PARSHAT BEHAALOTECHA, NUMBERS 8:1-12:16

 PARSHAT BEHAALOTECHA, NUMBERS 8:1-12:16

In part, Behaalotecha is about us, a disgruntled people:  We do not want manna; we crave meat.  And so we grumble and bellyache.  And it is not only the people at large, but even so with Moses’ brother and sister.  They find fault with their brother through disparaging his wife, Tziporah.  At this point it is difficult to ascertain how we will ever be a light unto the Gentiles.

 

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There is a disconnect between us and Hashem.  Hashem through His servant Moshe is endeavoring to transform us into an exalted kingdom of Priests, giving us His Torah, the Shabbat and a chance at redemption in the Land of Israel.  But consider our level of spirituality?  what do we long for instead?

At 11:4-5:

זָכַרְנוּ, אֶת-הַדָּגָה, אֲשֶׁר-נֹאכַל בְּמִצְרַיִם, חִנָּם; אֵת הַקִּשֻּׁאִים, וְאֵת הָאֲבַטִּחִים וְאֶת-הֶחָצִיר וְאֶת-הַבְּצָלִים, וְאֶת-הַשּׁוּמִים

“We remember the fish that we ate in Egypt free of charge, the cucumbers, the watermelons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic”.

וַיֹּאמְרוּ, מִי יַאֲכִלֵנוּ בָּשָׂר

“And they said: Who will feed us meat?’

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Consider Three Passages from Parshat Behaalotecha:

11:1

The people were looking to complain, and it was evil in the ears of the Lord. The Lord heard and His anger flared, and a fire from the Lord burned among them, consuming the extremes of the camp.

11:33-34

The meat was still between their teeth; it was not yet finished, and the anger of the Lord flared against the people, and the Lord struck the people with a very mighty blow. He named that place Kivroth Hata'avah [Graves of Craving], for there they buried the people who craved.

12:8-10

… So why were you not afraid to speak against My servant Moses ?  The wrath of the Lord flared against them and He left… behold, Miriam was leprous, as white as snow;

What is the message here?  Is it a lesson in anger management or something else?

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Both the Parashah and the Haftarah discuss the seven branched Menorah. The Haftarah portion is from Zechariah: The lights of the Menorah symbolize God's eyes, keeping watch on the earth. At 4:10 –

“These seven, are the eyes of the LORD, that roam throughout the entire earth.”

שִׁבְעָה-אֵלֶּה; עֵינֵי יְהוָה, הֵמָּה מְשׁוֹטְטִים בְּכָל-הָאָרֶ

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In this week's Parshat we have the mystery of the inverted letter nun, ׆.

This phenomenon appears as brackets at 10:35, before and after the familiar verse that is read on Shabbat when the Ark is opened and the Torah is taken out:

 וַיְהִי בִּנְסֹעַ הָאָרֹן, וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה:  קוּמָה יְהוָה, וְיָפֻצוּ אֹיְבֶיךָ, וְיָנֻסוּ מְשַׂנְאֶי מִפָּנֶיךָ

"It was when the Ark traveled, Moses said, Rise up Hashem, Your enemies they be scattered and they who hated You, flee from You".

In the Talmud Bavli, Shabbat 115b-116a there is a discussion on the implication of the inverted nun brackets.  There are two opposing views: Rabbi Judah the Prince says that the brackets show the passage to be a separate book of the Torah.  Rabbi Shimon Ben Gamliel says that the brackets are there to show that the passage has been dislocated and belongs in another place.

Go figure.

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Reflections on the Land of Milk and Honey, Israel:

This Shabbos I was thinking about my family and the negative impact of assimilation on our numbers. I became kind of glum, but it being Shabbos I had to work my way out of the doldrums.

I came across a passage from the Book of Numbers, chapter 23, verse 9. It is a response from the gentile prophet Bilam to the king of Moab in which Bilaam visualizes a future Jewish Nation. Bilam says that the Jewish Nation will be a nation alone, and that it will not consider itself to be like the nations of the world.

Literally [my translation] -

“…they are a people who will live alone and it will not consider itself within the nations.”

הֶן-עָם לְבָדָד יִשְׁכֹּן, וּבַגּוֹיִם לֹא יִתְחַשָּׁב.

Despite President Biden's wishes, Israel will not be a vassal state of the USA.

And it is true: Israel is a place for Jews to be Jewish

In many ways, Israel is unique. We are one of a kind.

We do not belong to any bloc of nations.

Israel is the only country in which Hebrew is the spoken language.

Israel is the world’s only Jewish State.

Israel is unique in that it is partly religious and partly secular, yet it is a liberal democracy with an ideological mission called Zionism.

In the Book of Leviticus, 19:2, HaShem says: “You shall be holy; for I the LORD your God am holy.” The Hebrew word for “holy” is Kodesh which has as its root kdsh. Implied in this root is something that has been separated. So old Bilam got it right.

It was a good Shabbos.

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Reflections on the influence of journalist Caroline Glick: 

In June, 2017 when President Trump signed a waiver whose effect was not to move the USA Embassy to Jerusalem Caroline wrote:

“I am appalled by President Trump's decision to sign the waiver and not move the US embassy to Jerusalem.

What I find particularly disgusting is this sentence in the White House announcement: “[N]o one should consider this step to be in any way a retreat from the President’s strong support for Israel and for the United States-Israel alliance."

Why should no one consider it to be a retreat from the President's strong support for Israel and for the United States-Israel alliance?

I mean it is a retreat -- a major retreat. It is also a betrayal of Trump's promise to his voters.

Talk is cheap”.

However, on May 14, 2018 the Embassy opened in Jerusalem.  Some of us think that in making the historic move to Jerusalem, President Trump must have heeded Caroline’s words.

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Reflections of a Muslim journalist’s musings on the “Palestinian situation” from 2015:

As excerpt from an Opinion Piece published by Aljazeera, analyst Sharif Nashashibi sums up where the Israeli government stood in 2015:

“Arguably the most right-wing, extremist government in Israel's history - and that is saying something - consists of five parties: Likud, Jewish Home, United Torah Judaism, Shas and Kulanu.

Between them, they either explicitly rule out a Palestinian state, or accept one with conditions that make the likelihood of its establishment, let alone its viability, impossible.

These conditions include:

Israel keeping East Jerusalem,

Israel being recognized as a Jewish state,

Israel keeping the largest settlement blocs,

which are built on the West Bank's water aquifers and most fertile land, and hinder the territorial contiguity of a Palestinian state.

That [Palestinian] state, meanwhile, would have to be demilitarized and renounce the rights of Palestinian refugees.”

I THINK SHARIF HAS NAILED IT: ALL THIS SOUNDED PRETTY GOOD TO ME THEN AND NOW!

HUMAN EVOLUTION AND THE SPECIAL JEWISH GENETIC POPULATION

HUMAN EVOLUTION AND THE SPECIAL JEWISH GENETIC POPULATION

An Evolutionary Trajectory for a Particular Genetic Population That Exhibits a Propensity for Abstract Reasoning, and Speculation as to Its Future

Abstract

 The trajectory of hominid evolution is illustrated by bipedality, encephalization and investment in childcare.  Our unique ability to reason abstractly, expressed by using complex tools, eating cooked meat, language, wearing personal adornments, cave painting, etc., distinguishes us as modern human beings.  On a different level, Jews also have distinguished themselves as a special people by their ability to reason abstractly.

Abstract thought is the basis for innovation and creativity. Innovation, initiative and intelligence are keys to this endeavor.  It has been so throughout 50,000 years of modern human existence.  Abstract thought is a defining characteristic of human beings.  It is also the characteristic that defines Abraham’s family, the Jews.

During their 4,000-year history, Jewish people have given rise to a specific genetic population probably through the mechanism of inbreeding.  A proof of a genetic population is the manifestation of positive and negative genetic outcomes.  Within the Jewish genetic population, there is a disproportionate number of positive and negative genetic outcomes.

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                   If you like this essay, you might also like a Facebook group:

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Genetic Outcomes

 A positive genetic outcome for Jews is that they show an unusual propensity for abstract reasoning.  This characteristic may be possibly modified by cultural adaptation.  A negative genetic outcome is the number of genetic diseases associated with Jewish medical patients. As this population evolves and medical science makes advances, Jewish genetic diseases will diminish.  The trajectory for Jews in regard to their capacity for abstract reasoning is open to question.

I developed an appreciation for some of the concepts associated with population adaptation and evolution when witnessing a marathon race in Tiberias, Israel several weeks ago The lead runners who lined up at the forefront of the pack were from Kenya or Ethiopia.   These were some of the fastest people in the world, men who could complete a 26 mile course in a little over 2 hours, running at a 5 minute/mile pace.  Looking at these amazing runners, I thought what a special gene pool.  Over a period of time an adaptive mutation or mutations have enabled these men to outrun everyone else on the planet…and it’s happening before my eyes, an example of evolution through selective adaptation, literally in motion.

On the bus ride back to Nahariya, my home, I got to thinking about my own gene pool and that of my fellow Jews.  I asked myself whether or not there is such a thing as a “Jewish genetic population”.   All human beings carry a couple of dozen or more mutant genes, and that the chances of a mutation expressing itself in an offspring are one in four when you mate with an individual who also carries that same mutant gene.  Most mutations, unlike that for the Kenyan and Ethiopian runners, are not favorable.  If there is a genetic Jewish population, it should express itself in an unfavorable mutant gene outcome.  Likewise, perhaps there is an expression of a favorable mutant gene outcome.

Arguments In Support of a Jewish Genetic Population

Is there such a thing as a genetic Jewish population, keeping in mind that Jews represent only 0.2% of the world’s population?  Political correctness and the issue of racism aside, I think the answer is probably yes, and that it has to do with inbreeding.

History of Jewish Inbreeding

Historically Jews have been isolated, originally by geography, then by culture and religion.  All of which leads to inbreeding and a resultant preponderance of mutant gene expression.  It is not a wild speculation that throughout Jewish history, Jews married, if not a close relative, then within their tribes or villages or with a fellow Jew.   If there is a 4,000-year history of inbreeding, then there should be evidence of some sort of mutant gene expression.

 Biblical Proofs for Jewish Inbreeding

The Bible is not a science book; nor is it a history book; the bible is a religious book.  That having said, my ancient Jewish ancestors married close relatives: Abraham married his niece, Sarah; Isaac married his cousin Rebecca, as did Jacob marry his cousins Rachel and Leah.  Even Moses’ father Avram married Jocheved his aunt.  [As an aside: While not Jewish, and for whatever reason, Charles Darwin married his first cousin, Emma.]

A Modern Day Conjectural Proof

Jumping from biblical times to modern times, many jurisdictions in the USA do not permit marriages between close relatives.  However, Rhode Island allows Jewish people to marry a close relative.  Although Rhode Island does not permit marriages between close relatives, Rhode Island does make an exception for Jewish people.   Rhode Island allows Jewish uncles to marry their Jewish nieces if they are part of a community, such as Orthodox Jews, for whom such marriages are permitted (Rhode Island General Laws: § 15-1-4 Marriages of kindred allowed by Jewish religion).  I conjecture that if inbreeding between Jews was only practiced in antiquity, and not any longer today, Rhode Island would not have this statute on its books.

Genetic Studies

There is recent published study which suggests that male Diaspora Jews from Europe, Northwest Africa, and the Near East resemble each other more closely than they resemble their non-Jewish neighbors.  An Archaeo-geneticist, Martin Richards, found that 50 to 80 percent of DNA from the Ashkenazi Y chromosome (whatever that is) originated in the Near East. This supports a theory that when Jews were dispersed from Israel they largely did not intermarry with non-Jews when they settled in Europe.

However this finding is tempered by another study which concludes that about 2,000 years ago when the Roman Empire dispersed Jews from Israel significant portions of the male population married female converts.  This conclusion notwithstanding, it would appear that the Jewish population at large has a unique gene pool.

 Genetic Disease as a Proof of Inbreeding

Most mutations, unlike that for the Kenyan and Ethiopian runners, are not favorable.  This is borne out when you look at the quantity of genetic diseases that adversely affect Jewish families.  I went to the website of the Jewish Genetic Disease Consortium and saw listed thirty-six serious diseases that are more prevalent in either Ashkenazi (Jews from communities in central and eastern Europe) or Sephardic (Jews originating from communities in Spain, Portugal, North Africa and the Middle East) Jewish populations than in the general population at large.

Caveat: It should be pointed out, however that there may be a sampling bias in terms of Jewish genetic diseases because Jewish populations have been studied more thoroughly than most other human populations.

Abstract Reasoning

One definition of abstract reasoning is the ability to analyze information and solve problems on a complex, thought-based level.  The hallmark for modern human beings is the ability to engage in abstract reasoning.  It is not easy to demonstrate the evolution of abstract reasoning.  To do this you need artifacts.  For example, a 100,000-year-old sophisticated “paint workshop” was found in a cave located in South Africa.  The cave contained fossil artifacts that demonstrate the ability of early humans to source, combine, and store substances in order to make paint.  This represents a benchmark in the evolution of complex human cognition.  However, where there are no artifacts, it is much more difficult to hypothesize, let alone prove, evidence of human abstract reasoning.

Abstract Reasoning As Evidenced By the Jewish Genetic Population

Using the Book of Genesis as a proof, we see that 3,800 years ago, Abraham, somehow or other, put together that the world is governed by one deity, a supreme deity. This is the revolutionary concept that we call monotheism.  What makes this leap in abstract thought even more amazing is that in contrast to how “gods” were perceived at that time, Abraham’s God was invisible and incorporeal.

About 500 years later at Mt. Sinai, the Jewish God commanded His people, recently freed from centuries of slavery, where they were worked like animals, to take one day off a week.  He called this day the Sabbath, an unheard-of abstract concept then and to some extent even now.

Humans who could grasp these ground-breaking abstract thoughts had to be unique.  I call them the “proto-Jews”, and through inbreeding they have developed into a special population, albeit perhaps tempered by culture, an extraordinary genetic population.

The Disproportionate Jewish Contribution to Humankind

If you are not impressed by a proof from the Bible, the try this approach:

 Leading off with Karl Marx, Jesus, Albert Einstein and Sigmund Freud, one has to wonder: What is going on here? These four individuals are hardly linked religiously or culturally, but inasmuch as they all share a common Jewish heritage, perhaps they also share a particular positive “Jewish gene” for abstract thought.

Consider if you will the Nobel Prize. It was first awarded in 1901 for achievements in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, and Peace. An associated prize in Economics has been awarded since 1969. Nobel Prizes have been awarded to over 850 individuals of whom at least 20% were Jews, although Jews comprise less than 0.2% of the world's population. Overall, Jews have won a total of 41% of all the Nobel Prizes in economics, 28% of medicine, 26% of Physics, 19% of Chemistry, 13% of Literature and only 9% of all peace awards.

Richard Dawkins who is a biologist, author and atheist expressed his bewilderment at the disproportionate amount of Nobel prizes won by Jews in an interview with the New Republic (October, 2013), saying he is “intrigued by” the “phenomenally high” number of Jewish laureates.

If one was to take the time to research comparable Jewish achievements in entertainment, politics, business, chess and religion, I am sure that a similar disproportionate record would be demonstrated. 

 Does the Trajectory of Evolution Bode Well for the Jewish Genetic Population?

As to Jewish genetic diseases, the outlook is favorable: as we advance into the future, medical science will find ways to decrease or eliminate entirely Jewish genetic diseases.

However, there is a genetic downside.  It is called anti-Semitism, and the Jewish population should seriously consider its implications.  Simplistically, if you link the cause of historical anti-Semitism to envy of the have-nots, then matters will worsen and get out of hand.  The reason for this is as humankind proceeds into the future, there will be more Jews and therefore more attendant jealousy which will culminate in more racial hatred, probably not only directed against Jews, but against any minority that is viewed as an achiever.  It would be of interest to see and analyze how other distinct genetic populations have fared in their evolutionary trajectory, and whether they have prospered, assimilated or have become extinct.

October 7^th brings this concern into focus. Thus far Jewish innovation and initiative have not saved the day.

 

 

 

 

 

NASO, BAMIDBAR 4:21–7:89 , SHAVUOT

 NASO, BAMIDBAR 4:21–7:89 ,  SHAVUOT

This Shabbat we read Parshat Naso.
Naso is the lengthiest parshah in the Torah. It has 176 verses.

Incidentally, Psalm 119 also has exactly 176 verses. It is the longest Psalm.
Incredibly the longest tractate of the Talmud, tractate Bava Batra has 176 pages...go figure.

Portions of the Parshah are also read during the eight days of Chanukah.

Among other things the Parshah addresses duties of the Levite families, purifying the camp, restitution for wrongs committed, the Nazirite, the Priestly Blessing, and the consecration of the Tabernacle.

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If you like these essays, you might also like a Facebook group:

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You and I are pretty much on the same page.

We share similar values.

The focus of this group will be what is going on in Nahariya and northern Israel because there will be information that may be of interest to you, but which you probably do not have access to. Likewise, where there are national updates of interest, these will also be passed on.

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In discussing this week’s parsha, Naso, Rabbi Berel Wein writes about the importance of melody.  I have paraphrased some of his words:

The Torah tells us that the Levites had many duties in regard to the Mishkan.  The Levites were in charge of the melodious atmosphere that attended the daily service.  Each day, including the Sabbath and the holidays, there was a performance of instrumental and choir music. The Levite musical presentation was part of the glory of the Mishkan and later the Temple service and highlighted the emotional constituent of the service itself.

Listen to Psalm 104.

https://youtu.be/--UABwqW9Sg

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In this week’s parsha, at 7:89, the concluding verse has Hashem speaking Moshe in the midst of the two human-like Cherubs.

There are special individuals amongst us, who because of their heightened awareness, lofty Neshama and good fortune are able to connect to the Divine.

If you know someone like that, follow them and never let them go.

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I'm getting ready for Shavuous which starts Tuesday evening.  For me the dairy foods are a killer. I'm talking the about the store-bought or home-made cheesecake and the home-made eggplant parmigiana, macaroni (organic) and cheese with fried cabbage and onions, and the potato knishes.

I plan to do 60 minutes on the Tyelet tomorrow morning at a fairly good clip for me, trying to forestall the inevitable belly bulge; I know it's hopeless, but what can you do.

Have a joyous Chag (burp!).

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Shavuos commemorates the giving of the Torah.

Rabbi Sacks tells us how the Torah is first given to women before it is granted to men.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sh3iZxKQn3E&t=13s

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The festival of Shavuot begins Tuesday night, the 11^th of June.  Shavuot marks the giving of the Torah.  In referring to Shavuot, we say:the giving of our Torah “Z’man Matan Torateinu”, זמן מתן תורתנו,

Looking at the word מתן  (giving), you can see in it the word for “gift”, מתנה. 

In our weekly Talmud class some time ago where were studying Tractate Bava Basra, we participated in a discussion at 65a:  A person owns a house that has two apartments, an inner one and a surrounding outer one.  If the apartments are sold, the buyer of the inner apartment does not acquire the right to walk through the surrounding outer apartment. 

However if at the time of the sale of the outer apartment, the owner of the house simultaneously makes a gift of the inner apartment the situation changes.  There is a presumption that when a gift is given, it is given with generosity.  Therefore the recipient of the gift acquires the right to walk through the outer apartment and thereby to enjoy his gift.

In much the same fashion, when Hashem gave us the gift of the Torah, He gave it to us with generosity. It is as if along with the Torah we acquired the wherewithal to enjoy our gift. 

What that wherewithal is I leave it up to you.  There are a multitude of possibilities.  I like to think our gift from HaShem is the ability to have Torah and dwell in the Land of Israel in peace and harmony. 

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                           Ruth in Boaz’s Field, Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld (1794–1872).

On Shavuot we read the Book of Ruth.

Professor Jacob Wright and Rabbi Tamara Cohn Eskenazi; published an essay contrasting Intermarriage as represented in the Books of Ruth and Nehemiah:

https://www.thetorah.com/article/contrasting-pictures-of-intermarriage-in-ruth-and-nehemiah?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR0vT7T1OxJ2XugdsKspEsgARBBw45C7GWe5phtA-lldl6X_WUWljR_V3ic_aem_AS8MWxvrEwKiPSYeS06k_rYh84K6He3tBPYKjY1BaHvpFh0ji09g1GBOX6-hM5oUmOl6Y8O9N91Ndt1lF_pBUKFc

 

 

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At 6:23-27 the Priestly Blessing, ברכת כהנים  is given.

It is not the Kohanim who are giving the Blessing. 

They are merely invoking or entreating Hashem to give us His blessing:

יְבָרֶכְךָ יְהוָה, וְיִשְׁמְרֶךָ

"May Hashem bless you and guard you."

In our service, before the Priestly Blessing is given, the Kohanim state that they are commanded to give it with love.

https://youtu.be/TmZGRJlnZ6E

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The Haftorah portion for Parshat Naso is taken from the Book of Judges, Chapter 13.  It is the story of Samson’s parents, his father Manoach and his unnamed mother.  It is clear from the text that Samson’s mother has it all over his father in terms of spirituality and maybe intelligence:

An Angel appears to Samson’s mother twice before appearing to Manoach.

She recognizes Him as an Angel, not so Manoach, who has limited spiritual insight.

When Manoach finally realizes that it is an Angel, he is terrified, but not so Samson‘s Mother. She remains calm.

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BAMIDBAR, 1:1-4:20, JERUSALEM DAY

 BAMIDBAR, 1:1-4:20,  JERUSALEM DAY 

This week we start a new Book, Bamidbar, במדבר, in the wilderness or the Book of Numbers.  It begins with a head count, military census. Males of a certain age individually step forward and are counted. Although individuals, as a totality they represent the nation. Everyone is counted and everyone counts.

The nation is comprised of 12 Tribes. Individual Tribes are encamped around the Mishkan. At the center of the Tribal encampment and its focus is the Mishkan where HaShem lives among us. 

Today, Israel is where HaShem dwells. It is the place to be. I feel at home here.

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• If you like these essays, you might also like a Facebook group:

Northern Israel Update

https://www.facebook.com/groups/751572416879518

I hope you join..

You and I are pretty much on the same page.

We share similar values.

The focus of this group will be what is going on in Nahariya and northern Israel because there will be information that may be of interest to you, but which you probably do not have access to. Likewise, where there are national updates of interest, these will also be passed on.

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The Parshah begins at 1:2-3 with the taking of a military census of all the Tribes except for the Tribe of Levi:

“Take the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, by families following their fathers' houses; a head count of every male according to the number of their names.

From twenty years old and upwards, all who are fit to go out to the army in Israel, you shall count them by their legions you and Aaron”.

 It is the Mishkan that unites us. Today, we no longer have a tribal identity. Jews are still a diverse lot. By way of example: Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, Secular, Ashkenazi, Sephardic, Litvish, Chassidic, etc. If you want to know more about Jewish movements, check out the excellent attached work by Sara Metzger. Although diverse, we are still one people, the B’Nai Yisrael.

https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/review?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:f877186c-50fb-40d4-a5f0-b84d65af1628

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The men of the Tribe of Levi, the “Levites” or the “Leveim”, לויים, were counted separately and number 22,300 from age one month and on up.

The Leviim have replaced the first born B'Nai Yisrael for service in the Mishkan.  Originally during the time of the plagues when the Egyptian first born were slain, Hashem granted the Jewish first born a special place in their service to God.  However, because they participated in the Sin of the Golden Calf, in contradistinction to the Levites, they lost their special standing.

How would it have turned out if the first born had not lost their special position?

What would have been the status of the Levites?

The Levites have the burden of carrying and protecting the Mishkan, the dwelling place of Hashem.  At Hashem’s direction, the where and the when of His choosing the B’nai Yisrael, that is us, we move on out. 

 And for those of us who have made Aliyah: Don’t think for one moment that it was you alone who decided it was time to make Aliyah.  And don’t think for one moment that there are not still amongst us, people chosen by Hashem who share the burden of carrying His Sanctuary.

The Tribe of Levi served particular religious duties for the Israelites and had political and educational responsibilities as well. In return, the landed tribes were expected to give a tithe in order to support the Levites

 The Levites, referring to those who were not Kohanim, were specifically assigned to singing and/or playing music in the Temple serving as guards and carrying the sacred vessels.

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The Haftarah portion comes from the Book of Hosea, Chapter 2:1-22.

The setting for the Book of Hosea is in the Northern Kingdom where Jeroboam the 2nd is King, at around the mid-8th century BCE.  The Kingdom is very prosperous but continues to worship Canaanite gods and to also perversely worship Hashem using golden calves as an idolatrous representation.

Hosea uses his personal life as a metaphor to describe the fractured relationship between Hashem and us, and perhaps between the two Jewish kingdoms. It may be a foretelling of the fate that was to befall a divisive Jewish people in the years soon to come.  

Hosea learns that his wife (in the role of Israel) is an adulteress, a prostitute.  As a symbol of Israel’s estrangement from Hashem, Hosea names one of their children Lo-ruchamah, which translates as "not pitied", and another as Lo-ammi, which translates as "not my people". 

These children as well as the kingdoms of Israel and Judah are redeemed at 2:3.

It is a positive message of reconciliation.

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COUNTING THE OMER

Adapted from Rabbi Shimon Jacobson:

This week’s Sephirah is Malchut or Sovereignty

Malchut is a state of being rather than an activity.

Malchut manifests and actualizes the character and majesty of the human spirit. It is the very fiber of what makes us human. Malchut is a sense of belonging.

You know that you matter and that you make a difference. It tells you that you have the ability to be a proficient leader in your own right. It gives you independence and confidence and a feeling of certainty and authority.

When a mother lovingly cradles her child in her hands and the child's eyes meet the mother's affectionate eyes, the child receives the message that I am wanted and needed in this world. I have a comfortable place where I will always be loved. I have nothing to fear. I feel like a king in my heart. This is Malchut, kingship.

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JERUSALEM DAY

When I was a kid growing up in Brooklyn, the public school system celebrated Brooklyn Day.  It was held on the first Thursday in June, a welcome day off from school, even though we did not have a clue about the why’s and wherefores’. 

 

Now I am in Israel.  I do not celebrate Brooklyn Day.  I celebrate Jerusalem Day which falls on the 28^th day of the Hebrew month of Iyar.  This year the 28^th of Iyar begins on the evening of the 4^th of June. 

 Jerusalem Day commemorates when in 1967 the divided city of Jerusalem became one.  Last year thousands of Jewish celebrants  paraded through the city waving Israeli flags.  The march culminated in a spectacular demonstration through the Muslim Quarter.  Israeli police  sealed off entry to Palestinian residents for their own safety. Those Palestinians who live in the Muslim Quarter were encouraged to close their shops and stay indoors.

What will happen this year?

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JERUSALEM DAY

 Tuesday evening, June 4th the 28th day of Iyar marks the beginning of Jerusalem Day.  It commemorates that in 1967 Israel gained control over the entire city as part of the Six-Day War.

Jerusalem Day is a religious holiday as is Yom HaShoah, Yom HaZichoron, and Yom Ha'atzmaut. The day is very much celebrated by Israel's Religious Zionist community with parades and additional prayers in many synagogues.

The military victory over the surrounding Arab armies is regarded as a bona-fide miracle worthy of thanksgiving.

This victory clearly affects the entire Jewish people. Israel is a place of refuge for all Jews , and serves as a source of deep Jewish pride throughout the world.

Jerusalem Day ( יום ירושלים‎) is an Israeli national holiday commemorating the reunification of Jerusalem and the establishment of Israeli control over the Old City in the aftermath of the June 1967 Six-Day War. The day is officially marked by state ceremonies and memorial services. 

Religious Zionists recite special holiday prayers including the  Hallel prayer.  Various Jewish groups follow differing practices.  Personally, I avoid praying with a group that does not celebrate Jerusalem Day.

I consider them to be anti-Zionist or worse.

In opposition to the Jerusalem Day celebration, many Muslims worldwide celebrate Al-Quds Day which falls on the last Friday of Ramadan which was the 5th of April.. Al-Quds is an Arabic name for Jerusalem. 

On May 15th Muslims celebrated their Day of Catastrophe, Nakba Day. It is in opposition to Israeli Independence Day, Yom Ha'atzmaut. Israeli independence is equivalent to an Arab catastrophe.

My friends and I always celebrate the Naqba catastrophe with a l'Chaiim or two.

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WHERE DOES ISRAEL STAND TODAY?

This is an excerpted Opinion Piece published by Aljazeera in 2015. The analyst, Sharif Nashashibi summed up where the Israeli government stood then.

In the years since his analysis the political parties have changed, but his message today if anything would be more bleak and very much the same B”H:

“Arguably the most right-wing, extremist government in Israel's history - and that is saying something - consists of five parties: Likud, Jewish Home, United Torah Judaism, Shas and Kulanu.

Between them, they either explicitly rule out a Palestinian state, or accept one with conditions that make the likelihood of its establishment, let alone its viability, impossible.
These conditions include:
Israel keeping East Jerusalem,
being recognized as a Jewish state,
and keeping the largest settlement blocs,
which are built on the West Bank's water aquifers and most fertile land, and hinder the territorial contiguity of a Palestinian state.

That [Palestinian] state, meanwhile, would have to be demilitarized and renounce the rights of Palestinian refugees.”

I THINK SHARIF HAS NAILED IT: ALL THIS SOUNDS PRETTY GOOD TO ME! Shavua tov.