Last week, my space bar
on my keyboard stopped working. I got myself a portable keyboard but it is hard
adjusting. Lost time means having a lot to make up.
I was looking for ideas
for this week’s Parsha when I came across this from ten years ago:
Miracle Alert
Jordanian sniper shoots
woman in Beit Shean in the head and she does not lose consciousness: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/199784#.Vdliqfaqqko
A miracle
for a non-Jew as airman Spencer Stone wrestled with the terrorist on the train,
his pistol did not fire point blank at Stone and many people were saved by the
brave action. The train was carrying 3 US Service Men, the terrorist and many
civilians. https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/614530/us-airman-recognized-as-hero-in-paris
Parsha Vaetchanan Part 2
This year the weekly
Drasha has more than doubled the readership of last year and I am bringing down
what I wrote last year with the exception of 6:4 with my reminder of intentions,
Kavana, in prayers like the Shema.
6:1
Now this is the commandment, the statutes, and the ordinances, which the LORD
your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in the land whither ye
go over to possess it—
The Commandments are
linked to the land. Shmita, Teruma, Maaser, Orlah are linked to the land even
without a Mikdash and Korbanos. Add that and Yovel and Yebum instead of
Hatlitza of the widow of the childless brother. Parcels for inheritance and
cities of refugee for the accidental man slaughterer.
2 that
thou might fear the LORD thy God, to keep all His statutes and His
commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son's son, all
the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged.
So periods in history
people died young and could be happy to see as children and grandchildren and
then periods of greatgrandchildren like Yosef saw. The goal is to spread Torah
and Mitzvos to your son and son’s son. Then your days will be prolonged.
3 Hear
therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee, and
that ye may increase mightily, as the LORD, the God of thy fathers, hath
promised unto thee--a land flowing with milk and honey.
Observance will yield a
land flowing with milk and honey.
4 Hear,
O Israel: the LORD our God, the LORD is one.
The declaration of the
Unity of G-D with the Ayn of the Shema and the Dalet of the Echud producing Ayd
or witness to the Unity.
NEW THIS YEAR but old in
my teachings. The Shin Mem of the Shema is for NAME meaning the 72 letter NAME
and the Ayin or 70 other names. The Dalet in Ehud stands for over air, fire,
earth and water or in modern terms forms of mater gas, plasma, solids and
liquids. The Dalet also stands for four types of Kabbalistic Life forms or
inanimate, plant, animal and talking. Again the sun, moon, earth and planets.
Angels Ophanim, Seraphim, Chayos and Arch Angels (Michael, Gavriel, Rafael, Uriel,
etc.)
5 And
thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and
with all thy might.
Unconditional love for
the CREATOR wholehearted, with your interior and exterior being and all your
money.
6 And
these words, which I command thee this day, shall be upon thy heart;
24/7 your heart and head
shall be in tune with the L-RD and the Commandments.
7 and
thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when
thou sit in thy house, and when thou walk by the way, and when thou lie down,
and when thou rise up.
It does not suffice that
you observe Torah for yourself, but it is imperative that you teach the
generation(s) after you the Torah and Mitzvos. Every second of everyday you sit
in your house, go outside, lie down and say the blessings and rise up thanking
G-D for restoring your soul unto yourself.
8 And
thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thy hand, and they shall be for frontlets
between thine eyes.
The Tephillin are on
your weaker hand but bound there so you feel them and a place that the Buddhist
call the third or spiritual eye on your forehead touching the hairline. A
powerful contact spiritually to the True World.
9 And
thou shalt write them upon the door-posts of thy house, and upon thy
gates.
So when you go in or our
of your house, HASHEM is before your thoughts.
10 And
it shall be, when the LORD thy God shall bring thee into the land which He
swore unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee--great
and goodly cities, which thou didst not build, 11 and houses full of
all good things, which thou didst not fill, and cisterns hewn out, which thou
didst not hew, vineyards and olive-trees, which thou didst not plant, and thou
shalt eat and be satisfied--
The uncle of Rabbi Beryl
Wein, my teacher Rabbi Tuvia Wein Ztzal told me that when he came to live in
Eretz Yisrael, he was first sent to an abandon Arab House in Ramla Yisrael.
There was a grape vine that produced close to 1000 kilograms of grapes for
eating and making wine that he did not plant.
12 then
beware lest thou forget the LORD, who brought thee forth out of the land of
Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 13 Thou shalt fear the LORD thy
God; and Him shalt thou serve, and by His name shalt thou swear.
Although it is the
custom today not to swear by the NAME of the L-RD, still one would do so when
required by Halachic Law with great timidation.
14 Ye
shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the peoples that are round about
you; 15 for a jealous God, even the LORD thy God, is in the midst of
thee; lest the anger of the LORD thy God be kindled against thee, and He
destroy thee from off the face of the earth.
The human term jealousy
seems to me just a humanization of the L-RD for nothing exists from the
sub-atomic particle to galaxy clusters without the will of the L-RD. So in
practical terms, one cannot get jealous here but rather putting it in our terms
like a man or woman scorned by the spouse.
16 Ye
shall not try the LORD your God, as ye tried Him in Massah. 17 Ye
shall diligently keep the commandments of the LORD your God, and His
testimonies, and His statutes, which He hath commanded thee. 18 And
thou shalt do that which is right and good in the sight of the LORD; that it
may be well with thee, and that thou mayest go in and possess the good land
which the LORD swore unto thy fathers, 19 to thrust out all thine
enemies from before thee, as the LORD hath spoken.
The L-RD does not have
to prove HIMSELF to you, but you shall do HIS will and it is stated in Avos “Do
HIS will so that HE will cancel out others will before yours.”
20 When
thy son asks thee in time to come, saying: 'What mean the testimonies, and the
statutes, and the ordinances, which the LORD our God hath commanded you?
You shall educate your
children in the ways & laws of G-D.
21 then
thou shalt say unto thy son: 'We were Pharaoh's bondmen in Egypt; and the LORD
brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. 22 And the LORD showed
signs and wonders, great and sore, upon Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his
house, before our eyes. 23 And He brought us out from thence, that He
might bring us in, to give us the land which He swore unto our
fathers. 24 And the LORD commanded us to do all these statutes, to
fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive, as
it is at this day.
Not only the ways and
laws, but HIS love and keeping us.
25 And
it shall be righteousness unto us, if we observe to do all this commandment
before the LORD our God, as He hath commanded us.
We are the underlings
and if we observe the commandments then we are rewarded.
7:1 When the LORD thy God shall bring thee
into the land whither thou go to possess it, and shall cast out many nations
before thee, the Hittite, and the Girgashite, and the Amorite, and the
Canaanite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite, seven nations
greater and mightier than thou; 2 and when the LORD thy God shall
deliver them up before thee, and thou shalt smite them; then thou shalt utterly
destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor show mercy unto
them;
Although the so-called
“Palestinian People” that did not exist before 1968CE claim it is there land,
it is imperative not to make a covenant with them. (Now tell that to the
leftist in Israel who grew up without really reading and understanding
scripture. All the more so believing.)
3 neither
shalt thou make marriages with them: thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his
son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son. 4 For he will
turn away thy son from following Me, that they may serve other gods; so will
the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and He will destroy thee
quickly.
It is not always that
the wicked or the atheist leftist die for their non-belief but rather, G-D
takes one or two righteous to save the lives of hundreds born under
mal-education.
5 But
thus shall ye deal with them: ye shall break down their altars, and dash in
pieces their pillars, and hew down their Asherim, and burn their graven images
with fire.
Therefore anything from
the nations or idolatry must be destroyed.
6 For
thou art a holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee
to be His own treasure, out of all peoples that are upon the face of the
earth. 7 The LORD did not set His love upon you, nor choose you,
because ye were more in number than any people--for ye were the fewest of all
peoples--
You are not quantity but
quality.
8 but
because the LORD loved you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore
unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and
redeemed you out of the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of
Egypt.
He promised Avraham,
Yitzchak and Yacov and kept his promise.
9 Know
therefore that the LORD thy God, He is God; the faithful God, who keeps
covenant and mercy with them that love Him and keep His commandments to a
thousand generations;
The wicked cause
suffering for a few generations but the righteous trigger love for over 1000
generations.
10 and
repays them that hate Him to their face, to destroy them; He will not be slack
to him that hates Him, He will repay him to his face.
Measure for measure Meda
Knegged Meda.
11 Thou
shalt therefore keep the commandment, and the statutes, and the ordinances,
which I command thee this day, to do them.
The Parsha concludes with following the Mitzvos and observing
them.
Parsha Eikev
Moshe is continuing with his review
and reproofs for the nation.
7:12
And it shall come to pass, because ye hearken to these ordinances, and keep,
and do them, that the LORD thy God shall keep with thee the covenant and the
mercy which He swore unto thy fathers, 13 and He will love thee, and bless
thee, and multiply thee; He will also bless the fruit of thy body and the fruit
of thy land, thy corn and thy wine and thine oil, the increase of thy cattle
and the young of thy flock, in the land which He swore unto thy fathers to give
thee. 14 Thou shalt be blessed above all peoples; there shall not be male or
female barren among you, or among your cattle.
This is a great blessing and a big
problem today with many spinsters, confirmed old bachelors and thousands
of barren couples some on the Life-Line List or Shaul ben Rivka and his
wife Michal Rachel bas Geula whom I pray for or others who squeak through after
many years like two families I know and the close to sixty year olds with
donated eggs.
15 And the LORD will take away
from thee all sickness; and He will put none of the evil diseases of Egypt,
which thou know, upon thee, but will lay them upon all them that hate thee.
Another blessing I do not know of
one family that has not experienced a sick child.
16 And thou shalt consume all the
peoples that the LORD thy God shall deliver unto thee; thine eye shall not pity
them; neither shalt thou serve their gods; for that will be a snare unto thee.
17 If thou shalt say in thy heart: 'These nations are more than I; how can I
dispossess them?' 18 thou shalt not be afraid of them; thou shalt well remember
what the LORD thy God did unto Pharaoh, and unto all Egypt:
It is written in Hebrew Zachor
Tizchor with the emphasis with double wording not only to remember but do not
forget.
19 the great trials which thine
eyes saw, and the signs, and the wonders, and the mighty hand, and the
outstretched arm, whereby the LORD thy God brought thee out; so shall the LORD
thy God do unto all the peoples of whom thou art afraid. 20 Moreover the LORD
thy God will send the hornet among them, until they that are left, and they
that hide themselves, perish from before thee. 21 Thou shalt not be affrighted
at them; for the LORD thy God is in the midst of thee, a God great and awful.
I have seen a battle take place on
the side of me while I patrolled the border and was on back up rescue squad.
The roar of the artillery which shakes the ground and the tracer bullets and
mortars in the night is enough to get your adrenaline going. You know how many
are on patrol and how many they are or their weapons yet you do it because “The
beginning of wisdom is the fear of the L-RD” – Mishlei meaning we fear G-D but
not man. This is the message of these Pasukim.
22 And the LORD thy God will cast
out those nations before thee by little and little; thou may not consume them
quickly, lest the beasts of the field increase upon thee. 23 But the LORD thy
God shall deliver them up before thee, and shall discomfit them with a great
discomfiture, until they be destroyed.
BUT NOT IF YOUR POLITICIANS ARE
AFRAID OF MAN AND LET THEM STAY. Again and again we vote them back into office
until the major parties become like each other and run the country full gas in
neutral. One has to be a glutton for punishment for reelecting them time after
time after time. Worse than that often the alternative party has a bigger jerk
or bigger crook. If we would only follow the Torah HASHEM would consume the
usurping Arabs by their leaving voluntarily or some other reason.
– This statement, I wrote in 2015 now put in context for
Oct. 7, 2023.
24 And He shall deliver their
kings into thy hand, and thou shalt make their name to perish from under
heaven; there shall no man be able to stand against thee, until thou have
destroyed them. 25 The graven images of their gods shall ye burn with fire;
thou shalt not covet the silver or the gold that is on them, nor take it unto
thee, lest thou be snared therein; for it is an abomination to the LORD thy
God. 26 And thou shalt not bring an abomination into thy house, and be accursed
like unto it; thou shalt utterly detest it, and thou shalt utterly abhor it;
for it is a devoted thing.
The graven images does not apply to
the Yishmael Religion but they do not belong in this land.
8:1 All the
commandment which I command thee this day shall ye observe to do, that ye may
live, and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the LORD swore unto
your fathers. 2 And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God hath
led thee these forty years in the wilderness, that He might afflict thee, to
prove thee, to know what was in thy heart, whether thou would keep His
commandments, or no. 3 And He afflicted thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and
fed thee with manna, which thou knew not, neither did thy fathers know; that He
might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by everything
that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.
Bread, employment,
wealth come only from HASHEM. It is not I who becomes rich or poor on my own
but from HASHEM. Yacov Glicksman Zal finished CCNY and learned electrical
engineering. In 1969, he and I found ourselves out of engineering and me out of
astronomical work. Man had reached the moon and the US won the space race. PhD’s
in Physics found themselves pumping gasoline. He worked at a teacher and I
worked in the Post Office. He had been a bit cocky when it came to this Pasuk
but not anymore. He learned his lesson and ended up in Israel in a Radar
Company where he won the Security Prize. Everything proceeds from HASHEM.
4 Thy raiment
waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years. 5 And
thou shalt consider in thy heart, that, as a man chastens his son, so the LORD
thy God chastens thee. 6 And thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy
God, to walk in His ways, and to fear Him.
Can you imagine
wearing clothing 40 years and being still able to fit and in good shape? This
is precisely what happened for 40 years. It was good but now the welfare State
is over with and once again we must toil but not that hard for the land is good
with good fruit springing forth.
7 For the LORD
thy God brings thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains
and depths, springing forth in valleys and hills; 8 a land of wheat and barley,
and vines and fig-trees and pomegranates; a land of olive-trees and honey; 9 a
land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness, thou shalt not lack any
thing in it; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills thou may dig
brass. 10 And thou shalt eat and be satisfied, and bless the LORD thy God for
the good land which He hath given thee.
For this simple
blessing of plenty, all you have to do is to observe and guard the 613 Mitzvos.
11 Beware lest
thou forget the LORD thy God, in not keeping His commandments, and His
ordinances, and His statutes, which I command thee this day; 12 lest when thou
hast eaten and art satisfied, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein;
13 and when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is
multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied; 14 then thy heart be lifted
up, and thou forget the LORD thy God, who brought thee forth out of the land of
Egypt, out of the house of bondage; 15 who led thee through the great and
dreadful wilderness, wherein were serpents, fiery serpents, and scorpions, and
thirsty ground where was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock
of flint; 16 who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew
not, that He might afflict thee, and that He might prove thee, to do thee good
at thy latter end; 17 and thou say in thy heart: 'My power and the might of my
hand hath gotten me this wealth.' 18 But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God,
for it is He that giveth thee power to get wealth, that He may establish His
covenant which He swore unto thy fathers, as it is this day.
However if one be
complacent regarding the Mitzvos then:
19 And it shall be, if thou shalt
forget the LORD thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship
them, I forewarn you this day that ye shall surely perish. 20 As the nations
that the LORD makes to perish before you, so shall ye perish; because ye would
not hearken unto the voice of the LORD your God.
This will happen to you if you do
not meet and try to exceed in observing all 613 Commandments.
OK I am doing a no-no entering modern politics but one
should listen to the Sages. I am going according to Rav Shach (Former Rosh Yeshiva
Ponevez), Rav Avraham Shapiro (former Chief Rabbi Ashkenazi) and Rav Mordechai
Eliyahu (Former Chief Sephardic Rabbi) all Ztzal. During their life time they
had the philosophy that if one was seriously learning in a Yeshiva one was
except from Military. However, my son was learning 8hours Torah a day or about
46 hours on weekdays and some more on Shabbos. He was told by the later two
that if he could not put in more hours, he should be in the army. He went and
now as a married man continues to learn a Daf plus a day. I too served in the
army as I was working. However, those who seriously learn Torah from morning to
night with breaks in between for family and chores should be exempt. When I
first opened my Kollel with Rabbi Mimran I learned from 9AM to 11PM. My health
need for sports and becoming an internet Rabbi changed things along with Covid.
Rav Chaim used to learn in his sleep from memory and during his waking hours
only took off time to pray or answer questions or be a Sandak in his younger
years. Had I learned earlier in life like I learned later in life, I should
have been exempt.
9:1 Hear, O Israel: thou art to
pass over the Jordan this day, to go in to dispossess nations greater and
mightier than thyself, cities great and fortified up to heaven, 2 a people
great and tall, the sons of the Anakim, whom thou know, and of whom thou hast
heard say: 'Who can stand before the sons of Anak?' 3 Know therefore this day,
that the LORD thy God is He who goes over before thee as a devouring fire; He
will destroy them, and He will bring them down before thee; so shalt thou drive
them out, and make them to perish quickly, as the LORD hath spoken unto thee. 4
Speak not thou in thy heart, after that the LORD thy God hath thrust them out
from before thee, saying: 'For my righteousness the LORD hath brought me in to
possess this land'; whereas for the wickedness of these nations the LORD doth
drive them out from before thee. 5 Not for thy righteousness, or for the
uprightness of thy heart, dost thou go in to possess their land; but for the
wickedness of these nations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before
thee, and that He may establish the word which the LORD swore unto thy fathers,
to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. 6 Know therefore that it is not for thy
righteousness that the LORD thy God giveth thee this good land to possess it;
for thou art a stiffnecked people.
You are not going to possess the
land because of your righteousness but because of Avraham, Yitzchak and Yacov
and MY promise to them.
7 Remember, forget thou not, how thou didst make the LORD thy God wroth in the wilderness; from the day that thou didst go forth out of the land of Egypt, until ye came unto this place, ye have been rebellious against the LORD. 8 Also in Horev ye made the LORD wroth, and the LORD was angered with you to have destroyed you. 9 When I was gone up into the mount to receive the tables of stone, even the tables of the covenant which the LORD made with you, then I abode in the mount forty days and forty nights; I did neither eat bread nor drink water. 10 And the LORD delivered unto me the two tables of stone written with the finger of God; and on them was written according to all the words, which the LORD spoke with you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly. 11 And it came to pass at the end of forty days and forty nights, that the LORD gave me the two tables of stone, even the tables of the covenant. 12 And the LORD said unto me: 'Arise, get thee down quickly from hence; for thy people that thou hast brought forth out of Egypt have dealt corruptly; they are quickly turned aside out of the way which I commanded them; they have made them a molten image.' 13 Furthermore the LORD spoke unto me, saying: 'I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people; 14 let ME alone, that I may destroy them, and blot out their name from under heaven; and I will make of thee a nation mightier and gre
Parsha Vaetchanan Part 2
This year the weekly Drasha has more than doubled the readership of last year and I am bringing down what I wrote last year with the exception of 6:4 with my reminder of intentions, Kavana, in prayers like the Shema.
6:1 Now this is the commandment, the statutes, and the ordinances, which the LORD your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go over to possess it—
The Commandments are linked to the land. Shmita, Teruma, Maaser, Orlah are linked to the land even without a Mikdash and Korbanos. Add that and Yovel and Yebum instead of Hatlitza of the widow of the childless brother. Parcels for inheritance and cities of refugee for the accidental man slaughterer.
2 that thou might fear the LORD thy God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son's son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged.
So periods in history people died young and could be happy to see as children and grandchildren and then periods of greatgrandchildren like Yosef saw. The goal is to spread Torah and Mitzvos to your son and son’s son. Then your days will be prolonged.
3 Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as the LORD, the God of thy fathers, hath promised unto thee--a land flowing with milk and honey.
Observance will yield a land flowing with milk and honey.
4 Hear, O Israel: the LORD our God, the LORD is one.
The declaration of the Unity of G-D with the Ayn of the Shema and the Dalet of the Echud producing Ayd or witness to the Unity.
NEW THIS YEAR but old in my teachings. The Shin Mem of the Shema is for NAME meaning the 72 letter NAME and the Ayin or 70 other names. The Dalet in Ehud stands for over air, fire, earth and water or in modern terms forms of mater gas, plasma, solids and liquids. The Dalet also stands for four types of Kabbalistic Life forms or inanimate, plant, animal and talking. Again the sun, moon, earth and planets. Angels Ophanim, Seraphim, Chayos and Arch Angels (Michael, Gavriel, Rafael, Uriel, etc.)
5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
Unconditional love for the CREATOR wholehearted, with your interior and exterior being and all your money.
6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be upon thy heart;
24/7 your heart and head shall be in tune with the L-RD and the Commandments.
7 and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sit in thy house, and when thou walk by the way, and when thou lie down, and when thou rise up.
It does not suffice that you observe Torah for yourself, but it is imperative that you teach the generation(s) after you the Torah and Mitzvos. Every second of everyday you sit in your house, go outside, lie down and say the blessings and rise up thanking G-D for restoring your soul unto yourself.
8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thy hand, and they shall be for frontlets between thine eyes.
The Tephillin are on your weaker hand but bound there so you feel them and a place that the Buddhist call the third or spiritual eye on your forehead touching the hairline. A powerful contact spiritually to the True World.
9 And thou shalt write them upon the door-posts of thy house, and upon thy gates.
So when you go in or our of your house, HASHEM is before your thoughts.
10 And it shall be, when the LORD thy God shall bring thee into the land which He swore unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee--great and goodly cities, which thou didst not build, 11 and houses full of all good things, which thou didst not fill, and cisterns hewn out, which thou didst not hew, vineyards and olive-trees, which thou didst not plant, and thou shalt eat and be satisfied--
The uncle of Rabbi Beryl Wein, my teacher Rabbi Tuvia Wein Ztzal told me that when he came to live in Eretz Yisrael, he was first sent to an abandon Arab House in Ramla Yisrael. There was a grape vine that produced close to 1000 kilograms of grapes for eating and making wine that he did not plant.
12 then beware lest thou forget the LORD, who brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 13 Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God; and Him shalt thou serve, and by His name shalt thou swear.
Although it is the custom today not to swear by the NAME of the L-RD, still one would do so when required by Halachic Law with great timidation.
14 Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the peoples that are round about you; 15 for a jealous God, even the LORD thy God, is in the midst of thee; lest the anger of the LORD thy God be kindled against thee, and He destroy thee from off the face of the earth.
The human term jealousy seems to me just a humanization of the L-RD for nothing exists from the sub-atomic particle to galaxy clusters without the will of the L-RD. So in practical terms, one cannot get jealous here but rather putting it in our terms like a man or woman scorned by the spouse.
16 Ye shall not try the LORD your God, as ye tried Him in Massah. 17 Ye shall diligently keep the commandments of the LORD your God, and His testimonies, and His statutes, which He hath commanded thee. 18 And thou shalt do that which is right and good in the sight of the LORD; that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest go in and possess the good land which the LORD swore unto thy fathers, 19 to thrust out all thine enemies from before thee, as the LORD hath spoken.
The L-RD does not have to prove HIMSELF to you, but you shall do HIS will and it is stated in Avos “Do HIS will so that HE will cancel out others will before yours.”
20 When thy son asks thee in time to come, saying: 'What mean the testimonies, and the statutes, and the ordinances, which the LORD our God hath commanded you?
You shall educate your children in the ways and laws of G-D.
21 then thou shalt say unto thy son: 'We were Pharaoh's bondmen in Egypt; and the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. 22 And the LORD showed signs and wonders, great and sore, upon Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his house, before our eyes. 23 And He brought us out from thence, that He might bring us in, to give us the land which He swore unto our fathers. 24 And the LORD commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive, as it is at this day.
Not only the ways and laws, but HIS love and keeping us.
25 And it shall be righteousness unto us, if we observe to do all this commandment before the LORD our God, as He hath commanded us.
We are the underlings and if we observe the commandments then we are rewarded.
7:1 When the LORD thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou go to possess it, and shall cast out many nations before thee, the Hittite, and the Girgashite, and the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite, seven nations greater and mightier than thou; 2 and when the LORD thy God shall deliver them up before thee, and thou shalt smite them; then thou shalt utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor show mercy unto them;
Although the so-called “Palestinian People” that did not exist before 1968CE claim it is there land, it is imperative not to make a covenant with them. (Now tell that to the leftist in Israel who grew up without really reading and understanding scripture. All the more so believing.)
3 neither shalt thou make marriages with them: thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son. 4 For he will turn away thy son from following Me, that they may serve other gods; so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and He will destroy thee quickly.
It is not always that the wicked or the atheist leftist die for their non-belief but rather, G-D takes one or two righteous to save the lives of hundreds born under mal-education.
5 But thus shall ye deal with them: ye shall break down their altars, and dash in pieces their pillars, and hew down their Asherim, and burn their graven images with fire.
Therefore anything from the nations or idolatry must be destroyed.
6 For thou art a holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be His own treasure, out of all peoples that are upon the face of the earth. 7 The LORD did not set His love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people--for ye were the fewest of all peoples--
You are not quantity but quality.
8 but because the LORD loved you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
He promised Avraham, Yitzchak and Yacov and kept his promise.
9 Know therefore that the LORD thy God, He is God; the faithful God, who keeps covenant and mercy with them that love Him and keep His commandments to a thousand generations;
The wicked cause suffering for a few generations but the righteous trigger love for over 1000 generations.
10 and repays them that hate Him to their face, to destroy them; He will not be slack to him that hates Him, He will repay him to his face.
Measure for measure Meda Knegged Meda.
11 Thou shalt therefore keep the commandment, and the statutes, and the ordinances, which I command thee this day, to do them.
The Parsha concludes with following the Mitzvos and observing them.
Parsha Eikev
Moshe is continuing with his review and reproofs for the nation.
7:12 And it shall come to pass, because ye hearken to these ordinances, and keep, and do them, that the LORD thy God shall keep with thee the covenant and the mercy which He swore unto thy fathers, 13 and He will love thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee; He will also bless the fruit of thy body and the fruit of thy land, thy corn and thy wine and thine oil, the increase of thy cattle and the young of thy flock, in the land which He swore unto thy fathers to give thee. 14 Thou shalt be blessed above all peoples; there shall not be male or female barren among you, or among your cattle.
This is a great blessing and a big problem today with many spinsters, confirmed old bachelors and thousands of barren couples some on the Life-Line List or Shaul ben Rivka and his wife Michal Rachel bas Geula whom I pray for or others who squeak through after many years like two families I know and the close to sixty year olds with donated eggs.
15 And the LORD will take away from thee all sickness; and He will put none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which thou know, upon thee, but will lay them upon all them that hate thee.
Another blessing I do not know of one family that has not experienced a sick child.
16 And thou shalt consume all the peoples that the LORD thy God shall deliver unto thee; thine eye shall not pity them; neither shalt thou serve their gods; for that will be a snare unto thee. 17 If thou shalt say in thy heart: 'These nations are more than I; how can I dispossess them?' 18 thou shalt not be afraid of them; thou shalt well remember what the LORD thy God did unto Pharaoh, and unto all Egypt:
It is written in Hebrew Zachor Tizchor with the emphasis with double wording not only to remember but do not forget.
19 the great trials which thine eyes saw, and the signs, and the wonders, and the mighty hand, and the outstretched arm, whereby the LORD thy God brought thee out; so shall the LORD thy God do unto all the peoples of whom thou art afraid. 20 Moreover the LORD thy God will send the hornet among them, until they that are left, and they that hide themselves, perish from before thee. 21 Thou shalt not be affrighted at them; for the LORD thy God is in the midst of thee, a God great and awful.
I have seen a battle take place on the side of me while I patrolled the border and was on back up rescue squad. The roar of the artillery which shakes the ground and the tracer bullets and mortars in the night is enough to get your adrenaline going. You know how many are on patrol and how many they are or their weapons yet you do it because “The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the L-RD” – Mishlei meaning we fear G-D but not man. This is the message of these Pasukim.
22 And the LORD thy God will cast out those nations before thee by little and little; thou may not consume them quickly, lest the beasts of the field increase upon thee. 23 But the LORD thy God shall deliver them up before thee, and shall discomfit them with a great discomfiture, until they be destroyed.
BUT NOT IF YOUR POLITICIANS ARE AFRAID OF MAN AND LET THEM STAY. Again and again we vote them back into office until the major parties become like each other and run the country full gas in neutral. One has to be a glutton for punishment for reelecting them time after time after time. Worse than that often the alternative party has a bigger jerk or bigger crook. If we would only follow the Torah HASHEM would consume the usurping Arabs by their leaving voluntarily or some other reason. – This statement, I wrote in 2015 now put in context for Oct. 7, 2023.
24 And He shall deliver their kings into thy hand, and thou shalt make their name to perish from under heaven; there shall no man be able to stand against thee, until thou have destroyed them. 25 The graven images of their gods shall ye burn with fire; thou shalt not covet the silver or the gold that is on them, nor take it unto thee, lest thou be snared therein; for it is an abomination to the LORD thy God. 26 And thou shalt not bring an abomination into thy house, and be accursed like unto it; thou shalt utterly detest it, and thou shalt utterly abhor it; for it is a devoted thing.
The graven images does not apply to the Yishmael Religion but they do not belong in this land.
8:1 All the commandment which I command thee this day shall ye observe to do, that ye may live, and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the LORD swore unto your fathers. 2 And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God hath led thee these forty years in the wilderness, that He might afflict thee, to prove thee, to know what was in thy heart, whether thou would keep His commandments, or no. 3 And He afflicted thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knew not, neither did thy fathers know; that He might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.
Bread, employment, wealth come only from HASHEM. It is not I who becomes rich or poor on my own but from HASHEM. Yacov Glicksman Zal finished CCNY and learned electrical engineering. In 1969, he and I found ourselves out of engineering and me out of astronomical work. Man had reached the moon and the US won the space race. PhD’s in Physics found themselves pumping gasoline. He worked at a teacher and I worked in the Post Office. He had been a bit cocky when it came to this Pasuk but not anymore. He learned his lesson and ended up in Israel in a Radar Company where he won the Security Prize. Everything proceeds from HASHEM.
4 Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years. 5 And thou shalt consider in thy heart, that, as a man chastens his son, so the LORD thy God chastens thee. 6 And thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, to walk in His ways, and to fear Him.
Can you imagine wearing clothing 40 years and being still able to fit and in good shape? This is precisely what happened for 40 years. It was good but now the welfare State is over with and once again we must toil but not that hard for the land is good with good fruit springing forth.
7 For the LORD thy God brings thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths, springing forth in valleys and hills; 8 a land of wheat and barley, and vines and fig-trees and pomegranates; a land of olive-trees and honey; 9 a land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness, thou shalt not lack any thing in it; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills thou may dig brass. 10 And thou shalt eat and be satisfied, and bless the LORD thy God for the good land which He hath given thee.
For this simple blessing of plenty, all you have to do is to observe and guard the 613 Mitzvos.
11 Beware lest thou forget the LORD thy God, in not keeping His commandments, and His ordinances, and His statutes, which I command thee this day; 12 lest when thou hast eaten and art satisfied, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein; 13 and when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied; 14 then thy heart be lifted up, and thou forget the LORD thy God, who brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage; 15 who led thee through the great and dreadful wilderness, wherein were serpents, fiery serpents, and scorpions, and thirsty ground where was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint; 16 who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that He might afflict thee, and that He might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end; 17 and thou say in thy heart: 'My power and the might of my hand hath gotten me this wealth.' 18 But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God, for it is He that giveth thee power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore unto thy fathers, as it is this day.
However if one be complacent regarding the Mitzvos then:
19 And it shall be, if thou shalt forget the LORD thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I forewarn you this day that ye shall surely perish. 20 As the nations that the LORD makes to perish before you, so shall ye perish; because ye would not hearken unto the voice of the LORD your God.
This will happen to you if you do not meet and try to exceed in observing all 613 Commandments.
OK I am doing a no-no entering modern politics but one should listen to the Sages. I am going according to Rav Shach (Former Rosh Yeshiva Ponevez), Rav Avraham Shapiro (former Chief Rabbi Ashkenazi) and Rav Mordechai Eliyahu (Former Chief Sephardic Rabbi) all Ztzal. During their life time they had the philosophy that if one was seriously learning in a Yeshiva one was except from Military. However, my son was learning 8hours Torah a day or about 46 hours on weekdays and some more on Shabbos. He was told by the later two that if he could not put in more hours, he should be in the army. He went and now as a married man continues to learn a Daf plus a day. I too served in the army as I was working. However, those who seriously learn Torah from morning to night with breaks in between for family and chores should be exempt. When I first opened my Kollel with Rabbi Mimran I learned from 9AM to 11PM. My health need for sports and becoming an internet Rabbi changed things along with Covid. Rav Chaim used to learn in his sleep from memory and during his waking hours only took off time to pray or answer questions or be a Sandak in his younger years. Had I learned earlier in life like I learned later in life, I should have been exempt.
9:1 Hear, O Israel: thou art to pass over the Jordan this day, to go in to dispossess nations greater and mightier than thyself, cities great and fortified up to heaven, 2 a people great and tall, the sons of the Anakim, whom thou know, and of whom thou hast heard say: 'Who can stand before the sons of Anak?' 3 Know therefore this day, that the LORD thy God is He who goes over before thee as a devouring fire; He will destroy them, and He will bring them down before thee; so shalt thou drive them out, and make them to perish quickly, as the LORD hath spoken unto thee. 4 Speak not thou in thy heart, after that the LORD thy God hath thrust them out from before thee, saying: 'For my righteousness the LORD hath brought me in to possess this land'; whereas for the wickedness of these nations the LORD doth drive them out from before thee. 5 Not for thy righteousness, or for the uprightness of thy heart, dost thou go in to possess their land; but for the wickedness of these nations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee, and that He may establish the word which the LORD swore unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. 6 Know therefore that it is not for thy righteousness that the LORD thy God giveth thee this good land to possess it; for thou art a stiffnecked people.
You are not going to possess the land because of your righteousness but because of Avraham, Yitzchak and Yacov and MY promise to them.
7 Remember, forget thou not, how thou didst make the LORD thy God wroth in the wilderness; from the day that thou didst go forth out of the land of Egypt, until ye came unto this place, ye have been rebellious against the LORD. 8 Also in Horev ye made the LORD wroth, and the LORD was angered with you to have destroyed you. 9 When I was gone up into the mount to receive the tables of stone, even the tables of the covenant which the LORD made with you, then I abode in the mount forty days and forty nights; I did neither eat bread nor drink water. 10 And the LORD delivered unto me the two tables of stone written with the finger of God; and on them was written according to all the words, which the LORD spoke with you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly. 11 And it came to pass at the end of forty days and forty nights, that the LORD gave me the two tables of stone, even the tables of the covenant. 12 And the LORD said unto me: 'Arise, get thee down quickly from hence; for thy people that thou hast brought forth out of Egypt have dealt corruptly; they are quickly turned aside out of the way which I commanded them; they have made them a molten image.' 13 Furthermore the LORD spoke unto me, saying: 'I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people; 14 let ME alone, that I may destroy them, and blot out their name from under heaven; and I will make of thee a nation mightier and greater than they.' 15 So I turned and came down from the mount, and the mount burned with fire; and the two tables of the covenant were in my two hands. 16 And I looked, and, behold, ye had sinned against the LORD your God; ye had made you a molten calf; ye had turned aside quickly out of the way which the LORD had commanded you. 17 And I took hold of the two tables, and cast them out of my two hands, and broke them before your eyes. 18 And I fell down before the LORD, as at the first, forty days and forty nights; I did neither eat bread nor drink water; because of all your sin which ye sinned, in doing that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him. 19 For I was in dread of the anger and hot displeasure, wherewith the LORD was wroth against you to destroy you. But the LORD hearkened unto me that time also. 20 Moreover the LORD was very angry with Aaron to have destroyed him; and I prayed for Aaron al ater than they.' 15 So I turned and came down from the mount, and the mount
burned with fire; and the two tables of the covenant were in my two hands. 16
And I looked, and, behold, ye had sinned against the LORD your God; ye had made
you a molten calf; ye had turned aside quickly out of the way which the LORD
had commanded you. 17 And I took hold of the two tables, and cast them out of
my two hands, and broke them before your eyes. 18 And I fell down before the
LORD, as at the first, forty days and forty nights; I did neither eat bread nor
drink water; because of all your sin which ye sinned, in doing that which was
evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him. 19 For I was in dread of the
anger and hot displeasure, wherewith the LORD was wroth against you to destroy
you. But the LORD hearkened unto me that time also. 20 Moreover the LORD was
very angry with Aaron to have destroyed him; and I prayed for Aaron also the
same time. 21 And I took your sin, the calf which ye had made, and burnt it
with fire, and beat it in pieces, grinding it very small, until it was as fine
as dust; and I cast the dust thereof into the brook that descended out of the
mount.—
Again an admonishment. One day you
hear the voice of G-D telling you not to make images and within six weeks there
you go because of your stiffnecked attitude towards following the path of the
just or the ways righteous. It was only my repentance at the gates of heaven
that kept you from being destroyed. So my advice today is follow the path and
ways that I have set before you.
22 And at Taberah, and at Massah,
and at Kibroth-hattaavah, ye made the LORD wroth. 23 And when the LORD sent you
from Kadesh-barnea, saying: 'Go up and possess the land which I have given
you'; then ye rebelled against the commandment of the LORD your God, and ye
believed Him not, nor hearkened to His voice. 24 Ye have been rebellious
against the LORD from the day that I knew you.-- 25 So I fell down before the LORD
the forty days and forty nights that I fell down; because the LORD had said He
would destroy you. 26 And I prayed unto the LORD, and said: 'O Lord GOD,
destroy not Thy people and Thine inheritance, that Thou hast redeemed through
Thy greatness, that Thou hast brought forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand. 27
Remember Thy servants, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; look not unto the
stubbornness of this people, nor to their wickedness, nor to their sin; 28 lest
the land whence Thou brought us out say: Because the LORD was not able to bring
them into the land which He promised unto them, and because He hated them, He
hath brought them out to slay them in the wilderness. 29 Yet they are Thy
people and Thine inheritance, that Thou didst bring out by Thy great power and
by Thy outstretched arm.'
More Mussar from Moshe of past sins
and errors and to learn from past so that the history is not repeated again.
10:1 At that time the LORD said
unto me: 'Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first, and come up unto Me
into the mount; and make thee an ark of wood. 2 And I will write on the tables
the words that were on the first tables which thou didst break, and thou shalt
put them in the ark.' 3 So I made an ark of acacia-wood, and hewed two tables
of stone like unto the first, and went up into the mount, having the two tables
in my hand. 4 And He wrote on the tables according to the first writing, the
ten words, which the LORD spoke unto you in the mount out of the midst of the
fire in the day of the assembly; and the LORD gave them unto me. 5 And I turned
and came down from the mount, and put the tables in the ark which I had made;
and there they are, as the LORD commanded me.-- 6 And the children of Israel
journeyed from Beeroth-benejaakan to Moserah; there Aaron died, and there he
was buried; and Eleazar his son ministered in the priest's office in his stead.
7 From thence they journeyed unto Gudgod; and from Gudgod to Jotbah, a land of
brooks of water.—
And from Gudgodah [to Yotvath…]:
And at Moserah, you made a great mourning for the death of Aaron, which was the
cause of this [your retreat], and it seemed to you as though he had died there
(Yerushalmi Sotah 1:10, Tanchuma, Chukas 18). Moses juxtaposed this reproof
with the breaking of the tablets to indicate that the death of the righteous is
as grievous to the Holy One, blessed is He, as the day the tablets were broken
(Lev. Rabbah 2)], and to inform you that when they said, “Let us appoint a
leader [and return to Egypt]” (Num. 14:4)-and divorce ourselves from him
[Moses], was as grievous for him as was the day on which they made the golden
calf.
8 At that time the LORD separated
the tribe of Levi, to bear the ark of the covenant of the LORD, to stand before
the LORD to minister unto Him, and to bless in His name, unto this day. 9
Wherefore Levi hath no portion nor inheritance with his brethren; the LORD is
his inheritance, according as the LORD thy God spoke unto him.-- 10 Now I
stayed in the mount, as at the first time, forty days and forty nights; and the
LORD hearkened unto me that time also; the LORD would not destroy thee. 11 And
the LORD said unto me: 'Arise, go before the people, causing them to set
forward, that they may go in and possess the land, which I swore unto their
fathers to give unto them.'
This is more Mussar and why the
Leviim are blessed.
12 And now, Israel, what doth the
LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all His
ways, and to love Him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and
with all thy soul;
And now, O Israel: Even though
you did all this, His mercy and His affection are still upon you, and with all
that you have sinned against Him, He demands nothing of you, except only to
fear [the Lord, your God,…] Only to fear [the Lord your God,…]: Our Rabbis
derived from this verse [“And now… what does… God demand of you”] that
everything is in the hands of Heaven except the fear of Heaven (Ber. 33b).
13 to keep for thy good the
commandments of the LORD, and His statutes, which I command thee this day? 14
Behold, unto the LORD thy God belongs the heaven, and the heaven of heavens,
the earth, with all that therein is. 15 Only the LORD had a delight in thy
fathers to love them, and He chose their seed after them, even you, above all
peoples, as it is this day. 16 Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart,
and be no more stiffnecked. 17 For the LORD your God, He is God of gods, and Lord
of lords, the great God, the mighty, and the awful, who regardeth not persons,
nor taketh reward. 18 He doth execute justice for the fatherless and widow, and
loveth the stranger, in giving him food and raiment. 19 Love ye therefore the
stranger; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt. 20 Thou shalt fear the
LORD thy God; Him shalt thou serve; and to Him shalt thou cleave, and by His
name shalt thou swear. 21 He is thy glory, and He is thy God, that hath done
for thee these great and tremendous things, which thine eyes have seen. 22 Thy
fathers went down into Egypt with threescore and ten persons; and now the LORD
thy God hath made thee as the stars of heaven for multitude.11:1 Therefore thou
shalt love the LORD thy God, and keep His charge, and His statutes, and His
ordinances, and His commandments, alway. 2 And know ye this day; for I speak
not with your children that have not known, and that have not seen the
chastisement of the LORD your God, His greatness, His mighty hand, and His
outstretched arm, 3 and His signs, and His works, which He did in the midst of
Egypt unto Pharaoh the king of Egypt, and unto all his land; 4 and what He did
unto the army of Egypt, unto their horses, and to their chariots; how He made
the water of the Red Sea to overflow them as they pursued after you, and how
the LORD hath destroyed them unto this day; 5 and what He did unto you in the
wilderness, until ye came unto this place; 6 and what He did unto Dathan and
Abiram, the sons of Eliab, the son of Reuben; how the earth opened her mouth,
and swallowed them up, and their households, and their tents, and every living
substance that followed them, in the midst of all Israel; 7 but your eyes have
seen all the great work of the LORD which He did. 8 Therefore shall ye keep all
the commandment which I command thee this day, that ye may be strong, and go in
and possess the land, whither ye go over to possess it; 9 and that ye may
prolong your days upon the land, which the LORD swore unto your fathers to give
unto them and to their seed, a land flowing with milk and honey.
This is a land flowing with milk
and honey again a reminder but you must observe the Mitzvos to hang on to it.
10 For the land, whither thou go
in to possess it, is not as the land of Egypt, from whence ye came out, where
thou didst sow thy seed, and didst water it with thy foot, as a garden of
herbs; 11 but the land, whither ye go over to possess it, is a land of hills
and valleys, and drinks water as the rain of heaven comes down; 12 a land which
the LORD thy God cares for; the eyes of the LORD thy God are always upon it,
from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year.
G-D cares do you? Now below is the
second paragraph of the Shema.
13 And it shall come to pass, if
ye shall hearken diligently unto My commandments which I command you this day,
to love the LORD your God, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all
your soul,
And it will be, if you hearken:
[The word] וְהָיָה is referring to what
is said above (verse 11):“and absorbs water from the rains of heaven” And it
will be, if you hearken: Heb. וְהָיָה אִם שָׁמֹעַ
תִּשְׁמְעוּ lit., And it will be, if hearkening you will hearken.
If you hearken to the old [i.e., if you study what you have already learned],
you will hearken to the new [i.e., you will have a new and deeper
understanding]. Similar is [the meaning of]“And it will be, if you forget” (אִם שָׁכֹחַ תִּשְׁכַּח) (Deut. 8:19): If you
have begun to forget [the Torah you have learned], eventually you will forget
all of it, for so it is written in the Megillah 1: “If you leave Me for one
day, I will leave you for two days.” - [Sifrei on Deut. 11:22, Yerushalmi Ber.
9:5, Midrash Shmuel 1] Command you this day: [“this day” suggests] that [the
commandments] should [always] be to you as new, as though you had just heard
them on this very day. — [Sifrei , 11:32] To love the Lord: You should not say:
“I will learn in order to become rich,” [or] “in order to be referred to as ‘Rabbi,’”
[or] “in order that I receive a reward.” Rather, whatever you do, do out of
love [for God], and ultimately, the honor will come.- [Sifrei] And to serve Him
with all your heart: i.e. with a service of the heart, and that is prayer, for
prayer is called service, as it is said, “your God, Whom you serve regularly”
(Dan. 6:17). But was there a [Temple] service in Babylon? Rather, [the term
service is used] because he prayed, as it is said, “where there were open
windows [in his upper chamber opposite Jerusalem, and three times a day he
kneeled on his knees and prayed…]” (Dan. 6:11). And so, too, it states
regarding David, “My prayer shall be established like incense before You” (Ps.
141:2). - [Sifrei] [To love the Lord…] with all your heart, and with all your
soul: But did he not already admonish us, [by the words]“[And you shall love
the Lord, your God,] with all your heart and with all your soul” (Deut. 6:5)?
[That, however, was] an admonition addressed for the individual, [while this
is] an admonition to the community. — [Sifrei]
14 that I will give the rain of
your land in its season, the former rain and the latter rain, that thou may
gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil. 15 And I will give grass in
thy fields for thy cattle, and thou shalt eat and be satisfied. 16 Take heed to
yourselves, lest your heart be deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other
gods, and worship them; 17 and the anger of the LORD be kindled against you,
and He shut up the heaven, so that there shall be no rain, and the ground shall
not yield her fruit; and ye perish quickly from off the good land which the
LORD giveth you. 18 Therefore shall ye lay up these My words in your heart and
in your soul; and ye shall bind them for a sign upon your hand, and they shall
be for frontlets between your eyes. 19 And ye shall teach them your children,
talking of them, when thou sit in thy house, and when thou walk by the way, and
when thou liet down, and when thou rise up.
From the morning to the night you
shall educate your children to be a Mensch through the Mitzvos.
[And you shall teach them to your sons,] to
speak with them: From the moment your son knows how to speak, teach him, “Moses
commanded us the Torah” (Deut. 33:4). Let him learn speech through this (Sukkah
42a). From this, our Rabbis taught: When the infant begins to talk, his father
should speak to him in the Holy Tongue, and should teach him the Torah. If he
does not do this, it is as though he buries him, as it is stated [here], “And
you shall teach them to your sons to speak with them…” [in order that your days
may increase, and the days of your children].
20 And thou shalt write them upon
the door-posts of thy house, and upon thy gates; 21 that your days may be
multiplied, and the days of your children, upon the land which the LORD swore
unto your fathers to give them, as the days of the heavens above the earth. 22
For if ye shall diligently keep all this commandment which I command you, to do
it, to love the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, and to cleave unto Him,
23 then will the LORD drive out all these nations from before you, and ye shall
dispossess nations greater and mightier than yourselves. 24 Every place whereon
the sole of your foot shall tread shall be yours: from the wilderness, and
Lebanon, from the river, the river Euphrates, even unto the hinder sea shall be
your border. 25 There shall no man be able to stand against you: the LORD your
God shall lay the fear of you and the dread of you upon all the land that ye
shall tread upon, as He hath spoken unto you.
We never had up to the Euphrates
except for a brief period of Shlomo HaMelech but it never became holy. This is
for the future when the Moshiach comes.
Why do Chassidic Groups like 18th Century
CE antisemitic Polish Noblemen in black in a hot Middle Eastern Climate? …
The
current Chassidic dress is a comparatively recent cultural and sartorial
adaptation. It is only a few hundred years old, relative to the thousands of
years of Jewish history. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/412773
The Black Pastor who
became a proud Jew by Sarah Pachter
https://aish.com/the-black-pastor-who-is-becoming-a-proud-jew/
Ricky
Flowers’ journey from pastor to proud Jew—shattering stereotypes, embracing
truth, and fighting Jew-hatred with fearless love.
“You know you’re Jewish, right?”
Pastor
Ricky Flowers Jr. was talking about basketball with his uncle when his uncle’s
comment came out of nowhere.
“My
uncle’s the type of guy who just randomly says crazy things, so I didn’t think
much of it at the time. But later, when I was processing it, it sort of
unraveled everything I thought I knew about myself.”
At the
time, Ricky was a pastor at a mega-church, preaching on TV to over 30 million
people. He led congregations and youth groups and was walking a path that, to
most, seemed like success.
Instagram:
A post shared
by Ricky Flowers Jr (@rickyflowersjr)
But Ricky
felt pulled in a different direction. Something about Judaism always drew him
in, even when he was a pastor.
As a
child, his parents, practicing Christians, gave him a Bible and encouraged him
to read it consistently. But while reading the Tanach, his focus drifted toward
Judaism—not Christianity. He taught himself Hebrew and felt a strange sense of
connection. In his final year of preaching, he even stopped saying the word
“Jesus” and found himself stuttering whenever it came up.
“The last time I preached on camera, you won’t
hear me use the word Jesus. I’d always stutter at that part. So eventually, I
just started saying ‘God.’ I could never say the name ‘Jesus.’ Something inside
me knew. In fact, my ex-girlfriend’s father once gave me a book on Judaism and
said, ‘This just feels like you.’”
The
church started to feel more like a business than a sanctuary. Finances were the
key motivator, and Ricky felt increasingly disconnected.
“I tithed
and gave ten percent to the church because I was a pastor. Then every time
there was a holiday or pastor’s appreciation day, I had to donate again. We
were expected to give $1,000 for the bishop’s birthday, another $1,000 for
pastor’s appreciation... it became a financial burden.”
Then came
the final straw: a financial scandal shook the church. Ricky, already
disillusioned, stepped away.
“I was so
turned off by all of it. When the scandal broke, I was like, ‘Y’all can keep
this—I’m out.’”
After
leaving the church, Ricky kept searching. He read the Quran, Buddhist texts,
Hindu philosophy, and even taught himself to read ancient hieroglyphics. But
something deeper kept tugging at him. He decided to call his uncle.
His uncle
explained that their great-grandmother had been a Jewish woman from Portugal,
who immigrated through the port of Virginia.
“It wasn’t a discovery—it was a homecoming,”
Ricky said.
Ricky
began observing on his own, keeping Shabbat and kosher. When he told his mother
about his new practices, she responded not with judgment, but something
unexpected.
“She told
me that she used to pray the Shema over me while I was in the womb.”
Looking
back, the signs had always been there. His grandfather had strong feelings
about pork: “We could eat it on the porch, but once we stepped inside, pork was
a no-go.”
“Judaism
had always been there,” Ricky reflects, “waiting to be uncovered.”
“Both of my parents are Black,” Ricky says,
“but we also have Portuguese roots through my great-grandmother. That’s how I
traced my Jewish lineage.”
As he
continued to observe Judaism and connect with the Jewish community, he realized
he wasn’t alone.
“A lot of people don’t realize how deep Jewish
roots run in Black communities,” he says. “I’ve met others with similar
stories—especially once I started learning and connecting.”
At 36,
Ricky decided to formally begin the process of conversion.
At first,
he wanted to remain low-key: “I found a synagogue. I said, ‘I just wanna sit in
the back and learn.’ But God had other plans.”
One
morning in Koreatown, Ricky was lying in bed when he heard shouting from a
Palestinian rally. He grew upset. “They were talking about killing me, my
friends, my people! I have family in Israel. I got so mad—I put on my kippah
and my tzitzit, grabbed my Israeli flag, and drove into the middle of the
protest, blasting the Israeli national anthem from my car speakers at full
volume.
“People were yelling, but then they saw
me—Black, wearing a kippah—and they got confused. Some just walked away. The
video went viral.”
At a U.C.
Berkeley event, Ricky stood in front of a huge sign that read: Black Jewish
Zionist.
“People didn’t know what to do with that.
They’d stop, stare, and ask me questions—some respectful, some aggressive. The
most common question? ‘Do you even have a right to say that?’
“People ask how I can support Zionism as a
Black man. I tell them, ‘Zionism is about self-determination. It’s about a
homeland. You believe in Black liberation, right? Why don’t Jews deserve the
same?’ That usually gets them thinking.
“People want to box you in. They see a Black
face and assume you can’t be Jewish or pro-Israel. But I refuse to fit into
anyone’s box. My life is proof you can be both—and proud.”
He once
wore a sign: “I’m a Black Zionist Jew. Ask Me Anything.” One angry woman
screamed at him but ended up hugging him in tears after a 17-minute
conversation.
A post shared
by Ricky Flowers Jr (@rickyflowersjr)
“I tell
people: Love isn’t just soft. Love is action. Love is accountability. Love is
showing up, even when it’s hard. For me, that means standing with Jews.
Standing with Black people. Standing with anyone who’s ever been told they
don’t belong.”
When
people ask him, "What is Zionism?” Ricky responds, "Do you believe
you have the right to exist and walk freely without fear of being attacked for
wearing a shirt someone dislikes, or for having a cross on your backpack
because you're Christian?" They responded, "Yes, of course."
Ricky said, "Well, that's what Zionism is. I believe I have the right to
exist, to walk freely without fear of attack or harassment. I believe my family
and I should have a place to live without worrying about these things."
Ricky’s
approach comes from love. He is now the face of the organization Love Is Real
(a play on the words Love Israel), a group combating Jew-hatred, racism, and
homelessness. Despite the heavy issues, the group of 500+ members has
experienced little negativity.
They set
up booths on college campuses around the U.S. giving away free merchandise and
sharing their mission. People stop by not just for t-shirts but for
conversation. Most people don’t even realize it’s a Jewish organization. Ricky
believes he’s making a huge Kiddush Hashem, sanctifying God’s Name.
Their
college campus groups host festivals, concerts and gatherings, making loving
Jews fun and hip and inclusive. Ricky believes it’s a more effective way to
combat antisemitism.
Not everyone
receives the message. One woman spewed hatred at Ricky once he realized he was
Jewish. Ricky said, “How can someone say they love, when all they focus on is
hatred toward one group?”
Ricky is
no stranger to hate. He grew up in a deeply racist neighborhood in Ohio.
“I got hit with a bat when I was eight—split
my head open for being Black. I got jumped by the KKK in 10th grade. Cops have
pulled guns on me more times than I can count. And now that I’m openly Jewish,
I get even more hate than before. The things people say… the looks I get… just
for existing,” says Ricky.
“I hear the most heinous things that people
are saying, calling me combinations of words I’ve never even heard of before,
but I'm so used to it. Growing up in Ohio helped prepare me for what I'm
dealing with now. I thought that was going to be the worst of it, but I'll tell
you there ain't nothing harder than being Jewish and being Black. I think God
put me in this exact position for a reason.
A post shared
by Ricky Flowers Jr (@rickyflowersjr)
Ricky
believes that love is going be the way we beat this. “When I was on the ground
yelling at people—it didn’t work. But when you come at people with love, it
does all the work for you. It highlights how much the other side isn’t doing
that.”
Ricky
Flowers is living proof that embracing your truth—with courage, love and
conviction—can shake the world for good.
Three Doctors Three Mezuzos by R’ Yerachmiel Tilles
https://ascentofsafed.com/cgi-bin/ascent.cgi?Name=1444-46
Dr. Yaakov Orlean
directs the blood bank in the Maayanei HaYeshua Hospital in Bnei Brak. He is
originally from the United States, where he used to live and work in
California.
One day he went to a
well-known Sofer (scribe)[1] in Bnei Brak and ordered three exquisite mezuzot
of the highest quality. Dr. Orlean mentioned to the Sofer that he would be
going to the United States for business reasons, and that he would be giving
the mezuzot as gifts to three former doctor colleagues of his from California.
A few days later Dr.
Orlean came to pick up the three mezuzot. He carefully inserted each one into a
nice mezuzah case and packed them in his suitcase. The first thing he did when
he arrived in California, was to drive over to his former colleagues' homes to
catch up on old times. They all lived on the same street, so it was very convenient
to visit each of them. All three were very happy to see him again, but their
reactions when they received his gift were wildly different.
The first doctor,
Jack, was disturbed when he finished unwrapping the gift paper and realized
what it was he was holding in his hands. He plainly said, "Thank you very
much for the mezuzah. How unique! I will keep it right here in my desk drawer
and it may come in handy as a paperweight."
Dr. Orlean was not
pleased. He said in astonishment, "A paperweight? This is a mezuzah!
You're supposed to attach it to the doorpost of your front door!"
Jack, with equal
astonishment, responded, "On my front door? You have got to be kidding.
Everyone will know I'm Jewish! No. I'm sorry, but that's out of the question.
Thank you so much anyway, it's a really nice gift."
Dr. Orlean said
goodbye and then walked down the block to the second colleague's house, Steven.
His reaction to the special gift from Israel was less severe. He said,
"How nice! A mezuzah! Just what I always wanted!" And he proceeded to
put it into his desk drawer.
Tactfully, Dr. Orlean
said, "You know, the purpose of a mezuzah is to hang it on a doorframe.
And now that I think about it, the casing goes very well with the color scheme
of your front entrance."
Steven didn't look
thrilled. He agreed to hang the mezuzah on a room in his house, but he said he
couldn't imagine posting it on the front door.
Dr. Orlean, after
failing twice, made a third attempt and visited his friend a few houses down
the street. The third doctor, Michael, unwrapped his gift and was very excited
to find the mezuzah and its beautiful case. He kissed the mezuzah, caressed the
case and delighted in the fact that his gift came from the Holy Land.
Then, without being
told what to do, Michael stood up, asked for the correct blessing to say, and
affixed the mezuzah onto his front doorpost. Dr. Orlean was very proud and
happy.
When he returned home
to Israel, Dr. Orlean heard about a terrible earthquake that had struck
California just days after he left. Numerous homes had sustained considerable
damage, and some had been demolished.
Dr. Orlean was
concerned about what had happened to his three friends. When he found out about
them, he was amazed by the news.
Jack's house had been
completely destroyed. Nothing remained standing except the foundation.
Steven's house
suffered tremendous damage, except for one room - the one where the mezuzah had
been hung!
And Michael's house,
which was on the same street as the other two, was completely intact without
any trace of damage!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Source:
Modified and supplemented by Yerachmiel Tilles the email of Shabbos Stories for
the Parsha (Vayeshev 5779), based on an email of Torah U'Tefilah compiled by
Rabbi Yehuda Winzelberg, who received the story in the name of Rav Yitzchak
Zilberstein, who heard it directly from the Sofer.
Why This Week? This week's Torah reading, Eikev [and last
week's -- Vaetchanan] contain the only two places in the Torah where the
mitzvah of mezuzah is mentioned.
Footnote: [1]The inscriber, with ink and a feather quill on leather parchment,
of mezuzot, tefillin and Torah scrolls.
I can testify that the people who lived in an apt removed all the
Mezuzos from the doors. I had to get 10 good Mezuzos quickly. I got the Sofer
to write them in record time and placed them on the doors. One week, my eldest
son broke (I think his left leg) and my second son got an infection in his
(left leg?). I checked with the Sofer the Mezuzah and “Lechtecha” was touching
the line below. After scraping it, the Mezuzah was Kosher and everything all
right. As for the people who removed the Mezuzah, they lost their son in a war
a few years later. My friend also removed Mezuzos and in the 8th
month, his wife had a still-born baby. Also a similar story with Tephillin in
the Yom Kippur War where the fellow who refused to put them on was the only one
to die when the tank was hit. RP
As I, Yehuda Shurpin,
discussed in What Is
the Meaning of the Evil Eye?, there are
indeed Jewish sources for the concept of an ayin hara (evil eye). However, one would be
hard-pressed to find a reputable Jewish source (Kabbalistic or otherwise) for
wearing a red string as a means of warding off the evil eye. … It is said that
the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory, was once
asked about this in a private audience. He was initially hesitant to express
his view on the red string bracelets, but then cautioned against them due to
the issue of Darkei Amori. (Heard from Rabbi Leibel Schapiro, dean of the
Yeshivah Gedolah of Greater Miami; see account in Hit kashrut 857.)
Milestone: Rabbi Shmuel
Gelbstein, 57, a well-known figure in the Chabad-Lubavitch community, passed
away suddenly on Friday night due to cardiac arrest. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/413000
Milestone: Pnina Pinhasi, 97, https://www.timesofisrael.com/pnina-pinhasi-only-woman-to-fight-in-israels-naval-commando-unit-dies-at-97/
Inyanay Diyoma
AUG. 9th and 10th
Swords of Iron Day 673 and Day 674 start of
week 97
Motzei Shabbos there was a TV magazine on Iran
after Rising Lion Operation. There is a lot of homeless now in Teheran. No
water in the pipes except for certain hours and one hour of electricity in 50C
or 120F heat with many elders and infants dying.
Nobody knows what Netanyahu is planning.
430,000 call-up notices. Is he planning to invade east Lebanon and finish off
Hezballah? Is he going into Gaza?
The Left is against him and the Right does not
believe him.
A hundred year old Synagogue was burnt down in
NJ. https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/rutherford-nj-synagogue-fire/
Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a press conference in English on Sunday
following the Security Cabinet's decision to take control of Gaza. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/413039
https://www.timesofisrael.com/el-al-offices-in-paris-defaced-with-genocide-airline-graffiti/
Heat wave: Firefighting
and rescue teams from the Beit Shemesh area responded Sunday to a fire which
broke out near Beit Shemesh. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/413040
Hadassah - 11 patients infected after eye
injections. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/413014
Armenian
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Friday
evening signed a joint declaration at the White House, expressing their
willingness to establish peaceful relations between the two countries. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/412999
Iran
threatens to turn peace corridor into a graveyard. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/hjy4pmsdxx#autoplay
https://www.timesofisrael.com/four-women-injured-one-seriously-by-grenade-tossed-at-ashdod-building/
Three
swimmers were killed by unexploded
objects in Ukraine's southern Odessa region at two beaches where swimming
has been banned, regional officials said on Sunday. https://www.jpost.com/international/internationalrussia-ukraine-war/article-863794
Moran
Bracha, a mother of a child who attends a daycare, filed a police complaint
after she claimed a clown tied her son to a chair and applied glue to his mouth
during an activity at the daycare last week. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/413037
A joint
operation by the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) and Jerusalem District
police has led to the arrest of a father, his son, and an accomplice from Kfar
Aqab in eastern Jerusalem, suspected of planning a series of terrorist attacks
against security forces and civilians. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/413036
MK Meir Porush (United
Torah Judaism), who has started a hunger strike outside the office of Attorney
General Gali Baharav-Miara in protest of the arrests of haredi draft dodgers,
warns in an interview with Arutz Sheva-Israel National News that the
controversy surrounding the conscription law could escalate into a civil war. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/413042
https://www.foxnews.com/health/colorectal-cancer-diagnoses-soar-among-younger-adults-one-key-reason
https://www.timesofisrael.com/trump-says-hell-meet-putin-in-alaska-on-august-15/
Aug. 11th
Swords of Iron Day 675
There is a civil war in Sudan with mass rapes,
thousands dead from famine but Muslim vs. Muslim and black so there are no Jews
and the world ignores.
Dozens
of representatives from haredi yeshivas and communities from all over Israel
gathered Sunday in Jerusalem for the founding meeting of the "Magen
Umoshia" center, established to provide assistance to yeshiva students who
have received arrest warrants. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/413078
The
southern section of the Western Wall in Jerusalem was found on Monday morning
to have been defaced with graffiti protesting the war in Gaza. Arrest made.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/413090
In
southern Gaza, IDF troops identified a terrorist cell attempting to plant
explosives near IDF troops. Swiftly, an IAF aircraft struck and eliminated the
terrorist. In northern Gaza, the troops continue to operate. On Sunday, they
swiftly eliminated a terrorist who had fired at them earlier, lightly injuring
an IDF soldier. In addition, artillery troops identified and eliminated Hamas
terrorists in support of the ground troops. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/413089
Troops
from the 226th Brigade, under the command of the 210th Division and in
cooperation with field investigators from Unit 504, completed an activity on
Sunday night to apprehend a weapons dealer operating in the Taranjah area of
southern Syria. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/413086
Aug. 12th
Swords of Iron Day 676
My wife looked at her phone and it was 38C = 101.5F
feels like 45C or 113F so no wonder we feel uncomfortable.
Following
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Sunday press conference, where
he announced orders to expedite the IDF’s takeover of Gaza City, sources close
to Hamas told Ynet on Monday that a delegation from the terror group is set
to meet senior Egyptian intelligence officials on Monday. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/rkh0orw00ex
So you want to be a Reform Jew? Think twice. https://www.timesofisrael.com/progressive-rabbis-booed-off-stage-at-uk-hostage-rally-after-backing-palestinian-state/
Indictment for a man who stole from victims of
Iranian Attack. https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/crime-in-israel/article-86392
France ends Security Visas for El Al. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/bjw8x3wdxl
Op-Ed Gilad Sharon Hamas is Gaza, Gaza is
Hamas. https://www.ynetnews.com/opinions-analysis/article/hkepavidgg
Op-Ed Josh Milstein Israel’s Gazan Folly https://www.ynetnews.com/opinions-analysis/article/rjz5orhulg
The
mother and sister of Nepali hostage Bipin Joshi arrived Monday at Ben Gurion Airport, more
than three months after Israeli authorities reported serious concerns for his life. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/rked9hpoex
Soldiers from Company G of Battalion 299, stationed at the Tel
Hazeka outpost on the Syrian border, report ongoing issues with kashrut
provisions in the base's kitchen. According to the soldiers, for the past three
weeks, the kitchen has been run by a non-Jewish cook without a kashrut
supervisor, contrary to agreements made with the battalion's rabbinic authority
and command. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/413161
In
an interview with British journalist Piers Morgan on Monday, US Ambassador to
Israel Mike Huckabee offered a staunch defense of Israel’s actions in Gaza and
sharply criticized the Hamas terrorist organization, particularly over its
opposition to the humanitarian food initiative, the Gaza Humanitarian
Foundation (GHF). https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/413125
During
a staffing discussion held on Monday, chaired by IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir,
a series of senior IDF appointments were decided upon, subject to the approval
of Defense Minister Israel Katz. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/413123
JINO Nadler supports Mamdani. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/413134
The
Syrian Interior Ministry announced Monday it will investigate shocking footage
showing uniformed men executing an unarmed civilian inside Sweida National
Hospital, in the predominantly Druze city of Sweida. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/413131
Aug. 13th
Swords of Iron Day 677
The Israel TV channels are in touch with Iran
International Baba Yitzchaki is the reporter. Her stated that Iran is
running out of water with a drought for a few years. Guess who is at fault
here. Not the fact that they did not plan like Israel and Saudis to build a
desalinization plant but Israel changed the weather. WRONG THE G-D of Israel
neither slumbers nor sleeps Tehillim 131 and HE controls the world. They are
very busy buying via Austrian front companies components for the 400kgs of
enriched Uranium they have. https://www.timesofisrael.com/netanyahu-touting-israeli-water-tech-calls-on-drought-ravaged-iranians-to-oppose-regime/
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/mexico-extradite-26-top-cartel-leaders-us-trump-administration-deal
In a wide-ranging interview Tuesday on WABC Radio’s “Sid
& Friends in the Morning”, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio addressed
growing concerns over domestic and international terrorism, the war in Gaza,
and mounting pressure from European governments. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/413179
A man who opened fire outside a synagogue in Albany, New York with
dozens of children inside was sentenced Tuesday in federal court to 10 years in
prison, according to The Associated Press. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/413184
Paris Air Controller Suspended for “Free
Palestine” remark. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/413176
THE FOLLOWING IS THE WORK OF SARAH AND YAIR
NETANYAHU. SHE IS INTERFERING IN THE RUNNING OF THE WAR. IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir arrived Monday at the office of
Defense Minister Israel Katz in an attempt to finalize a list of military
appointments that has fueled a
sharp dispute between the two. The Minister’s secretary informed him that Katz
was unavailable. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/413177
Officers from the Northern Border Police and the Northern District
Police conducted a targeted operation on Tuesday in the city of Nazareth to
enforce against 42 illegal infiltration crimes. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/413142
Destroying
tunnels. Over the past three months, the 401st Brigade, under the command of
the 162nd Division, operated in the villages of Jabaliya and Daraj Tuffah in
the northern Gaza Strip, as part of Operation Gideon’s Chariots. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/413143
Op-Ed by Mike Huckabee is
the U.S. ambassador to Israel. Yehuda Kaploun is the U.S. special envoy to
monitor and combat antisemitism with the rank of ambassador-at-large designee.
Mark Walker is the U.S. ambassador-at-large designee. The Truth. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/413126
Terrorist infiltrated but is arrested. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/413214
Reports of relocation of Gazans to Sudan
nonsense. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/413218
Measles death unvaccinated dies. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/413206
She said Israel started World War I and II. https://www.timesofisrael.com/a-smear-campaign-against-me-huda-beauty-founder-defends-anti-israel-conspiracy-rant/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/car-bursts-into-flames-sparking-forest-fire-on-jerusalems-outskirts/
Monday
night IDF forces operated in several locations across Judea and Samaria with
the aim of thwarting terrorist activities. Total 9 terrorists. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/413117
Defense
Minister Israel Katz reacted to the publication of an "assassination
list" of Israeli officials that was published by Iran. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/413102
A tragic shooting unfolded Monday outside a Target store in Austin,
Texas, leaving three people dead. Police confirmed the arrest of a suspect
following a chaotic escape involving multiple stolen vehicles. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/413122
Norway’s sovereign wealth fund has sold its shares in 11 Israeli
companies, citing the “serious humanitarian crisis” in Gaza as the reason for
the move, reports The Associated Press. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/413124
https://www.algemeiner.com/2025/08/12/man-arrested-antisemitic-assault-montreal-park/
Aug. 14th
Swords of Iron Day 678
The highest temperature was 49.7C or 121.8F but
the heat index 51C or 124F.
The
IDF decided Thursday morning to evacuate the Sayarim base and send soldiers home
after several female soldiers fainted overnight due to the extreme heat. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/413272
Amid the extreme heat
wave the IDF has made widespread adjustments to maintain the soldiers' safety.
Due to the high heat index, the Ground Forces Command ordered the reduction of
training and adjustments needed for ongoing activities. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/413281
The Houthis did not forget us. Shrapnel falls
on tracks near entrance/exit of trains from Yerushalayim and the south almost
landed in the sea. https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-downs-latest-houthi-ballistic-missile-no-sirens-sound/
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/413274
Going too far left. Conservative Rabbi quits
movement. https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-conservative-rabbi-quits-movement-preempting-sanctions-over-performing-intermarriages/
In the airlift of “aid” it is said that weapons
are coming in.
Cleared
for publication that Mossad chief David (Dadi) Barnea made a secret visit to
Doha, Qatar, on Thursday. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/413278
Via Rooster & Bull: Full of organic
fertilizer: https://www.timesofisrael.com/netanyahu-claims-idf-abandoned-commitment-to-victory-as-he-assails-ex-security-chiefs/
The initial
framework set by IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir will require the call-up of
between 80,000 and 100,000 reservists under emergency call-up orders (Tzav 8), Yedioth
Ahronoth reported. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/413273
Tzav 8 is rare. I only got one in
June ’82 during Shalom HaGalil Operation.
Jerusalem
city council member Yosef Chaim Moalem was seriously injured on Wednesday night
after being assaulted by three individuals, reportedly residents of East
Jerusalem. The incident occurred on Route 1, near the Latrun Interchange,
during a traffic jam. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/413279
The commander of a reconnaissance unit dismissed a soldier from the
Oketz Canine Unit after he refused to send a dog to inspect the body of a
terrorist who was eliminated after attempting to infiltrate an installation, Kan
News reported on Wednesday. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/413230
Getting into the correct gear: German defense
manufacturer Renk Group AG is preparing to relocate production for Israeli
contracts to its US facilities, following Berlin's decision to halt certain
military exports to the Jewish State. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/413247
Egypt has received Hamas's demands for a comprehensive agreement
with Israel, ahead of presenting them to mediators, Al-Arabiya reported
Wednesday evening.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/413240
Senator Graham: “This
is not a hard choice if you're an American. It's not a hard choice if you're a
Christian,” he warned. “A word of warning. If America pulls the plug on Israel,
God will pull the plug on us. And we're not going to let that happen.”
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/413241
Radioactive water leaked
into the sea after old pipes burst at a base housing the UK’s nuclear bomb,
official files shared with the Guardian revealed.
https://www.jpost.com/international/article-863944
Op-Ed Jordan blocks aid to Druze a double
standard. https://www.ynetnews.com/opinions-analysis/article/hkdwcgoole
President
Donald Trump could visit Israel next month ahead of his planned trip to the United Kingdom, if conditions permit, White House sources told Ynet on Thursday. The visit would come before Trump’s
Sept. 17–19 state visit to Britain at the invitation of King Charles. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/rj11apsi00gx
Shabbos candle lighting times. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/shabat
https://www.algemeiner.com/2025/08/13/new-york-man-sentenced-firing-shotgun-outside-synagogue/
Aug. 15th
Swords of Iron Day 679 end of week 97
IDF eliminates former Rafah Commander. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/413325
A
poll conducted by Lazar Research and published Friday in Maariv shows that the
Likud party continues to lead, while the opposition bloc struggles to secure
the 61 Knesset seats required to form a coalition without relying on the Arab
parties. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/413322 Democrats 21 is wishful thinking. RP
Iranian entities have managed to hack former Justice Minister Ayelet
Shaked's mobile phone, Channel 12 reported on Thursday. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/413303
According
to the prestigious
ranking, Israel's three top universities, which are among the top 100
universities in the world, fell a few places compared to last year's list.
Hebrew University of Jerusalem went from 81st place to 88th, the Technion in
Haifa dropped from 85th to 97th, and the Weizmann Institute of Science in
Rehovot, which leads the Israeli institutions according to the ranking, dropped
two places to 71st. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/413327
An
Israeli citizen from Gan Yavne who was travelling from the Binyamin Region to
Jerusalem accidentally entered a hostile Palestinian Arab village.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/413324
https://www.algemeiner.com/2025/08/14/judge-halts-trump-confiscation-ucla-federal-grants/
Have a healthy, peaceful, restful
and Torah filled Shabbos,
Rachamim Pauli
