 | Always Hope, Never Despair
We never despair. Life is full of challenge, it has darkness, difficulty, anguish, sorrow, and pain, but it is never despairing. There is never a lack of hope.
One place we see that is in the word "shever" mentioned in this week's parasha, which means broken, but also is also an opportunity to break the famine. So too, the word "mashber" which means crisis, also means the birthstool. At the same time that the woman goes through so much pain and difficulty, yet birth, optimism and hope comes out of it. | | 8 Stories of Heroic Self-Sacrifice for Am Yisrael
על הגבורות ועל התשועות
Over Chanukah, we have shared eight inspirational stories of heroism providing light in the darkness of war.
Watch them individually below, or see the whole playlist at mizrachi.org/heroes. | |  | | Watch the heroic story of Elchanan Kalmanson hy"d who was tragically murdered in Kibbutz Be'eri on October 7. | |  | | Watch the inspiring story of Dr. Chana Katan who has seven sons and sons-in-law serving in the army. | |  | | Watch Israeli actress Tzufit Grant meet Charedi women who prepare packages for IDF soldiers. | |  | | "Heroism and humility: two virtues that are not only not contradictory, but actually complement each other. True humility is what gives a person the strength to be a hero."
Col. Yehonatan Steinberg hy"d was the commander of the Nachal Brigade. He was the first IDF casualty on October 7th, and the most senior officer to fall on that day. | |  | | Rami Davidian saved 700 people who fled from the Re'im music festival on October 7 while under fire from Hamas terrorists who had infiltrated from Gaza and without any weapon or protective gear to defend himself. | |  | | Amichai Schindler was seriously injured on October 7 when terrorists placed an explosive device on the safe room door of their family home in Kibbutz Kerem Shalom. Watch as Amichai returns to his home, together with his wife Avital, for the first time since that dark day. | |  | | After witnessing the atrocities of October 7th from his home in Sydney, Australia, Leon Gamaroff could not concentrate on his work and realised: he needs to come to Israel and do his bit. Volunteering in the South together with people from all over the world, Leon exemplifies how Diaspora Jewry has rallied round Israel at this most challenging time. | |  | | On October 7th, brothers Yishai and Noam Slotki hy"d didn't hesitate and, despite the dangers, drove straight from Be'er Sheva to the front lines. The brothers fought bravely at the entrance to Kibbutz Alumim, neutralizing tens of terrorists and saving dozens of lives before tragically falling in battle. | | 📝 Mizrachi continues to distribute letters to our soldiers. As of today, we have sent over 3,200 letters to IDF soldiers serving around the country.
Please send to:
📹 Videos - videosforisrael@mizrachi.org
✉️ Letters - lettersforisrael@mizrachi.org
📷 Pictures - picturesforisrael@mizrachi.org | | This week, Rabbi Perez addressed a delegation of 100 people who have come from the Mizrachi community of La Casa in Buenos Aires, and have been joined by people from all over South America, including Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, USA, Uruguay and more.
The group is in Israel for a two-week period, where they are volunteering, learning and experiencing Israel in this challenging time. As part of their experiences, several days are being organized by World Mizrachi's delegations team. | |  Schools for Schools!  Mizrachi's Schools Department is launching an initiative to show solidarity and support Jews around the world to schools in Israel. In the spirit of achdut and true empathy that world Jewry has shown, you can make a meaningful contribution to their resilience.
 Letters/Videos of chizuk
 Ice cream/Pizza/Toys
 Remote learning supplies (headphones, tablets, laptops)
To support the campaign go here  jgive.com/new/en/usd/donation-targets/114919 | | 🇮🇱 WANT TO BRING A SOLIDARITY MISSION TO ISRAEL?
🌍 World Mizrachi is the global leader in organizing over 40 delegations from 8 countries over the past month!
📩 For more information, contact Ilan Frydman: ilan@mizrachi.org | | | New WhatsApp group for families of Israeli soldiers!
If you or anyone you know has a family member currently serving in the IDF join our new group | | | The Spirit of Our Nation
Add inspiration to your day by receiving uplifting messages from leaders around the world! | | 📣 The Youth materials for Parshat Miketz 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
🌐 Now Available in Spanish and Portuguese!
👉 To download, print, and register: mizrachi.org/youth | | Thousands of Israeli families cannot return to their homes in the coming months, and you can help them! Do you own an apartment that is currently vacant? 🏠 The World Zionist Organization undertakes responsibility for your apartment for 3️⃣ months, pays the water, electricity and gas bills, insures the apartment and commits to returning it clean and in good condition at the end of the period. If you open your heart and your home 💙 we will furnish it if necessary and make all the necessary arrangements to house families of evacuees from the south and the north. By doing so we will provide them with a home for 3️⃣ months, and we will give them the opportunity to sleep peacefully at night, 🙏 and everything is under the responsibility of the World Zionist Organization. To date, we have housed more than 250 families in homes donated to us by Israelis and Jews worldwide, but hundreds more families are still waiting. For more information and to leave details about apartments that you would like to donate to the "My Home - Your Home" project, please visit https://tinyurl.com/emyhomeisyourhome Or send an email to arielc@wzo.org.il Please share 💪 🇮🇱 Together we will win this war! | |  Unite with Israel
 Tefillah
 Uplifting Videos
 Useful Links
 In Memoriam
Support Israel
 Send a Letter to school children or chayalim
mizrachi.org/unitewithisrael | | Looking for speakers from Israel? World Mizrachi can connect you with leading speakers on a variety of topics related to the current situation:
 Divrei chizuk
Geopolitical analysis
Views from the Gaza periphery
Torat Eretz Yisrael
 For more information, email jacqui@mizrachi.org | | HaMizrachi Parsha Weekly
The Parshat Miketz 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 has begun!
Weekly shiur by Rabbi Shalom Rosner is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, YouTube, as well as OU Torah and YU Torah websites.
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 and fifty topics in Halacha.
For more information and to purchase volumes of Tzurba M'Rabanan, go to tzurbaolami.com | | 📖 "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 | | MIKETZ
Strength to Fulfill Responsibility
By Rabbi Shalom Rosner As Yehudah pleads with his father Ya'akov to allow him to bring Binyamin to Mitzrayim, pursuant to the request of the authorities in Egypt (Yosef), Yehudah states: "I will guarantee him; from my hand you can demand him. If I do not bring him to you and stand him up before you, I will have sinned against you forever." (Bereishit 43:9)
Yehudah seems to take upon himself an obligation that is beyond his control. Yehudah guarantees that he will return with Binyamin, notwithstanding that he was not certain he could deliver upon such a promise. In the sefer L'hitaneg, it is suggested that one's inner strength comes to light during dangerous and challenging experiences. Yehudah undertook to ensure Binyamin's safety believing that committing himself to doing so would require that he go the extra mile to fulfill his responsibility. To gain the necessary strength to overcome any obstacle.
The Ramban utilizes a similar explanation as to why Ya'akov demanded that Yosef promise that he would bury Ya'akov in Israel at Me'arat HaMachpelah (Bereshit 47:31). Did Ya'akov lack trust in Yosef's word that he required that Yosef swear to abide by his request? The Ramban explains that Ya'akov feared that Pharaoh may prevent Yosef from burying Ya'akov in Israel. As the father of the viceroy, he may demand that Ya'akov be buried in Egypt. Requiring that Yosef swear to abide by Ya'akov's request, provided Yosef with increased responsibility to adhere to Ya'akov's request, even if it required pleading with Pharaoh. When one takes upon oneself a formal responsibility it strengthens their commitment to fulfill their undertaking.
In the Sefer L'ovdecha BeEmet, it is told that Rav Chaim Shmulevitz (Rosh Yeshiva of Mir), purposely established chavrutot throughout the day as he felt it gave him an added responsibility toward his chavruta to be present in the beit midrash. This is a tremendous Talmid Chacham who had a love for Torah, and yet he took steps to ensure that he would fulfill his commitment. All the more so, we have to take upon ourselves responsibility and commitments so that we fulfill our obligations.
As the statement goes – "if you want something done, give it to the busiest person in the room." Although we are all busy with our personal and professional lives, we should make sure to take upon ourselves set time to engage in Torah study, the performance of chesed and be active in communal matters such as shul and school boards and committees. One taking on added responsibility strengthens their ability to fulfill their commitment. It worked for Yehudah as he confronts Yosef in next week's parsha to fulfill his commitment to his father. May we find that inner strength to first take upon ourselves positive commitments and then to be able to fulfill those obligations!
Rabbi Shalom Rosner is a Rebbe at Yeshivat Kerem B'Yavneh and Rabbi of the Nofei HaShemesh community. He is a member of the Mizrachi Speakers Bureau (www.mizrachi.org/speakers). | | | Besorot Tovot, Chanukah Sameach, and Shabbat Shalom! | | | | |
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