Everybody wants spirituality. To be a good person means to walk in G-d's ways. How does that translate to reality? The only guidebook to spirituality that has stood the test of time is the Hebrew Bible. The Bible says that the Jews will be a light onto the nations. But if you are not a born Jew, you have to convert, which is not so easy!! If you do convert, it is a lot of work to be a Jew (three times a day prayer, keeping kosher, observing the Sabbath).
This blog will show you how to be Jewish without the work!!
Saturday, April 30, 2022
Israel Gave Honorary Plaque to Jerusalem Mufti Hours Before He Spoke at an Event with Nasrallah, Haniyeh By David Israel and ‘Hitler was Daring’: How Palestinian Leaders Revere the Nazis and Dovid HaMelech’s Single Request and Is Listening To Music Permitted During Sefirat Ha’Omer? By Rabbi Ari Enkin -
Yehuda Lave is an author, journalist, psychologist, rabbi, spiritual teacher, and coach, with degrees in business, psychology and Jewish Law. He works with people from all walks of life and helps them in their search for greater happiness, meaning, business advice on saving money, and spiritual engagement.
The Three are Rabbi Yehuda Glick, famous temple mount activist, and former Israel Mk, and then Robert Weinger, the world's greatest shofar blower and seller of Shofars, and myself after we had gone to the 12 gates of the Temple Mount in 2020 to blow the shofar to ask G-d to heal the world from the Pandemic. It was a highlight to my experience in living in Israel and I put it on my blog each day to remember.
The articles that I include each day are those that I find interesting, so I feel you will find them interesting as well. I don't always agree with all the points of each article but found them interesting or important to share with you, my readers, and friends. It is cathartic for me to share my thoughts and frustrations with you about life in general and in Israel. As a Rabbi, I try to teach and share the Torah of the G-d of Israel as a modern Orthodox Rabbi. I never intend to offend anyone but sometimes people are offended and I apologize in advance for any mistakes. The most important psychological principle I have learned is that once someone's mind is made up, they don't want to be bothered with the facts, so, like Rabbi Akiva, I drip water (Torah is compared to water) on their made-up minds and hope that some of what I have share sinks in. Love Rabbi Yehuda Lave.
Is Listening To Music Permitted During Sefirat Ha'Omer? By Rabbi Ari Enkin -
Photo Credit: 123rf.com
Several mourning practices are observed between Pesach and Shavuot, a period known as sefira or Sefirat Ha'Omer.1
The primary reason for this is to recall Rabbi Akiva's students, who perished during these days due to a mysterious plague. There are four views as to when the plague killed Rabbi Akiva's students, and by extension, when to observe the sefira restrictions: (a) during the entire 49 days of the Omer, (b) until the 34th day of the Omer, (c) until the 33rd day of the Omer, (d) for 33 (or 32) days during the Omer, excluding Pesach, Shabbat, and Rosh Chodesh.2
Common Ashkenazi custom is to observe the mourning practices from Pesach until Lag B'Omer,3 although there are also several other customs. Some observe the restrictions for the entire sefira period as per the Arizal. Others observe the restrictions until the 34th day of the Omer. Yet others only begin observing them from Rosh Chodesh Iyar until the 3rd of Sivan.4
We are also taught that the sefira period is when those in Gehinnom are judged and reevaluated.5 It is also the season when G-d decides what the world's annual wheat supply will be. The Crusades took place during this time as well.6 Therefore, for these and other reasons, an atmosphere of mourning is in order.7
Although there is no mention of any restrictions on listening to music during sefira in any of the early halachic codes, it has become a widespread custom8 to refrain from doing so.9 While all authorities agree that it is forbidden to enjoy live music during sefira, opinions differ as to whether this extends to recorded music. Many authorities rule that there is no difference between live music and recorded music and that both are equally forbidden during sefira.10 In fact, many such authorities even forbid listening to a cappella music.11
It has been suggested that modern-day appliances and other music-making devices that did not exist at the time that the restriction was instituted, such as radio or CD player, are not subject to the music restriction.12 Many authorities permit listening to recorded music in the privacy of one's home if not being able to do so would result in one being sad or depressed.13 It is permitted to play children's music for their enjoyment.14 One whose livelihood depends on playing or performing along with live music is permitted to do so during sefira.15
The issue of not listening to music during sefira originates with the Magen Avraham, who writes that one may not dance during sefira. Many authorities have interpreted or extended this ruling to include listening to any music, since dancing is closely associated with music.16 Others limit the restriction to music that leads to dancing. According to this approach, it is permitted to listen to background music while driving, since it cannot possibly lead to dancing.17
Rabbi Mordechai Willig holds that there is no true prohibition against listening to recorded music during sefira since there is no mention of such a ban in any of the early codes. He argues that while it is true that one may not engage in excessively joyous activities (including dancing), listening to recorded music doesn't arouse the same sense of excitement and joy that dancing does. Accordingly, he rules that one may listen to recorded music.18 This is also the ruling of Rabbi Nachum Rabinovitch.19
While the more normative approach is certainly to ban all music during sefira, those who feel the need to listen to music around the house or while driving have whom and what to rely on.
Shevet Halevi 8:127; Salmat Chaim 4:21. See also http://matzav.com/p'sak-from-rav-yisroel-belsky-and-rav-shlomo-miller-on-acappella-music-during-sefirah-2.
Chelkat Yaakov 2:64:2. With thanks to Rabbi Aryeh Lebowitz, who provided me with the source.
Hilchot Chag B'chag, p. 63; Halichot Shlomo, Moadim 2:11:14.
Vayevarech David, OC 65; Halichot Shlomo, Moadim 2:11, n. 53.
Former Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and Palestine Ekrima Sa'id Sabri (an Arafat appointee) receives an honorary plaque at a school in Isawiya, April 26, 2022.
Sheikh Ekrima Sa'id Sabri, 83, who was appointed by Yasser Arafat in 1994 to serve as the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and Palestine (the stint ended in 2006) spoke on Tuesday at a virtual conference alongside senior terrorists from around the world, including Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah and Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh. Islamic Jihad top thugs were also on hand.
So far, not such a big deal – Sabri is not the first and won't be the last anti-Semitic Jerusalem Mufti who collaborates with Jew-haters. Here's the thing, though: according to Hakol Ha'Yehudi, only a few hours before the all villains Zoom, this former Mufti was giving a speech at a school in eastern Jerusalem run by the Israeli Ministry of Education and the Jerusalem Municipality's Education Dept.
Sabri was received as the guest of honor at the Boys' Elementary School in Isawiya, a neighborhood in eastern Jerusalem, near the Hadassah Mount Scopus Medical Center. The former Mufti even received from the school an honorary plaque for his many good works, all at Israeli taxpayers' expense. He then proceeded to instruct the students on prayers and religious topics around the Muslim month of Ramadan.
At the Zoom conference, Sabri attacked normalization with Israel and said that "most Arab countries are engaged in internal struggles or normalization with Israel but this does not absolve them of responsibility. The nation is obligated to protect the residents of Jerusalem."
Sabri receiving a certificate of appreciation from MK Mansour Abbas, and senior Ra'am officials Razi Issa and Abu Daabs:
Religious Zionism Chairman MK Bezalel Smotrich insisted "Israel's security services must arrest Mufti Ekrima Sabri tonight and prosecute him. I do not imagine that [MK Mansour] Abbas' strong connection with Sabri and the fact that this government is dependent on Abbas will prevent such a critical security move."
Yes, but will they let him display his honorary plaque in his prison cell?
PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas removed Sabri from his post as mufti in July 2006, reportedly for his growing popularity and open expression of antisemitic incitement as well as insidious, dangerous political views.
In a 2000 interview with the Italian newspaper La Repubblica, Sabri said, "Six million Jews dead? No way, they were much fewer. Let's stop with this fairytale exploited by Israel to capture international solidarity. It is not my fault if Hitler hated Jews, indeed they were hated a little everywhere. Instead, it is necessary to denounce the unjust occupation endured by my people. Tomorrow I will ask John Paul II… to support our cause."
On 20 February 2005, Sabri told Saudi Arabian Al Majd TV: "Anyone who studies The Protocols of the Elders of Zion and specifically the Talmud will discover that one of the goals of these Protocols is to cause confusion in the world and to undermine security throughout the world."
The Last One Remaining
Amir Benayoun
אני האחרון מכולם ממעמקים קראתיך אדם כל עוד בלבב נשמתי קוראת נותרתי חי גם כשהייתי מת
אני האחרון שנשאר נותרתי אדם כשהייתי מספר כיכר הלחם אצלך בתפריט ואצלי תמיד מתחת לכרית
ובמרוץ השליחים נותרתי לבד הלפיד עובר עכשיו מיד ליד קחו ממני הכל אני הסנה הבוער אתם תישארו כאן כדי לספר
אני האחרון שנשאר עוד שייך לדור המדבר אין לי מנוחה אני נע ונד ורק הזכרונות בקרון לכיוון אחד
אני האחרון שנשאר חוזר עכשיו אל מחוזות העבר הדשא הזה ירוק מאימה אני קורא אלייך אמא אדמה
ובמרוץ השליחים נותרתי לבד הלפיד עובר עכשיו מיד ליד קחו ממני את הכל אני הסנה הבוער ואתם תישארו כאן כדי לספר
ומיליוני עיניים בוהות בי עכשיו איך אוכל לוותר אני האחרון שנשאר כדי לספר
I am the last one of them all From the depths I call out to you Man So long as in my heart my soul calls out I stayed alive even when I was dead
I'm the last one remaining I stayed a person when I was a number A loaf of bread appears on your menu And with me, always under my pillow
And in the race of messengers I was left alone The torch passes now From hand to hand Take it all from me I'm the burning bush You will stay here To tell the story
I'm the last one remaining Still of the generation of the desert I take no rest I go here and there And all memories from a one-way train
I'm the last one remaining Returning now to visions of the past This grass is green of terror I call out to you Mother Earth
And in the race of messengers I was left alone The torch passes now From hand to hand Take it all from me I'm the burning bush You will stay here To tell the story
And millions of eyes Stare at me now How could I give up I'm the last one remaining To tell the story
'Hitler was Daring': How Palestinian Leaders Revere the Nazis
Palestinian leaders idolize the Nazis, sympathize with them and ensure that the next generation is raised on these repugnant notions.
By United with Israel Staff
Numerous expressions of Nazi sympathies by Palestinian leadership have been documented and exposed over the years, with the admiration of Adolf Hitler being a key part of Palestinian Holocaust denial and distortion.
Palestinian Media Watch (PMW), a watchdog which monitors Palestinian media and incitement and has a massive file on the subject, noted that some expressions of sympathy are blatant, while others are more subliminal.
For instance, senior Fatah official Tawfik Tirawi previously stated in a TV interview that "Hitler was not morally corrupt. He was daring." Tirawi's approach even offended the Palestinian interviewer who chose to quickly change the topic.
Fatah is Palestinian Authority (PA) Head Mahmoud Abbas' political party.
Palestinian Schools Honor Nazis
Similarly, the Palestinians have named three schools after Nazi collaborators, as well as after terrorists including murderers such as Dalal Mughrabi. One school was a named after Nazi collaborator and war criminal Amin Al-Husseini and two others were named after Nazi collaborator Hassan Salameh.
Amin Al-Husseini was the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem at the time of the British Mandate. During World War II he moved to Berlin, where he collaborated with the Nazis and was an associate of Hitler. Al-Husseini was responsible for a Muslim SS division that murdered thousands of Serbs and Croats and was on Yugoslavia's list of wanted Nazi war criminals. When the Nazis offered to free 5,000 Jewish children, Al-Husseini fought against their release which caused 5,000 children to be sent to the gas chambers.
Hassan Salameh was a leader of Arab gangs in the Lod and Jaffa region in the 1930s and 1940s. He was a loyal follower of Amin Al-Husseini. In 1941, Salameh was recruited to be a Nazi agent, and in 1944, he was sent on a mission by the Nazis in the British Mandate Palestine, with the goal of starting an Arab revolt against the British and poisoning Tel Aviv's water sources. The plot was discovered and thwarted by the British. In 1947, Salameh was appointed by Al-Husseini as Deputy Commander of the Holy Jihad Army that fought Israel in the 1948 War of Independence.
"Obviously, schools are named after people who the PA Ministry of Education sees as role models and aspires for the students to emulate," PMW underscored.
Ensuring that the educational message is emphasized, at least two schools have posted pictures of Hitler accompanied with the text: "Hitler said: 'I could have annihilated all of the Jews in the world, but I left a few so that you would know why I annihilated them.'"
Distortion of History
The Palestinian sympathy with Al-Husseini is not limited to the Palestinian Authority Ministry of Education. A post on the PA National Security Forces' Facebook page similarly glorified him.
The Lebanese branch of Abbas' Fatah Movement argued in an article that the true victims of Holocaust were the Palestinians and that Former British Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour was himself an Anti-Semite who "like Hitler, wanted to get rid of the Jews, so he sent them to Palestine instead of killing them."
The Balfour Declaration of November 2, 1917 was a letter from Balfour to Baron Rothschild stating that "His Majesty's government views with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people."
In 1922, the League of Nations adopted this position and made the British Mandate "responsible for putting into effect the declaration," which led to the UN vote in 1947 and the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948.
"The difference between Hitler and Balfour in this field was that Balfour had colonies, among them Palestine, and he sent the Jews there in order to get rid of them. Hitler did not have colonies, and therefore he got rid of them through extermination. However, the true victims of both Balfour and Hitler were the Palestinians and the Arabs, and we are still paying the price after 100 years," the Lebanese branch of Abbas' Fatah Movement wrote on its website.
Hitler Admiration Passed on to the Next Generation
This reverent view of Hitler is being passed on to Palestinian youth through cultural and recreational means as well.
Zayzafuna, a Palestinian children's magazine funded by the PA, accepted for publication a submission by a 10th grade Palestinian girl which presented Hitler not only as a positive figure, but one to be admired because he killed Jews in order to benefit all humanity.
The girl's submission describes her dream in which she met four heroic historical figures and has a conversation with each of them. Three of them were renowned Muslims, including a Nobel Prize recipient and a math scholar, and the fourth was Hitler.
"You're the one who killed the Jews?" she says to Hitler in her dream. "Yes. I killed them so you would all know that they are a nation which spreads destruction all over the world. And what I ask of you is to be resilient and patient, concerning the suffering that Palestine is experiencing at their hands." he responds.
Although repugnant, a Palestinian teenager's admiration for Hitler because he killed Jews, alongside other Muslim terrorist role models, is not unexpected, as PMW has widely documented.
Palestinian children are indoctrinated to believe that killing Israelis and Jews is heroic. The PA has named streets, schools, sporting events and more after Palestinian terrorists who have killed hundreds of Israeli civilians.
"In Palestinian cultural, educational and social events, every Palestinian child is exposed to repeated glorification of terrorists who have killed Jews," PMW stated. "It is not surprising that a Palestinian child who has been educated to see those who have murdered Jews as heroes and role models will conclude that Hitler, the one who murdered the most Jews in history, is likewise worthy of admiration."
"Speak to Aharon your brother – he shall not come at all times into the Sanctuary …" (Vayikra 16:2)
We learn that the Kohen Gadol was forbidden to enter the Kodesh HaKadashim (the Sanctuary) at will. R' Nissim Yagen asks: Why shouldn't the KohenGadol be permitted to increase kedusha within the world by being allowed access to the profusion of holiness in the Sanctuary? That would seem instinctively to be the place for the Kohen Gadol to go to pray to Hashem and plead for His mercy and compassion. This would be just as the simple man seeks to pray at the Kosel, the singular place where the Divine Presence can be found.
R' Nissim Yagen cites Rashi, who notes that when there is a revelation of the Divine Presence one must be careful not to become apathetic to the experience. In order to preserve the awe-inspiring energy of the Kodesh HaKadashim and to prevent it from becoming a mundane encounter, the opportunity for the Kohen Gadol to enter the Sanctuary is reserved exclusively for Yom Kippur. Although the Kohen Gadol is not just an ordinary human being, nevertheless it is a given that man tends to lose his sensitivity to the uniqueness of an experience when it becomes a commonplace happening.
In Tehillim (27:4), Dovid HaMelech says, "One thing I asked of Hashem, that I shall seek: To dwell in the House of Hashem all the days of my life … and to visit in His Sanctuary."
Our Sages ask: Why did Dovid emphasize that he had only one request? Hashem is Omnipotent and can fulfill any number of requests; there was no reason to limit his request. Indeed, why didn't Dovid make any additional requests? As the leader of the Jewish nation, surely his people had many spiritual and material needs. Furthermore, the pasuk begins in the past tense, "I asked of Hashem" and concludes in the future tense, "I shall seek …." One would think that the request should be addressed either in the present or the future. Finally, Dovid requests to sit in the House of Hashem continuously, without interruption, and then requests "to visit," suggesting he is like a tourist visiting popular sites and then returning home.
It is noted that in the blessings after the reading of the Haftorah, Hashem promises that "no stranger shall sit nor others continue to inherit his [Dovid's] honor … his lamp will not be extinguished forever and ever." Nothing was banal or routine for Dovid HaMelech, and in his prayers, he revealed that he wanted nothing more than the privilege of sitting in the House of Hashem all his life. There was no need to ask for anything else, because the fulfillment of this one request would include all physical and spiritual wants and needs. Dovid HaMelech understood the ultimate good and purpose of life, as it is expressed in Mesilas Yesharim: "Man was created for the sole purpose of reveling in the Eternal and delighting in the splendor of the Divine Presence …."
Most often people change their requests, depending on the circumstances and challenges in their life. Yet, Dovid HaMelech, throughout all his difficulties and at various stages of his life, consistently had only one request: "To sit in the House of Hashem all the days of my life." He wanted to continue learning, praying, doing mitzvos, doing chesed, and being involved in every spiritual pursuit. Yet, he was able to perceive the precariousness of routine and habitual activity that could tarnish the awesomeness, inspiration, and majesty of a special moment. He therefore concluded his request by asking to be like a visitor who appreciates the uniqueness of the moment he is experiencing and utilizes it to the maximum, lest it fade and depart.
Even in personal relationships, there is a tendency to take members of our own family – such as our children and spouses – for granted, which can, unfortunately, cause our appreciation and pleasure in their company to be diminished.
HaGaon R' Simcha Wasserman, rosh yeshiva of Yeshiva Ohr Elchanan and renowned Torah personality, used to stay at the home of Dr. and Mrs. Eisner in Flatbush when he would come to New York.
I once had the privilege to spend time in his company during one of these visits. As I took leave of him in the hallway of Dr. Eisner's home, his rebbetzin was coming up the steps. R' Simcha began to smile broadly, and Dr. Eisner commented, "R' Simcha, I am happy that you are enjoying your time here." R' Simcha replied, "Actually, it is when I see the rebbetzin that it gives me great joy. I am happy to be zoche to such a rebbetzin."
Years later, both the rosh yeshiva and the rebbetzin took critically ill while in New York. One day when the rebbetzin was having a better day she asked the hospital staff if someone could wheel her to the rosh yeshiva's room. "I know if he sees me," she said, "it will give him great happiness, and perhaps it will aid in his recovery."
To their last days, R' Simcha Wasserman and his rebbetzin cherished the special relationship of their marriage, and their comportment with each other was an exemplar of shalom bayis to all.
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