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General Itamar News

Itamar News July 20th 2007

July 20th 2007

1. This passed Sunday, Erev Rosh Chodesh Av, The Itamar ladies went on a special outing to a spa near Haifa. They had a great time and they want to thank the special friends of Itamar that helped them make the outing become a reality. width=

2. The Itamar campers took a tour today, Thursday July 19th, along the famous tunnels of the western wall in Jerusalem. After the tour they walked around the streets of Jerusalem raising money for the Sefer Torah project.

3. Ephraim Miller was granted the Itamar agriculture award for the month for growing the most delicious melons on the precious soil of Itamar. His brother Yonatan is going to plant a vineyard next week which will be named after their father who was murdered by terrorist two summers ago. width=

4. A herd of deer was seen between the slopes that lead from the Jordan valley to the mountains of Itamar. width=

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Parashat Devarim

Parashat Devarim Thursday, July 19, 2007

Since we’re approaching Tisha B’av, this week’s Torah thought is centered on the destruction of the Bet HaMikdash.  In order to merit its rebuilding, we must examine the causes that led to its fall and try to rectify them.

The following story is brought down in the Talmud (tractate Gitin, p.56A) about Martha, the daughter of Bytos, one of the wealthiest women of Jerusalem during the time of the destruction:  Martha sends one of her servants to the market to buy fine flour. When he gets there he finds that all the fine flour has been sold out. He comes back and tells her that the fine flour has been sold out, but that there’s regular white bread. She sends him for the regular white bread. When he gets to the market, however, the regular white bread is also sold out. He returns and tells her that all the white bread has been sold out, but there’s black bread. She sends him for the black bread, but that’s sold out too. He returns and tells her that there’s no more black bread, but there is barley flour. She tells him to go bring her some. However, by the time he reaches the market that too is sold out. She then takes off her shoes and goes outside to see if she can find anything to eat. In the street she steps on animal dung and subsequently dies.  Some say that she died after eating a cast-off fig of Rabbi Tzadok, who fasted 40 years in order to prevent the destruction of Jerusalem. (He would suck the juice from a dried fig to sustain himself and cast the fig away.)

Rabbi Yochanan ben Zachkai brings down a verse from the book of Devarim (which describes the calamities that will, G-d forbid, befall the Jewish people if they defy the word of Hashem) and relates Martha to the “tender and delicate women …who [in better times] would not attempt to set the sole of her foot on the ground because of her fastidiousness and fragility.” (Chapter 28 verse 56)  Sadly, before Martha’s death, she tosses all her gold and silver into the street, declaring that her riches are useless to her.

A spoiled and self-centered Jewish princess, Martha has been accustomed to getting everything she wants, with no care for anyone around her.  The Talmud ironically calls her “Martha, among the wealthy women of Jerusalem,” when she is really so cut off from Jerusalem spiritually. We can assume that her servant suggested the idea of buying whatever bread remained in the market, but was clearly expected to report to her each time.  It must have been terribly difficult for Martha–used to a high standard of living, and having all her wishes answered on demand–having to accept a new reality every time the servant returns with the latest news. When Martha learns that, with all her riches, she cannot even buy barley flour, her entire belief system–that money can buy anything–collapses.  For years insulated from reality, Martha must now leave her incubator or die of starvation. Before she leaves her home she removes her shoes because she’s afraid of soiling them while walking the streets of Jerusalem.

The removal of her shoes has the effect of grounding her for the first time in her life; she finally steps down and makes contact with the real world. Yet walking barefoot, she steps on animal dung.  Could anyone get any lower, she must have felt.  For all her riches she was no better than a soiled and starving beggar!  Perhaps in her last moments she realized how far she had removed herself from Jerusalem and failed to prevent its destruction.  Perhaps she realized that her life had been wasted in self-indulgence and fleeting pleasures.

Clearly the Talmud wants us to learn–from the negative example of a class of Jews that were well-off, yet isolated themselves from the masses, a class of Jews who chose a comfortable life for themselves, yet didn’t want to know about the misfortune of others–how NOT to be.

Rabbi Tzadok, on the other hand, is entirely devoted to Jerusalem and Am Yisrael. For 40 years he starves himself in order to try and prevent the destruction of Jerusalem. Only one thing interests him–to save the nation of Israel from exile. Martha’s meeting with Rabbi Tzadok’s dry fig is too overwhelming for her. The holiness of the fig makes her realize that she has been living a life of dung. The realization that true sustenance comes from the sacrifices of great men like Rabbi Tzadok–not from the empty “riches” she has selfishly hoarded and trusted in all her life–is what kills her.

This is a powerful lesson for everyone. It’s too easy to get our priorities all mixed up. Rabbi Tzaddok’s struggle is against the Marthian philosophy of self centeredness, which he sees as a major reason for the destruction of the Temple–a reason that can only be rectified by reaching out to our fellows in dire straits and trying to put the goals of the Jewish people before some of our personal needs.

Rabbi Moshe Goldsmith Itamar

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General Itamar News

Itamar News July 13th 2007

July 13th 2007 / 27 Tamuz 5767

1) Unfortunately, Itamar had a terrible tragedy this week. One of our dear students of our Yeshiva high school, Evyatar Mahon that just graduated a few weeks ago was killed in a car accident. Evyatar was a resident of the community Maale Livonah and was buried in Shilo last night. Just a few months ago, Evyatar, was miraculously saved from an attempted kidnapping by Arab terrorists. Monday night Evyatar hitched a ride home and received a terrible head injury when driver that fell asleep behind the wheel and collided with an oncoming vehicle. He and passed away yesterday, Thursday July 12, at around four o’clock. Evyatar, was a very special boy who always had a smile on his face. Evyatar’s family, community, teachers, and classmates are all heartbroken. Our Rabbis teach us that when a terrible tragedy takes place, it is a sign from G-d that we must try and elevate ourselves and repent. Let us all take upon ourselves to do good deeds and improve ourselves.

2) Itamar celebrated two circumcisions this week one on Tuedsay and another one, Today Friday July 13. We wish a mazal Tov to the Silvers and Azulai families. Our streak of three consecutive circumcisions on Shabbat was broken. width=

3) As the Sabbatical year approaches Itamar’s youth help the community get ready by planting trees, flowers, and participating in other gardening work. This is part of our special summer camp program.

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Parashat Matot

Parashat MatotThursday, July 12, 2007

This week’s parasha, Matot, opens with the laws pertaining to oaths. Why is it important that one keep an oath?  If one pledges an oath to help someone and in the end goes back on his word, this is obviously wrong since someone has been hurt. On the other hand, it’s difficult to understand why one is held liable for oaths that have no affect on anyone but himself.  In Judaism one is taught to be careful with his mouth–not only what he puts into it, but what comes out of it as well.  The abuse of speech, in the form of Lashon Hara (gossip), foul language, and failure to keep one’s word,–even to ones’s self–is a grave transgression. What is so special about speech that requires such a high standard?

Speech brings us back to the beginning of creation. “And G-d said let there be light”.  Our rabbis teach us in the Ethics of our Fathers:  “With ten sayings G-d created the world.”  The first act of creation was an act of speech. Obviously, G-d could have created the world in a different way. Since he created the world through speech there must be an important lesson to be learned from it. Shlomo Hamelech, in Proverbs (18, verse 21), teaches us that “Death and life are in the hands of the tongue.” With these few words Shlomo summed it all up:  speech is the key to life and death.

According to our sacred traditions, there are five spiritual worlds. The highest is called Adam Hakadmon, Primordial Man–referred to as AK. Since the entire universe was created for the sake of man, the very first act of creation was the formation of Primordial Man. The world of AK is the seed that contains within it the blueprint of the entire universe. It is so elevated that it is almost in complete oneness with the Divine light that flows into it.  It is so lofty that we really cannot comprehend it at all. What we do know is that it is the root of all the other worlds and serves as an interface between the Infinite Creator and the finite universe.  In kabalistic literature we’re taught that the source of  vessels, the receptors which allow us to receive the divine energy, is the mouth of AK (one of  the anthropomorphisms used to describe its spiritual fabric).  Anything that cannot be contained in a vessel has no meaning for the receiver. If a person has only one empty bottle and chances upon a body of delicious spring water, he can only take back with him what the bottle can hold.  The Divine light can mean nothing to us if we don’t have the vessels to contain it.

The mouth is the first vessel of creation; it functions as the vehicle of G-d’s ccommunication with us. If not for this communication, we would be unaware of G-d’s existence.  The breath of life, which is taken in through the mouth, originates from the same spiritual source:  AK.  The sage Onkeles translates Hashem’s breathing of life into man as instilling in him the power of speech and separating him from the beasts. We begin to see why, in Judaism, speech is regarded as sacrosanct.

In Isaiah 33, verse 21 it says, “This nation I created to declare my praise.”  We celebrate the birth of the Jewish nation on Pesach, which means in Hebrew ” the mouth that speaks.”  The oral law, transmitted by speech along with the written law, from G-d to Moshe, from Moshe to Joshua, etc., represents G-d’s special instructions to us, via His personal communication.  This is why the Ten Commandments in Hebrew are called the Ten Dibrot, from the Hebrew word dibur meaning to speak.  Incidentally, Sefer Ba Midbar, which we complete this week, shares the same root, daber. Two major speech events occur in this sefer.  In addition to the speaking of the ten Dibrot, the speech of Life, there is the abuse of speech in the form of the report of the spies, which results in the death of the Dor HaMidbar.

One of the laws regarding prayer is that we must utter the words with our lips. It is not enough to read the words silently; we are required to actually say them.  Unlike the organs for seeing, hearing, and smelling, which take in stimuli from the outside, the mouth has both the ability to take in and to give out. Through speech one has the ability to interact with others.  (In a positive or negative way.) By praying aloud we engage actively and positively with Hashem.

Distinct from the faculties of hearing, seeing, and smelling, the faculty of speech develops as we mature. Children begin to experiment with the different words they hear, sometimes testing our reaction.  As parents and educators, we must exercise care when speaking to and in the presence of our children and students. The sanctity of oaths teaches us how important it is to be mindful of the things we say aloud, even if no one is around to hear us. Speech is G-d’s special gift to man; we must make the most of it and take care not to abuse it.

Rabbi Moshe Goldsmith Itamar

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Parashat Pinchas

src= Thursday, July 05, 2007

View of Givat Pinchas as seen from Itamar

Last week’s Torah portion, Balak, concludes with the zealous act of Pinchas, whose deed resulted in putting an end to the terrible plague which killed twenty-four thousand Jews. Our Rabbis teach us that the master mind behind this plague was Bilam. (See Numbers 24: 14, and Rashi’s commentary.) Bilam is hired to curse the Jewish nation but learns that he cannot do so. G-d’s answer to him is very simple:  the nation of Israel is blessed! This is a law of the universe. Whether one is willing to accept it or not, Israel is the chosen people. This is not just something that Balak, Bilam, the Moabites, and the Midyanites had to learn.  But it is a lesson to all of mankind. G-d chose the nation of Israel and blessed it. Throughout history there have been many others who tried to convince themselves that Israel had lost its position as a Chosen People because of its sins. They pointed to the facts that the Jewish nation had been exiled from their homeland, that they are only a small minority of the world’s population, and that they have suffered constant persecution and abuse.  How, then, can they be the Chosen People?  The idea that Israel is no longer the Chosen People was proven wrong time and time again throughout history as Israel out lived its oppressors.  The idea totally fell apart when the Jewish people returned to their homeland after 2000 years of exile, revived their language, and restored their patrimony to a land flowing with milk and honey.

As we discussed in our last lesson, the goal of Balak and the Moabites was to prevent the Jewish nation from reaching the land of Israel. They tried to achieve this by having Bilam curse the nation, thus changing the Divine plan, which of course is impossible. Bilam’s envy for the Jewish nation was too great for him to go home without some kind of victory. The second best thing in his eyes was to cause suffering and pain to the Jewish nation by slowing down the redemption process.  His plan was to have the Moabite women seduce the men of Israel and draw them into worshiping idolatry. This was partially successful, causing the death of twenty-four thousand Jews, but greater tragedy was averted because of Pinchas’ intervention.  Who was Pinchas? What caused him to do what he did? Why couldn’t Moshe Rabeynu solve the problem?  After the Jewish nation began to sin with Peor (in a particularly debased form of idol worship), G-d commands Moshe Rabeynu to assemble the Judges of Israel in order to punish the sinners accordingly.  Before the judges can do as they’re told, Zimri ben Saluh, head of the tribe of Shimon, comes along, and in front of the entire congregation of Israel, including Moshe Rabeynu, takes a Midyanite woman of royal descent, Cazbi Bat Tzur, into his tent with the obvious intention of lying with her.  Interestingly, there’s no mention in the description of these events that Zimri worshiped idols, which would be the only capital offense requiring the death penalty. How, then did Pinchas take the liberty of executing Zimri?  The Talmud teaches us that Zimri justified his relationship with Cazbi on the grounds that Moshe Rabeynu himself was married to the daughter of a gentile priest of Midyan.  Moshe Rabeynu is thrown off balance, as we can see in the verse which describes his weeping at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. This is atypical behavior, as we can see in Moshe Rabeynu’s reaction to the sin of the Golden Calf, when he immediately stands up to the entire nation of Israel and burns and grinds the calf into dust (Exodus 32, verse 20).  Moshe has been thrown off balance by Zimri’s claim and by the fact that Zimri is not an ordinary person, but head of a tribe. In addition, G-d did not command Moshe to punish Zimri in the same way that He had required Moshe to punish the worshipers of Baal Peor.  Moshe Rabeynu tried to recall the oral teachings that he received from G-d on Mt. Sinai, but, according to the Talmud, Moshe forgot the appropriate punishment for Zimri’s crime.  It was Pinchas who reminded him of the law and was told by Moshe to do what he thought proper. According to Jewish law, a priest who has blood on his hands can no longer serve as a priest of Israel.  Ironically, even though only the offspring of a priest could become a priest, Pinchas earns his priesthood and the covenant of peace by doing something which goes against the priesthood–killing. Why then did G-d make this exception?

According to talmudic teachings, one of Pinchas’ ancestors was Yitro, a former idol worshiper. The tribe of Shimon was outraged that the descendant of a gentile priest should take it on himself to kill a prince of Israel. Hashem’s rewarding Pinchas with the priesthood is a validation of Pinchas’ action. Indeed the role of the priest is to perpetuate the Jewish nation–which was Pinchas’ motivation for killing Zimri and Cazbi. Pinchas saw the terrible danger to the Jewish people of assimilation into the gentile world of idolatry.  This is exactly what Bilam and the others wanted.  Intermarriage would cause the nation of Israel to disappear and there would be no one left in the world to carry on its special mission.

Interestingly, another act of zeal which prevented mass assimilation took place in the “backyard” of the community of Itamar.  Shimon and Levi wiped out the city of Shechem after the rape Jacob’s daughter Dina.  As we may recall, Shechem Ben Chamur wanted the children of Jacob to intermarry and assimilate with them. It even involved relatives of Pinchas and Zimri– Levi, of which Pinchas is a part, and Shimon, whom Zimri is a tribe member.  It can be argued that Zimri was trying to rectify Shimon’s violent act by taking a gentile women and uplifting her. Instead of making war against the Midyanites, he thought that he could uplift them spiritually. He could even point to the precedent of Joshua, who married Rachov, a non-Jewish woman who later converted to Judaism.  Unfortunately, however, it was Casbi who influenced Zimri and endangered the Jewish nation.

Rabbi Moshe Goldsmith Itamar

*Pinchas is buried in Givat Pinchas, today know as Awarta, an Arab village right outside Itamar

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Itamar News July 5th 2007

July 5th 2007 / Yud Tet Tamuz 5767

1)This week our campers had the privilege going out on an all day water park excursion to Kibbutz Chofetz Chaim – we want to thank all our wonderful supporters for making this event possible! width= width=

2) A record breaking phenomenon is taking place on Itamar this Shabbat. Believe it or not, it is the third Brit Milah (circumcision) in a row to happen on Shabbat. We want to wish a Mazal Tov to Shimon and Maran Head.

3) Mazal Tov to the Azulay family upon the birth of their son this week.

4)Itamar’s response team had a two day reserve duty training exercise in the Jordan valley. Special thanks to Super Saba – Alon Zimmerman (on the left below) who is a grandfather of two and can still out run all of the other team members!

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Parashat Balak

Parashat Balak
11 Tamuz 5767 /June 27th 2007

At first glance at the opening of parashat Balak it seems that the fear of the Moabites towards Am Yisrael is a result of the Jewish nation winning the war against the Amorites. (See Numbers, chapter 21, verses 21-35.) This always bothered me because if you read the verses carefully there shouldn’t really be any reason for this fear. The Jewish approach from the beginning towards the Amorites was one of tremendous humility; they showed no aggressiveness whatsoever. All they did was request permission to pass over the Amorite territory, and they even declared that they would not enter their fields or vineyards or drink their water. Only when the Moabites attacked, Am Yisrael was forced to take up arms in self defense.

What other nation of the world behaves this way? Why then were the Moabites terrified? If we look in the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 2, verse 9, we see that Moshe is commanded not to make war on the Moabites. This strengthens our premise that there was no reason for the Moabites to fear a physical attack from the Jewish nation. Interestingly, there is only one other time in the bible that the Hebrew word “Vayagur,” used here for fear, is mentioned in this form. This is in the book of Samuel 1, chapter 18, verse 15, “Vayaar Shaul asher hu maskil meod Vayagur mipanav.” When Saul saw that David was so successful, he was afraid of him. Obviously Saul wasn’t afraid that David would kill him. David had had quite a few opportunities to harm Saul, and never did so. Nonetheless, after David killed Goliyat the Philistine and earned the praise of the Jewish women, King Saul could not hold back his jealous rage. Deep down he knew that he was going to loose his throne to David and there would be no future royalty for his son Yonatan. This is clearly outlined in that same chapter, verse 10, where it says that “It came to pass the next day and an evil spirit of G-d came upon Saul and he prophesized in his house.” Instead of connecting himself with the source of holiness, Saul was drawing upon evil spiritual forces which damaged his prophecy and resulted in a jealous rage. With this in mind let us return to our Torah portion. It must be that the Moabite’s fear originated some kind of jealousy. What could this jealousy possibly stem from? Why be jealous of a nation of former slaves that have not yet settled on a piece of land?

This issue can be illuminated by an important concept that is brought down in Talmudic and Medrashic literature – “Af Al Gav Di-eenhu Lo Chaziu Mazalayhu Chazu.” This is an Aramaic expression meaning that although they did not see, their Mazal (fate) saw. In other words there are times when a person has an inner feeling that can guide, motivate, or disturb him. This feeling is coming from the upper worlds and is connected to the individual’s spiritual world.

A classic example is brought down in the Shla , written by Rabbi Yeshayahu Horowitz (born in Prague 1558 and died in Tzfat in 1628). In parashat Lech Lecha, chapter 14, the Torah tells us about the great war of the four kings against the five kings and the kidnapping of Lot. The Shlah Hakodesh asks , Why was Lot taken captive? Nine nations are busy in battle; how did they find the time to pay attention to Lot! In truth Lot was the real reason that the four kings went to war. Here I have to briefly introduce another important concept in Judaism – “Arba Malchuyot” – the four kingdoms. The goal of the four kingdoms is to turn the world away from G-d. Just as a central point has four basic directions that lead away from it–east, west, north, and south– the aim of the four nations is to nullify the kingdom of G-d, the central point of the cosmos, thus preventing the redemption from taking place. (See Maharal Mi’ Prague in his book Ner Mitzva , Rabbi Yehuda Leva Ben Betzalel, born in 1515 and died in Prague in 1609.) With this in mind we can now understand why it was so important for the four kings to kidnap Lot. The four nations were being led by the evil force of the four kings. Their mission was to prevent the redemption from taking place, the seeds of which were planted in Lot. The Mazal of the kings knew, just as we know now, that king David is a direct descendent of Lot. (See Genesis 19:30-37.) In the same vein, we can now answer the question I began with – what were the Moabites afraid of. The goal of the Jewish nation is to honor G-d by building His throne. “This nation I created for me to declare my praise.” (Isaiah 43:21) Building the throne of G-d is a long process that can come about only after the Jewish nation returns to the Promised Land, restores the house of David, and builds the temple. Then prophecy will return to the land and the entire world will know that there is a G-d! The Moabites were also guided by this same evil force that wants to prevent the house of David and the Mashiach from coming about, thus preventing the throne of G-d from being actualized.

This same evil force is still trying to prevent Israel’s redemption. In the last decade we have been fighting a growing battle to hold on to our precious holy land. There are evil forces trying their best to prevent the Jewish nation from fulfilling its mission. Those of you who are supporting communities like Itamar are literally a major factor in winning the battle against the four kings.

Rabbi Moshe Goldsmith
Itamar

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Itamar News Updates June 27th 2007

11 Tamuz 5767 /June 27th 2007

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1) One of Itamar’s residents was fired on by an Arab terrorist while working in his field on our hilltops. Thank G-d he wasn’t hurt. The army found the rifle used but the terrorist got away.

2) Mazal Tov to the Shmuliyan and Mishulami families upon the birth of their sons.

3) Itamar celebrated two weddings this week one on Monday night and one on Tuesday night. The newlywed Degani couple will be living on our hilltops and the newlywed Chemo family will be living in Jerusalem. We wish these young couples great happiness and success.

4) Mazal Tov to Shacharit Avitan upon her engagement!

5) Itamar held memorial services this Wednesday for the Rachel, Neriya, Tzvika, Avishay Shabo and Yosef Twito who were massacred on Itamar five years ago.

6) Mazal Tov to Yosef Goldsmith who finished his basic army training and is starting this week his advanced training – we wish him success as he progresses in his elite unit in Tzahal.

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Eliyahu Asheri

Thursday, June 29, 2006 / 3 Tammuz 5766 Funeral of Murdered 18-Year-Old Eliyahu Asheri 
Arutz 7: Thousands of people, including both chief rabbis and other notables, attended the funeral of Eliyahu Asheri, kidnapped and murdered by Arab terrorists. Arutz-7 brings photos from the funeral.

Roads in Jerusalem were closed in honor of the funeral, which is to end with the youth’s burial in the Mt. of Olives cemetery.

Eliyahu’s teachers and family, one after the other, spoke about what a sweet person he was. Over and over it was mentioned that Eliyahu’s prayers were “like fire.” width=

“You went up to Heaven in a storm, like Eliyahu (Elijah) the prophet,” Eliyahu’s mother Miriam eulogized, in a calm and determined voice. “Now, Eliyahu – stand before G-d and speak out in favor of the Nation of Israel – don’t let up until our Father in Heaven agrees to reveal Himself to His people.”

Yitro Asheri spoke of his son, recalling that he would always sit in their home and make peace between his siblings. “When you get to Heaven,” the Australian immigrant said, addressing his son, “make peace within our people and between the Nation of Israel and our Father in Heaven.”

Asheri added that the world has much less prayer in it now that Eliyahu is gone and implored all of Israel to “Pray! Pray – because you are righteous and G-d desires your prayers.”

Eliyahu had not been seen since Sunday night, and only Monday afternoon did it become fairly clear that he had been kidnapped. By then, however, he was already dead – even while volunteers searched throughout Judea and Samaria for traces of his presence. In the end, it was the murderer himself who led the Israeli security authorities to the body, in a field outside Ramallah, north of Jerusalem.

The terrorist was among those apprehended in a round of IDF arrests made throughout Judea and Samaria on Wednesday. He was interrogated by the General Security Services, during which he revealed how and where he and his gang members shot Eliyahu in the head from close range, shortly after they abducted him on Sunday night.

Others connected to the kidnapping and murder are still being interrogated.

Eliyahu’s mother Miriam told Voice of Israel Radio this morning,

“At this time, I do have not much to say, for the pain is so unbearable; I can barely find a way to hold it. But one thing I can say is that many times in the past years, because of the many disagreements-between-brothers we have in this country, many times I asked G-d to give me, first of all, love in my heart for everyone. And now, following this terrible thing that happened to us, it has become clear to me how really great the Nation of Israel is – how much help we have received, and all the volunteers, and the army – there are no words to describe it… And this was the way of Eliyahu as well…”

The IDF did not say whether the assault rifles which the Olmert government and the United States transferred to Abu Mazen earlier this month were used at any point in the kidnapping or murder. WorldNetDaily reported in the name of “sources close to the Al Aqsa Brigades” that the guns had been used in two separate shooting attacks against Israelis within days of the transfer.

Rabbi Avi Ronski, the Rabbi of Itamar and the man who has been tapped to become the next Chief Rabbi of the IDF, was informed of the news at 2 AM this morning (Thursday). He called Rabbi Chaim Druckman, the national head of the Bnei Akiva Yeshivot movement and Eliyahu’s adopted grandfather, and the two of them made their way to the Asheri family. Family members and friends began streaming to the house after the information became known.

Rabbi Druckman said at the funeral that sometimes funerals are like sunsets, but that Eliyahu’s passing is like the sun going dark at noontime. “This is not just a private funeral, but one belonging to all of Israel,” he said. “His murderers intended to kill any one of us and all of us.”

Eliyahu, 18, was from the Shomron town of Itamar and was a student at the pre-military yeshiva academy in N’vei Tzuf, in the western Binyamin area. He was last seen at 9 PM Sunday at the French Hill junction in northern Jerusalem, where hundreds of people wait for rides northward every day.

Rabbi Ronsky said, “It is now clear that they murdered Eliyahu very soon after they kidnapped him, and all their announcements and threats afterwards were merely psychological pressure against us.”

The Popular Resistance Committees of Ramallah, under the supervision of the terrorist group of the same name in Gaza, announced Monday –

after Eliyahu was already dead – that they would murder him if Israel did not withdraw its forces from Gaza.

Murdered settler teen mourned The Israeli community owes him. We all owe him. He was one of society’s best,’ Rabbi Nissim mourns untimely death of Eliyahu Asheri, 18, whose body was found shot to death in Ramallah Thursday Efrat Weiss YNetSpeaking Thursday morning after the discovery of the murder of Eliyahu Asheri, 18 from Itamar, his teacher Rabbi Yitzhak Nissim said, “We lost one of the best boys. The contrast between his goodness and radiant smile and the evil and cruelty of the other side is so extreme.” Rabbi Nissim heads the pre-military Tzufit preparatory academy, where Eliyahu was a student.Thursday morning, Eliyahu’s parents, Yitro and Miriam, and his four siblings, were given the bitter news of his death.

Rabbi Nissim arrived at the National Institute of Forensic Medicine in Abu Kabir Thursday to identify the boy’s body. He told Ynet, “Early this morning, Itamar Rabbi Avi Ronsky contacted me, after receiving news of Eliyahu’s death. We decided that he would go to the family’s home and I went to the Forensic Medicine Institute.”

He recalled Eliyahu as a smiley, optimistic and quiet youth. “The Israeli community owes him. We all owe him. He was one of society’s best,” Rabbi Nissim said. “He loved to help people; he was a person of faith and roots regarding the state and land of Israel. Eliyah came to preparatory program to build himself up before his military service. He had one more year left.”

Itamar’s 14th casualty

A heavy cloud of mourning descended on Itamar, when bitter news of Eliyahu’s death and the discovery of his body reached residents of the Samaria settlement.

The family was informed towards morning by rabbis Avi Ronsky and Haim Druckman, who arrived at their home in Itamar to inform them of their son’s murder. The two rabbis have been accompanying the family over the past few agonizing days and were the ones who first received the dreaded report from the IDF and police.

Eliyahu Asheri is the 14th victim of Palestinian terrorism to be buried by residents of Itamar in the last few years.

Thursday at 6:00 a.m. a morning prayer service was held at the Itamar synagogue. At 7:00 a.m. the message was released by beeper to community residents (each family has a beeper to keep informed of settlement news) informing of Eliyahu’s death.

Commander of the Judea and Samaria Division Brig. Gen. Yair Golan and Commander of the Samaria Brigade Col. Yuval Bazak arrived at the settlement Thursday morning and met with the secretariat to explain details of the boy’s murder. Afterwards they went to the Asheri home to break the difficult news to his family.

Naveh said that Eliyahu was shot to death at close range on Sunday, shortly after he was kidnapped. “The abduction of Eliyahu Asheri took place on Sunday evening when he was on his way from the French Hill neighborhood of Jerusalem to the settlement of Ofra. He was murdered at the time of the kidnapping or shortly after, and his body was buried in Ramallah. He was shot at short range with a handgun,” Naveh said.

“Eliyahu was kidnapped by operatives from Ramallah connected with the Popular Resistance Committees. We begin investigations into the incident on Monday after the PRC’s announcement. On Tuesday suspicions grew stronger after the family’s report that their son was missing – on Monday we had done initial checks and no one had been reported missing.”

 

Yitro Asheri: God wanted my son up there Following arrest of his son’s murderers, Eliyahu Asheri’s father tells Ynet family has paid dearest price there is; calls on international community to ‘check your conscience with a dense comb, as you may have helped terror organizations’ Efrat Weiss YNet

Following the arrest of his son’s murderers, Eliyahu Asheri’s father Yitro told Ynet on Tuesday that “the fact my son was kidnapped can be defined as a command from above. It appears God wanted my son up there to defend the people of Israel.”

Eliyahu Asheri was kidnapped at the beginning of last week on his way to his home in the West Bank settlement of Itamar, and his body was found on Thursday in a Ramallah neighborhood. The three murderers surrendered to Israel Defense Forces soldiers after three hours of hiding in a Ramallah police station, where they were held by the Palestinian police.

Brigadier General Yair Golan, commander of the West Bank military division, arrived at the Asheri family home Tuesday afternoon in order to describe the affair to the family members.

According to the father Yitro, the family found comfort in the fact that their son is now speaking positively about the Land of Israel.

“The price we paid is terrible, no one asks for such a thing to happen to him, but this is God’s will. We have paid the dearest price there is. The recent prayers have not been for nothing, they elevate the people of Israel’s situation. The people have to understand what is the gift of the Land of Israel that God gave. The people of Israel are in need of education and love and we must educate them,” he said.

The father said that he began fearing for his son’s life on Monday evening, when there were reports on a kidnapped settler.

“We didn’t call Eliyahu at the moment, we called the head of the preparatory program in the morning. We started making phone calls and filed a police complaint,” he recounted.

Yitro Asheri asked to deliver a message to the international community: “Check your conscience with a dense comb, as you mat have assisted those terror organizations.”

Shot at close range

In a statement summarizing the IDF’s recent activities in Ramallah, which included the capture of the murderers of Itamar youth Eliyahu Asheri, Central Command Chief Maj. Gen. Yair Naveh said: “We were not able to bring back the boy, but we did close the case. Everyone knew that the IDF would find the perpetrators anywhere.”

The major general went on to say that the terrorists’ preliminary description of the events matches the one given to questioners by another member of their cell who was captured last week by SWAT forces.

“Eliyahu Asheri was kidnapped in the Ofrah junction and brought to Ramallah, where another three Palestinians joined the group. One of them shot him with a pistol at close range, using a pillow to muffle the sound. Afterwards, he was buried in the ground and members of the cell scattered in order to avoid detection.

According to Naveh, there was never the intention to conduct negotiations for the kidnapped youth, even when he was still assumed to be alive.

The Funeral Olmert Ignored Judy Lash Balint Jewish Press width=

June 29: This afternoon, Eliyahu Pinchas Asheri – son, brother, grandson, yeshiva student, friend – was buried on the Mount of Olives, the oldest Jewish cemetery in the world.

Thousands flocked to the funeral home in Jerusalem’s Sanhedria neighborhood to pay their respects and listen to the eulogies for the 18 year old, who had been shot in the head shortly after he was abducted by Arab terrorists last Sunday. His burned body was found near Ramallah early today.

No government official was anywhere to be seen in the mostly Orthodox crowd. A few public figures, including Knesset member Effie Eitam, Rabbi Yitzhak Levy and former Prisoner of Zion Yosef Mendelevich, were present, but the overwhelming majority of mourners were teenagers, many sporting the orange ribbons of solidarity with the dispossessed of Gush Katif.

All through the eulogies, the sobbing of Eliyahu’s four siblings could be heard over the amplification system. The crowd stood quietly in front of the grey stone funeral hall under the early afternoon sun.

There were no shouts for revenge; no machine guns fired into the air; no religious figures whipping up the crowd into a frenzy of hatred. Only the soft sounds of weeping from dozens of girls and women and the flipping of pages of Tehillim (Psalms) as speaker after speaker poured out anguish at the loss of another young soul to the barbarity of Arab terror. width=

Several of the rabbis emphasized that the pain of Eliyahu’s loss is not just the pain of the family and those who knew him, but a national pain. ”We here are just representatives of the Jewish people,” said the rabbi of Eliyahu’s community of Itamar. “Everyone must cry out,” he sobbed.

Benzi Lieberman, the head of the Regional Council incorporating Itamar, noted that in the picture circulated after the kidnapping, Eliyahu embodied love of the land. He was pictured sitting on a beautiful hill in Samaria.

Lieberman excoriated the Olmert administration for continuing to push further unilateral withdrawals from Judea and Samaria even after Eliyahu was kidnapped and his fate was unkown. ”Olmert can’t protect our lives in Sderot, Ofra or Itamar,” Lieberman proclaimed. “We who ran out of Gaza, Gaza will run after him…” he added.

The entourage accompanied Eliyahu to his final resting place on the Mount of Olives, overlooking the Temple Mount.

“We’ll continue to build on our only land with your intercession in heaven, Eliyahu. We’ll continue on the process of redemption,” vowed the final euolgizer before Yitro Asheri managed to recite the first Kaddish for his first-born son.

The Asheris Mourn their Son Eliyahu Arutz Sheva width=

Nestled on a hillside in the Shomron village of Itamar, Miriam and Yitro Asheri, parents of Eliyahu, who was kidnapped and murdered last week, sit on the low chairs of mourners in their living room.

Seated facing them are Public Security Minister Avi Dichter and their neighbor Rabbi Avi Ronsky – the incoming IDF Chief Rabbi – along with several family members and friends who have come to participate in the traditional mourning.

The visitors crane their necks to hear the conversation between the bereaved parents and Dichter, who formerly headed the General Security Service (Shabak). Both mother and father are soft-spoken, but Yitro looks in Dichter’s eyes and asks earnestly, “The land belongs to the Jewish nation; when will we begin to act accordingly?”

Dichter, wearing a kippa, nods and lowers his eyes, promising to bring to justice everyone responsible for Eliyahu’s murder. He was not just saying it; less than 24 hours later, three of the men who murdered Eliyahu were taken into custody.

Miriam looks strong and resolute, just as she did on national television in the days when her son’s kidnappers’ false claims that Eliyahu was still alive were being used in a vain attempt to induce the IDF to leave Gaza. She had addressed her son’s captors, reminding them that they too have children.

Now in mourning, Miriam recalls her final moments with her son, including shared words, anecdotes and more distant memories. “Parents should know that every Sabbath eve, when they bless their children, it is a celebration of the gift that G-d has granted you in the past week of having the miracle that is each child,” she tells a neighbor who has come to comfort her.

In Eliyahu’s last conversation with his parents, he mentioned that he had accidentally said vidui, a confessional prayer, on Sunday afternoon, forgetting that it is not recited on the eve of Rosh Chodesh, the first day of the Jewish month. Jews do, however, recite the prayer on their deathbed. “The soul knows everything,” Yitro says.

Itamar was HomeThe Asheris have lived in Itamar for 14 years. For Yitro, Itamar was the final stop on a long journey to Judaism and the Land of Israel. “When I was 12, I sat in church and realized it just wasn’t it,” he recalled. He began exploring Eastern religions seriously when he was 16, and by 22 he had joined an Australian volunteer organization and moved to Papua New Guinea.

After volunteering in New Guinea, he went on to volunteer at an Israeli collective community, the secular Kibbutz Hatzerim. “There I witnessed the simple morality of the kibbutz members, who were not religious but had a deep moral way about them,” Yitro said.

“A salami was stolen from the kitchen one night and it was proposed that the storage room be locked. It was voted down because they said, ‘How can we live together if we don’t trust one another.’ I began asking people where Jewish morality comes from and was eventually given a copy of Pirkei Avot [Ethics of our Fathers – a mishnaic tract recording lessons in ethics from the foremost conveyors of Torah throughout the generations –ed.]. It was like water for a thirsty heart.”

Yitro returned to Adelaide, Australia, where he began studying Judaism, but was encouraged by members of the small Jewish community to return to Israel as soon as possible to learn more. He went to the religious Kibbutz Sde Eliyahu, which had a conversion program as well as an intensive Hebrew study program.

Yitro knew Israel was now his home and went on to study in Jerusalem’s Machon Meir yeshiva. There he was introduced to Miriam, who had recently become observant and was very close with the family of Rabbi Chaim Druckman, who heads the Bnei Akiva school system and introduced the two.

While in Machon Meir, Yitro was given his first taste of the mountains of Samaria. He and a handful of fellow students came to the nascent Itamar to plant the first organic crop there – myrtle branches for the Sukkot holiday. They also dug a ritual bath that today serves the entire community. After living in Kiryat Malachi for a few years, the Asheris moved to Itamar.

A Boy Who Made You JoyousEliyahu was an indigenous member of the Itamar community, hiking every corner of the region while losing some friends to the frequent terrorist attacks that have plagued the small town. He attended elementary school there, went to middle school in neighboring Elon Moreh, and then high school at the prestigious Or Etzion yeshiva high school near Ashkelon.

Today his friends mope about the Asheris’ yard, watching the older visitors talk about Eliyahu with his parents. “He made you literally joyous just by being near him,” a neighbor told Yitro. “The vacuum without him is so strong.”

Eliyahu decided to leave high school a year early and take his matriculation exams while at the Elisha pre-military academy near N’vei Tzuf. Yitro believes his son underwent a transformation during his year at Elisha.

“He just kept removing mask after mask, searching deeper into himself for the genuine real Eliyahu,” Yitro said. He recalls his son’s struggles and growth with the admiration of a father who succeeded in teaching his son to emulate his search and not necessarily his destination. “The irrigated olive tree cannot be compared to the tree that strives for its water,” he says. “Eliyahu struggled for knowledge and dealt with the toughest questions that a human being can face.”

The Sabbath before his murder, the entire Asheri family was together in Itamar. “It was supposed to just be a small thing to celebrate finishing his first year at mechina (pre-military academy), but his older sister said, ‘No way can it just be a small thing,’ and everyone came to the house for Shabbat. In hindsight, it was our parting Shabbat with him.”

The fateful journeyAfter Shabbat, Eliyahu left his home to speak with a close confidant in the Gush Etzion town of Beitar Illit. He left Beitar at 7 PM Sunday night to head toward his pre-military academy, where he and his classmates were to embark on an end-of-the-year hike together in northern Israel.

He arrived at the French Hill hitch-hiking stand in northern Jerusalem at 9 PM and got a ride to the Givat Assaf T-Junction, at the turn-off to Beit El from Highway 60. He then caught another ride to the town of Ofrah. It was at the Ofrah hitching post where Eliyahu was seen getting into a van.

The Arab man driving the van was dressed like a religious Jew, but after turning onto route 465 towards N’vei Tzuf, the driver took an early turn down a side road toward Bir Zeit. Bir Zeit is home to one of the Palestinian Authority’s main universities, built with help from the Israeli government in the hope that it would breed moderation.

Immediately, Asheri was brutally murdered, either in Bir Zeit or in nearby Bituniya. He was shot at close range, with a pillow used to muffle the sound. The terrorists buried him hastily under loose dirt and large stones.

The driver of the vehicle was caught Wednesday, in an IDF operation in Ramallah. Three others were caught several days later.

“We have our pain,” says Yitro, “but we know that G-d has a job for Eliyahu; that He needs him closer for something much more important. We must truly accept the bad just as we thank Him for the good.”

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He loved the Land and G-d of IsraelEliyahu Asheri, together with his siblings, were among the thousands of youths who made their way into Gaza despite the IDF-imposed closure ahead of the forced expulsion of Jews from the 21 towns there last summer.

“He was in the synagogue at N’vei Dekalim,” his father recalls. “And you know what is most remarkable about Eliyahu? The intense fiery prayer that took place in that synagogue – imagine that kind of prayer three times a day. That was Eliyahu.”

Prayer is a theme that inevitably came up in every eulogy at Eliyahu’s funeral. Friends and family all recalled the fervor and earnest way with which he prayed and spoke of the power of prayer.

The family read an essay Eliyahu wrote at his funeral, which they say is a letter he left for all the Jewish people. The following is a translation:

“The prayer that you pray three times each day brings you closer to the Master of the World, connecting you each time anew. When you rise in the morning, look around and see how wonderful this world that G-d gave you is and thank Him for it.

“And during Shacharit [the morning prayer], when all of nature is waking from its slumber, the human rises and prays and directs his or her heart, spirit and soul toward the Creator of the World and through this provides rest to the soul, which at the time of prayer ventures outward a bit, exposing its truest will to you, and you must know to ask of G-d what is upon your heart.

“And also through hitbodedut (solitude/meditation), when you cut yourself off from the surroundings and be with yourself, you basically see what you want to and are unaffected by your surroundings and you request from G-d your true wishes.

“The importance of prayer is the utmost, such that prayer replaced the Temple sacrifices, which were said to give G-d ‘satisfaction’ (Leviticus 1:9). There is the tradition that when Moses was told by G-d that he would not enter the Land of Israel, he prayed before Him 515 prayers to be allowed to enter the Land… until G-d told him to stop praying, because He had decreed that Moses would not enter. He allowed him to pray because He desired his prayers and desires the prayer of all righteous people.

“It is written ‘Your nation are all righteous,’ so pray, because you are righteous and G-d desires your prayers. […]

“We must ‘Perfect the world under the Kingdom of the Almighty.’ The first thing the Nation of Israel must do is perfect ourselves, to become an example to the nations of the world. How do we fix ourselves? Through prayer and return to true service of G-d, because when you are real with yourself and are true in your way, others will go after you. […]

“In conclusion, always serve G-d with joy and always know to seek Him at every time. Always strive to be free to do the will of the Blessed Creator and to perfect yourself and be true with G-d and with yourself. ‘You shall be simple with HaShem your G-d,’ (Deuteronomy 18:13) and they will go after you because this is the truth.”

 

 

 

 

 

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Itamar in its early days by Leah Goldsmith

Itamar 1985- 23/1/2005 Almost 20 years ago, Itamar, then Tel Chaim, consisted of 2 tiny blocks of pre-fab concrete matchbox houses, like parallel rows of white dots on a black domino. width=White, in its stark symbol of new civilization, upon the black uninhabited earth, scattered with gnarled thorn bushes and many ancient rocks of different sizes. This double row of dwellings sits perched snugly on a low hump of hill in the mountainous region of the central Shomron. The glorious hills surrounding the settlement seemed to hug and mystify the newcomers. The houses themselves were simple. One could walk around, seeing potential for the little front gardens. In the shadow of the big rocks grew a variety of sage, thyme, zatar and many other wild herbs and flowers. In spring, the earth became mossy, a ready-made green carpet. width=The backyards faced the North Country and the new and rising Elon Moreh in the distance. Between the rows of houses ran a concrete lane. Toddlers played there in the bright light, the sky a burning blue. Below this lane stood the public meeting houses, which served many purposes such as for praying, and planning a new decade of settlement and land reclamation. As the twilight sank, couples would stroll down to the new playground. There were hardly any trees at this point and sometimes the world felt a dreary place without them. Later, a huge expanse of fresh grass was put down there, rich and refreshing- it was like going to a country club. The homes had no phones. This meant waiting on line, usually at night, for the one local phone. There, under the lone light bulb, the dim, yellow glow would give a cozy mood to those hooking up with the outside world. Then, the days were days and the nights were nights. Time had a definition. At this time a generator supplied the electricity, it’s motor droning away almost always. When it shut down, the silence could be heard to the end of the world. It, like the people, needed an occasional rest too. On the long winter nights the rain would rattle on the windows, sometimes shaking the frames of the little houses in a thunderous waft of freezing air. Was that someone banging on the thin wooden door? Babies were often held inside thick blankets. Walking down “Main Street”(our famous lane), one could see through the lace curtains, a candle glimmering and providing a warm and cheerful light. There were days that it felt too cold to go out. Better lay in bed, listening to the steady freezing rain. When it was time to go, it meant trudging through the cold mud. The thought of family was warming to the heart. Then, walking indifferent in the rain, under the umbrella, pleasure was taken secretly thinking of the bountiful things of Eretz Goshen. The women loved marketing. Tuesday was fruit and vegetable day. Children would wheedle their way between the crates and crates of melons, bananas and oranges. It was a luxurious day, but everyone counted his or her pennies. A big truck would arrive every Wednesday with frozen and dry goods. The women would kind of squeeze together in a heckling dance of reaching and grasping for this and that, beautiful in their bright and simple scarves. Soon it became harvest time in the new fields. There was the hope of accepting something straight from nature. width=The people were slowly acclimating themselves with this land, learning its ways, praying for it to bless them. It was not easy. With the arrival of spring, the children explored the warming hillsides, collecting pansies and anemones, slipping down the sloping hills covered in a purple thistle. They would bring a bright decoration for their shining Shabbat tables. Money was always short, but walking across the new fields gave a rich sense of ownership and pride. The hills were calling, “come and claim me, come and take me”. We couldn’t get enough of them. It was a kind of matrimony with the Land. The visitors became enthralled with the place. They went out looking for mushrooms, hunting through the wet grass. There was the joy of finding something; an ancient olive tree bigger than a house, a wild vine, good for new starters. Climbing the steep path to the top of the mountain, all things shone in the sun. The atmosphere, a soft gray, the gentleness of being so near the so ancient, the so ours, provided an intimacy that could not remain abstract. The prophet’s dreams were coming true. At that time, the hum of noise coming from the valley, where the “locals” lived was only a minor detail for us. We felt them, but not intensely. We were so locked into our existence, it was easy to forget the larger picture, feeling only the very being of this place at this time- then, now and forever. The men transformed quickly from clean-shaven boys to bearded strong men. Some wore flannel or dark blue work shirts and pants with high black rubber boots. Some would be a little more “dressed up” standing in the early morning at the roadside wearing white shirts and large cranberry colored holy books under their arms. There were those that worked the Land, and those that dedicated their lives to learn the details of halacha concerning the Land. Later, there were also many that gave their lives for the Land… When the tiny buds appeared on the rosebushes in the planters outside our front door, people would be seen emptying their worldly possessions into the backyards. There would be a ceremony of scrubbing down every surface of the little houses. It was Pesach-time. The grey and wet winter was replaced by this ritual, with the arrival of spring. People began to smile, speak and connect to those around them. And when we recited the prayer of Thanksgiving, making Pesach in the Land of Ephraim, it felt all the more special. “ Blesssed are you, Lord our G-d, King of the Universe, who has granted us life, sustained us and enabled us to reach this occasion!” end Leah Goldsmith