Today is the 5th day of Iyar, 5771/20 days of Omer (2 weeks, 6 days)

The total number of soldiers and security personnel who fell since the War of Independence is 20,424.

The total, including those who fell in the struggle for the State before 1948 is 22,867.

This number includes disabled IDF veterans who later died from their wounds and non-IDF personnel who fell in the line of duty.

183 soldiers were killed since last Yom Hazikaron – 5771.

On This Day, We Honor The Memory of the Young Men & Women Who Gave Their Lives For The Creation And Security of The Jewish State.

Names and faces, of some of the young Israeli soldiers that fell in the last war in Lebanon, z”l http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2XkzTPhQvo&feature=related

SHIR LAMAALOT, images of operation cast lead in Gaza Strip (2008-2009) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aR_ux9Z90A&feature=related

See our program here: http://www.kanissanews.com/yomhaatzmaut63.pdf

A VERY SPECIAL HATIKVA: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syUSmEbGLs4&feature=related

Rabbi Yosef Bitton. YMJC | 130 Steamboat Rd. | Great Neck | NY | 11024

Today is the 2nd day of Iyar, 5771/ 17 days of Omer (2 weeks, 3 days)

This coming Sunday night we will commemorate Yom haZikaron, Israel’s Memorial Day. The day in which the citizens of Israel and the Jews all over the world remember the fallen soldiers, those who sacrificed their lives so we can have a Jewish State: Medinat Israel.

The day is dedicated to honor the memories of more than 22,000 young soldiers who died since the Independence war in 1948 until today. They were our heroes, and as Nathan Alterman called them: “The silver platter on which the State of Israel was given to us”

Read his beautiful poem here: http://zionism-israel.com/hdoc/Silver_Platter.htm

In Israel, thousands of people, attend cemeteries to mourn their children, grandchildren, parents, and grandparents who fell on the wars. Har Hertzl, in Yerushalaim, the most important military cemetery, is where most of the official ceremonies take place.

Most Israelis would spend the rest of the day at home watching on Israeli TV the short movies prepared especially for the occasion in which they show the lives, the bravery and heroism of the fallen soldiers, especially those who perished this year. We present here one short movie about Roi Klein, z’l. http://www.aish.com/h/imd/Heroes_of_Israel_Roi_Klein.html

Yom haZikaron ends Monday evening, and that same night we start the celebrations of Yom haAtzmaut, Israel independence day. To me it has always been an emotionally impossible transition: from the deepest pain to the highest happiness. But I think that this transition captures the essence of our times: honoring our fallen soldiers with sadness and respect, but honoring them, mainly, celebrating the triumph of their ultimate cause.

Shabbat Shalom!!!!

Candle lighting in NYC: 7:37 PM

DON’T MISS the commemoration of Yom haZikaron in our community.

This Sunday night, May 8th, at 7:30 PM in YMJC (130 Steamboat Road).

We will have a VERY SPECIAL and famous guest Speaker:

Dr. Mordechai Kedar.

Watch Mordechai Kedar’s famous remarks in Aljazeera TV, a very rare interview (the
only one I know so far!) Aljazeera had with a Pro-Israel Israeli scholar.

Watch what happens when someone with bravery and enough knowledge about Koran, Islam
and our rights to Israel, FINALLY says the truth!!!

Enjoy this amazing video!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHpMhAzj-Tk

Rabbi Yosef Bitton. YMJC | 130 Steamboat Rd. | Great Neck | NY | 11024

Today is the 30th day of Nisan, 5771 ROSH CHODESH IYAR 15 days of Omer (2 weeks, 1 day)

“Whereas the sun is the symbol of unchanging nature, rising in the east, setting in the west, day in and day out every day of the year, the moon changes and it seems to be telling us something: You can be small and you can diminish until you almost disappear, but then, when things look their darkest, hope springs eternal. You can start looking up again. You can change a situation and yourself for the better, no matter how bad it seems. Nothing is static or set in stone. Human beings have free will and therein is their power of renewal — an ever-present struggle against the steady, cyclical, repetitive and predictable march of time and nature.

The solar system determines the year, in Hebrew “shana,” which comes from the same root as “to repeat, to go over,” whereas the moon sets the months, “Chodesh” from the Hebrew root “chadash,” — new, change, different.

The Jewish people are compared to the moon. Though they are small, and suffering has been an integral part of their history among the nations, the Jew knows never to give up. As an individual and as a nation, he will rise up again and light up the night”.

Rabbi Yosef Bitton. YMJC | 130 Steamboat Rd. | Great Neck | NY | 11024

Today is the 29th day of Nisan, 5771, 14 days of Omer (2 weeks)

Rabbi Yosef Bitton. YMJC | 130 Steamboat Rd. | Great Neck | NY | 11024

Today is the 7th day of Adar I, 5771

As we’ve explained, every melakha includes also similar operations. But it is a little tricky to establish (or knowing) what is included and what not, within the principles of each melakha.

In the case of ‘threshing’, it includes all actions where ‘food’ is intentionally extracted from its natural inedible container.

A few examples:

Squeezing a fruit on Shabbat is forbidden. We can not make orange juice, either by hand, or by a juice squeezer. But lemon is considered an exception, because is only used as juice. So, it is permitted to squeeze lemons by hand for lemonade, salad dressing, etc.

It is forbidden to ‘melt’ snow on Shabbat when the intention is drinking the water. That will be an action similar to extracting juice from a fruit. However (if needed) it is permitted, to apply melting salt on snow or ice on Shabbat, because we don’t need the water, we just need to get rid of the snow. (Yalkqut Yosef, Shabbat 3, 358).

It is also permitted to use ice on a drink, because the melting happens by itself, there is no ‘extraction’.

Shabbat Shalom!!!

Candle ligting in NYC: 5:07

Shabbat ends in NYC: 6:16

Dear readers.

Halakha of the Day will be momentarily suspended. It will resume B’H in a few weeks.

For websites with daily Shiurim or Halakhot, check the mega portal:

http://www.babakama.co.il/en/

Rabbi Yosef Bitton. YMJC | 130 Steamboat Rd. | Great Neck | NY | 11024

Today is the 5th day of Adar I, 5771

The general Sephardic Minhag (tradition, custom) is to wait six hours between meat and dairy. This rule applies equally after eating red or white meat.

If necessary, one could be lenient with a child, especially an infant, and allow him or her to have milk or dairy one or two hours after eating meat (R. Obadia Yosef).

There are other Minhaguim (traditions) which indicate that the waiting period between meat and milk is 3 or 4 hours. This is mainly the Ashkenazi custom as well as the tradition of some families in our Mashadi community. The general rule in Minhaguim is that everyone should follow the custom of his parents and families, and also be respectful of other’s Minhaguim.

On a similar note, the general Sephardic Minhag is not requiring a waiting period from dairy to meat. After eating dairy you 1. wash your hands, 2. wash your mouth or drink water or soda, and 3. eat a solid Parve food (such as bread or a fruit etc) before eating meat. Many families in our community, however, still hold the Minhag to wait three hours after eating dairy before eating meat, especially after eating hard cheese.

Rabbi Yosef Bitton. YMJC | 130 Steamboat Rd. | Great Neck | NY | 11024

Today is the 3rd day of Adar I, 5771

Although the Kaddish is recited during the first eleven months following the death of one’s parent or after the decease of other relatives, there is no reference, no one word even, about death in this prayer (with the exception of the Burial Kaddish, -a.k.a. dehu atid- which is said only at the time of burial and on Tisha beAv.).

The theme of Kaddish is, rather, the Greatness of God, Who conducts the entire universe, and especially each individual human being, with careful supervision.

In this prayer, we also pray for peace – from the only One Who can guarantee it – peace between nations, peace between individuals, and peace of mind.

Praising God, having Him in mind is paradoxically the only true comfort in the case of the loss of a loved one. That is, to be able to view the passing of the beloved individual from the perspective that that person’s soul was gathered in, so to speak, by the One Who had provided it in the first place.

As Beruriah, the wise wife of Rabbi Meir, consoled her husband, upon the death of their two sons, with words to this effect, “A soul is comparable to an object which was given to us – to each individual, to his or her parents and loved ones, to guard and watch over for a limited time. When the time comes for the object to be returned to its rightful owner, should we not be willing to return it? With regard to our sons, let us therefore consider the matter as ‘The Lord gave it, and the Lord took it back, may the Name of the Lord be Blessed for ever and ever!’

LeYilui Nishmat: CHANUKA BAR YTZCHAK

Rabbi Yosef Bitton. YMJC | 130 Steamboat Rd. | Great Neck | NY | 11024

Today is the 30th day of Shebat (Rosh Chodesh Adar), 5771

The traditional custom is to light two candles, one representing Shamor and the other one representing Zakhor.

Shamor and Zakhor are the two versions (like: the ‘two sides’ of the coin) of the first word of the fourth commandment. Shamor means, ‘keeping Shabbat’, in the sense of refraining ourselves from transgressing the Shabbat working or doing any forbidden Melakha (creative tasks, as defined by the Halakha). And Zakhor includes the performance of all positive things we do to honor the Shabbat.

1. Using festive clothing and having special food for Shabbat.

2. Welcoming Shabbat with the Kiddush.

3. Honoring Shabbat when it finishes, ‘accompanying’ its departure by the Habdalah ceremony, same as one would do with an important guest: welcoming him when he comes to our house and accompanying him as he leaves our house.

Although the woman of the house has priority to light Shabbat candles, if she is no home or if she is not able to light the candles, the husband or one adult member of the family could light the candles, and recite the corresponding blessing.

Shabbat Shalom!

Candle lighting in NYC: 4:58 PM

Shabbat Ends in NYC: 6:07 PM

Rabbi Yosef Bitton. YMJC | 130 Steamboat Rd. | Great Neck | NY | 11024

In the Book of Shemot (23, 19) the Torah says: “You shall not cook the calf in its mother milk”.

The Rabbis explained that the prohibition to mix milk with meat does not refer exclusively to the cow’s milk with her calf’s meat, but to any meat of a mammal (cows, goats, sheep) with milk from any other Kosher mammal.

The Torah, explains Maimonides, brought the case of the calf and its mother’s milk because that was the most common “meal” (a palatial meal, actually) done with milk and meat in Biblical times. The Torah presented that case as an illustration of the general rule, not as a specification.

The Rabbis extended the prohibition of milk and meat to any other ‘meat’, including bird’s meat (chicken, turkey, duck) but they excluded fish (fish and meat belongs to a different category) and bird’s eggs.

More about meat and milk, from
www.ou.org: http://www.ou.org/torah/article/mitzvah92

Rabbi Yosef Bitton. YMJC | 130 Steamboat Rd. | Great Neck | NY | 11024

ILLUSTRATION: David, knowing that Josh’s business is in the verge of insolvency, offers to lend him the $10k needed to keep afloat. “You’ll pay me when things get better again” said David to Josh.

David has just fulfilled a great Mitzva. Not only did David help a fellow Jew financially, but he did this without affecting Josh’s dignity. In fact, he prevented Josh from getting to the point that he would need to ask for financial help.

As long as David knows that Josh cannot yet repay the loan, he is forbidden from harassing Josh. The Halakha is that David cannot even “inadvertently” pass by Josh’s place in order to remind him of the loan, if David knows that Josh doesn’t yet have the money.

On the other hand, Josh is forbidden from withholding payment longer than necessary. In other words, if Josh does have the money, it is forbidden for him to unduly delay paying back David.

MUST MUST SEE (and forward to all your friends!):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63hTOaRu7h4

The painful –but simplest- explanation to understand the conflicts in the Middle
East

Rabbi Yosef Bitton. YMJC 130 Steamboat Rd. Great Neck NY 11024