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30 November 2011

Just a Few Little Things ...

Israeli civil defense exercise to simulate biological weapons attack. “Exercise Orange Flame-6 will take place as part of a number of exercises in the field of unconventional terrorism,” ... "scheduled for Nov. 30 through Dec. 1, would simulate the outbreak of a biological weapons attack..."

Ex-intel chief: Iran has enough material for 4-5 nukes. "Iran currently possesses enough materials to produce four to five nuclear bombs, former IDF Intelligence Chief Amos Yadlin warned Tuesday... Yadlin provides grim assessment of Iranian progress, calls for cooperation with states 'more capable than Israel'"

Muslim Brotherhood Raising Jordan to Boiling Point. Swarms of refugees from Iraq and Syria, along with the rising Muslim Brotherhood, may bring the Arab Spring to Jordan. ArutzSheva: “Within the Kingdom and across three of its borders, unfolding developments carry far reaching implications for the region in general and Jordan’s stability in particular,” according to Oded Eran of the Institute for National Securities Studies (INSS)

Eldad to Abdullah II: Jordan is Palestine or Exile. "MK Eldad continued trading barbs with Abdullah II saying if Jordan isn't Palestine the Hashemite monarchy will fall ...The shocks and upheavals in the Middle East will not pass Jordan by."


'Iran police secures release of UK embassy hostages': Sound familiar? The same scenario played out in Egypt when a mob attacked the Israeli Embassy in Cairo.



Why? Most of the countries experiencing their Arab Spring, most likely will become Islamic governed by Sharia Law. This is a slow takeover of many of the countries surrounding the Middle East with tiny Eretz Yisrael in the middle.

This reminds me of the American Wild West, when wagon trains of new 'settlers' were being attacked by terrorists, they formed a circle to protect those inside the circle, while being able to defend from the perimeter with their defensive weapons.

Tiny Israel is in the middle of the Middle East and she is being encircled by hostile enemies that want to obliterate her.

Circling the Wagons:





29 November 2011

Moishele's Yom Huledet

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOSHE HOLTZBERG

Picture courtesy of COLLive



Moishy Holtzberg celebrates his 5th Birthday


Every night he kisses the picture and says goodnight, he remembers his parents whenever he sees their photographs, saying good morning or good night to 'eema' (mother) and 'abba' (father) each day. Picture courtesy of COLLive.


Great Big Kiddush HaShem




Without a doubt, the Picture of the Day:





This is my favorite part, the Opening Clip:





Picture and Videos courtesy of COLLive

27 November 2011

Technology Saves Girl's Life


While some segments of the Jewish World are burning their iPhones, and moving away from owning personal technological devices, there are other segments of society that are using them to improve and save lives. Anyone can become addicted to anything, whether a food, beverage, gadget, behavior, etc.

Arutz Sheva publicized how a doctor saved the life of a young girl, by asking his patient "upon hearing their description ... to record a video showing the dots using her iPhone, and send it to him."

These red dots first appeared inside her mouth and then began to spread to the rest of her body. When the doctor saw the video, "it confirmed his fears: she was suffering from a rare disease called ITP, which causes the immune system to act against platelets responsible for clotting. In its most dangerous form, ITP may lead to severe bleeding and death. She was rushed to the emergency room at Tel Hashomer Hospital ... received treatment for a week and her body returned to normal."

What would the world be without telephones? Where would the under-developed nations be without technological advancements.

"Science and technology in Israel is one of the country's most developed sectors. The percentage of Israelis engaged in scientific and technological inquiry, and the amount spent on research and development (R&D) in relation to gross domestic product (GDP), is amongst the highest in the world... Israeli scientists have contributed to the advancement of agriculture, computer sciences, electronics, genetics, medicine, optics, solar energy and various fields of engineering." Wikipedia

G-d Bless the Israelis, the People of Israel, and all the Jewish souls on earth.

The world was created with opposites: daytime and nightime, man and woman, heat and cold, sunlight and moonlight, et al., and especially good and evil. Everything and anything can be used for goodness, to better mankind and improve the conditions of the world.

But then there are those who live in the opposite and worship death. They try to destroy the 'good' in any way possible. But the "good" will triumph over the "evil".

25 November 2011

Shabbat Shalom

PARSHAT TOLDOS

The Sandy Path to Inspiration
Why Were the Founding Fathers of Judaism Enthralled by Wells?

Rabbi YY Jacobson

Enthralled by Wells

It seems that our Patriarchs, the Founding Fathers of Judaism, were enthralled with wellsprings.

First, the Bible tells us of Abraham's involvement in well-digging and his rebuke to the king of the Philistines for allowing his servants to seize one of his wells. [1] Abraham went so far as to perform an elaborate ceremony with the king, during which the king swore that the well would remain in Abraham's possession. [2]

But Abraham's association with wells pales in comparison to his son Isaac's connection to wells. First, we learn that he is a frequent visitor at a well named “Lachai Roei,” where he meets his bride and later settles. [3]

Isaac then engages in relentless digging to uncover underground springs. He reclaims the wells that his father dug but that were stuffed up after Abraham's death. In addition, we read of at least another four wells that Isaac's servants dig anew. We are even told the names Isaac granted his wells and of the battles he fought to hold on to them! [4]

Jacob, too, seems to harbor special sentiments towards wells. When the Torah describes in next week's portion his journey from Israel to the East, it tells us [5] that "Jacob looked and behold, a well in the field!" Jacob spends a lot of time at the well, and it is there that he encounters and decides to marry his wife-to-be, Rachel. [6]

Why were the fathers of the Jewish people so connected to wells? And why does the Torah, a book of instruction and teachings, a roadmap for life, dedicate a significant part of this week's portion Toldos to discuss the details of Isaac's struggles to discover wellsprings?

Two Water Sources

In Jewish thought, water represents wisdom and inspiration. [7] Just as water quenches the thirst of an arid body, rejuvenating its spirit and resuscitating its energy, the gifts of wisdom and enlightenment refresh a soul and grant it inspiration and vitality.

We have two sources of water in our world. The waters above the ground—oceans, rivers, lakes, streams and rain, and water that flows below the ground, covered by grit. These latter waters seep out from sand and gravel, from amid soluble rocks and cleavage planes, as they struggle to emerge from beneath the earth that conceals them.

One would assume that the restricted flow of water fighting to emerge from amid gravel would be inferior to the unrestricted and smooth beds of water that lay above the ground. Yet the reality is that there is something uniquely refreshing about spring water. The very fact that these waters are hidden beneath the ground keeps them free from pollution and germs, and grants them a freshness and sparkle not to be found in the above-ground waters.

Two Sources of Inspiration

The two sources of physical waters in our world parallel the two sources of wisdom and spiritual inspiration in our lives.

The first of these spiritual sources, which parallels above-ground water, is a sense of wisdom and inspiration that is born above and beyond the dirt of life's daily challenges. It comes to lucid people at lucid moments; it is straightforward, easy and smooth. These are the waters that emerge from the hearts of pristine spiritual individuals; men and women unsoiled by the filth and muck innate to many a human character. Their waters are delightful and unrestricted.

But then there is the wisdom that emerges from life's "dirt" and grime, from amid much struggle and inner strife; there is the inspiration born from those human hearts that are submerged in the psychological and emotional gravel of life. When a person, burdened by the daily pressures of earning a livelihood and raising a family, and bogged down by his earthly nature and his immoral urges bursts out with a yearning to transcend his dirt and connect to G-d - this small, restricted flow of water seeping out from a sandy and rocky psyche is more refreshing and potent than all of the serene waters located above the “ground.”

This is why the fathers of the Jewish people were engrossed in digging and preserving wells. With this they taught us to fight for and to cherish those moments of truth, fleeting as they are, and those small sparks of idealism, transient as they seem, buried within the deep rubble of falsehood and grit.

For this is the essence of Judaism: You must not live in heaven; you must discover heaven within earth, beginning with your own earth. [8]
_______________

[1]Genesis 21:25.
[2]Ibid. 21:30. This ceremony and the oath taken by the two parties at the location, is the origin of the name of the City Beer Sheba, where this ceremony was performed. Beer Sheba means "the oath of the well."
[3] Genesis 24:62. Cf. ibid. 25:11
[4] Ibid. chapter 26.
[5] Ibid. 29:2.
[6]4) Also Eliezer, the servant of Abraham, stopped at a well, where he found a bride for Isaac. Moses too discovers his wife-to-be, Tzeporah, at a well.
[7]See, for example, Bava Kama 17a. Tanya chapter 4.
[8]This essay is based on a discourse by Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi (1745-1812), the founder of Chabad, in his book Torah Or p. 20.

Fundamentals of Kabbalah HB"D

A New Series at The Yeshiva.net

With Rabbi Yossi Paltiel

The Fundamentals of Kabbalah -- Part One
The Sefiros: So Close, Yet So Far. Studying the book of Torah Or Vayeira Maamar Pasach Eliyahu

The Fundamentals of Kabbalah -- Part Two
The Sefiros: Can G-d Have a “Personality?” Studying Torah Or Maamar Pasach Eliyahu

New! The Fundamentals of Kabbalah -- Part Three
The Tzimtzum: A Hole In the Infinite Light. Studying the book of Torah Or Vayeira Maamar Pasach Eliyahu

Death of The Farce

"The Peace Process, that horrible masochistic program of terrorist empowerment, is a fading mirage that no one believes in anymore...The 'peace process' which created two terrorist states inside Israel may have begun in Oslo, but it ended in Cairo. Normalizing relations with the rest of the Middle East was one of the carrots that got the Jewish state hopping down the appeasement trial-- and that carrot is now officially off the table."

SO BEGINS THE ARUTZ SHEVA OP ED DEATH OF THE PEACE PROCESS BY DANIEL GREENFIELD (above)

AND

KNOWN AS THE PROLIFIC BLOGGER SULTAN KNISH:

"The Future of Egypt: In the wake of the latest instability everyone has an opinion on the future of Egypt. But the future of Egypt is the past, not the distant past of its pre-Arab culture, but a repetition of the last century. In a region that has never escaped from the past, history is not a road, it is a circle. Travel far enough along it and you come back to where you were."

Congratulations Daniel, a new voice on Arutz Sheva.

23 November 2011

NO END TO THEIR FALSEHOODS

Adam and Chava
and
Avraham and Sarah
Yitzchak and Rivkah
Yaakov and Leah
Our Jewish Ancestors, are buried in Maarat HaMachpela.
Avraham Avinu bought the cave and surrounding area.
He and his descendants are the rightful owners.

THERE IS NO END TO THEIR FALSEHOODS: Haj Zeid Al Ja'bari pf the Islamic Religious Authorities in Chevron shamelessly claims that the Maarat HaMachpela is "a pure Muslim holy place." Source: COLLive



For those who may not realize, David Wilder, a spokesman for the Jewish community of Hevron, explains the Who and Why of Maarat HaMachpela:

The Torah teaches us that Avraham, sitting outside his tent following his Brit Milah, seeing three men approaching, ran to fix them a meal.

When he entered the sheep pen to prepare fresh meat, a calf ran away. As Avraham chased the calf, the animal suddenly disappeared. Continuing to search, Avraham saw a cave in the distance and approached, thinking that

Where did Avraham learn the trait of chesed?

perhaps the calf had run inside. Arriving at the cave and peering in, Avraham saw a bright light glowing from deep within. Entering to investigate, walking deeper and deeper into the cave, Avraham discovered the tombs of Adam and Eve, the first man and woman. He also smelled fragrances from the Garden of Eden.

How did Adam and Eve arrive at this site? It is written that following their exile from the Garden of Eden they wished to return, but they had no idea where it was. They searched and searched until they reached a point where they could smell the exquisite fragrances of that unique place. There, the first man began digging and dug a cave within a cave, until a voice from the heavens forbade him to dig further. There he buried his wife Eve and later he too was interred there (according to the Zohar).

Realizing the sanctity of the site, Avraham left the cave, desiring to purchase it. According to the Midrash (Pirkei d'Rebbi Eliezer), he approached the Jebusites and requested to purchase from them the cave. (The Midrash specifies that the Jebusites and the Hittites were both from the same tribe, Paleshet.) They answered Avraham, "We know that your future offspring will try to conquer our home city (Jerusalem). If you agree to prevent them from conquering Jerusalem, we will sell you the cave."
Avraham agreed and signed a contract which was hung on statues outside the gates of Jerusalem. There are commentators who hold that Joshua did not conquer Jerusalem when he entered Israel due to Avraham's agreement. Centuries later, King David purchased the Temple Mount from the Jebusites only after he destroyed these statues.

Did Avraham really agree to relinquish Jerusalem for Hebron? No. Avraham realized that in order to attain the sanctity of Jerusalem, it was necessary to begin at the foundations of civilization, at the point which joins this world to another world, to the Garden of Eden. Starting here, at the cave, the foundations of the world, they could then progress slowly, until finally reaching the holiness of Jerusalem. This is similar to "Jacob's ladder", of which it is written that the top of the ladder reached the heavens but the legs of the ladder were firmly entrenched on the ground.

Where is a connection between Jerusalem and Hebron, site of these caves discovered by Avraham, called Ma'arat HaMachpela? The Talmud says, in the tractate Yoma, that every day, before beginning work in the Beit HaMikdash, the Temple, the priests would look out and ask, "Has the sun yet risen in the east, even as far as Hebron?" If the answer was positive, work would commence. If not, if it was still dark in Hebron, the priests in Jerusalem would have to wait.

Very likely, the merit by which Avraham earned discovery of Ma'arat HaMachpela is due to his desire and willingness to fulfill the positive precept of hachnasat orchim, "hosting guests", despite the very hot weather and the pain he experienced three days after his Brit Milah. This reflects Avraham's primary trait, that of chesed, or total, unrelenting loving-kindness.
Where did Avraham learn the trait of chesed? It would seem, from HaShem, from G-d Himself. In our prayers, which we repeat three times daily, we say, "the great, strong, awesome G-d, the supreme G-d." What would we expect to follow? Perhaps, 'the G-d who created heavens and earth', or 'who created Man'? No. We continue, "[G-d] who practices fine chesed and remembers the chesed of the Forefathers." This is what Avraham learned from

Each site has levels within levels.

HaShem. And this is the pillar of Ma'arat HaMachpela - chesed.

This is Avraham's primary trait, that of chesed, as it is written, "He bestowed chesed to Avraham." Why especially to Avraham? It is written, "A world of chesed will be created." In other words, creation of the world was dependant on total chesed, without any restrictions. Later, rules were established and the chesed was limited, borders were implemented. (So it is that Yitzhak's trait is gevurah, which represents the ability to live with restrictions, an enclosing, an implementation of constraints, and the opposite of chesed.)

Why was Avraham's trait chesed? His existence in the world and his revelation of one G-d was as the recreation of the world anew, the seeds of the birth of Am Yisrael, a time necessitating total chesed, as was during the time of Adam and Eve. And so it was that Avraham was merited to be the first person to discover their final resting place, the entrance to the Garden of Eden.

There are different levels of revelation and of recognizing HaShem. There is a superficial recognition, but also a deeper appreciation.

In Israel there is Jerusalem and Hebron - Beit HaMikdash and Ma'arat HaMachpela. Beit HaMikdash, the Temple, is open to all, high upon a hill. Ma'arat HaMachpela is a cave, hidden from all eyes, inner. Beit HaMikdash extends outward. Ma'arat HaMachpela extends inward. One to the heavens and one to the depths of the earth. One bursts out and the other, directed towards our roots.

Of course, each site has levels within levels. Beit HaMikdash has a section called Kodesh, "holy" and a more restricted area called Kodesh HaKodeshim, "the Holy of Holies". Ma'arat HaMachpela has two caves, an outer cave and an inner cave.
Why then is the supreme holiness in Jerusalem and not in Hebron? This is the way of the world: "In the beginning G-d created the heavens and the earth, and the earth was filled with tohu v'vohu ('confusion')." The Torah continues with incidents 'on earth,' that which is revealed. The heavens remain 'hidden' and untouched. With that, it should be noted that the final goal, the full redemption, is return to the era of the Garden of Eden, before Man's original sin.

All may view that which is revealed, but revelation of the hidden is dependant on G-d, on His chesed, His willingness to allow entrance into 'the arena of the hidden'. In other words, Avraham's discovery of Ma'arat HaMachpela is an example of how chesed begets chesed (i.e., an example of mida k'neged mida - "an attribute begets an attribute").

We know of four couples buried at Ma'arat HaMachpela: Adam and Eve, Avraham and Sarah, Yitzhak and Rivka, Ya'akov and Lea. However, it is written that there are actually five couples buried at Ma'arat HaMachpela, three 'revealed' and two 'hidden'. The 'revealed' three are the Patriarchs and Matriarchs. The 'hidden' are Adam and Eve and Moshe (Moses) and Tzipporah (attributed to Sefer HaTemunah in the name of Rabbi Nechunia HaKana and Rabbi Yishmael Kohen Gadol).

What is Moshe's connection to Ma'arat HaMachpela? The Torah writes that Moshe was very humble; he was most humble of all men. Humility is a trait reflecting selflessness and concealment. Moshe brought Torah to the people of Israel and received no reward. He was as a slave and suffered, despite his efforts on behalf of the Israelites. This reflects the trait of chesed. What person would be more suitable to unify with his roots than Moshe?

This is the secret of Ma'arat HaMachpela.

In the Torah it is written (in Hebrew) Ma'arat Sde HaMachpela ("the cave in the field of Machpela"). The initials of these three words (in Hebrew), Mem, Shin and Hay, combine to spell Moshe. Jerusalem and Hebron blend and unify. Torah - the rules, the boundaries - and the tablets of the Ten Commandments, are found in Jerusalem. Gevurah - the trait of Yitzhak; Akedat Yitzhak occured on Har HaMoriah, site of Beit HaMikdash.

The chesed, the full loving-kindness without restriction, the trait of Avraham, is in Hebron. The lights of Hebron and the lights of Jerusalem merge to create a unity of spirituality which imbues the Jewish people (Ya'akov-Yisrael - the unity of chesed and gevurah), the revealed and the hidden, this is the secret of Ma'arat HaMachpela, a unity which cannot be, and never will be, 'disengaged'.

22 November 2011

POMPOSITY

One can occasionally trip and fall into this definition, but to do so often one can become identified as this behavior:

Haaretz Editorial: Barak's VERBOSITY has strengthened Iran.

Wiktionary - add to that POMPOSITY:
The quality of being pompous; self-importance. He shows great pomposity, the pretentious windbag.

And also An exaggerated sense of one's importance that shows itself in the making of excessive or unjustified claims

As an example, this, as covered by One Jerusalem:

Israel's left-wing Defense Minister, Ehud Barak, relishes opportunities to hob knob with America's Left wing elite. For example, he never turns down invitations by Charlie Rose to discuss the problems of the world. In a recent appearance on Rose's show Barak: Haaretz reports that Barak was asked on PBS' "Charlie Rose" on Wednesday: "If you were them (Iran), wouldn't you want a nuclear weapon?"

"Probably, probably. I know, it's not -- I don't delude myself that they are doing it just because of Israel," he said. "They look around, they see the Indians are nuclear, the Chinese are nuclear, Pakistan is nuclear ... not to mention the Russians," Barak said, referring to secretive nuclear programs in Arab countries like Iraq, in the past, and of Israel itself.

Barak has compiled a long record of aiding Israel's enemies. As Prime Minister he offered Yassar Arafat Jerusalem and he abandoned Israel's allies in Lebanon. Now he is justifying Iran's nuclear ambitions. I guess during World War II he would have rationalized Germany's expansionism.

20 November 2011

A Cold Wind is Blowing





A cold wind is blowing my way.



It's cold out there.




I think I'll go on a vacation.

Erev Shabbos 11.11.11

Wake Up! America ...

Bringing people together

This is exactly the direction that American Jews should be moving.

People are questioning the way the American society is changing, not for the better, and with ominous signals that are similar to those that occurred before the Shoah. People are panicking inside, they don't understand why they are feeling depressed and nervous. Or, on the other hand why they need to keep buying 'bigger and better', every new popular "craze," flashy sparkling sequined shoes, sparkling jackets, matching sparkling socks, sparkling handbags ad infinitum. People are being challenged in the area of their faith and Emuna.

Those that have gone thru these societal changes before will tell you this is the way it started in Europe.

While I don't believe the trouble and turmoil will be the same as WWII Europe, even though Germany is gaining power, enough that it could go to war with Europe to "save Europe" from itself and it's failing economy.

That might be the beginning of gogUmagog?? But we don't know and have to wait and see. It could come from another direction.

In the meantime, another bank is opening in Boro Park! "They" are going to where "they" think all the money is! On one block there are now THREE banks! If people are hurting financially, and need a scapegoat, where and to whom are "they" going to go next?

* * * * *

Part of seeing the Geula in front of our eyes is seeing the seed decay in order to allow the budding of new growth. This dynamic is built into creation by HaShem. So when we look at life globally, the decay is on a much larger scale. We see the disintegration of the seed first and then slowly a little bud peeks thru the soil to begin it's upward climb out and into the sun (into the warm rays of Moshiach). The process takes time, but we keep our eyes focused on the signs of budding.

18 November 2011

Parshas Chayei Sarah

The Secret Relationship
Understanding Marriage on a Subconscious Level


Sarah’s passing

This week’s Torah portion commences with the sad story of the sunset of the first Jewish matriarch, Sarah, and her husband Abraham’s efforts to purchase a family burial-plot for Sarah and himself, as well as for future couples of the founding Jewish family (Genesis ch. 23).

Abraham negotiates a deal with a man named Efron and ends up paying an enormous amount of money (400 large and pure silver (1)) for a field in Hebron, at whose edge was the “machpalah cave,” or the “double cave,” a cave suited for the burial of couples’ side-by-side of each other. Indeed, as the Bible relates, all of the patriarchs and matriarchs of Israel (besides Rachel) – Sarah and Abraham, Rebecca and Isaac, Leah and Jacob – were buried in that cave.

The edifice constructed upon it remains till today one of the holiest sites in Judaism and is also held in high esteem by Muslims.

Immediately following this story, the Bible continues to relate the long dramatic story of how Isaac meets and marries his soul-mate Rebecca. This is the section in Torah known as “the portion of relationships,” and is read in many Jewish Sephardic communities on the Sabbath before a wedding in the community.

Awful Comparisons

Sequence in the Bible is critical. It is always there to demonstrate a point, to challenge a convention, to inspire an ideal. How, then, are we to appreciate the juxtaposition between such paradoxical themes – the death and burial of Sarah in the “machpalah cave,” and the dawn of Isaac and Rebecca's life as a married couple?

There is something even more astonishing in the Talmud. Biblical law is often ambiguous and riddle-like. Thus, when Moses presented the Torah to the Jewish people, he gave them an oral interpretation, clarifying and elucidating the meaning of the Bible. This oral tradition has been documented in the Mishnah and in the Talmud (2).

Marriage is one of those issues where the Biblical law is unclear and it requires interpretation. The Torah speaks of “a man marrying a woman (3),” but does not specify the legal means to affect a marriage. The Talmud (4) presents an oral tradition to fill the gap. A similar expression used when discussing marriage is found once more in the Bible when addressing Abraham’s purchase of the machpalah cave. In a classical method of Torah interpretation known as “gzeirah shavev” (comparing two distinct cases when a similar word is used in both), we legally compare the two cases. Just as Abraham purchased the field and the cave by means of money, so too must a groom give a monetary gift to his bride if he wishes to obtain her hand in marriage.

Till today this law is the basis of every Jewish marriage. When the groom places the ring on the finger of his bride and declares “you are hereby betrothed to me…” man and woman enter into the covenant of marriage. Why? Because we derive it from the legal formula employed by Abraham to purchase the machpalah cave.

This is classical Talmudic methodology well-known to any student of the Talmud. Yet it does seem tasteless, if not awful. Why are we deriving the laws of marriage from a story of death and burial? The death of Sarah terminated her marriage with Abraham; yet it is from a story which terminated a marriage that we deduce the laws of creating a marriage! And why are we comparing the obtaining of a spouse to the purchase of a burial plot? (The cynic would recall Woody Allen's quip: “Marriage is the death of hope.”)

The comparison is so strange and bizarre that it compels us to look deeper, to gaze into the secret “caves” of our own relationships.

Two Dimensions

The Torah and the Kabbalah talk about two dimensions to every relationship: the disclosed element, situated “above the ground,” and the hidden component, buried “beneath the ground,” disguised and veiled. In our modern lexicon we may define them as the conscious relationships vs. the subconscious relationship.

The first layer of the relationship is created by conscious thoughts, emotions and feelings. “I love you because I feel for you; I cherish you because I perceive you as my life’s partner.” What happens when these powerful feelings wane? The relationship, naturally, suffers as well. When the cause is no more, its effects follow suit.

We observe this phenomenon in many a marriage. When the passion rages high and the love towers the heavens, the union is splendid and vibrant. But when those passionate emotions and exhilarating inclinations dissipate, the bond falters, and the loyalty disappears. The couple may still be married on paper as far as the IRS is concerned; internally, though, they are divorced.

And if you are already divorced internally, you may wonder, why not complete the process and sever your bonds officially as well? Who are you fooling?

The Subterranean Bond

Yet the Torah and the Kabbalah address another facet to relationships -- the one buried beneath the earth, in the inner caves of the souls relating to each other. This is the connection you have with a person not because you consciously experience a bond with them, but rather because you are inherently and intrinsically connected, regardless of your conscious feelings.

The common example for this is the relationship between parents and children. Your relationship with your Mom is not created by your positive conscious feelings toward her; on the contrary, your feelings toward your mother are the result of your subconscious bond with her. You may harbor negative emotions toward your mother. At times, you may even need to protect yourself from your mother (though this should be determined by an objective voice, not by your own emotional roller coaster). Yet nothing will change the fact that she is your mother; a piece of your essence.

Albeit on a different plane, the Torah ascribes this dimension of relationships to marriages as well. In addition to the conscious marriage, created by the rational and emotional choice of two adults, there is another layer to the marital union. This connection is buried “beneath the ground,” existing in the subconscious cellars of the man and woman's psyches. A husband and a wife are, in the words of the Zohar (5), “two halves of one soul.” Their bond is inherent, intrinsic and eternal, one that originated before birth and cannot be obliterated with death.

This layer of the relationship is not created through our conscious volition; on the contrary, our conscious feelings are born from this hidden and essential aspect of the relationship, binding us together in the subterranean chambers of our souls. And when the marriage does encounter strife and struggle, the soul-mates remember that they are essentially united and that the conflicts between them, though in need of attention and repair, ought not and cannot erode the essential connection between them.

Abraham’s Message

This, perhaps, was the significance of Abraham working hard to purchase a burial plot for his wife and himself, as well as for the couples of the second and third generation of Jews. This was not a mere expression of sentimentalism (Genesis, in general, focuses far more on justice and truth than on sentimentalism). It was a statement of profound spiritual implications -- that his relationship with Sarah did not cease after her death, because it did not begin during her life.

And it was a cave that he purchased, alluding to the "subterranean relationship," which does not cease after death.

This does not mean that a widower or widow ought never to remarry. Abraham himself remarries after Sarah’s death, and the Torah teaches that the soul of a deceased spouse longs that their partner below continue to live a productive and accomplished life. Often that requires remarrying. In no way does a second marriage demonstrate a lack of sensitivity or betrayal towards the person who passed on. On the contrary, it may be their profoundest delight to see that their spouse below mustered the strength to move on and to continue to live and love sharing with another person the gifts of their heart and soul (5*).

Entering the Cave

This might also be the symbolism behind the Jewish law comparing the betrothal of every bride and groom with Abraham’s purchase of the “cave.” Superficially, this comes across as very weird. Yet there is a profoundly moving message being communicated here. When a groom places the ring on the finger of his bride, the Torah is informing him, that he is not only marrying his spouse on a conscious level; he is also entering into an eternal relationship with her. In marriage, they are accessing together the “cave” buried in the deep chambers of their souls, where their relationship is timeless and permanent. The chupah (the wedding canopy) is not only a union of two people; it is also a reunion of two halves that were once one.

This also explains the juxtaposition of Sarah’s burial and the story of Isaac and Rebecca’s marriage. At first glance, the sequence seems to be of poor taste. Upon deeper reflection, though, the implicit message is clear. Before you get married you must know that you are marrying your eternal partner. Divorce is not an option. You must be resolute that no argument, fight or crisis will ever tear you two apart. Your relationship is essential. Your core self and your spouses core self are one.

Abraham’s treatment of Sarah after her demise, served as a defining lesson to Isaac and Rebecca for how to treat their own marriage. These two, as the Bible relates, had plenty of arguments; some of these arguments had dramatic historical implications. But never did these differences of opinion manage to tear them apart. Never did Isaac and Rebecca lose their loyalty and trust to each other. Why? Because they never forgot the connection that defined their relationship “beneath the ground,” in the subconscious layers of their souls.

The Metaphor

The human marriage has always been a metaphor for the marriage between man and G-d.

This marriage, too, operates on two levels (7). At times your relationship with G-d is “above the ground,” exposed and revealed. It is conscious, exciting and enriching.

But what do you do at a moment of a moral or spiritual “downer?” How do you react to a condition of shallowness, alienation and despair? What do you do when you feel that your marriage with G-d is soul-less and lifeless? When you are not even sure He exists?

At such a moment you have to remember the “cave-like relationship,” the fact that you and G-d possesses a hidden relationship that may be invisible, but is always present. This is the hidden spark of G-dliness and inspiration etched within the deep caves of your soul that could never be extinguished.

It is not as exciting and captivating as the relationship above ground, but it is eternal (8).

Footnotes:
1) According to the Talmud (Bava Metzia 87a) he paid a total of one million ordinary shekels for the cave!
2) See introduction of Rambam to the Mishnah and to his Yad Hachnazakah.
3) Deuteronomy 24:2.
4) Tractate Kiddushin 2a.
5) Zohar vol. 3 7a.
5*) See the moving letter by the Lubavitcher Rebbe to Mrs. Sifrah Morozov, who lost her husband in the 1967 six-day-war. The letter is published in Toras Menachem-Menachem Tzeyon vol. 2.
6) See Rambam laws of Teshuvah ch. 10.
7) The first section of Tanya and much of the Chassidic literature revolves around these two layers of our relationship with G-d.
8) This essay is based on the Chassidic discourses by the third Lubavitcher Rebbe, the Tzemach Tzedek (see Sefer Halikkutim-Dach Tzemach Tzedek, under the entry of Chevron and Mearas Hamachpalah). Cf. a lovely rendition of this idea in Emunas Etecah, by Rabbi Moshe Wolfson shlita, Parshas Chayei Sarah.

Good Grief

Should be renamed the obamabomb, launching is from Hawaii:

Pentagon successfully tests hypersonic flying bomb

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon on Thursday held a successful test flight of a flying bomb that travels faster than the speed of sound and will give military planners the ability to strike targets anywhere in the world in less than a hour.

Launched by rocket from Hawaii at 1130 GMT, the "Advanced Hypersonic Weapon," or AHW, glided through the upper atmosphere over the Pacific "at hypersonic speed" before hitting its target on the Kwajalein atoll in the Marshall Islands, a Pentagon statement said.

Scientists classify hypersonic speeds as those that exceed Mach 5 -- or five times the speed of sound -- 3,728 miles (6,000 kilometers) an hour. The test aimed to gather data on "aerodynamics, navigation, guidance and control, and thermal protection technologies," said Lieutenant Colonel Melinda Morgan, a Pentagon spokeswoman.

16 November 2011

GridLock in the Middle of China's Desert

The following is from Gizmodo


Why Is China Building These Gigantic Structures In the Middle of the Desert?

What do you think these are?
For what purpose?

New photos have appeared in Google Maps showing unidentified titanic structures in the middle of the Chinese desert. The first one is an intricate network of what appears to be huge metallic stripes. Is this a military experiment?

Update: readers are finding more weird stuff.
They seem to be wide lines drawn with some white material. Or maybe the dust have been dug by machinery.

It's located in Dunhuang, Jiuquan, Gansu, north of the Shule River, which crosses the Tibetan Plateau to the west into the Kumtag Desert. It covers an area approximately one mile long by more than 3,000 feet wide.

The tracks are perfectly executed, and they seem to be designed to be seen from orbit.

Perhaps it's some kind of targeting or calibrating grid for Chinese spy satellites? Maybe it's a QR code for aliens? Nobody really knows.

You can check it out yourself in Google Maps here or here.



see here for pictures and more comments

Someone thought it was a grid overlay of DC!
Target practice?
Or is it a hoax.

You decide

15 November 2011

Quantum Levitation

One of the Chasidei Umos HaOlam (pious one of the nations) that is tuned to "latter days" sitings, has an amazing post from 10 November:

Daniel 12:4 prophesied “knowledge shall be increased [exponentially]” in the latter days, and this link is an example of this prophecy being fulfilled. We can know the Daniel 12:4 prophecy meant an exponential increase in knowledge as the Hebrew word translated “increased” is the same word used to describe how the waters “increased” and flooded the entire earth in the Noachian Deluge (Genesis 7:17). There was an exponential increase in the waters on the earth in Noah’s time so that is how mankind’s fund of knowledge will be increased in the latter days. The stunning increase in mankind’s knowledge in our time is one of the proofs that we are, indeed, living in the latter days.

Quantum Levitation (think flying saucers?)



Video from ASTC, Association of Science - Technology Centers 2011 Annual Convention featuring "knowledge that works," 15-18 October in Baltimore MD. This Conference featured Quantum Levitation. On their blog, Larry Hoffer wrote "While this demonstration of quantum levitation by Tel-Aviv University’s Superconductivity Group was shot during the recent ASTC Annual Conference in Baltimore. There is true physics behind it. To date, this video has gotten more than 5 million hits on YouTube and been featured in media outlets all across the globe."

14 November 2011

AMERICA WAKE UP: Escalation of Anti-Semitism

A few headlines that speak volumes

Jewish American Community in Danger. From Caroline Glick's article of 11.11.11:

"This year at Jewish Federations of North America's annual General Assembly, they invited the newly minted anti-Israel activist Peter Beinhart to speak. They also showcased the Boston Globe's resident anti-Israel columnist James Carroll. These moves as well as much of the program of the 3-day conference which presented several panels discussing whether anti-Zionists should be embraced by the community are indicative of the advanced suicidal tendencies of the American Jewish community.

"This is a community that has for generations seamlessly merged its definition of Judaism with leftist politics. And now that this generation of leftists has cast its lot with the anti-Semites, the young American Jews coming of age have embraced anti-Semitism to show their moral purity.

"It may have once gone without saying, but apparently it is no longer obvious that this embrace of Jew hatred by young American Jews is a death embrace for the community. "

One commenter to Caroline's article, wrote anonymously, the following:

"This is not overreacting at all. There is a steady, constant errosion of sanity and a large percentage (majority?) of Jews are heading down a suicidal path. In so doing, they will bring every single one of us down. It's shocking to think that evangelical Christians are more supportive of Jews and Israel than many Jews appear to be. (And, for what it's worth, how long can we expect them to champion us if we cannot champion ourselves.) For years I have scratched my head in wonder at this frightening trend. I simply cannot explain it. All I know is that we need to be bold and brave, doing every single thing in our power to survive. Because at the rate things are going, a second Holocaust is going to overwhelm us. Sometimes it feels completely surreal to witness this unfolding....Thank G-d for Caroline Glick, Pamela Geller, and others for putting themselves on the front lines every day in this battle for our survival (which ultimately, may well be a survival for the West)."

And also the following:

Breitbart TV interview with "Occupy LA" protester: 'I have no problem dismembering anybody'.

And, supposed Jewish Anti-Israel, Jew-Baiting Cartoonist, South African Jonathan Shapiro, a/k/a "ZAPIRO" - "His cartoons often cross the line between anti-Israel criticism and outright anti-Jewish bigotry, as in this latest offering, which appeared in South Africa’s Cape Times:














Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann says developments in the Middle East are setting the stage for nuclear war against Israel. Bachmann warned that Iran’s attempt to develop a nuclear weapons is part of a regional push against Israel. She said Iran is working with countries like Syria and groups like Hamas to push its agenda.

That means “the table is being set for worldwide nuclear war against Israel,” she said.

As the ADL reported previously, Anti-Semitism is on the increase in America. Here are just a few recent incidents. When the economy in a country unravels, it is often accompanied by anti Jewish sentiments and attacks. This is very evident in the "occupy" frenzies happening in many cities of the US.

Williamsburg, NY - Hatzolah were requested late Friday night to a 51-year-old Hasidic man who was unconscious after being beaten by three perpetrators at Lee Avenue corner Ross Street. NYPD and Williamsburg Shomrim Patrol are investigating the incident. The victim was transported to Bellevue Hospital with a fractured nose and injured eye.

Williamsburg, NY - An elderly woman died this afternoon at Brooklyn Hospital from her injuries after a livery cab mowed her down and sped off in Brooklyn, police said.

Brooklyn, NY - Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D-Brooklyn) is calling upon witnesses to the horrific Ocean Parkway arson which saw three vehicles torched and burned in the Midwood section of Brooklyn this past Friday to come forward. Graffiti, including swastikas and the letters KKK and SS, was found sprayed on and around the cars.

Statement By NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg On The Anti-Semitic Vandalism In Midwood. “The fact that this most recent attack came on the heels of the 73rd anniversary of Kristalnacht may or may not be a coincidence. Either way, this kind of hateful act has no place in the freest city in the freest country in the world.”

Queens, NY - The NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force has arrested a man suspected of spray-painting swastikas on houses of worship and libraries that have roiled northwestern Queens since last week. A Jackson Heights man has been charged with four counts of criminal mischief as a hate crime for allegedly painting the hated Nazi symbol on two area libraries, a synagogue and a church.

These incidents should be taken as warning signs to change your ways. It's been like this in every Galus we have been in. Once materialism gets the upper hand, the cohesion of the community unravels.

Forget about "bigger and better" "ultra" this and that, "new" and "newest". Women, lower your skirts, allow more breathing space between your garments and your body. "A must have" is not a "must."

Adherence to a healthy religious lifestyle is needed. American Jews are being called to reform some of their ways, to increase their compassion and chessed toward one another. Inquire about that elderly single person, show care for the elderly couple struggling to meet every day, look after the young single mothers with children to raise. Invite them for a 'homey' Shabbos. Call and ask if they need a ride somewhere, or if you can bring them something. Ask if the single mother needs clothing for her children?

Increased insularity will only add fuel to the fire, and feed divisiveness. An increase in acts of kindness is needed, together with greater devotion to the old ways of communal living when times were tough, forego the newest technological creations, rely on what you have now, and increase family cohesiveness. Stay at home more, spend more time with children, those still living at home and even marrieds. Don't eat out so much, prepare meals at home so the family can be together more.

Families are suffering. Attend less tzedaka functions, less simchas, send or deliver your donations and gifts ... All in order to be able to spend more time with your family.

There is so much more that can be suggested, but it should come from your hearts and from your creativity.


13 November 2011

Rabbi Kanievsky, Moshiach is on the way...

“בעקבתא דמשיחא” stated the Gadol Hador, Moshiach is on his way and “Hashem is closing cheshbonos”, Kikar quotes the Gadol HaDor as saying.

Rabbi Chulik stated that on motzei Shabbos he is supposed to address the shloshim kinos for women in Bnei Brak and he needs to know what to say to the thousands women who are seeking a chizuk

Rabbi Chulik: Is Moshiach arriving soon?

Rav Kanievsky:

This is what we believe and expect. Perhaps this is the time. In the past there were prophets who could tell us about the future, and why there is suffering and troubles, but today we have no explanation.


The Kinos was shown in many areas of Israel, and I attended the gathering in Rehavia:

And in his address on motzei Shabbos to thousands of women, Rabbi Chulik explained “Hashem is closing cheshbonos and is cleaning the table ahead of Moshiach and compelling us towards tshuva”.

12 November 2011

BD"E

BD"E
Second Shooting Under Mordechai's Command
The death of Rabbi Dan Mertzbach due to IDF fire is the second accidental civilian death under Brig. Hagai Mordechai's command.

Why don't we read about terrorists being fired upon?
Why don't they shoot at the attackers who infiltrate Jewish homes, steal farm animals, butcher families, and the list keeps growing.
Why aren't the terrorists being eliminated instead of Rabbis and precious Jews?


UPGRADE





The Otniel settlement near Chevron mourns the tragic death of Rabbi Dan Martzbach, killed by IDF fire. R' Dan was mistakenly taken for a terrorist, driving without headlights and not responding to soldiers' call to come to a stop. Rabbi Martzbach, 55 years old, was a beloved figure in Chevron, and an avid participant in the farbrengens and Chassidus shiurim at the local Chabad House run by Shliach Rabbi Yosef Dahan. He was also a participant at the shiurei Tanya taught by Rabbi Kalman Druk for many years.

11 November 2011

NO GO ZONES


"NO GO" ZONES
OR
"OCCUPIED TERRITORY"

Which is it President Nicolas Sarkozy?
Just who is being Occupied?

France says "Maale Adumim is occupied territory".

A French citizen who lives in Ma’aleh Adumim and recently tried to renew his French passport, received a letter which said that his country of residence in the new passport would be listed as “occupied Palestine.” The citizen turned to MK Lia Shemtov from the Yisrael Beiteinu party.

“It is inconceivable that Ma’aleh Adumim will be listed in the passport as occupied Palestinian territory,” ... “I turned to the Israeli Foreign Ministry and the staff there were also amazed to see that the passport says that Ma’aleh Adumim is part of Palestine, a country which has never even existed.”

We need to ask France how they can "point political fingers" at citizens in Israel when they have 750 No Go Zones where the French People are not allowed to exist!


'No-go' zones are for everyone that is not Muslim are springing up all over Europe at alarming rates. Many neighborhoods in London are now unsafe for non-Muslims to inhabit. These areas have been formed with 'ethnic cleansing' harassment tactics; forcing existing residents out of their homes by Muslim harassment. Not only are these places unsafe to live in, they're hazardous to walk into. Many women have been threatened with violence and even death for not wearing Islamic veils when simply walking in a London neighborhood. Gays have also had death threats shouted at them by Muslim preachers.










WE ARE BROTHERS

We Are Brothers




This video is an introduction to a new book by Glenn Beck,
coming from his visit of solidarity
with the Jewish People
in Israel.
It's amazing, but his voice seems to be the loudest of all our 'friends'
while the voices of our detractors
are busy mumbling behind the scenes.

Glenn explains:

I went to Israel not as a tourist, but as a seeker. I went to seek an example of courage in the face of unspeakable evil. I went because I knew that Israel is a place where the largest daily struggle is just to live normally without fear, without rockets, without terror. In Israel, you see what it really means to choose life, to choose goodness, to choose to follow the light against incredible odds.

That’s why the title of this book is WE ARE BROTHERS; Every free man and woman on the planet today is a brother or a sister of Israel; it’s a single family of freedom and life.

It’s time for all of us to decide which side we are on; to know what we really stand for and what we believe in before we are put to the ultimate test. I know where I stand: with freedom, with goodness, with courage.

I stand with Israel. I hope you will join me.

-Glenn Beck

Fix Yourself First

THIS IS A MUST SEE VIDEO

GLENN BECK
has written a book, The Snow Angel
which is a "personal story"

While the news keeps bringing the ugly situations of abuse out into the open, with all communities affected, some decide to hide the issues behind platitudes and drawn curtains, others decide to do something about it.

Below is a video clip of a dialogue between Glenn Beck and one of his employees, after she read his book, The Snow Angel, which deals with the abuse he experienced growing up.

10 November 2011

IS NETANYAHU ANGRY!

IS NETANYAHU ANGRY!
(at Sarkozy's and Obama's hypocrisy)


Israel may launch strike on Iran as soon as next month to prevent development of nuclear weapons. Senior Foreign Office figure: ‘We’re expecting something as early as Christmas, or very early in the new year’ A report by a UN watchdog into Iran’s nuclear ambitions ‘completely discredits’ the Islamic nation’s protestations of innocence, according to Foreign Secretary William Hague. (DailyMail)


Israel postpones demolition of illegal outpost, handing settlers a major victory

"Initially, the government argued that it was conducting negotiations with the residents of the outposts to evacuate them willingly, which never happened. After a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in February this year, the government decided to change direction: The outposts on state-owned land will be made legal while those on private Palestinian-owned land will be evacuated by the end of this year." (Haaretz)

I read the following headlines on Muqata but I haven't seen anyone commenting of this escalation of events vis-a-vis Moshiach ben Yosef, the Geulah, and its possibilities.

Netanyahu leading the fight against Israel's peace activists

The right-wing parties, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu leading the band, blame these organizations for aiding what they call a "campaign to delegitimize Israel."

They are now getting a taste of their own medicine, after all these years of tearing apart the rebuilding of Eretz Yisrael and the ingathering of our people.

09 November 2011

"Li, to me"


Marriage, Li and the Need for Martyrdom
November 5, 2011 by Rabbi Dr. Nathan Lopes Cardozo

The great Chassidic leader Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Kotzk, complaining about the Jews’ detachment from Judaism, once said that when a bridegroom stands under the chupa (bridal canopy) he can say hundreds of times to his future bride “You are betrothed,” but these words are meaningless until he adds one more Hebrew word, Li (to me). Only then is there a marriage.

All the family and friends may be present, the rabbi officiating, the music playing, the food served and the new home ready, but nothing has happened until the word Li has been uttered.

The crucial word in life is Li – to me. Only when things stand in relation to the sum total of man himself is there meaning. Such a commitment is not partial but total: “Till death do us part.”

This observation is perhaps the most crucial message for Jews around the world today. The Jewish community may be involved in many issues of Jewish concern and struggle with problems of survival, but as long as it does not inspire Jews to say Li, that is, to feel a personal and total commitment to authentic Jewishness, it will not create the right condition for continuity and renewal.

When observing the state of Jewish commitment today, we see a great amount of scholarship within the world of academia. Comparative studies between Judaism and other religions, archeological studies to investigate Jewish history, and philological studies keep tens of thousands of Jewish students busy at the best universities in the world. Text books and magazines publish important studies on questions such as: Are the Jews a race, a cultural entity or a religious group? But all such studies are only of limited value if the student does not add the word Li, to me. It is like studying man as a collection of protoplasm, a complex robot or a social mechanism and forgetting that man is an inner being of tremendous spiritual wholeness in which all his dimensions become one.

Studies like these do not touch on the most important aspect of human existence: What does it mean to be man, or a Jew? What is the purpose of his existence, what is his task and mission, and in what way is he able to contribute to human dignity? Such questions involve our whole being; no component is left out. They are the ultimate Li in our lives. They should haunt us and there must be no escape.

Indeed, how much value is there in all of this scholarship if it does not lead to a point where one becomes personally connected to one’s inner soul? It is spiritual relevance that is of the utmost importance. Crucial to that is Li.

To understand what it means to be a Jew one must move beyond these important studies and understand their strangling implications. To be a Jew is to be a messenger, to be God-intoxicated and teach mankind the art of spiritual transformation. To be dissatisfied with just being cultured. It is about stirring emotions that we have never cherished before. About allowing our souls to surprise us, instead of being bored. Just like great works of art, Judaism does not produce but rather inspires unanticipated visions and the deepest forms of authentic self-expression.

The tragedy of Jewish life today is that many lack the courage to confront their inner being as Jews. They observe the Jewish people and Judaism as a sociological phenomenon to be studied from without. It is for this reason that they do not hear the music of Judaism and then complain that such music is wholly absent. Like the student who takes a musical instrument, dismantles it and then complains that he cannot find the music, so it must be a fake. It seems that in certain academic circles people consider it their duty to keep their studies artificial. While these studies in themselves have tremendous value, they are often used as an escape mechanism making it possible for some students to ignore what they need to discover the most.

Li also means one recognizes that one’s own group has a singular and distinctive contribution to make to the world and if this is not developed and cultivated, it is not only the group itself that loses out but the whole world suffers as a result.

The late British philosopher Sir Isaiah Berlin, at the end of his famous essay, “Two Concepts of Liberty,” tries to convince us – quoting the words of Joseph A. Schumpeter – that one needs “to realize the relative validity of one’s convictions and yet stand for them unflinchingly”(1). There is, however, a lot of truth in political philosopher Michael Sandel’s bitter critique when he states: “If one’s convictions are only relatively valid, why stand for them unflinchingly?”(2) Indeed this kind of liberalism, with all its beauty, keeps the Li out of our lives and turns us into outsiders looking in, like a blind man looks at colors.

Albert Camus once stated: “There is but one truly serious philosophical problem, and that is suicide” (3). The great Jewish thinker Abraham Joshua Heschel disagreed, saying, “May I differ and suggest that there is only one really serious problem, and that is martyrdom. Is there anything worth dying for?”(4)

This is indeed the ultimate question for Jews today. Only when we will once again realize that our Jewishness is worth dying for will we be able to actually live it.

*****

(1) Isaiah Berlin, Liberty, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002, p. 217.

(2) Michael Sandel, Liberalism and its Critics, Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1984, p. 8.
(3) Albert Camus, The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays, New York: Vintage Books,
1991, p. 3.

(4) Abraham Joshua Heschel, Who Is Man?, Stanford University Press, 1965, p.92.

08 November 2011

Just Consider the Source ...

At the G20 Summit of Major World Economies in Cannes:

... Sarkozy admits he 'can't stand' Israeli premier.
[Microphones accidently left on after G20 meeting pick up private conversation between US, French presidents.]

Obama: You're fed up with him?
I have to deal with him every day!

The way I see it ... the Prime Minister and sovereign elected official representing the Jewish People living in Eretz Yisrael, might be doing what every other "politician" does when representing his citizens.

However, in this case, remember Kristalnacht, the Shoah, the attacks on Jews in 1929, 1948, 1956, 1967, 1973, and the continual and obsessive murdering and maming of Israelis up to the present 2011, perhaps Bibi Netanyahu is doing his utmost to hold onto the ancient Homeland of the ancient Jewish People, more or less a balancing act on the tightrope of the world's clandestine leaders' politics to undermine the Jewish Nation

(Sorry, Mr. Sarkozy, there is such a thing as a Jewish Nation State, the first was in 957 BCE and the second was in 516 BCE until 70 CE. Today there is one in this same area in which the descendants of those earlier Jews are now alive and living on this very same land.) So you see, Mr. Sarkozy, the Persians, the Greeks, the Romans, the Nazis and everyone else who tried, have not been able to eradicate my People.

The way the nations of the world are treating the Jewish People, in trying to force them to allow these terrorists and 'lovers of death', a non-people calling themselves 'palestinian' to "occupy" land adjacent to the Israeli People, from where they can continue their hate-filled vendetta* is hypocritical and anti-semitic at its core.

Considering that the President of the US is no "friend of Israel"

and Nicolas Sarkozy, with his "A Jewish state has no meaning because a state is neither Jewish nor Catholic", which doesn't sound friendly to me.

The Sarkozy statement in full reads: "A Jewish state—I don't know what that means. Speaking of a state of the Jewish people is already more interesting. A Jewish state has no meaning because a state is neither Jewish nor Catholic," and, he added, Israel cannot be defined as Jewish any more than "this table is Catholic."

Because this is the French way of saying "His remarks reflect an international view that denies that the United Nations recognition of Israel as a country in 1947 actually is the re-establishment of the ancient state that existed for approximately 1,000 years from the time of King Saul until the fall of the Holy Temples.

Now, I ask, Do these sound like friendly representatives of major world political leaders, who have the best interest of the Jewish People, the Israeli people and State of Israel on their minds and in their hearts??

So, therefore, there is "NO SUCH THING AS A PALESTINIAN STATE"
for the same reason.

Just Consider the Source!
[of who is slandering who]

and now a word from the [sponsor of it all]
President of the United States of America:

Obama: You're fed up with him?
I have to deal with him every day!


YNet: French President Nicolas Sarkozy reportedly told US President Barack Obama that he could not "stand" Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and that he thinks the Israeli premier "is a liar." According to a Monday report in the French website "Arret sur Images," after facing reporters for a G20 press conference on Thursday, the two presidents retired to a private room, to further discuss the matters of the day. The conversation apparently began with President Obama criticizing Sarkozy for not having warned him that France would be voting in favor of the Palestinian membership bid in UNESCO despite Washington's strong objection to the move.

JPost: A Reuters reporter was among the journalists present andcan confirm the veracity of the comments, which were relayed by a French internet outlet on Tuesday. Labor MK Daniel Ben-Simon told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday that he is “embarrassed as a citizen and as a MK” by Sarkozy’s words. “I was embarrassed to read what Sarkozy thinks about our prime minister, and I was even more embarrassed to hear that the US President agrees with him,” ... “I am filled with shame that this is the way two of our greatest allies treat our prime minister,” ... “I think this is the first time such comments have been publicized.”

YNet: Republican Senator John McCain slammed the French and American leaders over their derogatory remarks: In an interview with Fox Network, the Arizona senator said "I happen to be a great admirer of Prime Minister Netanyahu," adding that "Israel is under more pressure and probably in more danger than they’ve been since the ’67 war and that kind of comment is not only not helpful, but indicative of some of the policies towards Israel that this administration has been part of."

____________
*Vendetta: Yishmael's hatred against the descendants of Yitzchak and Yaakov, our Avos. And these descendants are living in Israel, Eretz Yisrael, NOW ... TODAY!

07 November 2011

Caroline Glick on Iran

CAROLINE SPEAKS CANDIDLY IN BALTIMORE

The Center for Security Policy's Senior Middle East Fellow Caroline Glick recently spoke on the subject of Iran at Moses Montefiore Anshe Emunah Synagogue in Baltimore, MD. She offered a very sober assessment of the Obama administration's policy of appeasement toward the Mullahs-- and what happens next.

OLIVER STONE'S RANT*





BLINDED BY MEDIA



QUESTIONS FROM AUDIENCE
BEING BLACKMAILED AND EXHORTED BY THE MEDIA





About the Oliver Stone Rant:

Media Ignore Oliver Stone’s Anti-Jewish Rant

It's been three days since director Oliver Stone churned out similarly disturbing anti-Jewish rhetoric to the Sunday Times, and many of Gibson's most prominent critics on the left still haven't issued a word of condemnation about Stone's comments:

In the Sunday interview, Stone reportedly said U.S. public opinion was focused on the Holocaust as a result of the "Jewish domination of the media," adding that an upcoming film of him aims to put Adolf Hitler and Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin "in context."

"There's a major lobby in the United States. They are hard workers. They stay on top of every comment, the most powerful lobby in Washington." He claimed Israel had “f.....d up United States foreign policy for years," adding that US policy toward Iran was "horrible", although “Iran isn’t necessarily the good guy.” <...look into the newspaper's archives to find information about the “Israelis and the bomb”." "...Hitler did far more damage to the Russians than the Jewish people" "..."Jewish domination of the media"WJC and Haaretz article: "German industrialists, the Americans and the British. He had a lot of support".

Yartzheit of Rachel Imeinu


















Yartzheit of Rachel Imeinu
Join us LIVE at Kever Rachel on
November 7th & 8th
World-wide Yom Tefilah approx. 9:15am EST
Final 10 chapters of Tehilim & Avinu Malkeinu





05 November 2011

Shavua Tov!

Is America Losing its Sanity and Morality?
Reversal of Moral Norms and Antisemitism Occupying America

End of Days blogger Dov Bar-Lieb informs us:

The place where the Talmud in Chullin takes special notice in how far a civilization can deteriorate before G-d no longer grants blessings to a society for the decency of previous generations. There seem to be two things that cauise G-d to have such seething rage that societies that publicly accept these two things remove themselves from G-d's perpetual blessings.

1. Selling human flesh in the market place as "kosher" food. This actually happened in 2006 after the 2nd Lebanon War and the War with Gaza when Hamas sold the body parts of Israeli soldiers in the open market; and

On a equal plain with the above according to the Talmud is not another crime of free hate as above but a crime of unrestricted free love: 2. a country or jurisdiction which grants ketubot (Marriage contracts) to male homosexuals

According to the Talmud in Chullin a country or legal jurisdiction which grants marriage contracts to male homosexuals will incur just as much of G-d's Wrath as a country that permits the sale of human flesh and body parts in the open market. So you see it is not simply the abominable act itself which causes G-d to "boil". It is the public acceptance of this lifestyle as being just as kosher as marital relations between a man and a woman that brings upon that society sudden destruction.

Sudden Destruction, like the unusual October Storm that raced through the Northeast was considered more damaging than Hurricaine Irene that ripped through many states.

The world does not need meteoroids or asteroids crashing into earth to disrupt life as some have known it. 'Nature' (and the weather) is G-d's messenger.
We Jews don't believe in 'coincidences'.

Magnitude 5.6 - OKLAHOMA QUAKE
2011 November 06 03:53:10 UTC
A record 5.6 magnitude earthquake shook Oklahoma on Saturday night, less than 24 hours after a 4.7 temblor hit the state.

The Saturday night earthquake had a magnitude of 5.6, and its epicenter was four miles east of Sparks in Lincoln County, according to the Oklahoma Geological Survey. The quake hit at 10:53 p.m., and it was reportedly felt as far away as Illinois, Kansas, Arkansas, Tennessee and Texas.

The United States (not so united anymore) has been and is still experiencing unusual weather and 'rebelling nature" patterns, disrupting life, and

One Man's story seems to paraphrase the lives of many Americans affected by weather related experiences.

A resident of Connecticut has had his full. First heavy snow destroyed his vintage Piper J-5A airplane kept in his hangar, a tornado tore out an oak tree from his back yard, then "Irene" came along and uprooted another oak that fell into his house ... Each time he was without electricity. “I’m going to Costa Rica in January, and I don’t know if I’m ever coming back.”

"Said one woman: 'I don’t know what’s going on, with tsunamis and volcanoes erupting and earthquakes all over the world,' ... but things sure are weird.”

GLOBAL WEIRDING

"That's how climatologist Bill Patzert describes the wide range of deadly weather effects that have whipped the nation this year, killing hundreds of people and doing billions of dollars in damage"

"The rapidly worsening climate system ... is ripping apart the security of the American people, one “freak” storm, drought, flood, fire at a time. In a piece inspired by the October snow storm, the New York Times describes how a broad swath of middle-class America — the millions of suburban and rural residents who rely on the above-ground electricity grid — is suffering from the new era of regular power outages from intense storms and floods that physically damage utility poles and lines"

Snow now in 49 states
Thanks to unusual weather patterns, there's snow on the ground in 49 out of 50 US states, including Hawaii.

The Economy, the Weather, Power Supply,
next maybe the Food Supply
(these all sound like ominous warnings to me):

A nationwide ADL survey released just yesterday found that anti-Semitic attitudes have risen in America.

"The ADL survey found that 15 percent of Americans - nearly 35 million adults - hold deeply anti-Semitic views. That's up three percent from 2009. 19-percent answered "probably true" to the statement "Jews have too much control/influence on Wall Street," an increase from 14-percent in 2009.

"The fact that anti-Semitic attitudes have increased significantly over the past two years is troubling and raises questions about the impact of broader trends in America - financial insecurity, social uncertainty, the decline in civility and the growth of polarization - on attitudes toward Jews," said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director. Several cases of anti-Semitism have been documented at various Occupy Wall Street [mobs] across the country."




Shalom Pollack: DECEMBER TOURS

Wednesday, December 18 A special "hilltop" visit, plus .. We will begin our day in the Shomron (Benjamin Region) where we will hav...