Beit Yisrael International Daily Torah Thursday, 7 Elul, 5786 August 20, 2026
Beit Yisrael International Daily Torah Thursday, 7 Elul, 5786 August 20, 2026
Submission to the Head Council of Ephraim
When we speak about the “Head Council of the House of Ephraim,” we are referring to a council whose deepest desire is to come fully under the authority and guidance of a recognized Orthodox Jewish Beit Din or Sanhedrin. In all matters—especially those concerning Halachic decisions related to the Jewish people, Am Yisrael—the Head Council seeks to act with humility, submission, and respect toward the established Torah authority of Israel.
Like I (Ariel) was 'born' on the Har HaBayit so.......,
Beit Yisrael International is 'born' on the Har HaBayit and desire to grow up further in unity with the Jewish People.........
Beit Yisrael International special for all The Lost Sheep from the House of Israel, Lost Jews or Lost Tribes, Hashem Loves you it is He, He want to 'resurrect' you close by His House...... In 'front', before His House....... Calling out to you:
Isaiah 55:1
| 1Ho! All who thirst, go to water, and whoever has no money, go, buy and eat, and go, buy without money and without a price, wine and milk. | אה֚וֹי כָּל־צָמֵא֙ לְכ֣וּ לַמַּ֔יִם וַֽאֲשֶׁ֥ר אֵין־ל֖וֹ כָּ֑סֶף לְכ֚וּ שִׁבְרוּ֙ וֶֽאֱכֹ֔לוּ וּלְכ֣וּ שִׁבְר֗וּ בְּלוֹא־כֶ֛סֶף וּבְל֥וֹא מְחִ֖יר יַ֥יִן וְחָלָֽב: | |
A Ba’al Teshuva in the House of Ephraim, Membership Requirements
Torah + Jewish Halakhot for all Jews and all the ‘Lost Sheep from the House of Israel’: Together we are Am Yisrael! We need to find our way back, in Love to each other and to Eretz Yisrael, for to be a Light unto the Nations.
תורה + הלכות יהודיות לכל היהודים ולכל "הצאן האובדת מבית ישראל": יחד אנחנו עם ישראל! עלינו למצוא את דרכנו חזרה, באהבה זה לזה ולארץ ישראל, כדי להיות אור לגויים.Beit Yisrael International Daily Torah compelled by: Ariel your Representee, Representee of Ephraim, Chavruta (Brother in Torah) with Ephraim and adviser (not a rabbi but friendly adviser) for Bet Yisrael international on the Har HaBayit.
תורה יומית של בית ישראל בינלאומי בהשראת: אריאל נציגך, נציג אפרים, חברותא לאפרים ויועץ (לא רב אלא יועץ ידידותי) לבית ישראל בינלאומי בנושא הר הבית.
Please note: Out of respect for the sanctity of Shabbat and Yom Tov, we kindly request that you refrain from browsing, searching, or posting on this website during these sacred times — from candle lighting at the onset of Shabbat or Yom Tov until their conclusion. We deeply appreciate you're understanding and honor for these holy days.
שימו לב: מתוך כבוד לקדושת השבת ויום טוב, אנו מבקשים שתמנעו מגלישה, חיפוש או פרסום באתר זה בזמנים קדושים אלה - החל מהדלקת נרות בכניסת השבת או יום טוב ועד לסיומם. אנו מעריכים מאוד את הבנתכם וכבודכם לימים קדושים אלה.
Beit Yisrael International Daily Torah compelled by: Ariel your Representee, Representee of Ephraim, Chavruta (Brother in Torah) with Ephraim and adviser (not a rabbi but friendly adviser) for Bet Yisrael international on the Har HaBayit.
Please note: Out of respect for the sanctity of Shabbat and Yom Tov, we kindly request that you refrain from browsing, searching, or posting on this website during these sacred times — from candle lighting at the onset of Shabbat or Yom Tov until their conclusion. We deeply appreciate you're understanding and honor for these holy days.
See:
Our father in Shamayim (Heaven),
Rock-fortress and redeemer of Yisra’el —
bless the State of Israel,
the initial sprouting of our redemption.
Beit Yisrael International Torah Yomi for everyone who loves Yisrael.
HarHaBayit:
'We failed! We didn't throw of the Mountain: Amalek's descendants and their Israeli friends! The Erev Rav! We must be at war until all terrorists are dead! In and around Eretz Yisrael. The day after, we need to vote for an Elohim fearing Government. Then let us start to Pray and to talk about a new government. Every Jew and non-Jew must accept and respect Jewish Law. Voting's yes, but a new high Court system Jewish Law in all Eretz Yisrael: Including Aza, Yudea and Samaria. So that we may become a real blessing for the whole world as it was in the time of the Kingdom of HaMeleg David. Yes, real Teshuva and Study our Source: The Torah. The Sifri (a treatise on the derivation of Torah law from the exegesis of the verses of Numbers and Deuteronomy, written during the time of the Mishnah by Rav) says, "The Jewish people were commanded three mitzvos upon entering Israel: appointing for them-selves a king, building themselves a Sanctuary and wiping out the descendants of Amalek."
Look Click: https://fb.watch/r0HhSftzj1/
Shemot (Exodus) - Chapter 25
8And they shall make Me a sanctuary and I will dwell in their midst |
| חוְעָ֥שׂוּ לִ֖י מִקְדָּ֑שׁ וְשָֽׁכַנְתִּ֖י בְּתוֹכָֽם: |
And they shall make Me a sanctuary: And they shall make in My name a house of sanctity. |
| וְעָשׂוּ לִי מִקְדָּשׁ: וְעָשׂוּ לִשְׁמִי בֵּית קְדֻשָּׁה: |
9according to all that I show you, the pattern of the Mishkan and the pattern of all its vessels; and so shall you do. |
| טכְּכֹ֗ל אֲשֶׁ֤ר אֲנִי֙ מַרְאֶ֣ה אֽוֹתְךָ֔ אֵ֚ת תַּבְנִ֣ית הַמִּשְׁכָּ֔ן וְאֵ֖ת תַּבְנִ֣ית כָּל־כֵּלָ֑יו וְכֵ֖ן תַּֽעֲשֽׂוּ: |
according to all that I show you: here, the pattern of the Mishkan. This verse is connected to the verse above it: “And they shall make Me a sanctuary…” according to all that I show you. |
| כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר אֲנִי מַרְאֶה אֽוֹתְךָ: כָּאן את תבנית המשכן, הַמִּקְרָא הַזֶּה מְחֻבָּר לַמִּקְרָא שֶׁלְּמַעְלָה הֵימֶנּוּ וְעָשׂוּ לִי מִקְדָּשׁ |
Eretz Yisrael in Jewish Scriptures Click:
Prayer for the Welfare of the State of Israel, by Rabbi Yitsḥak haLevi Hertzog
(1948)
Source (Hebrew)
Translation (English)
אָבִינוּ שֶׁבַּשָּׁמַיִם,
צוּר יִשְׂרָאֵל וְגוֹאֲלוֹ,
בָּרֵךְ אֶת מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל,
רֵאשִׁית צְמִיחַת גְּאֻלָּתֵנוּ.
Our father in Shamayim (Heaven),
Rock-fortress and redeemer of Yisra’el —
bless the State of Israel,
the initial sprouting of our redemption.
הָגֵן עָלֶיהָ בְּאֶבְרַת חַסְדֶּךָ,
וּפְרֹשׁ עָלֶיהָ סֻכַּת שְׁלוֹמֶךָ,
וּשְׁלַח אוֹרְךָ וַאֲמִתְּךָ
לְרָאשֶׁיהָ, שָׂרֶיהָ וְיוֹעֲצֶיהָ,
וְתַקְּנֵם בְּעֵצָה טוֹבָה מִלְּפָנֶיךָ.
Shield her beneath the wings of your lovingkindness;
spread over her your Sukkah of peace;[1]
send your light and your truth
to its leaders, officers, and counselors,
and correct them with your good counsel.
חַזֵּק אֶת יְדֵי מְגִנֵּי אֶרֶץ קָדְשֵׁנוּ,
וְהַנְחִילֵם אֱלֹהֵינוּ יְשׁוּעָה
וַעֲטֶרֶת נִצָּחוֹן תְּעַטְּרֵם,
וְנָתַתָּ שָׁלוֹם בָּאָרֶץ
וְשִׂמְחַת עוֹלָם לְיוֹשְׁבֶיהָ.
Strengthen the defenders of our Holy Land;
grant them, our elo’ah, salvation,
and crown them with victory.
Establish peace in the land,
and everlasting joy for her inhabitants.
וְאֶת אַחֵינוּ כָּל בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל פְּקָד־נָא
בְּכָל אַרְצוֹת פְּזוּרֵיהֶם,
וְתוֹלִיכֵם מְהֵרָה קוֹמְמִיּוּת לְצִיּוֹן עִירֶךָ
וְלִירוּשָׁלַיִם מִשְׁכַּן שְׁמֶךָ,
כַּכָּתוּב בְּתוֹרַת משֶׁה עַבְדֶּךָ:
”אִם יִהְיֶה נִדַּחֲךָ בִּקְצֵה הַשָּׁמַיִם,
מִשָּׁם יְקַבֶּצְךָ ה׳ אֱלֹהֶיךָ וּמִשָּׁם יִקָּחֶךָ.
וֶהֱבִיאֲךָ ה׳ אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֶל הָאָרֶץ
אֲשֶׁר יָרְשׁוּ אֲבֹתֶיךָ
וִירִשְׁתָּהּ,
וְהֵיטִבְךָ
וְהִרְבְּךָ
מֵאֲבֹתֶיךָ.“ (דברים ל:ד-ה)
Remember our brethren, the whole house of Yisra’el,
in all the lands of their dispersion.
Speedily bring them to Tsiyon, your city,
to Yerushalayim, dwelling of your [spoken] name,
as it is written in the Torah of your servant Mosheh:
“Even if you are dispersed in the uttermost parts of the world,
from there YHVH your elo’ah will gather and fetch you.
YHVH your elo’ah will bring you into the land
which your ancestors possessed,
and you shall possess her;
and Hashem will make you more prosperous
and more numerous
than your ancestors.” (Deuteronomy 30:4-5)
וְיַחֵד לְבָבֵנוּ לְאַהֲבָה וּלְיִרְאָה אֶת שְׁמֶךָ,
וְלִשְׁמֹר אֶת כָּל דִּבְרֵי תּוֹרָתֶךָ.
וּשְׁלַח לָנוּ מְהֵרָה בֶּן דָּוִד מְשִׁיחַ צִדְקֶךָ,
לִפְדּות מְחַכֵּי קֵץ יְשׁוּעָתֶךָ.
הוֹפַע בַּהֲדַר גְּאוֹן עֻזֶּךָ
עַל כָּל יוֹשְׁבֵי תֵּבֵל אַרְצֶךָ,
וְיֹאמַר כֹּל אֲשֶׁר נְשָׁמָה בְּאַפּוֹ:
יהוה אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מֶלֶךְ,
”וּ֝מַלְכוּת֗וֹ בַּכֹּ֥ל מָשָֽׁלָה.“ (תהלים קג:יט)
אָמֵן סֶלָה.
Unite our hearts to love and revere your name,
and to observe all the precepts of your Torah.
Speedily send us your righteous moshiaḥ of the House of David,
to redeem those waiting for your salvation.
Shine forth in your glorious majesty
over all the inhabitants of your world.
Let everything that breathes proclaim:
YHVH, elo’ah of Yisra’el is King;
“their majesty reigns over all.”[2][3]
Amen. Selah.
Prayer for the Welfare of the State of Israel, by Rabbi Yitsḥak haLevi Hertzog
(1948)
Source (Hebrew) | Translation (English) |
אָבִינוּ שֶׁבַּשָּׁמַיִם, | Our father in Shamayim (Heaven), |
הָגֵן עָלֶיהָ בְּאֶבְרַת חַסְדֶּךָ, | Shield her beneath the wings of your lovingkindness; |
חַזֵּק אֶת יְדֵי מְגִנֵּי אֶרֶץ קָדְשֵׁנוּ, | Strengthen the defenders of our Holy Land; |
וְאֶת אַחֵינוּ כָּל בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל פְּקָד־נָא | Remember our brethren, the whole house of Yisra’el, |
וְיַחֵד לְבָבֵנוּ לְאַהֲבָה וּלְיִרְאָה אֶת שְׁמֶךָ, | Unite our hearts to love and revere your name, |
The Tefilah l’Shalom Medinat Yisra’el (“Prayer for the Welfare of the State of Israel”) was composed by Rabbi Yitsḥak haLevi Hertzog (1888-1959), edited by Shmuel Yosef (S.Y.) Agnon (1888-1970), and first published in the newspaper Ha-Tsofeh on 20 September 1948.
This prayer was instituted at the time by the Chief Rabbis of Israel, Rabbi Hertzog and Rabbi Ben Tsiyon Meir Ḥai Uziel. According to the custom of the Ashkenazic communities, the time for reciting the prayer was set between the end of the Torah reading and the haftara for the return of the Torah scroll to its place in the Holy Ark. In Sephardic communities, it is customary to recite the prayer at the time of the removal of the Torah scroll from the Holy Ark. (At this point in prayer, it was customary the prayer “Hanoten Tshuah”, blessing the ruler of the state and their immediate family.)
Because the State of Israel is referred to as “the beginning of the sprouting/growth of our redemption,” the prayer was not universally accepted. This expression, and the reservations about the state in general, are some of the reasons why non-Zionist and anti-Zionist Jews do not recite it in their synagogues. In fact, the recitation of this prayer and, to a lesser extent, the prayer for the safety of IDF soldiers, became one of the main differences between prayer in Ḥaredi synagogues and prayers in National Religious Zionist synagogues in Israel and in the Diaspora.
מי שברך לחיילי צה״ל | Mi sheBerakh for the Welfare of Israel Defense Forces Soldiers, by Rabbi Shlomo Goren (1956);
The Tefilah l’Shalom Medinat Yisra’el (“Prayer for the Welfare of the State of Israel”) was composed by Rabbi Yitsḥak haLevi Hertzog (1888-1959), edited by Shmuel Yosef (S.Y.) Agnon (1888-1970), and first published in the newspaper Ha-Tsofeh on 20 September 1948.
This prayer was instituted at the time by the Chief Rabbis of Israel, Rabbi Hertzog and Rabbi Ben Tsiyon Meir Ḥai Uziel. According to the custom of the Ashkenazic communities, the time for reciting the prayer was set between the end of the Torah reading and the haftara for the return of the Torah scroll to its place in the Holy Ark. In Sephardic communities, it is customary to recite the prayer at the time of the removal of the Torah scroll from the Holy Ark. (At this point in prayer, it was customary the prayer “Hanoten Tshuah”, blessing the ruler of the state and their immediate family.)
Because the State of Israel is referred to as “the beginning of the sprouting/growth of our redemption,” the prayer was not universally accepted. This expression, and the reservations about the state in general, are some of the reasons why non-Zionist and anti-Zionist Jews do not recite it in their synagogues. In fact, the recitation of this prayer and, to a lesser extent, the prayer for the safety of IDF soldiers, became one of the main differences between prayer in Ḥaredi synagogues and prayers in National Religious Zionist synagogues in Israel and in the Diaspora.
מי שברך לחיילי צה״ל | Mi sheBerakh for the Welfare of Israel Defense Forces Soldiers, by Rabbi Shlomo Goren (1956);
amended by Dr. Alex Sinclair (2012)
amended by Dr. Alex Sinclair (2012)
Source (Hebrew)
Translation (English)
מִי שֶׁבֵּרַךְ אֲבוֹתֵינוּ אַבְרָהָם יִצְחָק וְיַעֲקֹב
הוּא יְבָרֵךְ אֶת חַיָּלֵי צְבָא הֲגַנָּה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל,
הָעוֹמְדִים עַל מִשְׁמַר אַרְצֵנוּ וְעָרֵי אֱלהֵינוּ
מִגְּבוּל הַלְּבָנוֹן וְעַד מִדְבַּר מִצְרַיִם
וּמִן הַיָּם הַגָּדוֹל עַד לְבוֹא הָעֲרָבָה
בַּיַּבָּשָׁה בָּאֲוִיר וּבַיָּם.
May the One who blessed our forefathers Avraham, Yitsḥaq, and Yaaqov,bless the soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces,who stand guard over our land and the cities of our elo’ah,
from the border of Lebanon to the desert of Egypt,
and from the Great Sea to the Aravah,
on land, in the air, and on the sea. יִתֵּן ה׳ אֶת אוֹיְבֵינוּ הַקָּמִים עָלֵינוּ
נִגָּפִים לִפְנֵיהֶם.
May Hashem cause the enemies who rise up against usto be struck down before them. הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא יִשְׁמֹר וְיַצִּיל אֶת חַיָלֵינוּ
מִכָּל צָרָה וְצוּקָה וּמִכָּל נֶגַע וּמַחְלָה
וְיִשְׁלַח בְּרָכָה וְהַצְלָחָה בְּכָל מַעֲשֵׂה יְדֵיהֶם.
May the blessed Holy One preserve and rescue our soldiersfrom every trouble and distress and from every plague and illness,and may God send blessing and success in their every endeavor. יִתֵּן ה׳ לְחַיָלֵינוּ חָכְמָה, בִּינָה וְדַעַת,
שְׁלֹא יִסְפּוּ צָדִיק עִם רָשָׁע,
כְּמוֹ שְׁכָתוּב בְּתוֹרָתֶךָ,
”חָלִלָה לְּךָ מֵעֲשֹׂת כַּדָּבָר הַזֶּה,
לְהָמִית צַדִּיק עִם־רָשָׁע, וְהָיָה כַצַּדִּיק כָּרָשָׁע;
חָלִלָה לָּךְ — הֲשֹׁפֵט כָּל־הָאָרֶץ לֹא יַעֲשֶׂה מִשְׁפָּט.“ (בראשית יח:כה)
May Hashem give our soldiers wisdom, understanding, and insight,so that they do not destroy the righteous with the wicked,as it is written in Your Torah:
“Far be it from you to do such a thing,
to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating them the same.
Far be it from you – should the Judge of all the Earth not do justice?” (Genesis 18:25) יַדְבֵּר שׂוֹנְאֵינוּ תַּחְתֵּיהֶם
וִיעַטְרֵם בְּכֶתֶר יְשׁוּעָה וּבְעֲטֶרֶת נִצָּחוֹן.
וִיקֻיַּם בָּהֶם הַכָּתוּב:
כִּי ה׳ אֱלֹהֵיכֶם
הַהֹלֵךְ עִמָּכֶם לְהִלָּחֵם לָכֶם עִם אֹיבֵיכֶם
לְהוֹשִׁיעַ אֶתְכֶם: (דברים כ:ד)
וְנֹאמַר אָמֵן:
May [Hashem] cause our enemies to submit before our soldiers,and grant them salvation and crown them with victory.And may there be fulfilled for them the verse:
“For it is Hashem your elo’ah,
who goes with you to battle your enemies for you
to save you,” (Deuteronomy 20:4)
Source (Hebrew) | Translation (English) |
מִי שֶׁבֵּרַךְ אֲבוֹתֵינוּ אַבְרָהָם יִצְחָק וְיַעֲקֹב | May the One who blessed our forefathers Avraham, Yitsḥaq, and Yaaqov, bless the soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces, who stand guard over our land and the cities of our elo’ah,from the border of Lebanon to the desert of Egypt, and from the Great Sea to the Aravah, on land, in the air, and on the sea. |
יִתֵּן ה׳ אֶת אוֹיְבֵינוּ הַקָּמִים עָלֵינוּ | May Hashem cause the enemies who rise up against us to be struck down before them. |
הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא יִשְׁמֹר וְיַצִּיל אֶת חַיָלֵינוּ | May the blessed Holy One preserve and rescue our soldiers from every trouble and distress and from every plague and illness, and may God send blessing and success in their every endeavor. |
יִתֵּן ה׳ לְחַיָלֵינוּ חָכְמָה, בִּינָה וְדַעַת, | May Hashem give our soldiers wisdom, understanding, and insight, so that they do not destroy the righteous with the wicked, as it is written in Your Torah:“Far be it from you to do such a thing, to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating them the same. Far be it from you – should the Judge of all the Earth not do justice?” (Genesis 18:25) |
יַדְבֵּר שׂוֹנְאֵינוּ תַּחְתֵּיהֶם | May [Hashem] cause our enemies to submit before our soldiers, and grant them salvation and crown them with victory. And may there be fulfilled for them the verse:“For it is Hashem your elo’ah, who goes with you to battle your enemies for you to save you,” (Deuteronomy 20:4) |
In recent months, thanks to the combination of cell phone cameras and YouTube, we’ve witnessed Israel Defense Force soldiers acting in deeply troubling ways. We’ve seen soldiers standing by while a civilian shoots live ammunition at Palestinian protesters, we saw Lt. Col. Shaul Eisner assault an unarmed Danish civilian with the butt of a rifle, and, before that, the killing at close range of Mustafa Tamimi, a protester in the Palestinian village Nebi Saleh. Many of these occurrences are regularly reported in Haaretz, but they don’t find their way as often, or as prominently, into other media outlets.
The most generous explanation for this phenomenon is that individuals, in a series of isolated incidents, fail to uphold the IDF code of conduct. More sobering explanations point to a widespread culture in the IDF whereby such conduct is tolerated and routine. Indeed, when the Eisner case was reported, the most shocking aspect of the YouTube video was the utter indifference to Eisner’s act by the six or seven other soldiers milling around. What we saw as a horrific, unforgiveable, outrage, they saw as boring and un-noteworthy.
I was on the receiving end of such an incident last year, while I was observing a non-violent demonstration against the occupation in the West Bank, and got caught up in tear gas that was fired indiscriminately at women, children, and observers. Since then, I’ve found it hard to say the prayer for the IDF that appears in all Israeli prayer books, and which my community, like most synagogues in Israel, reads aloud every Shabbat.
The prayer, written by Rabbi Shlomo Goren in the early years of the state, does not, to my mind, adequately respond to the ethical challenges that IDF soldiers face in exercising power over civilian communities, where things are much more complicated than state-against-state war.
But our response to troubling issues cannot simply to be cease from engagement with the issue. That’s true if the troubling issue is, say, Eishet Ḥayil (the poem traditionally sung by a husband to a wife on Friday night; while parts of it are beautiful, parts of it are also rather sexist); and it is also true if the troubling issue is inappropriate use of force by the IDF.
As engaged Jews who love the Jewish tradition but are troubled by particular aspects of it, my wife and I sing an amended version of Eishet Ḥayil on Friday nights. In doing this, we join countless other Jews who try to develop an active relationship with liturgy that more closely reflects their values.
As engaged Jewish Zionists, the time has come to do the same with the prayer for the IDF. Above is my suggested amendation. The text is the regular version of the prayer as found in the popular Rinat Israel siddur. The middle section is my suggested addition.
The Biblical verse quoted is from the story of Sodom and Gemorrah, where Abraham berates God for seeking to harm innocent people along with the wicked. To my mind, it’s an extremely appropriate analogy to much of what goes on today: there are wicked people out there who seek to harm us, and it’s good that the army protects us from them. But all too often, some soldiers (and some Israelis in general) don’t do enough to distinguish between those who are genuinely evil, and innocent people (including Palestinians, left-wing Israelis, and internationals) who are legitimately protesting the occupation. Amending the prayer for the IDF is one way to raise awareness about that uncomfortable fact, and begin a public, Jewish, Zionist conversation about.
תְּפִלָּה לְפִדְיוֹן שְׁבוּיִם | Prayer for the Redemption of Israelis Taken Captive [during the war begun
(on Shemini Atseret 5784], by Rabbi Ofer Sabath Beit Halachmi (2023
:Zimanim Jerusalem
Thursday, August 20, 2026 / ז׳ אלול תשפ״ו
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Dawn עלות השחר 72 minutes as 16.1 degrees 
4:50:12 72 דקות לפי 16.1 מעלות Earliest talis & tefillin זמן ציצית ותפילין Sun is 11.5 degrees below horizon 5:14:00 11.5 מעלות תחת האופק Sunrise** **הנץ החמה Level region elevated 650 meters 6:07:22 מישור בגובה 650 מטר Latest shema Magen Avraham סוף זמן קריאת שמע
מגן אברהם Using 72 minutes as 16.1 degrees 8:46:12 לפי 72 דקות במעלות Latest shema Gra & Baal HaTanya 9:24:50 סוף זמן קריאת שמע
גר"א ובעל התניא Latest shacharis Gra & Baal HaTanya 10:30:40 סוף זמן תפילה
גר"א ובעל התניא Midday 12:42:19 חצות היום Earliest mincha מנחה גדולה Lechumra 1:15:13 לחומרא Plag hamincha פלג המנחה Gra & Baal HaTanya 5:54:59 גר"א ובעל התניא Sunset** **שקיעת החמה Level region elevated 650 meters 7:17:16 מישור בגובה 650 מטר Elevated 650/0 meters 7:21:46 בגובה 650/0 מטר Nightfall - 3 stars emerge לילה - צאת ג׳ כוכבים 36 minutes as degrees 7:55:22 36 דקות במעלות Nightfall - 72 minutes 8:33:46 לילה - 72 דקות
In recent months, thanks to the combination of cell phone cameras and YouTube, we’ve witnessed Israel Defense Force soldiers acting in deeply troubling ways. We’ve seen soldiers standing by while a civilian shoots live ammunition at Palestinian protesters, we saw Lt. Col. Shaul Eisner assault an unarmed Danish civilian with the butt of a rifle, and, before that, the killing at close range of Mustafa Tamimi, a protester in the Palestinian village Nebi Saleh. Many of these occurrences are regularly reported in Haaretz, but they don’t find their way as often, or as prominently, into other media outlets.
The most generous explanation for this phenomenon is that individuals, in a series of isolated incidents, fail to uphold the IDF code of conduct. More sobering explanations point to a widespread culture in the IDF whereby such conduct is tolerated and routine. Indeed, when the Eisner case was reported, the most shocking aspect of the YouTube video was the utter indifference to Eisner’s act by the six or seven other soldiers milling around. What we saw as a horrific, unforgiveable, outrage, they saw as boring and un-noteworthy.
I was on the receiving end of such an incident last year, while I was observing a non-violent demonstration against the occupation in the West Bank, and got caught up in tear gas that was fired indiscriminately at women, children, and observers. Since then, I’ve found it hard to say the prayer for the IDF that appears in all Israeli prayer books, and which my community, like most synagogues in Israel, reads aloud every Shabbat.
The prayer, written by Rabbi Shlomo Goren in the early years of the state, does not, to my mind, adequately respond to the ethical challenges that IDF soldiers face in exercising power over civilian communities, where things are much more complicated than state-against-state war.
But our response to troubling issues cannot simply to be cease from engagement with the issue. That’s true if the troubling issue is, say, Eishet Ḥayil (the poem traditionally sung by a husband to a wife on Friday night; while parts of it are beautiful, parts of it are also rather sexist); and it is also true if the troubling issue is inappropriate use of force by the IDF.
As engaged Jews who love the Jewish tradition but are troubled by particular aspects of it, my wife and I sing an amended version of Eishet Ḥayil on Friday nights. In doing this, we join countless other Jews who try to develop an active relationship with liturgy that more closely reflects their values.
As engaged Jewish Zionists, the time has come to do the same with the prayer for the IDF. Above is my suggested amendation. The text is the regular version of the prayer as found in the popular Rinat Israel siddur. The middle section is my suggested addition.
The Biblical verse quoted is from the story of Sodom and Gemorrah, where Abraham berates God for seeking to harm innocent people along with the wicked. To my mind, it’s an extremely appropriate analogy to much of what goes on today: there are wicked people out there who seek to harm us, and it’s good that the army protects us from them. But all too often, some soldiers (and some Israelis in general) don’t do enough to distinguish between those who are genuinely evil, and innocent people (including Palestinians, left-wing Israelis, and internationals) who are legitimately protesting the occupation. Amending the prayer for the IDF is one way to raise awareness about that uncomfortable fact, and begin a public, Jewish, Zionist conversation about.
תְּפִלָּה לְפִדְיוֹן שְׁבוּיִם | Prayer for the Redemption of Israelis Taken Captive [during the war begun
(on Shemini Atseret 5784], by Rabbi Ofer Sabath Beit Halachmi (2023
:Zimanim Jerusalem
| Thursday, August 20, 2026 / ז׳ אלול תשפ״ו Daylight saving time |
|
| Do not rely on zmanim times to the last moment. To view countdown timers with to-the-second reliability get the app.
|
Amram and Jocheved had separated because of Pharaoh's decree that all male Jewish babies be killed. Prompted by their six-year-old daughter Miriam's rebuke ("Pharaoh decreed against the males; you decreed against the males and the females") they remarried on the 7th of Elul of the year 2367 from creation (1394 BCE). Moses was born six months and one day later on Adar 7, 2368 (Talmud, Sotah 12b).
The Spies who slandered the Land of Israel died in the desert (Talmud, Sotah 35a; see Numbers 13-14 and text and links for Av 9 and Av 15).
As the last month of the Jewish year, Elul is traditionally a time of introspection and stocktaking -- a time to review one's deeds and spiritual progress over the past year and prepare for the upcoming "Days of Awe" of Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur.
As the month of Divine Mercy and Forgiveness (see "Today in Jewish History" for Elul 1) it is a most opportune time for teshuvah ("return" to G-d), prayer, charity, and increased Ahavat Yisrael (love for a fellow Jew) in the quest for self-improvement and coming closer to G-d. Chassidic master Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi likens the month of Elul to a time when "the king is in the field" and, in contrast to when he is in the royal palace, "everyone who so desires is permitted to meet him, and he receives them all with a cheerful countenance and shows a smiling face to them all."
Specific Elul customs include the daily sounding of the shofar (ram's horn) as a call to repentance. The Baal Shem Tov instituted the custom of reciting three additional chapters of Psalms each day, from the 1st of Elul until Yom Kippur (on Yom Kippur the remaining 36 chapters are recited, thereby completing the entire book of Psalms). Click below to view today's Psalms.
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Elul is also the time to have one's tefillin and mezuzot checked by an accredited scribe to ensure that they are in good condition and fit for use.
Links: More on Elul
Once a month, as the moon waxes in the sky, we recite a special blessing called Kiddush Levanah, "the sanctification of the moon," praising the Creator for His wondrous work we call astronomy.
Kiddush Levanah is recited after nightfall, usually on Saturday night. The blessing is concluded with songs and dancing, because our nation is likened to the moon—as it waxes and wanes, so have we throughout history. When we say this blessing, we renew our trust that very soon, the light of G‑d's presence will fill all the earth and our people will be redeemed from exile.
Though Kiddush Levanah can be recited as early as three days after the moon's rebirth, the kabbalah tells us it is best to wait a full week, till the seventh of the month. Once 15 days have passed, the moon begins to wane once more and the season for saying the blessing has passed.
Links:
Kiddush Levana: Sanctification of the Moon
Brief Guide to Kiddush Levanah: Thank G‑d for the Moon!
Anxieties, worries, feelings of inadequacy and failure—all these smother and cripple the soul from doing its job.
You need to find the appropriate time to deal with them. But don’t carry them around the whole day.
During the day, you are Adam and Eve before they tasted the fruit of good and evil.
Sefer HaChinukh
Click: Bar Mitzvah:
Learn to Read Torah and Haftarah With Trop (Audio)
Chant the aliyah blessings, Torah portion and haftarah like a pro!
Thursday: Tasting Rewards
Fifth Reading: Deuteronomy 23:25–24:4
J
On the Essence of Chassidus
עִנְיָנָהּ שֶׁל תּוֹרַת הַחֲסִידוּת
On the Essence of Chasidus |
Excerpt from a Talk by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Last Day of Passover, 5730 (1970) |
J
Issur Chillul HaShem
The Prohibition Against Desecrating G-d’s Name
Tzava'at Harivash 49
Chapter Four
The World’s continued Existence on the First Night of Rosh Hashanah
Chapter XI
The Month of Sivan
Likkutei Sichot: Ki Seitzei
Click for Mishnah Yomit:
Learning for 7th of Elul, 5786
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