Shabbos Update From Yoni Lipshutz Of Simply Tsfat
From Yoni Lipshutz of Simply Tsfat:
Shabbat for the most part past quietly, too quietly. Gone were the neighbors children complaining that my sons had a run-in with them. What I would give now to hear those wonderful sounds! Being one of the few families left in Tsfat, Friday night I had 7 male guests since their usual hosts were not to be found. We had wonderful discussions and we were happy not to be interrupted by the sirens! Shul was unusually empty in quantity.
Towards the end of Shabbos though, a mother and her 3 children were hurt by a direct hit on their apartment. They were wounded but alright and recovering at the hospital.
This afternoon I was being interviewed on WABC radio 770 on the AM dial in NY on the "Religion on the Line" program 7-10am NY time. Towards the end of the interview the sirens went off, about 5 minutes later I heard the whistle of a katyusha whizzing by. I just found out 2 hit Kiryat Breslov. One hit an area called the "Beit HaAri" which is just a pile of old stones, some say it was where the Ari HaKadosh once lived. The other hit a brand new empty apartment which was just waiting for it's new owners to move in.
The children are playing in the converted water cistern, bomb shelter downstairs more or less oblivious to the death and destruction that our Arab cousins insist on raining down on us.
There is an old joke of the scorpion that asked the frog to carry him piggy-back to the other side of the river. The frog remarked "but you'll sting me and I'll die". To this the scorpion replied, yes, but if you go down, then I too will drown and die with you. So the frog thought this very logical and let the scorpion on board. Half way across the river, sure enough, the scorpion could not resist and sprang a fatal blow to the frog. The frog was stung and started to sink, on the way down, paralyzed and dieing the frog asked the scorpion why? - to which the scorpion replied it's my nature!
Friends, until we learn this lesson, we are bound to repeat it!
May this week bring shalom to all of us!
Shavua Tov
UPDATE: Jerusalem Post: Katyushas can't stop a homey Safed Shabbat dinner
Yoni's comment on the story:
But what he did not write about was...
Mincha was at 6:30 and I am rarely late, needing to leave my house at 6:20 to be on time. This erev Shabbos my wife asked my to clean the kitchen since 2 older daughters were in Jerusalem enjoying a break from our unwanted air mail packages! So I roled up my sleeves. At 6:50 I was out the door, about 10 minutes before Shabbos. I literally bumped into Jeremy who asks "Do you know where Ascent is located?" in a fine British accent!
Now friends, Ascent is a youth hostel and it is closed for the duration like all the other hotels! I hesitate inviting him to sleep over, as we are all sleeping on the floor already crowded. He has no car, no room and no place to be for Shabbos! I think quickly and remember that a neighbor, who also has not left Tsfat and is all alone, was all to happy to give him a room and not charge the usual $100 just to have the company during these difficult times. As I am waiting for him, a city pickup truck pulls up and asks if anyone needs food, handing me 4 trays of food for anyone who needs it! I am startled by this hashgacha pratis, having never saw the city hand out food like this!
Jeremy came to shul with me and came to eat with us Friday night and at the 3rd meal, which is where he mostly pieced together this article!
HaShem Hu Gadol!!!
2 Comments:
ASJ
Maybe you would like to read what Lazerbeams has to say for this monday morning:
July 24, 2006
Melitzer Rebbe: The Geula has started!
The Gemorra in tractate Sota, 49b, lists a number or
preconditions that indicate the imminent end of the
diaspora and the coming of Moshiach. Until recently,
all but two of these conditions have been fulfilled.
The next to-the-last condition, namely, that residents
of the borders shall roam from place to place, was
fulfilled last year with the disengagement and the
destruction of Gush Katif, and even more so today, as
the south of Israel hosts thousands of displaced
families from the Galilee. The final condition, the
destruction of the Galilee, is something none of would
have ever believed. Yet, it's happening before our
startled eyes. Kiriat Shemona, Tzfat, and Nahariya are
in shambles, and these very minutes, our beautiful
Galilee continues to burn, as raging fires destroy
thousands of acres of fields and forests. The earth of
the Galilee cries out from the blood of her dedicated
residents.
[picture at lazerbeams] A cropduster, drafted by Galilee firefighters, attempts to combat Kiriat Shemona area forest fires from the air before sundown on Sunday. Image courtesy
of AP
With Gemorra in hand, I hastened to the Melitzer Rebbe
shlit'a. I asked him point blank: "Rebbe, the list is
complete; has the Geula (redemption of our people)
started?"
The Melitzer looked me straight in the eye and sid,
"Yes!"
There you have it, folks: The Geula has started.
The Melitzer quickly clarified, "No one knows when
Moshiach will come. It could be a day, a month, a
year, or even more. But, the meaning of Geula is that
we all must do Tshuva very fast, for once the process
accelerates, at a certain stage, one no longer will be
able."
"Must everyone come to Israel now?" I asked.
"No," answered the Rebbe, "but they must all make
tshuva!"
The Melitzer Rebbe was the first rabbinical figure in
Israel to link lewdness and licentiousness with the
breach of national security, and the first of the
rebbes to warn about the dangers of defiling the Holy
Land.
I told the Rebbe that many people are asking me for
easy commitments. "Easy commitments are effective in
easy times," the Rebbe said. "But in times of a threat
to our existence, one must make a dedicated commitment
to Hashem and to His commandments in order to
survive."
Need more proof? You don't yet take me seriously?
Achmedinejad is setting the stage for what he hopes is
the annihalation of Israel. The head of the Shin-Bet
is warning that Gaza will soon be another Lebanon. The
IDF is pounding the Hizbolla, but the missiles are
still raining on the Galilee, with the future looking
worse. Here O Israel, it's time to wake up. The world
is becoming more spiritual every moment. Soon, the
material amenities that people chase won't be worth a
hoot.
People get ready, 'cause the train's a'comin'! You can
say that the Beams is bananas, but that doesn't alter
the facts. Time's running out.
this is good new, in the middle of this warlike mess, something good finally emerge for this, well good in my own words.
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