July 4th, the New York Yankees, and ArtScroll

ress. Okay friends, good evening. Uh we're doing the Friday night the Friday shirim Thursday night the sh dedicated by my dear friend Michelle Jacobson's mother will be gimli for her whole family also dedicated by my dear friend Kenny pins as for this is a special July 4th shir okay not a typical uh Russia if you have any sports fans here because look today's July 4th and uh it's Independence Day for the United States of America and what's the United States of America if not for sports especially for you Yankee fans out there I want to tell you about something that I once saw I saw it eight years ago that Thursday night before paras by the way you know I don't know if you know that the parasuma the owner of red bull passed away on shabas paras par right there's no coincidences in this world but Thursday night paras kukas the Yankees called up a right fielder named Dustin Fowler who is scheduled to bat in the second inning but in his debut in right field chasing a foul ball he banged his knee into an electrical box at what is called guaranteed rate field. He suff suffered an open rupture of the right patella tendon in his right knee and he underwent immediate surgery at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. A devastating injury. Valor was out for the year. It was a six-month recovery process. It was an injury that brought the Yankees manager to tears. I don't remember if he ever played after that, but he wasn't even able to come up to bat in his debut. The Chicago Tribune reported a creepy similarity between Fowler's situation and a player by the name of Archerald Wright Moonlight Graham who also played rightfield also played for New York team the New York Giant the Newark Giants and he was im immortalized in WP Kinsula's book Shoulless Joe Jackson. He also only appeared in one major league game and he also was injured in right field before he ever came to bat. Dustin Fowler was called up from TripleA Scranton, the same city that Graham played in the minor leagues. And mysteriously, both of the exact same injuries happened June 29th, but Dustin Fowler's injury took place 112 years later to the date 112 years, the exact same injury, the same place in right field, and neither of them ever came up to bat in their debut. So, is that a coincidence? I'm going to let you decide. But there's a famous principle in the moral. Great things are never a coincidence. Now, why did this story intrigue me? The reason the story intrigued me is because I was reading a book about US presidents. Okay, it's July 4th. I told you this is not this is in honor of July 4th and the US presence and the relationships with the Jews. So, leg July 4th, which is the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It's very amazing. The Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4th. 50 years later to the date July 4th, 1826, John Adams, the second president of the United States died. July 4th, 50 years to the date. Now, a few hours earlier on July 4th, 1826, a man that Lincoln called the most distinguished politician in history, Thomas Jefferson, also died on July 4th. 5 years later in 1831, James Monroe, the fifth president of United States, died July 4th, 1831. You believe it? It's the day of the signing Declaration of Independence. It's the yard side of the second president of the United States, John Adams. It's the yard side of Thomas Jefferson. It's the yard side of James Monroe. Can't make that up. But I'm not done. In 1850, Zachary Taylor, the 12th president of the United States, after only 16 months, he went to a holiday party. Yeah. Guess what date? at the Washington Mon mon monument. He developed severe gra uh gastritis and he died soon after also July 4th. By the way, once we're on the topic of uh American presidents, who was the most popular president for the Jews in the history of the United States? And it's this is not a good answer, by the way. The most Roosevelt Gavaldic Varel Roosevelt Roosevelt who upon careful analysis I don't know how careful has more Jewish blood on his hands than any other president. FDR by the way in each of his elections he received at least 80% of the Jewish vote. The Jews loved Roosevelt so much. There's an old Yiddisha joke that the Jews have in three worlds. Develt the next world and Roosevelt. That's what Jews believe. They have three belts. Devel Roosevelt Rebe most of the Jews at that time were Democrats irrespective of who was the president. Uh the only thing is they fell into the trap. Things haven't changed. You know, however, by the way, there's a lot of evidence. Arthur Moore says while six million died that Roosevelt knew much more and much earlier about the Holocaust than he admitted. He could have done a lot more to save the Jews. And uh despite repeated demands that Americans uh bomb Awitz and the railroad tracks leading up to it, Roosevelt refused on grounds. It would hurt the war effort, which is ridiculous cuz Americans bombed uh the area around the camps and they disposed of many unused bombs. But here I want to tell you something that's not so well known about Roosevelt in honor of July 4th. This comes from a very beautiful book, Thy City Jerusalem by Mrs. V. Litman. And the reasons why it's so beautiful is uh there are a lot of quotes from the Shirim in this book and uh things that I I've mentioned about my grandfather. But in footnote 13, Mrs. Vitman brings something astounding. You ready? I'm telling you, the all the sh were worth it just to hear this. This is from the public papers of the president. Franklin Delano Roosevelt wrote a letter to the king of Saudi Arabia, Abdal Aziz Ibin Saud on April 5th, 1945, promising there will never be a Jewish state. Roosevelt died suddenly 7 days later at the age of 63. Truman unexpectedly became president. He's the one who instructed American delegation to vote um in favor of the UN partition plan in spite of the objection of the United States Department. Roosevelt died 7 days after he wrote this letter to the king of Saudi Arabia that there will never be a Jewish state. Anyway, why am I telling you this? This is very important because we have a similar tradition. The gar says five tragedies happened on Tamas. The the were broken. The carbon ceased. The walls of the city were breached. Apos Thomas burnt the Tory and Salm was put in the If I'm not mistaken, you know what else happened on Shabbas? It was July 4th, Independence Day, the signing of the um Declaration of Independence. But that's just a side point. That was another thing that happened on July 4th. Okay, it was shabbas. But the garra says that on tishab five tragedies occurred. First B was destroyed. Second B mikdash was destroyed. And the garra says betar was plowed over. The garra says how do we know the second ba mdash was destroyed? First B mikdash it says in theukim. How do we know the second ba mikdash was destroyed? says Gamarin Gomar says we have no evidence that the second B mdish was destroyed other than the fact that if it was destroyed the first time on on uh on tishab then it must have been destroyed the second time of why zus alakai history repeats itself there's certain days that are predisposed for happiness and joy there are certain days that are predisposed for disaster disaster. Tishabove is a lightning rod of disaster. So this is a I don't I don't I can't tell you what the significance of July 4th is or June 29th for right fielders that play for New York. But we do know that there are certain days that are auspicious. There are certain days like the like purim which are yim of maze for and there are days that isra maz. But this doesn't only apply to times. This applies to us as well. You know, I I believe this past week was the yard site of Rabbi Mayor's Ladawitz. And I mean, think about it. In in recent Jewish history, has anyone been responsible for such a Torah revolution? When I was a kid, I don't know if I ever saw anybody learn. You ever saw us? Who who learned Xiaomi? Now you have like you have people just randomly pulling out these green big books off the shelf. What are you doing? They're learning shalli. You shall Yeah, they already learned the bi. They were able to learn babi with the arts. Now they're learning you shalli. The amount of Tory that that was generated through Rabbi Zlatawitz is really um unparalleled in in history. And there's a rule that that if somebody is able to accomplish somebody like that that means they're eligible to be a source and to be able to generate great you know the there's a very powerful tells us you know the garra says that that if somebody kills bash they have to go to miklan ask the garra where do we learn this out from it says Sham there he has to remain there he has to die there he can never live leave leave thear says what if he's the general of the army of the Jewish people and all of Kalis needs him to fight their wars says he still can't leave so all the ask what do you mean he still can't leave we know that Jewish life takes precedence over everything it's not like one of the three cardinal things that you can't leave an Arya Miklad why can't he leave if he needs to lead the the war for the Jewish people So says what's he leading the war for? To save lives. You think he could just save a life? You need to save a life. If he was used as an instrument to kill Basho, then he falls under the category of if he falls under the category of it's unlikely he's going to be considered a Zakai that will apply the rule. de Zakai. So he won't have the heavenly assistance to save a life. But one of the Revdananiel Movitz of Kelm would say the most important fela that we den for in the and I know that many in our neighborhood recently they were saying of during the war that the most important fel is the shortest. Hashem, remember us for merit. That we we ask Hashem, Hashem, please consider us meritorious in your eyes. That if there's a mitzvah to do, we should be able to have this to do it. Because even though we think, yeah, yeah, anyone could just do a mitzvah, all they have to do is they have to want to do a mitzvah. No, it's not enough just to want to do a mitzvah. You also have to be eligible to do a mitzvah. You have to be a zakai. And if you're a Zakai, Hashem will be. So, and anyway, this uh this day, July 4th, has a lot of significance. As we mentioned, it's the uh signing of Declaration of Independence. It's the yard site of John Adams. It's the art site of Thomas Jefferson. It's the art site of James Monroe, Zachary Taylor and Leo. And when the three weeks come, these are days that is for and we know that this time of the year will be Recording stopped and it's mameess.