Just saw an advertisement on the top of my gmail page: "Tell me your birthdate and I will tell you your love future." [I am not contacting her because I want to believe that I will remain married until death. Not looking for any surprises:). Also, I spend my money on silly things like groceries and shoes for the kids and don't have much left over for dubious astrologists].
I can't offer that but I can say "Tell me your birthdate and I will tell you how old you are".
Thursday, January 3, 2013
The Songs Of Eretz Yisrael
I know that I am back tracking a little but it's OK. A friend in the neighborhood writes for a newspaper and asked me for sources on the power of niggun for an article he is writing. He came to the right place [not only because I love music but because I have a computer and can do a search and he doesn't...].
This is one idea I found: Yaakov tells his sons קחו מזמרת הארץ - This is translated as "Take from the best of the land [meaning food, and bring it to the leader].
But not by Rebbe Nachman....
Rebbe Nachman said [if you were in the same Yeshiva as me about 3-4 years ago I gave this over on Shabbos afternoon Parshas Mikeitz in room 306]: Take from the ZMIROS of Eretz Yisrael. Bring him a niggun to elevate him. That's the greatest gift.
Asked Rav Moshe Tzvi Nerya: How can they give away such holy niggunim and risk that the filthy Egyptians will misuse them for their immoral desires??
The answer is that Yaakov hoped that they would bring over the niggunim and the niggun would spread around town and Yosef would hear it and it would inspire him to return to Hashem. [Yaakov didn't know that Yosef was the leader and had remained faithful to Hashem.]
The כח of a niggun!!
2-3-4 IVVVVDU ESSS HASHEM BI-SIMCHAAAAAAAAAA, IVDU ESSS.......!!!
This is one idea I found: Yaakov tells his sons קחו מזמרת הארץ - This is translated as "Take from the best of the land [meaning food, and bring it to the leader].
But not by Rebbe Nachman....
Rebbe Nachman said [if you were in the same Yeshiva as me about 3-4 years ago I gave this over on Shabbos afternoon Parshas Mikeitz in room 306]: Take from the ZMIROS of Eretz Yisrael. Bring him a niggun to elevate him. That's the greatest gift.
Asked Rav Moshe Tzvi Nerya: How can they give away such holy niggunim and risk that the filthy Egyptians will misuse them for their immoral desires??
The answer is that Yaakov hoped that they would bring over the niggunim and the niggun would spread around town and Yosef would hear it and it would inspire him to return to Hashem. [Yaakov didn't know that Yosef was the leader and had remained faithful to Hashem.]
The כח of a niggun!!
2-3-4 IVVVVDU ESSS HASHEM BI-SIMCHAAAAAAAAAA, IVDU ESSS.......!!!
A Vort For The Shabbos Table - And For The Heart
לזכות התינוקת חיה שירה בת ר' אהרן ישראל לברכה הצלחה וכל טוב סלה
In parshas shmos we read about the birth of Moshe Rabbeinu and how he was placrd in a box in the river and subsequently pulled out by the daughter of Paroh. The pasuk says ותפתח ותראהו את הילד והנה נער בוכה "she opened [the box] and she saw the CHILD and a behold a LAD was crying". Waaaaiiiitttt a second - was he a child or a lad? He was in fact a child - a baby - as the pasuk begins, so why does the pasuk suddenly make an about face and call him a lad?
Rashi answers that Moshe's voice was deep like that of a lad.
The Baal Haturim says something that almost makes ME cry. The "lad" in the pasuk is not Moshe - it's his brother Aharon! Aharon was worried about his brother to the point of tears. WOW!!
The daughter of Paroh then exclaims - מילדי העברים זה - he is a Jewish baby. How did she know? If his brother is crying for him he must be a Jew. We Egyptians don't have such a quality. [Sefer Terachem Tziyon]
One of the themes of sefer bereishis is sibling rivalry. Kayin kills Hevel. Yitzchak and Yishmael. Yaakov and Eisav. Yosef and his brothers. OYYYYY! At the end of the sefer, Yaakov gives the younger Ephraim the preferred bracha over his elder brother Menashe yet FINALLY there are no repurcussions. Menashe remains silent. [Some suggest that this is why we bless our children that they should be like Ephraim and Menashe - no sibling rivalry]. Yet here with Aharon, we see an even greater tikkun. He CRIED for his brother [while his sister Miriam stood from afar observing to see what would happen with her brother].
Later in the parsha we find Moshe arguing at the burning bush that he can't redeem the Jewish people from Egypt because Aharon his older brother is the leader and he doesn't want to take his job. Hashem says וראך ושמח בלבו he will see you and be so happy that he won't be able to express it with words. His joy will be overflowing in his heart.
When a Leiby Kletzky is brutally murdered the entire Jewish world cries in unison. We are all siblings and know how to cry for each other. How odd then that we have such trouble getting along.
Maybe this Shabbos we can think of ways to show others how much we care.
Because deep down -
we really really do.
Shmuel And Agag
לזכות שמואל אלכסנדר בן נעכא גיטל שיגדל לתארת עם ישראל
Recently, I have been thinking a lot about the story of how Shmuel dispensed of Agag the king of Amalek [which inspired this little burst of lightening]. Agag was an EVIL man. Before Shmuel killed him he said כאשר שכלה נשים חרבך כן תשכל מנשים אמך - Just as your sword caused to many woman to lose a close relative, so your mother is going to lose you.
That is a strange thing to say, as if all he did was make women lose someone close to them. He was a murderer! He murdered innocent human beings!! Shmuel should have said - "Just as you killed others, so you will be killed". So there:).
Much has been said on this pasuk. Rav Baruch Mordechai Ezrachi Shlita explained that there is a unique, sinister and profound evil, when a person not only kills but thinks to himself "How pleasurable it will be to know that this boy's mother will mourn for him for many years to come. And mamesh a gevald to think about his newly widowed wife crying at his funeral, and his orphaned daughters shedding oceans of tears - what a pleasure". That was Agag and because of that Shmuel said that just as your unspeakable evil was premeditated to cause other women pain, so will your mother experience your loss.
I add that when someone dies he only dies once. When someone loses a child or spouse they die a million deaths. Every time they think about their beloved, departed relative something inside them dies. Agag with one act of murder wanted to kill other sensitive [bi-gimatria women] people millions of times. That is worse than the actual killing.
In the last 70 years between Nazis and Arabs we have experienced much Agagism.
How can we counter this? When you do an act of kindness, think about the ripple effect. Maybe - how proud it will make your parents or how the person who was the benefactor of your kindness will pass it forward.
פלאי פלאות!!:-)
Recently, I have been thinking a lot about the story of how Shmuel dispensed of Agag the king of Amalek [which inspired this little burst of lightening]. Agag was an EVIL man. Before Shmuel killed him he said כאשר שכלה נשים חרבך כן תשכל מנשים אמך - Just as your sword caused to many woman to lose a close relative, so your mother is going to lose you.
That is a strange thing to say, as if all he did was make women lose someone close to them. He was a murderer! He murdered innocent human beings!! Shmuel should have said - "Just as you killed others, so you will be killed". So there:).
Much has been said on this pasuk. Rav Baruch Mordechai Ezrachi Shlita explained that there is a unique, sinister and profound evil, when a person not only kills but thinks to himself "How pleasurable it will be to know that this boy's mother will mourn for him for many years to come. And mamesh a gevald to think about his newly widowed wife crying at his funeral, and his orphaned daughters shedding oceans of tears - what a pleasure". That was Agag and because of that Shmuel said that just as your unspeakable evil was premeditated to cause other women pain, so will your mother experience your loss.
I add that when someone dies he only dies once. When someone loses a child or spouse they die a million deaths. Every time they think about their beloved, departed relative something inside them dies. Agag with one act of murder wanted to kill other sensitive [bi-gimatria women] people millions of times. That is worse than the actual killing.
In the last 70 years between Nazis and Arabs we have experienced much Agagism.
How can we counter this? When you do an act of kindness, think about the ripple effect. Maybe - how proud it will make your parents or how the person who was the benefactor of your kindness will pass it forward.
פלאי פלאות!!:-)
The Greatest Gift
One of my children, in their pure-holy-un-media-affected-no-Internet-no-television-no-movie-way, once asked me why very religious people have more children than more modern people? How does it work? In my neighborhood, just about every woman under forty is either expecting, or recently had a baby. In less frum places, two or three or maybe even four children is the norm. In frum places, by the time she is 27 she already has at least four and that is just the "appetizer".
Why? Is it because of the special love that Hashem has for those who are faithful to Him? Maybe that is part of it but we know another reason... [I didn't tell my child this.]
Pharoh tried to have the Jewish fetuses aborted and Jewish babies killed. We are in favor of babies. So why do so many Jews limit their output?
The answer very often is money. Before people get married they already go to the Rabbi to ask for a heter to postpone conception [and others don't even ask].
I am in a bit of a rush so I will keep it short.
A child IS expensive but is worth FARRRR more than money can buy. I have over 20 billion dollars.
?????
I have five children בלי עין הרע and if you would offer me 4 billion dollars to take a child away I would never agree.
Most Charedim in Israel have very little money but that doesn't stop them from having large families while people with good jobs and a lot of money have a child every 7 years because they fear that the child will cost too much.
A child is the source of the greatest feeling of love and connection possible. They are worth the money. Really. Hands down. A no-brainer.
Please - if you are fortunate enough to be married, give the world the greatest gift possible - a Jewish child.
There is nothing sweeter and more pure.
Why? Is it because of the special love that Hashem has for those who are faithful to Him? Maybe that is part of it but we know another reason... [I didn't tell my child this.]
Pharoh tried to have the Jewish fetuses aborted and Jewish babies killed. We are in favor of babies. So why do so many Jews limit their output?
The answer very often is money. Before people get married they already go to the Rabbi to ask for a heter to postpone conception [and others don't even ask].
I am in a bit of a rush so I will keep it short.
A child IS expensive but is worth FARRRR more than money can buy. I have over 20 billion dollars.
?????
I have five children בלי עין הרע and if you would offer me 4 billion dollars to take a child away I would never agree.
Most Charedim in Israel have very little money but that doesn't stop them from having large families while people with good jobs and a lot of money have a child every 7 years because they fear that the child will cost too much.
A child is the source of the greatest feeling of love and connection possible. They are worth the money. Really. Hands down. A no-brainer.
Please - if you are fortunate enough to be married, give the world the greatest gift possible - a Jewish child.
There is nothing sweeter and more pure.
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Eat Sweet Child
New study - Overweight people less likely to die than healthy people.
So if you ever need an excuse to have a meal of ice cream and cake for the main and chocolate for dessert - you have one. [You should wash - the cake is pas habba bikisnin and you were kovea seuda.]
What does a skinny man like me do [I couldn't be overweight if I tried]? Say more tehilim and give tzdaka for arichus yomim.
So if you ever need an excuse to have a meal of ice cream and cake for the main and chocolate for dessert - you have one. [You should wash - the cake is pas habba bikisnin and you were kovea seuda.]
What does a skinny man like me do [I couldn't be overweight if I tried]? Say more tehilim and give tzdaka for arichus yomim.
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