The Pelta Story – The Next Pelta Generation (chapter 20 of 20)

The Real Peltas of Today

There are many people around the world today with the name “Pelta”. Some are Jews and others are not. In my biased opinion, the “real” Pelta’s are those who have maintained and observe our Torah traditions and our commitment to Eretz Yisrael.

Grandma Szyfra and Grandpa Leon had a total of three children: Gitel, Jacob and Esther.  They have a total of five grandchildren. Bli Ayin Hara, as of today they have eleven Pelta great-grandchildren.

My brother, Mordechai Dovid Pelta, J.D., is an experienced trial attorney and prosecutor with years of criminal defense experience. He owns the San Francisco based “Pelta Law” firm.  He has four children with his wife Sarah (Michaela, Akiva, Yakira, and Razel).

Arie E. Pelta MD, FACS, FASCRS is a double boarded fellowship trained, practicing General and Colorectal Surgeon. He currently lives in Ramat Beit Shemesh Israel with his wife Alyssa and seven children (Avigayil Sara, Elisheva Freidel, Yehuda Aharon, Rachel Liba, Shalom Dovid, Moshe Leib, and Ayelet Shifra). In addition, he actively serves a combat surgeon in the IDF Reserves Northern Command Lebanon border (Alexandroni, אוגדה 91, חטיבה 3, קרפ”ג גדס”ר 6609 אלקסנדרוני) with the rank of Captain.

The Pelta legacy lives on through the “Pelta Boys” from San Francisco to Ramat Beit Shemesh, Eretz Yisrael.

Final Thoughts

Reviewing, what I have access to, from my family history has given be a greater perspective and appreciation of living in Israel today. This is our destiny as Jews. We are living in amazing times; clearly we are at the conclusion of the Geula and the end of the Jewish wanderings in Galus. This is where we are meant to be and we are living Jewish history . We are fulfilling the will רצון of G-d as we say in the Modim D’Rabonan מודים prayer daily.

…כן תחיינו ותקיימנו, ותאסף גליותינו לחצרות קדשך, לשמור חקך ולעשות רצונך, ולעבדך בלבב שלם…

…So you may continue to give us life and sustain us, and gather our exiles to the Courtyards of Your Sanctuary, to observe Your decrees, to do Your will, and to serve you wholeheartedly…

We are currently witnessing the fulfillment of the most relevant prophesies of our Neviim. In pre-WW2 Kinsk, Yakov and Yehdua Leib Pelta would read the Haftarah for Parshas Vaeira.  They would have thought the prophesies that are written here will not occur for a long time in the future. Here we are!  We have returned to Israel and we dwell here securely. We have built our own house.  The city of Beit Shemesh is surrounded by many vineyards.  We have our own military in Eretz Yisrael, where I and my son Yehuda currently active serve.

יחזקאל כח: כה-כו (הפטרת וארא)

ה־אָמַר אֲדֹנָ-י ה’ בְּקַבְּצִי  אֶת בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל מִן הָֽעַמִּים אֲשֶׁר נָפֹצוּ בָם וְנִקְדַּשְׁתִּי בָם לְעֵינֵי הַגּוֹיִם, וְיָֽשְׁבוּ עַל אַדְמָתָם אֲשֶׁר נָתַתִּי לְעַבְדִּי לְיַֽעֲקֹֽב:  וְיָֽשְׁבוּ עָלֶיהָ לָבֶטַח וּבָנוּ בָתִּים וְנָֽטְעוּ כְרָמִים וְיָֽשְׁבוּ לָבֶטַח, בַּֽעֲשׂוֹתִי שְׁפָטִים בְּכֹל הַשָּׁאטִים אֹתָם מִסְּבִיבֹתָם וְיָדְעוּ כִּי אֲנִי ה’ אֱלֹֽהקיהֶֽם:

So says Hashem G-d: When I gather in the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they have been scattered, and I have been sanctified through them in the eyes of the nations, then shall they dwell on their land that I gave to My servant, to Yakov. And they shall dwell upon it securely, and they shall build houses and plant vineyards and dwell securely when I execute judgments against all those who plunder them from all around them, and they shall know that I am Hashem their G-d.” (Yechezkel 28: 25-26).

In Haftarah for Parshas Bo we are told to return to Eretz Yisrael.  This  is the same Parsha that we learn that 80% of the Jews died in the plague of Darkness מכת חושך  because they refused to leave Mitzrayim and go to Israel. They erroneously thought that once G-d saved them from the Egyptian slavery, then the time arose to rebuild their lives and fight anti-Semitism, in Egypt. Clearly G-d disagreed with them and only 20% of the Jews were able to leave. Of the 600,000 men who left Egypt only two (Calev and Yehoshua) actually made Aliyah in the end. G-d will take revenge on all those nations who have harmed us throughout the centuries. This includes: Spain, Poland and even the USA. There are many similarities between Mitzrayim, Edom and the USA.

ירמיה מו: טז; כז-כח (הפטרת בא)

הִרְבָּה כּוֹשֵׁל, גַּם נָפַל אִישׁ אֶל רֵעֵהוּ וַיֹּֽאמְרוּ קוּמָה וְנָשֻׁבָה אֶל עַמֵּנוּ וְאֶל אֶרֶץ מֽוֹלַדְתֵּנוּ מִפְּנֵי חֶרֶב הַיּוֹנָֽה:… וְאַתָּה אַל תִּירָא עַבְדִּי יַֽעֲקֹב וְאַל תֵּחַת יִשְׂרָאֵל כִּי הִֽנְנִי מֽוֹשִֽׁעֲךָ מֵֽרָחוֹק וְאֶת זַרְעֲךָ  מֵארֶץ שִׁבְיָם, וְשָׁב יַעֲקוֹב וְשָׁקַט וְשַֽׁאֲנַן וְאֵין מַֽחֲרִֽיד: אַתָּה אַל תִּירָא עַבְדִּי יַֽעֲקֹב נְאֻם ה’ כִּי אִתְּךָ אָנִי, כִּי אֶֽעֱשֶׂה כָלָה בְּכָל הַגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר הִדַּחְתִּיךָ שָׁמָּה וְאֹֽתְךָ לֹֽא אֶֽעֱשֶׂה כָלָה וְיִסַּרְתּיךָ לַמִּשְׁפָּט וְנַקֵּה לֹא אֲנַקֶּֽךָּ:

He made many stumble, they fell over one another. They said: “Arise, and let us return to our own people and to the land of our birth, before the oppressing sword.”…But you, have not fear, My servant Yakov My servant, and be not dismayed, O Israel! I will redeem you from afar and your children from the land of their captivity, and Yakov shall return and be quiet and at ease, and there shall be none who disturb his rest. You fear not, My servant Yakov, says Hashem, for I am with you, for I will make a full end of all the nations where I have driven you, but of you I will not make a full end, but I will chastise you justly, and I will not completely destroy you. (Yirmiyahu 46: 16, 27-28).

The Survivors (Pelta family) of the house of Yehuda Leib, will produce children and grow in Torah in the Land of Israel.  We may have been in Europe and wandering around the United States of America as far south as Atlanta Georgia. However, G-d has fulfilled his promise to bring us back to Eretz Yisrael and He is good to us and He has (בע”ה ) made us more numerous than our previous generation.

מלכים ב  יט: ל

וְיָסְפָה פְּלֵיטַת בֵּית יְהוּדָה הַנִּשְׁאָרָה שֹׁרֶשׁ לְמָטָּה, וְעָשָֹה פְרִי לְמָֽעְלָה:

And the remaining survivors of the house of Yehuda shall continue to take root below and they will produce fruit above (Melachim II  19:30).

דברים ל: ג-ה, פרשת ניצבים

וְשָׁב ה’ אֱלֹקיךָ אֶת שְׁבֽוּתְךָ וְרִֽחֲמֶךָ, וְשָׁב וְקִבֶּצְךָ מִכָּל הָעַמִּים אֲשֶׁר הֱפִֽיצְךָ ה’ אֱלֹקיךָ שָֽׁמָּה: אִם יִֽהְיה נִדַּֽחֲךָ בִּקְצֵה הַשָּׁמָיִם, מִשָּׁם יְקַבֶּצְךָ ה’ אֱלֶֹקיךָ וּמִשָּׁם יִקָּחֶֽךָ:  וֶֽהֱבִֽיאֲךָ ה’ אֱלֶֹקיךָ אֶל הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר יָֽרְשׁוּ אֲבֹתֶיךָ וִֽירִשְׁתָּהּ, וְהֵיטִֽבְךָ וְהִרְבְּךָ מֵֽאֲבֹתֶֽיךָ:

Then, Hashem, your G-d, will bring back your exiles, and He will have mercy upon you. He will once again gather you from all the nations, where Hashem, your G-d, had dispersed you. Even if your exiles are at the end of the heavens, Hashem, your G-d, will gather you from there, and He will take you from there. And Hashem, your G-d, will bring you to the land [Eretz Yisrael]which your forefathers possessed, and you [too] will take possession of it, and He will do good to you, and He will make you more numerous than your forefathers (Devarim 30:3-5).

We are not afraid. We are fulfilling our destiny and the Will of G-d that started in when we became a Nation in Mitzrayim.  We were exiled to Europe and then the United States of America. In the end we returned to our homeland in Eretz Yisrael. We are survivors. We are Pelta’s!