3 Sivan 5772
Day 47 of the Omer
Call me crazy, but it bothers me that the "firstfruits" aspect of this holiday is so sorely neglected in favor of making it all about Matan Torah. This situation came about as a result of our sins, for without the Beit Hamikdash, there can be no firstfruits offerings! The whole emphasis on Zeman Matan Torah was emphasized during the time of exile. And so we remain - in spiritual exile. But, let's at least acknowledge the fact that there is something major missing from our celebration and give some thought to its restoration. May the service of the Beit Hamikdash be returned to us speedily and in our time!!
Chag Habikurim
by Rabbi Julian Sinclair
Chag Habikurim is the least well-known of the names of Shavuot (after Chag Hacheesecake etc). It refers to the offering of the first fruits that farmers in the Land of Israel brought to the Temple in Jerusalem in early summer at around the time of the Shavuot holiday. The word bikurim itself is related to bechor, a firstborn son.
The finest of the first-ripening fruits would be brought with great ceremony in ornate baskets to the Temple. The Bible describes a strange ritual that would then take place (Deuteronomy 26:1-11).
The bringer of first fruits recited the vidui bikurim, a lengthy declaration describing how he came to be there. Beginning with "My father was a wandering Aramean," he goes on to recount how the Jewish people were enslaved in Egypt, how they cried out to God who saved them, took them out of Egypt and brought them to the Land of Israel - the best of whose fruits he is now bringing to the Temple.
The farmer tells a story to account for his good fortune that stretches back to the beginnings of the Jewish people. Full gratitude comes from understanding the roots of his present situation. As the Sefer Hachinuch (a medieval compendium of the 613 mitzvot) says, the reason for the declaration is to etch on our hearts the reality of God's kindness.
More Shavuot learning...
Why we Omit the Temple on Shavuoth
The minhag of staying up all night studying is only about 200 years old. The Temple was the center of the holiday. The mishnah makes it the focus of our Torah reading. Why, then, do we read instead about the giving of the Torah?
Listen to the shiur here.
24 May 2012
They'll blame it on the Jew(s)
3 Sivan 5772
Day 47 of the Omer
Facebook stock went public last Friday and in the course of a week, a situation has developed which threatens to eclipse anything that Bernie Madoff did. Mark Zuckerberg, the founder and inventor of Facebook, is a very public Jew. Accusations of insider trading with $100 million dollars of immediate profit to the "Jewish" banks will not go down well. And even more so if the ultimate consequences will be as dire as some are predicting.
How Facebook could destroy the U.S. economy
...Facebook’s one of the “black swans” that could eventually bring down the global economy.
Day 47 of the Omer
Facebook stock went public last Friday and in the course of a week, a situation has developed which threatens to eclipse anything that Bernie Madoff did. Mark Zuckerberg, the founder and inventor of Facebook, is a very public Jew. Accusations of insider trading with $100 million dollars of immediate profit to the "Jewish" banks will not go down well. And even more so if the ultimate consequences will be as dire as some are predicting.
How Facebook could destroy the U.S. economy
...Facebook’s one of the “black swans” that could eventually bring down the global economy.
22 May 2012
"Pure Souls Have Ascended"
2 Sivan 5772
Day 46 of the Omer
UPDATE: Rav Yitzchak Dovid Grossman: The Accident Victims Were A Kapora for Am Yisrael
********
Rosh Chodesh Sivan
Day 45 of the Omer
For the second time, we are mourning an entire family - save one member - being consumed in a conflagration.
Midway between Purim and Pesach on Gimel Nissan, Guy Shaer, 38, and his five children – Eliav, 11, Evyatar, 8, Amitai, 7, Shira, 3, and one-year-old Itamar died together in a fire in their Rehovot home. Only the mother, Avivit, was left alive.
And now, today, in the early morning hours of Rosh Chodesh Sivan, just days before we are to celebrate the giving of our Holy Torah on Shavuot, another family - Rafael Atias, 42, Yehudit, 42, Avia, 17, twins Eliyashiv and Neria Shimon, 16, Shira, 11, Tair, 8 and Noa, 4 who, ironically, were returning from a Torah Scroll Dedication - has been lost to the flames of a devastating car wreck due to faulty brakes. Only seven-year-old Rachel survived by being thrown from the car.
G-d have mercy! What are we to think? What are we to do?? What does Hashem want us to learn from this horror???
Hershkowitz: “A Chilling Tragedy beyond Conception”
Minister Daniel Hershkowitz participated Monday night in the Migdal HaEmek Torah dedication along with the Attias family members who were the victims of the accident near Tiberias early Tuesday morning.
“I was shocked this morning,” said Minister Hershkowitz. “Migdal HaEmek Jewish Home activists requested I attend the Attias family Torah dedication, scrolls written by the esteemed grandfather, the great torah educator of the city. We celebrated last night at 22:00 and this morning I found out that Rafi Attias, the MC of the event and most of his family were victims of the accident. This is a chilling tragedy beyond human conception. May their souls live on for all eternity.”
Rabbi Grossman: Pure Souls have Ascended
A short while before the accident near Tiberias, Rabbi Grossman of the city of Migdal Ha’Emek blessed sole survivor Rachel Attias that her love of the Torah give her G-d’s blessing of long life. She was being embraced by her late father Rafi, and wished to remain as close as possible to the torah scrolls dedicated by her grandfather at the inauguration of his new synagogue.
“All of Israel must mourn this Divine conflagration,” said Rabbi Grossman, all choked up.
Day 46 of the Omer
UPDATE: Rav Yitzchak Dovid Grossman: The Accident Victims Were A Kapora for Am Yisrael
********
Rosh Chodesh Sivan
Day 45 of the Omer
For the second time, we are mourning an entire family - save one member - being consumed in a conflagration.
Midway between Purim and Pesach on Gimel Nissan, Guy Shaer, 38, and his five children – Eliav, 11, Evyatar, 8, Amitai, 7, Shira, 3, and one-year-old Itamar died together in a fire in their Rehovot home. Only the mother, Avivit, was left alive.
And now, today, in the early morning hours of Rosh Chodesh Sivan, just days before we are to celebrate the giving of our Holy Torah on Shavuot, another family - Rafael Atias, 42, Yehudit, 42, Avia, 17, twins Eliyashiv and Neria Shimon, 16, Shira, 11, Tair, 8 and Noa, 4 who, ironically, were returning from a Torah Scroll Dedication - has been lost to the flames of a devastating car wreck due to faulty brakes. Only seven-year-old Rachel survived by being thrown from the car.
G-d have mercy! What are we to think? What are we to do?? What does Hashem want us to learn from this horror???
Hershkowitz: “A Chilling Tragedy beyond Conception”
Minister Daniel Hershkowitz participated Monday night in the Migdal HaEmek Torah dedication along with the Attias family members who were the victims of the accident near Tiberias early Tuesday morning.
“I was shocked this morning,” said Minister Hershkowitz. “Migdal HaEmek Jewish Home activists requested I attend the Attias family Torah dedication, scrolls written by the esteemed grandfather, the great torah educator of the city. We celebrated last night at 22:00 and this morning I found out that Rafi Attias, the MC of the event and most of his family were victims of the accident. This is a chilling tragedy beyond human conception. May their souls live on for all eternity.”
Rabbi Grossman: Pure Souls have Ascended
A short while before the accident near Tiberias, Rabbi Grossman of the city of Migdal Ha’Emek blessed sole survivor Rachel Attias that her love of the Torah give her G-d’s blessing of long life. She was being embraced by her late father Rafi, and wished to remain as close as possible to the torah scrolls dedicated by her grandfather at the inauguration of his new synagogue.
“All of Israel must mourn this Divine conflagration,” said Rabbi Grossman, all choked up.
21 May 2012
Mazal Tov to the OU and "TT"
29 Iyyar 5772Day 44 of the Omer
OU’s ‘Torah Tidbits’ turns 20
The Orthodox Union celebrated the 20th year and the 1,000th edition of its weekly Shabbat pamphlet, Torah Tidbits, during a gathering at the Jerusalem Theater on Sunday night.
The event was attended by almost one thousand members of the public, as well as Deputy Jerusalem Mayor David Hadari, Jerusalem-region director for religious culture of the Ministry of Education Rabbi Eliyahu Aviad, and Rabbi Avi Berman, director of the OU in Israel.
The celebrations were also staged to mark Jerusalem Day and were organized in conjunction with the municipality and the Ginot Ha’ir Community Council.
It was the OU’s ninth annual Jerusalem Day celebration, and Berman took the opportunity to highlight the social welfare initiatives the organization runs, including an educational course for soldiers, and a program for urban youth at risk.
Torah Tidbits is a weekly Shabbat booklet produced in English by the OU in Israel, which contains a wealth of commentaries and explanations of the Torah portion, or parsha, as well as communal notices, updates and information.
You can read more here.
And you can read Torah Tidbits every week online here.
19 May 2012
Happy Jerusalem Re-Unification Day!
28 Iyyar 5772
Day 43 of the Omer
And may she remain forever re-united!!
JEWISH EAST JERUSALEM
Ramot
Ramat Shlomo
Neve Yaakov
Pisgat Zeev
French Hill
Shimon HaTsadik
Har Hazeitim
Ir David
Ir HaAtika
Nof Tzion
Armon HaNatziv
Arnona
Har Choma
Gilo
17 May 2012
JEWS BEWARE!!
25 Iyyar 5772Day 40 of the Omer
Because of a letter purportedly written by Rabbi Kadouri before his passing, in which the xians believe he named Yeshu - G-d forbid! - as the Mashiach, they have latched onto the saintly rav's good name and are now making all kinds of other lying claims, including that he converted to xianity at the end of his long Torah-filled life - Hashem have mercy!! Be aware that many messianics and other xians are using the rav as a means to their nefarious ends. His saintly, blessed name is now appearing on many of their websites and in many of their videos.
HaRav Yitzchak Kadouri's name and memory should only be for a blessing!!!
16 May 2012
Olim Loving Olim
24 Iyyar 5772
Day 39 of the Omer
See A Letter to a Fellow Immigrant at Esser Agaroth and Empty Pockets at Bat Aliyah.
Day 39 of the Omer
See A Letter to a Fellow Immigrant at Esser Agaroth and Empty Pockets at Bat Aliyah.
15 May 2012
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