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Welcome Gal Junior Sass. On 25 September 2018 – nearly 10 weeks after you were born (18 July) one of Layla Simon’s 5 puppies – we brought you home. You are sweet, fluffy, and ever so playful. You always want to hang out with Gal (who isn’t so keen) and you like to chew whatever you can get your paws on.
We took you out to ice-cream at Kfar Mamtakim (in Kfar Etzion) and when we put you on the table in the succah! you wanted to taste the yummy treats. But that was okay as we got you to pose for the picture. And now we are looking forward to your first night with us!
Lots of firsts for you Junior: first day in your new home; first day in 2 succot (you will have dinner with us in our home succah too) and first sleepover with us!
Thank you for choosing us to be your family. We love you more and more each day and will try to make you as happy as you make us.
We took you out to ice-cream at Kfar Mamtakim (in Kfar Etzion) and when we put you on the table in the succah! you wanted to taste the yummy treats. But that was okay as we got you to pose for the picture. And now we are looking forward to your first night with us!
Lots of firsts for you Junior: first day in your new home; first day in 2 succot (you will have dinner with us in our home succah too) and first sleepover with us!
Thank you for choosing us to be your family. We love you more and more each day and will try to make you as happy as you make us.
In Memory of Gal Junior Sass, June 18, 2018-January 31, 2020, RIP
“Bo,” said Gal z”l. And Junior came…
The Kotzker found it interesting that the Torah chose to use “come - בא” instead of “go –״לך. He believes it is becauseit was Hashem specifically saying Come with me; I am with you…[you are not alone when you have to approachPharoah]”. No-one here ever said “go away from me.” No-one ever wanted Junior z”l to go…
The first pasuk of our parsha says:
בֹּ֖א אֶל־פַּרְעֹ֑ה כִּֽי־אֲנִ֞י הִכְבַּ֤דְתִּי אֶת־לִבּוֹ֙
“Come to Pharoah because I hardened his heart.” (10: 1)
It is a hard thing I’m tasking you with. You – Junior – are crossing over to the next world. But I am with you. Come… Iam with you. Gal needs you now.
When someone dies we say Baruch Dayan Emet – blessed is the One True Judge – in an expression of acceptance ofHashem taking our loved one from us. The second pasuk of our parsha reads:
וִֽידַעְתֶּ֖ם כִּֽי־אֲנִ֥י יְהֹוָֽה
“And you will know that I am Hashem.” (10:2)
At the end of the day, the judgement and decisions rest with Him.
Later on in our parsha we read:
וִ֥יהִי ח֖שֶׁךְ עַל־אֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם וְיָמֵ֖שׁ חֽשֶׁךְ...לֹֽא־רָא֞וּ אִ֣ישׁ אֶת־אָחִ֗יו וְלֹא־קָ֛מוּ אִ֥ישׁ מִתַּחְתָּ֖יו שְׁל֣שֶׁת יָמִ֑ים וּלְכָל־בְּנֵ֧י יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל הָ֥יָה א֖וֹר בְּמֽוֹשְׁבֹתָֽם
“There was darkness in the land of Egypt and it grew darker. No one was able to see his brother and no one could getup from his place for three days but for the entire Children of Israel, there was light in their ‘moshavim.’” (10:22-23)
Yes, indeed, there was darkness…and initially it grew even darker as we each witnessed all of us breaking because ofthe depth of the trauma. None of us could get up but light came to us…due to the strength, support and kindness ofour neighborhood.
Another pasuk reads:
וְהָֽיְתָ֛ה צְעָקָ֥ה גְדֹלָ֖ה בְּכָל־אֶ֣רֶץ
“And there shall be a great cry in all the land… (11: 7)”
Indeed that cry was very great…
And in the very next line, a crazy it-can’t-just-be-a-coincidence pasuk is read:
לְכֹ֣ל בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל לֹ֤א יֶֽחֱרַץ־כֶּ֨לֶב֙ לְשֹׁנ֔וֹ לְמֵאִ֖ישׁ וְעַד־בְּהֵמָ֑ה לְמַ֨עַן֙ תֵּֽדְע֔וּן אֲשֶׁר֙ יַפְלֶ֣ה יְהֹוָ֔ה בֵּ֥ין מִצְרַ֖יִם וּבֵ֥ין יִשְׂרָאֵֽל
To all the children of Israel, not one dog will bark or growl against either man or beast, so you will know Hashem willseparate between the Egyptians and between Israel. (11: 7)”
Wow. No dog barked…The Tosafot asked, why was it so quiet? The Gemara tells us that dogs have a supernaturalsense of the Angel of Death and bark like crazy when it lurks. So what does this mean that there was silent when thelast plague came?
Because it was a miracle. I’d like to suggest that in the year 5780 on the reading of parshat Bo, it was because thedogs knew it was their personal tafkid to go to Heaven in the stead of a human being. Clearly Junior – with his dog-likesupernatural sense of the Angel of Death – sensed a death coming and wanted to prevent it.
And that on the tragic day, erev Shabbat, as Miriam Sausen pointed out, Junior volunteered to be the korban and theother dogs were proud of him and welcomed him gracefully, no barking necessary.
Junior z”l… it is impossible to fathom why you had to leave us. But with the Torah as a guide we can seek to find somemeaning in why it was that particular time that you were taken from us.
We thank you for all you did – for volunteering to be a korban – for all you gave us, the fun, the love, the joie-de-vivrethat was your essence in all your all-but too short life.
“Bo,” said Gal z”l. And Junior came…
The Kotzker found it interesting that the Torah chose to use “come - בא” instead of “go –״לך. He believes it is becauseit was Hashem specifically saying Come with me; I am with you…[you are not alone when you have to approachPharoah]”. No-one here ever said “go away from me.” No-one ever wanted Junior z”l to go…
The first pasuk of our parsha says:
בֹּ֖א אֶל־פַּרְעֹ֑ה כִּֽי־אֲנִ֞י הִכְבַּ֤דְתִּי אֶת־לִבּוֹ֙
“Come to Pharoah because I hardened his heart.” (10: 1)
It is a hard thing I’m tasking you with. You – Junior – are crossing over to the next world. But I am with you. Come… Iam with you. Gal needs you now.
When someone dies we say Baruch Dayan Emet – blessed is the One True Judge – in an expression of acceptance ofHashem taking our loved one from us. The second pasuk of our parsha reads:
וִֽידַעְתֶּ֖ם כִּֽי־אֲנִ֥י יְהֹוָֽה
“And you will know that I am Hashem.” (10:2)
At the end of the day, the judgement and decisions rest with Him.
Later on in our parsha we read:
וִ֥יהִי ח֖שֶׁךְ עַל־אֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם וְיָמֵ֖שׁ חֽשֶׁךְ...לֹֽא־רָא֞וּ אִ֣ישׁ אֶת־אָחִ֗יו וְלֹא־קָ֛מוּ אִ֥ישׁ מִתַּחְתָּ֖יו שְׁל֣שֶׁת יָמִ֑ים וּלְכָל־בְּנֵ֧י יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל הָ֥יָה א֖וֹר בְּמֽוֹשְׁבֹתָֽם
“There was darkness in the land of Egypt and it grew darker. No one was able to see his brother and no one could getup from his place for three days but for the entire Children of Israel, there was light in their ‘moshavim.’” (10:22-23)
Yes, indeed, there was darkness…and initially it grew even darker as we each witnessed all of us breaking because ofthe depth of the trauma. None of us could get up but light came to us…due to the strength, support and kindness ofour neighborhood.
Another pasuk reads:
וְהָֽיְתָ֛ה צְעָקָ֥ה גְדֹלָ֖ה בְּכָל־אֶ֣רֶץ
“And there shall be a great cry in all the land… (11: 7)”
Indeed that cry was very great…
And in the very next line, a crazy it-can’t-just-be-a-coincidence pasuk is read:
לְכֹ֣ל בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל לֹ֤א יֶֽחֱרַץ־כֶּ֨לֶב֙ לְשֹׁנ֔וֹ לְמֵאִ֖ישׁ וְעַד־בְּהֵמָ֑ה לְמַ֨עַן֙ תֵּֽדְע֔וּן אֲשֶׁר֙ יַפְלֶ֣ה יְהֹוָ֔ה בֵּ֥ין מִצְרַ֖יִם וּבֵ֥ין יִשְׂרָאֵֽל
To all the children of Israel, not one dog will bark or growl against either man or beast, so you will know Hashem willseparate between the Egyptians and between Israel. (11: 7)”
Wow. No dog barked…The Tosafot asked, why was it so quiet? The Gemara tells us that dogs have a supernaturalsense of the Angel of Death and bark like crazy when it lurks. So what does this mean that there was silent when thelast plague came?
Because it was a miracle. I’d like to suggest that in the year 5780 on the reading of parshat Bo, it was because thedogs knew it was their personal tafkid to go to Heaven in the stead of a human being. Clearly Junior – with his dog-likesupernatural sense of the Angel of Death – sensed a death coming and wanted to prevent it.
And that on the tragic day, erev Shabbat, as Miriam Sausen pointed out, Junior volunteered to be the korban and theother dogs were proud of him and welcomed him gracefully, no barking necessary.
Junior z”l… it is impossible to fathom why you had to leave us. But with the Torah as a guide we can seek to find somemeaning in why it was that particular time that you were taken from us.
We thank you for all you did – for volunteering to be a korban – for all you gave us, the fun, the love, the joie-de-vivrethat was your essence in all your all-but too short life.