The Surgery of Zahava bas Sarah is
supposed to be this coming Monday Nov. 10th and needs recovery time.
I was simply given the wrong oral information last week.
This Past Friday and
Shabbos, I did my homework on Beresheis 8:13 Noach removing the covering from
the Teva. It seems that the window was insufficient to view the land well. Both
Translation Onkelos Rabbi Edward Davis Shlita identifies his name as Achilles
and Translation Yonatan Ben Uzziel as Chupa which we call the wedding canopy
today but most likely a wooden deck. I could not find any more commentary but
that once he removed it, he could see a very swampy area on the first of
Tishrei. When I googled the Pasuk, the Bnei Noach viewed it as the main beam of
the roof being removed. I had a dozen commentaries, the Midrash Rabbah and
going fast through the Hebrew/Aramaic Zohar as my first volume of the English
translation is misplaced.
Parsha Lech Lecha Part 2
14 And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from
him: ‘Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art, northward
and southward and eastward and westward; 15 for all the land which thou see, to
thee will I give it, and to thy seed forever.
After Avrum separates
from his primary inheritor, the L-RD promise him the inheritance of the land
unto his seed forever. This means that Avrum over 75 years old will have a
family.
16 And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth; so that if a
man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.
Avram is separated from
Lot. He is still childless and yet told that he will have countless seed.
17 Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the
breadth of it; for unto thee will I give it.’
It appears to me that he
walked the coast from somewhere in Egypt to the tip of Lebanon in the north
through Syria to the Euphrates and down the Syrian Border with Iraq to the Red
Sea.
18 And Abram moved his tent, and came and dwelt by the terebinths
of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the LORD.
In Chevron and that is
where Adam and Chava are buried. This appears to be his alliance with Mamre and
his connection to Chevron for the future.
14:1 And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar,
Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goiim, 2
that they made war with Bera king of Sodom, and with Birsha king of Gomorrah,
Shinab king of Admah, and Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela—the
same is Zoar. 3 All these came as allies unto the vale of Siddim—the same is
the Salt Sea. 4 Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth
year they rebelled. 5 And in the fourteenth year came Chedorlaomer and the
kings that were with him, and smote the Rephaim in Ashteroth-karnaim, and the
Zuzim in Ham, and the Emim in Shaveh-kiriathaim, 6 and the Horites in their
mount Seir, unto El-paran, which is by the wilderness.
Terach had left Ur to go to Eretz Canaan sometime after
the separation of Languages that occurred in the creation year 1996. Nimrod has
reestablished his authority over some of the nations that remained in the
fertile crescent. He kept is rule over Sodom until the year 2008 of creation.
In 2009 they rebelled and Nimrod comes back with an army in 2010. Avram and Lot
are busy trading from Haran at this time. He is 62 years old and his Nephew is
in Sodom when the invasion and war overtakes him.
These Kings came from Iraq to make war with the
Kingdoms of Sodom, Amorah through modern Aqaba and westward through Paran and
Kadesh closer to the western sea.
7 And they turned back, and came to En-mishpat—the same is Kadesh—and
smote all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites, that dwelt in
Hazazon-tamar. 8 And there went out the king of Sodom, and the king of
Gomorrah, and the king of Admah, and the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela—the
same is Zoar; and they set the battle in array against them in the vale of
Siddim; 9 against Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goiim, and
Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar; four kings against the
five. 10 Now the vale of Siddim was full of slime pits; and the kings of Sodom
and Gomorrah fled, and they fell there, and they that remained fled to the
mountain.
The king of Sodom used
to mock the story of Avrum being thrown into the gigantic oven of Nimrod
(Midrash) and surviving while Haran, Lot’s father, hesitated and was burnt. But
when he fell into the sink hole, survived and was rescued, he believed in
miracles.
11 And they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their
victuals, and went their way. 12 And they took Lot, Abram’s brother’s son, who
dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed. 13 And there came one that had
escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew—now he dwelt by the terebinths of Mamre the
Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner; and these were confederate
with Abram.
Escapee: This was Og,
the giant, who survived the great flood hanging on to the Teva. He was too
strong and tall to keep captive until Moshe killed him. His motive was not pure
but wanted to send Avrum to his death and take Sarai as his wife.
14 And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he led
forth his trained men, born in his house, three hundred and eighteen, and
pursued as far as Dan.
Some say this was
Eliezer Damascus, his servant, in Gematria 318. But the Pshat is that he
assembled with his friends a small posy.
15 And he divided himself against them by night, he and his
servants, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left
hand of Damascus.
They blew Shofaros and
banged on drums and made like a two pronged attack of a massive force and the
spoilers panicked and fled towards home in the night. [This happened also when
the enemy saw the diseased four lepers in the future.]
16 And he brought back all the goods, and also brought back his
brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people. 17 And the king
of Sodom went out to meet him, after his return from the slaughter of
Chedorlaomer and the kings that were with him, at the vale of Shaveh—the same
is the King’s Vale. 18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and
wine; and he was priest of God the Most High.
The Righteous and Just
King is Shem and resided in Salem aka Yerushalem.
19 And he blessed him, and said: ‘Blessed be Abram of God Most
High, Maker of heaven and earth; 20 and blessed be God the Most High, who hath
delivered thine enemies into thy hand.’ And he gave him a tenth of all.
One tenth of all went to
Tzeduka.
21 And the king of Sodom said unto Abram: ‘Give me the persons, and
take the goods to thyself.’ 22 And Abram said to the king of Sodom: ‘I have
lifted up my hand unto the LORD, God Most High, Maker of heaven and earth, 23
that I will not take a thread nor a shoe-latchet nor aught that is thine, lest
thou shouldest say: I have made Abram rich; 24 save only that which the young
men have eaten, and the portion of the men which went with me, Aner, Eshcol,
and Mamre, let them take their portion.’
These were tribal
leaders who were part of the 318 men and deserved part of the spoils for their
fighting skills and time.
15:1 After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a
vision, saying:
Avram is now 70 years old and childless. He is a war
hero but has nothing to show for it. He has no real future without children.
‘Fear not, Abram, I am thy shield, thy reward shall be exceeding
great.’ 2 And Abram said: ‘O Lord GOD, what wilt Thou give me, seeing I go
hence childless, and he that shall be possessor of my house is Eliezer of
Damascus?’
I will be your Magen
(shield). Shall my indentured servant Eliezer become my inheritor. The
relationship with a master and his male ‘slave’ is perhaps more prominent with
the stories of Rabban Gamliel and Tabai in Mishnayos Brachos, Sukkos and Rosh
Hashanah. He respected him as a Talmud Chacham and mourned him.
3 And Abram said: ‘Behold, to me Thou hast given no seed, and, lo,
one born in my house is to be mine heir.’
HASHEM is talking to
Avram and he is complaining about what ails him.
4 And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying: ‘This
man shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own
bowels shall be thine heir.’
You will sire children.
5 And He brought him forth abroad, and said: ‘Look now toward
heaven, and count the stars, if thou be able to count them’; and He said unto
him: ‘So shall thy seed be.’
The Midrash tells that
he is taken soul-wise/dream-wise above the planets. The astrology shows Avram’s
Jupiter from birth is in a spot that renders his childless but Avraham if given
the name now will sire children as the Jupiter place for new name birth is
great for siring children.
6 And he believed in the LORD; and He counted it to him for
righteousness. 7 And He said unto him: ‘I am the LORD that brought thee out of
Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it.’
Even though you are
living in Haran, you will inherit this land.
8 And he said: ‘O Lord GOD, whereby shall I know that I shall
inherit it?’ 9 And He said unto him: ‘Take Me a heifer of three years old, and
a she-goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtle-dove,
and a young pigeon.’
And Avram took the
sacrifices as asked for.
10 And he took him all these, and divided them in the midst, and
laid each half over against the other; but the birds divided he not. 11 And the
birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away. 12 And
it came to pass, that, when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon
Abram; and, lo, a dread, even a great darkness, fell upon him.
For a 70 year old man to
gather, slaughter and chase the vultures and others away from the carcasses he
exhausted himself and fell into a deep sleep.
13 And He said unto Abram: ‘Know of a surety that thy seed shall be
a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall
afflict them four hundred years;
Avram shall have seed in
the future (30 years from the Bris between the pieces) this shall be the birth
of Yitzchak when the 400 years shall start. So when we read in Sefer Shemos 430
years it is from this point, 400 years from the birth of Yitzchak in 2048 to
2448 release from Mitzrayim. The real exile is 210 years from the arrival and
only at time of Moshe’s birth does the slavery really start or 80years.
14 and also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge; and
afterward shall they come out with great substance. 15 But thou shalt go to thy
fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. 16 And in the fourth
generation they shall come back hither; for the iniquity of the Amorite is not
yet full.’
The people will come out
of slavery wealthy. As for you and essentially Yitzchak, both will lie with
their fathers in peace. Yacov would suffer much (Yissurim) and only after
Yacov’s children die would he slavery start.
17 And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and there was
thick darkness, behold a smoking furnace, and a flaming torch that passed
between these pieces. 18 In that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram,
saying: ‘Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the
great river, the river Euphrates; 19 the Kenite, and the Kenizzite, and the
Kadmonite, 20 and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Rephaim, 21 and the
Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Girgashite, and the Jebusite.’
It is most likely a
tributary of the Nile that once existed close to the tip of Sinai although some
think it is Nahal El-Arish through Israel, Lebanon much of Yarden and all of
Syria to the Euphrates.
16:1 Now Sarai Abram’s wife bore him no children; and she had a
handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. 2 And Sarai said unto Abram: ‘Behold
now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing; go in, I pray thee, unto my
handmaid; it may be that I shall be built up through her.’ And Abram hearkened
to the voice of Sarai.
Hagar was acquired by
Sarai in Egypt. Some say that she was a princess but logically this is hard to
accept that anybody would prefer to be a slave/servant of Avram and Sarai on
her own free will prefer to be a servant of Tzadikim instead of a Princess in
Egypt.
3 And Sarai Abram’s wife took Hagar the Egyptian, her handmaid,
after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to Abram
her husband to be his wife.
Sarai is 75 and Avram
85. They were married for years but the counting of 10years only stared from
the time they entered Eretz Yisrael and Avrum was promised seed.
4 And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived; and when she saw
that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes. 5 And Sarai said
unto Abram: ‘My wrong be upon thee: I gave my handmaid into thy bosom; and when
she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: the LORD judge
between me and thee.’ 6 But Abram said unto Sarai: ‘Behold, thy maid is in thy
hand; do to her that which is good in thine eyes.’ And Sarai dealt harshly with
her, and she fled from her face.
Hagar had Avram’s Heir
in her womb and started with Chutzpah towards Sarai. Sort of “see I’m better
than you”. This led to anger and jealousy.
7 And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the
wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur. 8 And he said: ‘Hagar, Sarai’s
handmaid, whence come thou? And whither go thou?’ And she said: ‘I flee from
the face of my mistress Sarai.’ 9 And the angel of the LORD said unto her: ‘Return
to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands.’
You should submit
yourself to Sarai but you will receive a son and love from Avram.
10 And the angel of the LORD said unto her: ‘I will greatly
multiply thy seed, that it shall not be numbered for multitude. 11 And the
angel of the LORD said unto her: ‘Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a
son; and thou shalt call his name Ishmael, because the LORD hath heard thy
affliction. 12 And he shall be a wild ass of a man: his hand shall be against
every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the face of
all his brethren.’
Your son shall be father
of millions with billions of followers. Just know that G-D (kEL) has heard (Shema)
you and you shall call him Yishmael.
13 And she called the name of the LORD that spoke unto her, Thou
art a God of seeing; for she said: ‘Have I even here seen Him that sees Me?’ 14
Wherefore the well was called ‘Beer-lahai-roi; behold, it is between Kadesh and
Bered.
The well of the living
seer. It is between the modern border with Egypt and when I googled the map it
appears to be on the modern closed to the public route 10 between the modern
Kadesh and about half way to Eilat.
15 And Hagar bore Abram a son; and Abram called the name of his
son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael.
Avram having spoken to
Hagar during her pregnancy and listening to her story with the Angel, had no
choice but to call him Yishmael.
16 And Abram was fourscore and six years old, when Hagar bore
Ishmael to Abram. 17:1 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD
appeared to Abram, and said unto him: ‘I am God Almighty; walk before Me, and
be thou wholehearted. 2 And I will make My covenant between Me and thee, and
will multiply thee exceedingly.’
13 years have passed and
Yishmael has entered puberty.
3 And Abram fell on his face; and God talked with him, saying: 4 ‘As
for Me, behold, My covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be the father of a
multitude of nations. 5 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but
thy name shall be Abraham; for the father of a multitude of nations have I made
thee. 6 And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of
thee, and kings shall come out of thee. 7 And I will establish My covenant
between Me and thee and thy seed after thee throughout their generations for an
everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee and to thy seed after thee. 8 And I
will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land of thy sojornings,
all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.’
Avram might be a father
to Yishmael but now he is going to undergo a name change and Avraham will now
father a glatt kosher Tzadik.
9 And God said unto Abraham: ‘And as for thee, thou shalt keep My
covenant, thou, and thy seed after thee throughout their generations. 10 This
is My covenant, which ye shall keep, between Me and you and thy seed after
thee: every male among you shall be circumcised. 11 And ye shall be circumcised
in the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of a covenant betwixt Me
and you. 12 And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every
male throughout your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with
money of any foreigner, that is not of thy seed. 13 He that is born in thy house,
and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised; and My
covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. 14 And the
uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that
soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken My covenant.’
The man that is circumcised
will be a member of the Bris and the uncircumcised shall be removed from his
people.
15 And God said unto Abraham: ‘As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt
not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. 16 And I will bless her,
and moreover I will give thee a son of her; yea, I will bless her, and she
shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall be of her.’
The Gematria of Sarai
Shin Resh Yud and Avram Aleph Vet Resh Aleph Mem will be the same as Shin Resh
Hay (-5) and Aleph Vet Resh Aleph Hay Mem (+5) will keep the marriage in tact
but Avram could not have a Tzadik but Avraham can have a Tzadik as a child.
17 Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his
heart: ‘Shall a child be born unto him that is a hundred years old? And shall
Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?’ 18 And Abraham said unto God: ‘Oh that
Ishmael might live before Thee!’
Sarah laughed (Tzchak)
like it was nonsense but Avraham Tzchak with tears of joy and happiness as he
believed and even had proof that at 86 he gave birth to Yishmael and over 140
would have children by Keturah. After all, before the flood people would have
children even at the age of several hundred years.
19 And God said: ‘Nay, but Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son;
and thou shalt call his name Isaac; and I will establish My covenant with him
for an everlasting covenant for his seed after him.
Avraham was afraid that
Yishmael might die and he loved his only son so much.
20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee; behold, I have blessed
him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve
princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation. 21 But My covenant
will I establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time
in the next year.’ 22 And He left off talking with him, and God went up from
Abraham. 23 And Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all that were born in his
house, and all that were bought with his money, every male among the men of
Abraham’s house, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the selfsame
day, as God had said unto him.
As for Yishmael, he will
sire 12 princess for a great nation.
24 And Abraham was ninety years old and nine, when he was
circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 25 And Ishmael his son was thirteen
years old, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 26 In the
selfsame day was Abraham circumcised, and Ishmael his son. 27 And all the men
of his house, those born in the house, and those bought with money of a foreigner,
were circumcised with him.
From the birth of Yitzchak onwards, the babies are
circumcised at 8 days old unless there is Hemophilia in the family. By merit of
circumcising at the age of 13, the descendants of Yishmael will have control of
Har HaBeis 1300 years.
Parsha Vayeira
18:1 And the LORD appeared unto him by the terebinths of Mamre, as
he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;
Avraham is talking to
HASHEM in a prophetic vision but when he sees the three Goyim walking his way,
he wants to cut the prophecy short to make a Kiddush HASHEM and convert them to
the ways of HASHEM.
2 and he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood
over against him; and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door,
and bowed down to the earth, 3 and said: 'My lord, if now I have found favor in
thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant.
A 100 year old man in
the heat of the day runs to greet strangers in order to publicize and hallow
HASHEM.
4 Let now a little water be fetched, and wash your feet, and
recline yourselves under the tree.
This is the difference
between a Tzadik and a Politician. Avraham promises a little water and bread
and he ends up offering bread and butter, wine and/or beer, a full meat meal
with a full tongue for each.
5 And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and stay ye your heart; after
that ye shall pass on; forasmuch as ye are come to your servant.' And they
said: 'So do, as thou hast said.' 6 And Abraham hastened into the tent unto
Sarah, and said: 'Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and
make cakes.'
Finest flour and made
into honey within the bread/cake.
7 And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetched a calf tender and
good, and gave it unto the servant; and he hastened to dress it.
Ran as fast as he could
to slaughter the calf – actually three for three tongues for the three angels.
8 And he took curd, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed,
and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat.
Rich creamy milk with
yoghurt, butter as an appetizer.
9 And they said unto him: 'Where is Sarah thy wife?' And he said:
'Behold, in the tent.' 10 And He said: 'I will certainly return unto thee when
the season cometh round; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son.' And Sarah
heard in the tent door, which was behind him.-- 11 Now Abraham and Sarah were
old, and well stricken in age; it had ceased to be with Sarah after the manner
of women.--
He showed the sundial
angle of next year’s 15th of Nissan and that is when Yitzchak shall
be born.
12 And Sarah laughed within herself, saying: 'After I am waxed old
shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?'
Sarah’s laugh was that
of incredibility and impossibility as she had long ago stopped having her
period or ability to give birth. She also laughs that Avraham is an old man.
13 And the LORD said unto Abraham: 'Wherefore did Sarah laugh,
saying: Shall I of a surety bear a child, who am old?
Via the Angel, the part
of her laughing at Avraham’s age is left out for Shalom Beis or peace in the
family. Only her age and no period is mentioned.
14 Is anything too hard for the LORD. At the set time I will return
unto thee, when the season cometh round, and Sarah shall have a son.' 15 Then
Sarah denied, saying: 'I laughed not'; for she was afraid. And He said: 'Nay;
but thou didst laugh.'
Sarah was afraid that
the Angel knew her thoughts but it did not help and he says that she did laugh
as rebuke for nothing is impossible for HASHEM.
16 And the men rose up from thence, and looked out toward Sodom;
and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way. 17 And the LORD said:
'Shall I hide from Abraham that which I am doing; 18 seeing that Abraham shall
surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall
be blessed in him?
They know that Avraham
has the power to bless nations and want to give him a chance to save Sodom.
19 For I have known him, to the end that he may command his
children and his household after him, that they may keep the way of the LORD,
to do righteousness and justice; to the end that the LORD may bring upon
Abraham that which He hath spoken of him.' 20 And the LORD said: 'Verily, the
cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and, verily, their sin is exceeding
grievous. 21 I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether
according to the cry of it, which is come unto Me; and if not, I will know.' 22
And the men turned from thence, and went toward Sodom; but Abraham stood yet
before the LORD. 23 And Abraham drew near, and said: 'Wilt Thou indeed sweep
away the righteous with the wicked?
Avraham does here what
we did not see in Noah. He pleads for the people of Sodom and the other towns.
24 Peradventure there are fifty righteous within the city; wilt
Thou indeed sweep away and not forgive the place for the fifty righteous that
are therein? 25 That be far from Thee to do after this manner, to slay the
righteous with the wicked, that so the righteous should be as the wicked; that
be far from Thee; shall not the Judge of all the earth do justly?' 26 And the
LORD said: 'If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will
forgive all the place for their sake.'
He prays and negotiates
with G-D for the lives of the wicked people if there are some Tzadikim in the
area.
27 And Abraham answered and said: 'Behold now, I have taken upon me
to speak unto the LORD, who am but dust and ashes. 28 Peradventure there shall
lack five of the fifty righteous; wilt Thou destroy all the city for lack of
five?' And He said: 'I will not destroy it, if I find there forty and five.'
I have come from dust
and will return to dust but perhaps if there are only 45, 40, 30, 20 or just a
Minyan of 10?
29 And he spoke unto Him yet again, and said: 'Peradventure there
shall be forty found there.' And He said: 'I will not do it for the forty's
sake.' 30 And he said: 'Oh, let not the LORD be angry, and I will speak.
Peradventure there shall thirty be found there.' And He said: 'I will not do
it, if I find thirty there.' 31 And he said: 'Behold now, I have taken upon me
to speak unto the LORD. Peradventure there shall be twenty found there.' And He
said: 'I will not destroy it for the twenty's sake.' 32 And he said: 'Oh, let
not the LORD be angry, and I will speak yet but this once. Peradventure ten
shall be found there.' And He said: 'I will not destroy it for the ten's sake.'
After the supplications
perhaps there are 10 Tzadikim in the area.
33 And the LORD went His way, as soon as He had left off speaking
to Abraham; and Abraham returned unto his place.
So the Angels finish
talking with Avraham and continue with their mission. Rafael has healed his
wounds and if there was any problem with either him or Sarah to have children.
19:1 And the two angels came to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the
gate of Sodom; and Lot saw them, and rose up to meet them; and he fell down on
his face to the earth; 2 and he said: 'Behold now, my lords, turn aside, I pray
you, into your servant's house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye
shall rise up early, and go on your way.' And they said: 'Nay; but we will
abide in the broad place all night.' 3 And he urged them greatly; and they
turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and
did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat.
It was a year before Yitzchak
would be born but he was born on Pesach hence the Matzos were by the Holy Prophecy
given to Avraham and even Lot. Hence Matzos.
4 But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of
Sodom, compassed the house round, both young and old, all the people from every
quarter. 5 And they called unto Lot, and said unto him: 'Where are the men that
came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them.' 6
And Lot went out unto them to the door, and shut the door after him. 7 And he
said: 'I pray you, my brethren, do not so wickedly. 8 Behold now, I have two
daughters that have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you,
and do ye to them as is good in your eyes; only unto these men do nothing;
forasmuch as they are come under the shadow of my roof.'
To this day the Arabs in
Yarden and surrounding area will risk their lives to protect guests. But he is
now corrupted by Sodom that he is willing to give up his virgin daughters.
9 And they said: 'Stand back.' And they said: 'This one fellow came
in to sojourn, and he will needs play the judge; now will we deal worse with
thee, than with them.' And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and drew
near to break the door. 10 But the men put forth their hand, and brought Lot
into the house to them, and the door they shut.
The Angels had to save
Lot from his own folly in trying to calm down a lusty mob.
11 And they smote the men that were at the door of the house with
blindness, both small and great; so that they wearied themselves to find the
door. 12 And the men said unto Lot: 'Hast thou here any besides? son-in-law,
and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whomsoever thou hast in the city; bring
them out of the place; 13 for we will destroy this place, because the cry of
them is waxed great before the LORD; and the LORD hath sent us to destroy it.'
They had a radiance like
the sun that blinded the men of Sodom that night.
14 And Lot went out, and spoke unto his sons-in-law, who married
his daughters, and said: 'Up, get you out of this place; for the LORD will
destroy the city.' But he seemed unto his sons-in-law as one that jested.
He did what he could do
to save his family.
15 And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot,
saying: 'Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters that are here; lest thou
be swept away in the iniquity of the city.' 16 But he lingered; and the men
laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his wife, and upon the hand of
his two daughters; the LORD being merciful unto him. And they brought him
forth, and set him without the city.
They would have had to
make the sun stand still for him if necessary but pushed him onwards with
miraculous speed.
17 And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad,
that he said: 'Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in
all the Plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be swept away.' 18 And Lot
said unto them: 'Oh, not so, my lord; 19 behold now, thy servant hath found
grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shown
unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest the evil
overtake me, and I die. 20 Behold now, this city is near to flee unto, and it
is a little one; oh, let me escape thither--is it not a little one?--and my
soul shall live.'
Na the Gematria is 51 or
the city in the 51st year after the tower of Bavel and Sodom and the
others were in there 52nd year so the younger village of Zoar had
less sins accumulated.
21 And he said unto him: 'See, I have accepted thee concerning this
thing also, that I will not overthrow the city of which thou hast spoken. 22
Hasten thou, escape thither; for I cannot do anything till thou become
thither.'--Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.-- 23 The sun was
risen upon the earth when Lot came unto Zoar. 24 Then the LORD caused to rain
upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven; 25
and He overthrow those cities, and all the Plain, and all the inhabitants of
the cities, and that which grew upon the ground. 26 But his wife looked back
from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.
The Angels have to say the
equivalent of Shema and Shemona Esray as the sun rises with the rest of the
heavenly army. Instantaneously a tremendous explosion occurs and the cities are
destroy from the shock wave, Mrs. Lot is turned into a pillar of salt.
27 And Abraham got up early in the morning to the place where he
had stood before the LORD. 28 And he looked out toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and
toward all the land of the Plain, and beheld, and, lo, the smoke of the land
went up as the smoke of a furnace. 29 And it came to pass, when God destroyed the
cities of the Plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst
of the overthrow, when He overthrew the cities in which Lot dwelt. 30 And Lot
went up out of Zoar, and dwelt in the mountain, and his two daughters with him;
for he feared to dwell in Zoar; and he dwelt in a cave, he and his two
daughters. 31 And the first-born said unto the younger: 'Our father is old, and
there is not a man in the earth to come in unto us after the manner of all the
earth. 32 Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him,
that we may preserve seed of our father.'
What happened to uncle
Avraham? Wouldn’t it be better to have a relationship that is permitted instead
on incest? But the education of Sodom had penetrated them.
33 And they made their father drink wine that night. And the
first-born went in, and lay with her father; and he knew not when she lay down,
nor when she arose.
She certainly got a good
sex education in Sodom and had no moral scruples to think of uncle Avraham and
his shepherds but immediately lay with her father.
34 And it came to pass on the morrow, that the first-born said unto
the younger: 'Behold, I lay yesternight with my father. Let us make him drink
wine this night also; and go thou in, and lie with him, that we may preserve
seed of our father.'
Having done such a sin,
she wanted her sister also to be partner in such a sin.
35 And they made their father drink wine that night also. And the
younger arose, and lay with him; and he knew not when she lay down, nor when
she arose. 36 Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by
their father. 37 And the first-born bore a son, and called his
name Moab--the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day. 38
And the younger, she also bore a son, and called his name Ben-ammi--the same is
the father of the children of Ammon unto this day. 20:1 And Abraham journeyed
from thence toward the land of the South, and dwelt between Kadesh and Shur;
and he sojourned in Gerar. 2 And Abraham said of Sarah his wife: 'She is my
sister.' And Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah. 3 But God came to
Abimelech in a dream of the night, and said to him: 'Behold, thou shalt die,
because of the woman whom thou hast taken; for she is a man's wife.' 4 Now Abimelech
had not come near her; and he said: 'LORD, wilt Thou slay even a righteous
nation? 5 Said he not himself unto me: She is my sister? and she, even she
herself said: He is my brother. In the simplicity of my heart and the innocency
of my hands have I done this.' 6 And God said unto him in the dream: 'Yea, I
know that in the simplicity of thy heart thou hast done this, and I also
withheld thee from sinning against Me. Therefore suffered I thee not to touch
her. 7 Now therefore restore the man's wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall
pray for thee, and thou shalt live; and if thou restore her not, know thou that
thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that are thine.' 8 And Abimelech rose
early in the morning, and called all his servants, and told all these things in
their ears; and the men were sore afraid. 9 Then Abimelech called Abraham, and
said unto him: 'What hast thou done unto us? and wherein have I sinned against
thee, that thou hast brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? thou hast
done deeds unto me that ought not to be done.' 10 And Abimelech said unto
Abraham: 'What did you see, that you have done this thing?' 11 And Abraham
said: 'Because I thought: Surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they
will slay me for my wife's sake. 12 And moreover she is indeed my sister, the
daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and so she became my
wife. 13 And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father's
house, that I said unto her: This is thy kindness which thou shalt show unto
me; at every place whither we shall come, say of me: He is my brother.' 14 And
Abimelech took sheep and oxen, and men-servants and women-servants, and gave
them unto Abraham, and restored him Sarah his wife. 15 And Abimelech said: 'Behold,
my land is before thee: dwell where it pleaseth thee.' 16 And unto Sarah he
said: 'Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver; behold, it
is for thee a covering of the eyes to all that are with thee; and before all
men thou art righted.' 17 And Abraham prayed unto God; and God healed
Abimelech, and his wife, and his maid-servants; and they bore children. 18 For
the LORD had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of
Sarah Abraham's wife. 21:1 And the LORD
remembered Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did unto Sarah as He had spoken.
2 And Sarah conceived, and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time
of which God had spoken to him. 3 And Abraham called the name of his son that
was born unto him, whom Sarah bore to him, Isaac. 4 And Abraham circumcised his
son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. 5 And Abraham
was a hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him. 6 And Sarah
said: 'God hath made laughter for me; every one that heareth will laugh on
account of me.' 7 And she said: 'Who would have said unto Abraham, that Sarah
should give children suck? for I have borne him a son in his old age.' 8 And
the child grew, and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the day that
Isaac was weaned. 9 And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had
borne unto Abraham, making sport. 10 Wherefore she said unto Abraham: 'Cast out
this bondwoman and her son; for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir
with my son, even with Isaac.' 11 And the thing was very grievous in Abraham's
sight on account of his son. 12 And God said unto Abraham: 'Let it not be
grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all
that Sarah saith unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall seed be
called to thee. 13 And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation,
because he is thy seed.' 14 And Abraham arose up early in the morning, and took
bread and a bottle of water, and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her
shoulder, and the child, and sent her away; and she departed, and strayed in
the wilderness of Beer-Sheba. 15 And the water in the bottle was spent, and she
cast the child under one of the shrubs. 16 And she went, and sat her down over
against him a good way off, as it were a bow-shot; for she said: 'Let me not
look upon the death of the child.' And she sat over against him, and lifted up
her voice, and wept. 17 And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of
God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her: 'What ails thee, Hagar?
fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is. 18 Arise, lift
up the lad, and hold him fast by thy hand; for I will make him a great nation.'
19 And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and
filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink. 20 And God was with the
lad, and he grew; and he dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer. 21 And
he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran; and his mother took him a wife out of the
land of Egypt.
The incident with the
Plishtim is similar to that of what occurred in Egypt. So Avraham eventually
gets kicked out from among other things jealousy of his success.
22 And it came to pass at that time, that Abimelech and Phicol the
captain of his host spoke unto Abraham, saying: 'God is with thee in all that
thou do. 23 Now therefore swear unto me here by God that thou wilt not deal
falsely with me, nor with my son, nor with my son's son; but according to the
kindness that I have done unto thee, thou shalt do unto me, and to the land
wherein thou hast sojourned.'
When they found they
lost their blessing they wanted to make peace with Avraham.
24 And Abraham said: 'I will swear.' 25 And Abraham reproved
Abimelech because of the well of water, which Abimelech's servants had
violently taken away. 26 And Abimelech said: 'I know not who hath done this
thing; neither didst thou tell me, neither yet heard I of it, but to-day.' 27
And Abraham took sheep and oxen, and gave them unto Abimelech; and they two
made a covenant. 28 And Abraham set seven ewe-lambs of the flock by themselves.
29 And Abimelech said unto Abraham: 'What mean these seven ewe-lambs which thou
hast set by themselves?'
Seven so it is a play on
words in Hebrew Sheva but also vow sounds similar
30 And he said: 'Verily, these seven ewe-lambs shalt thou take of
my hand, that it may be a witness unto me, that I have dug this well.' 31
Wherefore that place was called Beer-Sheba; because there they swore both of
them. 32 So they made a covenant at Beer-Sheba; and Abimelech rose up, and
Phicol the captain of his host, and they returned into the land of the
Philistines. 33 And Abraham planted a tamarisk-tree in Beer-Sheba, and called
there on the name of the LORD, the Everlasting God.
So the well becomes
Beersheva or the well of swearing.
34 And Abraham sojourned in the land of the Philistines many days.
He remained there for
years but would go also to other places like Schem or Chevron.
22:1 And it came to pass after these things, that God did prove
Abraham, and said unto him: 'Abraham'; and he said: 'Here am I.' 2 And He said:
'Take now thy son, thine only son, whom thou love, even Isaac, and get thee
into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt-offering upon one of
the mountains which I will tell thee of.'
The Akedah on the
Mizbayach of Yitzchak that we read every morning.
3 And Abraham rose early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and
took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he cleaved the wood
for the burnt-offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had
told him. 4 On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar
off. 5 And Abraham said unto his young men: 'Abide ye here with the ass, and I
and the lad will go yonder; and we will worship, and come back to you.' 6 And
Abraham took the wood of the burnt-offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son;
and he took in his hand the fire and the knife; and they went both of them
together. 7 And Isaac spoke unto Abraham his father, and said: 'My father.' And
he said: 'Here am I, my son.' And he said: 'Behold the fire and the wood; but
where is the lamb for a burnt-offering?' 8 And Abraham said: 'God will provide
Himself the lamb for a burnt-offering, my son.' So they went both of them together.
9 And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built the
altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him
on the altar, upon the wood. 10 And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took
the knife to slay his son. 11 And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of
heaven, and said: 'Abraham, Abraham.' And he said: 'Here am I.' 12 And he said:
'Lay not thy hand upon the lad, neither do thou anything unto him; for now I
know that thou art a God-fearing man, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son,
thine only son, from Me.' 13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and
behold behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns. And Abraham went
and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt-offering in the stead of his
son. 14 And Abraham called the name of that place Adonai-Jireh; as it is said
to this day: 'In the mount where the LORD is seen.' 15 And the angel of the
LORD called unto Abraham a second time out of heaven, 16 and said: 'By Myself
have I sworn, saith the LORD, because thou hast done this thing, and hast not
withheld thy son, thine only son, 17 that in blessing I will bless thee, and in
multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the
sand which is upon the seashore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his
enemies; 18 and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;
because thou hast hearkened to My voice.' 19 So Abraham returned unto his young
men, and they rose up and went together to Beer-Sheba; and Abraham dwelt at
Beer-Sheba.
This whole section below
is only to hail the birth of Rivka. More on the Akedah next week.
20 And it came
to pass after these things, that it was told Abraham, saying: 'Behold, Milcah,
she also hath borne children unto thy brother Nahor: 21 Uz his first-born, and
Buz his brother, and Kemuel the father of Aram; 22 and Chesed, and Hazo, and
Pildash, and Jidlaph, and Bethuel.' 23 And Bethuel begot Rebekah; these eight
did Milcah bear to Nahor, Abraham's brother. 24 And his concubine, whose name was
Reumah, she also bore Tebah, and Gaham, and Tahash, and Maacah.
Article by Menachem Levine
Rabbi Yehuda Meir Shapiro was born in Shatz, Poland,
on March 3, 1887. He was a descendant of renowned Chassidic Rebbes on both
sides of his family. Although he initially had difficulty learning to read, he
began to excel once he was taught to read words rather than letters. With his
incredible memory and depth of understanding, he was soon renowned for his
genius.
His mother, Rebbetzin Margulya, devoted herself to
helping her son become a Torah scholar. Every single day, she would remind him
that a day without learning Torah is a day that is lacking. Rabbi Shapiro
described that shortly before they moved to a new city, his mother was
concerned that her son would be unable to learn Torah on the day of the move.
Despite the natural stresses involved in moving, his
Torah learning remained a priority. She decided to contact the teacher in the
new city to ask him to meet them at the city entrance and learn Torah with her
son as soon as they arrived. However, upon their arrival, he was nowhere to be
found. Rebbetzin Margulya sat down near their wagon and cried. Her son tried to
calm her down and said, “Mommy, don’t cry – I’ll learn tomorrow!” His mother responded,
“Meir’el, you don’t yet realize what it means to miss a day of studying Torah!”
Those words, coming from the depths of his mother’s
heart, would resonate for Rabbi Shapiro throughout his life and may have
inspired the Daf Yomi movement he created.
Recognizing His Role
In 1906, when he was 19, Rabbi Shapiro married the
daughter of Yaakov Dovid Brightman, a wealthy Jew from Tarnopol, which was a
center of Torah learning in Galicia. Upon his arrival in Tarnopol, Rabbi
Shapiro became a close follower of Rav Yisroel of Chortkov and remained a
Chortkover Chassid all his life.
In fact, the Chortkover Rebbe helped create the
mechanech and Gadol Rabbi Shapiro would eventually become. Rabbi Shapiro once
asked his teacher if he should become a chazzan since he had a beautiful voice.
Recognizing Rabbi Shapiro’s greatness, the Chorkover Rebbe told Rabbi Shapiro
that his mission was to teach and spread Torah by educating the next generation
of the Jewish people.
Rabbi Shapiro’s father-in-law had committed to
providing financial support so his son-in-law could study Torah for his entire
life. Yet, Rabbi Shapiro decided to study full-time only until he felt ready to
become a community rabbi.
At the age of 23, Rabbi Shapiro became the rabbi of a
city called Galina. His mother-in-law was devastated and felt his greatness
would now be compromised. She brought 20,000 gold coins to him and placed them
before him, saying, “This is yours. You don’t need to go.” He responded gently,
“If 20,000 gold coins would change my mind, then you are right. I should not go
into the Rabbinate.” But it didn’t change his mind, and he would soon make his
mark in Poland’s Jewish community, and eventually on the entire world.
A Member of the Polish Parliament
In 1922, elections were held for the Polish Parliament, the Sejm
— and 35 Jews were elected, making them over 10% of the Polish Parliament. Out
of the 35 elected, six were members of Agudas Yisroel, including Rabbi Meir
Shapiro.
He was one of the youngest members of Parliament, yet
he took on the role of defender of the Jewish people in the face of open
antisemitism.
Rabbi Shapiro was renowned as a gifted speaker,
although he was initially limited by his lack of fluency in Polish. Within a
short time, he mastered that and was so eloquent that even his enemies would
come to listen to him speak.
A member of the Sejm, intending to insult the Jews,
commented that a sign in a park in Silesia prohibited Jews and dogs from
entering it. Rabbi Shapiro responded with his sharp wit, “Then neither one of
us can enter that park.” Rabbi Shapiro’s political career continued until 1928,
when he left politics to have more time to focus on the Jewish community.
Daf Yomi
At the age of 36, Rabbi Shapiro introduced his idea
for Daf Yomi at the First Knessiah Gedolah of Agudas Yisroel in Vienna on
August 16, 1923. There was overwhelming approval for this idea, and the first
cycle of Daf Yomi commenced on the first day of Rosh Hashanah in 1923.
The Gerrer Rebbe, who had the largest Chassidus in
Poland at that time, helped give Daf Yomi a strong start by publicly studying
the first page of Daf Yomi with his Chassidim following the Rosh Hashana
davening.
The first Siyum HaShas was celebrated in 1931 in
Lublin, with Rabbi Shapiro in attendance.
Poland’s Yeshiva: Yeshivas Chachmei Lublin
A second significant accomplishment of Rabbi Shapiro
was the creation of a new model for yeshivas with the founding of Yeshivas
Chachmei Lublin in 1930.
He felt that it was crucial to emphasize the
importance of Torah study by establishing an institution with a respectable
building, regular meals, a dorm, and a high level of study.
Until this point, yeshiva bachurim would often sleep
in shuls and receive meals by eating in community members’ houses on a rotation
basis. Rabbi Shapiro had shared the idea for this yeshiva at the same Knessiah
Gedolah at which he had initiated Daf Yomi. He suggested that Jews set aside a
small coin every time they studied the Daf, and in this way, every Jew could
have a portion in “their Yeshiva.”
He named the yeshiva “Chachmei Lublin” after the
“wise men of Lublin” who had lived in generations past, including Rabbi Shlomo
Shachna, the Maharam of Lublin, the Rema, the Maharshal, and the Chozeh of
Lublin.
Rabbi Shapiro built a magnificent building on a piece
of land generously donated by a wealthy Jew in Lublin, Rabbi Shmuel Eichenbaum.
The impressive structure was built with funds raised worldwide and still stands
today. It was taken over during the Nazi occupation and then was used by the
Medical University of Lublin for many years after the Holocaust. In 2003, it
was finally returned to the Jewish community of Lublin.
The opening of the yeshiva in June of 1930 was celebrated with
nearly 100,000 Jews arriving from all over to participate. In addition to a
dining room and dormitory, the building housed a magnificent library with over
30,000 volumes
Rabbi Shapiro also commissioned Rabbi Chanoch
Weintraub to create a breathtaking and detailed replica model of the Bais HaMikdash
(Temple in Jerusalem) housed in a special room in the yeshiva.
Applying to the yeshiva was challenging, to say the
least. To even be considered for acceptance, one had to know at least 200 pages
of Gemara by heart. The yeshiva’s learning was on a very high level, and the
students it produced were tremendous talmidei chachamim.
“Never Laugh
at a Child’s Dream”
Rabbi Shapiro once was traveling and met a man who
introduced himself as Rabbi Yaakov Halberstam. He explained that he was a
son-in-law of the Shatzer Rebbe, a rabbi in Rabbi Shapiro’s hometown of Shatz.
After greeting him, Rabbi Shapiro asked Rabbi Halberstam if his wife had
accompanied him on the trip. Surprised, Rabbi Halberstam answered in the
affirmative. Rabbi Shapiro asked to speak to her.
When the rebbetzin came over, Rabbi Shapiro asked if
she remembered them playing together as young children, and the rebbetzin said
she did. Rabbi Shapiro then said, “You might also remember that I was enamored
with the idea of creating a program through which Jews all over the world would
learn the same page of Gemara every day … and maybe you also remember how the
children would make fun of me and my dream?”
The rebbetzin nodded.
“I want you to
know,” Rabbi Shapiro continued, “that the laughter almost dissuaded me from
bringing this idea to reality, but I decided to try to do it anyway. Always
remember,” he concluded, “Never laugh at a child’s dream.”
Final Days
Rabbi Shapiro died suddenly after a short illness
when he was only 46. His death was a severe blow to Polish Jewry, for whom he
was both a caring leader and an inspiring visionary.
My late grandmother, who lived in Poland then, told
me, “When Rabbi Shapiro passed away, all of Poland went into mourning.”
He was buried in Lublin, and his was the only grave
remaining when the Holocaust ended. In 1958, under the guidance of the Moetzes
Gedolei HaTorah of Agudas Yisroel, his body was reinterred in Jerusalem in the
Har Hamenuchot cemetery.
Although he had no children, his legacy would be his
“son,” Daf Yomi, and his “daughter,” Yeshivas Chachmei Lublin.
A Final Story – The Eternal Jewish People
With over three million Yiddish-speaking Jews in
Poland before the Holocaust, there were various publications to cater to its
populace. The two most well-known newspapers
were Heint and Moment, both of which were secular. At the time,
frum Jews printed their own newspaper called Der Yid (the Jew).
Rabbi Shapiro once passed a newsstand and asked to
purchase a copy of Der Yid. The storekeeper nonchalantly asked him
why he would buy Der Yid, instead of the more
sophisticated Heint or Moment, pointing out that Der
Yid was on the bottom of the pile.
Rabbi Shapiro responded with a smile. “Heint means
today, and Moment means a minute. Both will soon disappear. I am
choosing Der Yid, because even if he is downtrodden, a Yid is a Jew,
and a Jew is eternal.”
Rabbi Menachem Levine is the CEO of JDBY-YTT, the largest Jewish
school in the Midwest. He served as Rabbi of Congregation Am Echad in San Jose,
CA, from 2007 to 2020. He is a popular speaker and writes for numerous
publications on Torah, Jewish History, and Contemporary Jewish Topics. Rabbi
Levine’s personal website is https://thinktorah.org A
version of this article was originally published in Hamodia’s Inyan Magazine.
A Helpful Encounter
at the Master of Suffering by R’ Y. Tilles
https://ascentofsafed.com/cgi-bin/ascent.cgi?Name=1456-07
During the years I
lived in Haifa, it once occurred to me to travel to the burial site of the
righteous Rabbi Leib, known as the Baal HaYisurim ("Master of
Suffering"), who is buried in Safed, on the day of his yahrzeit
(anniversary of passing), Cheshvan 15.[1] I set out in the morning from Haifa,
accompanied by several young married Torah scholars from the kollel (yeshiva
with stipends for married men) where I studied. Two of them were in need of a
blessing for children.
Upon arriving in
Safed, I asked the group if we could make a brief stop at the Nadvorna
synagogue. I was hoping to encounter the then Nadvorna Rebbe [Rabbi
Aharon-Yechiel Leiter] to ask his advice on a personal matter. When my
companions heard this, they asked if they could receive a blessing from the
Rebbe as well. Not willing to burden the Rebbe with a sudden group visit, I
told them I would go in alone, but also I would convey their requests for them.
As it turned out, the Rebbe had just finished the morning prayers at his shul
and was about to leave to go to the cemetery. When he saw me, he greeted me
warmly. I told him that we had come to visit the grave of Rabbi Leib, the Baal
HaYisurim. He replied that he himself was planning to visit the same gravesite
and that is why he was headed for the cemetery.
Before he walked
out, I took the opportunity to ask him a personal question that had been
weighing on me. After, I added that two of the men with me needed blessings. I
asked, "Would it be possible for them to enter and speak to the Rebbe
directly?"
"There's no
need," the Rebbe replied. "Tell them I give them my blessing-they
don't need to come in personally."
We drove down the
winding Ari Road and parked near the entrance to the Military Cemetery.
[Walking through it is the shortest way to get to the resting place of Rabbi
Leib.] Shortly after, the car that the Rebbe was driven in arrived. I turned to
my two companions seeking blessings and exclaimed, "This is your chance!
If you wish, you can approach the Rebbe yourselves."
One of them did. He
stepped forward and said, with simple sincerity, "Rebbe, I've been married
for three years and we still have no children."
At that moment, the Rebbe's expression changed. The young man's plain words
pierced his heart. His face reflected deep empathy and pain. From the depths of
his soul, the Rebbe uttered just three words: "Soon, soon, soon…"
The second man
didn't manage to approach the Rebbe at that moment; he did so only after the
Rebbe completed his visit to the grave. I didn't hear exactly what he said, but
I heard the Rebbe's response. He blessed him, "G-D will help,"
although not with the same fervent tone as he had spoken to the first man.
As I was standing
nearby, I witnessed both blessings firsthand. and was able to easily sense the
difference between the two. The Rebbe's words of blessings were never spoken
lightly. It was clear to me how deeply moved he had been by the first man's
anguish, and how that emotion would activate a blessing that bore fruit on the
spot. Indeed, nine months later, that man was holding his newborn. For the
second man it was not manifested until another two or three years.
By the way, that
first young man needed further guidance and a blessing later in the pregnancy.
He came to me and said he wanted to speak to the Rebbe again-after all, it was
through the Rebbe that the miracle had happened. I gave him a piece of advice:
"If you want the Rebbe to answer your question, don't tell him it was his
miracle. He won't like that."
He followed the
advice. He went to the Rebbe, posed his question without referencing the
previous miracle, and the Rebbe-without recognizing him-sat with him at length,
took interest in every detail, and presented him clear, insightful and remarkable
answers to all his questions.
=================
Source: Heavily revised and then freely adapted by Yerachmiel Tilles from Ohel
Moed, a periodical of the Lelov Chasidim, issue #616 (Rosh Chodesh Adar Alef
5784 [Feb. 2024]).
Why This Week?: This Thursday, Cheshvan 15, is the yahrzeit of Rabbi Leib, Baal
HaYisurim.
Biographical notes:
Rabbi Leib, the Baal HaYisurim ["The Master of Suffering" or
"The Afflicted One"] was an outstanding scholar and G-d-fearing man,
a major disciple of Rabbi Shneur Zalman, the first Rebbe of Chabad. He was the
first Chabad chasid to emigrate to the holy city of Hebron. It is not known how
he acquired his title. At the end of his life he settled in Tsfat (a.k.a.
Safed), where he passed away in venerable old age [the Baal Shem Tov once
visited him in his home!] on the 15th of Mar-Cheshvan 1836. Knowing his end to
be near, he let it be known that anyone who found himself beset by insoluble
problems (G-d forbid) should visit his grave for salvation. This amounted to a
commitment to come to that person's aid, and to this very day there are many
who visit his grave in Tsfat, hoping to benefit from his assistance to their
prayers, and thousands do so on his yahrzeit. [From ascentofsafed.com]
Rabbi Aharon Yechiel Leifer, the Nadvorna-Bania Rebbe of Tsfat [1910 - 1 Sivan,
2000], was born in Bania, Rumania, a descendent of the famous Galitzean dynasty
of Nadvorna rebbes. He moved to Israel shortly after the war of Liberation in
1948. Previously he had lost an entire family in the Holocaust, but had married
his deceased wife's sister and started a whole new family. Legendary in Tsfat
for his hospitality and kindness to those in need, his home and shul were a
center for Jews of all brands for fifty-two years. Beloved equally by Chassidim,
Sephardim and Ashkenazim, by Europeans, Israelis and Americans, his death a
little before (or after!) the age of ninety marked the end of an era in Tsfat.
[In 1983, he was the sandek at my first-born son's brit mila (circumcision)
ceremony.] [From my "Saturday Night, Full Moon"]
Footnote: [1] The "Master of Suffering" promised before
he passed on that anyone in a difficult, painful situation who prays sincerely
at his resting place will be helped. Indeed, while people come to pray there
throughout the year, on his yahrzeit - night and day on the 15th of the Jewish
month of Mar-Cheshvan, -- literally thousands of Jews make the journey and the
trek to his burial site, and even more do so when the date falls on Erev
Shabbat (Friday) .
Inyanay Diyoma
Nov. 1st and Nov. 2nd
Swords of Iron Day 757 and Day 758 start of week 109
I was talking to Col. Avraham
stationed in Gaza that the cycle appears never ending as the North (Lebanon) is
heating up again. I was speaking to a soldier after prayers and told him that
the North is warming up. A retired Major from the Intelligence Corp said,
“Warming up? It is boiling!” IDF
confirms strike that killed four members of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force,
including logistics chief
Israel
warns Lebanon: Disarm Hezbollah or face new offensive | Israel National News
Now you will find out why the left
was doing figure eights to stop the appointment of General Zini to head the
Shin Bet Security Services. Of course there is filth in politics and our tax
money and donations to the Jewish Agency was going for 50,000 NIS Salaries with
a driver and car plus office and secretary for worthless unqualified political
hacks but when Yair Netanyahu was to be put in charge of something the stick
was too much to bear.
Back to Gen. Zini: It was exposed
that film showing that soldiers were beating the Nukhba Murderers was doctored
of two minor incidents after they spit on a soldier and cut and pasted. Whole
allowed it and authorized the release of the film that damaged Israel make the
world court go after Galant and Netanyahu but the Avocat General aka Chief Army
Prosecutor. Political filth in our ranks. Now the police are going after her
and rightfully so for harming the State of Israel and faking evidence against
soldiers. It is all because she wanted to advance another leftist activist army
lawyer who failed a lie detector on security clearance.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/idfs-top-lawyer-quits-says-she-approved-leak-of-detainee-abuse-video/
Genocide in Sudan but blacks who are
Muslim against other blacks who are Muslim doesn’t make the cut like when an
Israeli in self-defense kills a Nukba.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/un-demands-probe-into-horrific-accounts-of-executions-gang-rapes-abductions-in-sudan/
The Ghost of Obama Past haunts shut
down on Halloween.
https://www.foxnews.com/media/resurfaced-obama-video-blasting-shutdown-blackmail-now-haunts-democrats-amid-new-standoff
https://www.timesofisrael.com/red-cross-says-it-transferred-partial-remains-of-three-bodies-from-hamas-to-israel/
Sirens in Mevo Horon (south east of
Modiin). https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/417126
An IDF spokesperson stated: "IDF troops under the Southern
Command continue to operate in the area to remove any immediate threat to the
troops and to the residents of the western Negev, in order to maintain the
security of Israeli civilians." https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/417131
US records Hamas stealing and plundering aid. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/417133
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-saudi-deal-virtually-impossible-this-year-saudi-insider-tells-nyt/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/palestinian-teen-killed-by-idf-in-clashes-near-ramallah-idf-says-he-had-flaming-object/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/4-gazans-said-killed-after-israeli-deadline-passes-for-gunmen-to-leave-idf-held-zone/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/jewish-london-bus-passenger-says-driver-trapped-him-said-he-looks-like-a-mossad-agent/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/man-who-threatened-jewish-hotel-owners-in-nyc-sentenced-to-4-years-in-prison/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/fbi-says-it-thwarted-potential-terrorist-attack-in-dearborn-michigan/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/ellisons-oracle-poised-to-run-tiktok-raising-hopes-for-tougher-antisemitism-rules/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/houthis-say-43-un-workers-to-be-tried-on-allegations-they-helped-israel-conduct-strike/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/ahead-of-rabin-memorial-rally-son-says-israeli-leaders-reignite-hatred-and-division/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-looks-to-build-new-gaza-on-half-of-strip-under-idf-control-but-faces-pushback/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/levin-forbids-ag-from-probing-sde-teiman-leak-claims-she-obstructed-investigation/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-envoy-lebanon-a-failed-state-is-unlikely-to-be-able-to-forcibly-disarm-hezbollah/
https://www.foxnews.com/world/multiple-people-stabbed-uk-train-attack-near-cambridge-police-arrest-2-suspects
Rabbi, please recommend
this book The Road to October 7 by Rafael Medoff. Every Jew should read it.
For me it is a slow read because I have to stop from the horror he shares. His
book should be a wake-up call to ALL Jews about the road we are following -
that is leading to monumental Jew hatred in the West. https://jps.org/books/the-road-to-october-7/ Diane Weber Bederman
Twenty-three
killed in Mexico fire, including children | The Jerusalem Post
Sde
Teiman leak: Deputy Advocate General says he was kept in the dark | Israel
National News
Tiberias
man charged with espionage for Iranian intelligence | Israel National News
Turkey Expands Regional
and Global Ambitions, Raising Alarm Bells in Israel | Algemeiner.com
https://www.timesofisrael.com/iran-has-no-desire-for-talks-with-us-cannot-stop-uranium-enrichment-says-fm/
Nov. 3rd
Swords of Iron Day 759
Anybody who has read or seen Hamlet
knows that at some point, the King suspects that there is method in his
madness. The former Chief Military Attorney General is distraught that she has
been caught falsifying the claim against some soldiers. The lives of the
soldiers and their families were ruined. The IDF and Israel had their
reputations blackened. Antisemites from Mamdani through Tucker Carlson
rejoiced. She then goes out a writes a suicide note abandons her car with the
motor running by a beach, takes a long stroll and a deep swim with her
cellphone that conveniently is lost in the water about 6,000 miles from Hillary
Clinton’s smashed cellphones bleach-bit. https://www.timesofisrael.com/ex-idf-legal-chief-tomer-yerushalmi-found-alive-after-frantic-beachside-search/ The immediate result is that the Chief Military Prosecutor is also
arrested with his phone confiscated and all phone calls with her will be
extracted.
A Professor suffering from dementia found
under a bridge unconscious without her glasses after wandering for a week.
350 suspects. Senior Histadrut official arrested in major corruption
probe | Israel National News
8 still without proper burials in
Gaza. https://www.timesofisrael.com/hamas-hands-over-purported-remains-of-3-hostages-identification-process-underway/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/uk-lawmaker-says-there-is-now-a-constituency-for-hating-jews-in-formerly-friendly-britain/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-looks-to-build-new-gaza-on-half-of-strip-under-idf-control-but-faces-pushback/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/jewish-and-israeli-groups-rush-to-provide-aid-to-hurricane-ravaged-jamaica/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/a-beacon-of-humanity-nitzan-alon-idfs-hostage-point-man-to-leave-role-after-2-years/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/uk-labours-corbyn-who-faced-antisemitism-allegations-campaigns-for-mamdani/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/soroka-to-receive-over-300-million-to-rebuild-after-iran-missile-strike-in-june/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/two-years-of-praying-freed-hostage-bar-kuperstein-returns-home-to-holon/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/jewish-gop-conference-pivots-to-tackling-antisemitism-within-the-republican-party/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/wzo-drops-cushy-post-for-yair-netanyahu-after-nomination-backfires/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-rolls-out-tax-benefits-to-lure-back-tech-talent-and-investments-after-gaza-war/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/dead-sea-hotel-worker-charged-with-spying-for-iran-was-asked-for-intel-on-ben-gvir/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/model-leen-peer-named-as-suspect-in-murder-case-after-gag-order-lifted/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/with-pomp-and-fanfare-grand-egyptian-museum-opens-as-ode-to-ancient-civilization/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/maryland-kosher-pizzeria-offers-deferred-payment-to-furloughed-federal-workers/
Op-Ed Diane W. Bederman: Women’s Liberation or losing the goal? Freezing
eggs and freezing out women. - Diane Bederman- Your Passionate Voice of Reason
Toxic
smoke from Palestinian waste fires chokes Modi’in residents: ‘The state abandon
https://www.foxnews.com/media/trump-agrees-maduros-days-venezuelas-president-numbered-60-minutes-interview
https://www.foxnews.com/us/video-shows-hostile-crowd-surround-border-patrol-agents-arrest-turns-violent-suburban-chicago
Former
Hostage Alon Ohel undergoes eye surgery and shoulder procedure | Israel
National News
Trump
to 60 Minutes: I had to push Netanyahu to agree to the ceasefire | Israel
National News
Iran
vows to rebuild nuclear sites 'stronger than before' | Israel National News
'Finally
returned home': Sahar Baruch buried next to brother he tried to save | Israel
National News
Multiple
stabbings on UK train, 9 in critical condition, 2 arrested, | Israel National
News
Police
arrest Ramla resident over imminent terror threat | Israel National News
Eitan
Mor recites thanksgiving blessing after surviving captivity | Israel National
News
https://www.timesofisrael.com/netanyahu-lebanon-must-uphold-its-commitments-to-disarm-hezbollah/
Nov. 4th
Swords of Iron Day 760
From Yosef Dan: Food for thought, a
murder following a blood libel mostly against Jews. By Yuval Bloomberg:
To summarize what we know at the
moment, the Chief Military Prosecutor's Office, has deliberately, and
maliciously produced a blood libel against IDF soldiers, which ironically she
is supposed to serve.
If we take a partial list of blood libel
plots:
Damascus plot (1840), Mansoura plot
(1901, Egypt) Kishinev plot (1903, Russia), Baileys plot (1913, Russia), Kiltz
plot (1946, Poland), the common term for all is the supposed existence of a
reason that ignited the plot: a Christian disappeared and the Jews were charged
with his disappearance and murder for cultist purposes.
What is causing the Yemen Sde plot?
What drove the working souls, to intentionally first direct a movie that is all
a lie from beginning to end, and to blame it on a shocking accusation against
IDF soldiers and then throw this incendiary material into the public arena?
What is the reason of the depth that could drive Jews serving in the IDF during
the war of existence, to produce a mega-strategic conscientious terror attack
against the Israel country?
In my opinion, the explanation lies in
the political affiliation of the initiators of the plot and the common
consciousness to this group.
This is the same political group that
underwent significant damage to the Israel economy, that incited the American
administration to act against the Israel state and its citizens, that disbanded
the army before the inauguration in October, that founded the linguistic system
for The Hague, that sowed chaos and violence in the streets and has been
insisting on civil killings for years. This is a group that sees a very large
part of the Jewish public in the state of Israel A real enemy that needs to be
condemned even before Hamas and Hezbollah.
People who live in this rotting
consciousness have created for themselves a prior justification for any damage
they will cause to the country Israel because to them the country in the
current political assembly deserves to be hurt. She has no right to exist when
they are not in control and therefore any damage they can cause her: economic,
military, political, is a good deed in their eyes. The plot of the Yemen field
is another fruit of ?Oushim? that grew up in the rebellion camp.
If anyone thinks that there will be a
clear conscience or a feeling of sorrow because of the terrible damage they
have caused to the position of Israel state, he should remember that they have
been trying to cause the most damage to the Israel state for two years. The
story of Sde Yemen is not a mistake, but part of the working model of a group
whose opinion went completely wrong. And the proof is the silence of the sheep
of the political camp they are part of. If there is any sorrow there, it's only
about the fact that was revealed, certainly not about the unprecedented
conscious damage caused to him with their own hands.
Rumors have it that the
‘lost’ phone had incriminating evidence against our current deep-deep deep
State Attorney General.
Last week, Israelis trekking the
mountains of Nepal had to be rescued. https://www.foxnews.com/world/avalanche-nepal-kills-7-climbers-mount-yalung-ri
https://www.timesofisrael.com/with-ceasefire-in-place-us-renews-plea-for-israel-to-allow-foreign-press-into-gaza/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/really-dont-remember-idfs-former-top-lawyer-said-to-have-approved-leak-in-group-chat/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/likud-ministers-contentious-media-regulation-bill-passes-first-reading-in-knesset/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/as-ny-assemblyman-mamdani-pushed-bill-barring-nonprofits-from-supporting-israeli-settlement-activity/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/iran-reportedly-arrests-three-leftist-government-critics-summons-another/
Bishop
Apologizes for Catholic School’s Offensive Halloween Float With Nazi Imagery |
Algemeiner.com
Arizona
Man Convicted of Making Antisemitic Death Threats | Algemeiner.com
Names
of 5 Million of 6 Million Jews Killed in Holocaust Now Identified |
Algemeiner.com
NYC
honors Captain Omer Neutra - a hometown hero finally brought home | Israel
National News
Senior Analyst: 'Hamas
would see immunity while still in Gaza as insurance' | Israel National News
US proposes to UN: Gaza
force with mandate to demilitarize and rebuild | Israel National News
Iran’s military
capabilities restored by North Korea | Israel National News
Prosecutor in abuse cases
suspended over sensitive info leak | Israel National News
The document the Air
Force didn’t want you to see | Israel National News
https://www.timesofisrael.com/histadrut-chief-other-senior-labor-officials-detained-in-major-corruption-probe/
Nov. 5th
Swords of Iron Day 761
This week’s first story in the rabbipauli.blogspot
is: Rabbi Yehuda Meir Shapiro
The month of the Yahrzeit of
Yitzchak Rabin more or less ends today. Since the assassination, the left has
played over and over the story of Yitzchak Rabin. The TV builds it up about 2
weeks before the Yahrzeit then last Friday Night they started going into the
Hebrew and yesterday secular dates of the murder.
The last American-Israeli body has
been returned to Israel and if the off year election with a quarter of a
million people abandoning New Jersey alone last year, the Democrats swept all
the major races. https://www.foxnews.com/politics/democrat-mikie-sherrill-wins-new-jersey-governor-race-keeps-state-blue-against-republican-challenge
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/winsome-earle-sears-concedes-virginia-governor-race-says-shes-not-going-anywhere
https://www.foxnews.com/us/dramatic-video-shows-catastrophic-ups-plane-disaster-left-least-dead-injured
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/bush-hails-cheney-the-one-i-needed-vice-president
https://www.timesofisrael.com/dick-cheney-dominant-divisive-strategist-of-americas-war-on-terror-dies-at-84/
https://www.foxnews.com/health/smoking-banned-entire-generation-under-sweeping-new-national-law
https://www.timesofisrael.com/mamdani-vs-cuomo-nyc-votes-in-election-where-israel-antisemitism-have-taken-center-stage/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-brings-casket-with-apparent-body-of-hostage-from-gaza-to-israel/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/unveiling-2026-budget-smotrich-fumes-at-excessive-defense-spending-mulls-tax-cuts/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/environment-minister-unveils-key-points-of-plan-to-fight-west-bank-waste-fires/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/trumps-ai-czar-leads-33-million-investment-in-israeli-cybersecurity-startup/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/health-ministry-warns-public-that-two-people-infected-with-measles-used-public-transport/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/katz-taps-former-defense-ministry-legal-adviser-as-next-military-advocate-general/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/senior-hamas-official-says-agreement-reached-with-pa-on-formation-of-committee-to-manage-gaza/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/opposition-mk-says-ben-gvir-accosted-and-verbally-assaulted-her-at-knesset/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/iran-frees-french-pair-held-for-over-3-years-for-allegedly-spying-for-israel-france/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/wikipedia-co-founder-locks-edits-on-gaza-genocide-page-citing-anti-israel-bias/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/iranian-man-found-shot-dead-hours-after-burning-picture-of-khamenei-reports/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/bomb-threat-halts-flights-at-washingtons-ronald-reagan-airport-faa-says/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/saudi-arabias-request-to-buy-f-35-jets-clears-first-key-pentagon-hurdle-sources/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/uns-albanese-posts-cartoon-echoing-age-old-anti-jewish-spiderweb-trope/
Iran has started broadcasting in
Hebrew. They have new missiles from North Korea and China. Money talks to these
countries. N. Korea is giving them Nuclear Capable Missiles. We need a strong
laser defense. Our secret weapon in our arsenal is THE HOLY ONE BLESSED BE HE.
HE will not abandon HIS PEOPLE.
When Judaism comes last and Jewish Education is
lacking: Trump
Calls Jewish Supporters of New York’s Mamdani, Who Has Been Accused of
Antisemitism, ‘Stupid’ | Algemeiner.com
Iran says forces at 'high
readiness' for war | Israel National News
Israel,
India Sign Deals to Boost Defense, Industrial, Tech Cooperation |
Algemeiner.com
Investigator to former
MAG: It’s all a bluff, you tried to evade arrest | Israel National News
In northern Israel,
archaeologists discover earliest winepress | Israel National News
Supreme Court justice
vetoes demolishing terrorist's home | Israel National News
Supreme Court justice
vetoes demolishing terrorist's home | Israel National News
Outrage: Jordan’s Queen
equates Israel’s actions to Holocaust crimes | Israel National News
Defense Minister Katz
appoints Adv. Itai Ofir as Military Advocate General | Israel National News
Chief of Staff: 'No
terrorist will leave Gaza until Hadar Goldin is returned' | Israel National
News
Jenin area continues to
be a leader in terrorism | Israel National News
Shin Bet data: 80% of
terrorists released in Shalit deal returned to terror | Israel National News
The
legal scandal roiling Israel’s unelected oligarchy | Israel National News
The legal scandal roiling
Israel’s unelected oligarchy | Israel National News
Nov. 6th
Swords of Iron Day 762
Three main security issues in the
news today:
The 100 - 200 terrorists trapped in Raffia. Some are
murders of our troops and they supposedly have the body of Goldin buried in
their tunnels. Negotiations are on-going and Israel is resisting US pressure to
give up before we get Hadar Goldin’s remains. https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-pressures-israel-to-allow-safe-passage-for-100-to-200-hamas-operatives-in-rafah/
The second area of concern is in the
Kadesh Barnea – Nitzana area where nightly drone flights bring either terrorists,
automatic machine guns and other weapons, drugs into Israel. The area used to
have just a wire marker between Egypt and Israel when I border patrolled there.
It is now a dangerous place for residents and all Israelis with the Bedouin
smugglers. https://www.timesofisrael.com/katz-orders-idf-to-declare-egyptian-border-closed-military-zone-over-drone-smugglings/
Last but far from the least is the
rearming and expanding of Hezballah in Lebanon that might lead to another
conflict. The
IDF on Thursday struck terrorists who were operating at a terrorist
infrastructure site belonging to Hezbollah's Construction Unit in the Tyre area
in southern Lebanon. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/417391
IDF prepares for wave of
strikes in Lebanon, villages warned | Israel National News
https://www.timesofisrael.com/swastikas-on-nyc-school-bring-antisemitism-into-focus-a-day-after-mamdani-victory/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-couple-arrested-in-thailand-over-public-sex-at-popular-waterfall/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/man-arrested-for-plot-to-supply-arms-for-attack-on-jewish-targets-in-germany/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/man-arrested-for-plot-to-supply-arms-for-attack-on-jewish-targets-in-germany/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/pro-israel-event-at-toronto-university-stormed-by-activists/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/historical-us-jewish-veterans-group-partners-with-synagogue-security-outfit/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/netanyahu-reportedly-seeks-to-advance-bill-on-conscription-after-getting-haredi-ok/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/media-bill-wont-give-government-direct-editorial-control-but-risks-putting-press-in-biased-moneyed-hands/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-unveils-0-tax-rate-for-2026s-immigrants-and-returning-residents/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/deceased-hostage-returned-by-hamas-identified-as-tanzanian-national-joshua-loitu-mollel/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-public-safety-firm-buys-israels-ai-emergency-response-startup-carbyne-for-625m/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/magnum-ice-cream-says-ben-jerrys-chair-an-anti-israel-activist-unfit-to-serve/
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/high-stakes-high-seas-us-china-test-limits-military-power
https://www.foxnews.com/world/chinese-astronauts-stranded-space-after-debris-strikes-return-capsule-during-mission
https://www.foxnews.com/us/massive-fireball-erupts-near-van-nyc-injures-firefighters-bronx-blast
https://www.foxnews.com/media/cnn-anchor-pushes-back-liberal-critics-my-job-not-take-down-trump
https://www.timesofisrael.com/i-was-torn-apart-dying-rom-braslavski-says-captors-sexually-assaulted-tortured-him/
Pomona
College Bans Students Who Raided Jewish Event From Campus | Algemeiner.com
China,
Qatar Move to Broaden Strategic, Economic Ties | Algemeiner.com
CNN’s
New Qatar-Based Studio Raises Eyebrows — and Questions | Algemeiner.com
Report: US base to be
established in Syria ahead of agreement with Israel | Israel National News
Leading Lithuanian-haredi
rabbi grants green light to advance Draft Law | Israel National News
Turkey coordinating its
position with Hamas leadership | Israel National News
Jerusalem youth attempts
to kidnap woman who hitchhiked with him | Israel National News
Jewish FDNY Commissioner
resigns after Mamdani elected mayor of NYC | Israel National News
‘The Troll’ eliminated:
Former hostage responds | Israel National News
Bill tying voting rights
to military service rejected | Israel National News
Watch: Security forces
arrest suspect deep in Ramallah | Israel National News
https://www.timesofisrael.com/saudi-arabias-request-to-buy-f-35-jets-clears-first-key-pentagon-hurdle-sources/
Nov. 7th
Swords of Iron Day 763 end of week
109
The terrorists in Gaza still hold
six bodies as they regroup their forces. In Lebanon it is either some more
eliminations or full scale battles including more Beirut Bombing. Iran and the
Houthis are restocking and rebuilding. They are following Biden’s advice to
build back better. The enemies of Israel are still at it. But we have a secret
weapon on Jews Running the World. The weapon is learning Torah night and day. Tehillim 94:14 For the LORD will not cast off His
people, neither will He forsake His inheritance. Tehillim 121:4 He that guards
thee will not slumber. … 7 The LORD shall keep thee from all evil; He shall
keep thy soul. 8 The LORD shall guard thy going out and thy coming in, from
this time forth and forever. Yeshayahu 62:6 I
have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, they shall never hold their
peace day nor night: It is the Torah and Mitzvos that make the war successful and the
skill of everybody or thing involved in the success depends upon it. Why am I
so confident? Because one can feel the redemption coming!
US revokes non-citizen visas for 80,000
more
than 16,000 visas for DUIs, more than 12,000 for assault and more than 8,000
for theft. https://www.foxnews.com/politics/state-department-revoked-more-than-80k-nonimmigrant-visas-this-year-including-8k-student-visas
https://www.timesofisrael.com/witkoff-says-hamas-officials-told-him-and-kushner-that-terror-group-would-disarm/
https://www.foxnews.com/us/man-violent-criminal-history-parole-allegedly-stabs-teen-death-officials
https://www.timesofisrael.com/kazakhstan-which-already-has-relations-with-israel-to-join-abraham-accords/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/otzma-yehudit-wont-topple-netanyahu-mk-says-after-partys-threat-to-bolt-over-gaza/
Shabbos times for Israel. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/shabat
Breaking the telephone of the Chief
Army Prosecutor has been found.
Have a healthy and
wonderful Shabbos,
Rachamim Pauli
