LeKavod Shabbos

Devarim 5779 9/9/2019

Printable Shabbos Reading Materials Specially Formatted for Easy Reading
For a free subscription, email Services@JewishHeritage.org
Srulie Toiv- Editor / Stories Compiled by Daniel Keren ‫לעילוי נשמת נחמה בת ר׳ נח ע״ה‬

Publication for this week has been dedicated in memory of

Chaya Masha Bas R’ Peretz Yehudah Sontag ‫ע״ה‬

Remembering Rabbi Dovid Trenk, zt”l

By Rabbi Paysach J Krohn

For many years Rabbi Dovid Trenk zt”l (who was niftar last month) was a rebbi
& mashgiach in Adelphia Yeshivah. One Friday night a boy in the yeshiva stole
Rabbi Trenk’s car & went to a movie theatre! Somehow Rabbi Trenk found out
about it & walked all the way to the movie theatre, which was a long walk. He
came to the ticket booth & he said: “I don’t want to buy a ticket but I have a student
that is sitting inside & I need to tell him something. Can I just go in & I’ll come
right out?” The woman agreed & so he went into the dark movie theatre… he
searched the seats for his talmid… & finally he found him. He sat down right next
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to him… (Imagine the boy’s reaction!) said to him: “The popcorn they sell here is not
kosher, make sure you don’t eat it.” That’s what he said, nothing more. Then he
turned to leave. The talmid grabbed a hold of him & said: “Rebbi, I’m coming with
you” & walked all the way back to Yeshiva with Rav Dovid. When they returned
he said to his beloved Rebbi: “I swear I will never be mechalel shabbos ever again.”
And that’s how this neshama was saved. We have lost a giant... Oneg Shabbos (London, England)
Who Gets to Lead the Davening & Eat the Figs
In his sefer Chashukei Chemed on Sukkah, Rav Yitzchok Zilberstein cites a
fascinating chiddush (novel ruling) from Rav Eliyahu Dovid Rabinowitz-Teomim,
known as the Aderes. The situation involved a man who wanted to lead the prayer
services as a merit for his grandfather, whose yahrtzeit was that day, but when he
arrived at the synagogue, he discovered to his chagrin that they were lacking a
minyan (quorum). He went outside in an attempt to find people willing to complete
the minyan, & when this effort also failed, he began knocking on doors of houses
in the area until he was finally able to round up 10 adult men. Just as they were
about to begin davening, another man entered the shul & announced that that day
was his father’s yahrtzeit, which gave him precedence to lead the prayers.
Although the newcomer was correct on a strictly halachic basis, since a grandson
does not have the same level of chiyuv (obligation) to lead the services as a son, the
Aderes maintained that in this case, the grandson was entitled to lead the davening
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because it was only through his persistent efforts to assemble the minyan that the
communal prayers were even taking place, & he who tends the fig tree shall eat its
fruit, just as Hashem told Moshe regarding Yehoshua. Parsha Potpourri compiled by Rabbi Ozer Alport.
Making Peace in Heaven
Yerachmiel Tilles
"To what better purpose can I use my riches than to have a Torah scroll
written?" thought the wealthy Reb Meir to himself. From that day on he busied
himself in his grand project which he executed carefully in all its details. At first
he bought the animals which were to provide the parchment for the scroll. These
he had carefully slaughtered and the meat thereof distributed among the poor. The
hides were then sent to a tanner to be cured and prepared for parchment. Next Reb
Meir sought a G-d-fearing sofer (scribe) to do the major job. "You will concentrate
only upon this work," he stipulated, "in return for which I will pay you a weekly
salary to sustain you and your family for as long as it takes to complete the job.
Take your time, purify your mind and body before each writing session, but
produce a perfect Torah scroll." The scribe agreed and entered the employ of Reb
Meir for eight years, during which he worked exclusively upon the scroll. When
he finished, Reb Meir made preparations for a huge feast to dedicate his new
acquisition. The celebration was to include most of the local population, crowned
by all the notables. Reb Meir arranged to provide for their comfort by hiring
waiters to cater to their individual needs. Among them was Chayim, known by all
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as "the Tehilim reciter." Chayim the Psalms Sayer was a simple man, unlearned
but sincere and G-d fearing. He had earned his title through his recital of psalms,
which never left his lips from morning to night. To earn his livelihood he worked
as a water-carrier and at this celebration Chayim was to perform his usual task,
that is, to bring water for hand-washing and in addition to serve drinks of all sorts.
The party began in the late afternoon. While the celebrants awaited the evening
prayer to begin they partook of sweets and drinks, for the main feast would
commence only after Maariv. Chayim was there, circulating among the guests with
trays and alcoholic beverages, imbibing himself from time to time. Soon, all the
guests arose and went into an adjoining room to davven (pray) while the tables
were prepared for the meal. The relatively short prayer was over quickly,
whereupon the guests drifted back in and took their places. An air of gaiety and
warmth filled the hall, for this was the grand climax of eight years of expectancy,
of work and expense, now culminating with a feast in honor of the Torah. The
guests sat down and waited for water to be provided for washing their hands. Reb
Meir looked around but couldn't find Chayim, whose job it was to provide the
washing water and vessels. He was nowhere to be found. Reb Meir searched in
adjoining rooms for the missing waiter, upset that things were not going as
smoothly as he had so carefully planned. He finally discovered him curled up in
the cloakroom, fast asleep in a drunken stupor. "What chutzpa is this!" he
reprimanded his waiter as he grabbed him by the collar and shook him vigorously.
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"Here you are drunk on my liquor, shirking your duties. You should have stayed
at home if you can't be relied on. All my guests are being kept waiting for the meal
to begin while you calmly curl up and fall asleep." Reb Meir raised his voice louder
and louder while shaking his employee roughly, then dragging him towards the
main dining hall until the latter had thoroughly shaken off his drunkenness. Finally
the water-carrier was able to get a word in and he made his plaintive apologies,
"Sir, you said that the party was for all of us and that we were to feel free to partake
of the food and drink too. I simply did not realize how strong your shnaps was, not
being accustomed to such quality spirits. Before I knew it I fell asleep. Please don't
shame me before all these people. I am thoroughly awake and will fulfill my duties
as a waiter." The host left the abashed waiter to his work and went to sit among his
important guests. He hadn't been seated for five minutes before his attention was
diverted. "Sir, an important person awaits you outside. He says he won't keep you
long but what he has to say in urgent." Reb Meir got up and followed his servant
outside reluctantly. A well-dressed stranger asked to have a few words with him.
"Come, sit in my carriage just for a moment, please," urged the stranger. Reb Meir
obliged and sat half in, half out, waiting impatiently. Suddenly before he could bat
an eyelash, he found himself transported to a deep wood which he realized was
many many miles away from home. He stood on the strange road in his light indoor
clothes not knowing which way to turn. "What has happened to me?" he wondered
dazedly. "And why?" As the cold that began penetrating his bones also cleared his
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mind, he perceived a light from afar. He drew closer and had to rub his eyes in
surprise; a magnificent palace stood in a clearing. Reb Meir entered the spacious
hall which led into a huge, brilliantly lit chamber. He went over to the stove to
warm himself. None of the people there paid him any attention. However, when
an old man with a snowy white beard entered shortly afterwards, he received a
warm welcome. "Peace unto you. Avraham Avinu ('our father Abraham'),"
exclaimed the people seated at the table. The venerable man took his place to be
soon joined by another and then another. Each succeeding sage was greeted in turn,
"Welcome, Yitzchak Avinu," and "Welcome, Yaakov Avinu,' etc., until the last
expected guest took his place. When he arose, everyone became quiet and turned
to face him. "I have a complaint against the man over there by the stove," he
announced. All eyes turned to Reb Meir. "This person shamed the Psalms Sayer in
public. I demand retribution, for it is as if he had shamed my holy tehilim which
possess the power to abolish evil decrees, heal the sick, and bring balm to troubled
souls." "This man must be judged," agreed the seated people. "He must pay for his
wicked deed." They discussed what should be the suitable punishment, and a
speedy verdict of death resulted for Reb Meir. "One moment," called out Dovid
HaMelech (King David), rising once again. "Are we not defeating the purpose of
the judgment? Would it not be preferable for this man to exonerate himself by his
own deeds? Rather, let him return to the scene of the sin and expiate it by a public
confession. Let him attest to the importance of saying psalms by relating this
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episode to all his guests." "Your suggestion is wise," one man spoke up." But I
have another score to settle with him first. I demand to know why this man, who
lives right in my city, in Mezibuz, has never visited me before nor invited me to
his Torah celebration. If he is allowed to return home will he rectify this sin of
omission?" This was the Baal Shem Tov who had been present all the while among
the rest of the spectators, but until this moment had not uttered a word. Reb Meir
was called upon to express his view about this second charge against him. He
heartily agreed to amend his wrongdoing. Suddenly he found himself in the same
coach, which immediately spirited him back to his home. Reb Meir stood shivering
in front of his house. He paused. It seemed as if eons had passed since he last stood
there, yet when he entered he saw the festivities were at exactly the same point as
when he had left them. It must be that only a few moments had passed! Reb Meir
loudly asked for everyone's attention and then announced, "I beg you all to wait
patiently for me. There is an important guest whom I must bring to tonight's
celebration. I will return shortly." Reb Meir ran quickly to the Baal Shem Tov's
beis medrash (Torah-study hall) and saw the very man who had spoken against
him during the strange scene in the forest. He begged the Besht to forgive him and
join him at the feast. The Besht forgave him wholeheartedly. They hurried back to
Reb Meir's home, where once again Reb Meir demanded everyone's attention. He
told his strange story, and then called Chayim the Psalms Sayer to stand next to
him. In the presence of the entire assembly, he begged the water-carrier to forgive
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and forget the shameful treatment he had been subject to. The Baal Shem Tov
spoke after him, adding some words about the importance of reciting tehilim, and
all present felt that the celebration had taken on a more meaningful tone.
The Rav’s Mistaken Judgement
The Rebbe of Zviyel, zt”l, once requested from the Tepliker Rav, zt”l, that
they set a time to study together B’Chavrusah, to learn Tur, and Shulchan Aruch,
to cover certain specific topics that they wanted to clarify amongst themselves. Of
course, the Tepliker Rav happily accepted the proposal. One day in the middle of
their learning, through Divine Inspiration, a complicated Halachah that had many
difficulties was clarified for them. After they had debated the various elements
from every angle, the ruling became clear as day and the words that they said were
as bright and shining as if they had been given at Har Sinai! Suddenly, the Tepliker
Rav began to tremble. He turned white, fear and trembling seized him, and he
became very upset! The Rebbe of Zviyel asked him, “What happened? Why did
this fear and trembling suddenly come upon you?” The Tepliker Rav told him that
just then in the middle of their learning, he remembered that once many years ago
a difficult Din Torah was brought before him in his Bais Din in Teplik, and it
involved this Halachah that they had just clarified, however, back then, he had
ruled exactly the opposite of what they had just clarified what the Halachah should
be! He had made guilty the innocent, and he had made innocent the guilty, and his
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ruling was not correct and truthful. The Rav began to cry and he regretted his
mistake, and because of his great distress, he fainted on the floor. Even after he got
back to himself from the faint, he could not calm down, and he immediately began
to go over the details of that Din Torah from long ago, who the litigants were and
where they could be found today, in order that he could return the money to the
rightful party. After great effort and frantic inquiries, associates were able to
discover the name of the man who was involved in that case. However, when they
tried to locate him in Teplik, they were informed that several years ago he moved
to another city and they could not find anybody who knew where he currently
lived. The Rav was greatly distressed over this, and he went to the Rebbe of Zviyel
and asked him for advice as to what he should do. The Rebbe said to him, “Don’t
worry about finding him, he will come to you!” When the Rav heard this amazing
response from the Rebbe, the Tepliker Rav prepared the full amount that he was
obligated to pay the man in an envelope and he placed it in his jacket pocket so
that it would be prepared with him wherever he went. A few weeks passed when
one day, as the Tepliker Rav was leaving Shul from davening Minchah, he saw the
man he had been looking for, who was coming towards the Shul to Daven. The
man was delighted to meet the esteemed Tepliker Rav by chance, from his past
years in Teplik, and he told the Rav that he now lived in a faraway city in the
United States, and he was here now for a short visit to the Holy Land. The Rav was
thrilled to meet him and he asked him to step to the side with him for a moment.
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The Rav reminded him about the Din Torah from years ago. The man had already
forgotten about it, but the Rav reminded him specifically about the judgment. He
told him that he had recently reviewed the topic, and he determined that the clear
ruling was the exact opposite of what he had ruled in his case. The Rav then
reached into his jacket pocket and took out the envelope he had prepared. It had
the man’s name on it, and the Rav handed it to the man, who was thrilled and
excited because of the exceptional righteousness of the Rav. A short time after this
event, the Rebbe of Zviyel concluded his learning with the Tepliker Rav. Rav
Gamliel Rabbinowich relayed this story, and he noted that the whole purpose of
the Chavrusah was only so that the ruling in the Din Torah should be overturned
and the money would be repaid. Additionally, Rav Gamliel says, the great Yiras
Shamayim of the Tepliker Rav is very admirable, when he realized his mistake in
a matter of Halachah— so much so that he was filled with pain and fear until he
passed out! How many times are we wrong in a matter of Halachah, R”L, and we
do not faint! Torah U’ Tefilah compiled by Rabbi Yehuda Winzelberg.
Rabbinical Respect For Animals
Rav Chaim Pinchas Scheinberg, zt”l, had love for even the smallest of
Hashem’s creatures. One time, Rav Scheinberg was seen holding his Tzitzis close
to his face. A Talmid asked him what his Rebbe was doing, and Rav Scheinberg
told him there was an ant crawling on them. The Talmid offered to get a tissue to
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dispose of the ant, but Rav Scheinberg asked for a paper cup instead. He told the
student to knock the ant into the cup, bring it downstairs, and gently set the ant free
in the garden just outside the apartment building. With this seemingly insignificant
act of kindness to a tiny bug, Rav Scheinberg displayed that he tried to emulate
Hashem, by showing mercy and compassion to even the tiniest of Hashem’s
creations. Rav Aryeh Levin, zt”l, wrote that when he was young and he came to
Eretz Yisroel, he first went to visit Rav Avraham Yitzchok Kook, zt”l. After they
Davened Minchah, they went out to walk a bit in the fields, and Rav Aryeh writes
that as they walked, he plucked a branch or flower that was growing. Rav Kook
gently told him, “In all of my days, I have taken care never to pluck a blade of
grass or flower for no reason, when it had the ability to grow or blossom. Chazal
teach us that there is not a single blade of grass here on earth which does not have
a Malach above it telling it to grow. Every leaf and blade of grass conveys some
meaning. Every stone whispers some hidden message in its silence. Every creation
utters its song in praise of Hashem!” Rav Aryeh notes that those words which were
spoken from a pure and holy heart engraved themselves deep within him, and from
that day on he began to feel a strong sense of compassion for every one of
Hashem’s creatures. Another time, Rav Aryeh was once walking on the sidewalk
when he suddenly stopped and stood there, waiting. When asked why he had
stopped, he quietly said, “There is a kitten drinking its milk, and I don’t want to
walk by and startle it. I will wait until it finishes.” In a similar manner, Rav Isser
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Zalman Meltzer, zt”l, would always take the longer route when he would walk
from his house to the Yeshivah. His Talmidim asked him why he did this, but he
wouldn’t answer them. Eventually, the reason for this became known. Chickens
used to run back and forth looking for food along the road that was the most direct
route to the Yeshivah. Rav Isser Zalman was concerned that if he walked down
that path, he would frighten the chickens and they would run away without having
eaten anything. He explained, “I have no right to disturb the chickens from getting
their food!” Torah U’ Tefilah compiled by Rabbi Yehuda Winzelberg.
Business Halacha - DESTABILIZED INCOME
The rustic town of Oldsville drew crowds of visitors in the summer months.
Among the tourist attractions was Yankel’s stable. Yankel owned three fine horses,
which he would charge visitors to ride through the cobblestone streets. Twice a
day he would hitch one of the horses to a wagon that held eight passengers for a
horse-and-buggy ride. One afternoon, Feivel came to rent a horse. He ran up to one
of the horses, and the startled horse kicked him in the leg. To add insult to injury,
the horse then relieved itself, soiling Feivel. Furious, Feivel pushed the horse. The
horse, which was standing beside a low wall, lost its balance and fell over. It landed
with a thud, and one of its legs smashed against the wall. Yankel called the vet.
“This leg is badly broken,” the vet pronounced, after examining the horse. “Such

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a break will never heal properly on its own. Without an operation, the horse will
not be able to gallop or pull a wagon anymore.” “You owe me damages for injuring
the horse,” Yankel told Feivel. “There’s the $2,500 veterinarian’s fee, plus the loss
of income from the horse for the remainder of the summer. If not for you, that
horse would have brought in a net profit of $1,000 for the month.” “How much is
the whole horse worth?” argued Feivel. “Go sell the horse and I’ll pay the
difference to buy a new one.” “I’m not out to sell my horse,” Yankel retorted. “I’d
like it back in shape.” “All I care about is how much the horse was worth before,
and how much it’s worth now,” said Feivel. “The difference is the damage. The
rest is your issue, not mine.” Is Feivel required to compensate Yankel only for the
reduction in the horse’s actual value, or is he required to reimburse him for the
horse’s medical bills and lost income as well? The Torah (Shemos 21:19) requires a
person who injures another to pay his medical costs (ripui) and reimburse him for
his lost wages while recuperating (sheves). If an animal injures a person, however,
its owner is not liable for ripui and sheves, and is required to pay only for the
damage of the person’s permanent disability (nezek) (C.M. 420:3; 405:1). Tosafos (Gittin
42b) writes that some similarly exempt a person who injures an animal from the
resulting medical costs and from the owner’s loss of daily income. The Shach
(388:39), based on the Mordechai, explains that these are considered grama (indirect

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damage), and the Torah obligates a person to pay ripui and sheves only in the case
of human injury. However, Tosafos cite the view of Rabbeinu Chaim Cohen that
the loss of income is calculated as part of the nezek payment, since the animal is
worth less on the market due to its inability to work now. Shulchan Aruch and
Rema rule in accordance with the opinion that exempts, but the Shach considers
the issue an unresolved dispute (sefeika d’dina). Nevertheless, since the exemption is
rooted in grama, a moral obligation for reimbursement would apparently remain
even according to the view that exempts (C.M. 307:6, 340:2; Shach 307:5, 340:4; Pischei
Choshen, Nezikin 11:6[14]). Moreover, later authorities (Yeshuos Yaakov and Chazon Ish, in
his conclusion) rule – against the simple reading of the Shulchan Aruch – that the
person who injured the animal is liable for impending medical expenses that reduce
the animal’s current value on the market. Similarly, Nesivos writes that if the injury
will not heal without medical intervention, the person who inflicted it is
responsible to pay to restore the animal to its former state just as he would be liable
for repairing any other property damage (Pischei Teshuvah 307:3; Chazon Ish,
B.K. 13:8, 10; Nesivos 340:4). Verdict: There is no direct monetary payment for
ripuy – medical expenses to heal the horse. However, Feivel is liable for the horse’s
loss of value, including loss due to impending medical expenses, and has at least a
moral obligation to pay Yankel for loss of potential income.

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 Redemption via Proxy
By Rabbi Berach Steinfeld Have a topic you want to read about? Email berachsteinfeldscorner@gmail.com

In the beginning of Sefer Bamidbar, Perek Gimmel, posuk mem tes, the Torah
tells us that Moshe took the redemption monies of the bechorim who were higher
in number than the Levi’im. We see that the bechorim did not redeem them. They
had Moshe act as a proxy on their behalf. Moshe, in turn, took the monies & gave
it to Aharon & his sons. Can we learn from this procedure of events that any Pidyon
HaBenmay be done via “shaliach” (proxy)? The Rema in Yoreh Deah, siman shin
heh, seif yud says that a father may not do the mitzvah of pidyon haBen via
shaliach. The Taz, Shach, & Gra all argue with this position and say that the father
may do the pidyon via proxy as long as the money being used belongs to the father.
The above mentioned posuk would seem to be a proof to the ones who hold that
one may redeem a bechor via proxy. The Shailos U’tshuvos of Reb Yehuda Ossad
sees a contradiction between the Rema’s shitta that there is no shlichus and the
posuk that shows us that Moshe was a shaliach. The Panim Yafos explains in his
Sefer Haflaah in Meseches Kesubos, daf ayin daled, amud alef that everyone will
hold that the giving of money as payment may be done via shaliach. We find this
in Gemara Bechoros, daf nun, amud alef when Rav Ashi sent money for payment
to Rav Achi, the son of Rav Huna. The “amirah” (saying) of “Harei bni paduy”
(My should be redeemed) needs to be said by the father himself according to those
who posit that there is no shlichus for Pidyon HaBen. According to this
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differentiation we can understand that Moshe was just a shaliach as far as passing
the money to Aharon, but was not a shaliach to the pidyon itself. There are others
who argue that the first pidyon bechorim was only via the exchange of money &
there was no amirah involved, Moshe was therefore able to be a shaliach. However,
when a Pidyon Haben is done today and an integral part of the pidyon is the amirah
of “Harei bni paduy,” it would not be able to be done via shlichus. This machlokes
would be applicable to the selling of chametz to a goy if the goy has a shaliach to
accept the money on his behalf. We may say that as long as the money is being
given from the Jew to the goy there is no problem of shlichus since there is no
shlichus needed. So long as the transaction of the kinyan is not done via proxy, the
transferring of money may be done. This is a machlokes in the Ktzos and the
Machne Efraim. The Ktzos says there is no shlichus for a goy & therefore the goy
and the yid need to do transaction one on one without a third part involved. The
Machne Efraim disagrees with this position and says that sending money is not a
shlichus, therefore it would work. This would also work the other way as far as the
Kohen making a shaliach to collect the money. May the Kohen appoint another
Kohen or Levi that do not have the mitzvah of Pidyon HaBen to receive the money
on his behalf? If you hold that it is a din shlichus, it would not be permissible since
they are not mechuyav. If you hold that passing the buck, so to speak, is not a din
shlichus, then it would be permissible. Some want to argue and say that since
bechor beheima and bechor adam are mentioned in the same posuk and we know
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that Kohanim and Levi’im are involved in the mitzvah of bechor beheima, they are
part of the mitzvahof pidyon bechorim and therefore are able to be a shaliach for
another Kohen. Pidyon Haben is a mitzvah that can only be fulfilled rarely. How
appropriate it is for the parties themselves to do it! Let us hope that Hashem quickly
redeems us, Klal Yisroel, Hashem’s first born, in our day.
NEXT WEEK IN JEWISH HISTORY
10 Av - 586 B.C.E.: Eliahu Hanavi went up to heaven one day after Shabbat Nachamu
10 Av 3335 - 426 B.C.E.- Yechezkel HaNavi delivered a nevuah (prophecy) to the Jewish
elders and awakened Bnei Yisroel to Teshuvah.
10 Av - 3828 - 68 C.E. or 3830 - 70 C.E.: Second Beis HaMikdash continued to burn,
from fire started the afternoon before by the Romans. For this reason, some of the mourning
practices of the "Nine Days" are observed through the morning hours of 10 Av.
10 Av 5066 - 1306: King Phillip IV arrested and deported all the Jews from France
(They came back nine years later.)
10 Av - July 7, 1320: Les Pastoureaux, crusaders against the Muslims, killed 400 Jews in
Jaca, French Basque, Hy"d.
10 Av 5118 - 1358: Hundreds of Jews of Catalonia (northeast Spain) were murdered, Hy"d.
10 Av 5252 - August 3, 1492: Christopher Columbus left Spain for the new world with a
three-ship convoy. Many Jews were on board.

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10 Av 5257 - 1497: 6 years after expulsion from Spain, Jews were expelled from
neighboring Portugal. (others 5258 / 1498).
10 Av 5315 - 1555: The Jews of Rome were forced to move into a ghetto.
10 Av 5435 - August 2, 1675: The new Amsterdam synagogue “Talmud Torah” was
inaugurated with great ceremony. Amsterdam had over four thousand Jewish families at
that time. The shul is still in existence today.
10 Av 5435 - August 2, 1675: The new Amsterdam synagogue “Talmud Torah” was
inaugurated with great ceremony. Amsterdam had over four thousand Jewish families at
that time. The shul is still in existence today.
10 Av - 5607 - July 23, 1847: Prussian Jewry granted equality.
10 Av 5665 - August 11, 1905: British Aliens Act, which had a clear anti-Jewish bias,
became the law, a piece of legislation designed to stop or at least slow the influx of Jews
who were fleeing from the pogroms in Eastern Europe at that time. This first introduced
the concept of port controls, operated by immigration officers who would inspect
immigrants upon arrival.
10 Av 5754 - July 18, 1994: With Iranian help, Hezbollah bombs Buenos Aires Argentina,
AMIA Jewish community center in, killing 87 & wounding over 100, Hy"d.
10 Av - 5765 - August 15, 2005: Expulsion from Gaza 2005. More than 8,500 Jewish
residents were forcefully expelled from their homes in 25 towns and settlements in the
Gaza Strip (including 16 settlements in the flourishing "Gush Katif" belt) and Northern
Shomron in the summer of 2005, as part of the Israeli government's ill-fated

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"Disengagement Plan." Despite mass rallies against the disengagement, and an orange-
ribbon campaign, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon implemented the plan with the hope of
reducing security concerns and defusing the demographic problem of Gaza's 1.5 million
Arabs. Av 10 was the deadline set by the governments for all Jews to leave their homes in
these areas. Two days later, tens of thousands of soldiers and police officers began the
forceful removal of the thousands who refused to leave willingly. The removal of all Jewish
residents from Gush Katif and the Gaza Strip was completed by Av 17, and from Northern
Samaria a day later. The army completed its withdrawal from these areas on the 8th of Elul,
after bulldozing all the hundreds of homes and civic buildings in the settlements. The
Jewish dead were disinterred and removed from the cemeteries. Only the synagogues were
left standing. The government's hopes that the "disengagement" would open "new
opportunities" in relations with the Palestinian Arabs were bitterly disappointed. No sooner
had the last Israeli soldiers departed from the Gaza Strip that Arab mobs began looting,
desecrating and tourching the synagogues. The vacated settlements became the staging
grounds for terrorist attacks against Israel, including the unremitting rocket fire on the
nearby Israeli town of Sderot and the cities and settlements of the Western Negev.
11 Av - 388 C.E.: A shul located in Callinicum on the Euphrates was looted and burned
by Church officials. St. Ambrose, one of the four Latin doctors of the Catholic church,
defended the action. He reprimanded Roman Emperor Theodosius the Great for ordering
the local Bishop to pay restitution, even though expropriation was illegal under Roman
law. St. Ambrose offered to burn the shul in Milan on his own.
11 Av - 636: Arabs wrested control of most of Eretz Yisrael from the Byzantines.

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11 Av 5024 - 1264: Anti-Jewish riots erupted in Arnstadt, Germany.
11 Av 5120 - 1360-Anti-Jewish riots erupted in Breslau (now Wroclaw), Poland. Many
Jews were killed, Hy"d, and the rest were expelled. See 3 Av.
11 Av 5365 - July 26, 1605: Date of a letter written by a Jesuit Missionary traveling
through China describing his meetings with Ai T’ien, a Chinese Jewish teacher. Most of
what we know regarding the old Kaifeng Jewish community is from this correspondence.
11 Av 5493 - July 23, 1733- Commemorating the defeat of the Persian army under Nadir
Kuli, at Kirkuk, by the Ottomans who forced them to flee in disorder, the Jews of Baghdad
established a Purim.
11 Av 5508 - August 5, 1748: Empress Maria Theresa revokes Bohemian Jews Expulsion.
11 Av 5556 - August 15, 1796:The Common Council of New York City revoked the
license of a non-Jewish butcher for affixing Jewish seals to non-kosher meat. This is the
earliest act of legal intervention in protection of kashrut.
11 Av 5557 - August 3, 1797: Emperor of Bohemia ordered that Jews who volunteered for
army service should be allowed to marry outside the restricted quota of marriage of Jews.
11 Av 5708 - August 16, 1948: Israeli currency became legal tender.
11 Av 5708 - August 16, 1948: Israeli War of Independence & siege of Yerushalayim,
Arabs blew up Latrun pumping station, cutting off Yerushalayim water supply.
12 Av 5023 - 1263: By order of King James I of Aragon (Spain), Nachmanides (Rav Moshe
ben Nachman, the Ramban, 1194-1270) was compelled to participate in a public debate,
held in the king's presence, against the Jewish apostate (convert to Christianity), Pablo
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Christiani. The ramban's brilliant defense of Judaism and refutations of Christianity's and
the apostate's claims served as the basis of many such future disputations through the
generations. Because his victory was an insult to the king's religion, the Ramban was forced
to flee Spain. At age 72, he ultimately settled in Yerushalayim, where he found just a
handful of Jewish families living in abject poverty, and he did everything in his power to
revive the floundering Jewish community. The synagogue he built in the Old City is still
in use today, and is perhaps the oldest standing synagogue in the world.
12 Av 5720 - 1510: 38 Jews were burned at the stake in Berlin, Hy'd.
12 Av 5678 - July 21, 1918: Russian govt removes ban on Hebrew & Yiddish periodicals.
12 Av 5704 - August 1, 1944: The Russian army liberated the city of Kovno, Lithuania.
12 Av 5704 - August 1, 1944: Three hundred Jews, who had walked from the Lublin
murder camp to Kielce, Poland were deported to Auschwitz. Upon arrival at their
destination, 200 of them were immediately gassed, Hy"d.
13 Av 5058 - 1298: The Jews of Wurzburg, Germany were massacred. Hy'd.
13 Av - 1488: 16 Jews were burned at the stake in Barcelona, Hy'd.
13 Av 5704 - August 2, 1944: Handful of Jewish survivors of the Kovno Ghetto - including
Rav Efrayim Oshri, author of Responsa from the Holocaust - emerged from hiding.
13 Av 5704 - August 2, 1944: A transport with 222 Jews left Verona, Italy for Auschwitz.
13 Av 5711 - August 15, 1951: French Marshal Henri Petain died. Head of the Vichi
government during Nazi rule, Petain went on trial charged with treason. He was condemned
to death but his sentence was commuted and he died in prison.
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13 Av 5758 - August 5, 1998: Death of Harel Oz Ben-Nun and Shneur Zalman Liebman,
students of Yeshiva Od Yosef Chai in Yitzhar, murdered al-kiddush-Hashem by
Palestinian terrorists, Hy"d.
14 Av 4396 - 636 C.E.: Arabs took control of Eretz Yisrael from the Byzantines.
14 Av - August 4, 1278: Jews were ordered to attend conversion sermons, delivered by
christians, according to an edict issued by Pope Nicholas III.
14 Av - 1298: The Jews of Bischofsheim, Germany were massacred by Rindfleisch troops,
Hy"d. Rindfleisch was a German knight who was unable to repay a loan to the Jewish
community, so he concocted a slander and claimed to have received a mission from heaven
to exterminate "the accursed race of the Jews." Rindfleisch stirred up a mob, & his band of
his Juden-schachter's (Jew-slaughterers) marched through Austria and Germany, from city
to city, pillaging, burning, & murdering Jews along the way (except those who accepted
Christianity). Within 6 months, thousands of Jews were murdered (many were burned at
the stake) & 146 Jewish communities were decimated. Rav Mordechai ben Hillel (1240-
1298), author of the Mordechai commentary on Talmud, & his entire family were among
those murdered. The Jews of Germany, having repeatedly rebuilt their communities after
such attacks, lost heart, & many migrated to the Land of Israel (then under Islamic rule).
Rav Asher Ben Yechiel, a great sage known as the Rosh, survived the Rindfleisch
massacres and moved to Spain. Rindfleisch was later arrested & hanged, & the cities in
which Jews had been killed were required to pay fines.
14 Av 5701 - August 7, 1941: Nazis murdere 407 Jews of Zhitomir (western Ukraine), Hy'd.
14 Av 5702 - July 28, 1942: Nazi S.S. murder 10,000 Jews in ghetto of Minsk, Byelorussia. Hy'd.
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15 Av (Tu B'Av) The Mishna in Masechet Taanit (Perek 4, Mishnah 8) enumerates a
number of significant events that occured on this day:
1) In 2488 - 1273 B.C.E. The decree of death for the Dor Hamidbar, the generation that
came out of Mitzrayim under Moshe Rabbeinu's leadership, came to an end after 38 years
of wandering through the wilderness; when no more died after this day.
2) "The Day of the Breaking of the Ax"
In the times of the Beit Hamikdash, the last of the nine wood offerings (cutting of firewood
by prestigious families) for the Mizbeiach was concluded on the 15th of Av. The event was
celebrated with feasting and rejoicing, as is the custom upon the conclusion of a holy
endeavor, and included a ceremonial breaking of the axes which gave the day its name. .
3) In ancient Israel, it was the custom that on the 15th of Av "the daughters of Yerushalayim
would go out in borrowed linen garments (so as not to embarrass those without beautiful
clothes of their own)... and dance in the vineyards" and "whoever did not have a wife would
go there" to find himself a bride (Talmud, Taanit 31a).
4) In 2504 - 1257 B.C.E. The requirement that daughters had to marry only within their
shevet / tribe was lifted once the shevatim were settled in Eretz Yisrael. This restriction
was in place in order to ensure the orderly division of Eretz Yisroel.
5) In 2533 - 1228 B.C.E., Shevet Binyamin, (which had been excommunicated for its
behavior in the incident of the Pilegesh B' Giv'ah) was readmitted into the community of
Israel (as related in Shoftim 19-21). The decree had prohibited girls from marrying any
man from Shevet Binyamin. The event occurred during the judgeship of Othniel ben Knaz.
6) In 3187 - 574 B.C.E. Hoshea ben Eilah, the last king of the Northern Kingdom, removed
the roadblocks installed by Yeravam ben Nevat, ruler of the breakaway Northern Kingdom
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of Israel, which had prevented the Jews of Israel from making the thrice-yearly pilgrimage
to the Beis HaMikdash in Yerushalayim, (capital of the Southern Kingdom of Judea) for
more than 200 years.
7) In 3908 - 148 C.E., The Romans finally permitted the Jews to bury Bar Kochba's
supporters who had fallen at Beitar, (the last holdout of the Bar Kochba rebellion), after 15
years in which their remains were left scattered on the battlefield.
After the Romans destroy the 2nd Beis HaMikdash, emperor Hadrian planned to transform
Yerushalayim into a pagan city-state with a shrine to Jupiter on the site of the Beit
HaMikdash. This led to the great Jewish revolt of Simon Bar Kosiba (Bar Kochba), whose
guerilla army succeeded in actually throwing the Romans out of Eretz Yisrael &
establishing, albeit for a brief period, an independent Jewish state. It required large
numbers of Roman troops to crush the revolt. Bar Kochba made his final stand in the city
of Beitar, southwest of Yerushalayim. It was estimated that hundreds of thousands of Jews
lived in Beitar, & they were all massacred "until their blood flowed into the Mediterranean
Sea." Further, the Romans did not allow the Jewish bodies to be buried. In commemoration
an additional bracha HaTov VehaMeitiv was added to Birchas HaMazon of this event.
15 Av 4972 - 1212: The power of the Almohads, a fanatic anti-Jewish Muslim sect in
Spain, was broken in battle.
15 Av - 1541: Jews of Great Poland were authorized to elect a Chief Rabbi.
15 Av 5446 - August 5, 1686: Jews of Cochin, India, received a large shipment of sifrei
Torah and other tashmishei kedushah (Judaica) from Amsterdam. The day was celebrated
annually as a Yom Tov.

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15 Av 5618 - July 26, 1858: Baron Lionel de Rothschild became the first Jew to serve in
the British Parliament after a new version of the oath of office was agreed upon containing
no reference to Christianity.
15 Av 5642 - July 31, 1882: Rishon Letzion was founded by a group of 10 families. Later
that year, Baron Edmond de Rothschild, in response to the Russian pogroms and a plea by
Rav Samuel Mohilever, agreed to help the new moshav. The settlement marked the
beginning of the secular aliyah to Eretz Yisrael, more than 70 years after the arrival of the
talmidim of the Baal Shem Tov and the Vilna Gaon.
15 Av 5702 - July 29, 1942: A secret religious youth center, Tiferet Bachurim, was opened
in the Kovno ghetto.
16 Av 5706 - August 13, 1946: The British government ordered all illegal immigrants
bound for Palestine to be deported to camps on the island of Cyprus. According to the terms
of the British White Paper of 1939, immigration to Palestine was limited to 75,000 Jews
over a period of 10 years. Following the end of World War II, many Holocaust survivors
had nowhere else to go, so they crammed onto old ships bound for the Holy Land. Some
ships succeeded in slipping through the British naval blockade and unloading their human
cargo on desolate beaches. Several ships sank in tragic circumstances. Other ships were
apprehended and the passengers sent to British detention camps -- complete with barbed
wire, military towers and guards. The Exodus is the most famous immigrant ship from this
era. Today, one of the ships, the Af-Al-Pi ("in spite of it all"), stands in a museum in Haifa.

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 ISRAEL NEWS SHTIGLITZ
McDonald's Purchase of Israeli Marketing Firm Is Yielding Results - In March,
McDonald's bought Israeli AI marketing-tech firm Dynamic Yield for $300 million, its
biggest acquisition in decades, to boost intelligent personalization initiatives with
customized drive-thru digital displays. It has been rolled out to over 700 drive-thru
locations in the U.S. for over two months. "We're already seeing an increase in the average
check by improving our ability to offer customers what they are likely to want, with
suggestions based on time of day, weather, and items already in a customer's order,"
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Salesforce Buys Israeli Firm Clicksoftware for $1.35 Billion - U.S. customer
relationship management tech giant Salesforce that it will acquire Israeli field service
software company Clicksoftware for $1.35 billion. Clicksoftware has 200 employees in
Israel, develops logistical management systems for customer service and technical support.
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Israel's Amos 17 Communications Satellite Launched into Space - Nearly 3 years after
Amos 6 was destroyed on the launch pad when SpaceX's rocket exploded, the SpaceX
Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched Spacecom's Amos 17 communications satellite on
Tuesday. The satellite was built by Boeing and will be located above Africa to enable
satellite TV and Internet broadcasts throughout the continent.
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Hamas Bomb Plot in Jerusalem Foiled - The Israel Security Agency thwarted a major
Hamas terror attack in Jerusalem after an explosive charge ready for use & laboratory were
uncovered in Hebron. Cell members planning the attack was operating under the direction
of Hamas in Gaza were instructed to establish teams to carrying out kidnapping, shooting
& stabbing attacks, to purchase weapons & to recruit others to carry out attacks. Tamar
Rajah Rajbi, 22, a student at the Polytechnic College in Hebron, was arrested with an
explosive device with metal attached to cause extensive damage. He was trained to
manufacture explosive devices. Materials were stored at a school next to Rajbi's home.
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Palestinian Who Saved Jewish Kids after Terror Attack Gets Israeli Residency -
Israel's Interior Ministry on Tuesday awarded Israeli residency to a Palestinian man who
saved the children of Rabbi Miki Mark in the aftermath of a deadly terror attack in the West
Bank on July 1, 2016. The Palestinian rescuer and his wife helped the surviving members
of the Mark family escape their overturned vehicle and administered first aid. The
Palestinian man then received death threats in his home town.
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Israel Working on System to Counter Hypersonic Missiles - The successful testing of
the Arrow-3 missile defense system in Alaska last week proves Israel's ability to destroy a
ballistic missile from Iran armed with a nuclear warhead. And it works not just against
Iranian missiles. Any missiles fired at Israel from around the world could be brought down

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if Iran's atomic aspirations lead to nuclear proliferation. Hypersonic missiles, which travel
at five times the speed of sound, are now being developed that existing missile interception
systems are not capable of stopping. Israel is working on a new system to counter the next
generation of hypersonic missiles. It is also working on a laser defense system to destroy
multiple targets within minutes.
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IDF Discovers Pipe Bomb before Arrival of 1,200 Jewish Worshipers at Joseph's
Tomb - IDF forces found a pipe bomb near Joseph's Tomb before the arrival of 1,200
Jewish worshipers to the compound in Nablus. As the worshipers entered the tomb,
Palestinian rioters burned tires and threw stones at IDF forces, who responded with riot
dispersal means.
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Hear Ye, Hear Ye...

Moishe was showing off her new hearing aid. He said to his
friend Sam, "I bought a hearing aid yesterday – it cost me $2000!"
Sam said, "That's expensive, isn't it?" Moishe replied, "Yes, but it's
state of the art." "What kind is it?" Sam asked. "A quarter to twelve,"
replied Moishe.”

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