Parsha Va’era
Last week, Pharaoh put harsher
decrees on the Bnei Yisrael. As it was horrible the moral of the people and the
confidence of Moshe was crushed. Yet, HASHEM has given Moshe a task and signs.
Now he tells Moshe what to do and to meet again with Pharaoh and get rejected
again.
6:2 And
God spoke unto Moses, and said unto him: 'I am the LORD; 3 and I
appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My
name YHWH I made Me not known to them.
The Tetragrammaton and the 72
letter NAME was not known or revealed to our forefathers.
4 And
I have also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan,
the land of their sojornings, wherein they sojourned. 5 And moreover
I have heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in
bondage; and I have remembered My covenant.
I promised the fathers that there
would be a redemption and the time to fulfil the promise is now.
6 Wherefore
say unto the children of Israel: I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from
under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage,
and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm, and with great judgments;
Not only will I redeem you from bondage
but my hand will be stretched out for you and Egypt shall be judged.
7 and
I will take you to Me for a people, and I will be to you a God; and ye shall
know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the burdens of
the Egyptians. 8 And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning
which I lifted up My hand to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I
will give it you for a heritage: I am the LORD.'
I will be a G-D for you and being
you into the land and you will be my people. As I was to your forefathers, so
shall I be for you.
9 And
Moses spoke so unto the children of Israel; but they hearkened not unto Moses
for impatience of spirit, and for cruel bondage.
After Pharaoh made their life more
miserable since Moshe came, they were subjected to more rigor and were in no
mood to listen any more to Moshe.
10 And
the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 11 'Go in, speak unto Pharaoh king
of Egypt, that he let the children of Israel go out of his
land.' 12 And Moses spoke before the LORD, saying: 'Behold, the
children of Israel have not hearkened unto me; how then shall Pharaoh hear me,
who am of uncircumcised lips?'
Again Moshe is told to go unto Pharaoh
and again due to his speech defect, he is afraid of his speech defect and tries
to wrangle out of it but can’t.
13 And
the LORD spoke unto Moses and unto Aaron, and gave them a charge unto the
children of Israel, and unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the children of
Israel out of the land of Egypt.
So again Aaron is called to aid
Moshe.
14 These
are the heads of their fathers' houses: the sons of Reuben the first-born of
Israel: Hanoch, and Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. These are the families of
Reuben. 15 And the sons of Simeon: Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, and
Jachin, and Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanitic woman. These are the
families of Simeon. 16 And these are the names of the sons of Levi
according to their generations: Gershon and Kohath, and Merari. And the years
of the life of Levi were a hundred thirty and seven years. 17 The
sons of Gershon: Libni and Shimei, according to their
families. 18 And the sons of Kohath: Amram, and Izhar, and Hebron,
and Uzziel. And the years of the life of Kohath were a hundred thirty and three
years. 19 And the sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. These are the
families of the Levites according to their generations. 20 And Amram
took him Jochebed his father's sister to wife; and she bore him Aaron and
Moses. And the years of the life of Amram were a hundred and thirty and seven
years.
This is also a proof to what I
wrote last week that Yocheved was not a daughter of Levi. Under the Torah after
Sinai, a man could not marry his aunt but before Matan Torah a person like
Yacov could marry sisters and Amram could marry his father’s sister.
21 And
the sons of Izhar: Korah, and Nepheg, and Zichri. 22 And the sons of
Uzziel: Mishael, and Elzaphan, and Sithri. 23 And Aaron took him
Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab, the sister of Nahshon, to wife; and she
bore him Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. 24 And the sons of
Korah: Assir, and Elkanah, and Abiasaph; these are the families of the
Korahites. 25 And Eleazar Aaron's son took him one of the daughters
of Putiel to wife; and she bore him Phinehas. These are the heads of the
fathers' houses of the Levites according to their families.
The genealogy stops here because
its purpose was to show us whom Moshe and Aaron were.
26 These
are that Aaron and Moses, to whom the LORD said: 'Bring out the children of
Israel from the land of Egypt according to their hosts.' 27 These are
they that spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring out the children of Israel
from Egypt. These are that Moses and Aaron. 28 And it came to pass on
the day when the LORD spoke unto Moses in the land of Egypt,
The Torah establishes who Moshe and
Aaron are and their pedigree.
29 that
the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 'I am the LORD; speak thou unto Pharaoh king
of Egypt all that I speak unto thee.' 30 And Moses said before the
LORD: 'Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips, and how shall Pharaoh hearken unto
me?'
This is what HASHEM has told to
Moshe and the Torah is now adding details to the conversation that Aaron will
interpret to Pharaoh what Moshe is saying.
7:1
And the LORD said unto Moses: 'See, I have set thee in God's stead to Pharaoh;
and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet. 2 Thou shalt speak all
that I command thee; and Aaron thy brother shall speak unto Pharaoh, that he
let the children of Israel go out of his land. 3 And I will harden
Pharaoh's heart, and multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of
Egypt.
Aaron, Yechezkel, Winston Churchill
and others had great auditory powers but a stubborn character like Pharaoh will
not be persuaded. In this way, Moshe cannot blame himself for failure. [In our
case, failure is an option for G-D in the short run but not in the long run.]
4 But
Pharaoh will not hearken unto you, and I will lay My hand upon Egypt, and bring
forth My hosts, My people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt, by
great judgments.
It is not your “uncircumcised lips”
or Aaron’s oratory power but my will that the request will fail for my great
judgments.
5 And
the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch forth My hand upon
Egypt, and bring out the children of Israel from among them.'
I am about to make a Kiddush HASHEM
on Egypt and they shall know that it is I.
{We has seen with our own eyes tragedies
and miracles since Simchas Torah 5784. May wicked once of Hamas have fallen,
tens of thousands of Hezballah have been put out of commission. Assad fell like
a bunch of cards or as the Talmud says: REDEMPTION IS IN A WINK OF AN EYE. Iraq
is afraid to attack and Iran is weakened. There are less but still terrorists
in Yehuda and Shomron. All this for our future redemption what is somewhere
over our horizon.
6 And
Moses and Aaron did so; as the LORD commanded them, so did
they. 7 And Moses was fourscore years old, and Aaron fourscore and
three years old, when they spoke unto Pharaoh.
We now know how old both Moshe and
Aaron were when they appeared before Pharaoh.
8 And
the LORD spoke unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying: 9 'When Pharaoh
shall speak unto you, saying: Show a wonder for you; then thou shalt say unto
Aaron: Take thy rod, and cast it down before Pharaoh, that it become a
serpent.'
Unlike Pharaoh having charmed
serpents, Aaron and Moshe only had a wooden Shepherd’s Crook.
10 And
Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did so, as the LORD had
commanded; and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants,
and it became a serpent. 11 Then Pharaoh also called for the wise men
and the sorcerers; and they also, the magicians of Egypt, did in like manner
with their secret arts. 12 For they cast down every man his rod, and
they became serpents; but Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods. 13 And
Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had
spoken.
What happened here is that Aaron’s
rod swallowed up the serpents of the magicians and then returned to be wood but
swallowed the real serpents.
14 And
the LORD said unto Moses: 'Pharaoh's heart is stubborn, he refuses to let the
people go. 15 Get thee unto Pharaoh in the morning; lo, he goes out
unto the water; and thou shalt stand by the river's brink to meet him; and the
rod which was turned to a serpent shalt thou take in thy hand. 16 And
thou shalt say unto him: The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, hath sent me unto
thee, saying: Let My people go, that they may serve Me in the wilderness; and,
behold, hitherto thou hast not hearkened; 17 thus saith the LORD: In
this thou shalt know that I am the LORD--behold, I will smite with the rod that
is in my hand upon the waters which are in the river, and they shall be turned
to blood. 18 And the fish that are in the river shall die, and the river
shall become foul; and the Egyptians shall loathe to drink water from the
river.'
This is what will happen to you if
you do not harken unto the L-RD.
19 And
the LORD said unto Moses: 'Say unto Aaron: Take thy rod, and stretch out thy
hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, over their streams, and over
their pools, and over all their ponds of water, that they may become blood; and
there shall be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood
and in vessels of stone.'
Moshe was saved by the river. In
honor of recognizing the good deeds (HaKaras HaTov) he did not smite the water
but Aaron.
20 And
Moses and Aaron did so, as the LORD commanded; and he lifted up the rod, and
smote the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh, and in the
sight of his servants; and all the waters that were in the river were turned to
blood. 21 And the fish that were in the river died; and the river
became foul, and the Egyptians could not drink water from the river; and the
blood was throughout all the land of Egypt. 22 And the magicians of
Egypt did in like manner with their secret arts; and Pharaoh's heart was
hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had
spoken. 23 And Pharaoh turned and went into his house, neither did he
lay even this to heart. 24 And all the Egyptians dug round about the
river for water to drink; for they could not drink of the water of the
river. 25 And seven days were fulfilled, after that the LORD had
smitten the river.
The first and second plague comes
with a warning and the third suddenly like Rabbi Yehuda breaks down on the Seder
night. Since Pharaoh had plenty of wine and beer, the lack of water perhaps did
not have an effect upon him.
26 And
the LORD spoke unto Moses: 'Go in unto Pharaoh, and say unto him: Thus saith
the LORD: Let My people go, that they may serve Me. 27 And if thou
refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite all thy borders with
frogs. 28 And the river shall swarm with frogs, which shall go up and
come into thy house, and into thy bed-chamber, and upon thy bed, and into the
house of thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thine ovens, and into thy
kneading-troughs. 29 And the frogs shall come up both upon thee, and
upon thy people, and upon all thy servants.'
The Midrash tells or a giant
looking frog that split when hit by Pharaoh’s servants until it became like a
billion or more frogs. This time it disturbed Pharaoh on his bed, food, under
his feet, on his head, etc.
8:1
And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Say unto Aaron: Stretch forth thy hand with thy
rod over the rivers, over the canals, and over the pools, and cause frogs to
come up upon the land of Egypt.' 2 And Aaron stretched out his hand
over the waters of Egypt; and the frogs came up, and covered the land of
Egypt. 3 And the magicians did in like manner with their secret arts,
and brought up frogs upon the land of Egypt.
Again, Moshe does not harm the
river but Aaron.
4 Then
Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said: 'Entreat the LORD, that He take
away the frogs from me, and from my people; and I will let the people go, that
they may sacrifice unto the LORD.' 5 And Moses said unto Pharaoh:
'Have thou this glory over me; against what time shall I entreat for thee, and
for thy servants, and for thy people, that the frogs be destroyed from thee and
thy houses, and remain in the river only?'
So from billions, the frogs died in
piles and all over causing a frog stench in the land.
6 And
he said: 'Against to-morrow.' And he said: 'Be it according to thy word; that
thou mayest know that there is none like unto the LORD our God.
You think this was magic but no
only the CREATOR could do this and not via small demons, fairies, pixies, etc.
7 And
the frogs shall depart from thee, and from thy houses, and from thy servants,
and from thy people; they shall remain in the river only.' 8 And
Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh; and Moses cried unto the LORD concerning
the frogs, which He had brought upon Pharaoh. 9 And the LORD did
according to the word of Moses; and the frogs died out of the houses, out of
the courts, and out of the fields. 10 And they gathered them together
in heaps; and the land stank. 11 But when Pharaoh saw that there was
respite, he hardened his heart, and hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had
spoken.
Now Pharaoh had seen two plagues with warning and Pharaoh was
stubborn and did not let the people go for a few days to worship.
12 And
the LORD said unto Moses: 'Say unto Aaron: Stretch out thy rod, and smite the
dust of the earth, that it may become gnats throughout all the land of
Egypt.' 13 And they did so; and Aaron stretched out his hand with his
rod, and smote the dust of the earth, and there were gnats upon man, and upon
beast; all the dust of the earth became gnats throughout all the land of
Egypt. 14 And the magicians did so with their secret arts to bring
forth gnats, but they could not; and there were gnats upon man, and upon
beast. 15 Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh: 'This is the finger
of God'; and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; as
the LORD had spoken.
The Midrash states that demons
could move snakes and frogs and even turn a river red like blood but a louse is
too small for them to move. That is why they say lice are the hand of G-D.
16 And
the LORD said unto Moses: 'Rise up early in the morning, and stand before
Pharaoh; lo, he cometh forth to the water; and say unto him: Thus saith the
LORD: Let My people go, that they may serve Me. 17 Else, if thou wilt
not let My people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies upon thee, and upon
thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thy houses; and the houses of the
Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground whereon they
are. 18 And I will set apart in that day the land of Goshen, in which
My people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there; to the end that thou
mayest know that I am the LORD in the midst of the earth. 19 And I
will put a division between My people and thy people--by to-morrow shall this
sign be.'
The plague of obnoxious beasts (Arov)
from the Savannas of Africa came and killed the animals of people and perhaps
some slaves or army personnel.
20 And
the LORD did so; and there came grievous swarms of flies into the house of
Pharaoh, and into his servants' houses; and in all the land of Egypt the land
was ruined by reason of the swarms of flies. 21 And Pharaoh called
for Moses and for Aaron, and said: 'Go ye, sacrifice to your God in the
land.'
Pharaoh was giving in a bit. You
can have time off from work and sacrifice here.
22 And
Moses said: 'It is not meet so to do; for we shall sacrifice the abomination of
the Egyptians to the LORD our God; lo, if we sacrifice the abomination of the
Egyptians before their eyes, will they not stone us?
The Egyptians worshipped sheep and
so our killing of their god would be an abomination. [In the future the story
of Pontus Pilate and the killing of Yeshu would become an abomination. The
truth is the Sanhedrin did not kill Erev Shabbos or Yom Tov, Shabbos or Yom Tov
and other certain days. The four manners of death in the Torah has nothing to
do with Crucifixion and never on a Chag like Pesach. But this abominable form a
death will be the claim of millions against the Jews for centuries.]
23 We
will go three days' journey into the wilderness, and sacrifice to the LORD our
God, as He shall command us.' 24 And Pharaoh said: 'I will let you
go, that ye may sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only ye shall
not go very far away; entreat for me.' 25 And Moses said: 'Behold, I
go out from thee, and I will entreat the LORD that the swarms of flies may
depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people, tomorrow; only let
not Pharaoh deal deceitfully any more in not letting the people go to sacrifice
to the LORD.' 26 And Moses went out from Pharaoh, and entreated the
LORD. 27 And the LORD did according to the word of Moses; and He
removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his
people; there remained not one.
All the noxious beasts returned to
the heart of Africa.
28 And
Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and he did not let the people
go. 9:1 Then the LORD said unto Moses: 'Go in unto Pharaoh, and tell him:
Thus saith the LORD, the God of the Hebrews: Let My people go, that they may
serve Me. 2 For if thou refuse to let them go, and wilt hold them
still, 3 behold, the hand of the LORD is upon thy cattle which are in
the field, upon the horses, upon the asses, upon the camels, upon the herds,
and upon the flocks; there shall be a very grievous murrain. 4 And
the LORD shall make a division between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of
Egypt; and there shall nothing die of all that belongs to the children of
Israel.'
This was plague but among the
animals and not humans.
5 And
the LORD appointed a set time, saying: 'Tomorrow the LORD shall do this thing
in the land.' 6 And the LORD did that thing on the morrow, and all the
cattle of Egypt died; but of the cattle of the children of Israel died not
one. 7 And Pharaoh sent, and, behold, there was not so much as one of
the cattle of the Israelites dead. But the heart of Pharaoh was stubborn, and
he did not let the people go.
He hardened his own heart up until
now and even when no Israeli animal was affected and only the Egyptian ones
were, he refused to budge.
8 And
the LORD said unto Moses and unto Aaron: 'Take to you handfuls of soot of the
furnace, and let Moses throw it heavenward in the sight of
Pharaoh. 9 And it shall become small dust over all the land of Egypt,
and shall be a boil breaking forth with blains upon man and upon beast,
throughout all the land of Egypt.' 10 And they took soot of the
furnace, and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses threw it up heavenward; and it
became a boil breaking forth with blains upon man and upon
beast. 11 And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of
the boils; for the boils were upon the magicians, and upon all the
Egyptians. 12 And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he
hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had spoken unto Moses.
Up unto now the magicians and
advisors of Pharaoh were unaffected, but now the affliction was on their
bodies.
13 And
the LORD said unto Moses: 'Rise up early in the morning, and stand before
Pharaoh, and say unto him: Thus saith the LORD, the God of the Hebrews: Let My
people go, that they may serve Me. 14 For I will this time send all
My plagues upon thy person, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people; that
thou mayest know that there is none like Me in all the
earth. 15 Surely now I had put forth My hand, and smitten thee and
thy people with pestilence, and thou had been cut off from the
earth. 16 But in very deed for this cause have I made thee to stand,
to show thee My power, and that My name may be declared throughout all the
earth. 17 As yet exalt thou thyself against My people, that thou wilt
not let them go? 18 Behold, tomorrow about this time I will cause it
to rain a very grievous hail, such as hath not been in Egypt since the day it
was founded even until now. 19 Now therefore send, hasten in thy
cattle and all that thou hast in the field; for every man and beast that shall
be found in the field, and shall not be brought home, the hail shall come down
upon them, and they shall die.' 20 He that feared the word of the
LORD among the servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his cattle flee into
the houses; 21 and he that regarded not the word of the LORD left his
servants and his cattle in the field.
After this plague it will become
clear. There is no G-D like HASHEM and no people like Yisrael, Goy Ehad B’
Aretz (a unique nation upon the face of the earth).
22 And
the LORD said unto Moses: 'Stretch forth thy hand toward heaven, that there may
be hail in all the land of Egypt, upon man, and upon beast, and upon every herb
of the field, throughout the land of Egypt.' 23 And Moses stretched
forth his rod toward heaven; and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and fire ran
down unto the earth; and the LORD caused to hail upon the land of
Egypt. 24 So there was hail, and fire flashing up amidst the hail,
very grievous, such as had not been in all the land of Egypt since it became a
nation.
Was this really hail or volcano hail
from Stromboli Super Volcano. The description makes me wonder but in any event
it happened at the precise time and day that the plagues occurred and affected
the Egyptians and had zero effect on Eretz Goshen or the Bnei Yisrael.
25 And
the hail smote throughout all the land of Egypt all that was in the field, both
man and beast; and the hail smote every herb of the field, and broke every tree
of the field. 26 Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of
Israel were, was there no hail. 27 And Pharaoh sent, and called for
Moses and Aaron, and said unto them: 'I have sinned this time; the LORD is
righteous, and I and my people are wicked. 28 Entreat the LORD, and
let there be enough of these mighty thundering's and hail; and I will let you
go, and ye shall stay no longer.' 29 And Moses said unto him: 'As
soon as I am gone out of the city, I will spread forth my hands unto the LORD;
the thunders shall cease, neither shall there be any more hail; that thou
mayest know that the earth is the LORD'S. 30 But as for thee and thy
servants, I know that ye will not yet fear the LORD God.'--
Pharaoh is perhaps like Lavan saying
one thing and doing another. It is so with agreements with Lebanon, Hamas, Hezballah,
etc. always trying to wiggle out of agreement and change things around.
31 And
the flax and the barley were smitten; for the barley was in the ear, and the
flax was in bloom. 32 But the wheat and the spelt were
not smitten; for they ripen late.--
Next week, we will see what the L-RD
has in mind for these crops.
33 And
Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh, and spread forth his hands unto the
LORD; and the thunders and hail ceased, and the rain was not poured upon the
earth. 34 And when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the
hail and the thunders were ceased, he sinned yet more, and hardened his heart,
he and his servants. 35 And the heart of Pharaoh was
hardened, and he did not let the children of Israel go; as the LORD had spoken
by Moses.
The
Scholar and the Russian Minister of Printing and Censorship.
By Hillel Baron
R’ Moshe,
the rabbi of Slavita, was a man with a big dream. He wanted to open a printing
press, but he needed a permit from the Russian Minister of Printing and
Censorship. The journey to Petersburg was long and difficult, but R’ Moshe was
determined to make his dream a reality.
On his way to Petersburg, he stopped
in Liozna to get the blessing of the Alter Rebbe,
whom he held in great esteem. The Alter Rebbe surprised R’ Moshe with an unexpected suggestion. He
told R’ Moshe to go to Mogilev and find R’ Yisroel the Melamed, a local teacher, and ask him to travel with
him to Vilna. The Alter Rebbe promised
that if R’ Moshe followed his advice, he would succeed in his endeavor.
Although R’ Moshe did not understand
how this would help, he trusted the Alter Rebbe and set out to fulfill his
instructions. He found R’ Yisroel and convinced him to go to Vilna. When they
arrived, they went to the home of R’ Meir Refoels, a devoted disciple of the
Alter Rebbe. They were still unsure what they were supposed to do there, but
decided to stay until they gained some clarity.
On Shabbat,
they took a stroll through a local park. As they walked, a well-dressed man
approached them and asked the teacher from Mogilev, “Do you recognize me?” He
introduced himself as Berel, his student
from more than 20 years earlier. The teacher was surprised, because Berel did
not look or dress in the manner of religious Jews.
Berel told them that the teacher had
shown him great compassion when he was a rebellious young boy. Berel had
misbehaved and, as was customary in those days, it was a given that he would be
caned.
However, the kind-hearted teacher
decided to forgo the punishment, saving Berel from pain and shame. Decades
later, Berel still felt a debt of gratitude and wished there was some way to
repay his erstwhile teacher for his kindness.
The teacher asked Berel what
happened to him after he left his tutelage.
Berel replied that he couldn't find
his place in the world of Torah scholarship,
so he went to university, and was now taking a break from his position as the
Minister of Printing and Censorship.
The three men were stunned as they
realized how Divinely inspired Alter Rebbe’s advice had been.
The next day, R’ Moshe received his
permit from Berel, and he returned to Liozna to thank the Alter Rebbe for his
guidance and blessing.
And sure enough, he went on to found
the vaunted Slavita printing press, which produced prized Chassidic works,
Talmud and more.
Are we always careful to have
compassion even when the situation calls for discipline?
Parsha for Children AI: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDvfpAGGQ-E
Milestone: Zev Revach, 84, comedy actor. https://www.timesofisrael.com/zeev-revach-famed-israeli-actor-and-comedian-dies-at-84/
Milestone: Rabbi Moshe Herson, 90, the longtime devoted Head Shaliach to the
state of New Jersey and Dean of the Rabbinical College of America, passed away
on Thursday, 23 Teves, 5785. https://collive.com/rabbi-moshe-herson-90-obm/
Inyanay Diyoma
Jan. 18th
Day 470 start of week 67
When I went to bed Friday night, I was prepared
for a Houthi Attack. They promised to hit us and monitor the Gaza ceasefire
deal. Nothing! So went to prayers in the morning. I had just gotten outside my
door with my walker. I left it on the side and hurried into the house as the
siren sounded at 10:18 AM. By 10:26 it was announced that the incoming missile
was hit and by 10:30 it was announced that the large fragment of the missile
was blown up. Eilat also had a siren later in the day. https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-intercepts-missile-from-yemen-in-4th-houthi-attack-this-week-no-injuries/
General Keane on Fox. https://www.foxnews.com/video/6367297590112
Jillian Michaels on negligence and corruption
in LA with fires. https://www.foxnews.com/video/6367268111112
Fake interviews with spyware in your computer. https://www.foxnews.com/tech/fake-job-interview-emails-installing-hidden-cryptocurrency-mining-malware
US sanctions Houthi Bank. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/402464
Murderers to be released. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/402468
Next three items from before Shabbos:
Hundreds
hailed the Palestinian Arab “resistance” at a rally in New York City’s Times
Square on Thursday. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/402432
Punishment for Draft dodgers. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/402437
Finch analysts to be more positive. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/402422
The
Director General of the Israel Ministry of Defense (IMOD), Maj. Gen. (Res.)
Eyal Zamir, and Rafael CEO, Yoav Tourgeman, signed today (Thursday) the first
contract under the US aid package given during the recent war. The aid package,
totaling $8.7 billion, was approved by the US Congress in April of 2024 and
includes a dedicated $5.2 billion allocation to strengthen Israel’s air and
missile defense systems, including the Iron Dome Defense System, the David’s
Sling Weapon System, and the high-powered Laser Defense System, currently in advanced
stages of development. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/402398
Overnight,
with the direction of IDF and ISA intelligence, the IAF struck and eliminated
Muhammad Hasham Zahedi Abu Al-Rus, a Nukhba terrorist who infiltrated Israel on
October 7th, 2023, and participated in the massacre at the Nova Music Festival.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/402403
Jan. 19th
Day 471
Pekuach Nefesh is so
important. But what if saving a soul leads to the death of more Jews? It is a known fact that approximately
12% of the Amalek released go back to terror. There is a danger but there also
is a Shin Bet and a lot of monitoring will occur. This time if they try
something there is a very high chance their bodies may be released. We no
longer have a wishy-washy attitude towards terror after Oct. 7th.
The attitude is closer to that of Ben Gvir.
At 9:30 and there was no ceasefire and we do
not know who will be released. When the Hamas will give the names of the three
women to be released then we will ceasefire. On my way to the gym, around 10:05
Qatar received the list of three names of people to be released today. Some
troops have been pulled back from places in Gaza and the terrorists started
filling the vacuum.
At the last minute, the number of captures went
down to 97 as the body of Oron Shaul was recovered in an operation using Navy
Seal Teams and others. Oron’s body was snatched on June 20, 2014 during
protective edge. His father did not live to see his burial but the rest of the
family will be there. That is a number of terrorists that will not be released
for him. His mother was happy, that in her life time, she is be able to bury
him in a Jewish Grave. https://www.timesofisrael.com/body-of-soldier-oron-shaul-killed-and-captured-by-hamas-in-2014-recovered-from-gaza/
3 hostages to be released named: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/402520
Female
prison guards from the Gilboa Prison on Sunday turned to the Supreme Court,
demanding that terrorist
Mahmoud Atallah be released abroad.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/402515
Up to the real ceasefire: The IDF is
continuing to operate and strike terror targets in the Gaza Strip, the IDF
Spokesperson's Unit announced. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/402514
Top IDF echelon to change. COS - The
decision-makers' preferred candidate for the position is Major General Eyal
Zamir; however, it is not clear how "offensive" he is capable of
being, but a senior political figure told Israel Hayom that it is
"clear" to Zamir "why he has come." https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/402512
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eyal_Zamir
Asked
how confident he was that the hostages would be released, Trump replied, “Well,
we’re going to see very soon, and it better hold.” He also said he told
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, “Just keep doing what you have to do. You
have to have — this has to end. We want it to end, but to keep doing
what has to be done.”
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/402496
Jan. 20th
Day 472
As the war winds down, I may stop the daily
mailings and keep the news in the weekly rabbipauli.blogspot dot com. I am also
planning to go back to swimming besides my regular gym workout. Of course with
Trump in Office, we might get a green light on Iran’s Nukes.
Happiness was the general mood in Israel
yesterday as the first three female hostages came home. Of course there were
people angry at the 90 terrorists freed. Emily with her three finger hand was
happy and sort of made a victory sign.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/from-hell-to-safety-in-a-few-frenzied-seconds/
"This
week, we achieved an epic ceasefire agreement as a first step toward lasting
peace in the Middle East — and this agreement could only have happened as a
result of our historic victory in November," Trump stated. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/402559
MK
Ayman Odeh (Hadash-Ta'al) spoke today about the release of the three hostages
from Hamas captivity and compared them to the terrorists being released as part
of the agreement. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/402548
Jan. 21st
Day 473
I was thinking that the war in Gaza and Lebanon
have wound down. But I forgot about another front not far from me or my
daughter. That is Yehuda and Shomron. Last night 6 terrorists were killed and
20 arrested in one town. https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-reservist-killed-senior-officer-seriously-hurt-by-roadside-bomb-in-west-bank/
Confucius he say, “Not a good idea to wear a
black mask and spray armed border policeman with pepper spray at night in
trouble spot”. https://www.timesofisrael.com/2-israelis-injured-apparently-shot-by-cop-as-settlers-attack-west-bank-palestinians/
US
President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive
order rolling
back the sanctions regime implemented last year by his predecessor Joe Biden to
target violent Israeli settlers in the West Bank. Translation: Joe internal
Israeli affairs is none of your %#$%^ business. https://www.timesofisrael.com/on-day-one-trump-rolls-back-biden-sanctions-regime-targeting-violent-israeli-settlers/
Please explain to me why they did not die from
wounds while being captured? https://www.timesofisrael.com/convicted-terrorists-to-be-released-are-an-open-wound-for-victims-families/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/british-airways-to-resume-london-tel-aviv-service-in-april/
Trump meets freed hostages. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/402621
US knows that the war will continue. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/402622
Sidney a Daycare Center touched. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/402625
Fourteen
suspects were arrested overnight in the city of Beit Shemesh during a violent
riot that began during police activity to arrest a suspect for committing
indecent acts on 9-year-old and 4-year-old children. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/402627
US President Donald Trump on Monday issued pardons to over 1,000
individuals charged in connection with the January 6, 2021, attack on the US
Capitol, while also commuting the sentences of leaders from the Proud Boys and
Oath Keepers. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/402620
The
US Senate confirmed Marco Rubio as secretary
of state on Monday in a swift and unanimous vote, giving President Donald Trump
his first Cabinet member on Inauguration Day. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/402618
At
the Political-Security cabinet meeting held on Friday, Prime Minister Netanyahu
presented to the ministers a text that includes a commitment to resume combat
operations in Gaza until Hamas is destroyed if understandings are not reached
on the continued implementation of the second and third stages of the plan for
the release of the remaining hostages. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/402607
The
Houthi rebel group on Monday said that they would limit their attacks in the
Red Sea corridor to Israel-linked vessels only. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/402584
Jenin Refuge Camp with 8 story buildings. https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-launches-major-counterterror-raid-in-west-banks-jenin-expected-to-last-days/
Jan. 22nd
Day 474
I truly was hoping for a rest but the eastern
front with Yehuda and Shomron is open. The Houthis are still swearing to attack
us on any pretext. A green card holder from Morocco came in on Shabbos via
Poland. He had no hotel, no family here but still the Shin Bet let him in
without looking at the hate on his Facebook Page. https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-green-card-holder-wounds-four-in-tel-aviv-terror-stabbing-spree/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/knesset-passes-law-banning-denial-of-october-7-massacre/
Officer who lost hand in Gaza to return to
commander’s course after release from terror stabbing. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/402682
The
Knesset's Labor and Welfare Committee has approved a compensation package of
more than one billion Shekels for residents of the Gaza envelope and Ofakim,
who are not recognized as disabled. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/402681
Harvard settles 2 antisemitism lawsuits. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/402676
An
Egyptian-American company is slated to be responsible for the inspection for
vehicles wishing to cross the Netzarim Corridor. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/402668
Terrorists find body of a murderer. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/402666
"I
call on the Prime Minister and the Minister of Defense to return Maj. Gen.
Yaniv Asor, Col. Nochi Mendel, and Brig. Gen. Ofer Winter to active
service." https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/402659
Op-Ed Lior Ben Ari One cannot ignore the
Houthis. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/sy9487kwkg#autoplay
Jan. 23rd
Day 475
The Chief of Staff wants to retire when the
first section of the ceasefire ends. Trump is pressing for more stages while
the right is against it. As I wrote according the Halacha at times the right is
wrong even though I am right of center.
The Torah is my Guide and not my gut. Only if
the Halacha can go this way or that way can one look into common horse sense.
Two
Jewish boys were injured Wednesday afternoon as a result of an attack by Arabs
who were accompanied by left-wing anarchist activists in the Mount Hebron area.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/402708
Har Dov munitions cache. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/402695
Paraguay to open Embassy in Yerushalayim. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/402707
A
drone strapped to what appeared to be a pipe bomb was found on Wednesday
morning in an open field north of Yitzhar's Shalhevetia neighborhood in
Samaria. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/402704
https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/nancy-pelosi-sells-nvidia-apple-buys-alphabet-amazon
End of DEI. https://www.aol.com/trump-immediately-seek-dismantle-bidens-230353930.html
https://www.aol.com/lifestyle/georgia-fire-chief-shot-dead-113351154.html
We need live people at home. BUT https://www.algemeiner.com/2025/01/21/why-a-ceasefire-with-hamas-is-a-dangerous-illusion/
https://www.algemeiner.com/2025/01/22/crush-zionism-masked-anti-israel-agitators-disrupt-israeli-history-course-columbia-university/ If this repeats, the telephone of
ICE: 866-347-2423 and many will return to where they belong.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/iran-reportedly-arrests-10-bahai-women-in-shocking-raids/
In
the southern Gaza Strip, IDF troops operating in the area in accordance with
the terms of the ceasefire agreement identified several armed suspects who
posed a threat to the troops. The IDF troops in the area operated to thwart the
threat and eliminate the Islamic Jihad terrorist Akram Atef Farhan Zanon. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/402721
Italian
police arrested a 30-year-old Moroccan man suspected of planning a terrorist
attack against the Jewish community in Naples. The suspect has been charged
with international terrorism and subversion against the democratic order. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/402765
US
President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order designating Ansar
Allah, also known as the Houthis, a Foreign Terrorist Organization. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/402732
Working to release Israeli-Russia-US Hostage in
Iraq. https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-838950
Fish instead of hotdogs dementia down 28%. https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/health-and-wellness-around-the-world/article-837997
Palestinian
Arab media published footage on Wednesday showing Hamas Beit Hanoun Battalion
Commander Hussein Fiad, who the IDF claimed to have
eliminated last May. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/402716
Trump rewards bodyguard. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/402767
Jan. 24th
Day 476 the end of week 67
This coming week is the 80th
liberation of Auschwitz. A number of years ago 300 survivors went on the March
of the Living. Only 50 left the generation disappears. https://www.timesofisrael.com/spotlight/we-have-to-march-this-year-it-might-be-our-last-chance/
Troops fire at Arabs that approached the in
Gaza. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/402785
https://www.timesofisrael.com/trump-said-set-to-tap-mideast-envoy-steve-witkoff-as-iran-point-man/
More and more weapons found in Lebanon. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/402776
More attacks on Jewish Shepherds in Chevron
area https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/402768
Jenin Walls of Iron operation: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/402804
Rubio and Saar talk. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/402809
Hamas
terrorists on Thursday reportedly executed several individuals accused of being
“collaborators” with Israel in the Gaza Strip, as shown in a video on a
Telegram account. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/402803
Old Mines near Syrian Border cleared. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/402772
Armed Defense Contractors to allow Gazans to
move north. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/402774
Yeshiva Student collapses and dies on way home.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/402811
Thursday is Rosh Chodesh Shevat.
Have a healthy, restful, peaceful
and Torah filled Shabbos.
Rachamim Pauli
