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Abridged
1 Kislev 5776 / November 13, 2015
Parshas Toldos / Vol. 27 No. 46
Agudah
Welcome ntion
Conve
s
Delegate
flash 90
Eye on
Terror
Features
Editor’s View
By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz..................................... Page 3
Readers Write................................................................... Page 7
Send Your Bread Unto the Waters
By Rabbi Yitzchok Tzvi Schwarz............................. Page 12
Open Orthodoxy is Not Orthodox
By Rabbi Avrohom Birnbaum................................. Page 14
Facing an Ancient Evil
By Rav Yaakov Feitman.......................................... Page 16
Chinuch Roundtable
Moderated by Rabbi Yisroel Besser........................ Page 18
Chinuch Live
By Rabbi Dov Brezak.............................................. Page 22
Noted and Quoted.......................................................... Page 24
Miracles Every Day
By Tzvi Yaakovson.................................................. Page 29
Parsha
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Spotlight on Israeli News
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German City by the Danube Tested by a Different Kind of Flood
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Netanyahu-Obama White House Meeting Goes Well
By Avi Yishai........................................................... Page 45
Obama and Netanyahu: A Story of Slights and Crossed Signals
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Russian Jetliner Likely Downed in Sinai by ISIS Bomb
By Y. Elchonon........................................................ Page 53
Eye on Terror
By Avrohom Brodie................................................. Page 56
Keystone Pipeline Dead for Now
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New Setback for Christie Just As Hope Was High
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by Rivkie.............................. 91
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Curtain Call
by Rabbi Boruch Leff........... 81
by M. Jakubowicz................ 95
Strange Side of History
Schoolyard Shenanigans
by Dovid Hoffman............... 83
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The Changing Season
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Page 2
Yated Ne’eman Abridged
1 Kislev 5776 | November 13, 2015
Editor’s View
By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz
A Mother’s Wisdom
Each one of the parshiyos in Sefer Bereishis, an uninterrupted chronicle of ma’asei avos meant to instruct
and guide us, is filled with hints. There are questions
begging to be asked and answers ready to be revealed,
if only we probe beneath the surface.
This week’s parshah, Toldos, is no different. We
wonder how it can be that Yitzchok was fooled by
Eisov and wanted to transmit the brachos to him. We
wonder why Rivkah was able to perceive the truth
about Eisov and Yaakov while Yitzchok apparently
was not.
Perhaps we can examine the pesukim and arrive at a
satisfactory explanation.
The parshah begins with the marriage of Yitzchok
and Rivkah. The posuk tells us that the couple davened
that they be blessed with children. When Rivkah became pregnant, she was troubled that the child seemed
to be distressed, seemingly pulled in two directions
at once, towards holiness and towards avodah zarah.
Rivkah became upset and felt that if her fate was to
have a confused child, she might have been mistaken
in her desire to have a child. She wondered why she
had davened for this, as Rashi (25:22) explains. She
sought out Hashem at the bais medrash of Sheim and
Eiver. Through ruach hakodesh, Hashem informed her
that she was carrying two distinct nations within her,
one that would be wicked and the other that would be
righteous.
Rivkah was comforted. She had feared that her child
would be confused between good and bad, but having
heard that she was carrying twins and that one would
be totally holy, she accepted that the other would be
evil. She couldn’t deal with the idea of one person who
can easily be pulled to both extremes, symptomatic
of a lack of tzuras ha’adam, more reminiscent of an
animal, which sees only what is in front of it. When
she heard that one son would carry on the traditions of
Avrohom and Yitzchok, she was consoled.
The posuk never states that she told Yitzchok what
she had heard in the bais medrash of Sheim and Eiver.
It is strange that Rivkah didn’t ask Yitzchok about the
problems she was having. Perhaps, she didn’t want
to trouble him and cause him to be upset and worried
about the offspring they had both been waiting for so
long. Or, perhaps, she didn’t want to appear as a kofui tovah, unappreciative of the gift that came about
through Yitzchok’s tefillos (25:21, Rashi, Vayei’oseir
Lo). When she received the response that she was carrying twins, who would have distinct personalities and
leave opposite legacies, she did not relate that to Yitz-
November
13, 2015 | 1 Kislev 5776
chok (see Ramban 27:1).
Rivkah knew that one child would be good and one
would be evil, so she carefully watched them as they
grew. She was able to discern which was the holy one
and which was the bad one. Yitzchok was not aware
of the prophecy concerning his children and thus did
not suspect that Eisov was anything other than what he
presented himself to be. On the surface, Eisov made
an impression of being a big tzaddik. While Yitzchok
may have been aware of his other tendencies, he was
able to overlook them, “ki tzayid befiv,” because Eisov
put on such a good act. Rivkah, however, couldn’t be
fooled. She also knew that “keshezeh kom zeh nofeil.”
They would not both be able to achieve greatness at
the same time, so she was careful to encourage Yaakov
and helped him on his path to greatness.
When Yitzchok aged and felt his strength declining, he naturally called to his oldest son to transmit the
blessings. Rivkah overheard Yitzchok telling Eisov to
bring him matamim so that he could bless him. She
called Yaakov and commanded him to preempt his
brother and bring matamim to Yitzchok first. Yaakov
resisted, but Rivkah persisted, and thus Yaakov brought
to his father his favorites as prepared by Rivkah.
It is interesting to note that the posuk (27:8) recounts that Rivkah said to Yaakov, “Ve’atah beni shema bekoli lasher ani metzaveh osach,” using language
very similar to the verbiage of the posuk (21:12) which
describes that Hashem told Avrohom to do as Sarah
tells him, “shema bekolah.” Referring to which son
would inherit him, Hashem told Avrohom to follow
what Sarah told him, since Yitzchok would be the one
who would carry on his traditions and teachings. Perhaps this is to indicate that just as Sarah the prophetess
was correct in favoring Yitzchok, thereby ensuring that
there be a proper hemshech, so was Rivkah the prophetess correct in preferring Yaakov.
Rivkah prevailed and Yaakov brought the matamim
to Yitzchok. When he entered his father’s chamber,
Yitzchok felt the spirit of Gan Eden (Rashi 27:27) and
blessed Yaakov Avinu with the eternal blessings.
The Ohr Hachaim, in his peirush (27:1), writes that
Yitzchok wanted to give the brachos to Eisov, because
he thought that if he would bless him, he would improve his ways.
We can understand that Rivkah, who’d received the
prophecy about her children, knew that it wouldn’t
help. She knew that one son was essentially evil and
the other was totally good, and if one would ascend,
the other would descend. Now we can understand why
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Yaakov acceded to
his mother’s wishes
and brought matamim
for Yitzchok.
Yitzchok had wanted to confer the brachos upon Eisov. Yitzchok
wasn’t aware of the nevuah and saw in Eisov good and bad, “ki
tzayid befiv.” He believed that he could be “mekarev” him, to use
today’s parlance. Rivkah knew that it was a lost cause and that Eisov
would only be a hindrance to Yaakov.
In our day, as well, there are people who are good and people
who are evil. There are also people who contain good and bad, and
engage in a lifetime battle to maintain the good and banish the bad.
How are we to know who is good and who is really evil but is
able to fool us? Only by acting like Rivkah and seeking out the
opinion of Hashem as expressed in the bais medrash. On our own,
we can be fooled and misled. People who are bad can present themselves as our brothers in act and deed, fooling us. They can set traps
for us and we can fall for them. It is only if we follow the word of
Hashem and those He designates in the bais medrash that we are
guaranteed to be protected and be led on the correct path.
At times, we have concerns about our children and don’t know
how to address them. The Torah provides us with a solution. “Ve-
Page 4
teilech lidrosh ess Hashem.” The seforim reveal a marvelous layer of depth to these words. “Lidrosh ess Hashem” calls to mind a
drashah of Chazal.
Shimon Ha’amsuni - some say it was Nechemiah Ha’amsuni would expound on the word “ess” wherever it appears in the Torah.
When he reached the posuk of “Ess Hashem Elokecha tira,” which
refers to fearing Hashem, he desisted, because he was unable to derive any lesson from the word. The Gemara (Pesochim 22b) relates
that he wondered what else a person could be commanded regarding
fearing Hashem. What can ess come to include?
Confounded by that question, he concluded that just as “ess” in
this posuk could not possibly include anything else, so too, the other
instances in the Torah where the word “ess” appears is not meant to
include additional obligations.
Rabi Akiva disagreed and said that the extra word “ess” in this
posuk was written to include talmidei chachomim, teaching us that
just as we fear Hashem, we must fear them.
We can now read the posuk as follows: Vateilech, Rivkah went,
lidrosh ess Hashem, to be sho’el eitzah from
Sheim and Eiver. She was carrying out what
Rabi Akiva would eventually derive from
ess Hashem Elokecha tira by going lidrosh
ess Hashem.
This is a siman labonim that endures
throughout the ages as a most effective way
to clarify issues.. In a world of confusion
and darkness, how can we know whom to
follow and whom to avoid? How can we
discern the true intentions of those with
sweet tongues? It is only by being doreish
ess Hashem, by turning to the bais medrash
for guidance and direction, that we will merit the proper direction.
How do we know who presents a danger
to the future of our people, deserving of being written off, and who we should be mek-
November
13, 2015 | 1 Kislev 5776
arev? How do we know what is positive and
what is negative? How do we know when a
person who seems to be a tzaddik is really
an Eisov? How do we know when to compromise and when to hold firm? It is only
by being doreish ess Hashem that we can be
sure of the correct course of action.
A secular journalist once asked Degel
Hatorah Knesset member Avraham Ravitz
how the nascent party was run. He replied
that the party was led by Rav Elazar Menachen Man Shach.
“Are you really comfortable taking direction from one elderly man?” the journalist
asked.
“Listen,” Ravitz responded, “when there
are questions in the Likud party, what do
they do? They bring it for a vote to the
merkaz, the central body of the party. There
are three thousand members in the merkaz,
and they all weigh in and hope for the consensus. Now,” said Ravitz, “I do the same
thing. I bring it to the merkaz of our party.
Our merkaz has just one member, Rav
Shach, but he is truly the center of it all, because the only knowledge guiding our decision is the Torah he embodies.”
Daas Torah, the Steipler Gaon taught,
doesn’t operate as a scientific process. It’s
not as if a scientist conducted a chemical
experiment to reach a conclusion or researched an issue in an encyclopedia. Daas
Torah means that when a person is constantly engaged in Torah, and he has no negios,
his muskal rishon, his reaction, is itself Torah. The Steipler told his son, Rav Chaim
Kanievsky, that Rav Shach was such a person. He was so engaged in Torah that the
words that came out of mouth could be seen
as the Torah’s will, as if the Torah itself was
speaking.
In our generation, when we suffer from
mockery, cynicism and negativity, and
where there are so many platforms promoting opinions and positions that are not
in keeping with daas Torah, there is a real
danger of people digesting the wrong ideas.
Rashi tells us that Avrohom and Yitzchok
had to contend with leitzonei hador, the
scoffers of the generation. Today, our generation belongs to the leitzonim. The few
exceptions huddle together for warmth, remembering what once was and what should
be.
Rav Shach once discussed the fact that
the leader of Torah Jewry, Rav Chaim Ozer
Grodzensky, did not attend the funeral of
the Chofetz Chaim. “It was shocking, since
the two men had led Klal Yisroel hand in
hand and revered each other, but Rav Chaim
Ozer was not feeling well and was not able
to go.”
Rav Shach said that more shocking than
Rav Chaim Ozer’s absence was the fact
that everyone accepted that Rav Chaim
Ozer clearly had a good reason for not being there. “No one wondered, or speculated,
or offered analysis of why he stayed home.
Certainly, no one dared criticize the decision. A generation ago, one didn’t question
Torah scholars. Today,” Rav Shach mused,
“everyone would have a dei’ah.”
Were such a thing to happen today, everyone would postulate a different theory about
why Rav Chaim Ozer wasn’t there. People
would be mocking one of the great giants,
convinced that they have a right to arrive at
their wrong conclusion and publicize it in
any way possible, be it via the media, chat
groups, blogs or word of mouth.
Today, everyone is mocked and vilified.
No one is given a fair chance. There is no
dan lechaf zechus. There is no hearing both
sides of a story. Immediately, everyone
jumps to a conclusion, and another holy person, or deed, or custom, or organization is
thrown under the bus.
Rav Yechezkel Abramsky once told his
talmidim that he received a visit from a new
immigrant to Eretz Yisroel who had formerly lived in Slutsk. The gentleman, dressed in
his Shabbos finery, came to visit his former
rov.
Rav Abramsky told his talmidim that he
became emotional as he remembered the
custom of the Slutzker Yidden. Whenever
they would go to speak with a talmid chochom, even regarding mundane matters,
they would put on their Shabbos clothing in
honor of the Torah.
A few years ago, we published an entry
from the diary of the grandfather of Binyomin Netanyahu. He wrote of his period
learning as a bochur in the Volozhiner Yeshiva. In his diary, he recounted that the
baalei aggalah, the wagon drivers, waited at
the train station on the first day of the zeman
dressed in their Shabbos clothes, eager for
the honor of bringing the bochurim to the
hallowed yeshiva to learn Torah.
Vateilech lidrosh ess Hashem. Our generation is blessed with yeshivos and talmidei
chachomim. We need to appreciate the gift.
The eternal means of discerning the ratzon
Hashem is as accessible as ever, if we would
only appreciate it.
A number of years ago, Rav Michel Yehuda Lefkowitz heard that bochurim in the
yeshiva where he served had begun calling
him saba, meaning grandfather. He was delighted by the moniker. He told his grandson
that the prime function of a rebbi is to give
talmidim a sense that they can discuss their
issues with him and ask their questions and
Page 5
unburden themselves to him. “Everyone knows that if
they go to their saba to speak to him, they will receive
wise, loving counsel. I’m thrilled that they see me as a
saba.”
One of the biggest nisyonos of our generation seems
to be acquiring the humility and good sense to be doreish
ess Hashem. Dovid Hamelech writes (Tehillim 92:15),
“Od yenuvun beseivah desheinim veraananim yihiyu They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be
full of sap and richness.” The body grows older, but the
nefesh - the chiyus and emotional energy - is as strong
as ever.
Someone shared with me an incident that underscores
this. A few weeks ago, the head of a busy gemach in
Yerushalayim traveled to Bnei Brak to ask Rav Aaron
Leib Shteinman some advice.
When the gemach director entered, Rav Mattisyahu
Deutsch, a Yerushalmi rov, happened to be speaking with
Rav Shteinman. Rav Deutsch, who knew the head of
the gemach and his great work, introduced him to Rav
Shteinman.
“The rosh yeshiva should know that this man is a tzaddik,” proclaimed Rav Deutsch.
“Oy, I hope you don’t have a loan from him. It’s ribbis
devorim,” was Rav Shteinman’s reaction, worried that
the rov’s compliment would be a form of interest.
Rav Deutsch, who is also a dayan, related the story
during a shiur, stating how no one - not him and not any
of the other talmidei chachomim in the room - had made
the lightning-quick calculation that Rav Shteinman had
made. “It was clear to all of us that even though we are
all younger, his mind is blessed with a clarity that we
don’t possess.”
Not long ago, a young askan sat with Rav Shteinman,
trying to convince him to take a certain course of action.
He was sure that with his reputation and communication abilities, he would certainly be able to convince the
aged rosh yeshiva of the virtuousness of his path. He was
amazed that as hard as he tried, and as strong as his arguments were, Rav Shteinman repelled his contentions
one by one, as fast as he could formulate the words. As
weak as Rav Shteinman appeared to be in body, that’s
how strong he was in spirit and intelligence.
The advice that emerges from the rooms of our gedolim is, often, unexpected. A young talmid chochom had
a dilemma. His younger brother was getting married and
his mother wanted all her sons to walk down to the chupah with their spouses. He thought that it was a ridiculous new custom and wasn’t about to give in to it.
As a formality, he shared his mother’s request and his
reaction with his rebbi, Rav Dovid Cohen, the Chevroner
Page 6
rosh yeshiva. The rosh yeshiva nodded. “I agree that you
shouldn’t walk down the chupah, as your mother wants,”
he said. “You should run down to the chupah! It’s a mitzvah of kibbud av va’eim. You can make your parents
happy. What a wonderful opportunity!”
A short while ago, someone had a question about a
shidduch. It seemed like a silly shailah and the answer
was so obvious. Why would anyone even be interested
in pursuing the shidduch? The person asked Rav Chaim
Kanievsky about it and couldn’t believe when, upon
hearing the question, Rav Chaim immediately explained
why it was a perfect idea and offered his blessings.
People who think they examined an issue from all
sides and have come to the inevitable conclusion are
often greatly surprised when someone tuned in to a different frequency sees the world on an entirely different
plane.
Reb Yisroel Bloom was a Far Rockaway askan, dedicated to helping yeshivos achieve financial stability. He
had a vision of creating a team of troubleshooters, working under the auspices of Agudas Yisroel, who would
help financially-troubled yeshivos get back on track by
rallying their local communities.
In a letter to Reb Yisroel, Rabbi Moshe Sherer lauded
the proposal and discussed the idea of the project being
connected with Agudas Yisroel.
“There is, as you know, a price: every committee, composition and policy is controlled by boards, headed by
the Moetzes Gedolei Torah and the Nesius. The process,
thus, is a bit longer, but the product is that much better
as a result.”
In that sentence, Rabbi Sherer encapsulated what
it means to be doreish ess Hashem. It is simpler to do
what appeals to your intelligence, what will win you accolades, and what will play well in the media. The other
way is nowhere near as convenient, will involve difficulties, and may not always be understood, but, in the end,
it will endure.
Rivkah followed the advice she was given, focused
on raising Yaakov Avinu to greatness, giving us a Klal
Yisroel. This golus, we are taught, is kenegged Yaakov
Avinu, the av who led us down into Mitzrayim. In this
week’s parshah, we are given the key to survival.
It has been rough, it has been confusing, and it has
certainly been dangerous. Throughout the journey, our
people have known where we could find solace, hope and
direction. It is a gift as old as our grandmother Rivkah,
who, when things were difficult, beat a path to the bais
medrash, showing us the way forevermore.
We would do well to follow her example.
THE HOLY MOTHERS
Dear Editor,
I would like to express, on behalf of all
neshei Yisroel, a heartfelt yasher koach for
your meaningful and complimentary editorial, titled The Holy Mothers, last week.
That you chose to devote the entire editorial in praise of the important purpose of the
wives and mothers of Klal Yisroel is itself
the greatest compliment and the greatest
chizuk, enhanced as it was by the various
Talmudic teachings that you quoted to substantiate your statements.
I was also very impressed with your
overview of the Open Orthodox controversy and your courage to take a strong stand
against it. Although it was lengthy, it was
easy to understand and interesting to read
from beginning to end. If this was the only
edition the Yated put out, it would have been
worth your publishing such a truly authentic
Torahdike paper.
Thank you.
M. Hefetz
Yerushalayim
A SILENT APPROACH
Dear Editor,
Your article on Open Orthodoxy was
troubling. While promoting our mesorah
and our adherence to daas Torah, the very
same article appeared to be disapproving of
our gedolim’s “public” silence up until this
point. True emunas chachomim is following
their lead whether we understand if or not.
If the gedolim decided until this point not
to write a strong public statement, then that
was the right decision. Their approach did
not, chalilah, fail. If at this point their decision was to write a strong public statement,
then now that is the right decision. The tzibbur’s silence was also the right decision,
since our job is to follow the gedolim in
dealing with the current issues.
A Torah newspaper should not give
greater prominence to a kol korei from
gedolim when it is on a topic that the newspaper has been giving attention to. Every
November
13, 2015 | 1 Kislev 5776
kol korei from gedolim is important and deserves equal prominence.
H. P.
Lakewood NJ
MATCHING UP AT THE CONVENTION
Dear Editor,
The Agudah Convention takes place this
weekend. It is a time when people from
different cities and backgrounds come together to listen, grow and be inspired by our
gedolim and lay leaders. Having attended
conventions in the past, I know how much
time we spend sitting and shmoozing and
enjoying the gashmiyus of the wonderful
convention. This year, if each and every
one of us would add a new dimension to
our conversations, we might be able to help
someone in need.
I am referring to mentioning the name of
a single girl or boy who is still looking for a
shidduch. If even only one shidduch comes
about through this channel, it would have
been worth the whole convention. Having
said that, it might be an idea to come to the
convention with one name that you plan on
suggesting to a colleague, friend, acquaintance or fellow delegate.
Yosef
SPEAKING TO SINGLES
Dear Editor, Thank you for your wonderful weekly.
I want to suggest that while talking to a
person in shidduchim, saying one of the following may be ona’as devorim:
1. “Did you try davening?”
2. “Work on your emunah!”
3. “It’s bashert.” By using any of those clichés, you are being condescending and saying, “My frumkeit saved me from your tzarah.”
Additionally, I think it is important to
point out that “bashert” is a concept that requires a very holy person to determine, and
it is possible that people, through choices of
their own, have married their non-basherte
(see Sotah 2a), so there is no purpose in at-
tempting to comfort someone with the word
“bashert,” because they may or may not
marry their basherte. We will never know
in this world.
A Reader
Lakewood, NJ A HEARTFELT BRACHAH
Dear Editor,
I am writing in response to the letter
from the “single sister.” I don’t think anyone can truly know how difficult it must
be for you and how much pain you are
actually experiencing. I want to give you
and all other single girls and boys in Klal
Yisroel a heartfelt brachah. May Hashem
Yisborach send you your zivugim immediately. May you have much simchah and
happiness in your lives, and may each and
every one of you be zocheh to build a bayis ne’eman b’Yisroel. I will work on at least one shidduch
idea tonight.
Chaya V.
DO YOUR PART
Dear Editor,
Enough chatting and enough said,
Can someone pick up a phone and try to
redd?
You don’t have to be a pro to make a suggestion,
Don’t be afraid to answer a question.
If the single was your daughter, imagine
she was,
How happy you’d be if the phone gave a
buzz.
Make one call today and may we hear a
mazel tov,
A true simchah we’ll bring to the One
Page 7
above.
Jerry L.
MAKE THE CALL
Dear Editor,
We hear again and again how single
girls are struggling with shidduchim and
we really need to do more. If every person
reading this letter would make one phone
call - just one - it’s amazing how much we
could accomplish. So many times, people
get engaged and we hear that the shidduch
was redd by simple people who just tried.
Just try!
Eli G.
THE NEGATIVE IMPACT OF
THE SHIDDUCH CRISIS
Dear Editor,
While I try in my own way to help
singles find their bashertes, I find that I
have limited success in the areas of setting up singles and am waiting for the day
(hopefully soon) when I actually make a
shidduch. However, there are other ways
to help people with shidduchim. As I am
a very sensitive person, I notice that both
boys and girls find it easy to vent their
frustrations to me, which I hope eases
their anguish caused by the shidduch
process. Based on these conversations,
I would like to offer some easy suggestions that would make the difficult shidduch system more pleasant. While some
of these suggestions appear basic, they are
clearly issues that need to be addressed.
1. Boys dating girls from Brooklyn
struggle to find parking spots close to
the homes of girls. Perhaps families with
driveways can offer boys their driveway
while they park their own car on the street
if need be. If they are close to a neighbor
with extra space, they can ask to borrow a
spot for a short while. Obviously, the boy
should be told in advance.
2. Many out of town girls date from
Brooklyn and don’t stay by family members. Usually, the girl comes out of the
house when the boy arrives. Boys should
get out of the car and greet the girl. This
is basic derech eretz. When you meet
someone, especially for the first time, you
stand up to greet them. Whether you open
the car door for the girl or not is a debate
for another time. (I suggest you ask your
mentor. If I were your mentor, I would absolutely tell you to open the door for the
girl.) Boys have said that the reason they
don’t get out of car is due to the “parking
crisis” in Brooklyn. However, take a risk,
young men. Find a questionable spot and
pray that a meter maid doesn’t catch you.
Page 8
Let’s face it: Dating and marriage are full
of risks and people survive the process.
One more risk won’t harm anyone.
A young girl recently told me that she
actually went over to the wrong car and
opened the door, because she didn’t know
what her date looked like. One can only
imagine how embarrassed she was. .She
added that her date actually watched the
scene unfold. When she finally spotted the
correct car and opened the correct door,
her dated was laughing about it.. Boruch
Hashem, this girl can look back at the
incident and also laugh. She has a great
sense of humor. Unfortunately, I doubt
that this is the only time that such an occurrence happened.
3. In the same vein, after a date, boys
should also exit the car. Again, whether
a boy should walk the girl to the door or
just watch her go inside from the curb is
a question to be directed to a mentor. I
should mention that girls have said that
they are impressed when boys have the
courage to walk them at least halfway
back to the house.
4. After boys or girls meet parents of
the person they are dating, they should
find something nice to say about the parents they just met. If families set up food
and/or drinks, mention how generous and
thoughtful you found the gesture as well.
This advice should be followed for obvious reasons.
5. While conducting research and/or
following a date, make sure to be in touch
with the shadchan within a reasonable
amount of time. At times, it is reasonable
to request more time to think, but people
become resentful when they don’t hear
anything for an extended period of time.
If there is no shadchan, just be extra sensitive towards the other person.
6. Many times, boys and girls are redd
to the same person for years and years,
but one party is not interested in going
out. At some point, it is just mentchlich
to come back with a definite answer of either yes or no. I heard of a case where a
boy’s father went to a girl’s father to suggest that their children meet. The girl’s
father listened but never responded with
either a yes or a no. While it is uncomfortable to reject people to their face, a
response should have been given. In such
a scenario, perhaps a third party could be
contacted to give the answer and make the
situation slightly more comfortable.
7. The last suggestion is relevant to
girls, boys and parents. Don’t forget to
thank all people involved in a shidduch,
even if there is no engagement. Many
times, people switch shadchanim after a
few dates and forget to thank the person
who initially thought of the shidduch and
set the dating process in motion.
In the zechus of being kind towards
each other, may Hashem help those in
need find their basherte bekarov.
Sincerely,
A good friend who wants to hear many
mazel tovs soon
SEND A COPY
Dear Editor,
I am writing to the hurt single who
penned a letter in the October 23rd edition.
I feel for you. May you have besuros
tovos soon.
I commend you for having the courage to write your letter. I think you would
do a tremendous favor for the person in
question and for all the singles who attend
your shul to make sure that the person
in question receives your letter. You can
make a copy of it, put it in an envelope
and address it to her. If you feel uncomfortable signing your name, that’s fine.
Maybe she’ll think that someone else cut
it out and sent it to her. You can even add,
“If you think you are right, you can discuss it with a gadol.”
Wishing you much success,
Feeling Bad
INFLUX OF JEWS
Dear Editor,
This is in reference to the letter to the
editor that alleges that Muslim hatred of
Jews began with the Zionist aspirations
for a Jewish homeland in Israel. It was
not a homeland, per se, that bothered the
Arabs, but the fact that the Jews wanted
to emigrate in such large numbers. When
the Arabs pressured the British to issue
the White Paper in 1939, it was the large
influx of Jews, not the Zionist aspirations
for a country, that raised their ire. And
yes, if Israel would have been established
as a country during World War II, all Jews
would have had a place of refuge.
Z. Stein
MORE ON ZIONISM
Dear Editor,
I’d like to thank the anonymous reader
from Brooklyn, NY, whose comments
about Zionism and Arab/Muslim rage
compelled me to write in response. I’ve
not written in a while, so it feels good to
get back into the game.
My reply is as follows, point-by-point:
1) He/she states, in effect, that the Jewish experience under Islam was charac-
terized by “much fewer tzaros” than in
Christian Europe. This is arguably true,
but a look at the historical record also
bears out that dhimmi-hood (i.e., the
life of non-Muslims under Islamic rule)
wasn’t a Sunday picnic either. If life under Christianity was akin to the worst level of gehennom, perhaps life under Islam
was one rung better. The reader should do
some historical fact-checking.
2) He/she depicts Arab/Muslim rage
against Jews in Eretz Yisroel as being
generated by the Zionist enterprise. I
would retort that, from a classical Torah
perspective, the contemporary Zionist enterprise should rather be viewed as a catalyst, rather than the root genesis, of the
rage. There are numerous statements of
Chazal that bespeak conflict during Acharis Hayomim between the bnei Yishmoel
and the Jewish people over Eretz Yisroel,
some statements of which attribute the territorial conflict to the lapse of Yishmoel’s
zechus of bris milah and the concomitant
ability of the Jews to renew their presence
in the land. So the attribution of the contemporary Arab/Muslim rage to Zionism
is, from a Torah perspective, off-target.
3) We can all empathize with Rav Michoel Ber Weissmandl zt”l in his disgust
over the moronic comments of “one of
the Zionists” who wrote to him, but so
what? I enjoy the Readers Write section of
the Yated and often find insightful gems in
it, but should every occasional silly comment from a reader reflect negatively on
the newspaper? I think not.
4) I was delighted to hear from my
son, who is learning in a mainstream yeshivishe New York City bais medrash,
about an exchange that occurred this summer between some of his fellow talmidim
about Zionism and their rebbi’s reply.
The talmidim were apparently (before
or after shiur, I presume) debating the
merits and demerits of Zionism, with
some of them stating what must have
been very negative things about it. (I can
speculate that terms like “sitra achra” and
“ma’aseh Soton” may have been thrown
around.) Hearing the exchange, the rebbi
interjected and asked his talmidim who,
to their knowledge, were the “founders of
Zionism.” The talmidim ventured some
guesses, whereupon the rebbi, correctly,
replied, “The Vilna Gaon and the Baal
November
13, 2015 | 1 Kislev 5776
Shem Tov.” The debate ended.
Sincerely,
A. Goldman
Philadelphia, PA
INDOCTRINATION
Dear Editor,
This is in response to the letter in the
November 6th edition from “A Reader
in Brooklyn” titled “Zionism and Arab
Rage.” This writer repeats the often heard
claim that Arabs and Jews lived peacefully together until the advent of Zionism. He writes, “It is almost two thousand
years since the churban Bais Hamikdosh.
Sefardic Jews lived peacefully in their
Muslim countries.... This is a well-known
fact.” I am wondering what the source of
this reader’s facts is. Did he take a history
course or read a history book? Or was he
indoctrinated with anti-Zionist concepts
from early childhood?
While the history of Arab repression
and persecution of Jews is beyond the
scope of a letter to the editor, readers who
are interested may find serious and documented information on this topic on many
scholarly websites and in history books.
While Jewish communities in Islamic
countries fared better overall than those in
Christian lands in Europe, Jews throughout history were persecuted and humiliated by the the Arabs. The founder of Islam
traveled to Medina in 622 A.D. to attract
followers to Islam. When the Jews of
Medina refused to recognize him as their
prophet, two of the major Jewish tribes
were expelled. In 627, his followers killed
between 600 and 900 of the Jewish men,
and divided the surviving Jewish women
and children amongst themselves.
The Koran consigns Jews to eternal
humiliation as the enemies of Allah. Jews
were generally viewed with contempt by
their Muslim neighbors; they agreed to
live peacefully with the Jews only if the
Jews were treated as degraded secondclass citizens (dhimmis). In the ninth century, Baghdad’s Caliph al-Mutawakkil
designated a yellow badge for Jews (a
precedent to the yellow star in Nazi Germany).
In the year 1066, Yosef Hanagid, the
Jewish vizier of Granada, Spain, was crucified by an Arab mob that razed the Jewish quarter of the city and slaughtered its
5,000 inhabitants. The riot was incited by
Muslim preachers who angrily objected to
what they saw as too much Jewish political power.
In 1465, Arab mobs in Fez, Morocco
slaughtered thousands of Jews, leaving
only 11 alive. The killings touched off
a wave of similar massacres throughout
Morocco. Other mass murders of Jews
in Arab lands occurred in Morocco in
the 8th century, when whole communities
were wiped out by the Muslim ruler Idris
I; North Africa in the 12th century, when
the Almohads either forcibly converted
or decimated several communities; Libya
in 1785, when Ali Burzi Pasha murdered
hundreds of Jews; Algiers, where Jews
were massacred in 1805, 1815 and 1830;
and Marrakesh, Morocco, where more
than 300 Jews were murdered between
1864 and 1880.
I hope that this brief introduction to
the history of Jews in Arab lands will
invite serious thinkers to further explore
the facts of Jewish history in Arab lands.
Hopefully, this serious study will dispel
the simplistic myths they may have been
taught about Jews and Arabs living harmoniously together until Zionism ruined
their happy shalom bayis days.
The writer of the aforementioned letter
goes on to inform us that Zionists are actually evil murderers of Jews. His source
is that one Zionist (name please?) wrote
to Rav Michoel Ber Weissmandl during
the Holocaust that “only with Jews being killed will we be able to get the land.”
This reader is making the horrific implication that the Zionists were happy that Jews
were being murdered in the Holocaust.
This writer fails to mention that every
country in the world had locked its borders
hermetically so that no Jews could escape
the inferno of Europe. The Zionists had
very little power to save Jews, since there
was no Jewish state until 1948. During
the Holocaust, Palestine was under British control, and those British anti-Semites
turned back ships filled with starving Ho-
Page 9
locaust survivors sending them to Europe to be murdered.
The writer of this letter also fails to mention that the “bloodthirsty” and “evil” Zionists saved the life of the Satmar Rebbe.
On March 19, 1944, the German Army entered Hungary. The
Jewish population, which was spared wholesale destruction prior to that time, was concentrated in the Satu Mare ghetto and
deportations to the concentration camps began. The Satmar Rebbe’s chassidim paid to have him included in the passenger list of
the Zionist Kastner train. He reached Switzerland on the night of
December 8, 1944, and soon thereafter immigrated to the British
Mandate of Palestine.
A major issue that this letter brings out is the danger of indoctrination. There is a sector of our society that is very anti-Zionist.
They indoctrinate their children from a very young age to hate
Zionists. But who are these Zionists? They are Jews, precious
Yidden, men, women and children like themselves. It is tragic to
indoctrinate young, pure neshamos to blindly hate other Jews.
The result is sinas chinom, blind, groundless hatred. Not to
mention that the reality is that thousands of Zionists are Torahobservant Jews who are shomrei Torah umitzvos, who are talmidei chachomim, yirei Shomayim, who serve Hashem, who love
Yidden, who love Eretz Yisroel, and, most of all, who are moser
nefesh for every kind of Jew daily with their very lives.
Many gedolim worldwide, from all streams, Ashkenazim
and Sefardim, have expressed repeatedly that the way to bring
Moshiach is to stop the hatred among ourselves. The entire world
hates the Jewish people and the Land of Israel and wants nothing
better than to destroy us. Now, more than ever, as we stand on the
threshold of Moshiach, is the time to teach our children to love
our fellow Jews, even if they have different viewpoints. It is also
a time to foster hakoras hatov to all Jews who do good for us.
Today, thousands of Jews who are not Zionist live safely and
prosper in the state of Israel. Before the establishment of the
state of Israel, the impoverished Jews of the Old Yishuv lived in
crowded, unsanitary homes in the Old City, afraid to leave the
locked gates at night due to brutal Arab attacks. Today, they live
in flourishing neighborhoods throughout Israel. They have built
mosdos, yeshivos, kollelim, and infrastructure. They have excellent medical care, transportation, and all amenities of modern
life. They can safely travel to daven at the Kosel, Kever Rochel
and the Meoras Hamachpeilah, and in Meron and Tzefas.
Things are not perfect. But they are not perfect anywhere in
the world. And there is so much good to be grateful for.
More than anything, we need the powerful message of unity
Page 10
and achdus for Klal Yisrael to help bring the geulah sheleimah.
A Reader
Yerushalayim
SUFFERING FROM SCHOOL
Dear Editor,
I am not the type
of person who writes
to publications, but
upon reading the
letter from R. D., a
ninth grader in Lakewood, New Jersey, I
couldn’t help but nod
continuously.
I am a ninth grader, too, and all the
work and stress definitely have nothing to do with the fact that we are new to high
school and not used to the work. Truthfully, this subject was on
my mind for quite a while. Yes, yes, we love the teachers and
principals. They’re amazing people, but the workload and stress
definitely diminish our appreciation of who they are.
I always say that there is no a teacher like a teacher who has a
teenager around the same age as her students. That teacher will
understand somewhat what her students are going through. When I return home from school with tons of homework, I
think to myself, “Is there really something wrong with me having some free time? Is it a sin for me to not be in school-mode the
whole day and to just chill for a few hours?” Each teacher feels
like her subject is the most important, and they each supply us
with tons of homework. In regard to tests, my theory is that teachers should give us
time during class to study instead of having to study pages and
pages of material at home for the test, plus study for the rest of
the tests we have, because other teachers also assigned tests and
quizzes for tomorrow.
I have a strong feeling that when Sarah Schneirer started the
Bais Yaakov movement, she did not want it to be this way. Now,
when my mother asks me to lend a hand, I tell her that I honestly
want to help her, but I have two tests, three quizzes, and five assignments that I need to do for tomorrow, and if I am late, there
is no chance that I will be excused. That’s clearly not what Sarah
Schneirer wanted.
Teachers, we acknowledge and appreciate all of your hard
work to give us an amazing education, but the whole system
seems so backwards, and I think every student feels the same
way. Why do I have to dread going to school?
My great-great-grandmother lived in the times of Sarah
Schneirer. She actually went around, knocking on doors, asking
if the local residents’ daughters would be interested in attending
the new Bais Yaakov, a school for girls. My great-great-grandmother herself used to send her own children to school purposely
without them having done their homework, because she was so
against it. Anyone who thinks that this letter is too harsh obviously does
not know what the students of today are going through. I know that this letter, and R. D.’s letter, will probably not accomplish anything, but why not? Why can’t the school system
be arranged in a way that is appreciated by all? Why must it be
viewed by students so negatively?
I hope that teachers who see this letter will feel somewhat
guilty and have pity on us for what we are going through.
A Ninth Grader
New York THE ROOT OF THE STRUGGLE
Dear Editor,
I was horrified to read the words of a ninth grade student in
the Yated last week. She writes of her distress at being assigned
large amounts of homework, which she feels are less than manageable. I’m not a “mann de’amar” on this issue, as I’m neither
a mechanech nor a high school student. However, one line in
the letter made me cringe. She writes: “I’m realistic. I know this
letter won’t help a thing... Rav Matisyahu Salomon wrote in his
sefer that there shouldn’t be homework and yet there still is.”
I’m not familiar with the memra from the mashgiach that she
quotes, but that’s beside the point. There are two issues here and
I’m not sure which one is more frightening. One is that our children see the casual attitude with which we approach the words of
our gedolim. If Rav Salomon said those words, the least we can
do is acknowledge them. Perhaps there are differing opinions
among the gedolim on this subject, but it’s only right that we
seek out their daas Torah and show students that we have done
so.
My second point is, in my opinion, an even greater problem:
How can it be that a young student feels that her expression of
distress “won’t change a thing”? When did the Torah community lose its pride and confidence in standing up for its concerns,
however trivial they may seem, and adopt a stagnant attitude of
resignation? If this is how a girl who seems to be well-adjusted
and intelligent writes, what are the feelings of the less successful
students? Isn’t it time that our children know that their voices
and feelings are not only worthy of our attention, but are more
important than anything else?
Dare I say that perhaps this destructive attitude lies at the root
of the struggle that some teenagers in our community are facing
in their Yahadus.
I would appreciate hearing the Yated readership’s opinions on
November
13, 2015 | 1 Kislev 5776
this subject.
A. C.
Lakewood, NJ
TEACHING TEFILLAH
Dear Editor,
I enjoy Rabbi Moshe Don Kestenbaum’s articles addressing difficult chinuch situations. In last week’s column,
Rabbi Kestenbaum discussed the issue of
a child who does not daven. While I agree
with his premise of not criticizing or lecturing the child, I would like to add an important point.
Tefillah is an avodah shebelev. We cannot expect our children to have any connection to their davening if they do not understand what they
are saying.
Some girls schools have instituted a creative way to teach
biur tefillah: When learning a new tefillah, the girls sing it line
by line, and the teacher sings it back to them in the same tune,
in English. Once the girls have internalized the meaning of that
tefillah, the teacher can stop translating and they progress to the
next tefillah.
Parents can also impart the meaning and depth of tefillah to
their children in a personal and non-pressured way during the
Shabbos meal in short one-on-one learning sessions. Or they can
buy the child one of the excellent English/Hebrew siddurim, notably the ArtScroll Interlinear edition, which puts the English
right under the Hebrew words of the tefillos.
Alisa Avruch
Queens, NY
THE KNIFE…
Dear Editor,
It is so hard, but I do it anyway. I purposefully watch those
short clips of horror as the knife goes out. Automatically, I
scream out in horror and my mind wonders to our holy people
living in the place where we all belong. To quote a seminary
menaheles, “There is no place safe, there is no place dangerous,
it’s only whatever Hashem wants.” It is one thing to know it. It is
another to be forced to live that way.
I humbly suggest that we, too, have been using knives and
daggers. They are words that cause pain or kind words unsaid
to people who crave them most (lonely people, singles, widows,
divorcees, etc.).
It’s on my mind so much that I even dream about the calls I
wish I got. It hurts me so much that the friends/extended family I
care about so much don’t seem to reciprocate. All I ask in return
for me being thoughtful and buying my cousins in Israel nice
clothes is a phone call. When I asked for a picture, they thought
I was being ridiculous. The pain is unbearable. Why is it a big
deal to do something so seemingly insignificant and yet has deep
significance and meaning to the receiver? Take it from a phone
call/sweet word craver: It makes all the difference.
Thank you for reading. May we be zocheh to use words of
care.
Sweet Word Craver
Page 11
By Rabbi Yitzchok Tzvi Schwarz
“
Send Your Bread
Upon The Waters
“
He was the classic melamed of children, performing his task with
incredible devotion. In history, he is celebrated as the symbol of a
rebbi par excellence. He himself was a talmid of the great Amora,
Rav, whose council he sought in order to perfect his craft. Some of
Rav’s bits of advice are recorded in the Gemara. He was so dedicated to his talmidim that for thirteen years he never took a vacation.
Once, his rebbi found him taking a stroll in the garden and asked
him if he had left his position. To this, he answered that for thirteen
years he had never left his post, and even now, when he is away from
his talmidim, he is thinking about them. Regarding this, Rav quoted
the posuk which states, “The wise will rise like the radiance of the
sky and those who teach righteousness to the multitudes will shine
like the stars forever and ever” (Doniel 12:3). Who was the paragon
of a mechanech? It was the great Rav Shmuel bar Sheilas (Bava
Basra 8b). Which family did he hail from and from where did he
acquire these attributes?
About three generations before him, a distant relative was illuminating the world with his Torah. He was very involved in the editing
of the Mishnah, which he was mekabel straight from his rebbi, Rabi
Akiva. His Torah was very sharp and penetrating, to the extent that
it was said about him that his learning in the bais medrash uproots
mountains and grinds them into each other (Sanhedrin 24a). Rabi
Yosef ben Chalafta, his friend, introduced him in his own city of
Tzipori as “a great man, a holy man, and a modest man.” When a
statement is made in the Mishnah not in the name of anyone in particular, we assume that it was said by this venerable sage. Who is this
great leader in Klal Yisroel? It is the holy Tanna, Rabi Meir. Where
did he come from and who are his forebears?
One of the classic commentaries of the Torah is constantly learned
by Klal Yisroel. When we learn shnayim mikrah weekly, it is accompanied by echad targum, the translation of the wise Onkelos, who
was a student of the Tannaim Rabi Eliezer and Rabi Yehoshua. This
translation was given to us at Har Sinai, but was forgotten over the
years. This tzaddik merited recording it the way he was mekabel it
from his rabbeim. Numerous seforim have been written to study and
analyze this commentary. What was his origin that enabled him to
preserve a translation that is so paramount for the generations?
Another godly man who hailed from the same lineage was a
prophet, a talmid of Eliyahu Hanovi. Whereas it says that Avrohom
Page 12
Avinu feared Hashem, about this novi it says that he feared Hashem
greatly (Melachim I 18:3). When the wicked king Achav and his
wife Izevel persecuted nevi’im, this tzaddik personally hid and sustained one hundred of them in a cave with great mesirus nefesh. His
nevuah foretells the downfall of Eisav, ending with a posuk that we
say every day: “Ve’olu moshi’im behar Tzion… And saviors will
ascend Har Tzion to judge the mountain of Eisav and the kingdom
will be Hashem’s.” He is Ovadiah Hanovi.
Four great tzaddikim, each one of them famous in the annals of
our history. Any family would be proud to have nurtured even one
of them, and here all four of them come from the same origins. Who
was their forebear? Undoubtedly, he must have been a spiritual giant and a master mechanech. Why, he was none other than…Eisav
Harasha. Yes, despite his offenses against Hashem and his fellow
man, despite his hatred for his holy brother Yaakov, despite his total
pursuit of Olam Hazeh and refusal to accept upon himself the yoke
of Hashem, many great people emerged from him over the years.
The Gemara tells us that the grandchildren of Haman, a de-
Not always do we
see the nachas
immediately. Great
things take a while to
develop.
scendant of Eisav, learned Torah in Bnei Brak. According to
some, Rav Shmuel bar Sheilas was one of them. The great
Tanna Rabi Meir was a descendant of Niron, the Roman general who ascended to destroy Yerushalayim but ended up fleeing and becoming a ger tzedek. Onkelos was the nephew of
Titus and also became a ger tzedek, as did Ovadiah Hanovi,
who prophesized the grim news of the downfall of his former nation, the progeny of Eisav. In addition to these tzaddikim, there was the Roman emperor Antoninus, who secretly
learned Torah with Rabi Yehuda Hanosi and also eventually
converted to Yiddishkeit. Furthermore, during the period of
Bayis Sheini, thousands of Romans who came in contact with
Jews ended up being megayer.
In this week’s sedrah, it seems that there was a split between Yitzchok Avinu and Rivkah Imeinu in their loyalty to
their children. “And Yitzchok loved Eisav, for hunting was in
his mouth, but Rivkah loved Yaakov” (Bereishis 25:28). It appears as if Yitzchok was fooled by Eisav and therefore wanted
to bestow the brachos upon him, but Rivkah recognized his
true colors and managed to wrench the blessings away for
Yaakov. However, as we know, in the Torah, things are not
always as they appear on the surface.
Could it possibly be that Yitzchok, who was a novi and a
tzaddik upon whom the Shechinah rested, would be totally
fooled by a rasha and favor him over the holy Yaakov? We
also see that Rivkah cared about Eisav. The Torah constantly
refers to Eisav as Rivkah’s “older son,” implying that they had
a regular mother-son relationship. Rashi quotes a Medrash
which says that Eisav entrusted his special clothing with his
mother and not with his wives, a sign that they had a good
relationship. Furthermore, when Rivkah tells Yaakov to flee
for his life, she adds, “Why should I lose both of you on the
same day?” (Bereishis 27:45). It is clear that she also loved
Eisav and did not want to lose him. How, indeed, could both
Yitzchok and Rivkah care so much about Eisav, when his misdeeds were so obvious?
When Rivkah was expecting her twins, she experienced
extreme pain and frightening symptoms, so she went to the
bais medrash of Sheim and Eiver to inquire of Hashem what
this was all about. Hashem said to her, “Two nations are in
your womb” (Bereishis 25:23). Rashi explains that implicit in
these words was a message that there would be greatness and
royalty in both nations. Therefore, when Eisav emerged and
his behavior was not becoming of a child from such an exalted
family, his parents were not put off. They knew that despite his
actions, he had tremendous potential for greatness - if not he
himself, then the nation that would emanate from him. They
were mekarev him. Yitzchok, especially, did everything possible to bring out the sparks of kedushah within him.
Yitzchok Avinu felt that the brachos needn’t be given to
Yaakov, for Yaakov’s greatness and holiness were obvious.
He was a source of blessing unto himself. It was Eisav, who
was wandering away from the straight path, who needed the
brachos to be able to tap his hidden potential. Here is where
Rivkah differed from her husband. She felt that the blessings
November
13, 2015 | 1 Kislev 5776
must be given to Yaakov, who was responsible and holy, for
who knows what havoc and destruction Eisav could wreak if
he were given extra power? But they were both dedicated to
bringing out the best in Eisav.
“Send your bread upon the waters, for after many days you
will find it” (Koheles 11:1). Yitzchok and Rivkah invested
kochos and emotions into Eisav. They didn’t see nachas during their lifetime, but throughout history, many great people
emerged from Eisav. It was due to his parents’ efforts that
some of Eisav’s hidden potential was tapped in later years. The
sparks of kedushah were salvaged from amidst the impure.
Rivkah Imeinu told Yaakov that if he were to die, she would
lose Eisav at the same time. Why did she think so? (See Rashi.)
The Brisker Rov explains that as long as Yaakov was alive, she
was not bereft of Eisav, for she knew that many geirim would
emerge from Eisav. But this was only possible if Yaakov and
his descendants were alive. Then they could influence Eisav’s
progeny. If Yaakov would pass on, then all of Eisav’s potential
would be lost as well. Although Rivkah did not see the nachas
now, she still had hope for the future, and indeed that came to
fruition.
There is much that we can learn from this story. Eisav chose
a lifestyle that was extremely different than that of his parents.
His red complexion was a sign that he had a tendency for murder. He evaded having a bris milah. He pursued earthly pleasures and eschewed spiritual matters. Yet, his parents did not
throw up their hands in despair. They cared for him and tried
to bring out his hidden potential.
What are we to say about the proper attitude that we should
have toward our children? It is pleasurable to raise metzuyanim
who do everything right. They learn, they behave, and we see
the fruits of our efforts immediately. But what about the children who don’t have a natural inclination for learning, the ones
who are mischievous and don’t behave in a way that brings us
nachas? How about the ones who make us dread going to a
P.T.A. meeting?
Unlike Eisav, they are Bnei Yisroel, from the holy tribes that
descended from Yaakov Avinu. Their ancestors and their very
own neshamos were present at Har Sinai, where they were
inculcated with tremendous kedushah. The Rambam says that
the inner ratzon of every Jew is to fulfill the word of Hashem.
They are mekayeim countless mitzvos on a daily basis, except
that they are not yet where we would like them to be.
What a crime it would be to dismiss them as failures and
not to invest tremendous kochos in them. They need nurturing,
loving care, sensitivity, and our tefillos to bring out the best in
them. And they need loads of patience. Many are children who
showed no inclination for productivity early in their lives, yet
they turned out to be great talmidei chachomim or askanim in
their communities, great assets for Klal Yisroel.
Not always do we see the nachas immediately. Great things
take a while to develop. And even if the nachas is not seen in
the child we nurture, the fruits of the labor can appear later
down the road, in future generations, bringing endless nachas
to their forebears.
Page 13
By Avrohom Birnbaum
“Open Orthodox Is
Not Orthodox”
Why Do We Care?
It was perhaps the most important statement, and the one with the
most potential practical ramifications, released by the Motezes Gedolei
HaTorah since the 1956 “P’sak Din” of the roshei yeshiva about rabbinic collaboration with the Conservative and Reform movements.
The statement I am referring to is the kol korei released last week
by the Motezes Gedolei HaTorah of Agudas Yisroel of America stating
that Open Orthodoxy is “no different than other dissident movements
throughout our history that have rejected the basic tenets [of our faith].”
“Open Orthodoxy,” the statement said, “is not a form of Torah Judaism
(Orthodoxy).”
Before getting to the main points I wish to make, I think it is important to note that this type of pronouncement is truly the raison d’être of
Agudas Yisroel and one of the main functions envisioned by the gedolei
Yisroel who established the movement over 100 years ago.
Agudas Yisroel is certainly involved in many things: advocacy on
many fronts, chessed, Torah, Daf Yomi, shiurim for men and women,
etc. One of its primary functions is to be the omeid b’peretz, with the
einei ha’eidah ensuring the continuity of Yiddishkeit according to mesorah and ensuring that as the world changes, the way that we address
those changes is absolutely halachically and hashkafically permissible.
The kol korei released last week, drawing the line and outlining the
boundaries of Orthodoxy, was long in coming but extremely important.
A Question that Deserves an Answer
During the few days since the kol korei was released, many who,
since 2007, have been reading the periodic columns in this space highlighting Open Orthodoxy’s aberrations from halachah and mesorah
have come over to me, first to say how gratifying it is that already nine
years ago the Yated saw the true face of Open Orthodoxy and reluctantly
felt that, bemakom she’ein ish, in the absence of anyone responsibly
raising the flag, there was no choice but to do it in these pages.
After that, however, the main question being asked was: “Who
cares? No one in Brooklyn, Lakewood or Monsey is going near Open
Orthodox practice, so why should we care? Let’s just worry about the
shidduch crisis or other issues that are seemingly closer to home…”
The answer is that we should all care. We should all feel a deep sense
of gratitude and relief that the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah has issued this
kol korei and that the Yated, the faithful paper that represents an authen-
Page 14
tic Torah voice, stood in front of the rampart for what is right.
Here is why:
Chillul Hashem
When a movement speaking in the name of Torah observance (Orthodoxy) and calling itself Orthodox actively promotes breaches of halachah and mesorah in the most public way, it desecrates the name of
Hashem.
When a movement includes and tolerates rabbis who promote outright kefirah, such as questioning the authorship of parts of the Torah, it
is a colossal chillul Hashem.
When a movement that calls itself Orthodox changes conversion
standards in such a way as to almost certainly invalidate conversions, it
is a tremendous chillul Hashem.
When a movement minimizes the prohibition that the Torah labels
toeivah and even publically condones relationships that the Torah calls
toeivah, and when one of their leading rabbis publically wishes America
“mazel tov” upon the Supreme Court ruling on alternative marriage, that
is an immense chillul Hashem that must be protested.
When a movement breaks with thousands of years of tradition by
welcoming intermarried couples to their synagogues and communities,
that is a huge chillul Hashem.
When a movement that calls itself Orthodox engages in rabbinic recognition and religious collaboration with the Conservative and Reform
movements, it is a colossal chillul Hashem.
When a movement that calls itself Orthodox ordains women and has
women lead the davening in ways that contravene halachah and mesorah, it is an enormous chillul Hashem.
When a movement that calls itself Orthodox changes and tampers
with the siddur to conform with present-day secular views on egalitarianism, it is a terrible chillul Hashem.
Ahavas Yisroel
We deeply care about Jews wherever they may be and whatever their
level of observance. Open Orthodoxy thrives on enticing and preying on
wonderful, well-meaning Jews who did not merit a comprehensive Jewish education and do not have any real knowledge of the foundations
of halachic Judaism. They are selling them a false bill of goods. They
are advertising themselves as Orthodox and selling them a combination
of Conservative Jewish thought of a generation ago, coupled with the
latest moral code in vogue on the present-day New York Times editorial
page.
Our ahavas Yisroel compels us to call out to our fellow Jews and
tell them, “You are being sold a distortion and a lie that may very well
sabotage your deeply-valued spiritual goals and aspirations.”
Our ahavas Yisroel compels us to inform them that Open Orthodoxy
will share the same fate as the Conservative and Reform movements.
History has shown that movements that continuously move the goalposts to conform to changing times eventually descend into the dust
heap of history. The colossal tragedy is the korbanos, the innocent victims they take with them into the black hole of spiritual oblivion and
assimilation.
Look at the millions of Jews who have been lost to Klal Yisroel
through intermarriage as a result of the Reform and Conservative movements’ “tolerance.” If we care in any way about our fellow Jews who are
buying the “untruthful advertising” of Open Orthodoxy, all the while
thinking that they are getting halachic Judaism, we must realize how
important the kol korei of the Moetzes is. What it does is draw the line
and inform the public that this is not Orthodox. It will not be accepted as
Orthodox, and the lifecycle events officiated by their clergy will not be
recognized by Torah-observant rabbis throughout the world.
We live in an age when our kiruv organizations cannot keep up with
the numbers of Jews who are leaving the fold due to assimilation and
intermarriage. In fact, we are barely making a dent. History shows us
that Open Orthodoxy will produce the assimilation that the Conservative movement did. Do we care so little about our fellow Jews that we
won’t try to save them before they fall off the deep end?
Yichus and Personal Status Issues
We should deeply care about the kol korei, because if there is anything that is important to us, it is the yichus of Klal Yisroel. What Reform and Conservative movements did with their “geirus” and “gittin”
is ruin the yichus of Klal Yisroel. They increased mamzeirus and were
responsible for untold numbers of unsuspecting people who thought
they had converted to Judaism but were, in truth, gentiles. How much
heartache did converts and other victims of these ersatz movements suffer later when they realized that their conversion wasn’t a conversion
and their get was not a get?
By drawing the line and publically stating the obvious - that Open
Orthodoxy is not a form of Torah Judaism - the kol korei is effectively
declaring: Be warned! Lifecycle events performed by “Open Orthodox
rabbis” do not have the imprimatur of halachic Orthodoxy.
Opening the Floodgates for
Orthodoxy Haters
Open Orthodoxy has made it permissible to attack authentic Orthodoxy on theological grounds. Lehavdil, let us give an example from
Christianity. Roman Catholicism does not permit women to be priests.
November
13, 2015 | 1 Kislev 5776
There are plenty of people out there who think that Roman Catholicism is misogynistic. If they don’t like that, they can become Episcopalian or find other Protestant denominations that better suit them.
What they won’t do, however, is say that, really, Roman Catholicism
allows female clergy and Roman Catholics just don’t get it.
Thus, no one can criticize a devout Roman Catholic of not adhering
to his religion if he does not accept female priests.
What Open Orthodoxy has done - by advertising to the secular media and by being media savvy and social-media savvy - is create such
confusion among the unschooled as to what Orthodoxy is and isn’t
that it has opened the floodgates for mainstream media outlets, such
as the New York Times, and secular Jewish media outlets to accuse
Orthodox Jews of being fanatic because they refuse to recognize the
“Orthodox” view espoused by Open Orthodoxy.
In other words, until now, everyone understood that Orthodox Jews
have a different standard than the wider world around us. You can take
it or leave it, but you cannot dispute it. Not only that, but it would be
in bad taste and perhaps labeled as anti-religious and perhaps even
anti-Semitic to criticize it.
Today, not only is it not anti-Semitic, but it is in vogue. Open Orthodoxy has intentionally seen to it that normative Orthodoxy become the
whipping boy of the unschooled Jew on ostensibly religious grounds.
“They are also Orthodox? Why can’t your rabbis be as tolerant as Rabbis Weiss, Lopatin, Linzer and Katz?”
A recent article by Jane Eisner, editor of The Forward, succinctly
made this very point, claiming that as a non-Orthodox Jew, she felt the
battle for Orthodoxy was a battle that she must fight.
Because Open Orthodoxy has now legitimized female rabbis, Ms.
Eisner, a non-Orthodox Jew, now feels emboldened to take the side of
the “good guys” in the Orthodox divide.
When we desire to keep certain morally corrupt teachings out of
our state-mandated school curriculum, it is not unlikely that we will
be told, “There are Orthodox rabbis who condone and celebrate this.
Why are you guys so fanatical?”
The Clearly Delineated Border
Between the Holy and the Profane
This is why we all should express a collective brachah of gratitude
to Hashem and the members of the Moetzes who drew the lines for
the benefit of all Jews.
Moshe Rabbeinu told Korach and his people, “In the morning,
Hashem will make known…” The Medrash Tanchuma brought by
Rashi in Parshas Korach (Bambidar 15:5) states that the word “morning” is a metaphor. Moshe said to them, “Hashem fixed boundaries
in the world. Can you turn morning into evening? Will you be able to
nullify the kehunah? Just as Hashem separated between morning and
evening, as it states in the posuk, ‘Hashem separated between light
and darkness,’ so was Aharon set apart to be sanctified.”
We can paraphrase and say that, boruch Hashem, this kol korei also
attests to the borders Hashem has made between light and darkness,
kodesh and chol, real Orthodoxy and the heresy of a new movement
that tries to cloak itself in the mantel of Orthodoxy.
Page 15
By Rav Yaakov Feitman | Kehillas Bais Yehudah Tzvi, Cedarhurst
Facing
an
Ancient
Evil
It was one of those phone calls you never forget. One of my
congregants, a wonderful wife and mother, informed me that her
son had just been shot by a sniper in Chevron near the Me’oras
Hamachpeilah. Her husband, my friend Ronen, had brought his two
sons to Eretz Yisroel to give chizuk to the Jewish community on
Shabbos Parshas Chayei Sarah, when, for many years now, thousands travel for this purpose. Although there are strong opinions at
variance with such a trip during times of danger, there can be no
doubt that Ronen, Eli and Yosef came in peace, with the best of
intentions. At this moment, we have not yet heard a word of protest
about Eli’s injuries from the U.S. Embassy, which was updated by
Shaarei Tzedek Hospital that an American citizen was wounded.
Miraculously, the bullet entered and left Eli’s leg, leaving him
only “lightly wounded.” However, the intent was clearly deadly.
Although I was calm when I spoke to Eli’s mother, I put down the
phone shaking and distressed. Please allow me to share a few reactions to this event.
It is ironic that the Sunday Times Book Review the very next day
(November 8, 2015) featured three different stories related to antiSemitism, always missing the point. In the “letters” section, Dennis Ross, a former American envoy to the Middle East, defends
his recent book, Doomed to Succeed, from criticism by the Times
reviewer, Scott Anderson. Both author and reviewer agree that Israel needs to do more to create peace with its neighbors. Their only
disagreement is in degree, strategy and implementation. Nowhere is
there the sense that the Arabs have been indiscriminately murdering
innocent people for decades. Nowhere is there a hint of how many
times Israel has been willing to give up literally most of the country
for peace. Nowhere is there a hint that, whereas they murder wantonly and indiscriminately, we lose our own lives to avoid killing
civilians and warn the enemy when we must bomb residential areas,
even those rife with terrorists.
Later (page 38), there is an important review of a devastating
book about the July 1941 massacre of the Jews of Jedwabne, a Polish town of 3,000, where 1,600 Jewish men, women and children
Page 16
were burned alive by catholic Poles. The cover-up, which blamed
Nazis exclusively, while in fact the murders were perpetrated primarily by a Polish mob, was arranged by a combination of the families of the murderers, right-wing politicians, historians, journalists
and catholic clergyman. To be sure, “certain morally splendid and
heroic Poles” who saved Jews and must certainly be considered
chassidei umos ha’olom - righteous gentiles - stand out. However,
the sordid story makes clear that the majority of the town participated and at least enjoyed the spectacle of the Jews being beaten
and burned to death.
On the very next page, Lynne Olson reviews a new book by Jay
Winik condemning Franklin Delano Roosevelt for not doing more
to save the Jews. Strangely enough, even after seven decades of evidence to the contrary, Ms. Olson seems unsure of Winik’s conclusion that Roosevelt missed an opportunity for greatness to “imbue
World War II with a higher moral purpose…a war against the Final
Solution.” Quite dramatically and appropriately, FDR is pictured on
the page of the review working on his stamp collection in 1944, an
activity to which he seemed to give more time, effort and care than
rescuing any Jews from extinction.
How do we understand these ongoing historic phenomena from a
Torah perspective? Some will simply answer that Chazal taught us
clearly, long ago, “Halachah hi beyodua she’Eisav sonei l’Yaakov It is a codified rule that Eisav hates Yaakov” (Rashi, Bereishis 33:4),
and that is all there is to it. However, there actually is more, which
explains much, even though it may not change our lives immediately. First of all, let us pick up where we left off two weeks ago in
this column. We learned from my rebbi, Rav Yitzchok Hutner zt”l,
that the union of the Mufti and Hitler signaled the joining of Eisav
and Yishmoel predicted in the Torah (Bereishis 28:9). Following is,
as Paul Harvey used to say, “The rest of the story”:
It is well-known that the rosh yeshiva, Rav Hutner, was one of
the passengers on a plane hijacked by Arab terrorists in Elul 5730.
Miraculously freed before Rosh Hashanah, the rosh yeshiva gave
several maamarim (see Pachad Yitzchok, Rosh Hashanah No. 25
and Yom Hakippurim No. 12) about the function of yissurim, suffering, in our teshuvah prospectus. However, on the second night
of Sukkos, the Ushpizin of Yitzchok Avinu, he revealed to us an extraordinary insight he had gained during his ordeal.
Every day, during the hijacking, a parade of terrorists would
board the plane, glare at the prisoners and leave. One of them, however, stopped to exchange a few words with the rosh yeshiva. He
later commented that he perceived upon the terrorist leader’s face
the “princeliness of Yishmoel” (Sefer Hazikaron, page 55). In the
sukkah that night, the rosh yeshiva shared the following incredible
distinction between Eisav and Yishmoel: “Eisav is a true yoreish. He
shares an inheritance with us, because the posuk declares, ‘I have
given Eisav Mount Se’ir as an inheritance’” (Yehoshua 24:4). However, concerning Yishmoel, the exact opposite was decreed: “for the
son of this handmaiden will not inherit” (Bereishis 21:10). The rosh
yeshiva used this distinction to explain why, in last week’s sedra
(25:16), the Torah declares that Yishmoel would live bechatzreihem uvetirosam, which the rosh yeshiva translated as the temporary
dwellings of the Arab nomad. He concluded that Yishmoel’s obsession with Eretz Yisroel, although he seems to have so much land of
his own, is that he retains “the anger of one who has no inheritance,
this being the source of all the murder and rage of the Arabs in our
time” (see Maamarei Pachad Yitzchok, Sukkos, No. 62). Viewed in
this light, the irrational, deeply-rooted hatred of Yishmoel will not
be assuaged by a few more acres of land, nor even by being granted
a state of their own. Thus, all the political and diplomatic speculation will come to nothing, as the history of the past seven decades
has proven.
Yet, strangely, there is an even deeper source for the anti-Semitism that we have been experiencing. The Ramchal (Derech Hashem 4:8:2) writes that “if not for our sins,” we would all experience
the promise of the posuk, “And all the nations will see the name of
Hashem called upon you and will fear you” (Devorim 28:10). One
of the commentaries on the Derech Hashem (written under the guidance of Rav Moshe Shapiro shlit”a) adds the following important
comment: “Nevertheless, although we do not see this fear, down
deep they subconsciously do fear us…and this is the common denominator of all anti-Semitism” (Eis Laasos, page 454).
If we properly understand this profound insight, we will comprehend all of the phenomena we quoted earlier. First of all, let us call
it by its rightful name. Hatred pointed against Jews is simply antiSemitism. Its roots may vary, but the disease is the same. The Yishmoel hatred for us heralds back to Sarah Imeinu’s decree, later ratified by Hashem that lo yirash, Yishmoel will receive no yerushah.
There is therefore no gift or accommodation that will ever satisfy
him. What, then, should we do? I will leave that to those who need
to make these decisions. But one thing is clear. Further concessions
and anything short of giving up all of our land will yield us nothing
but more tragedy.
Regarding general anti-Semitism, we learned from the Ramchal
and his commentators that the world is well-aware that we are different. For the righteous gentiles, this is a recognition that can lead
to wonderful relations, as we act in the guise of an ohr lagoyim, a
light and guide unto the gentiles in matters of ethics, morality and
many other things. For those who hate us, there is sadly no cure but
the coming of Moshiach himself. However, it should be manifest
that the more we act in our capacity of teachers to the world, being
clearly the finest and best of humanity, we will inspire the gentiles
who sense role models and paragons of faith and civility and are
willing to become our disciples. This, too, is a harbinger of the Messianic age, which we hope will be ushered in speedily in our days.
November
13, 2015 | 1 Kislev 5776
For those who
hate us, there
is sadly no cure
but the coming of
Moshiach himself.
Page 17
Q
Moderated by Rabbi Yisroel Besser
Questions are welcome at [email protected]
I recently adopted a certain chumra after hearing that my rebbi did so and conducting my own
research. My chinuch question is what to do with my sons. One is five years old and the other
is twelve years old. The twelve-year-old wants to emulate me, while the five-year-old obviously
has no opinion. I am trying to figure out how to adapt my personal chumros with my chinuch
responsibilities.
RABBI YAAKOV BENDER
Rosh Yeshiva, Yeshiva Darchei Torah,
Far Rockaway
If you want to avoid sending your children for psychiatric help,
do not practice your chumros in front of your children. When they
get older, im yirtzeh Hashem, there may be a time and place for certain chumros. That is only when and if they show sincere interest in
elevating their Yahadus. The most important thing you can do, in an
ehrliche home, is to keep everyone sane and normal. Don’t look to be
different. Often, people ask me for my shitos in chinuch.
My response is that I have one shitah: not to have any shitos when
it comes to children.
Enjoy your happy and healthy children for many years to come.
RABBI DOVID ENGEL
Menahel, The Toronto Cheder
Before answering the question, I would like to clarify what I believe constitutes a chumra. Eating only yoshon products, not carrying in a place that has a kosher eruv, and being mekabel Shabbos
early can be classified as chumros.
Over the years, I have spoken to many people who have adopted
the aforementioned chumros as practice. They related that when they
inquired of their poskim as to whether they should expect their bnei
bayis and children to adopt these stringencies, they were told, “Only
if they are willing to do so.”
One of our esteemed rabbeim, Rabbi Yaakov Erlanger, pointed
out that in the Igros Chazon Ish (volume 1, letter 20), bnei yeshiva
are advised to “be careful from doing anything strange that others are
Page 18
not doing, and be exceedingly careful with this.”
Using this wise advice of the gadol hador, since this chumra is
something that your son has shown interest in embracing, then, by
all means, allow him to take it on with you, as long as it will not
make him “stick out” in his yeshiva. If, however, this is not the case,
perhaps he should wait until a more propitious time for him to do so.
RABBI YISROEL HISIGER
Brooklyn, New York
Any additional observance you undertake should not be subject
to copycat identification by your children. They are not old enough
to appreciate the intricacies of the halachic underpinnings of such a
decision.
I would suggest that you let this type of thing evolve on its own.
At this point, your children can follow what is generally practiced
and taught by their rabbeim and in their yeshivos. They shouldn’t be
forced to be different than their classmates.
At some later date, as they become mesivta bochurim and begin
to understand and appreciate what halachah is and what a hiddur is,
they can choose, on their own, to emulate their father. Even when
they are younger than that, they may pick up on your hiddur and
decide to follow it, often out of admiration for you and out of pride
that they are able to adhere to it. Sometimes, children will cherish the
opportunity to be unique or different in a positive way.
These are not necessarily the types of things that you can dictate
or enforce, and if you try to, it will likely backfire anyway. These
things are best learned via osmosis. Whether it is keeping yoshon,
wearing techeiles, davening Minchah before plag when making an
early Shabbos, or any other of a number of hiddurim or minhagim,
the best way to teach your children is by example, nothing more and
nothing less.
Much hatzlachah with the chinuch habonim of your family.
RABBI SHMUEL YAAKOV KLEIN
Director, Publications & Communications,
Torah Umesorah
A father’s chumros need not necessarily be adopted by the children...at least not early in their lives. This is especially true if and
when the adoption of a chumra may place the child in an awkward
social situation in his yeshiva or her Bais Yaakov. Chances are good
that when your sons get older, they will want to adopt their father’s
every habit, chumra and personal hanhagah. Let that happen when
they are old enough to make that decision. If it is a chumra and a new
addition to your own lifestyle, you do not need to pass it on yet if it
gets in the way.
RABBI SHNEUR AISENSTARK
Dean, Beth Jacob Seminary, Montreal
I would like to address your problem by using the following analogy. Picture a wagon loaded to the top that must be pulled by one
horse. The horse is having a difficult time travelling on muddy and
dirt-laden roads to reach its destination. If one more item is added to
the load, the horse may be unable to pull the wagon.
This is a generation that, boruch Hashem, has been given a curriculum of study that reaches the maximum that our children can
handle. Achsher dara. Our present generation is growing in Torah
and yiras Shomayim. Our children are shteiging in Yiddishkeit. Yet,
many of our children find it difficult to carry the entire load. High
school boys and girls have trouble reading plain ivra. Our expectations of our children are that they be able to read prior to entering
school. The learning of Gemara is placed on the curriculum at a very
early age and many children are simply not ready for this. Many
of our students have concentration problems and face a multitude
of distractions from the outside world. In addition to the prescribed
curriculum, programs for learning Friday afternoons and Motzoei
Shabbos, contests of Mishnayos Baal Peh, and cocoa clubs before
davening have sprouted up in many yeshivos. I can go on and on.
In addition to all of my examples, we want our children to be little
tzaddikim who can do no wrong.
Now you want to add chumros when there is so much we must
address within the regular prescribed hanhagos. In every corner, r”l,
we see children who are leaving the fold because they are having a
hard time dealing with what we expect of them. They need our help
in so many areas, especially with simchas hachaim and enjoyment
of learning. The horse in our analogy cannot pull any more of a load
because it is so difficult for it to handle what is already on the wagon.
You say that your rebbi practices a particular chumra that you
November
13, 2015 | 1 Kislev 5776
adopted after much research. I assume that this chumra is not part
of your mesorah. Therefore, my suggestion is that you tell your son
that when he matures and has the knowledge and ability to research
any chumra he wishes to add as his own, after consultation with his
rebbi, he can do as he pleases. Until then, encourage him to work on
excelling at that which is prescribed.
On the other hand, there may be certain exceptions to what I have
said. Obviously, I am speaking in generalities and not about specific
situations. If, for example, a boy wants to wear his peyos behind
his ears because most of his classmates do, even though it is not his
family’s mesorah, he should not be stopped, because he will be more
comfortable being part of the group. He should not be made to feel
“different.” However, if no one in his class wears peyos behind his
ears, he should be told to wait with that chumra for the reasons I have
described above.
Let me reiterate: We should concentrate on what is already in the
loaded wagon that needs so much of our attention without looking
for additions.
Tofasta merubah lo tofasta. If you try to accomplish too much,
you may lose it all, because being overly ambitious can sometimes
be self-defeating.
RABBI YECHIEL SPERO
Rebbi, Yeshiva Chofetz Chaim, Baltimore
You are an adult and mature enough to determine what you are
capable of taking upon yourself. Your twelve-year-old is at a copycat
stage of his life. He is not yet ready for chumros.
My opinion (and that is all this is) is that one should not allow
his children to accept chumros upon themselves until they are old
enough to fully comprehend what they are doing. One mechanech,
who I respect greatly, often speaks of sustainable Yiddishkeit. It is
not healthy to take upon oneself a chumra that is beyond one’s level
of ruchniyus. It won’t last and will ultimately prove to be counterproductive. Think of it, lehavdil, like a crash diet. It might work for
a short while, but when you go off of it, the weight will come back
with a vengeance. Trust me. I know.
Take ultra-long Shemonah Esreis, for example. If a twelve-yearold is davening a fifteen-minute Shemonah Esrei, that is not sustainable. Hence, it is probably best for someone to speak to him to adjust
the length of his Shemonah Esrei. We don’t want a scenario where
the young man davens long Shemonah Esreis and then “gets sick of
it,” chas veshalom, and stops davening altogether.
A number of years ago, the Roundtable discussed the issue of
young bochurim donning peyos. At that time, I believe many expressed similar sentiments. You don’t want to stifle his enthusiasm
for mitzvos, but you also don’t want him trying out the latest chumra
as if it is the newest popular bubble gum flavor. It is important to
strike a healthy balance.
Page 19
There are other issues, as well. The Gemara speaks of “mechzi keyuhara,” refraining
from stringencies that appear to stem from haughtiness and drawing attention to oneself. It
is best to wait until your child is eighteen. By then, he is mature enough to make his own
choices.
Rabbi Nosson Scherman
General Editor, ArtScroll/Mesorah Publications
There are two kinds of chumros. The more common kind are those that have become
widely adopted in a family’s community. Many years ago, most families did not use hand
shmurah matzah or glatt kosher meat for Ashkenazim. Over the decades, these erstwhile
chumros have become so widely accepted in many of our communities that they are everyday practice and certainly a twelve-year-old should observe them. But that is not the
subject of the question.
The other kind of chumros are those that might be called “copycat” chumros. They are
not required by halachah, but the writer has adopted them as a personal stringency. An
example might be eating fruit and light snacks only in a sukkah. It is not required, but it is
meritorious to do so. That the writer has accepted such stringencies upon himself is an indication of his yiras Shomayim and desire to grow. A twelve-year-old is not on that level. He
wants to look frum, but he is not yet at that level - nor need he be at his age. If he does it all
and has it all and looks it all at his age, where is there room for growth? Is he truly serious
about learning? Is he so careful about coming to shul on time and really davening, rather
than mumbling a few words now and then and staring at the walls? That is not the most
terrible thing in the world. After all, he’s only twelve, but I don’t think that a child should
dress or act like an adult baal nefesh while he is still a child. As he gets older, yes. But
maturity is a gradual process. For the present, let him admire his father’s yiras Shomayim
and aspire to grow up like him. In the long run, he’ll be frummer and his Yiddishkeit will
be healthier.
There are many things that his parents tell him he’ll be able to do when he is older. Chumros above his level of maturity should be one of them.
RABBI Aron FInk
Menahel, Ateres Bais Yaakov, Monsey
You are wise to be seeking a balance between your personal chumros and chinuch
responsibilities. Ashrecha. Before you can begin, however, you need to be sure of your
definitions, so that your children can appreciate the same. When it comes to our personal
practice of mitzvos, there are halachos, hanhagos, hiddurim, minhagim, “tavo alecha brachah,” seyagim, and, yes, chumros. You and your children need to know the difference.
After all, halachah is immutable and family minhag is almost as strong. Hiddurim may be
pursued as a reflection of zeh Keili ve’anveihu, but they are not as binding, and the “tavo
alecha brachah” group represent many practices worth striving for. Of course, there are
some gray areas, but once you have defined the practice, the chinuch imperatives become
clearer.
For example, the halachah requires one to shake the Arba Minim on the first day of
Sukkos. Each of the species must be kosher. However, people typically seek out an esrog
that is mehudar (and hopefully within their budgets). It would not be recommended to purchase an expensive esrog for your twelve-year-old. Indeed, chinuch for hiddurim should
be accompanied by a sense of maturity and appreciation for the mitzvah being observed
and enhanced.
The mitzvah of tzitzis has many of the same components noted above. Each aspect
of the mitzvah has its specifics. And there are halachos, hanhagos and hiddurim for this
mitzvah, too. Of course, it starts with a four-cornered begged that is halachically in need of
tzitzis. Added to that is the requirement for properly spun strings that are subsequently tied
correctly. Whether one has these strings threaded through the begged in one or two holes
Page 20
is a minhag. In addition, the adoption of techeiles on the strings, whether it be Radziner
techeiles or the techeiles derived from the Murex Trunculus, may be a hiddur or a minhag,
depending on whether one is a Radziner chassid. As such, it would be appropriate to train
your child in wearing tzitzis daily with the basics. However, as in the practice with the
esrog, here, too, the hiddurim should wait until they can be more fully appreciated. If it
is a matter of minhag (i.e., Radziner), then one should start at the age of chinuch. In the
unlikely event that one would receive a p’sak that techeiles on tzitzis is a din, then one
should start at the age of chinuch as well.
These guidelines can be extrapolated to most other applications.
Although it is not recommended to make your child feel awkward, nerdy or different,
you, as a parent, of course have the right to choose differently. In that case, you must
prepare your child properly. Indeed, if, for some reason, the unmentioned chumrah is an
important issue to you (and your rov), then you must teach your child to be proud and confident of its practice, but not to be a show-off. If he will be a yochid in his group, help him
to be assertive and learn to say with confidence, “This is my family practice,” in a calm,
matter-of-fact manner. What you must be especially careful of is avoiding a practice that
your child will want to cast off later. Chumros and hiddurim can always be added later; it
is much more complicated to relinquish them. Im yirtzeh Hashem, he has 120 years ahead
of him.
Lastly, be sure to review the terms (halachah, hanhagah, etc.) mentioned above. Make
sure your child knows the difference between them. Doing so will add depth and clarity to
his mitzvah observance and help you (and him) steer his way as he grows older to be ever
more deeply connected to the Shechinah in all that he does.
RABBI AVROHOM NEUBERGER
R”M, Yeshiva Gedola Ohr Reuven
The term chumros is too open-ended, because it really depends on the specific chumra
involved. Let’s mention several and thereby provide some guidelines: A) Cholov Yisroel.
B) Yoshon. C) Wearing techeiles.
In all these cases, the questions to weigh - for both yourself and the chinuch of your
children include:
A) Do you feel that this is the halachah or a chashash for a shitas yochid?
B) Does this chumrah have widespread acceptance? If not, is your motivation antiestablishment or bikkush ha’emes? How will the chumra be perceived by your child?
C) Can your actions be seen as being mevatel the daas of gedolim? Will it promote
cynicism and “feifing un” authority?
D) If you impose this chumra on your children, will it be a source of pride or of resentment?
Let’s take cholov Yisroel. The halachic basis for kula is pretty sound, but the chumra
position has been widely accepted. “In-town,” cholov Yisroel is readily available, so why
not be machmir? But if you’re out-of-town, and your kid’s friends are eating cholov stam,
will your child feel resentful or proud to be restricted?
The halachic basis to be meikil on yoshon is weaker, and the chumra position is sufficiently widespread so that there is no real downside in being machmir insofar as “feifing un.” You can allow your children to be meikel when out of your home. [Rav Yaakov
Kamenetzky zt”l reportedly sanctioned such a position.]
Techeiles is a tricky one. Some adherents maintain that there is overwhelming evidence
in favor, yet, undoubtedly, the preponderance of halachic voices have not adopted this
position. Allowing a twelve-year-old to wear techeiles is to encourage bucking the system
and “feifing un.” He should not wear techeiles. When he gets to be a “bar hachi,” he can
go through the sugya and come to his own conclusion. [If you are concerned about halachah in the interim, be makneh his begged to someone else.] In fact, should you choose
to wear techeiles, it is imperative that you compensate by speaking in the most bakavodike terms possible about your chashivus for gedolim and their opinions, and it is just as
regards this one topic that you feel it is kedai to be machmir like those poskim, and you
were advised to do so by your rabbeim. A bissele seichel goes a long way.
Kol tuv.
November
13, 2015 | 1 Kislev 5776
Page 21
Parenting Challenge
Parenting That Works
Discipline in
Turbulent Times
By Rabbi Dov Brezak
Last Week’s Parenting Challenge
My four-year-old daughter is very jealous of her younger twin sister.
At times, she is also very mischievous. Recently, I decided to put the
twins to sleep at different times to make things easier on myself. One
day, the younger twin was already asleep in bed when I came to take
the older one to bed. As I was carrying her, approaching the bed, she
jumped out of my arms and pounced on her sister, waking her up. Her
sister was startled, and it took me a while to calm her down. I was very
angry with the older twin. How could she be so insensitive and do such
a cruel thing? I potched her very hard to teach her a lesson, so that she
would never dare do such a cruel and insensitive thing like that again.
Was I right or wrong?
A. Let us first explore your objective. What is your purpose in potching her?
Q. To be mechanech her that she should never,
ever, do such a thing again. Similarly, if I would
see her running across the street without
permission, I would potch her in the same way.
Q. I am – by hitting her. Now she knows that when she
does this, she’ll get hit, and therefore she will stop doing it.
A. But you say that she’s not stopping. So it’s not working.
Q. I see your point, but I really don’t care. I will not
stand by and let my child get jumped on in the
middle of her sleep and just not do anything.
A. So then you’re not interested in chinuch here, or in doing what’s
good for the jumper-bully. You’re just disgusted with what she did, and
you want to show her how not-pleased you are, regardless of whether it
will help her or not.
Q. That’s right. If she wants me to help her, then she’ll
have to stop doing such mean, obnoxious things.
A. And if you know that what you’re doing is making things worse
and causing the child to bother her sister more, do you still feel the same
way?
Q. Yes! What you say is irrelevant. I don’t care if
my reaction makes things worse. This little girl has
to know that jumping on her sister while her sister
is sleeping is unacceptable, and that’s that.
A. Did your potch work?
Q. No. She keeps bothering her younger sister
all the time and in all kinds of ways.
A. Please allow me to rephrase what you’re saying. You must show
the girl that what she did is wrong, even if it’s going to make things
worse and it’s going to make her hurt her sister more.
A. So then has your potch achieved its goal?
Q. No, but I don’t care. She has to learn
that she cannot do such things ever!
Q. Yes, what’s wrong with that?
A. She has to learn – but she’s not learning?
Q. That’s her problem. I have to show
her that what she did is wrong.
A. You’re mistaken. You don’t have to show her that what she did is
wrong. You have to help her stop doing it.
Page 22
My four-year-old is a very strong-willed
personality. When she doesn’t get her way,
she throws a tantrum. I used to react to
these tantrums, and they would just continue
for a long time. Lately, I’ve decided to ignore
them and not feed the negative attention.
Interestingly enough, the tantrums have begun
to decrease and become less and less. But
now, my daughter has a new shtick: She hits
me when she doesn’t get her way. It doesn’t
hurt, and I’m sure that if I ignore it, she’ll stop
this as well, but I don’t feel that it’s right to
ignore it. If a child – no matter what age – hits
a parent, the parent must respond in a way that
will teach the child that this is unacceptable.
So this is my question: I know that it would work
to ignore her and the hitting would stop, but I
think that’s not chinuch, even if it would work.
Am I correct?
A. It’s not chinuch!
Chinuch is what works. Chinuch is not only what will show the child
that what he or she did is wrong. Chinuch is also what will help the child
stop doing what is wrong.
In fact, if you can help the child stop doing what is wrong without
actually dwelling on what he did wrong, then it’s chinuch.
Chinuch often dictates that we not tell the child what he did wrong.
Rav Yitzchok Zilberstein relates a fascinating shailah that came his
way.
A man had a son who was learning in yeshivah. He would leave
home early in the morning to go to yeshivah and would return home
late at night. One day, the father decided to visit his son at the yeshivah.
When he asked the boy’s friends to call out his son so that he could
speak to him, they gave him strange looks. It was clear that they were
hiding something.
It didn’t take the father long to find out that for the past half-year, the
boy had not been in the yeshivah. He had found himself a job and was
out working.
The father was shocked. In fact, he almost had a nervous breakdown.
He made his way to Rav Zilberstein with the following shailah:
Should he let his son know that he is aware that for the past half-year,
he has not been in yeshivah? Then, perhaps the son will be embarrassed
and will be sorry for what he has done. Or perhaps if the father lets on
that he knows, the son will leave everything, chas veshalom. So is it
better not to say anything at all and instead try to be mekareiv him little
by little, until he goes back to yeshivah?
Rav Zilberstein answered the shailah based on something the Ben
Ish Chai wrote on Parshas Toldos in his sefer Aderes Eliyahu.
On the posuk, “Vaye’ehav Yitzchok es Eisav ki tzayid befiv,” he asks
how the tzaddik Yitzchok could have loved Eisav? Certainly, no secrets
were hidden form Yitzchok Avinu (and he certainly knew what a rasha
Eisav was).
We understand from here, says the Ben Ish Chai, that if there is a
rasha who doesn’t want people to know that he is a rasha, because
he’s embarrassed, then it’s better to act as if you don’t know that he’s a
rasha. Then there’s hope that, at least as long as he’s in your presence,
he won’t do anything bad, because he’d be embarrassed in front of you.
There’s also hope that you might be able to get him back on track if you
speak to him with soft words and gentle mussar, and the bushah will
help him come back.
If you let him know that you’re aware of what he’s doing, then he
will lose even that bushah, and he’ll do many things in public, even in
front of you.
That is the reason Yitzchok showed such love to Eisav. His intention
was to make Eisav think that Yitzchok held him to be a tzaddik, and in
this way there was still hope.
That is the meaning of the phrase “ki tzayid befiv.” Yitzchok Avinu
knew that Eisav wasn’t genuine and that he was trying to trick his father
into thinking that he was a tzaddik. Therefore, Yitzchok played along
and did not expose him, so that there would still be hope.
- Lechaneich Besimchah, p. 366
This is the response Rav Zilberstein gave to this father. We see that
harping on the negative can sometimes make things worse, and focusing
on the positive can make things better, without ever even mentioning
what the child (or the adult) did wrong.
Q. I don’t understand your comparison at all. You’re
talking about a child who is at risk. He dropped out of
yeshivah, went to work, and didn’t even tell his parents.
The Ben Ish Chai was talking about a rasha like Eisav.
I’m talking about a regular, normal child
whom we have to be mechanech. Is what
you’re saying relevant to my situation?
Q. So you’re telling me that I should just allow my
child to do whatever she wants, and if she jumps on
her sister, I should just stand back and let her?
A. No. Be mechanech her not to do it again.
Q. How does one do that?
A. Don’t potch her at the moment she misbehaves. First go over and
comfort the child she woke up. As for the child who jumped on her,
don’t say or do anything right now, while you’re angry. She knows that
what she did was very wrong, but the fact that you’re potching her gives
her an excuse to keep doing it.
Don’t potch her, and she will feel very bad.
Then tomorrow, discuss it with her and talk about what can be done to
prevent this happening in the future, including potential consequences.
Q. Do you really think she feels bad?
A. Without a doubt. One mother told us that her five-year-old son
challenged her. He asked if he could take nosh and the mother said no.
He took the nosh anyway, and he said, “See, Ima? I took!” She didn’t
get upset; she just ignored him. He saw that she wasn’t getting upset, so
he began to call her names. She still didn’t get upset and she continued
to ignore him. Then, out of desperation, he started saying to her, “Ima,
punish me! Ima, I took nosh without permission. I called you names.
Punish me.” He knew that he was very wrong, and he was waiting for
his mother to punish him so that he would feel better. She didn’t cooperate with him.
Q. Practically speaking, what should I do?
A. Instead of simply reacting impulsively, a) wait, b) think, and c) do
what will help the child stop doing what is wrong instead of what will
show the child that he is wrong.
Q. What should be done in the case you just described?
A. I told the mother the same thing I told you: Wait until the next day
to discuss it. Also, start “positivizing” the child and catching him doing
good things.
Q. What were the results?
A. The child stopped the negative behavior entirely. Just yesterday,
the mother told me that it is hard for her, but she will try to continue.
This is chinuch, and it works, be’ezras Hashem.
•••••
To train to become a parenting coach or to join a live teleconference
with Rabbi Brezak, call 347.903.9540 or e-mail lifelines.org@gmail.
com or [email protected] for more information.
Parenting to Ponder
Wait, think, and do what will help the
child stop doing what is wrong instead of
what will show the child that he is wrong.
A. Certainly. The rules of chinuch are the same; only the details may
change here and there. The rule we’ve learned from the Ben Ish Chai
and from Rav Zilberstein is to look not at what you want to do to be
mechanech the child, but rather to look at whether it will work or not.
If it doesn’t work, it’s not chinuch!
November
13, 2015 | 1 Kislev 5776
Page 23
a good quote is worth a whole article
and
Noted
Quoted
By i. greenwood, avi yishai and avi shiff
Every one of these candidates says, “Obama is
weak, Putin is kicking sand in his face, when I talk
to Putin, it is going to straighten him out. Just by
looking at him, I’m going to - he’s going to be...”
And then it turns out they can’t handle a bunch of CNBC
moderators on a debate.
If you can’t handle those guys, you know, then, I don’t think
the Chinese and the Russians are going to be too worried about
you.
“
President Barack Obama, Politico, November 2
If Bill could run again, he would.
“
Hillary Clinton in an interview with
Jimmy Kimmel, ABC, November 5
Anybody who thinks that they can influence what I will do
doesn’t know me very well. And they can actually look and
see what I have said and done throughout my career.
“
Hillary Clinton saying that she cannot be influenced by Wall
Street and other donors, MSNBC, November 6
Page 24
Someone who protects you, gives you electricity and water,
transfers you money and you work for him and take his money - would you betray him, even if he was a Jew?
“
“
Jordanian Sheikh Ali Halabi, stirring controversy with a
fatwa against killing Jews, The Jerusalem Post, November 5
[J-Street tells us] Palestinians’ rage, after all, is understandable. No, they should not stick a knife into a Jewish woman,
but, but, but. Progressives must signal their universalism
by publicly renouncing their old tribal identity. If a progressive’s
you’re not a good liberal and a good AfricanAmerican on their plantation - they are gonna
take you out.
Ibid.
This is a bunch of lies attempting to say
that I’m lying about my history. I think it’s
pathetic, and basically what the media does
is they try to get you distracted so you don’t talk
about what is important.
I’m not proud that I had these rage episodes... But I am proud of the fact that I was
able to get over them... My message has been
that you can escape from that kind of anger.
I will not victimize these people by exposing
them to you.
The vetting that you all did with President
Obama doesn’t even come close, doesn’t even
come close to what you guys are trying to do
in my case, and you’re just going to keep going back, “He said this 12 years ago.” It is just
garbage. Give me a break.
I would hope that at some point, the people
in your profession, you would do a greater service to our nation if you would be trying to find
ways to solve some of these problems that I’m
talking about.
“
Ben Carson in an interview with CNN’s Alisyn
Camerota, November 5
Where are all these moderate Muslims I
always hear about to help with the Syrian
refugee crisis?
“
“
Bill Maher, HBO, November 6
I don’t know why we don’t create some
sort of system where we could train [Syrian refugees] to then go back to their
own country and then fight for that country.
Doesn’t somebody have to stay in the Middle
East and make the Middle East a better place
to live?
Ibid.
apartment building were on fire, he might feel guilty about racing
past his neighbor’s door to save his own child. Aligning themselves
with “the other” provides Jewish progressives with feel-good moral superiority. In many cities, these organizations were invited into
the communal Jewish tent for the sake of unity. What we got instead is an ideological knife in the back. It’s time to show them the
door.
Charles Jacobs, Jewish Advocate, November 6
The United States mainstream media today attempted to politically end Ben Carson’s bid for the Republican presidential
nomination by telling an outright lie, and then accusing the
campaign of lying and admitting to lying. This is horrible, it is despicable, it is infuriating.
“
Rush Limbaugh, EIB Network, November 6
What we have here is an electronic lynching being conducted
against a Republican African-American candidate by a majority white, mainstream American liberal media where - if
“
November
13, 2015 | 1 Kislev 5776
Four people were stabbed during a terrible attack [Wednesday] at a California
university. … [A]ll we were told throughout the news cycle was that the attacker was a resident of California and a student at the university. Was there some politically
correct reason that prevented us from having the information we
usually get immediately after such violence? You bet! [Thursday], authorities identified the attacker: Faisal Mohammad, 18
years old. As usual, the authorities are mystified about his motive,
and the FBI has been called in to help. I guess it didn’t occur to
any of the reporters or police that a stabbing attack by a Muslim
might have been inspired by the ongoing stabbing attacks by Palestinians in Israel.
“
Gary Bauer, The Patriot, November 5
Yeah... Whenever some guy called Mohammed - sometimes
Mohammed is his first name, sometimes it’s a surname,
sometimes it’s both names - and the first thing that anybody does anywhere around the Western world is rush to assure
us that this has nothing to do with either Islam or terrorism. So
“
Page 25
there’s nothing, no reason to worry, folks - because if someone
suddenly decides to come at you and he’s shouting “Allahu Akbar!” that’s just Arabic for “there’s nothing to see here.” ...The
headline in the newspaper, on ABC News’ website, it struck me.
It said: “Suspect in UC Merced stabbing ID’d as 18 year old from
Santa Clara.” So this is the way it’s presented now. It’s like, “You
know, those crazy teenagers from Santa Clara... these juvenile
delinquents they’ve got down there in the leather jackets, these
Santa Clara teens, beware of them. They’re crazy guys.”
Columnist Mark Steyn
The greatest irony of this campaign is that Clinton and Bernie Sanders are the ones making the case that the economy
is stagnant, inequality growing and the middle class falling
increasingly behind. That’s a devastating indictment of Demo-
“
cratic governance, exactly the case Republicans should have been
making all year. Instead, they’ve wasted months trading schoolboy taunts and ad hominems.
Charles Krauthammer, The Washington Post, November 5
Only since the 1980s have presidential debates become routine. They have also become absurd. With each election
cycle, these face-offs grow less and less substantive. They
aren’t forums for serious arguments about national priorities
and public policy. They are political entertainment…
“
Jeff Jacoby, The Boston Globe, November 8,
I do not remember this level of scrutiny for President Barack
Obama, when he was running. In fact, I remember just the
opposite. I remember people just said, “Oh, we won’t really talk about that relationship, oh, Frank
Marshall Davis, oh we don’t want to talk
about that, Bernadine Dorne, Bill Ayers, we
don’t want to know about that, all the things
Jeremiah Wright was saying, ehh not a big
problem. Obama goes to Occidental college,
doesn’t do well, somehow ends up at Columbia University. I dunno? Why?”
His records are sealed. Why are his
records sealed? You’re not interested in
that? Can somebody tell me why? I’m asking you why are they sealed? Don’t change
the subject. Will someone tell me please
why you have not investigated that?
Something with the words “a scholarship was offered” is a big deal, but the
president of the U.S., his academic records
being sealed is not. Tell me how there
is equivalency there. Tell me somebody,
please.
“
Dr. Ben Carson addressing the media on
the allegedly fallacious claims he made
in his book, “Gifted Hands,” including
claims that he was offered a full
scholarship to West Point about 50 years
ago, CNN, November 8
His candidacy is built on his personal
story, his personal success, and his
honesty and trustworthiness... It can
unravel more than it would for a traditional
politician.
Ben Carson was supposed to be different; that is why it is more of a danger to
him than to practically anybody else in
this field.
“
Chuck Todd, NBC, November 8
One of the interesting things is so far
they have barely reacted at all. I’m
guessing that’s because they are deciding how to spin the story. What is important
is not so much who did it or why. What’s
really important is how they will sell it and
explain it.
For some of the reasons you just hinted
at, they may want to avoid the idea it’s
ISIS. They don’t want their population to
think they have been targeted for their in-
“
Page 26
while Christie is numbers two
through five.
Jimmy Fallon, NBC
In one of his books, Ben
Carson actually admitted to
falling asleep several times
while driving his car. He started
taking Ubers to be safe, but his
drivers kept falling asleep while
listening to him talk.
“
Ibid.
We’re in the middle of a
November heat wave, with
temperatures in the 70s!
Even people worried about climate change were like, “This is
pretty nice actually.”
“
Ibid.
I saw that this week marks
one year until the 2016 election. Or as Hillary calls that,
“Five years until my re-election.”
“
Ibid.
volvement in Syria. There was a little hint this morning and
yesterday. There’s been a couple of news stories - a Russian
website Sputnik News - hinting maybe it was MI6 and another story that maybe the CIA is involved. They may try
to spin this differently. That’s the thing to watch. That will
tell you how their thinking is beginning on this right now.
The Washington Post’s Anne Appelbaum hypothesizing
that the Russians may spin the downed Russian airliner as
a Western plot, November 8
The people have made 10,000 donations each day this
week, raising $3.5M this week alone. Thank you biased
media.
“
“
Dr. Ben Carson, November 7
Liberalism is so easy. All you have to do is see some suffering and tell everybody that you see it and that it really bothers you. Right there, you are given great credit
for having great compassion, and people will say great things
about you.
Liberalism doesn’t take any kind of thought, because it’s
all based in emotion, and thinking is harder than feeling.
Thinking’s an applied process.
It takes no effort to be fatalistic or negative. It takes a lot
of effort to overcome adversity. Not everybody’s successful overnight. Very few people are. And even if they are, it
doesn’t last.
Liberals are good at catchphrases, but there’s no substance behind them.
“
“
Matt Bevin, Kentucky’s incoming Tea Party governor,
November 4
USA Today’s GOP “Power Rankings” had some big
shake-ups this week, with Marco Rubio in the lead and
Chris Christie in the top five. Yep, Rubio is number one,
November
13, 2015 | 1 Kislev 5776
Page 27
Police say a Texas man
stabbed his roommate during a fight over a piece of
fried chicken. So even if you don’t
eat the fried chicken, it will still
find a way to kill you.
“
Ibid.
A new study has found that
listing calorie content on
menus has almost no effect on encouraging customers to
choose healthier foods. The study
was conducted by looking around.
“
Ibid.
A new report found that Hillary Clinton’s campaign most
often eats pizza for meals.
While Chris Christie’s campaign
most often eats pizza for snacks.
“
Ibid.
Former President George
H.W. Bush has a new biography coming out titled “Destiny and Power.” While Jeb Bush
has a new biography titled neither
of those.
“
Ibid.
“
Jeb [Bush] just released a brand new e-book
entitled “Reply All.” It’s a great way to show
you’re done making mistakes by naming a book
after something people do by accident.
“
“
Stephen Colbert, CBS
Amazon has filed a lawsuit against a company
that would create fake five-star product reviews
in exchange for money. You can’t just create
fake approval for a mediocre product. Amazon says
that they have a strong case. But honestly, I don’t
know if they’ll win, because their lawyer only has 2.5
stars.
Conan O’Brien, TBS
We are officially one year away from the 2016
presidential election. If that seems like a long
time to wait, just remember some people - Hillary - have been waiting their whole lives.
“
Seth Meyers, NBC
Page 28
We’d be Cuba if not for Fox.
Dr. Ben Carson, November 6
We’re almost to a point
where the way this
country was 20 years
ago and beyond - and the way it
was founded - will be forgotten. It
will be history. It’s in the process
of being totally undermined, corrupted, overtaken, without a shot
being fired. It’s not gonna be recognizable to people
who were born in the forties and fifties and sixties in
too many more years.
“
As Jews acquire more and more political power,
it became almost like a housing bubble or a real
estate bubble. There’s almost been a Jewish
bubble and I think we saw it pop over the summer.
“
Laura Blumenfeld, Jewish aide to Secretary of
State John Kerry, at the Jewish Federation of
North America’s General Assembly, November 8
What does it say about people who immediately
jump on the bandwagon if they hear something
bad rather than waiting and finding out what
the truth is.
“
Dr. Ben Carson on the allegations that he made
up parts of his life story, ABC, November 8
A believing Jew knows that every second of life is a miraculous gift from his Creator. Here in Eretz Yisroel, and especially
in Yerushalayim, we see and feel that every day. We all hear and read about the terror attacks, but not everyone internalizes
that every attack is also a lesson in Hashem’s kindness and a testament to His constant miracles.
s
e
l
c
a
Mir
Every Day
By T z v i Ya a ko v s o n
On Thursday, 9 Cheshvan/October 22, a soldier who lives
in Beit Shemesh and commutes every day to his army base
failed to show up at the bus stop on Rechov Yechezkel Hanovi at the usual time. Something had thrown his schedule
off – and little did he know that that “something” had also
averted a terror attack on a dreadful scale. Two terrorists had
been watching the area for several days and had made note of
the soldier’s daily routine. On that morning, they planned to
attack him, to steal his weapon, and then to enter the nearby
November
13, 2015 | 1 Kislev 5776
shul and perpetrate a massive slaughter.
When the soldier failed to show up, the terrorists decided
to use the knives in their possession instead. Despite the failure of their initial plan, they still hoped to achieve what they
viewed as maximal results, and they came up with the satanic
idea of boarding a school bus filled with children. As soon as
they were aboard the bus, they reasoned, they could murder
one child after another. The bus opened its doors and they prepared to board it, but the quick-thinking driver locked them
Page 29
out and ignored their pleas and threats. The two terrorists
were left outside and set out to find one or two Jews to kill.
They did not realize that they had already been spotted by
a number of alert citizens and the police had already been
summoned. True, the police could have arrived on the scene
sooner, but they did not. Even while the two terrorists were
waiting for the soldier who did not show up, a number of
onlookers had called the police to report the presence of two
suspicious-looking individuals. The amount of time it took
for the police to arrive on the scene was inordinately long.
The two terrorists, residents of the village of Tzurif, waited outside the shul, hoping to attack when a large crowd of
mispallelim emerged. Since it was a Thursday, though, with
a lengthy Tachanun and krias haTorah, their plans were unexpectedly delayed. The crowds emerged from the shul only
after the terrorists had been neutralized. Unfortunately, the
pair did manage to attack one avreich, who suffered from
moderate wounds.
In summary: The soldier was delayed, the bus full of children locked its doors, and the mispallelim were kept in shul
longer than usual. There was one wounded victim in Beit
Shemesh – and three unmistakable miracles.
Some Attacks Are Thwarted
in the Planning Stage
Every single day of our lives is a miracle. Every breath
we take is miraculous, but we have grown used to it. These
days, the Jews of Eretz Yisroel sense that every day brings
undeniable miracles with it. We don’t even know how many
planned attacks are thwarted, just as the posuk exhorts all
the nations to praise Hashem because they know even better
than we do what they have plotted against us, only for us
to be miraculously saved. Our security services are not in
a rush to report on every terror attack that was prevented or
every plot that was exposed. They do not wish to sow fear
among the populace, nor do they wish to give extremists
added motivation for revenge, and there is a certain rightwing element that is liable to perpetrate revenge attacks.
In order to understand to what extent we are living on
miracles, one need do no more than peruse the daily newspapers. Take, for example, the issue of the Hebrew Yated
Ne’eman from the 15th of Cheshvan. A headline running the
entire width of a page announces, “Palestinian Youths with
Axe and Knife Planning to Murder Jews Caught in Center
of Yerushalayim.” The article relates that a police officer on
his way to his post noticed two Arab youths who aroused his
suspicions. He watched them and saw that they were monitoring Jewish passersby, and then he decided to arrest them.
They made no effort to resist; they were simply in shock. A
knife and an axe were found in their possession.
The same newspaper relates that two Palestinian women
were caught at the Me’oras Hamachpeilah with knives in
their purses. There is no need to guess what they were planning to do, and there is no explanation as to why they didn’t
carry out their intentions. They were truthful about their intentions, telling the police officers who arrested them, “We
came to liberate Palestine.”
Page 30
On the same day, more incidents took place: Two Israeli
Arabs were arrested after plotting to murder a Jew in Migdal
Ha’Emek, and a terrorist attempted to stab a soldier at the
entrance to the neighborhood of Tel Rumeida in Chevron.
In the latter incident, the terrorist was shot dead. This is an
overview of a single day of tragedies that did not happen and
terror attacks that were thwarted before they could be carried out, seemingly by “chance.” But “chance,” as we know,
is nothing more than a manifestation of Hashem’s kindness.
One can only imagine what could have happened, especially
considering that there were other incidents that the media
was not allowed to publicize.
And that is not all. The same newspaper relates that on the
same day, a soldier was moderately wounded in a stabbing
attack in Gush Etzion; the two terrorists were shot dead.
Once again, it was an incident that could have ended in terrible tragedy. The newspaper also reports on the condition
of the Jewish youth from Pisgat Ze’ev who was stabbed two
weeks earlier, on Erev Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan, by two teenage Arab murderers (one of whom was described by Mahmoud Abbas as an “innocent youth” who was “shot dead by
IDF soldiers”). The victim had initially been categorized as
clinically dead, but, bechasdei Hashem, he has now been released from Hadassah Hospital in good condition. The other
victim wounded in the incident, who arrived in the hospital
seriously injured, was discharged a week earlier.
When the Jewish boy was first brought to the hospital, the
director of the surgical department at Hadassah told the press
that he was in critical condition. “He arrived here clinically
dead, with zero blood pressure and a very weak pulse. We
discovered a tear in an artery.” That doctor, incidentally, is
named Ahmed Eid. Yes, he is an Arab. In any event, both the
boy and his fellow stabbing victim have now been released.
Isn’t that a miracle?
Another newspaper headline, this one from October 29,
practically screams, “Four Terrorists Caught Planning to Attack Religious Jews and Soldiers with Machine Guns and
Explosives.” For any arrest of that nature, we must be extremely grateful to Hashem.
The Bezeq Terrorist Waited for
the End of the Shiur
The day after the attack in Pisgat Ze’ev was Tuesday,
October 13, Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan, which was marked
by a string of attacks. Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan is a special
time, marking the beginning of the winter zeman in yeshivos and kollelim. But on that day, Yerushalayim suffered two
heavy blows, as did the city of Raanana. In the latter city,
which was unaccustomed to terror of any kind, the residents
were in shock. There were four terror attacks that day, two
in Yerushalayim and two in Raanana. The two attacks in
Yerushalayim claimed the lives of three people, leaving two
more victims severely wounded. One of the incidents took
place in the neighborhood of Armon Hanetziv, where two
terrorists boarded a bus, one armed with a gun and the other
with a knife. Two passengers were killed and seven wounded, including two women who were left in critical condi-
afp/getty images
tion. Shortly after that attack, a car ramming attack took place on
Rechov Malchei Yisroel, where Rav Yeshayahu Krishevsky was
murdered in a particularly brutal way and three other people were
wounded, including his cousin, Rav Pesach Krishevsky. After
plowing into a group of people with his car, the terrorist emerged
and began to stab passersby. The terrorist, Alaa Abu Jamal, was a
resident of the Jabal Mukhaber neighborhood and an employee of
Bezeq, the Israeli telecommunications company.
A few days later, another dimension of the incident came to light.
By now, the story of Rav Yisroel Menashe Reisman has become
famous. Rav Reisman is one of today’s most popular darshanim
and delivers a daily shiur at the Bais Yehoshua bais medrash on
Rechov Minchas Yitzchok that is attended by dozens of men. This
past Elul, Rav Reisman was asked to deliver a shiur in Antwerp,
but he was loathe to miss a day of his daily shiur and refused the
invitation. The organizers in Antwerp pressed him repeatedly to
come, and he finally agreed to attend a chizuk gathering scheduled
for Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan. He left for Antwerp in the morning
and returned to Eretz Yisroel that evening. The shiur that Tuesday
morning, the morning of the attack on Rechov Malchei Yisroel,
was canceled.
After the terror attack, footage from the security cameras at a
nearby school revealed that during the days before the attack, the
terrorist had driven the same car repeatedly around the shul where
the shiur takes place. He had discovered what time the shiur ended
and had made note of the large crowd that emerged from the shul
at the same time every day. From his perspective, the crowd made
for excellent prey, perfect for a vehicular attack, Hashem yishmor.
The cameras showed that on the day of the attack, shortly before
November
13, 2015 | 1 Kislev 5776
he drove to Rechov Malchei Yisroel, the terrorist had arrived outside the shul, waited for several minutes, and then emerged from
his car, looking tense. When he saw that the area was empty of
passersby, he set out in the direction of Geulah, where he finally
committed his murderous act, only a minute’s drive from Rechov
Minchas Yitzchok.
Miraculous Salvation in the Old City
One of the most salient miracles took place at the very beginning
of the “knife intifada,” which was then concentrated in the area of
the Old City. Every Shabbos, dozens of mispallelim go to daven
at the Kosel. Residents of Yerushalayim are already familiar with
the phenomenon, as well as with the people themselves. There are
dozens of regular visitors, who daven at the same minyanim every
week. They can be seen arriving from nearby Geulah, as well as
from Mattersdorf and Ezras Torah, which are slightly further away,
and even from Har Nof, Givat Shaul, and Bayit Vegan.
Most of the mispallelim arrive very early and recite Tehillim
before davening. Some of them daven vosikin, while others daven
slightly later and return home in the afternoon. All in all, the Kosel sees dozens, perhaps even hundreds, of visitors every Shabbos
morning. The Kosel plaza is filled with mispallelim every week.
Some of them make the trek to the Kosel via the road leading from
Shaar Yaffo, past the police station, and through the Jewish Quarter to the Kosel. Those who are more courageous, or simply more
accustomed to the route, save time by taking a shortcut through the
Arab shuk.
On that Shabbos, the week of Parshas Bereishis and the first
Shabbos after Simchas Torah, we were not yet aware of what was
Page 31
in store for us. That morning, two of the veteran mispallelim, one 62 years old and the other 65, were making their way to the Kosel as usual, but a 16-year-old
angel of destruction awaited them on the way. Both of
the men were stabbed; by nature, the attack could well
have been fatal. After Shabbos, the police released a
statement that “two Jews who were walking from the
Damascus Gate were stabbed about 150 meters from
the gate by a 16-year-old Palestinian. Police officers
who were stationed at the nearby Engineering Corps
junction ran to the scene and found two Jewish men
bleeding from stab wounds in the upper body. The officers saw the terrorist with the knife still in his hand,
and they called out to him to stop. The terrorist ran
toward them with his knife, and the two officers aimed
their weapons, fired with precision, and neutralized
the terrorist.” “Neutralized” is a less blatant term that
indicates that the terrorist was killed.
This incident attracted a good deal of attention,
since a reporter for Yediot Achronot not only witnessed the attack, but actually filmed it (on Shabbos,
unfortunately). She related, “Two young men were
standing at the entrance to the grocery store where I
was standing. One of them, who seemed to be waiting
for chareidim who would be returning from the Kosel
toward Meah Shearim, suddenly took out a knife. He
began chasing a chareidi man and stabbed him in the
face. It all happened in a matter of seconds. The victim
tried to fight his attacker, but he fell on the ground.
At that moment, some of the storeowners and Arab
passersby started shouting at the attacker, ‘Run away!
Run away! The police will be here any moment!’ But
the stabber continued running and managed to wound
another man. The police arrived and one of them began firing at him until he fell.” Incredibly, the reporter
was standing next to the terrorist, yet he didn’t stab
her, possibly because he wasn’t certain that she was
Jewish. That may be her miracle, but the miracle for
the other victims was the fact that the storeowners
confused their attacker.
One of the two summed up the incident as follows:
“A miracle happened for us. One of the storeowners
grabbed the terrorist’s hand; he even threatened to
throw a chair on him and to kill him. Then the policemen arrived.”
The victim questioned why the reporter who
filmed the incident didn’t shout for them to run, since
she saw the Arab running toward them while they
had their backs to him. The reporter herself claimed
that she was afraid to shout. In any event, the victim
asserted that he had experienced a major miracle. He
also noted that he was angry at the policeman who
had told him and his companion that the route to the
Page 32
Kosel was safe. He was asked if he would continue
visiting the Kosel, to which he replied, “Certainly,
but we will be more careful.”
Living Among Murderers
It is clear that our mere existence in Yerushalayim
transcends the laws of nature, when we take into account the fact that the Holy City is surrounded by numerous Palestinian neighborhoods, which are nothing
short of nests of murderers. Let us give a brief overview of the neighborhoods that have spawned bloodthirsty terrorists, all of which are situated in close
proximity to us.
Silwan: An Arab neighborhood that lies adjacent
to the Har Habayis and Har Hazeisim. This neighborhood is a hub of incitement and is instrumental in fomenting tensions in the Old City.
Shuafat: This Arab neighborhood sits adjacent to
the chareidi neighborhood of Ramat Shlomo and also
borders on the neighborhoods of Pisgat Ze’ev and
Neve Yaakov.
Jabal Mukhaber: Situated in East Jerusalem, adjacent to the Jewish neighborhood of Armon Hanetziv.
Five terrorists from this neighborhood were involved
in recent terror attacks.
Issawiya: An Arab neighborhood bordering on Har
Hatzofim and the neighborhood of French Hill. Molotov cocktails and stones are regularly thrown from
this neighborhood at cars traveling to Hadassah Har
Hatzofim Hospital or at motorists taking the road to
Har Hazeisim.
Tzur Baher: An Arab neighborhood bordering on
the neighborhood of Armon Hanetziv on the other
side. Thus, Armon Hanetziv is sandwiched between
two hostile Arab communities.
Beit Hanina: This neighborhood is mentioned in
our “Snippets from Israel” column this week. It is
located on the road that leads to Neve Yaakov and
Pisgat Ze’ev. A motorist driving to those neighborhoods from Derech Netanyahu would actually pass
through Beit Hanina. The residents of this neighborhood constantly throw rocks at passing cars, although
high barriers have recently been erected. They also
regularly hurl rocks and Molotov cocktails at the light
rail, whose tracks pass through the neighborhood.
And we haven’t even mentioned A-Tur, A-Ram,
Ras-al-Amud, Beit Sachur, and Al-Azariah.
In short, Yerushalayim is surrounded by mountains,
but it is also surrounded by Arab neighborhoods filled
with hatred and rage, the product of the incessant incitement of the Palestinian media and clergy. The fact
that we are mostly able to maintain a normal routine
is therefore nothing short of an extended miracle.
Parshas Toldos
By Rabbi Ahron Rapps
To Hunt and Capture
The posuk in Parshas Toldos states, “Now sharpen,
if you please, your gear – your sword and your bow and go out to the field and hunt game for me.” Yitzchok
is telling his oldest son, Eisav, that he plans to bless
him, but first Eisav must bring him food. The posuk
says, “And I will eat and may bless you before I die.”
Yitzchok seems very detailed regarding where Eisav is
to procure the food for his meal from. He specifically
tells him, “And hunt game for me.” Rashi explains that
Yitzchok was concerned that Eisav might transgress issurim in getting the food and thus warned him not to.
Perhaps there is an additional point that Yitzchok was
attempting to transmit to Eisav.
The posuk in Tehillim (68:19) states, “You ascended on high, and you have taken captives (veshavisa
shevi).” Dovid Hamelech is referring to Moshe, who
went up lamarom, to heaven, to be mekabel the Torah.
The Sefas Emes focuses on the words “veshavisa shevi
- and you have taken captives.” In what sense is the Torah that Moshe received to be compared to something
that is captured? The Sefas Emes explains a profound
point that gives us the proper perspective of the process
of seeking and ultimately attaining Hashem’s Torah.
The process of hunting an animal is special in the
sense that what I am ultimately able to attain - the prey
- cannot truly be considered a direct result of the preparations I set into place. I can set up the trap and have
the weapon poised to shoot, yet, if there is no animal
present, all of what I did is for naught. I am able, in a
sense, to set the stage, but, ultimately, whether the process will be successful or not depends on something external to me: whether the animal eventually comes. The
Sefas Emes explains that this is what occurs in one’s
attaining of Hashem’s Torah.
Moshe went up to shomayim to receive the Torah,
but what he did was merely prepare himself to “capture” it. He set the stage by going up to heaven and
spiritually purifying himself to become a fitting vessel to be mekabel the Torah. But that was all he could
do. Our job is to establish ourselves to receive. At that
point, Hashem grants it to us as a “gift.” A human being intrinsically does not possess the ability to relate
to divrei Torah, which is pure ruchniyus absolutely
spiritual. We are able to receive it as a matanah from
November
13, 2015 | 1 Kislev 5776
Hashem if we have done the required initial steps to acquire it. This idea relates to the total spectrum of one’s
sincere pursuit of spirituality. In the natural sense, it
doesn’t belong in us. This idea can be perceived in the
brachah we recite after taking care of our bodily needs,
the brachah of Asher Yotzar.
This brachah recognizes how Hashem created man
with wisdom, creating cavities for him to relieve himself of waste that, if not removed, would ultimately
kill him. At the end of the brachah, we say, “Blessed
are You, Hashem, Who heals all flesh and acts wondrously (umafli laasos).” The Rama in Shulchan Aruch
explains that the peleh, wonder, of Hashem’s creation
is that He merged a spiritual entity, the neshamah, with
a physical entity, the guf. This state is not in accordance
with the basic natural rules of olam hazeh. Therefore,
in our pursuit of ruchniyus, it is something that, theoretically, in terms of our human nature, shouldn’t lead
us to our goal. It is “veshavisa shevi.” It happens solely
from Hashem, but we must be prepared. We cannot expect results. Our job is purely in terms of the yegia, the
sweat and toil, needed to ready ourselves to be fitting.
Perhaps this was the point that Yitzchok was telling Eisav.
Yitzchok was aware of the true spiritual status of his
older son, Eisav. He differed with his wife, Rivkah, in
that he felt that there was still a chance to spiritually
save him. To that end, he was willing to give Eisav the
brachos to ease his physical pursuits and enable him to
seek Hashem. Yitzchok understood Eisav’s overwhelming battle and the despair that might occur in his quest.
Therefore, Yitzchok told him to hunt and “capture” the
food to be brought to him. Within that process, Eisav
would come to recognize that we don’t necessarily control the results, but we must try and try again. We are
not to give up, for the results that Hashem could grant
us are far beyond the proportion of what we put in. We
don’t control the coming of the prey. We can only try,
and try we must, no matter what. The goal we seek is
too important to allow anything to get in the way, even
if what lurks in the path is our own state of mind, for
our avodah lies within the process of the hunt.
Rabbi Rapps can be reached at [email protected].
Page 33
CalendarCalculations
By Ra bb i Dovi d He b e r
Can Kiddush Levanah Be Recited This
Motzoei Shabbos, Parshas Toldos, 3 Kislev 5776?
Last week’s question
Will shul attendees be able to recite Kiddush Levanah after Maariv on, the night of the 3rd of Kislev,
Motzoei Shabbos Parshas Toldos, or will it be too
early?
Answer to last week’s question
The molad (time of the new moon based on
the calculations of Chazal) for Kislev (5776) is on
Wednesday evening, 35 minutes and 11 chalakim after 6 (i.e., shortly after 6:35 p.m., when the first day
of Rosh Chodesh Kislev begins).
The Mishnah Berurah (426:20) states that the
earliest time to recite Kiddush Levanah is three days
“mei’eis le’eis” after the molad (i.e., 72 hours after
the average time of the new moon, as calculated by
Chazal). This is regardless of what day of the month
it is. [There are other opinions. Our discussion will
only address the opinion of the Mishnah Berurah.]
In Yerushalayim, sunset on Shabbos Parshas
Toldos will be at 4:41 p.m. Therefore, most shuls in
Eretz Yisroel will finish Maariv on Motzoei Shabbos,
the 3rd of Kislev, before 72 hours have passed (because they begin Maariv on Motzoei Shabbos 40-60
minutes after shkiah) and, therefore, Kiddush Levanah cannot be recited immediately after Maariv.
However, shuls that daven Maariv 72 minutes after sunset in Eretz Yisroel may be able to recite Kiddush Levanah. For example, in Yerushalayim, they
will start Maariv at 5:53 p.m. and end Maariv at about
6:15 p.m. Although the official time of the molad is
shortly after 6:35 p.m., it is, in reality, at about 6:15
p.m. The 20-minute deduction is due to the one-time
clock change to Standard Time, which took place in
the United States 132 years ago this month, on November 18, 1883. In Yerushalayim, the clock change
to Standard Time, which took place after the above
date, was close to 21 minutes. The specific details of
this are beyond the discussion of this answer. In Yiddishe kehillos east of Eretz Yisroel (e.g., Australia),
Kiddush Levanah certainly could not be said on this
Motzoei Shabbos.
What is the halachah in the United States (and
most locations west of Eretz Yisroel)? If the molad
occurs when it is 6:35 p.m. (i.e., about 6:15 p.m. Standard Time in Yerushalayim) on Wednesday evening
in Eretz Yisroel, that means the time in the United
States when the molad occurred was before noon on
Wednesday (Eastern Time is seven hours earlier than
Yerushalayim and the other time zones in the United
States are even earlier), so 72 hours later would be
late Shabbos morning. By the time Motzoei Shabbos
arrives, it will be well past the 72-hour mark and,
therefore,
Page 34 according to most opinions in the Mishnah
Berurah, Kiddush Levanah is recited (see Sefer Atzei
Sadeh, pg.131).
It should be noted that not all opinions that hold 72
hours are meikel (lenient) in this case, but are of the
opinion that Kiddush Levanah can only be recited afIn chutz la’aretz, the general
ter 6:15 p.m. local time (see Sefer Alei Yonah, pg. 31
minhag Ashkenaz is that
and further). However, if Maariv on Motzoei Shabbos ends locally after 6:15 p.m., then it would seem
kohanim conduct Birchas
that even the Alei Yonah would agree that Kiddush
Kohanim only on Yom Tov
Levanah may be recited. (According to this opinion,
during Mussaf. In most kehillos,
there may be a need to wait a bit longer if one is west
the kohanim sing prior to the
of the central longitude of the time zone. This is beend of each brachah (before
yond our discussion.) If Maariv ends earlier than the
veyishmirecha, vichuneka and
above time, to fulfill the requirements of this opinion,
shalom) so that the tzibbur can
one can go home after Maariv and then, after 6:15
recite the tefillos of “Ribono Shel
p.m., go outside and recite Kiddush Levanah (ideally
Olam” or “Yehi Ratzon.” On
berov am - i.e., with at least two other people).
Yom Tov that occurs on Shabbos,
As far as halachah lemaaseh, according to the
Mishnah Berurah, al pi pashtus, in Eretz Yisroel one
the general minhag is that
can say Kiddush Levanah this Motzoei Shabbos after
kohanim do not sing and the
6:15 p.m. In locations east of Eretz Yisroel, one canaforementioned tefillos are not
not say Kiddush Levanah until Sunday night. Since
recited.
locations west of Eretz Yisroel will finish Maariv
Is it possible to have an entire
after it is 6:15 p.m. in Eretz Yisroel (i.e., more than
calendar year during which the
72 hours after the molad), Kiddush Levanah may be
kohanim sing in chutz la’aretz
recited. [However, there are opinions that are machduring Birchas Kohanim on
mir and would require waiting, as addressed above.]
every day of Yom Tov (i.e., in one
If Kiddush Levanah is not recited this Motzoei Shabcalendar year, all the days of Yom
bos, according to the Mishnah Berurah it should be
recited on Sunday night (the night of 4 Kislev) or,
Tov occur on a weekday)?
if cloudy, on the first possible night afterwards. One
Note that on Simchas Torah,
does not wait for the following Motzoei Shabbos, bethere are numerous minhagim,
cause there aren’t five makeup nights (in the event
including the following: 1) Birchas
it is cloudy) following Motzoei Shabbos Parshas
Kohanim at Shacharis without
Vayeitzei (see Mishnah Berurah 426:5).
singing, 2) Birchas Kohanim at
Note that after Shabbos, the moon will be quite
Shacharis with singing, 3) No
low in the west-southwest sky and will set not long
Birchas Kohanim at all, and
after Maariv ends. For example, in New York, Shab4) Regular Birchas Kohanim
bos will end according to Rabbeinu Tam at 6 p.m.
at Mussaf. For purposes of this
(i.e., 72 minutes after sunset) and the moon will set
at 7:14 p.m. Also note that the molad used by Chazal
question, do not include Simchas
is based on the average time of the new moon. The
Torah. Furthermore, there are
actual new moon as recorded in almanacs (when the
numerous other minhagim for
moon is directly between the sun and the earth) is on
nesias kapayim (e.g., some shuls
Wednesday at 12:47 p.m. EST. (The almanac time for
don’t duchen at all on Yom Tov
a full moon could have halachic implications regardthat occurs on Shabbos, some
ing the latest time for Kiddush Levanah in months
kehillos do not recite Yehi Ratzon
that have a lunar eclipse.)
even on Yom Tov that occurs on
The sugya of the earliest time is talui in a similar
a weekday, in some kehillos the
discussion regarding the latest time Kiddush Levanah
kohanim sing at more points, etc.)
may be recited in the middle of the month. For a full
discussion of this entire topic, see Sefer Shaarei Zethat are beyond the scope of our
manim,
siman
4.
discussion.
1 Kislev 5776
| November 13, 2015
Question
of the week
3 KISLEV
•The first auto-da-fe in the Americas occurred
in Lima, Peru, 1581. Several Jews were
burnt to death.
•Bogdan Chmielnicki, joined by the serfs,
launched Cossack attacks against the Polish aristocracy, bitter over the forced Catholicism of the Jesuits and the unscrupulous
taxes collected by their Jewish agents, 1648.
The Polish town of Kamenitz was one of the
first targets, with thousands killed in the first
few days. In the ten tumultuous years that
followed, over seven hundred Jewish communities were destroyed and between one
hundred and five hundred thousand Jews
lost their lives. The tragic mass destruction
fueled speculation of the imminent coming
of the Moshiach, and lay the ground for the
Shabsai Tzvi movement which followed
some 18 years later.
•36 Jews were killed in a Lemberg explosion,
1702. A miracle saved the Pnei Yehoshua,
after which he undertook to write his sefer
on Shas.
•Teverya was saved from attack and Teverya
Purim was celebrated, 1742.
•Frederick the Great of Prussia took Prague
in the Wars of Succession and the populace
ransacked the ghetto, 1744. When he left and
the Croats returned, they accused the Jews
of treason and their quarters were ransacked
again, this time with the help of Austrian and
Hungarian soldiers.
•First Nazi mass-murder of Warsaw Jews,
1939.
•Jews of Poltava, Russia, executed by the Nazis, 1941.
•Arab League summit in Algiers recognizes
the country of “Palestine”, 1973.
4 KISLEV
•The last divine prophecy given to the Jewish people (Rashi Yuma 21b) was delivered
by Zecharia during the 4th year of Darius’s
reign, c. 370 B.C.E. A delegation of Jews arrived in Yerushalayim during the construction of the Second Bais Hamikdosh to ask
Zecharia if Tisha B’Av should be discontinued. He received a prophecy informing them
that only in acharis hayomim would the fast
days in Tammuz and Av turn into days of
joy. He prophesied that at that time, men and
women of ripe old age will sit in the streets
of Yerushalayim with their canes in hand,
November
13, 2015 | 1 Kislev 5776
and the city streets would be filled with playing boys and girls. Hashem will have saved
His people from the countries of the east
and the west, and bring them back to live in
Yerushalayim. At that time, ten men from all
languages and nations will take ahold of one
Jew by the hem of his robe and say, ‘Let us
go with you, because we have heard that G-d
is with you.’
•Jews of Pressburg were expelled by order of
Maria of Hapsburg, 1526.
•Empress Elizabeth, daughter of Catherine I
and Peter the Great of Russia, ordered the
expulsion of all 35,000 Jews from Great
Russia, 1742. (This was before conquering
Poland in 1790’s, which brought millions of
Jews under Russian sovereignty.) When advised of the financial loss the country would
suffer, she allegedly responded, “I do not
want any benefit from the enemies of Christianity.”
•The Nazis moved out all 3,700 inhabitants
of Theresienstadt, Czechoslovakia to create
a “model” Jewish ghetto where it shipped
Jews from all over Czechoslovakia, 1941.
Although the death rate reached 50% in
1942 through starvation and epidemics, the
Nazis didn’t open any death facilities at the
place, preferring to ship Jews to Auschwitz
and murder them there. During an investigation by the Red Cross in June 1943, the Germans changed the external appearance of the
town and deported many so that there would
be less overcrowding. All the interviews
were carefully orchestrated and immediately
after the visit most of the “actors” were deported. The Red Cross officials cooperated
with their German hosts and made sure not
to see anything they didn’t want them to see.
In all, 140,937 Jews were sent to Theresienstadt, of whom 33,529 died in the ghetto and
88,196 were deported to death camps. There
were 17,247 persons left in the ghetto when
it was liberated.
5 KISLEV
• In Sinsig, Germany, a convert to Judaism
was arrested for preaching Judaism, 1264.
Although tortured, he refused to recant his
belief in Judaism and was burned at the
stake. (The Spanish did not invent the idea
of burning heretics at the stake.)
• In the town of La Guardia in the central
Spanish province of Toledo five Jews were
accused by Chief Inquisitor Torquemada of
murdering a child, even though there were
no witnesses nor was a body ever found,
1491. Three of the victims were forcibly
baptized, strangled, and then burned. The
two others were torn apart.
Although Popes had long been denying the existence of ritual murders, they nevertheless
confirmed cults established around so-called
ritually murdered children. These included
three year old “Blessed Andreas” of Rinn,
Austria (found dead in 1462), Dominguito
del Val (found dead in Spain in 1250), the
unnamed “Child from La Guardia” (1490),
Lorenzino Sossio (1485) of Marostica, Italy,
and 2-year old Simon of Trent in 1475. Today, the accusations are almost entirely discredited in Catholic circles, and the cults associated with them have fallen into disfavor.
For example, Simon of Trent was deleted
from the Calendar of Saints in 1965 and does
not appear in the current (2000) edition of
the Roman Martyrology.
• Portuguese Jews had to leave by this date in
1497.
• The question of the re-admittance of the Jews
to Great Britain was brought to a conference
of notables at Whitehall, in 1655. The judges
decided that there was no statute which excluded the Jews from the country. Cromwell
dissolved the commission, considering it too
pro-admittance.
• Romanian Jews were barred from the practice of law, 1864.
• Ghettos in Radom and Cracow were set up
by the Nazis, 1942.
• Road of Valor connecting besieged Yerushalayim with the rest of the Yishuv was
opened, 1948.
6 KISLEV
• Pope Martin V favorably reinstated old privileges of the Jews and orders that no child
under the age of twelve could be forcibly
baptized without parental consent, 1420.
• The Sh’lah Hakodosh arrived in Yerushalayim, 1621.
• Jews were barred from settling in Stockholm,
Sweden, 1685.
• Recapture of Rostov by Russian forces
marked the first major setback suffered by
Germany in World War II, 1941.
• Yerushalayim’s new reservoir was opened,
1958, ending a long history of water problems that made Yerushalayim vulnerable to
siege.
Page 35
• UN General Assembly passed a resolution declaring Zionism to be a form of racism, 1975.
7 KISLEV
• King Yehoyakim burned a sefer Torah before the Churban Bayis Rishon and the day was then marked as a fast
day.
• Herod died on this day 4 B.C.E., which was celebrated as
a Yom Tov by Jews all over. (Megillas Ta’anis, Perek 9)
• The 42 victims of the Egoz boat which capsized off the
Moroccan coast on this day in 1962, while trying to immigrate to Israel, were brought to kevurah in Eretz Yisroel 31 years later.
• Armistice Day ending World War I, 1918 with an Allied
victory. Out of the estimated 1,506,000 Jewish soldiers
in all the armies approximately 170,000 were killed
with more than 100,000 receiving citations of valor. In
Germany alone over 100,000 Jews served with 12,000
killed. England had 50,000 Jewish conscripts, with
10,000 casualties and 1,596 decorated for valor.
8 KISLEV
• Illegal Jewish immigrants to Haifa are deported to Mauritius, 1940.
• PLO received observer status at the UN, 1974. The UN
General Assembly also approved the right of the Palestinians to a sovereign state at the expense of Israel.
• Jonathan Pollard was arrested in Washington and charged
with spying for Israel, 1985. Pollard, who had worked
for Naval Intelligence, had passed on information to Israel regarding Arab capabilities. As he tried to enter the
Israeli Embassy in Washington, he was denied access
by the Israelis and arrested by the Americans. He was
sentenced to life imprisonment and, despite numerous
requests for clemency from Jewish groups and dignitaries, he is still in prison far above and beyond the length
of punishment ever meted to others who were convicted
for a similar crime. This year is his 30th in prison.
In the meantime, in October 2013 the world media reports
how America’s National Security Agency has been spying on all the Europeans from the political class to the
common man, and was even recording German Chancellor Merkel’s cellphone calls.
• Investigation of a modern blood libel in Russia came
to an end, 2007. At the end of April 2005, five boys,
ages 9 to 12, in Krasnoyarsk (near Siberia, Russia) disappeared. In May 2005, their burnt bodies were found
in the city sewage and an investigation was begun. Russian nationalist groups claimed that the children were
murdered by a Jewish sect with a “ritual purpose”. Nationalist M. Nazarov, one of the authors of “The Letter
of Five Hundred” alleges “the existence of a ‘Hasidic
sect’, whose members kill children before Passover to
collect their blood,” using the Beilis case as evidence.
He demanded officials thoroughly investigate the Jews,
not stopping at the search in synagogues, Matzah bakeries and their offices. The letter was widely condemned
by the Russian Government and public leaders.
According to sociological studies, 17-64 percent of Russian citizens, particularly ultra right-wing conservative
nationalists, believe at some level or other in negative
stereotypes of Jews. Anti-Semitic vandalism as offensive graffiti on synagogue walls and desecration of
Page 36
cemeteries is widespread in Russia. Because of mass
mistrust of official historiography, the views of Holocaust revisionists began to spread and there have also
been several cases of blood libels since 2005 (besides
Krasnoyarsk, it also occurred in Istra and Lipetsk).
Another typically Russian-specific phenomenon is the
popularization in the 1990’s of the “Khazarian myth”,
linking Russia’s problems of all times with the Khazars
who converted to Judaism and their descendants, who
allegedly took over power in 1917. Most anti-Jewish
outbursts are concentrated in the media, supported by
marginal opposition parties and organizations.
9 KISLEV
• Charles VI ascended the French throne, 1380, and announced he will not expel the Jews. Screaming “Aux
Juifs” (French version of “Raus Juden!”), a mob plundered and committed murders in the Jewish Quarter in
Paris for four days. Some Jews took refuge in the royal
prison. Hughes Abriot, the Provost, obtained an order
for restitution of all property and the return of all infants
forcibly baptized. Because of this, he was later accused
of converting to Judaism and sent to jail for a year. The
Jews of Paris were eventually expelled by Charles VI in
1394.
• Founding of the Verein fuer Cultur und Wissenschaft der
Juden, (The Society for Culture and Science of Judaism)
by Leopold Zuns and Eduard Gans, 1819. This organization, whose goal was to reduce Judaism to a field of
study rather than a divine Toras Chaim, delved into Jewish history, culture and literature using scientific methods
of criticism and assessment. Although the Society lasted
less than five years, it proved to be an effective way station leading Gans and many others to convert to Christianity.
•The first children’s transport arrived in Harwich, Great
Britain bringing 200 children from a Jewish orphanage in
Berlin, 1938. After a strong appeal by the British Jewish
Refugee Committee, the British government decided to
allow in unaccompanied refugee children. Almost 10,000
Jewish children succeeded in escaping to Britain. The last
train arrived two days before the war started. A similar
appeal to allow Jewish children into Eretz Yisroel was
rejected.
• In one of the last major Italian deportations, 212 Jews
from Milan and Verona were sent to Auschwitz, 1943.
In all, out of a population of 35,000 before the war, approximately 8,500 Italian Jews were killed. An estimated
2,000 Jews fought with the partisans, five of them winning medals for bravery.
• The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee
(known as the Joint or JDC) was founded in 1914 after
several separate Jewish relief organizations merged. Its
original name was the Joint Distribution Committee of
American Funds for the Relief of Jewish War Sufferers
and it was chaired by Felix M. Warburg. The organization campaigned on behalf of Jews and distributed funds
wherever Jews were in need, especially in Eastern Europe.
• Visit of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat to Yerushalayim,
1977.
Yahrtzeits
3 Kislev - Rav Meshullam Ashkenazi the
Stanislaver Rebbe of Stamford Hill, London
(1994)
3 Kislev - Rav Yaakov Moshe Kulevsky, Rosh
Yeshiva at Ner Yisroel (2002)
3 Kislev - Rav Shilo Raphael, Av Beis Din of
Yerushalayim
4 Kislev - Rav Eliyohu Kubo, Av Beis Din of
Saloniki, author of Aderes Eliyohu (1688)
4 Kislev - Rav Yaakov Dovid Kalish, son of Rav
Yitzchok of Vorka and the first Amshinover
Rebbe (1878)
4 Kislev - Rav Avrohom Shmuel Stern, Rosh
Yeshivas Toras Chessed in London (2005)
5 Kislev - Rav Shmuel Eliezer Halevi Eideles, the
Maharsha, Av Beis Din in Ostrov and Lublin
(1636)
5 Kislev - Rav Dovid Luria, the Radal, talmid of
the Vilna Gaon, mechaber of a peirush on
Pirkei D’Rabi Eliezer (1855)
5 Kislev - Rav Osher Anshel Jungreis, Chenger
Rav, the Menuchas Asher (1873)
5 Kislev - Rav Boruch Ber Leibowitz, Rosh
Yeshiva of Kamenitz, mechaber of Birchas
Shmuel (1940)
5 Kislev - Rav Mordechai Rimer, mashgiach
ruchni of Yeshivas Kochav M’Yaakov (1999)
6 Kislev - Rav Michoel Ber Weissmandl, Rosh
Yeshiva of the Nitra Yeshiva, who worked
b’mesiras nefesh as a Holocaust rescue
November
13, 2015 | 1 Kislev 5776
worker to rescue people from Europe during the War (1957)
6 Kislev - Rav Shlomo Abu Maaravi, founder of
Otzer HaTorah network (1989)
6 Kislev - Rav Yechezkel Shraga Lipschitz-Halberstam, the Stropkover Rebbe (1994)
6 Kislev - Rav Chaim Shmuel Lopian, son of
Reb Eliyahu Lopian mechaber of Ravcha
Shmaitza (1999)
7 Kislev - Rav Yaakov Moshe Charlap, Rosh
Yeshiva and Rov of Sha’arei Chessed (1951)
7 Kislev - Rav Dovid Sinzheim of France, author
of Yad Dovid, premier Torah leader in
France (1812)
8 Kislev - Rav Moshe, author of Mahadura
Basra (1668)
8 Kislev - Rav Yitzchok Navon, mechaber of Din
Emes on the Tur and Beis Yosef (1786)
8 Kislev - Rav Dovid Bornstein, the Chasdei
Dovid of Sochatchov (1876-1942)
8 Kislev - Rav Aharon Twersky, third Rebbe of
Chernobyl (1871)
8 Kislev - Rav Pinchos Dovid Horowitz, the
Bostoner Rebbe (1941)
8 Kislev - Rav Avrohom Mordechai Safran of
Komarna (1941)
9 Kislev - Rav Dov Ber Schneerson of
Lubavitch, Second Lubavitcher Rebbe,
known as the Mittler Rebbe (1827)
Page 37
by d o v i d h o f f m a n
CHAREIDI DRAFT REFORMS APPROVED
After two weeks of frenzied debating, the Defense Ministry publicized the text of an amendment to Lapid’s notorious draft law required by the terms of the chareidi-Netanyahu coalition agreement.
However, since finalizing the amendment requires the authorization
of the Knesset Legislative Committee and three Knesset readings,
final legislation of the amendment may be delayed until after Israel’s 2015/16 budget is passed by a deadline of November 19.
According to the present draft law, yeshiva deferment from the
draft was to have ended on June 30, 2017. This was to be followed
by three years of annual quotas which, if filled, would have enabled
undrafted bochurim to learn until 2020. After 2020 (or before, if the
quotas were not met) all bochurim over 21, except for 1,800 geniuses, would have been liable for the draft under the pain of financial
and criminal sanctions if they failed to comply.
According to the new draft law amendments, blanket yeshiva deferment from the draft will last for an extra three years until June 30,
2020. This will be followed by three years of quotas. If the quotas
are not filled, this will not result in the automatic draft of bochurim
of 21 and over, but only the draft of sufficient bochurim to satisfy
the army’s needs as deemed by the defense minister. Criminal sanctions will not exist until 2023.
A preamble to the amendment explained that the present draft
law aroused strong opposition among chareidim and threatened to
disrupt an increase of recruits, “which occurred anyway without the
destructive threat of conscription dangling over their heads.” Statistics indicated a slowdown in chareidi recruitment since the present
law passed, although significantly more chareidim began joining
combat units.
Lawmakers hope the basic maintenance of the present draft law’s
format will satisfy the High Court, which has so far disqualified
every draft law ever made except for the present one on the grounds
that they discriminated in favor of chareidim.
To halt the amendment of the present draft law which he fought
so hard to legislate, Lapid held a special Knesset conference attended by only 8 MKs, 5 of them from his own Yesh Atid party.
“Pay attention to the timing,” Lapid said. “Security services
Page 38
throughout the country are stretched to the limit to protect all Israeli
citizens from terror. Yet at this very moment…, the government is
trying to pass a law against Israel Defense Forces soldiers.”
At the meeting, it was announced that a protest tent would be
set up opposite the Defense Minister’s office in Tel Aviv under the
slogan, “Brothers in Arms.”
BUDGET VICTORIES
Another chareidi victory based on chareidi-Netanyahu coalition
agreements was the annulling of a regulation which made the funding of overseas yeshiva students contingent on them visiting various
national and Zionist sites which conflict with Torah values. In addition, the budgets of Torah and chinuch institutions were restored to
pre-Lapid levels.
Shas’ Ma’ayan Hachinuch Torani schools, for example, were
granted an increase of 5 million shekels for 2015 and 2016. Recognized but unofficial institutions (a category that includes most talmudei Torah) are to receive 11 million shekels extra in 2015 and 35
million in 2016. Directors of such institutions told Deputy Finance
Minister Yitzchak Cohen of Shas that the 136 chareidi institutions
of this kind with 86,000 pupils are on the verge of collapse. After
45% finance cuts in the past few years, they presently receive only
29% of the sum given to regular government schools.
The Chinuch Atzmai transportation fund is to receive 6 million
shekels in 2015 and 6 million in 2016.
A new program for dealing with dropout youth will receive 3 million shekels in 2015 and 10 million in 2016. A fund for “activities
with organizations which encourage the draft of chareidim and help
them during their army service” is to receive a million shekels in
2015, but nothing the following year.
FAMILY CHILD ALLOWANCES RESTORED
Under terms of the chareidi-Netanyahu coalition agreement, family child allowances, vital to large chareidi families, were returned
to pre-2012 levels. Although the change was meant to be retroactive
from the formation of the government in May, due to opposition of
the Treasury, part of the retroactive compensation will be channeled
into special kids’ savings accounts.
To illustrate the difference the new law makes, a three child family which received 420 shekels monthly until now will receive 526
shekels under the new arrangement, as well as a onetime payment
of 848 shekels due to the retroactive deal. In addition, each child
will have 50 shekels deposited monthly into a savings account to be
withdrawn tax free when the child turns 18. The savings program
will begin in January 2017 with an initial 1,000 shekel deposit for
each child.
A five child family will benefit even more, receiving 862 shekels
monthly instead of 700, as well as a onetime retroactive payment of
1,312 shekels.
MK Meir Porush said that sifting out all the past governments
anti-chareidi laws was a challenging task.
“The goal is to return the situation to what it was in 5772,” he
said. “The previous government scattered goats (legislative items)
in various clauses and we of UTJ are toiling to remove them one by
one… We of UTJ are sometimes amazed at the scope of the involvement of the previous government. Every day, we find clauses and
sub-clauses and sub-regulations whose sole purpose was to hurt the
whole Torah world.”
Shas Chairman Aryeh Deri is still fighting to remove VAT from
public transport, which is generally used by the less wealthy. Efforts
are being made to lower tariffs in general to decrease people’s preference for private transportation.
EGYPTIAN FLOODING WRECKS GAZA
TUNNELS MORE EFFECTIVELY THAN
20 YEARS OF ISRAEL BOMBING
Alleging that Gaza is supplying Sinai dissidents with weaponry
through its smuggling tunnels, Egypt destroyed almost all of them
by flooding the Egyptian/Gaza border region with sea water. Only
20 tunnels survive from 2,500 tunnels initially dug beneath the border. They are being used to smuggle cigarettes.
Originally, Egypt located Gaza tunnels one by one, as Israel still
does, and then destroyed them with explosives. Finding this method
ineffective, Egypt decided to clear huge swathes of territory next to
the border of homes and buildings. This forced tunnel builders to
stretch their tunnels ever further to emerge inside buildings on the
Egyptian side of the border.
When tunnel diggers’ obstinacy rendered this policy ineffective,
Egypt launched a new tactic of flooding the border with seawater.
The salty water naturally flows to the deepest places available, the
subterranean tunnels, forcing human moles below to flee for their
lives.
Gaza officials complain that in addition to destroying the tunnels
and people’s livelihoods, the sea water is damaging underground
aquifers, providing breeding grounds for mosquitoes, and weakening the foundations of people’s homes.
GOVERNMENT PROGRAM FOR
CHAREIDI DROPOUTS
In accordance with the chareidi-Netanyahu coalition agreement,
government funding was allotted for a special program to deal with
November
13, 2015 | 1 Kislev 5776
dropouts. At a Shas meeting, Deputy Welfare Minister Meshulam
Nahari discussed the importance of this program, which he will be
directing.
“In recent years we have witnessed a troubling and painful phenomenon experienced by many homes in the chareidi sector,” he
said. “For thousands of boys and girls who failed to find their place
in existing educational institutions and in the absence of alternatives, the street is a last resort and refuge in spite of all its dangers
and temptations. The tears of parents who see their loved ones suffering… as they search for a path led me to mobilize and act to find
adequate solutions to deal with the issue.”
Nahari said professional social services will hopefully rehabilitate dropouts and provide them with education and skills for their
future livelihoods.
PRESIDENT NAVON’S EYE-WITNESS
ACCOUNT OF BEN GURION’S
VISIT TO THE CHAZON ISH
The 5th president of Israel, Yitzchak Navon, passed away at the
age of 94. He was descended from a distinguished Sefardi family
who resided in Yerushalayim for 300 years and proudly traced their
roots back to the 1492 exiles of Spain.
Navon became Prime Minister David Ben Gurion’s political secretary in 1951 and his bureau chief the following year. In this capacity, he was present during Ben Gurion’s famous visit to the Chazon
Ish on October 22, 1952. Two years ago, he spoke about the visit to
the chareidi Kol Hatzibbur news outlet. Navon was the last living
person present at the meeting.
“[Ben Gurion’s] wish to visit the Chazon Ish came from the suggestion of Zalman Kahana and Binyomin Mintz of the Poalei Agudas Yisroel,” Navon said. “They said this to him when he spoke to
them of problems of religion and state, and the principal problem of
how to live together in this country with so many immigrants who
came from different countries and have different customs, some religious and some non-religious, some extreme Zionists and some
extreme anti-Zionists. In short, this is the issue that was bothering
him.
“At that time there was a storm in the country about the issue of
the women’s army draft. When Ben Gurion spoke to them about
this, they said, ‘We have a rov, the Chazon Ish, Karelitz, whom we
revere and we go according to his ruling. Whatever he says, we will
do.”
Navon proceeded to tell Kol Hatzibbur about the visit.
“The news had spread and there were thousands around the
house. It was a small, humble apartment and the room Ben Gurion
and I entered was full of seforim. There was a small bed. He was
short but with shining, wise eyes. He greeted Ben Gurion pleasantly
and they sat on both sides of a table, each with a chair, and looked
at each other. Then Ben Gurion began by saying: ‘I have come to
you to ask how we, religious and non-religious Jews, can live in the
land without exploding from within. There are people with different
hashkofos. How can we live together in this land?”
“The Chazon Ish replied: ‘There is a halachah that if two camels
are walking in one path towards each other and there is only room
for one of them, the camel with a load has right of way. The camel
without a load must make way. We are like the camel with a load of
mitzvos incumbent upon us and you must give way before us.’
“Ben Gurion said, striking himself on the shoulder: ‘Do you think
this camel has no load? National security isn’t a load and mitzvah?
Page 39
Settling the land and immigrant absorption isn’t a load? These aren’t
mitzvos?’
“[The Chazon Ish] said to him, ‘In the zechus of this, that we
study Torah, you have the capability of doing what you do.’
“[Ben Gurion] said, ‘But those who sit on the borders, who guard
you, is this not a mitzvah?’
“[The Chazon Ish] said to him, ‘They survive in the zechus that
we study Torah.’
“Ben Gurion repeated, ‘But if these army bochurim didn’t get to
you, the enemies would slaughter you.’
“The Chazon Ish said, according to my notes: ‘On the contrary. In
the zechus that we study Torah, they are capable of living, working
and holding guard.’
“Ben Gurion said, ‘I don’t denigrate Torah, but if no people are
alive, who will learn Torah?’
“The Chazon Ish replied, ‘The Torah itself is a tree of life, an
elixir of life.’
“Ben Gurion said, ‘Protecting lives is also a mitzvah, for, The
dead do not praise G-d. But nonetheless, I ask, how can we live
here together?’
“The Chazon Ish said: ‘I see chillul Shabbos, cars, journeys on
Shabbos. People travel to the sea instead of davening, learning Torah and living Jewish lives. This is provocative and it shocks the
soul to see such chillul Shabbos in the land of our forefathers.’
“Ben Gurion said: ‘I don’t travel to the sea on Shabbos in a vehicle, but those workers who work the whole week, don’t they deserve
to have a dip in the sea on Shabbos if that’s what they want? That’s
their right. We cannot force them, if they don’t want, to study Torah.
But they are also Jews and do many important things. One cannot
force them to keep Shabbos. And if they don’t go to the sea, do you
think that they will come to shul?”
“The Chazon Ish said, ‘I believe, we believe, that the day will
come when everyone will observe Shabbos and daven.’
“Ben Gurion said: ‘If they want, I will not oppose it. Let them
do it. But it cannot be forced upon them. There cannot be religious
coercion or anti-religious coercion. Each person should live as he
sees fit.’”
Navon related how the two gave up the discussion and parted
ways.
“So the argument went on, more or less repeating the two positions without drawing nearer to each other regarding substance,” he
said. “They approached the seforim shelf, for the house was full of
seforim, and both of them loved books; perhaps [each liked types
of] books a little different from the other, but they sat and talked
about it. In the end they rose, parted from each other in very friendly
fashion with a handshake, and we went out.
“After we left, Ben Gurion said to me in the car, ‘What a Jew,
beautiful, wise. He has beautiful and wise eyes. And humble, humility. But it’s interesting. From where does his power and influence
come? But we still had no reply how to live together in the country.
This is a very important question; this is a danger greater than an
external enemy.’”
Navon went on to say what happened afterward.
“[Ben Gurion] very much wanted to know what was happening
with anti-Zionist Jews who opposed the government, who opposed
the state, and people recommended that he meet the rov of Brisk,
Reb Velvele. Ben Gurion said that he very much wanted to speak to
people who opposed him in order reach some sort of arrangement,
an agreement.
“I went to the house of the rov of Brisk, Rav Velevele, and I told
him that the prime minister wanted to meet him. The Brisker Rov
said to me, ‘There is no need.’ I asked, ‘Why?’ He said, ‘I don’t feel
Page 40
well.’ I said to him, ‘He’ll come to you.’ He said, ‘There is no need.’
As I was going he said, ‘It is written (Avos), Do not become known
to the government.’ I said to him, ‘Do not become known to the
government is said of non-Jews, but Jews?’ He said, ‘No, it is not
necessary, it won’t be good.’
“I returned and told Ben Gurion that there was a rov who refused
to see him. This was not something very common. [Ben Gurion]
was anxious to know what’s going on with him inside, what motivates him. How does one get to oppose the Zionist project? Is this
because Zionism is pushing the end (docheh es hakeitz) and the redemption must come miraculously? All sorts of things like this. But
it will not stand against the great project we are creating with our
own hands. Finally, the redemption has come to us and we must
unite. How can we unite?”
Navon said as an afterthought that it is sad that the societal split
persists until this day. But reviewing his interview makes it clear
that the gedolim considered it vital for chareidi Jews to keep separate in order to not be adversely influenced by Ben Gurion’s state.
MEMORIAL SHABBOS FOR
THE HAR NOF KEDOSHIM
One year since the terrorist attack at the Bnei Torah Shul in Har
Nof where five kedoshim lost their lives, the shul held a special memorial Shabbos with round-the-clock shiurim and learning sessions.
A siyum Shas took place on motzoei Shabbos.
The motzoei Shabbos speakers included rov of the shul Rav Yitzchok Mordechai Hakohein Rubin, rosh yeshivas Heichal Hatorah
Rav Tzvi Kushelefsky, and family members. In the key address of
the evening, Rav Yaakov Perlow, the Novominsker Rebbe, said,
“These kedoshim were sacrificed on the mizbeiach for the whole of
Klal Yisroel.”
RABBI SHLOMO RISKIN CRITICIZES
RCA BAN AGAINST FEMALE CLERGY
Speaking to the Jerusalem Post, Rabbi Shlomo Riskin, chief
rabbi of Efrat, whom Israel’s rabbinate allegedly attempted to oust
from its ranks this year by raising obstacles in the continuation of
his official post after he turned 70, said that the Rabbinical Council
of America’s ban against giving women ordination or hiring them as
rabbinic leaders was more political than halachic.
“I believe the resolution they made wasn’t halachic as much as it
was political,” he said. “As such it was quite unfortunate.”
“The guide must be halachah and not politics,” he continued.
“One can argue about the titles and what title to give, but halachic
and religious leadership can certainly be given to women. The RCA
certainly understand this, and their resolution makes no sense halachically since they accept yoatzot halachah. That’s why it seems to
be a political decision and not one based on halachah.”
Rabbi Mark Dratch, executive vice president of the RCA, said
that the qualification given by Susi Bradfield Women’s Institute for
Halachic Leadership (WIHL) at Midreshet Lindenbaum in Yerushalayim, which Rabbi Riskin oversees, did not come under the restrictions outlined by the resolution and he hoped “that this should
not be a point of separation between Rabbi Riskin and the RCA.”
NEW CHAREIDI PARATROOPERS UNIT VENICE IN YERUSHALAYIM
The IDF Paratroopers Brigade plans to soon to set up a chareidi unit similar to existing ones in the Nachal and Givati infantry
brigades.
“The trend today is to integrate the chareidim throughout the
entire army, not just in the Nachal Chareidi combat battalion, and
many chareidim will certainly want to join and serve in this framework,” an IDF official said. “The army has an interest in preserving the uniqueness of these companies in regard to their character
and needs.”
1,900 of 4,600 soldiers classified as chareidim serve in combat
roles.
The IDF also opened a new basic training compound for chareidim belonging to the Shachar Department of Technology and
Logistics at the giant Tzrifin base near Tel Aviv, which will be separated from female soldiers. At the new compound, soldiers will be
trained in medicine, mechanics, and other professional services.
During an unusual cloudburst, parts of Yerushalayim were flooded despite its hilly terrain. Street drainage could not keep up with
sheets of rain pouring down for hours. In Shimon Hatzaddik Street
near the Ohr Somayach Yeshiva, water rose to such a high level that
a garbage container the size of small van was sighted floating down
the street. The street was impassable for hours.
Up Yechezkel Street in Geulah, the Koritz Restaurant on Ralbach Street discovered that inches of water covering the street outside had flooded down the two or three stairs at the entrance and
deluged the place as workers struggled to prepare mountains of
Shabbos takeaway food.
“The water covered the restaurant floor to the height of a meter and a half,” it was reported. “The whole kitchen was flooded.
Workers had to stand on pots due to the flooding.”
Locals blamed the deluge on the municipality’s failure to provide proper draining for such emergency situations.
RELIGIOUS FEMALE SOLDIERS
DOUBLED FROM 2010 TO 2015
RAV DOV TZVI KARLENSTEIN
Israel Hayom reported that the number of religious women serving in the IDF doubled from 935 in 2010 to 1,830 in 2015. At a
conference of the IDF’s Manpower Directorate, an army official
told a record crowd of 1,600, “The population of religious young
women has grown and provides amazing qualities to the state and
to the IDF. We need as many of these qualities in as many different
areas as possible.”
Brig. Gen. Rachel Tevet-Wiesel, adviser to the chief of staff on
women’s affairs, spoke of the many different roles recruits play.
“Nowadays there are more and more religious women serving
in the Intelligence Corps, the Education Corps, in technology and
communications roles, in the Air Force, as infantry instructors, Armored Corps instructors and in combat roles,” she said. “We truly
need each and every one of you.”
Most religious Zionist girls avoid the army and opt for national
service, which entails working gratis in schools, hospitals and suchlike. Opinions differ in the religious Zionist world. Some leaders
and institutions instruct girls to avoid army service, while others
endorse it as a huge mitzvah. The gedolim have long warned that a
girl must rather surrender her life than submit to army service.
LITZMAN WINS THIS MONTH’S
POPULARITY SURVEY
A monthly survey of the Panels Politics Institute among 800 respondents to rate the popularity of Israel’s politicians found that
Health Minister Yaakov Litzman led the way among the country’s
ministers this month with a rating of 6.2. Among his recent activities were a promise to add 9 MRI devices to Israel’s medical institutions in order to lower waiting time to a maximum of two weeks,
and efforts to make medicinal cannabis more easily accessible.
Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked came second with a 5.4 rating.
She was followed by Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz, who
had 5.3 points.
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Rosh yeshivas Grodno in Ashdod Rav Dov Tzvi Karlenstein was
in danger of imminent death after collapsing in his home. Doctors
at the Barzilai Hospital in Ashkelon said he had passed through the
crisis, although he was still dangerously ill. Tefillos are continuing
for the refuah sheleimah of Rav Dov Tzvi ben Ashira Devorah
Reichel.
MK Zoabi Compares
Israelis To Nazis
(JNS.org) Arab MK Hanin Zoabi, who has a well-documented
history of anti-Israel rhetoric, compared Israeli government policies
to those exercised by the Nazis in the 1930s.
Zoabi was speaking in Amsterdam as part of an alternative ceremony organized by pro-Palestinian and Jewish left-wing activists
marking Kristallnacht.
“In Kristallnacht, thousands of businesses and hundreds of synagogues were burned. It seems that most Germans kept quiet. Today,
when churches and Palestinian homes are burned, when people are
burned alive, the majority of Israelis remain quiet,” Zoabi told the
small crowd gathered next to Amsterdam’s Kristallnacht memorial.
Israel Aerospace Industries
Unveils Advanced LongRange Tracking System
(JNS.org) Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) unveiled its TERRA
dual-band radar system, which uses cutting-edge technology to improve early detection and accurate tracking of long-range targets.
Developed by IAI subsidiary Elta Systems Ltd., the TERRA
system has the capacity to identify low-signature targets, ballistic
missiles, and even satellites. It combines the ULTRA UHF band
system, unveiled earlier this year, which provides early warning
for oncoming threats, and the SPECTRA S-band very long-range
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search and tracking radar system.
Measuring 1,615 square feet, TERRA is not only one of
the most advanced radar systems in the world, it is also one
of the biggest. The system, which costs hundreds of millions of dollars, has been tested by an undisclosed foreign
military, but has not yet been used in Israel.
Health Minister
Mulls Expanding
Cancer Treatment
(JNS.org) Health
Minister
Yakov
Litzman is reportedly considering
expanding Israel’s
state-sponsored
treatments offered
to cancer patients
to include psychological
counseling and a variety
of complementary
medicine treatments.
Health Ministry data indicates that there are 280,000
cancer patients living in Israel, and some 28,000 patients
are diagnosed every year. The idea reportedly came to
Litzman following a recent visit to London, during which
he visited a Jewish-run treatment center.
The center, which relies on donations for its operations,
provides patients and their families with a variety of services ranging from group and couples therapy to Pilates,
yoga, complementary medicine treatments, genetic counseling services, and legal advice to help patients ensure
that their rights vis-à-vis the healthcare system are granted.
Family Of American
Killed By Hezbollah
Rocket Sues Iran
(JNS.org) The family of an American man who was
killed in 2006 by a Hezbollah rocket that was fired into
Israel is suing Iran and three banks for funding the Iranian-backed Lebanese terror group.
Lawyers for the family of terror victim David M. Le-
Page 42
lchook argue that Iran, Bank Saderat (Iran’s central bank),
and U.K.-based Bank Saderat each “provided Hezbollah
with material support and resources…that enabled, facilitated, and caused” the death of Lelchook.
Lelchook, a 52-year-old Israeli-American, was killed
as he fled home on his bicycle in northern Israel during
the 2006 Second Lebanon War. Lelchook was originally
from the Boston suburb of Newton and had been living in
Israel for 20 years.
“Hezbollah is a proxy of Iran, which is up to ever more
mischief,” said Robert J. Tolchin, one of two Brooklyn
attorneys representing the Lelchook family, the Boston
Herald reported. “David Lelchook was a 52-year-old man
with another lifetime ahead of him, and that’s been taken
away from him by a random missile. They call that war?
They call that the way a nation behaves?”
Israel Strikes Hamas
(JNS.org) A rocket fired from Gaza exploded in an open
area in southern Israel. No injuries or damage were reported in the incident.
In response, the Israeli Air Force struck a Hamas terror
site in the southern part of Gaza.
Israeli Zoo Donates To Thai
Elephant Hospital With
Check In Elephant’s Trunk
(JNS.org) Thai Ambassador to Israel Angsana Sihapitak received a $1,500 donation from the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo for an elephant hospital in Lampang, Thailand.
The check was delivered by an Asian elephant named
Tamar, who presented it to the ambassador in her trunk.
Asian elephants are an endangered species. The Jerusalem Biblical Zoo collected the donation from zoo visitors
over a period of three years as part of a lottery contest
whose winner would be allowed to spend a day near the
elephants at the zoo.
“The Thai elephants arrived in Israel only because
of the special request made by the late prime minister
Yitzchak Rabin to his colleague to bring elephants to the
Jerusalem zoo, but [there is] full commitment from the
Israeli side to do whatever we can do to promote wildlife
conservation in zoos,” said the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo’s
CEO, Shay Doron, Israel Hayom reported.
German City by the Danube is Tested
by a Different Kind of Flood
Beds are set up in an airline hangar in Berlin to house refugees.
dpa via ap
By K at r i n B e n n h o l d
The first time it happened, Wolfgang Wagner
thought it was funny. He was driving to work
when the police stopped him. An officer asked
him to open the back of his van.
“They were checking for refugees; they
thought I was a smuggler,” said Wagner, who
runs one of the oldest inns in Passau’s baroque
old town, near the southwestern border with
Austria.
The second time his van was stopped was less
amusing, though, and since then, the controls
have become a nuisance. One recent morning,
Wagner, 61, was searched twice in one mile.
Passau has 50,000 inhabitants, 48 churches
and four local beers. These days it also has
35,000 migrants coming through each week.
Faced with this relentless flow, the city has
come to embody not just a steadfast German
welcome, but the public concerns that have put
state officials in outspoken conflict with the
government of Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Long popular with tourists, this wealthy Bavarian town, nestled in the triangle between the
Czech and Austrian borders, has become of one
the most popular stops on the migrant trail —
the first impression of Germany for the thousands who have endured long and harrowing
journeys from war and poverty in the Middle
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East and Africa.
This is where the global upper class and underclass come face to face: American and Japanese groups arrive by luxury cruise ships on
the Danube River. Syrians and Afghans come
by foot or on buses and trains sent across the
Austrian border, a mere two miles away at the
nearest point.
“They call us the Lampedusa of Germany,”
Passau’s mayor, Juergen Dupper, said one recent evening. And like that Italian island, which
is one of Europe’s southernmost points and has
become a symbol of the mass migration toward
the Continent, Dupper’s hometown has become
emblematic of a crisis that challenges European
unity and identity.
Instead of abandoned smuggler boats on Italian and Greek beaches, there are confiscated
vans at Passau’s police stations. More than a
hundred suspected smugglers, mostly from the
Balkans, fill the town’s prison, Dupper said.
Children from refugee families that have settled here can be found in most primary schools.
Empty buildings have become ad hoc shelters.
And hotel rooms are harder to come by because
of the federal police battalions sent here from all
over Germany, to maintain public order.
That is becoming more difficult as the influx
of migrants has swelled from pre-winter levels. One day last month, about 1,000 migrants
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broke through police barriers at a nearby border crossing from Austria and
marched on the highway toward Passau. At another crossing, on a bridge,
two migrants became impatient and jumped into a river to swim to Germany. Emergency shelters ran out of space, forcing some newcomers to
sleep outside for the first time since the crisis began.
The mayor, a large man with a distinctive Bavarian lilt, is not easily
shaken. Passau, Dupper said, is practiced in crisis management. Built on
the banks of three rivers — the Danube, the Ilz and the Inn — the city center floods regularly. Flood levels going back to 1501 have been recorded
on the facade of the 14th-century City Hall: In 2013 the water rose more
than 13 meters, about 43 feet, to its highest levels in about 500 years. Locals used rubber boats to travel.
“We have had our share of emergencies; we will cope with this one,
too,” said Dupper, a rare Social Democrat in conservative Bavaria. And
then, echoing Merkel’s declaration about the migrant crisis: “We can do
this.”
But the human flood passing through the city on their journey has some
locals worried.
At the train station one recent evening, Officer Claudia Kloefkorn of the
federal police was counting migrants getting off a late train from Vienna.
Early last month there were perhaps 1,000 new arrivals per day, she said.
Now the figure is close to 2,000 arriving by train, and another 3,000 at
various border crossings nearby. The donated beer tent, where migrants
lined up for meals and fingerprinting before being sent on to reception
centers across Bavaria and other parts of Germany, had been full for hours.
Now the platform was getting crowded, too, and more people kept arriving.
Passau’s train station is on Europe Square, an irony for some. If the rest
of Europe was pulling its weight, said one volunteer, “this would all be
very manageable.”
Some also blame Merkel’s government. Last week the chancellor’s coordinator on refugees, Peter Altmaier, visited Passau. Dupper told him the
city needed more money and more help distributing migrants across Germany.
A day after the visit, Berlin announced measures to speed the processing of asylum applications and deportation where appropriate.
Modeled on two recently opened centers in Bavaria, three to five special registration centers for applicants who are unlikely to get asylum
have been promised nationwide. Residents of such centers, expected to
be mostly from the West Balkan countries now deemed safe, if poor, by
German authorities, will be restricted to the area immediately around the
facilities and lose all benefits if they violate that rule. In addition, the
Defense Ministry has pledged up to 6,000 soldiers to help with accommodating and registering refugees.
Nobody is clapping anymore when migrant trains arrive in Passau. But
the daily flows of generosity and volunteers are undiminished. Local bakeries work overtime to donate bread. Kebab vendors volunteer as interpreters. One in five Passau inhabitants is a university student, and some
of them now double as soccer coaches and mentors for young refugees.
Others have been coming daily after work.
At the train station, Kloefkorn was helping the last migrants who had
arrived that day onto buses. It was 3:30 a.m., the end of another 12-hour
shift.
“You hear the politicians say, ‘We can do this,’ and you’re thinking,
‘I’m the one actually doing it,“ she said. “I just hope they’re right.”
© 2015 New York Times News Service
Page 44
getty images
By P e t e r B a k e r A n d J o d i R u d o r e n
For President Barack Obama, it was a day of celebration.
He had just signed the most important domestic measure of his
presidency, his health care program. So when Prime Minister
Binyomin Netanyahu of Israel arrived at the White House for a
hastily arranged visit, it was most likely not the main thing on
his mind.
To White House officials, it was a show of respect to make
time for Netanyahu on that day back in March 2010. But Netanyahu did not see it that way. He felt squeezed in, not accorded
the rituals of such a visit. No photographers were invited to
record the moment. “That wasn’t a good way to treat me,” he
complained to an American afterward.
The tortured relationship between Barack and Bibi, as they
call each other, has been a story of crossed signals, misunderstandings, slights perceived and real. Burdened by mistrust, divided by ideology, the leaders of the United States and Israel
talked past each other for years until the rupture over Obama’s
push for a nuclear agreement with Iran led to the spectacle of
Netanyahu denouncing the president’s efforts before a joint
meeting of Congress.
As Netanyahu arrived at the White House on Monday for his
first visit in more than a year, both leaders had reasons to put
the past behind them. They discussed a new security agreement
and ways to counter Iran.
But few believe their relationship can ever be more than
coolly transactional. Undergirding their personal disconnect are
different world views. Obama sees Netanyahu as captured by a
Page 50
hard-line philosophy that blocks progress. Netanyahu considers
Obama hopelessly naive about one of the world’s most volatile
neighborhoods.
“They have a fraught relationship, and it’s fueled by a belief
on the part of both of them that the other is trying to… trip them
up, thwart their policies, corner them, ambush them,” said Martin Indyk, the president’s former special envoy to the Middle
East. “They each have a number of cases where they feel the
other acted in bad faith.”
Uzi Arad, Netanyahu’s former national security adviser, said
no single issue had caused the rift. “It was a gradual thing that
widened over time,” he said. “History will probably say that
both leaders mismanaged their relationship. It’s not one party.”
If the current animosity between the United States and Israel
is not unique in the history of relations between the two governments, it is the worst in more than two decades. Netanyahu feels
disrespected and misled by a president he thinks does not have
Israel’s best interests at heart. Obama feels aggrieved at being
portrayed as anti-Israel even though he has provided extensive
security aid and fought Palestinian efforts seeking recognition
as a state at the United Nations.
“My sense is they each thought they could get the better of
the other,” said Mara Rudman, a former deputy envoy for Middle East peace under Obama. “They’re competitive. And I don’t
know that that sense of competition ever dissipated.”
Yaakov Amidror, another former national security adviser to
Netanyahu, said the differences lay more in the substance than
their personalities. “I’m not saying there are no personal issues
— for sure, at the end of the day, they are human beings,” he said.
“But it is much more about how we evaluate the situation than
how we evaluate each other.”
Given their vastly different positions, friction between the liberal Democrat and the conservative Likud leader was inevitable.
But it was exacerbated by choices along the way.
Friends and critics say Obama was never adequately attuned
to the sensitivities of the alliance. Not known for warm relations
with foreign leaders, Obama had difficulty understanding why
Netanyahu would not trust him, and made certain decisions worse
by not preparing the Israeli leader for what he was going to do.
Netanyahu, for his part, chose the most incendiary interpretations of Obama’s policies, preferring to express outrage instead of
emphasizing common ground, according to his own advisers. His
suspicions were fanned by visiting Republican lawmakers and
conservative patrons, like casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, who
had their own complaints about the president.
When they talk — and they have not spoken since a phone
call in July — the conversations are robust and pointed. Netanyahu makes points bluntly, restraining where possible what his
former ambassador, Michael Oren, described in a memoir as a
“monumental rage capable, it sounded, of cracking a telephone
receiver.” Obama is more reserved but may come off as condescending and rarely lets a point go unrebutted.
A phone call between Obama and Netanyahu can last up to 90
minutes. “They like debating each other, to an extent,” said Benjamin J. Rhodes, the president’s deputy national security adviser.
After all, they have done it a lot.
Obama and Netanyahu first met in 2007 when their aides hastily arranged a chat at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, in a janitor’s office. Netanyahu, then in the opposition, was
heading home and Obama, running for president, was returning
from the campaign trail. They “actually had chemistry,” Rhodes
said.
Netanyahu was impressed. “He’s got it, he can beat Hillary,”
he told advisers afterward, according to Arad, referring to Hillary
Rodham Clinton, who was also seeking the Democratic nomination.
They met again, in July 2008, when Obama had secured the
Democratic nomination and was visiting Jerusalem. The day before, a Palestinian had rammed a bulldozer into Israelis at a bus
stop. After talking about security, Netanyahu suggested they walk
to the attack site. Obama demurred, seeing it as showmanship.
Once he was president, Obama made obtaining a Middle East
peace agreement a priority, announcing the appointment of former Sen. George J. Mitchell as special envoy two days after taking office. “I really want to try to do something here,” Mitchell
recalled the president telling him.
As a start, Obama decided to press Israel to freeze settlement
construction in the occupied West Bank. Rahm Emanuel, his chief
of staff then, urged a strong stand saying otherwise Netanyahu,
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now prime minister, would “walk all over us,” as Clinton, then the
secretary of state, put it in her memoir.
The decision was included in a White House briefing paper
without asking Mitchell first. Mitchell supported the idea. But
others did not.
“My advice was not to do it,” recalled James B. Cunningham,
then ambassador to Israel. “It didn’t seem to me to be the right
way to start building a relationship.”
When Netanyahu came to Washington in May 2009, he felt
blindsided by the demand. Emerging from nearly two hours alone
with Obama, the prime minister “looked ashen,” Arad said, from
“the direct body blow.”
The tension grew when Obama gave a speech in Cairo reaching out to the Muslim world but did not also visit Israel. While
he urged Muslims to recognize Israel’s legitimacy, he seemed to
justify it because of the Holocaust rather than centuries of Jewish
roots in the region.
“One of the mistakes frankly was when he went to Cairo, he
should have gone to Israel at the same time,” Mitchell said.
At the heart of the trouble, according to Dennis B. Ross, another former American special envoy, was a decision by Obama
that he needed to establish distance from Israel to build credibility
in the Arab world.
In his new book, “Doomed to Succeed,” and in an interview,
Ross said Obama had told Jewish leaders that he would not continue President George W. Bush’s policy of allowing “no daylight” between the United States and Israel. Ross attributed this
to Malcolm Hoenlein, chief executive of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.
In an interview last week, Hoenlein described the Jewish leaders’ meeting with Obama. “I said, ‘The lesson of history is there
shouldn’t be daylight between the two countries because their
enemies will exploit it,’” he recalled. “He said, ‘Eight years, no
daylight. Eight years, no progress.’”
Ross argues that distancing from Israel has never generated the
Arab cooperation that presidents expect. But aides said Obama
simply believed in honestly airing differences, not creating distance. “This was not the guiding basis of our policy,” Rhodes said.
“The guiding basis was to be energetic for a two-state solution.”
The settlement freeze became the defining issue. Netanyahu finally agreed to a 10-month moratorium, but when Vice President
Joe Biden visited Israel in March 2010, he was caught off guard
by the announcement of a new housing project in East Jerusalem.
Netanyahu assured him it was done without his knowledge but
Obama was furious, leading to the tense meeting at the White
House without the photographs, a session made worse by exaggerated stories of shabby behavior in Israeli news media.
The Palestinians resisted talks until three weeks before the
freeze was to expire, and Netanyahu refused to extend it. The process collapsed before really beginning.
Disillusioned, Mitchell resigned, convinced that Washington
had let the settlement issue become too central. “My own view is
the failure was not one of policy but clearly articulating a policy,”
he said last month. “We did not do a good job of explaining that
Page 51
our request for a settlement freeze was not a precondition for negotiating.”
Netanyahu’s conviction that Obama did not understand the Middle East was reinforced by the Arab Spring uprisings, particularly
the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak in Egypt. He had been a
friend of the Israelis, who were appalled at what they saw as “our
throwing Mubarak under the bus,” said Cunningham, the former
American ambassador. “It was kind of a shock to them.”
Ties grew frostier when, the day before a Netanyahu visit, Obama
gave a speech trying to revive the peace process and endorsing the
prevailing borders before the 1967 Arab-Israeli war as the basis of
a deal, along with mutually agreed land swaps. When the Israeli
leader landed in Washington, Oren said he “saw fire in Netanyahu’s
eyes.”
Obama told Netanyahu his position was not meaningfully different from previous U.S. policy, and emphasized the land swaps.
But when reporters were allowed into the Oval Office, Netanyahu
sternly lectured Obama in front of the cameras. Netanyahu felt emboldened; Obama felt burned.
Benefit of the doubt was gone. When President Nicolas Sarkozy
of France was overheard calling Netanyahu a liar, Obama replied,
“You’re fed up with him, but I have to deal with him even more
often than you.”
The relationship further deteriorated during the 2012 presidential
race when Obama’s Republican opponent, Mitt Romney, traveled to
Jerusalem and Netanyahu embraced him. But the president’s victory
ushered in a thaw; he helped broker a truce to fighting in Gaza that
fall and decided to make Israel the first foreign destination of his
second term, even without tangible progress to justify it.
“Several of us were arguing we have to wait for the moment,”
recalled Rhodes. “He said, ‘I just need to go to Israel because we
can’t simply wait for all the stars to align.’”
The visit in March 2013 became “the high-water mark in their
relationship,” according to Rhodes. Obama spoke Hebrew, quoted
the Talmud and visited the grave of Theodor Herzl, the father of
modern Zionism. He charmed Sara Netanyahu, the prime minister’s
wife, at a private dinner and held her chair out at the public state
dinner. Binyomin Netanyahu responded by settling a dispute with
Turkey at Obama’s request.
Several months later, John Kerry, who had succeeded Clinton as
secretary of state, surprised Obama by persuading the Israelis and
Palestinians to agree to negotiations.
“I’m more pessimistic than all of you,” the president told the negotiators, according to Indyk. For good reason. The new process
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eventually collapsed just like the first.
Then came Obama’s decision not to follow through on threats
of airstrikes against Syria if it was found to use chemical weapons.
When it did, he instead struck a deal to eliminate Syria’s chemical
arsenal.
Arguably, it was a better result for Israel since it removed a threat.
But Israelis saw irresolution: If Obama would not keep his word to
punish Syria, they feared he would not use force to stop Iran from
gaining a nuclear bomb if necessary.
As it turned out, the United States had been conducting secret
talks with Iran brokered by Oman. “What the Americans did is try to
deceive us,” said Amidror, the former security adviser. “They didn’t
tell us about Oman. That was not the turning point, but it gave those
who still had some trust in America a very good reason to go to the
other side.”
Netanyahu was outraged. “He was shouting at Kerry, out of control,” Indyk recalled. Publicly, the Israeli leader called an interim
nuclear deal a “historic mistake.” Obama called with reassurances
to no avail.
Ross, who had left government, visited the prime minister during
the call with the president. After hanging up, Netanyahu said Obama
had indicated that domestic politics ruled out the use of force and
therefore required a deal.
“I told Bibi, ‘No way did he say that, no way,’” Ross recalled.
“I’m convinced they just talked past each other.”
In the midst of his own re-election campaign last winter, Netanyahu challenged the president in his address to Congress. Netanyahu
saw Washington’s hand in Israeli politics when a former Obama adviser helped an Israeli opposition group. Obama was angered by
the prime minister’s election-eve statements that there would be no
Palestinian state during his tenure and warning about Arab Israeli
voters tilting the elections.
Netanyahu walked back the comments. But Obama has since told
Jewish leaders that he too has given up on a two-state settlement
on his watch. “He said he knows he’s not going to have a Palestinian state in his term, but he will help set the stage for it,” Hoenlein
recalled.
In those meetings, Obama expressed distress. “He bore his soul
about how much he cares about Israel,” Foxman said. “It was painful, hurtful. ‘I care about Israel, I love Israel.’” Why did Netanyahu
not understand?
With the Iran deal finalized, the two sides have talked about
moving on. But it will not be easy, as was made clear last week
when Netanyahu appointed a diplomacy chief who had accused
Obama of anti-Semitism.
“There’s a lot of water under the bridge,” Indyk said, “and it’s
very hard to imagine they can do anything but paper over their differences at this point for the sake of common interests.”
© New York Times News Service
by y. e lc h o n o n
BRITISH TAKE THE FIRST ACTION
There is a growing body of evidence that Metrojet Flight
9268, an Airbus 321-200, which crashed in the Sinai Peninsula
23 minutes after taking off from Sharm el-Sheikh International
Airport on October 31, was brought down by bomb planted on
board as claimed by a terrorist group affiliated with ISIS known
as the Sinai Province, the Egyptian branch of ISIS. The group
said the jetliner had been bombed in retaliation for Russia’s air
strikes against ISIS targets in Syria.
A member of the international team of aviation experts reviewing data from the plane’s two black boxes which were
recovered from the wreckage told Reuters Sunday that, “the
indications and analysis so far of the sound on the black box
[cockpit voice recorder] indicates it was a bomb. We are 90
percent sure it was a bomb.”
The cause of the crash was not immediately clear, but it
was apparent from the wide debris field on the ground that
the plane, which was a charter flight bound for St. Petersburg,
Russia, had disintegrated at high altitude. Whatever brought
the plane down happened so suddenly that the pilots did not
have time to send out a distress signal There were no survivors
among the 224 people on board, all of whom were from Russia,
Ukraine and Belarus.
Metrojet and Russian government officials insisted that the
plane had been well maintained and in good operating condition. It entered passenger service 18 years ago, but was only
halfway through its rated service life. The plane had suffered
some damage to its tail during a bad landing in 2001, but Metrojet officials said that the damage had been repaired by the
manufacturer, Airbus and had passed subsequent inspections.
The plane has been operated by several different airlines, and
was leased to Metrojet in 2012.
The two “black boxes” containing an audio recording of the
conversations in the cockpit, and a record of the data from the
plane’s major systems, up to the moment of the crash, were
recovered at the crash site and turned over to an international
team including Russian, French, German, Irish and Egyptian
aviation experts for analysis. An initial reading of the cockpit
recording did not reveal any discussion between the plane’s
two pilots of a mechanical or system difficulty which may have
led to the crash, nor did the flight data indicate such a problem.
That helped to shift the focus of the crash investigation from
safety to security issues.
November
13, 2015 | 1 Kislev 5776
The first indication that the terrorist claim was credible was a
statement by British Prime Minister David Cameron last week
that the cause of the disaster was “more likely than not a terrorist bomb.” Two British officials said that intercepted communications suggested that an ISIS affiliate was behind the attack.
The British government suspended flights to Sharm el-Sheik
for a day until additional safeguards could be put in place for
screening checked baggage. It then launched an operation to
fly almost 20,000 British tourists vacationing in Sharm elSheikh back to Britain. The British insisted on a special security measure, allowing their tourists being evacuated to take
only a small carry-on bag on the plane with them for “essential items.” The rest of their luggage was being put on separate
cargo flights to Britain.
The Russian and Egyptian governments criticized the British evacuation, claiming that there was insufficient evidence to
justify such an action.
PRESIDENT OBAMA SAYS HE TAKES
THE THREAT SERIOUSLY
President Obama joined Cameron a few hours later, saying
of the claim by the ISIS affiliate, “There is a possibility that
there was a bomb on board, and we are taking that very seriously.”
Reports said that Obama’s statement was based upon US
satellite surveillance data whose infrared sensors detected a
sudden flash emanating from the Metrojet airliner while it was
flying at about 30,000 feet over the Sinai, just before it disappeared from radar screens on the ground.
US officials suggested that the central ISIS leadership in
Syria and Iraq may not have been told about the attack in advance.
EGYPTIANS IN DENIAL
Egypt has controlled the release of information from the
analysis of the data recovered from the black boxes. Over the
weekend, Ayman el-Muqadem, the lead Egyptian member of
the team told reporters that they were analyzing an explosive
noise heard in the last second of the 23-minute cockpit voice
recording, but said that it was too soon to draw any conclusions. “All scenarios are being considered … it could be lithium batteries in the luggage of one of the passengers, it could
be an explosion in the fuel tank, it could be fatigue in the body
Page 53
of the aircraft, it could be the explosion of something else,” he said.
While specifying several other possible sources of an explosion, he
carefully avoided mentioning the word, “bomb.”
He confirmed that the plane was flying on automatic pilot when it
came down, and that the wide dispersion of the wreckage “is consistent with an in-flight break-up.”
The refusal of Egyptian officials to directly address the evidence
that the Russian plane was brought down by a terrorist bomb recalls
their reaction to the October 31, 1999 crash of EgyptAir Flight 990.
It plunged into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Nantucket Island
shortly after taking off from JFK airport in New York City, killing all
217 people on board. American investigators said the cockpit voice
recording indicated a decision by one of the Egyptian pilots to commit suicide. He cut the engines and put the plane into a dive, and
then fought off the efforts of other members of the crew to save the
plane. The Egyptian government insisted on attributing the crash on
a malfunction in the Boeing 767 control systems, even though there
was no evidence of it in the flight data recorder.
US CONGRESSMEN CITE INTELLIGENCE EVIDENCE
On Sunday, two senior members of the US House of Representatives said in broadcast interviews that the American intelligence
community believes the Russian plane was most likely downed by
an ISIS bomb.
Republican Congressman Peter King of New York, the chairman
of the Homeland Security subcommittee on terrorism and intelligence, said that US intelligence officials he had spoken to believed
that ISIS or an affiliate was behind the crash. “Right now all the
evidence points in that direction,” King said.
The ranking Democrat member of the House Intelligence Committee, Congressman Adam Schiff of California, said, “I think
there’s a growing body of intelligence and evidence that this was a
bomb — still not conclusive — but a growing body of evidence.”
“ISIS may have concluded that the best way to defeat airport
defenses is not to go through them but to go around them with the
help of somebody on the inside,” Schiff said.
“And if that’s the case,” he added, “I think there are probably at
least a dozen airports in the region and beyond that are vulnerable
to the same kind of approach, which is exactly why we have to
harden those defenses.
The US intelligence assessment that the plane was bombed is
reportedly based upon intercepts of communications between the
leaders of the ISIS-affiliated group in the Sinai, in which the operation against the plane was discussed.
EGYPTIANS COMPLAIN ABOUT
NOT BEING TOLD FIRST
Egyptian officials complained that British and American officials who are not directly involved in the crash investigation were
releasing information to the media about the downing of the plane
without informing them first.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said, “we expected
that we would have been informed of any available information
on the technical level, instead of it being released so widely in the
media.”
He added that he understood the “worries of some states” regarding the crash and that Egyptian officials are working “to reassure
these states that the procedures being taken in Egypt are up to international standards.”
Shoukry also expressed disappointment that “the European
countries that are now facing the danger” of terrorism did not respond to previous calls by the Egyptian government for “the coop-
Page 54
eration we were hoping for.”
PUTIN DECIDES TO SPLIT WITH THE EGYPTIANS
After initially denying that there was credible evidence that
Flight 9268 had been destroyed by terrorists, on Friday, Putin ordered a halt to all flights to and from Egypt until the cause of the
crash had been established, and ordered the evacuation of almost
80,000 Russian tourists who had been vacationing in Egypt.
Russian officials did not claim that Putin made the decision
based on new information from the investigation, but rather said
he took the action out of concern for the safety of passengers on
Russian aircraft.
Egypt said it was shocked by Putin’s decision. Egypt is the
leading international tourist destination for Russians, who like to
escape the cold Russian winters by taking relatively inexpensive
package trips to sunny destinations like Sharm el-Sheikh on the
Red Sea coast. More than two million Russian tourists have visited
Egypt so far this year.
During the first part of the Cold War era, Egypt was the Soviet
Union’s most important ally in the Middle East, until Egyptian
President Anwar Sadat expelled all its military advisers in 1972.
Putin has been trying to rebuild that relationship with Egypt following criticism by the Obama administration of the government
of Egyptian President Abdel el-Sisi for ousting his predecessor, the
Muslim Brotherhood’s Mohamed Morsi, in a military coup.
The evacuation of the Russian and British tourists, the largest
groups of visitors to Sham el-Sheik, is a major blow to the struggling Egyptian economy. The Egyptian government has been actively trying to promote tourism to generate more badly needed
foreign currency.
Sisi called Putin, but was apparently unable to convince him
to change his mind. Instead the two announced an agreement to
strengthen cooperation between their security and civil aviation authorities.
RUSSIAN CONSPIRACY THEORIES
The possibility that the bombing of the jetliner was an ISIS retaliation for Russia’s increased military involvement in Syria is a
very sensitive topic in Russia. Putin’s propaganda machine has fostered the belief by the Russian public that Western governments are
conspiring against Russia’s effort to prop up Bashar Assad’s Syrian
regime, and actually created ISIS for that purpose.
One Russian legislator said with regard to the downing of the
airliner, “It might sound blasphemous, but there are plenty of those
who, without any grounds, would like to deliberately blame this
catastrophe on the reaction of the jihadists to Russia’s actions.”
Sputnik News, a Russian government-controlled publication,
asked whether the downing of Metrojet 9268 was engineered by
terrorists or by British MI-6 intelligence agents, “palming the deed
off as [the work of] terrorists.” Sputnik suggested that the British
hoped to generated “a political backlash” against Putin for pursuing policies which led to “Russia’s worst-ever plane crash.”
However, on Monday, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev admitted that “a terrorist act” may have been responsible for
what happened to the plane.
Over the weekend, the FBI said it had agreed to a rare Russian
request for forensic help in determining what brought down the
jetliner.
Israel’s Defense Minister, Moshe Yaalon, told Israeli reporters
regarding the loss of the Russian jetliner, that, “there is a high probability, from what we understand, that this was a terrorist attack.”
Yaalon provided no further details, but Israel has been working in
close cooperation with Sisi’s government to combat the Islamic terrorist groups which gained a foothold in the Sinai during the period
of chaos following the ouster of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak
in 2011. Egyptian security forces have been fighting with the terrorists in Sinai ever since.
OLD SECURITY PROBLEMS AT EGYPTIAN AIRPORTS
Lax security at Egyptian airports is not a new problem. European
countries with airlines with flights to and from Egypt have repeatedly
complained in recent years about flaws in security screening procedures and faulty and out-of-date equipment. However, Sisi said last
week, during a visit with Cameron in London, that Egyptian airport
security officials had complied with specific requests from the British government 10 months ago at the Sharm el-Sheikh airport, “to
make sure that all our security procedures there were good enough,
and to provide adequate safety and security for our passengers.”
A British official confirmed that his government supplied Egyptian airports with more advanced screening equipment, and that the
Egyptians did institute the extra security precautions they had requested at boarding gates for flights to Britain.
As evidence grew that Flight 9268 was brought down by a bomb,
Russia, Turkey, Britain and several other European countries suspended their scheduled airline flights to Sharm el-Sheikh as well as
other Egyptian destinations.
US airlines do not fly to Sharm el-Sheik, and French and Dutch
airlines stopped their flights to Egypt several years ago due to security concerns. Before the October 31 crash, the Sharm el-Sheik airport
was being served by airlines based in Britain, Belgium, Germany
Italy and Switzerland.
LOOKING FOR THE PERPETRATORS
An airport official at Sharm el Sheikh said that perimeter police
and army patrols had been stepped up. He noted that several airlines
were continuing with their regular service, and that more than 800
German tourists had arrived there over the weekend on chartered
flights. Reporters noted that airport security guards had increased the
vigilance of their screening of passengers.
Another official said that video from airport security cameras on
the day Flight 9268 took off was being carefully reviewed for “any
unusual activity among policemen or airport staff,” to investigate the
possibility that the terrorists had recruited an airport worker to sneak
a bomb past security and onto the plane. Some airport employees
have been placed under surveillance, with particular attention to the
ground crew which prepared the downed jetliner for its last flight.
BRITISH INCREASING THEIR SECURITY EFFORTS
On Monday, the British government announced that it would “substantially increase” staffing at its three secret intelligence agencies, MI5
(equivalent to the FBI) MI6 (equivalent to the CIA) and GCHQ, (equivalent to the NSA). The government said that the decision had been made
before the Russian plane was lost, in response to the increased Islamic
terrorist threat, both at home and abroad, inspired by ISIS.
George Osborne, the chief of the British Treasury said, “as the nature
of war, espionage and terrorism changes, we must change with it. The
threat from terrorists, from extreme ideologies, needs to be challenged
head on. The probable fate of that Russian airliner in Sinai is a painful
reminder of that.”
In July, Osborne announced the creation of a Joint Security Fund to
finance increased British intelligence operations.
November
13, 2015 | 1 Kislev 5776
Page 55
Eye on
Terror
by av r o h o m b r o d i e
Palestinian terror in Israel raged on for a fifth week, mainly in the West Bank and Chevron. The death of a soldier
stabbed last Wednesday raised the toll of murdered Israelis rose to twelve. 21 Israelis have been severely injured in
the wave of terror that began on Sukkos.
Wednesday: Attacks Near Chevron
On Wednesday, three border police officers were injured when Ibrahim Saqafi (23) of Chevron swerved his car
around a curve on Highway 60, at the Halhul Junction outside Chevron, and struck them violently. One of them,
Binyamin Yakobowitz (20), was critically wounded with multiple injuries including a head wound. He died on Sunday. The driver was shot and killed, and his body was handed over to the PA immediately in accordance with Israel’s
recent decision that the former policy of holding back terrorists’ bodies engendered more violence than it was trying
to prevent.
This car ramming was the 30th attack in the Chevron area since the start of October. Several recent attacks have
been concentrated around Highway 60, leading to last week’s temporary closing of the highway’s Gilboa-Jalame
crossing north of Jenin after three attacks were perpetrated there in three days.
In yet another Palestinian terror attack on Wednesday, an Israeli border police officer was shot and injured near
Chevron. The attacker, who was driving a vehicle, was then shot by security forces. The wounded officer was transported to the Hadassah Medical Center with serious injuries after Magen David Adom paramedics treated him on the
scene.
Police Barriers Removed In Yerushalayim
Due to the reduction of violence in Yerushalayim over the past two weeks, police moved four more barriers dividing the east and west neighborhoods of the city, leaving only 20 barriers in place. Originally, barriers blocked off
the entire eastern half of the city, leaving only one checkpoint through which people could enter west Yerushalayim.
“Based on operational assessments we hold routinely, together with other security agencies, we carefully examine
the relevance of our tactical measures vis-à-vis potential threats,” the police announced. “It was therefore decided to
make some changes such as removing or relocating some of the barriers.
In general, Israel is trying to keep things normal and enable 120,000 Palestinians to enter Israel to work on a daily
basis.
Page 56
Sudanese Man Attacks
Israeli Man On
Ethiopian Flight
Palestinian violence has inspired some
Muslims overseas to try their hand at
killing Jews. Earlier in the week, Ethiopian police detained a Sudanese Muslim
who attacked a 54-year-old Israeli man a
week earlier. The victim, Arik, works for
an Israeli communications company that
operates in Africa and was on the flight
with the intent to get on another flight to
Israel after landing in Addis Ababa.
“About 20 minutes before the plane
started its descent the passenger sitting
behind me identified me as Israeli and
Jewish,” Arik said.
“He came up behind my seat and
started to choke me with a lot of force,”
he continued, “and at first I couldn’t
get my voice out and call for help. He
hit me over the head with a metal tray
and shouted, ‘All-hu akbar,’ and, ‘I will
slaughter the Jew.’ Only after a few seconds, just before I was about to lose consciousness, did I manage to call out and
a flight attendant who saw what was happening summoned her colleagues.”
Most of the other passengers chose not to get involved, with the exception of one Lebanese passenger who assisted the crew in stopping
the attack, Arik said.
“After they pulled him off me he hit me and shouted in Arabic. Some
of the flight staff took me to the rear section of the plane and two guarded the attacker during the last part of the flight. After we landed the
Lebanese guy told me that I’d been saved twice, because after they’d
overpowered my attacker he said to everyone, ‘Let’s finish him off.’
During the moments when I thought I was going to die, I’d already begun to separate from my family in my thoughts,” Arik said.
A statement released by Ethiopian Airlines about the incident said
that “the attacker, who has been identified as Ahmed Mohamed, showed
no signs of violence as he was boarding the flight. He attacked not only
the Israeli but also other passengers and members of the flight crew. He
is still in detention and is due to appear in court on Wednesday. The Israeli passenger was taken to a medical clinic in the airport and released
shortly after. He was able to continue on to Tel Aviv as planned. We are
sorry for the incident and will do everything we can in order to prevent
further such attacks on our Israeli customers.”
Palestinian Tournament Named For Terrorist
Palestinian terrorist Muhannad Halabi, who murdered two Israelis
and wounded two others last month, had a soccer tournament named
after him by the Yasser Arafat Youth Center in Jenin, Palestinian Media
Watch reported via the official Palestinian Authority (PA) newspaper
Al-Hayat Al-Jadida.
Deemed a martyr for his murder of Israeli civilians, 19-year-old Halabi has also been honored in other ways, including the Palestinian Authority (PA) naming a street after him, Abbas’ Fatah movement bringing
soil from the Al-Asqa mosque to Halabi’s grave (so he could “hug the
soil for which he died”), and the PA Bar Association awarding him an
honorary law degree.
Palestinian Media Watch regularly documents how Palestinian Fatah
and PA institutions openly glorify terrorists.
November
13, 2015 | 1 Kislev 5776
PA To Funnel $7 Million Into Chevron
Another example of the PA’s coddling of terrorists is its announcement of a decision to funnel $7 million into launching 20 projects for
Chevron’s Arab population, which is presently a center of Arab terror
(26 stabbers of recent weeks came from the Chevron area), and the increase of foreign diplomatic visits to the town. 1,000 families living in
Israel controlled Chevron will receive stipends of $100 monthly and a
special fund will help those in the town’s Old City where homes will be
renovated. Arabs there have long complained that the PA is doing too
little for them, particularly in the face of their claim that Israel is trying
to drive them out.
Israel Accused Of Killing Innocents
And Harvesting Organs
Arabs continue to claim that the terrorists Israel kills are innocent
bystanders. Bedouin MK Abu Arar of the (Arab) Joint List asserted, for
example, that the Bedouin Muhannad al-Okbi (21), who seized a gun
away from Sgt. Omri Levy (19) and used it to kill him and wound 11
bystanders in Be’er Sheva on October 19, was actually innocent. Arar
demanded his body released for burial.
“I’ve asked the prime minister and defense minister to release the
body of the young Bedouin Muhannad al-Okbi. It’s been over three
weeks,” he said. “His family and I assert his innocence. The matter
needs to be investigated again and again until the truth is uncovered.
I watched a video showing the incident at the bus station. It does not
prove Al-Okbi’s involvement. It shows nothing. No gunfire, no one
pulling a gun or holding a gun. I therefore request that the body be
released for burial.”
Arar accused Israel of stealing corneas from the corpse.
Similarly, Palestinian envoy to the UN Riyad Mansour wrote this
month to British Ambassador to the U.N. Matthew Rycroft, who is president of the U.N. Security Council this month, saying, “After returning
the seized bodies of Palestinians killed by the occupying forces through
October, and following medical examinations, it has been reported that
Page 57
the bodies were returned with missing corneas and other organs.”
Israel UN ambassador Danny Danon labeled the blood libel as antiSemitism and urged UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to condemn
such canards.
In similar vein, three Arabs from east Yerushalayim’s Isawiyah
neighborhood claimed they were shot in the face in their homes by police sponge-tipped bullets when no violence was taking place near their
homes. One of them, Louis Faisel Abed (35), said he lost his left eye
and suffered facial fractures while standing on his porch, and Mazen
Abu Humus and his wife Nadia claimed they were cut in the face when
a police bullet smashed their window.
Rav Yitzchok Zilberstein: This Is
How To Protect Yourself
Speaking in a shiur on Wednesday, Moetzes member Rav Yitzchok
Zilberstein (son-in-law of Rav Yosef Sholom Elyashiv) spoke of how to
enhance one’s spiritual defenses during these tumultuous times. He said
that it is vital to concentrate on one’s interpersonal relationships.
“If we looked at each controversy and knew that it causes another
Jew to be stabbed and another Jew to be stoned, if we [had such an attitude and] saw people fighting or refusing to compromise or speaking
loshon hora, we would run to them and yell, ‘Stop! Rachmonus! We do
mara (Makos 10) which says: “How do we know that Torah protects [a
person as effectively as a city of refuge protects the inadvertent murderer]? For it says, Betzer in the desert [among the list of cities of refuge]
and says afterwards, And this is the Torah.
“The greatest safeguard for a bus is to learn inside it, especially with
a chavrusah,” he said. “For then the bus turns into a beis medrash. If
the murderers want to attack a bus, it’s not a bus, it’s a beis medrash.”
Appeal For Henkin Family
Generates Huge Response
When the parents of Naama Henkin decided to raise the Henkin couple’s children, the Mekimi organization appealed for funds to renovate
the grandparent’s home and make it suitable for the four youngsters.
Jews quickly opened their hearts and wallets and the target sum was
reached within three days. This led the Henkin family to announce:
“Thanks a lot! Three days ago, on motzoei Shabbos 18 Cheshvan,
we turned to the public asking to help implement the reorganization
necessary under the circumstances that fell upon us. The Jewish people
responded to the call and helped even more than was needed. As a result, there is no need for more contributions.”
Muslim Cleric Moderates His
Condemnation Of Jew-Killing
Binyomin Yacubovich Hy”d,
19, died Sunday of wounds he
suffered in an attack in Chevron.
not have the strength t o bear more attacks. Your words are bringing attacks upon us. The way you’re behaving is bringing troubles upon Klal
Yisroel. It is harsh illnesses upon us.’ In this way we could be saved,”
Rav Yitzchok said.
The first thing to do is to learn, Rav Yitzchok added, citing the Ge-
Page 58
Sheikh Ali Halabi, prominent head of Jordan’s Imam
al-Albani religious studies center, reverted from his
stance reported by MEMRI (the Middle East Media Research Institute) that murdering Israeli Jews is forbidden
due to Islam only permitting killing Jews who are actively out for Muslim blood.
In a new clip issued by MEMRI, Halabi now says that
Muslims do have a duty to kill “the brothers of apes and
pigs,” but they are not yet ready for the task.
“The jihad against the Jews is a mandatory jihad, incumbent upon any Muslim country, as upon any Muslim
who accepts All-h as the L-rd and Islam as his religion,”
he said when questioned about his statement. “But it cannot be done through such an emotional thrust, and with
such excitement that only serves to harm us. How can
we think that this leads us to victory? The nation must
prepare and unite in order to uproot this enemy.
“By All-h, if your brother, the son of your mother and
father, were to attack you in your own home, and you
have no way to fend him off other than killing him, then
we say that he was the aggressor and you were the defender; all the more so when the aggressor is an evil Jew,
from among the brothers of apes and pigs,” he added.
“But what we should really do is save our strength and
protect our unity, our religion, our men and our youth for
the right moment that is bound to come.”
Habibi concluded by affirming, “Jihad against the
Jews, fighting them, and liberating the land from them
is a binding and mandatory duty, incumbent upon the Islamic countries and upon the Muslim individuals, but it
depends on capabilities, because everybody knows that
America has Israel’s back. Are today’s fragmented Muslims up for the task? Let’s be honest. Let’s not fool ourselves.”
Knife-Clutching Mannequins
Display Clothes At Gaza’s “Hitler 2 Store”
At the Hitler 2 clothing store in Gaza City, mannequins clutching
Palestinians flags and knives encourage customers to show solidarity
with the West Bank by buying the shop’s wares.
An 11-yearold child tried
to kill Jews.
Customers said they were inspired by the shop’s name, its symbols
of defiance, and its support of the struggle in Yerushalayim and the West
Bank.
No End In Sight
Ynet reported that since the Rosh Hashanah attack when an Israeli
driver was stoned to death until Wednesday, police have arrested 1,552
Arabs for rioting and indicted 437 of them. 800 were arrested for incidents in Yerushalayim (mostly in east Yerushalayim) and 120 indicted.
499 were arrested in the West Bank and 237 were indicted. Most arrests
were made during a 10 day operation conducted by six investigation
teams.
The Shin Bet, IDF and police reported that they recently destroyed
two terrorist cells in the Binyamin area north of Yerushalayim. Both
were responsible for many stoning and firebomb episodes along highways in the region. This is in addition to many similar cells broken up
in the region over the past year. The suspects included ringleaders jailed
in the past for similar offenses.
Despite the seeming decrease in the intensity and frequency of attacks (some claim the number of attacks is about the same or more, and
only the number of Jewish casualties has dropped) and the transfer of
most of the violence to the West Bank, security officials see no way to
rid Israel of violence in the near future except on the diplomatic level.
Paradoxically, despite his support of the violence, Abbas is dampen-
November
13, 2015 | 1 Kislev 5776
ing it enough to prevent things getting out of control.
On Wednesday night, the PLO executive committee approved a new
political program which reportedly includes significant changes in Israel/Palestinian relations, but few concrete details were publicized. It
remains to be seen whether PA President Abbas will accept its political,
diplomatic and economic recommendations.
Thursday: Rookie Israeli Soldier Thwarts
2 Terrorist Attacks In 2 Weeks
Palestinian terrorist Malak Talal Sharif (19) from Chevron tried to
stab an IDF soldier at the Gush Etzion junction in Yehudah and Shomron and was shot dead on Thursday afternoon by an IDF corporal identified as Cpl. T., who has only been serving in the IDF for eight months.
No soldiers were injured in the incident.
“While I was guarding the intersection, we discerned the suspect and
called out to him to cross the street and come toward us,” Cpl. T. said.
“When he reached us, he pulled out a knife, intending to stab my friend
who was with me. That same moment, I cocked my gun and shot him.”
Cpl. T. successfully prevented two Palestinian terrorist attacks in less
than two weeks. In response to the report, the Shebab and Ma’an Palestinian news agencies called him “Face of the Occupation” and “The
Terminator,” sparking readers’ comments to “take care of him.”
The previous incident took place on Oct. 27, when a terrorist stabbed
another Kfir Brigade soldier, leaving him with moderate wounds. Cpl.
Page 59
T. happened to be nearby and responded rapidly. He shot and killed two
terrorists from Chevron, preventing what could have been a far worse
attack.
In recent days, the IDF doubled the number of units patrolling the
junction area.
To illustrate the preponderance of Chevron during recent attacks, figures released on Thursday indicated that during the previous 33 days,
73 Arabs set out to commit attacks. Of them, 32 were from the Chevron
area, 24 were from the Yerushalayim area and 47 were from the West
Bank outside the Chevron area. 30 of 70 Arabs killed during riots or
arrests were from Chevron, as were 40% of 500 arrested in the past two
months.
Conspirator In Old City Killing Charged
With Premeditated Murder
Abed al-Aziz Meri (21) from Abu Dis was charged in the Yerushalayim District Court with premeditated murder for his part in persuading Muhannad Halabi to kill the Breslover chossid Aharon Bennett (21)
and Nechemiah Lavi (41), who tried to save Bennet, during chol hamoeid Sukkos.
The court charged that Halabi asked Meri, a years-long member of
Hamas, to help him enter Yerushalayim without legal documentation in
order to pray at Har Habayis. When guards prevented Halabi from entering the holy site, Meri incited Halabi to take revenge by killing Jews.
They bought a 30 centimeter long knife at a store near Damascus
Gate and plotted to commit the crime. Afterwards, Meri posted a photo
of himself and Halabi and praised the murder. While pondering whether
to carry a similar attack, Meri was arrested three days after the stabbing.
No Cameras In Al-Aqsa Mosque
Due to Palestinian concerns that Israel would be able to use cameras
on Har Habayis to spy on Arabs and prove they are guilty of terror and
incitement, Jordan’s King Abdullah II stated, “To be very clear, there
will be no cameras inside the mosque.”
The cameras, which will be under the Waqf’s control and provide a
feed to Jordan, will not be installed for the next six weeks.
369 House Lawmakers Urge Abbas To
End Incitement Against Israel
A total of 369 members of the U.S. House of Representatives (out of
435) signed a letter calling on Abbas to end incitement and inflammatory remarks about Israel that undermine peace.
The letter, spearheaded by Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman
Rep. Ed Royce (R-Calif.) and Ranking Member Rep. Eliot Engel (DN.Y.), says that “unless immediate action is taken to end incitement
and bring the situation under control, this escalating violence, including
stabbings, shootings and other terrorist acts, will undermine the prospects of a two-state solution.”
The letter, which notes that the PA pays salaries to terrorists and
their families, calls out Abbas and the Palestinian media, who have “undoubtedly served to inflame the current situation,” citing false claims
they made about Israel changing the status quo on Har Habayis and
executing a teenage Palestinian terrorist who was actually being treated
in an Israeli hospital.
The letter specifically urges Abbas to end incitement, continue security cooperation with Israel, and agree to renewed unconditional direct
peace talks with the Jewish state.
“AIPAC applauds the bipartisan group of 369 representatives who
publicly called on Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to
repudiate violence and end incitement against innocent Israeli citizens,”
the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) said in a statement in support of the letter.
The PLO lashed out against Republican presidential candidate Ted
Cruz, who spoke of Palestinian and Iranian violence while overseeing
a Judiciary subcommittee entitled “Justice Forsaken: How the Federal
Government Fails the American Victims of Iranian and Palestinian Terrorism.” Witnesses complained that the Justice Department has failed to
prosecute terrorists who kill and injure Americans.
According to AP, the PA complained, “If there is a party to be condemned for their actions, it is Israel, which continues to defy international law with impunity because of the blind support it receives from
people like Senator Cruz and other senators… It is time for Israel apologists on the Hill to put U.S. national interests ahead of those of the current extreme right-wing government in Israel.”
In response Cruz said, “It is not surprising a terrorist organization
like the PLO is upset with the truths that were told at our hearing yesterday.”
2 Arab Educators In East Yerushalayim
Fired Over Incitement Against IDF
A principal and a teacher at an Arab elementary school in east
Yerushalayim were fired for allegedly inciting and encouraging violence against Israeli soldiers.
Israeli Education Minister Naftali Bennett, who has summoned the
pair for a hearing, said, “incitement to violence is not education, and
anyone found to be inciting will not be part of the [education] system.”
On Tuesday, Education Ministry Director General Michal Cohen
reprimanded the Dar al-Hahmah school’s board of directors, threatening
to revoke the school’s license should the incitement recur. The representatives apologized and condemned the specific educators’ behavior.
The Education Ministry is looking into allegations that the school
engages in unlawful political propaganda, incites to violence and adversely influences the students. The ministry’s investigation revealed
that the school recently staged a play in which a student portrayed an
Israeli soldier shooting a Palestinian child. The students also sang songs
praising terrorists who killed Jews and waved photos of them.
Following the initial investigation, Bennett said, “We have talked
enough about incitement. It is time to take action. The appalling activity
at this school is the fuel of the terrorism machine, and the furthest possible thing from education. I pity the parents who applaud their children
as they simulate an execution, but the educators who permitted this play
to go on will be punished without leniency.”
Facebook Plays Smaller Role Than Thought
Times of Israel reported that interrogations of Arab terrorists and rioters indicate that Facebook played a smaller role in their incitement
than previously thought. Many do not have accounts on Facebook or
other social networks, but are influenced as in the past by conversations
and rumors, known in Arabic as fazaah (alarm or cry), as well by inciting TV broadcasts, many from stations run by Hamas and other terrorist
organizations such as Al-Aqsa TV, Al-Quds and Palestine Mubasher.
Hamas and private individuals make extensive use of Facebook to be
sure, but its influence is not universal. While half of Palestinian youth
are urban, huge numbers come from villages and many live in homes
without regular electricity service. The survey also found that many terrorists decide to murder Jews within an hour of hearing news or rumors.
Arab Woman Charged Over Spying On
Haifa For Gaza Terror Group
An Arab woman with Israeli citizenship was charged on Thursday
with entering Israel from Gaza to spy on Haifa institutions and carry out
terrorist attacks on behalf of a jihadist group last month, Israel’s Shin
Bet security agency said.
Nazrin Hassan Abdullah Hassan, 40, was recruited by the Katim AlMuhajadin terror group, or “Holy Warriors Battalion,” particularly be-
Plo Lashes Out Against Ted Cruz
Page 60
away. He ran away
six feet and stopped.
I took out the tear-gas
gun and he fled… I
took out my phone
and phoned the police
while going towards
the junction… I got to
the junction and felt
I couldn’t stand anymore; I sat down.
“Boruch Hashem, I
had a big miracle,” he
said. “One stab passed
right by a major artery.”
Some hours later,
a Palestinian teenager
uploaded a video to
Facebook in which he
claimed responsibility for the attack as a
Soldiers run to the scene of the attack Tuesday at Shaar Yaffo. member of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades,
stating:
cause she has Israeli citizenship and could more easily execute attacks
“In
my
name
and
on
behalf
of
the
Palestinian
people, I, Baraa Kaid
on Israeli soil.
Issa,
ID
number
40630297,
have
sworn
to
protect
Al-Aqsa and defend
Hassan, mother of seven, is married to a Gaza resident and has recently been living in Gaza. While spending time in Israel during parts our occupied land. I have vowed with all the power of my body and
of 2014, she was asked to collect intelligence on Israel’s government mind to perpetrate this attack, with no pressure from anyone.”
Also on Friday, two Israeli teenagers were shot near Meoras Hamachbuildings and infrastructure in Haifa, including a port in Haifa, a train
peilah
at 4:45 p.m. One (16) was moderately wounded and the other
station, Haifa’s Israeli Interior Ministry branch, a courthouse, a shul,
(18)
suffered
moderate to light injuries. After Shabbos already came
and security arrangements at each of those locations.
in,
a
soldier,
Yagel
ben Chofit, was seriously injured by gunfire near
“Upon her return to the Gaza Strip, she passed on this information
Beit
Anoun
north
of
Chevron and underwent emergency neurological
(including pictures taken with her smartphone) to the terror organization, clearly knowing that it will be used to carry out terrorist activities,” surgery at Hadassah Ein Kerem Medical Center. The IDF soon arrested
the assailant, a 16-year-old from the village of Bani Nam near Chevron,
the Shin Bet said.
Hassan also attempted unsuccessfully to recruit Israeli Arab citizens who used a hunting rifle taken from his home for the attack. Following
the attacks, the IDF gathered all worshippers at Meoras Hamachpeilah
to join the jihadist organization.
indoors until after Ma’ariv to ensure their safety.
Friday: Attacks Continue, Obama Pessimistic
A little earlier, 72-year-old Sarwat al-Shawari, the oldest terrorist
On Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
identified in the current wave of attacks, was killed by IDF soldiers afFour more Israelis were injured on Friday in three Palestinian terror ter trying to run them over with her vehicle at Halhul, north of Chevron.
attacks in Yehudah and Shomron. The IDF prevented a fourth attack by According to reports, the woman’s husband was himself a terrorist who
shooting a terrorist dead. Various Palestinian groups declared Friday a was killed during the 1987 First Intifada.
At the Hizme checkpoint near the Pisgat Ze’ev neighborhood in
Day of Rage; a dozen riots raged in Chevron, Beit Lechem, Ramallah,
north
Yerushalayim, a motorist complained on Friday that his eyes were
Kalkily and other locations.
In one attack, Shmuel Reisman, a chareidi from the West Bank town burning after Arabs hurled rocks and a mysterious bottle at his car. Palof Tel Tzion just north of Yerushalayim, was stabbed and seriously estinian chemical warfare is not unprecedented. Last month, veteran
terrorist Amar Abu Sarhan. who stabbed three Israelis in 1990, recomwounded near a local industrial and shopping center.
“On Friday I went down to do some shopping in Sha’ar Binyamin,” mended in an interview that terrorists put poison on knives before using
he said at the Shaarei Zedek Medical Center, where he was hospital- them for attacks. Since 1995, traces of chemicals have been found after
ized. “I went into Rami Levi, brought everything I needed, and put the some bomb attacks.
Other incidences on Friday included the killing of an Arab during
things in my car. Afterwards, my wife phoned and reminded me to buy
something from the pharmacy. Next to me in my car was a pepper spray several confrontations at the Israel/Gaza border, a Palestinian woman
gun. For a second, I was uncertain whether to take it with me or not. In caught with a knife at the Allenby crossing from Jordan to Israel, and
the end I took it along and this was my miracle. At the time, there was petrol bombs thrown at Israeli cars near Chevron, causing minor damage to vehicles but no casualties.
wasn’t a living soul in the area.
Meanwhile, as the Palestinian terror wave against Jewish Israelis
“Suddenly, I felt someone pulling me from behind with my left arm,
continues,
Obama issued a “realistic assessment” that a peace deal in
grabbing me. At first, I thought it was a friend making a joke or something. Then I felt on my other arm that I was being struck from behind. I the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is unlikely to be reached during the refelt blood begin to flow. I turned around with my elbow and pushed him mainder of his term in office, according to a U.S. official who spoke to
November
13, 2015 | 1 Kislev 5776
Page 61
reporters ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s
visit to the White House on Monday, the Associated Press reported.
Muslim Council Of Clerics Calls
To Ban Jews From Har Habayis
Israel National News reported that the Muslim Council of
Clerics in Yerushalayim called to ban all Jews from Har Habayis, restoring the situation there to the way it was prior to the
Six Day War.
“The Muslims want Al-Aqsa Mosque to be returned to the
situation before 1967, when it was liberated from all occupation
and under the rule of the Arabs and the Muslims, since it belongs
only to the Muslims,” the organization announced. “The Islamic
department of holy sites is the one that determined who was allowed to enter and exit from among the non-Muslim visitors.
“The Muslims demand to have the key of the Mughrabi Gate
[where non-Muslims enter] returned to them, after it was seized
by the occupation army and currently serves for aggressive invasions,” they added.
Uneventful Shabbos Day At Chevron
In response to the Chevron violence including two shootings
on Friday, and in preparation for Shabbos Chayei Sorah when
thousands of Jews visit Chevron and Kiryat Arba, the army added a paratroops battalion to the six battalions already protecting
the area. Palestinian men aged 15 to 25 were already restricted
from Chevron beginning a week earlier, unless they lived or
studied there, and Arab stores had been closed.
Except for a soldier wounded by an errant bullet from a fellow
soldier’s gun on Shabbos morning, there were no casualties on
Shabbos day.
“We can say that Shabbos passed without anything unusual
except incidents of public disorder which ended with no injuries,” said Ichud Hatzalah volunteer, Mordechai Levi. “The
tense security situation led to a drop in the number of worshippers from all over the country compared to previous years, but as
every year, thousands of worshippers were in the town in honor
of Shabbos Chayei Sorah.”
On motzoei Shabbos, a teenager with a group of Bais Yaakov
seminary girls was slightly hurt in the head from Arab throwing
rocks near Kever Rochel.
“A girl was slightly injured in the head from a stone near the
bus stop where she got off on her way to daven at the kever,”
said Miki Cohen, head of Ichud Hatzalah in Yerushalayim. “She
entered the kever compound and we gave her first aid… she was
taken to a hospital in Yerushalayim.”
Also on motzoei Shabbos, security guards caught a Palestinian teenager trying to climb over the fence of Ma’ale Adumim,
a Jewish town in the West Bank just east of Yerushalayim. His
motives for breaking in were unclear.
Sunday: More Terrorism
Four Israelis were injured on Sunday as a Palestinian terrorist
rammed a vehicle into a crowd at Tapuach Junction, one of the
busiest junctions in Shomron, shortly after 9:30 a.m. Two young
men were seriously hurt and a pregnant woman was lightly
Page 62
bruised after being run over, and a fourth young man was grazed
by a ricocheting bullet fired by security forces at the terrorist.
The terrorist was shot and killed.
“We were standing at Tapuach Junction. I wanted to get to
Elon Moreh, when suddenly a car came, cut toward the intersection and rammed into us directly,” Malka Wasserman from Elon
Moreh told Arutz Sheva. “He struck three of us all at once, I and
two others. They were injured and I only fell after them. After
that the shooting started; we tried to get up. We felt that we are
not safe in our own country.
“There’s this awareness that it could happen, but when it does,
it’s still a surprise,” she said. “I get up in the morning calm and
confident in the feeling that I am in my country and in one second that’s destroyed.”
The initial investigation into the incident revealed that the terrorist, 23-year-old Suliman Shaheen from al-Bireh near Ramallah, accelerated as he charged toward a hitchhiking station at the
junction, ramming his vehicle into a group of people. Two border
policemen posted at the junction opened fire at the terrorist, who
crashed his vehicle into a concrete barrier.
The two young men who sustained the most severe injuries
were evacuated by helicopter to Rabin Medical Center in Petach Tikvah. A Magen David Adom paramedic recounted, “we
saw the victims on the sidewalk, next to the hitchhiking station,
and they were fully conscious. They suffered injuries to their extremities.”
All four victims were civilians.
Shortly after the ramming attack, at about 11 a.m., female
terrorist Halva Alian (23), dressed foot-to-toe in a black abaya
robe, slowly walked up to a chareidi security guard in the chareidi town of Beitar Illit near Yerushalayim. As he stood inches
from her checking her ID and telling her she had no authorization to enter, she opened her bag, yanked out a knife, and stabbed
him. The guard fell backwards out of the range of a security camera which had recorded the incident until this point. He sustained
light injuries and managed to shoot his attacker. Beitar Illit officials said she may have been planning to attack Jews at a nearby
bus stop and the guard stopped a worse attack.
“Right now I feel full of adrenalin,” the guard said afterwards.
“I thank Hashem that it finished like this. Today’s my 33rd birthday. I got my life as a gift.”
He noted that his assailant had looked nervous as she approached, glancing left and right.
As an extra precaution, all Arab workers in Beitar Illit were
ordered the leave for the day.
Shortly before, an Israeli was slightly injured nearby when
Palestinians threw rocks at his car.
On Sunday afternoon, security personnel saw Yosef Abudi
(48), a Breslover chossid from Emanuel, traveling slowly towards the checkpoint at the Eliyahu interchange in the West
Bank, zigzagging between lanes.
“I’ve been stabbed, I’ve been stabbed,” he told them before
fainting.
It turned out that he had stopped to shop at a stall in the Arab
village Nabi Elyas near Kalkilya in the West Bank when he was
assaulted and severely injured by two men who fled the scene.
One attacker later turned himself in to Palestinian security forces.
Monday: Would Be Stabber
Leaves Suicide Note
Rasha Uweisseh (23) from Kalkilya wrote a suicide note
sometime before approaching the Eliyahu Crossing checkpoint
on Highway 55. Ignoring yells to halt, she drew a knife from her
bag and was shot to death.
“I don’t know what will happen to me at the end of the road,”
Uweissah wrote. “I am doing this with a sound mind, in defense
of the homeland, of the young men and women. I can’t stand what
I see, and I can’t stand it anymore. My father, my mother, my
sisters, please forgive me for what I am doing. I love you all,
especially my fiancé. I am sorry for everything that will happen to
me along the way and that this is the way that I end.”
Bus Murderers Indicted In
Yerushalayim Court
The Yerushalayim District Attorney’s Office filed an indictment against Balal Abu Gaanam (21) for his part in three murders
and seven attempted murders on a bus in the Armon Netziv neighborhood of Yerushalayim on October 12. He and accomplice Baha
Elian purchased a gun and knife and took bus 78, where Ganaam
began to fire on passengers and tried to strangle a last victim when
his bullets ran out. Elian stabbed other victims until he was killed
by security forces.
TUESDAY: THREE STABBING
ATTACKS IN YERUSHALAYIM
Yerushalayim’s relative calm was violently interrupted on
Tuesday at 12:15 p.m. when two cousins, Moawiyah and Ali Alkam, aged 11 and 13, from the city’s Shuafat and Beit Chanina
neighborhoods, stabbed a 25-year-old security guard in the upper
torso at a light rail station in the Pisgat Ze’ev suburb. One assailant was arrested. The other was seriously wounded and transported to hospital.
Soon afterwards, a 37-year-old east Yerushalayim Arab tried to
stab police near Damascus Gate and was shot to death. Close to
3:00 p.m., Baudi a-Nar (16) from Jenin rushed towards soldiers
at the Kiosk Checkpoint between the Abu Dis village and Maale
Adumim yelling, “All-hu akbar.” He was shot dead after ignoring
their yells to stop.
“He mumbled something to me,” said border policeman Barik
Yitzchak. “I was certain he was coming to ask for help. Suddenly,
he pulled out a knife and ran towards me. I and the fighters with
me did not hesitate a moment and directed accurate fire until he
was neutralized.”
Another Arab tried to stab soldiers during clashes at Kalkiliya in the West Bank. An Israeli was lightly wounded by a stone
thrower outside Ramallah, a gas bomb was hurled at a bus on
Route 443 northwest of Yerushalayim causing no injuries, and
cars were stoned outside Beit Lechem. In another incident, police
found a stash of pipe bombs, ammunition and rifles in an east
Yerushalayim home.
Meanwhile, Arab foreign ministers condemned Israel for the
latest violence at an emergency meeting in Riyadh. UAE Foreign
Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan said, “Israeli officials
November
13, 2015 | 1 Kislev 5776
and settlers cannot escape the legal responsibility. ... We consider
them fully responsible for those crimes, which are considered as
war crimes and for which the perpetrators must be brought to international justice.”
ISRAEL UNCOVERS WEST BANK HAMAS
NETWORK FUNDED BY GAZA AND QATAR
On Monday, Israeli authorities arrested 24 Hamas terrorist operatives in the West Bank suspected of trying to revive the Hamas
network in the area with the help of Hamas leaders in the Gaza
Strip and Qatar.
Among the detainees were several high-ranking Hamas members who have been arrested before, some of them more than
once. According to Israel’s Shin Bet security agency, 19 of the
suspects are known to have direct links to Hamas or have publicly
voiced support for the organization, and the remaining five suspects are believed to have secret ties to Hamas.
The Shin Bet believes that the heads of the West Bank Hamas
network had been working to renew Hamas presence in Qaliqilya
and the surrounding villages and had been preparing to engage in
terrorist activity. The squad was reportedly receiving significant
funding and direction from Hamas headquarters in Gaza and Qatar. During the arrest raid, more than $8,900 in cash was seized.
ISRAELI ANXIETY DOUBLED DURING TERROR WAVE
Walla! News reported that after studying 740 people comprised
of groups proportional to most Israeli sectors, three professors of
the Tel Chai Academic College’s Psychology Department concluded that anxiety in Israeli doubled since August. 26.6% reported high levels of anxiety this week compared to 10.2% in
August. Extrapolating that to the whole population indicated that
half a million Israelis are suffering great stress. The professors
blamed the high stress level on the ubiquity of cell phone cameras
and internet.
“Unlike the past, today everyone is a potential journalist, as
soon as he picks up his cell phone and documents the scene of the
attack,” one of team said. “It affects both the response of the injured party and the motivation of the terrorist cause. The big winner of this phenomenon is the terrorist himself.” Social media, he
said, “is making recruiting lone wolf attackers easier than in the
past, while simultaneously permeating the public consciousness
with the full scope of the terror war.”
Other research has also indicated a rise of stress and anxiety in
Israel and psychological hotlines are overwhelmed. Despite the
national turmoil, Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics noted that
tourism rose to 290,000 tourists during October from 224,000 in
September, a 5% increase from October last year.
Increasing anti-Semitic resentment is not only impacting Jews
in Israel. In Tunis, capital of Tunisia, Yaakov Lalusia and his family closed down the city’s only kosher restaurant they were running in their home after an anti-terrorist unit operating in the city
warned them that terrorist organizations had marked it as a target
and it would be safer to close it down. As to whether he intended
to leave Tunisia, Yaakov answered negatively.
“This is the country I was born in,” he said. “I won’t leave the
place.”
(JNS news reports are included in this article)
Page 63
Keystone Pipeline Dead For Now
By S h m u e l L e e b
US would not reduce the price of gas at the pump.
After more than seven years of administrative delays and heated
political debate, President Obama rejected the application of TransCanada, a Canadian energy company, to build what is known as the
Keystone XL pipeline. It was originally designed to bring crude oil
being extracted from Canadian oil sands in Alberta province over 1179
miles across the border to the main US oil storage and transshipment
center in Cushing, Oklahoma, and from there south to the large refineries in Port Arthur and Houston, Texas.
After such a long delay, much of the need and economic justification
for the pipeline have dissipated due to the new realities of the overall
American energy picture. Just a few days before Obama announced
his decision to kill Keystone, TransCanada asked the State Department
to suspend review of its application to build the pipeline. After a long
court fight, TransCanada had agreed to consider changing the pipeline’s proposed route through Nebraska.
The long years of controversy have turned Keystone into a powerful
partisan political symbol. Republicans point to the endless administration delays in reaching a decision on the pipeline as a prime example
of Democrat interference with private industry’s efforts to achieve US
energy independence. At the same time, the liberal environmental lobby mobilized to attack the project, and threatened political vengeance
against any Democrat who dared support Keystone which became a
prime target and symbol for the anti-global warming community.
The level of liberal opposition to the pipeline made the administration’s decision to kill it inevitable, but the timing of Obama’s announcement was apparently driven by his desire to take a leading role
at the 21st annual UN Climate Change Conference to be held in Paris
from November 30 to December 11. The main agenda of the meeting
is to draft a universal agreement that would be binding on all the nations of the world to take new and more aggressive measure to halt the
process of climate change. It would go far beyond the requirements of
the 1997 Kyoto Protocol on economically developed countries to limit
their carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions.
OBAMA SEEKS RECOGNITION
FIGHTING GLOBAL WARMING
For Obama, the act of publicly and unilaterally killing Keystone was
intended to show the world his determination to fight global warming.
He is continuing to push his green energy agenda through toughened
EPA carbon emission regulations and a proposed carbon tax on private
industry which will impose huge costs on the American economy.
When he pronounced his death sentence for the pipeline at a White
House press conference, the president was flanked by Secretary of
State John Kerry and Vice President Joe Biden. Obama sought to position himself as the international leader most dedicated to fighting climate change.
Obama ticked off his arguments dismissing the justifications for the
pipeline:
He said the pipeline “would not make a meaningful contribution to
our economy,” and argued that the Canadian oil it would bring to the
Page 64
A FALSE INFRASTRUCTURE
ALTERNATIVE
He challenged Republicans in Congress by saying that if they were
really serious about creating jobs, they should pass a bipartisan infrastructure spending plan “that in the short term could create more than
30 times as many jobs per year as the pipeline would.”
Building the Keystone pipeline would be an $8 billion infrastructure
project, and it would be entirely privately financed, but the benefits
from that investment failed to impress Obama.
The president said that, “Shipping dirtier crude oil into our country would not increase America’s energy security. What has increased
America’s energy security is our strategy over the past several years
to reduce our reliance on dirty fossil fuels from unstable parts of the
world,” even though administration policies had tried to limit rather
than encourage the dramatic increase in domestic oil and natural gas
production through private investment and drilling technology advancements by American energy companies.
He also candidly admitted that, “for years, the Keystone pipeline has
occupied what I frankly consider an overinflated role in our political
discourse. All of this obscured the fact that this pipeline would neither
be a silver bullet for the economy, as was promised by some, nor the
express lane to climate disaster proclaimed by others.”
That statement was consistent with the scientific findings in the State
Department’s environmental studies which concluded that the pipeline
would not add meaningfully to global carbon dioxide emissions, and in
fact, would reduce them by eliminating the need to keep transporting
Canadian oil by train or truck.
KILLING KEYSTONE SEEN AS A MEANS
TO AN END
The study’s conclusions were ignored by liberal true believers in
global warming and Obama, because they see the demise of the pipeline as a means to a greater end, discouraging the future use of fossil
fuels in order to halt the progression of global warming. “Ultimately,
if we’re to prevent large parts of this earth from becoming not only
inhospitable but uninhabitable in our lifetimes,” Obama said, “we’re
going to have to keep some fossil fuels in the ground rather than burn
them and release more dangerous pollutants into the sky.”
For Obama, it was also a matter of national pride. He declared that,
“America is now a global leader when it comes to taking serious action
to fight climate change, and frankly, approving this project would have
undercut that global leadership.”
KEYSTONE DECISION WAS NOT BASED
ON THE NUMBERS
In killing the pipeline, Obama acted well within his presidential
authority. According to a 2004 executive order signed by President
George W. Bush, the president has wide discretion over such cross-
projects to determine whether they are “in the national interest” based
upon considerations that go beyond their environmental impact to include their economic and geopolitical ramifications. National interest
was the specific justification for the decision offered by Kerry at the
same White House press conference.
Kerry said, “the reality is that this decision could not be made solely
on the numbers of jobs that would be created, dirty fuel that would
be transported here, or carbon pollution that would ultimately be unleashed.”
Instead, Kerry argued that “moving forward with this project would
significantly undermine our ability to continue leading the world in
combatting climate change.”
Kerry added, “the United States cannot ask other nations to make
tough choices to address climate change if we are unwilling to make
them ourselves.”
He and Obama claimed that rejecting Keystone was necessary to
show the world that the US is serious about fighting climate change,
even though State Department studies have
shown that the pipeline’s impact on climate
change would be too small to be significant.
to a significant increase in greenhouse gas emissions, thereby undermining the key environmental argument against its approval.
Nevertheless, Obama announced that he would delay his administration’s decision on the pipeline’s fate until after the 2012 presidential
election, allegedly because of new concerns that had been raised about
Keystone’s proposed route through Nebraska.
Soon after congressional Republicans passed legislation in December, 2011 requiring Obama to issue a decision on the pipeline within 60
days, he announced that he was rejecting the application because the
Republicans had forced his hand, but he also invited TransCanada to
apply again to the State Department for permission to build the pipeline.
PART OF OBAMA’S RE-ELECTION
CAMPAIGN
In March, 2012, at a re-election campaign event in Cushing, Okla-
UNFULFILLED GREEN
ENERGY ECONOMIC
PROMISES
Kerry repeated Obama’s old claim that “the
United States needs to prioritize the development of renewable energy opportunities and
continue to transition to the kind of jobs that
better utilize our skilled manufacturing base.
Clean energy is not just the solution to climate
change; it’s also one of the greatest economic
opportunities the world has ever seen.”
After seven years of Obama’s green energy
policies, his promises of successful American green industries generating tens of thousands of high-paying new jobs have yet to be
fulfilled. The leading solar energy equipment
manufacturers in the world today are in China.
Despite billions of dollars worth of federal tax
subsidies offered to encourage purchases of
electric-powered cars, such as the Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf, most
Americans are not interested in buying them.
HOW THE KEYSTONE ISSUE HAS
EVOLVED
When first proposed in 2008, during the final days of the George W.
Bush administration, the heavy oil being extracted from Canadian oil
sands was seen as a key to freeing the US from its long-term dependence on imported Middle East oil.
Because the proposed pipeline crossed the US-Canadian border, it
needed the approval of the State Department. During the seven years
that the application was stalled, Democrats found themselves caught
between their supporters in the labor movement, who badly wanted the
new construction jobs the pipeline would create, and its friends in the
environmental camp for whom Keystone had become anathema.
In 2010, then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she was “inclined” to approve the pipeline, setting off a firestorm of protests from
the liberal environmental establishment.
Less than a year later, the State Department issued a final environmental review of the pipeline, which concluded that it would not lead
November
13, 2015 | 1 Kislev 5776
homa, Obama endorsed the construction of the southern end of the
pipeline, from Cushing to Port Arthur, in an obvious bid to win votes
in those states and deflect Republican charges that he was opposed to
American energy independence.
In May of 2012, TransCanada reapplied for a State Department permit to build a pipeline that would be 500 miles shorter than the original. It would end in Nebraska, where it would connect up with other
pipelines which had been built since Keystone was first proposed. At
the same time, the technological revolution of fracking was rapidly expanding domestic US oil production. The oil shale formations in North
Dakota, along the pipeline’s proposed route, had become a major site
for the production of crude oil, which could also use the pipeline to
reach the Cushing storage center and the refineries on the Gulf coast.
GUILTY UNTIL PROVEN INNOCENT
Growing opposition from liberal environmentalists to the pipeline
pressured Obama into announcing in June 2013, that approval of the
new application would depend upon a new State Department environmental study concluding that the pipeline would not “significantly exacerbate” climate change. In other words, the pipeline was assumed to
be guilty of contributing to the destruction of the climate until being
Page 65
proven innocent.
Six months later, in January 2014, a new State Department environmental impact statement again exonerated the pipeline, and argued that
its construction would actually lead to a net reduction in the production
of greenhouse gasses. It found that if oil from Canada would continue
to be transported by train and truck, it would generate up to 42% more
carbon emissions than if the oil had been moved through the pipeline
instead. In other words, the new study concluded that not building the
pipeline was resulting in the emission of more greenhouse gasses.
IMPACT OF THE FRACKING
REVOLUTION
Meanwhile, the rapid growth of domestic US oil production was reducing the pipeline’s importance in the nation’s overall energy picture.
Production from Canadian oil sands was overshadowed by the explosion in the production of cheaper oil and natural gas due to fracking
and horizontal drilling from domestic shale formations, particularly in
North Dakota and Texas.
A month later, the new route proposed for the pipeline came under
legal attack in a case brought by environmentalists before Nebraska’s
Supreme Court.
By that time, the price of crude oil had fallen by more than 50%
from previous levels, which meant that much of the oil from the Canadian oil sands was being produced at a loss, raising questions about the
economic justification for building the pipeline.
Early this year, Obama issued the third veto of his presidency to
kill another GOP-backed bill that would have granted congressional
approval for the pipeline in the absence of a decision on its fate by the
executive branch of government. The push by Republicans to override
his veto almost succeeded, due to support from nine Democrats in the
Senate and 28 in the House, many of whom had been sent to Washington to represent oil-producing states.
IS THE PIPELINE STILL NECESSARY?
Obama appointees at the Federal Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) then publicly suggested that the pipeline should be rejected because the Canadian crude oil that it would bring to the US was no
longer needed.
Strictly from an oil supply point of view, that may have been true.
US domestic oil production was reaching all time highs, adding to a
worldwide supply glut that was depressing the market price for crude
oil and other forms of energy, including huge amounts of natural gas
from the same fracked US shale fields producing the oil.
By then the partisan political ramifications were dominating the
struggle over the fate of the pipeline. It had become part of the liberal
vs. conservative rhetoric of the 2016 presidential campaign. It was too
late for TransCanada to delay Obama’s decision by trying to suspend
the pipeline’s permit application.
PUTTING KEYSTONE IN PERSPECTIVE
Even the liberal-leaning editorial board of the Washington Post
concluded that, “world governments are smart enough to recognize
what many activists apparently have not: The Keystone XL fight hardly matters in the grand scheme of the global climate.” It noted that
even those who accept the global warming argument understand that
the most crucial battle in this conflict is yet to be fought. It will be over
the next set of carbon emissions standards set for US power plants
and cars by Obama’s Environmental Protection Agency, and in Paris,
next month, when Obama tries to impose those standards upon other
countries around the world.
Page 66
REACTION FROM THE CLIMATE
CHANGE ACTIVISTS
Obama’s action to kill Keystone was warmly received by leading
climate change political activists. Billionaire Tom Steyer had made
opposition to the pipeline a litmus test for candidates seeking his financial support for their election campaigns. While praising Obama’s
decision, Steyer referred indirectly to growing frustration in anti-global warming circles over the delay in reaching his decision, saying that
he believed, “the president, always, in his heart was here.”
Sierra Club executive director Michael Brune said that Obama’s action will inspire him and other environmental activists to “press hard
to apply this climate test to every new fossil fuel infrastructure project,
including pipelines, drilling, fracking and mining proposals.”
Anti-global warming activist and author Bill McKibben said that
Obama is “the first world leader to reject a project because of its effect
on the climate.” This gives him “new stature as an environmental leader.” While noting that anti-global warming activists are “well aware
that the next president could undo all this, this is a day of celebration,”
McKibben declared.
The environmental lobby has staged several major protests in
Washington against the pipeline. In 2011, a sit-in protest at the White
House resulted in more than 1,000 arrests. In April, 2014, an antipipeline protest was staged on the National Mall involving American
Indians and cowboys on horseback.
THE POLITICAL BENEFITS OF DELAY
Commentators noted that by delaying his decision on the pipeline
for seven years, Obama managed to avoid any possible voter backlash
to killing the project in his 2012 re-election campaign, last year’s midterm election, and last month’s election which saw the defeat of Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who had supported the pipeline
and who was also known for his outspoken support for Israel.
Canada’s newly elected prime minister, liberal Justin Trudeau, said
that his government was disappointed by Obama’s decision, but that
“the Canada-US relationship is much bigger than any one project, and
I look forward to a fresh start with President Obama to strengthen our
remarkable ties in a spirit of friendship and co-operation.”
The timing of Obama’s announcement was politically convenient
for Hillary Clinton. She recanted her 2010 support of the pipeline just
two months ago, when her presidential campaign was seen as vulnerable to attacks from the left by Senator Bernie Sanders, an outspoken
critic of the project.
Going back on her earlier promise not “second-guess” Obama over
his decision on Keystone, Clinton said the issue had been allowed to
drag on for too long, allowing the pipeline to become “a distraction
from important work we have to do on climate change,”
PART OF HILLARY’S TURN TO THE
LEFT
Predictably, partisans on both sides of the issue are criticizing her
for flip-flopping, but her new position against Keystone is consistent
with her current campaign strategy. Since this election cycle started,
Clinton has been realigning her previous positions on a broad spectrum
of issues, from blaming the wealthy for income inequality to raising the
specter of deeply embedded race and gender bias in American society
and preaching belief in the pseudo science of climate change. She has
adopted these causes in an effort to gain the enthusiastic support of the
progressive, secular activists who have seized control of the Democrat
party. Many are deeply suspicious due to her moderate voting record
during eight years in the Senate, and doubt the sincerity of her newfound liberal positions.
REPUBLICANS CONSIDER THEIR
OPTIONS
Republicans who support the pipeline are not willing to take
Obama’s decision as the final word on its fate. Senate Majority Leader
Mitch McConnell suggested that, “given this project’s importance to
North American energy independence, the question still remains not if
but when Keystone will be built.”
GOP presidential candidates quickly responded with their denunciations of Obama’s decision. Senator Marco Rubio called it at a “huge
mistake.” Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush described it as a ”selfinflicted attack on the US economy and jobs.” Bobby Jindal, the governor of Louisiana, a state whose economy is heavily dependent upon
the oil industry, accused Obama of “bowing to radical environmentalists and snubbing thousands of high quality, high paying energy sector
jobs.” Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee said the president’s
decision on Keystone was an indication that he “has lost his mind.”
SUPPORTERS OF KEYSTONE ARE NOT
GIVING UP
Pipeline supporter Senator John Hoeven, from the oil-producing
state of North Dakota through which the pipeline would pass, has suggested another GOP effort to pass a bill approving the pipeline through
Congress, in the hope of attracting enough additional Democrat votes
to override another veto by Obama.
Interest groups supporting the pipeline promised not to give up on
it either.
TransCanada’s CEO, Russ Girling blasted Obama’s decision, saying
“misplaced symbolism was chosen over merit and science” and “rhetoric won out over reason.”
TransCanada has already invested $2.4 billion in preparation to
build the Keystone XL pipeline. Last year, it completed the 487-mile
section of the pipeline running south from Cushing to the refineries in
Texas. Even if the Keystone pipeline is never built, TransCanada can
still move the oil being produced from Alberta oil sands to market by
rail or truck, or through existing pipelines leading to other places.
“Obama has put extreme ideology over American opportunity,”
American Petroleum Institute President Jack Gerard said. “We’re going to continue to raise our voices on this extreme position that was
solely based on politics and not sound science.”
North America’s Building Trades Unions President Sean McGarvey
said that within his union, which traditionally supports Democrat presidents, there is “disappointment… frustration [and] confusion” over the
rejection. “We just do not quite understand why it took seven years to
come to this decision,” he said.
Other pipeline advocates suggested waiting until 2017 when
Obama’s term of office expires, in the belief that any Republican elected to the White House would quickly approve the project.
THE RISE OF NATURAL GAS
America’s need for Keystone’s imported Canadian oil is also being diminished by the trend in many industries to replace oil-based
fuels with cheaper and cleaner natural gas. According to the US Energy
Information Administration, switching from coal to natural gas cuts
November
13, 2015 | 1 Kislev 5776
CO2 emissions per unit of energy generated by 50%. Natural gas also
generates 30% less CO2 than diesel or heating oil, and 20% less than
gasoline. Fracking technology has unlocked vast US reserves of natural
gas which can meet this country’s energy needs for decades to come.
While the administration continues to pour billions into subsidies
for solar power, it still cannot fully replace traditional fossil fuel and
nuclear plants which are needed to supply this country with electric
power, night and day.
PRACTICAL LIMITS OF RENEWABLE
ENERGY SOURCES
Because they cannot run continuously, every new solar electricity
project being built in this country today includes new natural gas-powered turbines to generate the same amount of electricity when the sun
isn’t shining. Wind-powered turbines can run day and night, but they
present hazards to migrating birds and are only feasible in those areas
of the country where a significant wind is blowing constantly.
Yet Obama and other anti-climate change activists remain inalterably opposed to continued reliance upon any fossil fuels, including
natural gas.
IMPACT OF CHINA’S COAL SURPRISE
Another frustrating fact is that anything the American government
does in the near future to reduce is carbon emissions will be in vain
as long as China does not make a similar effort. China surpassed the
US several years ago as the world’s largest source of greenhouse gas
generation. China’s leaders have promised an intensive effort to reduce their country’s carbon emissions, mostly due to burning coal to
generate electricity, by replacing coal-fired plants with nuclear reactors
which generate no carbon emissions at all.
Those hopes were undermined last week when China revealed that
its coal usage is 17% higher than previously thought. As a result, China
released about 900 million metric tons more of CO2 from 2011 to 2013
than had been assumed. That is the equivalent of 70% of all US coal
emissions.
It seems unlikely that China will agree at the Paris meeting to go further than its current commitment to clean up its emissions. That poses
a serious challenge to current proposals by environmentalist to substantially reduce the actual amount of greenhouse gas being released
worldwide.
HOW SERIOUS IS THE GLOBAL
WARMING THREAT?
Just how serious is the global warming problem? How much of
it is due to human generation of greenhouse gases? Obviously, the
answers depend upon which group of scientists you ask, the global
warming advocates or their critics. They cannot even agree on the
accuracy and meaning of the global temperature measurements that
have been taken in recent years.
But there are two sets of figures worth bearing in mind. The first is
that CO2 currently makes up .03% of the Earth’s atmosphere, and the
second is that carbon dioxide generated by burning fossil fuels is responsible for only .04% of that total amount. Whether that is enough
to cause a significant increase in average global temperature is the
essence of what the argument about climate change is all about.
Page 67
New Setback for Christie
Just as Hope Was High
By A l e x a n d e r B u r n s
Chris Christie’s presidential campaign seemed, at long last, to be
gaining altitude: His poll numbers were rising in New Hampshire,
and he had given a forceful performance at the Republican debate
in Colorado. A video of Christie speaking off the cuff about drug
addiction, flashing the unguarded persona that made him a political
celebrity in the first place, was widely shared online.
Then came the bad news.
In a cruel turn for a candidate who so relishes, and excels at,
the performance-art side of politics, Christie, the governor of New
Jersey, was not invited to this week’s prime-time debate on Fox
Business Network. His diminished standing in national polls, the
network announced, relegated him to the so-called undercard debate, alongside extreme long-shot candidates like former Sen. Rick
Santorum of Pennsylvania and Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana.
The demotion highlighted Christie’s transformation from a dominant figure in the Republican Party — a favorite of national campaign donors and a master of projecting his personality through the
New York-area television media — into a pugnacious underdog,
jostling for attention with candidates who lack his political agility
and raw charisma.
Christie is said to have taken the news in stride, buoyed by a
sense that his message is breaking through in New Hampshire, an
early primary state where he has focused his efforts, for the first
time in the campaign. Advisers pointed excitedly to recently released WBUR poll that showed Christie’s support in New Hampshire rising to 8 percent from 2 percent in September, putting him
in fifth place.
With his national profile in decline, the governor has increasingly staked his fortunes on New Hampshire. An ebullient Christie
appeared at the State House in Concord to pay the filing fee for the
primary ballot.
Evincing no humiliation from his exile to the political equivalent of the minor leagues, Christie seemed to revel in the attention:
He gave impromptu remarks to elementary school students on a
field trip, telling them that the New Hampshire primary would one
day be their responsibility. Parrying questions from reporters, and
ignoring staff members who sought to cut short the repartee, he
boasted that he would stand out on any debate stage.
“I’ve never had difficulty making an impression,” Christie said.
“I’ll make an impression on Tuesday night, too, just like I have in
the first three debates.”
In conversations with donors, Ray Washburne, Christie’s national finance chairman, said he had emphasized that an earlier undercard debate in August had lifted Carly Fiorina higher in the field.
Christie, he said, has taken an upbeat view of his debate status,
telling Washburne in a call that he would get more speaking time
in a smaller crowd.
“He’s like, ‘Give me a podium,’” Washburne said, paraphrasing
Page 68
the governor.
Perhaps lost in the Christie camp’s optimism is a sense of just
how far he has fallen as a candidate. Two years ago, after his landslide re-election victory in New Jersey, Christie led the field of possible Republican presidential candidates, taking a quarter of voters’
support nationally in a CNN/ORC poll in November 2013.
Few Republicans might have imagined then that Christie would
soon regard polling in the high single digits, in a single primary
state, as a sign of gathering strength.
Christie has been battered since 2013 by a series of events, most
prominently an investigation into the closing of lanes leading to
the George Washington Bridge, which resulted in the indictment of
several former close associates.
His campaign reported that it had just $1.4 million in the bank at
the end of September, the kind of cash balance that might force a
larger campaign to take drastic cost-cutting measures.
Yet Republicans have hesitated to count out Christie, who in the
past has shown a gift for political improvisation and an instinct for
connecting with voters on a personal level.
And for all the setbacks he has faced, there have also been silver
linings for him in the twisting 2016 plot. Had another current or
former governor, such as Jeb Bush of Florida or Scott Walker of
Wisconsin, become an overwhelming figure in the race, it might
have been more difficult for Christie to persist even in a guerrilla
campaign like the one he is running.
Instead, with Bush flagging badly and Walker out of the race,
there is at least a narrow space, in at least one early state, for Christie to make his case.
He has been aided in his moment of dire need by a super PAC
supporting his candidacy. The group, America Leads, has aired six
television ads in New Hampshire, helping lift his numbers in the
state.
Tucker Martin, a strategist for the group, said it had already reserved nearly $7 million in airtime ahead of the New Hampshire
primary, including $4 million in the expensive Boston media market between Dec. 1 and the vote on Feb. 9.
Jennifer Horn, the chairwoman of the New Hampshire Republican Party, said Christie, along with Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida,
had gained ground there through grind-it-out retail politicking.
“He’s doing town hall after town hall after town hall. Just progressively, his attendance has increased,” Horn said. “I’m not endorsing the guy, but he has taken what is right about New Hampshire very seriously.”
Still, even Christie supporters inclined to see the political glass
as half full acknowledge that 2016 has diverged dramatically from
their initial plan.
Asked if Christie’s declining numbers had forced him to reassess
his strategy, Washburne responded with dry candor.
“The plan was to be in the lead,” Washburne said.
© 2015 New York Times News Service
& BIRTHS x
eMazel Tov to Efraim and Gitty Weinfeld upon the birth of a baby girl! Mazel Tov to the
grandparents, Rabbi Moshe and C.B. Weinfeld and Rabbi and Mrs. Sholom Holendar.
May she be a great source of nachas to the entire family!
eMazel Tov to Yitzy and Chani Milstein upon the birth of their daughter Sori! Special
Mazel Tov to the Waidenbaum and Milstein grandparents and to the Bramson greatgrandparents!
eMazel Tov to Mati and Donny Reich upon the birth of a baby girl, Brocha! Mazel Tov
to the proud grandparents and great-grandparents! May she be a great source of nachas
to the entire family!
eMazel Tov to Binyomin and Chana Gitty Borenstein (Lakewood) upon the birth of their
daughter Faigy. A special Mazel Tov to the grandparents Rabbi and Mrs. Moshe Borenstein (Brooklyn) and Rabbi and Mrs. Chaim Felder (Monsey) and Rebbitzen Chaya
Felder (Brooklyn). An extra special Mazel Tov to the proud big sisters Perela, Miriam
and Sheva Nechama. May she only bring much nachas.
eMazel Tov to Mr. and Mrs. Eli Goldberg (Lakewood) upon the birth of their son! Mazel
Tov to the grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Yossi Hefter (Baltimore) and Mr. and Mrs. Ozer
Goldberg (Lakewood). Mazel Tov to the Hefter, Pressman, Golberg, and Zohn greatgrandparents. Mazel Tov to the older sister and all the aunts and uncles. May he bring
much nachas to his family.
& BAR MITZVAHS x
eMazel Tov to Akiva Fishberg upon his Bar Mitzvah! Mazel Tov to his parents, Mordechai and Miriam Fishberg (Montreal). Mazel Tov to the grandparents, Rabbi and Mrs.
Eliyohu Chaim Finkelstein, Dr. and Mrs. Ken Biss and Dr. and Alan Fishberg. May he
be a great source of nachas to the entire family!
eMazel Tov to Yechezkel Ginsberg upon his Bar Mitzvah! Mazel Tov to his parents, Don-
iel and Rena Ginsberg (Monsey). Mazel Tov to the Stein and Ginsberg grandparents.
May he continue to be a great source of nachas to all.
November
13, 2015 | 1 Kislev 5776
Page 69
& ENGAGEMENTS x
eMazel Tov to Moshe Adler and Chaya Yelen
Mazel Tov to their parents, Mr. and Mrs.
Linkenberg (Monsey) and Mr. and Mrs.
Rabinowitz (Monsey). May they be zoche
to build a Bayis Ne’eman B’Yisroel!
upon their engagement! Mazel Tov to their
parents, Rabbi and Mrs. Eli Yelen (Detroit)
and Mr. and Mrs. Adler (Toronto). A special
Mazel Tov to the proud siblings and nieces
and nephews! May they be zoche to build a
Bayis Ne’eman B’Yisroel!
eMazel Tov to Moshe Tzvi Grossinger (Boro
ishevsky upon their engagement! Mazel
Tov to their parents, Rabbi and Mrs. Chaim
and Esty Wein (Monsey) and Rabbi and
Mrs. Daniel and Chana Sima Danishevsky
(LA). Mazel Tov to the Wein, Munk, Danishevsky and Lansky grandparents. May
they be zoche to build a Bayis Ne’eman
B’Yisroel!
cobs upon their engagement! Mazel Tov to
the Jacobs (Monsey) and Tauber (Monsey)
families! May they be zoche to build a Bayis Ne’eman B’Yisroel!
Park) and Numi Rausman (Monsey) upon
their engagement! Mazel Tov to their parents and grandparents. May they be zoche
to build a Bayis Ne’eman B’Yisroel!
eMazel Tov to Eliezer Wein and Shana Dan- eMazel Tov to Efraim Tauber and Sarah Ja-
eMazel Tov to Mordechai Coleman and Ro-
chel Elka Mayer upon their engagement!
Mazel Tov to their parents, Mr. and Mrs.
Ron Coleman (Passaic) and Rabbi and Mrs.
Shlomo Mayer (Flatbush). May they be
zoche to build a Bayis Ne’eman B’Yisroel!
eMazel Tov to Tzvi Rand (Toronto) and Chavi Gluck (Lakewood) upon their engagement! May they be zoche to build a Bayis
Ne’eman B’Yisroel!
eMazel Tov to Dovid Zernik and Meira Myerowitz upon their engagement! Mazel Tov
to their parents, Mr. And Mrs. Uri Zernik
(LA) and Mr. and Mrs. Adam Myerowitz
(Toronto). May they be zoche to build a
eMazel Tov to Shimon Bodenheimer and
Chavy Rapaport upon their engagement.
Mazel Tov to their parents Rabbi and Mrs.
Bodenheimer (Monsey) and Rabbi and
Mrs. Rapaport (Lakewood). Mazel Tov to
the grandparents. May they be zoche to
build a Bayis Ne’eman B’Yisroel!
eMazel Tov to Moshe Linkenberg and Chaya
Rochel Rabinowitz upon their engagement.
& WEDDINGS x
eMazel Tov to Avromi and Bashi Joseph upon
their marriage. Mazel Tov to their parents,
Rabbi and Mrs. Meir Tzvi and Chani Joseph
(Lakewood) and Rabbi and Mrs. Berach
and Chani Steinfeld (Flatbush). Mazel Tov
to the grandparents, Rabbi and Mrs. Yaakov
and Baila Joseph (Cleveland), Mrs. Sara
Mozak (Flatbush), Rabbi and Mrs. Yisroel
and Reyna Hisiger (Flatbush) and Mr. and
Mrs. Ely and Miriam Steinfeld (Monsey) as
well as all the excited siblings and extended
family. May Avromi and Bashie be zoche to
build a Bayis Ne’eman B’Yisroel.
eMazel Tov to Sender and Nechama Larkin
upon their marriage! Mazel Tov to their parents, Mr. and Mrs. Larkin (Monsey) and Mr.
and Mrs. Shaya Lebovits (Far Rockaway).
Mazel Tov to the grandparents. May they be
zoche to build a Bayis Ne’eman B’Yisroel!
eMazel Tov to Shraga Yehuda and Rivky
Rothschild upon their marriage! Mazel
Tov to their parents, Rabbi and Mrs. Dovid Nosson Rothschild (Long Beach) and
Rabbi and Mrs. Ahron Yehoshua Klugman
(Brooklyn). May they be zoche to build a
E
R
& q w e Simcha is contagious. Help us spread it. & h x e
Fax in news of your simcha to 845.369.6397 or email to [email protected] by Monday 12pm
Page 70
Magazine
with
me
or with the
diet?
c. b. w e i n f e l d
Struggle to the
Summit
Yated
1 Kislev 5776 November 13, 2015
is the problem
November
13, 2015 | 1 Kislev 5776
Page 71
e
l
g
th
t
S
to
g
u
r
T e n
Page 72
e
Summit
Y e a r s
L a t e r
Rivka Zucker’s Incredible Journey
I first heard of Rivka, the founder of “I Make It – You Bake
It,” Rivka’s Famous Challah Dough, (serving the Monsey community) from fellow writer and friend Shaindy Perl, who had
edited her gripping biography, Struggle to the Summit. The compelling read, detailing a “true medical drama of providence and
perseverance,” described her journey from ‘average busy young
mother of two babies’ to a patient who needed assistance with
basic tasks, completely helpless, dependent upon her nurses and
aides to even turn over in bed.
When reading about Rivka’s saga, one theme is predominant.
There, but for the Grace of G-d, go I. What guarantees do we have?
We should never take anything; our families, our health, our ability to walk, for granted.
I spoke to Rivka last week, exactly ten years after her diagnosis, when she called to ask for the phone number of Chaya
Friedman, a brave and courageous woman with spina bifida, who
has become my close friend. Rivka had read Chaya’s book, “Yes
I can” over Sukkos, and wanted to make an appointment to visit.
This interview is the result of our ‘chance’ conversation.
Rivka invited me to read her book, an honest and inspiring
account of her experience.
From one day to the next, or so it seemed, this healthy young
mother needed emergency brain surgery. The full-time Mommy
to nineteen month old Libby and six month old Shloimy was
suddenly transformed into a patient, unable to do even the simplest things, such as feed herself or move from her bed to a chair,
without assistance. Rivka’s brain had undergone a trauma and she
couldn’t move her left side, her eyesight was blurred and double,
her speech was slurred, and her helplessness overpowering. Yet
throughout her ordeal, she maintained a close and vibrant connection with her Heavenly Father, reaching out to Him, sharing
her strongest emotions.
Ten years down the line, Rivka has largely recovered from her
ordeal. However, she is not completely ‘back to normal’ but has
accepted a new ‘normal’ with “souvenirs” from her experience.
“Though I am able to take care of my family, my life will never
be the same again,” Rivka stresses. “My left side is weaker and
uncoordinated and I use a cane when walking outside or in public places, to help with my balance. But most importantly, I am
filled with gratitude for the simple pleasure of being fully functional. I want to live with the constant awareness that every day
is a gift, that regular life is the greatest blessing of all.”
Today, Rivka is a full-time mother and entrepreneur, the
founder of “I Make It – You Bake It,” Rivka’s Famous Challah
Dough. This is a unique service for women who are unable to
prepare their own challah dough, yet want to fulfill the mitzvah of
hafroshas challah and serve home-baked challah. Rivka, who owns
two professional Hobart machines, prepares perfectly textured
dough using her recipe or just about any custom combination
of ingredients upon request. Rivka’s choices vary from standard
challah dough to whole wheat or spelt, sweetened with anything
from sugar to honey, Xylitol or Splenda. Rivka has been in busi
November
13, 2015 | 1 Kislev 5776
ness for three years, with many happy customers.
She also easily shares her experience and offers chizuk to anyone who has undergone a similar health crisis.
Can you tell me about the events that led up to
your hospitalization?
It was in December, 2005, almost exactly ten years ago. I was
just thirty years old, a young mother raising my toddler, Libby
and infant son, Shloimy. We were living in our own home in
Monsey. My husband had a good job, and I enjoyed being a fulltime mother, driving a recently purchased minivan to go shopping and run errands. I had just hosted a family Chanukah party
in our home.
Life was good. Actually, it was more than good. I was incredibly blessed.
Of course, there is no such thing as perfect. To be honest, I
was a bit lonely sometimes. I was relatively new to the community, it was early winter, and I didn’t have many opportunities to
get out and meet people. Later, though, after the diagnosis, when
our life was turned upside down, I would miss those normal,
routine days. Even something as mundane as giving my children
baths and brushing their hair was beyond my grasp.
Actually, for a while before my diagnosis, I had been experiencing the strange sensation of tingling of the left side of my lips.
This sensation came and went, prompting me to go to my doctor
who ordered blood tests. The tests ruled out Lyme Disease and
Epstein Barr virus.
When Shloimy was only three months old, the strange sensation returned, developing into numbness on the left side of my
mouth and tongue. I mentioned it at a routine dentist appointment, but the dentist could not figure out what was wrong.
Then came the fateful Sunday when it all came to a head.
I had decided to join the local Bais Tefillah library, which was
located in the basement of the shul, down a long flight of stairs.
I left my toddler at the home of a friend and drove to the library
with little Shloimy. When I arrived, I had a hard time parking
the minivan, which I attributed to the fact that we’d recently
purchased it, and I wasn’t used to driving a larger vehicle.
I fumbled with the straps of the car seat, and finally strapped
the baby into his stroller, a task which I usually did with ease. I
tried to bump the stroller down the stairs, but I suddenly felt as
if I was losing my balance and was going to fall. I kept grabbing
the handrail for support while clutching my carriage through a
wave of dizziness.
At last, the long flight of stairs came to an end. I had arrived.
I hesitantly entered the library, a cluttered, narrow room filled
with books and people. Suddenly, I felt disoriented and off balance and the whole room felt like it was closing in on me. Now I
knew something was seriously wrong with me and I had a strong
gut feeling that it was in my brain.
Although I really wanted to join the library, I knew I needed
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to get home. However, going up the stairs with the stroller was
even harder. No one suspected that anything was wrong, so nobody offered to help. In the end, I managed somehow, and drove
to pick up my daughter. However, something seemed strange
with our minivan too. The turns were much wider than normal.
Something must be wrong with the steering wheel, I thought.
As soon as my husband came home, he called his doctor, who
examined me that afternoon. He reassured me that I wasn’t having a stroke, but advised that I needed to see a neurologist ASAP
and recommended a specific doctor in Manhattan. I was convinced that I had multiple sclerosis, and that the doctor wasn’t
being honest with me. We made an appointment to see a neurologist a week later.
That entire week, I became less coordinated, and found it hard
to do basic tasks. I couldn’t pour a drink without spilling some of
it, and kept bumping my baby son into the walls. In addition, I
felt exhausted, as if I’d run a marathon. An inner sense of dread
accompanied me all the time.
As the days wore on, my energy flagged. I spent most of the day
sitting in a rocking chair, holding my son, watching my daughter
play. Worst of all were my nights, as I tossed and turned, consumed with anxiety. What was wrong with me? I was sure that I
either had MS or a brain tumor. I didn’t know which was worse.
What happened when you sought medical help?
I had scheduled an appointment with the neurologist in Manhattan for the following week. I didn’t realize that my situation
was life-threatening, and that I should head to the hospital immediately.
On Friday morning, when I woke up, my left arm was numb.
We went to the local ER but were sent home, since the floor doctor could see nothing wrong with me. In hindsight, we should
have gone straight to Beth Israel in Manhattan, where the recommended neurologist worked, but I had no idea how urgent it
was.
When my symptoms worsened considerably over Shabbos, we
finally rushed to Beth Israel on Motzoei Shabbos. After hours of
waiting, I had a CT scan, and the doctors found bleeding in my
brain. An MRI confirmed the diagnosis: I had a cavernous angioma that was hemorrhaging in my brain stem. It had hemorrhaged twice before, which caused the tingling I had felt in my
lips on earlier occasions. I was given Decadron, a steroid medication, to stop the inflammation and was kept in the hospital for
a few days.
A cavernous angioma is also known as cerebral cavernous malformation or CCM. In laymen’s language, this refers to a collection of small blood vessels in the central nervous system that are
enlarged and malformed from birth, and can begin to hemorrhage at any time.
The doctors warned me that since the CCM had already bled
three times, I was at great risk of another bleed, which would
likely be fatal. I needed to find a doctor to remove it, and time
was of the essence.
Talk about a bombshell.
All at once, the world, as I had known it, caved in.
Naturally, finding a neurosurgeon was not an easy task. Most
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Things
don’t automatically go
back to normal when
the crisis is
over.
of the doctors we contacted were afraid to touch
it, saying that it’s inoperable. Finally the famous
neurosurgeon Dr. Robert Spetzler of the Barrow
Neurological Institute in Phoenix, AZ agreed to
do the risky delicate surgery and we scheduled an
appointment. After an adventurous flight during a
frigid winter storm, we arrived at the hospital for
pre-op. I was anxious, exhausted, and missed my
children terribly.
Chasdei Hashem, the surgery was a success,
though I felt considerably worse afterwards, and
had to undergo a lengthy rehabilitation period.
This was a nightmarish time, during which I had
to be fed and cared for like an infant. There were
days when I felt incredibly helpless and abandoned,
especially when the nurses were busy, and I didn’t
have the strength to summon them or do anything
for myself.
On one memorable occasion, I even suffered a
severe second degree burn when a cup of boiling
coffee spilled over my leg from my breakfast tray,
By the time the nurses came to help me, the boiling
liquid had burned through my skin.
At the same time, I was on steroids to reduce the
inflammation, clouding my vision, distorting my
thinking process, making me moody and frustrated.
I suffered from severe anxiety, insomnia, and loss of
balance. My words were flat and expressionless. It
was like someone else was inhabiting my body.
How did your family manage during
your absence?
During the first few weeks of the crisis, my dear
sister Hadassah moved into my home, and some
neighbors helped with the children. Later, when
I spent months in rehab following my surgery, I
had a wonderful young couple move into my house
to parent my children. After four months when I
returned home, I hired a series of home-care assistants who assumed responsibility for the functioning of my home. As I explained on the Chazak
Hotline when I shared my story, having to rely on
full-time help was very humbling and humiliating.
It was hard for me to watch as they bathed and
fed my children and put them to bed, tasks I couldn’t
do on my own. Though I could still say shema and
read them bedtime stories, I couldn’t discipline or
do all the normal ‘Mommy’ things. Forget about
cooking meals or cleaning the home! For a time,
my children were afraid of my appearance, and had
become very close to their babysitters. Just seeing
them go to the woman we’d hired to kiss their booboos felt like a knife in my heart.
Over the next two years I was unable to do much
in the house, and was very dependent on the hired
help. Not all the caretakers were professional, and
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many took advantage of my vulnerability. It wasn’t
easy, when they bonded with my children, I felt left
out and cheated. If they were rough or impatient
with my precious little ones, I was worried and upset. Some of the aides disobeyed my instructions,
were dishonest, and took their time showing up
when I needed them. Yet many were exceptionally
devoted. In the end, though, no one can possibly
replace a mother. How I davened and yearned to be
the one dealing with the tantrums and messes!
Boruch Hashem after two years of therapy and
rehabilitation I was finally able to graduate to parttime help, and care for my children without assistance. I felt like I had been release from a lengthy
prison sentence, and given a brand new chance.
Even now, a decade later, the fact that I am the
one cooking, cleaning, and being a mommy to my
children, instead of an aide, fills me with wonder
and awe.
Ten years have passed since your
original diagnosis. Where are you
holding now?
My two babies have grown into wonderful, welladjusted children. My daughter is eleven and my
son is ten. I am so grateful that they were born before all this happened and that they were too young
to remember. They know about it from what I tell
them, and one day they’ll know all the details when
they read my book.
Although the nightmare is well behind me and I
am fully functioning today, I still have poor balance
and weakness on my left side. I am not embarrassed
when I use a cane in public. I feel very fortunate
and proud of myself, knowing how far I’ve come.
My children feel the same acceptance and assist
me in carrying my bags and pointing out when the
ground is uneven.
I do have a hard time in crowded social situations
where it’s hard for me to mingle. I tend to avoid
them unless I have a friend with me. Weddings
are especially hard because I feel a pang of jealousy
when everyone is dancing and I cannot.
Is there anything you’d like to share?
There is one subject that I feel is important to
stress for anyone going through a crisis, and that is
that things don’t automatically go back to normal
when the crisis is over. It’s not like you flip a switch
and forget what happened.
After a serious health-related ordeal passes, there
needs to be an extended recovery period, not only
a physical recovery, but an emotional one as well.
This applies not only for the patient, but also for
the caregivers. In my case, my husband was exceptionally devoted during this challenging time. He
Page 75
was holding down a full-time job, overseeing the care
of our children, managing my medical situation and
coming to visit me every day. He acted on auto-pilot
and just did whatever had to be done. Only after we
were past the crisis, did he have time to think about
and process what happened.
In all honesty, looking back, I know that I wasn’t
the easiest patient to deal with. I was facing the shock
of losing my abilities from the aftermath of brain surgery. I suffered from anxiety, and depression from the
steroid medication. I had a lot of seesawing emotions
and physical weakness, which made me appear selfish
and demanding.
It was tough for my husband to deal with all that,
and he needed to recover from being pulled in so many
directions at the same time. To his credit, my husband
was, and is, an incredible source of support and we are
blessed with a strong marriage.
I am happy that my personality survived intact and
that I am still organized and geshikt in the kitchen. I
figured out how to do every household task in an efficient way. I have cleaning help twice a week to do
the heavier types of housework. Since my left hand is
deficient, my right hand works double duty. However,
there are some tasks that require both hands in unison,
so please don’t race me with peeling potatoes!
One of my pet peeves, by the way, is when people
who are not disabled selfishly use the disabled parking spots (they think it’s okay if they are sitting in the
car with it running) and I have to circle, looking for
parking. I’ve actually confronted these drivers on more
than one occasion!
While I’m on the topic of disabled parking spots, I
want to share a story that happened to me. One Thursday last year I went shopping for just a few last minute
items (I usually do my Shabbos shopping on Wednesday). This particular store has only two handicapped
spaces and one was occupied. The driver of that car, a
man of about sixty, was sitting in the driver’s seat and
he did not have a disabled permit.
When I returned to my car after my quick shopping, he was still there. I unloaded my bags into my car
and gently pushed my cart towards the curb to give me
clearance to open my door. It’s too cumbersome for me
to push the cart up on the sidewalk and walk back to
Page 76
my car without my cane. Apparently, the wagon rolled
and touched his car. He flew out of his car in a rage and
started yelling at me, which I ignored. He was so irate
that he took the wagon and put it behind my car so
that I would have to get out and remove it to back out
of the spot. I continued to ignore him and proceeded
to slowly back out a little at a time. I reversed into the
cart and stopped numerous times, until it rolled out of
my way. Then I went home.
The following Thursday I went to the same store at
the same time of day. Once again the same man was
waiting in his car in the same spot. Like the previous
week, I parked next to him. This time I made it very
obvious that I walked with a cane. When I emerged
from the store, he motioned to me to come and talk to
him. He confessed he had hoped he would meet me
again and apologized for yelling at me the previous
week. He told me that he is experiencing some health
issues, which put him under a lot of stress. This made
me understand why he had reacted that way. He then
asked why such a young person like me needed a cane.
After I told him, he insisted on returning my cart to
the sidewalk after I put my packages in the car.
This story goes to show how you really cannot judge
another person, because you really never know the reason why things seem the way they do.
Have you had the opportunity to reach
out to others in similar situations?
Of course! That was the point of my book, Struggle to the Summit, and of this interview. I also spoke
on Chazak, (personal stories, 75) to publicly thank
Hashem for saving my life, and to help others appreciate the gifts they were given. I have had the merit of
speaking to people around the world who have experienced similar health issues. I feel it’s a zechus to be able
to share what worked for me, and to give them hope
that things will improve.
There is nothing more beautiful than seeing my
children grow up and turn into wonderful people who
I am truly proud of and being grateful for every lifesustaining breath. You don’t have to have gone through
what I did to realize how blessed we are.
Rivka can be reached at [email protected] or
[email protected]
adul
|
More On Chinuch
Question #1: His Own Lulav?
“Am I required to purchase for my son his own lulav?”
Question #2:
Three-Year-Old Tzitzis?
“At what age should my son start wearing tzitzis?”
Question #3: Minor Kohanim
“I know that one must be very careful that a kohein, even
an infant, does not become contaminated with the tumah of a
meis. Yet I rarely see a child under bar mitzvah duchen. Is this
consistent?”
Question #4: Kiruv Kohanim
“We are in the process of being mekareiv a fellow who is a
kohein. He enjoys joining us for our family outings, and we love
to visit museums. Could this present potential halachic issues?”
Answer:
In the beginning of Parshas Toldos, the Torah mentions the
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birth and upbringing of Yaakov and Eisov. This provides an
opportunity to continue our discussion on some of the aspects
of the mitzvos of chinuch that we began two weeks ago.
In this context, we find the following passage of Gemara:
“A minor who knows how to shake a lulav in the way that
halachah requires is obligated to fulfill the mitzvah of a lulav;
one old enough to put on a talis properly is obligated in tzitzis;
if he is old enough to protect his tefillin, his father must purchase for him tefillin; when he knows how to talk, his father
teaches him Torah and the Shema” (Sukkah 42a; see also Arachin 2b and Tosefta, Chagigah Chapter 1).
We see from the Gemara that we should begin teaching a
child Torah and training him to observe mitzvos at the earliest age possible for him to perform the mitzvah correctly.
One of the first lessons of mitzvas chinuch that we see here is
that the mitzvah is not simply to demonstrate to a child a few
times before his bar mitzvah how the mitzvah is performed.
The mitzvah is to train him from when he is able to perform
the mitzvah properly. Thus, as soon as he begins to speak, we
should have him recite pesukim. When old enough to wear a
talis properly, we should train him in the mitzvah of tzitzis,
and when old enough to perform the mitzvah of lulav properly,
we should train him to observe that mitzvah.
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Why Are Tefillin Different?
When the Gemara mentions that a child should begin to observe mitzvos, it teaches that his father is obligated to purchase
tefillin for his son, but it does not say that he is required to buy
tzitzis or a lulav for his son. This implies that the father has a
special requirement to purchase tefillin for his son, but he is not
required to acquire tzitzis or the daled minim for him. Why are
tefillin different?
The answer is that someone cannot possibly observe the
mitzvah of tefillin without owning his own pair, and it is obvious that a child would not have the means to purchase tefillin.
Therefore, the mitzvah of chinuch requires the boy’s father to
purchase a pair of tefillin for him.
However, Chazal did not require the father to purchase the
four species or tzitzis for his son. Why not? In the case of the
four species, the son is able to perform the mitzvah by using his
father’s, and it is therefore deemed unnecessary to require the
father to purchase his son a set (Tosafos, Arachin 2b).
What About Tzitzis?
Regarding the mitzvah of tzitzis, Tosafos rules that Chazal
did not require the acquisition of a four-cornered garment in
order to fulfill the mitzvah. Rather, someone wishing to wear
a four-cornered garment is required to have tzitzis attached to
it. In the days of Chazal, one did not purchase a garment with
tzitzis or even purchase tzitzis threads to place on a garment.
All clothing was made at home, and tzitzis threads, which have
to be manufactured for the sake of fulfilling the mitzvah, were
spun at home. Therefore, there was no requirement to purchase tzitzis for a child. When the household provided all its
members with home-made clothing, it provided the men-folk,
including those under bar mitzvah, with four-cornered garments and spun tzitzis attached to them (Tosafos, Arachin 2b).
“Protecting” Tefillin
The Gemara rules that when a child is old enough to “protect his tefillin,” we should purchase for him a pair of tefillin.
What does “protect his tefillin” mean? Some understand this to
mean that he understands that he should not bring his tefillin
into the bathroom (Rashi, Sukkah 42a). Others understand this
to mean that he can keep a guf noki, meaning that he is old
enough to be careful not to release flatulence while wearing
tefillin, which is prohibited because of bizui mitzvah (Rashi,
Brochos 5b; Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 37:2). There is obviously a major difference between these two approaches since a
fairly young child can be entrusted not to bring tefillin into a
bathroom, whereas someone considerably older may still have
difficulty maintaining control and awareness to remove his tefillin when he feels that his stomach is somewhat unsettled.
Contemporary Practice
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Following the second approach mentioned above, which is
the conclusion of the Shulchan Aruch, common practice today
is that a child does not wear tefillin until he is almost the age of
bar mitzvah. Because we are concerned that he will be unable
to keep a guf noki, we wait until he is almost the age when he is
required min hatorah to wear tefillin, and only then do we train
him how to wear tefillin.
Minor Kohanim
At this point, let us address one of our opening questions.
“I know that one must be very careful that a kohein, even
an infant, does not become contaminated with the tumah of a
meis. Yet I rarely see a child under bar mitzvah duchen. Is this
consistent?”
This question needs to be dealt with as two different headings. The first topic is the prohibition of causing someone to
violate a halachah. The second topic is understanding how the
mitzvah of chinuch applies to the specific mitzvah of birkas kohanim. I will first discuss the first topic, that of causing a minor
kohein child to become tomei.
Causing Someone
To Violate The Torah
It is prohibited min hatorah to be the direct cause of a child
violating a prohibition of the Torah (Yevomos 114a). For example, providing a child with non-kosher food or bringing a minor kohein into a house that contains tumas meis is prohibited
even when the child himself is too young to be responsible to
fulfill the mitzvah and is not commanded to observe it. As a
matter of fact, this law applies min hatorah even to a newborn
(Mogen Avrohom 343:2). It also applies even when a child is
unfortunately being raised in a non-observant way. Therefore,
it is forbidden for someone who has a babysitting job to feed a
Jewish child non-kosher food, or to serve non-kosher food to a
Jewish child in a school cafeteria. Similarly, it is prohibited to
dress a baby in a blanket or clothes made of shatnez (Shu”t Beis
Yehudah, Yoreh Deiah #45).
Tumah Is Worse
In the particular instance of causing a kohein to become
tomei, there is an additional violation specific to this mitzvah.
The Rambam rules that it is forbidden for someone to make
an adult kohein tomei and, at times, this may involve violating a
prohibition min hatorah (Rambam, Hilchos Aveil 3:5). To quote
the Rambam: “If the kohein is unaware that what he did is forbidden, and the adult who made him tomei knows that it is,
then the adult violates the lo sa’aseh. If the adult kohein knows
that it is forbidden, then the other person violates only “lifnei
iveir lo sitein michshol” (Vayikra 19:14).” Chazal interpret this
posuk to mean that one may not give someone bad advice or
cause him to violate a prohibition.
Kiruv Kohanim
We can now address another of our opening questions. “We
are in the process of being mekareiv a fellow who is a kohein.
He enjoys joining us for our family outings, and we love to visit
museums. Could this present potential halachic issues?”
In a different article published in this column many years
ago, I discussed at length the shailos that exist concerning
whether a kohein may visit a museum. (Those interested in
reading a copy of that article can contact me through the office
of Yated Neeman.) Based on our current discussion, we are now
aware that the same issues exist if one causes a kohein to enter
a museum. Thus, taking a nephew who is a kohein on a family
trip to a museum may involve the same halachic problem, and
one should ask his rov or poseik whether he may. We now know
that bringing our friend the kohein involves the same halachic
issues, notwithstanding the fact that he himself has no concerns about the matter. As we saw above in the Rambam, it is
actually a more serious problem for me when I know that the
kohein is not concerned about the prohibition.
What If The Child
Does It On His Own?
The Gemara (Yevomos 113b-114a) relates that Rav Yitzchok
bar Bisna lost the keys of the beis medrash in a reshus harabim,
an area from which it is prohibited min hatorah to carry on
Shabbos. Thus, there was no way to unlock the doors and use
the beis medrash on Shabbos. Rabi Pedas suggested that Rav
Yitzchok bar Bisna bring some children to play in the area
where the keys were lost, hoping that one of them might find
the keys and then bring them to the beis medrash. According to
Rabi Pedas, one is not obligated to prevent a child from violating a mitzvah of the Torah on his own, provided that one does
not ask or enable the child to do so. Although it is prohibited
to cause a child to violate a mitzvah, we have no obligation to
prevent the child from violating, nor are we prohibited from
placing a child in a place where he may, on his own, choose to
violate the prohibition.
The rishonim ask why the mitzvah of chinuch does not require preventing the child from violating Shabbos. There are
three widely-held approaches to answering this question.
Underage
One answer is that Rabi Pedas’ rule that we are not
required to prevent children from choosing to violate prohibitions applies only when they are very young and the
child is below the age of chinuch, when we are required to
educate him about the mitzvah (Tosafos, Shabbos 121a, s.v.
shema). Thus, Rav Yitzchok bar Bisna brought only fairly
young children to play in the area where the keys were
lost. It would be prohibited, according to this approach,
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to cause children old enough to understand that we do
not carry on Shabbos to carry the keys in a reshus horabim.
This approach is quoted by the Rema (Orach Chaim 343).
Mitzvos Asei
A second approach to answer this question is more lenient, contending that the mitzvah of chinuch applies only
to positive mitzvos, but does not apply to prohibitions
(Rabi Eliezer M’’metz, the author of the Sefer Yerei’im,
quoted by Tosafos Yesheinim, Yoma 82a; the same position
is quoted by several rishonim to Yevomos 114a). According
to this understanding, there are three levels:
1. We are prohibited min hatorah from directly causing
a child to violate a prohibition.
2. We are required miderabbonon to train him to perform mitzvos.
3. There is no requirement at all to prevent him from
performing violations of the Torah that a child is doing
on his own.
Isn’t This Counter-Intuitive?
Is this approach not counter-intuitive? In general, prohibitions are treated more strictly than positive mitzvos,
and the punishments for violating them are usually more
severe (Terumas Hadeshen #94). Why, in this instance, is
the positive mitzvah being treated more stringently than
the prohibition?
Some explain that the reason is because performance
of a positive mitzvah requires more effort, and therefore Chazal require the father to make certain that his
child perform mitzvos. They did not require chinuch on lo
sa’aseh prohibitions since they are passive (Terumas Hadeshen #94).
Only The Father
A third approach to answer this question is by understanding that when Chazal introduced the mitzvah of chinuch, they obligated the father, but no one else, to train
a child to perform mitzvos. Since other people have no
obligation of training a child to perform mitzvos, they are
permitted to place a child somewhere where he may, of
his own volition, violate a prohibition (Tosafos Yesheinim,
Yoma 82a; Rambam, Hilchos Ma’acholos Asuros 17:28). This
last approach is the one followed by the Shulchan Aruch
(Orach Chaim 343:1), who writes, “If a child is eating
non-kosher, beis din is not commanded to prevent him,
but his father is commanded to rebuke him and prevent
him.” The Rema also cites this opinion.
Remember that all opinions prohibit directing a child
to violate a prohibition. What is permitted is placing him
in a position where he will, of his own volition, violate a
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prohibited activity.
In conclusion, we are prohibited from causing a male kohein child to become
tomei from contact with a corpse. According to the conclusion of the Shulchan
Aruch, a person is not obligated to prevent a child from making himself tomei unless
the child in question is one’s son.
What About Duchening?
At this point, let us return to the question raised above: “I know that one must be
very careful that a kohein, even an infant, does not become contaminated with the
tumah of a meis. Yet I rarely see a child under bar mitzvah duchen. Is this consistent?” Now that we have explained the background to the first part of the question,
let us discuss the second part. Our questioner reports not seeing too many minor
kohanim perform the duchening. Allow me to supply some background so that we
can answer this question.
The Mishnah (Megillah 24a) states that a child does not duchen, which Rashi
explains to be because it is not respectable for a congregation to have a child bless
them. Our question is whether the Mishnah means that a child should never duchen,
or that he should not duchen when he is unaccompanied by an adult kohein. The
issue being debated is whether the lack of dignity for the tzibur is any time a child
blesses the congregation or only when he does so all by himself.
This issue is the subject of a dispute among early Rishonim. Rashi (Sukkah 42a)
rules that a child should never duchen, whereas Tosafos contends that it is fine for a
child to duchen as long as he does so together with adult kohanim (Tosafos, Megillah 24a s.v. Ve’ein). According to the latter opinion, it would follow that there is a
mitzvah to train a minor kohein to duchen, just as there is a mitzvah to train him
to perform other mitzvos. However, according to Rashi, since Chazal ruled that it
is not a kovod to have a child duchen, clearly there is no mitzvah of chinuch to train
him to duchen. There were many places in Europe where the custom was to follow
Rashi. This is why our questioner has rarely seen a minor duchen. However, this is
by far not a universally held practice. I have been in many places where I have seen
kohanim who are under bar mitzvah duchen alongside adult kohanim.
Conclusion:
Avrohom And Chinuch
We now know that there are specific halachic rules directing us how to educate
and train and children in the observance of mitzvos and about our interactions that
might cause an adult to violate a prohibition of the Torah. It is interesting to note
that the only verse in the Torah that uses the word chinuch in relation to people is
in Parshas Lech Lechah, where the verse refers to training and teaching adults to
perform mitzvos. The Torah teaches that in order to save his nephew Lot, “vayoreik [Avrohom] es chanichov,” literally, Avrohom emptied out those whom he had
trained. As Rav Hirsch points out, the situation of saving Lot required Avrohom
to change direction from what he had been doing heretofore. Prior to this point,
Avrohom had taken his disciples and moved them away from civilization, into the
mountains, so that they would not be influenced by the nearby social environment
of Canaan, which was antithetical to proper values. Avrohom’s previous chinuch had
involved isolationism to grow the spirituality of his students. At this moment, serving Hashem required Avrohom to expose his following to improper mores, albeit
only temporarily, for the sake of saving Lot.
Page 80
Rabbi Boruch Leff
Toward a Meaningful Shabbos
Removing the Shame with Shabbos
There is a concept mentioned in many seforim of “nahama dechisufa,” bread of shame.
Perhaps the most widely studied source regarding this is the Ramchal in Derech Hashem,
who explains that the reason the soul is
brought into this world is so that we may
perfect ourselves through our own efforts. We
need to earn our share in Olam Haba. This
way, we will not experience shame for taking
that which we did not earn.
In order to accomplish these goals,
Hashem has placed us in the world with
enormous tests and challenges. Hashem has
made Himself hidden in order for free will to
exist. This is why many explain that the world
is called olam, from the word ne’elam, hidden.
The world’s very purpose is hidden. Hashem
is hidden. It is very easy to get caught up in
the many distractions of life and forget the
world’s purpose. But this is the way it is supposed to be in order for free will to exist.
According to the Sefas Emes (Bereishis
1889), this feeling of a sense of shame for
taking a “handout” from Hashem Yisborach
only began to exist after the sin of the Eitz
Hadaas. The Yerushalmi (Orlah 6:1) says that
“when one takes food from another, it is very
difficult for the recipient to look at the face
of the giver due to embarrassment.” The Sefas
Emes understands that the Torah states that
all emotions of shame only existed after sin.
The Torah itself tells us that before their sin,
Adam and Chava existed in a state of “lo yisboshashu, they were not embarrassed” (Bereishis 2:25). Although we usually understand
this posuk as referring only to shame for being unclothed, the Sefas Emes says it means
regarding all shame.
Prior to the sin, Adam and Chava lived in
a world of complete unity. Their relationship
of dveykus, attachment to Hashem, was so
powerful that they didn’t even feel as if they
were individuals, but felt wholly connected
to Hashem. Rabbi Doniel Baron points out
that Chazal say that the angels wanted to sing
praises to Adam, and this was due to his complete reflection and unification with Hashem.
To the angels, Adam was just an extension of
Hashem Yisborach.
From Rabbi Baron: “Sin shattered that in
November
13, 2015 | 1 Kislev 5776
credibly close relationship with Hashem and
brought pirud, division, where there had once been
unity. The dichotomy between tov and ra was
introduced to the world and Adam and Chava
instantly experienced a sense of embarrassment.
As a result, the only way to avoid nahama dechisufa when receiving from Hashem would be by
man earning what he receives through his choosing properly. As a result, we live in constant fear
of embarrassment. We exist in a bereishis which
became a realm of ‘yorei boshes’ (words formed
from the letters of bereishis as stated by the Zohar brought by the Sefas Emes - BL) in which
anything we receive is nahama dechisufa unless
we’ve earned it. Our entire existence is therefore
predicated on efforts to earn.”
But there is one day of the week when we
do not have this feeling of shame, when we
feel unified with Hashem once again without
any sense of nahama dechisufa. This day, of
course, is Shabbos. This is why the Zohar says
that the words “yorei Shabbos” are also formed
by the word bereishis, says the Sefas Emes.
Shabbos is the antidote to the boshes. Chazal
call Shabbos a matanah tovah, a great gift. It
is specifically a great gift because it is a gift
we can receive without feeling shame, with an
ability to look at our Giver in the “Face” without embarrassment.
While the days of the week are characterized by pirud that Adam brought upon himself
and the world, Shabbos is different. Shabbos is
a time of unity, the raza de’echad, the secret
of one. On Shabbos, one’s inner and spiritual
yetzirah shines forth. This is the yetzirah of
Olam Haba, and Shabbos itself is therefore
called mei’ein, a semblance, of Olam Haba. It
is a state in which we can once again experience a closeness to and identity with Hashem
of the type Adam and Chava enjoyed (based
on Rabbi Baron).
This gives us a new understanding of the
following Chazal. The Medrash in Bereishis
Rabbah (2:3 and 11:2) says that the appearance of a person’s countenance on Shabbos
is very different from what it is during the
week - “ein domeh ma’or ponov shel adam bechol
lemaor ponov b’Shabbos.” The newness present
in a person’s face affects halachah. We rule that
in order to say sheva brachos on Shabbos, you
do not need a ponim chadashos - someone who
was not present at the wedding - because everyone is considered new on Shabbos.
Some tangible examples of this are described by Rav Shlomo Wolbe zt”l (Alei Shur,
vol. 2, page 382). He writes that throughout
the week, the Alter of Kelm’s face was white as
a sheet. He was known to be somewhat palelooking, since he often felt physically weak,
but on Shabbos, his face returned to health and
vibrancy. There was such a drastic difference
that his talmidim would say that they felt as if
they had a greater and holier rebbi with them
every Shabbos. He actually said about himself
that he felt a special sanctity when Shabbos
arrived. Similarly, Rav Yeruchom Levovitz’s
appearance changed on Shabbos to the degree
that a talmid who saw him for the first time
earlier in the week and then again on Shabbos thought that a new mashgiach had come
to the yeshiva.
According to the Sefas Emes, the new face
we have on Shabbos is a face with the ability to
look Hashem “in the eyes” and accept His gift
of Shabbos with no shame. Throughout the
week, we live with yorei boshes, but when we
embrace Shabbos and become yorei Shabbos,
the shame is replaced with a total recognition
of Hashem’s mastery over the world and our
desire for achdus with Him.
Similarly, we find that after the sin of the
Eigel, the Torah tells us that the crowns we
were given when we received the Torah were
removed. However, the Ohr Gedalyahu (Shemos, page 151) quotes Pirkei D’Rebbi Eliezer,
which states that on every Shabbos, Moshe
Rabbeinu, who had removed these crowns,
returned them to Klal Yisroel. This is because
high spiritual states are restored on Shabbos. Shabbos is a day that really exists in the
next world, but we are given a taste of it in
this world, mei’ein Olam Haba. On Shabbos,
we return to the level we were on before the
sin of the Eigel and before the sin of the Eitz
Hadaas.
We must never be ashamed to stand up for
our souls and experience a meaningful Shabbos.
Contact the author at [email protected].
Page 81

Abridged - Capalon.com

Transcription

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