by D. Fine
The scene is set as the two heads of completely opposed nations (Yaakov and Esav) meet each other for the first time since Yaakov got his bracha from Yitzchak. Before this meeting, Yaakov davens to HaShem to 'please save me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esav (32;12).' Why repeat things (why repeat things!) by saying 'the hand of my brother' AND 'the hand of Esav?'
An answer is that these two concepts ('my brother' and 'esav') represent the 2 tactics employed against us as individual Jews and as the Jewish people as a whole. One is the enemy who overtly and obviously comes against us by force to annihilate us (that is called 'esav' -the obvious enemy) anti-semitism. The other is much more dangerous, and that is 'achi' - my brother.
Continue reading: http://www.shortvort.com/component/content/article/114-rotator/11586-enemy-tactics
Anti-Israel demonstrators gathered on Friday in the heart of Vienna, protesting Israel’s Operation Pillar of Defense and chanting slogans calling for the murder of Jews and bashing the Jewish state.
Read more: http://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=293435
26 Nov 2012
Two children
CNN has a moving video and article about two children from both sides of the MidEast conflict who are being treated in the same Israeli hospital.
Four-year-old Yosef lies in a hospital bed with curiosity gleaming in his eyes as he listens to a family friend tell him the age-old story of Jonah and the whale.
Four-year-old Yosef lies in a hospital bed with curiosity gleaming in his eyes as he listens to a family friend tell him the age-old story of Jonah and the whale.
The young boy is surprisingly
bright-eyed after the traumatic ordeal he's endured as a result of the latest
outbreak of warfare between Gaza and Israel.
25 Nov 2012
Eight days
Jews the world over will celebrate the holiday of Chanukah this month to commemorate the eight days that the flask of oil burned.
YnetNews reports about a different type of celebration of the eight days of the Gazan Israeli confrontation which led to a ceasefire last week.
Less than a week after the declaration of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, Operation Pillar of Defense has already left its mark on the people of Gaza, in a rather unexpected way.
Some parents from the Strip have decided to name their newborn babies after operation-affiliated icons – from assassinated Hamas commanders to long-range missiles fired at Israel.
Muhammad al-Shafi'i Abu Nassat named his son, who was born Friday, after the Fajr missile. Naming his baby Fajr, Abu Nassat told Gaza media, was his way of expressing his gratitude to Iran, which was responsible for supplying Gaza with rockets that, according to Abu Nassat "struck the enemy for eight days."
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4311608,00.html
British Foreign Secretary William Hague on Sunday urged the United States to take a more active role in seeking a lasting settlement between Israelis and Palestinians, warning of a "final chance" for a two-state solution.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/11/25/uk-palestinians-israel-britain-usa-idUKBRE8AO06420121125?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews
YnetNews reports about a different type of celebration of the eight days of the Gazan Israeli confrontation which led to a ceasefire last week.
Less than a week after the declaration of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, Operation Pillar of Defense has already left its mark on the people of Gaza, in a rather unexpected way.
Some parents from the Strip have decided to name their newborn babies after operation-affiliated icons – from assassinated Hamas commanders to long-range missiles fired at Israel.
Muhammad al-Shafi'i Abu Nassat named his son, who was born Friday, after the Fajr missile. Naming his baby Fajr, Abu Nassat told Gaza media, was his way of expressing his gratitude to Iran, which was responsible for supplying Gaza with rockets that, according to Abu Nassat "struck the enemy for eight days."
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4311608,00.html
British Foreign Secretary William Hague on Sunday urged the United States to take a more active role in seeking a lasting settlement between Israelis and Palestinians, warning of a "final chance" for a two-state solution.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/11/25/uk-palestinians-israel-britain-usa-idUKBRE8AO06420121125?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews
Masculine and feminine
Hurricane Sandy’s $50 billion damage demonstrated the vulnerability of America’s largest cities to the effects of global warming. Christiana Figueres, the top United Nations diplomat for international climate negotiations, said Sandy serves as “yet another wake-up call” for the U.S. to cut carbon pollution.
http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2012/11/24/1232221/un-climate-chief-calls-out-us-for-climate-inaction-hurricane-sandy-is-yet-another-wake-up-call/?mobile=nc
The other week I was listening to Rabbi Wallerstein speak about Hurricane Sandy and he mentioned that he was looking for some verse in the Torah which ties in the elements of nature in the storm such as trees, wind, etc. Someone in his shul came up with the verse from Chapters of the Fathers 3:17, "One whose wisdom is greater than his deeds, what is he comparable to? To a tree with many branches and few roots; comes a storm and uproots it, and turns it on its face..."
While he was discussing the elements of nature, my thoughts immediately turned to the Rashi in this week's parsha 32:9.
And he said, "If Esau comes to one camp and strikes it down, the remaining camp will escape."
ט. וַיֹּאמֶר אִם יָבוֹא עֵשָׂו אֶל הַמַּחֲנֶה הָאַחַת וְהִכָּהוּ וְהָיָה הַמַּחֲנֶה הַנִּשְׁאָר לִפְלֵיטָה:
one camp and strikes it down: Heb. וְהִכָּהוּ הַמַחִנֶה הָאַחַת. [The word] מַחִנֶה is used both in the masculine and feminine genders. [Other examples are:] (Ps. 27:3):“If a camp encamps (תַּחִנֶה) against me.” This is feminine. (Below, 33: 8)“this (הַזֶה) camp.” That is masculine. Likewise, there are other things (nouns) that are used both in the masculine and feminine genders, e.g. (above 19:23):“The sun (הַשֶׁמֶשׁ) came out (יָצָא) upon the earth” ; (Ps. 19:7):“From the end of the heavens is its source (מוֹצָאוֹ) .” These are masculine. (II Kings 3:22):“the sun shone (זָרְחָה) on the water.” This is feminine. And likewise, רוּחַ, wind (Job 1:19):“when, behold, a great (גְדוֹלָה) wind came (בָּאָה) .” This is feminine;“and struck (וַיִגַע) the four corners of the house.” This is masculine. [Another instance is] (I Kings 19:11):“and a great (גְדוֹלָה) and strong (וְחָזָק) wind, splitting (מְפָרֵק) mountains.” This is both masculine and feminine. Likewise, אֵשׁ, fire, as (Num. 16:35):“And fire went forth (יָצְאָה) from before the Lord,” feminine gender; (Ps. 104:4):"burning (לֹהֵט) fire, masculine gender.
המחנה האחת והכהו: מחנה משמש לשון זכר ולשון נקבה. (תהלים כז ג) אם תחנה עלי מחנה, הרי לשון נקבה, (לג ח) המחנה הזה, לשון זכר. וכן יש שאר דברים משמשים לשון זכר ולשון נקבה, (לעיל יט כג) השמש יצא על הארץ, (תהלים יט ז) מקצה השמים מוצאו, הרי לשון זכר. (מ"ב ג כב) השמש זרחה על המים, הרי לשון נקבה. וכן רוח (איוב א יט) והנה רוח גדולה באה, הרי לשון נקבה, (שם) ויגע בארבע פנות הבית, הרי לשון זכר, (מ"א יט יא) ורוח גדולה וחזק מפרק הרים, הרי לשון זכר ולשון נקבה. וכן אש (במדבר טז לה) ואש יצאה מאת ה', לשון נקבה. (תהלים קד ד) אש לוהט, לשון זכר: http://www.chabad.org/parshah/torahreading.asp?aid=15554&p=1&showrashi=true
I am, by no means, supplying a reason for Hurricane Sandy but I find it interesting that it happened in an age when we try to obscure differences between males and females. This past month "Six women were arrested at the Western Wall on Thursday for wearing prayer shawls during services in a manner that has been disallowed by the site’s management and police." This past month a man wrote an article about how he broke gender norms and baked challah at a class where the instructor defined the act as a traditional woman's mitzvah. This past month people may have voted for allowing a man to say to another man "Harei attah mekudash li."
Hurricane Sandy destroyed our machaneh - our secure encampment through wind and fire, through words that don't have a secure gender identity.
http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2012/11/24/1232221/un-climate-chief-calls-out-us-for-climate-inaction-hurricane-sandy-is-yet-another-wake-up-call/?mobile=nc
The other week I was listening to Rabbi Wallerstein speak about Hurricane Sandy and he mentioned that he was looking for some verse in the Torah which ties in the elements of nature in the storm such as trees, wind, etc. Someone in his shul came up with the verse from Chapters of the Fathers 3:17, "One whose wisdom is greater than his deeds, what is he comparable to? To a tree with many branches and few roots; comes a storm and uproots it, and turns it on its face..."
While he was discussing the elements of nature, my thoughts immediately turned to the Rashi in this week's parsha 32:9.
And he said, "If Esau comes to one camp and strikes it down, the remaining camp will escape."
ט. וַיֹּאמֶר אִם יָבוֹא עֵשָׂו אֶל הַמַּחֲנֶה הָאַחַת וְהִכָּהוּ וְהָיָה הַמַּחֲנֶה הַנִּשְׁאָר לִפְלֵיטָה:
one camp and strikes it down: Heb. וְהִכָּהוּ הַמַחִנֶה הָאַחַת. [The word] מַחִנֶה is used both in the masculine and feminine genders. [Other examples are:] (Ps. 27:3):“If a camp encamps (תַּחִנֶה) against me.” This is feminine. (Below, 33: 8)“this (הַזֶה) camp.” That is masculine. Likewise, there are other things (nouns) that are used both in the masculine and feminine genders, e.g. (above 19:23):“The sun (הַשֶׁמֶשׁ) came out (יָצָא) upon the earth” ; (Ps. 19:7):“From the end of the heavens is its source (מוֹצָאוֹ) .” These are masculine. (II Kings 3:22):“the sun shone (זָרְחָה) on the water.” This is feminine. And likewise, רוּחַ, wind (Job 1:19):“when, behold, a great (גְדוֹלָה) wind came (בָּאָה) .” This is feminine;“and struck (וַיִגַע) the four corners of the house.” This is masculine. [Another instance is] (I Kings 19:11):“and a great (גְדוֹלָה) and strong (וְחָזָק) wind, splitting (מְפָרֵק) mountains.” This is both masculine and feminine. Likewise, אֵשׁ, fire, as (Num. 16:35):“And fire went forth (יָצְאָה) from before the Lord,” feminine gender; (Ps. 104:4):"burning (לֹהֵט) fire, masculine gender.
המחנה האחת והכהו: מחנה משמש לשון זכר ולשון נקבה. (תהלים כז ג) אם תחנה עלי מחנה, הרי לשון נקבה, (לג ח) המחנה הזה, לשון זכר. וכן יש שאר דברים משמשים לשון זכר ולשון נקבה, (לעיל יט כג) השמש יצא על הארץ, (תהלים יט ז) מקצה השמים מוצאו, הרי לשון זכר. (מ"ב ג כב) השמש זרחה על המים, הרי לשון נקבה. וכן רוח (איוב א יט) והנה רוח גדולה באה, הרי לשון נקבה, (שם) ויגע בארבע פנות הבית, הרי לשון זכר, (מ"א יט יא) ורוח גדולה וחזק מפרק הרים, הרי לשון זכר ולשון נקבה. וכן אש (במדבר טז לה) ואש יצאה מאת ה', לשון נקבה. (תהלים קד ד) אש לוהט, לשון זכר: http://www.chabad.org/parshah/torahreading.asp?aid=15554&p=1&showrashi=true
I am, by no means, supplying a reason for Hurricane Sandy but I find it interesting that it happened in an age when we try to obscure differences between males and females. This past month "Six women were arrested at the Western Wall on Thursday for wearing prayer shawls during services in a manner that has been disallowed by the site’s management and police." This past month a man wrote an article about how he broke gender norms and baked challah at a class where the instructor defined the act as a traditional woman's mitzvah. This past month people may have voted for allowing a man to say to another man "Harei attah mekudash li."
Hurricane Sandy destroyed our machaneh - our secure encampment through wind and fire, through words that don't have a secure gender identity.
19 Nov 2012
Shmirah and Mitzvot
Crown Heights Info has an article titled Students Perform Mitzvos for The Holy Land.
Rav Kanievsky addressed the residents of Bnei Brak about the words of yesteryear from the Chazon Ish that the city will not be struck by bombs. Rav Kanievsky wrote in a letter that it is not a kiddush Hashem if the words of a tzaddik are only fulfilled during his lifetime and not upon the tzaddik's petirah. Thus, Rav Kanievsky reassured the residents that the words still apply to this day.
http://www.kikarhashabat.co.il/רבי-חיים-בבב-אין-לפחד-כלל.html
Shirat Devorah posts about The Shmira Project - For Soldiers and Residents in Danger.
Chadrei Charedim reports about an initiative to pray for every soldier. Click here for information in Hebrew.
BBCWatch discusses BBC’s Jon Donnison Tweets malicious fauxtography.
For the Twitter uninitiated, Donnison is retweeting to his 7,971 followers a Tweet by one Hazem Balousha – a Palestinian ‘journalist and social activist’ – including a picture titled “Pain in Gaza”, to which Donnison adds his own commentary – “Heartbreaking”.
Except – as has already been pointed out to Donnison – it does not come from Gaza.
Read more: https://twitter.com/JonDonnison
Jon Donnison has tweeted the following clarification.
A photo I retweeted from another journo yesterday showing children injured was NOT in Gaza as I said but apparently from Syria. Apologies.
Did he find this photo heartbreaking enough to retweet when the child was identified as one from Syria?
Rav Kanievsky addressed the residents of Bnei Brak about the words of yesteryear from the Chazon Ish that the city will not be struck by bombs. Rav Kanievsky wrote in a letter that it is not a kiddush Hashem if the words of a tzaddik are only fulfilled during his lifetime and not upon the tzaddik's petirah. Thus, Rav Kanievsky reassured the residents that the words still apply to this day.
http://www.kikarhashabat.co.il/רבי-חיים-בבב-אין-לפחד-כלל.html
Shirat Devorah posts about The Shmira Project - For Soldiers and Residents in Danger.
Chadrei Charedim reports about an initiative to pray for every soldier. Click here for information in Hebrew.
BBCWatch discusses BBC’s Jon Donnison Tweets malicious fauxtography.
For the Twitter uninitiated, Donnison is retweeting to his 7,971 followers a Tweet by one Hazem Balousha – a Palestinian ‘journalist and social activist’ – including a picture titled “Pain in Gaza”, to which Donnison adds his own commentary – “Heartbreaking”.
Except – as has already been pointed out to Donnison – it does not come from Gaza.
Read more: https://twitter.com/JonDonnison
Jon Donnison has tweeted the following clarification.
A photo I retweeted from another journo yesterday showing children injured was NOT in Gaza as I said but apparently from Syria. Apologies.
Did he find this photo heartbreaking enough to retweet when the child was identified as one from Syria?
18 Nov 2012
Two approaches
The Klausenberger Rebbe zt"l says Yaakov's ladder symbolizes the two
approaches to self improvement. One way is to decide what you want to improve
and map out a plan where you improve step by step until you reach your decided
goal. This slow but steady journey has a good chance of success. If you work
hard you will ultimately get there. That is what the pasuk says "V'Hinei Sulam
Mutzav Artza V'Roishoi Magiah Hashamayma"; if the ladder is planted firmly on
the ground, by climbing it one rung at a time you get you all the way as far as
the heavens.
The second way is to go straight to the top and immediately begin to act according to your loftiest ideals, like the perfect tzaddik. This method usually ends rather quickly in miserable failure. To this the pasuk says "V'Hinei Malachei Elokim"; if you want to be like a malach right away, then "Olim V'Yordim Boi" you will rise very quickly but you will go right back down just as quick.
http://www.revach.net/parshas-hashavua/quick-vort/Parshas-Vayeitzei-Yaakovs-Ladder-Climb-It-Slowly-Or-Else-You-Could-Fall/1314
The second way is to go straight to the top and immediately begin to act according to your loftiest ideals, like the perfect tzaddik. This method usually ends rather quickly in miserable failure. To this the pasuk says "V'Hinei Malachei Elokim"; if you want to be like a malach right away, then "Olim V'Yordim Boi" you will rise very quickly but you will go right back down just as quick.
http://www.revach.net/parshas-hashavua/quick-vort/Parshas-Vayeitzei-Yaakovs-Ladder-Climb-It-Slowly-Or-Else-You-Could-Fall/1314
Honest reporting
Honest Reporting discusses the death of a Palestinian four-year-old boy and refers to a Sunday Telegraph report.
But there were signs on Saturday that not all the Palestinian casualties have been the result of Israeli air strikes. The highly publicised death of four-year-old Mohammed Sadallah appeared to have been the result of a misfiring home-made rocket, not a bomb dropped by Israel.
Continue reading: http://honestreporting.com/gaza-child-killed-by-hamas/
At 4:43 AM MaanNews reported about a strike at a building of journalists.
Khader al-Zahhar, a cameraman with al-Quds TV, had a leg amputated due to injuries sustained in the attack.
At 5:54 AM Asmaa Alghoul blogged, "More than three journalists were injured with different levels of injuries. Al Quds channel said that they amputated the leg of journalist Khader Al Zahar, but my friends at the Al-Shifa hospital said that they might be able to save it and it hasn't happened yet ..."
Why would a journalist blog about an amputation that didn't occur an hour after it was reported that the amputation did take place?
But there were signs on Saturday that not all the Palestinian casualties have been the result of Israeli air strikes. The highly publicised death of four-year-old Mohammed Sadallah appeared to have been the result of a misfiring home-made rocket, not a bomb dropped by Israel.
Continue reading: http://honestreporting.com/gaza-child-killed-by-hamas/
At 4:43 AM MaanNews reported about a strike at a building of journalists.
Khader al-Zahhar, a cameraman with al-Quds TV, had a leg amputated due to injuries sustained in the attack.
At 5:54 AM Asmaa Alghoul blogged, "More than three journalists were injured with different levels of injuries. Al Quds channel said that they amputated the leg of journalist Khader Al Zahar, but my friends at the Al-Shifa hospital said that they might be able to save it and it hasn't happened yet ..."
Why would a journalist blog about an amputation that didn't occur an hour after it was reported that the amputation did take place?
Every living thing
Kikar Hashabat reports on Shmuel Scharf, the husband of Mira Scharf who was killed in Kiryat Malachi this week during a rocket attack. He said that it was a miracle that he was alive and he thanked Hashem for keeping him alive.
Chadrei Charedim reports that Harav Kanievsky, who often visits a Rav in a hospital after Shabbos, also paid a shiva call to Shmuel Scharf who was at the same hospital.
Rabbi Nir Ben Artzi said in his weekly parsha shiur that when an individual recites Poteach et yadecha umasbia lechol chai ratzon”, “You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing," we should be thinking of all our brethren and not only of ourselves.
Speaking of that verse, Rabbi Eliezer Kessler shares his thoughts in relation to tefillin.
When Jewish men put on tefillin in the morning, why is the tefillin strap wrapped around the left arm exactly seven times? Almost every observance we perform in Jewish life is full of deep symbolism. Wearing tefillin is no exception. Almost every aspect of tefillin has a metaphoric or kabalistic aspect connected to it. The reason we wrap our tefillin seven times around our arm is because each winding corresponds to the seven words of the following pasuk: “Poteach et yadecha umasbia lechol chai ratzon”, “You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing.” As we wrap our arm, we ask God to open His, so to speak, and provide sustenance for all He has created.
http://www.torchweb.org/topics_detail.php?id=82&cat=philosophy
Chadrei Charedim reports that Harav Kanievsky, who often visits a Rav in a hospital after Shabbos, also paid a shiva call to Shmuel Scharf who was at the same hospital.
Rabbi Nir Ben Artzi said in his weekly parsha shiur that when an individual recites Poteach et yadecha umasbia lechol chai ratzon”, “You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing," we should be thinking of all our brethren and not only of ourselves.
Speaking of that verse, Rabbi Eliezer Kessler shares his thoughts in relation to tefillin.
When Jewish men put on tefillin in the morning, why is the tefillin strap wrapped around the left arm exactly seven times? Almost every observance we perform in Jewish life is full of deep symbolism. Wearing tefillin is no exception. Almost every aspect of tefillin has a metaphoric or kabalistic aspect connected to it. The reason we wrap our tefillin seven times around our arm is because each winding corresponds to the seven words of the following pasuk: “Poteach et yadecha umasbia lechol chai ratzon”, “You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing.” As we wrap our arm, we ask God to open His, so to speak, and provide sustenance for all He has created.
http://www.torchweb.org/topics_detail.php?id=82&cat=philosophy
17 Nov 2012
Taking sides
On November 15, Anderson Cooper hosted a report by CNN correspondent Sara Sidner. During the wind up to her report Cooper played a few video snippets of "victims" being dragged off the streets of the Palestinian held areas.
But one of those "victims" wasn't a victim at all but was instead a man merely acting injured all for the benefit of western cameras.
Read more: http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Journalism/2012/11/16/CNN-Uses-Faked-Palestinian-Casualty-Video-in-Coverage
Free Beacon reports, "Two Muslim advocacy groups closely allied with the Obama administration are aggressively attacking Israel and defending the terror group Hamas as it continues to fire rockets at Israeli civilians."
Continue reading: http://freebeacon.com/obama-allies-accuse-israel-of-slaughter/
What is AP style for the city of Jerusalem? Friday morning, The Associated Press blasted this tweet for a story on Gaza-Israel conflict: “Air raid sirens wail in Jerusalem, signaling a possible rocket attack aimed at Israel's capital: http://apne.ws/U3UaeK -KH.” Just over a half hour later, the AP issued a “correction” tweet: “Air raid sirens in Jerusalem signal a possible rocket attack aimed at Israel's self-declared capital: http://apne.ws/ZXOoMR -KH (correction).” http://www.politico.com/blogs/media/2012/11/the-aps-jerusalem-correction-149801.html
But one of those "victims" wasn't a victim at all but was instead a man merely acting injured all for the benefit of western cameras.
Read more: http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Journalism/2012/11/16/CNN-Uses-Faked-Palestinian-Casualty-Video-in-Coverage
Free Beacon reports, "Two Muslim advocacy groups closely allied with the Obama administration are aggressively attacking Israel and defending the terror group Hamas as it continues to fire rockets at Israeli civilians."
Continue reading: http://freebeacon.com/obama-allies-accuse-israel-of-slaughter/
What is AP style for the city of Jerusalem? Friday morning, The Associated Press blasted this tweet for a story on Gaza-Israel conflict: “Air raid sirens wail in Jerusalem, signaling a possible rocket attack aimed at Israel's capital: http://apne.ws/U3UaeK -KH.” Just over a half hour later, the AP issued a “correction” tweet: “Air raid sirens in Jerusalem signal a possible rocket attack aimed at Israel's self-declared capital: http://apne.ws/ZXOoMR -KH (correction).” http://www.politico.com/blogs/media/2012/11/the-aps-jerusalem-correction-149801.html
16 Nov 2012
Diametrically opposed
Avrohom's death seemed to have sparked a chain reaction. On that same day
Nimrod died, murdered at the hands of Eisav. Eisav, with that violent action,
commenced his evil career. Coincidence? Of course not. But what is the
connection between these history shaping events? Maybe the connection between
all these events is the purpose of creation and the reason for evil in the
world. At our core we are all good. Hashem would like to reward us so he
challenges us to remain good in the face of evil. Therefore the evil we face
must be diametrically opposed to the goodness we contain.
Avrohom's mission was to teach the world that there is only one Hashem who tends to every minute detail. Countering this, Hashem brought him a nemesis in the form of Nimrod whose whole lifelong goal was to extinguish Hashem's name from the face of the earth. His two famous appearances in the Torah were both wars. One against Hashem himself and the other against Avrohom when the four King's, among them Nimrod waged war on the five kings with Avrohom being the real target. Once Avrohom died, Nimrod had no reason to exist and he was immediately removed from the scene. By who? The next great evil, Eisav. He was an exact twin of Yaakov and the polar opposite.
Yaakov represented the Koach HaTorah and Eisav went out his way to commit the most horrendous aveiros of the Torah. Unlike the evolving nature of good that builds on the previous generation's work, as we first discover Yaakov cooking lentils in mourning for his grandfather Avrohom, the passing of the torch among the bad comes out of acts of violence with Eisav murdering his predecessor Nimrod. Not surprisingly Eisav's head was chopped off as Yaakov was being laid to rest.
http://revach.net/parshas-hashavua/quick-vort/Parshas-Toldos-From-Nimrod-to-Eisav-The-Changing-Faces-Of-Evil/1302
The following is an excerpt from a State Department briefing of November 15th.
MR. TONER: We’re obviously in close consultation with Israel, as you well know. The President spoke with Prime Minister Netanyahu yesterday. Let me finish. Let me be very clear that Israel has a right to self-defense. As of yesterday, I believe the Israeli Government noted that since the beginning of 2012, more than 768 rockets have been fired into Israel from Gaza, and over 12,000 in the past 12 years, and I believe over a hundred today alone. They have a right to self-defense.
QUESTION: Are --
MR. TONER: The onus – let me be very clear – the onus here is on Hamas. And as Jay Carney just said from the White House, it claims to have the best interests of the Palestinian people at heart, but through its actions it’s showing a far different agenda.
QUESTION: Are you counting the number of rockets and air raids that Israel has conducted on Gaza into (inaudible)?
MR. TONER: Again, we need to see Hamas stop its rocket attacks and then we can see a de-escalation of the violence.
QUESTION: Do the Palestinians in Gaza have the same right to self-defense?
MR. TONER: This is violence instigated by Hamas. We have – as we’ve said very clearly in our statement yesterday, that we extend our sympathies to the victims, innocent Israeli and Palestinian civilians that have been affected by this violence. But let’s be very clear where the onus likes.
Read all: http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/dpb/2012/11/200598.htm
Avrohom's mission was to teach the world that there is only one Hashem who tends to every minute detail. Countering this, Hashem brought him a nemesis in the form of Nimrod whose whole lifelong goal was to extinguish Hashem's name from the face of the earth. His two famous appearances in the Torah were both wars. One against Hashem himself and the other against Avrohom when the four King's, among them Nimrod waged war on the five kings with Avrohom being the real target. Once Avrohom died, Nimrod had no reason to exist and he was immediately removed from the scene. By who? The next great evil, Eisav. He was an exact twin of Yaakov and the polar opposite.
Yaakov represented the Koach HaTorah and Eisav went out his way to commit the most horrendous aveiros of the Torah. Unlike the evolving nature of good that builds on the previous generation's work, as we first discover Yaakov cooking lentils in mourning for his grandfather Avrohom, the passing of the torch among the bad comes out of acts of violence with Eisav murdering his predecessor Nimrod. Not surprisingly Eisav's head was chopped off as Yaakov was being laid to rest.
http://revach.net/parshas-hashavua/quick-vort/Parshas-Toldos-From-Nimrod-to-Eisav-The-Changing-Faces-Of-Evil/1302
The following is an excerpt from a State Department briefing of November 15th.
MR. TONER: We’re obviously in close consultation with Israel, as you well know. The President spoke with Prime Minister Netanyahu yesterday. Let me finish. Let me be very clear that Israel has a right to self-defense. As of yesterday, I believe the Israeli Government noted that since the beginning of 2012, more than 768 rockets have been fired into Israel from Gaza, and over 12,000 in the past 12 years, and I believe over a hundred today alone. They have a right to self-defense.
QUESTION: Are --
MR. TONER: The onus – let me be very clear – the onus here is on Hamas. And as Jay Carney just said from the White House, it claims to have the best interests of the Palestinian people at heart, but through its actions it’s showing a far different agenda.
QUESTION: Are you counting the number of rockets and air raids that Israel has conducted on Gaza into (inaudible)?
MR. TONER: Again, we need to see Hamas stop its rocket attacks and then we can see a de-escalation of the violence.
QUESTION: Do the Palestinians in Gaza have the same right to self-defense?
MR. TONER: This is violence instigated by Hamas. We have – as we’ve said very clearly in our statement yesterday, that we extend our sympathies to the victims, innocent Israeli and Palestinian civilians that have been affected by this violence. But let’s be very clear where the onus likes.
Read all: http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/dpb/2012/11/200598.htm
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)