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The Knesset voted not to dissolve itself and hold new
general elections. Former prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu
announced that he will not run for prime minister since he
would be unable to form a workable government with the
current Knesset, and will also not run against Arik Sharon
for leadership of the Likud. About 10 senior activists have been killed recently, say
Palestinian sources. Though Israel has not announced that it
has killed any terrorists, the IDF and the Shin Bet are said
to be visibly satisfied with the work done by its special
units, especially the special police unit, against
Palestinian field activists in the last few weeks. Justice Cheshin Does not Apologize for Anti-Chareidi
Remarks High Court Justice Mishael Cheshin's pronouncements about
the chareidi sector's lack of rights have elicited acerbic
reactions not only from the chareidi sector, as would seem
natural, but from the secular public as well. Justice
Cheshin has not apologized for his remarks, and he even
sought personal support against what he called "the chareidi
attacks" from the Central Elections Committee which he
heads. According to a report in Globes by investigative
reporter Yoav Yitzhak, police investigating the activities
of One Israel in the past elections have evidence indicating
criminal acts by Yitzchok Herzog, currently the Cabinet
Secretary of prime minister Barak.
Manof Demands Accurate Reporting of Draft Statistics In light of headlines and recent reports on the issue of the
draft of yeshiva students, Manof -- the Jewish Information
Center -- has demanded that news editors and reporters
employ precise terms when describing news related to this
issue. Vaad Harabbonim Helps Eretz Yisroel's Poor on Chanukah and
Year Round Chana looked at the stack of unpaid bills in front of her
and felt the tears trickling down her cheeks. There was no
way she could pay them all -- the rent was due in two days,
tuition by the end of the week, and then there were the gas,
electricity and water bills, all of which had to be paid by
the end of the month. American Aguda Plans Responses to Situation in Eretz
Yisroel The large conference room at Agudath Israel national
headquarters in Manhattan was filled to capacity last
Wednesday night as dozens of Am Echad activists came
together to hear reports on the current military and
political situation in Eretz Yisroel, and to discuss how
American Orthodox Jewry might play a constructive role in
those urgent matters.
Kever Rochel Today: A War Zone The phenomenon of people clandestinely visiting Kever Rochel
in defiance of IDF orders has become a daily occurrence.
People who do so are endangering their lives. In order to
reach the kever they must pass through Palestinian-
controlled territory, thus exposing themselves to
Palestinian sharp shooters. 17 Ancient Graves Destroyed in Yavneh Residents of the city of Yavneh were deeply shocked to learn
about the desecration and destruction of 17 ancient graves
on 6 Kislev. This shocking act took place at the Friedman-
Chakshori construction site, near the grave of Rabban
Gamliel which is in Yavneh. Nahariya, Kiryat Shmuel, Tzoran and Afula -- The
Religious Revolution of Keren Nesivos Moshe
Recently a two-room addition to a religious school set up by
Keren Nesivos Moshe was ruthlessly demolished by a crane
sent by the Nahariya municipality -- despite the fact that
the school had received permission from that same
municipality to build the addition. A Chanukah Miracle in Our Day Neve Shaanan is a secular suburb of Haifa, popular with the
leftist, anti-religious element of the city's society. Haifa
-- the very name conjures up repulsive images of restaurants
selling treif meat, buses running on Shabbos, the
smell of barbecues on Yom Kippur night. Who would have
believed that in this sea of secularism, the light of Torah
could begin to make deep inroads?
We have suffered a very long golus and it is certainly not
over yet. We know that there were and are four major aspects
to the golus throughout the years, based on the vision in
Doniel (7). Conversion to Judaism is not just a ceremony and it does not
really take place on a specific day or in one place. For the
true convert, the beis din and tevillah are
only the final seal of approval; they are the culmination of
a much longer process that involves much more. Rich Man, Poor Man
The Twenty-Eighth of Kislev
The Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 580:2 indicates that
28 Kislev is a proper day to fast on since on that date
Yehoyokim burnt the megillah that Yirmiyahu HaNovi
dictated to Boruch. The Mishnah Berurah (12) writes
that since alternate texts indicate other dates it is not
proper to fast during Chanukah. Achronim write that a
choson and kallah on the day of their
chupah fast on 28 Kislev. The Birur Halocho
Tinyana writes that this is a case of a typographical
error. Originally the text was be'ches Kislev (on the eight
of Kislev) and the "beis" before the "ches" was switched for
a "chof" and became "chof ches" (28). The twenty-eight of
Kislev is therefore like all other days of Chanukah and even
on the day of one's chupah one should not fast.
The Thirtieth of Kislev
The Bar Mitzvah of someone born on 30 Kislev 5748 will be in
5761 but in this year Kislev has only twenty-nine days. The
question is, of course, when will his Bar Mitzvah be?
Answer: On 1 Teves, 5761 (see Mishnah Berurah
55:45).
Explanation: A Bar Mitzvah is not a "birthday" but
when a boy reaches "thirteen years and one day" -- the
beginning of his fourteenth year. This boy's fourteenth year
cannot at all begin from 29 Cheshvan since that date was
before he was born, and therefore he becomes Bar Mitzvah
only on 1 Teves (Birur Halocho Kamma, ibid.).
If someone became an oveil, Rachmonah litzlan,
on 30 Kislev, when will be the yahrzeit ("the day of
death," "the day of bad mazal") in a year when there
are only twenty-nine days to Kislev? Answer: Since
the same day of death is not existent that year, a
"replacement" must be found. Some opinions rule that the
replacement is 29 Kislev, while others rule that it is 1
Teves. The minhag is that it is dependent upon the
first yahrzeit after the death - if it is in a year
when there are only 29 days in the month then the
yahrzeit will always be on the twenty-ninth.
However, if it falls in a year when there are 30 days in the
month then the yahrzeit which was on the first day of
Rosh Chodesh will always be on Rosh
Chodesh.
(Mishnah Berurah veBirur Halocho Teliso'oh 548).
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