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Rav Avigdor Miller on Parshat Vayechi: How to be Perfectly Peculiar—And Why You Really SHOULD be Perfectly Peculiar

31/12/2020

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In this week's dvar Torah by Rav Avigdor Miller, Parshat Vayechi: Personalities & Growth, he discusses how on Yaakov Avinu's deathbed, Yaakov Avinu notes how different each of his numerous sons are from one another.

Then Rav Miller cites Gemara Pesachim 56a, which mentions a man who went around saying, "I want to live along the coast."

He loved the seashore so much, he dreamed of building a home by the sea when he retired.

When they looked into why he loved the sea so much, they discovered this man descended from Zevulun, which was the sea-faring Tribe. Hashem ingrained within Bnei Zevulun a love for the ocean.

Another man went around saying, "Donu dini – Judge my case."

Whenever there was a disagreement between this man and another, he wasn't interested in arbitration or compromise; he wanted the crystalline verdict: Who's right? Who's wrong? And what must be done now?

He said "Donu dini" so often that they checked into his lineage and discovered what you probably already guessed: "Donu dini" descended from the Tribe of Dan.

Rav Miller explains about the inner make-up of Bnei Dan (pg. 5):
It’s a family that doesn’t believe in leeway, in bargaining and arbitration.

Shevet Dan was rigid; others might be more flexible, they’re not such sticklers for din, but the family of Dan liked that everything should be according to the strict letter of justice. It was a characteristic of the entire family.

That’s why there are people like that today too; they don’t like to deviate at all.

Even little children sometimes are born that way; it’s their nature to follow rules. It used to be in Europe, in Yiddish, we used to call a child like that a “zakonik.”

Zakon in Russian means law; a zakonik is a child who likes the law.

If you tell him once to close the door when he walks out, he’ll always remember that.

I remember I once saw a child like that. You told him once when he was a little baby of three years old, “Don’t forget to close the door,” and after that he never forgot.

​It was in his nature. 

I always love hearing about this different personalities characteristics of Tribes.

I even crave it.

I think it's because it's proof that different natures really are ordained by Hashem, so it follows that even if your society disapproves, Hashem Himself approves.

Meaning, Hashem Himself WANTS us to be this way or that way—used for the good, of course.

I think this helps access Divine Love. Hashem really does like YOU.

We are Not the Religion of Cloning

​Every society idealizes certain personalities while disapproving of other personalities.

But that's all wrong.

It's what you DO with your personality that matters.

Every trait can be used for the good or the bad.

Allowing your child to be him or herself became a big issue in chinuch—and rightly so.

But what initially broke me (and I still remain dismayed by this) is how the chinuch people tend to expect mothers to be clones. 

NOT all of them expect this. Definitely not all of them. There are chinuch people with genuine wisdom & insight.

But what I initially encountered made me feel like there's only one right way to be a mother.

And that one way always happened to be exactly the same way as the chinuch rebbetzin herself.

(It's obvious that was never intentional, but simply how they naturally felt.)

But that's 100% NOT true.

​There is not only one way.

That's a recipe for disaster.

It's All Cramped & Dark Stuffed Inside the Mommy-Mold

​For example, people have different sleep needs.

I have a friend who absolutely NEEDS 9 hours of sleep.

Even if she sleeps 8 hours at night, she still craves a short nap during the day.

So she needs to work around the need in life and sleep always remained one of her top priorities—even more than food.

And that's fine. That's her physiology. How on earth could she possibly change it?

She can't.

Others are energetic to the point they're bouncing off the walls, while others find it hard to get off the couch—and then there's everyone between those 2 extremes.

And that's just the basic unchangeable physiology of a human being.

Another example:

A wife with a competent, helpful husband experiences a different life with different resources than a wife with an unhelpful, demanding husband.

Also, the children's personalities define the home.

I know people insist that the mother decides the atmosphere of the home, but you can't compare a home of naturally hyper children to a home of naturally calm ones. 

(I wrote more about that HERE.)

It's really the children who define the atmosphere of the home.

And because, no matter how hard I tried, I could never wedge myself deep enough into their mommy-mold, I mostly gave up listening to or reading chinuch lectures & books—with a few exceptions, of course.

Thank God for the exceptions!

And I more or less went the way Rav Shalom Arush writes in Garden of Education.

​And I've been winging it ever since!

Anyway...

I think that reading about the different qualities of the Tribes offers a lot of comfort & chizuk (encouragement).

Not only is it okay to be different—even extremely different—from each other, but it is even DESIRABLE.

We literally & spiritually NEED to be different from each other!

​That's exactly how Hashem set things up in the first place.​

​Here's Rav Miller again on page 6 (emphasis mine):
If I happen to think one way, it may be something that you cannot change in me; it may be built in into my nature.

​Just as Zevulun loved the sea, and Dan loved clear-cut din – it wasn’t something you could change; it was inherited; it was in his blood and it would be transmitted forever to all of his seed.

Clone-Enforcement is Rebellion against Hashem

Pages 8-12 are essential (and fun) reading.

Rav Miller describes different Gedolim (both men & women) in Jewish history who contributed what they did by virtue of their personality—contributions others could not have made.

​As Rav Miller states (pages 7-8; boldface & underline mine):
It’s not an accident; that’s what Hakodosh Boruch Hu wants, that each one will use his own particular talents, his own characteristics in his service of Hashem.

Hakodosh Boruch Hu has planned these differences from the beginning and He’s waiting to see, “Will this person utilize his stay in this world to bring forth by means of his own personality and his unique capabilities the greatness that he’s capable of?”

Think about that for a moment.

This idea means that if we force someone to stuff his or her own personality into a box and serve Hashem like someone of the opposite personality, then we are going against Hashem's Will.

In that case, we are harming the Jewish people.

Hashem WANTS the unique service of this personality & that personality.

​Who are we to deny Him?

​Who are we to think we know better than the Creator of the Universe?

Take a Walk on the Peculiar Side

Rav Miller, page 14 (boldface & underline mine):
It means that this world is your place for achieving greatness by means of your peculiarities.

The Rambam says that every person is capable of becoming as great as Moshe Rabbeinu! Not by being Moshe Rabeinu. Not by being Rashi or Sarah Schenirer or the Baal Shem Tov.

By being yourself!

Throughout the dvar Torah, Rav Miller repeatedly uses the word "peculiarities" to describe our unique differences.

That's not a mistake or because he couldn't find a better word.

We often fear being thought strange, weird, odd, or peculiar.

But here, we see that Rav Miller wants us to take davka what's strange, weird, odd, or peculiar and USE it in Hashem's Service.

When channeled correctly, peculiar is perfectly praiseworthy!

And don't forget the Practical Tip on page 17...

Credit for all quotes & material goes to the uniquely wonderful Toras Avigdor.

Related posts:
  • Different Courses for Different Horses
  • God's Sunlit Garden
  • Why a Leah Imeinu Can't (and Shouldn't) be a Sara Imeinu


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Please Continue to Daven for CHAIM YISROEL BEN BLUMA, and If at All Possible, Participate in a Short New Project for His Complete Recovery

31/12/2020

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Many of us already received this message from Nechumelle Jacobs, but it's being posted here to reach a wider audience:
Dear Family and Friends

We are looking for as many people as possible that can spare 5 minutes daily to say the following Tehillim as a zechus [merit] for a refuah shleima [complete healing] for my dear husband, Chaim Yisroel ben Bluma.

(These are pesukim [verses] from Kapital Kuf Yud Tes [chapter 119 in Psalms] Chaim Yisroel Kra Sotan — that's the Lubavitcher way we daven for a refuah shleima.)

Please reply if you are able to 'saytehillim50@gmail.com'. We will iyh [with Hashem's Help] try to send daily email reminders.

If you prefer to get a text reminder please include your mobile number (only available in the UK).

Please find the Tehillim attached below.

Thank you so much.
Nechumelle

For your convenience, Nechumelle set up a PDF of all the necessary verses, so you can say it all smoothly one after the other, without skipping around. (Just please remember to say the yud-verse in "Chaim" twice.)

Please press the blue bar for your free PDF download of the verses:
Tehillim Verses for Chaim Yisroel ben Bluma
​Her husband, Chaim Yisroel ben Bluma, has been in a serious health situation for a while now.

Throughout, his devoted wife, Nechumelle, has requested that people daven for him, do mitzvot with joy in his merit, light Shabbat candles early—anything to accrue merits for him to merit a complete & speedy healing.

Note: "Kra Sotan"—also pronounced kara satan, depending on your tradition's pronunciation—literally means "tear the prosecuting angel"—who's called satan from the Hebrew root "to incite." Meaning, to destroy the accusing force bringing judgement down on the ill person.

To understand more about saying Tehillim this way for a sick person, please see:
​www.aish.com/atr/Recommended-Tehillim-Psalms-Lists.html

Wishing everyone robust health until 120!

Past posts regarding this situation:
  • UPDATED!: Update on Nechomo Elka bat Miriam Shoshana: Please continue your prayers for her, and also include her husband, CHAIM Yisroel ben Bluma ("Chaim" was just added to his name)
​​
  • UPDATED 1:40 PM (Israel-time): Condition Stabilized, But Please Daven that CHAIM YISROEL BEN BLUMA wakes up as soon as possible. Please Continue (and even increase!) Any Prayers or Acts You've Taken on for the Complete Refuah of CHAIM YISROEL BEN BLUMA


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Some Basic Good Advice about Health in General & COVID-19 in Particular

30/12/2020

 
I'm on Dr. Miriam Adahan's email list, and the other day she sent the following (used with permission): 
​
I’m 78 and NOT AFRAID OF COVID because I don’t eat white sugar or white  flour (actually, no grains at all) and my D level is 70! SO COVID WILL NOT ATTACK ME.  

I do not go to social events, but I have my students here daily and my grandkids in and out all the time. I only wear a mask in stores. I have not stopped working for one day! I don’t go to doctors and I’m almost never sick. 

THE MEDIA IS INCREASING FEAR, ISOLATION & HELPLESSNESS by promoting masks, distancing & handwashing. 

They say nothing about how to EMPOWER PEOPLE! Why does the media quash information about how to STRENGTHEN THE IMMUNE SYSTEM? Doesn’t that seem suspicious to you? It’s SOOOO simple to strengthen the immune system! 


  • • Get at least 7 hours sleep
  • • Avoid sugar — sugar paralyzes the immune system.
  • • Take vitamin B, C and 3-5000 IU D3 with K2 (for lung elasticity). Add zinc, magnesium, turmeric, quercetin, etc.
  • • Laugh, sing, dance, exercise!
  • • AVOID TOXIC (critical) people — because the immune system is DEVASTATED by hostile criticism.
 
G-d forbid, if you do get corona, do the following STUDIES PROVE THAT VITAMIN D HELPS :
1. https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/930152
2.https://www.newsmax.com/health/health-news/vitamin-d-sun-rays-immunity-covid-19/2020/05/07/id/966554/?ns_mail_uid=ae5ee9d9-c082-4640-9a73-8da3afe24012&ns_mail_job=DM111745_05112020&s=acs&dkt_nbr=010102fji324  
3. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/05/200507131012.htm
4. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/284180
 
 
CORONA PROTOCOL
  1. TAKE a daily pill containing 3-5000 IU VITAMIN D3 along with K2 (to aid absorption, keep lungs elastic and avoid blood clots).
  2. For kids 1-2000 depending on age.  Taking D3 with 200 mg. magnesium glycinate for greater absorption. 
  3. Get a blood test to see if your D level is over 50. This is will make you resistant to cancer and corona viruses.
  4. METHYLATED B VITAMINS B9 and B12 – along with a multi vitamin. (I use Dr. Ben’s Hero’s formula along with Nutri Supreme 1 a day – all kosher and high quality.) Avoid folic acid, as it destroys B9.
  5. Avoid sugar (including white flour). Sugar suppresses the immune system. Avoid processed foods, especially grains—cake and cookies.  Celebrate with fruit platters, not cake!
  6. Take curcum/turmeric pills and use curcum and garlic in cooking (unless there is a medical condition which would obviate its use).
  7. Eat 2 BRAZIL NUTS for selenium.
  8. Take at least 1000 mg. bioflavinoid vitamin C daily. Time release is also good. [If, chas v’shalom, you get sick, 30-100,000 mg. of vitamin C given intravenously will usually kill the virus.]
  9. Take 400 mg. magnesium glycinate in the evening to calm the nerves and enhance sleep.
  10. Get 7-9 hours of sleep.
  11. Drink adequate water. Drink hot tea.
  12. PROBIOTICS to create healthy bacteria, which fight toxins
  13. Take: Ashwagandha, quercetin, echinacea, garlic (kyolic), oregano, ZINC (at least 10 mg), ELDERBERRY
  14. AVOID TOXIC PEOPLE. These include chronic complainers, people suffering from serious depression and anyone who makes you feel guilty, anxious, inadequate, ashamed, etc.
  15. EXERCISE: Just as the heart pumps blood, the lymph system pump toxins out of the body, including viruses and bacteria.  Dance. Walk. Move it!

I loved this list because it's basic to-the-point information—and doable for most people.

But let's say you can't do everything on the list.

For example noisy family members (including a baby or child) or neighbors may prevent you from getting 7-9 hours of sleep. Or a young adult child who stays out way too late. (And no, a mother cannot always control the amount of sleep she gets, manage naps, etc. It depends.)

Or maybe you cannot avoid toxic people because you either married one or gave birth to one. (And yes, there are parents with good shalom bayis who tried their best to parent well, yet ended up with a problematic older child. I didn't believe it either until I saw it.)

Or maybe you have toxic in-laws or parents living with you or near you.

And maybe you can't manage to acquire the right vitamins right now.

And so on.

In that case, do any of the other suggestions on the list.

Seriously. 

Any of these things will help, including if you just start drinking more water. Or adding more garlic to your diet.

Or eliminating sugar.

Or dancing.

Or simply laugh! 🤣

I started out with supplements of natural folate (instead of the synthetic folic acid) & methylcobalamin B-12 rather than cyanocobalamin B-12.

And I felt a huge difference, especially with the folate supplement.

So please don't feel stressed out or overwhelmed by these kinds of lists. Just do whatever you can as your hishtadlut and feel really good about that.

And just for knowing: I wasn't asked or even hinted at to post this. Instead, I received it along with everyone else on the list, and simply wanted to pass along such good advice to help more people in any way possible.

So thank you very much to Dr. Miriam Adahan, both for her email & her permission to use it on this blog.

Her website: https://www.miriamadahan.com/

She also does ZOOM, face-time and phone consultation all over the world. You can contact her via her gmail address. A contact page is also on her website.

Please note: Comments are closed for this particular post.
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WELCOME HOME, YEHONATAN & ESTHER YOCHEVED POLLARD!!!

30/12/2020

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Baruch Hashem, you've FINALLY been able to join us in Eretz Yisrael!

May you both have a yishuv tov!

​And may your transition & life here go smoothly & well, and in good health!!!
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We've been waiting for this so long, it just doesn't seem real. Cannot believe it FINALLY happened...
​hamodia.com/2020/12/29/jonathan-esther-pollard-land-eretz-yisrael/
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A Ginger Warning: This Special Spice Comes with Some Major Drawbacks—Use with Caution

28/12/2020

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Throughout the centuries, ginger has maintained its popularity as a spice-of-all-trades.

Combining ginger with sugar gives us tasty candies, cookies, and cakes.

Regarding savory dishes, ginger goes especially well with chicken, fruits, and vegetables—particularly the sweeter vegetables, like carrots & sweet potatoes.

Ginger also plays a starring role in beverages, including beer & tea.

Furthermore, its medicinal properties have also lasted throughout the generations.

Modern studies show that ginger probably reduces inflammation, arthritis, infection, plus reduces the risk of cancer & diabetes.

Studies show that ginger also assists with memory, focus, energy, depression, and more.

But traditionally, people used—and continue to use—ginger for:
  • digestion
  • gas
  • constipation
  • headaches
  • fatigue, general lack of energy
  • colds & flu
  • problems with the monthly cycle
  • nausea 

With the last one—nausea—lies the problem.

The Covert Traditional Use of Ginger

Many people use some form of ginger to alleviate nausea.

Whether motion-sickness, morning sickness, chemo-induced nausea, or any other, studies show that ginger really can help.

Indeed, I personally know women who used ginger during the early stages of pregnancy.

In one case, a friend very prone to motion-sickness started taking ginger while pregnant because pregnancy exacerbated her motion-sickness every time she rode in a bus or taxi.

She also experienced several miscarriages, but I never considered the connection until I read a popular book on herbs for the child-bearing years.

This book addressed all the different stages: increasing fertility to get pregnant, dealing with various issues in pregnancy, childbirth, recovery, nursing, and newborn care.

Unfortunately, it also dealt with what the author called "bringing on a late cycle."

That's the granola hippie euphemism for carrying out an early abortion.

I was shocked to read her "recommendation" of ginger!

She brought examples of ginger's potency in this regard, like how a friend of hers sat at a bar enjoying a ginger beer, then suddenly ran off to the restrooms to deal with a cycle that came on unexpectedly within minutes of consuming the ginger beer.

If herbalists consider ginger an abortifacient, then how is it so often recommended for nausea during pregnancy?

Ginger Brings on Unwanted Spotting

Over the years, more anecdotal evidence came to indicate that ginger indeed causes spotting.

A strong, warming tea made from slices of fresh ginger root brought on mid-cycle spotting in women who never spotted—usually within hours or a day of enjoying the fresh ginger.

I think the last straw came when during the covid-19 fiasco, someone I knew enjoyed a couple of cups of fire cider.

Fire cider is a disease-fighting concoction made from slices of: 
  • garlic
  • yellow onion
  • red onion
  • orange
  • lemon
  • hot red pepper 
  • hot green pepper
  • ginger

(Or some such variation of the above.)

Real apple cider vinegar is then poured over the contents, covering them completely, and left to marinate for months (6 weeks at minimum).

When ill (or feeling the onset of any illness, including a mere cold), you place a spoonful or 2 of the fire cider in a cup of hot or cold water, add honey to taste, and drink it up.

It's actually extremely tasty.

Anyway, this friend enjoyed a couple of cups of the fire cider (she estimated ¼ cup of the fire cider itself diluted within 2 cups of water).

3 hours later, she felt & discovered spotting—this a week before her cycle was due.

I've had my own experiences with ginger, but hearing of this fire cider incident was the last straw.

I decided to write in warning against using ginger during pregnancy or, if you're a married Jewish lady, using it outside of active niddah days.

What Kind of Ginger?

Research on this particular effect of ginger led to split results.

According to actual studies, it's not clear whether ginger causes miscarriages.

I think it also depends on what form of ginger is used.

Meaning, the supermarket-bought ground ginger is considerably less potent than the fresh, juicy ginger root.

Maybe powered supermarket ginger has no effect at all.

Also, it depends on the quantity used.

For example, is shredding a bit of fresh ginger into your stir-fry a problem? Is there a difference between a teaspoon & a tablespoon of ginger?

​Regarding the fire cider, a whole root isn't used—slices of root, however many, go into the concoction.

​The problem is that the long-term steeping of the fruits & herbs in the apple cider vinegar is meant to bring out their potency.

So the ginger in fire cider isn't potent because of its quantity but because of its marinade-enhanced quality.

Likewise, how much ginger is in one mug of ginger beer (or real ginger ale)? Not much.

Recipes for a batch call for anywhere from only 2 tablespoons to ¼ cup of shredded ginger—one mug out of a whole batch isn't much actual ginger.

​But again, the process apparently intensifies the potency of ginger—as shown in the example above.

With regard to herbs like ginger (which, in small doses, may or may not cause miscarriage):

​Some hold the view they cause miscarriage only if the fetus isn't viable anyway, but do not harm a healthy pregnancy.

That's usually the airy-fairy hippie view of these things.

But I don't see how Judaism allows you to mess with that either way.

It's still a risk.

Furthermore, let's say that ginger "only" causes spotting during a healthy pregnancy—no miscarriage, just spotting.

Does it? Not sure.

​Nonetheless, it's still distressing to the pregnant mother who doesn't know if this is a sign of something worse to come.

So what should one do?

Recommendations of the Better-Safe-Than-Sorry Kind

Without being an herbalist or any kind of doctor, I recommend the following based on anecdotal evidence:

  • I think if an age-old tradition exists of ginger "bringing on a late cycle," then we should pay attention to that. Such a tradition implies witnesses to this particular cause-and-effect.
 
  • Based on the better-safe-than-sorry precept, I think fresh ginger or potent ginger concoctions (tinctures, beers, ciders, etc.) should not be used in pregnancy.
 
  • If you are a married Jewish woman still in her child-bearing years (i.e., not yet past menopause), you should avoid fresh ginger or potent ginger tinctures during all the days you wish to stay clean.

Spotting isn't dangerous for the non-pregnant. But it sure is inconvenient & annoying for those keeping taharat hamishpacha (the laws of family purity).​

I just know I've had friends who used ginger for nausea during pregnancy, who also experienced miscarriages.

Did they miscarry directly because of the ginger? Not sure. After all, we're talking only small amounts of ginger.

They also carried to term several times, resulting in healthy babies, baruch Hashem.

​But based on the above indications, I simply would not risk combining ginger & pregnancy.

Having said all that, both studies & anecdotal evidence show that ginger certainly helps during the days of active niddah by shortening the amount of time a woman experiences pain and other discomforts.

​Paradoxically, imbibing ginger during that specific time can shorten the actual niddah phase. 

For a long time, I hesitated writing anything about ginger & reproductive phases because I'm a little uncomfortable discussing it in a public forum (it's not very tsniyus, is it?). 

Also, I couldn't find studies addressing this anecdotal evidence or the traditional use of ginger in this forbidden way.

Maybe there are such studies, but I didn't see them.

But even outside of pregnancy, if you keep taharat hamishpacha, you could experience spotting without any idea of the cause, inconveniencing both you & your husband.

And why suffer needlessly? (I'm SO against needless suffering!)

So here it is, my unprofessional perspective on the topic.

​May we all use ginger only in GOOD health!
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Please Daven for BINYAMIN YISROEL BEN CHANITA

28/12/2020

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Binyamin Yisroel is in eighth grade & an only child.

He has a brain tumor, for which he already underwent brain surgery, but needs further treatment for the remaining malignant tumor.

Please add his name to your davening list:
Binyamin Yisroel ben Chanita (The "Ch" is the chet sound, as in Chanukah.)

בנימין ושראל בן חניתה

THE Clifton-Passaic communities have asked:  
 "Please help us get the zchus of 5,000 משניות + 5,000 perakim of תהילים daily for 2 weeks." 
They've sent this out as a request to all Jews all around the world to please sign up yourself & your whole family (if possible) and help reach the goal of 5,000 mishnayot + 5,000 chapters of Tehillim each day.

​(At this writing, they're over halfway to their goal with the Tehillim & almost halfway with the mishnayot.)

If possible, they request that you please take a mishna and a perek. 

This program will run Sunday, Dec 27th – Shabbos Kodesh Jan 9th.

For questions contact: tehillimplusmishnayos@gmail.com

Or see this link:
https://form.jotform.com/203565250550146?utm_source=phpList&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=%28ann%29+5%2C000+%2B+5%2C000%3A+L%27zchus+Refua+Shelaima+for+Binyamin+Yisroel+ben+Chanita&utm_content=HTML

(Please note that when you click on the number, it's not what chapter number you wish to say, but the amount of chapters you wish to say.)

Tizku l'mitzvot—and may he merit a full & speedy healing along with all the other sufferers in Yisrael.

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UPDATED: Past Posts to Get You in a Seasonal Mood

25/12/2020

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Here are past posts to get you in a seasonal mood:
  • NEW!: How Jewish was Yoshke?
  • Rav Avigdor Miller on New Years 2000 (Y2K)—He speaks about that day in general, not Y2K.
  • A Seasonal Gem from Rav Avigdor Miller
  • 'Tis the Season of Creepy Customs...Tra-la-la-la!


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Rav Avigdor Miller on Parshat Vayigash: The Secret Strategy to Overcoming Our Most Powerful Enemies

24/12/2020

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The Rise & Fall of Vanity

It's always interesting to note the rise & fall of nations throughout history.

For example, Biblical Egypt rose to such heights of power, technology, science, and occult...yet where is it now?

Greek Egypt also showed great accomplishment & promise...yet where is it now?

Original Egyptians no longer exist as identifiable members of that nation.

Today, the very name "Egypt" no longer connotates the pinnacle of human accomplishment or a world power, but a dreary dysfunctional Third World country that occasionally lashes out like a dying, wounded sphinx.

Once again, history shows that the best plan is to disengage from the temporal (regardless of how compelling & impressive) and associate with the Eternal: Hashem.​

Harnessing Those Horses

In Rav Avigdor Miller's dvar Torah on Parshas Vayigash 4 – The Result of a Good Deed, he hones in on Yosef Hatzaddik's burning to desire to honor his father to the point that Yosef Hatzaddik forgets about his own honor as one of the most powerful leaders in the world.

​Yosef Hatzaddik rushed to the stables to harness his horses himself, even though the servants stood by, trained & ready to do it for him—yet he did so all for the sake of honoring his father.

In contrast, Paroh (Pharoah) also rushed to the stables to harness his horses himself—but to pursue Am Yisrael to death & re-enslavement.

Rav Miller notes that when such similar statements occur, Hashem means to draw our attention to it.

Millennia of Torah scholars scrutinize every word of Torah. And they note the connection.

​What is it?

The Secret to Fighting the Most Powerful Enemy

Yosef Hatzaddik's great thirst to do a mitzvah, to forget about his ego & his status for the sake of the honor of both Hashem & his father—this paralleled Paroh's evil thirst to re-enslave Am Yisrael.

With the same act, Yosef Hatzaddik sought to serve Hashem with single-minded focus while Paroh sought to rebel against Hashem with single-minded focus.

But because Yosef Hatzaddik behaved this way first, he received the power & the credit for the act.

​On pages 10-13, Rav Miller explains in compelling detail the Kuzari's description of how creating a mitzvah is like creating a child.

As we learn from a verse in an earlier about Noach's descendants: A person's true offspring are his mitzvot.

​As Rav Miller notes (page 14):
​And so when we were standing at the Red Sea, by all accounts we should have been finished off.

We were a weak people, without weapons and not schooled in the ways of war.

And here is the most powerful army in the world hurtling towards us, at full speed.

The Egyptians were wild with enthusiasm.

​Pharaoh was so drunk with bloodlust that he had harnessed his chariot himself!

At this point an angel spoke up: Wasn’t Yosef also a leader of Egypt? Didn’t he also get so enthusiastic about Your will Hashem, that he did the same thing and harnessed his own chariot?

​“Oh,” Hashem said, “Yes, yes; now is the time to strike down the actions of Pharaoh. His efforts to destroy My people will have no effect, because Yosef’s act outweighs all of that military might.”

Applying the Lesson of Yosef HaTzaddik to Ourselves

As usual, Rav Miller emphasizes the importance of simcha shel mitzvah, of carrying out our obligations with enthusiasm & relish.

On pages 16-21, Rav Miller goes through different mitzvot & explains in witty detail how to accomplish them with increased enthusiasm.

​For example (page 18):
So here's a lady...And now she’s lighting the candles.

She’s lighting anyhow so just before she lights the candles she remembers she once heard this idea so she stops for a few seconds and tries to create a simcha shel mitzvah, that she should be happy, excited about the mitzvah of bringing in the Shabbos.

It’s a wonderful idea. You should try it.

With this in mind, please also make sure to check out the Practical Tip on page 21, which shows how you can apply this idea with literally only 10 seconds each day.
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The Relationship between 2 Very Disturbing Current Events

22/12/2020

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Within a couple of days of each other, two disturbing events occurred.

First, a Golani soldier armed with a fully automatic rifle did NOT shoot at an attacker who attacked the soldier with a flaming Molotov cocktail. (Not sure, but it looks like the fire hit the soldier's legs, but quickly went out.)

You can see HERE in the bottom right corner of the still that it was a significant blast.

I'm not sure why the soldier—especially a Golani guy—did not shoot, neither as the attacker came at him nor as the attacker left.

Perhaps he unexpectedly froze under pressure.

Perhaps, when faced with the actual prospect of killing another human being face-to-face, he simply could not bring himself to shoot. (This happens to soldiers more often than people realize.)

Or maybe the soldier was one of these laid-back types & didn't perceive the flaming Molotov cocktail as so threatening. (There are people like this, believe it or not.) Like he saw it more as a game of chicken than an attack.

Perhaps, with all the mind-games of the high mucky-muck army superiors & government officials, plus the Leftist self-hating journalists, the soldier wasn't sure whether killing his assailant would bring unjustly harsh consequences against the soldier.

On the other hand, the attacker either did not mind being shot (why else would he carry out an attack with no defense that brought him such close range of a fully armed soldier?) OR the attacker relied on both the natural hesitancy of a decent man with a gun combined with the bleeding-hearted restrictions against soldiers' use of force.

IDF superiors removed the soldier from combat—which may be a wise decision if investigations show the soldier either froze up or could not bring himself to perform the necessary self-defense.

(After all, would you want to go to combat with a colleague who could not shoot to save his own life—or yours?)

Golani is understandably very upset about the way things turned out. 

(Unlike the high mucky-mucks, the Golani guys actually understand that allowing terrorists to escape proper consequences makes Israelis look really weak & encourages further attacks.)

However, if the soldier felt constricted by the very real deliberation of whether shooting would be considered okay in this situation, then that's a very legitimate deliberation in our times.

And if that's the case, then the hesitancy isn't his fault, but the fault of his superiors.

After all, there was the rabbi at an isolated bus stop several years ago in Judea & Samaria who waited until the last possible second to shoot a terrorist, and the police still penalized him by taking his gun & keeping it for a very long time.

​Other soldiers faced situations in which they killed an actual terrorist and were jailed for it.

When Elor Azaryah did exactly that in 2016, he actually acted according to halacha. He also likely saved lives because with Israeli's revolving door for terrorists, the terrorist (had he lived) would likely have been set free at some point to try murdering more Jews.

So if the soldier felt conflicted, he has every right because the Israeli justice system for both civilians & soldiers is so capricious.

Unfortunately, by allowing the attacker to both attack and then flee, this bolsters further aggression on the part of terrorists & their supporters by making Israelis look weak & ineffectual—in other words, even a trained man with a fully automatic rifle is an easy target. 

​Furthermore, by allowing the attacker to escape, this pretty much ensures that the attacker will attack again, thus endangering fellow Jews.

(Okay, yeah, they caught the attacker later. But again, there still exists the revolving door option for terrorists.)

​So that's pretty disturbing.

All in all, the soldier should have blasted the attacker.

But he didn't.

Why?

We don't know yet, but knowing Golani, I'm leaning toward the soldier not wanting to face unsavory consequences, rather than him not having the guts or presence of mind to shoot.

So that's my lean, but we don't actually know at this point.

Jews Held to a Different Standard

The other even more extremely disturbing occurrence was when a religious Jewish 17-year-old boy (Ahuvya Sandak) was killed & his friends injured directly because police chased them after merely suspecting them of throwing rocks at local Arabs.

Teenager Killed During a Police Chase in Shomron

Now, probably the police did not mean for that to happen. But probably they did not care very much about preventing it from happening either.

And just to be clear: I am against throwing rocks at random Arabs or anyone else unless you KNOW that particular individual deserves it.

I'm against it because, as far as I know, Jewish Law is against it.

But the police response was extreme.

And biased.

For example, we know that officials care very little about Arabs throwing rocks at Jews because they do it all the time with few repercussions.

For instance, I personally know people who point to rock-throwing Arabs in the newspaper and exclaim, "Hey! I know that guy—he works at Rami Levi!"

Rami Levi is a popular supermarket chain in Eretz Yisrael.

People go into the supermarket and see the same rock-thrower casually working the register.

Also, when I was a dati-leumi girl, a young man in our group told of when he served in the IDF, his unit faced an ongoing onslaught of rocks and they begged their commanding officer to let them shoot back. 

(Also, remember that these are mostly boys of the ages 18-21.)

The commanding officer wanted to, but said he couldn't give the order because his IDF superiors ordered him not to.

​Then one of the young soldiers got a rock his mouth and my friend watched as his friend's gums & teeth fell out.

The commanding officer still would not allow them to shoot back.

His friend survived, but needed several surgeries to repair his jaw.

Online, you can find video collages of Israeli soldiers under attack by rocks or with their posts on fire, and begging for backup or the right to defend themselves—but no dice.

So we know that no one cares much about Arabs throwing rocks at Jews—including Erev Rav-y "Jews" who don't care about rocks propelled at fellow Jews.

But when Jews throw rocks at Arabs?

Oh-ho!

THAT'S different! 

Even just Jews suspected of throwing rocks—not that it's certain, but merely suspected!

Apparently, Jews merely suspected of throwing rocks must be hunted down & pursued as if—as if they were throwing flaming Molotov cocktails at extremely close range!

​Apparently, double standards are okay as long as they discriminate against Jews—particularly religious Jews!

And also, just to put a personal spin on things: People from Bat Ayin are really nice!

My son who likes to travel all over the country once ended up at Bat Ayin for Shabbat.

He stayed with some Bat Ayin boys in an ancient ruin they'd made habitable. (The boys' families lived in regular homes nearby.) These boys knew & cared about all the Shabbat halachot for living in a ruin with some electricity, including keeping the food warm over Shabbat, etc.

​One of the boys' fathers stopped by before Shabbat to make sure their electric wiring was fine.

It was a very cool experience—the experience of living in ancient Judea as our ancestors did in the same kind of structure constructed of local stones.

Also, my son is obviously a charedi yeshivah bachur and that was fine with these non-charedi-yet-religious Bat Ayin residents because Bat Ayin residents have a solid sense of achdut (unity) with their fellow Jews.

You keep Shabbat & learn Torah? Hey, you're one of us!

And that's just one nice thing to say about the Jews of Bat Ayin. There's a lot more good to say.​

It's All Very Telling

So this is what's going on and you can bet your bottom dollar it all means something.

​It's no coincidence that these disturbing incidents occurred so close together, especially when they reflect each other:

Adult Arab brazenly attacks armed Jew with explosive at lethally close range & gets away with it vs. underage Jews only suspected of throwing rocks at Arabs are dangerously pursued to death (or injury) AND arrested.

(And that's not even getting to the horrific tragedy of the middle-aged Jewish mother found murdered in her car—pretty obviously an act of terrorism—or the terrorist killed when he shot at police officers in Yerushalayim's Old City. I guess that shooting at a police officer is bad enough to justify the liquidation of the aggressor. But others need more deliberation. Double standards and all that.) 

Gee, I'm so glad we finally have our own country where we can finally live free of discrimination & persecution. Yeah, this whole Communist-inspired enterprise devoid of Torah is really working out for us!

A nation like any other! Groovy! [sarc]

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What's the Link between Oneg (Pleasure) & Nega (Plague)?

21/12/2020

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The book Getting to Know Your Soul by Rav Itamar Schwartz of Bilvavi features a whole chapter on Oneg—Pleasure.

One interesting idea presented there is that oneg (pleasure) & nega (plague) comprise the same letters, just in a different order.

oneg/ענג — nega/נגע

Rav Schwartz quotes Sefer Yetzirah, noting that nothing is higher than oneg while nothing is lower than nega.

This is because oneg, when used positively, can lead us to great heights.

As we know, a wealth of Torah scholarship exists which emphasizes the great pleasure of being close to Hashem.

This is why very high-level tzaddikim are happy all the time—they're always with Hashem & basking in that pleasure.

However, within corrupted oneg lies the source of all bad middot.

Oneg, which can be found at the highest levels of kedushah (holiness) also "has the potential to deteriorate into destructive nega."

I found that interesting in light of the nega coursing through the world right now.

Interestingly, we hear about the covid-19 nega (which isn't a plague like the Spanish flu or Black Plague—plagues which killed most of their victims, sometimes within hours—but covid-19 causes disruptions anyway) mostly in places with advanced technology.

And advanced technology provides unending opportunities for destructive oneg. 

Like, how much have you heard about covid-19 in undeveloped areas of the world? Initially, cluster maps showed almost nothing throughout the undeveloped areas of the world with large cluster zones in America & Europe. But even now, how much do you hear about covid-19 in undeveloped areas?

And as stressful as modern life often is, there is also a huge emphasis on leisure activities.

An "eat, drink, be merry" attitude permeates Western culture.

To use oneg properly, it must be used for positive connection.

Social media & comment sections often facilitate comments meant to hurt, criticize, or mock.

The authors of these comments often enjoy what they're doing—an example of destructive oneg for personal pleasure.

Likewise, many reality shows manipulate situations to humiliate or sabotage the participants—all the while making it look spontaneous.

With today's undeletable videos, the humiliation never ends. Sometimes the victim receives millions of jeering comments, plus harassment in real life.

Another example is how one reality show meant to improve restaurants—but actually invented over 60% of the problems "discovered" on the show. As a result, these restaurants often went out of business.

So we see a modern plague of humiliating & sabotaging other people (including ending their livelihood)—all for the purpose of base "entertainment" (a truly low-down level of oneg) and providing fame & money (more lowly oneg) for the callous producers. 

This is the diametric opposite of oneg for connection.

It's destructive oneg.

Another example:

Eating delicious food can connect to you Hashem by making a heartfelt blessing over the food, then eating it with gratitude & and the intent to keep yourself healthy for doing more mitzvot.

It can connect you to the person who made the food by increasing your appreciation of & gratitude toward that person.

That's oneg for holy connection.

However, one who eats merely to enjoy the physical act of eating (especially when indulging junk food without even being hungry) uses oneg purely for personal pleasure—and that deteriorates the sublime purpose of oneg.

Rav Schwartz notes this idea has wide application, including in relationships, especially in marriage.

When people look for their own personal pleasure, rather than connection, the relationship eventually disintegrates because it was only ever based on what personal pleasure one could extract from it, and not a true bond with the other person.

As Rav Schwartz states on page 102: 
Pleasure as a goal in itself is the root of destruction (churban),
​but if the goal is to forge connection, it is the root of constructive growth (binyan).

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