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30 June 2010

Pidyon Shevuyim

The Vatican has loaned a 9th century prayer book considered to be the oldest Hebrew publication in existence to the Jewish Museum in London...in an impressive set of fellow artefacts, a decadently-illustrated bible from 15th century Spain and an image of the Temple of Solomon...“It is a reminder that in many cases our shared experience is stronger than our differences.” VosizNeias

What kind of "shared experience"
was the 15th C (1492) Expulsion of Jews from Spain?

What kind of "shared experience" were the Crusades?


How Can One Lend a Stolen Possession?

This and other artifacts that once belonged to Jewish People immersed in their devotion to the Creator of the World, and Devout with the Mitzvos...............are being held against their Will.

The Mitzvah of Pidyon Shevuyim is one of the MOST IMPORTANT Mitzvos

The Mitzvah of Pidyon Shvuyim (Hebrew: פדיון שבויים‎, literally: Redemption of Prisoners) is considered an important commandment in the Jewish Halakha. The aim of this Mitzvah, which is the most important of the Mitzvot of Tzedakah[1], is to bring about the release of any Children of Israel held captive by gentiles. The Mitzvah carries a great humanitarian value in the framework of functional community life. Wikipedia.

I don't think "The Crusades" or the "Auto de Fa" give one ownership over items confiscated from persecuted Jews!

The Finger of G-d

In a bizarre reversal of the norm, the skies over Greece were heavy today with the threat of more storms, and the temperatures dropping overnight to 21 degrees Celsius.


25 June 2010

WE THE PEOPLE ...


ONE NATION, UNDER GOD FOREVER




"You shall not curse the people because they are blessed."



Toras Kedosha: Numbers 22:12

Tammuz 12, 5770, June 24, 2010






n


"We the people" tell the government what to do, it doesn't tell us. Our Constitution is a document in which "We the people" tell the government what it is allowed to do. "We the people" are free.


Ronald Reagan Farewell Address 1989


24 June 2010

23 June 2010

Let's Bring the Geulah

א ב ג


א = Emunah

ב = Bitachon

ג = Geulah


Aleph....Beis....Gimmel


Emunah and Bitachon brings the Geulah



22 June 2010

Injustices are rearing their Ugly 'Head'


Rubashkin and the “Hekhsher Tzedek”

Unethical in the Name of Ethics

Rabbi YY Jacobson



Animal Vs. Human Flesh

The following moving episode from the “other side” of the Atlantic was related by Cantor Moshe Kraus from Ottawa, who observed it first-hand. *

As a youngster, Moshe Kraus worked in the home of one of the great religious and spiritual Jewish personalities in pre-war Europe, the Rabbi of Munkatsh (a town in southwestern Ukraine), Rabbi Chaim Elazar Spira (1871-1937), known as the “Minchas Elazar.” In his duty of cleaning up and organizing the numerous scattered books in the Rabbi’s study, Moshe Kraus regularly encountered the many people who came to have the Rabbi mediate their disputes and quarrels.

One day, as moshe Kraus was organizing the books, the leader of a particular Jewish community, came to the Munkatcher Rebbe to settle an ongoing quarrel he had with the community Rabbi.

The community leader, who loathed the Rabbi deeply, has been hunting him down (what else is new in the world?). He went so far as to instruct his wife not to ask the Rabbi any questions concerning Jewish law. “Should you have any questions,” he told her, “you ask me.”

One Friday afternoon, a question arose regarding a chicken she was preparing for Sabbath, and her husband was not home. In desperation, she went to the Rabbi to receive a ruling concerning the chicken’s kosher status. The Rabbi ruled it was Kosher. So the woman went ahead and cooked it.

When her husband came home and found out what happened, he was furious. After inspecting the chicken himself, he announced that it was not-kosher. “Aha! He exclaimed. You see, I told you he’s not a competent Rabbi, as the chicken is not Kosher!” and with that he put away the chicken on the side and would not eat it.

After Sabbath, the husband, with chicken in tow, called on the Rabbi to come with him to the Munkatsher Rebbe to settle the matter. Once and for all, he would prove to the world that this Rabbi was indeed an ignoramus and unworthy of his position. Arriving at the Rebbe, the community leader proceeds to tell the whole story, showing the Rebbe the chicken. Finishing his narrative, he says: “Rebbe you see, the Rabbi is feeding us non-kosher food! He must be dismissed from his post.”

The Munkatsher Rebbe did not say a word. He simply took the chicken and examined it well. Then he took a piece of the chicken, closed his eyes, recited the blessing of shehakol (the blessing we recite before eating chicken or meat), and ate it.

The verdict has been stated: the community leader was in the wrong; the Rabbi was in the right. The community leader left the home angry and upset. His scheme to dethrone the Rabbi did not materialize.

Present at this occurrence was the Talmudic scholar Rabbi Yitzchok Sterhell (author of Kochav Yitzchok on the Jerusalem Talmud.) After the two plaintiffs had left, he turned to the Munkatcher Rebbe and asked: “Although according to basic Jewish law the chicken was indeed kosher, it was certainly not “Glatt?” It was certainly not on the highest level of Kashrut. Why did you have to eat from it; you could have merely said that it was kosher?”

The Munkatsher Rebbe slammed his fist on the table, causing all of the books to shake, and replied sternly: “And human ‘meat’ is Glatt Kosher?!”

The message the Munkatcher Rebbe was conveying was that if the laws of kosher food are being enforced while human flesh is being consumed, at the expense of human dignity and basic kindness, you ought to be weary of this type of “kashrut.” The Munkatcher was ready to lower his religious standards of kosher, in order to put an end to the ugly witch hunt of an innocent human being.


Where’s the Apology?
It is troubling to say, but such a form of “kashrut” has recently developed. A few years ago, a new kosher symbol by the name of “hekhsher tzedek” originated by rabbis within the Conservative movement and has been endorsed by the Rabbinical Assembly, the international association of Conservative rabbis. Its mission statement was to introduce higher ethics into the preparation of kosher food.

The new certification resulted from the initiative of Rabbi Morris Allen of Beth Jacob Congregation in Mendota Heights, Minnesota, following investigative reporting by Nathaniel Popper in The Forward (a weekly Jewish newspaper) regarding working conditions at the Rubashkin Agriprocessors kosher meat plant in Postville, Iowa.

In an interview with Pamela Miller from the Star Tribune, Rabbi Allen states, "While it [the team led by Rabbi Allen] was not able to verify all of the Forward's claims, 'we witnessed some things that went against the dignity of workers.'" Allen argues that “We should not be eating food that has been produced in a way that has denied the dignity of the laborer. We should not be more concerned about the smoothness of a cow’s lung than we are about the safety of a worker’s hand.”

Noble instincts indeed. Alas, as it turns out, this new kosher certification speaking in the name of ethics has been established on the foundations of horrific and unjust human abuse. For years, leading activists of Hekhsher Tzedek slandered the Agri kosher meat plant and its manager Sholom Rubashkin for the supposedly horrendous mistreatment of workers. Yet, on June 7th, a jury in Waterloo, Iowa proclaimed kosher slaughterhouse manager Sholom Rubashkin not guilty of all 67 child labor violations he has been charged with. It turns out that the accusations were unfounded.


[In separate charges for obtaining bank loans for the company through fraudulent reports, Rubashkin was sentenced today to 27 years in prison. The bank loans were being used to sustain the Agri plant and were paid up till the Federal government shut down the meat plant. The lawyers vowed to appeal this uniquely harsh sentence.]

We have not heard an apology from the Rabbinical Assembly for the creation of a new kosher symbol dedicated to ethics fueled, inspired and validated by the unjust character assassination of Mr. Rubashkin and his company. Does the Jewish world really want a kosher mark born of Jewish suffering?

Hath not Sholom Rubashkin eyes? Hath not Rubashkin hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions? If you prick him, does he not bleed?

*) Cantor Kraus related this story to Rabbi Pinchas Williger from Montreal, who shared it with me.

21 June 2010

My Beloved Eretz HaKodesh

So much has been said already, that I didn't want to touch on this topic.

However, my blogger friend Akiva at Mystical Paths posted the very best synopsis to date. So much so that I join with those who were so upset that they may have said/written 'too much' AND ARE NOW SORRY THEY DID.

Reb AKiva by far, in my estimation, gave the best explanation of what happened; because I got it all wrong, and may also be guilty of something or other.

Not one other 'place' explained it so simply that anyone could understand. I was all upset that Jewish children were not allowed to learn together with 'more religious' children. How else can the not-so-religious learn about the beauty of being religious. Only, now after all these terrible words and pictures, it probably turned everyone NOT even close to being religious, AWAY FROM even getting near to Shomer Shabbos Jews.

Just look what can happen in the Israeli heat?!

I also apologize to the Land, if I said anything hasty or improper.

20 June 2010

Keep Your Eyes on the Sea

What a beautiful baby this is:

US, Israel Warships in Suez May Be Prelude to Faceoff with Iran

INNews says: "the armada, led by the USS Truman with 5,000 sailors and marines, was the largest in years. Egypt closed the canal to fishing and other boats as the armada moved through the strategic passageway that connects the Red and Mediterranean Seas.

"Despite Egypt’s reported refusal to block the canal to Iranian boats, the clearance for the American-Israeli fleet may be a warning to Iran it may face military opposition if the Iranian Red Crescent ship continues on course to Gaza."

Bracing for an Israeli-Iranian Faceoff in the Waters off Gaza

Newsweek says, "...despite concern that the Iranians are sending the ship in a deliberate attempt to provoke the Israelis and worsen already severe tensions in the area, European and U.S. officials say Tehran actually seems to have dialed back some of its rhetoric and threats for the moment. At one point, an official of Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guards was publicly quoted as saying that his forces were prepared to provide a military escort for any aid vessels heading for Gaza. But Iran’s official news agency later quoted Hossein Salami, the deputy of the corps, as saying there were no such plans. “Such a thing is not on our agenda,”....

Boker Tov Espana,
When will the rest of the world wake up?

"‘If Israel Goes Down, We All Go Down‘" by José María Aznar (Conservative, Spain)

"In our dealings with Israel, we must blow away the red mists of anger that too often cloud our judgment. A reasonable and balanced approach should encapsulate the following realities: first, the state of Israel was created by a decision of the UN. Its legitimacy, therefore, should not be in question...

"Second, owing to its roots, history, and values, Israel is a fully fledged Western nation. Indeed, it is a normal Western nation, but one confronted by abnormal circumstances...." From an op-ed, by the former Prime Minister of Spain, that originally appeared in The London Times


Turkey Cancels 20-Year Water Sales
"Turkey has cancelled the planned sale of 1.75 billion cubic feet of water per year to Israel. The sale was to help provide for Israel's water needs for 20 years ... Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Taner Yildiz said there will be no more sales to Israel unless Israel “apologizes and expresses its regret” ....

International Response to Gaza Boats Clash
"Greece, Turkey and Spain, all of which had citizens on the Gaza-bound flotilla that clashed with the IDF Monday morning, have summoned Israel's ambassadors in their countries for explanations of the incident. Turkey even announced that it was recalling its own ambassador from Israel, the second time in a year it has taken this move. Greek officials demanded immediate information regarding the health of Greek citizens aboard the boats...."


HERE COMES ANOTHER SQUEEZE
White House Sets Date for Netanyahu Meeting with President
July 6*

"Obama’s chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, tells ABC’s “This Week” that Obama has been clear about the need “to seize this moment of opportunity” to make peace — addressing Israeli security and Palestinians’ hopes for their own state."

SOUND FAMILIAR?
Rahm Emanuel: “Never Allow a Crisis to Go to Waste”

Patterico has this to say:

"The American people might be thinking that Barack Obama plans big things because our current crisis demands it. Under this view, the crisis is the problem, and big-government action is the solution. But Obama’s Chief of Staff plans big things because our current crisis provides an opportunity to get it done:


“Rule one: Never allow a crisis to go to waste,”
Mr. Emanuel said in an interview
“They are opportunities to do big things.”

"Under this view, the need to accomplish big-government action is the problem, and the crisis is the solution. Keep this in mind, people of America. Is Obama’s goal to fix the crisis — or to use it to accomplish other things that he wanted to accomplish anyway? This isn’t a paranoid question. Rahm Emanuel said so."



*PS July 6 is the Nefesh flight from North America, to land in Eretz HaKodesh on July 7. Thank you Obama for the push!

Dear Yidden, Let's All Go Home

I read the following in the Shabbos edition of the Yated Ne'eman. It's almost as good as Latma's "The Three Terrors"

Oh Helen! Oh Helen!
Oh where shall I go?
you say to go home
but where? you don't know!

Oh Helen! Oh Helen!
Oh where is my home
is it Babylonia?
maybe its Rome?

Oh Helen! Oh Helen!
They sent me away
from the home that i loved
and i now live today

So maybe to Greece
and the great Parthenon
where if we kept Shabbos
they said we were gone

Oh Helen! Oh Helen!
I ask you again
where is my home
perhaps it is Spain?

Oh Helen! Oh Helen!
it's Spain did you say?
all warm and toasty
on the auto-de-fa!

Perhaps back to France
ah, the French Riviera!
where they burned our Talmud
and killed us in terror

nd centuries later
your friends are all waiting
cause France is now Arab
so viciously hating

Did i hear you say Poland?
is that our homeland?
where neighbors would beat us
with sticks in the hand

and neighbors would greet us
and their children too
"go back to Palestine
you dirty Jew"

Oh Helen! Oh Helen!
with great accolades
says go back to Europe
and join the crusades

Perhaps you mean Russia
the land of the Czars
where libels and beatings
have still left us scars

Oh perhaps you mean Stalin
to Communist rule
where Jews were scapegoats
for everyone cruel

the Reds they would jail us
the Whites would play dumb
whenever they wanted
they'd make a pogrom

To the Pale shall you send us?
or Siberian ice?
is that our home
Mrs Thomas, so nice?

Did i hear you say Germany?
Are you out of your mind?
no Jew should step foot there
the scourge of mankind

perhaps you should move there
when you retire
its cozy in Auschwitz
they'll leave on the fire

Romania, ENgland
Hungary, Brazil
Oh! the places to go
where they're ready to kill

Oh Helen! Oh Helen!
where is my home?
you think its the land
where the buffalo roam?

is home a sweet country
where thousands are lost
to dream of a dream
whatever the cost?

and lose your identity
your faith and your links
that is not home
it's great but it stinks

I've heard some strange comments
but this is the worst
from that crazy old lady
from the papers of Hearst

You sit and you spew
from your front white house seat
your Jew hatred open
no longer discreet

I'll go back home, friend
to the land that is mine
a land we call Israel
and you Palestine

I won't say this softly
it is worth a shout
but we won't leave Palestine
No, we won't get out

For we need to go nowhere
we are home, yes we're home
and you Mrs. Thomas
where you go we don't care

Where [you may be later]
i really don't know
wearing a [burka]
on some video

Goodby and good riddance
we won't 'see you later'
unless you're the spokesman
for your friends at Al Qaeda

I'm not posting the author's name for privacy reasons, but you can find it in the paper.

17 June 2010

15 June 2010

What is Happening to our World?


300 Birds Coated with Oil



STARTED WITH A SMALL HOLE, so says Chevron's Oil Spil: Emergency workers believe they have stopped a 21,000-gallon oil leak from reaching the environmentally sensitive Great Salt Lake, one of the West's most important inland water bodies for migratory birds that use it as a place to rest, eat and breed. We are losing birds and fishes





And the Gulf is getting murkier and murkier. . .









11 June 2010

Shabbat Shalom - Parshas Korach

Good Shabbos
Shabbos Parshas Korach - Rosh Chodesh Tammuz

Wishing everyone a much needed rest
and infusion of holiness
that can only
be
enjoyed on Shabbos Kodesh

Tamuz... A Month of Tears to be Turned into Simcha

Tammuz, Babylonian and Sumerian god
Tammuz, the 4th month of the Hebrew calendar
Tammuz, a month in the Babylonian calendar
Tammuz 1 or Osirak, former nuclear reactor in Iraq

Tammuz 1 ..... Osirak

Anyone remember, Osirak was a French-supplied 40 MW light-water nuclear materials testing reactor (MTR) in Iraq. It was constructed by the Iraqi government at the Al Tuwaitha Nuclear Research Center, 18 km (11 miles) south-east of Baghdad in 1977. It was damaged by an Iranian air strike in 1980 during the Iran–Iraq War, then crippled by Israeli aircraft in 1981 in a surprise attack code-named Operation Opera, which was intended to prevent the regime of Saddam Hussein from using the reactor for the creation of nuclear weapons. In September 1975, then-Vice President Hussein had declared publicly that the acquisition of the French reactor was the first step in the production of an Arab atomic weapon. The facility was completely destroyed by American aircraft during the 1991 Gulf War, during the "Package Q" Airstrike. Wikipedia

"And He brought me to the entrance at the
Gate of the House
of the L-rd which was at the north;
and there were there women sitting,
bewailing the Tammuz" (Yechezkel 8:14)



Farbrengen Streaming Live 2 at 8:30

The Song & Soul of Our People
An Evening of Music & Inspiration Commemorating the 16th Yartzeit of the Lubavitcher Rebbe


10 June 2010

Swarming Antisemites Continue Plague on Israel

'We are going to kill Jews'
Rabbi threatened for revealing Thomas' face
David Nesenoff films White House correspondent calling for Israelis 'to get hell out of Palestine,' which led to end of her 60-year career. WASHINGTON – Despite condemnation from Washington over the senior White House reporter's calls for Israelis "to get the hell out of Palestine and return to Germany and Poland," other voices are now being heard following her resignation. Fox News reported that Rabbi David Nesenoff, who filmed the footage of Thomas making the ignominious statements, has received thousands of pieces of hate mail, including death threats on him and his family. Jpost

All Aboard: Muslim Clerics Organize Flotilla to Gaza
The latest in flotillas: Wanted terrorist is now organizing a “Muslim religious leaders” flotilla to Gaza. ArutzSheva

'Turks planning flotilla court case'...Ankara, Hamas reportedly pushing to bring Israel before ICJ. Turkey and Hamas will collaborate to bring those behind Israel's raid of the Gaza aid flotilla to justice in the International Court of Justice at the Hague, reported the English Arabic language daily Asharq al-Awsat on Thursday.

The agreement to work together against Israel reportedly came in a Thursday telephone conversation between Turkey's justice minister, Sadullah Ergin and his Hamas counterpart, Muhammad Faraj Al-Ghoul.

Hamas, Turkey to sue Israel
Justice ministers of Hamas, Turkey, agree to work together to prosecute Israeli officers involved in deadly raid on Gaza flotilla. Meanwhile, Arab League chief Amr Moussa to visit Strip next week. YNetnews

American Jihadists Use New Weapon: Response Fatigue
Jihadists in the United States are encouraging the use of a new weapon, the FBI warns: “Response fatigue.” According to the May 27 "Situational Information Report" emanating from the FBI's Washington Field Office Intelligence Division, a recent posting on a popular jihadi website suggested that 'wannabe' terrorists place “invasions suspicious bags (sic)” in “the heart of Washington and New York.” ArutzSheva

Despite PA Boycott, Arabs Want Jewish Goods
The PA’s efforts to strengthen its own economy by boycotting that of Judea and Samaria is facing opposition – from Arabs.

Lebanese Threaten Mass March on Israeli Border
Anti-Israel flotilla turned the tide of world opinion against Israel, Lebanese Fatah leaders say, and time is ripe for a charge on Israel’s border.

09 June 2010

Ominous ...

Ominous = –adjective
1.
portending evil or harm; foreboding; threatening;inauspicious: ominous dark clouds.
2.
having the significance of an omen.


Iran's Gaza-bound ships ready for clash with Israel - Ahmadinejad Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad assured Turkish leaders whom he met in Istanbul Tuesday, Jan. 8 that Iranian "aid" vessels heading for Gazan waters within days will not shrink from a head-on clash with Israel.

Erdogan's Three Follow-up Scenarios … More and bigger Turkish ships to raise the challenge to Israel

Osama bin Laden and top aides are hiding in Sabzevar, Iran … Osama bin Laden's hiding place for the last five years was pinned down Monday, June 7 by Middle East sources as the mountainous town of Savzevar in the northeastern Iranian province of Khorasan.

Israel, Turkey, Gaza in covert sea war. Hamas frogmen thwarted … Israeli commandos intercepted Hamas frogmen heading for a large-scale seaborne attack on an Israeli target

Turkish troops deployed in Cyprus, top intelligence ranks Islamized … sources disclose [Erdogan’s] funding of the IHH terrorist group's purchase of 8-10 large vessels for more Gaza flotillas … secretly replaced professional intelligence and security chiefs with Islamist cronies



Friendships

The Friendship Circle




What is The Friendship Circle

07 June 2010

Free Gaza from Hamas

"...an exceedingly Good Land"

Rabbi Chaim Richman
of The Temple Institute

"The land we passed through to scout is an exceedingly good land."
Bamidbar 14:7 - Sivan 21, 5770, June 3, 2010

By uttering these words, Yehoshua bin Nun and Calev ben Yefunneh saved the nation of Israel, and perhaps the entire world, from marching into the abyss. By uttering these words, Yehoshua bin Nun and Calev ben Yefunneh set a moral imperative for all times, the imperative to speak out against injustice, and to take a stand against the tyranny of the many, when the many have become possessed by an evil spirit that threatens all that is good in the world.

The assembly of notables that Moshe had appointed, otherwise known as the spies, to make an advance visit to the land of Israel and report back on their findings, returned with the tidings that the land of Israel was, indeed, everything that G-d had promised. But, alas, it would remain unattainable to the children of Israel, as it was occupied by inhabitants that the spies found spectacularly intimidating, precluding, in their estimate, Israel's ability to dislodge them and inherit the land that G-d had promised.

Of course, inheriting the land that G-d promised, performing the many commandments that can only be performed in the land of Israel, and building the Torah society whose heart and soul is the city of Jerusalem and the Holy Temple that sits within its gates, was the dream and the goal of the entire Israelite nation as they steadily made their way across the desert sands. Destination Israel is what they strove for, uniting them and impelling them forward.

Naturally, when their own leaders, hand chosen by Moshe rabeinu - Moses our master, dismissed all this as an impossibility, they crumbled. Their sudden loss of spirit, as unjustified as it was, could well have proven fatal for the nation, had not Yehoshua and Calev at that moment risen to the historic occasion, and, in the very midst of a people having lost faith in themselves and in their G-d , stood firm against the overwhelming tide of defeatism and despair, and uttered their truth, "We can surely go up and take possession of it, for we can indeed overcome it." (ibid 13:30)

When G-d subsequently tells Moshe that the entire generation will die in the desert due to their faint-hearted response, save Yehoshua bin Nun and Calev ben Yefunneh, it wasn't intended as a reward for the two, but in recognition that only they possessed the very faith and the courage necessary to inherit the land. This week's episode of the terror flotilla that set sail for Gaza has afforded all the world's illustrious notables yet another opportunity to cynically and shamelessly trash Israel. Precisely today, when the entire world is clamoring to slander the nation of Israel, and speak ill of the land of Israel, and behave disparagingly toward the G-d of Israel, it is incumbent upon each and every one of us to take a stand and speak boldly and forcefully, as did Yehoshua and Calev, on behalf of the people, the land and the G-d of Israel. Only those that make their voices heard now, and cast their lot with Israel will make their mark in history, and likewise be noted by G-d , that they too, like His servant Calev, are "possessed by another spirit," worthy of G-d's deliverance.

The failure of the spies to recognize that Israel is the "desirable land" of HaShem was the cause of their downfall.

To learn about the true identity of the twelve sones of the Breastplate of the High Priest, "Choosing the 12 Stones".



[Me: And so it may be for all Jews who 'despise' the Land and do not return to Hashem while they can, to their G-d given Homeland.]

06 June 2010

Thank You Ari Fleischer


Former White House Press Secretary,
Fire Helen Thomas 'She Is Advocating Religious Cleansing'
"She should lose her job over this,"
"As someone who is Jewish, and as someone who worked with her and used to like her, I find this appalling."

"She is advocating religious cleansing. How can Hearst stand by her?

If a journalist, or a columnist, said the same thing about blacks or Hispanics, they would already have lost their jobs."

Rabbis discuss the halachik borders for the Land of Israel

I think some of the Rabbis are part of the 'Sanhedrin' of Jerusalem But its very hard to hear what they are saying and what it might...