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Parshat Behalotcha No 1676: 16 Sivan 5777 (June 10, 2017)
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WANT TO BECOME A MEMBER? Membership: $50.00
CLICK HERE TO JOIN OR DONATE TO THE RZA Pillar Membership:$180.00
We are in the process of collecting membership dues for 2017.
Please show your support and join as a member or renew your membership at this time.
Religious Zionists of America
305 Seventh Avenue, 12th Floor, New York, NY 10001
office@rza.org, www.rza.org
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Guest Speaker Solly Sacks at
Congregation Adereth El
June 10th
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Yarzheit of Naftali Fraenkel, Eyal Yifrach
and Gil-ad Shaar
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Three years later, our hearts are still broken by the horrific and senseless murder or our three brothers, Naftali Fraenkel, Eyal Yifrach and Gil-ad Shaar. The prayers of the Religious Zionists of America, and all of Israel, are with their parents, families, and friends on this difficult day.
Please have them in your prayers.
"המקום ינחם אתכם בתוך שאר אבלי ציון וירושלים"
“May Hashem comfort them along with all of those who mourn for Zion and Jerusalem.”
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Below are videos to commemorate Naftali, Eyal, and Gil-ad.
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Religious Zionists of America (RZA)
Mega-Yom Yerushalayim Celebration
by Rabbi Gideon Shloush, National Director,
RZA-Mizrachi
"The Religious Zionists of America led an effort that brought more than five hundred people from dozens of communities across the United States to participate in a four day mega-Yom Yerushalayim celebration in Israel on occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Reunification of Jerusalem. The conference which was organized by and run in partnership with World Mizrachi attracted 1200 people from across the globe and thousands more from Israel. The program included a live concert, presentations from leading rabbinic and political figures from both Israel and abroad, an uplifting Leil Yom Yerushalayim T’fillah in the Great Synagogue, an unprecedented and inspiring, unified Shacharit at the Kotel, tours of the Old City and a trip to Chevron and Har HaZeitim."
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New Senate Resolution Commemorating Jerusalem Reunification
by Martin Oliner, Co-President, RZA-Mizrachi
"Religious Zionists of America co-president Martin Oliner commends a group of senators led by Mitch McConnell and Charles Schumer for their resolution that reaffirms the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995. But the RZA questions why in clause 5, Resolution 176 reaffirms that it is the longstanding, bipartisan policy of the United States Government that the permanent status of Jerusalem remains a matter to be decided between the parties through final status negotiations towards a two-state solution.
Clause 5 contradicts the Jerusalem Embassy Relocation Act, which states clearly in its first operative clause that “Jerusalem should remain an undivided city.”
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Fifty Years of United Jerusalem – A Celebration
by Dr. Ernest H. Agatstein, Co-President, RZA-Mizrachi
"My wife and I joined thousands of visitors from around the world in the World Mizrachi Mega Mission held in Jerusalem, May 21-May 24th 2017. It was a once in a lifetime event for those who attended and I wanted to share my experiences with those who could not attend . I gave the Drasha on the first day of Shavous on my return from Jerusalem to our shul Kehilat Yavneh in Hancock Park, California and was asked by many in the audience to put my words into print.
One of the feelings I had in Jerusalem, over the week I was there, was akin to what our ancestors may have felt when making the three times a year Aliya Leregel, visiting the Temple on the three national holidays when Jews from all over the Diaspora would join their countrymen in the land of Israel in celebration. On this mega mission celebrating the 50th anniversary of the re-unification of Yerushalayim under Jewish control after nearly 2000 years of foreign rule, delegations with their rabbis took time off from their work schedules and came from the USA, South Africa, England , Canada , Australia, Mexico and France all for one purpose – to give thanksgiving to Hashem for the miracles of the 6 Day War and to participate with hundreds of thousands of Israeli citizens in their celebration of this special Yom Yerushalayim "
Read the Full Article Here
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Art Contest - Entry Deadline Now Extended Until December 31st!
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Yom Yerushalayim Mega Mission Photos
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Click here to see the photos from the historic Yom Yerushalayim celebration in Israel!
Photos courtesy of World Mizrachi.
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Yom Yerushalayim Honor Roll
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In honor of the 50th anniversary of the reunification of Jerusalem we are so pleased that more than 220 communities participated in the RZA YY Honor Roll. To appreciate the creativity and diversity of Yom Yerushalayim events that took place in Shuls and schools across North America, please click HERE to see sample flyers from participating institutions.
Click Here To See the Full List of Names!
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Show your support of Israel!
Please reply to this email to order your "United with Jerusalem" buttons.
These buttons are perfect to hand out at your events and celebrations.
$36 per 100 buttons.
Please contact our office at
212-465-9234 or office@rza.org
to order!
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Eretz Yisrael in the Torah
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We are pleased to add a new column to our Weekly Emails. Rabbi Moshe Lichtman is a respected author and scholar living in Beit Shemesh who has written extensively about the centrality of the Land of Israel. Each week we plan to include a selection from his Sefer “Eretz Yisrael in the Torah.”
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Dvar Torah from
Rabbi Moshe D. Lichtman
Parshat Behalotcha
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"I don’t think it would be an exaggeration to say that the Jewish nation is currently experiencing its most difficult period in over 25 years. The past few weeks have been simply catastrophic. The question, of course, is what – if anything – can be done about the situation? People on the left say, “Give the Arabs what they want…” People on the right say, “Wage war against them…” I do not suspect that any of my readers espouse the first opinion. But, if we are really honest with ourselves, we must admit that the second option is not so feasible either. The situation is very complex. With world opinion being so influential these days, you can’t just go ahead and wipe out thousands of people, especially “civilians.” I have, therefore, come to the conclusion that the only solution is Divine intervention. (Obviously, this is always true, but this time we are prevented from helping God do His work.) If a clear (or at least a “very hard to explain”) miracle would occur, ridding us of our enemies (like HaShem did to Sancheriv in the days of King Chizkiyah), the world would not be able to “blame” us for the outcome."
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We are pleased to announce a new initiative: Each week, we will (translate and) feature a d’var Torah from a different Rosh Yeshiva of a Dati L’umi Yeshivat Hesder in Israel. Our goal is – until we get there ourselves – to bring Torat Yisrael closer to America.
W
e are also pleased to feature a different Religious Zionist rabbi each week from around the country to share a Dvar Torah.
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Rabbi Michael Aharonav is the Rosh Yeshiva of the Hesder Yeshiva in Maale Efraim, a picturesque yishuv in the hills overlooking the Jordan Valley. The yishuv, founded in 1978 and consists of 750 families derived its name from its location as on the direct path that would be taken from the Jordan River ascending to the tribal land of Efraim.
Moses and the Menorah
"From the words of the sages about the Menorah we learn that this was one of Moses’s most difficult tasks, much harder than building the Tabernacle. The Midrash further tells us that Moses asked Hashem on Mt. Sinai to show him exactly how to fashion the Menorah but forgot as soon as he came down, and that this happened three times. He then had to ask Bezalel for help and was amazed at how easily Bezalel managed to do something that he had found so difficult.
In order to understand this better, let us look at the famous passage from the Talmud, where we find another challenge facing Moses:"
Continue Reading Rabbi Aharonov Here...
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Rabbi Ari Perl
Rabbi of The Jewish Center of Atlantic Beach
Atlantic Beach, NY
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The Prophetic Seal of Religious Zionism
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"The “broad stripes and bright stars” of the American flag may inspire genuine appreciation for the “land of the free and the home of the brave,” but it is the high-flying eagle, with olive branches in one talon and an arsenal of arrows in the other, resolute in its commitment to protect its maxim ‘E pluribus, unum’ (‘from many… one’) that truly captures the American spirit. Similarly, while the symbol of Jewish identity (‘Magen David’) centered on a backdrop of “Judah’s Colors” (see the 1864 poem by the Austrian Jew Ludwig von Frankl) never fails to awaken the innate yearning (‘Hatikva’) of the Jewish soul for its ancestral homeland, it is the seal of the State of Israel that genuinely embodies its noble aspirations. It is, therefore, somewhat surprising- especially for those inclined to view the modern State of Israel as a thoroughly secular enterprise- to discover that its seal (Semel Medinat Yisrael) is taken directly from from the 4th chapter of Zecharya, which we read as this week’s Haftarah."
Continue Reading Rabbi Perl Here...
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The RZA-Aryeh Fellowship is a new initiative of the RZA-Mizrachi to strengthen the mission of Religious Zionism. Fifty college and graduate school students from around the country have been invited to spend their winter-break in Israel where they studied Torah and attended intensive seminars devoted to Religious Zionism education. Sincce their return the Aryeh Fellows have been focused on their year-long Manhigut (leadership) projects designed to bring the message of Religious Zionism back to communities across America. We are excited to profile a different “Aryeh Fellow” each week.
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My name is Briana Friedman and I am from Merrick, NY. I attended YUHSG (Central) for high school and Migdal Oz for a year. While at Migdal Oz, I lived amongst Israeli midrasha students, studying Torah and forging incredible relationships. Currently, I am senior at Stern College for Women. I am a biology major and pre-med, though I also intend on applying to YU's Graduate Program in Advanced Talmud (GPATS). I thoroughly enjoy the blending of Torah U'madda that I experience in my classes and extracurricular activities in Stern.
I am involved in the Beit Midrash in Stern. Currently, I am a member of the Beit Midrash Committee and along with a fellow board member, I organize daily tanach learning for participants in our Tanach Yomi program. I also teach science to young children in Washington Heights as part of the club, Project START! Additionally, I am the President of the YU Chapter of College EDge, a club that provides resources for underprivileged high school students in New York City. In my free time, I enjoy reading, playing piano, and watching baseball. For my manhigut project, I hope to utilize my various skills and my role in these positions to create an intercollegiate Chidon HaTanach. I participated in the RZA mission last year and I am excited to take part in this fellowship!
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Religious Zionists of America | World Mizrachi | 212.465.9234 | 212.465.9246 | mizrachi@rza.org www.rza.org
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