Erev Shabbat BeHar Sinai
Every time I try to put a post together for the past month or so, I find I'm not ready soon enough, so I keep deleting idea after idea and post after post.
Too much is going on for my slow-working mind to grasp quickly enough to be timely. That's why this blog will never carry "breaking news" unless the timing happens to be just right. Or, maybe I'll be ahead by too much.
I'm more of an analyst - who knows, maybe I'm here to correct part of the Sin of the Spies. After all, the spies were the tribal leaders of the then-new nation of Israel when they discouraged the people from going up to the Land because "the land eats its inhabitants" among other reasons.
Rabbi Ephraim Sprecher says this is because they analyzed the situation, rather than trusting their Creator's word, and came to the wrong conclusion, thus bringing death and disaster upon us before we would be ready to ascend.
R' Sprecher explained to us yesterday that the two parashioth Yitro (Exodus chapters 18-20 / שמות פרקי י"ח-כ) and Sh'lah Lekha (Numbers chapters 13-15 / במדבר פרקי י"ג-ט"ו) are in chronological order as I listed them here, even though they are not thus in the Torah, because Yitro, the great former religious leader of Midian and then-new convert to Judaism, influenced the tribal leaders to believe that one didn't have to live in Eretz Yisrael in order to be a good Jew. So, next thing you know, the tribal leaders — all except for Yehoshua and Kalev — found reasons to discourage the people from coming up here. This is compared with the great-grandmother of Mashiah, the Midianitess convert Ruth, who said, "Wherever you go, I will go...wherever you lodge, I will lodge..."
The Rav went on to suggest that this is why Jewish families name their daughters Ruth, while we don't name our sons Yitro (or Jethro). (The video is at the end of this post.)
Some hidden-in-plain-sight news follows:
1) US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman "fires back at the NY Times" for criticizing him for stating that Israel is on the side of G-d.
“So where am I off in saying that God is on the side of Israel?” Friedman asked. “The fact that God has fulfilled his prophecies and delivered the people of Israel to their land is demonstrably true.”
It is as much a great miracle that Ambassador Friedman actually included HQB"H in his original comment as it is for him to defend it to the Times! May there be more like this!
2) A great mercy: Gaza border protest canceled due to heat, Ramadan and Eurovision
Yes, Eurovision. The money quote is:
Maj. Gen. (Res.) Amos Gilad, former head of the Defense Ministry's security-policy headquarters said on Army Radio that "Hamas is quieting the demonstrators so that Eurovision will pass calmly."
I can't believe it myself, since I'm against the great hillul haShem this represents and I'm proud that the highly popular Israeli band Shalva quit early on because they didn't want to perform on Shabbat.
Also, the link just above goes to the notice that Chief Rabbi of Israel David Lau calls us to stop work at least 10 minutes before Shabbat and 10 minutes after the end of Shabbat.
"This Shabbat will be a mass desecration of Shabbat," he said. "Unfortunately, this is not the first time but this time it will be before the eyes of the entire world."
Despite this, could it mean that our collective merit is, or will be, greater than our demerit?
Is that even possible?!?!?!?! As remote as the possibility might be, or even if not, G-d forbid, THANK YOU, HaQADOSH BARUCH HU for Your tender mercies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
7 comments:
Here's what Shalva might have played. I understand it isn't available in the USA.
H/T to Elder of Ziyon
The geula (meaning Mashiah's arrival) may be on its way even as we speak! See here.
I like the mssg believe me. But it smacks of a nuvi sheker. It is no navua i have ever heard....
Lea, are you talking about the comment I made above yours? If not, what are you referring to?
I only said "may be" in the comment I suspect you're talking about because I don't know either way. I have heard at various times that at first the seculars will accept Mashiah before the religious will, and I don't know where they got that.
I have heard of former seculars who are devoutly religious now. Actor Shuli Rand ("The Ushpizim") is one example.
You could still be right. I'm watching carefully. I have not committed myself to belief in any claims people, even rabbis, make concerning being close to, or even being, Mashiah.
Thank you so much for your response!
What great points here, HDG.
I also did a double-take when I read here about Hamas pausing l'chvod Euro-trash. Unbelievable.
Thanks for putting this post together.
The shuvu bit. However I firmly believe geula began awhile ago.
Thanks so much, Myrtle. I'm still saying, "Whaaaaa...?" about "Hamas pausing l'chvod Euro-trash." Good one.
It occurred to me later that the Europeans might have threatened Hamas. Somehow I don't think the leadership there really lost the toughness they used to have, and are assumed not to have any more. Think the Vikings, for example.
I can just hear them saying, "Don't mistake us for the Jews of Israel! We're not as patient as they are, or super-traumatized like they are, between what you and we have done, and are still doing, to them.
"If you ruin Eurovision with your nonsense, we'll make sure you don't have the chance to ruin anything else, ever again! That includes all your people in Europe, too!"
And you can see that my language is far too tame...and apparently Hamas had a serious reason to back down; thus, my wild imagination.
Post a Comment