In honor of the recent Tu BeShevat, we present a list of some of the new and amazing species produced by Israeli research and agricultural development (regarding their kashrus, we will wait until they actually appear on the shelves):

Sweet cauliflower, coming in three colors, are new products of Seeds from Gedera-Syngeneta. Purple, orange and white cauliflower will complete the array of this vegetable on the plate, cooked or raw as a salad ingredient. The orange type will be called 'tangelin,' appearing in a bright, attractive color and unique sweetness. The dark purple 'hyperstar' will make its debut alongside the familiar white 'gold space star' genus.

Black cherry tomatoes will be marketed by the Top Seeds Company coming from Moshav Tzofar. This species is of a deep purple bordering on black with a rich sweet-sour flavor and a captivating aroma, loaded with anti-oxidants.

A new type of lettuce, 'dagniyo,' from the Degera-Syngenta Company will appear in purple-red color, concurrent with a green 'vergio' specie, both with crunchy texture even after sitting in salad dressing for some time. Both are full of rich flavor and vitamins while adding lively color to the meal.

In order to become a "recognized information security source," one does not apparently need to pass an intelligence test. This is the only way to grasp the admission of an unidentified security source by which the army accepts and acknowledges the 'fact' that over 70,000 Palestinians were killed in the course of the war in Gaza.

Throughout the entire course of the war, Israel categorically denied the numbers which the 'Health Ministry' of Hamas reported regarding the number of fatalities. These figures were altogether exaggerated, blown up and totally lacking realism, and the Israeli information system — faulty, it must be admitted — towards the outside world, gave no credence to those statistics whatsoever. And then, one morning, altogether unexpectedly, that same security source, admitted that Israel had been lying all along and that the Hamas figures were indeed correct.

No need to note that within a few hours, this admission was corrected and the army stated that those figures were not the true ones. But this was too little and a bit too late...

Part IV

This was first published in 1994.

The first part introduced HaRav Zeitchik and the general Novardok experience. The focus here is on his later years in Eretz Yisroel. It discusses serious ideas and themes that were part of the life of HaRav Zeitchik zt"l. This is in the middle of a discussion about life in Siberia.

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Organizing a Minyan

Later on, as I continued to be persecuted by the treacherous regime of evil, I undertook to organize communal services, like gathering a minyan and so on. These were considered counterrevolutionary activities, punishable even by death. But I persevered, and emerged safely from encounter after encounter, each one a miracle which I sought to etch in my memory so that I would continue to appreciate Hashem's divine Providence towards me, personally, event after event, year after year.

A Moment of Truth—And Its Aftermath

In 1950, the newspapers reported a typical incident which sheds light on the convolutions of the human spirit which are brought to light in all their glory only in time of danger. And when that danger passes and everything quiets down, the soul dons its former inscrutable garb.

An airplane was en route to Prague when a motor broke down. The captain announced to the passengers that they would have to make a forced landing. Worst of all, they would not be able to reach land in time. Many passengers fainted out of fear; others wept and wailed. One leaned over and whispered to his wife that since death was nigh, he wished to confess and beg her forgiveness that in his youth, he had been unfaithful to her. The wife, equally terrified by the specter of death, generously forgave him, for what did such things matter in the face of death?

Meanwhile, somehow the situation stabilized and the airplane found itself out of danger. The captain announced that they would soon be reaching their destination. In a flash, everything returned to normal and all the passengers reverted to their petty, selfish interests and foibles. The very man who had confessed his breach of faith now retracted his words and dismissed them entirely. His wife, who had forgiven his misdeed, took back her forgiveness and demanded justification. All of her gentleness vanished in a flash and she became a harsh, vindictive female.

The above scenario should serve us as a clear testimony to what the threat of danger can do to a person by way of purification. The moment of crisis puts everything into a different perspective; it makes man shake off all his pettiness and look at things squarely. All the vanities and falsity of life fall by the wayside and become inane in the face of a life-death situation. When life returns to its routine, things fall back into their rut and the soul wallows in lies, hypocrisy and masquerade.

Only at the brink of death can the soul recapture some measure of purity and begin to doff its defiled garments which it wore during life and which concealed its true beauty and clarity. Our Sages say that at the moment of death, even the wicked are given a glimpse of the Shechina.

When a tzaddik is confronted with death, he becomes all the more purified, but he will retain the glory of the moment of truth forever afterwards. He will maintain the level of purity and will be reinforced by his glimpse of eternity. He will realize that his brush with death was contrived in order to improve and purge him and he will relish, recall and revel in that unique experience for the remainder of his life.