בס׳ד

"Where does it say that you have a contract with G-d to have an easy life?"

the Lubavitcher Rebbe



"Failure is not the enemy of success; it is its prerequisite."

Rabbi Nosson Scherman



30 Dec 2014

17 years

Fasting on New Year's? - Insights Into Halacha: The Many Facets of Asarah B'Teves



שו"ת וידאו: האם יש חובה הלכתית להצביע בבחירות

"Yaakov lived in Mitzrayim for 17 years; and the days of Yaakov, the years of his life were 147 years". We know from Parshas VaYigash (47:9) that Yaakov was 130 years old when he came to Mitzrayim. Once the pasuk informs us that he lived the remainder of his life in Mitzrayim, it is not necessary to state that he remained in Mitzrayim for 17 years. Obviously, if he lived until the age of 147, he had to be in Mitzrayim for 17 years? Daas Zekainim MiBaalei HaTosfos answer, the pasuk is stressing that Yosef repaid the kindness which Yaakov had bestowed upon him in his youth. Yosef lived by his father for 17 years until he was sold. During those years Yaakov took care of Yosef and fed him. Midah KiNeged Midah, Yosef supported his father for the last 17 years of his life. It is for this reason that the Torah stresses that Yaakov lived in Mitzrayim for 17 years - the years that Yosef was Mikayem the Midah KiNeged Midah.

http://revach.net/tefila/article.php?id=1533


Having been taught about how we strive to go uphill in our goals of attaining higher spritual heights, I found it ironic to read the following headline today.
Another U.S. downhill winner in Italy

How can you be a winner if you're going downhill?

Great reporting at a Jordanian news agency about Jewish extremists storming the Al Aqsa Mosque compound.

Muslim worshippers inside the mosque gathered to repel the incursions of settlers and prevent them from performing their Talmudic rituals and prayers inside the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque. http://petra.gov.jo/Public_News/Nws_NewsDetails.aspx?Site_Id=1&lang=2&NewsID=177884&CatID=13&Type=Home&GType=1



29 Dec 2014

Visiting a senior center

Collive documents a visit by Yeshiva Bochurim to a nonagenarian in a senior center in the first video below.


Did it ever happen that you learned a word for the first time and then the word kept popping up in books you read in the ensuing weeks?
Yesterday I took out a book from the library by Rabbi Yissocher Frand titled "Were All in This Together." Last night I came across a video uploaded to YouTube over a year ago in which Rabbi Frand speaks inspiringly about the efficacy of tefillah. Well worth listening to.


I was debating whether to link to this article but you might as well be aware as to whom PressTV turns to for opinions about the U.S. President, none other than David Duke.







28 Dec 2014

No break

Unlike every other Parsha, there is no break between the end of Parshas Vayigash and the beginning of Parshas Vayechi. The Medrash brings several reasons for this. Rav Shamshon Rephael Hirsh offers his own explanation for this as well.
Parshas Vayechi starts with Yaakov settling in Mitzrayim. These were the best and only peaceful years in Yaakov's strife filled life. He watched his family grow and learned Torah with his children and grandchildren. Surely, this deserves a Parsha by itself. "However," says Rav Hirsch, "the opposite is true."
All of Yaakov's troubles laid the foundation for the building of Bnei Yisrael. Every tragedy he suffered was another building block in the future of Klal Yisrael. His time in Mitzrayim may have been enjoyable, but did not add to the future legacy of the nation. These years were a reward for his lifetime of avodah in the face of the turmoil.
"This is why," says Rav Hirsch, "Parshas Vayechi is not a separate parsha. It is merely the epilogue of Yaakov's life and is attached to the parsha before, and the conclusion of his life. We are not here on this world to coast," says Rav Hirsch. "It is only through our suffering that we can accomplish anything."
http://revach.net/parshas-hashavua/quick-vort/Parshas-VaYechi-Rav-Shlomo-Zalman-Zelaznik-Why-Did-Yaakov-Go-Blind/5179


Open Season on Jews for Palestinians


IRS Says it ‘Mistakenly’ Penalized GOP Candidate Christine O’Donnell For a Second Time




Weathering the weather

Whether the weather be fine, 
Or whether the weather be not, 
Whether the weather be cold, 
Or whether the weather be hot, 
We'll weather the weather 
Whatever the weather, 
Whether we like it or not!
Author: unknown

 I was reminded of the above poem when I read an article at CNN about the missing AirAsia plane.

CNN aviation analyst Mary Schiavo questioned whether weather would have been a factor in what happened to the plane.

"Ordinarily, the pilots would get the updated weather from air traffic control and, of course, their onboard radar," said Schiavo, a former inspector general for the U.S. Department of Transportation. "So whether there was (bad) weather in the area would not be a mystery." http://edition.cnn.com/2014/12/27/world/asia/airasia-missing-plane/index.html

A rescue operation is under way in high winds in Greek waters for an Italian ferry carrying 466 people that has caught fire, Greek officials said early Sunday.
...The evacuation of the ferry was occurring in difficult conditions, with passengers saying gale-force winds were lashing the vessel.
https://sg.news.yahoo.com/fire-italian-ferry-bad-weather-off-greece-forces-070816823.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter


An Indonesian man scheduled to travel on the missing Air Asia Indonesia flight with his family has thanked God that chance led him to cancel their tickets just a day before it disappeared.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2889017/We-thankful-god-Man-supposed-travel-missing-AirAsia-flight-wife-three-young-children-cancelled-tickets-YESTERDAY-father-ill.html
We board an airplane or a ship and take it for granted we are going to arrive at our destination some hours later.


A friend of mine told me how she dreamed she had gone on vacation and that her apartment had been robbed. When she woke up and saw that a robbery had not taken place, she was grateful that she still had what she thought had been taken.  Let's be grateful for things that we take for granted. And let's say a perek Tehillim for Ayala bat Rut, who faces a long recuperation period.

27 Dec 2014

UN condemnations

LiberalLogic101 asks, "Is the UN biased against Israel?…"  and posts a graphic detailing UN 2014 condemnations.  20 were against Israel while other countries were on the receiving end of 1 or zero condemnations.
http://linkis.com/liberallogic101.com/MiXlw


Egypt has banned a Hollywood film based on the Biblical book of Exodus because of what censors described as "historical inaccuracies".


The head of the censorship board said these included the film's depiction of Jews as having built the Pyramids, and that an earthquake, not a miracle by Moses, caused the Red Sea to part.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-30605059


TheGuardian has an article titled Diaries reveal Jewish suffering during Holocaust in Hungary which describes how a "defiant doctor hid Jewish boy and his aunt from Nazis in her Budapest home during the late stages of the second world war."
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/dec/27/hungary-holocaust-diaries-budapest-jews


TheGuardian also has an interesting article titled Pakistan’s last self-declared Jew campaigns to save cemetery.

Below are two headlines of articles regarding the same event.

Israel saves life of Palestinian baby, after child collapses at border crossing

7-month-old evacuated after fainting while waiting at Allenby Bridge


26 Dec 2014

The roar of Yehudah

This week's Parsha relates how Yosef Hatzadik wanted to incarcerate Binyomin for his "theft" of the goblet, telling his brothers that Binyomin shall remain behind while the rest of them return "B'Shalom" to their father's house. The Midrash states that Yehuda roared "How can there be shalom in our father's house if Binyomin is not there with us?!"The Midrash says that Yehuda screamed so loud that even Chushim Ben Dan, who was deaf, was able to hear him!

Why does the Midrash deem it necessary to detail the decibel level of Yehuda's cry?
Continue reading: http://baltimorejewishlife.com/news/news-detail.php?SECTION_ID=45&ARTICLE_ID=55696

להקריב את החיים בשביל לא לבייש


For third time this week, shots fired at Paris Jewish target


The NYDailyNews has an article titled Israeli girl badly burnt by firebomb tossed at car.

The firebombing is the latest in a string of recent attacks against Israelis, including violence in Jerusalem and in West Bank settlements.

In October, a Palestinian man drove his car into a crowd of commuters in Jerusalem. At least eight people were injured and a 3-month-old girl was killed.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/israeli-girl-badly-burnt-firebomb-west-bank-article-1.2056585


An RT article has the headline 11yo Jewish girl critically injured as firebomb hits West Bank settlers.


A caption under a phot in the article reads, "Jewish settler children walk together after leaving school in the West Bank Jewish settlement of Bat Ayin, south of Bethlehem."


After detailing the attack, the article goes on to dig up incidents of Palestinian children being hit by rubber and sponge bullets, without mentioning that the incidents took place amongst clashes between the two sides.


Two articles describing the same incident, but with two very different perspectives.

Making amends

After 522 Years, Spain Seeks To Make Amends For Expulsion Of Jews


Collive has a video of Santa putting on tefillin for the first time over here.

Our Parsha begins with Yehuda drawing close to argue with Yosef on Binyomin's behalf. He tells Yosef that he is more involved than the rest of his brothers because he took responsiblilty for Binyomin by telling his father, if he doesn't return him alive he will lose his Olam HaBa.

The Vilna Gaon says that this is hinted in the Truppe (notes) of the first words of the Parsha. KADMA V'AZLA R'VI'I, ZARKA MUNACH SEGOL. KADMA V'AZLA - The 4th (son) went forward (in confrontation with Yosef), because he had thrown away(Zarka) his place among the Chosen (Nation)- "Munach Segol" -(when he promised Binyomin's safe return). It was therefore Yehudah who entered in to the controversy more than his brothers
http://www.revach.net/parshas-hashavua/quick-vort/Parshas-VaYigash-Vilna-Gaon-Yehuda-Sings-A-Tune-Of-Sacrifice/1492


25 Dec 2014

Really caring

Yeranen Yaakov linked to an excellent article by Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz titled We Really Care.

The Lakewood Scoop writes about the petirah of a young child who was struck by a vehicle. Below is a comment posted under the article.

The girl is named after Rebbetzin Kanievsky… One of the most special women Klal Yisrael had. In her biography from artscroll page 335 there is a special letter that Rebbetzin Kanievsky wrote to parents who lost their young children. May she be meiltz yosher for Klal yisroel. http://www.thelakewoodscoop.com/news/2014/12/tragedy-toddler-niftar-after-being-struck-by-vehicle.html

I turned to page 335 and found a letter from Rebbetzin Kanievsky to Mrs. Kletzky, written after the murder of Leiby Kletzky.

Parshas VaYigash - It's Never Too Late




A scathing response

HuffPost Editor Likens Joseph and Mary to Palestinians — a Law Professor Wasn’t Having Any of That and Wrote a Scathing Response


This morning I read how a sniper from Gaza fired at an Israeli soldier. Check the headlines at Haaretz and the JPost regarding the incident. How was the soldier wounded in an exchange of fire as the Haaretz headline reads?


Israeli soldier seriously wounded in exchange of fire on Gaza border

Sniper fire from Gaza seriously injures IDF soldier; Army responds


A strong correlation exists between religiosity and personal happiness, according to a new study by the Austin Institute for the Study of Family and Culture.
http://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2014/12/24/religious-people-much-happier-than-others-new-study-shows/


14 Dec 2014

The Kalamazoo menorah

A small group of Jews from throughout the Kalamazoo area were joined by a handful of interested citizens Sunday while they set up a Hannukah menorah in Bronson Park.
Read more: http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2014/12/hanukkah_menorah_raised_in_bro.html

Zidan isn’t a name usually heard at a Jewish circumcision, but a New York couple gave their newborn son the moniker to honor a Druze policeman killed while responding to a terror attack on a Jerusalem synagogue last month.
Read more: http://www.timesofisrael.com/jewish-couple-names-son-after-druze-cop-killed-in-terror-attack/#ixzz3Lu2qPpNC


CIF Watch reports Guardian editorial condemning CIA torture curiously includes image of a Jewish menorah.


One comment posted under the Guardian article reads, "Dubya with the huge shadow of a Menorah in the background. Score one for subliminal antisemitism."
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/dec/14/observer-view-on-torture#start-of-comments

Paul Greenberg asks Can Seafood Be Kosher and Sustainable?


Israel Matzav points to an NYT correction of an obituary.
An earlier version of this obituary misstated the location of Alon Shvut, where Mr. Marks lived. It is in the West Bank, not in Israel.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/11/books/gil-marks-historian-of-jewish-food-and-culture-dies-at-62.html?smid=fb-share&_r=5



Alon Shvut (Hebrew: אַלּוֹן שְׁבוּת) is an Israeli settlement located southwest of Jerusalem,
...Alon Shvut, literally "oak of return", is a reference to the return of the Jews expelled from Gush Etzion by the Jordanian Arab Legion in 1948 following the Kfar Etzion massacre...
... Alon Shvut is located on the site of the Battle of Beth Zechariah, fought between the Maccabees and the Seleucid army after the defeat of the Seleucids in Jerusalem. The ancient town of Beth Zechariah, in northern Judea, is identified with the ruins of Khirbet Zechariah, less than a kilometer north of Alon Shvut. It was considered the nearest area to Jerusalem whose topography could be exploited by the Maccabees to block the northward advance of the Seleucid army, after the Maccabee defeat in the Battle of Beth Zur.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alon_Shvut


Two versions of an incident- You choose which one to believe.
Israeli settlers torched a West Bank mosque in an apparent revenge attack today, Palestinian officials said, as the US top diplomat headed to Jordan to discuss the spiralling violence.

“The settlers set fire to the whole of the first floor of the mosque” in Al-Mughayir village near the West Bank city of Ramallah, a security official said. Police confirmed the incident and opened an investigation.
http://www.themalaymailonline.com/world/article/israeli-settlers-torch-west-bank-mosque-in-suspected-revenge-attack#sthash.7MQeknDk.dpuf

A fire at a West Bank mosque last month was most likely caused by an electrical fault and not the result of arson, Israel’s police said on Sunday.  
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/15/world/middleeast/arson-ruled-out-in-fire-at-west-bank-mosque-israeli-police-say.html?ribbon-ad-idx=4&rref=world/middleeast&module=Ribbon&version=context&region=Header&action=click&contentCollection=Middle%20East&pgtype=article

Four forces

The simple story of the Dreidel or Sivivon is that it was a decoy used by the little children learning the Aleph Bais in case the Yivanim caught them. The Bnei Yisaschar brings some deep remazim regarding the dreidel.

The four sides of the dreidel have the letters, Nun, Gimel, Shin, Hey. These stand for the four forces in a person. Nefesh or spirit-Nun, Guf or physicality-Gimel, Sechel or intellect-Shin, and a higher spirit combining the other three, HaKol-Hey. The four nations of Bavel, Yavan, Rome, and Madai each opposed a specific one of these forces. Moshiach, whose gematria is 358 the same as Nun, Gimel, Shin, Hey, will annul these forces forever. Then Hashem's reign will be accepted by all. Hashem Melech, Hashem Malach, Hashem Yimloch L'Olam Va'ed also equals 358 like our dreidel and Moshiach.

The dreidel spins on its point. All these nations on each side of the dreidel all focus on Bnei Yisroel. The four side gradually decrease and disappear into this point, as the four nations will disappear and become batel to Am Yisroel.
http://revach.net/moadim/chanukah/Chanukah-Some-Hidden-Secrets-Of-The-Dreidel/3164


Former CIA Director James Woolsey spoke to Galei Tzahal (IDF Radio) on Thursday, and emphasized that the ongoing incarceration of Jonathan Pollard (60), now in his 30th year behind American prison bars, has "no good reason."
Read more: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/188557#.VI1S2JVATIU


What it really means to be a hero and the need to stamp out labels in Judaism were address at a great gathering at the Great Synagogue.
Continue reading: http://collive.com/show_news.rtx?id=33194&alias=stereotypes-crushed-in-jerusalem



13 Dec 2014

Temporary versus eternal

The Jews may have originated in the Middle East but they were long ago scattered far and wide - to the Gulf, among other places. Few now remain, except in Iran. But a century ago, writes Matthew Teller, there was even a proposal to found a Jewish state at an oasis near Bahrain.
Continue reading: http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-magazine-monitor-30447043


The Jewish Press reports , "A Jewish man found a swastika drawn on the gate to his home where he had put up decorations for Hanukkah."
http://www.jewishpress.com/news/breaking-news/hanukkah-decorated-florida-home-vandalized-with-swastika/2014/12/13/

Speaking about the Jewish Press, can they please correct the typo in the headline of another article titled 'Lieberman Open to Labor Coalition' means 'I am Running Sacred.' I don't suppose he is running holy, but rather running scared.

This afternoon I was reading Gateway to Happiness by Rabbi Zelig Pliskin and ruminated upon the following passage.

The only type of joy that can really be complete is the joy of fulfiiling a mitzvvah. Joy over material matters is by necessity limited since all material matters are only temporary. But the value of a mitzvah is eternal, hence the joy of fulfilling a mitzvah can be without limits.
... Phyiscal pleasures have an extremely short existence. Immediately after one has gratified oneself, the pleasure is no longer there.


A little while later, I was reading an article in the IHT and cam' across the following words, which seemed to reinforce the message that was transmitted from the above words.

Material things appear to be permanent, while experiences seem evanescent and likely to be forgotten. Should you take a second honeymoon with your spouse, or get a new couch? The week away sounds great, but hey — the couch is something you’ll have forever, right?

Wrong. Thirty years from now, when you are sitting in rocking chairs on the porch, you’ll remember your second honeymoon in great detail. But are you likely to say to one another, “Remember that awesome couch?” Of course not. It will be gone and forgotten. Though it seems counterintuitive, it is physically permanent stuff that evaporates from our minds. It is memories in the ether of our consciousness that last a lifetime, there for us to enjoy again and again.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/14/opinion/sunday/arthur-c-brooks-abundance-without-attachment.html?_r=0

Bayit U’Menucha: Happiness – “Keeping Up With The Jones’s” , Not Me!



12 Dec 2014

The vending machine prize

The NYDailyNews reports 4-year-old Okla. boy puts quarter in vending machine, gets Nazi ring.


Faith schools are tightening their grip on the top spots in primary league tables, official figures reveal.

Of the 693 best-performing schools, 62 per cent were faith schools – up from 60 per cent last year – although they account for only a third of primaries nationally.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2870947/Faith-schools-gaining-spots-primary-league-tables.html#ixzz3LgfQD1Pd

Parshas VaYshev - Being Grateful ' Even for the 'Small' Things

11 Dec 2014

Thanking G-d

Parshas VaYashev - This Too Is For My Best

Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis writes about a recent trip to Israel in an article titled The Sun is Ashamed to Shine.

The mother of stabbing victim Levi Rosenblatt was reunited with her son on Wednesday, thanking G-d for a "miracle."
Continue reading: http://collive.com/show_news.rtx?id=33196&alias=injured-bochur-reunited-with-mom

9-year-old Eli is fighting a battle against cancer. Imagine his surprise when the 8th Day Band showed up at his home.
Continue reading: http://collive.com/show_news.rtx?id=33195&alias=8th-day-surprise-boy-with-cancer

After watching the video below, which I discovered at Collive, I took a moment to thank Hashem for my health. Without a wake up call, I usually take it for granted.


Unwavering commitment

Michael Medved has written an article titled Correcting Mistakes About Hanukkah.


Far from a victory for tolerance, or for the ideals of moral relativism, Hanukkah counts as a commemoration of fervent, unwavering religious commitment and Jewish particularism. It emphasizes the ancient covenant demanding that Jews differentiate themselves from their pagan neighbors – and oppressors. To the frustration of most Jewish Americans (who tilt irrationally but stubbornly to the left), this is a holiday far more in line with underlying messages of today's religious right than the secularist sentiments of the ACLU.
http://www.truthrevolt.org/commentary/medved-correcting-mistakes-about-hannukah


Yesterday's State Department briefing included the following questions.


QUESTION: It’s my understanding – and correct me if I’m wrong – that the Justice Department says that it does not intend to reopen any investigation into the alleged – what was alleged to have happened. And I’m wondering if you – if that’s not wrong, how it is going to be when you call for accountability for rights abuses in other countries, how you’re going to be able to do that without being essentially laughed out of the room?


QUESTION: Yes, very quickly. Today in the West Bank, in the occupied West Bank, Palestinian official Ziad Abu Ein was killed as a result of a scuffle with the occupation army. I wonder if you have a statement on that.


QUESTION: So the claim that you are trying to unseat or helping in the process to unseat Netanyahu is wrong, correct?


QUESTION: That’s what Likud sources – they’re saying that you are rallying, you’re marshaling resources and efforts and so on, basically, to seat someone else other than Netanyahu.
Read the whole transcript: http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/dpb/2014/12/234934.htm


10 Dec 2014

Jewish values

David Benkof has written an interesting article titled Liberal Orthodoxy, Not Jewish Orthodoxy: ‘Repairing The World’ Isn’t In The Torah.

And make no mistake: tikkun olam as it’s used today grew out of recent liberal American politics, and is not a value uniting the Jewish community across space and time. If tikkun olam is for everybody, why are its advocates almost always on the left? Right-of-center Jews like me believe in world-repairing policies just as compatible – if not more so — with Jewish values. http://dailycaller.com/2014/12/10/liberal-orthodoxy-not-jewish-orthodoxy-repairing-the-world-isnt-in-the-torah/

A Jewish MP says he has received death threats because of his religion.

Lee Scott, the Conservative MP for Ilford North, said he has had five death threats in the last year.
Read more: http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-30416704


רעיית הקדוש הי"ד לנשים: 'קצרו את הפאות הארוכות'


Alleviating pain

I went to visit an elderly woman in an old age home yesterday and met a friend who was taking care of a nonagenarian. My friend was complaining of severe back pain and was at her wit's end.
As I was on my way home, I bumped into a woman who was touting the benfits of magnetized water and  therapeutic magnetic jewelry  to alleviate chronic pain. She told me that the people who received the products from her experienced less pain. She added that she prayed for them to get well.
I wanted to blurt out to her, "Okay, how about if I skip the magnetic therapy products and proceed to your praying for me instead?"
Probably the woman's prayer is providing more benefit than the magnetized jewelry.  All I can say is Baruch Hashem that I don't suffer from back pain my friend is experiencing.

In an article titled Twice-Bereaved Mom Refuses Bibi's Offer of Likud MK Spot? Miriam Peretz explains why she turned down Prime Minister Netanyahu's offer to go into politics. She prefers to devote her life to meeting and educating IDF soldiers;


“I need the personal touch, it keeps me alive,” she added. “I will not have that when I am sealed off inside the Knesset. I pray to G-d to give me strength to continue and light the heritage of the fallen – not just of my sons, but of all of the fallen soldiers of this country. They fell so that we can be worthy, so that we build a country that seeks kindness, and that yearns for this peace, already. I am doing it my way.”
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/188469#.VIgZvZVATIU


US comedian Joan Rivers left money in her will for some of her favourite charities, including Guide Dogs for the Blind, Jewish Guild Healthcare and Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
Read more: http://www.jewishnews.co.uk/joan-rivers-includes-jewish-charities-will-fortune/



9 Dec 2014

One positive thing

Susanne Cervenka writes about being happy and outlines the tips of author Shawn Achor for achieving joy.


Write down three new things you are grateful for everyday.
Journal about one positive thing that you have experienced every 24 hours
Exercise for at least 10 minutes a day, which he says teaches your brain that your behavior matters
Meditate for at least 10 minutes a day, which will train your brain to focus on one thing
Send random acts of kindness: write one positive email or note thanking or praising someone in your social support network every day
http://www.app.com/story/life/wellness/2014/12/08/studying-happiness/20090425/

Rabbi Daniel Glatstein talks about giving to others in a short video titled Parashat Vayeshev: The Secret Of How To Live And Really Be Successful

Rabbi Yonoson Roodyn talks about Hilchos Chanukah In 10 Minutes.


Congressman Trey Gowdy questioned Jonathan Gruber about comments he made regarding the stupidity of the American voter. In one instance Professor Gruber responds, "Once again, it is another example of my inexcusable arrogance in trying to insult others to make myself seem smarter."
http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2014/12/video_of_trey_gowdys_questioning_of_jonathan_gruber_today.html


Isn't that what people do when they speak lashon hara? Insulting others to make oneself seem superior to another?


27 Nov 2014

Every day is Thanksgiving

Dr. David Lazerson writes about his Thanksgiving moment. He writes about how how a librarian at the school where he was teaching music whose job it was to "save souls" asked him whether Jews believed in Thanksgiving. One of his students saved Dr. Lazerson from answering.

"Shoot, everyday is Thanksgiving to Dr. Laz," he declared. "He says a blessing over everything he eats. Every day! Every time!"
http://collive.com/show_news.rtx?id=32994&alias=my-thanksgiving-incident

הקבלה של תלמידי ישיבת מיר אחרי הטבח בבית הכנסת


Looking up

A Thanksgiving Sermon delivered in 1851 by Rabbi Sabato Morais.

Rebecca Terrell writes about the history of Thanksgiving in America and quotes Abraham Lincoln who talks about nations being blessed whose G-d is the Lord.

In a video regarding this week's parsha, Rabbi Wallerstein has a question regarding Yaakov Avinu's dream about the angels going up and down a ladder. Why was it a ladder? Why wasn't it steps?
Cause a ladder is the only thing that whether you're going up or down, you're always looking up. So Hashem wantd to show Yaakov Avinu that whether you're going up the ladder, whether you're going down the ladder, G-d is standing on top. Hashem says even when you're falling and you're doing sins, and you're not doing so well, always look up.


The singer in the video below looks up when he sings about Hashem and thanks G-d for all.



26 Nov 2014

Thanks a bunch

"Again she [Leah] conceived and bore a son and declared, 'This time I will thankfully praise Hashem'." Beresheet 29:35

The Talmud says: "From the time of creation there was no person who praised Hashem until Leah came and thanked him upon the birth of Yehudah. (Berakhot 7b)" Could it be that Leah did not express thanks for her first three children? Is it possible Abraham, Yitzhak, Sarah and Ribka never thanked Hashem for their good fortunes? Was there no human being before Leah who gratefully praised G-d?
Read more: http://www.torah.org/learning/tabletalk/5764/vayeitzei.html


This afternoon I heard about how a relative thanked his grandmother for supper.


"I wanted to thank you and show how much I appreciate how you served dinner in shifts, first serving my grandfather and then having to heat up food a second time because I was working late. I especially wanted to thank you because today my manager asked me to do many tasks at work; I put in a great amount of effort and the manager didn't even say thank you when I completed what had been assigned.
I learned a lesson today on how important it is to thank someone so, once again, I thank you for the effort you put into the dinner this evening."


Click here to read a beautiful letter of appreciation that accompanied the delivery of pizza to the Houston police and fire departments.


Below is an individual who shows his appreciation to the Holtzbergs, HY'D, for all that they did for him and his sister.


I will end this post by thanking Hashem for all the good bestowed upon me.
Thank you to my family, my friends and to you all.



Jewish Heritage night

Why UNRWA Perpetuates the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict


Donors offer $5,000 for stopping terror attacks


New York Times Israel Correspondent Jodi Rudoren Attacks Critics as ‘Noisy Group of Advocates’
 

As the Nets gear up for the third season in their new home in Brooklyn, CTeen, Chabad’s global teen network, is planning its 2nd Annual Jewish Heritage Night which will take place in the Nets’ arena, Barclays Center, on the fifth night of Chanukah.
Read more: http://jewishvoiceny.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9273:nets-to-host-chanukah-jewish-heritage-night-at-barclays-center&catid=119:sports&Itemid=321


An IDF commander will no longer be able to prosecute a soldier who has been exempted from shaving his facial hair for religious reasons.
Following the imprisonment of a soldier-student who refused to shave his beard on grounds of religion, as first reported by Ynet, the army has announced that it will change its procedures on the matter.
Read more: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4596009,00.html





25 Nov 2014

Coming under live fire

Former University of Illinois professor Steven Salaita received a standing ovation from Middle East scholars and academics from around the world on Saturday afternoon.

Salaita, who was terminated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign faculty in September for a series of viciously anti-Israel tweets during the Gaza War, seemed overwhelmed by the hero’s welcome.
Read more: http://freebeacon.com/culture/disgraced-anti-israel-professor-cheered-in-washington/


Reader-submitted: Tzevet Hatzolah Seeks to Purchase Helmets after Coming Under Live Fire at Scene of Har Nof Massacre

NFL Star Reggie Bush Joins With Pro-Palestinian Activists in Co-opting Ferguson Tragedy

Meddling in their affairs

Sen. Ted Cruz, ’16 Presidential Hopeful, Woos New York Jewish Donors

Israeli officials have rebuked the U.S. for meddling in their country’s domestic affairs after it voiced concerns about efforts to enshrine Israel’s Jewish character in law.
 Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-11-25/israeli-officials-rebuke-u-s-on-reaction-to-jewish-state-bill.html?cmpid=yhoo

'I Held a Talmud in One Hand and Fought with the Other'

WATCH protesters loot LIQUOR STORE, smash windows at McDonald’s [VIDEO]

24 Nov 2014

Eliminating machloket

"With the advent of the footsteps of Mashiach, insolence will increase and prices will soar; ..the government will turn to heresy and no one will rebuke them; ...the wisdom of the scholars will degenerate, those who fear sin will be despised, and the truth will be lacking; youths will put old men to shame, elders will rise in deference to the young, a son will revile his father, a daughter will rise up against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law,...a son will not feel ashamed before his father. ...So upon whom can we rely? -- Upon our Father Who is in heaven." (Sotah 9:15)

The DailyMail reports, Our timid generation of parents: Mothers and fathers are afraid to discipline their children because they will be shamed by them on Facebook says top head.

The ‘Truly Frightening’ Thing a Texas Teacher Allegedly Told One Mother

I just finished listening to Rabbi Daniel Travis speaking about Rabbi Schtenrbach’s Message About The Har Nof Massacre.
Rabbi Travis spoke about working on eliminating machloket. He mentioned that the last argument where someone was completely right and another was completely wrong was the machloket of Moshe and Korach. So, let's remember when we are in the middle of a quarrel that we aren't 100% right and there's room for us to see the other side.


The rabbi also spoke about some people who were saved from the Har Nof massacre. One anecdote that he mentioned I recognized from an email I received this evening from Daily Emunah.



A woman said that her husband prays in that minyan each day of the week except Tuesday, when he prays at a synagogue closer to his home because he comes home to play with his son, a thirteen-year-old boy with Downs Syndrome. After the boy was born, thirteen years ago, his mother went with him to Rebbetzin Kanievsky to receive encouragement. The rebbetzin held the sleeping baby in her arms and said, "You don't even know what kind of protection this precious child will bring you." Now, thirteen years later, it is very clear what kind of protection the boy provided.

Terrifying moments

Oh, Jerusalem by Roger L Simon.

Rabbi Shmuel Goldstein, one of several people seriously wounded in last week's horrific attack on a synagogue in Jerusalem, has described his "miraculous" survival to journalists for the first time.

Speaking with some difficulty from a wheelchair at the Hadassah Ein Kerem hospital in Jerusalem where he is being treated for his wounds, Rabbi Goldstein recounted the terrifying moment two terrorists burst in during morning prayers at Har Nof's Kehillat Bnei Torah synagogue.
Continue reading and watch video: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/187784#.VHL3kpVATIU


23 Nov 2014

School textbooks

A group that combats anti-Semitism is asking the governor of Tennessee to investigate school textbooks not only because of instances of anti-Semitism but also hundreds of inaccuracies, biases and disinformation, including anti-American and anti-Christian content.
Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2014/11/islam-anti-semitism-sneak-into-tennessee-textbooks/#5W7jOSgj7Xmrb6q5.99

KikarHashabat has a video of the wife of Rabbi Moshe Twersky HY'D, saying that her husband was niftar amidst holiness, having gone to the mikvah, having said Shema and in the middle of the Shemoneh Esrei when he was murdered.

Maan News reports that  a once considered "high risk" Saudi Arabian "regarded as a previously active member of al-Qaeda" who was held at Guantanamo Bay for 12 years has been sent home.

The review board, composed of representatives from six government agencies, including the State and Defense departments, decided on Oct. 3 that Zahrani no longer represented a threat to the United States.


Jonathan Pollard, on the other hand, has not been released, after serving 30 years.







13 Nov 2014

Good deeds

There's a great Hakoras Hatov anecdote at Collive regarding a Nepalese man who traveled quite a distance to say thank you to Chabad representative, Rabbi Chezky Lifshitz.


Collive also has a story about an unlucky find inside a mezuzah.


ZivugZone.com Approaches 6,000 Members As It Seeks to Make More Shidduchim 



At work and at play

The Jewish Press writes, "Among the different sectors of Israeli women, Hareidi women have the highest percentage in the workforce, according to a Ynet report. The article concludes, "at the end of each day, when they finish bringing home the bacon, with an average of 6.5 children per family, that's when the hard work really begins - at home."
http://www.jewishpress.com/news/breaking-news/hareidi-women-work-the-most/2014/11/13/


Should the expression "bringing home the bacon have been used?" After all, David Seinfeld just admitted the following in an interview.


 "I think I'm on the spectrum…Basic social engagement is really a struggle. I'm very literal. People talk to me and they use expressions and sometimes I don't know what they're saying."


Perhaps he and others might interpret the expression literally.


INN asks Cover Up? Mosque 'Arson' May Have Been Electrical Fire.
Space heater found at 'price tag' arson site disappears during journalist's investigation into fire's source.

During the State Department Briefing yesterday, Spokesperson Jen Psaki was asked whether she "had a rection to the torching of a mosque in the West Bank today by some Jewish extremists."



MS. PSAKI: Let’s see. The United States condemns the attack against a mosque in the West Bank. We believe that such hateful and provocative actions against a place of worship are never justified. We look to law enforcement officials to quickly investigate and bring to justice the perpetrators of this attack. We encourage local authorities to work together with the community to reduce tension, to defend religious freedom, and to work against incitement.

Before the investigation into the fire has been competed, how can Ms. Psaki be so sure that it was caused by hateful action and not caused by an electical malfunction?

Another exchange during the briefing involved an Israëli basketball player.

QUESTION: There are reports that the State Department denied the renewal of an Israeli basketball player who was – the Indiana Pacers were trying to sign or to – I understand that that’s not correct, that it wasn’t denied, but I’m wondering if you can explain what the problem was that led to him being not allowed to play for the Pacers.

MS. PSAKI: Well, as is true of almost – most of these cases, which you referred to in your question, I can’t speak to specifics. I can convey, though, that the Department of Homeland Security handles, among other responsibilities, requests for petitions and extensions and adjustments of status. And often when individuals are requesting for an extension of a stay, that is where their case would go. So that would not be the State Department.


...QUESTION: Okay. And there is nothing – this case is not being handled – or let’s say: Is it correct that this case is being handled the same way other similar cases of foreign athletes are being handled and there is not any difference simply because this guy is Israeli?
Read more: http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/dpb/2014/11/233963.htm

12 Nov 2014

Dietary laws

The Jewish Divide Over Jerusalem's Most Sensitive Holy Site


Cover Up? Mosque 'Arson' May Have Been Electrical Fire


Lawrence Kadish writes Ancient Kosher Laws Have Lessons for a 21st Century War against Ebola.


Centuries ago, with an understanding of microbes and hygiene still far in the future, Jews observed that those who ate meat from sick or dead animals would often fall ill and die. Similar woes could result from animals not consumed in a timely way after being slaughtered. While they didn't know of trichinosis, they also saw that eating pork could be fatal.
...there was an understanding among Jews that certain culinary behavior triggered serious illness. As a result, dietary laws were put into place by an observant community that sought to protect the individual and public health. They were then codified by religious leaders for the purpose of creating a collective societal memory of what the faithful could and could not consume.
Read more: http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/4873/ancient-kosher-laws-ebola


In an article titled Keeping Kosher: Jewish Dietary Laws  the author opines about the laws of kashrut.


These prohibitions derive from specific instructions in the Torah, primarily in Deuteronomy and Leviticus. These instructions were then interpreted, expanded and modified by rabbis as Jews encountered new cultures and situations.
https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3273796770070251781#editor/target=post;postID=2677337988442749596


Lawrence Kadish makes it sound as if the kosher laws were codified by happenstance, as situations arose. The kosher laws, however, have their roots in the Torah with specific verses issuing prohinbitions as to what may not be eaten.


Charles C. Johnson calls attention to Attorney General nominee Loretta Lynch's membership in a certain Harvard Association. Read more here.

Humanizing the attacker

Modern Orthodoxy: A model for the great American Jewish dream


To appease Muslim concerns, school district drops religious holidays from calendar


IsraelMatzav writes Obama State Department prevents Israeli from playing in the NBA.

Seth Mandel has wriiten an article at Commentary Magazine titled Humanity Lost: Jewish Victims of Terror and the New York Times.

A friend in Israel passed along this beautiful remembrance of one of yesterday’s victims of Palestinian terrorist attacks, 26-year-old Dahlia Lemkus, written by Sherry Mandell. She writes that although the New York Times put in the effort to learn about Lemkus’s Palestinian murderer, “We learn nothing about 26 year old Dahlia, who was just getting started in life after finishing college, studying occupational therapy so that she could have a job where she could help people who were sick or infirm or disabled to live in a fuller way.” Mandell proceeds to tell the readers all about Lemkus.
http://www.commentarymagazine.com/2014/11/11/humanity-lost-jewish-victims-of-terror-and-the-new-york-times/


The New York Times writes about the Palestinian who stabbed a soldier at a train station in Tel Aviv the other day. The photo under the headline has the caption "A demonstrator waved a Palestinian flag during clashes with Israeli soldiers on Tuesday outside a military prison near Ramallah, in the West Bank."
The paper could have chosen a photo of demonstrators throwing Molotov cocktails, but, for some reason, chose to focus on a man waving a flag. It then goes on to humanize the attacker, not the victim.
Sawsan Abu Hashieh said she packed a bag of clothing on Sunday for her 18-year-old son, Nur al-Din, who told her he planned to sneak into Israel to work for two weeks.
...Mr. Abu Hashieh, who became a heroic figure to Askar’s young people overnight, is a militant in what many Palestinians see as a new kind of armed struggle, a leaderless uprising of sporadic outbursts against the Israeli occupation and policies.
The paper attributes the escalation to "fear of a Jewish takeover of the Al Aqsa compound in Jerusalem’s Old City and quote a Hebron community leader, "“Once you actually come and touch the Aqsa mosque, that’s the red line."
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/12/world/middleeast/a-leaderless-palestinian-revolt-proves-more-difficult-to-curb-.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=first-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0



11 Nov 2014

The life of Dahlia

Sherri Mandell gives us a glimpse into the life of Dahlia Lemkus in an article titled What they didn’t tell you about Dahlia.

These were the years of the life of Sarah. - These were the years of the life of Dahlia.

Chadrei Charedim reports on the Admor M"Sanz Klozenberg's short visit to Israel tomorrow to fulfill a promise made years ago to a young man that he would participate in his wedding.

INN reports on Marwan Barghouti's words regarding armed resistance.

Arch-terrorist Marwan Barghouti urged the Palestinian Authority (PA) leadership to give its backing to "armed resistance" against Israel in a letter published Tuesday as a wave of violence surged, according to AFP.
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/187326#.VGJ1r5VATIU

One comment posted under the INN article included, "I don't understand why he is allowed to make any public statements at all from prison. Especially calls to violence. He is being treated like a visiting head of state."


Free speech?

Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys filed suit in federal court Friday on behalf of a Pine Creek High School senior told that he and a group of other students may no longer informally meet to pray and discuss religious topics during free time as they have for the past three years.
Read more: http://www.adfmedia.org/News/PRDetail/82001?search=1

FreeBeacon has an article titled House Committee Demands Answers on Truthy Project

Taxpayer-funded initiative collected 600,000 political tweets in its ‘database,’ bragged about having conservative Twitter accounts suspended
http://freebeacon.com/issues/house-committee-demands-answers-on-truthy-project-2/


After State Department Spokesperson Jan Psaki  stated "we urge all parties to exercise restraint," a couple of questions are posed to her.


QUESTION: All right. I’m just going to assume – but correct me if I’m wrong – that when you say all parties’ restraint, you’re talking about the – who are you talking about?

MS. PSAKI: Well, we’re talking about the Israelis, the Palestinians – any who are involved in these tension-raising, rhetoric-raising incidents.

QUESTION: Okay. But, I mean, if you’re standing at a bus stop or something and someone runs a car into you or comes up and stabs you, I don't know how – I mean, those people aren’t – don’t need to exercise restraint, do they?
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/dpb/2014/11/233921.htm

In the first video below (uploaded in 2010), after a member of a member of United Nations Watch criticizes the Commission on Human RIghts, he is told that "any statements you make in similar tones to those used today will be taken out of the record."


In the second video below Ed Miliband is called "brave and principled" for saying "this time Israel has gone too far." Listen and cringe to hear what is acceptable to opine on the BBC regarding the "Jewish lobby."
 



10 Nov 2014

Where Jewish Temples once stood

A NYT article from 2000 makes reference to the Temple Mount and mentions that the complex is known to Muslims as Haram al Sharif.


A NYT from today refers to Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound and makes mention that Israel refers to it as the Temple Mount.


What a difference 14 years make.


Tightly guarded by an Israeli security cordon, Ariel Sharon, the right-wing Israeli opposition leader, led a group of Israeli legislators onto the bitterly contested Temple Mount today to assert Jewish claims there, setting off a stone-throwing clash that left several Palestinians and more than two dozen policemen injured.
...The complex, known to Muslims as Haram al Sharif, or the Noble Sanctuary, contains Al Aksa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock, sacred shrines of Islam. It is revered by Jews as the site of the First and Second Temples as well as the place where Abraham was prepared to sacrifice his son, Isaac.
http://www.nytimes.com/2000/09/29/world/29ISRA.html


Tension has risen anew over Israeli-controlled access to Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound, Islam's third holiest site, where biblical Jewish temples once stood.
....Israel refers to the Al-Aqsa compound as the Temple Mount...
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/11/10/uk-mideast-israel-violence-idUKKCN0IU0ZP20141110?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews

The other day I received an email which contained the following definition of ego.

EGO ----- Easing G-d Out

I thought of the above email when I read an article this morning titled HS senior tells Mike Huckabee why she’s fighting to keep ‘under God’ in the Pledge of Allegiance.

The way we treat our cell phone

Khamenei Threatens to Annihilate Israel – After Obama Sends Him Secret Letter

Op-Ed: Why and When was the Myth of al-Aqsa Created?


A federal jury found a Palestinian immigrant charged with immigration fraud guilty on Monday for failing to disclose her conviction and imprisonment in a Jerusalem supermarket bombing that killed two people.
Continue reading: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/481660d6167c4b5b83f9916d0e2785ac/jury-deliberates-fate-palestinian-bomb-convict


I received a couple of items in emails this morning which I thought I would pass on to you below. The video below had the subject line, "What a Kiddush Hashem."
I agree.



 



9 Nov 2014

The soul of Mashiach ben Yosef

Ladaatinfo reports on a lecture delivered by Rabbi Eliezer Berland in which he opined that Maran Hgr"a Ovadia Yosef, z'l  had the soul of Mashiach ben Yosef, only this generation did not merit his revelation and the bringing of "geulah."


Rabbi Benjamin Blech writes about a Jewish perspective on assisted suicide, in the wake of Brittany Maynard's tragic death last week.


Let me be clear. Had Brittany Maynard come to me while weighing her decision to ask for my input I would’ve shared with her my ambivalence between faith and feelings. I could understand her fear of facing an unbearable future. I could empathize to the best of my ability with her desire to avoid seemingly certain horrors. Yet to her question – who has the right to tell me that I don’t deserve this choice? – I would have to answer: “Only the One who has given you the gift of life has the right to end it.” Taking the life of another is called murder. It is not because we have no right to take someone else’s life. It is because we have no right to take away life. So too, we have no right to take away our own existence from this earth.


Rabbi Blech reminds readers that he was presented with a diagnosis by a doctor of "a fatal illness for which there is no cure. Research on the Internet informed me that from the time of diagnosis I would have no more than six months to live. That happened almost three years ago. With great thanks to God and in almost all certainty as response to my prayers and the prayers of countless others, I feel fine today and hopefully look forward to the proverbial 120 years of life."

Thankfully, Rabbi Blech did not choose to end his life and is still writing in his inimitable fashion and imparting words of wisdom to his avid reading audience.


30 Oct 2014

Questions

VIDEO: Launch of New Global Women’s Movement – Ner Echad

Collive has a reponse by the Lubavitcher Rebbe to a question about weight loss over here.

Many of the questions posed at the State Department briefing of October 29th focused on Israel including the two questions below.

QUESTION: Okay. And did you see Prime Minister Netanyahu’s response, and in particular his reference to the security of – I think he said the Israeli people and Jerusalem, although he may have said Israel and Jerusalem. But implicit in his comment was that Jerusalem is theirs, which, of course, is not a position that the United States – belongs to Israel – which is not a position that the United States --

QUESTION: Right. But are you proud of the fact that the – is the Administration proud of the fact that it, quote/unquote, “boxed” Israel in or out of conducting some kind of military operation against the Iranians?
Read full transcript: http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/dpb/2014/10/233492.htm

I have been ending the posts the last few days with a video regarding Brachot perek 1, after reading about IsraelMatzav posting a notice requesting "people to study Mishna in memory of (Karen) Yamima Mosquera HY"D."


29 Oct 2014

A quality education

Malala Yousafzai, the youngest ever Nobel Peace Prize laureate, is to donate $50,000 (39,000 euros) to help rebuild United Nations schools in Gaza, the UNRWA said Wednesday.
... "We must all work to ensure Palestinian boys and girls, and all children everywhere, receive a quality education in a safe environment."
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/186770#.VFFLSZtATIU

Let's hope they receive a quality education.

WATCH: Video Of Yehuda Glick Taken Just Minutes Before He Was Shot

On CNN, Wolf Blitzer Says Kaddish

Shidduch Group 2nd Conference


Raccoon atop a lamp post

Just came across an unusual photo which can be viewed by clicking the link to the article.

PHOTO: Raccoon Atop Lamp Post in Queens

A raccoon has been rescued after climbing to the top of a light post in Queens and clinging there for hours.
http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Raccoon-Stuck-Light-Pole-Woodhaven-Queens-280681672.html?_osource=outbrain_recirc=obinsite

הגר"ח קנייבסקי לרב שמשון הלפרין: "חיה זיסל הייתה נשמה גבוהה"

Jonathan S. Tobin has written an article in Commentary titled Obama, Not Bibi, Created U.S.-Israel Crisis, in which he details the pejorative a White House official called Prime Minister Netanyahu, as written about by columnist Jeffrey Goldberg.

But President Obama and his foreign-policy team aren’t just annoyed by the prime minister. They’ve come to view him as public enemy No. 1, using language about him and giving assessments of his policies that are far harsher than they have ever used against even avowed enemies of the United States, let alone one of its closest allies.

Jeffrey Goldberg's article is titled The Crisis in U.S.-Israel Relations Is Officially Here and the journalist opines that the breakdown, in good part, can be assigned to Netanyahu and his cabinet.

Twitter users have pointed out to Mr. Goldberg the words he used in a 2008 article.

So, all you rumor-mongering, fever-headed Jewish conspiracists: Support McCain, if you want, and there are credible reasons for doing so, but stop smearing Obama in the face of overwhelming evidence that the man is a great friend of Jews and of Israel.
http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2008/10/dear-jews-stop-the-obama-paranoia/8913/

Rabbi Marvin Hier, the founder and Dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, has called on President Barack Obama to “name, apologize for, and repudiate” the anonymous official who was quoted, in an Atlantic Magazine article by Jeffrey Goldberg, describing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a “chickens....”
 http://www.algemeiner.com/2014/10/28/top-jewish-leader-hier-calls-on-obama-to-name-apologize-for-and-repudiate-anonymous-official-who-called-israeli-pm-netanyahu-chickenshit/

Yesterday I wrote about IsraelMatzav posting a notice requesting "people to study Mishna in memory of (Karen) Yamima Mosquera HY"D."

28 Oct 2014

A flood of Bibles

Last year there was Thanksgivukkah; This year, as Halloween falls on Shabbat, an organization is hosting a “Challahween Kabbalat Shabbat.”

Houston Mayor Annise Parker has received a flood of Bibles — somewhere between 500 and 1,000 according to a spokesman for the mayor’s office — after the city subpoenaed the church sermons of five local faith leaders opposed to the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance, which the mayor signed in May.
http://www.theblaze.com/?story=guess-how-many-bibles-have-arrived-at-the-office-of-the-houston-mayor-after-she-subpoenaed-pastors-sermons

The United Nations Relief and Works agency for Palestine Refugees has urged the international community to block Israeli plans to relocate thousands of Palestinian Bedouins from the central West Bank, in fear the move could lead to further violations of UN charter.
The UNRWA Commissioner General Pierre Krahenbuhl said on Sunday that the implementation of such a plan would stoke concerns "that it amounts to a 'forcible transfer' in contravention of the Fourth Geneva Convention".
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/09/un-warns-israel-against-relocating-bedouins-201492118213997830.html

Egypt may relocate thousands of Bedouin to widen buffer zone near Gaza border
Egypt is considering expanding the jurisdiction of military courts and displacing thousands of residents to enlarge a military buffer zone near the border with the Gaza Strip following an attack on security forces in the area.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/1.622751

Is the Egyptian transfer considered "in contravention of the Fourth Geneva Convention"?

IsraelMatzav posted a notice requesting "people to study Mishna in memory of (Karen) Yamima Mosquera HY"D."

The last moments

The Yeshiva World writes about MK Yoni Chetboun being menachem aveil the family of Chaya Zisel Braun HY”D.

The pained young father turned to Chetboun and shared his last moments of his daughter’s life. “I pointed out the Har Habayis to Chaya Zisel explaining this is where Avraham was ready to sacrifice Yitzchok Avinu. A willingness to be moser nefesh for Kiddush Hashem. And I also was moser my only daughter”.
- See more at: http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/headlines-breaking-stories/267717/bereaved-father-to-mk-chetboun-protect-the-bnei-torah.html#sthash.dQ27uoZu.dpuf

Another Anti-Semitic Hate Crime At Claremont McKenna College

Weasel Zippers has a post titled UC Berkeley Libs Trying To Get Bill Maher Disinvited From Speaking At Graduation For Criticizing Islam… which opines, "If Maher stuck to bashing Christianity he’d still be in good standing with his comrades on the left."

The State Department question and obfuscation session of October 27th had more than its share of questions about Israel including an answer by Jen Psaki in the video below in response to a question regarding Israeli settlement units.

A few other questions asked included the following exchange.

QUESTION: In the case of the Palestinian American teenager who was killed on Friday, are you – do you know the circumstances under which he was shot?

MS. PSAKI: I don’t have any more details.

QUESTION: There are – okay. The reason I ask is because there are reports out there that he was throwing Molotov cocktails at cars on a highway. And I’m wondering, if that is the case, would you have still been so speedy in putting out a statement and offering your condolences to the family? The argument that is being made by some in Israel is that this kid was essentially a terrorist. And you don’t agree with that, I assume, but I don’t know, so that’s why I’m asking.

MS. PSAKI: Correct, we don’t. I don’t have any more details on the circumstances now.

QUESTION: So you – does that – that would apply even if he was throwing Molotov cocktails?

MS. PSAKI: I’m not going to speculate. I don’t have details to share.

Read the entire briefing at http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/dpb/2014/10/233404.htm.

27 Oct 2014

Mi'Yagon l'Simcha

Kikar Hashabat writes about a hachnosat sefer Torah to take place this Thursday in the merit of the two young Gross girls who were niftar earlier this year after an exterminator visited their home.

Collive posts A mother writes a painful public letter to the happily married classmates of her daughter.
The letter has garnered over 100 comments, just as the Mishpacha article by Shlomo Rechnitz evinced many opinions about how to go about solving the shidduch crisis.

Rabbi Lazer Brody has an article titled The real Shimon Cohen.


Real "winners"

THE French municipality of Valenton (near Paris), has just named a street after Marwan Barghouti, the Palestinian terrorist convicted in 2004 of murdering at least five Israelis.
At the inauguration of the street, Valenton mayor Françoise Baud called Barghouti “the face of the unwavering resistance of the Palestinian people against the occupation, the crimes, the destruction, the apartheid and the colonization perpetrated by the Israeli government”.
Continue reading: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/15843#.VE3vGJtATIX

Ecuadoran President Rafael Correa on Sunday condemned last Wednesday's terrorist attack in Jerusalem.
The condemnation came hours after a citizen of Ecuador, 22-year-old Karen Mosquera, died of injuries sustained in last week’s attack, in which three-month-old Chaya Zisel Braun was murdered as well.
"We will reject violence from wherever it comes," Correa wrote on Twitter, according to AFP, expressing his solidarity with the woman's grieving relatives.
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/186630#.VE3vo5tATIU

What took so long for the condemnation? Is it violence only when it affects a citizien from your country?

Cosmic X reports:
Do you remember the "intermarriage of the year", when Moral Malka "wed" Mahmud Mansour a couple of months ago? Well, it looks like Moral picked a real "winner":
Continue reading: http://cosmicx.blogspot.be/2014/10/mahmoud-mansour-arrested-for-drug.html

Yid with Lid reports on a debate between Democrat Sen.Jeanne Shaheen and Republican Scott Brown.

The collapse of the incumbent Sen.Jeanne Shaheen's campaign continued Sunday morning at a candidate's forum taking place at Reform Synagogue Temple Adath Yeshurun. The heavily liberal crowd (Reform Jews tend to be the most liberal skewing Jews) booed the incumbent and called her rude after she interrupted Republican Scott Brown during his concluding remarks:
http://yidwithlid.blogspot.be/2014/10/audience-boos-rude-democrat-senjeanne.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+blogspot/NWlS+(YID+With+LID)
 
Does the Senator have to worry about the outcome of the election, particularly with voting machines reported about in the article below?

Voting machines that switch Republican votes to Democrats are being reported in Maryland. “When I first selected my candidate on the electronic machine, it would not put the ‘x’ on the candidate I chose — a Republican — but it would put the ‘x’ on the Democrat candidate above it,” reported Donna Hamilton. - See more at: http://www.teaparty.org/another-calibration-error-machines-flip-gop-votes-democrats-maryland-64063/?
 

26 Oct 2014

Your name shall be Abraham

לבכות: האמא בירכה שהחיינו בברית
In the week that we read in parshat Lech Lecha, "your name shall be Abraham," a baby has received the name Avraham (Chaim) after his father who was niftar before the bris. 

A woman, 22, has died Sunday, four days after she was mortally wounded when a terrorist plowed into a Jerusalem crowd with his car Wednesday.
She is the second victim of the attack to die. The first, baby Chaya Zisel Braun, died Wednesday.
The woman is a citizen of Ecuador who reportedly came to Israel with the intention of converting to Judaism.
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/186617#.VE05tJtATIU

BREAKING: NYPD Officer Shoots Man Who Ran At Him With A Box Cutter

As I read the headline, I immediately thought if anyone would remark that this was a disproportionate response and I have already seen a comment posted,  "I can hear it now...it was unfair because he only had a boxcutter and the cop had a gun.."

Many of composer Johann Sebastian Bach's best-loved works may have actually been written by his wife, an academic has claimed.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2808296/Did-Mrs-Bach-write-composer-s-finest-works-Handwriting-analysis-proves-musician-s-second-wife-penned-best-pieces-academics-claim.html#ixzz3HHcuAxKK