Please add for recovery prayers - Peter Bruce ben Golda Chaya.
Parshiyos Behar/Bechukosai
Vayikra came and went
relatively fast. We had three double Parshiyos putting six weeks of a leap year
into three weeks. Our last few Parshiyos we forgot where we got well over 100
Mitzvos. Our Parsha reminds us that all the Halachos came from Mount Sinai. The
link between last week’s Parsha and ours is that towards the end, there was a
mention of the corner of the field and forgotten sheath.
25:1 And the LORD spoke unto Moses in mount Sinai, saying: 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto
them: When ye come into the land which I give you, then shall the land keep a
sabbath unto the LORD. 3 Six years thou
shalt sow thy field, and six years thou shalt prune thy vineyard, and gather in
the produce thereof.
G-D created the land
and it was completed in six days. The working of the field takes six years and
on the seventh is a year of rest.
4 But in the seventh year shall be
a sabbath of solemn rest for the land, a sabbath unto the LORD; thou shalt
neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard. 5 That which grows of itself of thy harvest thou
shalt not reap, and the grapes of thy undressed vine thou shalt not gather; it
shall be a year of solemn rest for the land. 6 And the sabbath-produce of the land shall be for
food for you: for thee, and for thy servant and for thy maid, and for thy hired
servant and for the settler by thy side that sojourn with thee; 7 and for thy cattle, and for the beasts that are
in thy land, shall all the increase thereof be for food.
There is something
holy about the number seven and the seventh year is that in which one lets his
field and the whole land of Eretz Yisrael rest.
8 And thou shalt number seven
sabbaths of years unto thee, seven times seven years; and there shall be unto
thee the days of seven sabbaths of years, even forty and nine years.
At this point we have
seven Shmita Years.
9 Then shalt thou make
proclamation with the blast of the horn on the tenth day of the seventh month;
in the day of atonement shall ye make proclamation with the horn throughout all
your land. 10 And ye shall hallow the
fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout the land unto all the
inhabitants thereof; it shall be a jubilee unto you; and ye shall return every
man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family.
The Shofar shall be
blown on Yom Kippur and the Hebrew Slave that had his ear drilled to the door
to remain with his master and non-Jewish Servant shall become free with
compensation and return to his ancestral heritage. That is the meaning of
proclaim liberty throughout the land.
11 A jubilee shall that fiftieth
year be unto you; ye shall not sow, neither reap that which grows of itself in
it, nor gather the grapes in it of the undressed vines. 12 For it is a jubilee; it shall be holy unto you;
ye shall eat the increase thereof out of the field. 13 In this year of jubilee ye shall return every
man unto his possession.
Unlike the Shmita
Year, the year of the Yovel is not observed today for a number of reasons.
14 And if thou sell aught unto thy
neighbor, or buy of thy neighbor's hand, ye shall not wrong one another. 15 According to the number of years after the
jubilee thou shalt buy of thy neighbor, and according unto the number of years
of the crops he shall sell unto thee. 16 According
to the multitude of the years thou shalt increase the price thereof, and
according to the fewness of the years thou shalt diminish the price of it; for
the number of crops doth he sell unto thee. 17 And ye shall not wrong one another; but thou
shalt fear thy God; for I am the LORD your God. 18 Wherefore ye shall do My statutes, and keep
Mine ordinances and do them; and ye shall dwell in the land in safety. 19 And the land shall yield her fruit, and ye
shall eat until ye have enough, and dwell therein in safety. 20 And if ye shall say: 'What shall we eat the
seventh year? behold, we may not sow, nor gather in our increase'; 21 then I will command My blessing upon you in the
sixth year, and it shall bring forth produce for the three years. 22 And ye shall sow the eighth year, and eat of
the produce, the old store; until the ninth year, until her produce come in, ye
shall eat the old store.
For whatever reason,
the neighbor in your Tribal Area hasn’t the ability to cultivate his land. He
rents it out to you long term the minimum is a year to 49years and the land
shall return to that family in the Yovel.
23 And the land shall not be sold
in perpetuity; for the land is Mine; for ye are strangers and settlers with
Me. 24 And in all the land of
your possession ye shall grant a redemption for the land.
HASHEM owns the land
and has given you this portion for an inheritance.
25 If thy brother be waxen poor,
and sell some of his possession, then shall his kinsman that is next unto him
come, and shall redeem that which his brother hath sold. 26 And if a man have no one to redeem it, and he
be waxen rich and find sufficient means to redeem it; 27 then let him count the years of the sale
thereof, and restore the overplus unto the man to whom he sold it; and he shall
return unto his possession. 28 But if he have
not sufficient means to get it back for himself, then that which he hath sold
shall remain in the hand of him that hath bought it until the year of jubilee;
and in the jubilee it shall go out, and he shall return unto his
possession.
Relatives have the
Mitzvah to repurchase the sold land and return to their cousin who was/is in
debit. However, not all who have their land redeemed are capable of managing
and holding on to the land.
29 And if a man sell a
dwelling-house in a walled city, then he may redeem it within a whole year
after it is sold; for a full year shall he have the right of redemption. 30 And if it be not redeemed within the space of a
full year, then the house that is in the walled city shall be made sure in
perpetuity to him that bought it, throughout his generations; it shall not go
out in the jubilee.
The Country House and
the City House. In the country, it is part of the land and if sold returns
during the Yovel. In the city, the house after of year of possible redemption
is sold for perpetuity.
31 But the houses of the villages
which have no wall round about them shall be reckoned with the fields of the
country; they may be redeemed, and they shall go out in the jubilee. 32 But as for the cities of the Levites, the
houses of the cities of their possession, the Levites shall have a perpetual
right of redemption. 33 And if a man purchase
of the Levites, then the house that was sold in the city of his possession,
shall go out in the jubilee; for the houses of the cities of the Levites are
their possession among the children of Israel. 34 But the fields of the open land about their cities
may not be sold; for that is their perpetual possession.
The sale of a Levi’s
House is like the sale of a field of an average man and is returned when the
Yovel occurs.
35 And if thy brother be waxen
poor, and his means fail with thee; then thou shalt uphold him: as a stranger
and a settler shall he live with thee. 36 Take
thou no interest of him or increase; but fear thy God; that thy brother may
live with thee. 37 Thou shalt not
give him thy money upon interest, nor give him thy victuals for increase. 38 I am the LORD your God, who brought you forth
out of the land of Egypt, to give you the land of Canaan, to be your God.
Outside of a business
loan, one cannot take interest from a fellow Ben Yisrael.
39 And if thy brother be waxen poor
with thee, and sell himself unto thee, thou shalt
not make him to serve as a bondservant. 40 As a hired servant, and as a settler, he
shall be with thee; he shall serve with thee unto the year of jubilee. 41 Then shall he go out from thee, he and his children
with him, and shall return unto his own family, and unto the possession of his
fathers shall he return. 42 For they are My servants, whom I brought
forth out of the land of Egypt; they shall not be sold as bondmen.
This includes worker’s compensation similar to today only 3300
years earlier.
43 Thou shalt not rule over him with rigor; but shalt fear
thy God.
One must treat the ‘slave-servant’ with human dignity unlike
other peoples.
44 And as for thy bondmen, and thy bondmaids, whom thou
mayest have: of the nations that are round about you, of them shall ye buy
bondmen and bondmaids. 45 Moreover of the children of the strangers
that do sojourn among you, of them may ye buy, and of their families that are
with you, which they have begotten in your land; and they may be your
possession. 46 And ye may make them an inheritance for your
children after you, to hold for a possession: of them may ye take your bondmen
forever; but over your brethren the children of Israel ye shall not rule, one
over another, with rigor.
We see in the Mishnah-Gemara on a number of occasions how
loyal was Tabai the slave of Rabban Gamliel and the treatment even mourning and
eulogy he received. The slave or servant was part of the family even though they
were on a different social status.
47 And if a stranger who is a settler with thee be waxen
rich, and thy brother be waxen poor beside him, and sell himself unto the
stranger who is a settler with thee, or to the offshoot of a stranger's family, 48 after that he is sold he may be redeemed; one of his
brethren may redeem him; 49 or his uncle, or his uncle's son, may redeem
him, or any that is nigh of kin unto him of his family may redeem him; or if he
be waxen rich, he may redeem himself.
It was a Mitzvah for a family member to redeem a member who
became so poor that he had to sell himself into servitude.
50 And he shall reckon with him that bought him from the
year that he sold himself to him unto the year of jubilee; and the price of his
sale shall be according unto the number of years; according to the time of a
hired servant shall he be with him. 51 If there be yet many years, according unto
them he shall give back the price of his redemption out of the money that he
was bought for.
This was the price
scale for redemption according to the number of years.
52 And if there remain but few
years unto the year of jubilee, then he shall reckon with him; according unto
his years shall he give back the price of his redemption. 53 As a servant hired year by year shall he be
with him; he shall not rule with rigor over him in thy sight. 54 And if he be not redeemed by any of these
means, then he shall go out in the year of jubilee, he, and his children with
him.
The children of his Israeli
wife but a non-Jewish slave wife and her children belong to the master.
55 For unto Me the children of
Israel are servants; they are My servants whom I brought forth out of the land
of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.
G-D puts in the final
reason and word for these Halachos and that is you were once slaves and I
bought you for my servants. Therefore if you have servants you must follow my
commands on this subject.
26:1 Ye shall make you no idols, neither shall ye rear you up a
graven image, or a pillar, neither shall ye place any figured stone in your
land, to bow down unto it; for I am the LORD your God.
Idolatry is a denial
of the oneness of G-D.
2 Ye shall keep
My sabbaths, and reverence My sanctuary: I am the LORD.
Another denial of the
DIVINE is the willful violation of Shabbos. One must do his best to observe
these laws.
3 If ye walk in
My statutes, and keep My commandments, and do them; 4 then I will
give your rains in their season, and the land shall yield her produce, and the
trees of the field shall yield their fruit.
As the Parsha
switches to Bechukosai, we are told to observe (all of the) commandments. If
you observe and do the commandments then you will bring a blessing upon the
land and the fruit.
5 And your
threshing shall reach unto the vintage, and the vintage shall reach unto the
sowing time; and ye shall eat your bread until ye have enough, and dwell in
your land safely.
By observance, you
will gain security and wealth.
6 And I will
give peace in the land, and ye shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid;
and I will cause evil beasts to cease out of the land, neither shall the sword
go through your land. 7 And ye shall chase your enemies, and they
shall fall before you by the sword.
Your enemies will be
driven out from your presence.
8 And five of
you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall chase ten thousand; and
your enemies shall fall before you by the sword.
This Pasuk is read
always close to Yom Yerushalayim and the chasing of 2,500,000 Jews vs.
150,000,000 Arabs during the Six Day War.
9 And I will
have respect unto you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you; and will
establish My covenant with you.
I will bless you but
the fools conquered the Temple Mount and handed over to the Arab Warf.
10 And ye shall
eat old store long kept, and ye shall bring forth the old from before the
new. 11 And I will set My tabernacle among you, and My soul shall not
abhor you. 12 And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye
shall be My people. 13 I am the LORD your God, who brought you forth
out of the land of Egypt, that ye should not be their bondmen; and I have
broken the bars of your yoke, and made you go upright.
The blessings end here and the warnings about going
astray start now.
14 But if ye
will not hearken unto Me, and will not do all these commandments; 15 and
if ye shall reject My statutes, and if your soul abhor Mine ordinances, so that
ye will not do all My commandments, but break My covenant; 16 I also
will do this unto you: I will appoint terror over you, even consumption and
fever, that shall make the eyes to fail, and the soul to languish; and ye shall
sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. 17 And I will
set My face against you, and ye shall be smitten before your enemies; they that
hate you shall rule over you; and ye shall flee when none pursues
you. 18 And if ye will not yet for these things hearken unto Me, then
I will chastise you seven times more for your sins. 19 And I will
break the pride of your power; and I will make your heaven as iron, and your
earth as brass. 20 And your strength shall be spent in vain; for your
land shall not yield her produce, neither shall the trees of the land yield
their fruit.
All this about a
first rebellion against G-D.
21 And if ye
walk contrary unto Me, and will not hearken unto Me; I will bring seven times
more plagues upon you according to your sins. 22 And I will send the
beast of the field among you, which shall rob you of your children, and destroy
your cattle, and make you few in number; and your ways shall become
desolate.
The punishment is
small for walking contrary but continuing on and on makes things exponential
worst.
23 And if in
spite of these things ye will not be corrected unto Me, but will walk contrary
unto Me; 24 then will I also walk contrary unto you; and I will smite
you, even I, seven times for your sins.
You ignored the first
warning and walk contrary. Now you become more rebellious.
25 And I will
bring a sword upon you, that shall execute the vengeance of the covenant; and
ye shall be gathered together within your cities; and I will send the
pestilence among you; and ye shall be delivered into the hand of the
enemy. 26 When I break your staff of bread, ten women shall bake your
bread in one oven, and they shall deliver your bread again by weight; and ye
shall eat, and not be satisfied. …
Not only is the fact
that the enemy is at your door so is poverty and hunger.
28 then I will
walk contrary unto you in fury; and I also will chastise you seven times for
your sins. 29 And ye shall eat the flesh of your sons, and the flesh
of your daughters shall ye eat. 30 And I will destroy your high
places, and cut down your sun-pillars, and cast your carcasses upon the
carcasses of your idols; and My soul shall abhor you. 31 And I will
make your cities a waste, and will bring your sanctuaries unto desolation, and
I will not smell the savor of your sweet odors. … 38 And ye
shall perish among the nations, and the land of your enemies shall eat you
up. 39 And they that are left of you shall pine away in their
iniquity in your enemies' lands; and also in the iniquities of their fathers
shall they pine away with them. … 41 I also will walk contrary unto them,
and bring them into the land of their enemies; if then perchance their
uncircumcised heart be humbled, and they then be paid the punishment of their
iniquity;
Only humbleness and
resolve not to sin can turn things around.
42 then will I
remember My covenant with Jacob, and also My covenant with Isaac, and also My
covenant with Abraham will I remember; and I will remember the
land. 43 For the land shall lie forsaken without them, and shall be
paid her sabbaths, while she lieth desolate without them; and they shall be paid
the punishment of their iniquity; because, even because they rejected Mine
ordinances, and their soul abhorred My statutes. 44 And yet for all
that, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them,
neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly, and to break My covenant
with them; for I am the LORD their God. 45 But I will for their sakes
remember the covenant of their ancestors, whom I brought forth out of the land
of Egypt in the sight of the nations, that I might be their God: I am the
LORD. 46 These are the statutes and ordinances and laws, which the
LORD made between Him and the children of Israel in mount Sinai by the hand of
Moses.
Only because of righteous
ancestors will HASHEM allow them to repent and remain in the lands.
27:1 And the LORD spoke unto Moses,
saying: 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them:
When a man shall clearly utter a vow of persons unto the LORD, according to thy
valuation, 3 then thy valuation
shall be for the male from twenty years old even unto sixty years old, even thy
valuation shall be fifty shekels of silver, after the shekel of the
sanctuary. 4 And if it be a female,
then thy valuation shall be thirty shekels. 5 And if it be from five years old even unto twenty
years old, then thy valuation shall be for the male twenty shekels, and for the
female ten shekels. 6 And if it be
from a month old even unto five years old, then thy valuation shall be for the
male five shekels of silver, and for the female thy valuation shall be three
shekels of silver. 7 And if it be
from sixty years old and upward: if it be a male, then thy valuation shall be
fifteen shekels, and for the female ten shekels. 8 But if he be too poor for thy valuation, then he
shall be set before the priest, and the priest shall value him; according to
the means of him that vowed shall the priest value him.
These are values of
people wishing to dedicate themselves to the Mikdash and the price of
redemption.
… 30 And
all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of
the tree, is the LORD'S; it is holy unto the LORD. 31 And if a man will redeem aught of his tithe, he shall
add unto it the fifth part thereof. 32 And
all the tithe of the herd or the flock, whatsoever passes under the rod, the
tenth shall be holy unto the LORD. 33 He
shall not inquire whether it be good or bad, neither shall he change it; and if
he change it at all, then both it and that for which it is changed shall be
holy; it shall not be redeemed.
Once the animal has
become Maaser, it cannot be exchanged even with a better heavier, fatter and
less blemished animal but it has the holiness of Maaser.
34 These are the commandments, which the LORD commanded
Moses for the children of Israel in mount Sinai.
Chazak – Chazak v’ nit Chazak
From Hebron
to Meron by Rabbi Yerachmiel Tilles
http://ascentofsafed.com/cgi-bin/ascent.cgi?Name=1326-33
It was a typical autumn day in 1906 when Rabbi Yedidya
Horodner walked into the "Tiferet Yisrael" synagogue in the Old City of Jerusalem with a big smile on his
face. With a grand flourish he placed a bottle of whiskey and some cake on the
table, and invited everyone to make a "l'chayim."
The congregants wondered what the cause for celebration might be. A rumor had
been circulating that the day before, Rabbi Horodner had gone to all the local
yeshivas and distributed candy to the children. Something good had obviously
occurred, and they waited expectantly to hear what it was.
Indeed, after everyone had made a blessing on the cake and lifted a few
glasses, the Rabbi filled them in:
The whole story revolved around the Rabbi's nephew, a 15-year-old boy
named Shmuel Rosen who was originally from Riga. His
father, Rabbi Ozer Rosen, had sent the lad to his uncle when he was only
eight years old, in the belief that there was no better place in the world to
develop the boy's intellectual talents than the holy city.
Rabbi Horodner raised little Shmuel as if he was his own son, and the boy
flourished. He was a delightful child, and exceptionally devoted to his
studies.
A few weeks ago, however, disaster had struck. After experiencing deteriorating
vision for several months, Shmuel was now completely blind. The total darkness
had set in as he was sitting and poring over a volume of the Talmud.
The boy's spirit was completely broken. For days and nights he wept over his
fate, most bitterly over his inability to study Torah by himself. Suffering
from a profound sadness, he withdrew and rarely ventured from his room.
His uncle felt helpless, until it occurred to him that a change of place might
do the boy good. He contacted his friend, Reb Shimon Hoizman of
Hebron, who agreed to let the boy stay in his house. Shmuel felt a little
better in Hebron, but remained very depressed.
At that time the Jewish community of Hebron was headed by two Torah giants: the
Sefardic Rabbi Chizkiyahu Medini (author of Sde Chemed),
and the Chasidic Rabbi Shimon-Menashe Chaikin, the chief Ashkenazic
authority in the city. Every evening at midnight, the two Rabbis would go to
the Cave of Machpelah, the resting place of the Jewish
Patriarchs and Matriarchs [1], to recite Tikkun Chatzos (a
special prayer lamenting the destruction of the Holy Temple).
R. Shimon Hoizman was very affected by the boy's suffering. But what could he
do to help? Then one evening, he came up with a plan....
About a half hour before midnight R. Shimon went into Shmuel's room. "Wake
up, son," he whispered to him softly. "Get dressed and follow
me." The two went off into the night, in the direction of Rabbi Chaikin's
courtyard.
A few minutes later the two chief Rabbis could be seen approaching, on their
way to the Cave of Machpelah. As soon as they reached the spot where R. Shimon
and Shmuel were standing, R. Shimon disappeared, leaving Shmuel by himself. The
two Rabbis quickly realized that Shmuel was blind. They gently asked him how he
had become sightless.
When the young man got up to the part about how he had become totally blind
while studying, Rabbi Medini asked if he remembered the last words he had been
able to see. "Of course, I remember!" Shmuel responded. "They
were in Tractate Chullin, page 36A: 'On whom can we depend? Come,
let us rely on the words of Rabbi Shimon [Bar Yochai]'"
The two Rabbis became very excited. "If that is the case," they said
almost simultaneously, "then you can certainly rely on the holy Rabbi
Shimon Bar Yochai to help you. Go to his grave in Meron, ask for his
blessing, and G-d will surely heal you."
The next morning Shmuel returned to Jerusalem, and the very same day he and his
uncle set off for Meron. It was a difficult journey, but after several days
they arrived safely. Even before they approached the holy gravesite they were
filled with a feeling of confidence. For days they remained at the grave of
Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, praying steadily to G-d for a miraculous recovery.
The miracle occurred exactly one week later. Rabbi Horodner was reading aloud
from the Gemara when all of sudden Shmuel let out a yelp. "Uncle! I can
see your shadow!"
Over the course of the next few days Shmuel's vision improved steadily, until
13 days later it was restored completely. Still camped out at the holy
gravesite, uncle and nephew broke out into a spontaneous dance, as they sang
the verses that are traditionally sung on Lag B’Omer, the
anniversary of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai's passing:
"His teachings are our protection;
they are the light of our eyes.
He is our advocate for good,
Rabban Shimon Bar Yochai..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Source: Excerpted and supplemented by Yerachmiel Tilles from
lchaimweekly .org #645 (5761/2001)
Connection: Lag B’Omer in Meron
Biographical notes:
Rabbi Chizkiyahu Medini [1832 - 24 Kislev 1904] was born and raised in
Jerusalem. After many years in Turkey, Bukhara and the Crimea, he returned to
the Holy Land in 1878 and became the head of the rabbinical court and main
yeshiva in Hebron in 1880, where he successfully revitalized the
Jewish educational and social institutions. He is best known for his
monumental, universally-acclaimed 18-volume Talmudic and halachic
encyclopedia, Sde Chemed (the only non-Chabad book ever
published by the official Chabad publishing company). A beloved leader
everywhere he served, he dedicated his life to the dissemination of Torah study
and deeds of kindness. As a result of his influence, many attacks on Hebron's
Jews were averted, and a number of heavy fines and taxes were revoked. Even the
Arab inhabitants of Hebron accepted him as a holy man. After his burial they
tried to steal his body and bury him in a mosque, but were unsuccessful.
Rabbi Shimon-Menashe Chaikin (1777-1893), was among the most prominent
disciples of the Mitteler Rebbe and the Tzemach Tzedek [the
2nd & 3rd Lubavitcher Rebbes]. He immigrated from Slutsk to Eretz Israel in
1819, and there served as the rabbi and leader of the Chabad congregation of
Hebron for over seventy years. Blessed with longevity, he lived until the age
of 116 years.
Footnotes: [1]Abraham & Sarah,
Isaac & Rebecca, Jacob & Leah; and according to tradition, Adam & Eve.
Miraculous Mugging by Rabbi Yerachmiel Tilles.
http://ascentofsafed.com/cgi-bin/ascent.cgi?Name=1325-32
In the second quarter of the 20th century, there lived in New York
City a poor Jewish widow. Her husband, who had been a Rabbi, suddenly passed
away just a year or so after the birth of their first son, Moshe, in 1921,
leaving her alone to provide.
She managed to make ends meet by cleaning houses and somehow scraped together
enough each week to get along and even to put a bit of money aside. But then
tragedy struck.
Moshe became ill and the standard treatments that their family doctor
prescribed didn't help. He referred them to the hospital where, after extensive
testing, they also admitted that they couldn't diagnose the disease but it
looked bad.
She had spent her meager savings but she certainly did not give up. After
frantic searching and inquiring someone mentioned the name of a great
specialist. Sparing no time, she got his phone number, called his office,
requested that he make a house call and assured him that money was not an
obstacle.
When the professor arrived at her run-down apartment building he began having
serious doubts, and when he knocked on her door, entered and saw that poverty
was screaming from every corner he had an urge to just turn around and go home.
But something told him to accept it with equanimity.
He examined the boy, went to the sink to wash his hands, turned to her and
said. "Your son has a rare disease. I know what it is, I know what the
cure is and I know where you can get the medicine. It's in a large drug store
about three miles from here. They are the only ones that can make it. But
there's a problem. It will be very expensive; a few thousand dollars.[1]I'm
willing to forget about my payment, but do you have money to pay for the
medicine? They won't give it to you for free, that's for sure. What are you
going to do?"
The woman, tears of gratitude filling her eyes, thanked the doctor profusely
and firmly stated that as far as the money goes she was sure that G-d would
help.
He packed up his instruments, wrote out the prescription, she thanked him again
and again and as soon as he left she ran outside, caught a taxi to the
pharmacy, approached the counter and handed the prescription to the pharmacist.
The pharmacist took the prescription and as he examined it his brow raised in
wonder and he glanced at her several times. Then he leaned forward, narrowed
his eyes and said to her skeptically, "This will take a while and will
cost a few thousand dollars. Have you got the money?"
She stood straight, stared him back in the eyes and replied that she was
prepared to promise that she would come in and clean the drugstore every
evening after she finished work until she covered the bill. She was willing to
even to put the agreement in writing and sign it, but she needed the medicine
to save her son's life.
The pharmacist relaxed a bit. He smiled and replied that, in fact, she was in
good luck because their cleaning woman just quit and they needed a replacement.
But it would only be for two hours a day and at that rate it would take…he took
out a pencil and paper, began calculating, and when he finished he looked up
and announced: one year and eight months to pay off the debt!
She immediately agreed, signed a paper obligating herself to work until she had
paid for the cure, and in one hour was on her way out the door with several
bottles of medicine and instructions how to use them in her purse.
However, when she looked in her pocket book she realized that she had spent her
last of her money on the taxi and now didn't even have a coin for bus fare. So,
she began walking home, striding along as quickly as possible.
It was cold outside but she was sweating. It was over an hour's walk to her
house and by the time she had walked one hour it was already dark. There was no
one around, she was alone, it was getting really cold and she was passing
through a bad neighborhood. She put her purse under her coat so as not to draw
unwanted attention, quickened her gait, said a few prayers, looked down at the
pavement in front of her and walked as fast as possible, careful not to look
up.
But it didn't help.
Suddenly she felt someone grab her by the shoulders from the front, push her
against a wall and say almost sarcastically, "Whatchu got there under that
coat?"
She looked up to see a
massive man who had wrested her purse from her and was opening it. A freezing
wind was blowing. No one was around.
"Please" she pleaded. "I have no money. All I have is medicine
for my sick son, he's dying. Please…please let me go!" But that didn't
work either.
"Medicine!?" he smiled! "Let's see. Medicine huh? Maybe it's
something good!" He opened one of the bottles, took a big smell and waited
for something to happen.
"Ich! Ugh! It's
terrible! It smells like puke!" he yelled as he opened the rest and poured
their contents all over her head and coat. Then he pushed her again against the
wall and slapped her face hard, knocking her down to the pavement. Spitting and
cursing, he threw the empty bottles and her empty purse at her and ran off.
Whimpering silently from the trauma, she determinedly managed to stand up
without hesitating. After brushing herself off, she picked up the bottles and
returned them to her purse, buttoned up her coat and began walking to the drug
store as fast as possible, even though she was limping a bit, while praying it
was still open.
An hour later she
arrived and with tears thanked G-d that it indeed was still open. She again
entered and approached the counter. When the pharmacist appeared from the back
room and saw her he gasped, "My G-d, what happened to you!? And what is
that unpleasant smell? Your face is all swollen? Please, sit down. I'll get you
some water. What exactly is that smell?!"
She refused the water, said she was all right and explained quickly. "I
got beaten and robbed. Thank G-d I'm alive. But it's not really important. The
main thing is that right now I no longer have the medicine and of course I
still need the medicine. Please, give me the paper I signed and I'll sign for
another year eight months. Please, I must have that medicine for my son."
The pharmacist stared at her and began to tremble. "Tell me," he
asked plaintively, in a voice emanating fear, "that smell and that stain
on your coat…that's the medicine?"
"Yes." She answered as she took the empty bottle from her purse and
handed it to him. "But it's not important what happened to me. I
need…."
The pharmacist cut her short, took the bottle, read the label, put his hand
over his face and almost fell over backwards as he repeated to himself
"No! Oh no! I don't believe it! It can't be! No!"
As he removed his hand and looked again at the bottle, his eyes filled with
tears. He gazed at her as though she was a ghost and kept repeating "I
don't believe it. I just can't believe it!"
After a few minutes he came to himself and said almost in a whisper,
"Listen! I made a mistake. A terrible mistake! I gave you the wrong
medicine! If your son would have taken what I gave you it would have killed
him. Do you understand? I would have killed him! He'd be dead.
"It's
crazy," he added, after a few moments of intense thought, "but do you
realize what a miracle it was that that you got robbed!"
He wiped his brow, leaned forward, lowered his voice and said, "Listen,
lady, please don't tell anyone about this. No one! If this became known I could
lose my license. Look, I'll give you the right medicine, and for free. Just
wait here." He disappeared into the back room and in a minute returned
with several bottles identical to the first.
"Here. No charge. And here, watch this!" He took the contract she
signed and ripped it up. Then he took out his wallet and gave her a bill,
"Here is a hundred dollars. This time, take a cab home; don't walk! And
the rest, spend it on your son."
He also provided her
some gauze pads and ointments and put them in a bag. "Here is something
for that swelling on your face. But please, you must not tell anyone. Not until
I retire, which will be in ten years or so. Okay? If you feel that you deserve
more money, just tell me. I'll be delighted to give you."
She shook her head no and even tried to give the hundred dollars back, but he
insisted she take it for her son. Next, he escorted her outside and hailed a
cab for her, which he promptly paid for in advance.
The medicine worked. Her son not only lived, he grew to be a rabbi of great
stature; Rabbi Moshe Sherer, who became the chairman of Agudath Yisroel
branch in the U.S.A, an eventually of the entire international organization,
until his death in 1998. He used to tell this story every year on the
anniversary of his mother's passing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Source: Excerpted and adapted by Yerachmiel Tilles from an emailing of
Rabbi Tuvia Bolton in April 2020, who heard it from Rabbi Chayim Dayan in Kfar
Chabad.
Biographical note:
Rabbi Moshe Sherer [5681 - 23 Sivan 5758 (1921 - May 1998)] was
co-Chairman of the Agudath Israel World Organization from 1980, and the
Chairman of Agudath Israel of America from the 1960s, until his death in 1998
of leukemia. He utilized his prestigious positions, to advocate the interests
and articulate the views of Orthodox Jewry for better than half-a-century.
(from https://www.jewage.org/)
Connection: This is the first full week of
the Jewish month of IYAR, known as the "Month of Healing." [In
Hebrew, the letters of Iyar are an acronym for "I, G-d, am your
doctor."]
Footnotes:
[1]An enormous sum. A dollar in 1920 was equivalent to over $15 in 2020!
My cousin Vivian sent me
two articles about her mother-in-law. Her sons Tom and Emil, Vivian’s husband,
did not want the Cohanic Name in the new country because of Hitler and antisemites
that haunted their parents s. The picture in this article of her visiting the
Czech Republic “The story will keep coming out” is how I remember her. https://www.timesofisrael.com/sewing-for-survival-the-last-of-auschwitzs-forgotten-dressmakers-dies/
This picture is very
good and another story. https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Holocaust-survivor-Berta-Berkovich-Kohut-who-15963971.php
Milestone: Newton Minow, 97, former FCC Chief. https://www.timesofisrael.com/newton-minow-ex-fcc-chief-and-tireless-champion-for-quality-television-dies-at-97/
Inyanay Diyoma
Accumulation of May 5 – 8.
Jordan attacked Hezballah positions
in Southern Syria. It appears that not only Israelis bother Hezballah.
Judicial Reform is Dead. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/371016
96year old Canadian Man circumcised.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/371011
An attempt was made Erev Shabbos to
bring a Pesach Sheni sacrifice.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/371012
Supreme Court leaves Bedouin
Encampment in Place. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/371029
No problem with differences over
Israeli’s Security. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/371056
Reason why Ben Gvir boycotted
Cabinet. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/371064
No intention of backing down. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/371015
Both DeSantis and Trump lead Biden
6%. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/371055
TX 8 dead in mall shooting. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/371069
First
Jewish Housing Project in Chevron. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/371050
Kosher
for Shabbos Electricity Plant. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/371051
Eliminate Arab terror
infrastructure. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/371030
Females sing, religious soldiers ask
to leave event. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/371114
Shin Bet revelations on Beitar Bus
Bombing. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/371095
Lag B’ Omer in Meron. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/371110
Druze security guard attacked for
speaking Arabic. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/371108
Antisemite throws rock at Jew in
Queens. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/371115
US hoping for Saudi-Israeli
breakthrough. https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-742201
https://www.timesofisrael.com/the-jewish-details-of-king-charles-coronation-shabbat-arrangements-jerusalem-oil/ also https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/371027
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-razes-eu-funded-palestinian-school-near-bethlehem/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/nick-gilbert-son-of-cleveland-cavaliers-owner-dan-gilbert-dies-at-26/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/yael-greenberg-victim-of-notorious-1988-gang-rape-dies-at-age-49/
Arab arrested for teaching children
how to handle gun. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/bjkhq7rnn
Sidney Riley, Jewish Spy, who
inspired James Bond Books. https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/article-742103
Arab teens rape Polish Tourist in
front of partner. https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-742333
May 9
At a little after 2:30 AM, Israel
opened up Shield and Arrow operation in Gaza. Three top Jihadis were taken out
at the same time. They were supposed to go to Egypt tomorrow. One had Russian
Citizenship. 10 family members also died or as we say less Amalek in the world.
Nahal Oz closed off due to danger of anti-tank missiles. The question is if
Hamas will enter the fray? USA was notified about 12 hours ahead of time. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/371141
https://www.timesofisrael.com/100-year-old-holocaust-survivor-throws-first-pitch-for-tampa-bay-rays/
Sea turtle nest in Acco. https://www.jpost.com/environment-and-climate-change/article-742527
Tunisian Synagogue shot at. https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-742572
"This morning, the State of Israel carried
out a decisive and justified action. In Operation Shield and Arrow, the IDF
eliminated the senior leaders of the Islamic Jihad in Gaza. They are
responsible for launching the rockets last week and directing many terrorist
operations in Judea and Samaria," – Netanyahu. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/371174
Kangaroo Court 30years after claims.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/371179
Suicide by cop Jewish Woman dresses
like Arab. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/371171
May 10,
469 rockets and then more afterwards,
about 100 fell in Gaza. Most were stopped and unfortunately some caused damage.
The Defense Minister praised the citizens for behaving properly. A strong
attack of 70 rockets in the evening. Then more in the night. Damage to property
in Ashkelon, Sderot and Netivot. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/371240
Bennett to CNN to apology for defending
Israel. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/371246
2 Jews murdered in Tunisian Attack. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/371180
The David's Sling missile defense system
performed its first successful interception of rocket in a combat scenario this
afternoon when a rocket fired at Tel Aviv was intercepted. Big blow to
Jihad. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/371237
May 11,
1 dead 5 wounded in Rehovot. Nearly
600 rockets shot since the beginning of the conflict. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/371303
The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said, “IDF
fighter jets targeted Ali Ghali, the commander of the rocket launching force of
the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip, who was in a
hideout apartment in Khan Yunis.” https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/371251
Deputy Commander eliminated. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/371296
Several Jihadis arrested. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/371302
Female soldier injured in Shomron is
hanging between life and death. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/rj8wdd9vh#autoplay
Against normalization with Assad. https://www.jpost.com/international/article-742758
https://www.timesofisrael.com/boy-5-dies-of-injuries-days-after-netanya-hit-and-run/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/palestinian-dies-of-wounds-sustained-in-west-bank-shootout-with-idf/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/3-ethiopians-waiting-to-immigrate-to-israel-killed-in-gondar-fighting/
Wolt expands business. https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/all-news/article-742601
US Nakba Day Cancelled. https://www.jpost.com/american-politics/article-742591
Israel makes Eurovision Final. https://www.jpost.com/j-spot/article-742573
Meteor crashes through home in NJ. https://www.jpost.com/science/article-742593
Kenyan President visits Kotel. https://www.jpost.com/western_wall/article-742534
Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who was taken off the
air by the network last month, said on Tuesday he would relaunch his show on
Twitter "soon." https://www.jpost.com/international/article-742586
Just before publication it was
announced a humanitarian corridor in Sudan as talks continue. Israel warned
Jihad it would be hit relentlessly until there is a cease-fire.
Have a wonderful healthy
Shabbos,
Rachamim Pauli
