From mosheb at sefer-torah.com Thu Feb 5 02:46:21 2004 From: mosheb at sefer-torah.com (Moshe Burt) Date: Thu Feb 5 02:36:57 2004 Subject: [Sefer-torah-network-news] The Sefer Torah Network Newsletter, Vol. 1, Number 15 Message-ID: Sefer Torah Network News Volume 1, Number 15 5 February, 2004 Shalom Friends; Welcome to the 15th edition of the Sefer Torah Network News list.. For those of you who were wondering why a newsletter hasn't come out for a few weeks, The Sefer Torah Recycling Network continues to be active on various fronts despite a major Netscape crash as well as a few other foibles resulting from severe underfunding. However, there are a few noteworthy developments to report in The Sefer Torah Network News list. As reported in the previous newsletter, I'm pleased to announce that a family from Queens, NY has transferred a Sefer Torah to The Sefer Torah Recycling Network which will, upon completion of owner-paid repairs, be placed in the Givat Nof Harim hilltop community of Yishuv Eli in the Shomron. Please click here to view pictures from the small Transfer Ceremony which took place on Monday, 19 January, 2004 at the Plaza Hotel in Jerusalem. The Sefer Torah Recyclng Network expresses it's great appreciation to the Goldstein family for their kindness in providing a Sefer Torah for a needy location in EretzYisrael. The community of Givat Nof Harim, east of Eli in the Shomron, consists of 35 families and has been without a Sefer Torah for a number of years. We look forward placement of the Sefer Torah upon completion of the repairs and to a big Hochnossis Sefer Torah celebration sometime in March IY'H. Please watch this newsletter, The Sefer Torah Recycling Network website, as well as various Israel email lists and Arutz-7 for up-to-date news as to the day and time of the celebration and transportation to get you there and back. I hope to see many of you at theHochnossis Sefer Torah celebration, including those currently living in Chutz L'Aretz who happen to be visiting Israel at the time of the celebration. Also in this newsletter, please read about my Shabbos in the Givat Nof Harim community. Pictures of the community andYishuv Eli will be forthcoming IY'H, by the next edition of this newsletter. In another development, The Sefer Torah Recycling Network has gained access to a limited number of Sefer Torah posters. Those donating $180 or more will be sent one of these posters which is frameable. These Sefer Torah posters provide yet another opportunity to impact on the heavenly scales by making needy locations Mokomot Torah and promoting Torah study. We are asking people to help us raise the necessary funds for the restoration of two Sifrei Torah slated for placement in needy locations here in Israel. A Sefer Torah poster makes a beautiful livingroom centerpiece picture. The Sefer Torah poster has a brown Mantel on either side and the 247 Amudim on a blue background. Click here to view a partial scan of the poster. While they last, those donating $180 or more will receive a full Sefer Torah poster including all 247 Amudim. Please note that the site has undergone some subtle alterations designed to make the message to the viewer more focused and directed. We have placed ArtScroll.com, with it's special directed links, in a more prominent position on the front page and on other pages on the site while changing the positioning of other links and by adding an automatic, one-button method of subscription to this newsletter. Special directed links to ArtScroll.com, both on the site and in this newsletter, enable you to help The Sefer Torah Recycling Network to raise funds while purchasing S'forim and keeping up with The Daf Yomi. Those wishing to subscribe after reading this edition of the newsletter may do so either by clicking on the website and placing their email address on the email address line and clicking the submit button or by following the subscription instructions at the end of this post. A special page has been added to the site which deals with an issue of crisis proportion which is near and dear to my heart -- halachic issues regarding Kohanim. We are currently in process of promoting The Sefer Torah Recycling Network to Shuls and Jewish Day Schools with websites and email addresses throughout the US, Canada and elsewhere. Raising the necessary funds for two restorations of Sifrei Torah for Homesh and the kehilla on Bat Ayin is presently THE central focus of The Sefer Torah Recycling Network. So far, the project has thankfully received donations from many sponsors but is still far short of the funds necessary to defray these restoration costs. (approximately $ 7,500 still needs to be raised) It is vital that The Sefer Torah Recycling Network receive seed-funding as well as ongoing cash donations and a constant influx of Sifrei Torah. We seek philanthropists who recognize the need for an ongoing clearing house where Sifrei Torah can be donated or acquired, restorations completed and placements of Sifrei Torah made in needy locations throughout EretzYisrael. In this way, The Sefer Torah project will become an active, ongoing, serious organization which solicits and receives donations of Sifrei Torah, or acquires S'forim for cash for placement in needy locations throughout Israel. In the process, such donations will avail ongoing employment to needy Sofrim to repair and restore posul Sifrei Torah for placement in the growing number of needy locations in Israel which request help in acquiring a Sefer Torah. Toward the bottom of this newsletter, please read the brief descriptions of many more such locations throughout Israel currently either without their own Sifrei Torah or lacking sufficient number of Sifrei Torah. This same information is available by clicking on "About The Sefer Torah Recycling Network" page of the website which will provide a history of the project as well as details on the various needy organizations. I ask all of you to please help publicize The Sefer Torah Recycling Network, thereby opening up further possibility of donations of Sifrei Torah and/or funds. I am asking that subscribers pass this edition of the Sefer Torah Network News list to their friends and relatives via email with an invitation to subscribe themselves. (subscription instructions are below.) Perhaps you would also consider printing out hardcopies and posting the Sefer Torah Network News to your Shul's Bulletin Board and/or suggesting a link on your Shul's email list to The Sefer Torah Recycling Network,. Please note that the embedded links may not show up as such on the forwarded copy. However, the URLs will show up next to the words of the links. Additional newsletter subscribers = more traffic to the site = more financial donations, that potential Philanthropic Angel and potential Sefer Torah donors. Subscribers, if you have not already viewed the Arutz-7 story of several months ago, the Article is entitled, "Recycling Torah Scrolls To Israel". (It can be read by clicking on the underlined words.) The Sefer Torah Recycling Network has also received coverage recently in The Jewish Press and in The Capital News (formerly Daf Shemesh). Hopefully, with your help and IY'H additional publicity, the exposure, subscribership and Donations of funds and Sifrei Torah will grow in the weeks and months to come as a result of both initial and ongoing efforts. Continued wishes for a Sweet year and enjoyable reading of the Sefer Torah Network News list. Best Regards, Moshe Burt Founder and Director *************************************************************************************************** Items of Note in this Edition of theSefer Torah Network News . -Shabbos in the Givat Nof Harim Community of Yishuv Eli -Spotlight on two locations slated to receive Sifrei Torah -Parsha Bo and the Unity of Torah and Eretz Yisrael -Taking Down Tapuach West; "Surely, this thing is known..." -Inspiring Sefer Torah Stories from Around the World -Locations in need of their own Sifrei Torah -Up Close and Personal ; Kehilla Beis Tefillah, Ramat Beit Shemesh *************************************************************************************************** Please visit the ArtScroll.com Website and help support The Sefer Torah Recycling Network. A portion of all purchases from the ArtScroll.com website will support the project's mission - only when you click on this link: ArtScroll.com. Sefer Torah Network News selections for this newsletter; The Schottenstein Edition Talmud, The Aryeh Kaplan Anthology Set / 2 Volume Slipcased Set, By Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan and Rabbi Berel Wein's Pirkei Avos: Teachings for Our Times. Please note that you can now place a Standing Order of the Daf Yomi Size Schottenstein Edition of the Talmud and receive every volume of the Daf Yomi Size Schottenstein Talmud as they are Published and help support The Sefer Torah Recycling Network at the same time. **************************************************************************************************** Tehillim for Recovery from Illness Please see that tehillim is said for the following individuals; Moshe Shlomo ben Michal Moshe Shlomo is a little over 1 year old. There were complications at birth which have resulted in slowness in coordination and motor development. Aliza Channa Devorah bat Malka. Aliza is 12 years of age. She is receiving Chemo-therapy treatments for cancer in Hadassah Childrens hospital. She had complained of pain in her right shoulder. Doctors found a tumor and she was diagnosed a few months ago. Please pray hard for her refuah shleimah. This request came to me from her grandparents who live in the U.S. Menucha Mendel Yehudit Rut bat Chaya Zelda; A widow from London who became ill during a visit to EretzYisrael and who is currently recovering from her illness in London. Please pray hard for her refuah shleimah. And please Daven for Good Health for Yehonatan ben Malka (Jonathan Pollard) and for his speedy release from American incarceration and his return to his beloved homeland, Eretz Yisrael. **************************************************************************************************** Shabbos in the Givat Nof Harim Community of Yishuv Eli On Friday, 30 January, 2004, I travelled via autobus #474 and arrived on about 2 PM in the afternoon. My contact, Yo'av Amir, the Shul's Gabai, picked me up at the Kikar at Yishuv Eli's main entrance. After a cup of tea, he took me on a tour of the neighborhood as well as a driving tour of the hilltop communities which surround the main Yishuv and which are part of the Yishuv. The views from the Givat Nof Harim are fantastic. From there, you can see the surrounding Yishuvim -- Ma'alei Levona, Shilo, Rachele and even Tapuach. I took numerous pictures during Friday afternoon of the view from the hilltops, the Main Yishuv, the Beit Knesset -- inside and out, the Gan and a converted railroad car which serves as a visitor's center and is located between the main Yishuv and the hilltop communities. Pictures of the community andYishuv Eli will be forthcoming IY'H, by the next edition of this newsletter. I received wonderful, warm hospitality (and great food) throughout Shabbos, having my meals with 3 different families -- Friday night with Yo'av and his wife and baby, Shabbos lunch with a another member of the Shul's Va'ad and Seudat Shlish't with a 3rd family. The community is extremely warm, close-knit and very S'niyut. Davening was nice and the Rav ( Rav Mordechai Haas) is soft-spoken, s'niyut, yet a big Talmud Chacham. Rabbi Haas teaches during the week in a Yeshiva in Jerusalem. He makes himself available throughout the week, via cellphone, to answer Shi'alot for not only the Givat Nof Harim community, but of the entire Yishuv. He gives a Shiur on Friday night after Davening as well as on Shabbos morning before laining and just after Mincha for about 20 minutes. I'm told that Rabbi Haas and his Rebbetzin have 12 children. The people in Givat Nof Harim are serious in their learning. Discussions throughout Shabbos were very stimulating. The people are, for the most part, young in their 20s and 30s, yet very grounded, mature, serious and sincere. The Rav has lived in Eli for 7 years and was among those who began the community. And when he moved to the community, he brought others to the community as well. The Rav spent his childhood in "Bnai Brak" and then learned at "Mercaz-Harav". The Shul was built within the last two years. It is nice, although not fancy. The people live simply and with S'niyut and the Shul is in keeping with their derech. **************************************************************************************************** Spotlight on two locations slated to receive Sifrei Torah (with your help!) ; Homesh, in the Shomron (Sameria) region of Eretz Yisrael amd is located amongst a group of communities including Kedumim, Elon Moreh, Shavei Shomron, Einav, etc. which are in close proximity to the Arab cities of Shechem, Kalkilya, etc. The Yishuv has many Russian olim who have become Ba'al Teshuva in addition to many Dati families who have moved there in recent years from other locations. Upon completion of the restoration of a Sefer Torah donated by a family in Baltimore, its placement in Homesh will be fulfillment of a nearly 5 year old promise to Rabbi Yehoshua Schmidt. I met Rav Schmidt, the Rav of both Yishuv Shavei Shomron and Yishuv Homesh, while living and doing Ulpan on Shavei Shomron. The second Sefer Torah, once funds are raised and the restoration work is completed, will be placed in a Kehilla of Yishuv Bat Ayin which is located in Gush Etzion. It will be the recipient of a Sefer Torah donated by a student of the School of Safrus located there. Just a few words on Bat Ayin. I visited there recently for the first time in many years. The Yishuv has grown 10-fold in the 9 years since The Sefer Torah Recycling Network placed it's first Sefer Torah there in 1995. It was more beautiful then I remember it. Hopefully, I will go there for Shabbos in the near future and will have more to write then. In order to complete the restorations of these Sifrei Torah for placement in these two locations, $7,500 remains to be raised. Please know that your sponsorship donation or purchase of a S'forim or Judaica products via clicking from the ads on The Sefer Torah Recycling Network homepage, the About The Sefer Torah Recycling Network page or the Judaica Page is an act of helping to unify Jewish neshamot of those who have touched, kissed and lained from these Sifrei Torah throughout their lives with those yet to touch, kiss and lain from them during their extended future life. By donating or through purchasing via the ads on the site, you are taking positive action to possess Eretz Yisrael. In these days where talk abounds about dismantlements, unilateral withdrawals and the like, and this talk is seen as a display of weakness discrediting our Divine, eternal legacy of possession of Eretz Yisrael, your donation insures that needy locations become Mokomot Torah and under the protection of Shemayim. Please make your donations by check or paypal -- NOW! ****************************************************************************************** Sponsorship Donation Program Lifting Neshamot through Donations of Funds/Sifrei Torah Flash: Special Incentive gift for those Sponsors donating $180 or More* Why not donate a paragraph, or a section or the reading from your Bar Mitzvah, marriage, or some other family event. Principals and Administrators of Religious Day Schools, Talmudei Torah and Yeshiva High Schools; The Sponsorship Donation Program to help restore Sifrei Torah for placement in needy locations in Israel makes an excellent Chinuch and Tzedakah project for your students and their families. Friends, please recommend it to principals and adminstrators for inclusion in their educational programs. Please send me an email stating your level of sponsorship, and what you seek to sponsor. More information is also available on our website. Making a donation, whether a financial donation made through a program such as theSponsorship Donation program, or via the donation of a Sefer Torah, can cause the elevation in Shemayim of the Neshama of the niftar loved one or close friend. Please keep this thought in mind as you consider a donation to The Sefer Torah project. Sefer Torah $ 6,000 25,000 NIS 1 Sefer; i.e. Sefer Breish't $ 1,800 7,200 NIS 1 Parsha $ 180 (10 x Chai) 720 NIS (40 x Chai) 1 Amud $ 54 ( 3 x Chai) 216 NIS (12 x Chai) 1 Posuk $ 10 36 NIS (2 x Chai ) 2 Posukim $ 18 ( Chai) 72 NIS (4 x Chai) 3 Posukim $ 36 ( 2 x Chai) 144 NIS ( 8 x Chai) Why not donate posukim, amudim or the Parsha of your Bar Mitzvah, Marriage, or some other family Simcha? Wnen donating in this way, please send me an email stating your level of sponsership, what Posukim, Amud, Parsha, etc. you seek to sponsor and your method of payment; by check, see directions in method #2 (listed in the "You can help in five ways" section shown below) or via paypal (see next line). In the USA; To receive a USA tax receipt, donors should make their checks out to "Congregation Ahavas Torah Tzedakah Fund." Please note on both the memo line of the check and on the envelope that the check is for: "Mark Burt & Sefer Torah Recycling Network." Be sure to include your address. Upon request, a tax-deductible receipt for your donation will be mailed to you. Mail checks to: Congregation Ahavas Torah Tzedakah Fund, 1425 Rhawn Street, Philadelphia, Pa. 19111. In Canada; To receive a Canadian tax receipt, donors should make their checks out to "JBRASS" (BN#864426911RR0001). Please also enclose a note as well as mark the envelope that the check is for "Mark Burt & Sefer Torah Recycling Network." Be sure to include your address. Upon request, a tax-deductible receipt for your donation will be mailed to you. Mail checks to: The Sefer Torah Recycling Network, 46 Meadowbrook Road, Apt. 6, Toronto, Ontario, M6B 2S6 Canada In Israel; Donors in Israel can donate by contacting 067-305-497 or emailing Moshe Burt or for mailing information. Sponsorship Donors can make an Online donation via paypal. Simply copy the email address; , then click on the paypal link, and paste the copied email address onto the "Recipient's email" field. All donors participating in the Sponsorship donation program will receive an attractive, commemorative certificate in recognition of their kind donation. *The Sefer Torah Recycling Network has gained access to a limited number of Sefer Torah posters. Those donating $180 or more will be sent one of these posters which is frameable. It makes a beautiful livingroom centerpiece picture. The Sefer Torah pictured has a brown Mantel on either side and the 247 Amudim on a blue background. Click here to view a partial scan of the poster. While they last, those donating $180 or more will receive a full Sefer Torah poster including all 247 Amudim. **************************************************************************************************** Check out the Updated Sefer Torah Recycling Network website and see all of the new bells, whistles and features which provide you with all necessary information about the project from lists of needy locations to Rabbinic Approbations. **************************************************************************************************** Divrei Torah Parsha Bo and the Unity of Torah and Eretz Yisrael By Moshe Burt A couple of years ago, I wrote a d'var Torah in which I began by relating back in time to many years ago in the "old country", where there was a crazy song that played on the radio which I parodied and titled "Does Your Korbon Pesach Lose It's Flavor Tied to the Bedpost Overnight?" (Actually, the real title to the song was Does Your Chewing Gum Lose It's Flavor on the Bedpost Overnight?") Contemplating this looney parody's title is to get to the very heart of this vort on our Parsha, which addresses the mitzvot of Korbon Pesach, the da'am on Jewish doorposts and the first mitzvah commanded of the National entity (B'nai Yisrael), the Kiddush HaChodesh -- the sanctification of the New Moon, and the relevance of these mitzvot today. In the darkest of times, even as the Jews were being guided from bondage in Egypt to the Ge'ula, the Yetziyat Mitzrayim, Hashem was forging a Jewish nation -- a Jewish unity. The slavery and bondage as well as the resultant Makos -- the plagues brought against Pharoh and Egypt were as much to instill emunah (a belief in Hashem) in B'nai Yisrael as they were to exact a heavy price upon Egypt for their bondage of B'nai Yisrael. But what is the relevance of these Divine Commands to today? Today, we face very dark times. Israel is in the midst of a war, a war different than her previous wars. It is a war in which her army is made to be hamstrung (excuse the term) not due to lack of strength, courage, principle or prowess but due to "political correctness" and institutionalized coruption . The ruling leadership scoffs at and lacks the necessary strength of principle and Emunah -- faith in Hashem necessary to initiate decisive, definitive action to eradicate a cancer threatening B'nai Yisrael and to clear the way for the Ge'ula Shlaima. We today lack a Moshe Rabbeinu and an Aaron HaKohen. Further, this Matzav and the world economic downturn threatens our economic wellbeing here in Eretz Yisrael -- our ability to put bread and food on the table for our families and keep a roof over our heads. And yet, we are here. We remain here, steadfast. Our Emunah gives us confidence that Hashem will, in time, provide us with the means, the instrument, the antidote for the Galut and it's ills and bring about the Ge'ula Shlaima. But when?? In these dark times, our Jewish brothers in Chutz L'Aretz need to be strong of faith and make the plunge. As that commercial back in the "old country" goes, "Join the few, the brave, the Olim Chadashim." The number of "1,000,000 New Olim" over the next 10 years has bantered around in political circles. We have to make it happen. We must, despite the current dark times, have the Emunah and courage that our brothers and sisters had in Mitzrayim; to do what Hashem commanded re: the Korban Pesach and the Da'am on our doorposts, to cast aside "The Iron Crucible", the vicious circle and cycle of the Galut -- the cycle of the Mortgage, the new car every other year, the material furnishings and the accoutrements -- the material things which look nice, look beautiful but lack real value or worth. We must have emunah and courage to come Home -- Yishuv Eretz Yisrael. Rabbi Zelig Pliskin, in his Sefer, "Growth Through Torah, quotes The Chofetz Chayim relating to Sh'mos, Perek 13, posuk 5; "To give you a land flowing with milk and honey, and you shall do this service." In this vort, The Chofetz Chayim commented on this verse regarding the B'nai Yisrael's performance the Almighty's commandments; "The Torah and the land of Israel are one unit. Their relationship is as the relationship between the body and the soul. A soul cannot exist alone in this world. The body alone is just dust from the earth, it needs the soul to give it life. The soul of the Jewish people is the sacred Torah. The body is the land of Israel. There are many commandments that cannot be fulfilled outside the land of Israel. In exile, our people suffer. Nevertheless, with all the difficulties involved in living in exile, we as a people are alive. The land of Israel without Torah, however is a body without a soul. It is just a piece of land. Only when both exist together is there a complete unit. ("Growth Through Torah", Pages 168-169, quoting from "Chofetz Chayim al Hatorah, page 65.) Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, of Blessed Memory, beautifully expressed Yishuv Eretz Yisroel when he penned English words to the Hebrew prayer and niggun of "V'HaSheiv Kohanim" which many of us sing at the Shabbat table both here in Eretz Yisrael and in Chutz L'Aretz -- "Restore the Kohanim to their service..." It reads in part, "Return again, return again, return to the Land of your soul. Return to who you are, return to what you are, return to where you are born and reborn again...." Am Yisrael belongs in Eretz Yisrael. Only when the Moshiach in each of us brings us to our own personal "Yetziyat" will we truly merit the Ge'ula Shlaima as Am Yisrael. It is, with this spirit in mind, that I set out on Friday morning to spend Shabbos in the Givat Nof Harim neighborhood in Yishuv Eli and to meet the upcoming recipients of a Sefer Torah, owned by a family in Queens, for which The Sefer Torah Recycling Network has been zocha to have arranged logistics and which is slated for placement in the community IY'H by mid-March. The mission of the organization is to provide needy locations throughout Eretz Yisrael with Sifrei Torah in order make them whole, Mekomot Torah to give Chizik to our brethren through Achdus and Ahavas Yisrael. The community of Givat Nof Harim, east of Eli in the Shomron, consists of 35 families and has been without a Sefer Torah for a number of years. We look forward placement of the Sefer Torah upon completion of the repairs and to a big Hochnossis Sefer Torah celebration in March IY'H. (Please watch The Sefer Torah Recycling Network web site, as well as various Israel email lists and Arutz-7 for up-to-date news as to the day and time of the celebration and transportation to get you there and back.) Coincidentally, this March marks my 5th anniversary of making Aliyah. IY'H, that B'nai Yisrael comes to our collective senses and finally sees the imperative dangers, both within and without, and has the courage and emunah to act to defeat them. May we not lose further valuable Jewish neshamot to the machinations and chesbonot of the anti-Torah politically self-interested. In the merit of our collective unity, emunah and actions, may we ALL be zocha to have our Tefillah reach Shemayim, unimpeded, ungarbled. As Rabbi Moshe Ungar would say each Thursday evening at his Gemara Shuir back in Phildelphia, in "the old country", may we be zocha to demand, compel Hashem to do "what he wants to do, to bring us the Moshiach and the Ge'ula Shlaima, bim hay v'yameinu -- speedily, in our time." And may we see an end to low, dirty politics, political equivocation, perfidy and false cheshbonot; Achshav -- Immediately, Chik Chuk, Meiyad, Etmol!! Taking Down Tapuach West; "Surely, this thing is known..." By, Moshe Burt On Tuesday morning, 20 January, 2004, immediately upon receiving a Supreme Court decision denying Tapuach-West's appeal regarding their Beit Knesset, a force of several hundred military and police, equipped with bulldozers descended upon the site. The Army quickly placed barriers at the Tapuach Junction to prevent the arrival of Shul supporters. However, some of the supporters were able to arrive in any event. And so, the Tapuach group was caught flat-footed. By about 2:15 PM, the destruction of the Shul had begun. Despite the court's mandate that the demolition of the synagogue must be carried out with great caution, witnesses state that hundreds of police and military arrived at Tapuach-West "with great violence, most of them armed, and some of them even fired in the air... Some people have been knocked unconscious by their violence. " The Aron HaKodesh which housed the Shul's new Sefer Torah, placed there two weeks earlier, was violently confiscated by the army. One young female resident begged the police not to confiscate the Aron, that it belonged her family. She was brutally beaten-up by police officers for no other reason than for asserting ownership of the Aron. In the aftermath of the dismantlement, information has come to the fore which, if proven, indicates that Yesha Council, by virtue of their silence and inaction, may have been complicit wih Prime Minister Sharon, the police and the military in the "rabbinic supervised" trashing of theTapuach-West Shul. "Senior Yesha Council official Bentzi Lieberman released a message to the media calling on the IDF to exercise restraint and comply with the law while carrying out orders to destroy Yesha outposts. The veteran Yesha activist reiterated the Yesha Council remains opposed to the uprooting of any Jewish community (outpost) in the Land of Israel, adding the Tapuah West community was authorized by former Prime Ministers Ehud Barak and Binyamin Netanyahu. Lieberman stated Prime Minister Ariel Sharon could have permitted the process to obtain permits for the synagogue but instead ordered the building destroyed." The Council further stated that "...it objects to the evacuation of any Jewishly-held point in the Land of Israel, and that with a little good will, the government could have authorized the synagogue, just as the Barak government did in the past in similar situations. At the same time, the Yesha Council said it would not take part in the efforts to prevent the demolition 'in cases where we do not know in advance the nature of the resistance.' The Council thus leveled some veiled criticism of the Kach supporters in Tapuach, implying that they might respond violently to the evacuation." (Arutz-7 Demolition of Tapuach Synagogue Begins With Violence14:17 Jan 20, '04 / 26 Tevet 5764) Although Yesha Council did issue some weak statements in opposition to the trashing of Tapuach-West's Shul, very reliable sources, both among the Religious-Nationalist movement and the opposition Labor Party have indicated a secret back-room deal struck at the highest levels of both the Yesha Council and the Sharon government whereby Yesha Council would not interfere in the bulldozing of Tapuach-West's Beit Knesset and in echange, the government would refrain from dismantling a certain unnamed outpost. On an internet forum, a number of people submitted emails describing how they contacted Yesha Council inquiring as to how to get to Tapuach-West and what the Council was doing to help Tapuach. They apparently received responses from the Council "not to be concerned about Tapuach-West." And particularly damning was a statement in a Hebrew newspaper attributed to "an unnamed Yesha spokesman" which said "Baruch shepetarnu m'hamivneh hazeh" -- "Blessed is the one who set us free from this building." Just what we need -- lies and deceit within the Nationalist ranks. Is there nothing sacred? "Surely this thing is known..." (Torah Gems, Volume 2, page 20 on Parsha Sh'mos, Perek 2, posuk 14 quoting Binah Le-Itim.) "At the beginning of the Parsha, we are told that when Moshe grew up, he went out to see his brethren ... their ways and behavior. When he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, and there was no one else in sight, i.e., no other Hebrew ... willing to defend the man ... being beaten, he assumed that was because their slavery had destroyed their will to struggle. On the second day, though when he saw two Hebrews fighting one another and one said to him, 'as you killed the Egyptian,' he saw that that man believed that Moshe's actions on the previous day had been wrong. Moshe responded, 'Surely this thing is known' -- it is not their slavery nor their lack of strength to fight back that is causing them not to resist the Egpytians, because they are perfectly willing to fight one another. What is evidently missing is a sense of justice, of mutual support, of helping the weak, and that is the reason why the redemption had not yet come. 'Surely, this thing is known' -- now I understand the matter." And so too, in our generation, it's not that we are weak and can't fight, it's just not politically correct among those who are assimilated, who seek to be as the goyim, who seek "a state of all of it's people" or are afraid to assert Jewish possession of Eretz Yisrael and who are totally devoid of Torah. In our generation, divisiveness and Chillul Hashem abound. IY'H, that B'nai Yisrael comes to our collective senses and finally sees the imperative dangers, both within and without, and acts to defeat them. May we not lose further valuable Jewish neshamot to the machinations and chesbonot of the anti-Torah politically self-interested. In the merit of our collective unity, emunah and actions, may we be zocha to compell Hashem to do what he want's to do, to bring us Moshiach, the Geula Shlaima, and an end to low, dirty politics, political equivocation, perfidy and false cheshbonot; Achshav, Chik Chuk, Meiyad, Etmol!! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 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. *************************************************************** Another Innovation from The Sefer Torah Recycling .Network; SimchaVort Do you need help in developing a word of Torah for your Simcha? If so, SimchaVort can help. Kindly send an email to telling me what the Simcha is, who it's for and what Parsha it's in. In exchange for your kind donation to The Sefer Torah Recycling Network, I'll be glad to help with ideas. For an example, please click on SimchaVort. . **************************************************************************************************** Donors in the US, please make tax deductible donation checks out to "Congregation Ahavas Torah Tzedakah Fund", with a note on both the Memo line of the check and on the envelope "Mark Burt & Sefer Torah Recycling Network" and mail to "Congregation Ahavas Torah Tzedakah Fund", 1425 Rhawn Street, Philadelphia, Pa. 19111. Be sure to include your address. Upon request, a tax-deductible receipt for your donation will be mailed to you. Donors in Canada, please make your tax deductible checks out to "JBRASS" (BN#864426911RR0001) and mail to; "The Sefer Torah Recycling Network", 46 Meadowbrook Road, Apt. 6, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M6B 2S6. Please mark on the envelope (and if possible attach a stick'em memo to the check) saying "Mark Burt & Sefer Torah Recycling Network." Upon receipt, a tax-deductible receipt for your donation will be mailed to you. Donors can make an Online donation via paypal. Simply copy the email address; , then click on the paypal link, and paste the copied email address onto the "Recipient's email" field. **************************************************************************************** Inspiring Sefer Torah Stories from Around the World "I Brought the Torah Scrolls with Me From Syria!" - The story of how a Syrian Jew smuggled Torah Scrolls into Israel. The Sefer Torah which Flew on the Columbia. The Story of the Torah scroll which accompanied Israel's Astranaut, Ilan Ramon OBM on that fateful Columbia Shuttle Mission. A Sefer Torah Story from "GUARDIAN OF JERUSALEM" the life and times of Rabbi Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld is entitled "Solving The Crime." Click on the link and arrow down to the story. "Purchasing Justice" - between rich and poor, by Rabbi Scheinerman. A lesson for all of B'nai Yisrael. Sifrei Torah in Iraq In surfing the net looking for pertinent sites related to Sifrei Torah, I stumbled upon this site, which has apparently been inactive since fall, 2002. It is called "The SCRIBE" . You can view the site and it's interesting stories by clicking on the title. More Sefer Torah Stories I feel that this inspiring story written by Rabbi Paysach J. Krohn which appears on the Jewish World Review website bears repeating. It is entitled "Healing a trampled sole". But Rabbi Krohn's story is not the only such Holacaust Sefer Torah/Shoe story. The Amcha (Israel Center for Holacaust Survivers) site features another such story, "My Shoes", by Rachel. Click on the link and arrow down to the story. ******************************************************************************************* Did you know that you can now help in five ways to assist in locating donors of Sifrei Torah and raising funds to accomplish our mission? 1/ Talk to your friends, relatives and acquaintances about The Sefer Torah Recycling Network and about the many needy communities in Eretz Yisrael who do not possess their own Sifrei Torah. Many Shuls have aging Congregations and Sifrei Torah in their Aron HaKodesh laying idle, not being lained from. Many active Shuls have excess Sifrei Torah which are not in use due to restoration work needed or because the Shul has newer Sifrei Torah. These S'forim, if in Kosher or restorable condition, are desperately needed by communities in EretzYisrael who do not have the financial resources to acquire new Sifrei Torah and would greatly appreciate the donation of a used Sefer Torah. 2/ Donors in the US, please make tax deductible donation checks out to "Congregation Ahavas Torah Tzedakah Fund", with a note on both the Memo line of the check and on the envelope "Mark Burt & Sefer Torah Recycling Network" and mail to "Congregation Ahavas Torah Tzedakah Fund", 1425 Rhawn Street, Philadelphia, Pa. 19111. Be sure to include your address. Upon request, a tax-deductible receipt for your donation will be mailed to you. >>>NEW<<< Donors in Canada, please make your tax deductible checks out to "JBRASS" (BN#864426911RR0001) and mail to; "The Sefer Torah Recycling Network", 46 Meadowbrook Road, Apt. 6, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M6B 2S6. Please mark on the envelope (and if possible attach a stick'em memo to the check) saying "Mark Burt & Sefer Torah Recycling Network." Upon receipt, a tax-deductible receipt for your donation will be mailed to you. 3/ Donors can participate in a Sponsorship Donation program. 4/ Donors can make an Online donation via paypal. Simply copy the email address; , then click on the paypal link, and paste the copied email address onto the block called "Recipient's email". 5/ The Sefer Torah Network currently has affiliations with Artscroll and Soncino publishers and Ahuva Judaica whereby subscribers to the Sefer Torah Network News list as well as surfers to the The Sefer Torah Recycling Network website can now help finance the project's mission simply by purchasing S'forim or Judaica from these publishers and Judaica Supplier. All it takes is clicking on any of the above links or the links on the website. We have also recently added an affiliation link to IDT (as shown above.) The Sefer Torah Network continues to seek affiliations with other Judaica publishers as well as with other online Judaica merchants in order to generate funds toward defraying project costs. Please give your Support, Financial Donations/ Donations of Used Sifrei Torah. Make Needy Locations throughout Israel Mokomot Torah *********************************************************************************************** Locations in need of their own Sifrei Torah; I want to relate to you the contents of emails which have been received describing some of the newest needy locations. Among the new locations writing of their need for a Sefer Torah are Tzur Hadassah -- only a short distance from Ramat Beit Shemesh. They lack an Ashkenaz Sefer Torah. It is a Yishuv of 2,000 people. It is popiulated mostly by Secular/Traditional, but has a small, but growing religious population. They have S'fardi, joint Ashkenazi-S'fardi and Ashkenaz Minyanim. The Ashkenaz Minyan which is in need of a Sefer Torah a mix of Olim (incl US, Australia, UK, Swiss, Belgian, France) as well as veteran Israeli, all leaning towards Dati Leumi. In Betar, the Main Beit Knesset is lacking two Sifrei Torah. There are two other Batei Knesset which need one each. Beitar's Main Beit Knesset's Sefardi Minyan, is a combination of North African, Syrian, Yerushalmi, Bavli & European S'fardim. The other two Betar Batei Knesset are Ashkenazi/Hassidi with a varied mixture of men from all over the world. In Yishuv Meitzad, the home of the Goldstein family who founded the Diaspora Yeshiva in the Old City, in Jerusalem, an AshkenazSefer Torah is needed. In Ramat Beit Shemesh "Aleph", Beit Knesset Kehillat Beis Tefillah which currently davens in an enclosed area in back of the building next to my building, but who recently broke ground for building a Beit Knesset, needs it's own Sefer Torah as the two S'forim in their Aron HaKodesh are both on loan. Also in Ramat Beit Shemesh "Aleph", Kehillah Ahavat B'Simcha, a Carlebach Minyan is in need of a Sefer Torah. In Jerusalem, Yeshiva Machon Meir is in need of an Ashkenaz Sefer Torah. These are just a few of the many locations all over Israel in need their own Sifrei Torah. To view more such locations, please view The Sefer Torah website. As one lover of Eretz Yisrael to another, I'm sure that you share my wish that every location in Eretz Yisrael, regardless of economic means, be Mokomot Torah (a place of Torah). And imagine the level of Kedusha when all of the neshamot who have lained from, touched and kissed a Sefer Torah in the past, in it's previous home, unite with all of the neshamot yet to lain from, touch and kiss the Sefer Torah here in EretzYisroel. At this time in history, with the advent of the latest Oslo spin-offs, "Geneva" and the mis-directed "Roadmap" both of which endanger Israel, the kedusha of Eretz Yisrael, Jewish Sovereignty and very survival, we need your help, both by way of donations of Sifrei Torah and by way of donations of funds in order to fulfill our mission of placing Sifrei Torah in needy locations throughout Israel, thus possessing Our Land, IY'H insuring our survival. We hope to raise seed funds in order to set up an Amutah or a Non-Profit Company in Israel, to employ Sofrim to restore Sifrei Torah, to locate donors of, or economically purchase Sifrei Torah via all medium. The plan is also to eventually establish a 501-C3 Non-profit organization in the US and thus establish The Sefer Torah Recycling Network an ongoing, serious project. Your Support, Financial Donations & Donations of Sifrei Torah Will Help Needy Locations throughout Israel **************************************************************************************************** Up Close and Personal: Kehilla Beis Tefillah, Ramat Beit Shemesh; A link has been added on the links page of the site for a very special Beit Knesset in Ramat Beit Shemesh, Israel; Kehilla Beis Tefillah. Land has been broken, preliminary retaining wall work has been completed and the Shul is moving ahead with the building of a new Beit Knesset structure to be completed sometime next year. Ramat Beit Shemesh is the fastest growing community in Israel and Kehilla Beis Tefillah, led by Rav Chaim Malinowitz, among it's most dynamic Shuls. Friends, when you make your pilot trips in the course of your Aliya planning, have your Aliya date at hand or have arrived and are searching for a wonderful community and full-service Beit Knesset (Tefillah, Kesher, an outstanding Rav, daily Night Seder and dynamic Learning Programs, Avos U'Bonim, Youth Mishmar and American warmth, caring and closeness), your first stop's gotta be Kehillat Beis Tefillah. Financial donations toward the Shul's building fund are greatly appreciated. When donating, please tell them that you read about the Shul here. *************************************************************************************************** End High Phone Bills & Get 300 FREE Minutes! Click and see how!! Eliminate annoying pop-ups with Alexa Toolbar Click and see how!! Merchants; When you signup for PayPal, you can start accepting credit card payments instantly. As the world's number one online payment service, PayPal is the fastest way to open your doors to over 31 million members worldwide. Best of all, it's completely free to sign up! To sign up or learn more, click here. ******************************************************************************************************** Subscription Instructions You are invited to tell your friends about The Sefer Torah Recycling Network and to encourage them to subscribe online to the Sefer Torah Network News list. Subscription is accomplished simply by either viewing The Sefer Torah Recycling Network website and clicking on the subscribe button on the homepage or sending an email to: Sefer-torah-network-news-request@sefer-torah.com with subject - "subscribe". To unsubscribe, user will send an email to: Sefer-torah-network-news-request@sefer-torah.com with subject - "unsubscribe". -- Moshe Burt Founder and Director The Sefer Torah Recycling Network Rechov Nachal Dolev #34/12 Ramat Beit Shemesh 99000 Israel 02-9996496, 067-305-497 Do a Chessed for Needy communities in Eretz Yisrael. Click on; http://www.sefer-torah.com Please help with your kind donations! Eliminate annoying pop-ups with Alexa Toolbar Now you can donate on-line, Click on; https://www.paypal.com, copy & paste to the email block email address; mosheb@sefer-torah.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://server.alefhost.com/pipermail/sefer-torah-network-news_sefer-torah.com/attachments/20040205/51440cf5/attachment-0001.htm From mosheb at sefer-torah.com Thu Feb 19 09:35:47 2004 From: mosheb at sefer-torah.com (Moshe Burt) Date: Thu Feb 19 09:24:30 2004 Subject: [Sefer-torah-network-news] The Sefer Torah Network Newsletter, Vol. 1, Number 16 Message-ID: Sefer Torah Network News Volume 1, Number 16 20 February, 2004 Shalom Friends; Welcome to the 16th edition of the Sefer Torah Network News list.. The Sefer Torah Recycling Network continues to be active on various fronts despite a major Netscape crash and ISP connection problems as well as a few other foibles resulting from severe underfunding. However, there are a few noteworthy developments to report in The Sefer Torah Network News list. As reported in the previous newsletter, I'm pleased to announce that a family from Queens, NY has transferred a Sefer Torah to The Sefer Torah Recycling Network which will, upon completion of owner-paid repairs, be placed in the Givat Nof Harim hilltop community of Yishuv Eli in the Shomron. Please click here to view pictures from the small Transfer Ceremony which took place on Monday, 19 January, 2004 at the Plaza Hotel in Jerusalem. The Sefer Torah Recyclng Network expresses it's great appreciation to the Goldstein family for their kindness in providing a Sefer Torah for a needy location in EretzYisrael. The community of Givat Nof Harim, east of Eli in the Shomron, consists of 35 families and has been without a Sefer Torah for a number of years. We look forward placement of the Sefer Torah upon completion of the repairs and to a big Hochnossis Sefer Torah celebration sometime in March IY'H. Please watch this newsletter, The Sefer Torah Recycling Network website, as well as various Israel email lists and Arutz-7 for up-to-date news as to the day and time of the celebration and transportation to get you there and back. I hope to see many of you at theHochnossis Sefer Torah celebration, including those currently living in Chutz L'Aretz who happen to be visiting Israel at the time of the celebration. I mentioned in the previous newsletter that pictures would be posted to the site from my Shabbos in the Givat Nof Harim community. The pictures are now online. Please click on the above link and enjoy. Please note that The Sefer Torah Recycling Network has entered into affilation with CDTorah.com which markets hundreds of Torah lectures and shiurim on standard audio CDs. Now you can help The Sefer Torah Recycling Network with a click-thru from this newsletter, or from The Sefer Torah Recycling Network website to the CDTorah.com site and order audio CD's of shiurim given by notables such as Rabbi Yitzchok Berkowitz, Rabbi Akiva Tatz, Rabbi Paysach Krohn, Rabbi Noach Isaac Oelbaum Rabbi Herschel Schachter, Rabbi Yaakov Horowitz and more. The Sefer Torah Recycling Network is still offering a number of frameable Sefer Torah posters to all who donate $180 or more to the project. These Sefer Torah posters provide yet another opportunity to impact on the heavenly scales by making needy locations Mokomot Torah and promoting Torah study. We are asking people to help us raise the necessary funds for the restoration of two Sifrei Torah slated for placement in needy locations here in Israel. A Sefer Torah poster makes a beautiful livingroom centerpiece picture. The Sefer Torah poster has a brown Mantel on either side and the 247 Amudim on a blue background. Click here to view a partial scan of the poster. While they last, those donating $180 or more will receive a full Sefer Torah poster including all 247 Amudim. Supply of these posters is limited so, please make your donation NOW!! Please note that the site has undergone some subtle alterations designed to make the message to the viewer more focused and directed. We have placed both the ArtScroll.com and the CDTorah.com site sites, with their special directed links, in a more prominent position on the front page and on other pages on the site while changing the positioning of other links and by adding an automatic, one-button method of subscription to this newsletter. Special directed links to ArtScroll.com and CDTorah.com , both on the site and in this newsletter, enable you to help The Sefer Torah Recycling Network to raise funds while purchasing S'forim, CDs and keeping up with The Daf Yomi. Those wishing to subscribe after reading this edition of the newsletter may do so either by clicking on the website and placing their email address on the email address line and clicking the submit button or by following the subscription instructions at the end of this post. A special page has been added to the site which deals with an issue of crisis proportion which is near and dear to my heart -- halachic issues regarding Kohanim. We are currently in process of promoting The Sefer Torah Recycling Network to Shuls and Jewish Day Schools with websites and email addresses throughout the US, Canada and elsewhere. Raising the necessary funds for two restorations of Sifrei Torah for Homesh and the kehilla on Bat Ayin is presently THE central focus of The Sefer Torah Recycling Network. So far, the project has thankfully received donations from many sponsors but is still far short of the funds necessary to defray these restoration costs. (approximately $ 7,500 still needs to be raised) It is vital that The Sefer Torah Recycling Network receive seed-funding as well as ongoing cash donations and a constant influx of Sifrei Torah. We seek philanthropists who recognize the need for an ongoing clearing house where Sifrei Torah can be donated or acquired, restorations completed and placements of Sifrei Torah made in needy locations throughout EretzYisrael. In this way, The Sefer Torah project will become an active, ongoing, serious organization which solicits and receives donations of Sifrei Torah, or acquires S'forim for cash for placement in needy locations throughout Israel. In the process, such donations will avail ongoing employment to needy Sofrim to repair and restore posul Sifrei Torah for placement in the growing number of needy locations in Israel which request help in acquiring a Sefer Torah. Toward the bottom of this newsletter, please read the brief descriptions of many more such locations throughout Israel currently either without their own Sifrei Torah or lacking sufficient number of Sifrei Torah. This same information is available by clicking on "About The Sefer Torah Recycling Network" page of the website which will provide a history of the project as well as details on the various needy organizations. I ask all of you to please help publicize The Sefer Torah Recycling Network, thereby opening up further possibility of donations of Sifrei Torah and/or funds. I am asking that subscribers pass this edition of the Sefer Torah Network News list to their friends and relatives via email with an invitation to subscribe themselves. (subscription instructions are below.) Perhaps you would also consider printing out hardcopies and posting the Sefer Torah Network News to your Shul's Bulletin Board and/or suggesting a link on your Shul's email list to The Sefer Torah Recycling Network,. Please note that the embedded links may not show up as such on the forwarded copy. However, the URLs will show up next to the words of the links. Additional newsletter subscribers = more traffic to the site = more financial donations, that potential Philanthropic Angel and potential Sefer Torah donors. Subscribers, if you have not already viewed the Arutz-7 story of several months ago, the Article is entitled, "Recycling Torah Scrolls To Israel". (It can be read by clicking on the underlined words.) The Sefer Torah Recycling Network has also received coverage recently in The Jewish Press and in The Capital News (formerly Daf Shemesh). Hopefully, with your help and IY'H additional publicity, the exposure, subscribership and Donations of funds and Sifrei Torah will grow in the weeks and months to come as a result of both initial and ongoing efforts. Continued wishes for a Sweet year and enjoyable reading of the Sefer Torah Network News list. Best Regards, Moshe Burt Founder and Director *************************************************************************************************** Items of Note in this Edition of theSefer Torah Network News . -Shabbos in the Givat Nof Harim Community of Yishuv Eli -Spotlight on two locations slated to receive Sifrei Torah -Intentions: a key to one's Observance. -Taking Down Tapuach West; "Surely, this thing is known..." -Inspiring Sefer Torah Stories from Around the World -Locations in need of their own Sifrei Torah -Up Close and Personal ; Kehilla Beis Tefillah, Ramat Beit Shemesh *************************************************************************************************** Please visit the ArtScroll.com Website and help support The Sefer Torah Recycling Network. A portion of all purchases from the ArtScroll.com website will support the project's mission - only when you click on this link: ArtScroll.com. Sefer Torah Network News selections for this newsletter; The Schottenstein Edition Talmud, The Aryeh Kaplan Anthology Set / 2 Volume Slipcased Set, By Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan and Rabbi Berel Wein's Pirkei Avos: Teachings for Our Times. Please note that you can now place a Standing Order of the Daf Yomi Size Schottenstein Edition of the Talmud and receive every volume of the Daf Yomi Size Schottenstein Talmud as they are Published and help support The Sefer Torah Recycling Network at the same time. **************************************************************************************************** Tehillim for Recovery from Illness Please see that tehillim is said for the following individuals; Moshe Shlomo ben Michal Moshe Shlomo is a little over 1 year old. There were complications at birth which have resulted in slowness in coordination and motor development. Aliza Channa Devorah bat Malka. Aliza is 12 years of age. She is receiving Chemo-therapy treatments for cancer in Hadassah Childrens hospital. She had complained of pain in her right shoulder. Doctors found a tumor and she was diagnosed a few months ago. Please pray hard for her refuah shleimah. This request came to me from her grandparents who live in the U.S. Menucha Mendel Yehudit Rut bat Chaya Zelda; A widow from London who became ill during a visit to EretzYisrael and who is currently recovering from her illness in London. Please pray hard for her refuah shleimah. And please Daven for Good Health for Yehonatan ben Malka (Jonathan Pollard) and for his speedy release from American incarceration and his return to his beloved homeland, Eretz Yisrael. **************************************************************************************************** Shabbos in the Givat Nof Harim Community of Yishuv Eli On Friday, 30 January, 2004, I travelled via autobus #474 and arrived on about 2 PM in the afternoon. My contact, Yo'av Amir, the Shul's Gabai, picked me up at the Kikar at Yishuv Eli's main entrance. After a cup of tea, he took me on a tour of the neighborhood as well as a driving tour of the hilltop communities which surround the main Yishuv and which are part of the Yishuv. The views from the Givat Nof Harim are fantastic. From there, you can see the surrounding Yishuvim -- Ma'alei Levona, Shilo, Rachele and even Tapuach. I took numerous pictures during Friday afternoon of the view from the hilltops, the Main Yishuv, the Beit Knesset -- inside and out, the Gan and a converted railroad car which serves as a visitor's center and is located between the main Yishuv and the hilltop communities. Pictures of the community andYishuv Eli will be forthcoming IY'H, by the next edition of this newsletter. I received wonderful, warm hospitality (and great food) throughout Shabbos, having my meals with 3 different families -- Friday night with Yo'av and his wife and baby, Shabbos lunch with a another member of the Shul's Va'ad and Seudat Shlish't with a 3rd family. The community is extremely warm, close-knit and very S'niyut. Davening was nice and the Rav ( Rav Mordechai Haas) is soft-spoken, s'niyut, yet a big Talmud Chacham. Rabbi Haas teaches during the week in a Yeshiva in Jerusalem. He makes himself available throughout the week, via cellphone, to answer Shi'alot for not only the Givat Nof Harim community, but of the entire Yishuv. He gives a Shiur on Friday night after Davening as well as on Shabbos morning before laining and just after Mincha for about 20 minutes. I'm told that Rabbi Haas and his Rebbetzin have 12 children. The people in Givat Nof Harim are serious in their learning. Discussions throughout Shabbos were very stimulating. The people are, for the most part, young in their 20s and 30s, yet very grounded, mature, serious and sincere. The Rav has lived in Eli for 7 years and was among those who began the community. And when he moved to the community, he brought others to the community as well. The Rav spent his childhood in "Bnai Brak" and then learned at "Mercaz-Harav". The Shul was built within the last two years. It is nice, although not fancy. The people live simply and with S'niyut and the Shul is in keeping with their derech. **************************************************************************************************** Spotlight on two locations slated to receive Sifrei Torah (with your help!) ; Homesh, in the Shomron (Sameria) region of Eretz Yisrael amd is located amongst a group of communities including Kedumim, Elon Moreh, Shavei Shomron, Einav, etc. which are in close proximity to the Arab cities of Shechem, Kalkilya, etc. The Yishuv has many Russian olim who have become Ba'al Teshuva in addition to many Dati families who have moved there in recent years from other locations. Upon completion of the restoration of a Sefer Torah donated by a family in Baltimore, its placement in Homesh will be fulfillment of a nearly 5 year old promise to Rabbi Yehoshua Schmidt. I met Rav Schmidt, the Rav of both Yishuv Shavei Shomron and Yishuv Homesh, while living and doing Ulpan on Shavei Shomron. The second Sefer Torah, once funds are raised and the restoration work is completed, will be placed in a Kehilla of Yishuv Bat Ayin which is located in Gush Etzion. It will be the recipient of a Sefer Torah donated by a student of the School of Safrus located there. Just a few words on Bat Ayin. I visited there recently for the first time in many years. The Yishuv has grown 10-fold in the 9 years since The Sefer Torah Recycling Network placed it's first Sefer Torah there in 1995. It was more beautiful then I remember it. Hopefully, I will go there for Shabbos in the near future and will have more to write then. In order to complete the restorations of these Sifrei Torah for placement in these two locations, $7,500 remains to be raised. Please know that your sponsorship donation or purchase of a S'forim or Judaica products via clicking from the ads on The Sefer Torah Recycling Network homepage, the About The Sefer Torah Recycling Network page or the Judaica Page is an act of helping to unify Jewish neshamot of those who have touched, kissed and lained from these Sifrei Torah throughout their lives with those yet to touch, kiss and lain from them during their extended future life. By donating or through purchasing via the ads on the site, you are taking positive action to possess Eretz Yisrael. In these days where talk abounds about dismantlements, unilateral withdrawals and the like, and this talk is seen as a display of weakness discrediting our Divine, eternal legacy of possession of Eretz Yisrael, your donation insures that needy locations become Mokomot Torah and under the protection of Shemayim. Please make your donations by check or paypal -- NOW! ****************************************************************************************** Sponsorship Donation Program Lifting Neshamot through Donations of Funds/Sifrei Torah Flash: Special Incentive gift for those Sponsors donating $180 or More* Why not donate a paragraph, or a section or the reading from your Bar Mitzvah, marriage, or some other family event. Principals and Administrators of Religious Day Schools, Talmudei Torah and Yeshiva High Schools; The Sponsorship Donation Program to help restore Sifrei Torah for placement in needy locations in Israel makes an excellent Chinuch and Tzedakah project for your students and their families. Friends, please recommend it to principals and adminstrators for inclusion in their educational programs. Please send me an email stating your level of sponsorship, and what you seek to sponsor. More information is also available on our website. Making a donation, whether a financial donation made through a program such as theSponsorship Donation program, or via the donation of a Sefer Torah, can cause the elevation in Shemayim of the Neshama of the niftar loved one or close friend. Please keep this thought in mind as you consider a donation to The Sefer Torah project. Sefer Torah $ 6,000 25,000 NIS 1 Sefer; i.e. Sefer Breish't $ 1,800 7,200 NIS 1 Parsha $ 180 (10 x Chai) 720 NIS (40 x Chai) 1 Amud $ 54 ( 3 x Chai) 216 NIS (12 x Chai) 1 Posuk $ 10 36 NIS (2 x Chai ) 2 Posukim $ 18 ( Chai) 72 NIS (4 x Chai) 3 Posukim $ 36 ( 2 x Chai) 144 NIS ( 8 x Chai) Why not donate posukim, amudim or the Parsha of your Bar Mitzvah, Marriage, or some other family Simcha? Wnen donating in this way, please send me an email stating your level of sponsership, what Posukim, Amud, Parsha, etc. you seek to sponsor and your method of payment; by check, see directions in method #2 (listed in the "You can help in five ways" section shown below) or via paypal (see next line). In the USA; To receive a USA tax receipt, donors should make their checks out to "Congregation Ahavas Torah Tzedakah Fund." Please note on both the memo line of the check and on the envelope that the check is for: "Mark Burt & Sefer Torah Recycling Network." Be sure to include your address. Upon request, a tax-deductible receipt for your donation will be mailed to you. Mail checks to: Congregation Ahavas Torah Tzedakah Fund, 1425 Rhawn Street, Philadelphia, Pa. 19111. In Canada; To receive a Canadian tax receipt, donors should make their checks out to "JBRASS" (BN#864426911RR0001). Please also enclose a note as well as mark the envelope that the check is for "Mark Burt & Sefer Torah Recycling Network." Be sure to include your address. Upon request, a tax-deductible receipt for your donation will be mailed to you. Mail checks to: The Sefer Torah Recycling Network, 46 Meadowbrook Road, Apt. 6, Toronto, Ontario, M6B 2S6 Canada In Israel; Donors in Israel can donate by contacting 067-305-497 or emailing Moshe Burt or for mailing information. Sponsorship Donors can make an Online donation via paypal. Simply copy the email address; , then click on the paypal link, and paste the copied email address onto the "Recipient's email" field. All donors participating in the Sponsorship donation program will receive an attractive, commemorative certificate in recognition of their kind donation. *The Sefer Torah Recycling Network has gained access to a limited number of Sefer Torah posters. Those donating $180 or more will be sent one of these posters which is frameable. It makes a beautiful livingroom centerpiece picture. The Sefer Torah pictured has a brown Mantel on either side and the 247 Amudim on a blue background. Click here to view a partial scan of the poster. While they last, those donating $180 or more will receive a full Sefer Torah poster including all 247 Amudim. **************************************************************************************************** Check out the Updated Sefer Torah Recycling Network website and see all of the new bells, whistles and features which provide you with all necessary information about the project from lists of needy locations to Rabbinic Approbations. **************************************************************************************************** Divrei Torah Parshi'ot Beshalach, Yithro, Mishpatim; Intentions: a key to one's Observance. By Moshe Burt This past week, Prime Minister Sharon continued proceeding forward with his latest bombshell, evacuating Gaza. And we had an Earthquake rated over 5 on the Richter scale. We read each day in Pesukei D'Zimrah (The praises of G'd), "He balks at the designs of peoples. Many designs are in man's heart, but the counsel of Hashem -- only it will prevail." And so we watch yet another Gezeira of making Eretz Yisrael Yudenrein pronounced by yet another Torah-distant government. The unending list of adjectives is long as to reach to the sky -- Oslo, Oslo 2, Chevron, Wye, dismantlement, disengagement, withdrawal, evacuation, bulldozing, unilateral Seperation or Security Fence (a useless, senseless, costly Israel-style Maginot Line obscenity to be read as Political Border) ... As I sat working with some correspondence on the internet this past Wednesday morning and suddenly felt the floor, the doors, the windows and the whole building where I live shake, rattle and roll, I had my first exposure to what Californians know quite well. My building vibrated severely and seem to lerch forward and then back. I felt, and neighbors later shared with me the thought that our building would collapse. A neighbor suggested that what happened could have resulted from a plane flying too low, but the tremors were just too intense to have been a from a low-flying plane. The heavy shaking and vibrating seemed to last about a minute and less intense shaking continued for another couple of minutes. As the event was in progress, I looked out the window thinking that maybe it was the wind which always seems to rattle windows and doors here. But outside, there was no wind. "...The counsel of Hashem -- only it will prevail." And so I thought to equate the two contrasts, the designs of man and the will of Hashem, to our Parshiyot; Beshalach, Yithro, Mishpatim which all relate to Torah Law, it's enactment, enforcement and judgement. We learn that when Yithro observed Moshe as he sat and judged amongst the entire B'nai Yisrael from sun-up until sundown each day, he appealed to Moshe to set up a system of Judges and representation whereby Moshe's judgement duties would be delegated to his Talmidim, his disciples who would hear the bulk of the cases with only the difficult cases coming before Moshe as the Judge of final appeal. Yithro called for the appointment "...of able men, G'd-fearing men, men of truth, hating profit and place them over the people, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens." (Sh'mos, Perek 18, posuk 21) Four posukim later, we learn that "Moshe chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people..."(Sh'mos, Perek 18, posuk 25) On the omission of "G'd-fearing men" in this later posuk, the Ibn Ezra notes that "this is obvious, and the Torah did not mention 'G'd-fearing men' because only Hashem knows what is in man's heart." (Torah Gems Volume 2, page 131.) I believe this knowledge to be what constitutes Intent. I'll give a Mashal (a story or illustration) here. I have, for the past 7 1/2 months, been learning Hilchos Shabbos in the Pirchei Shoshanim Program under the auspices of my Shul in Ramat Beit Shemesh. We have learned two definitions very early on relating to issurim, violations of the Laws of Shabbos. These terms are B'Shogaig; an accidental or unintentional violation of Shabbos dinim (laws) and B'Maizid; intentional or purposeful violations. We have learned through the various sections on the laws of Bishul (cooking), Sh'hiya (leaving a pot of food on the fire from before Shabbos), Chazara (replacing an item onto the fire which had cooked there previously) and Hatmana (enwrapping a pot in order to retain the warmth of the food once cooked). As we learn these various topics, we distinguish Rabbinic fences built around the laws to protect them from the tendency of human nature to take leniencies, permitted under unusual circumstances, i.e. food needed for unexpected last minute guests, and to project them (the leniences) into standard practice or intent contrary to the divine intent of the Laws of Shabbos. And we find that the issue of intent is spread throughout Halacha, in Tefillah, in our interactions with others, in the performance of Mitzvot and Chesed. Are we acting with intent of al Kiddush Hashem (as to bring favor upon Hashem's name), in Yirat Hashem (in awe of Hashem), Ahavat Hashem (love of Hashem) in any particular matter or are we acting out of a narrow intent of self-interest, self-enrichment, kavod (honor and influence for one's self)? A friend of mind back in Chutz L'Aretz would relate to intent in asking if an action was "for the reason." And when it comes the current crop of "Leaders", the "...rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties..." of Medinat Yisrael; when they shirk both their responsibility to make secure the people they rule over and their responsibility to possess the Eretz Yisrael which Hashem gave us, is their intent based on Pikuach Nefesh, or self image as grasshoppers in fear of nations, or is their intent based on base corruption, ill-gotten profits, self-perpetuation of their positions and to heck with Yosef Q. Yid? Yih'Yeh B'Seder. "And if they're 'Bad Boys'..." As the Ibn Ezra says, "the Torah did not mention 'G'd-fearing men' because only Hashem knows what is in man's heart." In the merit of our collective unity, emunah and actions, may we ALL be zocha to have our Tefillah reach Shemayim, unimpeded, ungarbled. As Rabbi Moshe Ungar would say each Thursday evening at his Gemara Shuir back in Phildelphia, in "the old country", may we be zocha to demand, compel Hashem to do "what he wants to do, to bring us the Moshiach and the Ge'ula Shlaima, bim hay v'yameinu -- speedily, in our time." And may we see an end to low, dirty politics, political equivocation, perfidy and false cheshbonot; Achshav -- Immediately, Chik Chuk, Meiyad, Etmol!! *************************************************************** Another Innovation from The Sefer Torah Recycling .Network; SimchaVort Do you need help in developing a word of Torah for your Simcha? If so, SimchaVort can help. Kindly send an email to telling me what the Simcha is, who it's for and what Parsha it's in. In exchange for your kind donation to The Sefer Torah Recycling Network, I'll be glad to help with ideas. For an example, please click on SimchaVort. . **************************************************************************************************** Donors in the US, please make tax deductible donation checks out to "Congregation Ahavas Torah Tzedakah Fund", with a note on both the Memo line of the check and on the envelope "Mark Burt & Sefer Torah Recycling Network" and mail to "Congregation Ahavas Torah Tzedakah Fund", 1425 Rhawn Street, Philadelphia, Pa. 19111. Be sure to include your address. Upon request, a tax-deductible receipt for your donation will be mailed to you. Donors in Canada, please make your tax deductible checks out to "JBRASS" (BN#864426911RR0001) and mail to; "The Sefer Torah Recycling Network", 46 Meadowbrook Road, Apt. 6, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M6B 2S6. Please mark on the envelope (and if possible attach a stick'em memo to the check) saying "Mark Burt & Sefer Torah Recycling Network." Upon receipt, a tax-deductible receipt for your donation will be mailed to you. Donors can make an Online donation via paypal. Simply copy the email address; , then click on the paypal link, and paste the copied email address onto the "Recipient's email" field. **************************************************************************************** Inspiring Sefer Torah Stories from Around the World "I Brought the Torah Scrolls with Me From Syria!" - The story of how a Syrian Jew smuggled Torah Scrolls into Israel. The Sefer Torah which Flew on the Columbia. The Story of the Torah scroll which accompanied Israel's Astranaut, Ilan Ramon OBM on that fateful Columbia Shuttle Mission. A Sefer Torah Story from "GUARDIAN OF JERUSALEM" the life and times of Rabbi Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld is entitled "Solving The Crime." Click on the link and arrow down to the story. "Purchasing Justice" - between rich and poor, by Rabbi Scheinerman. A lesson for all of B'nai Yisrael. Sifrei Torah in Iraq In surfing the net looking for pertinent sites related to Sifrei Torah, I stumbled upon this site, which has apparently been inactive since fall, 2002. It is called "The SCRIBE" . You can view the site and it's interesting stories by clicking on the title. More Sefer Torah Stories I feel that this inspiring story written by Rabbi Paysach J. Krohn which appears on the Jewish World Review website bears repeating. It is entitled "Healing a trampled sole". But Rabbi Krohn's story is not the only such Holacaust Sefer Torah/Shoe story. The Amcha (Israel Center for Holacaust Survivers) site features another such story, "My Shoes", by Rachel. Click on the link and arrow down to the story. ******************************************************************************************* Did you know that you can now help in five ways to assist in locating donors of Sifrei Torah and raising funds to accomplish our mission? 1/ Talk to your friends, relatives and acquaintances about The Sefer Torah Recycling Network and about the many needy communities in Eretz Yisrael who do not possess their own Sifrei Torah. Many Shuls have aging Congregations and Sifrei Torah in their Aron HaKodesh laying idle, not being lained from. Many active Shuls have excess Sifrei Torah which are not in use due to restoration work needed or because the Shul has newer Sifrei Torah. These S'forim, if in Kosher or restorable condition, are desperately needed by communities in EretzYisrael who do not have the financial resources to acquire new Sifrei Torah and would greatly appreciate the donation of a used Sefer Torah. 2/ Donors in the US, please make tax deductible donation checks out to "Congregation Ahavas Torah Tzedakah Fund", with a note on both the Memo line of the check and on the envelope "Mark Burt & Sefer Torah Recycling Network" and mail to "Congregation Ahavas Torah Tzedakah Fund", 1425 Rhawn Street, Philadelphia, Pa. 19111. Be sure to include your address. Upon request, a tax-deductible receipt for your donation will be mailed to you. >>>NEW<<< Donors in Canada, please make your tax deductible checks out to "JBRASS" (BN#864426911RR0001) and mail to; "The Sefer Torah Recycling Network", 46 Meadowbrook Road, Apt. 6, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M6B 2S6. Please mark on the envelope (and if possible attach a stick'em memo to the check) saying "Mark Burt & Sefer Torah Recycling Network." Upon receipt, a tax-deductible receipt for your donation will be mailed to you. 3/ Donors can participate in a Sponsorship Donation program. 4/ Donors can make an Online donation via paypal. Simply copy the email address; , then click on the paypal link, and paste the copied email address onto the block called "Recipient's email". 5/ The Sefer Torah Network currently has affiliations with Artscroll and Soncino publishers and Ahuva Judaica whereby subscribers to the Sefer Torah Network News list as well as surfers to the The Sefer Torah Recycling Network website can now help finance the project's mission simply by purchasing S'forim or Judaica from these publishers and Judaica Supplier. All it takes is clicking on any of the above links or the links on the website. We have also recently added an affiliation link to IDT (as shown above.) The Sefer Torah Network continues to seek affiliations with other Judaica publishers as well as with other online Judaica merchants in order to generate funds toward defraying project costs. Please give your Support, Financial Donations/ Donations of Used Sifrei Torah. Make Needy Locations throughout Israel Mokomot Torah *********************************************************************************************** Locations in need of their own Sifrei Torah; I want to relate to you the contents of emails which have been received describing some of the newest needy locations. Among the new locations writing of their need for a Sefer Torah are Tzur Hadassah -- only a short distance from Ramat Beit Shemesh. They lack an Ashkenaz Sefer Torah. It is a Yishuv of 2,000 people. It is popiulated mostly by Secular/Traditional, but has a small, but growing religious population. They have S'fardi, joint Ashkenazi-S'fardi and Ashkenaz Minyanim. The Ashkenaz Minyan which is in need of a Sefer Torah a mix of Olim (incl US, Australia, UK, Swiss, Belgian, France) as well as veteran Israeli, all leaning towards Dati Leumi. In Betar, the Main Beit Knesset is lacking two Sifrei Torah. There are two other Batei Knesset which need one each. Beitar's Main Beit Knesset's Sefardi Minyan, is a combination of North African, Syrian, Yerushalmi, Bavli & European S'fardim. The other two Betar Batei Knesset are Ashkenazi/Hassidi with a varied mixture of men from all over the world. In Yishuv Meitzad, the home of the Goldstein family who founded the Diaspora Yeshiva in the Old City, in Jerusalem, an AshkenazSefer Torah is needed. In Ramat Beit Shemesh "Aleph", Beit Knesset Kehillat Beis Tefillah which currently davens in an enclosed area in back of the building next to my building, but who recently broke ground for building a Beit Knesset, needs it's own Sefer Torah as the two S'forim in their Aron HaKodesh are both on loan. Also in Ramat Beit Shemesh "Aleph", Kehillah Ahavat B'Simcha, a Carlebach Minyan is in need of a Sefer Torah. In Jerusalem, Yeshiva Machon Meir is in need of an Ashkenaz Sefer Torah. These are just a few of the many locations all over Israel in need their own Sifrei Torah. To view more such locations, please view The Sefer Torah website. As one lover of Eretz Yisrael to another, I'm sure that you share my wish that every location in Eretz Yisrael, regardless of economic means, be Mokomot Torah (a place of Torah). And imagine the level of Kedusha when all of the neshamot who have lained from, touched and kissed a Sefer Torah in the past, in it's previous home, unite with all of the neshamot yet to lain from, touch and kiss the Sefer Torah here in EretzYisroel. At this time in history, with the advent of the latest Oslo spin-offs, "Geneva" and the mis-directed "Roadmap" both of which endanger Israel, the kedusha of Eretz Yisrael, Jewish Sovereignty and very survival, we need your help, both by way of donations of Sifrei Torah and by way of donations of funds in order to fulfill our mission of placing Sifrei Torah in needy locations throughout Israel, thus possessing Our Land, IY'H insuring our survival. We hope to raise seed funds in order to set up an Amutah or a Non-Profit Company in Israel, to employ Sofrim to restore Sifrei Torah, to locate donors of, or economically purchase Sifrei Torah via all medium. The plan is also to eventually establish a 501-C3 Non-profit organization in the US and thus establish The Sefer Torah Recycling Network an ongoing, serious project. Your Support, Financial Donations & Donations of Sifrei Torah Will Help Needy Locations throughout Israel **************************************************************************************************** Up Close and Personal: Kehilla Beis Tefillah, Ramat Beit Shemesh; A link has been added on the links page of the site for a very special Beit Knesset in Ramat Beit Shemesh, Israel; Kehilla Beis Tefillah. Land has been broken, preliminary retaining wall work has been completed and the Shul is moving ahead with the building of a new Beit Knesset structure to be completed sometime next year. Ramat Beit Shemesh is the fastest growing community in Israel and Kehilla Beis Tefillah, led by Rav Chaim Malinowitz, among it's most dynamic Shuls. Friends, when you make your pilot trips in the course of your Aliya planning, have your Aliya date at hand or have arrived and are searching for a wonderful community and full-service Beit Knesset (Tefillah, Kesher, an outstanding Rav, daily Night Seder and dynamic Learning Programs, Avos U'Bonim, Youth Mishmar and American warmth, caring and closeness), your first stop's gotta be Kehillat Beis Tefillah. Financial donations toward the Shul's building fund are greatly appreciated. When donating, please tell them that you read about the Shul here. *************************************************************************************************** End High Phone Bills & Get 300 FREE Minutes! Click and see how!! Eliminate annoying pop-ups with Alexa Toolbar Click and see how!! Merchants; When you signup for PayPal, you can start accepting credit card payments instantly. As the world's number one online payment service, PayPal is the fastest way to open your doors to over 31 million members worldwide. Best of all, it's completely free to sign up! To sign up or learn more, click here. ******************************************************************************************************** Subscription Instructions You are invited to tell your friends about The Sefer Torah Recycling Network and to encourage them to subscribe online to the Sefer Torah Network News list. Subscription is accomplished simply by either viewing The Sefer Torah Recycling Network website and clicking on the subscribe button on the homepage or sending an email to: Sefer-torah-network-news-request@sefer-torah.com with subject - "subscribe". To unsubscribe, user will send an email to: Sefer-torah-network-news-request@sefer-torah.com with subject - "unsubscribe". -- Moshe Burt Founder and Director The Sefer Torah Recycling Network Rechov Nachal Dolev #34/12 Ramat Beit Shemesh 99000 Israel 02-9996496, 067-305-497 Do a Chessed for Needy communities in Eretz Yisrael. Click on; http://www.sefer-torah.com Please help with your kind donations! Eliminate annoying pop-ups with Alexa Toolbar Now you can donate on-line, Click on; https://www.paypal.com, copy & paste to the email block email address; mosheb@sefer-torah.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://server.alefhost.com/pipermail/sefer-torah-network-news_sefer-torah.com/attachments/20040219/d25a687f/attachment-0001.htm