Shema Yisrael – "Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One" – is perhaps the most famous of all Jewish sayings.
The Shema is a declaration of faith, a pledge of allegiance to One God. It is said upon arising in the morning and upon going to sleep at night. It is said when praising God and when beseeching Him. It is the first prayer that a Jewish child is taught to say. It is the last words a Jew says prior to death.
The Talmud says that when Jacob was about to reveal the end of days to his children, he was concerned that one of them might be a non-believer. His sons reassured him immediately and cried out, "Shema Yisrael."
Read full article: http://www.aish.com/jl/m/pb/48954656.html
In the past number of hours, the NYPost, NY DailyNews, the DailyMail, NBC and others have posted the words affirming the oneness of G-d because of a glitch on the tombstone of Ed Koch which is inscribed with the words of the Hebrew prayer.
How’s Ed Koch tombstone doin’.
Horrible!
In a major blunder, the former mayor’s tombstone at Trinity Church in Washington Heights was mistakenly engraved with the wrong birth date.
The date of birth given is Dec. 12, 1942 instead of 1924.
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/wrong_birth_date_on_ed_koch_tombstone_XqfAwpuNus0uIBiJWbkpHP
18 Jun 2013
17 Jun 2013
Heeding the message
An Orthodox Jewish family in Toronto woke up this week to a swastika and the words “watch your children” scrawled on their garage door, the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center said in a news release Friday.
Read more: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/169006#.Ub9wISz8Lcc
Read more: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/169006#.Ub9wISz8Lcc
To see good
Rabbi Yirmiyohu Kaganoff answers questions about loshon hora over here.
Rav Chayim Pinchas Scheinberg zt”l noted that when people repeat the pasuk, mi ha’ish he’chafeitz chayim oheiv yamim lir’os tov, “Who is the man who wants life, loves his days to see only good,” they often pay little attention to the concluding words, liros tov, “to see good,” even though these words are the key to success in this mitzvah. If you view everyone with a good eye, you will be unable to believe derogatory information about them. As Rav Pam once said, “My mother was incapable of saying or accepting loshon hora; not simply because of her yiras shamayim, but because of her appreciation of what Jews are!” May we all reach the level of seeing the good and really appreciating our fellow Jews!
Rav Chayim Pinchas Scheinberg zt”l noted that when people repeat the pasuk, mi ha’ish he’chafeitz chayim oheiv yamim lir’os tov, “Who is the man who wants life, loves his days to see only good,” they often pay little attention to the concluding words, liros tov, “to see good,” even though these words are the key to success in this mitzvah. If you view everyone with a good eye, you will be unable to believe derogatory information about them. As Rav Pam once said, “My mother was incapable of saying or accepting loshon hora; not simply because of her yiras shamayim, but because of her appreciation of what Jews are!” May we all reach the level of seeing the good and really appreciating our fellow Jews!
16 Jun 2013
The Holocaust survivor dad
On Father's Day, a daughter's moving tribute to her dad who survived horrors of the Holocaust with help of German engineer
At 85, my father is full of optimism and humor. You would never guess that at the age of 16, he had been a victim of one of the greatest atrocities of the 20th century.
...On Father’s Day, I am thankful to the brave man who became a temporary father to a teenager in a desperate situation. I am also thankful to have such a strong, resilient father who somehow managed to emerge from that terrible darkness to live his life with generosity and love.
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/lesson-hope-father-article-1.1373288?pgno=1#ixzz2WOzcw8kQ
At 85, my father is full of optimism and humor. You would never guess that at the age of 16, he had been a victim of one of the greatest atrocities of the 20th century.
...On Father’s Day, I am thankful to the brave man who became a temporary father to a teenager in a desperate situation. I am also thankful to have such a strong, resilient father who somehow managed to emerge from that terrible darkness to live his life with generosity and love.
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/lesson-hope-father-article-1.1373288?pgno=1#ixzz2WOzcw8kQ
The hand of G-d
WND has an article about a Vietnam veteran who has written a book titled “The Day God Showed Up.”
On a bloody day in 1968, Army Sgt. Gordon Helsel lay bleeding to death in a Vietcong jungle. But as it would turn out, God had other plans.
After he made it to the medivac helicopter, he remembers talking to God.
“I laid there and I said to God, ‘God, if You will get me out of this, I will do whatever You want me to,’” Helsel said. “
Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2013/06/god-holds-vietnam-vet-to-his-battlefield-promise/#yt1V9WPujYxRgGIy.99
It's a good thing I am not G-d because, instead of concentrating on the man's condition, I would have first explained to him the rules of grammar.
I would have pointed out to Mr. Helsel how the first conditional is formed.
Thus, Mr. Helsel should have said, "if you get me out of this" and not "if you will get me out of this."
I would have then pointed out to the Vietnam veteran the differences between "lie" and "lay."
But lie and lay seem to give people more difficulty than do all the other irregular verbs combined. Here's why: The past tense form of lie is lay, so it's indistinguishable from lay in the present tense except in usage.
The principal parts (most-common verb forms) of lie are:
lie (present,) lay (past) and lain (past participle).
The principal parts of lay are:
lay (present), laid (past) and laid (past participle).
Mr. Helsel should have said, "I lay there" as opposed to "I laid there."
I caught the video below at The Blaze.
Something extremely rare happened to pro golfer Carl Pettersson during the U.S. Open on Friday.
...While on the 5th fairway, an errant tee shot came in hot out of nowhere and smashed right into his golf ball mid-backswing.
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/06/14/the-odds-of-this-happening-during-a-golf-tournament-are-incredibly-small/
What are the odds?
On a bloody day in 1968, Army Sgt. Gordon Helsel lay bleeding to death in a Vietcong jungle. But as it would turn out, God had other plans.
After he made it to the medivac helicopter, he remembers talking to God.
“I laid there and I said to God, ‘God, if You will get me out of this, I will do whatever You want me to,’” Helsel said. “
Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2013/06/god-holds-vietnam-vet-to-his-battlefield-promise/#yt1V9WPujYxRgGIy.99
It's a good thing I am not G-d because, instead of concentrating on the man's condition, I would have first explained to him the rules of grammar.
I would have pointed out to Mr. Helsel how the first conditional is formed.
| IF | condition | result |
| present simple | WILL + base verb |
Thus, Mr. Helsel should have said, "if you get me out of this" and not "if you will get me out of this."
I would have then pointed out to the Vietnam veteran the differences between "lie" and "lay."
But lie and lay seem to give people more difficulty than do all the other irregular verbs combined. Here's why: The past tense form of lie is lay, so it's indistinguishable from lay in the present tense except in usage.
The principal parts (most-common verb forms) of lie are:
lie (present,) lay (past) and lain (past participle).
The principal parts of lay are:
I caught the video below at The Blaze.
Something extremely rare happened to pro golfer Carl Pettersson during the U.S. Open on Friday.
...While on the 5th fairway, an errant tee shot came in hot out of nowhere and smashed right into his golf ball mid-backswing.
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/06/14/the-odds-of-this-happening-during-a-golf-tournament-are-incredibly-small/
What are the odds?
Lost item notice
My first reaction upon seeing the item below was to burst out in laughter. Upon reflection, I realize I should have burst out in tears.
14 Jun 2013
Parshat Chukat
THE mitzvah that we do not grasp is the parah adumah - the Torah calls it a chok, ie a mitzvah that we do not understand. The question is, though, WHY did HaShem set it up that this particular mitzvah should be the quintessential chok?
- See more at: http://www.shortvort.com/chukas-parasha/10728-i-know-its-a-chok-but-why-short#sthash.vyh8gREC.dpuf
- See more at: http://www.shortvort.com/chukas-parasha/10728-i-know-its-a-chok-but-why-short#sthash.vyh8gREC.dpuf
The owl and the Sabbath
There's a fascinating article at Chadrei Charedim about an owl that perched itself on the Ten commandments which is above an Aron Kodesh in a shul in Bayit Vegan this past Wednesday, the day of the petirah of Rav Yehoshua Neuwirth ZT"L, the author of Shemirat Shabbat Kehilchata. Efforts to remove the owl were to no avail.
An interesting gematria was found.
ינשוף(owl) = 446 מות (death) = 446
Additionally,
י'- ישעיהו, ישעיה
נ' - נויבירט
ש' - שבת (שמירת שבת כהלכתה
The first two letters of the Hebrew word "owl" correspond to Rav Neuwirth's name. The letter "shin" is the first letter of the word "Shabbat." The last two letters, the "vav" and the "peh," equal 86, the age at which the Rav was niftar.
Furthermore, the owl was perched on the side of the commandments which contained the one regarding keeping the Sabbath.
Click here to see a photo of the owl and to read the article in Hebrew.
Below is a poem taken from Wiki about a wise old owl.
A wise old owl lived in an oak
The more he saw the less he spoke
The less he spoke the more he heard.
Why can't we all be like that wise old bird?
An interesting gematria was found.
ינשוף(owl) = 446 מות (death) = 446
Additionally,
י'- ישעיהו, ישעיה
נ' - נויבירט
ש' - שבת (שמירת שבת כהלכתה
The first two letters of the Hebrew word "owl" correspond to Rav Neuwirth's name. The letter "shin" is the first letter of the word "Shabbat." The last two letters, the "vav" and the "peh," equal 86, the age at which the Rav was niftar.
Furthermore, the owl was perched on the side of the commandments which contained the one regarding keeping the Sabbath.
Click here to see a photo of the owl and to read the article in Hebrew.
Below is a poem taken from Wiki about a wise old owl.
A wise old owl lived in an oak
The more he saw the less he spoke
The less he spoke the more he heard.
Why can't we all be like that wise old bird?
13 Jun 2013
The Parah Adumah
by Rabbi Dr Raymond Apple
There is an eternal mystery about the parah adumah, the red heifer.
The paradox is that the mixture involving the ashes of the heifer purifies the impure but renders impure the pure. It is called a statute – chukkah – a category of law which is not susceptible to human analysis but is obeyed as a text of obedience to God. It sounds a bit like blind faith: I do it because God commanded me, regardless of whether I find meaning in its observance.
Generations of Jews have sought a rationale but with little record of success. The only possible way of handling the problem seems to be to have faith that God knows what He is doing even if we don’t. Where this leads us is either to reject the statutes or to embrace them.
Being prepared to do the latter, what do I say to myself? “I would like to know what is going on, but I am prepared to concede that some things are too big for me. If I understood every smallest thing that God does I would end up being greater than God, because it would mean that everything God says and commands had to be submitted for my approval. Since I’m not greater than God I must by definition be smaller. And being smaller than God means that I am bound to be mystified at some things. Why should I understand everything?”
http://www.oztorah.com/2013/06/why-should-i-understand/
There is an eternal mystery about the parah adumah, the red heifer.
The paradox is that the mixture involving the ashes of the heifer purifies the impure but renders impure the pure. It is called a statute – chukkah – a category of law which is not susceptible to human analysis but is obeyed as a text of obedience to God. It sounds a bit like blind faith: I do it because God commanded me, regardless of whether I find meaning in its observance.
Generations of Jews have sought a rationale but with little record of success. The only possible way of handling the problem seems to be to have faith that God knows what He is doing even if we don’t. Where this leads us is either to reject the statutes or to embrace them.
Being prepared to do the latter, what do I say to myself? “I would like to know what is going on, but I am prepared to concede that some things are too big for me. If I understood every smallest thing that God does I would end up being greater than God, because it would mean that everything God says and commands had to be submitted for my approval. Since I’m not greater than God I must by definition be smaller. And being smaller than God means that I am bound to be mystified at some things. Why should I understand everything?”
http://www.oztorah.com/2013/06/why-should-i-understand/
5 Jun 2013
A friend's support
Shelley Emling writes about 7 Ways To Impress People In 60 Seconds Or Less .
Her advice includes treating your spouse well, looking people in the eye and asking about a person's child.
3. Give compliments freely to those who deserve itI have a friend who always -- without fail -- says something nice to me as soon as she sees me. It's always something simple like "I love those earrings" but it always makes me feel good and it always makes me want to be around her. People may not always remember what you say, but they will remember how it feels to be around you.
4. Do what you say you're going to doI have another friend who, if she says she's going to meet you at 7 p.m., she's going to meet you at 7 p.m. and not a minute after. I have other friends who are habitually late or who make promises they can never deliver on. I'd rather have a friend tell me "no" than to tell me "maybe" and then renege on me later on. Be reliable and people will respect you for it.
Read full article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/shelley-emling/how-to-impress-people_b_3380181.html
When my mother was in the hospital, I very much appreciated those who asked me how she was doing.
This morning I heard a speaker talk about the words נְשָׁמָה which means soul and the word נָשַׁמָּה which means desolate. The first word has a kamatz under the letter shin while the second word has a patach under the letter shin. The kamatz has an extra line of support as opposed to the patach.
The difference between desolation and a soul which is alive comes from the support of people involved in an individual's life.
Her advice includes treating your spouse well, looking people in the eye and asking about a person's child.
3. Give compliments freely to those who deserve itI have a friend who always -- without fail -- says something nice to me as soon as she sees me. It's always something simple like "I love those earrings" but it always makes me feel good and it always makes me want to be around her. People may not always remember what you say, but they will remember how it feels to be around you.
4. Do what you say you're going to doI have another friend who, if she says she's going to meet you at 7 p.m., she's going to meet you at 7 p.m. and not a minute after. I have other friends who are habitually late or who make promises they can never deliver on. I'd rather have a friend tell me "no" than to tell me "maybe" and then renege on me later on. Be reliable and people will respect you for it.
Read full article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/shelley-emling/how-to-impress-people_b_3380181.html
When my mother was in the hospital, I very much appreciated those who asked me how she was doing.
This morning I heard a speaker talk about the words נְשָׁמָה which means soul and the word נָשַׁמָּה which means desolate. The first word has a kamatz under the letter shin while the second word has a patach under the letter shin. The kamatz has an extra line of support as opposed to the patach.
The difference between desolation and a soul which is alive comes from the support of people involved in an individual's life.
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