Yom Kippur War - Israel fights for her life and wins

40 years have passed since the Yom Kippur War. We are here with God's help and the great bravery of our soldiers:

The Seventh of Marcheshvan

Today is the day we that start to request rain in the silent prayer, at least here in the land of Israel. Although the rainy season officially begins on Shemini Atzeret, when we start to say "Mashiv HaRuach U'Morid HaGeshem", we waited until now so that all the American Jewish tourists Babylonian Jews could return safely to their dwellings in America Babylon without being rained upon.

Perhaps this is a good time to look back at the holiday season that was. Here are a few observations:

1) You get out of it what you put into it. If you made an effort to get up early in Elul to say Selichot, if you devoted time to really reflect on your deeds, if you made an effort to change, if you fulfilled the mitzvot of Sukkot properly, I have no doubt that you were spiritually uplifted.

2) I had the opportunity do daven in the rebuilt Churva synagogue in the Old City of Jerusalem. It was really special. They have an interesting custom of not saying "Baruch Hu U'Varuch Shmo" during the repetition of the silent prayer. This I was told, was in keeping with the custom of the Gaon of Vilna. There is a certain atmosphere of splendor and honor that gave me a slight idea of what it might be like to daven in the Temple, may it speedily be rebuilt!

3) The Old City was packed with tourists from all over the world. BDS is a real big failure!

4) The Western Wall was packed with worshipers. The facilities available here have greatly improved over the years.

5) I was also in the City of David. That place has changed so much since in the almost three decades that I have been here. The more they dig there the more they reveal the ancient city of Jerusalem, much to the chagrin of the Arabs and the leftists. The City of David, like the Old City, was packed with tourists.

7) We are progressing towards full redemption, little by little. So I say to you Jews living abroad what Moses said to his father in law, " 'We are journeying unto the place of which the LORD said: I will give it you; come thou with us, and we will do thee good; for the LORD hath spoken good concerning Israel.' "

Preparing for the Yom Kippur Fast

How should one prepare for the Yom Kippur fast?

First of all, one should know why he is fasting. It is important to understand that the fast is not a nuisance! It is a mitzvah, and this mitzvah facilitates all of the good that we will derive from this holy day. Personally, I am really looking forward to this chance to divorce myself from worldly matters and to concentrate on spiritual things.

I always tell anyone who is willing to listen that it is much more important to drink before the fast than to eat before the fast. Here is someone who agrees with me:

While a healthy adult can generally survive for weeks without food, dehydration can set in within a few days. It's no surprise then that most of the discomfort of fasting is caused by lack of water not the lack of food. To help reduce the effects of dehydration during a fast it is critical to properly hydrate beforehand.

Not eating for a day makes your stomach growl. Big deal! However, if you did not drink enough before the fast, do not be surprised if you get a nasty headache or worse! So drink!

G'mar Hatimah Tovah!

גמר חתימה טובה

That says it all!

מחר יהיה האות הזה

9 Tishrei 5770

Lots of things to do before Yom Kippur. Gmar Chatimah Tovah to all!

A Quickie

11 Tishrei, 5769

We had perfect weather in Jerusalem for Yom Kippur: Nice and cool. That made fasting much easier.

I davenned in a "sunrise" minyan which was also good because we finished Musaf at about 10:45 AM. That gave me some time to rest before Mincha and Ne'ilah (3:00 PM).

Just finished building most of the Sukkah. Shabbat is on the way and then Sukkot. It's a marathon but I wouldn't have it any other way!