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Rav Ovadia Yosef Shlit"a at Belzer Rebbe's Grandson's Wedding (Video)

Rav Ovadia Yosef Shlit"a attended the Belzer Rebbe's eldest grandson's wedding.  He spoke there, giving his wishes and praising the Rebbe for being close to the Sephardic community throughout the years.

2 nice things happened there, as you can see on the video:

• The singers there sang the famous Sephardic song "Ashorer Shira" 
• Rav Ovadia and the Rebbe danced together in a touching moment

Very cool!

(h/t Kikar)

The US Big City Jewish Mayor Club Grows Again

The 3 largest cities in the United States - at least for a few months (but maybe longer) - will have Jewish mayors.

New York has Mayor Bloomberg.

Chicago has Mayor Emanuel.

Now, L.A. has Eric Garcetti, who is Jewish by way of his Jewish mother.  He will start on July 1st.  (Mayor Bloomberg's term is over at the end of 2013.)

To what is this phenomenon attributed?

a) It's a vast Jewish conspiracy to take over the world (BWAHAHAHAHA!!!)

b) The American people are starting to learn the value of Jewish leaders.

c) Liberal/Progressive Jews appeal to large urban areas.

d) Jews are getting very comfortable in Galut.  Perhaps too comfortable.

e) בעקבתא דמשיחא חוצפא יסגא and there's no one with more Hutzpa than a Jewish mayor

f) Other __________________



Let me know what you think the reason is in the comments.

Interesting Recent Links - Beha'alotecha 5773

Rav Pinto: The Mysteries of the Sambatyon River - Part 1, Part 2 (more to come)

On the Main Line: Rav Chaim Auerbach ZT"L Predicted the End of Galut 80 Years after 1922

Lazer Beams: Israel In Check

The Absolute Truth: Has Pharaoh Returned?

Kikar: Segulot for Dodging the Draft (for those to whom this applies, which is not everyone.  Some of the stories quoted are quite funny!  Others, quite cool!)

Rabbi Shafran: A Piece of the Wall

Oklahoma Chabad Tornado Relief Site

VIN: 20,000 lbs of Kosher meat donated to Oklahoma

Mashiach is Coming and Emes Ve'emuna both ask separately if the next step for Reform Judaism is to ordain non-Jews as rabbis.

Rabbi Bechhoffer: Discovering Rav Elyashiv ZT"L

Zohar Predicts Groups of Jews Today

Kikar has an interesting article about how Ribbi Shimon Bar Yohai in the Zohar predicted the 3 groups of Jews at the time of the Final Redemption based on the same grouping of Jews at the time of the receiving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai.

The Zohar in Naso 125a describes the groups:

1. The first group is those called "Yisrael", i.e., those from the side of the Tree of Life.  When it says וַחֲמֻשִׁים עָלוּ בְנֵי-יִשְׂרָאֵל, מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם, the word וחמשים is expounded to mean "50", as in the years of Yovel.  Of them, it says: במשך היבל המה יעלו בהר, meaning that those who are Talmidei Hachamim will be able to go up on the mountain (i.e., will be redeemed).
2. The second group are Amei Ha'aretz, who value Torah, but have desires and sometimes listen to their Yetzer Hara.  Of them, it says: וַיִּתְיַצְּבוּ, בְּתַחְתִּית הָהָר - and they stood on the bottom of the mountain.  Hashem will give those from this group a choice: if they will serve the Talmidei Hachamim like a slave before his master, then they will be redeemed as well.  If not, they will perish in the exile.
3. The third group are the Erev Rav.  Of them, it says: וַיַּרְא הָעָם וַיָּנֻעוּ, וַיַּעַמְדוּ מֵרָחֹק - they will stand far, far away from being redeemed.  They will see the Talmidei Hachamim with such a great honor, but they will be far from it.  They may try to join in and get close to Talmidei Hachamim, but it will not be allowed, as it says: לֹא-תִגַּע בּוֹ יָד, כִּי-סָקוֹל יִסָּקֵל אוֹ-יָרֹה יִיָּרֶה.  When the Erev Rav is separated from the Jewish people, it says: יְהוָה, בָּדָד יַנְחֶנּוּ וְאֵין עִמּוֹ אֵל נֵכָר.

And what happens before the Redemption while we are still in Galut?

The Zohar continues to say that the Erev Rav will be in charge and will treat the Talmidei Hachamim with derision like a dead and decomposing dog among them as the gemara in Sotah says: וחכמת סופרים תסרח.  The Erev Rav will put the Talmidei Hachamim in חרם.  The Talmidei Hachamim will be in pain, anguish, and poverty.  The Erev Rav will only give them "a set amount".  At the same time, the Erev Rav will live in wealth, prosperity, and tranquility.

Another Zohar (Beha'alotecha 150a) mentions a twist on the commonly-known Yissachar-Zevulun relationship.  This one says that Zevulun goes out in battle while Yissachar learns Torah.  Yissachar gets a portion of Zevulun's spoils of war while Zevulun gets a portion of Yissachar's reward for Torah learning and is blessed with success in battle.  The author of the article says that this is the true "equality of burden".

Nice Things Happening

There's a lot of disturbing and scary news going around.  Russia is supplying advanced weapons to Assad, bringing warships to the Mediterranean itself, a Golan front is becoming more likely, Lapid is being Lapid, and President Obama is in real trouble for some terrible things done by his administration. 

But I'm not in the mood for the disturbing and scary news today.  Let's find the nice news:

• Newly appointed sole Shas head Aryeh Deri bought an Aliya for ousted leader Eli Yishai for 400 Shekel over Shavu'ot.
• Gilad Shalit said Hagomel for the first time after being released from prison. (h/t CosmicX)
• Rav Amar and Rav Ariel "have announced they are together and speak in one voice in their desire to work to promote and protect Yiddishkheit in Eretz Yisrael."
• Belzer Rebbe Shlit"a's son comes to invite Rav Ovadia Yosef Shlit"a to his son's upcoming wedding.
• Powerball!!!

Rav Amar: Bring Your Kids To Hear Aseret Hadiberot

Source: Kikar

Kol Korei

To fulfill the custom of bringing children to the reading of the Ten Commandments

Our rabbis of blessed memory said:

HKB"H said to Israel: "My children!  Read this portion every year, and I will consider it as if you were standing before Mt. Sinai and accepting the Torah." (Pesikta DeRav Kahana, Piska Bahodesh Hashelishi)

Every year, we accept the Torah anew.  Therefore, exactly for the same reason that at the time of the giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai, all of Israel were present - men, women, and children - similarly, it is incumbent upon everyone to try to come to the synagogue on Shavuot in order to be present at the time of the reading of the Ten Commandments.

There is a special importance to bringing children as our sages of blessed memory tell us that before Hashem gave the Torah to the nation of Israel, He requested guarantors to guarantee the fulfillment of the Torah by the Jews.  The Jews suggested various guarantors, but only when they said, "Our children will be our guarantors," did Hashem agree to give them the Torah.

We should not forget to bring with us the "guarantors" to the acceptance of the Torah.

And may it be Hashem's will that in the merit of the unity of the nation of Israel - men, women, and children - around the Torah "like one man, like one heart", we will merit to see Hashem's returning the return of Zion in the Final and True Redemption with the coming of Mashiah Tzidkeinu.

Geula Update From Rav Fish - Behar/Behukotai and Bemidbar 5773

From Rav Fish's last week and this week rolled into one:

• Poverty Before Geula
• Really, there is an explicit contradiction within Haza"l regarding poverty on the eve of Redemption, as [although we previously mentioned many sources that prove that there will be poverty right before Redemption,] we found in other sources that just the opposite - there will come great plenty to Torah scholars before the Redemption, as is mentioned in the gemara (Sanhedrin 97a, Derech Eretz chapter 10, and elsewhere):

  The rabbis taught: the year in which Ben David comes, the first year ... The fourth year, plenty and not plenty.  The fifth year, great plenty when they will eat, drink, and be merry, and Torah will return to its learners.  The sixth year, sounds.  The seventh year, wars.  After the seventh year, Ben David comes.

• To reconcile the difficulty, it appears that the decree of poverty for Torah scholars comes from HKB"H in order to awaken them to request David their king, and to truly - from the depth of one's soul - expect salvation and Redemption.  And the main thing is to connect to the inner parts of the Redemption by way of learning the inner parts of the Torah, everyone according to their abilities.  And those Torah scholars who do these things on their own, there is no need to awaken them for this.  For them, Haza"l expounded that they will merit great plenty before the Redemption since they are already connected to the light of the Redemption, and one who is connected begins to be redeemed.  And the others who are not connected as much as Hashem expects of them, the purpose of poverty will be to awaken them to this idea in order that they merit the Redemption with mercy.  
• To further explain this, when a person desires something and he's able to taste it, if he tastes it, this is a clear sign that he indeed did desire it.  The main point of the Redemption and its purpose is learning Sod as is explained in the Gr"a and in many books.  Those who desire for the physical influences of the Redemption in order to fill their desires, the Redemption has not touched them yet at all.  And even those who desire for the Beit Hamikdash and the fulfillment of Mitzvot and for the Resurrection of the Dead, this is not the main point.  The main point is Torah learning, which is equivalent to all the rest of the Mitzvot.  And the main point of the main point is the Redemption of the Shechina, which is dependant on learning the inner parts of the Torah, as is brought down in the Zohar.  However, those who don't even try to taste and to connect show that they don't desire the main point of the Redemption.  The greater the tasting, the greater the desire.  And the matter is simple.
• The Satmar Rebbe ZT"L's Joke
• [YY - Please note: I don't agree with the Satmar Rebbe's views here.]
• The Satmar Rebbe said jokingly when the State of Israel was established on Friday of Parshat Emor 5 Iyar, 5708 that the State is hinted to with the verses that apply to The blasphemer, and that is the root of the State of Israel.  This Perasha comes after all the holidays in the Perasha.  And just like the Torah mentioned hints to the Rabbinic holidays - the Perasha of the oil hints to Hanukka and the Perasha of baking the show-bread hints to the Purim meal - so too, right afterwards comes the Perasha of the blasphemer to hint to the "holiday" of the new state.  He also adds that this Perasha is the only one in the Torah that איש הישראלי is mentioned.
• Rama"z has some hints from this Perasha to what is happening today:
• וַיֵּצֵא, בֶּן-אִשָּׁה יִשְׂרְאֵלִית, וְהוּא בֶּן-אִישׁ מִצְרִי
• Rashei Teivot בנימין נתניהו
• Rashei Teivot נפתלי בנט
• Lapid is the son of his notorious father
• ליבני has בן in the middle
• בן is the gematria of הליבה
• בְּתוֹךְ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל
• Rashei Teivot בנט נתניהו יאיר
• וַיִּנָּצוּ בַּמַּחֲנֶה בֶּן הַיִּשְׂרְאֵלִית, וְאִישׁ הַיִּשְׂרְאֵלִי
• Letters of ציון - the Kelipa
• וַיִּקֹּב בֶּן-הָאִשָּׁה הַיִּשְׂרְאֵלִית אֶת-הַשֵּׁם, וַיְקַלֵּל, וַיָּבִיאוּ אֹתוֹ, אֶל-מֹשֶׁה
• Targum is ופרש - Rashei Teivot of Rav Shai Piron
• וְשֵׁם אִמּוֹ שְׁלֹמִית בַּת-דִּבְרִי לְמַטֵּה-דָן
• The whole issue of the core curriculum stared with the Dovrat Commission, headed by Shlomo Dovrat שלמה דברת.
• Also, Yair Lapid's mother's name is שולמית.
• וַיַּנִּיחֻהוּ, בַּמִּשְׁמָר
• They guarded this in the offices of the government
• לִפְרֹשׁ לָהֶם, עַל-פִּי ה'
• Again, Rashei Teivot of Rav Shai Piron
• כגר כאזרח
• Targum is כיציבא, which hints to the מיצ"ב tests
• וּמַכֵּה נֶפֶשׁ-בְּהֵמָה
• Gematria of בן
• Gematria of הליב"ה
• Hints to "B.A.", "H.A.", and "M.A."
• The Zohar calls the Erev Rav "Beheima"
• יְשַׁלְּמֶנָּה
• Trying to persuade with bribes (שלמונים)
• מִשְׁפַּט אֶחָד יִהְיֶה לָכֶם
• Courthouses
• כַּגֵּר כָּאֶזְרָח יִהְיֶה
• Equality of service
• יאיר can be an expression of cursing, like the blasphemer
• The Perasha of the blasphemer concludes Parshat Emor, which has 124 verses, like the gematria of לפיד [Lapid].
• More on the government of heresy
• לברמן is the letters מר לבן.
• לפיד is the gematria of נגע [plus the Kollel].
• The word מינות hints to מינוס [deficit], as we see that once he started to antagonize Torah learners, he had a deficit.  And instead of introspection to further help Torah, they are cutting more from Torah learners in order to cut the deficit, and they don't understand that by doing so, they are causing the deficit to increase a lot more, Hashem should have mercy.
• יאיר לפיד is the gematria of פירון.
• Supreme Court Building
• [After discussing עמלק having the gematria of רם,] R' Tzion David Siboni adds: the architects who designed the Israeli Supreme Court Building are named רם כרמי and his sister עדה.  The mother of Eliphaz, the father of Amalek, was Adah.
• בג"ץ is the gematria of המן.
• The Raham
• [After bringing down the gemara in Hulin 63a that says that when the Raham will sit on the ground and hiss, Mashiah will immediately come, R' Yehoshua Bismut added that it's a non-kosher bird, hinting to the Redemption coming from the Kelipot.  He then adds:] The word רחם hints to the word רחם - womb - from which Mashiah was born, which has some leftover from the side of bad [רע], as is brought down in Sha'ar Hahakdamot by the Ariza"l (p. 132).  He says that pregnancy has the aspect of "bad" since it filters the good from the bad.  Birth is the exiting of good from the bad.  The baby symbolizes the good part that is filtered from the bad part, which is why pregnancy has 270 - רע - days.  Also, pregnancy itself - הריון - is the gematria of רע.  It's also brought down in the Otzerot Hayim by the Ariza"l (Orot Nitzotzot Vecheilim, chapter 2) that pregnancy symbolizes the filtering of the 288 sparks that fell into the "bad".  And the birth of Mashiah symbolizes the end of the filtering of the sparks, which is why it has the Sod of birth.
• Also, the Raham is called הרחמה [with 4 Kametzes in a row] in Parshat Re'eh (Devarim 14:17), and the entire word has vowels of Kametz, which symbolizes the Sefira of Keter - Keter Malchut, with the Sod of עטרה שביסוד הנוקבה, which is from where the fetus departs.
• More about ערב
• The difference between the gematria of עבר [the past, and the letters of ערב, equaling 272] and the gematria of עתיד [the future, equaling 484] is the gematria of זהר [Zohar, equaling 212] because the Zohar connects between the past of the exile, which ends at the time of ערב, to the future of the Redemption.
• Those who are not worthy still get to inherit Eretz Yisrael
• It's brought down in וענתה השירה by Rav Nahmani ZT"L that the verses (Tehillim 69:36-37) כִּי אֱלֹהִים, יוֹשִׁיעַ צִיּוֹן, וְיִבְנֶה, עָרֵי יְהוּדָה;    וְיָשְׁבוּ שָׁם, וִירֵשׁוּהָ.  וְזֶרַע עֲבָדָיו, יִנְחָלוּהָ;    וְאֹהֲבֵי שְׁמוֹ, יִשְׁכְּנוּ-בָהּ [For God will save Zion, and build the cities of Judah; and they shall abide there, and have it in possession.  The seed also of His servants shall inherit it; and they that love His name shall dwell therein.]  The order is that first (from verse 36) everyone - even the wicked - get to inherit it.  And afterwards, (from verse 37) only the righteous will inherit it.
• It's similarly brought down in צדקת הצדיק that before the Redemption, there will be Jews like the Ma'pilim in the Exodus who will try to capture the Land of Israel before its time.  And he inferred from the general rules of expounding of Haza"l that the Ma'pilim at the time of Moshe will not be successful, but the Ma'pilim during the Final Redemption will succeed.  Here are his words (in אות מו):

  They presumed to go up even against Hashem's will, and they didn't succeed in this because the time was not yet ripe, which was why Moshe told them, "It shall not prosper."  It appears that it was a piece of advice, but it will not prosper.  And we can infer using the word "והיא" - "and it", where in many places Haza"l expound that to mean, "It, but not others," meaning that there will be another time that it will succeed, and that is in our time, during the footsteps of Mashiah, as Haza"l said that in the footsteps of Mashiah, Hutzpah will increase, that then will be the time for this.

• Year gematrias
• R' David Rosoff adds: ה'תשע"ג is the gematria of גאולה העתידה בדרך אהבה [the future Redemption in the path of love].
• The Nusah of:
  וְהוּא יוֹשִׁיעֵנוּ וְיִגְאָלֵנוּ שֵׁנִית וְיַשְׁמִיעֵנוּ בְּרַחֲמָיו שֵׁנִית לְעֵינֵי כָּל חַי לֵאמֹר. הֵן גָּאַלְתִּי אֶתְכֶם אַחֲרִית כְּרֵאשִׁית לִהְיוֹת לָכֶם לאלֹהים
  equals 5771.
  

WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW

We Often Want
What Outsiders Wield.
We Ought to Wonder
Whether the Omnipresent Wanted
Women Offended While
Weak Or Whether
Women's Order is Well-established.

Women Of the Wall,
What Obnoxious Weirdos! 
Why Oh Why
Would Objectionable Womenfolk
Want Our Wall
Wearing Objects Whose
Women's Obligation is Wanting?

Women FOr the Wall,
What Outstanding Wisdom!
While Our Wall
Would Outlast World-powers,
Women Obscurely Worshipped,
Wailing Or Whispering,
Wishing Only Wholeness.

Which One Will
Win Out When
Women Of the Wall
Weaken Our Wholeness
While Offending the Wise?
Wars Over Worship
Won't Offer Winnings.

Big Prayer Day Today for All Kinds of Things

YWN:

Shas’ Rabbonim Shlita Call for a Day of Tefilos

Shas’ Moetzas Gedolei Yisrael decided in light of the harsh budgetary gezeiros facing Eretz Yisrael today, the tzibur should hold atzeres tefilos around the country. Maran HaGaon HaRav Ovadia Yosef Shlita is calling upon the tzibur at large to use Thursday, erev Rosh Chodesh Sivan as a day of tefilos.

The rabbonim of the Moetzas Gedolei Yisrael met by phone and decided to issue the call to the tzibur at large.

At 18:00 on Thursday, 29 Iyar 5773, an atzeres tefilla will be held in Maran’s beis medrash.

YWN:

Erev Rosh Chodesh Sivan a Global Day of Tefilla

In line with the kol korei from Gedolei Yisrael Shlita, Thursday, 29 Iyar 5773, erev Rosh Chodesh Sivan will be observed as a day of tefilos by Jews around the world. The tzibur is urged to be mispallel in light of the many difficulties facing the Torah community in Eretz HaKodesh, including efforts to draft bnei yeshivos and to impose a state curriculum on chareidi mosdos.

Gedolei Hador Shlita have urged yeshivos and the tzibur at large to take part in special tefilos on erev rosh chodesh, including the recitation of Tehillim Chapters 13, 83, 130, and 142.

MPaths:

Pray for the Children – The Sh’lah HaKadosh

The holy Sh'lah left Europe in the 17th century and made his home in Eretz Yisrael, becoming chief Rabbi of Jerusalem. He is renowned for many things, but one special is a tefilah, a special prayer, he composed for parents to say for the benefit of their children.

The most auspicious time - the time Heaven is most open to this prayer - is said to be erev Rosh Chodesh Sivan. For this year, 2013, that means Thursday, May 9.

The Sh'lah wrote, "for that is the month when G-d gave us the Torah, and when the Jewish people began to be called His Children. On that day, fathers and mothers should give charity to the poor and repent. They should even fast, if they are able to."

Religious schools throughout Israel hand out this prayer to all students to bring home to their parents this week.

See the prayer there and at many other places on the Internet.

And for those who dare to be different, a couple years ago, I linked to Rav Eliezer Papo's prayer for children.

More on True Peace vs. False Peace

As a complement to my previous post, see Rav Moshe Weinberger's Derasha on Behar/Behukotai.

Excerpt:

...So too, the Radvaz explains that in the times of Moshiach, the wild and wicked children of Yishmael who live in the land of Israel, who are called (Bereishis 16:12) “פֶּרֶא אָדָם,” animalistic men, will be removed from the land.

In actuality, however, the difference between Rabi Shimon/the Ramban/the Ra’avad on one hand and the Rambam and the Radvaz on the other, becomes less stark when one considers how the Rambam concludes his explanation of the times of Moshiach. ...