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The Week In News

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OCTOBER 25, 2018 | The Jewish Home

The Gate of All Goodness Is Through ‫תפילה‬ Seforim tell us that ‫תפילה‬ is the gate to all the ‫אוצרות משמים‬.

This is to say, that even a person who is deserving to be saved from a difficult situation, or to receive something really good from Hashem, might not receive that bracha without ‫תפילה‬.

So too, a person who does not necessarily deserve a ‫ ישועה‬or something really good from Hashem, might get it anyway, through ‫תפילה‬.

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The Week In News

OCTOBER 25, 2018 | The Jewish Home

Jack Nagel ‫ז''ל‬

The world-wide Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem Family mourns the loss of a dear and cherished Benefactor and friend. A warm, kind and gentle man, Jack was respected and admired deeply by all who knew him, with a smile that could light up the room. A true patriarch, visionary and hero of the Jewish people, he and his loving wife Gitta were full partners in all of their enumerable charitable endeavors while also nurturing and serving as beautiful role models to their incredible, loving family. In addition to building and strengthening their home community of Los Angeles and assisting Jews in need throughout the world, particularly in Israel, the Nagels have shown that they have a special place in their hearts for healing and educating children. This natural inclination was wonderfully demonstrated by their naming of the Nagel Family Inpatient Pavilion in Shaare Zedek’s Wilf Children’s Hospital. It is remarkable how much pain, suffering and illness they have helped to prevent, not to mention the happiness, healing, joy and peace of mind that they have made possible as a result of their exceptional generosity and outstretched hand of kindness. Heartfelt condolences to Gitta, his sister Gloria (and Victor) Unger, his children Dr. Ronnie (and Cheryl) Nagel, Esther (and Dr. Paul) Lerer, David (and Marnie) Nagel, and Careena (and Drew) Parker and the many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. May the family be comforted amongst the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.

Barak Raviv, Chair, Western Region Campaign Advisory Council Francine Gani, Chair, Pacific Northwest Region Paul Jeser, Western Region Director

American Committee for Medical Center in Jerusalem

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The Week In News

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CONTENTS COMMUNITY Happenings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

OCTOBER 25, 2018 | The Jewish Home

Dear Readers Are emotions real? Do they exist simply in order to help us accomplish things, or do they have a value of their own?

“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” We all

JEWISH THOUGHT Living with the Times . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 The Weekly Daf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Torah Musings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

FEATURE Jerusalem at a Crossroads. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

say it. But is it true?

Rashi, on this week’s parshah, tells us that the reason the three angels who visited Avraham after his bris milah appeared in human form was in order for Avraham to feel like he was doing hachnassas orchim. He wasn’t, since the angels didn’t eat the food or drink or need the shade, but he felt like he was.

LIFESTYLE Tech. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Humor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

A few pesukim later, Rashi tells us that as a sign of respect, the malachim stood in their tracks without approaching and disturbing Avraham. Yet this actually caused Avraham Avinu to have to get up and greet them.

NEWS Global. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

The Rambam in Hilchos Avel rules that it is greater to accompany guests as they leave than to host them in the first place, and that if one doesn’t accompany a guest,

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it is as if they shed his blood. The commentaries explain that a guest is naturally

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shy and ashamed. Accompanying them bolsters their confidence and self-esteem.

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Again, we see that emotional considerations may trump physical ones.

Then there’s the ruling that “It’s better to jump into a raging fire than to embarrass somebody in public.”

It seems pretty clear that another’s emotions are on par with or may even surpass their physicality. Perhaps this is because emotions are deeper, and more lasting, for the average person. Perhaps there’s a different reason.

One thing is certain: Words might never hurt me—but when we are viewing someone else, sticks and stones might just be the lesser of two evils.

With kindness and respect, we can change our homes, our communities, and eventually the world.

Wishing you a wonderful Shabbos,

Shalom

T H E P R E M I E R J E W I S H N E W S PA P E R H I G H L I G H T I N G L A’ S O R T H O D OX C O M M U N I T Y The Jewish Home is an independent bi-weekly newspaper. Opinions expressed by writers are not neces­sarily the opinions of the publisher or editor. The Jewish Home is not responsible for typographical errors, or for the kashrus of any product or business advertised within. The Jewish Home contains words of Torah. Please treat accordingly.

FOR HOME DELIVERY, OR TO HAVE THE LATEST ISSUE EMAILED TO YOU FREE OF CHARGE, SEND A MESSAGE TO EDITOR@JEWISHHOMELA.COM

OCTOBER 25, 2018 | The Jewish Home

The Week In News

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TheHappenings Week In News

OCTOBER 25, 2018 | The Jewish Home

Rabbi Pini Dunner’s Debut Book Launches at Event in Beverly Hills On Wednesday, November 7th, Rabbi Pini Dunner will launch his debut book, Mavericks, Mystics & False Messiahs: Episodes from the Margins of Jewish History, at a special event at Beverly Hills Synagogue. The program will include an exploration of an array of unusual historical episodes, featuring the oddest characters and most startling stories of modern Jewish history. Focusing on some of the more unusual aspects of the eccentric personalities and strange episodes in his book, Rab-

bi Dunner will reveal how these marginal figures and stories have impacted contemporary Jewish life. Rabbi Dunner will be joined by Professor Jessica Marglin of USC’s Department of Religion & Jewish Studies for a Q&A about the book, after which he will sign copies.

The event will be held at 9261 Alden Drive, Beverly Hills, and starts at 7:15 p.m. The doors will open at 6:30 p.m.

Rabbi Dunner’s book has received many endorsements. Rabbi Lord Jona-

than Sacks says, “A thoroughly engaging introduction to some of the most colorful episodes in Jewish history. A wonderfully enjoyable read.” Rabbi David Wolpe says, “Rabbi Dunner shows his mastery of all the byways of Jewish history—the combatants, crackpots, dreamers, and tzaddikim who together embroider the Jewish mosaic. He is a wonderful storyteller with several remarkable stories to tell. So pull up a chair, put away distractions, and enter a world where the past comes to life.”

It Just Got Easier to Have a Safe Work Environment When Chaim opened his dental clinic in 2015, he purchased two computers and a new smartphone. He looked into installing an internet filter on his devices, but friends warned him of the filters that were available. He was told that these filters would

make it impossible for him to use the internet for work purposes. They would block entire web pages, not allow him to watch Youtube videos, and make it impossible for him to do social media marketing.

Chaim decided to hold off on filtering

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his internet, but he was never entirely satisfied with this decision. He was worried about how easy it would be to accidentally come across inappropriate websites and how an innocent search could turn up nontznius texts and pictures.

Fast forward to a few months ago, when Chaim heard that Netspark was now filtering desktop computers. He called Netspark’s customer service and learned that Netspark uses AI modules to assess images and videos and seamlessly extract only the objectionable elements.

This means that instead of blocking whole web pages, Netspark purifies the page and shows the acceptable sections. If Chaim wanted to read an article about dental care which shows ads with immodest pictures, Netspark would display the article without the image.

Chaim’s next question was about social media. His receptionist spends a few hours a week updating the social media profiles of the clinic and managing ads on platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn. Would she still be able to do that with Netspark?

One of the unique features of Netspark is its ability to filter pages which are constantly changing, such as Google, Wikipedia, Facebook, and Youtube. According to Netspark vice president Zvika Ilan, “Filtering social media was one of the greatest challenges our company has faced. On the other hand, we knew that it was one of the most important hurdles to jump. Users need to access social media sites, whether for work or entertainment, and we needed to make these sites safe spaces.”

Inappropriate content of varying levels exists all over the internet, and user sensitivities are not uniform across the board.

Therefore, Netspark allows users to choose the level of filtering which is appropriate for their office or home. Users can choose from a number of filtering options, ranging from blocking the internet entirely to blocking only obscene content, or various

standards in between. There is also a custom option, which allows users to decide whether to release specific content.

Because AI filters pages in real-time, users don’t experience a slow-down in page loading. And the AI is so precise that it doesn’t accidentally block safe sites, so users get the full experience of internet browsing without any of the pitfalls It only took a few minutes for Chaim to decide to join Netspark. He was pleasantly surprised to find out how easy it was to install. All he had to do was visit the Netspark website, choose a package and install with a few clicks. He chose to add Netspark to two desktop computers (his and his receptionist’s) and his smartphone, for $22 a month.

“I am thrilled that I discovered Netspark,” said Chaim. “I used to constantly worry about the possibility of coming across inappropriate pictures online.

More than once, I had to quickly close a page and try to forget I had seen a specific image. I often considered canceling our social media marketing, as I didn’t want my receptionist to be exposed to anything inappropriate while working for me. Now I don’t have to worry about any of that. I can run my dental practice efficiently and safely and know that I am protecting my employee as well.”

Netspark is the leader in filtering technology. Join the hundreds of thousands of happy customers worldwide. Download Netspark at filter.netspark.com or visit your local TAG office.

OCTOBER 25, 2018 | The Jewish Home

The Week In News

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TheHappenings Week In News

OCTOBER 25, 2018 | The Jewish Home

Love Increases Scholarship to $5000 for Gap Year Experience The Rosina Korda Gap Year Scholarship exclusively for American Israel Gap Year Fair Attendees (November 15th at YULA Girls High School) has grown to $5000 for each of three potential awardees thanks to the generosity of Joy and Ron Sentchuk and their remarkable love story.

Parents of eight children collectively, all of which have gone on or will go on a gap year program, the Senchuks believe that this additional donation seemed like the perfect way to celebrate their love.

Culminating a seven-year long-distance courtship with their wedding this fall, the Sentchuks requested all their guests make their wedding gifts a donation to the Rosina Korda Gap Year Scholarship.

The scholarship was established this year in honor of Ron’s aunt, whose love of Israel changed his life.

According to Ron, “A trip to Israel that Rosina and Bob sent me on literally changed the way I saw Israel and my future. It made me see how I wanted to live my life. It was where I met the mother of my children and charted them on a Jewish-centered life.” Joy, who was raising four boys of her own on the East Coast, met Ron at a niece’s bat mitzvah and moved to Los Angeles to begin their life together.

Their children’s gap years represent the cross-section of experiences that are evident at the Fair. With Ron’s girls choosing a seminary and Joy’s boys choosing coed travel, academic, and Zionistic experiences, they are the personification of what

AIGYA tries to achieve. “My daughter is attending the Fair to meet the program representatives personally,” said Ron. This year’s Fair will host 40 Israel programs. In addition to the program presentations, there will also be several important gap year breakout sessions.

The Gap Year Experience: Addressing the Concerns of the Sephardic Community, with a panel of Sephardic and Persian educational leaders Safety, Health and Emotional Well-Being During a Gap Year, with Dr. Ernie Katz Alumni Experience, presented by Masa Israel Journey “All of these additions will make an exciting evening, but the increase in monies for our

students to attend the programs is phenomenal,” says AIGYA Executive Director Phyllis Folb. “The premise of this circle of love from the Kordas, Israel, and now the Sentchuks is so touching.”

“To start your life on a mitzvah is the great way to begin a marriage. Rosina’s love of Israel and our own connection to the gap year, it just seemed like a natural fit,” concludes Joy. Attendance at the Fair is one of the eligibility criteria for scholarship application and advance signup will ensure up-tothe-minute news about presentation times.

Students & Families Fair Registration can be found at https://tinyurl.com/IsraelFair2018 Additional questions? Contact: info@ aigya.org

Rosina Korda

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OCTOBER 25, 2018 | The Jewish Home

The Week In News

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Living with the The Week In Times News

By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz

OCTOBER 25, 2018 | The Jewish Home

Kind

Publisher of the Yated Ne’eman

The parshiyos of Sefer Bereishis are replete with inspirational accounts of the avos and imahos that impart lessons for us to apply to our daily lives. The stories of Chumash overflow with teachings that have molded our people.

In Parshas Vayeira, we are introduced to the lofty chesed that characterized Avrohom Avinu. The Torah tells us that Avrohom interrupted a conversation with Hakadosh Boruch Hu to care for three wayfarers who were passing his tent.

Although the Torah does not say anything about Avrohom’s conversation with Hashem, it provides a lengthy description of how he cared for his guests, each word of the pesukim is full of hints derived by Chazal.

The Torah is not simply a collection of stories. Everything that appears in the Torah is there to teach a lasting lesson.

Apparently, Hakadosh Boruch Hu’s conversation with Avrohom contained less of a message relevant for Jews through the ages than the message of the importance of hospitality learned from Avrohom’s interactions with his guests.

Avrohom was conversing with Hashem when three desert nomads appeared on the horizon. He ran towards them to see if he could be of assistance. He didn’t know that they were malochim. He didn’t know that the Torah would write about this incident so that people for all time could learn how to conduct hachnosas orchim.

How would we have reacted in that situation? How do we act when we are doing something and a collector comes by?

Anyone can be nice to a likeable person. The test of greatness is how we treat ordinary folk who are different than us and for whom we have no special affinity. How we treat people when we are overwhelmed with our own needs attests to how deeply committed we are to the path of our forefathers.

Avrohom ignored his own needs and treated each transient as if he were important.

So we learn how to act positively and care for others from Avrohom, but where did Avrohom learn it from and from where did he derive that it was proper to interrupt a conversation with Hakadosh Boruch Hu and ask Him to wait for him while he cared for the guests?

The Gemara (Shabbos 127a) quotes Rav Yehudah in the name of Rav, who derives from Avrohom’s conduct that “gadol hachnosas orchim m’kabbolas pnei haShechinah - hachnosas orchim is greater than speaking with Hashem.” The Gemara does not explain how Avrohom knew that.

It seems to defy comprehension. If we were ever to merit for Hashem to speak to us, would we interrupt our conversation to feed a nomad at our door? If we had an important guest, would we leave him to help someone we didn’t know?

He continues that “even though these mitzvos are miderabbonon, they are included in ‘ve’ohavta lerei’acha kamocha.’

Anything that you would want others to do for you, you should do for other people…”

He then goes on to detail more of the laws of hachnosas orchim that are derived from the way Avrohom Avinu dealt with his guests as recounted in this week’s parsha.

We can suggest that since the source of the root of the mitzvah of hachnosas orchim is from the mitzvah of ve’ohavta lerei’acha kamocha, to treat others the way you want others to treat you, Avrohom felt obligated to interrupt what he was doing to help the three people wandering in the desert under a blazingly hot sun.

Every person, when sick and in pain, hopes that people will stop what they are

When people go through hard times, it gives them consolation to know that other people care about them.

The Rambam quotes the teaching of Rav Yehudah in Hilchos Avel (14:1-2), and a reading of his words sheds light upon our question.

The Rambam opens Chapter 14 of Hilchos Avel by stating, “It is a mitzvah miderabbonon to visit the sick, comfort the mourner, hotzoas hameis, hachnosas kallah, lelavos orchim, to gladden a chosson and kallah, etc. These are all included in gemillus chassodim shebegufo for which there is no limit to what we are to do.”

doing and care for him. Every person who is lost in the desert, hot and thirsty, wishes that the people in the house they see up ahead will open the door and let him in.

Every person in pain wants anyone who can relieve their discomfort to drop what they are doing and rush to his rescue.

When you are hungry and lost and need a drink and directions, and the person who can help you happens to be busy at the moment, you might understand that he doesn’t want to be interrupted, but you think that in your case, that person should

make an exception. He should step away from what he is doing for a minute and tend to you.

Since that is the case, the mitzvah of ve’ohavta lerei’acha kamocha demands that you treat other people that way. From this perspective, Avrohom derived that he was obligated to interrupt his conversation with the Shechinah to care for the guests.

He felt obligated to set aside his own desire for attaining greater spiritual heights so that he could perform the mitzvah of caring for others.

In so doing, he forged a legacy that would follow the Jewish people through the generations.

We have to absorb that lesson and recognize the importance of every single person and his or her needs. We need to put ourselves in their place, feel their pain, and do whatever we can to alleviate their suffering.

All through life, people experience ups and downs. It is not always possible for us to solve the problems of our friends and family as they go through hard times, as we are not always equipped with the resources to rectify the situation. We can, however, offer messages of support.

When people go through hard times, it gives them consolation to know that other people care about them. Even if we aren’t all blessed with the gift of always being able to find the right words, we ought to be able to find ways of expressing our solidarity and friendship.

People who seek shidduchim and others who require assistance need us to pay attention to them in an un-patronizing way.

They need and deserve more than lip service. The mitzvah of ve’ohavta lerei’acha kamocha obligates us to put ourselves in their place and do whatever we can to help them.

When someone is trying unsuccessfully to get their children accepted into a school and they turn to us for assistance, we can either ignore them, or explain to them why they are wasting their time, or send them to someone else. But what we should do is feel for them, put ourselves in their place, and do for them what we would want someone to do for us if the tables were turned.

Avrohom Avinu showed us that. Just as nothing was beyond his dignity, nothing should be beyond ours. Just as he interrupted what he was doing to help his fellow human being, so must we help people desperate for someone to come to their aid.

In Parshas Chayei Sarah, we see the

OCTOBER 25, 2018 | The Jewish Home

difficulty that Avrohom Avinu experienced in finding a suitable shidduch for his son, Yitzchok. Avrohom sent his servant, Eliezer, on a mission to find a suitable mate for Yitzchok. Eliezer swore that he would follow Avrohom’s directives about where to look for the right girl.

The Torah spends so much time recounting how Eliezer went about his task that the Medrash (Bereishis Rabbah 60:8) states, “Yofeh sichoson shel avdei botei avos mitorasan shel bonim.” The parsha of Eliezer offers so many lessons regarding how we are to lead our lives that the Torah elaborates on everything that Eliezer thought, did and said.

The purpose of the Torah relating the episode of Eliezer is to instruct us in middos. The reason these stories are retold is not to make for interesting, charming tales for youngsters to repeat at the Shabbos table. They are meant to be studied on a deep level and used as a practical guide in our own lives.

Eliezer was determined to find a girl blessed with middos tovos for the son of his master. He used his situation to test her and ensure that the girl who would marry Yitzchok possessed a refined character and excelled above all in her dealings with others.

Eliezer displayed a sincere dedication to his master coupled with deep faith in Hashem despite all of the difficulties inherent in the situation. In fact, in referring to Eliezer, the Medrash (ibid. 60:1) states that the posuk in Yeshayah (50:10) which states, “Asher holach chasheichim v’ein nogah lo – Who went in darkness and who has no light,” refers to Eliezer when he was on his mission to find a shidduch for Yitzchok.

Even when it seemed entirely dark and there was little hope that he would be able to fulfill his master’s request, Hashem lit the way for him. The Medrash states, “Hakadosh Boruch Hu hayah me’ir lo bezikim ubevrakim – Hashem lit the way for him with lightening.” When the person of faith appears to be lost in the dark, the light of Hashem will burst forth as lightning through the darkness and dread.

Sometimes, people involved in shidduchim grow so despondent that they give up all hope. A good study of this week’s parsha and its Medrashim can help instill in us the faith necessary to endure the shidduchim period and other trying times. In every other difficult situation, we must always remain optimistic and maintain hope.

The dark clouds will eventually part for men and women of faith and their world will be brightly lit.

We must never let anyone rob us of hope. We are entitled to dream of brighter and happier days. As long as we can keep hope alive, we will not lose sight of our

Living with the Times

goal and will remain loyal to our ambition.

For when we lose hope, we have lost everything. We must not lose our faith and optimism.

Eliezer learned from Avrohom to never quit and to maintain faith in Hashem. If we don’t do more than scratch the surface of these parshiyos, we will be overlooking the Torah’s teachings intended to help refine our characters and infuse our lives with holiness. That timeless wisdom will draw us closer to G-d and to our fellow man. It will infuse us with holiness and strength.

Let us all endeavor to expend the effort to increase our study of Torah. We will thus be better able to help ourselves. We will be more sensitive and attuned to those around us, and better equipped to ease their pain and hardship.

The Shela writes that Avrohom learned kindness by studying the actions of Hashem, who created the world to benefit man.

He learned that he was obligated to be charitable and kind from the posuk of “veholachta bidrochov – and you should go in Hashem’s ways” (Devorim 28:9).

The Rambam (Hilchos Dei’os 1:6 and Sefer Hamitzvos 8) cites the lesson from the posuk of veholachta bidrochov that just as Hashem is merciful, so should you be, and just as He is a tzaddik, so should you be, and just as He is a chossid, so should you be.

Following in the merciful ways of Hashem is not just a good idea and something meritorious. Rather, it is a mitzvas asei de’Oraisa and is incumbent upon all Jews to follow.

The posuk (18:19) says, “Ki yedativ lemaan asher yetzaveh es bonov v’es beiso acharov veshomru derech Hashem laasos tzedakah umishpot - For I know [Avrohom] that he will command his children and the people of his house to follow in the ways of Hashem to be charitable and just.”

The Gemara (Yevamos 79a) states that from this posuk - laasos tzedakah - we see that the Jewish people are kind, and that is one of their three attributes, namely, that they are merciful, bashful and kind.

We are to deal with people mercifully, with kindness and compassion. Being a tough guy who deals roughly with people, without pity and concern, is incompatible with living as a Torah Jew. Being harsh and merciless is incongruous with our Torah and tradition. Even when we must provide a negative response to someone’s appeal, we can do so compassionately, with love and care, just as we would want someone to deal with us.

If we do so, we will earn the blessings that were given to Avrohom Avinu and prove ourselves to be the type of people he would have been proud of.

The Week In News

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Biale The Week In News

OCTOBER 25, 2018 | The Jewish Home

Biale Rebbe of Bnei Brak arrives in Los Angeles One Of Israel’s Greatest Rabbis, Renowned For Hundreds Of Phenomenas Miracles Hardly a year has passed since the Biale Rebbe of Bnei Brak has visited Los Angeles, yet hundreds are anticipating the return of their revered Rebbe. Each year when the Rebbe arrives at the house of Rabbi Eliezer Noach Shwimmer—the Rebbe’s place lodging in Los Angeles—the home becomes a public attraction where hundreds of people of various standards and types gather.

Church Avenue becomes a hive of activity as lawyers, doctors, lay leaders, rabbis, educators, and teachers, ranging from Hassidic to Modern Orthodox mingle. From early morning until the small hours of the night, the streets resound with tales of miracles seen and experienced firsthand as a result of the Rebbe’s blessing.

Two months ago, large rallies of prayer were held throughout the world. Thousand’s prayed for the Rebbe to heal from his illness. The Rebbe was hospitalized following a heart attack and received medical treatment. All over, people prayed for the Rebbe’s well-being. Rabbis called to their congregations to pray for the Rebbe, young and old were united in tearing the heavens apart for “their” Rebbe.

What is his secret? What is it that pulls so many people to seek his presence again and again? What is it that causes thousands of people from different backgrounds to seek the Rebbe? At every occasion, be it happy or sad their first phone call is to include the Rebbe! What is it that brings people with no outward connection to Chassidus to cleave to the Rebbe with all their might, involving him in every move they take in life? What is it that unites young boys and elderly, kehillah leaders and high-profile American political figures alike to swarm to the Rebbe?

The Famous Story Last year the town of Long Island was ablaze with the following amazing story: the young man who was the cause of this uproar was a chassan who revealed the story to his guests at his own engagement party. This young man, son of a respectable family residing in the area, has a friend who became engaged immediately after receiving a blessing from the Rebbe the previous year. And so, he decided to try the same “tactic” and went to visit the Rebbe to receive a blessing to find his destined match.

When he came to the Rebbe, the Rebbe told him that if he was meticulous about a certain mitzvah for the duration of 40 days, he would immediately become engaged to be married. This young man was shocked at how the Rebbe, whom he had never met before, knew exactly what mitzvah he was lax about and accepted the “deal.” He began to fulfill the required mitzvah steadily, but on the 22nd day, he forgot! The same thing happened twice more. However, on his third try he managed to stay focused on the mitzvah for 40 successive days. On the 40th day, a relative contacted him to suggest the girl with whom he eventually became engaged. Now, during his engagement party, he explained to his guests. “I am standing here right now in the merit of the blessing from the Biale Rebbe, shlita, from Bnei Brak.”

The power of the Rebbe’s blessing is well known in Central Manhattan, where many residents have their own unbelievable story to share.

Two years ago, the Rebbe received the public in the home of a well-known businessman who was close to reaching his 40th birthday—as a bachelor.

Prior to bidding him farewell, the host brought the Rebbe a bottle of whiskey, wishing to drink l’chaim with the Rebbe. The Rebbe returned the bottle, saying, “Save this whiskey for next year. Next year when I will return, we will drink

l’chaim together with your wife!” The following year, at the time of the Rebbe’s visit to Manhattan, this young man was a newlywed of one week.

An honorable rabbi relates as follows: “I was in contact with a couple, a chassan and kallah who had a certain problem of whom no one beside for the couple and myself knew about. Prior their wedding, they went to receive a blessing from the Biale Rebbe. The Rebbe, who had never met them before, informed them of their problem.

Ever since, I have yet to make a decision without consulting the Rebbe!”

“Go Propose Now” Many young couples are waiting to meet the Rebbe. Each one shares his own tale. The first one tells us: “I was in the middle of dating seriously, and I had doubts. I could not decide. I consulted my uncle, who is a smart man, and he in turn directed me to the Rebbe.

“I arrived at the Rebbe’s lodgings where tens of people were waiting to be seen. When my turn arrived, the Rebbe greeted me as if I was the first he was seeing today… The Rebbe listened carefully, weighing my question seriously. Finally, he proclaimed, ‘The yetzer hara loves to instill doubts into single peoples’ minds when the right match is in question! This girl is your true match.

There are no doubts, so when are you going to propose?!’ The Rebbe told me to leave immediately to inform her of our engagement. Thank G-d, I listened to the Rebbe and now we are both here!”

Many share similar stories how the Rebbe finalized their engagement. Young couples who were having shalom bayis issues and with the Rebbe’s mentoring restored marital harmony and happiness to their homes. These stories mingle with stories of business men who reaped great success after receiving the Rebbe’s blessing.

Childless couples who had all but lost hope were blessed with children. People who were being harassed by the legal system and could not sleep at night from fear were miraculously straightened out after receiving the Rebbe’s blessing. So, it is really no surprise or wonder at the crowds waiting to meet the Rebbe.

One Friday afternoon, ten minutes to candle lighting, the phone rings. The gabbai answers and listens as a respectable man, executive of a chain of nursing homes throughout the country, worriedly informs him of a sudden inspection which has just arrived. The Rebbe, shlita, told the gabbai to tell him not to worry. The Rebbe, who was at the time in California, told the gabbai to invite the caller to a melava malkah seudah and “bring with him good tidings.” Needless to say, on Motzei Shabbos, the man came to the Rebbe’s melava malkah and related to the entire assembly how the Rebbe’s blessing resulted in a miraculous turn of events.

The Rebbe, Shlita Twenty-two years ago, The Rebbe was barely in his early thirties when the yoke of leadership of Biale Chassidus Bnei Brak was thrust upon him.

His greatness and guidance reached far beyond the borders of Bnei Brak as the Rebbe chose to draw his brethren from all over the world close to him by encouraging and helping them. The Rebbe is leader and mentor of a most respectable chassidus which is centrally based in Bnei Brak and has branches in Jerusalem, Beitar Eilit, Ashdod, Bet Shemesh and Modiin Eilit. This has added a new/old hue to the leadership of Biale Chassidus. Every day, hundreds of people from varying backgrounds, Sephardim and Ashkenazim alike, Ultra-Orthodox and those who have only just donned a kippa, from Cholon to Bat Yam, Beer

Sheba to Eilat all stream to one address. This young Rebbe, who was barely elected as Rebbe, opened his door and his heart to the whole of klal Yisrael. The Rebbe dedicates hours upon hours of his precious time to klal Yisrael. Welcoming them with his compassionate heart and warm smile. people enter his room carrying a heavy load of troubles and worries however when they leave they are lighthearted and hopeful.

Biale Chassidus’s holy lineage stems from a holy sage named Rabbi Yaakov Yitzchok from Peshischa. This revered tzaddik lived some 200 years ago and was known to all as the “holy Jew,” the “Yid Hakadosh from Peshischa.” He was a disciple of the holy “Chozeh of Lublin” who was a direct fourth generation descendent of the holy Baal Shem Tov. The Yid Hakodosh was the greatest of Polish rabbis, rabbi to the leaders of Gur, Kotzk, Alexander and other great luminaries.

Generations of tzaddikim in succession continued the tradition of the Yid Hakodosh. This chain was continued from father to son until the flame was kindled in our generation by the holy tzaddik and Rebbe—Reb Yechiel Yehoshua from Biale, may his holy memory be blessed. He was the grandfather of our revered Rebbe, a direct descendent of five generations from the Yid Hakodosh.

The Chelkas Yehoshua Prewar Poland boasted of the Rebbe’s grandfather, Reb Yechiel Yehoshua, ztk”l, as one of its greatest leaders. However, his fame reached a pinnacle during the terrible Holocaust when he uncompromisedly sanctified Hashem’s name, first in occupied Poland and later in the freezing Siberia. His selflessness was indescribable. When he reached Israel all the great Rabbis acknowledged him as a great tzaddik. He was honored as an angel in a mortal world.

The Lahavas Dovid Next in line was the Rebbe’s father, the holy Rabbi Dovid Mattisyahu, ztk”l. He was renowned and famous for his purity and greatness. During his lifetime his father appointed him as head of Yeshivas Biale. During his travels throughout the world he revived the broken-hearted with his moving prayers and heartfelt talks. People were drawn to him from afar. His tall, handsome profile reminded many of his holy father’s image.

The Rebbe continues to tow this beautiful golden chain. However, he does not suffice with leading his own community. he is concerned about the welfare of all of Klal Yisrael. Several times a year, he leaves the comforts of his home and visits

countries and communities where no other Chassidic Rebbe has ever spent a Shabbos before. He embraces those who have strayed. He strengthens, encourages, motivates and directs until another Jew has found his way back to our Father in Heaven.

The Rebbe’s Mitzvos During his annual visit to California, he is always welcomed by a Jew who proudly displays his tefillin saying: “Rebbe! Here are my tefillin!

This man was born to a family who barely visited the Reform temple twice a year. Ever since he met the Rebbe, he dons his tefillin daily. At every visit he comes to tell the Rebbe, hence his proclamation of “Rebbe! Here are my tefillin!”

A Hollywood female celebrity returned to the ways of her Jewish fathers. Late in age she married and afterwards, she came to the Rebbe to be blessed with offspring. She felt connected to the Rebbe, shlita, with her whole being, and indeed the Rebbe blessed her to be “doubly blessed!” After a while, she gave birth to twins.

At the Rebbe’s annual visit, she invited all her friends from her Hollywood past and introduced them to the Rebbe. One of her acquaintances in this group was a very famous agent who had as a client one of the largest famous bands in the USA. The Rebbe spent several hours with her before she accepted upon herself to start keeping Shabbos and kashrus.

The following year, she invited the Rebbe to come spend Shabbos at her home. The Rebbe arrived with a minyan and a sefer Torah. Her home is situated in a very prosperous district in the mountains. One hundred and fifty Jews from that region joined the Rebbe at his Shabbos tisch. Amongst the crowd there were movie actors, a female Reform Rabbi, and other Jews who had never before attended a Shabbos meal, never mind a Rebbe’s tisch. The Rebbe made kiddush and proceeded to expound on the holiness of Shabbos, klal Yisrael’s uniqueness, explaining how a real Jew does not mingle with the goyim, a real Jew keeps Shabbos, etc. The Rebbe proceeded with zemiros and dancing as these lost souls joined in.

After the Rebbe ate the fish, he wished to drink l’chaim. A tall boy sporting a ponytail pulled a bottle of schnapps from somewhere and offered to pour the Rebbe a cup.

The Rebbe stopped him, asking, “When did you bring this bottle?” The boy admitted to bringing it now with his car. The Rebbe asked him what time it was, and once again the boy admitted that it was already Shabbos.

“G-d loves honesty,” the Rebbe told him. And he continued, “I want you to know that if you keep Shabbos, you will have tremendous luck your entire life. You will find a special woman and never lack for anything.”

“Rebbe, I will keep Shabbos,” the boy exclaimed.

That Shabbos, he slept on the couch, and ever since he has kept Shabbos. It is needless to mention that all the Rebbe’s promises were fulfilled.

Following the ways of his ancestors up to the Baal Shem Tov, the Rebbe travels from town to town and searches for lost souls. Every Jew he meets receives individual attention and guidance.

The Rebbe recognizes the spark however dim that is aflame within every Jew, and all he asks is that the Jew accept upon himself one mitzvah. In this way he rekindles the flame, and this is the merit behind the many blessings which are fulfilled.

The Father of the Orphans The Rebbe’s institutions are famous throughout Israel. The center is based in Bnei Brak, and

Biale The Week In News

OCTOBER 25, 2018 | The Jewish Home

there are branches all over the country. However, his favorite project is the welfare of “his� orphans.

The Rebbe is father to 15 biological children and countless of grandchildren. However, hundreds of children throughout the world call him, “Father.�

Amongst the many institutions which are under his auspices is the yeshiva gevo’ah called “Mishkan Shimon Biale� which is situated in Beitar EIlit. Batei midrash and kollellim for young men are spread out in Bnei Brak, Jerusalem, Beitar Eililt, Modiin Eilit, Ashdod, and Beit Shemesh.

However, the institutions for widows and orphans are under the Rebbe’s direct administration. This fund supports the widows and orphans studying in the Rebbe’s institutions. The desolate orphans receive everything they need of the best quality and quantity. This includes clothing, shoes, scholarship, dorm service, and, of course, pocket money.

All this is naught compared to the personal attention the Rebbe bestows upon them. As far as the Rebbe is concerned, they are his fully adopted children. His house is their house, their worries become his own. Point in case—the Rebbe who had just returned from a trip to the USA one Erev Pesach told his driver to take him to visit his orphans directly from the airport. His own family and children could wait—his orphans came first.

Upon his arrival, the Rebbe gave each orphan gifts and pocket money enough for everything he needed for yom tov. Only then did he make his own way home to his family and yom tov preparations.

Biale Institutions in Israel, Outstanding Development For many years the Rebbe’s “children� reside in an old building in the town of Beitar Eilit which is close to Jerusalem. The building lies in close proximity to the border and directly faces the Arab town, Hussan. The Arab inhabitants have a daily view of a Jewish town developing right in front of their hate-filled eyes. The town is part of the so-called “Occupied Territories� in an old, dilapidated building. In the winter, the rain leaks in; in the summer, it is more of a furnace. This year, the Rebbe reached a decision: NO MORE! “My wonderful children deserve better!�

In recent months, a new campus is being built on Kedushas Levi Street in the heart of Beiter Eilit. The campus will include spacious classrooms, computer and game rooms, a fully-equipped dormitory, and a modern kitchen—everything one would wish for in one’s own home.

In addition to the above, a huge chessed center is being built on HaRebbi Milubavitch Street.

The Rebbe is renowned for his acts of chessed.

He is the first address which needy widows and orphans turn to. Truckloads containing everything possible are sent on every erev chag to provide the needy with everything they need for yom tov.

Clothing, shoes, fish, meat, chicken, goodies, and last, but not least, a hefty check to lighten their sorrow-filled hearts. Very often, the Rebbe takes part in weddings where he acts as the “father� on both sides.

Around the Clock As day turns to dusk in New York, the phones in Israel become alive! Now it is the Jews of Israel’s turn. They call non-stop asking the Rebbe for blessings and advice. Then when the Rebbe returns to Israel it is the Yidden in Los Angeles, New York, Miami, and New Jersey who are calling. It makes no difference; they are all his children. Hundreds of emails are sent to the Rebbe’s office daily, and the Rebbe devotes precious hours to answer them personally. He carries these requests with him and remembers them in his daily prayers, and when he prays at his forefathers’ gravesite. The burden becomes his own. He is with them in their sorrow and delights in their happiness. Seven gabbaim are employed throughout the day to provide immediate response to the thousands calling the Rebbe. How happy are the gabbaim when they can inform the Rebbe of another baby born a couple engaged or yet another miraculous turn of events!

Education and Marital Happiness Amongst his other vast talents is the Rebbe’s deep understanding in matters of education. Parents worldwide call him for advice in education dilemmas. Very often the Rebbe’s advice leaves the parents in surprise. Yet it is this very unique approach which eventually brings about a positive change to the entire family. Homes which were full of strife and angst are now happy, warm nests. So too, many issues of marital distress were solved by applying the Rebbe’s insightful advice.

Restoring peace at home is high on the Rebbe’s list of priorities. Many hopeless couples who were already applying for divorce had a miraculous turn about enabling the holy shechina to dwell in yet another Jewish home.

An Engagement at Three O’clock A.M. The Rebbe has an interesting “hobby:� He enjoys seeing more and more new Jewish homes being established. Amongst the thousands of single boys and girls seeking for their true match, anxious parents of aging children beg the Rebbe for a blessing and advice. The Rebbe not only bestows his holy blessing and direction to these desperate people but also takes an active part in finding them a match.

In several weeks, the wedding of two orphans, residents from Long Island, will take place. Only the couple are aware of the secret that if not for the Biale Rebbe this would not be happening. The Rebbe encouraged, supported, and even “pushed� the couple to make the decision. Hours upon hours were devoted to this holy cause and finally one early, early morning, at three o’clock, a plate was broken, and another home was established. All in the merit of the Rebbe. “The Rebbe Knows!�

A couple entered the Rebbe’s chambers; both husband and wife had written a request with their names and the names of their children. Each name had a different request. One was having trouble in school; another needed help in his business.

The Rebbe looked at the kvittel and told the husband, “You should take a walk with your wife once a week! If you will respect your wife your problems will be solved.�

The woman burst out crying. This was the first time they’d met the Rebbe, and he was aware of everything going on between the couple. The Rebbe was unconcerned about the tens of people waiting outside and patiently expounded on the importance of peace. The Rebbe gave them detailed instructions how to bring their hearts closer.

The Rebbe told them that the key to happiness and success as well as nachas from their children lay in the respect shown between the parents. And so, another couple exists with a happy smile on their faces. After a while the secretary received a note from the wife saying: “The Rebbe saved our marriage!�

The Rebbe’s Lodging These days are happy days for the residents of Los Angeles as they are anxiously preparing to meet once again with their beloved Rebbe. The Rebbe will be staying in Los Angeles, from next week Wednesday, October 31st, at the house of the honorable host and hostess, Dr. David and Dorothy Stoll, at 422 South Las Palmas Avenue, Los Angeles, California 90020.

Oneg Shabbos and Tisch Friday Night in Hancock Park Thousands are expected to join and enjoy the amazing Oneg Shabbos tisch which the Rabbi will hold the next Friday night. The great Shabbos will take place on Parshas Chaya Sarah, November 2nd, at the Kollel Yechiel Yehuda under the leadership of the well-known Rabbi Yochanan Henig and the rosh hakollel, Rabbi Menachem Krybus, at 441 North La Brea Avenue, Los Angeles, at 8:30 p.m. There are still some people in Los Angeles who remember the Rebbe’s Holy Father, the previous Biale Rebbe, ztz�l. So, it is now over 30 years that Rabbis of the community, Shtreimlech-wearers, and modern Jews, have participated

in Biale tischim.

On Shabbos morning, the Rebbe will pray at Congregation Beis Naftali, which is under the leadership of the prominent shul president, the known activist for Torah, Reb Andrew Friedman.

The most special part of the tisch is during the famous kiddush which the Rebbe performs. It is well known that the Rebbe’s kiddush is capable of bringing about great miracles. The emotive singing and dancing at the Rebbe’s tischim elevating its participants to a standard of “maeyn oilam habah!� this will follow with an abundance of divrei Torah and hashkafah.

Second Oneg Shabbos and Tisch, Friday Night in Pico-Robertson The second Shabbos, Parshas Toldos, November 9th, will be held in Pico-Robertson.

There the main host is the well-known Rabbi of the LINK kollel, Rabbi Asher Brander. Yearly, the community there gets big chizzuk and the entire area is waiting the whole year for the Rebbe’s visit. And every year the same question is asked, “When is the Rebbe coming again?� The Shabbos will be held at LINK’s kollel and shul, 1453 South Robertson Boulevard, at 8:30 p.m.

A Son Born in the Merit of the Shabbos Tisch.

An amazing story has lately been publicized.

A resident of Monsey, New York, resident related his experience in his own words. “Nine years ago, I was already married for several years, a happy family with four healthy daughters. However, my wife and I both craved for a boy. I gave the Rebbe a kvittel which listed the names of our family.

THE JEWISH COMMUNITY OF LOS

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“The Biale Rebbe looks at the kvittel and says, ‘What about a boy?’ “I answered that my wife and I would be delighted to have a boy. “The Rebbe, shlita, says, ‘Come to my tisch.

Friday night is a time for yeshuos!’ Friday night I took part in the oneg Shabbos tisch. A large crowd participated enjoying the Rebbe’s divrei torah and zemiros. Suddenly the Rebbe lifted his eyes and searched through the crowd as if searching for someone specific. The Rebbe looked to all directions until he caught my eye. The Rebbe took a piece of bone from the fish which he had just eaten, gives it to me and says, “Take a bein!� [Bone in Yiddish is a bein whereas ben is the Hebrew word for “boy.�] After the tisch, the Rebbe spoke privately with me and told me which kabbalah to undertake. “The miracle was imminent! Less then a year passed when I found myself standing outside the labor room excitedly calling the Rebbe in Israel— Bnei Brak. ‘Mazel tov!’ I screamed. ‘I have a son!’ “’Mazel tov!’ the Rebbe answers. ‘I already know.’�

Now the residents of Los Angeles have this unique opportunity. If you have not yet had the merit of meeting the Rebbe and would like to book an appointment for a personal consultation, a blessing or advice call the Rebbe’s private secretary now! Rabbi Moshe Freidman (English-speaking) telephone: 917-272-4045.

Or send an email to bialebneibrak@gmail. com Waiting to hear from you!

ANGELES WELCOMES THE FAMED TZADIK

BIALE REBBE

SH LITA

O F B NEI B RAK

WORLD RENOWNED FOR HIS INSPIRATION, WISDOM, ADVICE AND BLESSINGS. THE REBBE

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422 S .LAS PALMAS AVE LOS ANGELES, CA 90020 For appointments and information please call:

TEL. 917-272-4045 bialebneibrak@gmail.com

8:30 ‍עריכת ה׊ולח×&#x; בליל ׊ב"ק פר' ×—×™×™ ׊רה בהיכל כולל ×™×—×™×?ל יהודה ב׊עה‏ THE FRIDAY NIGHT Ěś ONEG

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441 N LA BREA AVE. LOS ANGELES at 8:30 pm SHACHRIS SHABBOS MORNING @CONGREGATION BAIS NAFTALI at 9:00

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The Week In News

OCTOBER 25, 2018 | The Jewish Home

OCTOBER 25, 2018 | The Jewish Home

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The Week In News Torah

OCTOBER 25, 2018 | The Jewish Home

The Weekly Daf What is the brachah on cooked bread?

Rabbi Shmuel Wise, Maggid Shiur of RealClearDaf.com

We learned about this on Wednesday’s daf (75b) this week. Rav Yosef there issues a ruling on “chavitza.” Rashi interprets chavitza to mean a cooked dish that includes pieces of bread. Rav Yosef rules that if any of the pieces of bread is a k’zayis, the size of an olive, the brachah is Hamotzi. If none of the pieces is a k’zayis in volume, the brachah is Mezonos.

Tosafos (“‫ )”חביצא‬forcefully disagrees with Rashi’s interpretation, asserting that once bread is cooked, it loses its legal classification as bread—even if it still has the volume of a k’zayis. As proof, Tosafos cites a gemara in Brachos (37a) which states, “If one takes wheat, bakes it into bread, then cooks it, the law is: If the pieces are still intact, the correct brachah is Hamotzi. Otherwise the correct brachah is

Mezonos.”

Tosafos points out that the gemara’s language there (“pieces”) indicates that the cooking removes the bread status— even if we’re talking about a piece larger than a k’zayis (otherwise the gemara should have made k’zayis the cutoff point), contradicting what Rav Yosef is saying according to Rashi—that as long as the cooked pieces are a k’zayis, they’re still classified as bread.

I’m at a loss, though, to see why this gemara poses any issue for Rashi. For the gemara, there is clearly saying that the bread only loses its legal status of bread once the pieces are “no longer intact.”

What is the definition of “no longer intact?” Rashi there explains that it means that the pieces dissolved. Thus, Rashi

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could easily respond to Tosafos’s question that the pieces of bread in our gemara’s chavitza dish are not dissolved! And isn’t that a reasonable assumption anyways?

Who would make “chavitza à la dissolved pieces of bread”?

Now maybe one will answer that Tosafos assumed a different reading of “intact” in the gemara there in Brachos, i.e. the interpretation they suggest there, that the cooked bread is no longer “intact” if it was cooked to the point where if one picked it

up it would break apart. But it still doesn’t seem fair to reject Rashi’s reading based upon the assumption that the pieces of bread of our chavitza dish are cooked to even that point.

If you have a thought about this matter, do write in with it, I’d love to hear it. Even though I haven’t provided you with a resolution for this Tosafos, I hope you enjoyed engaging with the halachik ramifications of the tasty chavitza. Bon appétit!

The Week In News Torah Musings

OCTOBER 25, 2018 | The Jewish Home

Change the Channel Sarah Pachter

A 30-second commercial for an exclusive luxury car was being filmed at my friend Kayla’s house. Kayla told me she was shocked to learn just how much time, money, and detail the advertising company spent in order to make the commercial.

The company wanted her home picture-perfect. They spruced up her already attractive front yard by adding artificial flowers to the bushes. They even augmented them with more foliage! Neighbors were financially compensated for the minor parking inconvenience due to the large trucks and trailers needed for the shoot.

The model car used for the commercial was disassembled. Its doors and roof were removed in order for the camera to get the the interior shot. The car itself was worth $200,000, and – inwardly – my friend was hoping they would give her the car when filming was finished.

“Sarah, do you know what they did with the car?” she exclaimed. “They didn’t try to sell it, they didn’t give it away – they trashed it! I literally saw the dump truck pick it up in pieces! I can’t believe the company just took $200,000 and threw it away !”

Even more shocking was the budget.

They spent a grand total of $3.5 million.

Why are such companies willing to spend millions on a commercial that is only aired for 30 seconds? Research shows that sales skyrocket following a commercial’s release, even if it’s only on air for a short time.

This, my friends, is how the digital advertising industry alone is predicted to make $83 billion dollars – yes, billion – this year alone.1 As Americans, we have desires, and we pursue them. After all, does it not say in the Constitution that, “Every American has the inalienable right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness?” And by purchasing what we desire, we are doing just that, right? Finding happiness?

Perhaps not.

Statistics from Save.org reveal that every year, 800,000 people commit suicide.

More lives are lost to suicide than any other single cause, after heart disease and cancer. This makes it the third leading cause of death amongst adults, and the second leading cause amongst teens. Lastly, here in America, where it is literally our mis-

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http://www.adweek.com/digital/u-sdigital-advertising-will-make-83-billion-thisyear-says-emarketer/

sion to pursue happiness, someone takes his or her own life every 40 seconds. These numbers have doubled in the past ten years alone.2 Evidence has shown that consuming more products does not fill our inner void nor have the power to create personal happiness. Just like plants augmented with leaves cut from other plants will soon droop and wither, happiness that comes from the material cannot last.

So, where can true happiness be found?

If you’ve ever felt guilty about constantly trying to find happiness, fear not!

Not only does the Constitution promote the pursuit of joy, the Torah endorses that search as well. In fact, the Torah makes the following strong statement: All these curses will befall you, pursuing you and overtaking you to destroy you because you did not obey the Lord, your God, to observe His commandments and statutes which He commanded you... because you did not serve the Lord, your God, with happiness and with gladness of heart, when [you had an] abundance of everything.3 G-d will curse us because we did not serve Him with joy? If G-d were to curse us for committing murder, I could understand; but to put curses upon us simply because we are not happy? This phrase cannot be as simple as it seems, and thus requires a deeper look.

A student of mine was married for two years, and she had just given birth to their first child. One evening, during dinner, her husband looked at her tired eyes and said, “Sweetheart! Why don’t you go right to bed, and I’ll clean everything up! Don’t you worry about the mess, just get the rest you need.”

Jumping at the opportunity to catch some extra sleep, she quickly snuggled into pajamas and was snoring before he could think twice about his offer.

The next morning, she awoke anticipating her squeaky-clean counters that she did not have to scrub herself. She imagined the floors shining, and the kitchen in perfect order. Her husband had already left for work, so she made a mental note as she arose from bed to call and thank him for his effort. As she walked into the kitchen, she was confused.

Did I dream that he was going to clean the kitchen? She wondered to herself.

The kitchen looked like World War III had been kicked off in it. The chairs

2 3

Jamison, Kay Deuteronomy 28:45 and 47

were strewn randomly throughout, and all the cabinets were left open. There were crumbs and leftover food on the table and floor, while water was dripping from the countertops.

Is this what my husband considers clean? What exactly did he do?

Then, she slowly noticed that every last dish had been washed. Granted, they were not dried or put away (and, by the way, they had a dishwasher!) but they were clean.

As she stood there alone, staring at her messy kitchen, she had a choice. She could focus on all of the things her husband did not do, or she could choose to look at the one thing he did do: the dishes.

Let me ask you, who loses if she focuses on the negative? She does, and no one else. Her husband was already away at work, not thinking about which dish he did or didn’t dry. He has moved on, while she continues to wallow in frustration.

Another example of this was when my friend was out with her husband one evening and was in a wretched mood. He turned to her and said, “What’s with you?

Why are you in such a bad mood?”

She replied, “I know! I can’t help it! I don’t even like myself when I’m like this.

At least you can walk away. I can’t walk away from myself.”

The Torah doesn’t mean that G-d is going to place curses upon us; rather, being unhappy is the curse. When we are dissatisfied and unhappy, we are the ones who have to live within that state of being. True happiness comes from our minds.

We know that when we feel down, therapy shopping doesn’t work long-term.

So how do we snap out of it?

Let’s go back to the concept of a commercial. It’s designed to direct you to pur-

chase something which will benefit the company who made the ad – not necessarily you. Don’t let the commercial use you!

Just “change the channel” to redirect your thoughts and become happier.

Unless it’s during the Super Bowl, nobody enjoys watching commercials, no matter how luxurious the car. As a child, when I was watching TV, as soon as a commercial came on I would immediately change the channel. I had no patience, and only wanted the good stuff – television shows, like Saved by the Bell.

We can adopt “changing the channel” as a catchphrase in our homes to use when someone starts to rant, complain, or think in a negative way. For example, when my child starts to whine, “Mommy! She’s annoying me!” and I ask, “Why?” and he says, “She’s crunching her fries too loud,” I’ll shut it down and say, “Guys, change the channel! What was your favorite thing you did today? I liked snuggling on the couch reading the Fancy Nancy book with you.”

When their minds recall this memory, they will likely forget about the annoying eating habit.

Or, if your mind begins to dream about that new pair of shoes that you wish you could purchase but are unaffordable, switch gears! Think instead, What is something I can do right now to make myself happy? Or What chessed can I do for someone else to help fill that void?

Continuously training our minds to focus on the good when the negative erupts will have positive, long-term effects on our overall joy. Training our minds in this manner will help rid us of the inner curse of unhappiness and dissatisfaction. So, change the channel; real joy is one click away.

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Tech The Week In News

OCTOBER 25, 2018 | The Jewish Home

Home Automation for The Shomer Shabbos Consumer

Humor Column: Bet You CAN Catch Me! Rebecca Klempner

Dov Pavel

The number of home automation products that offer to control our homes is ever expanding. From bulbs to switches, thermostats to appliances and locks to irrigation systems, the myriad products available continues to explode. In this new monthly article, I will review these products, their functionality and services through the unique lens of a shomer Shabbos consumer, and explore the intersection of tradition and cutting-edge home technology. Welcome to the Internet of Things (IoT) for the observant home.

The appliance market was early to recognize the need for specialized technology and functionality for the Shabbos observant home. Shabbat-mode refrigerators/freezers, ovens and warming drawers have all become commonplace in the appliance market. Star-K has created a certification process where they approve specific models that adhere to their standards and provide their trademarked Star-K certification that one would previously only associate with kosher food products. Recently, my family opted for a warming drawer that had a Star-K certification rather than a significantly less expensive model that had a Shabbat mode but was not certified. The non-Jewish but knowledgeable sales person described the uncertified model to us as “problematic” in the traditional halachic sense. Manufacturers have recognized the buying power of the observant home and have invested in the technologies that accommodate Jewish traditions.

Consumers, in turn, have rewarded these manufacturers by purchasing these often higher-priced items. The objective of this series is to create a forum for observant consumers of these new automation products as well as to raise the awareness of the manufacturers to both the needs and the purchasing power of the Shabbos-observant consumer.

One can argue that shomer Shabbos families were the early pioneers of home automation. Many of us grew up with timers decades ago. Having timers for light switches or in-wall air conditioners was common for most of us. For me, part of the Erev Shabbos to-do list always involved programming these switches. One of the challenges faced was re-setting the timer each week as Shabbos times changed. On the first

Shabbos after daylight saving time it was rare for our timers to be in sync and we often ate in the dark for at least an extra hour. Each of these switches was also completely independent so changes needed to be made individually for each switch. This was a time-consuming task with a less-than-easy interface. Because of these challenges, many homes limited the number of timers they would use.

Instead of having a timer in a bathroom one might opt for a night light, etc.

Newly available home automation technology addresses many of these limitations and offers new and improved functionality at ever-improving price points. The shomer Shabbos market is therefore ripe for home automation. At the same time, many manufacturers are building functionalities that are not easily compatible with observance. Workarounds or modifications will need to be implemented to make them suitable for the observant home. We will explore these implementations and workarounds each month. I look forward to my first review of a home lighting automation implementation for Shabbos and Yom Tov. Please feel free to submit feedback and questions to TribeTechReview@ gmail.com and follow TribeTechReview on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

Shabbat Shalom!

Dov Pavel is a tech enthusiast who reviews personal technology and home automation through the lens of a Shomer Shabbos consumer. He is not affiliated with any of the companies whose products he reviews and the opinions he expresses are solely his own.

Dov is not a halachic authority and readers should consult their own rabbi as needed.

Previous articles can be found at TribeTechReview.com. Follow @TribeTechReview on Facebook, Twitter and Linked-In.

When I first returned to running after an 18-year hiatus, I was very proud of my morning jog. Here I am! I’d think. I’m 43 years old, mother to four (bli aiyin hara)! I have three bulging disks in my spine—but I’ve still got it!

(Don’t ask me what “it” is, because I have no idea.)

Anyway, I was in Pan Pacific Park this morning, jogging, even though today I didn’t really to be there. Once October rolls around and my alarm starts ringing before sunrise, getting out of bed becomes an ordeal, even though I’m usually a morning person. Every limb weighs as much as a 12-passenger van.

Nonetheless, I went running because it’s good for my blood pressure and good for my bones. (I do not want to end up with a hunch in my back like Grandma, aleha hashalom.)

So, I was running around the park, feeling tired, but proud of my persistence. And then the first person passed me.

It’s okay! I told myself. It’s not a competition. And anyway—that young woman?

She’s no more than 19. I’m more than double her age!

I kept on running. After a couple minutes, I was feeling a better, hitting my stride…and then the next person passed me.

He’s a man, I told myself. He’s never carried a baby nine months! He’s never had a C-section.

Smile back on my face, I ploughed on.

The next person who passed me was a woman who looked at least 15 years older than me. She had wrinkles all over her

face. Her hair was dyed black, but white roots peaked out.

Oh, the horror!

When I first started running, I was 22 years old. I had two roommates who were marathoners, and their sheer stamina inspired me. At the time, I lived in DC, and I was used to walking up and down hills, often hiking for an hour in each direction to commute. My walk to shul was 45 minutes the first year I lived there, 35 minutes the following one. I was never a marathoner, but the transition from “walker” to “runner” was pretty easy. I ran three or four days a week for the next couple years.

As a teen, I’d had asthma. I was that kid, the one with the permission slip to sit out of the most rigorous portions of PE, the one who had to be hauled off the track after walking (!) too fast so I could go to the doctor for a corticosteroid injection in my posterior. The problem was only compounded by a bout of pneumonia at age 15.

At 22, running signaled a triumph over asthma.

But then I suffered a foot injury, and then chronic back pain, and then 18 years passed without running.

This spring, I was so happy to return to running that at first, I didn’t care that I ran a 13-minute mile on a good day. But last week, I started caring. There are people who walk faster than me! And I am pretty sure some of them are over 40.

My nine-year-old has a theory: the folks running eight- and nine-minute miles are robots.

But somehow, I doubt it.

The Week In News

OCTOBER 25, 2018 | The Jewish Home

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JeruSAlem At A

croSSroAdS How tHe mAyorAl electIonS wIll cHAnge tHe Future oF ISrAel’S cAPItAl cIty

By tzvI lev

“I

t was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”

While Charles Dickens may have penned these words to describe the French Revolution, they remain just as relevant when describing modern-day Jerusalem.

Over the past few years, Israel’s capital city has reached both the highest heights and the lowest lows.

On the one hand, the explosion of the tourist industry and the U.S. Embassy’s move have raised Jerusalem up in both money and stature. At the same time, a skyrocketing budget deficit and a surge of young people abandoning the city in search of cheaper real estate imply an uncertain future. One thing is for certain: Jerusalem stands at a crossroads. The next decade will show whether the “City of Gold” can successfully transition into a business and tourism powerhouse, or whether it will simply stagnate into poverty.

That’s why this year’s municipal elections are being watched so close-

ly. Israel goes to the polls on October 30th to elect its mayors and local councilmen. Unlike the national elections for the Knesset, the municipal elections are not usually high-profile.

With largely anonymous politicians campaigning around uninteresting issues like the property tax rate, it is rare that any local race becomes the center of the media cycle.

Yet Jerusalem has never claimed to be normal. Four politicians are running to succeed outgoing Mayor Nir Barkat: Jerusalem Minister and Knesset member Ze’ev Elkin, former executive and current councilman Moshe Leon, political wunderkind Ofer Berkovitch, and haredi candidate Yossi Deitch. Local businessman Avi Salman has also thrown his hat in the ring but is not expected to have a realistic shot at the top job; recent polls show him languishing in the low single digits.

The two obvious frontrunners are Elkin and Berkovitch. The two candi-

dates are as different as can be, pitting experience against youth, a savvy politico against a fresh-faced phenom, a Ukrainian academic against a born-and-bred Jerusalemite.

A SeASoned PolItIcIAn Elkin’s biggest advantage in the race is his name recognition and a compelling life story. Born in Ukraine to a secular family under the repressive Soviet Union, Elkin was drawn to Jewish observance in his youth.

Despite the risk involved, Elkin was active in the Religious-Zionist Bnei Akiva movement, eventually rising to serve as head of the Zionist youth group in the entire former USSR. Elkin also taught himself Hebrew and served as the head of the city of Kharkiv’s Jewish community.

Following the Soviet Union’s collapse in 1990, Elkin joined the 1.5 million Russians who immigrated to the State of Israel and enrolled in Hebrew University to study history.

Elkin first entered politics in 2006 as a rookie lawmaker with former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s Kadima party. After leftist politician and current opposition Leader Tzipi Livni took control of the faction in 2008, Elkin jumped ship to the right-wing Likud party and began to make himself known for hawkish political views and staunch opposition to a Palestinian State.

Among the soft-spoken academic’s more well-known legislation was the bill granting an expanded compensation package to Gush Katif evacuees in 2005 and a law obligating left-wing NGOs that are supported financially by foreign governments to disclose their sources of funding to the public.

Elkin also played a key role in the recent Nationality Bill, thereby anchoring Israel’s Jewish character into law.

In addition, Elkin served a vital function in managing Israel’s delicate relations with Russia by serving as Prime Minister Netanyahu’s inter-

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

Feature The Week In News

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Moshe Leon

Ofer Berkovitch

Zeev Elkin

Yossi Deitch

preter during meetings with Russia’s inscrutable President Vladimir Putin.

transformed Katamon’s old railway stop into the First Station, a popular esplanade featuring restaurants and cultural offerings. Both initiatives are opposed by the Ultra-Orthodox; the haredim have vowed to stop the First Station from operating on Shabbat and seek to shutter Machane Yehuda’s bar scene.

As the sole secular candidate in

right-wing candidates are splitting their votes between the remaining three candidates, leading Berkovitch to take a commanding lead on Elkin in surveys. A recent poll found 22% of Jerusalem to support Berkovitch, followed by Elkin with 19%.

Berkovitch’s biggest challenge is the runoff. According to Jerusalem’s bylaws, a candidate needs to win at

influential Prime Minister’s Office and Israel Railways, Leon brings to the table proven managerial experience.

This round is not Leon’s first time contending for the capital city’s top job. Leon had narrowly lost to Nir Barkat in the previous elections back in 2013. Leon’s previous candidacy was seen as bizarre; a longtime resident of the Tel Aviv suburb of Givataayim, Leon had moved to Jerusalem only a few weeks before declaring his candidacy. Dogged by rumors of shady backroom dealings with Shas leader Aryeh Deri, Barkat ran a successful campaign portraying Leon as a “foreign transplant” excelling at wheeling and dealing.

Yet in a move that gained respect from both his supporters and detractors, Leon did not flee the city after his painful loss to Barkat but stayed on at the city council. After being awarded the community management portfolio, Leon coordinated the city’s sensitive relations with East Jerusalem’s large Arab community.

Leon is banking on his close personal relationships with the city’s power brokers to carry him over the finish line. Identifying with the Religious Zionist community and with long-time ties to Shas leader Aryeh Deri and Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman, Leon expected that receiving the endorsement of the city’s most prominent haredi rabbis would prove to be the game changer this time around. Comprising 40% of Jerusalem’s population, it is virtually impossible to win city-wide elections without haredi support.

Indeed, Leon was endorsed by al-

tHe AntI-HAredI cAndIdAte? In contrast to Elkin, who only recently moved to the capital city from the Gush Etzion hamlet of Kfar Eldad, City Councilman Ofer Berkovitch has never lived outside of Jerusalem for any of his 35 years. Berkovitch first exploded onto the political scene in 2008 when the recently-demobilized IDF captain formed the Hitorerut party.

“I understood that Jerusalem was facing a big crisis, young people were leaving, there was a lack of quality places of employment, housing prices were soaring, cultural events that weren’t being funded and so on,” Berkovitch recalled in a recent in interview with Times of Israel. “I decided I was going to fight for the city’s future, the Zionist, tolerant and productive future of Jerusalem.”

The young councilman’s efforts to expand Jerusalem’s entertainment offerings made him a sworn opponent of the city’s sizable haredi community, particularly regarding the delicate issues of public Shabbat desecration.

For example, Berkovitch led the unsuccessful effort to keep the Cinema City movie theater open on Shabbat and resigned his post as deputy mayor in 2017 after alleging that a plan

by Mayor Barkat to divide the city into separate neighborhoods granted an inordinate amount of resources to the haredim.

Berkovich also played a key role in revitalizing the Machane Yehuda market into a night-life center and

tHe next decAde wIll SHow wHetHer tHe “cIty oF gold” cAn SucceSSFully trAnSItIon Into A BuSIneSS And tourISm PowerHouSe, or wHetHer It wIll SImPly StAgnAte Into Poverty. the race, Berkovitch has galvanized the city’s left-leaning and pluralist factions. Berkovitch takes great pains to say that he has nothing against the haredi community, telling Times of Israel that he was simply fighting for all Jerusalemites to be treated equally.

“It’s not that I’m against the Haredim — I am in favor of the Haredim,” insists Berkovitch. “I love all of Jerusalem’s residents… But I also want to safeguard the sense of the secular public that they can live here, and the same goes for the moderate religious community, and so on.”

With only a decade in local politics, Berkovitch was never expected to be a serious mayoral contender. Yet the plethora of religious and

least 40% of the vote outright. Should neither contender hit 40%, the top two will go to a runoff. While Berkovitch is leading Elkin in the polls, his share is not enough for him to avoid a runoff, which Elkin is widely expected to win due to the consolidating of support from the remaining two candidates. A recent poll found that if Berkovitch and Elkin go to a runoff, Elkin would sweep the second round of polling by more than 40 points.

tryIng AgAIn While not as overtly popular as either of these two, City Councilman Moshe Leon was expected to be a serious candidate. A founder of one of Israel’s biggest accounting firms, Leon’s financial resources are considerable. Having headed both the highly

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most all of Jerusalem’s rabbinic elite.

Five years ago, that might have been enough. This time around, however, it does not seem sufficient, for Leon is falling victim to the infighting which has rocked the haredi political establishment nationwide.

A dIvIded votIng Bloc Haredim have traditionally voted in a monolithic block. Taking guidance from senior rabbis under daas Torah the UItra-Orthodox tendencies to vote en masse for one candidate granted immense political power on both the national and municipal level.

For the Sephardic community taking guidance from Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, the only option was to vote for Shas, while their Ashkenazic counterparts voted for United Torah Judaism (UTJ), a joint list of the hasidic Agudat Yisrael faction and the non-hasidic Degel Hatorah.

The recent passing of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, Rabbi Elyashiv, and Rabbi Aharon Shteinman left a void that resulted in power struggles within the community. A Shas break-off known as “Yahad,” led by former party head Eli Yishai, drained off precious Knesset seats from Shas in the 2015 Knesset elections. On the Ashkenazic side, Degel Hatorah and Agudat Yisrael are at loggerheads regarding a law forcing haredim to enlist in the IDF, and the two may ultimately split off into separate parties.

The leadership vacuum has reached Jerusalem as well. While Leon earned the endorsement of both Shas and Degel Hatorah, Agudat Yisrael refused to throw its support behind him and are instead running a candidate of their own: Yossi Deitch.

The presence of two candidates battling for the same electorate is splitting the haredi vote and denting the community’s political power.

The biggest beneficiary of this inter-community squabbling has been Berkovitch, who has rallied his base by painting a picture of Jerusalem in the midst of a haredi takeover.

“After they denied they will back Leon and hid for many months, Deri and Lieberman have revealed their plan, to try to take control of Jerusalem by backing Moshe Leon’s effort once again,” said Berkovitch, following Shas and Degel’s endorsement

of Leon. “Unfortunately, the good of Jerusalem is not in their minds, but political deals and foreign interests that endanger our future here in Jerusalem.”

Leon and Deitch are currently fighting a game of electoral chicken.

Each is aware that he only stands a chance at winning should the other fall from the race and has been try-

This past year was also the year that a slew of countries, most prominently the United States, moved or pledged to move their embassies to Jerusalem. The city has also been relatively quiet from a security standpoint. While there have been scattered incidents of terror, the current situation has markedly improved from 2017, a year that saw numerous

A recent Poll Found tHAt IF BerkovItcH And elkIn go to A runoFF, elkIn would SweeP tHe Second round oF PollIng By more tHAn 40 PoIntS. ing to convince the haredi public that only he has a realistic shot at winning.

A tAle oF two cItIeS A notable feature of Jerusalem’s upcoming elections are that the candidates hold almost identical platforms. Jerusalem is currently in the midst of one of its most prosperous periods ever, while paradoxically suffering from serious problems that if left unchecked can lead to rapid deterioration.

On the positive side, Jerusalem has benefited tremendously from Israel’s tourism boom. According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, 3.5 million tourists arrived in Israel last year, an annual growth of 25%. With Israel’s rising popularity amongst the China as a vacation destination, the city’s tourist-based economy is exploding.

security personnel and citizens alike fall victim to Muslim terror.

In addition, the long-awaited high-speed rail connecting the capital to Tel Aviv recently became operational. Despite being billions of shekels over budget and plagued by infrastructure problems, the train will enable Jerusalemites to arrive in Tel Aviv in under 20 minutes, generating new business opportunities and growth. The Jerusalem municipality is also expanding the popular light rail local trains to the city’s periphery in the north and the south, which is expected to decrease chronic traffic jams.

On the downside, Jerusalem is suffering from a severe housing crisis that is driving young people out of the city. Housing prices overall in Israel have skyrocketed, making it almost impossible for young families

to purchase a home. Over 850,000 of Jerusalem residents live crammed in aging three- and four-story buildings, and there are few places left to build beyond neighborhoods such as Talpiot and Pisgat Zeev which lie over the 1967 lines.

Yet for over a decade, Prime Minister Netanyahu has enforced an official building freeze in the Jerusalem neighborhoods that are in dire need of expansion. The lack of accommodations has caused housing prices to creep upward, forcing the city’s next generation to look elsewhere. As the average apartment in Jerusalem costs NIS 1.88 million, owning a home in the capital city is an unrealistic goal for most young families.

For 20 years, Jerusalem has had a negative migration balance, meaning that the number of people leaving the capital outweighs those that move in.

In 2016 alone, 10,300 people moved into Jerusalem while 18,100 moved out.

tHe ISSueS At HAnd The “housing crisis” is a hot topic in the 2018 elections, and all four candidates have promised to embark on a slew of building once elected in order to deal with this problem. Deitch and Berkovitch say that as fresh politicians unbeholden to the ruling Likud party only they can disobey Netanyahu’s building freeze. Elkin and Leon alternatively say that as lifelong Likudniks, they will be best equipped to thaw Netanyahu’s freeze.

While the candidates have all vowed to increase construction, they also offer diverse solutions.

Elkin promises that as mayor he will eliminate the thicket of bureaucracy that takes a developer an average of seven years to build a project from start to finish.

“Jer usa lem needs anot her 100,000 housing units within 20 years, every year about 5,000 housing units,” he said earlier this month.

“There is no other city in the State of Israel that has a bureaucracy about planning and building like Jerusalem – it is unnecessary; bureaucratic procedures must be simplified, and some of the stages should be abandoned.”

Berkovitch, meanwhile, has said that he will tax “ghost apartments,” or property owned by foreigners that

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The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

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The Week In News Feature

lies empty for the vast majority of the year. Berkovitch alleges that the estimated 159,700 apartments owned by non-Israelis are squeezing natives out of the housing market and hopes his tax will discourage both foreign buyers and developers catering to overseas clientele.

“As far as I’m concerned, I would triple the taxes,” Berkovitch told Times of Israel. “I wanted to send a message to this market: I don’t like this phenomenon. If you keep building apartments for the wealthy, we’ll keep fighting this phenomenon.”

Leon says he plans to deal with the housing crunch by building in “E-1,” an empty region stretching from the Mount of Olives to the city of Ma’aleh Adumim. The potential for building is enormous; experts say that the 4.6 mile strip of empty desert can hold upwards of 50,000 homes.

However, the area has been held hostage to global politics; connecting Ma’ale Adumim to Jerusalem would cut off a potential Palestinian State’s

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territorial contiguity and any future construction is expected to arouse severe international opposition. Netanyahu himself has promised multiple times to build in E-1, only to back down following a furious response by the Obama administration.

In addition to housing, another looming challenge for Jerusalem is its empty coffers. The majority of the local municipalities’ budget comes from taxes on property and businesses.

Due to the lack of large businesses in Jerusalem, the city suffers from a NIS 140 million budget deficit that continues to rise every year. The capital has avoided going bankrupt only due to a large annual bonus the government awards the municipality. The lack of employment opportunities has been cited as another central reason for Jerusalem’s negative migration.

Elkin’s solution is to integrate the Arab and haredi population into the workforce and to crack down on illegal Arab building.

“The problem will not be resolved

by encouraging the economic activity only in that one-third [of non-haredi Jews],” Elkin told Haaretz in August.

It’s essential to develop business activity among the other two groups [haredim and Arabs]. For example, one of the things I am trying to promote is the registration of the lands in East Jerusalem. The land in the eastern section of the city isn’t working today. No one gets taxes from land improvement, not the city and not the state, and the residents are living in a fog because the status of their land isn’t formalized.”

While both Leon and Berkovich agree with Elkin on the importance of job creation, they say that the solution lies in convincing hi-tech companies to transfer their offices from Tel Aviv.

The two candidates have pledged to build more office buildings, something which they say is the key to rebranding Jerusalem as a business powerhouse.

“I will fight the government, or cooperate with the government, to

bring them [the hi-tech companies] back here. It’s costing the city tens of thousands of workers, NIS 400 million to the local economy,” said Berkovich.

Another significant challenge facing Jerusalem’s next mayor is integrating the city’s Arab population. Comprising 40% of Jerusalem, the Israeli Arab community suffers from under-policing and a lack of resources. Neighborhoods that remain outside the security barrier built in 2003 to stop suicide bombers are characterized by total anarchy; with no access to services provided by the municipality and the Palestinian Authority, the areas have deteriorated into a crime infested no-go zone for police.

J

erusalem will elect its next mayor in the upcoming elections on Tuesday, October 30. By midnight of that same day, Jerusalemites will find out who will steer their city into the next era.

The Week In News

OCTOBER 25, 2018 | The Jewish Home

The Week In News

Taliban Kills “Torturer in Chief” The Taliban in Afghanistan has killed General Abdul Raziq, a top security head that was known as the “torturer in chief.”

Raziq, a police chief in Kandahar, once bragged that he has survived “countless” Taliban attempts on his life. A Taliban assassin disguised himself as a governor’s bodyguard and shot Raziq last week.

Raziq was a very controversial figure.

The 39-year-old ran the region with an iron fist and was both admired by the Afghanis and hated by the Taliban. He was described by Human Rights Watch as the “torturer in chief” because of accusations that he ran secret Taliban torture chambers and killed thousands of Taliban detainees. He vehemently denied all charges of torture and was considered an ally by the United States in the fight against militant terror groups in the region.

General Scott Miller, the top U.S. Forces and NATO commander in Afghanistan, expressed his condolences to Raziq’s family, calling him a “great friend.”

“We had served together for many years. Afghanistan lost a patriot, my condolences to the people of Afghanistan,” said Miller on Twitter.

His death is seen a big problem for many as it leaves a dangerous security vacuum. “He was the one guaranteeing security in Kandahar,” said a foreign diplomat in Kabul.

While attending a meeting in a heavily fortified compound in Kandahar city, a member of the provincial governor’s security team opened fire. Two others, including a journalist and a provincial intelligence chief, were killed in the assault.

The Taliban described the shooter as an “infiltrator.”

Is Mad Cow Disease Back?

Mad cow disease has been discovered once again in Scotland. Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing said this week that a farm in the Aberdeenshire – which is not being named specifically – has had a movement ban placed on it. This marks the first time in a decade that the disease has been identified in Scotland. There

have been 16 cases in the United Kingdom since 2011, the most recent being in 2015.

Chair of Veterinary Epidemiology at the University of Liverpool, the disease in “cattle in the UK is largely over but there is still the odd detected case – one in 2014, two in 2015 and now one in 2018. It is too early to say if this case is significant.”

Da Vinci’s Eyes Made Him Great Investigations are being made in order to identify the origin of the disease. The disease was found on a 5-year-old animal that died before entering the human food chain. The ailment was found during routine tests that are always performed when an animal dies on a farm.

Mad cow disease has its name because it makes animals act erratically by destroying their brains by eating away at the nerve tissue. The main concern of the disease is that it could be transferred to humans by eating infected meat. In 1986, an outbreak led to infection in 180,000 cattle; 4.4 million were laughtered in order to eradicate the disease. Since then, 178 people have died from contracting the disease.

The origin of this most recent case is not yet known, but if it is indeed an isolated case, the risk of an outbreak is very low. According to Prof Matthew Baylis,

A new study claims that Leonardo da Vinci had a rare eye condition that allowed him to become such an accurate and accomplished painter.

Intermittent exotropia, a type of eye misalignment in which one eye turns outward, may have contributed to his ability to paint distance and depth of objects on flat surfaces with an extremely high level of accuracy. “Looking at his work, I noticed the pronounced divergence of the eyes in all of his paintings [of himself],” explained the study’s author, Christopher Tyler, a research professor at the City University of London and the Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute in San Francisco. Six self-portraits of da Vinci were found to show signs of exotropia, with the eye looking outward.

Tyler analyzed the eyes in the paintings and found that one eye was turning -10.3

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The Week In News degrees outward when relaxed. Still, says Tyler, the master artist was able to align his eye when focused. The eye misalignment exotropia affects about 1% of the world population, according to Tyler. Da Vinci used his eye misalignment to see the world at a unique angle. “What he was looking at would look more like a flat canvas than like for us a three-dimensional screen,” Tyler said; this made it “easier to translate things onto the canvas.”

The condition in one eye would have allowed da Vinci to have a strong understanding of three-dimensional objects and gave him a leg up on painting the precise shading that he is well-known for.

Similar studies have been performed on other artists. It has been found that Rembrandt, Edgar Degas, and Pablo Picasso all had various forms of eye misalignment.

Nazi Resister Dies at 99

Joachim Ronneberg, the Norwegian resistance fighter who sabotaged Nazi Germany’s nuclear weapons ambitions during World War II, died this week at the age of 99.

In 1943, Ronneberg led a top-secret raid on a heavily-guarded plant in Norway’s southern region of Telemark. Years later, Hollywood turned the heroic act into a movie, “Heroes of Telemark.”

He told the BBC in 2013 that he only realized the importance of the mission after atomic bombs were dropped on Japan’s Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.

Ronneberg was born in 1919 in the town of Aalesund and fled Norway when the Nazis invaded in 1940. He escaped with friend to Scotland but wanted to return to fight.

At the time Germany needed so-called heavy water - with an extra atomic particle in its oxygen nucleus - in its race against the Allies to produce an atomic bomb.

OCTOBER 25, 2018 | The Jewish Home

Large amounts of heavy water, or deuterium oxide, at that time was only made at the Norsk Hydro facility in Rjukan, Telemark.

This made the largest hydroelectric plant of its type a target for the resistance. But a small team tasked with destroying it in 1942 failed.

The following year, Ronneberg chose a team of five other commandos in an Allied operation codenamed Gunnerside.

“We were a gang of friends doing a job together,” he told the BBC during the 70th anniversary of the mission.

The men parachuted on to a plateau, skied across country, descended into a ravine and crossed an icy river before using the railway line to get into the plant and set their explosives.

“We very often thought that this was a one way trip,” he said.

After the explosion, the men escaped into neighboring Sweden by skiing 200 miles across Telemark – despite being chased by some 3,000 German soldiers.

With a wry smile, Ronneberg described it as “the best skiing weekend I ever had.”

The operation, coupled with U.S. air raids the following year, led the Germans to abandon their plans and was later described as the most successful act of sabotage of World War II. Ronneberg was reluctant to talk about his experience despite numerous books, documentaries and TV series retelling the story. He broke his silence in the 1970s, when he began raising awareness of the dangers of war among young people.

“Those growing up today need to understand that we must always be ready to fight for peace and freedom,” he said.

slip over the murder. “We are determined to uncover every stone. We are determined to find out all the facts. And we are determined to punish those who are responsible for this murder,” Jubier said. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was reportedly not aware of the operation beforehand. “Even the senior leadership over intelligence service was not aware of this,” Jubier said.

The comments came the day after President Trump criticized the Saudis for their lack of an explanation. Khashoggi was seen entering the Saudi consulate in Turkey three weeks ago and has not been seen since. The Saudis initially denied any wrongdoing, claiming that Khashoggi left the consulate. They have since backtracked after being accused to brutally murdering and dismembering the journalist. President Trump called their explanation of his death “all over the place,” though he did say that bin Salman was a “strong person” with “very good control.”

After denying any involvement for weeks after the murder, Saudi Arabia finally said that he was killed in a “fistfight.”

A Saudi source then said that Khashoggi was killed in a “chokehold,” and now it is being called a murder by the Saudi government. Making the matter even stranger, reports have come out that a body double was seen leaving the consulate four hours after Khashoggi went in, leading many to believe that the murder was premeditated.

Mega Bridge Links Hong Kong to Mainland

Khashoggi’s Brutal End

Adel al-Jubeir, the Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia, said this week that the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi was a “tremendous mistake” and was part of a rogue operation whose organizers will be punished by his government. “The individuals who did this did this outside the scope of their authority,” he said on television this week. “There obviously was a tremendous mistake made, and what compounded the mistake was the attempt to try to cover up.

That is unacceptable in any government.”

The Saudi government has fired five top officials and arrested 18 others after their initial investigation into Khashoggi’s death. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s advisor Saud al-Qahtani and deputy intelligence chief Maj. Gen. Ahmed al-Assiri were among those given a pink

The longest sea-crossing bridge opened on Tuesday when China allowed for passage on a 34-mile bridge linking Hong Kong to the mainland. The bridge is an accomplishment of brilliant engineering that carries immense economic and political significance.

Chinese President Xi Jinping presided over a ceremony in the city of Zhuhai to open the bridge linking it to the semi-autonomous regions of Hong Kong and Macau. Digital fireworks exploded on a screen behind him as leaders of the three cities looked on.

The $20 billion bridge took almost a decade to build while incurring major delays and cost overruns. It includes an undersea tunnel allowing ships to pass through the Pearl River delta, the heart of China’s crucial manufacturing sector.

Its opening will cut travel time across the delta from several hours to just 30 minutes, something China hopes will bind the region together as a major driver of future economic growth. Heavily regulated traffic

using permits issued under a quota system began this week.

The bridge forms a physical link between the mainland and Hong Kong, an Asian financial hub that was handed over from British to Chinese control in 1997 with the assurance it would maintain its own legal and economic system for 50 years. That carries major political significance for Xi’s administration, which has rejected calls for political liberalization in Hong Kong, sparking fears Beijing will clamp down further on civil liberties before the end of the “one country, two systems” arrangement in 2047.

The bridge’s opening also comes a month after the inauguration of a new high-speed rail link from Hong Kong to mainland China that runs along a different, shorter route. That line has vastly decreased travel times but also raised concerns about Beijing’s growing influence because mainland Chinese law applies within part of the line’s Hong Kong terminus.

Deadly Train Crash in Taiwan Eighteen people died and 187 were injured this week in the worst rail disaster to hit Taiwan in more than three decades.

Four train carriages overturned after all eight cars of the train left the tracks. The train, which was carrying 366 passengers, was only 25 miles from the capital city of Taipei.

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen joined in a group prayer with Buddhist monks next to the hospital where many of the victims were treated. Tsai gave condolences to the family members of the victims and survivors. “We are really sorry ... you have to stay strong,” Tsai told Chen Yuchan, 41, whose only daughter, a seventh grader, was killed.

Six of the dead were under 18 years old. Only one foreigner was killed – an American tourist. The cause of the accident is still under investigation. Many of the casualties happened in the front-most carriage.

The driver of the train has been moved out of intensive care, although his condition is still unstable. “We will ask him what happened after he stabilizes,” said Liu CanHuang, head of the car maintenance unit of the railways. The train recorder, which tracks the train’s speed, has been sent for examination.

The disaster is the deadliest train tragedy in the country since a 1981 collision that killed 30 people.

The Week In News

‫ונשמרתם מאד‬ .‫לנפשתיכם‬

OCTOBER 25, 2018 | The Jewish Home

Guard your health carefully.

Bone Pain

Easy Bruising

Nose Bleeds

Fatigue

Gaucher disease can feel like this.

It’s no mitzvah to ignore your symptoms.

In the Ashkenazi community, approximately 1 in 15 men and women are carriers for Gaucher disease, an inherited genetic condition that causes fatty lipid deposits to build up in certain organs and bones. Symptoms can mimic other diseases, many people are misdiagnosed or assume they were tested. Treatment options are available, including oral treatment.

It’s just a simple blood test. Get tested.

Call 800-745-4447 option 6 for more information about Gaucher disease and testing. gauchercare.com

©2018 Genzyme Corporation. All rights reserved. SAUS.GD.18.08.4956a Sanofi and Genzyme are registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

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