Baruch Dayan Haemes

R' Efraim Klein H"YD

I don't even know where to start and how to respond to this huge tragedy. My friend told me her was there before the police came and the police response wasn't that great. He said that Mr. Klein OB"H had his window open at the time suggesting that he might have been talking to someone at the time of the shooting. The car then drove swiping apx. 10 cars, he said. The fire department and Hatzala were the first on the scene. I was told that when the car finally hit the car that stopped it, it caught flames. Then there are some reports that he got out of the car and tried to run away before he collapsed.

Whatever the story, things are sketchy. We must show outrage through phone calls, protests etc.. We need more cops and security.

I think Bloomberg has done great things for the NY economy, but crime has been going up as well.

At this point, I'm not even sure who to be upset at or how to react. Is this something that we should blame on "shvartzas"? Should we say enough is enough with these guys? They are ruining societies and communities! But I have some friends that are black, really nice guys.. How can I generalize? Ahhh....

lol Want to convert?

Libz Hate Humor

A tragic fire on Monday destroyed the personal library of President George W. Bush.

Both of his books have been lost.

A presidential spokesman said the President was devastated as he had not finished coloring the second one.

Why Get Married?

Click on the headline for great simple article! I no I don't know if the author is related to Kate Moss..

I was just analizing why do gentiles get married this week.. why do gentiles have kids... at least this article sums up why we should get married.. becuase if you think too much into it.. there is no logical reason to really rush into marriage.. that's where DevineLite comes it... read on..

Sheep Nation - Sicha

Some highlights of this weeks Sicha - MISHPATIM.

I was talking to my old principal the other day and we were analizing "the process".

He said he generally doesn't like accepting new kids past great 4 or 5. If they are enrolling for those grades he personally interviews them.

He devides the category of kids in three categories:

1) An Ox - All firy with lot's of energy and "streghnth." The child is motivated, smart and calculated. Even if the kid is using all those qualities in a way that is not acceptable to the school, he will accept that kid. As long as the ability is there, "the system" just has to direct the energy in the right direction.

2) The Donkey - The donkey is not as "strong" as the ox.. but it is very devoted. Again, even if he's devoted to Spongemouth Bob.. he still has that ability that can be channeled in the right direction.

3) The Sheep - The category he's most hesitant about accepting. A sheep is a "weak" animal. It doesn't really have much of a drive and wonders off very easily. It just follows wherever it's led.. and even then wonders off. (Since Moshe Rabeinu.. you always read about sheep wondering off)

The Rebbe analizes the deeper meaning of a guardian. The Parsha talks about a paid and an unpaid watcher. If the watcher lies and is found responsible he must pay double what the item was worth.

The Gemara lists differant kinds of lost objects that must be returned. It names an Ox, Donkey, clothing and Sheep. Seemingly, we would find it obvious to return the easy little sheep if it states that you must return the strong ox that gored & the donkey in a hot season.

The deeper meaning?

Before we come down to this earth we promise that we will be a tzadik. A "good ox". Our souls are then given to our bodies. We are our souls watchers. We must lead the ox or donkey to the right place. Those two are actually the easier ones. Therefore it must point out that it is our duty to return the "wondering sheep".

The Rebbe said that it is very applicable these days. We have many lost sheep. Lost sheep are Jews that never really educated themselves with Torah. They just don't know better. Most "fry-outs" I know these days are also compared to sheep because they never really gained enough knowledge to grow to an "ox". (We'll leave all the ox-like growing to sem. girls. Most girls return from Sem. taking up more of the plane seat. Focus Manhattan Focus...) There's only one guy I know that is a REAL "fry-out" he is brilliant and learned more than many people. He just chooses to focus his "ox" in the wrong direction - running with the ox.

The Rebbe adds that we are heading in one of two directions. We are returning the sheep and reaching out to everyone in our city. Or our city reaches out into our home. And we become effected by society.

Hey, maybe this whole shlichus thing benefits us more than the world. I wonder if we have more fryed out kids in Crown Heights and L.A. Lubab. neighborhoods or shluchims kids. I think it's the first one.. which proves the point.

Something to chew on:-)

Have a great Shabbos!

Disclaimer: Long Sicha.. the above is just taking dif. points from the Sicha.. for the full non-constipated version check out Lekutei Sichas Original (Chelek Aleph).


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Where do you come from, where do you go?

IS...............................................WAS

Joey Adams .............................. Joseph Abramowitz
Eddie Albert ...............................Eddie Heimberger
Woody Allen.............................. Allen Konigsberg
Lauren Bacall ........................... Joan Perske
Jack Benny ............................... Benny Kubelsky
Milton Berle ............................. Milton Berlinger
Ernest Borgnine .........................Effron Borgnine
George Burns ........................... Nathan Birnbaum
Joan Blondell............................. Rosebud Blustein
Joyce Brothers ..........................Joyce Bauer
Mel Brooks .............................. Melvin Kaminsky
Joey Bishop .............................. Joey Gottlieb
Charles Bronson ....................... Charles Buchinsky
Rona Barrett ..............................Rona Burnstein
Cyd Chrisse ...............................Tula Finklea
Tony Curtis ............................... Bernie Schwartz
(daughter is Jamie Lee Curtis)
Joan Crawford .......................... Lucille Le Sueur
Dyan Cannon ............................ Samile Friesen
Kirk Douglas ............................ Isadore Demsky
(son is Michael Douglas)
Bob Dylan ..................................Robert Zimmerman
Rodney Dangerfield ..................Jacob Cohen
Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. ............. Douglas Ullman
Joel Grey .................................. Joel Katz
(father of Jennifer Grey)
Elliott Gould ................................Elliott Goldstein
Zsa Zsa Gabor ............................Sara Gabor
John Garfield ............................. Jules Garfinkle
Judy Garland .............................. Frances Gumm
Paulette Goddard ....................... Paulette Levy
Eydie Gorme............................... Edith Gormezano
Cary Grant .................................. Larry Leach
Lorne Green ................................Chaim Leibowiz
Judy Holliday .............................. Judith Tuvin
Leslie Howard ............................. Leslie Stainer
Buddy Hackett ............................ Leonard Hacker
Jill St. John .................................. Jill Oppenheim
Danny Kaye.................................. David Kominsky
Alan King ..................................... Irwin Kniberg
Larry King......................................Larry Zeiger
Tina Louise.................................... Tina Blacker
Ann Landers...................................Esther Friedman
(Abigail Van Buren is her sister.)
Dorothy Lamour ........................... Dorothy Kaumeyer
Miehael Landon ........................... Mike Orowitz
Steve Lawrence ............................ Sidney Leibowitz
Hal Linden..................................... Hal Lipshitz
Jerry Lewis .................................. Joseph Levitch
Karl Maiden .................................Maiden Sekulovitch
Ethel Merman .............................. Ethel Zimmerman
Jan Murray .................................. Murray Janofsky
Walter Matthau ........................... Walter Matasschanskayasky
Lilly Palmer .................................. Maria Peiser
Jan Pierce..................................... Pincus Perelmuth
Roberta Peters..............................Roberta Peterman
Eleanor Parker............................. Ellen Friedlob
Joan Rlvers ..................................Joan Molinsky
Tony Randall .............................. Sidney Rosenberg
Edward G. Robinson .................. Emanuel Goldenberg
Dinah Shore ................................ Fanny Rose
Shelly Winters ............................ Shirley Schrift
Gene Wilder................................ Jerome Silberman

Funny: These guys were arrested on terror scare when dressed up like muslims for movie..

Black. White.

I was at the Shabbos table and had a very interesting conversation. There was a BT there (Baal Teshuva not BlueTooth) that use to be a huge liberal secular Jew. She use to protest for more black freedom etc..

When I brought up the show Black. White. that will be on FX network about two families trading races, she said a very serious and controversial comment. She said that we should reinstate black slavery.

This coming from a very well respected woman grabbed my attention..

Therefore, I have set up an interview discussing this very subject sometime this week or next week. Please comment with any questions you have for her.. and I will ask..

The full interview will be posted here.

Inner Beauty

RBR said...
Whenever I think of chof-beis, I groan. It makes it hard to get to the train with the amount of girls. And the shrieking. I came in all four years when i was in high school, and never felt the need to scream and hug someone. And the no coat thing is just ridiculous. Be smart enough not to get sick. But MS, its not all about looks, its about inner beauty too (i had to throw it in)

Manhattan Spelling said...
RBR.. Looks like your cold in that picture even with the coat..

Yes, your right it's not all about the looks.. but there are 2 basic categories of beautiful girls:
1) G-d's beautiful SceneryWhen I'm walking down Kingston Ave. I don't see inner beauty.. All I see is what's out there.. and so I could say to myself.. K' Nayna Hara once and a while.. (Kayn Ayin Hara)
2) Everlasting BondSometimes I will meet someone and the more I get to know her the uglier she gets.. and vice-versa..

But in both of the above 2 there is one exception.. at least for me.. it's a girls worst 3 letter word.. FAT.. I just don't really have an attraction to someone that is fat.. I keep myself in shape and am not familiar how to handle the extra stuff.. I won't even know the first thing to do with it..

Oh, so your going to tell me.. what if your wife gets fat?

Good question..

In that case.. I'm screwed.. No just kidding..

I think it's just like a baby.. I think Gd gives a child in a really cute innocent form.. the parent builds this love and bond... and once that bond is there.. no matter what happens to the child that cute innocent perception will always remain there to some degree.. Same with marriage.. once the bond is there.. it's just love..

It might take a few years to create that bond called love.. but once you get the real love it doesn't matter..

Hey, that's just me..

Gd Bless America!

Ebaycuation

The MIX - SICHA review..

I learned a short and sweet Sicha this morning. I thought I'd share (with my own twist of course).

This weeks Torah Portion is Jethro. I like saying Jethro. Jethro. Yisro.

We've all seen the guy with the Yarmulka and beard in a place least expected. Girls have a tougher test in life because they don't stick out as much.

There are three basic situations that you spot a Frum person in. The First - the kipa-wearing fella is sticking out, because he's in an inappropriate place. For example, he's in a movie theater or a Vegas venue. The second, he's in a worldly secular environment. For example, a big official office that has its headquarters is in Jackson, Mississippi. And the final category is the natural "Hassidic Habitat." In a shul, school or nursing home.

The natural judgment instinct rings off in my head when I see someone in the first category. Even though I'm in the very same theater, I say to myself "what a hypocrite"!

In this weeks Torah Portion the Rebbe comments on the second and third category. Specifically on the second, gray shaded, area of life.

The 10 commandments start off with "Vayidaber Elokim es kol Hadvorim Ha'Aile, Laymor" (And G-d Spoke all these words, saying.)

The big question that arises, why the double language. It sounds superfluous to add the word "Laymor" (saying.) Why say "saying" when you already said "spoke"?

The Mezritcher Maggid Z"L answers that the seemingly redundant language serves a great purpose. "Spoke" represents the 10 commandments and "Saying" represents the 10 utterances that the world was created with. The purpose - to draw down the former to the latter.

The Rebbe adds that the "10 Utterances" represent this world. Our mission is to draw down the 10 Commandment to this physical world.

Its easy to live the Torah way in our beis medrash or 770. The double language is needed to tell us to act in a Torah and Jewish way in the "market place". All our every day actions should be done in a Torah way. You hear that Mr. Jack Abramoff? OK, that's for a whole other post.

I have a friend that is one of the top executives for a very large firm on Wall Street.

A guy from Far Rockaway went to him for a job interview. The guy was very nervous while waiting for his scheduled appointment. Then the big thought came into his head: "will I have a better chance of getting this job of I take off my Yarmulka for the interview?" At the last moment he sank and put his Kipa in his pocket.

Boy, was this man surprised when he walked into the office. There - sat a proud, card carrying, tzitzis wearing, Cholent eating Jew. On the wall of the large, corner, office was a big picture of the Rebbe. He didn't get the job, but maybe he learned an important lesson.

At least he provided an example for what the Rebbe is telling us in this sicha not to do. Bringing Torah into our "regular" lives may be a lifetime struggle.

Screw the French!

The Middle East has been growing date palmsfor centuries. The average tree is about 18-20 feet tall and yields about 38 pounds of dates a year.

Israeli date trees are now yielding 400 pounds/yearand are short enough to be harvested from the ground or a short ladder.

Israel the 100th smallest country, withless than 1/1000th of the world's population,can lay claim to the following:

The cell phone was developed in Israel byIsraelis working in the Israeli branch of Motorola,which has its largest development center in Israel.

Most of the Windows NT and XP operatingsystems were developed by Microsoft-Israel.The Pentium MMX Chip technology was designedin Israel at Intel.

Both the Pentium-4 microprocessor and theCentrino processor were entirely designed,developed and produced in Israel.

The Pentium microprocessor in your computerwas most likely made in Israel.Voice mail technology was developed in Israel.

Both Microsoft and Cisco built their onlyR&D facilities outside the US in Israel.

The technology for the AOL Instant MessengerICQ was developed in 1996 by four young Israelis.

Israel has the fourth largest air force in the world(after the U.S, Russia and China). In addition to a large variety of other aircraft, Israel's air force hasan aerial arsenal of over 250 F-16's. This is thelargest fleet of F-16 aircraft outside of the U. S.

Israel's $100 billion economy is larger than all ofits immediate neighbors combined.

Israel has the highest percentage in the worldof home computers per capita.

According to industry officials, Israeldesigned the airline industry's most impenetrableflight security. US officials now look (finally)to Israel for advice on how to handle airborne security threats.

Israel has the highest ratio of university degreesto the population in the world.Israel produces more scientific papers per capitathan any other nation by a large margin -109 per 10,000 people --as well as one of the highestper capita rates of patents filed.

In proportion to its population, Israel has thelargest number of startup companies in the world. In absolute terms, Israel has the largest number ofstartup companies than any other country in the world,except the U.S. (3,500 companies mostly in hi-tech).

With more than 3,000 high-tech companies and startups,Israel has the highest concentration of hi-tech companiesin the world -- apart from the Silicon Valley, U.S.

Israel is ranked #2 in the world for venturecapital funds right behind the U.S.Outside the United States and Canada, Israelhas the largest number of NASDAQ listed companies.Israel has the highest average livingstandards in the Middle East.

The per capita income in 2000 wasover $17,500, exceeding that of the UK.

On a per capita basis, Israel has the largestnumber of biotech startups.

Twenty-four per cent of Israel's workforceholds university degrees, ranking third in theindustrialized world, after the United Statesand Holland and 12 per cent hold advanced degrees.

Israel is the only liberal democracy in the Middle East.

In 1984 and 1991, Israel airlifted a total of 22,000Ethiopian Jews (Operation Solomon) at Risk in Ethiopia,to safety in Israel.

When Golda Meir was elected Prime Minister ofIsrael in 1969, she became the world's secondelected female leader in modern times.

When the U. S. Embassy in Nairobi, Kenyawas bombed in 1998, Israeli rescue teams were on the scene within a day -- and saved threevictims from the rubble.

Israel has the third highest rate of entrepreneurship --and the highest rate among women and among people over 55 - in the world.

Relative to its population, Israel is the largestimmigrant-absorbing nation on earth. Immigrants come in search of democracy, religious freedom,and economic opportunity. (Hundreds of thousandsfrom the former Soviet Union)

Israel was the first nation in the world to adoptthe Kimberly process, an international standardthat certifies diamonds as "conflict free."

Israel has the world's second highest per capita of new books.

Israel is the only country in the world that enteredthe 21st century with a net gain in its number of trees, made more remarkable because this was achieved in an area considered mainly desert.

Israel has more museums per capita thanany other country.

Medicine... Israeli scientists developed the first fully computerized, no-radiation,diagnostic instrumentation for breast cancer.

An Israeli company developed a computerizedsystem for ensuring proper administration of medications, thus removing human error from medical treatment.Every year in U. S. hospitals 7,000 patients die from treatment mistakes.

Israel's Given Imaging developed the first ingestiblevideo camera, so small it fits inside a pill. Used to viewthe small intestine from the inside, cancer and digestive disorders.

Researchers in Israel developed a newdevice that directly helps the heart pump blood, an innovation with the potential to save lives among those with heart failure. The new device issynchronized with the camera helps doctorsdiagnose heart mechanical operationsthrough a sophisticated system of sensors.

Israel leads the world in the number of scientists andtechnicians in the workforce, with 145 per 10,000,as opposed to 85 in the U. S., over 70 in Japan,and less than 60 in Germany. With over 25% ofits work force employed in technical professionsIsrael places first in this category as well.

A new acne treatment developed in Israel,the Clear Light device, produces a high-intensity,ultraviolet-light-free, narrow-band blue light thatcauses acne bacteria to self-destruct --all without damaging surrounding skin or tissue.

An Israeli company was the first to develop andinstall a large-scale solar-powered and fully functionalelectricity generating plant, in southern California's Mojave desert.

All the above while engaged in regular wars with animplacable enemy that seeks its destruction, and an economy continuously under strain by having tospend more per capita on its own protection thanany other county on earth.

. .. . . AND THE FRENCH AMBASSADOR IN ENGLAND SAYS :

"ISRAEL IS NOTHING BUT A SH*&&# LITTLE COUNTRY"

On a lighter note...

With Cheney causing friendly-fire on U.S. soil today.. here are a few pix I found online.. Can you think of a creative caption? What's your favorite pic?

Why you so blind to see?

They are trying to make an example over the cartoon.. saying: don't say anything offensive about us.. If we protested all of the things they write about us the way they are protesting what's written about them.. all muslims would be long dead..

Dialing the Dead

I have 2 offers on the table.. You know, shiduch offers. Well, more like suggestions..

One girl is looking for the kind of guy that's like me, but when I'm at the highest point of my spectrum. The other girl seems more can go either way. Hmm.. tough choice.. who do I pursue?

Let me ask...

So I picked up my phone out of my left pocket and started calling the first friend that came to mind that could help resolve the issue.. Only one small problem.. that friend is deceased.. passed away a few months ago..

I had to sit down for a moment to regain my bearings..

Being that most phone calls these days are considered local calls.. I with there was a way to really call "long distance"!

Good Shabbos!

Why do way say "Good Shabbos?"

Isn't Shabbos - good?

Nope, uh uh.. Shabbos can be really depressing..

Wow it's 61 degree's right now in NY and it's Feb. 3... This is great! Why am I wasting time writing this post while there is beautiful weather waiting for me outside.. Ok.. I'll make my point really quick.. then I'm out for a Shpatzir..

Shabbos is a time when all the craziness of the week just settles down..

If that craziness was meaningful and fulfilling, Shabbos will be a great day of rest and rejoice.. I know I will really enjoy it..

If the week was a waste of time.. When all the weekday fog finally settles and you are done with the meal.. with the people.. with the prayers.. and it's just you and Shabbos on the recliner.. The silence of wasted time can be depressing..

So ya.. I hope this week will be a "Good Shabbos!!"

And a GREAT SHABBOS to all you guys!!

Now I'm out to take a stroll.. no coat!!

I love this!