Monday’s draft-evasion vote was worthy of Sodom, which outlawed justice and legalized crime.

A Gathering (Asifa) of Horses' Rear Ends! "REMEMBER THE INTERNET"

Draft evasion is not God’s will, and shouldn't be treated as such 

 

Monday’s draft-evasion vote was worthy of Sodom, which outlawed justice and legalized crime.

DESPITE THE IDF’s calculation that it needs 7,000 new troops, Monday’s vote to revive an older haredi draft bill was approved by the majority of the Knesset members.

They happened the same night, hardly 100 kilometers from each other, but one moral light-year apart.

In Rafah, Givati troops entered a booby-trapped Hamas outpost that soon blew up and caved in on them, killing four and wounding 11. In Jerusalem, with news of the incident already known, 63 lawmakers booby-trapped the Jewish state by voting to etch in stone ultra-Orthodoxy’s evasion of service in the IDF.

Ultra-Orthodoxy’s relationship with the Zionist enterprise has known many low ebbs, but this one will be recalled as the lowest: for ultra-Orthodoxy’s leaders, for their grand ally Benjamin Netanyahu, and for the Jewish state which he purports to serve, and they so shamelessly abuse.

Essence of Zionism

ON THE face of it, the vote was procedural. That is also what Netanyahu, the consummate spin doctor, ordered his troops to say; the vote – they soon parroted him – was not about substance but merely about the renewal of a previous legislation effort’s process.

Well, this is not about procedure. It’s about substance, about the very essence of Zionism, the basics of Judaism, and the most elemental meaning of morality. It’s about Israelis who think that even as war rages month after month, they can behave as if it is none of their business.

Everyone is at these harrowing times’ weekly military funerals: rich and poor, natives and immigrants, city folk and villagers, observant and secular, Jews, Druze, Christians, and Muslim Bedouin. Everyone, that is, except the ultra-Orthodox.

Even the IDF’s interim calculation that it needs 7,000 new troops did not impress the people who want us to believe that by leaving the war for the rest of us, they defend us and please God.

Under the selfishness, cowardice, and eye-rolling that all this involves sprawl layers of lies. The biggest lie is that military service precludes observance. Thousands upon thousands of Modern Orthodox soldiers have proven over the decades that there is no contradiction between the two. Some even became great rabbis.

Equally deceitful is the claim that conscription would end the study of Torah. Wow. A man serves between ages 18 and 21 and then lives, God willing, for another 60 years at least. Since only a fraction of the population is aged 18-21, that means that the vast majority’s studying would continue unimpeded if every ultra-Orthodox boy served. How dare anyone say enlistment would end Torah studying?

Yet the biggest lie is that draft evasion is God’s will. It isn’t God’s will.

God’s will is “you shall not stand against the blood of your neighbor” (Leviticus 19:16). God’s will is what a fuming Moses told the people he suspected of draft evasion: “Are your brothers to go to war while you stay here?” (Numbers 32:7)

God’s will is what the Sages meant when they wrote: “In mandatory wars everyone goes, even a groom from his room and a bride from her wedding canopy” (Mishna Sota 8:7). “Mandatory wars” means wars of defense, which is exactly what we face as southern communities’ scars glare and Galilean forests flare.

In the words of a petition circulated this week by prominent Modern Orthodox rabbis, including Benny Kalmanson, president of the Otniel Yeshiva, whose son Elhanan was killed on October 7 while fighting in Be’eri, and Tamir Granot, head of the Orot Shaul Yeshiva, whose son Amitay was killed in October while fighting Hezbollah:

“We call on those who fear God’s word... to enlist... This is a duty not only in terms of Jewish law and sheer morality, this is about national lifesaving.”

The petitioners hope to convince ultra-Orthodox rabbis and politicians to abandon the path of draft evasion. But, alas, ultra-Orthodox leaders can be counted on to ignore the petitioners’ stature, arguments, idealism, patriotism, and pain.

As this display of moral bankruptcy unfolds, the question is not how its ultra-Orthodox engine continues to run, but how much longer its fuel – the Likud’s cynicism – will continue to flow, and the answer is: until the next election.THE ULTRA-ORTHODOX abuse of the Zionist enterprise evolved in three eras: Ben-Gurion, Begin, and Netanyahu.In the first era all the ultra-Orthodox asked was an opportunity to restore the Torah world the Holocaust consumed. The result was 500 draft deferments. The figure slowly grew to 800, but the principle was the same: ultra-Orthodoxy would rebuild the ghetto, and the rest of Israel would not interfere.That changed in 1977, when Menachem Begin removed the limit. That is how 800 annual deferments became more than 10,000. In addition, ultra-Orthodoxy began receiving billions in taxpayer money. Now the Jewish state didn’t merely tolerate the ghetto’s resurrection, it actively joined its building.The third phase came under Netanyahu. Now ultra-Orthodoxy emerged from the ghetto and set out to reprogram the Jewish state. This meant joining Netanyahu’s assault on the Israeli judiciary, in order to mock the law’s principle of equality, so we will risk our lives defending this country, and they won’t.The people of Sodom, who outlawed justice and legalized crime, could not have written this better.This is not “a technicality.” It’s a unique Faustian bargain in which one party buys power, the other buys life, and both shed their souls, but instead of paying with their own blood and money, they pay with ours.As in Sodom, there is one righteous man in the Likud – Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who defied the Likud in the draft evasion vote. In the Knesset it seemed he was alone. But come the next election – Gallant will not be alone. The nadirs of deceit, manipulation, and corruption to which Netanyahu has led the Likud, and the brazen disparagement of patriotism that culminated in this disgraceful vote, will finally result in its engineers’ demise.

This is not only a prediction; it’s a wish, an outcry, and a curse.

 

DEFINITELY WORTH WATCHING TO UNDERSTAND  WHAT IS REALLY GOING ON WITH THE WAR:

https://youtu.be/QBvc2d24klo?si=SVSW8ge_gG9MsM91

https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-806163?

"In obligatory wars, everyone goes, even a groom from his room and a bride from her wedding canopy." Defending the land of Israel, especially in existential conflicts, is seen as a mitzvah, a divinely mandated obligation

 

עֵדוּת ה' נֶאֱמָנָה, מַחְכִּימַת פֶּתִי

 

Editorial:

I see a profound connection between Matan Torah, Shavuot, and the ongoing war in Israel, integrating them into a unified narrative of faith, identity, and defense.

The concept of Milchemet Mitzvah underscores the sanctity of defending the land of Israel. The struggles and wars faced by Israel are not merely political but are imbued with spiritual significance. Defending the land and its people aligns with the Torah’s commandments to protect life and pursue justice.

 Sotah:44b

בַּמֶּה דְּבָרִים אֲמוּרִים — בְּמִלְחֲמוֹת הָרְשׁוּת, אֲבָל בְּמִלְחֲמוֹת מִצְוָה — הַכֹּל יוֹצְאִין, אֲפִילּוּ חָתָן מֵחֶדְרוֹ וְכַלָּה מֵחוּפָּתָהּ. אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוּדָה: בַּמֶּה דְּבָרִים אֲמוּרִים — בְּמִלְחֲמוֹת מִצְוָה, אֲבָל בְּמִלְחֲמוֹת חוֹבָה — הַכֹּל יוֹצְאִין, אֲפִילּוּ חָתָן מֵחֶדְרוֹ וְכַלָּה מֵחוּפָּתָהּ.

 

The Mishna adds: In what case are all of these statements, with regard to the various exemptions from war, said? They are said with regard to elective wars. But in wars whose mandate is a mitzva, everyone goes, even a groom from his room and a bride from her wedding canopy. Rabbi Yehuda said: In what case are all of these statements, with regard to the various exemptions from war, said? They are said with regard to wars whose mandate is a mitzva. But in obligatory wars, everyone goes, even a groom from his room and a bride from her wedding canopy.

 

 The concept of Milchemet Mitzvah (obligatory war) and Milchemet Reshut (optional war), as discussed in the Talmud (Sotah 44b), provides a framework for understanding the Jewish approach to warfare. Defending the land of Israel, especially in existential conflicts, is seen as a mitzvah, a divinely mandated obligation.

The current security situation in Israel is viewed through this lens. The continuous threats and acts of aggression necessitate a response that is both just and effective, aligning with the Torah’s teachings on preserving life and justice.

The interplay between Matan Torah, Shavuot, and the war in Israel encapsulates the holistic vision of the  Orthodox Jewish perspective. It sees the divine revelation at Sinai and its annual commemoration during Shavuot as foundational to Jewish life and faith. Simultaneously, it recognizes the sanctity and necessity of defending the Jewish homeland, viewing these actions as a continuation of the covenantal relationship with God.

In this unified narrative, the Jewish people’s commitment to Torah and their resilience in the face of conflict are intertwined, reflecting an enduring legacy of faith, identity, and survival. This perspective not only honors the past but also provides a guiding framework for navigating contemporary challenges, ensuring the continuity and vitality of Jewish life in Israel and throughout the diaspora.

Chag Sameach.

 

Arnon Zmora יהי זכרו ברוך לעולם ועד Was A True Ohev Yisroel - He Sacrificed His Life So Other Jews May Live! He Did Not Hide Behind A Shtender in Bnei Brak or Jerusalem! Let's Have A Conversation About "Real" Mesiras Nefesh!

‘Hero of Israel’: Thousands pay last respects to officer killed in hostage rescue operation

 

Arnon Zmora’s widow eulogizes ‘a sweet man full of laughter, sensitivity and compassion’; in tearful tribute, uncle of rescued hostage says families have ‘unbreakable alliance’

People wave the Israeli flag as they pay their respect to counter-terror officer Arnon Zamora, who was killed in battle on June 8 during a special operation to rescue four Israeli hostages from Gaza, outside his family home in Mevasseret Zion, June 9, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

 

Thousands of mourners, among them family members of hostages held in Gaza, flocked to Jerusalem on Sunday to attend the funeral of Arnon Zmora, the police counter-terror officer killed Saturday during an operation that rescued four captives from central Gaza.

Zmora, an officer of the elite Yamam counter-terrorism unit, was shot and critically injured by Hamas terrorists guarding three of the four hostages. He succumbed to his wounds shortly upon arriving at a hospital in Israel.

He was part of the mission to rescue Almog Meir Jan, Andrey Kozlov, Shlomi Ziv and Noa Argamani, which was subsequently renamed “Operation Arnon” in his honor.

Even before the arrival of the funeral procession at Jerusalem’s Mount Herzl military cemetery, Israelis lined the street outside the Zmora family’s home in the nearby town of Mevasseret Zion, waving Israeli flags in tribute.

Inside the cemetery, Zmora’s mother Ruti eulogized her son, whom she said was not only “your mother’s hero,” but also “an entire country’s hero.”

“Your favorite movie as a child was ‘Robin Hood.’ In second grade, you dressed up as a paratrooper. You looked up to Yoni Netanyahu for Operation Entebbe,” Channel 12 news quoted Ruti as saying, referring to the IDF hero — brother of the current prime minister — killed during the 1976 mission that saved over 100 Israeli hostages kidnapped to Uganda.

“My boy, full of joy, of life, with a kind gaze and a rolling laugh that remains in my heart,” she said. “An imaginative, creative child who knows that even if the road is difficult, the sky is the limit.

“My beloved child,” she continued, “I am so happy that last Friday I was able to say to you: ‘Arnon, take care of yourself and your friends. I love you.’ You answered me: ‘Mom, I love you too.'”

“I knew it was Russian roulette,” she said. “You sacrificed your life for the country.”

The head of the Yamam counter-terror unit said of Zmora that he was “always first, and during the heroic operation he led, he acted with courage and was a model for his fighters.

 

Chief Inspector Arnon Zmora, who was killed in a mission to rescue hostages held in the Gaza Strip, June 8, 2024

“His actions brought light to the people of Israel and unfortunately he paid for it with his life,” he added. “Instead of being part of the national jubilation, we are going into deep mourning.”

The funeral was attended by Israel Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai, who delivered a eulogy on behalf of the Israel Police.

“Arnon, I knew you and heard a lot about you. You fought on October 7 in the kibbutzim surrounding Gaza, you participated in countless activities and operations that will forever be hidden from the public eye,” Shabtai said. “You always understood the mission that was before you, you strove for contact, you acted with the courage reserved for outstanding people, and I believe you deeply felt the magnitude of the hour.

“Arnon, we agreed that we would parachute together at the end of my term,” said Shabtai, whose tenure will end on July 17. “Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to do it.”

Among those paying tribute to Zmora was Aviram Meir, the uncle of Almog Meir Jan, one of the hostages rescued during Saturday’s daylight operation.

Arnon “brought joy to the families, you brought joy to the people of Israel,” Aviram Meir said through tears.

“I would like to address the Zmora family and tell you that the blood of your children is mixed with ours. This is an unbreakable alliance. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

Arnon’s widow Michal Zmora was the last to speak and said she had chosen to do so intentionally.

“I asked to speak last because the commanders were talking about how much of a hero you are… now everyone knows about your heroism,” she said. “More than everything, though, you were a sweet man, full of laughter, sensitivity and compassion. You have been my spouse for the last 12 years. For the last eight years, you have also been the perfect father.

“It’s important that these things be said last, after the stories of heroism. That’s what will resonate from you.”

Michal continued: “There is no other love like ours, there isn’t any. You don’t see that kind of love anymore, a love that involves choosing each other every morning. A love that involves dialogue and listening — with each passing day, we loved each other more.

“We raised two wonderful children together, my love, whose worlds fell apart in an instant. I am enveloping them and protecting them. I know you know that, and I also know that you thought about us in the split second when you realized that death was coming.

“In the end, the children and I will be fine,” she said through tears. “They will know how much of a hero their father was, how many lives he saved… but much more than that, they will remember how much fun they had with you. Riding bikes, playing the guitar, lighting a bonfire, eating ice cream, having fun together, and being a family.”

Earlier on Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu eulogized Zmora at the outset of the weekly cabinet meeting.

“The massive achievement yesterday caused the nation to stand up taller,” said Netanyahu, “and I must say, it caused Israel’s supporters around the world to stand taller as well.”

“But it came with great pain, the fall of the hero of Israel, the IDF warrior, the late commander Arnon Zmora,” he continued.

 

Yoni Netanyahu, in a photograph taken shortly before his death at Entebbe in 1976. (GPO, Wikimedia)

He related a story told by Amir Ofer, a commando who freed hostages from Entebbe Airport in 1976 under the command of Netanyahu’s brother Yoni, about meeting Zmora.

After October 7, Zmora called Ofer to recount the battles he took part in against Hamas terrorists in Israeli towns and on roads near the border. “How did you succeed and we didn’t?” Zmora asked Ofer.

“It took me a few hours to digest your story. You were really heroes and you performed in an extraordinary way under the most difficult conditions,” Ofer wrote to Zmora.

“Arnon will forever be remembered in the history of our people,” said Netanyahu. “Just like the [Yitzhak] Rabin government supported the proposal to call the operation to free the hostage in Entebbe ‘Operation Yonatan,’ after the commander of the assault force who fell in battle, I am sure that our government also unanimously supports the proposal to name the operation to free the hostages in Gaza ‘Operation Arnon’ after the commander of the force who fell in battle — the hero of Israel Arnon Zmora.”

https://www.timesofisrael.com/hero-of-israel-thousands-pay-last-respects-to-officer-killed-in-hostage-rescue-op/?utm_source=The+Daily+Edition&utm_campaign=daily-edition-2024-06-10&utm_medium=email

"...We must keep in mind that we will be better offerings if we repent..."

 

"...We must keep in mind that we will be better offerings if we repent..."

 



Rabbi Elchonon Wasserman, Rabbi Aron Kotler, Rabbi Blau



....It was first in 1921 that Reb Elchonon returned to Poland, to Baranovitch, where he was asked to head the local yeshiva, Ohel Torah. He was to head the yeshiva till the war years when he, together with hundreds of his students sanctified the Almighty's name. Witnesses have recounted that dreadful day--eleventh day in Tamuz, 5701 when the murderers came in. He was in the midst of learning Tractate Nidoh. Reb Elchonon spoke quietly and calmly, as was his practice. Not even the sound of his voice was changed. On his face, his customary earnestness. His tone betrayed no feeling for self, and he did not attempt to say good-bye to his son, Reb Naftali. He spoke to everyone, to the whole House of Israel.


"In Heaven it appears that they deem us to be righteous because our bodies have been chosen to stone for the Jewish people. Therefore, we must repent now, immediately. There is not much time. We must keep in mind that we will be better offerings if we repent. In this way we will save the lives of our brethren overseas.  "Let no thought enter our minds, G-d forbid, which is abominable and which renders an offering unfit. We are now fulfilling the greatest mizvah. With fire she was destroyed and with fire she will be rebuilt. The very fire which consumes our bodies will one day rebuild the Jewish people."

In the summer of 1937 at the third convention of the rabbinical leaders of Agudath Israel held in Mariband, which included hundreds of rabbis, heads of yeshiva religious academies and grand rabbis of Chassidic communities from a number of countries, Rabbi Elchonon Wasserman stood out from among all of them.

 Rabbi Shmuel Aharon Pardes of Chicago, the editor of the rabbinical journal Hapardes, who participated at this convention and who was present at meetings of the Council of Torah Sages that were held during the convention, describes Rabbi Wasserman as follows: “Rabbi Elchonon Wasserman, who stood above all the other participants walked with his face towards the ground. His long beard has turned white, and his fear of G-d preceded his scholarly wisdom. He reigns supreme above all the other members of the Council of Torah Sages and the convention itself. He intersperses his speech with simple metaphors hidden with great wisdom that penetrates the hearts of each person according to his level. He is the major disciple of Rabbi Israel Meir Kagan, the author of the halachic work, Mishna Brurah, and every word he utters is spiced with teachings and wise metaphors from his teacher. When Rabbi Wasserman enters the meeting of the Council, everyone stands in respect, and he asked to speak before anyone else.

On Sunday on the evening of 16th of the Hebrew month of Elul [August 23, 1937], the rabbinical leaders met to discuss the issue of a “Jewish State.” The meeting was stormy, and it dealt with the issue of the Three Oaths. A great dispute broke out in the session, and Rabbi Wasserman expressed pungent words that shocked his listeners. The following is what he said:

“We must emphasize and declare the position of our holy Torah in order to banish any confusion of ideas. Inasmuch as there are Jews who are Torah-observant who say that a Jewish State would be the “beginning of the Redemption,” we must inform them of the position of our Torah that this is nothing less than the beginning of a new Exile! What do I mean? After all, Jews have been living in Exile for some two thousand years, so how can this be a “beginning” of a new Exile? My intention is to expose the so-called Jewish Communists. An Exile such as this has never existed until today. None of us can even describe such an exile, an Exile under Jews! Only Jews from Russia have a slight sense of this situation, even though the regime there is not a “Jewish” one. One of the great rabbis of this generation recently told me that the term “beginning of the Redemption” in reference to the Zionist movement makes his hair stand on end!

In Hapardes (Year 11, Issue 7) Rabbi Pardes describes what he saw at the Convention:

“Rabbi Wasserman, Rabbi Kotler, Rabbi Rottenberg from Antwerp, rabbis from Czechoslovakia and Hungary were unanimous in rejecting any proposal for a “Jewish State” on either side of the Jordan River, even if it were established as a religious state because such a regime would be a form of heresy in our faith in the belief in the coming of the Messiah, and especially since this little “Jewish” state would be built on heresy and desecration of the Name of G-d.

Who Has Destroyed More, the Arabs or the Zionists? http://www.jewsagainstzionism.com/rabbi_quotes/WhoHasDestroyedMore.pdf (This essay was written by Rabbi Elchonon Wasserman zt'l after the disturbances in Hebron in 1929 which left some 50-60 yeshiva students dead and is very apropos the most recent events on the West Bank. Ed.)

READ ENTIRE TRUE TORAH:

http://www.jewsagainstzionism.com/rabbi_quotes/wasserman.cfm

I DO NOT VOUCH FOR THE ACCURACY OF THE ENTIRE ARTICLE OTHER THAN WHAT APPEARS ABOVE.

UOJ

 

 https://theunorthodoxjew.blogspot.com/2012/02/we-must-keep-in-mind-that-we-will-be.html

I'm Waiting For a Chief/Giant Rabbi to Admonish The Secular Government --- WHY ON SHABBOS?

 ISRAEL RESCUES 4 HOSTAGES
245 DAYS IN CAPTIVITY
DARING GAZA RAID

 

 

מלחמה אסורה בשבת

Let's break down the numerical values of each letter in this phrase according to standard gematria:

• מלחמה (Milchamah - War):

  • מ (Mem) = 40
  • ל (Lamed) = 30
  • ח (Chet) = 8
  • מ (Mem) = 40
  • ה (He) = 5
  • Total = 40 + 30 + 8 + 40 + 5 = 123

• אסורה (Assurah - Forbidden):

  • א (Aleph) = 1
  • ס (Samech) = 60
  • ו (Vav) = 6
  • ר (Resh) = 200
  • ה (He) = 5
  • Total = 1 + 60 + 6 + 200 + 5 = 272

• בשבת (B'Shabbat - On Shabbos):

  • ב (Bet) = 2
  • ש (Shin) = 300
  • ב (Bet) = 2
  • ת (Tav) = 400
  • Total = 2 + 300 + 2 + 400 = 704

Now, we can add these values together to find the total gematria of the phrase:

123 (Milchamah) + 272 (Assurah) + 704 (B'Shabbat) = 1099

The total numerical value of the phrase "מלחמה אסורה בשבת" (forbidden war on Shabbos) is 1099.

********

(Talmud Torah):תלמוד תורה

• תלמוד (Talmud): ת (Tav) = 400, ל (Lamed) = 30, מ (Mem) = 40, ו (Vav) = 6, ד (Dalet) = 4
  • Total: 400 + 30 + 40 + 6 + 4 = 480
• תורה (Torah): ת (Tav) = 400, ו (Vav) = 6, ר (Resh) = 200, ה (He) = 5
  • Total: 400 + 6 + 200 + 5 = 611

Total for  ---תלמוד תורה: 480 + 611 = 1091

ח (Chet) (SIN) Numerical Value: 8---- TOTAL = 1099

Porush added his best wishes to students of the yeshiva currently serving and engaged in the “battle against the vile murderers” of Hamas.

 Porush Takes Chutzpah To A New Level!

Haredi minister upbraids national religious for opposing military draft exemptions

 

Speaking at flagship yeshiva of religious Zionist movement, Meir Porush says it ‘is not appropriate to criticize the order of our conduct’

Minister of Jerusalem Affairs and Jewish Heritage Meir Porush - Makes Arye Deri Look Like a Saint!

 

Addressing students at the flagship yeshiva of the religious Zionist movement on Wednesday, Jerusalem Affairs Minister Meir Porush condemned members of the more modern religious community who criticize the ultra-Orthodox effort to secure widespread military exemptions for their youth.

“I don’t deny the complexities between us, the differences in attitudes, but we need to resolve this between us. On both sides, there are public figures of sufficient stature, who can gather in a room, and reach a proper and respectful solution that preserves the world of Torah and yeshivas,” the senior United Torah Judaism lawmaker declared during a Jerusalem Day speech at Mercaz Harav Yeshiva in Jerusalem.

“But it is not appropriate for individuals from religious Zionism to criticize our conduct and our policies of continuous Torah study,” he insisted.

He added his best wishes to students of the yeshiva currently serving and engaged in the “battle against the vile murderers” of Hamas.

Haredi women and male yeshiva students are generally exempt from military service due to controversial longstanding arrangements that have generated significant criticism and resentment among the general population.

With the courts deeming those arrangements illegitimate, the government is currently caught in a contentious public dispute over the future of the Haredi draft.

Responding to Porush’s comments, Yehuda Veld, the director general of the Religious Zionism party, tweeted a quote from Rabbi Zvi Yehuda Kook — the former dean of the yeshiva and the son of its founder — stating that exemptions from army service constituted a “dishonor of the Torah.”

“To come to his yeshiva and speak against him is simply impudence and contempt for scholars,” Veld declared.

In 2017, the High Court of Justice invalidated the Haredi draft exemptions as discriminatory and ordered the government to pass a new conscription law. The government has since been unable to agree on legislation, repeatedly extending the non-conscription policy, while Haredi politicians have sought to pass legislation cementing the exemptions.

On March 28, the High Court ordered the state to cut funding for yeshiva students eligible for the draft who do not enlist as of April 1, prompting Porush to accuse it of “imposing economic sanctions against those who chose to study the Holy Torah.”

“This is a serious violation of our right to exist in the Land of Israel – the highest judicial authority of the State of Israel seeks to throw Torah scholars into prison,” he declared at the time. “We will not put up with this situation and will fight to cancel the decision immediately, along with the effort to quickly regulate the status of yeshiva members so that they can observe the Torah without interruption.”

 

Students pray at Mercaz Harav yeshiva in Jerusalem

 

During a high-stakes hearing Sunday on petitions demanding the immediate conscription of thousands of yeshiva students, a panel of nine High Court justices was sharply and unambiguously critical of the government’s claims that ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students should not be drafted into the army.

The nine justices presiding over the hearing, including conservatives, expressed intense skepticism — bordering at times on anger — toward the claims and remarks of the legal representatives of the government and the state-funded Haredi yeshivas, accusing them of “word games” and “going round in circles,” and even appearing to mock their arguments.

The sharp and at times caustic responses of the justices to the government’s arguments appeared to suggest the court’s patience with the decades-long failure of successive governments to deal with the Haredi enlistment conundrum has run out.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/haredi-minister-upbraids-national-religious-for-opposing-military-draft-exemptions/?utm_source=The+Daily+Edition&utm_campaign=daily-edition-2024-06-07&utm_medium=email

SBC leaders do just enough to make it look like they care (Agudath Israel Take Note), without any real progress. You have more in common with the Xtians than you'll admit to.

 

SBC abuse reform task force ends its work with no names on database and no long-term plan 

 

Their report marks the second time a proposed database for abusive pastors has been derailed.

(RNS) — A volunteer Southern Baptist task force charged with implementing abuse reforms in the nation’s largest Protestant denomination will end its work next week without a single name published on a database of abusers.

The task force’s report marks the second time a proposed database for abusive pastors has been derailed by denominational apathy, legal worries and a desire to protect donations to the Southern Baptist Convention’s mission programs.

Leaders of the SBC’s Abuse Reform Implementation Task Force say a lack of funding, concerns about insurance and other unnamed difficulties hindered the group’s work.

“The process has been more difficult than we could have imagined,” the task force said in a report published Tuesday (June 4). “And in truth, we made less progress than we desired due to the myriad obstacles and challenges we encountered in the course of our work.”

To date, no names appear on the “Ministry Check” website designed to track abusive pastors, despite a mandate from Southern Baptists to create the database. The committee has also found no permanent home or funding for abuse reforms, meaning that two of the task force’s chief tasks remain unfinished.

Because of liability concerns about the database, the task force set up a separate nonprofit to oversee the Ministry Check website. That new nonprofit, known as the Abuse Response Committee, has been unable to publish any names because of objections raised by SBC leaders.

“At present, ARC has secured multiple affordable insurance bids and successfully completed the vetting and legal review of nearly 100 names for inclusion on Ministry Check at our own expense with additional names to be vetted pending the successful launch of the website,” the task force said in its report. 

Josh Wester, the North Carolina pastor who chairs the ARITF, said the Abuse Response Committee — whose leaders include four task force members — could independently publish names to Ministry Check in the future but wants to make a good-faith effort to address the Executive Committee’s concerns.

Task force leaders say they raised $75,000 outside of the SBC to vet the initial names of abusers. That list includes names of sexual offenders who were either convicted of abuse in a criminal court or who have had a civil judgment against them.

“To date, the SBC has contributed zero funding toward the vetting of names for Ministry Check,” according to a footnote in the task force report.

Earlier this year, the SBC’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission designated $250,000 toward abuse reform to be used by the ARITF. Wester hopes those funds will be made available to ARC for the Ministry Check site. The SBC’s two mission boards pledged nearly $4 million to assist churches in responding to abuse but have said none of that money can be given to ARC. 

The lack of progress on reforms has abuse survivor and activist Christa Brown shaking her head.

“Why can’t a billion-dollar organization come up with the resources to do this?” asked Brown, who for years ran a list of convicted Baptist abusers at a website, StopBaptistPredators.org, which aggregated stories about cases of abuse.

Brown sees the lack of progress on reforms as part of a larger pattern in the SBC. While church messengers and volunteers like those on the ARITF want reform and work hard to address the issue of reforms, there’s no help from SBC leaders or institutions. Instead, she said, SBC leaders do just enough to make it look like they care, without any real progress.

 

READ MORE: 

https://religionnews.com/2024/06/04/sbc-abuse-reform-task-force-ends-its-work-with-no-names-on-database-and-no-long-term-future-plan/

More than 300 million children across the globe are victims of online sexual exploitation and abuse each year, research suggests.

 Debi Fry, a professor of international child protection at the university, said the issue affects children “in every classroom, in every school, in every country”.

More than 300m children victims of online sexual abuse every year

 

First global study of its kind exposes ‘staggering scale’ of crime, with one in nine men in the US admitting to the offence

More than 300 million children across the globe are victims of online sexual exploitation and abuse each year, research suggests.

In what is believed to be the first global estimate of the scale of the crisis, researchers at the University of Edinburgh found that 12.6% of the world’s children have been victims of nonconsensual talking, sharing and exposure to sexual images and video in the past year, equivalent to about 302 million young people.

A similar proportion – 12.5% – had been subject to online solicitation, such as unwanted sexual talk that can include sexting, sexual questions and sexual act requests by adults or other youths.

Offences can also take the form of “sextortion”, where predators demand money from victims to keep images private, and abuse of AI deepfake technology.

The research suggested that the US is a particularly high-risk area. The university’s Childlight initiative – which aims to understand the prevalence of child abuse – includes a new global index, which found that one in nine men in the US (equivalent to almost 14 million) admitted online offending against children at some point.

Surveys found 7% of British men, equivalent to 1.8 million, admitted the same.

The research also found many men admitted they would seek to commit physical sexual offences against children if they thought it would be kept secret.

The chief executive of Childlight, Paul Stanfield, said: “This is on a staggering scale that in the UK alone equates to forming a line of male offenders that could stretch all the way from Glasgow to London – or filling Wembley Stadium 20 times over.

“Child abuse material is so prevalent that files are on average reported to watchdog and policing organisations once every second.

“This is a global health pandemic that has remained hidden for far too long. It occurs in every country, it’s growing exponentially, and it requires a global response.

“We need to act urgently and treat it as a public health issue that can be prevented. Children can’t wait.”

Stephen Kavanagh, the executive director of Interpol, said traditional law enforcement approaches were struggling to keep up. “We must do much more together at a global level, including specialist investigator training, better data sharing and equipment to effectively fight this pandemic and the harm it inflicts on millions of young lives around the world,” he said.

Grace Tame, a child sexual abuse survivor, who founded the Grace Tame Foundation, said a centralised global research database was essential to safeguarding children.

 

Rabbi Pinchas Scheinberg, an Orthodox Jewish rabbi and bais din judge.

"If he doesn't penetrate, you can wait" "If the pants don't fit, you must acquit"

https://www.theguardian.com/society/article/2024/may/27/more-than-300m-children-victims-of-online-sexual-abuse-every-year

https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/more-300-million-children-face-230100531.html

Let's float this Joe -- We'll bomb the Al-Aqsa Mosque to the ground in 48 Hours if our hostages are not returned!

 

Israel Says Biden Omitted Key Detail From Gaza Ceasefire Plan, No Long-Term Truce With Hamas in Power

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday said that US President Joe Biden had disclosed only part of the proposal aimed at achieving a ceasefire in Gaza and securing the release of Israeli hostages, and added that he had not agreed to end Israel’s military operations against Hamas.

“The proposal contains more details that Biden did not mention,” Netanyahu was cited in Israeli media reports as saying at the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee of Israel’s parliament, the Knesset.

“Biden omitted one crucial detail regarding the second stage” of the deal, Netanyahu said. “Israel didn’t agree to end the war, but only to ‘discuss’ its end,” Netanyahu said, adding that such a discussion would occur after the hostages were returned and “only on our terms.”

“Despite what President Biden said, the number of hostages that will be released in the first phase has not yet been agreed upon. There are many details in the deal, and the war will not end without us achieving all of our objectives. We will not give up on absolute victory,” he said.

In a speech on Friday, Biden disclosed that a day earlier, a new three-phase Israeli proposal for a hostage deal was passed onto Hamas through Qatar and detailed some of its main terms.

Biden said the deal would “bring all the hostages home, ensure Israel’s security, create a better day after in Gaza without Hamas in power, and set the stage for a political settlement that provides a better future for Israelis and Palestinians alike.”

There is widespread dissatisfaction among senior Israeli officials who feel Biden’s remarks lacked specifics on how the stated goal of dismantling Hamas would be accomplished, fueling criticism that the US president misrepresented the full scope of Israel’s uncompromising stance in fully defeating the Palestinian terror group.

“People have unfortunately been led to believe that a permanent ceasefire kicks in without Israel’s conditions being met,” senior Netanyahu adviser Ophir Falk told The Algemeiner.

“The notion that there will be a permanent ceasefire before Hamas’ military and governing capabilities are destroyed and all our hostages are home is a non-starter,” he added.

Hours after Netanyahu charged Biden with omitting key elements of the deal, US National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters: “We’re confident that [Biden’s speech] accurately reflects that proposal — a proposal that we worked with the Israelis on, so I know of no gaps to speak of.”

Kirby said that Biden’s decision to disclose details about the deal was “about putting some public pressure on Mr. [Yahya] Sinwar and Hamas, who have repeatedly refused to accept what Israel has put forward.”

“We don’t typically go through the details of these kinds of proposals,” Kirby said. “But in this case, given where we are, given how much longer the hostages have now been held, given the fact that Hamas has reneged on several past occasions, on proposals that were sent to them, and given the fact that the Israelis really did work hard to come up with this proposal, and did so in good faith, the president felt it was important for the first time to publicly lay that out.”

“This wasn’t about jamming the prime minister or the war cabinet,” he said.

The far-right flank of Netanyahu’s governing coalition has sworn to collapse the government if a deal falls short of allowing the complete destruction of Hamas, which rules Gaza and launched the ongoing war with its Oct. 7 onslaught across southern Israel.

“This was about laying bare for the public to see how well and how faithfully and how assertively the Israelis came up with a new proposal — how it shows how much they really want to get this done,” Kirby said.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Monday confirmed the deaths of four more hostages: Haim Perry, Yoram Metzger, Amiram Cooper, and Nadav Popplewell, all from Kibbutz Nir Oz.

Three of the four — Perry, Metzger, and Cooper — appeared in a propaganda video released by Hamas on Dec. 18, in which the hostages urged Netanyahu “not to let us grow old here.”

According to the IDF, the four were murdered in Khan Younis shortly after the video was filmed.

Osnat Perry, the wife of Haim Perry and chairwoman of Nir Oz, released an open letter on Monday to Netanyahu calling on him to make the “moral, courageous, and correct decision” to bring home the hostages.

“The outline of your proposal, as presented this week by the president of the United States, is a sustainable and feasible outline that can put an end to the ongoing suffering that we and our friends from the Western Negev are experiencing,” Perry wrote.

On Oct. 7, Haim saved Osnat’s life by confronting the terrorists, purposefully leading them outside so that she had time to run and hide. A quarter of Nir Oz’s residents were murdered or taken as hostages to Gaza.

https://www.algemeiner.com/2024/06/03/israel-says-biden-omitted-key-detail-gaza-ceasefire-plan-no-long-term-truce-hamas-power/

The Two Most Powerful Countries on The Planet --- are waiting for a response from terrorists....What's wrong with this picture?

 

Israel, United States await Hamas's response on proposed Gaza ceasefire deal

 

Israel agreed to a tentative ceasefire deal laid out by Biden that calls for the release of all the hostages, an aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed.

Israel has accepted a framework deal for winding down the Gaza war now being advanced by US President Joe Biden, an aid to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed on Sunday, as Jerusalem waited for a Hamas response.

The three-phase proposal, which Hamas has yet to accept and which the war cabinet discussed on Sunday night, would see the return of the remaining 125 hostages.

In an interview with Britain’s Sunday Times, Ophir Falk, chief foreign policy advisor to Netanyahu, said Biden’s proposal unveiled on Friday, was “a deal we agreed to – it’s not a good deal but we dearly want the hostages released, all of them.

The proposed deal

“There are a lot of details to be worked out,” he said, adding that Israel’s conditions, including “the release of the hostages and the destruction of Hamas as a genocidal terrorist organization,” have not changed.

US National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby told ABC that the proposal itself was an Israeli one, which was transmitted to Hamas already on Thursday night.

“We’re waiting for an official response from Hamas. We would note that publicly, Hamas officials came out and welcomed this proposal,” Kirby said.

“So what would we hope would happen is they would agree to start phase one as soon as possible,” Kirby said, explaining that “phase one would allow for some hostages – the elderly, sick, women – to get out over a period of six weeks.

“While that’s all going on, the two sides would sit down and try to negotiate with Phase Two could look like and when that could begin,” Kirby said.

“We have every expectation that if Hamas agrees to the proposal as was transmitted to them and Israeli proposal that Israel would say yes,” Kirby added.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said that the defense establishment was exploring day-after governing plans for Gaza that did not include Hamas.

“We will isolate areas [in Gaza], remove Hamas operatives from these areas, and introduce forces that will enable an alternative government to form – an alternative that threatens Hamas,” he said.

He stressed that Israel would not accept the rule of Hamas in Gaza at any stage in any process aimed at ending the war.

Biden, whose initial lockstep support for Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has given way to open censure of the operation’s high civilian death toll, on Friday aired what he described as a three-phase plan submitted by the Netanyahu government to end the war.

The first phase entails a truce and the return of some hostages, after which the sides would negotiate on an open-ended cessation of hostilities for a second phase, in which remaining live captives would go free, Biden said.

That sequencing appears to imply that Hamas would continue to play a role in incremental arrangements mediated by Egypt and Qatar – a potential clash with Israel’s determination to resume the campaign to eliminate the Iranian-backed extremist Islamist terrorist group.

Biden has hailed several ceasefire proposals over the past several months, each with similar frameworks to the one he outlined on Friday, all of which collapsed.

The primary sticking point has been Israel’s insistence that it would discuss only temporary pauses to fighting until Hamas is destroyed. Hamas, which shows no sign of stepping aside, says that it will free hostages only under a path to a permanent end to the war.

In his speech, Biden said his latest proposal “creates a better ‘day-after’ in Gaza without Hamas in power.” He did not elaborate on how this would be achieved, and acknowledged that “there are a number of details to negotiate to move from phase one to phase two.”

Falk reiterated Netanyahu’s position that “there will not be a permanent ceasefire until all our objectives are met.”

Netanyahu is under pressure to keep his coalition government intact. Two far-right partners, the Religious Zionist Party and Otzma Yehudit parties, have threatened to bolt in protest at any deal they deem would spare Hamas.

Minister-without-portfolio Benny Gantz, who heads the National Unity and is a member of the war cabinet, wants the deal considered.

Hamas has provisionally welcomed the Biden initiative, though a senior official from the group, Sami Abu Zuhri, said on Sunday that “Hamas is too big to be bypassed or sidelined by Netanyahu or Biden.”

A day earlier, another Hamas official, Osama Hamdan, told Al Jazeera, “Biden’s speech included positive ideas, but we want this to materialize within the framework of a comprehensive agreement that meets our demands.”

Hamas wants a guaranteed end to the Gaza offensive, withdrawal of all invading forces, free movement for Palestinians, and reconstruction aid.

Israeli officials have rejected that, as an effective return to the situation in place before October 7, when Hamas, committed to Israel’s destruction, ruled Gaza. Its fighters precipitated the war by storming across the border fence into Israel, killing 1,200 people and seizing 252 hostages.

In the ensuing Israeli assault that has laid waste to much of the impoverished and besieged coastal enclave, Hamas has reported that 36,000 Palestinians have been killed, verifying only close to 25,000 deaths so far. Israel has said that 14,000 of the fatalities are Hamas combatants.

Officials from the United States, Israel, and Egypt ended a meeting in Cairo on Sunday, with Egypt sticking to its position that Israel must withdraw from the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing for it to operate again, according to two Egyptian security sources.

Israel seized the crossing on the Gaza side in May during its offensive in Rafah along the enclave’s southern edge, angering Egypt, which said it would stop cooperating with Israel on the crucial artery for aid into the enclave, and evacuations out of it.

The Egyptian security sources said Sunday’s meeting was positive despite there being no agreement on reopening the crossing. Egypt’s delegation at the meeting said it would be open to European monitors at the border to oversee its operation by Palestinian authorities if they agreed to resume work.

Israeli and American officials said they would work quickly to remove the obstacles to the operation of the crossing, the Egyptian sources said.

Tensions have risen between Egypt and Israel over the takeover of the southern border, which Israel said had been completed on Wednesday.

While Egypt facilitated the entrance of aid through the Kerem Shalom crossing last week, the re-opening of Rafah is crucial as humanitarian agencies warn of looming famine in Gaza.

https://www.jpost.com/israel-hamas-war/article-804653?

דיון בעתירות שעניינן גיוס תלמידי הישיבות ומימון המוסדות התורניים High Court debates haredi IDF conscription in high-stakes hearing The hearing could lead the court to give a final order to begin drafting haredi men, which could have dramatic social and political ramifications.

 

 

High Court justices demand to know why 3,000 Haredi men can’t be conscripted immediately - (That would be a fraction of the alleged "bench kvetchers" pounding the pavement on the streets of Tel-Aviv)

 

Israel's High Court of Justice began on Sunday morning a hearing on the contentious issue of the long-standing exemption of ultra-Orthodox men from IDF service. The hearing could lead the court to give a final order to the state to begin drafting haredi men, a move that could have dramatic social and political ramifications.

The two issues at the heart of the hearing

The hearing centered on two issues: First, whether or not the government could continue to avoid recruiting haredi men into the IDF; and second, whether or not the government could continue providing funding for haredi yeshivot for students of military age who no longer had a legal exemption from IDF service.

These two issues were first heard on March 28. The High Court ruled following that hearing that the government must begin drafting haredi men, and that it could no longer provide funding for haredi students whose exemption had expired. However, this ruling was temporary, and the question at the heart of the hearing on Sunday was whether to turn this temporary order into a permanent one.

 

Adv. Doron Taubman, who represented the government, argued that the government did not dispute the fact that it was legally required to draft haredi men, and to refrain from doing so was illegal. However, the defense ministry had the prerogative to decide when and how to enlist these haredi men into the IDF, and that the court should not intervene.

On the issue of funding, Taubman agreed that yeshivot should not receive funding for haredi men who ignored draft orders. However, even though the law exempting haredi men expired, they had not actually been summoned yet, and therefore were not violating any draft orders. The government could thus continue issuing the funding, Taubman argued.

The hearing was held in a packed courtroom, and in front of an enlarged bench comprising nine justices. Some of the exchanges between the attorneys and the judges were heated, and at a certain point Likud MK Tally Gotliv, who sat in on the hearing but was not a side to it, attempted to interrupt the judges and make an argument. Some statements by Taubman were met with incredulous laughter from the crowd.

The case was heard by an extended nine-member bench led by Interim Chief Justice Uzi Fogelman. The judges constantly interrupted Taubman with a number of questions. On the issue of the general exemption, the judges pressed Taubman on whether the defense ministry could continue delaying the exemption indefinitely. The Attorney General's Office wrote in a submission to the court on Thursday that the IDF was prepared to draft 3,000 haredi men into the IDF until the end of 2024, and the judges pressed Taubman on whether, for example, the defense ministry had the legal prerogative to refrain from doing so.

Israel's Supreme Court ruled in the famous "Rubinstein principle" in 1998 that the government did not have the authority to exempt an entire group from service in the IDF, as this amounted to discrimination. A number of laws have been proposed since then to regulate the issue. The most recent law, which granted haredi men the ability to delay their service annually until receiving a final exemption at age 26, expired on July 1, 2023. The government, on June 25, decided to give itself until April 1, 2024, to come up with a new law. With this decision having expired, there is no longer a legal basis for the exemption.  

The hearing also touched on the government's controversial judicial reforms, which it attempted to promote in 2023. Deputy Attorney General Aner Hellman argued during the hearing that the government's conduct during the case served the same purpose as the judicial reforms – to relieve itself of the duty to adhere to the attorney general's interpretation of the law. On at least two occasions in proceedings relating to the case, the government approved proposals that the AG deemed unlawful. 

https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/article-804637?

Torah Umesorah Breaking News! Donald Trump has become America’s first felon president! Let's invite him back!

Torah Umesorah - The National Society for Hebrew Day Schools

 

 

Dear Mr. Trump,

We hope this letter finds you in good health and high spirits. Torah Umesorah – The National Society for Hebrew Day Schools, is dedicated to the advancement and support of Jewish education across the United States. For many years, our organization has worked tirelessly to ensure that Jewish children receive a high-quality education rooted in Jewish values and traditions.

 

It is with great pleasure and respect that we extend an invitation to you to be the Guest of Honor at our Annual Torah Umesorah Dinner, to be held on Rikers Island.  This event is one of our most significant gatherings of the year, bringing together leaders, educators, and supporters of Jewish education from across the country.

Your presence as Guest of Honor would be an exceptional highlight of the evening. We recognize your longstanding support for educational initiatives and your contributions to the Jewish community. It would be an honor to have you join us and share your insights and experiences with our attendees.

The evening will commence with a reception at Block 45 (there are no coincidences), followed by dinner and a formal program. We would be deeply honored if you could deliver a keynote address, reflecting on the importance of education, respectful dating advice for our teenagers, and community support. We will have red hats to be distributed at the dinner for the mega donors, with the logo - "GRAB 'EM BY THE TORAH"!

 

Please find enclosed additional details about the event and our organization. We would be delighted to discuss any specific arrangements or accommodations you might require. Kindly let us know your availability at your earliest convenience.

We are eagerly looking forward to the possibility of welcoming you and would be grateful for your consideration of our invitation. Your participation would significantly contribute to the success of our event and further our mission to enhance Jewish education.

Thank you for your time and consideration. We hope to hear from you soon.

Warm regards,

Vaad Roshei Yeshiva - Torah Umesorah - The National Society for Hebrew Day Schools

 

VAAD ROSHEI YESHIVA

HaRav Hillel David
HaRav Shmuel Kamenetsky
HaRav Aryeh Malkiel Kotler

HaRav Dovid Schustal
HaRav Aharon Feldman
HaRav Dovid Harris
HaRav Elya Brudny

HaRav Shlomo Halioua
HaRav Yaakov Bender
HaRav A. Dovid Goldberg

HaRav Chaim Y. Hoberman
HaRav Yosef Eichenstein

 

---

GUILTY, GUILTY, GUILTY, GUILTY, GUILTY, GUILTY, GUILTY, GUILTY, GUILTY, GUILTY, GUILTY, GUILTY, GUILTY, GUILTY, GUILTY, GUILTY, GUILTY, GUILTY, GUILTY, GUILTY, GUILTY, GUILTY, GUILTY, GUILTY, GUILTY, GUILTY, GUILTY, GUILTY, GUILTY, GUILTY, GUILTY, GUILTY, GUILTY, GUILTY

 

What is this profound connection between music and Torah? Rav Shraga Feivel Mendlowitz explained this connection. Music is more abstract than any other art. It affects us not on an intellectual, rational level but on a deep spiritual level. It washes over us and affects us in ways that are impossible to explain.

 

Music: The Window to the Soul 

By Rabbi Aryeh Kerzner

Every period on the Jewish calendar holds some special significance, and Sefirah is no different. No weddings, no haircuts, and — sorry, no music. It seems that people find it particularly difficult to come to terms with the ban on music during this time.

When I was a child, my father owned an orchestra, and I grew up around singers and concerts, so I totally get it. This was always a difficult challenge for me. And clearly, I was not alone. Today we have an entire industry of a cappella music CDs, designed specifically for the Sefirah period.

The kinds of questions rabbanim receive during these weeks clearly indicates an intense thirst to circumvent this restriction against music. Can I just practice my instrument? Can I listen to music while I work out at the gym? While traveling in the car to keep from falling asleep? What about slow, emotional music? What if I make a siyum? And the list goes on and on. To keep away from music for just a few weeks proves to be quite the feat.

But I want to reflect, if I may, on a message that we can all learn from this ban against music during Sefirah. What is the practical takeaway here?

Music’s Connection to Torah

To arrive at our point, we must first appreciate, on a more general level, music’s special place in Yiddishkeit.

The author of Pe’as Hashulchan (in his introduction) quotes the following incredibly bold statement made by his rebbi, the Vilna Gaon: Most secrets of the Torah can best be understood and appreciated only through the art of music. Only music has the unique power that enables a person to fully delve into the profound and esoteric ideas of the Torah and properly understand them.

But how does this work? What is this profound connection between music and Torah?

Rav Shraga Feivel Mendlowitz explained this connection. Music is more abstract than any other art. It affects us not on an intellectual, rational level but on a deep spiritual level. It washes over us and affects us in ways that are impossible to explain. Think about the times a beat has got you tapping your feet before you even realized it. Or the way background music is used in plays, shows, or videos to heighten every kind of emotion you can name. Why does music possess that unique power?

Music is the most direct route to the soul. That’s its power. That’s how it affects us. It touches us in ways we can’t find words to express — because it enables us to connect to our neshamah. The transcendent job of a song’s melody is to open up one’s neshamah to the deeper message that is at the heart of that song.

Yaakov Shwekey, the world-renowned singer, recalls a moving story about the power of music he heard from the chief rabbi of Tiberias. The rabbi’s wife was diagnosed with a rare brain tumor, and the doctors decided to perform a very complex and dangerous surgery to try to save her. They told her husband that if she didn’t regain consciousness by seven days post-surgery, her chances of recovery would become extremely minuscule.

The surgery was done and the days started to pass, and the rebbetzin was not waking up. The rabbi and his family understandably were feeling anxious and fearful, but there was little they could do besides pour out their hearts in prayer. On the seventh day post-surgery, with feelings of desperation creeping in, the rabbi passed by a marketplace on the street where he overheard the beautiful song “Rachem” piercing the air — the heartful, penetrating melody of a Yid pleading with Hashem to send forth salvation.

In a spontaneous reaction, he ran into the store, bought the CD, and made a quick dash to the hospital. With time running out, he sprinted into his wife’s hospital room, put the headphones over her ears, and started to play the song. His wife suddenly and miraculously woke up at the very moment the song ended. She later told her husband that somehow the song “Rachem” had aroused her soul, prompting her to immediately wake up. Genuine Jewish music is truly the song of the soul.

That, according to the Vilna Gaon, is why music is intrinsically connected to Torah understanding. Music can open a person’s neshamah, and certain profound concepts of Torah can only be appreciated and absorbed when the neshamah has been activated in its full glory. Music can thus be used as a medium of enabling the Torah to penetrate the soul. In other words, music is the window to the soul, and the soul is the window to the Torah.

 

 

Rav Shraga Feivel Mendlowitz explained that each of the instruments used to praise Hashem mentioned in Tehillim 150 — shofar, harp, and flute, among others — elicits a different emotional response; one arouses happiness, another evokes tears, and another encourages deep reflection. The general message here is that one must serve Hashem with every emotion in his system.

The Radak (Tehillim 4) explains that each chapter of Tehillim was intended to be sung with musical accompaniment, each with its own designated instruments and melody. The reason for this is that Dovid Hamelech composed each chapter with the intent to arouse very specific thoughts, understandings, and emotions.

Refreshing Our Relationship with Music

To sum up, music is the window to the soul, and through tapping into the soul, one is able to better acquire the Torah.

Now we can return to the message of Sefirah. As an expression of mourning over the deaths of 24,000 holy students of Rabi Akiva, we don’t listen to music during this period of the year. But perhaps we can also take with us a deeper message about our general relationship with music.

We are now approaching the day of Matan Torah, that special day on which we recommit to accepting, fulfilling, and learning the Torah. Perhaps during the weeks leading up to Kabbalas HaTorah, we are meant to re-invent our relationship with music as well, which will enhance our ability to succeed in acquiring the Torah.

To renew our relationship with music, we need a few weeks to totally disengage from it. We need a complete reboot of our system, total abstention from all music, to think about what real music is and isn’t. Which music is actually soul-penetrating, which music is just noise?

Is the song being played in my home something that helps me get more in touch with my soul, or is it something that pulls me away? Is the deeper message of this melody something that I want to integrate into my soul? During this period we stop listening to all music cold-turkey in order to reflect and perhaps refresh our relationship with it — before applying ourselves to the ultimate soul-service, Hashem’s Torah.

Let’s all take stock at this moment to ensure that we are utilizing the tremendous gift of genuine soul-stirring melody, rather than being infiltrated by the “music” loaded with impurities stemming from the outside world. Now is the perfect time, while we prepare for Kabbalas HaTorah, to ensure that our neshamos are properly fine-tuned, in top form, at full strength, and ready to delight in the most sublime and exalted existence, the holy Torah.