Yehuda Lave, Spiritual Advisor and Counselor | | | | Anyone who has ever lived with Borderline people know that, while they complain endlessly about how they are not loved or respected and pretend to be pathetic victims, they are actual bullies who want total control and exclusive rights over others. Borderlines cannot bear to see people be happy, calm or successful. They have to ruin ever good mood, every simcha, every happy moment. If you have lived with such types, you have internalized a Borderline Bully in your own brain who never lets you relax or be happy. Refuse to listen! One way to take charge is with your imagination. I imagine the angel Michael, the angel of love, on my right, Gavriel, the angel of self-control on my left, Rafael, the healing angel in front, and Oriel, the angel of Divine light, above my head. Then I breathe slowly and remind myself that Hashem is with me, that He wants me to feel loved and loving. The Bully tries to block the voices of love and inner serenity. Don't listen. Everything is developing perfectly. Hashem is taking care of you. He is giving you everything you need. He loves you as you are. Love Yehuda Lave | | ADL Mourns Deaths of (Overwhelmingly) Hamas Terrorists as "Horrific Tragedy" By Morton A. Klein - 10 Sivan 5778 – May 23, 2018 It's painfully shocking that Anti-Defamation League (ADL) head Jonathan Greenblatt recently wrote on ADL's website: "it is a horrific tragedy that so many people have been killed and wounded at the Gaza border." ("ADL Statement on Violence at Israel-Gaza Border," May 15, 2018.) This broad statement was not limited to the tiny minority who were not members of a terrorist group. (And even that small minority joined the violent riots whose goal was to breach Israel's border fence to descend upon nearby Jewish communities, schools, and day care centers – and all of Israel – to murder innocent Jews.) Thus, we must ask, how is the death of mostly Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorists a "horrific tragedy?" In fact, the deaths of these terrorists prevented a real "horrific tragedy" – the murder of thousands of innocent Jews who would have been slain if Hamas' violent rioters had succeeded. Hamas leader Salah al-Bardawil and PIJ have admitted that 85% of the recent Gaza fatalities (50 Hamas plus 3 PIJ, out of 62 total) were their own terrorist operatives. (See Salah al-Bardawil interview video.) These terrorists were hurling pipe bombs, boulders, grenades and Molotov cocktails; carrying machetes; shooting at Israelis; rushing with wire cutters and planting bombs at the border fence; and destroying Israeli farms with arson-terror kites emblazoned with swastikas. Swastika flags and banners were everywhere. These were Islamic terrorists committed to brutally murdering every Jew, and even tearing out and eating Jews' hearts and livers. Hamas leader Yehia al-Sinwar "rallied" the Gazan rioters/troops by proclaiming: "We will tear down the border [with Israel] and we will tear out their hearts from their bodies," and "we will eat the livers of the Israelis." (See Yehia al-Sinwar video; and "The World Goes for Israel's Throat," by Giulio Meotti, Israel Nat'l News, Apr. 3, 2018.) The Nazi-like Hamas Charter calls for the murder of every Jew and the destruction of the Jewish State of Israel. Hamas named its violent actions on the Gaza border "The March of Return"- openly stating the goal was to "return" millions of descendants of Arabs to Israel to end the existence of the Jewish State. Hamas and PIJ also harm their own people: Hamas-organized Gazan rioters vandalized and set fire to the Kerem Shalom humanitarian crossing, and destroyed gas pipelines from Israel that bring humanitarian aid to Gaza's residents. ("Hamas Riots in Gaza Deliberately Sabotage Humanitarian Aid from Israel," by Avi Abelow, May 12, 2018.) Even Hamas co-founder Mahmoud Al-Zahhar admitted that calling the Gaza violent onslaught "peaceful" is a deception. Al-Zahhar told Al Jazeera: "When we talk about 'peaceful resistance,' we are deceiving the public." ("Senior Hamas Official Mahmoud Al-Zahhar on Gaza Protests: This Is Not Peaceful Resistance, It Is Supported by Our Weapons," MEMRI Clip No. 6573, May 13, 2018.) Thousands of innocent Israelis who live near the Gaza border – as well as those living further away – are in danger of being slaughtered if Hamas succeeds. After Israel did everything humanly possible to avoid fatalities (including using tear gas, leaflets and text messages to warn rioters to stay away from the fence), the deaths of these Hamas and PIJ terrorists means that there is less danger and less evil in the world. The Hamas and PIJ fatalities prevented Hamas and PIJ from slaughtering thousands of innocent Jews. Thus, it is deeply disturbing that ADL and some Jews and others have been mourning these terrorists' fatalities. Such sympathetic proclamations only encourage more Hamas terror against Jews. Such proclamations also encourage the media to distort the truth of the Hamas war against the Jewish State. US Senator Bernie Sanders (D-Vt) like ADL's Greenblatt, also mourned the "tragedy" of persons in Gaza (who were mostly in fact Hamas terrorists) being killed. Sanders proclaimed: "The killing of Palestinian demonstrators by Israel forces in Gaza is tragic." (See Sanders' statement on anti-Israel CodePink website.) Does Sanders really not understand that these were not peaceful demonstrators? Does he really not understand that it was Hamas terrorists who were killed while trying to invade Israel and murder Jews? And then there's the elite Beacon school in New York City, which insisted that its students hold a "moment of silence" tribute to the "victims of violence in Gaza" – a/k/a Hamas and PIJ terrorists. Jewish students and their parents were rightly outraged: Parents noted that they did not send their children to school to pray for Hamas murderers. (See "Parents Outraged at School's Silent Tribute for Gaza Victims," by Melissa Klein, New York Post, May 19, 2018; "NYC Public High School Offers 'Moment of Silence' for Dead Terrorists in Gaza," by Hana Levi Julian, Jewish Press, May 20, 2018.) And incredibly, a group of about two dozen misguided leftwing Jewish young people gathered near the British Parliament and said the mourners' Kaddish for the dead Hamas and PIJ operatives – and bullied a woman who told them "Shame on You." (If you can stomach it, you can watch the video at"Saying Kaddish for Hamas," filmed by the Israel Advocacy Movement, May 16, 2018.) No one should ever mourn the deaths of evil Nazis, al Qaeda terrorists, ISIS terrorists, or Nazi-like Hamas and PIJ terrorists who were killed while trying to murder Jews and others. If terrorists were attempting to breach America's Canadian or Mexican border to kill Americans, would we not use force to stop them? Would we ever mourn the deaths of such terrorists? It is a disgrace to call Hamas terrorists' deaths a "horrific tragedy." It is a disgrace to hold moments of silence, say the mourners' Kaddish for, or mourn the deaths of Hamas terrorists who were killed while trying to invade and destroy Israel and murder her people. | | Best Songs Of The 70s The greatest 70's hits which created climate of these years. Queen, Pink Floyd, Abba, Bee Gees and much more you could forget. The times of disco, punk, classic rock and another great music stuff. Classic tracks that went down in music history | | The devastating response to Muslim attempts to deny Jewish reality The Land of Israel constantly reveals hidden treasures, testifying to its rich Jewish history and the Jewish people's longstanding ties to the land. This time, archaeologists discovered on the Temple Mount coins minted by the Jewish people. By: JNS and United with Israel Staff Millennia-old and exceptionally rare coins from among the first-ever minted by Jews were discovered on the Temple Mount, evidence of the Jewish people's deep ties to the hallowed site. The coins bear the letters "YHD," or Yehud," the Aramaic name for the Biblical Jewish kingdom of Judea, dated to the end of the fourth century BCE. According to one of the co-directors of the project, Zachi Dvira, only five other coins of this kind have been found in the 150 years of archaeological digging in ancient Jerusalem sites. Dvira noted that Jewish pilgrims would bring offerings of first fruits of the season to the Temple around the time of the Shavuot holiday (Tabernacles) and would often convert their value to silver in the days of the Second Temple. He also noted that the Temple was a center of commerce and public administration, making it a prime site for finding coins. "These were the first coins ever minted by Jews," Dvira said in an interview with Israel's Ynet news. "They express the people's return to their land after the Babylonian exile, and their ability to hold and maintain diplomatic ties with the ruling empire—then Persia—similar to our relations with the United States today." He noted that the New Israeli Shekel also bears the letters "YHD," exactly as they appear on the newly unearthed coins. Muslim Attempts to Erase Traces of Jewish History: The five small coins, three in pristine condition and two showing signs of wear, were discovered as part of the Temple Mount Sifting Project, an archaeological initiative started in order to sift thousands of tons of dirt illegally excavated and dumped in the Kidron Valley by the Islamic Waqf in 1999. The Waqf excavations significantly compromised the archaeological integrity of the Temple Mount and sparked outrage in Israel, leading many to suggest that the Waqf was intentionally attempting to eradicate evidence of two Jewish Temples that stood on the Mount for more than 800 years. This Muslim desecration was a crime against history and civilization. The sifting project, which has operated since 2004 in the Emek Tzurim National Park, aims to salvage religious and historical artifacts from the rubble, as well as to educate the public about the veracity of Jewish history on the Mount. Though state funding for the project halted in 2017, the Temple Mount Sifting Project is now aiming to bring mobile sifting units of Temple Mount dirt to Israeli schools and communities, enabling children to learn about Jewish history in Jerusalem and to participate in the sifting themselves. More than half a million artifacts have been pulled from the rubble so far by 200,000-plus participants, including 6,000 ancient coins. These abundant archaeological discoveries attest to the Jewish people's rich history in the region, proving that the Arab and Muslim sponsored May 2017 UNESCO resolution denying the Jewish connection to Jerusalem is historically and obscenely false. In October 2016, the international body said the Jewish people have no ties to the Temple Mount. Incidentally, archaeologists and historians have yet to discover a single artifact from the "Palestinian Era." | | | Rav Ronen Neuwirth Former Central Shaliach of Bnei Akiva North America
Currently President of the Ve'Ahavta Movement in Tel Aviv The Nesi'im offerings and Matan Torah
Parshat Naso is the longest Parsha in the Torah; it consists of 176 verses (which, by the way, is also the number of the verses in the longest psalm of Tehilim – psalm 119, and also the number of pages of the longest tractate of the Talmud – Baba Batra).
At first glance, it seems as if many verses of this Parasha are redundant. The Torah repeats 12 times the description of the offerings of the Princes of the Tribes of Israel (קרבנות הנשיאים) which are in fact, the very same offerings. The only change in the verses is the name of the נשיא. As if that is not enough, the Parsha concludes with other apparently pointless verses which are actually the summation of all the offerings, an obvious simple calculation we could have done without the help of the Torah. Seventy-eight verses could have been significantly summarized with a little effort! What did the Torah try to emphasize by all this repetition?
The main theme of the opening of ספר במדבר is the action of counting, which is in fact, not only counting but rather פקידה - "תפקדו אותם". The noun פקידה, is derived from the wordתפקיד – role. Every person in Am Israel is not merely a number. Each and every Jew has his/her own role which is crucial to the existence of Am Yisrael and the world. Each tribe has its own flag, culture, and priorities. The camp of Israel is not homogeneous but rather harmonious.. This balance between the individual and the public is the secret of ספר במדבר. One must find self-fulfillment within the general framework of society.
This concept is exemplified by the offerings of the נשיאים. Since they represent כלל ישראל, they should share the same offering, the same pronouncements, and the same Halachic framework. Each one of them, however, must express his own feelings and thoughts. Eachנשיא had a personal and independentכוונה (intent) when bringing his offering, an intent which alludes to the mission of his individual tribe (Bamidbar Rabba 13-14). Therefore, it is crucial for the Torah to emphasize this concept by repeating the offerings, since eachנשיא brought an individual offering. Technically, it was the same קרבן, but conceptually, it was an independent one. This is a perfect example of how one can be under a strict framework but still find his own self-fulfillment. Similarly, we can all recite the same Tefilot but at the very same time have a totally different intention and focus.
This concept of the balance between the individual and the Klal is one of the foundations of the acceptance of the Torah. On one hand, there was remarkable unity "ויחן שם ישראל כנגד ההר" – "All of them together like one person with one heart, without any dispute(Mechilta.)" Nevertheless, each one accepted the Torah according to his point of view – "The heavenly voice spoke and each one heard according to his/her ability to understand - the elders on their level, the younger men/women on their level, the children at their understanding, and even Moshe at his level of understanding" (Shemot Raba 85).
This is the great lesson of our Parsha; One can and must find individual self-fulfillment even within the strict framework of Avodat Hashem. It is fundamentally important to be a cohesive part of the whole, but at the very same time one can not neglect his internal voice since "One can only learn well that part of the Torah which is his heart's desire" (Avoda Zara 19a.). | | | They shall make for Me a Sanctuary and I shall dwell among them (Exodus 25:8). The Midrash notes that God did not say, "I shall dwell within it" (the Sanctuary), but "I shall dwell among them" (the Israelites), i.e. the Divine Presence will be within each person. There are two types of possible relationships. A person may relate to an object, which is a one-way relationship, since the object cannot reciprocate, or a person may react to God and to people, which should be a two-way relationship. Another difference between relating to objects and to beings is that things should be used, whereas God and people should be loved. Unfortunately, the reverse may occur, wherein people fall in love with things but they use God and people. People who behave this way perceive God and people as if they were objects. Inasmuch as the love of oneself is an inevitable fact, love of God and people can occur only when they are permitted to become part of oneself, because then one loves them as one does one's own eyes and ears. If my relationship to God is limited to going to the Sanctuary and praying for my needs, then I am merely using Him, and God becomes an external object. But when I make His will mine, then His will resides within me and He becomes part of me. This is undoubtedly what the Zohar means by, "Israel, the Torah, and God are one unit," because the Torah, which is the Divine will, is inseparable from God, and when one incorporates the Torah with one's own code of conduct and values, one unites with God.
Today I shall ...
try to make my relationship with God more than an object relationship, by incorporating the Torah to be my will.
| | The Nazir and the Nazirite Vow By Menachem Posner What Is a Nazir? The nazir (nazirite) is a person who decided to take upon him or herself a vow to live a strict and holy lifestyle. Chief among the nazirite laws is that the nazir is not allowed to drink wine, cut one's hair, or come into close contact with the dead. The nazir would end her or his term by bringing a sin offering to the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, during that era. The Nazir in the Bible We read in Numbers 6: … A man or woman who sets himself apart by making a nazirite vow to abstain for the sake of the L‑rd. He shall abstain from new wine and aged wine; he shall not drink [even] vinegar made from new wine or aged wine, nor shall he drink anything in which grapes have been steeped, and he shall eat neither fresh grapes nor dried ones. For the entire duration of his abstinence, he shall not eat any product of the grape vine, from seeds to skins. All the days of his vow of abstinence, no razor shall pass over his head; until the completion of the term that he abstains for the sake of the L‑rd, it shall be sacred, and he shall allow the growth of the hair of his head to grow wild. All the days that he abstains for the L‑rd, he shall not come into contact with the dead. To his father, to his mother, to his brother, or to his sister, he shall not defile himself if they die, for the crown of his G‑d is upon his head. For the entire duration of his abstinence, he is holy to the L‑rd. If someone in his presence dies unexpectedly or suddenly, and causes the nazirite head to become defiled, he shall shave off [the hair of] his head on the day of his purification; on the seventh day, he shall shave it off. And on the eighth day, he shall bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons to the kohen, at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. The kohen shall prepare one for a sin offering and one for a burnt offering and atone on his behalf for sinning by coming into contact with the dead, and he shall sanctify his head on that day. He shall consecrate to the L‑rd the period of his abstinence and bring a lamb in its first year as a guilt offering; the previous days shall be canceled because his naziriteship has been defiled. The Torah then enumerates the specific offerings and rites that are associated with the end of the nazirite's period of consecration.This includes shaving his or her hair and placing it on the pyre, upon which his offerings were burnt on the altar in the Holy Temple. Read the entire chapter in Hebrew and English with Rashi's commentary. What Does "Nazir" Mean? The word nazir means to "separate," which makes perfect sense considering that the nazir separates himself from worldly pleasures and the trivial pursuits of society.1 At the same time, the same Hebrew letters can also be read as neizer, which means "crown." Indeed this is alluded to in scripture itself, which states that he may not come in contact with the dead for the "nezer [crown] of his G‑d is upon his head."2 How Does the Nazirite Vow Work? Male or female adult Jews can become nazirites, but children or non-Jews cannot. Generally speaking, the nazir undertakes a vow of abstinence for a specific amount of time. If he or she did not specify, it is assumed that the period lasts for 30 days. The nazirite vows apply in all times. If a person were to take a nazirite vow in the present era, he must observe it forever because we do not currently have a Temple to offer sacrifices when the vow is concluded. The nazirite laws are only observed in the Holy Land, and one who takes the vow in the diaspora is compelled to move to Israel to observe the naziriteship there. The nazirite is forbidden to consume an olive-sized portion of grape-product or drink a reviit (liquid measure) of wine. As an extra precaution, the sages even forbid the nazir to go near a vineyard or sit among drinkers. However, alcoholic beverages from other substances are permitted. The nazirite should be careful not to pluck-out or cut-off even a single hair. Neither should she or he brush with anything that is likely to remove even a strand of hair. It is, however, acceptable to rub or scratch one's head. If the majority of the hair was removed, the nazirite must wait until the hair grows back (30 days) and then observe the remainder of the nazirite term. The laws of the nazir are recorded in the Talmudic tractate Nazir and codified by Maimonides in the Laws of Nezirut. Famous Nazirites Samson was a mighty Jewish leader who waged wars against the Philistines, the Jews' arch-enemies. Before he was born, an angel of G‑d told his parents that they would have a special child and should let his hair grow; his superhuman strength derived from his long hair. His mother was also cautioned not to drink wine or eat anything that was impure during her pregnancy. Ultimately Samson's wife, Delilah, betrayed his secret to the Philistines and they managed to overcome him. Samson died in a building full of Philistines, but not before he managed to crumble the entire building. Read more about Samson and Delilah Samuel, the great prophet and leader of the Jewish people, was a nazirite from birth. His mother, Chanah, had not initially been blessed with children and prayed with all her heart at the Tabernacle that she give birth to a son, saying, "If You will give Your bondswoman a man-child, and I shall give him to the L‑rd all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head." Samuel went on to lead the people of Israel for the rest of his life, appointing King Saul and then King David to lead after him. Read more about Samuel the Prophet Today, without a Temple (may it be rebuilt speedily), there is no way for a nazirite to end a period of nazirhood, and it is therefore very rare for anyone to take the vows of the nazir. However, there have been notable exceptions. One was Rabbi David Cohen (1884-1972), known as the Nazir of Jerusalem. The scion of a rabbinical family with roots in the Kopust branch of the Chabad movement, he was a Talmudist, Kabbalist, and philosopher, with a unique worldview, much of which has been recorded in his prolific writings. The Rabbinic Approach to the Nazir Is it good or bad to become a nazir? On the one hand it seems to be a holy path that is rooted in the Torah. On the other hand, the nazir offers a sin offering at the end of the nazirite term, implying that the entire exercise had been a sin. It depends on the intent. Maimonides3 states: "Our sages directed man to abstain only from those things which the Torah denies him and not to forbid himself permitted things by vows and oaths. Thus our sages4rhetorically asked: 'Are not the things which the Torah has prohibited sufficient for you? [Why] must you add further prohibitions?' " However, if a person sees that he or she is excessively vain or indulgent, a vow of abstinence may have a proper place in that person's service of G‑d. Consider the following story:5 Rabbi Shimon the Just would rarely partake of the sacrifices of a nazirite. Once, however, he saw a particularly handsome young man who had taken a nazirite vow. He asked him why he had done so and the young man explained that due to his good looks (which he became aware of when he saw his reflection in a well), he was being tempted by his evil inclination. To rise above the temptation, he took the nazirite vow. Rabbi Shimon praised him for his actions. Thus it seems that the nazirite is a holy calling—rising above the mundane by observing a meticulous lifestyle—but it is not right for everybody. For if G‑d willed it, He would have created a world with no wine and no temptations. Rather, He wants us to live within His world and uncover the wonder and meaning that He embedded within it. Read more: Two Versions of Moral Life FOOTNOTES 1. See Rashi to Numbers 6:2. 2. Numbers 6:6. 3. Dei'ot 31:1. 4. Jerusalem Talmud, Nedarim 9:1. 5. Nedarim 9b. | | See you tomorrow Love Yehuda Lave | | | |
