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This issue
A weekly Journal of information and training published by the World Jewish Adventist Friendship Center Under the umbrella of the General Conference —Office of Adventist Mission
ers of the Jewish Ministry, according to our list of prayer for 2016, I
Journal of Information and Training — Issue 693— 13 August 2 0 1 6 / 9 A b 5 7 7 6
suggest that we continue Jewish Adventist leaders, thus I invite our partners to
English Edition: Richard-Amram Elofer
Richard Amram Elofer
Russian Edition: Alexandra Obrevko French Edition: Sabine Baris Spanish Edition: Jael Wells Cuellar Portuguese Edition: Carlos Muniz Dutch Edition: Hubert Paulleta
Hubert Paulleta 8
pray from August
Carlos Muniz Emails: English: richard@elofer.com
7 to 13 for Vitaliy Alexandra Obrevko
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Credit photos: Richard Elofer, Alexandra Obrevko, Jael Wells Cuellar Hubert Paulleta, Laurent Baris and Advent Digital Media
for more information: contact us at www.jewishadventist.org
& Alexandra Obrevko, who are working in Ukraine and are the translators of our newsletter in Russian from
Sabine Baris
News P.1 Parasha’s comments P.2-4 Haftara P.4-5 Apostolic Writings P.5 Stories P.6 Inspirational Corner P.6,7 Color Sheet for Kids P.7
Weekly Jewish-Adventist Journal of Information
week for lead-
Paris
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13 August / 9 Ab 2016 / 5776
We pray every
WJAFC
Jael Wells Cuellar
Shabbat — Devarim
Shabbat Shalom Newsletter
Resources:
Kiev. Let’s pray for them.
NEWS
Next Jewish Celebration
Very soon will start the month of Ellul, which is the preparation month for the Autumn feasts of the Jewish people, especially Rosh Hashana (October 3) Yom Kippur (October 12) and Sukkot (October 17-24). However, on the month before, on Av, Jews are commemorating Tisha Be’Av for the destruction of the Temples. Tisha B’Av (August 14, 2016) is a fasting day, observed by the Jewish people in order to mourn the loss of the Temples in Jerusalem. What was the great loss from the destruction of the Temples? It is the loss of feeling God’s presence. The Temple was a place of prayer, spirituality, holiness, and open miracles. It was the focal point of our Jewish identity. Three times a year (Passover, Shavuot, Sukkot) every Jew would ascend to the Temple. Its presence pervaded every aspect of Jewish life — planning the year, where one faced while praying, where one would go for justice or to learn Torah, where one would bring certain tithes. This day of Tisha Be’Av or 9th of the month of Av became the typical Jewish day to remember the big catastrophes of their history. Because on this same day throughout history many tragedies befell the Jewish people, including: 1. The incident of the spies slandering the land of Israel with the subsequent decree to wander the desert for 40 years. 2. The destruction of the first Temple in Jerusalem by Nevuchadnetzar, King of Babylon. 3. The
destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem by Titus emperor of Rome. 4. The fall of Betar and the end of the Bar Kochba revolt against the Romans in 135 CE. 5. On the 9th of Av, Jerusalem was plowed over like a field by the Roman emperor, Turnus Rufus. 6. The Jews of England were expelled on the 9th of Av 1290. 7. The Jews of Spain were expelled in 1492 . 8. World War I broke out on Tisha B’Av in 1914 when Russia declared war on Germany. German resentment from the war set the stage for the Holocaust. 9. On Tisha B’Av, deportation began of Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto. 10. On that very same day the first killings started at Treblinka. Tisha B’Av is a fast day (like Yom Kippur, from sunset one evening until the stars come out the next evening) Like all fast days, the object is introspection, making a spiritual accounting and correcting our ways —what in Hebrew is called, teshuva, returning, to the path of good and righteousness—to the ways of the Torah. Teshuva is a five part process: (1) We must recognize what we have done wrong and regret it. (2) We must stop doing the transgression and correct whatever damage that we can. (3) We must accept upon ourselves not to do it again. (4) We must verbally ask the Almighty to forgive us. (5) We must accept the forgiveness offered by G-d through the merits of the Mashiach. On the night of Tisha B’Av we read in the synagogue Eicha, the book of Lamentations, written by the prophet Yirmiyahu (Jeremiah)
“Even with me the Lord was angry on your account and said, ‘You also shall not go in there’.” (Deuteronomy 1:37)
Parasha for this Week
Devarim
Parasha Overview
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Devarim
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his Parasha begins the last of the Five Books of The Torah, sefer Devarim. This Book is also called Mishneh Torah, “Repetition of the Torah” (hence the Greek/ English title Deuteronomy). Sefer Devarim relates what Moshe told Bnei Israel during the last five weeks of his life, as they prepared to cross the Jordan into Eretz Israel. Moshe reviews the mitzvot, stressing the change of lifestyle they are about to undergo: from the supernatural existence of the desert under Moshe’s guidance to the apparently natural life they will experience under Yehoshua’s leadership in the Land. The central theme this week is the sin of the spies, the meraglim. The parasha opens with Moshe alluding to the sins of the previous generation who died in the desert. He describes what would have happened if they had not sinned by sending spies into Eretz
Deuteronomy 1: 1 - 3:22
From Tish’a B’Av to Simcha Torah
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his Shabbat we begin the fifth Book of the Torah—the Book of Deuteronomy (Devarim). Devarim is the last book of the Torah. To a large extent, the book of Devarim is a retrospective of events and laws taught in previous sections of the Torah. For this reason, the book is often called Mishneh Torah or Deuteronomy, which both mean “repetition of the law”. According to Deut. 1:1-5 the time is the fortieth year after the Exodus, the place is Transjordan (East Bank of Jordan River). “It came about in the fortieth year, on the first day of the eleventh month, that Moses spoke to the children of Israel, according to all that the Lord had commanded him to give to them” (Deut 1:3). The context is the aftermath of the battles with Sichon and Og—battles that were won and described in the Book of Num. 21:33-35. We begin the Book of Devarim on the Shabbat which is before the
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fast of Tisha B’Av (the 9th of Av), the saddest period in the Hebrew calendar. We conclude the Book of Devarim on Simchat Torah, one of the most happiest holidays of the year.
Menachem Av
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he Jewish people have started last Friday the month of Av called also “Menachem Av.” This month is known as the month of Av, but the Orthodox people gave to this month, the full name of Menachem Av. The Hebrew translation of the name of this month, “Menachem Av” is: Comfort Father; Menachem means “comfort” and Av means “father.” What does this mean in the context of this month? It reminds Jews that during this time, when they should repent for the sins which caused the destruction of the Temples, it is up to them to receive Comfort from the Father who is in Heaven (G-d) and to bring comfort to G-d (our Father-in-Heaven) through repentance, confession of our sins, reading the Torah and to be faithful to His mitzvot. It is already a small preparation for the days of Judgement
(Rosh Hashana) and Atonement (Yom Kippur) which will be in less than 2 months.
Devarim and Tisha B’Av
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he Book of Devarim is Moshe’s address to the generation which will be going into the land of Israel. These were the children of the people whom Moshe led out of Egypt. Most of this generation did not witness the Exodus, the Splitting of the Sea and the Giving of the Torah. Thus, the book of Devarim is a synopsis of what took place with Israel during their 40 years in the desert. Moshe, before his passing, reviews the many miracles which G-d performed for their parents. He also tells them of the sins their parents transgressed and the punishments which G-d inflicted upon them. Moshe conveys to them the events of the past, so that when they enter the Promised Land, they would not repeat the mistakes of their parents In the “Mishne Torah” Moshe wants to impress upon the generation which will be entering the Promised Land the importance of observing the commandments. For only
then they will be able to inherit and dwell in the land of Israel. Moshe reviews also in this Parasha the unfortunate story of the “spies” who were sent to scout the land of Israel. But, as a result of the negative report which they brought back, the Torah tells us that, “the people cried that night” and refused to go into Israel. This resulted in their wandering the desert for 40 years. The night which the Jews “cried” was the 9th of Av (Tisha B’Av). G-d said, “You cried this night in vain refusing to enter the land which I promised to give to you, as a result this night will become a night of crying in the future.” It was on the very same date a thousand years later that the first Temple was destroyed and a few hundred year later again the second the Temple was destroyed.
Moshe’s last words
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he Torah states, “These are the words that Moses spoke to all Israel beyond the Jordan in the wilderness, in the Arabah opposite Suph, between Paran
and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Dizahab.” (Deuteronomy 1:1). “These words” refers to the entire contents of the fifth book of the Torah. The final chapters of the fourth book contain G-d’s commandments regarding the conquest of the Land, whereas the fifth book contains the words that Moshe spoke to his people before his death. The Bible wanted to give the exact location where Moshe ended his lifetime among his people, where the people last saw their leader, where they heard the words he spoke before his death. Every word of these final speech of Israel’s leader reflects his deep-felt attachment to his people and his concern for their future welfare. In this discourse it is as though he imparts to his people his own spirit, to enable them to endure the trials that await them. The Torah gives us the location and boundaries of this place, to preserve it in the memory of future generation. After all, Moshe departed leaving no monument, no memorial, no earthly reminder of his life. There is not even a grave to serve as a memorial for future generation to view.
It is interesting also to read this parasha in order to discover the personal feeling of Moshe. The great difference between the end of Numbers and this beginning of Deuteronomy is that the narration of Numbers 33 is a factual narration, if we want to know the exact itinerary of Israel in the wilderness it is a good chapter. But Deuteronomy is more subjective. Rabbi Berel Wein says about this beginning of Deuteronomy: It is a personal and at times emotional and painful review of those years in the desert. Moshe bares his heart and soul and shares his frustrations and emotions with us. In many ways it is one of the most personal and emotional books in the entire canon of the Bible. It is not only Moshe’s words that are on display before us in the parasha. It is his viewpoint and assessment of the Jewish people and its relationship to God that is reflected clearly and passionately in his words.
Good Timing
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he Torah states: Moshe spoke to the Children of Israel ...
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Israel. Hashem would have given them without a fight all the land from the Mediterranean to the Euphrates, including the lands of Ammon, Moav and Edom. He details the subtle sins that culminate in the sin of the spies, and reviews at length this incident and its results. The entire generation would die in the desert; Moshe would not enter Eretz Yisrael. He reminds them that their immediate reaction to Hashem’s decree was to want to “go up and fight” to redress the sin. He recounts how they would not listen when he told them not to go, that they no longer merited vanquishing their enemies miraculously. They ignored him and suffered a massive defeat. They were not allowed to fight with the kingdoms of Esav, Moav or Ammon these lands were not to be part of the map of Eretz Israel in the meantime. When the conquest of Canaan will begin with Sichon and Og, it will be via natural warfare
Haftara Overview Isaiah 1:1-27
“Then we turned and journeyed into the wilderness in the direction of the Red Sea, as the Lord told me. And for many days we traveled around Mount Seir.”
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uesday will be the day of Tish’a Be’av (9th of Av), the very date of the destruction of the temples of Jerusalem. Both temples were destroyed on the same day but the second more than 650 years after the first one. The Haftara continues to give the reasons of the destruction of Jerusalem. “I reared children and brought them up, but they have rebelled against me. The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master’s crib; but Israel does not know, my people do not understand” (Isaiah 1:3). The L-rd is so upset with Israel that he call her Gomorrah “Listen to the teaching of our God, you people of Gomorrah!” (10) The Almighty said to Israel that he did not like their sacrifices “What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the L-RD; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats” (11). If the L-rd does not like anymore Israel’ sacrifice, it is not because G-d is against sacrifices but just because Israel’s ceremonies have lost their significance for Israel and became just rituals. That’s why the Lord does not like not only sacrifice but also Sabbath and feasts “bringing offerings is futile; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and sabbath and calling of convocation—I cannot endure solemn assemblies with iniquity. Your new moons and your appointed festivals my soul hates; ” (13-14). The L-rd never lose hope, his peo-
(Deuteronomy 2:1)
after he had smitten Sichon, the king of the Amorites, who dwelt in Cheshbon, and Og, the King of Bashan, who dwelt in Ashtaros at Edrei.” (Deuteronomy 1:3-4). Why does the Torah emphasize that Moshe rebuked the people of Israel after he had smitten Sichon and Og? Rashi cites the Sifre (an halachic Midrash) which tells us that Moshe reasoned, “If I rebuke them before they enter the land, they will say, ‘What does this man have against us? What good did he do for us? He has come only to vex us and to find a pretext since he doesn’t have the power to bring us into the land.’ “ Therefore, Moshe waited until he had conquered Sichon and Og, and then he rebuked the people. Had the people felt that Moshe’s rebuke was insincere and that he had ulterior motives, his words would have been ineffective. A person will only accept rebuke if he feels that the rebuker has his best interests in mind. (We also see the power of good timing.).
The Duty of the Judges
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ecalling to Israel what has been done Moshe recalls the instructions he gave to the judges,
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“And I charged your judges at that time, ‘Hear the cases between your brothers, and judge righteously between a man and his brother or the alien who is with him.” (Deuteronomy 1:16). The judges must bear with the tiresomeness of their office and patiently tolerate even outrageous conduct on the part of the public. A judge should know that he is appointed to be the educator of the public, and patience is expected of him. Similarly a judge should not regard his office as a right of superiority, but should undertake it as a duty of service in the service of the community. Rabbi Hirsch says that not only must the judge refrain from listening to only one of the litigants, but he must not listen to one litigant before the arrival of the other litigant. It is also forbidden for one of the litigants to present his case to the judge before the arrival of the other litigant, so that a one-sided preliminary opinion of the case not be formed in the judge’s mind The hearing may be held only “between” the litigants, and this is a warning both to the judges and to the litigants. What a great wisdom in this law, if the church or synagogue had followed this rule, a lot of unfair decisions would have been avoided. Many times decisions are taken just in hearing one side, and decision are made
without confronting the affirmations on both side. Mistakes and unjust decision are made. Here again the laws of the Torah and of the sages of Israel demonstrate their wisdom.
Ammonites and Moabites
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he Torah states, “Then the L-rd said to me, ‘Do not harass the Moabites or provoke them to war, for I will not give you any part of their land. I have given Ar to the descendants of Lot as a possession.’ ” (Deut 2:9). After forty long years in the desert, the people of Israel were almost ready to conquer the Holy Land. But there were complications. Two of their most formidable enemies were untouchable. The Torah forbade the Jewish people to attack the nations of Ammon and Moav. They had to circle around to the north even though the direct path of invasion led through the lands of these two nations. The Torah did, however, allow Israel invaders to threaten and intimidate Moav, as long as they stopped short of actual combat. Why was this special protection granted to these two implacable foes of Israel? We remember that they were descendants of Lot. The Torah rewarded Lot by forbidding the Jewish people to attack Lot’s descendants, the nations of Ammon and Moav.
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Apostolic Writings — Hebrews 3
n the parasha we have the first discourse of Moses before Israel enters the Holy Land. The Brit Hachadasha speaks a lot about Moses too. However, the Apostolic Writings introduce Yeshua Hamashiach saying that Yeshua is greater than Moses. The author of the letter to the Hebrews says “Moses was faithful in all God’s house” (Hebrews 3:2), however, “Yeshua has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses” (v. 3), I don’t want to be disrespectful to Moses, but the Apostolic Writings are very clear: Moses was a great prophet, he was faithful to God during all his ministry, that is why the world-tocome has been promised to Moses, but Yeshua is more than a prophet, he is the Messiah, that is why the letter to Hebrews says that Yeshua was “found worthy and greater than Moses”. Here the author of this letter made a comparison between the house and the builder of the house. In the verse 3 and 4 a great revelation is given to the readers; Yeshua is the builder as G-d is the builder. “Yeshua has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself. For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything. (v.3-4). And again the text presents the faithfulness of Moses: “Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s house, testifying to what would be said in the future.” (v.5). Not only Moses was a great
prophet, but he was more than that, he was a faithful servant of God. In the comparison, what Yeshua is, in order to be presented as worthy of greater honor than Moses, more than a “servant”? The verse 6 explains “Messiah is faithful as a son over God’s house,” in every house of that time, there was the owner of the house, a servant, who is checking that everything is OK, but the son is more that the servant, the son is the heir of the house, one day the house will belong to him, this difference between the servant and the son, is the difference between Moses and Yeshua. Then, the second segment of the verse 6 goes further and says that “we are his house”. We already have seen this truth, Paul or Rabbi Shaul says “we are the temple of G-d” he completes that “For we are the temple of the living God” (2 Cor 6:16). Moses was the builder, God’s people are the house, and G-d and Yeshua are the owners, the master of the house. It was not easy for Moses to built the house of God in the desert. However, in the Brit Hachadasha, Yeshua sent his spirit to help us building God’s people (God’s house): “So, as the Holy Spirit says: ‘Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert’,” (vs. 7-8). Now if we go further in our study we discover that the parasha for this week is about G-d’s blessings upon the people of Israel during the 40 years in the desert. “The L-rd your G-d has blessed you in all the work of your hands. . . .
These forty years the LORD your God has been with you, and you have not lacked anything.” (Deut 2:7) And G-d’s request to trust him “Do not be afraid, the LORD your God himself will fight for you.” (Deut 3:22). The Brit Hachadasha is the continuation of the Hebrew Bible, that is why Moses is compared to Yeshua and this Apostolic Writings request the same trust in G-d. “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him” (Rom 15:13), trust in him which help us in our daily life through the Ruach Elohim, which inspired Moses when he wrote the Torah. The great revelation of the Brit Hachadasha is that the Ruach Elohim is available for everyone who trust G-d and wants to build his life with Him. It is always good to remember that all the events that happened to the people of Israel were written in the Holy Scriptures to serve as an example. Rabbi Shaul, said “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” (Rom 15:4). We are not better than the people of Israel of the ancient time, if we were at their time, I am sure that we would have committed the same sins and mistakes but our advantage today is that we have the full G-d’s Word and revelation which helps us to understand their mistake and not to renew them.
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ple is still his people, “Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes; cease to do evil, ” (16). It is a call to repentance “Come now” (18). The Lord is a God full of forgiveness and love for his people “though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be like snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land” (19-20). Whatever Israel done in the past, G-d is willing to forgive. However, if the people don’t want to repent and to ask forgiveness, the L-rd will not be able to bless them and they will fall under the rules of other power as Babylon and many others. The text ends with a positive statement, “I will restore your judges as at the first, and your counselors as at the beginning. Afterward you shall be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city. Zion shall be redeemed by justice, and those in her who repent, by righteousness” (2627).
Stories and Traditions
God’s People Role
Inspirational Corner
v Two tribes,
Gad and Reuben, with half the tribe of Manasseh, had received their inheritance before crossing the Jordan. The wide upland plains and rich forests of Gilead and Bashan had attractions not to be found in Canaan itself. The two and a half tribes, desiring to settle here, had pledged to furnish their proportion of armed men to accompany their brethren across the Jordan and share their battles till they also should enter upon their inheritance. (EP 369)
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eventy-five years ago, a young yeshiva student who had escaped from Nazi Europe with the Mir Yeshiva was walking through the streets of Shanghai. He was stopped in his tracks by hysterical ranting coming from a radio in an upstairs apartment. The voice sounded like a wild animal. And then he realized he could understand what was being said: The voice was shrieking in German, “Come, let us obliterate from the world that nation that will not let us live in peace!” A sea of voices swelled behind him chanting, “Seig Heil! Seig Heil!” The young man was shaken to the depths of his soul; he had never heard such a statement. He ran immediately to spiritual mentor and repeated what he had heard. “For once,” responded his mentor, “for once, he’s telling the truth.” The Jewish People will not let the world live in peace. The Jewish People proclaim to the world, by our very existence, that many things the world holds extremely dear are, in fact, worthless. When Haman looks at Mordechai he sees someone to whom all his power and money and status is a joke —Mordechai negates his entire existence. For this, the Jewish People have been hated down throughout the generations. 6
The Temple Destroyed
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ur sages tell us that the sin that destroyed the Second Temple was “unjust” hate and strife among God’s people. The Talmud relates an episode in which one of the wealthy people of Jerusalem had a friend called Kamtza and a foe named Bar-Kamtza. He sent his servant to invite his friend Kamtza to a party, but the servant mistakenly invited his enemy, Bar-Kamtza. When the host noticed BarKamtza at the party he ordered him to leave. Bar-Kamtza offered to pay for his share of the meal. When this didn’t help, he offered to pay for half the party and then for the entire party, but was refused. He made him leave the party in full view of all who attended and with great embarrassment. The chain of events which resulted from this episode caused the destruction of the Second Temple.
Moshe was able to speak to Israel.
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he Midrash asks, “How is it that here the Torah says, “These are the words that Moshe spoke,” yet, in the Book of Exodus, when G-d tells Moshe to go speak to Pharaoh and to the Jewish people in Egypt, Moshe replies, “Oh G-d, I am not a man of words...” Moshe claims that he cannot speak! The Midrash replies: “Rabbi Tanchuma said, This is compared to a peddler who was going around selling material. Wherever he went he would call out, ‘I have special wool to sell.’” Once he passed by the palace. The king called him over and
asked him, “What are you selling?” The peddler replied, “I have nothing to sell.” “But I just heard you announce that you have special wool to sell,” asked the king. Said the peddler to the king: “It is true that I announced I have good wool to sell. But this is for the ordinary person. For you, my king, who is so mighty and who has the most expensive materials that can be found, for you I have nothing to sell and nothing that you would buy!” The same says Rabbi Tanchuma was with Moshe. In the presence of G-d, who created a person’s mouth, Moshe claimed that he was not a man of words. But now in front of the Jewish people, he was indeed a man of words. Thus, the Torah says, “These are the words which Moshe spoke to all of Israel.”
Kids Parasha Devarim
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here was a convert from the town of Topol who refused to leave his fellow Jews when they were sent to the death camps in Poland. He was imprisoned in Zholina’s detention camp to await the arrival of the deportation train. Some Slovakian collaborators came and searched for him there and offered him the chance to “come back home”. “You’re not a Jew as far as we know”, one young guard told him. “You’re one of us, and you can take your family with you and go home”, he said ingratiatingly. But Avraham Klein shouted into his face, “I am a Jew! I am just like all the other Jews! I am going with all of them to Poland to suffer Neither you nor any other like you will send me home. Only G-d Himself can do that.
Often difficulties arise from a simple misunderstanding, and without courtesy and forbearance, serious results may follow. The ten tribes resolved to act promptly and earnestly; but instead of making courteous inquiry to learn the facts in the case, they met their brethren with censure and condemnation. Had the men of Gad and Reuben retorted in the same spirit, war would have been the result. It is important that laxness in dealing with sin be avoided; it is equally important to shun harsh judgment and groundless suspicion. (EP 371). v
I Am A Jew
Deuteronomy 1: 1 - 3:22
“And the LORD spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you pass over the Jordan into the land of Canaan, then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you and destroy all their figured stones and destroy all their metal images and demolish all their high places. And you shall take possession of the land and settle in it, for I have given the land to you to possess it.” (Numbers 33:50–53)
http://www.bnai-tikkun.org.nz 7
Inspirational Corner