BS"D
YESHIVAT HARA'AYON HAYEHUDI
Jerusalem, Israel
HaRav Yehuda Kreuser SHLIT"A, Rosh Yeshiva
PARSHAT BESHALACH/SHABBAT SHIRA/TU B'SHVAT
15 Shevat 5770/29-30 January 2010
THE ULTIMATE TEST
"Hashem said to Moses: 'Behold, I shall rain down for you food from Heaven. Let the people go out and pick each day's portion in its day so that I can test them, whether they will follow My teaching or not.'"
Without a doubt, man's hardest test in this world is his obsession with making parnassa - a livelihood. Certainly this occupies most of man's waking thoughts, from the moment he rises till the moment he places his head on his bed at night, throughout his entireadult life. Will the bank call me today because of my overdraft? Will I be able to pay my bills? Do I have enough money in my "nest" for retirement? Even our patriarch Jacob prayed to G-d only for a "garment to wear and food to eat."
The Jewish people, maybe more than any other nation, has always had the issue and worry of parnassa etched upon them. When Hashem first commanded us to leave Egypt and follow him into the desert, a place of no water or food, some 2 to 3 million Jews - men women and children - went without hesitation, and for this they were praised by G-d, as the prophet Jeremiah tell us: I remember for your sake the kindness of your youth, the love of your bridal days, how you followed me in the wilderness in an unsown land".
When the Jewish people left Egypt and began to complain of the lack of water and food, Hashem rained down upon them Manna -Angel bread - which continued for the 40 years that they were in the desert, and without great trouble they would be sustained with all that they needed. There were three aspects about the Manna: 1) it would come down in small amounts; 2) each person would receive exactly what he needed; and 3) any Manna left over would turn putrid.
The Manna was a great test for the young nation of Israel. Would they take more than they needed to order to have for a "rainy day"? Would they go out when commanded not toon Shabbat to search for the Manna? The Ramban writes that every day the Manna would come down a little bit later than on the pervious day, and while they were waiting for it to descend, worried parents would be concerned that maybe today the Manna would not come at all and then what would be? But sure enough, it would arrive. In this way Hashem was testing His people and teaching them to rely only on Him for their sustenance.
The Talmud relates that the students of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai once asked him: Would it not have been better if Hashem would have given the Jewish people all of their needs once a year, instead of making them go out everyday to search for the Manna? He replied that Hashem desires the prayers of the Jewish people, that they should call out to Him. Families which had four or five children would cry out to Hashem: Should my children die from hunger? It would then be that Hashem would answer their prayers.
Daily we struggle with the test of parnassa. It is the one test that runs after us time and time again, never releasing us from its hold. If we are able to strengthen ourselves with faith that all parnassa comes from the Creator - like the Manna that fell in the desert - that daily we receive exactly what we are supposed to for our families, no more but also no less - then we are able to uplift ourselves and connect to our Creator. This, then, is man's ultimate test in this world: Will we believe that Hashem is Master of the world and can certainly supply all our needs? Or will we fall into thinking that we must take "extra" stolen Manna into our houses, to "help" out G-d so to speak?
Rabbi Elazar Hamidai said that everyone who has enough food for today and says what will I eat tomorrow is of little faith. As the Talmud tells us, what causes the righteous to lose their table in the next world? It is because of their little faith. Yes, they are call righteous, they keep all the mitzvot, eat all the right foods, learn all the right Torah, know all the right moves, but are still called by the Talmud, men of little faith, for not believing that Hashem can really provide for them.
Today, the most common excuse we hear from fellow Jews in the exiles is: Oh, I would love tocome and live in Israel, but how will I make a living? People: Think about that a moment. What are you saying? That Hashem, Master of the world Who provides and sustains life for every little thing, from the mighty lion to the eggs of lice, won't be able to supply your family?
While praying to Hashem we all raise and open our arms, saying: "You supply all living beings with life", as we turn our eyes heavenward, but do we mean that this is only for outside the Land of Israel? In Israel G-d cannot give me my daily bread!!??
Needless to say, this is the ultimate test for the Jew today. Do we really believe in Him, that even in the land of Israel it will be OK and he will supply our parnassa? Or do we stay behind in the exiles, not taking part in the final chapter of Jewish history unfolding before us and say: Well, G-d really cannot provide for me in His land, so I'd better stay put in the exile.
Today, Israel houses some six million Jews, some rich, some poorer, but all of whom have food on their table and clothes to wear. Every day Hashem brings down the modern Manna for His people. Yes, He can and He does, but those who stay behind because they feel that He cannot help them - fail miserably the ultimate test that the Jew was sent into this world for.
Ultimately, as G-d always pays back measure for measure, that very same "nest" that they have come to rely on so much will vanish before their eyes.
With blessings,
Levi Chazen
30 January 2010
29 January 2010
Full Moon, Shabbat Shira, Tu b'Shevat
"This Friday night, if you think the Moon looks UNUSUALLY big, you'll be right. Look around sunset when the Moon is near the eastern horizon. It's the biggest full Moon of 2010 - some 14% wider and 30% brighter than lesser full Moons of the year. The moon is in it's closest approach. The Moon's orbit around Earth is not a circle; it is an ellipse, with one side 50,000 km closer to Earth than the other.
In a coincidence of celestial proportions, the Moon and Mars are having close encounters with Earth at the same time. Moreover, the two will spend Friday night gliding across the sky side-by-side. Mars looks bigger through a telescope now than at any time between 2008 and 2014."
What a packed Shabbat we're having and it's my birthday, too! Yep! That's right. Tomer Devorah (Devash) was born on Tu b'Shevat on the parsha that includes Shirat Devorah. With deepest gratitude and heartfelt thanks to HaKadosh, Baruch Hu, for another year to learn Torah, serve Hashem and perform mitzvot and acts of chesed. My birthday wish is to live to see the face of our Righteous Mashiach, may He come without any further delay at all!
In a coincidence of celestial proportions, the Moon and Mars are having close encounters with Earth at the same time. Moreover, the two will spend Friday night gliding across the sky side-by-side. Mars looks bigger through a telescope now than at any time between 2008 and 2014."
What a packed Shabbat we're having and it's my birthday, too! Yep! That's right. Tomer Devorah (Devash) was born on Tu b'Shevat on the parsha that includes Shirat Devorah. With deepest gratitude and heartfelt thanks to HaKadosh, Baruch Hu, for another year to learn Torah, serve Hashem and perform mitzvot and acts of chesed. My birthday wish is to live to see the face of our Righteous Mashiach, may He come without any further delay at all!
27 January 2010
The Deep-Freeze Continues
Courtesy of Global Disaster Watch...
U.S. - Monday's storm was a "pattern breaker." "It has created a huge rift in the jet stream, which in turn will let much colder air enter the central and eastern part of the country. Winter is taking back the reigns this week. The east will be much colder from midweek on." A winter storm is expected to take shape over the southern Plains on Thursday. Forecasters expect the storm to follow a southern track with the potential to produce a substantial amount of snow from the southern Plains to the mid-Atlantic region....
CHINA - An avalanche in western China has killed 14 people, bringing the reported death toll from a fierce cold snap to at least 27. The avalanche occurred on Tuesday in Yili prefecture, an area along the border with Kazakhstan. The news comes after the nation's media earlier this week reported 13 people had died in Xinjiang from the WORST SNOWSTORMS IN SIX DECADES. Twelve of those had perished in avalanches. China has endured an UNUSUALLY HARSH WINTER, reaching its height since January 1 with heavy snow across vast parts of the country's north and west, but Xinjiang has suffered the hardest from a series of Siberian blizzards. Thousands have been left homeless after the heavy snows led houses to collapse while thousands of livestock have died from exposure or starvation after grazing fields were buried in snow.
EUROPE - A bitter winter across central Europe is starting to bite. The inside car windows have frozen and some are using hair dryers to warm the engine. In Romania, the cold Siberian front has claimed the lives of 11 people in the last 24 hours, 22 in five days. The outlook is bleak, with temperatures at night expected to plummet to below minus 30. Schools have closed, those that are open are struggling to heat the classrooms improvising with electric radiators, the pupils studying with their coats on. And power in Poland is one of the biggest causalities in the big freeze that has gripped that country. In the south more than 10,000 households are without heating and lighting. These extremes are especially difficult for homeless people. 11 have reported to have died last night, bringing the total of deaths to 202 since the beginning of November, including a 13-year-old boy who died of hypothermia. The freezing conditions are starting to spread across Turkey....
U.S. - Monday's storm was a "pattern breaker." "It has created a huge rift in the jet stream, which in turn will let much colder air enter the central and eastern part of the country. Winter is taking back the reigns this week. The east will be much colder from midweek on." A winter storm is expected to take shape over the southern Plains on Thursday. Forecasters expect the storm to follow a southern track with the potential to produce a substantial amount of snow from the southern Plains to the mid-Atlantic region....
CHINA - An avalanche in western China has killed 14 people, bringing the reported death toll from a fierce cold snap to at least 27. The avalanche occurred on Tuesday in Yili prefecture, an area along the border with Kazakhstan. The news comes after the nation's media earlier this week reported 13 people had died in Xinjiang from the WORST SNOWSTORMS IN SIX DECADES. Twelve of those had perished in avalanches. China has endured an UNUSUALLY HARSH WINTER, reaching its height since January 1 with heavy snow across vast parts of the country's north and west, but Xinjiang has suffered the hardest from a series of Siberian blizzards. Thousands have been left homeless after the heavy snows led houses to collapse while thousands of livestock have died from exposure or starvation after grazing fields were buried in snow.
EUROPE - A bitter winter across central Europe is starting to bite. The inside car windows have frozen and some are using hair dryers to warm the engine. In Romania, the cold Siberian front has claimed the lives of 11 people in the last 24 hours, 22 in five days. The outlook is bleak, with temperatures at night expected to plummet to below minus 30. Schools have closed, those that are open are struggling to heat the classrooms improvising with electric radiators, the pupils studying with their coats on. And power in Poland is one of the biggest causalities in the big freeze that has gripped that country. In the south more than 10,000 households are without heating and lighting. These extremes are especially difficult for homeless people. 11 have reported to have died last night, bringing the total of deaths to 202 since the beginning of November, including a 13-year-old boy who died of hypothermia. The freezing conditions are starting to spread across Turkey....
25 January 2010
Yellowstone Back in the News
YELLOWSTONE - 1,033 Yellowstone quakes recorded in one week. The Volcano Alert Level at Yellowstone National Park remained at “normal” Friday, despite a swarm of earthquakes large enough to trigger seismographs in the Flathead Valley and cause chatter on Twitter. Working around the clock, scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey’s Yellowstone Volcano Observatory had recorded more than 1,033 earthquakes since Monday, including at least eight events over magnitude three. That’s more than half the total annual average in the park, which is 1,600 a year.
... “This is a big swarm. These things don’t happen very often. They may have a deep volcanic connection, but right now, it seems to be related to tectonics.” There was a similar swarm in 2009. The swarm is on par with an event in 1985 in which scientist recorded more than 3,000 quakes. “It’s interesting, with swarms, the earthquakes can start up small. There’s no one big earthquake, there are just a bunch of smaller quakes that can increase in intensity and go back down.” Scientists have no way of knowing how long the swarm will last, though the one in 1985 went on for months.
****
...Prof. Robert B. Smith, a geophysicist at the University of Utah and one of the leading experts on earthquake and volcanic activity at Yellowstone, said that the activity is a "notable swarm."
...In late December 2008 and early January 2009, Yellowstone National Park experienced the second largest earthquake swarm in Yellowstone's recorded seismic history. The swarm under the north end of Yellowstone Lake consisted of 813 earthquakes with magnitudes ranging up to 3.9.
...Mike Stickney, director of earthquake studies at Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology, said there is no way to predict when the next big one will hit.
More: Yellowstone Rumblings: Nothing to Fear?
An Open Letter to My Readers
You'll notice, there are no ads on this blog. It is not a money-making proposition. So I really couldn't care less how many people read it. If you are a truth-seeker and Hashem wants you to read something here, you will find your way to it and it will benefit you. G-d willing, He will continue to give me the time and strength to write it.
For those who aren't used to giving the benefit of the doubt, you should know that this blog is under rabbinical supervision and was even when you advised me to obtain such supervision.
For those who submit comments and say that you are xians or write something that indicates to me that this is your spiritual orientation, your comments will not be published. G-d forbid that this blog become a pulpit for your idolatrous ideas! You'd do best to visit elsewhere. Anything I have to say here is primarily for Jews (and truly righteous gentiles---those who have renounced any connection to false religions and have not created for themselves a "Noahide" religion made up from various stolen Jewish practices). The only message I have for any believer in, or follower of, the long-dead apostate Yeshu is humble yourselves and seek G-d's truth before it is too late. This is your only task. Until this has been accomplished, there is nothing for us to talk about, nothing you can learn from here. You only do further damage to your soul by trying to gather Torah sparks while still immersed in your impurity.
For those Jews who continue to bed down every night comfy under the covers with your version of Hitler, y"s, what can we say? You don't think Western foreign policy is not a plan to annihilate and eradicate Israel with more than half the world's Jewish population? You think you are safe living among such people? Have you no pride or self-respect at all, that you can continue to turn a blind eye to the fact that you are aiding and abetting the enemies of your G-d?
We are currently reading about yetziat Mitzrayim. Hashem tells us in these pasukim that he brought us out of Egypt only so He could bring us to Eretz Yisrael. IT IS A MITZVAH AT ALL TIMES FOR A JEW TO LIVE IN THE LAND OF ISRAEL. When a mitzvah is impossible to fulfill, our intention to do so merits us as if the mitzvah were performed. The catch here, my precious Jewish brethren is that today it is no longer impossible.
We are at the very end and there remains absolutely no obstacle to your return to your homeland. This means the reward for doing so has decreased and the punishment for not doing so has correspondingly increased. The only "obstacle" exists within your mind and your complete lack of faith in Hashem's ability to provide for you in EY is what gives it life and substance.
To the Jews of EY, Hashem is mercifully removing any dependence we have on the State shortly before it gives way, like the shoddy buildings in Haiti. This is something to cooperate with , not to fight. It's a good thing. We have to begin to act like we believe that we are completely dependent upon HKB"H, not the army, not the economic policies of the Finance Ministry and the Bank of Israel, etc.
This blog is a labor of love for everyone of you who reads it. As it says at the top of the page:
"Say the bitter truth, even though they won't like you...tell the Jews the truth if you love them...."
~Devash
For those who aren't used to giving the benefit of the doubt, you should know that this blog is under rabbinical supervision and was even when you advised me to obtain such supervision.
For those who submit comments and say that you are xians or write something that indicates to me that this is your spiritual orientation, your comments will not be published. G-d forbid that this blog become a pulpit for your idolatrous ideas! You'd do best to visit elsewhere. Anything I have to say here is primarily for Jews (and truly righteous gentiles---those who have renounced any connection to false religions and have not created for themselves a "Noahide" religion made up from various stolen Jewish practices). The only message I have for any believer in, or follower of, the long-dead apostate Yeshu is humble yourselves and seek G-d's truth before it is too late. This is your only task. Until this has been accomplished, there is nothing for us to talk about, nothing you can learn from here. You only do further damage to your soul by trying to gather Torah sparks while still immersed in your impurity.
For those Jews who continue to bed down every night comfy under the covers with your version of Hitler, y"s, what can we say? You don't think Western foreign policy is not a plan to annihilate and eradicate Israel with more than half the world's Jewish population? You think you are safe living among such people? Have you no pride or self-respect at all, that you can continue to turn a blind eye to the fact that you are aiding and abetting the enemies of your G-d?
We are currently reading about yetziat Mitzrayim. Hashem tells us in these pasukim that he brought us out of Egypt only so He could bring us to Eretz Yisrael. IT IS A MITZVAH AT ALL TIMES FOR A JEW TO LIVE IN THE LAND OF ISRAEL. When a mitzvah is impossible to fulfill, our intention to do so merits us as if the mitzvah were performed. The catch here, my precious Jewish brethren is that today it is no longer impossible.
We are at the very end and there remains absolutely no obstacle to your return to your homeland. This means the reward for doing so has decreased and the punishment for not doing so has correspondingly increased. The only "obstacle" exists within your mind and your complete lack of faith in Hashem's ability to provide for you in EY is what gives it life and substance.
To the Jews of EY, Hashem is mercifully removing any dependence we have on the State shortly before it gives way, like the shoddy buildings in Haiti. This is something to cooperate with , not to fight. It's a good thing. We have to begin to act like we believe that we are completely dependent upon HKB"H, not the army, not the economic policies of the Finance Ministry and the Bank of Israel, etc.
This blog is a labor of love for everyone of you who reads it. As it says at the top of the page:
"Say the bitter truth, even though they won't like you...tell the Jews the truth if you love them...."
~Devash
24 January 2010
Why isn't every Jew an anti-missionary?
I continue to be upset and frustrated at the lack of interest shown by those whom I have tried to inform of the missionary infiltration into the yishuvim, particularly in the Shomron.
Tommy Waller and his family of thirteen, who are self-avowed Xian missionaries, have made their home in Ariel twice a year, every year for the last six, using it as a base for launching their missionary endeavors.
(According to their "Harvesters" webpage, they will be back in Israel on February 1 - March 4, 2010.)
In the fall of 2009, they brought 100 like-minded missionaries with them to Itamar and Har Bracha to provide free labor to religious Jews.
Why do they do it? They are "building relationships," i.e. sucking in the Jews until they are ripe for receiving their "gospel."
Tommy Waller: "For us, sharing the gospel is not only verbal, it has an action to it. It's based on relationships. As we're working with these people, we'll be able to share with them this Jesus that we know."
(Full video here.)
They seem so nice! This is the danger of allowing relationships like this to form between non-Jews and Jews, how much more so those who worship Yeshu as the Creator, G-d forbid! and call him "HaShem" and refer to him as "YKVK," G-d forbid!!
They have been welcomed into Jewish homes and Jewish life. How long before there are shidduchim between their children and ours, G-d forbid!!!
Brayden Waller: "Our family has begun a ministry called HaYovel. The vision of HaYovel is to develop a network of individuals, families and congregations [churches and messianic 'synagogues'] ready to labor side by side with the people of Israel, to bless them, to stand with them, to share with them a passion for the soon coming of the Jubilee in Yeshua, the messiah."
One Israeli beneficiary commented: "They don't ask anything. They only want to give." Are we really so naive that we are ready to believe that the goyim will give so much to us with no strings attached?
The Wallers and their followers think they are building their Olam Haba with the mitzva their "Master" gave them---to "go and make disciples"---to convince others by whatever means possible to become believers and participants in their idolatry.
It seems some or many Israeli Jews are buying their story and becoming convinced, G-d forbid!
(Full video here.)
David Rubin, former Mayor of Shiloh: Quotes from the Prophet Yirmiyahu and tells the Waller Group that the "notsrim" translated "watchmen" is actually referring to "Xians."
IF ANYONE HAS ANY INFLUENCE WITH THE RABBIS IN THE SHOMRON, PLEASE MAKE THEM AWARE OF THIS VITAL ISSUE!!
NOTE: (If this is not yet proof enough, a perusal of their website will provide you with the following evidence of their true motivation.)
“Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement, Lev 23:27) starts tonight. We will be fasting, praying for and thanking YHWH for His forgiveness as well as asking Him to reveal the areas in our lives that we need to repent for and make right. This is a very solemn time for all Israel. Even a lot of secular Jews fast on Yom Kippur. May Yeshua reveal His grace and forgiveness to them.”
***
“The Mount of Temptation is the alleged 'high mountain' where Yeshua was tempted by satan in Matt 4:8. We had an awesome time of worship as we looked out towards Jericho and proclaimed Yeshua’s Name over the city.”
***
Brayden, Dad and I are on our way to go be with them [the Ortiz family] – so pray that God will use us to comfort them and that Yeshua’s name will be lifted high in that Israeli hospital!
***
Since they started their work in Israel the family helped build a winery, harvested tons of grapes and olives, trimmed acres of vines and olive trees, moved rocks and boulders for roads and most importantly, built relationships with both Israelis and Palestinians.
This fall the Waller family was joined by several other families who wanted to help bring down the wall of division. “For us it’s a spiritual deal – a faith deal,” said Sherri Waller. “The battle is over the land because God gave it to the descendents of Abraham – that includes us.”
Tommy Waller and his family of thirteen, who are self-avowed Xian missionaries, have made their home in Ariel twice a year, every year for the last six, using it as a base for launching their missionary endeavors.
(According to their "Harvesters" webpage, they will be back in Israel on February 1 - March 4, 2010.)
In the fall of 2009, they brought 100 like-minded missionaries with them to Itamar and Har Bracha to provide free labor to religious Jews.
Why do they do it? They are "building relationships," i.e. sucking in the Jews until they are ripe for receiving their "gospel."
Tommy Waller: "For us, sharing the gospel is not only verbal, it has an action to it. It's based on relationships. As we're working with these people, we'll be able to share with them this Jesus that we know."
(Full video here.)
They seem so nice! This is the danger of allowing relationships like this to form between non-Jews and Jews, how much more so those who worship Yeshu as the Creator, G-d forbid! and call him "HaShem" and refer to him as "YKVK," G-d forbid!!
They have been welcomed into Jewish homes and Jewish life. How long before there are shidduchim between their children and ours, G-d forbid!!!
Brayden Waller: "Our family has begun a ministry called HaYovel. The vision of HaYovel is to develop a network of individuals, families and congregations [churches and messianic 'synagogues'] ready to labor side by side with the people of Israel, to bless them, to stand with them, to share with them a passion for the soon coming of the Jubilee in Yeshua, the messiah."
One Israeli beneficiary commented: "They don't ask anything. They only want to give." Are we really so naive that we are ready to believe that the goyim will give so much to us with no strings attached?
The Wallers and their followers think they are building their Olam Haba with the mitzva their "Master" gave them---to "go and make disciples"---to convince others by whatever means possible to become believers and participants in their idolatry.
It seems some or many Israeli Jews are buying their story and becoming convinced, G-d forbid!
(Full video here.)
David Rubin, former Mayor of Shiloh: Quotes from the Prophet Yirmiyahu and tells the Waller Group that the "notsrim" translated "watchmen" is actually referring to "Xians."
IF ANYONE HAS ANY INFLUENCE WITH THE RABBIS IN THE SHOMRON, PLEASE MAKE THEM AWARE OF THIS VITAL ISSUE!!
NOTE: (If this is not yet proof enough, a perusal of their website will provide you with the following evidence of their true motivation.)
“Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement, Lev 23:27) starts tonight. We will be fasting, praying for and thanking YHWH for His forgiveness as well as asking Him to reveal the areas in our lives that we need to repent for and make right. This is a very solemn time for all Israel. Even a lot of secular Jews fast on Yom Kippur. May Yeshua reveal His grace and forgiveness to them.”
***
“The Mount of Temptation is the alleged 'high mountain' where Yeshua was tempted by satan in Matt 4:8. We had an awesome time of worship as we looked out towards Jericho and proclaimed Yeshua’s Name over the city.”
***
Brayden, Dad and I are on our way to go be with them [the Ortiz family] – so pray that God will use us to comfort them and that Yeshua’s name will be lifted high in that Israeli hospital!
***
Since they started their work in Israel the family helped build a winery, harvested tons of grapes and olives, trimmed acres of vines and olive trees, moved rocks and boulders for roads and most importantly, built relationships with both Israelis and Palestinians.
This fall the Waller family was joined by several other families who wanted to help bring down the wall of division. “For us it’s a spiritual deal – a faith deal,” said Sherri Waller. “The battle is over the land because God gave it to the descendents of Abraham – that includes us.”
22 January 2010
Too easily we forget!
Parsha commentary by Rav Nachman Kahana of Beit Knesset Chazon Yechezkel in the Old City of Jerusalem.
BS"D
Parashat Va’ay’rah and Bo 5770
(Shmot 12:12):
ועברתי בארץ מצרים בלילה הזה והכיתי כל בכור בארץ מצרים מאדם ועד בהמה ובכל אלהי מצרים אעשה שפטים אני ה'
"And I will pass through the land of Egypt and I will smite the first-born in the land of Egypt and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment, I am the Eternal God
From the Pessach Hagada based on the above verse:
"And I will pass through the land of Egypt" - I and not a ministering angel;
"and I will smite the first-born in the land of Egypt" - I and not a fiery angel;
"and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment" - I and not a messenger;
"I, the Eternal" - I and no other
The humanitarian crisis caused by the earthquake in Haiti has moved the hearts of good people the world over.
And the question is repeated again and again, "Why did HaShem do this to the poorest, most backward country in the world?"
But, as always, the answer comes down to the hopeless dead-end statement that the word "why" has no place in the same sentence with the word "HaShem," because mortal man can never ascend to the heights of HaShem’s logic.
But, although we cannot know why this decrepit, bedraggled and crippled nation was chosen by HaShem to suffer this staggering, chaotic situation, we can deduce certain conclusions from the larger picture.
I submit:
Almost immediately after the disaster struck, help was offered by the United States, the UN, and many other countries, including our own State of Israel. Huge tonnage of food and medical supplies are reaching Haiti, including thousands of soldiers to provide security for the many relief agencies operating there. The sums of money are staggering, and no one is counting when human lives are at jeopardy. The United States, as well as other countries, have offered to accept a large number of orphans.
These actions are the height of altruism and deserve our highest respect. In view of the fact that the people of Haiti will never be able to repay the many nations, these life saving efforts are really le’shaime shamayim (for their own sake; not for profit).
The following is a partial list of the aid being extended to Haiti:
United States - an initial $100 million government relief effort plus ships, helicopters, transport planes and 2,000 Marines. Private party and corporate donation will probably exceed the government’s.
Canada - $50 million Canadian dollars plus two Navy ships, helicopters, transport planes and a disaster response team.
The World Bank - $100 million
The UN - $10 million.
Great Britain - $10 million, plus a four-person government assessment team and 71 rescue specialists along with search dogs and heavy equipment.
Australia - $9.3 million.
Norway - $5.3 million.
Japan - $5 million.
Italy - $1.46 million.
The European Commission - $4.37 million.
The Netherlands - euro2 million
Italian bishops' conference - euro2 million
Denmark - $1.9 million.
Finland - $1.8 million.
South Korea - aid worth $1 million.
Irish telecommunications company Digicel - $5 million and help to repair the phone network.
Spain - $4.37 million and rescue teams and 100 tons of equipment.
Germany - euro1.5 million and an immediate response team.
India - $1 million
China - $1 million and a 60-member relief team with sniffer dogs
Sweden - $850,000, plus tents, water purification equipment and medical aid
Venezuela - doctors, fire-fighters and rescue workers.
Mexico - doctors, search-and-rescue dogs and infrastructure experts
France - a 400 staff from the public security authority, as well as a ship with two surgical operating units, 50 beds for injured and earth-moving equipment.
Iceland and Portugal are each sending more than 30 rescue workers.
Taiwan - 23 rescue workers and two tons of aid and equipment.
Israel - a field hospital and 220 rescue workers.
Switzerland - A rescue team and 40-50 tons of aid goods.
As expected, no muslim countries are represented on this list.
Very, very impressive! But it is like a rose bush with a very prickly, poisonous thorn. For herein lies the wretched, pathetic moral of this episode, so far as we Jews are concerned, that turns the entire episode into an undeniable, damning accusation of the world before the Holy Throne of HaShem.
The civilized peoples of the world are capable of cooperating in assisting the destitute and hopeless. We have seen it before in earthquake situations in Turkey, at times of flooding in Asia and droughts in Africa, and in military intervention to safeguard the lives of innocent people threatened by evil men with evil intent, as in Korea, Iraq, Afghanistan and others.
But every dollar or band-aid is a damnation of the nations, because
THERE HAS NEVER BEEN INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION TO ASSIST THE JEWISH PEOPLE. BUT THEY ARE QUICK AND UNITED TO CONDEMN US.
In the 1930s, when Hitler called for the Jews to leave Europe, no country (except Uruguay) opened their doors to the potential victims of the German Amalekites. We should not forget the statement issued by Prime Minister Mackenzie King of Canada that "Even one Jew is too many."
During the Second World War, neither the United States nor the British ever bombed any concentration camp to stop the killing of Jews. The United States never once bombed the rail tracks to the camps. Had they done so, ten thousand Jews would have been saved every day in Auschwitz alone.
The unforgettable and unforgivable story of the S.S. Saint Louis must be retold over and over. The ship sailed from Hamburg, Germany, at the beginning of the war and reached the United States with hundreds of Jews aboard. The United States refused entrance to these Jewish refugees, and when the ship made its way to Havana, Cuba, the United States warned the Cubans to send the ship away. The captain of the Saint Louis saw no choice but to return to Hamburg, from where the Jews were taken off and sent to their death.
After the war, there were six hundred thousand Jewish survivors in the camps of Europe, with no country willing to take them in. Where was the great outpouring of international Christian charity then?
In 1947, when the UN voted for the establishment of a Jewish State it was moved by sinister motives. Firstly, the countries of Europe and the United States did not want to accept these Jewish refugees, so the best option was to "toss them to the dogs" in the Middle East, where the Arab hordes would finish the job.
With the establishment of a Jewish State, there was to be a parallel Arab State which would guarantee a very short life expectancy for the Jews. The British, whose mandate over the Holy Land was terminated on May 14, 1948, the day the Jewish State came into existence, removed their troops from the country, but they did not return home. They waited in international waters for the remnant of the Jewish yishuv (settlement) to beg them to return in the face of the Arab onslaught.
Russia voted for the establishment of the State, with the intention that Israel would serve as a center for the Soviet Union in the Middle East.
Let’s not forget, that when the armies of seven Arab countries attacked us on the 15th of May, 1948, the United States announced and enforced an arms embargo on the fledgling Jewish State. Not one bullet was allowed to be sent here.
At that time, my family was involved in the obtaining of arms for the State. I recall the day when I came home and saw my parents in tears and screaming, because it was learned that the FBI had confiscated an arms cache ready to be sent to Eretz Yisrael.
But with the help of HaShem, we defeated all these Arab armies without the "help" of the world and to their absolute chagrin.
In the three weeks leading up to the Six Day War, no country volunteered their help. It was the "hand of HaShem" which led our pilots on the morning of June 5, 1967 when our air force destroyed all the Arab air forces in the Middle East, and gave us all Yerushalayim, the Shomron, Yehuda [Jerusalem, Samaria, Judea] and the Golan to this day.
In the Yom Kippur War we were dire straits, but the United States withheld desperately needed military aid. President Nixon intervened and ordered the immediate shipment of weapons to Israel, and for this he will have a lonely place in Gan Eden [Paradise] without any other American politicians to talk to.
The real reason, however, is that Israel made a "line in the sands of Sinai" which, if crossed by the Egyptian army, would necessitate our use of unconventional weapons.
This President Nixon did not want.
We won the Yom Kippur War. At its end our troops were 101 kilometers from Cairo, and 35 kilometers from Damascus. We did it alone, and we did it "our way," of course with a little help from the God of our fathers Avraham, Yitzchak and Ya’akov [Abraham, Isaac and Jacob].
The concept that the good that people do will come up at a later time to point an accusing finger at them is deeply intrenched in the conduct of the Catholic Church.
There is much good in the Church. Many of their priests and nuns are dedicated to the betterment of humanity. We can find them in the most treacherous parts of the world bringing literacy, medical help and monotheism. The heads of the Catholic Church were not like the nation of Amalek which was "born of bad seed." Each Pope strove to further the convictions of the faith, which is admirable.
But here is the "thorn."
Since the Church was capable of doing humanitarian acts, the conclusion is that their sadistic, barbaric, cruel, heartless, inhumane treatment of the Jewish people over two thousand years of our European experience was the result of a calculated and reasoned strategy to destroy us.
The reality is that Israel and the Jewish people have no real friends among the world’s nations, but we have among them real enemies.
If I were to compose a list of cultures that contributed to the advancement of humanity, I would not be off the mark if I place the Jewish nation first and the Haitians very close to last.
And, although I wish the poor people of Haiti that they succeed in rebuilding their country, an objective observer can discern an inverted equation with regard to the world’s reactions to current events, with the most sacred people, in the best case, neglected, while an impoverished culture receives great attention.
The Gemara (Avoda Zara 2b) describes what will occur in the future, when HaShem will invite every nation to detail the highlights of their culture. The first to enter will be Roma (European countries including the USA), followed by Paras (Iran and their Moslem friends) who will describe the roads they paved, the bridges they built and the great actions of their societies, and they will say to HaShem that all that they had done was to further the ability of the Jews to abide by the Torah.
HaShem will then show each nation the real motives behind their actions, when nothing they ever did was for the benefit of the Jewish people.
But the real conclusion from this story is that we do not need help of the nations, because we have HaShem’s promise that He will forever watch over us.
The precedent was set in Egypt where HaShem alone brought out His chosen nation from bondage, as stated above:
"And I will pass through the land of Egypt" - I and not a ministering angel;
"and I will smite the first-born in the land of Egypt" - I and not a fiery angel;
"and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment" - I and not a messenger;
"I, the Eternal" - I and no other
Indeed, it is not we who need the help of the nations but it is they who so vitally need the Jewish people. But, unfortunately, this they will find out only when it will be too late.
Shabbat Shalom
Nachman Kahana
BS"D
Parashat Va’ay’rah and Bo 5770
(Shmot 12:12):
ועברתי בארץ מצרים בלילה הזה והכיתי כל בכור בארץ מצרים מאדם ועד בהמה ובכל אלהי מצרים אעשה שפטים אני ה'
"And I will pass through the land of Egypt and I will smite the first-born in the land of Egypt and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment, I am the Eternal God
From the Pessach Hagada based on the above verse:
"And I will pass through the land of Egypt" - I and not a ministering angel;
"and I will smite the first-born in the land of Egypt" - I and not a fiery angel;
"and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment" - I and not a messenger;
"I, the Eternal" - I and no other
The humanitarian crisis caused by the earthquake in Haiti has moved the hearts of good people the world over.
And the question is repeated again and again, "Why did HaShem do this to the poorest, most backward country in the world?"
But, as always, the answer comes down to the hopeless dead-end statement that the word "why" has no place in the same sentence with the word "HaShem," because mortal man can never ascend to the heights of HaShem’s logic.
But, although we cannot know why this decrepit, bedraggled and crippled nation was chosen by HaShem to suffer this staggering, chaotic situation, we can deduce certain conclusions from the larger picture.
I submit:
Almost immediately after the disaster struck, help was offered by the United States, the UN, and many other countries, including our own State of Israel. Huge tonnage of food and medical supplies are reaching Haiti, including thousands of soldiers to provide security for the many relief agencies operating there. The sums of money are staggering, and no one is counting when human lives are at jeopardy. The United States, as well as other countries, have offered to accept a large number of orphans.
These actions are the height of altruism and deserve our highest respect. In view of the fact that the people of Haiti will never be able to repay the many nations, these life saving efforts are really le’shaime shamayim (for their own sake; not for profit).
The following is a partial list of the aid being extended to Haiti:
United States - an initial $100 million government relief effort plus ships, helicopters, transport planes and 2,000 Marines. Private party and corporate donation will probably exceed the government’s.
Canada - $50 million Canadian dollars plus two Navy ships, helicopters, transport planes and a disaster response team.
The World Bank - $100 million
The UN - $10 million.
Great Britain - $10 million, plus a four-person government assessment team and 71 rescue specialists along with search dogs and heavy equipment.
Australia - $9.3 million.
Norway - $5.3 million.
Japan - $5 million.
Italy - $1.46 million.
The European Commission - $4.37 million.
The Netherlands - euro2 million
Italian bishops' conference - euro2 million
Denmark - $1.9 million.
Finland - $1.8 million.
South Korea - aid worth $1 million.
Irish telecommunications company Digicel - $5 million and help to repair the phone network.
Spain - $4.37 million and rescue teams and 100 tons of equipment.
Germany - euro1.5 million and an immediate response team.
India - $1 million
China - $1 million and a 60-member relief team with sniffer dogs
Sweden - $850,000, plus tents, water purification equipment and medical aid
Venezuela - doctors, fire-fighters and rescue workers.
Mexico - doctors, search-and-rescue dogs and infrastructure experts
France - a 400 staff from the public security authority, as well as a ship with two surgical operating units, 50 beds for injured and earth-moving equipment.
Iceland and Portugal are each sending more than 30 rescue workers.
Taiwan - 23 rescue workers and two tons of aid and equipment.
Israel - a field hospital and 220 rescue workers.
Switzerland - A rescue team and 40-50 tons of aid goods.
As expected, no muslim countries are represented on this list.
Very, very impressive! But it is like a rose bush with a very prickly, poisonous thorn. For herein lies the wretched, pathetic moral of this episode, so far as we Jews are concerned, that turns the entire episode into an undeniable, damning accusation of the world before the Holy Throne of HaShem.
The civilized peoples of the world are capable of cooperating in assisting the destitute and hopeless. We have seen it before in earthquake situations in Turkey, at times of flooding in Asia and droughts in Africa, and in military intervention to safeguard the lives of innocent people threatened by evil men with evil intent, as in Korea, Iraq, Afghanistan and others.
But every dollar or band-aid is a damnation of the nations, because
THERE HAS NEVER BEEN INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION TO ASSIST THE JEWISH PEOPLE. BUT THEY ARE QUICK AND UNITED TO CONDEMN US.
In the 1930s, when Hitler called for the Jews to leave Europe, no country (except Uruguay) opened their doors to the potential victims of the German Amalekites. We should not forget the statement issued by Prime Minister Mackenzie King of Canada that "Even one Jew is too many."
During the Second World War, neither the United States nor the British ever bombed any concentration camp to stop the killing of Jews. The United States never once bombed the rail tracks to the camps. Had they done so, ten thousand Jews would have been saved every day in Auschwitz alone.
The unforgettable and unforgivable story of the S.S. Saint Louis must be retold over and over. The ship sailed from Hamburg, Germany, at the beginning of the war and reached the United States with hundreds of Jews aboard. The United States refused entrance to these Jewish refugees, and when the ship made its way to Havana, Cuba, the United States warned the Cubans to send the ship away. The captain of the Saint Louis saw no choice but to return to Hamburg, from where the Jews were taken off and sent to their death.
After the war, there were six hundred thousand Jewish survivors in the camps of Europe, with no country willing to take them in. Where was the great outpouring of international Christian charity then?
In 1947, when the UN voted for the establishment of a Jewish State it was moved by sinister motives. Firstly, the countries of Europe and the United States did not want to accept these Jewish refugees, so the best option was to "toss them to the dogs" in the Middle East, where the Arab hordes would finish the job.
With the establishment of a Jewish State, there was to be a parallel Arab State which would guarantee a very short life expectancy for the Jews. The British, whose mandate over the Holy Land was terminated on May 14, 1948, the day the Jewish State came into existence, removed their troops from the country, but they did not return home. They waited in international waters for the remnant of the Jewish yishuv (settlement) to beg them to return in the face of the Arab onslaught.
Russia voted for the establishment of the State, with the intention that Israel would serve as a center for the Soviet Union in the Middle East.
Let’s not forget, that when the armies of seven Arab countries attacked us on the 15th of May, 1948, the United States announced and enforced an arms embargo on the fledgling Jewish State. Not one bullet was allowed to be sent here.
At that time, my family was involved in the obtaining of arms for the State. I recall the day when I came home and saw my parents in tears and screaming, because it was learned that the FBI had confiscated an arms cache ready to be sent to Eretz Yisrael.
But with the help of HaShem, we defeated all these Arab armies without the "help" of the world and to their absolute chagrin.
In the three weeks leading up to the Six Day War, no country volunteered their help. It was the "hand of HaShem" which led our pilots on the morning of June 5, 1967 when our air force destroyed all the Arab air forces in the Middle East, and gave us all Yerushalayim, the Shomron, Yehuda [Jerusalem, Samaria, Judea] and the Golan to this day.
In the Yom Kippur War we were dire straits, but the United States withheld desperately needed military aid. President Nixon intervened and ordered the immediate shipment of weapons to Israel, and for this he will have a lonely place in Gan Eden [Paradise] without any other American politicians to talk to.
The real reason, however, is that Israel made a "line in the sands of Sinai" which, if crossed by the Egyptian army, would necessitate our use of unconventional weapons.
This President Nixon did not want.
We won the Yom Kippur War. At its end our troops were 101 kilometers from Cairo, and 35 kilometers from Damascus. We did it alone, and we did it "our way," of course with a little help from the God of our fathers Avraham, Yitzchak and Ya’akov [Abraham, Isaac and Jacob].
The concept that the good that people do will come up at a later time to point an accusing finger at them is deeply intrenched in the conduct of the Catholic Church.
There is much good in the Church. Many of their priests and nuns are dedicated to the betterment of humanity. We can find them in the most treacherous parts of the world bringing literacy, medical help and monotheism. The heads of the Catholic Church were not like the nation of Amalek which was "born of bad seed." Each Pope strove to further the convictions of the faith, which is admirable.
But here is the "thorn."
Since the Church was capable of doing humanitarian acts, the conclusion is that their sadistic, barbaric, cruel, heartless, inhumane treatment of the Jewish people over two thousand years of our European experience was the result of a calculated and reasoned strategy to destroy us.
The reality is that Israel and the Jewish people have no real friends among the world’s nations, but we have among them real enemies.
If I were to compose a list of cultures that contributed to the advancement of humanity, I would not be off the mark if I place the Jewish nation first and the Haitians very close to last.
And, although I wish the poor people of Haiti that they succeed in rebuilding their country, an objective observer can discern an inverted equation with regard to the world’s reactions to current events, with the most sacred people, in the best case, neglected, while an impoverished culture receives great attention.
The Gemara (Avoda Zara 2b) describes what will occur in the future, when HaShem will invite every nation to detail the highlights of their culture. The first to enter will be Roma (European countries including the USA), followed by Paras (Iran and their Moslem friends) who will describe the roads they paved, the bridges they built and the great actions of their societies, and they will say to HaShem that all that they had done was to further the ability of the Jews to abide by the Torah.
HaShem will then show each nation the real motives behind their actions, when nothing they ever did was for the benefit of the Jewish people.
But the real conclusion from this story is that we do not need help of the nations, because we have HaShem’s promise that He will forever watch over us.
The precedent was set in Egypt where HaShem alone brought out His chosen nation from bondage, as stated above:
"And I will pass through the land of Egypt" - I and not a ministering angel;
"and I will smite the first-born in the land of Egypt" - I and not a fiery angel;
"and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment" - I and not a messenger;
"I, the Eternal" - I and no other
Indeed, it is not we who need the help of the nations but it is they who so vitally need the Jewish people. But, unfortunately, this they will find out only when it will be too late.
Shabbat Shalom
Nachman Kahana
21 January 2010
A Few Thoughts
Just jotting down a few thoughts that occurred to me while I reviewed the news this morning:
--- Maybe Haiti is like Iyov. We learn that Hashem occupied the SA with the not-so-innocent Iyov so that the Accuser could not interfere with the geulah from Mitzrayim. Maybe the US and UN will have their hands too full with this catastrophe to waste their time pestering us...for awhile anyway.
---I saw a comment somwhere that China is poised to take over the world leadership role from the US. Not true. When Edom falls, Israel rises. And the success of our medical personnel in Haiti is a small indication of that. Like the man said, "Makes you embarrassed to be an American."
---There are a few "interfaith" rabbis out there forging ties with "humanity." They like to talk about how the followers of the three "monotheistic faiths" are all the children of Avraham and they make much of Avraham's openness to everyone. But what occurs to me is that Avraham was a "root" and the age of "roots" has ended. In other words, Avraham was a unique person with a unique mission at a specific point in history which has now passed.
Yishmael descended from Avraham and Eisav descended from Yitzchak, but all the sons of Yaakov were righteous. That is why we are not called the children of Avraham or the children of Yitzchak, but the Children of Yisrael (Yaakov).
--- Maybe Haiti is like Iyov. We learn that Hashem occupied the SA with the not-so-innocent Iyov so that the Accuser could not interfere with the geulah from Mitzrayim. Maybe the US and UN will have their hands too full with this catastrophe to waste their time pestering us...for awhile anyway.
---I saw a comment somwhere that China is poised to take over the world leadership role from the US. Not true. When Edom falls, Israel rises. And the success of our medical personnel in Haiti is a small indication of that. Like the man said, "Makes you embarrassed to be an American."
---There are a few "interfaith" rabbis out there forging ties with "humanity." They like to talk about how the followers of the three "monotheistic faiths" are all the children of Avraham and they make much of Avraham's openness to everyone. But what occurs to me is that Avraham was a "root" and the age of "roots" has ended. In other words, Avraham was a unique person with a unique mission at a specific point in history which has now passed.
Yishmael descended from Avraham and Eisav descended from Yitzchak, but all the sons of Yaakov were righteous. That is why we are not called the children of Avraham or the children of Yitzchak, but the Children of Yisrael (Yaakov).
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