Last night I posted about the tragic accident of a resident of Bnei Brak,, who was a member of Hatzalah, as well as a man dedicated to helping people suffering financially. The article I linked to contained a Torah thought from the Beit israel which the deceased had posted to whatsapp just a short while before he was niftar.
שעות ספורות לפני פטירתו הטראגית העלה המנוח סטטוס במכשיר הטלפון שלו, עם אמרתו של כ"ק ה'בית ישראל' מגור זי"ע: "יכול מבעוד יום"; אולי שמחת הפסח ועבודת השם מסתדרות לנו רק כשיום, מתי שהכל מואר וברור ויש בנו היכולת להרגיש, להתקדש ולהודות לה'?".
"תלמוד לומר, שהחיוב לשמוח ולהודות הוא גם בשעה שיש מצה (מריבה) ומרור (קושי השעבוד) לפניך", סיים איש החסד את המסר הכה אקטואלי כעת, לאחר האסון הכבד.
https://www.kikar.co.il/388629.html
It is so eerie to see his words, as if he had bequeathed a will to his relatives about how to cope with what happened. Loosely translated -
Maybe the joy of Passover and the worship of G-d only works for us when it is day, when everything is bright and clear and we have the ability to feel, sanctify and thank God? ".
"However, we learn that it is stated, that the charge to rejoice and thank is also when there is matzah (quarrel) and bitterness (difficulty of bondage) before you."
"לגוזר ים סוף לגזרים": הנס שלך בעמוקה בחצות ליל שביעי של פסח
"נגמרו לי הדמעות והבכי"; הבן נפרד מעל הקבר הטרי
Jews remain most targeted religious group for hate crimes in Canada
31 Mar 2021
30 Mar 2021
28 Mar 2021
A Student's Request
Appeals court rules professor can’t be punished for refusing to use transgender student’s preferred pronouns
During oral arguments, Judge Amul Thapar asked the university if it would force a Jewish professor to honor a student’s request to be addressed as “My Fuhrer,” a reference to Adolf Hitler.
https://www.lawenforcementtoday.com/appeals-court-rules-professor-cant-be-punished-for-refusing-to-use-transgender-students-preferred-pronouns/
Dick Morris: Biden 'Bribed' Sen. Manchin, Giving Wife $166K Job
Biden Staffer Blocks Cruz From Taking Video at Migrant Facility
During oral arguments, Judge Amul Thapar asked the university if it would force a Jewish professor to honor a student’s request to be addressed as “My Fuhrer,” a reference to Adolf Hitler.
https://www.lawenforcementtoday.com/appeals-court-rules-professor-cant-be-punished-for-refusing-to-use-transgender-students-preferred-pronouns/
Dick Morris: Biden 'Bribed' Sen. Manchin, Giving Wife $166K Job
Biden Staffer Blocks Cruz From Taking Video at Migrant Facility
25 Mar 2021
120 Years Ago
UK professor may have committed hate crime when he called Jewish students ‘pawns’ of Israel, police say
Snopes has fact checked part of Pressident Biden;s speech in a post titled Did Biden Say ‘I Came Into the US Senate 120 Years Ago’?
It’s true that Biden said these words. However, it was unclear if he misspoke or was simply making a joke.
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/biden-120-years/
So, they are unsure if he misspoke or made a joke. But the mainstream media outlets have no qualms pushing forth the second narrative with headlines such as Biden jokes about '120 years' of Senate experience before losing thought on filibuster and Biden raises eyebrows with quip he came to Senate 120 years ago - Biden, oldest president in history, jokes about his age
Snopes has fact checked part of Pressident Biden;s speech in a post titled Did Biden Say ‘I Came Into the US Senate 120 Years Ago’?
It’s true that Biden said these words. However, it was unclear if he misspoke or was simply making a joke.
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/biden-120-years/
So, they are unsure if he misspoke or made a joke. But the mainstream media outlets have no qualms pushing forth the second narrative with headlines such as Biden jokes about '120 years' of Senate experience before losing thought on filibuster and Biden raises eyebrows with quip he came to Senate 120 years ago - Biden, oldest president in history, jokes about his age
Elijah, the Prophet
WATCH: 21.5 Yrs Of Waiting: Baby Born After Parents Fulfill Directive Of HaRav Chaim Kanievsky
פינת ההלכה עם הרב אופיר מלכא: כיצד אוכלים סעודות בשבת שחל בערב פסח
On ‘People of Color’ and ‘Systemic Racism’
Polish Catholic University Professor Who Endorsed Violently Antisemitic ‘Blood Libel’ Exonerated by Disciplinary Committee
StatCan study shows negative effects of social media usage
פינת ההלכה עם הרב אופיר מלכא: כיצד אוכלים סעודות בשבת שחל בערב פסח
On ‘People of Color’ and ‘Systemic Racism’
Polish Catholic University Professor Who Endorsed Violently Antisemitic ‘Blood Libel’ Exonerated by Disciplinary Committee
StatCan study shows negative effects of social media usage
24 Mar 2021
23 Mar 2021
Chag Hamatzos
The Torah calls Pesach "Chag Hamatzos." But we call it "Pesach." Why is this so? Rav Chaim Volozhiner explains as follows:
The word Matzos and the word Mitzvos are spelled exactly the same in Hebrew. Thus "Chag HaMatzos" can be read "Chag HaMitzvos," meaning that by leaving Egypt and receiving the Torah, the Jewish People now have the opportunity to earn great reward by doing the Mitzvos.
Pesach, on the other hand, means Passover: Hashem "passed over" the houses of the Bnei Yisrael. By calling it Pesach, we emphasize the good that Hashem has done for us.
Our Sages teach us not to serve Hashem with an eye to the reward; rather we should serve Him out of a sense of love and gratitude. By calling it Pesach we de-emphasize the reward that each Mitzva brings, and instead focus on the good that Hashem has done for us.
Rabbi Reuven Lauffer
https://ohr.edu/holidays/pesach/haggadah_and_seder/806
The word Matzos and the word Mitzvos are spelled exactly the same in Hebrew. Thus "Chag HaMatzos" can be read "Chag HaMitzvos," meaning that by leaving Egypt and receiving the Torah, the Jewish People now have the opportunity to earn great reward by doing the Mitzvos.
Pesach, on the other hand, means Passover: Hashem "passed over" the houses of the Bnei Yisrael. By calling it Pesach, we emphasize the good that Hashem has done for us.
Our Sages teach us not to serve Hashem with an eye to the reward; rather we should serve Him out of a sense of love and gratitude. By calling it Pesach we de-emphasize the reward that each Mitzva brings, and instead focus on the good that Hashem has done for us.
Rabbi Reuven Lauffer
https://ohr.edu/holidays/pesach/haggadah_and_seder/806
22 Mar 2021
21 Mar 2021
20 Mar 2021
19 Mar 2021
Word Power
Their homeroom teacher called me on Monday, a few minutes before the scheduled Zoom class with my eight graders was about to commence.
“This is Einav. I was wondering if it would be okay for the girls to skip your English class today because they are working on the song for the school competition tomorrow. I told them I would ask you if you grant them permission,” she began.
“So, the girls know that you are calling me and I will be the bad guy if I don’t let them continue with their preparations. How can I say no? But, on the other hand, they have missed myriad classes over the past month and I can’t afford to lose them another day. So, I will make a deal. If the girls agree to do the homework I assign them, then I will allow them to skip the class,” I responded.
“I will inform them of your condition and get back to you,” Einav said.
True to her word, she sent me a message that the girls had agreed to my terms and the assignment would be done by the deadline of the night prior to the next class, two days hence.
Wednesday evening arrived, but, to my consternation, less than half the class had deigned to upload any semblance of work to the school’s online system. “What punishment are they deserving of?” I asked myself as I tried to come up with an appropriate penalty to fit the heinous crime. Images of the students roasting over a spitfire seemed too gruesome to contemplate, so there had to be another option.
The day before, my friend had posted a video of Rabbi Y. Jacknis describing an event that was indelibly etched on his mind. His father had bought tickets to attend the 9th Siyum Hashas with his son, who was 10 years old at the time. The rabbi’s father had a friend, Danny, whom he had promised to pick up and drive to the siyum in Manhattan.
The morning of the siyum arrived and they could not find their tickets, despite an extensive search of the house and its environs. They placed phone calls to see if there was a way for them to gain access to the event, despite their lack of tickets, but it was for naught. There was no way they were getting in.
As the time drew near for them to drive to Manhattan, Rabbi Jacknis’s father told him to prepare to depart. The young boy questioned his father about the purpose of driving there, since they would be denied entrance. His father explained that he had given his friend his word that he was going to drive him to the event. The young boy internalized the message that “your word is golden. You should keep it.”
Under the influence of the video’s potent message, I scoured the internet for materials to explain to my class the power of words and the gravity of not keeping promises. I found a video of a billionaire who had come upon a poor man who had no coat. The wealthy man promised to return with a coat, only to forget and find the destitute man dead the following morning as a consequence of the freezing temperatures and dashed hopes. I read stories about Honest Abe, the devastating repercussions of not keeping your word and the importance of speaking the truth. Ultimately, I decided that they would have to look for a video or story that demonstrates why their actions were wrong, along with a written submission of what they had learned from it.
Thursday dawned bright and early and I had an hour before class to recite my daily morning prayers. As I started to move my lips, I realized that the words forming and emitting from my mouth had infinite power, and I prayed not by rote, as usual, but with much greater fervor and intent. I remembered my mother cofiding in me that she didn’t understand how some people finished the Birchat Hamazon in three minutes. “I think of every word when I pray and it takes me a long time to focus and contemplate on my supplications to G-d.”
That morning, every word I uttered in prayer took on new significance and was said in complete concentration. A short while later, my students received a special lesson in, not only English, but in learning about the consequences of keeping promises. They watched the video about the poor man and the billionaire, exclaimed vociferously about the tragic ending, and I believe the lesson reached its intended target. But not only did it hit home for them, but for me as well. From now on, I will take more care when I utter words while praying to Hashem or in my interactions with others.
I promise?
Oof! All this writing has made me thirsty. Luckily there is a glass of water in the vicinity. As I reach for it, I begin to recite the benediction, “BARUCH ATTA HASHEM bezhebezhebezshbizhebeszeh bidvaro."
Are you surprised by the ending? After rereading what I had written up to the penultimate line, I felt that I came across as a sanctimonious holier than thou character, and I wished to show that I am just as fallible as my students. Furthermore, upon reflection, I came to the conclusion that I had failed to take into account the underlying reasons for the paucity of submissions from the majority of the class.
The fact is that these teenagers are subject to a plethora of tasks vying for their attention. Their parents are using them as babysitters, house cleaners, and shoppers in a period where we are all subject to the vicissitudes of the pandemic. Moreover, the teachers have been assigning homework without regard to the extra responsibilities these children are faced with. So, yes, I may have rushed to judgment, and imposed supplemental homework unfairly, but I do feel they learned something valuable today. And, so did I.
“This is Einav. I was wondering if it would be okay for the girls to skip your English class today because they are working on the song for the school competition tomorrow. I told them I would ask you if you grant them permission,” she began.
“So, the girls know that you are calling me and I will be the bad guy if I don’t let them continue with their preparations. How can I say no? But, on the other hand, they have missed myriad classes over the past month and I can’t afford to lose them another day. So, I will make a deal. If the girls agree to do the homework I assign them, then I will allow them to skip the class,” I responded.
“I will inform them of your condition and get back to you,” Einav said.
True to her word, she sent me a message that the girls had agreed to my terms and the assignment would be done by the deadline of the night prior to the next class, two days hence.
Wednesday evening arrived, but, to my consternation, less than half the class had deigned to upload any semblance of work to the school’s online system. “What punishment are they deserving of?” I asked myself as I tried to come up with an appropriate penalty to fit the heinous crime. Images of the students roasting over a spitfire seemed too gruesome to contemplate, so there had to be another option.
The day before, my friend had posted a video of Rabbi Y. Jacknis describing an event that was indelibly etched on his mind. His father had bought tickets to attend the 9th Siyum Hashas with his son, who was 10 years old at the time. The rabbi’s father had a friend, Danny, whom he had promised to pick up and drive to the siyum in Manhattan.
The morning of the siyum arrived and they could not find their tickets, despite an extensive search of the house and its environs. They placed phone calls to see if there was a way for them to gain access to the event, despite their lack of tickets, but it was for naught. There was no way they were getting in.
As the time drew near for them to drive to Manhattan, Rabbi Jacknis’s father told him to prepare to depart. The young boy questioned his father about the purpose of driving there, since they would be denied entrance. His father explained that he had given his friend his word that he was going to drive him to the event. The young boy internalized the message that “your word is golden. You should keep it.”
Under the influence of the video’s potent message, I scoured the internet for materials to explain to my class the power of words and the gravity of not keeping promises. I found a video of a billionaire who had come upon a poor man who had no coat. The wealthy man promised to return with a coat, only to forget and find the destitute man dead the following morning as a consequence of the freezing temperatures and dashed hopes. I read stories about Honest Abe, the devastating repercussions of not keeping your word and the importance of speaking the truth. Ultimately, I decided that they would have to look for a video or story that demonstrates why their actions were wrong, along with a written submission of what they had learned from it.
Thursday dawned bright and early and I had an hour before class to recite my daily morning prayers. As I started to move my lips, I realized that the words forming and emitting from my mouth had infinite power, and I prayed not by rote, as usual, but with much greater fervor and intent. I remembered my mother cofiding in me that she didn’t understand how some people finished the Birchat Hamazon in three minutes. “I think of every word when I pray and it takes me a long time to focus and contemplate on my supplications to G-d.”
That morning, every word I uttered in prayer took on new significance and was said in complete concentration. A short while later, my students received a special lesson in, not only English, but in learning about the consequences of keeping promises. They watched the video about the poor man and the billionaire, exclaimed vociferously about the tragic ending, and I believe the lesson reached its intended target. But not only did it hit home for them, but for me as well. From now on, I will take more care when I utter words while praying to Hashem or in my interactions with others.
I promise?
Oof! All this writing has made me thirsty. Luckily there is a glass of water in the vicinity. As I reach for it, I begin to recite the benediction, “BARUCH ATTA HASHEM bezhebezhebezshbizhebeszeh bidvaro."
Are you surprised by the ending? After rereading what I had written up to the penultimate line, I felt that I came across as a sanctimonious holier than thou character, and I wished to show that I am just as fallible as my students. Furthermore, upon reflection, I came to the conclusion that I had failed to take into account the underlying reasons for the paucity of submissions from the majority of the class.
The fact is that these teenagers are subject to a plethora of tasks vying for their attention. Their parents are using them as babysitters, house cleaners, and shoppers in a period where we are all subject to the vicissitudes of the pandemic. Moreover, the teachers have been assigning homework without regard to the extra responsibilities these children are faced with. So, yes, I may have rushed to judgment, and imposed supplemental homework unfairly, but I do feel they learned something valuable today. And, so did I.
18 Mar 2021
17 Mar 2021
One Answer
WHAT LOVE CAN DO
Ben Shapiro On The Washington Post’s Fake Trump Quotes
3 Questions and 1 Answer
Copyright COLlive.com 2008-2020
Ben Shapiro On The Washington Post’s Fake Trump Quotes
3 Questions and 1 Answer
Copyright COLlive.com 2008-2020
16 Mar 2021
15 Mar 2021
Ilan
Noticing the beginning blossoms on my neighbor's orange tree this morning, I was thankful that I could recite the blessing of the trees today. And as I recited the words, I was struck how wondrous it is to be part of a people who thank the Creator for the smallest things most take for granted.
Blessed are You, L‑rd our G‑d, King of the universe, Who has made nothing lacking in His world, and created in it goodly creatures and goodly trees to give mankind pleasure.
The Cheesequake Exit and Rav Eliezer Geldzahler zt”l
Blessed are You, L‑rd our G‑d, King of the universe, Who has made nothing lacking in His world, and created in it goodly creatures and goodly trees to give mankind pleasure.
The Cheesequake Exit and Rav Eliezer Geldzahler zt”l
14 Mar 2021
12 Mar 2021
11 Mar 2021
10 Mar 2021
A Heartfelt Blessing
An incredible story about a heartfelt blessing in the first video below and an amazing story about honoring your parents in the first link below.
Woman gets job washing dishes and scrubbing floors at nursing home to see dad during pandemic
As I was reading the article above, I was reminded of the Dama Ben Nisina anecdote about the great lengths to which he went to respect his father. I definitely have something to learn form him, as well as the woman who went to great lengths to honor her father by becoming employed at her father's place of residence.
Comedian blasted for video harassing Jewish shoppers at kosher market
Bnos Bais Yaakov Dinner - "A Father's Tefillah for their Daughter" Joey Newcomb
Woman gets job washing dishes and scrubbing floors at nursing home to see dad during pandemic
As I was reading the article above, I was reminded of the Dama Ben Nisina anecdote about the great lengths to which he went to respect his father. I definitely have something to learn form him, as well as the woman who went to great lengths to honor her father by becoming employed at her father's place of residence.
Comedian blasted for video harassing Jewish shoppers at kosher market
Bnos Bais Yaakov Dinner - "A Father's Tefillah for their Daughter" Joey Newcomb
9 Mar 2021
8 Mar 2021
6 Mar 2021
Stop the Press
A friend sent me this photo with the caption, "The clock is ticking on the Berenstein Bears."
Amazing Find Which Stopped the Presses
Roof collapses on dilapidated 18th-century former synagogue in Ukraine
Amazing Find Which Stopped the Presses
Roof collapses on dilapidated 18th-century former synagogue in Ukraine
4 Mar 2021
3 Mar 2021
2 Mar 2021
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