bs"d Cry No More Yerushalayim. The Terrible Fire in Flatbush that took the lives of 7 Kedoshim Sassoon Family- What was Hashem's message? Yearning for Har HaBayit ....

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(this post has been updated since the original posting...)

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Updated 7 July 2015, leminyanum

Rabbi Sassoon speaking on 17 Tammuz 5775 July 5, 2015 leminyanum in Brooklyn New York, Mercaz HaSimcha  Lizchus Refuah Shleim Gila bas Francis and Ziporah bas Gila. 

When Tragedy Strikes Rabbi: Gabriel Sassoon 56:00 in video http://matzav.com/video-replay-chizuk-from-rabbi-paysach-krohn-rabbi-gavriel-sassoon-and-rabbi-noach-orlowek/  

Rabbi Aaron Mandel 54:00 reminding us that on 17 Tammuz the Korban Tamid was stopped, mevatel, and why was it a tragedy?  Gemora says in talking about the Churban that if the Nations would understand the Brachos the world receives from the Beis HaMikdash and from the Korbonos they would send legions of troops to guard the Beis Hamikdash...

(Surely the Kapora would not have to be via human sacrifices. Robin) 

Rabbi Gabriel Sassoon 56:00 in spite of his own personal tragedy (that was deeply felt by Am Yisroel), reminds us that HKBH is Si HaChesed and Si HaRachamim and this is his response from his personal sacrifice! 

Please Hashem, with that strength of conviction, may we too learn how to embrace whatever Hashem has allotted for us and declare that Hashem is Si HaChesed and Si Ha Rachamim and in that Zechus surely Hashem will speedily sent us Moshiach and may we rebuild the Beit Hamikdash Vesham Naavodcha Kimei Olam Ucheshanim Kadmaniyot so we may not know of such sorrow nor cry no more....

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Cry No More Yerushalyim. Recording of Sassoon Family prior to tragic fire.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZGZZJNA6sM ynet
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rrxli4LyJCk arutz7 (different photos backdrop to song)

Father Speaking by the Sassoon Levayah

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7oDnpYIvtE

7 SIBLINGS FROM ORTHODOX JEWISH FAMILY KILLED IN BROOKLYN FIRE LAID TO REST IN ISRAEL
http://7online.com/news/7-siblings-killed-in-brooklyn-fire-laid-to-rest-in-israel/567560/

I listened to Radio Hihdabroot and listened to Rabbi Wallerstein trying to make some sense about the terrible tragedy, the horrendous fire that took the lives of 7 kids of the Sassoon family leaving the mother and a 14 year old daughter in critical and serious condition.  He noted that the tragedy took place on Shabbos, in the wee hours of the morning by a defective Shabbos hot plate.  Rabbi Wallerstein asked...Is Hashem merely trying to impress upon us to be careful about having smoke detectors on every floor.  Wouldn't that message been conveyed to us in a less harsh manner, like the injury of maybe one child. Did He really need to take 7 children to teach us?  No decree can happen without the stamp of the Almighty.  Or perhaps we can say that we need to make sure to use a better quality hot plate.  But again that is a mere detail. Surely, Hashem didn't have to take the lives of 7 beautiful children to teach us this lesson. And why did the tragedy occur in the form of a tremendous fire. Surely the commandment Lo Sivaaru Eish, do not light a fire is very much related to Shabbath as well.    Rabbi Wallerstein quoted a Zohar that stated that when a tragedy of such proportion strikes it is a reflection of the entire community.  In this case the local community is the Flatbush  Midwood community, not far from Rabbi Wallerstein or for that matter Marine Park where I personally live.  (HaMakom Sheli hu Eretz Yisroel. Kol Asher ANi Nosea, Ani Nosea LeEretz Yisroel, yes even though I physically live in Marine Park Brooklyn, my place is Eretz Yisroel and my travels are all for Eretz Yisroel)  This tragedy was felt in Israel in the community of Har Nof an the Levaya, the funeral, took place in Israel in Har Menuchot.  The Prime Minister himself Benjamin Netanyahu sent his personal condolences....

A side note....I was thinking to myself after hearing about this beautiful family, a family who had come from Har Nof, a family whose children have a reputation of sterling Middos, that surely we should be extremely concerned because if they were meted out for such harsh decrees than surely the rest of us should be very worried. In fact the father Rabbi Gavriel Sassoonn attests to the pure Neshomas of his children.  He compared them to roses in their height of beauty whereby G-d plucked them precisely at the right time before their beautify fades.  They are a picture of a model family whose spiritual level is one we all admire and aspire to attain.  and yet this tragedy happened to them!  What do the rest of us have in store?   How can this not cause us to look inward and tell ourselves this is a wakeup call for all of us and they must have been the sacrificial lambs so that this tragedy, as terrible as it was,  was not worse, chas veshalom,  happening to the rest of us.  In fact this tragedy happened on the same day Nadav and Avihu's lives tragically ended on the most joyous day, the inauguration of the Mishkan. In Parshat Shmini Moshe Rabbeinu consoles Aharan his brother with this idea.  Then Moshe said unto Aharon, “This is what God said, saying, ‘Through those close to Me I will be sanctified, and before all the people I will be glorified’.” Vayidom Aharon—And Aharon remained silent. (Vayikra 10:3)

Going back to Rabbi Wallerstein's analysis.  He said that one doesn't need to be a rocket scientist to conclude that Hashem is not trying to teach us merely to get smoke detectors on every floor, which we should of course, but to send us a message that our observance of Shabbos is somehow lacking.  Rabbi Wallerstein said he is not quite sure of what Hashem was trying to tell us but he did bring up the fact that the community is desensitized to the growing phenomenon of kids Off the Derech who are smoking on Shabbos  and texting and  violating Shabbos and we merely tell them, don't do it near our building.  

He related the story of the Chofetz Chaim who met an individual who admitted that he smoked a cigarette on Shabbos. The Chofetz Chaim then asked him, which hand did you smoke  from. The individual showed him the hand. The Chofetz Chaim was so grieved that this individual has desecrated the Holy Shabbath that the tears started rolling down his face onto the person's hand.  That individual experienced the deep pain of the Chofetz Chaim and refrained from ever desecrating the Shabbos again.

But I think the message about Shabbos was not only referring to the Shabbos the day of rest but also to Shabbath HaAretz. The Sabbatica Year,  The Shemittah year. 

 I also think that it was no coincidence that this family came from Har Nof.  

Perhaps there were those in Har Nof who experienced the recent massacre and would consider moving to Flatbush like the Sassoon's where they might consider themselves safer.  Maybe Hashem is telling them, no.  Don't even think that.  Eretz Yisroel is no less safe...In fact, those that passed away in the massacre,  died al Kiddush Hashem.  If it's meant to happen it will happen anywhere..... 

The father, Rav Gavriel Sassoon responded similarly to the parents of the 3 boys were were kidnapped and murdered this past summer hy"d. Eyal Yifrah, Gilad Sha'er and Naftali Frenkel.  There was total acceptance of G-d's decree with a call for unity of Am Yisroel.  His reaction mirrored the response of Aharon Kohen Gadol when he found out about the tragic death of this two precious sons Nadav and Avihu.  Rabbi Wallerstein made this comparison. VaYidom Aharon.  Aharon was silent.  In fact, someone in the audience of Rabbi Wallerstein's lecture, remarked that the fire in Flatbush happened on Rosh Chodesh Nissan the exact yahrzeit of the death of Aharon Hakohen's two sons Nadav and Avihu.  Wow! Look at Rashi. This can not be coincidence.   Hashem rewards Aharon by speaking to him directly, with the laws of the Kohanim regarding the prohibition of a Kohen of not being intoxicated when doing the Avoda, the Temple Service .   In the Father's eulogy, he mentions that this tragedy happened on Rosh Chodesh and compared his personal sacrifice of his family to the communal sacrifice brought on Rosh Chodesh. 

This tragedy happened Parshat Vayikra, a Parsha dealing with Korbanot.

Human Sacrifices.....I can not help but conclude that Hashem is telling us the following.  

It is now  before Pesach.  Yetziat Mitzraim.  Hashem does not want human sacrifices.  BeDamayich Chayii is with the Korban Pesach and with the Dam of Brit Mila!  However, perhaps, when we reject Hashem's gift to us, and refrain from keeping the Mitzva of Korban Pesach by withholding our claim to Har Habayit and going so far as to giving the keys to the Waqf, and now once again not publicly proclaiming our rights to Har Habayit in the face of universal accusations of illegal Occupation, Hashem is upset with us.  This apparently is consistent with the opinion of the Lubavitcher Rebbe after the 1967 war to be obligated in Korban Pesach.  If we fail to bring Korban Pesach than the alternative is Chas Veshalom Human....

The father Rav Gabriel Sassoon delivers Eulogy for his 7 children (H) 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OemW3cEXr74&safe=active

Bamidbar - Numbers - Chapter 28

וּבְרָאשֵׁי חָדְשֵׁיכֶם תַּקְרִיבוּ עֹלָה לַיהֹוָה פָּרִים בְּנֵי בָקָר שְׁנַיִם וְאַיִל אֶחָד כְּבָשִׂים בְּנֵי שָׁנָה שִׁבְעָה תְּמִימִם:

11: And on the beginning of your months, you shall offer up a burnt offering to the Lord: two young bulls, one ram, and seven lambs in the first year, [all] unblemished.

As I mentioned, in his eulogy the Father of the children, compared his loss to the Sacrifice, Korban Tzibur, Olah (burnt completely) brought on Rosh Chodesh.  They perished on Rosh Chodesh Nissan..  2 Bulls were compared to him and his wife, the ram to his daughter Tziporah who survived but is in critical condition, and the 7 children who died,  to 7 unblemished, sacrificial lambs burnt completely.

Please visit this post for a further discussion.

Har Habayit - Har Nof Massacre Human Sacrifices - Korban Pesach in our days.. Time to reconsider....put an end to Human Sacrifices....Please Hashem....

http://shemittahrediscovered.blogspot.com/2015/03/har-habayit-har-nof-massacre-human.html

Our Teshuva - The Children in a recording this past Chanuka, a Holiday for the commemoration of the Holy Temple sing with yearning for the Beit Hamikdash and to return to the Mountain of Hashem.  Listen to their recording and one can not help but cry. "Cry No More Yerushalyim". Surely we must hear Hashem's message to all of us "Yearn for Har HaBayit and the return of the Avoda".  A family that comes from Har Nof.....

Oy for The Covenant Hashem made with our Forefathers Avraham, Yitzchok and Yaakov.  An everlasting Covenant.  Yet our Gedoilim discouraged ascent to Har Habayit and even discouraged publicly claiming our rights to Har Habayit.  We can become close to Hashem in our synagogues they advised us, the people. 

We have been advised that we might cause serious danger to ourselves if we accidentally do not show the proper respect to Har Habayit.  Surely there is truth in that but there is surely truth and balance in trying very hard to keep the proper halachot without negating it entirely.  

Hashem sent us a bitter pill to swallow at a Vasikin minyan in the heart of Har Nof, surely not a minyan of shmoozers. 

Nadav and Avihu were perhaps too zealous to do the Avoda.  But would Moshe respond by advising Aharon to stop the Avoda because there is danger he might transgress.  The opposite.  Aharon and his two remaining songs were  to complete the Avoda and suspend public mourning for his 2 Holy sons. 

Maybe this is Hashem's message to us before Pesach.  Speak out forthright for our Covenant.  Bibi, don't flip flop regarding a Palestinian State to the likes of Obama or the EU/  Stay true to our Jewish Heritage.  Har Habayit is not only meant for the Jewish People.  The Temple Mount is Universal, The Place where Torah enlightens the world and where the entire Universe streams to Pay Tribute to the G-d of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, The Universal   G-d that speaks to all Noahides, for Peace and Truth and Justice for humanity. 

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Sincerely,

Robin Ticker
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