Shalom Friends;
Our Rosh Hashana vort is being sponsored by Avraham and Miriam Deutsch of Efrat who dedicate Special L’Shana Tova wishes for our brethren, the former residents of Gush Katif, as well as L’Shana Tova for Zahal and Kol Am Yisrael and prayers for the safety of the Chayalim and the liberation of all remaining hostages and their return home without experiencing any further harm. To the Deutsch family, many thanks for your sponsorship and 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 HaShavua.
Please forward to your relatives and friends and encourage them to sponsor a Parshat HaShavua. And please be in contact with me with any questions, or for further details.
Best Regards,
Moshe Burt
olehchadash@yahoo.com
Subscribe to the Israel and the Sin of Expulsion blog, to ask questions or to sponsor a Parsha Vort at: olehchadash@yahoo.com
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This year, the first day of Rosh Hashana 5786 begins on the evening of Yom Shlishi (Monday Evening) With Rosh Hashana, we re-coronate, Hashem as Our King, the Creator of All existence as the nation remains in an existential war — the nearly two year War of Simchat Torah.
On Rosh Hashana, we have dual feelings; of Simcha for our annual re-coronation of Hashem as our Melech, the King and Creator of the World in all of its aspects, as well as having reflected throughout the month of Elul on our short-comings, our aveirahs and taking corrective action — to do sincere Teshuvah so as to come closer to Hashem in the coming year and years to come.
Baruch Hashem that in most years we are able to hear the Shofar blown on both days of Rosh Hashana which will once again rock Satan’s attempts to prosecute a case against Am Yisrael.
To excerpt from a vort on Rosh Hashana by Rabbi Yehudah Zev Segal, z’’l, the Manchester Rosh Yeshiva in his sefer, “Inspiration and Insight, Volume 2, Discourses on the Holidays and Other Themes” (page 80):
On this day, we ponder our spiritual successes and failures of the past year. Hashem has tested each of us in a variety of ways. One can rest assured that every effort he expended in his struggles with his yetzer hara is an immeasurable source of merit. And what of our failures? This awesome Day of Judgement is a time when we can and must strive for improvement.
R’ Segal cites a Rambam (ibid, pages 80 – 81) :
There is an allusion to the Shofar blowing on Rosh Hashana: “Awake, O sleepers, from your sleep! Arouse yourselves, O slumberers, from your slumber! Scrutinize your deeds! Return with contrition! Remember your Creator! Those of you who forget the truth in the futility of the times and let your years elapse in futility and emptiness… peer into your souls, improve your ways and your deeds. Each one of you should abandon his evil way and his bad thoughts.”
Just as a person’s merits and sins are weighed at the time of his death, so too, are the merits and sins of all who enter this world weighed each year on Rosh Hashanah. On who is found to be righteous is sealed for life. One who is deemed wicked is sealed for death. As for one who is evenly balanced [between good and bad deeds], his fate is suspended until Yom Kippur. If he repents he is sealed for life and if not he is sealed for death. (R’ Segal citing Rambam in Hilchos Teshuva 3:4)
Just as we emphasize the individual’s spiritual successes and failures, Mitzvot or sins during the past year, communal spirituality and unity amongst Kol Am Yisrael must also be emphasized. Referring back to this author’s vort on Parshat Re’eh, Torah records:
“You are children of Hashem, your G’d — you shall not slash yourselves and you shall not make a bald spot between your eyes for a dead person. For you are a holy people to Hashem, your G’d…” (Sefer Devarim, Perek 14, posukim 1 – 2 rendered to English in the Artscroll Stone Chumash)
Sefer Shem Mishmuel (Selections on the weekly parshiyot and festivals by Rabbi Shmuel Bornstein, the Rebbe of Sochaczev, rendered to English by Rabbi Zvi Belovski) provides this comment on the above posukim which, in part, delivers a message critical to Am Yisrael on this Rosh Hashana. The Sochaczever Rebbe notes (page 396) :
…This verse seems to provide a straightforward message. Whenever someone dies, his relatives should not mutilate themselves because of their loss, since a Holy people do not conduct themselves in this way. Chazal see another, completely different Halacha in this verse: “Do not slash yourselves” — do not form factions. (Sefer Shem Mishmuel citing Yevamos 13b)
…Chazal did not arbitrarily connect the traditional prohibition of forming factions to the verse forbidding self-mutilation. These two issues are closely linked, as they both stem from the same basic flaw. If we focus on the physical aspects of life, this may lead to self-mutilation at the time of bereavement and to factionalization in the legal system. Conversely, focusing on the spiritual aims of life will help us put bereavement in its proper perspective and to avoid the pitfalls of a divided legal system.
Referring back to this author’s recent vort for Parshat Shoftim, Rabbi Eliezer Melamed discusses the Halacha of pidyon shivuim (redeeming hostages) and conceding to terrorists in the context of our nearly two year War of Simchat Torah:
Chazal postulated the halakha that it is forbidden to pay an over- exorbitant amount for pidyon shivuim (redeeming hostages), as is stated in the Mishna: “They must not ransom captives for more than their value, for the good order of the world” (Rabbi Melamed citing Gittin 45A). The main reason given for this enactment, in both the Gemara and the Rambam, is to not create an incentive for highwaymen and kidnappers to constantly seize Jewish prisoners, knowing that we are willing to pay any price to set them free.
Whether to Surrender to the Demands of Terrorists?
In a case of an ongoing war between Israel and terrorist enemies, it is forbidden to give in to any coercion on their part, for it is clear that if we were to concede, our enemies would view this as a sign of weakness, raising their morale and increasing their incentive to strike at us further. As we have learned from the past, every time terrorists succeeded in getting their way, it motivated others to join them in their war against Israel. Additionally, if we give in, terrorists will not be concerned about getting caught, trusting that if they are apprehended and put in Israeli jails, they will be freed quickly in the next prisoner exchange.
As we come to Rosh Hashana 5786, emblematic [adjective: pertaining to, of the nature of, symbolic] of the disunity within Am Yisrael are the disparate (adjective: distinct in kind; essentially different; dissimilar. disparate ideas) factions. This author has repeatedly harped on such factions as fueling enemy perceptions of national weakness. The murderous terrorist enemies perceive such weakness as an opportunity for war against us. Such is the nearly two year War of Simchat Torah.
These discordant factions manifest themselves with disrupting attempts at judicial reform, lack of advanced warnings of war against us, hijacking the emotions of many of the hostage families — i.e. freeing the hostages at whatever the cost — including national security, attempting to overturn the current government during a war of survival, ideology and political agendization of IDF high command echelons, contempt and disparagement of religion, Torah and spirituality by certain political quarters and military command echelons and more.
This Rosh Hashana, and over the Asseret Y’mei Tshuvah, Am Yisrael has a lot to work on collectively, as R’ Segal cited from Rambam; “Peer into your souls, improve your ways and your deeds. Each one of you should abandon his evil way and his bad thoughts.”
Israel’s current victory-oriented strategies in Gaza and attacks in Iran which demolished much of their nuclear facilities, scientists, military leadership, ballistic missiles and ballistic missile manufacturing facilities exemplify positive changes resulting from the appointments of a new defense minister and foreign minister. The pre-emptive actions against Iran are nothing short of miraculous, B’Yad Hashem.
However, the newly appointed military chief of staff, who seemed to be signaling a more zealous, diligent command structure and strategy based on valid understandings of their adversary’s intentions and concern for Israel’s sovereignty and security upon his appointment, now seems to be following in the footsteps of his predecessor in calling for an end to the war in Gaza short of complete victory and eradication of Hamas, i.e. snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, and quite possibly sentencing the remaining living hostages to death to boot.
May our government and military bring total and complete victory over Hamas, their collaborators and the entire terror cabal, B’Yad Hashem, and become Totally self-sufficient as to manufacture of military equipment and aircraft, weaponry, munitions — heavy munitions, as well as showing independence of actions responding to any threat, regardless of so-called “super powers.” And may see, from here on, that border guard personnel at all points of possible danger are listened to and treated with respect and dignity. May we see a Final and Decisive victory by our Chayalim, eradicating Hamas, Islamic Jihad, those so-called “civilians(sic)” who collaborated on 7 October, as well as Hezbollah, the Houthies, the Mullahs of Iran and all their terror accomplices while liberating all remaining hostages, B’Yad Hashem and mandated by a government secure in it’s foremost service of and emunah in HaKadosh Borchu, B’Ezrat Hashem! And may we see the restoration of true unity within Am Yisrael. May these words come to fruition B’Esrat Hashem.
May we, the B’nei Yisrael be zocha that our brethren — the refugee families from Gush Katif e 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, the recent recovery of the remains of Tzvi Feldman as well as the recovery of the remains of Oron Shaul as should the remains of the other chayal 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!!!
May You, All of My Brothers and Sisters, be Inscribed and Sealed for another Year of Life… Now and always! L’Shana Tova!
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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.
Moshe is available for editing of English language documents, articles, manuscripts and more. Please be in contact with him at olehchadash@yahoo.com for your English language needs.
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