Happy Chanukah Little Moishele

Moishele's First Chanukah Candle


Moishe Lights Chanukah Candles from COLlive.com on Vimeo.

"SOMETHING IMPORTANT IS TAKING PLACE IN SHAMAYIM NOW."

I read something just today that helps me to see a little light in this dark tunnel we have just entered.

Divrei Hisorerus* by Harav Moshe Wolfson Shlit"a

"Something important is taking place in Shamayim now. 

Although we do not know what it is -- we are not neviim, 

but we are bnei neviim.

"The Arizal said that before every historic period for 

Klal Yisrael can arrive, a korban of a great tzaddik 

is required to initiate that era.

"The Arizal notes that before the Mishkan could be 

sanctified, Nadav and Avihu had to pass away....

"The Gemara says about the Jewish people that 

'if they are not neviim, they are bnei neviim.' 

Bnei neviim signifies a level lower than actual prophecy, 

in which only the neshama 'sees' the nevuah, 

but the person himself does not ... However, 

although a Jew does not know that he is receiving a nevuah, 

he has a deep-seated feeling that something historic 

is taking place in Shamayim. 

The natural state of a Jew is to be turned in 

to these nevuos -- even though he does not actually realize it.

"The tremendous outpouring of interest and concern displayed by the Jewish community worldwide to the events of the past week is a testament to this."

So, my dear yidden, we are bnei neviim, and we do sense 

something big about to happen. Baruch Hashem for His Wonders.

* 6 Kislev 5769 Hamodia

To President Peres

Please allow me the following. I took offense to a Haaretz online news article that quoted you as saying:

"Peres: Settlers who attack IDF soldiers are attacking all of Israel ... IDF declares Hebron "house of contention"...."

In the wake of the Mumbai massacre, it seems ludicrous to say that ONLY attacking the soldiers is attacking all of Israel. Anyone with eyes to see and ears to hear and a brain to think will realize that attacking ANY SECTOR OF ISRAEL's POPULATION is attacking ALL OF AM YISRAEL!

ALL ISRAELIS are segments of ONE WHOLE. 

We all stood at Sinai together as ONE.

You were there, and I was there, and so were all the citizens of Hebron.

It especially bothers me because at a time when our enemies do not discriminate between who davens where, and who wears what, ALL JEWS are their victims, and some in their particular mindset are fostering distance between Jews in the midst of such a sad and tearful time.

A very blatant lesson for all of us to learn and take to heart is that this war against the Jews has changed and I would say has accelerated. The enemy is creeping out of its Pakistani caves and is stepping up its modus operandi, which is not more openly the blatant expression of EVIL vs GOOD.

Rav Moshe Wolfson Shlita, Mashgiach of Mesivta Torah VoDaas and Rav of Beis Medrash Emunas Yisroel (in Brooklyn) addressed the topic of the terror in Mumbai. In part, he said:

"The Arizal said that before every historic period for Klal Yisrael can arrive, a korban of a great tzaddik is required to initiate that era." [an article on his Divrei Hisorerus appeared in the 6 Kislev edition of Hamodia. I highly recommend getting a copy of this edition and reading it's entirety.]

(Forgive me the comparison, but) The atrocities the Mumbai animals* visited upon the Holtzbergs and the other Kedoshim is not even reminiscent of the Nazis. (the *animals were on drugs to spur them on)

Don't you see it; can't you see the reality?

The derech that the Government is on is so distorted that it announces to the world that its members are blinded to the Jewish reality. They should be standing up for ALL ISRAELIS, to allow them to live anywhere on the Holy Land of Eretz HaKodesh. You should know that it's a Biblical yerusha to Am Yisrael, and the terrorists are the modern-day amalekites that wish only to destroy cv's all Good in the world. It is as clear as the light of day.

Once they get hold of Yehuda and Shomron, they will next direct their violence to the remaining Land that Israelis live on. That too is blatantly obvious to anyone with eyes to see. 

The world will not love Israel for its present approach. Anyone who believes this is (excuse me) deranged/ blinded to reality. It never was, is not now, and NEVER will be such a thing as capitulation being the moral choice. This approach is a dead-end trail.

What in the World are we going to do?

We need to be a little rational about this, but the simanim (hints, signs) are increasing and unceasing in scope. 

What would you do if the American economy went bankrupt?

Do you realize what that would mean?

Do you think the IMF* would be able to bail us out?

Or could we just keep on going in a very limited way, like other countries 

who have defaulted on their loans, limping with a crippled economy?

Think about it, and then send in your comments.

* International Monetary Fund

COMING HOME WITH EMPTY POCKETS

Is this a view of the coming days?

Yordim Looking to Come Home [with empty pockets]

Israeli diplomatic offices in No America indicate an increase of yordim requesting FUNDING FOR AN AIRPLANE TICKET HOME!

For the full story visit http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/General=News/26380/'Yordim'+Looking=to=Come=Home=[With=Empty=Pockets].html

OH, JUST STUFF IT!

Don't you feel it?

The world is getting so crowded, crowded by too much STUFF, too much clothing being made by 100's of people sitting in a hot-stuffy room somewhere overseas, too much clothing being sold that there needs to be sales every week just to get rid of the STUFF. 

And then there's the food chain, just so much STUFF for all the 'right' people, but some countries just don't get it. Hashem provides food for the whole world but some leaders just don't get it. Here too, we have fast food, ethnic food, organic food, food practically on every corner, but still some don't have???  They give us incentives to buy the STUFF, like coops, farmer's markets, buying clubs, I mean who wants to buy retail-made-in-the-usa anymore? But the poor people have to beg and steal to get their hands on more STUFF. 

But wait, some stuff-buyers have all that STUFF d.e.l.i.v.e.r.e.d. to their homes! By whom?By all those new-people who came here just to get their hands on some STUFF too! But when they see what WE buy, their envy, jealousy, are aroused because they want more of this STUFF too!  And if they can't get it, they come in the middle of the morning, day, or nite, and barge into your home to steal YOUR STUFF so it can become THEIR STUFF!

Now, doesn't that make your head swirl!

Yes, we are inundated with STUFF. Why even email started out simply, well, just simple, to help you keep in touch and do some shopping for all that STUFF. But nothing stays the same, and before you can get that finger on the mouse again, the email/internet (shhh!) programs get STUFFED with all those extras, like

Chat,

labels,

twitter,

translate,

pay-up-pal,

i-Video,

iChat,

You-Tube,

MP3's and 4's,

basic HTML,

And what about all that ENHANCED mail that

talks,

wears wallpaper, 

displays pictures,

changes colors

& fonts

and even has its own stationary.

Yes, we are inundated with STUFF, till it's coming out of our ears.

Why even the Earth is becoming crowded with STUFF. Why the other day a multi-million dollar cargo liner STUFFED with that precious arabic liquid gold was pulled off-course by some pirate STUFF-HUNTERS. Boy did they make it BIG with that STUFF. So you sea, even the oceans are full of STUFF–HUNTERS. 

I guess they didn't hear about 

Macy's One.Day.All.The.STUFF.You.Can.Buy.Sales?

So, if you decide to give-up on email and just rely on the good-old telephone, boy have you a big surprise waiting for you. There are so many phones to choose from you need to hire a STUFF CONSULTANT to assess your needs and daily lifestyle, your yearly salary, and just how quickly you can keep up with the varying ring-tones, let alone remember who's ring belongs to who! Not to mention the bill-collectors -- they need a VERY SPECIAL ring-tone indeed -- then there are the

color phones,

color backspashes,

color keys,

and then wireless,

internet portals....

Portals? What are these? 

They are the holes in the back of your NEW phone to plug in more STUFF!

I mean, what family would be without a phone, email, computer, fax, photo printer, garbage compactor ...... yes, this is actually the MOST important item for our NEW lifestsysles, 

because it squeezes all that STUFF into the size of a postage stamp

and then

you

can

MAIL IT to OBLIVION

PS I'm so sorry:

if I forgot some of the STUFF filling your life; you can always send me your list and I'll include it in a revised copy!

Rosh Chodesh Elul

FROM Elul 5688 . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . to Elul 5768

The difference between Gan Eden and Gehenom is . . . . one second!


The Mashgiach Rabbeinu Yechezkel Levenstein zt”l urged the talmidim to accomplish all they could in Elul, regardless of their spiritual level.

Therefore, Am Yisrael, let us make a heartfelt teshuva this year and forgive our fellow Jews of any and all pain inflicted by them upon us, and try to remember that, That nasty yetzer hara / sitra achra is creeping into every area of our lives - this is where the fight should be!!!



From Reb Chatzkel: Guardian of Torah and Mussar, Mesorah Publications, pp. 192-193, as read in the Parshas Re’eh edition of Yated Ne’eman.

An Update: Our Friendly Little Bees - World Water Crisis

Government Plunder of the Week:

EPA Sued for Bee Colony Collapse Cover-Up

Over the past two years, beekeepers have reported an
alarming and potentially catastrophic loss of bees from
their hives ranging anywhere from 30-90 percent. This
"Colony Collapse Disorder" (CCD) isn't just a problem
for beekeepers and farmers, but for consumers as well,
since bee pollination is essential for crop production.
The USDA claims that one out of every three mouthfuls
of food is dependant on bee pollination.

Experts have been researching CCD and have linked the
die-off to a number of likely culprits.

One of the likely killers is a new pesticide, clothianidin,
approved by the EPA in 2003. Germany and France
have banned this type of pesticide to protect their
bee population. In the U.S., clothianidin was approved
after Bayer CropScience, the chemical's maker, submitted
required studies to the EPA regarding the chemical's
impact on bees and the environment. Now the EPA is
suspiciously and illegally refusing to release these public
documents. To expose this cover-up and hopefully to
save the bees, last week the Natural Resources Defense
Council filed a lawsuit against the agency.


* * * * * * * * *

A Little Country in the middle of the Middle East
that has a scarce water supply, and uses drip-irrigation
to feed all its citizens, with a profitable export business
to Europe will be happy to help the rest of the world
wade through the possible water shortages anticipated:

STOCKHOLM, Aug 22 (IPS) - A spectre is haunting the cities
and villages of most developing nations, warns a senior official
of a World Bank-affiliated organisation. [...] Colin Chartres,
director general of the International Water Management
Institute (IWMI) said the causes of water scarcity are essentially
identical to those of the food crisis. [...] He pointed out that
current estimates indicate the world will not have enough
water to feed itself in 40 years time, "by when the current
food crisis may turn into a perpetual crisis.”

International Jewish Blogging Conference in Jerusalem

Reb Akiva from Mystical Paths is live blogging and posting photos.
If you're not hooked up live to the conference, head over to

Mystical Paths for an on the spot report.

Gee, this Is..raellyCool seeing all the Jew[licio]us bloggers
together discussing the Israel..i.. Matzav and
sharing their blogging experiences.

I know, a bit korny, but couldn't resist it.

You can tell everyone there from me that without bloggers,
"We the people..." would have no reliable, earthy, honest, informative,
very interesting, issue tackling form of communication to
dissect and deal with the rapidly changing world events
vis-a-vis the place for every Jew in the world.

IY"H we will see the final ingathering of our people
in our Land, the Holy Eretz HaKodesh, soon, as we
have been already alerted by the Chofetz Chaim zt'l in a
dream (twice) to Rav Zohn Shlita that the Geulah is very
near and we must prepare.

And on Sunday, September 21, at the Nassau Colloseum
Rav Amnon Yitzhak Shlita will be addressing everyone
still in chutz l'aretz what to do in preparation.
To get your tickets visit Rav Amnon

And if you STILL need some convincing to make your
home in Eretz HaKodesh, here is some solid evidence.


Thank you Akiva for linking us all together.

PREPARE ... PLEASE ... TO MOVE TO ERETZ YISRAEL!

THEY MET WITH MOSHIACH. . .

"At the kever of the Baal Shem Tov, they met with Moshiach. They were told to prepare for the Geulah, and specific failings in their communities to rectify. Moshiach gave each attendee a blessing, and nisim (miracles) were literally seen _on the spot_.

Moshiach indicated he was going to the simple souls who needed to be gathered up in the time remaining. He was not going to the mainstream religious communities, as they were not open to him. He would not be heard from again until ..."

For the full story, visit:

Mystical Paths

MOSHIACH IS WATCHING US . . .

"...the Tzaddik agreed to speak ... and revealed a few things:

* All Jews in the Diaspora should begin preparing returning to Eretz Israel - the latest possible date to return to Israel is Rosh Chodesh Sivan, 5769. Those that will not return by that date, will "miss the boat."

* Every Jew should make an effort to purchase land in Eretz Israel, even the smallest piece of land.

* Men should set times to learn Torah because only the quantity of hours that a person learns Torah is accounted for in Shamayim. If a person learns 45 minutes of Torah a day, by the end of the week, Shamayim considered his living time only 2 and half hours. In other words, Shamayim (Heaven), counts only the 'living time' when a person learns Torah. The rest of the time when a person is without Torah is called in Shamayim "non-living".

*Women do not have the obligation of learning Torah. A woman's main obligations are the three Mitzvot of CHaNA: Laws of separating Challa; Family Purity; and lighting Shabbat and Holiday candles. Besides all the rewards women receives for preparing for Shabbat, the shopping, cleaning, cooking, washing dishes, feeding the family, etc. women receive full credit of the 25 hours of Shabbat as if she's learning Torah.

For the full article, visit:

Dreaming

Arutz Sheva has even quoted The Yeshiva World:

AMAZING THINGS OCCURRING IN THE ERA PRECEDING MOSHIACH's ARRIVAL

The Israeli secular community does not really know what to make of the new trend, but Baruch Hashem, many kibbutzim and other secular communities around Israel are requesting a shul and mikve, the very same communities that have lived for decades without the holy structures.

This year, dozens of shuls and mikvas have been constructed in secular communities and it appears the trend is gaining momentum. 50% of requests given to the Ministry of Religious Services have come from secular kibbutzim and moshavim. Permits were given to construct 37 new mikvas, and in some cases, in totally secular areas including Kinneret Rotem, Kfar Vardim, Tzur Yitzchak, Tal El and N’vei Ziv. The ministry permitted the construction of shuls in 79 communities, 80% in totally secular communities including Kibbutz Ashdod Yaakov Ichud, Gan Ner, Kibbutz Gezer, Kfar HaNaggid, and Karmei Yosef.

“Undoubtedly, there is a new trend in Israel. A growing number of Israelis are more open and more in need of religious services. This is a record-breaking number of requests from the staunch secular community.”

The leaders of the national kibbutz movement confirm the number in the report, adding the overwhelming number of kibbutz residents are indeed secular. They add today, there is more pluralism today and less homogeny. They confirm there appears to be a growing interest in returning to “traditionalism” and prayer.

AND HELPING THEM TO SORT THINGS OUT IS

Rosh Yehudi

Rosh Yehudi (english)

"Rosh Yehudi was established by a group of educators who have accumulated practical experience in a variety of fields, in response to the acute thirst that has evidently arisen among that sector of the Israeli public that calls itself "secular", to study Judaism..."

"This thirst has amplified over the years..."


WHY, EVEN IRGUN SHIURAI TORAH, IS GETTING IN THE MOOD

Wednesday, July 30, a notable Rabbi gave an entire one hour shiur
(which he condensed down from 9 hours), entitled,

SETTLING IN ERETZ YISROEL

To hear the tape of Rabbi Yosef Viener, Shlita,
call Irgun Shiurai Torah Tape Center at 718.851.8651
[I'd love to hear the other 8 hours ]

BLUEBERRY ICE CREAM ON THE “ENDANGERED FLAVOR LIST”

IF THERE ARE NO BEES . . .

"If there are no bees,
there is no way for our nation's farmers
to continue to grow the high quality,
nutritious foods our country relies on" …
"This is a crisis we cannot afford to ignore."

Democratic Rep. Dennis Cardoza of California,
Chairman, Horticulture and Organic Agriculture Panel.

* * * * *

Haagen-Dazs has developed a new limited-time flavor,
Vanilla Honey Bee, to help fund research on the disorder.

Burt's Bees has introduced Colony Collapse Disorder Lip Balm
to "soften your lips while saving honeybees."

* * * * *

WASHINGTON - Food prices could rise even more unless the mysterious decline in honey bees is solved, farmers and businessmen told lawmakers Thursday.

"No bees, no crops," North Carolina grower Robert D. Edwards told a House Agriculture subcommittee. Edwards said he had to cut his cucumber acreage in half because of the lack of bees available to rent.

About three-quarters of flowering plants rely on birds, bees and other pollinators to help them reproduce. Bee pollination is responsible for $15 billion annually in crop value.

In 2006, beekeepers began reporting losing 30 percent to 90 percent of their hives. This phenomenon has become known as Colony Collapse Disorder. Scientists do not know how many bees have died; beekeepers have lost 36 percent of their managed colonies this year. It was 31 percent for 2007, said Edward B. Knipling, administrator of the Agriculture Department's Agricultural Research Service.

"If there are no bees, there is no way for our nation's farmers to continue to grow the high quality, nutritious foods our country relies on," said Democratic Rep. Dennis Cardoza of California, chairman of the horticulture and organic agriculture panel. "This is a crisis we cannot afford to ignore."

Food prices have gone up 83 percent in three years, according to the World Bank.

Edward R. Flanagan, who raises blueberries in Milbridge, Maine, said he could be forced to increase prices tenfold or go out of business without the beekeeping industry. "Every one of those berries owes its existence to the crazy, neurotic dancing of a honey bee from flower to flower," he said.

The cause behind the disorder remains unknown. Possible explanations include pesticides; a new parasite or pathogen; and the combination of immune-suppressing stresses such as poor nutrition, limited or contaminated water supplies and the need to move bees long distances for pollination.

Ice cream maker Haagen-Dazs and natural personal care products company Burt's Bees have pledged money for research and begun efforts to help save the bees.

The problem affects about 40 percent of Haagen-Dazs' 73 flavors, including banana split and chocolate peanut butter, because ingredients such as almonds, cherries and strawberries rely on honey bees for pollination.

Katty Pien, brand director for Haagen-Dazs, said those ingredients could become too scarce or expensive if bees keep dying. It could force the company to discontinue some of its most popular flavors, Pien said.

Haagen-Dazs has developed a new limited-time flavor, vanilla honey bee, and will use some of the proceeds for research on the disorder. Burt's Bees has introduced Colony Collapse Disorder Lip Balm to "soften your lips while saving honeybees."

The House Appropriations Committee approved $780,000 on Thursday for research on the disorder and $10 million for bee research. The money awaits approval by the full House and Senate.

STEPHANIE S. GARLOW, AP Writer

article here

The Flight of the BumbleBees … Are we too far behind them?

Decision-Making, Risk-Taking Similar in Bees and Humans

Most people think before making decisions. As it turns out, so do bees.

In this week's issue of Nature, Israeli researchers show that when making decisions, people and bees alike are more likely to gamble on risky courses of action - rather than taking a safer option - when the differences between the various possible outcomes are easily distinguishable. When the outcomes are difficult to discern, however, both groups are far more likely to select the safer option - even if the actual probabilities of success have not changed.

The findings by researchers at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Tel Aviv University and the Hebrew University help shed light on why people are inclined to choose certainty when differences between potential outcomes - such as paybacks when gambling or returns on financial investments - are difficult to discern.

In tests with 50 college students, subjects chose between two unmarked computer buttons. Pushing one of the buttons resulted in a payoff of 3 credits with 100% certainty, while pushing the other led to a payoff of 4 credits with an 80% certainty - though participants only learned these payoffs through trial and error as they flashed on screen. Test subjects were required to make 400 such decisions each, and tended to choose the risky strategy when payoffs were represented as simple numbers (i.e. "3 credits" and "4 credits"). The results were similar when the numerals 3 and 4 were replaced with easily distinguishable clouds of 30 and 60 dots. But when the numerals were replaced with clouds of 30 or 40 dots - making it much more difficult to distinguish between the two - subjects veered towards the more certain outcome.

The researchers subjected honeybees to similar trials, using the bees' sense of smell and 2 µl drops of sugar solution payoffs of varying concentrations. The researchers first tested the bees with payoffs for risky and safe alternatives at 10% and 5% sugar concentrations, respectively. In a second experiment, the payoffs were a less-easy-to-discriminate-between 6.7% and 5%, and in a third experiment, the payoff in both alternatives was 6.7%. Bees were required to make 32 such decisions, and were given a choice between two smells, each presented twice for one-second each, in an alternating sequence. The bees tended towards the risky strategy only when their choice was easily discernable, paralleling their human counterparts.

According to Professor Ido Erev of the Technion Faculty of Industrial Engineering and Management, some practical implications of this research can be seen in an analysis of the values placed on rule enforcement in the workplace. The results, he said, suggest that: (1) consistent and constant rule enforcement is necessary, since workers are more likely to ignore risks - if they have done so before without punishment; (2) workers are likely to be supportive of enforcement, since they initially plan to obey many of the rules (wearing safety goggles, for instance) they end up violating; and (3) severe penalties that are not always enforced are not likely to be effective, but gentle, consistently enforced rewards and punishments can be.

"The similar responses by humans and bees demonstrates that this decision-making process happens very early in evolution," said Erev. "The results suggest that this is a very basic phenomenon shared by many different animals."

The Technion-Israel Institute of Technology is Israel's leading science and technology university. Home to the country's winners of the Nobel Prize in science, it commands a worldwide reputation for its pioneering work in nanotechnology, computer science, biotechnology, water-resource management, materials engineering, aerospace and medicine. The majority of the founders and managers of Israel's high-tech companies are alumni. Based in New York City, the American Technion Society (ATS) is the leading American organization supporting higher education in Israel, with 22 offices around the country.
Contact: Kevin Hattori (212) 407-6319

"I have a feeling that just like before World War II ..."

Hisorerus from Rav Chaim Stein Shlita

Based on remarks of the Rosh Yeshiva in Yeshivas Telshe-Cleveland
(as appeared in Yated 25 Iyar 5768, p42):

I have a strong feeling to give us inspiration for strengthening ourselves. There are things that we all know, but for those of us who went through World War II, we have a different feeling to the current situation.

The year 5693 was when Hitler yimach shemo came to power, beginning the destruction of Europe. Prior to those years the Jews in Germany lived a great life in every way possible, and no one could imagine that such destruction could ever happen.

Rav Meir Simcha of Dvinsk, the author of the Sefer Meshech Chochma (5623), was nifter in 5686 at a point when golus was very good. He writes (Behukosai) that the situation of Klal Yisroel, for whatever reason, can go for many years in peace and tranquility and then, suddenly, Hashem destroys it all. Rav Meir Simcha warns that we have to constantly think about it. During the good times, people think that Berlin, Germany, is just as great as Yerushalayim, but then Hashem brings a wind that destroys everything. Rav Meir Simcha wrote this at a time when everything was going well for the Yidden in Germany.

What was the point of writing this?

The posuk says, “al tivtichu binedivim.” Don’t put your trust in any one government. Instead, one must trust Hashem, for He can change everything.

Whenever I look at this Meshech Chochma, it reminds me that, although it’s not a crime to be in a good golus, one must always remember that this is not what Klal Yisroel is supposed to look like. Chas veshalom, I don’t mean to predict bad things to happen to Klal Yisroel. Still, we should be aware that, even in America, where the golus is a lot better than the other golusim, Hashem can turn things around. Chas veshalom, I don’t mean to be tiftach peh leSoton, but a person cannot even imagine how things can go unpleasant for the Yidden in Today’s day and age.

We have to realize that Hashem can do anything.

From the current events, we can see that Hashem runs everything in the world. Don’t forget the dangers that Klal Yisroel can be going through. We should not put our trust in anyone, not even the government.

Again, I don’t mean to predict anything, but we can see a downfall in America, especially at a time when a person whose name is Hussein and with such a background can be elected as president! Of course, with Hashem’s help, nothing bad will come out of it, but Hashem is showing us that we should realize what could happen. Therefore, we have to wake ourselves up to think differently.

The Medrash Tanchuma (Toldos 5) states that Klal Yisroel said to Hashem, “Look how the nations want to destroy us. The governments of the world do no other work except for sitting and plotting to destroy Klal Yisroel.” Hashem responded, “what do the nations gain? They make plans to destroy Klal Yisroel, but I stamp out those plans.”

The Medrash continues: Adriyanus said to Rabi Yehoshua, “The sheep is so great that it can stand between seventy wolves and they cannot destroy it!” Rabi Yehoshua replied, “The sheep is not what’s great; rather, the shepherd is great for he protects the sheep.”
Adriyanus was saying that the sheep which is Klal Yisroel, is so great, for it stands against seventy nations that want to destroy it. Rabi Yehoshua replied that Hashem is the one Who protects us. This is not an exaggeration. If not for Hashem, the seventy wolves would have destroyed us.

Once more, I’ll repeat that I have a feeling that just like before World War II no one could imagine that there would be such hatred, so too, nowadays, no one can imagine such a thing. However, we have to realize that Hashem is the one Who protects us.

The Gemara (Sanhedrin 98b) relates that the talmidim asked Rabi Eliezer “What should a person do to be saved from the birth pangs of Moshiach?”

He answered, “One should occupy himself with Torah and chesed and that merit will stand for him for many generations to come.”

* * * * *

There is no comment on the above, except that I write this
as I gaze out my window at the sunny stillness that
permeates this Sunday afternoon.

Perhaps our people also saw such a peaceful afternoon one Sunday in 1942?


PS: Please read, Autistic Message: From Slavery to Freedom
from May 29 at

DREAMING OF MOSHIACH

Yom Yerushalayim

B"H

Not a day goes by that I do not think about my love, Yerushalayim.
Thoughts of the stones, the sky, the air, the ancient buildings,
thoughts of night-times spent gazing at the deep blue above with its white twinkling stars,
pictures in my mind of the special beauty,
pictures of the morning dew on struggling blades of green,
the smell of the first rains after davening for them,
the hustle bustle of its children on their errands,
to and from school,
and the older children of Hashem that also cherish the specialness,
with a sigh, I sigh, hoping and waiting
until I am reunited with my love, Yerushalayim.

President Bush's Knesset Speech

This was Bilaam all over again, Blessing our People's creation and purpose in the world. As a religious man, Pres Bush was speaking from the heart. He knew it was an historic opportunity, and it seems he heeded the Rabbis letter of warning to him. B"H Pres Bush allowed that aspect of him that is genuine and humble to guide him here.

There were parts of his speech that were undoubtedly prophetic, and portions that were just plain "Bush" (concealing political innuendos).

It was truly amazing to witness a modern-day king (although some dispute this) open his mouth, Bless our people, our purpose to the world, and what should be important to us. Surely, Hashem put those words out for all of us to hear and to take to heart.

We have once again been given a directive from Hashem to live up to.
Bless Hashem for allowing us to see/hear/read this again.

Footnote: I wrote to some of my friends that I thought he sounded like Bilaam, and Hashem was speaking to us from the mouth of Pres Bush. I did not receive any comments back, in agreement or in disagreement. I wonder if they felt the same, but will never know.

However just this Shabbos I read a statement made by Jack Engelhard, from Israel National News, that went like this:

"The Arab leadership dismissed the speech as a betrayal and speaking for them was Yossi Beilin, who cited the speech as a "shame and a scandal." Beilin would havepreferred Bush to curse Israel, like the Balak of Scriptures, but instead

BUSH BLESSED ISRAEL LIKE BILAAM [my emphasis]

who could not helphimself but heap praise ...."


So, I guess there was someone else out there that saw what I saw.

Crumbling Stones Making Room for Beit Shlishi ?

Sir Moses' Kotel Stones Crumbling and Muslim Cleric Rebelling

In a somewhat confusing statement, Kosel Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitch on Monday announced some of the Kosel stones, the 19th century stones funded by Sir Moses Montefiore, are loose.

The rabbi’s statements came a short time after maintenance work was done on the Kosel ahead of Pesach, at which time the ‘all clear’ signal was given regarding the integrity of the stones.

Nevertheless, it now appears some of the stones are in danger of crumbling, falling out of place, but engineers report the danger is not imminent and there is no fear regarding the upcoming yom tov.

While the stones may not be removed to make repairs, scaffolding will be built and according to Sephardic Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar, Jews only will work on the repairs and only workers who have gone to mikve prior to beginning their day’s work.

Repair work is expected to begin after Pesach, in the hope it will be completed well ahead of the next rain season.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel April 15, 2008)

From comments:
The Jpost is reporting that the top Muslim cleric in Jerusalem, Mohammed Hussein, says the wall is a part of the attached Al Aqsa mosque. He warned that any Israel action there would be seen as aggression.

* * * * *
Well, maybe we should just let "nature" (Hashem) take its course and maybe the Beit Shlishi will rise up!

WE HAVE NEVER BEEN BETTER OFF!

WE HAVE NEVER BEEN BETTER OFF!
It's only TV and the media
That make people think
That the end of our world is coming.

Only 68+ years ago,
They were leading Jews to their death
Like sheep to the slaughter!
No Country, No Army. 60 years ago!

Seven Arab countries declared war
On the small Jewish State,
Only a few hours old!

We were then 650,000 Jews!
Against the rest of the Arab world!
No IDF [Israel Defense Force].
No mighty Air Force,
Just tough people
With nowhere to go.
Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Egypt, Libya, Saudi Arabia, attacked all at once.
The country the UN "gave us"
Was 65% desert.
The country started from scratch!

41 years ago! We fought
The three strongest armies in the Middle East,
And wiped them out in six days

We fought against
Different coalitions of Arab countries,
With modern armies,
And masses of Soviet Russian weapons,
And we still won!

We have today
A country,
An army,
A strong Air Force,
A Hi-Tech Economy, exporting millions.

Intel - Microsoft - IBM develop their stuff here.

Our doctors win world prizes for medical developments.

We made the desert flourish,
Selling oranges and vegetables to the world.

Israel has sent its own satellite into Space!
Three satellites all together!
We sit proudly,
With the US, with 250 million people,
With Russia, with 200 million people,
With China, with 1.1 billion people,
With the Europeans -- France, England, Germany, with
350 million people,

The only countries in the world
To shoot something into space!

Israel is today in the world nuclear power family
With the US, Russia, China, India, France, and England.
[We don't admit it, but every one knows...]

To think that only 68+ years ago,
We were led,
Shameful,
With no hope,
To our death!

We crawled out of the burning ashes of Europe,
We won our wars here with less than nothing
We built an "empire" out of nothing.

We celebrate Passover
Let's not forget what the story is all about.
We overcame Pharaoh,
We overcame the Greeks,
We overcame the Romans,
We overcame the Inquisition in Spain,
We overcame the Pogroms in Russia,
We overcame Hitler,
We overcame the Germans,
We overcame the Holocaust,
We overcame the armies of the seven Arab countries,
We overcame Saddam.

Take it easy, folks,
We will overcome
The present enemies too.

No matter which part of human history you try!
Think of it,
For us,
The Jewish people,
Our situation has never been better!
So,
Let's Lift our Heads High,
Let's Remember:
Any nation or culture
That tried to mess around with us
Was destroyed -- while we kept going!

Egypt?
Anyone know where their empire disappeared to?
Greeks?
Alexander of Macedonia?
The Romans?
Does anyone today speak Latin?
The Third Reich?
Anyone heard any news about it lately?

And look at us,
The Nation from the Bible,
From Slavery in Egypt,
We are still here,
Speaking the same language!
Right here, right now.

The Arabs don't know it yet,
But, they will learn that there is [only] one G.d.

As long as we keep our identity,
We are eternal.

So, sorry for not worrying,
Not bitching,
Not crying,
Not being scared.
Things are OK here.
They surely could be better,

But still:
They won't tell you
That there are festivals going on,
That people keep on living,
That people are going out,
That people are seeing friends.

Yes, our morale is low,
So what?
It's only because we weep for our dead
While they worship death.

This is the same reason why,
We will win, after all.

The New World Order Revisited

The following is taken straight from Wikipedia:
Please take notice that some of these items we have read about,
witnessed, and appear in our daily news reports.

* * * * *
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_World_Order_(conspiracy)

Inthe new world order, many significant occurrences are caused by a powerful … "New World Order" and its opposition to Orthodox Judaism ...

These are events that some conspiracy theorists claim are pivotal in and related to the establishment of the New World Order.

* In 1903 the Protocols of the Elders of Zion were published in Russia.Scholars generally agree that the Okhrana, the secret police of the RussianEmpire, fabricated the text in the late 1890s or early 1900s.

* In the July 17, 1926 Saturday Evening Post, the term "New World Order"was used for the first time in a popular magazine article to describe thework of Edward M. House in helping to create the League of Nations and helpingto found the Council on Foreign Relations.

* From 1940 until herdeath in 1949, Alice Bailey published various books in which she called Zionisma "triangle of terror" and called for a New World Order in which OrthodoxJudaism no longer existed.

* On January 20, 2005, the currentPresident of the United States, George W. Bush in his inaugural speech said,"When our Founders declared a new order of the ages - they were acting onan ancient hope that is meant to be fulfilled."

* On 17th January2007 during a trip to India and prior to taking office as British Prime Minister,Gordon Brown talked of a New World Order.


"The Open Conspiracy"

H.G.Wells said in his 1940 non-fiction book entitled "The New World Order": "...when the struggle seems to be drifting definitely towards a world socialdemocracy, there may still be very great delays and disappointments beforeit becomes an efficient and beneficent world system. Countless people ...will hate the new world order ... and will die protesting against it. Whenwe attempt to evaluate its promise, we have to bear in mind the distressof a generation or so of malcontents, many of them quite gallant and graceful-lookingpeople." H.G. Wells called his effort to organize prominent intellectualsbehind the idea of establishing a World Government "The Open Conspiracy"(a benevolent one) in his 1928 book of that name.

Council of Foreign Relations theory

Paleo-conservativePatrick J. Buchanan asserts the Council on Foreign Relations (itself allegedto be a front for international bankers, as well as, it is claimed, the inspirationfor the founding of the Bilderberg Group, Trilateral Commission, and WorldTrade Organization) is behind the conspiracy. He claims that the internationalbanking interests are planning to eventually subvert the independence ofthe United States of America by subordinating national sovereignty to theUnited Nations.

Monopolist Planned Economy

This thesis agreeswith the right-wing libertarian opinion who sees a future socialist WorldState as the only way to achieve an Orwellian collectivist oligarchy freedfrom the need to subordinate the world's production to the consumers of afree market economy. The conspiracy would replace it with a monopolist plannedeconomy capable of rationing the resources, converting populations into publicproperty. Their usual image is an egalitarian slavery under a global scientificdictatorship.

Annuit Cœptis Novus Ordo Seclorum

The phrasemeans "New Order of the Ages". Some of those who believe that the Freemasonsare involved in the conspiracy to create a New World Order claim that themotto is inspired by Freemasonry, and is one of the clues to the True Mastersof the World. By circumscribing the 6 pointed hexagram, or Star of David,over the pyramid, 5 of the 6 apices (the 6th being the 'All-seeing eye'),point near letters spelling S-M-O-N-A, which can be rearranged to spell Mason(also monas and moans, as well as the phenome "omans", which possibly couldportend to "omens"). (In Hebrew the word "oman" (plural "omanim") means artisanor skilled labourer, hence the possible reference in the word mason)

The 13 Steps

Advocatesof the theory also cite the 13 steps to ascend the pyramid, and the 72 visibleblocks on the front. The Great US seal is also ascribed as employing heavilymasonic imagery, with many believing the eagle to represent the masonic phoenix.The eagle holds an olive branch with 13 olives and 13 leaves in one claw,and 13 arrows in the other. The recurrence and significance of the number13 is often attributed to its importance in numerology, and also to therebeing 13 degrees in York Rite Freemasonry. The Great Seal's eagle also has32 feathers on the right wing and 33 on left wing (32 and 33 being the twohighest degrees in Scottish Rite Freemasonry).

More conventional thinkersregard the thirteen steps as referring to the thirteen colonies. If the blocksare correctly counted and their number intended, 72 has other mystical meanings:it was sacred to the Egyptians, as Plutarch says; and Persians, Jews andChristians use it as the number of nations on the Earth.

Theories about instances of historical manipulations

*The Federal Reserve Act, designed to regulate bankers, was written on a privateisland off the coast of Georgia in 1910 by bankers representing the JP Morgan,Rockefeller, and Rothschild interests. This allegedly gave the top internationalbankers the power to control and manipulate the United States economy.

* The use of the Patriot Act in the United States (9/11)

*The United States government knew in advance of the attacks on the WorldTrade Center and The Pentagon (9/11), the Bush administration created theattacks as a "legitimate" reason to enter Afghanistan, and later Iraq. Itis also thought that the US may use similar reasoning to invade Iran, Lebanonand other countries in the Middle East as a foothold for the new world order.

George Bush

Thisconspiracy theory alleges that George W Bush will take dictatorship of USand needs four things to be true, assuming 9/11 was a false flag operation:

1. Reinvent martial law to remove Habeas corpus - Military Commissions Act
2. Continuity of government during emergencies, even after term ends, andmake 'executive orders' absolute law - National Security and Homeland SecurityPresidential Directive
3. Another false flag operation to happen so that martial law can be declared
4. An enemy to blame and declare war - Iran or North Korea

If implemented Bush can even disband Congress (legislative branch).


Alleged socio-political changes

Literaturepromoting such conspiracies often contain or presuppose a rich mythologyof occurrences including the following examples of potential fundamentalchanges, typically with a USA-bias :

* "Black helicopters", militiasorganized from a combination of UN troops, paramilitary police forces andthe National Guard; the imposition of martial law; FEMA operated dissidentcamps.
* National and local elections monitored by the UN, with an implication of election rigging.
* The UN assuming the sovereignty and responsibilities of the US government.
* Foreign military troops on US soil for alleged "peacekeeping" or "humanitarian" missions.
* The US constitution replaced by the UN Charter (requiring a redraftingof the charter, since the current form is not sufficiently robust, nor intended,to serve as a document of national basic law).
* UN control of a unified, global economy - Often correlated with Globalization.
* All cash money eliminated; currency or "credit" exchanges made usingmicrochips, implanted or otherwise; See Smart card, VeriChip, the more recentReal ID Act.
* Ubiquitous surveillance of civilians, via cameras and implants.
* The execution, imprisonment, institutionalization, or marginalizationof critics, artists, dissidents, religious figures, etc. as a means of censorshipand control.

Caveat: But the Muslims seem to be disrupting this whole scenario!
They are anti-America and thus anti-New World Order.
If this is not enough, keep your eyes on China.

Scoop of the Century: Bush pre-Historic Third Term

***

The US Department of Justice (DoJ) and the office of the White House Counsel are preparing a draft document laying out the President's wartime authority to remain in office past 2008.

The scheme is described as an emergency "continuity presidency," made necessary by the extraordinary circumstances and unique challenges of protecting the United States from the threat of international terrorism.

"The world changed on 9/11 and no Administration in US history is better suited to adapt productively to those changes than this one.

"The Attorney General supports the basic framework in the White House Counsel's draft proposal for a future Executive Order establishing a Continuity Presidency, with two provisos: 1. There must be at least the appearance of a time limit, which the AG believes might be satisfied by tying the duration of the Continuity Presidency to the duration of the GWOT [global war on terrorism]; and 2. The House and Senate Majority Leaders and the Chairpersons of the House and Senate Judiciary Committees must issue a written certification that they have approved the plan.

"AG does not believe that the plan will succeed unless those conditions can be met. Suggest you liase with [the White House office of] Legislative Affairs and get their sense of the liklihood that the key Members will work with us."

The memo is signed Special Assistant to the United States Attorney General and is addressed to the Special Assistant to White House Counsel.

A second memo leaked to The Register, this time from DoJ Assistant McIntyre to Jock Mahoney, Special Assistant to US Solicitor General Paul Clement, and to Philip Van Zandt at the White House, anticipates an immediate Supreme Court challenge to the scheme, and offers a few suggestions for defending the Administration's action.

"We will be attacked on the basis of Article II Section 1, and on Amendment XXII. Thus it is absolutely crucial that the anticipated Executive Order for a Continuity Presidency make no mention whatsoever of a 'Third Term.' This will eliminate appeals to Amendment XXII, and leave us free to focus our attack on Article II Section 1 alone. Thus, the Executive Order has got to be framed as a necessary - and Congressionally authorized - extension of the President's Second Term, so that we can base our arguments on the Joint Resolution and Article II Section 2.

"Above all, we must emphasize that the 2001 Joint Resolution, in which Congress empowered the President to 'use all necessary and appropriate force ... to prevent any future acts of international terrorism against the United States,' and Article II Section 2 of the United States Constitution, give the President ample authority to issue an Executive Order for a Continuity Presidency for the duration of the GWOT, to exercise fully his mandate to protect the American people from harm.

"We must also press the national security angle hard and emphasize that the United States would be endangered severely by a change of government at this time. America cannot afford to give the terrorists such an opportunity."

Now, this might not seem like much for the Bushies to pin their imperial hopes on, but the White House has already succeeded in expanding the 2001 Joint Resolution, and Article II Section 2 of the Constitution, to include virtually any step, legal and illegal, that the Administration wishes to take in prosecuting the war on terror.

For a recent example we might recall repeated White House and DoJ assertions that the Joint Resolution and Article II Section 2 authorize the President to eavesdrop on US citizens in clear violation of federal law. And neither Congress nor the Supremes have shown any inclination to rein him in.

So, as sketchy as the justification is, if the Congressional leadership and the US Supreme Court should capitulate to Bush, as they have tended to do in the past, it seems possible that he might remain in the White House past the expiration of his second term, as he obviously intends.

The Register contacted the offices of the US Attorney General and the White House Counsel, and both declined to comment. Neither denied the memos, however.

Are they a hoax? We consulted renowned constitutional scholar Bud Jamison, of the prestigious Washington legal firm Horwitz Feinberg & Horwitz, for insight.

"I don't think they're a hoax, but I also don't think that there's anything here for the public to worry about, except the sad comment it makes on the current Administration.

"I think we can assume - even for the sake of argument alone - that there is a draft proposal along these lines circulating. Obviously, we can only speculate about the full content and wording of the proposal, but based on the comments in these memos, I think we can do that fairly productively," Jamison said.

"First, the fact that this proposal is in the works so far in advance of the 2008 elections suggests that real care is being taken, which in turn suggests that President Bush is, for the moment, anyway, quite serious about attempting this coup d'état.

"If it ever becomes public, I suspect we'll find that the proposed executive order will postpone the 2008 elections - citing the exigencies of war - rather than attempt to do battle with Article II Section 1 and the 22nd Amendment.

"But, Constitutionally speaking, Bush hasn't got a leg to stand on. Article II Section 1 states plainly that the president is elected to a four-year term, and the 22nd Amendment states plainly that he can serve only two terms. He's looking for weasel room, and he thinks that merely extending his second term, rather than declaring a third term, will give it to him. He's mistaken.

"I can't imagine even a sympathetic Supreme Court going along with this - although I'll admit that I was surprised when they handed him the Florida election in 2000. Still, what's being proposed here is literally a coup d'état; the Court is not going to sanction it, even if key members of Congress do.

"If you think about what would happen, it quickly becomes a reductio ad absurdum.

"Consider the practical problems: the election might well go on in defiance of the executive order. That might leave Bush no alternative but to declare martial law. He would need support from the military in that case, and I doubt he would get it. Remember, military personnel swear an oath to the Constitution first, and to the President second. Where the two are in conflict, most will consider the Constitution paramount.

"But suppose he were to let the election go on, and merely declare its results invalid, say with another executive order. Even a Republican House is going to impeach him, and even a Republican Senate is going to convict him. He'll be the ex-President in a heartbeat.”

"And suppose he still refuses to leave? The Secret Service might forcibly eject him from the White House when the Senate conviction is handed down. What a gross public humiliation that would be, to be seen kicking and screaming as he's carried from the building. Bush can't risk it, especially with his grandiose personality.

"The best he could hope for is a military faction that would support him and defend the White House third-world-style, but there will certainly be a larger faction that will oppose him. Bush would become a prisoner in the White House, with his little Praetorian Guard. He'd be irrelevant. Congress would take over all of the day-to-day business of running the federal bureaucracy, and cut off money and other supplies to the White House. They'd probably cut the electricity, too.

"So you can see how quickly this becomes absurd. Bush will either finish his second term on schedule, or he'll be out of the White House before his second term expires."

"Bush is so accustomed to having his way, and he exists in such a weird bubble of manufactured reality, that I can picture him believing that his second term could be extended. Still, I'm confident that someone among the gaggle of boot-licking toadies he's surrounded himself with will muster the nerve to sit him down and explain the facts of life.

"This proposal (Loof LIRPA) will never see the light of day. It may take a while for reality to sink in, but once Bush appreciates the potential for grotesque public humiliation that he's courting, he'll kill it.

As for the inevitable political fallout from the leaked memos alone, there is little for Bush to worry about.

"It shows incredibly poor judgment and galling arrogance on the Administration's part, but that's nothing new. And you can be sure that Bush and Cheney have got complete deniability in this little caper," he said.

The five or six people involved will be sacked, and the press will be told that the affair was merely the unauthorized creation of a handful of over-zealous underlings acting on their own. The Republican-controlled Congress will decline to investigate, and the issue will soon be forgotten.

By Thomas C Greene in Washington DC
Published 1 April 2006 in The Register as an April Fool’s Prank
www.theregister.co.uk

OR is it not a prank and really possible for 2008?
Read Wednesday’s post to find out.

Ticking Toxic Time Bomb

* * * * *
Ooops, I dropped the Light Bulb and it Exploded!

Your friendly local electric supplier, after raising the cost of supplying you electricity, suggests that you use ENERGY STAR-qualified compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). Because they use less than 25 percent of the electricity standard bulbs use and last 10 times longer. I guess if the bulbs last longer, they need to charge more!?

'GREEN' LIGHT BULBS PACK TOXIC INGREDIENT

LiveScience Staff Writer Andrea Thompson.

COMPACT FLUORESCENT LIGHT BULBS (CFLs) are widely touted as environmentally friendly, but they have created a recycling headache for the EPA and local governments. More often than not, their toxic ingredients simply end up in landfills, where the chemicals can leach into soil and water and poison fish and other wildlife.

The bulbs contain mercury and should NOT be tossed in the trash like regular light bulbs.

“They’re very efficient, but once they’re used up they become a ticking toxic time bomb," said Leonard Robinson, chief deputy director of the California Department of Toxic Substances Control. "They need to be CAPTURED (?) and recycled." …

“There’s not a lot of options out there for recycling them,” said Joe Dunlop, a program coordinator for the Georgia Department of Community Affairs.

As of Feb. 8, 2006, it is actually illegal for California residents to throw CFLs away.

* * * * *

WHAT HAPPENS TO A BROKEN CFL?

If a CFL should break in your home, the EPA recommends the following:

Before Clean-up: VENTILATE THE ROOM
1. Have people and pets leave the room, and don't let anyone walk through the breakage area on their way out.
2. Open a window and leave the room for 15 minutes or more.
3. Shut off the central forced-air heating/air conditioning system, if you have one.
Visit for more info.


IF YOUR MEDICINE CABINET THERMOMETER BREAKS: on carpet, curtains, upholstery or other absorbent surfaces, these CONTAMINATED ITEMS SHOULD BE THROWN AWAY in accordance with the disposal means outlined below. Only cut and remove the affected portion of the contaminated carpet for disposal.

This is a public life-saving announcement.

LIGHTS OUT! In A Turnabout World

NO MORE ROCKETS!!! NO MORE MISSILES!!

Global Warming and Environmental Concerns are all the rage.
Here’s the latest:

LIGHTS OUT!

ON MARCH 29 at 8 PM - 24 global cities will be participating in Earth Hour . This will be the highlight of a major campaign to encourage cities –- for environmental purposes –- to turn off their lights for one hour.

So far, the following cities have signed on [lightsoutamerica.org] :

Aalborg Aarhus Adelaide Atlanta
Bangkok Brisbane Canberra CHICAGO Copenhagen
Dublin Manila Melbourne MONTREAL Odense
OTTAWA Perth Phoenix San Francisco
Suva and Lautoka Sydney TEL AVIV TORONTO Vancouver

WOW, what a great idea. But I have another GREAT IDEA.

A WORLD MOVEMENT I could join.

NO MORE ROCKETS – NO MORE MISSiLES ON ISRAEL, of course, for environmental purposes... To stop polluting the Middle East skies with all that toxic dust and debris each time a missile lands on people and their homes. Well, since they don't care about Jews, maybe we can get them on the environmental issue?

* * * * *

The Humble Cherry in a Turnabout World

***
FDA Wages War on the Humble Cherry

March 29 is the beginning of the 96th Annual Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington DC.
While these vibrant pink and white blossoms appear, behind closed doors the FDA continues to silence those seeking to publicize the science-backed health benefits of Hashem’s foods.

This brings us to the delicious, juicy Cherry! Cherries are loaded with unique antioxidants and phytochemicals that have been shown in well-designed studies to promote health. In particular, anthocyanins (the redness of the cherries) have been known for their anti-inflammatory properties that have given relief to arthritis and gout sufferers.

In 2005 the FDA sent warning letters to 29 cherry companies demanding they stop publicizing studies supporting the cherries’ health benefits.

IN OTHER WORDS
If a farmer says that cherries help those with arthritis, then a cherry becomes a DRUG, and they must file and gain approval on a New Drug Application. Non-compliance can bring criminal prosecution.

I guess prozac. NSAIDs, viagra, and the other poisons marketed as so-called cures are more wholesome than the humble cherry. The humble cherry grows because Hashem created it that way. No need to search the Amazon Forest and spend millions of dollars and umpteen years to help today’s arthritis and gout sufferers.

* * * * *

Venahapochu Doubled and Redoubled

A Greater Public Alert to be Heard Around the World –
When the next President is Sworn In –
The following could become the situation for the Jews in America:

“Now there arose a new king … who knew not Yosef. And he said unto his people … Come, let us deal wisely with them ….” And as our Pesach Haggadah states, and the Zohar relates “… and then the back-breaking work began.”

Could this back-breaking work be the method to achieve our final teshuva before the Geula?

Since the VietNam War, morality in the US has been disintegrating, and the mighty efforts of the Founding Fathers of America are being stripped away, one by one.

You might say, “What is this … to me?” [remember the wicked son?]

Barack Hussein Obama has come out in favor of mishkav zachar. We know the other candidate already openly supports this. As a famous radio personality says, Liberalism is a mental disorder.

I believe it is an insult to the Al-mighty to support by voting openly and willingly for the election of those who are tearing a benevolent country into tiny pieces. Our Holy Rabbis from previous generations [I believe] would not advocate supporting leaders who advocate a myriad lack of values which are eroding the Jewish life of our people. Why assist them in destroying Jewish Life in America?

It saddens me immensely to see certain organizations asking the Jewish People to Vote for politicians who represent this disintegration of Jewish Life in America. What was is no more!

Recently, there was a

Call to “Get Out the Vote” Heard Around the Country – March 4, 2008: A Public Alert to Our Fellow Jews in Our Country, The United States of America. Gedolei Torah of previous generations have already proclaimed that every Jewish person should participate and vote in elections held in our benevolent country… First, it is incumbent on us to be concerned about the interests of our fellow Jews … we have merited to see great accomplishments, etc … .

To this I say:

Our leaders who are supposed to be endowed with historical vision should be able to see that the America we live in now is not the America that once was moral and upstanding, with religious values that seemingly nourished a wholesome family-life and world-outlook that was conducive as a society for Jews to live in. That is why Hashem put us here.

But the “Get Out the Vote” says to be “concerned for your fellow Jew” (politically) – And I say be concerned for those who are not yet shomer Torah U’Mitzvos, those who are being wounded emotionally by members of Am Yisroel, those who are being rocketed out of their homes in Sderot, those who may lose their homes in Yerushalayim NO MATTER HOW THEY PRACTICE THEIR JUDAISM – they are still Jews in G.od’s Eyes.

It speaks of “accomplishments” we’ve made? I call many of those accomplishments purely an obsession for a level of gashmius that rivals ancient Persia, that is creating inertia among some men in learning [a lack of challenge, a bren, an endearment for the Torah], laxity in Choshen Mishpat, breaches in family purity, adoption of the idolatry of the US $$$, white-collar inmates, bewilderment among the youth across ALL sectors of Am Yisrael, weakening of modesty and family values without the faintest idea what that means! Where are our leaders? The young generations are victims of the blindness of our present leaders and educators. Where have our leaders gone?

“the single greatest ally of the Jewish nation … protecting it from the 70 wolves …”
I’m sorry to disagree, but this nation is helping the 70 nations maintain their status vis-à-vis the umbilical cord attached to the oil rich nations, and are the main protagonist in this Greek tragedy of egging on Israel’s suicidal leaders.

They ask us to have “Hakoras Hatov” - to whom?? What happened to Hashem? We need Hakoras Hatov to our Creator who gave us Chukim & Mishpatim to live by and the Avos to breathe by. That’s true HaKoras Hatov and not lipservice to politicians.

Could it be that the Jews in America have been duped into believing that the U.S. has the best interests of Israel in mind when they deny the self-defense of Jews being lobbed rockets and grads upon their homes, and deny them retribution when their children are murdered. But the murderer’s family can fly flags of death in celebration. Jews have become accomplices [chas v’sholem] in their own decimation. It’s a very skillful adaptation of a Greek tragedy (by a modern titus). The manner in which the US Government compels Israel’s Jews to comply with their own undoing is Venahapochu doubled and redoubled.

“Let no one free himself from that obligation…his individual voice can make no difference…” Contrary to what they mean here, each individual Jew can make a mighty difference by NOT voting for immorality and policies that are unraveling Jewish life in America and in Israel!

“May Hashem guard us and save us” … save us from our own undoing. If you vote against immorality by NOT VOTING FOR THEIR REPRESENTATIVES, “All the nations of the land will see that In G.od We (the Jews) Trust, not in the falling idol of the US Dollar. Let’s put this idol to rest, let’s return to the moderation of the Rambam zt”l.

Making a Kiddush Hashem would be better than relying on any politician or anyone who says voting for immorality is the right way. Politics is unsavory business, and when Jews are involved they usually get muddied. We need to extricate ourselves from the idol of gashmius and return to the modest ways of our forefathers.

It’s only a matter of time …. The World is in Total Chaos