Please add Sofia Sarah bas Miriam Maya
Parsha Shoftim
In Parsha Yisro, we
learned the division of Rabbis/Judges. This week we go into more details
regarding the judgement itself.
Rabbi Pinchas Winston @ Torah.org There are basically two types
of Mitzvos, Mishpatim and Chukim, or
judgments and statutes. In English there is not much difference between the
two, but in Torah law there is. A Mishpat, like “do not steal,” is
a law whose relevance to life we can see. A Chok, like not cooking
meat and milk together, is a Torah law whose rational seems beyond us—for now.
We just don’t see how not doing so makes the world a better place, especially
since non-Jews cook milk and meat together all the time, seemingly without
consequence.
That is the difference
between Mishpat and Chok in terms of
definitions. What does it mean in terms of reality? – introduction to his Drasha this
week.
16:18 Judges and
officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, which the LORD thy God gives
thee, tribe by tribe; and they shall judge the people with righteous
judgment.
It is more than trial by peers. The tribes had to be
somewhere in the neighborhood and from distant family members. With a similar
background and lineage ones judges are judging with real understanding. One
cannot claim I grew up in crowded Tel Aviv and if I grew up in sparse Galil
etc. The judge grew up close by and does not buy your excuse as he did not turn
out that way.
The initial Judge or Shofet is one of ten and learned enough
in simple matters to render a simple judgement. Example: On Shabbos can I write
my school essay? More difficult
questions were sent to the Judge of 50 or 100. Then up to a Beis Din or small
Sanhedrin.
19 Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect
persons; neither shalt thou take a gift; for a gift doth blind the eyes of the
wise, and pervert the words of the righteous.
It is not only a judge but a political figure who might take
a gift from a foreign entity, religion or person.
20 Justice, justice shalt thou follow, that thou mayest
live, and inherit the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
The Judges were to render the Justice not according to rich
or poor, learned or boorish, short or tall rather no political agenda and be
within the confines of the Din. It is not easy. Pirkei Avos states that when
the two parties come before you they are both guilty and when they leave they
are innocent as they have accepted upon themselves the Din.
21 Thou shalt not plant thee an Asherah of any kind of
tree beside the altar of the LORD thy God, which thou shalt make thee. 22 Neither shalt thou set thee up a pillar, which the
LORD thy God hates.
In certain spots the land is barren and an Asherah Tree stands
out with deep roots or a pillar of stones to Hermes or Mercury on the way as
the Goyim at that time did. Today the new Avoda Zara is Atheism or nothing.
Having an all seeing living G-D that we in three dimensions cannot see does not
preclude HIS existence.
17:1 Thou shalt not sacrifice unto the LORD thy God an ox, or a
sheep, wherein is a blemish, even any evil thing; for that is an abomination
unto the LORD thy God. … 5 then shalt thou bring forth that
man or that woman, who have done this evil thing, unto thy gates, even the man
or the woman; and thou shalt stone them with stones, that they
die. 6 At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he
that is to die be put to death; at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put
to death.
The Torah cannot use one witness even if he is on the level
of Moshe for only upon two witnesses can a thing be established.
7 The
hand of the witnesses shall be first upon him to put him to death, and
afterward the hand of all the people. So thou shalt put away the evil from the
midst of thee. 8 If there arise a matter too hard for thee in
judgment, between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke
and stroke, even matters of controversy within thy gates; then shalt thou
arise, and get thee up unto the place which the LORD thy God shall
choose.
Under the Torah there can never be a he said – she said
situation except in a divorce case as two witnesses have to establish the
authenticity. Even a film of the woman committing adultery or an oral confession
or conversation of hanky-panky cannot be accepted in court unless two witnesses
filmed or recorded the situation and they testify.
Blood to blood is the checking if the blood is that of a
wound, puss or Niddah. Only after all conflict and controversy is calmed down
can one arise and go before the L-RD.
9 And
thou shall come unto the priests the Levites, and unto the judge that shall be
in those days; and thou shalt inquire; and they shall declare unto thee the
sentence of judgment. 10 And thou shalt do according to the tenor of
the sentence, which they shall declare unto thee from that place which the LORD
shall choose; and thou shalt observe to do according to all that they shall
teach thee. 11 According to the law which they shall teach thee, and
according to the judgment which they shall tell thee, thou shalt do; thou shalt
not turn aside from the sentence which they shall declare unto thee, to the
right hand, nor to the left. 12 And the man that does presumptuously,
in not hearkening unto the priest that stands to minister there before the LORD
thy God, or unto the judge, even that man shall die; and thou shalt exterminate
the evil from Israel.
At times when there is no king or central authority, the law
shall be done by the Leviim and Cohanim as they get Teruma and Maaser that
covers their expenses. They are your teachers and holy men.
13 And
all the people shall hear, and fear, and do no more presumptuously.
The Bnei Yisrael respected their elders, Cohanim, Leviim and Shoftim
that were Sages.
14 When
thou art come unto the land which the LORD thy God gives thee, and shalt
possess it, and shalt dwell therein; and shalt say: 'I will set a king over me,
like all the nations that are round about me'; 15 thou shalt in any
wise set him king over thee, whom the LORD thy God shall choose; one from among
thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee; thou mayest not put a foreigner
over thee, who is not thy brother.
What is a king or government for? Waging war, building
schools, roads, hospitals, wells or other water supply facilities and public
transportation.
16 Only
he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to
Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses; forasmuch as the LORD hath
said unto you: 'Ye shall henceforth return no more that way.'
The leader should not have in modern terms excess cars,
tanks, planes, etc.
17 Neither
shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away; neither shall
he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.
HaMelech Shlomo was able to have a lot of horses, collect
silver and gold for the Mikdash and his throne. But could not stop idol worship
and other nonsense under his many wives and mistresses. For a woman knows how
to spin around a man’s head no matter how high his IQ and hundreds of women are
too much even for the wisest man to manage.
18 And
it shall be, when he sits upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write
him a copy of this law in a book, out of that which is before the priests the
Levites.
Our Sages indicate that the king commissions two Sifrei
Torah. This one at his palace with the Cohanim and Leviim and his ministers.
19 And
it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life; that
he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and
these statutes, to do them;
The second Sefer Torah is one that travels with him
everywhere. It is per sec his nuclear code key. He reads it during war, on the
road or at his resting place during his travels. You might say that my computer
or smart phone today contains this information.
20 that
his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from
the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left; to the end that he may
prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his children, in the midst of Israel.
Just like Dovid HaMelech was the same humble shepherd,
youngest brother, when he ruled; so too the kings after him shall act that way.
One has to feel like an ordinary Yisrael to be king of the country so that he
understands hunger, poverty, abuse and pain and not have his mind on the
luxuries of the palace.
18:1
The priests the Levites, even all the tribe of Levi,
shall have no portion nor inheritance with Israel; they shall eat the offerings
of the LORD made by fire, and His inheritance. 2 And they shall have no inheritance among their
brethren; the LORD is their inheritance, as He hath spoken unto them.
They have a small amount for growing crops around the city of
the Leviim but mostly receive their food from the tithes.
3 And this shall be the priests' due from the people,
from them that offer a sacrifice, whether it be ox or sheep, that they shall
give unto the priest the shoulder, and the two cheeks, and the maw. 4 The first-fruits of thy corn, of thy wine, and of
thine oil, and the first of the fleece of thy sheep, shalt thou give him. 5 For the LORD thy God hath chosen him out of all thy
tribes, to stand to minister in the name of the LORD, him and his sons
forever.
Each sacrifice has a gift of the cheeks, stomach, right
shoulder for the Cohain to eat perhaps Pesach is an exception to this rule.
6 And if a Levite come from any of thy gates out of all
Israel, where he sojourns, and come with all the desire of his soul unto the
place which the LORD shall choose; 7 then
he shall minister in the name of the LORD his God, as all his brethren the
Levites do, who stand there before the LORD. 8 They shall have like portions to eat, beside that
which is his due according to the fathers' houses.
Do not forget the portions due to the Leviim.
9 When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy
God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those
nations.
He starts a list of various abominations before G-D.
10 There shall not be found among you any one that makes
his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, one that uses divination, a
soothsayer, or an enchanter, or a sorcerer, 11 or a charmer, or one that consults a ghost or a
familiar spirit, or a necromancer. 12 For
whosoever does these things is an abomination unto the LORD; and because of
these abominations the LORD thy God is driving them out from before thee. 13 Thou shalt be whole-hearted with the LORD thy
God.
Trying to play around with all sorts of negative spiritual
things are harmful for your soul. This week a Giyores that I worked with got
this nonsense on her phone. … the illuminati or there are principles which we follow, you
have been chosen as the high mistress for Israel which will take you to high
places, high connections and also there will be extra benefits for you as the
high mistress…satanic ram. So perhaps idolatry is not
100% rooted out in the world it is sickening that these things still exist
today.
14 For these nations, that thou art to dispossess,
hearken unto soothsayers, and unto diviners; but as for thee, the LORD thy God
hath not suffered thee so to do.
Keep away from all these negative spiritual energies.
15 A prophet will the LORD thy God raise up unto thee,
from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall
hearken; 16 according to all that
thou didst desire of the LORD thy God in Horeb in the day of the assembly,
saying: 'Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God, neither let me see
this great fire any more, that I die not.' 17 And the LORD said unto me: 'They have well said that
which they have spoken. 18 I will
raise them up a prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee; and I will
put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak unto them all that I shall
command him. 19 And it shall come to
pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto My words which he shall speak in My
name, I will require it of him. 20 But
the prophet, that shall speak a word presumptuously in My name, which I have
not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, that
same prophet shall die.'
False prophets shall be put to death.
21 And if thou say in thy heart: 'How shall we know the
word which the LORD hath not spoken?' 22 When
a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the thing follows not, nor come to
pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken; the prophet hath spoken
it presumptuously, thou shalt not be afraid of him.
Only if something good is to happen. Example: The Moshiach will
come by such and such a date no later than high noon and he does not come or
you did not win the lottery, then the prophet is false. However, if it is
something bad like the destruction of Nineveh and Yonah’s prophecy did not come
to pass, it could be that the people repented of their evil ways.
19:1 When the LORD thy God shall cut off the nations, whose
land the LORD thy God giveth thee, and thou dost succeed them, and dwell in
their cities, and in their houses; 2 thou shalt separate three cities
for thee in the midst of thy land, which the LORD thy GOD gives thee to possess
it. 3 Thou shalt prepare thee the way, and divide the borders of thy
land, which the LORD thy God causes thee to inherit, into three parts, that
every manslayer may flee thither. 4 And this is the case of the
manslayer, that shall flee thither and live: whoso kills his neighbor unawares,
and hated him not in time past; 5 as when a man goes into the forest
with his neighbor to hew wood, and his hand fetches a stroke with the axe to
cut down the tree, and the head slip from the helve, and lights upon his neighbor,
that he die; he shall flee unto one of these cities and live; 6 lest
the avenger of blood pursue the manslayer, while his heart is hot, and overtake
him, because the way is long, and smite him mortally; whereas he was not
deserving of death, inasmuch as he hated him not in time past.
Accidental homicide or involuntary manslaughter is protected
in these cities.
7 Wherefore
I command thee, saying: 'Thou shalt separate three cities for
thee.' 8 And if the LORD thy God enlarge thy border, as He hath sworn
unto thy fathers, and give thee all the land which He promised to give unto thy
fathers—
These people for not following safety instructions or other
procedure they are exiled.
9 if
thou shalt keep all this commandment to do it, which I command thee this day,
to love the LORD thy God, and to walk ever in His ways--then shalt thou add
three cities more for thee, beside these three; 10 that innocent
blood be not shed in the midst of thy land, which the LORD thy God giveth thee
for an inheritance, and so blood be upon thee. 11 But if any man hate
his neighbor, and lie in wait for him, and rise up against him, and smite him
mortally that he die; and he flee into one of these cities; 12 then
the elders of his city shall send and fetch him thence, and deliver him into
the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die. 13 Thine eye shall
not pity him, but thou shalt put away the blood of the innocent from Israel,
that it may go well with thee.
He has committed first degree murder and now the family of
the person killed can avenge his blood.
14 Thou
shalt not remove thy neighbor's landmark, which they of old time have set, in
thine inheritance which thou shalt inherit, in the land that the LORD thy God
gives thee to possess it. 15 One witness shall not rise up against a man
for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sins; at the mouth of two
witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall a matter be
established.16 If an unrighteous witness rise up against any man to bear
perverted witness against him;
A minimum of two unrelated witnesses neither related to the
plaintiffs or themselves.
17 then
both the men, between whom the controversy is, shall stand before the LORD,
before the priests and the judges that shall be in those days. 18 And
the judges shall inquire diligently; and, behold, if the witness be a false
witness, and hath testified falsely against his brother; 19 then
shall ye do unto him, as he had purposed to do unto his brother; so shalt thou
put away the evil from the midst of thee.
What happens if a Levi and/or Yisrael become part of the
false witnesses and they say that somebody is not a Cohain but in truth he is.
Since they are not Cohanim and cannot be made a non-Cohain as this is their
current and birth status, then they get Makkos or up to 39 lashes for being
false witnesses.
20 And
those that remain shall hear, and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more any
such evil in the midst of thee. 21 And thine eye shall not pity: life
for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
Justice in every detail.
20:1
When thou go forth to battle against thine enemies,
and see horses, and chariots, and a people more than thou, thou shalt not be
afraid of them; for the LORD thy God is with thee, who brought thee up out of
the land of Egypt.
And today even against a terrorist group and our artillery
shakes the ground it is upsetting and unnerving for a peaceful person to go
even near the battle. (We had in the news this week about two PTSD people who
committed suicide and they volunteered for battle so things even today are not
so simple).
2 And it shall be, when ye draw nigh unto the battle,
that the priest shall approach and speak unto the people, 3 and shall say unto them: 'Hear, O Israel, ye draw
nigh this day unto battle against your enemies; let not your heart faint; fear
not, nor be alarmed, neither be ye affrighted at them; 4 for the LORD your God is He that goes with you, to
fight for you against your enemies, to save you.' 5 And the officers shall speak unto the people, saying:
'What man is there that hath built a new house, and hath not dedicated it? let
him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man
dedicate it. 6 And what man is there
that hath planted a vineyard, and hath not used the fruit thereof? let him go
and return unto his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man use the
fruit thereof. 7 And what man is
there that hath betrothed a wife, and hath not taken her? let him go and return
unto his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man take her.' 8 And the officers shall speak further unto the people,
and they shall say: 'What man is there that is fearful and faint-hearted? let
him go and return unto his house, lest his brethren's heart melt as his
heart.' 9 And it shall be, when the
officers have made an end of speaking unto the people, that captains of hosts
shall be appointed at the head of the people.
The last thing one needs is a person that runs from the
battle and starts a rout. Rather let the coward return with the exempt people.
[We have a great living hero named Aharon Karuv. He was a Lt. in Pillar Cloud
and married in the middle of the war with permission of his commanders. The
next day, he returned to lead his men, fell into a trap and his asst. commander
and the soldier carrying the walkie-talkie were all injured. He was sustained
the worst injury of the war and his face had to be rebuilt. Excepted by the Torah
but responsible to his men under his command and love for Am Yisrael.]
10 When thou draw nigh unto a city to fight against it,
then proclaim peace unto it. 11 And
it shall be, if it make thee answer of peace, and open unto thee, then it shall
be, that all the people that are found therein shall become tributary unto
thee, and shall serve thee. 12 And
if it will make no peace with thee, but will make war against thee, then thou
shalt besiege it. 13 And when the
LORD thy God delivers it into thy hand, thou shalt smite every male thereof
with the edge of the sword;
This is in conventions of war at the time of the Torah.
14 but the women, and the little ones, and the cattle,
and all that is in the city, even all the spoil thereof, shalt thou take for a
prey unto thyself; and thou shalt eat the spoil of thine enemies, which the
LORD thy God hath given thee. 15 Thus
shalt thou do unto all the cities which are very far off from thee, which are
not of the cities of these nations.
In modern terms, this would mean the nations that we conquer
that was not Eretz Yisrael proper.
16 Howbeit of the cities of these peoples, that the LORD
thy God gives thee for an inheritance, thou shalt save alive nothing that
breathes, 17 but thou shalt utterly
destroy them: the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, and the Perizzite,
the Hivite, and the Jebusite; as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee; 18 that they teach you not to do after all their
abominations, which they have done unto their gods, and so ye sin against the
LORD your God.
The people of Canaan violated their bond with G-D and all
were worthy of death even worse than the Midian people of Baal Peor. But we see
once an oath was given in the days of Yoshua, the people of Giveon were allowed
to live. Even repentance out of fear is still repentance before G-D. (Yoshua
9:3-27)
19 When thou shalt besiege a city a long time, in making
war against it to take it, thou shalt not destroy the trees thereof by wielding
an axe against them; for thou mayest eat of them, but thou shalt not cut them
down; for is the tree of the field man, that it should be besieged of
thee? 20 Only the trees of which
thou know that they are not trees for food, them thou mayest destroy and cut
down, that thou mayest build bulwarks against the city that makes war with
thee, until it fall.
One is forbidden to destroy a fruit yielding tree in Eretz
Yisrael for making war.
21:1 If one be found slain in the land which the LORD thy God
giveth thee to possess it, lying in the field, and it be not known who hath
smitten him; 2 then thy elders and thy
judges shall come forth, and they shall measure unto the cities which are round
about him that is slain. 3 And it
shall be, that the city which is nearest unto the slain man, even the elders of
that city shall take a heifer of the herd, which hath not been wrought with,
and which hath not drawn in the yoke. 4 And
the elders of that city shall bring down the heifer unto a rough valley, which
may neither be plowed nor sown, and shall break the heifer's neck there in the
valley. 5 And the priests the sons
of Levi shall come near--for them the LORD thy God hath chosen to minister unto
Him, and to bless in the name of the LORD; and according to their word shall
every controversy and every stroke be. 6 And
all the elders of that city, who are nearest unto the slain man, shall wash
their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley. 7 And they shall speak and say: 'Our hands have not
shed this blood, neither have our eyes seen it. 8 Forgive, O LORD, Thy people Israel, whom Thou hast
redeemed, and suffer not innocent blood to remain in the midst of Thy people
Israel.' And the blood shall be forgiven them. 9 So shalt thou put away the innocent blood from the
midst of thee, when thou shalt do that which is right in the eyes of the LORD.
The elders should have
had police or safety precautions on the roads and therefore the sacrifice is
required of them.
My personal story this
week. In Sotah 49B: THE MEETING-PLACE [OF SCHOLARS] WILL BE USED FOR
IMMORALITY; elsewhere in the Talmud: Shabbos, Eruvim, Beitzah
and Eyduyos. That Rabbi Eliezer Ben Azariah’s cow went out on Shabbos with the
straps between its ears. The Gemara asks: One cow? Why his Maaseh was 10,000
new cows each Elul but rather his neighbor’s cow went out. This is to teach us
that he is accused because he did not protest the neighbor’s cow going out.
In our community, we
have a foyer for the poorer people to stand to collect money before the regular
Synagogue. Somehow before or during Corona when the Minyan was outside, women
started walking around near the men to collect money.
When I returned I spoke
nicely to the women to wait by the exit and get their money. But no some people
were slow and they started walking in while people were still praying or learning
Torah. It came to a point that it is immodest and they bother the late comer’s
prayers.
After about ten times it
became a me vs. them thing. I don’t want in the Beis Din of Maalah after I am
120 years of accusing me of not warning and protesting. Still they came. A new
Rav has come to the Yishuv to become the teacher and Pasak of all. I told him
the problem and to write a note to the congregants to tell the ladies to wait
outside for their charity. I told him the ball is in your court. If this continues
now, the sin is on his head and not mine any more. I did what I could do
without a letter or authority.
As Promised last
week: The Rebbe’s Young Translator by R’ Y. Tilles
http://ascentofsafed.com/Stories/Stories/5783/1339-46.html
It was in the first week of Menachem Av 5733 (Aug. 1973). I [Rabbi
Pinchas Baumgarten] was then a yeshiva student from Argentina
learning in '770'[1]. One day, I was startled by Rabbi Binyamin Klein, a"h,
one of the secretaries of the Lubavitcher Rebbe at the time, who
summoned me to come to the secretariat office across the hall from the Rebbe's
room. I had no idea why, but of course I rushed over.
There I found three people waiting, who I later learned were
brothers. They were frantically speaking to the secretary in Spanish.
"Por favor, please, let us see him!" one of them begged.
"I don't have much time, the doctor said."
"He is very sick," another added.
Rabbi Klein stared at me for help. He couldn't understand them,
while of course I knew Spanish because of my many years in Argentina when my
father, Berel, served as the head shaliach, emissary of the Rebbe
for that country.
After a brief conversation with Rabbi Klein, I turned to the men and
translated apologetically in Spanish, "The Rebbe is not meeting with
anyone at this time, during the Nine Days," (the days of mourning
from Rosh Chodesh Menachem-Av through Tisha B'Av for
the Holy Temple in Jerusalem).
The men sagged in dejection. I tried to distract them by asking
where they were staying. They answered that they had taken rooms at a certain
expensive hotel, and had even brought along their doctor from Argentina.
After I explained to them the protocol, they understood they had to
wait a few days until after Tisha B'Av. Rabbi Klein, understanding the urgency,
gave them the nearest appointment.
In the interim, I met with them and we even 'farbrengen' (sat
together and discussed). Before their planned day of yechidus (private
audience with the Rebbe), I suggested, "The Rebbe's blessings are more
powerful if you commit to fulfill some mitzvah. Maybe you can
choose one that you would be willing to do on a regular basis."
The men spoke among themselves and finally nodded in agreement.
That same day they had me take them to purchase three pairs of tefillin.
Every morning, I went to their hotel to help them to put them on.
* * *
On the day of their yechidus, I wrote to the Rebbe all
the details I had gleaned about these gentlemen. The sick man, his wife, and
his two brothers arrived at 770, where I was waiting to go in with them, at the
secretaries' request, to translate. Reverently, I entered the room and stood on
the side of the room to the left of the Rebbe.
The Rebbe invited them to sit. After reading the letter that I
wrote, the Rebbe said, "If you wish for your brother's recovery, you must
commit to keeping kosher."
I translated it, but apparently not properly. The Rebbe corrected
my Spanish [!], saying, "That is not what I meant." I tried
again, and the Rebbe nodded his satisfaction.
The Rebbe then turned to the sick man. "Please show me where
your disease is located."
The man, who had skin cancer, rose and pointed to the area. The
Rebbe put on his glasses to look closer. After a glance, he said to me, "Pinye,[2] tell
him I see nothing."
Then, he showered them with blessings. When he finished, he asked
to see the exact same spot again.
Again, he put on his glasses, stared for a moment, and insisted,
"Tell him I see nothing."
The group rose to leave, but I couldn't move. I was stunned by what
I had witnessed. Even after they left the room, I remained stuck in my place so
that another secretary of the Rebbe, Rabbi Leibel Groner, a"h,
literally had to pull me out.
The next day, the man and his wife went to the hospital. To the
amazement of the doctors, the growth had disappeared. Naturally the couple was
ecstatic; from that day they were scrupulous about keeping kosher. From New
York they went to Miami, where they also kept strict kashrut.
* * *
Several months later, in Kislev 5734/1973,[3] I got married.
This couple, who was quite close to my father, were invited to the wedding, but
they didn't come. Disappointed, I asked my father why they were absent, but my
father didn't answer.
When I asked him again the next day, he explained hesitantly.
"They went on vacation to Punta del Este." [4]
My father sighed. "Unfortunately, they became less careful
about kashrut. Within a short time after, the cancer returned. The
man died a week later."
Hearing this, I went to console the family, who happened to be
still sitting Shiva, the seven-day mourning period.
At the entrance to their residence I saw, seated on the steps, one
of the brothers whom I had met previously in New York. Before I could say a
word, he said to me sorrowfully, "See what happens when you don't listen
to what the Rebbe says."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Source: Freely adapted by
Yerachmiel Tilles from the report in collive.com.
Connection: This week's Torah reading, Re'eh, has a large section
[Deut. 14:3-21] of basic laws for keeping kosher.
Biographical note:
Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the Lubavitcher Rebbe (11
Nissan 1902 - 3 Tammuz 1994), became the seventh Rebbe of the Chabad dynasty
after his father-in-law, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, passed away in
Brooklyn on 10 Shvat 1950. He is widely acknowledged as the greatest Jewish
leader of the second half of the 20th century. Although a dominant scholar in
both the revealed and hidden aspects of Torah and fluent in many languages and
scientific subjects, the Rebbe is best known for his extraordinary love and
concern for every Jew on the planet. His emissaries around the globe dedicated
to strengthening Judaism number in the thousands. Many hundreds of volumes of
his teachings have been printed, and hundreds of English renditions too.
Footnotes:
[1] Lubavitch International
Headquarters / 770 Eastern Parkway / Brooklyn, New York
[2] A common Yiddish nickname/diminutive for 'Pinchas"
[3] [Same month as I did - Y.T.]
[4] A popular seaside resort town in Uruguay
Hidden in a Monastery saved by his birthmark. By Adam
Ross
https://aish.com/hidden-in-a-monastery-saved-by-his-birthmark/
The Shtemler Brothers
survived the Holocaust hiding in monasteries disguised as Christian Children.
The youngest of the three boys tells his incredible story.
Elimelech Shtemler was the youngest of three brothers
who were hidden as Catholic boys in monasteries during the Nazi occupation of
Belgium. Their mother emerged from hiding after the war hoping to rebuild her
family, only to learn that Elimelech, aged two, had disappeared without a
trace.
Determined that he be raised as a Jew she hung on to
the hope that a distinguishing birthmark on his neck would help identify him.
With the assistance of a Jewish soldier attached to the British army, she
combed institutions, schools and orphanages across the countryside before they
were reunited. Now aged 78, living in Israel, Elimelech is the proud
grandfather of 27 Jewish grandchildren.
The Shtemler family lived in the heart of the
thriving Orthodox community of Antwerp, Belgium. Yosef Tzvi, a tradesman, also
served as a cantor (chazan) in one of the city's many synagogues. Frida, his
wife, was a dedicated housewife raising their three sons. Elimelech was born in
October 1941, 18 months after Hitler invaded Belgium. Motke, his oldest
brother, was seven at the time, and Eliezer was five.
“I remember very little from my childhood,” Elimelech
Shtemler told Aish.com from his home in Jerusalem. “I was just too young. What
I know was told to me by my mother and older brothers." Motke passed away
three years ago and Eliezer died last year. “Now it is down to me to tell our
family’s story.”
Within a year of the occupation, Belgium's Jews were
forced to wear a yellow star and in November 1942, when Elimelech was just one
year old, along with many other Jews, he and his family were arrested and sent
to the detention and deportation camp of Mechelen, a converted army barracks in
the south west of the country.
As the arrests gained pace, the Jewish community
sought the help of Elisabeth of Belgium, the benevolent queen mother of King
Leopold III of Belgium, who as the daughter of a Bavarian Duke had some
influence in Germany.
After hearing of the daily arrests, imprisonment and
deportation of Jews, Elisabeth wrote to Hitler, requesting that Jews with
Belgium citizenship not be persecuted. A telegram reply from Berlin stated that
the Jews with Belgian citizenship would not be deported, and that those who
were under arrest in the camps awaiting deportation could receive visitors.
Most of Belgium's approximately 75,000 Jews had fled
to the country from neighboring Germany or from Poland in the East, and being
without citizenship, did not benefit from the queen mother’s intervention,
however the Shtemler’s did, and after being held for nine months at Mechelen,
they were released shortly after.
A year later the Nazis reneged on this decision, ordering
all Belgian Jews to be deported. The Shtemlers had at least been granted some
precious time to arrange places to hide.
In all, 25,000 Jews were deported from Mechelen, with
around 24,000 murdered, mainly at Auschwitz.
“I owe my life to the efforts of this queen,”
Elimelech says adamantly. “It is so important to recognize the efforts of those
who were righteous.”
Elimelech was not yet two years old in 1943 when his
father received his second fateful order to report to the Gestapo. He chose to
hand in himself in rather than put his family at risk. In a memoir for his
family, Motke wrote, “It was a Friday morning, he went alone, and we waited
hopefully for his return. The table was set for Shabbat, and as nightfall came,
we sat waiting for him, we waited and waited, and yet he never returned. We
never saw him again.”
The following day, frightened and sensing their
arrests were also imminent, Frida Shtemler acted instinctively, taking the boys
to a nearby forest overnight. When they returned the following day, they found
out the Gestapo had indeed paid a visit to their home.
Activating a plan to go into hiding, she headed
immediately to a friend in the Belgian underground who directed her to Joseph
Andre, a young Catholic priest who took the Motke and Eliezer to a monastery,
while Elimelech was separated from his brothers and taken to an institution for
younger boys. Frida was hidden in the region of Namur in the South of the
country, on a farm close to where her two oldest sons were.
Motke wrote, “Our father had gone, and now our mother
was handing us over to a priest. I couldn’t understand why, it is one of my
most difficult memories. On one of our first days, the priest took me before
the altar and told me to bend on one knee, but I told him I was Jewish and I
wouldn’t do it. He took me to a side room and explained that I could never say
that again, because my life was in danger.”
Years accompanying their father to synagogue gave
them a way to hold on to their identity. “My brother and I remembered the shema from
synagogue, it was the only prayer we knew by heart from start to finish, and we
decided every time we were taken to pray this is what we would say.”
Frida did her best to keep track of how her sons were
doing, and remarkably, on a number of occasions Motke and Eliezer even
absconded from the Monastery to visit her. But during the two years in hiding
Frida lost all connection with Elimelech.
When the war finished, Frida, like so many survivors,
set about piecing her family back together. Her hopes of seeing her husband
again ended when Belgian officials confirmed his death at the Dachau
concentration camp. Tragically he had survived years of slave labor, only to
die of Typhus two days after being liberated.
Devastated by the news, she collected Motke then 11,
and Eliezer 9, before beginning a desperate search for her youngest son.
“I must have been moved to another institution
because when the war ended. My mother had no idea where I was. No one knew
where I had been taken.”
Locating children became a major issue following the
liberation of the camps, especially when it became clear that many would have
no close relatives alive to reclaim them.
In Belgium, thanks to an active underground and the
efforts of the church, over 40% of the country’s Jews – one of the highest
percentages across Europe – survived by living in hiding.
Although, as Motke wrote, “The monasteries were not
always keen to return Jewish children. Some felt they were redeeming them by
bringing them up as Christians.”
Along with those searching was Tuvia Ettinger from
Petah Tikva, who had volunteered for the Jewish Brigade, fighting alongside the
British to defeat the Nazis, on meeting him. Frida asked him for his help in
finding her son.
Despite knowing that Elimelech would probably not
recognize her, she had one hope: a distinctive birthmark on his neck could be
the ticket to finding him. Frida asked Ettinger for his help going from
institution to institution, asking for with every young boy to unbutton his
collar. Eventually, Elimelech was found in a monastery in the town of Mechelen
close to where the family had originally been imprisoned.
“I don’t know how long they were looking, or how many
places they had to go to, but without a sign like the one I had on my neck, it
would have been very difficult for my mother prove to the monastery that I was
the son she had been looking for.”
A photograph, taken on the day he was found shows
Elimelech in Ettinger’s arms. From the expression on the young soldier’s face,
one would think that Ettinger had been reunited with his own child, such was
the relief and joy of locating a Jewish child after the Holocaust.
With family in Israel, Frida sent Motke there to
learn in a yeshiva to rebuild his Jewish education, while the two younger brothers
lived in a Jewish institution in Antwerp until 1949 when they too left for
Israel. This journey stands as Elimelech’s earliest memory.
“I can still remember seeing the Carmel Mountains as
we approached Haifa on the boat. It was the start of a new life.”
The family settled in Petach Tikva where they stayed
in close connection with Tuvia Ettinger and his family. “We lived near to them
and I became good friends with Tuvia’s younger brother.” When he reached the
age of 12, Ettinger’s father prepared Elimelech for his bar mitzvah.
Ten years ago, Elimelech discovered a letter his
father, Yosef Tzvi, had written days before his death.
“The U.S army soldiers who liberated the camp offered
the survivors an opportunity to write a letter home. My father wrote to a
family friend.”
Stating that he was okay, even though he knew he must
have known he was seriously ill, he included one question: ‘Have you heard any
news about my son in Mechelen?’ Presumably he knew where his youngest son would
be taken.
“I was in shock. After all these years I found out
that I was on my father’s mind. He knew I was there and he had asked about me.
That is the only thing I have from him.”
Elimelech and his wife Rina have been married for
over 50 years. They have 27 grandchildren and four great grandchildren. “Baruch
Hashem we live in Israel,” he says defiantly, taking the rough times with the
good. Tragically, his oldest grandchild Shlomit Krigman was murdered in a
terrorist attack in 2016.
Today he carries the responsibility of telling his
family’s story, speaking to groups of students and communities throughout the
country. When he does, he always concludes the same way: by opening his shirt
collar and showing the birthmark that reunited him with his family.
“As the years go on,” he says, “I think it’s more and
more important to explain about the Holocaust, to thank the righteous people
who acted, and to marvel at how we have remained Jewish throughout.”
Rabbi Mendel and Chana Zirkind doing what they can on
Maui
By Karlie Ora Lobell
https://aish.com/this-jewish-couple-in-maui-is-providing-relief-during-the-devastating-wildfires/
On August 8, the island of Maui in Hawaii started burning. Dry
conditions, combined with droughts and high winds, started the fires, which
have so far killed at least 99 people and forced thousands more to evacuate.
The historic town of Lahaina, which was once the capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom,
has been left devastated. It was the deadliest US fire in more than a century.
Forty minutes away, on the other side of the island, Rabbi
Mendel Zirkind, who runs the Maui Kosher Farm with his wife Chani, was on
standby, waiting to help those in need. In the morning of August 8, he got
phone calls and texts about power outages and spotty internet reception in
Lahaina, but he wasn’t concerned.
“I thought, this is going to come and go and then it’ll all be good,” said Zirkind, whose whose home is on a macadamia nut farm in Wailuku.
However, the situation took a sudden and alarming turn. Chani
received a text message from a Jewish family in Lahaina who told her that they
were fleeing their house. They were coming straight to the farm for shelter and
safety.
“They said they didn’t know if they were going to have a home to
come back to,” Zirkind said.
The couple then got a slew of messages about many Jewish
families who couldn’t get back to their homes. Jewish tourists weren’t able to
go to their hotels either.
“We had to spring into action,” Zirkind said.
The rabbi and his wife live on 1.5 acres of land in Maui where
they host Shabbat meals and overnight guests in their cottages, make kosher
goat’s cheese, slaughter their own chickens and lamb, and provide Jewish
services for the 4,000-5,000 estimated Jews on the island. As people were
fleeing from Lahaina, they knew what they had to do.
“We put them in our
cottages and cabins and put up tents,” Zirkind said. “People slept in their
cars on our farm. We fed them dinner. They took showers. The teenage girls at
our summer camp here baked bread. Our farm was coming and going with people
asking how they could help.”
Zirkind knew that there were a number of Jews living or staying
in Lahaina, and he wanted to go and help them. He reached out to the sergeant
of the Maui police department and asked if that would be possible. The sergeant
said yes and gave him a police escort to the other side of the island.
The rabbi packed his cargo van with propane, ice, water and –
for a little bit of comfort – bottles of wine.
“People would need a glass of wine after the past 24 hours,” he
said.
Normally, on Fridays, he would deliver Shabbat packages to the
Jewish residents there. He was now going to use the addresses saved in his GPS
to find them. Unfortunately, his cell phone reception wasn’t working, and his
GPS wouldn’t load.
“It was dark out because there was no power,” Zirkind said. “The
streets were empty. I couldn’t see a thing. For five or six hours, I was trying
to find people in the dark.”
The rabbi was able to locate a group of 30 Israelis who had
worked at stores in the area. He learned that all their stores, homes, and
apartments had burnt down, and gave them food and wine when they met up.
“They looked at me like I was a UFO,” Zirkind said. “He said,
‘We’re trying to communicate with the world, and you show up.’ I asked them,
‘What do you mean? I’m the rabbi. I go wherever I’m needed.’”
While he was there, the rabbi filled up the Israelis’ cars with
gas and gave nearby neighbors fuel as well.
“I helped them get out of there, Baruch Hashem,”
said the rabbi, who also helped a Jewish couple reunite with their lost dog.
When Zirkind left Lahaina and got back to the farm, he hosted
people for several days, including Shabbos. “Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday I
slept for two or three hours a night,” he said. “On Friday, I woke up at 4 a.m.
and prepared Shabbat for our 30 guests and a whole bunch of families at the
hotels. My wife baked. Then, at 3 p.m., I made even more meals. It was fun to
cook for two Shabbats the same day.”
Now, Maui Kosher Farm is fundraising to support the community
and everyone who lost their homes and businesses in the fire. One-person
Zirkind hopes to help is a musician and guitar shop owner who lost his tefillin
and 300 of his guitars in the fire.
“They are all just dust now,” the rabbi said. “It’s not the
money he’s worried about. This was his collection. Every guitar has a story and
memory. We’re trying to help him out. There’s a housing crisis right now in
Maui, so we want to raise money to get a fully furnished trailer for this guy.
He can park the trailer here on the farm.”
Zirkind and his wife are also hoping to raise funds to help
people cope with the tragedy.
“We’re trying to bring mental health help and counselors to give
people healing,” he said. “People are in such disarray and they don’t know what
to do with themselves.”
The Zirkinds are glad they could be there for the Jewish
community when it’s in need, and they want to be of further assistance as Maui
heals from the fires.
“My wife always wanted to have city of refuge where people can
be safe,” the rabbi said. “I didn’t ask for this disaster to happen, but it’s a
dream come true to be here when people really need us.”
Please note the below information that can be of
assistance to anyone with a visual handicap. Please pass to others.
Thank you,
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Free Materials - Including High Holy Day Prayer Books
- For Anyone Who is Blind or Has Low Vision
JBI can help you or a loved one who is blind or visually impaired celebrate the
Jewish holidays with FREE Machzorim (prayer books), Selichot,
Taschlich prayers, Yizkor prayers, a 16-month holiday calendar, and much more,
all in accessible formats. Founded in 1931 as The Jewish Braille
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audio, and braille, directly to our patrons’ doorsteps. To learn more about
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email library@jbilibrary.org, or visit www.jbilibrary.org. We ask that requests for High Holy Day materials be made
prior to September 7th, 2023.
Milestone: Giora Romm, 78, Major
General Six Day War Ariel Ace. https://www.timesofisrael.com/giora-romm-the-israeli-air-forces-first-ace-dies-at-78/
Inyanay Diyoma
Aug 12th
Iran slowing down enrichment. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/375443
Likud voters want politicians to
deal with cost of living. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/375449
Dermer to DC to talk about Saudi
Deal. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/375445
US Attorney General Merrick Garland announced on
Friday that Attorney David Weiss will be appointed special counsel in the
ongoing probe of Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/375442
Iranian Jewish Spy thwarted. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/375429
Canadian Parents want an end to
LGBT. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/375439
Op-Ed Dr. Martin Sherman. Distorted
Declaration. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/375432
https://www.timesofisrael.com/is-claims-responsibility-for-an-attack-that-killed-20-syrian-soldiers/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/couple-sues-assuta-hospital-for-9-2-million-over-ivf-paternity-mix-up/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/man-indicted-for-murder-of-autistic-adopted-son/
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/375443
Aug 13th
Is this loco, Mishuga or just plain
crazy weather? https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/375479
Aug 14th
Firebomb from Lebanon. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/375508
NYC police looking for antisemitic
vandal. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/375513
Shepherd incident protests. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/375510
Govt could fall on Draft-Override
Clause. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/375512
Former Algerian minister Abdelkader Bengrina
claimed on Sunday that Tunisia is planning to normalize ties with Israel. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/375519
Jack Lew next ambassador? https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/375500
Mother and twins OK all had no
pulse. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/375511
Two dead one critical from pit with
gas in it. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/375499
Chiefs vs. Netanyahu. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/375489
Defense Minister talks to new
recruits. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/375493
No Saudi Consulate for PLO in
Yerushalayim. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/375486
38-year-old Avishag Shiran Malka from Afula is
the only Haredi soldier on the Border Police force. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/375490
Allah Hu Akbar neutralized in Petach
Tikvah. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/375452
https://www.timesofisrael.com/at-least-4-killed-in-repeat-attack-on-iranian-shrine/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/russian-forces-kill-7-including-baby-brother-and-parents-says-ukraine/
Holy cow! https://www.timesofisrael.com/police-chief-chases-cow-down-highway/
Ukraine neutralizes terminator tank.
https://www.jpost.com/international/internationalrussia-ukraine-war/article-754543
Aug 15th
IDF warnings-protests not for
democracy but to make government resign. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/375583
Hamas to hold Gaza Elections. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/375576
Former US President Donald Trump and several of
his allies were indicted in Georgia on Monday night, accused of scheming to
illegally overturn his 2020 election loss in the state. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/375574
Tel Aviv Major in political deal. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/375579
Iran vs. Bahai. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/375575
Nasrallah may be getting too big for
britches. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/375565
https://www.timesofisrael.com/two-palestinians-killed-amid-israeli-army-raid-near-jericho
https://www.timesofisrael.com/in-rare-move-security-forces-evacuate-illegal-west-bank-outpost/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/former-director-of-israel-museum-to-lead-jewish-museum-in-new-york/
Turkey detains Israeli who bought
bell. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/hyh11vmo3n
Op-Ed Shilon not our first rodeo. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/byjpbminn
Soldier dies in extreme heat. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/375547
Munitions plant explosion. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/375571
Saudi names ambassador to Palestine. https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-754526
Iran close to testing nukes. https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-754467
Peruvian tribe attacked by Aliens? https://www.jpost.com/omg/article-754402
3children stung by black scorpions. https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-754491
State Fair swine gives a young
visitor the flu. https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/article-754517
Aug 16th
Drive by shooting thwarted one
captured. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/375626
"The Draft Law is quite a serious incident.
It can bring down the government if there is no flexibility on the part of the
Haredim". https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/375623
Failed Jenin Rocket. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/375597
A new proposal for solving the crisis surrounding
the makeup of the Judicial Selection Committee has been initiated by former
minister Haim Ramon and has been agreed to by the coalition. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/375627
Paraguay to open up Embassy in
Yerushalayim. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/375633
ISIS still has thousands in Syria
and Iraq. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/375632
Trump: “I believe we have a compromised president. He was bribed,
and now he's being blackmailed. He's a Manchurian Candidate. That's why Crooked
Joe is letting other countries walk all over the United States.” https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/375624
Besides the dead soldier more
dehydration. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/375619
Mohammad Negum, one of the two terrorists who
were killed in Jericho overnight, worked as a lifeguard at a pool in Kibbutz
Kalya. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/375607
Rock throwers arrested. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/375593
https://www.timesofisrael.com/fighting-in-libyan-capital-forces-closure-of-airport/
146https://www.timesofisrael.com/man-killed-in-northern-arab-town-in-suspected-gangland-hit/
Disease from Mosquitoes in FL. https://www.foxnews.com/health/dengue-virus-spreads-florida-counties-health-officials
https://www.foxnews.com/us/connecticut-man-seen-brutally-attacking-police-officer-hammer-body-camera
101 https://www.foxweather.com/weather-news/maui-hawaii-wildfires-damage-death-toll
Ben Kingsley defends Jews. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/375596
5,500year old city gate. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/375584
Terror IED lab a controlled
explosion. https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-754928
Aug 18th
https://www.timesofisrael.com/argetinas-far-right-presidential-frontrunner-wants-to-become-jewish/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/janet-yellen-says-she-ate-hallucinogenic-mushroom-dish-in-china/
https://www.algemeiner.com/2023/08/14/turkish-newscaster-defends-airing-jewish-blood-libel/
General Miley visits Israel. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/375695
215 new Olim some doctors and others
volunteer soldiers. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/375636
Tel Aviv Light Rail finally. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/375722
Arab murderer made mistake killed
soldier. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/375717
Police war on Cannabis. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/375754
Funds available for 195 doctors to
make Aliyah. https://www.ynetnews.com/health_science/article/ryv5bb3nh
Op-Ed
Diane Weber Biederman: Child Sex Trafficking and Epstein Client List. https://dianebederman.com/child-sex-trafficking-time-to-release-the-epstein-client-list/
Interesting discovery of biting more
than you can chew. https://www.ynetnews.com/health_science/article/hy2abfnnn
Intense solar storms and
eruptions caused disruptions in radio communication and satellite navigation
systems across the western hemisphere in the past week. https://www.ynetnews.com/health_science/article/sj1dv00jn2
Watch terror lab explodes.
https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-754928
The remnants of a Second
Temple era synagogue have been uncovered
in Russia, according to a Tuesday archaeological news release. https://www.jpost.com/archaeology/article-754915
Bureaucracy kills $5 billion deal. https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/article-754939
Wants trial before supe-Tuesday. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/375689
Ukraine will not be able to operate US-built F-16
fighter jets this coming autumn and winter. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/375691
Blinken’s stepfather and the
Holocaust. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/375687
3 infected with Kinneret Parasite. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/375667
Nonsensical claim. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/375665
Allow fallen firefighters to be
buried like the military. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/375647
Republican Candidate wants less aid
to Israel. https://www.jpost.com/american-politics/article-755250
Ganz ahead in Public Opinion Poll. https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/article-755260
CDC tracking new Israeli Covid
Variant. https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-755252
Israeli arrested in Turkey for Khat
Leaves released. https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-755213
Indiana woman dies of too much
hydration and no salts. https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/article-755134
The ministry unveiled its findings from the Israel National
Monitoring Program at the Gulf of Eilat, which houses the world's northernmost
coral reef. The 2022 report revealed that the coral reef's deteriorating
condition remains a pressing concern. Threats to the reef include ocean
warming, severe storms, and the emergence of harmful diseases. https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-755073
Israel invests $30million in AI. https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/article-755151
The high intelligence of Octopuses. https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/article-754947
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/georgia-state-senator-moves-impeaching-da-fani-willis-trump-charges
https://www.foxnews.com/us/ohio-teen-intentionally-crashed-car-brick-wall-kill-boyfriend-friend
Have a healthy Shabbos
and a month of productive prayer, charity and repentance before the high
holidays.
Rachamim Pauli
