The Trait of Cruelty

 

by Rabbi David Hanania Pinto

"You shall not eat it, in order that it be well with you and your children after you" [Re'eh 12:25]

It is told that a non-Jewish researcher of the Tanach once approached Rabbi Yonatan Eibeshitz and asked him: Why specifically in this context, when talking about the transgression of eating blood, does the Torah add the blessing "in order that it be well with you and your children"? 

Rabbi Yonatan answered him: The Torah forbids eating blood since it clogs up the heart and implants the trait of cruelty in a person, and as we know the trait of cruelty is inherited by one's children through the parent's genes. 

This then is the implication of "You shall not it, in order that it will be well with you and your children after you". Do not eat blood so that both you and your children will possess a refined soul, and then automatically you will not have the tendency towards cruelty.

A New Star

 H/t CS

Could it be the Kochav Yaakov.... please G-d let it be the Kochav Yaakov.

Rabbi Mendel Kessin speaks about the Messiah

This is from 2018 but has been re-uploaded to You Tube.

Chodesh Av: The Month of the Name of Hashem

Rabbi Daniel Glatstein - 6 min video

Signs in the Heavens - 4 Supermoons

 The "blue moon" last night, Israel.

A blue moon happens every two to three years when there are two full moons within a single calendar month. But a blue moon is also defined as the third full moon in an astronomical season when there are four full moons, with the astronomical seasons beginning and ending at the equinoxes and solstices. 

Blue moons are not that common - it's thought this is where the phrase "once in a blue moon" comes from. The full moons of September, October - the closest moon this year - and November will also be supermoons.  Watch last night's super moon light up the world skies click here

Thailand... well they had two moons last night.  Just like there are two suns that can be seen in our sky - yes really if you manage to catch it at the right time -  in this video you can see the two moons [sorry, it's a FB video but it's a public page and anyone can view it]  click here

Here are the two moons in Virginia just now.

Photo: Debb Propes taken at 11:22pm Front Royal, Virginia 8/20/2024

Note the two lens flares, from two separate objects.

 

Go home, and learn some Torah. 

Here's something to blow to your mind.....

What is the most perfect number in all of mathematics?

For the answer, click here.  

Eikev

Written by Yehuda Katz

וְהָיָה | עֵקֶב תִּשְׁמְעוּן אֵת הַמִּשְׁפָּטִים הָאֵלֶּה 
And it will be, because [eikev] you will heed these ordinances...
[Eikev 7:12]

Rashi comments that when the Torah uses the word "Eikev" [Hebrew], it teaches us that this is referring to the Mitzvoth that man usually neglects. Eikev in Hebrew can also mean the heel of feet, meaning the commandments that a person might "step" on because he considers them to be minor.

We find in Genesis 25:26 that Yaakov was named his name because he held onto Esav's heel when he emerged from his mother's womb. Yaakov comes from the Hebrew root "eikev" meaning heel. 

A question can be asked, What's the connection between "Yaakov's" name and "Eikev" found in our verse?   I would like to propose the following original answer as follows, Bezrat Hashem: When Yaakov held on to Esav's heel, he was telling the world that the very things Esav tramples on are in fact "held" in high esteem by Yaakov. These are the very attributes that Yaakov considers important, namely modesty, humility, honesty, etc. Yaakov knew their value, and held on to them. Esav on the other hand "stepped" on them with his heel.....

This is precisely where Yaakov has the greatest power over Esav and the manner in which he conducts his life. Israel will always be able to defeat Esav as long as they are capable of upholding the attributes Esav tramples on. 

In Kabbalistic thought Esav represents the evil inclination. We are all constantly seeking out methods to conquer that which ails us spiritually, yet here lies the key to our victory. Let us all grasp the very attributes that the Evil inclination abhors, and hold them in high esteem as our forefather Yaakov had done at the time of his birth. Let us all be more humble, modest and gracious to our fellow man.

The Festival of the Future Redemption

Aliyas n'shama Mordechai ben Menachem

The 15th of Av is undoubtedly the most mysterious day of the Jewish calendar.

A search of the Shulchan Aruch [Code of Jewish Law] reveals no observances or customs for this date, except for the instruction that the tachanun [confession of sins] and similar portions should be omitted from the daily prayers [as is the case with all festive dates], and that beginning on the 15th of Av one should increase one’s study of Torah, since at this time of the year the nights begin to grow longer, and “the night was created for study.” And the Talmud tells us that many years ago the “daughters of Jerusalem would go dance in the vineyards” on the 15th of Av, and “whoever did not have a wife would go there” to find himself a bride.

And this is the day which the Talmud considers the greatest festival of the year, with Yom Kippur (!) a close second!

Indeed, the 15th of Av cannot but be a mystery. As the “full moon” of the tragic month of Av, it is the festival of the future redemption, and thus a day whose essence, by definition, is unknowable to our un-redeemed selves.

Click here to read more essays on Tu B''Av