Rabbi Dov Lior

As captured by the cosmic camera at a recent wedding:



Some info from Wikipedia:

Dov Lior (Hebrew: דב ליאור‎, born 1933) is the Chief Rabbi of Hebron and Kiryat Arba in the southern West Bank. He is also the Head of a Yeshiva in Kiryat Arba,[1] and also heads the "Council of Rabbis of Judea and Samaria".

He was born to a Belz hasidic family, son to Moshe Leibland in Breslau, Galicia. He attempted to board the Exodus, eventually arriving on the Negba a few weeks before the establishment of the State of Israel, where he changed his surname to the Hebrew Lior. In Israel he first studied at the Bnei Akiva Kfar HaRoeh high school yeshiva, and then at Rabbi Zvi Yehuda Kook's Mercaz haRav yeshiva, where owing to Lior's being an orphan, the Rabbi treated him like a son. Lior was married in 5720 to Bitya, but his wife died of cancer in 5748; he remarried in 5736 to Esther, widow of Rabbi Ephraim Shahor. Lior has 11 children, 55 grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

HH 147: Soccer Dad Again?

You can see it here.

Haaretz Editor Asked US Secretary of State to "Rape" Israel

Did you see this one?:

Haaretz’s Chief Editor asked US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to “rape” Israel, using other unsavory terminology as well in his request for American pressure.

The comments were made during a confidential briefing by Rice on September 10, during one of many visits to the Jewish state. The meeting was attended by about 20 heads of the most senior Israeli think tanks and media leaders, including Landau, at the residence of US Ambassador Richard Jones.

Following the briefing, those present at the dinner offered their views and comments on the state of affairs in the Middle East.

Landau, who was seated next to Rice, referred to Israel as a “failed state” politically, and said that a US-imposed settlement is the only thing that can save it. He asked Rice to intervene, going so far as to say that the Israeli government wanted “to be raped” and that it would bring him much satisfaction to see this happen.

These are your journalists, O Israel!

A Quickie

I was at a wedding in Ofra the other day. Here's a picture of the Chuppah. Rabbi Yaakov Shapira (on the left), the head of the Merkaz HaRav yeshiva was the mesader kiddushin. Rabbi Dov Lior, the rabbi of Kiryat Arba/Chevron, read the Ketubah:




In an unrelated development, Akiva of Mystical Paths is making aliya! In this post Akiva describes some of the afflictions that the land of Israel is acquired with. (Click here for an explanation.) Akiva, don't worry if you are having difficulties. It means that you are acquiring the land!

HH #146

Soccer Dad did a great job as usual and was nice enough to link to one of my posts. Check it out!

Pidyon HaBen in Ramat Vizhnitz

I was in Haifa neighborhood of Ramat Vizhnitz the other day to attend a pidyon haben ceremony. What is Pidyon HaBen?

Pidyon Ha'Ben, the "redemption of the first born son," takes place when a baby is at least 31 days old, and involves "buying him back from a Kohen." (see Numbers 18:15)

Go to the link for more details.

It was the first time that I was in Ramat Vizhnitz. Here's a pic:



Update: A link about Vizhnitz

Ain't Got No Time For Blogging

I feel really guilty, especially about the meme that I haven't done yet.

But I have to put up a link for HH #145!

Zot Channuka

Click here for one of my better posts.

Update: Jameel of the Muqata was at Kever Yosef. Click here to see Jameel's amazing post.

Good Article About Matisyahu

Matisyahu, the Musical Maccabee. Check it out.

The Menorah

While I was at work my wife and kids toured the Old City and the City of David. Here's a picture that they took of a very special menorah. The Temple Institute made this Menorah which is suitable for the Holy Temple, may it speedily be rebuilt. This menorah used to be on display in the Cardo but now they moved it to a different location in the Old City:

Haveil Havalim #144

Here!

Some Links

Have A Hellenistic Green Chanukah - The Environmentalist War on Judaism

the reason for collecting guns

Facing up at the sky

Chief Rabbinate calls on gov't to keep J'lem united

The Best Hanukah Gift For Your Kids

Thoughts For Channuka, Day 3:

Rambam, Laws of Learning Torah 6:13:

עוון גדול הוא לבזות את החכמים, או לשנוא אותן: לא חרבה ירושלים, עד שביזו בה תלמידי חכמים--שנאמר "ויהיו מלעיבים, במלאכי האלוהים, ובוזים דבריו, ומיתעתעים בנביאיו" (דברי הימים ב לו,טז), כלומר בוזים מלמדי דבריו. וכן זה שאמרה תורה, "אם בחוקותיי תמאסו" (ויקרא כו,טו)--מלמדי חוקותיי תמאסו. וכל המבזה את החכמים--אין לו חלק לעולם הבא, והרי הוא בכלל "כי דבר ה' בזה" (במדבר טו,לא).

It is a great sin to denigrate Torah scholars, or to hate them: Jerusalem was not destroyed until they denigrated the Torah scholars in her midst, as it is said, "but they mocked the messengers of God, and despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets..."(II Chronicles 36:16), that is to say they mocked those that teach His word. Similarly this that the Torah said, "and if ye shall reject My statutes..."(Leviticus 26:15), those that teach My statutes. And anyone that denigrates Torah scholars does not have a portion in The World To Come, and he is included in the verse, "Because he hath despised the word of the LORD..."(Numbers 15:31).

May God save us from this!

Channuka: Day 2

Channuka Thoughts

Ever since I published "Rabbi Melamed on the Dangers of Internet" I wanted to write another post on the subject.

The post would deal with your average religious (not ultra-Orthodox) family in Israel. They invest very heavily in their children. The won't send their kids to the regular State run religious schools because the level of these schools is not high enough for them. Instead the children get sent to private schools, and the parents end up spending a lot of money on tuition. Remember that we are talking about a religious families that are often very large!

Now these kids come home from school and what do they find in their home? They find cable television and unfiltered internet. Half an hour in front of either one of them is enough to destroy all of the midot tovot and yirat shamaim that their parents, rabbis and teachers work so hard to implant within them.

One of these days perhaps I will write a post about this. In the meantime this is something to think about as you light the candles.

Channuka: Day 1

The Wisdom of Benjamin Franklin

The guy was pretty smart, wasn't he? I came across this quote of his and I'd like to share it with you all:

"If you would not be forgotten, as soon as you are dead and rotten; Either write things worthy of reading, or do things worthy of writing." -- Benjamin Franklin, May 1738

Quote of the Day

The Kitniyot Liberation Front:

Hannukah is a welcome respite that reminds us that Hellenists have been defeated before--and that we, the believing public can do it again.

HH #143

This week at Soccer Dad.

I Feel The Earth Move Under My Feet

We had a little earthquake here in Israel today. We also had some rain.

I had never experienced an earthquake until I came to Israel. We've had a few during the past couple of weeks. There is a lot of talk about the possibility of a large scale earthquake that will cause a lot of damage, God forbid. But perhaps one good thing could come out of a major earthquake: It will knock the politicians out of their seats!