Sunday, November 20, 2016
This past week's Haftorah shows the difference between Sfardim and Ashkeneizim
שם מסופר על האשה השונמית שבנה מת, והיא הולכת לאלישע שיחייה את בנה, בעלה שואל אותה מדוע את הולכת אליו, לא חודש ולא שבת, ותאמר שלום. *כאן מסיימים הספרדים* מספיק שהולכת לרב בטוח יחיה . *ואילו האשכנזים* עד שלא רואים שאלישע החייה את הנער לא מסיימים את ההפטרה *נקודה למחשבה*
In the Haftorah (Melachim 4:1-37) that was read this Shabbos Parshas VaYeirah, we read two stories of Shunamit Women, one whose husband (the Prohet Ovadia) dies suddenly, and she goes to Elisha to complain that creditors are after her and Elisha takes care of the problem......
but in the second story we see a sharp contrast between Sfardim and Ashkeneizim....
We read about a childless Shunamite women, who is promised a son by Elisha, conceives and gives birth to a boy, and the boy grows up but suddenly dies still a child.... she then asks her husband (who has no knowledge that the child has died) "Please send me one of the attendants and one of the donkeys so that I can hurry to the man of G-d (Elisha)"
Her husband asks: " Why are you going to him today? It is not Rosh Chodash, and it isn't Shabbos?"
She says : "All is well."
The Sfardim end the reading of the Haftorah here ..... where she is confident that everything will turn out great, since she had Amunas Tzaddikim and 100% trust in Elisha!
But The Ashkeneizim, who don't have this Amunah Peshuta .... must read on .....until they read that Elisha actually revived the child!
Very Interesting ..........
Aliza Scheinfeld Shares Letter of Encouragement For R' Moty Scheinfeld (52) Z"L
In the wake of the sudden and shocking passing of Rabbi Moty Scheinfeld (52) Z”L, his wife Aliza shared a heartfelt letter of thanks and encouragement of perseverance with the community.
“This week we experienced a shocking and horrible tragedy, the sudden loss of my dear husband R’ Mordechai Tzvi, Moty Scheinfeld, A”H. My family is heartbroken and we will never be the same. Although we are suffering, we know we will survive and live our lives again with the fondest memories of a great husband, father, and of course, a loving Zaidy.
It says that Hashem prepares the medicine before the illness. In our case, Hashem prepared the best medicine for us, our beautiful loving immediate and extended family and our amazing friends and neighbors here and the world over. I have received the warmest emails and messages via text and Whatsapp from people I know and those I do not know…. those who knew Moty and those who did not.
During this week, we were fed the most delicious and plentiful meals. Most of all, we were blown away by the hundreds of people who came to be Menachem us, sharing stories and memories of their relationships with Moty, either personal or professional. You gave us comfort and strength.
As we welcome Shabbos, I encourage you to celebrate Shabbos the way Moty celebrated Shabbos. Not only enjoying it because of its holiness but because of the special time with the family, singing, sharing stories of our individual weeks at school or work, and of course, lots of laughter and good times.
With tremendous thanks and wishes to you for a most Freilichen Shabbos,
Aliza Scheinfeld and family”
Aliza Scheinfeld and family”
Rabbi Ben Zion Shenker Dies At 91
One of the most gifted and inspired composers of Hassidic niggunim Rabbi Ben Tzion Shknker has passed away this morning at the age of 91.
Music has played an integral part of Shenker’s life since he was very young, including making a record at the age of 13, while performing on his own radio show and singing in a boy’s choir.
Shenker has composed roughly 500 songs in his lifetime, including “Eishes Chayil” (completed in 1953), “Mizmor L’David, Hashem ro’i” (composed in 1946), and “Yasis Alayich” (composed in 1965). In addition, he has published several records of the music of Modzitz – a Polish Chassidus – including the very first chassidic record in the United States, “Modzitzer Melave Malke,” released in 1956.
Recently dubbed “the greatest living figure of chassidic music” by NPR Radio.
Shenker served as prayer leader in a Brooklyn Modzitzer synagogue for five decades.
His funeral will be held today at the Shomrei Hadas Chapels in Borough Park at 1:00 PM this afternoon.
Bolton warns Obama on Israel action at UN
Former United Nations Ambassador John Bolton warned Sunday that President Obama should not take any actions before leaving office that could hurt Israel at the U.N.
Bolton said during an interview with radio host John Catsimatidis that there is "a lot of speculation over in Turtle Bay at U.N. headquarters about resolutions that recognize a Palestinian state or that try and set a boundary for Israel based on the 1967 ceasefire lines."
"I think that’d be very inadvisable for the president to do that," he said.
Obama said during his final speech as president at the U.N. General Assembly that Israel would be in a better position if it did not “permanently occupy and settle Palestinian land" and Palestinians would be better off if they were to “reject incitement," according to the Jerusalem Post.
Bolton said Sunday that Trump's transition team is "doing an excellent job," noting that Trump has spoken with various world leaders who have congratulated him on winning the election.
“They’re obviously very, very interested in finding out more about him, more about what his administration’s priorities are going to be,” Bolton said.
Steve Bannon — The Latest Victim of Malicious Attack From the Left
The alt-left is at it again. This time they are using their Internet and media echo chamber to malign Steve Bannon, concocting a narrative that is false but endlessly repeated by their soldiers in the never-ending campaign to discredit conservatives and members of the Trump campaign. Playing the race card in all its variations has become the modus operandi of the liberal/left political world.
Mr. Bannon, who has been appointed chief White House adviser and political strategist for Mr. Trump, has been a staunch and reliable friend of Israel’s, and hired a host of Jewish journalists during his leadership at the conservative Breitbart news magazine. He has been an ardent supporter of the Jewish state when many liberal Jewish organizations were condemning Israel and spouting fashionable anti-Israel criticisms emanating from the Left.
Thursday, November 17, 2016
Berland sentenced to 18 months in prison
Rabbi Eliezer Berland, who fled Israel after allegations of sexual misconduct against female followers came to light in 2012, will serve 18 months in prison for sexual abuse.
Berland, 79, is the founder of the Shuvu Banim yeshiva in the Old City of Jerusalem and was a prominent figure within the Breslov community. He managed to evade Israeli authorities until his capture in South Africa in late 2015. Rabbi Berland was finally returned to Israel in July, 2016.
According to a plea bargain agreement signed on Thursday, Berland will plead guilty to two charges of sexual assault against two of his female followers, and will be sentenced to 18 months imprisonment.
The nearly four months Berland has already served will be counted towards his jail term.
While many of Rabbi Berland’s followers have decried the allegations as a witch-hunt and proclaimed his innocence, prominent Breslov leaders have condemned Berland, while his own son, Nahman, described him as a “criminal”.
“[H]e pretends to be a great saint,” the younger Berland said. “My father has no shame….when people know about his crimes they won’t come near him; my father is such a criminal – either he’s totally wicked or he’s mentally ill, and I don’t care which.”
New York Daily News "The Anti-Trump" Paper going down the drain
The Daily News is a four-time loser, recently released circulation stats show.
The embattled newspaper reported sharply lower sales on weekdays and Sundays and on newsstand sales and home deliveries, according to the Alliance for Audited Media.
While the entire newspaper industry has been hammered by print circulation declines in recent years, the drop-off by Mort Zuckerman’s Daily News in September was much steeper than the declines at The Post and the New York Times.
The News saw its weekday print circulation tumble 11.2 percent, to 207,680, almost double the 6.8 drop at The Post, which fell to 230,634. The Times reported a decline of 5.5 percent, to 551,579.
The Post was the No. 1 seller on newsstands, with 169,543 copies sold in September, down 9.9 percent. The Times sold an average 77,994 newsstand copies, down 3.5 percent. The News saw newsstand sales crater by 11.4 percent, to 115,923.
The shocking double-digit declines come weeks after the money-losing News ousted Editor-in-Chief Jim Rich after just one year on the job.
The News also reported that circulation via its mobile app tumbled 29.5 percent, to 46,233. The Post’s mobile app circulation jumped 14.2 percent, to 202,422 — pushing total print and digital circulation up 2 percent, to 422,056, and making it the only one of the three papers to record a total circulation gain.
Tuesday, November 15, 2016
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