כיצד נולדים סילופים בשם רבנים? הרב עובדיה יוסף משמש כדוגמא
”פעם יחידה שפסקתי לא כמו מרן” – מרן הראש”ל הרב יצחק יוסף שליט”א
המרכז למורשת מרן – הרב עובדיה יוסף
המרכז למורשת מרן – הרב עובדיה יוסף
February 23, 2025
The Bibas deaths… how do I tell this news?
A mother and her sons—all blameless Jews—
Killed senselessly. My words seem desecration…
For I have not one word of consolation,
No explanation, nor a gift for silence
When faced with ululating savage violence.
No pretty words. Nor can I well control
The pain and sheer disgust at those who stole
The lives of little babes, who laughed and strangled
Helpless necks, who then vaunted their mangled
Dead bodies to all Gaza’s crowing cheer.
I did not know these babes yet feel their fear,
The fingers held too tightly to the throat—
Breath taken with an “Allah Akbar” gloat.
How do I now escape dark haunting dreams?
How do I keep myself from raging screams
Or else collapse in breath-defying sobbing?
And all about us savages are robbing
The West of all civility and grace.
All decency is toppled from its place
Outshouted by a world which hates what’s right
And gladly chooses darkness over light
While Jews are slaughtered, scapegoated and shamed.
But Islam must not ever once be blamed.
What do they think they build by taking lives
From innocents, by worshipping their knives?
How do I make this searing pain abate
And stop myself from prayers infused with hate?
In times like these when I can scarcely cope
I yet know God’s in charge. This give me hope.
Brian Yapko is a retired lawyer whose poetry has appeared in over fifty journals. He is the winner of the 2023 SCP International Poetry Competition. Brian is also the author of several short stories, the science fiction novel El Nuevo Mundo and the gothic archaeological novel Bleeding Stone. He lives in Wimauma, Florida.
Sunday, February 23, 2025
This coming שבת -ר”ח -שקלים we will be reading from three different ספרי תורה.
Some claim, in the name of one of the Gerer Rebbes to have quoted from the ספר היכלות that on a day when 3 ספרי תורה are taken out of the ארון הקדש there is a special סגולה during פתיחת הארון to have all your תפילות for your needs & wants to be accepted.
I checked the entire ספר היכלות* and there is no mention of 3 ספרי תורה or any such סגולה etc.
As far as I know, this סגולה has no מקור. It was probably made up by one of the Chasidic Rebbes based on a פסוק in יחזקאל מ””ו
כֹּה אָמַר ה’ – שַׁעַר הֶחָצֵר — יִהְיֶה סָגוּר שֵׁשֶׁת יְמֵי הַמַּעֲשֶׂה, וּבְיוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת יִפָּתֵחַ וּבְיוֹם הַחֹדֶשׁ יִפָּתֵחַ.
Not only are the gates of the Bais Hamikdash opened on Shabbos or on Rosh Chodesh but also, the gates of heaven are opened, especially when we have both, Shabbos & Rosh Chodesh (and even more so when we also have פרשת שקלים).
Someone likely asked where to find this סגולה and jokingly got told it’s in a (nonexistent sefer) ספר היכלות a ספר on הלכות ארון הקדש. The term היכל is used for ארון הקדש. As the זהר פ’ נשא says, הכל תלוי במזל אפילו ס”ת שבהיכל, Even today, Sefardim call an aron kodesh a היכל.
Hence the confusion of those who mistakenly believe the מקור is in the original ספר היכלות which is מיוחס להתנא ר’ ישמעאל
* The entire Sefer has only 20 pages
https://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=41146&pgnum=1
The level of learning in our generation compared to previous generations.