Category: Coronavirus

Scientists are Documenting the Keter d'Reisha d'Lo Ityada—Only They Don't Know It

1/9/2021

For obvious reasons, the handling of the covid phenomenon has fanned increasing distrust & contempt toward doctors & scientists.

Yet it's not true that all doctors & researchers lack integrity & are part of a conspiracy.

Likewise, not all are driven by greed & fear & kavod (though the kavod aspect is particularly difficult to rise above; after all, these people don't exactly have a regular mussar-learning session).

Some doctors & researchers feel genuine concern about the covid virus & its mutating variants. They want to find a solution

They want to make meaningful contributions & help people.

They do not want harmful substances in a vaccine.

Yet even the well-meaning ones seem affected by fear (though they try to act confident), and the confusing nature of covid isn't helping.

But at least these scientists are willing to acknowledge their confounded expectations & the phenomenon's lack of conformity to the understood norms of virology.

"We Want Something We Cannot Achieve, And We Don't Know Why."

For those who aren't familiar, Nature magazine is a highly respected science magazine.

It's a prestigious achievement for a scientist to get his or her work published in Nature.

Here's a link to a Nature article about covid & herd immunity:
Five reasons why COVID herd immunity is probably impossible
www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-00728-2

Note: When reading any science article, it's vital to note when something is a FACT and when the material seeks to promote a theory without actual proof.

When there is no hard evidence, the article promotes an idea by using words like "indicate" "appear" "might" "perhaps" "assume" "suggests" "intriguing" and so on.

("Intriguing" is a particularly beloved word among scientists when speaking of unproven theories.)

For example, in this Nature article, it's clear they seek to push the vaccine.

Fortunately, the entire article is also about their lack of clear proof & data regarding their goals.

In fact, they're refreshingly honest about their lack of knowledge & the issues involved!

(I really appreciate this; it's not the usual among science articles.)

Just to be fair, this article was published in February 2021. They probably know even more—or less—by this time.

Anyway...the researchers cheerfully admit to being confounded by several issues.

One issue is:

They don't feel they have a vaccine safe for children.

Another is:

People's resistance to an experimental unproven jab.

(The article notes the resistance of Israeli youth—but were coaxed by offers of free pizza & beer. Very unhealthy, BTW.)

Yet another confounding issue is:

Brazil experienced an infection rate "estimated" at 60%, which should have conferred herd immunity—but didn't.

For example, a resurgence of covid swept through Brazil.

100% of the infected of the Brazilian city of Manaus tested positive for the Gamma P.1 variant.

So one scientist now muses the percentage (60%) may have been an overestimate.

But why? And how could that happen?

If people were tested, with the test results registered in the clinics, then you have solid data to collect.

You see clearly the number of positive results compared to the number of the population.

So where is the need for estimating?

And get a load of this gem from the same article:

The COVID-19 vaccines developed by Moderna and Pfizer–BioNTech, for example, are extremely effective at preventing symptomatic disease, but it is still unclear whether they protect people from becoming infected, or from spreading the virus to others.

That sounds so weird to me.

The vaccine prevents symptoms, but does not prevent the actual disease? Why? How does that even work?

Doesn't that make it NOT a vaccine if it cannot prevent you from actually contracting the disease?

It sounds more like a glorified cold 'n' fever symptom reliever.

(Is that worth free beer & pizza? For me, that would depend on what kind of beer & pizza...just kidding.)

Here's the official dictionary definition of the word "vaccine" (boldface mine):

vac·cine /vakˈsēn/

noun

a substance used to stimulate the production of antibodies and provide immunity against one or several diseases...

So the vaccinated supposedly walk around feeling fine, not even suspecting they are actually infected with a supposedly dangerous disease?

Okay...so even though the above-named vaccines don't seem to actually vaccinate ("provide immunity"), they at least prevent symptoms...

Where is the proof?

Actually, some evidence appears in this article:
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-00450-z

So in conclusion, the vaccine might have limited benefits—just not the one it's promoted as having.

Also, there is some indication that while the current covid vaccines do not protect against actual infection by the Delta variant, vaccinated people experience lighter viral loads & fewer symptoms & fewer hospitalizations:
www.gov.uk/government/news/vaccines-highly-effective-against-hospitalisation-from-delta-variant

(Again, no proof. Indications. Regardless of which side you take regarding the covid vaccine debate, we see anything connected to covid becoming increasingly UNPREDICTABLE.)

And whether it harms or helps at all seems more dependent on the attitude of the person being vaccinated, rather than the actual composition of the vaccine.

(All this also confirms the absurdity of making this non-vaccinating vaccine obligatory.)

What's Going On?

The reason why scientists are confounded & bewildered is because we have entered the era of Keter d'reisha d'lo ityada (or Keser d'reisha d'lo isyada, if you prefer Ashkenazi pronunciation).

The spiritual light of the 50th gate within the 50th gate [both on the sides of good and evil] is referred to by the Kabbalists as the Reisha D’lo Isyada, “The unknowable beginning.”

It is the point known as Keter, and the innermost level of this is Keter D’Keter.

***

Every person can see now that no one knows what will be.

Basically everything now is cloudy and unclear.

This corresponds to the revelation of the point of Reisha d’lo isyada, to the unknowable beginning, and it is being translated in our world as a reality in which people are not able to know for certain of what is going to happen.

The End of Days is the general name of today’s times, and we do not know precisely for how long it will continue.

It will be overcome only when the presence of Hashem completely fills each person’s heart.

https://bilvavi.net/files/Bilvavi.Corona.Q.and.A.pdf, page 61 (boldface & underline mine)

Just try telling them that.

Rav Itamar Schwartz sums up what researchers are documenting (boldface mine):

The light of the Keser will continue to be manifest on our world in all kinds of different ways, switching between different forms at alternating times, and it will keep being mysterious to those who see it.

question.bilvavi.net/blog/2021/02/18/deeper-meaning-behind-corona-vaccine-part-2/

May we all merit to experience the light of Redemption right now, do teshuvah from love, and merit Mashiach b'rachamim.

0 Comments

My Personal Experience with Coronavirus—Or Maybe Not. Or Maybe Yes?

26/8/2021

0 Comments

Last Sukkot (Autumn 2020), it seems like almost every person in my area contracted covid-19.

The number reached the thousands.

Some people suffered an usually harsh bout of it, frightened by constricted breathing or even needing a ventilator for a couple of days.

Out of the thousands, hardly any deaths occurred. I remember 2 for sure, but maybe it was 5?

They were all around 80 & in poor health (seemed like diabetes, high blood pressure, etc.). One I knew & missed him.

Needless to say, every life is precious & we need to take special precautions around vulnerable people.

But in my town, this supposedly dangerous epidemic demonstrated a survival rate of close to 100%.

Yes, I noticed increased severity in some cases—more hospitalizations than the flu, more severe symptoms—but not MUCH more than any other virus going around.

(You can read more about my observations here, along with the comments:
www.myrtlerising.com/blog/imagine-theres-no-mediawhat-is-your-personal-reality-of-covid-19)

The Most Fearful & Cautious Caught It First

My family & I noticed another odd pattern.

It seemed that the people most afraid of the virus & sticking closest to the mandated protocols got sick first.

Meaning, the people who suffered real anxiety about the virus and were stringent with wearing masks, social distancing, going out only when necessary, learning & davening at home rather than a shul or beit midrash—they ALWAYS caught the virus. And early on too.

In contrast, those of us who lacked fear & did not obey the protocols beyond the minimum to keep us out of legal trouble...tended to be fine.

One family in our building are Eitznikim.

This means they follow Rav Shmuel Auerbach ztz"l. They automatically suspect anything the secular Israeli government does, assuming that even when the government does something good, it's probably for a secretly bad motive. (This is the halachically mandated approach when dealing with confirmed reshaim.)

They do their best to act like there is no government (except they do obey normal laws, like speed limits & crossing at the appropriate lights, no stealing or murdering or assaulting or graffiti—which they wouldn't anyway because they are very religious & follow halacha).

Their schools were open when everyone else's were closed.

They refused to wear masks as much as possible (like only if a cop was around who would penalize them).

And so on.

They were the last to catch the virus, and I'm not even sure they did. If they did, they experienced a very light case.

We also did not fear the virus & did not cling to the mandates, only following what we needed to avoid fines. One son had a confirmed case of covid-19 and simply stayed quarantined in yeshivah with all his friend also diagnosed with covid-19.

They had a great time together.

Nobody died either.

Baruch Hashem.

Against All Logic & Expectation

I know a child born with a sensitive respiratory system.

(His mother thinks it's because of the meconium he inhaled at birth combined with the choking vacuuming of his lungs immediately upon his birth. In other words, she thinks his lungs were traumatized.)

He often coughed through entire nights as a baby and as a toddler, was also prone to colds & coughs & fevers.

They tried vitamins, herbal remedies of all kinds, essential oils, a vaporizer, acupressure, the ventilator machine at the doctor's office—nothing helped.

This went on and on for the first years of his life, with him missing the equivalent of an entire month of preschool during the winter.

When covid-19 made its appearance, his mother wondered whether her son might catch a nasty case of it because he seemed so vulnerable to respiratory viruses.

Oddly, the first winter covid hit Israel, her son was LESS sick than he'd ever been. He had one phlegmy cough that lasted a few weeks—and that was it.

The next time covid went around, she gave him a couple of doses of Sambucol (a brand of elderberry syrup made with vitamin C, and some with zinc too) for the first time, and he remained healthy throughout the entire season.

In fact, she said she's astounded that davka during this covid epidemic, her son has never been healthier!

And remember, this is a kid who was born susceptible to respiratory viruses & whose illnesses NEVER responded to ANY treatment.

What gives?

Did We Have Covid? We'll Never Know.

But what about the rest of us in my family?

Not sure.

We were taking the recommended vitamins, like D3, K2, vitamin C, zinc, etc.

During that time, my husband seemed tired, then developed a low fever.

This isn't uncommon with him, that periodically he appears mildly ill, then is back to himself within a couple of days.

So I didn't think much of it, especially as he wasn't coughing or wheezing or stuffy at all.

Then I developed a mild fever and achy legs.

But we still managed just fine, each taking turns to make meals or tidy up something or care for our youngest child. (The older kids still at home managed themselves & despite constant exposure to us, remained healthy, as did the youngest—baruch Hashem, bli ayin hara.)

I considered getting tested.

But because I'm not a completely irresponsible person, I didn't want to take the bus to get to the testing center because I knew the masks are not effective and did not want to infect anyone on the bus.

After all, elderly people, babies, and other vulnerable people ride the bus.

So I considered calling for a taxi, but again, because I'm not completely irresponsible, I would tell the taxi service upfront that I suspect I'm infected with covid-19.

But then I thought, even if they would take me, is it responsible to get my germs in the taxi, knowing the passengers after me would be directly exposed? What if they're vulnerable to complications from the virus?

(To emphasize: The mandate to go out for testing when you have symptoms is irresponsible & illogical. Most Israelis do not have cars. It forces people to go out among others DAVKA when they're sick & contagious!)

So then I considered walking to the center. But it's uphill and my fever hovered around 99 degrees and my legs were achy, it was hot outside, and the mask mandate was still on. So I didn't think I could make it on foot.

My husband didn't want to get tested at all because he didn't feel any different than any other time he got sick. In fact, he felt better than during other illnesses.

We were also both of the notion that a mild fever & achy legs didn't NEED to be covid-19. After all, there are many other viruses in life.

So we didn't get tested.

As I recovered within 4 days, I lost my sense of smell.

I didn't notice at first because I never had much sense of smell.

I mostly enjoyed this lack of smell, however.

A lot of smells in life aren't so pleasant. So it was like having time off from unpleasant smells.

To experiment, I opened a bottle of vinegar and inhaled as hard as I could.

Only with intense inhaling could I vaguely smell the vinegar. Cool!

Cinnamon could also be smelled only with intense effort.

On the other hand, I burned a pot of peas because I did not smell the initial scorching.

I also sprayed too much insect repellant at mosquitoes because I could not smell it.

I also baked chicken into unappetizing dryness because my meat oven lacks a timer and could not smell the baking process (and I forgot to keep track of the time myself).

Furthermore, many foods had a bitter taste or bitter aftertaste.

But now all my senses are back to normal.

♪ Where, O Where Have My Little Antibodies Gone? Where, O Where Can They Be?♫

Around 6 months later, my husband got tested for antibodies.

None. (Or so few, the results are considered negative.)

A couple of weeks ago (meaning, around 10 months since we think we might have had covid-19), I also got tested for antibodies.

None. (Or so few, the results are considered negative.)

The receptionist at the clinic, who is also a neighbor, said, "I also don't have antibodies."

"What?" I said. "But you had such a harsh case of it!"

She nodded.

She was one of the people who got hit hard by it, feeling awful & coughing, and then it just wouldn't leave her.

I don't remember when exactly she got infected, but I remember her at the Megillah reading on Purim, and was shocked to see her still feeling so poorly.

Yet even such a case still left her with no antibodies.

"But I got the vaccine," she said with an air of solid assurance.

She believes in the vaccine.

Look, I don't blame her.

She suffered such a harsh bout of covid, it must be frightening to think of ever getting it again.

But what I still don't understand (and I tried to research this, but came up with nothing) is how a virus that—most oddly—leaves no antibodies & therefore no immunity...how can there be a vaccine for that?

The virus itself does not produce immunity, so how can a vaccine made from the virus produce immunity?

Why are Things So Unpredictable?

It's all unpredictable.

We're seeing such lack of predictability & reliability during this covid era.

As mentioned above, we saw people who took precautions get sick while people who took little to no precautions either remained healthy or experienced a very light case of sickness.

Some vulnerable people with a low immune system remained healthy while robust people got infected.

Weather is going to extremes in many places (the unprecedented heat wave in rainy Seattle, the unseasonal & unexpected flooding in Germany, the bizarre freeze across arid sunny Texas, etc.)

People are also changing.

The appliance repair man we trusted for 10 years suddenly turned into a cheat & a deceiver. And he was genuinely trustworthy for all these 10 years; it wasn't that we were naïve & only realized it now. He really WAS the perfect appliance repairman who could always be trusted for good work & good advice.

Alas, no more.

On the other hand, another person I deal with at times has been very difficult for years. Suddenly, this person has become a lot more pleasant with much better character. It's been months and this person has remained a new improved self.

(So there is happy unpredictability too, not just stressful unpredictability.)

Those are just a couple of examples.

Why are things getting so unpredictable?

Well, it all comes back to the spiritual reasons for this.

Rav Itamar Schwartz repeatedly explains how the world changed in 5760 (1999-2000):

In that year, the power of Amalek began to dominate the world, and it will be that way until This World ends.

question.bilvavi.net/blog/2021/08/24/14910-avodas-hashem-during-corona/

(If you want to know what major events happened in the world for that Hebrew year, please see here from September 10, 1999 {Rosh Hashanah 5760} until here September 30, 2000 {Rosh Hashanah 5761}. The Twin Towers attack occurred at the very end of 5761.)

We are also in the middle of the war of Gog & Magog:

...it is already going on! There have always been wars taking place in the final years of our world. But all of these wars are just the final outcome of something deeper and more internal.

All of these wars have been the result of the internal “wars” that have been taking place in the souls of people.

The war of Gog and Magog will be revealed outwardly [in our world] as it will be, and it should make no difference to a person.

If a person is busy thinking about it, he is wasting his time because he is not involving himself with priority.

[As mentioned earlier] the war of Gog and Magog has already been happening in the world.

question.bilvavi.net/blog/2021/08/24/14910-avodas-hashem-during-corona/

And also that we have entered the era of Keser/Keter d'reisha d'lo ityada—in other words, the height of the unknowable, the height of unpredictability (boldface mine):

Now that the light of the Keser has descended onto our world, along with a corresponding level of tumah (the 50th level of holiness versus the 50th level of impurity) to counter it, the world will not go back to way it was before...

...There will continue to be turbulence within the physical situation of our world, in different ways, in a cycle of progression and regression, in all kinds of forms.

But if one views the world today from an inner viewpoint, he can see it all as an outcome of the tumah in our world today Rachmana Litzlan, and the results of it are inevitable:

It is causing the world to come apart.

question.bilvavi.net/blog/2021/08/24/14908-has-the-world-returned-to-normal/

And:

The light of the Keser will continue to be manifest on our world in all kinds of different ways, switching between different forms at alternating times, and it will keep being mysterious to those who see it.

question.bilvavi.net/blog/2021/02/18/deeper-meaning-behind-corona-vaccine-part-2/

This will keep going until Mashiach comes, says Rav Schwartz.

Note: I quote Rav Schwartz a lot, which may give a misleading impression about him.

So it's worth noting that Rav Itamar Schwartz is against all forms of the Internet & has no connection to the Bilvavi site.

The Q&As were either recorded during a class given by Rav Schwartz, then transcribed and translated into English, or they are questions people wrote in, and his verbal answer recorded.

None of that is FOR the website. It's just something he has done for years (i.e., give classes & answer questions).

The Bilvavi site was produced by a student of Rav Schwartz (a student who seems to be running it from a Netfree Internet center, and not from his home), and the site is specifically meant to make Rav Schwartz's shiurim & ideas available as kiruv for completely secular people.

I do not fit that description, but I obviously use the site anyway. I can't resist!

The point is that Rav Schwartz has no more connection with the Bilvavi website than Rav Kanievsky does with all the websites that post videos & quotes of him.

See the Disclaimer here:
https://eng.bilvavi.net/opinion/

0 Comments

The Message of the Yellow Star

23/8/2021

0 Comments

This post discusses on aspect of the Holocaust that I believe contains a message for us today.

Rav Avigdor Miller, Rav Shach, Rav Elchonon Wasserman, the Satmar Rav, and others considered much of the Holocaust unfathomable.

However, they also believed aspects of it contained messages for us.

Rav Avigdor Miller wrote a book about this called A Divine Madness. This book has helped many of us by explaining Hashem's messages & answering the existential questions that plagued us. And those messages continue to help us in our personal paths of self-improvement today.

On the other hand, other great rabbanim like the Lubavitcher Rebbe & Rav Hutner considered the Holocaust completely unfathomable and therefore turned away from the kind of analysis & mussar the above-mentioned rabbanim engaged in.

Many people find solace & meaning in this approach too.

Either way, all the above rabbanim were successful in their efforts toward rebuilding the Jewish people with enthusiastic authentic Judaism.

With that said...the following article discusses the messages according to Rav Avigdor Miller's approach.

And this approach may not sit well with people who hold like the Lubavitcher Rebbe & Rav Hutner.

But even though their approach is unquestionably honorable & valid, it doesn't mean the rest of us can't discuss things according to the approach of Rav Miller and others.

To see the view of the Lubavitcher Rebbe: https://www.chabad.org/therebbe/article_cdo/aid/62160/jewish/1939-45-The-Rebbe-on-the-Holocaust-Rebuilding.htm

For Rav Miller's view: https://torasavigdor.org/tag/holocaust/

The Yellow Star

We all know about the Nazi order for Jews to sew a yellow star-shaped patch on their clothing.

Many memoirs reveal the different responses to this command at that time.

Some did so robotically, feeling helpless against yet another Nazi law. They didn't think to disobey because the slightest upset meant some kind of torment or even death.

And with the yellow star sewn on their coats, some avoided as much as possible going out, so as not to suffer harassment as such an identifiable Jew.

Yet others went out as usual, feeling their obedience provided some kind of protection.

But many others weighed the risks of wearing or not wearing the yellow star.

Some decided, after great deliberation, to wear it. They wore it with pride or with fear—or with both pride & fear.

Many realized the yellow star invited harassment (or worse).

Yet if they went out without the star & others realized they were Jewish, this also invited harassment in the form of a violent arrest and possibly death.

There was no "right" answer because so much depended on mazal & how you looked—and regardless of coloring & facial features, many Jewish eyes during the Holocaust contained a sadness or hunted look, making them stand out from the non-Jewish population.

It depended on whether your former non-Jewish acquaintances would recognize you—and if so, whether they would betray you.

For some Jews, wearing the yellow star worked out; it saved them from arrest or immediate death.

In some areas, the yellow star did not even invite harassment from the locals.

For other Jews, wearing the star brought their downfall, making them a target for random Jew-haters, plus unexpected Nazi round-ups in the street utilized the yellow stars as a pointer from which the star-wearing Jew could not escape.

Furthermore, several Holocaust memoirs report the good deeds of a non-Jew saves a Jew wearing the patch & even encourages the Jew to take it off.

One Girl's Story: Better Off without the Yellow Star

For example, in Rosalie Lamet's Holocaust memoir City of Diamonds, she recalls how she and her best friend, Helene (also a religious Jewish teenager), encountered a Nazi parade as the girls stood window shopping in Belgium.

Fortunately, a non-Jewish shopkeeper called them into her store & then insisted the girls remove their yellow stars.

At first, the Jewish girls protested, expressing their fear of the harsh punishment in store for Jews who disobeyed the order to wear the yellow star.

But the non-Jewish shopkeeper related her experience of a similar march, which resulted in the capture of dozens of Jewish youth—young Jews easily identified by the yellow star on their clothing.

Tearfully, the shopkeeper said, "Can't you see? The star is condemning you! Without it, you still have the chance to be overlooked. So please, I implore you, let me cut that yellow emblem from your garments before it spells your doom!" (page 200)

When the girls still hesitated, the shopkeeper took their coats and started removing the yellow stars herself.

After wholeheartedly thanking the kind-hearted courageous shopkeeper, the girls walked home.

To their surprise, the two girls felt "no qualms about parading around without our stars. On the contrary, we felt relieved!" (page 200)

This was clearly Hashem telling them they didn't need to wear the yellow star. For them, life was safer without it.

How One Teenage Jewish Girl Saw the Message

But ultimately, the entire purpose of the yellow star (as Rav Miller describes it in his book) is to look at the message from Hashem, which is obviously to stop assimilating.

It's like you wanted to be like the goyim around you & blend in to be more goyish? Well, davka now you're going to be FORCED to unassimilate.

Now you're going to look like a Jew whether you want to or not—and now it's not going to be pleasant.

Despite her youth, this lesson was not lost on the teenage Rosalie Lamet.

On page 190, she recalls:

The first time Mama and I walked down the street wearing our yellow stars, I felt everyone's eyes upon us.

The words of the prophet Balaam crossed my mind: "The Hebrew people shall stand alone among the nations," words he had intended as a curse but had been transformed into a blessing.

Later (page 202), she recalls how after she returned home from the righteous shopkeeper, she gazed at the yellow star no longer part of her coat & reflect on the strong feelings it evoked in her.

She decided then:

Right now, that slip of yellow material was a badge of shame and disgrace, but I prayed that one day soon it would be reinstated to its rightful place — a place of honor, beauty, and holiness.

Then the Jewish star would shine like a blessing for all to see!

So what Rav Miller & many other Gedolim pointed out did not lie beyond the grasp of the Jews of that time.

Eighteen-year-old Rosalie got it.

And she wasn't the only one.

Yes, the Jews needed to pay attention to the world around them and the consequences for their actions (consequences often impossible to predict with any certainty—as noted above, mazal decided more than anything else).

Rosalie was raised in a religious Jewish home, but one not very different than a lot of highly Americanized mainstream Orthodox Jews. As committed as her family was to mitzvot, Rosalie also describes them as culturally very Belgian (though 2 of her brothers chose to become very yeshivish).

Rosalie describes herself as brought up strictly religious, but her Jewish education had been "neglected," meaning that by 18 years of age, she knew only the basics of Jewish history & how to read Hebrew.

Yet even amid all the terror & stress & lack of the deeper Torah hashkafah some Jews received, Rosalie still managed to notice the spiritual message within the terrible nisayon.

Looking Objectively (But NOT Atheistically) at the Yellow Star Law

Again, the yellow star was not the deciding factor for who lived or died.

It was a factor. But not the only one.

Yes, it often proved to be a life-and-death decision—but not the only one & not outside of Hashem's Plan.

For instance, while neither Rosalie nor Helene suffered any harsh consequences for not wearing the yellow star, only Rosalie survived Holocaust.

Helene, despite her innovation & dynamism, was caught in a Nazi raid on her own home.

The yellow star was only ONE factor in a whole web of factors—as is always true in life.

It hurts to say it when discussing horrific events, but Hashem is orchestrating everything.

HE decides—and ONLY He decides.

(And here, I'm reminding myself as much as—or maybe even more than—I'm reminding you.)

So yes—many Jews argued, deliberated, and agonized over whether to wear the yellow star.

Either way, they knew they were making a life-and-death decision.

And some people who wore the yellow star died.

And some people who wore the yellow star lived.

And some people who refused to wear the yellow star died.

And some who refused to wear the yellow star lived.

It was individual; some could get away with not wearing it.

But mostly, it was a matter of mazal (Divinely orchestrated "luck")—while wearing or not wearing the yellow star factored into their mazal, it didn't decide their mazal.

Other factors & other unknowable cheshbonot played a vital part in survival (or not).

Either way, the message of the yellow star (as intended by Hashem) remained & still remains for us today.

(Some, like Rosalie, immediately sensed the message in the Nazi order to wear a yellow star. It isn't impossible to sense a message in such an event.)

It all goes together.

Dealing with the Natural World while Absorbing the Divine Message

Finally, it's worth noting that the Holocaust and the whole process leading up to the actual deportations & slaughter were part of a great conspiracy.

It even had a documented name: "The Final Solution to the Jewish Question"—the official term used by January 1942 at the Wannsee Conference in Berlin.

(The term "the Jewish Question" has been around since the 1800s.)

Horrifically evil people wielding great power took over and, in a "war of nerves" (their name for an aspect of their "Final Solution" conspiracy), gradually imposed laws on the societies they conquered, all leading up to genocide.

During that time, it was hard not to notice anything else but how to survive.

And it's unfair to judge people for the decisions and responses they made at that time. Things weren't as clear as people now like to think and people who weren't there cannot say they would know better.

But the messages (according to Rav Miller, Rav Wasserman, the Satmar Rav, Rav Shach, and other Gedolim) were definitely there.

Sitting there in the Slabodka yeshivah in Lithuania with the Nazis nearly upon them, the young Rav Miller and all the others in yeshivah understood what was happening & they davened their hearts out to avoid it.

But as Rav Miller often emphasizes, the awareness & heartfelt davening was primarily just them in the yeshivah, not the rest of the town.

So even if great evil really is overtaking the world & even if the conspiracy theorists are right, we still should not lose our focus on the messages behind the actions.

Those messages are from Hashem trying to wake us up.

He wants to help us.

He wants to give us tons of chances & lots of time to both understand & incorporate into our lives His Messages to the best of our ability, each according to his or her own level.

We can't ignore the actual ordinances & events in our lives. They exist & we must deal with them however we see best.

At the same time, we must not ignore the messages contained within the events.

A continuation of this post:
www.myrtlerising.com/blog/the-message-of-the-registration-quandary

Related post:
http://www.myrtlerising.com/blog/covid-19-the-meron-tragedy-hamas-missile-attacks-rioting-yishmaelim-the-bleacher-tragedy-in-givat-zev-whats-the-underlying-message

Just a reminder regarding the new non-comment policy:
blog-update-of-2-changes-1-a-new-most-popular-section-and-2-no-more-comments-including-a-lengthy-explanation-of-why.html

0 Comments

Food for Thought: How Avoiding the C0\/ID Vaccine Improved Our Health, Finances, and Our Torah

12/8/2021

0 Comments

(Note: I'm following the bloggers who use coded spellings of the virus to avoid censor-bots—or are we all just being weird?)

Most of the time, I feel uncomfortable writing a whole post about my personal life.

You never know how people will interpret (or misinterpret) your descriptions, whether they'll like you less or more than before, ayin hara, and so on.

And because it's personal, there are always things left out to prevent it from being TOO personal...so anyway, no one gets the whole story.

But not taking the c0vid vaccine produced unexpected & interesting results for us & I feel compelled to share the story as it has unraveled so far.

(Please also note I tend to seek out the spiritual perspective on everything, so that's the angle this post focuses on.)

Get Vaxxed or Don't Come Back

My husband has been happily learning at the same dayanut kollel for nearly a decade. (He also works. He's extremely energetic.)

During the whole on-again off-again shutdown earlier this year, my husband continued learning in a local beit midrash and worked sporadically (whenever he could be considered "an essential worker").

At one point, we received announcements from his kollel with polite declarations for a tav yarok (the "green passport" which indicates you received the required vaccinations against the virus).

Both of us wary of this brand-new medical invention at that time (and before rumors came out of its more sinister ingredients), neither of us wanted my husband to take the injection.

But my husband's respected dayanut kollel made the tav yarok a requisite.

No non-vaccinated persons allowed on the premises.

They claimed they acted so under the auspices of both following the official health regulations (which always sounds responsible) & of following "the Gedolei HaDor"—even though it increasingly looks like only 2 or 3 leading rabbanim say to get vaxxed while a whole long list of others say you should not.

(See the list here: yes-another-copy-of-the-list-of-rabbanim-plus-personal-knowledge-regarding-the-psakim-of-rav-kook-the-amshinover-rebbe.html. One should also differentiate between a genuine talmid chacham of daas Torah & a smart guy with rabbinical ordination.)

And not all the people making the decisions were charedi, so you can't even blame their charediness because they are also chardal (charedi-dati-leumi)—it's a mixed kollel where every serious avreich is invited to learn.

Anyway, this understandably threw my husband into a quandary.

He did not want the injection (or injections, as they case may be), but felt compelled.

He kept asking me what I thought & kept telling him what I thought (which is this: don't do it).

He really did not want to leave this kollel. Where else could he go?

I also explained that, conspiracy theories aside, I felt it irresponsible & irrational to force people to take an injection when they don't even know if it works.

(As everyone knows, it has not been tested long-term. How could it be? It has not existed for very long. Also, we do not know its effects—positive or negative—or whether it actually protects against the virus! And it seems that it d̶o̶e̶s̶ doesn't protect against the virus. Why else would they keep adding booster shots?)

The people heading the kollel are extremely knowledgeable & intelligent rabbis of all stripes.

Why were they taking this irresponsible & illogical approach?

(In fact, I say "they," but I'm not sure if it was a group decision or just the decision of the kollel administrator, and everyone's going along with it because of the government regulations & the couple of Gadolim who hold by it.)

Surprise! A New Improved Kollel

My husband looked around and found another dayanut kollel close to home, which did not require any tav yarok.

(The former kollel required around an hour of traveling. He can get to this new kollel in around 10 minutes.)

Shockingly yet happily, the new kollel also paid a bit more. (It's such a humble place, it doesn't seem like it could provide much in the way of stipend. But it does, comparatively.)

Furthermore, my husband could come home to eat a home-cooked meal (lunch is the main hot meal of the day in Israel)—much healthier than the dining hall meals he ate at the old kollel.

And he could also take his afternoon siesta in his own bed.

But the real boon of the new kollel was the more spiritual atmosphere.

The Rosh Kollel is a gentle, humble, sweet talmid chacham.

He lives according to simple emunah & bitachon (which is why he does not insist on the tav yarok).

The other men there are devoted learners who take their avodat Hashem very seriously. My husband enjoyed & still enjoys their fine character and the atmosphere their sincerity cultivates.

After a couple of days there, my husband explained that he felt uncomfortable leaving his cell phone on its silent vibration mode, so he turned it off completely. (He saw no cell phones by the other avrechim there.)

By the end of his first week, he started leaving the cell phone at home.

"I just don't feel right having it there at all," he explained.

It's a kosher-certified Hadran cell phone.

Intriguingly, no one made any comment or faces about my husband's cell phone.

They're very nice guys there.

But the level of ruchniut there simply imbued my husband with the feeling that NO cell phone with an Internet connection (no matter how kosher) has a place within that kollel.

It's a pure beit midrash of yesteryear.

So his even his nifty Hadran cell phone suddenly felt tameh (impure).

This impressed me so much because that's how we should be improving our world: atmosphere.

Just by being our holy, authentic selves, we change the atmosphere & influence others positively.

No need for even the most constructive criticism or rebuke.

Just the influence of being around people who are truly spiritual.

He has been there for several months now and continues to be nurtured by both the atmosphere & high-level Torah learning.

The Big Question (a rhetorical one)

So, as a religious person, my question is this:

Why, if the injection is such good hishtadlut & recommended by the Gadolei HaDor, did my husband experience such an elevation in ALL aspects of his life by being mosser nefesh to NOT take the injection?

Do you see what I'm saying?

I don't even mean so much the higher stipend he receives now (though that's nice too).

As an aside, money can be a blessing or a curse, as can lack of money.

We all know stories of people who left a life of crime to become frum, and experienced a massive loss of money soon after—clearly atonement for their previous sins.

So I wouldn't base a sign from God just on that.

In addition, my husband's health improved. He lost unhealthy weight by eating the better food at home & feels better in general.

He's happier—less stressed out by such a short commute & by immersing himself in Torah learning with such fine people & such a tzaddik for a Rosh Kollel.

But the main thing is the SPIRITUAL improvement in his life.

His Torah-learning improved & the atmosphere of the kollel impacted him positively in several ways (the detachment from his cell phone is only one example).

As far as the exemplary middot & genuine piety of the men learning in this kollel, this is the best kollel my husband ever encountered.

Talk about finding "good neighbors"!

But again...

If the c0vid vax really is the hishtadlut that Hashem wants (which is what some rabbis are indicating by their exhortations to take it), then why has my husband's SPIRITUAL & RELIGIOUS life improved SO MUCH by taking such drastic steps to AVOID the injection?

My husband's level of ruchniut & limud Torah shot up BECAUSE he was mosser nefesh to AVOID the injection.

Hashem guided my husband to a beautiful place of learning, an ideal kollel brimming with beautiful Torah influence.

Doesn't it seem like Hashem davka REWARDED us for NOT taking the injection?

Final Food for Thought

I realize the above cannot be taken as proof.

But because the SPIRITUAL & RELIGIOUS aspect of our lives improved so much (and totally unexpectedly!)...because one of the most important mitzvot in the world—my husband's limud Torah—improved so much & so beautifully...

...I can't help feeling this definitely means something.

(And remember, this has continued for several months now; it's not the excitement of starting something new.)

Hashem is granting us bracha in davka the TORAH ASPECT of our lives.

NONE of this would have happened had my husband submitted to being vaxxed.

So this has been going through my mind for months. I'm living it.

And I finally decided to share it because I can't help thinking it really does mean something.

0 Comments

Yes, Another Copy of the List of Rabbanim–Plus Personal Knowledge regarding the Psakim of Rav Kook & the Amshinover Rebbe

10/8/2021

2 Comments

I'm sure many of you have already seen at least parts of the list floating around of rabbanim who oppose this newest & most aggressively promoted vaccine.

(Many bloggers avoid writing the exact name so as not to get flagged by censor-bots. We could just call it kavod-19, pronouncing kavod with the Ashkenazi pronunciation & it sounds the same, heh-heh.)

I'd like to thank Hava of the Hava Ha'Aharona blog for sending out this latest list of these rabbanim and Neshama of Habayitah blog for posting the list on her blog.

Others are posting it too, but these were the first I happened to see with this most recent list.

It's very helpful for those of us who truly care about daat Torah, and continue to encounter a very one-sided presentation of daat Torah regarding the vaccine—that THE daas Torah is to take the vaccine (especially when this concerns a not-well-tested new injection allegedly against a disease that often appears with mild symptoms & a 99% survival rate for people without pre-existing medical issues—such an approach bothers our basic common sense).

Yet looking at the list, it's impossible to ignore globally & highly regarded talmidei chachamim on the caliber of Rav Adas of Kol Yaakov or Rav Kotler of Lakewood (just to name two of the many), and several highly respected chassidish Rebbes.

Rav Eliyahu Brog is a grandson of Rav Avigdor Miller.

But before you scan the list, I've got some personal knowledge to add regarding 2 of them.

Rav Dov Kook of Tiveria
My husband's youngest sister & her husband consider Rav Kook their Rav.

Rav Kook is against ALL vaccines—including The-Vaccine-That-Shall-Not-Be-Named.

Though my sister-in-law generally follows Rav Kook's psakim, she can't bring herself NOT to vaccinate her children at all, so her children have undergone all the standard vaccinations (polio, whooping cough, etc.) recommended for children.

I don't blame her.

My own 6-year-old is not up-to-date with his vaccinations, but he was vaccinated for diseases like polio & meningitis & the other really scary ones because I could never forgive myself if a child caught those devastating diseases when a vaccine possibly could have prevented them.

The point here is to note that Rav Kook is not singling out this particular vaccine.

He opposes vaccines in general & refuses to make an exception for this new & aggressively promoted vaccine.

Anti-vaccine: That is his shitah.

To certify this information, my husband called his youngest sister several months ago to clarify Rav Kook's position. I was also there for the phone call. My husband asked her several times regarding Rav Kook's position and she repeated the above information several times.

So there you have Rav Kook with the details behind his decision.

The Amshinover Rebbe
The Amshinover Rebbe allows the standard vaccines that have been around for decades—generations, even.

However, he does not allow the flu vaccine or the "kavod" vaccine.

Why?

He concludes they have not been tested enough to determine their safety.

Needless to say, his stance is most sensible.

By their nature, flu vaccines can never be tested long enough because they're seasonal & change from year to year. So he opposes them.

The "kavod" vaccine has not even been around for a year.

No one KNOWS the long-term consequences of the vaccine.

(Science is about KNOWING. Scientific knowledge is assumed to be based on FACT.)

And in fact, even some of the short-term data is alarming.
https://hamodia.com/2021/06/10/cdc-says-heart-inflammation-found-16-24-year-olds-2nd-shot/ (New York)

https://hamodia.com/2021/06/02/israel-sees-probable-link-pfizer-vaccine-myocarditis-cases/ (Eretz Yisrael)

https://hamodia.com/2021/06/22/concern-possible-link-pfizer-shot-rare-blood-disease/

(I purposely linked to mainstream, pro-vax sources that tone down the harm possibly caused by the injection so the evidence cannot be dismissed as conspiracy theories or subjective anti-vaccine agendas.)

We don't even KNOW if the vaccine even WORKS! (And I mean the long-term too.)

(Case in point: My husband's friend took all the recommend injections then promptly got infected with the new Delta variant.)

To me, the Amshinover Rebbe's position shows good old-fashioned plain logic & common sense.

Bluntly, I do not think you need to be a stunning talmid chacham to arrive at this common-sense position, though being a stunning talmid chacham definitely helps.

And I heard this position a few months ago directly from one of his female followers, who was constantly in touch with the Rebbe regarding his views on the topic.

She & her husband host very difficult people within their chassidus—emotionally challenged guests not easily managed by most people.

And they do so on a regular ongoing basis.

So the Rebbe remains in close contact with them, providing them with answers & support throughout the whole saga (including what to do about hand-washing with difficult people who won't do it as often as recommended, etc.—every aspect of it).

In addition, the Rebbe told them that in the merit of hachnasat orchim, they will not be harmed by the virus. The merit of hachnast orchim (hosting guests) will protect them.

So I heard all this directly from this Amshinover lady.

And with that, here is the list:

Over one hundred leading rabbis worldwide are opposed to the [You-Know-Who] \/accine.

The following rabbis issued public statements prohibiting Jews from taking the injection:

Rabbi Aharon Reisner, Bnei Brak
Rabbi Avraham Pinchas Koritz, Bnei Brak
Rabbi Shimon Nebenzhal, Bnei Brak
Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchok Stern, Bnei Brak
Rabbi Shmuel Eliezer Stern, Bnei Brak
Rabbi Yechiel Michel Friedman, Bnei Brak
Rabbi Yosef Mordechai Salamon, Bnei Brak
Rabbi Moshe Zev Zorger, Posek, Dayan, Jerusalem
Rabbi Avrohom Simcha Chanun, Rebbe, Khal Chaseidei, Jerusalem
Rabbi Tzvi Friedman, Av Beis Din, Masores, Bnei Brak
Rabbi Chaim Rabinowitz, Rebbe of Mishkanos Haroyim, Jerusalem
Rabbi Shimon Shapiro, elder Mashpia, Breslov, Jerusalem
Rabbi Menachem Mendel Sabowitz, Khal Chareidim, Beit Shemesh
Rabbi Yehoshua Atik, Rosh Kollel Giboirey Hachayil, Jerusalem
Rabbi Chaim Zev Shneider, Mir Yeshiva, Jerusalem
Rabbi Reuven Marzbach, Rosh Kollel Lomdes Yirosecha, Jerusalem
Rabbi Yeshua Asher Rabinowitz, Khal Mishkanos Haroyim
Rabbi Tzvi Aryeh Zorger, Dayan, Eida Chareidis, Jerusalem
Rabbi Dov Meir Stein
Rabbi Yosef Berger
Rabbi Aharon Yitzchak Stern
Rabbi Meir Chakak Halevi
Rabbi Yonoson Hahn
Rabbi Gideon Charlap
Rabbi Arel Segal Halevi
Rabbi Yekutiel Ohab-tzion, Tiberius
Rabbi Shlomo Pollack, Chelek Levi, Lakewood, NJ
Rabbi Yosef Dovid Teitelbaum, Sassover Rebbe, Bnei Brak
Rabbi Naftoli Tzvi Rotenburg, Kossoner Rebbe, Beit Shemesh
Rabbi Yoav Alon, Rechovot
Rabbi Yeshaya Rottenburg, the Rozla Rebbe, Beitar
Rabbi Yosef Zalman Bloch, Monsey, NY
Rabbi Dovid Michoel Shmidel, Bnei Brak
Rabbi Avrohom Yehoshua Soloveitchik
Rabbi Simcha Yisroel Bloom
Rabbi Asher Mordechai Rubin
Rabbi Yosef Mozes, Kroli Rav
Rabbi Yoel Moshe Friedman, Dayan, Monsey
Rabbi Tuvia Shulzinger, Kiryat Atta
Rabbi Avrohom Cohen, Dayan, Sefardic community, Jerusalem
Rabbi Eliyahu Brog, Flatbush, NY
Rabbi Shimon Chyrek, Brooklyn, NY
Rabbi Daniel Green, Brooklyn, NY
Rabbi Michoel Green, Westborough, MA
Rabbi Avraham Rachamim Sofer, Lakewood, NJ
Rabbi Yehoshua Finkelstein, Lakewood, NJ
Rabbi Dov Gross, Dayan of Gur, Ashdod
Rabbi Mordechai Vizhnitzer, Dayan of Vizhnitz, Ashdod
Rabbi Meir Eliyahu
Rabbi Dovid Meir Shmueli
Rabbi Uri Michoel Sofer, Dayan
Rabbi Meiri Chananel
Rabbi Menashe Amon
Rabbi Amos Gweta
Rabbi Daniel Asor
Rabbi Menachem Edri
Rabbi Natan Kofsitz, Eidah Hachareidis, Beit Shemesh
Rabbi Yitzchok David Smith, Passaic, NJ
Rabbi Yuval Asherov Hakohen
Rabbi Yuval Ovadia
Rabbi Amnon Yitzchak
Rabbi Dov Berkowitz
Rabbi Sholom Kamenetsky, Rosh Yeshiva, Philadelphia
Rabbi Smilowitz, Kremintzer Rov, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY
Rabbi Moshe Mordechai Karp, Kiryat Sefer
Rabbi Yosef Binyamin Wosner, Zichron Meir, Bnei Brak
Rabbi Ahron Raz, Jerusalem
Rabbi Bentzion Biaron, Senior Dayan, Jerusalem
Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, Chazon Yaakov, Jerusalem
Rabbi Chananya Weissman, Jerusalem
Rabbi Avraham Yosef Zaide
Rabbi Alon Anava
Rabbi Yehoishophot Oliver, Germany

The following rabbis instructed individuals not to take the injection under any circumstances:

Rabbi Dov Kook, Tiberius
Rabbi Elya Ber Wachtfogel, South Fallsburg, NY
Rabbi Moshe Tzadka, Rosh Yeshiva Porat Yosef, Jerusalem
Rabbi Yakov Shiknazi
Rabbi Yakov Adas, Jerusalem
Rabbi Yaakov Meir Shechter, mekubal, Breslov Mashpia, Jerusalem
Rabbi Aryeh Malkiel Kotler, Rosh Yeshiva, Lakewood
Rabbi Shmuel Meir Katz, Lakewood
Rabbi Binyamin Halpern, Lakewood
Rabbi Raphael Szmerla, Lakewood
Rabbi Shmuel Kamenetsky, Rosh Yeshiva, Philadelphia
Amshinover Rebbe, Yerushalayim
Rabbi Mordechai Sheinberger
Rabbi Eldad Shmueli
Rabbi Mordechai Gottlieb
Rabbi Ravid Nagar
Rabbi Yitzchak Kohen, Jerusalem
Rabbi Yosef Asyag
Rabbi Eliyahu Shiri
Rabbi Moshe Shternbuch
Rabbi Ezra Zafrani, Lakewood, NJ
Rabbi Bentzion Halberstam, Lakewood, NJ
Rabbi Zemba, Lakewood, NJ
Rabbi Moshe Shinom Wosner, Lakewood, NJ
Rabbi Eliezer Ginsburg, Rosh Kolel Mir, Flatbush, NY
Rabbi Noson Zeigelbaum, Dayan, Vien, Boro Park, NY
Rabbi Feivish Hager, Kossover Rebbe, Boro Park, NY
Rabbi Dovid Biderman, Lelover Rebbe, Boro Park, NY
Rabbi Zev Epstein, South Fallsburg, NY
Rabbi Yisroel Reisman, Lakewood, NJ

2 Comments

Covid-19, the Meron Tragedy, Hamas Missile Attacks, Rioting Yishmaelim, the Bleacher Tragedy in Givat Zev—What's the Underlying Message?

19/5/2021

6 Comments

While only spiritually great people know the deeper reasons for world events, Hashem arranged things so that even a small person can glean lessons from what happens around him or her.

In fact, Hashem WANTS us to examine events & elicit mussar from them.

So I found it telling that just as covid-19 wound down in Eretz Yisrael, the Meron tragedy occurred with 45 dead.

And then Hamas started going nuts with a barrage of rockets continuing even as I write this.

At the same time, Yishmaelite rioting & fiercer attacks spread throughout the country...with accompanying curfews (sort of like during covid-19).

And most recently, the bleacher disaster in Givat Zev.

On the most superficial level, I see Hashem as saying, "I don't need covid-19 to cause someone to die. I don't need covid-19 to cause physical suffering & emotional distress. I don't need covid-19 to force you to say in your homes. Everything comes from Me. Stop looking in all other directions but Mine."

Throughout the duration of covid-19, it frustrated me that so many doctors, media, and mainstream non-Gadol shul rabbis strove to enforce face-masks and social distancing.

Why?

Because the most basic germ theory taught in my non-prestigious American public elementary school stated that if there's an airway, there's a germ-way.

The common mask allows germs to come out via the upper gap around the nose and the side gaps.

Furthermore, the 2-meter/6-foot distancing never made sense to me because the germs coming out the gaps in the mask hung out in the air & moved around according to air currents. Seeing as you can cross 2 meters within a second, what is the point?

Here is some actual science about the issue:

Yet you had so many intelligent, educated people getting zealous about "compliance" with these rules.

It sometimes reached a point where it seemed more like groveling than anything else ("See what good little boys & girls we are!").

Intelligent, educated people truly believed that if they got sick with covid-19, it was because someone did not wear a mask.

From a purely scientific angle, I still cannot understand why they held these views.

I especially do not understand why so many doctors & nurses (though certainly not all) promoted this view—especially since medical school teaches how germs behave and spread. Medical school teaches about sterility and how to achieve this.

Sadly, despite lacking the scientific basis to support these measures, people were treated badly about not wearing masks or social distancing.

And this irrational fear-based maltreatment occurred in the frum community too.

And now I feel like Hashem is saying,

"You focused on the wrong thing all that time. I gave you truly insightful rabbonim and others who told you about doing teshuvah and explained the spiritual significance of the covid-19 regulations and what you're meant to work on. Yet you insisted on getting all worked up about masks, social distancing, "proper" quarantines, and vaccinations. Well, here. Look at this! Here is more social distancing, "quarantines" (in bomb shelters & safe rooms) curfews, illness (via injuries), and death—but from totally different causes! Are you getting the message yet?"

Their Priorities are Not Our Priorities

Similarly, just as the English-speaking media (both frum & not) was working up a defense of the police against accusations of their allegedly appalling behavior which apparently both caused & worsened the Meron tragedy, we suddenly encountered confirmed reports of the unforgivable police response in Lod.

Police (likely acting on orders from higher up) refused to respond to desperate calls for assistance to Jews under attack by their Yishmaelite neighbors in Lod.

Furthermore, police actively prevented trained assistance from entering the neighborhood under attack! (Somewhere, there's a video online of a group of post-army guys who showed up to help their fellows in Lod, but authorities blocked them from entering immediately.)

However, police did manage to arrest a Jew who shot a Yishmaelite as the Jew was attacked by a bloodthirsty mob:
https://hamodia.com/2021/05/11/muslims-desecrate-shuls-lod-ramle/

Some of these self-defending Jews were released to house arrest:
https://hamodia.com/2021/05/13/court-releases-jews-shot-lod-arab-rioters/

Way to prioritize, guys!

So we in Eretz Yisrael have very good reason to suspect our police of wrongdoing! Certainly not all of them are bad, but we needn't give them the benefit of the doubt when it looks that they're behaving unethically. Things are different here.

(I'm planning a post explaining how the Israeli police is different than the American police. But the fact that the Israeli police force developed within a Middle Eastern country under the rule of Russian/Polish anti-Torah Commies should give you a vague idea of what might be wrong within the Israeli police force. Stay tuned...)

Based on reports, it certainly looks like the Israeli police & justice system have a problem with the shooting-in-self-defense-Jews NOT ending up like Yigal Yehoshua, who was attacked in his car by a bloodthirsty mob armed with bricks, rocks, and other hard objects.

Unarmed, Yigal Yehoshua was not able to defend himself against his savage attackers.

Yigal Yehoshua was a husband & father to 2 children. He worked as a good-hearted electrician in Lod, assisting both Arabs & Jews.

He died of his injuries on Shavuot.

Hashem yinkom damo.

Apparently, that's okay with the secular Israeli police & the predominantly anti-Torah justice system.

It's the Jews who manage to shoot back—not necessarily even killing their attackers—who need to be penalized.

So we see that:

Being murdered in an absolutely terrifying manner is okay.
Defending yourself is not.

Got it.

(But I refuse to accept it. I follow the Torah value system, not the destructive anti-Torah value system.)

Comparison with the Anti-Jewish Laws of Nazi Germany

Here's the paradox:

Everything comes from Hashem.

Having said that, we need to operate on both planes—meaning, we invest in practical hishtadlut without losing sight of the bigger picture.

Needless to say, I find that balancing act just as challenging as everyone else does.

So let's look at the Nazi era in Germany & Austria—as explained by big rabbonim like Rav Avigdor Miller.

By the time the Nazis came to power, German Jewry sunk to disturbing depths.

Intermarriage ran rampant.

Most Jews preferred to be German than Jewish, striving for German names, a German appearance, German music, a German mentality & value system, and marrying non-Jewish Germans.

In other words, most Jews in Germany strove to assimilate into German culture as fast and as thoroughly as they could.

(Some awe-inspiring exceptions remained. But the above was true for the majority of German Jews.)

Astonishingly, pro-Hitler Jewish organizations existed, along with Jewish Nazi groups, and a pro-Hitler monthly magazine with a circulation of 6000:
http://www.myrtlerising.com/blog/part-iii-americas-scary-new-direction-jewish-nazis

Talk about self-destructive tendencies!

Anyway, when anti-Jewish regulations came out, like the obligation to wear a yellow star declaring "Jew," the prohibition against marrying a non-Jew, the prohibition against mixing with non-Jews in school & cultural events, and the institution of a Jewish name on every Jew I.D. card ("Sara" for females and "Yisrael" for males), the Divine message was pretty clear.

Rav Avigdor Miller details it all in his book Divine Madness, but others have also explained this.

Such laws obviously tell Jews to stop assimilating.

However, let's say the Jews of that time only focused on the discriminatory regulations themselves.

And indeed, some Jews did exactly this.

Let's say they decided: "I REFUSE to wear this yellow patch! I WILL keep my name as Rolf Singer and NOT Rolf YISRAEL Singer! And I WILL marry Gretta, my Aryan beloved!"

And also they decided to fight the Nazi regime...all so they could go back to frolicking with Gretta and listening to German carols on the radio and attending the Berlin opera.

Of course, there was nothing wrong with fighting the Nazis—on the contrary, fighting Nazis is a very good thing to do! Timcheh et zecher Amalek.

But to focus exclusively on that? That's barking up the wrong tree.

Fighting the Nazis while remaining ensconced within everything German wasn't ultimately going to help because Hashem set everything in motion for a reason.

Was there a whole big conspiracy going on?

Yes! We know now it was called the Final Solution.

Was the Reichstag fire a false flag event?

It certainly seems so.

Was 17-year-old Herschel Grynszpan's shooting of a low-level German diplomat (to avenge the deportation of his parents & sister along with thousands of fellow Jews, plus the theft of all their property & possessions) merely the spark exploited to set off the pre-planned annihilation of European Jewry?

Yes!

And were there truly evil people involved, against whom Jews needed to protect themselves?

Absolutely!

But to focus only on that?

No. That would not work. In fact, tragically, it didn't work for the vast majority of Europe's Jews.

Likewise, now.

We need to deal with events without getting caught up in the event itself.

To take a mashal from Chazal: We should not be like the dog who, when struck with a stick, bites the stick rather than looking to see who wields the stick & why.

Sticks don't move on their own.

Honest Perception of Events Helps Us Avoid being Cruel to Each Other

We needn't remain blind to our corrupt system.

And if we need to improve our society, our government, our justice system, & our safety regulations, then we should!

That's part of our hishtadlut, that's part of caring about each other.

At the same time, we must examine the parallels.

Whether we have journalists, media, doctors, health officials, etc. enforcing regulations that made no sense and even contradicted each other at times OR we have government officials, justice officials, Hamas-launched missiles, and rioting savages tormenting us, we need to see how the results are so similar: isolation, death, injury/damaged health, fear, distress, disruption, and so on.

The messages seems to be the same regardless of the messengers.

I'm worried this post comes off as too harsh, but I mean for it to be caring.

The Rambam says in Ta'aniyot 1:3 in the Mishneh Torah:

Conversely, should the people fail to cry out [to God] and sound the trumpets, and instead say,

"What has happened to us is merely a natural phenomenon and this difficulty is merely a chance occurrence," this is a cruel conception of things, which causes them to remain attached to their wicked deeds.

Thus, this time of distress will lead to further distresses.

So that's the intent of this post.

And for myself too. After all, I'm talking to myself just as much as to anyone else.

Yes, of course we can blame the factors. We should take note of the people & factors behind all the distressing events.

It's GOOD for us to see that the media & our leaders are unreliable. We need to stop trusting in the media, political leaders, and a corrupt justice system.

We need to stop trusting in "isms" except for Torah-true Judaism.

We need to look at what Tziyonut has caused when a Torah mitzvah was taken out of context & distorted into a nationalist political movement with no innate connection to Torah. The actual mitzvah is yishuv Eretz Yisrael (settling the Land, dwelling within the Land), along with the privilege of being able to carry out the mitzvot dependent on the Land.

And MOST IMPORTANTLY: the SPIRITUAL advantage of living in Eretz Yisrael, which is why Jews traditionally strove to live here, even under harsh circumstances!

The air itself makes one wiser. Today, most of the best yeshivot exist in Eretz Yisrael. And the very Land itself contains kedushah.

Some of the deepest aspects of Torah—such as Rebbe Shimon Bar Yochai's Torah, which later became the Zohar, and further along with the Arizal's teachings—were revealed by those living in Eretz Yisrael, all made possible by the spiritual aspects inherent within Eretz Yisrael.

Many people find they can pray & learn Torah better in Eretz Yisrael than anywhere else.

Living in Eretz Yisrael enables close proximity to the holiest places on earth, such as the Kotel and the tombs of our holy Patriarchs, Matriarchs, Prophets, and Sages.

Living in Eretz Yisrael is all about living a Torah life. That's it.

Furthermore, are we worshipping rabbis who aren't Gedolim & doctors (both of whom may be well-intended, but misguided nonetheless)? Are we worshipping military prowess and the Iron Dome?

Have we swallowed the idea of being like the nations and thinking that peaceful co-existence is possible without adherence to Torah?

Are we, with good intentions, nonetheless transgressing uncompromising Torah prohibitions like Lo techonem?

We're experiencing a lot of disappointments, betrayals, and manipulations.

And this should help us clarify the truth: Who are we? Who do we need to be? What & who should we reject? What's the truth here? What should we be doing instead?

By examining current events honestly & answering the questions these events bring to fore, we can put an end to our distress & merit Heavenly Compassion.

May Hashem please bring the Geula b'rachamim.

6 Comments

It Ain't Over Yet.

9/5/2021

10 Comments

Maybe it's helpful to address the obvious...

Just as covid-19 wound down in Eretz Yisrael and the regulations mostly lifted, we faced:

an upsurge in Philistine assaults on Jews—particularly religious Jews
a horrific mass casualty tragedy in Meron
a terror attack on 3 yeshivah bachurs
and then an upswing in Philistinian rioting.

Furthermore:

The Israeli government is moving in a questionable direction with unsavory alliances.
And now looms the threat of renewed missile attacks from Gaza.

While I can't know the cheshbonot of Hashem, one thing is clear:

Hashem is showing us He decides. He's in control.

We suffered so much polarization over the covid-19 regulations, with people—including otherwise intelligent & well-intentioned frum people—displaying blind devotion to "preventative" measures not backed up by actual science (such as the regular or cloth masks & the 6-foot social distancing):

MIT Study Challenges Social Distancing Guidelines, 6-Foot Rule
Danish Study Finds Face Masks Provide 15-20% More Protection to Wearer (in other words, not enough to worship the wearing of masks)
https://video-tov.ml/watch/cK-oAJDXYHg: Oxford Epidemiologists – No Evidence that Coronavirus Masks Make Any Difference

A great deal of fear surrounded and continues to surround covid-19, leading to treating others badly, and even maltreating patients to the point of death—as proven by a highly publicized letter, which described the appalling neglect of covid-19 patients within the hospital:

https://hamodia.com/2020/10/26/doctors-wolfson-coronavirus-patients-neglected/

(And that was just one instance, when some very courageous doctors decided to expose the maltreatment. How many hospitals around the world suffer the same situation, but the staff cannot bring themselves to stand up for their patients?)

Needless to say, as much as I lean toward the other side (no need for vaccination, have some very legitimate questions regarding the vaccination, etc.), at the same time, I also realize that Hashem is there too and I reject stances from my favored side that wipe Hashem out of the picture.

I also realize that covid-19 is not over yet, and that it could have been & could still be much worse, chas v'shalom.

I'm very grateful to the Creator that regulations have relaxed so much in Eretz Yisrael and that the covid-19 epidemic has not been worse than it was—even as my heart goes out to the people & their families who suffered complications or died from actual covid-19.

Some Solid (Albeit Not Very Cheery) Guidance for Our New World

I'm also grateful to Rav Itamar Schwartz for his insights, and to his students at Bilvavi, for going through all the inconvenience of trekking out to the Netfree-filtered Internet centers to create online compilations of Rav Schwartz's material.

And while Rav Schwartz is very strong in his views & discusses a very high spiritual level, he is also very understanding & loving toward those of us who cannot hold where he is holding right now.

So it doesn't bother me that Rav Schwartz is way high above because I realize that a rabbi at my level or just a couple of levels above can't help me grow much.

And as one commenter said on a previous post, Rav Schwartz has provided a roadmap for us through these new times.

Please keep in mind that all the following quotes derive from English transcripts of spoken lectures originally given in Hebrew about deep & difficult-to-translate topics.

Around a year ago in Bilvavi.Corona.Q.and.A.pdf, Rav Schwartz made a particularly astute insight (emphases mine):

Since we are in the unknown right now, now that we have entered into the period known as “Reisha d’lo isyada” [The Unknowable Beginning], a higher mode of conduct from Heaven, it is therefore not possible for the world to even return to normal again.

It has risen to the level of Reisha d’lo isyada, and from there it will go to the realm of “Atik” and then to the “mouth” of Adam Kadmon. It will never again return to the lower realm of until now.

— page 60

It's a whole new world: Keter d'Keter, Reisha d'lo isyada (the unknowable beginning).

I think many of us sensed this at some point.

Covid-19 started months before Rosh HaShanah of 2020/5781, but I only really sensed a change right before Rosh HaShanah.

I noticed Hashem changing certain aspects of my life, leading me into a deeper & more real direction.

Hitbodedut also changed for me around then (even before then), both becoming much more challenging (and many times impossible), and yet (when I was able to connect), it meant receiving more reassuring messages combined with messages of needing to readjust my direction.

Knowing that the entire world actually transferred to a different platform, a wholly different & new state of being (spiritually speaking), helped me a lot.

It has been very hard at times (VERY hard!), but I still prefer to know this rather than not have a clue.

This message also helped gain perspective:

The world will not go back to the way it was before, and that is clear.

The world will not return to normal again unlike after World War II.

Whether this period lasts for a long time or for a short time, it is clear that the world will never return to the way it was before.

* * *
There will never be calmness and peace in the world again.

There will be a lot of extreme changes in the world, from all different directions.

Some of these changes will be totally unexpected.

Last year of 5779 was a ‘bridging point’, and now in 5780 we have actually entered into a changed world.

Anyone who isn’t so affected by the tumah of the world today is able to see it clearly, just as clearly as the sun in mid-day.

— pages 58-59

And also this from https://bilvavi.net/files/Bilvavi.Corona.Talks.pdf:

Recently, I was at the house of the Mashgiach and tzaddik, HaGaon Rav Don Segal shlit”a, and he said as follows:

“People think that they will deal with this epidemic. They will get the vaccine, wear masks and keep social distancing, and that eventually we will be past all of this.

"But, I have told this to you before, and I will keep saying it: The world will never go back to the way it was before. I have no idea what will happen, but one thing is for sure, the world is never going back to before."

— pages 51-52

Does reading the above make me happy?

NO.

Do I find it reassuring?

NO.

I'm very much a homebody & fond of routine & empty schedules—rarely spontaneous or risk-taking or adventurous.

So the idea of not being able to rely on routine & schedules really bothers me.

Rav Schwartz speaks about this idea a lot, not just what is featured here.

We must adjust to the inability to rely on our plans.

Yes, he says we can still make plans and continue with our lives—but without the reliance on stability.

Things can & will be subject to change.

Rav Schwartz gave the personal example of his own child's upcoming event. They ordered a hall and everything, but he acknowledges that until it actually happens, he can't know that it will actually happen there & in that way.

As we saw with weddings during the apex of the covid-19 regulations, venues & catering —and even guests!—forced a last-minute switch.

On my own in the midst of covid-19, I felt paralyzed by the day-by-day (and sometimes hour-by-hour) changes in regulations and school hours, etc.

At one point, I could not see how to function.

But then helpful guidance came again from Rav Schwartz
(https://bilvavi.net/files/Bilvavi.Corona.Talks.pdf):

Now that we can’t plan anything, does that mean we should just not do anything at all and spend our lives in boredom?

No, that is not a way to live. So what is the answer? The prophet Habakkuk explained that it is emunah (faith in Hashem) which enables the Jews in the final generations to live and survive.

* * *
We cannot plan far ahead, and the only planning we can do is for the very next step, and that’s it.

All we can do is rely on Hashem that Hashem will guide us where we need to get to.

— pages 54-55

And then on page 61:

May Hashem help us to realize that all of our plans and hopes are dependent on His will, and that anything we want to do will only happen if He wants it to happen.

All of our plans need to be made with the awareness that all our plans are up in the air, and that if Hashem wants our plans to happen, they will happen, and if the plans didn’t happen, then we are fine with this, because that is what Hashem wanted!

And that is how we can deeply connect to Hashem, and that is the complete bitachon to have in Hashem.

So not only did those particular messages give me solid direction, but I found them reassuring too.

Then, going back to page 10 in Bilvavi.Corona.Q.and.A.pdf:

The way to get rid of this kelipah is by shining the light of Moshiach, which is found with us already now.

This is the light of the keter d’keter on the side of kedushah.

When the media will disappear, Moshiach will come.

But until Moshiach comes, the innermost level of the shaar hanun d’tumah [the gate of the 50th level of spiritual blockage/impurity] dominates in the world and it contains a mixture of kedushah and tumah, from the highest level of kedushah all the way down to the lowest level of tumah.

That is why in this generation everything has become mixed and confused together in a disturbing way, which our logic cannot comprehend.

This will not change until the coming of Moshiach.

It's encouraging to know that all the mixing & confusion doesn't mean you're crazy.

It is simply the innate nature of the times.

And how do we feel about knowing this will not change until Mashiach comes?

For me, it brings out mixed feelings.

On one hand, I feel like, "Wow, so we're finally on the final stretch of the journey—the end is in sight!"

On the other hand, I feel like, "Okay, so this is really it. No going back. While there may be phases of respite, things aren't ever again going to settle in the way I'm used to or would like. Okay, so...how much longer is this going to go on? How long exactly is this final stretch? Is the end really in sight?"

Despite my mixed feelings, I still prefer to know this & deal with the reality as it is.

It grants a certain direction & fortitude I'd otherwise lack.

At the same time, I definitely understand people who find this distressing & need a different kind of chizuk.

Hopefully, they can find what they need via a different approach.

And finally, here's how to respond to it all in a general sense...

What is the Root of Repairing the COVID-19 Challenge?

The root of repairing this epidemic of corona virus is to become connected with people who are good and pure.

Each person on their own level should do this.

Also included in this is to have warm connection with other people, with people with whom it is appropriate to connect with.

This is also the secret of Moshiach.

The word Moshiach contains the Hebrew letters yud and ches, which is an acronym, for yeish cham, which means “there is warmth”.

— page 7 Bilvavi.Corona.Q.and.A.pdf

Throughout the years preceding this current era, we saw the birth of a new self-help movement addressing personality disorders, especially narcissism.

Interestingly, its proponents promoted the idea of going low-contact or no-contact as a way to deal with personality disordered people.

Because it flowed through a non-Torah conduit, the idea got distorted along the way.

For example, the Torah way includes the aseh tov (do good) aspect, and not just the sur m'ra (turn from evil) aspect.

It's not just a matter of avoiding lesser people—we must strive to connect with better people!

Also, what the Torah defines as a good person & as a beneficial connection remains different than what the non-Torah world considers good or beneficial.

But it's interesting that this basic (albeit distorted) ruach flowed into the world preceding the transfer to Keter d'Keter (The sefirah level known as Crown of Crown) “Reisha d’lo isyada” [The Unknowable Beginning].

Likewise, during that pre-covid 19 time, Hashem led me to explore all sorts of classic Torah sources, which struck me with their emphasis on the importance of avoiding bad influences (i.e., people who drag you down) while seeking out good influences (i.e. people who are good & pure—or who are at least sincerely striving in that direction!).

This gave me the inner fortitude to disengage from the well-meaning pressure in many parts of the frum world (as featured in many lectures & books & articles) to davka connect with all sorts of people in the name of ahavat Yisrael and re-building the Beit HaMikdash.

A lot of well-intended pop-frum focus has been directed at connecting with iffy or even the most dysfunctional people, presenting it as okay as long as you judge them favorably even to the point of hurting yourself & others by insisting (inaccurately) they have excusable & legit reasons for all the harm they do.

(Not going to spell it out because what I see as dysfunctional might be different than what you consider dysfunctional...and I don't feel like getting into a fight or hurting anyone's feelings.)

Also, giving the benefit of the doubt/judging favorably & finding a good point are 2 different functions.

For example, a much ignored Torah precept commands us to NOT give the benefit of the doubt to a bad person!

Even when he does something good, we are supposed to suspect his underlying motives!

A bad person cannot be doing something good for a good reason.

At the same time, you can still find a good point in him even as you judge him unfavorably.

Later, Rav Avigdor Miller's transcripts became widely available, which repeatedly emphasized the importance of cleaning up your own backyard first, of avoiding non-Torah influences while embracing Torah influences.

Connect to good influences! Befriend those on a higher level than you!

That's the message from our real talmidei chachamim throughout the centuries.

You want to do kiruv? Start with yourself! Bringing yourself close to Hashem & His Torah is a lifetime project. (Rav Miller especially emphasized this.)

At the same time, all the Sages emphasize the following:

Be nice to EVERYONE.

Be respectful!

Find a good point, even in a bad person (which doesn't make them overall good, BTW—but seeing 1 good aspect benefits both you and them, as explained by Rav Levi Yitzchak Bender in Words of Faith).

No need to accommodate dysfunctional people until it hurts—but being generally nice & respectful is a great thing.

Seek out good people. Seek to connect with good people.

That's the message throughout the ages and highlighted in our new world of Keter d'Keter–Reisha d’lo isyada.

Please note that Rav Itamar strongly & lovingly opposes Internet use. He is in no way associated with the Bilvavi website, which was established by one of his students (probably via a charedi Internet center using Netfree) solely for the purpose of kiruv for secular Jews. See here for more: https://eng.bilvavi.net/opinion/

10 Comments

Bilvavi Links to Enhance Your Month of Nissan

12/3/2021

2 Comments

Here are some Bilvavi links to get us in a Nissan state of mind:

http://www.bilvavi.net/files/Bilvavi.Woman-s.Power.of.Speech.pdf
"The special ability in the month of Nissan is identified as the power of speech/'sichah'."

www.bilvavi.net/english/essence-month-001-nissan-speech-and-prayer

http://www.bilvavi.net/english/rosh-chodesh-mazal-001-nissan-lamb-part-1
The astrological sign associated with the month of Nissan is Taleh/Lamb/Ram/Aries.

http://www.bilvavi.net/english/rosh-chodesh-tribe-001-nissan-shevet-yehudah
The Tribe associated with Nissan is Yehudah.

http://www.bilvavi.net/files/Bilvavi.Cleaning.For.Pesach.pdf

http://www.bilvavi.net/files/Bilvavi.Hagaddah.pdf

NEW! (Regarding COVID-19)

Also, Bilvavi recently published a new collection of translations of the transcripts of the lectures of Rav Itamar Schwartz!:

http://www.bilvavi.net/files/Bilvavi.Corona.Talks.pdf
(62 pages)

http://www.bilvavi.net/files/Bilvavi.Faith.and.Trust.In.Uncertain.Times.pdf
(12 pages—it also discusses the covid-19 saga)

A Friendly FYI to subscribers who sometimes receive posts on Shabbat: The delivery service (FeedBurner) is completely automated. There's no control over when the automation sends posts (which is why sometimes you'll receive 3 posts in a bulk or a post on Shabbat). So even though I neither write nor schedule posts for Shabbat, it still comes out that way sometimes due to the bots.

2 Comments

How the Texas Cold Disaster Revealed Torah Wisdom

10/3/2021

0 Comments

As Jews, we're supposed to view the big picture as much as we can in our limited 3-dimensional state.

And most people (including me) struggle to maintain the balance between normal derech-hateva understanding & efforts versus maintaining a solid knowledge that Hashem is orchestrating everything down to the tiniest detail.

That's normal. But it's a paradox and not an easy one to live in (which is a massive part of our job here in This World).

Furthermore, all the different analyzations about a variety of subjects available today with finely tuned theories (which often include profound bias—or undergo adjustment to fit political correctness) often seem intriguing.

It's easy to get caught up in all the debate & analysis surrounding a hot topic or an intriguing phenomenon.

I have the same tendency, of course. So I try to rein it in as much as I can.

But over the years, I discovered that listening to our real Torah Sages and their conclusions help one arrive at the truth much faster—and putting it all together under a Torah lens proves even more intriguing than a sound-clip-oriented TV debate or the flaming back-and-forth in a forum or comment section.

A Brief Look at Winter in Texas throughout the Century

Let's look at Texas in February 2021, for example.

Shockingly cold weather hit Texas.

First of all, most people don't know that the state of Texas is huge:
268,596 square miles/695,662 square kilometers

The entire United Kingdom could fit into Texas.

Or the Netherlands, Slovenia, Switzerland, Austria, Belgium, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Macedonia, Luxembourg and Hungary could easily move into Texas together.

Some Texas ranchers own property reaching over 400 square miles.

So when we're talking about a polar vortex covering Texas, we're talking about something massive.

Climate-wise, most of Texas is hot-subtropical. The next biggest climates are hot semi-arid, cold semi-arid—with pockets registering as hot or cold deserts.

See here:

By <a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Redtitan" title="User:Redtitan">Adam Peterson</a> - <span class="int-own-work" lang="en">Own work</span>, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link

In much of Texas, winter temperatures rarely dip below the 40s (Fahrenheit) with many days of weather in the 60s.

A friend who grew up in Texas recalled going outside in summer clothes when it snowed in the winter.

Why?

The air was so hot, the snow melted on its way down. It never made it to the ground.

I never heard of such a thing. She said they watched the snow come down, then melt in midair.

That's a snow day in Texas.

In fact, most of Texas sees less than an inch of snow per year.

On the other hand, Texas gets hit with blizzards—but not over the ENTIRE state.

Northwest Texas got hit with 10-20 inches of snow in 1957, which killed off 20% of the local cattle population & defeated snow plows.

A 1985 January storm left San Antonio covered in over a foot of snow—the worst San Antonio had seen in 100 years (must be all that global warming!).

West Texas caught one of the worst blizzards in its history in 2017 (dang that global warming again...) with 8-foot snow drifts & 50 mph winds.

Houston's 2 biggest snowfalls hit in 1899 (20 inches) and 1960 (over 4 inches).

In 2018, the North American Ice Storm hit Northwestern Texas in a 1000-mile rampage.

But none of these caused anywhere near the damage & suffering Texans faced as a whole in February 2021.

Results of the Cold Disaster in Texas

Right now, you can hear Texans gnashing their teeth about their failed infrastructure during the February disaster.

Pipes burst or froze & the power grid failed, leading to millions of people stranded at home in freezing conditions without heat, electricity, or water.

(Even people with generators didn't necessarily have heat because key components froze.)

One house burned to the ground while the firemen watched because their equipment could not operate under the conditions.

Around 70 people died.

Texas lost over half its grapefruit crop and 100% of its orange crop.

Burst pipes resulted in the loss of 325 million gallons of water.

Overall damage resulted in estimates of 195 billion dollars.

Some Texans are receiving utility bills charging them tens of thousands of dollars—even when they didn't have power.

Texan pipes aren't made for such freezing conditions and many Texans blame their politicians because even though extreme cold rarely hits Texas, it still happens.

(Although when has such extreme cold hit most of Texas for such an extended period of time—10 days?)

I think the infrastructure could have been better prepared. Texas authorities also gave terrible advice by telling people not to drip their pipes, which would've helped prevent their bursting—maybe.

But even if Texas had been prepared for its rare short-lived snow storms, does that mean it would've been prepared enough for this one?

Despite cold weather hitting Texas periodically, it was only this severe storm that broke the water pipe in a northeastern building—a pipe that managed to survive since 1924.

While the Texas government must do its best to benefit its citizens, focusing solely on prepping & water pipes misses the big picture.

Winterized Infrastructure Would Have Helped, But Not Completely Prevented the Problems—Why?

Hashem knew the exact limits of the Texan infrastructure and He sent them a weather phenomenon to overwhelm their grid by a long shot.

Even if hot & dry Texas installed the kind of pipes used in North Dakota's frigid blizzards, a fiercer storm could still overwhelm that.

Such a bizarre weather anomaly should make us sit up & pay attention.

It reminds me very much of Dor HaMabul (Generation of the Flood).

Prior to the global Mabul, Hashem sent repeated warnings in the form of natural disasters: earthquakes, local flooding, constant thunder & lightening...He even caused the Sun to rise in the West rather than the East when Metushelach passed away (Me'am Lo'ez, Parshat Noach).

See more here: http://www.myrtlerising.com/blog/the-generation-of-the-flood-has-reincarnated-into-our-generation-heres-the-evidence-also-what-you-can-do-to-protect-yourself-others

I don't know why davka Texas got hit with such extreme cold weather. It could be connected to a certain gashmiut, like how America's oil mainstay exists in Texas.

Or something else entirely.

But several points stick out:

Such an extreme cold weather attack flies in the face of the global warming theory—a theory policy-makers use to extort money (carbon taxes, etc.) from citizens & invent useless programs (for both money & to gain or stay in power).

Yes, I realize part of the global warming theory contorts itself to make it seem like global warming ironically leads to global cooling. But anyone with common sense can see that such cold extremes deny global warming.

Even those prepared found themselves in dire straights when their preps failed them—like their generator.

Even those with enough food found themselves battling freezing temperatures with no way to even warm a can of beans or water for tea.

People with wood stoves didn't have enough wood prepared for this magnitude or couldn't always access the wood.

As noted by president of the Texas Farm Bureau, a dairy farmer himself for 40 years: "It's hard to prepare for what you've never lived in." (source)

His entire life, he never saw a weather event like this in South Texas.

And he was prepared! He needed to be because of his livestock.

So despite previous cold weather events, there was never any reason to prepare for a cold weather attack of this magnitude, especially in South Texas.

Yet discussions abound on how Texas can "combat climate change" and how to better winterize Texas infrastructure, plus which politicians to blame.

All that totally misses the point.

Dor HaMabul attributed their natural disasters to mundane reasons.

And so does today's generation.

The Information Superhighway Will Remain Open until the End

The Texas cold disaster also pinpointed a very interesting insight made by Rav Itamar Schwartz around a year ago in this PDF Q&A:
http://www.bilvavi.net/files/Bilvavi.Corona.Q.and.A.pdf.

(Please note that some of Rav Schwartz's students made transcripts of his original Hebrew lectures, then translated them into English, and one posted them on a website independently of Rav Schwartz. That's how I access his material.)

He claimed that the nisayon of the media/Internet would last until Mashiach.

That struck me because it flew in the face of the sensible-sounding predictions made in society, like, "There won't be any CNN around to film the End of the World."

Or, "The End of the World will not be recorded."

Or Einstein's: “I know not with what weapons World War 3 will be fought, but World War 4 will be fought with sticks and stones."

In other words, technology will be busted. Of course! How could it not?

But Rav Shwartz, with his Torah-knowledgable spiritually attuned point of view, said (page 10):

When the media will disappear, Moshiach will come.

But until Moshiach comes, the innermost level of the shaar hanun d’tumah [50th level of spiritual impurity/blockage] dominates in the world and it contains a mixture of kedushah [holiness] and tumah [spiritual impurity/blockage], from the highest level of kedushah all the way down to the lowest level of tumah.

That is why in this generation everything has become mixed and confused together in a disturbing way, which our logic cannot comprehend.

This will not change until the coming of Moshiach.

And even more clearly on page 66:

Q.
What will be happen with the media (mass communication)?

A.
This is the last thing which they the media will cut off from. It is from this the media that they live from.

From this, they the media will not cut off!

Hashem will be the One to cut it all off.

It's important to note that when Rav Schwartz says "media," he also means the Internet, social media, etc. (That correlation may not be clear in the above excerpts, but it's very clear throughout the original PDF.)

Anyway, his idea intrigued me because in trying to imagine an End of the World according to this idea, I found it difficult to imagine, especially in light of what most people (especially American preppers) predict.

Yet we saw exactly Rav Schwartz's insight during the Texas disaster.

During some hours, people lacked power, electricity, heat, water...but they had cell phone service.

They managed to call loved ones & communicate online (send tweets, update Facebook, comment on blogs & forums)...even as they were unable to bathe, cook, heat their home, or any other basic modern function.

Running out of food & water, they still managed to charge the cell phones in their car.

Isn't that weird?

Yet that's exactly what happened.

These are the times in which we live.

Following the True Wisdom as Best You Can

As you can see, I have Internet & email.

I have access to media (though even the frum media is increasingly disappointing...).

I place a lot of restrictions on my Internet usage, but I'm not perfect about those restrictions and according to Rav Schwartz, I really shouldn't have it at all.

But I still follow him in whatever I can manage because that's how we grow on our own level: by listening to someone who tells us to reach higher, to wiggle at least a little bit out of our comfort zone.

Same thing with Rav Avigdor Miller.

Do you think I manage to uphold every single thing he advises?

Ha!

But I try to do what I can.

The point here is to listen to the real Torah scholars. The ones who truly work on their middot, who possess real knowledge, who know how to think, and who understand how to analyze current events to offer us their true meaning & genuine wisdom regarding events.

True understanding is found among our own, starting from millennia ago until now.

0 Comments

Imagine There's No Media...What is YOUR Personal Reality of COVID-19?

9/3/2021

3 Comments

After reading yet another article by someone expressing wearied resentment about "needing" to go into quarantine because "someone" possibly exposed him to covid-19.

"This is the third time my family and I have been inconvenienced this way!" he said (or something like that).

It got me thinking: What specifically is he complaining about?

Getting sick?

Fear of viral consequences?

Possible death?

No.

He's complaining about the inconvenience of the policies surrounding covid-19.

True, some people with more vulnerable immune systems fear the actual covid-19 virus itself.

And that's legitimate. Of course!

But the VAST MAJORITY?

People complain about wearing masks or the police invading weddings.

People complain about a half-empty bus not stopping (back when passenger quotas were enforced) to let them on & about being cooped up with their family—especially those in cramped apartments.

People complain about gaining weight.

People found it very stressful to be forced to walk unexpectedly long distances on Purim to do blocking the entrance to Jerusalem.

People express fear or anxiety of the police invading their wedding or bar mitzvah celebration.

People express fear or anxiety about the policy-enforced destruction of their business or salary.

People express fear or anxiety about people forcing them to comply with scientifically unfounded policies while others express fear or anxiety about people who don't comply with scientifically unfounded policies.

In other words, people mostly fear the policy-induced consequences of covid-19.

But how many people actually fear covid-19 itself?

With the initial reports & footage coming from China, yes, people feared covid-19.

But now?

And think about this for a minute: Even if you suffer from a vulnerable immune system (may Hashem please grant you a speedy refuah!), would you know to fear covid-19 more than you fear other diseases (like the flu or infections) without the reports in the media?

Let's ask the question in a different way: Media & government policies aside, how are you actually experiencing this so-called pandemic?

Not Everyone Experiences COVID-19 the Same

Before we continue, I want to validate the very real agony of people who suffered a bad case of covid-19 and who also suffered the death of someone they cared about—even someone they depended on (like a spouse or parent).

This post is not meant to minimize their traumatic experience & very real loss in any way.

This post is also not meant to minimize the very understandable fear of people who suffer real vulnerabilities in their immune system.

On the other hand, an honest perspective on what's actually happening is important.

Also, your actual experience of covid-19 depends very much on where you live.

For example, in New York, frum Jews saw some of their neighbors being taken away in ambulances.

Yet in Australia or New Zealand, you probably did not notice anything at all.

It also depends on your profession.

For example, if you work in a hospital, you may have noticed a huge upswing in the amount of people coming in for a respiratory virus.

(Or not. Some hospitals service areas without much covid-19.)

Your personal experience may be more severe or less severe than mine.

So let's get started...

If there were no newspapers or reports on covid-19 (including no lists of those who allegedly died of covid-19, and so on), would you notice you were in the middle of a supposedly life-threatening pandemic?

For some of you, the answer may be yes—tragically.

But for most of you?

Here's mine...

How I Would've Experienced COVID-19 without Knowing It's COVID-19

I live in central Eretz Yisrael. Also, I receive a davening list, which enables more awareness of ill people who need tefillot.

So WITHOUT any news or mention of covid-19 or an epidemic, quarantines, masks, social distancing, etc., what would I have noticed over the past year?

First of all, back when it started in Eretz Yisrael around Purim...I wouldn't have noticed a darn thing.

Hardly anyone was sick in a way different than the flu or any other respiratory virus.

In fact, most people weren't noticably sick at all.

Around Sukkot, I would've noticed something going around.

Lots of people seemed to be coming down with a low fever, aches, and some with coughing.

I would've been stumped hearing that people temporarily lost their sense of taste or smell, then figured that must be part of whatever's going around—after all, a standard cold virus often stuffs your nose and changes your sense of taste.

But yeah, that loss of smell or taste would've stood out to me.

My husband and I caught something too for a couple of days. We suffered a low fever and achy legs. My husband coughed 3 times. I coughed once.

(In other words, no noticeable respiratory issues. I've coughed when perfectly healthy too. Sometimes, coughing happens.)

We both functioned more or less normally, just needed more time to rest in bed.

I would've wondered at my loss of smell—like I said, I never heard of that before.

I also would've noticed that this "bug" going around was a bit more severe than usual. I knew 3 people hospitalized with respiratory issues, one of whom need a ventilator at home for a couple of days after leaving the hospital.

That's unusual to me. But not frighteningly unusual.

For example, one of them was strolling down the street after 2 days with the ventilator at home, obviously feeling completely back to normal.

So I would've perceived that as unusual, but not life-threatening.

And as for the three over-80 men who died in my area? At least 2 suffered serious health issues.

I'm not sure whether I would've associated their deaths with the bug going around.

Even if I would have, I would sadly associate it with any other time vulnerable people pick up a virus that killed them—including when people I knew caught a virus at a hospital while being hospitalized for something else less severe—as happened to the father of my son's friend years ago.

I would've noticed that we'd been losing some of our prominent rabbis & rebbetzins. That has happened before, but maybe 3 within a span of a couple of weeks—this year, I would've noticed there are significantly more who passed away within a close timeframe.

And how would I interpret that?

And I would feel like it's a severe sign from Hashem that we need to do serious teshuvah.

Due to their age, it wouldn't occur to me that the deaths derived from the same virus or any kind of pandemic. I would definitely associate it with Heavenly Judgement.

Very recently (like maybe in the past 2 months), I would've noticed that a lot of women in late pregnancy or after birth seem to be hit with something—but not necessarily the same thing.

One suffered a brain tumor, others a virus that included complications with their newborns...

I could imagine myself commenting to a friend, "I think there's some virus loose at the hospitals. Which hospital are these women in? Are they all in the same one? After all, that's what happened to the father of my son's friend back in fifth grade. He went to the hospital for a minor problem, caught a virus, and died a couple of days later. The staff really needs to get better about washing their hands. Studies show that hospital staff are not makpid enough about proper sanitation & hand-washing—so that's probably why."

Likewise, reports of multiple deaths in old-age homes would make me angry about the lack of hygiene and protective measures on the part of the staff.

I wouldn't think "Plague!" I would think, "Irresponsible staff!"

Why? Because that actually happens! Some old-age homes aren't staffed by responsible, caring people and infections spread via the irresponsible staff members.

And that's it.

Without any reports or enforced policies, that's all I would be seeing.

How about you?

Compare & Contrast

If this was a truly dangerous pandemic or plague like the Spanish Flu or the Black Plague or cholera, you would definitely notice.

For example, researchers estimate that the Black Plague killed off around a third of Europe.

You would definitely notice that if you lived at that time. And you would be rightly terrified.

To contrast other pandemics to covid-19:

During the Spanish Flu, healthy young men developed symptoms in the morning and were dead by afternoon.

(Oddly, the Spanish Flu proved most lethal for healthy young men. Children & elderly were less likely to die. Scientists still aren't sure of the reason for that bizarre dichotomy, but some theorize that the accepted—and more aggressive—treatment of Spanish Flu caused a deadly reaction in the young men. Doctors treated it more gently among children & elderly.)

Cholera's death rate is around 1-2% (similar to the flu) if treated (source).

Left untreated, the death rate from cholera leaps to 25-60% (source). Some people die within 2 hours of showing symptoms.

Pneumonia kills 5-10% of its victims within 30 days—a significantly higher death rate than covid-19.

Worldwide, pneumonia is the #1 killer for children under 5 (source).

Pneumonia often causes long-term or permanent issues in the lungs.

Ebola kills 25-90% of its victims, depending.

(Actually, the pneumonia statistic is pretty frightening. I doubt most people know about it. Based on that, a family really should go into quarantine if one of their household contracts pneumonia. But do they? I never heard of it. But maybe they do?)

Again, this is NOT to minimize the very real loss some people suffered from covid-19!

But with the severe policy-induced disruption of life with long-time negative effects—some of which will either take years to overcome or will never be overcome—I just want some honest perspective about the real experience of covid-19.

I resent the biased media focus in nearly all media outlets.

It's rational to desire real numbers & straight-out facts.

For example, upon bumping into a neighbor on the street around a month after her third birth, I admired her little princess sleeping in the stroller while the neighbor told me they were all diagnosed with covid-19 a mere 2 weeks after she gave birth!

Knowing how it feels to come down with the flu immediately after birth with other young children to take care of, plus imagining the added inconvenience of quarantine, I felt aghast and said, "I'm so sorry I didn't know! I would've done something!"

She laughed and said, "No, it actually worked out really well. We all went to a nice corona hotel and I got to rest—no cooking or cleaning, my husband took the kids to the activities there...I was only actually sick for 2 or 3 days, so the rest of the time I could rest up. It actually helped me recover from birth and I feel great now."

Oh...

That's kind of an odd reaction to a pandemic so threatening that everything must shut down and people must adapt supposedly protective behaviors, isn't it?

Likewise, a great many people diagnosed with covid-19 show no symptoms.

Most people diagnosed with covid-19 recover with no treatment.

In a Nutshell...

So to sum up:

Some people are suffering/have suffered from covid-19 itself.

The vast majority of people profess little to no fear of the actual virus, but primarily complain about the policies created in response to the virus.

(Or they complain about people not following the policies—NOT out of fear of the virus, but fear of quarantine or inconvenience associated with the policies surrounding covid-19. Or because it irks them when people behave in a way they consider irresponsible.)

Again, this isn't to minimize loss or suffering, but to simply be honest about what's actually happening.

What's also actually happening is that covid-19 is not stagnant. It changes. It ebbs away, then floods back again, back and forth. I'm not talking about policies, but the virus itself & its actual impact. Things aren't clear, which is part of Hashem's Plan.

I can't explain much about that, but you can see here (excerpted & translated from the original Hebrew):
https://question.bilvavi.net/blog/2021/02/18/deeper-meaning-behind-corona-vaccine-part-2/ (And just to be completely honest: I'm sorry, but please don't ask me to clarify anything because he's talking about very high concepts with which I'm not so familiar. There's a fill-out form if you'd like to ask him directly.)

It's unfortunate that so much of the media (including frum media) is caught up in making us more "compliant" (especially compliance to policies lacking scientific foundation).

That's not the root of the problem nor its solution.

And what's actually happening should be a powerful impetus for us to turn toward spiritual reflection.

Spiritual reflection includes taking care of our health (as mandated by halacha). But it also means looking into oneself and also to deepen one's connection to Hashem.

3 Comments

<<Previous

"We Want Something We Cannot Achieve, And We Don't Know Why."

What's Going On?

The Most Fearful & Cautious Caught It First

Against All Logic & Expectation

Did We Have Covid? We'll Never Know.

♪ Where, O Where Have My Little Antibodies Gone? Where, O Where Can They Be?♫

Why are Things So Unpredictable?

The Yellow Star

One Girl's Story: Better Off without the Yellow Star

How One Teenage Jewish Girl Saw the Message

Looking Objectively (But NOT Atheistically) at the Yellow Star Law

Dealing with the Natural World while Absorbing the Divine Message

Get Vaxxed or Don't Come Back

Surprise! A New Improved Kollel

The Big Question (a rhetorical one)

Final Food for Thought

Their Priorities are Not Our Priorities

Comparison with the Anti-Jewish Laws of Nazi Germany

Honest Perception of Events Helps Us Avoid being Cruel to Each Other

Some Solid (Albeit Not Very Cheery) Guidance for Our New World

What is the Root of Repairing the COVID-19 Challenge?

NEW! (Regarding COVID-19)

A Brief Look at Winter in Texas throughout the Century

Results of the Cold Disaster in Texas

Winterized Infrastructure Would Have Helped, But Not Completely Prevented the Problems—Why?

The Information Superhighway Will Remain Open until the End

Following the True Wisdom as Best You Can

Not Everyone Experiences COVID-19 the Same

How I Would've Experienced COVID-19 without Knowing It's COVID-19

Compare & Contrast

In a Nutshell...

Myrtle Rising

Categories

Jewish Blogs

Jewish Current Events

Jewish Health

Archives

Copyright Notice