Shabbat

Portion of Shmini in Israel - Crossing the BLACK Sea? Not the RED sea?

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קטגוריה: Parashat Hashavua
פורסם בשישי, 27 נובמבר 2020 11:09
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Passover 7th Day Torah, and
Portion of Shmini in Israel - Crossing the BLACK Sea?  Not the RED sea?
 
Just to remind everyone – In Israel the 7 days of Pasosver end tomorrow Friday – while in the Diaspora the EIGHT days of Passover end after sundown Saturday night.
 
In Israel we read the Portion Shemini on Saturday while in the Diaspora the Torah reading is for the Eighth Day of Passover!
 
So why the difference? I won't answer it directly but I paraphrase a "vort" – Torah explanation - from Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, and a part of recent Jewish History.
 
What's with the Russian Jews – in Israel and the Diaspora? Liked? Disliked? Successful tycoons and/or thousands of people who took assistance years ago?
 
The 7th day of Passover is the anniversary of Israelites' crossing the RED Sea.
 
You know how the lakes in Yosemite are drying up?
Other big water reserves are also drying up!
And what about Tsunamis that hange things?
 
Do you want to believe that Israel escaped across the Red Sea from Pharoah?
Can you sea (not a spelling mistake) today
how the Russian Jews who fled the modern Pahroahs-
Across the BLACK Sea – are another MIRACLE?
 
Don't want to believe in miracles?
Don't want to believe in history?
Find it hard to believe in G-d?
 
Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach explained a Rashi commentary according to the Ishbitzer Hassidic tradition:
 
JETHRO (Moses' father in law) came to the desert to meet with Moses –
and CONVERTED to Judaism – when he heard that the RED Sea split
and the Israelites were SAVED from his former buddy-and-boss Pharoah.
 
And later on his descendants (who became part of us) helped save the Israelites
(remember Moses married one of Jethros 7 daughters – so
The at least some of the others also probably converted …)
 
Here's another thing.
Many of the Russian immigrants (in Israel and elsewhere) are half-Jews –
With one parent Jewish by Halacha (Jewish Law) and the other not-
Yet many are officially converting.
The Israeli papers had a story last week of a Russian immigrant married to a Jewish woman who was ill – and all his past 30 years here in Israel he wanted to become an official Jew – but the trouble of making a living made the effort of going through the course with the Israeli Rabbinate too lengthy.
 
So he decided to convert officially – and the Rabbinate here helped him.
 
In the portion of Shemini 2 pf the 4 sons of Aron "offered a strange fire" on the altar – and expired. There are many possible explanations given –
 
But maybe (according to a Kabbalistic Explanation) they thought "it was done"-
There would be no more changes no more miracles and no more trials for Israel
 
So they just brought fire to the altar –
but the REAL fire had to come from HEAVEN
like all the miracles come to the world.
 
So may we be blessed to believe in miracles to sea miracles to love miracles –
And to be a part of the miracle of Israel Judaism and the Jewish People.
 
Happy Holiday and Shabbat Shalom
 
Rabbi Andy Eichenholz