Friday, May 6, 2011

EREV SHABBAT STUDIES AND INTERNATIONAL NEWS SUMMARY

Today is: Erev Shabbat, Yom Ha'Shee'shee, Iyar 2, 5771 • 5 6, 2011


You Have Until Sundown to finish your last minute preparations!!

Topics in the news

Claude Choules, the last surviving combatant of World War I, dies at the age of 110.

The Conservative Party, led by Stephen Harper (pictured), wins a majority in the Canadian federal election.

John Higgins defeats Judd Trump to win the World Snooker Championship.

Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden is killed by U.S. forces at his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan.

The flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder from Air France Flight 447, which crashed into the Atlantic in 2009, are recovered from the ocean floor.

Pope John Paul II is beatified at a ceremony in Vatican City.

Syrian unrest – Wikinews – Recent deaths – More current events...



Current events of 5 6 2011 (2011-05-06)

Cultural and academic

Liverpool University cancels a course for medical students on the living conditions of Palestinians on the West Bank after an Israeli student complained. This follows previous occasions when discussion of Palestinian health issues have been stopped. (Catholic News)

Armed conflicts and attacks

2011 Syrian uprising: Protesters prepare for a "day of defiance" against the regime in Syria. (BBC)

Pakistani militants open fire on Shi'ite Muslims in Quetta killing at least 8 and wounding 10. (Reuters)

Business and economy

CNET reports that a group of computer hackers is planning another cyberattack against Sony over its handling of the PlayStation Network outage. (CNET)

Politics and elections

The counting of votes in UK local elections continues with the Labour Party making gains and the Liberal Democrats losing seats. (BBC), (The Guardian)

The counting of votes in the Scottish elections continues with the Scottish National Party doing well in early counting. (STV)

The counting of votes in the Welsh elections continue with the Labour Party to retain control possibly with an absolute majority. (BBC)

Counting starts in the Northern Ireland election. (BBC)

Today in Judaism

Omer: Day 17 - Tifferet sheb'Tifferet

Today's Laws & Customs

• Count "Eighteen Days to the Omer" Tonight

Tomorrow is the eighteenth day of the Omer Count. Since, on the Jewish calendar, the day begins at nightfall of the previous evening, we count the omer for tomorrow's date tonight, after nightfall: "Today is eighteen days, which are two weeks and four days, to the Omer." (If you miss the count tonight, you can count the omer all day tomorrow, but without the preceding blessing).

The 49-day "Counting of the Omer" retraces our ancestors' seven-week spiritual journey from the Exodus to Sinai. Each evening we recite a special blessing and count the days and weeks that have passed since the Omer; the 50th day is Shavuot, the festival celebrating the Giving of the Torah at Sinai.

Tonight's Sefirah: Netzach sheb'Tifferet -- "Ambition in Harmony"

The teachings of Kabbalah explain that there are seven "Divine Attributes" -- Sefirot -- that G-d assumes through which to relate to our existence: Chessed, Gevurah, Tifferet, Netzach, Hod, Yesod and Malchut ("Love", "Strength", "Beauty", "Victory", "Splendor", "Foundation" and "Sovereignty"). In the human being, created in the "image of G-d," the seven sefirot are mirrored in the seven "emotional attributes" of the human soul: Kindness, Restraint, Harmony, Ambition, Humility, Connection and Receptiveness. Each of the seven attributes contain elements of all seven--i.e., "Kindness in Kindness", "Restraint in Kindness", "Harmony in Kindness", etc.--making for a total of forty-nine traits. The 49-day Omer Count is thus a 49-step process of self-refinement, with each day devoted to the "rectification" and perfection of one the forty-nine "sefirot."



Today in Jewish History

• Maharash Born (1834)

The fourth Rebbe of Chabad-Lubavitch, Rabbi Shmuel Schneersohn (1834-1882), known by the acrynom "Maharash", was born in the town of Lubavitch (White Russia) on the 2nd of Iyar of the year 5594 from creation (1834). His father, Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Lubavitch (the 3rd Chabad Rebbe, known as the "Tzemach Tzeddek") once remarked that Rabbi Shmuel's birthday, coinciding with the 17th day of the Omer Count, is defined by the Kabbalistic masters as Tifferet sheb'Tifferet ("Beauty of Beauty")

Although Rabbi Shmuel was the youngest of Rabbi Menachem Mendel's seven sons, he was chosen to succeed his father as "rebbe" and leader of Chabad in the movement's capital, Lubavitch (four of his brothers established branches of Chabad Chassidism in other towns in White Russia and Ukraine). In addition to leading his Chassidim, guiding and advising their spiritual and material lives and authoring many maamarim (discourses of Chassidic teaching), Rabbi Shmuel traveled extensively throughout Europe, meeting with government and business leaders to exert pressure on the Czarist regime to halt its instigation of pogroms against the Jews of Russia.

Rabbi Shmuel passed away at age 48 on the 13th of Tishrei, 5643 (1882).

Daily Quote

And to the Jews was light, happiness, joy and prestige

- Esther 8:16

Daily Study

Chitas and Rambam for today:

Chumash: Emor, 6th Portion Leviticus 23:33-23:44 with Rashi

Tehillim: Chapters 10 - 17

Tanya: Likutei Amarim, end of Chapter 44

Rambam:

• Sefer Hamitzvos:

• 1 Chapter: Mikvot Chap. 3

• 3 Chapters: Shabbos Chapter Three, Shabbos Chapter Four, Shabbos Chapter Five

Hayom Yom:



Resting on Shabbat

Positive Commandment 154

The 154th mitzvah is that we are commanded to rest on Shabbos.



The source of this commandment is G‑d's statement1, "And on the seventh day you shall rest."



This commandment is repeated many2 times in the Torah.



G‑d (exalted be He) has clearly stated that this cessation from melachah3 applies to us, our animals, and our servants.4



The details of this mitzvah are explained in tractate Shabbos and also in tractate Yom Tov.5





Yom Ha´shee´shee ....Sixth day

כד וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים, תּוֹצֵא הָאָרֶץ נֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה לְמִינָהּ, בְּהֵמָה וָרֶמֶשׂ וְחַיְתוֹ-אֶרֶץ, לְמִינָהּ; וַיְהִי-כֵן. 24

And God said: 'Let the earth bring forth the living creature after its kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after its kind.' And it was so.

כה וַיַּעַשׂ אֱלֹהִים אֶת-חַיַּת הָאָרֶץ לְמִינָהּ, וְאֶת-הַבְּהֵמָה לְמִינָהּ, וְאֵת כָּל-רֶמֶשׂ הָאֲדָמָה, לְמִינֵהוּ; וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים, כִּי-טוֹב. 25

And God made the beast of the earth after its kind, and the cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the ground after its kind; and God saw that it was good.

כו וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים, נַעֲשֶׂה אָדָם בְּצַלְמֵנוּ כִּדְמוּתֵנוּ; וְיִרְדּוּ בִדְגַת הַיָּם וּבְעוֹף הַשָּׁמַיִם, וּבַבְּהֵמָה וּבְכָל-הָאָרֶץ, וּבְכָל-הָרֶמֶשׂ, הָרֹמֵשׂ עַל-הָאָרֶץ. 26

And God said: 'Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.'

כז וַיִּבְרָא אֱלֹהִים אֶת-הָאָדָם בְּצַלְמוֹ, בְּצֶלֶם אֱלֹהִים בָּרָא אֹתוֹ: זָכָר וּנְקֵבָה, בָּרָא אֹתָם. 27 And God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them.

כח וַיְבָרֶךְ אֹתָם, אֱלֹהִים, וַיֹּאמֶר לָהֶם אֱלֹהִים פְּרוּ וּרְבוּ וּמִלְאוּ אֶת-הָאָרֶץ, וְכִבְשֻׁהָ; וּרְדוּ בִּדְגַת הַיָּם, וּבְעוֹף הַשָּׁמַיִם, וּבְכָל-חַיָּה, הָרֹמֶשֶׂת עַל-הָאָרֶץ. 28

And God blessed them; and God said unto them: 'Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that creepeth upon the earth.'

כט וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים, הִנֵּה נָתַתִּי לָכֶם אֶת-כָּל-עֵשֶׂב זֹרֵעַ זֶרַע אֲשֶׁר עַל-פְּנֵי כָל-הָאָרֶץ, וְאֶת-כָּל-הָעֵץ אֲשֶׁר-בּוֹ פְרִי-עֵץ, זֹרֵעַ זָרַע: לָכֶם יִהְיֶה, לְאָכְלָה. 29

And God said: 'Behold, I have given you every herb yielding seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed--to you it shall be for food;

ל וּלְכָל-חַיַּת הָאָרֶץ וּלְכָל-עוֹף הַשָּׁמַיִם וּלְכֹל רוֹמֵשׂ עַל-הָאָרֶץ, אֲשֶׁר-בּוֹ נֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה, אֶת-כָּל-יֶרֶק עֵשֶׂב, לְאָכְלָה; וַיְהִי-כֵן. 30

and to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is a living soul, [I have given] every green herb for food.' And it was so.

לא וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים אֶת-כָּל-אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה, וְהִנֵּה-טוֹב מְאֹד; וַיְהִי-עֶרֶב וַיְהִי-בֹקֶר, יוֹם הַשִּׁשִּׁי. {פ} 31 And God saw every thing that He had made, and, behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.







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