| 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. Love Yehuda Lave Join my blog by sending me an email to YehudaLave@gmail.com | | | | | The Three Musketeers at the Kotel | | | | | | 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. | | | | | | | Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu: You have the right to think that killing a fetus is primitive | | | | The baby boy or girl has a feeling heart and a thinking brain. They have arms and legs and they move them at will. Op-ed. Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu According to UN figures, 120,000,000 women and girls are missing in the world, mainly in the Far East. Since by nature, boys and girls are born into the world in almost equal numbers and there should not be such a gap, there is a man-made reason for the difference; the abortions by parents who only want sons, and not daughters. Do you believe that these abortions are moral in terms of a woman's sacred right over her body? And what would you say about a woman who takes the life of her fetus because she wants to complete a degree, buy a car or travel abroad? Where is the boundary? In ancient Greece and Rome, "Medea" became a goddess after she murdered her two sons in the name of the woman's sacred right to take revenge on her husband. In ancient Greece and Rome, philosophers thought that it was permissible for parents to throw living babies into the garbage; it was not possible to require parents to raise unwanted children. "In the name of the sacred right of parents to their home and property." In Arab countries, the girls would be buried alive. They need fighters in tribal battles and girls are not good for this, it is a pity to raise them in vain. In Japan, they would do this more gently, the midwife would place a wet cloth over the nose of the unwanted child until it choked to death. This was referred to by the code word "dilution", just like it is euphemistically called today, "abortion". There are those who think that the murder of a fetus is murder in every respect, whether you call it dilution or abortion. The baby boy or girl has a feeling heart and a thinking brain. They have arms and legs and they move them at will. They have the right to life like any other living being. Although they cannot open their mouths, it is forbidden to kill them even if done gently while wearing white coats. There are those who say that a woman's right to her body precedes the life of the fetus and even precedes democracy. The US Supreme Court has ruled that under the Constitution, elected officials in any of the 50 states, are allowed to make a decision that says that it is forbidden to murder living fetuses. In the opinion of US Supreme Court justices, the dictator is one who wishes to prohibit elected officials from representing public opinion. On the other hand, all kinds of progressive people believe that the opinion of these judges is not legitimate. All of them alike expressed shock at the ruling of the US Supreme Court and told everyone that the US Supreme Court belongs to Trump's "dark forces", they explained that the Supreme Court made a non-legitimate ruling and moved the US back fifty years. Do not be impressed by all these progressives who go back two thousand years to the dark years of Greece and Rome, you have the absolute right to think that life is sacred. That murder is primitive. You have the right to say out loud that life is more important than a trip to the US, a new car, or a master's degree. You have the right to think that killing a fetus is a primitive, and not enlightened, progress. Do not let all the reformists and progressives confuse your values. Don't let the media engineer your mind, don't let your healthiest feelings be confused. Believe in life. Believe in values. Express your opinion openly, publicize your opinion, it is the most legitimate opinion in the world, it is pro-life. | | | | 1. Kohanim Are the Priestly Clan In Hebrew a Kohen (plural Kohanim) is a priest, leader, or ruler. In Judaism, Kohanim are the priestly clan, who are honored with certain tasks, responsibilities and privileges. 2. They Are Descendants of Aaron: All Kohanim can (theoretically) trace their lineage, through a direct line of males, to Aaron, brother of Moses and the first High Priest. Since Aaron lived more than 3,000 years ago, we can estimate that most Kohanim have approximately 100 links in the chain between them and Aaron 3. They Are a Subset Within Levi Like Moses, Aaron was a grandson of Levi, one of Jacob's 12 sons. As such, when counting the 12 tribes, you will not find a tribe of Kohen, since they are included within Levi, all of whom have a somewhat-priestly role. 4. They Served in the Holy Temple For roughly 1,200 years of Jewish history, the Kohanim had a major role to play in the centralized worship that took place (first in the Tabernacle and then) in the Holy Temples in Jerusalem. In the Temple, the Kohanim offered the sacrifices and filled many other sacred roles.
5. They Were Teachers In Biblical times, the Kohanim were often also Torah teachers and bearers of tradition. They were also the ones who would diagnose and monitor those stricken with the spiritually-caused skin disease known as tzaraat.
6. They Administer the Priestly Blessing Still today, the Kohanim perform a special ritual known as Birkat Kohanim ("Priestly Blessing"). Standing in front of the synagogue, with outstretched arms covered by their tallit, the priests chant the three-part blessing mandated by G‑d in Numbers 6:22. 7. They Were Given 24 Gifts Since the Kohanim devoted themselves to G‑d's service and were not given a portion of the land to farm, the Torah mandates that they be given 24 "gifts," ranging from challah—a portion of dough taken whenever someone bakes a significant amount of bread, the first shearings of a person's flock, and many of the sacrifices brought to the Holy Temple.
8. They Redeem Firstborn Israelites One of the 24 gifts is the five silver coins (or their equivalent) they receive from the father of a firstborn Israelite male on the 31st day of the baby's life. This ceremony, which is still practiced, is known as Pidyon Haben, and is accompanied by a festive meal. 9. Males Avoid Contact With the Dead: Male Kohanim are enjoined to avoid cemeteries, or anywhere they may come into contact with a corpse.
10. There Are Common Kohen Last Names Since Biblical times, it was not uncommon for hakohen ("the priest") to be tacked onto the names of certain (but not all) Kohanim. Family names as we now know them are mostly a non-Jewish convention, often outwardly imposed on Jewish communities with no religious significance. That said, there are certain names that are most commonly found among Kohanim. They include: Cohen, Kahan, Kahanowitz, Kogan, Kagan, Kaganoff, and the various iterations thereof Kaplan, from the Latin root that also gave us the English word "chaplain" Katz, an acronym for Kohen Tzedek, "righteous priest" Kohenzadeh and Kohanchi are both Persian names clearly derived from Kohen
11. They Are Honored by Going First The Kohen is treated with respect and is honored in many areas of Jewish ritual life. When the Torah is read, a Kohen is honored with the first reading, and a Kohen is called upon to recite Grace After Meals. On the flip side, it is forbidden to ask a Kohen to perform a menial task such as fetching something.
12. Females Should Not Marry Ignorant Men The Kohanim are at the top of the traditional social hierarchy. While they may intermarry with ordinary Israelites, it is appropriate that female members of the Kohen clan only marry men who are learned in Torah. As such, the Rebbe would often advise men marrying into a priestly family to learn at least one tractate of Talmud, even a minor one.
13. Males May Not Marry Certain Women A male Kohen may not marry a certain woman, including a divorcee and a convert (read the full list here). If this happens, the Kohen and his subsequent children are stripped of their priestly status, and are known as chalalim.
14. Their Quick Tradition asserts that Kohanim are zerizim, which translates as "efficient," "motivated," or "particular." As such, we can be assured that they carry out their duties in the best possible manner.
By Menachem Posner | | | | 'Slap on the Wrist': UN Agency Suspends Only 6 Staff of 120 Accused of Calling to Murder Jews By Aryeh Savir, Tazpit News Agency The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), the UN agency that runs schools in the Palestinian Authority (PA) and in Arab countries around Israel, announced to donor states on Tuesday that it has placed six employees on administrative leave after a report by UN Watch exposed 120 UNRWA teachers who publicly called to murder Jews. "Teachers who call to murder Jews must be barred from the classroom for life, while these temporary suspensions are just a slap on the wrist," said Hillel Neuer, executive director of UN Watch, an independent non-governmental organization based in Geneva. "UNRWA is trying to pretend the problem is now gone, while at the same time signaling to Palestinian staff—and to terrorist organizations like Islamic Jihad which pressed UNRWA to reject the UN Watch report—that they don't really object to the virulent antisemitism of their teachers, which UNRWA and its donors know pervades the agency," said Neuer. "We have now exposed more than 120 UNRWA teachers and other staff who praise Hitler, glorify terrorism and spread antisemitism, and UNRWA has not given the name of a single one who has been fired," said Neuer. As exposed in the report, UNRWA teacher Hana'a Daoud in Jordan called on Muslims to "fight against the Jews and kill them," UNRWA teacher Elham Mansour in Lebanon repeatedly called to "slaughter Zionists," and UNRWA computer teacher Nihaya Awad in the Samaria glorified Hamas rocket attacks on Israeli civilians. Nevertheless, the suspensions provoked a sharp response from Palestinian groups, which portrayed the teachers' open calls to slaughter Jews as "instilling Palestinian national pride." A coalition that includes the PA, Hamas and the Islamic Jihad, known as the Joint Committee for Palestinian Refugees, has called on UNRWA "to immediately rescind its procedure of suspending six employees, and not to respond to US-Israeli pressures and dictates." In an additional statement, Walid Al-Awad, head of the Palestinian National Council's refugee committee, said UNRWA's suspension of six teachers was "unacceptable and must be dropped immediately." He described the decision as "dangerous" because it "aims to extract the teacher from the heart of the cause of his people." Likewise, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), designated as a terrorist organization by the US, Canada and the European Union, demanded the teachers' suspensions be reversed. "The UNRWA administration's reliance on a report issued by UN Watch to take these measures confirms its complicity and identification with the state of incitement practiced by the Israeli occupation against the Palestinian people, especially the employees, just because they are biased towards their cause, and express their adherence to national principles and rights on social network pages and websites, and participate in various national events and activities. Our people will not in any way allow this decision to be implemented, and it will respond with full force to the administration's acquiescence to Zionist pressure and incitement," said the PFLP. UNRWA has refused to provide even minimal transparency as to which of the perpetrators it has suspended. Similar reports by Israel and other organizations have been published in the past, and almost without exception, the UNRWA has failed to take action. The PA's educational system has repeatedly been accused of educating its students to hate Israel and Israelis and through terror-promoting messages. The system has been found to use cultural mediums such as school plays, sports events, and summer camps for this objective. In line with this policy, the PA has named at least 28 schools after terrorists and at least three schools after Nazi collaborators. The PA Ministry of Education is directly and solely responsible for naming schools.
| | | | Masafer Yatta: Fact vs. Fiction By Naomi Kahn The Masafer Yatta case illustrates how leftist propaganda manipulates the kind hearts and good intentions of people in Israel and around the world. It's a whale of a tale that has enabled anti-Israel organizations, foreign governments and the Palestinian Authority to turn run-of-the mill illegal construction into a massive international issue. It also illustrates that although "better late than never" might work in some situations, in others, if you miss the boat the ship sails on and you're left to swim against the tide and battle the sharks on your own. The area referred to as Masafer Yatta is state land, which was declared a military training ground in the early 1980s. Like all state lands set aside for military use, there was not, nor had there been in over 100 years, settlement of any kind on the land—no private property, no historic villages, nothing. This is a desert area, very difficult terrain, with no water and not arable. During the Ottoman era it was classified as mawat—"dead"—and owned by the sultan (in other words, by the state); the same classification carried through the Mandate era and the Jordanian occupation. Mandate-era maps (below, 1935) show some archaeological ruins in the area, but no settlement of any kind. By comparison, the map shows Yatta and Hebron, Bani Naim and other villages that were real, actual settlements during the same period. "Masafer Yatta" was desolate. Aerial photos from as recently as 1997 make this point unequivocally—but they aren't really necessary: The "proof" offered to the High Court of Justice by the Arab plaintiffs in the Masafer Yatta case actually disproves their claims. The recent High Court decision lists some of the more egregious examples that prove unequivocally that the residents of the illegal "villages" of Masafer Yatta arrived after the IDF closed off the area for military use. It also proves that these residents, almost without exception, have permanent homes in the nearby town of Yatta. How were these "villages" born? The shepherds of Yatta would sleep in caves in nearby grazing areas, rather than trekking back to the village each night. After the IDF closed off the area, the shepherds were permitted to continue grazing their flocks there; the IDF gave them a few days' warning before live-fire exercises to insure no one got hurt. The Palestinian Authority seized the opportunity, and began funding construction of permanent structures there. Foreign interests jumped right in after them, funding infrastructure projects to support the "indigenous farmers"—laying water and electricity lines that enabled more and more people to set up homesteads on the "free" land. This pattern, repeated all through the area, was exposed in the High Court of Justice—by the plaintiffs themselves! The first petitions regarding Masafer Yatta were filed over 20 years ago by leftist organizations that tried to wrest control of the area from the state. Temporary injunctions weren't merely ignored, they were trampled on—but instead of immediately tearing down the few structures that had popped up in the firing zone, the IDF kept pulling back, limiting the area it used for training, to avoid harming the squatters. What started off as a few structures in three specified areas metastasized into hundreds of structures, many hundreds of residents and a brand new fake-news international humanitarian crisis. A full two decades passed before the High Court finally asserted what had been clear from the start: Arab claims to this land are unfounded, and the claim that Israel is dispossessing indigenous people is a lie. The State of Israel has allowed its own delusions, that it can gain Arab and international approval by compromising our national interests, to cause massive local and international damage. Now, the state must contend with a completely different reality on the ground than it faced when it failed to nip the spree of illegal construction in the bud. Let's hope the lesson has been learned, and the next Israeli government institutes a policy of immediate and decisive enforcement against illegal construction. | | | | | See you tomorrow bli neder We need Moshiach now! Love Yehuda Lave | | | | |
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