| 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 Join my blog by sending me an email to YehudaLave@gmail.com | | | | | Temple Mount in Our Hands? Maybe Not.By Hana Levi Julian (editor's note, I Yehuda Lave did the same shofar blowing with Yehuda Glick last year-it was one of the highlights of my life) Is the Temple Mount really in the hands of Israel, or did the Jewish State hand over its sovereignty to Jordan's Hashemite monarchy? Israel Police seem to be working to ensure Jordan maintains its tight grip over Judaism's holiest site. Israeli authorities detained three Jewish men on Sunday for questioning on suspicion of blowing a shofar outside the walls of the Temple Mount.
Among the detainees was former Knesset member Yehuda Glick, along with Emanuel Brosh and Tom Nissani, head of the "Temple Mount is in Our Hands" organization. The three men are accused of committing provocation and violating public order near the East Gate of the Temple Mount, according to TPS. The detainees were brought to the Kishala police station for questioning. The detentions came in the wake of concrete warnings that terrorist groups are planning to incite violence in the mosques on the Temple Mount. Last week, Prime Minister Yair Lapid held a security assessment to discuss the alerts ahead of the upcoming High Holy Days, according to Israel's KAN News public broadcaster. 50,000 Jewish Visits: Record Numbers Visit Temple Mount in 5782 Last month the number of Jews who have ascended the Temple Mount topped a total of 50,000 since last Rosh Hashana – a record. Not since the Temple Mount stood in Jerusalem has the sacred site seen so many Jewish visitors. Jordanian Waqf Continues Desecration of Temple Mount But that didn't stop the Jordanian Islamic Waqf Authority in charge of the Temple Mount compound from continuing its desecration of the sacred site. Visitors to the Temple Mount witnessed a garbage truck dumping its load last month near the site believed to be that of the Holy of Holies in the Jewish Temple that once stood. Videos filmed by visitors showed a number of vehicles committing these acts, without any supervision or protection of the holy places from the side of the State of Israel," Nisani said at the time. During its 19-year occupation of eastern Jerusalem, the government of Jordan banned Jewish visitors and regularly dumped garbage and trash on another of Judaism's holiest sites — the Western Wall. | | | | | | | The Three Musketeers at the Kotel | | | | | | The Three are Rabbi Yehuda Glick, famous temple mount activist, and former Israel Mk, and then Robert Weinger, the world's greatest shofar blower and seller of Shofars, and myself after we had gone to the 12 gates of the Temple Mount in 2020 to blow the shofar to ask G-d to heal the world from the Pandemic. It was a highlight to my experience in living in Israel and I put it on my blog each day to remember. The articles that I include each day are those that I find interesting, so I feel you will find them interesting as well. I don't always agree with all the points of each article but found them interesting or important to share with you, my readers, and friends. It is cathartic for me to share my thoughts and frustrations with you about life in general and in Israel. As a Rabbi, I try to teach and share the Torah of the G-d of Israel as a modern Orthodox Rabbi. I never intend to offend anyone but sometimes people are offended and I apologize in advance for any mistakes. The most important psychological principle I have learned is that once someone's mind is made up, they don't want to be bothered with the facts, so, like Rabbi Akiva, I drip water (Torah is compared to water) on their made-up minds and hope that some of what I have share sinks in. Love Rabbi Yehuda Lave. | | | | | | Israel Will Grow – Regardless By Rabbi Uri Pilichowski G-d wrote, "You shall possess the Land and you shall settle in it, for to you have I given the land to possess it" (Numbers 33:53). In his comments to this verse, Ramban (Nachmanides) wrote, "In my opinion, this verse expresses a positive command. We are commanded to settle and dwell in the land for it was given to them, and we cannot reject (me'us) the nachalat Hashem (the portion of G-d). If it would ever occur to us to go and capture the land of Shinar or the land of Ashur, or anything like it, and to settle there, one would be violating this positive command." In this comment, Ramban stated his well-known opinion that one of the 613 mitzvot is to live in Eretz Yisrael. In truth there are two laws taught by Ramban: the law to settle the land and the law for the individual to reside in the land. The Jewish people began living in the Land of Israel as a nation at the time of Joshua, some 3,000 years ago. They experienced two exiles after their conquest of the land: the second lasting 2,000 years. The last exile was devastating to the Jewish people for it spread them throughout the world, opening them to persecution. Yet there was always a small Jewish community in Israel. Even during the harshest times in Eretz Yisrael over the past 2,000 years, there was always a Jewish presence in the land of Israel. With the founding of the Zionist movement 150 years ago Jews in exile began to earnestly return to Israel. Over five initial large "aliyot," tens of thousands of Jews left their homes in Europe and moved to Israel. As Zionism became more and more popular, Jews from all over the world, and in greater numbers, uprooted themselves from lands as far as America, Yemen and Ethiopia and moved to Israel. When Israel was declared a state, Arab countries evicted their Jews and 850,000 Jews moved from Arab lands to Israel. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, a million Jews fled their homes and moved to Israel. Over the past 2,000 years there have been many hindrances to Jewish development in Eretz Yisrael. Romans, Crusaders, Mamelukes and the Ottoman Empire all prevented the Jewish people from actualizing their destiny and building Eretz Yisrael. More recently, the British Empire ruled over Palestine and inhibited Jewish immigration and settlement in Israel. Today, even though Israel is an independent country, international forces pressure Israel not to build where it deems best for the country. Countless plans to build all over Israel, even in Israel's capital Jerusalem, have been stymied due to international objections. It isn't only Israel's enemies that have prevented Israel from building, even some of Israel's best friends have levied insurmountable pressure that has barred Israel from development. Since its founding as a modern political movement, Zionism has faced more opposition than it has enjoyed support. At first, opposition came internally; Jews, scared of antisemitic backlash over perceived double loyalties, hesitant because of religious belief in waiting for the Messiah before establishing a third commonwealth in Israel, or a refusal to invest in a questionable project, opposed Zionism. Zionism wasn't only opposed internally; Zionists faced violent opposition from Arabs living in the land of Israel and Arab armies neighboring Israel. Zionism was also opposed by Western forces. There was opposition within the British government to Zionism because some of the English wanted to retain control of Palestine. Within the American government many argued that access to Arab oil, put at risk by Zionist "aggression," was more important than American Jewish votes. With all the opposition Israel faced before, during and after its founding, Israel has still flourished. Each time an opponent has tried to limit Israel's area of settlement, Israel has broken free and enlarged its borders. War after war, each presenting another existential threat, were won by Israel, and provided Israel reason to grow. On the diplomatic front, resolutions accusing Israel of violating international law, of Zionism equaling racism, and calls for Israel to abandon its land were ignored by Israel. Through tens of thousands of terror attacks and two intifadas, Israel continued to develop, build, and grow. Instead of stopping Israel's growth, it almost seems that opposition to Israel's development furthers Israel's growth. While many nations and forces have tried to stop the Jewish people and Israel from growing, Zionists are resilient and can't be easily stopped. Pressure from other nations have caused delays in Zionist plans but have never completely held Israel back from thriving. Zionism was started by brave Jews as a healthy response to 2,000 years of persecution. They were sick and tired of being dictated to by hateful Gentiles. Israel is a successful country that determines its own future. People will try and stop it from continuing to build and thrive, but Israel will carry on taking the steps it deems necessary to grow. | | | | Why Are There So Many Jewish Lawyers? By Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks z"l - At the beginning of the book of Devarim, Moses reviews the history of the Israelites' experience in the wilderness, starting with the appointment of leaders throughout the people, heads of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens. He continues: And I charged your judges at that time, "Hear the disputes between your people and judge fairly, whether the case is between two Israelites or between an Israelite and a foreigner residing among you. Do not show partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be afraid of anyone, for judgment belongs to G-d. Bring me any case too hard for you, and I will hear it. (Deut. 1:16-17) Thus, at the outset of the book in which he summarized the entire history of Israel and its destiny as a holy people, he already gave priority to the administration of justice: something he would memorably summarize in a later chapter (Deut. 16:20) in the words, "Justice, justice, shall you pursue." The words for justice, tzedek and mishpat, are repeated, recurring themes of the book. The root tz-d-k appears 18 times in Devarim; the root sh-f-t, 48 times. Advertisement
Justice has seemed, throughout the generations, to lie at the beating heart of Jewish faith. Albert Einstein memorably spoke of Judaism's "pursuit of knowledge for its own sake, an almost fanatical love of justice, and the desire for personal independence – these are the features of the Jewish tradition which make me thank my lucky stars that I belong to it." In the course of a television program I made for the BBC, I asked Hazel Cosgrove, the first woman to be appointed as a judge in Scotland and an active member of the Edinburgh Jewish community, what had led her to choose law as a career, she replied as if it was self-evident, "Because Judaism teaches: Justice, justice shall you pursue." One of the most famous Jewish lawyers of our time, Alan Dershowitz, wrote a book about Abraham, whom he sees as the first Jewish lawyer, "the patriarch of the legal profession: a defense lawyer for the damned who is willing to risk everything, even the wrath of G-d, in defense of his clients," the founder not just of monotheism but of a long line of Jewish lawyers. Dershowitz gives a vivid description of Abraham's prayer on behalf of the people of Sodom "Shall the Judge of all the earth not do justice?" (Gen. 18:25) as a courtroom drama, with Abraham acting as lawyer for the citizens of the town, and G-d, as it were, as the accused. This was the forerunner of a great many such episodes in Torah and Tanach, in which the prophets argued the cause of justice with G-d and with the people. (See Abraham: The World's First (But Certainly Not the Last) Jewish Lawyer, 2015, by Dershowitz.) In modern times, Jews reached prominence as judges in America – among them Brandeis, Cardozo and Felix Frankfurter. Ruth Bader Ginsburg was the first Jewish woman to be appointed to the Supreme Court. In Britain between 1996 and 2008, two of Britain's three Lord Chief Justices were Jewish: Peter Taylor and Harry Woolf. In Germany in the early 1930s, though Jews were 0.7 percent of the population, they represented 16.6 percent of lawyers and judges. One feature of Tanach is noteworthy in this context. Throughout the Hebrew Bible some of the most intense encounters between the prophets and G-d are represented as courtroom dramas. Sometimes, as in the case of Moses, Jeremiah, and Habakkuk, the plaintiff is humanity or the Jewish people. In the case of Job it is an individual who has suffered unfairly. The accused is G-d Himself. The story is told by Elie Wiesel of how a case was brought against G-d by the Jewish prisoners in a concentration camp during the Holocaust. At other times, it is G-d who brings a case against Bnei Yisrael. The word the Hebrew Bible uses for these unique dialogues between heaven and earth is riv, which means a lawsuit, and it derives from the idea that at the heart of the relationship between G-d and humanity – both in general, and specifically in relation to the Jewish people – is covenant, that is, a binding agreement, a mutual pledge, based on obedience to G-d's law on the part of humans, and on G-d's promise of loyalty and love on the part of Heaven. Thus, either side can, as it were, bring the other to court on grounds of failure to fulfill their undertakings. Three features mark Judaism as a distinctive faith. First is the radical idea that when G-d reveals Himself to humans He does so in the form of law. In the ancient world, G-d was power. In Judaism, G-d is order, and order presupposes law. In the natural world of cause and effect, order takes the form of scientific law. But in the human world, where we have free will, order takes the form of moral law. Hence the name of the Mosaic books: Torah, which means "direction, guidance, teaching," but above all "law." The most basic meaning of the most fundamental principle of Judaism, Torah min haShamayim, Torah from Heaven, is that G-d, not humans, is the source of binding law. Second, we are charged with being interpreters of the law. That is our responsibility as heirs and guardians of the Torah she-be-al peh, the Oral Tradition. The phrase in which Moses describes the voice the people heard at the revelation at Sinai, kol gadol velo yasaf, is understood by the commentators in two seemingly contradictory ways. On the one hand it means "the voice that was never heard again"; on the other, it means "the voice that did not cease," that is, the voice that was ever heard again (Deut. 5:19). There is, though, no contradiction. The voice that was never heard again is the one that represents the Written Torah. The voice that is ever heard again is that of the Oral Torah. The Written Torah is min ha-shamayim, "from Heaven," but about the Oral Torah the Talmud insists Lo ba-shamayim hi, "It is not in Heaven" (Bava Metzia 59b). Hence, Judaism is a continuing conversation between the Giver of the law in Heaven and the interpreters of the law on Earth. That is part of what the Talmud means when it says that "Every judge who delivers a true judgment becomes a partner with the Holy One, blessed be He, in the work of creation" (Shabbat 10a). Third, fundamental to Judaism is education, and fundamental to education is instruction in Torah, that is, the law. That is what Isaiah meant when he said, "Listen to Me, you who know justice, the people in whose heart is My law; do not fear the reproach of men, nor be afraid of their insults" (Is. 51:7). This is what Jeremiah meant when he said, "This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the L-rd: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their G-d, and they shall be My people" (Jer.31:33). This is what Josephus meant when he said, 1,900 years ago, "Should any one of our nation be asked about our laws, he will repeat them as readily as his own name." The result of our thorough education in our laws from the very dawn of intelligence is that they are, as it were, engraved on our souls. To be a Jewish child is to be, in the British phrase, "learned in the law." We are a nation of constitutional lawyers. Why? Because Judaism is not just about spirituality. It is not simply a code for the salvation of the soul. It is a set of instructions for the creation of what the late Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein, zt"l, called "societal beatitude." It is about bringing G-d into the shared spaces of our collective life. That needs law: law that represents justice, honoring all humans alike regardless of color or class; law that judges impartially between rich and poor, powerful and powerless, even in extremis between humanity and G-d; law that links G-d, its Giver, to us, its interpreters, the law that alone allows freedom to coexist with order, so that my freedom is not bought at the cost of yours. Small wonder, then, that there are so many Jewish lawyers.
| | | | | 17 Rosh Hashanah Facts Every Jew Should Know By Menachem Posner Heads Up! Surprise! Rosh Hashanah does not mean "New Year" in Hebrew. It actually means "Head of the Year." Just like your head (brain) tells your body what to do, how you behave on Rosh Hashanah has far-reaching consequences for the entire year. Read more here. 2. Toot, Toot! The central observance of Rosh Hashanah is listening to the blowing of the shofar on both mornings of Rosh Hashanah. Made from a hollowed-out ram's horn, the shofar produces three "voices": tekiah (a long blast), shevarim (a series of three short blasts) and teruah (a staccato burst of at least nine blasts). The shofar is blown at various intervals during the Rosh Hashanah morning service. Add them all up and you get 100 "voices" in total. Read about why we blow 100 blasts here. 3. Silent Shabbat When Rosh Hashanah coincides with Shabbat, we do not blow the shofar on that day. The sages enacted this as a precaution, in case someone would end up carrying a shofar to an expert to blow. There is a deeper lesson here as well. On Shabbat, the coronation of the King is so deep and so special that it's accomplished without the bells and whistles of the shofar. Read more here. 4. House Calls Chabad rabbis all over the world walk many miles on Rosh Hashanah (when car travel is forbidden) to blow shofar for people who are unable to make it to synagogue. If you know someone who cannot make it to synagogue, let your closest Chabad rabbi know as soon as possible. Find a Chabad rabbi here. 5. Twice as Nice Rosh Hashanah is celebrated for two days. In fact, while most holidays get an extra day in the Diaspora, Rosh Hashanah is the only one that is celebrated for two days in Israel as well. Read: Why Rosh Hashanah is Two Days. 6. But Not Thrice The Jewish calendar follows a particular rhythm. The first morning of Rosh Hashanah can be Monday, Tuesday, Thursday or Shabbat—never Sunday, Wednesday or Friday. See the Rosh Hashanah Calendar. 7. Fireworks in Your Dining Room That's right. Like Shabbat and other Jewish holidays, the Rosh Hashanah meals should be eaten in the joyous glow of candles, lit by the woman (or women and girls) of the house. Remember: On the first night, it is ideal to light before the onset of the holiday. On the second night, light only after nightfall, taking care to use a preexisting flame and not blow out your match when done. (Even though we may light fires and cook on holidays, kindling a new fire or extinguishing flames are forbidden.) Read how to light here and see when to light here. 8. Round Rolls Round challah is a traditional Rosh Hashanah treat. On Rosh Hashanah we traditionally start our holiday feasts with two loaves of round challah, sweetened with raisins to demonstrate our wish for a sweet new year. To add sweetness to our already sweet wish, we dip the challah in honey before taking the first bite. Read: Why Rosh Hashanah Challah Is Round, Not Braided. 9. Apple Dipped in Honey On Rosh Hashanah, we eat pomegranate to ask G-d that our merits multiply like the seeds of this delicious fruit. The meal then proceeds, including a number of sweet delicacies and other foods that express our prayerful wishes for the year. The most common symbolic food is apple slices dipped in honey (or sugar in some communities). Another favorite is tzimmes, a traditional Eastern European dish that includes carrots. Read about why we eat an apple dipped in honey on Rosh Hashanah. 10. Head for the Head It is customary to sample a morsel from the head of a fish on Rosh Hashanah, symbolizing our wish to be "a head and not a tail." Some people prefer the head of a ram, which is appropriate since it evokes the time when Abraham almost followed G‑d's command to sacrifice his son Isaac, until G‑d stopped him at the last moment and had him sacrifice a ram instead. Phew! Read about why eat from the head of a fish here. 11. Seed Count! Many people eat pomegranates on Rosh Hashanah, demonstrating their wish for as many merits as the pomegranate has seeds. It is commonly said that the pomegranate has 613 seeds, corresponding to the 613 mitzvahs in the Torah. However, this has yet to be empirically demonstrated by seed counters worldwide. Listen to this class for more on this custom and check out our first-class collection of Rosh Hashanah recipes. 12. Meet and Greet The traditional Rosh Hashanah greeting is "shanah tovah" (שנה טובה), which means "good year." The word u'metuka (ומתוקה), "and sweet," is sometimes added. More Rosh Hashanah greetings. 13. A Day to Pray The Rosh Hashanah morning services are particularly long, mostly due to the extra liturgy inserted into the cantor's repetition of the Amidah (the standing prayer). Much of it is poetic in style, and arranged according to the Hebrew alphabet—a boon for people wishing to learn the prayers by heart. Read up on the Rosh Hashanah prayers here and find a friendly Rosh Hashanah service near you here. 14. Birth and (Near) Death On both days of Rosh Hashanah we read about the life of Isaac. On the first day we read about G‑d granting Sarah's wish and blessing her with a son, Isaac. On the second day we read how Abraham almost sacrificed him on an altar. Explore the Rosh Hashanah Torah readings here. 15. Castaway Sins On the first afternoon of Rosh Hashanah (provided it is not Shabbat), it is customary to walk to a body of fresh water and recite a special prayer, symbolically casting our sins into the waters. The waterside ceremony (called tashlich) is evocative of the coronation ceremonies of old, where the rushing waters symbolized good wishes for a long reign—appropriate on Rosh Hashanah, when G‑d is coronated King of the Universe. Read: What is Tashlich? 16. Don't Blink That's right. Even though napping on Shabbat is considered a virtuous way to celebrate the day of rest, on Rosh Hashanah we make a point of not napping (and some people even stay awake at night), not wasting a precious moment on something as trivial as shut eye. The Talmud states that if one sleeps at the beginning of the year—i.e., on Rosh Hashanah—his good fortune also sleeps. 17. Like Sheep On Rosh Hashanah every single creature passes before G‑d in judgment. Yet it is not a sad day, but one of quiet confidence and optimism. After all, if G‑d created us and continues to sustain us, He obviously believes we have something to accomplish on His earth. And if He believes in us, so should we. Wishing you a shanah tovah, a good and sweet year! Your friends at Chabad.org By Menachem PosnerRabbi Menachem Posner serves as staff editor at Chabad.org, the world's largest Jewish informational website. He has been writing, researching, and editing for Chabad.org since 2006, when he received his rabbinic degree from Central Yeshiva Tomchei Temimim Lubavitch. He lives in Chicago, Ill., with his family. | | | | | | | See you tomorrow bli neder We need Moshiach now! Love yehuda lave | | | | |
