ChaBaD Jewish Calendar Thursday, April 27, 2023 6 Iyar, 5783
ChaBaD Jewish Calendar Thursday, April 27, 2023 6 Iyar, 5783
Following the assassination a month earlier of Tzar Alexander II of Russia, and the subsequent rumors that the Jews were behind the assassination, anti-Jewish riots broke out on the 6th of Iyar. The riots and pogroms lasted for four years, during which time thousands of Jewish homes and synagogues were destroyed, and countless Jews were injured and impoverished. The unrest started out in Southern Russia, and quickly spread throughout the entire country.
Tzar Alexander III actually blamed the riots on the Jews(!) and punished them by enacting new laws which further restricted their freedoms. Among these devastating laws were legislation which restricted Jews from residing in towns with fewer than 10,000 citizens, and limiting their professional employment and education opportunities.
These oppressive laws, known as the "May Laws," compelled many Jews to emigrate. They are said to have caused more than two million Jews to leave Russia, many of them opting to move to the United States of America, and the freedoms it offered.
Link: The Pogroms of 1881-1884
One day after the State of Israel was proclaimed (see Jewish History for the 5th of Iyar), the surrounding Arab nations -- Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq --declared war on the fledgling state, with the objective of "driving the Jews into the sea." Tel Aviv was bombed on that very first day of the War of Independence.
Link: War of Independence
R. Levi ben Gershon, known by the acronym Ralbag or by the Graecized Gersonides, was a great Torah scholar who lived in Provence (a region in Southern France). He is famous for his Bible commentary, which includes many ethical lessons to be learned from the stories of Scripture. He was also proficient in philosophy, astronomy, and mathematics, and wrote numerous works and treatises on these topics.
Link: Rabbi Levi Ben Gershon
Tomorrow is the twenty-second day of the Omer Count. Since, on the Jewish calendar, the day begins at nightfall of the previous evening, we count the omer for tomorrow's date tonight, after nightfall: "Today is twenty-two days, which are three weeks and one day, to the Omer." (If you miss the count tonight, you can count the omer all day tomorrow, but without the preceding blessing).
The 49-day "Counting of the Omer" retraces our ancestors' seven-week spiritual journey from the Exodus to Sinai. Each evening we recite a special blessing and count the days and weeks that have passed since the Omer; the 50th day is Shavuot, the festival celebrating the Giving of the Torah at Sinai.
Tonight's Sefirah: Chessed sheb'Netzach -- "Kindness in Ambition"
The teachings of Kabbalah explain that there are seven "Divine Attributes" -- Sefirot -- that G-d assumes through which to relate to our existence: Chessed, Gevurah, Tifferet, Netzach, Hod, Yesod and Malchut ("Love", "Strength", "Beauty", "Victory", "Splendor", "Foundation" and "Sovereignty"). In the human being, created in the "image of G-d," the seven sefirot are mirrored in the seven "emotional attributes" of the human soul: Kindness, Restraint, Harmony, Ambition, Humility, Connection and Receptiveness. Each of the seven attributes contain elements of all seven--i.e., "Kindness in Kindness", "Restraint in Kindness", "Harmony in Kindness", etc.--making for a total of forty-nine traits. The 49-day Omer Count is thus a 49-step process of self-refinement, with each day devoted to the "rectification" and perfection of one the forty-nine "sefirot."
Links:
How to count the Omer
The deeper significance of the Omer Count
We, the Jewish people, are a single person with many millions of faces, a single soul breathing within a multitude of diverse bodies.
In each one of us is found all of Israel, and what any one does immediately reverberates through all the rest.
If one should fall, all of us stumble.
When one does a mitzvah, all of us participate.
If one is suffering, all of us share that pain.
When one rejoices, all of us dance and sing.
None of us can say to the other, “You go your way and I will go mine.”
Wherever you go, you take some of me there with you, and where I go, you too will come along.
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Isa 11:9-16 They
do no evil nor destroy in all My set-apart mountain, for the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of יהוה as the waters cover the sea. |
ט לֹֽא־יָרֵ֥עוּ וְלֹֽא־יַשְׁחִ֖יתוּ
בְּכָל־הַ֣ר קָדְשִׁ֑י כִּֽי־מָֽלְאָ֣ה הָאָ֗רֶץ דֵּעָה֙ אֶת־יְהֹוָ֔ה
כַּמַּ֖יִם לַיָּ֥ם מְכַסִּֽים: |
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Rashi: knowledge of the Lord: [lit.] to know the Lord. |
רשי": דעה את ה': לדעת את ה': |
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10 And in
that day there shall be a Root of Yishai, standing as a banner to the people.
Unto Him the nations shall seek, and His rest shall be esteem. |
י וְהָיָה֙
בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֔וּא שֹׁ֣רֶשׁ יִשַׁ֗י אֲשֶׁ֚ר עֹמֵד֙ לְנֵ֣ס עַמִּ֔ים אֵלָ֖יו
גּוֹיִ֣ם יִדְרֹ֑שׁוּ וְהָֽיְתָ֥ה מְנֻחָת֖וֹ כָּבֽוֹד: |
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Rashi: as a banner for peoples: that peoples should raise a banner to gather
to him. |
רשי": לנס עמים: להיות עמים מרימים נס להקבץ אליו: |
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11 And it shall be in that day that יהוה
sets His hand again a second time to recover the remnant of His people who
are left, from Ashshur and from Mitsrayim, from Pathros and from Kush, from Ěylam
and from Shin‛ar, from Ḥamath
and from the islands of the sea. |
יא וְהָיָ֣ה |
בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֗וּא יוֹסִ֨יף אֲדֹנָ֚י | שֵׁנִית֙ יָד֔וֹ לִקְנ֖וֹת
אֶת־שְׁאָ֣ר עַמּ֑וֹ אֲשֶׁ֣ר יִשָּׁאֵר֩ מֵֽאַשּׁ֨וּר וּמִמִּצְרַ֜יִם
וּמִפַּתְר֣וֹס וּמִכּ֗וּשׁ וּמֵֽעֵילָ֚ם וּמִשִּׁנְעָר֙ וּמֵ֣חֲמָ֔ת
וּמֵֽאִיֵּ֖י הַיָּֽם: |
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Rashi: a second time: Just as he acquired them from Egypt, when
their redemption was absolute, without subjugation, but the redemption
preceding the building of the Second Temple is not counted, since they were
subjugated to Cyrus. |
רשי": שנית: כמו שקנאם ממצרים שהיתה גאולתם ברורה מאין
שיעבוד אבל גאולת בית שני אינה מן המניין שהרי משועבדים היו לכורש: |
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12 And He shall raise a banner for
the nations, and gather the outcasts of Yisra’ěl, and assemble the
dispersed of Yehuḏah
from the four corners of the earth. |
יב וְנָשָֹ֤א נֵס֙ לַגּוֹיִ֔ם וְאָסַ֖ף
נִדְחֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וּנְפֻצ֚וֹת יְהוּדָה֙ יְקַבֵּ֔ץ מֵֽאַרְבַּ֖ע כַּנְפ֥וֹת
הָאָֽרֶץ: |
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Rashi: And he shall raise a banner: Perka, perche in O.F. [i.e., the verse is
literally referring to the pole upon which the banner is attached.] And it
shall be for a sign to gather to him and to bring the exiles of Israel to Him
as a present. |
רשי": נשא נס: פירקא בלע"ז והיה לאות לקבוץ אליו ולהביא
את גליות ישראל מנחה לו: |
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13 And the envy of Ephrayim shall
turn aside, and the adversaries of Yehuḏah
be cut off. Ephrayim shall not envy Yehuḏah,
and Yehuḏah
not trouble Ephrayim. |
יג וְסָ֙רָה֙ קִנְאַ֣ת אֶפְרַ֔יִם
וְצֹֽרְרֵ֥י יְהוּדָ֖ה יִכָּרֵ֑תוּ אֶפְרַ֙יִם֙ לֹֽא־יְקַנֵּ֣א אֶת־יְהוּדָ֔ה
וִֽיהוּדָ֖ה לֹֽא־יָצֹ֥ר אֶת־אֶפְרָֽיִם: |
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Rashi: Ephraim shall not envy Judah: The Messiah, the son of David, and the
Messiah, the son of Joseph, shall not envy each other. |
רשי": אפרים לא יקנא את יהודה: משיח בן יוסף ומשיח בן דוד לא יקנאו זה בזה: |
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14 But they shall fly down upon the
shoulder of the Philistines toward the west; together they plunder the people
of the east, their hand stretching forth on Eḏom and Mo’aḇ,
and the children of Ammon shall be subject to them. |
יד וְעָפ֨וּ בְכָתֵ֚ף פְּלִשְׁתִּים֙ יָ֔מָּה
יַחְדָּ֖ו יָבֹ֣זּוּ אֶת־בְּנֵי־קֶ֑דֶם אֱד֚וֹם וּמוֹאָב֙ מִשְׁל֣וֹחַ יָדָ֔ם
וּבְנֵ֥י עַמּ֖וֹן מִשְׁמַעְתָּֽם: |
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Rashi: And they shall fly of one accord
against the Philistines in the west: Heb. בְכָתֵף. Israel will fly and run
of one accord against the Philistines who are in the west of Eretz Israel and
conquer their land. [כָּתֵף,
lit. a shoulder, is used in this case to denote unity. The word שֶׁכֶם, also lit. a shoulder, is
used in a similar sense.] Comp. (Hoshea 6:9) “They murder on the way in
unison (שֶׁכְמָה);” (Zeph.
3:9) “One
accord (שְׁכֶם אֶחָד).”
And so did Jonathan render it: And they shall join in one accord to smite the
Philistines who are in the west. and the children of Ammon shall obey
them: As the
Targum states: Will hearken to them. They will accept their commandments over
them. |
רשי": ועפו בכתף פלשתים ימה: יעופו וירוצו ישראל שכם אחד על הפלשתים אשר הם
במערבה של ארץ ישראל ויכבש את ארצם כמו דרך ירצחו שכמה (הושע ו׳:ט׳) שכם אחד
(צפניה ג) וכן ת"י ויתחברון כתף חד למימחי פלישתאי די במערבא: ובני עמון משמעתם: כתרגומו ישתמעון להון, מקבלין מצותם עליהם: |
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15 And יהוה shall put under the ban the tongue of
the Sea of Mitsrayim, and He shall wave His hand over the River with the
might of His Spirit, and shall strike it in the seven streams, and shall
cause men to tread it in sandals. |
טו וְהֶֽחֱרִ֣ים יְהֹוָ֗ה אֵת לְשׁ֣וֹן
יָם־מִצְרַ֔יִם וְהֵנִ֥יף יָד֛וֹ עַל־הַנָּהָ֖ר בַּעְיָ֣ם רוּח֑וֹ וְהִכָּ֙הוּ֙
לְשִׁבְעָ֣ה נְחָלִ֔ים וְהִדְרִ֖יךְ בַּנְּעָלִֽים: |
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Rashi: And… shall dry up: [lit. shall cut off] to dry it, so that the
exiles of Israel will pass through it from Egypt. over the river: The Euphrates River, for the exiles from
Assyria to cross. with the strength of His wind: Heb. בַּעְיָם. This is hapax legomenon
in Scripture, and according to the context it can be interpreted as “with the
strength of His wind.” into seven streams: into seven segments, for the aforementioned
seven exiles: from Assyria and from Egypt, etc. Those from the islands of the
sea are not from that side. and He shall lead: the exiles within it. |
רשי": והחרים: ליבשו כדי שיעברו בו גליות ישראל ממצרים: על הנהר: נהר פרת לעבור בו גליות אשור: בעים רוחו: אין לו דמיון במקרא ולפי הענין יפתר בחוזק רוחו: לשבעה נחלים: לשבע גזרים לעבור בו שבע גליות האמורות למעלה
מאשור וממצרים וגו', ומאיי הים אינו מאותו צד: והדריך: בתוכו את הגליות: בנעלים: ביבשה: |
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16 And there shall be a highway for
the remnant of His people, those left from Ashshur, as it was for Yisra’ěl
in the day when he came up from the land of Mitsrayim. |
טז וְהָֽיְתָ֣ה מְסִלָּ֔ה לִשְׁאָ֣ר עַמּ֔וֹ
אֲשֶׁ֥ר יִשָּׁאֵ֖ר מֵֽאַשּׁ֑וּר כַּֽאֲשֶׁ֚ר הָֽיְתָה֙ לְיִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל בְּי֥וֹם
עֲלֹת֖וֹ מֵאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם: |
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Rashi: And there shall be a highway: in the midst of the water for the remnant of
His people. |
רשי": והיתה מסילה: בתוך המים לשאר עמו: |
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Hashem is
bringing and restoring Yehuda first….. [GENESIS 44:18] THEN JUDAH CAME
NEAR UNTO HIM, AND SAID, OH MY LORD, LET THY SERVANT, I PRAY THEE, SPEAK A
WORD IN MY LORD'S EARS, AND LET NOT THINE ANGER BURN AGAINST THY SERVANT: FOR
THOU ART EVEN AS PHARAOH. Commentary: On the verse: “FOR THOU
ART EVEN AS PHARAOH”: Rabbi Schneerson quotes the source saying that Judah
meant to say that Joseph is as powerful as Pharaoh and that Judah
acknowledges his authority. Judah acknowledged the authority of Joseph.
Because of this Judah merited the Promise in Ezekiel 37, “MY SERVANT DAVID
SHALL BE THEIR PRINCE FOR EVER”. The Rabbi says that in order for Judah to
bring on the Messiah, to help the Messiah come, and realize the promise given
to his seed (“MY SERVANT DAVID SHALL BE THEIR PRINCE FOR EVER) Judah must first do as the Patriarch
Judah did when he CAME NEAR UNTO Joseph and he acknowledged the authority of
Joseph and initially was influenced from Joseph.' |
אפרים תבוא לשיקום כאשר היהודים יתחילו
לבנות בית להשם כאשר, לא עושים רע ולא משמידים בכל ההר המופרד
שלי, כי תמלא הארץ ידיעת יהוה כמו המים מכסים את הים. תחשוב על זה? 'רבי מנחם מנדל שניאורסון, הרבי מליובאוויטש (חב"ד), ערך את
ההערות הבאות על פעולת יהודה (בראשית: ויגש). רבי מנחם מנדל שניאורסון נחשב
בהשראת חסידיו ורבים אחרים. הפסוק הרלוונטי אומר: [בראשית 44:18] אז התקרב אליו יהודה, ואמר, הו אדוני, נא עבדך,
דבר דבר באזני יהוה, ואל יבעור כעמך על עבדך: כמו פרעה. פירוש: על הפסוק: "כי אתה אפילו
פרעה": הרב שניאורסון מצטט את המקור שאומר שיהודה התכוון לומר שיוסף חזק
כמו פרעה וכי יהודה מכיר בסמכותו. יהודה הכיר בסמכותו של יוסף. בגלל זה יהודה
זכאי להבטחה ביחזקאל 37, "עבדי דוד יהיה הנסיך שלהם לעולמים". הרבי
אומר שכדי שיהודה יביא את המשיח, יעזור למשיח לבוא ולממש את ההבטחה שניתנה לזרעו
("עבדי דוד יהיה הנסיך שלהם לנצח) יהודה צריך לעשות תחילה כפי שעשה
הפטריארך יהודה כאשר התקרב אל יוסף והוא הכיר בסמכותו של יוסף ובתחילה הושפע
מיוסף.' (יאיר דוידי, ברית-עם) |
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