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30 April 2021

The Sin of Lashon Hara: A Chillul Hashem! (Rabbi Sprecher) plus one clear exception to the rule that happened this week

La"G laOmer | 33rd Day of the Omer Count, 5781 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

by Rabbi Ephraim Sprecher | first published here

The Torah states in Parshat Emor “You shall not desecrate My Holy Name” (Vayikra 22:32).
 
This verse is the source for the sin of Chillul Hashem, which is one of the most serious sins that a Jew can commit, and for which it is extremely difficult to do tshuvah (Yuma 86a). A little known aspect of Chillul Hashem is when a person habitually speaks or listens to lashon hara. The Chofetz Chaim includes Chillul Hashem in the list of sins one violates when speaking lashon hara.
 
In explaining the reason for this, he says that generally a person sins for various motivations, either because he has a desire for something, which he cannot control, or because the sins will provide him with some physical pleasure.
 
However, the sin of lashon hara cannot be considered the fulfillment of a physical drive or pleasure, for which the person could not control his yetzer hara. It is simply habit a person gets into when speaking negatively about others, or listening to others speaking lashon hara. If he realizes that the Torah forbids it, how can he just ignore and continue to violate this serious sin?
 
Rav Pam would point out that speaking lashon hara is also a Chillul Hashem because that person has so little regard for Hashem’s will that he brazenly violates it. By shamelessly throwing off the yoke of Heaven, he has cheapened and denigrated the Word of Hashem by speaking ill of others.
 
The Chofetz Chaim adds that the sin of lashon hara is compounded if the one doing this is a distinguished person whom people look up to and respect. When people see how he casually disregards the Will of Hashem, they too will take liberties in the performance of Mitzvot. This is especially true when they see a Talmid Chacham speaking lashon hara (see Rambam Sefer Hamitzvot, negative commandment 63).
 
This is another important reason to avoid lashon hara in ALL its forms.
 
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This part is not from the Rav, but from me, HDG: A clear exception to this rule is when someone known as a Jew, even for a long period of time, turns out not to be one after all. This week we saw a man whose family has been known as Jews in Israel over an extended period exposed as Christian missionaries. The only thing I might add to what has already been written is: 
 
Beware of strangers who claim high positions (especially if they claim lots of them), start dominating life in a community they are new to and ask for money, like in this case, where the husband claimed to be a Kohen, a mohel, a sofer and a rabbi, and his wife, now passed on, was buried in the Cohanic section of the cemetery, it turns out, under false pretenses. They apparently received a lot of financial help from the unsuspecting communities they lived in. It looks like they were found out when the children started speaking in a manner unfitting for Jews. That is, they were spreading their "good news" aka "the gospel."

If they start pouring it on like this, be sure to ask questions.
 
Beware, whether single or married, even if they look and dress like Torah-abiding Jews. We have to ask questions. This episode is perfectly good reason to do so. It is a shame that it has to be done, but...
 
 We have the right and the obligation to live in our Holy Land without being harassed by people who do not have the nation of Israel's best interest at heart!
 
Even if they were actually born Jewish and were everything this man and his family claimed to be — but were not — Christians are commanded to participate in "the great commission." (search)
 
This, by itself, is against HQB"H's commandments to us, which came first and are forever.

 
If you haven't yet seen or heard the news about this, here's a short list of articles bearing witness to this very real hillul haShem | 'חילול ה. 
 
 

 
There are other exceptions, but I think I've taken enough of the Rabbi's space for today! It is possible he could be prevailed upon to replace my words at some point in the future.
 
***
 *MORE UPDATES HERE*

I wish my people a happy La"G laOmer, and healing for the ones who were injured in the tragedy in Meron, and comfort for the families of the 44 45 who were killed. At this time it's not clear which came first, the structural collapse or the stampede. [Later on, it seems there was an attempt to blame the victims by calling their attempts to escape the intense crowding, from which they were not allowed to exit properly, a stampede. See here, here and here.]

This report was written earlier, when the number of dead was not fully assessed, but there is a witness statement that might give us a clue as to what happened. More reports and videos here and here.

UPDATE: Rivka Levy writes about two eyewitnesses to the tragedy (her daughter and a friend). What really happened there? Rivka wrote a followup to this: More Questions about Meron.

UPDATE 2: Going Home...to Yerushalayim: Coping with Disaster...8 Helpful Ideas

Neshama (GH2Y) posted no less than seven (7) times regarding Meron since this one, each highlighting a different aspect of the misfortune all Am Yisrael shares.

UPDATE 3: Tomer Devorah: The Crushing of Mankind by R' Chananya Weissman 

TD wrote this as well: Why Are They Suddenly Calling It a Stampede?




20 April 2021

Can a simple molecule created by G-d wipe out Coronavirus? and more?

light of 9 Iyyar 5781 | 24th Day, which is three weeks and three days, of the Omer Count

Can we just say NO - and wipe out the "novel" coronavirus and others as well?

Note: The picture above is of a nitric oxide molecule. Some information about nitric oxide (NO) (all sources Wikipedia): Nitric oxide | All the combinations of nitrogen and oxygen together | Not to be confused with laughing gas: Nitrous oxide or a major air pollutant: Nitrogen dioxide.

***

 You've probably seen the articles in The Times of IsraelThe Jerusalem Post and the No Camels blog about the company SaNOtize and its upcoming product, Nitric Oxide Nasal Spray (NONS), branded as Enovid. The virus-killing nasal spray is in production near Tel Aviv and projected to be in our pharmacies by summer, according to TOI and No Camels.

The nasal spray has been shown to kill not only Covid-19 and variants, but other viruses as well, in the laboratory. Human trials are ongoing; SaNOtize has applied for Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) in both Canada and England, where the research was performed on the UK coronavirus variant.

Go to the SaNOtize company, and see a number of applications for nitric oxide that show its versatility and potential for healing a variety of ailments, along with covid-19, which it is becoming known for at this time. (This is the "and more" part of the title.)

I imagine it wasn't easy to "bring down" this molecule to make it available for healing, and that's why it hasn't been here before now.

The spray could have prevented much of the world’s COVID-19 infection, its inventor, Dr. Gilly Regev [the biochemist who co-founded SanNOtize and developed the spray - HDG], told The Times of Israel.

“We are hoping that our nasal spray will now save many lives of people in countries that are waiting for the vaccine,” said Regev, an Israeli-raised biochemist who co-founded the company SaNOtize and developed the spray in Canada. “This will be affordable and can be used for prevention, to protect from any respiratory viral infection.”

 She said that it has been shown to be effective in the lab against a wide range of viruses, and said that new variants of the coronavirus won’t interfere with its effectiveness, emphasizing: “It contains a broad spectrum antiviral which kills all viruses and all variants.”

(NB: A lot of websites, including the ones I've linked to, are saying that New Zealand is taking up Enovid (search). According to a UAE source and an NZ source, it is not. In order: source1 | source2 I have no idea and I'm not taking sides. Yahoo News and Nasdaq seem to have a more complete story on this issue as of 22 March 2021. Manila Bulletin, in an article about the interim approval given by Israel, reports that SaNOtize confirmed that they are seeking regulatory approval in the Philippines.)

Israel, and the rest of the world, please take note. Let's be serious about dealing with "the pandemic;" a full complement of remedies needs to be easily available to everyone. Especially, don't discriminate between those who have been vaccinated and those who have not regarding alternative remedies, whether by prescription or over the counter!

 A further note to Israelis: We will need to check with our local pharmacies over the next month or two to see if they've heard of the Enovid nasal spray and are getting theirs soon. I've already checked with two of my local pharmacies, and they haven't heard of it. Have yours heard of it yet?

I'm looking forward to this one. I won't give up my vitamin and mineral supplements or the Zelenko protocol (which, in my case, is totally vitamin and mineral supplements...), but I welcome any and all real solutions to these pesky virus-based diseases — and possibly more as well.

As Steve Allen wrote in his famous 1956 song*: This could be the start of something big...

*P.S. That last link (the one I highlighted) is not shmirath enayim, and women are singing in the video; it's a 1958 version of the song. Sorry about that, gentlemen!

16 April 2021

No Talking in Shul!

 4 Iyyar 5781 / 19th day of the omer, which equals two weeks and five days of the omer count




 

 

 

 

 

 

by Rabbi Ephraim Sprecher  first published here

 

“My Shabbatot you shall observe, and My Sanctuary you shall revere.” (Vayikra 19:30). Rashi comments that giving the proper respect to the sanctuary (Beit Hamikdash) is expressed by not entering with one's walking stick, or while wearing shoes or a money belt or with dust on one's feet. Today we have no Beit Hamikdash, but the Gemara in Megillah 29 teaches that our shuls are מקדשי מעט which means mini sanctuaries and must be treated with great respect and reverence.
 
Tractate Derech Eretz Raba chapter 3, one of the 14 so called “minor tractates,” records an incident at the end of the life of R. Eleazar ben Azariah when he was seriously ill, his students came to him and asked him “How can we be worthy of life in the World to Come?” He answered them “Go out and be careful with the honor due to your friends, and when you are standing in prayer, know before Whom you are standing. This will earn you life in the World to Come.”
 
Chavos Yair wonders why R. Eleazar ben Azariah prefaces his advice with the words “Go out”. It seems out of place and irrelevant to the advice he offers.
 
He explains that R. Eleazar ben Azariah’s comment for addressing the great difficulty some people have avoiding talking during davening. This occurs mainly on Shabbat when friends see each other and have time to catch up on news of family, community or business. This is especially true now that many of us are back in shul, after a year, and some of us feel that we have to catch up with our friends, so we must be conscious of this.
 
Unfortunately this talking often takes place during davening or Kriat HaTorah, and leads to a desecration of Hashem’s sanctuary. At times a person feels that it is impolite not to respond to a question or comment from one's shul friend and feels compelled to talk, even if it is in the middle of davening in shul.
 
In this light, we can understand the message of R. Eleazar ben Azariah. If you want to be careful in the honor due your friends, then GO OUT of Shul and talk there. When you are davening in shul, be aware before Whom you are praying. This will earn you life in the World to Come!
 
If only people would take to heart the words of the Chavos Yair and thereby bring about a marked improvement in the decorum in our shuls, they would then merit the great benefits that come from sincere prayer.
 
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(...and maybe Mashiah will feel welcome in our batei knessiot, be"H he should come any moment now? Shabbat shalom umevorach! - HDG)