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

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

Uncategorized

Guess What: Barak, Not Shimshon Battalion, Politicized IDF!

Commentary:

Many of you may wonder why this blog has been silent for awhile, aside from the weekly Parsha HaShevua.

Frankly, it’s been a case of basically the same recurrent news, day after day. How many times and in how many different ways can one comment on the same news, again and again with only the names and the specific events changing, but essentially remaining the same? This author has been commenting on recurring news for the 4 plus years that this blog has been in existence plus years before. read more

Uncategorized

Hezbollah Heating Up North Again Amidst Israel’s Silence, Kassam From Gaza Hits South and Other War News…

Uncategorized

Parsha Lech Lecha 5770: Aliyah — Distinguishing Reality From Fantasy

by Moshe Burt

“Hashem said to Avram, Go for yourself from your land … to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation…” (Breish’t, Perek 12, posukim 1 & 2) Lech Lecha, the “Aliyah Parsha.”

Rashi writes on the posukim, “For your benefit and good. It is there that I will make you a great nation …” (Rashi on Breish’t, Perek 12, posuk 1)

Sefat Emet asks;

“if G’d himself promised… that the move would be for his good and his benefit, why should this have been such a great test?” It seems that it was exactly because of Hashem’s promise to him that the test was of greater magnitude because when Avram actually went, he did so “as Hashem had spoken to him.” (Breish’t Perek 12, posuk 4) read more

Uncategorized

Parsha Noach 5770: Added Thoughts on Compromising Principles for Perceived “Larger Cheshbonot”

by Moshe Burt

There is a Midrash Says at the end of Parsha Breish’t which is prelude to No’ach and the Mabul. It speaks about Hashem, as it were, Bemoaning His Making of man. The Melachim say to Hashem that they would do far better than man and would sanctify Hashem’s Name. So they came down and were more evil than man.

The Melachim were referred to in Torah as “the sons of judges”, “the lofty ones” for “they took for themselves wives from whomever they chose. And so Gilui Aroyot (coveting illicit intimacies) became the “right of passage” expected by the “lofty ones” — the powers to be of the era and this evil became institutionalized, read more

Uncategorized

Monday Thru Thursday War News: Kassam Rocket Strikes Western Negev, IAF Bombs Smuggling Tunnels; Hezbollah Arms Smuggling Videoed, Jewish Cars Stoned in North and Throughout Yehuda, Shomron, Palestinian Terrorist Nabbed Planning Attacks, Arabs From Silwan Neighborhood Toss Firebombs at IDF Vehicle in Jerusalem, IDF Nabs 16 Terrorists

Uncategorized

Wednesday Thru Shabbos, Sunday War News: Arab Rock and Molotov Attacks on Jewish Autos, Border Guard Unit; IDF Nabs Arabs With Knives, Molotovs; IDF Nabs 25 Terrorists, Attempted Arab Tractor Attack in Shvut Ami, 75 Arabs Nabbed in Uprisings

Uncategorized

Parsha Breish’t 5770: New Beginnings; The Never-Ending Torah

by, Moshe Burt

Somehow, not being rabbinic or a Talmud Chacham, it has always seemed difficult to put a true and deep meaning of Hashem’s creation to words and so a similar theme is struck with the end and the beginning of Torah.

In Hashem’s expression of creation; “Breish’t, Bora, Kelokim.” (“In the beginning, Hashem created the heavens and the earth”, (Sefer Breish’t, Perek 1, posuk 1) Torah surely wasn’t referring to that parody of Major League Baseball; you know the one, ‘In the big inning.’ read more

Uncategorized

A Prayer on Hoshana Rabbah for Jonathan Pollard

We learn that on Hoshana Rabbah, Hashem’s decrees upon all individuals, upon the Jewish people, and indeed on everyone in the entire world are finalized, as Rabbi Artscroll puts it, ‘delivered’ (Succot Machzor, page 645). Many Kehillot stay up all of Hoshana Rabbah night praying, saying Tehillim, learning in hopes that the finalized, ‘delivered’ decree upon us individually and upon Am Yehudi collectively, be for Tov in all things in the coming year.

At such an auspicious time, may all of us have our brother Jonathan Pollard — Yehonatan Ben Malka prominently in our hearts, thoughts, prayers and in mind in our actions — that Hashem see to his release and return to his brethren in this year — soon than later. read more

Uncategorized

The Little Booth Which Survives Tyrants of Every Generation

This Jerusalem Post feature piece by Yehuda Avner is outstanding in that it makes a statement reaching far beyond the story’s placement in 1936, reaching today and today’s issues, tyrants and blood libels — both internally as well as externally amongst our enemies, in essence, The Little Booth, the Jewish people which cleaves to Hashem and survives the tyrants of every generation:

Succot, 1936. The newly appointed German consul-general to Jerusalem, Herr Walter Doehl, stood at his office window hung with an extravagantly tasseled swastika banner, and gazed with curiosity at the sight of clusters of bearded Jews, all draped in prayer shawls and resplendent in the styles and furs of late-medieval Poland, entering and exiting a ramshackle foliage-thatched booth on the other side of the Street of the Prophets where his legation was situated, each clutching what seemed to him to be a lemon and a palm frond. read more

Uncategorized