Released! Sholom Rubashkin Gematria

The Dreidel's Four Letters

By tradition, the dreidel has 4 faces. The first thing one notices about the dreidle is that each of the dreidel's four faces has one of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet inscribed on it. The four letters are nun(נ), gimel(ג), hei(ה), and shin(ש),  the initials (beginning of each word) of the phrase "A great miracle occurred there." נס גדול היה שם.

The first thing to note is that the numerical value of these four letters together is 358, also the numerical value of Mashiach (משיח)! The recurring motif found in the dreidel's hidden meanings is that of the Mashiach and Redemption - changing the world and making it a worthy dwelling place for the Almighty.

In the past generation, some Jews living in the land of Israel decided that it would be proper to change the last word from "שם" to "here" (פה) thus making the phrase whose initials are on the dreidle, "A great miracle occurred here." Following this idea, the letters on the dreidel would be נגהפ, and their numerical sum would come to 138. But, as it is, you cannot escape the dreidel's inner meaning, and 138 is the value of Menachem (מנחם), one of the names of the Mashiach according to the Sages; it is also the value of the word Tzemach  (צמח), the name of the Mashiach appearing in the Bible, "Tzemach is his name. ..."

I CAN SIT ALL DAY TO SOAK UP the TORAH of HaRav Yitzchak Ginsburgh

http://www.inner.org/holidays/chanukah/chanukah-hidden-secrets-of-dreidel.php

Chanukah Lights - Deeper Meaning

Holy Ground

The Kotzker Rebbe zt'l used to explain the passuk:"Hamakom asher atah omeid alav admas-kodesh hu - the place on which you are standing is Holy Ground" (Shemos 3:5). Exactly where you are now - in your specific body, your house, your city, your school or job - that's your " holy ground." If you were anywhere else, then you wouldn't have any chiyus! source kidlinge Nov 6, 2017 Issue 7

Taam Zekeinim

R. Hai Gaon, quoted in Taam Zekeinim, p. 59.
     The Nations will say, "What should we give the Messianic king? Aren't silver and fine clothing unimportant to him? Rather, we"ll give him his people!" As it says, "They shall bring all your brethren out of all the nations as an offering to G-d.....(Yeshayahu 66:20).
     When these Exiles come, G-d will part the sea of Egypt in one place and the Euphrates in seven. As it is written, I will open rivers on high places.... (ibid. 41:18). No Jew will remain outside Yerushalayim.  As it is written,... I have left none of them there anymore (Yechezkel 39:28)7

Source: When Moshiach Comes

Vayeitzei:Friday:Lev Lavan-The Heart of Lavan

11/24/17, 8:20 AM - Gal Einai: *Vayeitzei: Friday: Lev Lavan – The Heart of Lavan*

_“And Jacob stole_ *Lavan’s heart*, _not telling him that he was fleeing.”_ In Hebrew, the word _Lavan_ is spelled lamed, _beit_, _nun_. The first two letters, _lamed_ and _beit_, spell the word _lev_, which means ‘heart’. When the letters _lev_, heart, are stolen from _Lavan_, all that is left is the final nun, which alludes to _nefila_h, falling.

Jacob took from Lavan the holy sparks that were in captivity by him. This is the lev, the heart, of Lavan. After this clarification was completed, there was no reason to stay. It was imperative to flee quickly and whatever was left of the husk would fall by itself - the vitality had already exited.

One of the things that Jacob acquired by Lavan was the wisdom of leadership. Shepherding is preparation for leadership, as we see with Moses and King David. Abraham and Isaac also had flocks, but they had shepherds. Jacob, on the other hand, was actively  and deeply involved and shepherded the flocks with devotion for twenty years.

If so, the lev, heart of Lavan is the wisdom of leading a state. Lavan thought that Jacob was completely with him in leadership of the state. Suddenly, he understands that it was all a charade, a leadership school - and that in truth, Jacob, already equipped with the wisdom of leadership,  the lev, heart, of Lavan, is going to lead his own state.

*The translations this week are l’ilui nishmat Alteh Necheh bat R’ Chaim Nuta and R’ Elimelech ben Moshe*.

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Audio of Rectifying The State of Israel

With the permission of the publisher Gal Einai - here is the link with all  Audios "to date" in order. GoldieZP begins the reading of Rectifying the State of Israel. Thank you for listening and please share the link.

Rectifying The State of Israel

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1w-dYWy-KWKcgyEfWj7MauGGA5F-JWzk5?usp=sharing

This wonderful , MUST READ, book can be purchased at inner.org

Vayeitzei Tuesday The Love for Leah

*Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh*

*Vayeitzei: Tuesday: The Love for Leah*
Yesterday we saw that between Jacob and Rachel there was love at first sight. This is revealed love: Rachel is beautiful _of form and beautiful of appearance_”, and Jacob connects to her in the revealed part of his soul, what he knows and recognizes. In the language of Kabbalah, Rachel represents the _sefirah_ of _Malchut_, Kingdom, the revealed world. (_Alma d’itgalyah_).

As opposed to Rachel, Jacob receives Leah unknowingly. _“And it was in the morning, and behold, she is Leah.”_ It is not written that Jacob loves Leah. She feels “hated” in comparison to her sister, Rachel. Nevertheless, it is specifically from Leah that most of the tribes are born, among them the tribe of priesthood (Levi) and of kingdom (Yehudah).

In truth, the connection between Jacob and Leah is very deep – so much so that Jacob himself is not aware of it in the beginning. Leah is the internal, concealed world (_Alma d’itkasyah_) and she is the soul-mate of the internal, concealed portion of Jacob. Moreover, according to Kabbalah, the main part of the connection is between *Yisrael* and Leah, the name that was added to Jacob that expresses his lofty level. Jacob did not think that Leah was his soul-mate. But Yisrael loves Leah very much.
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Will The Real Esav Please Stand Up

Yitzchok, the Zohar teaches, sensed the Shechina accompanying Ya'akov s version of Esav. There was never any deception merely an accurate portrayal of the a Esav that contained hope for the future of mankind.

The Sifsei Koehn that the prophecy Shem revealed to Rivkah during her troubled pregnancy that   ושני לאומים ממעילך יפרדו        two regimes from your insides shall be separated, alludes to the fact that even from Esav, good will come in the form of the righteous from his seed who would convert. The words of the prophecy are numerically equivalent to  צדיקים מתגיירים the righteous converts.

Parshas Toldos Will the real Esav Please Stand Up by Rabbi Tzvi Teichman

Vayeitzei: Monday: How Beautiful*

*Vayeitzei: Monday: How Beautiful*

_“And when Jacob saw Rachel…and Jacob kissed Rachel.”_ This is a story of love at first sight. Jacob feels that Rachel is the twin soul that is waiting for him. Subsequently it is written in the Torah, _“And Rachel was beautiful of form and beautiful of appearance”_. Was Jacob attracted to Rachel because of her beauty? Yes. There is a very deep point here, as the Rav the Maggid of Mezeritch explains. Jacob embodied the character trait of *tiferet*, splendor, “the _tiferet_, splendor, of Israel.” As such, he has a particular sensitivity to identify points of splendor and beauty in the world. When Jacob sees Rachel’s beauty, external beauty that reflects inner beauty, he immediately identifies with this beauty and knows that Rachel is his soul-mate.

Jacob also correlates to the trait of emet, truth, as is written, “Give emet, truth, to Jacob.”  Truth comes from above, demanding that we ‘straighten out’ according to the Divine yardstick. Beauty, however, ascends from below. Something beautiful in the world catches our eye. Jacob connects truth and beauty, thus achieving perfection. This is beautifully hinted at in gematria: *אמת* _(emet)_ plus *יפי* _(yofi)_ = *ישראל* Israel (the name that expresses the loftiness of Jacob).

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Vayeitzei: Sunday: The Evening Prayer

*Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh*
*Vayeitzei: Sunday: The Evening Prayer*
_“And he impacted upon the place and he slept there, for the sun had set”_. From this verse our Sages say that Jacob enacted the evening prayer. The Talmud says “The evening prayer is optional”. The morning and afternoon prayers are obligatory, while the evening prayer depends upon the will of the person.

Daylight is likened to clear and bright recognition of G-d’s light. In the daylight, a person can concentrate his thoughts and intention on the presence of G-d and say, “Blessed are You”… But when evening ( _erev_ in Hebrew) falls, everything becomes mixed up (mitarbev in Hebrew, the same root as erev, evening), darkness covers the earth and a person enters into his own self and doesn’t see G-d. This world is likened to night – particularly when one deals with mundane, optional matters, like one’s livelihood, for example. (This is what Jacob is on his way to accomplish).

 In the *optional* realm, it is difficult to demand of a person to turn to G-d. After all, he is in a distant place that seems like a space void of Divine Presence, bereft of Torah and commandments. For this reason, the evening prayer is *optional*.

But wondrously, the Nation of Israel accepted the evening prayer as an obligation and this is the Halachic ruling. We are the children of Jacob, who also prays from amidst the darkness. We find G-d in the midst of our mundane and optional matters, as well. As Jacob said, “There is G-d in this place.”

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Toldot: Friday: “And He Shall Give You”

Gal Einai: *Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh*

*Toldot: Friday: “And He Shall Give You”*

Isaac blesses Jacob, _“And G-d shall give you from the dew of heaven and from the fat of the Land and an abundance of corn and wine.”_ Why does Isaac add the word, “And” at the beginning of his blessing? After all, this is the first sentence in his blessing!

This is why Rashi explains, “He will give and give again”. In other words, a never-ending blessing. He will give and give again and again…for eternity. 

We must also go in G-d’s path and adopt this character trait: Never-ending giving of charity and loving-kindness, to give and to give again. The more that we conduct ourselves in this way, the more that the Holy One, Blessed Be He will give to us and give to us again – an abundance of blessing with no end.

This year, the Friday of the Torah portion of Toldot falls out on the 28th of Cheshvan. This is the 58th day from the beginning of the year. 58 is the numerical value of the word חן, _chen,_  which means “grace”. The concept of grace in the Torah is expressed by the completeness of symmetry, exactly like the first appearance of _chen_  in the Torah: _“And Noah found favor_ (‘grace’ *chen*) _in the eyes of G-d”_. The Hebrew for Noah, *נח* , is *חן* _chen_  in reverse.

The Hebrew word for _“And He will give”_ in our verse, ויתן , _Veyiten_, also hints to the secret of _chen_. If we write out the letters of the word _chen_ in Hebrew in full, _chet חית_ and _nun  _ נון, we discover that the letters that fill out those two words actually spell out ויתן , _Veyiten_. The letters that fill out  the _nun_  - _vav_ and _nun_, surround the letters that fill out the _chet – yud_ and _tav_. Something so graceful always finds favor, awakening never-ending giving. He will give and give again and again. 

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*The translations this week l’ilui nishmat Alteh Necheh bat Chaim Nuta and R’ Elimelech ben Moshe.*

Toldot: A Mother's Love

11/16/17 Gal Einai: Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh

Toldot: Thursday: A Mother’s Love

Jacob manages to receive/steal the blessing from his father Isaac in place of Esau, his brother. But Jacob is just a _shaliach_, a messenger of his mother, Rebecca. She is the person who initiates the plan for Jacob to receive Isaac’s blessing and she takes responsibility for it, telling Jacob that if Isaac discovers that he is not Esau and curses him, _“your curse will be upon me”_. Actually, there is a conflict between two sides in this story: Isaac and Esau on one side and Rebecca and Jacob on the other. And the second side triumphs. 

On a deeper level, the struggle is between  two loves: Isaac loves Esau and Rebecca loves Jacob – and Rebecca’s love for Jacob triumphs. Why is Rebecca’s love greater than Isaac’s love?

We read in the Torah, _“And Isaac loved Esau for venison was in his mouth, and Rebecca loves Jacob.”_ Isaac has a very good reason to love Esau: _“venison was in his mouth”_.  Esau honors his father and brings him delicacies. Kabbalah explains that Isaac sees the holy sparks in Esau, the sparks that were revealed in subsequent generations as great righteous converts who descended from Esau. But _“Rebecca loves Jacob”_. She simply loves him, no reason given.

In other words: Isaac’s love for Esau, in a certain way, is “love dependent upon a reason.” But Rebecca’s love for Jacob is “love that is not dependent upon a reason.” It is the pure love of a mother for her son. And it triumphs. 

⭐ *Tonight*, Thursday night, or-l’28 Cheshvan, farbrengen with Rabbi Ginsburgh in honor of his birthday. 

10 PM at the Talmud Torah in Kfar Chabad. *Live broadcast* (Hebrew) here - https://goo.gl/da9fF3

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11/16/17, 9:00 AM - Gal Einai: AUD-20171116-WA0000.mp3 (file attached)

11/16/17, 9:00 AM - Gal Einai: A New Nigun By the Rav

Teffilos for Menachem ben Rivkah

May it be the will before you Hashem our G-d and the G-d of our forefathers that you send quickly a healing which is complete from shamayim,  a healing of the spirit and a healing of the body to Menachem ben Rivkah among the other sick ones of Israel

The Hair Generation

WHAT IS THE PROBLEM WITH THIS ADVERTISEMENT FOUND IN the Jewish weekly "Link" of Boro Park? 

Do you see it? "Designed to look feel and act like REAL hair!"

 The Baal Shem Tov witnessed the early stirrings of the Haskalah (Enlightenment) and the anti-Torah movements that it spawned. He saw large numbers of Jews abandon their commitment to Torah and begin imitating the ways of their non-Jewish neighbors. He was deeply pained ....Heaven revealed to him that those straying souls were the "hair" of the komah sheleimah. And just as human hair is destined to be cut off and cast away, so would these "hair souls be cut off .......[one must read this book to put this in the right context] In the mystical teachings of Kabbalah, the evil forces known as kelipos attach themselves to free-flowing human hair. 

This is one of the reasons for the closely cropped hair favored by many Jewish men and boys, and also explains why girls and women who have never been married customarily bind or braid their hair. Additionally, according to Kabbalah, the halachah שער באשה ערוה which requires married women to cover their hair completely, is related to the attraction that free flowing hair has for the kelipos. 

Moreover, the prophet Yechezkel instructs the Kohanim to "crop their hair very close". Another Gemara )Tannis 17a= requires the king to take a close haircut daily; the Kohen Gadol weekly; and other Kohanim at least once every thirty days. 

Long hair becomes a favorite nesting spot for the impure kelipos that, as emissaries of the Satan, seek to tempt people to sin. The kelipos find characteristics of hair described here very appealing: long hair is made up of cells that have lost their vitality and the kelipos feel most comfortable around souls that have lost their spiritual vitality; long hair is devoid of feeling and the kelipos seek the company of people who are devoid of spiritual sensations; long hair is destined to be cut or torn away from its roots and the goal of the kelipos is to sever Jewish people from their spiritual roots. ....These "hair souls" - because they are in the grips of strong kelipos, their misdeeds and the falsehoods that form the foundation of their day-to-day lives can become weapons in the arsenal of the Satan in his never ending quest to drag down other Jewish souls. As a result, mingling with them and learning their alien ways can cause serious harm to the spiritual strivings of observant Jews. .... pg 386,390, and 392 SACRED SOIL

BELOW RABBI MENASHE IS A VIDEO FROM A FRUM SHEITEL STORE

 Rabbi Ya'aqob Menashe speaks on this all important subject of wigs, scarves and hats in a most endearing manner. Is a scarf better? Is a wig better? Scarves, hats, wigs, sheitels, tichels. Preferred or allowed? Sephardi and Ashkenazi.

visit this post also

Your Wife's Real Hair Sheitel

The following Five Major poskim recently issued a statement forbidding ALL NATURAL HAIR sheitlach! Boruch HaShem! Let us return to HaShem and do away with Avoda Zara from our camp! SEE LETTER AND PICTURE HERE Rabbi Chaim Meir Halevi Vosner, Rabbi and Head of the Rabbinical Court, Zichron Meir Rabbi Sariel Rosenberg, Rabbi and Chief Rabbinical Justice, Bnei Brak Rabbi Yehuda Sillman, Rabbi and Head of the Rabbincial Court, Bnei Brak Rabbi Shimon Baadani, member of the Council of Torah Sages Rabbi Moshe Mordechai Karp, Dayan and Posek, Southern Hill, Modiin I wrote on this topic in January of 2016!

Sacred Soil -Rabbi Moshe Wolfson

Emunas.com

Enjoy, sing along with Rabbi Menachem Mashinsky. Cry out from the depths of your soul and return to HaShem. He is awaiting for His children to return. A MUST READ BOOK!

Arouse from Your Slumber - Iran Nearly Nuclear

(lectures by Rabbi Moshe Wolfson shlit"a) - read it and cry out!

Arouse From Your Slumber!

Rabbi Moshe Wolfson Shlit"a, Mashgiach Ruchani of Mesivta Torah Vodaath and Rav of Beis Medrash Emunas Yisrael in Brooklyn, is one of the most revered rabbinic figures of our time. His lectures, in both English and Yiddish, his sefarim, Emunas Etecha, and his book, Wellsprings of Faith (published by Feldheim), have inspired thousands to strengthen their emunah (faith), their attachment to Torah and prayer, and to strive ever higher in their service of G-d.

The title Emunas has been chosen based on the teachings of Rabbi Wolfson stressing the singular importance of faith in our times.

It is a Mitzvah to Pray when a Calamity Befalls the Community

The following is an excerpt from the Rambam1:

It is a mitzvah in the Torah (Biblical commandment) to cry out and blow trumpets upon every calamity that befalls the community, as the verse states: “[When] an enemy torments you, blow trumpets2.” The meaning of this verse is that if anything torments you, for example: a famine, epidemic, locusts or anything similar, you should pray fervently and blow trumpets.

This is the way of teshuvah (repentance): When a calamity befalls, one prays and blows trumpets. [Then, the belief is reinforced that] it is because of evil deeds that this befell them [Hashem rewards righteous deeds and punishes transgressions]… [Repentance] will cause the misfortune to cease.

However, if they do not wail and blow trumpets [they ignore the danger] and say, ‘a phenomena of the natural world order befell us; this catastrophe is a coincidence,’ [they deny that Hashem is demanding something from us] this is cruelty, because it causes them to continue in their evil deeds. And this tragedy will be accompanied by more disaster, as the Torah states, “And if you will go with Me [saying that what happened is] a coincidence, I will go with you with [a] furious [series of] coincidence[s]3.”

The Ramban is of the opinion that the biblical obligation to pray is precisely when one is in a dire situation.

According to both the Rambam and the Ramban one must pray in a time of danger.

We are Now in a Time of Danger

A person should keep himself updated with the Jewish news. He should know how Jews worldwide are faring. It is especially important to know what is happening in Eretz Yisroel, as the verse in Tehillim4 instructs, “Inquire about the peace of Yerushalayim.”

Iran is currently a serious threat. The ruler of Iran repeatedly and explicitly announces that he wants to kill every Jew, as Haman declared. If he will succeed in attaining nuclear warfare, we will all be in serious danger. Those in the know predict that the bomb will be ready by the summer.

It is no secret that the secular Israeli government is considering attacking Iran to prevent them from acquiring the weapons which would render them capable of destroying the tiny country in moments. What is also understood is that such an attack will likely launch the Third World War.

Why are We Apathetic?

With Israel and the world in so much danger, why are we silent? Why aren’t we praying? Why are we so apathetic?

Everyone is busy  with  their  petty  activities;  we  are  distracted  with  texting,  gadgets, politics and other silliness and are deaf to the alarm bells! Why aren’t we conscious of what is happening in the world?! Why don’t we rend the heavens with prayer?

True, we are also occupied with chasing a livelihood and daily living - and yes, these are necessities - but we are now in danger and have to focus on prayer and repentance!

Why is no one talking about this? I thought to myself, “Now is not the time for silence!” When there is no man to do the task, one has to do it himself5. Therefore, I asked that everyone assemble. Afterwards I was informed that Harav Rosenblum Shlit”a had already spoken about this, and that he said that now is a time when the general population as well as the individual is being judged.

Mashiach Seems Imminent

The Pesikta Rabasi6 states:

Rabbi Yitzchak said: The year that Mashiach will appear, the kingdoms of the nations will quarrel with each other.

The King of Persia will fight with the King of Arabia, and theKking of Arabia will go to Edom for advice. (As we see today, Iran is threatening Saudi Arabia.) The King of Persia will destroy the whole world. All the nations will scream and be confused. They will experience pain similar to the pangs of labor. The Jewish people will scream and be confused and they will ask, “Where shall we go? Where should we turn?” Hashem will say to them, “My children, do not be frightened; the time for your redemption has arrived.”

The Maharal states that although the Babylonian and Median Empires disappeared, Edom (the European nations) and Persia will remain until the coming of Mashiach. Persia is Iran, the place where Achashveirosh once gave the royal signet to a villain who intended to kill every Jew. Although Persia is not a nation of Yishmael, it identifies with his culture; as we see, they practice the religion of Yishmael, Islam7.

This Pesikta is eerily similar to today’s current events. I cannot state with certainty that it refers to our times - until Mashiach comes we cannot know anything for sure - but perhaps yes? The likelihood of Mashiach arriving soon seems quite probable.

We have to prepare for the final redemption.

There is No Reason to Panic

One thing is clear; there is no need to panic. Hashem will definitely perform miracles: “Stand and await the salvation of Hashem8.” Ever since the Holocaust, Hashem’s countenance has smiled on the Jewish people, and he has performed big miracles for them.

Today, Eretz Yisroel is the home of almost half of the Jewish people. Almost all of the Torah learning in the world today occurs in Eretz Yisroel.                  All  the  miraculous  wars  that  this tiny country experienced are completely out of sync with nature. The terrorists throw their missiles at Israeli population centers and they keep on missing! These same missiles cause hundreds and thousands of casualties in Iraq and other countries. In Eretz Yisroel, no one is injured! Sometimes here and there, the terrorists succeed in murdering individuals, but that is nothing compared to the scores of victims they slay - using the same techniques - in other countries.

During the Gulf War there was only one direct casualty of the thirty-nine missiles - a man who was cursed by the Chazon Ish. The Americans lost tens of soldiers from one missile! Today, Hamas shoots bombs from the Gaza Strip by the dozens and rarely does anyone get killed! In other countries, hundreds die!

Hashem is not performing these miracles for the ‘Israelis’. He performs them for the Jewish people; for the Jews that study and live by the Torah and for those who, with their children, will ultimately repent and study and live by the Torah.

Hashem will Perform Miracles in the Future

The parents of Shimshon the Judge experienced the awesome revelation of an angel and its fiery ascent to heaven. Shimshon’s father was afraid that he would die after seeing such an awesome revelation. His wife calmed him down saying, “Had Hashem wanted to kill us He would not have accepted our sacrifices and revealed to us these tremendous wonders9.”

The miracles Hashem performed for us in recent history make us feel secure. Eretz Yisroel is a country of a few million, encircled by a few hundred million bloodthirsty enemies who continually attempt to destroy it but are miraculously unsuccessful. Hashem is not showing us all these miracles in preparation for doom! He is performing all these miracles as a preparation for a tremendous salvation.

However, we must prepare adequately for miracles. We have to repent and pray and await the salvation of Hashem.

We are Obligated to Repent and Pray

Eliyahu Hanavi was informed by Hashem that it would rain after the three years of famine. Eliyahu Hanavi prayed and it rained. Why did he have to pray if Hashem had promised him that it would rain?

R’ Tzadok Hakohen answers – no matter! Even if we know that a miracle will happen, we have to pray anyhow. Even though we know that Hashem will perform miracles for us at the final redemption that will be greater than those at the redemption from Egypt, we still have to pray and repent.

By the splitting of the sea the verse states, "10המָח םהֶלָ םִימַּהַ ְו" ‘the waters were fortresses.’ However, the word המח is missing its 'ו; it should have been spelled המוח. The Midrash infers from here that המח should be read as המָחֵ - wrath.

Great miracles were awaiting the Jewish people as they stood at the edge of the Sea of Reeds. The powers of evil fought with all their might to prevent the miracles from materializing and brought forth all the sins of the Jewish people. Therefore, there was a wrath in heaven. When the Jewish people prayed and repented, the המָחֵ disappeared, and in its place, the המָֹח - protecting fortresses – appeared. The raging waters were transformed into a bastion of security.

Rescuing Ourselves from the Birth Pangs of Mashiach

The Gemara asks: “What should a person do to rescue himself from the birth pangs of Mashiach?” The Gemara answers: “He should engage in Torah study and in acts of kindness.” We have to take account of our actions; where are we up to in our service of Hashem?! Are we satisfying His demands of us?! The Jewish people need merits!

Prophet Tzefania implores; "11'ה ףאַ םוֹיבְּ וּרתְ סָּתִּ ילַוּא הָונָעֲ וּשׁקְּ בַּ קדֶצֶ -וּשׁקְּ בַּ ", ‘Seek out justice, seek out humility; perhaps you will be hidden on the day of the wrath of Hashem.’

Torah

We have to establish periods in the day for learning Torah; solid blocks of time, uninterrupted by the distracting beep of an incoming text or call! One should make a habit of removing his cell phone or closing it before sitting down to learn.

The Rebbe of Lubavitch said that when a Jew learns, it is like Shabbos. On an ordinary day, one is obligated to be productive. It is only on Shabbos that are we exempt from working.

When a person learns or engages in serving Hashem, for him it is Shabbos. Would we pick up the phone on Shabbos? We do not answer calls when learning.

A Bais HaMedrash (house of prayer and Torah study) is a place which is dedicated to Torah study. In a Bais HaMedrash it is Shabbos all week and no business is to take place. One who answers his cell in the Bais HaMedrash brings the marketplace into Shabbos. He desecrates the Shabbos which dwells there!

We have to put forth effort that our Torah learning should be with fire, not habitual.

Tefilah (Prayer)

We also need prayer, as the Rambam explained. Every Jew has to ask Hashem to spare the Jewish people, his family and himself. We should exercise special focus during the parts in the daily prayers when we pray for salvation from enemies. Examples are: the prayer of

תמא'

'הנומאו, which we say by Maariv (evening prayers), in which we beseech Hashem to rescue us from tormentors and oppressors; and ונבכשה where we pray for protection.

During the Egyptian war, the Belzer Rav ztz”l, advised that everyone say chapter 46 from Tehillim, in which we pray to be spared from suffering caused by war. I advise that we print this chapter and paste it into every siddur (prayer book).

We should begin saying this psalm daily, because the danger we face is imminent! “Prayers are more powerful when recited before the danger arrives12,” the Gemara informs us. It is not a question of months; it is weeks. Within the next few weeks there will probably be news; and with the help of Hashem, it will be good news for the Jewish people.

In addition, we have to give more tzedakah (charity) and engage in acts of kindness.

Unity Among Jews

The nullification of Haman’s evil decree came about through "13םידוהיה לכ תא סונכ", ‘the gathering of all the Jews.’ Today’s leader of Persia speaks like Haman and we need unity as a merit to be spared from his evil schemes.

We give only a half-shekel coin to pay for our part in the sacrifices to symbolize that we are only a part of a whole. Moshe Rabbeinu asked that Hashem not accept Korach’s part in the communal sacrifice because he instigated disunity among the Jewish people. He opposed the entire idea of the half-shekel so his contribution was invalid.

Bitter feelings among Jews are a big victory for the Satan. We have to work in this area - to forgive and forgo, and let go of grudges. This is very hard; but now when Jews need merits, we have to do it!

It is a time of danger for the Jewish people, but we will be rescued. We should enter the month of Adar - the month of unity among Jews and miracles against the Hamans of history - with a happy heart.

May  Hashem  spread  His  Sukkah  of  protection  upon  us  and  every  Jew  and  on Yerushalayim, and

ונצראל תויממוק הרהמ ונכלותו ץראה תופנכ עבראמ םולשל ונאיבהו

May He bring us in peace from the four corners of the land and guide us speedily, walking upright to our land

1 א קרפ תוינעת תוכלה

2 ט:י רבדמב

3 הכ-דכ:וכ ארקיו

4 ו:בכק םילהת

5 ה:ב תובא

6 ב:ול השרפ

7 א"כ קרפ ל"רהמל לארשי חצנ

8 גי:די תומש

9 'ג קרפ ףוס םיטפוש

10 טכ:די תומש

11 ג:ב 'ינפצ

12 ב"ע ד"מ ןירדהנס

13 זט:ד רתסא