FOURTH WAR IN GAZA and MASHIACH IN ITS TIME

RABBI GLAZERSON – BIBLE CODES

A THREAT OF FOURTH WAR IN GAZA 
(not a prediction, so what is it?)



THE MESSIAH IN ITS TIME - 5781

GAZA – JUST DO IT . . .

Sirens wailing in the middle of the night. Terrifying explosions outside the door. People in panic, rushing their children to a "safe place". Homes destroyed. Blood all over.

The London Blitz, 1940?

No, Israel 2019. Where in Israel? Anywhere.

Last night huge missiles slammed into a tranquil village in the center of the country.

The quiet village was not in the "territories" and an Arab population (who was armed by PM Rabin in order for the PLO to protect us, in 1993). It was not on the Lebanon border near where we retreated and handed the Hizbullah their base of operation against us (PM Barak - June 2000). It is not near Gaza where Hamas uses the land we gave them (PM Sharon August 2005) to attack us 24/7.

No.

This part of the country was supposed to be protected from "the price of peace" of the Oslo and Expulsion geniuses.

Alas, it too is not safe.

There is not a single corner of Israel that is safe from those who were supposed to appreciate our concessions and be our "peace partners" in the "New Middle East" as promised us.

What are the questions asked today by the media?
What happened to the missile defense system!
Was the attack perhaps a mistake?
Which terror group is responsible?

Truth be told, very few in the media or politics are willing or capable of offering a solution. We have spent huge treasure on sophisticated anti-missile technology. We have invested even greater treasure in physical barriers and hardened "safe spots" to run to and hide behind from the missiles.

Still, Israel's population sleep furtively with a sword constantly poised over its head. The panic and dread of one missile that fell in the center of the country last night, is the constant experience of Israel's population living near Gaza for years (especially since Israel forfeited Gaza to the terrorists for peace). The missiles today are more sophisticated than when we fled Gaza and Lebanon. The terrorists are bolder.

As Israel supplies the terror government in Gaza with water, electricity and lots of cash, and they build a sophisticated war machine to be used against us, we wonder. How to deal with the next missile? Where will it possibly fall? How do we hide ?

You would think that Israel's enemy is the missile.

Was the Luftwaffe the enemy of Britain in 1940, or was it the regime that sent them to kill Britons? Was Britain's aim to clear the sky of enemy planes or to bring down the evil regime that threatened it with destruction?

The political and media establishment in Israel is numb by the fear of the very thought of destroying the Hamas terror regime (that was voted in by a majority of Gazan Jew haters). Who would Israel "talk" to if they were eliminated? To whom would we give millions in cash?

Who would take responsibility for the innocent population (the Jew haters) of Gaza?

Do we really want to return to the pre-missile days and to control Gaza?

I know of only a very few politicians in Israel who advocate the only realistic solution:

Take over Gaza and thus stop the terror attacks on Israel.

Use all the massive military might and sophistication that we have to destroy the leadership of Hamas and their entire military and supportive infrastructure. Make clear that UN, schools, hospitals, etc... that protect terrorists must be evacuated immediately as they will be targeted. Do it by air and special operations.

Do not send in large ground forces.

Make it clear to the Gaza population that anyone acting as a Hamas collaborator will be dealt as the Hamas leadership is.

Only when it is fairly certain that the Hamas leadership and military are severely weakened do we send in ground forces to secure the area.

Once it is secured, we will allow civilian life to resume with our direction. We then eliminate all pockets of Hamas support. The civilian population is told that Israel will aid them in emigrating. Polls repeatedly show that way over half the population wants very badly to leave Gaza. Today, those who can, do leave and even bribe Hamas to make it possible. Help them along their way. They will be very appreciative.

Where will they go?
With cash in their pockets (instead of spending money on walls and secure rooms, it is better spent on finally solving the problem and not continually hiding from its symptoms), they will go to the front of any line waiting to enter another country in the West or the Gulf oil countries.
Many have relatives in these places who are waiting for them.

Those who want to remain will have full human rights as long as they are peaceful. One wrong move and out. Israel does not owe them citizenship. They are free to go where ever they wish.

Bring back the brave, productive Jewish residents to the area and encourage others to join them in making this part of our land great again - and forever Israel.

The alternative?

Yet "another round" and putting our wonderful soldiers in harm's way. (Ganz proudly exclaimed that he is willing to sacrifice our soldiers rather than endanger "innocent enemy civilians).

I don't think so.

www.shalompollacktours.com

Israel’s High Court – a Travesty of Justice

INTO THE FRAY: 

Israel’s High Court – When legality loses its legitimacy

​​​​​​​In overturning a previous decision of the Knesset’s Central Elections Committee, the High Court took another giant step towards further undermining the already dwindling public confidence in the Israeli judiciary. by Martin Sherman

In Israel, the negative impact of the judicialization of politics on the Supreme Court’s legitimacy is already beginning to show its mark. Over the past decade, the public image of the Supreme Court as an autonomous and impartial arbiter has been increasingly eroded... [T]he court and its judges are increasingly viewed by a considerable portion of the Israeli public as pushing forward their own political agenda... – Prof. Ran Hirschl, Towards Juristocracy, Harvard University Press, 2004.

The public is further losing its faith in...the legal system, with only 36 percent of the Jewish public expressing confidence in the courts...– “Public’s faith in Israel’s justice system continues to plummet,” Haaretz, August 15, 2013.

Basic Law Knesset- Article 7A

A candidates' list shall not participate in elections to the Knesset, and a person shall not be a candidate for election to the Knesset, if the objects or actions of the list or the actions of the person, expressly or by implication, include one of the following:

1. negation of the existence of the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state;
2. incitement to racism;
3. support of armed struggle, by a hostile state or a terrorist organization, against the State of Israel. –

This week, the High Court took another giant step towards further undermining the already dwindling public confidence in the Israeli judiciary.

Eroding confidence in judiciary

On Sunday (March 17) it overturned a previous decision by the Knesset’s Central Elections Committee, and ruled to prohibit the participation in the upcoming elections of the hardline Right-wing candidate, Dr Michael Ben Ari, while permitting that of the undisguisedly anti-Zionist list “Balad” and the self-professed anti-Zionist candidate, Ofer Cassif. In doing so, High Court once again underscored the growing divergence between the average man-in-the-street’s perception of common-sense and sense of justice, on the one hand, and many judicial rulings, on the other. But more on that a little later

Over the last two decades, there has been a dramatic erosion of the public’s faith in the Israeli judiciary, in general, and in the High Court, in particular. Thus, according to an ongoing study at Haifa University, the confidence of the Jewish population in court system plunged from 61% in 2003 to a mere 36% in 2013.

A later study found that, overall, public confidence in the High Court plummeted from 80% in 2000, to 61% in 2014, to just 49% in 2017. Commenting on these findings, Einav Schiff, of the mass circulation daily Yedioth Aharonot, wrote “This isn't a slip or a drop, it's a collapse.”

He warned: “Needless to say, the High Court's image among the public cannot remain as it is now. Eventually, there will be a political constellation that could enable another constitutional revolution.”

“…crass and misguided interference in Israeli democracy”

Schiff’s diagnosis proved a prescient prognosis of Justice Minister Ayalet Shaked’s outraged reaction to the High Court’s decision, which she labelled “a crass and misguided interference in the heart of Israeli democracy”, and pledged to revolutionize the method by which High Court judges are appointed. At the top of her list of planned measures was the elimination of the judicial appointments committee for the High Court, in which sitting justices have, in effect, veto power over new appointments to the High Court.

Instead, according to her proposed reform, justices would be appointed at the recommendation of the Minister of Justice, who would bring a candidate for approval by the cabinet and the Knesset, with a public hearing being conducted for High Court justices.

Clearly, if implemented, this measure could go some way towards addressing the kind of perceived disconnect, described by Prof. Hirschl in the introductory excerpt (see above), between the world views of the judiciary and the democratically elected bodies of government.

Elsewhere in his book, Hirschl articulates precisely the process of judicial override of decisions made by elected bodies, as reflected in the verdict to overrule the Knesset’s Central Elections Committee. He writes: “…political representatives of minority groups [such as the anti-Zionist Arab factions and their members – MS] have come to realize that political arrangements and public policies agreed upon in majoritarian decision-making arenas [such as the Knesset’s Central Election’s Committee—MS] are likely to be reviewed by an often hostile Supreme Court.

Clear contravention of the letter of the law

Clearly, the recent ruling of the High Court was the outcome of “minority political groups” inducing review—indeed, reversal—of “majoritarian decisions” by a contrary judicial body. But in several important aspects it was a particularly striking case of court intervention in the democratic process.

For while the rationale for barring the anti-Zionists candidates, Balad and Cassif, was, in effect, almost self-evident—and indeed un-denied by them, the rationale for barring the Right-wing candidate, Ben Ari, was largely a matter of inferred interpretation, which was disputed by him.

Thus, the Balad platform openly rejects Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, explicitly declaring its aspirations to convert into it into a “state of all its citizens”—which, one might have thought—given stipulation of Article 7A (1) of the Basic Law: Knesset (see introductory excerpt above)—should, on its own, be enough to disqualify it from participation in the Knesset elections. Yet for some reason the Justices of the High Court chose to disregard the unequivocal letter of the law.

Moreover, with regard to Ofir Cassif, the candidate for the “non-Zionist” Hadash list, it is not only his blatant self-professed anti-Zionism that should have prevented his candidacy, but his support for armed conflict against Israel. Indeed, even the judges—or at least some of them—seem to acknowledge this.

Thus, when Justices Noam Sohlberg, David Mintz and Neal Hendel pressed Cassif’s attorney on Cassif’s statements approving attacks on IDF soldiers, he tried to rebut them by claiming his client was discussing the matter on an academic philosophical level and not on an operational one. In response, Justice Hendel retorted that it was unrealistic to expect average readers to understand Cassif’s articles as if he does not support armed conflict.

Arab enmity not Arab ethnicity

Yet despite these incontrovertible violations of Article 7A of Basic Law: Knesset, the High Court—almost inconceivably—overturned the Knesset Central Elections Committee decision, ruling that Cassif could participate in the upcoming elections.

However, when it came to the far Right candidate, Ben Ari, things were very different. Accused of racism because of his harsh denunciation of the Arab sector in Israel and his blanket allegation of pervasive lack of Arab loyalty to Israel as the nation-state of the Jews, Ben Ari explained that that his attitude was not determined by the Arabs’ ethnic origins but by the Arab’s political enmity to Israel. Indeed, this point was made by Ben-Ari’s representative who declared that his client had “no problem” with Arab Israelis who are loyal to the State of Israel as the state of the Jewish people.

Without going in the debate of whether Ben-Ari—himself of Afghan-Iranian origins—were inappropriate or in poor taste, it does seem a bit of a stretch to brand them as racism—particularly as Ben-Ari has served in the Knesset previously (2009-13) without any charges of racist conduct being brought against him. Indeed, if charges of racism, a crime punishable by up to ten years imprisonment by Israeli law, could be substantiated, one can only wonder why Ben-Ari has not been prosecuted for them!

Yet, despite his denial of any racist intent in his recriminations against the Arab population, the High Court ruled to interpret Ben-Ari’s declarations as racism and to prohibit his participation in the elections, overturning the decision of the Knesset Central Elections Committee to permit it.

Saving the judiciary from itself

The High Court decision produced outrage among Right-wing Knesset members who vowed to take action to curtail judicial intervention in the decision-making process of elected bodies.

For example former Defense Minister of Yisrael Beytenu fumed: “it is absurd that the court would intervene in decisions of the Central Election Committee, to allow Ben-Ari to run, and to ban those who hate Israel…I will propose a law in the next Knesset to ban the court from intervening in committee decisions. We will do everything we can to prevent the Arab fifth column from getting into the Knesset altogether.”

Echoing similar sentiments was the newly appointed head of the Jewish Home party, Rafi Peretz, who issued a statement saying: “In the State of Israel, there is democracy in appearance only. The judiciary has taken the Right to choose for Israeli citizens in an unprecedented manner. Kassif and Tibi [who served for years as advisor to arch-terrorist Yasser Arafat] are in, but Ben Ari, a Zionist Jew whose sons serve in the IDF, is out.”

The judicial system will disregard these rumblings at its peril. For when judicial rulings are overwhelmingly at odds with public perception of common sense and justice, it cannot but lose the very credibility imperative for it to function

Indeed, two talkbacks, on a well-trafficked news-site, reflect this danger:

“Ahmed Tibi is a champion of Yasser Arafat, the worst mass murderer of Jews since Adolf Hitler. Disqualifying Ben-Ari and not Tibi exposes a very alarming anti-Jewish bias in the High Court.”—Jacob

“…by approving [C]assif but banning Ben Ari, our esteemed judges just ensured more votes for the Right. Are they on the payroll of Bennett/Shaked campaign?--Alexander

High Court justices would be well advised to heed the caveat that when legality loses its legitimacy, the entire edifice of the rule of law is imperiled.

_____________________________________
Martin Sherman is the founder and executive director of the Israel Institute for Strategic Studies.

MAKE THEM WAIT . . . in Trepidation and Dread חרדה

HERE WE GO AGAIN:

Hamas officials: Rocket fire on central Israel was 'accidental'

At least 7 injured, including 2 infants, in Gaza rocket attack on central Israel – KFAR SABA!
One projectile directly hits residential building in the Sharon region, leveling it and starting fire timesofisrael

Gaza terror groups abandon posts ahead of expected retaliation to rocket attack

Israel closes crossings into Strip, restricts fishing zone following direct strike on homes (KFAR SABA) that injured 7, including two infants timesofisrael

Government ministers and lawmakers from across the political spectrum called Monday morning for stern action against the Hamas terror group. timesofisrael

I say, MAKE THEM WAIT, make them sweat waiting for “WHEN” Israel will strike!

USE YOUR JEWISH BRAINS IDF

Keep them in suspense, then

 “Strike when the evil HAMAS are "sitting ducks”

Give the Arabs of Gaza a reason to celebrate

When They Come for the Jews, They Won't Ask Questions

I read this: "Read It - When they Come for the Jews,” at our favourite blogger, mystical paths. The original article (below) is from the American Thinker. If this is openly being written about, all Jews should take it to heart. At the same time, I posted about an article from the Mishpacha Magazine, entitled You Start to Question Your Future Here. There is NO such thing as COINCIDENCE, being that both MPaths and this blog zeroed in on an urgent and important message to all Jews, especially in America.

AMERICAN JEWS, WAKE UP

Albert Einstein observed, "If my theory of relativity is proven correct, Germany will claim me as a German, and France will declare that I am a citizen of the world. Should my theory prove untrue, France will say that I am a German, and Germany will declare that I am a Jew.”

 His words are relevant today because anti-Semitism, briefly dormant, is alive again — in Europe and around the world. This "new form" of anti-Semitism claims to be different from the traditional racial and religious images. Its adherents say they are anti-Zionist, not anti-Semites. But their accusations mirror The Protocols of the Elders of Zion.

Only recently, a Belgian parade featured a float of grotesquely distorted Orthodox Jews in religious garb, perched on bags of money, à la the art of Nazi Julius Streicher. What makes this sickening display even more alarming is the official sanction given to it by the Mayor of Aalst, Christoph D'Haese, who stated, "It's not up to the mayor to forbid such displays" and that the carnival participants had "no sinister intentions." No sinister intentions? Adolf Eichmann also had no sinister intentions when he organized transportation to the death camps. After all, he himself had no part in the actual killing process; they just did their jobs.

We have our own anti-Semitic scandal with newly elected congresswoman Ilhan Omar (D), a Somalian hijab-wearing Muslim who tweets anti-Semitic tropes "without sinister intentions" or retractions. Democrat leadership won't condemn, censure, or remove her from the House Foreign Affairs Committee, leftist Jews have defended her, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi excused her inadvertent offense. Yes, Congress passed a resolution condemning anti-Semitism and anti–everything else, without singling out Omar and the Jews. Thus, the Democratic Party is falling farther left toward Islamic ideology.

Feeding the fire, in January 2019, the Palestinian Authority introduced in the U.N. a motion to reinstate U.N. Resolution 3379, first adopted in 1975, later revoked in 1991, that declared that "Zionism is a form of racism and racial discrimination." No other people anywhere has ever been so distinguished. When South Sudan gained its independence in 2011, after years of bloodshed, no one proposed calling its citizens' nationalism "racist." The Kurds of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey also aspire to their own national homeland, but no one has called them "racist.”

 Only Israel and the Jews have that distinction.

Make no mistake: anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism. The two terms have become conflated. If you agree that Israel is evil, apartheid, fascist, and repugnant, then the only possible resolution is its total destruction, its Jews exiled or exterminated.

Slowly, surely, irrevocably, methodically, step by step, the constraints are removed from the unacceptable — adjusting the population to the various forms of anti-Semitism, from rhetoric to parade floats to refusing to seriously address the issue, defending the perpetrators such as Nation of Islam minister Louis Farrakhan, who called Jews "termites" to leftist media silence. Anti-Semitism is becoming mainstream. Jews are fleeing the ever increasing attacks in France, once home to the world's third largest Jewish population. Prime Minister Theresa May laments that Jews may have no future in Great Britain as the Labor Party's overtly anti-Semitic Jeremy Corbyn seeks increased power. American Jews seem oblivious to the tsunami of anti-Semitism engulfing Europe and poised to take America with the same intensity.

"We are safe here." "We are a civilized, cultured country with laws that protect us." So are Britain and France. So was Germany during the 1920s and early '30s, when it was regarded the most advanced scientifically, culturally, and artistically — the home of Beethoven, Bach, Goethe, and Heine. German Jews were patriots; 100,000-plus served in the German army during WWI, 30,000 decorated for bravery, yet also murdered in gas chambers.

 Meanwhile, the uninformed American Jews embrace their ancestral ideology — a combined Progressivism, ultra-liberalism, neo-Marxism, and the Jewish "tikkun olam." They ardently believe that the main threat to Jews today comes from the neo-Nazis and the KKK. While it is true that these groups exist, they constitute only a small percentage of the population.

There are leftist Jewish and non-Jewish groups who would disagree with these statistics. They choose to lump all Republican conservatives and anyone who disagrees with them into the category of right-wing hate-monger extremists. They ignore the real threat today that comes from an unholy red-green alliance — the Marxist left and Islam.

Using identity politics, victimhood, social justice, racism, anti-Zionism, and anti-Semitism, the radical left seeks power and control. The new doctrine of "intersectionality" allows leftists to affiliate with other groups they perceive as "oppressed." This is why you see anti-Israel and anti-Semitic signs displayed by just about every radical-left group at demonstrations throughout the country. Therefore, Ferguson, Missouri activists' placards read, "From Ferguson to Gaza, the struggle continues." The vast majority of American Jews who accepted these policies are unable or unwilling to comprehend that their Progressive, liberal, neo-Marxist ideology now seeks to destroy the Jewish state and the Jewish people.

American Jewry is at a crossroads.

 The vast majority of American Jews will continue to cling to their familiar ancestral belief system; it's all they know. To change now would be to deny everything their family members and they, themselves, have lived for. But before they bury their heads in the sand once again, they should at least hear these simple truths. When our enemies came for us during the Holocaust, they did not ask if we were Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, or secular Jews. Neither were they interested in any past service we rendered for the state. We were Jews. That was all that mattered. If history repeats itself, when our enemies come for us once again, they will not ask if we are Israelis or Zionists. They will not care if we marched in Selma, Alabama; protested against apartheid in South Africa; supported equal rights for women; advocated for the LBGTQ community; and campaigned for Hillary or Bernie. It will matter that we are Jews.

Today's anti-Semitism, unleashed by the Left and Islamists, is so visceral, virulent, vile, vicious, and vitriolic that it can no longer be justified under the guise of anti-Zionism. In form, content, and message, it is exactly what was seen and heard during the heyday of the Third Reich. It is what made the Holocaust possible. What begins with a parade float in Belgium inevitably ends in the gas chambers of Auschwitz and Treblinka. This is the fate our enemies want for us. This is why Tehran's Ayatollah Khamenei rejoices that more Jews are moving to Israel — for one grand target.

Meanwhile, most of the Jews will continue entrusting their safety to their religious and political leadership. They will continue to vote for, support, and finance the party and the ideology that will ultimately lead them to their own destruction and that of the state of Israel.

Vladimir Jabotinsky recognized that "[t]he Jew learns not by way of reason, but from catastrophe. He won't buy an umbrella merely because he sees clouds in the sky. He waits until he is drenched and catches pneumonia." History may yet prove that when it comes to the Jews, Jabotinsky was an optimist.

_____________________________________
Caren Besner is a retired teacher who has written articles published by American Thinker, Sun-Sentinel, Jewish Journal, The Algemeiner, Jerusalem Post, IsraPost, The Jewish Voice, Independent Sentinel, San Diego Jewish World, The Times of Israel, Jewish Press, The Front Page, The Florida Veteran, Jootube, and The Moderate Voice.


Emphasis in red/italic by this blogger

Source: americanthinker, article by By Caren Besner

“You Start To Question Your Future Here"

Mishpacha Magazine (Issue 753, 13 Adar, March 20) featured on its cover: "Orthodox Jews Confront Anti-Semitism in Today’s America”

A ‘scant’ questioning. Attempting PR. Who will be brave enough to tell the “Am” to move to their  נַחֲלָה (inheritance, property, estate, possession, heritage, legacy) given by Hashem to the Jewish descendants of Yaakov Avinu).

Other Orthodox Jews say: (I have personally heard) that Mashiach will bring the Synagogues (Shuls) of America and the religious communities “intact” to Eretz Yisrael (meaning every stone, brick, bima and shredder “intact”). [attributed to the Rambam]

And others say that “the world will become Eretz Yisrael, Eretz Yisrael will become Yerushalayim, and Yerushalayim will be the Beis HaMikdash.

However, we know from history, that each and every Golus ended with dispersion and worse. Here is what frum Jews are experiencing, taken from the same pages of the Mishpacha article, “You Start to Question Your Future Here.” Is this “questioning” an awakening to the same “anti-semitism” that the previous generations, that fled Europe (and those who were not able to flee) but now live in America, heard on the streets in East European cities that they lived in?

No one can stop the anti-semitic loner chv”s armed with an automatic

Not every individual Jew can escape being a chv”s ’target’
One should be ‘prepared’ in case of a ’need’ to chv”s flee

Just read what some have experienced:

Just in Case

Its a New Ballgame

Current of Fear

Look at Those Jew Steps

Laughing Stock

HISTORIC VISIT: POMPEO VISITS THE KOTEL

U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo visits the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem, March 21, 2019, accompanied by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyanu.

[In my eyes, this is a precursor to the (announcing of) building of the Third Beis]:

The Rabbi of the Western Wall and the Holy Places
Shmuel Rabinovitch [L], United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo,
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and US Ambassador to
Israel David Friedman [R] in the Kotel Tunnels. .
(photo credit: AMIT SHABI/POOL)

POMPEO: TRUMP POSSIBLY SENT FROM G–D TO ‘HELP SAVE THE JEWISH PEOPLE’

He continued that “the work that our administration’s done to make sure that this democracy in the Middle East, that this Jewish state, remains,” and he is “confident that the Lord is at work here. JPost

United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo [L]
and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu [R]
at the Western Wall . (photo credit: KOBI GIDEON/GPO)

Pompeo: US has 'moral obligation' to stand up to hostile forces. arutzsheva

United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at Yad Vashem

A Book of Lashon Hara

. . . About Jared (Yoel) and Ivanka (Yael) Kushner


Vicky Ward’s book, Kushner, Inc.: Greed, Ambition, Corruption. The Extraordinary Story of Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump is nothing new, just gossip and Lashon Hara, and should not be read by any Torah observant Jew. JPost

Kushner peace plan once urged huge Palestinian-Jordanian-Saudi land swap —
Vicky Ward writes . . . timesofisrael

About the “Peace Plan” we can read about:

KUSHNER'S PEACE PLAN 'INCLUDES LAND SWAPS WITH SAUDI ARABIA,' BOOK CLAIMS  A draft of the plan included an oil pipeline from Saudi Arabia to Gaza, according to newly released 'Kushner, Inc.’ JPost

[Are they a ‘modern-day' Mordechai and Esther? They are an enigma on the stage of Middle East intrigue, the same as President Trump appears to be on the World Scene.]

Parshas Tzav – We are the Olah!

WE ARE THE OLAH!

By Roy S. Neuberger

Is it not strange that Pesach comes four weeks after Purim? They are the same basic story: the Children of Israel are threatened by a powerful foe and saved by miraculous intervention. Why did the Torah establish one majorYom Tov after the other? 

I believe the Torah is warning us that, throughout our long journey, this story is going to happen over and over. We are going to be in mortal danger many times until the Geula Shelemah arrives. 

Pesach and Purim are – of course – different. The events of Pesach took place during the period of the Chumash, and Purim is about one thousand years later. Following the events of Pesach, we accepted the Written Torah; during the time of Purim, we accepted the Oral Torah. “Perhaps,” says the Or Hachaim, “[Am Yisroel] would need to accept two [distinct] components of the Torah, one that He would convey to them in that setting [Har Sinai], and one that is comprised of the Oral Law … [that they would hear] in the future from the mouths of the Sages…. The words of the Sages… have no maximum measure…. Who can uphold a Torah such as this that has no maximum measure? For this reason [the generation at Har Sinai] left the matter undecided … and accepted upon themselves only the Written Torah.” (Shemos 19:5) 

Each golus and each redemption has its own distinct place in the history of our People.

But why must we keep going through this? 

This week’s Parsha opens with “the law of the olah offering.” (Vayikra 6:2) According to the Or Hachaim, this entire passage comes “to comfort our tormented souls,” because we are tempted to lose hope during this seemingly-interminable Golus.

We are the olah offering, the “elevated ones,” those who ascended from Mitzraim. But, at the Final Redemption,“the Jewish people will rise to even greater heights than they did at the time of the Exodus from Egypt. Thus, the one who already ascended will ultimately ascend even higher.” (Artscroll on Or Hachaim)

The Olah offering stays on the altar the entire night, and the flame burns continuously. The flame is Torah, and we are learned in Torah, “something which is not true of any other nation.” The altar is identified with the suffering of exile, because suffering and the altar both atone for sins. This will continue “all night until the morning,” at which time “[Hashem] will pour His glory upon us” and the dawn of redemption will burst forth upon the earth. (Or Hachaim)

The Torah continues: “The kohain shall don his fitted linen Kesones….” (ibid 6:3). This amazing reference alludes to Hashem’s love for those who refuse to “join [His] Name … with something else,” meaning idol worship. Because we have separated ourselves from idolatry, Hashem refuses to separate Himself from us! “[This will continue] until the spirit of tumah has been removed … and Hashem will be King over the entire world.” (ibid 6:6)

We are certainly close to the dawn! May the sun soon rise on the morning of our Eternal Redemption!

*          *          *          *

Roy Neuberger, author and public speaker, can be reached at roy@2020vision.co.il.

© Copyright 2019 by Roy S. Neuberger

Rabbi Winston – Parshas Tzav and Purim Lite

He [Moshe] slaughtered it. Moshe took some of its blood, and put it on the tip of Aharon’s right ear… (Vayikra 8:23)

IT WAS HIS third time practicing it. He got it right the second time, but there was something special about singing a note that only occurs FOUR times in the Torah. Some people barely articulate the “Shalsheles,” but HE makes a point of it…up-and-down, up-and-down, up-and-down.

To the person chanting a Shalsheles, it is no big deal to hear it over-and-over again. But to a person listening in, especially if they are trying to concentrate on something else, it can be somewhat annoying. Once, for sure. Twice, perhaps. But, three times? Go somewhere else!

Ephraim Volke would never have told this to the ba’al koreh preparing the parsha for Shabbos, but he certainly thought it. He was trying to learn a Tosfos on a complicated Gemora, and it was hard enough for him already without the added distraction. But, he kept his peace and pretended as if he wasn’t noticing at all.

Then came the FOURTH time. Ephraim was far too much of a mentsch to offend anyone, especially someone who is involved in a mitzvah. But for his OWN sake, he had to do something about the situation, so that he could continue with his own assignment, and not have an anxiety attack in the process. 

So he casually got up to not attract Yoel Bloom’s attention, and took his Gemora further away from the center of the storm. But Yoel noticed the movement, stopped cantillating, and turned to the stranger moving away.

“I’m sorry,” Yoel said. “Did I bother you?”

Ephraim stopped in his tracks and turned around. Now he had a new predicament: tell the truth and possibly offend the source of his disturbance, or not tell the truth and let sleeping dogs “lie.” A moment of uncertainty resulted in a moment of hesitation, and the question was answered on its own.

“No problem,” Yoel said, “I’ll move. Why should you have to go somewhere else…I’m the one making the noise.”

Of course Yoel’s considerate response made Ephraim feel like a heel. “Why did I have to do anything at all?” he asked himself. “What a kvetch I can be sometimes!” His only choice now was to be cordial back.

“Are you a ba’al koreh?” Ephraim asked, now just making conversation.

“How could you guess?” Yoel answered back, sarcastically.

“You have a nice voice,” he told him. “Where do you lain?”

“The Hashkamah Minyan at Floral Park Shul.”

“Nice,” Ephraim said. “For a long time? I used to doven there, and I don’t remember you.”

“Just the last six months,” Yoel said.

“Ya, I haven’t been there for a while.”

“I don’t remember you either.” 

Yoel started to say, “On that note…” when Ephraim cut it and joked, “Pun intended?”

“Ah…I guess…Actually I’m not that quick,” Yoel finally admitted. “Anyhow, I’m Yoel Bloom.”

“Nice to meet you, Yoel Bloom. Ephraim Volke,” he said, extending his hand. Yoel shook it and said, “Pleasure.”

“Likewise,” Ephraim said. Then he added, “Now that we’re on a first name basis, what’s with the Shalsheles?”

Yoel laughed. “I was wondering if that was the straw that broke your camel’s back.”

Now Ephraim smiled. “It was just out of rhythm with Tosfos,” he explained.

“It depends upon the Tosfos,” Yoel kidded.

“Maybe,” Ephraim responded. 

“It’s like this,” Yoel began to explain. “There are only four in the ENTIRE Torah, so when one comes around, I kind of get into it.”

“I can personally verify that,” Ephraim quipped. 

“I apologize again,” Yoel said. “I’m almost done, but in the meantime, I don’t mind continuing in the Ezras Nashim.”

“I really appreciate that. But before you go, did you ever learn why a Shalsheles is used in the Torah?”

Yoel thought for a moment and then said, “The first three are kind of obvious. It’s the fourth one in THIS week’s parsha that I can’t figure out.”

“What do you know about the first three?” 

“Well, I know that each time a Shalsheles is used it indicates a hesitation that might not be obvious from the posuk, or even apparent to the person who has it. However, in the case of the first one in the Torah, it’s pretty obvious to EVERYONE. The note itself is even over the word that MEANS ‘hesitation’.”

“You’re talking about Lot on his way out of Sdom.”

“Yes,” Yoel confirmed. “When the angel pressed Lot to flee Sdom before God rained down destruction, the Torah says Lot hesitated.” For effect, Yoel cantillated the actual Hebrew word, “‘VayismamaAAAaaaAAAaaaAAAaaah.’”

“Yup, that’s it…” Ephraim joked.

“Rashi explains that Lot had a hard time leaving Sdom, even though he was being guided by an angel to safety. He was so invested in Sdom that he just couldn’t walk away from it, in spite of the danger of staying.”

“Sounds familiar,” Ephraim said.

“Ya, well, it seems to be a Jewish problem THROUGHOUT the ages,” Yoel agreed.

“And once AGAIN!”

“Unfortunately yes.”

“The next Shalsheles is more subtle.”

“The one by Eliezer?” Ephraim asked.

“Right,” Yoel answered, “when he was sent by Avraham to find a wife for Yitzchak. After miraculously arriving at his destination in record time, Eliezer asked God to give him a sign if and when he would find the right girl for Yitzchak. Now, from the posuk, everything seems normal, except for the Shalsheles over the word, ‘And he said,’ indicating some kind of hesitation on Eliezer’s part.”

“Okay,” Ephraim said.

“But why,” Yoel asked rhetorically, “would Eliezer, Avraham’s most loyal servant, hesitate to do the will of his master?”

“Okay, nu, why did he hesitate?”

“Perhaps he didn’t,” Yoel offered, “at least not CONSCIOUSLY.”

“Ahah,” Ephraim exclaimed, as if uncovering an important clue. “You refer to the Midrash that says that Eliezer had wrongly hoped that his OWN daughter would be able to marry Yitzchak…”

Yoel cut in, “but couldn’t because Eliezer descended from Canaan, who had been cursed by Noach, and someone who is cursed cannot marry someone who has been blessed.” 

“But, the Shalsheles tells us,” Ephraim cut back in, “that this did not mean that Eliezer was no longer disappointed, at least on SOME level, and therefore subconsciously hesitant to find another match for Yitzchak…”

“Exactly,” Yoel said, “and YET…and this is the IMPORTANT part, he STILL carried out his mission scrupulously.”

“Nicccccce,” Ephraim said. 

They both took a short breather.

“That’s TWO,” said Ephraim. “What about the third?”

“Like Lot’s,” Yoel told him. 

This time it was Ephraim’s turn. “You mean, ‘vayamaiAIaiAIaiAIain.’

“Yup, that’s the one…when Yosef is trying to refuse the advances of his master’s wife. From the Torah it looks as if Yosef realized the danger of the situation immediately, and then hightailed it out of there right away like any tzaddik would. The Shalsheles however tells us otherwise, that he had to battle himself to refuse her.”

“Ya, well,” Ephraim interjected, “that whole episode is a story unto itself, especially given what the Gemora has to say about it…”

“Then there is the fourth and final Shelsheles, in this week’s parsha.” Since Yoel still had the Tikun open to the proper page, he lained the entire posuk, “‘He slaughtered it…’” Then he looked at Ephraim and said, “Moshe Rabbeinu was initiating Aharon HaKohen and his sons into the service of God. What hesitation could he possibly have had, on ANY level? It had to be one of the most joyous occasions, not to mention that they were not only the first kohanim, but his own brothers and nephews! It had to be a happy day for ALL of them!”

Ephraim just sat there, smiling.

“Judging by that smile, you obviously have an answer.”

“I do,” Ephraim said. “But to be totally honest, it is not my own. I heard it from a drash given at my shul a couple of years ago, by someone who had also asked your question.”

“So what did he say?”

“The answer is actually in a Rashi in an earlier parsha…Parashas Tetzaveh…”

“Tetzaveh? Rashi?”

“May I?” Ephraim asked, signaling that he wanted to use the Tikun for a moment.

“All yours,” Yoel said, passing it to him.

Ephraim flipped through the pages, back to Parashas Tetzaveh, and locating the verse he wanted, he read the Hebrew.

“‘It shall be a continual burnt offering for your generations, at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting before God, where I will arrange meetings with you, to speak to you there. There I will arrange meetings with the Children of Israel, and it will be sanctified by My glory.’ So, on the second verse Rashi brings the Midrash which says: ‘Do not read “bichvodi—My glory,” but ‘bimchubadi—My honored ones.’ The Midrash says that God hinted to Moshe here about the future death of Aharon’s sons, on the day the Mishkan would finally be assembled. This is what Moshe meant when he said, in NEXT week’s parsha…”

Now he flipped ahead to Parashas Shemini, and finding the posuk, he read it, and explained it, “That’s what Moshe Rabbeinu told Aharon HaKohen after Nadav and Avinu died in next week’s parsha. He said that God had already alluded to their deaths back in Parashas Tetzaveh. He said that He would be sanctified by those close to Him, except that Moshe Rabbeinu had thought, at the time, that the sanctification would come through his and Aharon’s death, not Nadav’s and Avihu’s death.”

“Rightttt,” Yoel recalled.

“So,” Ephraim said, “let me ask you a question. If you were shechting the animal that was part of an initiation process that you had been forewarned was going to lead to your death, and the death of the your beloved brother…”

“Which you knew,” Yoel added, “would have an incredibly NEGATIVE impact on your nation at one of the most IMPORTANT moments in history…”

“Also true,” Ephraim agreed, “would it not impact you on SOME level?”

“I would HOPE so!” Yoel said.

“Well,” Ephraim continued, “your Shalsheles reveals that it DID impact Moshe Rabbeinu, and gave him pause to think…”

“And YET…” Yoel started to say.

“And YET,” Ephraim finished, “Moshe did his job EXACTLY as commanded, without the slightest hint to anyone else about what he knew, and as if everything was going to unfold in the happiest of ways!”

Yoel whistled, indicating that he was impressed. The smile on his face showed just how pleased he was to have unraveled an ongoing mystery, and he let Ephraim know it. Then he joked, “It can pay to be annoying…”

“Sometimes,” Ephraim jumped in, smiling.

“I’m sorry about that Tosfos,” Yoel said, realizing how much time the entire exchange had taken up.

“Me too,” Ephraim bemoaned. “But it’s not every day that you meet a nice guy and make a new friend. I can probably make up the time somewhere else, but you can’t always do the same with a new friend.”

Yoel was deeply touched, and after shaking Ephraim’s hands and exchanging numbers, he looked forward to what could only become a long and close relationship. Ephraim too, and years later, it was clear that they had been right.

BOOK SHOWCASE

Purim Lite: A “lite” look at the holiday of Purim

Yes, it is a play on the word. Purim is a holiday of light, GREAT light, but not everyone has the patience to read “Redemption to Redemption,” so I created a lighter version of the book. BUT, I have also seen a lot more on the topic since completing “Redemption,” so “Purim Lite” is also an update. 

So far, it is only available in PDF format through the thirtysix.org Online site. It makes important reading if you want to get out of Purim what it has to give.

Rabbi Kahane – Purim and Shabbat Tzav

BS”D 

Parashat Tzav – Purim 5779

Rabbi Nachman Kahana

Who is the Third Amalek?

The Gemara (Megila 7a) tells of Esther’s request that the miraculous salvation of the Jewish people and the events leading up to it be included in the TaNaCh (Bible) as its 24th book, to be an everlasting remembrance of HaShem’s intervention for the Jewish nation in our miraculous victory over the forces of Amalek.

The rabbis rejected her request, basing their rejection on a verse in Mishlay (Proverbs 24:20)

הלא כתבתי לך שלישים במועצת ודעת:

Have I not written three sayings for you, sayings of counsel and knowledge?

The rabbis explained to Esther that this verse is the basis of our oral tradition that Amalek may not be mentioned in the TaNaCh* more than three times, and since it already appears three times there is no possibility to include the events of Purim. The three times are: once in parashat Beshalach in the book of Shemot, the second in parshat Ki Taytzay in the book of Devarim, and the third in the Book of Samuel, in the saga of King Shaul.

Eventually, Esther convinced the rabbis that the two victories mentioned in Shemot and Devarim are to be counted as one entry, since they appear in the Torah; the episode of King Shaul in the book of Shmuel as the second entry which appears in the Nevi’im (prophets); and the victory over Haman as the third which appears in the Ketuvim.

*TaNaCh is an acronym of the first Hebrew letter of each of the three Torah subdivisions: Torah [Five Books of Moshe] Nevi’im [Prophets] and Ketuvim [Writings].

The rabbis agreed; so today we have Megilat Esther as the 24th book of the TaNaCH.

The Gemara does not elaborate on the tradition stated by Melech Shlomo that Amalek may be written in the TaNaCh, because herein lies the hermetically sealed secret of how the final redemption will come about, and when.

I would like to share my thoughts on what is behind this tradition, with the hope that they will be verified in the very near future.

My premise is that the three appearances of Amalek as recorded in the TaNaCh means that when Amalek will be weakened or defeated three times in a short time frame of under 100 years, the final redemption of Am Yisrael will have arrived.

It has never yet happened in the history of nations that three evil empires fell in a short span of years; since it takes hundreds of years for an empire to develop, to peak, become corrupt and then die.

But it is occurring right now in our generation!

The count began in 1945, when Germany, unmistakably Amalek, was defeated.

Forty-six years later, in 1991, the leaders of the evil Soviet Union, also sons of Amalek, together with their anti-Semitic ideology, were discarded into the trash bin of history.

We can now expect to see the demise of a third Amalek. Who will it be?

Perhaps the Haman of the Koran spinning his hatred from Persia-Iran; or perhaps world Christianity or Islam who view themselves as “replacement” religions of Judaism.

I submit this in full knowledge that, at the end of the day all human calculations could be proven false in the face of what HaShem has in store for us

Fear

The Megila records that Achashverosh permitted the Jews to defend themselves on the 13th of Adar against their murderous neighbors in the 127 areas under the King’s control. On that day, the Jews killed 75,000 of the enemy in the outlying areas. An additional 800 were killed in Shushan, the capital, on the 14th of Adar. In the two days of fighting on the 13th and 14th of Adar 75,800 Persians were killed!

ובכל מדינה ומדינה ובכל עיר ועיר מקום אשר דבר המלך ודתו מגיע שמחה וששון ליהודים משתה ויום טוב ורבים מעמי הארץ מתיהדים כי נפל פחד היהודים עליהם:

And in every state and in every city wherever the King’s decree reached, the Jews were happy and joyful feasting and in celebration, with many of the gentiles drawing close to Judaism because fear of the Jews was upon them

Fear of the Jew is a mighty weapon. It is alluded to in the Song at the Sea (shirat hayam) recited daily in the morning prayer (Shemot 15:14-16)

שמעו עמים ירגזון חיל אחז ישבי פלשת: אז נבהלו אלופי אדום אילי מואב יאחזמו רעד נמגו כל ישבי כנען: תפל עליהם אימתה ופחד בגדל זרועך ידמו כאבן עד יעבר עמך ה’ עד יעבר עם זו קנית

The nations will hear and tremble; anguish will grip the people of Philistia. The chiefs of Edom will be terrified, the leaders of Moav will be seized with trembling, the people of Canaan will melt away. Terror and dread will fall on them. By the power of your arm Eretz Yisrael will be petrified as stone, until your people pass by, LORD, until the people you acquired pass by.

What are the lessons for our time?

Medinat Yisrael was awarded the rare opportunity of “fear of the Jews was upon them”. When we could do no wrong, and the opportunities for a major leap towards our final redemption was in our hands.

It happened in 1967, as a result of the Six Day War. The world, both Jews and Gentiles, were preparing for the devastating, unspeakable destruction of the nascent Jewish State and the annihilation of all its Jewish citizens. Preparations were being made in the US to save the surviving Jewish children; as if there would have been any Jewish children to save had we lost the war. I recall reading that money was collected to erect a great memorial for the gallant State of Israel which is no more!

Israel at that time was small in area and tiny in population. Our army and air force were a mere shadow of what they are today.

The war erupted in the early hours of Monday morning, the 25th of Iyar (June 5th) when Israel made a preemptive attack, destroying the air forces of Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Jordan and Saudia.

The ground war commenced. In 6 days, we liberated Yehuda, Shomron, the Sinai Peninsula, the Golan Heights and Azza. On Wednesday the holy soldiers of Tzahal liberated the Old City and for the first time in 2,000 years the Temple Mount was in our possession. Tzahal, with the aid of HaShem, did more in six days than what Yehoshua Bin Nun had accomplished in seven years!

The world was aghast – as if they had seen a ghost. For indeed we emerged from the grave of history to take our rightful place at the peak of God’s miracles.

During those six days and even a bit later we could have removed the desecration of HaShem’s holy Mount by demolishing the Al Aksa mosque and the golden domed building in the heat of battle, as was suggested by Rabbi Shlomo Goren, but rejected by Moshe Dayan.

And the world would have been silent.

We could have conquered Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt and established pro-Israel puppet governments. And the world would have been silent.

We could have transferred all of the alien peoples from our lands and had a totally Jewish country. And the world would have been silent.

We could have expelled the murderous Arabs of Hevron and other potential threats across the Jordan River. And the world would have been silent.

But we did not do any of these justified acts because we were afraid to act like proper Jews. The ‘fear of the Jews was upon them’ did not register with our leaders.

Today Israel is being accused of war crimes. I admit to one unforgivable omission, when in 1948 and again in 1967 we did not expel all our enemies from the country, including the entire Gaza Strip. This is our crime, for which we, our children and grandchildren might yet have to pay the full price.

We did not learn the lesson of Purim; that when HaShem performs miracles, it is incumbent upon us to advance the opportunities afforded us and proceed with conviction and courage along the path of Jewish redemption.

The Pasuk (verse) says (Devarim 28,10):

וראו כל עמי הארץ כי שם ה’ נקרא עליך ויראו ממך

And all the peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they shall fear you

Rabbi Eliezer the Great explains (Berachot 6a) that the object that will instill fear in the hearts of our enemies is tefillin (phylacteries) placed on one’s head.

The opportunity for ‘fear of the Jews was upon them’ will again present itself.

In view of the political and security experiences of the last years, and the religious awakening, I am confident that we will know how to seize the next opportunity to sanctify HaShem’s holy name in Eretz Yisrael.

While in the Purim mode, I would like to conclude with a light story with a serious message.

An Arab once entered a bank in Yerushalayim, just as the automatic mechanism closed the safe. In reply to his demand to receive some cash, the teller told him that the safe could not be opened until eight o’clock the following morning. The Arab became very nasty, even threatening the life of the teller. At this point, the manager approached the Arab, picked him up, and threw him out.

While the Arab was nursing his wounds, the teller approached him saying: “Didn’t I tell you that the safe is closed until tomorrow morning?” The Arab turned to the teller and said: “Yes. You told me, but he explained it”.

It is senseless to tell our enemies of the folly of their ways. They will understand only when it is explained to them, in the spirit of “Fear of the Jews was upon them”.

Perplexed?

When the news arrived first in the capital city Shushan, that the Kings had decreed the death sentence on all Jews, the Megila records:

והעיר ששון נפוכה

The City of Shushan is perplexed.

The accepted translations of “nevoch” are perplexed, confused, bewildered. However, I would think that the overriding emotion at the time was fear and trepidation, because every Jew must have felt the cold blade of the knife on their necks; so why the adverb “perplexed” which does not express “fear”?

I submit: Fear certainly gripping the Jews of the 127 regions under Persian control. But the immediate reactions were consternation, confusion and perplexity, caused by the suddenness of the change in their lives.

Until that day, the Jews were faithful, loyal and devoted members of the Persian society. Were they not honored guests at the King’s royal feasts? Didn’t they display their allegiance to the Reign by turning their backs on their Jewish nationality and by partaking of the vessels taken from the Holy Temple in Yerushalayim?

How was it possible that in one moment everything changed, from being fellow citizens totally accepted in Persian society to suddenly becoming enemies of the State who have to be eliminated, in one day – with no appeals?

But it is happening again in Europe. The Jews of Europe who so much seek the good life of the galut, are waking up to a new day where the ground under them is burning. Fear stalks them in their airports, sport arenas, central bus stations, batei knesset, yeshivot and just walking down the street. The fear is beginning to grip the general population within Western Europe and will move very quickly to all of the continent. At some point the Jews will be singled out for bringing the Islamic terror, as irrational as it might sound.

We Jews are very clever people, but most suffer from two faults. They love the galut because of their obsession to be accepted by the goyim, and they are slow learners when it comes to their own survival.

Shabbat Shalom ve’Purim samayach,

Nachman Kahana

Copyright © 5779/2019 Nachman Kahana