The Obligation to Emulate G-d By Yossi Ives and Dor Habonim Beach Nature Reserve 082221 and Mosque at Cave of Patriarchs gets Upgrade to “4th holiest mosque in Islam and Gov’t Runs Out Of Ways To Explain Ban On Temple Mount Jewish Prayer Without Phrase ‘Scared To Enforce The Law and The Portion of Vayelech
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.
The years of Moses' leadership are drawing to a close. The time has come to pass the "scepter" on to his student Joshua.
In the meantime the Almighty informs Moses of bad tidings yet to come. "Behold you will lie with your fathers and this people will arise and go astray after strange gods of the land…" (Deuteronomy 31;16)
Two causes for the future sins of the people of Israel are connected to the number one hundred (100).
The first: The lack of fulfilling the Mitzvah of reciting one hundred blessings each and every day.
And the second: The people of Israel grew increasingly disgusted with the second Bet Hamikdash (Holy Temple) whose size was 100 cubits.
The extra crowns atop the letter "kuf" in the word "vekam" (arise) alludes to these two causes (Baal Haturim).
The Three Musketeers at the Kotel
Mosque at Cave of Patriarchs gets Upgrade to "4th holiest mosque in Islam
The director of the mosque at the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron, Sheikh Hefzy Abu Sneina, now claims that his mosque is the fourth holiest mosque in Islam after the Al-Haram in Mecca, the Al-Nabawi mosque in Medina and the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem.
He says that it contains Islamic sanctities and the tombs of their prophets, "which proves the right of Palestinians and Muslims to it and denies any Israeli claims of their rights in it.
"Even though the prophets buried there have nothing to do with Islam, with the exception of Abraham, but everything to do with Judaism.
The Jewish ties to Hebron have given the Ibrahimi Mosque some holiness inflation, it seems.I have not seen the Hebron mosque listed as the fourth holiest in any other source.
This article in The Guardian says that #4 is Imam Ali in Iraq, #5 is the Dome of the Rock, #6 is Great Mosque of Djenne in Mali and #7 is the Quba Mosque in Medina. Hebron isn't mentioned.This site lists the Quba mosque as #4.Wikipedia givesthree sources saying that the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus is the fourth holiest site in Islam
.So how did the mosque in Hebron rocket to the top of the charts? (No one will argue about 1,2 or 3, although Shiite Muslims used to rate Al Aqsa as #5, behind Najaf and Karbala.)It seems that the holier Jews consider a site, the more Muslims want to take it away from Jews. It happens in Jerusalem, in Hebron, in Bethlehem, in Shechem (Nablus.)It is pure antisemitism, and something that no one is willing to talk about.
Dor Habonim Beach Nature Reserve 082221
The nature reserve is a beautiful and picturesque beach, a coastal strip
with more bays and inlets than any other in Israel.
Sandy beach and rocky bay for day and overnight stays
An enchanting sandy beach and rocky bay for daytime and overnight
stays (campground on the main beach, with toilets, beach showers, picnic
tables and shade, receptacles for lighting campfires, kiosk,
information about marine mammals and the coastal environment; the
northern beach complex)
Walking trails on the kurkar (calcareous sandstone) ridge, along the
rocky inlets of the sea and the abrasion platforms
Tel Dor National Park – the remains of an ancient city and harbor
The lookout point at the top of the kurkar ridge affords an
extensive view of the rock and indented shoreline, and a view of the
Carmel range to the north and east.
The view from Tulip Hill is particularly beautiful in winter,
looking out over the sea and the shipwreck.
Tel Dor lookout point gives a view of the Dor antiquities,
especially the ancient harbor at the foot of the tel. The ruins are
beautiful and impressive, and it is worth giving them some time. To the
south of the tel lies the stunning lagoon of Nahsholim Beach, while the
Is having good character traits one of the 613 mitzvot of the Torah? If you read the Five Books of Moses you may struggle to find such a commandment, but Maimonides includes it in his count.1 He argues that when the Torah urges us to "walk in His ways,"2 it means that we are obligated to emulate G‑d's noble characteristics to the best of our ability.
Maimonides quotes the early Midrashic text, the Sifrei:
Just as G‑d is called merciful, so too, you must be merciful. Just as G‑d is called kind, so too, you must be kind. Just as G‑d is called righteous, so too, you must be righteous. Just as G‑d is called pious, so too, you must be pious.3
There is a significant problem with this position, however. Maimonides4 makes it clear that a "general commandment" – an overarching rule that encompasses a multitude of smaller obligations – can never be counted among the 613 mitzvot. Living one's life ethically is surely the dictionary definition of a general commandment. Therefore, according to Maimonides' own rules, it should not be possible for "walking in His ways" to be counted as one of the 613.
This question was presented to Maimonides' own son, the illustrious Rabbi Abraham. He acknowledged that the verses that implore us to "walk in His ways" often employ the broadest of terms. But he insists that the sages already defined the obligation to walk in G‑d's ways as a reference to cultivating virtuous character traits, and not to good behavior in the wider sense. As such, he argued, it is incorrect to call it a general commandment, since it only addresses ethical matters such as compassion and kindness. This makes it sufficiently narrow to be regarded as one of the 613 commandments.
But what about the well known Bibilical exhortation to "love your fellow as yourself"?5 What does that commandment demand of us if not to act with kindness and compassion? Maimonides himself explicitly says so! "We are commanded to have mercy and compassion, to be charitable and kind, which is what is stated by the verse 'You shall love your fellow as yourself.' " But if compassion and kindness are already covered, what does the instruction to "walk in His ways" tell us that we don't already know?
To answer this question, the Rebbe introduces a foundational concept in Jewish theology: acting ethically is not sufficient; intention is vital. While the verse to love others covers the practical obligation to treat people with compassion and kindness, the commandment to walk in His ways obligates us to do so with the explicit intention of emulating G‑d.
Some may act with compassion because it seems logical, but that is inadequate. Others may act kindly in compliance with the commandment to love others, but that too is unsatisfactory. According to Maimonides, the Rebbe explains, when the Torah obligates us to "walk in His ways" it means that our intention when being kind and compassionate must be specifically to emulate G‑d's ways.
Maimonides bases this ruling on the way the earlier sages interpreted the verse to "walk in His ways" to mean, "Just as G‑d is called merciful, so too, you must be merciful. Just as G‑d is called kind, so too, you must be kind…" The rabbis seem to be saying quite clearly that the idea is not just to be merciful and kind, but to do so in order to emulate our Creator.
But why, we may ask, should our intention matter? Don't our actions matter most?
It turns out that the motivation behind our behavior actually does make a huge difference.
In his code, Maimonides adds an additional aspect to the meaning of walking in G‑d's ways. He sets out at length how a person should avoid extremes of any sort, opting instead to pursue a more moderate path. A person should not indulge, nor deny his basic needs. A person should avoid getting annoyed over trivialities, but also not gloss over important matters.
Maimonides concludes this point by saying: "We are commanded to walk in these intermediate paths – and they are good and straight paths – as it states: 'you shall walk in His ways.' "
One may ask: What is the connection between taking the moderate route and walking in G‑d's footsteps?
In his Guide for the Perplexed6 , Maimonides explains why avoiding extremes is important. Extremes, he says, are profoundly illogical. Going too far towards one side of anything is proof that the person is motivated by his emotions, rather than by an understanding of what is right. G‑d, Maimonides adds, is not subject to emotions and is simply the essence of truth. Thus, someone whose conduct is an imitation of G‑d's perfect ways will always steer towards the truth and avoid wild extremes.
That is why it is important that one's intention and goal in acting with kindness and compassion is to walk in G‑d's ways. This is how a person avoids making poor choices, driven by their emotions, and instead remains focused on the morally superior middle way.
And so it turns out that we have a revolutionary idea: Aside from the commandment to act with compassion and kindness, there is a commandment to do so with the appropriate motivation. The reason: the only way to ensure that one truly behaves ethically is to ensure one's goal in doing so is to model one's own conduct after of highest virtues attributed to the Almighty.
Having seen how a seemingly cultured nation could be driven to perpetrate the ghastliest crimes during the Nazi era, it is clear that we need morality to be inspired by Divine purpose. Without an explicit commitment and a sense of obligation to "walk in His ways," our own ethical sense is far too corruptible.
Adapted from Likutei Sichot, vol. 34, Parshat Ki Tavo II.
Gov't Runs Out Of Ways To Explain Ban On Temple Mount Jewish Prayer Without Phrase 'Scared To Enforce The Law'
Jerusalem, August 24– Enforcement officials acknowledged Tuesday that their supply of euphemisms, excuses, and blather aimed at obscuring their fear of upholding freedom of worship for Jews at Judaism's holiest site has now been exhausted, and further discourse on the subject might soon require those officials to make open statements about their unwillingness to perform the role the public has assigned them.
Police and government figures who make and enforce policy, and whose primary function involves combating violence against law-abiding citizens, disclosed this morning that with the terms "status quo," "provocation," "order," "maintain calm" and others no longer available in the face of an impatient public, they will now be forced to state outright that they are afraid to refrain from preventing Jews from worshiping on the Temple Mount because of the violent reaction by Muslims there, and instead of protecting those whose rights are curtailed, they choose to side with the mob.
Advertisement
"You have to understand, we've been reluctant for decades to acknowledge this fear openly," explained former Police Commissioner Roni Alsheikh. "If we admit we can't do our job, that undermines public confidence, and we could end up losing our jobs, which would be the biggest tragedy of all. On the other hand, if we do our jobs and have to face the violent mob, people might get killed and we might lose our jobs, which would be the biggest tragedy of all."
Government officials echoed the theme. "We always try to kick the can down the road," allowed Minister of Public Security Gil'ad Erdan. "No one wants to seize the hot potato of the entire political-religious conflict. But the consequences of inaction, of maintaining the 'status quo,' are that when action finally becomes unavoidable, the resulting explosion will be too much for the police to handle. But we want everyone to believe the police can handle anything. It appears the time has come that public confidence will erode if we continue to adopt the violent-threat-accommodating posture, now matter how nicely we dress it up rhetorically."
Observers predict that with police having already established their unwillingness to suppress violent Arab riots earlier this year, but who will arrest Jews who defend themselves and others during such riots, Jews will soon adopt the proven approach of threatening violence unless they get their way, and spark the formation of a group or groups to protect Jews where the governing authorities refuse to do so, perhaps with the name "Haganah" – "Defense" – or "National Military Organization" – aka "IZL – Irgun Tz'vai Leumi" or "Etzel."
{Reposted from the SATIRIC PreOccupied Territory website
See you Sunday bli neder Shabbat Shalom
Yom Kippur is next week on Wednesday night -Thursday
