This past Shabbos was Parsha Noach, and it poured. (As it seems to do every Parsha Noach out here in Philly area). While walking home after shul, a car drove by catching a puddle that soaked my right side. In my anger I said, “The Car should flip over!” My friend who I was walking home with me at the time gasped at what I had said. In thinking about it, Yes, I over reacted. So I quickly reverse my words and said “Hashem may the car not flip over and travel safely on its way”. And then…. A miracle occurred… The car did NOT flip over!

Sometimes it’s hard to see the real miracles at are in front of us every day. And although the above story is pure fiction, (Apart from it did rain like crazy last Shabbos), I have been blessed with a true miracle! Or so it seems to me.

As friends and readers of my blog well know, I have been trying to sell my house for the past year. In May of 2008, my wife and I made the commitment to move to the growing Jewish Township of Lower Merion Pennsylvania. At the time, from home sales statistics, it looked as if I would have no trouble selling my house in 3 months. My wife and I figured with 2 young boys and a very narrow window in where we could move to (And afford), it would be better to buy a House first and then sell. (Keeping a house show room clean with a 3 year of seemed next to impossible) As it happened, we found a house, and put down the “Wow that’s a Lot of Money” deposit just a couple weeks before the Oct 2008 crash.

Carrying two mortgages while trying to sell a house in this economy is a real test of faith. To say this was one of the most difficult years of my life would NOT be an understatement. (And that’s coming from a Cancer survivor!) Deep down, I knew I moved for the right reasons. We moved from the “Fringes of Galus” to give our kids the opportunity to grow up in a thriving Jewish Community. The spiritual gains we received this year are un-measurable. I am able to Daven with a minyan twice, if not thrice a day. I now have the opportunity to study nightly at the Philly Kollel. The community supports Jewish Day schools, no fewer then 7 orthodox shuls, Mikvot, as well as Judaica shops. There are also convenience benefits too. No longer do we need to stay with friends if we want to attend Shul on Shabbos & Holidays. No longer do we need to drive an hour to a Kosher Market or Restaurant. We even have a Kosher Pizza place that delivers. You can’t beat that

As hard as the times were this year, I knew Hashem would see I landed on my feet. OK, maybe I didn’t know it so much as kept reminding myself. I have to be honest though. This past August, my faith was challenged and probably was at it’s lowest. An identical house 2 doors down from me decided enough was enough and tried to short-sell their house $50K less then ours. (Sadly that house, 2 months later is now facing Foreclosure)

There is no way my house should have sold, but it did. We got an offer shortly there after. The Settlement date (Picked by the Buyer)… October 23, EXACTLY one year to the day since we had moved. We weren’t the cheapest house on the block, and another house also up for sale on the block had a MUCH better view from their deck then did we, but it was our house that sold! According to a text book, we should not have sold, but we did!! Baruch Hashem!!

A Miracle, Or at the very least closure to a long saga (and source of many blog posts!)

As an avid (and snobby) coffee drinker, I am always confronted as to what to do on Shabbos. Typically, I may brew a pot of coffee before Shabbos and drink it cold during Shabbos, or buy one of Starbucks’s travelers and nip from it all Shabbos.

The funny thing is, while I have no problems easily downing a pot of coffee a day during the week, my Shabbos coffee drinking is much more relaxed. That being the case I usually end up with a lot of wasted coffee.

So what’s a Frumma Yid to do?

Last week Starbucks introduced it’s VIA instant coffee line. While a coffee snob like myself would normally shun instant coffee, I gave it a try. To be honest, it’s not too bad. I can tell the difference between their Italian roast, and the VIA version of the product, but for Instant coffee, it’s not bad.

VIA did give me an idea thought… What if I tried VIA on Shabbos? So I picked up a $2.95 3pack of their Italian Roast. VIA is so fine, that mixing with cold water isn’t a problem (If you like cold coffee), the coffee dissolves very well.

So here’s my thoughts:

Overall, Starbuck’s VIA is a great coffee alternative for Shabbos coffee, that is if you want to treat yourself. I think the biggest draw back is by far the price. To be honest, that alone will be keeping me from buying it. For those that say, it’s a bit cheaper in price compared to the barista served version, I say… Remember… it is instant.

As a BIG Starbucks fan, here’s my dirty little secret…. I do drink Instant! For my cold Shabbos coffee instant coffee, I’ll be staying with Elite’s Turkish Instant Coffee. An $8something Jar last me forever. Not only that, its taste reminds me of my summers visiting my grandparents in Israel, as they drink it. Yes, I know Elite is the Maxwell House of Israel, but it’s really not that bad. Because Elite like VIA is also very finely ground, it dissolves well in cold water. If Starbucks would match its price, I’d switch in an Instant. (No pun intended)

Great news! After 1195 days in Captivity Hamas released this video of Gilad Shalit alive and “Well”. The Below Clip (filmed 14-Sept) from Israeli TV news, and translation from YNetNews does come at a price. As an exchange for the release of this video, Israel did need to release 19 Palestinian prisoners (most of whom were nearing the end of their Jail time)

What wonderful news in time for the Chagim! May the next video be of him actually coming home!

“Hello, this is Gilad, son of Noam and Aviva Shalit, brother of Hadas and Yoel, who lives in Mitzpe Hila. My ID number is 397029.

As you can see I am holding today’s Falasteen newspaper published in Gaza.

I read the newspaper in order to find information about myself, and in hopes of reading about information of my return home and my imminent release

I hope the current government headed by Benjamin Netanyahu doesn’t waste this opportunity to reach an agreement and as a result, allow me to fulfill my dream and be released.

I wish to send my well-wishes to my family and tell them that I love them and miss them greatly, and hope for the day I’ll see them again. Dad, Yoel, and Hadas, do you remember the day you arrived at my base in the Golan Heights, on December 31, 2005? We toured around the base and you took a picture of me on a Merkava tank and on one of the old tanks at the entrance to the base. Later we went to a restaurant in one of the Druze villages and on the way we took pictures on the side of the road, against the backdrop of the snowy Hermon Mountain.

I want to tell you that I feel well in medical terms, and that the Mujahidin from the al-Qassam Brigades are treating me excellently. Thank you very much and goodbye”

On September 24th 2009, a mere 6 decades after the Murder of 6 Million Jews by the Nazis, Israel Prime Minister Netanyahu had to stand in front of the UN assembly to rebuke a speech made earlier by the President of Iran denying the Holocaust. Netanyahu’s speech will surely go down in history, and I swell with pride when I read the text. It is Sad however that he had to deliver a speech as such to the UN, and it is despicable that anyone gives recognition to Holocaust deniers be they head of states, movie stars or private citizens.

But what I found most amazing was after his Speech, Israeli TV interviewed Netanyahu. He attributed his speech to the Lubavitcher Rebbe who he met in 1984 for 40 minutes before Simchat Torah. In their meeting The Rebbe told Netanyahu, who was then an Israeli Ambassador that the UN Halls were filled with darkness. His Job was to spread light (truth) to dispel these lies. I’ve attached a video of the Interview below. (with Subtitles) AMAZING!

Netanyahu’s interview with Israeli TV

Netanyahu’s Historic Speech
United Nations
24-sept-2009
Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Nearly 62 years ago, the United Nations recognized the right of the Jews, an ancient people 3,500 years-old, to a state of their own in their ancestral homeland.

I stand here today as the Prime Minister of Israel, the Jewish state, and I speak to you on behalf of my country and my people.

The United Nations was founded after the carnage of World War II and the horrors of the Holocaust. It was charged with preventing the recurrence of such horrendous events.

Nothing has undermined that central mission more than the systematic assault on the truth. Yesterday the President of Iran stood at this very podium, spewing his latest anti-Semitic rants. Just a few days earlier, he again claimed that the Holocaust is a lie.

Last month, I went to a villa in a suburb of Berlin called Wannsee. There, on January 20, 1942, after a hearty meal, senior Nazi officials met and decided how to exterminate the Jewish people. The detailed minutes of that meeting have been preserved by successive German governments. Here is a copy of those minutes, in which the Nazis issued precise instructions on how to carry out the extermination of the Jews. Is this a lie?

A day before I was in Wannsee, I was given in Berlin the original construction plans for the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. Those plans are signed by Hitler’s deputy, Heinrich Himmler himself. Here is a copy of the plans for Auschwitz-Birkenau, where one million Jews were murdered. Is this too a lie?

This June, President Obama visited the Buchenwald concentration camp. Did President Obama pay tribute to a lie?

And what of the Auschwitz survivors whose arms still bear the tattooed numbers branded on them by the Nazis? Are those tattoos a lie? One-third of all Jews perished in the conflagration. Nearly every Jewish family was affected, including my own. My wife’s grandparents, her father’s two sisters and three brothers, and all the aunts, uncles and cousins were all murdered by the Nazis. Is that also a lie?

Yesterday, the man who calls the Holocaust a lie spoke from this podium. To those who refused to come here and to those who left this room in protest, I commend you. You stood up for moral clarity and you brought honor to your countries.

But to those who gave this Holocaust-denier a hearing, I say on behalf of my people, the Jewish people, and decent people everywhere: Have you no shame? Have you no decency?

A mere six decades after the Holocaust, you give legitimacy to a man who denies that the murder of six million Jews took place and pledges to wipe out the Jewish state.

What a disgrace! What a mockery of the charter of the United Nations! Perhaps some of you think that this man and his odious regime threaten only the Jews. You’re wrong.

History has shown us time and again that what starts with attacks on the Jews eventually ends up engulfing many others.

This Iranian regime is fueled by an extreme fundamentalism that burst onto the world scene three decades ago after lying dormant for centuries. In the past thirty years, this fanaticism has swept the globe with a murderous violence and cold-blooded impartiality in its choice of victims. It has callously slaughtered Moslems and Christians, Jews and Hindus, and many others. Though it is comprised of different offshoots, the adherents of this unforgiving creed seek to return humanity to medieval times.

Wherever they can, they impose a backward regimented society where women, minorities, gays or anyone not deemed to be a true believer is brutally subjugated. The struggle against this fanaticism does not pit faith against faith nor civilization against civilization.

It pits civilization against barbarism, the 21st century against the 9th century, those who sanctify life against those who glorify death.

The primitivism of the 9th century ought to be no match for the progress of the 21st century. The allure of freedom, the power of technology, the reach of communications should surely win the day. Ultimately, the past cannot triumph over the future. And the future offers all nations magnificent bounties of hope. The pace of progress is growing exponentially.

It took us centuries to get from the printing press to the telephone, decades to get from the telephone to the personal computer, and only a few years to get from the personal computer to the internet.

What seemed impossible a few years ago is already outdated, and we can scarcely fathom the changes that are yet to come. We will crack the genetic code. We will cure the incurable. We will lengthen our lives. We will find a cheap alternative to fossil fuels and clean up the planet.

I am proud that my country Israel is at the forefront of these advances – by leading innovations in science and technology, medicine and biology, agriculture and water, energy and the environment. These innovations the world over offer humanity a sunlit future of unimagined promise.

But if the most primitive fanaticism can acquire the most deadly weapons, the march of history could be reversed for a time. And like the belated victory over the Nazis, the forces of progress and freedom will prevail only after an horrific toll of blood and fortune has been exacted from mankind. That is why the greatest threat facing the world today is the marriage between religious fanaticism and the weapons of mass destruction.

The most urgent challenge facing this body is to prevent the tyrants of Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Are the member states of the United Nations up to that challenge? Will the international community confront a despotism that terrorizes its own people as they bravely stand up for freedom?

Will it take action against the dictators who stole an election in broad daylight and gunned down Iranian protesters who died in the streets choking in their own blood? Will the international community thwart the world’s most pernicious sponsors and practitioners of terrorism?

Above all, will the international community stop the terrorist regime of Iran from developing atomic weapons, thereby endangering the peace of the entire world?

The people of Iran are courageously standing up to this regime. People of goodwill around the world stand with them, as do the thousands who have been protesting outside this hall. Will the United Nations stand by their side?

Ladies and Gentlemen,
The jury is still out on the United Nations, and recent signs are not encouraging. Rather than condemning the terrorists and their Iranian patrons, some here have condemned their victims. That is exactly what a recent UN report on Gaza did, falsely equating the terrorists with those they targeted.

For eight long years, Hamas fired from Gaza thousands of missiles, mortars and rockets on nearby Israeli cities. Year after year, as these missiles were deliberately hurled at our civilians, not a single UN resolution was passed condemning those criminal attacks. We heard nothing – absolutely nothing – from the UN Human Rights Council, a misnamed institution if there ever was one.

In 2005, hoping to advance peace, Israel unilaterally withdrew from every inch of Gaza. It dismantled 21 settlements and uprooted over 8,000 Israelis. We didn’t get peace. Instead we got an Iranian backed terror base fifty miles from Tel Aviv. Life in Israeli towns and cities next to Gaza became a nightmare. You see, the Hamas rocket attacks not only continued, they increased tenfold. Again, the UN was silent.

Finally, after eight years of this unremitting assault, Israel was finally forced to respond. But how should we have responded? Well, there is only one example in history of thousands of rockets being fired on a country’s civilian population. It happened when the Nazis rocketed British cities during World War II. During that war, the allies leveled German cities, causing hundreds of thousands of casualties. Israel chose to respond differently. Faced with an enemy committing a double war crime of firing on civilians while hiding behind civilians – Israel sought to conduct surgical strikes against the rocket launchers.

That was no easy task because the terrorists were firing missiles from homes and schools, using mosques as weapons depots and ferreting explosives in ambulances. Israel, by contrast, tried to minimize casualties by urging Palestinian civilians to vacate the targeted areas.

We dropped countless flyers over their homes, sent thousands of text messages and called thousands of cell phones asking people to leave. Never has a country gone to such extraordinary lengths to remove the enemy’s civilian population from harm’s way.

Yet faced with such a clear case of aggressor and victim, who did the UN Human Rights Council decide to condemn? Israel. A democracy legitimately defending itself against terror is morally hanged, drawn and quartered, and given an unfair trial to boot.

By these twisted standards, the UN Human Rights Council would have dragged Roosevelt and Churchill to the dock as war criminals. What a perversion of truth. What a perversion of justice.

Delegates of the United Nations,
Will you accept this farce?

Because if you do, the United Nations would revert to its darkest days, when the worst violators of human rights sat in judgment against the law-abiding democracies, when Zionism was equated with racism and when an automatic majority could declare that the earth is flat.

If this body does not reject this report, it would send a message to terrorists everywhere: Terror pays; if you launch your attacks from densely populated areas, you will win immunity. And in condemning Israel, this body would also deal a mortal blow to peace. Here’s why.

When Israel left Gaza, many hoped that the missile attacks would stop. Others believed that at the very least, Israel would have international legitimacy to exercise its right of self-defense. What legitimacy? What self-defense?

The same UN that cheered Israel as it left Gaza and promised to back our right of self-defense now accuses us -my people, my country – of war crimes? And for what? For acting responsibly in self-defense. What a travesty!

Israel justly defended itself against terror. This biased and unjust report is a clear-cut test for all governments. Will you stand with Israel or will you stand with the terrorists?

We must know the answer to that question now. Now and not later. Because if Israel is again asked to take more risks for peace, we must know today that you will stand with us tomorrow. Only if we have the confidence that we can defend ourselves can we take further risks for peace.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
All of Israel wants peace.

Any time an Arab leader genuinely wanted peace with us, we made peace. We made peace with Egypt led by Anwar Sadat. We made peace with Jordan led by King Hussein. And if the Palestinians truly want peace, I and my government, and the people of Israel, will make peace. But we want a genuine peace, a defensible peace, a permanent peace. In 1947, this body voted to establish two states for two peoples – a Jewish state and an Arab state. The Jews accepted that resolution. The Arabs rejected it.

We ask the Palestinians to finally do what they have refused to do for 62 years: Say yes to a Jewish state. Just as we are asked to recognize a nation-state for the Palestinian people, the Palestinians must be asked to recognize the nation state of the Jewish people. The Jewish people are not foreign conquerors in the Land of Israel. This is the land of our forefathers.

Inscribed on the walls outside this building is the great Biblical vision of peace: “Nation shall not lift up sword against nation. They shall learn war no more.” These words were spoken by the Jewish prophet Isaiah 2,800 years ago as he walked in my country, in my city, in the hills of Judea and in the streets of Jerusalem.

We are not strangers to this land. It is our homeland. As deeply connected as we are to this land, we recognize that the Palestinians also live there and want a home of their own. We want to live side by side with them, two free peoples living in peace, prosperity and dignity.

But we must have security. The Palestinians should have all the powers to govern themselves except those handful of powers that could endanger Israel.

That is why a Palestinian state must be effectively demilitarized. We don’t want another Gaza, another Iranian backed terror base abutting Jerusalem and perched on the hills a few kilometers from Tel Aviv.

We want peace.

I believe such a peace can be achieved. But only if we roll back the forces of terror, led by Iran, that seek to destroy peace, eliminate Israel and overthrow the world order. The question facing the international community is whether it is prepared to confront those forces or accommodate them.

Over seventy years ago, Winston Churchill lamented what he called the “confirmed unteachability of mankind,” the unfortunate habit of civilized societies to sleep until danger nearly overtakes them.

Churchill bemoaned what he called the “want of foresight, the unwillingness to act when action will be simple and effective, the lack of clear thinking, the confusion of counsel until emergency comes, until self-preservation strikes its jarring gong.”

I speak here today in the hope that Churchill’s assessment of the “unteachibility of mankind” is for once proven wrong.

I speak here today in the hope that we can learn from history — that we can prevent danger in time.

In the spirit of the timeless words spoken to Joshua over 3,000 years ago, let us be strong and of good courage. Let us confront this peril, secure our future and, God willing, forge an enduring peace for generations to come.

For these past 8 years, preparing for the Jewish High Holidays was a lot like a Grateful Dead fall tour for me. During the 18 years we used to follow the Grateful Dead, we were always trying to scrounge tickets and a place to crash after the show for a series of shows we would travel to. Now, after becoming frum & living in the fringes of Galus, the same held true for the Jewish High Holidays. We were always looking for hospitality space with the same intensity. The anxiety of finding a place for each day of the holiday was a lot like planning our itinerary for a Landover-Albany-Nassau run. “Ok, we got space to stay Rosh Hashanah, and meals for the first day, looking for our second day meal and crash space for Yom Kippur. OK, who‘s got my Sukkah miracle…”

The years between us becoming fully-frum and finally moving to a frum neighborhood were filled with travel & (very much appreciated) gracious hosts. For years we would travel away for Rosh Hashanah finding a Chabad house near a hotel and the like. Sometimes we were lucky enough to stay with friends locally. Even though we loved our time at Chabad houses like the Chabad of Ocean City Maryland, (A Sephardic Shul a mile from the Beach), there is something to be said about just staying home.

Last year, we realized our dreams of moving to Lower Merion! Buying a house before the market crash, and then selling one during these turbulent financial times, did make for a very stressful year. (To put it very mildly)

I think the reward for all the stress this past year came this Rosh Hashanah. How amazing was it to finally be able to Daven in our own shul while proudly walking to and from our own home. How wonderful it was to be able to eat our meals at home as opposed to feeling guilty about always relying on hospitality. How wonderful was it to spend lunch with Friends and to greet others going to and from shul with a “L’Shana Tova, Gut Yontif”.

In looking back on this past Rosh Hashanah, I wonder why it took us so long! (Actually I know the An$wer.) Making the commitment to move after living in a neighborhood for almost 20 years is a big step, but one well worth taking.

This morning I had an experience that really drove this point home. While leaving our local Starbucks with my Black Venti Coffee in hand, I bumped into a friend that goes to another Shul in the neighborhood. Small “How was your yonif” talk ensued. During my 20 years in the Fringes of Galus, I don’t think I ever got to know my neighbors well enough to have such a conversation. Living in a frum neighborhood, especially one with diverse number of Orthodox shuls (we have 7 within the Eruv); you really come to understand the concept of “It takes a village to raise a Yid”.

Together with my family, I would like to wish you and yours a k’sivah v’chasimah tovah

Rosh Hashanah has the distinction of being the only Jewish Holiday that falls out on a new moon. Think about it for a second. Most of the Jewish Holiday come on the 15th of the Hebrew month when the moon is full. Even Shavous has its “roots” from a full moon being 50 days from Pesach.

So what is a new moon exactly? The moon cycle starts off as a little sliver then waxes to a full moon, there by it then wanes back to the new moon. For a brief period of time, at the point of being the new moon, the moon is not visible. Just as the moon is briefly hidden from us (but still there), from a Chassidus perspective, Rosh Hashanah is a period in which Hashem’s energy is briefly hidden (but still there). The sounding of the Shofar awakens a completely new spiritual energy that Hashem brings into this world for the coming year.

Our Heritage is also a lot like the moon, in that it too waxes and wanes. There have been periods throughout history where, as in the case of Shlomo ha’Melech, we were at our fullest. And periods like the Shoah where we were at our lowest.

5769 was a tumultuous year for us. Anti-Semitism on the rise. The global economy in a state of upheaval. Charitable institutions decimated by the likes of Bernie Madoff (yemach shmoy). The world being on the heals of a Swine flu pandemic. If that wasn’t enough, we can add being in a general general state of political uncertainty.

Personally it was an “interesting year” year for me for sure. As you are aware from reading my blog, we finally got to realize our goal of moving into a frum community. Of course this did not come without its financial hardship, stress & uncertainly.

5769 brought us out of our comfort zone, it made us re-evaluate our standing and hopefully reaffirmed our faith in Hashem that things will indeed get better.

As we hear the Shofar Sunday, may it shake us out of our spiritual slumber, reconnect us to our source, and recommit us to our divine mission in this world. May we as a people continue our waxing period which should lead to the coming of Moshiach speedily in our days.

K’sivah v’chasimah tovah!

As our children return back to school this week, there is an interesting correlation between Learning and this week’s Torah Parsha.

In Parshas Nitzavim, Moshe informs the Israelites of their later generations, and what will occur after they are exiled from their land due to drifting away from Hashem via their sins. Here in Devarim 29:27, we come across the phrase “va’yashlichem el eretz acheres” (and he cast them to another land)

In this phrase the Torah is clearly referring to our galus (Exile). In addition, the word “va’yashlichem” literally sticks out in the Torah, as the lamed, which is the tallest letter of the aleph beis, is written unusually larger. So this begs the question as to the significance of the “lamed rabossi” (the enlarged letter “lamed”) of “va’yashlichem”?

In the sefer Torah Hachida (Torah Commentary by the 18th century Rabbi Chaim Joseph David ben Isaac Zerachia Azulai, known by the acronym Chida), the Chida brings an interesting explanation. The Letter “lamed” directly relates to the Hebrew word “limud” (learning). As the Chida points out, if the lamed is removed from the word va’yashlichem, the remaining letters (vav(6)-yud(10)-shin(300)-kaph(20)-mem(40)) have the same gematria as Yakkov’s Brother “Eisav” (Ayin(70)-Sin(300)- Vav(6)) = (376). This comes to teach us, that if the “learning” of Torah departs from us, “Eisav” remains and oppresses us.

Chassidus teaches us that one of the purposes of our galus is to gather the “Sparks of Holiness” that are spread throughout creation. We achieve this through Torah and mitzvos. Since “va’yashlichem” refers to our galus and the large lamed refers to the learning of Torah, this comes to teach us that one of the purposes of our exile is to teach the words of Torah. We should Learn Torah and teach it to our children in order to gather these Sparks of Holiness. In teaching our Children Torah they will come to a recognize of Hashem in a more profound manner. (May he send Moshiach soon in our days to take us out of this Galus)

On August 28th, Israeli Gilad Shalit, (who was captured and taken Hostage by Hamas) turns 23. Gilad has spend the last 4 years in Captivity as the world remains silent. His capture hasn’t dominated the international news and most of the World Leaders aren’t applying pressure for his release…. We Need to get this young man HOME!

As such, It’s time we take it upon ourselves to spread the word so that the world can gain awareness.

Today, August 26, on twitter, Concerned twitter-citizens have been tagging their 140 Character posts (Tweets) with the tag #GiladShalit. In doing so, #GiladShalit remained most active “trending” topics on Twitter. It is our hopes that by spreading the world we can increase awareness which can secure his release!

I encourage you to tweet about Gilad, or spread the word thorough other forms of Social Media. There is a Gilad Group on Facebook as well as numerous other Gilad Shalit web sites. We need your help!

Resources:
Gilad News Blog
Bring Gilad Home
Habanim
JIDF’s Campaign
Israel’s Foreign Ministry

My Gilad Tweets on Twitter today:

Thinking of #GiladShalit as I study Torah Tonight

Nice! #giladshalit is trending at no. 2 just behind Teddy (Baruch Dayan HaEmmes)

@LipaFan Cool! do you think I would be pushing my luck if I asked them to lay down their arms too? #GiladShalit

Doing project budgets for 2010. Yuk.. Still Much better then what #GiladShalit is going though

RT @Kristina_Ruth: We want Gilad NOW ! ! ! ¡ ʍou ɥɐıɥsɐɯ ʇuɐʍ ǝʍ #GiladShalit

LOVE IT! RT @mottel: My mitzvah for #GiladShalit: Not playing with my cellphone during davening!

Tehillim 20 is a great Psalm to say for someone suffering in a distant place http://tinyurl.com/686×7x #GiladShalit

NICE! RT @yonitdm: Beautiful concert for #GiladShalit http://bit.ly/LMppXa

74 of the 613 Mitzvot can be found in this week’s Parsha. One of those mitzvot concerns returning a lost object. Hamas! Return #GiladShalit

This week’s Parsha we are obligated to remember what Amalek did as we left Egypt. We should also remember what Hamas has done to #GiladShalit

Bring Gilad Home http://tinyurl.com/bavtr8 #GiladShalit

http://twitpic.com/fbsig – For Gilad #giladshalit

Do you believe after four years there are STILL Jews in Gaza!! Hamas, what is wrong with you?? Expel Gilad Shalit now!! #giladshalit

In the mid-70’s, early 80’s during my High School and College years, I was an avid chess player. I studied the game every free moment I had. I played non-stop, and spent may sleepless nights getting ready for tournaments. As a kid, spending my weekends travelling the country playing in National Tournaments was a real hoot. I lived and breathed the game. For all the energy I put into the game however, my only real “Claim to Fame” was probably the 1980 US Open where I tied for 1st in my class.

Unfortunately today I do not get a chance to play Tournament Chess anymore. Tournaments are typically played over a weekend, which would preclude me from playing on Shabbos. Not only that, but I simply do not have the time to devote to the study of the game these days. Regardless, I still love playing the same game that has been played since the 15th century by Kings, Statesmen, Masters, Grandmasters and regular Patzers like me.

Although the rules to the game are exactly as they were in 1475 when the rules of Chess were formalized, our understanding of the game is much deeper in these modern times. This expanded understanding can be attributed to the masters of the game that have preceded us. The various opening strategies all have been worked out over the years though game play and intense study. Although innovations in chess theory continue to be made, we are essentially expounding and refining opening theories laid down by Masters and Grandmasters before us.

Over the years the best responses to various opening moves have been worked out through top level play and published. Today, an amateur player can hold their own (in the opening stage of the game) by simply memorizing opening chess theory. Some believe this is a detriment to the game. There are those like the late former World Chess Champion and noted Anti-Semite Bobby Fischer (yemach shmoy) who proposed a variation to modernize the game.

Fischer proposed that the pieces behind the front line of pawns be placed randomly at the start of each game. This, Fischer said, would eliminate any “Opening Book memorization” advantage a player might have, thus taking the game essentially right to the middle game. An improvement? Modernization? Is this even still Chess?

Fischer’s variation, is simply just that, a variation, a new game unto itself. It is not Chess, but rather “Fischer Random Chess”. Fischer Random Chess, may be based on Chess, It might have some elements of chess, but is simply not Chess. (And most certainly will not be played during the next World Chess Championship)

Although I’ve played Fischer Random Chess, and understand the principles behind why this new game was introduced, I much prefer the beauty of the game of Chess as it has been played throughout the centuries.

The Torah has a similar concept to Torah itself. We learned in parsha Vaetchanan a few weeks ago, as it says in Devarim 4:2, “You shall not add to the words that I command you, nor shall you subtract from it”. In other words it’s not up to us to change the rules of the game, The rules were given to us by Hashem and can only be changed by Hashem, even if in our eyes it “improves or modernizes” the game. Perhaps when Moshiach arrives (May he do so speedily in out days) we will learn if it is permissible to arrange the board as Bishop, King, Knight, Rook, Queen, Rook, Knight, Bishop, (Which I think would make for a Fantastic Fischer Random Chess start position) but until then… 1.e4

It wasn’t but a couple weeks ago that I blogged about the new weekly Torah Study publication “Chayenu”. (You can see that post by clicking here). At that time, I was pretty excited about a “Dvar Malchus” style publication available to an English speaking audience. My only critique was that the publication was mainly centered around the Rambam’s Mishneh Torah. Although, that being fantastic in itself, I was hoping for something to cover a more of a broader spectrum in regards to Chitas Daily Study Schedule.

As I sensed the publication was working towards those goals, I didn’t realize at how quickly they would be realized. Starting with this week’s issue, Chayenu now includes the week’s complete Sedra; Chumash with Rashi commentary, broken down by Aliyah for daily study! And if that wasn’t enough, Chayenu also included the Haftorah for the week as well!

All this in addition to selections of Rambam’s Mishneh Torah/Sefer HaMitzvot, Halacha, Geulah Study, An excerpt of a sichos (Talk) the Rebbe gave concerting a Mishna in this week’s Pirkei Avos reading, A responsa from the Rebbe concerning Bitachon.

At a dollar an issue & 134pages of pure Torah study an issue, dollar for dollar this is by far the BEST investment you can make to strengthen your daily Torah Learning.

The Chayenu website now accepts PayPal as a paymethod to subscribe online!

For Chayenu Subscription information, click here…

Enjoy!