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All Creatures Great and Small
2007-09-04 06:13:00
Perek Shira presents the the words of praise and gratitude which all of G-d's Creation sing every day.A Bisele Babka has posted a link to 25 of the World's Most Interesting Animals.I wonder what kind of song they would sing? Here are my suggestions (but please, this is only a joke. I know that Perek Shira is serious. Just send me your song titles and don't get too excited)R.e.m - Shiny Happy PeopleThe blobfish (Psychrolutes marcidus) is a fish that inhabits the deep waters off the coasts of Australia and Tasmania. Due to the inaccessibility of its habitat, it is rarely seen by humans.Blobfish are found at depths where the pressure is several dozens of times higher than at sea level, which would likely make gas bladders inefficient. To remain buoyant, the flesh of the blobfish is primarily a gelatinous mass with a density slightly less than water; this allows the fish to float above the sea floor without expending energy on swimming. The relative lack of muscle is not a disadvanta...
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Older and Wiser
2007-09-04 04:51:00
Who said you can't teach an old dog new tricks? They don't come much older than President Shimon Peres, but yesterday, while speaking to the Austrian chancellor he finally admitted (or figured out) something that most of us have known for a very long time - Hamas wants to destroy Israel!(Do you think he drank too much coffee? Or have they given him those 'smart pills'?)He almost admitted that pulling out of Gaza was a mistake! I wonder how long it will take him to see that Oslo isn't doing too well at the moment either (how does that Nobel prize look on the mantlepiece now?)Everything he has been done and tried to do for the past several decades (at least) turns out to have been a mistake. (I hope I never have to come to a realisation like that!) All this time he thought the Palestinians were our friends!Perhaps he is in the process of doing teshuva (it is Elul, even for the president). Perhaps he has finally heard the screams of the kids in Sderot!Let us hope (and pray) that w...

Price of Love
2007-09-03 07:25:00
Many people complain about the shidduch crisis, and the associated problems in the 'frum' world. It is interesting to see that y-net and 'Josh' have cottoned on to the idea of shidduchim and are promoting it.Josh realises that if he wants something he has to pay for it. My only question is how much is a wife, love and happiness for the rest of his life worth to him? A measly $1000!!In the frum world the price of a shidduch ranges from nothing (I know many people who spend hours and days trying to set people up on a shidduch who don't expect any financial reward) to tens of thousands of dollars (from both the man and the woman). It bothers me that there are shadchanim who charge so much, but on the other hand, to find a soul mate and life partner is surely worth any price (right dear?)Josh did the maths, and figured out he will actually be saving money (or at least breaking even) by paying someone $1000 to find him a wife.Good for him. I hope he finds his bashert at the right ti...
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Good Old Auntie
2007-08-29 10:47:00
In America they have the ADL. In Britain they have the BBC. (Those 3 letter initials are catchy).Impartial as always, the Beeb reports on wanton destruction of artifacts on (so called?) Temple Mount.Apart from the headline (priceless) I particularly like such phrases as:"Muslim authorities at al-Aqsa mosque, also venerated by Jews as the Temple Mount" (also? who was here first buddy!),"Jerusalem's holiest religious shrine" (not Judaism's holiest shrine),"Mosque officials insist it is urgent infrastructure work doing no damage" (why would you think that a bulldozer is doing damage? Ask Arthur Dent!),"the remains of King Solomon's temple" (no current religious significance then),"We regret some Israeli groups try to use archaeology to achieve political ends" (because clearly archaeology is always motivated by politics, not history),"it is a living religious site in an occupied land" (which is why they play football up there and have family picnics (and occasionally throw rocks down...
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wikipedia deletions
2007-08-29 09:31:00
It is still too hot to function. Maybe life would be better if these entries had remained on wikipedia (unfortunately they were deleted). Still, if you can't laugh, think about it again and then maybe it will be funny!Water on Mars"There is water on Mars"Evidently, there is also glass and a plastic wrapper and now MY JAWS!Coca-Cola in the WildIn its natural state, Coca-Cola is docile until attacked, when it will spray sweet liquid on the predator. It has many foes, such as: * Teens * Children * Parents * Movie-goersYet it is often found and eaten. It does many things to protect itself. It may 'accidentally' tip over when frightened, or disguise itself as the less popular Pepsi or Dr. Pepper. Still, even with its most creative attempts, its foes still find it.In the wild, it stays in packs of 5-23 other cans. Sadly, many packs have been taken into captivity, where rings are put tightly around their middles and the cans are put into boxes. They are then sold to people w...
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Have a pleasant Elul
2007-08-28 11:14:00
Of course during Elul we are all doing everything we can to improve ourselves and work on our relationship with G-d. But how about our relationships with other humans? Are we also working on improving that?One simple suggestion that will make you much more loved in the eyes of everyone who shares the bus/office/house with you is to think about the ringtone on your cellphone. Even kosher phones can earn you demerits if you annoy everyone around you by having it switched on in the wrong place at the wrong time, or making it too loud, or using an annoying ringtone.Did you know that the (really annoying) Nokia tune ringtone is actually based on a 19th century guitar tune called Gran Vals, composed by Spanish musician Francisco Tárrega?You can see and hear it here:(If you want to learn how to play it yourself the sheet music is here: F.Tarrega - Gran Vals)Isn't that much better than the ringtone?Think of others when you set your ringtone. Choose something others can bear to listen to, o...

Yarzheit - Ben Ish Chai
2007-08-27 09:00:00
Today, Monday 13th Elul is the Yarzheit of R' Yosef Chai m of Baghdad, one of the most prolific and influential recent Rabbis of the Sefardi world. He wrote books on almost every topic, from Talmud to Kabbalah to Halacha to Chumash.Wikipedia writes about him:The Ben Ish Chai (?? ??? ??) is a standard reference in Sephardi homes (functioning as "a Sephardi Kitzur Shulchan Arukh") and is widely studied in Sephardi yeshivot. Due to the popularity of this book, Hakham Yosef Chaim came to be known as "Ben Ish Chai", by which he is referred to by many today. The book is a collection of homilies he gave over two years discussing the weekly Torah portion. Each chapter begins with a mystical discussion, usually explaining how a Kabbalistic interpretation of a certain verse relates to a particular halakha, and then continuing to expound on that halakha with definitive rulings.Hakham Yosef Chaim authored over thirty other works, and there are many published Iraqi rite siddurim (prayer books) b...

Yarzheit R' Tzadok HaCohen
2007-08-24 06:58:00
I don't know if it is the heat, or what, but I was too exhausted yesterday to post this. But I can't let R' Tzadok's yarzheit go unmentioned. Yesterday, 9th Elul was his yarzheit. He was one of the few original Jewish philosophers of the 20th century. His thought is a crossover of Lithuanian and Chasidic thinking, and he wrote extensively on almost everything - from chumash and Talmud, to chasidus and even the Torah that he learned in his dreams.Rabbi Haber at Torahlab is having a sale of two of his books in honour of his yarzheit. They have a limited amount of the Kest-Lebovitz edition of Reb Tzadok?s classics Tzidkas HaTzadik and Machsheves Charutz. They are selling a package of both of these seforim together for only $7.50 plus shipping. Click here for more info and to order. There is a lot of Torah from him on the internet, but I didn't find very many stories about him. I wanted to include more anecdotes about his life, but haven't got time now to write. So these brief bio...
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Yarzheit - Reuven Margolios
2007-08-21 21:53:00
Today (7th Elul) is the Yarzheit of one of the most brilliant and prolific (and interesting) scholars of the 20th century. R' Reuven Margolios wrote on such a wide variety of topics, often those that were not normally dealt with by the yeshivish community. However, his Maroglios Hayam is one of the standard Yeshiva books on Sanhedrin. In addition he wrote books explaining the evolution of the Oral Law, defending the Zohar and Kabbala, biographies of Rishonim and many more books.His breadth and depth of knowelge is truly amazing, and even though he may be controversial in some of his ideas, he is essential reading on every topic.Reuvein MargoliesFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaReuvein Margolies ????? ??????? (b. 1889- d. 1971) author of 55+ books on Jewish topics. He established the Rambam library. Possessed of an almost photographic memory, he was well versed in all aspects of both the written (Bible) and Oral Torah (Talmud and its commentaries).WritingsR' Margolies wrote on ...

Its not easy to convert
2007-08-21 04:36:00
Statistics show that it is difficult to convert!!The latest recommendation from the Imigration Ministry to the Israeli government is speed up the conversion process.Look at these facts: 300,000 non-Jews living in Israel:I thought it was twice that number - 1 million people made Aliya from the former Soviet Union, of whom 60% were not Jewish. Where are the other 300,000? (perhaps they left the country already?)Why did the government not think about this when it encouraged so many non Jews to move to Israel? Did they not think that Israel was a Jewish country fifteen years ago? The truth is that the Aliya from FSU was designed to counter the demographic imbalance with both the Arabs and the religious Jews. The government was terrified of having either an Arab majority or a religious majority in the country. The cunning plan was to bring in non Jews (the vast majority of whom had no intention or desire to become Jewish). A little bit like the Old Lady who swallowed the fly! The plan wo...
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Gedolim and the music ban
2007-08-20 07:04:00
Yesterday someone got very cross with me and accused me of not listening to the Gedolim. I wanted to use this blog to clarify, to him and to the world, that of course I listen to the Gedolim, and have the utmost respect for them and their Torah knowledge and opinions. I have heard stories and had first hand experiences that leave me in no doubt as to the greatness of the Gedolim.However, I am equally sure that the banning of the Shwekey/Friend concert did not come from the Gedolim.I know that the ban did not originate with the Gedolim because the Talmud says many times 'chasa al mamon yisrael'. The Torah always considers money of Israel. If there is a way of permitting something, even b'dieved, it won't be considered forbidden if it would involve great financial loss.There have been many 'Jewish' concerts in the past, which were similar to the most recent one. If the Gedolim were concerned with this concert, they would have spoken to the organisers and performers from the very...
More About: Music , The Music

Music not banned!
2007-08-17 14:51:00
Even though the 'Gedolim' (or at least the people who write the signs and posters on behalf of the Gedolim have banned people from attending the Avraham Fried and Yaakov Shwekey concert in Yerushalayim, I notice with some surprise and a lot of relief that they have not commented at all on the forthcoming Jethro Tull concert! Tull are playing on the 23rd in Jersalem and the next day (I think) somewhere else. You can check the details for yourself.I assume that the 'Gedolim' understand that Aqualung and Thick as a Brick are full of Torah messages and bring a person closer to G-d (presumably the same is not true of the Jewish music that has been banned). I agree with the Gedolim 100% on this issue. There is a lot that can and should be learned from the lyrics, the musical content, and the album covers (although perhaps on in the case of the cover of Thick as a Brick, which is more like a newspaper than an album cover).I think the Rolling Stones may be also coming this summer, and I...
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Apikoros and Epicurus
2007-08-16 15:32:00
Is idolatry logical? By that question I mean, if we would not have witnessed the revelation at Sinai (or personal revelation in the cases of the Avos and others), would the intelligent person be worshipping idols, or G-d??This may sound like a silly question. Didn't Avraham prove in the midrash that it makes no sense for a person to bow down to an idol which is only a day old, when they themselves are many years older. Or as Avraham said to Nimrod - don't worship the result, look for the cause (water extinguishes fire, so it must be a better 'god').But, silly idols aside, I think the logic of monotheism vs the sensibility of idolatry may be an argument between Rishonim.It appears that Rambam, in the blue corner, is firmly on the side of idolatry being foolishness (he refers to it many times in hilchot avodas kochavim as a 'mistake'). In contrast, Avraham, who was the pinnacle of logical thought, discovered G-d:As soon as this giant was weaned his mind began to roam. Even while...

Shimon Hatzadik
2007-08-16 11:33:00
"Shimon Hatzadik was one of the remnants of the Men of the Great Assembly..." (Pirkei Avos 1:2)But WHY was he called a 'tzadik'????http://www.torahlab.org/tssf/ why_was_shimon_a_tzadik/This blog is from Rabbi Sedley. You can see more divrei Torah, halacha and shiurim at my new website RabbiSedley.com.

28th Av - Rav Pam's Yarzheit
2007-08-13 06:49:00
Someone e-mailed me to say that today is also the Yarzheit of R' Avraham Pam,Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetsky wrote this moving tribute to Rav Pam:HOW do you capture the essence of an elderly man, stricken with a devastating and, ultimately, fatal disease, who insists on attending a fundraising event, having to be brought by ambulance and stretcher? With every last ounce of his failing strength he dressed in his Sabbath finery and left his home for the sake of ten thousand children he had never seen with his eyes but had touched with his heart and soul.How do you write believable stories of a man who would cry bitter tears when hearing the plight of individuals in need? How does one convey the essence of a person whose mesiras nefesh, self-sacrifice -- for Torah -- the Bible -- transcended the constraints of his aged and stricken body? No one who was privileged to meet Rabbi Avraham Pam, the Rosh Yeshiva, dean, of Brooklyn's Yeshiva Torah Voddath, who passed away a week ago today, will ...

28th Av - The Netziv
2007-08-13 00:56:00
Today was the Yarzheit of the Netziv (R' Naftali Tzvi Berlin), the famous uncle of the Torah Temimah (hence 'My Uncle the Netziv' - great reading if you can get hold of it - it was one of the first recent books to get banned because someone took offence. I suppose that makes it a historical curiosity)I am way too tired to do much else, except copy and paste this entry from OU.org. Either it is true or it isn't. I'm not going to get into the issue of the 'real' reason that he closed the Yeshiva. Leave that for the more exciting blogs.Good night.Rabbi Naftali Tzvi Yehudah Berlin (The Netziv)(1817-1893)The Netziv was Rosh Yeshiva of the famed Volozhin Yeshiva for almost 40 Years until it was closed by the Russian government in 1892. Founded by R. Chaim of Volozhin, the Yeshivah flourished, increasing from 100 to 400 students.As a young man the Netziv was undistinguished, but by virtue of his extraordinary diligence grew to become one of the greatest scholars and leaders of his t...

Giraffe 1: Carnivores 0
2007-08-12 02:04:00
Alternative title: Don't learn this one from the animals.I saw this entry on the Maggid of Bergenfield and I had to post it here. What a fantastic story!Re'eh: Just Like ChickenThe Society for Exotic Kosher Cuisine met once a year at a local restaurant in Teaneck, usually a steak emporium. Its goal was obvious: the members ate the kosher but unusual. If the Torah allowed it, they wanted to taste it. Many in the community found their objective abhorrent, or at least decadent, but at one thousand dollars a plate, and a large membership, the SEKC raised a lot of money for local charities (appropriately, most of the proceeds went to feed the hungry).In past years, bison, gazelle, and venison (a polite word for deer, or as my son once exclaimed, "Hey! They're eating Bambi!") were popular, if noncontroversial choices. Last year, the theme of their annual banquet was game birds. The SEKC dined on pheasant, goose, partridge, and quail, all considered kosher according to Jewish law. The s...
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Learn from the animals
2007-08-11 22:55:00
Something tells me that if Gilad Shalit, Eldad Regev or Ehud Goldwasser were buffalo they wouldn't still be held hostage by the lions or crocodiles! (I don't think this is what the Gemara means when it says that we could learn Torah from the animals. However, maybe the politicians could act like animals in a positive way for once)(I suppose if the UN or btzelem were there they would have criticised the buffalo for unnecessary use of violence - oh the advantages of being an buffalo)Come on Olmert and co, Bring our boys back home!From the BBCAn amateur video of an amazing animal confrontation on the African savannah is fast becoming one of the biggest hits on video-sharing website YouTube.The footage first shows how several lions attack a group of buffalo, snatching a buffalo calf.As the lions wrestle with a calf by a watering hole, a crocodile joins in the battle, pouncing on the buffalo.The lions win the tug-of-war, but then the buffalo herd returns, chasing away the lions and fre...
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27 Av - Maginei Shlomo
2007-08-11 21:07:00
Today (Shabbat Reeh, 27th Av) was the yarzheit of R' Yehoshua Charif, author of the Maginei Shlomo and Responsa P'nei Yehoshua (and great grandfather of the author of P'nei Yehoshua on Shas). He was the Av Beis Din in Cracow in the 17th century.This Weeks Yarzheit from Yarzheit.comReb Yehoshua Charif of Cracow, author of Maginei Shlomo, an attempt to resolve the questions of the Baalei Tosefos against Rashi; great-grandfather of the Pnei Yehoshua; born in Vilna at end of 16th century; arrived in Cracow in 1640 as Rosh Yeshiva; replaced Reb Yoel Sirkis (the Bach) as Rov few months later, until Reb Yom Tov Lipman Heller (Tosefos Yom Tov) became Rov in 1643; among his talmidim was Reb Shabsai Cohen (the Shach); 1648.Maginei Shlomo was written to answer Tosefot's questions on Rashi (hence the title, defender of Shlomo).Hebrew Academy Parsha Sheet saved me the bother of translating this paragraph of the introduction to the sefer (I have it open in front of me):The Maginei Shlomo was ...
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Berlin is (not) Jerusalem
2007-08-10 10:59:00
Another rant, I'm afraid. Not content with replacing life in Israel with life in Berlin (or anywhere else for that matter, but in this case it is Berlin), the Orthodox have taken a leaf out of the classic Reform text book. Remember how over 100 years ago the Reform movement removed any mention of Israel and Jerusalem from the siddur. They felt that Germany was home to them much more than some distant land and ancient memory. Well, antisemitism and the holocaust don't seem to have changed some people's understanding of the situation. Berlin (apparently) is still the site of the Temple. One Shul in Berlin has gone one step better than removing Israel. YNet reports that they've brought its heart to Germany! Read it and weep (literally).Berlin Jewish Center builds replica of Western WallGermany?s new $8.2 million Jewish community center will feature a replica of Jerusalem?s Western Wall - accurate down to the plants sprouting from it, the center?s leaders said. The 100-square-meter ...

To those who repent and those who don't
2007-08-09 21:27:00
We are about to begin the month of Elul, a time of introspection, repentance and regret. It seems that not only has the government begun the process a wee bit early, but that they are also playing G-d!Just as we ask G-d to forgive those who repent and those who don't, Ehud Olmert and co. have decided that the amnesty they gave to the terrorists is valid, even if they don't actually renounce violence and terrorism.Or to put it another way - the terrorists are caught in the act. The govt. checks the lists of names, and sees they have made it to the book of life. So they are off the hook. Terribly sorry old thing for the inconvenience of arresting you. We didn't realise that you have amnesty. Please, have your guns and bullets back, and don't let us stop you in your 'terrorist activities'!!What!!! Just when things seem as though they can't get any madder, we wake up somewhere over the rainbow to find that there's bats in the bellfry!THE GOVERNMENT OF ISRAEL INSTRUCTED THE ARMY ...
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25th Av - Steipler Gaon's Yarzheit
2007-08-08 20:23:00
(In every picture he has a grumpy face, but in reality everyone who met him said he always greeted people with a smile. Never trust the cameras, even without photoshop!!)Don't make the mistake of naming your child 'Steipler' after the Steipler - his real name was Yaakov Yisrael Kanievsky. He was the brother in law of the Chazon Ish (and lived next door to him in B'nei Brak) and was the father of R' Chaim Kanievsky, who he held to be a bigger talmid chacham than he was.His yarzheit was yesterday, and even though it is over 20 years since his death, he is still quoted all the time in yeshivas, mussar shmuezen, and in books. Perhaps only the Chazon Ish and the Brisker Rav are cited more often (of his contemporaries, making them the prophet, the Gaon and the Rishon) - and in America R' Yaakov, R' Moshe and R' Aaron.There are interesting articles about him in these locations (some of the facts may even be true)The Steipler Gaon, Zt'lJudaism 101 - Rabbi Yaakov Yisrael Kanievsky, ...

Kiruv for non-Jews
2007-08-06 16:10:00
I have been asked to post this psak of R' Moshe Sterbuch on my blog. It seems to me that he is certainly not speaking about someone who is in the process of conversion (or investigating that option), but is writing about a person who is not interested in being Jewish. Hence the name 'kiruv for non-Jews '. I don't even believe in kiruv, and I am not even familiar with the concept of trying to encourage non Jews to become frum.But, your thoughts and comments please. I am just copying a pasting at the request of the translator (the translation was approved by R' Sternbuch and he wants it circulated and distributed).A number of months ago, I had been asked to host a young man for Shabbos by a kiruv organization. During the Shabbos meal he expressed great interest in everything Jewish. When I asked him about his background, he mentioned that even though he had been raised as a non-Jew by his non-Jewish mother - but since his father was Jewish he knew he was Jewish. I was shocked by t...

21st Av - R' Chaim Brisker
2007-08-05 20:16:00
Today is the Yarzheit of R' Chai m (Brisker) Soloveitchik. Perhaps more than anyone else in the past 200 years he has shaped yeshivas and the style of learning that goes on within them.R' Chaim's most famous work 'Rabbeinu Chaim Halevy al HaRambam' has the status (almost) of one of the Rishonim and is learned in all yeshivas.The classic 'brisker' style resolves contradictions within texts by making distinctions between two similar things (often 'cheftza' and 'gavra' the object itself and the mitzvah on the person who is relating to it). In a sense he brought the scientific method into Talmud study, as this HaAretz article points out: Defining the exact nature of the Brisk revolution is not easy. Certainly, Reb Chaim Soloveitchik was an extraordinarily gifted teacher, who combined profundity and close analysis with clarity of explication. Yet much of the vocabulary he used is found in earlier sources. The emphasis on seeking an underlying conceptual stratum to explain halak...

Yarzheits - Hebron and Tzfat massacres
2007-08-02 04:53:00
Today is the anniversary of one of the bloodiest organised pogroms to happen in Israel in recent times. In 1929 Arab riots led to massacres in both Hebron and Tzfat. In Hebron, this resulted in the removal of all Jews from the city, ending hundreds of years of Jewish life in that city. All together 133 people were killed in these few days in a murder spree organised by the leaders of the Arabs in Israel (from the Mufti down).And the saddest thing, is that in a google search on for 'Hebron massacre', the majority of links are about Baruch Goldstein! (I'm not defending what happened there, but it shows how the world has changed and history is being rewritten!)From the ADL websiteI believe I was the first Jew to reach Safed from the outside after the massacre there. One Friday morning we heard that there had been a pogrom in Safed. We read the official announcement: "On August 29, at 6:15, disturbances broke out in Safed. The army arrived on the scene at 8:35 and immediately restore...
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Tu B'Av (Fifteenth of Av)
2007-08-01 08:15:00
The school holidays are here, which means that my brain is not. As someone commented to me this morning, during school holidays he understands the true meaning of the statemtent "the only person who is free is someoene learns Torah"! (I don't actually think that was what Chazal had in mind, but still...)I know that I am a couple of days too late, but I wanted to post something about Tu B'Av (fifteenth of Av). My brother has started a new blog, and wrote a really nice piece about Tu B'Av: Tu B?Av and a tribute to a true Eshet ChayilMy thoughts on the subject are not nearly as romantic as his (he got all the 'soppy' genes in the family).The Gemara (Ta'anit 30b) gives 5 reasons that the fifteenth of Av was one of the two happiest days in the calendar. (Translation by Soncino - don't blame me):R. SIMEON B. GAMALIEL SAID: THERE NEVER WERE IN ISRAEL GREATER DAYS OF JOY THAN THE FIFTEENTH OF AV AND THE DAY OF ATONEMENT. I can understand the Day of Atonement, because it is a day of f...

13th Av - R' Noson Nota Shapira
2007-07-29 07:22:00
Yesterday (Shabbat) was the yarzheit of the 'Megaleh Amukos' - R' Noson Nota Shapira (all of those words have alternate spellings - figure it out for yourself). He was one of the more famous kabalists, who wrote on many different areas of Torah. He is probably best known for his commentary on Chumash.This is what Nehura has to say about him.Rabbi Natan Neta Shapira - 'Megale Amukot' Born: Poland, 1585Died: Cracow, Poland, 1633Kabbalist, and chief rabbi of Cracow. Rabbi Natan Neta is better known as 'Megale Amukot' - revealer of the depths, the title of his main work. In 'Megale Amukot' he writes 252 commentaries on Moses's pleading before G-d to be allowed to enter the land of Israel.Rabbi Natan Neta disseminated the kabbalistic teachings of the Ari in Poland. Thousands of people followed him as a teacher.On the tomb stone of Rabbi Natan Neta, it says that "Eliyahu HaNavie (Elijah the Prophet) spoke to him face to face."Rabbi Chaim of Tzanz said about Rabbi Natan Neta,...

Funding the Enemy - another reason for teshuva!
2007-07-25 10:32:00
Yet another reason to mourn. We destroyed the Beis Hamikdosh, and since we still await its rebuilding, according to the Yerushalmi it is as if we are responsible for its destruction. However today's news tell us that our tax money, apart from funding the histadrut strike (how can a country function when there is a strike literally every summer?), is also being used to pay the salaries of those who even the government considers to be terrorists.From YNetIsrael pays Haniyeh's salaryFunds transferred by Jewish state to Palestinian Authority used by Prime Minister Fayyad to pay wages of government workers, including dismissed Hamas ministersRonny ShakedPublished: 07.24.07, 09:04 / Israel MoneyWhen Israel decided to unfreeze $600 million it owed the Palestinian Authority, it did not intend for the money to be used to fill the bank account of former Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh. After receiving the funds from Israel and additional aid from the United States and European co...
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Death by Caffeine
2007-07-25 10:19:00
Also posted on torahlab.orgThis Tisha B'Av was different for me than any other year. Sadder, more meaningful, and I managed to stay in Shul right through to the end of Kinot! And the reason? A caffeine pill!!! One little yellow pill, the equivalent of 4 cups of coffee, made all the difference.I didn't realise how dependent I was on coffee until yesterday. Although I sometimes have headaches if I don't drink enough coffee, I can usually manage without, and I don't seem to see any noticeable improvement or difference before and after I have my morning java. But now that I know how good it is for me, and how it improves my davening and thinking and makes everything more meaningful, I'm going to have to make sure I am fully dosed at all times. Woo hoo!Of course all of the above is meant tongue in cheek. Mood altering drugs are not the way to get closer to G-d, or to make life more meaningful. But still...There is an interesting website here which will tell you how many cups of coff...
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Post Tisha B'Av Post
2007-07-25 07:32:00
It is amazing how deprivation makes the desire grow stronger. For 24 hours, the whole of Tisha B'Av, we are not allowed to learn Torah, because it makes us happy. For 24 hours I sit and stare at all the seforim on the shelf and wish I was allowed to learn them. They look so enticing and exciting - row upon row of Torah that I need to learn!I even start fantasizing about what to learn first, and how long it will take and how happy I will be when I am learning it!Then Tisha b'Av is over, and so are the fantasies. All of a sudden they are just shelves of books, and even though I want to learn them all, and even though I spend several hours a day working my way through them, it is not with the same desire.How can I retain that strong desire to learn? How can I recapture that intense desire for Torah?I find that I learn best (by far) when I have an obligation to a chevruta. Not only do I learn better by speaking things through with someone else (of course), but the fact that someone is...
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