Please remove from prayers Leah bas Sara.
Parsha Ki Sisa
You may recognize the
first section of our Parsha as it was our reading for Parsha Shekelim. The
Torah continues with the donations for the Mishkan and the various items and
clothing needed.
30:11 And the LORD spoke unto Moses,
saying: 12 'When thou take the sum of the children of Israel,
according to their number, then shall they give every man a ransom for his soul
unto the LORD, when thou number them; that there be no plague among them, when
thou number them. 13 This they shall give, every one that passes
among them that are numbered, half a shekel after the shekel of the
sanctuary--the shekel is twenty gerahs--half a shekel for an offering to the
LORD.
The redemption of half a
Shekel of silver equally for all.
14 Every one that passes among them that are
numbered, from twenty years old and upward, shall give the offering of the
LORD. 15 The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give
less, than the half shekel, when they give the offering of the LORD, to make
atonement for your souls.
The eternal Neshama is
equal and not based on material wealth.
16 And thou shalt take the atonement money from
the children of Israel, and shalt appoint it for the service of the tent of
meeting, that it may be a memorial for the children of Israel before the LORD,
to make atonement for your souls.'
Rich or Poor, they are
equal for making atonement.
17 And the LORD spoke unto Moses,
saying: 18 'Thou shalt also make a laver of brass, and the base
thereof of brass, whereat to wash; and thou shalt put it between the tent of
meeting and the altar, and thou shalt put water therein. 19 And Aaron
and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet thereat; 20 when
they go into the tent of meeting, they shall wash with water, that they die
not; or when they come near to the altar to minister, to cause an offering made
by fire to smoke unto the LORD; 21 so they shall wash their hands and
their feet, that they die not; and it shall be a statute for ever to them, even
to him and to his seed throughout their generations.'
Even 3 or 4th
level of Tuma might cause a Cohain to die therefore they had to wash and feet
frequently.
22 Moreover
the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 23 'Take thou also unto thee the
chief spices, of flowing myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet cinnamon half
so much, even two hundred and fifty, and of sweet calamus two hundred and
fifty, 24 and of cassia five hundred, after the shekel of the
sanctuary, and of olive oil a hin. 25 And thou shalt make it a holy
anointing oil, a perfume compounded after the art of the perfumer; it shall be
a holy anointing oil. 26 And thou shalt anoint therewith the tent of
meeting, and the ark of the testimony,
This anointing oil has
to be sprinkled on items that shall be holy.
27 and
the table and all the vessels thereof, and the candlestick and the vessels
thereof, and the altar of incense, 28 and the altar of burnt-offering
with all the vessels thereof, and the laver and the base
thereof. 29 And thou shalt sanctify them, that they may be most holy;
whatsoever touches them shall be holy.
These items are
conductors of holiness to the Cohanim. And even the Cohanim needed to be
sanctified with this oil.
30 And
thou shalt anoint Aaron and his sons, and sanctify them, that they may minister
unto Me in the priest's office. 31 And thou shalt speak unto the
children of Israel, saying: This shall be a holy anointing oil unto Me
throughout your generations. 32 Upon the flesh of man shall it not be
poured, neither shall ye make any like it, according to the composition
thereof; it is holy, and it shall be holy unto you. 33 Whosoever
compounds any like it, or whosoever puts any of it upon a stranger, he shall be
cut off from his people.'
The word Stranger here
is referring to a non-Cohain meaning that a Levi or ordinary Ben Yisrael gets
Kares a non-Yisrael all the more so.
… 31:1 And
the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 2 'See, I have called by name
Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah;
5768: From the Medrash: It does not say: I have called by name
Bezalel, but SEE, I HAVE CALLED. You find that when Moshe ascended on high,
G-D showed him all the vessels of the Mishkan (Tabernacle) and told him: Thus
and thus shall you do. And you shall make a Menorah; a Table; and you shall
make a Mizbayach (Altar) – and so with all the work of the Mishkan. When
Moshe was about to descend (from heaven) he was under the impression that he
was to make them, but G-D called unto him Moshe, I have made you a King; it
does not befit a King to do anything (himself), but he gives orders and others
do the things for him. You likewise must not do anything yourself, but command
others and let them do it. G-D did however, tell Moshe, whom he should
appoint, hence Moshe enquired: To whom shall I speak? G-D replied: I
will show you – So what did the Holy One, blessed be HE, do? He brought him
the book of Adam and showed him the generations that would arise from Creation
to Resurrection, each generation and its Kings, its leaders and its Prophets,
saying unto him: I have appointed all this (for their destinies) from that
time (Creation), and Bezalel, too, I have appointed from that time. This is
why it says, SEE, I HAVE CALLED BY NAME BEZALEL.
3 and I have filled him with the spirit of God, in
wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of
workmanship, 4 to devise skillful works, to work in gold, and in
silver, and in brass, 5 and in cutting of stones for setting, and in
carving of wood, to work in all manner of workmanship. 6 And I,
behold, I have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe
of Dan; and in the hearts of all that are wise-hearted I have put wisdom, that
they may make all that I have commanded thee: 7 the tent of meeting,
and the ark of the testimony, and the ark-cover that is thereupon, and all the
furniture of the Tent; 8 and the table and its vessels, and the pure
candlestick with all its vessels, and the altar of incense; 9 and the
altar of burnt-offering with all its vessels, and the laver and its
base; 10 and the plaited garments, and the holy garments for Aaron
the priest, and the garments of his sons, to minister in the priest's
office; 11 and the anointing oil, and the incense of sweet spices for
the holy place; according to all that I have commanded thee shall they
do.'
These two skilled
workers were given the prophecy to design, build, engrave, cut and weave or instruct
people what to do and perhaps sketch drawings of what was needed.
12 And the LORD spoke unto Moses,
saying: 13 'Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying: Verily
ye shall keep My sabbaths, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your
generations, that ye may know that I am the LORD who sanctify you.
You are a Goy Kadosh,
you will imitate ME. Just as I, the L-RD, rest from Melacha on Shabbos, so
shall you rest on Shabbos. It is a sign or Bris between us. The other nations
(Goyim) are ordinary people and without obtaining MY present of a Neshama
Yetaira (extra soul that comes from heaven once a week) you would be without
the stamina to observe and like the holiness and rest. As we say: Shmor et HaShabbos
V’ HaShabbos yeshomercha (observe/guard the Shabbos and the Shabbos will guard
and preserve you.
14 Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore, for it is
holy unto you; every one that profanes it shall surely be put to death; for
whosoever does any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his
people.
If you violate the laws
of Shabbos with intent and witnesses with warning; then you shall be killed. If
you purposely disobey the Halacha and there was only one witness then your soul
will be cut off. Accidental violation such as one forgot for a split second it
was Shabbos and out of habit turned on or off a light or something similar. Or
accidently forgetting it was Shabbos by mistakably thinking it was a week day
then one brings a Korban Chatas or does repentance with charity.
15 Six days shall work be done; but on the seventh day is a
sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the LORD; whosoever does any work in the
sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death.
One has a whole week to
do Melacha and is required once a week to imitate his CREATOR and rest. The
violation of the contract with your L-RD G-D, the you are a traitor to your conscription
in the army of HASHEM. The punishment for treason is death.
16 Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the
sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual
covenant.
Shabbos was observed by G-D from the beginning of the
seventh day of creation. So, we too perpetually observe Shabbos. It is not
for us to decide which commandment we observe or not. For in HASHEM’s peoples’
army we must meticulously observe the command.
It is in perpetuity. As long as there is mankind and a Shabbos so
shall it be kept. When the first Astronauts were preparing to land on the moon,
the discussion of observing Shabbos in space and prayer times were on the minds
of Orthodox Jews. David Willig long before either of us were Rabbis told me the
joke about the exhausted Jewish Astronaut putting on and off Tephillin on each
orbit and davening while performing his duties. I had this problem about
counting Omer with a Bracha while visiting Alaska. [There are those who allow
in such a case for during the twilight but I managed to wake up at night and
perform it correctly.]
17 It is a sign between Me and the children of
Israel for ever; for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the
seventh day He ceased from work and rested.'
We are now told the
reason behind the Shabbos Bris/Contract-Command because we should imitate what
our Creator does.
18 And He gave unto Moses, when He had made an end
of speaking with him upon mount Sinai, the two tables of the testimony, tables
of stone, written with the finger of God.
It was now time for
Moshe to come down from the Mountain and Bring the Tablets with the Asera
Dibros on them.
32:1 And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come
down from the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and
said unto him: 'Up, make us a god who shall go before us; for as for this
Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we know not what is
become of him.' 2 And Aaron said unto them: 'Break off the golden
rings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your
daughters, and bring them unto me.'
Hur tried to reason
against them with logic and Mussar and they murdered him.
… 5 And when Aaron saw this, he built an altar
before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said: 'To-morrow shall be a feast
to the LORD.' 6 And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered
burnt-offerings, and brought peace-offerings; and the people sat down to eat
and to drink, and rose up to make merry.
Both the gathering Jewelry
and delaying the date for perhaps their counting of 40 days and nights was
incorrect.
7 And
the LORD spoke unto Moses: 'Go, get thee down; for thy people, that thou
brought up out of the land of Egypt, have dealt corruptly; 8 they
have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them; they have made
them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed unto it, and
said: This is thy god, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of
Egypt.'
Moshe was in an angelic
state before G-D but could no see what was going on below.
9 And
the LORD said unto Moses: 'I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a
stiffnecked people. 10 Now therefore let Me alone, that My wrath may
wax hot against them, and that I may consume them; and I will make of thee a
great nation.' 11 And Moses besought the LORD his God, and said:
'LORD, why doth Thy wrath wax hot against Thy people, that Thou hast brought
forth out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty
hand? 12 Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, saying: For evil did
He bring them forth, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from
the face of the earth? Turn from Thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil
against Thy people. 13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Thy
servants, to whom Thou didst swear by Thine own self, and said unto them: I
will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have
spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it forever.' 14 And
the LORD repented of the evil which He said He would do unto His people.
He fought for his people
before G-D even though less than 6 weeks they had already violated the first of
the ten sayings.
15 And
Moses turned, and went down from the mount, with the two tables of the
testimony in his hand; tables that were written on both their sides; on the one
side and on the other were they written. 16 And the tables were the
work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the
tables. 17 And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they
shouted, he said unto Moses: 'There is a noise of war in the
camp.' 18 And he said: 'It is not the voice of them that shout for
mastery, neither is it the voice of them that cry for being overcome, but the
noise of them that sing do I hear.' 19 And it came to pass, as soon
as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf and the dancing; and Moses'
anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and broke them
beneath the mount. 20 And he took the calf which they had made, and
burnt it with fire, and ground it to powder, and strewed it upon the water, and
made the children of Israel drink of it. 21 And Moses said unto
Aaron: 'What did this people unto thee, that thou hast brought a great sin upon
them?' 22 And Aaron said: 'Let not the anger of my lord wax hot; thou
know the people, that they are set on evil. 23 So they said unto me:
Make us a god, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that
brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we know not what is become of
him. 24 And I said unto them: … 27 And he said unto them: 'Thus
saith the LORD, the God of Israel: Put ye every man his sword upon his thigh,
and go to and fro from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his
brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbor.' 28 And
the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses; and there fell of the
people that day about three thousand men. 29 And Moses said:
'Consecrate yourselves to-day to the LORD, for every man hath been against his
son and against his brother; that He may also bestow upon you a blessing this
day.'
The image worshippers
were put to death.
30 And
it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses said unto the people: 'Ye have sinned
a great sin; and now I will go up unto the LORD, peradventure I shall make
atonement for your sin.' 31 And Moses returned unto the LORD, and
said: 'Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them a god of
gold. 32 Yet now, if Thou wilt forgive their sin--; and if not, blot
me, I pray Thee, out of Thy book which Thou hast written.' 33 And the
LORD said unto Moses: 'Whosoever hath sinned against Me, him will I blot out of
My book. … those who did not violate the
command and had resisted the mob and kept away from the calf. Hashem had brought
them out of the land
of Egypt, and
HASHEM will bring them unto
the land of which I swore unto Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying: Unto
thy seed will I give it-- 2 and I will send an angel before thee; and
I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the
Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite-- 3 unto a land flowing with
milk and honey; for I will not go up in the midst of thee; for thou art a
stiffnecked people; lest I consume thee in the way.' 4 And when the
people heard these evil tidings, they mourned; and no man did put on him his
ornaments. 5 And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Say unto the children of
Israel: Ye are a stiffnecked people; if I go up into the midst of thee for one
moment, I shall consume thee; therefore now put off thy ornaments from thee,
that I may know what to do unto thee.'
For from the gold they
had made this idol of a calf.
6 And the children of Israel stripped themselves
of their ornaments from mount Horeb onward. 7 Now Moses used to take
the tent and to pitch it without the camp, afar off from the camp; and he
called it the tent of meeting. And it came to pass, that every one that sought
the LORD went out unto the tent of meeting, which was without the
camp. 8 And it came to pass, when Moses went out unto the Tent, that
all the people rose up, and stood, every man at his tent door, and looked after
Moses, until he was gone into the Tent. 9 And it came to pass, when
Moses entered into the Tent, the pillar of cloud descended, and stood at the
door of the Tent; and [the LORD] spoke with Moses. 10 And when all
the people saw the pillar of cloud stand at the door of the Tent, all the
people rose up and worshipped, every man at his tent door. 11 And the
LORD spoke unto Moses face to face, as a man speaks unto his friend. And he
would return into the camp; but his minister Joshua, the son of Nun, a young
man, departed not out of the Tent.
Yehoshua was on call
24/7 to help Moshe like an attendant helps a Chassid attends his Rebbe. We saw
a lot of this with the grandson of Rabbi Kaniewski attending his physical needs
in his last year and containing the thousands of visitors who asked for a Brac
… 34:1 And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Hew thee two
tables of stone like unto the first; and I will write upon the tables the words
that were on the first tables, which thou didst break. 2 And be ready
by the morning, and come up in the morning unto mount Sinai, and present
thyself there to Me on the top of the mount. 3 And no man shall come
up with thee, neither let any man be seen throughout all the mount; neither let
the flocks nor herds feed before that mount.' 4 And he hewed two
tables of stone like unto the first; and Moses rose up early in the morning,
and went up unto the cloud.
The section here deals
with repentance and is read every fast day.
18 The feast of unleavened bread shalt thou keep.
Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, as I commanded thee, at the time
appointed in the month Abib, for in the month Abib thou came out from
Egypt.
Pesach is a special holiday as it
denotes the Exodus and Freedom instead of Slavery.
19 All that opens the womb is Mine; and of all thy
cattle thou shalt sanctify the males, the firstlings of ox and
sheep. 20 And the firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb;
and if thou wilt not redeem it, then thou shalt break its neck. All the
first-born of thy sons thou shalt redeem. And none shall appear before Me
empty.
A commemoration of the
tenth plague throughout all generations
21 Six days thou shalt work, but on the seventh
day thou shalt rest; in plowing time and in harvest thou shalt rest.
We are commanded to rest
and being based on an agricultural economy the two examples out of the work of
sewing or harvesting. Other agricultural Melachos are not provided as this is
only an example of Melacha.
22 And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, even
of the first-fruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the turn
of the year. 23 Three times in the year shall all thy males appear
before the Lord GOD, the God of Israel. 24 For I will cast out nations
before thee, and enlarge thy borders; neither shall any man covet thy land,
when thou go up to appear before the LORD thy God three times in the
year.
Shavuos is mentioned but
the third Yom Tov and Moed set on Sukkos is not mentioned but hinted at.
25 Thou shalt not offer the blood of My sacrifice
with leavened bread; neither shall the sacrifice of the feast of the Passover
be left unto the morning. 26 The choicest first-fruits of thy land
thou shalt bring unto the house of the LORD thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a
kid in its mother's milk.'
Again, we are asked to
observe the holidays. This section ends with not having and not making
forbidden mixtures of milk and meat. Not for eating, not for enjoying from it
by giving to a pet or animal and even selling such a mixture to a non-Jew.
… 7 And
the LORD said unto Moses: 'Write thou these words, for after the tenor of these
words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel.' … 28 And he
was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread,
nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the
ten words.
HASHEM
gives Moshe a gift of a spiritual glow emanating from him.
29 And
it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of
the testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses knew
not that the skin of his face sent forth beams while He talked with
him. 30 And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses,
behold, the skin of his face sent forth beams; and they were afraid to come
nigh him. 31 And Moses called unto them; and Aaron and all the rulers
of the congregation returned unto him; and Moses spoke to them. 32 And
afterward all the children of Israel came nigh, and he gave them in commandment
all that the LORD had spoken with him in mount Sinai. 33 And when
Moses had done speaking with them, he put a veil on his face. 34 But
when Moses went in before the LORD that He might speak with him, he took the
veil off, until he came out; and he came out; and spoke unto the children of
Israel that which he was commanded. 35 And the children of Israel saw
the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face sent forth beams; and Moses put
the veil back upon his face, until he went in to speak with Him.
Parsha Para (Bamidbar 19:1-22)
These Pasukim are the
opening of Parsha Chukkas and describes a Tumay Meys. For before Pesach, we
have to be pure in order to have a Korban Pesach.
Annual Pesach Preparation Guide
As I wrote a few weeks
my wife and I are slowing down in our 70’s. Since we are retired we don’t have
to punch a clock but the weeks seem to go by faster. She started Pesach
cleaning around Tu Be Shevat or two months before count down. Cleaning the clothing
closets is spring cleaning and not for Pesach but it helped us give away old
things to Charity rather than my daughter doing it after we reached 120years.
This week, the day after
Purim, my wife already worked with the cleaning lady on the Kitchen Cabinets. I
got out my Kitzur Shulchan Aruch (Code of Jewish Law) for review. The Mishnah
Berurah is too vast for me to learn with Rabbi Mimran before Pesach in our
15minutes or more of Orach Chaim as we also push forward in Choshen Mishpat. So
we are choosey. Neither of us are going to supervise baking Matzos, checking
the wheat, grinding etc. We are also not Rabbis of a City to prepare for Matzo
Sales. One who has a separate Pesach Milk and Meat set does not have to review the
laws of koshering things expect maybe Candle Trays, Candelabra and Kiddush Cups
with boiling water.
It is not like the laws
are unimportant for just the opposite very important to know and that is why
the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch should be read. But the details of the Mishnah
Berurah can be skipped in 95 to 99% of questions and cases that might arrive
and to learn them in depth at leisure. If you have 3 or 4 hours a day to
devote, then by all means learn but most of us don’t have that much time
especially if you follow Daf Yomi, the Parsha, other Halachos.
The day after Purim, I
went to the local grocery store. Surprise – surprise the freezer section
containing frozen torts, falafel, vegetables, fish and meat was empty. It was
being cleaned out and stocked with Kosher for Pesach.
Next Week Matzos will begin appearing on store shelves.
Customs for Ashkenazi
and others that sometimes go overboard. It is customary for some folks to want
the merit of eating only the best of the best or Shmura Matzos all Pesach long.
I did this for years. There is a clause in the Shulchan Aruch for Ashkenazim
about avoiding Matzah Ashira or rich Matzos in your diet even Erev Pesach.
However, if one has digestion problems then soaking and baking in wine or fruit
juice is OK or egg Matzos. Although I am not celiac, it is hard for me to
digest so much gluten in my gut. One Matzo is like two slices of bread. I have
looked into gluten free oat Matzos. Last year after my diaphragm operation, after
the Seder, I asked my son to obtain after the second day Spelt Matzos. It was a
big digestive relief. The Torah wants us to be Chai B’ Mitzvos as the Torah is
for a robust and healthy observer. DO NOT TAKE THIS AS A PASAK:
If I had a small Sanhedrin
of 23 Rabbis as a Beit Din for America, I would declare American Maze Corn and
products Kosher for Pesach as 1 they are not Kitniyos but a grain. 2 they are
the main staple of the country. The Sephardim have no problem with this only
Ashkenazim. Rice was the Staple of Iraq and Rabbi Yohanan Ben Nuri in Brachos
36 or 37 and Pesachim 36 or 37. At least when Quinoa was imported it was considered
Kitniyos nor Canola or Rapeseed. It might be kosher for Pesach but I don’t use
it because it is genetically engineer and there is no study on how it affects
humans.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/367399
With President’s Day just behind us, it is a good time to learn
about a Jew who, while not a president, enabled America's first president to
take office in the newly created country called the United States of America.
Heroes of the American
Revolutionary War, such as Benjamin Franklin, John Hancock, George Washington,
Thomas Jefferson, and Paul Revere, are even familiar to schoolchildren. Yet,
most American Jews have never heard of Haym Salomon, a Jew who was a hero of
the American Revolution.
Who was Haym Salomon?
Salomon sympathized with the
Patriot cause and joined the New York branch of the Sons of Liberty. For this
reason, in September 1776, he was arrested as a spy. The British pardoned him,
conditional on his spending 18 months on a British boat as an interpreter for
Hessian soldiers, due to his knowledge of Polish, French, German, Russian,
Spanish, and Italian. Salomon used his position as interpreter to help prisoners
of the British escape and encourage the Hessians to desert the British war
effort.
After Salomon was released from
custody, he continued to work underground to sway Hessian allegiance. He was
jailed a second time in August 1778 as one of several individuals suspected of
planning a fire that would destroy the British royal fleet in New York harbor.
He was sent to the infamous prison of Provost, and a death sentence loomed.
However, Salomon used several gold guineas hidden on his person to bribe a jailer
and escape to freedom.
Salomon sympathized with the
Patriot cause and joined the New York branch of the Sons of Liberty. For this
reason, in September 1776, he was arrested as a spy. The British pardoned him,
conditional on his spending 18 months on a British boat as an interpreter for
Hessian soldiers, due to his knowledge of Polish, French, German, Russian,
Spanish, and Italian. Salomon used his position as interpreter to help
prisoners of the British escape and encourage the Hessians to desert the British
war effort.
After Salomon was released from
custody, he continued to work underground to sway Hessian allegiance. He was
jailed a second time in August 1778 as one of several individuals suspected of
planning a fire that would destroy the British royal fleet in New York harbor.
He was sent to the infamous prison of Provost, and a death sentence loomed.
However, Salomon used several gold guineas hidden on his person to bribe a
jailer and escape to freedom.
Salomon left British-occupied New York and settled in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At the time, Philadelphia was the center of the
independence movement and home to the Continental Congress, the legislative
body of the thirteen colonies since 1776. Salomon spoke before the Second
Continental Congress, offering his services and requesting a position, but was
turned down.
With borrowed funds, he opened an office as a dealer of bills of
exchange. His firm was located on Front Street, near the Coffee House where
Colonial Army officers and members of the Continental Congress often gathered,
and his business began to flourish. He also became the agent to the French
consul and the paymaster for the French forces in North America.
By 1781, the revolutionary cause was in dire financial straits.
The colonies were battling against a highly wealthy enemy, the British Empire.
Keeping the American forces supplied with arms, food, and other supplies was
daunting. In 1781, Salomon began working extensively with Robert Morris, the
newly appointed Superintendent of Finance for the Thirteen Colonies, to support
the Revolution financially.
The Congressional Record of March 25, 1975, reads: "When
Morris was appointed Superintendent of Finance, he turned to Salomon for help
in raising the money needed to carry on the war and later to save the emerging
nation from financial collapse. Salomon advanced direct loans to the government
and also gave generously of his own resources to pay the salaries of government
officials and army officers. With frequent entries of "I sent for Haym
Salomon," Morris' diary for the years 1781–84 records some 75 transactions
between the two men."
Incredibly, records from 1781–84 show that Salomon's fundraising
and personal lending helped provide over $650,000 (Tens of Millions in current
US dollars) to George Washington in his war effort! Salomon brokered the sale
of most of the war aid from France and the Dutch Republic, selling bills of
exchange to American merchants. Salomon also supported various Continental
Congress members during their stay in Philadelphia, including James Madison and
James Wilson. He requested below-market interest rates, and he never asked for
repayment.
Before the final revolutionary war battle at Yorktown, Salomon's
financial contribution played a deciding role in America's future.
In August 1781, the Continental Army had trapped Lieutenant
General Charles Cornwallis in the Virginian coastal town of Yorktown. George
Washington, the main army, and Count de Rochambeau, with his French army,
decided to march from the Hudson Highlands to Yorktown and deliver the final
blow to the British. Washington's war chest was completely empty, as was that
of Congress.
Washington's troops were close to mutiny without food, uniforms,
and supplies. Washington determined that he needed at least $20,000 to finance
the campaign. When Morris told him there were no funds and no credit available,
Washington gave him a simple but eloquent order: "Send for Haym
Salomon."
Salomon raised $20,000 through the sale of bills of exchange.
With that contribution, Washington conducted the Yorktown campaign, which
proved to be the Revolution's final battle.
Salomon was involved in Jewish community affairs as a member of
the Orthodox Congregation Mikveh Israel in Philadelphia, also known as the
"Synagogue of the American Revolution." It was founded in 1740 and is
the fourth oldest synagogue continually in use in the United States. Salomon
significantly contributed to the 1782 construction of the Congregation's main
building. He also served as the Society for the Relief of Destitute Strangers
treasurer, the first Jewish charitable organization in Philadelphia.
Salomon was among the prominent Jews involved in the successful
effort to have the Pennsylvania Council of Censors remove the religious test
oath required for office-holding under the State Constitution. In 1784, Salomon
answered anti-Semitic slanders in the press by stating: "I am a Jew; it is
my own nation; I do not despair that we shall obtain every other privilege that
we aspire to enjoy along with our fellow-citizens."
Sadly, Salomon contracted
tuberculosis and died suddenly on January 8, 1785, at the age of 45. Due to the
government's failure and private lenders' failure to repay debt incurred by the
war, he was impoverished, and his family was left destitute after his passing.
His obituary in the Independent
Gazetteer read, "Thursday, last, expired, after a lingering
illness, Mr. Haym Salomon, an eminent broker of this city, was a native of
Poland and of the Hebrew nation. He was remarkable for his professional skill
and integrity and his generous and humane deportment. His remains were
yesterday deposited in the burial ground of the synagogue of this city."
When Salomon died at the age of 45, he was a bankrupt man with a
wife, three children under the age of seven, and a fourth on the way. His
estate was valued at $44,000 but had liabilities of $45,000. Not long after his
death, his chief clerk, who could have been crucial to straightening out
financial matters regarding the family debt, committed suicide. Attempts were
made by his heirs over the next few years to obtain some retribution, but a
series of suspect occurrences thwarted these challenges. It was alleged by the
government, for instance, that papers concerning the Salomon estate claims were
destroyed when government buildings in the District of Columbia were burned by
the British in the War of 1812.
Salomon's fourth child, Haym Jr., met with President John Tyler
in the early 1840s and reportedly left a bundle of documents with him for his
perusal. The box of papers later disappeared. The younger Salomon then
petitioned the Senate Committee on Revolutionary Claims until 1864, when he was
in his late seventies. He even offered to settle the claim at a sum of just
$100,000. This was quite generous, considering that, with interest, the actual
amount owed would have spiraled to a debt of grand proportions. At this, the
Committee once more approved the claim's legitimacy and submitted it to
Congress, but Congress again failed to support the expenditure.
In the 1870s, a cache of Salomon papers remaining in
Congressional archives was discovered to be missing. Many concerned financial
dealings bore the signatures of Washington, Jefferson, and other historical
figures. It is assumed that they were stolen for the value of these autographs.
In 1893, Salomon's heirs petitioned Congress to strike a commemorative medal in
honor of their patriotic forebear, with a Congressional appropriation submitted
in the amount of $250, but this was also rejected. Future president Woodrow
Wilson sat on a committee charged with the task of founding a university in
Salomon's honor in 1911, but World War I derailed the project.
Only one hundred and fifty years after his passing, Haym Salomon
finally began to be recognized for his noble deeds to the young nation. In
1941, the writer Howard Fast wrote a book Haym Salomon, Son of Liberty. In
1939, Warner Brothers released Sons of Liberty, a short film about Salomon.
During World War II, the United States liberty ship SS Haym Salomon was named
in his honor.
In 1941, a statue was dedicated in Downtown Chicago, depicting
George Washington standing between and clasping the hands of Robert Morris and
Haym Salomon, publicly recognizing the two men whose services were so vital in
financing the Revolutionary War.
In 1946, a memorial statue was erected to Salomon at Hollenbeck
Park in Los Angeles. The statue was rededicated in 2008 at Pan-Pacific Park in
the Fairfax District, where it can be found on the corner of Gardner and Third
Street.
In 1975, the United States Postal Service issued a commemorative
stamp honoring Haym Salomon for his contributions to the cause of the American
Revolution. Like others in the "Contributors to the Cause" series,
this stamp was printed on the front and back. On the glue side of the stamp,
the following words were printed in pale green ink: "Financial Hero –
Businessman and broker Haym Salomon was responsible for raising most of the
money needed to finance the American Revolution and later to save the new
nation from collapse."
In 1975, the writer Shirley Milgrim wrote a book Haym Salomon,
Liberty's Son. In addition, there are fraternal orders, streets, historical
markers, cemeteries, and even a nursing home named in his honor.
The First Continental Congress requested that Benjamin Franklin
and a group of men develop a Seal for the new country. It took them four years
to accomplish this task and another two years to approve it.
On the rear of the One Dollar bill, there are two circles.
Together, they comprise the Great Seal of the United States. When one looks
carefully at the arrangement of the 13 stars in the right-hand circle, they are
arranged as a Star of David.
The Numismatic Bibliomania Society recounts one version of how
the Jewish symbol came to be found on the dollar note. "This was ordered
by George Washington, who, when he asked Haym Solomon, a wealthy Philadelphia
Jew, what he would like as a personal reward for his services to the
Continental Army. Solomon said he wanted nothing for himself, but he would like
something for his people," the story claims. "The Star of David was
the result."
Yet, most historians view that version as apocryphal: Washington
had no input into the design of the Great Seal, and the original design
specification for the Great Seal included no instructions about how the
constellation of 13 stars on the obverse side should be arranged. The likely
reason why artist Robert Scot chose to set that constellation of 13 stars into
the shape of a hexagram when engraving the first die of the Great Seal in 1782
is unknown. Still, most assume it is because he was emulating the arrangement
of stars on the first American flag.
19th Century Historian John L. Motley remarked, "Deeds, not
stones, are the true monuments of the great." With his contributions and
actions, Haym Salomon helped lay the foundation for the independence of the
United States of America. Until today, we are all the beneficiaries of Haym
Salomon's deeds and legacy.
Menachem
Levine is the CEO of JDBY-YTT, the largest Jewish school in
the Midwest. He served as Rabbi of Congregation Am Echad in San Jose, CA from
2007 – 2020. He is a popular speaker and has written for numerous publications.
Rabbi Levine’s personal website is https://thinktorah.org.
Purim Justice by Rabbi Yerachmiel Tilles
http://ascentofsafed.com/cgi-bin/ascent.cgi?Name=1317-24
It used to be the
custom in the good old days for each community to appoint some local wit as
their Rav, whose tenure would last for the duration of Purim; and
likewise any number of judges, or policemen, and whatever other functionaries
they fancied.
One year, before
Purim, in the days of Rabbi Zvi of Zhidachov, the townsfolk chose Reb
Koppel, the Rebbe's lively nephew, to be the provincial governor, a
position whose incumbent in real life was empowered to enact and repeal
statues. He in turn chose a retinue of advisers from amongst his usually reliable
and sober colleagues, and they all showed him the respect this is due a
potentate.
Purim day
arrived. Megillas Esther was chanted, with evil Haman being
vigorously booed every time his name was read. After the morning meal was
eaten, Mincha, the afternoon prayer, was recited at an earlier hour
than usual. Immediately after, the highly anticipated Purim festive meal began,
with its unique directive to drink wine [and/or other alcoholic beverages] with
gusto until ad d'lo yada: until unable to formulate the difference
between "Baruch (Blessed be) Mordechai" and
"Arur (Cursed be) Haman."
Suddenly the door to
the room swung open with a loud crash.
A hush fell over the large assembly of chasidim huddled around the formation of
the many tables pushed together. In trooped a pompously costumed Reb Koppel,
along with all his appointed companions. The large masqueraded motley crew
danced and tottered their way towards the table of his uncle, the Tzadik (pure,
righteous person). Of course, it goes without saying that in that whole
itinerant band there was not one man sober.
The Tzadik treated
his nephew like a king, and entreated him to issue a decree repealing the
legislation which that same year had in fact imposed the infamous candle tax on
the Jews of the province. The provincial governor was kind enough to oblige.
The Rebbe then went on
to request repeal of the other oppressive tax, on the sale of kosher meat. This
too was promptly granted.
Finally, the Rebbe
proceeded to ask his nephew to repeal the ordinance conscripting Jews to the
army - but to his shock the tipsy young man flatly refused!
He tried both scolding
and entreating, but to no avail. His chasidim too tried to help out - some by
threatening, others by imploring - but the young man's mind was not to be
changed.
The Rebbe thereupon
left the room in anger, and all day would not look his nephew in the face.
The next day, when the
effects of the wine had evaporated, the young man was asked by his fellow
chasidim: "What on earth came over you yesterday, that you defied the
Rebbe’s wish?"
"I solemnly swear
I haven't the foggiest recollection of what went on here yesterday," he
declared - and indeed the poor fellow could hardly believe the whole story.
That year the
provincial authorities in fact repealed the legislation which had imposed the
anti-Semitic taxes on candles and meat - but the cruel conscription order
remained in force. The chasidim then realized that on Purim they had witnessed
something beyond their comprehension; their Rebbe had not been playing games.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Source: Adapted and expanded by Yerachmiel Tilles from A Treasury
of Chassidic Tales, as translated by R. Uri Kaploun from Sipurei Chasidim by
Rabbi S. Y. Zevin.
Biographical
note:
Rabbi Zvi-Hersh Eichenstein [1785 - 11 Tammuz 1831], founder of
the Zhidachov dynasty, was a prominent disciple of the Seer of
Lublin. He championed the position that the practice of Chasidism had to be
firmly based on the study of the Kabbala of the holy Ari of Safed. He wrote and
published numerous commentaries on Kabbala, including Ateret Tzvi on
the Zohar, and several on the weekly readings. The famous commentator on the 24
books of the written Torah, the Malbim, was a student of his. He
was succeeded by three nephew-disciples, including Yitzhak-Isaac of Zhidachov
and Yitzhak-Isaac-Yehuda-Yechiel of Komarno.
Milestone: Prof. Shalom Rosenberg,
88, philosopher. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/368279
Milestone: Haim Topol, 87, starred
in Fiddler on the Roof, Shallah Shabazi. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/368466
Inyanay Diyoma
Arutz 14 has little money but more views than
11 & 13 combined. It is the new Fox News. Sick of propaganda.
Friday night a Jewish Car was hit by
bullets in a fly-by shooting near Chevron.
US afraid to be notified late on
an Iran strike. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/368307
Gallant responds to reserve Pilot’s
protest. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/368308
Iran has allegedly secured secret deals with Russia to guarantee
deliveries of uranium. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/368305
Dr. Martin Sherman Ed-Op. The
mendacious maligning of Netanyahu. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/368292
Women are marrying later. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/b11xwxfyh
New passage discovered in the Great
Pyramid. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/bjtjlbacs
Banning Chametz on Pesach in
Hospitals the Bill Advances. https://www.timesofisrael.com/ahead-of-passover-coalition-advances-bill-that-let-hospitals-ban-hametz/
Iran behind the mapping and
targeting of the Jewish Community. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/rkycxvmkh
History of the World Part II. https://www.timesofisrael.com/in-mel-brooks-history-of-the-world-part-ii-jewish-jokes-reign/
Left’s claim nobody will invest in
an unjust Israel. Oops BS. https://www.timesofisrael.com/samsung-kicks-off-israeli-tech-accelerator-program-for-its-mobile-devices/
Terrorist who murdered brothers
killed in Jenin. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/368387
Strike on Aleppo Airport. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/368355
AZ – Orthodox man and 4 children die
in fire. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/368325
President’s compromise won’t work. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/368378
MA man charged with trying to stab
flight attendant. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/368354
After 7 Shachidim one rocket from
Gaza. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/368412
ZOA: The
United States government has no right to interfere in internal Israeli policy. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/368406
A large majority of Israelis support Justice Minister Yariv
Levin's judicial reforms, the Direct Polls institute reported. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/368405
Biden has cancer cells removed. https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-733312
Sound to help blind navigate. https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/mind-and-spirit/article-733430
Russia returns to 1960’s Soviet
Tanks. https://www.jpost.com/international/article-733506
US Citizens shot in Mexico 2 dead, 2
wounded. https://www.aol.com/news/official-2-americans-dead-being-151936138.html
No lactose Hershey Bar. https://www.aol.com/finance/hershey-debuts-plant-based-reeses-145838876.html
Ticketmaster comes under fire for
Farrakhan tickets. https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-733548
Kyiv has opened a criminal investigation into
Russia's "brutal and brazen shooting of an unarmed
person". https://www.jpost.com/international/article-733587
https://www.timesofisrael.com/in-rare-scientific-advance-new-snake-family-identified-in-israel/
Terrorists from Gaza try to blow-up
bulldozer. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/368429
Shots fired at Shomron Chairman
& Tourists. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/368433
Judicial Compromise Breakthrough. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/368402
Missionaries using dental clinic. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/368426
Ed-Op Barry Shaw Haman is alive
& killing. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/368425
Netanyahu tells IAEA about defense. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/368281
Israelis in Administrative
Detention. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/368283
Former Knesset Speaker the two
brothers murdered are not my brothers. Has more sympathy for Huwara. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/368278
Major Drug Bust 6,000,000NIS. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/368284
An IDF soldier from the Netzach Yehuda battalion was arrested by
the military police at the Rantis Crossing with two Palestinian Arabs in his
vehicle. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/368273
Ethiopians deceived into human
trafficking in Yarden. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/syhjx3zjh
More Peace Agreements on way. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/368377
Iran behind cyber attack on the
Technion. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/368384
Ed-Op Diane W. Bederman Nazis to the
left of me, Arabs to the right of me. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/368329
Drone strike in Syria: https://www.timesofisrael.com/at-least-3-said-killed-in-drone-strike-in-syria-targeting-iran-backed-militia/
With the concentration of too many
protesters in one place it was just a matter of time before Tel Aviv hit by
terror. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/368513
Family of terrorist arrested. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/368529
Farmer kills a terrorist with a
knife. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/368533
3 terrorists die in shootout. https://www.jewishpress.com/news/breaking-news/3-terrorists-killed-while-attacking-israeli-soldiers/2023/03/09/
Gunman and others die in German
Church. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/368520
Terror device found on bus. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/368518
White Supremists incidents expanded
by 38% in USA. https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-733830
Heart tissue regeneration. https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/article-733721
A planet between Mars and Jupiter could
destroy earth. https://www.jpost.com/science/article-733665
Hines-Cotton debate whether Biden or
Trump is to blame for Iranian Nuke Progress. https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-733720
From: M. B. Norway and the gas
pipeline explosion. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=153747197496861&extid=NS-UNK-UNK-UNK-IOS_GK0T-GK1C&mibextid=2Rb1fB&ref=sharing
From M. B. China and Russia on the
decline of the dollar. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?extid=NS-UNK-UNK-UNK-IOS_GK0T-GK1C&mibextid=1YhcI9R&v=2062897803916462
Have a peaceful, healthy
Shabbos,
Rachamim Pauli
