Six Day War – Israeli victory – Documentary – War of Redemption

• Jewish Holidays: Yom Yerushalayim – Jerusalem Day
• Israel celebrates Jerusalem Day
• From Mandelbaum Gate to Chut Shel Chessed
• Go and Take Possession of the Land-by Rabbi Shalom Arush
• The Six-Day War (June 1967)
• Hidden and revealed miracles
• The Rebbe on the Six-Day War
• Jerusalem’s Future Depends on … Us!
• Stories of Immigration and Absorption

• Before the 1948 War
• What Was the Land of Israel Like Before 1948?
• How the Muslims treated the Jews
• How many Arabs lived in ‘Palestine’ before the establishment of the State of Israel?
• Dome of the Rock before the Six Day War-June 1967
• Arab Riots of the 1920’s
• Hebron Massacre-23August1929
• Rav Kook held the acting commissioner responsible for British inaction during the Hevron massacre
• Divided Jerusalem (1948-1967)
• The City That Doesn’t Forget Her Children-by Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis

• This is what it means to be ‘Pushed into the Sea’

• Arab Statements of Exterminationist Intent Before the 1967 War
• Yasser Arafat and the Six Day War

26 Iyar: Six-Day War (1967)

In the spring of 1967, the Arab capitals paraded their arms and openly spoke of overrunning the Land of Israel and casting its inhabitants into the sea. The international media was almost unanimous in its belief that the small Jewish state, outflanked and outgunned by its enemies, stood little chance of survival. It seemed that, for the second time in a generation, the world was going to stand by and allow the enemies of the Jewish people to slaughter them in the millions.

On Iyar 26 (June 5, 1967), Israel launched preemptive strikes on its southern and northern frontiers. In just six days, the Jewish army defeated five Arab armies on three fronts and liberated territories of its promised homeland amounting to an area greater than its own size, including the Old City of Jerusalem and the Temple Mount (see “Today in Jewish History” for Iyar 28).

The openly miraculous nature of Israel’s victory spawned a global awakening of the Jewish soul, fueling the already present and growing teshuvah movement of return to G‑d and Jewish traditions. The Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, of righteous memory, called it a moment of biblical proportions, an “opportunity the likes of which has not been granted for thousands of years.” Many thousands of Jews flocked to put on tefillin and pray at the newly liberated Western Wall of the Temple Mount.

Link: The Rebbe on the Six-Day War (video)

28 Iyar: Jerusalem Liberated (1967)

The Old City of Jerusalem and the Temple Mount were liberated during the 1967 Six-Day War (see “Today in Jewish History” for Iyar 26). The day is marked in Israel as “Jerusalem Day.”

29 Iyar: Hebron Liberated (1967)

One day after Israeli forces liberated eastern Jerusalem in the course of the Six-Day War, another of the holy cities, Hebron, was also liberated.

Following the creation of the State of Israel in 1948, Jordan took over the control of Hebron along with the rest of the region. During this time, Israelis were not allowed to enter the holy city. The Jewish Quarter was destroyed, Jewish cemeteries were desecrated, 58 synagogues were destroyed and an animal pen was built on the ruins of the Patriarch Abraham Synagogue.

2 Sivan: Israel Captures Golan Heights (1967)

Until the Six-Day War (see “Today in Jewish History” for Iyar 26), the Syrian army was deployed in strong fortifications on the Golan Heights, from which they repeatedly shelled the Israeli settlements below. On the fifth day of the war, the Israeli Army broke through the Syrian front. Facing very difficult topographical conditions, they scaled the steep and rugged heights. The Engineering Corps cleared the way of mines, followed by bulldozers which leveled a route for the tanks on the rocky face. After more than 24 hours of heavy fighting, the Syrian deployment collapsed and the Syrian forces fled in retreat.

the Jewish Virtual Library. logo https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org

Jewish Holidays: Yom Yerushalayim – Jerusalem Day

https://jewishvirtuallibrary.org/yom-yerushalayim-jerusalem-day

Yom Yerushalayim (Jerusalem Day) is the anniversary of the liberation and unification of Jerusalem under Jewish sovereignty that occurred during the Six Day War. It is one of four holiday (in addition to Yom HaShoah, Yom HaZikaron, and Yom HaAtzmaut) that were added to the Jewish calendar in the 20th century. Yom Yerushalayim is celebrated on the 28th of the month of Iyar (one week before Shavuot).

The liberation of Jerusalem in 1967 marked the first time in thousands of years that the entire city of Jerusalem, the holiest city in Judaism, was under Jewish sovereignty. The destruction of Jerusalem was a watershed event in Jewish history that began thousands of years of mourning for Jerusalem, so, it follows, that the reunification of Jerusalem should be a joyous celebration that begins the process of reversing thousands of years of destruction and exile. Jerusalem is central to the Jewish tradition. Jews face in the direction of Jerusalem and all of the prayer services are filled with references to Jerusalem.

The observance of Yom Yerushalayim outside of the city cannot compare to its celebration in reunited Jerusalem. In Jerusalem, thousands of people march around the city and walk through the liberated Old City, where Jews were denied access from 1948 to 1967 while it was under Jordanian control. The march ends at the Kotel (Western Wall), one of the ancient retaining walls surrounding the Temple Mount, Judaism‘s holiest site. Once everyone gets to the Kotel, there are speeches and concerts and celebratory dancing.

Rare in the Jewish liturgy, a festive Hallel is recited during the evening prayers. This practice is only done on the first night (and, outside of Israel, on the second night) of Passover and Yom Ha’atzmaut. The Chief Rabbinate of Israel declared that the holiday version of Pseuki d’Zimra and Hallel should be recited. According to the major religious Zionist halakhists (decisors of Jewish law), even those who do not recite the blessing over Hallel (psalms of praise) on Yom Ha’atzmaut should recite it on Yom Yerushalayim because the liberation and reunification over the entire city of Jerusalem is said to be of an even greater miracle than Jewish political sovereignty over part of the land of Israel.

Many religious leaders also hold that the mourning restrictions of 33 days of the omer are lifted on Yom Yerushalayim for those who observe them after Lag B’omer. …

… The Israeli government decreed in 2004 that each year on Jerusalem day a national memorial ceremony would be held to commemorate and acknowledge the desires and contributions of the Ethiopian Jewish community.

Sources: Yom Yerushalayim, WUJS.
Overview: Yom Yerushalayim.
My Jewish Learning/
Udi Shaham, Paying Tribute to the Ethiopian Jews who Didn’t Make it, Jerusalem Post, (June 2, 2016).

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Israel celebrates Jerusalem Day

Jerusalem, capital of Israel, divided during the 1948 War of Independence, was reunited in June 1967. On May 29 2022 (28 Iyyar 5782) Israel celebrates Jerusalem Day, marking the reunification of the nation’s capital.

Type: Information Topic: About Israel Israel Experience Secondary topic: Facts about Israel History Publish Date: 29.05.2022
https://www.gov.il/en/pages/israel-celebrates-jerusalem-day-29-may-2022

Western Wall-Rabin-Dayan-Narkis
GPOIlan Bruner

Since the time of King David, except for the 19 years between 1948 and 1967, there has always been a Jewish presence in the ancient city of Jerusalem, the capital of Israel. From 1948 until 1967, the western part of the city was in Israeli hands, while the ancient, eastern part – apart from a small Israeli enclave on Mount Scopus – was under Jordanian control.

Jerusalem, divided during the 1948 War of Independence, was reunited in June 1967.

“Peace has now returned with our forces in control of all the city and its environs. You may rest assured that no harm whatsoever shall come to the places sacred to all religions. I have requested the Minister of Religious Affairs to get in touch with the religious leaders in the Old City in order to ensure regular contact between them and our forces, so as to make certain that the former may continue their spiritual activities unhindered.”

– Prime Minister Levi Eshkol, June 7, 1967

King David made Jerusalem the capital of his kingdom and the religious center of the Jewish people in 1003 BCE. Some forty years later, his son Solomon built the Temple (the religious and national center of the people of Israel) and transformed the city into the prosperous capital of an empire extending from the Euphrates to Egypt.

Exiled by Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BCE, who conquered Jerusalem and destroyed the Temple, the Jews were allowed to return and rebuild the city and the Temple some 50 years later by the Persian King Cyrus.

Alexander the Great conquered Jerusalem in 332 BCE. The later desecration of the Temple and attempts to suppress Jewish religious identity under the Seleucid ruler Antiochus IV resulted in a revolt led by Judah Maccabbee, who rededicated the Temple (164 BCE) and re-established Jewish independence under the Hasmonean dynasty.

A century later, Pompey imposed Roman rule on Jerusalem. King Herod, installed as ruler of Judah by the Romans (37 – 4 BCE), established cultural institutions in Jerusalem, erected magnificent public buildings and refashioned the Temple into an edifice of splendor.

Jewish revolt against Rome broke out in 66 CE, as Roman rule after Herod’s death became increasingly oppressive. In 70 CE, Roman legions under Titus conquered the city and destroyed the Temple. Jewish independence was briefly restored during the Bar Kochba revolt (132-135), but again the Romans prevailed. Jews were forbidden to enter the city, renamed Aelia Capitolina.

After Byzantine conquest of the city (313), Jerusalem was transformed into a Christian center under Emperor Constantine, with the Church of the Holy Sepulcher the first of many grandiose structures built in the city.

Muslim armies invaded the country in 634, and four years later Caliph Omar captured Jerusalem. Only during the reign of Abdul Malik, who built the Dome of the Rock (691), did Jerusalem briefly become the seat of a caliph.

The Crusaders conquered Jerusalem in 1099, massacred its Jewish and Muslim inhabitants, and established the city as the capital of the Crusader Kingdom. Synagogues were destroyed, old churches were rebuilt and many mosques were turned into Christian shrines. Crusader rule over Jerusalem ended in 1187, when the city fell to Saladin.

In 1247 Jerusalem fell once more to Egypt, now ruled by the Mamluks, until the conquest by the Ottoman Turks in 1517. Suleiman the Magnificent rebuilt the city walls (1537). After his death, the central authorities in Constantinople took little interest in Jerusalem and the city declined.

Jerusalem began to thrive once more in the latter half of the 19th century. Growing numbers of Jews returning to their land, waning Ottoman power and revitalized European interest in the Holy Land led to renewed development of Jerusalem.

The British army led by General Allenby conquered Jerusalem in 1917. From 1922 to 1948, Jerusalem was the administrative seat of the British authorities in the Land of Israel (Palestine), which had been entrusted to Great Britain by the League of Nations.

Mandelbaum Gate 1964 GPOMoshe Pridan

Division and reunification

Upon termination of the British Mandate on May 14, 1948, and in accordance with the UN resolution of November 29, 1947, Israel proclaimed its independence, with Jerusalem as its capital. Opposing its establishment, the Arab countries launched an all-out assault on the new state, resulting in the 1948-49 War of Independence. The armistice lines drawn at the end of the war divided Jerusalem into two, with Jordan occupying the Old City and areas to the north and south, and Israel retaining the western and southern parts of the city.

When the Six-Day War broke out in June 1967, Israel contacted Jordan through the U.N. as well as the American Embassy, and made it clear that if Jordan refrained from attacking Israel, Israel would not attack Jordan. Nevertheless, the Jordanians attacked west Jerusalem and occupied the former High Commissioner’s building. Following heavy fighting, the IDF recovered the compound and removed the Jordanian army from east Jerusalem, resulting in the reunification of the city.

From the IDF website:
“The eagerly awaited command to take the Old City was given at sunrise on the third day of the war, 7 June 1967. The Command assigned this task to the paratroopers, who started with an attack on the Augusta-Victoria hills and the Mount of Olives, overlooking the Old City. After firing in the direction of the breakthrough path, the Lions Gate, the force from the east advanced forward very quickly and broke through into the Old City. The paratroopers ran towards the Dome of the Rock, located next to the last remains of the Temple, the Western Wall, where, in the presence of the sector commander and the deputy head of the armed services, General Rabbi Shlomo Goren, the chief chaplain of the IDF blew a long blow on the rams horn, announcing the release of the Western Wall and the Old City of Jerusalem. Jerusalem, the divided and split capital of Israel, was reunited.”

After the liberation of the city by the IDF, the walls dividing the city were torn down. Three weeks later, the Knesset enacted legislation unifying the city and extending Israeli sovereignty over the eastern part of the city.

The reunification of the city was also a fundamental moment in the history of religious tolerance, opening the city of Jerusalem to worshippers of all faiths, permitting Jews to return to the Western Wall and other holy sites, and allowing Israeli Muslims and Christians to visit those sacred places in eastern Jerusalem from which they too had been barred since 1948.

One year later, in 1968, it was decided that the day marking the liberation and reunification of Jerusalem – 28 Iyar according to the Jewish lunar calendar – would be national holiday in Israel. On Jerusalem Day we celebrate the reunification of the city and the Jewish people’s connection with Jerusalem throughout the ages.

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From Mandelbaum Gate to Chut Shel Chessed

After the miraculous events of the Six Day War (26-Iyar to 2-Sivan), Jews were allowed to return to their city. The Mandelbaum Gate, formerly the physical gate to Jerusalem, became Chut shel Chessed, the spiritual gate to Jerusalem.

Rabbi Jacob Rupp | Posted on 25May2025 | https://breslev.com/259784/

From Mandelbaum Gate to Chut Shel Chessed

For years, we watched in desperate envy and frustration as foreigners passed into the holy city unmolested while we could only stand at Mandelbaum Gate and watch.

Our nation is pursuing a dream. To some, our dream may seem trivial; to others, impossible to attain. Millions have worked towards it and thousands of years have passed, but we remain unabashed in our efforts to merit its fulfillment.

For two thousand years we have waited to come home. We have longed to gather in Eretz Yisroel, to rebuild our Third Temple, and to renew the close relationship with God that we once had.

The path to this goal has been paved with hardships. The monuments of our struggles and misery lie scattered throughout the world. They are found in nearly every country, from the remains of the Death Camps in Poland to Masada in Eretz Yisrael. Yet, despite our struggles, we persevere. From the story of Yosef and his brothers, we learn that before God gives us a test, He gives us the tools to overcome it. Like the night is the darkest right before dawn, oftentimes, the very article of our despair becomes a key to our salvation.

Today, we are plagued by an almost ironic taste of our redemption. We get so close to complete destruction and then, overnight, we can almost sense the beginning of our salvation. We can all but see the hand of our Creator guiding us. Who could have ever imagined the broken, bloodied souls limping out of Auschwitz, all the way to the holy city of Jerusalem?

Today, we are blessed to live in and visit the old city of Jerusalem. Nearly forty years ago, however, that was impossible. Today, the streets of Meah Shearim are full of commerce, shouting children, young families, and vibrant Yiddishkeit. Four decades ago, the area was a virtual war zone, located on the border between Israel and her hostile Arab neighbor. Where today schools and homes stand, one journalist described the area from 1948-1967 as “a ramshackle affair of corrugated tin checkpoints separated on each side by a wide, cobblestone expanse of street.” The bullet holes in the buildings testify to the violence that was an almost daily affair. For close to two decades, we suffered everything from kidnapping and beatings to sniper fire. But even more painful than the violence we endured was the knowledge that the Kotel, the last remnant of our Holy Temple, remained just beyond our reach.

Following the war of Independence, the entire Old City, including the Kotel, was under Jordanian control. The Arabs destroyed our synagogues, desecrated hundreds of our graves, and reduced the Old City into a crumbling, desolate village. Sewage ran down the main streets, and farm animals defecated on the stones upon which our holy sages had once walked.

Jerusalem was divided between East and West; old and new. Mandelbaum Gate was the only point of connection between the no man’s land that split the city. It was through this passage that people – Christian pilgrims, Western journalists, and Arabs, but no Jews – could cross into the Old City.

For years, we watched in desperate envy and frustration as foreigners passed into the holy city unmolested while we could only stand at Mandelbaum Gate and watch. We were so close to our enemy that we could see and speak to those Jordanian soldiers who refused to allow us entry. Every day we would see them stand on our holy ground while we remained powerless to remove them. At times the area was calm, at other times the soldiers would fire at us and our children.

Yet we never lost hope. People would climb onto the roofs of the highest buildings to watch the sun set over our holy city held hostage. All this came to an end, when, during the miraculous events of the Six Day War (26-Iyar to 2-Sivan), Mandelbaum Gate was torn down. We were allowed to return to our city.

Now, fast forward to today; the Old City has been rebuilt and is a popular place to visit, spend time, and pray. Meah Shearim has developed into a gem of traditional Judaism. But where Mandelbaum Gate once stood as a dreary symbol of Jerusalem divided, something amazing is going on.

On the site of so much frustration and despair, a new flame is being kindled! Jewish men are discovering their roots. The sound of Torah learning emanates from a building which had once, on a very physical level, separated us from our roots.

In what can only be described as a miracle, Chut Shel Chessed Institutions was given the privilege of changing Mandelbaum Gate from a source of spiritual frustration to a fountain of spiritual growth.

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Go and Take Possession of the Land 

Rabbi Arush gives an impassioned plea to live in Eretz Yisrael. There is no reason to be afraid. The more Jews who come, the greater the blessings will be. We are so close to building the Beit Hamikdash! Now, more than ever, is the time to come!

Rabbi Shalom Arush | Posted on 06January2026   |  https://breslev.com/4842746/

Go and Take Possession of the Land-by Rabbi Shalom Arush

Translated from Rabbi Arush’s feature article in the weekly Chut shel Chessed newsletter. The articles focus on his main message: “Loving others as yourself” and emuna.

And I am in Exile 

In my latest trip to the diaspora, I visited many communities in France. I met Jews who felt very persecuted and frightened, the ground under their feet was unstable. This situation is shared by many Jews throughout the world. Antisemites have come to power in France. And in its neighbor, England, the change of government doesn’t bode well.

Every place I came to, I did my best to strengthen the people and teach them the perfect emuna (faith) that Hashem will do only good for us and will never abandon the Jewish People, and that we have no one to depend upon except our Father in Heaven. But at the same time, I called to them there, and I will continue to call to all Jews in the world, to immigrate to the Land of Israel.

This message is true for all of us: We, too, who are living in the Holy Land, must participate in the great effort to bring all Jews to Israel. And the effort on our part is mainly through our obligation to pray, as we wrote last week. We must know that an inseparable part of prayer for the Jewish People is the prayer for diaspora Jews, that Hashem should protect them wherever they are. Hashem should awaken them all to come on Aliyah to the Land of Israel, grant them the willingness and the ability to do so, and grant that there will be agreement of all family members to come to Israel. It is not for nothing that we pray three times a day in the Amidah about the ingathering of the exiles.

All of us must understand, on the one hand, the tremendous danger that is threatening Jews all over the world – both a material and a spiritual threat. Jewish institutions and shuls throughout the world are receiving the highest level of threats. On the other hand, we must understand the tremendous difficulty involved in coming on Aliyah. For many Jews this is an extremely difficult step to take. It is very hard to leave large and beautiful homes, jobs, good living conditions, household help, institutions, society, language, and a familiar culture – and to move to the Land of Israel and start life anew. For us, too, who live here, it can be difficult to find apartments and jobs; for diaspora Jews it is certainly hard, then. And therefore, we must help them with our prayers!

Love of the Land

Therefore, the first thing to pray for is the desire to make Aliyah! On the one hand, we, in Israel, must pray that all Jews will have the desire to come on Aliyah, and we must pray for ourselves as well, that we will be able to appreciate the merit of living in the Land of Israel. And, on the other hand, the diaspora Jews should pray that they will long for the Land of Israel and will want, to the best of their ability, to make Aliyah.

Even someone who doesn’t see any chance of coming on Aliyah, even if he doesn’t see any way that he can make a living and purchase an apartment in Israel, and even if part of his family is totally against coming on Aliyah – still, in any case one can always want to! Who is preventing you from wanting? Who is preventing you from asking Hashem that you be given a strong and real will? True, it is forbidden to force things on other family members, and so one must pray that all family members, children included, will want to come on Aliyah.

Don’t confuse ability and desire. Under no circumstances should you stop wanting. For sure, sooner or later the desire will produce results, because the way a person wishes to go is the way that he is led. And the yearning for the Land of Israel is a positive thing, and has tremendous segulot, affecting both material and spiritual things. In the material – it is brought in Sefer Hamiddot: “Thanks to the yearning that a person yearns to come to Eretz Yisrael – by that yearning one receives an abundance of parnasah (livelihood).” ¹

And, of course, the same thing is true about spiritual matters. There are countless sources for the fact that all the kedushah (holiness) and emuna (faith) and prayers open Divine Providence; good middot (traits) are rooted in the kedushah of the Land of Israel. Because the Land of Israel is not a physical place; rather, it is the only spiritual place that can provide the Jewish People with the ability to thrive spiritually.

Rabbi Nachman says: “Every person must ask from Hashem yitbarach (May He be blessed) that he feels yearning and longing for the Land of Israel. And, that all the tzaddikim should long for the Land of Israel, and this is a segula against anger and sadness… in other words, we ask for and long for the Land of Israel, and that way we are granted emuna…” ²

Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Bender would encourage the avreichim (married students) to remember every minute that they are in the Land of Israel and to be happy to have that merit, and to think: “I am walking in the Land of Israel, I am learning, praying, doing mitzvot, busy with chessed (acts of loving kindness), eating and sleeping – in the Land of Israel.” And he even said, “You can test me on this: When you think about the Land of Israel at every free moment – you will experience a great spiritual illumination and great success in all your service of Hashem!”

We have a general rule, that anyone who yearns for something holy – even if he doesn’t actually receive it – that holy thing begins to illuminate him and influence him! And therefore, even someone who is still in the diaspora, if he manages not to distract himself and every moment that he does remember he yearns for the holiness of the Land of Israel – he too will merit a “shot” of increasing emuna and tefilla, and will produce real chiddushei Torah (new insights in Torah) and in everything connected with serving Hashem.

The Land is Very, Very Good

Therefore, we must first of all pray for the will, but we must also pray for all the details and the details of the details, and ask Hashem to build for us millions of apartments that will be ready to receive all those millions of Jews, and that all of them – parents, children, and youths – will have communities, shuls, educational institutions, good sources of income, jobs, and vessels to absorb the material good and the spiritual good; and that all the immigrants will be received with love and joy and welcoming smiles. And when they arrive here, all of them will merit, together with all the residents of the Holy Land, to connect to the holiness of the Land of Israel, and that the light of emuna and tefilla will shine upon them and us to a greater extent and with greater power.

And it is clear as light that the Land of Israel is the safest place for Jews in the whole world.

The more Jews who live in the Land of Israel, the more the Land’s kedushah shines. This means that the holy emuna shines more, and that the tefilla shines more, and that we merit great, miracles that are above nature. Then, of course, the Jewish People are much better protected.

And that is the thing that brings the Geula (Redemption) closer the most, because “the main [cause of] galut (exile) is only lack of emuna”, and the Land of Israel and emuna, tefilla (prayer) and miracles are one thing, as brought in Likutei Moharan (Kitzur Likutei Moharan, 7): “Prayer and miracles and the Land of Israel are all one aspect and they all depend on one another… the main point of emuna, the aspect of tefilla, the aspect of miracles is only in the Land of Israel… and this is the way the Geula will come.”

It comes out that when we pray for the diaspora Jews to immigrate to Israel, we are actually praying for the complete Geula!

And that is what we see in parshat Devarim. Moshe bids farewell to the Jewish People before they enter the Land, because he is not going to enter it with them. He stands facing the Land of Israel and begins his final speech with a great rebuke of the people about the Sin of the Spies. He calls them to repair the sin of their forefathers who spurned the cherished land, and throughout the Torah he praises the Land and longs for it and prepares the Jewish people to live in it with emuna and connection to Hashem and His Torah.

The Sin of the Spies caused a weeping lasting through many generations. That means that all of us still need to correct this sin. And as they spurned the Land of Israel – we must fix that sin and yearn for and want that Land. We must pray and long for the kedushah of the Land of Israel and to do what we can to observe the mitzvah of living in the Land of Israel devotedly.

We see with our own eyes how Hashem is building and developing the Land, and how much blessing there is in the Land. Even better and more abundant natural resources will be discovered here. There will be tremendous abundance.

Therefore, there is no reason to be afraid, and all Jews should come on Aliyah to the Land of Israel. And the more Jews who come, the greater the blessing will be, and they will all live in abundance and in happiness. The Beit HaMikdash (Temple) will be built, and the Three Weeks will become a joyous time, Amen.

Editor’s Note:

¹ Sefer HaMiddot, “Land of Israel”, second part, number 3

² Likutei Moharan I, 155:3

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The Six-Day War (June 1967)

Within the brief span of six days, the IDF overran the Sinai peninsula took the entire West Bank of the River Jordan and captured a great part of the Golan Heights. The culminating event was the capture of the Old City of Jerusalem.

https://www.gov.il/en/pages/the-six-day-war-june-1967

Type: Information< Topic: About Israel Secondary topic: Facts about Israel Publish Date: 12.06.2002

Paratroopers at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, June 1967© GPO/David Rubinger

The year 1967 began with confident predictions that it would not bring war.  Nasser, it was argued in Israel, had learned the lesson of 1956 and would not start a war unless he was ready. In any case, his relations with Jordan were notoriously bad and a coalition between Nasser and King Hussein was out of the question.

In quick succession, events gave the lie to these predictions. A clash in the air, in which Syria – Russia’s closest ally in the Middle East – lost 13 planes, provided the opening signal. As a result of Soviet prodding, Nasser mobilized and sent 100,000 troops to Sinai. He demanded that the Secretary General of the United Nations withdraw UNEF forthwith, and – probably to his own surprise – succeeded immediately and the “firemen” departed. Then Nasser announced the closing of the Straits of Tiran to Israeli shipping (May 23) – a clearcut casus belli. He ended by taunting Yitzhak Rabin, Israel’s Chief of Staff: “Let him come, I’m waiting.”

Meanwhile he succeeded in bringing about close coordination with the Syrian army. King Hussein, in an abrupt about-face, flew to Egypt and signed an agreement placing his forces under overall Egyptian comand. It was to cost him half his kingdom.

Israel, its reserves fully mobilized, its nerves taut to the snapping point, waited for three long weeks. The situation seemed the reverse of 1956; Israel was alone, against a powerful Arab coalition. The Big Powers, vague promises notwithstanding, did nothing to reopen the Straits and Israel decided to go it alone.

On 5 June 1967 a cluster of planes flying from Egypt to Israel was seen on King Hussein’s radar screen. Convinced by the Egyptians that the planes were theirs, he promptly gave the order to attack – in Jerusalem! In fact the planes were Israel’s, returning from their devastating attack against the Egyptian airforce, which surprisingly had been taken by surprise; after taunting Rabin, Egypt was not ready when he came.

Within the brief span of six days, the IDF overran the whole Sinai peninsula, up to the Suez Canal; took the entire West Bank of the River Jordan; and in the last days, without the benefit of surprise, captured a great part of the Golan Heights, including the dominant Mount Hermon – from then on “the eyes and ears of Israel”. The culminating event was the capture of the Old City of Jerusalem and the re-encounter with the place most revered by Jews, the Western (Wailing) Wall. The blowing of the shofar at the Western Wall reverberated throughout the world.

776 Israeli soldiers fell in the Six-Day War.

Whilst all branches of the service had performed well, the Air Force had, for the first time, played a decisive role: clearing the skies at the outset made all that followed possible. This was the War of the Air Force.

Diplomatic efforts to bring to an end the by-now 40 years of conflict, which predated the establishment of Israel by more than two decades, came to nought. In November 1967, after months of deliberations, the Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 242, calling for peace and recognition of the “right of every nation to live free from threat within secure and recognized boundaries”, in return for Israel’s withdrawal “from territories”, not “all the territories”, nor “the territories captured in the course of the recent hostilities”. However, the Arab League, in its session in the Sudan (1967) adopted a different resolution, the “Three No’s” of Khartoum: No peace, No negotiations, No recognition of Israel.

From “The Arab-Israeli Wars” by Netanel Lorch

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Hidden and revealed miracles

When future historians come to write of our era, they will write of all the miracles but they will also discover another hidden miracle.

Daniel Pinner /  25May2025, 10:49 PM (GMT+3) / https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/408953

Paratroopers at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, June 1967© GPO/David Rubinger

First a brief note on the name of this day. Too many people call this day Yom Yerushalayim, the Day of Jerusalem, or more idiomatically Jerusalem Day.

A terrible name! The appellation “Yom Yerushalayim” appears once in the Tanach:

“Remember, O Hashem, to the sons of Edom, יוֹם יְרוּשָׁלִַם, the Day of Jerusalem, when they said Destroy1 Destroy! To its very foundations!” (Psalms 137:7). Yom Yerushalayim is the day that Jerusalem was destroyed. The day that Israel liberated Jerusalem 57 years ago is far better called יוֹם חֵרוּת יְרוּשָׁלַיִם or יוֹם שִׁחְרוּר יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, Jerusalem Liberation Day.

And now, having clarified the name of this day:

We have an ancient and well-established tradition of reading one chapter of Pirkei Avot (Chapters of the Fathers, or more idiomatically Ethics of the Fathers) each Shabbat from Pesach to Shavuot. Jerusalem Liberation Day falls on the 28th of Iyyar, and on the preceding Shabbat we invariably read chapter 5.

This includes an observation on miracles:

“Ten miracles were done for our ancestors in Egypt, and ten at the Red Sea” (Pirkei Avot 5:4).

It is intuitive that the ten miracles in Egypt were the Ten Plagues; yet all of the major commentators (the Rambam, Rabbi Ovadia of Bartenura, Rabbeinu Yonah of Gerona, Tosfot Yomtov, Tiferet Yisrael, among others) agree that the ten miracles in Egypt were not the ten plagues in and of themselves, but rather that in each case we were saved from the plagues.

Only thus did G-d demonstrate not only that He controls nature, but that He controls nature for the sake of the Jewish People.

Though Pirkei Avot does not specify which ten miracles were wrought at the Red Sea, various Midrashim (Tanchuma, Beshallach 10 and Mechilta de-Rabbi Yishmael, Beshallach 5 among others) enumerate them:

The Sea was split for them, and became a dome covering them;

It was divided into ten channels, as G-d said to Moshe, “Stretch forth your hand over the sea and divide it” (Exodus 14:16);

It became completely dry, so they would not even get their feet muddy, as it says, “…and the children of Israel walked on dry ground” (ibid 14:29);

It became like thick, muddy clay, miring the Egyptians, as it says, “You trampled them in the sea with Your horses, with clay of mighty waters” (Habakkuk 3:15);

The waters crumbled as it says, “You crumbled the sea with Your might” (Psalms 74:13);

The waters became piles of rocks against which the Egyptians were smashed, as it says, “He smashed the sea serpents’ heads against the water” (ibid);

The water was cut into pieces, as it says, “To He Who cut the sea into pieces” (ibid 136:13);

The water was heaped into piles, as it says, “At the wind of Your nostrils the waters were heaped up” (Exodus 15:8);

It became a solid wall, as it says, “The flowing waters stood erect like a solid wall” (ibid);

Sweet water flowed out from the midst of the salt water for them, and the water froze, becoming like a glass jug, as it says, “The deep waters froze” (ibid).

So far, so easy to understand. G-d wrought ten miracles for our ancestors while they were yet in Egypt, and another ten at the Red Sea, and all were open, clear miracles which no observer could deny.

But Pirkei Avot continues: “Ten miracles were wrought for our forefathers in the Holy Temple:

No woman ever miscarried due to the aroma of the meat of the sacrifices;

The meat of the sacrifices never rotted;

No fly was ever seen in the place where the sacrificial meat was butchered;

No nocturnal emission ever happened to the Kohen Gadol (High Priest) on Yom Kippur [which would have rendered him impure and unfit for Temple service];

The rains never extinguished the fire of the wood-pile on the Altar;

The wind never disturbed the vertical column of smoke [arising from the Altar];

No disqualifying defect was ever found in the Omer or in the two Loaves [for Shavuot] or in the Showbread;

Though the people were crowded together when they stood, they had sufficient space to prostrate themselves full-length on the ground;

No snake or scorpion ever injured anyone in Jerusalem;

And no one ever said to his fellow, The place is too small for me to overnight in Jerusalem” (5:5).

In this list there is no single event that is miraculous in and of itself. The Jew who made the tri-annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem would not have gazed in awe at a pregnant woman not miscarrying from the aroma of the roasting meat of the sacrifices; no Jew would have been awestruck at seeing meat which had not rotted, or been overwhelmed at not seeing a fly around the meat-hooks set in the sides of the cedar-wood blocks on the eight stone benches to the north of the Altar or on the adjacent marble tables where the carcasses were flayed.

Similarly, the fact that the Kohen Gadol did not suffer a nocturnal emission on a specific Yom Kippur, or that the rain on any given Festival did not extinguish the fire of the wood-pile on the Altar, or that no disqualifying defect was found in the Omer or in the two Loaves or in the Showbread in a given year was not an open miracle. After all, how likely was it for any of these events to occur?

But after a total of 830 years (410 for the first Holy Temple and 420 for the second), the pattern would have become undeniable. For sure, the individual pilgrim who spent a week or two in Jerusalem without being bitten by a snake or stung by a scorpion would not have seen anything miraculous. But when no pilgrim – uncountable millions of Jews through those centuries – was ever harmed thus throughout 830 years of pilgrimages to Jerusalem, then the miracle becomes undeniable.

Just as the Ten Plagues and the Splitting of the Red Sea were physically impossible, so too the perfect functioning of all these systems of the Holy Temple without even a single mishap over 830 years was statistically impossible.

The fact that Pirkei Avot uses the identical phraseology – “ten miracles were wrought for our forefathers” – both for the open, revealed miracles in Egypt and at the Red Sea and also for the hidden, “mundane” miracles in the Holy Temple, suggests that the Mishnah places them on the same level, regards them as equally miraculous.

This year 5785 (2025) marks 58 years since the Six Day War, and Monday 28th Iyyar (26th May) is celebrated as Jerusalem Liberation Day, the day that the paratroopers liberated Jerusalem and restored it to Jewish sovereignty for the first time since the Roman general Pompey invaded Jerusalem in 63 B.C.E. and installed Hyrcanus as High Priest and vassal king of Rome.

In many ways the Six Day War straddles the boundary between hidden miracles and revealed miracles:

Israel was surrounded by a vast military coalition of Arab and Muslim states, whose stated purpose was to exterminate Israel and the Jews therein. Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Morocco, Libya, Kuwait, Tunisia, Sudan, and Pakistan outnumbered, outgunned, and outmanned Israel on four borders. The sole neutral border was with the Mediterranean Sea, into which the Arab armies had vowed to push Israel.

Many of the individual battles which Israel won can be explained rationally: Israel enjoyed specific tactical advantages – shorter supply-lines, superior communications, a fortuitous wind in the Sinai Desert which raised a dust-storm at just the right moment, the rising sun dazzling the Egyptian soldiers on the morning of the first day of the war, the setting sun dazzling the Jordanian soldiers that evening, Egyptian soldiers who were unable to read the instructions for their missiles and were therefore unable to fire them…the list goes on.

But the statistical likelihood of all these events occurring by pure happenstance is vanishingly tiny.

Israel had zero margin for error.

Hostile Jordanian forces stationed in the centre of Jerusalem (half of which was under illegal Jordanian occupation) and throughout Judea and Samaria, reinforced with Iraqi and Saudi divisions, were poised to sweep across Israel from east to west, to link-up with the Egyptian army, reinforced with Libyan, Algerian, and Tunisian divisions, preparing to invade from the south-west.

Meanwhile the Syrian Army, reinforced with Iraqi, Libyan, Yemeni, and Saudi divisions, was preparing to attack from the north and then sweep through the country to link-up with the other Arab forces in the Tel Aviv region.

Had any Arab army – any one at all – won even one single land battle, then Israel would have been destroyed. Israel had no strategic depth, no opportunity to recover from a single lost battle.

Under those circumstances, Israel’s very survival was precarious, to say the least.

The Israel Army made enormous mistakes during the Six Day War at every level, from the overall planning (or lack thereof) to general strategy to battlefield tactics, failures of command, breakdown of coordination between different units, breaches of discipline, and in several other areas. But all these errors were – again miraculously – not enough to lose Israel even a single battle, let alone the entire war.

And ultimately, Israel’s victory was so impressive, so overwhelming, so dazzling, that all those myriad mistakes became mere footnotes in the history books.

And when future historians will come to write of our era, they will discover another hidden miracle:

Throughout the decades since the Six Day War, every government of Israel has tried with all their might to get rid of those parts of Israel which the Army liberated during that war. On the 11th of Sivan 5727 (19th June 1967), just nine days after the war finished, Israel declared that she was willing to withdraw from the Golan Heights, the Sinai Desert (including the Gaza Strip), and Judea and Samaria (the “West Bank”) in return for peace treaties, normalisation of relations with the Arab states, and guarantee of navigation through the Straits of Tiran.

The Arab response was expressed in the Khartoum Conference two months later: “No peace with Israel, no recognition of Israel, no negotiations with it”.

Israeli governments ever since have pleaded, begged, cajoled Arab countries to take back the territories that they lost in the Six Day War. Successive Israeli governments (the present one no less than previous ones) have yearned to give away the Temple Mount – Judaism’s holiest site – to anyone who was willing to talk to them: the PLO, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UN, the Arab League, the European Union, Switzerland, the Vatican, the Organisation of Islamic Conference – anyone.

Decades of political chicanery, secret discussions, Israel’s most brilliant and experienced diplomats, negotiations, classified agreements, more secret discussions, Israeli government officials pleading with the USA to enforce some kind of agreement – and in spite of all these massive efforts by successive Israeli governments, the Temple Mount and the entire Old City of Jerusalem remains under Israeli sovereignty.

It is a miracle no less than the miracles which the Mishnah records were wrought for our forefathers in the Holy Temple that the Temple Mount is still under Israeli control and sovereignty. True, it does not seem miraculous that any one of the Israeli government’s attempts to give away the Temple Mount failed: after all, international diplomacy is a history filled with failures.

But the statistical likelihood that after well over half-a-century of non-stop appeals by the Israeli government to give away the Temple Mount not one foreign power would ever accept is vanishingly tiny.

The Six Day War was indisputably a series of miracles. And the aftermath – well over half-a-century – has been a series of miracles no less.

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The Rebbe on the Six-Day War

August 12, 1967

as recalled by Chaim Gutnik
Courtesy of MeaningfulLife.com https://www.chabad.org/therebbe/article_cdo/aid/357101/jewish/The-Rebbe-on-the-Six-Day-War.htm

A Lubavitcher dons Tefillin with an Israeli soldier

The following is a transcript of the Rebbe‘s remarks given in a private meeting on Av 5, 5727 (August 12, 1967), shortly after the Six-Day War, as recalled by Rabbi Chaim Gutnick of Melbourne, Australia, and published (in Hebrew) in Kfar Chabad Magazine, issue no. 806:

…Three times in our generation, G‑d has granted us an opportunity for the beginning of the Redemption. But these opportunities were missed, and it is the Jewish leadership which is to blame.

The first opportunity was in 1948. You know that I have a particular enthusiasm for Rashi‘s commentary on the Torah. Well, Rashi says regarding the waters of the Flood that, at first, G‑d brought down “rains of blessing”1 upon them and waited to see if they would repent; only after they failed to do so did this turn into the very opposite of “rains of blessing,” G‑d forbid.2

In 1948, G‑d sent “rains of blessing.” This was a time when even the Russians supported the Jewish people against the British, who had attempted to annihilate the nation of Israel. This was a time of opportunity. But the Jewish leaders stood by and debated whether or not to make mention of G‑d’s name in the “Declaration of Establishment.”3 Thus the Redemption was put off by fifty years.

The second opportunity was the Sinai Campaign [of 1956]. If the Jewish people would have believed that their salvation would come from G‑d rather than from French MIGs and British warplanes, all would have been different.

But never has there been an opportunity such as this one. This was a war won by Torah and mitzvot. There can be no doubt of this. A Jew in Moscow recited Psalms, and a Jew in Buffalo, New York, put on tefillin, and this helped the Jews defeat their enemies in the Land of Israel.

If the Jewish leaders would have utilized the opportunity to rouse the people to the observance of Torah and mitzvot, our situation today would be entirely different. Think about it: a young man in Israel was summoned, handed an Uzi, and told: “Leave your wife and children at home and go to El-Arish to fight.” In every war there are draft-dodgers; here, no Jew, not even one for whom the word “Jew” is nothing more than an appellation, refused to fight. It was a time when the entire people of Israel were in a state of “We shall do and we shall hear.”4 When this young man fought at El-Arish, his Torah and mitzvot fought for him. The Shechinah (Divine Presence) came down into the trenches to assist the soldier fighting on the borders of the Land of Israel.

If the Jewish leaders would have told that soldier to utilize the reserves of faith and courage that were revealed in him during the war toward a commitment to Torah and mitzvot, with the same “We shall do and we shall hear,” he, and the entire Jewish nation, would have responded, and everything would have been different. But again the leaders were silent, and the great opportunity was lost. They were too timid to tell the Jew the truth: that this is the time for a return to Torah.

The very first chapter of the first section of the Shulchan Aruch (Code of Jewish Law) begins not with Maimonides‘ “Thirteen Principles of Faith,” but with the Rama‘s ruling that “One should not be intimidated by mockers.” Why? Because when one does not fulfill this rule, one is prevented from fulfilling the entire Shulchan Aruch. Perhaps I speak too sharply, but the Jewish leadership is bankrupt. They avoid me because they know that I will demand of them to speak the truth. Their timidness to speak the truth, contrary to the rule, “One should not be intimidated by mockers,” is holding back the Redemption.

Jews must be told to keep Torah and mitzvot. I initiated the tefillin campaign—this is only the beginning. My hope is that through the mitzvah of tefillin, the Jewish people will be brought closer to other mitzvot—to keep kosher and Shabbat, and ultimately the entire Torah. My aim is that millions of additional hands should become tefillin-wearing hands.

The Jewish people will respond when spoken to about Torah and mitzvot. Not only teenagers—also forty-year-olds, people advanced and established in their lives, are ready to hear the truth, if only their leaders will speak it to them.

We still have not lost the opportunity. It’s still not too late. Now it is August.6 If we will do our job, if the shluchim6 will do their job and tell the world the truth, we can bring the Redemption…

Footnotes

1. I.e., beneficial rainfall.

2. Rashi on Genesis 7:12.

3. The Israeli “declaration of independence,” adopted on May 14, 1948. Most of the 37 signatories opposed any mention of G‑d in the document. In the end, they compromised by including an oblique reference to “the rock of Israel” in its last paragraph.

4. Cf. Exodus 24:7.

5. I.e., only two months after the war.

6. “Emissaries”–the men and women dispatched by the Rebbe to Jewish communities in every part of the globe to encourage the observance of Torah.

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Jerusalem’s Future Depends on … Us!

Regardless of years of political discourse and negotiations about Jerusalem, her future depends on each of us!

Rabbi Lazer Brody / Posted on 20May2025 /  https://breslev.com/266242/

Jerusalem’s Future Depends on … Us! by Rabbi Lazer Brody

In tractate Chagiga 14a, the Talmud teaches us that Yerushalayim wasn’t destroyed until the “men of faith” disappeared. In other words, as long as there were a few people around with emuna, uncompromising faith in Hashem – happy all the time because they’re glad to be alive, happy to be Jews, glad to have Torah and mitzvot, and appreciative of all of Hashem’s blessings – Jerusalem wasn’t destroyed.

Hashem created this whole universe for only one reason – emuna, so that people would learn emuna. emuna is the key to the entire creation. Rebbe Nachman of Breslev writes that emuna and Eretz Yisroel are one entity; the security, welfare, and very existence of Israel depend on emuna!

Jerusalem is called Kirya Ne’emana – the city of emuna. As such, it was destroyed because of the weakening of emuna. Let’s take a look at the cause of this weakening of emuna. Where did it come from? How did it happen?

Let’s look at the Torah in Parshat Shlach, where the meraglim – the twelve spies – return from their reconnaissance mission in Eretz Yisroel. They had to gather as much intelligence on the country as possible, so they toured from south to north and from west to east. After they saw giants, with the exception of Calev ben Yephuneh and Yehoshua (Joshua) bin Nun (the son of Nun), none of the spies – and each one was a leader of his respective tribe – believed that the Jewish people could defeat such adversaries. The emuna of the meraglim had crumbled! They returned to Moshe (Moses) and the Children of Israel encamped in Sinai and totally discouraged the people. That night was Tisha B’Av, the first disastrous Tisha B’Av in our people’s history. The Children of Israel didn’t believe Calev and Yehoshua, but they did believe the ten other spies, which was tantamount to a total lack of faith in Hashem. The people cried all night long.

The Talmud teaches us, in tractate Sota 35a, that Hashem said to the children of Israel, “You’re crying tonight for nothing? I’ll make sure that you cry for generations to come!”

That was the first Tisha B’Av. Subsequently, Tisha B’Av witnessed the destruction of the 1st and 2nd temples, the fall of Beitar, the expulsion from Spain in 1492, and the beginning of the Holocaust and other disasters.

Something seems to be wrong here. Hashem runs the world according to the ATFAT principle, A Turn For A Turn. That’s how Hashem educates us. So we have to ask, If we cried for only one night, why did we have to suffer on Tisha B’av ever since? Is that fair? Is that ATFAT? Where’s the proportion here?

Let’s try to understand. First of all, crying for nothing demonstrates a complete lack of emuna. Crying and complaining on the way out of Egypt evidenced extreme insensitivity. Hashem performed phenomenal miracles for the children of Israel in Egypt and on the way out. He fed, clothed, and provided health care for millions of people in the desert for forty years! Imagine the size of the budget necessary to care for so many people for so many years. Look at the difficulty the US Government had in care for 800,000 homeless people after hurricane Katrina; and that was for less than a year in the “Land of Opportunity” with all its riches, resources, and modern technology! Now think about what Hashem did for so many more people for 40 years in the world’s biggest wasteland. There’s hardly anything in Sinai but sand, rocks and mountains!

Let’s take a closer look at Hashem’s miracles. The ten plagues hit the Egyptians selectively, without harming a hair on a Jewish head. Look what Hashem did to the entire Egyptian Army when He split the Red Sea. During the 40 years in the desert, Hashem personally fed and clothed over 2 million Jews. Not a single person died from a scorpion bite or anything similar.

So, instead of thanking Hashem for these incredible miracles, the people complained. “Hashem wants to send us to some dangerous place . . . these giants are going to kill us!”  They voiced all kinds of complaints, and even worse, they had a sour attitude. This was not simply a lack of gratitude; it was amnesia and a lack of faith!

Suppose the children of Israel had looked at their world through emuna eyes. They would have said, “Baruch Hashem. Hashem has taken care of us until now; He will continue to do so in the future!” Instead they cried out and complained.

Doesn’t this sound terrible? Guess what, the root of ignorance, ingratitude and complaint is still in us. In every generation, it sprouts more poisonous shoots of lack of faith.

The future of Yerushalayim doesn’t depend on Israeli or American politicians. It depends on us, whether or not we make ourselves anshei amana, people of faith. If each of us makes a concerted effort to strengthen his or her emuna and replace complaints with praises to Hashem for all the wonderful blessings He bestows on us, we will be doing our part to strengthen Yerushalayim and hasten the full redemption of our people and the rebuilding of the Beit HaMikdash. Amen.

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Stories of Immigration and Absorption

15May2026 https://www.israpundit.org/stories-of-immigration-and-absorption/

By Ari Bussel

Translated by Peloni

I come from a family of immigrants, half of them illegal immigrants for they broke the British Mandate over Palestine: My mother arrived through the illegal “Aliyah Bet” immigration from Europe, from the DP (Displaced Persons) Camps after the Second World War. My father arrived to the State of Israel exactly two years after Israel’s rebirth.

My father’s father fought the Nazis in General Anders’ Polish Army, and at the end of the war found himself in Italy, from where he joined his brother in New York. The two brothers lived in Manhattan, one with his wife in Upper East Side and the other with his second wife (the first was murdered during the Holocaust) in Upper West Side, this until the end of their lives.

Even before the Second World War, part of the family on my mother’s side (Edelson, Gordon, …) emigrated to the United States, and today, a hundred years later, the family numbers five generations, an enormous and sprawling tree. My great aunt married the love of her life in Chicago during the Great Depression, and at their wedding a full orchestra played, something that cost five dollars. Since then they wandered westward and settled in Los Angeles.

When young Israel turned to adulthood (in human years), the Israeli part of the family continued on to the United States, where I was born. My life story is almost entirely in the United States. The only debt I had to repay, according to my grandmother, was military service in the IDF. My grandmother who survived both the Nazis and the Soviets claimed: “Even if you were not born, did not live, and will not live in the country, this is your debt and your duty.” That is what she said, and that is how it was.

During my military service, my girlfriend and I were both officers, but in different branches of General Headquarters, and Dagnit was one rank higher than me. When I completed my service and returned to the United States, our paths parted. Three decades later, we met at the opening event of a Christian Media Summit in Jerusalem — I as one of the conference invitees who arrived from about fifty countries, and Dagnit as Director General of the Ministry of Immigration and Absorption among those welcoming us.

Dagnit’s parents belong to the community that immigrated to Israel from India (from them I learned, for example, to eat amba; also the respect to one’s vocation and to public service). Like Dganit’s and my backgrounds, immigration and absorption are not unusual for any Israeli – for modern Israel is a country made up of an amazing tapestry of people who for two millennia craved to return to their homeland and finally gathered and came.

Several years passed since our encounter, and I just read an article announcing that Dganit had been selected for the position once again, because of her rich experience and the acute need for a functioning ministry, especially due to the increase in Antisemitism around the world in the past two and a half years and the need to be prepared to absorb massive waves of immigrants.

Israel in the past dealt with waves of immigration. The older generations will remember the tent transit-camps, all the communities that arrived from Arab countries from which they were expelled, as well as the Survivors of the inferno that burned everything to the ground in Europe.

The middle generation will remember the Russian immigration (and the development of the city of Rishon LeZion into one of the largest cities in the country because of it, as well as Avigdor Lieberman’s unexpected electoral success; where he reamins to this very day) and the Ethiopian immigration and its unique difficulties.

The younger generation is aware of the immigration from France (after the immigrants bought apartments in Eilat and in the coastal cities, most of them returned to France, knowing that in time of need they would be able to escape comfortably to Israel) and perhaps that from Argentina (which did not quite reach Israel — those fleeing Argentina stopped and became “stuck” in Miami or Spain).

Modern Israel just celebrated its 78th birthday. If a generation is generally accepted to last 25 years, then three generation-lengths have experienced different groups of immigrants and have dealt differently with each. There is one common denominator though: The children born in Israel are all Israelis, and everyone who served in the IDF was forged into a most extraordinary mold and has become an Israeli through and through.

Fighting Antisemitism

If immigration and the birth pangs of absorption are not new to the Israeli landscape, certainly Antisemitism is very well known to every Jew wherever he may be throughout the world. For very many centuries we have been the scapegoats, experienced persecution and hated simply because we are Jews.

In recent years people in Israel have been very interested in “antisemitism” and in the outbursts that we feel abroad. Like everything in Israel, everyone is an expert in everything, especially in things about which they do not know the first thing. I cannot forget one of the official delegations that arrived in Los Angeles “to learn” about Antisemitism on the ground. They were not interested to hear, see or learn a thing. They knew everything in advance, before even stepping foot in the Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX. When we sat in the yard of a private home in North Beverly Hills with members of the delegation and local hosts, they simply dismissed with contempt the descriptions of what happens in high schools and even elementary schools against Jewish students. It did not match their idea of “antisemitism” or what they “knew.” They were so arrogant until the moment the dam burst. Parent after parent confessed what their children experience.

Did anything sink in?

The Israelis came, investigated, were impressed, ignored, and returned full to the brim with old knowledge and impressions that had nothing to do with what is really happening on the ground; all they had before the visit. And what was done with this knowledge? Nothing. Was there continuity to those visits? Of course not. Good money and great effort thrown away without benefit. The main thing was that it was determined — as had been known in advance — that there is “antisemitism” and therefore more and more programs and government offices that do nothing need to be budgeted.

Therefore, when I met Dagnit I asked whether her Ministry had contingency plans for absorbing sudden, massive immigration, one that is not voluntary but forced by circumstances. Dagnit understands contingency plans; like me, she served in the GHQ, and in the IDF one prepares and trains for every scenario. At least that was how it was in our time. I hoped that at minimum, at a certain point she would remember that inquiry of mine, because when something is recorded somewhere in our gray cells, and at another time it is mentioned once again, perhaps even in another context, and once again etc., eventually the person will relate to the issue as though the person had invented it at that very moment.

Years before, I raised exactly the same issue in writing as well as in a chance meeting with the ministry’s Director General and members of his entourage who arrived at the Herzliya Conference. Antisemitism was not very popular then, and the ministry, like every other government office, did not like additional work or ideas that could lead to it. Most likely I was dismissed as a foreign correspondent who knew not what he was asking (at that time, no one cared about “antisemitism”).

Writers write, report, tell and warn, and nothing is done. We warned about the preparations of the Radwan Force to invade and conquer the Galilee and beyond, as well as about what looked like tunnels being dug, but this was all dismissed. Hamas-ISIS implemented the same, as they did a few years ago with the abduction of one Gilad Shalit. We wrote and warned of the arrival of the Turkish terror flotilla to liberate Gaza, only to sit later at the National Inquiry into the Mavi Marmara and the lynching of Israeli navy seals and hear the Chief of General Staff gives testimony that if he had to do it again, he would act differently. Likewise in the USA, colleagues of ours went into mosques in NYC and warned about what was taking place there, but nobody bothered to pay attention. It sounded too crazy, until 9/11 happened.

A day will come when the State of Israel will have to deal with sudden, massive immigration, not voluntary but forced by circumstances, and then Israel will apparently find herself unprepared, as though this were a blow that fell from the skies and was impossible to prepare for or foresee in advance. As though the signs were not there, and all the warning lights had not flashed with full force for a long time.

On that day, apparently, it will be very unpleasant and uncomfortable. There will be no surplus budgets. There will be no available person-power. There will be no operational plans, contingency plans, training, table-top exercises or past experience. We will need to improvise, invent, innovate, and cope. If the transit tent-camps of the past left the society with a deep scar, imagine what will happen when the Jews of Britain or New York or Los Angeles arrive. (In Los Angeles alone there are about a million Jews and Israelis, and we are spoiled and lazy and not used to hardships.) Without their property. With virtually nothing except their lives.

For those who say, “This is not realistic, this is utterly impossible, this simply will not happen:” The Jews of France also thought so. The Jews of Argentina too. Yes — also all the enlightened Jews in Warsaw (from where my father came) or in Germany a hundred years ago. In 1978 the Israelis in Tehran were evacuated by jumbojets sent by the State of Israel. The Iranian Jews found their way through Italy and England to “Tehrangeles.” Almost all of them left with nothing; only their lives did they manage to save.

Israel is not prepared, as preparations seem to be an unnecessary burden. This will cost us dearly.

Ari Bussel

May, 2026
Ceasefire of the “The Lion’ Roar” War
Los Angeles, Iyar 5786

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Before the 1948 War Israel created a State under the noses of the British Mandate for Palestine before World War 2 20 Iyar: Mt. Scopus Hospital (1939) The Hadassah University Hospital and Medical Center was opened on Mt. Scopus, Jerusalem. The hospital, designed by renowned Bauhaus architect Erich Mendelssohn, opened as a modern, 300-bed academic medical facility.   21 Iyar: Kfar Chabad Established (1949) The Chabad-Lubavitch village in Israel, Kfar Chabad, was founded by the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, on Iyar 21 of 1949. The first settlers were mostly recent immigrants from the Soviet Union, survivors of the terrors of World War II and Stalinist oppression. Kfar Chabad, which is located about five miles south of Tel Aviv and includes agricultural lands as well as numerous educational institutions, serves as the headquarters of the Chabad-Lubavitch Chassidic movement in the Holy Land.   28 Sivan: Rebbe Arrives in US (1941) After escaping Nazi-occupied Paris, and many perilous months in Vichy France, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson (1902-1994), and his wife, Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka (1901-1988), boarded the SS Serpa Pinto in Lisbon, Portugal. On Monday, June 23–Sivan 28 on the Jewish calendar–at 10:30 A.M., they arrived in New York.   Shortly after his arrival, the Rebbe’s father-in-law, the then Lubavitcher Rebbe Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn (who had been rescued from Nazi-occupied Warsaw in 1940), appointed him to head the social and educational outreach programs of Chabad-Lubavitch. Thus the Rebbe began his decades-long revolutionary work to revitalize Jewish life in the Western Hemisphere, which spread, by means of the emissaries (“shluchim”) he dispatched from his New York headquarters, to every part of the world.   Links: Inspiring the Jewish American Revolution World Jewry Thrives Seven Decades After Rebbe’s U.S. Arrival

What Was the Land of Israel Like Before 1948? Looking at the geographical and geopolitical landscape in the twenty-first century, the Land of Israel before 1948 is almost unrecognizable When we see modern-day Israel – an ultra-modern country of more than 9 million citizens… David Brummer 27February2020 12:00 am https://honestreporting.com/land-of-israel-before-1948/ Israel before 1948-The city of Jaffa around the year 1900 Looking at the geographical and geopolitical landscape in the twenty-first century, the Land of Israel before 1948 is almost unrecognizable   When we see modern-day Israel – an ultra-modern country of more than 9 million citizens – it is often difficult to conceptualize what the country was like before 1948. Looking at the skylines of many of Israel’s cities, with gleaming, shiny multi-story office blocks, apartment buildings – and increasingly skyscrapers (at least in Tel Aviv), the geographical landscape is utterly unrecognizable.   The changes and differences, however, do not end there. Before David Ben Gurion, the first Prime Minister of Israel, announced Israel’s Declaration of Independence on May 14, 1948, 600,000 Jews lived in the land. According to estimates, approximately one-fifth – or up to 120,000 Jews were living in Jerusalem – the newly-declared capital of the nascent state. Approximately 2,000 Jews lived within Jerusalem’s 500-year-old city walls – as they had done for legitimately centuries – certainly since the return from exile in Babylon in the 6th century BCE.   Outside of Jerusalem, Jews were widely dispersed across Mandate Palestine. Approximately half of the remaining 480,000 Jews living in the country – 244,000 people – lived in the Tel Aviv area. The city’s first Jewish neighborhood – Neve Tzedek – was only established in 1887, the result of a lottery of an initial 60 families; and a need for space in Jaffa, a majority Arab town at the time. Tel Aviv itself was established in 1909. Prior to the civil war between Palestine’s Jews and Arabs in 1947-48 and then the international conflict that followed Israel’s Declaration of Independence, the land was sparsely populated.   Israel Zangwill, a Jewish British novelist and playwright (and someone deeply involved in the women’s rights movement, wrote a series of articles early in his career, in which he described Palestine as “a wilderness… a stony desolation… a deserted home” and a land that had “gone to ruin.”   A popular view of the country at the time was that Palestine was a “land without a people, waiting for a people without a land.” That is not entirely accurate – as there were obviously people populating Palestine, but they were not organized in a way that even gave the impression of a functioning country. It was an administrative backwater of the rapidly crumbling Ottoman Empire, which ruled the region for 400 years and did barely anything to develop it. The Arabs in the Holy Land But what of the local Arab population?   By the end of Ottoman rule, there were several thousand living in Jerusalem, and as for the rest – for the most part, they were widely dispersed – mostly in villages and small towns – throughout Judea and Samaria and the Galilee. During the Ottoman period, most lived as tenant farmers in a somewhat feudal system with landowners, but some lived in towns such as Gaza, Hebron, Haifa and elsewhere.   At the end of the 19th century there were stirrings of Arab nationalism, which included wealthier Palestinian Arabs urging Turkish authorities not to allow Jewish refugees and pioneers from settling in the country.   One of the most vexing questions – or issues – today, is the notion that somehow all Palestinian Arabs were unceremoniously expelled from their land – or at the very least denied appropriate remuneration for it. That is simply not the case. It was only in 1856 that the Ottomans had passed a law allowing foreigners to buy land in the empire under the tanzimat reforms, which were a belated and somewhat half-hearted attempt at permitting people to feel part of the state by giving them rights.   By 1881, the Ottomans began banning land purchases by Jews and Christians, also declaring that Jews were still permitted to immigrate to the Ottoman Empire – but with the exception of Palestine. As with so many functions of Turkish rule, official declarations made in Constantinople, were much diluted when it came to Palestine.   The legal path to Jewish acquisition of land in Palestine remained open, and the Yishuv made the most of the opportunity. Arabs were willing to sell to wealthy Jews – such as Moses Montefiore or Baron Edmond de Rothschild – often at inflated prices. The Jewish National Fund was also able to purchase large tracts of land from the Ottomans and much of this was utilized by an enduring legacy of the Second Aliyah (1904-1914); namely the kibbutz movement. The records for those who would wish to open their eyes to see them are clear.   Palestine’s main port was Jaffa, the major point of entry in the Land of Israel before 1948. In the late 1920s, the British developed Haifa as a deep-sea port, attempting to take advantage of the oil found in Persia prior to the outbreak of World War I.   It seems ironic now that the Arab Revolt between 1936-1939 – a violent nationalist Palestinian Arab uprising, in part to protest growing Jewish immigration – led to the development of Tel Aviv as a port. The use of Jaffa was considered too precarious, and an effort to effect systemic change in the country, not for the first time, backfired massively on those it was intended to help. Palestine’s Jews meanwhile, continued to build the infrastructure of a potential state, acquiring land, investing in water technology, continuing to develop the Hebrew language and attempting to create a civic society that would be essential in the future.   The civic society of the Jewish part of Mandate Palestine,  known as the Yishuv, included functioning quasi-governmental institutions. The Yishuv’s position was complex – it had to grapple constantly with fluctuating fortunes with regard to the British and their attempts to play Palestinian Arabs and Jews against each other.   A crucial moment arrived in November 1917 with the Balfour Declaration; a hard-won acknowledgment, from an imperial superpower, of the Jews’ long historical connection to the Land of Israel  and which, despite its (possibly deliberate) ambiguity, seemed to guarantee a homeland for the Jewish people. Other imperial powers also discussed the fate of Yishuv, particularly in April 1920 in the Italian town of San Remo. Britain, France, Italy and Japan convened to discuss the division of the land that had been held by the Ottoman Empire.   Palestinian Arabs were infuriated that as a result of this, the Jews would have a national home in Palestine. Their response – as was so often the case – and in a pattern that has repeated for more than a century – was to react with violence. The riots in Jaffa in 1921 began to see a more coordinated Jewish defense, manifested in the creation of the Haganah.   In 1922, the Yishuv was dealt a further blow as Winston Churchill, who had until then been seen as a friend to the Zionist cause, decided to redraw the map of the Middle East. He cleaved away the portion of Palestine that was east of the Jordan River and created the country of Transjordan (later known as just Jordan).   The Jewish state that the Yishuv thought it would receive at the Mandate’s end would now be 75% smaller than they had been led to think. It would shrink further still in the decades to come, although they could not have known it at the time. However, despite this massive setback, the overarching goal of achieving a state was still central to the Zionist cause. Ben-Gurion and others were pragmatic enough to understand what that would mean and what that would cost.   The Rapid Development of Israel Before 1948 The Land of Israel before 1948 was a curious mixture of ancient, slow-moving and traditional ways of life and also a place bursting with pioneering spirit. During the early 20th century, a period when the ossifying Ottoman Empire was still dominant, Jewish immigration and land purchases were increasingly changing a seemingly forgotten place. Jewish immigrants rapidly reinvigorated a land that had barely seen any infrastructure or modernization during a 400-year rule.   The physical landscape changed as advancements in water technology – which continued apace during the British Mandate period – particularly, irrigation and the ability to use even brackish water for agriculture, showed that even in the desert, human life could be sustained.   In addition, small towns began to grow into cities and new neighborhoods began to spill out from existing conurbations. In that atmosphere, the Hebrew language developed further, used in books, newspapers, radio and theater – a continued resuscitation from the dead. Political organizations were also critical, as the levers of the state – before there was even a state – were exercised on a daily basis. They created the building blocks of the thriving, modern state of Israel that we see today.   Enjoyed reading this article? Follow the Israel In Focus page on Facebook to read more articles explaining Israel’s history, politics, and international affairs. Click here to learn more!   Image Credit: Israel before 1948   TOP

How the Muslims treated the Jews Israel was established in 1948. But Jews lived in the region for thousands of years. Before Israel existed, here’s what Jews in the Middle East could NOT do: 1.Could not ride horses 2. Be eye level with Muslims 3. Had to pay tax not to be murdered and pillaged 4. Could not… pic.twitter.com/SOhmlYeDLr — Hen Mazzig (@HenMazzig) October 3, 2023 Hen Mazzig-tweet-3October2023-Israel was established in 1948. But Jews lived in the region for thousands of years. Israel was established in 1948. But Jews lived in the region for thousands of years. Before Israel existed, here’s what Jews in the Middle East could NOT do: 1.Could not ride horses 2. Be eye level with Muslims 3. Had to pay tax not to be murdered and pillaged 4. Could not testify against a Muslim in court 5. Could not bear arms 6. Could not move freely after certain hours 7. Couldn’t dress without imposed Jewish symbols (like the yellow stars we saw in the Holocaust.) In 1941, my grandma survived the Farhud. It was massacre against the Jewish community of Iraq, encouraged by the Nazis. Thousands of Jews were attacked by a mobs, which was backed by the Iraqi government. My grandma had to flee Iraq – they even took her citizenship. So did with other 150,000 Jews. Today there are no Jews in Iraq. They were ethnically cleansed. This didn’t just happen in Iraq. Jews were ethnically cleansed throughout the Middle East and North Africa. Almost a million Jew ran for their lives. The only place to take them wasn’t America, or Britain— it was Israel. Israel saved my Iraqi mother and my Tunisian father. It will continue to save Jews from everywhere else. Hen Mazzig-tweet-3October2023–Israel was established in 1948. But Jews lived in the region for thousands of years.     TOP

How many Arabs lived in “Palestine” before the establishment of the State of Israel? How many Arabs lived in “Palestine” before the establishment of the State of Israel ? A list of facts with historical sources: In 1785, Constantine Francois Volney describes the “ruined” and “desolate” state of the country: “We with difficulty recognized Jerusalem… The… pic.twitter.com/zxFu8RtRkx — Dr. Eli David (@DrEliDavid) April 27, 2024 Dr. Eli David-tweet-27April2024-How many Arabs lived in Palestine before the establishment of the State of Israel How many Arabs lived in “Palestine” before the establishment of the State of Israel ? A list of facts with historical sources: In 1785, Constantine Francois Volney describes the “ruined” and “desolate” state of the country: “We with difficulty recognized Jerusalem… The population is supposed to amount to twelve to fourteen thousands…” In 1843, Alexander Keith wrote that “in this [Volney’s] day the land had not fully reached its last prophetic degree of desolation and depopulation.” In 1816, J.S. Buckingham had described Jaffa as “a poor village”, and Ramleh as a place “where, as throughout the greater portion of Palestine, the ruined portion seemed more extensive than that which was inhabited.” In 1835, Alphonse de Lamartine gave this description: “Outside gates of Jerusalem, we saw indeed no living object, heard no living sound. We found the same void, the same silence as we should have found in the enrombed gates of Pompeii and Herculaneum… a complete, eternal silence resigns in the town, in the highways, in the country… The tomb of a whole people.” In 1857, the British consul in Palestine, James Finn, reported back to England: “The country is in a considerable degree empty of inhabitants and therefore its greatest need is that of a body of population.” In 1867, Mark Twain wrote in The Innocents Abroad: “Stirring senses… occur in this valley no more. There is not a solitary village throughout its whole extent – not for thirty miles in either direction.” He goes on to describe Galilee, Judea, and around Jerusalem as deserts devoid of population. And for the country as a whole: “Palestine sits in sackcloth and ashes. Over it broods the spell of a curse that has withered its fields and fettered its energies… Palestine is desolate and unlovely… It is hopeless, dreary, heartbroken land.” In 1881 (the year designated by Arafat as the beginning of the Zionist “invasion” and “displacement” of the local population), English cartographer Arthur Penrhyn Stanley wrote: “In Judea it is hardly an exaggeration to say that for miles and miles there was no appearance of life or habitation.” By the third quarter of the 19th century, the total population of the entire country, Arabs and Jews, was only 400,000. Less than 3% of today’s figure. Dr. Eli David-tweet-27April2024-How many Arabs lived in Palestine before the establishment of the State of Israel   TOP

Dome of the Rock before the Six Day War-June 1967 Dome of the Rock, overgrown and in disrepair, long before 1948. Curious how they never cared about these iconic sites before it became a matter of fighting the Jews. pic.twitter.com/2GdKBT501u — Nioh Berg ♛ ︎ אסתר (@NiohBerg) February 29, 2024 Nioh Berg-tweet-29February2024-Dome of the Rock before the Six Day War June 1967 Dome of the Rock, overgrown and in disrepair, long before 1948. Curious how they never cared about these iconic sites before it became a matter of fighting the Jews. Nioh Berg-tweet-29February2024-Dome of the Rock before the Six Day War June 1967     TOP

The German consulate in the Fast Hotel, 1933. (Wikimedia, Tamar Hayardeni) The Hotel Fast building was abandoned in 1967 and torn down in 1976 to make way for the Dan Pearl Hotel. the Jewish Virtual Library. logo https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org Arab Riots of the 1920’s by Jacqueline Shields https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/arab-riots-of-the-1920-s At the end of World War I, discussions commenced on the future of the Middle East, including the disposition of Palestine. On April 19, 1920, the Allies, Britain, France, Italy and Greece, Japan and Belgium, convened in San Remo, Italy to discuss a peace treaty with Turkey. The Allies decided to assign Great Britain the mandate over Palestine on both sides of the Jordan River, and the responsibility for putting the Balfour Declaration into effect. Arab nationalists were unsure how best to react to British authority. The two preeminent Jerusalem clans, the el-Husseinis and the Nashashibis, battled for influence throughout the mandate, as they had for decades before. The former was very anti-British, whereas the latter favored a more conciliatory policy.   One of the el-Husseinis, Haj Amin, who emerged as the leading figure in Palestinian politics during the mandate period, first began to organize small groups of suicide groups, fedayeen (“one who sacrifices himself”), to terrorize Jews in 1919 in the hope of duplicating the success of Kemal in Turkey and drive the Jews out of Palestine, just as the Turkish nationalists were driving the Greeks from Turkey. The first large Arab riots took place in Jerusalem in the intermediary days of Passover, April 1920. The Jewish community had anticipated the Arab reaction to the Allies’ convention and was ready to meet it. Jewish affairs in Palestine were then being administered from Jerusalem by the Vaad Hatzirim (Council of Delegates), appointed by the World Zionist Organization (WZO) (which became the Jewish Agency in 1929). The Vaad Hatzirim charged Ze’ev (Vladimir) Jabotinsky with the task of organizing Jewish self-defense. Jabotinsky was one of the founders of the Jewish battalions, which had served in the British Army during the First World War and had participated in the conquest of Palestine from the Turks. Acting under the auspices of the Vaad Hatzirim, Jabotinsky lead the Haganah (self-defense) organization in Jerusalem, which succeeded in repelling the Arab attack. Six Jews were killed and some 200 injured in Jerusalem in the course of the 1920 riots. In addition, two Americans, Jakov Tucker and Ze’ev Scharff, both WWI veterans, were killed resisting an Arab attack on the Jewish settlement of Tel Hai in March 1920. Had it not been for the preliminary organization of Jewish defense, the number of victims would have undoubtedly been much greater.   After the riots, the British arrested both Arabs and Jews. Among those arrested was Jabotinsky, together with 19 of his associates, on a charge of illegal possession of weapons. Jabotinsky was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment with hard labor and deportation from the country after completion of his sentence. When the sentence became known, the Vaad Hatzirim made plans for widespread protests, including mass demonstrations and a national fast. Meanwhile, however, the mandate for Palestine had been assigned to Great Britain, and the jubilation of the Yishuv outweighed the desire to protest against the harsh sentence imposed on Jabotinsky and his comrades.   With the arrival in Jerusalem of the first High Commissioner, Sir Herbert Samuel, British military government was superseded by a civilian administration. As a gesture toward the civilian population, the High Commissioner proclaimed a general amnesty for both Jews and Arabs who had been involved in the April 1920 riots. Jabotinsky and his comrades were released from prison to an enthusiastic welcome by the Yishuv, but Jabotinsky insisted that the sentence passed against them be revoked entirely, arguing that the defender should not be placed on trial with the aggressor. After months of struggle, the British War Office finally revoked the sentences.   In 1921, Haj Amin el-Husseini began to organize larger scale fedayeen to terrorize Jews. Colonel Richard Meinertzhagen, former head of British military intelligence in Cairo, and later Chief Political Officer for Palestine and Syria, wrote in his diary that British officials “incline towards the exclusion of Zionism in Palestine.”   BRITISH POLICE officers corral Jewish men during the 1920 Jerusalem riots (photo credit: Wikimedia Commons) In fact, the British encouraged the Arabs to attack the Jews. According to Meinertzhagen, Col. Waters Taylor, financial adviser to the Military Administration in Palestine 1919-23, met with Haj Amin a few days before Easter, in 1920, and told him “he had a great opportunity at Easter to show the world…that Zionism was unpopular not only with the Palestine Administration but in Whitehall and if disturbances of sufficient violence occurred in Jerusalem at Easter, both General Bols [Chief Administrator in Palestine, 1919-20] and General Allenby [Commander of Egyptian Force, 1917-19, then High Commissioner of Egypt] would advocate the abandonment of the Jewish Home. Waters-Taylor explained that freedom could only be attained through violence.”   Haj Amin took the Colonel’s advice and instigated a riot. The British withdrew their troops and the Jewish police from Jerusalem, and the Arab mob attacked Jews and looted their shops. Due to Haj Amin’s overt role in instigating the pogrom, the British arrested him. Yet, despite the arrest, Haj Amin escaped to Jordan, but he was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment in absentia. A year later, however, British Arabists convinced High Commissioner Herbert Samuel to pardon Haj Amin and to appoint him Mufti.   Samuel met with Haj Amin on April 11, 1921, and was assured “that the influences of his family and himself would be devoted to tranquility.” Three weeks later, however, riots in Jaffa and Petah Tikvah, instigated by the Mufti, left 43 Jews dead. Following these riots England established the Haycraft Commission to evaluate the cause of these riots. The appendix of the report reads, “The fundamental cause of the Jaffa riots and the subsequent acts of violence was a feeling among the Arabs of discontent with, and hostility to, the Jews, due to political and economic causes, and connected with Jewish immigration, and with their conception of Zionist policy as derived from Jewish exponents . . . the Arab majority, who were generally the aggressors, inflicted most of the casualties.”   Following these riots, Haj Amin consolidated his power and took control of all Muslim religious funds in Palestine. He used his authority to gain control over the mosques, the schools and the courts. No Arab could reach an influential position without being loyal to the Mufti. As the “Palestinian” spokesman, Haj Amin wrote to Colonial Secretary Winston Churchill in 1921, demanding that restrictions be placed on Jewish immigration and that Palestine be reunited with Syria and Transjordan. Churchill issued the White Paper of 1922, which tried to allay Arab fears about the Balfour Declaration. The White Paper acknowledged the need for Jewish immigration to enable the Jewish community to grow but placed the familiar limit of the country’s absorptive capacity on immigration. Although not pleased with Churchill’s diplomatic Paper, the Zionists accepted it; the Arabs, however, rejected it.   Despite the disturbances in 1920-1921, the Yishuv continued to develop in relative peace and security. Another wave of riots, however, broke out in 1924 after another wave of pogrom’s sent 67,000 Polish Jewish refugees to Palestine. After a week of skirmishes in Jerusalem between the Haganah and Arab mobs, 133 Jews and 116 Arabs lay dead. The Yishuv’s main concern at that time was its financial difficulties; the economic crisis of 1926-1928 led many to believe that the Zionist enterprise would fail due to lack of funds. Zionist leaders attempted to rectify the situation by expanding the Jewish Agency to incorporate non-Zionists who were willing to contribute to the practical settlement of Palestine.   The prospects for renewed financial support for the Yishuv upset Arab leaders who feared economic domination by the Zionists. Led by Haj Amin al-Husseini once again, rumors of a Jewish plot to seize control of Muslim holy places began to spread in August 1929. Violence erupted soon after, causing extensive damage. Rioting and looting were rampant throughout Palestine. In Jerusalem, Muslims provoked the violence and tensions by building and praying on or near the holiest place in the world for Jews, the Western Wall. By late August, the Arabs, in well-organized formation, attacked Jewish settlements near Jerusalem. The disturbances spread to Hebron and Safed, including many settlements in between, and on the Kfar Dorom kibbutz in the Gaza Strip.   TOP

On August 23, 1929, Arabs murdered 67 Jews in a massacre in Hebron. Three days later, the British evacuated the 484 survivors, including 153 children, to Jerusalem. Hebron Massacre of the ancient Jewish community by Arab killers in 1929 JusticeVSpropaganda 08June2011 This is the first documented massacre in the holy land, however Arabs murdered Jews also in the 1920th, and until our days this hate to Jews, later using the term of Zionist ‘occupation’ as a convinient excuse for this savage brutal hatefull massacres. What could be the reason in 1929 to slaughter by torture and corrupt the bodies of the ancient Jewish community members who lived in Hebron hundreds of years? Only a Nazi ideology of annihilation; The ‘Palestinian people’ was not invented yet for propaganda purpose: These were ‘just’ Arabs expressing rage and sadistic desires towards the helpless victims. Only few people among Arabs hid and rescued some of their Jewish neighbours, while the majority either participated or witnessed the horrors. What ‘occupation’ could be the excuse for this? So, after being aware to this forgotten detail in history, can someone still consider Jewish settlers in Hebron, as ‘illegal’?   And besides: nearly million Jews were forced to flee from Arab countries due to persecutions. Why are those refugees and survivors not mentioned in mainstream media, and the horrors they have been through? credits to user aviramoz for the vid, and to artist azam ali for the music   A continuous Jewish presence existed in Hebron for centuries until 1929. Then 67 Jews were murdered by Arabs. The remaining Jews were forced to flee. Of course anti-Israel organizations, BDS or delusional far-left groups touring Hebron omit this historical fact.#ISupportIsrael pic.twitter.com/qKxJvIzxVC — Israel and Stuff (@IsraelandStufff) June 30, 2018 Israel and Stuff-tweet-30June2018-A continuous Jewish presence existed in Hebron A continuous Jewish presence existed in Hebron for centuries until 1929. Then 67 Jews were murdered by Arabs. The remaining Jews were forced to flee. Of course anti-Israel organizations, BDS or delusional far-left groups touring Hebron omit this historical fact. #ISupportIsrael Israel and Stuff-tweet-30June2018-A continuous Jewish presence existed in Hebron   This Land was Stolen by Arabs After six days of rioting, the British finally brought in troops to quell the disturbance. Even though Jews had been living in Gaza and Hebron for centuries, following these riots, the British forced Jews to leave their homes and prohibited Jews from living in the Gaza strip and Hebron to appease Arabs and quell violence. By the end of the rioting, the death toll was 133 Jews, including eight Americans, and 110 Arabs (most killed by British security forces).   More than 200 Arabs and 15 Jews were tried and sentenced for their role in the unrest in 1929. Out of 27 capital cases involving Arabs, only three of the death sentences were carried out, the others were granted “mercy” and their sentences were commuted to life in prison. Muhammad Jamjoum, Fuad Hijazi, and Ataa Al-Zir were put to death on June 17, 1930, because they were convicted of particularly brutal murders in Safad and Hebron.   The British approved payment of nearly 100,000 pounds to Jews for “loss of life and permanent incapacity, and proportionately up to the limits of the sum available in respect of damage to property” by Arabs in the 1929 riots. A “special Jewish Fund for relief and reconstruction purposes to repair the losses suffered by the disturbances of 1929” allocated another 433,000 pounds.   Like the riots earlier in the decade, afterward the British appointed Sir William Shaw to head an inquiry into the causes of the riots. The Shaw Commission found that the violence occurred due to “racial animosity on the part of the Arabs, consequent upon the disappointment of their political and national aspirations and fear for their economic future.” The report claimed that the Arabs feared economic domination by a group who seemed to have, from their perspective, unlimited funding from abroad. The Commission reported that the conflict stemmed from different interpretations of British promises to both Arabs and Jews. The Commission acknowledged the ambiguity of former British statements and recommended that the government clearly define its intentions for Palestine. It also recommended that the issue of further Jewish immigration be more carefully considered to avoid “a repetition of the excessive immigration of 1925 and 1926.” The issue of land tenure would only be eligible for review if new methods of cultivation stimulated considerable growth of the agricultural sector. The Shaw Commission frustrated Zionists, but the two subsequent reports issued on the future of Palestine were more disturbing.   The Hope Simpson report of 1930 painted an unrealistic picture of the economic capacity of the country. It cast doubt on the prospect of industrialization and incorrectly asserted that no more than 20,000 families could be accommodated by the land. The Hope Simpson report was overshadowed, however, by the simultaneous release of the Passfield White Paper, which reflected colonial Secretary Passfield’s deep-seated animus toward Zionism. This report asserted that Britain’s obligations to the Arabs were very weighty and should not be overlooked to satisfy Jewish interests. Many argued that the Passfield Paper overturned the Balfour Declaration, essentially saying that Britain should not plan to establish a Jewish state. The Passfield Paper greatly upset Jews, and interestingly, also the labor and conservative parties in the British Parliament. The result of this widespread outcry to the Secretary’s report was a letter from British Prime Minister MacDonald to Dr. Chaim Weizmann, reaffirming the commitment to create a Jewish homeland.   The Arabs found rioting to be a very effective political tool because the British attitude toward violence against Jews, and their response to the riots, encouraged more outbreaks of violence. In each riot, the British would make little or no effort to prevent the Arabs from attacking the Jews. After each incident, a commission of inquiry would try to establish the cause of the riot. The conclusions were always the same: the Arabs were afraid of being displaced by Jewish immigrants. To stop the disturbances, the commissions routinely recommended that restrictions be made on Jewish immigration.   Thus, the Arabs came to recognize that they could always stop Jewish immigration by staging a riot. Despite the restrictions placed on its growth, the Jewish population increased to more than 160,000 by the 1930s, and the community became solidly entrenched in Palestine. Unfortunately, as the Jewish presence grew stronger, so did the Arab opposition. The riots brought recognition from the international Jewish community to the struggle of the settlers in Palestine, and more than $600,000 was raised for an emergency fund that was used to finance the cost of restoring destroyed or damaged homes, establish schools, and build nurseries. Sources: Mitchell G. Bard, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Middle East Conflict. 4th Edition. NY: Alpha Books, 2008. Ahron Bregman, A History of Israel, Palgrave MacMillan; New York, 2002. The Irgun Site The Jewish Agency for Israel and The World Zionist Organization. Leslie Stein, The Hope Fulfilled: The Rise of Modern Israel. CT: Praeger Publishers; 2003. Michael Oren, Power, Faith and Fantasy: America in the Middle East, 1776 to the Present. NY: W. W. Norton & Company, 2007.   TOP

“I do not shake hands defiled with Jewish blood” Rav Kook held the acting commissioner responsible for British inaction during the Hevron massacre and refused his outstretched hand. Rabbi Chanan Morrison / 22November2024, 2:36 PM (GMT+2) http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/399613   1929 Hevron massacre aftermath “Sarah died in Kiryat Arba, also known as Hevron, in the land of Canaan. Abraham came to eulogize Sarah and to weep for her.” (Gen. 23:2)   A somber gathering assembled in Jerusalem’s Yeshurun synagogue. The large synagogue and its plaza were packed as crowds attended a memorial service for the Jews of Hevron who had been killed during the Arab riots six months earlier, on August 24th, 1929.   On that tragic Sabbath day, news of deadly rioting in Hevron reached the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem. Yitzchak Ben-Zvi, then director of the National Committee, hurried to Rav Kook’s house. Together they hastened to meet with Harry Luke, the acting British High Commissioner, to urge him to take immediate action and protect the Jews of Hevron.   The Chief Rabbi demanded that the British take swift and severe measures against the Arab rioters. “What can be done?” Luke asked. Rav Kook’s response was to the point. “Shoot the murderers!” “But I have received no such orders.” “Then I am commanding you!” Rav Kook roared. “In the name of humanity’s moral conscience, I demand this!”   Rav Kook held the acting commissioner responsible for British inaction during the subsequent massacre. Not long after this heated exchange, an official reception was held in Jerusalem, and Mr. Luke held out his hand to greet the Chief Rabbi. To the shock of many, Rav Kook refused to shake it. With quiet fury, the rabbi explained, “I do not shake hands defiled with Jewish blood.”   The day after the rioting in Hevron, the full extent of the massacre was revealed. Arab mobs had slaughtered 67 Jews — yeshiva students, elderly rabbis, women, and children. The British police had done little or nothing to protect them.   The Jewish community of Hevron was destroyed, their property looted and stolen. The British shipped the survivors off to Jerusalem.   The tzaddik Rabbi Arieh Levine accompanied Rav Kook that Sunday to Hadassah Hospital on HaNevi’im Street to hear news of the Hevron community by telephone. Rabbi Levine recalled the frightful memories that would be forever etched in his heart:   When [Rav Kook] heard about the murder of the holy martyrs, he fell backwards and fainted. After coming to, he wept bitterly and tore his clothes “over the house of Israel and God’s people who have fallen by the sword.” He sat in the dust and recited the blessing, Baruch Dayan Ha’Emet (“Blessed is the True Judge”).   For some time after that, his bread was the bread of tears and he slept without a pillow. Old age suddenly fell upon him, and he began to suffer terrible pains. This tragedy brought about the illness from which the rabbi never recovered.   The Memorial Service Six months after the massacre, grieving crowds filled the Yeshurun synagogue in Jerusalem. A mourning atmosphere, like that on the fast of Tisha B’Av, lingered in the air as they assembled in pained silence. Survivors of the massacre, who had witnessed the atrocities before their eyes, recited Kaddish for family members murdered in the rioting.   Rabbi Jacob Joseph Slonim, who had lost his son (a member of the Hevron municipal council) and grandchildren in the massacre, opened the assembly in the name of the remnant of the Hevron community.   “No healing has taken place during the past six months,” he reported. “The murder and the theft have not been rectified. The British government and the Jewish leadership have done nothing to correct the situation. They have not worked to reclaim Jewish property and resettle Hevron.”   Afterwards, the Chief Rabbi rose to speak:   The holy martyrs of Hevron do not need a memorial service. The Jewish people can never forget the holy and pure souls who were slaughtered by murderers and vile thugs.   Rather, we must remember and remind the Jewish people not to forget the City of the Patriarchs. The people must know what Hevron means to us.   We have an ancient tradition: “The actions of the fathers are signposts for their descendants.” When the weak-hearted spies arrived at Hevron, they were frightened by the fierce nations inhabiting the land. But “Caleb quieted the people for Moses. He said, ‘We must go forth and conquer the land. We can do it!’” (Numbers 13:30)   Despite the terrible tragedy that took place in Hevron, we announce to the world, “Our strength is now like our strength was then.” We will not abandon our holy places and sacred aspirations. Hevron is the city of our fathers, the city of the Machpeilah cave where our Patriarchs are buried. It is the city of David, the cradle of our sovereign monarchy.   Those who discourage the efforts to restore the Jewish community in Hevron with arguments of political expediency; those who scorn and say, “What are those wretched Jews doing?”; those who refuse to help rebuild Hevron — they are attacking the very roots of our people. In the future, they will be held accountable for their actions. If ruffians and hooligans have repaid our kindness with malice, we have only one eternal response: Jewish Hevron will once again be built, in honor and glory!   The inner meaning of Hevron is to draw strength and galvanize ourselves with the power of Netzach Yisrael, Eternal Israel.   That proud Jew, Caleb, announced years later, “I am still strong… As my strength was then, so is my strength now” (Joshua 14:11). We, too, announce to the world: our strength now is as our strength was then. We shall reestablish Hevron in even greater glory, with peace and security for every Jew. With God’s help, we will merit to see Hevron completely rebuilt, speedily in our days.   Addendum While some Jewish families did return to Hevron in 1931, they were evacuated by the British authorities at the outset of the Arab revolt in 1936. For 34 years, there was no Jewish community in Hevron — until 1970, when the State of Israel once again permitted Jewish settlement in Hevron. This return to Hevron after the Six-Day War was spearheaded by former students of the Mercaz HaRav yeshiva, disciples of Rav Kook’s son, Rabbi Zvi Yehuda Kook.   In 1992, Rav Kook’s grandson, Rabbi Shlomo Ra’anan, moved to Hevron. Six years later, an Arab terrorist stabbed the 63-year-old rabbi to death. But soon after, his daughter — Rav Kook’s great-granddaughter — along with her husband and children, moved to Hevron, thus continuing the special link between the Kook family and the city of the Patriarchs.   (Stories from the Land of Israel. Adapted from Malachim Kivnei Adam, pp. 155-157; 160; 164-165)   TOP

Divided Jerusalem (1948-1967) https://www.gov.il/en/pages/divided-jerusalem-1948-1967 Type: Information Topic: About Israel Secondary topic: Israel in Maps Publish Date: 07.11.2021   On November 30, 1948, following the cessation of the battle between the two armies in Jerusalem, two officers – Lt. Col. Moshe Dayan of the Israeli army and Lt. Col. Abdallah A-Tal of the Jordanian army – drew in thick wax pencils an inaccurate cease-fire line on a map of Jerusalem. This line, including the No Man’s Land between the two sides, was later included in the Israel-Jordan Armistice Agreement of 3 April 1949. The City Line divided Jerusalem between Israel (in the western part) and Jordan (in the eastern part, including the Old City and the Temple Mount) for 19 years, until The Six Day War in June 1967 when Israel re-united the city.   During these 19 years, the Jordanian army placed snipers on the City Line and initiated frequent shooting incidents at citizens and other targets on the Israeli side of the city, making life in the near-by Israeli neighborhoods almost unbearable. In addition, the Jordanians breached their commitment (in the Armistice Agreement) to allow free access of Jews to the holy sites, mainly to the Western Wall and to the cemetery on the Mount of Olives. They also desecrated Jewish holy sites.   Map Divided Jerusalem (1948-1967)   TOP
The City That Doesn’t Forget Her Children 28-Iyar: Yom Yerushalayim: I put my hand on the stones but the tears that flowed were not mine. They were the tears of all Israel, tears that scorched and burned the heavy gray stone. A MUST READ!! Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis | Posted on 06June2024 | https://breslev.com/1073929/ The City That Doesn’t Forget Her Children-by Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis   Of all the Arab armies, Jordan’s Arab Legion was the best trained and fiercest. Moreover, the border with Jordan was the most difficult to defend, so it was no surprise that, when King Hussein’s army first attacked, the Israeli military was convinced that the shots were just tokens to accommodate Nasser, and that Hussein would not risk war. But Jordan kept pounding away, its artillery and bullets raining upon Jerusalem. Still, Israel requested the UN Truce Supervision Office to convey to Jordan assurances of peace. But it was all to no avail, and Israel had no choice but to open a second front. The Jordanians possessed hundreds of Patton tanks, and tens of thousands of Legionnaires, powerful warriors, equipped with the most sophisticated weapons, who were prepared to fight to the end. The battles were fierce and savage, made all the more complicated by orders given to Israeli paratroopers to avoid damaging the many sites in the Old City. Many brave young men were injured or lost their lives – the sacrifice was great, but so were the miracles.   The Holy City was not prepared for battle. There were hardly any bomb shelters to protect the civilian population. Shells fell and did not explode, and many that fell and did explode caused no injury. A shell landed on Shaarei Tzedek Hospital’s baby nursery. Fearing the worst, nurses rushed in to save the infants, but miraculously, they were all unharmed. A shell penetrated the roof of the Mirrer Yeshivah but did not explode. Over the centuries, Jerusalem was ravaged and sacked many times, but G-d made a promise that the Wall, the remnant of the Holy Temple, would stand eternally and bear witness to the homecoming of our people. And now, almost two thousand year later, the moment had come. I have read countless reports from journalists and soldiers who participated in the battle for Jerusalem, and all their stories had one focus – “the Wall”.   Moshe Amirav, a paratrooper, describes the first minutes at the Wall: “Forward! Forward! Hurriedly, we pushed our way through the Magreb Gate, and suddenly we stopped, thunderstruck. There it was, before our eyes! Gray and massive, silent, and restrained. The Western Wall!   “Slowly, slowly, I began to approach the Wall in fear and trembling, like a pious cantor going to the lectern to lead the prayers. I approached it as the messenger of my father and my grandfather, of my great-grandfather and of all the generations in all the exiles who had never merited seeing it – and so they had sent me to represent them. Somebody recited the festive blessing, ‘Blessed are You, Oh L-rd our G-d, King of the Universe, Who has kept us alive and maintained us and brought us to this time.’ I put my hand on the stones and wept, but the tears that started to flow were not my tears. They were the tears of all Israel, tears of hope and prayer, tears of Hassidic tunes, tears of Jewish dances, tears that scorched and burned the heavy gray stone.”   And who can forget the photograph of our soldiers standing in awe – just looking up at the Wall? And who can forget the report of the IDF radio announcer: “…Suddenly, we recognized the familiar voice of the commander of the paratroops brigade, Colonel Mordechai ‘Motta’ Gur, giving orders to the battalion commanders to occupy the Old City: ‘Attention, all battalion commanders! We are sitting on the mountain range that looks down on the Old City, and are about to enter it. The Old City of Jerusalem that all generations have been dreaming about and striving toward. We will be the first to enter it.’   “With us on the roof,” the announcer continued, “was General Shlomo Goren, at that time, the Chief Rabbi of the Israeli Army. Rabbi Goren informed Gur over the walkie-talkie that he was on his way to meet him so as to be among the first to enter the Old City. As far as I remember, we were the only ones in the whole area running without helmets or weapons. Goren was armed only with a shofar and a prayer book and we carried only a tape recorder and a knapsack filled with batteries and rolls of recording tape.   “We ran, while trying to stay as close as we could to the Old City Wall to our right, but exposed to the sniper fire coming from the Mount of Olives on our left. As we ran, we passed two lines of paratroopers who were progressing carefully toward the Lions Gate. Goren was determined to get to the head of the line as quickly as possible. At the top of the street leading to the Lions Gate, we passed a still-smoking Jordanian bus. We stopped only at the Gate itself, which was blocked by an Israeli Sherman tank that had gotten stuck in the entrance. We climbed over the tank and entered into the Old City.   “Now the excitement reached its peak. Goren did not stop blowing the shofar and reciting prayers. His enthusiasm infected the soldiers, and from every direction came cries of ‘Amen!’”   The shofar was sounded in Jerusalem and its call reached Jewish hearts in the four corners of the world. The effect was magical. Our people because spiritually rejuvenated. Even those who had never believed, those who were hardened agnostics, felt something in their hearts. The Wall called them, and despite themselves, they felt a need to respond, to touch its stones, to place a note with a prayer in its crevices, to pour out their hearts and cry.   My husband and I made a decision. We knew that no matter what, we too had to be there, and so we took our four small children and traveled to Jerusalem. The city was congested with people – there wasn’t a hotel room to be had. For a moment, I panicked, but then my husband reminded me of the teaching of our Talmud: In Jerusalem, no one ever complained of discomfort, in the City of G-d, every man had a place, everyone was welcome.   It was Friday, Erev Shabbat, when we arrived, and there was no time to lose – the Sabbath Queen was quickly approaching and the entire city was readying herself for the arrival of the royal guest. Everywhere, stores were closing and public transportation was coming to a halt. As the siren was sounded, a stillness descended on the Holy City.   Suddenly, scores of people spilled into the streets. They came from every direction: young and old, men and women, Israelis and tourists, students and soldiers, pious Chassidim in long black coats and westernized Jews in business suits. They spoke in many tongues, espoused many ideas, and wondrously, they all merged into one. All of them were rushing, running to the same place, to the Wall.   We too, melted into the crowd. We didn’t know our way, but we followed the others. My heart beat faster and I clutched my children’s hands. I saw tears in my husband’s eyes. We were in Jerusalem.   We made our way through the dark alleyways. My son tugged at my sleeve. “Ima,” he asked, “how did our soldiers do it? How did they liberate the city? How did they get through these gates, these alleys?”   “Jerusalem’s time has come,” I answered, “and G-d Himself opened the gates.”   Then suddenly, without warning, the Wall was before us, more majestic than I could ever have imagined. We could not speak; there were only tears. For two thousand years we had waited for this moment. Our ancestors had prayed for this day. What would they not have given to stand here, even for a fleeting second, and yet they were denied the privilege. How strange that our generation, which was unworthy and wanting in faith, was the one to stand here in the presence of sanctity.   I looked up at the Heavens and searched for my grandfather. Surely the angels had gathered his ashes from Auschwitz and brought them as an offering to this very spot.   “Zeide, Zeide,” I cried into the night, “please walk with me, for here I cannot stand alone.”   All around us, people were praying and our voices became one with theirs. I poured out my soul. I looked up at the greenery sprouting from the crevices. Strange, I thought to myself, how these little branches grow without being watered. But then I saw the people around me and I understood from whence the branches received their nourishment. They were watered by the tears of a nations that had been waiting for two thousand years.   Walking back to our hotel we met a young soldier who had been among those who liberated Jerusalem. He told us about his best friend who had fallen on the Temple Mount on the very spot where once, long ago, the Alter had stood.   “I ran to my friend,” he told us. “I tried to help him, but it was too late. I broke down and wept, and as I cried, I heard an eerie sound. It was the braying of a donkey echoing in the night. The donkey actually seemed to sob with me, crying in pain as if imploring to be allowed to carry Messiah into the Holy City.”   Never before in the annals of mankind did a war last only six days.   Coincidence? Or was the seventh day begging to come? – The seventh day that is all Sabbath, the day that is Mashiach.   For a very brief moment, it appeared as if our people might just understand and be prepared to respond to this awesome challenge. But all too soon, the magic of the moment evaporated, and once again, we failed the test.   We reverted to our old ways – we congratulated ourselves on our success and came to take all those miracles for granted. Those of us who lived it have forgotten, and those were not yet born were never touched by it.   The fundamental law of Jewish survival stipulates that we cannot assimilate or become “like all the other nations of the world.” This law holds true not only in the countries of our exile, but in Israel as well. G-d did not bring us back to our ancient land so that we might become like all other nations and convert Jerusalem into New York, Parish, or London.   Just consider the tragedy that has befallen us. To live in the Land of the Patriarchs and yet spurn their legacy; to speak Hebrew impeccably, and yet not know how to pray; to live in the Land of G-d, and yet lack faith in Him.   We have failed the test.   But even if we failed the test, even if we forgot G-d, He does not forget us. His covenant and love are eternal and He will continue to call us. If we are blind to His miracles, He will find other ways to awaken us. So it is that since those heady days of the Six Day War, we have suffered many painful wake-up calls, but sadly, we have remained impervious to all. Nevertheless, G-d continues to call.   Many of us have heard the call, many are committed and live genuine Torah Jewish lives, but there are still so, so many who have yet to hear the call.   As we enter the final stages of our history, we have a choice – to stand straight and tall, to embrace with open arms and loving hearts our G-d-given covenant and sing His praise, or to continue to be blind and obdurate and delude ourselves into believing that we can live our lives without Him. But even as we stumble through the darkness, He will be holding our hand. He will not let go. He will not forget us. He will not forsake us. So let us return to Him with willing hearts, with love. Let us pass our test.   *** From “Life is a Test” by the author, rights are reserved for publishing “Bina”.   TOP
“It always has been Arab Muslim Orthodoxy that “Palestine” actually is the entire country of Israel, not merely Judea and Samaria. All PLO terror aimed is to drive the Jews out of Tel Aviv, Haifa, Ra’anana, and other cities, towns, and villages in pre-1967 Israel and “into the [Mediterranean] sea.” This is what it means to be “Pushed into the Sea”. Ben & Jerry’s-Push the Jews into the Sea Salt and Caramel flavor Ice Cream Cannons of eight Arab states: Sudan, Algeria, United Arab Republic (then Egypt), Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. Lebanese daily Al-Jarida, May 31, 1967. Egyptian pamphlet literally titled ‘Throw the Jews into the sea’ before the 1967 war Tank forces of the UAR, Syria, Jordan and Lebanon. Lebanese daily Al-Khayat, May 31, 1967 Egyptian Newspaper cartoon shortly before the 1967 Six-Day War
Gaza “protesters” loft molotov cocktail on swastika kite over Israeli border Friday, 11 July 2014 Miracle in Ashdod: Direct Hit on Gas Station, no Fatalities What’s the war like in Ashdod?	Israel Defense Forces tweet-24July2014-A rocket fired from Gaza hit an apartment building in the Israeli city of Ashkelon this morning.
“Israel is attempting to achieve balance of power with the Arabs. The Arab reply: This will be the only balance.” “Israel is attempting to achieve balance of power with the Arabs. The Arab reply: This will be the only balance.” Egyptian review, Roz-el-Yussef, February 14, 1966.     If you reject peace and start a war, you can’t claim victimhood In 1947, the UN offered a two-state solution. The Jews said YES. The Arabs said NO. Neighboring Arab countries invaded the young Israel. If you reject peace and start a war, you can’t claim victimhood. History matters. pic.twitter.com/d4IwgtbGeo — Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) May 15, 2026 Israel Foreign Ministry-tweet-15May2026-reject peace-start-war-you can’t claim victimhood In 1947, the UN offered a two-state solution. The Jews said YES. The Arabs said NO. Neighboring Arab countries invaded the young Israel. If you reject peace and start a war, you can’t claim victimhood. History matters. Israel Foreign Ministry-tweet-15May2026-reject peace-start-war-you can’t claim victimhood   4 Arab Armies move on Zion-14May1948-Daily News   TOP
15 Seconds in Sderot, Israel   TOP
Kyle Orton’s Blog Arab Statements of Exterminationist Intent Before the 1967 War By Kyle Orton (@KyleWOrton) on 19 June 2024  https://kyleorton.co.uk/2024/06/19/arab-statements-of-exterminationist-intent-before-the-1967-war/ Jersalem Temple Mount Liberation-7June1967 Soldiers watching the Temple Mount | Photo: GPO   Israel pre-emptively struck against the Arab armies massing on her borders on 5 June 1967 and routed them by 10 June. The intention of the Arab States in 1967 had been plainly expressed over nearly twenty years. After the pan-Arab invasion had failed to destroy the Jewish State in 1948, Arab leaders—speaking directly and through their State-run media—made clear that they intended to wage another war that would succeed in eliminating Israel. As the Arab armies moved into position in May 1967, the Arab governments openly proclaimed that this was that long-awaited war.   Below is a far-from-exhaustive compilation of Arab statements in the lead-up to the Six-Day War:   In September 1953, after a false report that Adolf Hitler was still alive and living in Brazil, one of the Egypt’s State-owned newspapers, Al-Musawar, asked various public figures what they would want to say to the Führer. A number of the responses were negative. One was very notably positive: “I congratulate you with all my heart, because, though you appear to have been defeated, you were the real victor. … There will be no peace until Germany is restored to what it was … As for the past, I think you made some mistakes, such as opening too many fronts or Ribbentrop’s short-sightedness in the face of Britain’s old man diplomacy. But you are forgiven on account of your faith in your country and people. That you have become immortal in Germany is reason enough for pride. And we should not be surprised to see you again in Germany, or a new Hitler in your place.” The author of this statement was Anwar al-Sadat,[1] the man who a year earlier had read out the proclamation of the “Free Officers’ revolution” that toppled the Egyptian monarchy.   A year later, in 1954, after Gamal Abdel Nasser consolidated his control over Egypt, Al-Sadat would become the founding editor of Al-Gomhuria, the premier official outlet of the Nasser regime. After Nasser’s death in 1970, Al-Sadat became president and famously made Egypt the first Arab State to sign a peace accord recognising Israel in 1978-79. Al-Sadat was assassinated in 1981. Nazi infiltration in the Middle East after 1940 had been very extensive, and the German propaganda apparatus took antisemitism to a mass Arab audience in a way never seen before, with effects that last to this day. Overt support for Hitler and the Nazis lasted in the Arab world long after the Third Reich was demolished. “Nazi” and “Hitlerite” started to become insults among Arabs in the later 1950s and were used near-universally as epithets by the end of the 1960s, but this was a mark of the increasing influence of the Soviet Union, not a substantive revision of opinion about the Nazi experience. Even during the transition period from c. 1955 to 1970 when lexicographical changes were being made and States like Egypt were coming under Soviet domination, Arab officials with backgrounds as Nazi supporters and collaborators, such as Nasser and Al-Sadat, made no effort to hide the fact; rather to the contrary. The Arab leadership in Palestine’s wartime alliance with the Nazis and the spread of Nazi ideology among Arab populations were among the factors that made the 1948 war against Israel so existential for the Jews, and the dynamic had not gone away by 1967. In some ways, things had gotten worse by the second time around: antisemitism in the “proper” sense—not an ethnic prejudice but the belief that Jews are the source of cosmic evil—was more widespread in the Arab world in 1967 than it had been in 1948.[2]   July 1959, Nasser: “We want a decisive battle in order to annihilate that germ, Israel. All the Arabs want a decisive battle.”[3]   2 February 1960, Radio Cairo: “We are getting ready for the decisive battle, and, at the right moment, we will strike with power and with speed. All our coming battles with Israel will be battles of life or death.”   10 March 1960, Radio Damascus: “The Arabs are determined that Israel shall be uprooted from their midst at any price.”   30 March 1960, “The Voice of the Arabs” transnational show on Radio Cairo: “The guarantee for peace in the Middle East lies in our weapons, in the strength of our own army, and we shall impose the peace, O Israel. We shall impose the peace on the day we will drive you into the expanse of the sea.”   15 September 1960, Jordan’s broadsheet Falastin: “In all frankness, we want to eliminate Israel … and care not when Israel protests that we contemplate war and jeopardise her security … because this is exactly our aim.”   29 April 1961, Egypt’s Al-Gomhuria, declared: “Today, it is in our power to defeat Israel. … The day will yet come when we shall … purge our country [i.e., the ‘Arab nation’] of the very existence of Israel.”   15 May 1961, Radio Amman: “There is no doubt that our war with Israel is imminent. … We will strengthen our forces and liquidate Israel completely so that she will disappear from the face of the earth.”   16 June 1961, Radio Amman: “We see in Israel a plague that should be utterly rooted out.”   12 July 1961, Radio Amman: “The establishment of peace in the area will be made possible only through the liquidation of the enemy State.”   17 August 1961, Nasser: “We will act to realise Arab solidarity and the closing of the ranks that will eventually put an end to Israel. …We will liquidate her.”   23 December 1962, Nasser: “We feel that the soil of Palestine is the soil of Egypt and of the whole Arab world. Why do we mobilise? Because we feel that the land is part of our land, and are ready to sacrifice ourselves for it.”   3 March 1963, Jordan’s Falastin: “It would appear, on the face of it, that the concentration of the Jews in the Occupied Region [i.e., Israel], militates in favour of Zionism. In our view, however, in the long run it will favour the Arab nation. … Why? Because this will turn Israel into one huge, worldwide grave for this whole Jewish concentration. And the day draws near for those who await it.”   21 March 1963, Egypt’s Al-Gomhuria carried an official government statement: “The noose around Israel’s neck is tightening gradually.” On the same day, Hassan Ibrahim, a member of the Egyptian Presidential Council, said: “Egypt has rocket bases capable of destroying Israel within a short time, and panic reigns in that country.”   The Egyptian missile program in the early 1960s was being developed with assistance from fugitive Nazi war criminals.[4]   2 April 1963, Nasser: “Israel emerged because the Arab world was weak and divided … but unity will mean triumph and the liquidation of Israel.”   4 April 1963, Egyptian State newspaper, Al-Akhbar: “The liquidation of Israel will not be realised through a declaration of war against Israel by Arab States, but Arab unity and inter-Arab understanding will serve as a hangman’s rope for Israel.”   19 August 1963, Syria’s Defence Minister General Abdullah Ziadeh: “The Syrian Army stands as a mountain to crush Israel and demolish her. This army knows how to crush its enemies.”   22 February 1964, Nasser: “The possibilities of the future will be war with Israel. It is we who will dictate the time; it is we who will dictate the place.”   12 April 1964, Jordan’s King Husayn: “Jordan, with its Left and Right Bank, is the ideal jumping ground to liberate the usurped homeland.”   27 July 1964, president of Ba’thist-led Iraq, Abd al-Salam Arif: “A war with Israel is inevitable. There is no escaping that war.”   30 October 1964, Chief of Staff in Ba’thist Syria, Salah Jadid: “Our army will be satisfied with nothing less than the disappearance of Israel.”<   16 September 1965, Nasser: “The war with Israel is an inevitable thing. … The Arabs waited seventy-five years until they succeeded in chasing out the Crusaders.” It has always been a common theme in Arab perceptions that Israel will perish as the Crusader States did.   13 March 1966, Syria’s daily Al-Ba’th newspaper: “The revolutionary forces in the Arab homeland, and the Ba’th at their head, preach a genuine Arab Palestine liberation … Our problem will only be solved by an armed struggle to … put an end to the Zionist presence. The Arab people demands armed struggle, and day-by-day incessant confrontation, through a total war of liberation”.   22 May 1966, Syria’s president Nureddin al-Atassi told troops during an inspection: “We want a full-scale popular war of liberation … to destroy the Zionist enemy.”   Soon after Al-Atassi had come to power in the February 1966 coup within the Syrian Ba’th Party regime,[5] Syrian-backed terrorists began being sent into Israel, often through Lebanon and Jordan; this policy was labelled “popular war” and this was the formal announcement of it. Arab fedayeen terrorists had been attacking Israel since the early 1950s, mostly sent from Egypt and Jordan.   24 May 1966, Syria’s Defence Minister Hafez al-Asad: “We shall never call for, nor accept peace [with Israel]. We shall only accept war. … We have resolved to drench this land with our blood, to oust you, aggressors, and throw you into the sea for good.”   18 August 1966, Radio Damascus: “Syria has resolved to pursue its way, and continue preparing itself to bring about the liberation by way of popular revolutionary war. Our last punitive operations were … [a] warning the bandit State that the hour of liberation is drawing nigh, and the Arab masses are tired of waiting. … [Syria] is convinced of victory, because all the Arab masses are behind her, tensed for action. Behind Syria, too, stand her friends in the socialist camp.”   17 May 1967, “The Voice of the Arabs” on Radio Cairo: “Egypt with all her resources—human, economic, and scientific—is prepared to plunge into a total war that will be the end of Israel.”[6]   25 May 1967, Radio Cairo: “The firm resolve of the Arab people is to wipe Israel off the map.” On the same day, Nasser himself added: “If we have succeeded in restoring the situation to what it was before 1956 [by reoccupying the Sinai], then there is no doubt that God will help us and enable us to restore the situation to what it was before 1948 [when there was no Israel].”   30 May 1967, Radio Cairo: “In the light of the blockade of the Gulf of Aqaba, two possibilities are open to Israel, each one of them soaked in blood. Either she will die from strangulation of the Arab military and economic blockade, or she will die in the hail of bullets of the Arab forces surrounding her in the south, the north, and the east.”   1 June 1967, Iraq’s president Arif: “My sons, this day is the day of the battle and of revenge for your brothers who fell in 1948. … With the help of God we will meet together in Tel Aviv and Haifa.”   2 June 1967, founder of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) Ahmad al-Shuqayri: “We shall destroy Israel and its inhabitants and as for the survivors—if there are any—the boats are ready to deport them!”[7]   Al-Shuqayri had been sent to Jordan by Nasser after Jordan’s King Husayn had been to Cairo on 1 June 1967 to secure what he thought was a defence pact with Nasser that turned out to entail putting the Jordanian army under Egyptian control. Husayn did not like Al-Shuqayri—few did—but the King was in no position to refuse to this guest, a client of the man he had just surrendered his armed forces to. Husayn’s attempt to keep Al-Shuqayri in Amman failed. Al-Shuqayri went to Jordanian-occupied East Jerusalem, where he led a Friday prayer on 2 June,[8] and subsequently made the comment quoted above at a press conference. Al-Shuqayri’s comment would become a source of considerable controversy after the 1967 because it was often summarised, and sometimes even quoted, as Al-Shuqayri having said that the invading Arabs intended to “throw the Jews into the sea”. Arab propaganda before the war had said just that, and Al-Shuqayri was clearly in the same thematic zone. Nonetheless, it is not quite what he said. There are also, inevitably, multiple variant sources and translations of Al-Shuqayri’s statement. For example, a report in the Lebanese outlet Al-Yawm on 3 June 1967 claimed that Al-Shuqayri was asked what would happen to Israelis if the Arabs conquered their State, and he replied: “We will endeavour to assist [the Jews] and facilitate their departure by sea to their countries of origin.” When asked for clarification about the Jews born in the Holy Land, Al-Shuqayri reportedly responded: “Whoever survives will stay in Palestine, but in my opinion no one will remain alive.” Note: even in the Yawm report that is favoured in the most apologetic renderings of what Al-Shuqayri said, it is clear: (1) he expects all the Jews in Israel to be slaughtered in the war; (2) he has no opposition to this outcome; and (3) any survivors will be ethnically cleansed. This is not much of a defence, and it does little to support the idea that an “Israeli information campaign” after the war is the reason this statement was interpreted as so threatening: it was not unreasonable for Israelis (or anyone else listening) to feel a touch alarmed that the Arabs’ publicly-declared plan was to murder or expel all the Jews in the Holy Land. The Jordanian Prime Minister during the 1967 crisis, Saad Jumaa, recorded in his memoirs: “When [Shuqayri] left the mosque [in Jerusalem] on Friday [2 June 1967], he held a press conference. On this occasion he uttered his famous statement that Israel exploited so maliciously: ‘We shall destroy Israel together with its inhabitants, and for those who remain—if any do—the boats will be waiting to banish them’.” This obviously matches the above in its essentials. In terms of evidence-against-interest, Jumaa did not like Al-Shuqayri, but he liked Israel even less, and the anger in the passage where he wrote this is against Al-Shuqayri for damaging the Arab cause by saying something that fostered international sympathy for Israel. Al-Shuqayri spent several years after 1967 denying he had said the Arab forces intended anything even approximating “throwing the Jews into the sea”, and blamed “Zionist” propagandists for a campaign of slander against him. In 1971, however, Al-Shuqayri published a memoir, Dialogues and Secrets with Kings, and there he defended himself on quite different grounds: Al-Shuqayri admitted that he had spoken in terms of destroying Israel and pushing the Jews into the sea, but—and he was quite correct about this, as you can see from the above—those were the terms in which all Arab participants in 1967 spoke about the war they were preparing to launch against the Jewish State, so it was grossly unfair that his remarks should have been singled out as if they were aberrant extremism.   5 June 1967, “The Voice of the Arabs” on Radio Cairo: “Destroy them and lay them waste and liberate Palestine. Your hour has come. Woe to you Israel. The Arab nation has come to wipe out your people and to settle the account. This is your end, Israel. All the Arabs must take revenge for 1948. This is a moment of historic importance to our Arab people and to the holy war. Conquer the land.” ______________ NOTES   [1] Bernard Lewis (1986), Semites and Anti-Semites: An Inquiry into Conflict and Prejudice, p. 161.   [2] Semites and Anti-Semites, pp. 204-05.   [3] In 1959, Nasser was technically president of the “United Arab Republic” that combined Egypt and Syria.   [4] Ronen Bergman (2018), Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel’s Targeted Assassinations, pp. 108-19.   [5] Syria had been a very unstable polity since March 1949, when a military coup felled the government that had presided over the failure to destroy Israel at birth. There were two more military coups that year, in August and December, the latter resulting in a restoration of civilian governance, but it soon devolved into autocracy under Adib al-Shishakli. Another military coup in February 1954 removed Al-Shishakli and another brief period of constitutional rule followed, led by the elderly Hashim al-Atassi, who was soon shunted aside. Shukri al-Quwatli, a Nasserite, became president in September 1955, took Syria decisively into the Soviet camp, and in February 1958 took Syria into the so-called “United Arab Republic” (UAR), theoretically a union of Egypt and Syria that was in reality more an occupation of the former by the latter. The UAR was dissolved in September 1961 by yet another military coup in Syria. Nazim al-Qudsi’s new Western-oriented government did not last long. The March 1963 coup brought the Ba’th Party to power and returned Syria to the Soviet camp, where it would remain for the rest of the Cold War. The February 1966 coup directed by Chief of Staff Salah Jadid saw the Alawi faction of Ba’thists seize control. Al-Atassi was of Sunni origins and it was precisely for that reason he was made the formal president during Jadid’s de facto reign. Al-Atassi was the face of the regime to a Sunni-majority population that regarded Alawis as infidels. Hafez al-Asad prevailed in the November 1970 “corrective coup”, which settled the intra-Alawi contest within the Ba’th Party and established the dynasty that still rules Syria.   [6] George Mikes (1969), The Prophet Motive: Israel Today and Tomorrow, pp. 79.   [7] Ephraim Kam (1974), Husayn Poteah Be’milhama (Husayn Opens War), pp. 284-8, quoted in: Michael Oren (2002), Six Days of War: June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East, p. 132.   [8] Oren, Six Days of War, pp. 130-32.   TOP
Yasser Arafat and the Six Day War Did you know in 1967 — weeks before Egypt moved a single soldier into Sinai, closed the Straits of Tiran, or expelled UN peacekeepers — Yasser Arafat’s Fatah terror group had already set the wheels in motion for the Six Day War? One example: this day (May 5) in 1967, Fatah… pic.twitter.com/TL7q9DG1IK — Captain Allen (@CptAllenHistory) May 6, 2026 Captain Allen-tweet-6May2026-Yasser Arafat and the Six Day War Did you know in 1967 — weeks before Egypt moved a single soldier into Sinai, closed the Straits of Tiran, or expelled UN peacekeepers — Yasser Arafat’s Fatah terror group had already set the wheels in motion for the Six Day War? One example: this day (May 5) in 1967, Fatah terrorists shelled the peaceful farming community of Kibbutz Manara as part of its ongoing cross-border terror campaign targeting Israeli civilians. In fact, between April and early May 1967, Fatah carried out more than a dozen attacks: planting mines and explosives, ambushing vehicles, and shelling border communities along Israel’s frontiers with Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon. On May 5, the violence escalated sharply. Palestinian terrorists fired mortars and rockets into Kibbutz Manara, a quiet farming community in northern Israel. Families huddled in shelters as shells rained down on homes, fields, and children playing outside. This was not random. It was part of a calculated strategy of provocation and attrition — designed to bleed Israel psychologically and drag the Arab states into full-scale war. Meanwhile, the famous Egyptian military build-up in Sinai and the closure of the Straits of Tiran casus belli for war did not begin until mid-May. Fatah’s terror wave came first. These constant raids created an atmosphere of unbearable tension. Israelis faced daily threats of mines on roads, ambushes on buses, and shelling of kibbutzim — long before Nasser made his dramatic moves. The terror played a significant role in maintaining constant tension and pushing the entire region toward the breaking point. When the Six Day War erupted in June, it was not an Israeli war of choice. It was the culmination of months of escalating Arab aggression — beginning with Arafat’s terror campaign in the spring of 1967. Captain Allen-tweet-6May2026-Yasser Arafat and the Six Day War   TOP

]]> https://www.jerusalemcats.com/lag-bomer/ Thu, 16 Apr 2026 03:02:38 +0000 https://www.jerusalemcats.com/?p=49873

Kever Rashbi-Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai-Meron Israel

• What Is Lag B’Omer?
• The Light of Lag B’Omer
• The History of Lag BaOmer
• Breslev Customs for Lag B’Omer
• Tens of Thousands Visit Meron Shrine for Lag B’Omer Celebrations in Israel
• Count on Rebbe Shimon!
• Ben & Jerry’s new flavor for Lag B’Omer in Israel, ‘S’mores’

• Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai
• The Wisdom of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai
• Rashbi’s Passing
• Soothing the National Pain
• Following Meron Restrictions, Israel Bans Lag B’Omer Bonfires Nationwide
• Home Front Command Pikud HaOref guidelines-1May2026-Lag B’Omer
• Roads to be closed: Police announce cancellation of Lag B’Omer celebration

Laws and Customs

Omit Tachanun in the Afternoon
Starting in the afternoon, Tachanun (confession of sins) and similar prayers are omitted.

Count “Thirty-Three Days to the Omer” Tonight
Tomorrow is the thirty-third day of the Omer Count. Since, on the Jewish calendar, the day begins at nightfall of the previous evening, we count the omer for tomorrow’s date tonight, after nightfall: “Today is thirty-three days, which are four weeks and five days, to the Omer.” (If you miss the count tonight, you can count the omer all day tomorrow, but without the preceding blessing).

The 49-day “Counting of the Omer” retraces our ancestors’ seven-week spiritual journey from the Exodus to Sinai. Each evening we recite a special blessing and count the days and weeks that have passed since the Omer; the 50th day is Shavuot, the festival celebrating the Giving of the Torah at Sinai.

Tonight’s Sefirah: Hod sheb’Hod — “Humility in Humility” (also: “Splendor in Splendor“)

The teachings of Kabbalah explain that there are seven “Divine Attributes” — Sefirot — that G-d assumes through which to relate to our existence: Chessed, Gevurah, Tifferet, Netzach, Hod, Yesod and Malchut (“Love”, “Strength”, “Beauty”, “Victory”, “Splendor”, “Foundation” and “Sovereignty”). In the human being, created in the “image of G-d,” the seven sefirot are mirrored in the seven “emotional attributes” of the human soul: Kindness, Restraint, Harmony, Ambition, Humility, Connection and Receptiveness. Each of the seven attributes contain elements of all seven–i.e., “Kindness in Kindness”, “Restraint in Kindness”, “Harmony in Kindness”, etc.–making for a total of forty-nine traits. The 49-day Omer Count is thus a 49-step process of self-refinement, with each day devoted to the “rectification” and perfection of one the forty-nine “sefirot.”

Today in Jewish History

Jewish History

Roman Garrison Defeated (66)

Following the theft of silver from the Holy Temple in Jerusalem on the 17th of Iyar of the year 3826 from Creation (66 CE), the Jewish defense force attacked and defeated the Roman garrison stationed in Jerusalem.

IDF Created (1948)

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) was created on Lag BaOmer of 1948. The IDF comprises the Israeli army, Israeli air force and Israeli navy. It was formed to defend the existence, territorial integrity and sovereignty of the state of Israel and combat all forms of terrorism which threaten the daily lives of its inhabitants.

What Is Lag B’Omer?

by Rabbi Shraga Simmons https://aish.com/what-is-lag-baomer/

Lag B’Omer marks the date of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai’s death. So why is it such a celebration?

Rabbi Shimon  in the Cave

Rabbi Shimon was a great sage who lived during the Roman conquest of Jerusalem 2,000 years ago. He was one of Rabbi Akiva’s five students who – despite terrible persecutions – ensured that the Torah would not be forgotten.

The Talmud (Shabbat 33b) describes a seminal event in the life of Rabbi Shimon:

When the Romans outlawed the study of Torah, Rabbi Shimon spoke out against them. The Romans thus pronounced a death sentence against Rabbi Shimon, who was forced to go into hiding.

Rabbi Shimon and his son Elazar fled to a cave in the northern region of Israel. They had no means of subsistence, but a miracle occurred and a carob tree sprouted in the cave, along with a stream of water.

Rabbi Shimon and his son had no change of clothes. In order to preserve their clothes from wearing out, they each dug a deep hole, removed their clothes and buried themselves neck-deep in the sand. (Out of modesty, they wanted to be covered.) They would spend the entire day immersed in Torah study. When the time for prayer arrived, they would put on their clothes, pray – and then return to the sand.

Rabbi Shimon and his son remained in the cave for 12 years, involved in nothing but the study of Torah. One day, Elijah the prophet came to the cave and announced that the Caesar had died, and the decree against Rabbi Shimon was lifted.

Rabbi Shimon and his son ventured out of the cave. They saw some farmers working in the field. Rabbi Shimon was shocked that his fellow Jews were not continuously occupied in Torah study. “How could anyone forsake eternal life by indulging in mundane, worldly pursuits?” he said. Rabbi Shimon then cast his gaze upon the farmers – and they were immediately vaporized, due to the power of Rabbi Shimon’s spiritual stature.

At that point, a voice from heaven proclaimed: “My world is not to be destroyed! Return to your cave!”

Rabbi Shimon and his son returned to the cave, in order to learn better how to control their spiritual powers. At the end of one year, a voice from heaven announced: “Emerge from your cave!”

Rabbi Shimon and his son emerged, and again encountered people involved in mundane, worldly pursuits. It was Friday afternoon, and they saw a man running with two bundles of myrtle blossoms. “Where are you going with these flowers?” they asked him. “They are in honor of Shabbat,” said the man. “But why do you have two bundles?” they asked. “One is for ‘zachor,’ and one is for ‘shamor,’ ” he said, referring to the two aspects of Shabbat observance mentioned in the Ten Commandments.

At which point Rabbi Shimon turned to his son and said, “Now I see the power of a Jew and his mitzvot” – Shabbat is a day within the physical world which bridges the gap to the transcendent dimension. On Shabbat, even the most physical pursuits – whether a delicious meal or an afternoon nap – carries with it a special degree of holiness.

RABBI SHIMON REVEALS THE ZOHAR

Rabbi Shimon went on to become the greatest Torah teacher of his generation. When he reached the final day of his life, he called together his students and told them to pay close attention.

The Zohar (3:291b) describes the scene:

Rabbi Shimon spent the entire day in a prophetic stream of consciousness, revealing the deepest mystical secrets of Torah. He told his students: “Until now, I have held the secrets close to my heart. But now, before I die, I wish to reveal all.”

Rabbi Abba, a student assigned with the job of transcribing Rabbi Shimon’s words, reports: “I couldn’t even lift my head due to the intense light emanating from Rabbi Shimon. The entire day the house was filled with fire, and nobody could get close due to the wall of fire and light. At the end of the day, the fire finally subsided, and I was able to look at the face of Rabbi Shimon: He was dead, wrapped in his Tallis, lying on his right side – and smiling.”

Why was Rabbi Shimon bathed in light and fire? Because Torah is compared to fire – for example, “Aish HaTorah”. Fire is that material which converts physical matter into energy. So too, Torah shows us how to transform the material world into a transcendent energy. In fact Rabbi Shimon’s Kabbalistic work, “The Zohar,” literally means “shining light.”

How is Lag BaOmer Celebrated in Israel?

To celebrate Lag B’Omer, Jews from around Israel light bonfires, to commemorate the great fire that surrounded Rabbi Shimon. For weeks before, Israeli children scavenge wood to arrange as impressive sculptures – often 20 and 30 feet high. Great public celebrations are held and the wood towers are burned on Lag B’Omer.

But if Lag B’Omer marks the date of Rabbi Shimon’s death, why is it such a celebration?

The reason is that Rabbi Shimon had been convicted of a capital crime by the Romans. By all rights, he should have died well before his time. But through tremendous self-sacrifice (hiding in the cave) and a series of miracles (the carob tree and the stream), Rabbi Shimon was able to live out a full life. The climax of this great life was the revelation of Torah’s greatest inner secrets. All this is cause for celebration.

Lag B’Omer is a day of great pilgrimage to the tomb of Rabbi Shimon in the Galilee town of Meiron. In one day, an estimated 250,000 Jews visit Meiron – dancing, praying, and celebrating the wonderful spiritual gifts that Rabbi Shimon bequeathed to us. Some people camp out for weeks beforehand in anticipation.

On Lag B’Omer, the entire town is filled with torches and bonfires – in the streets and on the rooftops. Planes flying overhead are perplexed, and satellite maps of Israel take on a different glow. Symbolically, they illuminate the paths of those who seek to understand the deeper truths of Torah, as revealed by Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai.

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The Light of Lag B’Omer

The light of the fires on Lag B’Omer is the light of the Torah, and the light of Hashem. This light is in our souls, and it’s what is truly burning inside.

Moshe Neveloff | Posted on 23May2024 | https://breslev.com/1074139/

The Light of Lag B’Omer by Moshe Neveloff

This week we celebrate the holiday of Lag B’Omer, which marks the celebration of the yahrzeit (date of passing) of Rebbe Shimon Bar Yochai, one of the greatest Tzaddikim and Sages from the time period of the Mishna. It also marks the end of the mourning period for the thousands of students of Rebbe Akiva who passed away in a plague during Sefirat Ha’Omer (counting the omer) according to one custom. Why do we celebrate the day Rebbe Shimon passed away as a holiday? Why do thousands upon thousands of Jews travel to Meron in Northern Israel to pray by his grave site and celebrate? Why do Jews all over the world light bonfires?

In a special and interesting way, Rebbe Nachman opens his main book of teachings, Likutei Moharan, with a teaching about Rebbe Shimon Bar Yochai, hinting at the special connection which exists between the souls of these two tzaddikim and the teachings which they revealed. Rebbe Nachman explains that Rebbe Shimon Bar Yochai promised that the Torah would not be forgotten, in his merit and in the merit of the Zohar which he revealed.

This is alluded to in a story in the Talmud, Tractate Shabbos. When the Sages gathered together in the town of Yavne, the only place in the land of Israel where the Romans still permitted Jews to learn Torah in public, they declared in their discussion that in the future the Torah will be forgotten from the Jewish people. They saw with their spiritual vision the length of the exile which had begun at that time and all of the sorrows which the Jewish people would suffer during the long years of exile. Rebbe Shimon Bar Yochai, who was present at the gathering, replied to the other Sages that G-d forbid, the Torah will be forgotten, as it says in the book of Devarim (Deuteronomy), “For it shall not be forgotten from the mouth of its offspring…” (Chapter 31, Verse 21). Rebbe Shimon supported his words that the Torah would not be forgotten with this verse specifically, because the final letters of each word in the verse spell the name Yochai in Hebrew, who was the father of Rebbe Shimon. Through the offspring of Rebbe Yochai, Rebbe Shimon, and his work, the Zohar, the Torah would not be forgotten.

Rebbe Nachman explains that it says in the Holy Zohar, authored by Rebbe Shimon Bar Yochai, that through his book the Jewish people will leave the exile. The light of the Holy Zohar will keep the Jewish people connected to the Torah during the long exile. For most of his life, except for a small group of students, nobody knew that Rebbe Shimon was learning the secrets of the Torah. On the day that Rebbe Shimon passed away, Lag B’Omer, he revealed to his students hidden secrets of the Torah and the Zohar. The whole room became filled with light, and this is how he passed away.

However, we need to ask ourselves a question – how are the secrets of the Torah connected to me on my level? What do they have to do with me? Many of us have trouble understanding these deep teachings.

A tzaddik like Rebbe Shimon has tremendous power on the day of his passing to reach even higher spiritual heights and sweeten any harsh decrees which might be upon the Jewish people in general, and specific Jews who pray in his merit in particular. The Sages said that a tzaddik is even more alive and present spiritually in the world after he passes away. Furthermore, several Chassidic masters teach that the power of atonement of Yom Kippur also happens for the Jewish people on Lag B’Omer, but in a more hidden way. Rebbe Shimon also reveals the secrets of the Torah to each person on their level. He reveals to them how much Hashem loves them and wants each and every Jew to be close to Him. He reveals that this is truly the thing which we all want most in the world, a life of revealing our connection with Hashem in our own special way. He shows us what our special path in this world is, and his light gives us the strength to keep walking on that path.

The special attribute of the day of Lag B’Omer is hod she’b’hod, glory of glory, and it is the week of Aharon the Cohen. Each week of the Sefirat HaOmer is connected to the special attribute of one of the seven shepherds of the Jewish people, Avraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov, Moshe, Aharon, Yosef and David. Rebbe Shimon also possessed the special attribute of Aharon, and he is able to shine the light of love into every person’s heart, especially on the day of his passing, just as Aharon brought love and peace between people in his time.

From my personal experience, almost every time I have traveled to Meron for Lag B’Omer or to Uman for Rosh Hashanah, at some point along the way I think to myself, “what I am doing?” I don’t want to go through dealing with the long hours of travel, the masses of people, the weather conditions, the lack of sleep, etc. But when I return, I understand exactly why I went. Inside, I feel renewed with the light of faith which these great Tzaddikim shine to each person who comes to them to pray and seek their guidance.

The light of the fires on Lag B’Omer is the light of the Torah, and the light of Hashem. It represents our true will to serve Hashem and return to Hashem. This light is in our souls, and it’s what is truly burning inside. Lag B’Omer has the power to show each person that this is who we truly are – burning with love and good desires to come closer to Hashem and live a life of helping others. Rebbe Nachman said, “My fire will burn until the coming of the Messiah.” He is continuing the path of Rebbe Shimon, revealing the fire of the Torah, the secrets of the Torah, in a way that each and every Jew can find their path to return to Hashem. These tzaddikim light the fire inside of us which has always been there – it just became extinguished at some point in our lives, like a secret which becomes revealed. Through their light we are able to begin to see our own light. Happy Lag B’Omer!

(Inspired by a short class on Lag B’Omer given by Ohad Tennenbaum, a teacher at Shackuf, the workshop I used to learn at; and a class by Rav Shlomo Katz).

***

Republished with permission from breslov.blog.

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The History of Lag BaOmer

A rich overview of the many customs that surround this special day

By Boruch Altein https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/2585017/jewish/The-History-of-Lag-BaOmer.htm

Lag BaOmer is a festive day on the Jewish calendar, celebrated for a twofold reason.

The Talmud1 describes how, during the period of Sefirat HaOmer (the days between Passover and Shavuot), a plague was visited on Rabbi Akiva’s 24,000 students because they did not behave with proper respect for one another. To commemorate the tragedy, certain mourning customs are observed during this time.2 On the thirty-third day of the Omer count, however, the students stopped dying. (Lamed-gimmel, pronounced lag, is the Hebrew number 33.) The mourning customs are suspended, and we celebrate the day as a holiday.3

Lag BaOmer is also the yahrtzeit (anniversary of passing), several decades later, of the great sage and mystic Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, best known as the principal author of the Zohar, the fundamental text of Jewish mysticism. The Zohar4 relates that on the day of his passing, Rabbi Shimon revealed new and profound mystical ideas to his disciples, and commanded them that rather than mourn for him, they should rejoice on this day, just as he rejoiced in his soul’s imminent reunion with G‑d.

All over the world, Lag BaOmer is marked with festive outings and picnics, where children play with toy bows and arrows. In Israel, tens of thousands gather in the small Upper Galilee village of Meron to celebrate at Rabbi Shimon’s gravesite. The night is lit up by bonfires of all sizes; the singing and dancing is a sight to behold.

When did these customs start? What is their significance, and how have they developed throughout the centuries? Let’s take a look at the sources of these unique traditions.

The Pilgrimage to Meron

The Zohar and other sources mention that some of Rabbi Shimon’s disciples would routinely visit his grave to pray and connect with their teacher.5 Among the prominent personalities who visited his grave were the Kabbalist Rabbi Moshe Cordovero,6 and Rabbi Yosef Caro, author of the Shulchan Aruch, who once spent the holiday of Sukkot in Meron with his family and disciples. There was a drought at the time, and Rabbi Yosef Caro prayed intensely for rain, culminating in the hoshaanot (the ritual of circling with the Four Species). His prayers were answered, and it rained.7

The first documented account of the custom of visiting Meron on Lag BaOmer is found in a fascinating letter by Rabbi Ovadiah of Bertinoro (15th–16th centuries), leader of the Jewish community in Israel, famous for his commentary on the Mishnah. He describes the day succinctly: “On the 18th day of the month of Iyar [the day of Lag BaOmer], the anniversary of [Rabbi Shimon’s] passing, Jews from all the surrounding areas gather in Meron, where they light large fires and celebrate . . . Many barren couples conceive, and many sick are healed, in the merit of the charity they give on this day to the upkeep of the gravesite.”8

Rabbi Chaim Vital, prime student of the master Kabbalist Arizal, writes in his Shaar ha-Kavanot:

In regard to the custom of many to travel to visit the graves of Rabbi Shimon and his son Rabbi Elazar in Meron with celebration and festive meals, I witnessed how my master and teacher [the Ari] traveled there on the first Lag BaOmer after he arrived in Israel from Egypt with his family and disciples, and stayed for three days . . . Rabbi Yonatan Sagis [another disciple] told me that even before I had met him, the Ari and his entire family traveled to Meron on Lag BaOmer, where they gave his son his first haircut, as is the custom . . .9

(There is a well-known custom to let a male child’s hair grow long until his third birthday, when he receives his first haircut. Called an upsherin in Yiddish and chalakah by Sephardic Jews, the occasion is celebrated with a festive meal [see more here]. The purpose of the custom is to wait until he can realize that his sidelocks, peyot, were not cut completely, as mandated by the Torah.10 When the child’s birthday falls out in the days of Sefirat HaOmer, when cutting hair is forbidden, we wait until Lag BaOmer, when it is permitted. If the child is in Israel, it is customary to travel to Meron for the cutting ceremony [read more here]).

To illustrate the festive spirit that permeates this day, Rabbi Chaim Vital continues with this anecdote:

Also my colleague Rabbi Avraham ha-Levi told me the same . . . and that he [Rabbi Avraham] had a custom to recite mourning prayers for the destruction of the Temple that are recited on the 9th of Av [the anniversary of the destruction] every day of the year. And so he did also that year on Lag BaOmer in Meron, in the daily prayers that he said while next to the grave. After he had finished praying, the Ari turned to him and told him that Rabbi Shimon himself had just appeared to the Ari and told him to rebuke Rabbi Avraham because he had expressed mourning at his grave—and on the day of Lag BaOmer, the day of Rabbi Shimon’s personal rejoicing!

Bonfires

Another custom, practiced especially in Meron and throughout Israel, is to light bonfires on the night of Lag BaOmer. The earliest source for this custom is the abovementioned letter from Rabbi Ovadiah of Bertinoro.

The famed chassidic master Rabbi Tzvi Elimelech of Dinov, known by the title of his book as the Bnei Yissaschar, gives an interesting explanation for the custom. He writes11 that on the day of a tzaddik’s passing, all the holy work he has done culminates and is revealed in this world. On Lag BaOmer, the true power of Rabbi Shimon’s accomplishments as one of the foremost Mishniac sages and the author of the Kabbalah shone forth.

In fact, it is recorded in the Zohar12 that the overwhelming deluge of spiritual light had such a potent effect on the world that the sun did not set until Rabbi Shimon had finished conveying his wisdom and passed on, and that a spiritual fire surrounded his deathbed the entire day.13 We light fires to commemorate the spiritual revelation that occurred on this day.

Bows and Arrows

Many have a custom to give children toy bows and arrows to play with at Lag BaOmer picnics. The Bnei Yissachar cites an explanation from one of his teachers that, as a result of Rabbi Shimon’s great merits, no rainbow was seen during his lifetime. (According to Torah, the rainbow is a sign of G‑d’s displeasure.14) We play with bows to commemorate this miracle.

Another reason is based on the teaching of the Zohar that there will be an extremely bright, vivid rainbow before Moshiach comes. This is connected to Lag BaOmer because Rabbi Yisrael Baal Shem Tov, founder of the chassidic movement, taught that learning the mystical dimension of Torah espoused by Rabbi Shimon brings the messianic era closer.15 We play with a bow to remind us of the imminent arrival of Moshiach.

The Lubavitcher Rebbe, of righteous memory, provides additional explanations for the custom, which can be read here.

Carobs

The Talmud relates how Rabbi Shimon was once overheard criticizing the Roman government in Israel, and had to flee for his life together with his son Rabbi Elazar. The two took refuge in a cave, where they remained for 13 years, studying Torah. G‑d made a fresh spring emerge miraculously by the mouth of their cave, and a carob tree grew, whose fruits supplied them with food.16 Many have a custom to eat carob fruit on Lag BaOmer to commemorate this story.

Miraculous Blessings

Many blessings have been attributed to praying at Rabbi Shimon’s grave, particularly blessings related to healthy offspring. One of the most famous stories was witnessed and recorded by Rabbi Yeshayah Asher Ze’ev Margolis, author of a well-known and authoritative book on Lag BaOmer, Sefer Hillula de-Rashbi:

This is a story that I myself witnessed on Lag BaOmer in the year 5683 [1923], in the town of Meron. That year Lag BaOmer was on Friday, so the many thousands of visitors to the gravesite of Rabbi Shimon [couldn’t travel back on Shabbat and] stayed over till Sunday.

 

On Shabbat morning, after the Musaf prayers, pandemonium suddenly broke out. It came to light that there was a Sephardi woman who had brought her 3-year-old son to Meron for his first haircut, as is the custom, when he quite suddenly contracted the dreaded typhus. He had indeed just passed on, and was lying in one of the small side rooms off of the main building.

 

The local British authorities, hearing of this, had come to quarantine the entire building, out of fear of the infection spreading. Many inside tried to escape, and families were torn apart, with some locked out while their loved ones were trapped inside.

 

The poor mother’s voice rose above the pandemonium, crying in agony over her son’s sudden fate. I personally saw the dead body lying on the floor, with no sign of life visible, and all present felt utterly helpless with nothing to be done to comfort her.

 

All of a sudden the mother scooped up her son’s body and proceeded downstairs, directly to the grave of Rabbi Shimon. She placed the body on the floor adjacent to the grave and cried out, “Holy Rabbi, I have brought here my son, whom I begot through your blessing, for his first haircut in your honor. Yesterday he was alive and healthy, and we celebrated with singing and dancing, with joy and celebration. How can I return home now like this?”
Then she cried out, “Tzaddik, Tzaddik, I am going to leave my son where he is right now next to you. Please, I beseech you, do not turn me back emptyhanded.”

 

Everyone in the room left, including her, and the door was locked. A few minutes passed, and suddenly the cry of a small child was audible. The door was opened, and lo and behold, the boy was standing up, crying for a drink of water. The only explanation for this was a miracle done by the G‑dly man Rabbi Shimon, to sanctify G‑d’s name to all.17

Lag BaOmer in Chabad

Chabad Chassidim of old looked forward to Lag BaOmer, when the rebbe would hold a large farbrengen in the countryside surrounding the town of Lubavitch, as described in Hayom Yom:

By the Mittler Rebbe [Rabbi Dov Ber, the second Chabad Rebbe], Lag BaOmer was among the most special Jewish holidays. They would go out to the fields, and though he personally did not partake of the actual meal [although everyone else did], he would say l’chaim . . . There would be many wonders that were seen then. The majority of them were in regards to [the blessing of] having children. For a whole year, they would wait for Lag BaOmer.18

Beginning in the 1950s, the seventh Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, encouraged Jewish children to join together in grand Lag BaOmer parades as a show of Jewish unity and pride. Held in front of the Lubavitch world headquarters in Brooklyn, New York, the parades attracted—and still attract—thousands of children from all walks of life.

In accordance with the Rebbe’s general instruction that any gathering of Jews should be connected with Judaism and Torah, the children would recite the 12 Pesukim, 12 Torah passages selected by the Rebbe as containing the most fundamental ideas in Judaism, before the parades began. The floats displayed Jewish themes, and the parades were followed by festivities for the entire family.

Often the Rebbe spoke at the parades, sometimes addressing current world events. A well-known example of this was the 1967 parade, when the Rebbe spoke about the crisis happening in the Middle East. He issued a call to increase in the fulfillment of the Torah as a medium for expanded divine blessings for the Jewish people, and predicted that a great miracle would shortly happen. He stood out as one of the few Jewish leaders to anticipate Israel’s victory in the Six-Day War.

In 1980 the Rebbe gave instructions that Lag BaOmer parades and children’s rallies should take place not only in New York, but across the world, especially in Israel. Thousands of children participated in the tens of rallies that took place that year, and until today Chabad organizes hundreds of Lag BaOmer parades around the world each year.

Perhaps the most important lesson the holiday has to offer is expressed in a letter the Rebbe wrote to all Jews in honor of Lag BaOmer 1974. When one examines Rabbi Shimon’s life, he writes, one sees that there were two focal points around which it revolved: Torah study and love of fellow Jews. Although not everyone can study Torah as an exclusive occupation, as Rabbi Shimon did, everyone can and should set aside times each day to devote solely to Torah study without any outside interference. This should be permeated with a sense of ahavat Yisrael—love of a fellow Jew—which will bring them to encourage others to follow suit.

By fulfilling this directive, may we merit to experience a time when there will be only light in the world, and G‑d’s presence will be visible and tangible to all mankind.

Footnotes
1. Yevamot 62b.

2. For more information about the mourning customs of Sefirat HaOmer, see here.

3. Tur & Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 493.

4. Zohar 3:291a.

5. Zohar 1:4a; Kohelet Rabbah 10:10; Talmud, Sanhedrin 98a.

6. Sefer ha-Gerushin, 17–18.

7. Maggid Meisharim, Emor.

8. Taamei ha-Minhagim, p. 201.

9. Shaar ha-Kavanot, Pesach 12; Pri Etz Chayim, Gate 22, ch. 7.

10. Leviticus 19:27.

11. Bnei Yissaschar, Iyar, discourse 3.

12. Zohar 3:291a.

13. Ibid. 3:296b.

14. Genesis 9:11–17.

15. Keter Shem Tov 1.

16. Talmud, Shabbat 33b,

17. Sefer Hillula de-Rashbi, p. 9.

18. Hayom Yom, 18 Iyar.

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Breslev Customs for Lag B’Omer

Read about the customs in Breslever communities of Yerushalayim, Williamsburg, Monsey, and Borough Park…

Rabbi Dovid Sears | Posted on 22October2025 | https://breslev.com/265154/

Breslev Customs for Lag B’Omer Rabbi Dovid Sears

Rabbi Shmuel Horowitz writes lavishly about the simcha (happiness) and hitorerut (illumination) experienced by those who celebrated Lag B’Omer in Meron, particularly the Breslever Chassidim who participated in the “hillula de-RASHBI  (anniversary of his passing).” He writes: “What can be said, what can be communicated? One should yearn, long, and exert himself all of his days with mesirut nefesh (devotion) to experience and share in this. In the inner part of the tomb, people weep and do teshuva, and their hearts are deeply aroused; even on Yom Kippur, no one ever heard of such a place of teshuva as this! On the outside [in the courtyard and surrounding areas], rejoicing, gladness, singing, music, and dancing prevail; even at the weddings of kings, no one ever beheld or heard of such ecstasy! Ashreinu mah tov chelkeinu (happy are we and how good is our portion), that we were privileged to witness all this!” (Rabbi Shmuel Horowitz, Yemei Shmuel, vol. I, chap. 56. For more extensive Breslev teachings and historical material on Lag B’Omer, see Mo’adei Yisrael: Lag B’Omer, Bnei Brak: Agudat Mayanot ha-Netzach 2003)

* * *

On the Shabbat before Lag  B’Omer in the Breslever communities of Yerushalayim, Williamsburg, Monsey, and Borough Park, it is customary to sing “Bar Yochai” etc., before “Ki-gavna” on Friday night. This is a widespread custom today. (Heard from Rabbi Nachman Burshteyn and Rabbi Meir Wasilski)

* * *

In the Tzefat community they sing “Bar Yochai” and “Amar Rabbi Akiva” on every Friday night before “Ki-gavna.”
One can see the tomb of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai through the windows of the Breslev synagogue in Tzefat. (Heard from Rabbi Binyamin Rosenberg)

* * *

This is also the custom in Meron. (Heard from Rabbi Avraham Shimon Burshteyn)

* * *

Tachanun is omitted on both Erev Lag B’Omer and Lag  B’Omer, as stated in Shulchan Aruch. However, it is not our custom to omit Tachanun for the entire week of “hod,” as in some Chassidic communities. (See Orach Chaim 493:2, with Mishnah Berurah)

* * *

In Likutei Halakhot, Rebbe Nosson mentions the minhag (custom) to give a child his first haircut on Lag B’Omer.
(See Likutei Halakhot, Rosh Chodesh 3:11, 9:13; Pesach 7:24; Dam 1:12; Simanei Behemah ve-Chayah Tehorah 4:6; Hekhsher Keilim 4:4; Nezikin 3:3)

* * *

In addition to participating in the traditional festivities, many Breslever Chassidim recite Rebbe Nosson’s prayer in honor of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, Likutei Tefillot II, 47.

* * *

It is also common practice to learn the Rebbe’s lesson “Lekhu Chazu” at the beginning of Likutei Moharan, which discusses Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai and the Zohar. This lesson is usually delivered by one of the speakers at the Lag B’Omer seudah in the various Breslev communities.

* * *

The Rebbe states that shooting arrows on Lag B’Omer is a segula for having children. (Sefer ha-Middot, “Banim” I, 63)<

* * *

Members of the Tzefat community visit the grave of Rabbi Shimon in Meron on Lag B’Omer, together with the many thousands of Jews who come from far and wide in honor of the tzaddik and in order to pray for divine mercy at this auspicious time.

* * *

Reb Avraham Sternhartz used to spend either the Shabbat before or after Lag  B’Omer in Meron. (Heard from Rabbi Avraham Shimon Burshteyn)

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Tens of Thousands Visit Meron Shrine for Lag B’Omer Celebrations in Israel

by JNS.org 14May2017 9:23 am https://www.algemeiner.com/2017/05/14/tens-of-thousands-visit-meron-shrine-for-lag-bomer-celebrations-in-israel/

Ultra orthodox jews from the chassidic dynasty of Schatz Dershowitz seen near a big bonfire, during celebrations of the Jewish holiday of Lag Baomer in Beit Shemesh outside Jerusalem on May 13, 2017. Lag Baomer commemorates the death of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, one of the most important sages in Jewish history 1800 years ago. The most well-known custom of Lag BaOmer is the lighting of bonfires throughout Israel and in Jewish communities worldwide. Photo by Yaakov Lederman/ Flash90

Haredi Jews watch the lighting of a bonfire in Beit Shemesh, near Jerusalem, for Lag B’Omer May 13, 2017. Photo: Yaakov Lederman/Flash90.

JNS.org – Tens of thousands of Israelis traveled to the gravesite of famed sage Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai (“Rabbi Shimon”) at Mount Meron this weekend for the Lag B’Omer holiday.

The annual Lag B’Omer celebrations at Meron, in Israel’s northern Galilee, represent some of the largest public gatherings in the country, attracting mostly Israelis from the Jewish state’s haredi communities.

This year’s festivities commenced with the lighting of a major bonfire at 1:15 a.m. Sunday by Rebbe Nachum Dov Brayer, leader of the Boyan Hasidic dynasty. Israel Police Commissioner Roni Alsheikh, Religious Services Minister David Azoulay and Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan all attended the bonfire.

Lag B’Omer is the 33rd day of the seven-week Omer period between the Jewish holidays of Passover and Shavuot. Though deemed a relatively minor Jewish holiday, Lag B’Omer holds major spiritual significance in Judaism’s mystical Kabbalistic tradition.

According to Jewish tradition, Rabbi Shimon — a leading disciple of Rabbi Akiva — passed away on the date of Lag B’Omer in the 2nd century AD. Tradition also states Rabbi Shimon transmitted the Zohar, the foundational Kabbalistic text he authored, on Lag B’Omer. Bonfires are lit on the holiday to celebrate the spiritual light Rabbi Shimon brought into the world with the mystical text.

Also on Lag B’Omer, Jews cease to mourn the deaths of 24,000 of Rabbi Akiva’s students. A deadly plague caused by the students’ disrespect for each other stopped abruptly on the 18th day of the Hebrew month of Iyar, coinciding with Lag B’Omer, according to the Talmud. Only five students — including Rabbi Shimon — survived the plague.

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Count on Rebbe Shimon!

Why do hundreds of thousands of people frequent Rebbe Shimon Bar Yochai’s holy gravesite in Meron every Lag B’Omer? They have someone to count on…

Rabbi Lazer Brody | Posted on 04May2023 | https://breslev.com/426857/

Count on Rebbe Shimon! – Rabbi Lazer Brody

Rebbe Yehoshua ben Levi was one of the greatest miracle workers and righteous sages of the Talmud. But in a trying situation, he suggests that we count on Rebbe Shimon (tractate Berachot, 9a).

For centuries, Jews have done everything in their power to pray by Rebbe Shimon bar Yochai’s holy grave site in Meron on Lag B’Omer, his yahrtzeit, or day of departure from the physical world. Throughout the ages, people have seen phenomenal miracles after having come to Meron on Lag B’Omer, the thirty-third day of the Omer. What’s so special about it?

The Zohar in the beginning of the Idra Zuta tells that moments before Rebbe Shimon left this world he gathered his students and told them that this – the Eighteenth of Iyar and Lag B’Omer – should be a day of joy and celebration. The Arizal says, “On Lag B’Omer the Tanna Rashbi (acronym for Rebbe Shimon bar Yochai) stands at his holy resting place and blesses each and every person that comes to pray there and rejoice in his name on his holy yahrtzeit.”

A blessing from Rebbe Shimon, author of the holy Zohar who revealed the esoteric secrets of Torah, invokes miracles. Thousands of Jewish children are named “Shimon” in honor of Rashbi, since they were born as a result of their parents’ supplications in Meron. I’d like to share one such story with you, in which I was personally involved.

Tomer and Sari Berman (names changed to protect their privacy) were born into secular homes in Haifa. Tomer had been a sailor in the Israeli Merchant Marines and Sari was a former champion athlete. After having received emuna books and CDs, Tomer and Sari decided to pursue an observant Jewish lifestyle. They hoped that their spiritual turnaround would accord them with the merit of having children, for they had been married for six years already and were yet to be blessed with children.

As an athlete, Sari had suffered a type of hernia that is associated with tremendous strain on the inguinal area. Her reproductive apparatus was severely damaged and fertility specialists told her that she had a minuscule chance of ever having children. She and Tomer weren’t satisfied with the answer they received in the Israeli fertility clinic, so they used up every bit of their savings seeking the advice and treatment of specialists in Europe and America. Broken-hearted and empty-pocketed, they came back to Israel, a week before Lag B’Omer. They gave me a call and asked if I had any advice for them. I told them that they should take advantage of the Arizal’s promise, go to Meron on Lag B’Omer, and get the blessing of Rebbe Shimon bar Yochai. If possible, they should also do six hours of personal prayer there. They did.

Twelve months later, on the eleventh day of Iyar, little baby Berman was born. The day of the Brit Mila, the circumcision, came out on the 18th of Iyar, Lag B’Omer! Despite the difficulties involved, Tomer and Sari insisted on having his Brit (circumcision) in Meron. They did, and they named the baby Shimon.

Three years later, Shimon had his challakeh, his first haircut, in Meron.

Next year, G-d willing, Shimon Berman will have his bar mitzvah in Meron.

You can surely count on Rebbe Shimon.

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New Ben & Jerry’s Limited-Edition Flavor for Lag B’Omer in Israel

By Hana Levi Julian
29 Nisan 5783 – April 20, 2023 https://www.jewishpress.com/news/breaking-news/new-ben-jerrys-limited-edition-flavor-for-lab-bomer-in-israel/2023/04/20/

Ben & Jerry’s new flavor for Lag B’Omer, ‘S’mores’

Photo Credit: courtesy – Ben & Jerry’s new flavor for Lag B’Omer, ‘S’mores’

Israeli ice cream lovers, rejoice!

Ben & Jerry’s Israel has announced it will offer a brand-new flavor – in a limited edition – for the upcoming Lag B’Omer holiday.

The new flavor, “S’mores” will reprise the long-beloved sweet, created annually by countless children at summer campfires, using sweet crackers, chocolate bars and gooey, roasted marshmallows.

The name “s’mores” is an abbreviation of the phrase “some more.”

The Ben & Jerry’s version – only in Israel and only for the Lag B’Omer holiday, will feature ice cream that combines marshmallow with cookie crumbs, chocolate cookie crumbs and pieces of fudge.

The new flavor will be available in all the Israeli food chains, convenience stores and supermarkets where Ben & Jerry’s is sold.

Ben & Jerry’s new Lag B’Omer S’mores flavor

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Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai By Nissan Mindel Published by Kehot Publication Society https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/112515/jewish/Rabbi-Shimon-Bar-Yochai.htm   Every year on Lag BaOmer (18 Iyar), we remember the great and holy Tanna (Mishnaic sage) Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, who died on this day about eighteen centuries ago. To this day, pious Jews make an annual pilgrimage to Kefar Meron, in the Land of Israel, to pray at the tomb of this great and holy scholar.   A Student of Rabbi Akiva When Shimon was a young boy, he studied in the great academy of the scholars of Yavneh, founded by Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai, who died just about the time that Shimon was born. Shimon’s principal teacher was the famous Rabbi Akiva, who had his academy at Benei Berak. So attached did Shimon become to his master, Rabbi Akiva, that the latter called him “my son.”   During the cruel persecution by the Roman Emperor Hadrian, when the Talmudic Academies were shut down and the study of the Talmud was forbidden on penalty of death, Rabbi Akiva continued to teach the Talmud publicly, and his devoted pupil Shimon stayed at his side, until Rabbi Akiva was arrested. Even then, Shimon continued to visit his master in prison to receive instruction there. Only death finally separated them, for Rabbi Akiva was condemned to die a martyr’s death for Kiddush Hashem (the sanctification of G‑d’s name).   Becoming a Rabbi Under Roman Rule Those were very difficult times for the Jewish people in the Land of Israel under the brutal persecution of the Roman Emperor Hadrian. It was particularly difficult for the sages to study the Talmud and to conduct schools. On penalty of death, it was also forbidden to ordain students of the Talmud. Both the ordaining Sage and the ordained scholar were put to death if caught. The entire Jewish religious life was in danger, until the great Rabbi Yehudah ben Baba publicly ordained five famous scholars, defying Hadrian’s cruel decree. Rabbi Shimon was one of these five scholars. (Rabbi Meir was another one.) The Roman authorities were soon after these dauntless Jewish champions. The ordained scholars escaped, but Rabbi Yehudah ben Baba was caught and put to death.   Defying the Romans Finally, the cruel Hadrian died in great pain, and his decrees were no longer enforced with the same brutality as before. Then the leading sages of that time gathered to consider ways and means of restoring Jewish religious life. Among the leading sages gathered at Usha, we find Rabbi Shimon again. For reasons of safety, the sages moved to Yavneh, where they sat in conference in a vineyard. The leading sages were Rabbi Yehudah, Rabbi Yosei the Galilite, and Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. Discussing what attitude to take towards the Roman government, Rabbi Yehudah suggested a friendly one, Rabbi Yose expressed no opinion, while Rabbi Shimon spoke very bitterly of the Roman tyrants, and advocated every possible defiance. For Rabbi Shimon could never forget the terrible sight of his beloved master and teacher, Rabbi Akiva, being tortured to death by the Roman executioners. The sages were not aware that their conversation was overheard by a certain young man, Judah ben Gerim. At one time a disciple of Rabbi Shimon, Judah ben Gerim later turned spy for the Roman authorities. This treacherous man reported the conversation of the sages to the Roman authorities. At once they decreed honor and rank for Rabbi Yehudah for speaking favorably of them, exile for Rabbi Yosei for failing to do so, and death for Rabbi Shimon, who dared to challenge them.   Life in Hiding Rabbi Shimon fled for his life together with his son Rabbi Elazar. For some time they stayed in hiding in the Bet Hamedrash (academy), where Rabbi Shimon’s wife brought them bread and water daily. When the search was intensified, they decided to seek a better hiding place. Without telling anyone of their whereabouts, they hid in a cave. G‑d caused a carob tree to spring up at the entrance to the cave, as well as a spring of fresh water. For twelve years, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and his son Elazar dwelt in the cave, sustaining themselves on carobs and water. During the time, they studied and prayed until they became the holiest sages of their day.   Return to Worldly Matters At the end of twelve years, the Prophet Elijah brought them the good tidings of a change in the government and a reprieve. Father and son now left the cave. Passing a field where they saw Jewish farmers toiling on the land, they said, “Imagine people giving up the sacred study of the Torah for worldly matters!”   No sooner did they utter these words, than all the produce of the field went up in smoke. Then they heard a heavenly voice saying, “Have you come out to destroy My world? Go back to your cave!” They returned to the cave for another twelve months, and left it again, only after they heard the same heavenly voice calling them to leave.   This time, they came out with a different outlook on life. Seeing a Jew carrying two bunches of myrtle, rushing home on Friday afternoon, they asked him what he was going to do with the myrtle.   “It is to adorn my house in honor of the Shabbat,” the man replied.   “Would not one bunch of myrtle be sufficient to fill your house with fragrance?” they asked.   The stranger replied, “I am taking two bunches, one for ‘Remember the Shabbat day’ and the other for ‘Keep the Shabbat Day holy.’”   Said Rabbi Shimon to his son, “See how precious the precepts are to our brethren!”   Satisfied that despite all the decrees and persecutions of the cruel Roman rulers, the Jews still clung to the commandments and especially Shabbat observance, Rabbi Shimon and his son felt greatly encouraged.   Proceeding on their way, they met Rabbi Pinchas ben Yair, another famous scholar about whom there are so many wondrous tales in the Talmud. Rabbi Pinchas ben Yair was Rabbi Shimon’s father-in-law, and he came out to meet his in-laws. Seeing the terrible effects of the prolonged cave life upon the health of his son-in-law, Rabbi Pinchas ben Yair burst into tears, but Rabbi Shimon consoled him saying that he could never have attained such a high degree of scholarship and divine wisdom, had he not spent so many years in the cave.   Teaching in Tekoa Rabbi Shimon settled in the town of Tekoa, where he founded a great academy. The greatest scholars of the time gathered there to receive instruction from Rabbi Shimon. Among them was Rabbi Yehudah, the son of Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel, the Nassi, later the compiler of the Mishnah.   One day Rabbi Shimon met Judah ben Gerim, the treacherous spy who had caused him so much trouble. Rabbi Shimon exclaimed, “Is this man still alive?” and soon afterward Judah ben Gerim died.   Once again religious persecution increased. The Romans prohibited Shabbat observance and other important Jewish laws.   The Sages decided to send a delegation to Rome, and chose Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai to head the delegation.   When they came to Rome, they heard that the daughter of the Roman emperor had lost her mind and that no one could cure her. Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai proceeded to the palace and asked for permission to treat the patient. After a few days’ treatment the princess became well. In gratitude, the emperor told Rabbi Shimon that he could choose the most precious thing in his treasury. Rabbi Shimon found there the original decrees of persecution, and claimed them as his reward. Thus he succeeded in bringing great salvation to his people.   Teacher of Israel Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai was one of the greatest teachers of Jewish Law and ethics. His many sayings and laws in the Talmud reflect his holiness of character and devotion to the Torah. Once he said, “If I were present at the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai, I would have demanded two mouths: one for continuous study of the words of the Torah, and the other for eating.” But then he admitted that this would not be very wise, since even now when man has but one mouth, he says so many wrong things. How much more so if he had two!   Even though he lived the life of a recluse for many years, Rabbi Shimon knew the importance of good human relationships. Said he, “Man should rather jump into a fiery furnace than offend another in public.” “To deceive anyone by words is worse than cheating him out of money.” “He who lets arrogance get the better of him is like the heathen worshipping idols.” In the Ethics of Our Fathers, we find his saying, “There are three crowns: the crown of the Torah, and crown of priesthood, and the crown of royalty; but the crown of a good name excels above them all.”   Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai is the author of the sacred Zohar (“Brilliance”), containing mystic interpretations of the Torah, and chief source of the Kabbalah. For many generations the teachings of the holy Zohar were studied by a few select scholars, until the great scholar Rabbi Moses ben Shem Tov de Leon published the Zohar about seven hundred years ago.   Rabbi Shimon is also the author of Sifri and “Mechilta of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai.”   Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai died in Meron, a village near Safed, in the Land of Israel. As we mentioned before, many Jews make an annual pilgrimage to his grave on the eighteenth of Iyar (Lag BaOmer), the day he died, where they light candles and pray at his grave.   TOP

The Wisdom of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai By Nissan Mindel Published by Kehot Publication Society https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/112043/jewish/The-Wisdom-of-Rabbi-Shimon-Bar-Yochai.htm   Lag B’Omer is around the corner, and two great names immediately come to our mind: Rabbi Akiba and Rabbi Simeon Ben Yohai.   Rabbi Simeon Ben Yohai was a disciple of Rabbi Akiba. The Romans had put a price on his head, so he hid in a cave, together with his son Rabbi Elazar for thirteen years. When they came out of hiding they were the greatest teachers of their time. Rabbi Simeon died on the day of Lag B’Omer.   Many are the wise sayings and teachings of Rabbi Simeon, which are to be found in all sections of the Talmud. Here we want to mention some of them, so that we can learn a little more about this great Sage.   Rabbi Simeon ben Yohai lived in a difficult time, when his beloved land and people were under the rule of the cruel Romans. But he knew that G‑d was always with His people. Said he:   “Great is G‑d‘s love for Israel, for He revealed Himself to them in a land of uncleanliness and idol worship (Egypt) in order to free them from there.”   Again, Rabbi Simeon said: “See how beloved Israel is to the Holy One, blessed be He, for wherever they went into exile, the Divine Presence (Shechinah) went with them: they were exiled to Egypt, and the Shechinah went with them; they were exiled to Babylon, and again the Shechinah went with them. And when Israel will be redeemed in the future, the Shechinah will be redeemed with them, as it is written, ‘And G‑d, thy G‑d, will return (with) thy exile.’ ”   Rabbi Simeon ben Yohai was a great lover of the Holy Land. Said he:   “No one should leave the Holy Land as long as there is something to eat there at any price. Elimelech, Machlon and Kilyon (mentioned in the Book of Ruth) were leaders of their generation. “When they left the Holy Land during the famine, they were punished and died in a strange land.”   On another occasion, Rabbi Simeon said: “G‑d gave Israel three wonderful presents, but each one was earned through pain and suffering: The Torah, the Holy Land, and the World to Come.”   Rabbi Simeon’s love for the Torah knew no bounds. As he himself never wasted any time, but devoted every minute to the study of the Torah, so he urged others to do likewise, even when people have very little time to spare. He gave the following example:   “There were two brothers. One was saving every penny until, in time, he had quite a large fortune. The other thought, What’s the use of saving pennies? So he spent everything, and remained always poor.   “So it is with learning,” said Rabbi Simeon. “If one learns two or three things during the day, and two or three things at night, two or three chapters during the Sabbath, and the same during Rosh Chodesh, then in time he will be rich with knowledge. But the one who says, How much can I learn, I have so little time? and wastes those precious minutes, will always be poor in knowledge.”   Rabbi Simeon taught that the welfare of the people depended upon their observance of the Torah, for he said:   “The bread-loaf and the rod came down together from Heaven. Said G‑d, If you keep the Torah, you will have bread to eat if not, you shall get the rod.”   One of Rabbi Simeon’s students once went abroad, and returned with great riches. The other students were filled with envy and also wanted to go abroad to make their fortunes. This made Rabbi Simeon sad, and he told them that they could have the choice of gold or the Torah. In fact, he took them to a valley, and prayed to G‑d to fill it with gold. The next moment the valley was filled with gold. Rabbi Simeon then said, “Whoever wants it, may have as much as he likes; but know that whoever takes this gold, will lose his share in the World to Come.” No one took any of it.   Rabbi Simeon spoke very lovingly of the holy Shabbos. He said that it was a gift which G‑d gave to the Jews alone, and that the Jews and the Shabbos are a fitting pair. Here is what Rabbi Simeon said of the Sabbath:   “The Sabbath said to G‑d, Master of the World! Each day of the week has a campanion (Sunday has Monday, Tuesday-Wednesday, etc.), except for me, for I am the odd day of the week! Replied G‑d, The People of Israel shall be your companion!”   Rabbi Simeon also had this to say about the Sabbath:   “If the people of Israel would observe but two Sabbaths properly, G‑d would redeem them immediately!”   Rabbi Simeon taught his people to be honest and truthful, and with good manners. Said be:   “To cheat one by words is even worse than to cheat him out of money.”   “One who enters his house suddenly, and especially one who enters somebody else’s house without knocking, is disliked by G‑d.   Rabbi Simeon urged the good people not to lose all the good they have done by turning away from G‑d in the end. The wicked people he urged to return to G‑d and in this way wipe their record clean:   “A man, even if he was completely righteous all his life, may lose all his benefits, if he turns away from G‑d in the end. But he who was wicked all his life, yet returns to G‑d in the end-his wicked past will be forgotten.” (This does not include, of course, one who thinks that he can go on sinning, hoping to turn over a new leaf some day, and get away with it.)   Because of Israel, G‑d blesses the whole world. Said Rabbi Simeon ben Yohai: “When the people of Israel are worthy, the rain comes down on the fields and trees and seeds, and the world is blessed. But if the people of Israel are not worthy, the rain falls into the oceans and rivers (bringing nothing but floods).”   Once Rabbi Simeon was asked, “Why did the manna come down from heaven every day? Could not G‑d rain down enough manna in one day to last them a whole year?”   To which Rabbi Simeon replied: “A king had a beloved son. The king gave his son an allowance once a year, and only saw him one day in the year, when he came for his allowance. So the king began to give his son his allowance in small instalments every day, and the son came to see his -father daily. So it was also with the children of Israel. Every day the Jews would lift their eyes to G‑d praying for food, so that His children would not die in the desert. If they would receive in one day enough food for a whole year, they would pray to G‑d only once a year.”   Thus Rabbi Simeon ben Yohai taught us the importance of our daily prayers, not because G‑d has to be reminded about us, but because praying to G‑d and keeping G‑d in our hearts and minds every day, constantly, is good for us and will make us better people.   TOP

Rashbi’s Passing Lag B’omer is the anniversary of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai’s exit from the physical world. The Zohar in Idra Zuta gives a moving account of what happened… Rabbi Moshe Miller | Posted on 23May2024 | https://breslev.com/352596/ Rashbi’s Passing Translated by Rabbi Moshe Miller from the Idra Zuta, Zohar III, 287b-296b   We have learned: On the day that Rabbi Shimon [bar Yochai] was to depart the world he began arranging his teachings.   Tzadikim of the stature of Rabbi Shimon know when they have fulfilled their tasks in this world and when they are to pass on to the World of Truth. They therefore begin preparing themselves for the transition.   The Disciples [of Rebbe Shimon found out that he was making his final arrangements, and they] gathered together at the house of Rebbe Shimon. Before him were Rabbi Elazar his son, Rabbi Abba and the other disciples, so that the house was filled. Then fire surrounded the house, so that everyone fled outside…   When Rabbi Shimon looked up and saw that the house was full, he wept and said, “On another occasion, when I was deathly ill (as mentioned in the Addenda to Zohar Devarim), Rabbi Pinchas ben Yair was with me. While I was choosing my place [in the Garden of Eden] they granted me [extra years] until now. When I returned [to the living], a fire surrounded me and it never ceased, so that no person could come in to me without permission.   The fire surrounding him was a sign that the Shechina was constantly revealed upon him. Even the greatest of Rabbi Shimon’s students, such as Rabbi Chiya, required permission to enter (see Zohar II 14a).   Now I see that it has ceased, and so the house has filled up [with visitors who entered without my permission].   Commentaries explain that perhaps there were some there who were not worthy of hearing the mysteries that Rabbi Shimon planned to reveal, and for this reason the Shechina had left him (Kocho d’Rashbi, Ma’aracha 4).   While they were sitting Rabbi Shimon opened his eyes [in the sense of spiritual gazing into the higher worlds] and saw what he saw.   He experienced the revelation of the Shechina (Sha’arei HaIdra).   Then fire surrounded the house, so that everyone fled outside leaving only Rabbi Elazar and Rabbi Abba [who were worthy of receiving the Shechina]. The remainder of the disciples sat outside. Rebbe Shimon said to Rabbi Elazar his son, “Go outside and see if Rabbi Yitzchak is here. I made a promise to him [that he would live until the day of my passing and that I would take him into the Garden of Eden (see Zohar I, 118a)]. Tell him to put his affairs in order and then come and sit with me. Happy is his lot!” The holy matters that I did not reveal until now, I wish to reveal in the presence of the Shechina…   Rebbe Shimon arose [in deference to the Shechina and the souls of saintly tzadikim that had descended to be with him as he revealed the secrets of the Torah]. He then sat again, smiling and happy, and he asked, “Where are the Disciples?” Rabbi Elazar arose and brought them in. They sat down before Rebbe Shimon.   Rebbe Shimon raised his hands in prayer and made his supplications with great joy. Then he said, “Those who were in the Idra [Rabba] are invited [to stay, but not the rest of the visitors, lest they put themselves in danger]. They all went out and only Rabbi Elazar his son, Rabbi Abba, Rabbi Yehuda, Rabbi Yose and Rabbi Chiya remained. Meanwhile, Rabbi Yitzchak arrived, and Rabbi Shimon said to him, “How fortunate is your lot. How much joy should be added to you on this day!” Rabbi Abba was sitting behind Rebbe Shimon’s shoulders and Rabbi Elazar before Rebbe Shimon.<   Rebbe Shimon said, “Now is an auspicious time [to reveal the secrets of the Torah]. I wish to enter the World to Come without shame. For the holy matters that I did not reveal until now, I wish to reveal in the presence of the Shechina, so that no one will say that I left the world without fulfilling my task and that I concealed [these secrets] in my heart until now so that they would come with me to the World to Come. I will present them to you; Rabbi Abba shall write, and Rabbi Elazar my son will review them, and the remaining Disciples must whisper them in their hearts.” The dead do not praise G-d…   Rabbi Abba rose from behind Rabbi Shimon’s shoulders [and sat before Rebbe Shimon]. Rabbi Elazar continued sitting before Rebbe Shimon. Rebbe Shimon said, “Arise, my son, for another [a tzadik from the upper worlds] will sit in that place.” Rabbi Elazar arose [and sat down elsewhere].   Rebbe Shimon wrapped himself [in his talit]. He sat down and said: “‘The dead do not praise G-d, nor do those who go down into Silence [the eternal silence of the grave for the absolutely wicked] (Psalms 115:17).’ ‘The dead do not praise G-d…’ – this surely means those who are called ‘dead’ [even when they are alive], for G-d is called ‘[eternally] living’, and He dwells among those who are also called ‘live’ [the righteous] and not among those who are called ‘dead’ [even during their lifetimes, for they do not cleave to G-d, the Source of Life]. The end of the verse states, ‘…nor do those who go down into Silence’ – those who descend to Silence will remain there. [I.e., only those who descend to Silence permanently will not praise G-d, whereas those who experience a temporary spiritual anguish [Gehinom] after death do return to utter G-d’s praises]. But those who are called alive are different; the Holy One, blessed be He, desires their honor.”   ***   (Reprinted with kind permission of www.kabbalaonline.org)   (Rabbi Moshe Miller, a guest teacher at Ascent when he lived in Israel, was born in South Africa and received his yeshiva education in Israel and America. He is a prolific author and translator, with some twenty books to his name on a wide variety of topics, including a new, authoritative, annotated translation of the Zohar. He currently lives in Chicago.)   TOP

Soothing the National Pain Israel has a long list of aches and troubles, from within and from without. Yet, the unity of Lag B’Omer soothes the national pain. That in itself is reason to celebrate. Rabbi Lazer Brody | Posted on 12May2024 | https://breslev.com/326015/ Soothing the National Pain   Lag B’Omer begins this year at sundown on Monday night, May 8, 2023   The two most significant events of Lag B’Omer are the cessation of the plague that killed 24,000 of Rabbi Akiva’s students and the yahrtzeit (date of passing) of Rebbe Shimon Bar Yochai. We find an amazing connection between these two seemingly unrelated events.   Rabbi Akiva’s Students The Gemara (tractate of Yevamot 62b) relates that Rabbi Akiva had 12,000 pairs of students, all whom them died in a few short weeks between Pesach and Shavuot because they didn’t properly respect each other.   Why were these gentle Torah scholars punished so harshly? Don’t think for a moment that they verbally abused one another, or that they were guilty of humiliating or slandering one another. Heaven forbid! Rebbe Akiva’s 24,000 students were simply smug toward one another. They didn’t adequately listen to what their fellow student had to say. Each thought that he knew better or was a tiny bit better than his fellow, thinking that his tribe, his clan, his bloodline and his family were a little bit better or more prestigious than that of his study partner.   As soon as one person thinks he’s better than someone else, his heart and mind turn off to that other person. One says to himself, “What can I possibly learn from him? I’m better than he is!” Such an attitude not only stifles Torah growth but personal growth as well. It uproots the entire time-tested system of learning Torah with a chevruta (study partner) and in groups. Rebbe Nachman of Breslev explains (Likutei Moharan I:34), that every individual has a special talent and strength that no one else has. Therefore, when we learn with others, we receive their special illumination from the way the Torah reflects on their souls. This makes us ever so richer. Rebbe Akiva’s students were therefore punished for not taking advantage of each other to climb higher in the true service of Hashem.   No one can be the best in everything. When I look around the “Chut Shel Chesed” main study hall in Jerusalem, I see one young man who’s has a brilliant analytical mind for in-depth Gemara study. The young man that sits behind him virtually knows Shulchan Aruch by heart and is a walking encyclopedia of Jewish law. Across the aisle is the yeshiva’s Doctor Feelgood who makes everyone laugh and never lets anyone feel sad. He learns with a person who is always tutoring orphans whose lone parent can’t afford remedial learning help. The guy behind him is the best chazzan in the yeshiva, and so forth row by row and aisle by aisle. One can learn just as much from one’s fellow students as one can from the books on the wall.   Rebbe Shimon Bar Yochai Lag B’Omer, the 33rd day in the counting of the Omer, falls on 18th day of Iyar, the yahrtzeit (anniversary of the death) of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, one of our foremost Mishnaic sages. The Zohar tells us that on the day Rabbi Shimon passed away, a great light of endless joy filled the day, because of the previously hidden Torah wisdom that he revealed to his students. This secret wisdom was written down and recorded in the holy Zohar. The Zohar, the compendium of Jewish esoteric thought that is presented to us via Rebbe Shimon’s inner-dimensional elaborations on Torah, happiness, is a phenomenal reason to rejoice. So much so that the day of Rebbe Shimon’s passing, the sun did not set until Rabbi Shimon had revealed all that he was permitted to. As soon as he was done, the sun set, and his soul returned to its Creator.   The happiness of back then has become a Jewish tradition. Each year, hundreds of thousands of overjoyed Jews make the Lag B’Omer pilgrimage to Rebbe Shimon’s holy grave site in Meron in the Upper Galilee. There is dancing, singing, and bonfires. Little boys of three get their first haircuts, kippa, and side curls (photo, left). Awesome amounts of food and drink are offered to everyone, everywhere.   The Tikkun As it turns out, Lag B’Omer in Meron achieves the tikkun, the exact spiritual correction of the blemish caused by the fact that Rebbe Akiva’s 24,000 students didn’t properly respect one another. In Meron, close to half a million people are trying to touch or at least obtain a glimpse of Rebbe Shimon’s holy grave site. The pressure of the crowds is tremendous. Yet no one pushes and no one has an angry word. Satmer Chassidim from Mea Shearim dance with soldiers wearing knitted kippas on their heads. Ashkenazim and Sefardim, Chassidim and Lithuanian, even religious and non-religious are forced together in very close quarters. Love, brotherhood, and a wonderful feeling of happiness and friendship prevail.   The tiny Land of Israel has a long list of aches and troubles, from within and from without. Yet, the unity of Lag B’Omer soothes the national pain. That in itself is reason to celebrate.   TOP

Following Meron Restrictions, Israel Bans Lag B’Omer Bonfires Nationwide 27April2026 10:19 am  https://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/liveblogs/live-blog/2541034/%F0%9F%94%A5following-meron-restrictions-israel-bans-lag-bomer-bonfires-nationwide.html   •⁠ ⁠Merely hours after officials limited Meron attendance to 1,500 people, Israel’s Fire and Rescue Authority announced a nationwide ban on bonfires amid extreme wildfire risk. •⁠ ⁠Authorities cited dangerous weather conditions, along with safety and security concerns in forest areas. •⁠ ⁠The order takes effect May 3 and remains in place until June 30 at midnight. Bonfires will be allowed only at pre-approved locations. •⁠ ⁠Hundreds of firefighters, inspectors, and volunteers will be deployed nationwide for enforcement and rapid response.   TOP

Home Front Command Pikud HaOref guidelines-1May2026-Lag B’Omer בתום הערכת מצב בפיקוד העורף הוחלט על עדכון במדיניות ההתגוננות: אזור ההנחיה קו העימות והיישובים מירון, בר יוחאי, אור הגנוז וספסופה יעברו למדרג פעילות חלקית. ההנחיות בתוקף החל מיום שישי, 01 במאי 2026 בשעה 13:00, ועד ליום שני, 04 במאי בשעה 20:00. שאר הארץ ללא שינוי בהנחיות. pic.twitter.com/i7OfPfsIdF — פיקוד העורף (@PikudHaoref1) May 1, 2026 Pikud-HaOref-tweet-1May2026-Meron partial activity level Following a situational assessment in the Home Front Command, it was decided to update the defense policy: The instruction zone of the confrontation line and the settlements of Meron, Bar Yochai, Or HaGanuz, and Safsufa will move to a partial activity level. The instructions are in effect starting from Friday, May 1, 2026 at 13:00, until Monday, May 4 at 20:00. Pikud-HaOref-tweet-1May2026-Meron partial activity level   TOP

Roads to be closed: Police announce cancellation of Lag B’Omer celebration The police announced preparations to cancel the Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai celebration in Meron, following Home Front Command instructions and the Prime Minister’s decision. Israel National News / May 3, 2026, 9:25 AM (GMT+3) / https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/426447 Meron Lag B’Omer celebration David Cohen/Flash90 Police announced preparations for the cancellation of the traditional Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai Lag B’Omer celebration in Meron, following Home Front Command directives and a decision by the Prime Minister due to the security situation. As part of the preparations, the following roads and sections will be closed today: the Ein Zeitim Junction on Highway 89, the Gush Halav Junction on Highway 89, the Sifsufa Junction on Highway 89, and the Parod Junction on Highway 866.   Additional roads will be closed tomorrow, and all blocked sections are expected to reopen to the general public on May 6, after Lag B’Omer. Police also stated that residents of Meron will be allowed access through the closed sections upon presentation of an ID card.   Following the announcement of the cancellation, a framework was formulated aimed at preserving the traditional Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai celebration in Meron as much as possible. A draft of the framework was submitted for approval by the relevant authorities, with the intention of managing the events under the strictest possible restrictions.   According to the outline, three ceremonial bonfire lightings will be organized to preserve the tradition: the central lighting ceremony of the Boyan Hasidic Rebbe, a Sephardic communities’ lighting ceremony led by Rabbi Shlomo Moshe Amar, and a lighting ceremony conducted by rabbis from the Religious Zionist community.   Each of the ceremonies, which will take place on the night of the celebration, will be limited to no more than 200 participants arriving in an organized manner through the respective communities conducting the events.   The framework is based on the fact that several thousand people are currently staying legally in the Meron area. As a result, designated compounds will be operated to manage the crowds, including the tomb area and the Bnei Akiva and Or HaRashbi compounds.   Stewards will operate around the tomb site to allow those present to pray safely, while the traditional orchestra will perform in the courtyard near the tomb cave.   Despite the creation of the framework for managing those already on the mountain, officials emphasized that no additional public access to Meron will be allowed – neither by private vehicles nor by public transportation, including rabbis and public figures. The general public will be able to follow the events through live broadcasts from the lighting ceremonies and the tomb courtyard throughout the day of the celebration.   The framework is expected to remain in effect as long as public order is maintained at the site and civilian management of the event remains possible. It remains subject to Home Front Command restrictions and police directives.   Officials involved in drafting the outline stated that the primary goal is to preserve the tradition while ensuring the safety of those present at the site.   TOP

]]> https://www.jerusalemcats.com/passover-%d7%a4%d7%a1%d7%97-leil-haseder-kseder-an-enjoyable-and-meaningful-seder/ Wed, 01 Apr 2026 11:36:24 +0000 https://www.jerusalemcats.com/?p=49768

Passover Seder Plate

• Rabbi Arush on the Seder
• Sefirat HaOmer Chart 2026
• Jabotinsky’s Pesaach lessons: For this hard-to-be-a-Jew year
• Days of Mashiach

Seuda Moshiach The last meal of Pesach on the last Day of Pesach

• Moshiach’s Meal-Seuda Moshiach – סעודת משיח
• Shevi’i shel Pesach: Meal of the Baal Shem Tov

• Pre Seder Checklist
• Pesach is 30 Days after Purim. It is time to clean the house for Pesach. The Day After Purim
• Preparing for Pesach
• Next Year in Jerusalem
• The Third Temple – Dayenu
• Animal Sacrifice: It’s Not What You Think
• Home Front Command alerts during Shabbat and the holiday
• This is How You Prepare for Shabbat in an Emergency

In honor of the Shabbat after Pesach

• Shlissel or Key Challah

Pesach Sheni

• The Secret of Pesach Sheni
• Matzah on Pesach Sheini: When and Why?

Rabbi Arush on the Seder

Rabbi Arush explains to use how to have “Leil haSeder K’Seder” – an enjoyable and meaningful Seder with tips, tricks and most importantly – all the segulot! PRINT THIS ARTICLE AND PUT IT IN YOUR HAGGADAH so that you can follow it as you go through the Seder.

Rabbi Shalom Arush | Posted on 05April2023 | https://breslev.com/1091015/

Rabbi Arush on the Seder

Print this article and put it in your Haggadah

so that you can follow it as you go through the Seder.

Preparations for Seder

I am very careful to have the Seder ready the night before. Why?

• You must have time to sleep in the afternoon to be awake for the Seder! Men, women and children! The one time that I allow a husband to command a wife is on this day: “You must sleep!!!”
• You also need time to eat well in the afternoon in order to have a longer Seder without rushing due to hunger.

Remember that it’s forbidden to work after mid-day on Erev Yom Tov, even more serious than working

It is important to be happy on the holiday because holidays are the aspect of the “heart” and the heart needs to be happy! Make sure to do your preparation with happiness and excitement!

Remember – keeping the holiday is not one mitzvah. It’s thousands of mitzvot ! One hour is 3,600 seconds, which means that there are 3,600 mitzvot every hour! One day is 86,400 seconds, which means 86,400 mitzvot! This is true for Shabbat and all the more so for the holiday! Be happy! Passover is thousands of wonderful mitzvot, even the simplest Jew who doesn’t learn leaves the holiday with tens of thousands of mitzvot!

Maariv

Seder night – it’s not night, it’s day! This night has the power as if it was day.

The evening begins with Maariv! This is when we receive the light of the festival. Also, this is the only night that we say Hallel, and not only one time, but twice! Even women are required to say Hallel twice! At the time of Maariv, they must say Hallel even if they are at home! Ashkenazim and Sephardim!

On this night all the prayers from the entire year go up to Shamayim (heaven)! Pray! Ask Hashem to help us have
“Leil HaSeder k’Seder”! Start praying now to have a proper Seder!

Seder

The first thing to remember – the Seder begins with emuna!The Seder begins when and how Hashem wants. You must have patience and just be happy and singing. We all want to start with Kadesh right away, but sometimes there are obstacles, big and small. Before Kadesh comes emuna!

Who wrote the Haggadah? Some say it was Rabbi Akiva, some say Eliyahu Hanavi, and some say Anshei Knesset HaGedolah (Men of the Great Assembly, during the time of Ezra). Either way, it was giants who wrote the Haggadah! There is so much in it!

For someone who eats everything at the Seder according to its laws, all kinds of healing come into the food!

Everyone must know themselves. If you can manage wine, fine. If not, maybe 50/50 wine/grape juice, and if not then only grape juice! This is not a night to get drunk. Make sure to say my prayer before every cup of wine! (Available in Harav Arush’s Haggadah in Hebrew).

Matzah – use hand matzah. Only time that we say the blessing “to eat matzah.” The first portion of matzah should be completely plain, no salatim (salads), no nothing. Thirty grams is a kezayit (the size of an olive). The best thing is to weigh your matzah before the Seder to know how much is a kezayit. But even the thinnest round hand matzah, has in it at least 4 kezayot. So eat at least a quarter of a hand matzah and you’re fine! Make sure you eat at least a kezayit of the maror as well.

Say everything with a tune and also say it loudly, even yelling! It says that Hashem “heard our cry.” So this is a night to cry out to Hashem! There is an amazing Zohar on this. It’s a segulah for tikkun habrit.

To lean – to lean to the left is not enough. You must lean on something. On a pillow, on the arm chair, on whatever – but lean on something!

Everything has its segulah. Tonight is also a night to remember childless women – the three angels came to Avraham Avinu on Seder night! Sarah Imenu was remembered on Pesach! Certainly you can also be remembered on Passover to find a soulmate if it is also a night to have children.

Haggadah

• Karpas – Have in mind that Hashem should have mercy on us. Have in mind to sweeten all the judgments on the Jewish people, and send them all to our enemies!
• The salt water – Water is mercy and kindness. Again, have in mind to sweeten the judgments and bring kindness upon ourselves and Am Yisrael.
• Yachatz – To cut the middle matzah, try to cut the matzah so that the big piece is a “vav” (ו) and the smaller one is a “daled” (ד). It’s very hard to do so in practice, so it’s enough that you think about it and try. Have in mind to break our Yetzer Hara, bad character traits, evil lusts, and desires.

• Cutting the middle matzah is also a segulah for parnassah, so have in mind to pray to have good income! Also to have in mind to break the judgments.
• Rebbe M’Apta holds that it is a segulah to have in mind at the blessing “Hashem who redeemed us” to be redeemed from whatever suffering you have. You can bring down these salvations at that time!

• Saying the Haggadah slowly, slowly. What is this 10-15 minutes of speed reading!? Everyone says the Haggadah. The father runs the Seder, comments, etc. but everyone reads the Haggadah for themselves. Saying the Haggadah brings huge segulot (rectification) for speaking lashon hara (evil speech), to receive kol tov (all good), to receive forgiveness for all your sins! To receive huge spiritual lights! Also to receive yediat haTorah – to truly know the entire Torah.

• Every child should ask the questions. Let’s explain the questions a little and explain them to the children!

• • Dipping. We dip the karpas. When is the second time? When we dip the maror into the charoset.
  • Eating only matzah. What is chametz? Emuna b’teva – believing in nature. Tonight is only matzah, only emuna in hashgacha pratit, in Hashem’s personal Divine providence! Sometimes we believe in nature, sometimes in hashgacha, but tonight we believe only in hashgacha.
  • Vegetables. Only maror. Ma pitom (What are you talking about- Israeli slang)? Bitter? Tonight we make everything sweet! Make sure to prepare everything with honey, everything should be sweet, even more than the rest of the year.
  • Tonight we all lean.

• We provide not just a cup, but also a chair for Eliyahu HaNavi!

• Kiss the matzah! It’s a segulah for shmira (protection).

• Through eating the matzah we receive huge things! We can even receive a new soul! So eat the matzah happily!
  • Rectifies all gilui arayot, sexual sins, and also to receive humility and lowliness to know that everything is from Hashem.
  • Fixes the sin of the etz hadaat (eating from the Tree of Knowledge).
  • Saves us from all sorts of suffering.
  • Serves as a rectification for eating improper foods in the past. It’s like fasting on Yom Kippur!
  • Serves as “food of healing” according to the Zohar.
  • Chases out of the house all the sitra achra, all the evil.
  • Rectifies the moach, the mind., the mind.
  • Serves as a segulah to bring us from darkness to great light and to cancel our anger and arrogance.

• Eat the maror with happiness to cancel the Evil Inclination.

• Using a plastic bowl or cup, take out the 16 drops for the 10 plagues etc., The father pours out a drop of wine for each one, and the wife pours out a drop of water (only the head of the Seder does this, not everyone). The wine signifies the judgments, like the blood, and the water signifies the kindnesses. To remember that in the same cup, the Jew drank water, and the Egyptian drank blood! The wine that remains in the cup is a huge segulah for healing! If a couple has no children, each should drink from this wine and they will have a child. Now everyone at the Seder should drink a drop of that wine specifically, pour for everyone a little bit of what is left in the cup.

The Meal

Even the meal has segulot! It’s an aspect of redemption!

• Tzaphon – eating the afikomen. Leave over a tiny bit of the afikomen in a plastic bag for the entire year! Eating it is also a segulah for healing and also for doing teshuva shleima (to completely return in repentance to Hashem).
• Barech – say the Blessing after Meals with intention, word by word, and you can receive income with abundance! We need to sing, and say Hallel with happiness and in a loud voice.

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Sefirat HaOmer Chart 2026

Sefirat HaOmer Chart 2026

Click to download the .PDF file Sefirat HaOmer Chart 2026

Count Today’s Omer

https://www.chabad.org/holidays/sefirah/omer-count.htm

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Rabbi Lazer Brody and Moses

Jabotinsky’s Pesaach lessons: For this hard-to-be-a-Jew year

Jabotinsky anticipated the recurring need to answer, to defend, to explain – and sometimes simply to endure. Read and gain strength.

Ronn Torossian / Published: 6April2026, 8:48 AM (GMT+3)  https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/425099

100 Israeli old Shekel coin – Zeev Jabotinsky- צילום iStock

In 1911, on the eve of a century that would test the Jewish people in ways even he could scarcely have imagined, Ze’ev Jabotinsky – the Revisionist Zionist leader – turned to the Passover seder not as ritual alone, but as a living framework for understanding Jewish character, continuity, and responsibility.

In his essay “Four Sons,” Jabotinsky did not merely reinterpret a familiar passage; he recast it as a reflection on how different individuals adapt – psychologically, emotionally, and morally – to the same shared history. A study in how Jews respond differently to pressure, belonging, and identity across generations. Jabotinsky’s story is said to be adapted to the psychology of four typical children across generations of Jewish life. Each son reflects not just a personality, but a posture toward belonging, memory, and obligation.

Jabotinsky wrote: “The first [son] is clever, the second is impudent, the third a simpleton, and the fourth ‘such that he doesn’t even know how to ask.’ And each must be answered in order, according to his tastes and measure of understanding.”

The Clever: [The Wise son]

“The clever boy wrinkles his high forehead, gazes searchingly with his big eyes and wants to know what really the matter was. Why did they first love his forefathers in Egypt, welcome them with open arms, and then begin persecuting and tormenting them, and, so queerly they kept on persecuting and tormenting them and throwing the baby boys into the rivers, but wouldn’t for anything let them go. What was the explanation, Daddy?’ – asks the clever boy.”

Here Jabotinsky recognizes the intellectual instinct that has so often defined Jewish survival: the refusal to accept narrative without interrogation. The clever child is not satisfied with miracle; he demands coherence in history, even when history itself resists coherence. His response is adaptation through inquiry – a need to make sense of contradiction, to reconcile acceptance and rejection, emancipation and persecution. His question echoes forward into modernity, into politics, into every effort to understand a world that has always treated Jews differently.

The Impudent: [The Wicked son]

The second boy is ‘impudent’ – there he sits -back in his chair, crossing his feet and grinning ironically – and asks – what are all these funny customs and memories which should have been forgotten long ago!

“‘Blunt his teeth’ says the ritual of the Passover concerning this son. But I doubt if his teeth can be blunted … for nothing is more unvanquishable than indifference. Nothing can touch him, once he says of his own people, ‘you,’ you can give him up … He will go on grinning at you with all his teeth, and nothing that you can do will blunt them.

And, indeed, you should not blunt the teeth of this son. Let him go on his way with strong teeth. Poor fellow, he will need them in the encampment of the triumphant whither he is drawn. He will have to crack hard nuts there, and the hardest will be the nut of contempt. Often and often will he have to take kicks in answer to loving speeches, be spat upon in answer to his flattery …”

The impudent son represents another form of adaptation: detachment. Jabotinsky’s insight cuts deeper than moral judgment – he identifies indifference, as a great danger. The rupture is linguistic as much as emotional: the shift from “we” to “you.” And yet, even here, Jabotinsky resists easy condemnation. He understands that this, too, is a response to pressure – an attempt to assimilate, to escape, to redefine oneself outside the collective. But the world this son runs toward, he warns, will not embrace him as fully as he imagines.

The Simpleton: [The Simple son]

The third boy is the simpleton. His eyes are honest, clear and direct. For him the world is simple and indisputable. He loves to believe and worship with the simple faith of the primitive man … an artless, single-minded trustfulness.

“‘Daddy,’ he says, and planting his elbows and pressing his chest on the table, he stretches out his neck and turns to you … believing already everything you will tell him, for he wants to believe, ‘Daddy, when will a better time come?’

“Then tell him gently and simply about everything that is happening now in the great illimitable Diaspora. Tell him how in a thousand different places, the newly scattered temple of the undying people is being raised by a thousand hands. Tell him how gradually the hitherto scattered national will is being unified before our eyes, how again a real people is being created … like all healthy nations … Tell him how everywhere, with every day the pride and respect for our own individuality grows. … Tell him what wonderful poets are now writing in our tongue, and how beautiful … this tongue is. … And tell him further how gaily the colonist’s children are chattering in this language in Palestine. And how … by great labour … through a thousand obstacles … something new is rising and growing there.”

If the clever son adapts through questioning, the simple son adapts through trust. He does not demand explanation; he seeks reassurance. Jabotinsky answers with vision – of renewal, language, land, and collective will. This is a different kind of strength: the ability to believe in a future that must be built deliberately, against odds that are neither hidden nor denied.

The One Who Doesn’t Know How to Ask:

“The fourth boy does not know how to ask. He sits at the table sedately, does everything properly and it does not even enter his head to ask what it is all about and why. According to the ritual, you should not wait for his questions but tell him of your own accord. I disagree. … [T]here is sometimes a higher wisdom … in that a man takes something from the past without question, without curiosity as to causes or effects. … According to the ritual, you should tell this son about everything that he does not ask. But I think, let the father too be silent and … kiss this son on his brow, the surest keeper of the sacrament.”

Here Jabotinsky offers the concept that preservation and instinct are also part and parcel of who we are. Simply carrying forward what was received. This Passover, these categories are no longer confined to the Haggadah; they are visible all around us – in bomb shelters and schools, in grocery stores and on campuses, in headlines and in the arguments within and beyond the Jewish world.

We are not just telling the story; we are living inside its questions.

It is a very hard year to be a Jew.

In Israel, our sons and daughters are spread out, fighting from Lebanon to Gaza, carrying the burden of defending our great Jewish state. Across the diaspora – from New York City to Australia, from Toronto to Paris – Jewish communities face a climate that feels increasingly precarious and uncertain.

Jabotinsky anticipated this recurring need to answer, to defend, to explain – and sometimes simply to endure.

As Jabotinsky wrote in another essay, “What Are We to Do?”:

“[O]ne permanent assignment that is entrusted to each of us, old and young, men and women, educated and ignorant, as a group and as individuals … is the defence of our people’s honor.”

The seder ends, as it always does, with a forward glance – not only toward redemption, but toward responsibility. The questions of the four sons do not disappear when the evening is over; they follow us outward, into a world that continues to demand response in different voices, with different kinds of courage.

This year, all year, even more than ever, we must embrace our tradition, our sons and daughters, our customs and beliefs.

Chag Pesach Sameach. Am Israel Chai.

Ronn Torossian is an Israeli-American entrepreneur, author and communal leader.

The Passover Story: Why Tell It?

Lazer Brody

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Days of Mashiach

The Days of Mashiach consist of literally what has been happening in the State of Israel for 76 years, and literally what is happening in the State of Israel today.

Rabbi Shmuel Eliahu / 6April2026, 6:35 PM (GMT+3)  https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/425132

HaRav Shmuel Eliahu is Chief Rabbi of Tzfat.

During the celebration of Pesach we are bidden to contemplate on our Redemption from Egypt and on our future Redemption, may it reach completion in our time soon. While the recital of the Haggadah gives us a general overview, there are understandings which benefit from further clarification.

Ingathering of Exiles and Removal of Foreign Rule

From the Gemara it appears that the Days of Mashiach consist of the ingathering of the exiles and the removal of foreign rule over us (literally what has been happening in the State of Israel for 76 years, and literally what is happening in the State of Israel today).

“It was taught: Ben Zoma said to the Sages: Shall the Exodus from Egypt be mentioned in the Days of Mashiach? Behold it is already stated: ‘Behold, days are coming, says the Lord, when they shall no longer say: As the Lord lives who brought the children of Israel up from the land of Egypt, but rather: As the Lord lives who brought up the seed of the house of Israel from the land of the north and from all the lands where I had driven them!’ They said to him: Not that the Exodus from Egypt will be uprooted from its place, but that the subjugation to the kingdoms will be primary, and the Exodus from Egypt secondary to it” (Berachot 12A).

According to this, in our days we must relate on every Seder Night both the story of our Redemption from the kingdoms and also the miracles of today.

Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah rejoices because he understands that the Redemption will be very great.

According to the opinion of the Sages, in the Days of Mashiach they will also mention the Exodus from Egypt, but it will be secondary to the story of the freedom from the subjugation of the kingdoms. And according to the opinion of Ben Zoma and Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah, they will mention only the miracles that exist in current times.

To illustrate the dispute, we may say that according to the opinion of the Sages, the departure of the Jews in our generation from 102 countries to reach Israel is ten times the Exodus from Egypt; therefore they mention the Exodus from Egypt as secondary to the Redemption of our times.

According to the opinion of Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah and Ben Zoma, they will not mention the Exodus from Egypt at all in the generation of the ingathering of exiles. It will apparently be a hundred or a thousand times greater than the Exodus from Egypt, and therefore it is not mentioned at all.

Accordingly,Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah is profoundly happy when he understands that, according to Halakha, the future greatness of the Redemption will be so great in relation to the Exodus from Egypt – “higher than all blessings, songs, praises, and consolations that are spoken in the world.” This is indeed very joyful.

Corresponding to Four Sons

In the Haggadah we read about the Four Sons. The Torah mentions four times the obligation to tell the sons the story of the Exodus from Egypt. Each time the Torah speaks in a different style, and it is evident that it is speaking about four different types of sons.

In the book of Devarim it is written:

“When your son asks you tomorrow, saying: What are the testimonies and the statutes and the judgments that the Lord our God has commanded you? Then you shall say to your son: We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt, and the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a strong hand. And the Lord gave signs and great and terrible wonders in Egypt, upon Pharaoh and upon all his house, before our eyes. And He brought us out from there in order to bring us, to give us the Land that He swore to our fathers, etc.”

From the question and its style it appears that the wise son is in the Land of Israel.

In the book of Shemot, the Torah commands us to answer the son who asks in a defiant manner: “And it shall be when your children say to you: What is this service to you? Then you shall say: It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, who passed over the houses of the Children of Israel in Egypt when He struck Egypt and saved our houses. And the people bowed and prostrated themselves.”

The style of the question is like that of a wicked son. He sees the Passover as “your” service and not his own festival, and the answer to him is in a different style. This question is said when they are in Egypt and speaking about the Land of Israel.

The account of the simple son and the son who does not know how to ask is stated on the day of the Exodus from Egypt, after they have already departed.

Regarding the simple son it is written: “And it shall be when the Lord brings you into the Land of the Canaanite, as He swore to you and to your fathers, and gives it to you… And it shall be when your son asks you tomorrow, saying: What is this? And you shall say to him: With a strong hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, from the house of bondage…”

Also: “And it shall be when the Lord brings you into the Land of the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Amorite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite, which He swore to your fathers to give you, a Land flowing with milk and honey, and you shall perform this service in this month… And you shall tell your son on that day, saying: Because of this the Lord did for me when I went out of Egypt.”

Even though he does not ask, you initiate and explain to him.

In the Land of Israel There Are No Wicked People

How are we to understand this statement when the reality seems otherwise. The meaning is that the Torah assumes that the possibility of having wicked sons exists only when the Jews are in the difficult exile of Egypt; but when they have already gone out, their level rises, and when they enter the threshold of Eretz Yisrael they share in the blessing of wisdom which hovers over the Land.

This explains what Rabbi Avraham Azulai, of blessed memory, one of the students of the Ari, wrote in his praises of Eretz Yisrael. He states that in the Land of Israel there are no wicked people:

“Know that anyone who dwells in the Land of Israel is called righteous, even if they are not righteous as it appears; for if he were not righteous, the Land would vomit him out, as it is written: ‘And the Land vomited out its inhabitants.’ And since it does not vomit him out, he is certainly called righteous, even though he appears to have the status of a wicked person” (Chesed LeAvraham, Maayan 3, Nahar 12).

As we saw above, the Torah teaches that Hashem brought us up from Egypt to give us the Land of Israel – specifically the Land of Israel. Among the many reasons for this is that the air of the Holy Land grants wisdom and a clearer knowledge of the workings of Hashem. Similar to the belief in Hashem and a person’s love and reverence for Him, which all contain many levels, wisdom also levels upon levels.

HaRav Tzvi Yehuda HaKohen Kook, of blessed memory, told his students at the Mercaz HaRav Yeshiva in Jerusalem that a basic foundation of wisdom today is that the Jewish People realize that all Jews belong in the Land of Israel. May it come to pass soon.

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Moshiach’s Meal-Seuda Moshiach – סעודת משיח

Moshiach’s Meal: What, Why and How

https://www.chabad.org/holidays/passover/pesach_cdo/aid/3965990/jewish/Moshiachs-Meal-What-Why-and-How.htm

Moshiach’s Meal Art by Rivka Korf Studio https://www.rivkakorf.com/

What Is the Moshiach’s Meal?

Following a tradition instituted by the Baal Shem Tov, Jews all over the world celebrate the waning hours of Passover with Moshiach’s Meal (Moshiach’s Seudah in Yiddish), a feast celebrating the Divine revelation yet to come.

Why Do We Celebrate This Meal?

On the last day of Passover, we read verses from the book of Isaiah as the haftorah.1 This reading includes many wondrous prophecies about the era of Moshiach.

The prophecy foretells of a leader upon whom “the spirit of the L‑rd shall rest, a spirit of wisdom and understanding, a spirit of counsel and heroism, a spirit of knowledge and fear of the L‑rd.”

In addition to bringing peace to mankind (“he will judge the poor justly, and he shall chastise with equity the humble of the earth”), the new peace and G‑dly understanding will extend to all of G‑d’s creatures: “And a wolf shall live with a lamb, and a leopard shall lie with a kid . . . and a small child shall lead them.”

The Baal Shem Tov, the founder of the chassidic movement, was the first one to celebrate this meal, with an open door, allowing anyone who wished to partake.

The sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe explained that on the last day of Passover the radiance of Moshiach is already shining.

When Is the Moshiach’s Meal

Moshiach’s Meal is held following Minchah (the afternoon service) on the eighth day of Passover. In Israel, where Passover is seven days long, Moshiach’s Meal is held on the seventh day.

The celebration customarily extends past nightfall, ushering out Passover amid song, words of Torah and inspiration.

How Is the Moshiach’s Meal Celebrated?

In 1906 Rabbi Shalom Dov Ber of Lubavitch incorporated four cups of wine and matzah into Moshiach’s Meal, mirroring the Seder held the week before. You can also serve fruit and other Passover goodies.

If you will be celebrating with a group you can have people prepare stories or Torah thoughts related to Moshiach. The actual program is flexible, but you want to pace your four cups throughout the singing and speaking. Customarily, the leader of the group announces which cup you are up to. Note that you do not need to drink these cups in their entirety. A sip suffices.

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Shevi’i shel Pesach: Meal of the Baal Shem Tov

This story is traditionally told over on the last day of Pesach, at the “Meal of the Baal Shem Tov,” which is eaten just before sunset. We eat this meal to commemorate the Baal Shem Tov’s miraculous deliverance from the cannibals and his return to Istanbul.

Breslev Israel staff / Posted on 07April2026 https://breslev.com/1079753/

Meal of the Baal Shem Tov

After many years of wanting to go to Eretz Yisrael, the holy Baal Shem Tov finally decided to make the long journey. He hired a wagon and set out from Medzeboz, Ukraine together with his righteous daughter Udell and his student and attendant Reb Hirsch Sofer. They planned to travel to Istanbul by wagon and from there, to travel by ship to the Holy Land.

After several months on the road, the Baal Shem Tov, his daughter Udell, and Reb Hirsch Sofer arrived in Istanbul on the eve of Passover. The holy Baal Shem Tov took almost no money with him, because he had absolute faith that God would provide for all his needs on the journey. He had just enough money to rent the cheapest room in a local inn, but did not have any left over to buy the necessary items to celebrate the Seder that evening. He decided to go to the local study hall, learn Torah, and wait for God to provide him with all his needs.

Udell and Reb Hirsch were also not the least bit concerned, because miracles often occurred to the holy Baal Shem. They expected that God would certainly not abandon him now. Since Udell expected God to provide for their needs, she decided to go to the seashore to launder her father’s clothing for the upcoming holiday.

A very wealthy couple lived in Germany. The doctors had told them that they could never have children. They heard about the Baal Shem Tov and decided to travel to Medzeboz — perhaps he would be able to perform a miracle whereby God would give them a child. When they arrived in Medzeboz, however, they discovered that the Baal Shem Tov had already left for the Holy Land. They decided to follow his trail and try to catch up with him. They also arrived in Istanbul on Passover eve. They registered at an inn and asked many people in Istanbul if they had seen the holy Baal Shem Tov, but no one had seen him.

They decided to go to the docks and ask the sailors if the Baal Shem Tov had boarded one of the ships traveling to Eretz Yisrael. On their way to the docks, they saw a woman doing her laundry and they asked her if she had seen the Baal Shem Tov. That woman was the Baal Shem Tov’s daughter, Udell.

Udell told them that she was the Baal Shem Tov’s daughter and that her holy father was staying at the same inn where they were lodging. When the couple heard that, their joy knew no bounds. They invited Udell, her father, and Reb Hirsch to join them for the Seders.

When the Baal Shem Tov returned from the synagogue after the evening holiday prayers, he was not the least surprised and joined the wealthy couple at their Seder. At the beginning of the Seder, the Baal Shem Tov turned to the couple and said to them, “I know why you have come and your salvation will soon be on its way.” No sooner had he spoken, when his face suddenly changed, and a tortured pained expression replaced his pleasant countenance as he went into a trance.

His daughter, Udell, was concerned. Although she had seen his soul ascend to heaven on many occasions, she had never seen her father’s face so lifeless before. Some time later, however, the Baal Shem Tov returned to normal, and beaming with joy he said. “Heaven was angry for me for violating the laws of nature to make a miracle that would grant children to this couple, they therefore decreed that I should lose my share in the world to come for this act. I answered that now I could serve God for pure motives without expecting any reward and I rejoiced. The Satan saw that I became even happier when they took away my reward in the hereafter, and he then convinced the heavenly court to return my share in the future world.

After the meal, when the Baal Shem Tov came to the words of the Hallel, “Le’otot niflaot — For He performs wonders,” his voice rang out loud and clear, as he articulated the words with utter devotion over and over again. The sound of his words carried out far into the stillness of the night. The rest of the Seder passed and it was early morning by the time they finished. Until now, the merchant had refrained from making any comments or asking questions for fear of disturbing his Godly visitor.

But now that the Seder was over, he ventured several comments. “Rabbi, if I may ask…why did you repeat that particular verse of the Hallel?”

“The Jews of Istanbul were in grave danger,” disclosed the Baal Shem Tov. “While I was reciting that verse, my soul ascended to heaven and I interceded on their behalf. I continued with the Hallel when I was informed that the decree had been nullified. You will learn all about it tomorrow morning in shul.”

On the following morning, as the congregation assembled for their holiday prayers, one prominent member of their community suddenly rushed in: “Mazel tov, my good friends. Congratulate yourselves on having escaped imminent danger.”

Everyone crowded around to hear the details of his surprising announcement. “As you may well know,” he began, “our late Sultan was in the habit of dressing in common clothing to walk incognito among his people, as did his father, the previous Sultan. This particular stroll took him far out of the city limits and before he realized what had happened, he was surrounded by a group of roving bandits.

“They seized him and brought to their hideout. It occurred to the Sultan that these thieves did not know his identity.

“After his pockets had been emptied of the all his valuables, the Sultan was confident that he would be released. But the thieves informed him that they must kill him since he knew the location of their hideout. The Sultan contemplated his chances of survival. ‘If I reveal my identity, they will surely kill me, for they would realize that capital punishment would await them if anyone knew whom they had captured and robbed. Let me use my wits to see if I can save myself.’

‘I am trained with a particular skill which may bring you much profit,” the Sultan told his captors. They gathered around the Sultan in interest: “I know how to fashion valuable tapestries. My products will fetch high prices for you on the market. Try and see.”

“The robbers were interested in making a profit and willing to give his plan a fair try. They purchased simple mats from which the Sultan fashioned his tapestry. After two days, the first product was ready for the market. The finished product did not over impress the bandits, but the Sultan hastened to warn, “This tapestry can only be appreciated by a true connoisseur of art. Do not be daunted if at first people laugh at the price you ask. But by no means are you to settle for less than what I tell you. Go from shop to shop until you find the proper customer, a person who can appreciate this fine work of art.”

“It happened just as the captive has foretold. The bandits were greeted by jeers and hoots when they demanded an outlandish price for their merchandise. The scene was repeated at every store they entered.

“By now a large crowd of people had gathered to see the outcome of the farce. ‘Who would be mad enough,’ they wondered, ‘to pay the price these men were asking for what appeared to be a simple mat?’ Just then my father happened to walk by. He learned from the people around him the cause of the gathering and was shown the merchandise. He realized that there was something deeper here than what met the eye, and asked to examine the tapestry. A quick look showed him that there was nothing especially artistic about the piece before him except for one letter intricately woven and hidden in the cloth.

“‘I’ll take it at your price,’ my father promptly told them. He then inquired as to the craftsman who had fashioned it. The men were reluctant to give him any information. ‘If you like this work, we can bring you more,’ they promised but that was all they would say.

“The bandits returned to their hideout with good news for the imprisoned Sultan. Not only had his cloth been purchased at his price, but the customer wished to order more rugs. The Sultan was certain that some clever person bad caught on to his ruse and set about his work cheerfully, ingeniously weaving in the second initial into the center of the cloth.

“‘When this cloth was brought to my father the next day, he knew that he had been right in assuming that it contained a clue. After paying the price, he hurried to the Sultan’s palace with his tale. The palace broke into pandemonium. No one knew what had happened to the Sultan. Searches were being organized but no trace or clue had yet been found.

“When my father presented his story and evidence to the Sultan’s advisers, all agreed it was indeed the Sultan who was trying to send a message as to his whereabouts. My father was told to hold his tongue and to continue purchasing the tapestries.

“Day after day, letter by letter, the sultan spelled out directions to his location. Soon, a battalion of soldiers was dispatched to the robber’s hideout where they succeeded in freeing the Sultan.

“The Sultan did not forget my father, his benefactor, and summoned him to the Palace. ‘How can I thank you enough?’ he said. ‘Name a reward and you will have it.’

“My father refused to hear of a reward. ‘Is it not reward enough that I have had the privilege to save the life of my king? It is a privilege which is reward in itself.’ This was not enough for the Sultan, however. He made out a proclamation stating that my father and his children would forever have the privilege of free access to the Sultan’s palace and the attention of the Sultan himself for any need they may have.

“This all happened to my father many, many years ago. He never had any reason use his privilege. My father passed away as did the late Sultan. Until this day, I found no cause all these years to seek access to the Sultan’s.

“This year, our Sultan happened to be walking through the market place with his Chief Counselor, who is well know as one who vehemently hates Jews, when he noticed a flurry of activity. Cartloads of strange bread were being transported from place to place. The Sultan had never seen anything like it. ‘What are these cakes?’ he asked his Chief Counselor.

“‘’These are called matzot. They are eaten by the Jews throughout the holiday they call Passover. Some Jews pride themselves in eating only “shmura” (watched) matzos made from the blood of a Muslim child which they slaughter for that purpose,’ the Chief Counselor replied.

“The Sultan was stunned! ‘Don’t take my word for it, Your Majesty,’ the counselor said, ‘make your own inquiries. You will hear the same story.’

“The Sultan did ask around and learned that there were, in fact, many Jews who only ate the special loaves known as shmura matzah which were baked under the most careful supervision and inferred that his counselor’s comments were true. He was horrified and instituted a special inquiry to determine which Jews ate only shmura matzah. He intended to have his guards arrest the culprits while they sat at their Seder, and then have them executed.

“Last night, on the eve of our holiday, I had a dream. My father appeared to warn me of the impending danger. He instructed me to go straight to the Sultan, by virtue of my special privilege of free entry and tell him the truth. I was to expose the Sultan’s Chief Counselor for what he was — not a devout Moslem as the Sultan thought, but a practicing Greek Orthodox Christian. ‘Tell the Sultan to send his soldiers to the counselor’s home in the middle of the night,’ my father instructed, ‘and they will find him in bed with a cross on his chest.’

“I awoke towards evening, deciding that the dream had been simply a dream, and I went about with my preparations for the evening Seder. But suddenly I became very tired and had to lie down. I promptly fell into a deep sleep. My father appeared again, warning me to heed his advice for only I could save the community.

“When I awoke the second time I realized that it was not a meaningless dream and that immediate action had to be taken. It was already late at night when I arrived at the Sultan’s palace. Despite my right to enter the palace when I wished, I did not want to cause a commotion and wake the Sultan. I begged the palace guards to take me to the “Old Queen” – the Sultan’s mother.

“The Queen happened to be awake. She listened patiently to my story. I hastened to remind her that in all these years neither my father not I had used our privilege. If I was asking her to intercede for the Jews on my behalf, it was because the matter was one of life or death.

“The Queen asked me to wait while she spoke to her son. She did not plan to present the Jew’s cause for she had heard nothing of the impending decree and thought it might not be true. Instead, she decided to tell her son that her husband, the late Sultan, had appeared to her in a dream, instructing her to warn her son against issuing any evil decrees.

“At first the young Sultan denied any impending evil decrees. When his mother mentioned the Jews, he confessed. ‘Yes, Mother, but my law concerning the Jews is a beneficial one for it concerns those Jews who use Moslem blood in their matzah baking. I have ordered this cult to be destroyed for the public benefit.’

“Seeing that I had spoken the truth, the Queen now told the entire story to her son who asked that the wine merchant be brought before him. I ran forward, throwing myself at his feet, my story pouring out in tearful pleas. I begged the Sultan to follow my father’s suggestion of surprising the Chief Counselor in his home to prove that he was unfaithful to the Moslem faith. The Sultan followed my suggestion and all proved as I had predicted. In their fury, the soldiers executed the Chief Counselor on the spot.

“The Sultan immediately cancelled the decree that would have killed us all.”

“All this happened just as I was reciting the Hallel, did it not?” the Baal Shem Tov asked the merchant.

The statement was confirmed, for indeed the Baal Shem Tov had been aware of the miracle at the very minute that it happened which coincided with his recital of ‘Le’ose niflaot gedolot!’”

After the first two days of the holiday, the wealthy couple showed their gratitude by purchasing the Baal Shem Tov’s passage on a ship bound for the holy land. At sea, a massive storm broke out and threatened to sink the ship. The Baal Shem Tov divined that to calm the storm he could either throw his Torah writings or his daughter overboard, into the raging sea.

The Baal Shem Tov’s daughter, Udell, knew the value of her father’s Torah writings and decided to jump overboard. Just before she was about to jump, Divine inspiration came upon her and she changed her mind. She turned to the other passengers and said, “It is better that you should take my father’s writings and throw them overboard, because I am destined to have a grandson who will produce some of the most beautiful teachings and writings of all. His writings will save thousands of Jewish souls who have fallen to the depths of impurity and will help them return to their Father in Heaven.”

This grandson is none other than Rebbe Nachman of Breslev!

The sailors threw the Baal Shem Tov’s writings into the sea and the storm abated.

The passengers were exhausted from their ordeal. The ship weighed anchor near a small island to allow the passengers to rest and regain their strength. The Baal Shem Tov, Reb Hirsch and Udell took a walk on the island. They were abducted by a group of cannibals, who were planning to have them for their dinner.

The cannibals started sharpening their knives in preparation for slaughtering the Baal Shem Tov, Reb Hirsch and Udell. Reb Hirsch turned to the Baal Shem Tov. In desperation he yelled, “Do something! Save us from these animals!”

But the Baal Shem Tov couldn’t say a word.

Reb Hirsch screamed in panic, “Why do you remain silent?!”

The Baal Shem Tov answered, “I forgot everything. I can’t even remember the alef beit (the Hebrew alphabet). Maybe you can remember something?”

Reb Hirsch responded, “I also forgot everything! I can only remember the alef beit!”

“Then why are you silent? Say the alef beit!” the Baal Shem Tov ordered.

The Baal Shem Tov repeated each letter after Reb Hirsch. In the middle of their recital, the Baal Shem Tov’s knowledge and powers suddenly returned to him and he said that they would be saved shortly. Suddenly a loud whistle blew in the distance and the cannibals took fright and ran away. Another ship had just arrived on its way to Istanbul. The ship’s crew untied and freed the Baal Shem Tov and his party and brought them back to Istanbul.

They arrived safely in Istanbul on the last day of Pesach. The Baal Shem Tov said, “Now I know for certain that Heaven doesn’t want me to go to Eretz Yisrael.” Immediately after Pesach the Baal Shem Tov and his party returned to Medzeboz.

***
From She’va’chai Ha’Baal Shem Tov

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Pre Seder Checklist Cleaning for Pesach פסח (Passover). Remove all the Chametz and Don’t forget the Kitchen Shop for Pesach פסח (Passover) You know exactly what you can buy in every Store. and in many store everything is without Kitniyot. – Leavened foods concealed behind plastic at Jerusalem supermarket during Passover   You know exactly what you can buy in every Store. and in many store everything is without Kitniyot. – Leavened foods concealed behind plastic at Jerusalem supermarket during PassoverThe White plastic film covering the shelves of Chametz is what our local store dose, but a lot of stores remove all Chametz completely weeks before Pesach.   All the Dairy is Kosher for Pesach at least a week before Pesach.   I personal like Rami Levi Mehadrin in Givat Shaul, Jerusalem. The products have no Kitniyot.   Pesach Supermarket Shopping   13 Nissan Did you remember to sell your chametz? Your local Chabad rabbi can help, or complete an online “Authorization for the Sale of Chametz” form by clicking here.Search for the chametz after dark (click here for the exact time). Recite the blessing prior to the search, and the nullification of the chametz (Kol Chamira) following the search. Click here for more information on the search and removal of chametz.   14 Nissan The day before Passover Bedikat Chametz: Checking for Chametz the Night before The day before Pesach פסח (Passover) Rabbi Chaim Lazaroff, searches for leavened bread, also called chametz, at Chabad of Uptown April 17, 2008 in Houston. The candle is used to search for the chametz, while a feather is used to sweep it in to a wooden spoon. All three items are burned along with the chametz. The burning of leavened bread represents the eradication of the ego and all of the negative energies associated with the ego according to Jewish religious scripture. Pesach, or Passover, celebrates freedom. Egypt represents the limitation of ourselves. The observance of Passover is an exercise in being better today than we were yesterday and unleashing personal boundaries to drive ourselves to perfection. Thursday, April 17, 2008, in HOUSTON. ( Eric Kayne / Chronicle )   Finish eating Chametz Burning and Nullifying the Chametz the day before Pesach פסח (Passover) Burning-Chametz   Start Cooking for Pesach פסח (Passover) Wonder Pot-סיר פלא-potato-תפוחי אדמה   An Israeli Pesach Seder סדר פסח (Passover Seder) IDF Passover Seder IDF Passover Seder   TOP

Animal Sacrifice: It’s Not What You Think  Is animal sacrifice cruel—or misunderstood? Explore how the Torah reframes ethics, compassion, and what it truly means to rise above instinct. David Ben Horin | Posted on 23April2026 | https://breslev.com/5222632/   Animal Sacrifice It’s Not What You Think by David Ben Horin Why does Animal Sacrifice Seem Primitive Today? Animal sacrifice sounds like going backward. But what if the part of the Torah that seems most primitive… is actually the most refined?   At its core, animal sacrifice in Judaism is not about destruction—it is a structured system designed to bring a person closer to God.   In recent years, concern for animal welfare has grown dramatically. Studies from organizations like the Pew Research Center show a steady rise in the number of people who believe animals should be treated with near-equal moral consideration. That instinct comes from compassion—but without deeper context, it can also lead to conclusions that miss the Torah’s deeper design. What Is the Torah View of Life: Jungle or Moral Refinement? We like to say, “Welcome to the jungle.”   You don’t have to look far to see this mindset in action. In business, in careers, even in subtle social dynamics—people who would never describe themselves as aggressive often find themselves thinking in terms of survival, competition, and edge.   It’s how we explain the world when it feels harsh—competitive, ruthless, survival of the fittest. People clawing their way forward, stepping over each other just to get ahead. If that’s true, then life is just a polished version of animal behavior.   But the Torah quietly disagrees.   Long before modern debates about ethics, the Torah established a framework that limits harm, avoids predatory behavior, and embeds purpose into every action. It’s not primitive—it’s structured, intentional, and ahead of its time.   Why Do Some See Korbanot As Cruel? A friend once told me, “If the Temple is rebuilt, I hope they don’t bring back animal sacrifices. It feels cruel. We’ve evolved past that.”   That perspective echoes modern ethical voices like Peter Singer, who argue that minimizing animal suffering is a central measure of moral progress. It’s a serious argument, but it assumes that every system involving animals is inherently cruel, which is exactly where the Torah takes a different approach.   If you look closely, korbanot are not about descending into animal behavior. They are about  rising  above it. In fact, the word korban itself comes from karov, meaning closeness—revealing that the goal is not sacrifice, but connection.   The “jungle mindset” says: take, dominate, survive.   The Torah says: refine, elevate, serve.   The korbanot teach this through three quiet, powerful principles: The Animals Chosen Are Not Predators The Torah does not accept predators on the Mizbeach. In simple terms, only non-predatory animals are used for korbanot because they  represent  growth without harming others.   No lions. No wolves. No birds of prey. Only animals that live peacefully—oxen, sheep, goats, doves. Creatures that survive without tearing others apart.   What do non-predatory animals teach in Torah thought?   A mature cow can weigh between 600–800 kilograms (1,300 – 1,750 lbs.), transforming simple grass into complex protein with remarkable efficiency (according to data from the Food and Agriculture Organization). It grows powerful without ever needing to prey on another creature. No violence. No hunting. Just quiet growth from what Hashem provides.   That’s not just biology—it’s a message. The closer something is to Hashem, the less it lives by destruction. As the Gemara hints (Chullin 59a), kosher animals are defined by refinement, not aggression.   The Torah is telling us: If your strength comes from crushing others… it doesn’t belong on the altar.   No Hunting—Because Pain Matters In the “real world,” people celebrate the hunt. The thrill. The chase. The dominance.   But the Torah rejects that completely. A korban cannot come from an animal that was hunted. This is because hunting can cause prolonged suffering, while the Torah requires minimizing pain wherever possible.   How do korbanot minimize animal suffering?   Instead of being hunted, the animal is raised, cared for, and slaughtered with precision—shechita, designed to minimize pain as much as possible. Shechita is the Torah’s precise method of slaughter, intended to ensure the quickest and least painful death possible. The Talmud (Chullin 28a) discusses the requirement of a smooth, uninterrupted cut to ensure immediate loss of sensation.   Even when taking a life for a Divine purpose, compassion is non-negotiable.   That alone separates a human being from the jungle. Nothing Is Wasted—Everything Has Purpose How were korbanot shared between the altar, the priests, and the person?   In the Beit HaMikdash, korbanot were part of a structured system to serve Hashem — shared between God Who took the first parts of the offering from the Mizbeach, the Kohanim, and the individual. This structure shows that a korban is not wasted—it is a shared act of service involving God, the priests, and the person.   It wasn’t random or symbolic alone; it was a disciplined, communal framework that ensured responsibility, participation, and purpose at every level.   A korban is not destruction. It is transformation. Parts go to the Mizbeach Parts go to the Kohanim Parts go to the person bringing it Every piece is used. Every moment has meaning. It’s not “killing an animal.”   Bringing a korban is elevating the animal. Giving it a role in something eternal. In a strange way, the animal achieves what most humans struggle with: A life fully aligned with its purpose.   What are Lessons from Korbanot: Success, Ego, Behavior We live in a world that tells us: “Win at all costs.” “Take what you can.” “Be stronger than the next guy.” I’ve caught myself in those moments—thinking in terms of winning, proving, pushing ahead. And every time, I realize afterward: that wasn’t clarity. That was instinct dressed up as strategy.   The Torah whispers something else: Be better—not just stronger. Be refined—not just successful. Be human—not just effective. If success requires stepping on others… is it really success? Or is it just a more sophisticated version of the jungle? What Is The Message Of Korbanot For Modern Life? The korbanot were never just about animals. They were about us. About taking our instincts—ego, anger, competition—and placing them on the altar. Not to destroy them. But to elevate them. To turn raw drive into something holy.   We don’t spill blood to prove dominance. We pour it on the altar to serve something higher.   And maybe that’s the deepest kindness of all. Not just how we treat animals. But how we refuse to become like them.   Key Takeaways: Korbanot are not about destruction—they are about drawing closer to Hashem The Torah avoids predatory behavior and unnecessary harm Compassion and purpose define Jewish ethics, even in difficult actions True strength is refinement, not dominance This week, notice one moment where you feel the “jungle instinct” kick in—competition, frustration, ego. Pause. And ask yourself: “Am I reacting like an animal… or responding like someone created in the image of Hashem?”   That moment—that choice—is your korban.   *** David Ben Horin lives in Afula with his family, 60,000 passionate Israelis, and Matilda, our local camel.     TOP

https://www.oref.org.il/eng Home Front Command alerts during Shabbat and the holiday Silent wave during Shabbat and the holiday During Shabbat and the holidays, you can receive Home Front Command alerts via the Silent Wave frequencies https://www.oref.org.il/eng/articles/haredim/rockets-missles/4401   Radio Stations operating in “Silent Wave” format, providing preliminary guidelines, alerts, and end-of-event notifications; the National Emergency Portal on your computer; and the Home Front Command app—this is how you can receive the alerts in your area on Shabbat and Holidays.   Shabbat and Holidays observant citizens can receive the alerts and guidelines through the following means: Silent Wave on Radio Stations The following radio stations cease broadcasting on Shabbat and holidays and provide preliminary guidelines, alerts, and notifications regarding the end of an event and exiting the protected space. Starting on the first day of Passover, on every Shabbat and holiday, the “Silent Wave” will broadcast the guidance area on every preliminary guideline and end-of-event notification.: Kol BaRama at frequencies: 105.7, 104.3, 92.1, 107.6 FM Kol Chai at frequencies: 92.8, 93, 102.5 FM Radio Darom at frequency: 101.5 FM Galei Israel at frequencies: 106.5, 94, 89.3 FM During the weekend only – Kan Moreshet at frequencies: 90.5 / 90.8 / 92.5 / 100.7 FM Please note: During Operation “Roaring Lion”, you can also receive Radio Kol Chai and Kol BaRama in the Northern region: Kol Chai on frequency 93 FM. Kol BaRama in the Safed area on frequency 92.1 FM, and in the Haifa and Krayot area on frequency 105.7 FM. Additionally, you can receive alerts only on Radio 90 at frequency 94.7 FM. Leave the radio device turned on to one of these frequencies to receive only instructions and alerts during Shabbat and holiday.   To find the name of the guidance area for your town – enter the site homepage and enter the name of your town into the box at the top of the page. National Emergency Portal You can connect to the National Emergency Portal (this website) before Shabbat, approve the activation of voice alerts in the pop-up window on the homepage, then go to the “Alerts” tab and define your location. The computer must be left active during Shabbat (it is important to disable “Sleep Mode” in the computer settings so the screen remains on). If rocket or missile fire occurs in your defined area, an alert will be received via sound and an on-screen display. Home Front Command App If you have a smartphone—you can receive alerts on the Home Front Command app if a threat is posed to your location (location services must be enabled) as well as for 10 areas of interest of your choice. On iPhone—ensure the device is not on “Silent” mode. People with hearing disabilities can set the alert to a 10-second vibration (on Android—set this in the app’s settings page; on iPhone—set the vibration in the device’s system settings). Additionally, the alert can be received accompanied by the flashlight flickering. Home Front Command Quiet Wave on Shabbat   TOP

https://www.oref.org.il/eng This is How You Prepare for Shabbat in an Emergency Using a few simple actions you can prepare for Shabbat in emergency situations, while following the Home Front Command guidelines and observing Shabbat https://www.oref.org.il/eng/articles/haredim/rockets-missles/4400   The State of Israel is in the midst of a war in the south and in the north. During a war, even when there is a temporary respite, you are still in a time of emergency that does not stop on Shabbat, so people who observe Shabbat must prepare and make the necessary adjustments before Shabbat, by following a number of simple steps.   This preparation is important and essential to enable you to follow the Home Front Command guidelines in full, even during Shabbat, while keeping both life-saving guidelines and the Shabbat.   Receiving alerts during Shabbat: To guarantee that you continue to receive alerts during Shabbat, you must connect before Shabbat to the Home Front Command’s means of alert. Click here for information on receiving alerts on Shabbat and holidays.   Preparing the protected space before Shabbat At this time, we must be prepared and have the protected space ready in case an alert is received. This is even more significant before Shabbat, to make sure the protected space can serve us as needed during Shabbat. Therefore, it is important to perform the following actions before Shabbat begins: • Make sure the light in the protected space and on the way to it is switched on, so we can safely reach the protected room and avoid tripping in the room or on the way to it. • Remove any Mukze items that may interfere with the arrival and stay in the protected space. • Make sure that before Shabbat starts you leave some useful items in the protected room: bottles of water, a radio operating on the silent wave, a siddur, toys for the children, etc.   Spending the Shabbat away from home? • Make sure you hosts have a protected space that is suitable for your needs and those of your family. • Find out what is the time available to reach shelter in the location where you will be spending the Shabbat. • Prepare the protected space in the place where you will be staying before Shabbat starts and according to guidelines.   Preparing for emergencies in Shul On Shabbat and holidays, it is customary to go to Shul with the children and the women’s gallery is also fuller than on ordinary days. Therefore, it is important to know and remind the members of the family of the behavioral guidelines at the Shul.   Even outdoors, the Home Front Command guidelines save lives Naturally, many families go on Shabbat with the children for walks in the neighborhood, to play in the park and visit extended family and friends. Therefore, it is important to know and to remind the children of the behavioral guidelines when receiving al alert on rocket and missile fire outdoors, according to the following: • In a built-up area – enter a shelter or a stairwell in a nearby building for 10 minutes. Stay away from the entrance area. • In an open area – lie on the ground and protect your head with your hands.   A special letter from the Chief Rabbis When the Iron Swords War erupted, the Chief Rabbis, The Rishon Lezion Rabbi Izhak Yossef Shalita (שליט”א) and the Chief Rabbi, Rabbi David Lao Shalita (שליט”א), issued a letter with specific Halacha rulings for behavior in Shabbat during a war, along with Halachot referring to the behavior in time of war on normal days. These are the main points in the letter: 1. You must follow all Home Front Command guidelines and recommendations to the letter. When the guideline is to remain at home, do not leave the home at all, even not to pray, say your prayers alone. 2. Pray only in Shuls that have protected space or are close to protected spaces. If an alert is received, go to the protected space immediately until the danger passes. People who are ill and walk slowly should pray in their homes, unless the Shul is in a shelter. 3. If you receive an alert during Amida, you must stop immediately and walk silently to the protected space, and then return and pray. If the delay was no more than five or six minutes, continue where you left off, if it was more than five or six minutes, start over from the beginning of Amida. If an alert is received in the middle of reading from the Torah, close the scroll immediately and place a cloth over it and then go to the protected space, even if the Torah is left unguarded. When you return, continue the reading where you left off. 4. In every Shul, leave a mobile phone that is switched on before Shabbat, so it can be used to call emergency services in case of need. A mobile phone can be kept in your pocket on vibration mode. 5. Those who have a licensed weapon, should carry the weapon also on Shabbat, even if you do not usually trust the Eruv. It is important to make sure that in every Shul there is at least one person who is armed. Walk with your weapon covered by your clothes. 6. Leave the radio on, tuned to the silent wave, to make sure you receive the Home Front alerts. 7. In all prayers, include the Avinu Malkenu prayer, including on Shabbat and Rosh Chodesh (omitting the “Katvenu” part and in Shabbat and Rosh Chodesh omitting Chatanu Lefanecha), when opening the Heichal, repeat 12 times “Leolam Hashem Dvarech Nitzav Bashamaim” and the Psalms 20, 100, 121, 230, 242 as well as the special prayer we issued for this time. 8. For matters relating to Tvila and Tahara, consult your local rabbis. 9. Simchas such as weddings, Briths and such like must be conducted according to the Home Front Command guidelines. ויהי רצון שלא ישמע עוד שוד ושבר בגבולנו, ושב יעקב ושקט ושאנן ואין מחריד, ובא לציון גואל במהרה בימינו אמן. Shabbat Shalom Venishmartem Meod Lenafshotechem, with G-D’s help, together, we shall win!   TOP

In honor of the Shabbat after Pesach Shlissel or Key Challah key challah There is a custom to bake key-shaped or Shlissel challah in honor of the Shabbat after Pesach. This is a well observed custom you might want to try for yourself. You can do this by slipping a key directly in the challah, by baking it in the dough or placing it in the braids as you shape. Many even shape their challah to look like a key. Shlissel Challah is a segula, good omen, for parnassa, or livelihood. It’s a very interesting custom with many sources and traditions. The second mishna in Rosh Hashanah says on Pesach we are judged on the grains, parnasa. For a explanation of the segula see: “A Simple Jew :Shlissel Challah” This was the time of year when the Jews entered the Holy Land and the manna stopped falling from heaven. Then they began to eat from the produce of the land and to earn their livelihood in a natural manner. The key-shaped challah symbolizes the key to livelihood which is in G-d’s hand, and our prayers to Him to open the gates of livelihood for us. Another reason, based on Kabbalistic teachings, is that at midnight, on Seder night, various spiritual influences depart from the world. By working to achieve an enhanced spiritual level during the sefirat ha’omer period, we gradually bring them back. The key-shaped challah symbolizes the effort made on our part, as it is written, “Make for me an opening like the eye of a needle and I will open for you an opening as broad as a spacious hall.” We create an opening by observing Shabbat, and we hope G-d will open for us His bountiful treasure house, as it is written, “He had commanded the skies above, and opened the doors of heaven” (Psalms 78:23). The custom is brought down in several books and is especially popular in hareidi communities – but many modern communities observe it as well. According to rabbis, the key is an expression of prayer for the blessings of G-d, as the “key” to a life of material plenty is in His hand.   Some versions of the custom require the placing of an actual key inside the dough, with the key actually baked into the challah, while others prefer the key-shaped bread in observance of the custom. Still others contend that it is sufficient to attach a key to an already-baked challah before it is brought to the Sabbath table. Shlissel or Key Challah served on the first Shabbat after Pesach

Key Challah Shape Tutorial. Shlissel Challah Posted 17April2020 Sonya’s Prep   It’s a custom to make challah in the shape of a key on the first Shabbat after Passover for a blessing of financial Stability/wealth. Join me as I make mine: Recipe: 5 lb all purpose flour 5 and 1/2 cups water 1 cup oil 1 cup sugar 4 tbsp yeast 2 tbsp salt Bake at 350F for 45 minutes

Tips for Making Shlissel Key Challah ~If you want to place a key in your homemade or store bought challah, first make sure to wash the key very well. Many keys contain lead so it is usually best to wrap the key in foil as well. ~Slip the key in between the braids of the challah as you shape it. ~Impress a key on the surface of the shaped, unbaked bread before it rises.~You can use any key you like. Some like to use the key to their home as the home is the place we can fully feel the Almighty’s presence in our lives as He is the one who puts the food on our table. Some like to use an old decorative key to press on top. If you have a home in Israel, how wonderful to use that!~For store bought challah, simply slip a small key into the bottom of the loaf. ~Making your own challah gives the woman of the home a magnificent opportunity to pray for the members of her family and community as she kneads. The mitzvah of separating challah is a cherished mitzvah for us that you can learn about here on TheKosherChannel. ~You can us any challa recipe you like.~Many have the custom to shape the challah like a key or design one out of dough to place on the top of the challah.

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The Secret of Pesach Sheni Pesach sheni – what’s that?? It’s a day when we can merit miracles and wonders! The message to learn from this is the power of ratzon, of desire. It’s the message of hope! Rabbi Shalom Arush | Posted on 11May2025 | https://breslev.com/1074146/ The Secret of Pesach Sheni by Rabbi Shalom Arush Editor’s Note: Pesach Sheni is celebrated on the 14th of Iyar.   A Second Chance Imagine yourself as Moshe Rabbeinu. Someone asks, “I missed putting on tefillin today – can I put them on now that it is nighttime?” The answer is obviously not! Jewish law specifically states that the mitzvah of tefillin is only for daytime – you cannot put them on at night. Why even bother asking?   The mitzvah to bring the Passover sacrifice or Korban Pesach is also for a specific time – the 14th of Nissan in the afternoon, on the eve of Passover. If you miss it, you miss it! Who would think about trying to do the Passover sacrifice after Passover? It’s ludicrous. Why even ask?   But a group of Jews came to Moshe Rabbeinu and asked this exact question! They explain that they were tamei, spiritually impure, at the time that they should have brought the Korban Pesach because they were carrying Yosef HaTzaddik’s coffin. Someone who is tamei is not allowed to bring sacrifices, so they were unable to participate in the Korban Pesach at the prescribed time. Now, they want to bring it later!   Moshe Rabbeinu wants to say that there is nothing to do – so next year, you’ll do it right. But they had such true desire, and they were upset that they were not able to bring the sacrifice – they wanted so badly to bring the sacrifice. “Why should we miss out?” they said. So Moshe Rabbeinu brings G-d their question – let’s see what G-d will say.   Hashem gave the mitzvah of Pesach Sheni – a second Passover! Someone who missed out on the Korban Pesach because they were tamei can bring the sacrifice one month later, on the 14th of Iyar. They do it exactly like it should have been done the month before, in all its intricate details. And retroactively, it becomes as if they did the Korban Pesach at the right time!   Even more, Pesach Sheni now became eternal. It wasn’t only for those people, just that year – every single year we are given another opportunity to get it right, to make up the past, on Pesach Sheni. It’s a new mitzvah! Hashem created a new Torah for them!   Nothing Stands in the Way of Will There is an incredible message to learn from this – the incredible power of ratzon, of desire. You want something? You’re truly upset that you aren’t able to keep this mitzvah? Keep wanting, keep praying and don’t give up! Rebbe Nachman writes in Likutei Moharan that whatever a person truly wants, he gets!   I saw this today with one of my students. He told me a few days ago that he wanted so badly to go to Meron for Lag B’Omer. But what can you do? Everything is closed. But he was literally crying because he had so much desire, and he was so upset to miss it this year. He came to me today – he got special permission to go!   The same thing with Uman Rosh Hashanah. I could fill a whole book with stories of people who wanted to go and were unable, and in the end, went anyway. Nothing stands in the way of will! Nothing!   This is also a special message for anyone who feels impure, or thinks he is on a low level. He thinks to himself, “What have I done? I have done so many sins, I am so spiritually impure…” You want? G-d will make for you a new Torah! Even if you are in the lowest place, wherever you might be, you can come close to Hashem, and you can fix everything!   Someone came to me the other day, saying that he was on such a low level, he had fallen so low… I told him, “There is only one failure that a person can have. And that is if he falls from his desire [to fix].” If a person holds onto his will, and his desire to change, there is nothing that can stop him!   TOP

Matzah on Pesach Sheini: When and Why? By Yehuda Shurpin https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/3662334/jewish/Matzah-on-Pesach-Sheini-When-and-Why.htm shmurah matzah   There is a widespread custom to eat matzah on the 14th of Iyar, known as Pesach Sheni (the “second Passover”), the day when those who were impure and/or unable to bring the Paschal lamb on Passover were given a second chance to do so.1 Just as the matzah eaten as the afikoman by the Seder commemorates the matzah and Paschal offering eaten in Temple times, so is this matzah a remembrance of the second Passover.   But if this is the case, a question arises: The Paschal lamb (and its accompanying matzah) was consumed on the evening of Iyar 15, but the widespread contemporary custom is to eat matzah on the day of Iyar 14, when the Paschal lamb was slaughtered and prepared. Why?   Now, it should be noted that some do in fact have the custom to eat matzah on the eve of the 15th rather than on the day of the 14th of Iyar. But why are they in the minority?   It’s All in the Prep Rabbi Zvi Elimelech Shapiro of Dinov, known as the Bnei Yissachar, writes that although he himself ate matzah on the eve of the 15th, the main, public feasts are held on the day of the 14th, as per the custom of the Baal Shem Tov and his students.   On a somewhat mystical note, he explains that in the time period between Passover and the holiday of Shavuot, the emphasis is on the work of preparing and refining ourselves. Thus, we count the Omer, each day taking another step closer to the holiday of Shavuot, when we received the Torah. Appropriately, when it comes to celebrating the second Passover, the main emphasis is on the time of preparation, Iyar 14.2   The Last Remnants of the Miracle Rabbi Yaakov Emden, known as the Yaavetz (1697-1776), writes that it was “revealed to me from heaven” that Jews were given a second chance to bring the Paschal offering specifically on the 14th of Iyar because that was the last day the Jews still had leftover matzah from when they left Egypt on Passover. After eating the last bit that night (eve of the 15th), the Jews complained to G‑d, “What will we eat?” and it was on the day of the 15th of Iyar that the manna began to fall. Thus, in a certain sense, the 14th marked the culmination of the miracle of the Exodus, while the 15th marked a new phase of the miracles in the desert.3   Although Rabbi Emden is explaining the timing of the second Passover, and not the reason for eating matzah nowadays, some cite this explanation as an additional reason for eating it both on the day of the 14th as well as the eve of the 15th.4   Not to Add to Torah Rabbi Meir Dan Plotsky (1866–1928), in his work Kli Chemdah, offers a somewhat novel explanation for the widespread custom to eat the matzah on the day of the 14th. He explains that ordinarily there is a concern of not adding to the mitzvahs of the Torah. Now, if one simply does a time-bound mitzvah on a different day of the year without intention of doing the mitzvah (e.g., it’s a hot summer, so one builds a sukkah and eats in it), there is no issue of “adding to the Torah.” However, if it is in theory the proper time for the mitzvah, then there is potentially an issue of adding to the mitzvahs—even if there wasn’t any intention to do so.   Therefore, we specifically eat the matzah on the day of the 14th since the proper time to eat it really would have been the eve of the 15th (if someone were actually observing the second Passover because they were impure on the first Passover), and we wish to avoid making a custom to eat it specifically then. He writes that this is especially true in light of the Jerusalem Talmud’s statement that if the Moshiach will come between the first and second Passover, then all Jews will have the opportunity to bring the Paschal offering on the second Passover.5 Thus, since the second Passover could be an actual holiday for all Jews—when we would all be obligated to eat matzah—we don’t want to have a custom to eat matzah on the 15th, which gives the impression that we are adding to the observance of the day.   Others, however, question this explanation. They note that we eat matzah on all 7 (or 8) days of Passover even though there is no obligation to do so and there is no concern of “adding to a mitzvah.”6   Mystical Numerology Many have the custom that after counting the Omer, they recite (among other things) psalm 67. This psalm contains 49 words (not counting the introductory verse). According to the Arizal, each word corresponds to a different night of the Omer, and one should have that word in mind when reciting the Omer. The same applies to verse 5 of that psalm, which contains 49 letters,7 each one corresponding to another night. (This can be seen in the standard Kehot Siddur, which includes the word and letter corresponding to each night of the Omer).   Based on this, some point out that the 14th of Iyar, which is the 29th day of the Omer, corrosponds to the word תַּנְחֵם, tancheim (“comfort them”), and the letter yud. The word tancheim has the numerical value of 498: ת-400 נ-50 ח-8 ם-40. Add on the yud, which had the numerical value of 10, and you have 508. This is the same numerical value as Pesach Sheni (פסח שני). Thus, we see a hint in the verse itself that the main celebration of Pesach Sheni is on the 14th of Iyar.8   As noted above, there is good reason to eat matzah on the night of the 15th as well, so although the common practice in Chabad is to eat matzah on the day of the 14th of Iyar,9 the Rebbe also encouraged people to eat matzah on the eve of the 15th.10   Footnotes 1. See Numbers 9:6–7. 2. See Shaar Yissachar, Pischa Zeira 12; Darkei Chaim Veshalom 631-2, cited in Igrot Kodesh, vol. 2, p. 352. 3. Siddur of Rabbi Yaakov Emden, Shaar Hayesod, “Chodesh Iyar.” 4. See Rabbi Yehoshua Mondshien in Otzar Minhagei Chabad, Pesach Sheini, “Achilat Matzah.” 5. Kli Chemdah, Parshat Vaetchanan. 6. See responsum Kol Yisroel, Orech Chaim 130. He writes that although according to some, there is indeed a “mitzvah” to eat matzah the rest of Passover, the term “mitzvah” in that context is not meant as obligation, but rather as a positive, meritorious act. 7. This count includes the letter vav in the words תִשְׁפֹּוט and מִישֹׁור, which is pronounced but not always written in the text. 8. Beit Naftali, cited in Minhag Yisroel Torah 493:10. 9. See Igrot Kodesh, vol. 2, p. 352. A translation of the letter can be seen here. 10. See Sicha of Pesach Sheini 5740 and 5743.   TOP

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