Tag: Gettysburg

Shabbos Parshas Chukas – Balak

On By Avrohom Meir MorgensternIn My Life1 Comment

July 1, 2023

Kiddush for my Father’s 21st Yahrzeit

Torah on Parshas Balak

Walked to Chabad of East Lakeview.  It was over 70 degrees when I left the house at 8:30 AM.   I made it to Shul at 10:30 AM before Shemona Esra.  I leined the Haftarah.  Eli, Sholem, and Tzvi came for the Kiddush.  It was a pleasure to see them.   The Rabbi asked that I say a few words about my father and boy did I say a few words.  I spoke about my father, his life before the war, the war years, the Chicago years and the LA years.  I also mentioned that he married my mother, a marriage that should never have happened.  I said that my family says it is always about me and I will talk about me.  I disrespected my father.  When I got to yeshiva at age 14, I was embarrassed to tell people that my father had a feather business and that he drove a cab.  I barely understood it.  I remember the big bales of feather that had large vacuums, vacuuming up the feather.  My father went to farms and also purchased old pillows and comforters for the feathers. My first mistake was that any job performed with honesty, where someone went to work to provide for his family is one to be proud of.  I also did not realize that in Europe, in the city of Kielce, my father’s wife’s parents had a feather company from which they exported throughout the world and were very wealthy. My father saw the potential of turning his company into what he saw in Europe. This was my immaturity and took me many years to understand my father in this aspect of his life.

At 2:00 PM I gave the class at our Dr. Leonard Kranzler Memorial Class and spoke over Rabbi Meir Yakov Soloveichik’s lecture on “The rabbinic Roots of the Gettysburg Address.”

At 3:40 PM I walked home and got home at 5:40 PM.  It was over 80 degrees and very humid.  It drizzled lightly most of the way and I came home soaked.

At 7:15 PM I learned the first Medresh in Balak.  I thought about it and tied it into President Abraham Lincoln and Rabbi Soloveichik’s lecture.

First Midrash on Parshas Balak:

וַיַּרְא בָּלָק בֶּן צִפּוֹר (במדבר כב, ב), זֶה שֶׁאָמַר הַכָּתוּב (דברים לב, ד): הַצּוּר תָּמִים פָּעֳלוֹ כִּי כָל דְּרָכָיו מִשְׁפָּט, 

“And Balak son of Zippor saw”: The Torah says (Deuteronomy 32) “The Rock–perfect is His work for all of His ways are justice.”

לֹא הִנִּיחַ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְעוֹבְדֵי כּוֹכָבִים פִּתְחוֹן פֶּה לֶעָתִיד לָבוֹא לוֹמַר שֶׁאַתָּה רִחַקְתָּנוּ, מֶה עָשָׂה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, כְּשֵׁם שֶׁהֶעֱמִיד מְלָכִים וַחֲכָמִים וּנְבִיאִים לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, כָּךְ הֶעֱמִיד לְעוֹבְדֵי כּוֹכָבִים. הֶעֱמִיד שְׁלֹמֹה מֶלֶךְ עַל יִשְׂרָאֵל וְעַל כָּל הָאָרֶץ, וְכֵן עָשָׂה לִנְבוּכַדְנֶצַּר, זֶה בָּנָה בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ וְאָמַר כַּמָּה רְנָנוֹת וְתַחֲנוּנִים, וְזֶה הֶחֱרִיבוֹ וְחֵרֵף וְגִדֵּף, וְאָמַר (ישעיה יד, יד): אֶעֱלֶה עַל בָּמֳתֵי עָב.

 Hashem did not give the non-Jews an opening to say in the future “You have distanced us.” What did Hashem do? Just like He set up kings and sages and prophets for the Jews, He set these up for the non-Jews. He set up Shlomo as a king over the Jews and the entire earth, and He did the same for Nebuchadnezzar. This one built the Beit Hamikdash and said “How many praises and supplications there are!” and this one destroyed it and scoffed and said (Isaiah 14): “I will ascend to the heights of the clouds.”

 נָתַן לְדָוִד עשֶׁר וְלָקַח הַבַּיִת לִשְׁמוֹ, וְנָתַן לְהָמָן עשֶׁר וְלָקַח אֻמָּה שְׁלֵמָה לְטָבְחָהּ. 

 He gave David riches, and he took his house for His Name. And he gave Haman riches, and he took an entire nation to be slaughtered.

כָּל גְּדֻלָּה שֶׁנָּטְלוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל אַתְּ מוֹצֵא שֶׁנָּטְלוּ הָאֻמּוֹת כַּיּוֹצֵא בָּהּ, הֶעֱמִיד משֶׁה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, וּבִלְעָם לְעוֹבְדֵי כּוֹכָבִים. רְאֵה מַה בֵּין נְבִיאֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לִנְבִיאֵי עוֹבְדֵי כּוֹכָבִים, נְבִיאֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מַזְהִירִין אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל מִן הָעֲבֵרוֹת, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (יחזקאל לג, ז): וְאַתָּה בֶן אָדָם צֹפֶה נְתַתִּיךָ וגו’, וְנָבִיא שֶׁעָמַד מִן הַגּוֹיִם הֶעֱמִיד פִּרְצָה לְאַבֵּד אֶת הַבְּרִיּוֹת מִן הָעוֹלָם, וְלֹא עוֹד אֶלָּא שֶׁכָּל הַנְּבִיאִים הָיוּ בְּמִדַּת רַחֲמִים עַל יִשְׂרָאֵל וְעַל עוֹבְדֵי כּוֹכָבִים, שֶׁכֵּן יִרְמְיָה אוֹמֵר (ירמיה מח, לו): לִבִּי לְמוֹאָב כַּחֲלִלִים יֶהֱמֶה, וְכֵן יְחֶזְקֵאל (יחזקאל כז, ב): בֶן אָדָם שָׂא עַל צֹר קִינָה, וְזֶה אַכְזָרִי עָמַד לַעֲקֹר אֻמָּה שְׁלֵמָה חִנָּם עַל לֹא דָּבָר. לְכָךְ נִכְתְּבָה פָּרָשַׁת בִּלְעָם לְהוֹדִיעַ לָמָּה סִלֵּק הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא רוּחַ הַקֹּדֶשׁ מֵעוֹבְדֵי כּוֹכָבִים, שֶׁזֶּה עָמַד מֵהֶם וּרְאֵה מֶה עָשָׂה.

 All the greatness that the Jews took, you find that the nations took. Another example: He set up Moshe for the Jews and Bilaam for the nations. Understand what the difference is between Jewish prophets and non-Jewish prophets? Jewish prophets exhort the people about their sins, as it says (Ezekiel 3): “And you, son of man, I have appointed you as a watchman etc.” And the prophet from among the nations caused a breach to drive the creations from the world. Not only this, but all the prophets were [given prophecy] from the attribute of mercy on the Jews and the non-Jews, as Yirmiyah said (Jeremiah 48): “My heart to Moav is as pipes moan.” And as Yechezkel said (Ezekiel 27): “Son of man, lament for Tyre.” And this cruel one stood to uproot an entire nation for no reason. Therefore the passage of Bilaam was written, to make it known why Hashem took away the holy spirit from non-Jews, for this one was from them and see what he did.

Analysis:

The below Medresh tells us that God gave kings, prophecy and riches to both the Jewish people and the non-Jewish people.  Shlomo Hamelech built a place to worship God, to bring blessing to the world.  The non-Jewish king, Nebuchadnezzar, destroyed the temple.  Jews built, non-Jews destroyed.  Understand what the difference is between Jewish prophets and non-Jewish prophets? Jewish prophets exhort the people about their sins, as it says (Ezekiel 3): “And you, son of man, I have appointed you as a watchman etc.” And the prophet from among the nations caused a breach to drive the creations from the world. Not only this, but all the prophets were [given prophecy] from the attribute of mercy on the Jews and the non-Jews, 

It is true that there were bad kings and false prophets in Israel. In fact when corruption became rampanet and the people did not live up to Jewish ideals as espoused by the Torah and its righteous men, God destroyed both temples and exiled its people.  The DNA of Jews and the Jewish leadership is rooted in faith in God and to do righteousness.  The Jewish people’s DNA starts with King David  and Shlomo.  Both were rooted in justice.  As it says about King David that he ruled with justice for forty years.    The Israeli government and its people’s DNA goes back to Dovid Hamelech and all of its great leaders who promote justice and fairness.  Israel just wants to do good.   In 1948 Israel was willing and able to export its know-how in agriculture and other industries to third world countries.   Israel does have to protect itself in a world where being nice and conciliatory is viewed as a weakness, so it has to be harsh.  However, Israel is a leading country in improving the world with its cutting edge technology, research, and an open society.

The DNA of the non Jewish world are kings who were dictators, evil people.  Look at the kings and queens of the dark ages. 

 Today we have three basic forms of government in the world; democracy, Communism, and dictatorships.   Democracy in America is rooted in our founding fathers and Abraham Lincoln.  They were religious men who believed in following the goodness of God and the creed that all men are created equal.  They were wrong about slavery and it took a courageous President in Abraham Linoch and a civil war with over 550,000 dead Americans to get it right and we still have work to do. Despite everything, America is a great country.  

The next system of government is communism rooted in the evil Stalin. Their DNA is death and destruction.   There is nothing redeeming and there will be nothing redeeming about communism.   

The third is dictatorships, military control, and despots.   Their DNA is the worst in human nature.  Their willingness to exercise raw naked power, kill or torture anyon who gets in your way.  

Look at the Arab world.  The Arab world which wants to destroy the world and uses their billions not to improve their own people’s lives, but in attaining weapons to control their own people and to destroy others.  Be a woman or a gay person in the Arab world.  Be a regular person in the Arab world. 

This is the lesson of the medresh.  We have to tap into our righteous DNA, the DNA of justice, freedom.  This Is the DNA of America brought to its ultimate by President Abrahm Lincoln.

Week of July 4, 2020

On By Avrohom Meir MorgensternIn My LifeLeave a comment

Week ending July 4, 2020 – 12 Tammuz 

Yisroel Yaakov Ben Avrohom Meir – My father’s 18th Yahrzeit

July 1 -3, 1863 – Battle of Gettysburg

July 4, 1863 – Day after the Battle of Gettysburg

Independence Day – Imperfect Men with a Perfect God

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Yisroel Yaakov Ben Avrohom Meir – My father’s 18th Yahrzeit

Friday, July 3, 2020 was the 11th of Tammuz, my father’s 18th Yahrzeit.  He died on a Friday, the same as this year.  I still remember getting a call from the nursing home to come as my father’s health is failing and that  he is short on this world.  I remember clearly being with him as he took his last breath in this world.  As his soul left him, one tear fell from his eye, seemingly a regret.  Lisa and I were in the room, with Karen on the phone.

Independence Day 2020 –

July 1 -3, 1863 – Battle of Gettysburg

July 4, 1863 – Day after the Battle of Gettysburg

This week was the 157th anniversary of the battle of Gettysburg.  Unfortunately all celebrations, programs and battle walks were cancelled.  I hope one day to be at Gettysburg.  I watched as much as I could.  I really did not learn anything new.  I rewatched General John Buford’s great soliloquy to his second in command on June 30th 1863, the day before the Gettysburg Battle.  I did read up on  General Gouverneur Warren.  Gouverneur Kemble Warren (January 8, 1830 – August 8, 1882) was an American civil engineer and Union Army general during the American Civil War. He is best remembered for arranging the last-minute defense of Little Round Top during the Battle of Gettysburg and is often referred to as the “Hero of Little Round Top.”.

July 4, 1863 was a rainy day at Gettysburg.  The field was littered with dead soldiers and dead animals.  It was as if the heavens cried at the loss of life.  President Trump in his July 3rd Mt. Rushmore speech gave gratitude to the Union army at Gettysburg when they defeated Pickett’s charge.  Abraham Lincoln won the civil war, declared the Emancipation Declaration and paid for it with his life.

Imperfect Men with a Perfect God.

Right before Shabbos I was watching Fox news and they had the governor of South Dakota on.  She said a great line that is still reverberating in me.  The forefathers of America who were heroes were nonetheless Imperfect Men with a Perfect God.

 

On this day 152 years ago: The Battle of Gettysburg

On By Avrohom Meir MorgensternIn My LifeLeave a comment

JULY 3, 1863 – GETTYSBURG, PA – 152 Years ago

The Battle of Gettysburg was fought from July 1 – July 3, 1863. At 1:00 PM on July 3, 1863 Colonel E. P. Alexander, commander of the Confederate artillery on that day, gave the order and 150 Confederate guns open up against the Union line located approximately 1 mile away along Cemetery Ridge. The plan was to soften the Union defenses and then charge through the Union line and rout the Army of the Potomac.

This is a 6 minute portion from the movie, Gettysburg, which shows General James Longstreet discusisng the plans with his field General.s

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=gettysburg%2c+youtube+movie&FORM=VIRE16#view=detail&mid=E36C5D461F9D8BCABAE3E36C5D461F9D8BCABAE3

This is a 4 minitue snipet from the movie showing Picketts charge:

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=gettysburg%2c+youtube+movie&FORM=VIRE16#view=detail&mid=073B339C01E63C2FBE9D073B339C01E63C2FBE9D

This is another 4 minute snippet showing General Armistad ralling the troops.  He shouts,  “Give them the cold steel boys” and they go over the top.

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=gettysburg%2c+youtube+movie&FORM=VIRE16#view=detail&mid=073B339C01E63C2FBE9D073B339C01E63C2FBE9D

At about 1:30 PM, the order is given and 12,500 Confederate soldiers emerge from the woods behind Seminary Ridge. They line up in formation about 1 mile across, bayonets fixed and glistening in the bright July sun. It was an amazing sight.
At about 2:00 PM, General Pickett gallops on his horse to General James LongstreLet, commander of Lee’s First Corp . Pickett asked Longstreet, “General, shall I advance?” Longstreet’s memoir recalled: “The effort to speak the order failed, and I could only indicate it by an affirmative bow.”[x] General Longstreet felt the charge was doomed and could not verbalize the order to charge. He nods and General Pickett gives the order to march forward towards the Union line. The charge is known in history as Pickett’s Charge. Watch the movie Gettysburg for a vivid view of the Battle of Gettysburg, Pickett’s Charge and see all the entire battle unfolding before your eyes.

gettysberg
James_LongstreetRobert_Edward_Lee
Lieutenant General James Longstreet                General Robert E. Lee

I visited Gettysburg one item in my life and that was the day after Nachum and Alyssa Caplan’s wedding in Baltimore. I wandered onto the battlefield with no clue what I was looking at. I asked someone walking by for information. He told me that he is of the Southern persuasion and comes often. He showed me the high water mark, the bloody angle, and gave me an outline of Pickett’s charge . He told me that it has been debated for years as to why General Lee ordered the attack, when they were going p against a dug in and fortified Union line. This Southern gentleman explained that General Lee was suffering from dysentery and his mind was not clear. The wisdom and failure of Pickett’s charge has been debated every since the war. Who was to blame? Who let General down? Was General Longstreet a traitor ? Years later, when asked why his charge at Gettysburg failed, General Pickett replied: “I’ve always thought the Yankees had something to do with it.”
William Faulkner commented on this moment before the charge of the possibilities, when all the hopes and dreams of the Confederacy can come true. Read it with a Southern drawl.

For every Southern boy fourteen years old, not once but whenever he wants it, there is the instant when it’s still not yet two o’clock on that July afternoon in 1863, the brigades are in position behind the rail fence, the guns are laid and ready in the woods and the furled flags are already loosened to break out and Pickett himself with his long oiled ringlets and his hat in one hand probably and his sword in the other looking up the hill waiting for Longstreet to give the word and it’s all in the balance, it hasn’t happened yet, it hasn’t even begun yet, it not only hasn’t begun yet but there is still time for it not to begin against that position and those circumstances which made more men than Garnett and Kemper and Armistead and Wilcox look grave yet it’s going to begin, we all know that, we have come to far with too much at stake and that moment doesn’t need even a fourteen-year-old boy to think This time. Maybe this time with all this much to lose than all this much to gain: Pennsylvania, Maryland, the world, the golden dome of Washington itself to crown with desperate and unbelievable victory the desperate gamble, the cast made two years ago.
– William Faulkner, novelist

I read this fascinating account of the battle by Colonel C. E. Alexander written by him in 1877.

E. P. Alexander at Gettysburg

Letter From General E. P. Alexander, Late Chief Of Artillery, First Corps., A. N. V.

Southern Historical Society Papers, Vol. IV. Richmond, Virginia, September, 1877. No. 3.

Montgomery, Alabama. March 17th 1877.
Reverend J. William Jones, Secretary:

EdwardPAlexander

Edward Porter Alexander (Library of Congress)

Dear Sir — I have your favor of the 27th ult., enclosing copy of letter from , giving an outline of his views of the campaign and Battle of Gettysburg, and inviting my comments thereon. I take great pleasure in giving them in the same frank spirit in which they are asked, and asking no one to accept them to whom they do not commend themselves, and not pretending to know every thing about it.
My rank and position during that campaign was colonel of artillery, commanding a battalion of six batteries attached as reserve to Longstreet’s corps; and on the field of Gettysburg I was placed by General Longstreet in command of all of his artillery on the field as chief of artillery for the action. As I had belonged to the United States Engineer Corps before the war, and as General Longstreet at that time had no engineer officers on his staff, I was frequently called on, also, during the campaign, as an engineer officer. I mention these facts only that you may form an idea of my personal opportunities of observation and information.

Gettysburg: Hallowed Ground

On By Avrohom Meir MorgensternIn My Life1 Comment

The next day after the Caplan wedding, I decided to visit Gettysburg as it is one hour north-west of Baltimore and on the way to Chicago. I am fascinated by the Civil War and have always wanted to visit Civil War battle sites. I stayed to absorb the battle scene. It is hallowed ground and I had the Zechus to stand where heroes gave their lives to preserve the Union and be the hope for mankind. Baruch Hashem that the Union was victorious.  I expected to say Psalms (Tehillem); however, forgot my Siddur and failed to pay proper respect.  The Gettysburg battlefield is such hallowed ground that Mitch Morgenstern as an Orthodox Jew is obligated to recognize the sacrifice and tragedy of men.  I feel that the Torah learning in America is ultimately due to the sacrifice of these men.  I would like to sit in the middle of the site and learn a Blatt of Daf Yomi.  We as Orthodox Jews have to be in the conversation of America, be a light to America.   As I wrote yesterday, this is the legacy of Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch.

I started my visit, by viewing the 22 minute film narrated by Morgan Freeman and saw the Cyclorama.

Afterwards, went to visit the battle sites. I crossed Taneytown Road and walked along the High Water Mark Trail to The Bloody Angle and the High Water Mark. The high–water mark of the Confederacy refers to an area on Cemetery Ridge near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, marking the farthest point reached by Confederate forces during Pickett’s Charge on July 3, 1863. Similar to a high water mark of water, the term is a reference to arguably the Confederate Army’s best chance of achieving victory in the war.  This was the center of the Union line and was the target of Pickett’s Charge . Generals Pickett and Trimble marched on the Union line with approximately 12,000 soldiers. The Union center had 7,000 troops but was well dug in and had the high ground. Pickett’s Charge was an infantry assault ordered by Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee against Maj. Gen. George G. Meade’s Union positions on Cemetery Ridge on July 3, 1863, the last day of the Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War. Its futility was predicted by the charge’s commander, Lt. Gen. James Longstreet, and it was arguably an avoidable mistake from which the Southern war effort never fully recovered psychologically.

IMG00002-20130729-1413

There is an area called the High Water Mark, as this was thee farthest point reached by the attack has been referred to as the high-water mark of the Confederacy. Up until Gettysburg, the Union was losing battle after battle, demoralized, with no end in sight. Lincoln’s magnificent Gettysburg address was delivered on November 19, 1863 at the dedication of the Gettysburg cemetery .

I met Greg, who has been to Gettysburg many times. He is Southern.  He walked me through the battlefield and gave me a private tour. He told me that up until Gettysburg Lee never attacked the center of the Union line He went after the Union’s flanks and attacked the center from three sides. However, at Gettysburg on July 1st and 2nd, the Confederate attacks on both Union flanks had failed.   General Robert E. Lee was determined to strike the Union center on the third day. On the night of July 2, General Meade correctly predicted at a council of war that Lee would try an attack on his lines in the center the following morning.  However, there seems to be some contradictions because it does appear that the Union reinforced their right and left flanks, leaving the center somewhat vulnerable.

Greg added that there was speculation that Lee was ill that morning, was frustrated, and as a result uncharacteristically attacked the Union center. Lee did have the superiority of numbers, so the decision may have made some sense. However, Pickett had to march his army in the hot sun, a little under one mile from their front line located at Seminary Ridge.

IMG00007-20130729-1425

He had to turn and funnel his troops into The Angle where the union was dug in on Cemetery Ridge. The Union army held the high ground and when the confederate army came within range, the Union army opened up with a devastating barrage of iron the mowed down the Confederate troops. The Union army held strong during the three days of Gettysburg and turned the tide of the war.

Greg also told me that Longstreet and Lee did not get along and Longstreet hesitated attacking the Union center because of their defeat the day before.  He knew the Union had brought up reinforcements, and felt he would not be victorious. Greg also told me the Jeb Stuart’s Calvary were to attack the Union forces from the rear or from the east and put the Union army in a vise. However, Lee had no idea of Jeb Stuart’s location and Jeb Stuart arrived late on July 2nd, too late to make a difference on July 1st and 2nd, and seemingly ineffective on July 3.

Years later, when asked why his charge at Gettysburg failed, General Pickett replied: “I’ve always thought the Yankees had something to do with it.”[2]     While the confederate battle strategy may have had shortcomings; it was the Yankees.   The Union field generals fought an inspired battle (I would add a God inspired battle), leading their men to stand up to the Confederate army, with courage and  fortitude,  which was lacking in many battles up until Gettysburg.

Map of Pickett’s Charge, July 3, 1863.

map

 

As I am writing this post, I am now watching on YouTube the 1993 movie, Gettysburg.  I am 1:38 hours into a 4 hour movie.