Lazer Beams

Emuna and Jewish Unity: The Invincible Combination

A little over three weeks ago, I arrived in Hamilton, Ontario for an evening with the entire Jewish community. The tension among the Jewish community - particularly among the Jewish students at the local McMaster University - reminded me of the days here in the south of Israel when GRAD missiles were falling two and three times a day. After the Hillel House in York University in neighboring Toronto was stormed by Arab students, the atmosphere at McMaster was electrified with the impending Israel Apartheid Week and the anticipated Arab and pro-Pally student demonstrations. Hamilton's Jewish student body was terrified. Nobody new what the Canadian Ishmaelites and their groupies were planning.

Thanks to the efforts of Canadian Betar's President Rose Lax, Rabbi Green of Hamilton, and Breslev Israel's Hamilton representatives Avi and Rebecca Shapiro, the entire Jewish community - including the Jewish students of McMaster - showed up for an evening of Emuna, unity, and encouragement. They asked me to address the challenge of Apartheid Week and what to do about it. I explained that we have to fight on our home turf (which is emuna and above the stars) and not to slug it out in the gutter of campus activism and counter demonstrations that are bound to fail.

To make a long story short,the evening was beautiful with all of us singing Rebbe Nachman's "Gesher Tzar Meod" and saying "Shma" together. The Jews of Hamilton responded just like the Jews of Shushan, learning that if you fear Hashem, you don't have to fear anyone or anything, including the Arabs on campus. Hashem put words in my mouth, and I promised that with such emuna and unity, nothing wrong could happen to the Jews of Hamilton and McMaster.

The very next day, everything went wrong on campus - all the anti-Israel and anti-semitic activities were either strangely cancelled or postponed indefinitely. In the words of Hamilton's Jews that wrote me, an outright miracle had taken place.

Earlier today, I received an email from Rose Lax. She writes: "It (Apartheid Week at McMaster U.) just literally fell apart. Furthermore and more importantly the JEWISH COMMUNITY FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER TURNED OUT IN MASS TO EACH OF THE PROGRAMS PRESENTED BY OUR SIDE. I have been fighting this with a few students since 2002 and this is the first time we have we have fought together as a people since Tel Hai..." Jewish unity is the real deal.

Emuna and Jewish unity are an invincible combination. Just ask the Hamilton Jewish community. I thank Hashem with all my being for the privilege of seeing His phenominal Divine Providence right before our very eyes.

Welcome, Said and family

Praise G-d! Just 48 hours after we posted the story of Moshe Yaish Nahari HY"D, who was murdered by an Al Qaida terrorist in Yemen, Said Ben Yisrael and family, also from Moshe Yaish's town of Raida, have arrived here in Israel with his wife and children, ten souls in all, after a surprising secret rescue. May Hashem soon bring the remaining Yemenite Jews home to the Land of Israel too, amen!

The Story of Moshe Yaish Nahari, HY"D

 

Moshe Yaish Nahari, of saintly and martyred memory, from Raidah, Yemen (above photo, right, seen with another murdered relative during a trip to Egypt) jampacked much into his short life before Arab murderers brutally spilled his cherished blood. Less than 32 years old, he brought eight beautiful children into the world and he lived to teach them the best things Jewish life has to offer. He went the extra mile for our people and fought hard to maintain the ancient Jewish traditions of the Yemenite diaspora, including rituals and melodies that survived since the Second Temple.

Long after the Magic Carpet brought most of Yemen's Jews to the Land of Israel and long after the last of the Rabbinical scholars left in the sixties and seventies, the remaining Jews of Yemen were forgotten by the institutions of the Jewish community and the State of Israel. Many people never knew there were any such Jews left in such a savage place.

Moshe Yaish Nahari chose to stay and help insure that Jewish spiritual life would remain alive in Raidah, north of Sanaa where 400 Jews remained. He was given funds by some Jews in New York to begin remodeling and old 5 story building that belonged to his family. Moshe rebuilt these ruins into a House Of Prayer and Yeshiva with a dorm and facilities to accomodate guests from from New York and Israel. He studied in Israel to attain proficiency as a rabbi, shochet, sofer and mohel, so he could provide the needs of the community back home in Yemen. He didn't run off to make a better life for himself.

Moshe was a a man not unlike a captain that was prepared to go down with the ship! He sought the good of his people at his own expense and this past December, just before the Festival of Lights, Moshe's own light was put out when a Muslim extremist shot him five times with an AK47 Assault rifle as he prepared to take his mother shopping for food to make the Sabbath.

Moshe died in his mother's arms. He was the jewel of the Yemenite Jewish community.

In court, the murderer laughed and swore to kill more Jews. The family was threatened as the trial took place almost 10 days after Moshe's remains languished in a Sanaa morg without any consideration of a Kosher Jewish burial by the Arab authorities. Yemenite tribal justice dictates that when a man is murdered in Yemen, the killer, if found guilty, is either hung or forced to pay damages.

Moshe Yaish Nahari's father felt that no money paid to him by the kiler of his beloved only son would satisfy him and to the shock and dismay of all of us he asked the Judge to bring Allah's judgment down upon the killer and asked that he be executed as his rightful punishment. The Jewish community, already in shock was now in greater danger than ever as 500 Salaafi Muslim extremists chanted Allah hu al Aqbar wa itbakh il Yahud, "Allah is great and death to the Jews".

The killers attorney said his client is clinically unstable and unable to mentally follow a trial and asked that he be released. Moshe's father heard the Judge's agreeable tone as he asked the lawyer if he would just be able to produce some doctor's note stating the murderer is mentally unfit to stand trial. The lawyer assured the Judge that he could, and the 500 extremists howled with joy. The Judge offered the killer the change to speak on his own behalf and he said: ''In a matter of days my brethren I will be released and I will kill the rest of that Jew's' family and kill more and more of them until we are rid of them all as they are rats who are born to have the life snuffed out of them...Allah is Geat!!! Allah is Great!!!" AND 500 MUSLIMS CONTINUED TO CHANT ALLAH IS GREAT.

Yemen's leader Ali Abdullah Saleh was approached by a representative of the Sofer family, Moshe's relatives in Israel, who requested that Moshe's remains be removed from Yemen and taken to a foreign burial place.The PM smerked, ''As if I don't know where you wish to bury him...I will give you a day to give me two diplomats from England who will assure me in writing that they will accept this corpse for burial''. The British diplomats were on a weekend holiday and would not discuss the matter until the following Monday. The Yemeni PM agreed to have Moshe removed from the refrigerators to be burried according to Jewish law. The special ruling went against Yemeni custom to bury the victim and his convicted killer on the same day.

Grenades were then thrown at the Nahari home and the family lives in total fear and despair. The Israeli goverment refused to help Moshe to be buriied in Israel although the Sofer family acquired a plot in Rehovoth. They claimed that they could not help and any move they would make could only make things worse. They refused to ask other neutral countries to intervene.

As the threat of the Salaafi Muslims hovers over the Nahari family, every continued moment in Yemen is terrifying. They are in great danger.

My cherished and esteemed friend, the Abir Aluf Mori Yehoshua Sofer shlit'a, is doing everything he can to bring Moshe Yaish Nahari's 8 orphans, their widowed mother (a shocked women of 29 with a bit too much to contend with) and two very old parents to Israel. He is also struggling to bring Moshe's coffin for proper burial in Israel. The Abir Aluf needs to raise about 3000 Dollars per person (times eleven) to bring them all to Israel with airfare, exit visas and bribes as well as visas of entry into England. From there, he intends to arrange their Alliyah papers and fly them to Israel .

This is a rare mitzvah of Pidyon Nefesh, the redemption of eleven endangered Jewish souls.

If you'd like to participate in this magnificent mitzva, please email the Abir Aluf Mori Yehoshua Sofer shlit'a.

 

Moshe Yaish Nahari, HYD, shortly before his death with his wife and seven of his eight children, may Hashem rescue them from all peril.

Mama Rochel and Jewish Outreach

Do you remember the miracle story about Rochel Imenu in Gaza that was later confirmed by Rabbi Mordechai Eliahu? The whole country is now talking about it - check our what our good friend Akiva writes.

Beams Weekend Feature: The Spiritual War

The Midrash tells us (Breishit Raba 65:20) that when the voice of Jacob sings out in prayer and Torah learning, the hands of Esau lose all of their power. King David says specifically in Psalm 20, verse 8: "Some have their chariots and some have their horses, but we shall call the out the Name of Hashem." Whereas Israel's true power is in Torah and prayer, Ishmael was blessed (or cursed) to live by his sword. The winner of the war will be whoever does his job best.

Here's the essence of the real war that's more than 33 centuries old. See the difference between the "Jihad" kids of Gaza and the Torah kids of Jerusalem:

Jihad Kids:

Torah Kids:

Ask a child in the south of Israel what he'd like for Shabbat; there's a 9 to 1 chance that he'll say, "A quiet Shabbat with no sirens or bombs." Have a peaceful Shabbat Vayichi.

Getting Hot...

Many people wrote in saying they didn't understand our editorial cartoon from this past Sunday. They probably hadn't yet heard about the Madoff fraud. The Jerusalem Post today writes that many Jewish leaders fear, "Not only could Madoff's alleged dishonesty increase anti-Semitic feeling in a time of worldwide economic downturn... but his close involvement with the Jewish community has exposed vast amounts of Jewish communal assets to his scheme."

When will people begin to believe the true tzaddikim? Don't forget what Rav Shalom Arush said four weeks ago about refugees in pajamas.

We don't want to say "we told you so." We want to say, "Shalom Aleichem and welcome to Israel." It's time to come home.

Wake-up Call for Canadian Jews?

David Garberg from Canada has strong reason to believe that Hashem is now sending a wake-up call to Canadian Jews. Pro-Israel PM Harper is in hot water in chilly Canada. David writes:

This week the three major opposition parties formed a coalition government to oust the Harper conservatives.  The leftist liberals, the new democratic socialists and the separatist bloc Quebecois are all parties that would rather crumble to the pressure of anti-Semitic threats than to stand up for what is right; They would rather not take any stand on any issue than to stand up for Truth.  They are PURE anti-Emuna based and their motives are little else than a power-grab, one that will be used against Canada's Jewish communities and the Jews in Israel!  Many Canadians are appealing to the Governor General to overturn the decision, but it is clear in my eyes that she won't.  Other than the situation itself and many comments on "what this might mean" for various politicians and whether or not there will be another election, the media has no clue what is actually transpiring.  HaShem wants Canadians to go Home; Home to Israel!  I only know this because I know how badly HaShem wants us to return to His Land and to be close to Him! As for me, I'm on my way to Israel...

Could this be Hashem's initial wake-up call for the Jews of tranquil Canada?

Meanwhile, a little bird is chirping that Yosef Karduner and Lazer Brody will be together in Toronto and Hamilton on the last weekend in February, Parashat Truma...

Moyshel'e, You're an Orphan

Moyshel'e Holtzberg (photo, left, AP via Jerusalem Post) keeps bleating like a little lamb, "Mommy" and "Totty." But Mommy and Totty - Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and Rebbetzen Rivka - are no longer in the flesh, may Hashem avenge their sacred and martyred souls. The bitter word of their murder at the hands of bloodthirsty subhuman forces of darkness reached us in Israel as soon as we departed from the sacred Sabbath. Moyshel'e, with his irresistable belkalech (fleshy little cheeks) will soon celebrate his second birthday as an orphan.

Here is a list of Rabbi Gavriel's and Rebbetzin Rivka's "crimes":

* The gave up a cushy living in the West to live in the primitive and difficult conditions of India.

* They dedicated their lives to Jewish Outreach.

* They devoted 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to uplifting lost souls.

* They were Jewish.

* They were Lubavitcher Chassidim.

* They had American and Israeli passports.

People are already writing me and asking me what we can do to sanctify the memories of Rabbi Gavriel and Rebbetzen Rivka, may Hashem avenge their sacred and martyred souls. The answer is simple - continue their legacy. Do whatever you can for Jewish Outreach. If you're not Jewish, then spread the seven Noahide commandments. Send links to leading Jewish websites to all your friends, family, and acquaintances, especially those who haven't yet discovered the sweetness of emuna and a true and meaningful connection with Hashem. Help spread the word and hasten the full redemption of our people. This is the least we can do for the martyred Holtzbergs.

Moyshel'e, you're an orphan. But when you grow up, you'll realize that your parents helped make this world a better place. They were brave front-line soldiers in the war for redemption. One thing I can promise you - thousands of Jewish Outreach activists will raise your parents' fallen torch. We won't rest until Moshiach comes and Hashem revives the dead as He promised. Soon, G-d willing, your parents will return to take you in their loving arms, amen.

Discrimination, Scan Style

 Copenhagen - time for Denmark's 7000 Jews to read the writing on the wall? 

Scandinavia has traditionally been known for its amicable liberalism of freedom. That's true in many ways, as long as you're not Jewish.

Sweden that prides itself on religious freedom is actually vigorously anti-Jewish. Jewish ritual slaughter of kosher meat (shechita) is against the law in Sweden and in Norway. Furthermore, a certified Jewish mohel may not perform a brit (ritual circumcision) in Sweden unless a medical doctor and an anesthesia nurse are looking over the mohel's shoulder. If that's not enough, reported anti-semitic crimes have been on a steady rise in Sweden since the 1990's.

Now, Denmark is joining the anti-Jewish bandwagon. The Copenhagen Post reports a new proposal on its way to Parliament that would outlaw mail circumcision.

Everything Hashem does is for the very best. A Jew cannot possibly live in a place where brit mila is outlawed. This is our holy covenant with Hashem, a mitzva that we have martyred ourselves to preserve since the dawn of Jewish history. The bare truth is that outlawing circumcison is a de facto prohibition of Judaism.

It's high time that our 7000 beloved brethren in the benevolent butter-cookie diaspora of Denmark read the writing on the wall and come home to the Land of their Forefathers while they still can. Hashem wants you here.

Who needs Moshiach?

King Solomon, the wisest of men, said (Ecclesiastes 12:1), "And there shall come days of which you will say that you have no use for them." What did he mean? The Gemorra in tractate Shabbat (151b) explains that the "worthless days" are the days of Messianic times, when people won't have either reward or punishment for their deeds, because everyone will automatically behave according to G-d's laws. Without a context of free choice and spiritual opposition (the Yetzer Hora, or Evil Inclination), rewards and punishments are meaningless, like a football team bragging that they scored ten touchdowns, only the other team hadn't yet arrived at the stadium.

My esteemed teacher, the Melitzer Rebbe shlit'a, says that it was worth Hashem's efforts to create the world just to hear one Jew say, Baruch hu u'varuch shmo, or blessed is He and Blessed is His name. The Rebbe continues, and says that one Amen is worth a hundred times Baruch hu u'varuch shmo. One Y'he shmay raba in Kaddish is worth a hundred times Amen. That's not all: One word of Gemorra study is worth a hundred times Y'he shmay raba. Therefore, a single word of Gemorra study is worth a million Baruch hu u'varuch shmo; that means that Hashem is willing to create a million universes just to hear one word of Gemorra study. Now, if a person can say - learning slowly - 90 words a minute, then in one hour he accumulates 5400 million reasons for Hashem to continue to sustain the universe. As you can see, the rewards for Torah learning are mind-boggling.

Now, imagine the rewards of a rabbi who devotes his life to learning and outreach, helping others to learn Torah and fulfill its commandments. In addition to his own merits, he reaps dividends from the merits of those he has taught and influenced, along with their offspring until the arrival of Moshiach. The accrued mitzva value for such a "Mezakeh rabim" is beyond human comprehension.

With the above in mind, one would think that such leaders of the Tshuva movement as Rabbi Amnon Yitzchak, Rabbi Shalom Arush, and Rabbi Uri Zohar - may Hashem bless them and all the mezakey rabim, wherever they may be - would be protesting day and night the arrival of Moshiach. Sure, the current spiritual wars are so tough that our holy sages were afraid of what Messianic times hold in store, but the spiritual paydirt is Fat City for those who remain faithful to Hashem and his Torah. If so, you ask, then who the heck needs Moshiach?

We all do. But why?

1. To stop the chilul Hashem, or defamation of Hashem's Holy Name: Every day, some new politician or journalist sprouts like an unwanted weed here in our beloved holy homeland to sling filth about Hashem's loyal sons and daughters, while trampling Hashem's Holy Name G-d forbid, the Torah, and Tzaddikim G'Dolei Yisroel (the righteous leaders of Israel). The chilul Hashem (defamation of Hashem's name) must stop immediately; only Moshiach can put a stop to it.

2. In Israel alone, 1.5 million children are totally ignorant of their Judaism, and don't know the meaning of kriat shma. The Teshuva movement, which all its might, has succeeded in solving a mere 7% of the problem with their dedication-fueled meager resources, bringing about 100,000 children into religious education; even with our greatest efforts, we're not cutting the mustard. Only Moshiach can save all these kids from a dismal spiritual future.

3. Never since the holocaust, has there been such evil decrees as the current one threatening to expel tens of thousands of Jews from their homes, here in the heartland of Israel, Heaven forbid. Only Hashem knows what the future holds in store. For the future of the people of Israel in the Land of Israel, we need Moshiach now!

4. Despite Boro Park and Stamford Hill, the numbers of Jews in the diaspora are rapidly decreasing because of assimilation and intermarriage, which together comprise a spiritual holocaust that only Moshiach can prevent.

A devout Torah scholar can't sit in the comforts of his Williamsburg home and say, "I don't care about the others - my Olam Haba (world to come) is set!" Sorry, pal - Klal Yisroel is like a ship; you may have a berth on the luxury deck, but if someone down in the hold drills a hole in the floorboards, you're going to sink with everybody else.

Looking at our own expected rewards is utterly egotistical. Every single one of has has to bleed and tear his or her clothes at the sight of Chilul Hashem. Every single one of us must pour his or her heart out in prayer that a fellow Jew doesn't lose his home - anywhere - and especially in Eretz Yisroel. Every single one of us has to do everything in his or her power to support Jewish outreach and to spread emuna in the world until every Jewish child in the world carries Shma Yisroel on his or her lips. Every single one of us has to beg Hashem to send Moshiach now in order to stop the spiritual holocaust, and to raise the Holy Shechina (the Divine Presence) from the dust of diaspora, speedily and in our days, amen.