Sunday, February 16, 2020

Why Is 70 Special? And Pay Phones being hung up for good and Which Israeli city offers longest, shortest life expectancy? and Rabbi Mendel Kessin will speak Sunday night (tonight for Yoboneh at Ya'el Shul at 8 pm

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Yehuda Lave, Spiritual Advisor and Counselor

Yehuda Lave is an author, journalist, psychologist, rabbi, spiritual teacher and coach, with degrees in business, psychology and Jewish Law. He works  with people from all walks of life and helps them in their search for greater happiness, meaning, business advice on saving money,  and spiritual engagement

Love Yehuda Lave

Everything is hard before it is easy. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe--writer and statesman

The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts. Marcus Aurelius--Roman statesman with a good publicist

A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him. David Brinkley--TV Newsman

TRUE LOVE IS WHEN BOTH PEOPLE THINK THEY HAVE THE BETTER HALF OF THE DEAL.

Rabbi Mendel Kessin will speak Sunday night (tonight for Yoboneh at Ya'el Shul which is on Yae'el Street 4 in Baka Jerusalem on current events update

 

 

There's something special about the number 70

My teacher and Rabbi turned 70 last week. He has been part of my life for 25 years.

Mazal tov on reaching such a milestone first of all! I wish you many more happy, healthy productive years.

Before I speak about the Birthday, a little story about the Bible is in order, since we read about the ten commandments in today's Bible section.


A Brainy Creation

David Epstein came home from work to see his wife and young daughter Rivkah, reviewing the girl's Hebrew homework.

"What are you learning honey?" asked David.

"Well we're learning Bereishit (Genesis) and Mommy told me how Hashem made the first man and the first woman. He made the man first. But the man was very lonely with nobody to talk to him. So Hashem put the man to sleep. And while the man was asleep, Hashem took out his brains, and made a woman from them."

There are no specific customs relating to the celebration of one's 70th birthday (or of any birthday, save one's Bar/Bat Mitzvah). However, 70 years is viewed as very significant in Jewish writings. The Sages state that at 70 one reaches the age of "fullness [of years]" (Pirkei Avot 5:21). It is thus definitely appropriate to mark the occasion by expressing gratitude for having lived what the Rabbis consider a full life.

More generally, we find many significant 70's in the Torah, and they all allude to a similar idea. The Torah lists 70 nations which descended from Noah after the Flood (Genesis 10).

It likewise states that Jacob's family numbered 70 souls when it first descended to Egypt (Genesis 46:27). The Torah further equates these two totals (Deuteronomy 32:8), stating that God established the nations of the world according to the number of Israel.

Seventy thus represents a totality – the different nations which constitute the world and the unique members of the Jewish people at its inception as a nation. The correlation between these two totals further implies that the national mission of the Children of Israel is to bring each of these seventy nations to recognition of God.

In a different vein, there were 70 elders who assisted Moses in the desert (Exodus 24:1, Numbers 11:16). And likewise the Sanhedrin (high court) in the Land of Israel would later consist of 70 judges (with a 71st presiding over them – as Moses presided over the elders (Mishna Sanhedrin 1:6)). The Sages likewise state that there are 70 "faces" to the Torah (Bamidbar Rabbah 13:15), i.e., 70 valid ways of understanding its meaning, as the Torah is so profound and multifaceted. Thus the 70 judges of Israel represent the full understanding of the Torah in all its angles and perspectives, and their decisions represented the definitive understanding of God's Torah, binding upon all of Israel.

Seventy is thus a number representing completeness – the nations of the world, the founding members of Children of Israel, and the components of the authoritative judicial body of Israel. And likewise, a person who has reached 70 has achieved a "fullness" of years.

On a practical note, there is an obligation to rise in the presence of a person 70 years or older, just as we rise for a Torah scholar (Shulchan Aruch Y.D. 244:1, based on Leviticus 19:22: "Before an elder you shall rise"). The reason is because anyone who has lived so many years and endured so many life experiences is considered wise and deserving of respect, even if he is not learned in the Torah. His understanding of life and mankind is so much greater than that of the young (who think they know everything), and Jewish law has great respect for such wisdom (Torah Temimah to Leviticus 19:22, note 241).

There's something special about the number 70. We see this number coming up over and over in Scripture and Midrash in other places as well:

Seventy nations and languages: The Torah lists 70 descendants of Noah after the Great Flood, and tells us, "These are the families of the sons of Noah . . . the nations were separated on the earth after the flood.
From here the sages learn that humanity comprises 70 nations, each with its own language
Seventy members of Jacob's family come to Egypt: The Torah tells us that the number of Jacob's descendants that came down to Egypt was 70 (including Joseph and his sons who were already in Egypt)
Seventy elders: More than 200 years later, Moses is told by G‑d to gather 70 elders of the Jewish people to stand together with him.
Later, the Sanhedrin (the rabbinical high court) would also have 70 judges, plus the head of the Sanhedrin, representing Moses (i.e., 70 plus 1).
Seventy "faces" of the Torah: The Midrash tells us that due to the profoundness and multifaceted of G‑d's Torah, there are 70 valid ways or perspectives of understanding the Torah (which is one reason given for the 70 members of the Sanhedrin).
Seventy years of exile: Through the prophet Jeremiah, G‑d promised that after the destruction of the First Temple there would be 70 years of the Babylonian exile, after which G‑d would remember and redeem His people
Seventy holy days: The Midrash calculates that there are 70 Biblical holy days in a solar calendar year (note that by rabbinic decree, Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot are celebrated for an extra day in the diaspora, and Rosh Hashanah is extended into a second day everywhere):
52 Shabbats
7 days of Passover
1 day of Shavuot
1 day of Rosh Hashanah
1 day of Yom Kippur
8 days of Sukkot
Seventy Divine names: In Scripture, G‑d is referred to by many names. In fact, according to the Midrash, He is known by no less than 70 different names.
Seventy names of the Jewish nation: As G‑d's chosen nation, Israel is a reflection of its Creator. Just as G‑d is referred to in Scripture with 70 different names, so too are the Jewish people.
Seventy names of Jerusalem: The Midrash continues to say that the holy city of Jerusalem, site of the Holy Temple is also referred to by 70 names in Scripture. Seventy full years of a person's life: The Torah tells us that we are commanded to honor the elderly
Well, when does "old age" begin? King David says, "The span of our life is 70 years, or, given the strength, 80 years. This tells us that only those with "extra strength" reach and surpass the age of 70, and are therefore deserving of honor.

The fact that the number 70 is mentioned so many times in Scripture indicates the preeminence of this number. What is the significance of the number 70?

Completeness of Nature

The mystics explain that the natural order is represented by the number 7. G‑d chose to create the world in 7 days, resulting in a week that consists of 7 days, corresponding to the 7 attributes (Chesed—Kindness, Gevurah—Severity, Tiferet—Harmony, Netzach—Perseverance, Hod—Humility, Yesod—Foundation, Malchut—Royalty).

Any number times 10 represents the completeness of that number. (Ten is a "full" number, because after we reach the number 10, we start counting again with 1. For example, the number 11 is 10 plus 1.) Ten corresponds to the 10 mystical sefirot. And 7 times 10 represents the completion of the natural order—each aspect of nature is complete and made up of all 10 sefirot.

Seventy Connected to Leadership

In the Mishnah that is recited as part of the Haggadah on the night of Passover, Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah declares: "I am like a man of 70 years old." The Talmud explains that the reason he declared that he was like a man of 70 is that he wasn't actually 70; in fact, he was only about 18 years old. However, despite his young age, the sages wanted to appoint him as the nassi, leader of the Jewish people. Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah was reluctant due to his age, so a miracle occurred and white hairs appeared in his beard, giving him the respectable appearance of a 70-year-old who was fit for the leadership position. His appearance specifically as a 70-year-old was not random. Rather, as explained, the number 70 represents the completion or fullness of a person's life, as the verse states, "The span of our life is 70 years . . .Thus the number 70 represents refining one's 7 attributes (since each attribute is comprised of 10 sefirot) as well as refining the world in general. Only someone who has reached this level of personal and global refinement is fit to be the nassi. Thus, it was only after Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah's appearance became that of a 70-year-old was he satisfied that he was fit to be the nassi and leader of the Jewish people.

What Comes After Seventy?

While the number 70 represents the completion of the natural order, going beyond 70 represents reaching even higher than the natural order, until we ultimately reach the messianic era. May it be speedily in our days!

Life in Israel: Pay Phones finally being hung up for good

The Ministry of Communications has announced that it is removing all remaining public telephones, aka pay phones, from the streets around Israel. Considering how little use the phones get nowadays, with almost everyone having cellphones, this decision will save them money in the form of maintenance and installations.

They say that there are currently 9500 public phones still in the public sphere around Israel. At their height of popularity, there were 27,000 around Israel. Since then, as cellphones became increasingly popular, the number of public telephones has shrunk consistently. According to the ministry, 83% of the phones, that would be about 7885 of them, get used less than 100 minutes each month and many of those dont even get used at all. The ministry is considering requiring the continued installation of public telephones in essential and vital places, however that will be defined.
Full Story (Life in Israel)

Which Israeli city offers longest, shortest life expectancy?..

Modi'in offers longest life expectancy

Tel Aviv has both the highest per capital income and the lowest rate of home ownership, the Central Bureau of Statistics reports.

 

Net migration is still negative in Jerusalem and life expectancy is longest in Modi'in-Maccabim-Reut, according to figures published for 2018 published by the Central Bureau of Statistics.

The data published included local authorities' budgets, demography, state budget, and real estate. The nationwide totals for the local authorities' budgets show a rise in both revenues and expenses, although at a lower rate than in 2017. For example, revenues were up 4.3% in 2018, compared with a 7.5% increase in 2017. The local authorities' revenue from the central government were up 8% in real terms to NIS 28 billion, while the increase in 2017 was 10%.

The local authority with the largest budget was Jerusalem - nearly NIS 8 billion, followed by Tel Aviv with nearly NIS 7 billion and Haifa with NIS 3.5 billion.

In addition to having the largest budget, Jerusalem also had the most negative emigration. The city lost 6,000 residents, the same as in 2017. Half of those who left moved to Tel Aviv and Beit Shemesh. At the same time, almost 40% of Jerusalem residents are under 18.

The fastest-growing cities in Israel were Rosh HaAyin, which added 4,700 residents; Harish (3,800 residents), Beer Yaakov (2,600), and Afula (1,495).

Longest life expectancy in Modi'in-Maccabim-Reut, lowest in Rahat

Another figure in the Central Bureau of Statistics' report was life expectancy. The nation-wide life expectancy in 2014-2018 was 82.72 years. Among cities with 50,000 or more residents, the longest life expectancy was 86.3 years in Modi'in-Maccabim-Reut, and the lowest was 79.4 years in Rahat.

The highest proportion of home ownership was 96% of households in Rahat. The proportion in Rishon Lezion was 73%, while the nationwide proportion was 67%. The lowest was in Tel Aviv, where only 42% of households owned a home, while over half of households rented a dwelling.

The highest per capita income was NIS 9,000 in Tel Aviv, where per capita spending was NIS 7,200. The lowest per capita income was NIS 1,500 in Modi'in Illit.

The Central Bureau of Statistics also added figures from a social survey that measured a number of aspects of residents' satisfaction, including the economic situation in their city. The leading city was Kfar Saba, where 74% of residents were satisfied with the economic situation, and the lowest rate of satisfaction was 47% in Bat Yam.

Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on February 12, 2020

© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2020

Rita Rudner

Rita Rudner (born September 17, 1953) is an American comedian. Beginning her career as a Broadway dancer, Rita Rudner noticed the lack of female comedians in New York City and turned to stand-up comedy where she has flourished for over three decades. Her performance on a variety of HBO specials and numerous appearances on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, helped establish Rudner as one of the premier comics to emerge from the comedy boom of the 1980s.

‌ I love being married. It's so great to find that one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life.

I think men who have a pierced ear are better prepared for marriage. They've experienced pain and bought jewelry.

I wonder if other dogs think poodles are members of a weird religious cult.

Neurotics build castles in the air, psychotics live in them. My mother cleans them.

My grandmother was a very tough woman. She buried three husbands and two of them were just napping.

Marriages don't last. When I meet a guy, the first question I ask myself is: is this the man I want my children to spend their weekends with?

In Hollywood a marriage is a success if it outlasts milk.

Before I met my husband, I'd never fallen in love. I'd stepped in it a few times.

When I eventually met Mr. Right I had no idea that his first name was Always. ‌

See you tomorrow bli neder

Love Yehuda Lave

Rabbi Yehuda Lave

PO Box 7335, Rehavia Jerusalem 9107202

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