Compliments of the Institute of Jewish Studies (founded by Yankel Rosenbaum HY”D) First Published Adar 5761 Vol 15.14 Printing in part sponsored by NLZ Imports, www.kissmobile.com.au – email: [email protected] (In memory of Moshe Yehuda ben Avrohom Yaakov, Mala Mindel bas Meir & Moshe Tzvi ben Yitzchok Aharon)

RABBI BEREL WEIN (Torah.org) The last seventeen years of the lifetime of our father Yaakov are, so to speak, the best years of his long and eventful life. When appearing before the Pharaoh of Egypt, Yaakov freely admits that the first one hundred thirty years of his life were sparse and difficult. He experienced a lifetime of troubles and travails from the moment he was born holding on to the heel of his brother Eisav. He and Eisav will contend for the blessings of their father and for the immortality of founding an eternal people that will live throughout history against all odds. Yaakov will struggle to save his family and possessions from the wiles of Lavan and his sons. Yaakov will wrestle with an angel, be sorely tested and wounded, and yet prevail. Eventually he will receive the blessings of that angel which are encapsulated in the name of Yisrael. Yaakov will suffer the indignity and trauma of his daughter being raped by Shechem and yet he will disapprove of the bloody revenge that his sons visited upon the community that spawned the perpetrators of that outrage. His beloved wife Rachel dies in childbirth and Yaakov is hard-pressed to recover from that blow. Yaakov seeks a modicum of peace of mind and body when the greatest tragedy of his life – the story of Yosef and his brothers – rests upon him. In despair, he is convinced that he will go to his grave mourning for his beloved lost son. All in all, Yaakov’s description of his life and its events when standing before the Pharaoh is unfortunately very accurate, if not even understated. So it comes as no wonder that the final years of his life are called the years that he actually “lived.” He is reunited with his beloved son Yosef, the family is bound together, at peace with one another and is protected, secure and prosperous in their new home in the land of Goshen. Yet Yaakov is aware that this rosy picture of Jewish life in Egypt is a temporary mirage, an illusion that will soon fade and that the years of hardship and bondage are already on the horizon. The Lord had revealed that future to Yaakov’s grandfather Avraham generations earlier and that bill was now coming due. G-d has promised Yaakov that these future troubles will not be seen by him in his lifetime. Nevertheless, there is no doubt that Yaakov is troubled by the darkened future of his people, a future that he is completely aware of. Yet, we hear no note of pessimism in his final words to the Jewish people. Rather, both he and Yosef reassure the generations to come that the Lord is somehow with them, and that he will redeem them from all of their troubles and fashion them into the most eternal and influential people on the face of the globe. It is this faith in the future, the belief that good will somehow prevail that is the most important legacy that our father Yaakov has left to us. It is this belief and attitude that is the unique hallmark of the people of Israel and guarantees to us our continuity and ultimate triumph and success. RABBI YAAKOV ASHER SINCLAIR (Ohr.edu) “And Yaakov lived in the land of Egypt…” (13:17) Rashi comments: “Why is this passage ‘closed’? Because once our forefather Yaakov passed away, the eyes and heart of Yisrael were closed.” The “understanding of the heart” (binat halev) is one of the forty-eight ways to acquire Torah. The Torah enjoins us to love G-d “… with all our heart…” and not to “stray after our hearts.” King Solomon says,“My heart saw much wisdom”

(Kohelet 1:15)”, and “The wise of heart will accept mitzvot (Mishlei 10:8).” The list of examples where the Torah and our Sages refer to the heart as a seat of cognition is extensive. It’s easy to think of the Torah’s use of the heart as an organ of understanding as merely poetic. However, David Robson in an article for the BBC writes, “We often talk about ‘following the heart’, but it is only recently that scientists have begun to show that there is literal truth in the cliché; the heaving lump of muscle contributes to our emotions and the mysterious feelings of ‘intuition’ in a very real way.” Robson reports that neuroscientist Agustin Ibanez met a patient — let’s call him Carlos — who had a small mechanical pump inserted in his chest to relieve the burden on his failing cardiac muscles. Apart from Carlos’ complaints that the beat of the machine seemed to replace his pulse, a sensation that warped his body image, Ibanez however suspected even odder effects were to come. By changing the man’s heart, Ibanez thought, the doctors might have also changed their patient’s mind. Perhaps Carlos would now think, feel and act differently as a result of the implant. And the man who feels two hearts offered Ibanez, who is based at Favaloro University in Buenos Aires, a unique opportunity to test those ideas. Ibanez’s work echoes Judaism’s view of the heart’s role in cognition — that the heart is a vital organ of perception which sometimes supersedes the brain’s ability. It’s all too easy when reading something in the Torah or the words of our Sages that is contradicted by conventional wisdom to reach for the apologist’s lexicon and explain it away as not to be taken literally. Another example was the ‘Big Bang’. When Bell Labs built a giant antenna in Holmdel, New Jersey, in 1960, it was part of a very early satellite transmission system called Echo. However, two employees of Bell Labs, Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson, had their eye on the Holmdel antenna for quite a different purpose. They realized that it would make a superb radio-telescope. At first they were disappointed. When they started their research they couldn’t get rid of a background ‘noise’. It was like trying to tune into your favorite radio program and it being obscured with static. This annoyance was a uniform signal in the microwave range which seemed to come from all directions. Everyone assumed it came from the telescope itself. They checked out everything, trying to find the source of this excess radiation. They even pointed the antenna right at New York City — there’s no bigger urban radio ‘noise’ than the Big Apple. It wasn't urban interference. It wasn't radiation from our galaxy or extraterrestrial radio sources. It wasn't even the pigeons. Penzias and Wilson kicked them out of the big horn-shaped antenna and swept out all their droppings. The source remained constant throughout the four seasons, so it couldn't have come from the solar system. Nor could it be the product of a 1962 above-ground nuclear test, because within a year that fallout would have shown a decrease. They had to conclude it was not the machine and it was not random noise causing the radiation. What was it then that they were hearing? Eventually they came to the staggering conclusion that what they were hearing was the very first moments of the creation of the universe. In the 1950s there were two theories about the origin of the universe. The first was called the Steady State Theory. It had been put forward by Hermann Bondi, Thomas Gold and Fred Hoyle and held that the universe was homogeneous in space and time and had remained like that forever — in "a steady state". This was essentially what Greek culture had posited: the universe was kadmon and it had always existed.

This document contains words of Torah and should be treated with respect. See Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 85:2

The rival and, at the time, more controversial theory sought to incorporate the expansion of the universe into its framework. Edwin Hubble had shown in 1929 that galaxies are moving away from one another at remarkable speeds, implying that the space between galaxies is constantly expanding. A few physicists, led by George Gamow, had taken this notion and argued that the separation between galaxies must have been smaller in the past. If one extrapolated this idea to its logical conclusion, it meant that at one point in time the universe had been infinitely dense. Using the laws of physics Gamow and his colleagues were able to show that this point — which was also infinitely hot — corresponded to the moment of creation. Everything in the universe had emerged from this incredibly dense and hot state in a cataclysmic event astronomers call the ‘Big Bang’. In 1965, Penzias and Wilson discovered that the mysterious radio signal was cosmic radiation that had survived from the first moments of the universe. It was proof of the ‘Big Bang’. We know when that ‘Big Bang’ happened. In the Talmud, Tractate Rosh Hashana we find “Says Rabbi Eliezer, the world was created in Tishrei.” As we say in the prayers of Rosh Hashana: “This is the day of the beginning of Your works, a remembrance of the first day.” Judaism is not fundamentalist, but it is rooted in the fundamentals. And even when conventional wisdom seems to be at odds with the Torah, if you wait patiently you will see that the un-conventional wisdom of the Torah turns out to be the truth. AVROHOM YAAKOV At the start of the last parsha of the book of Bereishis, the Torah fast forwards seventeen years after Yaakov and his family took up residence in Egypt. Those seventeen years were the best of Yaakov’s life. “When the time drew near for Yisrael to die, he called his son Yosef and said to him, ‘If I have now found favour in your eyes, now place your hand beneath my thigh, and you shall deal with me with lovingkindness and truth; do not bury me now in Egypt.’” (49:29) Rashi explains why Yaakov called upon Yosef out of all his sons, to organise his burial in the Cave of Machpela in the land of Canaan – because Yosef was the ruler, second only to Pharaoh and he had the ability to get the job done. The others did not have the ability to fulfil their father’s dying request, While the Gemara in Avodah Zarah states, “Ein Hakadosh Baruch Ba Bitrvunyah Im Briyosav”, which roughly means that G-d does not place people in situations that they cannot handle, that does not mean that we should ask or expect people to do things which they are not going to achieve except by some miracle. As parents we sometimes demand too much from our kids or expect the impossible from our spouses. I know that I am guilty as charged. On the other hand, just as Yaakov expected Yosef to fulfil his request because he knew that Yosef could, so too, people who are capable of achieving what is asked of them, need to fulfil their side of the bargain. If you have the capacity to fulfil the task then you are almost obliged to do so. Not to do so, would be a waste of talent and a waste of capacity. RABBI AVRAHAM PLOTKIN (Chabad.org) The most famous parental blessing is found in this week’s Torah portion: “May G‑d bless you to be like Ephraim and Menashe.” Yaakov proclaims that this blessing be the paradigm for all future generations: “With your names shall all of Israel be blessed.” One cannot help but wonder why Yaakov chooses a blessing for posterity that is connected to the names of his grandchildren, not his children. Furthermore, why not bless Jewish children to be like himself or his righteous parents and grandparents? Yaakov, the great prophet and patriarch of the Jewish people, saw all the future generations, including ours. He envisioned a challenging time like ours, when role models like himself would be scarce, and the forces of assimilation and secularism would be rampant. Addressing the challenges of our generation, Yaakov encourages parents, “You must bless your children to be like my own grandchildren, Ephraim and Menashe, who unlike their parents and grandparents before them, grew up in the land of Egypt, exposed to a very foreign culture. Despite this and despite never seeing their Jewish family until much later in their life, they still managed to grow up faithful to their family’s values and lifestyle!” Because of the similarities between his grandchildren and the children of our generation, he encourages the parents of our generation to bless their children to follow the example of Ephraim and Menashe, as opposed to the other famous biblical heroes. Yaakov is affirming that regardless of the colossal challenges facing them, our children can successfully achieve a beautiful

connection to their families and traditions. RABBI LABEL LAM (Torah.org) Then Yaakov called for his sons and said, “Assemble yourselves and I will tell you what will befall you in “The End of Days”. Gather yourselves and listen, O sons of Yaakov, and listen to Israel your father. (Breishis 49:1) When they had assembled they thought they would hear a litany of blessings and consolations. Yaakov our father answered and said to them, “Avraham my father’s father had blemished children that came out from him, Yishmael and all the children of Ketura. From my father Yitzchok issued, my brother Eisav who was disqualified. I am afraid that that there might be amongst you a person whose heart is divided from his brothers and goes to serve other gods”. All twelve tribes responded simultaneously and said, “Listen (our father) Israel HASHEM is OUR G-D HASHEM is the ONE and ONLY.” At that moment Yaakov our father answered, “Blessed is the Name of His glorious kingdom for all eternity!” (Talmud- Yerushalmi) What was Yaakov’s big fear in the waning moments of his life here in this world? How had his children consoled him? Every normal and decent parent wants to be surrounded by his beloved family and to see then together in the end. How was Yaakov any different? He was not content to have everyone rally around and make overtures of allegiance. He wanted something more, a specified commitment! What exactly did Yaakov want that they were able to successfully satisfy his dying wish? Years ago I was blindsided by a statement. A presenter was telling a group of “minority” students we were guiding through a museum, "To know where you are going in life, you have to know where you come from!" Referring to me he emphatically declared, "He’s a son of Abraham”, looking at me, “right!?" After a few awkward moments and after realizing that nothing pejorative had been implied I simply said, "That's right!" Having agreed publicly to such a thing the words owned me. I rushed home and took hold of the old dusty Bible I had received from the sisterhood on the occasion of my bar-mitzvah. I started to read about Abraham. Amazed to find a portrait of my ancient relative I felt like someone who had dusted off a box in the attic uncovering an amazing family tree dense with pictures and rich with history. For weeks I obsessed with the idea that I know who my great-great-greatgrandfather is going back 3700 years. I researched whether anyone else had any credible information about relatives going that far back down the highway of history. I felt uniquely proud as a Jew and saw myself in a much larger context. Next my mind shifted from the perspective of the present looking backward to a view from the past projecting forward. I wondered what Abraham had done that now his children’s children 3700 hundred years hence would not only know of him but hold him in such high esteem. I wondered what I would have to do or be that my children should care or know who I was and what I lived for? Attempting to mine out and discover an answer, I recorded some thoughts in a personal diary. I imagined a small stone entering a still glass-like surface of a lake, sending out ever widening co-centric circles till the stone settles and the water becomes quiet and smooth again. I penned, "Pebbles in ponds are our ponderings, but boulders in oceans were our fathers’ notions whose waves still rock the sea, whose waves still rock the sea!" Now I imagined a giant stone hitting the earth thousands of years ago and settling to the bottom of the ocean. We don't know the velocity with which it hit or the mass of the object but we can only begin to estimate the awesome size by the fact that the ocean is still ebbing and flowing strongly thousands of years later from its impact. What became clear to me was that Avraham’s longevity was not due to his military might or political connections but rather it was because of his clarity about a certain profound idea. I wanted to know what that idea was and that launched me on a journey that has not and shall never cease. Yaakov, I believe wanted to be certain his children would be a nation of that notion. RABBI ELISHA GREENBAUM (Chabad.org) I can't imagine any child well-adjusted enough to calmly begin the countdown process so far in advance. True my 7-year-old son is already inviting people to his bar mitzvah, but anticipating the occasion is less than a full time occupation. Longing for an event still so far in the future would be enough to drive anyone to drink or depression, and probably both. Humans don't deal well with long waits. Most people here in Victoria, Australia, preferred to retain a three-year electoral cycle, rather than the more costeffective option of waiting an extra year to "kick out dem bums." We demand touch-tone phones, broadband internet and instant access to cash. Immediately before our ancestor Yaakov passed away he called all his sons in to his sickroom to bless them. He wanted to reveal to them the eventual date of

This document contains words of Torah and should be treated with respect. See Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 85:2

Moshiach's arrival, but G-d hid the vision from him (Rashi on 49:1). I don't know about you, but with our built in craving for a defined timeframe, can you imagine how few Jews would have stuck to the religion if they had known how long we'd have to wait for redemption? What was Yaakov thinking? Why would someone keep the faith if they knew the payoff wouldn't arrive for millennia? There are two possible timeframes for Moshiach's eventual arrival: the "end of days" or "when we deserve it." There is a final deadline by when all bets have to be in and G-d will drag us, kicking and screaming if necessary, into the new world. But that is not what we want. We've been trucking through the ages, doing good and bringing righteousness to the world in an effort to persuade G‑d to bring him NOW! It was Yaakov's hope that if he informed us how long in the future that "end of days" really was, that would be the wake up call giving us the impetus to get off our rump and force the issue through. BUT THAT IS NOT the point. Sure, had we been given a head's up from the top we'd have probably got the job done faster, but the purpose of exile was for us to develop our own maturity and to recognize for ourselves the importance of the journey. When we scream "We want Moshiach now!" we finally mean it, and expect it, and deserve it. Now, as the Rebbe has told us, "the time of our redemption has finally arrived" and he's due on both counts. Now we understand what Yaakov was trying to achieve by demonstrating the centrality of Moshiach to our existence, and we are able, willing, and ready to finally declare "Moshiach, come on and redeem us!"

best understand and support the priest’s work, since they mirrored the core nature of his responsibilities. The high priest’s work climaxed on Yom Kippur, when he entered the holiest chamber in the Temple, the Holy of Holies. There lay the original tablets that G‑d gave Moshe atop Mt. Sinai. The Ten Commandments (its soul) were deeply engraved in its stone (its body), making it impossible to erase His words from the tablets. The high priest then emerged from the Holy of Holies and transmitted the message of the tablets to the masses: Commitment to G‑d can be so authentic and unconditional that it becomes engraved in your very being; body and spirit can seamlessly merge, with the body serving as a perfect vehicle for the soul that vivifies it. He looked for a wife who would understand the nature of his work, and he found the best candidates amongst the daughters of Asher. Their exquisite modesty demonstrated an internal commitment to spirit over flesh, and an immense respect for the body that housed their soul. Unknowingly, they projected their genuine commitment through their physical appearance—for the beauty of the soul shone unhindered through the body that perfectly reflected it. They were living embodiments of the tablets, and thus the priest saw in the daughter of Asher a perfect partner. Asher’s daughters were also remarkable mothers. With their modesty and integrity, they transmitted a firm sense of commitment to their children: the unspoken message of one who values G‑d’s impression more than the social impression, and the beauty in maintaining appropriate boundaries. These children were healthy, emotionally and spiritually, fit to be high priests—each one of them. So although Asher’s tribe was not numerous, the children were of such ROCHEL HOLZKENNER (Chabad.org) exceptional quality that one child gave their parents as much nachas Before his passing, Moshe blessed each of the twelve tribes. To the tribe of (satisfaction) as many children combined. Asher he gave the following enviable blessing: “May Asher be blessed with sons; It is no wonder that all eligible bachelors of Israel vied for the modest daughters he will be pleasing to his brothers, and immerse his foot in oil.” (Devarim 33:24) of Asher. But interestingly, in the national censuses conducted by Moshe, the tribe of Asher didn’t prove to be significantly more populous than the other tribes. Neither do we find in later generations that Asher’s population should increase RABBI YISSOCHOR FRAND (Torah.org) disproportionably to the rest of the nation. Following his father's death, when Yosef saw that his brothers were afraid that The biblical commentator Rashi makes an interesting comment on this verse: “I he would now take revenge upon them, he tried to reassure them: "Fear not, for saw in Sifri [a Midrash] the following: ‘Among all the tribes you will not find one am I instead of G-d? Although you intended me harm, G-d intended it for good; in order to accomplish – as this day – that a vast people be kept alive." [50:19] that was blessed with sons like Asher’; but I do not know in which regard.” Since it was not a particularly numerous tribe, the Midrash maintains that this In this speech to his brothers, what do the words "Kayom hazeh" [as this day] blessing bespeaks the quality of Asher’s children, not the quantity. Rashi then mean? It does not really seem to fit in smoothly! The commentary Be'er Moshe wonders what quality made them so exceptional: “I do not know in which gives a fantastic interpretation. regard.” We are now finishing the Book of Bereshis and as we have mentioned several As for the second part of Asher’s blessing, “He will be pleasing to his brothers, times during these last twelve weeks, the predominant theme of Sefer Bereishis and immerse his foot in oil,” Rashi has a lot to share, while also explaining the is: "Ma'aseh Avos siman l'Banim" [the actions of the fathers foreshadow those connection between these accolades, being pleasing to his brothers and of their children]. Whatever was accomplished by our forefathers allowed us to immersing in oil: “Because the women who came from Asher were beautiful become the nation and people we are today. [and were sought after for marriage] . . . His daughters were married to high Chazal say that during the entire time the Jewish people were in Egypt, not one priests, who were anointed with olive oil.” woman was ever (knowingly) unfaithful to her husband. Considering the This echoes an association between the tribe of Asher and the high priesthood depravity and amoral nature of Egyptian society, this was truly an amazing feat. made by Yaakov more than two hundred years earlier. Before Yaakov passed on, How was such a feat accomplished? It came about through the power of he also blessed his twelve children individually, giving them prophetic messages "Ma'aseh Avos siman l'Banim." When the Matriarch Sarah was taken into about the future of their tribal dynasty. To Asher he said, “From Asher will come Pharaoh's palace and did not succumb to the sin of infidelity to her husband, it rich food, and he will provide royal delicacies.” The Midrash uncovers another gave her descendants, generations later -- the entire time they were in Egypt -layer of meaning behind this blessing. The Hebrew word used here for “rich” is the spiritual strength to avoid sins of infidelity. shmeinah. The same four Hebrew letters also spell the word shmoneh, “eight.” Furthermore, in Parshas Vayeshev the pasuk says [Bereshis 39:10-11] "And it was Asher will raise children who wear eight garments, says the Midrash, namely the when she (Potiphar's wife) spoke to Yosef day after day and he did not listen to eight garments worn by the high priest. her to lie with her, to be with her. And it was like this day (k'yom ha'zeh) that he Although the priests came from the tribe of Levi, since Asher’s daughters entered the house to do his work and not one of the men of the household was married priests, his grandchildren were eligible for—and eventually served in— in the house..." She literally tried to seduce Yosef on that day. the position of high priest. The Be'er Moshe links the expression "k'yom ha'zeh" in the story of Yosef and Asher’s daughters were apparently so beautiful that bachelors from all the Potiphar's wife with the exact same expression found in Vayechi, when Yosef tribes wanted to marry them. People of the highest stature, high priests, looked speaks to his brothers. The reason the men of Israel -- for hundreds of years -for a wife from the daughters of Asher. were able to withstand sins of a sexual nature was because of Yosef's self. . . Which is odd, if you think about it. Why would such a holy man pursue a wife control on that "k'yom ha'zeh". from a neighboring tribe just because she was beautiful? If he’s holy—holy This insight puts the pasuk in Vayechi in an entirely different light: "Your enough to be the high priest—why’s he running after beauty? intentions towards me were bad, but G-d had something else in mind. He did not There is a sort of beauty that runs skin deep, and there’s a beauty that reflects only put me in Egypt to be able to sustain the world physically. He put me in spiritual maturity and personal dignity. When the Torah extols the beauty of a Egypt so that I should be in a place of temptation with a married woman and be Jewish woman, it is almost always speaking of her nobility and modesty. “The able to overcome that temptation in order to accomplish k'yom hazeh (like this entire glory of the daughter of the king is her inwardness,” says King David day) l'ha'chayos am rav (that a vast people be kept alive)." L'ha'chayos am rav (Tehillim 45:14) regarding the modesty of the daughters of Israel. Her discreet does not merely mean that the masses should have what to eat. It also means to conduct glorifies her, giving her an aura of aristocracy that emanates from her sustain Klal Yisrael in Egypt that they should not stumble before the temptation to sin (sexually). This was part of G-d's "Grand Plan". Because of that which modesty. Apparently Asher’s daughters were renowned for being lovely and refined, happened "on that day" (with Potiphar's wife), the Jewish people throughout which made them most appealing to the family of priests. These women would their sojourn in Egypt had the spiritual strength to never falter in matters of This document contains words of Torah and should be treated with respect. See Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 85:2

sexual immorality. This is yet another example of "Ma'aseh Avos Siman L'Banim," which we have seen throughout Sefer Bereshis and which we conclude this week with the reading of Parshas Vayechi. RABBI STEPHEN BAARS (Aish.com) The book of Bereshit is the history of the world. It is the pained and, unfortunately, consistent story of brothers not getting along. It starts with Cain and Abel ("Am I my brother's keeper?" Bereshit 4:9) and only ends when two brothers finally get the right answer, "yes." You have no doubt heard it said that those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it (Santayana). I would like to suggest the consistent lesson to be learned from history is that people don't learn. The paradox is clear, we can only learn from history because people don't learn from it, they will do in the future what they have done in the past! If people did learn from history then the past would hold none of its lessons to what the future will bring. I like to ask people what was the most meaningful invention of the 20th century? The 20th century saw more inventions per minute than any other time since the wheel. But which one was the best? Most people answer penicillin, the telephone, the computer, etc. But none of these made life more meaningful, they only made it faster. They allowed us to do the things we had done before, but faster, cheaper, easier. My question is, which invention completely turned human history on its head? Give up? OK, let's look at the First World War. Do you know what it was originally called? It wasn't the First until the Second came along. It was called The Great War. Hey, there's an interesting name for you. Not. It was supposed to be the war to end all wars. After WW1, mankind pondered, what can we learn so that we don't do this again? They sure got that one wrong. Obviously. Because we got the Second World War. Do you think mankind tried to learn its lesson then? Not so fast. By all accounts, the Cuban Missile Crisis should have been WW3. If it had, there wouldn't have been a Fourth World War. "I don't know what will be used in the next world war, but the 4th will be fought with stones" -- Albert Einstein. Why is it so difficult to learn from history? Simply put, the first step to learning from history is not to blame the other guy. If we aren't willing to accept responsibility for what happened, then we will surely repeat it. The reason the Cuban Missile Crises was not WW3 is not because people "got it," but rather technology, or I should say, G-d came to the rescue. The Atom Bomb should have been, by all accounts of history, the last thing man invented. Mankind always, always, used its most potent weapons. No country ever developed a better gun or missile just for show. But "The Bomb" changed the course of history. It is the reason western man has enjoyed the longest period of sustained peace in its history. That's meaningful. It not only changed the way we do business, war business that is, but it changed our whole way of thinking about the other guy. We had to consider his opinion. I personally believe it was this that sparked all kinds of social reflections: the Civil Rights movement, the Equal Rights Movement, etc. From asking ourselves "How do the Russians see it?" a new way of thinking was ushered in. That, my friends, is the story of Bereshit. Instead of what should have been, according to the flow of history, another battle of brothers, Ephraim and Menashe figured it out. The story goes like this, Yaakov, before he dies, blesses his grandsons, Ephraim and Menashe (Bereshit 48:12-20). In the process, he deliberately gives the younger son the greater honor. This is something that in previous generations would have started another sibling battle. This time, however, it ends, as we are finding in our own time, with a greater blessing to mankind. As Rabbi Noach Wienberg explains, that is why we bless our sons that they should be like Ephraim and Menashe rather than like Abraham, Isaac and Yaakov (our Patriarchs). More than we want our children to be great, we want them to find peace. Remember this message as you educate your children and push them to "be all they can be." It was not for a lack of very clever and well accomplished people that mankind continually fought with each other. Not genius, but the spirit of peace has achieved much more than anyone could ever imagine. Being great is good, but living together in peace is better. In other words, it doesn't matter how smart you are, living together in peace will achieve much more. Or, put another way, if you want your children to succeed in life, teach

them how to get along. "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is when brothers dwell together in unity." (Psalms 133:1) "THERE ARE ONLY two sides to an argument, when you aren't one of them." Alternatively, everyone, in every dispute, thinks they are in the right. This kind of thinking isn't wrong, but sometimes peace is more important, and apologizing will lessen the pain of conflict.

RAN REZNICK (IsraelHayom.com) New guidelines announced Tuesday by the Israel Medical Association may dramatically change the way paramedics treat wounded individuals following terrorist attacks, potentially prioritizing terrorists over victims. The directive, issued by the IMA's Ethics Committee, effectively changes existing triage guidelines. Under the current directive, patients are not to be prioritized solely on the basis of injury severity but also on the principle of "charity begins at home," meaning treating the victims of a terrorist attack before the terrorist himself, even if it appears the attacker's wounds are more serious. Under the revised directive, patients are to be prioritized on the basis of medical considerations only. This means first responders may face situations where they must treat a terrorist before tending to the victims. The IMA's Ethics Committee is the only body in Israel authorized to set the ethical standards for medical care, and medical and other emergency personnel on all levels are bound by its guidelines. The directive was revised after a lengthy discussion on a petition filed by Physicians for Human Rights, which claimed the "charity begins at home" principle was in gross violation of medical ethics practiced worldwide, as well as international humanitarian law. The IMA tried to downplay the decision, including it only in the guidelines posted on its website. An IMA source told Israel Hayom the association avoided overly publicizing the decision, fearing public and political backlash amid the current surge in terrorist violence. "Doctors are not judges. Leaving the directive as it is means doctors have to determine guilt and penalize the guilty party by withholding medical care," Israel Medical Association Ethics Director Tammy Karni told Israel Hayom Tuesday. "It's very easy to make mistakes when dealing with a mass-casualty event, and a doctor at the scene cannot be expected to pinpoint victims' identity -- he has to focus on saving as many lives as possible. It's unfair to burden doctors with additional triage criteria that have nothing to do with patients' welfare." Professor Pinchas Halpern, director of the Emergency Medicine Department at Tel Aviv's Sourasky Medical Center, who was part of the committee that outlined the IMA's Code of Ethics in 2008 when the "charity begins at home" principle was first introduced, said simply voiding it was a mistake, and that the IMA should have come up with specific guidelines for treating the enemy, instead. Mass-casualty events, he said, "are extreme situations characterized by a shortage of staff and medical equipment. While it's unthinkable to deny a terrorist medical care, in a situation when you have to make life or death decisions about the wounded -- I believe you have to treat the victims, be they Jewish or Arab, first, and the enemy second." "The Ethics Committee should have outlined the duties derived from the 'charity begins at home' principle, rather than revoke it completely and leave the issue of treating the enemy during a mass-casualty event unaddressed," Halpern said. Professor Asa Kasher, who authored the IDF's Code of Ethics, voiced his adamant objection to the decision, calling it "absurd." Kasher agreed that while similar in principle, routine and battlefield medical ethics were not identical. "The immediate example that comes to mind is the difference in battlefield triage, which has to account for things beyond pure medical considerations, like sending soldiers back to their units as quickly as possible," he explained. "The same goes for the scene of a terrorist attack. You can't run it according to pure medical considerations -- that's just out of the question. Say you have two people seriously wounded, the terrorist and a victim. The terrorist's wounds are slightly more serious than the victim's. Would you treat the terrorist before the victim? That's unthinkable. There is more to the scene of a terrorist attack than pure medical considerations -- as it should be. What are we supposed to tell a victim's family if he dies because we treated the terrorist first? That we're sorry but we had no choice but to treat the terrorist first? That's absurd." The IMA, Kasher said, "should have set clear guidelines on how the medical aspects of a terrorist attack are addressed. This decision shouldn't be left to the doctors at the scene."

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RYAN BELLEROSE (Israellycool.com) So a few weeks ago I wrote a translation guide on how to speak “Pallywood” and last night I attended a ridiculous rally that was supposedly anti-Israel. It was, however, enlightening because I learned just how cult like the idiocy really is. So let’s look at how to hold a Jew hate rally. 1. Get a few Jews, you don’t even need actual Jews, just some people who may or may not actually carry Jewish blood. That way if anyone says “Hey, you are saying some pretty hateful stuff about Jews,” you can say “It’s ok because I have Jewish friends like this guy.” Make sure you let the ersatz Jews talk and make sure they say “as a Jew” because everyone knows asa Jews are legit! Even better, get a Lesbian Jew who looks like a man, because then you can hit at least two verticals here. 2. Make sure you have a megaphone, because, let’s be honest, nobody listens to to the generally shrill voices that the testicularly challenged often have unless it’s magnified. Also, get there early! Because some big ass Indian might get there before you, and stand right in Ryan Asshat demo in USA_02the middle where you want to set up, and he probably won’t move when you demand that he move. Then he might stand in the centre of your protest waving an Israeli flag right above your speakers, making it hard to film without seeing that flag in every shot. 3. Make sure that any time someone says anything logical or fact based, you immediately flip an emotional switch. For instance, if the tall Indian guy says “They throw gay people off roofs in Gaza,” you respond with “Free free Palestine, the oppression must end.” Do not try to argue facts with facts, because, seriously. Also, make sure and chant support for the intifada, because running into children with cars and stabbing old ladies in the back is the act of a brave resistance fighter. 4. It’s all about Oppression cred…. Make certain you hit every single possible group, leave no struggle unstolen. First hit the civil rights movement and Black Lives Matter, because there will always be at least one stupid black guy at every protest, (and no Dave Chappelle, he probably isn’t doing the robot). That guy will talk about how similar the movements are, but then give examples of how they are not by claiming that, the Arabs being shot are being framed, even though there is video showing them attacking people with knives. Besides, everyone knows the Arabs didn’t actively sell black people until the 1970’s and even today in the Sinai. Anyway, it’s even better if it’s a Gay Black guy, because then he has double oppression cred. Be better if it was a woman though. A gay Black woman. Then you should go after any other visible minority; at this San Francisco event they got a Philippino to talk about how terrible America and Israel is. Seems legit. She wasn’t gay though, so her oppression cred was kind-a lacking. Then you gotta get the “woman who looks like a dude with piercings” Lesbian, because they have serious oppression cred. Even better is when it’s a Jewish woman who looks like a dude, because that’s literally quadruple oppression cred, woman? Check, lesbian? Check ,Jew? Check, homely? Check. It doesn’t get much better than that unless she was Black too. Anyway make certain to compare Palestine to EVERYTHING. Get as many minorities involved because, oppression cred. 5. Remember that ‘ism’s’ are all bad, except the ones you like. This means that you can chant “ Zionism is Capitalism” even though anyone with a functioning brain knows that the first Zionists were Socialists. If that damn big Indian says “Zionism and Capitalism have nothing to do with each other, just yell “Free Free Palestine” and when he responds that “Palestine was freed in 1947” just chant “Free Free Palestine” some more. Just remember it doesn’t matter how ridiculous you sound, you will be preaching to a Jew hate choir, so they will be willing to do mental gymnastics to make their Jew hatred fit. This means gays will ignore the fact that they would be killed outright or simply oppressed to hideous levels in their beloved Palestine while there are Gay pride parades in Israel. They will talk about democracy in the PA and Gaza, ignoring how long ago the last elections were. They will ignore that women in Israel enjoy the best equal rights and that there are 2 million Arabs in Israel and not a single Jew in Palestinian controlled areas. Anyway follow these rules and you too can hold an effective Jew hate rally. (Satire?) YVETTE ALT MILLER (Aish.com) Kuwait Airways cancels its route rather than do business with Israelis. This discrimination isn’t the only recent example. Rather than allow Israelis to purchase tickets, Kuwait Airways has just cancelled a popular route between New York and London. The recent announcement came after the United States Department of Transportation investigated the airline’s policy of refusing to sell tickets to Israeli citizens – and ordered Kuwait Airways to “cease and desist from refusing to

transport Israeli citizens…” Rather than comply, the airline announced it was cancelling its flights between New York and London. Kuwait Airlines defended its policy of refusing service to all Israeli citizens. Kuwaiti law prohibits having any contact with or agreements between Kuwaiti nationals and those with Israeli citizenship. Although the airline no longer flies between the US and Europe, it continues to fly direct to Kuwait from the US and other locales – and continues to refuse service to Israelis, with impunity. Here are other outrageous examples of people being boycotted because of their ties to the Jewish state. NO JEWS ALLOWED When the Israeli Hayardeni family planned a Chanukah 2015 family trip to neighboring Jordan they were turned away at the border. Their crime? The father and two sons were wearing kippot. Mom Tamar Gewirtz Hayardeni, a licensed tour guide who has visited Jordan before, tried to intervene, saying her husband and sons intended to wear hats while touring Jordan. The guard was undeterred. In the midst of the Hayardenis’ conversation with the Jordanian border guards, another Israeli tourist was brought into the room. An x-ray had detected the tefillin in his luggage and he too was denied entry to Jordan. Officials have said that Jordan now forbids all Jewish items from entering the country. ALL JEWS LEAVE THE ROOM! The June, 2014 opening ceremony for the 23rd African Union Summit in Malabo in Equatorial Guinea was to include representatives from scores of countries, all brought together to discuss political, cultural and economic ties. Instead, the summit turned into a showdown with Arab delegates successfully demanding that the meeting be Jew-free. "It all began when one of the Arab delegates, from Egypt, approached us at dinner the night before the opening and asked what we were doing here, pointing at the men wearing kippahs," said Israeli businesswoman Yardena Ovadia, who had arranged for 14 delegates from the American group the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations to attend the summit. The next day, Arab League representatives refused to enter the conference hall until all Jews, which they called the “Israeli delegation”, leave the room. Ovadia explained that the Jews were American, not Israeli, but the Arab delegates refused to budge. "We were already seated in the conference hall," Ovadia explained. "The heads of the Arab League announced a boycott of the conference until the 'Israeli delegation' left." Finally, the fourteen Jews stood up and left the hall. An American official present protested, but other officials – including UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, the Prime Minister of Spain and other diplomats – did nothing to prevent the Jews’ expulsion. "I have never seen such racism, such anti-Semitism. We were humiliated," said one of the Jews forced out of the room. After the Jews left, the conference continued after a half-hour delay. ISRAELI JOURNALIST BANNED When London Mayor Boris Johnson travelled to Israel and the Palestinian territories in November 2015, he went with a group of British journalists who recorded his every move. But when Mr. Johnson was invited to meet with members of the Palestine Business Women’s Forum, one journalist was banned: Noga Tarnopolsky, an Israeli-British Jew covering the visit for the British Jewish newspaper the Jewish Chronicle. Tim Shipman, the political editor of the Sunday Times, who was also on the trip, responded for many when he said, "As far as I'm concerned, journalists are citizens of the world and to prevent any reporter from doing their job in an impartial and independent fashion, whatever their nationality, is absurd." Stephen Pollard, editor of the Jewish Chronicle, responded: “This is the reality of BDS. Forget the lies about it targeting institutions rather than people. As this outrageous ban on a journalist for no reason other than her nationality shows, it is about singling out individual Israelis and telling them that they are banned as people.” After Mr. Johnson criticized the BDS (boycott, divestment and sanction) movement that targets the Jewish state, many of his remaining meetings with Palestinian officials were suddenly cancelled. ISRAELI ATHLETES LEFT OFF THE FIELDS When it comes to Israelis, notions of sportsmanship often go out the window, with teams ditching their Israeli players or refusing to play Israeli rivals. That’s what happened in January 2014 when members of the Dutch soccer team Vitesse from the Dutch town of Arnhem were scheduled to play four matches against two German teams in Abu Dhabi. After their Arab hosts made it clear that the team’s Israeli-born defender, Dan Mori, wasn’t welcome in their kingdom, the team flew to Abu Dhabi without him. Later in 2014, Abu Dhabi again refused to allow Israeli athletes into the country. Israeli windsurfers Shahar Zubari and Ma’ayan Davidovich had to drop out of the elite World Cup Final held in Abu Dhabi November 27-30, 2014 after United Arab

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Emirates officials refused to issue the Israelis visas. Even at the Olympic level, some athletes refuse to compete against Israeli players. At the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Arash Miresmaeili, a judo world champion and the gold medal favorite, suddenly dropped out rather than fight an Israeli at the games. JEWS AND DOGS NOT WELCOME Bans – or attempted bans – on Jews or Israelis have been cropping up in Europe over the past few years. In Belgium, police in the summer of 2014 removed a sign from a cafe in a Liege suburb that read in French and Turkish ““Dogs are allowed in this establishment but Jews are not under any circumstances.” (The French text replaced “Jews” with “Zionists.”) That same month in Belgium, an Orthodox Jewish woman was turned away from an Antwerp store; an employee later explained to journalists the shop’s ban against Jews “out of protest” against Israel. And an Antwerp doctor refused to treat an elderly Jewish woman with a broken rib, telling her to “go to Gaza” for treatment instead. In August 2014, British MP George Galloway, representing the town of Bradford, claimed to have “declared Bradford an Israel-free zone”, saying that he wants the city to reject all Israeli goods, services, academics – and tourists. In the following days, he repeated his claim, even urging other British cities to adopt his “policy”. Some individual stores in Britain – and elsewhere – seem to be adopting their own Jew-free policy at times. Sports Direct, a sporting goods store in Britain, was forced to apologize after one of its guards barred Jewish teens from entering in September 2014, saying “no Jews, no Jews”. Meanwhile, in downtown Istanbul, a mobile phone store posted a sign in its window warning “The Jew dogs cannot come in here.” DANGEROUS PATH We've been down this road before. In the 1930s, Germans branded Jews "Untermenschen": a term meaning lesser or somehow subhuman. This insistence that Jews were a case apart – different from other people and not deserving of basic human respect and empathy – paved the way for the gross antisemitism that followed. Today isn't the 1930s; Jews are not held in the same contempt as we were then. But if history is any guide, singling out Jews – or any group – for special opprobrium breeds ever more mistrust and hatred. With anti-Israeli feeling spiraling around the world, it's time to stand up and insist that Israelis – and those with ties to Israel – deserve the same respect as everyone else.

light to finally supply Iran with its advanced S-300 aerial defense system. And Israel lacks experience with the S-300; the allies its air force traditionally trained with, including Turkey, mainly use American weapons platforms. But Cyprus, which has long had close ties with Russia, bought an S-300 back in 1997, which it later transferred to Greece. And since Israel, Greece, and Cyprus are now friends that conduct joint military exercises, Greece reportedly let the Israel Air Force practice against its S-300 this spring to devise ways of defeating it. So thank you, Erdogan, for enabling the IAF to get the training it will need if it ever has to bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities. It wouldn’t have happened without your help. Finally, there’s the annual UN Human Development Index, which was published this week. Israel ranked 18th on this index, which is based on income, education and life expectancy; that puts it above both the EU average and the OECD average, and also above several individual countries (like France, Belgium, and Austria) that have higher per capita incomes, have been around much longer, and haven’t been at war for the last seven decades. Inter alia, Israel has the world’s second-lowest infant mortality rate (though since Belarus ranked first, I admit to wondering about the veracity of some of the UN’s data); it ranks fourth in life satisfaction; and it has the highest fertility rate of any country in the “Very High Human Development” category (2.9 births per woman), compared to fertility rates below replacement rate in every EU country, and even in America. What do any of these statistics have to do with anti-Semitism? Two things. First, Israel has benefited tremendously from the generosity of overseas Jewry; in particular, many of its hospitals and universities were built with help from abroad. All these donors were obviously motivated by Zionism; they wanted to contribute to building the Jewish state. But the fact that Israel’s very existence has been under threat since its inception served as an additional spur. Helping fellow Jews in a very powerful Jewish impulse, and even today, overseas donations to Israel spike whenever there’s a war. In other words, had it not been for the constant threats, the Diaspora Jewish generosity that has helped Israel grow and thrive so impressively might not have reached the proportions that it did. Second, precisely because of those constant threats, Israel simply couldn’t afford mediocrity in certain areas. To fight wars against enemies who were vastly numerically superior, for instance, it needed the very best military technology, and its investment in weapons development ultimately spurred a civilian high-tech boom. Similarly, for decades it was unable to import agricultural produce from its neighbors, so it had to be able to grow food despite having very little water; hence, innovations like drip irrigation and wastewater recycling (in which Israel is the undisputed world leader) were born. EVELYN GORDON (CommentaryMagazine.com) I admit to getting a kick out of seeing anti-Semites inadvertently help the very In short, without the constant hostility, Israel probably wouldn’t have come as Jewish state they dream of destroying. And it happens more often than you far and as fast as it has since 1948. So thank you, anti-Semites, for spurring Israel might think, as was driven home by three very different news reports this week. to become a pretty amazing place to live. We couldn’t have done it without your The first is that some 8,000 French Jews moved to Israel this year, topping last help. year’s all-time high of 7,000. Immigration is always good for Israel. Not only does each group of immigrants bring its own ideas and strengths that contribute to PETER HIMMELMAN (Aish.com) making Israel a better place, but the country simply needs a critical mass of people to survive as a Jewish state in an Arab region. Indeed, had it not been for When our kids were young we would take them to Israel every summer. If I’m the millions of Jews who immigrated since 1948, Israel might not have survived. not mistaken we had three of them in diapers at one time on one of those trips. El Al, Israel’s national carrier, has these brilliant little basinets, mini hammocks Most immigrants to Israel are Zionists; they genuinely care about the Jewish really, that connect to the wall in the exit row seats. When one of my daughters state. But even so, most of them wouldn’t have left comfortable lives elsewhere was very tiny, she flew from LA to Tel Aviv in that thing, sucking her thumb, and had there not been a push factor as well as a pull factor; that’s why most rocking quietly at 37 thousand feet. American Zionists still don’t come. And usually, anti-Semitism has been part of Now our kids are grown and out of the house, three in New York and one away that push factor, just as it is for French Jews today. at school. When it came time to decide on a vacation destination this year we So thank you, anti-Semites, for turning a country of 800,000 people into one wanted a place we could all be together. It’s rare when each of us has a eight million strong. It would never have happened without your help. simultaneous open schedule, and it wasn’t hard to pick Israel as a destination. It The second news item was the announcement of a planned trilateral summit has a nostalgic appeal for us as a family, there are plenty of kosher restaurants, between the leaders of Israel, Greece, and Cyprus. For most of its history, and while we’ve been there many times, it’s always inspiring on some Israel’s relationships with Greece and Cyprus were chilly; in contrast, it had close inexplicable spiritual level. As foreign as it is – and believe me, Israel is a whole ties with their long-time enemy, Turkey. It was only when Turkey, under the other world – being there has always felt a bit like coming home. leadership of the virulently anti-Semitic Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, turned against You might say we’re an intrepid bunch. We vacationed in Israel even in 2001, Israel that a rapprochement with Greece and Cyprus began, since all three 2002, and in 2003, at the height of the suicide bombings, at a time when buses countries now had a common enemy. and pizza parlors were blowing up daily. Now, you might ask why someone in In other times, this might have seemed a poor strategic bargain. Greece and their right mind would bring their family to a place so dangerous. A fair question Cyprus have weaker militaries than Turkey, offer smaller economic markets, and I suppose. The thing is, even in those so-called dangerous times, I never felt don’t provide diplomatic entrée to the Muslim world. But in a month where the safer then when I was walking the streets of Jerusalem. I certainly felt safer West has just given Iran a pass on two major violations of its shiny new nuclear there than I did in New York or London. Even today, in spite of a rash of cardeal – failing to come clean on its past nuclear work and conducting a banned rammings, (sadly, a brand new phrase had to be coined for that one) knife missile test – it’s a godsend. attacks, and shootings, Jerusalem is still among the safest large cities in the Why? Because Iran now knows for certain that it can cheat its way to nuclear world. weapons with impunity, which means Israel will someday face a choice between But yesterday, as I sat in the Las Vegas airport and read about a guy who drove bombing Iran or letting Iran get the bomb. But bombing will be harder than it his car into a throng of innocent people in central Jerusalem, badly injuring would have been before the nuclear deal because the deal gave Russia a green fourteen of them – including a sixty-five year old woman and a toddler, barely This document contains words of Torah and should be treated with respect. See Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 85:2

one and a half years old – I am for the first time ever, considering postponing one of our trips to Israel. Perhaps it’s age that’s taken some of the fight out of me. Maybe it’s that my children are now fully grown and entirely capable of making their own decisions about their safety. Maybe I’m just overwhelmed by uncertainty in general these days. But there are some things I am still completely sure of. Here’s one: two weeks ago, when I watched a video of a pair of teenage girls, one sixteen and one fourteen, on a stabbing spree in the middle of Jerusalem, I am sure we as a species, have reached a point of pure insanity. I am sure that when nothing is done to stop the systematic hatred that’s been spoon-fed to an entire population, hatred that depicts Jews as monkeys, Jews as Nazis, Jews as the cause of all that is wrong in the world, Jews as targets for every form of animus, and every manner of violence, I am sure that we have descended again, into a nightmare world where good and evil have become irreversibly mixed, irrevocably obfuscated. I am sure that when children are taught from the youngest age, that they will receive praise and attention from their parents and their communities for stabbing old Jewish men and women, when they learn that they will be accepted with open arms for ramming their cars into blameless passersby; I am sure that a certain corner of the world at least, is drowning in an whirlpool of abhorrent cynicism, from which escape may well be impossible. But more than this, I am sure that the world’s insistence, that the innocent of Israel, specifically, its Jewish inhabitants, are somehow to blame for this madness, stuns me to the core. When Paris is attacked, the world responds with its appropriately heartfelt condolences, when New York was attacked, the world responded with empathic gestures, when San Bernardino, California recently became the unlikely site of the most deadly attack on American soil since 911, the world was again, rightly shocked. When Mali was attacked, and Beirut, and Baghdad, (the list goes on) although no one seemed to care – which is a tragedy unto itself – if you took the time to notice, neither the Malians nor the Iraqis were blamed, as the Israelis have been. I am sure as well, that this is a crucial and painful distinction, one, which is noted with far too little frequency. The Israelis have been blamed for mouthing secret prayers into their iPhones on the Temple Mount; they’ve been blamed for defending themselves, blamed for establishing the sole democracy in a region with a too-strong taste for bloodshed, tribalism, and Medievalism. If back at the turn of the last century, one might have wondered what would happen if a few million Jews were to create a country of their own, could anyone have guessed that they would create one of the most technologically, artistically, and spiritually advanced nations on the face of the Earth? Could they have guessed too, that it would all take place in some sixty years, less than the blink of an eye in historical terms? I am sure of this as well. Israel builds. Israel thrives. Israel has created some of the most advanced technology on the face of the planet. It offers the entire world cutting edge medicines, advances in agriculture, innovative projects in renewable energy, aeronautics, and water reclamation; along with a mindbogglingly disproportionate number of prize-winning authors, filmmakers, and musicians, all the while struggling to defend itself from enemies sworn to its destruction. The world is on its head again. But when I lay down to sleep at night I am heartened by this one fact. I am on the side of the builders and the doers, the seekers of progress and creativity. I am steadfastly in league with a people who takes responsibility for their own success and happiness – rather than with the destroyers, people who run through the world like feral children, looking always to blame, rather than to take initiative. Of this I am sure. DOV LIPMAN (TimesofIsrael.com) Something has been bothering me since the terror attacks in Paris last month. At first, it struck me as strange to see the world, and many in Israel, react so loudly and passionately to the attacks: the State of Israel lowered its flags to half-mast; a large solidarity rally was held in Tel Aviv; and a good number of Israelis changed their Facebook profiles to include the French flag. Don’t get me wrong. I feel immense sadness over the loss of all innocent lives, and feel the pain of all those who fall in terror attacks. But while we were crying over the loss of life in Paris, I wondered where the international outcry had been for the loss of life in Israel. Was it simply a matter of numbers? Has humanity become so numb to the loss of just one life to terrorism, that we are only moved when the number is in the hundreds? This bothered me, but as we were still in mourning over the tragedy in Paris, followed by the massacre in California, I set those thoughts aside. Then last week, I tuned in on the computer to watch the Hanukkah candle-

lighting ceremony at the White House, filled with delight that President Reuven Rivlin — a passionate Zionist and lover of Israel and Jerusalem — was invited to light the candles alongside the president of the United States. A moment of great pride for our state and for all supporters of Israel. But that pride soon dissipated because of a glaring omission. Had it just been a candle-lighting ceremony, as I had expected, I would not have felt let down. But I was crushed when I heard, “justice for the Palestinians” and “black lives matter,” and no mention of the 23 Israeli lives that have been lost since the current wave of terrorism began in September. This was an opportunity to remind the world that Israel is not simply seeking “security for Israelis,” a vague terminology used at that event. We are looking for Palestinian terrorists to stop trying to slaughter us in our streets! That this was not mentioned made me realize that terrorism in Israel — the near-daily attacks we experience — and the 1,292 people who have been killed here by acts of terror since 2000 — is accepted as the norm throughout the world. Simply no one takes notice anymore when one or two people are killed. Then I began to wonder: do I truly internalize the horror of one loss of life in a terror attack? In the aftermath of the murder of Ezra Schwartz, of blessed memory, I learned about Ezra and the depth of his loss to his family, friends, and the world. Yes, we mourn as a country and we have special days when we think even more about the victims and their families. But do we take the time to recognize who we lost? Even if the rest of the world fails to mourn our loss together with us, do we internalize the losses, or on some level have we become accustomed to the ongoing loss of life? With that in mind, the Department of Zionist Operations of the World Zionist Organization has launched a Facebook page called “Israeli Lives Matter.” This page provides a picture and information about the 23 precious lives that have been lost in Israel during this current wave of terror. The page will expand to feature every one of the 1,292 innocent Israelis who have been killed by terrorists since September 2000, uploaded on the anniversary of the date when each was killed. While I hope that people around the world will become familiar with the page and recognize the amount of bloodshed that our tiny country has experienced, the primary purpose of the page is for ourselves. We have to make sure that we don’t only get caught up in many other legitimate and important international causes, while forgetting and not identifying deeply with the degree of suffering being experienced throughout our own country. We have to make sure that we recognize the loss of “just one person killed.” Please join the new Facebook page by visiting www.facebook.com/IsraeliLives/ and then clicking on the “like” button and please share it with your friends. At the very least, let’s remind ourselves that Israeli Lives Matter.

The following article may be at variance to local Kashrus Agencies. When in doubt, contact your local reputable Agency. In Australia, direct any questions to [email protected] or visit www.kosher.org.au.

RABBI TZVI ROSEN (Star-k.org) If Miss Muffet was a conscientious seminary girl, sitting down to a meal of curds and whey would not be so simple. There is much to consider. Was the milk Cholov Yisroel? Does the milk have to be Cholov Yisroel? Was the starter culture Cholov Yisroel? What rennet was used to coagulate the milk? Did the mashgiach add the coagulants to make the curds and whey? Are all curds and whey created equal? Let’s examine the facts. Although there are hundreds of types of cheese, they still have to undergo the same basic processes starting with pasteurized milk. The milk that is being converted into cheese is pasteurized so that any harmful bacteria will be killed. Depending upon the type of cheese produced, the milk may be separated to lower the milk fat content of the milk. After pasteurization, the milk is pumped into a cook vat where a starter culture containing specific bacteria is added. The bacteria in the starter culture forms acids in the milk and lowers the pH of the milk to a critical acidity level. It is the culture which gives different cheeses their special characteristics. Every variety of cheese needs to be “cooked” at a specific temperature so that the culture can work. If the specific temperature is not maintained, the bacteria in the starter culture fail to multiply and the cheese process could not continue. Some cheeses are cooked at low temperatures within 86oF -96 oF. Other cheeses are cooked at much higher temperatures. After the culture is thoroughly blended, a substance containing enzymes known as rennet is added to the milk. It is the rennet that allows the milk to coagulate and set. The coagulated milk is formed into a smooth, custard-like solid called the curd. Finally, the curd is ready to be cut which means that the cheesemaker breaks up the curd, separating a rich, cloudy liquid from the solid pebble-like curds. The liquid cloudy water is known

This document contains words of Torah and should be treated with respect. See Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 85:2

as whey, and the pebble-like curds is the basis of the cheese. In earlier generations, in order to make kosher cheese it was necessary to use rennet from an animal that was properly slaughtered and koshered. The halacha prohibits cheese that was coagulated with non-kosher rennet or nonkosher enzymes. Natural rennet is derived from the lining of a calf’s stomach. Today, microbial rennet is widely used. This rennet is produced by growing the protein on microorganisms. Microbial rennet is readily available with reliable kosher certification. Even if the rennet and starter culture are kosher, our Rabbis have decreed that in order for the cheese to be kosher a Yehudi (a Jew who is restricted to the laws of kashrus) must put the starter culture rennet and/or other coagulation media into the milk.1 If not, the cheese would be forbidden.2 The Rabbinical non-permitted cheese is known as gevinas akum. Cheese can be made only from milk of behaimos tehoros, kosher species.3 Based on this phenomenon, some Poskim maintain that if the milk that is being used for cheesemaking has been designated at the time of milking to make cheese, this milk is not subject to cholov akum i.e., milk that was not supervised by a mashgiach (a Yehudi supervisor) and remains cholov hamuteres. This means that non-supervised milk can be used to make kosher cheese. It is the Star-K policy to only use supervised milk for Cholov Yisroel cheese. There are hundreds of different varieties of cheeses – soft, hard, mild, sharp aged and processed. There are cheeses that are used for baking, cheeses that are used for cooking, and cheeses that are used as an ingredient in other food and industrial applications. These ingredient cheeses are known as casein products. What is casein? Casein is the main protein found in milk and subsequently found in the cheese curds. In the past, casein was used typically for industrial applications as an adhesive for plywood, sizing for paper, or as an ingredient for paint. In the 1960’s, casein was developed for food applications. Today, casein is used in a plethora of food applications. It can be used as an emulsifier in coffee whiteners, a stabilizer in ice cream or a thickener in soups, gravies, or whipped toppings. It can also be used to provide texture to pasta, nutritional food bars or bakery products. How is casein manufactured? The main ingredient of course is milk. To manufacture casein, one must use skim milk; therefore, the milk must be separated into cream and skim milk. The skim milk is then pasteurized and cooled, and is either inoculated with lactic acid if acid casein is being manufactured, or in the case of rennet casein, natural or microbial rennet is added. The milk is then incubated, and after the desired pH is reached the product is heated to approximately 110oF. This results in the coagulation of the product into a soft gel, and the cheese is then cut so that the curds and whey separate. The curds are then dried on a fluid bed drier to a moisture level of 1012%, and the dried casein is then milled, sifted and packaged into bags. Acid based casein can undergo further processing to create other casein products known as caseinates. Caseinates are used in other food ingredient applications. When the wet casein is mixed with sodium hydroxide, the resulting product is known as sodium caseinate. This is a popular ingredient which, among other things, may be used as an emulsifier in coffee whiteners, a nutritional ingredient in bakery products, nutritional food bars and beverages, as well as a thickener in soups and gravies. Casein can also be combined with calcium (lime) to create calcium caseinate, an ingredient in cereals such as Special K. Does casein have a halachic status of cheese? Is there a difference between acid based casein and rennet based casein? In both instances, whether acid or rennet is added to the milk, curds and whey are formed. Practically speaking, a rennet based product is closely likened to hard cheese like Muenster or Cheddar, while acid based cheese is akin to cottage cheese whose curds are made through an acid application, rather than through rennet. Do the poskim view both types of curds equally? For that we have to go back to Miss Muffet’s queries and analyze the situation. Obviously, the milk that is used to manufacture casein has to be the same milk that is used in the manufacture of cheese. Although regular milk has to be Cholov Yisroel and not cholov akum, according to some Poskim milk used for casein is permissible as long as the milk is designated to the manufacture of casein products.4 Similarly, the rennet and the acids have to be kosher. It seems to be a forgone conclusion that rennet based casein, which is manufactured in the same manner as hard cheese (e.g. Cheddar, Muenster etc.) would require a mashgiach to add the coagulant, or else the rennet based casein would be considered gevinas akum and forbidden, like non-kosher cheese. What about acid based casein and the caseinates made with acid based casein? Does the mashgiach have to add the coagulant? Similarly, does a mashgiach have to add the acid to make cottage cheese, or for that matter the vinegar, to make Ricotta cheese? Is there a fundamental difference between the two? The question was posed to R’ Moshe Feinstein zt’l regarding cottage cheese.5 In his response, he cites opinions amongst the Rishonim that say there is a fundamental difference between natural rennet based cheese, microbial rennet

based cheese, and acid based cheese. Therefore, one could be makil (lenient) with cheeses such as cottage cheese made with acid, due to the fact that if left out long enough, the milk would curdle without the assistance of the acid. Other Rishonim maintain that there is no difference between the various types, and the mashgiach would have to add the acid to make cottage cheese as he would when making conventional cheese. Since the Rabbonim made a gezaira (decree) about gevinas akum, the restriction applies across the board.6 R’ Moshe told the questioner that due to the lenient opinions, one need not make a public declaration; however, he intimates that the halachic status of gevinas akum applies to cottage cheese, as well. This is also the position of the Star-K. This opinion is not shared by other kosher certifying agencies regarding casein products, as well as cottage cheese. Hence, one will find certifications on many dairy products such as coffee whiteners, cereals, nutritional bars, etc. Although there are those who are lenient with powdered milk and powdered whey, even if the casein was powdered, it would present a greater halachic issue even to those who accept products made with powdered milk. Due to the fact that casein is considered to be gevinas akum before drying, the prohibition would still remain intact even in its powdered form. Maybe Miss Muffet should have gone Pareve. 1 Chochmas Adom Y.D. 67:7, Shach Y.D. 115:20 (Teshuvas Maharam M’Rottenberg). 2 Y.D. 115:2 3 Y.D. 115:2 Rema 4 Chochmas Adom 67:7, Y.D. 115:2 Rema 5 Igros Moshe Y.D. II:48 6 Y.D. 115, Shach 19, Gra Y.D. 115:13

This document contains words of Torah and should be treated with respect. See Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 85:2