Yehuda Lave, Spiritual Advisor and Counselor | | | | Although there are many positive effects of psychotherapy, people can actually regress if they become addicted to negative mood states, such as anxiety, depression and resentment. Just as they can become addicted to cigarettes, internet or sweets, these states are powerful, cunning and seductive, leading us to believe that we are seeing reality and have no choice but to remain stuck there. The more one indulges, the more the addiction grows, since neural connections in the brain are reinforced each time we think, speak or act. Our thoughts, words and actions either bring us closer to a sense of connection with Hashem or distance us from the essential G-dliness in ourselves and in the world. Hashem created the world in such a way that the greatest happiness will come from giving - giving thanks for what we have, for"giving" and giving to others in whatever way we can. One way I give to my readers is to be on the look out for great trips to take when they come up. During the intermediate days of Pesuch there will be some great trips. I am promoting two trips on Monday April 2 and Wednesday April 4. I have already shared the Wednesday trip. Here are the details for Monday. Contact me if you want to go. Love Yehuda Lave FULL DAY VISITING VITAL OUTPOST SETTLEMENTS SHOMRON MOUNTAINS , MONDAY, 2nd CHOL HAMOED PESACH, 17 Nisan -2/4/18 Come, join us in what promises to be yet another unforgettable, very worthwhile, enjoyable & meaningful experience in this whole vitally strategic, gorgeous area in a full-day tiyul during Pesach. By our very visit, we bring chizuk and encouragement to the wonderful people who are holding on to our Precious Land, at the same time as seeing some of the "off-the-beaten-track" parts of our Beloved Land with which we would otherwise be unacquainted. Details: · 8:45 am departure from Binyanei HaUma · Bullet-proof bus with us throughout the day · Licensed guide with us all day. · In both languages: Ivrit & English · Bring lunch/drinks: to be eaten in picturesque spot · Return to Binyanei HaUma – approximately 19:00 PRICE: ONLY NIS. 100.- per seat for the whole day. (plus extra NIS 20 for those paying on bus) Checks written to: " Midreshet Shomron" מדרשת שומרון" ". (checks may be dated Tiyul day) At the same time as meeting our present-day heroes settling our Precious Land, we will be learning how our ancestors in the Tnach lived in these same areas.. We all know how very precious & vital these Hilltop Settlements (Ma'achazim) are to our wonderful Land and what marvellous people populate them. We'll be learning more about each one of them, first-hand, meeting some of their great inhabitants. In addition, we will hopefully bring support to both Havat Gilaad, where Harav Raziel Shevach Hy"d's family live (murdered Jan. 10) Father of 6, & Har Bracha, home of Harav Itamar Ben-Gal (29)Hy"d murdered Feb. 6, father of 4. PRELIMINARY PLACES ON PROGRAM (subject to change) · Givat Ronen · Har Gidon - 85 · Givat Olam · Givat Arieh · Aish Kodesh · Alamot · Regev Shalid · Havat Gilad · HaNekudah · Har Bracha | | District Court Judge Rejects Mamonides' Ruling on Obligation to Hire Jews By David Israel The Jerusalem District Court on Sunday heard an appeal filed by the operators of the website Avoda Ivrit (Hebrew, meaning Jewish-only Labor), which specializes in employment for Jews only. A Magistrate's Court ruled that the website was illegal. At the hearing, attorney Uri Tzipori argued that the website was intended to assist Jews in making a living, making it a charity of the first order, according to the ruling of Maimonides. "We identify with Maimonides," he said, noting that there is a large segment of the public "for whom Maimonides' statement is meaningful." But Judge Tamar Bar-Asher, who may or may not be familiar with the works of the great jurist, philosopher and physician, responded that in the democratic State of Israel, "we don't rule according to Maimonides but according to the law." Which is why it is so fortunate that the 12th century sage authored his Guide to the Perplexed – perhaps Tzipori should gift her a copy when he shows up to hear her final ruling. About three years ago, the Reform Center for Religion and State, and the NGO Mossawa filed a lawsuit against one of the developers of the Avoda Ivrit website, for connecting Jewish businesses with only Jewish job seekers, and for publishing content on the same website detailing the importance of hiring Jews and the danger in employing non-Jews – both as a security threat and as a danger to the existence of the Jewish people because of daily interaction with non-Jews." Jerusalem Magistrates' Court Judge Einat Abman Muller ruled for the plaintiffs and fined Avoda Ivrit $11,600 plus $2,200 court costs as well as attorneys' fees. After Sunday's hearing, Tzipori said "the Reform sent out a false report from the courtroom, that the Avoda Ivrit website would be deleted, but no such provision was ordered. Instead, the judge requested that the website's operators agree to act speedily to find a legal solution which will enable the site to continue to promote the wonderful solidarity among the Jews." A few days ahead of the appeal hearing, some one hundred Jewish business owners wrote to the Jerusalem District Court, demanding that the appeal be accepted. "We, the undersigned, Jewish professionals in various professions, were astounded by the Magistrate's Court's decision prohibiting us to publicize our names as Jewish professionals. We expect you to overturn this decision in favor of continuing our future and our children's future. We work hard to support our families, and this decision severely impairs our ability to earn a living for our families," they wrote the judges. The business owners also reminded the judges that Avoda Ivrit was the value on which the state had been established: "The value of Avoda Ivrit was a guiding light for the builders of the land – Ben-Gurion, A.D. Gordon, Brenner and others. With this decision, you will choose whether to continue the work of the founders of the state or decide to turn your back on them and put an end to the Zionist enterprise, and to the prosperity and flourishing of the Hebrew workers in the State of Israel, which was built with hard labor," the 100 Jewish businesses wrote. | | Why The Left Opposes Arming TeachersBy Dennis Prager - 25 Adar 5778 – March 11, Why does the left oppose allowing a small number of highly trained teachers and other adults who work at schools to arm themselves? When asked, their response is consistent: "It's a crazy idea." And "We need fewer guns, not more guns." A New York Times editorial offered the following argument against having any armed teachers: "Nationwide statistics on police shooting accuracy are not to be found. But if New York is typical, analyses show that its officers hit their targets only one-third of the time. And during gunfights, when the adrenaline is really pumping, that accuracy can drop to as low as 13 percent." But if that is an argument against armed teachers, why isn't it an argument against armed police? And that argument was Aristotelian compared to this one from a Los Angeles Times editorial: "If a pistol-strapping chemistry teacher had grabbed her .45 and unloaded on today's gunman after he killed, what, one student? Three? Five? That would be good news?" Of course, no murder is "good news." But to most of us, one or three or five as compared with 17 murdered (as in the Parkland, Florida high school massacre) is good news. Only those who think it isn't good news think permitting some teachers and other school staff to be armed is a bad idea. Beyond such arguments, the left rarely, if ever, explains why allowing some teachers and other adults in a school to be armed is a crazy idea. They merely assert it as a self-evident truth. But, of course, it's not a self-evident truth. On the contrary, having some adults who work at schools be trained in the responsible use of guns makes so much sense that the left's blanket opposition seems puzzling. It shouldn't be. On the question of taking up arms against evil, the left is very consistent. The left almost always opposes fighting evil and almost always works to disarm the good who want to fight. This is as true on the national level as it is on the personal. Those old enough to remember the Cold War will remember that the left constantly called for a "nuclear freeze," including a unilateral freeze by Western countries. Likewise, the European left mounted huge demonstrations against America bringing Pershing 2 missiles into Western Europe. No matter how violent the Soviet Union was, the left always opposed a strong Western military. The left mocked then-President Ronald Reagan's call for an anti-ballistic missile defense system; it couldn't understand why Americans would think being able to protect America from incoming ballistic missiles was a good and moral idea. The left so effectively derided the idea, mockingly dubbing it "Star Wars," that few knew its real name: the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI). So, too, the left universally condemns Israeli attacks on those who seek not merely to defeat Israel but to exterminate it. The left around the world condemned Israel's military responses to Hamas's launching of missiles at Israeli civilian targets. They declared Israel's counterattacks "disproportionate" – because more Gazans were killed than Israelis. Never mind which party was the aggressor or which party targeted civilians. Had the left been as active in the 1940s, it surely would have condemned the Allies for their bombing of Germany and Japan; after all, far more German and Japanese civilians were killed in Allied bombing raids than Allied civilians were killed in German bombing raids. Now that was really "disproportionate." Fighting evil is the left's Achilles heel. As I have repeatedly noted, the left fights little evils, or even non-evils, rather than great evils. With regard to fighting communism in the 20th century and today fighting radical Islamic terror and Islamist treatment of women, the Stalinist North Korean regime, the Holocaust-denying and Holocaust-planning theocracy of Iran, the Syrian mass murderers, and violent crime in America, the left is either silent or appeasing. And, of course, it works constantly to weaken the American military, the world's greatest force against evil. But the left does direct its fighting spirit against Confederate statues, schools with the name of slave owners (including George Washington and Thomas Jefferson), carbon emissions, income inequality, "microaggressions," "white privilege," any limitation on abortion, Columbus Day, "Islamophobia," Israeli settlements, "Russian collusion" and the like. Against these minimal or nonexistent evils, the left is ferocious. That is why the left opposes enabling some teachers and other adults in schools to carry arms in order to possibly stop a mass murderer: The left doesn't fight evil; it fights those who do. Just as the left hated anti-communists, hates opponents of Islamism, and hates Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (far more than the Iranian ayatollahs), it hates those who wish to see teachers and others voluntarily armed take down the murderers of our children. | | 100 yr. Old Red Baron Film Footage 1917 - 100 year old footage of the Red Baron during WWI Notice them squirting oil, prior to spinning the prop. The following is a very rare piece of film, 100 years old. It shows Baron Von Richthofen, doing an external prior to a mission, as well as his putting on a flying suit prior to flight in cold weather. If you look close you will notice Hermann Goering.The Baron was shot down on 21 April 1918 by Roy Brown of the Royal Navy Air Services, a prelude of the R.A.F.. The Aussies also claim that one of their machine gunners on the ground shot the Baron down UK & Aussie Doctors, after the autopsy stated that the fatal bullet was shot from above. The author of this has been very involved as a Director of the Roy Brown Museum in Carleton Place, the home town of Roy. Many letters have been written over the past 3-4 years and finally Roy Brown was inducted into Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame on 4 June 2015…To think this film is 100 years old! If you're interested in history or aviation, you cannot miss this footage. It was just posted online, and I've never seen anything like it. It's from 1917, and it's an up-close and personal look at the most legendary combat pilot who ever lived, the infamous Red Baron, Manfred Von Richthofen. Watch the extremely rare, extremely old footage and re-live history. ULTRA-RARE footage of the most famous fighter pilot ever | | Quotes from my sister The woods are lovely, dark and deep. But I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep. Robert Frost If you're going to do something tonight that you'll be sorry for tomorrow morning, sleep late. Henny Youngman Laugh and the world laughs with you, snore and you sleep alone. Anthony Burgess Think in the morning. Act in the noon. Eat in the evening. Sleep in the night. William Blake Once you wake up and smell the coffee, it's hard to go back to sleep. Fran Drescher The lion and the calf shall lie down together but the calf won't get much sleep. Woody Allen You don't swing where you sleep. Sammy Davis, Jr. | | | Biology Class Final Exam Students in an advanced Biology class were taking their mid-term exam. The last question was, 'Name seven advantages of Mother's Milk,' worth 70 points or none at all. One student, in particular, was hard put to think of seven advantages. He wrote:
1. It is perfect formula for the child.
2. It provides immunity against several diseases.
3. It is always the right temperature.
4. It is inexpensive.
5. It bonds the child to mother, and vice versa.
6. It is always available as needed.
And then, the student was stuck. Finally, in desperation, just before the bell indicating the end of the test rang, he wrote...
7. It comes in 2 cute containers.
He got an A. | | | Following the Calling
This week we will start reading the book of Vayikra, a book focusing mainly on the sacrifices and the work of the kohanim in the mishkan. Vayikra is the middle book of the 5 books of Moses – it is right in the center of the story of Am Yisrael. The midrash tells us that it is customary for young children to start their learning of Torah with the book of vayikra "R' Issy said: Why should the children start learning Torah from Vayikra; let them start from Bereshit? Rather, God Almighty said: Since sacrifices are holy and children are holy, let the holy come and learn about the holy" (Vayikra Raba 7:3).
Vayikra is the foundation of Torah learning, but can it teach us more than what sacrifices were brought to the temple and what the kohanim did in the Temple?
I believe it can, and that the messages of Vayikra touch our very core and being. This all starts from the first word of the book and of the Parasha – "Vayikra – and he called."
The first Pasuk of the book of Vayikra goes as follows:
"The LORD called to Moses and spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting, saying:"
Rashbam, in his style of focusing on the plain meaning of the text, explains that the seemingly superfluous use of the similar terms "called" and "spoke" is because at the end of the book of Shmot, in Parashat Pekudei, Hashem had filled the Tent of Meeting with his presence. As a result, Moshe needed to leave, and so in order to communicate with God once again Moshe needed to first be summoned, and only then, once he arrived, could Hashem speak to him.
But Rashi, Rashbam's grandfather, takes a more emotional approach – "Vayikra" is out of love. Hashem wanted to show Moses that he cared about and loved him, and therefore He called out to him.
Rashi continues to bring a quote from Yishayahu, where the angels also call out to each other: "Vekara ze el ze" (Yishayahu 6:3) and if we look at Rashi on that Pasuk in Yishayahu he explains: They ask permission one from the other.
This idea is different from love. Here, the word "To call" doesn't indicate love, but respect – they respect each other and seek permission to praise Hashem, so that they don't upset one another.
In bringing these two explanations together, Rashi wants to teach us a fundamental lesson, not just about how Hashem spoke to Moshe, but how we should relate and act when it comes to learning of Torah.
Hashem was about to teach Moshe about the most central and essential active Mitzvot pertaining to Judaism, the sacred service in the Sanctuary. But he cannot and does not start before he calls Moshe – speaks to him out of Love and out of respect.
And so the message is carried through the generations – When we come to learn Torah, when we come to apply the Mitzvot to our daily lives, we must approach it with love and respect. Moreover, we must remember that before the halachot and the written text, we must show love and respect to those around us, and only then delve in to understanding the text.
If we can emulate Hashem's ways and make sure that we are calling to all those we encounter and learn with, showing them respect and love, we have internalized one of the main messages of the book of Vayikra, and of Judaism as a whole. | | See you tomorrow Love Yehuda Lave | | | |
