יהודים עולים להר הבית בתשעה באב / Jews Ascend the Temple Mount on Tisha b'Av

י״ד לחודש החמישי תשפ״ד

English follows the Hebrew.

YNET: הקריאה החריגה של גדולי הרבנים בי-ם, עם כתוביות בערבית: "אין לעלות להר הבית"
ראש העיר משה ליאון פנה לבקשת גורמי ביטחון, הרבנים הבכירים נענו: יממה אחרי עלייתו של בן גביר להר הבית, חמישה רבנים גדולים פנו לציבור, בניסיון להרגיע את הרוחות גם ברחוב הערבי. "אסור לתת לשוליים קיצוניים להוביל אותנו", קבע הרב יצחק יוסף. הוא פנה לעולם: "אותם שרים לא מייצגים את ישראל"
שילֹה פריד | 14.08.2024

עשר אגורות (2¢):
במהלך השנים אני כותב על מה זאת אומרת להיות ״קיצוני״. בקיצור, האמונה שלהקב"ה ובאמצעות תורתו הקדושה יש סמכות גדולה יותר מאשר המדינה.

נראה שאנשי הממשלה מתיחסים לביטוי ״חוקי התורה קודמין לחוקי האדם" כאיום קיומי על מדינת ישראל. רבים מהתושבים בגבעת רונן ובישובים דומים ידועים באמונה זו.

איום קיומי נוסף שאנו רואים בתמונות ובסרטון אלו הוא מה שנראת הברית בין נוער מתנחל / נוער הגבעות, לנוער חרדי, המסורים לקיים מצוות למרות סיכון מעצר.

להשתחוות על אבן אסורה ליהודים למעט בהר הבית. יהודים אפילו נמנעים להשתחוות על בלטות שיש בהן אבנים.

לאותם יהודים בארה"ב ובמקומות אחרים שלעולם לא ידעו למה החזן משתחווה ביום כיפור רק לאחר שהונחה לו מגבת, אז עכשיו אתם יודעים.

תמיד אני מתנגד להצטלם בהר הבית כי בדרך כלל יש לתמונות אלו פרצופים מחייכים למרות צריכים לראות את ההפך הגמור בהן.

צריכים לעלות להר הבית אך ורק מתוך כובד ראש ומורא מקדש.

משנה תורה, הל׳ בית בחירה
ז,ו [ז] אף על פי שהמקדש היום חרב בעוונותינו, חייב אדם במוראו כמו שהיה נוהג בו בבניינו--לא ייכנס אלא למקום שמותר להיכנס לשם, ולא יישב בעזרה, ולא יקל ראשו כנגד שער המזרח: שנאמר "את שבתותיי תשמורו, ומקדשי תיראו" (ויקרא יט,ל; ויקרא כו,ב)--מה שמירת שבת לעולם, אף מורא מקדש לעולם, שאף על פי שחרב, בקדושתו עומד.

התמונות והסרטון שלמעלה מתעדים את המאמץ להנגד למדיניות ממשלת ישראל שזכויות הגוים קודמין זכויות היהודים באתר הקדוש ביותר בעולם. אם נראת כאן טיפ-טיפה של שמחה מרחוק, היא רק בזכות התקדמות הקמת זכויותינו להתפלל בהר הבית, שנאסרה עלינו מזה זמן רב על ידי ממשלת מדינתנו היהודית כביכול.

מוסלמים באים מסתובבים ועושים את כל מה שרוצים בהר הבית, אפילו פוגעים באתרים ארכיאולוגיים בניסיונם לשכתב את ההיסטוריה ואפילו משחקים כדורגל באתר הקדוש ביותר בעולם.

לא מקפידים בתיירים נוצרים כמו היהודים, אפילו על ידי הווקף. הם מתפללים בחופשיות לאלוהות-השקר שלהם. הם אפילו מוזמנים לעלות להר הבית על ידי יהודים מוטעים, שאינם מבינים כלל את כוונת הפסוק "בֵּית-תְּפִלָּה יִקָּרֵא לְכָל-הָעַמִּים" (ישעיהו נז, ז). הכוונה היא לא לתת לכולם להתפלל לכל מי שרוצים ואיך רוצים ​​בהר הבית.

בינתיים, מתייחסים ליהודים כאזרחים סוג ג׳ במולדתנו שה׳ נשבע לנו. המוסלמים הם סוג א׳, ותיירים לא-יהודים הם סוג ב׳+.

אני משבח את היהודים הללו על חוסר הציות האזרחי שלהם. אני מתפלל שיהודים יתחילו לבנות את בית המקדש השלישי, שרק המתפללים לקדוש ברוך הוא ובאופן הראוי, יורשו לעלות להר הבית. יהיה בזכות התמדת היהודים מוסרי נפש האלו.

שנזכה לראות את הבית השלישי במהרה בימינו!

יהודים צועקים ״ה׳ הוא האלהים!״ ומשתחווים בהר הבית.
הסרטון הזה מערוץ טלגרם של בנצי גופשטייןJews shouting "The Lord is God!" and prostrating themselves on the Temple Mount, in defiance of the State of Israel's insistence on maintaining the "status quo."
This video is from Bentzi Gopstein's Telegram channel.

שוטרי משטרת ישראל אפילו אחד חובש כיפה מונעים מיהודים מלהשתחוות בהר הבית.
Israeli Police officers, even one with a kippah, prevent Jews from prostrating themselves on the Temple Mount.

כמה היו מעטפים בטליתות שאסור להביא להר הבית כמו תפילין וסידורים.
Some were wearing talitoth (four cornered garments with tzitziyoth) which are forbidden to bring onto the Temple Mount, like tefillin (phylacteries) and siddurim (prayer books).

יהודים משתחווים בהר הבית למרות המדינות למנוע מהם לעשות את זה. וגם לא נותנים ליהודים  להתפלל בהר הבית למרות נותנים למוסלמים להתפלל שם.
Jews prostrate themselves on the Temple Mount in defiance of policy which prevents them from doing so. Jews area also not allowed to pray on the Temple Mount, in spite of Muslims being allowed to do so.

YNET: Senior Jerusalem rabbis urge in Hebrew, Arabic not to visit Temple Mount
Five prominent rabbis addressed the public aiming to calm tensions, particularly in the Arab community, following Itamar Ben-Gvir's visit and prayer on the Temple Mount; Video also meant for Western audience; 'We must not let extremist fringes lead us'
Shilo Freid | August 14, 2024

Esser Agaroth (2¢):
Over the years, I have addressed what it means to be a Jewish extremist. Simply put, it regarding The Almighty and His Holy Torah to be a higher authority that than the State.

The expression חוקי התורה קודמין לחוקי האדם "Torah Law takes precedence over manmade laws" seems to be perceived as an existential threat to the State of Israel. Many of the Jews in Giv'ath Ronen, and in communities like it, are known for this belief.

Another existential threat we see in these photos and video is the alliance between settler, or hilltop, youth and Haredi (untra-orthodox) youth, interested in performing mitzvoth (Torah commandments), even at the risk of arrest.

Prostrating on stone is forbidden to Jews, except for on the Temple Mount. Jews even avoid prostrating on floor tile, containing pieces of stone.

To those Jews in the U. S. and elsewhere who have always wondered why your hazzan (cantor) always prostrated himself on Yom Kippur, only after a towel was laid down for him, now you know.

I have always been againt posing for photos on the Temple Mount. These photos invariably include smiling faces, when the exact opposite is what is proper.

One should only ascend the Temple Mount, and be present there, in seriousness and reverance.

Mishneh Torah, Laws of the Temple
7:6 [7] Even though the temple today has been destroyed by our iniquities, a person is obliged to observe it just as he used to when it stood - he will not enter except where it is permitted to enter, and he will not sit down in the courtyard, and he will not be lighthearted by the east gate: as it is said, "My Sabbaths you will keep, and My Temple you will fear." (Lev. 19:30, 26:2)--What keeping the Sabbath is for ever, even fearing the Temple is for ever, and even though it is in ruins, its holiness stands.

The photos and video above document this endeavor to defy the Israeli government's policy of putting non-Jews first, on the Holiest site in the world. If any joy is remotely apparent here, it is only due to the progress being made in the assertion of our rights to pray on the Temple Mount, long forbidden to us by the government of our supposedly Jewish State.

Muslims come and go, and do as they please on the Temple Mount, including damage archaeological sites in thei fultile attempt to rewrite history. They also play soccer on the Holiest site in the world.

Christian tourists are hardly scrutinized like are Jews are, even by the Wakf. They pray freely to their false deity-messiah. They are even invited to ascend The Temple Mount by misguided Jews, who have no understanding whatsoever of what the verse "A House of Prayer for all nations" (Isaiah 56:7) truly means. It does not mean praying however, and to whomever one chooses, on the Temple Mount.

Meanwhile, Jews are treated as third class citizens in their own Divinely Promised Homeland, Muslims being the first class, and non-Jewish tourists the second.

I praise these Jews for their civil disobedience. I pray that one day, and soon, Jews will begin work on rebuilding the Temple. Only those praying to the Holy One, Blessed Be He, and in the proper manner, will be allowed to ascend the Temple Mount itself. When this happens, it will be due in part to the perseverance of these self-sacrificing Jews.

May we merit to see the Third Temple standing, speedily in our days!

הרהורים ביום הזיכרון תשפ״ד / Reflections on Israel's Memorial Day 5784/2024

יום הזיכרון (נדחה) תשפ״ד

English follows the Hebrew.

עשר אגורות (2¢):
הבוקר אני קראתי על רב בישראל שהיה בחנות בזמן הצפירת הבוקר. הרב הזה טעה בחישוב זמן הצפירה, והופתע כשהוא שמע את זה. אבל הוא פשוט המשיך לחפש את מה שהוא צריך לקנות בחנות וסבל מכל המבטים עניינים של אלה שעצרו לצפירה.

לפני שאתם קופצים למסקנות כלשהן -- שאני בטוח שכבר קפצתם -- הרב הזה מעודד יהודים לעלות ארצה. כנראה לא ציפיתם לקרוא את זה, נכון? בצפירת אמש הוא היה בעיצומו של לימוד תורה. הצפירה לא גרמה לו להפסיק. כפי שהוא כותב, "איזה זכות תהיה לחיילים הנפטרים אם אני דווקא אפסיק ללמוד תורה בזכותם?"

אני מסכים לחלוטין.

מכיוון שהייתי במקום ציבורי בזמן הצפירה,ידעתי את זה מראש, הקפדתי להחזיק ביד את ספר תהילים. בניגוד לעמידה בשקט בזמן הצפירה, אני עמדתי וקראתי תהילים כי קריאת תהילים היא מנהג יהודי.

כפי דברים הציניים של ידידי היקר אריאל בן יוחנן ז"ל, הידוע בבלוג שלו ״מהפכת התורה״, הוא לא יכול לזכור שהרמב"ם הזכיר שום "הלכות הצפירה" במשנה תורה. כמובן מפני שאין דבר כזה.

אני מתפלא שמעולם לא ייגש אליי אחרי הצפירה כדי לשאול אותי מה אני עושה, ואז אפילו לבקר אותי. אם אנשים היו שואלים על מה שאני עושה, אז תהיה לי ההזדמנות להאיר להם את הרעיון הזה של קריאת תהילים. ברור שרוב היהודים כבר יודעים על זה. הם פשוט לא יודעים שיש רשות לעשות כך. אני מתכוון לתת להם רשות באמצעות מעשיי.

כדאי לזכור את חיילינו הנופלים ואת קורבנות הטרור האזרחיים בעשרה בטבת. בנוסף לזכור הטלת נבוכדנצר מלך בבל מצור על ירושלים, וגם הרבנות הראשית החליטה את היום הזה יום הקדיש הכללי. יום זה נועד לאפשר לקרובי הנספים בשואה שיום פטירתם לא נודע לנהוג במנהגי יום פטירה השנתי.

אבל, עד שיהודים יחליפו את יום הזיכרון למנהג הזה , כדאי להמשיך לנצל את ההזדמנות כדי לחנך את אחינו. זו הסיבה העיקרית כן עומד בזמן הצפירה כשאני נמצא במקום ציבורי, ודווקא קורא תהילים.

אני מתפלא שהמנהיגים החילונים הציונים כביכול החמיצו את ההזדמנות הגדולה לנצל את  היהדות באמצעות קביעת ציון יום זיכרון חיילי צה״ל בתשעה באב.

כנראה הרעיון הזה חזק מדי עבור נשמותיהם חסרות אמונה באלוהים.

כמובן שזה היה מוביל לתוצאה הפוכה מהרצוי, בדיוק כמו היוזמה של רה״מ הראשון דוד בן-גוריון לקבוע מזוזות בבניינים ציבוריים. לא לשם מצוות תורה, אלא כי זה היה משהו יהודי שיהודים עושים. הוא גם סבר שיש ללמד את התנ"ך בבתי הספר, שוב מאותה סיבה כמו קביעת מזוזות. התוצאה לא מה הוא ציפה. ילדים יהודים קיבלו קצת חינוך תורני. ואז בסופו של דבר כמה ילדים המשיכו ללמוד תורה.

בן-גוריון ניסה להוריד את הקדושה מהתנ"ך. אבל אי אפשר לעשות את זה. אפשר לכפור בתנ"ך. רשעים יכולים לסלף אותו. אבל אי אפשר להסיר את קדושתו.

בואו נתיחס לעובדה. ציונות הסוציאליסטית הציונות של תנועת העבודה ובן-גוריון אינה ציונית בכלל. הם גנבו את המילה ״ציונות״, ופירשו אותה מחדש. הציונות היא האמונה שהקב״ה נשבע לאבותינו ולנו את ארץ ישראל. ומקור הרעיון הזה הוא לא בל-גוריון או הרצל או כנס בזל אלא התורה, מה שחסר לחברי ציונות הסוציאליסטית לגמרי.

מדינה יהודית היא מעולם לא המטרה של ציונות הסוציאליסטית, ואין צריך לומר שהחזרת מלכות ישראל גם לא המטרה שלה אלה ההיפך. המטרה לש ציונות הסוציאליסטית היא מדינה דמוקרטית, כלומר הלניסטית, ליהודים... ולכל מי שרוצה להצטרף. רוב האומות בעולם מכנות זאת גלובליזם.

המצאת טקסים חילוניים הגוררים לדת אזרחית היא הרסנית לעם ישראל. אבל לדעתי עושים את זה בכוונה. כוחות השילטון כל כך מפחדים מהתורה, עד שהם מרגישים נאלצים להלחם נגדה. הרעיון שחוקי התורה קודמים לחוקי האדם, כלומר המדינה, מאיים אותם. הם חושבים שהיהודים המאמינים שהקב"ה ותורתו בסמכות עליונה על פני המדינה הדמוקרטית כביכול הם איום נגד שילטונם.

ועכשיו, כל אחד מאיתנו צריך להחליט איך להשתתף בתיקון הנזק שהזיקו את עם ישראל. בהחלט אני לא הראשון שחשב על קריאת תהילים בזמן הצפירה. אבל לחלק הקטן שלי אני גם בוחר לעשות כך.

Esser Agaroth (2¢):
This morning I read about a rabbi in Israel who was in the store at the time of this morning's siren. The two-minute siren, and standing silently for its duration, is one of the State of Israel's ways of commemorating our fallen soldiers, as well as civilians killed in terror acts. This rabbi had miscalculated the time of the siren, and was surprised when it went off. He simply continued his business, incurring glares from his fellow shoppers.

Before you jump to any conclusions -- which I am sure that you already have -- this rabbi is one who encourages Jews to make aliyah (immigrate to Israel). You weren't expecting that, were you? During last night's siren, he was in the middle of learning Torah. The siren did not cause him to stop either. As he writes, "What kind of merit would it be for the dead soldiers if I specifically STOPPED LEARNING TORAH on their account?"

I completely agree.

Since I was outside in public space, and knew that I would be at the time of the siren, I made a point to have Tehilim (Psalms) with me to read. Unlike standing silently during the sounding of a siren, at least reading Tehillim is something actually Jewish, not that the 4th of the Hebrew month of Iyyar, or in this case 5 Iyyar, should have any particular significance.

As my dearly departed friend Ariel Ben Yochanan z"l, known for his Torah Revolution Blog, would facetiously say that he could not recall the Ramba"m (Maimonides) mentioning any "Laws of Sirens" in his compendium of Torah Law, the Mishneh Torah. Of course, that is because there isn't any.

I am still waiting for someone to come to me after the siren, and ask me what I was doing, and then possibly criticize me. No one has yet. I do not think it would be the worst thing for people to do if they ask what I was doing. Then I could enlighten them to this concept of reading Tehillim.

It would be better to commemorate our fallen soldiers and civilian victims of terror on Asarah b'Teveth, of course. Besides commemorating the initial breach of the walls in the siege against Jerusalem, it is our day of general morning. Even the Israeli Government sees this day as the appropriate time to mourn our "unknown" fallen soldiers.

But, until Jews actually implement this, I believe that it is still worth taking the opportunity to educate our fellow Jews. This is the main reason I stand in public during the siren, and read Tehillim.

I am surprised that the secular elite contingent of the quasi-Zionist enterprise missed such a great opportunity to exploit the Torah by observing Memorial Day on Tisha b'Av. I guess that would have been too much of a concession for their Godless egos.

Of course it would have backfired on them, just like Israel's first Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion's initiative to put mezuzoth on public buildings, not because it was a Torah commandment, but because it was something Jewish that Jews did. He also believed that Tana"kh (the Authentic Bible) should be taught in schools, again much for the same reason as mezuzoth. However, this backfired. A minimal Torah education was received by Jewish children who in other circumstances would not have received any at all. Some, if not many, then felt encouraged to continue their Torah studies.

Labor Zionist David Ben-Gurion attempted to remove the qedusha (Holiness) from Tana"kh, which is a fruitless endeavor. Tana"kh can be denied or distorted by evil people, but its Holiness is intrinsic to it. It simply cannot be removed from it.

Let's face it. Labor Zionism is not in the least bit Zionist. The Labor Zionists commandeered stole the term of Zionism, and reinterpreted it. The original source for Zionism, the belief that the Land of Israel is promised to the Jewish People, is the Torah, something which the Labor Zionists lack entirely.

Labor Zionists do not want a Jewish state, let alone a Jewish kingdom. They never have. Labor Zionists want a democratic state for Jews,... and for anyone else who wants to join. They have never had any interest in having a state for Jews. Most other nations of the world call this globalism.

The inventing of secular rituals contributing to a civil religion is destructive, but also, I believe, is done so on purpose. The powers that be are so frightened of Torah, they feel compelled to battle against it. They find the idea of holding The Almighty and his Torah to a higher authority over the quasi-democratic, ie. Hellenist, state to be a threat to their power.

And now, each of us must decide how to do our part in damage control and education. For my small, and I am certainly not the first to think of such of thing, I choose to stand for the siren, while saying Tehillim.

התקוה של ט״ו באב / The Hope of Tu b'Av

ערב שבת קודש פר׳ עקב תשפ״ג

English follows the Hebrew.

בט"ו באב נסעתי באוטובוס בחזרה מתל אביב ב-1:00 לפנות בוקר. מאחורי ישבו שישה תלמידי תיכון ודיברו.

על מה הם מדברו?

אחד הבחורים סיפר את סיפורם של קמצא ובר קמצא (תלמוד בבלי גיטין 55b), מדרש אגדה הקשור לחורבן הבית השני. החלטתי להסתכל. החלטתי להציץ כדי לראות איך הם נראים. לא ראיתי שום כיפות, רק לשנים היה שיער ארוך. לבחור שמספר להם את הסיפור היה שיער ארוך מאוד.

לא שמעתי שום אפיקורסות או כפירה כפי שאני מצפה מתלמידי מערכת החינוך הממלכתית החילונית. אבל לא היה ברור שהם חילונים. אולי הם לומדים בבית ספר דתי, אבל מסתובבים בלי כיפות חוץ לבית ספר או בית כנסת.

לאחר מכן הם דיברו על ששום דבר לא שייך לנו אלא הכל בבעלות של הקב״ה.

איזה איש מבוגר הנראה חילוני ישב בצד השני ל מעבר נפף במניפה עם סמן קשת הגאווה. הוא השתתף בשיחה. למרות שאני לא זוכר את מה הוא אמר, אני כן זוכר שהסכמתי איתו. נראה שגם הבחורים קיבלו את מה שהוא אמר.

ארבעה בחורים ירדו בגבעתיים, עיר שאינה ידועה כעיר אוהבת התורה, או במזרח מרכז תל אביב. לא ברור. שני הבחורים האחרונים ירדו בפרבר מעורב דתי וחילוני.

קשה מאוד ליצור סיפור כזה.

הקללה שחלק בני ישראל מתים במיוחד בכל ט׳ באב גם הוסרה בט' באב. אבל עוד לא ידעו שהקללה הוסרה עד ט"ו באב כש ראו את הירח המלא הוכיח כי התשיעי חודש החמישי כבר עבר ללא מקרי המוות הצפויים מדי שנה.

למרות המאבק המתמשך של עיריית תל אביב נגד התורה, חלק תקוותי חזרה אליי השנה בט"ו באב. אני ממש הייתי צריך את זה לאחר העציבות ודכאון של ט׳ באב.

On Tu b'Av, I was on the bus, coming back from Tel Aviv at 1:00 AM. In back of me sat six high school boys talking.

What were they talking about?

One of the boys was recounting the story of of Qamtza and Bar Qamtza (TB Gittin 55b), a prominent midrash agadah (story), related to the destruction of HaBayith HaSheni (the Second Temple). I decided turn around,... casually. I did not see any kippoth (Jewish male head covering), only a couple of them had longish hair, one of them very long hair, the one recounting the story for them.

I heard nothing heretical, like one might expect from students of the secular Israeli state educational system. I supposed that they did not have to be secular. Maybe they went to a religious school, but did not wear kippoth while on vacation. Who knows?

They then went on to discuss how nothing belongs to us. The Holy One Blessed Be owns everything.

The secular-appearing man waving a rainbow pride fan sitting across the aisle from me chimed in. Although I cannot recall what he contributed to the discussion, I do remember that I happened to agree with him. The high school boys also seemed to accept what he had said.

Four of the boys got off the bus in either Givataim, a city not known for its embrace of Torah, or east central Tel-Aviv. It wasn't clear. The last two got off in a mixed modern orthodox, secular suburb.

You just cannot make this stuff up.

The curse of dying on the Tribes of Israel while wandering in the desert was imposed, carried out, and eventually removed on Tisha b'Av (9th of Av). However, the curse's removal was not recognized until Tu b'Av (15th), when the full moon proved that the ninth of the month had already passed without the annually expected, mass deaths.

In spite of the City of Tel-Aviv's ongoing battle against Torah, I had some of my hope restored the other night on Tu b'Av, definitely a well-needed boost after the sadness and depression of Tisha b'Av.

אחדות ישראל: ביקורת עולים המבקרים את הישראלים / Jewish Unity? Bashing Israeli-Bashing

י״ב לחודש החמישי תשפ״ג

Even though this post is directed to most, but of course not all, native, English speaking immigrants in Israel, place of honor is still given to Hebrewת by placing it before the English version.

עשר אגורות (2¢):
במהלך 26 השנים שאני גר בארץ, למצערי אני שמעתי את עולים דוברי אנגלית בישראל אומרים דברים מזלזלים על ישראלים (בואו נגיד שמדברים על ישראלים שנולדו בארץ). כמעט תמיד השגרה היא ככה. דוברי אנגלית האומרים משהו לא יפה לא למד מספיק על תרבות הישראלית, הניחו את הגרוע מכל שמנצלים אותם, ונתקעו בראשם שהדרך הטובה והנכונה לעשות משהו היא כמו שעושים בארה״ב (...או באנגליה, או אוסטרליה או בדרום אפריקה, וכו׳). ולא משנה בין אם בעסק, בעבודה, בחיים אישיים.

אני מקווה שברור מאוד שאני לא כותב על כל דוברי אנגלית שבארץ. חס ושלום.

אבל כנראה המצב הזה מוכר לכם כי כיום באופנה בחדשות ובתקשורת החברתית לדבר על אנשים החושבים שהם זכאים או שחושבים שהכל מגיע להם. ארה״ב היא ענקית. אמריקאים ידועים כמרוכזים בתרבות שלהם ולא בשום תרבות אחרת. אני לא יכול לדבר על שום מדינה אחרת. אם אתם לא גדלתם ליד הגבול הבינלאומי של מקסיקו כמוני, אז כנראה אין לכם הרבה ניסיון חיים רב-תרבותי. אפילו אם אתם גדלתם בעיר ניו יורק או מיאמי, אולי אתם הצלחתם להסתובב בהתעלמות לכל דבר שונה מכם מבחינה תרבותית אלא מתיחסים לדברים כאלה כדבר יוצא דופן ואקזוטי.

כשאני נמצא בשכונות דוברי אנגלית, אני קצת מתבייש כשאני פותח את הפה, וישראלי שומע את המבטא שלי. לאחר דקה או שתיים בפיטפוט, הישראלי מבין שאני "לא ככל האמריקאים הרגילים" שהוא מכיר או כי אני אמרתי נכון בשפה איזה ביטוי או מילת סלנג, או שהגבתי "אין בעיה" כשהוא מודיע לי על עיכוב אפשרי בשירות.

אני רוצה להאמין שאני ברוב הישראלים האמריקאים, שמדברים עברית בנוחות ואשר הסתגלו, מרגישים בנוח במסגרת תרבותית ישראלית, או שלפחות אלה רוצים להשיג את המטרות האלה למרות כמה מתסכל בהתחלה בארץ חדשה.

כמה מהעולים החדשים בוחרים לגור בעיירות או בשכונות דוברי אנגלית. יש גם העולים כמוני שבוחרים להימנע בכל מחיר מלגור באזורים כאלה. שתי הבחירות האלה יכולות להיות הבחירה הנכונה.

במקום להנציח את אותה השליליות שאני מאשים כמה מכם בהנצחה, הנה רשימה חלקית של החוויות החיוביות שעברתי בישראל. אולי קריאת הרשימה מעודדת אותך לשנות את ההשקפה לחדשה ושונה:

כשאני היגשתי ביקשת אזרחות הפקיד במשרד הפנים בתל אביב זכר אותי מהפעם הקודמת שהגעתי לשם לבקש אשרת סטודנט. וכשחזרתי אליו בעוד 30 ימים כדי לקבל תעודת זהות, הוא קם, נתן לי יד, ואמר לי ״מזל טוב.״

הגבר שנתן לי טראמפ בשומרון התעקש להקפיץ אותי למעלה ליישוב ולא פשוט עצר לי בצומת היישוב.

הבחור שנתן לי כסף לעלות לאוטובוס ואמר לי לתת את זה לצדקה במקום לחפש אותו כדי להחזיר לו את הכסף.

האישה שנתנה לי לגשת לקופה לפניה כי היה רק דבר אחד או שניים.

הנהג האוטובוס שמסתכן בעבודה שלו, בכך שהוא מאפשר לילד בן 10 לעלות לאוטובוס, ולשלם לו בפעם הבאה כי הילד שכח את הכסף שלו וצריך להגיע לבית הספר.

בעל החנות שמזג לי כוס מיץ ביום חם מאוד, אפילו ללא לשאול אותי ולפני שהספקתי להגיד שלום.

הבחור שעובד בחנות השווארמה שזוכר את ההזמנה הרגילה שלי ומכין אותה אפילו ללא לשאול כדי שהיא מוכנה כבר כשאני מגיע לקופה. הגבר שהזכיר לקופאי בחנות שהתור שלי ולא התור שלו. זאת אומרת הוא לא עוקף אותי בתור אלא המקפיד על ההגינות.

נהג האוטובוס שרואה אותי רץ אליו ואז הוא מחכה לי, כדי שלא אצטרך לחכות עוד 20 דקות לאוטובוס הבא.

...וגם אף אחד מהנוסעים התלונן בכלל על כך שהנהג נאלץ לחכות לי עוד שתי דקות בתחנת האוטובוס.

הרוקחת החרדית שמצאה לי מוצר זול משמעותי למרות ההפסד לבית המרקחת. לא. והיא לא מצאה לי מותג גנרי אלא מותג ידוע.

אני עובד בהכתבה הזו כבר הרבה זמן. עכשיו כשקבלתי את ההזמנה שלי בבית הקפה אני שפכתי את הקפה שלי. העובד לא חשב על זה פעמיים אלא הוא הכין לי עוד אחד מייד חינם.

אני מניח שאתם גם עברתם חוויות דומות בארץ המוצא שלכם, במיוחד בעיירות קטנות ובשכונות איפה מרגישים שבמשפחה אחת גדולה. אבל אתם גם נזכרים מקרים כאלה בארץ? האם שמים לב בכלל? האם דנים בכל ישראלי כף זכות?

אתם חיים בנוחות מדי בבועה המבודדת של דוברי האנגלית? האם מרגישים שצריכים להתגונן? האם אתם רוצים לצעוק עליי ״שנאת חינם״, שפירסמתי כתבה כזו רק כמה ימים אחרי תשעה באב?

להרגע.

גם אני לא אוהב את זה כשאומרים לי להירגע. אם הכתבה מפריעה להם עד כדי כך, אז לחזור אליה מאוחר יותר, ולקרוא רק את רשימת החוויות החיוביות שרשמתי.

יש רק עוד חודש וחצי לראש השנה. שנה חדשה היא הזדמנות מצוינת להתחיל לפתח השקפה חדשה. היא גם הזדמנות מצוינת לשנות את גישת החיים שלנו.

אנחנו לא מושלמים. גם ישראלים גם לא מושלמים.

לקחת את ההזדמנות להיות גמישים יותר ואז החיים שלכם בארץ יוכלו להפוך להיות מדהימים.

אני מניח שחוויתם אותן החוויות או דומות במדינות היכן נולדתם, במיוחד בעיירות קטנות או בשכונות שבן מרגישים שבמשפחה אחת גדולה.

Esser Agaroth (2¢):
Over the 26 years I have lived inIsrael, I have had the very unfortunate experience of hearing English-speaking olim (immigrants) in Israel say disparaging things about native Israelis. The pattern is almost always the same. The people speaking did not do their homework regarding Israeli culture, assumed the worst that they were being taken advantage of, and had it stuck in the heads that the best and proper way to operate in any situation, whether business, work, personal, is always the American way of doing things (...or British, or Australian, or South African, etc.).

I hope it is obvious that I am not writing about all English speakers in Israel, not by a long shot.

However, this situation should sound very familiar to you, as the word "entitled" is very popular these days in the news and in social media. The United States is huge. American are known for their cultural-centric mentality. I cannot speak for any other countries. Unless you grew up near the Mexican border, as I did, I guess you cannot be expected to have much multi-cultural life experience. Even you grew grew in New York City or Miami, you can still manage to wander around, blind to anything culturally different than yourselves, instead looking upon such things as exotic oddities.

When I am in areas known for their English speakers, generally suburbs, I always feel embarrassed when I open my mouth, and a native Israeli hears my accent. After a minute or two chatting, the native Israeli realizes that I am "not one of those Americans," either because I used an idiom or slang word correctly, or I responded with "ein ba'ayah" (no problem), after being told there might be a delay in service.

I would like to think that I am in the majority of American Israelis, who speak Hebrew comfortably and who have adapted, feeling comfortable within an Israeli cultural framework, or who at least have these set as their goals, no matter how frustrating it can be upon first arriving in a new country, and wanting to call it home. But, I don't know.

Some new immigrants choose to live in predominantly English speaking towns or neighborhoods. Others, like myself, choose to avoid such residential areas at all costs. Both of these choices can be the correct choice.

Rather than perpetuate the same negativity I am accusing some of you of perpetuating, here is only a partial list of the positive experiences I have had in Israel. Perhaps this will encourage you to embraace a new and different perpective.

The clerk at the Ministry of Interior remembers me from the year before, expedites my request for aliyah/citizenship. Incidentally, I have never had a negative experience at this Ministry. Maybe it was because I smiled, was polite, and bothered to ask to clerk how she was doing that day, instead acting upon some old, classist idealist from the U. S. that since I have a few letters after my name, or that I have what I believe is a better job than clerk, then I must be better than them

The man who gives me a tremp (ride) through the Shomron (Samaria), and goes out of his way to take me up the hill to my town, instead of dropping me off at the junction below. Actually, this happened several times, and always by native Israelis.

The total stranger who gives me money to catch the bus, and said to give to tzedaqah (charity), instead of having to track him down to pay him back.

The person who reminds the store person who protects your place in line, and who reminds you that you're before him when you weren't paying attention.

The lady who let me go before when you only have one or two items.

The bus driver who risks his job, by allowing a 10-year-old kid on the bus, and to pay him next time, because he forgot his money, and needs to get to school.

The store owner who poured me a glass of juice on a hot day, without even asking, and before I even had a chance to say hello.

The guy who works at the shwarmah place, who remembers how I like and prepares it without even asking, so it is ready when I get to the front of the line.

The bus driver who sees me running down a ramp from a bridge who waits for me, so that I do not have to wait another 20 minutes for the next bus.

...AND none of the passengers complained about having to wait an extra two minutes for me at the bus stop.

The Haredi pharmacist who found a significantly less expensive version of a product, not covered by insurance. No. Not just a generic, but a well-known brand.

I have been working on this post for while now, years, in fact. Just now, while getting my order at my usual coffeehouse, I spilled my coffee all over the place. The server did not have to think twice about it. He had another one prepared for me, free of charge.

I am guessing that you had the same or similar experiences in your country of origin, especially in smaller towns or close knit neighborhoods. Do any of you remember any of these events while living in Israel? Did you miss them? Have you bothered to pay attention? Or did the lashon harah (inappropriate things you've heard) get too stuck in your heads to allowit? Did you judge with native Israelis with kaf zekhuth (benefit of the doubt)?

Too comfortable living in your insulated, English-speaking bubble? Feeling a little defensive, and getting ready to cry "sinas hinam" (baseless hatred), and yell at me for daring to post such a thing, so soon after Tisha b'Av?

Relax.

Yeah, I know. I hate it when people tell me to relax. Nevertheless, if you are getting flustered, set this post aside, then come back to it later, and only read the list of positive experiences I wrote.

We are a month and a half away from Rosh HaShannah. A new year is a great opportunity to begin developing a new perspective, a great opportunity to change our attitudes.

We are not perfect. Neither are native Israelis.

Take the initiative to bend a little, and you may end up amazing yourselves.

ערבים מבזים את מקום המקדש / Arabs Degrading the Site of the Holy Temple

י״ב לחודש החמישי תשפ״ב

English follows the Hebrew.

זכות לבנצי גופשטיין על השיתוף הסרטון. 

עשר אגורות (2¢):
למרות סיום הצום החמישי (ט׳ באב) כדאי לנו להמשיך לזכור את חורבן בית המקדש היומיומי

״...אמרו כל דור שאינו נבנה בימיו מעלין עליו כאילו הוא החריבו. (תלמוד ירושלמי דף ה,א פרק א הלכה א גמרא).

אם אתם לא כבר בוכים או כועסים על חורבן המקדש, אז הסרטון הזה צריך לגרום לכם להרגיש כמו שצריכים. לגרום לכם לבכות, לזעום, ולצעק!

אבל לא כדאי לצעק בקול רם מדי. וכדאי להזהר על המילים היוצאות מהפה. למה? מפני שכוחות השלטון מוכנים לסבול אך ורק מצעקות וממילים לא יפות ממפגינים ששונאים, מסלפים, או מנסים למחוק את התורה. הם לא מוכנים לסבול מכך מיהודים מסוימים שמכבדים את הקב״ה ותורתו יותר מהמדינה. בסופו של דבר, יש חשש שיהודים כאלה שמפגינים למען צדק להר הבית יגיעו לבית כלא. חס וחלילה!

ואותם כוחות השלטון האלה מאשימים את היהודים מסוימים האלה בשנאת חינם. ואת העניין הזה של שנאת חינם הם מוציאים מהתלמוד מפרשים את זה מחוץ להקשרו ומסלפים את זה.

יהודים שעולים להר הבית כדאי לזכור העליה למקום הקדוש הזה לא סתם הזדמנות להצטלם. אלא היא מעשה חשוב ורציני מאוד.

משנה תורה, הל׳ בית בחירה פרק ז
ד [ה] לא יקל אדם את ראשו כנגד שער מזרחי של עזרה, שהוא שער ניקנור--מפני שהוא מכוון כנגד קודש הקודשים. וכל הנכנס לעזרה--יהלך בנחת במקום שמותר לו להיכנס לשם, ויראה עצמו שהוא עומד לפני האדון ה' שאמר "והיו עיניי וליבי שם, כל הימים" (מלכים א ט,ג; דברי הימים ב ז,טז); ומהלך באימה ויראה ופחד ורעדה, שנאמר "בבית אלוהים, נהלך ברגש" (תהילים נה,טו)...

ו [ז] אף על פי שהמקדש היום חרב בעוונותינו, חייב אדם במוראו כמו שהיה נוהג בו בבניינו.... 

Credit to Bentzi Gopstein for sharing the video.

Esser Agaroth (2¢):
In spite of the recent completion of the Fast of the Fifth Month (Tisha b'Av) this year, it is incumbant upon us to continue to be aware of the daily destruction of the Holy Temple.

"...They said, any generation in which it is not rebuilt is debited as if it had destroyed it." (Jerusalem Talmud 1:1)

If you are not already weeping or enraged over the Holy Temple's destruction, then this video should make you feel the way you should be feeling. Cry, get angry, yell!

But you should not shout too loudly. And you should be careful about the words that come out of your mouth. Why? Because the powers that be are willing to tolerate shouting and unkind words only from protestors who hate, misrepresent, or try to cancel the Torah. They are simply unwilling to tolerate any protestations from those Torah observant Jews, who hold the Almighty and His Holy Torah in higher authority than the State. In the end, you might end up in jail for daring to question any actions by the so-called democratic State! God forbid! 

And yet these same powers that be accuse these Torah-observant Jews of baseless hatred, a concept extracted from the Talmud, taken out of context.

And to those Jews who do ascend Har HaBayith (the Temple Mount), you should remember that going up to this Holy place is not just a photo opp. Rather it is a very important and very serious act.

Mishneh Torah, Laws of the Temple, Chapter 7
5 A person should not act frivolously before the gate of Nicanor, the eastern gate of the Temple Courtyard,26 for it is positioned opposite the chamber of the Holy of Holies. Everyone who enters the Temple Courtyard should walk in a dignified manner, in the region where he is permitted to enter.28 He should conceive of himself as standing before God, as [I Kings 9:3] states: "My eyes and My heart will be there forever." One should walk with awe, fear, and trembling,29 as [Psalms 55:15] states: "We would walk in the House of the Lord with fervor."...

7 Even though, the Temple is now in ruin because of our sins,36 a person must hold its [site] in awe, as one would regard it when it was standing....

תשעה באב הזה היה יותר עצוב ממה שחשבתם / This Tisha b'Av was Much Sadder Than You Thought

י״ח לחודש החמישי תשע״ו

English follows the Hebrew.

YNET: תיעוד: עימותים בהר הבית בתשעה באב
כמה מתפללים יהודים, שציינו את יום האבל על חורבן בתי המקדש במתחם הקדוש, עוכבו לחקירה בגלל הפרת הכללים בהר. במקביל, מתפללים מוסלמים הורחקו מהמקום לאחר שקראו קריאות גנאי לעבר שוטרים ויהודים

רועי ינובסקי, 14.08.16

מתפללים מוסלמים קראו הבוקר (יום א') קריאות גנאי כלפי מבקרים יהודים שעלו להר הבית לציון ט' באב ולעבר שוטרים שנכחו במקום. השוטרים פיזרו את המפגינים המוסלמים והרחיקו כמה מהם מהמתחם. במקביל עיכבו הכוחות לחקירה שבעה יהודים שהפרו את כללי הביקור בהר.

כמה מתפללים יהודים עלו להר ביום האבל על חורבן שני בתי המקדש. עיכובם של שניים מתוך השבעה שנחקרו התבצע תוך כדי יציאת הקבוצה האחרונה מההר. בשלב זה החלה התגודדות של מוסלמים, שקראו קריאות גנאי וכן קריאות "אללה אכבר" לעבר השוטרים והמבקרים היהודים. (המשך)

עשר אגורות (2¢):
א׳ איזה כללים היהודים האלה עברו? הם התפללו? הם הגיעו מעוטפים בטליתות? הם השתחוו על האבנים בעזרה? או אולי הם בכו?

נכון. לפי ההסכם עם הוואקף, אסור ליהודים להתפלל, להביא כלי תפילה (טלית, תפילים, סידור), להשתחות על הרצפה, ולפי מעשי המשטרה, נראה לי שאפילו אסור ליהודים לבכות על הר הבית על חורבנו.

מותר למולאמים להתפלל על הר הבית, אבל אסור ליהודים. ככה זה במדינה ״דמוקריטית יהודית.״

ב׳ הכתבנית ״תומר דבורה״ כותבת על האישה הכאילו אפיקורסית שלא צמה בט׳ באב. אני כותב כאן ״כאילו אפיקורסית״ מפני שכמו כל חברי הקבוצה הזאת (״הרפורמים״) היא לא מבינה את מה שהיא עושה בכלל. היא מעדיפה ללכת לפי "ההרגשות" שלה מעל התורה, כאילו לא אכפת לה בכלל מה התורה אומרת בקצב הראשון.

אף על פי כן, "היהודים" האלה נאבקים נגד התורה. כנראה רובם לא מבינים שהם עושים את זה. וכמה חברי הקבוצה הזאת יהודים אמיתיים בכלל? אין לי מושג. אבל בגלל תהליך הגיור המזויף שלהם ונישואי תערובת, מספר היהודים האמיתיים שלהם ממשיך להקטין כל שנה.

ג׳ יש עוד אישה שכותבת על למה היא לא רוצה שבית המקדש ייבנה (חו״ח).

סיכום:
המדינה שמסלקת יהודים מהר הבית, ושתי הנשים האלה כולם דוגמאות של מנטליות היהודים שלא רוצים את ביאת הגאולה. אלא רוצים להשאר בגלות של אדום (רומא - ב״ר; המערב - מלבי״ם), אפילו שעם ישראל התחיל לחזור לארצנו ולשליטה עליה. כנראה היהודים האלה לא מבינים שאנחנו עדיין בגלות או אפילו שיש דבר כזה.

גויי המערב, כל הנוצרים כופרים בתורה שבעל פה. והלא מאמינים באלהים כופרים בכל התורה כולה.

אכפת למדינה מה גויי העולם חושבים עלינו. ושלושתן, המדינה והנשים האלה, מעניינת אותן ההלכה בכלל? לא נראה לי.

אלא יותר חשוב להם שהרגשות שלהן ידריכו אותן, כמו בארופה ובארה״ב, בדיוק כמו האופי של עשו (אדום), ולא של יעקב (ישראל).

YNET: 7 Jews removed from Temple Mount on Tishva B'Av after breaking rules
2000 years after the destruction of the Second Temple and the exiling of the people of Israel from their home, Jews commemorate Tisha B'Av with fasting, lamentations, and efforts to build bridges and end gratuitous hatred.

YNET reporters, 14.08.16

Seven Jewish visitors were detained and removed from the Temple Mount after breaking the rules for visiting the holy site on Sunday morning, while over 300 Jewish visitors were allowed into the complex during the fast of Tisha B'Av.

While police was removing the Jewish visitors from the site, Muslims started crowding around them and calling out insults. The police pushed back the crowd and accompanied the group to the exit from the complex. Several of the Muslim worshipers were also detained and removed from the site.

The Second Temple was destroyed and the people of Israel exiled from their home 2000 years ago. The Jewish people remember the death, destruction and devastation every year with a fast on Tisha B'Av (9th of the Jewish month of Av). (cont.)

Esser Agaroth (2¢):
What "rules" did these Jews break, warranting their removal from Har HaBayith (the Temple Mount), and by Jewish police officers no less?

Did they pray? Did they arrive wrapped in a Talith (fringed, four cornered, Jewish garments). Did they prostrate themselves on the stone floor of the azarah? Did they cry?

Yes. All of these actions are against the rules,...for Jews.

Muslims may pray on Har HaBayith, but not Jews. So much for freedom of religious expression, which is the new motto of the "Jewish Democratic" State.

Tomer Devorah writes about a woman, from a group of wannabe apikourusim, who explains why she was not going to fast on Tisha b'Av. She favors her "feelings" over the Torah, as if she even cares about what the Torah says in the first pace.

Nevertheless, these "Jews" are battling against the Torah, although many of them do not realize this. And as far as being Jews goes, how many of their followers are actually Jews? I have no idea, but due to their sham "conversions" and intermarriage, the numbers continue to decrease every year.

Then there is the woman who writes about how she does not want to see the Beth HaMiqdash be re-built. She is truly misguided, and I think that is being kind.

The State, which kicks Jews off of Har HaBayith, and both of these women are examples of how so many Jews are stuck in the grip of our current exile, the exile of Edom. Edom, the inheritance of Esau, Jacob's brother, is essentially the West (Malbi"m). 

The nations of the West themselves, include both the conservative Christians, who have rejected Torah sheb'al Peh (Oral Torah), and the libertine "progressives," many of whom who do not believe in God int he first place.

These groups all may seem different to you. But, what these descendants of Esau all have in common is that they all either distort or reject entirely Torah sheb'al Peh (Oral Torah). Instead they operate based on their "feelings," just like their predecessor, and not at all like Ya'aqov, who operates based on The Almighty's Holy Torah in its entirety, the ultimate statement of His Will.

Why do we Need a Holocaust Remembrance Day? (UPDATED)

כ״ז לחודש הראשון תשע״ו

That's actually a very good question.

Holocaust Memorial Day was established in 1951 by the Israeli Government,...a "Workers Party of the Land of Israel" government. In other words, Labor Zionists, whose goal has always been to de-Judaize both the People and Land of Israel, made up this day. The day is half way between Passover, the Jewish holiday of freedom and Israel's Memorial Day.

The date, the 28th of the Hebrew month of Nissan, which like Independence Day, the government has deigned to move around as needed to reduce Shabboth violations, is also supposed to [sort of, but not really] coincide with the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, which actually began Erev Pesah, תש״ג/1943.

28 Nissan also happens to mark the liberation of the Buchenwald Concentration Camp by the American army in תש״ה/1945. However, this sounds more like a time for celebration than mourning. Many Jews died during Israel's War of Independence and Six Day War, yet we celebrate on these days. Besides, no matter how particularly nasty the Buchenwald Concentration Camp was, there were many others.

Oh, wait a minute. I forgot. This camp's liberation appears to be an after thought. (See above in the first paragraph.)

The idea to add Holocaust Memorial to the public fast day of the 10th of the Hebrew month of Teveth, an already established day of Jewish mourning, is often shunned by Religious Zionists. The State has made a decision, and so they must abide by it. Even though the 10 b'Teveth was designated as a memorial day for all those whose day of death is unknown, by none other than the State of Israel's Chief Rabbinate.

The creation of this made up memorial day is nothing more than manipulation by the State to keep various factions fighting with each other, a simple divide and conquer strategy which has worked so well for so long, not to mention gradually detracting us from Torah, in favor of... well,...something else.

Even the so-called "Conservative Movement" has argued for the 9th of the Hebrew month of Av, to be designated as Holocaust Memorial Day, as it is the date upon which many Jewish calamities in Jewish history have occurred, not the least of which being the judgment that B'nei Yisra'el would not immediately enter the Land of Israel after being taken out of Egypt, the destruction of both the First and Second Batei haMiqdash (Temples), the defeat at Beitar, and the plowing over Har HaBayith (Temple Mount) by the Romans (Mishnah Ta'anith 4:6).

Modern events related to the Holocaust having occurred on the 9 b'Av include:

• Germany entered World War I on August 1–2, 1914 (Av 9-10, AM 5674), which caused massive upheaval in European Jewry and whose aftermath led to the Holocaust.
• On August 2, 1941 (Av 9, AM 5701), SS commander Heinrich Himmler formally received approval from the Nazi Party for "The Final Solution."
•  As a result, the Holocaust began during which almost one third of the world's Jewish population perished. On July 23, 1942 (Av 9, AM 5702), began the mass deportation of Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto, en route to Treblinka.

Overall, this suggestion makes much more sense than a day in Nissan, a month in which Jews traditionally refrain from historical mourning practices. But, like I alluded to above, such an issue would not have concerned the Labor Zionists in the least.

So, the answer to the question as to why we need a Holocaust Memorial Day is that we do not need one. We already have one, two even. But, if I had written this at the beginning of the post, most of you would have stopped reading almost as soon as you had begun.

Instead of continuing to play the victim, to gain sympathy from the goyim (non-Jews), probably one of the only strategies the Israeli Government has left to delay the State of Israel's eventual destruction, what we really need is a Holocaust Prevention Day, which I wrote about back in 2009. This would involve the educating our children as to how to refrain from repeating our greatest historical mistakes, such as assimilation, intermarriage, and dependence on outside human forces for protection.

But, since the only way to do this would be to teach our children the Torah way of life, don't count on the Israeli Government to get on board anytime soon.

For Your "Three Weeks" Entertainment: A Dialog with a Rabbi

ג' לחודש החמישי תשע"ה

I recently engaged in the following back-and-forth on a Facebook thread. My concluding thoughts on this experience follow the transcribed dialog.

Friend: O No! I forgot to cut my hair again.... ‪#‎3Weeks‬ 

10ag: So? Cut it now. The Ramba"m says it's OK.

10ag: Nope. No mention of the 3 Weeks... 

רמב"ם, משנה תורה, הלכות תענייות ה,ו
ו משייכנס אב, ממעטין בשמחה. ושבת שחל תשעה באב להיות בתוכה, אסור לספר ולכבס וללבוש כלי מגוהץ, אפילו כלי פשתן, עד שיעבור התענית; ואפילו לכבס ולהניח לאחר התענית, אסור. וכבר נהגו ישראל, שלא לאכול בשר בשבת זו, ולא ייכנסו למרחץ, עד שיעבור התענית; ויש מקומות שנהגו לבטל השחיטה מראש החודש, עד התענית.

Ramba"m, Mishneh Torah, Laws of Fasts, 5:6
One who enters the month of Av lessens in happiness. And the week in which Tisha b'Av falls, it is forbidden to cut ones hair, to wash clothing, and to dress in ironed garments, even linen ones (undergarments), until after the fast passes; and it is even forbidden to wash clothes and put them aside for after the fast. And Israel has already had the custom of not eating meat during this week, and going to the bathhouse, until the fast has passed; and there are places which have the custom to stop shehitah (slaughter for meat) from the first of Av. 

Beth HaMiqdash HaSheni
Illustration of the Second Temple

Rabbi: Friend is a vus-vus, he doesn't follow strange minhagim from the east  

10ag: "Vus-vus" and "Dossi" and the like are offensive terms. How can minhagim older than yours be "strange?"  

Rabbi: "Older"? Seems to me they're roughly the same age.  

10ag: How so?  

Rabbi: Rashi was the same generation as Rambam and he kept minhag Ashkenaz, cause btw, he was Ashkenazi. Do we really have to demonstrate that Ashkenzai minhagim have just as great authority and longevity as do Sfardi? Spare us...  

10ag: 1. I would be interested in seeing the source that Rashi kept customs associated with the 3 weeks, which are kept today, or even close. 

2. The Ro"sh and Ba'al HaTurim were Askenazim extraordinaire. Did they keep such customs? 

3. Of all people, I would not have expected you to use "Sfardi" to mean non-Ashkenazi. If you didn't mean this, then you left out a lot of other Jews. 

4. Although the Ramba"m was from Spain, it is well known that his work has had great influence on other Jews, such as Teimanim. 

Rabbi: 1-2) Habub, where did the custom come from if not from Rashi and the Ashekenazi Rishonim? Someone made it up out of thin air? 

Rabbi: 3-4) It's well known that Rambam's psak is based upon Rif, with a few exceptions and that he is considered authoritative among Sfardim, or if you will, "Eidot haMizrach." If you want to include other Jews such as Teimanim, that's fine, but Rambam's main influence was over "Eidot Hamizrach."  

10ag: You may have missed my point. There are more Jews in the world than Ashkenazim and Sepharadim. 

Rabbi: So what?  

10ag: To use Sepharadi to mean "non-Ashkenazi," is not only inaccurate, but completely leaves out many Jews from a Klal Yisrael with only "Sepharadim" and "Ashkenazim."  

Rabbi: Like I said, "so what?" Rambam poskins for Sfardim, for Eidot Hamizrach. What's your point?  

For all you Rambam fans, you should know that the Chida (R' Chaim David Azoulai) says in Avodat Hakodesh, in the customs/laws of chodesh Tammuz, "Be very careful during the days of Beyn Hameitzarim to minimize laughter, and pleasure and to say Tikun Chatzot." That's BEFORE hodesh Av, wise guys...  

Hauling away the Temple vessels to Rome after the Second Temple's destruction.

10ag: Um,...1. Not sure where the smarmy comments like "spare us" and "wise guys" are coming from, especially in public, and from a rabbi. 

2. I'm posing some legitimate questions, none of which have been answered with halakhic sources. Asking if something come out of thin air is not only not a halakhic response, but also inductive reasoning,...very poor inductive reasoning.  

Rabbi: What's your problem, "spare us" and "wise guys" is some kind of nivul peh? It's a straightforward response to guys who are making offhand remarks just because you can't find something in halacha, therefore dismissing it as if it has no source. That's called a "wise guy." You are correct that it is hard to find where the early rishonim kept the entire three weeks. It's not mentioned in the Tur. But it is brought in Shulchan Aruch, so I would not draw any conclusions from the fact that it's not in the Tur. Just be patient and keep looking. And btw I already pointed out that it's not straighforward that Rambam only held from Rosh HOdesh Av. Take a look at the source that I brought from the Chidah...
missed word 

10ag: nivul peh? It definitely [could] be conceived that way, especially in e-communication and and without emoicons or < >'s or something else to indicate kewana? 

Off handed remarks? One who asks a halakhic question is not entitled to a halakhic response? 

If something's not in halakha, then yeah, that's a problem, not satisfied by "da'as torah" (how it's misused today) or "Rabbi so and so said so, " or the like. These are not halakhic responses. 

Sorry, but I guess I missed something. How did you point out that it's not straighforward that Rambam only held from Rosh Hodesh Av? (There are hints to this, but explicitly he relates to the week in which 9 b'Av falls.) How does the Chidah support this? You're the one trying to show that I'm mistaken or that I've somehow missed the boat. I'm not the one who has to look anything up. 

Rabbi: Well, if you want to claim that there is no source for keeping the three weeks from 17 b'Tammuz, then you better be willing to support it. Rambam by himself is not sufficient. And if what you want to do is indicate that he is influential for a certain group of people, such as Eidot Hamizrach and others then the Chidah is also very influential and a later posek for the same population. And he poskins that bein hametzarim starts from 17 b'Tammuz.

10ag: I'm not trying to force my customs on anyone. All I was saying is that the Ramba"m does not mention the three weeks. That's it. 

Rabbi: If that were truly the case, you would have mentioned "According to the Rambam." You didn't - you just wrote, "Nope no mention of the 3 weeks," as if there is no need to consider it. So I pointed out that may or may not be true acc to Rambam and acc to the Sfardi custom, but there happen to be other poskim and other customs. That's all...for a friend of [name of our mutual friend] you seem to be over-sensitive to terms like "vus-vus" and "wise guy." Anyone who comments on [name of our mutual friend]'s threads knows that a lot of terms get thrown around loosely. Anyway, thanks for pointing out something interesting - that it's hard to find the source for the three weeks in the Ashkenzai tradition. But I guarantee you that it just needs more research. Magen Avraham already mentions it so it comes from somewhere...

Esser Agaroth (2¢) Conclusion:
I am posting this not for the purposes of offending those who hold to mourning customs during the three week period between 17 b'Tammuz and 9 b'Av. but rather to provide an example of reasoning, which is not in the least bit reasonable, yet employed by rabbis, all of the time.

So much of what he says is irrelevant to a halakhic (Jewish legal) discussion.

The rabbi misses the point of the additions made by later posqim. However, I was not clear about this myself in my inquiries. He never answered the age question. The Magen Avraham lived 400 years after the Ramba"m. The Hid"a? Over 500 years.

He never answered the age question. The Magen Avraham lived 400 years after the Ramba"m. The Hid"a? Over 500 years.

"Had to come from somewhere?"

What kind of response is that?

I never even questioned the existence of these customs, during the "Three Weeks."

He never provided a source that Rashi kept such customs during "Three Weeks."

In face, he did not provide any reasonable explanation at all, regarding their development.

In all fairness to this rabbi, this an off the cuff conversation, sources not in front of him. But, still, how about at least a "I need to look into it" response?

He also never provided a satisfactory answer regarding his [at the very least] imprecise use of the term Sepharadi.

His end of the dialog just seems to be the same ol' boring, galuth (exile) oriented responses to me.

The only criticism I could possibly accept from this rabbi was that I neglected to add the phrase "According to the Rambam." So, I owned up it.

For more information on customs related to the period of the "Three Weeks," the "Nine Days," and the Fast of the Ninth of Av, see Machon Shilo's A Brief Guide to the Three Weeks and the Nine Days.

Swallowing the Bitterness of Tisha b'Av

צום החמישי תשע"ג

Fast of the Fifth Month (Tisha b'Av) 5773

I bumped into my friend Yoel Meltzer yesterday. We had not seen each other in a while, so we took a few minutes to chat.

Invariably, the topic of the impending fast came up. Yoel said that he was on his way to buy lettuce, to eat before the fast. He had heard that eating the lettuce cores before the fast can reduce ones thirst during the fast. He had done this for the past few years, and it seemed to work.

I have heard the same about ingesting something bitter, anything from black coffee to lemon. I chose to drink water all day with lemon juice. I had already weaned myself from coffee over the previous two days, in order to avoid a caffeine withdrawal headache. Lemons also contain electrolytes which bring the water the to where it is needed in the body. Otherwise, the water can just go and out, without doing much else.

Both Yoel and I agreed that we did not care much if any of all of these recipes for an easy fast were only psychological, as in a placebo type effect. If they worked, they worked.

So, last night, this got me thinking. By eating and drinking bitter things before the fast appears to make the current fast easier. This appeared to have the makings of a good metaphor, so I began searching. I found the section in the Babylonian Talmud which refers to the merit received for mourning over Jerusalem, assuming that bitterness was one manifestation of mourning.

תלמוד בבלי תענית ל,ב
בט' באב ואינו מתאבל על ירושלים אינו רואה בשמחתה שנא' (ישעיהו סו,י) שִׂמְחוּ אֶת-יְרוּשָׁלִַם וְגִילוּ בָהּ, כָּל-אֹהֲבֶיהָ; שִׂישׂוּ אִתָּהּ מָשׂוֹשׂ, כָּל-הַמִּתְאַבְּלִים עָלֶיהָ מכאן אמרו כל המתאבל על ירושלים זוכה ורואה בשמחתה ושאינו מתאבל על ירושלים אינו רואה בשמחתה

TB Ta'anith 30b
On Tisha b'Av one who does not mourn over Jerusalem does not see its rejoicing, as it is said, (Yishayahu 66:10) Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all ye that love her; rejoice for joy with her, all ye that mourn for her; From here they said all who mourn over Jerusalem merit and see its rejoicing, and that one who does not mourn over Jerusalem does not see its rejoicing.

As with any section of the Talmud, the above can be examined on several different levels. However, I want to focus on only one small aspect here.

I found a piece by Rabbi Yehuda Prero, in which he points out that the above is written in the present tense, not the future tense, as it is often shown to be in translation. This begs the question, "What does 'seeing' Jerusalem's rejoicing mean?"

Rabbi Prero provides answer which is both simple and hopeful at the same time. I recommend that you, read the entire piece. In short, we cannot be comforted for the loss of the Temple and Jerusalem, for they are not truly dead. Thus, we continue mourning, just like Ya'aqov Avinu refused to be comforted for Yosef, because he was not truly dead.

He then concludes:

"We can share in the joy of knowing that Jerusalem is not totally lost, and a time will come when it and the Holy Temple will be restored to their former glory.

May that time come soon."

Three Weeks & Nine Days Shi'ur Portal

3 of the Fifth Month 5770

1. Jewish Unity Before Tisha B'Av (Audio: Israel National Radio interview
The purpose of the Jew in exile is different from the purpose of the Jew in the land of Israel. We need to stop focusing on our ethnic associations and reconstitute ourselves as a Jewish nation.
Thursday, 08 July 2010

2. The Three Weeks, Tisha b'Av and the Four Fasts (Audio)
Should we or should we not keep all humroth of the week of Tisha b'Av? The Sema"q writes that keeping the humroth of the week of Tisha b'Av during the previous week is “an unnecessary humrah.”
Thursday, 24 June 2010

3. Laundry During The 9 Days (Text)
Question: Regarding the 9 Days and laundry. We are blessed with two boys, one three and the other 9 months. We use cloth diapers. It's permitted to do their laundry as needed, correct?
Monday, 27 July 2009

4. What is the Status of 10th Av: May One Eat Meat? (Text)
Question: My father has his birthday on 10th of Av (Friday this year) and I wanted to make a barbecue for him. Is it permissible to eat meat, drink wine and be joyful on the 10th of Av?
July 27, 2009

5. Yerushalmi Ta'anith 18 - Running Shoes on Tisha b'Av, Washing hands, etc. (Audio)
Ta'anith 18 - Running Shoes on Tisha b'Av, washing hands, etc. You can wear slippers on a fast day, but it is hard to permit wearing non-leather running shoes on Tisha b’Av or Yom Kippur.
July 6, 2009

6. Yerushalmi Ta'anith 20 - Tisha b'Av and the 3 Weeks (Audio)
Ta'anith 20 - Which type of mourning is the more severe - mourning for the Temple or for a family member? One may get engaged on Tisha b'Av. Haza"l did not enact a mourning period of three weeks - Why?
July 6, 2009

7. Music Throughout the Year and During the 3 Weeks (Hebrew Audio)
שמיעת מוזיקה בשלושת השבועות ובכל ימות השנה Music Throughout Year and during the 3 Weeks in Hebrew
July 6, 2009

8. The Four Fasts: Halakha or Minhagh? (Audio)
The Four Fasts: Halakha or Minhagh? 1. When don’t you fast? Rash"i says when Jews are sovereign, Ramba"n says during Temple times. Are Jews sovereign today? 2. Ramba"n says a majority can decide ...
July 6, 2009

9. Tisha b'Av (Text)
... 4:6) that when Tisha b'Av falls on Shabbath (in which case it is deferred till Sunday), both weeks – the week prior to Tisha b'Av, and the week following – are not considered to be the week of Tisha b'Av, ...
December 14, 2008

Machon Shilo Publishes Special Tisha B'Av Kinna Commemorating the Destroyed Communities of Gush Katif and the Northern Shomron

4 of the Fifth Month 5767

Cross-posted with permission from Machon Shilo

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL, July 18, 2007 (Menachem-Av 4, 5767) - Machon Shilo has published a dirge ("kinna") about the destroyed communities of Gush Katif and northern Samaria. The dirge is to be recited as part of the Jewish Ninth of Av Service that commemorates the destruction of the First and Second Jewish Temples by the Babylonians in 586 CE and by the Romans in 70 CE.

The Jewish Communities of Gush Katif and the northern Samaria were destroyed on the Tenth of Av in 2005. The motivation of former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in destroying these communities has been the subject of considerable speculation.

The dirge was written in the style of Rabbi Eliezer HaKalir, the 6th century composer of religious poetry. Rav Buch's dirge is based on "How the Rose of Sharon Sits", HaKalir's dirge of 24 stanzas about the 24 shifts of the Priests ("Kohanim") in the Jewish Temple ("Bet HaMiqdash"). Words of the Rabbi Buch's dirge are borrowed from Rabbi Eliezar's original version as well as from the first chapter of the Book of Lamentations ("Megilat Eicha"). The stanzas are arranged according to the Hebrew alphabetical order and the last line of each stanza ends with the name of a destroyed community.

"This is religious poetry that truly speaks from the heart. It eloquently captures the feelings of the day, of both the destruction of our Holy Temple and the holy communities of Gush Katif and northern Samaria," says Rabbi David Bar-Hayim, the head of Machon Shilo.

"Many words in the dirge have double meanings and reflect the bitterness caused by this modern tragedy. Rabbi Buch has expended great effort to adhere to the historical style of the traditional dirge. All words of his dirge—except for one—are found in the Hebrew Bible although grammar may have necessitated some slight changes. My only regret is that Rabbi Buch's beautiful poetry reflects our current state of mourning rather than celebration. I look forward to the day when we will be able to publish poetry celebrating the rebuilding of the destroyed communities and our Holy Temple."

The dirge can be downloaded from the Machon Shilo website at Machon Shilo Gush Katif Kinna

About Machon Shilo
Machon Shilo seeks to promote the study of the customs and practices of our forefathers and Rabbis, who lived in Erets Yisrael. Machon Shilo believes that while the Jewish People have physically returned to their ancestral homeland, Erets Yisrael, they have not yet returned to the Torah of Erets Yisrael, only to the learning of Torah in Erets Yisrael. For more information visit www.machonshilo.org.

Harry Potter and the Nine Days

Rosh Hodesh of the Fifth Month 5767

Most of you are aware of the great excitement and anticipation being caused by the impending release of the final installment of the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling:

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

How could you not be aware of the hype?

J. K. Rowling, who said she cried at the completion of the book, purports to answer all of our questions in this final gaze into the life of one of the most famous protagonists ever, a teen-age wizard. However, for those of us who are Torah-observant Jews, the answers to those questions will have to be delayed for several days after the release of the book. Not only does the book go on sale on Shabbath, but also during the "Nine Days," from the first through the ninth day of the "Fifth Month" (Menahem Av). Leading up to the ninth of the month (Tisha b'Av), various aveluth (mourning) practices are observed, culminating in the full night and day Fast of Tisha b'Av, the anniversary of the destruction of both the First and Second Holy Temples, as well as other calamities which have befallen the Jewish People.

Even those who hold to observing aveluth only during the week in which Tisha b'Av falls (Mishnah Torah, Hil. Ta'aniyoth 5:6) will have to wait.

Although not explicitly stated by the Ramba"m, cited above, many halachic (Jewish legal) authorities hold that purchases which raise ones spirits (eg. new clothes) should be curtailed during this period of aveluth, when are hearts and minds should be focused on events of great tragedy.



So, since I will have to wait a little longer than most you to read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, I will take this opportunity to reiterate the author J. K. Rowling's request, that those of you who read the book not reveal its contents to those who have yet to read it, thus ruining the experience for them,...for us.

Hopefully, there will be a new character in the book which I could play on screen. The movie is already slated for production, and due out sometime in 5770-71 (2010). Of course, the producers and director (and Ms. Rowling, if you're reading) will have to accept that I won't work on Shabbath or Yom Tov (holidays)....


Post-Script:
I was just informed by a friend of mine from Me'ah Sha'arim that he has pre-ordered the new Harry Potter book from a bookstore in town. His copy, which cost him a whopping NIS 139 (about $33), will now be waiting for him to pick it up on Sunday. He has asked me to be "shaliah," in other words, to go pick it up for him, as he does not want to be seen. In exchange, I'll get to borrow it.

For what it's worth, this isn't just any resident of Me'ah Sha'arim, but a former mashgi'ah at a yeshivah in the same neighborhood.

I mentioned my opinion regarding the purchase and the "Nine Days." He just brushed it off by saying that people get killed in the book, so it's OK. He then elaborated on how it really was OK according to his understanding halachah related to the "Nine Days."


Post-Post-Script:
I just heard that an Arab-owned store on Sala-din Street in Jerusalem's Old City pre-sold 120 books, and then opened up on Shabbath at 5:30 AM in order to distribute them. A rabbi, whose identity has yet to be learned by me, said that it was [technically] mutar (permissible), as no money was exchanged, no Jews were employed, and an eruv was in force.

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More news on the release of the final Harry Potter book is reported by Rafi G. at Life In Israel.

Another Divine Cancellation

13 of the Fifth Month 5766

Last week, while those in many religious communities, in and out of Israel, were celebrating the cancellation [for the second year in a row] of the so-called "pride parade" in Jerusalem, another cancellation may have squeeked by without your notice.

The Depeche Mode concert, scheduled for the night following Tisha b'Av in Tel-Aviv, was also cancelled.

Although I haven't been following Depeche Mode's journey through music and time that much for the past several years, I really have been a fan of theirs almost since their inception in 1980. At one point, I even had my ears pierced just like lead singer David Gahan. The earrings have long since been removed, and, well,...that's another story for another time....

Months ago, when I heard that Depeche Mode was coming to Israel, I debated as to whether I should go. Could I afford the NIS 300 ticket? (approx. $68) Should I go to a concert with mixed [gender] seating? Maybe I could stand outside, and just listen, like we sometimes did in California. Or, should I even go to such a concert at all?

Well, after many months of not even thinking about the Depeche Mode concert, I was walking around Jerusalem with friends who were visiting from LA. We turned up Hillel Street, in a neighborhood where I am almost never seen, and sure enough we ended up passing a ticket office. There in the window was a huge poster announcing the concert, with that blaring date: Aug. 3. My friends asked, "Hey isn't that Tisha b'Av?" What did I know? Back in Teveth (January-ish), I didn't think anything of the date. Other than the occasional form to be filled out at an Israeli government office, I hadn't been the position of having to be bothered by the Western date for a very long time.

My friends quickly checked their calendars. The decision as to whether to go to the concert had been made for me. The concert fell on the night following the Fast of the Fifth Month (Tisha b'Av - commemorating the destruction of the First and Second Temples, among other things). Even on the night following this fast, I would be unable to attend the concert. Most Hallachic (Jewish legal)authorities rule that several of the fast's observances of mourning continue through noon of the next day, just as the Temple continued to burn.

As the soldier abductions and rocket-firing by Hizbollah YSh"W turned into a war, I thought it hardly appropriate to go to a concert anyway, while my brothers in the north were huddled together in bombshelters, getting bombarded with rockets.

A short-lived protest over the concert being held right after the fast was waged by Knesset Members Zevulun Orlev and Nissan Slomiansky (National Religious Party). But their protest was to no avail. Israeli civil law only protects the sanctity of this fast from sunset to sunset. Given the current make-up of the Knesset, I seriously doubt they had any chance of ammending the law, assuming they even thought of such a possibility. Of course, the concert was cancelled anyway.

According to DepecheMode.com, the band's official website, the concert was cancelled "following the latest developments."

Arutz 7 suggests that “'recent developments,' [are] possibly an allusion to the bombing of a populated Hizbullah position in Kana, Lebanon."

YNET reported that according to the band's manager Shuki Weiss, who has family in Israel, and was looking forward to coming, the cancellation began with "a problem [that] came up with the technical team which developed into the refusal of the entire team to get on a plane and come." The report also included the only indication I was able to find as to how the band members themselves felt, with the band's organizer Marek Lieberberg saying that they very much wanted to come to Israel.

Of course, I cannot say for certain how the Depeche Mode concert, inappropriately scheduled in the first place, for the night following Tisha b'Av, came to be cancelled. I will say this, that I do not believe in coincidences. Simply put, the Almighty took away the option from 40,000 people to bop-out at a concert. If they wanted to avoid focusing the on the past and current, sadness and destruction going on around us, they were going to have to find another way to it.

How?

The Fast of the Fifth Month 5766

On the Fast of the Fifth Month (Zekharyah 8:19), or Tisha b'Av as it is now commonly known, Torah study is forbidden. One of the few exceptions to this prohibition is the Book of Lamentations (Mishnah Torah, Hil. Ta'aniyoth 5:11), which is also publicly chanted on this day in many communities.

א אֵיכָה יָשְׁבָה בָדָד, הָעִיר רַבָּתִי עָם--הָיְתָה, כְּאַלְמָנָה; רַבָּתִי בַגּוֹיִם, שָׂרָתִי בַּמְּדִינוֹת--הָיְתָה, לָמַס ב בָּכוֹ תִבְכֶּה בַּלַּיְלָה, וְדִמְעָתָהּ עַל לֶחֱיָהּ--אֵין-לָהּ מְנַחֵם, מִכָּל-אהֲבֶיהָ: כָּל-רֵעֶיהָ בָּגְדוּ בָהּ, הָיוּ לָהּ לְאֹיְבִים

איכה א:א-ב

1 Oh, how she sits alone. The city* that was full of people has become like a widow. The great among the nations, the princess among the provinces, has become tributary! 2 Surely she weeps at night, her tears upon her cheeks; she has no comfort from her lovers; all her friends have betrayed her, they have become her enemies.

-Lamentations 1:1-2

*=Jerusalem

No comfort, even from those who love her? Friends betraying her? Becoming her enemies?

Sound familiar?

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Hebrew texts of the Tana"kh, Mishnah, Talmud Yerushalmi, Talmud Bavli, & Mishnah Torah are available on-line at Mechon Mamre.