Month: July 2007
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13th Av – R’ Noson Nota Shapira
Yesterday (Shabbat) was the yarzheit of the ‘Megaleh Amukos’ – R’ Noson Nota Shapira (all of those words have alternate spellings – figure it out for yourself). He was one of the more famous kabalists, who wrote on many different areas of Torah. He is probably best known for his commentary on Chumash. This is… Read more
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Funding the Enemy – another reason for teshuva!
Yet another reason to mourn. We destroyed the Beis Hamikdosh, and since we still await its rebuilding, according to the Yerushalmi it is as if we are responsible for its destruction. However today’s news tell us that our tax money, apart from funding the histadrut strike (how can a country function when there is a… Read more
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Death by Caffeine
Also posted on torahlab.org This Tisha B’Av was different for me than any other year. Sadder, more meaningful, and I managed to stay in Shul right through to the end of Kinot! And the reason? A caffeine pill!!! One little yellow pill, the equivalent of 4 cups of coffee, made all the difference. I didn’t… Read more
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Post Tisha B’Av Post
It is amazing how deprivation makes the desire grow stronger. For 24 hours, the whole of Tisha B’Av, we are not allowed to learn Torah, because it makes us happy. For 24 hours I sit and stare at all the seforim on the shelf and wish I was allowed to learn them. They look so… Read more
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Tisha B’Av Quotes
These two quotes speak for themselves. They were written many decades ago, but apparently we have not learnt from them. The Netziv writes in Ha’amek Davar in the introduction to Bereishis: The praise ‘straight’ (yashar) is said about the justice of G-d’s judgment in the destruction of the Second Beis Hamikdosh because the generation were… Read more
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Peres was right!
I must congratulate our new president on his foresight. Martin Sherman has written an excellent essay for ynet showing how Shimon Peres got it exactly right in 1978 with his dire predictions of what would happen if the Palestinians ever got their own state. The only question is why he changed his mind, to declare… Read more
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9 Av Message from R’ Yaakov Kaminetsky
This extract is from Emes L’Yaakov (R’ Yaakov Kaminetsky) on Shulchan Aruch in the section of the Three Weeks and Tisha B’Av. It seems to me to be a very important and relevant message for today. Emet L’Ya’akov on Shulchan Aruch OC 551 s.v. Sham This is what the Torah means when it says “You… Read more
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Good Shabbos Kiwi
This clip – Goodnight Kiwi – reminds me of my childhood. In the olden days TVNZ (the New Zealand broadcasting corporation) used to close down (both chanels) at about midnight (occasionally at motzei shabbat they would go a little bit later). For little kids it was very exciting to stay up late enough to see… Read more
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5th Av – Arizal
Today is also the Yarzheit of the AriZal, R’ Yitzchak Luria, who literally changed the world with his Torah. All of the kabbalah that we have today is through him, and the only real understanding of the Zohar is based on his teachings. There have been changes to halachah, minhagim, Torah learning, and even the… Read more
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R’ Chaim Ozer – 5th Av
Today is the yarzheit of one of the greatest European Rabbis of the last century – Rabbi Chaim Ozer Grodzinski. R’ Chaim Ozer was known not only for his leadership skills, and his brilliance in Torah, but most famously for having a compartmentalised brain. He was able to do several things at the same time… Read more