice sheep that is an afront to the Egyptians who worship
them.
23 We will go three days' journey
into the wilderness, and sacrifice to the LORD our God, as He shall command
us.' 24 And Pharaoh said: 'I will let you go, that ye may sacrifice
to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only ye shall not go very far away; entreat
for me.'
Pharaoh without having
his heart hardened is about to cave in.
25 And Moses said: 'Behold, I go
out from thee, and I will entreat the LORD that the swarms of Noxious Creatures
s may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people, tomorrow;
only let not Pharaoh deal deceitfully any more in not letting the people go to
sacrifice to the LORD.'
Moshe requests of
Pharaoh not to deceive him this time so that the people can pray.
26 And Moses went out from
Pharaoh, and entreated the LORD. 27 And the LORD did according to the
word of Moses; and He removed the swarms of Noxious Creatures from Pharaoh,
from his servants, and from his people; there remained not
one. 28 And Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and he did not
let the people go.
One the threat is
removed, Pharaoh returns to his own stubborn ways.
9:1 Then
the LORD said unto Moses: 'Go in unto Pharaoh, and tell him: Thus saith the
LORD, the God of the Hebrews: Let My people go, that they may serve
Me. 2 For if thou refuse to let them go, and wilt hold them
still, 3 behold, the hand of the LORD is upon thy cattle which are in
the field, upon the horses, upon the asses, upon the camels, upon the herds,
and upon the flocks; there shall be a very grievous murrain.
Up until now, the Egyptians
have had nuisances but they did not endanger the economy of Egypt. Now, the
livestock is dying and it is being to effect the economy.
4 And the LORD shall make a division between the
cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt; and there shall nothing die of all
that belongs to the children of Israel.' 5 And the LORD appointed a
set time, saying: 'Tomorrow the LORD shall do this thing in the
land.' 6 And the LORD did that thing on the morrow, and all the
cattle of Egypt died; but of the cattle of the children of Israel died not
one. 7 And Pharaoh sent, and, behold, there was not so much as one of
the cattle of the Israelites dead. But the heart of Pharaoh was stubborn, and
he did not let the people go.
Still as stubborn as
ever despite the obvious miracle for the children of Yacov.
8 And
the LORD said unto Moses and unto Aaron: 'Take to you handfuls of soot of the
furnace, and let Moses throw it heavenward in the sight of Pharaoh. 9 And
it shall become small dust over all the land of Egypt, and shall be a boil
breaking forth with blains upon man and upon beast, throughout all the land of
Egypt.' 10 And they took soot of the furnace, and stood before
Pharaoh; and Moses threw it up heavenward; and it became a boil breaking forth
with blains upon man and upon beast.
So the dust was thrown
heavenward.
11 And
the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils; for the boils
were upon the magicians, and upon all the Egyptians. 12 And the LORD
hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had
spoken unto Moses.
This time, the magicians
were so ill and blistered that they were afraid to go before Pharaoh unseemly
and helpless.
13 And
the LORD said unto Moses: 'Rise up early in the morning, and stand before
Pharaoh, and say unto him: Thus saith the LORD, the God of the Hebrews: Let My
people go, that they may serve Me. 14 For I will this time send all
My plagues upon thy person, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people; that
thou mayest know that there is none like Me in all the
earth. 15 Surely now I had put forth My hand, and smitten thee and thy
people with pestilence, and thou have
been cut off from the earth. 16 But in very deed for this cause have
I made thee to stand, to show thee My power, and that My name may be declared
throughout all the earth.
Now recognize how great
and powerful is the L-RD.
17 As
yet exalt you yourself against My people, that thou
wilt not let them go? 18 Behold, tomorrow about this time I will
cause it to rain a very grievous hail, such as hath not been in Egypt since the
day it was founded even until now. 19 Now therefore send, hasten in
thy cattle and all that thou hast in the field; for every man and beast that
shall be found in the field, and shall not be brought home, the hail shall come
down upon them, and they shall die.'
The hail will be so
large and heavy that it can kill man and beast as well as destroy crops.
20 He
that feared the word of the LORD among the servants of Pharaoh made his
servants and his cattle flee into the houses; 21 and he that regarded
not the word of the LORD left his servants and his cattle in the field.
So at the time that
Moshe predicted, most the G-D fearing Egyptians kept their servants/slaves and
animals in enclosed areas.
22 And
the LORD said unto Moses: 'Stretch forth thy hand toward heaven, that there may
be hail in all the land of Egypt, upon man, and upon beast, and upon every herb
of the field, throughout the land of Egypt.' 23 And Moses stretched forth
his rod toward heaven; and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down
unto the earth; and the LORD caused to hail upon the land of
Egypt. 24 So there was hail, and fire flashing up amidst the hail,
very grievous, such as had not been in all the land of Egypt since it became a
nation.
This was no ordinary
hail which means either it was super-electrical in nature to cause the fire or
a hail of brimstone from the Stromboli Super Volcano.
25 And
the hail smote throughout all the land of Egypt all that was in the field, both
man and beast; and the hail smote every herb of the field, and broke every tree
of the field. 26 Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of
Israel were, was there no hail.
Not much was left of the
crops and fruit trees after this.
27 And
Pharaoh sent, and called for Moses and Aaron, and said unto them: 'I have sinned
this time; the LORD is righteous, and I and my people are
wicked. 28 Entreat the LORD, and let there be enough of these mighty
thunderings and hail; and I will let you go, and ye shall stay no longer.'
This time Pharaoh admits
that he and his advisors have been wicked.
29 And
Moses said unto him: 'As soon as I am gone out of the city, I will spread forth
my hands unto the LORD; the thunders shall cease, neither shall there be any
more hail; that thou mayest know that the earth is the LORD'S.
Again Moshe says that
you must recognize that this miracle is from the L-RD.
30 But
as for thee and thy servants, I know that ye will not yet fear the LORD
God.'-- 31 And the flax and the barley were smitten; for the barley
was in the ear, and the flax was in bloom.
But I know that you will
not listen so you will lose more crops later after the loss of your flax and
barley crops.
32 But the wheat and the spelt were not smitten;
for they ripen late.-- 33 And Moses went out of the
city from Pharaoh, and spread forth his hands unto the LORD; and the thunders
and hail ceased, and the rain was not poured upon the earth. 34 And
when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunders were ceased, he
sinned yet more, and hardened his heart, he and his servants. 35 And
the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the children of Israel
go; as the LORD had spoken by Moses.
As our Parsha ends, Moshe has moved away from square
one but is still far from free of Pharaoh. Only next week will we see the Bnei
Yisrael become free at long last.
A Rabbi’s Chemical Cure
for Insanity by Rabbi Yerachmiel Tilles
http://ascentofsafed.com/cgi-bin/ascent.cgi?Name=1310-17
Once, a religious Jewish man, whom we will call Reb Yona, had a son
who became seriously mentally ill. Shortly before his Bar Mitzvah, the boy
suddenly stopped eating and drinking, and began wandering aimlessly around the
house, mumbling incoherently to himself like a madman.
The father spared no money or time searching for a cure. But after
all his savings were gone and he had exhausted all sources of charity with no
results, he, like all the best doctors and professors he had seen, gave up.
Then he heard about the Alter Rebbe. Thousands sought
the help of Rebbe Shneur Zalman, the founder of Chabad, nicknamed the
"Alter (elder) Rebbe'", also in mundane as well as spiritual matters.
He, however, would have no part of it - who ever heard of asking a human being
for a blessing? G-d is the one who cures!
But, as the man's wife pointed out to him, if it is permissible to
ask doctors for help and throw away hundreds of rubles on them to boot, then
why should it be forbidden to ask the help of a Tzadik? Besides, there
are myriads of stories in Judaism about people requesting blessings from Moses,
Elijah and even from the holy scholars of the Talmud.
Yona tried to resist, but he finally gave in to his wife's tears
and repeated urgings and agreed to travel to Laidi. A few days later he was
standing with his son before the Rebbe, gazing into the Rebbe's infinitely deep
eyes.
"Your son will be healthy, G-d willing," the Rebbe said.
"He needs just one small treatment. You have to mix a small potion of two
grams of silver nitrate in a tablespoon of olive oil and have him swallow it.
This will heal him completely, G-d willing."
Yona was overjoyed! The Rebbe was a completely different person
from anyone he had ever seen. There was truth and certainty in the Rebbe's eyes
that the man had never dreamed existed in this world. Finally, there was hope!
He immediately set out to find someone to fill the prescription.
It so happened that, in the town of the Alter Rebbe, also lived a
highly esteemed doctor. So, when Yona began asking around for someone to make
this concoction, he was directed to his house. But when he asked the doctor for
help, he was shocked by the doctor's response.
"What! Silver nitrate?" the doctor almost screamed.
"What in the world would anyone need that for? Who told you to take
this?"
Yona tried to explain, but it didn't help. "Deranged
son?" the doctor exclaimed, shrugging his shoulders in disbelief.
"What has silver nitrate got to do with mental illness? The opposite is
true; it could be dangerous!"
Nevertheless, Yona insisted. He put money on the table. He told the
doctor that he trusted the Rebbe and in moments was exiting with the elixir in
hand. Full of hope and anticipation, he speeded home and gave it to his
son...but, nothing happened.
True, nothing bad happened. But nothing good happened, either.
Perhaps he had misunderstood what the Rebbe said. He decided to ask again.
The next day he was again standing before the Rebbe explaining what
had happened. The Rebbe smiled momentarily, and then replied, "Ah, whoever
mixed the medicine must have made a mistake in measuring. Go back and ask him
if he measured exactly as I told you. It has to be exact!"
"Mistake?" the doctor replied later, "I didn't make
any mistake. As a matter of fact, I didn't measure at all! I just put in the
smallest amount of silver nitrate possible. Why waste time measuring something
that is useless?"
But Yona pleaded again, and finally the doctor softened. He even
agreed to measure and mix it all in front of Reb Yona.
Sure enough, this time when the man administered the mixture to his
son, the boy's entire complexion and composure changed almost immediately. As
though he had just woken from a dream, he began to ask for food to eat and
books to study.
Yona returned to the doctor with his son, and the doctor could not
believe his eyes. "It simply makes no sense!" he exclaimed. "I
suppose you want to say it was a miracle. But, if it was a miracle, then why
did the measure have to be exact? Anyway, silver nitrate has nothing to do with
mental illness. I simply can't understand it! Still," he concluded in an
abashed tone, "I'm afraid that I must admit that what happened here was a
miracle."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Source: Adapted by Yerachmiel Tilles from the free translation of Rabbi
Tuvia Bolton from one of the most authoritative collections of Chasidic
stories, "Sipurim Nora'im" (pg. 130) by Rabbi Yaakov
Kaidener.
Rabbi Bolton's conclusion:
There is a deep lesson here. All life is a process. Often we want results
without a process: to get rich (thin, successful etc.) 'quick.' From the Rebbe
in our story, we learn not to be disappointed if it doesn't happen that way.
Despite the delays, disappointments, and setbacks it might contain, the process
itself is also holy, and it is our job to treat it that way. Then we will all
see... Moshiach NOW!
Biographical note:
Rabbi Shneur Zalman [18 Elul 5505 - 24 Tevet 5573 (1745 - Dec. 1812)] was
one of the main disciples of the Maggid of Mezritch, successor to
the Baal Shem Tov. He is the founder of the Chabad-Chassidic movement and the
author of Shulchan Aruch HaRav and Tanya and
the "Nusach Ari Siddur with Kabbalah Explanations," as
well as many other major works in both Jewish law and the mystical teachings.
Connection: Tuesday of this week, Tevet 24 (Jan.17), is the
yahrzeit of the Alter Rebbe of Chabad.
Next week, I will have
some help preparing meals with my injured wife and plan ble Neder to write a
Nesli Story or two.
Parsha in the news.
New Toad species discovered that can weigh 2.7kg or 6 lbs. https://www.jpost.com/environment-and-climate-change/article-729114
Milestone: Dick Shavit, 95, Jewish
Tennis champion. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/365872
Milestone: Zigi Shipper, 93, Immigrating
to the UK in 1947, he shared his experiences as a Holocaust survivor in schools
across Britain for over two decades. He was awarded a British Empire Medal
(BEM) in 2016 for his service with the Holocaust Educational Trust. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/366183
Inyanay Diyoma
Massive Left Protest in Tel Aviv
catalyst is the new fairer judicial system to be closer to US Model. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/365895
Two Shachidim attempted another
drive by shooting at soldiers. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/365892
Netanyahu we still have red lines. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/365711
Streets of Beer Sheva not safe for
women. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/365845
Knesset can finally take care of new
immigrants. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/365827
Miracle driver escapes in
time sink hole. https://www.timesofisrael.com/sinkhole-opens-up-in-hod-hasharon-damaging-car-that-was-pulled-in/
Friday morning deadly accident with
teen drivers. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/365847
Ukraine apt building collapses from
Russia Strike. https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-728522 &
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/365911
Lithuania -Latvia gas pipeline hit
by explosion. https://www.jpost.com/international/article-728486
Next month a green comet is to pass
close to earth. https://www.jpost.com/science/article-728234
Stellar Nursery. https://www.jpost.com/science/article-726597
Enzymes could change the chemical industry by acting as sustainable alternatives to
numerous processes. As biological catalysts, enzymes can supercharge natural chemical reactions with
molecular engineering. https://www.jpost.com/science/article-728298
CDC & FDA shot may cause
strokes. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/365894
3 men stranded in space (no update).
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/365862
Iran executes British Iranian gets
sanctions. https://www.timesofisrael.com/uk-sanctions-iran-prosecutor-general-over-british-iranians-execution-on-spy-charges/
Does NATO need the Turks? https://www.timesofisrael.com/erdogan-aide-turkey-not-in-a-position-to-ratify-swedens-nato-bid/
Can’t keep up with all the Arab
Murders. https://www.timesofisrael.com/murder-probe-launched-after-bedouin-man-shot-dead-in-south/
Charged with fraudulent claims for
Yeshivas. https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/article-728440
GOP house to vote to abolish IRS. https://www.jpost.com/american-politics/article-728252
CIA Chief visits Libya. https://www.timesofisrael.com/cia-chief-makes-rare-visit-to-libya-after-suspected-lockerbie-bombmaker-extradited/
Drivers fired rehired but will they
drive at all? https://www.timesofisrael.com/drivers-fired-by-pms-office-reinstated-but-wont-ferry-netanyahu/
Secrets of self-healing concrete. https://www.timesofisrael.com/still-standing-researchers-crack-secret-of-ancient-romes-self-healing-concrete/
Israeli Ambassador gets death
threats. https://www.timesofisrael.com/for-israels-ambassador-to-azerbaijan-iranian-death-threats-are-all-in-a-days-work/
New York police said it was
investigating a car ramming of an Orthodox Jew in Brooklyn, as a hate crime. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/byy3tt5qs
Abbas’s power has eroded the PA is
about to collapse and Israel must be prepared. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/bju8al6qo
Teens laugh and slap Jewish Woman. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/365839
4th antisemitic incident
at LA prep school. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/365840
Manhattan DA gives leniency plea to
anti-Semites. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/365842
Attacks on Jews in NY rise 41%. https://www.algemeiner.com/2023/01/10/antisemitic-hate-crimes-in-new-york-city-increased-41-percent-in-2022/
Saudis moving to nuclear fuel. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/365853
Hamas protests to UAE. https://www.algemeiner.com/2023/01/10/hamas-denounces-uae-decision-to-include-holocaust-education-in-curriculum/
Cancerous lesion removed from Jill
Biden. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/365711
7-11 opens in Israel. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/365787
Terrorist killed was head of Jihad
ordinance. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/365907
Court will be over-rode in the end. https://www.timesofisrael.com/report-coalition-aims-to-quickly-restore-deri-as-minister-if-court-disqualifies-him/
At least 60,000 dead in one month from Covid. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/365914
Two presenters waved a PLO flag on a program on Makan, Israel's
public broadcasting network in Arabic. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/365900
14 Challenger Tanks & AS90 Guns
to Ukraine. https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-728548
Plasma infusion may help against
Covid. https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/coronavirus/article-728550
Hamas says that Ben Gvir will fail
in prison reform. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/365912
Putin may retire and name successor.
https://www.jpost.com/international/article-728496
Soldier who tried to break up a
brawl attacked by masked teens with brass knuckles. https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-728543
DNA reparation old mice regain sight
and brain function. https://www.jpost.com/science/article-728552
BDE not stowing away a grenade
properly leads to death of soldier. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/365938
Finance Min. Officials not
negotiating non-elementary teachers threaten strike. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/365940
Israel's Ministry of Health has ended a 24-year blood donation ban
on most immigrants from Britain. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/365939
IDF completes investigation into the
killing of Ido Baruch. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/365931
Nepal plane crash death toll is
around 68now. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/365925
Ed-Op Biden is losing the Media. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/365931
Don’t run to soldiers with open
knife and try to steal a rifle.
6 arrested in binary fraud. https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-arrests-6-men-wanted-by-the-us-over-alleged-148m-binary-options-fraud/
PM gets suspicious envelop. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/365950
US Bill will allow sanctions of
Hamas. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/365968
As the Israeli Economy begins to outpace
the US Economy PM says there will be a massive increase in Aliyah. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/365976
New Chief of Staff: Halevi, 55, is the 23rd IDF chief of staff,
and the first Orthodox Jew to serve in the position. He resides in Kfar
HaOranim, an Israeli town in
western Samaria. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/365978
Rabbi of main Synagogue in Kyiv gives strength
and hope. https://www.timesofisrael.com/ukrainians-love-this-audacious-rabbi-for-his-wartime-aid-and-viral-chizuk-videos/
60% of new immigrants are not
Jewish. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/365949
Wild extreme Charedi Protest leads
to police galloping into the crowd. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/365956
Biden Documents are looked into by
House Republicans. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/365966
5-year-old was attacked and rocks
thrown on house during Shabbos in Lod. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/365963
Shots fired at bus in Gush Etzion. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/365964
Fisherman saved by insulated suit
from lightning strike. https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-728629
Ed-Op Ruthie Bloom Lapid’s Lament (of the elites). https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/365961
4000year old Ostrich Egg found next
to ancient fire pit. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/365972
New Gov. Foreign Ministry Head
Resigns. https://www.timesofisrael.com/foreign-ministry-director-general-resigns-key-intelligence-official-to-step-in/
False accusation – Arab Dr.
reinstated. https://www.timesofisrael.com/doctor-falsely-accused-of-praising-terrorist-to-return-to-work-at-hadassah/
Lapid is trying to get the unions to
strike for judicial reform. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/365962
1 dead 4 wound from 50 rounds used
in shooting in Houston. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/365965
Just outside of the greater-Modiin
Area, Arab 30 infiltrators in baggage compartment of bus. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/365950
Ex-Greek Orthodox Patriarch dead at
83: https://www.timesofisrael.com/ex-greek-orthodox-patriarch-who-said-church-imprisoned-him-in-jerusalem-dies-at-83/
Axis of Evil Finance: https://www.timesofisrael.com/iran-and-syria-agree-to-renew-strategic-economic-arrangement/
Iranian Iman paid visit to Yisrael. https://www.algemeiner.com/2023/01/15/iranian-imam-paid-secret-visit-to-israel-met-with-netanyahu-officials
Hamas preparing for war this year. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/366016
Arabs shoot bullet(s) into Israeli
House in the Shomron. https://www.timesofisrael.com/bullet-slams-into-northern-west-bank-settlement-home-in-suspected-attack/
Photos of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
discovered. https://www.timesofisrael.com/21-never-published-photos-of-warsaw-ghetto-revolts-aftermath-found-in-poland-attic/
Fresh clashes between Charedim and
Police. https://www.timesofisrael.com/fresh-clashes-between-haredi-protesters-police-outside-jerusalem-cellphone-shop/
Gina Lollobrigida “The most
Beautiful Woman in the World 1955” dead at 95. https://www.timesofisrael.com/italian-film-legend-gina-lollobrigida-a-1950s-international-sex-symbol-dies-at-95/
Couple attacks Pediatrician in
Hospital Arrested. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/bki00bg7oi#autoplay
Capo De Tutti arrested after
30years. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/366011
Ben Gurion ignored the High Court. Shas chairman Minister Aryeh Deri told his faction
members that even if the court decides that he should resign, he will not
comply, and will pass the decision on to the Prime Minister. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/366010
One year old imprisoned in metal
cage in N. Israel is sent to social services and now mother behind bars. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/365983
An Indiana man faces criminal charges after a young boy was
allegedly seen holding a handgun outside their apartment and pulling the
trigger without firing any bullets. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/365985
Four people were injured in a car crash in central Israel Tuesday
morning, when a high-speed pursuit of suspected Palestinian Arab car thieves
ended in a collision between two cars. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/366029
The man’s family is uncertain if the person featured in
the video is actually their son. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/366031
Iran to receive Russian Fighter Jets
by March. https://www.algemeiner.com/2023/01/16/iran-to-receive-russian-fighter-jets-by-march-iranian-media/
Not advisable to shot at the IDF. https://www.jpost.com/arab-israeli-conflict/article-728798
Iranians drill “a sea of blood. https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-728834
Iranian Guards tried to murder a Jew
in the country of Georgia. https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-728744
New Judicial Reform Bill to be
tabled. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/366059
Supreme Court will be shooting
themselves in the head, https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/366052
Italian Activist helping terrorists
deported. https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-deports-italian-woman-detained-in-west-bank-raid/
Murder suspect caught in barn after 12-day
manhunt. https://www.timesofisrael.com/police-catch-murder-suspect-in-barn-after-12-day-manhunt/
Elbit to supply IDF with
Electro-optical systems. https://www.timesofisrael.com/elbit-wins-95m-contract-to-supply-idf-with-advanced-electro-optical-systems/
Closer to a cancer cure. https://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-scientists-say-substance-prevents-cancers-spread-in-mice-with-90-success/
Along the borders of the country there are minefields laid
by the IDF or by the Syrians and Jordanians watch the clearing operation. https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-728847
Microsoft to fire 11,000 employees. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/366067
Group wants to annex the Jordan
River Valley.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/366048
Teen Gang attacks Crown Heights Man.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/366000
Two work accidents two dead. https://www.timesofisrael.com/two-construction-workers-killed-in-separate-crane-accidents/
Pensioners and the poor drowning but
MK’s get a good raise. https://www.timesofisrael.com/knesset-panel-finalizes-lawmaker-pay-hike-down-to-5-1-from-proposed-12-5/
Kanye West’s lawyers seek
termination. https://www.ynetnews.com/culture/article/h1nqdynji
Ukrainian Interior Min. dies in
helicopter crash. https://www.jpost.com/international/article-728867
The oldest person in the world dies
a month before 119th birthday. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/366066
A terrorist armed with a knife was caught on Tuesday near the
community of Alon Moreh in Samaria. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/366071
Police stop using water canons in
demonstrations by Charedim and the Right. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/366069
Trump to hold a campaign rally Jan.
28th. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/366070
The Pentagon is tapping into a vast but little-known stockpile of
American ammunition in Israel to help meet Ukraine’s dire need for artillery
shells. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/366072
Russia Missionaries putting their
version of the Bible in Orthodox Synagogues. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/366081
Challenges to the new chief of
staff. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/s1hxgqmji
Nature a female hawk spotted in Tel
Aviv. https://www.ynetnews.com/environment/article/b1cfs6fio#autoplay
Israel was an LGBTQ haven will that
change? https://www.ynetnews.com/article/b1ammd4oi
Mini-Missiles that can be carried in a backpack. IAI will provide
the first prototypes and training to DoD for Operational Testing &
Evaluation in FY 23. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/366165
Netanyahu to fire Deri by next week.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/366210
European Parliament on Wednesday called for the EU to list Iran's
Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/366134
Cultured meat, also known as lab-grown meat, is made by feeding
sugar, amino acids, vitamins and other nutrients to animal stem cells raised in
bioreactors. The stem cells are collected from bovine embryos. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/366099
Now the right has a very good reason
to limit court. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/366125
Sadat knew of Israel’s Nuclear
Capabilities and only wanted with Assad territory back. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/366213
Yesterday 2 Shachidim 10 arrested. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/366132
Trump sued Clinton for Russia Hoax
ordered to pay a million. https://www.jpost.com/american-politics/article-729111
Two Orthodox Jews killed in plane
crash. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/366207
Two teens not from the school wanted
to leave a stun grenade in the principal’s office. https://www.timesofisrael.com/two-teens-arrested-for-leaving-stun-grenade-as-gift-for-school-principal/
US will reimburse Israel for stored
weapons going to Ukraine. https://www.jpost.com/international/article-728861
Stay away from China for the time
being. https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/coronavirus/article-728889
Mobster arrested upon entrance to
Israel over Tel Aviv Shootings. https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-729115
Ed-Op Bederman Woke and Islamophobia.
https://dianebederman.com/time-to-stop-the-islamophobiaindustry-working-with-bullies-of-woke-from-destroying-our-western-culture/
Israel to reopen Kyiv Embassy. https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-729055
Antisemitic Jew gets a position at
Harvard. https://www.algemeiner.com/2023/01/19/harvard-to-offer-position-to-kenneth-roth/
Russia may use T-14 tank in Ukraine
War. https://www.jpost.com/international/article-729038
Jewish Comedian Harassed in UK Bar. https://www.algemeiner.com/2023/01/18/jewish-comedian-violently-threatened-called-dirty-yid-by-arsenal-soccer-fans-in-london-bar/
El-Al to revise truth about Israel
films. https://www.algemeiner.com/2023/01/18/just-the-simple-truth-el-al-relaunches-program-to-have-flight-personnel-share-israels-story-with-world/
Good thing we have desalinization
Plants, worst drought in 60years. https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-sees-driest-winter-season-in-about-60-years-with-little-rainfall-so-far/
Saudi’s FM demands PLO state. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/366133
Russia’s FM again makes Holocaust
Comparison. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/366129
Have a healthy and wonderful
Shabbos,
Rachamim Pauli
