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Tuesday, April 13, 2027

Halachic Times (Zmanim)
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Jewish History

The town of Afula in Northern Israel was founded in this date in 1925. It is located on the presumed site of the tower ("Ophel") mentioned in the Biblical account of an Aramean general's visit to the Prophet Elisha (II Kings 5:24).

Afula's central location in the Jezreel Valley makes it the market center of the region; it is often referred to as "the Capital of the Valley."

Because of the town's proximity to Judea and Samaria, it has repeatedly been a target of terrorist attacks following the Oslo "peace process" and during the second Intifada.

Laws and Customs

In today's "Nasi" reading (see "Nasi of the Day" in Nissan 1), we read of the gift bought by the nasi of the tribe of Gad, Elyasaf ben De'uel, for the inauguration of the Mishkan.

Text of today's Nasi in Hebrew and English.

Daily Thought

Everything a human being is given comes in a finite package. Even the tablets Moses carried down from Mount Sinai were defined and bounded.

And so, when G‑d saw Moses mourning over the broken tablets, He said, “Your powers were focused when you smashed the tablets. For now you will receive a Torah you may extend wider than the sea.”

When a human being fails, he shatters the treasures G‑d has put in his trust. But then he cries and picks up the shards to restore what he has ruined.

That is when he discovers that G‑d Himself was hidden inside.
That is when he discovers the Infinite.