 | Hope in the Face of Devastation
After the Flood, Noach was in a world of decimation. But the first thing he did led to his downfall. He planted a vineyard, made wine, and debased himself. He profaned himself, and was somehow unable to rise to the occasion, to bring holiness to this decimated world when it was needed, and brought a sense of debasement instead.
The Perez family, along with thousands of other families in Israel, have been facing tremendously difficult situations. But to be part of the Jewish people is to be part of a nation which has endured such suffering, but has always brought themselves out of the darkness and into the light.
We pray to Hashem to look after all those families who need help at this time, and B'Ezrat Hashem from this worst day since the Shoah will emanate the greatest days of Jewish history, ushering in a new era of redemption.
Praying for the safe return of Daniel Shimon ben Sharon. | | 🚨 Join World Mizrachi's "Tzevet Perez" Emergency Campaign in partnership with Rav Rimon and Sulamot. Fully coordinated with IDF.
🙏 Help raise life-saving funds to protect and care for our soldiers and civilian needs, for the merit of the speedy return of Daniel Shimon ben Sharon and the members of his tank crew, and dedicated to the memory of Tomer ben Shay hy"d.
👉 mizrachi.org/tzevetperez
🇿🇦 For donations from South Africa: mizrachi.org/tzevetperezSA
🇦🇺🇨🇦 All donations from Australia and Canada are earmarked for civilian and humanitarian needs | | 📣 The Youth materials for Parshat Noach are now online!
📰 HaMizrachi Parsha Weekly Youth Edition, a Parsha sheet designed for youth
🗞️ Chavruta, a study sheet great for kids or parent-student sessions
👉 To download, print, and register: mizrachi.org/youth | | Letters for Israel Campaign Expands!
🇮🇱 As a result of the success of the Letters for Israel Campaign, we will now also accept videos and pictures, for children, teachers, or soldiers!
ℹ️ Include your name, city and country. Write in the subject line who it is for, and send to:
✉️ Letters - lettersforisrael@mizrachi.org
📷 Pictures - picturesforisrael@mizrachi.org
📹 Videos - videosforisrael@mizrachi.org | | | THANK YOU!
 Over 1,000 letters have been sent so far to soldiers and schoolchildren in Israel as part of Mizrachi's Letters For Israel campaign!
 Doron Cheses, participant in Mizrachi's leadership programs, thanks you for the letters he has received while in reserve duty.
To watch the video click here. | | |  A Time to Cry and a Time to Rejoice | עת לבכות ועת לשמוח
Listen to Rabbi Doron Perez's moving and uplifting interview with Kalman Liebeskind and Asaf Lieberman on Kan Reshet Bet (in Hebrew). | |  | A special message for the Jewish community from Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis KBE | | | A powerful message from Chief Rabbi Mirvis, inspired by Rabbi Doron and Shelley Perez and family. | |  "When we are united, very little can stand in our way, and we hope and pray that's how it remains." In his first radio interview in English since the beginning of the war, Rabbi Doron Perez spoke to Nachum Segal about his son's wedding this week and his other son's unknown whereabouts.
To listen to the interview, CLICK HERE | | "Don't shoot, he's wearing tzitzit!" Ari Bar-Shain, a participant on Mizrachi's leadership programs, currently called up for army duty, tells the amazing story of his commander who battled with Hamas terrorists in the south and was saved from being shot by his tzitzit.
Watch the video testimonial here. | | | This week, our team in Israel held a briefing and strategy discussion with some of our global branch heads. Some of the countries represented included: Israel , Argentina 🇦🇷 , Australia 🇦🇺 , Belgium 🇧🇪 , Canada 🇨🇦 , Chile 🇨🇱 , Croatia 🇭🇷 , Poland 🇵🇱 , South Africa 🇿🇦 , UK 🇬🇧 , USA 🇺🇸 | | HaMizrachi Parsha Weekly
The Parshat Noach edition of HaMizrachi Parsha Weekly is now available!
You can find it in 2 formats:
1️⃣ Economic Printing (7 double sided pages)
2️⃣ Full Printing (14 double sided pages) | |  | Tzurba Hilchot Shabbat Program start delayed
Tzurba M'Rabanan is a groundbreaking learning program that makes the learning of Halacha clear, relevant and interesting.
To date, the Lax Family Tzurba M'Rabanan English Series consists of 17 volumes, covering around one hundred topics in Halacha.
To purchase volumes of Tzurba M'Rabanan, go to tzurbaolami.com | | Mizrachi's representatives at the World Zionist Organization are leading the:
 Our Home is Your Home initiative
Spearheaded by Roi Abecassis and Ariel Chesner, we are reaching out to Jews from abroad who own apartments in Israel to make them available for the benefit of evacuated families who have been forced to flee their homes.
Receiving the apartments, handing them over to the evacuees and the guarantee for their return is all under the full responsibility of the World Zionist Organization.
Please help us spread the initiative.
https://www.wzo.org.il/department/myhome/en/en | | 📖 "The Jewish State" Available to Purchase
Following the book launch at Mizrachi's World Orthodox Israel Congress, "The Jewish State" by Rabbi Doron Perez is available to buy online for delivery to Israel, Australia, Canada, UK, and USA, as well as for collection at the Mizrachi offices in Israel and South Africa.
For some of the approbations, see the flyer above.
To purchase, click here: mizrachi.org/the-jewish-state-order-form | | NOACH
Creating Unity
By Rabbi Yosef Zvi Rimon The two episodes in Parashat Noach – the annihilation of the world by the Flood and the destruction of the Tower of Babel – end on a similar theme. A theme that seems to be the reason for the two catastrophes.
In the Tower of Babel episode, at the end of the parasha (11:1–9), the key phrase is "vena'aseh lanu sheim – let us make a name for ourselves."
The first time this idea appears is actually at the end of Bereishit (6:1–5), in the prelude to the Flood. There, the phrase is anshei hasheim.
The phrase in the second story shines light on the meaning of the first.
These were people engaged in making a name for themselves – self-aggrandization and self-promotion. The expression vena'aseh lanu sheim captures the essence of the Babel generation's sin – humanity joining forces to 'create a name for itself,' for purely egotistical purposes.
In both cases, the Torah talks about giborim – "the mighty." In Bereishit, hagiborim asher me'olam anshei hasheim, while in Noach we're told first of Nimrod who was a gibor and then about the Tower of Babel. The simple meaning of the text, as supported by Chazal, is that Nimrod was the king in charge of the Babel project.
We can pinpoint three errors in humanity setting itself the goal of making a name for itself:
1. The aim was negative. Rather than increasing Hashem's Name in the world, they wanted to make a name for themselves, to extol human greatness and ignore Divinity.
2. Those involved in the Tower of Babel used the great gift G-d gave to humankind – the unity of humanity – and turned it into a tool to achieve an undesirable goal – making a name for themselves.
They thought anything was permitted to achieve their lofty aim. For the sake of their own personal honor, they were prepared to nullify the honor of other individuals. One must be very careful that the ends do not justify the means. Even if the aim is important, one cannot crush other important things – especially other people – on the way.
3. They focused only on this aim and rejected every other method, scared of spreading and losing their uniqueness. Even if we are passionately involved in a crucial mission, we should remember there are other aims and other people engaged in other worthy pursuits in the world.
Those involved in building the Tower of Babel forgot G-d's command of "be fruitful and multiply…" (Bereishit 1:28). A message that indicates there are many aims in the world, and the more people and the more diverse people there are, the more of G-d's aims they can achieve. Anyone who minimizes the multiplicity of humanity's goals in the world is rebelling against G-d's Will.
The Jewish people is comprised of different individuals and groups. Currently, this reality is creating separation. We don't need to think in the same way to be united, to be loved and loving. The Jewish people rises higher precisely because of its human mosaic.
We can compare it to an army. If all army units merge into one, that army will crumble. A strong, united army, needs different units, specialized separate forces, each one with its own role.
Am Yisrael is characterized by its unity particularly when there is diversity, when there are many different ways of thinking.
Let us make the effort to see the good in each other, to see the good in Am Yisrael, and to love those who are not like us as well as those who are.
Rabbi Yosef Zvi Rimon is Head of Mizrachi's Educational Advisory Board and Rabbinic Council. He serves as the Chief Rabbi of Gush Etzion, Rosh Yeshivah of the Jerusalem College of Technology and is the Founder and Chairman of Sulamot and La'Ofek. | | | Besorot Tovot and Shabbat Shalom! | | | | |
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