Shalom Friends:
This week, our Parshat HaShevua, Parsha Yithro is being sponsored by R’ Moshe and Marla Braun (Moshe Braun – Fine Judaic Art) and family of Ramat Beit Shemesh in honor of Marla’s birthday on 14th Sh’vat. Also Sponsoring is Julian Hurwitz of Ramat Beit Shemesh dedicated Lilui Nishmas for the Yahrtzeit of his Father Shlomo Leib ben Chaim Ephraim. Both sponsors dedicate the vort for shmirat hanefesh, refuat hanefesh for tzahal, for the wounded, the safe return of all Chayalim — physically, mentally and spiritually and the liberation of all remaining hostages and their return home home without experiencing any further harm, as well as for the good health and security of kol Am Yisrael.
To the Braun family and to Julian Hurvitz, many thanks for your sponsorships and for your continued kindnesses.
You can celebrate a Simcha — a birth, a Bar/Bat Mitzvah, a Chassuna or other Simcha event in your life, or commemorate a Yahrtzeit of a loved one, or for whatever other reason by sponsoring a Parshat HaShevua.
Please forward to your relatives and friends and encourage them to subscribe and, hopefully sponsor a Parshat HaShevua. And please be in contact with me with any questions, to subscribe or for further details.
Best Regards,
Moshe Burt
olehchadash@yahoo.com
skype: mark.burt3
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We open this year’s Parshat Yithro with an excerpt from Rabbi Shmuel Goldin’s Parsha summary in his sefer, “Unlocking the Torah Text,” Sefer Shemos (page 125) :
When Yithro witnesses the overwhelming burdens of leadership that have been thrust upon Moshe, he encourages Moshe to delegate elements of governance to others in an ordered, hierarchical fashion.
Halfway through our Parshat Yithro, Rabbi Zelig Pliskin renders Sefer Shemot, Perek 18, posuk 21 to English in his Sefer. “Growth Through Torah” with Yithro advising Moshe (page 184) :
“And you shall from all the people men of valor, those who fear the Almighty, men of truth, those who hate profit, and appoint them to be officers over hundreds, officers over fifty, and officers over tens.”
The Sapirstein Edition, “The Torah: With Rashi’s Commentary provides notes regarding Sefer Shemot, Perek 18, posuk 21 (page 217) :
“Men of Truth” : These are men who inspire confidence, for they are worthy enough for their words to be relied on. Choose such men for thereby their words will be heeded. (Citing Mechilta)
“Men of means” rendered to English in The Sapirstein Edition, “The Torah: With Rashi’s Commentary [Rendered by Rabbi Pliskin as “Those who hate profit”] who despise money: This means rich men [Rashi provides a number of citings explaining it as strength], They are willing to part with money, even when it is rightfully theirs, if a claimant could present a case which would win in court. This could occur, for example, if they have no witnesses or other evidence to support their defense which they know to be the truth, (Citing Ramban) Men who have no need to flatter or show recognition, i.e. to play favorites. (Citing Mechilta)
Rabbi Pliskin states, in his sefer, “Growth Through Torah” : A person of truth will see the falseness of honor (pages 184 – 185) :
Since the people who were chosen to be judges over the others were highly qualified people, wouldn’t those who were appointed over a few people be envious of those who were appointed over larger amounts of people? This could easily have led to much quarreling and arguments. The Kotzker Rebbe replied that since one of the traits required was the attribute of truth, there would be no problem. Those who excel in truth know the falseness of honor. Since they were free from honor-seeking there would be no envy and no quarrels over power.
Honor is based on an illusion. What practical difference is there to most honor? Very little. Yet plenty of people make honor-seeking a major focus of their lives…. The more one views honor from a perspective of ultimate truth, the more one will realize how trivial and unimportant honor really is.
Unfortunately, in our time, due to the lack of a Halachic governance, or any kind of sensible constitutional governance and representative (of the people) judicial system for that matter in Israel, the Knesset members and coalitions who govern, as well as a No-Win military high command, have become soo politically agendized and familiar with, embedded in and buddy-buddy with the national bureaucracies and the legal society lawfare judiciary. That has led to an abominated delegation of governance, police, military and judiciary to the peril and endangerment of personal, as well as Israel’s national liberty, sovereignty and security as displayed on 7 October — the War of Simchat Torah.
Not withstanding the current horrendous “ceasefire” and drips and drabs of hostages in exchange for thousands of bloody-handed terrorists, may it be that our Chayalim, regardless of the machinations of their high command, emerge totally victorious — eradicating from the face of the earth Hamas, their terrorist buddies and the so-called “innocent civilians” of Gaza who joined with Hamas in their murderous deeds, that the Chayalim return home whole — physically, mentally and spiritually and that the Chayalim Liberate and bring home all remaining hostages. And may we see the restoration of true unity within Am Yisrael.
May we, the B’nei Yisrael be zocha that our brethren — the refugee families from Gush Katif be permanently re-settled in Gush Katif, once the IDF, by the Yad Hashem, destructs and eradicates the wild beasts of Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, all other terror entities, and if necessary Iran, and that our brethren be made totally whole — be totally restituted for all that was stolen from them, that the thrice expelled families of Amona be restored to their rebuilt homes and the oft-destroyed Yeshiva buildings in Homesh be rebuilt, as well as the buildings of Yishuv Elchanan, all at total government expense. May our Chayalim return from battle unharmed — physically, mentally and spiritually and may all of the remaining hostages brutally taken by the wild beasts of Hamas be liberated and brought home to their families. Baruch Hashem that our dear brother Jonathan Pollard is now in his fifth year at home in Eretz Yisrael and continues in a new chapter in his life. May Esther Yocheved bat Yechiel Avraham have an aliyah in Shemayim and may her spirit and memory continue to lift Jonathan to at least 120 years. May the MIAs be liberated alive and returned to us in ways befitting Al Kiddush Hashem — as with the return in April, 2019, via Russia, of the remains of Zachariah Baumel, as should the remains of the two chayalim from the Gaza War of ten years ago. May we have the courage and strength to stand up and physically prevent the possibility of Chas V’Challila any future eviction of Jews from their homes and prevent Chas V’Challila the handing of Jewish land over to anyone, let alone to enemies sworn to Israel’s and Judaism’s destruction and eradication. May we see, in 5785, the REAL Jews from the Ukraine and Russia as well as the US and Canada, the real Jews via matrilineal descent, make Aliyah enmass — via thorough review by Misrad HaPanim. And may we soon and finally see the total end to the Communist Chinese Wuhan Lab corona virus pandemic and all like viruses and variants. May we fulfill Hashem’s blueprint of B’nei Yisrael as a Unique people — an Am Segula, not to be reckoned with as with “the nations” and may we be zocha to see the Moshiach, the Ge’ula Shlaima, as Dov Shurin sings; “Ki Karov Yom Hashem Al’Kol HaGoyim”, the Ultimate Redemption, bimhayrah b’yamainu — speedily, in our time”, — Achshav, Chik Chuk, Miyad, Etmol!!!
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Moshe Burt, an Oleh, is a commentator on news and events in Israel and Founder and Director of The Sefer Torah Recycling Network. He lives in Ramat Beit Shemesh.
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