9/2/13
Publicise G-dliness
One spark awakens.
Delight lies at the core of heart and mind. At the core of all that is.
Deep within a father’s soul even the father whose face is stone, whose heart is ice yet, without doubt, deep within lies the spark of the child he has born, his innermost delight.
Within the child lies that spark as well. Perhaps even more dormant, still without even a flicker yet softly it burns.
One spark awakens. The other resonates, bursting into flames.
The Master of All sits in judgment over His world. He awaits the moment His children will call Him “Father.”
The spark below awakens the spark above, the innermost delight, and life is renewed.
(From the wisdom of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, of righteous memory; words and condensation by Rabbi Tzvi Freeman. )
Deep within a father’s soul even the father whose face is stone, whose heart is ice yet, without doubt, deep within lies the spark of the child he has born, his innermost delight.
Within the child lies that spark as well. Perhaps even more dormant, still without even a flicker yet softly it burns.
One spark awakens. The other resonates, bursting into flames.
The Master of All sits in judgment over His world. He awaits the moment His children will call Him “Father.”
The spark below awakens the spark above, the innermost delight, and life is renewed.
(From the wisdom of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, of righteous memory; words and condensation by Rabbi Tzvi Freeman. )
9/1/13
rimmon 2...
rebblogged from http://blog.eretzyisrael.org/
Emergency Campaign For the Sake of Judea and Samaria
I, Gershon Mesika, the Governor of the Samaria Regional Council, am leading the worldwide campaign against the disinformation that the European Union, the Arab/Muslim world, international media and press as well as elements within the USA Congress and Executive Branch are waging against the bold pioneers in Judea and Samaria.
We have made several trips to European Union member nations as well as leading numerous visits of parliamentarians and religious leaders on tours of Samaria. There is no better way to fight disinformation than seeing for oneself the reality on the ground. I was the first settler representative to speak in front of the European Parliament in Brussels.
We recently attended the CUFI (Christians United for Israel) national convention in Washington D.C. During our visit, we had 25 meetings with Senators and House Representatives.
We met with Congressman John Fleming (R-LA), Congresswoman
Michele Bachmann (R-MN), Congressman Pete Sessions (R-TX),
Congressman Louie Gohmert (R-TX), Congressman Mike McCaul (R-TX), Congressman Steve Stockman (R-TX), Congressman Jim
Jordan (R-OH), Congressman Steve King (R-IA), Congressman Doug
Lamborn (R-CO), Congressman Trent Franks (R-AZ),
Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Congresswoman
Cynthia Lumis (R-WY), Congressman Leonard Lance (R-NJ),
Congressman Eliot Engel (R-NY), Congressman Mike Pompeo
(R-KS), Congressman Randy Forbes (R-VA), Senator Ted Cruz
(R-TX), Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI), Senator Michael Enzi (R-WY)
Their expression of support was an inspiration!
Please click to view a short video clip of our visit to the USA Congress
http://www.blessingisrael.com/stop-delegitimization-of-settlements/
I, Gershon Mesika, the Governor of the Samaria Regional Council, am leading the worldwide campaign against the disinformation that the European Union, the Arab/Muslim world, international media and press as well as elements within the USA Congress and Executive Branch are waging against the bold pioneers in Judea and Samaria.
We have made several trips to European Union member nations as well as leading numerous visits of parliamentarians and religious leaders on tours of Samaria. There is no better way to fight disinformation than seeing for oneself the reality on the ground. I was the first settler representative to speak in front of the European Parliament in Brussels.
We recently attended the CUFI (Christians United for Israel) national convention in Washington D.C. During our visit, we had 25 meetings with Senators and House Representatives.
We met with Congressman John Fleming (R-LA), Congresswoman
Michele Bachmann (R-MN), Congressman Pete Sessions (R-TX),
Congressman Louie Gohmert (R-TX), Congressman Mike McCaul (R-TX), Congressman Steve Stockman (R-TX), Congressman Jim
Jordan (R-OH), Congressman Steve King (R-IA), Congressman Doug
Lamborn (R-CO), Congressman Trent Franks (R-AZ),
Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Congresswoman
Cynthia Lumis (R-WY), Congressman Leonard Lance (R-NJ),
Congressman Eliot Engel (R-NY), Congressman Mike Pompeo
(R-KS), Congressman Randy Forbes (R-VA), Senator Ted Cruz
(R-TX), Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI), Senator Michael Enzi (R-WY)
Their expression of support was an inspiration!
Please click to view a short video clip of our visit to the USA Congress
http://www.blessingisrael.com/stop-delegitimization-of-settlements/
8/31/13
Adon haselichot
Adon haselichot
bochen levavot
goleh amukot
dover tzedakot
Chatanu lefaneicha
rachem aleinu.
(x2)
Hadur benifla'ot
vatik benechamot
zocher b'rit amo
choker kelayot
Chatanu lefaneicha
rachem aleinu.
(x2)
Male zakiyut
nora tehino
tzone'ach avonot
oneh be'etzavot
Chatanu lefaneicha
rachem aleinu.
bochen levavot
goleh amukot
dover tzedakot
Chatanu lefaneicha
rachem aleinu.
(x2)
Hadur benifla'ot
vatik benechamot
zocher b'rit amo
choker kelayot
Chatanu lefaneicha
rachem aleinu.
(x2)
Male zakiyut
nora tehino
tzone'ach avonot
oneh be'etzavot
Chatanu lefaneicha
rachem aleinu.
Kisufim Trio sings Selichot
SHAVUA TOV!
Tell people how much G-d loves them NOT how He will punish them!
8/30/13
our Jewish little place: parashah vayelech
our Jewish little place: parashah vayelech: Moshè entrusts the leadership of Israel to Yeoshua. He puts the Torah into writing. Hebrew letters forming the name of Yeoshua handpainted...
6/28/13
Shababth Shalom
The true greatness of Pinchas lay in that he acted in complete
opposition to his nature, transcending his inborn instincts to bring
peace between G-d and Israel.
(The Lubavitcher Rebbe)
Ima Tiri
Singer Amir Benayoun has a new song, “Ima Tiri” (“Mother, look”), about the return to Hevron. Among those who heard it was 85-year-old Shlomo Slonim, whose mother, father and brother were slain in the massacre.
Shlomo, who was a one-year-old baby at the time, survived with serious injuries that affect his life to this day.
When he heard the song, Slonim decided he wanted to meet the men who wrote it. Benayoun and co-writer Moshe Klughept were happy to oblige.
The men met Friday morning in Slonim’s home in Raanana. The home provides silent testimony to Slonim’s personal story: the walls hold pictures of the family that died when he was a baby, and research on the massacre sits on his bookshelves.
Shlomo, who was a one-year-old baby at the time, survived with serious injuries that affect his life to this day.
When he heard the song, Slonim decided he wanted to meet the men who wrote it. Benayoun and co-writer Moshe Klughept were happy to oblige.
The men met Friday morning in Slonim’s home in Raanana. The home provides silent testimony to Slonim’s personal story: the walls hold pictures of the family that died when he was a baby, and research on the massacre sits on his bookshelves.
6/14/13
Shabbath Shalom
In everything that G-d taught Moses, He would tell him both the
manner of contamination and the manner of purification. When G-d came to
the laws concerning one who comes in contact with a dead body, Moses
said to Him: "Master of the universe! If one is thus contaminated, how
may he be purified?" G-d did not answer him. At that moment, the face of
Moses turned pale.
When G-d came to the section of the red heifer, He said to Moses:
"This is its manner of purification." Said Moses to G-d: "Master of the
universe! This is a purification?" Said G-d: "Moses, it is a chok, a decree that I have decreed, and no creature can fully comprehend My decrees."
(Midrash Rabbah)
6/13/13
our Jewish little place: parashah Chukat 2 - parah adumah
our Jewish little place: parashah Chukat 2 - parah adumah: The ritual of the Parah Adumah, the red heifer, is part of one of the most mysterious rituals described in the Torah.
6/12/13
kotel
Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson - Lubavitcher Rebbe
Chukat - The lying connection
by Rabbi Mira Raz
What is the connection between the verse in our parasha (Numbers 21:9): “And Moses made a serpent of brass, and set it upon the pole; and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he looked unto the serpent of brass, he lived.” And the verse in Kings II (18:4) that tells about Hezekiah the son of Ahaz the king of Judah: “He removed the high places, and broke the pillars, and cut down the Asherah; and he broke in pieces the brazen serpent that Moses had made; for unto those days the children of Israel did offer to it; and it was called Nehushtan.”
The connection is a lie (in Hebrew connection – kesher, lie – sheker) and I will explain:
The People of Israel were fed up with the difficult living conditions in the desert. It was not the hunger, they were not hungry, but the unvaried food, compared with the food in Egypt where they had zucchinis, watermelons, onions and garlic. There is no vision and faith in the way and in its end, there are only complaints and misunderstandings – for what is all this… the result of all this was: “And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many people of Israel died.” (Numbers 21:6).
It is as if the Torah wants to tell us that as the snake in Garden of Eden separated between man and God and the natural unity between the spirit and its source was broken, so, every time that the People of Israel will be impatient and will not be ready for the difficulties of the journey to the Promised Land, they will burn themselves and the idea.
If it is so, how will they be nevertheless saved?
First of all, from the understanding that our attitude is wrong, especially in the light of the fact that nothing good came out of constant complaints, there is a feeling of depression and a death of the vision. As a result of this the response of the people was: “We have sinned, because we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee” and then they add: “pray unto the LORD, that He take away the serpents from us.” (ibid 7). Here we come to the heart of the story.
Tzarich Iyun: The Parah Adumah
Rabbi Dr. Ari Zivotofsky
Misconception:The person who sprinkles the ashes of a parah adumah (“red heifer”) on a tamei (ritually impure) person becomes tamei himself.
Fact: Most of the people involved in preparing the ashes become tamei, but the one who sprinkles the water with the ashes does not.
Background: Among the various types of tumah (ritual impurities) enumerated in the Torah, the kind acquired from direct contact with a human corpse is unique. One who acquires such tumah is considered a “tamei met,” and in addition to the standard ritual immersion required to remove tumah, the Torah mandates that he be sprinkled with ashes of a parah adumah (“parat chatat”) on the third and seventh day after such contact.[1] The cow used must be completely red, [2] older than three years (Parah 1:1), with no physical blemishes.[3] Furthermore, the cow must have been purchased by the beit din with Temple funds for the purpose of preparing the requisite ashes, and have never worked (Shekalim 4:2).
The details of the preparation are outlined in Parashat Chukat (Bamidbar 19). Unlike sacrifices, all of which took place within the Temple precinct, the parah adumah ritual took place outside the Temple precinct. When the Temple stood, the ritual of the parah adumah took place outside of the municipal borders of Jerusalem, on the Mount of Olives (Middot 2:4).[4] Additionally, similar to sacrifices, a non-kohen was qualified to slaughter the parah adumah.
The blood of the parah adumah was then collected by a kohen who sprinkled it seven times in the direction of the Holy of Holies. The entire animal—skin, meat, blood and all—was then burnt and pieces of erez (cedar), ezov (hyssop), and sheni tola’at (scarletdyed wool) were added to the conflagration; the ashes were then collected and stored.
Spring water was collected in a vessel and sanctified as ashes were mixed into it. The water was called “mei niddah” by the Torah and “mei chatat”[5] by Chazal.
This entire process, replete with myriad technical regulations, had one purpose—to purify tamei individuals. All those involved in the process were required to be tahor. Many stringencies applied to those involved in the ritual of the parah adumah—more than applied even to those performing the avodah in the Temple! Nevertheless, an individual involved in the ritual of the parah adumah was permitted to be a tvul yom, i.e., a tamei person who immersed in the mikvah and is only fully tahor after the sun sets. The Tzeddukim (Sadducees) believed, however, that a tvul yom was not permitted to participate in the preparation of the ritual. (Consequently, to reinforce this halachah, the rabbis insisted that after all the stringencies were observed and there was absolutely no doubt that the individual selected to perform the ritual was tahor, he should be then be intentionally defiled so that he could have the status of a tvul yom!)
Misconception:The person who sprinkles the ashes of a parah adumah (“red heifer”) on a tamei (ritually impure) person becomes tamei himself.
Fact: Most of the people involved in preparing the ashes become tamei, but the one who sprinkles the water with the ashes does not.
Background: Among the various types of tumah (ritual impurities) enumerated in the Torah, the kind acquired from direct contact with a human corpse is unique. One who acquires such tumah is considered a “tamei met,” and in addition to the standard ritual immersion required to remove tumah, the Torah mandates that he be sprinkled with ashes of a parah adumah (“parat chatat”) on the third and seventh day after such contact.[1] The cow used must be completely red, [2] older than three years (Parah 1:1), with no physical blemishes.[3] Furthermore, the cow must have been purchased by the beit din with Temple funds for the purpose of preparing the requisite ashes, and have never worked (Shekalim 4:2).
The details of the preparation are outlined in Parashat Chukat (Bamidbar 19). Unlike sacrifices, all of which took place within the Temple precinct, the parah adumah ritual took place outside the Temple precinct. When the Temple stood, the ritual of the parah adumah took place outside of the municipal borders of Jerusalem, on the Mount of Olives (Middot 2:4).[4] Additionally, similar to sacrifices, a non-kohen was qualified to slaughter the parah adumah.
The blood of the parah adumah was then collected by a kohen who sprinkled it seven times in the direction of the Holy of Holies. The entire animal—skin, meat, blood and all—was then burnt and pieces of erez (cedar), ezov (hyssop), and sheni tola’at (scarletdyed wool) were added to the conflagration; the ashes were then collected and stored.
Spring water was collected in a vessel and sanctified as ashes were mixed into it. The water was called “mei niddah” by the Torah and “mei chatat”[5] by Chazal.
This entire process, replete with myriad technical regulations, had one purpose—to purify tamei individuals. All those involved in the process were required to be tahor. Many stringencies applied to those involved in the ritual of the parah adumah—more than applied even to those performing the avodah in the Temple! Nevertheless, an individual involved in the ritual of the parah adumah was permitted to be a tvul yom, i.e., a tamei person who immersed in the mikvah and is only fully tahor after the sun sets. The Tzeddukim (Sadducees) believed, however, that a tvul yom was not permitted to participate in the preparation of the ritual. (Consequently, to reinforce this halachah, the rabbis insisted that after all the stringencies were observed and there was absolutely no doubt that the individual selected to perform the ritual was tahor, he should be then be intentionally defiled so that he could have the status of a tvul yom!)
5/31/13
Shabbath Shalom!
We came to the land where you did send us, and indeed it flows with milk and honey... (13:26)
Such is the way of defamers: they start off by saying something good, and conclude by saying evil.
Rabbi Yochanan said in the name of Rabbi Meir: Any piece of slander
which has not some truth in the beginning, will not endure in the end.
(Midrash Rabbah; Talmud)
5/29/13
our Jewish little place: parashah Shelach 2
our Jewish little place: parashah Shelach 2: The final portion of the sedra is the third passage of the Sh'ma - the portion of Tzitzit. It contains the mitzva to put Tzitzit
5/28/13
Shelach. Garnements of the soul
Our sedra ends with one of the great commands of Judaism—tzitzit,
the fringes we wear on the corners of our garments as a perennial
reminder of our identity as Jews and our obligation to keep the Torah’s commands:
G‑d spoke to Moses, telling him to speak to the Israelites and instruct them to make for themselves fringes on the corners of their garments for all generations. Let them attach a cord of blue to the fringe at each corner. That shall be your fringe: look at it and recall all the commandments of the L‑rd and observe them, so that you do not stray after your heart and eyes which in the past have led you to immorality. You will thus remember and keep all My commandments, and be holy to your G‑d.
So central is this command that it became the third paragraph of the Shema, the supreme declaration of Jewish faith. I once heard the following commentary from my teacher, Rabbi Dr. Nahum Rabinovitch.
He began by pointing out some of the strange features of the command. On the one hand, the sages said that the command of tzitzit is equal to all the other commands together, as it is said: “Look at it and recall all the commandments of the L‑rd and observe them.” It is thus of fundamental significance.
On the other hand, it is not absolutely obligatory. It is possible to avoid the command of fringes altogether by never wearing a garment of four or more corners. Maimonides rules: “Even though one is not obligated to acquire a [four-cornered] robe and wrap oneself in it in order to [fulfil the command of] tzitzit, it is not fitting for a pious individual to exempt himself from this command.”1 It is important and praiseworthy, but not categorical. It is conditional: if you have such a garment, then you must put fringes on it. Why so? Surely it should be obligatory, in the way that tefillin (phylacteries) are.
There is another unusual phenomenon. In the course of time, the custom has evolved to fulfil the command in two quite different ways: the first, in the form of a tallit (robe, shawl) which is worn over our other clothes, specifically while we pray; the second in the form of an undergarment, worn beneath our outer clothing throughout the day.
Not only do we keep the one command in two different ways, we also make different blessings over the two forms. Over the tallit, we say: “Blessed are You . . . who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us to wrap ourselves in a fringed garment.” Over the undergarment, we say, “. . . who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us concerning the precept of the fringed garment.” Why is one command split into two in this way?
He gave this answer: there are two kinds of clothing. There are the clothes we wear to project an image. A king, a judge, a soldier, all wear clothing that conceals the individual and instead proclaims a role, an office, a rank. As such, clothes, especially uniforms, can be misleading. A king dressed as a beggar will not (or would not, before television) be recognized as royalty. A beggar dressed as a king may find himself honored. A policeman dressed as a policeman carries with him a certain authority, an aura of power, even though he may feel nervous and insecure. Clothes disguise. They are like a mask. They hide the person beneath. Such are the clothes we wear in public when we want to create a certain impression.
G‑d spoke to Moses, telling him to speak to the Israelites and instruct them to make for themselves fringes on the corners of their garments for all generations. Let them attach a cord of blue to the fringe at each corner. That shall be your fringe: look at it and recall all the commandments of the L‑rd and observe them, so that you do not stray after your heart and eyes which in the past have led you to immorality. You will thus remember and keep all My commandments, and be holy to your G‑d.
So central is this command that it became the third paragraph of the Shema, the supreme declaration of Jewish faith. I once heard the following commentary from my teacher, Rabbi Dr. Nahum Rabinovitch.
He began by pointing out some of the strange features of the command. On the one hand, the sages said that the command of tzitzit is equal to all the other commands together, as it is said: “Look at it and recall all the commandments of the L‑rd and observe them.” It is thus of fundamental significance.
On the other hand, it is not absolutely obligatory. It is possible to avoid the command of fringes altogether by never wearing a garment of four or more corners. Maimonides rules: “Even though one is not obligated to acquire a [four-cornered] robe and wrap oneself in it in order to [fulfil the command of] tzitzit, it is not fitting for a pious individual to exempt himself from this command.”1 It is important and praiseworthy, but not categorical. It is conditional: if you have such a garment, then you must put fringes on it. Why so? Surely it should be obligatory, in the way that tefillin (phylacteries) are.
There is another unusual phenomenon. In the course of time, the custom has evolved to fulfil the command in two quite different ways: the first, in the form of a tallit (robe, shawl) which is worn over our other clothes, specifically while we pray; the second in the form of an undergarment, worn beneath our outer clothing throughout the day.
Not only do we keep the one command in two different ways, we also make different blessings over the two forms. Over the tallit, we say: “Blessed are You . . . who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us to wrap ourselves in a fringed garment.” Over the undergarment, we say, “. . . who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us concerning the precept of the fringed garment.” Why is one command split into two in this way?
He gave this answer: there are two kinds of clothing. There are the clothes we wear to project an image. A king, a judge, a soldier, all wear clothing that conceals the individual and instead proclaims a role, an office, a rank. As such, clothes, especially uniforms, can be misleading. A king dressed as a beggar will not (or would not, before television) be recognized as royalty. A beggar dressed as a king may find himself honored. A policeman dressed as a policeman carries with him a certain authority, an aura of power, even though he may feel nervous and insecure. Clothes disguise. They are like a mask. They hide the person beneath. Such are the clothes we wear in public when we want to create a certain impression.
Baby Adelle Released To A Rehab Facility.
Baruch HaShem…Baby Adelle Released To A Rehab Facility.
Three-year-old Adelle Biton of the Samarian (Shomron) Jewish
community of Yakir, who was critically wounded in an arab rock attack,
two-and-a-half months ago near the western Samarian city of Ariel, was
released from Schneider Children’s Hospital in Petach Tikva on Sunday.
Her life is no longer in danger. She is, however, only partially
conscious.
Accompanied by her family, Adelle was transferred to the pediatric and youth unit of the Beit Levinstein rehabilitation facility in Ra’anana, northeast of Tel Aviv.
May Hashem grant her a speedy recovery so she can return home to her family!
source
Accompanied by her family, Adelle was transferred to the pediatric and youth unit of the Beit Levinstein rehabilitation facility in Ra’anana, northeast of Tel Aviv.
May Hashem grant her a speedy recovery so she can return home to her family!
source
5/27/13
The Muqata: History of Israel: The Legend of Summer Snow
The Muqata: History of Israel: The Legend of Summer Snow: Had it ever snowed in Israel in the summer? Two people have reported snow in the month of Sivan (late May-early June), though in both ...
The pomegranate and the magen David
“Let us get up early to the vineyards; let us see if the vine flourish, whether the tender grape appear, and the pomegranates bud forth: there will I give thee my love.”
(Song of Songs 7:12)
(Song of Songs 7:12)
 |
| Young Pomegranate Fruit resembles the Star of David - Photo by Josephine Levin © 2012 |
When the
beautiful blossoms fall off the pomegranate bush, the bud that will
become the pomegranate fruit looks exactly like a Magen David, and this
Pomegranate Star is believed to have been the origin of the Star of David.
In Jerusalem
the pomegranate Punica granatum called rimon in Hebrew usually blossoms late May or early June. The pomegranate
is one of the 7 species of the land of Israel.
G-d
commanded that the priests in the holyTemple
in Jerusalem , bet hamikdash, should have pomegranates around the hem of
their robes:
“And beneath upon the hem of it thou shalt make pomegranates of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, round about the hem thereof; and bells of gold between them round about: A golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, upon the hem of the robe round about.”(Exodus 28:33-34)SOURCE
5/24/13
Shabbath Shalom
"Your main weapon is prayer. You may have to fight
many battles, both with the Evil Urge and with many things that prevent
you from serving G-d. With prayer you conquer them all"
Rebbe Nachman of Breslov
5/23/13
palestinian hole in security fence, but...
An Israeli security official
said security forces are altering their previous “silk gloves” approach
to rioters such as a group of Palestinians who entered Jerusalem on
Friday without passing through a security checkpoint. The Palestinians
used hammers to make a hole in the security barrier between Jerusalem
and Abu Dis.
The Palestinian fence breach and protest was held as part of events
related to the recently held annual Nakba (“catastrophe”) Day, a day on
which Arabs mourn the establishment of the state of Israel.
The security fence was put up by Israel as a way of protecting its
citizens from attacks by Palestinians from
Palestinian-Authority-controlled cities in Judea and Samaria. But
despite the presence of the fence, Yehuda Dana, security chief for the
Beit El region, told Israel National News that Palestinians are continually “throwing rocks into the community, causing injuries.”
According to the Palestinian protesters, Israeli Border Police fired
tear gas and rubber bullets at them after they entered through the hole
in the fence, and there were several injuries. Dana said such
Palestinian rioters were often previously handled with “silk gloves,”
but that “their brazenness has crossed the line.”
Rachel's tomb : Knesset discusses security measures at holy site
The Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee discussed the security situation
at Rachel’s Tomb near Bethlehem in Monday. It appears that a roof may
be built over the compound, to protect the worshipers inside from
incessant Arab attacks.
The IDF told Knesset Members that about 200 firebombs and 90 improvised explosive devices(IEDs) have been thrown at the compound since November’s Pillar of Defense military operation in Gaza. That means an average of almost two bombs a day.
The military said that the very tall walls that have been constructed
around the compound – nine meters high, or almost 30 feet – have not
sufficed to provide security.
Committee Chairman Avigdor Lieberman instructed the military to
examine plans that were drawn up a long time ago, to add a roof over the
compound, in order to provide security for the worshipers inside.
Themilitary is to go back to the committee and report on its findings in
a month’s time.
MK Orit Struk said after the discussion, “I am pleased with the
results of the discussion and I hope that we will have the privilege of
seeing Rachel’s Tomb turn from a bunker into a proper place of worship. I
thank the IDF and the Border Police for the efforts they have been
making in order make the place secure.”
Coalition Chairman MK Yariv Levin called the instruction to
reexamine security arrangements “important” and predicted that it would
lead to the protection of worshipers and of security personnel.
Behaalotecha
And at times it was, that the cloud abode from evening until morning... then they journeyed (9:21)
The Sanctuary was a formidable structure, consisting of hundreds of
foundation sockets, wall sections, pillars, tapestries and furnishings; a
work crew of several thousand Levites assembled the Sanctuary at each
camp and dismantled and transported it when the Divine command would
come to move on. Yet the "Tent of Meeting" was erected at every encampment--even if only for a single day!
This teaches us that each and every one of our "stations" in life is
significant unto itself. A person may find him or herself in a certain
place or in a certain situation for a very brief period, and it may seem
to him that he is merely "on the way" to some other place. Yet there is
always something in that place or situation to be sanctified--something that can serve as a "Tent of Meeting" between Heaven and earth.
(The Lubavitcher Rebbe)5/17/13
Shabbath Shalom
This battle between body and soul is constant. There is hardly a
situation in life in which the two do not have diametrically different
preferences. We are faced with constant turmoil. It is peace from this
turmoil to which the Priestly blessing refers.
Rabbi Shaul Rosenblatt
5/15/13
the five names of Shavuot
Chag Shavuot” - The Feast (or Holiday) of Weeks
“Z’man Matan Torateinu” - The Time of the Giving of Our Torah
“Chag HaBikkurim” - The Holiday of the First Fruits
“Atzeret” - The Holiday of “Being Held Back, or Restrained, Close to Hashem, in the Temple”
“Chag HaKatzir” - The Holiday of the Cutting of the Crop
“Chag Shavuot” - The Feast of Weeks
“Z’man Matan Torateinu” - The Time of the Giving of Our Torah
“Chag HaBikkurim” - The Holiday of the First Fruits
“Atzeret” - The Holiday of “Being Held Back, or Restrained, Close to Hashem, in the Temple”
“Chag HaKatzir” - The Holiday of the Cutting of the Crop
“Chag Shavuot” - The Feast of Weeks
Ruth - mother of Royalty
1.16. And Ruth said, Do not entreat me to leave you, or to keep from following you; for wherever you go, I will go; and where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your G-d my G-d;
1.17. Where you die, will I die, and there will I be buried; the Lord do so to me, and more also, if even death parts me from you.
1.17. Where you die, will I die, and there will I be buried; the Lord do so to me, and more also, if even death parts me from you.
By Rabbanith Ruth Menashe
What is it in the story of Ruth that is so intriguing and appealing? Why is it that when we read Meghillath Ruth our emotions and admiration arise?
Ruth was of royal lineage, the daughter of the king of Moab. Later on, the daughter of this distinguished father found herself gathering wheat from the fields together with the poor people of the generation. She later on gave birth to the grandfather of Kind David. In life, we go through ups and down, better times and worse times. The extreme contrasts in Ruth’s life are rather exceptional. She went from the very top – being a princess – all the way down to becoming penniless, then back to royalty. It is interesting to note that soon after Ruth’s genuine and emotional decision to leave her home, birthplace and family behind her, in order to embrace the Jewish religion, she finds herself hungry, gleaning sheaves of wheat in the fields.
What is it in the story of Ruth that is so intriguing and appealing? Why is it that when we read Meghillath Ruth our emotions and admiration arise?
Ruth was of royal lineage, the daughter of the king of Moab. Later on, the daughter of this distinguished father found herself gathering wheat from the fields together with the poor people of the generation. She later on gave birth to the grandfather of Kind David. In life, we go through ups and down, better times and worse times. The extreme contrasts in Ruth’s life are rather exceptional. She went from the very top – being a princess – all the way down to becoming penniless, then back to royalty. It is interesting to note that soon after Ruth’s genuine and emotional decision to leave her home, birthplace and family behind her, in order to embrace the Jewish religion, she finds herself hungry, gleaning sheaves of wheat in the fields.
5/10/13
Shabbath Shalom
G-d created man and his spiritual light shone from the highest to the
lowest worlds. But Adam sinned and his two sons, as well. Abraham connected
the world to the sefira of chesed on the Right. Isaac connected the
world with the sefira of gevura and Jacob connected the world to the
center.
When Jacob's descendants received the Torah at Mount Sinai and erected
the Tabernacle, the world was finally established, and all the worlds,
physical and spiritual, were completed and in harmony again.
5/9/13
Chodesh Tov!
The Month of Sivan
"In the third month after the Exodus of the Jewish People from Egypt, on that very day, they came to the Desert of Sinai" (Shemot 19:1)
"Sivan" is the Babylonian name of this month, as are all of the "official" names of the months in the Hebrew Calendar. In the Bible, the month is referred to as "the Third Month," with reference to Nisan, the First Month.
Chodesh Sivan - In Relation to Other Months of the Year
1 Nisan
2 Iyar (29 days)
3 Sivan (30 days)
4 Tammuz (29 days)
5 Av
6 Elul
7 Tishrei
8 Cheshvan
9 Kislev
10 Tevet
11 Shevat
12 Adar
Prayer for the children
This is a tefilah, a special prayer, composed
for parents to say for the benefit of their children.
The most auspicious time - the time Heaven is most open to this
prayer - is said to be erev Rosh Chodesh Sivan. For this year, 2013,
that means Thursday, May 9.
The Sh’lah wrote, “for that is the month when G-d gave us the Torah,
and when the Jewish people began to be called His Children. On that day,
fathers and mothers should give charity to the poor and repent. They
should even fast, if they are able to.”
Religious schools throughout Israel hand out this prayer to all students to bring home to their parents this week.
You can download the prayer kindly for free download and copyright by Artscroll/Mesorah Publications.)
5/8/13
Bemidbar
The Maggid of Kuznitz thought so, and based his proof on a verse from
this week's Torah portion. In Bamidbar 2:2 it speaks about the arrangement
of the tribes around the Tabernacle. It says, "Every man on his
flag, with the signs of his father's house". He uses an analogy
that when a craftsman or artist thinks about his creation, most certainly
he decides to finish it in the most beautiful way. Nevertheless, since
he is flesh and blood, when it actually comes to completion, it is rarely
possible to bring out his full dream into reality, that the final action
will be exactly what he first had in mind. But our Creator does not
have this same limitation. In fact, it is one of the most subtle and
beautiful truths about G-d, that the final creation which is our reality
is what G-d first had in mind.
The verse is telling us that each person, as a descendent of the original
tribes of Israel, has the power to bring to fruition our positive aspirations.
This ability is part of the commandment to be like G-d. Just as G-d
completes each of His thoughts in its entirety, so each of us-at least
in those thoughts connected to serving G-d-can also achieve this. "Every
man on his flag" refers to completing some intended action, the
flag signifying completion. "With the signs of his father's
house" is a hint that it was completed according to a person's
initial thoughts. 'Father' in Kabbala is a reference to a person's preliminary
thought, since a father is the source from where the first seed comes
in creating offspring. 'Father' serves as an analogy for a person's
thought process and how it is later 'born' into action. This teaches
us that just as the first thought of serving G-d rose up in a person's
mind, so he or she will come to complete it. May the Almighty give all
of us the strength and determination to bring our aspirations into reality.
Yom Yerushalayim
If
I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning. Let
my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth, if I remember thee not; if I
set not Jerusalem above my chiefest joy!
5/7/13
our Jewish little place: Shavuot floral frame
our Jewish little place: Shavuot floral frame: Wooden decoreted floral frame to decorate the home for Shavuot
5/4/13
5/3/13
Shabbath Shalom
A common
misconception is that teshuvah is simply an antidote to
sin, and thus applies only to sinners and lowly people. In truth,
teshuvah is the soul's return to and restoration of its original purity,
and applies to every soul that has descended into the human state.
– Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi
5/2/13
A son hugs his father's body at his funeral...
Evyatar Borovsky's son hugs his father's body at his funeral.
Evyatar Borovsky, HY"D, was murdered after encountering an Arab terrorist at Tapu'ah Junction in the Shomron , not to far south from his home in Yitzhar 
The murderer of this Jew made his wife a widow, and his five children orphans.
However the murderer of this Jew is not the only was responsible for the murder of this Jew...
This Jew has a name. This Jew's name is Evyatar Borovsky.
DO NOT FORGET THIS JEW'S NAME TOO
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