Monday, August 20, 2007

Shemittah and Chicken Soup

bs"d
 
There was a call by Kosher Carnival for Shemittah related recipes.  Here it goes.
 
In the Shemittah years, agricultural farmers don't get an income from their fields since they are let to lie fallow.  So if they are not chicken producers how will they have enough money to buy chicken for chicken soup.  The answer is that G-d provides it for them.  How does this happen.  It can happen in countless ways.  Perhaps a chicken producer, goes to the farmer''s fields and picks fruits for free and in turn recognizes that the farmer may need chickens for free and donates one of his chickens to him....  Or, a layperson goes to the farmers field and picks fruit and then puts money into the farmers Makolet account thereby paying off his Makolet debt . The possibilities are endless. 
 
 I have a serious problem about the Sefichim prohibition (One is not allowed to pick vegetables that grew on their own in the Shemittah year.  The reason is because vegetables are annuals, planted every year.  The rabbis are afraid that a farmer may cheat and plant vegetables and say it grew on its own).  Did Hashem really not want us to have carrots in our chicken soup?  I can't believe that.  There must be some answer.   
 
Why is Chicken Soup related to Shemittah.  Shemittah is Shabbat Haaretz and this recipe is a traditional food eaten on Shabbat.
 

Bs"d

 

Ticker's Friday Night Shabbat Chicken Soup Recipe

 

Remove skin and fat from 1  chicken.

 

Put chicken quarters into 9-10 cups of cold water with medium onion, 2 cloves of  garlic, 2 teaspoon salt or salt to taste. Place on medium flame.  While chicken is cooking clean vegetables.   4-5 carrots, 1 parsnip, 1 turnip, 2 celery stalks 1 leak (cut leek down side and wash the individual leaves from dirt).   When the soup minus the vegetables just starts to boil, skim off grease and scum Don't boil hard. When the broth is as clear as you can get it, add clean and cut vegetables to boiling soup.   Cook the soup that now contains the vegetables on a low flame partially covered for one additional  hour. Turn off flame.  Let the soup cool. Take out the chicken pieces from the soup and put it in a separate container..  I throw out the onion, garlic and turnip.  If the soup is to be eaten on a different day take out all the vegetables and put them in a separate container. Put the broth in separate storage containers.   I get around 2 quarts of broth. Sometimes more and sometimes less.

 

I bone the chicken since my family likes the soup with the cooked chicken inside.  I usually reheat the soup with the vegetables and add  chicken pieces to dished out steaming soup. When the soup is being served each person can specify how they wish the soup.  Some like just the plain broth. Some like the broth with pieces of cooked white chicken only. Others like it  with pieces of dark chicken.  Each person chooses which vegetables they want in their soup if any.  Bon Apetite and Good Shabbos!

 

 

 




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In response to Shemittah-Sale Proponents Remain Silent No More

bs"d
 
In response to the Arutz7 article regarding Shemittah, here are my comments.
 
 
There is a simple straightforward way to do Shemittah.  It does not require selling the land or a separation from the Land  with a plastic or buying from non Jews or from Arabs as the Chareidim prefer.  It simply can be done by letting the field go fallow, and having lots of tiyulim and partying.  For this people would be required to take off from work and pool their resources.  It means an entire year where the whole country turns into one big kibbutz.  We loan each other what we might need to compensate for lack of income and nobody starves because the fields are open for the picking.  I do not understand why Sefichin, produce that grew on its own is forbidden by the Rabbanim.  It's source is from lack of trust of our fellow Jew that they will plant and call it Sefichim.  Those farmers will be exposed because when someone will ask them for a loan knowing that it does not need to be repaid, these farmers will still have the Kochi VeOtsem Yadi mentality and will refuse.
 
The success of Shemittah Karkaot will only happen with a willingness to do Shemittas Kesafim w/o the Pruzbul. 
 
 
The Torah is absolutely beautiful and Lo Bashamayim Hi.  It is within our capability to do it!




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Sunday, August 05, 2007

An open letter to the Gedolei Hador

Yehiyoo Leratzon Imrei Fi...
In this weeks Parsha, the Torah reiterated many times over that Hashem is true to His promise to the Avoth to give us Eretz Yisroel. It is not because we are necessarily worthy and even after Chait Haegel when Hashem wishes to disinherit Am Yisroel, Moshe Rabeinu uses the argument that Hashem will be true to His Promise to the Avot. In Parshas Ekev it continuously repeats the points that when we keep the Mitzvoth to DO them then Hashem will send us blessings. It is not enough to learn the Torah, we are obligated to do the Mitzvoth.
How can we do the Mitzvoth Teluyuot Baaretz when we willingly don't even make a statement that Eretz Yisroel is our Biblical Inheritance. The Rabbinic and Spiritual Leaders of Am Yisroel are Silent to current events that are very reminiscent to pre Nazi Germany. Without Internet Access and a reluctance to use the Internet as a tool, how can we be aware of the dangers that are facing Am Yisroel and the World.
If we truly have the yearning to keep the Mitzvoth Teluyot Baaretz, Am Yisroel would put our rightful claim to the Land instead of being Silent. By being Silent to what the Nations of the World wish to do with our Precious Gift Eretz Yisroel, is a Chillul Hashem which is interpreted as a rejection on our part of our Covenant with the Avot.
Bush and Condeleeza Rice are working to build up the PA (Abbas and company) so that they will have strength to fight Hamas. On August 2, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and the Palestinian Authority Cabinet ministers to discuss current issues in the Middle East. Bringing a message of the American people's commitment to assisting the Palestinian people, Secretary Rice put words into action by signing a framework agreement for $80 million in U.S. assistance to strengthen and reform the Palestinian security sector. Learn more about the Secretary's visit. ( http://jerusalem.usconsulate.gov/ ) In fact, today my husband showed me an article from Debka, posted Thursday August 2, that Olmert Approves Plan for Palestinian Town. http://virtualjerusalem.com/print_preview.php?id=4636
Please read the origin of the Palestinian Authority to Nazi Germany sent to me by a very caring Jew by the name of Buddy Macy.
Please let us not forget that the Rabbanim were silent pre Holocaust discouraging Jews from going to Eretz Yisroel. The present Government of Israel is anti Torah. The Chareidi world refuses to take a leadership role to proclaim Eretz Yisroel is our Biblical Inheritance and that we and only we can realize the ultimate purpose of Am Yisroel to be a Mamlechet Kohanim VeGoy Kadosh in Eretz Yisroel where the Mitzvoth can be actualized to their full potential. Involvement by Torah Jews, hundreds of thousands will make a difference. Yet at the Disengagement the Chareidi Community and their leaders were silent. Maybe the silence was the cause of their pain since by not speaking out for our Biblical Inheritance, a small part of the population, the people of Gush Katif and their supporters, including the youth, were forced to carry the burden on their own. Maybe Jews of Gush Katif were expelled because of areivus. Maybe they are worthy of staying on the land. The unfortunate reality was that the majority of Torah Jews and secular Jews in Eretz Yisroel and in the Diaspora did not join with them to proclaim Eretz Yisroel is rightfully ours. Maybe Hashem wants each and every Jew to claim Eretz Yisroel as their own. We were then all collectively Chayav. Why do we expect anything better from those that weren't brought up with Torah. Countless miracles have occurred since 1948 when Am Yisroel once again became a sovereign nation, and the ongoing miracles happen each and every day in Sderot (loss of life relative to number of attacks), and were a daily occurrence in Gush Katif.
Eretz Yisroel is now in our hands. We have the capability to keep Shemittah. But we need the actual Land. Even if we can keep Shemittah in Bnei Brak and Tel Aviv, that's not going to help someone who has a Nachala in Yehuda and Shomron. We are promised blessings of peace, security and prosperity of we keep and do the Mitzvoth and curses otherwise. Can we go happenstance to the curses that are facing us?
Also, it distressed me deeply to read how the Gedoilim came out against the Chasidish Concert to celebrate the 40 years of reunification of Yerushalyim on the argument that it's not Tznius. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/123256#replies There was no mention or recognition on the part of the Gedoilim of support on the purpose of this concert which was to bring chizuk and express our love and devotion to Eretz Yisroel and Yerushalyim. If Tznius was truly an issue, the Gedoilim might have suggested 2 concerts, one for men and one for women. I in fact went to an all women's concert on Yom Yerushalyim in Binyanei Hauma and it was electrifying. The spirit and love and devotion of the young and older women for Eretz Yisroel and Yerushalyim, mamash brought me to tears. The women danced far from the band so there would be no problem of Tzniut. Even if the band would have been behind a Mechitza it would have been fine.
The Chait Hamiraglim and the root of Lashon Hara was the failure of the Gedoilei Hador of the Midbar to desire entry and conquering of Eretz Yisroel. This Chassidish Concert is a Tikkun of the Chait Hamiraglim since it is positive expression with Song and Dance regarding Eretz Yisroel. Why did the Gedoilim wish to suppress this positive expression regarding Eretz Yisroel?
I also believe in Tzniut and I can attest to you that the organizers and the 10,000 people that already purchased tickets also know the value of Tzniut. That is why they made the concert with separate entrances and separate seating.
My last question to you is, Was Hakhel at the end of the Shemittah cycle with separate seating? My understanding is that it was for men, women and children. Logistically, it's difficult for the mother to take the entire family of little kids on her own. Especially with a large family with many little kids. I think that the spiritual level of the people were so high that having family standing together and hearing the Melech read from the Torah was too powerful for any suggestion of impropriety.
The people from the settlements are on a very spiritually high level due to all their sacrifices. Of course they too are human. They desperately need the chizuk to raise their spirits and an outlet to express to Hashem how much they love Him and wish to follow His Mitzvoth in Eretz Yisroel. It is truly a disservice to suspect them of anything lower than that. May I suggest that the Gedoilim themselves make an appearance at such a concert.



-----------------
Forwarded Message:
Subj:Just in case you still believe Abbas and Fatah are moderate...
Date:8/4/2007 11:35:28 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time
From:vegibud@gmail.com
To:vegibud@gmail.com
Sent from the Internet (Details)
In his book, "Preachers of Hate," Kenneth Timmerman describes the roots of the Fatah movement.

Grand Mufti with Hitler

"But al-Husseini [Haj Amin al-Husseini, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem] owes his place in history to a meeting that took place on Nov. 28, 1941, in Berlin, where he had gone to convince Adolf Hitler of his total dedication to the Nazi goal of exterminating the Jews, and offered to raise an Arab legion to carry out that task in the Middle East. For the mufti, the meeting with Hitler was the culmination of an eight-year effort to convince the Nazis to forge an alliance with the Palestine Arab Higher Committee he headed. Their once-secret pact, which I shall describe, marks the beginning of Nazi-style anti-Semitism as a mass movement in the Arab world."
"...Ever since then, the world has known the mufti's most famous disciple as Yasser Arafat."
For more on this critical relationship, please read the following fully documented article:
And, for a look at Mahmoud Abbas through his own words, please read:
Buddy Macy





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Friday, August 03, 2007

Re: MILLION MAN PROTEST response to Israel Kaplan's straw poll

bs"d
 
To Israel Kaplan, amv"sh
 
My comments to your suggestion:
 
  Rather than a physical sit-in which is logistically difficult for a large section of the million man/women protest,  many of whom don't even live in Israel but support the protest, and given the modus operandi of the current government, your suggestion can be quite a dangerous proposition.   I, for one, don't especially wish to be martyred or have my children martyred or witness the martyr of our brothers and sisters, lovers of the Land,  many of them kids under army age and unarmed, with crushed skulls.
 
I understand the dilemma and would instead suggest the following:  I am for an internet campaign in media, blogs and any worthwhile forum,  where there is discussion on the moral legitimacy of a separate Judean Authority living side by side in peace and harmony with the existing State of Israel.  The Judean Authority would be a self governing entity with it's own security force and separate civil and criminal laws and justice system.  The Judean Authority will be the governing entity for all the communities in Yesha that the State of Israel wishes to give to the PA now or in the future.  This act of separating from our brothers is brought about due to no other viable options  to retain our religious identity and religious observance of the Torah.  It is justified and necessary for the survival of these communities and the survival of keeping parts of the Land of Israel in the hands of Am Yisroel who have the sole responsibility and obligation of Mitzvoth Teluyot Baaretz and are therefore the only legitimate stewards of the Land of Israel. What would be the problem for the existing government of the State of Israel to award equal  rights to this Judean Authority as they would to a hostile Palestinian Authority.   E. G.  the right to self govern and bear arms but not to initiate any acts of hostility whether in education or suicide bombers or any other aggression against the existing State of Israel.  However if attacked by Kassam or Yassam, they will do what is necessary for self defense and the survival of it's inhabitants that are members of Am Yisroel and/or accept Jewish Sovereignty.   The settlers of Yesha love all their brothers and sisters in all parts of Israel with their heart and soul and would be deeply pained to have to hurt anyone except if it was required for their own preservation and to protect their religious freedom.


TAKING A  STRAW POLL.   
 
ASSUMING WE HAVE A NUMBER OF BACKERS THAT WOULD BE PREPARED TO BANK ROLL AN IDEA SIMILAR TO THE ORANGE CAMPAIGN IN THE  UKRANE OF NOV. 04.   VOTERS ANGERED BY ELECTORAL FRAUD  CAME TO THE GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS FOR A WEEK DURING THE WINTER MONTH AND WOULD NOT LEAVE UNTIL THE GOVERNMENT FELL.    THERE ARE THOSE THAT ADMIT THAT ISRAELIS ARE INDIFFERENT AND THAT YOU WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO PULL THIS OFF WHILE THERE ARE OTHERS THAT FEEL IT IS ALL IN THE PACKAGING.    THERE ARE ISSUES GALORE IN THE COUNTRY AND IN AN ENVIORNMENT OF A COUNTRY BEING LED BY A SHAMELESS AND UNPOPULAR PM, IT WOULD NOT TAKE MUCH HELP TO PROMOTE THIS CONCEPT.   YOUR REMARKS ARE APPRECIATED AND THEN WE WILL REMOVE ALL FROM THIS EMAIL.




Izzy Kaplan
416 256 2858
HAPPY MOMENTS .......... PRAISE HASHEM
DIFFICULT MOMENTS .... SEEK HASHEM
QUIET MOMENTS ........... PRAY TO HASHEM
PAINFUL MOMENTS ....... TRUST HASHEM
EVERY MOMENT ............ THANK HASHEM
There's time to pray and talk and there's time to act and employ military hardware


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