Yehudah & Tamar, Halacha and Justice Minister Yaakov Ne’eman

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Amidst the story of the brothers selling Yosef as a slave, his ending up in Mitzrayim in the home of Pontiphar, his subsequent imprisonment and eventual meteoric rise to the position of Viceroy — 2nd only to Pharoah, is the story, conveyed in thumbnail below, of Yehudah and Tamar.

We learn of Yehudah’s two sons who, unbeknownst to Yehudah, were evil and died after marrying Tamar after which Yehuda promised the 3rd son to Tamar but never delivered. We learn about the veiled Tamar who waited “many days” (Breish’t Perek 38, posuk 12) before hearing that Yehudah, who had been in mourning for the passing of his wife, had shed his mourning clothes and began going to watch the sheepshearers. read more

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Parshat Vayeishev 5770: Yosef and the Brothers vs Hellinistic Israeli Regimes’ War on Yiddishkeit

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by, Moshe Burt

Three years ago, just before Chanukah, a short article appeared on the INN website entitled; “Mortar Shells Filled With Chanukah Light” which told about the Menorah made from some of the spent Islamic mortal shells which were launched on Neve Dekalim over the years.

Reading about this special Menorah which was lit at one of the Jerusalem hotels which temporarily housed many former Neve Dekalim residents, took me back in time to Philadelphia, in “the “old country” and to a point made by Rav Yehoshua Kaganoff about the pit in which Yaakov was thrown. The point bears repeating. read more

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Construction Freeze Lame and False Pledge #2: Bibi: Read My Lips…

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On Thursday, The Jerusalem Post’s first report regarding prime minister Netanyahu’s meeting with Yehuda and Shomron leaders carried these excerpts:

We are not enemies, and if there things that need to be amended – we will fix them, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu was cited by Israel Radio as telling settler leaders, as the two-hour meeting in Tel Aviv on the building moratorium came to its end on Thursday afternoon.

Netanyahu also took great efforts to reassure the Judea and Samaria mayors that the building freeze would not surpass the designated time framework. Read my lips, it will not be longer than 10 months, the prime minister reportedly said. read more

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The Provocation That Islamic, Western and Israeli Leftist Media Gloss Over

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It was reported by Reuters, as well as by Islamic media (thus the deceptive caption atop the video above) that a Jewish driver is being investigated and may be charged with car assault for allegedly “driving over a Palestinian who was lying wounded at a… gas station following an incident in which the settler’s [the driver’s] wife was stabbed.”

The last 1 1/2 lines of the above quote give hint as to the provocation which seems glossed over and which seemingly led the event depicted in this version of the video as shown on Israeli TV as well as in the above video. read more

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Likud Construction Freeze Lame Excuse #1: “10 Months Eventually Pass”: Benny Begin

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Former Prime Minister Menecham Begin z’l never meant for Israeli governance to fall as it has in the years since he signed the Camp David accords with Egypt’s Anwar Sadat, and particularly in the ensuing years since the disastrous Oslo era began. In fact, there are numerous citings in Torah, as well as in the contemporary history of OUR times of righteous Jews who were niftar (who passed away) pre-dating tragic down-turns in Jewish history. Menachem Begin’s passing in March, 1992 is one of a number of such contemporary citings as the Oslo Accords were signed, with great fanfare in Washington D.C. by then-prime minister Rabin and Shimon Peres as they both shook the blood-stained, cantaminated hand of arch-terrorist and serial murderer of Jews Yassir Arafat on 13 September 1993. read more

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Parshat Vayishlach 5770: Contrasting Moral, Spiritual Honesty With Clouded False Perceptions

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by, Moshe Burt

As our Parsha begins, Yaakov sent melachim (angels), some render a translation of messengers, “… ahead of him to Eisev to the land of Seir, to the field of Edom… Thus shall you say … to Eisev, so said your servant Yaakov: ‘Im-Lavan garti’ (I have sojourned with Lavan) …” (Sefer Breish’t, Perek 32, posukim 4 & 5).

We learn that the Gematria (numerical value) of the word ‘garti’ is 613; that Yaakov “… sojourned with Lavan, but yet … kept all of the 613 commandments and … did not learn from his [Lavan’s] wicked deeds.” (Torah Gems, Aharon Greenberg, Parsha Vayishlach page 251) read more

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Parsha Vayeitzei 5770: Yaakov and Practical Applications of Compassion and Cruelty — Revisit

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by Moshe Burt

In last week’s Parsha Toldos, we learned about Rivka, who rose above an evil environment while internalizing it’s insights and was thus well positioned to urge Yaakov to claim the Bracha, and about Yaakov, the “Ish Tam”. We learn that Yaakov was “totally honest, a man of great integrity” but was also master over the trait of being “tam”, a “‘plain man’, … without trickery. This means that Yaakov did not allow this “Ish Tam” character trait to dominate him. He knew when and where to act otherwise. We knew that from his demand for the birthright from Eisev in exchange for the lentil soup. These traits surely seemed inculcated to Yaakov as a result of Rivka Imeinu’s nurturing. read more

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Parsha Toldos 5770: Yitzchak’s False Perceptions Regarding Eisev

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by Moshe Burt

In considering Avraham Aveinu’s passing and his son Yitzchak’s aveilut (mourning) of his Father’s passing, there seem to be a number of burning questions which beg to be asked concerning the relationship between Yitzchak and Eisev.

In understanding that Eisev was largely able to camouflage his evil behind his ability to honor his Father, how is it that he (Eisev), this master of Kibud Av, is out running wild committing two of the Big 3 aveirot — Gilui Aroyot; violating a betrothed maiden, and murder; in chopping off Nimrod’s head and killing his (Nimrod’s) 2 guards on the day of his Father’s aveilut? read more

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Parsha Chaye Sarah 5770: Avraham’s Intuitive Perceptions, Today’s Real Adversarial Intentions

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by Moshe Burt

There are two intriguing commentaries, each relating to a different posuk of Parsha Chaye Sarah, regarding the dialogue leading up to Avraham Aveinu’s acquisition of the Ma’arat HaMachpela for 400 shekels of silver from Efron the Hittite.

The first of the two posukim is spoken by Avraham and says, in part:

“I will have given the money for the field; take it of me …” (Breish’it, Perek 23, posuk 13)

“…That a man may marry a woman by using money to effect the marriage is deduced in the Talmud (Kiddushin 2) by drawing a parallel from this verse. But the parallel goes beyond merely the acquisition of the land of the Efronite and the acquisition of a wife. Just as in a marriage the act of acquisition is only the beginning and not the end, because that is when all one’s obligations begin — food, clothing, etc. — the same is true in our dealings with the Efronites. Nothing ends with written contracts and agreements. We pay, pay and pay again, and yet they keep demanding more from us.” (Torah Gems on Chaye Sarah, page 182 quoting Rabbi A.M. Amiel) read more

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Parsha Vayeira 5770: Stark Contrasts Between Chessed, the Ways of Sodom and Western Morality

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by Moshe Burt

Our Parsha opens with Hashem, as we understand, visiting Avraham Aveinu on the 3rd day after Bris Milah, when Avraham was at the height of his pain following the circumcision, as Rashi indicates, “to inquire about his welfare.” (Metsuda Linear Chumash rendering of Rashi on Perek 18, posuk 1)

It’s not like Hashem needed to pay a visit to ascertain Avraham’s actual condition for, Hashem is the Creator, The Master, The Ruler over the world who knows and is aware of everything. And so we learn and gain insight from this first posuk as to the Mitzvah of Bikur Cholim; showing, caring, giving strength and encouragement to the ill by visiting and caring about them. read more

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