On the morning of the 4th of Nissan, a civilian convoy of doctors and nurses traveling to the Hadassah Hospital on Mount Scopus (see Today in Jewish History for 20 Iyar) was attacked by Arab forces. Of the ten vehicles in the caravan, five escaped. The other five vehicles, however, which included two buses and an ambulance, were riddled with machine gun fire and later set ablaze. Altogether 77 Jewish civilians were massacred on that day.
Shortly afterwards, the hospital was closed down and moved to the western part of Jerusalem.
The Mt. Scopus hospital only reopened after the eastern part of Jerusalem was liberated by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War. Primarily staffed by Israeli doctors, it is the largest and best equipped hospital in the eastern section of Jerusalem.
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 Reuben, Elitzur ben Shedeur, for the inauguration of the Mishkan.
There are times when you feel the struggle is too overwhelming, that you’re getting nowhere. Because every time you surface, a relentless beast inside just pulls you back down again.
But the truth is that as long as you can awaken the light and wisdom of your soul, the beast will stay at bay.
That is simply the nature of things. Just as with physical light, it takes only a small amount of light to push away much darkness, so with the wisdom of the soul—as long as you keep it shining, the stubborn idiocy of that inner beast will leave you alone.