Welcoming Nearly 1000 Visitors during Chol HaMoed: This Week from Our Jerusalem- Parashat Shmini

 

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Our Website | Tours | Donate | YouTube   Parashat Shmini / פרשת שמיני Candle Lighting in Jerusalem 6:32 PM, April 21, 2017, 25 Nissan 5777 5777 - תשע"ז  May it be the year of"The City - Jerusalem" עיר of Gold זהב May G-d's City - Yerushalayim Shel Zahav, be rebuilt and restored to its previous glory for the Jewish People. May it be a year of עז- strength for Jerusalem and Am Yisrael.  Next year in a united Jerusalem with a flourishing Jewish life centered around religious educational institutes.

Jerusalem Divrei Torah The centrality of Jerusalem to the Jewish People is indisputable and is the core of our mission.  Our Divrei Torah by Rabbi Yosef Bronstein focus on Jerusalem and its connection to the weekly Torah portion.  For a pdf to discuss at the Shabbat table, please click here.  To sponsor a Dvar Torah please click here    The Suprarational Service of Yerushalayim             Our haftorah describes the bringing of the Aron to Yerushalayim.  After the first unsuccessful attempt which tragically ended in the death of one of the transporters, Dovid HaMelech is careful to execute the transport perfectly.  The Navi emphasizes that during the journey from the house of Oved-Edom to Yerushalayim, Dovid “danced with all of his might before the Lord.”[1]  Then, when they finally enter the city of Dovid, his dance intensifies: And [as] the ark of the Lord came [into] the city of David, Michal the daughter of Saul peered through the window, and she saw the king David hopping and dancing before the Lord; and she loathed him in her heart.[2] Two questions need to be asked regarding these descriptions.  First, in the few terse verses describing this momentous occasion, why does the Navi underscore the joy and dancing of Dovid?  Second, why does Dovid’s dancing intensify upon his entry into Yerushalayim?             The Lubavitcher Rebbe[3] explained that a true experience of the Shechinah is associated with the quality of bittul – complete self-nullification.  The presence of Hashem engenders the realization that we are not truly independent entities.  Rather, the only true entity is the one and indivisible God.             As long as this level of bittul has not yet been attained then one’s service of Hashem is necessarily conducted within the framework of the rational human mind.  Within this mindset, I perform mitzvot due to the fact that they, individually or as a system, make sense to me as an independent thinking person. Such a mentality will perforce engender a service that is limited by the outer confines of rational thought.  For example, one’s sense of self will never allow one to embarrass themselves in the context of the service of God.  It is only one who, like Dovid, serves Hashem from a state of bittul that will “foolishly” act with abandon and embarrass themselves in the context of their service.  It is for this reason that the pesukim emphasize Dovid’s “reckless” dancing in front of the Aron which houses the Shechinah as it is this service “above reason and thought” that epitomizes the proper bittul reaction to the appearance of the Shechinah.             This also explains why Dovid’s dance intensified as he entered Yerushalayim.  The ultimate experience of the Shechinah can only occur in the “place that God has chosen.”  Being in Yerushalayim necessarily increased the extent of Dovid’s bittul, which caused him to dance with even more fervor, not caring that his wife was looking on askance.             This haftorah, then, challenges each of us to be sensitive to the Shechinah that exists in Yerushalayim.  Similar to Dovid, we must behave differently when we are within the confines of our holy city.  We must train ourselves to be attuned to the stirrings of the spiritual world and recognize that being in Yerushalayim should engender a more complete and suprarational service of Hashem, one that stems from the quality of bittul to He that resides in Yerushalayim.     [1] Shmuel II, 6:14.  Translations are from Chabad.org. [2] Ibid, 6:16. [3] Likkutei Sichot Volume 1, pg. 228. More than 900 People Tour the Yemenite Village and Our Jerusalem over Chol Hamoed

MK from Bayit Hayehudi -Shuli Mualam and family standing with (far left) Ariel Shemen, a representative from one of our families living in Beit Ovadiah. Ariel is related to very first Yemenite Jew who arrived in 1882. They are standing on "Moish's Spectacular Lookout" at top of Beit Rachel. The Brown Family on tour outside the Damascus Gate and at the Kotel HaKatan The Skolnick Family at the Playground in the Yemenite Village with the Rabinowitz and Tanami families Help Us Provide for Our Families and their Children All Year Long A Bar Mitzvah Simcha for Simcha Bortunk at the Kotel HaKatan Mazel tov to Daphne and Daniel Bortunk (From Florida) on the Bar Mitzvah of their son Simcha

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American Friends of Ateret Cohanim/Jerusalem Chai 248 West 35th Street New York, NY 10001 US Read the VerticalResponse marketing policy.

A steady diet of anti Israel rhetoric NewYork Times bds

http://m.jpost.com/#/app/article/488366

Abide by 10 US PLO policy guidelines that 5 earlier presidents ignored

Make sure that the US abides by 10 US PLO policy guidelines that 5 earlier presidents ignored

http://israelbehindthenews.com/towards-pending-abbas-visit-dc-time-enforce-us-plo-policy-guidelines/15785/

Feedback to the US congress and the US media is vital

http://israelbehindthenews.com/category/special-reports/how-to-communicate-to-media-and-policy-makers/

David Bedein

Director

Israel Resource News Agency

Center for Near East Policy Research

Beit Agron

37 Hillel Street, Suite 105-106

Jerusalem 94581 Israel

+972-547-222-661

www.cfnepr.com

www.israelbehindthenews.com

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Fwd: In Recognition of Donald Trump for Effective Foreign Policy especially when it comes to China and North Korea

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: <lenmar89@aol.com>
Date: Apr 20, 2017 11:37 AM
Subject:
To:
Cc:

Excellent article and to the point. Obviously none of the alphabet soup news channels will give Trump any credit for anything, as they all have a vested interest in seeing him fail. And I doubt that many working for these news organizations have thought through the points made in the article, rather preferring to pick out the surface negatives in Trump's meeting with Xi to gain points with their Democrat base.

I have not listened to how FOX reported this but I am sure that the astute Dr. Krauthammer would have recognized what was being achieved, per the article.

 

 

It appears he is, especially in negotiations and deal making, now converted to Geo-Political activities. The article below is an indication of the tricks of a wile old fox. Beats leading from behind, a strategy that assures weakness and being left behind. Can you say irrelevant? I like it better this way.

  

 

President Trump Realigning Geo-Political Alliances, and Few Paying Attention…

Posted on April 15, 2017 by sundance

Maybe it's because the complexity is difficult to distill; maybe it's because some just can't give President Trump any credit; or maybe it's because the scope is too challenging to comprehend against the constant belittlement meme du jour; regardless of reason, President Trump is fundamentally realigning international geo-political alliances and almost no-one is connecting the dots.

President Trump obviously held a long-ball strategy with the Chinese; he's described the approach in his books and lived the approach in his business life:

At the outset, position yourself at the furthest oppositional point when it costs you nothing; then leverage inward toward your opponent as they expend their resources to meet your stance.

Almost no-one is noting the scope of what President Trump has accomplished simply by positioning himself at the furthest extreme from the best interests of China, and then working his leverage back toward dual-interests as the Chinese expend capital to meet the point of mutual benefit.

President Trump has expended nothing other than his sheer will, and yet he has leveraged gains that are jaw-droppingly consequential.

♦ What's the goal of identifying China as a currency manipulator?  To stop China from manipulating currency, right?  Well, arm-chair opposition says President Trump has reversed his position simply by 'not doing something'.   However, that opposition doesn't seem to acknowledge the end-goal of the labeling has been achieved without expending an effort.   The doing is unnecessary when merely the threat of the doing changes the behavior of the doer.

In two days, April 6th and April 7th, President Trump met with Chinese President Xi Jinping.  What actions has President Trump taken, other than 'not' doing something, and what actions has President Xi Jinping taken?

 

At the outset, position yourself at the furthest oppositional point when it costs you nothing, and leverage inward toward your opponent as they expend their resources to meet your stance.

Think about this when considering the consequences:

♦  China agrees to the framework of a 100 day outline to assemble the trade way-points for renegotiated bi-lateral trade deals.

What did that action cost Trump?

♦ For the first time ever, China did not support Russia in a U.N. Security Council veto vote surrounding Syria.   China abstained.

What did that action cost Trump?

♦ China turned around 12 fully loaded cargo ships laden with imported coal from North Korea.  400,000 metric tonnes refused unloading.   China begins an embargo against North Korean coal.  China begins importing coking coal for steel-making from the U.S. coal mines.

What did that action cost Trump?

♦ Additionally, in furtherance of economic sanctions – China halts oil exports to North Korea.

What did that action cost Trump?

♦ Additionally, in furtherance of political isolation – China halts direct flights between Beijing, China and Pyongyang, North Korea.

What did that action cost Trump?

♦ And in the most stunning seismic shift of geo-political alliances, China says it is now open to discussions of a denuclearized North Korea, meaning getting rid of N-Korean nukes, WITHOUT N-Korea being included in the talks. Hello?  China, the United States, Japan, Russia and South Korea discussing how to de-nuke North Korea.  (A new Marshal Plan of sorts)

What did that action cost Trump?

See how this works?  What affirmative action did President Trump have to take in order to get China to move toward the position of mutual benefit?

Answer: None!

Foolish people think President Trump doesn't know what he's doing.  Again:

…Position yourself at the furthest oppositional point when it costs you nothing, and leverage inward toward your opponent as they expend their resources to meet the position of mutual benefit… 

To gain all of the aforementioned action, massive benefits in U.S. interests, President Trump has done what?

"Not" labeling China as a currency manipulator is not affirmative action.  It is actually the absence of action; POTUS Trump is not doing something.  President Trump positioned himself at the furthest oppositional point during the election, and immediately thereafter.

He staked out this position with an intention to leverage action toward his needs.

The affirmative action President Trump is doing, very publicly, is complimenting the friendship he has begun with Xi Jinping; and praising President Xi for his character, warmth and leadership.

To build upon that mutually beneficial friendship – President Trump seeded the background by appointing Ambassador Terry Branstad, a 30-year personal friend of President Xi Jinping.

To enhance and amplify the friendship and personal respect – U.S. President Trump used Mar-a-Lago as the venue for their visit, not the White House.  And President Trump's beautiful granddaughter, Arabella, sweetly serenaded the Chinese First Family in Mandarin Chinese song showing the utmost respect for the honored guests.

Unfortunately most people are unfamiliar with the severity of Chinese tradition as it relates to family and respect.  However, these gestures are intensely well received.  Russia's Vladimir Putin can deliver nothing even remotely comparable to the charm of the granddaughter of the U.S. President singing for President Xi and his wife in their native tongue.

Do not underestimate the value of these gestures and how it was perceived by the recipients as personal respect – far above the level of traditional political respect which would be customary during such encounters.   President Trump made this visit personal, and his words after the meeting were all personal, not positional.

Whether or not people want to give President Trump credit for the approach, no-one should be able to challenge the outcomes all listed above.

Grandfather President Trump has highlighted Grandfather President Xi as a person, not a political figure.  Trump sets the relationship as personal, and with mutual human benefit.

One thing is certain, North Korea will NOT make any hostile action toward the U.S. because President Trump has elevated President Xi to a role beyond politics in the words highlighted within Chinese media.  The panda fur has not only been stroked perfectly, it has been elevated in its own magnanimity without even so much as a bow.

As a consequence it would now be a matter of personal disrespect for North Korea's Kim Jung-un to take hostile action toward the U.S. President who has exhibited such personal respect to the regional Goliath.

Three things appear odd:  #1) How no-one amid almost all media can see how effective this approach by President Trump has been; and #2) Nothing has been expended in order to achieve these remarkable results; and #3) Accepting all of the above, Donald Trump has planned this out for a long, long time.

*************************************************************************************************************************

Who in his/her right mind ,elected by the American taxpayers

would go to Washington and pass these anti American programs

that benefit the illegals ? 

 

 

 

Time to overhaul the G-dless Isael Supreme Court. We need the Voice of Torah. What Justification to the Rabbi's have to be Silent? Hoshiva Shofteinu KevaRishona! Uphold the Marienbad Resolution

bs"d

9th Day in the Omer Gevura SheBiGevura: Time to act with Strength for Hashem and His H-ly Torah!

Supreme Court okays Sabbath desecration in Tel Aviv

The Supreme Court approves the Tel Aviv by-law allowing the opening of 160 supermarkets and kiosks on Shabbat.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/228303

March 1, 2017

Ofra evacuation completed -... Anavim Anavim...Where are Your Voices?

http://shemittahrediscovered.blogspot.com/2017/03/middle-east-and-terrorism-ofra.html

January 25, 2017

Jewish Sanhedrin instead of a Judicial Overreach BaGatz - Israel Supreme Court. Open Letter by Shmuel Koenig

http://shemittahrediscovered.blogspot.com/2017/01/the-importance-of-rabbonim-to.html

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Sincerely,

Robin Ticker

Israel Advocacy Calendar (www.IsraelAdvocacyCalendar.com).

Activist emails sent to my list  are L'Ilui Nishmat Yisrael ben David Aryeh ob"m (Izzy - Kaplan) and Howard Chaim Grief great activists and lovers of Eretz Yisroel, Am Yisroel and the Torah. Yehi Zichronum Baruch.  May their memories serve as a blessing. 

Most of these emails are posted on Shemittahrediscovered.blogspot.com 

Personal emails to individuals will not be posted to my blog.