This issue is dedicated to the memory of my father, Felix ben Yitzchak, who passed away 57 years ago on Ohr Le Chaf-Gimmel Shevat. This year it falls one day earlier than the English Date.
There is a new AI check
in AOL to prevent spam. By placing my Blogspot/Drasha at the top of the e-mail,
I could not publish. It made me ill until just before Shabbos I remembered my
gmail account for my direct readership. This week it appears later.
Parsha Beshalach Part 2
Yisrael had passed
through the area of the sea on the dried out sea bed with water standing high
on their right and left side. I read a commentary somewhere of complaints as
they started walking through of going through mud like they had with brick
making in Mitzrayim under Pharaoh. The thought I have is that like most sand
under a strong east wind, the walking through was like on a beach over dried or
even frozen sand if you hold by the theory that the walls of water was ice that
night only. The Bnei Yisrael reached dry land in the wilderness and continued
in their journey towards Har Sinai where the Pillar of Fire and Cloud would
take them.
15:22 And Moses led Israel onward from the Red Sea, and they went
out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness,
and found no water. 23 And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the
waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore the name of it was called
Marah. 24 And the people murmured against Moses, saying: 'What shall we drink?'
25 And he cried unto the LORD; and the LORD showed him a tree, and he cast it
into the waters, and the waters were made sweet. There He made for them a
statute and an ordinance, and there He proved them;
Instead of the Bnei
Yisrael crying unto the L-RD, they complain to Moshe and he cries for them.
Somehow, the plant chemically reacted with the bitter water and made it
potable.
26 and He said: 'If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of
the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in His eyes, and wilt give
ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the
diseases upon thee, which I have put upon the Egyptians; for I am the LORD that
heals thee.'
How to cure and prevent
most diseases = be diligent to follow the Halachos and Mitzvos of HASHEM. Still
famous Rabbis take ill from time to time but not with the diseases that the
Egyptians had.
27 And they came to Elim, where were twelve springs of water, and
three score and ten palm-trees; and they encamped there by the waters.
This was a large oasis
and had enough water for the few million people and their flocks and herds.
16:1 And they took their journey from Elim, and all the
congregation of the children of Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, which
is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their
departing out of the land of Egypt. 2 And the whole congregation of the
children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron in the wilderness;
3 and the children of Israel said unto them: 'Would that we had died by the
hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh-pots, when we
did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness,
to kill this whole assembly with hunger.'
They were starving physically
for their baked Matzos had run out in a month. They did not have bread or meat.
4 Then said the LORD unto Moses: 'Behold, I will cause to rain
bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day's
portion every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in My law, or
not. 5 And it shall come to pass on the sixth day that they shall prepare that
which they bring in, and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.'
You will receive bread
from heaven. Six days you will gather and on the sixth day, you will receive a
double portion to have bread for Shabbos as the heavens and earth rest on
Shabbos and so shall you.
6 And Moses and Aaron said unto all the children of Israel: 'At
even, then ye shall know that the LORD hath brought you out from the land of
Egypt; 7 and in the morning, then ye shall see the glory of the LORD; for that
He hath heard your murmurings against the LORD; and what are we, that ye murmur
against us?' 8 And Moses said: 'This shall be, when the LORD shall give you in
the evening flesh to eat, and in the morning bread to the full; for that the
LORD heareth your murmurings which ye murmur against Him; and what are we? your
murmurings are not against us, but against the LORD.' 9 And Moses said unto
Aaron: 'Say unto all the congregation of the children of Israel: Come near
before the LORD; for He hath heard your murmurings.' 10 And it came to pass, as
Aaron spoke unto the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they
looked toward the wilderness, and, behold, the glory of the LORD appeared in
the cloud.
The splendor of HASHEM
had a calming effect on the people.
11 And the LORD spoke unto Moses, saying: 12 'I have heard the
murmurings of the children of Israel. Speak unto them, saying: At dusk ye shall
eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know
that I am the LORD your God.'
Although the heavenly
bread will nutritionally satisfy them, they will also have meat in the evening.
13 And it came to pass at even, that the quails came up, and
covered the camp; and in the morning there was a layer of dew round about the
camp. 14 And when the layer of dew was gone up, behold upon the face of the
wilderness a fine, scale-like thing, fine as the hoar-frost on the ground.
The dew was not normal
dew but a scaly like substance that filled the ground. There are place in Sinai
unto this day that have this dew daily.
15 And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to
another: 'What is it?'--for they knew not what it was. And Moses said unto
them: 'It is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat.
What is it (Mann Hu)? It
is Mann!
16 This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded: Gather ye of it
every man according to his eating; an omer a head, according to the number of
your persons, shall ye take it, every man for them that are in his tent.'
Everybody shall gather
the Mann into his tent.
17 And the children of Israel did so, and gathered some more, some
less. 18 And when they did mete it with an omer, he that gathered much had
nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man
according to his eating. 19 And Moses said unto them: 'Let no man leave of it
till the morning.' 20 Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses; but some
of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and rotted; and Moses
was wroth with them.
Each man gathered what
he need that day and none would be left over unto the morning for it would rot.
21 And they gathered it morning by morning, every man according to
his eating; and as the sun waxed hot, it melted. 22 And it came to pass that on
the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each one; and
all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses. 23 And he said unto
them: 'This is that which the LORD hath spoken: To-morrow is a solemn rest, a
holy sabbath unto the LORD. Bake that which ye will bake, and seethe that which
ye will seethe; and all that remains over lay up for you to be kept until the
morning.'
But Erev Shabbos they
would gather the man and it would not rot for Shabbos. The Kedusha of Shabbos
was glorified by the MANN.
24 And they laid it up till the morning, as Moses bade; and it did
not rot, neither was there any worm therein. 25 And Moses said: 'Eat that
to-day; for to-day is a sabbath unto the LORD; to-day ye shall not find it in
the field. 26 Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day is the
sabbath, in it there shall be none.' 27 And it came to pass on the seventh day,
that there went out some of the people to gather, and they found none.
No Mann came down from
heaven on Shabbos. It was a heavenly sign of the holiness of the day.
28 And the LORD said unto Moses: 'How long refuse ye to keep My
commandments and My laws? 29 See that the LORD hath given you the sabbath;
therefore He giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every
man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.' 30 So the
people rested on the seventh day. 31 And the house of Israel called the name
thereof Manna; and it was like coriander seed, white; and the taste of it was
like wafers made with honey. 32 And Moses said: 'This is the thing which the
LORD hath commanded: Let an omerful of it be kept throughout your generations;
that they may see the bread wherewith I fed you in the wilderness, when I
brought you forth from the land of Egypt.' 33 And Moses said unto Aaron: 'Take
a jar, and put an omerful of manna therein, and lay it up before the LORD, to
be kept throughout your generations.' 34 As the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron
laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept. 35 And the children of Israel did
eat the manna forty years, until they came to a land inhabited; they did eat
the manna, until they came unto the borders of the land of Canaan. 36 Now an
omer is the tenth part of an ephah. 17:1 And all the congregation of the
children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, by their stages,
according to the commandment of the LORD, and encamped in Rephidim; and there
was no water for the people to drink. 2 Wherefore the people strove with Moses,
and said: 'Give us water that we may drink.' And Moses said unto them: 'Why
strive ye with me? wherefore do ye try the LORD?' 3 And the people thirsted
there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said: 'Wherefore
hast thou brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our
cattle with thirst?' 4 And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying: 'What shall I do
unto this people? they are almost ready to stone me.' 5 And the LORD said unto
Moses: 'Pass on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel;
and thy rod, wherewith thou smote the river, take in thy hand, and go. 6
Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt
smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may
drink.' And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 And the name
of the place was called Massah, and Meribah, because of the striving of the
children of Israel, and because they tried the LORD, saying: 'Is the LORD among
us, or not?'
People strove with Moshe
who was essentially the representative of HASHEM.
8 Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim. 9 And Moses
said unto Joshua: 'Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek; tomorrow I
will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand.' 10 So Joshua
did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek; and Moses, Aaron, and Hur
went up to the top of the hill. 11 And it came to pass, when Moses held up his
hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.
12 But Moses' hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him,
and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one
side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the
going down of the sun. 13 And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the
edge of the sword.
Does the hands of Moshe
make war? Asks our Sages. But rather when the people looked heavenward then
they were successful.
14 And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Write this for a memorial in the
book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly blot out the
remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.' 15 And Moses built an altar, and called
the name of it Adonai-nissi. 16 And he said: 'The hand upon the throne of the
LORD: the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.
There is a Mitzvah to blot out the name of Amalek and
the war is forever.
Parsha Yisro
When Moshe was speaking
all the time with the L-RD and endangering himself by going before Pharaoh,
having the burden of a wife and toddlers was an added burden. Tzipporah did not
know how to speak Egyptian with the other Levi-wives. Whatever the reason,
after a brief meeting with Miriam, Elisheva and the rest of the extended
family, she returned with the young children to her father’s house in Midian
not far from Har Sinai.
18:1 Now Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses' father-in-law, heard
of all that God had done for Moses, and for Israel His people, how that the
LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt. 2 And Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took
Zipporah, Moses' wife, after he had sent her away, 3 and her two sons; of whom
the name of the one was Gershom; for he said: 'I have been a stranger in a
strange land'; 4 and the name of the other was Eliezer: 'for the God of my
father was my help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh.'
Jethro…heard. What news did he hear that motivated him to come? That of the splitting of the Sea of Reeds and the war with Amalek. Jethro. He was called by seven different names: Re’u’el, Jether, Jethro, Chovav, Chever,
Keini, and Puti’el. Jether (יֶתֶר) – because he added (יִתֵּר) a section
to the Torah: “You must discern…”; Jethro (יִתְרוֹ) – for when he became a convert and observed the
commandments, a letter ו was added to his previous name; Chovav (חוֹבָב) – because
he held the Torah dear (חִבֵּב), and Chovav is Jethro, for it says: “from
the descendants of Chovav, father-in-law of Moses.” But some say that Re’u’el was really the father of Jethro, and that which it says: “They
came to Re’u’el, their father” is
to be understood in terms of the fact that small children also call their grandfather “father.” So is it stated in Sifrei. Moses’ father-in-law. This expression
indicates that
Jethro took pride in Moses, saying: “I am the father-in-law of the king,” whereas
previously Moses had ascribed his greatness to his father-in-law, as it says: “he
returned to Jether his father-in-law.” For Moses and for Israel. Moses is thus considered of equal stature to all Israel combined. All
that [God] had done -
for them by having the manna fall, by providing water through the well, and by repulsing Amalek. That
God had brought [Israel] out [of Egypt]. This was greater than all the other favors.
5 And Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife
unto Moses into the wilderness where he was encamped, at the mount of God; 6
and he said unto Moses: 'I thy father-in-law Jethro am coming unto thee, and
thy wife, and her two sons with her.'
I have arrived at the
camp of Yisrael. I am Moshe ben Amram’s father-in-law with his wife and two
sons.
7 And Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, and bowed down and
kissed him; and they asked each other of their welfare; and they came into the
tent. 8 And Moses told his father-in-law all that the LORD had done unto
Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel's sake, all the travail that had come
upon them by the way, and how the LORD delivered them.
He is bowing down
towards his father-in-law from respect. His father-in-law was a priest unto
HASHEM on Har Sinai. He had in his past tried all the gods to find one true
G-D. At the dinner table, Moshe told of all the things that HASHEM did for the
people of Yisrael in Egypt, the splitting of the sea and other miracles of
making bitter water potable.
9 And Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which the LORD had done
to Israel, in that He had delivered them out of the hand of the Egyptians. 10
And Jethro said: 'Blessed be the LORD, who hath delivered you out of the hand
of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of Pharaoh; who hath delivered the people
from under the hand of the Egyptians. 11 Now I know that the LORD is greater
than all gods; yea, for that they dealt proudly against them.'
Yisro blesses HASHEM and
adds that now with certainty the L-RD is above all the gods of the nations.
12 And Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took a burnt-offering and
sacrifices for God; and Aaron came, and all the elders of Israel, to eat bread
with Moses' father-in-law before God. 13 And it came to pass on the morrow,
that Moses sat to judge the people; and the people stood about Moses from the
morning unto the evening. 14 And when Moses' father-in-law saw all that he did
to the people, he said: 'What is this thing that thou do to the people? why sit
thou thyself alone, and all the people stand about thee from morning unto
even?'
You are killing yourself
with all the quests.
15 And Moses said unto his father-in-law: 'Because the people come
unto me to inquire of God; 16 when they have a matter, it cometh unto me; and I
judge between a man and his neighbor, and I make them know the statutes of God,
and His laws.'
There is no Shulchan
Aruch and all the laws are oral laws and oral tradition. One cannot go and
quote a codified law. To be a Shulchan Aruch Yisrael in those days meant that
you learned by heart all the oral Halachos and Traditions and perhaps Minchagim
(Customs) of various tribes.
17 And Moses' father-in-law said unto him: 'The thing that thou do
is not good. 18 Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that is
with thee; for the thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it
thyself alone. 19 Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God
be with thee: be thou for the people before God, and bring thou the causes unto
God. 20 And thou shalt teach them the statutes and the laws, and shalt show
them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do. 21
Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God,
men of truth, hating unjust gain; and place such over them, to be rulers of
thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.
Thus Moshe taught the
Halachos to all. The people had to have a good memory and learn everything by
rote and repeat orally three more times so that at least each and every Halacha
they learned four times. I am happy to say that soon I will have been through
the Shulchan Aruch once on a rudimentary level – mostly Pshat just to try to
familiarize myself with the contents. Of course laws of Shabbos, Yom Tov,
Kashrus, Family Purity and others I have gone into greater detail. It is a big
thing in Chassidus to be known as “A Shulchan Aruch Yid”. The idea of Yisro and
Moshe is to make these judges of tens, fifties, hundred and a thousand
practicing Halachic Jews and not in theory only!
22 And let them judge the people at all seasons; and it shall be,
that every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but every small matter they
shall judge themselves; so shall they make it easier for thee and bear the
burden with thee. 23 If thou shalt do this thing, and God command thee so, then
thou shalt be able to endure, and all this people also shall go to their place
in peace.'
In this way, you will be
able to lead and not have a break-down. The people will not have to wait all
day on long lines. However unfortunately, with our modern Beitei Dinim system
there is a waiting list and times. They are not on the spot and this is a delay
in judgement.
24 So Moses hearkened to the voice of his father-in-law, and did
all that he had said. 25 And Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made
them heads over the people, rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of
fifties, and rulers of tens. 26 And they judged the people at all seasons: the
hard causes they brought unto Moses, but every small matter they judged
themselves.
In this way, problems
were solved quickly.
27 And Moses let his father-in-law depart; and he went his way into
his own land.
Moshe loved the wise old
man who had advised Pharaohs in the past but he longed from home sweet home and
his tribe.
19:1 In the third month after the children of Israel were gone
forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of
Sinai. 2 And when they were departed from Rephidim, and were come to the
wilderness of Sinai, they encamped in the wilderness; and there Israel encamped
before the mount.
The name of the
encampment indicates spiritual weakness for physical things like bread and
meat. That was the main spiritual weakness that enabled an Amalek attack. Now
it was time to move away.
3 And Moses went up unto God, and the LORD called unto him out of
the mountain, saying: 'Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the
children of Israel: 4 Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I
bore you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto Myself.
I carried you. This was on the day that Israel came to Rameses; for Israel were dispersed
over the entire land of Goshen, but when they had to travel and leave Egypt, in a miraculously short while they were all
assembled together at Rameses. Onkelos translated וָאֶשָּׂא אֶתְכֶם as וְאַטֵּלִית יַתְכוֹן,
as if it were written וָאַסִּיעַ אֶתְכֶם “I made you travel.”
He thus adapted the literal meaning of the text in order to express it in a more respectful way regarding God above. On
the wings of griffon vultures - i.e., like a griffon vulture who carries its young upon its wings.
For all other birds place their young between their feet, because they are
afraid of another bird that might fly above them, but the griffon vulture is afraid only that man
may perhaps aim an arrow at it, but not of any other bird, because no other bird flies above it. It therefore places its young upon its wings, saying,
“Better that the arrow enter me than my young.” God said: I, too, did so – “The
angel of God…moved…and it came between the Egyptian camp and the Israelite camp…,” and the Egyptians were firing arrows and stone missiles but
the cloud absorbed them. And brought you to Me. Its meaning is as Onkelos translates it: וְקָרֵבִית
יַתְכוֹן לְפֻלְחָנִי “and I brought you near to My service.”
5 Now therefore, if ye will hearken unto My voice indeed, and keep
My covenant, then ye shall be Mine own treasure from among all peoples; for all
the earth is Mine; 6 and ye shall be unto Me a kingdom of priests, and a holy
nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of
Israel.'
Am Segula a treasured
people among the nations. Even though you have your own priests for the nations
of the world each of you can become a priest.
7 And Moses came and called
for the elders of the people, and set before them all these words which the
LORD commanded him. 8 And all the people answered together, and said: 'All that
the LORD hath spoken we will do.' And Moses reported the words of the people
unto the LORD.
The generation had seen
plagues, miracles and a sea cross that nobody had ever experienced. Like a well
disciplined officer “Yes Sir! What you command, we shall do.” Moshe reports
back to praise the people.
9 And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Lo, I come unto thee in a thick
cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and may also believe
thee forever.' And Moses told the words of the people unto the LORD. 10 And the
LORD said unto Moses: 'Go unto the people, and sanctify them to-day and
to-morrow, and let them wash their garments, 11 and be ready against the third
day; for the third day the LORD will come down in the sight of all the people
upon mount Sinai.
On the third day from
now, I will appear before the people in a thick cloud.
12 And thou shalt set bounds unto the people round about, saying:
Take heed to yourselves, that ye go not up into the mount, or touch the border
of it; whosoever touches the mount shall be surely put to death; 13 no hand
shall touch him, but he shall surely be stoned, or shot through; whether it be
beast or man, it shall not live; when the ram's horn sounds long, they shall
come up to the mount.' 14 And Moses went down from the mount unto the people,
and sanctified the people; and they washed their garments. 15 And he said unto
the people: 'Be ready against the third day; come not near a woman.'
You shall make a fence
boundary by the mount that the people come not close – neither man nor beast.
The men and the women shall separate for purity sake for both.
16 And it came to pass on the third day, when it was morning, that
there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the
voice of a horn exceeding loud; and all the people that were in the camp
trembled.
You can imagine a high
decibel sound like a jet engine overhead that put fear into Am Yisrael.
17 And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet God;
and they stood at the nether part of the mount. 18 Now mount Sinai was
altogether on smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire; and the smoke
thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly.
19 And when the voice of the horn waxed louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God
answered him by a voice. 20 And the LORD came down upon mount Sinai, to the top
of the mount; and the LORD called Moses to the top of the mount; and Moses went
up.
When G-D called Moshe,
he went up the mountain – but everybody else was forbidden.
21 And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Go down, charge the people, lest
they break through unto the LORD to gaze, and many of them perish. 22 And let
the priests also, that come near to the LORD, sanctify themselves, lest the
LORD break forth upon them.' 23 And Moses said unto the LORD: 'The people
cannot come up to mount Sinai; for thou didst charge us, saying: Set bounds
about the mount, and sanctify it.' 24 And the LORD said unto him: 'Go, get thee
down, and thou shalt come up, thou, and Aaron with thee; but let not the
priests and the people break through to come up unto the LORD, lest He break
forth upon them.' 25 So Moses went down unto the people, and told them.
Moshe went down to warn both the people and the Cohanim
not to come too near to the mountain.
20:1 And God spoke all these words, saying: 2 I am the LORD thy
God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.
The people heard this
Mitzvah directly from G-D.
3 Thou shalt not make unto thee a graven image, nor any manner of
likeness, of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath,
or that is in the water under the earth;
One should not make a
graven imagine. Even if not for worship. All the more so if one saw the angels
called “Chayos” upholding the Divine Chariot. Thus the root for making a golden
calf. (Yechezkel 1)
4 thou shalt not bow down unto them, nor serve them; for I the LORD
thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the
children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate Me; 5 and
showing mercy unto the thousandth generation of them that love Me and keep My
commandments.
This families where
somebody leaves HASHEM usually don’t last far than a few generations until
somebody returns to Judaism or they vanish. Those who observe will have their
seed return to Judaism by the third or fourth generation.
6 Thou shalt not take the
name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that
taketh His name in vain.
This is a warning
against a Chillul HASHEM or going against the NAME of HASHEM.
7 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 8 Six days shalt thou labor,
and do all thy work; 9 but the seventh day is a sabbath unto the LORD thy God,
in it thou shalt not do any manner of work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy
daughter, nor thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy
stranger that is within thy gates; 10 for in six days the LORD made heaven and
earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested on the seventh day;
wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
The holiness of Shabbos
is mentioned. First of all in remembrance of the six days of creation and
resting on the seventh day. Since HASHEM, HIS DIVINENESS, rested on Shabbos
from all manner of Melacha, so too, you must rest against all Melacha. Not only
you, but your family, servants, animals and strangers in your land are
forbidden from all manner of work. Why? Because the L-RD rested on the 7th
day and made it Kodesh. Therefore, you shall do so too. Refraining from work and
rested.
11 Honor your father and your
mother, so that your days be lengthened in the land that God, your God, is
giving you.
My honoring your parents, you are not only continuing
their legacy but you are lengthening your own days. Doing the Mitzvos
diligently makes a Kiddush HASHEM on their education and also lengthens your
days and legacy in the land.
12 Thou shalt not murder.
These Halachos are for a
stable society. The first 5 of the Asera Dibros were between man and G-D these
five are between man and man. Not murder but to kill Amalek in war is which is permitted.
To murder somebody through anger, hatred or even by accident is forbidden. Therefore
if you have a Tanach with “Thy shall not Kill” it is a poor translation.
Thou shalt not commit adultery.
If one does this
lewdness, one would not know the paternity of the child (in the days of the
tribes for inheritance) but also like before the flood there would be complete
wickedness. [In the days of the Torah and about 850 cases in Israel based on
insanity, illness or refusal to get a divorce a man could have a second wife.
However, women were supposed to remain loyal – do to the Agunah problem (a woman
who is abandoned or her husband is missing); there is talk among modern Rabbis
of using “according to the laws of Moshe and Yisrael” of nullification of
marriage with a special Ketubah).
Thou shalt not steal.
Steal a Nefesh or person
for servitude. (Ben Yisrael but not an enemy.)
Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
It is a fact known by
the Rabbis that lying invites the Angel of Death and that a life of truth and
charity keeps him away. The Torah is Emmes so too you must live a life of Emmes
and even if you temporarily lose in this world financially, you will win in the
next or through some later fortune.
13 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house;
Keep your eyes to
yourself and not try to keep up with your neighbor who has come upon a good fortune
to have a mansion or a larger or nicer home than you.
thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his man-servant, nor
his maid-servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbor’s.
One should be happy with
his place in life that HASHEM has given him. He might not have a wife that
looks so beautiful like the one next door, but she is the one who cooks for
you, hugs you when you are down and gives you and raises your children. You
might have the cheapest Walmart watch but it tells time the same way your
neighbor’s Rolex does. [In fact, I would rather have a simple watch and give to
my children/grandchildren the difference in the money of the Rolex after 120years].
The same goes for one’s mode of transportation or employment/community status.
14 And all the people perceived the thunderings, and the
lightnings, and the voice of the horn, and the mountain smoking; and when the
people saw it, they trembled, and stood afar off. 15 And they said unto Moses:
'Speak thou with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we
die.'
In previous years, I have
brought down the Gemara (Talmud Bavli Shabbos 88B) when the soul of the people
left and the angels returned it after each utterance. They were so fearful of
G-D that they would only receive directly the first two utterances of the Ten
Commandments. The 611 other Mitzvos are in the word TZVAH with the Gematria
611. Torah TZVAH (commanded) unto us Moshe, an inheritance of the assembly of
Yacov.
16 And Moses said unto the people: 'Fear not; for God is come to
prove you, and that His fear may be before you, that ye sin not.' 17 And the
people stood afar off; but Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God
was.
Basically, G-D loves you
but only Moshe continued.
18 And the LORD said unto Moses: Thus thou shalt say unto the
children of Israel: Ye yourselves have seen that I have talked with you from
heaven. 19 Ye shall not make with Me--gods of silver, or gods of gold, ye shall
not make unto you.
You shall not make these false gods. [After all, I am
the CREATOR of silver and gold.]
20 An altar of earth thou shalt make unto Me, and shalt sacrifice
thereon thy burnt-offerings, and thy peace-offerings, thy sheep, and thine
oxen; in every place where I cause My name to be mentioned I will come unto
thee and bless thee.
You shall make a simple
altar of earth. Thus more important to me than silver and gold is the
mentioning of MY NAME and you shall be blessed for it.
21 And if thou make Me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it
of hewn stones; for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast profaned it.
Your Mizbayach shall be
of simple earth or naturally formed stones placed together.
22 Neither shalt thou go up by steps unto Mine altar, that thy
nakedness be not uncovered thereon.
The Cohanim were
required to wear pants for modesty.
From Eli, the Gabbai of our outdoor Minyan:
A dying woman told a soldier she was
Jewish. His two-word reply changed both their lives forever. May 7, 1945.
Volary, Czechoslovakia.
She stood at the factory door.
Skeletal. Dying. Twenty years old but unrecognizable as human. 68 pounds. Hair
turned white from starvation. Lice-infested rags. She hadn't bathed in three
years.
Behind her, 119 other women lay
scattered across the floor. Barely breathing.
They were all that remained. Three
months earlier, 4,000 Jewish women had been forced to begin walking. A death
march from Germany toward Czechoslovakia. 350 miles through winter.
No coats. Almost no food. Anyone who
fell was shot. Gerda Weissmann had watched 3,880 women die along the roadside.
Friends from childhood. Strangers who became sisters. All dead. She kept
walking.
Not because she was stronger. Not
because she had hope. Because she carried one photograph of her family in her
pocket. And as long as she kept moving, they weren't completely gone. Her
parents. Her brother. All murdered in concentration camps.
She was the last one left.
For three years before the march,
she'd survived Nazi labor camps. Starvation. Disease. Brutality that defies
description. But she'd survived with something the Nazis couldn't take: her
sense of self.
Now, on May 7, 1945, she heard
vehicles approaching. American soldiers. A young lieutenant stepped from the
jeep. His eyes met hers—this broken girl who looked ancient.
Gerda spoke in fractured English, the
only thing she could think to say:
"We are Jewish, you know." The
soldier paused. Two words: "So am I." Two words were probably: “Auch mich”.
His name was Kurt Klein. A German Jew
who'd escaped to America in 1937. He'd joined the U.S. Army to fight the regime
that had destroyed his world. And now he stood before this dying girl.
What Kurt did next, Gerda would
remember for 77 years. He held the door open for her.
A simple gesture. Something she hadn't
experienced since she was fifteen years old.
Dignity. Respect. Humanity.
Kurt later said: "She walked
toward me, and I met the greatest person I will ever meet."
Over the following weeks, he helped
care for the survivors. He and Gerda talked. Despite everything surrounding them—death,
destruction, unimaginable horror—something unexpected happened. Connection.
They wrote letters after Kurt was
transferred. Words became feelings. Feelings became certainty. June 18, 1946.
Paris, France. They married. They moved to Buffalo, New York. Kurt worked.
Gerda raised three children. They built a life from ashes.
But Gerda couldn't forget the 3,880. In
1957, she published her memoir: "All But My Life."
The title said everything. The Nazis
took her family. Her childhood. Her health. Her past.
But not her life. The book became
essential Holocaust testimony. Schools. Universities. Millions of readers. Gerda
became a voice for those who had none. She spoke everywhere. Relentlessly. For
decades. Her message never changed: Remember. Speak against hatred. Protect
freedom—it's fragile. Choose dignity and compassion.
In 1995, her documentary "One
Survivor Remembers" won the Academy Award.
In 2010, President Obama gave her the
Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Kurt died in 2002. Fifty-six years of marriage.
Gerda continued alone. Speaking. Teaching. Insisting the world remember. Until
April 3, 2022. Age 97.
She'd survived what shouldn't be
survivable. She'd transformed trauma into testimony. Pain into purpose. And it
began with two words. "So am I." One soldier held a door open for a
dying girl. Then he spent the next 56 years holding doors for
her—metaphorically and literally.
They didn't just survive the
Holocaust. They defeated it. Not by forgetting. By remembering. By building a
life of meaning from the ruins of genocide.
4,000 women began walking in January
1945. 120 made it to May. Gerda spent 77 years honoring the 3,880 who didn't.
That's not survival. That's purpose
born from tragedy. That's transforming humanity's worst into a lifelong fight
for humanity's best. She's gone now.
But her voice remains. Her testimony
remains. Her insistence remains: Remember. Never forget. Never again.
Gerda Weissmann Klein: 1924-2022. She
lost everything except her life. Then she gave that life to those who lost
theirs. And we will remember. Because after what she survived, and after what
she gave us, it's the least we can do.
April 1, 1959 the surprise call-up
exercise that caught the Knesset, Prime Minister, Opposition Leader, Chief of Staff and the enemy by surprise that
a war almost broke out.
https://www.ynetnews.com/magazine/article/sjl7k00hibg
The Unofficial First Female Rabbi and Rosh Yeshiva by
Melissa Brodsky thanks to Oozi.
MOSUL, 17th Century. In the
mountainous region of Kurdistan, during the height of the Ottoman Empire, a
religious academy faced a crisis. Its head had passed away. The institution was
left in debt and its students were without a leader.
In any other city, in any other
century, the role would have passed to a distinguished male scholar. Instead,
it passed to a widow.
Her name was Osnat Barazani. Born
around 1590, Barazani is cited by historians as the first female rabbi in
Jewish history. While the formal ordination of women wouldn't occur for another
three centuries, Barazani functioned as the de facto leader of her community, a
Rosh Yeshiva (Head of Academy), and a master of Kabbalah.
Her rise wasn't accidental. It was
engineered by her father. Rabbi Samuel Barazani, a renowned mystic in Mosul,
had no sons. In a departure from the norms of the 1600s, he designated his
daughter as his spiritual heir. In a surviving letter, Osnat later described
her upbringing: "I was brought up on the knees of my father... I was never
taught any work but sacred study."
This education was legally protected.
When Osnat was married to her father’s best student, Rabbi Jacob Mizrahi, her
father inserted a clause into the marriage contract forbidding her husband from
burdening her with domestic chores. Her time was to be reserved for the Torah.
While her husband officially held the
title of Head of the Yeshiva, he was a recluse who preferred his studies. It
was Osnat who ran the administration, taught the students, and managed the
finances.
After her husband's death, the
pretense was dropped. Osnat formally took the seat at the head of the table,
never leading in silence. Historical records contain letters she wrote to
communities in Baghdad and Constantinople. She solicited funds to keep the
academy afloat.
She didn’t plead as a widow. She
negotiated as a peer. The rabbinic world accepted her authority. In
correspondence, male colleagues didn’t address her as a woman but as a scholar.
She was given the title Tanna'it, a rare feminine form of the term for a master
of the Oral Law.
Her letters were signed with the
confident declaration: "Mother in Israel." Osnat Barazani died around
1670. Her grave in Amedi, Kurdistan, became a pilgrimage site for both Jews and
Muslims who revered her as a holy woman. Centuries before the modern movements
for gender equality in religion, a woman in Kurdistan had already broken the
glass ceiling. She simply studied until there was no one left who knew more
than she did.
A Rebbe’s Bold
Answer to a Senior Priest by R’ Yerachmiel Tilles
https://ascentofsafed.com/cgi-bin/ascent.cgi?Name=1468-19
He sat quietly,
shoulders hunched, trying to disappear into his seat. The steady rhythm of the
train's wheels echoed through the carriage, masking the tension beneath his
calm exterior. Around him, passengers chatted casually - unaware, or perhaps
indifferent, to the silent fear that gripped him.
It was 5673 (1913),
in the waning days of the Tsarist regime. The "Black Hundreds,"
violent gangs supported by the government, had carried out brutal pogroms in
Jewish communities. Though the great pogroms had mostly subsided, danger still
lingered in the air for any Jew traveling through the land. Reports were
whispered - of passengers attacked, of being thrown out the windows of speeding
trains, simply because they were Jews. Even in moments that seemed peaceful,
the threat remained.
Rabbi Yitzchak
Schneersohn, the rabbi on behalf of the city of Chernigov and a descendant of
the Chabad-Lubavitch dynasty, was no stranger to these threats. Though
respected by the authorities for his modern education and sophistication
demeanor, he knew that every train journey held hidden dangers, even for him.
He pulled up the collar of his coat and whispered a prayer under his breath - a
quiet plea for protection as the train surged forward relentlessly.
He had no choice but
to take this journey - he had been invited to the imperial capital for a grand
celebration marking 300 years of Romanov rule. About four thousand people had
been invited to take part in the celebrations. They were chosen from the elite
of Russian society: senior officials, public figures, mayors, military and
police commanders, and prominent religious and cultural leaders… and he, a
token of tolerance in a time of tension. Among the grandeur, Rabbi Schneersohn
remained alert. He knew well how quickly honor could turn to hatred - how
easily respect could give way to violence.
When the train
stopped at Vitebsk, two young men stood waiting on the platform, clearly Jewish
in appearance. Instinctively, Rabbi Schneersohn called them into his carriage,
which was considered one for distinguished passengers; in it he hoped to shield
them from potential danger.
He was surprised
when he instantly recognized one of them: the young Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak
Schneersohn - only twenty-three years old, but already marked with an
appearance of refinement and intelligence (he would later become the sixth
Lubavitcher Rebbe, known as the Rebbe Rayatz). The second was Rabbi Mendel
Chein, a devoted chasid who served as the rabbi of the city of Nezhin (who was
murdered five years later by vicious gang members, may G-d avenge his blood).
The two were not traveling to the imperial celebrations but to another city,
yet by Divine Providence they had boarded the same train, on which many of the
celebration's invitees were traveling.
Their dignified
bearing did not go unnoticed. A senior Christian clergyman, also en route to
the Petersburg celebrations, took a sharp interest. He began debating them,
challenging the truth of Judaism and defending Christianity. But the
Rebbe-to-be and Rabbi Chein stood their ground. Calmly, respectfully, with
grace and wisdom, they refuted all his claims. The Rebbe cited textual
evidence, exposing the falsifications in the "New Testament" and the
distorted interpretations Christians tried to impose on verses from the Hebrew
Bible. He spoke the truth with clarity and conviction. The priest, once
confident, began to falter, and before long, found himself without answers.
But then, refusing
to remain silent for that would be akin to admitting defeat, he faced the three
Jews and, raising his voice in anger, accused them: "Why did you kill our
messiah?!"
The entire carriage
fell silent. The blood drained from the Chernigov Rabbi's face. For
generations, that accusation had been a prelude to bloodshed. Who knows what
would happen now? Fearing the worst, he lowered his eyes and prepared for what
might follow.
But Rabbi Yosef
Yitzchak did not flinch. He remained seated, calm and composed, his expression
resolute. He looked the priest straight in the eye and replied firmly:
"In those days,
the world was honest. Sin and impurity could not be concealed. That man was a
traitor and he received the punishment he deserved."
The words rang out,
clear and unapologetic. Every passenger heard them. No one moved. No one spoke.
Even the priest sat in stunned silence.
At the next station,
the two Lubavitcher rabbis disembarked. Rabbi Yitzchak Schneersohn watched them
go, still shaken - and yet in awe. The train rolled on.
The priest sat lost
in thought and remained silent for a long time. Then he turned to Rabbi
Schneersohn. Quietly, almost humbly, he said:
"That young man
- religious and scholarly - he is an honest person. The kind of soul who lived
in ancient times, but is almost impossible to find today. Only a man of
unwavering conviction could answer like that. He is a true Jew - for death and
for life!"
The Rabbi was
astounded. He had never imagined that the future Rebbe's direct and daring
answer would arouse such deep admiration in the heart of the priest.
Years passed. In
1929, Rabbi Yitzchak Schneersohn once again encountered Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak
Schneersohn, now the Lubavitcher Rebbe, this time in Paris. As they spoke, he
recalled once more that moment on the train and how deeply it had moved him. He
had shared the story with Zionist leaders like Ussishkin, Weizmann, and
Sokolov, and they too had been struck by the power of it - by the courage, the
dignity and the spiritual strength of a then young chasid, who stood up for
truth without fear.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Source: Freely
adapted by Yerachmiel Tilles from a [relatively literal] basic AI translation
of a report in Sichat HaShavua #1671 (Jan. 11, 2019), based on a telling of
Rabbi Schneersohn of Chernigov and a letter of the Rebbe Rayatz.
Why This Week? The 10th of the Jewish month of Shvat [2026: Tues.
night-Wed.] is the yahrzeit of the 6th Lubavitcher Rebbe, who passed on in
1950, and the anniversary of the official ascension of his son-in-law to be the
7th Rebbe exactly one year later.
Biographic note:
Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn [12 Tammuz 5640 - 10 Shvat 5710 (June
1880-Jan. 1950], known as the Rebbe Rayatz, was the 6th Lubavitcher Rebbe, from
1920 to 1950. He established a network of Jewish educational institutions and
Chassidim that was the single most significant factor for the preservation of
Judaism during the dread reign of the communist Soviets. In 1940 he moved to
the USA, established Chabad world-wide headquarters in Brooklyn and launched the
global campaign to renew and spread Judaism in all languages and in every
corner of the world, the campaign continued and expanded so remarkably
successfully by his son-in-law and successor, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson.
P.S. A possible lesson to take from this story from an anonymous
source:
The world doesn't always reward quiet faith. It doesn't always
praise those who live with conviction. But truth has its own power - a light
that pierces through silence, a courage that awakens even the hearts of those
who once opposed it.
That day on the train, the Rebbe didn't speak to win. He didn't answer to
impress. He answered because he believed - and strong belief like that, clear
and unwavering, changes people.
It's not always the volume of our voice that speaks loudest. Sometimes, it's
the stillness of our soul.
A nice video on the various Jewish
Communities over the world. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CuwonFlgsI
Milestone: Elaine Grossinger Etess,
98, third generation Catskill Hotel owner.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/elaine-grossinger-etess-3rd-generation-owner-of-famous-catskills-resort-dies-at-98/
In the summer of 5742, I
went up to the hotel thinking of a Shabbos for my family and the price was
sky-high. I asked why and was told: “For the entertainment.” We bought kosher
food and stayed two nights at a local motel. No Orthodox Jew needs
entertainment as Shabbos is a song fest and Torah fest.
Milestone: Mindy Borenstein, 72, a longtime shlucha, was sent by the
Rebbe to help Jewish life in Bologna and Florence, Italy, together with her
husband, Rabbi Eliyohu Dovid Borenstein.
Milestone: HaRav Elyakim
Schlesinger, 104, https://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/general/2508049/dnr-baruch-dayan-haemes-harav-elyakim-schlesinger-ztl-mziknei-roshei-yeshiva-niftar-at-104.html
Inyanay Diyoma
Jan 31st
Day 848 since Oct. 7th
start of week 122
Iran update. The naval drill with
Russia and China has been postponed. Amb. Mike Huckabee says that he thinks
that Trump will keep his promises with the Iranian People. In the meantime, there is negotiations with a
Trump time limit on ending completely the nuclear program and rocket program.
For those who thought everything has
ended with Gaza, open your eyes, clear your head and think things over again. A
we cease and they fire has been violated again. The IDF sent them a terse
reply. https://www.timesofisrael.com/at-least-28-gazans-said-killed-in-wave-of-strikes-as-idf-responds-to-truce-violation/
Also in Lebanon: https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-launches-series-of-airstrikes-on-hezbollah-targets-in-south-lebanon/
Marty McFly said that Iran is making
a mistake calling Trump a chicken. https://www.timesofisrael.com/khamenei-makes-first-public-appearance-in-weeks-as-iran-makes-new-threats-against-us-israel/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-approves-6-7-billion-arms-sale-to-israel-9-billion-patriot-missile-deal-for-saudis/
Did an Iranian Drone hit their own
Naval Facilities? https://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-officials-deny-involvement-as-2-blasts-rock-iran-killing-at-least-5/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/iranian-dissidents-use-photo-of-ex-pm-bennetts-son-in-graphic-of-victims-killed-in-protests/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/we-kept-our-promise-final-shabbat-service-held-at-hostages-square/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/two-palestinians-said-wounded-by-settler-arson-attack-in-west-bank/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/free-palestine-activist-tried-to-assassinate-biden-in-2024-over-gaza-us-feds-say/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/image-shows-andrew-on-all-fours-over-a-woman-as-ex-prince-dogged-again-by-epstein-scandal/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/south-africa-expels-israels-top-envoy-declares-him-persona-non-grata/
No longer sucking dollars: https://www.timesofisrael.com/guterres-warns-un-faces-imminent-financial-collapse/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/apple-buys-israeli-startup-reportedly-for-2-billion-that-reads-facial-micro-movements/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-justice-department-releases-millions-of-new-epstein-documents/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/health-ministry-recalls-another-batch-of-nutrilon-baby-formula-after-toxin-findings/
https://www.foxnews.com/world/hundreds-political-prisoners-venezuela-could-released-under-new-amnesty-bill
https://www.foxnews.com/us/detroit-judge-3-others-charged-alleged-scheme-steal-thousands-from-vulnerable-incapacitated-people
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/unearthed-photo-swalwell-meeting-with-top-ccp-official-raises-alarm-bells-very-disturbing
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/conservative-group-blasts-linkedin-for-removing-pro-ice-post-labeling-it-hateful
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6388592624112 Death Penalty off for Luigi Mangione.
https://www.foxnews.com/world/hundreds-political-prisoners-venezuela-could-released-under-new-amnesty-bill
Rafah to open on Sunday. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/421721
Torres challenger takes aim at Zionists Billionaires. https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-885098
Lod Israel mixed Arab-Jewish town
has 3 shot by the Mafia bring Arab death toll to 26 in 31 days. There is a
protest in Tel Aviv. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/sjprcnjlbg
The balancing act with water for the
Kinneret. https://www.jpost.com/jerusalem-report/article-884475
The Unit that searched for Ron. https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/defense-news/article-885018
Key Hamas Commander surrenders. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/421732
Loud Mosque speakers will face
crack-down. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/421725
Poll the left loses ground. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/421717
Spanish police have detained a 38-year-old Chinese
national who owned a hair salon near Barcelona on suspicion of financing the
militant group Hamas through about 600,000 euros in cryptocurrency transfers,
regional police said on Friday, according to Reuters. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/421736
The United States on Friday imposed sanctions on Iranian Interior
Minister Eskandar Momeni and a businessman it said helped launder money for
Tehran, as President Donald Trump's administration ramps up pressure on the
Islamic Republic. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/421734
Moody upgrades Israel. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/421740
The commander-in-chief of Iran’s army, Major General Amir Hatami,
has warned that Iran will respond forcefully to any attack against it and
inflict heavy damage on the attacker. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/421738
Bombed Iranian Nuke Sites get a
roof. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/421735
Feb. 1st
Day 849 since Oct. 7th
Nobody knows how long Trump will
kept negotiating at the bazaar. It is clear that the Iranians will stall for
time whatever they agree or don’t agree too. https://www.timesofisrael.com/iran-us-confirm-progress-being-made-toward-negotiations-as-trumps-threat-still-lingers/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/chosen-people-controversial-us-border-patrol-officer-said-to-mock-jewish-prosecutor/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/trump-claims-it-looks-like-hamas-will-disarm-witkoff-theyll-give-up-their-ak-47s/
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/hundreds-rally-outside-iranian-un-ambassadors-fifth-avenue-residence-calling-regime-change
China helps prop-up Iran. https://www.foxnews.com/video/6388618384112
https://www.foxnews.com/us/us-military-warns-iran-not-tolerate-any-unsafe-actions-ahead-live-fire-drills-strait-hormuz
Anti-money laundering law caused the
bank to refuse her savings. https://www.ynetnews.com/business/article/s1tp3ohuzx
Moti
Babchik, one of the most influential figures in ultra-Orthodox politics and a
longtime power broker behind the scenes, has launched an unusually blunt attack on Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu, accusing him of misleading and marginalizing the ultra-Orthodox
community and warning that future political
alliances are no longer guaranteed. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/hk7x00aol11x
Will the far left run as one party
or two? https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/421748
Rafah Crossing opens today. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/421763
Gal Hirsch received death threats. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/421767
https://www.timesofisrael.com/senior-hamas-official-we-never-agreed-to-disarm-no-ones-raised-it-with-us-directly/
Feb. 2nd
Day 850 since Oct. 7th
Zahid Butt convicted of attempting
to bomb the British Consulate in Yemen is now running for office in the city of
Birmingham. YOU CAN’T FIX STUPID.
Yesterday, in the afternoon, it was
announced that on Shabbos the Chief of Staff and future Air Force Head had
flown to the USA to discussing with General Daniel Kaine the various targets in
Iran and other things. A small bit of bombing will note take out the
government. Last night, Netanyahu, Katz and a small section of the government
was updated.
https://www.foxnews.com/world/iran-stages-khamenei-photos-mask-cracks-irgc-opposition-groups-say
https://www.foxnews.com/world/russian-drone-strike-kills-ukrainian-miners-hours-after-peace-talks-postponed
Houthis threaten to open up the
gates of hell. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/421791
https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-iran-ready-to-talk-with-mediators-organizing-meeting-in-ankara-report/
US President Donald
Trump's senior envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to visit Israel for meetings
with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, two senior Israeli officials said on Monday. https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-885326
THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE: United Torah
Judaism MK Moshe Gafni claimed on Sunday evening that the real goal of those
protesting in favor of drafting haredim is not to bring them into the IDF, but
rather to topple the government. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/421815
After Moody’s, Fitch is also going
to upgrade. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/421805
Rafah: As part of
preparations for the opening of the Rafah Crossing and in accordance with
directives from the political echelon, IDF forces have in recent days completed
the establishment of a dedicated inspection facility named “Regavim,"
operated by the defense establishment in an area under IDF control. The compound
is part of broader efforts to increase security oversight in the area. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/421802
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-backs-former-critic-sununu-high-stakes-swing-state-senate-race
In recent months, Lahav 433 conducted a covert probe into whether
part of the millions of shekels in donations to the local authority for
residents’ welfare during the war were routed to a community fund and then
allegedly siphoned to the local authority head and associates. https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/crime-in-israel/article-885287
Former British government minister Peter Mandelson has resigned as
a member of Prime Minister Keir Starmer's Labor Party after new reports of his
ties with disgraced
United States financier Jeffrey Epstein, media reported on Sunday. https://www.jpost.com/international/article-885273
Amid rising tensions between the United States and Iran, the
Islamic Republic has signaled to America’s regional allies that it is prepared
to respond forcefully to any attack on its territory — and far more lethally
than its restrained response last year.
https://www.ynetnews.com/article/sjnlqjclbl#autoplay
Members of Kibbutz Hanita near Israel’s northern border are
demanding $11 million from Ballet Vision, the Chinese fund that controls 80% of
the Hanita Lenses plant, accusing it of refusing to exercise an option to
purchase the kibbutz’s remaining shares, according to a lawsuit filed in Tel
Aviv District Court. https://www.ynetnews.com/business/article/skeqnl08wg
An Israeli woman was arrested in Istanbul, Turkey, on accusations of engaging in anti-Palestinian rhetoric,
denouncing Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and cursing the
Turkish flag, according to Sunday reports from Israeli media. https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-885267
Albania’s PM speaks about
antisemitism. https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-885234
https://www.timesofisrael.com/hard-to-believe-deni-avdija-becomes-first-israeli-to-be-selected-as-nba-all-star/
Due to a wave of smuggling to the Gaza Strip and suspicions against
soldiers and commanders from the Bedouin Battalion, the IDF has decided to
remove the battalion from the Kerem Shalom Crossing area. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/421801
https://www.timesofisrael.com/family-of-reservist-killed-in-allenby-crossing-attack-seeks-compensation-from-jordan/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-says-airstrike-killed-hezbollah-engineering-commander-in-south-lebanon/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/anti-regime-oscar-nominated-iranian-screenwriter-arrested-in-tehran/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/a-third-of-israels-butterfly-species-threatened-with-three-already-extinct/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/after-complaints-encyclopaedia-britannica-edits-kids-entries-that-erased-israel/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/2000-year-old-pilgrimage-road-to-temple-mount-opens-to-public-after-years-of-digging/
Feb. 3rd
Day 851 since Oct. 7th
An expert from Rafael Missile
Systems said it is not only the Iranians that want time. The US needs more
anti-missile systems in place not only for Israel but all the Gulf States,
Saudis, Yarden, etc. Also more planes, refueling planes and other special
electronic warfare planes. The Discombobulator Plane has arrived in the Middle
East.
Yesterday was the 33rd
day of the year and the 29th Arab death from the Arab Mafia.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/man-shot-dead-in-ibillin-in-2nd-killing-in-northern-arab-town-in-less-than-a-day/
https://www.algemeiner.com/2026/01/30/israeli-ngo-uncovers-online-terror-plot-targeting-jews-us-passover-shares-data-fbi/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/senior-female-muslim-officer-tapped-as-next-idf-arabic-language-spokesperson/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/sydney-nurses-plead-not-guilty-for-viral-video-threatening-to-kill-israeli-patients/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/supreme-court-freezes-closure-of-army-radio-says-government-must-justify-position/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/doctors-without-borders-warns-halting-its-work-will-be-catastrophic-for-gazans/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/deflated-israeli-scientists-find-jupiter-is-smaller-than-previously-thought/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/police-blocking-army-from-arresting-draft-dodgers-in-haredi-areas-idf-says/
Why?
My Friend, Ralph Kramden, said to his wife, Alice, you’re a riot a real
riot.
Sometimes I wonder why in the
preliminary prayers it says that these Mitzvos have no boundary and one who
does these things has fruit in this world and the next. … welcoming a bride,
attending to the dead, … but I never associated it with a groom! https://www.timesofisrael.com/groom-suffers-cardiac-arrest-at-wedding-is-resuscitated-by-guest/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/hundreds-of-nazi-linked-accounts-discovered-at-credit-suisse-us-lawmaker-says/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/farmers-threaten-to-stop-supplying-milk-in-protest-at-dairy-reform/
Some Israeli retail chains began limiting the purchase of milk and
dairy products on Tuesday amid fears of a shortage due to the dairy farmers'
protest against Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's dairy reforms. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/421890
https://www.timesofisrael.com/boston-area-jewish-school-closing-after-25-years-says-model-no-longer-sustainable/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/boeing-and-israels-technion-to-develop-clean-fuel-tech-to-cut-carbon-footprints/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/irans-president-seeks-fair-and-equitable-negotiations-with-the-us/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/12-people-let-into-gaza-from-egypt-of-42-who-tried-on-day-1-of-rafah-opening-report/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/nypd-says-jews-in-city-targeted-in-hate-crime-per-day-last-month/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/trump-seeks-1-billion-from-harvard-university-in-damages-in-antisemitism-row/
Qatari Money in Yerushalayim: Qatar employs
similar methods worldwide, but when such activity takes place within Israel it
poses far greater risks. Qatar, he explains, is a Muslim Brotherhood state that
operates through Muslim Brotherhood networks in multiple ways, with money
serving as the central engine. Donations are directed to universities, schools,
hospitals, clinics, welfare programs and other frameworks, with the strategic
goal of shaping public opinion in Qatar’s favor-much as has already occurred at
universities across the US and Europe.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/421901
Worsening conditions for terrorists
in prisons has become a deterrent. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/421892
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Monday presented the main points
of a new General Staff directive regulating the service of haredi soldiers in
the IDF. Implementation of the directive has already begun and will continue
over the coming weeks. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/421898
When the PM called the NBA All-Star,
antisemitism went viral. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/421896
President Isaac today (Tuesday) Herzog received the diplomatic
credentials of the new Ambassadors to Israel of Fiji and Thailand in formal
ceremonies at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/421900
A large fire broke out in the Tehran
Bazaar. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/421887
The Finance Committee held a discussion this morning (Tuesday) to
approve NGOs for tax-deduction status on donations under Israel's Section 46
(the approximate equivalent of the USA's 501c3). As part of the discussion, a
list of NGOs that were to receive the benefit was reviewed. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/421897
https://www.algemeiner.com/2026/02/01/tesla-receives-approval-to-test-autonomous-driving-in-israel/
https://www.algemeiner.com/2026/02/02/jewish-primary-school-paris-vandalized-surge-antisemitic-attacks/
https://www.algemeiner.com/2026/02/02/islamic-state-terrorist-attack-niger-airport-potentially-more-deadly-government-revealed/
https://www.algemeiner.com/2026/02/02/fear-security-concerns-stall-plans-new-jewish-kindergarten-germany/
Forces from the 7th Brigade operating under the command of the Gaza
Division (143) continue to operate in the southern Gaza Strip, east of the
Yellow Line. During operations, the troops located approximately 110 mortar
shells, several rockets, and additional weapons. According to the IDF, the
weapons were hidden in blankets and UNRWA humanitarian aid bags. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/421884
Iran might agree to transfer its enriched uranium to Russia as part
of a new nuclear agreement, as it did under the deal signed in 2015. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/421882
Officers from the Northern District Police and Border Police
arrested an Arab physician suspected of employing and housing two Palestinian
Arabs, one of whom has a terror background. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/421888
The investigative team handling the leak of a video from an
incident at the Sde Teiman detention facility, as part of the probe into the
former Military Advocate General, has in recent days completed the main stages
of its investigation. However, the investigative materials have not yet been
transferred to Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/421895
When my nephew comes with us to FL,
one of his favorite things is walking around our building complex to watch
Iguanas. The invasive pest sometimes freezes and falls out of trees. FL Wildlife
members try to collect them and return them to their natural habitat. https://www.foxnews.com/travel/states-rare-freeze-gives-residents-green-light-collect-stunned-invasive-iguanas
https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-says-senior-hezbollah-air-defense-operative-killed-in-southern-lebanon-airstrike/
Feb. 4th
Day 852 since Oct. 7th
My analysis of the
situation based on various experts. Iran yesterday tried to capture an American
Oil Tanker and send a drone against the Lincoln Carrier. They want to change
the place of the ?peace? talks from Turkey to Oman. They are playing with Trump
and I have a feeling when all the THAAD, Patriot and Agis anti-missile systems
are in place, Trump will not put up with their foot dragging and other
nonsense. The George Bush Carrier group is coming into proximity perhaps this
evening or tomorrow. The chance of an agreement is getting less and less and
the chance of the end of the Ayatollah Regime is more and more. Wall Street
Journal – Trump almost cancelled negotiations. https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-downs-iranian-drone-flying-toward-aircraft-carrier-pm-to-witkoff-iran-cant-be-trusted/
They are stalling and is Trump
waiting for the I’s to be dotted and the T’s crossed militarily or he is
dreaming of a peace prize? President Donald Trump's administration agreed to Iran's request to
move the talks from Turkey, and negotiations are still ongoing on whether Arab
and Muslim countries in the region will join the talks in Oman, Ravid added,
citing the source.
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-885500
On Feb. 4, 1789 – George Washington
wins the Electoral College Vote.
Yesterday was day 34 of the year and
three more Arab Victims leaving a total of 32. https://www.timesofisrael.com/three-men-killed-in-highway-shooting-that-police-link-to-blood-feud/
https://www.foxnews.com/world/leaked-documents-expose-khameneis-detailed-blueprint-crushing-protests-force
https://www.algemeiner.com/2026/02/03/iran-hardens-stance-ahead-us-nuclear-talks-rejects-uranium-transfers-ballistic-missile-limitations/
An IDF reservist was severely injured in northern Gaza, after Hamas
terrorists violated the ceasefire agreement. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/421932
https://www.timesofisrael.com/high-court-overturns-presidents-ruling-on-appointment-process-for-civil-service-head/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/bahai-activists-say-iran-intensifying-persecution-of-community-in-wake-of-protests/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/son-of-late-libyan-dictator-gaddafi-killed-officials-say/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/mayor-suspected-of-pocketing-millions-in-donations-named-as-ashkelons-tomer-glam/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/hias-closes-vienna-office-that-aided-generations-of-refugees-after-trump-yanks-funding/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/turkeys-erdogan-visits-saudi-as-ties-between-former-rivals-warm/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-probing-crypto-firms-suspected-of-helping-iranian-officials-evade-sanctions/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/germany-says-far-right-afd-partys-new-youth-wing-maintains-extremist-links/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/women-returning-to-gaza-through-rafah-say-idf-bound-interrogated-and-threatened-them/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/somaliland-president-says-he-expects-to-soon-visit-israel-sign-trade-agreement/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/shin-bet-chiefs-brother-named-as-suspect-in-gaza-smuggling-case/
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/single-trump-announcement-sparks-billions-losses-across-gold-silver
https://www.outkick.com/culture/john-f-kennedy-assassination-second-video-more-shooters-theory
https://www.algemeiner.com/2026/02/03/blue-wave-israel-expands-diplomatic-security-ties-latin-america-shifting-regional-politics/
https://www.algemeiner.com/2026/02/03/south-carolina-republican-senate-candidate-floats-antisemitic-conspiracies-effort-boost-long-shot-campaign/
https://www.algemeiner.com/2026/02/03/syrian-security-convoy-enters-key-kurdish-city-us-backed-deal/
A French court on Tuesday rejected a $22 million compensation claim
filed by a Jewish family of Iraqi origin against the French government, over
its decades-long use of a property in Baghdad that once belonged to the family
and now houses the French Embassy. https://www.ynetnews.com/jewish-world/article/h15kvflw11l
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/03/linda-bill-stevenson-jill-biden-ex-husband
An Argentine oleh (new immigrant to Israel) who made aliyah 20 years ago
celebrated his Bar Mitzvah in Eilat
on Monday after a long period of conversion. https://www.jpost.com/aliyah/article-885523
Muslim extremist kill other Muslims
in Pakistan. https://www.jpost.com/international/article-885535
French prosecutors on Tuesday requested a five‑year ban on holding
elected office for far‑right leader Marine Le Pen in her appeal trial in Paris,
a move that could block her from running in the 2027 presidential election. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/421931
An one-year-old infant died Wednesday morning of measles, bringing
the number of deaths during the current outbreak to 14. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/421938
Troops from IDF's Unit 869, under the command of the 91st Division,
are operating in the area of southern Lebanon in order to prevent attempts by
the Hezbollah terrorist organization to reestablish its capabilities. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/421937
Kan reports that the Houthis have moved missile and drone warehouses
in preparation for a possible launch against American vessels. This move poses
a threat to the calm that has been maintained in the region since last May. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/421933
The Honenu organization has sent an urgent letter to the police
calling for the arrest and prosecution of a resident of Bir Zeit suspected of
attacking a shepherd from the Kfar Tarfon farm in the Binyamin region about a
week ago. According to the organization, the suspect threw a stone at close
range, striking the shepherd in the head and causing injury. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/421943
Dozens of yeshiva heads, rabbis, and educators convened this week
for an emergency meeting in response to the IDF's plan to advance a pilot
program integrating women into the maneuvering formations of the Armored Corps.
During the discussion, testimonies were presented from religious soldiers in
the Combat Engineering Corps who fought in Gaza, who said that female
paramedics and combat soldiers were assigned to their units for prolonged
periods in cramped conditions inside armored personnel carriers and buildings. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/421946
RE: The groom, who collapsed during his wedding at Kibbutz Hulda:
On Wednesday morning, reports from Kaplan said that the groom had regained
consciousness and is now communicating with those around him. He is no longer
in immediate danger of his life. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/421948
Ultra Charedim block Charedi
inductees. https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/article-885528
While Israel’s cancer
treatment infrastructure includes cutting-edge biological and
immunotherapies, the rising volume of patients, both newly diagnosed and
long-term survivors, has overwhelmed existing resources. https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/article-885501
Feb. 5th
Day 853 since Oct. 7th
On again, off again and on again the
negotiations with Iran after pressure from Arab Oil Producers shaking in their
boots.
This morning the number of dead from
the Arab Mafia reached 36! Three family members gunned down. There was also a
car explosion in Haifa and the police are unsure if the criminal was attacked
or planning to bomb somebody else in a “work place” explosion. https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-885658
Hamas has at least one machine shop
turning out rockets. Each functioning hospital has sections with Hamas soldiers
and weapons inside. They are using commercial drones to bring in guns, bullets
and RPG’s over the Philadelphia Route. In response to the blatant violation of the
ceasefire agreement overnight (Wednesday), during which terrorists opened fire
at IDF troops in the northern Gaza Strip, and as a result, severely injured a
reserve officer, the IDF struck a Hamas terrorist in the southern Gaza Strip
earlier Wednesday. https://www.foxnews.com/world/hamas-terrorists-use-ambulances-schools-hospitals-violation-us-brokered-ceasefire-idf-official-says - https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/421955
Signs are mounting that fighting in Gaza could resume in the coming
months, a development expected to trigger a broad mobilization of reservists
and potentially break a pledge to limit reserve duty this year to about two
months, according to military planning. The uncertainty is already affecting
regular army units, some of which do not yet know where they will be deployed
next. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/skajyhwpwe#autoplay
https://www.timesofisrael.com/hamas-strengthens-and-the-pa-returns-this-is-no-recipe-for-security-and-stability/
The Iranian Revolutionary Guards on Thursday seized two vessels in
the Persian Gulf, Tasnim reported. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/422005
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-warns-iran-delays-strikes-red-line-debate-echoes-obamas-syria-moment
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/ice-re-arrests-two-venezuelan-men-after-federal-judges-release-order
https://www.timesofisrael.com/reservist-seriously-wounded-in-north-gaza-ambush-18-said-killed-as-idf-strikes-back/
MKs Avigdor Liberman, Oded Forer, Evgeny Sova, Sharon Nir, and
Hamad Amar of Yisrael Beytenu have introduced a bill seeking to amend the Chief
Rabbinate of Israel Law so that, from now on, only one Chief Rabbi will serve
in Israel instead of longstanding tradition of there being a Sephardic Chief
Rabbi and an Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/421954
Keystone Cops: A yeshiva head
from the community of Shiloh in the Binyamin region and three of his students
were arrested on Wednesday by police in northern Israel. The incident occurred
during a trip taken by the yeshiva students, most of whom are minors. Honenu reported
that at one point, a group of Arabs emerged and began assaulting the students. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/421953
When does an appointed lawyer and
appointed judges have the right to remove an elected Minister who does not act
according to their leftist world views (or the views
of the Chief Rabbinute and my Rabbis regarding Har HaBeis.) https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/421958
COS appoints a special envoy to the
Pentagon. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/421959
Shin Bet operatives, Israel Police officers, and detectives from
the Kfar Qassem police station arrested a wanted terrorist from the Balata
refugee camp near Shechem (Nablus) after he infiltrated Israel and went into
hiding in Kfar Qassem. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/421914
https://www.timesofisrael.com/charges-filed-against-12-suspects-in-gaza-smuggling-case/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/mamdani-appoints-head-of-progressive-jewish-group-to-lead-antisemitism-office/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/washington-post-fires-one-third-of-staff-across-all-departments-in-mass-lay-offs/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/deputy-supreme-court-chief-sets-panel-to-hear-petitions-demanding-oct-7-state-probe/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/haredim-paying-grants-to-draft-evaders-after-release-from-military-prison/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/after-years-of-talks-israel-to-approve-new-international-airport-in-negev/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/serb-minister-faces-court-over-abuses-in-kushner-linked-belgrade-real-estate-project/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/hamas-terrorist-who-murdered-idf-surveillance-soldier-noa-marciano-killed-in-strike/
Jihad Commander of Northern Gaza
killed. https://www.algemeiner.com/2026/02/04/anti-hamas-militias-step-up-attacks-gaza-targeting-terror-leaders-expanding-operations/
https://www.algemeiner.com/2026/02/04/new-coalition-forms-protect-israeli-businesses-new-york-mamdani-administration/
https://www.algemeiner.com/2026/02/04/orthodox-jewish-man-attacked-switzerland-surge-antisemitism-prompts-authorities-boost-security/
https://www.algemeiner.com/2026/02/04/new-york-city-teen-arrested-terrorism-charges-alleged-threat-rise-up-kill-all-jews/
https://www.algemeiner.com/2026/02/04/london-police-apologize-not-protecting-jews-anti-israel-protesters-outside-israeli-restaurant-miznon/
https://www.algemeiner.com/2026/02/04/university-nebraska-considers-bds-resolution-pushed-anti-israel-group/
https://www.algemeiner.com/2026/02/04/ukraine-russia-wrap-productive-first-day-us-backed-peace-talks/
Op-Ed Fern Sidman: Ninety years
ago, on February 4, 1936, a single gunshot echoed through the Alpine stillness
of Davos, Switzerland, shattering not only the life of one man but the
complacent silence of an anxious Europe. The assassin was a young Jewish
student named David Frankfurter. The victim was Wilhelm Gustloff, the head of
the Nazi Party’s Swiss branch and a devoted emissary of Adolf Hitler. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/421986
A border control officer at Vaclav Havel Airport in Prague forced
an ultra-Orthodox woman to remove her head covering in front of numerous
passengers and shouted at her during passport control in what is being
described as a serious antisemitic incident.
https://www.ynetnews.com/jewish-world/article/bki0oxwv11g?tbref=hp
In an interview on Galei Zahal, Dan Shapiro estimated that
the chances of an agreement between the US and Iran are low, given the nature
of the negotiations and the American position. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/421983
As part of the preparations for receiving the CH-53K
"Pereh" helicopters, the Defense Procurement Directorate (DPD) within
the Israel Ministry of Defense (IMOD) has signed a deal to upgrade the IDF's
"Yas'ur" helicopters. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/421989
Syrian President
Ahmed al-Sharaa has warned that his forces have not forgotten their vengeance
against the Hezbollah terror group, the Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Akhbar
reported Thursday. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/422002
IDF to protect senior officers
against terrorist revenge. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/421984
Shabbos times. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/shabat
https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-iran-talks-back-on-track-after-trump-warns-khamenei-should-be-very-worried/
Feb. 6th
Day 854 since Oct. 7th end
of week 122.
The lighter side of the news. A
person stole a wallaby from a zoo in Beit Shean. It was found in a home in Tel
Aviv.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-iran-talks-set-to-kick-off-in-oman-amid-deep-rifts-and-mounting-war-fears/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/placing-blame-elsewhere-netanyahu-shares-his-answers-to-state-comptrollers-oct-7-investigation/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/lebanon-accuses-israel-of-spraying-herbicide-in-border-areas/
Op-Ed: https://www.timesofisrael.com/never-again-strategy-facing-soaring-antisemitism-and-holocaust-erasure-how-should-jews-fight-back/
https://gellerreport.com/2026/02/idf-intelligence-chief-and-mossad-head-visit-washington-to-discuss-iran.html/
https://gellerreport.com/2026/02/anti-jewish-hate-crimes-up-182-in-nyc-in-mamdanis-first-month-as-mayor-per-nypd.html/
https://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/israel-news/2508280/after-11-years-avreich-who-closed-gates-of-beitar-before-shabbos-blessed-with-son.html
https://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/general/2508374/watch-jewish-billionaire-robert-kraft-unveils-superbowl-ad-to-raise-awareness-about-jew-hatred.html
A 19-year-old Australian has been
charged with allegedly making online death threats against President Isaac
Herzog ahead of the president's visit to Australia, Reuters reports. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/421975
Israeli security services have uncovered and foiled an espionage
network operating on behalf of Iranian intelligence inside Israel, the ISA and
Israel Police announced. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/422011
New Satmar Community in Northern
Israel. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/421991
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is
eliminating two Trudeau-era positions, Canada’s special envoys on combatting
antisemitism and Islamophobia, CTV News reported on Wednesday. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/421979
New Arutz 13 poll. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/421966
Another Poll: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/422044
https://www.timesofisrael.com/poll-arab-joint-list-wins-14-seats-maintaining-deadlock-between-pms-bloc-and-rivals/
https://www.foxnews.com/health/nearly-40-cancers-can-prevented-3-lifestyle-changes-study-finds
https://www.outkick.com/culture/royce-williams-korean-war-medal-of-honor
https://www.foxnews.com/us/us-forces-kill-two-suspected-narco-terrorists-eastern-pacific-lethal-strike-operation
https://www.foxnews.com/us/alleged-sinaloa-cartel-fentanyl-producer-charged-newly-unsealed-us-federal-indictment
https://www.timesofisrael.com/some-jewish-groups-break-with-tradition-refuse-to-sponsor-nyc-mayors-interfaith-breakfast/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/a-star-is-born-israeli-team-detects-stellar-creation-particles-400-light-years-away/
https://www.algemeiner.com/2026/02/05/french-court-rejects-antisemitism-charge-murder-89-year-old-jewish-man/
https://www.algemeiner.com/2026/02/05/german-lawmakers-jewish-leaders-push-mandatory-imam-certification-rising-antisemitism/
https://www.algemeiner.com/2026/02/05/holocaust-scholars-part-genocide-problem-says-anti-israel-group-under-fire-using-lemkin-name/
https://www.algemeiner.com/2026/02/05/north-carolina-democratic-party-muslim-chair-says-zionists-are-nazis-and-a-threat-to-humanity/
Op-Ed: Saudis and Turks is risk
management. https://www.ynetnews.com/opinions-analysis/article/bj4tbmmp11x
Israeli backing
of anti-Hamas Militias: https://www.ynetnews.com/article/h1ddng7wwe#autoplay
The smell from the UK is like an oil
refinery close up. The Conservative Party is calling for a retrial of
several Palestine Action activists who were acquitted this week over a raid on
Israeli defense company Elbit’s factory in Britain, the Telegraph reported
Thursday. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/422038
Iranian Talks: According to Al Jazeera, the document was
developed by Turkey, Qatar, and Egypt in an attempt to prevent a military
escalation in the region, and sets particularly strict conditions on the
Iranian regime, which is unlikely to agree to them.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/422041
Arab teens arrested for Israeli Flag
desecration. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/422032
The wallaby theft. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/422027
Gaza terrorists violated the ceasefire on Thursday, threatening IDF
troops stationed in Gaza. Threat neutralized. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/422008
Organizers of an international flotilla carrying
humanitarian aid to Gaza announced on Thursday that they plan to launch another
mission in March, this time involving more than 100 boats, The Associated
Press reported. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/422037
https://www.timesofisrael.com/well-settle-all-over-far-right-activists-cross-into-gaza-are-caught-by-idf/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/no-the-epstein-files-dont-show-that-he-worked-for-mossad/
Have a healthy, happy, peaceful
and restful Shabbos,
Rachamim Pauli
