Shabbath Shalom

And Yehuda approached him... (Bereshit 44:18)

Said Rabbi Yehuda: The verb "he approached" (vayigash) implies an approach to battle, as in the verse (II Samuel 10:13), "So Joab and the people that were with him approached unto battle."
Rabbi Nechemiah said: The verb "he approached" implies a coming near for conciliation, as in the verse (Joshua 14:6), "Then the children of Yehuda approached Joshua."
The Sages said: It implies coming near for prayer, as in the verse (I Kings, 18:36), "And it came to pass at the time of the evening offering, that Elijah the prophet approached..."
Rabbi Eleazar combined all these views: Yehuda approached Joseph for all three, saying: If it be war, I approach for war; if it be conciliation, I approach for conciliation; if it be for entreaty, I approach to entreat.
Chabad.orghttp://www.chabad.org/

(Midrash Rabbah)

our Jewish little place: parashah vaiygash

our Jewish little place: parashah vaiygash: Serach kinor

חייל: "לא אציית לפקודות תבוסתניות".

Vayigash- Anì Yosef!!

 

The Chofetz Chaim offered the following explanation of this verse:ANI' YOSEF

When the brothers had initially arrived in Egypt, they were treated harshly by Yosef, who accused them of being spies. The brothers were startled by what was happening to them, and they asked one another: "Why is this happening to us? Who among us is guilty of a sin that would have brought this upon us?"
On the brothers' second trip to Egypt, they once again asked one another: "What is this that Hashem has done to us?" However, continued the Chofetz Chaim, when the brothers heard but two words: "Ani Yosef" - I am Yosef - all of their questions were answered. Suddenly, everything was clear - all of their misfortune had occurred as a result of having sold Yosef. Today, as well, concluded the Chofetz Chaim, there are many people who question the way that Hashem runs His world. "Why do the righteous suffer?" they ask. "Why can the wicked prosper?" However, at the End of Days, when the entire world hears Hashem utter but two words: "Ani Hashem" - I am Hashem - all of the questions will vanish.

Source: Rabbi Yisrael Bronstein

Just an idea of some Israeli companies...

who would like to boycott...?

The Magic of Light, The Last Day of Chanukah

הנרות הללו עקיבא מרגליות ופרחי בית אל

Shavua Tov and Happy Channukah

Channukah eighth day

CHAG SAMEACH

Shabbath Shalom. Chag Sameach!

The Chanukah candles are a classic example of holiness. The number of candles grow higher night by night, providing increasingly more light to dispell the darkness and for goodness to excell over evil. The message of Chanukah is that we also are empowered to use the intellectual and emotional powers of our soul at their highest level, to be a candle dispelling darkness. Just as we light the candles to shine outwards, to be seen by others, so also each of us in our lives should also be candles shining outwards, good examples of positive action to everyone in the world. [Chassidic sources]

channukah fifth day

Channukah with Givati

 

The Givati Brigade lights candles for the Hanukkah holiay with bereaved families. 

Photo: IDF Spokesperson

a little bit of music..

שירי חנוכה מחרוזת נהדרת בביצועו של אביחי מליחי

channukah fourth day

kotel

Why Should I Help You?

Tevet

Rosh Chodesh Tevet always falls during the holiday of Chanukah. Tevet is the tenth month of the Jewish calendar.
Chanukah, the celebration of the Jews' victory over the Greeks and the rededication of the Temple, which begins on the 25th of Kislev, carries over into the first few days of Tevet. We celebrate by lighting Chanukah Menorah beginning with one candle and then adding one each night, culminating with eight candles on the final night of Chanukah. Traditional Chanukah foods include potato pancakes, donuts, and other things fried in oil.
The Tenth of Tevet is a fast day on which the Babylonians laid siege to Jerusalem during the First Temple Period. The siege lasted for three years and was the "beginning of the end" of the destruction of Jerusalem and the exile of the Jews. In modern Israel the Tenth of Tevet has been designated as Yom haKaddish haKlali, the day on which we mourn those whose date or place of death is not known. Many people use this day to remember the victims of the Holocaust.
Women to Celebrate
Judith - The apocryphal Book of Judith is not included in the Hebrew Bible, but is mentioned in Jewish sources, some of which associate Judith with the holiday of Chanukah.
Serach bat Asher - The daughter of Asher, the son of Jacob and namesake of one of the 12 Tribes of Israel. Midrashic literature links Serach to the Exodus story and the rest of Jewish history. Serach offers a wonderful female character to incorporate into the Passover story. As her character is developed in the Midrashic sources, she also raises important questions about Jewish memory.
Dina - During Tevet we usually read the Torah portions toward the end of the Book of Genesis. One of the characters that we encounter is Dina, the daughter of Jacob and Leah. One of the most troubling stories in the Bible is the story of the rape of Dina by Shechem, and the subsequent reaction of Jacob and his other sons. This episode has recently been reexamined by Anita Diamant's popular book The Red Tent. To learn more about Dina visit archived D'var Torahs of Parshat Vayishlach.
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channukah third day

Parashah Miketz - Channukah

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A GREAT MIRACLE HAPPENED THERE
“Pharaoh said to Joseph, I am Pharaoh, yet without you, no one shall lift up hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.” (Bereshit41:44)
This week Jews throughout the world will be spinning dreidels, little tops with letters that spell out the sentence “A great miracle happened there.” (In Israel the dreidels have slightly different letters – “A great miracle happened here.) Each night as we light Hanukkah candles, we will say a blessing thanking G-d “for doing miracles for our fathers in those days, and in our own day.” And at every service throughout the festival, we will add a paragraph al hanisim “for the miracles.”
What was this great miracle? Any Jewish child will tell the Talmudic story of lighting the menorah in the rededicated Temple. There was only enough kosher oil to last for one day, but due to a miracle G-d made the oil last for eight days. It is a wonderful story. But is it true? The original sources of Hanukkah do not mention this story. They simply talk of a military victory, and of a late celebration of the eight day Sukkot festival. Originally the Hanukkah story was about totally natural historical events. There was no story of G-d changing the laws of nature by making oil burn unnaturally.
To drive this point home, let us turn to another post-Torah festival which Jews will celebrate in a few more months – Purim. Once again we will say a blessing to G-d “for doing miracles for our fathers in those days, and in our own day.” And once again we will add a paragraph al hanisim “for the miracles” to our prayers. Where was the miracle of Purim? The book of Esther which tells the Purim story does not even mention G-d. It is a book about the heroic action of Mordecai and his cousin Esther, who became the queen. The whole story is simply history. Where was G-d’s intervention? Where was the miracle?

Channukah in Yerushalayim

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The absurdity of bravery

Katif Center present a Hanukkah special project about bravery: "Banish the Darkness".
Across the eight days of the holiday, eight former Gush Katif residents will light a candle while telling their personal story and explain the symbols and persons who gave them the strength to overcome the pain and build their lives anew.
For the first candle we meet Rina Ackerman, a mother of eleven children from Neve Dkalim, who is waiting for the construction of her new home in the lahich area.
You are invited to subscribe to Katif Center's page in order to be the first to see the second candle lightning by Rabbi Yitzhak Amitai, an Azmona Talmud Torah educator who know lives in Shomria.
http://www.mkatif.org/ - https://www.facebook.com/GushkatifCenter
Project "Banish the darkness" produced by http://www.Isralife.tv
Director: Emmanuelle Adda
Producer: Dina Cohen
Camera and Editing: Jonathan Mimoun