Going "Home" ... to Egypt!

2 Nissan 5786 
Erev Shabbat Kodesh
Parashat Vayikra

Not picking on any particular group - a lot of different groups took this route heading "home."  I empathize especially with children who need to rejoin their families in chu"l.  But, no one can miss the tragic irony of this - that this particular episode is happening right before Pesach.

Amid the closure of Israeli airspace due to the war, the Ichud Bnei HaYeshivos organization carried out a complex logistical operation to bring hundreds of French bnei yeshivos, stranded in Israel due to the war, back to their homes.

The Ichud, which recently expanded its work outside Israel, arranged the journey, which began in Jerusalem, continued via Sharm el-Sheikh, and is set to conclude in the French Alps, where a historic Shabbos will be held, led by HaGaon HaRav Dovid Cohen, the Rosh Yeshivah of Chevron.

The journey began late at night, as around 200 French yeshiva bochurim gathered in the Bayit Vegan neighborhood of Jerusalem, where a fleet of buses awaited them. The convoy then traveled south to the Taba border crossing, where they crossed into Egypt under the supervision of representatives from the French Embassy.  (Source)

* * *

Vayikra: From the desert to the ends of the earth

by Daniel Pinner

Having completed the building of the Mishkan at the end of the Book of Exodus, the Book of Leviticus continues very naturally with the functioning of the Mishkan: “When He called to Moshe, Hashem spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting…” (Leviticus 1:1).

The Midrash (Sifra, Vayikra 1) notes the sequence here: God first “called to Moshe”, and then “He spoke to him”. And then the Sifra goes on to note that this is the third of three occasions when God first called to Moshe and then spoke to him.

The first time was about two years earlier at the Burning Bush, when Moshe was still exiled from his nation, a humble shepherd tending the flocks of his father-in-law Yitro (Jethro). When God saw that Moshe had turned aside to behold the wonder, “God called to him from the midst of the bush, and He said, Moshe, Moshe” (Exodus 3:4).

The second time was at Mount Sinai, immediately before the Giving of the Torah: “Hashem called Moshe to the peak of the Mountain, and Moshe ascended; and Hashem said to Moshe: Go down, warn the nation lest they break through to Hashem to gaze” (Exodus 19:20-21).

The obvious question that arises from here is: what do these three events (the Burning Bush, the Giving of the Torah, and the beginning of the Mishkan’s functioning) have in common?

The simplest and most obvious answer is that all of these were events which were intimately connected with Israel’s redemption. The process of redemption from Egypt began when God revealed Himself to Moshe at the Burning Bush; the purpose of redemption was the Giving of the Torah (1); and the building of the Mishkan was the pinnacle of the redemption (2).

It is significant that Rabbi Shimon bar Yochay, one of the greatest of first-generation (mid-3rd century) Tannaim in the Land of Israel, cited these three occasions as examples of when God bestowed His glory on the Elders of Israel: “We have learned in a few places that God gave honour to the Elders. At the Burning Bush, as it is written ‘God said to Moshe…, Go and assemble the Elders of Israel’ (Exodus 3:15-16); at Sinai, as it is written ‘To Moshe He said, Go up to Hashem, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the Elders of Israel’ (Exodus 24:1); and at the Tent of Meeting, as it is written ‘It happened on the eighth day [of the Inauguration of the Mishkan] that Moshe called Aaron and his sons and the Elders of Israel’ (Leviticus 9:1)” (Shemot Rabbah 5:12).

So on the three separate occasions which were the three milestones on the road from Egyptian slavery to redemption, God first called to Moshe and then spoke to him. And on those same three occasions He gave honour to the Elders of Israel.

The Midrash (Shemot Rabbah 5:12) continues: “And in the future time to come, it will be the same, as it says ‘When Hashem, Lord of Legions, will reign in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, there will be glory for His elders’ (Isaiah 24:23). Rabbi Avin said: In the future God will seat the Elders as on a threshing-floor, with Himself sitting as the head of them all as the President of the Court, and they will judge the idolaters, as it says ‘Hashem will enter into judgment with the elders of His nation and its princes’ (Isaiah 3:14). It does not say [that He will enter into judgment] 'against the elders of His nation’ but rather ‘with the elders of His nation’: He will sit with them and judge the idolaters”.

We pause here to explain the somewhat cryptic reference to the Elders sitting “as on a threshing-floor”. The Mishnah records that “the Sanhedrin would sit in the shape of a semicircular threshing-floor so that they could see one another” (Sanhedrin 4:3).

This refers specifically to the Great Sanhedrin, the Supreme Court of Israel, which would sit in the Chamber of Hewn Stone in the Holy Temple. (Every town and city with more than 120 adult men would have its own Minor Sanhedrin of 23 judges, and every village with fewer than 120 adult men would have a court of three judges.)

Of the 71 Judges on the Great Sanhedrin, 69 would sit in three concentric semicircles of 23 each. Facing them were the Nasi (the President of the Court), and to his right the Av Beit Din (Father of the Court). The Nasi was the leader; the Av Beit Din was the second in charge (Rambam, Laws of the Sanhedrin 1:3).

So the Midrash looks back on three landmark events in the first redemption, the redemption from Egypt, when God called to Moshe and then spoke to him, which were the three times when He gave honour to the Elders of Israel.

Our parashah opens with the third of these occasions – when the Mishkan began to function.

And the Midrash then looks forward to the time of the final redemption – may it come speedily! – when God will again give honour to the Elders of Israel. And though then, at the time of the first redemption, the Elders’ honour was manifest only to Israel, in the time to come their honour will suffuse the entire world. After all, only thus will they be able to stand with God Himself, so to speak, to judge all the idolaters in the world.

And this is logical. After all, 3,325 years ago in the desert, God gave honour to the Elders of Israel in the Mishkan, which holy though it was, was but a precursor to the Holy Temple which would only be built 479 years later by King Solomon. The second Holy Temple, the one built by Ezra and Nehemiah, had a lower level of sanctity than that of King Solomon.

But the third Holy Temple, the one destined to stand for all time, the Holy Temple which the prophet Ezekiel depicts so graphically in chapters 40 to 44, will be far grander and more magnificent, and have a far higher level of sanctity, than those which came before.

So it is entirely fitting that in that third Holy Temple, God Himself will stand, so to speak, as the Leader of the Sanhedrin, to administer ultimate justice, not only to Israel, but to the entire world.

It is then that Israel will truly be a light unto the nations. In the words of the prophet Isaiah in one of his magnificent, majestic depictions of the messianic era, “I am Hashem, I have called you with righteousness and I will strengthen your hand; I have fashioned you, and I will make you for a covenant with the nation, as a light to nations” (Isaiah 42:6).

And again: “Then He said: It is not enough for you to be My servant, to establish the Tribes of Jacob and to bring back the besieged of Israel; I will also make you a light to nations, that My salvation shall be unto the ends of the earth” (Isaiah 49:6).

Endnotes:

(1) We expounded on this idea in detail in a previous D’var Torah on Shavuot 

(2) Last week, in the context of Parashat Pekudey/Shabbat Shekalim, we cited the Ramban’s Introduction to the Book of Exodus: “The [Egyptian] exile was not ended until the day of their return to their place, and when they were restored to their forefathers’ level. When they left Egypt, even though they had left the house of slavery, they were still considered exiles, because they were ‘in a land not theirs’, wandering through the desert. And when they came to Mount Sinai and built the Mishkan, and God restored His Divine Presence to their midst, then they were restored to their Forefathers’ level…and then they were considered redeemed”. 

~ SHABBAT SHALOM ~ 

The Technology-god Is Mortal

1 Nissan 5786
Rosh Chodesh 

Y2K was not a joke, certainly not at the time.  I was working in the technology sector back then and I saw the feverish effort to thwart the threat up close.  I always recalled that it was an Israeli who came up with an idea for a fix (around October?), but in later years, when I would bring that up, people acted as if they had no idea what I was talking about.  It was apparently not widely known and was subsequently lost in the rush to portray Y2K as a laughable conspiracy theory.  

I remembered all this today when I came across this article in the JPost...

So, I asked Google AI the following question, below is its response...

"With regard to Y2K, I recall from the time period that an Israeli man found an actual fix and it was immplemented, forestalling any ill effects. Can you find a record of that and perhaps the man's name?"

Based on records from the late 1990s, the Israeli man you are likely recalling is Erez Dunietz, who developed a software solution called Sapir 2000.  (WIRED)

While no single person "fixed" Y2K globally—as it required the effort of hundreds of thousands of programmers worldwide—Dunietz's story was notable because he was not a formally trained computer scientist; he was an administrator at a Jewish university in Jerusalem who claimed to have found a "revolutionary" way to address the bug.

Key Details of the "Fix"

• The Software: Known as Sapir 2000, the program was designed to automate the process of finding, fixing, and verifying date-related code.

• Performance: In testing conducted by the Israeli Ministry of Science, the software reportedly fixed and verified 400 programs and 400,000 lines of code in just one month.

• Implementation: The solution was initially marketed to the local Israeli market by Magic Software Enterprises, with plans for a global rollout if it proved viable.

• The Context: At the time, Israeli institutions were investing heavily in Y2K preparations, with major banks spending over $100 million combined to ensure their systems were compliant.

It is important to note that while Sapir 2000 was a significant local success, the overall "forestalling of ill effects" was the result of a massive, decentralized global effort that involved rewriting legacy code (like COBOL), implementing "windowing" (treating years 00-20 as the 2000s), or replacing hardware entirely.  (National Geographic)

HKB"H saves us even from ourselves.

~ CHODESH TOV ~

"And Paras Destroys the World..."

1 Nissan 5786

Rosh Chodesh

"...and the king of Persia returns and lays waste to the entire world, and the nations of the world are shaken and terrified and fall on their faces, and pangs seize them like the pangs of a woman in labor, and Israel is shaken and terrified."

And now we know how it happens because it happened yesterday...

Iran launched a series of retaliatory strikes against the vital energy infrastructure in nearby Gulf states after Israel hit its largest gas field Wednesday -- a "dangerous escalation" that deepened the crisis and sent oil prices surging.

In response to Israel's initial strike, Iran issued evacuation orders for several energy assets in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, saying the facilities had become "direct and legitimate targets," according to semi-official Mehr News Agency.

...Among the retaliatory strikes, Iran hit the world's largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal at Ras Laffan in Qatar -- the most serious attack on the country's energy facilities since the start of the war.  (Source)

 

Based on reports from March 18–19, 2026, Iran hit Qatar's Ras Laffan Industrial City, the world's largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) export hub, with missiles, causing significant fires and damage. This halted production at the facility—which accounts for ~20% of global supply—forcing QatarEnergy to declare force majeure and disrupting global energy markets.  (Source: Google)

* * * 

 Trump, Running Scared, Throws Israel Under the Bus

* * *

Based on developments as of March 2026, the bombing of energy infrastructure—specifically within the Middle East—is causing a severe, immediate, and potentially long-term shock to the global economy. The destruction of key facilities in Iran and Qatar, along with threats to the Strait of Hormuz, has led to a significant supply shock, which analysts say could be on par with the demand disruption during COVID-19.

Key economic fallouts include:

• Surging Energy Prices and Inflation: Oil prices have increased more than 50 percent, with Brent crude surpassing $100–$112 per barrel following attacks on Qatar's Ras Laffan LNG facility and Iranian oil infrastructure. This surge is increasing global inflation and threatening to trigger a "second energy supply shock in just four years," per reports from March 2026.

• Stagflation Risk: The combination of higher energy costs and reduced supply, if sustained, raises the risk of "stagflation"—the combination of high inflation and weak economic growth—which is difficult for central banks to manage. 

• Supply Chain Disruptions & Shipping Shutdowns: The effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of the world's oil trades, has severely hindered maritime traffic. This leads to shortages of fuel, higher insurance premiums, and longer, more expensive shipping routes.

• Industrial Output Curtailment: Energy-intensive industries, especially in Asia and Europe, are slowing down production due to feedstock shortages and high energy costs, with chemicals and plastic output experiencing disruptions.

• Financial Market Volatility: Global stocks, particularly in Asia, have dropped, and investor confidence has weakened as the war raises questions about the security of critical energy infrastructure.

• Long-Term Infrastructure Damage: Analysts warn that damage to production facilities can take years to repair, ensuring that the supply shortages could persist even after hostilities end.

The crisis has led to an unprecedented release of 400 million barrels of oil from global reserves, but even this is expected to only provide temporary relief in the face of structural, intentional destruction of energy assets.  (Source: Google)

Hitoreri Makes a Valid Point in the Comments

29 Adar 5786
Yom Kippur Katan
Erev Rosh Chodesh  

But rather than take it down, I'll edit it for better clarity because I think it is important to know and discuss.  Not for those who know nothing about such things, but for those who are exposed to all the other narratives on social media and may experience confusion.

So, the internet is on fire over a series of AI-generated videos claiming to show proof-of-life for the Israeli Prime Minister after unexplained absences from both public view, as well as important security meetings, basically since the renewal of the war with Iran.  The enemies of Israel are claiming the worst, that he may no longer be alive.  However, it is entirely possible that he may have become incapacitated for whatever reason and simply is unfit to appear in public.  Given the nature of "deep-fake" videos, it is pointless to keep offering additional manipulated images.  Also, if the real reason is that his life is in imminent danger, why show him out and about with people as if he hadn't a care in the world.  It's illogical.  

All told something very suspicious is definitely going on.  Since we have no idea who or why, we have to be alert that something may be coming that we would be ill-advised to accept without question.

This is another case in point.  Someone has purposely mistranslated the Prime Minister's words to make it appear that he subscribes to the Chr*stian idea of a "returning messiah."  

The "Return" of Mashiach?

He is actually saying that while the war may last until "yemot hamashiach," that's not going to be "next Thursday".   It won't be over so quickly.  However, this connects directly to a claim by a Rav from Bnei Braq that the Mashiach's arrival is going to be announced on Rosh Chodesh Nissan - this Thursday.

Again, we have to ask "why" and "what is the connection, if any, to the Prime Minister and his whereabouts?  Because everything that is happening right now is following a script that is meant eventually to bring all of humanity to false conclusions.

On the other hand, the world seems currently to be obsessed with talk of the anti-messiah and that is who they are looking for while we look for our true and righteous Mashiach.

Who knows?  Maybe the Bnei Braq Rav really knows something.

STAY TUNED - DON'T BE FOOLED!!

~ CHODESH TOV ~

"The Best Life Advice"

29 Adar 5786
Yom Kippur Katan
Erev Rosh Chodesh 

(Copied from Yaakov Langer's "X" post...)

How do you live a long AND happy life? 

My 103-year-old neighbor from my childhood home just passed away.

At shiva we noticed this taped to her wall. 

It’s the best life advice.

~ CHODESH TOV ~

Did Trump Give An Unwitting Prophecy?

26 Adar 5786 

The Rav outdid himself here.  DONT MISS THIS!!!

Is Trump's Prophetic Statement,
“War With Iran 4-5 Weeks,”

 From The Secret Kabbalah? | Rabbi Richter

Drastic Price Reduction!

26 Adar 5786
Shavua tov! 

WASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department has slashed by about 80% the fee for Americans to formally renounce their U.S. citizenship.

After years of legal battles with several groups representing Americans wanting to give up their citizenship, the department on Friday published a final rule in the Federal Register that reduces the cost from $2,350 to $450.

The new fee, which took effect on Friday, had been promised in 2023 but had never been implemented. The cost is now the same as it was when the State Department first started charging Americans to formally renounce their citizenship in 2010.

Renouncing U.S. citizenship can be an intensive and lengthy process. Applicants must repeatedly confirm in multiple written and verbal attestations to a State Department consular officer that they understand the implications of the step before being allowed to take a formal oath of renunciation. It must then be reviewed by the department.

The fee was raised from $450 to $2,350 in 2015 to cover the administrative expenses as the number of people wanting to renounce their citizenship surged in part due to new U.S. tax reporting requirements for American expatriates that angered many.

That dramatic fee increase drew significant opposition from groups such as the France-based Association of Accidental Americans, which represents people mainly living abroad whose U.S. citizenship is due purely to their having been born in the United States.

The association filed several lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of the fee, including one that remains pending that argues there should be no cost at all for renouncing one’s citizenship.

“The Association of Accidental Americans welcomes this decision, which acknowledges the necessity of making this fundamental right accessible to all,” its president, Fabien Lehagre, said in a statement. “This victory is the direct result of six years of relentless legal action and advocacy.”  (Source)

When Shabbat Candlelighting is at 5:10 pm...

24 Adar 5786
Erev Shabbat Kodesh
Prashat Vayakhel - Pekudei/
     HaChodesh - Mevarchim 

It appears that my dream about the full moon and "Death Comes From the Sky" may have been realized at the beginning of this current missile exchange - 'death' began raining from the sky from missiles launched out of Iran, and aimed at Tel Aviv, two days before Purim.  Now, two weeks later, there is another sign from a series of dreams I had during that original time frame (2004-2005).

I wrote about it before in great detail, but I'll try to put it into a nutshell now.  It was a recurring dream that I experienced four times and then a fifth time a full year after the series of four.  Each time, it was on Erev Shabbat.  Each time, I "woke up" late to the fact that it was Shabbat, surprised not to realize it and disturbed that I was unprepared - nothing was ready.  The food had not even been bought, much less cooked.  Each time the dream begins, the clock shows a later hour - first 11 am, then progressing to 1 pm, then 3 pm and then 5:10 pm.  On the last one, I was talking to a friend with absolutely no thought to Shabbat when a siren blew and I was confused and asking what it could be and the friend said it's the Shabbat siren.  It was timet to light candles.  

The series of dreams stopped and it was about a year later that it occurred one last time and it started with the clock at 5:10 pm; me unaware that Shabbat was arriving, then aggrieved that all of the time for preparation was over and I was now stuck in the situation as it was at that moment.  

My sense was always that Shabbat in these dreams was the Geulah itself.  

If I'm right, like the events that began two weeks ago, we are at another major turning point for the Geulah Shleimah.  Be alert!  Be aware!  The old world is ending and a new one waits to begin.

~ SHABBAT SHALOM ~