Shalom Friends;
Our Yom Kippur vort is being sponsored by Yossie and Elisheva Schulman of Ramat Beit Shemesh dedicated in honor of the birth of Zmira Langer and Becky Salzberg and for the safety of the Chayalim 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 Yossie, Elisheva and the Schulman family, may you all be inscribed and sealed for only simcha, success, good health, nachas from your children, and only good things in the year to come and to at least 120 years. Many thanks for your sponsorship and your continued multitudes of kindnesses.
Friends, 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 author views these two citings as lessons on Yom Kippur to be internalized by our generations of Am Yisrael
The Sochaczever Rebbe, Rabbi Shmuel Bornstein, z”l renders to English Sefer Devarim, Perek 29, posukim 9 – 10, the opening posukim of Parshat Nitzavim in his sefer “Shem Mishmuel” in his vort on Yom Kippur, and provides commentary (pages 440 – 441) :
In [one of] Moshe’s final address[s] to Yisrael, he describes ten categories of people:
“You are all standing here today, before the Lord, Your G’d — Your heads, your tribes, your elders. and your officers, every Jewish man. Your children, your women, the outsider who is in your camp, your woodcutter to your water-drawer.” (Sefer Devarim, Perek 29, posukim 9 – 10)
These divisions of people represent the whole gamut of the nation, from young to old, the powerful and the ordinary — in short, everyone of every type.
These divisions of people represent the whole gamut of the nation, from young to old, the powerful and the ordinary — in short, everyone of every type.
Let us now examine the incense used in the Beit HaMikdash. It was used as part of the daily offering, but on Yom Kippur it played a primary role. The Kohen Gadol took… ground incense [for reference: see Shacharit morning davening in korbonot section, Talmud Kereisos 6a, Yerushalmi Yoma 4:5] into the Kedosh Kadoshim [on Yom Kippur] and waited there until the cloud of spices filled the room. This incense contained eleven spices, ten of which were pleasant smelling, but one which had a foul odor. We may suggest that the ten sweet-smelling spices corresponded to the ten groups within the Jews as noted above.
This symbolizes the notion that to achieve real unity in the community, a sort of “grinding” of the personality is needed. It is arrogance that leads to disunity, the feeling that one is special and in some way above everyone else. One must pound this arrogance out of one’s character to effect the realization that one’s whole existence depends on the community. This development of the personality removes its dross, allowing the pure light of the soul to shine through. Since at some deep level all the souls of the Jews have the same source, this will effect an automatic unity.
The Sefer “Inspiration and Insight,” Volume 2 — Discourses on the Holidays and Other Themes, by the Manchester Rosh Yeshiva, Rabbi Yehudah Zev Segal, z”l discusses the Collective Soul of Am Yisrael (pages 90 – 92) :
The Zohar (Parshat Naso 131) teaches that there are actually two series of Divine attributes. [The first being the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy and] the second series which was pronounced by the Navi Michah and forms the core of the Tashlich service. It reads:
“Who, O Hashem, is like You, Who pardons iniquity and overlooks transgression for the remnant of His heritage? Who has not retained His wrath eternally, for He desires kindness! He will again be merciful to us; He will suppress our iniquities and cast into the depths of the sea all of our sins. Grant truth to Yaakov. kindness to Avraham, as You swore to our fathers from ancient times.” (Rabbi Segal citing Michah 7:18 – 20)
From Hashem’s love for us, we should learn to love one another. In essence, all Jews are one. Our souls are united and in each soul there is a portion of all the others. This concept is the basis of the principle that all Jews are responsible for one another (Rabbi Segal citing Shavuot 39a) Since each Jew’s soul possesses a portion of all the others, when a Jew sins, his wrong affects not only his own soul, but also the collective soul of Israel.
People tend to view sin as a private matter between Hashem and themselves. This is a gross misconception. Every sin one commits affects the entire Jewish people. Awareness of this truth should inspire us to approach our actions with added responsibility.
The Sochaczever Rebbe concludes (Sefer “Shem Mishmuel, page 441) :
This is the message behind the finely ground incense of Yom Kippur. Let us take it to heart and work on ourselves to eliminate any traces of pride or self-interest. Then we will be able to present a truly unified Yisrael to Hashem on this Holy day.
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.
May our government and military bring total and complete, Final and Decisive victory over Hamas, their 7 October so-called “civilians(sic)” 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.”
May we 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 our Chayalim totally eradicate 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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