Melech Dovid ben Surah Pearla passed away a
while back.
Parsha Vayakhel
For the last few weeks, we have
learned of the donations require and the building, sewing and other
craftmanship of the Mishkan (Tabernacle). But all these was in the form of a
commandment and in theory. Now is the time for getting down to the nitty-gritty
and practical building of the Mishkan. Moshe is now assembling the congregation
for the initial donation.
If I have missed out on giraffe
skins instead of seal skins please correct in your mind.
35:1
And Moses assembled all the congregation of the children of Israel, and said
unto them: 'These are the words which the LORD hath commanded, that ye should
do them. 2 Six days shall work [Hebrew: Melacha] be
done, but on the seventh day there shall be to you a holy day, a sabbath of
solemn rest to the LORD; whosoever does [Hebrew: does
so] any work therein shall be put to death. 3 Ye shall kindle no fire
throughout your habitations upon the sabbath day.'
I would think that the Mishkan for
worshipping HASHEM would be of top priority in the mind of Moshe. But no, for
the Nation to serve HASHEM, they need first to imitate HIM by observing the
Shabbos. Shabbos and rest is the source of the blessing. So for Am Yisrael more
important that the Mishkan or Mikdash (Temple) is the Shabbos. The highest form
of worship and flattery is imitation. By observing Shabbos, we are imitating
our CREATOR. Not kindling fire is one example of one Melacha. Perhaps nobody
would think of moving a lit candle or in modern days turning on or off
electricity, opening or closing a computer was Melacha (Actually the examples I
give following the flame are building electrical circuits although some claim a
spark moves around the circuit.).
4
And Moses spoke unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying:
'This is the thing which the LORD commanded, saying: 5 Take ye from among you
an offering unto the LORD, whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it,
the LORD'S offering: gold, and silver, and brass; 6 and blue, and purple, and
scarlet, and fine linen, and goats' hair; 7 and rams' skins dyed red, and giraffe skins, and acacia-wood; 8 and oil for the
light, and spices for the anointing oil, and for the sweet incense; 9 and onyx
stones, and stones to be set, for the ephod, and for the breastplate.
This may seem to you as a
repetition of Parsha Terumah. But then it was HASHEM speaking to Moshe and now
it is Moshe to the Bnei Yisrael.
10
And let every wise-hearted man among you come, and make all that the LORD hath
commanded:
It says men but later on it will say the wise-hearted women who
spun the goat’s hair because they have more patience than men for this task
done by hand fiber to fiber.
11
the tabernacle, its tent, and its covering, its clasps, and its boards, its
bars, its pillars, and its sockets; 12 the ark, and the staves thereof, the
ark-cover, and the veil of the screen; 13 the table, and its staves, and all
its vessels, and the showbread; 14 the candlestick also for the light, and its
vessels, and its lamps, and the oil for the light; 15 and the altar of incense,
and its staves, and the anointing oil, and the sweet incense, and the screen
for the door, at the door of the tabernacle; 16 the altar of burnt-offering,
with its grating of brass, its staves, and all its vessels, the laver and its
base; 17 the hangings of the court, the pillars thereof, and their sockets, and
the screen for the gate of the court; 18 the pins of the tabernacle, and the
pins of the court, and their cords; 19 the plaited garments, for ministering in
the holy place, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his
sons, to minister in the priest's office.'
Bringing in olives and putting into
a pile without pressure, produces extra virgin olive oil. That was the finest
then comes the virgin olive oil with a small weight on the olives and then
comes the oil from heavily pressing and cracking the olives. The finest extra virgin
olive oil was for the Candles and Korbanos.
20
And all the congregation of the children of Israel departed from the presence
of Moses. 21 And they came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one
whom his spirit made willing, and brought the LORD'S offering, for the work of
the tent of meeting, and for all the service thereof, and for the holy
garments.
These were slaves in Egypt and they
got their wealth from ‘borrowing’ from their Egyptian Neighbors and since
HASHEM had ordered them to ‘borrow’ so too they returned willingly to G-D what HE
had delivered to them. This generation witnessed the plagues, splitting of the
sea, etc.
22
And they came, both men and women, as many as were willing-hearted, and brought
nose-rings, and ear-rings, and signet-rings, and girdles, all jewels of gold;
even every man that brought an offering of gold unto the LORD.
From Rabbi Y. Frand Shlita @torah.org
(Shemos 35:22). All types of women’s
jewelry were brought for the Mishkan.
The Targum translates that the women actually wore these pieces of jewelry as
they went to deposit them in the area where the raw materials for the Mishkan were being accepted.
The question is – since the women were
anyhow going to give these items to the gizbar (foreman),
why wear them? When a woman looks at her jewelry box and decides – I can spare
this bracelet; I can give away these rings, etc. isn’t she more likely to carry
the items to the donation center rather than wear them.
I saw an answer quoted in the name of Rav
Moshe Feinstein, zt”l,
that the women wanted to make a point: The point was “This is not spare jewelry
that I have not worn in the last twenty five years. After all, styles change
and tastes change. This was not a case of the women readily parting with old
fashioned jewelry that they did not wear anymore. The women wanted to stress
that this was their current jewelry. It was jewelry that they love and still wear.
“I want to give it because I want to make a precious donation to the Mishkan. I want to show the Ribono shel
Olam that this is something that I in fact treasure and
appreciate.” That makes the gift all the more meaningful, because I am
literally taking the ring off my finger and giving it for the Mishkan. Now my finger will no longer have that ring.
The lesson is that many times in life –
especially regarding giving tzedakah and avodas Hashem – it is not the monetary value that
makes it a significant gift. It is the way it is given.
23
And every man, with whom was found blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine
linen, and goats' hair, and rams' skins dyed red, and sealskins (giraffe skins), brought them.
The making of Techeiles or blue dye
is expensive today and then very scarce. Red dye and purple dye were probably difficult
then to obtain. Giraffes had to be trapped or hunted in Africa with the dangers
of lions, hyenas, other big cats and snakes.
24
Every one that did set apart an offering of silver and brass brought the LORD'S
offering; and every man, with whom was found acacia-wood for any work of the
service, brought it. 25 And all the women that were wise-hearted did spin with their
hands, and brought that which they had spun, the blue, and the purple, the
scarlet, and the fine linen. 26 And all the women whose heart stirred them up
in wisdom spun the goats' hair.
This
concept helps us to understand a different set of Pasukim in the parsha,
a few Pasukim later. Two different Pasukim mention women
spinning goat hair to make yarn or cloth. First, Pasuk 25 says:
“Every wise-hearted woman spun with her hands; and they brought the spun yarn
of turquoise, purple, and scarlet wool, and the linen.” This means they donated
all these cloths. This is not like going to JoAnn Fabrics (an 80-year-old
regional fabric and craft chain of stores that is going out of business in
2025) today and buying ready-made cloth. They needed to take the raw material
and spin it and make it into linen. Then, Pasuk 26 says: “All the
women whose hearts inspired them with wisdom spun the goat hair.” This is a
very similar Pasuk. The first Pasuk says they spun it and the
second Pasuk says they took the goat hair and spun it.
There is
a difference regarding how this spinning is articulated by the two Pasukim. Pasuk 25
says, “Every wise-hearted woman spun with her hands”. Pasuk 26 says,
“All the women whose hearts inspired them with wisdom spun the goat hair.” Why
the difference in language?
Rashi
interprets this second Pasuk based on a Gemara in Shabbos, that this
is speaking about an amazing skill. Rashi explains that the women had a unique
talent in that they spun the goat hair while it was still attached to the
goats! Try that at home! I can’t even imagine how you would do that. The
question is why does Rashi interpret the Pasuk this way? In fact, in
Parshas Teruma, when the Torah says that they brought the goat-hair, Rashi does
not mention this idea. Rashi just says there that they brought the hairs of
goats! Why does Rashi mention this strange idea here? Granted, this is based on
a Gemara in Shabbos (74b) – but why did they do that?
The Sforno
says that the purpose of this was to provide the spun goats-hair with an extra
special sheen (zohar nosaf). Apparently spinning the goats-hair while it is
still attached to the goat creates a shinier end product. Rabbi Frand continues further on the
subject and this can be viewed this week at the Torah.org. I had read in the
Talmud a number of times of the spinning of wool on the live goat but it
vanished from my conscious until I read this now.
27 And the rulers brought the onyx stones, and the stones to
be set, for the ephod, and for the breastplate; 28 and the spice, and the oil,
for the light, and for the anointing oil, and for the sweet incense. 29 The
children of Israel brought a freewill-offering unto the LORD; every man and
woman, whose heart made them willing to bring for all the work, which the LORD
had commanded by the hand of Moses to be made.
The Princes were the only ones who
could afford such large Onyx Stones and most likely only the spices for the incense
were brought and then compounded on the spot.
30
And Moses said unto the children of Israel: 'See, the LORD hath called by name
Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. 31 And He hath
filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, and in
knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship. 32 And to devise skilful works, to
work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, 33 and in cutting of stones for
setting, and in carving of wood, to work in all manner of skilful workmanship.
It is unusual for one to be a
master carpenter and master jeweler. Betzalel had these skills. Thus he was able
to do, supervise and produce works of quality.
34
And He hath put in his heart that he may teach, both he, and Oholiab, the son
of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan. 35 Them has HE filled with wisdom of heart,
to work all manner of workmanship, of the craftsman, and of the skilful
workman, and of the weaver in colors, in blue, and in purple, in scarlet, and
in fine linen, and of the weaver, even of them that do any workmanship, and of
those that devise skilful works.
Ohaliav was more for the weaving,
dying and other working in cloth.
36:1
And Bezalel and Oholiab shall work, and every wise-hearted man, in whom the
LORD hath put wisdom and understanding to know how to work all the work for the
service of the sanctuary, according to all that the LORD hath commanded.' 2 And
Moses called Bezalel and Oholiab, and every wise-hearted man, in whose heart
the LORD had put wisdom, even every one whose heart stirred him up to come unto
the work to do it. 3 And they received of Moses all the offering, which the
children of Israel had brought for the work of the service of the sanctuary,
wherewith to make it. And they brought yet unto him freewill-offerings every
morning. 4 And all the wise men, that wrought all the work of the sanctuary,
came every man from his work which they wrought.
The princes were waiting with money
to fill in what was missing. Motzei Shabbos this week, a go fund me page was
set up for Yarden Bibas with the goal of reaching six million NIS to get him an
apartment, furniture and medical – psychological help for losing his family. By
the morning of Sunday more than five million had be raised. An amazing nation! {See
Day 528 for new article.} Update – on Friday morning the embarrassed law makers
proposed a 4,000,000 NIS fund for each captive that returned.
5
And they spoke unto Moses, saying: 'The people bring much more than enough for
the service of the work, which the LORD commanded to make.' 6 And Moses gave
commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying:
'Let neither man nor woman make any more work for the offering of the
sanctuary.' So the people were restrained from bringing. 7 For the stuff they
had was sufficient for all the work to make it, and too much.
The hearts of the people were so
generous that more than enough material was brought. If I recall last year the
calculation I made was almost a metric ton of gold.
8
And every wise-hearted man among them that wrought the work made the tabernacle
with ten curtains: of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet,
with cherubim the work of the skilful workman made he them. 9 The length of
each curtain was eight and twenty cubits, and the breadth of each curtain four
cubits; all the curtains had one measure. 10 And he coupled five curtains one
to another; and the other five curtains he coupled one to another. 11 And he
made loops of blue upon the edge of the one curtain that was outmost in the
first set; likewise he made in the edge of the curtain that was outmost in the
second set. 12 Fifty loops made he in the one curtain, and fifty loops made he
in the edge of the curtain that was in the second set; the loops were opposite
one to another. 13 And he made fifty clasps of gold, and coupled the curtains
one to another with the clasps; so the tabernacle was one.
The work was fine work and the
combined layers of material heavy.
14
And he made curtains of goats' hair for a tent over the tabernacle; eleven
curtains he made them. 15 The length of each curtain was thirty cubits, and
four cubits the breadth of each curtain; the eleven curtains had one measure.
16 And he coupled five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves.
17 And he made fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that was outmost in the
first set, and fifty loops made he upon the edge of the curtain which was
outmost in the second set. 18 And he made fifty clasps of brass to couple the
tent together, that it might be one.
Since most of us do not raise goats or spin their hairs on their
bodies before cutting and placing them together for fibers I have not the
faintest clue how many thousands of goats had to be used for this endeavor.
19
And he made a covering for the tent of rams' skins dyed red, and a covering of giraffe skins above.
Capturing, slaughtering, perhaps
salting and preserving giraffe meat with the skinning and tanning took a
process involving tens or hundreds of individuals. Dozens of Giraffes were caught
and preserved for this purpose.
20
And he made the boards for the tabernacle of acacia-wood, standing up. 21 Ten
cubits was the length of a board, and a cubit and a half the breadth of each board.
22 Each board had two tenons, joined one to another. Thus did he make for all
the boards of the tabernacle. 23 And he made the boards for the tabernacle;
twenty boards for the south side southward. 24 And he made forty sockets of
silver under the twenty boards: two sockets under one board for its two tenons,
and two sockets under another board for its two tenons.
They were planed, squared at the
bottom and tapered to the top. The hard wood (Acadia Tree) used would weight a
lot too. I calculated about 3 to 3.5 tons of wood for the boards of the Mishkan
alone.
25
And for the second side of the tabernacle, on the north side, he made twenty
boards, 26 and their forty sockets of silver: two sockets under one board, and
two sockets under another board. 27 And for the hinder part of the tabernacle
westward he made six boards.
In my generation, we had shop
classes. Foundry was one of them. It was not an easy skill for a young teen to
build a mold from sand put in a vent for excess heat and air bubbles to escape.
Then pour the liquid metal that one had heated in a special oven into the mold.
All I know is that I started the process, tried as best I could to make the
mold to the proper dimensions with the modern measuring tools. Only a few extra
ordinary youths managed to complete the process to the casting stage. We Nerds
(term did not exist then) were happy to pass the course with any grade between
a 70 to 85 and leave the good grades for Math, English, Science, History that
did not need such skills. To mass produce these rings of sold precious metals
and buffer them up without mold marks is something.
28
And two boards made he for the corners of the tabernacle in the hinder part; 29
that they might be double beneath, and in like manner they should be complete
unto the top thereof unto the first ring. Thus he did to both of them in the
two corners. 30 And there were eight boards, and their sockets of silver,
sixteen sockets: under every board two sockets.
Moshe could not picture this. Even with
this sketch I am having trouble how the corners were? What was the
Mishkan (Tabernacle)? – Judaicapedia
31
And he made bars of acacia-wood: five for the boards of the one side of the
tabernacle, 32 and five bars for the boards of the other side of the
tabernacle, and five bars for the boards of the tabernacle for the hinder part
westward. 33 And he made the middle bar to pass through in the midst of the
boards from the one end to the other. 34 And he overlaid the boards with gold,
and made their rings of gold for holders for the bars, and overlaid the bars
with gold. 35 And he made the veil of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine
twined linen; with the cherubim the work of the skilful workman made he it.
The veil of such expensive items
was very impressive.
36
And he made thereunto four pillars of acacia, and overlaid them with gold,
their hooks being of gold; and he cast for them four sockets of silver. 37 And
he made a screen for the door of the Tent, of blue, and purple, and scarlet,
and fine twined linen, the work of the weaver in colors;
As above weaving these beautiful
and expensive made an impression upon everyone who would view them even from
afar.
38
and the five pillars of it with their hooks; and he overlaid their capitals and
their fillets with gold; and their five sockets were of brass.
Up unto now was the description of
the tremendous skills needed to produce exact boards, molds, rings, the
Menorah, etc. by hand.
37:1 And Bezalel made the ark of acacia-wood: two cubits and a half was the length of it, and a cubit and a half the breadth of it, and a cubit and a half the height of it. 2 And he overlaid it with pure gold within and without, and made a crown of gold to it round about. 3 And he cast for it four rings of gold, in the four feet thereof: even two rings on the one side of it, and two rings on the other side of it. 4 And he made staves of acacia-wood, and overlaid them with gold. 5 And he put the staves into the rings on the sides of the ark, to bear the ark. 6 And he made an ark-cover of pure gold: two cubits and a half was the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof. 7 And he made two cherubim of gold: of beaten work made he them, at the two ends of the ark-cover: 8 one cherub at the one end, and one cherub at the other end; of one piece with the ark-cover made he the cherubim at the two ends thereof. 9 And the cherubim spread out their wings on high, screening the ark-cover with their wings, with their faces one to another; toward the ark-cover were the faces of the cherubim.10 And he made the table of acacia-wood: two cubits was the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, and a cubit and a half the height thereof. 11 And he overlaid it with pure gold, and made thereto a crown of gold round about. 12 And he made unto it a border of a hand-breadth round about, and made a golden crown to the border thereof round about. 13 And he cast for it four rings of gold, and put the rings in the four corners that were on the four feet thereof. 14 Close by the border were the rings, the holders for the staves to bear the table. 15 And he made the staves of acacia-wood, and overlaid them with gold, to bear the table. 16 And he made the vessels which were upon the table, the dishes thereof, and the pans thereof, and the bowls thereof, and the jars thereof, wherewith to pour out, of pure gold. 17 And he made the candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work made he the candlestick, even its base, and its shaft; its cups, its knops, and its flowers, were of one piece with it. 18 And there were six branches going out of the sides thereof: three branches of the candlestick out of the one side thereof, and three branches of the candlestick out of the other side thereof; 19 three cups made like almond-blossoms in one branch, a knop and a flower; and three cups made like almond-blossoms in the other branch, a knop and a flower. So for the six branches going out of the candlestick. 20 And in the candlestick were four cups made like almond-blossoms, the knops thereof, and the flowers thereof; 21 and a knop under two branches of one piece with it, and a knop under two branches of one piece with it, and a knop under two branches of one piece with it, for the six branches going out of it. 22 Their knops and their branches were of one piece with it; the whole of it was one beaten work of pure gold. 23 And he made the lamps thereof, seven, and the tongs thereof, and the snuffdishes thereof, of pure gold. 24 Of a talent of pure gold made he it, and all the vessels thereof. 25 And he made the altar of incense of acacia-wood: a cubit was the length thereof, and a cubit the breadth thereof, four-square; and two cubits was the height thereof; the horns thereof were of one piece with it. 26 And he overlaid it with pure gold, the top thereof, and the sides thereof round about, and the horns of it; and he made unto it a crown of gold round about. 27 And he made for it two golden rings under the crown thereof, upon the two ribs thereof, upon the two sides of it, for holders for staves wherewith to bear it. 28 And he made the staves of acacia-wood, and overlaid them with gold. 29 And he made the holy anointing oil, and the pure incense of sweet spices, after the art of the perfumer. 38:1 And he made the altar of burnt-offering of acacia-wood: five cubits was the length thereof, and five cubits the breadth thereof, four-square, and three cubits the height thereof. 2 And he made the horns thereof upon the four corners of it; the horns thereof were of one piece with it; and he overlaid it with brass. 3 And he made all the vessels of the altar, the pots, and the shovels, and the basins, the flesh-hooks, and the fire-pans; all the vessels thereof made he of brass. 4 And he made for the altar a grating of network of brass, under the ledge round it beneath, reaching halfway up. 5 And he cast four rings for the four ends of the grating of brass, to be holders for the staves. 6 And he made the staves of acacia-wood, and overlaid them with brass. 7 And he put the staves into the rings on the sides of the altar, wherewith to bear it; he made it hollow with planks. 8 And he made the laver of brass, and the base thereof of brass, of the mirrors of the serving women that did service at the door of the tent of meeting. 9 And he made the court; for the south side southward the hangings of the court were of fine twined linen, a hundred cubits. 10 Their pillars were twenty, and their sockets twenty, of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets were of silver. 11 And for the north side a hundred cubits, their pillars twenty, and their sockets twenty, of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver. 12 And for the west side were hangings of fifty cubits, their pillars ten, and their sockets ten; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver. 13 And for the east side eastward fifty cubits. 14 The hangings for the one side [of the gate] were fifteen cubits; their pillars three, and their sockets three. 15 And so for the other side; on this hand and that hand by the gate of the court were hangings of fifteen cubits; their pillars three, and their sockets three. 16 All the hangings of the court round about were of fine twined linen. 17 And the sockets for the pillars were of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver; and the overlaying of their capitals of silver; and all the pillars of the court were filleted with silver. 18 And the screen for the gate of the court was the work of the weaver in colors, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen; and twenty cubits was the length, and the height in the breadth was five cubits, answerable to the hangings of the court. 19 And their pillars were four, and their sockets four, of brass; their hooks of silver, and the overlaying of their capitals and their fillets of silver. 20 And all the pins of the tabernacle, and of the court round about, were of brass.
Here ends the description of what
had to be made.
21
These are the accounts of the tabernacle, even the tabernacle of the testimony,
as they were rendered according to the commandment of Moses, through the
service of the Levites, by the hand of Ithamar, the son of Aaron the priest.--
22 And Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made all
that the LORD commanded Moses. 23 And with him was Oholiab, the son of
Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, a craftsman, and a skilful workman, and a
weaver in colors, in blue, and in purple, and in scarlet, and fine linen.-- 24
All the gold that was used for the work in all the work of the sanctuary, even
the gold of the offering, was twenty and nine talents, and seven hundred and
thirty shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary. 25 And the silver of them
that were numbered of the congregation was a hundred talents, and a thousand
seven hundred and three-score and fifteen shekels, after the shekel of the
sanctuary:
Moshe always gave an accounting of
what was used in the Tabernacle.
26 a
beka a head, that is, half a shekel, after the shekel of the sanctuary, for
every one that passed over to them that are numbered, from twenty years old and
upward, for six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty
men. 27 And the hundred talents of silver were for casting the sockets of the
sanctuary, and the sockets of the veil: a hundred sockets for the hundred
talents, a talent for a socket.
This was probably done in Parsha
Naso and was after the structure was already completed but not built.
28
And of the thousand seven hundred seventy and five shekels he made hooks for
the pillars, and overlaid their capitals, and made fillets for them. 29 And the
brass of the offering was seventy talents and two thousand and four hundred
shekels. 30 And therewith he made the sockets to the door of the tent of
meeting, and the brazen altar, and the brazen grating for it, and all the
vessels of the altar, 31 and the sockets of the court round about, and the sockets
of the gate of the court, and all the pins of the tabernacle, and all the pins
of the court round about.
Nowadays, if you do not google
photos of the Mishkan/Tabernacle you have failed in your duty.
Parsha Parah
Bamidbar 19:1 And the LORD
spoke unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying: 2 This is the statute of the law which
the LORD hath commanded, saying: Speak unto the children of Israel, that they
bring thee a red heifer, faultless, wherein is no blemish, and upon which never
came yoke. 3 And ye shall give her unto Eleazar the priest, and she shall be
brought forth without the camp, and she shall be slain before his face. 4 And
Eleazar the priest shall take of her blood with his finger, and sprinkle of her
blood toward the front of the tent of meeting seven times. 5 And the heifer
shall be burnt in his sight; her skin, and her flesh, and her blood, with her
dung, shall be burnt. 6 And the priest shall take cedar-wood, and hyssop, and
scarlet, and cast it into the midst of the burning of the heifer. 7 Then the
priest shall wash his clothes, and he shall bathe his flesh in water, and
afterward he may come into the camp, and the priest shall be unclean until the
even. 8 And he that burneth her shall wash his clothes in water, and bathe his
flesh in water, and shall be unclean until the even. 9 And a man that is clean
shall gather up the ashes of the heifer, and lay them up without the camp in a
clean place, and it shall be kept for the congregation of the children of
Israel for a water of sprinkling; it is a purification from sin. 10 And he that
gathers the ashes of the heifer shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until
the even; and it shall be unto the children of Israel, and unto the stranger
that sojourned among them, for a statute forever. 11 He that touches the dead,
even any man's dead body, shall be unclean seven days; 12 the same shall purify
himself therewith on the third day and on the seventh day, and he shall be
clean; but if he purify not himself the third day and the seventh day, he shall
not be clean. 13 Whosoever touches the dead, even the body of any man that is
dead, and purified not himself--he hath defiled the tabernacle of the
LORD--that soul shall be cut off from Israel; because the water of sprinkling
was not dashed against him, he shall be unclean; his uncleanness is yet upon
him. 14 This is the law: when a man dies in a tent, every one that cometh into
the tent, and every thing that is in the tent, shall be unclean seven days. 15
And every open vessel, which hath no covering close-bound upon it, is unclean.
16 And whosoever in the open field touches one that is slain with a sword, or
one that dies of himself, or a bone of a man, or a grave, shall be unclean
seven days. 17 And for the unclean they shall take of the ashes of the burning
of the purification from sin, and running water shall be put thereto in a
vessel. 18 And a clean person shall take hyssop, and dip it in the water, and
sprinkle it upon the tent, and upon all the vessels, and upon the persons that
were there, and upon him that touched the bone, or the slain, or the dead, or
the grave. 19 And the clean person shall sprinkle upon the unclean on the third
day, and on the seventh day; and on the seventh day he shall purify him; and he
shall wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and shall be clean at even.
20 But the man that shall be unclean, and shall not purify himself, that soul
shall be cut off from the midst of the assembly, because he hath defiled the
sanctuary of the LORD; the water of sprinkling hath not been dashed against
him: he is unclean. 21 And it shall be a perpetual statute unto them; and he that
sprinkles the water of sprinkling shall wash his clothes; and he that touches
the water of sprinkling shall be unclean until even. 22 And whatsoever the
unclean person touches shall be unclean; and the soul that touches him shall be
unclean until even.
Pesach (Passover)
Preparations
The truth is that the clothing
closet is not one of Chametz and unless one has small children running in and
out near the floor level nothing really has to be cleaned for Pesach. I never
eat bread when searching my book shelves so the same applies. There are places
where one store canned goods that can be sold for Pesach if necessary. My moto
is that the husband and wife are enough Loco Mishuga for Pesach you don’t have
to go crazy too.
After decades together, my wife and
I don’t make a floor plan attacking rooms. Of course crumbs can stick to the
soles of shoes and end up in any room but between the vacuum and floor washing,
they eventually are gone. Our main check is the kitchen-dining room and living
room on the main floor. We managed to train our children from the age of zero
not to bring Chametz into the bedroom but we got Menashe at 9.5years old and
one can talk to the Kotel (western wall) and any wall and that is how it is
with him. So we make him move all the furniture for checking which could have
been a five minute search. As they say in the IDF what does not go into the
head goes into the legs (running or marching).
This Pesach is a special and rare
Pesach. Erev Pesach falls on Shabbos. From the Star K: This
occurs on average once every nine years, as frequently as every three years
(e.g., 2005 and 2008), and as infrequently as every 20 years. (April 1, 2045)
My son, who never before used “Matzo Ashira” or
Egg/Wine Matzos on Shabbos at the age of 54 and working for others finds
himself under too much pressure and plans to take the easy way out like hotels
do.
We will have more to write on these
Halachos as Pesach Approaches and the search for Chametz is Thursday night with
the burning on Friday morning and the complete annulment on Shabbos. I have
bought special spelt pitas for eating Erev Pesach and plan to destroy them
either by eating or flushing away as you have part ownership in the space of
the garbage can if a joint house and if a private house you own the space of
the garbage so the Chametz would be yours.
Basically, once the trash is
collected on Thursday or Friday early morning you garbage can has to be without
Chametz. Anybody who says anything else is telling you complete rubbish.
More on Erev Pesach that falls on
Shabbos:
1https://www.ou.org/holidays/when-erev-pesach-falls-on-shabbos/
2https://halachipedia.com/index.php?title=Erev_Pesach_That_Falls_out_on_Shabbat
I was discussing this with Rabbi
Mimran and I took this from the OU Site:
Q. Is there a way to eat Seudas Shelishis when Erev
Pesach falls on Shabbos?
A. There is no perfect solution. Some Poskim hold that
Seudas Shelishis should be eaten after midday, and some Poskim hold that bread
must be eaten at Seudas Shelishis. It is not possible to satisfy both
requirements for Seudas Shelishis (to eat bread and eat after chatzos)
[midday] on Erev Pesach. Nonetheless, we try to fulfill the mitzvah of
Seudas Shelishis as best as we can. First, we divide the morning meal into two
parts. One should recite kiddush and hamotzi, eat one course and then bench.
After a break of a half hour, we wash again, say hamotzei, eat the rest of the
meal and bench once again. (The challah or egg matzah that is used for lechem
mishneh should be consumed before the end of the fourth hour, the time when
chametz can no longer be consumed). By doing this, we fulfill the mitzvah of Seudas
Shelishis according to the Poskim who allow the meal to be eaten in the
morning. In addition, it is best to eat fish, meat or fruit in the afternoon,
as some say these foods are sufficient to fulfill the mitzvah of Seudas
Shelishis even without eating bread at the meal. However, one should not
overeat, so that the matzah at the seder will be consumed with an appetite.
I discussed this with Rabbi Mimran.
The Halacha site above mentions deep fried Matzos or Matzo Meal for Sephardim.
However, without reservation, the Sephardim do eat Matzo Ashira from wine or
eggs and therefore can eat this in the afternoon. Some Ashkenazim eat from the
5 fruits of Yisrael such as olives, dates, sun dried raisins, figs or
pomegranates. There is a problem with figs for most come from Turkey and they
are boycotting Israel and also if they are sun or oven dried. A meal with
either dates or olives is available in Israel. Many in Israel abstain from
raisins on Pesach because in Europe they were dried with flour. The Sephardim
and US OU do give Heckshirim and I use Raisins in my Charoset as ‘Sunkist’ was
readily available in the States OUP.
As for me, my custom establish
three times is to eat two meals in the morning with Chametz. In hotels one has
to eat an egg matzo plus to meet the requirement of a meal.
Credits for Rabbi Frand Shlita’s
post: Transcribed by David Twersky; Jerusalem DavidATwersky@gmail.com Edited by
Dovid Hoffman; Baltimore, MD dhoffman@torah.org
Another Purim 26 days before Purim by. R’ Y. Tilles
https://ascentofsafed.com/cgi-bin/ascent.cgi?Name=1422-24
In the city of
Saragossa, Spain, in the 1600's, a large Jewish community lived peacefully and
securely. The Jews were allowed to observe the commandments of the Torah and
conduct their lives freely. The king was beloved and admired by all-Jews and
non-Jews alike-because of his kindness, and the Jews greatly honored him. How
so?
Whenever the king appeared in the streets accompanied by his royal entourage,
the leaders of the Jewish community would go out to greet him, carrying the
beautiful and ornate Torah cases made of gold and decorated with precious gems,
with silver bells on top. However, before doing so, they would remove the Torah
scrolls from the cases and leave them in the synagogue's ark, as it was
forbidden to carry Torah scrolls unnecessarily.
The king was unaware of this custom and was not supposed to know. He believed
that the Jews were greeting him with their most precious and sacred
possession-the holy Torah scrolls.
This royal reception could have continued successfully for many years had In
the city of Saragossa, Spain, in the 1600's, a large Jewish community lived
peacefully and securely. The Jews were allowed to observe the commandments of
the Torah and conduct their lives freely. The king was beloved and admired by
all-Jews and non-Jews alike-because of his kindness, and the Jews greatly
honored him. How so?
Whenever the king appeared in the streets accompanied by his royal entourage,
the leaders of the Jewish community would go out to greet him, carrying the
beautiful and ornate Torah cases made of gold and decorated with precious gems,
with silver bells on top. However, before doing so, they would remove the Torah
scrolls from the cases and leave them in the synagogue's ark, as it was
forbidden to carry Torah scrolls unnecessarily.
The king was unaware of this custom and was not supposed to know. He believed
that the Jews were greeting him with their most precious and sacred
possession-the holy Torah scrolls.
This royal reception could have continued successfully for many years had it
not been for one of the king's ministers, a high-ranking official who despised
the Jews and was deeply disturbed by the king's fondness for them. This wicked
man, named Marcus, was constantly looking for ways to harm the Jews while also
seeking to elevate his own status in the king's eyes.
At some point, Marcus discovered that the cases the Jews carried were empty,
with the Torah scrolls left in the synagogue. Overjoyed by this revelation, he
eagerly awaited an opportunity to expose the "deception" and take
revenge on the Jews. That opportunity arrived at a royal banquet. The king,
sitting among his ministers and friends, praised the honor shown to him by the
Jews.
"Whenever I appear in the streets, the Jews welcome me with great respect.
Their leaders march at the front, carrying their sacred and beautiful Torah
scrolls." Before the king could finish speaking, Marcus rose and addressed
him. "Your Majesty, know that the Jews who come out to greet you are great
deceivers! The cases they carry are empty! The actual Torah scrolls are left in
the synagogue. They are mocking and deceiving you!"
The king was shocked and upset upon hearing this. Marcus seized the moment and
suggested that the king personally inspect the cases the next time he paraded
through the city. If they were indeed empty, he should order the execution of
the "treacherous" Jews.
The king in his rage agreed, but being also suspicious, he added, "If your
words are proven false, Marcus, you will suffer the fate you wished upon
them."
Confident of his scheme's success, Marcus eagerly anticipated the upcoming
royal procession, believing it would mark the downfall of the Jews-and his own
rise in the royal court.
* * *
That night, the synagogue's caretaker could not sleep. A heavy unease filled
his heart. The next morning, the king would march through the city, and
something felt terribly wrong. Finally, he drifted into an uneasy sleep, and in
his dream, he saw an old man with a glowing white beard, whose face radiated
divine light.
The old man spoke: "Dear caretaker, rise quickly! Do not waste time. Run
to the synagogue and place the Torah scrolls back into their cases. Tell no
one."
Before the caretaker could respond, the old man vanished.
Terrified and trembling, the caretaker sprang from his bed, completely
convinced that the intense dream was real, that it was Eliyahu the prophet that
had spoken to him, and that he must act. He washed his hands, dressed, and ran
to the synagogue. With shaky hands, he replaced all the Torah scrolls into
their cases, just as instructed. Only then did he finally feel at ease in his
heart.
What he didn't know was that the caretakers in all the other synagogues in
Saragossa had also dreamed the same dream, so each of them had also replaced
the scrolls under their care back into their respective cases.
The next day, trumpets
blared through the streets of Saragossa, announcing the king's arrival with his
royal entourage. As always, the Jewish community gathered in large numbers to
welcome him, with their leaders at the forefront, holding the ornate Torah cases.
As the leaders approached the royal carriage, the king halted the procession.
Marcus, seated beside the king, smirked and declared, "Your Majesty would
surely like to see what lies inside these cases the Jews carry in his
honor."
"Certainly," replied the king. "Open the cases."
A great fear gripped the Jewish leaders, for the caretaker had revealed nothing
to them, as he had been instructed. They knew that the scrolls were usually
removed before the procession, and if the cases were found empty, the king's
wrath could be catastrophic. With trembling hands and whispered prayers, they
obeyed the order.
To their astonishment and immense relief, every case contained a Torah scroll.
The king immediately realized that Marcus had slandered the Jews. Burning with
anger, he shouted, "How dare you falsely accuse my most loyal subjects,
who truly honor me?"
Marcus turned pale.
"You wanted me to execute them," the king continued, "but it is
you who will be punished instead, exactly as I warned you!"
The king ordered his soldiers to seize Marcus and execute him immediately. The
royal command was swiftly carried out, and thus the treacherous Marcus met his
end.
The king, now even more impressed by the Jews' devotion, praised them greatly
and, as a gesture of gratitude, exempted them from paying taxes for three
years.
* * *
That day, the Jewish quarter of Saragossa erupted in joy and celebration. Their
hearts overflowed with gratitude to G-d for the great miracle that had saved
them from certain death.
From that time on, the 17th and 18th of Shvat were observed by the Jews of
Saragossa as their own "Purim," days of prayer and
thanksgiving to G-d [and feasting!] for saving them from the "Haman"
of their generation.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Source: Adapted by Yerachmiel Tilles from Sipurei Tzadikim #352
(Adar 5779 / March 18, 2019), where it sites as a source, "Od Yosef
Chai"., and from an article on TabletMag.com by Chaya Sara
Oppenheim.
YT note: Important! From experience, I assume that many of you are
suspicious as to the veracity of this report. To put your minds at rest, please
click to:
https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/holidays/articles/second-purim-megillat-saragossa
For those who would like the Word file for my expanded
version of the story based on the Tablet article, simply send a request to <editor@ascentofsafed.com>.
Shabbos by Halves by
Rabbi Yerachmiel Tilles
https://ascentofsafed.com/cgi-bin/ascent.cgi?Name=1423-25
As a young man, I [Ami Pykovski] ran a clothing business in Los
Angeles, in a prime garment-district location - on the corner of South Los
Angeles Street and Pico Boulevard. At the time I was early in my journey to
Judaism and my store was open on Shabbat. On a typical Saturday I would make
5,000-15,000 dollars, and this was a major portion of the weekly sales.
I wanted very much to close on Shabbat, but I calculated that if
I did, I would lose somewhere between $20,000 to 60,000 a month. After a lot of
thought, I decided to close on Saturday. However, although the store would be
closed on Saturday, I planned on working until late on Friday nights.
I wrote to the Lubavitcher Rebbe about my decision to close the
business on Shabbat without saying anything about Friday night. The Rebbe's
answer was, "Start from before sunset and great is your merit to joyously
spread Judaism" (he underlined the word "joyously"). The Rebbe
also enclosed 18 dollars and wrote that I should give them to charity locally
-- a bill of ten, a bill of five, a bill of two, and a bill of one.
Now it was clear: the business would be closed the entire
Shabbat. But in order to do so, I had to break the lease with the landlord for
the space I rented for my store. It was a huge area that was spread out over an
entire block, so the cost of canceling the ten-year lease was enormous. I tried
convincing friends to buy the lease from me, but nobody wanted to. When I saw
that I had no option, I decided to inform the landlord that I was breaking the
lease.
When I went to his office, I was told that he wasn't there. I
went back to the store and a businessman whom I did not know walked in and said
he wanted to buy the property. "I'm not the owner," I said. "You
must talk to the landlord."
"I already spoke to the landlord," he responded,
"and he is ready to sell, but he said that you hold the lease. This is why
I am here - to buy you out."
Suddenly I had the upper hand. I started thinking hard how much
money to ask from him for breaking the contract. Before I said a word. he
offered an amount that was much higher than I would have dared to ask for. We
signed an agreement and I evacuated the premises.
With the money I received for our arrangement, I bought a
building and established a clothing factory, something I never would have
dreamed I could do. In the normal course of things, I would have had to work
for decades in order to achieve such a thing. Yet, the Rebbe had shortened the
way for me. It was all in the merit of my deciding to keep Shabbat.
Here is another example where I saw unimaginable success after I
decided to keep Shabbat. I had an offer to open a chain of stores called Indian
Head in Los Angeles, but I decided not to get involved in retail so I wouldn't
have to work on Shabbat. Instead, I decided to invest in the manufacturing of
clothing and to offer it to Macy's.
When I went to the buyer, she thought I would show her dozens of
styles, as was to be expected from companies that do business with Macy's. I
came with just one style. She was very impressed that I had come with just one
style. She said that because I had the guts to come to them, she was eager to
work with me [1] and she placed an order worth $25,000.
That was the first time that I worked with a company on such a
large scale and I was very excited. But when the clothing came from the dyeing
process, I was devastated. They had mixed up the colors and every pair of pants
came out in a different color.
When I saw this, I began to cry. I was sure I had lost all my
money, which was a large amount in those days, as well as the opportunity to
work with Macy's.
After vacillating for a while, I decided to send them the
merchandise anyway. I left the office for two weeks, afraid of the angry phone
calls I would get.
Sure enough, upon my return, I found dozens of messages from the
company on my answering machine. The phone rang just then and the Macy's rep
was on the line. "I've been looking for you for two weeks,' she said.
'Your pants were incredibly successful. They are totally sold out!"
* * *
In my youth, I was a promising professional soccer player in Israel. Over the
years, I used my connections with friends in the world of soccer to spread Judaism.
On one of my visits to Israel, I met with my former soccer trainer, David Schweitzer,
with whom I was very close. He asked me jokingly who would advocate for him
when he went to heaven after 120 years. I told him, "When you get up
there, tell them you are Pykovski's friend and they'll take care of you."
The next day, I got a phone call from a friend who said that
David had died. I was shocked. I thought, "how shall I keep my promise to
him from the day before he died." I decided to write a Torah in his merit.
When the Torah was completed except for the last few rows of
letters, we brought it to the Chabad yeshiva in Ramat Aviv. The finishing of it
was spectacular. We wrote the last letters on the soccer field where David Schweitzer
had served as a trainer.
The Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi of Israel at the time, Rabbi
Yisrael-Meir Lau, attended the event. He said that he had attended hundreds of
such events in his life, but he had never experienced a moving one such as
this, with the soccer players on the field in uniform together with Jews from
all sorts of backgrounds writing letters in the Torah.
* * *
On one of my business trips to the Far East, I spent Shabbat at Chabad in
Bangkok, Thailand, with one of the Rebbe's emissaries there, Rabbi Nechemia Wilhelm.
At the Shabbat meal there were a few dozen young people. I announced that I
would give tefillin as a gift to whoever would commit to putting them on
regularly.
A young Israeli sat next to me who wore the red robes of the
local idol worshipers and who looked like a Thai monk. He raised his hand and
said he commits to putting on tefillin. I was shocked, but I kept my word and
sent him tefillin.
Two years later I was visiting Israel and I spent a day studying
in the Chabad yeshiva in Ramat Aviv. A young man approached me and asked me
whether I recognized him. I said he must be mistaken since we had never met
before, but he insisted that we knew one another. He brought me his tefillin
and said that he was the fellow from Thailand to whom I had given tefillin and
now he was studying in yeshiva.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Source: Compiled by Yerachmiel Tilles from a 2012 issue of "L'Chaim,"
a publication of the Lubavitch Youth Organization, and from an interview for
"Here's My Story", posted on Chabad.org.
Why this week? In this
week's Torah reading (Ex. 33:1-3), and in last week's (Ex. 31:12-17), some
instructions for proper observance of Shabbat are described.
Biographic note:
Ami Pykovski is a successful businessman, and a former professional soccer
player who played for 36 years in Los Angeles as well as for the Israeli soccer
team. Today, he serves the religious needs of the soccer players and is a very
familiar face for Israeli soccer fans, once lighting a menorah for 30,000
spectators at a Beitar match in Jerusalem.
Footnote:
[1] When I heard him tell his story at a Shavuot retreat in 2020, it was not
nearly that easy. But as the details are now fuzzy in my mind I decided to
leave this report unchanged.
If any one deserves the
highest medal Sgt. E6 Carmi Yogev does.
Carmi was assigned to Golani 12 the Alexandroni reserve group. He and his
men were to follow two tanks and take a building in Gaza. First Sgt or staff Sgt. Naty Kugel had been in
Northern Israel for the start of the war. In April and May they trained and in
June 2024 they went down south to Gaza.
His tank was hit badly and everybody
lost consciousness. The other tank with his was now going to drag his tank to
safety. Carmi was outside and trying to make communication with somebody
inside. Suddenly, he decided under fire to go up the tank and open the hatch. Carmi
could see smoke coming from the tank loaded with shells and other munitions. With
next to no time to waste, Carmi pulled open the latch of the tank. It was
smoldering inside. He saw first Sgt. Naty Kugel and tried pulling him out. But
despite his big frame and strength he could not raise somebody without
consciousness. With the help of two of his men and their belts they pulled out
Naty burnt on his right hand, right leg and a bit on his face. They placed him
on a stretcher and saw him moving his lips. He was taken by helicopter to a
hospital and was kept in a medical coma for over a month.
(This was on the second channel and
one could view Naty as Carmi told the story.) The three others in the tank, a
captain, another first Sgt. and an E5s soldier all smothered to death. Shmuel
who was not one of Carmi’s men slipped into the tank head first and on his back
to recover the body of the driver. He also deserves a medal in my opinion. It
took 50 minutes to pull out the third body.
Naty and Carmi have become friends
and he has given Carmi the nickname Rambo. Both have met with the President of
Israel. Carmi is religious and says only G-D knows how Naty survived and the
others not.
16 minute film Why Did
You Convert to Judaism?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cYT-mtX62U
There is a Halacha that a Baal
Teshuva and a Ger should not be asked “What made you become Frum?” or “Why did
you convert to Judaism?” and we should honor the Halacha. Rav Yochanan one day
had a dispute with Resh Lakish and made a comment about how a gladiator knows
his knives. Resh Lakish was his Chavruta (learning partner) and brother-in-law.
The comment on his past so upset him, that soon he died. Later without a
Chavruta, Rav Yochanan become despondent and died of heart break. {Baba Metzia
84:A}
Milestone: Nita Lowey, Congresswoman from NY.
Inyanay Diyoma
Mar. 14th
Day 525 Purim end of week 75
https://www.timesofisrael.com/irans-top-diplomat-nuclear-talks-with-us-only-possible-on-equal-terms/
The Likud and coalition parties would gain two
Knesset seats if elections were held today, a new poll indicated. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/405362
The
US and Israel have spoken to officials in three East African countries, seeking
potential destinations for emigrating Gazans, the Associated Press reported
Friday morning, quoting American and Israeli officials. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/405361
Columbia
University on Thursday announced disciplinary measures against students
involved in last spring’s takeover of a campus building during an anti-Israel
protest. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/405349
At least 98 individuals were arrested on Thursday during a protest in
the lobby of Trump Tower in Manhattan, demanding the immediate release of
Mahmoud Khalil, a pro-Palestinian Arab activist detained earlier this week by
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) due to his role in anti-Israel
protests at Columbia University. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/405355
Chairman
of the Yisrael Beytenu party, MK Avigdor Liberman, is not ruling out a joint run
with former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/405352
5 live hostages and 9 dead for 50 day truce. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/405352
Tech
mogul, billionaire, and Trump adviser Elon Musk shared a tweet claiming that
Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, and Mao Zedong did not murder millions of people. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/405325
Gideon Saar rejoins the Likud. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/405340
Six Arab rioters from the Arab outpost of Shaabin, which was built
illegally on the Wye Accords Nature Reserve in Gush Etzion, attacked a Jewish
shepherd from the Mikneh Avraham hilltop community on Thursday near Maaleh
Amos. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/405314
Detectives
from the Central District Police and the ISA (Shin Bet) arrested a resident of
Tayibe, an Arab town at the eastern edge of central Israel, on suspicion of
carrying out terrorist activities inspired by the Islamic State (ISIS). https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/405300
Op-Ed Diane Bederman. Is
Islamophobia running rampant in Toronto, Canada? - Diane Bederman- Your
Passionate Voice of Reason
Mar. 15th and Mar 16th Houthis
beware or the ides of March.
Day 526 Day 527 Shushan Purim start of week 76
It is a rare day to be with all my Israeli
Grandchildren and Great Grandchildren. Purim Diner was such a time and I
enjoyed it. The only time I saw the baby was at his Bris so it was refreshing
to see him more alert but wanting to be cuddled.
Sometimes in darkness in Israel a
spiritual light protrudes. We lost a soldier in my area a year ago and there is
a free loan society in his memory with a nice sum inside. A young man died of a
stroke leaving 7 children between the ages of 2 to 11 or 14. The people got
together a fund for the widow-orphans right now standing at almost 500,000NIS
with a goal even higher.
Trump adopts the Monroe Doctrine. https://www.foxnews.com/world/trump-announces-decisive-powerful-airstrikes-against-houthi-terrorists-yemen
Houthis vow to attack Israel as they are the
Gaza Shield. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/405417
Houthi attack lands in Egypt. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/405434
505
days in Hamas Hell. https://www.foxnews.com/world/freed-israeli-hostage-speaks-first-time-about-his-505-days-surviving-hamas-hell
https://www.foxnews.com/world/extermination-site-discovered-mexico-cremation-ovens-human-remains
https://www.foxweather.com/weather-news/south-severe-weather-outbreak-day2-march-2025
https://www.foxnews.com/world/greenland-government-calls-trumps-acquisition-talks-unacceptable
Remember Natalie Holloway? https://www.foxnews.com/us/key-witness-american-college-students-disappearance-passport-seized
https://www.foxnews.com/world/greenland-government-calls-trumps-acquisition-talks-unacceptable
https://www.foxnews.com/food-drink/starbucks-ordered-pay-50m-customer-burned-hot-drink
Something does not jive mental health wise?
Missing adult hi-tech worker found. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/405391
IDF
has suspended several reservists and their platoon commander after the soldiers
filmed themselves firing towards Gaza while reading the Scroll of Esther on
Purim. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/405390
54th this year. https://www.timesofisrael.com/two-cousins-in-their-20s-shot-dead-in-arab-town-of-deir-hanna-in-the-lower-galilee/
A former classmate of detained anti-Israel protester Mahmoud Khalil
described him as an “insidious” presence at Columbia University, claiming his
deep-seated hatred for Israel was unsettling.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/405424
How we will defeat antisemitism. Leo
Tirrell civil rights in the
Justice Dept. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOFIKRr2Sco
Commando soldiers arrested over 60 wanted suspects, and
confiscated dozens of weapons of various types, including firearms, explosives,
and ammunition. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/405393
The
incident occurred in the Prospect Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn. The
left-wing vandal became enraged at the site of the Tesla truck and
double-parked in order to deface it by writing "Elon =" and drawing a
swastika. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/405422
Netanyahu
instructed the negotiating team to prepare for continued talks for the
immediate release of 11 living hostages and approximately half of the deceased
hostages, as per the mediators' response to US envoy Steve Witkoff's proposal. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/405415
Jewish
Woman Wearing Israeli Flag Attacked in Copenhagen - Algemeiner.com
Left-Wing
US Lawmakers Present New Bill to Implement Arms Embargo on Israel -
Algemeiner.com
Emily
is a Maccabi Tel Aviv fan and Romi is a Hapoel Haifa fan, and the two attended
the match between the teams at Bloomfield Stadium. Yair came to his beloved
team's home match against Maccabi Netanya. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/405410
Fallen Rabbi’s Family dresses up as a call-up
notice. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/405440
Shooting attack foiled. Udai Mubarsham,
a resident of the village of Jadeidi-Makr in northern Israel, was arrested in
February as part of a joint operation by the Shin Bet (ISA) and the Israel
Police. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/405438
The
IAF on Saturday struck a terrorist cell in the Beit Lahia area, among them was
a terrorist who infiltrated Israeli territory during the October 7th massacre,
said the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/405416
One sided draft orders don’t work. Defense
Minister Israel Katz criticized the intention of the IDF to send 14,000
additional recruitment orders to Haredim by May. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/405411
"Hamas
is making a very poor gamble by believing that time is on its side. That is not
the case. Hamas is well aware of the deadline and must understand that we will
respond accordingly if it passes," Witkoff warned. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/405382
The
chairman of the Yisrael Beytenu party, MK Avigdor Liberman, is not ruling out a
joint run with former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/405352
Mar. 17th
Day 528
Hey this is not Biden. https://www.foxnews.com/world/u-s-military-shoots-down-houthi-drones-trumps-strikes-against-terrorist-group-continue
Talk is cheap but Hegseth’s boys scouts are
prepared. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/405470
Friday afternoon I lit the TV in my shelter as
usual, Motzei Shabbos I turn it off without looking at it on Shabbos. Among
things it gives me the all clear signal. Israel is preparing for the possibility that
the Houthis will respond to US strikes
on Yemen by launching missiles towards Israel. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/405476
President
Donald
Trump
ordered the dismantling of news agency Voice of America, the U.S.'s
state-funded media outlet that Trump has railed against for promoting biased
media Reports. Once upon a time in the 1950’s this
was the truth. https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-orders-dismantling-government-funded-left-wing-media-outlet-voa
https://www.foxnews.com/us/missing-connecticut-girl-found-alive-25-years-kidnapping-help-dna-testing
Arab shot in his bed number 55 to Mafia deaths.
From yesterday 54: https://www.timesofisrael.com/man-shot-dead-while-on-way-to-work-in-northern-arab-town/
40 dead. https://www.foxweather.com/weather-news/east-coast-severe-weather-outbreak-day-3-march-2025
Israelis
have begun to develop a strategic hilltop overlooking several strategic
highways in Samaria, including the Trans-Samaria Highway, the Huwara Bypass, and
Tapuach Junction, which connects the roads to northern Samaria, Tel Aviv,
Jerusalem, and the Jordan Valley. It also provides a commanding view of two
Israeli towns, Tapuach and Eviatar. https://www.israelnRationalnews.com/news/405444
The
chief of the Houthi leader's
security detail was reportedly killed during a US strike on Houthi targets in
Yemen, according to Israeli media, citing a Saudi report on Monday. https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-846356
From Mishnaic Times. Rabbi Nachum
Ish Gam Zu would say Gam Zu Le Tova. (All is for the best). Eliya gets epileptic
seizure three years ago was released. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/405486
Police officers in the Judea region arrested a Palestinian Arab, who
is suspect of breaking into homes in Gush Etzion communities. Following a
in-depth and complex investigation, an indictment was filed against him for
property offenses and weapon theft. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/405480
UNWRA gear in munitions cache. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/405449
The
windshield of a car was found to be riddled with bullets on Sunday afternoon in
Avivim near the border with Lebanon. No one was hurt. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/405456
I
was hijacked by the PFLP in September 1970 (Black September). I was a hostage
for only one week but there are many parallels to today's situation. While this
whole time, I have been reliving those times, these past weeks, in particular
have been difficult. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/405464
US
Envoy to Middle Eastern Affairs Steve Witkoff spoke to CNN's Jake Tapper
on Sunday about Hamas's proposal for a ceasefire and called it a
"non-starter." https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/405452
Khaled
Mashaal, head of the Hamas terrorist organization abroad, recently rejected US
President Donald Trump’s Gaza relocation plan, while stating that it is the
"path of jihad and resistance" that will take back people's homeland,
restore honor, and liberate the prisoners.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/405475
Democrats less popular. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/405474
Head
of the HaMevaser newspaper, Moshe Porush, son of Minister of Jerusalem
Affairs and Heritage Meir Porush, was violently attacked on Sunday night in his
father's apartment building in central Jerusalem, by neighbors identified as
Gerrer Hasidim. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/405477
United Airlines resumes flights to Israel. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/405472
Irish
protesters raised Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) flags across Dublin’s
Ha’Penny Bridge over the weekend, turning a celebration of St. Patrick’s Day
into an expression of solidarity with Palestinian Arabs. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/405473
Iranian opposition leader freed. https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-846406
Mar. 18th
Day 529
After discussions and indications
of Hamas planning another incursion. Yesterday a cell was taken out. At 2:30 AM
heavy bombs hit Hamas targets kill three leaders and about 300 soldiers. Since
Israel left the area in 2005, all their people under 30 or 35 have had their
brains washed to become Shachidim.
Left over from early evening: The army or
police arrested a Haredi refuser and gave him 14days in jail. The main roads in
the center of the country and Yerushalayim were blocked by civil disobedience
causing thousands of shekels lost and thousands of shekels in overtime by the
police.
This week I have a new war story miracle that a
tank did not explode despite a fire and how a soldier’s life was saved under
fire from that burning tank. It will be in the blogspot along with two other
stories.
Israel consulted with US prior to raids. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/405524
Suspected Hamas raid preparations. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/405517
Syrian
Troops Exchange Fire With Lebanese Army, Armed Groups in Northeast Lebanon -
Algemeiner.com
The
United States and Israel have explored the possibility of resettling Gazan
Palestinian Arabs in Syria. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/405495
The Houthis again threaten. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/405514
COS fires general: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/405529
MK on the firing of the Shin Bet Head. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/405520
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-claims-biden-pardons-void-alleging-were-signed-via-autopen
80,000 pages of the JFK files to be released. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/405525
Cori Bush, Jamaal Bowman Shred AIPAC in First Episode of New
Show on Anti-Israel Network - Algemeiner.com PS they hate Jews, Ju’s and Joo’s.
Mar. 19th
Day 530
The new military operation is called “Strength
of sword”
Hamas manipulates the news. https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-846605
Qatari Money to Netanyahu’s men. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/bko67juhkg
More and more Hamas and Jihad leaders die in
raids. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/405586
https://www.timesofisrael.com/hungarys-parliament-bans-pride-events-in-crackdown-on-lgbtq-rights/
The
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Tuesday that the service of a reserve
combat navigator in the Air Force has been permanently terminated, after he
announced that he refuses to serve. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/405563
Mar. 20th
Day 531
I heard the siren this morning 4:00+ and a few seconds
later the more pleasant ringing on my phone. The main target was the
airport but when hit at 100miles high over Saudi Arabia who knows. I tried
going back to sleep, but the delayed flights that were incoming were rerouted
over my block almost over my head. It is like a F-15 or F-35 over my place in
Hollywood FL up from Homestead during the day. So no sleep! You can see on
Facebook Rachamim HaRav Pauli for map from Yerushalayim to the Sea and from Rehovot/Reshon
to Netanya. And as I got up I moved one slipper to stand against the wall so
one shoe one slipper to the shelter.
Houthi
Morning Wake-up before Ramadan Fast. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/405636
Freed
Israeli Hostages, Families of Captives React to Collapse of Gaza Ceasefire -
Algemeiner.com
Traffic accident with two dead temporarily
shuts entrance to Eilat.
Antisemitism in British Columbia, Canada. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/405643
A
senior officer in the reserve armored brigade due to start a third tour of duty
in the Gaza Strip in two weeks told Yedioth Aharonot that he is
struggling to fill his ranks. "The reservists understand that at this
stage, it's more about guarding and less intense fighting, and they say: 'I
enlisted, I gave up things - at least let me fight, do something active'. Right
now, it looks like defensive missions, and people simply aren't showing
up." https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/405647
To my great sorrow it is
not all the deep State. https://www.timesofisrael.com/amid-probe-of-his-aides-netanyahu-attacks-leftist-deep-state-in-the-us-and-israel/
Caracal bites soldiers – caught. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/405607
Less terrorists heads. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/405611
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/405561
Benny Ganz called traitor by left. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/405610
Temple Mount will be closed to Jews. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/405608
Infiltrator was a car thief. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/405605
Why
Some Progressives, Jews, and Others Support Mahmoud Khalil - Algemeiner.com
Antisemitism
in Switzerland Has Surged to ‘Unprecedented Level,’ New Report Finds -
Algemeiner.com
Mar. 21st
Day 532 end of week 76
Yesterday was a busy day for me. 4AM attack.
Writing here, Yad Sarah to repair my new walker that lost a bolt, gym, drive to
the grave of my late father-in-law, getting soaked to the bone going to
Mincha/Maariv and finally napping for a 19:29-19:34 Rav Mimran will call for
our learning session. That was until at 19:28 the Houthi Siren again. https://www.timesofisrael.com/houthis-fire-2nd-ballistic-missile-at-israel-since-early-morning-none-hurt/
Coded message to the extreme left to riot and
revolt by former Justice. For when they can’t get their way burn cars. https://www.timesofisrael.com/ex-supreme-court-chief-aharon-barak-says-he-fears-israel-headed-to-civil-war/
This happened to big antisemites. https://www.foxnews.com/politics/husband-former-squad-rep-cori-bush-charged-wire-fraud-linked-covid-relief-funds-doj
https://www.foxnews.com/sports/maine-universities-agree-keep-trans-athletes-out-womens-sports-after-trump-admin-pauses-funding
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-sfdtRBIfI
Christians flee Lebanon to Europe or Israel.
But there are some anti-Israel Christians. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LSQIKT0kvY
National
Security Advisor, Mike Waltz, on Thursday expressed support for Israel’s
renewed military campaign against the Hamas terrorist organization. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/405695
Guess who Blinken and Biden let in. A researcher
and foreign exchange student at Georgetown University was arrested this week by
ICE officials for allegedly spreading Hamas propaganda. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/405666
US
Lawmaker Introduces Bill to Deport Foreign Students Who Support Terror Groups -
Algemeiner.com
Trump and US Aid talks. Egypt will let in a
half million Gazans. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/405706
Reza
Pahlavi, Crown Prince of Iran, on Thursday issued a Norooz message to the international
community entitled: "A Norooz Message to the World: Imagine a New
Iran". Msg of Peace to Israel. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/405693
Shabbos Times: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/shabat
Oregon
Nurse Who Called Jews ‘Vermin’ Declared Support for Hamas - Liberty Affair
Four
More Sentenced to Jail for Amsterdam Attack Against Israeli Soccer Fans -
Algemeiner.com
https://www.timesofisrael.com/arab-israeli-charged-with-plotting-ramming-attack-against-soldiers/
Iran
Says It Will Consider ‘Opportunities’ as Well as Threats in Trump Letter -
Algemeiner.com
Hopefully, this is the truth about Pelosi and
the Washington Police and National Guard. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VPyyg2r5jk
Don’t attack the Houthis, the US and International
groups will deal with them. https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-846958
THIS COMING THURSDAY NIGHT TO
FRIDAY THE CLOCKS IN ISRAEL WILL MOVE ONE HOUR AHEAD TO DAY LIGHT SAVINGS TIME.
Have a healthy, happy, restful and
peaceful Shabbos,
Rachamim Pauli
