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Come to Israel...

"Come to Israel, come and see the splendor of a desirable land, the splendor of the Carmel and of the Sharno, the splendor of the pleasant and beautiful azure skies, the magnificience of the clear, pure, and temperate air that reigns in its majesty and glory, even in Tevet. Delight and rejoice in this desirable, fair and pleasing land. A land of life, a land whose air is the wellspring of the spirit. How beautiful and graceful she is!

Come to Israel, come and see 'and your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall flourish like grass' (Isaiah 66:14). Come and see how our beloved and precious nation like an eagle renews its youth, how she begins to stretch her bones, aching and shattered from wandering and bitter exile; some and see how she accustoms herself to standing erect as a date palm. Come and feel how our national invigorates its spirit by remembering its strength and majesty, by remembering its grandeur and glory at every turn. Come and delight in memories better than good wine, that exalt the soul and increase wisdom, memories of kings and princes, memories of heroes and prophets, memories of glory and strength, greatness and majesty. Come to the Land of Israel - here you will behold the vision of all this, here you will know that you are alive, living a life worthy of the name, in the land of life".

from Rav A.Y.Kook, Selected Letters, translated and annotated by Tzvi Feldman, Ma'aliot Publications of Yeshiva Birkat Moshe, Ma'aleh Adumim, Israel, 1976, pp. 239-240

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There are no evil Yidden

"There are no evil Yidden. there are only bitter and unhappy people who are worthy of immense pity." Rabbi Shimon Shalom Kalish of Amshinov-Otvotsk

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Sparks of derech eretz

"All birds flock with their own species, and men live in the vicinity of those who are similar to them".

Bava Kama 82b

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On Trauma and Shoah

'It has been observed by psychologists that survivors of traumatic events are divided into two well-defined groups: those who repress their past en bloc, and those whose memory of the offense persists, as though carved in stone, prevailing over all previous or subsequent experiences. Now, not by choice but by nature, I belong to the second group. Of my two years of life outside the law I have not forgotten a single thing. Without any deliberate effort, memory continues to restore to me events, faces, words, sensations, as if at that time my mind had gone through a period of exalted receptivity, during which not a detail was lost'.

Primo Levi, Moments of Reprieve, New York: Summit Books, 1986, pp. 10-11

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Keys of Diligence

'One whose study meets with constant interruption cannot hope to succeed: It is wise to devise ways to attain diligence. One possibility is to study a variety of subjects every day, so that each of them remain fresh: for example: Chumash with Rashi, mishnah, mussar and Talmud. It is also worthwhile to learn inside of a beis hamidrash and with a competent companion. But the most important thing to remember is that even when you study by yourself, you do so in the presence of Hashem. Never forget this!'

Chazon Ish - Collected Letters 1:3

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Let's get rid of the lies...

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When the Jews fled

Memories about the forgotten histories of the Jews who once lived in the Arab countries:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390443294904578048451218760728.html

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Prayer for the state of Israel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Q5--mNIZhU&feature=share

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First Matza in Israel 1949

Via : Jewish Agency 

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ABCs of Sukkot

Guidelines for the joyous Jewish outdoor festival of Sukkot.

Following on the heels of the High Holidays is Sukkot, a seven-day festival (8 days in the Diaspora) characterized by the outdoor Sukkah-huts that we sit in, and the “Four Species” of plants waved together each day.

Sukkot is a holiday of immense joy, where we express our complete trust in G-d, and celebrate our confidence in having received a “good judgment” for the coming year.

Throughout the week of Sukkot, we eat, sleep and socialize in a Sukkah, reminding us that:

The Israelites lived in huts during the 40 years of wandering in the desert.

G-d is our ultimate protection – just as He protected the Israelites in the desert with the Clouds of Glory (Exodus 13:21).

The Four Species

On Sukkot, we are commanded to wave the Four Species, each noted for its special beauty:

Esrog – the citron, a fragrant fruit with a thick, white rind. It is often picked from the tree while green, and then ripens to a bright yellow.

Lulav – the palm branch, which is defined in beauty by having a straight shape and leaves tightly bound.

Hadas – the myrtle branch, which has a beautiful plated pattern of three leaves coming out from the same point in the branch.

Arava – the willow branch, which should have oblong leaves with a smooth edge.

We bind all the branches together: two willows on the left, one palm branch in the center, and three myrtles on the right. We then lift them together with the Esrog and shake it in all directions, as a symbol of G-d’s mastery over all Creation.

Read More

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The Jewish exodus from Arab Lands

Testimonies that we don't have to forgot

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Ethnic cleansing of Jews in Arab Countries

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTo0BLG9R8s

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Remembrance of the first day

The Pesikta writes that man was created on Rosh Hashanah and the world was created on the 25th day of Elul. 

If so, why do we say on Rosh Hashanah that this is in remembrance of the first day? The first day of creation was the 25th of Elul.

This teaches us the greatness and importance of man (who was created on the 6th day of creation - 1st of Tishri). Before man, the creation was not important enough to be called 'Hashem's deeds'. (It was missing the main element). Only on the day Hashem made man, who is the goal and purpose of the world, was it considered 'the beginning of Your deeds'.

(Oznayim Latorah, The Gaon Rav Zalman Sorotzkin)

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Crying and a humble heart

"It is preferable to pray standing with an erect back but with a humble heart and tearful eyes". 

(Kitzur Shulchan Oruch)