Why do you carry your machzor but not your shofar on Shabbat Rosh HaShana?

Everyone incorrectly "trumpets" the excuse that the shofar is not sounded on Shabbat since you can't carry a shofar more than 4 amot in the public domain on Shabbat. But how many people carry their talit and prayer books all the way to synagogue?? Nearly everyone... so what's the big deal about a shofar??

Most of us should be stunned to read the the Shofar was sounded in the Temple on Shabbat:

When the Festival of Rosh Hashana falls on Shabbath, the Shofar was blown in the Beth HaMiqdash [the Temple], but not in the rest of the country. (Mishnah Rosh Hashana4:1; Talmudh Bavli 29b)

The Jerusalem Talmud, also known as the Talmud Yerushalmi asks the following question: "If blowing the Shofar is Torah-mandated, why should it not override Shabbath everywhere? And if it is not Torah-mandated, why does it override Shabbath in the Temple?"

Read the new article by the Kitniyot Rabbi to find out why!

Har HaBayit, Accept No Substitutes

I ran into a friend and he told me that his child no longer suffered from a potentially life-threatening food allergy. As an infant, they had two close calls when their child went into anaphylactic shock, and they've been obsessively vigilant ever since.

"So what's the secret of your success? Did you take a vaccine or allergy shots?" I asked him. "No," he answered non-chalantly. "I just go to Har HaBayit each month and pour out my heart to HaKodesh Baruch Hu. There's no place like it for prayer, not even Monsey."

Four Years Since the Destruction - A Wake-up Call

It's been four years since the destruction of Gush Katif and the wound has not healed. Most of the criminals have not paid for their crime, but "How the Rose of Sharon Sits" [in a hospital bed].

With the destruction of Gush Katif coming right after Tisha B'Av, the anniversary of the destruction of the Bet HaMikdash, we can only conclude that they are connected. I have felt--and have heard others say--that HaShem sent us a not-so-subtle message about His displeasure about the state of His House.

For now, the only message I can see in this horrendous act of shtuth is that it was a wake-up call for Am Yisrael, that we have been negligent in rebuilding the Bet HaMikdash.

How indeed can we merit such beautiful houses in the Land of Israel when his house lies in ruins? Kal v'chomer with those who live in comfort in voluntary Exile in Galuth.

In a related note, two friends went up to Har HaBayit on Tisha B'Av and gave me a great dvar Torah:

That Har HaBayit lies in ruins is not the fault of the government, nor even of the Israeli public. It's the fault of the religious public who by and large are not really bothered by the lack of a Temple.

These people, who have been burning garbage cans in Jerusalem--who are probably neturei kitnyos--would burn garbage cans if the government were to allow us to build the Bet HaMikdash on Har HaBayit. They'd claim that Mashiach hadn't arrived and/or that it was pasul (invalid) because it didn't drop from the sky.

I regretfully feel that they'd even burn garbage cans and riot if the government were to allow--or even build--a shul on Har HaBayit.

So what's the remedy?

Simply put, we must go up to Har HaBayit, in purity, to the acceptible places--and spread the word. Once the Torah public is with us, we shall be able to restore the House of the Lord and the houses of our brothers and sisters in Gush Katif and the northern Shomron.

As Rav Yehoshua Buch of Machon Shilo wrote in his Kinna for Gush Katif:

There is an end and there is hope, And the sons will return to their borders.

And then we will sing a new song like Shirat-HaYam.

So Much Shtuth... So Little Time

There is so much shtuth that I've been at a loss for words. Where does one start? How can one even finish? Until now, I've been quiet because I informally promised myself to try and stick to shtuth in Torah Judaism. It's so obvious that politics is full of shtuth.

But I just can't keep my fingers idle any longer. This whole Barak business, not Ehud Barak (or "Barach"), but the Barak Osama, the current President of the USA.

What were they thinking when they actually voted for him? I guess Austrian Jews also voted "for" the Anschluss. It's not much different.

I think that his presidency will mark the setting of the sun on US Jewry. While Osama incorrectly referred to the USA as "one of the world's largest countries", I do think that Muslim power is on the rise, aided and abbetted by the current president.

Within our lifetime, the history of US Jews will be no different than any other Jewish community in the galuth. No different than the Jews of England in the 11th century (and in the 21st). No different from the Jews of 15th century Spain. No different than Jews of 20th century Iraq, Iran, Yemen, Algeria, Eypt, yada, yada, yada. Simply put, they'll have to leave.

Brothers and sisters in America, you've had a nice visit, but your vacation in America is over. It's time to come home to Eretz Yisrael. As King David wrote:

"Happy is the people who know the truah [i.e. the shofar blast]" (Psalms 89:16).

Kitniyot Liberation - Redux

The seasonal battle over kitniyot has already commenced. According to Ynet (http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3686451,00.html), Rav Ovadia Yosef takes a machmir--though not entirely accurate approach--that the Ashkenazi custom of refraining from kitniyot has been around for 600 years.

As Rav Bar-Hayim pointed out, we are in Eretz Yisrael, not Europe, and we should all be adhering to the local custom. The error of importing this foolish custom only occured 100-150 years ago and has become increasingly popular as it became more profitable for askanim (wheeler-dealers).

And speaking of Europe, a number of years ago, Rav Shaul Yisraeli of the Merkaz HaRav Yeshiva recounted to Rav Bar-Hayim how peanuts were served during Chol HaMoed in Lithuania since they were considered a luxury.

Maybe we could argue whether peanuts are really kitniyot... or whether they shouldn't be included on the Ever-Growing List of Kitniyot and Things That Make Askanim Rich.

It is interesting why Rav Ovadia Yosef couldn't just take the easy way out and admit it's a foolish Ashkenazi custom and the Sefaradim have been correct all along. IMHO, this would open him up to admitting that we're in Eretz Yisrael and that we need to worry about the "big things, not the little things", like korban pesach, the Temple, etc. etc.

By creating a big deal out of a little deal, we can continue the Purim veil over existence right through Pesah.

What is especially nice about this article is that Ynet has appropriately given credit to Rav Bar-Hayim and Machon Shilo for its revolutionary halachic ruling.

We are looking forward to an official reply from Machon Shilo.

Lipstick on a Pig

Ben Horin is an erudite fellow with a blog worth following. My only complaint is that he doesn't posted enough.

As he recently wrote:

And yet. As Palin spoke, I realized that I now identify with those Americans who live in small towns, who love their country and feel deeply rooted in it, who carry guns for defense, who have large families, whose children fight its wars. That's my life now.

Well put... even if my family ain't as large as it could be.

Though still a registered Dem, I can't believe how the Democratic party has been taken over by the radical left. (And unfortunately this is a familiar story in Eretz HaKodesh. I remember when even the Labor party believed in settling the land of Israel).

I've always been a southern conservative who couldn't stand Carter yet helped the Young Dems send Mondale to victory over President Reagan in a 1984 mock election at a major southern university.

Now seeking the quiet life in the land of my forefathers, I really admire McCain for thinking out of the box and Sarah Palin for taking such a walloping from the media.

McCain has put the dems on the defensive and it's not pretty. Obama has proven himself to be more of the same and only pedals "change we can deceive in." Most of all, he should not be comparing any women to animals when he's got a wife like Michelle (and I'm not thinking of a pitbull).

In the upcoming election, it's clear who's peddling stuth. I just hope that the American public still haven't given up the battle for truth.

Kvetching About Kitniyot

The Kvetcher blog took notice of Rav Bar-Hayim's latest article for the Pesah holiday on the Jewish Press blog.

Yes, it came after Pesach, but Elliot Resnick at the Jewish Press appears to be sympathetic to the Kitniyot Liberation Front, and posted an essay (and link) to Rabbi David Bar-Hayim and Machon Shilo.

We couldn't agree more, but this certainly gave some of their readers something to kvetch about.

The most entertaining (and sad) comment talked about the dwindling intelligence of the charedi gene pool. I think that it's sad when anyone is driven out of Torah Judaism due to shtuth, especially when there are so many choices/options that let you stay within the fold.