World renowned Zoologist, Rabbi Slifkin is lecturing in the New York area.

Jews and Bnei Noach alike will find his information fascinating.

Below is the information from his blog ZooTorah:

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Here is the schedule so far for my forthcoming lecture tour in New York:

Wednesday December 3, 8.05pm at YU, Weissburg Commons:
“The Animal Kingdom in Jewish Thought”

Thursday December 4, 8:00pm at Young Israel of Woodmere:
“The Making of a Ban”

Shabbos December 5/6, at Congregation Ohav Tzedek, Manhattan:
Topics including cosmology, evolution, as well as the above topics.

Sunday December 7th (tentative):
Torah Tour of the Bronx Zoo. $30 adults, $25 children. By reservation only.

I am still free for Sunday afternoon/ evening, and probably for Thursday morning/afternoon; please contact me if you would like to arrange a presentation for your school/ community. “Contacting me” means writing to me at zoorabbi@zootorah.com

Better late than never…

Last week’s parsha was parshas Noach.

Question: Why did G-d destroy the world with a flood?  Of all the ways to bring punishment to the wicked people of that generation, why a flood?

Answer: The Lubavitcher rebbe zt”l brings a connection between the 40 days and nights of the flooding and the 40 se’ah (measures) of water needed to create a ritual bath for purification.  Thus, he says, the flood was not just a punishment; it was a process of purification.

Question: Why does the Torah say “And the rain was on the Earth” in one place, and later says “And the flood was on the Earth”?  Was it rain or was it flood?

Answer: Rashi explains that not only did G-d wait 120 years to send the flood, but even if the people had turned from their evil ways at the last moment, when it had just begun to rain, G-d would have turned the rain into gishme bracha “rains of blessing” instead of rains of destruction.  Since they didn’t change, the rains turned to flood.

We also learn from the ritual bath that starting to turn from one’s evil ways requires only a single moment of commitment, just as a ritual bath requires only a single moment of immersion to render the person or vessel purified.  “The Holy One said, open for me a door as big as a needle’s eye and I will open for you a door through which may enter tents…”¹

When a person commits to purify himself or herself, he has to do two things: sur m’ra v’aseh tov.

1. Turn away from the bad
2. Do good

Usually this is thought of for the individual person.  However, we also see this in the process of purifying the world.

Everything that happened outside of the ark was sur m’ra Turn from evil.  The generation of the flood were destroyed because of their behavior in three ways:

1. Ervah - Licentiousness (to put it lightly)
2. Gezel - Theft
3. Avodah zarah - Idol worship

Flooding the world, literally wiped out the entire culture of the people of the world, including the animals who had also become corrupt and started interbreeding.  This is sur m’ra Turn from evil.

Everything that happened inside the ark was aseh tov Do good.  For more than a year Noah and his family are charged with the tremendous responsibility of caring for the animals in the ark.  There was no vacation or days off in which they could rest from the kindness needed for the animals.

However, the chesed kindness of Noah and his family toward the animals in the ark exceeds any kindness that we see today.  Whereas we can care for our pets or farm animals, Noah had to care for the only remaining creatures of each species - thus the fate of each species was in his hands.  Caring for even two lions can be said to have been caring for the entire species of lions.  Since G-d does not watch over individual animals, but does watch over their entire species, this is a true life-saving chessed on Noah’s part.

The other Good that was done in the ark was the separation between men and women.  Whereas today many people hear the phrase “separation between men and women” and automatically think: “sexist!” - let’s think about this for a moment.

Why did Noah have to care for animals and do kindness for over a year? Why didn’t God have him do some other good, such as prayer or study Torah?  The answer is that the kindness towards the animals was a type of Good that was a tikun a rectification for the evil of theft and violence that led to the flood.

Since the generation of the flood was corrupted with immoral sexual behavior, the rectification for their behavior was made through the separation between men and women in the ark.

We are told that immersion in the ritual bath is similar to a baby leaving the mother’s womb.  Thus the ark was the a new creation of the world in the “womb.”  This new world was founded on a proper balance between kindness and self-restraint that is necessary for all new relationships and endeavors.

Thus we learn three main lessons here:

1. G-d is open to us up until the latest moment, waiting to turn our “flood” into “rains of blessing.”
2. When we want to purify ourselves, we have to sur m’ra “Turn from evil” and aseh tov “Do good.”
3. When we want to establish a new relationship, or create a new organization or project, it must be founded with a proper balance between kindness and appropriate self-restraint.

May we find that healthy balance, and may we merit the final redemption through G-d’s true kindness. Amen.

“What is the way of loving [G-d] and fearing Him? When a person ponders His great and wondrous works and creations he immediately loves, praises, and extols and is filled with a great desire to know the Supreme Being . . . And when he contemplates these things he immediately is drawn back with great reverence and he realizes that he is a small, insignificant, unenlightened creature standing with a frail intellect in the presence of a Being Who is Perfect in Knowledge”
(Maimonides, Laws of the Foundations of Torah 2:2)

My best friend growing up had an african parrot just like this one.  He used to say “David! Go to your room!” because my friend’s older brother David would get in trouble so often that the parrot learned to copy the phrase.

One of our beloved Noahide readers owns a parrot just like my friend’s.  Except around the Noahide house their bird has learned to say “Baruch Hashem!”¹

Should we make this the iHeartNoahides mascot?
What do you think?

Have a wonderful Shabbat!

One of the rabbi’s from my yeshiva (house of study) in Israel is Rabbi Slifkin.

His material may bee of special insect to Bnei Noach¹ since he is the world expert on Zoology and Torah!

Meet Rabbi Natan Slifkin!

Intro Video

Rav Slifkin with a beautiful male cheetah.

Everything you want to know about animals, bugs, fish, monsters, and even mythical beasts as relates to Torah can be found in Rabbi Slifkin’s books. See his website for more info, and his blog to keep up with his current safari travel.

Also, if you haven’t seen this jaw-dropping safari video yet…Hashem’s Creation is astounding!

…

Oh, and here’s a new piece on an Israeli zoo taking care of a tortoise that is handicapped:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wu8Cwqhmv3Y

(source: Jpost.com)

For some time there has been a controversy about Agriprocessors, the largest kosher meat plant in the United States. The media have raised questions of how workers are treated, workers’ safety and conditions in the plant. The government detained a large number of illegal workers. All of these questions concerned me. So when a mission of national Jewish leaders was organized to inspect the plant, I decided to go.

Rabbis inspect Agriprocessors
Photo: Courtesy

The mission included national leaders of the Orthodox community and the directors of kashrut agencies across the country. It represented the broad spectrum - rabbis from Agudat Yisrael, modern Orthodox, the OU, the Rabbinical Council of America, Chabad and Young Israel. Postville, Iowa is remote, the nearest airport is an hour and half away, and that’s sparsely serviced Dubuque. I had two flights canceled and got home just before Shabbat after driving hours to Chicago.

We were given free reign of the plant. Randomly, we interviewed dozens of employees, selecting them ourselves. We viewed the production lines. We spent hours inside the plant. In no way was the trip choreographed.

THE REALITY we saw was far different from that described in the press. The plant is state of the art,and workers told of us of wages beginning at $10 an hour. Benefits such as full health and dental plans kick in at 90 days. One woman from Chicago spoke of working previously at the Tyson meat plant. There she received a dollar an hour more, but told us “in this plant the work is less rigorous and the training better.”

I was most impressed from the actual kosher slaughter process. I discovered innovations that reflected the highest standards of halachic observance.

The mayor told us that if the plant fails, the local economy will be devastated. The Presbyterian minister said he has never had reports of abuse from his congregation. We questioned plant officials about safety, human resources and compliance. We heard how the plant had recently instituted the E Verification system that coordinates with the federal government to ensure that all employees are legal. Apparently this system checks the Social Security number against government records to insure all employees are who they say they are and that they are not under 18.

Some of our group, including myself, met with leaders of the local church, St. Bridget, that has historically been very critical of the plant. The rabbis suggested that they begin ongoing meetings with the plant management to investigate alleged abuses. We asked them to provide us with documentation of specific cases of worker abuse which we would bring to the attention of the plant management. We still have not heard from them, and they have nor have they responded to our request for regular meetings with the plant. Instead they continue to use the press as their mode of communication.

NONE OF the press reports have been by reporters who have been inside the plant. One JTA reporter who did visit the plant a few days before us filed a report that reaffirmed what we said. Almost all have based their stories on reports from outside sources - the church and the union which is trying to take over the plant and is being sued by Smith Food for racketeering. In Arizona, a grocery chain that has resisted the union is in court accusing it of defamation, extortion and trespass.

Some leftist Jewish organizations interested in immigration issues have joined the bandwagon. A group of non-Orthodox rabbis wants to create a new rabbinical kashrut certification, based on liberal social values instead of Halacha. Claiming to be motivated by ethics, its approach to the issue has been far from ethical - smear campaigns and demonstrations instead of the Jewish way of exploring the issues objectively and seeking solutions. It has created a battle of Jew vs. Jew, creating a show the media relishes.

While I cannot know anything about the past, I did witness myself the reality today, and it’s not what we have read in the media. It could have been that Agriprocessors grew very swiftly and management was not as strong as it could have been. Today the plant is without question state of the art, workers are treated well and there is strong attention to safety and compliance.

The writer is president of the Rabbinical Council of Orange County, California.
rabbi@ocjewish.com

(Source: Nava)
The author of this post is a very holy woman who often has remarkable dreams that have led her on journeys across the world, and have impacted thousands of people.

Ever wonder why a dog barks “arf! arf!” or a large dog barks “roof! roof!”? Or a bird chirps ‘tzif tzipf”? Or a sheep says “baaaaa! baaaaa! baaaa!”? And why do cows go “moo”?

Last night in a dream, 26 Tamuz, I saw a large herd of cows loudly ‘mooooooing’. Although I thought that it was extremely funny to see a large herd of cows loudly ‘mooooing’ in the dream, I realized that it’s not funny at all and there is a strong message in their mooing. During the dream, a unique thought came to me and it suddenly dawned on me why cows say “mooooo”. In Hebrew, Mooooo is spelled מוּ and its gematria is 46. The Roshei Tevot (initial letters of the consecutive words) of Moshiach ben David is MBD - מבד and its gematria is also 46! In the dream, the cows were mooing because they too are excited that Moshiach ben David is coming to redeem us.

The sheep says ‘baaaaa!’ In Hebrew, baaaaa is בא and it means ‘coming’ - who is coming? Moshiach ben David.

It says that the animals will be spiritually elevated and stop preying upon each other when Moshiach comes. As the prophet Isaiah, zs’kl, states, “The wolf will lie down with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the kid goat; the calf, the young lion, and the fattened ox will flock together, and a young child will lead them… The knowledge of G-d will fill the earth as the water covers the sea.”

Animals offers us great possibilities in deepening our connections with HKB’H (the Holy One Blessed is He). So next time you hear any animal species barking, chirping, growling, yapping, bellowing, mooing, etc. know that also the animal are all anxiously yearning for Moshiach.

This week’s parsha is parshat “Balak.”

The evil prophet¹ Balaam is summoned by Balak to curse the Jews.

Against Hashem’s desire, Balaam saddles his she-donkey and journeys to the land of Moav to curse the Jews. Hashem sends an angel to impede Balaam’s way.

If we pay attention to the order in which things happen here, we can get a sense of the infinite love Hashem has for all of His creations - even donkeys.

1. Hashem sends an angel with a sword (i.e. ready to kill them), but only reveals the angel to the donkey; Balaam doesn’t see the angel.

2. The donkey moves out of the angels way - Balaam strikes the donkey - the angel closes in.

3. The donkey moves out of the angels way again - Balaam strikes the donkey a second time - the angel closes in further.

4. The donkey moves out of the angels way once again, but is now cornered - Balaam strikes the donkey a third time - the angel closes in further.

5. Hashem causes the she-donkey to speak to Balaam, and the donkey says:
“What have I done to you that you have struck me these three times?”

Balaam answers her:
“For you have mocked me. If only I had a sword in my hand, I would right now kill you.”

The she-donkey:
“Am I not the she-donkey that you have rode upon me from your youth until this day? Have I been accustomed to do such to you (i.e. to mock him)?

Balaam:
“No.”

And only now - after Balaam admits to the she-donkey that she did nothing wrong, does Hashem reveal the angel. And furthermore, the rest of the story revolves around Hashem defending the donkey before Balaam, the self-centered.

6. Hashem reveals the angel to Balaam, at which point Balaam becomes terrified and bows down on his face.

7. The angel of Hashem says to him, why have you struck your she-donkey these three times? Behold, I have come to impede your way because you have journeyed (to curse the Jews) against Me.

8. And the donkey saw me and moved out of my way these three times. Unless she had turned aside from me, surely now I would have slain you and saved her!

9. Balaam finally repents, and only afterwards does Hashem commences with instructions for Balaam’s journey.

Hashem cares for the well being (and apparently the honor and respect) of all of His creations. Clearly, mankind who is made btzelem elokim - in G-d’s image - is paramount, which is why we use animals for food, medicine, clothing, or sacrifices.

But nonetheless, Hashem loves all of his creatures, for they are His creations. Therefore, we should act as Hashem does in whatever way is appropriate to each of us on our own situations.

Shabbat Shalom.