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About Me
- Rabbi Chaim Coffman
- Rabbi Coffman has helped people from all across the spectrum to prepare themselves properly for Orthodox Conversion to Judaism. His students admire his vast knowledge and appreciate his warm, personal attention and endearing sense of humor.
Welcome to Rabbi Chaim Coffman's Blog!
I would like to thank you for visiting my blog, Beyond Orthodox Conversion to Judaism.
The conversion process can be a lengthy and daunting one to say the least and I want you to know that I am here to help you through it.
I have been teaching newcomers to Judaism for over a decade and over the last few years I have seen that conversion candidates really lack the support and knowledge they need to navigate the conversion process and successfully integrate into the Orthodox Jewish community.
I created my mentorship program in order to help make this whole experience as smooth and as painless as possible! (Can't do much about the growing pains, though ;)
Feel free to get to know me a little through the posts on my blog and visit the mentorship and syllabus page if you are interested in possible joining us.
I sincerely wish you all the best in your search for truth and spiritual growth.
Looking forward to meeting you,
Chaim Coffman
The conversion process can be a lengthy and daunting one to say the least and I want you to know that I am here to help you through it.
I have been teaching newcomers to Judaism for over a decade and over the last few years I have seen that conversion candidates really lack the support and knowledge they need to navigate the conversion process and successfully integrate into the Orthodox Jewish community.
I created my mentorship program in order to help make this whole experience as smooth and as painless as possible! (Can't do much about the growing pains, though ;)
Feel free to get to know me a little through the posts on my blog and visit the mentorship and syllabus page if you are interested in possible joining us.
I sincerely wish you all the best in your search for truth and spiritual growth.
Looking forward to meeting you,
Chaim Coffman
My Rebbe, Rav Moshe Sternbuch
In case you were wondering why I have all of these articles written by Rav Moshe Sternbuch, he is my Rebbe, and one of the gedolei hador (greatest Rabbis of our generation).
Rav Sternbuch fully endorses me and supports my mentorship program.
He is the address for all of my halachic or hashkafic (practical and philosophical) questions that I or my students may have.
The articles are based on his weekly talks on the Torah portion that the Rav gives in Jerusalem in his kollel. As a member of the kollel I get first dibbs on the photocopies and I type them up for my blog so you can all benefit from the Rav's erudition and insight.
Rav Sternbuch fully endorses me and supports my mentorship program.
He is the address for all of my halachic or hashkafic (practical and philosophical) questions that I or my students may have.
The articles are based on his weekly talks on the Torah portion that the Rav gives in Jerusalem in his kollel. As a member of the kollel I get first dibbs on the photocopies and I type them up for my blog so you can all benefit from the Rav's erudition and insight.
Thursday, December 27, 2012
10:10 AM | Posted by Rabbi Chaim Coffman | | Edit Post
By Rav Moshe Sternbuch
Assessing damages
"And Judah approached him and said, "Please, my lord" (44:18) Bereishis Rabbo: "Rabi Simon said: "In our laws it says: 'If he has nothing, he shall be sold for his theft', but this one [Binyomin] has something to pay".
We can understand this medrash in light of a dispute between the acharonim (later commentators) regarding someone who damages an object which has market value and also a higher value to its owner based on his specific situation. For example, the market value of a used item of clothing may be very low, but its owner would be willing to pay more for it than the market value, because it fits him well or he is used to it etc. How much is the damaging party liable to pay - the market value or the subjective value of the damaged item for its owner?
The Nesivos states that even if the object is worth a lot to the damaged party, the damaging party is not liable to pay more than the market value, but the Chazon Ish disagrees and holds that the subjective value of the item for its owner is the determining factor whenever a bais din decides how much damages to award to the damaged party. The prevalent custom adopted by botei din is to adopt the approach of the Chazon Ish (although only a quantifiable monetary value for the owner is taken into account, and not some sentimental value, e.g. one stemming from the fact that the owner had received the item as an inheritance from his ancestors).
Yehuda admitted that for Yosef himself the cup was worth a lot because he practiced divination with it, but its real market value was no more than that for a standard cup, and that he was willing to pay. Moreover, he was in possession of the cup itself, so that there was no need at all to sell the thief into slavery according to our laws. Yosef's entourage, on the other hand, responded that the cup had immense value for their master because he used that cup specifically for his divination purposes.
Moreover, they may also have argued that it only had the ability to serve as a tool of divination as long as it was in Yosef's possession, but as soon as it had been stolen and transferred to the thief's possession it lost this ability, so that the value of the cup - which had been enormous hitherto - had depreciated incalculably as a result of the theft, and only by serving as a slave for an extended period could the thief compensate for the loss he had caused.
The language of emotion
"Let your servant speak a word in my master's ears" (ibid) Rashi: "may my words penetrate your ears".
The Brisker Rov zt"l related that before the war the Polish government enacted a decree requiring everybody to learn Polish and mathematics. The rabbonim considered this to be a grave interference by the government with their internal affairs, and convened a meeting which was attended by many rabbonim and admorim in order to discuss ways to abolish this decree. The rabbonim decided that the best way to proceed would be to send a delegation of gedolei yisroel to the Minister of Education and explain to him why this matter was of such deep concern to them. None of the rabbonim spoke Polish except for one rov, and it was proposed to send him as a spokesman. However, the Chofetz Chaim zt"l opposed this, arguing that the authorities would be likely to respond: "You see, you can produce enlightened Polish-speaking rabbis, so why are you opposed to our new law?"
Instead, the Chofetz Chaim, who like all the others only spoke Yiddish, offered to be the spokesman himself. When he appeared for the interview with the Minister, he started to speak in Yiddish but quickly burst into uncontrollable tears. Although he did not understand a word of what the Chofetz Chaim was saying, the Minister was much moved. He said that he had not realized that this issue was so important for the rabbis, and assured them that he would issue instructions for the decree to be abolished.
Similarly, Yehuda thought that Yosef did not speak Hebrew, but he decided to speak it nevertheless in the hope that his words would penetrate Yosef's ears and heart.
Keeping Loshon hakodesh holy
"And behold, your eyes see… that it is my mouth speaking to you" (45:12) Rashi: "in the holy tongue".
The Chasam Sofer explains that Yosef wanted to convince his brothers that he had remained faithful to his religion. That is what Yosef wanted to express to them by telling them that he was still speaking Hebrew. He was emphasizing that he was still adhering to the holy way of life of the forefathers and he wanted his brothers to make their father happy by conveying this to him. Loshon hakodesh is not merely a language, but a symbol of sanctity. When the Jews were exiled to Bovel, they started speaking the local language, Assyrian, since they realized that their spiritual level had declined to the extent that it would no longer be appropriate to speak loshon hakodesh.
Until recent generations loshon hakodesh retained its quality as a language which was deemed worthy to be used only by someone on a sufficiently high level, and people were also aware of the special sanctity of Eretz Yisroel and our concomitant responsibility to behave accordingly in the eretz hakodesh. Using loshon hakodesh to speak loshon horo or other forbidden matters was unthinkable, especially not in Eretz Yisroel. However, as part of their program of "normalizing" our nation and secularizing holy concepts in order to advance their agenda, our erring brothers chose loshon hakodesh as their vernacular. This has had the tragic result that apart from the "hijacking" of holy words and concepts (such as "mishkan haknesset") ivrit is not only used to articulate loshon horo, but also contains coarse or brazen terminology.
"I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also bring you up, and Yosef will place his hand on your eyes." (46:4)
The same Hashem who took us down to Egypt also took us out of it and gave us the Torah. Life often seems like one big mystery. Why do the righteous suffer? Why do some people suffer from poverty, health problems etc. when less righteous people seem to have less problems?
Yosef did indeed place his hands on his eyes. He asked no questions. Instead of becoming embittered at his fate, or bearing a grudge against his brothers, he went out of his way to assure them that everything had turned out for the good and that they should not be upset. Hashem wants all of us to place our hands on our eyes and trust that He knows what is best for us even if cannot understand it. We will be rewarded for our faith and patience when all the intricacies of the divine plan will be revealed in the future.
Yaakov and yosef
"And Yosef harnessed his chariot, and he went up to meet Yisroel his father, to Goshen, and he appeared to him, and he fell on his neck, and he wept on his neck for a long time." (46:29). Rashi: Yosef presented himself to his father.
We can easily imagine how happy Yosef must have been upon finally meeting his father, and yet he was even happier at the joy experienced by his father after all the sorrow he had to endure thinking that his son had died. Yosef "presented himself to his father": he put his own personal joy aside in order to concentrate on increasing his father's pleasure as much as possible. This teaches us that in order to perform the mitzvah of kibud av vo'em properly, we not only have to honor and assist our parents, but also to feel joy at their happiness, thereby proving how important they are in our eyes.
Rashi tells us that Yaakov, for his part, neither fell on Yosef's neck nor kissed him since he was busy reciting Shema. By accepting Hashem's unity upon himself at the hour of his greatest joy, Yaakov was emphasizing that nothing is of any value or importance compared to the paramount principle of Hashem's unity. At the same time, Yosef became so moved at the sight of his father, who, due to his great holiness, was not willing to enjoy the sight of his son before mentioning Hashem's name and His unity that he wept on his father's neck "for a long time". He cried, firstly, because such a righteous person, who lived in accordance with an absolute set of priorities, had suffered so much, and, secondly, because his father's awe-inspiring conduct made him regret not having had the merit of being in the vicinity of such a great person for so many years and this stirred up his yearning be in his vicinity once again.
"So that you may dwell in the land of Goshen" (46:34)
Despite their yearning to be with each other after all these years, Yaakov and Yosef decided that it would be best for Yaakov and his descendants to live far away in Goshen as outcasts in the company of shepherds, even though this meant that Yaakov and Yosef would not see each other again until just before Yaakov's death. Yaakov and his sons could easily have lived comfortably in the city next to Yosef, but decided instead to say that they were shepherds, who were hated by the Egyptians. Yaakov reasoned that the only way he could be saved from the tumoh of Egypt was by secluding himself in Goshen and learning Torah day and night.
The Rambam talks about the powerful influence of the environment, and we too should not underestimate its pull. The precedent of Yaakov demonstrates how important it is for us to get our priorities right and live in the vicinity of religious people rather than living a life of luxury amongst non-Jews or Jews who do not share our values or lifestyle.
Religious dispensation
"Only the land of the priests he did not buy" (47:22)
As steeped as the Egyptians were in immorality and idol worship they still understood that people who dedicated their lives to a religious purpose had a different status to other people and must be left to lead their lives undisturbed. Even during the period of the harshest decrees against the Jews during our exile in Egypt, the Levi'im, who made up about 10% of the population were exempted from slavery, in their capacity as religious ministers.
How tragic it is that in Eretz Yisroel, of all places, some of our brethren still have to come to the realization that by encroaching on the inviolable status of bnei Torah they are only shooting themselves in the leg, because any material success which they enjoy is due to the merits created by those very same people whose way of life they completely fail to understand.
Saturday, December 22, 2012
Fearless Leadership
10:57 AM | Posted by Rabbi Chaim Coffman | | Edit Post
By Rav Moshe Sternbuch
bayomim hohem bazman haze
At the beginning of World War II there was a very real threat that the Germans would invade England just like they had already managed to overrun most of continental Western Europe. Against this background, the English government decided that every able-bodied male without exception had to be recruited to the army or sent to work to contribute to the war effort. This applied especially to foreign nationals, such as the Polish Jewish refugees.
One day a government official appeared at Rav Schneider's yeshiva in London and informed the Rosh Yeshiva of the new regulations. Rav Schneider responded by saying that he could not agree to comply with it. The official pointed out that this was no laughing matter and that it would not be possible to circumvent the new requirements which were essential in light of the serious security situation.
At a meeting with Chief Rabbi Hertz the following day Rabbi Hertz told the Rosh Yeshiva that if he would agree to three boys joining the army he would use his connections with the government to obtain an exemption for all the other boys in the yeshiva. Rav Schneider was not tempted by this proposal and responded that he could not agree to even one boy being sent to the army or to work. The Chief Rabbi responded that he was not being realistic.
The committee in charge of implementing the new regulations heard about Rav Schneider's attitude and decided that he would have to be expelled from London (they would have deported him altogether from the country had the political situation allowed them to do so). Since any further dialogue with Rav Schneider was deemed to be pointless, they decided to approach the students of the yeshiva directly.
The first interviewee was a Polish refugee. "Are you aware of the fact that there's a good chance that your parents may not survive this war?" was the first question posed by the committee member.
"Do you realize that if you join the army that would increase the chances of the chances of your parents remaining alive?" the official tried again.
"I believe that by learning Torah here in this institution I am protecting my parents by increasing their merits and helping them to remain alive", the talmid responded undaunted.
The official started showing some signs of frustration, but persevered.
"Well, let's face it, if your parents won't survive this war, you will be left here all alone with no one to support you. How are you going to make a living? Surely it would make sense for you to join one of our factories. That way you could support yourself. What do you say?
"I say that by learning Torah I am helping myself to make a living!"
By this stage the official no longer attempted to hide his frustration, but he was not one to give in easily. He tried once more:
"Let's say that you are entitled to hold on to your idiosyncratic views, but what if everybody shared your opinion? Who would fight our wars and how would anyone make a living, in fact, how could we run this country at all?"
The bochur was not taken aback and replied calmly: "There was such a period during our time in the wilderness. Nobody worked, and the whole nation was sustained by manna from Heaven. G-d is perfectly capable of sustaining me in any way he deems fit. As for your question about fighting wars and national economies, this does not worry me. There will never be a shortage of people willing and able to work and fight wars".
It was now becoming clear that no further progress could be made with this particular boy, and so they called in the next interviewee.
"You heard your friend, what do you have to say for yourself?"
"I agree with every word he said".
The official had had enough. "You're all barmy [British slang equivalent of "nuts"]!" he exclaimed irately and left the room unceremoniously.
The following day Rav Schneider ordained a fast in the yeshiva. Everybody was convinced that Rav Schneider would indeed be expelled from London, and that the yeshiva would have to close down since all the boys would either be recruited to the army or sent to work. However, against all the odds, it was announced that all the students would be exempt from the army or from going to work, since they were all mentally imbalanced, and Rav Schneider could remain with them as the head of this "lunatic asylum"! That was how Yeshivas Toras Emes continued to function throughout the war undisturbed.
The lesson to be derived from this surrealistic series of events is obvious. If we remain steadfast to our principles, Hashem will help. In the time of Chanuka the many were delivered into the hands of the few, and the same has happened throughout history whenever we have adhered strictly to the Torah. During the time of the Greeks many of our coreligionists argued that it made sense to reach some compromise with the Greeks. After all, they were not interested in our physical destruction, and were in fact full of admiration for those rational principles and laws in the Torah, which accorded with their sense of reason and aesthetics. "Let's not antagonize them, we are a small defenseless minority, surely we can agree to meet some of their demands", argued the Jewish "pragmatists".
Similar "pragmatic" arguments can be heard nowadays with regard to the army issue.
It is only because of the wishy-washy approach adopted by some circles that we are currently facing problems. The legal situation of the Arab Moslem minority is identical to that of yeshiva bochurim. In theory they are also subject to the draft, and yet no one dreams of implementing this dead letter of the law, because of the resistance they would meet should they ever attempt to do so. Imagine the uproar if some Arabs would be "drafted" and subjected to the same procedures that yeshiva bochurim are currently experiencing at recruitment offices.
The truth is that even the original situation was nothing short of miraculous. Ben-Gurion only agreed to the deferment of the small handful of yeshiva students at the time after being convinced that they would be no more than a "museum" commemorating the Torah world of pre-war Europe. "These people contributed nothing before the war, and will die out very quickly anyway", he reasoned. Towards the end of his life he commented that this step had been the worst mistake of his life, because so far from dying out their numbers had only increased to an extent not imagined by anybody at the time, and, as we know, our numbers have continued to increase since his death. We must not lose heart and learn from history not to waiver from our resolute approach. If we remain consistent and resolute Hashem will protect us and our erring brethren will leave us alone.
Leadership qualities
"And they called out before him, "[This is] the king's patron [avrech]" appointing him over the entire land of Egypt" (41:43) Rashi: Rabi Yehuda expounded: avrech refers to Yoseph, who was a father [ov] in wisdom, and tender [rach] in years. Rabi Yossi ben Durmaskit said to him… avrech is only a term denoting knees [birkayim], for all would enter and exit under his hand"
Rabi Yehuda is of the opinion that if a leader is seen to be wise that is sufficient even if he is young, because he will be respected just for his wisdom. Rabi Yossi ben Durmaskit, on the other hand, responds that wisdom on its own is not sufficient for leadership purposes, and only if a leader is also strong-minded and sticks to his principles will he be respected and obeyed.
Yosef was great in wisdom, but he also stubbornly refused to diverge from his religious principles even one iota and led the nation in accordance with his plan without vacillating. Such are the qualities of a genuine leader.
A talmid chachom too must not be swayed by public opinion and fearlessly maintain strict halachik standards. When choosing a rov or leader it is of course preferable to look for a big talmid chachom, but he must also possess the ability of getting his congregants to become subservient to him. That is an indispensable requirement for any true Jewish leader, because only persons with a forceful character are capable of ignoring public opinion. Such people will enjoy success and siyata dishmaya.
living in the present
"Yosef named the first-born, Menasheh, "For G-d has made me forget all my trouble, and all my father's house" (41:51)
We would think that Yosef's father's house should have been in his mind constantly. Why did Yosef praise Hashem for making him forget his father's house and commemorate this fact in his son's name?
The Netziv says that had Yosef not forgotten his father's house he would have constantly had yearnings for his father and would not have been able to lead the nation properly. In a similar vein, the Brisker Rov explains an enigmatic gemoro which states: "what should a person do who wants to live, let him kill himself" (Masseches Tomid 30a) as follows: if a person is suffering from painful experiences in the past or present he must overcome his emotions ("kill" them) and be ruled just by his mind in order to live joyfully in the present. The Brisker Rov himself lost his wife and three children in the Holocaust and had to witness the anti-religious activities in Eretz Yisroel in the years following the founding of the Jewish state. It was extremely difficult for anyone with emotion to live through those years. This gemoro addresses those who have suffered from painful events and encourages them to refuse to succumb to feelings of despondency or despair.
We find that the same Amora Rabi Yochonon, who lost ten sons during his lifetime and comforted and inspired others with his heroic reaction to misfortune, stated that although he wanted to witness the coming of moshiach, he was unwilling to bear the birth pangs preceding his coming. How could it be that someone who had faced the death of ten of his own children with such fortitude would be afraid of this period? Rav Elya Lopian zt"l answers that Rabi Yochonon was aware of his own character and knew that he would not be able to endure the terrible chilul Hashem when so many of Hashem's nation would be slaughtered, and to subsequently have to witness the deeds of erring brethren in His country.
Yosef realized throughout all those years in Egypt how much his father must be suffering, but instead of dwelling on that and on his own anguish at being forcibly separated from his home, and from the lifestyle of a nozir for which his father had groomed him, he chose to overcome his feelings, knowing that he had to fulfill Paroh's dream and bring all his family to Egypt, in order to initiate the beginning of the Egyptian exile that was to lead eventually to the giving of the Torah and the conquest of Eretz Yisroel. With this attitude he managed to lead the Egyptian nation successfully with wisdom. He would not let his spirits fall, and in gratitude to Hashem for this called his son Menashe in the hope that he would continue to be able to forget his father's house for the time being, and perform the tasks which Hashem expected him to fulfill until the opportunity would present itself to meet his father again.
On a related note, any baal teshuva who wants to succeed must first completely forget his past, and think only about the future and building up a Jewish home full of Torah and mitzvos, because thinking about past misdemeanors would make it very difficult for him to live joyfully in the present. Part of the mitzvah of teshuva consists in forgetting about the past and living exclusively in the present. Only subsequently, once he has become totally accustomed to living a Torah lifestyle, should he contemplate gradually atoning for past transgressions.
Friday, December 14, 2012
Kibud Av
12:50 AM | Posted by Rabbi Chaim Coffman | | Edit Post
By Rav Moshe Sternbuch
"And Yaakov dwelt" (37:1); Rashi: When Yaakov sought to dwell in tranquility, the troubles of Yoseph sprang upon him. The righteous seek to dwell in tranquility. Hashem said, "What is prepared for the righteous in the world to come is not sufficient for them, but they seek also to dwell in tranquility in this world!"
Yaakov had already endured much suffering by this stage: he had, among other things, spent twenty years with the fraudster Lovon, met Eisov accompanied by 400 men, and struggled with the angel. His desire for tranquility in his old age would seem to be understandable and justified. Why, then, was it held out against him?
Each of the ovos (patriarchs) transmitted their specific qualities for all future generations. Avrohom transmitted the quality of chesed, Yitzchok that of gevuro (mastery of emotions) and Yaakov excelled in emes. Part of Yaakov's task was to sow the seeds of fortitude for his descendants, who were destined to be faced with trying circumstances during prolonged periods of golus. Trials are the main source and catalyst of a person's spiritual elevation and Hashem was telling Yaakov that his task was to continue to serve Him by overcoming tribulations thus setting a precedent for his descendants and giving them the strength to follow his example.
A bochur once came to Rav Moshe Schneider zt"l to ask for a brocho before his wedding. Rav Schneider asked him what brocho he wanted. The boy responded that he would like a blessing that everything should go smoothly in his life, and that he should have no difficulties. Rav Schneider said that that was no brocho, and blessed him instead that when he would be faced with challenging situations, he should overcome them successfully, adding that living a tranquil existence is not an ideal. Something attained effortlessly has little value, and it is by surmounting difficulties that we achieve success.
"…in the land of his father's sojournings" (ibid)
Chazal derive from this phrase that Yitzchok had been responsible for producing converts. We know that Avrohom, who epitomized the trait of chesed, brought many people closer to Hashem, but our image of Yitzchok is that of a holy self-contained individual, so how are we to understand this statement of Chazal?
Rav Schneider noted that there are two types of righteous individuals. Some, like Avrohom, actively engage in various public activities to disseminate yiddishkeit, whereas others, like Yitzchok, have an influence by virtue of their avodoh performed with dedication and self-sacrifice. Yitzchok, unlike his father, did not travel from place to place and actively spread the Word of Hashem, but he still managed to create converts, because his very avodoh exuded holiness and truth and had an immense influence on those who witnessed it.
Some situations call for tzaddikim who actively seek to influence their fellow Jews. Rav Moshe Schneider would recall the time when he was living in Memel, a town on the border between Germany and Lithuania, in which the haskolo had created an almost complete spiritual wilderness. There was, however, one exceptional individual who was a true tzaddik nistar (concealed righteous individual). On one occasion, Rav Schneider told the son-in-law of the Chofetz Chaim, Rav Hirsch Levinson, who was visiting Memel, about this tzaddik. After he met him, Rav Levinson commented to Rav Schneider that this man was certainly a great tzaddik, but Memel needed tzaddikim geluyim (revealed righteous individuals) to stem the anti-religious tide and not tzaddikim of this kind who had no influence on the population, and you must be that tzaddik, Rav Hirsch Levinson told Rav Schneider in conclusion! Rav Schneider in fact went on to found a yeshiva there, and was very successful in spreading yiddishkeit.
A time to conceal, and a time to publiciZe
"And Reuven heard, and he saved him from their hand" (37:21)
The medrash says that if Reuven would have known that the Torah would write this about him he would have brought Yosef to his father on his shoulders.
It is obvious that Reuven was not interested in having his actions publicized. Not only is the desire for honor improper, but – as noted by Rav Chaim Volozhiner zt"l – since honor is a spiritual pleasure it comes at the expense of reward in the afterlife. It is therefore in the interest of anybody who performs a good deed to make sure that as few people as possible know about it.
Here Reuven, for his part, would surely have wanted to conceal his actions, which in any case he considered to be of no great significance but merely the performance of an elementary obligation incumbent on him, but it was Hashem who wanted to publicize the fact that Reuven instead of keeping quiet begged his brothers not to leave Yosef in the pit so that he should remain alive and be returned to his father.
The medrash is telling us that had Reuven known that his action was so important that even his act of speech was considered tantamount to actually saving Yosef from his brothers, he would have taken more active steps in public to save Yosef so that his actions would be publicized and create an even greater kiddush Hashem.
Rav Schneider added in the name of the Chofetz Chaim that although we are warned against seeking honor, sometimes we should make a point of publicizing our actions and acting with alacrity if others will learn from us. If our intentions are for the sake of heaven, then acting this way is a great mitzvah.
The Draft
"And Yehudo said to his brothers, "What is the gain [beza] if we slay our brother and cover up his blood?" (37:26)
Yehuda made a compromise (beza has the same root as bizua - a compromise). Instead of saving Yosef altogether by taking him back to his father, he compromised by convincing his brothers not to kill him, but rather sell him to the Yishme'elim (see Masseches Sanhedrin 6b and Rashi there). By doing so the gemara states (ibid) that Yehuda is considered to have despised Hashem.
Compromises are forbidden. For example, some people are currently looking for compromises to resolve the issue of drafting yeshiva bochurim. We believe with complete faith that we can stand up to the nations of the world only with the help of Hashem and in the merit of the Torah. If we abandon the Torah, or if there is any interruption or attenuation in our learning, this exposes us to great danger. If we remain strong instead of looking for compromises, Hashem will surely find a solution to this issue.
ATONING For CHIlUL HASHEM
"And he returned to his brothers and said, "The boy is gone and I where will I go?" (37:30)
The medrash says that Reuven was concerned about the incident with Bilhah. Why does the medrash make this connection?
Although the gemara says that the sin of chilul Hashem cannot be atoned for even through suffering, but only through death, Rabbeinu Yonah writes that there is a way to make amends for this sin, namely by creating a kiddush Hashem by drawing people closer to avodas Hashem.
In the incident with Bilhah Reuven had reasoned that even if Rochel was to have precedence over his mother Leah, this should not apply to Rochel's maidservant. Reuven's mistake lay in failing to treat his father like a king, whose every word is accepted as being correct, even if he did not understand the reason for it. He had not honored his father sufficiently, and now wanted to return Yoseph to his father, thereby making amends for the previous transgression of kibud av. Therefore, when he came back and saw that the boy was no longer there, he was distraught, wondering how he could now atone for his previous sin.
Kibud av
"A wild beast has devoured him" (37:33)
Rashi cites the medrash that Hashem did not want to reveal the truth to Yaakov because the brothers had excommunicated and cursed anyone who would reveal the truth, and Yitzchok knew that he was alive but said, "How can I reveal it if Hashem does not wish to reveal it to him?" Why did the brothers cause their father so much distress by not revealing the truth when they could have informed their father that Yosef was still alive?
It is a general principle that Hashem does not punish a person if this causes suffering to others such as his family members, unless they also deserve to be punished. Therefore, the tribes assumed that Yaakov, who like Rabi Akiva, had asked to be judged in accordance with the strict attribute of justice, needed to atone for something, and they decided that the years of suffering which their father would have to endure would serve as an atonement for the years in which he had not sufficiently observed kibud av when he was far away from his father. Twenty years of severe emotional suffering were needed to atone for a slight defect in kibud av! This demonstrates how careful we have to be in our observance of this mitzvah.
"He refused to be consoled" (37:35)
It seems surprising that Yaakov who had already suffered so much in his private life refused to be consoled for this particular misfortune. Chazal's statement cited by Rashi that "no one accepts consolation for a person who is really alive but believed to be dead" explains why those who tried to console them were not successful, but it is does explain why he refused to be consoled, which implies that he was not even interested in hearing words of consolation. This seems to run counter to the prohibition against mourning a dead person too much.
Yaakov ovinu was not only mourning the fact that his son was no longer with him, but he felt that it was also an irreplaceable loss for the entire nation, because he had educated Yosef to serve as an example for his descendants how to lead a life of holiness even in the most immoral surroundings. In addition to the decline in the spiritual level of the nation that would now ensue, Yaakov also bewailed the chilul Hashem resulting from the fact that a righteous person of the stature of Yosef had met a cruel death in the process of observing the mitzvah of kibud av. Such a terrible event would be likely to shake people's faith.
Just like we are forbidden to divert our attention completely from the mourning for the destruction of the Beis Hamikdosh, so too Yaakov felt that he could not divert his attention from this mourning for spiritual destruction and the chilul Hashem that resulted from his personal tragedy. If we make a point of remembering and mourning the absence of kedusho in today's world, this will serve as an impetus for us to attempt to increase kedusho.
Our relationship with Gentiles
12:31 AM | Posted by Rabbi Chaim Coffman | | Edit Post
By Rav Moshe Sternbuch
"Yaakov sent angels ahead of him to Eisov" (32:4)
When Rav Sternbuch was a child his father asked him why Yaakov had to send real angels. Why could he not have sent ordinary people? Rav Sternbuch responded that had he done so Eisov would have killed them, but his father explained that since Yaakov had sent presents to Eisov he would be likely to think that Yaakov had become like him, steeped in the affairs of this world, and Yaakov therefore sent angels to indicate that he was still exclusively focused on spiritual issues and uninterested in worldly affairs.
600,000 angels had been dispatched by Yaakov. These were beings that Yaakov himself had created as a result of all his Torah, mitzvos and good deeds. Each mitzvah performed by a yid creates an angel which acts as his defense counsel whose importance and power depends on the concentration, dedication and joy with which the person's deeds are performed. However, Eisov remained unmoved. Having been educated in the house of Yitzchok and Rivka he knew all about the world to come, but his intense craving for "cash" here and now, for fulfilling all his material desires in this world, almost completely clouded over his intellectual knowledge. In any case, upon being faced with all these important angels, Eisov realized that Yaakov had remained the same righteous person who was totally immersed in spiritual matters.
No compromises
"I have sojourned" (32:5) Rashi: "I lived with the wicked Lovon but still kept the 613 commandments and did not learn from his wicked deeds"
Yaakov was telling Eisov that even though he was willing to compromise in gashmiyus and send him lots of presents, he should not think that in matters of ruchniyus there was any room for compromise. Even in the hostile environment of Lovon's house he had not given up even one mitzvah.
Alternatively, Eisov initially thought it was difficult to observe the Torah and therefore had not been that interested in Yitzhock's blessings, but upon seeing the presents and how Yaakov was benefiting from both worlds Yaakov was worried that he would become jealous of him. He therefore emphasized that he had lived with Lovon and had had a very difficult time observing the 613 commandments there. That way he hoped to prevent Eisov from becoming jealous.
"He divided the people who were with him… into two camps" (32:8)
Yaakov Ovinu prepared himself with presents, prayer and war and the Medrash says that each camp prayed for itself. Yaakov did not want everybody to rely on all the people accompanying him. He therefore divided up the people into two smaller camps so that each camp would pray and cry out to Hashem to save them as if they were the only camp. Being relatively small in number, their prayers would be more likely to be sincere and heartfelt instead of relying on their own prowess.
In the recent war in Gaza more than 1000 missiles were fired at us causing relatively few casualties or damage. Hashem was testing us to see firstly whether we put our faith into our strengths and wisdom and in the "Iron Dome" system or whether we rely totally on Him, and secondly, whether we react with appropriate gratitude for His protection over the nation now that the war is over.
Our enemy wants to lose
"He said, "I will not let you go unless you have blessed me" (32:27)
Chazal (Masseches Chulin 91b) say that the angel told Yaakov that from the day that he had been created his time had not come to sing a song of praise until now.
The Chebiner Rov, Rav Dov Berish Weidenfeld zt"l explained that although the yetzer horo's task is to lead us astray, since he is an angelic being who knows the truth he is happy when we overcome him. Therefore, when he saw that he was unable to overcome Yaakov, neither in his pose as a talmid chachom nor in his pose as a Gentile, he was happy and asked to be released, because now for the first time, the time had come for him to sing Hashem's praises: in other words, there had been no more appropriate time for him to be happy and sing than now when Yaakov had overcome him.
Yaakov replied that he would not release him until he had blessed them: in other words until he had confessed that Yaakov had managed to overcome him, and that the yetzer horo no longer had any power over him. Even if we cannot emulate this completely, it remains our task to attempt to vanquish the yetzer horo to the best of our ability, thereby causing our "enemy" ultimate joy and satisfaction.
"And he fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept" (33:4). Rashi: Rabi Shimon ben Yochai said: It is a well known principle [halocho] that Eisov hates Yaakov, but his compassion was moved at that time, and he kissed him wholeheartedly
Rav Menachem Zemba zt"l hy"d comments that Rabi Shimon is the one who is usually doresh ta'ama dikro (derives practical conclusions from rational reasons for commandments) but in this case he emphasizes that the phenomenon of anti-Semitism is an irrational halocho. How else can we explain the fact that the Jews are accused of being socialists on the one hand and capitalists on the other hand, of being rich and successful but simultaneously also poor and lazy and a burden on the state?
The maskilim ("enlightened ones who wanted the Jews to integrate more into secular society) argued that if we changed our external appearance and adopted the positive aspects of our host culture the Gentiles' animosity towards us would disappear. This argument was conclusively debunked when Germany, the cradle of haskolo (the Jewish Enlightenment movement) and assimilation, became the source of unparalleled cruelty, destruction and annihilation during World War II.
The Kloisenburger Rebbe zt"l, a Holocaust survivor, asked why Yaakov's sons insisted that all the male inhabitants of Shchem circumcise themselves in the parsha of Dinoh. On a plain level this was to serve as proof of their sincerity, but the Rebbe suggested a different reason. Had Yaakov's sons subsequently committed an act of "mass murder" on the uncircumcised population the whole world would have been in uproar, but now that they were circumcised the surrounding nations would consider them to be Jewish, and the murder of Jews is something that can be committed with impunity. Similarly, concluded the Rebbe, the Germans and their henchmen, could never have got away with killing six million Gentiles.
Our erring brethren were and remain unaware that, as noted by the Medrash Hagodol Eisov's hatred towards Yaakov was created by Hashem for our benefit to prevent our assimilating amongst the nations and remaining a holy nation. No amount of public relations can change this fact and the genuine response to anti-Semitism lies in increased observance of Torah and mitzvos.
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Helping ourselves by helping others
11:21 AM | Posted by Rabbi Chaim Coffman | | Edit Post
By Rav Moshe Sternbuch
Protective environment of the yeshiva
"And Yaakov left (vayaytzay) Beer Sheva and went to Choron" (28:10)
Yaakov left Beer Sheva for the purpose of escaping Eisov's murderous designs and also in order to look for a wife in Choron. The Steipler zt"l commented that nowadays a young man needs to learn in a yeshiva for two reasons. Firstly, in order to escape from the harmful environment outside, and secondly, in order to learn and grow in yiras shomayim. Consequently, even if a bochur is not learning as well as he should, he must still continue to observe the commandment of vayaytzay by remaining within the safe confines of the yeshiva, thus refraining from keeping undesirable company.
Rav Schneider zt"l was opposed to boys going to work before marriage, and was even more adamant that they should not attend university. He argued that even if the boy's religious observance would not be affected, the very exposure to the behavior and manner of speech prevalent in such environments would have a detrimental effect on him. For this reason he felt a boy should not be thrown out of yeshiva into a street environment, and that those responsible for such an action would be held accountable before the heavenly court. Although the main protection afforded by the sanctity of the Torah is when we are immersed in studying it, just being present in an environment of bnei Torah also saves a person from sin and has a salubrious effect on him.
Rav Sternbuch recalls the time when a young sailor from Greece, about 20 years old, somehow found his way to Rav Schneider's Yeshiva in London. Once Rav Schneider had ascertained that he was indeed Jewish, he made sure that this young man should be taught aleph beis, krias shema, tefillin etc. Even though the yeshiva was not designed for such people, since Rav Schneider could not find a suitable alternative, the commandment to look after a "lost body and soul" applied to this visitor. Had he not come of his own accord we might have been exempt from helping him out, Rav Schneider reasoned, but since he had fallen into our hands, we are forbidden to send him away.
Spiritual charity
"And everything that You give me, I will surely tithe to You" (28:22)
The obligation to share the gifts with which Hashem has endowed us with others is not only limited to money. It is brought down in the name of Rav Shimon Shkop's students that just like financial charity is the recipe for the economic enrichment of the donor, so too someone who shares his talents and knowledge with others will be rewarded several times over in the spiritual realm.
Rav Moshe Schneider emphasized this point, and in fact instituted the practice in his own yeshiva whereby an hour a day was set aside in which weaker talmidim were taught by other students. He considered this time to be a period of avodas hakodesh (holy work). Dedicating this time to others would not be at the expense of one's own growth in Torah. On the contrary, someone who has a student in his youth is likely to become the recipient of Hashem's blessings and merit to have many students throughout his life.
Rav Sternbuch notes having heard from several yeshiva bochurim who had not been successful in their learning and whose prayers in this regard had not been answered, that it was only when they started to devote even a small amount of time every day to help a weaker boy that their own learning started to flourish. Such is the power of tzedoko in spiritual matters.
Money as a litmus test
"A ladder (sulom) was set up on the earth and its top reached towards heaven" (28:12)
The Baal Haturim says that sulom has the same gematria as momon (money) and oni (poverty).
Money appears to be like a ladder set up on the earth, since a person's status in this world appears to be dependent on his financial situation, but its top reaches towards heaven, because a person's main test in this world revolves around money. The test of wealth consists in determining whether a rich person minimizes the time spent in worldly affairs in order to busy himself with Torah and other matters through which he acquires eternity, or whether he constantly seeks only to become more enriched, and also whether he gives sufficient charity and does so by granting the proper honor to the recipient.
The poor man, on the other hand, is tested to see whether he complains against the ways of Hashem, and whether he attempts to obtain money through illegitimate means. That is why the Baal Haturim states that the top of the ladder - meaning money - reaches towards heaven, because money is the litmus test for determining a person's spiritual status.
Spiritual growth
"And if I return in peace (besholom) to my father's house, and Hashem will be my G-d" (28:21)
The gemarah in Masseches Berochos (64a) says that a person taking leave of his friend says "lech lesholom", whereas someone taking leave of a deceased person says "lech besholom". This teaches us that lech lesholom is the appropriate phrase when addressing someone who is still alive, and can continue his activities and lech besholom should be used when taking leave of a deceased person whose activities have come to an end. Why then did Yaakov Ovinu, who was still alive, say "if I return besholom", as if he was expecting this to be his final stop.
The Arizal explains that when Yaakov was asking Hashem to be his G-d (Elokim) he was asking Him to treat him with a strict attribute of justice (symbolized by Elokim) without any admixture of mercy, just like Rabi Akiva. However, he did not make this request for an indefinite period but only for a specific limited one, namely until he would reach his father's house. Once he had done so, he would decide whether to continue to ask to be judged in this extremely demanding manner. That is why it says "and I will return besholom". Besholom is used in the context of termination, and here too Yaakov stipulated in advance that the elevated level which he was seeking would cease when he reached his father's house (and possibly be resumed subsequently).
This teaches us an important principle of great practical application. Whenever we wish to make progress in a certain area we should not resolve to uproot previous negative behavior permanently, but rather make a determined resolution to maintain the desired conduct for a limited period. For example, a bochur who wishes to increase his level of hasmodo should not make do with some vague resolution never to idle away his time again, but should rather take upon himself to maintain a strict learning schedule for a specific period, say three days, until he habituates himself to his new conduct.
The same applies to someone attempting to uproot a negative character trait. The main thing is to start straightaway for a three-day period, and not in three days' time. That way his good intentions are far more likely to be crowned with success.
Monday, November 19, 2012
Refusing to Rest on our Laurels
11:52 AM | Posted by Rabbi Chaim Coffman | | Edit Post
By Rav Moshe Sternbuch
Playing down miracles
"And these are the generations of Yitzchok the son of Avrohom; Avrohom begot Yitzchok" (25:19). Rashi: the mockers of the generation were saying that Sarah had conceived from Avimelech
If these mockers were attempting to deny any miracle, this allegation would seem to be insufficient, since even if it were true, Sarah was also far beyond childbearing age and could only have conceived with a miracle. The Brisker Rov noted that even when non-believers cannot explain away a phenomenon with natural causes they still seek to attempt to minimize the extent of a miracle, or look for "natural" explanations for supernatural events. Thus, newspaper headlines may refer to "miracles" such as numerous potentially lethal missiles causing relatively little damage and loss of life, without referring to Hashem at all.
Rav Moshe Schneider asked why this medrash quoted by Rashi refers to "mockers". These people were seeking to uproot faith in Hashem and in miracles, so we would have expected them to be termed "wicked heretics" rather than "mockers". He replied that this teaches us that the danger posed by those who mock and belittle talmidei chachomim or anything connected to kedusho is potentially even greater than the danger posed by outright heretics.
Real Baal Teshuva
"And Yitzchok prayed to Hashem opposite his wife, for she was barren, and Hashem accepted his prayer" (25:21)
Rashi quotes the Gemara in Maseches Yevamos (64a) that Hashem listened to "his" (Yitzchok's) prayer and not hers (Rivkah's) "for the prayer of a righteous person who is the child of a righteous person cannot be compared to the prayer of a righteous person who is the child of an evil person." We would have thought that someone who has overcome a negative family environment to become righteous has more merit than another person who has not had to deal with such challenges.
One explanation is that Yitzchok had to overcome a challenge of his own, namely the tendency to rely on the righteousness of his parents or his own achievements and merits.
It is related about Rav Hai Gaon that he once spent the night at an inn, hoping to remain anonymous and undisturbed, but his plans were thwarted and his identity was somehow discovered. His host then apologized to him profusely for not having treated him respectfully. Rav Hai responded: "but you did treat me with respect", but the host insisted: "yes, but I did not accord the rov the respect due to the great Rav Hai Gaon".
Rav Hai Gaon then noted that this episode had taught him an important lesson. He now realized that each day he should be like a different person, since the experiences of the previous day should make him achieve greater clarity in fathoming the greatness of the Creator, and his avodas Hashem should improve accordingly.
Similarly, Yitzchok did not rest on his laurels. He faced each day with renewed vigor endeavoring to reach ever higher levels of spiritual greatness and closeness to Hashem. This is in fact the definition of a true ba'al teshuva: someone who is constantly learning from his experiences or any lapses, and seeking to improve his level of avodas Hashem.
Keeping good company
"And the children struggled within her" (25:22). Rashi: When she passed by the entrances of the Torah academies of Shem and Eiver, Yaakov would run and struggle to come out; when she passed the entrance of a temple of idolatry, Eisov would run and struggle to come out
We can understand why Eisov wanted to come out, but Yaakov was being taught Torah by an angel at the time, so why would he have wanted to come out? The Brisker Rov is said to have commented that even being taught Torah by an angel is not worthwhile at the cost of having to live in close quarters with an evil person. Even though there was no obvious detrimental effect, just being in close proximity to a person like Eisov is damaging, especially for someone like Yaakov, whose image is engraved underneath the Kisei Hakavod.
Rav Sternbuch was once asked whether a child should be sent to a cheder with excellent teachers and a very high academic level, but the class in question also had some boys with bad middos, or to another institution with a much lower level of learning but in which the boys in the class did not have bad middos and came from strong homes. Rav Sternbuch instructed the parent to choose the institution with the better boys because that was the most important issue, since even a minority of children with bad middos can have a very detrimental effect on their friends.
"And the youths grew up" (25:27). Rashi: As long as they were small, they were not recognizable through their deeds, and no one scrutinized them to determine their characters. As soon as they became thirteen years old, this one parted to the houses of study, and that one parted to idol worship
Some people are not particular about the company their young children keep, or about the quality of their teachers, in the mistaken belief that at a young age children are not so vulnerable. They are making a grave mistake, because the precedent of Yaakov and Eisov teaches us that even at the youngest age a child's character is developed, even though it may not manifest itself until he becomes thirteen years old.
If a child keeps bad company, is exposed to immodesty, or is taught by teachers who do not serve as positive role models, this is absorbed by the child, even though the harmful effects may not become apparent until he grows older. Anyone who has his child's best interests in mind would do well to be aware of this and do what he can to ensure that his child is exposed to the best possible social and academic environments during his or her formative years.
real talmid chachom
"… and Eisov was a man who understood hunting, a man of the field, whereas Yaakov was an innocent man (ish tom), dwelling in tents" (ibid)
Temimus in spoken Hebrew today means naïve, innocent and unsuspecting, but this can surely not be the correct translation here, because Yaakov knew how to outsmart cunning people like Lovon. The Targum Yonoson has the following rendering: "and Yaakov was a man who was perfect in his actions and studied in the houses of study of Shem and Eiver [and] sought instruction from Hashem". This means that he sought to learn and grow in Torah and fear of heaven. Just like someone who dwells in a tent is not satisfied with his current situation and yearns for a permanent home, so too was Yaakov never satisfied with his current level but yearned for constant growth.
Yaakov's temimus consisted in a yearning for perfection (temimus) and being honest (tomim) with oneself by realizing how far one is from completely actualizing one's potential for greatness. This is in fact the avodo of every genuine talmid chochom who lives with the awareness that however far he has come, he has not reached a level higher than that of the talmid of a chochom. Truly great people are genuinely humble because no matter how much honor they may be accorded by others for their knowledge or righteousness, they are aware of their potential for greatness on the one hand, and how far they still have to go to completely actualize it, on the other hand.
The test of prosperity
"And Yitzchok became exceedingly afraid" (27:23)
The Medrash on this possuk says that Yitzchok became afraid twice, once when he was tied up to become a sacrifice on the altar, and the second time when Eisov brought before him the tasty foods, and he realized that the recipient of his blessings had not been Eisov. The Medrash notes that the fear felt by Yitzchok on the latter occasion was greater (as it says "exceedingly afraid").
The fear felt by him at the time of the akeido may have been similar to that experienced by Sarah before she died (see last week's article), i.e. he may have been worried about whether his descendants would possess the same fortitude as him to withstand physical persecutions throughout the generations.
Yitzchok intended to bestow material blessings upon Eisov in the hope that this would be for his spiritual benefit. Upon learning that that it was Yaakov who had become the recipient of those material blessings, Yitzchok felt an exceedingly great fear, because he knew that the test of material abundance would be even greater than that of physical persecutions. He knew that it would be easier for his descendants to march to the stake or the gas chambers with joy singing shema yisroel or ani maamin than it would be to withstand the trials of material abundance.
For example, notwithstanding our enemies' determined attempts to dehumanize us during the Second World War, the Holocaust brought out the best in most observant Jews. By contrast, as soon as they Ghetto walls were torn down and the Jews' material situation improved rapidly even a town of the spiritual stature of Frankfurt became totally destroyed in Torah terms. The birthplace of the Chasam Sofer and many other gedolei olom did not possess a minyan by the time Rav Shimshon Refoel Hirsch came to rebuild the spiritual ashes just two generations later. Similarly, they say that since the Second World War, and the unparalleled prosperity and freedom for Jews that followed, about 5 million Jews have become completely assimilated in the United States.
Eternal investment
"And I will bless you for the sake of Avrohom, My servant" (26:24)
The Moshav Zekeinim wonders why the blessing is attributed to the merit of Avrohom. Surely Yitzchok himself was worthy of these blessings. He proves from this that if someone is righteous, learns Torah, and instructs his sons to learn and follow the proper path, the mitzvos performed by his descendants after his death are attributed to him as if he himself had performed them. That is why it says "for the sake of Avrohom My servant", because all the mitzvos performed by Yitzchok were performed in the wake of the education received from his father, and therefore Hashem deemed them as having been performed by Avrohom himself.
We would do well to be cognizant of this fact whenever we experience any za'ar gidul bonim. (difficulties raising children) Putting our hearts and souls into our children's education and serving as positive role models is not only an important mitzva in and of itself, but an investment bearing short-term, long-term and eternal benefits.
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Red Alert to Klal Yisrael
11:44 AM | Posted by Rabbi Chaim Coffman | | Edit Post
By Rabbi Moshe Sternbuch
The following was written during the war in Gaza, when Eretz Yisrael was under attack from its enemies.
The Jewish people are witnessing miracles in Israel. The missiles fired at us have the power to level buildings, yet miracles took place and we were spared from mass destruction. Even the most secular newspapers report that there is no way to explain these events according to natural law.
While the word "miracle" has been liberally splashed around by the media, neither the secular nor the religious press grasped the vital message of the hour. The situation arouses an urgent and critical obligation for each Jew to ask himself: "Why is Hashem performing these miracles for us? How should I be conducting myself in these extraordinary times?"
If we do not deal with these questions immediately this current security crisis could escalate into the most dangerous period in Jewish history. Hashem performs miracles for the Jewish people so that we will become more aware of His Presence in our lives. In recent days, He has made perfectly clear that He alone wields power in the world and that no missile can harm so much as a hair on the head of a Jew without His consent. Every rocket has an address that He predetermines, though the terrorists may believe that they can aim at a particular target.
Miracles are Hashem's alarm bells, "a red alert" that we must wake up and become truly conscious of Hashem's hashgachah of our daily lives. If we ignore these messages and conclude that miracles are just a natural part of living in Israel, the tables will quickly turn. We will in fact be handed over to natural law, and the missiles inexplicably will begin to hit their targets with greater frequency. And that means that the lives of our fellow Jews – our brothers and sisters living in Israel – are in mortal danger.
We must learn this lesson from the story of the meraglim (spies). When they returned from Eretz Yisrael they claimed this land was a place where miracles were apparent on a daily basis, and therefore an extremely high spiritual level would be demanded of those who dwelled there. There was no way that Klal Yisrael as a nation could maintain such a level, and therefore the spies, who were all Gedolei Yisrael, ruled that the people should not enter the land.
The opinion of the meraglim was brought before the Sanhedrin and they concurred with their ruling. It may seem, on the surface, that their reasoning was sound, and logic dictated that it was unwise to enter Eretz Yisrael. Yet we see from the grave punishment incurred by that generation that they could not have been further from the truth. What was the mistake in their reasoning?
The answer is simple. If Hashem told us to enter Eretz Yisrael, He obviously knew that we would ascend to the spiritual level necessary for a nation that sees miracles on a daily basis. For this reason, the claim of the meraglim was heresy, and we suffer from its bitter consequences to this very day.
In more recent times, Rav Yechiel Yaakov Weinberg once told Rav Sternbuch about a meeting of secular non-Jewish and Jewish professors to discuss the authorship of the Torah. Their conclusion was that while the Torah was far too complex to be man-made, they were not ready to attribute it to a Divine source that they knew nothing about. Like the meraglim they perceived the significance of the Divine influence, but refused to follow through by accepting the full import of this conclusion.
During the current military operation, we are facing the very same challenge. Hashem is sending us a message that we must make real changes in our lives and raise our level of consciousness of His Presence, to the point where we are worthy of such supernatural treatment. If we rise to the occasion and raise our level of emunah as a result of these miracles, then we will pass the nisayon (test), and it is very likely that Moshiach will arrive shortly.
Chazal offer us practical advice in this area, and write that reciting a hundred brachos every day and saying Amen yehei Shmei Rabba has the power to annul decrees. Reciting Tehillim is important, but we need to make sure that our tefilah is also said with the proper kavanah. Everyone should take upon themselves to do something small to raise their level of emunah.
We must consider ourselves warned by the lessons of our history: If Hashem shows us miracles and we do not respond by strengthening our emunah, His mercy turns to fury and we are handed over to the forces of natural law. We dare not speak about what this could lead to, but we all understand the ruthless nature and implacable hatred of the enemy we face.
Now is the time, while Hasehm continues to shower His miracles upon us, to recognize His hand in our lives on a national and individual level, to turn to Him in tefilah and teshuvah, and eagerly watch the redemption unfold before our eyes.
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A Night of Chemistry CarolsIdea by Squid Bait | added on Nov 10, 2011 05:48AM Collaboration
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Wednesday, September 04, 2013
Le Fantome
Funnest opening of the year definitely goes to Le Fantome, the new bar/restaurant/games arcade that opened recently on the corner of rue du Paradis and rue d'Hauteville in the (once again) trendy10th arrondissement. Created by La Clique, a cultish group of young restaurateurs behind establishments such as the Hotel Amour, Le Baron, Chez Moune, etc this spacious retro design space (mucho Formica) is open all day serving pizza by the slice and salads, and vintage games such as Ms. Pac Man and Space Invaders (but sadly no Dig Dug). One of the hottest addresses of the rentrée, especially when their new basement club (a friendlier version of Le Baron) opens with an ambition guest DJ program.
For phantoms of another type, try the excellent Manoir Hantée just next door.
Labels: 75010, arcade, Bar, La Clique, Le Baron, Le Fantome, Paris, Restaurant
2 comments:
- Muhammad Zeeshan said...
- This comment has been removed by the author.
- شركة تنظيف said...
شركة تنظيف بالجبيل
شركة تنظيف منازل بالجبيل
شركة كشف تسربات المياه بسيهات
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Kurt Nimmo
September 23, 2011
Infowars.com reporter Darrin McBreen reported today outside Denver's Mile High Stadium that the facility would be used for "processing activities," according to a handout.
The handout is a news advisory disturbed to press by authorities in Colorado. It states that a "terrorist-driven catastrophic situation" will include the "processing" of students:
Catholic Charities and Sports Authority Field at Mile High will participate in an administrative fashion to test student/teacher processing activities.
"In terms of the drill or even real events, the goal is to get everybody here to reunify with their parents," Scott Snow, director of the Victims Assistance Unit of the Denver Police, told Infowars.com.
Darrin McBreen talked with a Denver firefighter on a security detail who admitted that she was playing the role of a mother who was at the stadium to pick up fictitious children. She had a print-out of fifth or sixth grade kids, according to McBreen. The woman said she was instructed not to talk with the media and her comments were off the record.
An employee confirmed that the south entrance and tunnel of the stadium would be used to bus children in for processing. Buses were spotted at the location with digital destination banners reading "Special," according to Aaron Dykes.
As Alex Jones has noted in his documentaries, and William Lewis has documented in his film, Camp FEMA, the supposed disaster response agency has the authority to round up people and relocate them to designated facilitates, including sports stadiums, under a number of executive orders.
Federal exercises have specifically targeted children on a number of occasions, most infamously in Muskegon, Michigan. In 2004, a Michigan county concocted a scenario in which public school children were threatened by a fictitious radical group that believed everyone should be home-schooled, WorldNetDaily reported. The exercise was funded by homeland security grants to area school districts and Muskegon county.


text:
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Zenfolio team has been hard at work for months integrating with not just one, but two very different photofinishing labs.
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Read more about these partner labs under
Prints & Products.
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their own custom pricing and sell for profit in the near future.
This is a major release marking our first anniversary of going live with the service exactly one year ago.
The following features and enhancements are immediately available:
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continuous and elegant extension of viewing photos.
Purchasing a print or a photo product begins with an Add to Cart menu on a photo page and takes a user through the vendor
and product selection in easy to follow steps. The Add to Cart interface is fully integrated with visitor pages matching them in Theme and style.
A robust cropping tool is available as part of Cart configuration. Cropping options include:
Introduced three new themes:
Preferences: Email Notifications: you are now in control of e-mail messages you receive from Zenfolio. You can select what types of communications
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text: Don't be so obsessed with tier. Just go to the law school that you think will provide you with the best education, whether it be Tier 1 or 4. Do not let the editors of U.S. News navigate your moves. These rankings don't mean much. Most of it is political. Keep an open mind and visit numerous schools, without regard to Tier. You'll be alot happier.


text:
Woman charged with punching, kicking and strangling dog in South Station
MBTA Transit Police report arresting a Henderson, Nev., woman on animal-cruelty charges yesterday after witnesses reported she was pummeling a Yorkshire terrier in the woman's restroom at South Station.
Ana Prado was in town to answer a drug-trafficking charge in Suffolk Superior Court - she's the woman who allegedly left painkillers stuffed inside rubber gloves at the Logan Airport Hyatt when she checked out there on Sept. 14.
According to Transit Police, officers were alerted by a woman who'd just come out of the restroom in the commuter-rail section of the station:
The citizen stated the suspect, later identified as Ana Prado, 26 of Henderson, Nevada, suspended the dog in the air by its leash, essentially hanging the dog. Additionally, officers were notified, Prado punched the dog at least three times and also kicked the dog. A second witness coroborated the original witness statement. A female Transit Police officer entered the Women's restroom and escorted Prado outside where she was placed under arrest for Cruelty to Animals. Prado stated to the officers at the time of her arrest she was in Boston to attend Suffolk Superior Court for a charge of drug trafficking. Prado was transported to Transit Police HQ for booking and appeared in Boston Municipal Court the same day.
A city animal-control officer took possession of Dolce.
Innocent, etc.
Dog must've sniched
Dog must've sniched
Or forgot the drugs. Bad
Or forgot the drugs. Bad dog.
I hope they x-rayed the pup
Got only knows what she force-fed the poor thing.
Bitches are Snitches?
So was she going to bring
her dog to her court date? They are animals, not accessories. Hope it finds a much better home.
I don't understand how
I don't understand how someone can be so terrible to their pets! The poor dog deserves a much better home, where it doesn't need to be afraid of reprisal from such an terrible, abusive person.
Prada and Dolce?
she's a drug mule
She probably tipped the poor puppy over trying to remember where she hid her latest shipment of drugs. Between the bus terminal and train terminal there are more drugs ,guns, and counterfeit goods then a third world bazzar.
talking about South Station not Mexico's Death Train, you should get out more!
Gosh I hate these type of stories. There's really no excuse for this. Yorkie's can be little pests but can be the most loving dogs if kept right.
No need for this crap. Looks like she's not going back to Nevada anytime soon. I hope the ARL has taken the dog and will be put up for adoption to a good, lovin' home.
What's the big deal?
One of those cases that should be punishable, but who cares? Something like that should not end up as news.
Focus on people...ie. why should people who use welfare be allowed to drive a car that is worth more than $20k?
Data Please
How common is it that people on welfare have cars worth more than $20K?
I know that such an item would be a big problem for a person on social security disability, unless it were an ADA van.
Section 8 - neighbors driving 30k car
Make a law so that they can't drive anything above $5k car!
$5K Car is probably unreliable
Unreliable transportation makes it hard to find a job.
Difficulty finding and holding a job keeps people on welfare.
Also, if you have several small kids, you need to use multiple car seats and that means you may need a bigger car or a minivan. Those are more than $5K.
Welfare should be a stopover. It should not be a permanent punishment for DARING to be too poor!
I agree with the OP. Re
I agree with the OP.
Re comment below:
It should not be a permanent punishment for DARING to be too poor!
Welfare shouldn't be treated as a punishment but as an award contingent upon further requirements. Don't like it? Continue driving 20k car....
Don't get me wrong, I think
Don't get me wrong, I think that mooching is wrong. However, what if they had a nice car before they fell on hard times? 5 years back I lost my job and still maintained my Mercedes payment because I had to. I couldn't trade it in because I'd be "upside down" and it would end up costing me in the end to get a more "affordable" car then to just maintain the one I had and hope I found a job soon. Luckily, I found a job! -Mea www.hertrainstories.blogspot.com
I'm with swirlly
Data please.
This welfare bashing really has GOT to stop. Look, I'm not saying I don't see it. But you also don't FULLY understand someone's situation. If you lose your job and don't qualify for unemployment, you qualify for food stamps. Yes you may still have a 400 dollar cell phone and drive an expensive car.. both of which may disappear after a few payments are missed.
People also forget that adopted children, children with disabilities, and many other groups qualify for food stamps, regardless of income. Don't forget about that.
Its easy to throw stones at people when you don't understand the situation. It's like the whole drug test for welfare crap that people say. Ask Florida how that's working out for them. it is costing them MORE money to drug test people than it is to just continue giving them benefits. It may not be right, but the numbers speak for themselves. Amazingly enough less than 1% of all food stamp recipients in Florida tested positive for drugs.
So take your stupid argument and fold it in four corners and shove it where the sun doesn't shine. The point is moot. Pol's are ONLY giving into this because they are stupid and refuse to look at the REAL data because its a hot button issue, when rather, its a NON issue.
Yup it's the end of my day and I am on a tear....
Face reality my friend.
Face reality my friend. There are givers and takers in this world. The givers are getting the short end of the stick! The welfare bashing isn't going to stop as long as there are people like myself who witness daily people pulling in to the local grocery store in a brand new car, walking out of the store with $400.00 worth of good food completely paid for with food stamps and then drive up to the top of the parking lot to the local liqour store and come out with another $400.00 worth of booze! I see it daily and it makes me want to puke! I work like a dog to put food on the table, drive a 12 year old car and pay my bills on time. There is no reason on God's green earth that I or anyone else should be paying to support this type of abuse. :-(
I don't understand the relevance of this discussion
to the news item that Adam posted. Where does it say anything about welfare or cars?
Hyperbole much?
I don't believe you.
sarcasm & troll?
I thought Danny's original post was a sarcastic comment ridiculing the welfare bashers as perspectiveless butt-nuggets and that the follow up anon post was so stereotypical that it had to be just a troll to keep up the righteous rise of the indignant.
Sheesh, this whole language and intent thing can be a real puzzler, let me tell you what.
Entirely possible
Cruddy day, my troll sensor must have been overwhelmed. I tapped on the glass, sorry! (Sheepish grin)
You MUST be terribly busy 'working like a dog' to have the time to follow these welfare leeches in and out of stores to tally their bills. And then to have the time to write such articulate comments on your local news website! PHEW -- I broke a sweat just thinking about it. Please tell us more, you poor dear.
Nothing makes my blood boil
like seeing stories about people who are horrible to animals and children who are tiny and defenseless. Really? You're so tough strangling and punching a dog that looks like it weighs less than 10 lbs?
I'm with you, Nancy!
As the owner of a 2.5 year old pet Congo African Grey Parrot who was born in captivity and purchased by me when she was still a little baby (2 months after she hatched), I, too, get disgusted and angry when I read or hear about such stories. It's beyond disgraceful that people can and do get away with abusing animals. Don't they realize that animals, too, have feelings? Obviously they do not, or they don't care.
Sad indeed. People like that belong in jail.
I heard an newspaper editor
I heard an newspaper editor from the Pacific Northwest on the radio some years ago. He was talking about a case in which a kitten had been abused. He said that the newsroom received many checks - some of a quite large sum - to care for the cat. Then he said that in cases in which a child was the victim, they got no such response.
We all write checks for abused kids all the time
They are known as "taxes" and "social security" and our society uses them to pay for the care of kids who are in foster care or otherwise parentless due to abuse.
I'd be interested if you could google a bit and find a link to what you have heard. It may vary by area of the country or have been just that guy's office. My budies at the Atlanta Journal Constitution (who have seven(!)formerly stray cats in their household) have seen plenty of community support for child victims in the various cities they have worked in.
Well, then....
I suppose the Globe Santa should only publish stories about down on their luck pets this year.
may as well...
...Christ knows they won't report on WHY anyone is poor. Unless it's to tug on the heartstrings of the beautiful people who can then show up smiling in the Names & Faces section for the latest "Horrible Diseases of the Children" benefit gala at the convention center.
Now...getting back to that dog...
Come on, you're smarter than that
Situations with children and families are much more complicated than those involving animals -- and I say this as someone who greatly values helping both.
If something happens to an animal, it's appropriate to send money to help with medical care and rehabilitation.
A child is more complex than an animal and will have more needs besides just getting their injuries patched up in terms of going to live somewhere else or stabilizing the existing situation. They have much more complex needs than a pet, and no one knows what all they need unless they know all the details, which aren't anyone else's business. It's not really appropriate or helpful for a kid in a difficult situation to receive random money that someone sent to a newsroom when they heard about an abuse case. Here, kid, here's $50 from a stranger -- feel better now? Your friend's newsroom didn't seen checks from people because people know that isn't appropriate so they sent them to the organizations that help kids recover from trauma.
The judge should sentence her
The judge should sentence her to be POOPED ON!
Mr. Limbaugh?
Rush, is that you? I bet you'd want them to film it so we could watch, too, you perv!
You obviously never heard of
Who knew...
...P.J. Harvey could be so mean to dogs?
That makes my top five list of types of people I do not like.
Do I adopt little Dolce? After losing an old, beloved pet a few months ago, I'm actively looking for a new one. I'm calling animal control in the morning; surely they're open on Saturdays. Right?
Doesn't have to be Dolce
If you go to your nearest animal shelter, nearly all of them have "meet and greet" hours where you can go meet any of the animals that are awaiting adoption, learn about them and their personalities and their stories, and maybe find one to adopt. For every poor abused animal that makes it into the newspapers, there are 100 more -- beautiful animals, many of them young and healthy without behavior problems, some even fancy purebreeds, on death row because their owners have given them up for one reason or another.