• 5 17, 2011 * Iyar 13, 5771 Topics in the news
Space Shuttle Endeavour launches on its final mission, delivering the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (artist's rendering pictured) for installation on the International Space Station.
At least 12 Arab protesters are killed during Nakba Day protests and marches on Israel's borders.
Kenyan long-distance runner Samuel Wanjiru, who won the men's marathon at the 2008 Summer Olympics, dies at the age of 24.
In ice hockey, the IIHF World Championship concludes with Finland defeating Sweden in the final.
Dominique Strauss-Kahn, head of the International Monetary Fund, is held without bail in New York City on charges of sexual assault.
• Current events of 5 17 2011
*Armed conflicts and attacks
Libyan civil war: A NATO airstrike on the Libyan capitol Tripoli damages two government buildings. (Los Angeles Times)
A NATO helicopter based intrudes into North Waziristan in Pakistan and fires at a Pakistan Army checkpoint wounding two soldiers. (Reuters)
*Disasters
Fukushima I nuclear accidents:
Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) announces new plans to tackle the ongoing Fukushima I nuclear crisis, after it is discovered that the problems with the number 1 reactor at the Fukushima I plant are worse than thought. (Nikkei)
TEPCO will also start pumping water from the flooded number 3 reactor. (Japan Times)
The President of South Korea, Lee Myung-bak, calls for transparent release of nuclear safety information. (Yonhap)
*International relations
The Prime Minister of Pakistan Yusuf Raza Gilani commences a state visit to the People's Republic of China. (Reuters)
*Royal visit to Ireland
Queen Elizabeth II starts her first state visit to the Republic of Ireland, the first visit of a British monarch since Ireland's independence from the United Kingdom in 1937. (BBC)
A suspect package was found in Dublin ahead of the Queen's visit. (Sky News), (The Telegraph)
*Politics
Former Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger admits to fathering the child of a longterm member of his household staff. (Los Angeles Times)
• Today in Judaism
Today is: Yom Shlee’shee, Iyar 13, 5771 • 5 17, 2011
Omer: Day 28 - Malchut sheb'Netzach
*Today's Laws & Customs
• Count "Twenty-Nine Days to the Omer" Tonight
Tomorrow is the twenty-ninth 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 twenty-nine days, which are four weeks and one day, 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: Chessed sheb'Hod -- "Kindness in Humility"
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
• Jews Expelled from Berne (1427)
The Jews of Berne, Switzerland were expelled on this date in 1427. Berne had a long history of expulsions and anti-Jewish riots.
• Passing of Rabbi Yisrael Aryeh Leib (1952)
Rabbi Yisrael Aryeh Leib, brother of Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, was the youngest of Rabbi Levi Yitzchak and Chana Schneerson's three sons.
Born in Nikolayev in 1909, he quickly became renowned as a scholar of exceptional genius. At a young age, Yisrael Aryeh Leib was already teaching Tanya, the mystical foundational work of Chabad Chassidism, to an audience of eager adults.
He eventually immigrated to Israel, and in his later years he moved to Liverpool, England, to study in the local university. It was there that he passed away in 1952.
Rabbi Yisrael Aryeh Leib is interred in Safed, Israel.
*Daily Quote
Why [are mourners fed] lentils? Just as the lentil has no mouth, so is the mourner speechless...Just as the lentil is round, so mourning comes round to all the inhabitants of this world
- Talmud, Bava Batra 16b
*Daily Study
Chitas and Rambam for today:
Chumash: Bechukotai, 3rd Portion Leviticus 26:10-26:46 with Rashi
Tehillim: Chapters 69 - 71
Tanya: Likutei Amarim, middle of Chapter 48
Rambam:
• Sefer Hamitzvos:
• 1 Chapter: Hilchot Nizkei Mammon Chapter Three
• 3 Chapters: Eruvin Chapter Six, Eruvin Chapter Seven, Eruvin Chapter Eight
*Daily Mitzvah (Maimonides)
Iyar 13, 5771 • 5 17, 2011Today's Mitzvah
A daily digest of Maimonides’ classic work "Sefer Hamitzvot"
*Negative Commandment 321
Going Beyond City Limits on Shabbat
"Let no man go out of his place on the seventh day"—Exodus 16:29.
It is forbidden on Shabbat to travel more than 2,000 cubits (approximately 3000 ft.) out of a city's parameters
Genesis Chapter 1
בְּרֵאשִׁית
Yom Shlee´shee.........Third day
ט וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים, יִקָּווּ הַמַּיִם מִתַּחַת הַשָּׁמַיִם אֶל-מָקוֹם אֶחָד, וְתֵרָאֶה, הַיַּבָּשָׁה; וַיְהִי-כֵן. 9 And God said: 'Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear.' And it was so.
י וַיִּקְרָא אֱלֹהִים לַיַּבָּשָׁה אֶרֶץ, וּלְמִקְוֵה הַמַּיִם קָרָא יַמִּים; וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים, כִּי-טוֹב. 10
And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters called He Seas; and God saw that it was good.
יא וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים, תַּדְשֵׁא הָאָרֶץ דֶּשֶׁא עֵשֶׂב מַזְרִיעַ זֶרַע, עֵץ פְּרִי עֹשֶׂה פְּרִי לְמִינוֹ, אֲשֶׁר זַרְעוֹ-בוֹ עַל-הָאָרֶץ; וַיְהִי-כֵן. 11
And God said: 'Let the earth put forth grass, herb yielding seed, and fruit-tree bearing fruit after its kind, wherein is the seed thereof, upon the earth.' And it was so.
יב וַתּוֹצֵא הָאָרֶץ דֶּשֶׁא עֵשֶׂב מַזְרִיעַ זֶרַע, לְמִינֵהוּ, וְעֵץ עֹשֶׂה-פְּרִי אֲשֶׁר זַרְעוֹ-בוֹ, לְמִינֵהוּ; וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים, כִּי-טוֹב. 12
And the earth brought forth grass, herb yielding seed after its kind, and tree bearing fruit, wherein is the seed thereof, after its kind; and God saw that it was good.
יג וַיְהִי-עֶרֶב וַיְהִי-בֹקֶר, יוֹם שְׁלִישִׁי. {פ} 13
And there was evening and there was morning, a third day. {P}
Space Shuttle Endeavour launches on its final mission, delivering the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (artist's rendering pictured) for installation on the International Space Station.
At least 12 Arab protesters are killed during Nakba Day protests and marches on Israel's borders.
Kenyan long-distance runner Samuel Wanjiru, who won the men's marathon at the 2008 Summer Olympics, dies at the age of 24.
In ice hockey, the IIHF World Championship concludes with Finland defeating Sweden in the final.
Dominique Strauss-Kahn, head of the International Monetary Fund, is held without bail in New York City on charges of sexual assault.
• Current events of 5 17 2011
*Armed conflicts and attacks
Libyan civil war: A NATO airstrike on the Libyan capitol Tripoli damages two government buildings. (Los Angeles Times)
A NATO helicopter based intrudes into North Waziristan in Pakistan and fires at a Pakistan Army checkpoint wounding two soldiers. (Reuters)
*Disasters
Fukushima I nuclear accidents:
Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) announces new plans to tackle the ongoing Fukushima I nuclear crisis, after it is discovered that the problems with the number 1 reactor at the Fukushima I plant are worse than thought. (Nikkei)
TEPCO will also start pumping water from the flooded number 3 reactor. (Japan Times)
The President of South Korea, Lee Myung-bak, calls for transparent release of nuclear safety information. (Yonhap)
*International relations
The Prime Minister of Pakistan Yusuf Raza Gilani commences a state visit to the People's Republic of China. (Reuters)
*Royal visit to Ireland
Queen Elizabeth II starts her first state visit to the Republic of Ireland, the first visit of a British monarch since Ireland's independence from the United Kingdom in 1937. (BBC)
A suspect package was found in Dublin ahead of the Queen's visit. (Sky News), (The Telegraph)
*Politics
Former Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger admits to fathering the child of a longterm member of his household staff. (Los Angeles Times)
• Today in Judaism
Today is: Yom Shlee’shee, Iyar 13, 5771 • 5 17, 2011
Omer: Day 28 - Malchut sheb'Netzach
*Today's Laws & Customs
• Count "Twenty-Nine Days to the Omer" Tonight
Tomorrow is the twenty-ninth 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 twenty-nine days, which are four weeks and one day, 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: Chessed sheb'Hod -- "Kindness in Humility"
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
• Jews Expelled from Berne (1427)
The Jews of Berne, Switzerland were expelled on this date in 1427. Berne had a long history of expulsions and anti-Jewish riots.
• Passing of Rabbi Yisrael Aryeh Leib (1952)
Rabbi Yisrael Aryeh Leib, brother of Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, was the youngest of Rabbi Levi Yitzchak and Chana Schneerson's three sons.
Born in Nikolayev in 1909, he quickly became renowned as a scholar of exceptional genius. At a young age, Yisrael Aryeh Leib was already teaching Tanya, the mystical foundational work of Chabad Chassidism, to an audience of eager adults.
He eventually immigrated to Israel, and in his later years he moved to Liverpool, England, to study in the local university. It was there that he passed away in 1952.
Rabbi Yisrael Aryeh Leib is interred in Safed, Israel.
*Daily Quote
Why [are mourners fed] lentils? Just as the lentil has no mouth, so is the mourner speechless...Just as the lentil is round, so mourning comes round to all the inhabitants of this world
- Talmud, Bava Batra 16b
*Daily Study
Chitas and Rambam for today:
Chumash: Bechukotai, 3rd Portion Leviticus 26:10-26:46 with Rashi
Tehillim: Chapters 69 - 71
Tanya: Likutei Amarim, middle of Chapter 48
Rambam:
• Sefer Hamitzvos:
• 1 Chapter: Hilchot Nizkei Mammon Chapter Three
• 3 Chapters: Eruvin Chapter Six, Eruvin Chapter Seven, Eruvin Chapter Eight
*Daily Mitzvah (Maimonides)
Iyar 13, 5771 • 5 17, 2011Today's Mitzvah
A daily digest of Maimonides’ classic work "Sefer Hamitzvot"
*Negative Commandment 321
Going Beyond City Limits on Shabbat
"Let no man go out of his place on the seventh day"—Exodus 16:29.
It is forbidden on Shabbat to travel more than 2,000 cubits (approximately 3000 ft.) out of a city's parameters
Genesis Chapter 1
בְּרֵאשִׁית
Yom Shlee´shee.........Third day
ט וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים, יִקָּווּ הַמַּיִם מִתַּחַת הַשָּׁמַיִם אֶל-מָקוֹם אֶחָד, וְתֵרָאֶה, הַיַּבָּשָׁה; וַיְהִי-כֵן. 9 And God said: 'Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear.' And it was so.
י וַיִּקְרָא אֱלֹהִים לַיַּבָּשָׁה אֶרֶץ, וּלְמִקְוֵה הַמַּיִם קָרָא יַמִּים; וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים, כִּי-טוֹב. 10
And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters called He Seas; and God saw that it was good.
יא וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים, תַּדְשֵׁא הָאָרֶץ דֶּשֶׁא עֵשֶׂב מַזְרִיעַ זֶרַע, עֵץ פְּרִי עֹשֶׂה פְּרִי לְמִינוֹ, אֲשֶׁר זַרְעוֹ-בוֹ עַל-הָאָרֶץ; וַיְהִי-כֵן. 11
And God said: 'Let the earth put forth grass, herb yielding seed, and fruit-tree bearing fruit after its kind, wherein is the seed thereof, upon the earth.' And it was so.
יב וַתּוֹצֵא הָאָרֶץ דֶּשֶׁא עֵשֶׂב מַזְרִיעַ זֶרַע, לְמִינֵהוּ, וְעֵץ עֹשֶׂה-פְּרִי אֲשֶׁר זַרְעוֹ-בוֹ, לְמִינֵהוּ; וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים, כִּי-טוֹב. 12
And the earth brought forth grass, herb yielding seed after its kind, and tree bearing fruit, wherein is the seed thereof, after its kind; and God saw that it was good.
יג וַיְהִי-עֶרֶב וַיְהִי-בֹקֶר, יוֹם שְׁלִישִׁי. {פ} 13
And there was evening and there was morning, a third day. {P}
