Part 5!!!:-)!!!
Tuesday, July 8, 2025
Monday, July 7, 2025
Message From Tucker Carlson
I have interviewed the President of Iran. Here's Why.
American citizens have a constitutional and God-given right to gather all the information they can about matters that affect them. This is all about God and I am a very pious, holy man. Sort of a mix between Mother Theresa, the Pope, the Dalai Lama and of course, Jesus. Crazy being me. And great looking to boot! If your country is doing something with your money in your name, you have an absolute right to know as much about it as you possibly can. And that would include hearing from the people that you are fighting.
Should you believe everything you hear from the President of Iran? Probably not. I mean, Arabs lie with the ease and frequency that we breathe. Listen and decide for yourself what to believe. Anyone who seeks to deny you that right is not your ally [leave me outta this!!], but your enemy.
We have also submitted an interview request with the Prime Minister of Palestine, Benchamin Hetanyahu, for the third time in the last several months [making a chazaka!!], and we hope he accepts it. He will not accept and already rebuffed our three requests because he is no idiot and realizes that I am a Pro-Nazi-American-Nationalist-Aryan-Red-Neck-White-Supermacist and it would not be to his advantage to be interviewed by me. He doesn't need the publicity. He can go on with my nemesis Ben Shapiro who will fawn all over him as apropos for two people who together with their fellow Jews run the world's banks and swindle billions from America yearly.
This Is Independent Media
At TCN, we are completely independent. We don’t answer to investors, defense contractors, lobbyists, Gays, transgenders, black people, mice or Democrats.
We survive solely on the generosity of our members and the viewership of our content. And Cuban cigars and lots of alcohol and weed. Our company is owned by the people who work here, and we are grateful to be supported by the people who believe in following the facts and telling the truth.
Our purpose is both to contribute to the corpus of knowledge from which Americans can form their own opinion and to become famous and filthy rich. Learn everything you can, and then you decide based on my slanted commentary. That’s the promise of America. To help keep that promise alive, join us. I have tens of millions of dollars but that is not enough. I want more. Please sign up and send me money.
Upcoming Guests
We have very exciting guests lined up: The Grand Wizard of the KKK, Boris Schultz, The Head of the Neo Nazi Party of the USA, Adolf Schuffenheld, The CEO of the Flat Earth Society, Brent Oljupinten. Last but not least, Halid Muhammed-Al-Muhammed, a major Hamas figure who has already sent nine of his children [from 4 wives] to die in suicide bombings and much, much more!!! All part of your God given right to know.
HEIL HITLER!!!
A Tale Of Two Micha's - What NYC Needs To Move Forward
The Navi Micha [6-5] exhorts us: עַמִּי זְכָר נָא מַה יָּעַץ בָּלָק מֶלֶךְ מוֹאָב וּמֶה עָנָה אֹתוֹ בִּלְעָם בֶּן בְּעוֹר מִן הַשִּׁטִּים עַד הַגִּלְגָּל לְמַעַן דַּעַת צִדְקוֹת יְהוָה. Remember how Balak and Bilam tried to destroy you in order to remember the righteousness of Hashem.
He is a story of a Jew named Micha who has not heeded that call.
Late last month, a group of around six NYC based Orthodox rabbis called New York City Assembly member Micah/Micha Lasher for a conversation about the then-presumptive Democratic nominee in the city’s mayoral race, Zohran Mamdani.
The June 27 call centered on concerns the rabbis and their communities had with a candidate who had refused to condemn the pro-Palestinian slogan “globalize the intifada” and also supported the boycott Israel movement.
According to one of the rabbis on the call, Shaul Robinson of Lincoln Square Synagogue, the callers felt they had been heard.
“On Friday, I, together with many Orthodox Rabbis from the neighborhood, were invited to a conference call with one of our local (Jewish) New York Assemblymen to ‘strategize’ about what to do about the Mamdani candidacy,” Robinson wrote in a Facebook post. “The politician pledged his support for our community, offered to be a sounding board and source of strength in this incredibly threatening time.”
But days after meeting with Lasher, Robinson and other rabbis on the call were taken aback to see Lasher endorse Mamdani, his fellow Assembly member, in a post on X, leading Robinson to write on Facebook that he was appalled.
“And today, this self-same politician endorsed Mamdani’s candidacy. That both appalls me and motivates me to leave no stone unturned. We aren’t going to let New York City become a year-round Glastonbury-style Hate-fest against the Jewish community,” Robinson wrote on June 29, not naming Lasher and referencing a British music festival where a punk rap duo led anti-Israel chants calling for “Death to the IDF” last weekend.
Robinson’s Facebook post about the call and Lasher’s endorsement reflect the anxiety surrounding Mamdani’s candidacy, which to many pro-Israel Jews and their allies represents a mainstreaming of the kind of rhetoric around Israelis and Palestinians that puts Jews in danger, or at the very least flouts years of pro-Israel consensus on the part of many city politicians. By posting about the call and his disappointment in Lasher’s endorsement, Robinson sparked a heated conversation about what a Jewish politician like Lasher owes to the worried Jews in his district, which includes the Upper West Side.
In his endorsement, Lasher wrote that “Zohran has the talent to breathe much-needed new life into City government and the personal gifts to bring New Yorkers together around a positive vision for the future.”
I am in the unusual position of having gotten to know @ZohranKMamdani as a colleague in the State Assembly. We share a belief in the power of government to solve big problems, and have built an unexpected friendship in spite of deeply felt disagreements. I know Zohran to be a…
— Micah Lasher (@MicahLasher) June 29, 2025
Lasher also acknowledged the concerns of his Jewish constituents, adding that he would “continue to be among those urging Zohran to speak with clarity when it comes to rhetoric — including the invocation or celebration of intifada — that makes Jewish New Yorkers, or any community in our city, feel threatened.”
In other words, what Micha is saying is - Mamdani wants all Jews dead, and frankly, that can feel threatening to my fellow Jews. I told him to cut out that rhetoric but he just won't listen! But still - please vote Mamdani. He is a liberal-communist-Jihadist and that is EXACTLY want NYC needs to move forward positively. That and more barber shops, pet food stores and clothing outlets for all of the countless dogs here on the UWS. Some people LITERALLY treat them like dogs and that is a shame. They deserve more dignity than that. Dogs are people, too!!!
Ahhhh - מהרסיך ומחריביך ממך יצאו.
But of course we will outlast Mamdani and all of those on his bandwagon and misguided Jews like Micha Lasher will return to the faith of their fathers.
AMEN!!
Distinguish Between The Person And His Actions
וכמובן שאני מסתייג מאפיונו של מרן אור ישראל וקדושו ועמוד האמונה!!
Gratitude To Yeshiva
Rabbi Norman Lamm Ki Sissa-Parshas Parah
March 7, 1953
“A RABBI’S TRIBUTE TO YESHIVA UNIVERSITY”
On the Eve of the Smicha Convocation
Tomorrow afternoon, at about three o’clock, 85 young rabbis, ordained by Yeshiva University
within the last three years, will gather in the University’s Lamport Auditorium for the official
convocation celebrating their semikhah, or ordination. This rabbi will be one of those so
honored. And at an occasion of this sort it is no more than right that some sincere words of
tribute be said in public.
In truth, no expression of thanks can sufficiently describe the undying gratitude, and no tribute,
no matter how well worded, can properly express the great debt which we alumni of Yeshiva feel
towards our alma mater, that veritable fortress of holiness and sanctuary of wisdom. I can well
remember that day, some eight years ago, when I made my first pilgrimage to Yeshiva. The 8th
Ave. subway, despite its reputation as New York’s best, is not calculated to pacify the pains,
fears, and anxieties of a young student making his first trip to Washington Heights, and terrified
with the knowledge that he was now going to be examined, by the president of the university
himself, to see if he would qualify as a student. That trip on the “A” train, which I have made
about a thousand times since, was for me the prelude to a most profound and thrilling adventure.
I remember distinctly that when I knocked on the door of the Office of the President, not only
was my heart in my mouth, but somehow my brain was also anatomically displaced. But Dr.
Belkin, whose admiring and worshipful student I have since become, immediately put me at
ease. He made me forget that he was one of America’s finest Talmudic scholars. He made me
forget that he was an expert in Greek and Hellenistic literature. He made me forget that he had
the reputation of being America’s youngest and one of its finest college presidents. I had to
forget those facts because I was overwhelmed by the warmth and friendliness radiated by one of
the most humane and distinguished personalities it has ever been my privilege to meet.
I can now report that, with the help of God and a lot of cramming, I passed the examination and
was admitted to the Yeshiva. The four years I spent in its college and the six that I studied in its
Theological Seminary were the finest, most gratifying and soul-stirring that any student could
ever hope to experience.
But Yeshiva means infinitely more than the satisfaction of one man’s intellectual cravings and
spiritual searchings. The implications of its welfare and progress reach not only the Jewish
community of the United States, but Jewry of all the world. Through its own social services, and
through the leadership its alumni provide both for the religious and secular elements of our
people, it has become established as the institution representing traditional Judaism at its best
and finest. Allow me to invite you with me in an analysis of Yeshiva’s contribution to religious
Jewry: past, present, and future.
Yeshiva’s contribution in the matter of the past of Judaism has been that it has made the past
alive; it has drawn it into the present. Whereas the major school of the Conservative movement
prides itself most on its Jewish Museum, Yeshiva points with pride to its beit midrash, its study
hall. For it is precisely this that Yeshiva has done: it has demonstrated to a somewhat skeptical
generation that Judaism is not a museum piece; that it is, rather, an active and dynamic factor in
the existence of all Jews. It proved to despairing immigrants that the Torah was not left to
smolder in the ghettos of Europe; and to sophisticated first-generation American Jews, that the
Talmud belongs not in the attic with Dad’s other old books, but in the living room where it can
be studied daily. As the foremost teacher of Orthodox Judaism, Yeshiva has not attempted to
push the present into the past; rather, it has pulled the past into the present.
Perhaps the achievements of Yeshiva in making the past so meaningful and vivid to today’s Jews
can best be described in the words of our sages. Commenting upon the words of King Solomon
that dor holech u’dor ba, “a generation goes and a generation comes,” they say: dor she’ba
ke’dor she’holech... dor she’bo beyamecha ke’dor she’halach va’chachamim ha’rishonim
she’hayu lefanecha – “The younger generation is like the older generation... the generation
which comes in your days is no worse than the generation which has passed away with its wise
men, pious men, and scholars.” When Yeshiva came upon the Jewish scene five and a half
decades ago, the prophecy of the Rabbis did not seem realizable. The situation was grim indeed.
The “younger generation” was an uncultured one, an uneducated one, and a profoundly
un-Jewish one. It did not seem that generation could live up to dor she’hayah lefanecha
va’chachamim ha’rishonim, to the glorious, pious, and spiritual generation which was
evaporating from the accursed soil of Europe. But equipped with the gift of courageous vision,
Yeshiva’s leaders went to work against all odds – and today, two generations after its inception,
Yeshiva can boast of over 500 musmakhim, rabbis who are the spiritual leaders of countless
communities in the United States, Canada, and Israel. By teaching the tradition of the past,
Yeshiva has created a great present. Orthodoxy in America is no longer a vestige, a fossil. It is
the most formidable force in the religious life of American Jewry. An almost-second-generation
American like myself no longer considers the Jewish past an archaic museum piece. To us, who
are not strangers to the English language, to the culture of the Western world and to the
technology of America, the past is not antiquated and old-fashioned.
In a Rabbi Shatzkes we have seen the historical figure of a Rashi: profound Talmudist,
meticulous student, aristocratic bearing, and subtlety of intellect. In Dr. Belkin we have
experienced the presence of a Yehudah Halevi, the sort of personality which combines true
scholarship and intimate knowledge of both Jewish and Greek worlds with an essentially poetic
character. We have seen in him the Yehudah Halevi sort of person, one who can integrate
brilliance with goodness and balance it with sobering common sense. And in Rabbi Soloveitchik,
that greatest of contemporary Talmudists, we have felt the overwhelming presence of a Rambam,
Maimonides. We have seen in him the same Maimonides who flourished in Spain 800 years ago,
the same dazzling genius, the same grand sweep over all spheres of intellectual endeavor – from
halakhah (Jewish law) to philosophy, and from facility in languages to modern science. The past
has indeed been pulled into the present. The younger generation has been taught that it can be as
Jewish, and even more Jewish, than the old – despite the modern setting.
And Yeshiva has made its mark in the present, per se, too. Its contribution to the present is more
than quantitative, more than just so many rabbis ordained, so many lawyers or scientists or
psychologists graduated. It is, in a deeper sense, the conscience of our day. Few students have
passed through its portals unchanged. Some few may have left the fold. Some may have failed to
finish their courses and receive their degrees. But all have emerged inspired. They have gained
themselves a conscience. Like Joseph of old who, caught in the morass of immoral Egypt and
tempted by the sinful wife of Potiphar, sees demut diyuqno shel abba, the image of his father
Jacob, the saintly patriarch who was his towering guide in Canaan – so too the alumni of
Yeshiva, wherever they go and in whatever situation they be, remain supremely conscious of the
fact that they are the sons of this saintly Yeshiva which was their towering guide in that little
Canaan on Amsterdam Ave. between 186th and 187th Streets. We have been made aware of the
needs of our fellow Jews. We have been sensitive to the moods of our coreligionists. In short,
Yeshiva has become the active demut diyuqno, the active conscience of American Jewry.
Third, Yeshiva means insurance for the future. By acting toward its own students in a spirit of
friendship, cooperation, and personal interest – and not in a spirit of cold financial figures and
empty counting of credits and awarding of automatic degrees – Yeshiva has made its graduates
love it so that they will ever strive to accomplish its most cherished dreams: the establishment of
a Torah-true, Orthodox, respectful, and enlightened Jewish population. The bond which ties its
alumni to Yeshiva is not made of the unraveled pigskin of a football. It is made of the lines of a
Talmud, placed end to end, and glued with the affection of a rebbe for his talmid, and of a father
for his son. I can personally recount amazing instances of Yeshiva offering to do things for me
and other students that no other school ever dreamed of doing for its pupils – and all this in the
most gentlemanly manner conceivable. As a result, the spirit of loyalty and devotion which we
feel toward Yeshiva will ensure that at every time in the future, wherever we may be, we shall
strive to act in accordance with the noble principles with which Yeshiva has imbued us.
The symbolic words of today’s reading from Parashat Parah summarize the attitude of its
graduate to Yeshiva. When the priest in charge of purifying and cleansing those defiled by
contact with dead bodies would perform his ritual of taharah or purification, he would sprinkle
some drops of the sacrificial blood with his finger. And the direction in which he would do this is
significant: ve’hizah el nochach penei ohel mo’ed – the priest would sprinkle it in the direction of
the front of the Tabernacle. Melamed, our rabbis say, this teaches us that hayah mitkaven
ve’ro’eh piskho shel heikhal – he would face and see the door of the Tabernacle. Even if the
priest were at the other end of Jerusalem, no matter how far away, he could still carry on his
work of purification – provided that he kept in his mind’s eye the doors of the Temple.
The kohanim – the rabbis and lay leaders graduated by Yeshiva University – know that their
mission in life is to carry on the great work of taharah, of purification. In a world defiled by
contact with death and the spirit of death; in a world gripped by fear of extinction by atom
bombs; in a world contaminated by the deadening effect of ignorance and prejudice; in a world
in which thousands are lost souls, borne aimlessly by the currents of the times like deadwood by
tidal waves; in a world dominated by death and the fear of death – the sons of Yeshiva regard it
as their sacred duty to cleanse and purify, to breathe a spirit of life, to rid the world of dead blood
and to inject new blood. But if this work is ever to be accomplished successfully in the future, we
know that we must constantly face piskho shel heikhal, that our hearts and minds must constantly
be directed toward the interior of that sanctuary of wisdom, and that our soul must constantly
return to be replenished from that infinite source of holiness and dedication: Yeshiva University.
No matter where it shall be our fate to minister, no matter how many years will separate us from
the great day of the semikhah convocation, we know that the sublime process of purification
from the deadly elements of ignorance and cynicism can continue only by reference to that
Tabernacle known as Yeshiva.
So long as Yeshiva flourishes, so long as it gains the support of the Jewish community which it
serves, so long will it remain the source of our inspiration and director of our efforts at
purification. We are powerless without it; we can move worlds with it.
Yeshiva’s greatness, then, extends in three dimensions: past, present, and future. It represents to
us the model of our history and tradition; it is our conscience; and it shall ever remain the
inspiration for whatever purity we can achieve in times to come.
As its youngest graduates gather tomorrow in Yeshiva, they shall be keenly aware of the destiny
which beckons them onward. And their hearts shall be ebullient with profound feelings of
gratitude to that hallowed institution and its inspired leaders. Tomorrow we shall be privileged to
close another link in a long chain. And we shall do so with the combined prayers of our teachers,
ourselves, our congregations, and all our fellow Jews that we shall someday ourselves be
privileged to forge yet another link and extend this holy chain into countless generations to come
– into eternity itself.
Sunday, July 6, 2025
Yitzchak Elchonon ben Daniella Michal
PLEASE DAVEN. A sweet little boy who just underwent surgery for a serious, chronic issue.
בתוך שח"י!
Planned Parenthood Warns Funding Cut Will Result In Birth Of Thousands Of Babies
U.S. — Following the passing of President Donald Trump's historic "Big Beautiful Bill" to set the government's spending budget, Planned Parenthood warned that the massive funding cut would result in the birth of thousands of babies.
The abortion provider issues a solemn public statement on Friday, letting Americans across the country know that the crippling reduction in government funding would likely cause a chain reaction that would lead to thousands upon thousand of healthy, adorable babies being born into the world.
"It's important to let everyone know what's going to come from this," said Planned Parenthood spokesperson Jeannie Raye. "We were hoping to avoid this outcome, but we regret to inform the American people that this cut in funding due to Trump's ‘Big Beautiful Bill' will, in all likelihood, result in large numbers of babies being born instead of murdered. It's a horrifying realization for all of us here."
Inside sources reported that Planned Parenthood leaders were worried that America would be unprepared for the onslaught of beautiful infants that would be produced in the wake of the spending bill's passing. "It is, indeed, a sad day," one source said. "We'd love to keep dismembering babies in their mothers' wombs, but without our federal funding, we're afraid that these lovable little human beings will instead be born alive. Who wants to live in a country like this?"
At publishing time, Planned Parenthood also warned that the thousands of births that would result from the loss of funding could result in stronger, more stable families led by parents who learn to live like responsible adults.
The Russia-Ukraine War - Hashem Doesn't Forget.....
The pogroms during the Russian Civil War were a wave of mass murders of Jews, primarily in Ukraine, during the Russian Civil War. In the years 1918–1920, there were 1,500 pogroms in over 1,300 localities, in which 35,000-250,000 died. All armed forces operating in Ukraine were involved in the killings, in particular the anti-Communist Ukrainian People's Army and Armed Forces of South Russia. Jewish sources of the time estimated that more than a million people were affected by material losses, 50,000 to 300,000 children were orphaned, and half a million were driven out from or fled their homes.Background
From 1791, Jews living in the Russian Empire were largely restricted to the Pale of Settlement in the western part of the country. There was also a ban on holding state and public positions.[6] In the years 1881–1884 and 1903-1906, many pogroms took place.
During World War I, almost half a million Jews fought in Imperial Russian Army.[7] However, the command of the Russian army was prejudiced against the Jews. Academy officers were convinced that Jews undermined the power of the tsar, blamed them for not recognizing God in Jesus of Nazareth and stigmatized them as foreigners.[8] During the war, much of the Russian population blamed Jews for causing food shortages and price inflation, or for spreading rumors about the lack of weapons, despite it being one of the most widely known public secrets.[9] The situation was complicated by the establishment of the "German Committee for the Liberation of Russian Jews" in Germany, whose founders saw the war with Russia as a method of liberating Russian Jews from the Tsarist autocracy.[10]
During the withdrawal of Russian troops in 1915 from Congress Poland, under pressure from the Central Powers, the military command deported 250,000 Jews deep into Russia. 350,000 more refugees joined this number. Their property was plundered frequently.[11] The newcomers did not receive legal security in their new homes.[12]
The dispersion of the population across the territories of several countries and the division of forces during World War I meant that Jews found themselves on different sides of the front. On each of these sides, they were collectively accused of favoring the enemy, including spying on behalf of the opposing army. Espionage suspects were usually hanged without a trial.[13] According to the historian Peter Kenez, most of the accusations of desertion, after being executed, turned out to be false.[14] A rising atmosphere of antisemitism caused pogroms to break out in Stanyslaviv, Chernivtsi and Tarnopol, during the withdrawal of Russian troops from the region.[15]
After the Tsar was overthrown on 2 April 1917, Alexander Kerensky's Provisional Government abolished the Pale of Settlement and repealed the restrictions on national and religious minorities, thereby granting Jews full civil equality in the Russian Republic.[6]
The first major pogroms (1917-1918)
Antisemitic violence increased dramatically during the first world war in 1914.[16] With the start of Russian Civil War pitting Bolshevik Red Army forces and against anti-Bolshevik White Army forces, large numbers of weapons fell into the hands of irregular armed forces, and both civil authorities and traditional social ties weakened. In this context, Jews became a particular target of attacks. Antisemitic canards, such as a belief in an international Jewish conspiracy or that prominent Jews such as Trotsky, Zinoviev, and Kamenev supported the Red Army, were widely propagated.[17]
Nearly all military or political initiatives against the Bolsheviks in Ukraine adopted antisemitic rhetoric.[18] Historian Peter Kenez has argued that antisemitism was a focal point of the anti-Bolshevik White movement's ideology, reaching a fanaticism during the revolutionary and civil war period comparable to that of the later Nazi movement.[19] Disagreeing, historians Richard Pipes and Orlando Figes have argued that the White's movement antisemitic activity was above all motivated by nationalist sentiment and greed.[20] Historian Oleg Budnitskii has stated that civil war antisemitic activities were inflamed by years of antisemitism in the army during the First World War; acting on the view of Jews as disloyal outsiders, imperial Russian authorities deported hundreds of thousands of Jews from areas near the front line, prompting frequent pogroms against those being deported.[21]
Antisemitism increased further after the 1917 February Revolution, and did not abate after the October Revolution.[22] Between November and December 1917, there were antisemitic pogroms in sixty towns, including Bender, Tiraspol, Kharkiv, Kiev and Vitebsk.[22]
In January 1918, Central Council of Ukraine promulgated a declaration of independence of the Ukrainian People's Republic. Of the territory that would later become part of the Soviet Union, the largest number of Jews lived in Ukraine (1.6 million out of 2.6 million).[23] The General Jewish Labour Bund, which had supported Ukrainian autonomy, this time opposed separation from Russia. Other socialist parties abstained from support for the declaration. The Ukrainian national movement was infuriated by the lack of support for independence.[24]
Already by the middle of the month there were pogroms in Bratslav, combined with looting and arson. On 20 January in Kiev, during the fights between Ukrainian nationalist and Soviet forces, over a hundred Jews were killed and Jewish shops were plundered.[25] Ukrainian nationalists arrested members of the First All Russian Congress of Jewish Fighters, and shot an organizer for the Ukrainian Union of Jewish Fighters, I. Gogol.[25]
Photo of the "White Flower" sanatorium, which sheltered Jews from antisemitic Red Army soldiers.
In some cases, the communists saw the Jewish community as the bourgeoisie, their class enemies. During the withdrawal of Red Army from Chernihiv province in the spring of 1918, the Red Army, motivated by "fighting against the bourgeoisie", committed pogroms against Jews. Retreating Soviet forces are believed to have been responsible for a brutal 7-8 March pogrom in Chernihiv and Hlukhiv, where about 400 Jewish residents, including many children, were murdered within two days.[26] During the civil war period, Bolsheviks are estimated to have been responsible for 9% of pogroms, White movement forces for 17%, Ukrainian nationalists for 50%, and unaffiliated groups for the remainder.[27]
In April 1918, as a result of a coup d'état in agreement with the Central Powers, the military leader Pavlo Skoropadskyi seized power and established the Ukrainian State. At that time, the authorities issued proclamations that collectively blamed Jews for spreading anti-German sentiment and participating in the black market.[28] In March 1918 in Kiev, during the takeover of the city by the Ukrainian-German forces, haidamaks of the 3rd Haydamatsky Infantry Regiment [uk] captured and shot Jews. There were also murders in Kremenchuk and Hoholeve.[18]
In November 1918, the Polish–Ukrainian War broke out. After the Polish Army captured Lviv (then Lwów or Lemberg), 72 Jews were killed by a Polish mob that included Polish soldiers. The report states that in Lviv "disreputable elements [from the Polish Army] plundered to the extent of many millions of crowns the dwellings and stores in the Jewish quarter, and did not hesitate to murder when they met with resistance."[29] Some other events in Poland were later found to have been exaggerated, especially by contemporary newspapers such as the New York Times, although serious abuses against the Jews, including pogroms, continued elsewhere, especially in Ukraine.[30] The result of the concern over the fate of Poland's Jews was a series of explicit clauses in the Versailles Treaty protecting the rights of minorities in Poland.[30][31][32] In 1921, Poland's March Constitution gave the Jews the same legal rights as other citizens and guaranteed them religious tolerance.[33]
In total, during the years of 1917 and 1918, there were 90 pogroms, most of which occurred between August and October 1917 and between March and May 1918.[18]
Ukrainian pogroms (January-July 1919)
In November 1918, the Ukrainian Hetmanate was replaced by Directorate of Ukraine, and on 22 January 1919, the re-established Ukrainian People's Republic carried out a unification with the West Ukrainian People's Republic. In February, Symon Petliura became the president of the Directorate. At the same time, starting in January 1919, the Red Army initiated an invasion of Ukraine from the east. In order to internally integrate its own troops, the Directorate used antisemitic agitation. Pogroms were launched on a massive scale in places where Ukrainian nationalists felt threatened. By the summer of 1919, various Ukrainian forces had murdered over 30,000 Jewish civilians.[34]
In mid-January 1919, the troops of Oles Kozyr-Zirka [uk] stationed in Ovruch killed 80 inhabitants and plundered approximately 1,200 houses. The otaman blamed the Jews who had gathered in the market square "for Bolshevism" and demanded a large ransom. Despite collecting tribute, the order to stop the pogrom was not obeyed. The events ended only with the withdrawal of the otaman's troops under the pressure of the Bolsheviks.[35] At that time, in Zhytomyr, soldiers, joined by peasants from nearby villages, started a pogrom, killing 80 people and plundering property.[36] Two months later, during the takeover of the city by the Ukrainian People's Army, a rumor was spread among the soldiers that 1,300 Christians had allegedly been murdered by Jews. It was a rumor based on the killing of 22 people by the Bolsheviks, which had actually included Jewish victims. A delegation of city officials managed to convince the commanders that the accusation was false, but it was too late to convince the rank-and-file. Despite the escape of many Jews from the city, during the pogrom that lasted five days, 317 people were murdered and many injured. Many Jews were saved by some of the city's Christian inhabitants, who provided them with shelter. The pogrom ceased with the recapture of the city by Bolshevik troops on 24 March.[37]
Monument to victims of Proskurov pogrom in Khmelnytskyi.
The February massacres in Proskurov and the adjacent Felsztyn [uk] in Podolia province were among the bloodiest acts of antisemitic violence during the war in Ukraine. In Proskuriv, the local Bolsheviks planned an armed uprising on 15 February. Despite the opposition of the Jewish socialist parties and the warnings of the city guard, and without consulting the inhabitants, the Bolsheviks went ahead with their coup attempt. However, they were quickly defeated by the Cossack army. The head of the stationed brigade, Ivan Semesenko, then issued a speech to the soldiers in which he blamed the Jews for the incidents, considering them to be dangerous enemies and ordering their extermination. Cossacks massacred Jews and non-Jews[38] for multiple hours. There is at least one instance of Jews engaging in the pogrom as well.[38] The pogrom was stopped by the intervention of the front commander. However, estimates range from 1,200-1,700 people killed, including approximately 300 who succumbed to injuries following the incident. In the following days, the otaman issued a proclamation on antisemitic rhetoric, and only collecting the ransom removed the threat of a resumption of the pogrom.[39] Semesenko was arrested a few months later. It is unclear whether he was released or executed.[38]
Some Bolshevik rebels tried to take over the nearby Felsztyn, but they scattered after hearing about the defeat of the Proskuriv uprising. This episode terrified the Jewish inhabitants of the town. On 17 February, several hundred Cossacks encircled Felsztyn and the next morning they unleashed a massacre. Soldiers killed residents in their homes or after dragging them out into the street, and robbed houses and shops. There were also numerous rapes. According to one eyewitness account, the head of the post office and telegraph office did not react to the incidents, although he was aware of them. As a result of the pogrom that lasted several hours, 600 out of 1,900 Jewish inhabitants of the town were murdered.[40]
Between February and April, there were fights between the Cossacks and the Bolsheviks in the area of Balta. There was a pogrom during each of the Ukrainian takeovers. In total, 100-120 Jewish inhabitants died, and almost all houses and shops were devastated.[41]
Pogroms were often repeated in the same places. Between May 1919 and March 1921 there were 11-14 riots in Bratslav, during which a total of over 200 Jews were killed and 1,200 people lost their homes.[42] In turn, during the pogrom in Chernobyl, which lasted between 7 April and 2 May, 150 Jewish residents were killed by the forces of Ilko Struk [uk] and most of their property was destroyed.[43] There were also cases of capturing Jewish passengers on ships. On 7 April, the Dniepr ships "Baron Ginsburg" and "Kozak" were captured by the forces of Viktor Klymenko [uk]. About 100 Jews were separated from the rest of the passengers and drowned in the river.[44]
Nykyfor Hryhoriv, the otaman who oversaw antisemitic pogroms in Kherson.
In May, the violence increased. On 10 May, raiders killed 258 people and wounded 150 in the village of Kryve Ozero.[45] The forces of Nykyfor Hryhoriv showed particular cruelty. Initially, they recognized the command of the Red Army and, together with its troops, in March and April 1919 carried out operation to capture Kherson, Nikolayev and Odessa from the Allies.[46] But at the beginning of May, Hryhoriv launched an anti-Bolshevik uprising. He published a "Universal", in which he called for the overthrow of Ukrainian Soviet Republic, which he described as "foreigners from Moscow and the country where Christ was crucified".[47] In a short time, his troops committed a series of massacres.
After the capture of Trostianets on 10 May, the Jewish residents were taken to the police station building. At the same time, at a meeting of the city council, a rumor was spread about the alleged relief of Jewish relief from the vicinity. The angered crowd went to the police station building, which they shot at and threw grenades inside, before killing the wounded. From 342 to over 400 Jews died. At the same time, property was plundered and women were raped.[48] Between 15 and 22 May, a pogrom took place in Oleksandrivka, as a result of the unleashed antisemitic agitation. Hryhoriv's troops, together with a part of the local population, killed over 210 inhabitants there. Famine and epidemic typhus flared up in the village soon after.[49]
The bloodiest pogrom of that period took place in Yelysavethrad, which on 10 May was taken over by Hryhoriv's troops. His "Universal" was distributed in the streets and agitation was initiated. On 15 May, the soldiers started a pogrom. In a typical case, a group of several soldiers, after invading a house, murdered its inhabitants and plundered valuable property. Then the house was taken over by a crowd that plundered the rest of the property, loading it onto carts. In the three-day slaughter, between 1,300 and 3,000 people died, despite many cases of Christians hiding their Jewish neighbors. Almost all of the 50,000 Jewish inhabitants of Yelysavethrad were pushed into poverty. Hospitals were overcrowded with the wounded and famine broke out. Red soldiers were sent to recapture Yelysavethrad, only for them to join in the pogrom.[50][51] The pogrom in Cherkasy had a similar course, where on 15 May, Hryhoriv's troops started plundering Jewish houses and killing their inhabitants. Soon some of the townspeople joined the attackers. Despite some Christians hiding their Jewish neighbors, 700 people died in the five-day pogrom.[52]
Other pogroms committed in May by Hryhoriv's troops include the massacres in Katerynoslav (150 deaths),[53] in Kodyma (120 deaths)[54] and Oleksandrivka-Fundukliyivka [uk] (over 160 deaths).[55]
alt=People in New York protesting against the violent pogroms Caption Reads: Thousands of Jews marched in the great New York Parade to a mass meeting of protest against recent pogroms in Ukraine, where, speakers said, 120,000 Jews have been massacred. In the parade a service flag was carried with 8,000 stars for Jews killed in service of the United States. -2 December 1919; Daily Ardmoreite (Oklahoma Paper)
People in New York protesting against the violent pogroms
Caption Reads: Thousands of Jews marched in the great New York Parade to a mass meeting of protest against recent pogroms in Ukraine, where, speakers said, 120,000 Jews have been massacred. In the parade a service flag was carried with 8,000 stars for Jews killed in service of the United States.
-2 December 1919; Daily Ardmoreite (Oklahoma Paper)
In Uman, 35,000 out of the city's 60,000 inhabitants were Jews. In Tsarist times, however, administrative positions were occupied by Christians. The arrival of Soviet rule in March 1919 made some Jews join the authorities. This change caused the Jews to be collectively blamed for the Soviet policy of food requisitioning. On 10 May, an anti-Bolshevik uprising broke out and soon Hryhoriv's troops took over the city. They carried out searches of homes, claiming to be looking for "communists". But in fact, random Jews were murdered, and the non-Jewish communists were not disturbed. During the 10-day pogrom, 300-400 people died. Some of the Christian residents hid their Jewish neighbors. Ukrainian peasants also refused to sell food to Jews.[56] The pogrom was finally ended by the intervention of the 7th Soviet Regiment, but three days later the Regiment was ordered to move to a different location, and Uman would be under the control of the 8th Ukrainian Soviet Regiment. The 8th regiment committed another pogrom after assuming power. 150 Jews were killed by the Reds over the next six weeks. On 3 July the 8th regiment was replaced by the 1st Ukrainian Soviet Cavalry of Fedor Gribenko, which committed another pogrom of similar scale. Two days after, the International 4th Regiment, which was made not only of Ukrainians, Russians, and Jews, but also foreign volunteers from China, Hungary, and Germany, came in control of the city. The arrival of this regiment marked the end of the pogroms in Uman.[51]
The situation was somewhat similar in the multiethnic Lityn. The advent of the Soviet power opened up the possibility for Jews to join the government, which some took advantage of. Initially, there were no ethnic disputes among the residents. However, when the troops of Yakiv Shepel [uk] took over the city on 14 May, they initiated a pogrom in which 100-120 people were murdered. It was also noted that peasants refused to sell food to Jews.[57]
On 12 May, the troops of Ananiy Volnets [uk] captured Haisyn. 340-350 of the town's Jewish inhabitants died in the pogrom they committed. The violence was stopped thanks to the appeal of Russian intellectuals.[58] In turn, in Radomyshl, peasant units of Dmytro Sokolovskiy [uk] initiated a series of pogroms in which 400 to 1,000 were killed.[59]
The most serious pogrom committed by Ukrainian forces in July was the Tulchyn massacre. On 14 July, the attackers killed 519 of the town's Jewish inhabitants.[60] On the other hand, the capture of Holoskiv [uk] by the troops of otaman Kozakov cost the lives of 95 Jews, and most of the settlement was devastated.[45] At the end of the month, Uman was encircled again. On 29 July, a group of haydamaks captured the city and started a pogrom, killing 150 people.[61]
On 15 July, the Seventeenth of Tammuz in the Hebrew calendar, locals turned on their Jewish neighbours in Slovechno, modern-day Zhytomyr Oblast after being told false rumours that Jews were planning to attack Gentiles, convert churches into synagogues, and force Gentiles by pressure into Judaism. More than 60 Jewish civilians were killed as an ensuing pogrom broke out and 45 to 100 injured.[62]
There was a Jewish self-defense unit in Pohrebyshche. However, when the forces of Danylo Terpylo captured the town on 18 August, the Jewish resistance collapsed. Armed groups stormed Pohrebyshche and killed 350-400 of its Jewish inhabitants within a few hours. In the same month, in the town of Justingrad-Sokolivka, Terpylo's forces kidnapped 150 Jews, demanding the release of a high ransom. The requested amount could not be collected and almost all hostages were murdered.[63]
White pogroms (September - December 1919)
Many Jews opposed collectivization and pinned their hopes on the advancing White movement. Experienced with Ukrainian pogroms, they were willing to give up their autonomy in favor of a livable life and a return to the rule of law.[64]
In September 1919, Cossack units of the Volunteer Army captured Fastov. Between 23 and 26 September, they carried out a massacre, during which 1,300-1,800 Jewish people died. Many families were burned alive in their own homes. Children and those hiding in synagogues were also killed. There were also gang rapes and looting. The military authorities ordered the pogrom to be stopped, but the Jewish quarter of the city was ruined.[65]
Victims of a pogrom perpetrated by Ukrainian forces in Khodorkiv, 1919
Three weeks later, the forces of the Volunteer Army pushed the Bolsheviks out of Kiev. After the army entered the city on 16 October, a pogrom broke out. The attackers broke into houses, plundered property and murdered Jewish people. At the height of the riots, the newspapers of the Black Hundreds published an article accusing Jews of shooting at soldiers during the takeover of the city, listing their personal details. The commission set up to investigate these allegations soon found that they had been fabricated.[66] In the five-day wave of violence, 500-600 people were killed.[67]
Some towns experienced pogroms from several sides. Bila Tserkva was such a city, where Jews were the target of violence, successively by the Ukrainian People's Army, then by Terpylo's forces, and finally by Cossack troops in the White Army. The total number of victims of pogroms in Bila Tserkva between 1919 and 1920 is given at 300-850 people.[68]
Later pogroms (1920)
The greatest escalation of anti-Jewish violence took place in Tetiyev in the spring of 1920. Following a pogrom by the Whites the previous year, the town became a site of another massacre, this time perpetrated by Ukrainian anti-Bolshevik insurgents. On 26 March 1920, Cossack troops scattered around the city and began killing Jewish residents. The synagogue complex, where about 1,500 people were hiding in the attic, was set on fire. Most of them were asphyxiated by smoke, and those who escaped through the windows were killed. Some local peasants participated in the pogrom, killing Jews or handing them over to their attackers and loading the stolen property onto carts. Out of the 7,000 Jewish inhabitants of Tetiyev, 4,000-5,000 died, and almost the entire town was ruined.[69][70]
Balance and aftermath
Number of pogroms
Patriarch Tikhon of Moscow, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, who condemned the pogroms by the White movement.
The Armed Forces of South Russia displayed entrenched antisemitic prejudices[71] and they had already stood against the equal rights of minorities established in 1917.[72] In their view, the Jews were responsible for the fall of Tsarism and supported Bolshevism as a whole, and the Protocols of the Elders of Zion were widely distributed among the White forces.[73] The South Russian propaganda agency, under the command of Konstantin Nikolaevich Sokolov [ru], spread rumors about Jews shooting from the windows of buildings at retreating soldiers and about alleged Jewish regiments.[74] The antisemitism of the Whites was supported by a significant part of the clergy of the Russian Orthodox Church, who saw Jews as a godless people who wanted to take power over the "Holy Rus".[75] However, Patriarch Tikhon of Moscow unequivocally condemned the pogroms. In a pastoral letter of 21 July 1919, he wrote that rapes of Jews were "a disgrace to their perpetrators, a disgrace to the Holy Church."[76]
White Cossack units, especially Terek Cossacks, had the greatest share in the massacres at the hands of the Volunteer Army.[77] Pogroms were carried out mainly for the purpose of plunder and under the influence of collectively blaming the Jews for their failure in battle.[78]
The Volunteer Army controlled the Ukrainian lands between the summer of 1919 and the spring of 1920. After almost every seizure of a city by White troops, there was a pogrom against its Jewish inhabitants.[79] The violence particularly intensified in the autumn and winter, during the retreat of the White Army.[80]
According to estimates by historian J.L. Dekel-Chena, in the years 1917–1918 there were 90 pogroms.[81] Researcher Oleg Budnitskii reports that between 1918 and 1920 there were a total of 1,500 pogroms in Ukraine, in over 1,300 localities.[27] In turn, according to Milton Kleg, in 1919 alone, the number of pogroms in Ukraine was 1,326.[82]
Estimates of the number of victims and their geographical distribution
Pogroms with more than 100 victims
Date Location Number of victims
1918
7 March Hlukhiv 400[18]
1919
February – April Balta 100–120[41]
15 February Proskuriv 1500–1600+[83]
18 February Skelivka 600[84]
22-26 March Zhytomyr 317[85]
February-May Chernobyl 150[43]
May Katerynoslav 150[53]
May Radomyshl 400–1000[59]
10 May Kryve Ozero 258[45]
10-11 May Trostianets 342–400+[86]
12 May Haisyn 340[87]
12-14 May Uman 300–400[88]
14 May Lityn 120[89]
15-22 May Oleksandrivka 211[90]
15-17 May Yelysavethrad 1300–3000[91]
18 May Kodyma 120[92]
18-20 May Oleksandrivka-Fundukliyivka [uk] 160+[93]
16-20 May Cherkasy 700[94]
17 April Dubove 300–800[69]
11 July Tulchyn 519[95]
11 August Yelysavethrad 1,000[96]
August Cherkasy 250[94]
22 August Pohrebyshche 350–400[97]
23-26 September Fastov 1300–1800[98]
16-20 October Kiev 500–600[99]
1919-1920 Bila Tserkva 300–850[100]
1920
26 March Tetiyev 4000–5000[69]
According to Peter Kenez, the pogroms of Jewish civilians in Ukraine in 1918–1920 were the largest case of mass murder against Jews before the Holocaust.[101] It was the first time in the history of modern Europe that uniformed armed forces murdered civilians on such a massive scale.[102]
According to various sources, between 35,000 and 250,000 people died. The number of 50-60 thousand victims is given as the lower bound.[103] Eli Heifetz, chairman of the All-Ukrainian Committee for Aid to Victims of the Pogrom, in 1921, on the basis of the data available to him, estimated the number of deaths at 120,000.[104] The same conclusions were reached in 1999 by David Vital.[34] Ronald Suny reports a lower bound average at 50,000 deaths, though reports a range of 35,000 to 150,000 total.[105] According to Manus Midlarsky and Yitzhak Arad's 2005 and 2009 estimates, the death toll was 150,000. These estimates included those who died as a result of wounds, as well as victims of hunger and epidemics of infectious diseases following pogroms.[106] Lidia Miliakova wrote that 125,000 Jews were killed in Ukraine and 25,000 in Belorussia.[107] Oleg Budnitskii in his monograph mentions 200,000 victims as an upper estimate.[27] In turn, according to Peter Kenez, the death toll amounted to a quarter of a million people.[17] The 1985 Whitaker Report of the United Nations cites an estimated range of 100,000 to 250,000 deaths.[1]
According to Lidia Miliakova the majority (78%) of pogroms occurred in Ukraine, while 14% and 8% happened in Belorussia and Russia respectively.[108]
Estimates of other losses
Based on the partial reports of the Red Cross, Eli Heifetz estimated that more than one million people suffered material losses.[104] About 50,000-300,000 children were left orphans and half a million inhabitants were driven out of their homes or left.[109][110] According to Z. Gitelman, in the years 1918–1921, 70–80% of the Jewish population was without regular income, although the Soviet ban on private trade was a partial cause of unemployment.[111]
Estimates of the contribution of the forces carrying out the pogroms
Anglo-Jewish writer Israel Zangwill wrote that:
It is as Bolsheviks that the Jews of South Russia have been massacred by the armies of Petlyura, though the armies of Sokolow have massacred them as partisans of Petlyura, the armies of Makhno as bourgeois capitalists, the armies of Hryhoriv as Communists, and the armies of Denikin at once as Bolsheviks, capitalists and Ukrainian nationalists.[112]
Manus Midlarsky and Oleg Budnitskii reported that, according to earlier estimates, the Ukrainian People's Army caused 54% of the casualties, the White Army caused 17%, and the Red Army caused 2%. According to recent analyses carried out after the opening of the Russian archives, the percentage of homicides at the hands of the White Volunteer Army may even reach 50%.[2] The YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe said that remaining pogroms (25%) were committed by independent groups, followed by the White Army at 17%, and the Soviets at 9%.[27] YIVO also gives an estimate of 38 people killed in the average pogrom by Ukrainian forces, 25 in the average White pogrom, and 7 in the average Red pogrom.[27][3]
The involvement in the pogroms of the anarchist Revolutionary Insurgent Army of Ukraine movement, led by Nestor Makhno, is still unclear. The Makhnovists themselves confirmed their complicity in one pogrom by anarchists that killed 22 Jews in Gorkaya, for which the culprits were arrested, convicted, and executed.[113][114] However, Boris D. Bogen reported that anarchists had killed a number of Jews in Kazanka. Whether or not they were responsible for the 1918 massacre of 175 to 1,000 residents of the Jewish localities of Trudoliubovka and Nechaevka, Yekaterinoslav Governorate, is under dispute. Many residents of the town said that the massacre had been committed by the Anarchists, and in a 1964 letter a survivor wrote that "many Jewish settlements were massacred by bandits called Machnovtsi including ours. My father, husband, brothers Shmilik, Pinchas and Velvl were murdered
Thoughts From Thomas Sowell
Often cynical - always thought provoking.
No one will really understand politics until they understand that politicians are not trying to solve our problems. They are trying to solve their own problems - of which getting elected and re-elected are number one and number two. Whatever is number three is far behind.
If you have been voting for politicians who promise to give you goodies at someone else's expense, then you have no right to complain when they take your money and give it to someone else, including themselves.
The first lesson of economics is scarcity: there is never enough of anything to fully satisfy all those who want it. The first lesson of politics is to disregard the first lesson of economics.
Capitalism is not an 'ism.' It is closer to being the opposite of an 'ism,' because it is simply the freedom of ordinary people to make whatever economic transactions they can mutually agree to.
Economics is concerned with what emerges, not what anyone intended.
The welfare state is the oldest con game in the world. First you take people's money away quietly, and then you give some of it back to them flamboyantly.
We seem to be getting closer and closer to a situation where nobody is responsible for what they did but we are all responsible for what somebody else did.
The vocabulary of the political left is fascinating. For example, it is considered to be 'materialistic' and 'greedy' to want to keep what you have earned. But it is 'idealistic' to want to take away what someone else has earned and spend it for your own political benefit or to feel good about yourself.
You can only confiscate the wealth that exists at a given moment. You cannot confiscate future wealth - and that future wealth is less likely to be produced when people see that it is going to be confiscated.
The question is not what anybody deserves. The question is who is to take on the God-like role of deciding what everybody else deserves. You can talk about 'social justice' all you want. But what death taxes boil down to is letting politicians take money from widows and orphans to pay for goodies that they will hand out to others, in order to buy votes to get re-elected. That is not social justice or any other kind of justice.
If politicians were serious about day care for children, instead of just sloganizing about it, nothing they could do would improve the quality of child care more than by lifting the heavy burden of taxation that forces so many families to have both parents working.
Despite a voluminous and often fervent literature on "income distribution," the cold fact is that most income is not distributed: It is earned.
People who are very aware that they have more knowledge than the average person are often very unaware that they do not have one-tenth of the knowledge of all of the average persons put together. In this situation, for the intelligentsia to impose their notions on ordinary people is essentially to impose ignorance on knowledge.
Four things have almost invariably followed the imposition of controls to keep prices below the level they would reach under supply and demand in a free market: (1) increased use of the product or service whose price is controlled, (2) Reduced supply of the same product or service, (3) quality deterioration, (4) black markets.
Most intellectuals outside the field of economics show remarkably little interest in learning even the basic fundamentals of economics. Yet they do not hesitate to make sweeping pronouncements about the economy in general, businesses in particular, and the many issues revolving around what is called 'income distribution'.
The first rule of economics is that there is an infinite number of desires chasing a finite number of goods, services and resources. The first rule of politics is to ignore the first rule of economics.
Just as a poetic discussion of the weather is not meteorology, so an issuance of moral pronouncements or political creeds about the economy is not economics. Economics is a study of cause-and-effect relationships in an economy.
All the political angst and moral melodrama about getting 'the rich' to pay 'their fair share' is part of a big charade. This is not about economics, it is about politics.
At least half of the popular fallacies about economics come from assuming that economic activity is a zero-sum game, in which what is gained by someone is lost by someone else. But transactions would not continue unless both sides gained, whether in international trade, employment, or renting an apartment.
Economics is a study of cause-and-effect relationships in an economy. It's purpose is to discern the consequences of various ways of allocating resources which have alternative uses. It has nothing to say about philosophy or values, anymore than it has to say about music or literature.
Why the transfer of decisions from those with personal experience and a stake in the outcome to those with neither can be expected to lead to better decisions is a question seldom asked, much less answered.
Any politician who starts shouting election-year demagoguery about the rich and the poor should be asked, "What about the other 90 percent of the people?"
The dominant orthodoxy in development economics was that Third World countries were trapped in a vicious cycle of poverty that could be broken only by massive foreign aid from the more prosperous industrial nations of the world. This was in keeping with a more general vision on the Left that people were essentially divided into three categories - the heartless, the helpless, and wonderful people like themselves, who would rescue the helpless by playing Lady Bountiful with the taxpayers' money.
People who know nothing about advertising, nothing about pharmaceuticals, and nothing about economics have been loudly proclaiming that the drug companies spend too much on advertising - and demanding that the government pass laws based on their ignorance.
Special Needs
I was a special needs child.
Now I am a special needs adult.
So are you.
No offense.
We ALLLLL have special needs.
We all have common needs [food, shelter etc.] and also our own unique special needs not common to all mankind.
Mussar Haskel: Make sure that your needs are being fulfilled - including your *special* needs. Only YOU know what they are. Nobody else necessarily knows and most people, frankly, don't care. Don't be offended. You are one of 8 billion other people. It is impossible for anyone to be overly concerned with all other 8 billion people yourself included. People will primarily see you as a means to fulfilling THEIR needs. [HaGaon HaEconomist HaNobel Prize Winner Milton Friedman taught that a basic rule of economics is that the person you are dealing with will always put his own needs first. Had I known this I would have been saved from some very critical mistakes I have made in life]. So it is up to you to make sure your needs are being met. This will help enable you to fulfill your potential.
Then make sure that the needs of those close to you [parents, spouse, children etc.] are ALSO being met.
Saturday, July 5, 2025
המסע אל החיים
מוות וחיים – אש ומים
א
הווית המוות במדבר
כבר כתבנו בפרשיות הקודמות שהמצות בפרשיות ספר במדבר, מתכתבות עם האירועים המרכזים של
הפרשה, ומהוות תיקון להם. אולם בפרשת חוקת, יש להבחין, שהמצווה שצווו עליה בפרשתנו: מצות
טומאת המת, והטהרה ממנה, קדמה לכאורה לאירועים שאירעו אחריה, ויש לעיין מהיכן היא באה?
הפרשה שלנו מהווה את התחלת החולייה האחרונה של ספר במדבר, היא מדלגת על כל ארבעים שנה
של בני ישראל, בהם הסתובבו במדבר, עד תום הארבעים שנה, בהם נגזר על דור האבות למות, ומתחילה
לספר על השנה האחרונה של בני ישראל במדבר, בהם נכללים סיפורי המלחמות עם סיחון ועוג
שבפרשתנו, שעושה עוד משה רבינו בעצמו , לפני מותו במדבר.
נראה שהמצווה על טומאת המת , באה מהווית המוות של ארבעים שנה אלו . בעוד היא מהווה גם
הקדמה למות המנהיגים בפרשתנו, מרים אהרן, והגזירה הקשה ביותר – מות משה רבינו, על מי מריבה.
(וכן גזרו הקדמונים תענית על שריפת התלמוד בפריז, בעש"ק חוקת, על פי מה שתרגם אונקלוס המקרא
של זאת חוקת התורה: דא גזירת אורייתא).
ב
אפר פרה אדומה ומים חיים
פרה אדומה היא חוק, שלפי הסברם של חז"ל הכוונה שהוא דבר הנעלה מתפיסה ארצית, אולם במבט
גבוה יותר אנחנו יכולים לגלות טפח מדרך ההתמודדות של מצווה זו, עם הווית המוות בכלל.
הווית המוות נתפסת כשריפה בתורה בהרבה מקומות, השריפה אשר שרף ה'. שריפת פרה אדומה
מהווה את הנכחת הווית המוות, פרה אדומה, מהווה סמל של דין (גם הפרה בהיותה מזכירה עבודה זרה,
וגם צבעה האדום הוא סמל של דין). עשית הפרה הוא מחוץ למקדש וכנגדו , בגלל שהווית המוות , והדין
שנגזר עליה, עוד אצל אדם הראשון בגלל חטאו, מהווה שורש לכל הדין , והסתר פנים בעולם, שהוא כנגד
מקום המקדש שם מתגלית השכינה, זהו החסד השוכן במקדש, לעומת הדין שמחוץ לו (כשעיר המשתלח).
את הפרה שורפים, ומכנסים אל תוך שריפתה, עץ ארז ואזוב ושני תועלת, ארז ואזוב, יכולים ל סמל
שכולם שווים בפני המוות, מהארז הגדול עד האזוב שבקיר, ושני התועלת הוא שוב רמז לאדמומית
הנשרפת כהפרה, האפר נאסף, וניתן בתוך כלי, עליו יבואו המים חיים, אותם יזו, על הנטמאים מהמת.
המים הם סמל החיים, אש =מוות. מים= חיים.
פעולת ההזאה של המים על הנטמא במת, היא ההצמחה מחדש של החיים, במקום הווית המוות, שקדמה
לה, היא מתקנת את החיים, לבלתי יתפסו להוויית המוות, כי החיים הם שורש החסד והתיקון של המוות
המאיים עליהם.
ג
המשך הפרשה : נחש שרף ומים חיים
באופן כללי מדבר מהווה כר נרחב להוויית המוות, כמו שאמרו ישראל בפרשתנו (לאחר פרשת פרה
אדומה) וְלָמָה הֲבֵאתֶם אֶת-קְהַל יְהוָה, אֶל-הַמִּדְבָּר הַזֶּה, לָמוּת שָׁם, אֲנַחְנוּ וּבְעִירֵנוּ. וְלָמָה הֶעֱלִיתֻנוּ, מִמִּצְרַיִם, לְהָבִיא אֹתָנוּ, אֶל-הַמָּקוֹם הָרָע הַזֶּה: לֹא מְקוֹם זֶרַע, וּתְאֵנָה וְגֶפֶן וְרִמּוֹן, וּמַיִם אַיִן, לִשְׁתּוֹת. ואכן המים שהם כאמור סמל החיים, הם דבר שאינו מצוי במדבר, הנהפך לסמל המוות.
כפי הנראה מהפרשה וכמו שלמדנו חז"ל, התלוננות זו של בני ישראל, הגיע לאחר מות מרים, שבזכותה היה להם באר מים לשתיית העדה ובעירם. מרים כאישה נביאה ואחות משה, שחזתה את מושת משה מהיאור, והעניקה לו חיים, בזכותה הוענק לבני ישראל מים במדבר כל הארבעים שנה .
כאמור כל ארבעים שנה אלו, לא נכתבה ולא נזכרה שום תלונה של בני ישראל וגם לא סומן וצוין בה כלל איזה אירוע יוצא דופן, חוץ מנסיעתם וחנייתם בפרשת מסעי. התחלת התלונות המחודשות היו , דווקא כשפסק מהם המוות התדיר שנלווה אליהם בכל ארבעים השנה, והם כבר היו סמוכים לתחילת החיים בארץ ישראל. כנראה, התלונות מהוות בעצמם סוג של תנועתיות ובקשת חיים.
סופן של תלונות אלו במקרה הזה, היה עגום במיוחד, לא לעם דווקא, אלא למנהיגים - לב כל ישראל.
יַעַן לֹא-הֶאֱמַנְתֶּם בִּי, לְהַקְדִּישֵׁנִי לְעֵינֵי בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל--לָכֵן, לֹא תָבִיאוּ אֶת-הַקָּהָל הַזֶּה, אֶל-הָאָרֶץ, אֲשֶׁר-נָתַתִּי לָהֶם.
כמו שכבר כתבנו בפתיחה לספר במדבר, לדיבור יש כוח מרפא ההופך את המדבָר למדבֵר, שהוא סוג של הפיכת המוות לחיים. בעקבות הדיבור, המדבר היה הופך לנווה מדבר. משה ואהרן (וכפי הנראה גם מרים) היו מכניסים את בני ישראל לארץ ישראל, והנחל היוצא מבית קדשי הקדשים המתואר כנבואת העתיד בספר יחזקאל (מז) וְעַל הַנַּחַל יַעֲלֶה עַל שְׂפָתוֹ מִזֶּה וּמִזֶּה כָּל עֵץ מַאֲכָל לֹא יִבּוֹל עָלֵהוּ וְלֹא יִתֹּם פִּרְיוֹ לָחֳדָשָׁיו יְבַכֵּר כִּי מֵימָיו מִן הַמִּקְדָּשׁ הֵמָּה יוֹצְאִים והיו [וְהָיָה] פִרְיוֹ לְמַאֲכָל וְעָלֵהוּ לִתְרוּפָה. היו הופכים מהיות עתיד להווה.
גם בהמשך הפרשה מתרוצצים הניגודים האלה - בין בקשת המים, לאש השרף, בין המוות לבין החיים.
בני ישראל רוצים לעבור באדום, האדום, הוא אותו אדום של עשיו, ושל פרה אדומה, סמל הדין והמוות כאמור.
בפי בני ישראל בקשה אחת: וַיֹאמְרּו אֵלָיו בְנֵי יִּשְרָאֵל בַמְסִּלָה נַעֲלֶה וְאִּם מֵימֶיָך נִּשְ תֶה אֲנִּי ומִּקְנַי וְנָתַתִּי מִּכְרָם רַק אֵין דָבָר בְרַגְלַי אֶעֱבֹרָה. והתשובה של עשיו: ויֹאמֶר אֵלָיו אֱדֹום לֹא תַעֲבֹר בִּי פֶן בַחֶרֶב אֵצֵא לִּקְרָאתֶך....וַיֵצֵא אֱדֹום לִּקְרָאתֹו בְעַם כָבֵד ובְיָד חֲזָקָה.
עשיו כדרכו מאיים בחרב שעליו חיי האדומים שלו. בעוד בני ישראל, חפצים בשלום, בחיים המסומלים במים.
בהמשך הפרשה מתואר מות אהרן, ותחילת כיבושי בני ישראל, מופיעה פרשת נחש הנחושת. בני ישראל שוב מתלוננים: וַיִּסְעו מֵהר הָהָר דֶרֶך יַם סּוף לִסבֹב אֶת אֶרֶץ אֱדֹום וַּתִּקְצַר נֶפֶש הָעָם בַדָרֶך. וַיְדַבֵר הָעָם בֵאֹלהִּים ובְמֹשֶה לָמָה הֶעֱלִּיתֻנּו מִּמִּצְרַיִּם לָמּות בַמִּדְבָר כִּי אֵין לֶחֶם וְאֵין מַיִּם. הסיבוב הארוך סביב ארץ אדום, בה הם רצו לעבור ולקנות את מימיהם בכסף, הופך להיות עילה לתלונה , קצרה נפשם בדרך , והם התלוננו על חסרון המים בשנית. כעת כבר לא נסלח לבני ישראל, וה' העניש אותם בנחשים השרפים.
הנחשים הללו של המדבר, שהמרפא שלהם היה רק ע"י ההבטה אל נחש הנחושת, מסמלים את הצמא והשרף של המדבר, סמל המוות, שהמרפא שלו אינו עוד בנתינת מים כעת, אלא בהבטה והבנה, אל שורש החיים והמוות, שהוא הנהגת ה' בטוב וברע, בחיים ובמוות. רק התבוננות כזאת יכולה להוביל אותם אל סוף המסע הזה.
לקראת סוף המסע , והתחלת כיבושי ארץ סיחון ועוג , ישנה שירה עלומה, שירת הבאר: הִוא הַבְאֵר אֲשֶר אָמַר יְ-הוָה לְמֹשֶה אֱסֹף אֶת הָעָם וְאֶתְנָה לָהֶם מָיִּם.
עליה שרו בני ישראל את השירה הזאת:
עֲלִּי בְאֵר עֱנּו לָּה.
בְּאֵר חֲפָרוּהָ שָׂרִים, כָּרוּהָ נְדִיבֵי הָעָם, בִּמְחֹקֵק, בְּמִשְׁעֲנֹתָם; וּמִמִּדְבָּר, מַתָּנָה. וּמִמַּתָּנָה, נַחֲלִיאֵל; וּמִנַּחֲלִיאֵל, בָּמוֹת. וּמִבָּמוֹת, הַגַּיְא אֲשֶׁר בִּשְׂדֵה מוֹאָב--רֹאשׁ, הַפִּסְגָּה; וְנִשְׁקָפָה, עַל-פְּנֵי הַיְשִׁימֹן.
המים של הבאר שהם מי המרפא של המוות המאיים במדבר, הבאר המשקיף על פני הישימון, מהווה את עילת שירת ההודאה הגדולה לה' הזאת, אחרי כל המסע הזה, שהתחיל ביציאת מצרים וקריעת ים סוף, ונגמר בארץ ישראל.
המים שנתן ה' לישראל במדבר, היא בסופו של דבר ההתנסות הזאת וההכרה בסוף של בני ישראל בנותן המים הוא נותן התורה במדבר, הלא דורשי רשומות אמרו שאין מים אלא תורה, כמו שנאמר (ישעיהו נה א) הֹוי כָל צָמֵא לְכּו לַמַיִּם. ואמרו רבותינו (בב"ק פב.) אין מים אלא תורה. שהלא מרבה תורה מרבה חיים.
מים אלו, הלא הם דיבורו של משה מפי הגבורה, ההופך את המדָבר למדבֵר.
הרב מ"א
Friday, July 4, 2025
Death Is Not Enough
“The Canaanite king of Arad, who dwelled in the south…” (21:1)
After the passing of Aharon, the clouds of glory which offered Bnei Yisroel protection from their enemies departed.[1] The verse states that Arad, king of the Canaanites who lived in the south, rallied his forces and waged war against Bnei Yisroel. The nation that dwelled in the south is identified in Parshas Shelach as the Amalekites, Bnei Yisroel’s sworn enemy, who were not a Canaanite nation.[2] Why then does the verse describe the nation living in the south as Canaanites? The Yalkut explains that the Amalekites, aware of Bnei Yisroel’s power of prayer, disguised themselves in Canaanite attire and conversed with each other in the Canaanite tongue, hoping that when Bnei Yisroel pray for victory it would be against the Canaanites rather than the Amalekites. However, relates the Yalkut, their plans were thwarted when Bnei Yisroel noticed that their facial features were not consistent with their clothing and language. Therefore, Bnei Yisroel prayed that Hashem should deliver them from “the enemy that is attacking them”, omitting the nationality of their antagonists.[3]
Rashi cites the Tanchuma which has a slightly different account of the events. According to the Tanchuma, Amaleik hoped to deceive Bnei Yisroel by conversing in a Canaanite language. Bnei Yisroel were confused as to the identity of their attackers for they still wore their Amalekite attire. Therefore, Bnei Yisroel did not identify their enemy by name in their prayers.[4] If the Amalekites were attempting to deceive Bnei Yisroel why did they not change their clothing to strengthen the deception?
In the last century Amaleik reared its ugly head in the form of the Nazis (ys”v). Not only were the Nazis bent on the annihilation of the entire Jewish people, but they invented many forms of ingenious techniques and devices by which to debase, dehumanize and ridicule us before killing us. Amaleik are not interested in only destroying Bnei Yisroel; they want to deprecate and ridicule us in the process. So great is their hatred that our destruction is not sufficient to squelch their enmity for us; they will only find satisfaction if we are psychologically crushed prior to annihilation.
The Midrash is teaching us that although the Amalekites were well aware that their ruse might be discovered since they did not dress in Canaanite attire, they were willing to take that risk. If they would have been successful in their deception, in addition to vanquishing Bnei Yisroel they would have made us look foolish as well. Prior to eliminating us they would have been able to point out our stupidity for not having identified them by their clothing. This form of self-destructive behavior is consistent with Amalekite actions against the Jews throughout history; they are willing to destroy themselves in their maniacal attempts to hurt and degrade the Jewish People.[5]
1.Rosh Hashana 3a
2.13:29
3.Yalkut Parshas Chukas, See Yalkut First Printing
4.Tanchuma 18
5.See Rashi Devarim 25:18
We Did The Time
“Moshe sent emissaries from Kadesh to the king of Edom…”(20:14)
The most expedient route into Eretz Yisroel would take Bnei Yisroel through the territory of Edom, the descendants of Eisav. In order to avoid confrontation, Moshe sent a delegation to the king of Edom requesting the right of passage through his land. Moshe instructed his messengers to begin their dialogue with an account of the suffering which befell Bnei Yisroel at the hands of the Egyptians.[1] Rashi explains that Moshe’s message to Edom was that a prerequisite for inheriting the land which was promised to Avraham was that his offspring would suffer exile and servitude under a foreign ruler. Whereas Bnei Yisroel had suffered and now deserved the inheritance, the children of Eisav had not done their share, although they too were offspring of Avraham. Therefore, since Bnei Yisroel had suffered on behalf of the children of Eisav as well, in the very least they should be granted permission to cross through the land of Edom unmolested.[2] What does Bnei Yisroel’s suffering have to do with being granted access?
Furthermore, the implication is that since servitude was decreed for the offspring of Avraham, the children of Eisav were included in this decree. Since when do we refer to Eisav as offspring of Avraham? Chazal expound upon the verse “ki b’Yitzchak yikaray lecha zera” – “from Yitzchak will offspring be considered yours”, saying “from Yitzchak, but not all of Yitzchak”, i.e Yaakov, and not Eisav was considered a beneficiary of the covenant made with Avraham.[3]
When Avraham entered Eretz Yisroel at the age of seventy-five, the Torah records, “vehakenani az ba’aretz” – “The Canaanite was then in the land.”[4] The next verse records Hashem telling Avraham, “To your offspring I will give this land.”[5] Rashi explains the juxtaposition of the two verses in the following manner: Although at the time when Avraham entered Eretz Yisroel, the Canaanites, who were descendants of Noach’s son Cham, were in the midst of conquering the entire land, Hashem assured Avraham that his offspring would inherit the land for it was apportioned to Shem, and not Cham. Since Avraham’s children are Semites (of Shem), they have the right to the land.[7] Rashi appears to be saying that our right to the land is through our connection to Shem the son of Noach. This contradicts the perception that our right to the land is our connection to Avraham.
The answers to the aforementioned questions lie in understanding that there were two covenants which assured Bnei Yisroel of their right to Eretz Yisroel. The first covenant occurred when Avraham was seventy years old, “The Covenant of the Parts”, in which Avraham was assured that his descendants would inherit Eretz Yisroel. The territory described in the verse includes those of the ten nations on both sides of the Jordan extending to the Euphrates. Rashi notes that Bnei Yisroel received only seven of the lands. The final three would belong to Edom until Messianic times.[9] This “Greater Eretz Yisroel” was promised to Avraham’s descendants, for he was the beneficiary of the legacy of Shem and therefore included Eisav. When Avraham was ninety-nine we find a second covenant, “The Covenant of Circumcision” which gave Bnei Yisroel exclusive rights to the land of the Canaanites, i.e. the seven nations, because of their connection to the Patriarchs.[10] This explains why prior to crossing the Jordan, Joshua instructed that all the males of Bnei Yisroel must undergo circumcision, for their connection to Eretz Canaan is through the Covenant of Circumcision.[11]
Therefore, Bnei Yisroel have two claims to Eretz Yisroel, their claim to the “Greater Eretz Yisroel” through their connection to Shem and their exclusive right to Eretz Canaan through their connection to Avraham. At the “Covenant of the Pieces” Hashem decreed that in order to inherit Eretz Yisroel, Avraham’s offspring would have to undergo exile and servitude. This included all of Avraham’s offspring, for it was for the right to claim the “Greater Eretz Yisroel”. Therefore, Moshe sent a message to the king of Edom saying that Bnei Yisroel served their share of servitude as well as Edom’s, and technically they could lay claim to the “Greater Eretz Yisroel” and Eretz Canaan. Nevertheless, all he wanted was the right of passage. By refusing, Edom relinquished their rights. However, Hashem instructed Bnei Yisroel to avoid confrontation until the Messianic times when the land will be annexed to Bnei Yisroel as part of a “Greater Eretz Yisroel”.
1.20:15
2.See Rashi 20:14,15,16
3.Beraishis 21:12 See Nedarim31a
4.Beraishis 12:
5.Ibid 12:7
6.Rashi 12:6
7.15:7-21 See Tosafos Berachos 7b
8.15:18-21
9.Rashi ibid See Isaiah 11:14
10.17:1-14
11.Joshua 5:2-8
R' Zweig
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
