The Proper Diaspora Mindset, Parshat Vayechi 2020, Beyond The 4 Amot

The proper diaspora mindset is to yearn for redemption:

Make the 10th of Tevet Fast Meaningful

I hope that these words from Sefer Hasidim (ch. 226) will make your fast more meaningful:

Know and understand, even though the Sages said fasting for a (bad) dream (cancels it) like a fire (burns) fibers of flax, they only said this with regard to one who does teshuvah together with the fast...Since one is shown a bad dream in order that he will examine his actions, because the fast is in lieu of a sin offering. Just as a sacrifice is not effective without teshuvah, as it is written "The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination..."(Proverbs 21:27), so it is that fasting for a bad dream is not effective without teshuvah.

Have a meaningful fast, together with sincere teshuvah, and may we merit to see the Holy Temple rebuilt!

Ultra-Orthodox Rabbi and Secular Jewess Join Forces to Fight Assimilation

It is nice to see that there are people who not only realize that there is a problem, but are actually doing something about it:

It is Friday afternoon in Hollywood, Florida. Dr. Neta Peleg-Oren, a secular psychotherapist, and Yehuda Kornfeld, an ultra-Orthodox rabbi and educator, are sitting opposite me. Both are former Israelis and they are worried.

“This Won’t Happen to Me” is the name of the workshop they conduct together and it is also the title of their soon-to-be published book. “This won’t happen to me” is the sentence that almost every Israeli parent in America utters regarding the assimilation and intermarriage of his/her children, but it happens. There are more than half a million Israeli-Americans and a significant majority of their children marry non-Jews.

Read the rest.

Return to Israel the Moment It's Possible, Parshat Vayigash 2020, Beyond The 4 Amot

Secrets of the Return to Zion in the Story of Yosef, Parshat Vayeshev 2019, Beyond The 4 Amot

Judaism starts with the Land of Israel, Parshat Lech Lecha 2019, Beyond The 4 Amot

Very nice!

The Lubavitcher Rebbe on the Best Way to Do Outreach

This is a truly amazing lesson from The Lubavitcher Rebbe. It more or less foresees the failure of Reform and Conservative movements:

Some think that if they water down the Torah they’ll be doing a great service by making it more accessible, but not only is this not doing anyone a favor, it’s doing a disservice; instead of drawing people closer, it distances them from the true word of God.

The 17th of Tammuz on the 18th of Tammuz

We are fasting the fast of the 17th of Tammuz even though today is the 18th of Tammuz. The reason for this is because the 17th of Tammuz fell on the Sabbath this year, and when that happens, the fast is postponed.

A Jew should be happy. "Serve the LORD with gladness; come before His presence with singing (Psalms 100:2)." "Because thou didst not serve the LORD thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, by reason of the abundance of all things; (Deuteronomy 28:47)." And if a Jew is not happy, he is clearly doing something wrong.

Together with this, we are no entering a sad period, the "three weeks". Together with the general feeling of happiness and gratefulness for all we have and all that God has done for us, we devote our thoughts to what is lacking: our Holy Temple. Don't get me wrong; The Temple is always in our prayers! But at this time of year, close to the date of its destruction, the anguish over what we don't have is magnified.

May today's fast help us to find our own faults and to correct them. May we learn to love our fellowmen as ourselves. May we be blessed to see the coming of the Messiah and The Temple rebuilt.

How to Fight ANTI-SEMITISM

The following is an essay written by Ze'ev Maghen back in 1990. It is definitely worth reading so I am posting it here:

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Last Monday night Leonard Jeffries came to Columbia, and I went to hear him speak. Seldom have I experienced such a welling-up of nausea, such an onslaught of disgust, such a feeling of helplessness in the face of unbounded ignorance, such a feeling of hopelessness for the predicament of my people, as I did that night. Yet strange to say, all those gut-wrenching, heart-searing emotions converged upon me before the esteemed professor began his demagogic discourse, indeed, before I even entered Ferris Booth Hall. For it was there, standing in line on that building's patio, that I had the misfortune to witness one of the most saddening and despair-inducing spectacles I have seen in a good while.

There on the grass opposite were my fellow Jews, pleading with the crowd to understand that hating Jews is bad, and that (even worse) it has "no place in multiculturalism." They were there "to express our anger, and our fear" (our fear!). As I listened to these members of my supposedly proud family begging the gentiles (who for the most part ignored them, busy chatting away amiably enough): "We appeal to you, look into our faces, see our pain," my revulsion soared to unprecedented heights; as I watched these representatives of my supposedly creative community standing silently (!) behind a fence (!!) holding up signs rehearsing the same old useless platitudes, I felt ashamed; and when I heard the pathetically comical "dialogue" between one group of retreating Jews half-heartedly crying, "We want Jeffries fired!" (quite the maximalists, aren't we?) and another group frenziedly hushing them (no doubt the chant was deemed inconducive to the all important "image" the second group was so "responsibly" and "moderately" seeking to evoke-after all, the "Spectator" might get the wrong idea!)-when my ears caught this finale of idiocy, which produced its share of chuckles and smirks from those standing in line, I confess that I bowed my head and thanked the Lord that next year I will live in Jerusalem forever, and never again have to subject myself to the flagrant manifestations of the ever-new lows to which some diaspora Jews will descend.

Have you ever written an assiduously researched, minutely and delicately crafted twenty-five page paper and then lost it in the computer? If so, you might grasp a tenuous inkling of a smidgen of a notion of how frustrating and maddening it is to have to review all over again, from absolute scratch, a proposition which it once took so much effort, so much thought, so much argument, so much ink and so much blood to finally and (it was thought) incontrovertibly prove: YOU DON'T PROTEST ANTI-SEMITISM. How incredible that it still needs to be said!

A man calls you a pig. Do you walk around with a sign explaining that, in fact, you are not a pig? Do you hand out leaflets expostulating in detail upon the manifold differences between you and a pig ("A pig has a snout, I have a nose; a pig wallows in mud, I only occasionally step in a puddle, and then, of course, inadvertently...")? Do you stand on a soap box and discourse eruditely on why, in general, it is extremely not nice to call people pigs, and appeal to the populace to please have no truck with an individual rude and nasty enough to say such things about an upstanding citizen like yourself?

Fellow Jews, where in hell is your dignity? Where is your abhorrence of useless, thoughtless, counterproductive endeavor? Of course we want people to befriend us, to treat us with proper regard, that's only natural. Of course we desire and advocate amicable relations between ourselves and other ethnic and religious groups (after all, who came up with "Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore"-a Martian?). But let's make a moment's inquiry, shall we, into the analogous microcosm of a healthy, strapping, youthful, well-adjusted organism-say, the reader- and examine how s/he interacts socially toward the same ends in his/her individual life.

You want people to like you, right? Well, and how do you go about achieving this? Do you launch a campus-wide "Don't Dislike Dan!" campaign, replete with billboard, petition, full-page ads, a couple of lobbying organizations and occasional sky-writing? If some miscreant simply won't be your pal, in fact actually takes an overt aversion to you despite all your exertions to woo his affection and heal the breaches, would you....picket in front of his dorm? Or do you run your life a bit differently, concentrating your time and effort on being the best "yourself" that you can, growing and learning and living and enjoying, treating others fairly and kindly, setting up criteria for right and wrong and trying like the dickens to adhere to them and if despite all this a few folks nevertheless persist in being incurable slimeballs and absolutely refuse to interact genially and courteously........@!%#?& them, as my grandmother says-you move on.

Clearly any sane human would opt for the latter course, seeing as the alternative is not only laughably ludicrous, but profusely demeaning and unforgivably ineffective. And yet as a group, as a people, we Jews have inexplicably chosen to live this very same absurd alternative. The current trend among the vast majority of American Jewish youth is lamentably not toward being the best "ourselves," the best Jews, we can be; for most Jewish young people in this country the condition is rather one of fundamental ignorance of the enormous treasure and incomparable high that is full, glorious, meaningful Jewish life. At the same time, the preponderance of highly-funded Jewish organizations in America today (and the ones gobbling up the largest chunks of young, activist Jewish talent), rather than confronting this lethal problem, are focused almost entirely on one thing: perimeter "defense." So terribly many of us have never experienced the warmth and splendor of a genuine Shabbat, have never learned a word of our language or set a foot down in our homeland, so terribly many of us are assimilating and intermarrying at a rate auguring nothing short of national oblivion-yet dare anybody disturb us during this gradual (not so gradual!) disappearing act by calling us names or painting swastikas on our walls, and we and our organizations will raise a hue-and-cry so loud, so fierce and so heavily financed that it will be sure to accomplishÖ..nothing. Instead of brilliant rays of edifying, stimulating light pointed inward at our own people, we have dull, feckless, tinker-toy weapons (like those demonstrations) trained outward at "them." Is it possible that, like some tacky third-world dictatorship, we intermittently parade this military plastic-wear to distract attention from our own internal shortcomings? Otherwise how explain our unflagging willingness to fritter away entire afternoons and evenings at other peoples ' events, monotonously yammering potent pearls of efficacious eloquence like "Hey, Hey, Ho, Ho, racism has got to go!"-when we have so much work to do? Or is it just that it's so much easier to react than to act?

Perhaps more unbearable still is our other habitual response tactic: the interminable and unsurpassably self-degrading campaigns to ingratiate and "explain" ourselves to our neighbors (think they find this attractive?), to "educate them about us" (when are we going to educate us about us?). We've spent sixteen years now-ever since the "Infamous UN Resolution"-and who knows how many millions of dollars and people-hours, trying to teach non-Jews what Zionism isn't. My God: when are we going to start teaching Jews what Zionism is?

Instead of growing, learning, living, enjoying and furthering Jewish individual and national life, our raison d'etre and collective consciousness these days might be formulated: "Keep them at bay!" When it comes to concerted action, we are less Jews than we are anti-anti-Semites. This is why an egregious buffoon like Leonard Jeffries, with all his spurious bombast and hate-mongering pseudo-scholarship, actually has a leg up on us: because while he focuses his time and energy on the blacks, we focus our time and energy -- on the blacks.

But look: if you insist on paying such neurotic attention to what the Black Students Organization and other non-Jews on campus might possibly be led to think about you, at least be aware that these feeble, defensive, reactive pleas for justice and for people to be nice to you achieve the opposite-they only make you further despised. As so many of our great leaders and thinkers have taught us, as so many events in even our most recent past have shown us, it is only when we stop begging for approval from the world, only when we have enough self-esteem to look inward for our strength, to aim at living up to our own rigorous moral and ethical standards and not those that others none too ingenuously set up for us, only when we have the pride (and the ability) to be flagrantly, emphatically and unapologetically who we are-only then, our luminaries, our experience and our common sense tell us, will others begin and continue to respect us.

Or did you really think you could protest anti-Semitism away? Did you honestly believe that rally number seven-hundred-fifty-six-thousand-four hundred-and-twenty-three was going to produce results all its predecessors, in America, Europe and elsewhere, consistently have not? And just how long are you prepared to stand there and "reason" with a man as he slams his fist into your gut over and over and over again? How long will you kneel and appeal to him while he keeps ramming his boot into your supplicant face? A day? A week? A year? Three thousand years? Enslavement, expulsions, crusades, pogroms, inquisitions, blood libels, massacre upon massacre, every type of specious accusation has been hurled at us, every form of persecution known to man has been heaped upon us. Less than fifty years ago the entire world watched as six million of our people were ground into dust in the single greatest butchery in the history of humankind. See: less than one year later there was a spontaneous, murderous pogrom in Poland. Does this sound like a phenomenon you can reason with? Even the blood of almost one half of our nation did not satiate the anti-Semites (sometimes I wonder if it educated us).

Ask yourself: why are we still here? What is the key to our unique, defiant, unparalleled survival against all odds and forecasts? St. Paul predicted we'd "wither away," Hegel said our jig was up, Spengler consigned us to "winter season," Toynbee called us a fossil. Wrong, gentlemen. So what is it, this ingredient that makes us the "Indestructible Jews?" What, as Mark Twain asks, is the secret of our immortality? Surely none of you will tell me that down four millennia, and through the wrenching vicissitudes and savage depredations of exile, it was our appeals, protests and screams for equitable treatment that sustained us, kept us in life, and brought us to this season. No, my friends, our history teaches us a different lesson: that those who, rather than appealing and screaming, choose to build, to educate toward cultural and national revival, to defy anti-Semitism not with Jewish pleas and Jewish hand-wringing but with Jewish learning, Jewish observance, Jewish strength and Jewish achievement-such are those who bring our people survival, salvation, a future. The immensity of the gap separating these two approaches is impossible to underestimate.

How often, my fellow Jews, we gather to "oppose"; how rarely we gather to create. When, may I ask, was the last time any of us got together to form a movement for real change? When was the last time we stayed up all night debating and planning how to build and improve Israel, how to arrest and reverse assimilation in America (these are real Jewish issues, the true imperatives of our time-is it our pitiful inability to think "big" that precludes us from seeing these tasks as our own and tackling them on the necessary scale?). Once upon a time such pragmatic, productive idealism was the pre-eminent pre-occupation of Jewish college students, this was how they spent their evenings, dreaming, planning, implementing. What has happened to us? How have we become bureaucratized, mediocratized, too cynical to dream, too complacent to struggle? The most we can muster in the face of our enemies, in the face of our own future, is routine (even our projects and solutions are routine), inertia, and sameness. For God's sake, if nothing else, aren't you bored?

Some Jews just can't tear themselves away from their "image" obsession. I remember, about three years ago at the beginning of the intifadah, Brigadier General Amnon Straschnow of the Israel Defense Forces was invited to address the students over at the Law School. I brought a class of 10th graders I was teaching at the time. A relatively small group of Arab students stood at the back of the auditorium, and each time the general rose to speak, they opened up with "P.L.O.!, P.L.O.!," and "Nazi! Fascist!" After the honored guest had been thrice thus humiliated at his opening word, the Jewish Student Union finally decided to act. One oh-so-professional, oh-so-tolerant, oh-so-moderate member of this august association after another mounted the rostrum, and in soothing tones pleaded with the Arab students, spoke about freedom of speech, about an "agreement" they had reached previously with the Arab Club that the speaker would not be molested. The general got up again, approached the microphone, opened his mouth to speak, and "P.L.O.! P.L.O.! Nazi! Fascist!" This went on for an hour. At one point the Jewish establishment descended from the "bimah" to talk "heart-to-heart" with the offending students. I actually overheard one Jew say petulantly, "but you promised..."

Many students, myself included, when the shame and embarrassment of allowing an Israeli general to be thus treated at a Jewish event had risen into our throats, advised having the police, who were present, eject the Arab students, which was in fact entirely legal, or, short of that, doing it ourselves. Other, wiser students in the upper echelons of the JSU counseled against this, however. Over the microphone they assured us that in days and weeks to come the Arab students would be the ones to look bad, to be condemned, pilloried by the "press," banished from the olympian corridors of student political power. We should not spoil that image by doing anything whatsoever untoward. Brigadier General Amnon Straschnow was led, barely concealing his shame and rage, down the aisle and out of the room, as a few of us, awkwardly and with stupid looks on our faces, tried to sing Hatikvah. Epilogue: my friend in the JSU lamented to me the following week that the university senate had inexplicably refused to condemn the Arab students; nobody was pilloried in any press campaign and the "Spectator" barely reported the event once if I recall; General Straschnow went home to Israel and wrote a contemptuous article in Ma'ariv about how timid American Jewish youth are.

Well, by now you're indignant. I've not only insulted your venerated establishment (wait, there's more!), but I've offered only criticism while advancing no proposals for a more fruitful approach. To remedy that, I'll tell you what I told a high-ranking member of the JSU whilst standing on Columbia's steps two weeks prior to the Professor Griff incident (for those not hip to the scene, this sophisticated gentleman was a rapper who had a few choice observations to make about members of our tribe).

I told him that the only answer to anti-Semitism is Jewish growth, is Jewish knowledge, is Jewish joy, is a deepened Jewish commitment, a more powerful internal Jewish cohesion, a more vigorous dedication to Jewish and Zionist outreach. I told him that you combat anti-Semitism by promoting that which the anti-Semite wants to crush: Jewish vitality. I told him that affirmation, not negativity, is the way to fight, the way to win. I told him that instances of anti-Semitism are often, sadly, the most powerful catalysts of Jewish identity resurgence. Don't just sit there with ashes on your head bemoaning and "condemning" them (as if an anti-Semite or potential anti Semite gives a damn about your condemnation!)-exploit them against their own ends, toward your ends (ah, but do you have ends? Look in the mirror and ask yourself: "do I have ends?"). Tachlis: I told him that at the "crisis" meeting the week prior I had seen more unaffiliated Jews come out of the woodwork than ever before-they were angry, confused, looking for some way to respond, for something to do. The anger was really pride, the confusion really searching. For God's sake, it's the only time you may have such an opportunity, such a wide, hungry Jewish audience-don't use them as bodies to stand and chant inanities aimed at uninterested non-Jews and then send them home with nothing! Involve them in Jewish rejoicing, show them Jewish fire, have a massive Kumzitz smack in the middle of campus with five guitars and fifty Israeli flags and sing till your soul comes out of your body and give divrei Torah and tell stories of Israel and hand out positive, thought-provoking literature and daven a melodious Ma'ariv (evening prayer) under the stars and dance like wild animals and rend the air and your hearts with Hatikvah and distribute invitations to Shabbat dinner and make new Jewish friends! If you feel the need, in the middle of it all put up a sign: "Professor Griff, go suck an egg. Am Yisrael Chai!" (the People of Israel lives). Let Stokely Carmichael rant, let Professor Griff rap, let Leonard Jeffries rave-in the meantime you build (Zionism taught us this-in many ways, this is the essence of Zionism). Oh and by the way: the presence of a bonafide anti-Semite on campus is not a pre-requisite for engaging in such activity!

The Jewish Student Union's response to the above recommendation/ exhortation was, after "taking it under consideration" in consultation with "the appropriate constituent committees," not only to reject it in favor of their impotent, one-size-fits-all, anti-Semitism-isn't-a-Jewish-problem-its everybody's-problem (funny how we're the only ones who seem to suffer from the problem), generic "anti-hatred" rally (even a Palestinian Arab speaker was brought in to give it that really "multicultural" feel)-they further alternately insisted and hysterically implored that we not bring even one Israeli flag (to a rally against a man who had suggested that all Israelis should be killed) as it would detract from "the atmosphere of unity we are trying to foster" (in other words, as long as I'm not me, as long as I'm not a demonstratively proud Jew and Zionist, I can join that great unified broth of cultural and ethnic homogeneity-where have I heard that argument before?)

[STOP THE PRESSES! As we scribble, fate has conspired to provide us with a regrettable but particularly apt illustration of our point, in the form of a fiendish filcher who evidently made off with some fifty mezuzahs from the doorposts of a corresponding number of slumbering Barnard women. The obligatory crisis convocation was convened, dean and appropriate Jewish notables in attendance, the despicable purloiner was duly and harshly condemned (in absentia), and of course "anger, fear and pain" were expressed (these three show up at so many Jewish functions lately that I'm beginning to think of them as some kind of ethnic Jewish cuisine-"for tonight's entree we have anger smothered in fear; for dessert, pain"). Meanwhile, the "healing process" was also inaugurated (oh please-nobody was murdered or pillaged, some mezuzas were stolen!). That exhausted the official Jewish community's response. Well isn't it clear, we're missing a terrific opportunity here to capitalize on the nefarious deed and utilize it for the good! Of course news of the crime spread like wildfire, and now everybody who's anybody is talking mezuzas, even Jews who had barely heard of them before. Now's the time to embark on a mighty mezuza campaign! Teach about them, write poems in their honor, have the Pizmon choir arrange a song to the verse, "On the doorposts of thy house, and upon thy gates" and serenade every dormitory with it, get mezuzas donated and give them out to every Jewish student on campus complete with jazzy instruction booklet and inspirational tract to boot (again: thief unnecessary!)]

One may fairly ask the question why, considering the approach employed by the Jewish Student Union to campus anti-Semitism has induced little if any change, why do they persist in utilizing the same methods, year after year, without regard to efficacy? The answer is simple, and extremely important (so listen up!): the Jewish establishment, unfortunately and perhaps by definition, is not about change. It's not about challenge, it's not about new ideas, it's not about dynamism, it's not even about "leadership"-it is about maintenance. Lest you be deceived, and perceive this as a purely modern-day affliction, remember that when Dr. Theodor Herzl was courageously and prophetically laying the foundations of the State of Israel, he was vociferously opposed every step of the way by that very same imaginationless, status quo obsessed, "official" Jewish "leadership," whose principal daily pursuit was shuddering at what the gentiles might think. Somewhat earlier a man called Moses, on a comparable mission, encountered many similar obstacles from much the same group (its lengthy tradition in no way makes this crusty conservatism any less regrettable or dangerous-indeed, this makes it the more heinous: don't we ever learn?). Now this perennial fogyism has resurfaced as a relatively recent, rueful phenomenon on the university campus, what you might call the establishmentarianization of the college student body. When an astute upperclassman lately accused the JSU of not standing for anything, the latter wrote in their defense that they simply cannot be expected to stand for anything, since they function as "an umbrella that shelters, preserves, and protects" (is it just me, or does this sound like some bizarre cross between Mutual of Omaha, the Los Angeles Police Department and formaldehyde?). Tell you what, if that's all you aspire to, then get out of the way and at least let the rain fall, let it drench us silly, we want stimulation and growth, we came to college to have our intellects assaulted, we came to college to be turned on, exposed, edified, provoked, confronted, challenged, changed-not sheltered, protected and preserved like some old jar of marmalade.

Here it is essential to perceive the chasmic difference between a "movement" (of which we Jews have none on this, or most any other campus) and an "organization" (of which we have, Baruch Hashem, more than our share). A movement has a clear enough purpose: to take an environment of individuals and move them, intellectually, emotionally, even physically from point A to point B (take, ooh I don't know, Zionism for an instance). In the case of a university campus, such folk would have in mind the object that one or more aspects of that environment and a given population in it, indeed even of a much larger environment outside the university arena, would look vastly different, reshaped, redirected by the time they left the institution. They would accordingly judge and plan all active and reactive tactics by this criterion. In many situations which an organization would view as a threat or aberration from the smoothly flowing norm, and which they would therefore inevitably attempt to "cautiously" and "quietly" (and generally ineffectively) "defuse," a movement would see an opportunity, would take advantage of a seemingly negative phenomenon and turn it into something positive, would utilize it for internal and external growth-because you see: they're going somewhere.

* * *

By now you've probably figured out that the title of this little treatise constitutes a bit of false advertising: the essay is not about anti-Semitism. Indeed, it's about not being about anti-Semitism. Nor is it about lambasting the establishment (necessary and even cathartic as this can sometimes be), especially since among its members are many devoted and talented people, quite a few of whom complain about the same serious deficiencies I have discussed here. Taken no further, blaming the establishment for ills for whose alleviation we are all responsible is as worthless as shrieking at anti-Semites.

What the essay is about is solely this: are we going to open our minds to significantly different strategies and objectives, are we going to re-examine our attitudes and stop worrying so damn much that we might "offend" or "appall" each-other by expressing ideas at variance with those currently in vogue, are we going to finally bypass this near-pathological timidity and officially sanctioned apathy-and act? Are we going to start thinking bigger than our own campus, are we going to realize the responsibility is ours and no-one else's, are we going to comprehend and reclaim the awesome, historically-attested ability of students to reshape society-and use it? Are we going to forge the core of a courageous, meaningful, innovative, nationwide movement of Jewish youth (no, I haven't been drinking), a movement to electrify the atmosphere, to spread the ideas, the knowledge and the feelings, to set out on fresh paths? Are you, dear reader, going to personally initiate this process by getting together with some friends to talk about these issues, as they relate to your own lives and that of your community, maybe even to imagine, dream, brainstorm, plan....fulfill?

Am I getting through? Are you too far gone already with your student "boards of directors," your "chairpersons" (ever think about this title?) and "proper channels" to remember that you are young people and changing the world is your job? Perhaps. History, not I, will someday ask what earth shattering or even not-so-earth-shattering metamorphoses for the better you pulled together and achieved in your four years at the single most influential institution on earth, the university, at a crucial time in the history of our people and our nascent country.

I leave you with the Chanukah candles we will all light. We light them to commemorate a time when a heroic movement of Jews took an altogether different line than their established "leaders," who had counseled "moderation" and self-effacing "multiculturalism" in the face of anti Semitism. Many of us light them because this holiday was deliberately raised out of comparative obscurity by another movement, conceived and initiated by college students two thousand years later, that struck out in a new direction over against the "cautious," "moderate" and assimilationist approach of the "established" leadership in their time, and effected the greatest miracle in modern history-a miracle that daily awaits our arrival and full participation.

The candles are fire, and any good physics student will tell you that fire produces heat, and heat makes things move. Stop trying to "cool things down" my friends, heat 'em up! Ideological controversy, intellectual challenge, outreach, guts, passion, direction, movement. That's what the energy of being young is all about. That's what the beauty of being Jewish is all about. That's what our Torah, the most dynamic, revolutionary book in the universe, is all about: movement. Movement from ignorance to knowledge, from study to practice, from slavery to freedom, from exile to redemption.

Wake up, my strangely content Jewish brothers and sisters! Wake up and see what's going on around you, wake up and see what's not going on around you and make it go on. You are the most powerful people in the world, if you only knew...

Anthony Weiner Can Be a Free Man...If He Really Wants To

The man did the crime and served his time:

Former Rep. Anthony Weiner left a New York City halfway house on Tuesday after completing his prison sentence for illicit online contact with a 15-year-old girl.

"It's good to be out," the disgraced former congressman said, according to the New York Post . "I hope to be able to live a life of integrity and service. I'm glad this chapter of my life is behind me."

He may be out of jail but is he really free? Our sages have an interesting take on what freedom is:

Said Rabbi Joshua the son of Levi: Every day, an echo resounds from Mount Horeb (Sinai) proclaiming and saying: "Woe is to the creatures who insult the Torah." For one who does not occupy himself in Torah is considered an outcast, as is stated (Proverbs 11:22), "A golden nose-ring in the snout of a swine, a beautiful woman bereft of reason." And it says (Exodus 32:16): "And the tablets are the work of G‑d, and the writing is G‑d's writing, engraved on the tablets"; read not "engraved" (charut) but "liberty" (chairut)---for there is no free individual, except for he who occupies himself with the study of Torah. And whoever occupies himself with the study of Torah is elevated, as is stated (Number 21:19), "And from the gift to Nahaliel, and from Nahaliel to The Heights."

Yes, Torah is the path to freedom! I have written in the past that Anthony Weiner can leverage what has befallen him for his benefit:

However, in spite of everything, Anothony Weiner can leverage this situation. What seems to be an unfortunate turn of events is a blessing in disguise! It is a wake up call for Anthony Weiner. Anthony Weiner, ayeka? Where are you? Perhaps it is time to reconsider the way you lead your life? Come home, Anthony Weiner! Leave your false concepts of success, and leave your gentile wife! Take some time off to learn in a yeshivah, to find out who you really are! Weinergate may be the best thing that ever happened to you! It all depends on what you do with it.

Is it a coincidence that he was freed now, during the days when the Jewish People are counting the Omer? These days are known for their potential for spiritual growth! Who knows, we may see some nachas from Anthony Weiner yet!

Rabbi Elisha Vishlitzky zt"l

Sadness fills my heart as I realize that Rabbi Elisha Vishlitzky zt"l is no longer with us:

Rabbi Elisha Vishlitzky, one of the most prominent rabbis in religious Zionism, passed away at the age of 65. Rabbi Vishlitsky lived in the Kiryat Moshe neighborhood of Jerusalem and taught regularly until falling ill.

You can read more about him here. I was privliged to attend his classes (years ago). In addition to being a Torah scholar, he was a man of great character and and awesome ba'al tefilah. He will surely be missed. May his memory be a blessing.

Our New Year is the First of Tishrei, Not January 1st!

Here is an interesting survey conducted by the Jewish People Policy Institute:

The annual debate in Israel about the placement of Christmas trees in malls or hotels – this year in Ashdod – shouldn`t fool anyone. For most Israeli Jews, the holiday season is celebrated in the Hebrew month of Tishrei, not in December. For a significant majority of Israeli Jews (78%), December 31st is considered a “completely ordinary day.” Only 2% say that they conduct “soul searching” on the New Year, and only 6% say that December 31st feels like their “real New Year`s Eve.”

The JPPI is releasing this data as part of its #IsraeliJudaism research project, based on an extensive survey of Israeli Jews. A new book based on the research: #IsraeliJudaism, a Portrait of a Cultural Revolution, was published a few weeks ago by Dvir Publishing.

I remember the Friday before January 1, 2000. A radio journalist called a random person on the telephone and asked him how he will be celebrate the new millenium. The person answered that he will do what he does every Sabbath: go to the synagogue and have a regular festive Sabbath meal with his family! The journalist was clearly disappointed with such a Jewish answer.

The survey contains some more interesting information. Read the rest!

(Hat tip: Arutz 7)

The Time Has Come to Overturn OBERGEFELL v. HODGES

The drama surrounding the appointment of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court of the United States of Amercia has dominated the press and social media for quite some time. It's over. Welcome to the SCOTUS, Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

A couple of years ago I was wondering whether Trump could make America great again. This was my conclusion:

Therefore, in answer to my original question,"Can Donald Trump make America great again?", the answer is a loud, resounding no. He does not seem to be a man of high enough moral fiber to pull Americans out of the sleazy cultural mud that there are drowning in. The change in America is going to come from the bottom up, if it is to come at all. It would take a miracle for the USA to reverse its moral decline, and only a miracle will make America great again.

I was of the opinion that, "The change in America is going to come from the bottom up, if it is to come at all." I still believe this to be true. However, this does not mean that progress cannot be made from the top down.

The new make up of the SCOTUS, with a 5 to 4 conservative majority, provides an opportunity for this kind of top-down prgress. Call it wishful thinking, but I would really like to the the SCOTUS overturn the disgraceful ruling known as "OBERGEFELL v. HODGES". This would be a positive step in the direction of making America great again, a major step in recalibrating America's moral compass.

However, as I already mentioned, this is not enough. Major changes will have to come from the rank and file American. They will have to reject the sordid culture and values that the MSM and major portions of Academia are spewing out. They will have to return to God.

Jewish Bloggers Protest Against the "Gay Pride" Parade in Jerusalem

WE PROTEST

We, the undersigned Jewish bloggers, hereby protest – in the strongest terms possible – the parading and glorification of an “alternative lifestyle”, one that is classified in the Holy Torah as an abomination, especially through the streets of the holy city of Jerusalem. 

The Torah demands that we live by a certain code of sexual morality, and as such, we are forbidden from certain relationships that a moral society cannot tolerate.  These include incest, adultery, bestiality, and homosexuality.  All these are considered grave sins in Judaism and incur the punishment of Karet, or excision from the Jewish people.  An act performed with witnesses during the time of the Sanhedrin would incur an even worse consequence – namely, capital punishment. 

And this is only on an individual level.  When the sin is committed on a societal level, it is much worse.  The Torah and our sages record how these acts were catalysts for both the Great Flood during Noah’s lifetime and the destruction of the Five Cities of the Plain.

As such, we consider any attempt to glorify acts that the Torah vehemently forbids by parading any such lifestyle through the streets with horror and utter disdain.  Such parades in New York and San Francisco would be bad enough, but through the streets of the Holy Land of Israel is a thousand-fold worse.  The Torah specifically warns us not to act in sexually abominable ways lest we be vomited out of the land.  One can only imagine how it is viewed in Heaven when people brazenly display to G-d how abominable one can be.  And if the Land of Israel cannot tolerate such acts of utter gall, all the more so in the holy city of Jerusalem, a city that is overwhelmingly religious. 

We in no way wish to minimize the struggles in temptation some may have in this area and view with positivity those who have such inclinations and bravely overcome them.  But those are not the people irreverently parading through the streets with rainbow flags, who show utter contempt for the Holy Torah and all we hold dear.

We therefore vehemently protest the “Pride” Parade in Jerusalem and everywhere else in the world where they may occur.  We hope and pray that those who take part in such parades do a complete Teshuva for their actions, and may we see a rebuilt Jerusalem, speedily in our days, Amen.

Signed,

(in alphabetical order)

CDG from Hava HaAharona

Cosmic X from Cosmic X in Jerusalem

Dassie from Myrtle Rising

Devash from Tomer Devorah

Dov Bar Leib from End of Days

DS from Israel Truth Times

Goldie ZP from Geula613

Rabbi Lazer Brody from Lazer Beams

Yaak from Yeranen Yaakov

Yechezkel Hirshman from Achas L'Maala V'Sheva L'Matta

Love the Homosexual as Thyself (by Rebuking Him)

I have seen in my lifetime a gradual but steady moral decline in American society. I think that the 1960s were a turning point for morality in America:

The modern consensus is that the sexual revolution in 1960s America was typified by a dramatic shift in traditional values related to sex, and sexuality. Sex became more socially acceptable outside the strict boundaries of heterosexual marriage.

And the results:

Studies have shown that, between 1965 and 1974, the number of women that had sexual intercourse prior to marriage showed a marked increase. The social and political climate of the 1960s was unique; one in which traditional values were often challenged loudly by a vocal minority.

The moral decline continued as homosexual relations, once strictly outside of the consensus, gradually became acceptable to many. I will not be surprised if America's moral decline continues, and other deviants, encouraged by the successes of the Gay Rights Movement, will also demand equality and acceptance.

However, those of us who are obedient to God's Torah, will never accept any behavior that the Torah forbids. It does not matter how many risque movies get produced in Hollywood, or how many "Gay Pride" marches take place. The 18th chapter of Leviticus will always be our beacon and guide.

As a rule, people are ashamed of their sins. It seems that the militant homosexuals are an exception to this rule, as I once wrote:

Among the great acts of kindness that God has done for us is that he has built in to the human psyche the feeling of shame. A person with strong moral underpinnings will feel uneasy if he has done something wrong. He will feel shame. Usually this feeling of shame is magnified the more that the misdeed is publicized. This feeling of shame, when harnessed properly, will help the transgressor make amends and return to God. Returing to the Creator will bring him true bliss.

The whole idea of "gay pride" is the antithesis of the positive trait of feeling ashamed mentioned above. How is it that this great trait of shame has been suppressed in some individuals? Who in their right mind is proud to sin? Who is so shameless as to take part in a parade celebrating the transgression of the Torah's commandments? This is is abominable indeed!

The Torah clealy states, "Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind; it is abomination." When one points this out to "gay activists" or their supporters, they often reply, "The Torah also says that one must love one's neighbor as oneself." To this I reply that if one truly loves one's neighbor, he rebukes him when he sees him sin. To be oblivious to bad behavior, or even worse to encourage it, is not a sign of love! It is the exact opposite!

"For whom the LORD loveth He correcteth, even as a father the son in whom he delighteth." (Proverbs 3:12)

"Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee; reprove a wise man, and he will love thee." (Proverbs 9:8)

Understanding Pnina Peri

Different copies of this clip have gone viral in Israel lately:

What's happening here?

An Israeli woman mocked a Chabad rabbi at Ben Gurion Airport as he helped another man don tefillin.

The woman, whose actions were captured on a cellphone video posted on Facebook, mocked the men, laughing and screeching on Monday morning as they practiced the religious rite. She yelled at them in Hebrew to “move because you are bothering me” and asked rhetorically, “Why are you doing this here? There are people here.”

Several people in the terminal ask her to tone down, but instead she became louder.

The video, which has had more than 300,000 views since Monday, was posted by Gad Kaufman, the businessman who put on the tefillin with the help of the Chabad rabbi manning a booth at the airport.

Kaufman, who was leaving Israel for a business trip, wrote a post in the Hebrew with the video.

“An amazing incident took place this morning at the airport, when I was politely asked by a Chabad man if I wanted to put on tefillin,” he wrote. “I said yes, and then a woman with a crazy look jumped up and started cursing, harassing and disturbing! It is really shameful that being a Jew in this country means being persecuted by leftist Bohemians. If I were a Muslim or a Christian, would it be more legitimate for her …?”

The woman was identified by the Israel National News website as Pnina Peri, the head of the Joseph and Alma Gildenhorn Institute for Israel Studies at the University of Maryland. Peri, who formerly taught at Israel’s Sapir Academic College, is an expert in multicultural theories. Her husband, Yoram Peri, served as president of the New Israel Fund, which supports left-wing causes, from 1999 to 2001.

Many of the responses to the video criticized the woman for her actions. Several also praised the Chabad rabbi, identified by Channel 20, a religious news station, as Rabbi Meir Herzl, the director of the Chabad House in the Jerusalem suburb of Pisgat Zeev, for his restraint in not responding to her.

The lady has been throughly criticized for her behavior on Israeli social media. I would like to offer my insight into her unseemly behavior.

This lady has a pure and holy Jewish soul. When she saw a Jew happily accept the opportunity of performing the mitzvah of tefilin, that Jewish soul was aroused. That made Ms. Peri feel very uncomfortable. It is something that she has probably been educated to suppress. This outburst was just her way of stamping out this arousement of her holy Jewish soul.

One can certainly learn a lesson from this embarrasing clip. As the Mishnah states,

"Contemplate three things, and you will not come to the hands of transgression: Know what is above from you: a seeing eye, a listening ear, and all your deeds being inscribed in a book."

What will be with me when my time comes, and the heavenly tribunal will show me all of the "clips" where I am the star?

Getting Into the Israel Independence Day Mood

Do you want to get into the Israel Independence Day mood? This clip should help you out:

Birkat HaIlanot - Blessing the Trees in Israel in the Month of Nissan

It's that time of year again! So long winter, hello spring! I prefer to make this blessing on the trees that Shalom Sherki hy"d planted:

Here is a nice clip that explains this blessing:

The "National Union" Party's "Jewish Israel" Platform

Tuesday night I walked down to the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Jerusalem to take part in the National Union Party's christening of their "Jewish Israel" platform. The platform lays out the party's stance on several of the issues facing Israel and the Jewish People today.

One of the issues discussed was the observance of the Sabbath in the public domain. This is one of the major points of contention in Israel. For the observant Jew, the Sabbath is the Holy of Holies, and he is ready to sacrifice much in order to observe it. For others, the Sabbath is less important, and what interests them is having public transportation and open stores to shop at on their day off from work.

The National Union is proposing that the Israeli work week be changed to be in synch with most of the world. Instead of working from Sunday to Thursday, Israel will work from Monday to Friday (finishing work on Friday early enough to prepare for the Sabbath). The idea is that Sunday will be the day off where Israelis can go to the beach, shop, etc. and the Sabbath will be more strictly kept in the public sphere.

This is a very major idea, a game changer. I think that it is worth a try.

Predictably, the press ignored this item and concentrated on Rabbi Yehoshua's remarks on the LGBT issue:

“I have invested many hours in helping those who have difficulty in this area [of homosexuality],” he said. “But there is an illness that is spreading and taking over. We’re becoming a country that looks more and more like LGBT-stan.”

It was a great speech. Here's a pic:

Aly Raisman on Being Jewish

It's been a while since we've heard Aly Raisman talk about her Jewishness:

Aly Raisman, the Olympic gold medalist gymnast, told a BBYO conference she drew strength from her Jewish upbringing.

Raisman, addressing the pluralistic youth movement’s annual conference in Orlando, Florida on Friday, said she wanted to “talk about how proud I am to be a Jewish athlete,” which drew cheers.

“Being Jewish is all about family and I think being Jewish is all about being a good person,” she said. “I have so many amazing memories of being with family during the Jewish holidays.”

Of course she is right. Being Jewish is about being a good person. However, there are plenty of good people from other nations and faiths. I've met many fine Catholics, Protestants, Koreans, Irishmen, and Italians, just to mention a few. Being Jewish is also about being a good Jew: Being faithful to God, His Torah, and His nation. It is something that encompasses every aspect of life. It is something that one must devote a lot of time to learn.

But who is going to listen to me? I haven't won any gold medals.

No money for the #fakestinians

President Trump is not putting up with the bad behavior of the #fakestinians:

Tel Aviv Social Activist May Golan Totally Destroys Radical Leftist Journalist Larry Derfner

You may remember Larry Derfner as the journalist who was fired from the Jerusalem Post for justifying terrorism. He made another big mistake recently trying to debate May Golan:

See #Israel #Haaretz writer act like evil bully #HarveyWeinstein - Arrogant, Elitist, Egotistical, Chauvenistic & Disgusting he Violently Threatens me - a woman - coz its OK in his twisted #altleft world BUT i Stood Strong! ( @i24NEWS_EN edited out him shouting “F*** You” to me!) pic.twitter.com/PbAPKGSD0w

— May Golan מאי גולן (@GolanMay) 6 בינואר 2018

Here's the full interview:

I Recited Kaddish Today

Did you know that the 10th of Tevet was "ordained by the Chief Rabbinate of Israel to recite Kaddish for Jews who perished in the Holocaust and whose yahrzeit is unknown"? Nowadays not too many are away of this. However, in the first decades following the rebirth of the State of Israel, the synagogues here were full of people reciting Kaddish for loved ones who were murdered by the Nazis and their accomplices. That is what I heard from Torah scholars old enough to know.

For the first time in my life a recited Kaddish for the elevation of the souls of my great-grandparents, who perished during the Holocaust in Bessarabia.

הי"ד

Today is The 20th of Kislev: #JewishFamilyDay

"Jewish Family Day" is a day when we will all work together to strengthen the traditional Jewish family.

Channuka is a time when Jewish families get together. Here is a video President Trump's and the First Lady's Channukah reception that I'm posting in honor of #JewishFamilyDay:

The Recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's Capital

For quite some time now, under the logo of this blog, is the blog's description:

A Jew's view from the capital of Israel and the future site of the Third Temple, may it speedily be rebuilt.

Yes, Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. If one recognizes this or one does not will not change this fact. The Israeli Parliament, the Knesset, is here in Jerusalem along with the president's residence, and the prime minister's office as well as most of the government ministries. This is reality. Not accepting reality will not stop it from being true.

In about an hour and a half President Trump is set to state that Jerusalem is indeed the capital of Israel. I commend him for acknowledging this. I commend him for not giving in to the Arab threats of violence. I commend him for not listening to the deaf and blind European leaders who are busy destroying their own contenent with unbridled immigration.

However, as Jews living in the land of Israel in general and in Jerusalem in particular, we must remember that we are here not because the United Nations says that it is okay or because of the good will of any politician. We are here because this is the land that God gave us. Period.

The 20th of Kislev: #JewishFamilyDay

The 20th of Kislev has been declared "Jewish Family Day". This is a day when we will all work together to strengthen the traditional Jewish family. Without a doubt the integrity of the Jewish family, its devotion to God, Torah and Mitzvot, and its dedication to passing these values on to the next generation have been crucial factors in the survival of the People of Israel from biblical times until this very day.

Why the 20th of Kislev? This is the day, "...the ninth month, on the twentieth day of the month", that the Jews returning from the Babylonian exile after the destruction of the First Temple took upon themselves to strengthen the Jewish family, as recorded in chapter 10 of the book of Ezra:

1 Now while Ezra prayed, and made confession, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, there was gathered together unto him out of Israel a very great congregation of men and women and children; for the people wept very sore. {S} 2 And Shecaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, answered and said unto Ezra: 'We have broken faith with our God, and have married foreign women of the peoples of the land; yet now there is hope for Israel concerning this thing. 3 Now therefore let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the wives, and such as are born of them, according to the counsel of the LORD, and of those that tremble at the commandment of our God; and let it be done according to the law. 4 Arise; for the matter belongeth unto thee, and we are with thee; be of good courage, and do it.' {P}

5 Then arose Ezra, and made the chiefs of the priests, the Levites, and all Israel, to swear that they would do according to this word. So they swore. 6 Then Ezra rose up from before the house of God, and went into the chamber of Jehohanan the son of Eliashib; and when he came thither, he did eat no bread, nor drink water; for he mourned because of the faithlessness of them of the captivity. {S} 7 And they made proclamation throughout Judah and Jerusalem unto all the children of the captivity, that they should gather themselves together unto Jerusalem; 8 and that whosoever came not within three days, according to the counsel of the princes and the elders, all his substance should be forfeited, and himself separated from the congregation of the captivity. {S} 9 Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered themselves together unto Jerusalem within the three days; it was the ninth month, on the twentieth day of the month; and all the people sat in the broad place before the house of God, trembling because of this matter, and for the great rain. {P}

10 And Ezra the priest stood up, and said unto them: 'Ye have broken faith, and have married foreign women, to increase the guilt of Israel. 11 Now therefore make confession unto the LORD, the God of your fathers, and do His pleasure; and separate yourselves from the peoples of the land, and from the foreign women.' 12 Then all the congregation answered and said with a loud voice: 'As thou hast said, so it is for us to do. 13 But the people are many, and it is a time of much rain, and we are not able to stand without, neither is this a work of one day or two; for we have greatly transgressed in this matter. 14 Let now our princes of all the congregation stand, and let all them that are in our cities that have married foreign women come at appointed times, and with them the elders of every city, and the judges thereof, until the fierce wrath of our God be turned from us, as touching this matter.' {P}

15 Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahzeiah the son of Tikvah stood up against this matter; and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite helped them. 16 And the children of the captivity did so. And Ezra the priest, with certain heads of fathers' houses, after their fathers' houses, and all of them by their names, were separated; and they sat down in the first day of the tenth month to examine the matter. 17 And they were finished with all the men that had married foreign women by the first day of the first month. {P}

So this year, on the 20th of Kislev(this year it comes out on the 8th of December), we will take a stand against intermarriage. We will do everything we can to strengthen the Jewish family. Happy #JewishFamilyDay!

Gratitude is the Key to Happiness

Here is a nice video from Prager U:

This is a very fundamental theme in Judaism. We Jews say "thank You" to God all day long!

Shalom Aleichem Like You've Never Heard It Before

Turn on this speakers and enjoy!

Interview With the Chief Rabbis

Dan Margalit interviews Rabbi Avraham Shapira zt"l and Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu zt"l. How I miss these great and humble rabbis!

Weiner, Prison and Teshuvah

It's final. Anthony Weiner a.k.a. Carlos Danger is going to prison:

He lost his seat in Congress, his audacious bid to resurrect his career as mayor of New York City, and his high-profile marriage. And he undermined Hillary Clinton’s shot at the presidency in the closing days of the tumultuous 2016 campaign.

On Monday, Anthony D. Weiner, sobbing as the judge spoke, learned the final, personal cost of his seemingly uncontrollable habit of exchanging lewd texts and pictures with women and girls: 21 months in prison.

Upon hearing this, especially now during the "Ten Days of Repentance", I could not help of thinking about the famous Midrash in Kohelet Rabba 7:32, brought down by Rabbeinu Yonah in his book "Shaarei Teshuvah":

Our sages tell of a band of robbers who were thrown in prison by the king where they languished for a while till they dug an escape hatch and fled. One of them, though, decided not to escape. And when the jail keeper arrived and turned one way and caught sight of the escape hatch, then the other way and noticed the remaining prisoner, he said to him, “Fool! There’s an escape hatch right before your eyes and you’re not using it?”

Way back in 2011 I suggested that Mr. Weiner leverage this scandal to return to who he really is. It is such a shame that he did not take my advice!

However, all is not lost. The gates of repentance are still open. Imagine if Anthony Weiner spends his 21 months in prison immersed in Torah study! Imagine what progress he can make in becoming the Jew he was meant to be!

Let us all learn from Anthony Weiner's tragic fall from grace to clean up our own acts. We all have something that needs fixing. The tunnel leading out of prison is wide open. Will we be wise enough to use it?

Immersing Yourself in Judaism

Here are some words of wisdom, and from Forward.com of all places:

If the Orthodox experience has taught us anything, it is that complete immersion succeeds. Like the immersion in the mikveh, in which every centimeter of the body must touch water, so, too, our commitment requires totality. It is an immersion in our books; immersion in prayer services as punctuation marks for time; immersion in a 25-hour Shabbat experience without smart phones and the internet; immersion in round-the-clock Jewish education, at all costs.

Are Jewish Sexual Ethics behind the times?

America's Liberal "Rabbis" Fail Again

There they go again, those ignorant and arrogant liberal "rabbis". These clowning frauds who make a joke out of our holy Torah, who as "leaders" are presiding over the destruction of their own congregations, are at it again. For details, click here.

Thoughts on the 17th of Tammuz

The head aches.
The stomach growls "ewww".
The Jew's body complains, saying, "Give me the food and drink that I am accustomed to!"

A voice, coming from deep within, answers:
"When is the last time that you thought about the Holy Temple that was engulfed in flame?
When was the last time you were in pain because of the ongoing desecration of God's Holy Name?"

The Jew answers, "My mind is devoted to making a living.
This is my exemption.
I don't have time to think about redemption!"

The voice lets out a hardy laugh.
"Lying to oneself is definitely not cool
It is no big deal to deceive a fool."

The Continuing Implosion of the Movement That Calls Itself "Conservative Judaism"

Modern American Jewish history as a Biblical narrative:

And it was in the second half of the previous century: The Children of Israel that dwelled in New York City, Newark etc. fled from their urban homes to the suburbs of New Jersey, Upper State New York and Long Island. These very same Children of Israel were not ready to serve The Lord with all of their heart and all of their soul and all of their might. On the other hand they not willing to worship the Ba'al. And it was that they built many edifices for their brand of worship, which they called "Conservative Judaism". And so it was that the land of New Jersey was covered with these edifices that they called Temples, complete with a full time rabbi, a Sisterhood, USY, and Bingo games to pay the mortgage.

And it was that these very same Children of Israel took wives and begat children. These children grew up among the nations, and learned from their deeds. The Hebrew School that they attended after Public School was loathsome unto them, as it took place at the time when the children of the nations were playing the holy game of baseball. And it was that two or three generations had passed, the number of congregants dwindled, and these Temples were sold to the local gentiles.

I was inspired to write this by the following article that I read in the New Jersey Jewish News. I added the emphasis in bold:

After more than 50 years of existence, Congregation Beth Ahm of West Essex in Verona held its final Shabbat service on June 3. The future of the building, at the corner of Grove and Personette avenues, is uncertain but the remaining members will find a new home at B’nai Shalom, a Conservative congregation in West Orange.

In the end, it came down to money, said Allen Paisner, 28, of Verona, who worked in the synagogue office until it closed last week. But to listen to him talk about the Conservative synagogue, where his grandparents and parents were members before him, it feels like the memories will never run out. “Something special has been lost,” he said. “We were a nice, warm place. There’s something comforting in such a small synagogue.”

Among the last tasks assigned to him was sorting through the books in the library. Some were already packed in boxes for donation, some set aside for burial, and another set placed against the wall to be given to B’nai Shalom.

Debbie Dretel Lawrence, 61, who served as the congregation’s final president, is another third-generation member. Her grandparents joined just one year after its founding in 1936. She remembers from her youth a robust community with a full Hebrew school, when the membership was near its peak of about 350 families, but she acknowledged that the synagogue has always had a niche among older people. It’s just that at some point, she said, it stopped attracting a younger crowd, which would have provided the critical mass necessary for growth. “It’s been a long time coming,” she acknowledged.

Congregants had taken to calling Beth Ahm, founded as the Jewish Community Center of Verona, “the little shul with the big heart.” Closing has taken its emotional toll. But Dretel Lawrence said, “This whole process is something we’ve done together.”

She described the last services as “sad and sweet at the same time.” She added, “There were people there who have been members for a very long time. It was very emotional.” Everyone had the opportunity to have one final aliyah during the Torah service, including Dretel Lawrence.

Looking around, she said, she took comfort in the physical names on the plaques, names she’s known all her life; each one holds a memory. “I find our shul a very comforting place to be. I can still see where my parents sat. I remember coming with my grandparents on Simchat Torah.”

The decision to close came as the synagogue was down to approximately 50 family units, according to Paisner. It was a significant drop from 2011, when the congregation celebrated its 75th anniversary with a gala at the Richfield Regency in Verona and still had about 160 members.

But there were concerns even then.

Throughout its history, the congregation was served by eight rabbis. But it was just two, Rabbi Alter Kriegel and his son Aaron Kriegel, who came to define the congregation. Rabbi Alter Kriegel served the community from 1937 until 1974; his son took the helm in 2001 and retired in 2013. The years that followed were difficult.

Rabbi Mark Biller, who succeeded Aaron Kriegel, tried many creative solutions to attract new members, including his “Top of the Morning Shabbat” in 2015, which offered a casual learning and discussion alternative to traditional services. And while Dretel Lawrence praised his ability to engage others in discussion, and to welcome anyone and everyone, it wasn’t enough.

It was something past president Marc Wurgaft, whose father was a close friend of Alter Kriegel, had foreseen in 2011. At that time, he told NJJN that the biggest challenge was neither financial nor a dwindling membership. “It’s what we are going to do when Aaron retires.”

A portrait of the senior Rabbi Kriegel graces the wall in the central entry hall, and the intersection of Grove and Personette avenues bears a second name: Rabbi A. Kriegel Way.

A deal, approved May 1 by the Verona town council to buy the building for $1 million to become the new home of the Verona Rescue Squad, fell through weeks later after neighborhood residents filed a petition citing concerns about the noise, added traffic, and other issues.

The congregation’s five Torahs have already been distributed: two to B’nai Shalom, one to Rabbi Yaacov Leaf at Chabad of Montclair, one to Rabbi Shalom Lubin and his Congregation Shaya Ahavath Torah in Parsippany, and one to Rabbi Efraim Mintz of Brooklyn, who came to the synagogue regularly to teach.

After the congregation sang “Adon Olam” on June 3, the congregation concluded its last service with “Hatikvah” and“My Country ‘Tis of Thee” (also known as “America”) the latter a tradition that goes back to World War II, in honor of the members serving in the war. The elder Kriegel is said to have directed that the congregation would sing the song until every serviceman returned. But one member, Private Max Novick, was killed in action, so they maintained the custom of singing, right down to the very end.

It is worthy of notice that most of the Torah scrolls were given to Chabad Rabbis. As the Conservative Temples close and merge with one another, Chabad keeps setting up more congregations.

Evidence of the Last Battle of Jerusalem from 2,000 Years Ago

Wow, I have not seen these excavations yet!

The Six Day War: An Event of Biblical Proportions

Wow! It's been 50 years since the day when Israeli troops liberated Jerusalem. Among other things, that means that I am getting old!

Much has been written and said about the Six Day War. One aspect of that war, which I believe is not stressed enough, is that we are dealing with an event of Biblical proportions. Something "really huge", as President Donald Trump might say.

Although prophecy has temporarily disappeared from the Nation of Israel, Divine Providence's guiding hand has not. In fact, through the annals of the Jewish People, the Creator of the world is revealed. "Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations; ask thy father, and he will declare unto thee, thine elders, and they will tell thee" (Deuteronomy 32:7). It's a mitzvah to learn Jewish history. Doing so increases one's understanding of the Divine.

History is being made here in the Land of Israel. One can sit back in his armchair and watch it on the screen, or one can be part of it.

President Donald Trump Visiting the Western Wall in Jerusalem, Israel

Shulamit Kishik-Cohen z"l

Today an Israeli hero was laid to rest. Shulamit Kishik-Cohen z"l, after a long and blessed life of almost 100 years, was buried in the soil of Jerusalem which she loved. Here's a little about this most remarkable woman:

Shulamit Cohen (b. 1920) was born in Argentina and raised in Jerusalem with her twelve brothers and sisters. Her father was from a wealthy Egyptian-Jewish merchant family, and her mother was the daughter of a prominent rabbi in Jerusalem. In 1936, the family experienced severe financial strain, and Shulamit’s father arranged her to marry Joseph Kishak-Cohen, a wealthy businessman from Beirut. Shula moved to Lebanon, and had five kids by the time she was 24. One day in 1947, she overheard people discussing military activities against Israel. Shula recorded the information in a letter to the Haganah, which was fighting for a Jewish state in Israel, addressing it to her brother in Jerusalem. Five weeks later, an agent of the Haganah’s secret service contacted her. For the next 14 years, Shula worked as an Israeli spy in Lebanon. Her work consisted of two major goals. The first was to gather intelligence about Arab military activities, which she was able to do by getting herself into Lebanon’s high society, including the home of the prime minister, who considered her like one of his own daughters. The second was to help smuggle Jewish families fleeing persecution in the Arab world, particularly from Syria. Over the years, she helped countless families find safe passage to Israel. Shula communicated with the secret service using invisible ink, under the code name “Pearl”. She was first caught for smuggling in 1952. Pregnant at the time, Shula was taken to jail just three weeks after giving birth, and spent 36 days in confinement. She continued her clandestine activities for another 9 years before things got too dangerous and she moved to Rome for three months. Upon her return in 1961, she was immediately arrested for espionage. The trial went on for several months during which she was brutally tortured. She was initially sentenced to death by hanging, but the verdict was softened because she was a mother of seven. Her sentence was reduced to 20 years of hard labour. During the Six-Day War in 1967, Israel captured Lebanese citizens, and used them in a prisoner exchange for Shula and a captured Israeli pilot. Shula has lived in Israel ever since, and still volunteers at schools and IDF bases, despite her advanced age. Two of her sons have high-ranking roles in the Israeli government. A book about her story has been published, called “Shula: Code Name The Pearl”.

I had the privilege of attending the funeral. May her soul be bound in the bundle of life, and may her family be comforted with the builing of Zion.

The Israeli Flag Waves While American Jewry Withers

It is a annual routine. A few days after the end of Passover, just around of the start of the Hebrew month of Iyar you will see them. Flying from apartment balconies and car windows, the flag with the two blue stripes and the "Star of David" in the middle is an ubiquitous sight. That flag, that symbol of the miraculous return of Jewish sovereignty in the land of Israel, is flown for practically the entire month. The fourth of Iyar is Israel's Memorial Day for its soldiers that have fallen in battle. Immediately following Israeli Memorial Day is the fifth of Iyar, Israeli Independence Day. Towards the end of the month comes the 28th of Iyar, the day that the Old City of Jerusalem and the Temple Mount were liberated from Jordanian occupation.

In the Passover Haggadah it is written that "everyone who discusses the exodus from Egypt at length is praiseworthy." I think that one who discusses at length the miraculous accomplishments of the State of Israel, which are numerous, this is also praiseworthy. For one will come to see the hand of Divine Providence that has accompanied the Jewish People from its outset.

I have been here for more than thirty years. In this time period I have witnessed so much progress here. This little country is advancing, not only in the physical realm but in the spiritual realm as well.

“And the gold of that land is good...” (Gen. 2:12) “This teaches that there is no Torah like the Torah of the Land of Israel.”

As I write these words the people of Israel mourn the soldiers that gave their life protecting the country and its people. Tomorrow night at this time the country will a sharp turn to rejoice and gives thanks to the Lord of Israel for giving us the opportunity to live here as free men and fulfill our potential. As Rashi explains, "...there I will make you into a great nation..."

I myself really want to celebrate Israeli Independence Day, but I cannot help but remember what I left behind. All of those poor American Jews, who may be well off financially, may have multiple degrees in higher learning, but never had the privilege of learning Torah or learning what Judaism, real authentic Judaism, is really about. If I have been blessed in seeing the State of Israel blossom, I have also been so unfortunate to watch American Jewry shrivel up and fade away.

Perhaps I should be indifferent to the demise of the American Jewish Community. Our sages tell us that only one fifth of the Israelites actually left Egypt, while the others died during the plague of darkness. Why did they die? Because they did not want to leave Egypt! I have a feeling that the Israelites that did take part in the Exodus did not mourn their brethren who were "stuck in the darkness". So why should I care about the Jews that are "stuck in America"?

Of course this is nonsense. We are one nation, one big family, responsible for one another. The holy Ari, Rabbi Isaac Luria taught,

Every morning, before your prayers, commit yourself to love every other Jew as your own self. Then your prayers will be accepted and bear fruit.

I am not a kabbalist or even a Hasid, but this is part of my daily routine. I cannot possibly be completely happy while so many of my brothers and sisters are drowning in the sea of assimilation.

This Israeli Independence Day is an opportunity for every Jew to realize that he is part of a nation that in many ways was dormant but has now come back to life. It is time to free ourselves from the chains of the Diaspora, physically and spiritually. A voice is crying from Mount Horeb, and Rachel is crying for her children. Our mother, the land of Israel, is beckoning. "Whoso is wise, let him observe these things, and let them consider the mercies of the LORD."

Ezra Tubi Answers Asaf Harel

Getting Into the Purim Spirit

An English Speaking High School in Jerusalem!

"Rabbi Samson said that his Jerusalem high school, YTA, was perfect for families making aliyah from English-speaking countries with high school age children." Read more here.

Getting Encouragement From the Past on this Day of Destruction

Unfortunately, today, as I type, the community of Amona is being destroyed. The Israeli Judicial System adds another award of injustice to its already overflowing trophy case. We can only fervently beseech The Almighty and pray, "Return our judges as in the days of yore!"

We are, as it is written, a stiff-necked people, especially when it comes to Torah and Mitzvot. Settling the land of Israel is a mitzvah. This setback just means that we will redouble our efforts, receiving encouragement from the words of the prophet:

Thus saith the Lord GOD: In the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will cause the cities to be inhabited, and the waste places shall be builded. And the land that was desolate shall be tilled, whereas it was a desolation in the sight of all that passed by. And they shall say: This land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden; and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are fortified and inhabited. Then the nations that are left round about you shall know that I the LORD have builded the ruined places, and planted that which was desolate; I the LORD have spoken it, and I will do it. Thus saith the Lord GOD: I will yet for this be inquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them; I will increase them with men like a flock. As the flock for sacrifice, as the flock of Jerusalem in her appointed seasons, so shall the waste cities be filled with flocks of men; and they shall know that I am the LORD.'

We can also receive much encouragement from recent history. I invite you to view this clip. See how setbacks, even an incredibly awful one, can be followed by a great victory:

The Price of Hubris

There are many lessons to be learned from the US Presidential Elections. One of them is that hubris is a bad trait. Check out this clip. These people were so sure of themselves! Now their excessive self-confidence has been recorded for posterity.

The Elor Azaria Verdict

Any and every society has to have a judicial system. It is even one of the Seven Noahide Commandments. A nation without a strong judicial system and a strong government is in big trouble:

Rabbi Chanina, deputy to the kohanim, would say: Pray for the integrity of the government; for were it not for the fear of its authority, a man would swallow his neighbor alive.

Unfortunately, sometimes the judicial system can be corrupted. Here in Israel, one cannot help but feel that the verdict of "guilty" in Elor Azaria's manslaughter case was a miscarriage of justice. As Education Minister Naftali Bennett noted:

“We need to say the truth. The trial was corrupted from the outset,” continued Bennett. “The harsh comments by political leaders even before the opening of the army’s investigation, the removal of the soldier himself from the investigation process, the critical media coverage surrounding the case (including Army Radio) caused Elor irreparable harm.”

The verdict was based on fake morality, as one would expect from judges that lack the fear of God. Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu of Tzfat had this to say about the verdict:

Judge Maya Heller and her colleagues must console themselves by saying that they at least acted according to their consciousness and morality when they see the chaos they have brought to the IDF.

Well, you should know that their verdict is, first and foremost, immoral, even if the judge read it for two and a half hours.

There is no morality in having mercy on enemies who come to kill our soldiers. There is no morality in breaking the spirits of the soldiers who risk their lives to protect us. How is it moral to give strength to a cruel and merciless enemy when there is nothing between us and ISIS except the strength of the IDF alone?

The Sages of Israel, who were a little bit smarter than you, said about morality and the excesses of self-righteousness: 'The great humility of Rabbi Zecharia ben Avkolos destroyed our home, burned our Temple, and exiled us from our land. The great humility which a rabbinic authority took upon himself in the middle of a battle against a foreign enemy caused the destruction of the nation and an exile which lasted thousands of years, the crucifixion of hundreds of thousands of Jews by Rome and the rape of hundreds of thousands of women. The Jews became prey for other peoples, being killed and robbed, for generations. Our Sages were wise men and all raised their objections to Rabbi Zecharia ben Avkolos, asking him to see the big picture as one might expect from a man of his status.

On this matter is is possible to say to Judge Maya Heller that her morality has broken the spirit of the soldiers. The heads of our attackers have been raised and the spirit of our enemies has been strengthened. There is no morality in a judgment which gives impetus to those who send boys and girls with numbers and knives. There is no morality in strengthening the killers and terrorists. There is no morality or self-righteousness which rests on the backs of the soldiers. They is no morality in trying to beautify hate. In the eyes of Ra'ed Saleh and his followers we all bake matzot with the blood of Palestinian Arab children. All of us. Even you, Judge Heller.

I pray that Elor will be pardoned for his "crime". He and his family have suffered enough. And may God return our judges as in the days of yore.

אייכה - אהרן רזאל ושולי רנד

Aly Raisman Disappoints

Oy Vey!:

Five months after agreeing to go on a date with tight end Colton Underwood, Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman has let the cat out of the bag and revealed they are officially a couple!

The two walked the red carpet on Monday night at the Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year Ceremony 2016 at Barclays Center of Brooklyn, New York.

Gevalt!

Donald Trump, Vulgarity and Intermarriage

This year's U.S. presidential elections and its aftermath have been interesting, and that is an understatement. It was an incredible upset, probably even more startling than the 1969 Miracle Mets. I just saw something over at Rabbi Pruzansky's Blog, which I had thought of myself:

Whatever offensive things he has said are actually tame compared to the lyrics of rap, the ranting of bad comedians, and what the tawdry culture celebrates. We should remember that New Yorkers first got to know Donald Trump as a real estate developer, but much of the rest of the country became familiar with him as an entertainer. This is the culture. What so many of his critics loathe in Trump is, perhaps, what they should loathe about American society but they don’t. They are just looking in the mirror and don’t like what they see.

And here is another worthy quote from the rabbi's post:

Perhaps it is worth mentioning a cartoon that has made the rounds in the last week, with the caption: “The difference between Donald Trump and most leftist American Jews is that Trump has Jewish grandchildren.” If only these groups would realize that intermarriage is the most serious crisis facing them today, and compared to that, politics is beanbag.

Mr. Trump seems to be just the right man to lead America in this generation. I wish him much success.

כנפי רוח - ביני לנדאו ותלמידי הישיבה לצעירים