Good
Shabbos Book of Numbers 22:2 – 25:9
Parsha Balak
Balak saw
something that all the other enemies of Yisrael could not see. Lavan should
have known as he was the brother of Rivka and must have heard of uncle Avraham.
He tried to use physical power against a spiritual power. In the beginning,
Yishmael mocked the spiritual side of Yitzchak. Esav knew of physical and
Gashmious (power, wealth, numbers) strength. Mitzrayim (Egypt) knew of military
strength and the same with Amalek. However, Balak was a spiritual person (what
we would call the Sidra Acher or opposite side = the dark side of the force).
He notices that the power of Am Yisrael is not the 600,000 soldiers but the
spiritual side. He therefore is calling upon the greatest prophet of the non-Yisrael
world to fight this spiritual super-power.
General
Rule or lesson from this Parsha: If somebody says that the Goyim (Nations of
the World) cannot produce prophets, that is not so. Bilaam was such a great
Prophet that he could bless or curse according to his will and HASHEM would
agree. Moshe could only do the bidding of HASHEM with the exception of
persuading HASHEM and saving the people from doom during the sin of the Egel
HaZahav (golden calf).
Perhaps a
better introduction and summary of the Parsha comes from HaRav Pinchas Winston
Shlita @torah.org
Insanity
Defined:
Balak is the name of the Parsha,
but it is really about Bilaam. Except for the last few verses, the entire
Parsha is about him, as if Moshe Rabbaynu and the Jewish People went on vacation for a week. If the point
is how God turned Bilaam’s curses into blessings to protect the Jewish nation,
couldn’t that have been done in one aliyah? The amazing and miraculous defeat
of Sichon and Og at the end of last week’s Parsha barely had a few verses.
He’s also a confusing
personality. He’s called “evil,” but to listen to him talk about God and His
power makes it seem as if he wasn’t as bad as all that. Titus challenged God
head-on, even stabbing the Paroches in the Temple as if to stab God. Bilaam may
have tried to pull the wool over God’s eyes, but he never outright challenged
God.
Bilaam is a man with a history, a
long history. Most of us are. It’s just that we don’t know our histories beyond
our current incarnation, and Bilaam’s we do, courtesy of the Arizal and Shaar
HaGilgulim, his work on reincarnation.
It started with Lavan, Rivka’s
brother, Rachel’s and Leah’s father, and Yaakov Avinu’s father-in-law. How
could someone so “black” be so “white”? Several commentators provide various
different explanations, but it does remain to be one of the greatest ironies of
history. I mean, who names their child “White,” especially when the parents
themselves are not models of morality.
However, Lavan’s name may have
less to do with who he was at the time than who he was going to be over time.
As the Arizal explains, Lavan, spelled Lamed-Bais-Nun, is the first letter of
three different names: Lavan, Bilaam, and Naval, from Dovid HaMelech’s time.
That’s a lot of history from the first incarnation to the final one.
Remember that fence Bilaam’s
donkey crushed his leg against? Just a fence that happened to be in the right
place at the right time? Not according to the Arizal, who explained that the
fence was really the mound of stones that Yaakov and Lavan built as part of
their pact to not harm one another at the end of Parshas Vayeitzei. Bilaam was effectively breaking that pact by going past it to
curse the Jewish People.
And for cursing the Jewish
People, Bilaam reincarnated into a rock. When that tikun was over, he eventually came back as Naval HaCarmelli who,
lo and behold, just couldn’t break the habit and cursed Dovid HaMelech. Then
Naval seemingly had a stroke and died.
A coincidence? Not at all. After
hurling his curse at the king of Israel, Naval “recalled” that he had
previously reincarnated into a rock to rectify the evil speech of Bilaam but
had instead had cursed again. “His heart died within him” when he remembered
that he had originally been a rock to become rectified. Therefore, it does not
write, “and he became [a rock],” but rather, “he was a rock,” past tense.
This is more than fascinating. It
tells us, even warns us not to get too caught in the present, as if that is all
that is relevant to our current lives. It is not because, undoubtedly, we have
all been here before, some many times already, and what we are going through in
this lifetime is more than likely to rectify past sins or lacking, as the
Arizal explains.
But how can one know for sure?
Well, in Naval’s time, you could go to a prophet and ask them. Today, we don’t
have anyone to ask who can actually provide us with a definitive answer, so we
really can’t know.
But, what we can do is
re-evaluate any decisions that might have great impact on our lives. If it is
some kind of test, evident by the moral issues it brings up, consider how its
ramifications might go beyond your current lifetime.
We’re here for specific reasons,
and it is not just because our parents were married and had children. Parents
only provide the bodies, but it is God Himself Who chooses which soul will go
into them. We may not consciously choose our parents, as some would like to
believe, but we’re not born to them for no reason either.
We may not yet know what that
reason is, but if we allow ourselves a little curiosity about it, God may just
provide sufficient insight to allow us to make better decisions and more
effectively make tikun, if not in this incarnation, then at least the next.
https://www.shaarnunproductions.org/Sha-ar-HaGilgulim-Course.html.
Have a great Shabbos,
Pinchas Winston
22:2 And
Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. 3 And
Moab was sore afraid of the people, because they were many; and Moab was
overcome with dread because of the children of Israel. 4 And Moab said unto the
elders of Midian: 'Now will this multitude lick up all that is round about us,
as the ox licks up
the grass of the field.'--And Balak the son of Zippor was king of Moab at that
time.
Zippor or bird. That was his father’s name
and also he had an idol of bird with a mouth open and would place the tongue
from a live bird inside and would receive communications via the Sidra Acher.
5 And he sent messengers unto Balaam the son of
Beor, to Pethor, which is by the River, to the land of the children of his
people, to call him, saying: 'Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt;
behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me. 6
Come now therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people; for they are too mighty
for me; peradventure I shall prevail, that we may smite them, and that I may
drive them out of the land; for I know that he whom thou blessed is blessed, and he whom thou cursedt is cursed.' 7 And the elders of
Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the rewards of divination in their
hand; and they came unto Balaam, and spoke unto him the words of Balak. 8 And
he said unto them: 'Lodge here this night, and I will bring you back word, as
the LORD may speak unto me'; and the princes of Moab abode with Balaam. 9 And
God came unto Balaam, and said: 'What men are these with thee?' 10 And Balaam
said unto God: 'Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, hath sent unto me
[saying]: 11 Behold the people that is come out of Egypt, it covers the face of the earth; now, come
curse me them; peradventure I shall be able to fight against them, and shall
drive them out.' 12 And God said unto Balaam: 'Thou shalt not go with them;
thou shalt not curse the people; for they are blessed.'
This man
was on such a high level of prophecy that he spoke directly to the L-RD and yet
he does not listen. He hears the words “you cannot go”, “you cannot curse”, and
“they are blessed”. If you were in his place, would you play ‘big shot prophet’
like him or tell the truth? Had he told Balak’s messengers that the people are
blessed and go and pursue a peace treaty with them, they most likely would have
listened. But instead his antisemitism drives his thoughts. He is ruled by his
Yetzer HaRa or Sidra Acher.
13 And Balaam rose up in the morning, and said
unto the princes of Balak: 'Get you into your land; for the LORD refuses to give me leave to go with you.'
14 And the princes of Moab rose up, and they went unto Balak, and said: 'Balaam
refuses to
come with us.' 15 And Balak sent yet again princes, more, and more honourable
than they. 16 And they came to Balaam, and said to him: 'Thus saith Balak the
son of Zippor: Let nothing, I pray thee, hinder thee from coming unto me; 17
for I will promote thee unto very great honour, and whatsoever thou say unto me I will do; come therefore, I
pray thee, curse me this people.' 18 And Balaam answered and said unto the
servants of Balak: 'If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I
cannot go beyond the word of the LORD my God, to do any thing, small or great.
19 Now therefore, I pray you, tarry ye also here this night, that I may know
what the LORD will speak unto me more.' 20 And God came unto Balaam at night,
and said unto him: 'If the men are come to call thee, rise up, go with them;
but only the word which I speak unto thee, that shalt thou do.'
Because of
his pride, and airs of importance, he lost his place not only in the next world
but in this world too. It is said that where a man wants to go (even against
G-D), the L-RD will let him go.
21 And Balaam rose up in the morning, and
saddled his ass, and went with the princes of Moab. 22 And God's anger was
kindled because he went; and the angel of the LORD placed himself in the way
for an adversary against him.--Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two
servants were with him.-- 23 And the ass saw the angel of the LORD standing in
the way, with his sword drawn in his hand; and the ass turned aside out of the
way, and went into the field; and Balaam smote the ass, to turn her into the
way.
The loyal
donkey could see what Bilaam, the wicked, could not.
24 Then the angel of the LORD stood in a hollow
way between the vineyards, a fence being on this side, and a fence on that
side. 25 And the ass saw the angel of the LORD, and she thrust herself unto the
wall, and crushed Balaam's foot against the wall; and he smote her again.
This were
the stones from Gal-Aid or the witness pile of stones between Lavan and Yacov.
One of the seeds of Lavan wanted to harm Yacov. The area on the Golan Heights
called Gilead comes from this word.
26 And the angel of the LORD went further, and
stood in a narrow place, where was no way to turn either to the right hand or
to the left. 27 And the ass saw the angel of the LORD, and she lay down under Balaam;
and Balaam's anger was kindled, and he smote the ass with his staff.
He was
furious. His donkey was misbehaving.
28 And the LORD opened the mouth of the ass,
and she said unto Balaam: 'What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten
me these three times?' 29 And Balaam said unto the ass: 'Because thou hast
mocked me; I would there were a sword in my hand, for now I had killed thee.'
30 And the ass said unto Balaam: 'Am not I thine ass, upon which thou hast
ridden all thy life long unto this day? was I ever wont to do so unto thee?'
And he said: 'Nay.'
The same
donkey he used as a substitute for a wife for years. Had he had a sword he
would have killed her.
31 Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and
he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, with his sword drawn in his
hand; and he bowed his head, and fell on his face. 32 And the angel of the LORD
said unto him: 'Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times?
behold, I am come forth for an adversary, because thy way is contrary unto me;
33 and the ass saw me, and turned aside before me these three times; unless she
had turned aside from me, surely now I had even slain thee, and saved her
alive.'
This
humbled him and put him in his place.
34 And Balaam said unto the angel of the LORD:
'I have sinned; for I knew not that thou stood in the way against me; now
therefore, if it displease thee, I will get me back.' 35 And the angel of the
LORD said unto Balaam: 'Go with the men; but only the word that I shall speak
unto thee, that thou shalt speak.'
Bilaam was
allowed to go but only to speak what HASHEM would tell him to speak. He was
from Turkey like our lovely antisemitic ‘friend’ Erdogan and now he was going
to talk like a puppet.
So, Balaam went with the princes of
Balak. 36 And when Balak heard that Balaam was come, he went out to meet him
unto Ir-moab, which is on the border of Arnon, which is in the utmost part of
the border. 37 And Balak said unto Balaam: 'Did I not earnestly send unto thee
to call thee? wherefore camest thou not unto me? am I not able indeed to
promote thee to honour?' 38 And Balaam said unto Balak: 'Lo, I am come unto
thee; have I now any power at all to speak any thing? the word that God puts in
my mouth, that shall I speak.'
Behold, I
have arrived now so don’t complain. But be warned, what G-D puts into my mouth,
I shall speak.
39 And Balaam went with Balak, and they came
unto Kiriat-huzoth. 40 And Balak sacrificed oxen and sheep, and sent to Balaam,
and to the princes that were with him. 41 And it came to pass in the morning
that Balak took Balaam, and brought him up into Bamoth-baal, and he saw from
thence the utmost part of the people.
Each time, Balak takes Bilaam to a vantage
point where all the people are visible so that he can put a hex upon all of
them.
23:1 And
Balaam said unto Balak: 'Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven
bullocks and seven rams.' 2 And Balak did as Balaam had spoken; and Balak and
Balaam offered on every altar a bullock and a ram. 3 And Balaam said unto
Balak: 'Stand by thy burnt-offering, and I will go; peradventure the LORD will
come to meet me; and whatsoever He showsh me I will tell thee.' And he went
to a bare height. 4 And God met Balaam; and he said unto Him: 'I have prepared
the seven altars, and I have offered up a bullock and a ram on every altar.' 5
And the LORD put a word in Balaam's mouth, and said: 'Return unto Balak, and
thus thou shalt speak.'
In Tractate
Brachos of Talmud Bavli, it is stated that the L-RD is angry for a fraction of
a moment each day. Bilaam could concentrate and had an evil enough eye to know
that time when the croup of the rooster looks white before sunrise. That was
when he would curse. What he did not know, that the L-RD, who is long suffering
and full of compassion, can control HIS anger. Therefore, he could only speak
the words that would be put into his mouth.
6 And he returned unto him, and, lo, he stood
by his burnt-offering, he, and all the princes of Moab. 7 And he took up his
parable, and said: From Aram Balak brings me, the king of Moab from the
mountains of the East: 'Come, curse me Jacob, and come, execrate Israel.' 8 How
shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? And how shall I execrate, whom the
LORD hath not execrated?
Balak
should have listened to the plain meaning (Pshat) of the words: How shall I
curse, whom G-D has not cursed? … whom the L-RD has not execrated?
9 For from the top of the rocks I see him, and
from the hills I behold him: lo, it is a people that shall dwell alone, and
shall not be reckoned among the nations. 10 Who hath counted the dust of Jacob,
or numbered the stock of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, and let
mine end be like his!
Let me die
(like a Yisrael) righteous. Let me die righteous like one of this nation. Yet
Balak does not awaken. Balak should understand that Bilaam is prophesizing.
From here onwards the definition of insanity trying the same method and
expecting different results begins to repeat itself.
11 And Balak said unto Balaam: 'What hast thou
done unto me? I took thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast blessed
them altogether.' 12 And he answered and said: 'Must I not take heed to speak
that which the LORD puts in my mouth?'
Hey Buddy,
didn’t I tell you that G-D is putting the words in my mouth. I love Yisrael as
much as you and all the other anti-Semites, but I cannot do anything about the
words that are put into my mouth.
13 And Balak said unto him: 'Come, I pray thee,
with me unto another place, from whence thou mayest see them; thou shalt see
but the utmost part of them, and shalt not see them all; and curse me them from
thence.' 14 And he took him into the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and
built seven altars, and offered up a bullock and a ram on every altar. 15 And
he said unto Balak: 'Stand here by thy burnt-offering, while I go toward a
meeting yonder.'
There is a
general rule in the Talmud: Chance the place and change your Mazel (luck).
16 And the LORD met Balaam, and put a word in
his mouth, and said: 'Return unto Balak, and thus shalt thou speak.' 17 And he
came to him, and, lo, he stood by his burnt-offering, and the princes of Moab
with him. And Balak said unto him: 'What hath the LORD spoken?' 18 And he took
up his parable, and said: Arise, Balak, and hear; give ear unto me, thou son of
Zippor: 19 God is not a man, that He should lie; neither the son of man, that
He should repent: when He hath said, will He not do it? or when He hath spoken,
will He not make it good? 20 Behold, I am bidden to bless; and when He hath
blessed, I cannot call it back. 21 None hath beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither
hath one seen perverseness in Israel; the LORD his God is with him, and the
shouting for the King is among them. 22 God who brought them forth out of Egypt
is for them like the lofty horns of the wild-ox. 23 For there is no enchantment
with Jacob, neither is there any divination with Israel; now is it said of
Jacob and of Israel: 'What hath God wrought!'
Wake up out
of your stupor Balak! G-D does not take bribes of seven sacrifices. Like a
Smith pours iron in a foundry or pounds of iron to make some wrought creation
so G-D has wrought the nation of Yisrael.
24 Behold a people that rises up as a lioness, and as a lion doth
he lift himself up; he shall not lie down until he eat of the prey, and drink
the blood of the slain. 25 And Balak said unto Balaam: 'Neither curse them at
all, nor bless them at all.' 26 But Balaam answered and said unto Balak: 'Told
not I thee, saying: All that the LORD speaks, that I must do?'
Yisrael
shall rise up like a lioness. The results shall be that the lion shall eat the
prey.
27 And Balak said unto Balaam: 'Come now, I
will take thee unto another place; peradventure it will please God that thou
mayest curse me them from thence.'
This is
like the verse in the camp song: “Three times around went our gallant ship … and
she sank to the bottle of the sea.” Or the old Indian saying, “You fool me
once, you’re a fool, you fool me twice me a fool.”
28 And Balak took Balaam unto the top of Peor,
that looks down
upon the desert.
This is the
third place. Balak does not give up despite the warnings and blessings.
29 And Balaam said unto Balak: 'Build me here
seven altars, and prepare me here seven bullocks and seven rams.' 30 And Balak
did as Balaam had said, and offered up a bullock and a ram on every altar. 24:1 And
when Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless Israel, he went not, as at
the other times, to meet with enchantments, but he set his face toward the
wilderness. 2 And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel dwelling tribe
by tribe; and the spirit of God came upon him. 3 And he took up his parable,
and said: The saying of Balaam the son of Beor, and the saying of the man whose
eye is opened; 4 The saying of him who heareth the words of God, who sees the vision of the Almighty, fallen
down, yet with opened eyes: 5 How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, thy dwellings,
O Israel!
Bilaam had
become enlightened after the Angel and first two times. No tent faced another
so that one could not see into what his neighbor was doing, cooking, eating,
etc.
6 As valleys stretched out, as gardens by the
river-side; as aloes planted of the LORD, as cedars beside the waters; 7 Water
shall flow from his branches, and his seed shall be in many waters; and his
king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted. 8 God who
brought him forth out of Egypt is for him like the lofty horns of the wild-ox;
he shall eat up the nations that are his adversaries, and shall break their
bones in pieces, and pierce them through with his arrows. 9 He couched, he lay
down as a lion, and as a lioness; who shall rouse him up? Blessed be every one
that blessed
thee, and cursed be every one that curses thee. 10 And Balak's anger was
kindled against Balaam, and he smote his hands together; and Balak said unto
Balaam: 'I called thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast altogether
blessed them these three times. 11 Therefore now flee thou to thy place; I
thought to promote thee unto great honour; but, lo, the LORD hath kept thee
back from honour.' 12 And Balaam said unto Balak: 'Spoke I not also to thy
messengers that thou didst send unto me, saying: 13 If Balak would give me his
house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the LORD, to do
either good or bad of mine own mind; what the LORD speaks, that will I speak? 14 And now,
behold, I go unto my people; come, and I will announce to thee what this people
shall do to thy people in the end of days.' 15 And he took up his parable, and
said: The saying of Balaam the son of Beor, and the saying of the man whose eye
is opened; 16 The saying of him who heareth the words of God, and knows the knowledge of the Most High, who
sees the
vision of the Almighty, fallen down, yet with opened eyes: 17 I see him, but
not now; I behold him, but not nigh; there shall step forth a star out of
Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite through the
corners of Moab, and break down all the sons of Seth.
This shall
occur at the “End of Days” or close to 6,000 years when the L-RD shall be one
and HIS NAME one.
18 And Edom shall be a possession, Seir also,
even his enemies, shall be a possession; while Israel doeth valiantly. 19 And
out of Jacob shall one have dominion, and shall destroy the remnant from the
city. 20 And he looked on Amalek, and took up his parable, and said: Amalek was
the first of the nations; but his end shall come to destruction. 21 And he
looked on the Kenite, and took up his parable, and said: Though firm be thy
dwelling-place, and though thy nest be set in the rock; 22 Nevertheless Kain
shall be wasted; How long? Asshur shall carry thee away captive. 23 And he took
up his parable, and said: Alas, who shall live after God hath appointed him? 24
But ships shall come from the coast of Kittim, and they shall afflict Asshur,
and shall afflict Eber, and he also shall come to destruction. 25 And Balaam
rose up, and went and returned to his place; and Balak also went his way.
But like any Rasha (wicked person), he
advise Balak that the L-RD hates idolatry and promiscuity. So what did Balak
do? He invited the Midian women who worked for a fertility cult to come to the
area of Baal Peor (which was a public toilet area). In order to worship Peor,
one would defecate before the Statue. A combination like this was a sure
killer.
25:1 And
Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit harlotry with the
daughters of Moab. 2 And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their
gods; and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods. 3 And Israel joined
himself unto the Baal of Peor; and the anger of the LORD was kindled against
Israel. 4 And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Take all the chiefs of the people, and
hang them up unto the LORD in face of the sun, that the fierce anger of the
LORD may turn away from Israel.'
24,000 men
were lured by the women of Midian to have an affair. The women would give the
men something to eat like ex-lax or some other laxative. They would then run to
the public toilet and bingo both promiscuity and idol worship.
5 And Moses said unto the judges of Israel:
'Slay ye every one his men that have joined themselves unto the Baal of Peor.'
6 And, behold, one of the children of Israel came and brought unto his brethren
a Midian woman in the sight of Moses, and in the sight of all the congregation
of the children of Israel, while they were weeping at the door of the tent of
meeting.
He went and
passed by Moshe. He said to Moshe, “You took a Midian Woman to be you wife. (Tzipporah
was the daughter of a priest of ‘The Most High’ and before the giving of the
Torah) Now it is my turn to take a Midian woman (fertility cult and worshipping
Peor).
7 And when Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the
son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from the midst of the congregation,
and took a spear in his hand. 8 And he went after the man of Israel into the
chamber, and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through
her belly.
He was a Cohain
and his spear was strong enough to ram them through close the immoral area and
he managed to pull them out stuck together but still alive so everybody could see
their sin and that he had not become Tumay from the dead.
So the plague was stayed from the children of
Israel. 9 And those that died by the plague were twenty and four thousand.
In the end, the wicked Bilaam through his
advice on idol-worship and immorality managed to have 24,000 men die.
A Rebbe in Training by Rav Yerachmiel Tilles
https://ascentofsafed.com/Stories/Stories/5786/1489-40.html
Rabbi
Yoseph-Yitzchak Schneerson- [often referred to as the Rebbe Rayatz] was born in
Lubavitch, Russia, on the twelfth day of the Jewish month of Tammuz 5640
(1880). In 1920 he became the sixth Rebbe of the Schneerson dynasty, founded
one hundred fifty years before by his ancestor, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi,
the founder of Chabad Chassidism, whose descendants formed an unbroken chain of
great leaders, scholars and thinkers.
Yoseph
Yitzchak was barely fifteen years old when his illustrious father, Rabbi Shalom
Dov-Ber Schneerson, the fifth Rebbe in the Chabad dynasty, appointed him his
personal secretary and initiated him into the vortex of religious, communal,
political and scholarly activities that revolve around the world leader of the
Chabad movement. For, ever since the invasion of Russia by Napoleon, when Rabbi
Schneur Zalman and his followers had rendered valuable support to the Russian
cause, the Lubavitcher Rabbis enjoyed the status of privileged citizens.
Each
in his own generation had been able to use this extraordinary relationship to
the Czarist court for the benefit of the oppressed Jewish masses in Russia.
Thus, they had been given grants of land
for large agricultural settlements and they had been able to better the lot of
the Jewish artisans who till then both officially and socially had been treated
as pariahs.
In
true Chassidic tradition, which is concerned with the physical and spiritual
welfare of the worker as well as the scholar, the Lubavitcher Rebbes organized
trade schools, developed new occupations, and fostered economic and social
equality for the masses, besides providing them with a thorough religious
training and communal standing.
When
the brilliant young son of Rabbi Shalom Dov-Ber Schneerson entered Jewish
public life as his father's secretary, he had ample opportunity to watch from
the inside the tremendous organizational tasks facing the leader of all these
religious, communal and diplomatic activities.
Soon
he graduated from the role of observer to an active part in important projects.
Immediately after his marriage to Nechama Dina Schneerson, a second cousin, at
the age of seventeen, his father put him in charge of his most important
enterprise, the newly founded Lubavitcher Yeshiva Tomchei Tmimim. It was
perhaps here, in his apprenticeship, while still under the guidance of his
great father, that the young Rabbi Yoseph Yitzchak became imbued with the
central idea and theme of his life work - the need of spreading the light and
knowledge of Torah as the very basis of all other Jewish activities.
The
teachings of the Chabad ideology came to full bloom in the curriculum of the
first Tomchei Tmimim Yeshiva which, in contrast to other courts of Chassidic
tradition, combined Talmudic learning with Chassidic studies. Soon its fame
spread and it attracted students from all of Eastern Europe. Encouraged by the
success of this parent institute, Rabbi Schneerson was instrumental in
establishing a network of "Tomchei Tmimim" yeshivot throughout the
main Jewish centers of Russia.
In
due time similar institutions of Torah and Chasidic learning, modeled on the
first yeshiva of Lubavitch, sprang up in other countries of Eastern Europe, in
Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia, and ultimately all over the world. Under the
guidance of the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe they flourished and developed, their
center moving along with the Rebbe Rayatz wherever he went -- from Russia to
Latvia, to Poland and then to the United States.
* * *
Another
pet project that Rabbi Sholom DovBer Schneerson entrusted into the hands of his
inspired and gifted son, one which was to become symbolic of the outlook and
direction of his social and economic activities, was the establishment of a
large textile factory in the industrial center of Dubrovna, exclusively run and
worked by Orthodox Jews.
To
carry out this vast enterprise that was to provide over two thousand people
with a livelihood and skilled trade, Rabbi Yoseph Yitzchak Schneerson had to
enlist the active support of outstanding spiritual leaders from all camps of
the Jewish community, including the descendants of Mitnagdim ('opponents' of
the Chasidic movement). Among them were such immortals as Rabbi Chaim of Brisk
and Rabbi Chaim Ozer of Vilna and his constant collaborators, the venerable
Rabbi David of Karlin and Rabbi Elia Chaim of Lodz. Also, he was generously
supported by such outstanding philanthropists as the brothers Jacob and Eliezer
Poliakoff.
The
success of the establishment of this industrial center for Orthodox Jews was of
far-reaching importance. The Dubrovna factory set the pattern for many similar
enterprises and removed the stigma of social inferiority from those who worked
in factories or in skilled trades. There was thus established a new social
vista for the masses of Russian-Polish Jewry who, long the victim of an
economic and religious oppression which aimed at their ultimate extinction,
were thus enabled to find a place in the industrial economy which belatedly
took rise in the Czarist realm.
This
was a particular value later on, when the Soviet regime demanded that everyone
turn into a productive worker, either in agriculture or in industry. It was
then that many hundreds of trained religious Jews were able to stay together
and work together, thereby checking the Bolshevik attack upon their spiritual
existence.
Even
now in Eretz Yisroel, large communities of Chabad Chassidim flourish, where the
farming and industrial skills and experience of the first generation of Chabad
chasidim to emigrate to Israel after WWII, which they had gained in the
agricultural and textile centers organized by the Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak and
predecessors, were put to good use and produced astonishing results.
* *
*
Another
activity in which the Rebbe Rayatz became engaged while yet under the direction
of his father, one that was to recur throughout his life, was the supplying of
Jewish soldiers at the war fronts or in garrisons far from Jewish centers with
matzoth and wine for the Seder. When he was twenty-four years old, he organized
the shipping of Passover provisions to the Jewish soldiers who fought in the
Russo-Japanese war in the Far East.
Less
than ten years later he did the same for Jews who fought in World War I and
thirty-two years later, safe in the United States, he shipped kosher food, as
well as periodic messages of encouragement, pamphlets, brochures and reading
material - all in all 50,000 pieces of literature, highly appreciated spiritual
food, together with the physical necessities, through "Machne
Israel," one of his large organizations.
Of
a more difficult nature were the frequent diplomatic missions which carried the
young descendant of the Schneerson family to the Czarist court. Persecution and
discrimination brought untold misery to Russia's Jews. The Czarist regime or
its underlings, the governors of the various districts, indulged in the
anti-Semitic policies and acts, as often without as with legal pretext.
Time
and again Rabbi Yoseph Yitzchak was called upon to travel to the capital or to
the seat of district governments to intercede on behalf of his Jewish brethren.
Whereas the good standing of his family with the court helped him at first to
gain his objectives, his constant attempts to alleviate local or national
difficulties or illegal privations finally evoked the displeasure of the
Russian government.
Four
times during a period of ten years he was thrown into prison. Yet all the
malevolent ingenuity of the Czarist forces could not find any legal
incrimination or means of suppressing his work on behalf of the suffering
Jewish masses.
Rabbi
Schneerson even went outside of Russia to famous statesmen of Germany and
Holland to induce them to intervene with the Russian government, when widespread
pogroms swept the "Pale of Settlement" in the wake of the October
Revolution of 1905. Though then only twenty-five years old, the Rayatz
accomplished his mission beyond all expectation and proved thus his capacity of
becoming a modern "shtadlan" ['interceder' - an appointee of the
Jewish community to represent Jewish interests] on the international scene.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Source: Excerpted and modified by Yerachmiel Tilles from the book "Chabad
in America through the Folders of [Rabbi Dr.] Nissan Mindel" (arranged and
compiled by Rabbi Shalom-Ber Schapiro, son-in-law of Rabbi Mindel and director
of Nissan Mindel Publications), as first posted by the Avner Institute.
Why
This Week? The date of this Shabbat, Tammuz 12, is the occasion of a major
annual celebration, marking the miraculous release of the Rayatz from Soviet
imprisonment and accompanying death sentence (and also his birth date in 1880).
Biographic note:
Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneerson [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.
Tales of two
Tzitzits by R. Pauli
Henry fails
his test
When I
entered College, in the month of June after my High School Graduation, the College
had a series of placement tests for those people who did not have any
profession in their mind. I scored well in science and engineering but scored
even higher in medicine, law and clergy. I was set on the former and ended up during
my working years as such. In the army, I was to be a medic and in retirement a
Rabbi leading a Kollel in Jewish Halachic Law.
Sitting next
to me, there was a surprising number of Orthodox Jews in Yarmulkes or modest
dresses. Henry P. (not my son Chaim but a man my age) was one of them. When he
entered College, I was bare headed and he was with a Yarmulke. When we left, it
was the opposite. I became a believer and he failed his test.
The test for
Henry was like this. He went on a trip to Scandinavia and met a woman. As he
undressed to do what he was planning to do with her, she asked him what was the
meaning of his fringed garment. He should have ceased the sin then or in worse
case given into to his baser instincts. However, he did not look upon them and
remember the 613 Mitzvos but rather abandoned wearing the Tzitzits.
Story 2 Bavli
Menachos 48A
Rabbi Natan says: There is no
mitzva, however minor, that is written in the Torah, for which there is no
reward given in this world; and in the World-to-Come I do not know how much
reward is given. Go and learn from the following incident concerning the mitzva
of ritual fringes.
There was an incident involving a
certain man who was diligent about the mitzva of ritual fringes. This man heard
that there was a prostitute in one of the cities overseas who took four hundred
gold coins as her payment. He sent her four hundred gold coins and fixed a time
to meet with her. When his time came, he came and sat at the entrance to her
house.
The maidservant of that prostitute entered
and said to her: That man who sent you four hundred gold coins came and sat at
the entrance. She said: Let him enter. He entered. She arranged seven beds for
him, six of silver and one of gold. Between each and every one of them there
was a ladder made of silver, and the top bed was the one that was made of gold.
She went up and sat naked on the top
bed, and he too went up in order to sit naked facing her. In the meantime, his
four ritual fringes came and slapped him on his face. He dropped down and sat
himself on the ground, and she also dropped down and sat on the ground. She
said to him: I take an oath by the gappa of Rome that I will not allow you to
go until you tell me what defect you saw in me.
He said to her: I take an oath by the
Temple service that I never saw a woman as beautiful as you. But there is one
mitzva that the Lord, our God, commanded us, and its name is ritual fringes,
and in the passage where it is commanded, it is written twice: “I am the Lord
your God” (Numbers 15:41). The doubling of this phrase indicates: I am the one
who will punish those who transgress My mitzvot, and I am the one who will
reward those who fulfil them. Now, said the man, the four sets of ritual
fringes appeared to me as if they were four witnesses who will testify against
me.
She said to him: I will not allow
you to go until you tell me: What is your name, and what is the name of your
city, and what is the name of your teacher, and what is the name of the study
hall in which you studied Torah? He wrote the information and placed it in her
hand.
She arose and divided all of her
property, giving one-third as a bribe to the government, one-third to the poor,
and she took one-third with her in her possession, in addition to those beds of
gold and silver.
She came to the study hall of Rabbi
Ḥiyya and said to him: My teacher, instruct your students concerning me and
have them make me a convert. Rabbi Ḥiyya said to her: My daughter, perhaps you
set your sights on one of the students and that is why you want to convert? She
took the note the student had given her from her hand and gave it to Rabbi
Ḥiyya. He said to her: Go take possession of your purchase.
Those beds that she had arranged for
him in a prohibited fashion, she now arranged for him in a permitted fashion.
The Gemara completes its point about the reward of mitzvot and points out how
this story illustrates the concept: This is the reward given to him in this
world, and with regard to the World-to-Come, I do not know how much reward he
will be given.
Milestone: Alan
Greenspan, 100, Former Federal Reserve Chairman. https://www.cnbc.com/2026/06/22/alan-greenspan-former-chairman-of-the-fed-dies-at-age-100.html
Milestone: Clive Davis,
94, Rock and Roll music. https://www.timesofisrael.com/influential-jewish-rock-and-roll-executive-clive-davis-dies-at-94/
Milestone: Yacov Agam,
98, kinetic artist. https://www.timesofisrael.com/yaacov-agam-pioneering-israeli-kinetic-artist-and-israel-prize-laureate-dies-at-98/
Milestone: James
Burrows, 85, actor and comic. https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/james-burrows-legendary-hollywood-director-behind-cheers-friends-grace-dies-85
Inyanay Diyoma
June 20th
Day 988 since Oct. 7th Day 110 of Roaring Lion
start of week 142
This Shabbos another
soldier from the Commando’s died. His name was released along with one more
soldier from the tank. 13 were injured in battle 2 seriously. 111 terrorists
were killed in the past few days and about 50 captured.
But money talks. I was
thinking that usually money managers of funds get a 2% cut perhaps less. $300
Billion is lot of money and 2% maybe means $3B for Kushner and $3B for Witkoff.
Just thinking things out loud. Perhaps on Gaza, Witkoff worked for the sake of
heaven but there are Kushner Hotels in the Gulf. Who knows what is really going
on. The sudden reversal on Iranian Missiles and keeping Uranium has a bad smell
to it. Rubio and Hegseth and the CIA have nothing to gain. https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-says-iran-missiles-arent-problem-after-white-house-made-them-central-war-rationale
Did Trump sign the MOU
because of midterms? https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/428899
Despite the Israeli
ceasefire and Vance talking, Iran shutters Hormuz again. https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-899968
Names of two soldiers
released. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/428914
Over
the course of Shabbos,
heavy exchanges of fire occurred between the IDF and Hezbollah. Hezbollah
claims 111 fatalities from Israeli strikes in Lebanon over the weekend,
following the tank disaster in which the commander of the 52nd Armor Battalion,
Lt. Col. Dor Ben Simchon, and three other soldiers were killed. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/428913
Over 50 projectiles in
one night. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/428915
https://www.foxnews.com/media/bill-maher-tells-liberals-stop-partisan-sulking-join-america-250-party
Miracle of an
Eruv: The explosive drone hit the Eruv wire and the soldiers being attacked
were saved. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/428894
Quick thinking girl
saves family. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/428916
ICC Kahn suspended. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/428912
Trump praises Netanyahu
but in Israel the Likud is leaving Trump out of their campaign. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/428907
June 21st
Day 989 since Oct. 7th Day 111 of Roaring Lion
Mark Levin show from
yesterday evening: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LA_9dQi52A
Karl Rove on
Republicans and Trump. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKl2IlCOsEk
We ceased, you fired
then you cried ‘uncle’. https://www.israelhayom.com/2026/06/20/iran-pressed-for-ceasefire-to-save-hezbollahs-underground-stronghold/
https://www.israelhayom.com/2026/06/16/russian-warship-warning-shots-english-channel/
https://www.israelhayom.com/2026/06/21/al-sharaa-sees-lebanon-as-a-swamp-senior-diplomats-say/
https://www.israelhayom.com/2026/06/20/iranian-ai-pioneer-killed-tehran-blames-mossad/
Iranian
President threatens the strait of Hormuz: As
talks on the Memorandum of Understanding between the US and Iran got underway
in Switzerland today (Sunday), US President Donald Trump told Fox News that
Washington could become the “guardian angel" of the Strait of Hormuz and
take 20% of the oil.
“We may take control of the strait if we need
to. I’ll blow them to pieces. If they don’t make a deal, we’ll charge transit
fees," Trump added, issuing a threat toward Iran.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/428963
COS ceasefire fragile: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/428965
Knesset to Court no
revote: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/428959
First suspected Ebola
Case not Ebola but a second suspected case. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/428951
Katz contradicted. After
Defense Minister Israel Katz declared that there "have never been any
restrictions" on IDF troops operating in Lebanon to eliminate threats,
several prominent Israeli military journalists publicly challenged his remarks
on Sunday, arguing that the operational reality on the ground tells a different
story. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/428957
2 Israelis die in LA
crash. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/428948
Greek and Israeli Naval
cooperation. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/428958
Antisemitic attack on
father and children in Berlin. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/428943
Woman murdered; husband
is the suspect. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/428942
Hamas finance
eliminated: Hussein Qadra, who headed the network, and
Mohammed Farah, who operated alongside him, were involved in a financial
mechanism directed by Hamas leadership that transferred funds to the
organization's military wing. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/428939
Names of the last
soldiers from the tank released. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/428935
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/428914
Video from Thomas B. I
only saw a few minutes as this is 58minutes long but take a look. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8nRGikb0So
From Monique: Tulsi Gabbard just released files exposing Dr. Anthony Fauci on
her final day as Director of National Intelligence
She released never-before-seen declassified documents exposing
how Fauci allegedly used millions in taxpayer dollars to fund dangerous
gain-of-function research at China's Wuhan Institute of Virology - which is the
lab tied to the origins of C*VID-19 that killed millions worldwide.
These files reveal Fauci's alleged direct involvement in pushing
the research, working with politicized insiders in the intelligence community
to bury the lab-leak truth, and allegedly lying under oath to Congress about
it.
Republicans are saying that Americans are finally getting the
hard evidence of how reckless & corrupt government funding along with
cover-ups sparked and fueled a global catastrophe (including the fallout of
lockdowns) Critics add that the 'conspiracy theorists' once again, ended up
to be right - and now people have the documents to prove it. What do you think
should happen next?
Direct from DNI Gabbard:
"Before the C*VID pandemic, Dr. Fauci, as head of the National Institute of Allergy
and Infectious Diseases, provided millions in U.S. dollars to fund dangerous
gain-of-function research on bat cr*naviruses at the Wuhan Institute of
Virology, work which is now widely viewed as the source of the unintentional
lab leak that sparked the pandemic."
"Now, in support of President Trump's maximum transparency
mandate, today, on my final day as Director of National Intelligence, I'm
releasing never-before-seen communications and documents that expose exactly
how Fauci worked with politicized career leadership in the intelligence
community to suppress the truth about his actions, the virus's lab leak
origins, and his role in directing U.S. funding for this dangerous research
that caused immeasurable harm and countless lost lives."
"Now these documents expose Fauci's direct role in
influencing and manipulating IC assessments on C*VID-19 and how Fauci lied to
Congress in 2024 when under oath, he denied knowledge of or participation in
discussions with intelligence officials about viral research. We also received
testimony from multiple intelligence community whistleblowers."
"Who reported retaliation for challenging the intelligence
community's manipulation of intelligence on the virus's origins, once again
revealing a clear pattern of suppressing dissent, silencing critics, and
burying the truth."
"Dr. Fauci's close relationships with the intelligence
community enabled him to assume three key roles that shield him from
scrutiny."
"First, Dr. Fauci funded dangerous gain-of-function
coronavirus research linked to Big Pharma and their pursuit of universal
vaccines worth trillions of dollars."
"Second, Dr. Fauci was the behind-the-scenes advisor who,
alongside his hand-picked so-called experts, pushed the intelligence community
to endorse a natural animal origin to hide his dangerous gain-of-function
research that he funded using taxpayer dollars."
"All of this in a deliberate attempt to cover up the truth
and shift the blame and attention away from Fauci's own actions."
"Third, Dr. Fauci became the nation's pandemic pundit, and
he publicly pushed lies, disinformation, and censorship using every platform
available. Now, according to hundreds of reviewed emails which are included in
this release,"
"The intelligence community almost always incorporated
Fauci's recommendations."
"He promoted a fraudulent paper whose publication he helped
prompt as legitimate information for intelligence community
consideration." #ChristinaAguayoNews
Last week, Rav Dan
Segal said this and now the former Chief Rabbi. https://www.timesofisrael.com/top-shas-rabbi-us-iran-deal-is-divine-punishment-for-arrests-of-haredi-draft-dodgers/
June 22nd
Day 990 since Oct. 7th Day 112 of Roaring Lion
Alert for cities in the
north is off. Troops are coming home from Lebanon areas. The trapped Hezballah
forces have talks with Lebanon about their disarmament.
Shin Bet issues an
alert for Eilat. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/429011
Three Israelis die in
MD plane crash. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/429014
Miracle: At a thanksgiving ceremony marking a miraculous rescue, held
today (Monday) at the high yeshiva in Eli, Rabbi Yehuda Sadan, head of the yeshiva,
described the drone strike incident in Lebanon. The event was attended by his
father, Rabbi Eli Sadan, head of the Bnei David institutions, Rabbi Yigal
Levinstein, Rabbi Akiva Kashtiel, Rabbi Rafi Lampert, and other rabbis. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/429012
15 female soldiers
suffer heat stroke. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/429008
No peace possible while
Iran arms Hezballah. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/428987
Two more senior Hamas
Commanders Shachidim. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/428994
New Columbian President
is good for Israel. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/428991
Evacuation to save the
former Shin Bet head. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/428988
Commentator
Melanie Phillips warned that the West is failing to recognize the nature of the
conflict it faces, arguing that the war against Israel is part of a broader
Islamist campaign against Western civilization. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/428978
US
Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee reaffirmed America’s “unbreakable bond"
with Israel and warned that Iran “will never have a nuclear weapon,"
speaking during a keynote address at the JNS International Policy Summit
in Jerusalem on Sunday.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/428969
High Court vs. the
Knesset. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/428977
Told to evacuate but
did not. https://www.timesofisrael.com/renowned-lebanese-turtle-conservationist-succumbs-to-wounds-sustained-in-israeli-strike/
June 23rd
Day 991 since Oct. 7th Day 113 of Roaring Lion
Michael Oren, former
Israeli Ambassador to the US, assured us that if the Republicans win; then
after the US Midterms, we will hear a different tune. In the meantime,
Netanyahu’s campaign removed all the pictures of him with Trump.
I usually put in my
Blogspot Edition the milestone section and don’t mention the passing of famous
Jews here. I have already four this week. Alan Greenspan, Clive Davis and James
Borrows were in the news in the US also Yacov Agam made some of the
international papers.
Iran may have been the
forerunner for the war of Gog & Magog (Armageddon).
https://www.foxnews.com/world/russia-preparing-hybrid-attacks-natos-eastern-flank-intelligence-warns
https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-feds-open-probe-into-alleged-antisemitism-at-leading-teacher-union/
From right to left –
Bennett’s shift. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/429042
Houthi threat (perhaps
Yarden PLO) gets closer to Eilat. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/429056
https://www.algemeiner.com/2026/06/22/us-authorizes-iranian-oil-sales-talks-final-deal/
June 24th
Day 992 since Oct. 7th Day 114 of Roaring Lion
I want to explain
something about the Charedi Protests that the main stream media portrays as
“Draft Dodgers”. Up until a few years ago it was that one who learned in a
Yeshiva would get a 4D deferral (taken from the American Draft Board Status) or
Divinity Exemption. People like myself would report to the draft board. My son
went into a Hesder Yeshiva. That all changed when a bunch of leftist activist
and left wing judges attacked the status-quo. All of a sudden, my oldest
grandchild kept his exemption because he passed the call-up age and the rest of
my grandsons became eligible for the draft.
If an Arab Terrorist is
in jail, his wife can receive child benefits; but not a Charedi Yeshiva Student
who is not inducted. DOES ANYBODY SEE THE ABSURDITY OF THE ISRAELI COURTS? This
the main stream media does not tell you!
Hamas is rebuilding
rocket launchers and everyday another terrorist or two are killed as they try
to attack Israeli Soldiers.
56years ago under mayor
Lindsey, I saw NYC becoming a hell-hole. Perkei Avos: Who is wise? One who sees
(the birth in Hebrew) what the consequences of current actions are. Ben Zoma in
Chapter 4 Mishnah 1. https://www.timesofisrael.com/2-far-left-anti-israel-candidates-win-nyc-primaries-in-stunning-sweep-for-mamdani/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/former-mk-detained-for-alleged-incitement-during-2022-ramallah-speech/
Israel
declared 456,000 square meters of land in the Binyamin region as state land on
Wednesday, a move expected to significantly advance the expansion of the
settlement of Givot HaRoeh. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/429130
Two
Hamas terrorists were identified Wednesday near the Kerem Shalom Crossing on
the Gaza side of the border, in an unusual security incident that prompted the
deployment of IDF forces to the area. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/429117
Caroline
Glick, an Israeli journalist and commentator, warned that the world is facing a
new front in the struggle against Israel and the Jewish people: an information
war fueled by disinformation, social media manipulation and rising
antisemitism. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/429110
Two terrorists armed
for an attack eliminated. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/429131
Hezballah sent 7000
missiles and rockets in March. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/429128
Op-Ed Dr. Martin
Sherman Et Tu (you too) Donald.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/429085
Bethlehem Arms Dealer
arrested. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/429082
The Secret Route
between Qatar and Iran. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/429107
Miriam
Shani, whose husband Captain Ori Shani fell during the October 7 massacre, has
married his commander. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/429106
Mark Levin: "The
Iranian regime will now receive more money from this deal in a single year than
Israel receives in 10 years (nearly all of which buys military equipment from
American companies)."
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/429103
Trump’s approval falls
to 34%. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/429105
Temporary shipping lane
near Oman. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/429100
Iranian Drones like a
Jelly Fish were searching for me. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/429076
June 25th
Day 993 since Oct. 7th Day 115 of Roaring Lion
After a few great
grandsons, my granddaughter gave birth to my first great granddaughter, 3.4kg
or 7.5 lbs. So B”H the population of Israel is growing.
There was unfortunately
tragic news in Venezuela of an earthquake. A fuel truck overturned on the horrible
Lebanese Roads killing a soldier. In Gaza a wrecking crane driver was crushed
under a building that collapsed upon him. Else where this week a 67year old
Arab man was gunned down and a 19year old Arab woman.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/thousands-feared-dead-as-twin-earthquakes-devastate-venezuela/
Druze Master Sgt. Supply
truck driver dies in Lebanon. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/429175
Wrecking crane operated
crushed to death. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/429151
Colonel
Richard Kemp, the former commander of British forces in Afghanistan, spoke to Arutz
Sheva-Israel National News about the memorandum of understanding reached
between the United States and Iran, the achievements of Israel and the US
during the war, and the dangers that remain from the Iranian regime. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/429150
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/america-back-trump-kicks-off-great-american-state-fair-flyovers-patriotic-national-mall-speech
Last night
it was the marine corp. band. Trump Dance YMCA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptTc17stBkw
https://www.algemeiner.com/2026/06/24/from-editor-dont-forget-iranian-people/
https://www.algemeiner.com/2026/06/24/iran-moves-pull-gaza-us-talks-bid-shield-proxy-network/
https://www.algemeiner.com/2026/06/24/apartheid-arab-israeli-appointed-deputy-mayor-tel-aviv/
Rabbi
Moshe Maya, a senior Shas movement rabbi and a member of the party's Council of
Torah Sages, on Wednesday addressed the protests over the arrest of Haredi
draft evaders, expressing principled opposition to blocking roads. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/429168
The
Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court has ruled that police must compensate a young man
who claimed he was violently assaulted by a Border Police officer, falsely
accused of attacking the officer, and wrongfully detained for 48 hours.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/429179
An
IDF soldier on active duty, a resident of southern Israel, was rescued late
Wednesday night by police forces from the Palestinian Authority town of
Tarqumiya, after he was found there handcuffed and wearing his military
uniform. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/429172
Trump convinced Erdogan
to stay out of the Iran Conflict. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/429155
Shabbos is coming. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/shabat/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/american-pro-israel-activists-may-have-just-had-their-worst-week-ever/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/colombias-president-elect-vows-to-work-with-israel-like-never-before/
June 26th
Day 994 since Oct. 7th Day 116 of Roaring Lion
end of week 142
In a country that was
run by communists’ corrupt politicians and corrupt contractors led to the
collapse of buildings during an earthquake. Japan had a 7.0 quake and with
strict codes and enforcement there were no runs, not hits, no errors and no
building collapse. I am concerned for Israel as many buildings are pre-1967
code. Also N. California had a 5.6 quake and nothing reported.
Gaza and Lebanon are
active with four soldiers wounded.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/429232
6 Hezballah eliminated
despite tied hands. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/429210
Jihad eliminated. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/429180
I don’t know what is
the Trump or Vance game in Lebanon. I do know that it weakens the Lebanese
Government and Israel. Brigadier General Esmail Qaani, the
commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' elite Quds Force, issues a
stern ultimatum was issued by Iran on Thursday as a top military official
warned the Israeli military to evacuate Lebanese territory entirely or face a
catastrophic, forced retreat.
In Iran $1000 a month
pay instead of the average $40 a month for people willing to be soldiers
against Israel in Lebanon. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/429220
More Iranian attacks in
Hormuz. What is Trump up to? https://www.timesofisrael.com/un-says-hormuz-evacuation-halted-after-ship-struck-in-iranian-attack/
Bennett’s changing
ideology causes him to plummet in the polls by a mandate weekly. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/429228
Two
suspects who were filmed during Wednesday's haredi
protest convoy allegedly threatening haredi demonstrators with
firearms have been arrested. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/429193
First woman passes
ordination test. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/429203
50years ago on July 4th:
https://www.timesofisrael.com/zero-hour-is-coming-how-israel-went-from-negotiating-over-hostages-to-the-daring-raid-at-entebbe/
https://www.foxweather.com/earth-space/deadly-parasite-kills-hundreds-salmon-river-pacific-northwest
The follow are Op-Eds
from Yisrael HaYom.
https://www.israelhayom.com/2026/06/25/the-buffer-zone-is-israels-red-line/
https://www.israelhayom.com/2026/06/25/israel-is-walking-towards-an-iranian-trap-with-its-eyes-open/
https://www.israelhayom.com/2026/06/24/idf-lebanon-tunnel-demolition-halted-diplomatic-constraints/
IDF vs. Ministers’
Restrictions. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/hkz5csjzfe
16year old murdered
another Arab on Arab murder. https://www.timesofisrael.com/teenage-boy-shot-dead-second-injured-in-jaffa-shooting/
Have a
healthy, peaceful and restful Shabbos,
Rachamim
Pauli
