Teaneck, NJ - Rabbi Dr. Abraham Twerski Shares Timely Thoughts on Gilad Shalit's Release |
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Teaneck, NJ - The 20th of Tishrei, the day of Gilad Shalit’s release from captivity, is a day of mixed emotions. Our hearts throb with joy for the Shalit family, and we wish them much nachas forever and ever. Yet, our hearts also bleed for the families who lost loved ones at the hands of the ruthless killers who are being released, whose wounds are reopened.
We also live in dread of the actions of these vicious murderers, who have no value whatever for human life. We will increase our alertness and reinforce our security to the maximum. We will also pray fervently for Hashem’s mercy and protection.
When the horrible Chmelniecky massacres occurred in 1648, Rabbi Yomtov Lipman Heller, author of Tosafos Yomtov, said that this was a punishment for the sin of conversing in the synagogue during prayers and the Torah reading. Although there were some Jews who did not observe the Sabbath or kashrus, Rabbi Heller did not implicate these grave sins as the reason for the massacre, but rather the insult and affront to Hashem of conversing during prayers.
Unfortunately, this grave sin is still too often violated. We need every bit of Divine protection we can get. Is it too great a sacrifice to refrain from conversing in the synagogue, knowing that by committing this sin we are removing Divine protection and jeopardizing the lives of Jews everywhere, but especially in the Holy Land?
Please! Keep this in mind when you attend services. The protective shield for yourself, your loved ones and your fellow Jews is in your hands.
Dr. Twerski, is a noted ordained rabbi, and the author of more than 60 books.
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Read Comments (18) — Post Yours »
2
Oct 19, 2011 at 04:19 PM BoruchN Says:Report as Inappropriate
Arabs (There are no 'Palestinians') revolt because of 'kelipos Ishmael.'
Israel was not important to them until the sec. Zionists got it.
Even if all the Jews would leave the Arabs again would show no interest in Israel. When they pray they face Mecca. Not one Arab leader, over the past 150 years even visited Israel.
The Arabs want Israel and riot because the Jews have it.
3
Oct 19, 2011 at 04:00 PM FredE Says:Report as Inappropriate
To #1. By "revolt", do you mean bomb cafes and pizza parlors? Oh, yeah, thats "resistance", so its ok. BTW, the Ukranians historically didn't need much of a reason to kill Jews, no matter what their political situation happened to be.
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Oct 19, 2011 at 04:30 PM Anonymous Says:Report as Inappropriate
Nice to hear from our NK friends.
5
Oct 19, 2011 at 04:41 PM esther Says:Report as Inappropriate
you sound like an abused wife who blames herself for the abuse.please seek help.
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Oct 19, 2011 at 04:56 PM Wannabe Says:Report as Inappropriate
How does it feel to be an apologist for murderers? What's your excuse for the arab massacres in the 1920's?! What's your excuse for the nazi genocide of Jews?! Apologists like you are almost as bad as the people who commit the actual crimes. Shame on you!
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Oct 19, 2011 at 05:09 PM Tranqui Says:Report as Inappropriate
#1 If you start looking for explanations, it seems to me you missed the point. The very important message R Twersky is saying is "we should take steps to better ourselves". Everything is byide shamayim
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Oct 19, 2011 at 05:16 PM woofer Says:Report as Inappropriate
While talking in shul is an issue, how does Twersky get from Gilad Shalit to talking in shul???? Maybe we should all be more stringent with kashrut? Or taharat hamishpacha? Or chalav yisrael? Or we should check our mezuzahs? Or maybe one of us has a defect in his bris milah?
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Oct 19, 2011 at 11:16 PM Anonymous Says:Report as Inappropriate
absolute nonsense. did you ever think why jordan refuses to take in the palestinians. and what they tried to do in jordan, or lebanon. or to the US marines in lebanon. have you forgoteen all this and plus, why does every arab nation not want them in their turf?? they are having an easy life with the israelis. its not thier land, they get loads of money via force from world orgs on israel, and each time they want more concessions they cause havoc, let the world see one palestinian is dead, wail and beat their chests and the whole world pours in money to them and their weapons. please wake up. they have no respect for women or children.
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Oct 22, 2011 at 07:37 PM Anonymous Says:Report as Inappropriate
These rabbonim may be great talmidei chachamim (and Twerski definitely so) but when they claim to know WHY the Ebeshter did or did not do somthing and what specific avayrah triggers a specific outcome (e.g. talking during davening poses existensial threats to the security of EY) you have to believe that they maybe started making kiddush early and frequently.
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Oct 22, 2011 at 08:23 PM Anonymous Says:Report as Inappropriate
“ To #1. By "revolt", do you mean bomb cafes and pizza parlors? Oh, yeah, thats "resistance", so its ok. BTW, the Ukranians historically didn't need much of a reason to kill Jews, no matter what their political situation happened to be. ”
Strange you should say that. If you want the Palestinians to fight normally, give them F16s and helicopter gunships. Do you know how the partisans blew up cafes and passenger trains and you would consider them heroes!
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Oct 22, 2011 at 08:03 PM clear-thinker Says:Report as Inappropriate
Right you are. It is the Zionists fault. Infact, all the problems can be traced back to Zionism. Stalin killed Jews because of Zionists. Hitler killed Jews because of zionists, or is it your revisionist history that Zionists helped Hitler? Infact reading the Torah today it became abundently clear that if it weren't for the Zionists Chava wouldn't have been tempted.
You and your ilk are truly lovers of klal yisroel.
13
Oct 22, 2011 at 09:35 PM bored Says:Report as Inappropriate
Why don't we ask Yehuda Levin why this is happening. I can't imagine what he would say.
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Oct 22, 2011 at 09:47 PM Anonymous Says:Report as Inappropriate
“ These rabbonim may be great talmidei chachamim (and Twerski definitely so) but when they claim to know WHY the Ebeshter did or did not do somthing and what specific avayrah triggers a specific outcome (e.g. talking during davening poses existensial threats to the security of EY) you have to believe that they maybe started making kiddush early and frequently. ”
Excuse me, but one must question your literacy here. Twerski never stated that talking in shul is the reason for anything. He simply quoted the Tosfos Yom Tov who responded to a tragedy by guiding the community to be more careful about kavod for tefiloh and the Beis Haknesses. If the TY"T stated more, that would have been ok, as tzaddikim have an inside line. Twerski was careful to NOT say that. He just invoked the suggestion of the Tosfos Yom Tov. If you wish to accept on yourself any other stringency, whether in halacha, minhag, or chumroh, go right ahead. We should always be looking for ways to improve our avodas hashem, both as individuals and as a community.
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Oct 23, 2011 at 12:36 AM Goodjew Says:Report as Inappropriate
Silly people, Rabbi Twerski didn't say why bad things happened. He only sad that we shouldn't talk in shul. Rabbi Twerski is known as a big tzadik which helped thousands of people so how can u be so disrespectful?
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Oct 23, 2011 at 09:01 AM Anonymous Says:Report as Inappropriate
“ Right you are. It is the Zionists fault. Infact, all the problems can be traced back to Zionism. Stalin killed Jews because of Zionists. Hitler killed Jews because of zionists, or is it your revisionist history that Zionists helped Hitler? Infact reading the Torah today it became abundently clear that if it weren't for the Zionists Chava wouldn't have been tempted.
You and your ilk are truly lovers of klal yisroel. ”
Why are you so childish? We suffer because of our sins of abandoning Hashem. That is what Zionism is all about. Leaving Hashem for the worship of nationalism and a State, even by frum Jews!
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Oct 23, 2011 at 01:57 PM He Has - Up_Side_Down thinking Says:Report as Inappropriate
The Lubavitcher Rebbe made it abundantly clear that negotiating with Arabs to give them Land or other concessions, it precisely what causes the Arabs to Kill Jews.
It's Plain and Simple:
There is DIRECT cause and effect relationship -
and the Lubavitcher Rebbe has been proven right on this point, (ufortunately,) over and over again.
What Rabbi Twersky is doing here, is like saying: - If you let children play with matches, which inevitably causes a fire, then would he say that the reason for the fire is not the guilt of the adults who let them play with matches but because of Talking in Shull during Davening??????????
Every negotiation with terrorist and giving away of land or other potential concessions is not just "playing with fire" but 100% G U A R A N T E E D to cost Jewish lives, Chas Vesholom.
It's time that we face up to this reality, rather than have an Ostrich stick his head in the sand searching for "spiritual reasons" why children playing with matches causes a fire.
When someone has a heart attack Chas Vesholom THE ANSWER is to call Hatzalah rather than to run to shull, 'INSTEAD' and ask everyone to stop talking during davening.
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Oct 23, 2011 at 04:56 PM clear-thinker Says:Report as Inappropriate
“ Why are you so childish? We suffer because of our sins of abandoning Hashem. That is what Zionism is all about. Leaving Hashem for the worship of nationalism and a State, even by frum Jews! ”
Being childish is the biggest insult you can think of? No frum person worships the state nor nationalism. Some might argue that the founding of the state may hasten the coming of the moschiach. I will not get into an argument on this. If you are NK, You abandon Hashem because you do not love the Jewish people. Perhaps we all suffer for this.
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Oct 24, 2011 at 10:50 PM Darth_Zeidah Says:Report as Inappropriate
“ Arabs (There are no 'Palestinians') revolt because of 'kelipos Ishmael.'
Israel was not important to them until the sec. Zionists got it.
Even if all the Jews would leave the Arabs again would show no interest in Israel. When they pray they face Mecca. Not one Arab leader, over the past 150 years even visited Israel.
The Arabs want Israel and riot because the Jews have it. ”
"Not one Arab leader, over the past 150 years even visited Israel."
The late King Hussein of Jordan was a regular (albeit often secret) visitor to Israel, even before the 1994 peace treaty was signed.
Hussein's grandfather, King Abdullah, conducted confidential discussions with Golda Meir before the establishment of the State of Israel, both in EY and in Jordan.
And as King Abdullah was assassinated on Har HaBayit it definitely is untrue to assert that "not one Arab leader, over the past 150 years even visited Israel".