A Diary of Life (Rabbi Sprecher) and a special message from R' Anava for Rosh Hodesh Av

29 Tammuz 5781 | Happy Shabbat Rosh Hodesh Menahem Av! | Yom Neshama of Aharon haKohen

A Diary of Life

by Rabbi Ephraim Sprecher

“These are the journeys of the Children of Israel. Moshe wrote their goings forth according to their journeys at the command of Hashem, and these were their journeys according to their goings forth.” (Bamidbar 33:1-2)

 

Parshat Masai begins with a review of the 42 encampments that Israel made in their 40 year journey through the Wilderness. Rashi notes that this is an illustration of the kindness of Hashem that, although it would seem that they were constantly on the move, never had any rest, this is not the case. Except for the first year when there were 14 encampments and the 40^th year when there were 8, in the intervening 38 years, there were only 20 stops, including one stop at Kadesh which lasted for 19 years. See Rashi to Devarim 1:46.

 

The Or Hachaim says that Hashem told Moshe that beginning with the Exodus from Egypt, he was to keep a written record of all encampments as they occurred. These notations accumulated until Israel reached the 42^nd stop, the Plains of Moav, where Moshe organized the list into the 48 verses that now follow. Included in this list are the incidences that took place at some of these encampments where the people saw the Hand of Hashem which took care of their every need and desire.

 

From this remark of the Or Hachaim that Moshe kept a diary of the four decades spent in the Wilderness, Rav Pam explains that we can extrapolate the practical insight for life.

 

Every person is a recipient of Hashem’s kindness many different ways. There are periods of great joy and accomplishments, and there are periods of travail and worry which are often resolved through the hidden Hand of Hashem. This happens to each person as an individual and to a family or a community as a group. Unfortunately, with the passage of time many of these illustrations of the Kindness of Hashem are only vaguely remembered, or even totally forgotten.

 

One way of fulfilling the command of “Remember the days of yore, understand the years of generation after generation” (Devarim 32:7), is to follow the lead of Moshe and record as they happen “one’s own encampments” in the journey through life.

 

Like the verses mentioned here in Parshat Masai, they will become a permanent written record of the goodness of Hashem in one’s own life as well as that of his family and community.

 

***

 

Rav Alon Anava: Special prayer for Rosh Chodesh Av

Rosh Chodesh is a very powerful day for prayers to be heard and accepted. This year 5781 (2021) Rosh Chodesh Av is on Shabbat, so we have double power. Take advantage of this opportunity to pray that G-d will transform darkness to light, evil to good and exile to redemption.

Take a few minutes to watch the video of Rabbi Anava explaining about this day and then follow the instruction below what to do.

Therefore on this powerful day there are a few things you want to do:

1. Light a 24 hour candle for Aharon Hakohen (Aaron the High Priest) before Shabbat
2. Give charity before Shabbat – Click here to submit a donation
3. Read chapters 22, 83, 130, 142 of Tehilim Before Shabbat – Find text HERE
4. Read Short prayer at the bottom of the page Before Shabbat – Find text HERE
5. Read ten (10) chapters of Tehilim 91 thru 100 On Shabbat Rosh Chodesh – Find text HERE – DO NOT READ FROM YOUR PHONE ON SHABBAT! – prepare the text/book before Shabbat!
6. Pray from your heart with your words anything you want and need – Ask from Hashem
7.  Take on yourself a good decision to add a Mitzvah to your daily schedule

IMPORTANT NOTE: Make sure 1-4 is done and read Before Shabbat and 5-7 During Shabbat Rosh Chodesh!

To view the entire page, CLICK HERE.

Pray Tehillim for Mashiah to win the war.

1 Tammuz 5781 (Rosh Hodesh B)

Sefer Tehillim, The Rashi Edition. Here are a lot of versions of Tehillim covers.

A call has gone out from at least one rabbi I am aware of, R' Yekutiel Fish (more specific information about the reason for this post was found here*), for prayer for Mashiah because he needs the help of every single Jew in order to win his wars. There may be more, but I don't know who they are.

It doesn't matter whether it's Mashiah ben Yosef or Mashiah ben David, and it doesn't matter whether we know who each of them really is at this point in time, as long as they are the real deal and as long as they remain hidden from us; but in any case, I have begun participating in prayer with that intention.

According to the article linked above, righteous hidden tzaddikim have been praying for him for a number of years now, using a set of selected chapters comprising the following 10 Tehillim. 

All Jews are welcome to participate. If you decide to, you may choose your preference below: Hebrew alone, English alone, or both. 

And many thanks in advance!

Selected Chapters | פרקים נבחרים

Hebrew Numerals (right to left, Hebrew) | (מספרי עבריים (ימין עד שמאל, עברית

סח	ס	לו	לה	לא
קט	פט	פח	פג	פ

Arabic Numerals (left to right, English)

31	35	36	60	68
80	83	88	89	109

Combined Translation (listed right to left)

סח 68	ס 60	לו 36	לה 35	לא 31
קט 109	פט 89	פח 88	פג 83	פ 80

NOTE: Trying to be practical, the order of the perakim/chapters are designed to accommodate several different styles used by Tehillim readers, and to make it easier for people who aren't as experienced (like me!) at reading Tehillim as others, or who like to read them in English, whether alone or with the Hebrew. Links are to Sefaria's version of Tehillim. 

Or, you can download a PDF of them.

Other language speakers may want to either use Hebrew or translate to your language, to the right on the sidebar. →→ 

Or, just use your own Sefer Tehillim and be guided by the numbers here. 😇

Whatever you can do, it all counts!

Hodesh Tov uMevorach!

***

*thanks to SG.

Also read: Crunch Time: The Last Trimester of the Final 9 Months (may it be so, or even sooner!)

23rd of Sivan - A day of special prayers

 23 Sivan 5781

From R' Alon Anava (first published here):

Special prayer for the 23rd of Sivan

On the 23rd of the month of Sivan (כג׳ סיון) the decree of Haman (At the time of Mordechai and Esther) to annihilate the Jewish nation was nullified. The holy books teach us that this day is a very powerful day for prayers to nullify decrees and anything bad, evil and horrible against us. The same way that from that day and on the situation of the Jewish nation changed and became good, and “Mordecai left the king’s presence with royal raiment” (Esther 8/15) … “and the city of Shushan shouted and rejoiced” … and as a result the Megila says… “The Jews had light and joy, and gladness and honor” – The holy books teach us that this day (Sivan 23) is a powerful day to revoke and nullify any decree against you (Sickness, death, poverty, infertile, etc.)

Therefore on this powerful day there are a few things you want to do:

1. Light two (2) candles for Esther and Mordechai
2. Give three (3) coins to charity. The coins should be held with both hands at the same time when placing in the charity box
3. Read chapters 22, 83, 130, 142 of Tehilm – Find text below*
4. Read chapter 8 from the Megila of Esther – Find text below*
5. Read Avinu Malkeinu (Without a blessing, just the text)- Find text below*
6. Pray from your heart with your words anything you want and need – Ask from Hashem
7. Recite the short prayer – Find text below*
8.  Take on yourself a good decision to add a Mitzvah to your daily schedule

IMPORTANT NOTE: Make sure all the above is done and read on the 23rd of Sivan during the day from dawn till sundown!

 

* To "Find text below" — go to this link: 23rd of Sivan Special Prayer. - HDG

 

 

 May we merit Geulah Shlemah speedily in our days!

The Spies’ Tunnel Vision + VIDEO (Parashath Shelah Lekha - Israel)

20 Sivan 5780

   by Rabbi Ephraim Sprecher

Are we able to defeat the Giants? (Remember Willie Mays?) The Torah tells us that the inhabitants of Eretz Yisrael were y’lide ho’anaq, remnants of a race of Giants. When the M’raglim, the Spies, returned with their report, they announced: “The people that dwell in the land are fierce, and the cities are fortified and very great; moreover, we saw the children of Giants there.” (Bamidbar 13:28) And again, (Bamidbar 13: 32,33) reference is made to the anshe middoth, the men of great stature, and the n’philim, the primeval Giants.   The Torah wants to impress upon us the fact that not Bigness was to conquer and hold the Holy Land – but Greatness. The Spies used the wrong measuring rod of Bigness, and that was their tragic and fatal error. However, G‑d desires Greatness not Bigness. This view of Bigness vs. Greatness is expressed in many places in Tanach. Yitzchak referred to Eisav as bno hagadol (his big son) (Bereshit 27:2), and the Rabbis comment, Hashem said to Yitzchak, “Im gadol hu b’einecha, baeinai hu nanas shebananasim.” “By your standards Eisav may be Big; but by My standards Eisav is a dwarf, a spiritual midget.” (Bereshit Rabba 65:11)   In the 16th Chapter of Shmuel Aleph we are given a beautiful description of the Biblical concept of Greatness, as opposed to the popular concept of Bigness. The prophet Shmuel is sent to Bethlehem to select a successor to Shaul Hamelech in the kingship. One by one Shmuel looks upon the sons of Yishai and thinks that this one or that one is the anointed of Hashem, but Hashem says to him: Al tabeit el mareihu v’el g’vah komato…ki lo asher yireh haadam, ki haadam yireh laeinayim v’Hashem yireh laleivav.” “Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature… for it is not as a man sees; for man looks on the outward appearance, but Hashem looks in the heart.” (Shmuel Aleph 16:7). And it is Little David who was physically shorter than all of his brothers, who was selected, not by the standard of Bigness, but by the measuring rod of Greatness.   Bigness is measured from the chin down; but Greatness is measured from the chin up. A person may be the biggest and tallest player in the NBA and still be a mental midget. The Greatness of a people is no more determined by their number than the Greatness of a person is determined by his height. This is certainly true in the case of Israel. As the Torah says: “For you are a Holy People to Hashem, your G‑d… Hashem did not choose and desire you because you were more in number than any people – for you are the fewest of all peoples…” (Devarim 7:6,7).   We were selected because of Greatness, because of being an Am Kadosh (a Holy People) and not for our size and numbers. When we are counted it is from the chin up that we are counted – ki thissa et rosh – “when you raise up the head…” (Shemot 30:11) Naso et rosh, “When you lift up the head…” (Bamidbar 4:22).   Judaism is a religion which does not stress Bigness. For Bigness, a key word in our society today, is very often bought at the expense and pain of others, but true Greatness is attained by developing the best within ourselves. That is why the Am Kadosh (the Holy People) never had to fear the B’ne ‘Anak – the Giants. For ultimately our spiritual Greatness must triumph over the Giants, mere Bigness.   Thus, the end of the Parsha of the Spies deals with the Mitzvah of Tzitzit. Rav Soloveitchik explains that the blue Techelet of Tzitzit is a symbol that all events in life are as profound and mysterious as the deep blue sky. For example, why certain people suffer and others don’t. The Talmud in Menachot states that the blue Techelet of Tzitzit reminds us to look up at the blue heavens and admire the incredible, vast expanse of endless space, leading to its Source, the Ein Sof – G‑d. As Tehillim 19:2 states, “The Heavens tell the glory of G‑d’s Greatness”. By admiring and appreciating G‑d’s Greatness, we can achieve and attain our own greatness as well.   The tragedy of what the spies reported was due to their using the wrong measuring rod because of their Tunnel Vision and NOT relying on the Torah’s Vision. *** Please pray for complete healing for Rabbi Sprecher: R' Ephraim Avraham ben Rivka. Thank you!

Prayer for CORONA Victims during SEFIRA + 2 VIDEOS

9 Iyyar 5780

 by Rabbi Ephraim Sprecher

What do we hope to accomplish when praying for a person stricken with CORONA? G‑D knows exactly what we need. My Rebbe Rav Pam, would repeat the question a cancer patient asked him in all sincerity. If pain and suffering are caused by one’s sins (Shabbat 55) and serve as a purifying process to spare the person from suffering in Gehenom, how may one pray that G‑D remove the pain?

 

Does a critically ill patient tell the physician not to operate or administer painful treatments to cure him of the deadly illness? Of course not! In fact, he pays the surgeon great sums of money to do so. If G‑D, the Great Physician, is administering treatments to cleanse me of my sins, asks the patient, how can I pray that the suffering be removed?

 

Rav Pam related that this very question is answered by Rav Chaim Volozhin in Nefesh HaChaim. Rav Chaim explains that praying to G‑D to remove personal or communal suffering is NOT an attempt to change G‑D’s mind. One’s intention should be to relieve the pain that G‑D Himself, as it were, feels when we suffer pain. This is what the Talmud (Sanhedrin 46) says, “When a Jew suffers for his sins what does G‑D say? ‘I have pain in My Head! I have pain in My Arm.’”

 

Additionally, while many Jewish communities around the world are in distress because of CORONA, this is also a great Chillul Hashem because the non‑Jews say, “Where is the Jewish G‑D, who allows His chosen people to suffer?”

 

When a Jew prays for relief from his suffering, his intention should be to remove the Chillul Hashem that such suffering brings, and the aspect of “I (G‑D) am with him in his suffering” (Tehillim 91).

 

Thus the verse in Shmuel Aleph ch1 states, “and Chana prayed AL HASHEM” which means Chana prayed FOR G‑D! Chana meant to say that if I am suffering then surely You G‑D are also suffering. So she prayed for the relief of G‑D, and thereby she would also benefit.

 

By praying for relief from the suffering and pain of CORONA, one is attempting to reduce this Divine Pain, as it were. Such prayer is not only permissible, but is also an essential aspect of AHAVAT HASHEM (Love of G‑D), which according to Baal Hatanya is fulfilled thru AHAVAT YISRAEL (Love of every Jew).

 

How do we demonstrate AHAVAT YISRAEL during CORONA? The answer lies in SEFIRAT HAOMER! The Counting of the Omer teaches us that we get to choose how we spend our time even in isolation. It’s easy to connect to this idea now, during the CORONA lockdown.

 

Despite CORONA’s misery, it gives us an opportunity to repair our broken society, to bridge the gap that divides us. For example, our Holy Soldiers, who were not exactly welcome in Bnei Brak, have now become heroes by delivering food parcels to infected families while risking their own health to help other Jews in distress. Perhaps this is G‑d’s game plan to get the Jewish people to unite and love each other despite our differences.

 

We have certain physical freedoms taken away from us now, but we are still in control of our time, and how we choose to use it. We count each day, to make each day count by reaching out to the lonely. CORONA that has put millions of people into isolation reminds us that there are people who are always socially isolated. Do we pay attention to those people who suffer from constant loneliness? These lonely people, who have no family, those who are home alone, waiting for someone to give them a kind word, do we hear their voice and feel their pain? Perhaps this virus, that forces us to become lonely, is a wakeup call to remember all the lonely people throughout the year. Loneliness can be painful, but is also easy to alleviate with a friendly smile, a kind word, and a cheerful greeting through a phone call.

 

These seven weeks are the bridge from Pesach, our Physical Freedom, to our Spiritual Freedom of Shavuot – the Festival of the Giving of the Torah. This is a time for personal spiritual growth, when we can overcome physical dependence and bad habits in order to self‑improve.

 

Being in lockdown has given us the opportunity to evaluate our lives – how we spend our time, and to decipher what is really important and what we take for granted. Because we count each day for 49 days, we have a chance to reflect on our personal spiritual growth on a daily basis, to see how our lives are developing. We can evaluate day by day how we spend our time.

 

This SEFIRA (count) will have an important impact on our weeks, months and years for the rest of our lives.

 

The message is that despite CORONA we are still in control of our time and how we choose to spend it.

***

 

 

 

 

If you can't fight, pray tehillim!

the light of 5 Kislev 5779

Tehilim Yahad is a website people from all over the world can gather to pray tehilim (psalms) together for whatever purpose is given. Here is the specific page to pray for the success and protection for Am Yisrael and the security forces, in case you want to pray with us here in Israel (it's in Hebrew, but you can change the language to any of the major languages, including English). UPDATE: instructions are in the comments below.

I grouped sets of Tehilim here for different aspects of war, especially for the Jewish soldiers who are physically involved, doing the great mitzvah of defending the Jewish country (regardless of how one individually feels about it).

Tizku l' mitzvoth! May haShem save us and all Israel, all over the world in your merit, joined with ours.

 And below is some motivation to pray! More links can be added in the comments below.


200 Hamas rockets strike Israel

Some of the story behind what's happening here - BBC - read with caution. As usual they blame us, whether openly or subtly. It's the badly-played opera again.

Arutz 7- IDF given green light in Gaza |  IDF strikes Gaza terror targets

Rocket attacks are up to 400 - R' Lazer Brody

Something else we can bring to HQB"H: While Hamas engages us in war, "Under the guise of 'agricultural assistance,' the Palestinian Authority is taking over Area C, with the help of massive European financial support and in violation of the law." Read and/or download this Regavim PDF for more. Regavim holds our government accountable for enforcing laws regarding our land. But now we are besieged on both sides.


Here we go... of course we must pray for the complete redemption!!!

UPDATE 14/11/2018: Last night R' Lazer summed up what I'd like to call Lessons Learned After the Ceasefire (it's really called Iron Dome, Ceasefire: There's no one but Hashem):

Despite everything, Hashem still did tremendous miracles. 450 missiles fell, there was all kinds of chaos and property damage, yet only one person was killed - not even an Israeli - but a worker from the PA village of Halhoul illegally sleeping over in Ashkelon. There were no Jewish Israeli fatalities!

Hashem is giving us another chance to learn emuna and do teshuva. Once we do, we're home free. But, if people simply use the respite to go back to their sidewalk cafes, then the next round of hostilities will be even worse. What's more, if Iron Dome's success against Gaza was a mere 27% (flunking Fall Semester midterms against Gaza, 2018), what will it be against Hizbollah, whose firepower is twenty times that of Gaza?

"Rabbi Rambo" should know.

Disclaimer: I'm not a Breslever myself, and don't plan to become one. They don't own emuna and teshuva; they just promote these Jewish concepts with everything they have!

Drums of war...תופי מלחמה

14 Tishrei 5779 | י"ד תשרי ה"תשע"ט

Erev Succoth | ערב סוכות

English follows Hebrew | אנגלית מעקבת אחרי עברית

כעת באפשרותך להדפיס דף זה כראוי. לחץ כאן ולהפוך אותו נכון 

כדי לראות עוד מפיות כזאת, לחץ כאן

תופי מלחמה

לעילוי נשמתו של ארי בן רב יונה פולד, חי"ד | עוד על ארי פולד

    
כתבתי את ההודעה הזאת למקרה שמלחמה תתחיל ברצינות ממש בקרוב. ראש השנה והחגים הבאים נראה הזמן המעודף על האומות להתחיל מלחמות.

עם הקב"ה בצד שלנו, אנחנו יכולים לנצח אפילו אם אנחנו מוקפים מכל הצדדים. תצכרו את מלחמת ששת הימים. עם לא זוכרים, אז תחשבו עליו -- ותנו כבוד, הוד והדר לו שחייבים לו לרגל הנצחון הנסי של 28  באייר תשכ"ז \ יוני 1967.

 בשביל הבטחת הקב"ה לצידנו, הנה משהו שאנחנו יכולים לעשות. אם יש לנו חייל או יותר במאבק או לא, אנחנו יכולים להתפלל תפילות האדיר, התהילים של דוד, מלך ישראל. להלן, יש לי פירוט לפי מספר הפרק שאנחנו צריכים לומר על כמה היבטים של המלחמה.

 

לפני שירות האינטרנט שלך הולך לסירוגין בשל הפגזות רקטות וכדומה, להדפיס את הדף הזה, כך יהיה לך את הפרקים תהילים בהישג יד. אספתי אותם מתוך ספר התהילים האהוב עלי ומקורות אחרים.

תהילים למלחמה

ק, ז, יא, יח, כ, כה, כז, כט, לה, נה, נח, עב, עג, עד, פג, צא, קכ, קכא, קכב, קכג, קכד, קל, קמ, קמב, קמג

הגנה מפני פגיעה

ג, ה, ז, כ, כג, כז, לא, לה, מ, מח, נה, נט, סט, ע, צא, קט, קיט, קכא

לחיילים פצועים

קל, קלא, קמד, פג, צא

 מלבד התפללות בעצמך, קבוצות של אנשים יכולים לדקלם את כל ספר תהילים יחד - בדרך כלל נשים. (האם ניתן לכלול גברים, בין אם בנפרד או בנפרד? אנא שאל את הרב שלך כל שאלה הלכתית!). תוצאה מעניינת: בכל פעם שהקבוצה קוראת את הספר כולו, הוא מוכפל במספר המשתתפים ונרשם בגן עדן (שמים), למרות שכל אדם יכול לקרוא רק כמה פרקים.

 כמו גם להיות ספר אחד, תהילים מתפרסם גם כקופסה של חלקים נפרדים לקריאה קבוצתית; כל אדם לוקח כמו חלקים רבים ככל הנדרש כדי לסיים ספר אחד, בהתאם לגודל של הקבוצה.

ראיתי את זה רק בישראל, אבל אולי יש חנויות ספרים בקהילות יהודיות דתיות מחוץ לישראל.

UPDATE: Now you can make this page a PDF file and print a proper copy! Click here

To see more maps like this one, click here.

Drums of War

For the elevation of the soul of Ari ben Rav Yonah Fuld, hy"d | more about Ari Fuld

I wrote this post in case war starts in earnest really soon.* The Jewish New Year and following holiday period seems to be a favorite time for the nations to start wars.

With HQB"H on our side, we can win even if we are surrounded on all sides. Remember the 6-Day War. If you don't remember, then think about it -- and give haShem the credit that is due Him because of the miraculous victory of June 1967 (5727 on the Hebrew calendar).

For the assurance of G-d on our side, here is something the rest of us can do. Whether we have a soldier or more in the fight or we don't, we can pray the mighty prayers, Psalms,  tehillim, of David, King of Israel. Below, I have listed by chapter number the tehillim we should say for several aspects of war.

Before your internet service goes intermittent due to rocket shelling and the like, print out this page so that you'll have the Tehillim chapters at hand. I have compiled them from my own favorite Tehillim book and other sources.

Tehillim for War

100, 7,11,18, 20, 25, 27, 29, 35, 55, 58, 72, 73, 74, 83, 91, 120, 121, 122, 123, 124, 130, 140, 142, 143

Protection from Harm

3, 5, 7, 20, 23, 27, 31, 35, 40, 48, 55, 59, 69, 70, 91, 109, 119, 121

For Wounded Soldiers

130, 131, 144, 83, 91

Besides praying by yourself, groups of people can recite the whole Book of Tehillim together -- usually women. (Can men be included, whether together or separately? Please ask your rabbi any halachic questions!). An interesting result: Every time the group reads the whole Book, it is multiplied by the number of participants and recorded in Heaven (Shamayim) even though each person may read only a few chapters.

As well as being one Book, Tehillim is also published as a box of separate sections for group reading; each person takes as many sections as needed to finish one Book, depending on the size of the group.

I've only seen this in Israel, but perhaps bookstores in religious Jewish communities outside Israel have these.

Hat tip to Arlene from Israel.

Further impetus to prayer and further notes (English only, sorry. רק אנגלית, סליחה):

A few questions for our leaders about the next war - Vic Rosenthal, Abu Yehuda
Why Israelis Shy from Victory - Daniel Pipes, Middle East Forum
Former Jordanian Prime Minister Abdelsalem Al-Majali says "we will 'take Haifa by force'"
Hamas hints [read: threatens -CDG]: Another round of fighting may be coming - Dalit Halevi, Arutz 7


*I began drafting this post long before the hideous murder of Ari Fuld! I didn't know him personally, although I occasionally listened to his show, and was not looking for someone's soul to uplift. But it is the least I can do. It seems appropriate somehow, after the fact. Could this be the beginning of the war? Will the Aryeh Yehuda (Lion of Judah | אריה יהודה) finally rise up on both sides of the "Green Line"???

If official Israel had treated other defenders of Israel more appropriately - like, for example, El'Ohr Azaria | אלאור אזריה perhaps no enemy would dare approach a Jew to kill him, particularly in the cowardly manner in which Ari Fuld was - stabbed in the back. For even stronger statements, read Jack Engelhard's A million hands murdered Ari Fuld. The only thing I could add to it is that I feel these "million hands" stabbing all Jews in the back, may G-d save us from such a fate!

A silver lining of hope: a red heifer | פרה אדומה has been born here in Israel, and her development is being overseen by the Temple Institute; may she turn out to be kosher at the right time. Now all they may need is a kohen tahor | כהן טהור (עברית)...stay tuned.

In the meantime, may HQB"H be with us and protect us simply out of love for His people, and may He help us obey Him to the utmost!