WARNING: NO ONE Is Prepared for 5787...

 The FOUR species we wave, the Four are also Four aspects of the Name of Hashem yud key vav keh.

5787 has begun, and Rabbi Lawrence Hajioff explains why he believes this could be one of the most transformative years we have seen. What is the deeper meaning of the number 87? Why do the prophecies of Gog uMagog appear specifically on Sukkot? And are the events unfolding in Israel, Iran and the world connected to the final redemption? In this conversation, Rabbi Lawrence Hajioff explores the prophetic significance of 5787, Gog uMagog, Sukkot, the Third Temple, and the extraordinary changes taking place in Israel and around the world. We discuss: • Why Rabbi Hajioff describes 5787 as a potentially “cataclysmic” and transformative year • The meaning of 87, “Paz” — pure gold — and its connection to the Temple and Jerusalem • Why 87 is also the numerical value of “Ani Hashem” • Psalm 87 and its connection to Zion, Jerusalem and redemption • Why the prophecies of Gog uMagog are read specifically on Sukkot • Ezekiel 38 and 39 and the final battle surrounding the Land of Israel • The Malbim’s teaching connecting these prophecies to three world wars • Why Rabbi Hajioff believes the final stage of Gog uMagog may already be underway • Persia, modern Iran, Russia and the nations described in the prophecy • Why the surviving nations ultimately come to Jerusalem on Sukkot • Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch’s remarkable explanation of Gog as “Gag” — a roof — and the battle between human power and the faith of the Sukkah • Why the Sukkah represents emunah, exile and the journey back to the Land of Israel • The four species, Jewish unity and the spiritual awakening taking place around the world • Why the Third Temple and the Temple Mount may play a major role in the year ahead • The dramatic changes already taking place on Har HaBayit and what they may mean for the redemption Rabbi Hajioff explains that Gog uMagog is not simply a war between nations. It represents a much deeper struggle between a world that places its trust in human power and a world that recognizes the sovereignty of God. Sukkot becomes the symbol of that choice: the seemingly fragile Sukkah against the man-made “roof” of Gog. And despite the wars, upheaval and enormous changes he believes may come, Rabbi Hajioff’s message is ultimately one of redemption, spiritual awakening and the rebuilding of Jerusalem. May 5787 be a year of blessing, protection, Jewish unity, redemption and the rebuilding of the Third Temple. Subscribe to @RabbiAronSokol for more Torah, Jewish prophecy, Gog uMagog, Moshiach, the Third Temple, Israel and the unfolding redemption. ‪@RabbiHajioff‬

"Never Forget You Are Bnos Beit Yaakov!" | Maran Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch to Seminary Girls ⚡

 

An historic and deeply inspiring address in Modi'in Illit: The leader of the generation, Maran HaGaon Rabbi Moshe Hillel Hirsch shlit"a, delivered an unprecedented address to thousands of seminary students mobilizing for 'Keren Olam HaTorah'. In his speech ahead of Yom Kippur, the Rosh Yeshiva explained the immense spiritual merit of women in Torah study, while setting a vital standard: "Never forget that you are daughters of Beit Yaakov — even when asking for donations, do so with modesty, humility, and without audacity!". Maran Rav Hirsch also shared a powerful lesson from the Rambam on character refinement (Middot) for Yom Kippur, concluding with an emotional blessing for all students for righteous Shidduchim and sweet lives. --- 📢 Join our mission to spread the light of the Gedolei HaDor worldwide! 🌍 Subscribe to the channel and turn on notifications: 🔔 https://www.youtube.com/@GedoleiHaDor...

Rabbi Elimelech Biderman

הרב אלימלך בידרמן בדברים קצרים לעשרת ימי תשובה - אידיש  

 הרב אלימלך בידרמן בדברים קצרים לעשרת ימי תשובה - לשון הקודש

Rabbi Winston: Parashas HaAzinu - Shuvah

I WISH I had your confidence.” 

“Sorry?”

“I said I wish I had your confidence,” I repeated.

He didn’t know me, nor I him, and his face said it all: “What are you talking about?”

“The way you davened Shemonah Esrei so quickly on Rosh Hashanah. You obviously are not concerned about anything bad happening to you this year.”

He just shrugged his shoulders.

“I guess after years of doing the same thing and coming out just fine, it is easy to think that our tefillah doesn’t really impact our judgment, if judgment even really takes place, right?”

“What do you mean? It’s Rosh Hashanah…Yom HaDin. Of course judgment happens,” he answered.

“Then why aren’t you concerned?” 

I think I was starting to annoy him. “I don’t know. I said everything. I knew what I was saying. I did enough.”

“How do you know?” I asked him. “Personally, I’m never quite sure. I mean, I try hard, but I wonder if I can try harder…and that if I don’t, will that be what Hashem judges me on.”

“Well, you’re still here, aren’t you?” a slight smile on his face as if to minimize my concern.

“That’s the problem…” I said, obviously surprising him. 

“Why is that the problem? You’d rather die?”

“Nope. But I’d also rather keep my merits for the World to Come in the World to Come.”

He had to process that. It didn’t seem to him to follow from our discussion, so he was trying to figure out what to respond. I didn’t wait.

“Yeah, people have the wrong idea.”

“What wrong idea?” a little concern in his voice for the first time. 

“Well,” I said, “they think that because they have survived another year despite underachieving spiritually that they pulled the wool over the Heavenly Bais Din and got past them despite being somewhat unworthy.”

Unconsciously, he made one of those faces that said, “Does that apply to me?”

“What they don’t realize is that Heaven doesn’t always exact judgment on the spot despite a person’s guilt. There are other factors to be considered when deciding how to deal with a person in need of Divine retribution, like the lives of other people they interact with, and how their punishment will affect history. Sometimes people survive their judgment in the merit of others, which leaves the person in debt to Heaven. If Heaven doesn’t want to collect in this world, it takes it from a person’s merit in the World to Come…something they won’t even find out about until they get there and see how much lower their account ended up being because of all the times they drew from it in this world.”

His contorted face revealed that all of this was new to him, and that it concerned him. It hadn’t occurred to him that by ordering “free” room service, he was actually racking up a bill to be paid at “checkout.”

There was a deliberate pause to let my words sink in. Then I said for good measure, “Like I said, I wish I had your confidence.”

He just smirked and walked away, but I must have hit my mark because I noticed how next time he put more into his Shemonah Esrai. 

How do I know? Because that person was me. I could have had the same dialogue with several others in my minyan, or in shuls around the world, but I wouldn’t have the nerve. I couldn’t turn my back on myself or say, “What business is it of yours how I daven?” And, after having that inner discussion many years back, it has spurred me on to take my opportunity to stand before God in judgment seriously.

In this week’s parsha Moshe says:

You weakened the Rock Who bore you; you forgot the God Who delivered you. (Devarim 32:18)

We do this by not being real with Divine judgment, no matter how unreal it may seem. God wants to give us good, lots of it. But we can’t receive it while unworthy, which “weakens” His ability to give to us. 

So, just because we have walked away from countless Rosh Hashanahs and Yom Kippurs “unworthy,” don’t think we get away with it. Just because so many people do even worse and yet prosper even more in the upcoming year doesn’t mean they’re getting away with anything. They just haven’t received the bill yet.

If you’re not real with the judgment you can see, work on being real with the one you can’t. Because, by the time you find out what the “cheshbon” has actually become, you’ll have no other way to pay it down. Teshuvah is that miraculously amazing opportunity we have now. Use it well.

Gmar Tov,

Pinchas Winston

🚨ALERT: The THIRD TEMPLE Can Be Built NOW...

 If we start now, it will still take a few years, no? 2067-2030?

Something extraordinary is happening on the Temple Mount. In this interview with His Glory, I explain why the shofar, silver trumpets, prayer shawls, prayer books and unprecedented Jewish prayer now taking place on Har HaBayit may represent far more than isolated events. The process leading toward the Third Temple may already be unfolding before our eyes. We discuss why Moshiach comes at the end of the redemption process rather than appearing first to begin it, what Ezekiel 36–39 says must happen before the Third Temple, whether the Temple can be built before Moshiach comes, the dramatic changes taking place on the Temple Mount, the Israeli Supreme Court battle over Jewish access on Shabbat, Sukkot and the lulav, and whether the events unfolding in Israel are connected to Gog uMagog and biblical prophecy. For thousands of years, the Jewish people have prayed for the return to Jerusalem, the rebuilding of the Beit HaMikdash and the coming of Moshiach. The question now is whether we are simply waiting for prophecy — or actually watching it happen. Watch until the end and decide for yourself. Follow the official Parsha Inspired WhatsApp Channel for new videos and live updates: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbDu...

Peoples of Israel: Tova Saul, the cat rescuer of Jerusalem

One of my most favorite Israelis!

Tova Saul, the cat rescuer of Jerusalem

In this week’s Peoples of Israel, a new series featuring the mosaic of personalities walking the Land, we meet a woman whose life’s calling is to care for animals in distress.  https://www.timesofisrael.com/tova-saul-the-cat-rescuer-of-jerusalem/

Two tiny kittens — one the color of marmalade and the other the color of soot — sprawl across Tova Saul’s lap. A black-and-white cat watches from a windowsill.

An injured feline recuperates inside a large cage near the wall. Yet another snoozes on a chair, completely unconcerned with visitors.

“I’ll tell you about the kittens,” Saul says while the little orange fellow tries to climb up her shoulder and the grey one bats at her sleeve.

From her apartment in Jerusalem’s Jewish Quarter, she fields calls about injured cats, abandoned kittens, trapped animals and wildlife in distress. Over the years, she estimates she has helped well over 1,000 orphaned kittens and injured cats.

The work continues almost daily.

A few days before we spoke in her Old City apartment, Saul was preparing for a quiet evening at home when her phone rang around 9 p.m.

The caller told her that two kittens had been found abandoned in a garbage bin in Beitar Illit, a Haredi city southwest of Jerusalem.

So Saul got in her car and drove.

“I’ve been rescuing animals for about 40 years in Israel,” Saul says. “I have never in my life heard such screaming from kittens.”

Today, those same kittens were quite content on Saul’s lap.

Originally from Philadelphia, Saul immigrated to Israel more than four decades ago. She says caring for vulnerable animals has been part of her life for as long as she can remember.

One of her earliest memories involves a kitten her mother found abandoned on the street. Someone had painted a white stripe down its back to make it resemble a skunk.

“She brought it to a veterinarian, paid the bill, brought it home, and we adopted it,” Saul says. “That became our cat, Blackie.”

Saul also remembers finding a stray dog as a child and running home to ask permission to keep him. Her mother was upstairs taking a bath.

“I yelled through the screen door, ‘Mother!’” Saul recalls. “She yelled back, ‘What?’ I said, ‘Can we have a dog?’ And she said, ‘Okay!’”
Saul believes that early experience shaped her understanding of responsibility toward animals.

Sometimes, her rescue operations become a community event.

Several years ago, a kitten became trapped inside a drainage pipe running down the side of a building along the Via Dolorosa in the Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City.

By the time Saul arrived, a crowd had gathered.

“There must have been 10 different Arabs working together trying to get that kitten out,” she recalls.

Residents, tourists and Muslim, Christian and Jewish religious leaders stopped to watch as rescuers worked to free the animal.

When the kitten finally emerged from the bottom of the pipe, the crowd applauded.

“There was a nun standing there, tourists standing there,” Saul says. “And when the kitten finally came out, everyone was clapping.”

The kitten survived and was later adopted.

Stories like that have repeated themselves throughout Saul’s decades of rescue work. Her home often serves as a temporary refuge for animals awaiting treatment, recovery, or adoption. She also works as a tour guide and runs an Airbnb in her building. 

Tova Saul holds a kitten rescued minutes before on Via Dolorosa in the Old City of Jerusalem, July 2017 (Sarah Tuttle-Singer)

When asked what continues to inspire her, Saul pauses.

“I’ve often wondered about that,” she says.

Then she offers a comparison.

“I watch people dancing all the time,” she says. “How do they move their bodies like that? It has to be genetic.”

Perhaps, she suggests, compassion for animals works the same way.

For now, the rescued animals continue arriving..

As Saul speaks, one kitten curls up in her lap while another climbs onto her shoulder. Around them, the apartment remains busy with the quiet work of recovery.

“What I don’t understand is how people can walk past a suffering animal and do nothing,” Saul says. “How can one not help?”

הרב זבולון בן יעקב בן יעקב אבינו זצ"ל

 

Zevulun ben Yaakov Ovinu zt"l

הרב זבולון בן יעקב בן יעקב אבינו זצ"ל

Tishrei 7 , 0

Father's Name: Yaakov Ovinu

THE TWELVE TRIBES: BIRTHDAYS AND YAHRZEITS

1.   The birth dates of the twelve tribes are recorded in Midrash Tadshe (Chapter 8) and the beginning of Yalkut Shemoni Shemos as follows:

Reuven: 14 Kislev. He lived until age 125 (others say 155).

2.   Shimon: 21 Teves (28 Teves according to the Yalkut). He lived 120 years.

3.   Levi: 16 Nissan. He lived 137 years.

4.   Dan: 9 Elul. He lived 125 years.

5.   Yehudah: 15 Sivan; 119 yearsNaftali: 5 Tishrei (according to the Aishel Avraham, based on Rabbeinu Bachaye, Seder HaDoros, Siddur Nehora and Yalkut). Others say he was born in Sivan. He lived 133 years.

6.   Gad: 10 MarCheshvan (according to the Aishel Avraham, based on Rabbeinu Bachaye, Seder HaDoros, Nehora and Yalkut). Others say he was born in Tishrei. He lived for128 (125) years.

7.   Yissachar: 10 Av; 122 years.

8.   Asher: 20 Adar (other say 20 or 22 Shevat, based on Yalkut or Shalshales Kabbalah). He lived 123 years (others say 126 years; see Seder Olam Zuta).

9.   Yosef: 21 of Tishrei (1 Tammuz according to Zayis Raanan); 110 years.

10.   Zevulun: 7 Tishrei; 114 (or 110) years (missing in Tadshe, added by Aishel Avraham based on Rabbeinu Bachaye. Also appears in Yalkut)

11.   Binyamin: 11 MarCheshvan; 109 years (others say 111 (115 years old) (missing in Tadshe, added by Aishel Avraham based on Rabbeinu Bachaye and Seder Olam Zuta. Also appears in Yalkut).

Their dates of death were not recorded because we assume that they surely died on the same date as their birthdays, as it says, “Hashem ensures (and fulfills that) the days of the tzaddikim are full from day to day,” [Rosh Hashanah 11a (cited by gloss of Aishel Avraham; see Midrash Tadshe as well as Rav Yaakov Emden in his Siddur].

The Ya’avetz adds there that whenever an event in Tanach takes place in a designated month with no date noted, the rule is that we refer to the first of the month since, “the pasuk always explains and reveals, rather than hides,” (Rashi, Vayeira 21:34). As mentioned above, for example, Yosef is noted as born and passed away on Rosh Chodesh Tammuz.

The Midrash Yalkut Shemos concludes that, “Iyar and Shevat are for Ephraim and Menashe.”

Zayis Ra’anan comments there that Yosef was born in Tammuz and Asher in Adar.

The Midrash Tadshe concludes: “Levi was the eldest and Yosef the youngest, and all of the tribes had descendants that were judges and kings except for Shimon, who had Zimri as a descendant and whose immoral, licentious act of sin caused them to be punished and have no judges or kings as descendants. This comes to teach us the severity of immoral behavior and zenus.”

On Yom Kippur In Your Shul.....

this could also apply to Shuls Chu"l 

 Arik Barbing, the former head of the Shin Bet’s counterterrorism division for Jerusalem, Yehuda, and Shomron, called on all licensed gun owners to bring their weapons to shul on Yom Kippur.

Speaking in an interview with 103FM, he said: “We have had serious incidents at shuls, as well as at the Mercaz HaRav yeshivah. Unfortunately, and this is particularly difficult for me as a Jew as well — but it’s impossible to hermetically secure every shul. Therefore, I am appealing to the public: There are far more firearms in civilian hands today than there were in the past. Shul leaders should make sure that armed people come. This is the minimum; it rises to the level of pikuach nefesh.”

“The best solution is to take responsibility and understand that we are in a very sensitive security situation and that shuls are targets for terrorists who could carry out attacks. I think gun owners are the first line of defense for the mispallelim. That is the solution at the moment.”

Barbing was also asked about the “turning of the guns” scenario — a situation in which Palestinian police weapons are turned against Israelis.

“It needs to be addressed — and it is being addressed, by the military, the Shin Bet and other parties as well,” he said.

“That discussion should take place professionally and not make its way into the media, which the Palestinians also listen to. Merely discussing the issue publicly raises it again and creates tension.”

“The IDF and security forces are in control there and can reach any location at any time. Arrests are carried out every night, from the refugee camps in Jenin to the southern Chevron Hills. The IDF is deeply deployed in the territory and is operating there. That was not the case on October 7,” he emphasized.

“I’m not aware of any organized ‘turning of the guns.’ But it’s possible that a local incident could develop and chalilah, lead to a more serious escalation,” he said. “I know the IDF is prepared for such incidents as well, but it is an event that could develop unexpectedly.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

https://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/israel-news/2599912/former-senior-shin-bet-official-come-armed-to-shuls-on-yom-kippur.html

No More Chickens!

Animal Rights Org:

13 Israeli Cities Move To Ban Live Chickens For Minhag Ahead Of Yom Kippur

[…] The campaign is being promoted by the Israeli animal-rights organization Let the Animals Live, which is encouraging people to perform kapparos using money donated to tzedakah instead of chickens.🐓

TORAH MESORAH

LET THE BOCHURIM LEARN……

Kavod haTorah

 

MIR BRACHFELD: HaGaon HaRav Moshe Hillel Hirsch Delivers Powerful Teshuvah Address Ahead Of Yom Kippur

HaGaon HaRav Moshe Hillel Hirsch arrived Wednesday evening at Yeshivas Mir Brachfeld, where he delivered a special teshuvah address ahead of Yom Kippur.

Thousands of talmidim packed the yeshiva’s massive bais medrash for the address, led by the Roshei Yeshiva and rabbanim of the yeshiva.

The gathering was part of the traditional Aseres Yemei Teshuvah hisorerus ahead of the holiest day of the year.

Photos for YWN via Shuki Lehrer

https://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/israel-news/2599741/mir-brachfeld-hagaon-harav-moshe-hillel-hirsch-delivers-powerful-teshuvah-address-ahead-of-yom-kippur-photos.html

Kavod Hatorah……

 

UTZU EITZAH! HaGaon HaRav Dov Landau Joins Thousands In Stirring Dance Following Address At Mir Yeshiva

🔥 EXTRAORDINARY KAVOD HATORAH: Thousands At Mir Yeshiva Dance With HaGaon HaRav Dov Landau Following Aseres Yemei Teshuvah Address

Thousands of talmidim at the Mir Yeshiva in Yerushalayim gathered Wednesday for the traditional Aseres Yemei Teshuvah address delivered by HaGaon HaRav Dov Landau.

The massive gathering was attended by the Roshei Yeshiva, rabbonim and thousands of bnei hayeshiva, who packed the Mir to hear words of chizuk ahead of Yom Kippur.

Following the address, the gathering erupted into an extraordinary display of kavod haTorah as HaRav Landau joined the massive crowd in a spirited dance to the words of “Utzu Eitzah V’Sufar.”

https://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/israel-news/2599473/utzu-eitzah-hagaon-harav-dov-landau-joins-thousands-in-stirring-dance-following-address-at-mir-yeshiva-video-photos.html

Who is the Candidate for and What is Mashiach ben Yosef…..

 In my estimation, He is the one fighting the erev rav in eretz yisrael, 

by advising the upholding of our Torah halachos and principles of morality 

against those who would like to replace them with zionist anti religious ideology. 

Against those who would abolish our People’s Mesorah going all the way 

from Moses Rabbeinu.

The greater blueprint is from Shamayim

A process of shaping and enlightening the Neshomas

Of the Children of Hashem

That we witness happening in our days.

Can We Be More Religious Than God?

 

You can have so much holiness. You can do so many mitzvos, learn Torah and serve Hashem. But what happens when we stop doing things the way Hashem commanded us to? Even something that looks holy can become corrupted when we ignore the way Hashem told us to serve Him. We have to be careful not to turn holiness into impurity — or convince ourselves that something is holy simply because it feels religious. To partner in with us in bringing Geulah: https://homeboundisrael.com/donate

AMAZING: Japan's Lifetime War Against the Incoming Tsunamis

......The 400 km Wall Japan Built to Stop the Sea:

The Japanese don't give up, they continue doing what needs to be done!

But I ask:  Why not move away?

Answer:  There is no where else for the Japanese

Reb Neuberger: Bitter Bitter Bitter

 

BITTER BITTER BITTER 

This is an additional message prompted by the seriousness of the current situation.

 

Following the first day of Rosh Hashanah I was enveloped by a spirit of ominous foreboding. It was partly the lack of shofar and it was partly … an amorphous black cloud which enveloped me, as if dark forces of great magnitude were over the horizon.

 

I was not planning to write about this, but then I saw that Rabbi Moshe Sternbuch Shlita”h had issued a dire warning just before Rosh Hashanah, after Selichos. He was not explicit, but he used the words, “bitter, bitter, bitter” and then broke down in tears.

 

My friends, I think it is appropriate to tell you what is on my mind.

 

The Chofetz Chaim spoke about three wars before Moshiach: the First World War, the Second World War, which he predicted, which he said would make the first war look like “child’s play.” And then a third war, before Moshiach, which implicitly will make the Second World War look like child’s play.

 

Before we left Golus Mitzraim, Egypt was destroyed. The foreign culture which had trapped our ancestors for so long was obliterated and we stepped out of it into a new world at Har Sinai.

 

I think it is clear that the world of our present Golus is going to suffer the same fate. The world of Moshiach will not just be “better” than Golus. It will be a totally different world in the sense that the tumah of the present world will have to be erased. And since the present world is synonymous with tumah, that means that the present world, the world as we know it, cannot continue to exist in the days of Moshiach.

 

I don’t think that we are the slightest bit prepared for this. I don’t think we are at all embracing the truth and magnitude of this. I don’t think we are prepared to let go of this world of luxury to which we have become so accustomed, the world of Edom which we have embraced with both arms. I feel as if we are blind, because we don’t want to open our eyes to what is ahead. But it cannot go on. There is a disease which is eating us up and we do not even realize it, or maybe we do realize it and we just don’t want to accept it, so we deny it.

 

I will tell you something which I am not sure I should say, but I am going to say it.

 

On the plane coming to Israel last week, there were constant minyans of people davening maariv and saying Selichos. This went on and on, as many people wanted to daven. The aisles and kitchen areas were blocked to such an extent that, for extended periods, people could not use the lavatories. The crew eventually locked the bathrooms.

 

I am sorry, my friends, but there is something wrong here. These are religious people and they have to daven, but they do not have to torture their brethren and make a bad name for Torah. Significantly, Rabbi Elyashiv zt”l paskened that it is a chillul Hashem to daven in the aisles and that one should daven in one’s seat b’yechidus.

 

This is just a microcosm, my friends, a snapshot, but it is a symptom of a world in which so much is wrong that one doesn’t know where to start. The sickness is everywhere and we do not want to face it. In the culture of Edom, people do not care about each other, and we have caught the disease.

 

There is a reason that anti-Semitism is becoming accepted all over the world. There is a reason that a Jew hater (voted for by many Jews) is the mayor of New York. There is a reason that violence is becoming the norm, especially violence against us. It is going to explode. I have known this in my insides for decades. Even before I became religious, I knew that this society was going to blow itself up. I just heard that the head of the U. N. issued a warning against artificial intelligence because the robot brain could start an atomic war.

 

Is this plausible? Of course it is plausible. The monster is about to go out of control.

 

And what can we do?

 

The Chofetz Chaim and other tzaddikim promised that those who cling to Hashem and reject the surrounding culture of tumah will survive in the last war before Moshiach.

 

I have no new suggestions. All we have are the holy Torah values which have enabled us to survive all the catastrophes up to now. All we have is honest self-examination, teshuva, tefillah, begging Hashem to save us and hoping that we will survive whatever is coming.

 

My friends, I am sorry, but I believe what I am saying is correct. We need derech eretz. Derech eretz kadmah l’Torah. We need to be good to each other. If we don’t live with derech eretz, we are not going to make it. Derech eretz isn’t an extra. Derech eretz is the path to life. We are in a desperate situation and, unless we open our eyes and take it seriously, the future is desperately ominous. I wish I could be more hopeful, but the signs are very bad.

 

Hashem loves us so much more than we love ourselves!

 

May He have mercy on us and save us!