Six Hours Closer Now!

Some timely up-daters:

Israeli time is now only 6 hours away from calling your friends and relatives.

Muqata covers the anti-Shabbat elevator controversy that seems to be heating up. [Couple this with the “no crocs” issue!]

Woe to us on the Day of Judgment is the story of Asher Biton from Kiryat Shemona, who says “A person cannot know what will happen tomorrow” over at Nava’s Dreaming of Moshiach.

Yeranen Yaakov had some revelations before and after Yom Kippur about the Iranian City of Qom. Perhaps a portend of any future Israeli strike on nuclear Iran.

AND Debka reports: The Pentagon has brought forward to December 2009 the target-date for producing the first 15-ton super bunker-buster bomb (GBU-57A/B) Massive Ordinance Penetrator, which can reach a depth of 60.09 meters underground before exploding. The Pentagon has ordered the number of bombs rolling off the production line increased from four to ten - a rush job triggered in May by the discovery that Iran was hiding a second uranium enrichment plant under a mountain near Qom - a discovery which prompted this week's international outcry. Congress has since quietly inserted the necessary funding in the 2009 budget.

Redemption5768 brings us some insights on Rosh Hashana and our Holy Temple, soon to be rebuilt IY”H.

Michael Oren, Israeli Ambassador to the US, lists seven existential threats now facing Israel, written in a past issue of Mishpacha and discussed here.

Well worth reading in depth, the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy, with commentary based on the Ramak’s Tomer Devora. Thanks to Jewish End of Days.

Just in case you missed it - Kumsits in Uman ...

This young guy whoever he is played a great violin for the Uman crowd

Now, for some Ehrliche dancing ...



Thanks for getting me in the spirit with A Little Bit of Uman 5770 over at Akiva's

Climate Warming...

U.S. North East May Have Coldest Winter in a Decade

The U.S. Northeast may have the coldest winter in a decade because of a weak El Nino, a warming current in the Pacific Ocean, according to Matt Rogers, a forecaster at Commodity Weather Group.

“Weak El Ninos are notorious for cold and snowy weather on the Eastern seaboard,” Rogers said in a Bloomberg Television interview from Washington. “About 70 percent to 75 percent of the time a weak El Nino will deliver the goods in terms of above-normal heating demand and cold weather. It’s pretty good odds.”


Warming in the Pacific often means fewer Atlantic hurricanes and higher temperatures in the U.S. Northeast during January, February and March, according to the National Weather Service. El Nino occurs every two to five years, on average, and lasts about 12 months, according to the service.

Hedge-fund managers and other large speculators increased their net-long positions, or bets prices will rise, in New York heating oil futures in the week ended Sep. 22, according to U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission data Sept. 25.

“It could be one of the coldest winters, or the coldest, winter of the decade,” Rogers said.

U.S. inventories of distillate fuels, which include heating oil, are at their highest since January 1983, the U.S. Energy Department said Sept. 23. Stockpiles of 170.8 million barrels in the week ended Sept. 18 are 28 percent above the five-year average.

Heating oil for October delivery rose 1.38 cents, or 0.8 percent, to settle at $1.6909 a gallon on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Bloomberg

The Music of Redemption

The Music of Redemption

The Great Song of the Torah

The Torah portion of Ha'azinu is the song of Moses at the conclusion of his mission on earth. It is one of the two great songs of the Torah, and relates all the history of the Jewish People, past, present and future. Nachmanides writes that every Jewish soul can find his entire biography concealed in the letters of this song. The Magid of Mezritch, the disciple and successor of the Ba'al Shem Tov, taught that it is important to learn this song by heart, as one's whole life unfolds within it. Ha'azinu is one great song to God, just as one's life is a song to Him.

The Messianic Wings

One of the most potent images in the song of Ha'azinu is the image of the eagle hovering over his nest of fledglings (Deuteronomy 32:11). In this metaphor, God, the eagle, comes to waken the fledglings in his nest, hovers over them, spreads his wings over them and finally lifts them on his wings in redemptive flight through the sky. There are two synonyms for "wings" in this verse: kanaf, whose numerical value is 150, and evrah, whose numerical value is 208. Together, these two words equal 358, the numerical value of Mashiach. The eagle carrying the Jewish People on his wings is the Mashiach, carrying out his Divine Messianic mission. In the Torah portion of Yitro (Exodus 19:4) God also refers to the redemption from Egypt as redemption "on the wings of eagles." Clearly, the eagle and his wings have messianic implications.

The Hovering Eagle

Before the eagle takes his fledglings on his wings, he must awaken them. The eagle is a massive and powerful bird. If he lands on his nest suddenly, he is liable to crush his fragile fledglings. Thus, our verse illustrates the eagle as hovering over his nest, expressing himself to his fledglings as the most gentle of creatures, manifesting perfect balance and stability. The verb for "hover" rachef, is very rare in the Torah. One of its only other appearances is in the second verse of Genesis, "and the spirit of God hovered over the waters." Our sages explain that this is the spirit of Mashiach. The waters are the waters of teshuvah, the awakening of the consciousness of the soul to return to God. These two expressions of "hovering" are completely complementary. Both point to the awakening of the Jewish People to the Messianic reality of return to God.

Touching and Not Touching

In Kabbalah and Chassidut the hovering of the eagle is referred to as "touching and not touching." The eagle is able to simultaneously touch and not touch, allowing his fledglings to awaken little by little, in accordance with their ability to grasp his presence. The power to touch is the power to be involved – to inspire the other. Not touching allows the other free choice so that his soul can awaken by itself in its desire to ascend toward God. The eagle -- Mashiach -- inspires us while simultaneously and paradoxically allowing us to slowly integrate the new Messianic reality at our own, individual pace.

The Fiftieth Gate

The Hebrew for "touching and not touching" is noge'a v'eino noge'a. The initials of this phrase spell nun, alluding to the Fiftieth Gate of Understanding to which Moses aspired, and received only at the very end of his life. One of the secrets of the Fiftieth Gate is the secret of touching and not touching -- the essential sense that God is totally involved in reality while simultaneously allowing us to choose of our own free will.

The Song of the Wings of the Eagle

The Hebrew word for "eagle" is nesher; nun, shin, reish. The final two letters of nesher spell shar, which means "song." More than any other word in the song of Ha'azinu, the word shar is the essential syllable of nesher. There are two types of song: verbal song (including poetry) and melody. In Hebrew, "song," which includes poetry, is called shir, as represented by the Hebrew letters shin and reish of nesher. The Hebrew word for "melody" is nigun, which begins with a nun, the first letter ofnesher. Thus, nesher is an acronym for the two types of song. Our sages teach that when the eagle approaches his nest he beats his wings to create a song, gently preparing his fledglings for his arrival. To arouse the souls of the Jewish People and the entire world, each person with his own spark of Mashiach must possess the power of poetry and melody inherent in the eagle.

The Nest

Our verse describes the eagle as arousing (the fledglings in) his nest. Our sages teach that the Mashiach sits in a nest in the Garden of Eden, waiting to redeem the world. The Hebrew word for "nest" is ken, which is cognate to tikun -- "rectification," and also kinyan -- possession. The most perfected possession is the new Torah of Mashiach, the song of the wings of the eagle, which begins to resonate as he approaches his fledglings. This new Messianic Torah will bring about our rectification as the eagle approaches his nest to gently -- touching and not touching -- arouse his waiting fledglings.

All for the Best

The word for "fledglings" in our verse is gozalav, whose root is gimel, lamed, zayin. These letters are an acronym for a very basic phrase "Gam zu letovah," which means: "This too is for the best." The fledgling waiting to be lifted onto Messianic wings must be awakened to the consciousness that whatever happens to us is for the best, and will ultimately lead to the true and complete redemption.

Here we wait for our Mashiach.

"...You are going to the UN..."

The Lubavitcher Rebbe told Netanyahu at their meeting in 1984, that he would be going to the UN:




We can relive our own history, and get it right the second time.

THIS IS CALLED TESHUVA!

Bless You Bibi, May Hashem lead you and bring all of us to the Geula 5770!

THE TIME IS NOW!

Those against:

• Cairo, Egypt - Egyptians Blame Jews for Losing the UNESCO Post to Bulgaria
• United Nations, NY - Obama: U.S. Does Not Recognize 'Legitimacy of Continued Israeli Settlements'
• United Nations, NY - Psychopath Qaddafi: Israelis Behind JFK Assassination
• Brooklyn, NY - PETA Campaign Urges To Stop Minhag Of Kapporos
• Cairo - Egypt Wants Full Investigation On Israeli Nuke Capabilities
• Manhattan, NY - Satmar Chasidim Rally at UN Alleging Israel's 'Cruelty' against 'Starving Mother'
• Satmar Hasidim Stage Anti-Israel, Anti-Hadassah Hosp. UN Demo To Coincide With Netanyahu Visit
• Arabs Set Tefillin Ablaze at Bus Stop
• Haredi Women Advised to Sit on a Separate Bench from Immodestly Dressed Women
• Haredim Stone Girl With Cinder Block Because Of "Immodest" Dress
• Jerusalem - Rabbi Of Western Wall Demands State Ceremonies Held On Plaza Near Wall Be Gender Segregated
• Jerusalem - Agency Fighting Rabbis Request to Have Segregated Ceremonies at Western Wall
• Rajoub: Settlements won't lead to peace
• World must act together, Obama tells UN
• Washington - Eric Cantor: Obama Not a “true friend” of Israel

The Antidote to Disease of Antisemitism

ACHDUT:

Jerusalem - Religious and Secularist Leaders Hold Panel on Coexistence

*Aseret Yemei Teshuvah

is the time period known as the Ten Days of Repentance, beginning with Rosh HaShanah, the Day of Judgment and ending with Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.

Airplanes are like birds ...

straight off the Jewish End of Days press

Paras Falling – Strong Signs

Debka news reports that Iran loses its only AWACS in a collision of two jets over military parade in Tehran Tuesday.

Eye witnesses reported that the flaming planes landed on the mausoleum burial site of the Islamic revolution’s founder Ruhollah Khomeini, a national shrine.

Airplanes are like birds, and birds are mystically connected with angels. We learn from the Zohar (parshat Beshallach) that a nation’s spiritual guardian angel falls before the nations’ physical downfall.

Given the timing of this event (during the Days of Awe) and the strange details (fiery crash on Khomeini’s burial site), it could well be that this plane crash represents the fall of the guardian angel of Paras, and presages the fall of Iran.

This may mean war between Edom and Paras.

HaShem should protect us all!

DEBKAfile's military sources say the disaster was a serious blow to the Iranian Air Force not long after its first and only AWACS went into service in April 2008. It was a renovated version of the Russian Ilyushin 76, part of Saddam Hussein's air force before it was transferred to Iran in 1991 during the first Gulf War. The loss of this airborne control system has left Iran's air force and air and missile defenses without "electronic eyes" for surveillance of the skies around its borders.

THIS COULD BE YOU!

Why would someone want to live in a country that is losing its moral and political compass and value for human life?

The decay of a nation happens bit by bit, slowly, and goes unnoticed until the 'disease' has totally changed its moral compass.

UNDER THE OBAMA HEALTH RATIONING OVERHAUL THIS COULD HAPPEN TO YOU:

VosizNeias Amid the often loud national debate over health care reform, a little noticed case of a New Jersey man whose family has been locked in a bitter legal fight with a local hospital reflects the concerns of many about who should be authorized to make final decisions about patient care.

Ruben Betancourt, 73, is no longer alive. But back in March, he lay unconscious in a bed at Trinitas Regional Medical Center in Elizabeth. Admitted for surgery, he suffered oxygen deprivation and, later, renal failure; he was placed on a ventilator and received nutrition through a feeding tube. While physicians admit that he did open and move his eyes, they considered him to be in a “persistent vegetative state” and likely to die soon. They wanted to effect that end themselves, by disconnecting him from life support.

Mr. Betancourt’s daughter, Jaqueline, however, had other ideas. In line with her deep-seated religious beliefs, she considered her father fully alive, if unable to respond. And she believed that, if he could make his feelings known, he would wish to be assisted in breathing, fed and hydrated.

The New Jersey Superior Court decided that Ms. Betancourt’s wishes, as surrogate decision-maker for her father, should be honored. The court ruled that, under New Jersey law, the patient and the patient’s family should be the final decision-makers with regard to whether to continue life support treatment or not. The court barred the hospital from removing Mr. Betancourt’s life support. The hospital immediately appealed that decision, claiming that doctors alone should have the final right to decide when a patient is meaningfully alive and, if they feel it is indicated, to unilaterally terminate life-sustaining measures.

Before the higher court could hear the case, Mr. Betancourt died. But the hospital pressed its appeal, claiming that the principles involved in this case needed to be resolved by the courts. Various doctors and hospital associations joined Trinitas, submitting amicus curiae (friend of the court) briefs urging that doctors, not patients, should have the ultimate power to determine whether a compromised life should be supported.

Among those weighing in on the side of current and future patients and their surrogates this week were Agudath Israel of America and the Rabbinical Council of America. In an amicus curiae brief filed Monday, the Orthodox Jewish organizations laid out the case for patient autonomy.

The Jewish groups’ brief, written by Agudath Israel associate general counsel Rabbi Mordechai Biser and Agudath Israel summer legal interns Reuven Frankel and Chaim Kuznitz, and, on behalf of the Rabbinical Counsel of America, Rabbi Benjamin Kelsen, cites numerous New Jersey and other cases in which courts ruled that patients and their families have the right to refuse life-sustaining medical care in the face of objections from the patient’s treating physicians. Since patients have the legal right to refuse medical treatment, the brief argues, they have an even greater right to insist on continued treatment, since the state has an interest (as clearly expressed in its constitution and other laws) in the preservation of life. The hospital, the brief argues, is effectively taking the position that a patient should have a right only to choose to die, not to live.

The brief, which was submitted to the Appellate Division of the Superior Court by New Jersey attorney Larry Loigman, a member of Agudath Israel’s national pro bono legal network with considerable experience in handling such medical-legal cases, states that “the central issue in the case is whether a patient’s right to self-determination should continue to be the guiding principle in New Jersey law when disputes arise between the patient and his or her family and health care facility personnel. The appellant’s position, should it prevail, would overturn the centuries-old principle of individual autonomy and would for the first time in New Jersey, enable a medical provider to terminate life support services for a patient even when that decision would be diametrically counter to the patient’s and his family’s personal, moral, or religious beliefs.”
The brief points out that the hospital’s position, if adopted, would also violate such fundamental constitutional rights as the right to practice one’s religion and the right to privacy and personal autonomy.

In fact, the Orthodox organizations note, each of them offers living wills and/or advance care directives to their constituents, in which they have stipulated that, should they become incapacitated, the health care decisions made on their behalf must be in accordance with their religious beliefs. Should the court adopt the hospital’s argument, the brief contends, all “such written living wills and health care proxies would essentially be rendered meaningless.”

But the underlying assumption behind the hospital’s appeal – that doctors should have the right to end medical care – is the crux of the case – and is a proposition strongly criticized in the Orthodox groups’ brief.

“The underlying assumption behind appellant’s argument . . . is that the decision to terminate medical care is fundamentally a medical decision.” The brief reads in part: “We challenge and question that basic assumption. While the decision as to which course of medical treatment would best treat a patient’s particular condition is a medical decision, the decision to not provide treatment is, quite simply, not a medical decision. It is an ethical decision, and a doctor does not have any superior ethical wisdom over anyone else when it comes to making such life and death ethical decisions.”

Says Rabbi Biser:

“Graduating from medical school does not confer upon doctors a superior ability to make life and death decisions.”

Today is Tzom Gedalia

The Lesson of 'Tzom Gedaliah' and

the Prevention of Tragedies

It was a time of horrific tragedies. Nevuchadnetzar the king of Babylonia had destroyed the first Bais HaMikdash. The brightest and the best of the nation of Israel were exiled to Bavel. However, a small remnant of Jews were allowed to remain in Eretz Yisroel. They were to be led by Gedaliah Ben Achikam.

Gedaliah Ben Achikam was one of the Gedolei HaDor of his generation. He was also a Navi . Indeed Gedaliah was of such a lofty stature that Hashem Himself testified as to his remarkable character (See Rosh HaShana 18b quoting Zechariah 8:19). The King of Ammon was incensed that the Jewish nation still retained some sort of independence. He devised a plan, where he took a Jew – Yishmael Ben Nesanya and instructed him to assassinate Gedaliah, his men, and the Babylonians that accompanied him. [...]

The results of Gedaliah’s inaction were so grave that the Mesilas Yesharim (chapter twenty) notes that the Gemorah (Niddah 61a) considers it as if Gedaliah himself had killed all of his people! This is a remarkably thought-provoking notion. [...]

At times, the sin of incorrectly “sounding the Lashon Horah warning” and ignoring the information is so grave that one who does so is considered the actual perpetrator of the repercussions that have transpired on account of the silence, whether it be theft, molestation or even murder.

There are times that information must be given to ward off potential harm to others, in order that they be able to take self-protective measures. At the same time, there are situations where it is forbidden for people to believe the information, even though they may act upon it to protect themselves. At other times, information must be provided in order to prevent an Avla, a terrible injustice, from continuing to happen.

With the approval of Gedolim, Vosizneias is working on just such a story. It is a story of terrible injustice that is being perpetrated right now. It is an Avla that must be stopped. Stay tuned.

Eminent Domain!?

Obama promised Jewish homes to Palestinians?

SINCE WHEN DOES AN AMERICAN PRESIDENT CLAIM ISRAELI HOMES FOR

EMINENT DOMAIN?

President Obama is "fed up" with Israel while his administration has given the Palestinians guarantees they will eventually take over Jewish homes and buildings throughout most of the West Bank

THE OFFICIAL SAID?:

*"The Americans told us Netanyahu might construct in the West Bank for now but we (Palestinians) can enjoy these houses later. The evacuated homes will not be destroyed like some were when Israel pulled out of Gaza"

YOUR HOME WILL BE GIVEN TO AN ARAB!

*Obama has adopted the position of PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, who presented a plan to create a Palestinian state within two years based largely on the 1967 borders

AN AMERICAN PRESIDENT IS WORKING FOR THE MUSLIMS?

*the U.S. does not support Israel retaining the E1 area in Jerusalem, referring to Maale Adumim, a Jewish community in eastern Jerusalem [excuse me, in the Tribe of Binyamin]

OBAMA TO GIVE MAALE ADUMIM HOMES TO THE ARABS!

*the U.S. would back Israel retaining what are known as main settlement blocs, a reference to certain large Jewish West Bank communities such as Gush Etzion [how gracious of Obama]

THANK YOU SO MUCH PRESIDENT OBAMA

YOUR KINDNESS KNOWS NO BOUNDARIES!

Excerpts of report by Aaron Klein of Word Net Daily

Scenes of Maale Adumim

What will Obama do if the Israelis JUST DON'T DO WHAT HE WANTS?

Who will come to REMOVE THESE PEOPLE FROM THEIR HOMES?

What about the OTHER ISRAELIS in Yehuda and Shomron?

Who will come to TAKE THEM FROM THEIR HOMES?

A Special Message for Jews Everywhere

The following is a Rosh Hashana (not too late) message from the Quintessential Eclectic Michael Savage to the Jewish People [and can be found on his website Home of the Savage Nation

Rosh Hashanah (1996)

Thousands of years ago a little-known man in a middle-eastern desert tried to lead his people from idolatry and hatred.

Today the descendants of these original Tribes of Israel are known as Jews.

What, we ask, is a Jew?

Is it a religion, a race, a mind-set? It is, to me, a constant relationship with G-d, the eternal Creator. A constant dialogue within ourselves asking, pleasing, demanding - to know why the good will sometimes suffer horrendous fates or why the evil appear to enjoy the riches of their plunder.

It is this ability to ask without hearing an answer but to keep asking eternal questions without losing faith in goodness;

It is this desire to want to hear the very coice of G-d without hearing it;

It is coming to know that the questions themselves are G-d’s way which makes the Jewish spirit an eternal manifestation of that transcendental experience in the desert thousands of years ago - which gives each Jewish person a special destiny and a special burden.

To waste this spark of the fire of original knowledge is to throw away not only your own destiny and inheritance but a portion of the destiny and inheritance of the People chosen by G-d to be his bearers of the Light.

Being human and not G-d, we all ‘sin’ by ‘missing the mark’ and that is my message to my friends gathered here for this Rosh Hashana - ‘Head of the Year’. In Hebrew the word sin does not exist. It translates closely to ‘miss the mark.’ for G-d is forgiving or not one of us standing here today would survive a day.

The message is to try to hit the mark again and again. That is the Zen of maintaining our [the] Jewish inheritance.

Seek truth, seek justice.

Rosh Hashana - the head of the year marks the beginning of the ’10 days of awe.’ A period during which we [Jewish People] are judged by G-d who decides whether we [they] will be inscribed in the Book of Life for the coming year. It is an intense time for Jewish People, a time of trial and forgiveness. It concludes with Yom Kippur, a day of repentance.

I want each and every guest in our ten to remember to:

Be Happy

G-d Made You

G-d Loves You

Shalom!

Shana Tovah UMetukah! and Shabbat Shalom

Rosh HaShana 5770

Friday Eve - Shabbos to Sunday Sundown

The following is from a farbrengen given on Rosh Chodesh Elul 5769

by HaRav Yitzchak Ginsburgh

Dedicated in memory of Gavriel Noach and Rivkah Holtzberg

[full farbrengen at Secrets of 5770

5770

In one month we will be entering the year 5770. Let us now look at some of the numerical allusions related to this very special year. We need to start preparing for the year now. Once the new year starts it is less important to look at the number 5770 as it is already old news to some extent, so the time to look at what this year means is when we are still preparing for it. As the Ba’al Shem Tov taught us, the main thing is preparing for the mitzvah, “Prepare for Your God, O’ Israel.” There are some well-known gematrias for 770, among them “House of Mashiach” (בֵּית מָשִׁיחַ ), “Expand outwards” (פָרַצְתָּ ), which also permutes to spell “France” (צָרְפַת ). France is considered the furthest extreme of the exiles. The Lubavitcher Rebbe many times indicated that when France would become a seat for authentic Judaism (as it was not for many thousands of years), that would be a sure sign that the Mashiach is here. All these are good, but we are going to focus on other gematrias for 770. As we go through them, we will be corresponding each gematria with one of the sefirot (not in order). In effect we are building up the partzuf, the complete spiritual model, of 770.

Kingdom: The Good of the Land

Before we completely forget about the month of Av, the final day of this month is the 30th of Av. The entire month of Av is related to the verse in Isaiah, “If you wish and you listen, then you shall eat the good of the land” (אִם תּאֹבוּ וּשְׁמַעְתֶּם טוּב הָאָרֶץ תּאֹכֵלוּ ). The second half of this verse, “the good of the land” (טוּב הָאָרֶץ תּאֹכֵלוּ ) is also equal to 770. The entire Land of Israel is a great big “House of Mashiach.” The earth was given its name (אַרֶץ ) because it means “wanting to do God’s will”. Those who do God’s will receive all the blessings in the world. The goodness comes as reward for doing God’s will. Goodness and will in general go together.

What this means for us is that the coming year, 5770, will be one of goodness, physical blessings, with rains in their proper time providing plenty of produce and spiritual blessings with the spiritual rains falling from above, from the supernal land, in plenty. This is then a great year for studying the interaction between Torah and ecology. Obviously this gematria corresponds to kingdom, which the earth symbolizes.

The Hero of 5770

As we have seen this year 5770 has many gematrias. But, it also has a hero. He was the first judge of the Jewish people, who completed the task of conquering the Land of Israel after Joshua. His name is Otni’el ben Kenaz (עָתְנִיאֵל בֶּן קְנַז ) and his name equals 770. Not only was he a judge and a warrior, he was also one of the greatest scholars, who through his in-depth study was able to restate 3000 laws that were forgotten during the mourning period for Moshe Rabbeinu. So he is the image of the Torah of the Land of Israel, the Torah of Mashiach, which is something he merited thanks to his wife, Achsah (עַכְסָה ). Achsah was the daughter of Caleb ben Yefuneh. The sum of their names together, Otni’el ben Kenaz and Achsah (עָתְנִיאֵל בֶּן קְנַז עַכְסָה ) is equal to twice the value of “Mashiach” (מָשִׁיחַ )!

To do gematria without adding an in-depth and true understanding of the findings leads to false illusions in the mind. In order to engage properly in the study of gematria, one has to go deeply meditate on the findings in order to ensure that they are revealing something real and true in our understanding of Torah. Another possibility is looking at the finding of gematria from the perspective of more advanced mathematical thinking. This leads one to look at numbers as figures, as symmetrical geometric shapes that carry some number-theoretical meaning to them. In this way, numbers are being transformed into algebraic equations. We saw an example of this type of analysis in our discussion of the sefirot of victory and acknowledgment.

Now let us look at this name, עתניאל בן קנז . Since it contains 11 letters, it follows that the average value of each letter is 70, the value of the letter ayin (ע ), the first letter in his name, and everything follows the beginning. Since, as we said, the letter ayin alludes to the ability to contemplate, it is not surprising that he had the intellectual and contemplative power to restore 3000 laws that had been lost. Now, continuing to analyze his name, the initial and final letters are עז , whose value is 77, one-tenth the value of his entire name. The initial and final letters of all three words in his name are, על בן קז whose sum is 259 = 7 · 37, alluding to the seven הֶבֶל , (vapors) with which the world was created.

Of course the remaining letters must equal 511 = 7 · 73, where 73 is the value of “wisdom” (חָכְמָה ). The world was created with 7 types of wisdom, alluded to by the verse, “She made her pillars seven.” These correspond to the 7 books of the Pentateuch (the Book of Numbers is divided into 3 books). So we have seen seven types of “vapor” (הֶבֶל ) which equals 37 and seven types of “wisdom” (חָכְמָה ), which equals 73. 37 and 73 are the only two two-digit numbers where the smaller is the midpoint of the larger. In addition, their product is 2701, the value of the first verse of the Torah, the first verse of creation. So Otni’el’s name is very strongly associated with creation and so many of the secrets of creation are found in his name.

Let us see one final point about his name. If we write every other letter, we have: ע נ א ב ק ז , whose sum is 230. This is the number that completes 770 to 1000, which is the gematria of “Israel Ba’al Shem Tov” (יִשְׂרָאֵל בַּעַל שֵׁם טוֹב ) and “old student” (תַלְמִיד וָתִיק ), etc. Thus, Otni’el can be understood as alluding to the encompassing light that surrounds the entire model (partzuf) of 770 that we just finished discussing.

To complete our discussion of the gematria of the upcoming year, let us see a few other allusions to its value.

We mentioned earlier that the value of “France” (צָרְפַת ) or “expand outwards” (פָרַצְתָּ ) is also 770. Using the Atbash transformation (alef transforms into a tav, bet into a shin, etc.) we get that the letters of “France” go to וגהא , the letters that spell the word for “pride” (גַאֲוָה ). So 770 is the year that rectifies the sense of false pride. If we now use the Albam transformation on the resulting letters of “pride” we get 230, which as we saw above is the surrounding light of 770. The ratio of 770 to 230 is 77:23, the values of the two words “strength” (עֹז ) and “joy” (חֶדְוָה ) and to the verse, “There is strength and joy in His place” (עֹז וְחֶדְוָה בִּמְקֹמוֹ ).

Just to complete this point, we mentioned earlier that most of the instances of the word “nine” (תֵּשַׁע ), which equals 770, are found in relation to the first generations of mankind. The first instance is mentioned in relation to Adam (אָדָם ); the second in relation to Methuselah (מְתוּשֶׁלַח ); the third in relation to Noah (נֹח ); and, the fourth in relation to Peleg31 (פֶלֶג ). If we sum the values of their 4 names, we get 1000! Amazingly, if we take the initial and final letters of all 4 names, they are א מ מ ח נ ח פ ג , which sums to 230, which means of course that the remaining letters (the inner letters) sum to 770!

Thursday:

AV Tikkun - Sense: Hearing

"To hear" in Hebrew means "to understand," to fully integrate into one's consciousness (into one's heart, not only to understand intellectually in one's mind). To hear another is to fully understand his dilemma and emphasize with him. In the beginning of Isaiah (read on the Shabbat before the 9th of Av), it says: "if you desire [tovu, from the word Av] and hear [the sense of Av], you shall partake of the goodness of the land." The sense of hearing is the sense of inner balance, the foundation of rectified existence. (Imbalance is the source of all fall and destruction). A well balanced ear, a well oriented sense of hearing, possesses the ability to discern and distinguish in everything one hears truth from falseness, as is said (Job 12:11 and 34:3): "the ear discerns words" ozen malin tivchan (the initial letters of this phrase spell emet--"truth").

Friday:

ELUL Tikkun - Sense: Action

The sense of action is the "sense" and inner "knowledge" that through devoted deeds of goodness (tzedaka and chessed) one is always able to rectify any blemished or broken state of the soul. This is the sense necessary for the spiritual service of Elul, the service of repentance and true teshuvah to G-d. The sense of action is thus the sense never to despair.

Your alter ego...

YESHIVA GUYS COMPLAIN

about their alter ego:

[sing another tune if ... want to get married]

Jerusalem Etiquette

Don’t:

-Talk loudly on your pelephones about nothing. If you must do so, at least make sure to slowly and clearly, enunciate every syllable, list off your fathers’ bank accounts so I, too, can enjoy unlimited cakes from Moishy’s Bakery.

-Wear Crocs in public. This is NOT cool, and does not fit in with the Bas Melech image your teachers will be attempting to teach you over the next year.

-Daven mincha on the street because shkiah “just…happened” and you have no place to daven. Either watch your watch, like we do, or don’t daven. As much as it may pain you to learn this, females are not bound by time-related commandments.

-Loudly barter with the shopkeeper as if he were deaf in your Americanized Harry-ess Ivrit that you think you’re proficient in. You’re not. Either learn and speak the language with the local accent, or stick with the English you don’t know. Trust me, the locals understand your English better than your Ivrit.

-Feel the need to litter the entire Yerushalayim with the yellow/purple/clear plastic/paper cups that you just got from Fro-Yo or Sams or Mitzei Uri. It’s nice that you enjoy them, and it’s wonderful that you’re supporting local merchants and all, but really, what about recycling?

-Rave about Rabbi O.....’s shiur last night that is definitely, positively, OMG OMG gonna change your life. We all know it won’t. And if really was such a life changer, you wouldn’t still be sipping that Mitz Pri as you stroll down Yechezkel. Only ..... eat/drink in the street. Not people. Or even sem girls.

-Feel like you have to go to the M....’s, the Blind Couple, and every other chavayah during your stay here. You can still be Jewish without going to those people. I know, because I still am.

-Use the default ringer on your Disposa-phone that came with your seminary’s suggested student plan. Hashem gave you kids all that creativity and individuality to be able to create all those plays and singa-thons and dances and whatever. Express it. If I hear that la-di-dah-di-dah one more time I may just…

-Feel obligated to take over Sam's Bagels between 1-4 every afternoon. How about just ordering your food and taking it back to your dorm, huh? I’ll arrange for the teenaged Israeli shibob with the knockoff UnderArmour spray shirt to give you an oversized bag so everyone will know you went…M’kay?

-Be scared to take Arab taxis. Your seminary Giveret is bluffing you. The story about the girls who took one once and…yeah. It never happened. Sorry, I know Israel is much more exciting that way, but…

-Buy leather-bound Tehillims/Siddurim for all of your cousins/aunts/uncles. That creativity thing? Again, demonstrate.

-And finally,under NO circumstances are you to enter 'Pitzuchei Moshiach'. PM is a male-only establishment. Aside from the narrow aisle issue, PM is just…well…sacred. Don’t defile it. Go to any one of the other fine nut houses.

So welcome to our town. Geulah is our turf. You can have Har Nof, Sortozkin, Minchas Yitzchak, Ramat Eshkol, and the other shchunos. But Geulah is our turf. We own it.

So adios, and seeya back in America,

Yeshiva Guy

Your alter ego has spoken, or has "extremism" entered the innocence of youth? Yes, sometimes inappropriate behavior, but youth is not wasted on the young, but may be wasted on the poor, ignorant (of what 'girls' and future 'mothers' are) narrowed appreciation for Hashem's "other" human creation.

[PS I really thought this was somewhat cute]