Podcasts about lamed

It is customary to adorn our homes and synagogues on Shabuot with flowers and greenery. This custom is recorded by the Rama (Rabbi Moshe Isserles of Cracow, 1525-1572) in his discussion of the laws of Shabout (Orah Haim 494:3). More so than on other holidays, it is appropriate on Shabuot to decorate the homes and synagogues with flowers and other vegetation, in order commemorate Matan Torah. At the time of the Revelation at Sinai, G-d warned the people not to allow their cattle to graze on the mountain ("Gam Ha'son Ve'ha'bakar Al Yir'u El Mul Ha'har Ha'hu" – Shemot 34:3), indicating that it was full of pasture. Mount Sinai is in the desert, where vegetation does not grow, but in honor of the event of Matan Torah G-d had flowers and grass grow on the mountain, and we commemorate this adorning of Mount Sinai by adorning our homes and synagogues on Shabuot. The Ben Ish Hai (Rav Yosef Haim of Baghdad, 1833-1909) adds a deeper interpretation of this custom based on Kabbalistic teachings. He explains that Torah study has the effect of "Mituk Ha'dinim" – "sweetening" harsh judgments issued against a person. Even if G-d had issued a decree, Heaven forbid, against somebody, that decree can be annulled through the study of Torah. The divine Name associated with strict judgment is "Elokim," whereas the Name associated with "Mituk Ha'dinim" is "Havaya" (Y-H-V-H). When we spell out the names of the letters of these Names (e.g. the Alef of "Elokim" is spelled out, "Alef, Lamed, Peh"), the combined numerical value of the letters of "Elokim" is 300, and the combined numerical value of the letters of "Havaya" is 72. The letter representing the number 300 is "Seen," and the number 72 is represented by the letters "Ayin" (70) and "Bet" (2). The two letters of "Havaya," the Ben Ish Hai explains, surround the letter of "Elokim" to neutralize its effect, such that the letter "Seen" is placed in between the "Ayin" and "Bet." When the three letters are arranged in this fashion, they spell the word "Eseb" – "grass." Thus, we put out vegetation on Shabuot to symbolize the profound spiritual effect of our Torah study, how it has the capacity to annul harsh judgments. As we celebrate the event of Matan Torah, we remind ourselves of how valuable and precious Torah learning is, as alluded to in the "Eseb" with which we decorate the synagogue and home. Summary: It is customary to decorate homes and synagogues with vegetation on Shabuot to commemorate the vegetation that adorned Mount Sinai when the Torah was given. On a Kabbalistic level, vegetation alludes to the power of Torah study to protect us from harsh decrees.

**Today's Halacha is dedicated f or the refuah and haslacha of Ronnie, Sharon, Eli and all the children of CARE** When baking Masot for the Misva of Masa at the Seder, one must use "Mayim She'lanu" (pronounced with a "Dagesh" in the "Lamed") – meaning, water that has been left overnight. This means that if a person plans to bake Masa for the Misva on Tuesday, then the water that he will knead with the dough should be drawn on Monday, preferably just before sundown, when, the Rabbis teach, water is at its coldest. When drawing the water, one should verbally declare that he draws the water for the purpose of the Misva of Masa ("Hareni Sho'eb Le'shem Misvat Masa"). The water should then be placed in a special utensil where it will remain until the next day. The Ben Ish Hai (Rav Yosef Haim of Baghdad, 1833-1909) writes (listen to audio recording for precise citation) that one should wash his hands before drawing the water for the Masot. Furthermore, he writes that the water should be drawn specifically by a Jew; one should not ask or hire a gentile to draw the water for the baking of the Masot for Pesah. The water must be left to sit throughout the entire night, and therefore, as the Ben Ish Hai writes, one should not begin kneading the Masot until after Alot Ha'shahar (daybreak) the next morning. If one begins the process earlier than Alot Ha'shahar, then the water is not considered to have been left to sit throughout the entire night, and the Masot are thus invalid for the Misva. Therefore, one who bakes Masot must ensure to draw the water used for the baking the previous day before sundown, and leave it to sit throughout the night until daybreak. Summary: The water used for baking Masot for the Misva of Masa at the Seder must be drawn the day before baking, and left to sit throughout the night until daybreak. The water should be drawn specifically by a Jew, who before drawing the water should wash his hands and announce that he draws the water for the purpose of the Misva.

This week in If You Mark In Your Bible; Josh and guest Aaron Gallagher will discuss the “Lamed” section in Psalms 119:89-96 We look forward to sharing new episodes EVERY TUESDAY (January - May)! CHECK OUT IF YOU MARK IN YOUR BIBLE Social Pages and more!

This week in If You Mark In Your Bible; Josh and guest Aaron Gallagher will discuss the “Lamed” section in Psalms 119:89-96 We look forward to sharing new episodes EVERY TUESDAY (January - May)! CHECK OUT IF YOU MARK IN YOUR BIBLE Social Pages and more!

Before one immerses a new utensil, he recites the Beracha, "Baruch Ata…Asher Kideshanu Be'misvotav Ve'sivanu Al Tebilat Keli." If he immerses more than one utensil on one occasion, then he recites "Al Tebilat Kelim," in the plural form, instead of the singular form of "Al Tebilat Keli." Nevertheless, if one mistakenly recited the Beracha in the plural form for a single utensil, or in the singular form for multiple utensils, he has fulfilled his obligation and does not repeat the Beracha. While reciting the Beracha, one should preferably hold the utensil in his right hand. Furthermore, it is proper to stand while reciting the Beracha, just as one should stand whenever he recites a Beracha over a Misva. Some Rabbis found an allusion for this Halacha in the verse (Tehilim 33:11), "Asat Hashem Le'olam Ta'amod" (literally, "the counsel of God shall always endure"). The letters of the words "Asat" and "Le'olam" are "Ayin," "Sadi," "Tav," "Lamed," "Ayin," "Lamed" and "Mem," which represent the words, "Erub," "Sisit," "Tefilin," "Lulab," "Omer," "Lebana" and "Mila." This verse thus alludes to the fact that when one recites the Beracha over these Misvot, "Ta'amod" – he must stand. This applies to Tebilat Kelim (immersing utensils), as well. Nevertheless, if a person sat while reciting the Beracha before immersing a utensil, he has fulfilled his obligation and does not repeat the Beracha. Tebilat Kelim differs from other Misvot in that it is not an outright obligation; one is not required to immerse a new utensil unless he wishes to use it. As such, there is greater room for leniency, and thus one who mistakenly sat while reciting the Beracha does not repeat the Beracha. One must not speak after reciting the Beracha until he finishes immersing all the utensils he intends to immerse. One may speak in matters related to the immersion, such as asking somebody to bring him another utensil or the scraper to remove stickers. If one spoke in matters unrelated to the immersion after he recited the Beracha and before he began immersing the utensils, he must repeat the Beracha. While immersing a utensil, one should hold it with a loose grip, in order to allow the water in the Mikveh to come in contact with the entire surface of the utensil. Alternatively, one may wet his hands before immersing the utensil, in which case he is allowed to hold the utensil with an average grip during the immersion. Since his hands are already wet, the part of the utensil that he holds will come in contact with Mikveh water by touching his hands. One may even wet his hands with water from a sink for this purpose, as this water will obtain the status of Mikveh water once it enters the Mikveh (due to a Halachic concept known as "Hashaka"). Many people use baskets with holes in the bottom and sides when immersing several utensils at once. They lower the basket into the Mikveh, and the water in the Mikveh enters the basket through the holes and touches the utensils. This is certainly permissible, but on condition that one places the utensils alongside one another, as opposed to on top of one another. When utensils rest on top of one another, the weight of the top utensil might prevent the water from touching the upper surface of the lower utensil. One must therefore ensure that the utensils are lined across, next to one another, without any utensil on top of another. Summary: Before immersing a utensil, one recites the Beracha of "Al Tebilat Keli" (or "Al Tebilat Kelim" for multiple utensils), preferably while standing and while holding the utensil in his right hand. He should not speak in matters unrelated to the immersion until he finishes immersing all the utensils. One should hold the utensil with a loose grip, or wet his hands prior to the immersion and then hold the utensil with an average grip. Perforated baskets may be used to immerse several utensils together, provided that no utensil is placed on top of another.

It's a delight to bring God's word to you this morning. In preparation of reading his word, let us pray for this. This comes out of Psalm 119, the section titled Lamed. Let us pray. Forever, O Lord, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens, and your faithfulness endures to all generations. You have established the earth, and it stands fast. Lord, by your appointment, they stand this day, for all things are your servants. Father, if your law

CURSO TEHILIM - MIZMOR - 119- LAMED by Rab Shlomo Benhamu

Bava Basra Daf Kuf Lamed Tes בבא בתרא דף קל"ט (in Yiddish) With Rabbi Avrohom Karp

Bava Basra Daf Kuf Lamed Ches בבא בתרא דף קל"ח (in Yiddish) With Rabbi Avrohom Karp

Bava Basra Daf Kuf Lamed Zayin בבא בתרא דף קל"ז (in Yiddish) With Rabbi Avrohom Karp

Bava Basra Daf Kuf Lamed Vov בבא בתרא דף קל"ו (in Yiddish) With Rabbi Avrohom Karp

Bava Basra Daf Kuf Lamed Hey בבא בתרא דף קכ"ה (in Yiddish) With Rabbi Avrohom Karp

Bava Basra Daf Kuf Lamed Daled  בבא בתרא דף קל"ד (in Yiddish) With Rabbi Avrohom Karp

Bava Basra Daf Kuf Lamed Gimmel  בבא בתרא דף קל"ג(in Yiddish) With Rabbi Avrohom Karp

Bava Basra Daf Kuf Lamed Beis  בבא בתרא דף קל"ב (in Yiddish) With Rabbi Avrohom Karp

Bava Basra Daf Kuf Lamed Alef בבא בתרא דף קל"א (in Yiddish) With Rabbi Avrohom Karp

Bava Basra Daf Kuf Lamed 'בבא בתרא דף קל (in Yiddish) With Rabbi Avrohom Karp

Rabbi Feiner shiurim

PreYom Kippur - El Hanaar Hazeh Hispalalti A famous and well known sicha that we should listen to again and again! Chana, mother of Shmuel, chose to stay home with her young child instead of being oleh regel. The Rebbes empowering message to us women from this story. Listen all the way to the end. Sichos Kodesh. Lamed daled.

We Learnfrom the Fruit of the Earth to Reinvent Ourselves in the Month of Elul so thatWe Will Be New Creatures at Rosh HaShanah Based onShvilei Pinchas – Rav Pinchas Friedman I canstart with the story Can aperson be reborn? Lastnight Chantelle took me along to an Emunah Dinner. I say Chantelle took mebecause if she didn't make me come out, I wouldn't. She lights the fire. Herfriends Liz Gindea and Fran Hirmes have been very involved with and generouslysupportive of the organization for years. Emunah funds a number of children'shomes in Israel, along with schools, an arts college, daycare services andthese days many mental health programs. My son in law, Daniel's brother Michaelthrough his organization Kol HaNearim also works with these children'shomes. Chantelleand all of my kids have volunteered and worked in some of these homes over theyears especially with Yehuda Kohen of Bet Elazraki. At thedinner, a young lady spoke and shared her very moving story. She grewup in the north of Israel in no mans land. Her mother did nothing and herfather raised goats. She was one of ten siblings. They had no rules, nodiscipline, no money, sometimes no food and ran amok. The kids sometimes foughtand often got in trouble. When shewas ten, social services showed up. After investigating, they took some of heryounger siblings to be raised outside the house. She convinced them that sheshould stay. But her situation went from bad to worse and a few months laterthey came back and took her as well. She wasplaced into one of Emunah's homes and was angry with her situation and everyonearound her. She was angry that she had been taken from home. She was angry thather parents had not provided a real home. She was angry to be told when to wakeup and when to go to sleep. She was angry to be sent to school. She was angryto be pressed to do homework. She was angry that she was subject to structureand in her mind lost her freedom. She was depressed and alone in the world. Ateleven years old, she had reached rock bottom. Butwithin a few weeks, things started to change. The people at the Emunah homemade her feel loved and wanted. She made friends in the home and at school. Thesocial workers and teachers encouraged her and in a short time she began tosoar as a phoenix rising from the ashes. She wasencouraged to pursue drama studies and loved it. In 2013 she joined the armyand became a combat paramedic assisting injured soldiers and people in thefield, sometimes under fire. When she completed her army duty, she continuedher studies focusing on drama. She eventually went to work for channel 12 newsin Israel. She currently heads their social media team and pursues feel goodstories to help lift people. Emunahbecame her family. Her goal is to raise her own family and break the cycle. Her storywas very moving. Chantelle noted that she wished she could have her share herstory with our own community children in school. She would surely touch someand encourage others. Some might be lifted and others might consider assistingin the homes one summer. Perhaps we can get a video from Emunah and share that. There isa beautiful story told of Rav Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev, a renowned Hasidicmaster, who was known for his compassion and ability to find sparks of holinessin every soul. One day, a poor, troubled Jew came to him, feeling hopeless andconsumed by darkness. The rabbilistened attentively, then began to tell a story: 'In the summer, when thesun shines brightly, the grasshopper sings a beautiful song. But in the winter,when snow covers the earth, the grasshopper's song is silenced. Does this meanthe grasshopper has lost its ability to sing?' The manshook his head. 'Ofcourse not!' the rabbi exclaimed. 'The grasshopper's song is stillwithin, waiting to emerge when the seasons change.' The rabbilooked deeply into the man's eyes: 'Similarly, within you, there is aspark of divine light, a song waiting to be sung. Though darkness may surroundyou now, it's temporary, like winter's snow. Your task is to find that innerlight, nurture it, and let it shine forth.' The man'sface lit up with newfound hope. In thisseason of Elul, we hope to be born again. We canimagine ourselves as caterpillars, hoping to shed our cocoons and emerge asbutterflies. Sometimesthough we think that success is based on achieving perfection. But isthat really what Hashem demands or even wants from us. There isa story, I heard from Rabbi Joey Haber, of a man seeking perfection in his ownlife. His rabbiasks his profession He is anartist, Hisfavorite painting is of sunset. Histeacher suggests taking a picture of a sunset and that will be a perfectreproduction. theartist explains the painting has imperfections and thats what makes it special. Theteacher explains, same with us Angelsmay be perfect, but our imperfection makes us special. imperfectionsadd uniqueness and value, both in art and in life. Thisweek's parsha is Ki Tavo. Based onthe teaching of the Shvilei Pinchas, Rabbi Pinchas Friedman, I would like toshare with you a connection of our efforts in Elul and the mitzvah of“bikkurim,” bringing the first fruits, which we open the perasha with The SefatEmet quotes the Chiddushei HaRim, zy”a. Heexplains why the month designated for teshuvah is named Elul based on thepassuk (ibid. 100, 3 דְּע֗וּ כִּֽי־ ה֮ ה֤וּא אֱלֹ֫קים הֽוּא־עָ֭שָׂנוּ (ולא) [וְל֣וֹ]אֲנַ֑חְנוּ עַ֝מּ֗וֹ וְצֹ֣אן מַרְעִיתֽוֹ׃ If onelooks in the book of Tehilim the word Loh is spelled Lamed alef or No But inthe siddur when we read this psalm each morning as Paslm 100 Miszor LeDavid wechange the aleph to a vav —know thatHashem, He is G-d; it is He Who made us and we are His—His nation and the sheepof His pasture. Traditionteaches us that the word “v'lo” in this passuk is written as ' ולא ',with an “aleph”; yet, it is read as ולו' ', with a “vav.” With an“aleph,” the passuk suggests that we are unworthy and inadequate to be Hispeople; with a “vav,” it means that we merit being close to Him. Heexplains that in reality both the way “v'lo” is written and the way it is readcomplement each other and achieve the same goal. By recognizing our lowlystature and the fact that we have sinned and failed to serve Hashemadequately--' ולא אנחנו עמו ' (the way the passuk is written)—we aremotivated to draw closer to Hashem by means of sincere teshuvah and attain thestatus of-- ולו אנחנו עמו' ' (the way the passuk is read) again. Bothprocesses enable us to achieve the goal of being ' עמו ', HKB”H'speople. This is alluded to by the name אלו'ל ; it combines thetwo spellings of the word “lo”-- ל'א and ל'ו . This teaches us thatour goal during the month of Elul is to combine these two processes, to correctall of our wrongdoings by means of complete teshuvah and to regain the statusof ' .'עמו Lets turnto the Gemara (Makkot 24a): 'וכברהיה רבן גמליאל ורבי אלעזר בן עזריה ורבי יהושע ורבי עקיבא מהלכין בדרך...The first story tells about the Goyim. Then the gemara continues Now Iimagine these stories take place following the rebellion of Bar Kochba and theedicts of Hadrian Yimach Shemo שׁוּב פַּעַםאַחַת הָיוּ עוֹלִין לִירוּשָׁלַיִם, כֵּיוָן שֶׁהִגִּיעוּ לְהַר הַצּוֹפִים קָרְעוּבִּגְדֵיהֶם, כֵּיוָן שֶׁהִגִּיעוּ לְהַר הַבַּיִת רָאוּ שׁוּעָל שֶׁיָּצָא מִבֵּיתקׇדְשֵׁי הַקֳּדָשִׁים, הִתְחִילוּ הֵן בּוֹכִין וְרַבִּי עֲקִיבָא מְצַחֵק. אָמְרוּלוֹ: מִפְּנֵי מָה אַתָּה מְצַחֵק? אָמַר לָהֶם: מִפְּנֵי מָה אַתֶּם בּוֹכִים? אָמְרוּלוֹ: מָקוֹם שֶׁכָּתוּב בּוֹ ״וְהַזָּר הַקָּרֵב יוּמָת״, וְעַכְשָׁיו שׁוּעָלִים הִלְּכוּבּוֹ, וְלֹא נִבְכֶּה?! אָמַר לָהֶן:לְכָךְ אֲנִי מְצַחֵק, דִּכְתִיב: ״וְאָעִידָה לִּי עֵדִים נֶאֱמָנִים אֵת אוּרִיָּההַכֹּהֵן וְאֶת זְכַרְיָה בֶּן יְבֶרֶכְיָהוּ״ – וְכִי מָה עִנְיַן אוּרִיָּה אֵצֶלזְכַרְיָה? אוּרִיָּה בְּמִקְדָּשׁ רִאשׁוֹן, וּזְכַרְיָה בְּמִקְדָּשׁ שֵׁנִי! אֶלָּא:תָּלָה הַכָּתוּב נְבוּאָתוֹ שֶׁל זְכַרְיָה בִּנְבוּאָתוֹ שֶׁל אוּרִיָּה. בְּאוּרִיָּהכְּתִיב ״לָכֵן בִּגְלַלְכֶם צִיּוֹן שָׂדֶה תֵחָרֵשׁ״, בִּזְכַרְיָה כְּתִיב ״עוֹדיֵשְׁבוּ זְקֵנִים וּזְקֵנוֹת בִּרְחֹבוֹת יְרוּשָׁלִָם״. עַד שֶׁלֹּא נִתְקַיְּימָהנְבוּאָתוֹ שֶׁל אוּרִיָּה הָיִיתִי מִתְיָירֵא שֶׁלֹּא תִּתְקַיֵּים נְבוּאָתוֹ שֶׁלזְכַרְיָה, עַכְשָׁיו שֶׁנִּתְקַיְּימָה נְבוּאָתוֹ שֶׁל אוּרִיָּה – בְּיָדוּעַ שֶׁנְּבוּאָתוֹשֶׁל זְכַרְיָה מִתְקַיֶּימֶת. בַּלָּשׁוֹן הַזֶּה אָמְרוּ לוֹ: עֲקִיבָא נִיחַמְתָּנוּ,עֲקִיבָא נִיחַמְתָּנוּ. Once,Rabban Gamliel, Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah, Rabbi Yehoshua and Rabbi Akiva weretraveling on the road . . . When they reached Har HaTzofim, they tore theirgarments. When they came to Har HaBayis, they saw a fox emerging from KodeshHaKodashim, and they began to cry; however, Rabbi Akiva smiled. They said tohim, “Why are you smiling?” He responded to them, “Why are you crying?” Theyanswered him, “A place about which it is written (Bamidbar 1, 51): ‘Thenon-kohen who comes close shall be put to death,' and now (Eichah 5, 18) ‘foxesare walking about there,' should we not cry?” He saidto them, “This is why I am smiling . . . In the prophecy of Uriah, it iswritten (Michah 3, 12): ‘Therefore, because of you, Tziyon will be plowed likea field etc.' In the prophecy of Zechariah, it is written (Zechariah 8, 4):‘Old men and old women will yet sit in the streets of Yerushalayim.' As longas the nevuah of Uriah had not been fulfilled, I feared that the nevuah ofZechariah would not be fulfilled. Now, that the nevuah of Uriah has beenfulfilled, it is apparent that the nevuah of Zechariah will be fulfilled.” Theyresponded to him in these words, “Akiva, you have consoled us; Akiva, you haveconsoled us!” Itbehooves us to analyze Rabbi Akiva's reactions described above. Why did helaugh and smile upon seeing proof of Zechariah's nevuah related to the futuregeulah? Without a doubt, the other sages also believed wholeheartedly in theveracity of the prophecies concerning the future geulah. Nevertheless, whenconfronted with the extent of the churban—witnessing a fox exiting from theKodesh HaKodashim—they were overcome with grief and cried. So, what possessedRabbi Akiva to react so differently to the same disturbing sight? Additionally,why did he require seeing the fulfillment of Uriah's nevuah concerning theextent of the churban in order to substantiate that Zechariah's nevuahconcerning the geulah would be fulfilled? Toexplain the matter, the Maharal teaches us a basic principle. HKB”H created theworld such that there is always void and nullification prior to renewal.Furthermore, the degree of renewal relates to the degree of absence and divineconcealment. In other words, the greater the absence and void, the greater therenewal will be. TheMaharal asserts that HKB”H revealed this phenomenon to us at the beginning ofthe Torah (Bereishis 1, 1): 'בראשית ברא אלקים את השמיםואת הארץ, והארץ היתה תוהו ובוהו וחושך על פני תהום ורוח אלקיםמרחפת על פני המים, ויאמר אלקים יהי אור ויהי אור'. theMaharal interprets Rabbi Akiva's profound message. Uponseeing the fox emerge from the chamber of the Kodesh HaKodashim, he smiled. Hehad no doubt that the nevuah of Zechariah would come to pass—that old men andwomen would sit in the streets of Yerushalayim. However, he had no idea howgreat or grand the revival and renewal of Yerushalayim would be. The foxemerging from the Kodesh HaKodashim represented an extreme degree of “hesterpanim”—divine concealment. Therefore, he had cause to rejoice. For, heunderstood that the degree of churban and absence of the divine presencereflected on the commensurate greatness and glory of the renewal ofYerushalayim at the time of the geulah. InNetzach Yisrael (Chapter 30), the Maharal applies this incredible principle toexplain the galut in Mitzrayim that preceded Yisrael's entry into Eretz Yisraeland, for that matter, all the exiles that have preceded the future geulah. Theyall represent the void that precedes the new state of existence, like thedarkness of night that precedes the light of day. Therefore, HKB”H subjectedYisrael to the galut in Mitzrayim—which constituted a process ofnullification—prior to taking them into Eretz Yisrael. Thisexplains very nicely the following passuk related to the galuts in Mitzrayim(Shemos 1, 12): 'וכאשר יענו אותו כן ירבה וכן יפרוץ'—but as much as they afflict it, so it will increase and so it will burst forth. Here theTorah teaches us that the suffering and affliction in Mitzrayim constituted thevoid that gave rise to Yisrael's renewal and rebirth. After the exodus, theyreceived the Torah at Har Sinai and entered Eretz Yisrael. That demonstratesfor us magnificently how all of the galuyot constitute the absence and voidthat is destined to produce the incredible renewal of the future geulah. Its difficult to read this and not think of the Holocaust andthe miracles of 1948 and 1967 RabbiPinchas of Koretz—defines the state of nullification and void as ' אַיִן', which always precedes the state of renewal, referred to as '.'יֵשׁ.' Hecompares this concept to seeds of wheat or other fruit and vegetation that isplanted in the ground. Their growth only starts after the seed decays intoalmost nothingness -אַיִן'- '. Only then, from this state of nearnothingness, the seed begins to grow and sprout and renew itself. As he writes in Imrei Pinchas (Tishah B'Av 384): When grainis planted in the ground, it cannot grow unless it first decays and actuallybecomes nothing. In that void, remains a tremendous potential that can producean entire stalk. This is a type of metamorphosis. At the precise moment that itis virtually nothing, it immediately takes shape. There is a Hasidic story of a couple who come to their Rebbefor a blessing for a child. He asks for an exorbitant pidyon. They return,unable to raise it. He tells them that he can't help. They leave dejected andoutside his home they realize they can only turn to hashem. When the rebbehears that he calls them in and tells them they will be blessed with a child. We havelearned an important principle in the Mishnah (Avos 6, כלמה שברא הקב'ה בעולמו לא בראו אלא לכבודו' :( 11 '—everything that HKB”H created in His world, He created solely for His honor.That being the case, why did HKB”H create the world in such a way that nothingcan be renewed or revitalized without first undergoing a process of void andnullification? How does this enhance His honor? RabbiYisrael of Ruzhin, zy”a, explains regarding the following statement from DavidHaMelech (Tehillim 13, 2): 'עד אנה תסתיר את פניך ממני,עד אנה אשית עצות בנפשי' —how long will You hide Your countenance from me?How long will I continue to seek counsel within my own spirit? Heexplains that David HaMelech wished to teach us a vital lesson regarding ouremunah and trust in Hashem. When a Jew wants to receive salvation from Hashem,he must first understand that he is totally helpless on his own; his salvationdepends solely on Hashem. As long as he believes that he has a solution of hisown, his emunah and trust in Hashem are lacking. So, DavidHaMelech asks: How long will You continue to conceal Your presence from Me? Heanswers his own question: So long as I delude myself into thinking that I amcapable of resolving dilemmas with my own counsel and devices, the “hesterpanim”—divine concealment—will continue; however, as soon as I recognize withcertainty that I in fact lack any such wisdom or ability, the “hester panim”will cease, and Hashem's salvation will arrive instantaneously. Only whenI accept that I don't have all the answers Thus, it appears that this explains why HKB”H created theworld such that every renewal—situation of ' יש '–must be preceded bya state of void and nullification—situation of אין' '. It is becausesuch a difficult transformation causes man to understand that he does not havethe wisdom or resources to emerge from the darkness and void alone withoutHashem's assistance. As soon as he says to himself: “How long will I continueto seek counsel within my own spirit?”—he will succeed in emerging from thevoid to a state of renewal. In perekShirah Everythingin nature has a song And thesong sung by the wheat in Perek Shirah (Chapter 3): 'שיבולת חיטים אומרת שירהמעלות ממעמקים קראתיך ה'' —the stalk of wheat says (Tehillim 130, 1):“From the depths, I call to You, Hashem.” It isimportant to recognize that the term “lechem”—bread—encompasses all of man'sfood and nourishment. This is evident from the prayer of Yaakov Avinu(Bereishis 28, 20): 'ונתן לי לחם לאכול'—and He will give me bread to eat. Similarly, another passuk says (ibid. 47,12): 'ויכלכל יוסף את אביו ואת אחיו ואת כל בית אביו לחם לפי הטף'—Yosef provided his father and his brother and all of his father's householdwith food (“lechem”) according to the children. It is precisely for this reasonthat the berachah “hamotzi,” which is recited over bread, covers all the foodthat one consumes during a meal; it is because all other food is consideredsecondary to the bread. Weexplained above, that we learn from the growth of the wheat, from which breadis made, the vital principle that nothing can grow or be renewed without firstundergoing a stage of nullification—i.e. nullification of its current state.Therefore, only after the seeds of wheat decay and achieve a virtual state ofnothingness--' אין '—do they begin to grow and develop into a newentity. At that very moment, when they are in the ground and achieve the stateof » אין «, they pray to Hashem from the depths of the earth not to decaycompletely, to survive and grow into a new stalk of grain in the field above. We cannow appreciate and comprehend the song of the stalk of wheat. It recalls thechesed Hashem performed on its behalf whilst it was still deep in the ground ina state of decay. To express its gratitude to Hashem, it sings: 'שיר המעלותממעמקים קראתיך ה'' —thanking Hashem for hearing and responding to its pleafrom the depths of the earth. This iswhy David HaMelech instituted this psalm; so that we would join the stalk ofwheat in expressing gratitude to Hashem. For, we recognize all the kindness Heperforms on our behalf when we are in states of nothingness and helplessness.For instance, after every night of sleep, He returns our neshamos to usrevitalized. Itappears that we can suggest another reason that every situation of renewalrequires a prior state of nothingness. TheYosher Divrei Emet cites his Rav, the Maggid of Mezritsch, zy”a. He explainsthat this principle applies to spiritual matters as well. A person who wants torenew and revitalize his service of Hashem must first nullify his presentcircumstances—his ' יש '. This is accomplished by recognizing how farhe still has to go to serve Hashem properly. Through humility, submission andrecognition of his unworthiness, he will succeed in serving Hashem on a muchhigher level. Until he acknowledges his shortcomings in the service of Hashem,he will be unable to renew his spiritual self. We nowhave cause to rejoice! This illuminates for us the insight provided by theChiddushei HaRim, zy”a, concerning the name אלו'ל . As explained, itcombines the two spellings of the word “lo”-- ל'א and ל'ו . Thus, thename Elul reminds us that we must recognize that we have acted improperly andare not truly worthy of being Hashem's people--' .'ולא אנחנו עמו As aresult of this recognition and by mending our ways and attitudescorrespondingly, we will once again be deserving of the status of ' ולו אנחנועמו '. Let us explain this process in terms of our current discussion. Atthe end of the year, during the month of Elul, it is incumbent upon us to pushour personal reset buttons, so to speak. In order to create ourselves anewprior to Rosh HaShanah, we must nullify our old selves during the month ofElul. By recognizing that we are unworthy to be called His people--' ולא אנחנועמו '—we will succeed in transforming ourselves and taking on a newpersona in the new year consistent with the depiction--' .'ולו אנחנו עמו Followingthis glorious path, let us now address the opening pesukim of this week'sparsha discussing the mitzvah of bikkurim: “It will be when you enter the landthat Hashem, your G-d, gives you as an inheritance, and you take possession ofit, and dwell in it, that you shall take of the first of every fruit of theearth that you bring in from your land that Hashem, your G-d, gives you, andyou shall put it in a basket and go to the place that Hashem, your G-d, willchoose, to make His name rest there.” The KliYakar provides a rationale for this mitzvah. After conquering the new land,Yisrael were liable to become arrogant and attribute the conquest to their ownpowers and strategies. In particular, after working the land and growingvarious produce and fruit, they might think to themselves (Devarim 8, 17):' כוחי ועוצם ידי עשה לי את החיל הזה '—my strength and the might of myhand have generated this wealth for me. To eliminate this false belief, HKB”Hcommanded Yisrael to take the first of every fruit of the land, to take it upto the kohen in Yerushalayim and to recite an explicit expression of gratitudeto Hashem for giving us this land. This procedure was designed to fortify ouremunah in Hashem. Let usinterject a spicy tidbit. It is written (Tehillim 37, 11): וענוים יירשו ארץ''—the humble will inherit the earth. This passuk clearly implies that thequality of humility is propitious for inheriting Eretz Yisrael. For, we knowthat the kedushah of Eretz Yisrael is due to the presence of the Shechinah.This was especially true when the Beis HaMikdash was extant and operational. Asit is written (Shemos 25, 8): 'ועשו לי מקדש ושכנתי בתוכם' —they shallmake Me a sanctuary (Mikdash), so that I may dwell among them. Now, weknow that a prerequisite for the presence of the Shechinah is the midah ofhumility. In the words of the Gemara (Sotah 5a): 'לעולם ילמד אדם מדעת קונו,שהרי הקב'ה הניח כל הרים וגבעות והשרה שכינתו על הר סיני' —a personshould always learn from the good sense of his Creator—for behold, when HKB”Hgave the Torah, He abandoned all the great mountains and hills and insteadrested His Shechinah on Har Sinai (a lowly, unimpressive mountain). Additionally,they taught (ibid.): 'כל אדם שיש בו גסות הרוח, אמר הקב'ה אין אני והוא יכולים לדורבעולם' —concerning any person who possesses a haughtiness of spirit, HKB”Hsays: I and he cannot dwell together in the world. Therefore, HKB”H commandedthat upon entering the land, Yisrael would bring the bikkurim “to the placethat Hashem, your G-d, will choose, to make His name rest there.” This wouldinculcate in them the knowledge that HKB”H only rests His name in Eretz Yisraelin the merit of the midah of humility. Asexplained, the mitzvah of bikkurim is designed to shatter the klipah of “mystrength and the might of my hand have generated this wealth for me.” We willnow endeavor to explain why HKB”H used this mitzvah to hint to us theimportance of the midah of humility; for, this is the vital lesson we aresupposed to learn from the first fruit if we want to enter the land, keep itand endure in it. וְהָיָה֙ כִּֽי־תָב֣וֹאאֶל־הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁר֙ ה אֱלֹקיךָ נֹתֵ֥ן לְךָ֖ נַחֲלָ֑ה וִֽירִשְׁתָּ֖הּ וְיָשַׁ֥בְתָּבָּֽהּ׃ וְלָקַחְתָּ֞מֵרֵאשִׁ֣ית ׀ כׇּל־פְּרִ֣י הָאֲדָמָ֗ה אֲשֶׁ֨ר תָּבִ֧יא מֵֽאַרְצְךָ֛ אֲשֶׁ֨ר יְהֹוָ֧האֱלֹהֶ֛יךָ נֹתֵ֥ן לָ֖ךְ וְשַׂמְתָּ֣ בַטֶּ֑נֶא וְהָֽלַכְתָּ֙ אֶל־הַמָּק֔וֹם אֲשֶׁ֤ריִבְחַר֙ יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ לְשַׁכֵּ֥ן שְׁמ֖וֹ שָֽׁם׃ “It willbe when you enter the land that Hashem, your G-d, gives you as an inheritance,and you take possession of it, and dwell in it, that you shall take of thefirst of every fruit of the earth that you bring in from your land that Hashem,your G-d, gives you, and you shall put it in a basket and go to the place thatHashem, your G-d, will choose, to make His name rest there.” HKB”Hinstructs Yisrael: 'ולקחת מראשית כל פרי האדמה אשר תביא מארצך' . Letus expound: ' ולקחת '—you must learn a vital lesson— “lekach”—fromthe “first” yield of “every fruit of the earth.” When those fruits were yetseeds deep in the earth; they could not grow or sprout until they decayed intoa state of virtual nothingness— ״אין״ . In similar fashion, if you wish toremain in EretzYisrael, you must constantly humble yourselves, which is a type ofnullification and expression of nothingness. You must acknowledge how far youare still from serving Hashem properly. Only then will you be able to startanew, serving Hashem properly in His royal palace in Eretz Yisrael. Let usadd a valuable detail. When Moshe Rabeinu sent the meraglim to survey the land,he said to them (Bamidbar 13, 20): והתחזקתם ולקחתם מפרי הארץ' '—youshall strengthen yourselves and take from the fruit of the land. According tothe Zohar hakadosh (Shelach 158a), the meraglim did not want to enter the land,because they perceived that they would not maintain their elite status asprinces and leaders in Eretz Yisrael. This motivated them to speak ill of EretzYisrael, so that they would maintain thestatus of princes that they held in the midbar. In other words, the meraglim'sfailure is attributable to the klipah of arrogance— “ga'avah”; they feared thatthey would lose their prominence. Thus, itseems that this is what Moshe was hinting to the meraglim: ' והתחזקתם'—fortify yourselves against the yetzer of “ga'avah” that instills in youthe fear of losing authority and control; ' ולקחתם '—learn a vitallesson (“lekach”); ' —'מפרי הארץ from the fruit whose seeds cannotgrow and produce within the depths of the earth until they decay and achieve astate of nothingness. You, too,must fortify yourselves by achieving a state of virtual nothingness by totallyrelinquishing your prominent status as princes. By doing so, you will achieveyour complete tikun in Olam HaZeh and rise higher and higher in the service ofHashem. We cannow suggest the following. After the original generation of the midbar alldied—who were influenced by the meraglim, failing to learn the lessonconcerning the midah of humility from the fruit of the land—Moshe announced totheir children who were about to enter the land: “It will be when you enter theland that Hashem, your G-d, gives you as an inheritance, and you takepossession of it, and dwell in it.” He waswarning them that if they intend to enter the land and to prosper and survivein it, and not to suffer the fate of their fathers, who were not allowed toenter the land: 'ולקחת מראשית כל פרי האדמה' —be sure to learn thislesson (“lekach”) from the first yields of the fruits of the land—in contrastto their fathers who neglected to heed Moshe's warning: 'והתחזקתם ולקחתם מפריהארץ' —fortify yourselves and take (learn a lesson) from the fruit of theland. Thelesson relates to the avodah of the month of אלו'ל , whose name is formedby the two spellings of the word “lo”-- ל'א and ל'ו . As wehave explained, it is incumbent upon us to achieve a state of nothingnessthrough the midah of humility; we must acknowledge that due to our behavior, weare the embodiment of ' ולא אנחנו עמו '—we do not truly deserve to beHis people. Yet, withthis acknowledgment, we are able to renew ourselves through total teshuvah andreclaim the status of ' ולו אנחנו עמו '. In this merit, we willfinally deserve to be redeemed from the trials and tribulations of galus; aswe've learned, galus is the void and nothingness that must precede theflourishing growth of the future geulah—swiftly, in our times! Amen.

August 28, 2024Torah Smash! The Podcast for Nerdy JewsEpisode 62 - Deadpool and Lamed VavnikimThere are so many people in our world who are making the world a better place. Judaism calls them lamed vavnikim, or the righteous 36. But what about the people in the void who are making our world a better place? Or those who are trying to find missing anchor beings to make their own world better for their girlfriend who doesn't love them anymore? They're good too, right? Well, maybe they're not “Avengers good”, but, woo, they're about to make a name for themselves here.00:01:24 Most people think they're good people00:03:07 We know the right answer and these aren't it00:06:11 Deadpool and Wolverine00:08:40 Thirty-Six (Plus) Righteous People00:12:00 The Thirty Six Graphic Novel by Kristopher White00:14:38 Barak's rant about D&W plot holes00:19:51 Happy Hogan's afikomen office00:24:11 Into the Void00:29:28 Wolverine variants00:33:17 Musical anchors00:35:27 Not one, but two (and a Peter)00:36:14 More likes and dislikes00:40:18 Deadpool 4?Share this episode with a friend: https://www.torahsmash.com/post/episode-62-deadpool-and-lamed-vavnikimConnect with us online, purchase swag, support us with a donation, and more at www.torahsmash.com.

The meditation of the Mem is the completion of the meditations of the Chof and the Lamed, and within the Mem lies the spiritual tank that can be used to contain the wisdom and energy drawn down. This short meditations guides the listener through this drawing down and containing within.   Music credits: Free Meditation Music 528Hz Music - No CopyRight Music - Royalty Free Healing Music - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlnfVgRTMRE&t=0s Self Care - Lee Rosevere - https://youtu.be/oEfnAQyxVgk

In this episode of the Letters Series, we journey within the bridge of spiritual dimensions that is the Lamed ל. Leading to prayer, it unlocks a spiritual gate of opportunity for growth, learning, and Divine intimacy.   Music credits: Free Meditation Music 528Hz Music - No CopyRight Music - Royalty Free Healing Music - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlnfVgRTMRE&t=0s Self Care - Lee Rosevere - https://youtu.be/oEfnAQyxVgk

Insights and comments could be sent to Jonathan@theparashapodcast.com    They will be addressed during our daily classes to enhance the discussion.  For Parasha classes, please visit: TheParashaPodcast.com Spotify Link: https://open.spotify.com/show/45srXeZZgZKHAomOmpIkmh?si=Ao0Jr94xQOSpKxd8Rg7Zyw Apple Podcasts Link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-parasha-podcast/id1525436805  For Navi Classes, please visit: Spotify Link: https://open.spotify.com/show/48iHU4mP1cvgZOGFrC5Jys?si=o_r9qD_XT_yovHvuC9fJIA Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-navi-podcast/id1549133051  For Tehillim Classes, please visit: Spotify Link: https://open.spotify.com/show/79ooU0LqW7FF8Zh5YfJAkp?si=fzjnBsMPRjS27AtlepZxRQ&dl_branch=1 Apple Podcasts Link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-tehillim-podcast/id1588773372  #Parsha #Navi #Torah #Bible #Wisdom #Psalms #Song #Tehillim

Insights and comments could be sent to Jonathan@theparashapodcast.com    They will be addressed during our daily classes to enhance the discussion.  For Parasha classes, please visit: TheParashaPodcast.com Spotify Link: https://open.spotify.com/show/45srXeZZgZKHAomOmpIkmh?si=Ao0Jr94xQOSpKxd8Rg7Zyw Apple Podcasts Link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-parasha-podcast/id1525436805  For Navi Classes, please visit: Spotify Link: https://open.spotify.com/show/48iHU4mP1cvgZOGFrC5Jys?si=o_r9qD_XT_yovHvuC9fJIA Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-navi-podcast/id1549133051  For Tehillim Classes, please visit: Spotify Link: https://open.spotify.com/show/79ooU0LqW7FF8Zh5YfJAkp?si=fzjnBsMPRjS27AtlepZxRQ&dl_branch=1 Apple Podcasts Link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-tehillim-podcast/id1588773372  #Parsha #Navi #Torah #Bible #Wisdom #Psalms #Song #Tehillim

En la sección "Lamed" de Salmos 119, versículos 89 a 96, nos sumergimos en la eternidad y la fidelidad de la Palabra de Dios.

If a person normally attends a Shiur (Torah class) on a certain night of the week, and one week he has a wedding to attend that night, which takes precedence? The Vilna Gaon (Rav Eliyahu of Vilna, 1720-1797) noted that the Book of Mishleh speaks of an "Et Rekod" – "a time for dancing" – using the word "Rekod" instead of "Li'rkod." The missing "Lamed" in this word, the Gaon explained, alludes to the fact that when it is time to dance at a wedding, this Misva overrides "Lamed" – learning. The Misva of "Mesame'ah Hatan Ve'kala" – celebrating with the bride and groom – is so important that it even overrides Torah study. Therefore, participating in wedding festivities takes precedence over learning Torah. However, this applies only to the "Rekod" – the dancing, as opposed to the ceremony. At the Hupa ceremony, the Hatan and Kala fulfill a Misva, but the people in attendance do not actively participate in a Misva. While it is certainly meaningful, and the guests answer "Amen" to several Berachot, this does not override Torah learning. Therefore, a person who has a scheduled learning session or Shiur at night should not miss his learning to attend the Hupa, but should miss learning for the dancing, in order to fulfill the Misva of celebrating with a bride and groom. It should also be noted that often the ceremony is delayed and begins well after its scheduled time, and thus one who attends a Hupa may end up spending the majority of his evening at the affair. Therefore, when possible, one should try to attend his regular Shiur and then go to the reception for the dancing and celebration. An important exception to this rule is when attendance at the Hupa fulfills a Misva. If the Hatan and Kala, for whatever reason, do not have many people attending their wedding, and certainly if they might not have a Minyan at the ceremony, it is, without question, a Misva to attend the Hupa to bring the couple joy. And therefore under such circumstances, the Misva of attending the ceremony would override the Misva of Torah learning. (Based on Rav Rahamim Moshe Shayo's "Mehkereh Eretz," p. 295) Summary: If a person has a conflict between his regular Torah class and a wedding, the Misva of dancing with the bride and groom takes precedence, and thus he should attend the reception at the expense of his Torah class. He should not, however, miss his Torah class to attend the Hupa, unless the couple will not be having many guests at the Hupa, in which case it is a Misva to attend the Hupa even at the expense of Torah learning.

Salmo # 119 -Lamed- ל el cual trae beneficios y es recomendable entre otros para solucionar problemas de la nariz en sus fosas nasales, especialmente la fosa derecha. El salmo #119 es un salmo que contiene 176 versos, y está dividido en 22 grupos (22 letras) en el que cada grupo tiene 8 versos cada … Continuar leyendo "Salmos135: Salmo # 119 – Lamed- ל"

Proverbs 2 Seeking and Receiving the Wisdom of God (Rev. Erik Veerman) Our sermon text this morning is Proverbs chapter 2. You can find that on page 626. One thing these opening chapters do is present the case for wisdom. Not human wisdom but God's wisdom. In particular, the first 4 chapters answer the question: What, Why and how. What is wisdom and why and how should you pursue the wisdom of God? We've already considered chapter 1. It defined wisdom for us and it gave us the foundation to wisdom. Wisdom begins with fearing the Lord. You can't start anywhere else. Fearing the Lord is having him at the center of your life and giving him all the reverence, awe, and worship that he alone deserves as the eternal God. That's the first part of the “how” question. Then in the second half of chapter 1 – we were given the first part of the “why” question. Why wisdom? In those verses, Solomon gave his son a grave warning. If you don't listen to the wisdom of God, the path you will be on will lead to anguish and destruction. He was saying, “Beware and listen up!” Now, to be sure, in the coming weeks, we'll hear the positive answers to the “why” question, but we first needed a little wake up call. Chapter 2, here, goes back to the “how” question. Yes, we start with the fear of the Lord, but how do we then get wisdom? How do we build on that foundation? As I read, listen for the answer. Reading of Proverbs 2 Prayer Every single day, about 7 million new blog entries are posted. 7 million every day! Every week, about 550 thousand podcast episodes are released. Think about that. Half a million published every week. Let's also consider books. Last year, about 2.2 million books were published. As you know, some blogs and podcasts and books are entertainment, but most are informational or about opinions. They including thoughts on lifestyle and finance and travel and the latest social trends, or about news and commentary or, of course, about religion and politics. Millions and millions of all of that. We have an almost insatiable desire to consume information. Why is that? Well, there are many reasons, but part of it is a deep desire to make sense of the world. We want to be able to understand things so that we can navigate life. We want to formulate our own opinions and analyze other people's opinions. Almost everyone is searching for some kind of wisdom. And that's where Proverbs 2 comes in. Proverbs 2 instructs you on how to get God's wisdom. His wisdom is not received through self-help books or podcasts (except for Proverbs podcasts!). To be sure, some of those resources can be helpful, but none of those are where you will find the wealth and source of God's wisdom. No, there's a greater source. There's a greater treasure of knowledge and wisdom to pursue. And here's what Proverbs 2 tells us: when you seek this treasure with all your heart, God will then give it to you. I think that's the beauty of this chapter. Wisdom is not just something you pursue. Yes, we each need to do that. But wisdom is also something that you must be given. And when wisdom is given to you, it will transform you. So, seeking and receiving wisdom. Let me say, Seeking wisdom is not an intellectual pursuit. It's not a pursuit where you are just trying to fill your mind with information. Yes, knowledge is important, but it's not the goal. In the same way, receiving wisdom from God is not receiving head knowledge or the ability to remember and recall. No, getting wisdom is much deeper. The thing about this chapter is that it's rich with language that goes to our very being. It's seeking and receiving at the very center of who we are. It's heart and soul seeking and receiving. You'll see that word “heart” there in verses 2 and 10. The call is to “incline your heart” to wisdom. Now, to the original Hebrew audience, the word “heart,” as we've talked about before, had a very different connotation than it does today. Today, when we think about our heart, we primarily think about our feelings. But back then, your heart was about what you believe and cherish deep down. Feelings come and go, but a heart of understanding and wisdom is a foundation in your life. You are going to hear that kind of language worked out in different ways. In fact, I'm going to use that word “heart” in my points. I'm referring to the original meaning. ·       Point 1 is this: Seek God's wisdom from your heart ·       Second: Receive a heart of wisdom from God ·       And Third: Reap the rewards of a heart of wisdom So, seek, receive, and reap. Seek God's wisdom from your heart, receive a heart of wisdom from God, and reap the rewards of a heart of wisdom. 1. Seek God's wisdom from your heart To begin, right in verse 1 we're told where to search for wisdom... where to direct our attention. Solomon tells his son “If you receive my words and treasure up my commandments.” Solomon is referring to the words written here in Proverbs… and he includes the commandments. In other words, Solomon is directing his son to God's law and his word. You see, outside of studying these Proverbs, the children would have been taught the law and the prophets. They would have studied God's Word and even memorized it. But let me ask this. If you are a student here. Grade school, middle school, high school, college…  do you like to study? I think know the answer. Sometimes. Often though, you're not interested in the subject. Right? But yet, in school, you have to study and learn even the topics you don't like. So, what do you do? You jump through the hoops. You cram for the exam, and right after the test, poof. It disappears out of your mind. I have intimate knowledge about how to do that. But that is the exact opposite of how to get wisdom. Look at the language. ·       Verse 1, if you “receive my words.” That means, taking hold of them. It also says, “Treasure up my commandments.” When you treasure something, you are holding something dear. ·       Verse 2. If your “ear is attentive to wisdom.” It's not in one ear out the other. It's like you are leaning forward, hanging on every word from God. And then there's our word “heart.” “inclining your heart to understanding.” Your pursuit of wisdom is not about knowing information so you can pass the test. No, the call here is to have a heart for wisdom. “I want your wisdom, Lord. Give me a heart that yearns for wisdom.” ·       And look at verse 4. “If you seek it like silver and search for it as hidden treasure.” Do you hear that sense of a deep longing and searching for wisdom? I was thinking of Jesus' parable of the hidden treasure. A man finds hidden treasure in a field, but he doesn't own the land. He can't take it. And so what does he do? He sells everything he has to buy the field so that the treasure would be his. That is the level of heart pursuit we should have for God's wisdom. Again, it's not a mental exercise to fill your mind with knowledge so you can regurgitate it or demonstrate that you know things. No, our seeking of wisdom should be a deep yearning and longing for the wisdom of God… which he has given us in his Word. What does that require? It requires pursuing it. Filling our minds with God's Word and commands. Memorizing them. In fact, in the Hebrew, this chapter is written for memorization. Chapter 2 is a form of an acrostic. An Acrostic is when a text connects to the alphabet. There are 22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet and 22 verses here.  The first 11 verses are full of the letter Aleph. That's the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Verses 12-22 are full of the letter Lamed. Lamed is the 12th letter of the Hebrew alphabet. So, it's a type of acrostic which indicates two things. First it communicates completeness – completeness in seeking and receiving wisdom. But second, it supports memorizing the chapter. Acrostics helped with that. In other words, this chapter's instruction to pursue God's wisdom parallels this chapter's structure which enables the pursuit of God's wisdom. You see, seeking the wisdom of God in your heart and mind requires filling your heart and mind with the wisdom of God in his word. That's our part, our responsibility. It's seeking out the wisdom of God from a heart that desires the wisdom of God. So seek it. 2. Receive a heart of wisdom from God And that brings us to point 2. The receive part. Receive a heart of wisdom from God Let me say, these first 2 points are really interrelated. The first point, Seeking God's wisdom from your heart interrelates with the second point, Receiving a heart of wisdom from God. It's both our pursuit AND God's gift. That's why in verse 3, we're to “call out” and “raise our voice” for wisdom. In other words, pray. You see, part of seeking wisdom is praying to God that he would give you wisdom. Have you ever done that? Have you ever prayed that God would give you a heart for wisdom… Have you asked God to fill your heart with wisdom? We read from the book of James, earlier. He says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” I have this very clear memory of someone asking me that question. Had I ever prayed for wisdom? I was in High school at the time. It was in the summer. I remember not knowing exactly how to pray for wisdom. I just knew I had a desire to better understand God and his world and his word. So I prayed! But it wasn't like, all of a sudden light bulbs went off. No. But over time, first God developed in my heart a deeper desire to have his wisdom… and second, over time he gave me a deeper understanding of his wisdom. I believe God is still answering that prayer in my life. Will you pray for wisdom? Verse 6 says, “for the Lord gives wisdom.” You see, wisdom flows from him. Did you notice how these opening verses lead up to that? IF you receive and treasure my commands. IF your ear is attentive… IF you call out for it… IF you seek it like silver. IF, IF, IF, THEN…. THEN, it says, “you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.” WHY? Verse 6. “For the Lord gives wisdom.” We seek it. He gives it. God is the source of all wisdom. Verse 7 – “He stores up sound wisdom for the upright” As Romans 11 declares, “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! …For from him and through him and to him are all things.” When you seek God and his wisdom from your heart, he will give you his wisdom in your heart. Look how verse 10 puts it, “for wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.” Again, “heart” in the ancient Hebrew sense of the word. You'll be given a deep-seated belief and knowledge of God, his word, and his commands. You'll be given discernment of what is good and right and true and righteous. “wisdom will come into your heart.” When you seek wisdom with all your heart. Seeking and receiving. It's our pursuit and God's gift. If you hold the Scriptures up to your head, the words are not going to somehow move from the pages to your brain. No, you read the word, listen to it, meditate on it, study it. God is the one who then moves it from your head to your heart. The call of wisdom to know God's and to know God's Word. And to know God is for him to know you. That's why you call out to God for wisdom because he is the one who gives wisdom and who gives you knowledge of him. Let me answer the question “how do I get wisdom?” by state the first two points this way: If you seek God's wisdom from your heart, then you will receive a heart of wisdom from God. 3. Reap the rewards of a heart of wisdom And here's the thing. Having a heart filled with God's wisdom comes with innumerable blessings. The second half of chapter 2 gives us some of the rewards of wisdom. And actually, we're going to see more of the blessings in chapter 3. We learn in this chapter that when we receive the wisdom of God, we will reap the rewards of a heart of wisdom. This is our third point. Reap the rewards of a heart of wisdom. Let me say, as we continue to work through Proverbs, we're going to see, over and over, various temptations. We'll read about the path of the fool and the wicked. We'll hear about injustice and sloth and gluttony, pride, and deception. We'll see, in pretty graphic form, the temptations of the adulterer. Yes, proverbs will point us to a life of integrity and honor and righteousness, but it's also full of the various landmines that are on the path to destruction. And what Solomon is saying here in the second half of chapter 2 is this: Having the wisdom of God will protect you, guard you, deliver you. In other words, when you seek the wisdom of God with all your heart and you receive the wisdom of God in your heart, God will use that to preserve and protect. You will reap the tremendous rewards of wisdom. I want you to notice something in the second half of this chapter. The verbs connected to Solomon's son are passive. In other words, the one who has wisdom is being acted upon by wisdom. Let me highlight some of those: ·       Verse 11.”Discretion will watch over you… understanding will guard you” Do you hear that language of protection? ·       Verse 12… “delivering you from the way of evil.” And then for three verses, Solomon explains just how devious and perverse the wicked are. The placement of the word “delivering” at the beginning reveals an emphasis on being delivered. ·       Verse 16 is similar. “You will be delivered from the forbidden woman.” And then again, for three verses, he explains just how destructive her path is. It leads to death. ·       What will having a heart of wisdom give you? Verse 20 – “you will walk in the way of the good.” It's a promise that wisdom will keep you on the paths of the righteous. Last weekend, we were out of town and rented a car. This car would warn you if you got too close to the yellow or white lines, or if there was a car in your blind spot. And if you enabled the cruise control, it would literally turn the steering wheel for you to keep you in the center of the lane – It would also make sure that you were not too close to the car in front of you. It would slow you down. I know what some of you are thinking. “They've had that technology for 10 years.” Yes, but let me just say that the cars in our driveway are (to put it nicely) vintage. So, it was new for us. This is what wisdom does for you. It warns you, watches over you, guards you, keeps you on that path. Those are the words. In a sense, delivers you from falling asleep at the wheel, from accidents. You'll have the wisdom to discern truth from error, righteousness from wickedness, and holiness from perverseness. We don't need to look much further than the life of Christ. In the Gospel of Luke, chapter 2, we're told of Jesus as a twelve-year-old boy. He was studying at the temple, listening to the teachers and interacting with them. And as it says, Jesus was filled with wisdom and he increased in wisdom and stature. In a sense he's the embodiment of the first half of Proverbs 2. Seeking and treasuring the wisdom of God, and then being filled with wisdom from his Father. Now fast forward to Jesus in the desert when Satan tempted him. In that situation, his wisdom was put into action. Jesus was tempted by the epitome of evil and deception - the devil himself. In fact, Satan twisted the very word of God to try to tempt Jesus. Think of that, Satan quoted Scripture, really perverted Scripture, in an attempt to cause the Son of God to fall. But armed with the full wisdom of God, Jesus saw right through the lies and temptation. He responded, in wisdom, with the truth of God, not only setting the record straight but condemning Satan. We need the wisdom of Christ. It's through that wisdom that we will be delivered. But you say, “wait, wait wait! How can God deliver us if at the end of his life on earth, Jesus wasn't delivered?” That's a great question because you likely know what happened. Jesus was arrested, accused, mocked, tortured, and hung on a Roman cross. Look at Proverbs 2:12-15. It describes what Jesus endured. Men of deceptive speech rejoiced in doing evil against him. Their ways were perverted and crooked and devious. He was killed and we were complicit. Well, what happened to wisdom? Why didn't the Father deliver him? or why didn't Jesus save himself? Why? Because our deliverance depended on Jesus' endurance. He endured the anguish and torture at the hands of evil men, in order to deliver us from evil and death and destruction. And in the end, which is the critically important part, Jesus was delivered. He overcame death and sin and evil so that he could guard us, and be a shield for us, and watch over us and deliver us. This chapter is very instructive because nowhere in here does it say that you will deliver yourself. All the guarding and protecting is being done to you, if you have been given wisdom. Our responsibility is to actively seek the wisdom of God in his word and commands. After verse 5 – we're the recipients of the benefits of wisdom. “The Lord gives wisdom….” “He stores up wisdom for us…,” “He's a shield for us.” He is the one who delivers and guides and watches over us. We will reap the rewards of a heart of wisdom The ultimate benefits of wisdom are in the deliverance that wisdom gives us. That deliverance comes through the wisdom of God in what Christ has done. Conclusion Let me briefly summarize and close. Seek the wisdom of God in Christ. Pursue God with all your heart and mind and soul and strength. Pray for wisdom, yearn to have a heart of wisdom. Seek wisdom but seek God and his wisdom - his Word, and his commands. And when you do, God will give you a wisdom beyond the wisdom of the world. He'll give you a heart of wisdom. He will take the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And when you have that wisdom, he will deliver you. He can do that because he is the deliverer. The promise of verse 21 will then be for you. “For the upright will inhabit the land and those with integrity will remain in it.” That's the promise of Christ. It's not your uprightness or integrity that delivers you. No, it's the uprightness and integrity of Christ. So, may we each seek the one who is wisdom, seek his word which reveals wisdom, and receive his deliverance through wisdom… his guidance and protection for eternity.

As we go through trials, there will be temptations to complain. Find out what happens when you resist complaining and yield to God's work of truth in your heart to bring the joy of heaven! *** Welcome to Celebrating God's Grace, A Women World Leader's Podcast. I'm your host Robin Kirby-Gatto. Thank you for joining us today as we celebrate God's grace, in our lives, in our ministry, and around the world. Today's Title: The Concession of Grace “Instead of your [former] shame you shall have a twofold recompense; instead of dishonor and reproach [your people] shall rejoice in their portion. Therefore in their land they shall possess double [what they had forfeited]; everlasting joy shall be theirs.” Isaiah 61:7 AMPC Recently we've been going through an unexpected kitchen renovation in our apartment. This started June 26th when plumbing issues showed up in four of the apartments in our historic building, which was built in 1928. The pipes, full of rust and degraded, had holes throughout. As a result, anything that went down the drain would leak behind the walls. Our apartment, which is on the top floor, and the three apartments under us had to have a kitchen renovation in order to put in new pipes. Management alerted us that we couldn't use the kitchen sink, as well as needed to prepare for our kitchen being redone, so that the plumbers could remove the wall and put in new pipes. I really didn't know what to expect since I'd not undergone anything like this before. Not only did we have to wash our dishes in the bathroom sink, but we had to purchase water to drink and cook with. Moreover, we've gotten takeout during the renovation with all our kitchen items being spread throughout the house, making it difficult to navigate meals. It has already been over three weeks since work began, and they hope to be finished with everything by Monday July 24th. Although things are chaotic with workers in and out of our home, and the house a mess, we've felt God's peace. Throughout this time, I've been flooded with unspeakable joy, and because my heart's been so full, there's not been room for any complaints. I did a morning video one week into the renovation, reminded of Israel in Numbers 21, who complained in the wilderness. Because they wouldn't stop grumbling and complaining, God sent fiery serpents to bite them. In order to be healed from the serpent's bite, people had to look upon the pole that Moses raised with the bronze serpent, and they would live. God brought this story to mind of Numbers 21 as He told me that He had given us joy, through the transition of our kitchen, and would bless us for having no complaints in our hearts. We felt like we were camping, having a makeshift routine, while waiting for the renovation to be finished. About three weeks into the renovation, I contacted management to see about the possibility of getting a concession on our rent. We're charged for water each month, and not only did we not use water in our kitchen, but we had to purchase water to drink, as well as get takeout. The manager mentioned he had put in for us to get a concession with the boss, the Friday before. As I finished my walk one morning, he saw me and made mention that we were going to get a concession. Moreover, although we are the top apartment and the last one on which they started, for whatever reason, we're the first one they're finishing. All I could see in this entire process was Isaiah 61:7, about getting a double portion of honor. The personalized tag I saw three days prior to writing the podcast, was MRSHONR, for Mrs. Honor! In my new book, in which I'm writing, “The Forbidden Fruit, the Spiritual Disease,” God has me teaching on the Kingdom of Heaven and the kingdom of the world. In Isaiah 61:3, The Kingdom of Heaven is the garment of expressive praise, and the kingdom of the world is the cloak of heaviness. Jesus came to remove the heaviness of the world from us and bring heaven's joy! As I keep saying, and my husband is now saying, while editing my new book, once you truly understand scripture about Jesus' message of The Kingdom of Heaven, you cannot “unsee it.” In Isaiah 61:7 scripture says, instead of dishonor, you will have a double portion and JOY! I'm going to bring in the Old Hebrew symbols, which form a word picture, to depict these Hebrew words in a deeper measure from this scripture. The Hebrew word for dishonor is kelimmâh pronounced kel-im-maw' meaning, “disgrace, confusion, dishonor, and shame.” [i] The Hebrew letters for dishonor are Kaph, Lamed, Mem, and Hey. Kaph is the ancient symbol of a hand that can open or close meaning, “cover and allow.” Lamed is the ancient symbol of a cattle goad, which looks like a shepherd's staff with a prick in the curvature, and means “tongue, control, and authority.” Mem is the ancient symbol of water, and looks like a three humped “M,” meaning “chaos” in the negative and “massive and flooding.” Finally, Hey is the ancient symbol of a stickman holding its arms up, as if worshiping, and means “to reveal.” Thus, the word picture for dishonor is THE TONGUE COVERING YOU AND BRINGING CHAOS IS REVEALED. This is the voice of the stranger, which Jesus warns of in John 10:5. The stranger's voice, is the voice of satan that is of the kingdom of the world. When the enemy attacks the heart and mind, he does so through the chaos of the world, making you feel “bad.” As you seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, God adds all things unto you. (Matthew 6:33) The evidence of seeking the Kingdom of God, knowing that the Kingdom of Heaven is near, is that you have JOY! Joy in Isaiah 61:7 is the Hebrew word simchâh pronounced sim-khaw' meaning, “blithesomeness or glee, exceeding, exceedingly, gladness, joy, joyfulness, mirth, pleasure, rejoice, and rejoicing.” [ii] The Hebrew letters that compose the word joy are Sheen, Mem, Chet, and Hey. The Hebrew symbol for Sheen is like a jagged “W” and the picture for teeth, meaning “to consume” in the positive and “devour” in the negative. The Hebrew letter Mem mentioned earlier is the symbol of water and in the positive indicates massive, as well as depict flooding. Chet is the ancient symbol of a fence or chamber and means separated and secret place. Finally, we saw Hey earlier meaning, “to reveal.” Therefore, the word picture for joy is BEING CONSUMED IN THE SECRET PLACE AS YOU ARE MASSIVELY FLOODED WITH WORSHIP THAT IS REVEALED. God began to speak to me about the word “concession,” since the apartment management is giving us a concession on our rent. Concession means in our circumstance, “a preferential allowance or rate given by an organization.” [iii] It can also mean a commercial operation that brings refreshments. satan was cast down from heaven, as his heart was lifted in pride, bringing merchandise into heaven. (Ezekiel 28:16) The Hebrew word for merchandise comes from the root word meaning “merchant.” Merchandise is composed of the Hebrew letters Resh, Kaph, Lamed, and Hey. Resh is the ancient symbol of a man's face and means, head, highest, and person. We saw the symbols for Kaph meaning, “cover or allow,” Lamed meaning “tongue, control, and authority,” and finally Hey meaning “reveal.” Therefore, the word picture for merchandise is THE TONGUE THAT IS ALLOWED TO CONTROL THE PERSON, IS REVEALED. This is the stranger's voice that Jesus refers to in John 10:5. His sheep will not listen to the stranger's voice, but only the voice of their Good Shepherd. A concession stand at a ballgame is normally filled with fast foods, and generally has a selection of candy. I couldn't help but see the concession stand of the enemy during people's trials, as they allow his lie to continue to speak to their heart and mind, and they look at all things, through the lens of the kingdom of the world, which is “good or bad,” from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Moreover, I couldn't help but think of candy at a concession stand, and how sugar makes you feel good initially with a sugar rush, and in time, causes you to crash. Furthermore, it's the sugar in alcohol, which is ethanol, that gets a person drunk. The concession stand of the enemy is in the kingdom of the world, for those whose eyes are not fixed on God, which causes people to be drunk with pride during the trial. Pride is revealed as complaining creeps in, making a person feel good, getting the sugar-coated message of the world. I saw clearly that those who stay focused on the world, gripe and complain in their trials, and are forever at the concession stand of the world. Understand, this doesn't mean you won't experience hard times in life. Rather, in the hard times of life, you keep your eyes on God, and He brings heaven down! He lifts you into Joy, giving you a double portion of honor as your reward! God began to show me, how the joy of the Lord on my husband and me, amid this renovation, caused us to have favor with God and man, as in Proverbs 3:3-4, as we were honored by management with a deduction from our next month's rent. Moreover, the crazy thing is, we're the first apartment they're finishing, although we were the last one, they started on. What came to mind was the last shall be first. When this all started, the tenant, who lived three flights beneath us, had been bothered and complained so much that she ended up leaving. I couldn't help but see the power of not complaining and keeping your eyes on the things that are above. (Colossians 3:1-3) When we're in trials, we should be exceedingly glad, as in 1 Peter 1:6-7. It is the testing of our faith, which is being brought forth more precious than gold, to reveal Christ Jesus in us the Hope of Glory. Our faith results from keeping our eyes on God, where we're in the overflow of God's joy, which is our strength, seeing Heaven's reward in our life. Where is it in your life that you're complaining? Keep your eyes on God and watch Him reward you with joy and give you honor!   [i] Strong's Concordance Hebrew word # 3639 “'dishonor” [ii] Strong's Concordance Hebrew word # 8057 “joy” [iii] “concession”

The Kaf Ha'haim (Rav Yaakob Haim Sofer, Baghdad-Israel, 1870-1939), in Siman 494 (Se'if Katan 32; listen to audio recording for precise citation), discusses the custom among Sepharadim to read on Shabuot the Azaharot, which is a poem written by Rabbi Shelomo Ibn Gabirol that lists all 613 Biblical commands. The custom in our synagogue is to read the first three and last three paragraphs of the Azharot in the synagogue, as a reminder to the congregants that they should recite the complete poem at home. (We do not read the entire poem so as not to unduly extend the prayer service.) This is done before the recitation of Ashreh at Musaf. The Azharot are read on both days of Shabuot.The Kaf Ha'haim adds that it is worthwhile to study on Shabuot the verses from the Book of Vayikra (in Parashat Emor) that discuss the Korban Sheteh Ha'lehem, the special offering that was brought on Shabuot. It is appropriate to study on each holiday topics relevant to that holiday, and thus on Shabuot, there is value in studying the subject of the Korban Sheteh Ha'lehem.Furthermore, the Kaf Ha'haim writes, it is proper to study on Shabuot the Book of Tehillim, which was composed by King David, who passed away on Shabuot. It is customary to recite Tehillim in King David's memory on Shabuot, and this occasion is an especially auspicious time for one's recitation of Tehillim to be lovingly accepted by God. The Kaf Ha'haim notes that when one recites the introductory Yehi Rason prayer before reciting Tehillim on Shabuot, he should omit the passages that pray for forgiveness for our sins, as we do not offer prayers for forgiveness on Yom Tob. He also notes that when reciting the passage in this prayer in which we pray for long life ("Ve'nizke Ve'nihye…"), one should not recite the text praying for seventy or eighty years of life. Since many people live beyond eighty years, we should not be praying for only this length of life. Therefore, it is proper to pray generally for long life, without specifying a particular duration.The Kaf Ha'haim also writes that one should try over the course of his Torah learning on Shabuot to conceive of at least one Hiddush (new Torah insight). Since Shabuot begins the new year of Torah study, thinking of a Hiddush during Shabuot is a favorable omen for success in Torah throughout the coming year. If one is unable to arrive at a Hiddush of his own, he should at least study new material or a new insight which is a "Hiddush" for him.The Kaf Ha'haim writes that Rabbi Moshe Cordovero (1522-1570) would study Kabbalah on Shabuot, which would bring him success in his learning.In this context the Kaf Ha'haim emphasizes that one should exert himself in Torah study on both days of Shabuot, and not only on the first day. He notes that according to one view among the Tanna'im (the view of Rabbi Yossi), the Torah was given on the 7th of Sivan (the second day of Shabuot), and not on the 6th, and it is therefore important to immerse oneself in Torah learning even on the second day of the holiday.There is a well-known custom to partake of dairy products on Shabuot. Among the many different reasons given for this custom is an explanation suggested by the Ben Ish Hai (Rav Yosef Haim of Baghdad, 1833-1909), who noted that the numerical value of "Halab" ("milk") is forty. We eat on Shabuot foods made from milk to commemorate the forty days that Moshe spent atop Mount Sinai receiving the Torah. Additionally, the names of the three letters that form the word "Halab" are "Het," "Lamed" and "Bet." The "inner letters" of these three names (meaning, the letters after the first letter) are "Yod" and "Tav" (from "Het"), "Mem" and "Dalet" (from "Lamed"), and again "Yod" and "Tav" (from "Bet'). These letters spell the word "Temidit," which means "constant" or "consistent." We eat dairy products on Shabuot to remind ourselves of the concept of "Temidit," that our devotion to Torah must be constant and consistent. We cannot study only on some days but not others, when we happen to feel like it. This devotion must continue day in, and day out. The Torah says, "Zot Torat Ha'ola" (literally, "This is the law concerning the burnt offering"), alluding to an association between Torah and the daily Ola offering brought in the Bet Ha'mikdash. Torah, too, must be "daily," a constant part of our lives, each and every day.Summary: It is customary among Sepharadim to read Rabbi Shelomo Ibn Gabirol's Azharot both days of Shabuot. It is proper to study on Shabuot the section of the Torah dealing with the special Shabuot sacrifice, and to recite Tehillim in memory of King David. One should try over the course of Shabuot to come up with a novel Torah insight, or to at least to learn something new in Torah that he had not known previously.

As part of our Men of Co-Creation celebration, Rabbi Rami Shapiro joins Tonya Dawn Recla to share the history of the Lamed Vavnik. Rabbi Rami is an inspirational light on the journey to recognizing oneness and pursuing the path of wholeness. In this episode, he and Tonya talk about the journey from awakening to awakening and how to stay true to that path. Watch now for steps you can take now that keep you trekking toward your best self yet!

Today, the Etzion bloc is home to more than 20,000 Jews. But back in 1948, roughly 500 Jews lived in the tiny parcel of land nestled between Hebron and Jerusalem. The four isolated, vulnerable kibbutzim of the bloc were an easy target for Arab attacks. But the Jews of Etzion weren't going down without a fight. And the Palmach – the Haganah's elite strike force – would do anything to keep these tiny communities strong and well-supplied. Like sending a convoy of 35 fighters weighed down with supplies through miles of hostile territory.  But war is hell. And the story of Gush Etzion, and the brave convoy that supplied it, is both a tragedy – and a story of brotherhood, heroism, and resilience in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. ~~~~   Sources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1REJt_UGndGrngPsww3Ra4PLBcKJB67xBM6Sd3TVG_nE/edit?usp=sharing ~~~~  This Israel@75 mini-series is generously sponsored by the Jewish Agency for Israel - North American Council, and Ari and Jody Storch.

Live Monday-Thursday Nights 7pm PST 10pm ESThttps://fringe.fm (station)https://lightingthevoid.com (show site)https://www.joerupe.com/ (members)https://joerupe.info/ (links)CALL IN LIVE OR LEAVE A VOICEMAIL AT 1/800/588/0335Tonight is the Libra Full Moon. As we continue the Middle Pillar 30-day challenge what energies are teaching us about relation, balance, truth, justice, and more. We also look at Robert Wang's studies on the Justice Card.