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31 January 2018

ERETZ YISRAEL – Blue Supermoon Eclipse

IN ERETZ YISRAEL
Today’s Blue Supermoon Eclipse Will Begin Locally at 5:18 p.m. and End at 6:08 p.m.

JPOST: Weather permitting, Israelis will have the opportunity early this evening to partially view a rare “blue moon total eclipse,” along with others in the Middle Eastern parts of Asia, North America, Alaska and the Hawaiian islands.

Today’s lunar phenomenon is special for three reasons.

Firstly, it is a total lunar eclipse, where the Earth passes exactly between the Sun and the full Moon, casting a total shadow onto its lunar neighbor.

Secondly, it is the second full moon of the calendar month, commonly known as a “blue moon.” The first one was on January 1 and 2, depending on the viewer’s time zone.

Thirdly, it’s the third in a series of supermoons – when the moon is closest to Earth in its orbit and therefore appears larger and is about 14% brighter than usual.

Supermoons can be either full moons, where the entire disk of the moon is visible – or new moons, where only a sliver of the newly emerging disk is visible.

According to the space.com website, blue moons are not as rare as the old saying “once in a blue moon” implies; they happen about once every 2.7 years.

But today’s combination cosmic event, consisting of a total lunar eclipse occurring on a blue moon, is relatively rare; the last time it happened was 152 years ago. Occurrences are irregular, however – the next time is only about 11 years away at the end of 2028, followed by another occurrence about eight years later at the beginning of 2037.

The super blue moon will pass through the Earth’s shadow to give viewers in the right location a total lunar eclipse. Here in Israel, it will only be a Penumbral Lunar Eclipse, where a significant crescent will still be visible before the shadow begins diminishing in size and the full moon reappears.

According to NASA, while the Moon is in the Earth’s shadow, it will take on a reddish- orange tint, known as a blood moon. The colored light is sunlight that has skimmed and bent through Earth’s atmosphere and passed on through space to the Moon.

Unlike a solar eclipse, a lunar eclipse can be viewed with the naked eye safely, without protective eyewear   [Article and Photo from JPOST (link above)]






If you live in the western part of North America, Alaska, and the Hawaiian islands, you might set your alarm early the morning of Wednesday, Jan. 31 for a lunar trifecta: a pre-dawn “super blue blood moon.” 



Beginning at 5:30 a.m. EST on Jan. 31, a live feed of the Moon will be offered on NASA TV and NASA.gov/live. You can also follow at @NASAMoon. Weather permitting, the NASA TV broadcast will feature views from the varying vantage points of telescopes at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California; Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles; and the University of Arizona’s Mt. Lemmon SkyCenter Observatory.
“For the (continental) U.S., the viewing will be best in the West,” said Gordon Johnston, program executive and lunar blogger at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “Set your alarm early and go out and take a look.”
The Jan. 31 full moon is special for three reasons: it’s the third in a series of “supermoons,” when the Moon is closer to Earth in its orbit -- known as perigee -- and about 14 percent brighter than usual. It’s also the second full moon of the month, commonly known as a “blue moon.” The super blue moon will pass through Earth’s shadow to give viewers in the right location a total lunar eclipse. While the Moon is in the Earth’s shadow it will take on a reddish tint, known as a “blood moon.” 

For full article go to NASA.gov

Tu'Bishvat 2018 - 70 Years 70 NEW Orchards -and- Tu B’Shvat Infographics

Tu'Bishvat 2018 - 70 Years 70 NEW Orchards

From The Jewish Press:



To help Israeli Farmers plant more fruit trees, go HERE



























For Hebrew Visit: 

ט"ו בשבט: בגן עדן מקדם

הילדים שרים "ט"ו בשבט הגיע חג לאילנות". אך מה באמת אומרים לנו העצים והפירות?

ט"ו בשבט ראש השנה לאילנות - המנהגים וההלכות

אומרים תחנון או לא? מה סדר הברכות על הפירות? ולא לשכוח את האתרוג. מדריך הלכתי של מכון התורה והארץ


And an AISH INFOGRAPHIC:



For a much larger view, go to AISH

30 January 2018

Poland’s New Law About the Holocaust

I haven’t been following the “Poland” story, but just today I read the following, and its diabolical how the Polish Government can enact a law to try and absolve Poland from Holocaust complicity! The adult generation of that time was implicitly aware. 
[See *footnote below]

The irony of its timing is inescapable.

Whitewashing Evil: Poland’s New Law about the Holocaust
by Rabbi Benjamin Blech

This past Friday marked the 73rd anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz–Birkenau, the horrific site in Poland where more than one million Jews perished in barbaric murders beyond our imagination. Friday was also the eve of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, a day meant to serve as an everlasting reminder to the world of the sin of silence in the face of evil and the crime of complicity associated with those who made German genocide possible.

And this past Friday the Polish government passed a law which would place fines or up to three years in jail for claiming that Poland bears any responsibility for crimes against humanity committed by Germany on Polish soil.

True, the bill still needs final approval from the Polish Senate as well as the signature of the president. But its intent is clear. Poland, in the words of Beata Mazurek, spokeswoman for Poland’s ruling Law & Justice party and deputy speaker of the lower chamber of parliament, proclaims with righteous indignation that “We have had enough of accusing Poland and Poles of German atrocities.”

In short, Poland, a land where three million Jews lived before the war and only about 380,000 survived, a country selected by the Nazis for six extermination camps – Chelmno, Belzec, Sobibor, Treblinka, Auschwitz-Birkenau and Majdanek – and more than 700 ghettos, dare not any longer be challenged for the role it played during the Holocaust!

Historians, beware. Authors, journalists, even diarists and survivors of Polish anti-Semitism – be prepared for dire and severe consequences for failure to adhere to the new narrative of Polish victimization by Germany comparable to the fate of the Jews.

In all fairness, about 6,700 Poles were commemorated by the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial for rescuing Jews, the largest number in any country. Yad Vashem has also, for many years, acknowledged the possible misinterpretation of the phrase “Polish death camps” as referring not to location but to its creators – an unfortunate wording which does indeed need to be corrected to “Nazi death camps”.

Yet at the same time Yad Vashem continues to make clear that it was Poles who made the Nazi Holocaust in Poland possible. Without the cooperation of the local citizenry, sometimes passive and many times enthusiastically supportive, a program of mass murder would simply have been impossible. “[With that in mind] restrictions on statements by scholars and others regarding the Polish people’s direct or indirect complicity with the crimes committed on their land during the Holocaust are a serious distortion,” Yad Vashem said.

Similarly, the United States Holocaust Museum concluded: “To carry out the Final Solution across an entire continent, the Germans required the collaboration and complicity of many individuals in every country, from leaders, public officials, police, and soldiers to ordinary citizens. In every country locals participated in a variety of ways—as clerks, cooks, and confiscators of property; as managers or participants in roundups and deportations; as informants; sometimes as perpetrators of violence against Jews on their own initiative; and sometimes as hands-on murderers in killing operations.”

That is what is so upsetting about Poland’s attempt for legal whitewashing.

Yair Lapid, a member of the Israeli Parliament and son of a Holocaust survivor, made the case strongly: “I utterly condemn the new Polish law which tries to deny Polish complicity in the Holocaust. It was conceived in Germany but hundreds of thousands of Jews were murdered without ever meeting a German soldier. There were Polish death camps and no law can ever change that.”

Polish anti-Semitism has a long and well documented history. The eminent Polish historian Jan Grabowski, also the son of a Holocaust survivor and currently a history professor at University of Ottawa, made it his life’s mission to expose the truth of Polish participation in the killings of their Jewish neighbors, even though for decades Polish society denied that anti-Semitism motivated the slayings. Winner of the 2014 Yad Vashem’s International Book Prize, his book Judenjagd tells the heart-breaking story of Jews who, having survived ghetto liquidations and deportations to death camps in Poland in 1942, attempted to hide "on the Aryan side" where the majority perished as a consequence of betrayal by their Polish neighbors.

It is a story with horrible sequels.

The by now famous story pictured in Claude Lanzmann's myth-shattering documentary film Shoah demonstrated that many Polish peasants were keenly aware of the Nazis' mass murder of Jews on Polish soil; “Neighbors,” by Polish-American sociologist Jan Tomasz Gross, which explored the murder of Jews by their Polish neighbors in the village of Jedwabne, documents how nearly all of the Jews of Jedwabne, Poland, were murdered on one day, most of them burned alive by their non-Jewish neighbors.

Following the script of the “new narrative”, in a mid-July interview on Polish public broadcaster TVN, Education Minister Anna Zalewska insinuated that the Jedwabne massacre, when Poles burned alive more than 300 Jews in a barn, was a matter of “opinion.”

What might be called a post-Holocaust sequel is the tragic story of the 200 Jewish survivors who returned to their homes in Kielce following the war. They began to slowly rebuild their lives. They established a synagogue, a kibbutz, and an orphanage. On July 4, 1946, a blood libel spread through the town, falsely accusing the Jews of kidnapping a Christian child.

Kielce’s residents descended on the Jewish area. Repeating a scene so familiar to these Jews, the police and soldiers stood by and watched as the mob attacked them, murdering 42 Holocaust survivors and injuring scores more. No one could blame the remaining Jews who saw no other option but to flee the place they wrongly believed they could find a measure of peace and freedom. This was the beginning of a mass emigration of Jewish survivors from Poland.

True, Poland was not Nazi Germany and, although in Poland, it was not the Poles who conceived the concentration camps. Yet any serious historian recognizes Polish guilt. The guilt of collusion and complicity. The guilt of silence in the presence of open and well-known barbarity. The guilt of avidly taking for themselves the possessions of innocent neighbors who they witnessed being taken to their deaths. The guilt of joining in all too often in the evil all around them, at times with even more joy and pleasure than the Nazi perpetrators.

This guilt can’t simply be erased by a law which forbids expressing it. Alongside the commission of the crime itself, making it a crime to remember and record it is itself immoral and depraved.

This article is from AISH.com
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* My family came to America before WWI, when the Jews were experiencing pogroms in Russia and elsewhere. When my Mother (born in America) was living with us, I hired young girls to be companions for my Mother, as she found them interesting and liked to talk to them about their lives, etc. (this was about 13-14 years ago). Some of these girls were from Poland, and were very attentive to and creative for my Mother. One even drew pictures to give to her. In her condition, these girls were therapeutic for her. She enjoyed their company greatly. These Polish girls were very drawn to elderly Jewish women, davka because of WWII and the atrocities they read about that happened in Poland during the War. They were sincere in wanting to relate to Jewish people, to get to know them and learn about them. This is what they shared with me.

So, we see that the older generation, closer to the War days, don’t know what to do with their guilt. Many of the young generation (several years ago) was astonished (and might I say very sad about it). But since then, the Palestinians have been relentless in spreading evil and lies all over the world. That has influenced many minds. So, the atmosphere seems to have changed, again, in Poland, the infamous locale of evil. Anti-semitism might once again be rising in the political arena.

While people succumb to this assault, we Jews realize (or should recognize) that it is once again the “Stick of Hashem” chasing His children home to Eretz Yisrael.


The Zohar Reveals a Few Secrets About the Fruits of the Land of Israel

The Zohar Reveals a Few Secrets About the Fruits of the Land of Israel
From the teachings of *Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai; translation and commentary by **Shmuel-Simcha Treister, based on Metok MiDevash

The seven most important fruits of the Land of Israel are listed in Deut. 8:8. In describing the good land that G‑d was about to give the Jews, the verse specifies that it is: "A land of wheat, and barley, and grapes, and figs and pomegranates; a land of olive oil and honey". The Hebrew word for "honey" is "d'vash", and in Talmudic literature it means what we now call jam or fruit jelly. Below is how the Zohar regards each of these seven fruits in various different contexts.

Wheat

[The daily sacrifices offered to G‑d in the Temple included] "a tenth part of an ephah of flour for a meal offering, mixed with the fourth part of a hin of beaten oil". Why this measurement? One tenth of an ephah corresponds to the Jewish People [the sefira of malchut] which is the tenth level [of the ten sefirot]. This offering needs to be given using both hands [representing the arms of chesed and gevura of Zeir Anpin which raise up the sefira of malchut for the purpose of uniting with it]. The meal offered in this manner represents meal from which bread is made and is called "bread".

["Bread" is always a feminine noun in Hebrew, and represents the sefira of malchut]. [Malchut] is called bread, and this is the reason why there is no angelic minister ruling over the five species of grain, namely wheat, barley, rye, spelt, and oats. There will never be a minister ruling over them - only the Holy One, blessed be He. Because of this, whoever treats bread disrespectfully, throwing it to the ground, will be pursued by poverty. (Zohar, Num. 244a)

Wheat represents the divine abundance in the physical world. Bread, "the staff of life", represents the sefira of malchut when it is connected with Zeir Anpin, and the higher light flows in it. Only the light of G‑d unites with malchut, and this is the reason that no other ministering angel is associated with it. The divine light is repelled by ego…

When malchut is disconnected from the higher light it is called "poor". By throwing bread on the floor a person is symbolically taking the sefira of malchut and cutting it off from its elevated source. This in turn causes malchut to be "poor", and the spiritual law of cause and effect is activated, in turn causing poverty to he who treated bread with disrespect.

Grape

Rabbi Abon said that there is nothing in the whole world other than wine that lifts up a person's heart until he is proud and haughty. This was the cause of the punishment of Nadab and Abihu [the sons of Aaron] who ate and drank [wine, and then entered into the Tabernacle to serve G‑d] and had haughtiness in their hearts. This is the "foreign fire" that they offered that was not commanded of them.

Rav said that two things don't sit well with each other, wine and the service of heaven as we have learned there, "Don't pray while drunk" (Eruvin 64a). Thus a person who is inebriated should not pray, and if he prays, his prayer is loathsome.

The worst character trait is pride. The divine light is repelled by ego, not attracted too it. A small amount of wine uplifts the heart but overindulgence causes haughtiness and insensitivity and leads to anger. Thus the emotions rule over consciousness and the Neshama is repelled, leaving no vehicle to receive the divine light.

Rabbi Yitzchak said there is no wine called "good wine" better than the wine of the Land of Israel, and best of them all is the wine of the Upper Galilee because a person couldn't drink half a log from it without getting drunk. (Zohar Chadash, Gen. 22b)

Of course the sages are here also referring to the secrets of the Torah that were revealed by Rebbe Shimon in the Upper Galilee, but, as in all Kabbala, the spiritual reality is matched by the physical reality. Interestingly in the last 5 years there has been a great increase in grape production in the Upper Galilee, and the wine has been getting gold medals at the best wine festivals in the world!

Fig

Rebbe Shimon said [as a parable explaining why the Moabites were not destroyed for attacking Israel], "You can't compare someone who is going to collect figs in the future [referring to Ruth and Na'amah] to someone who has already picked them". Rabbi Elazar said, "Even if they were already picked, the tree is to be praised [and worthy of protection - so the future of Ruth and Na'amah could have been protected by G‑d in another way]. He [Rebbe Shimon] replied to him, "Somebody who hasn't collected the figs, guards the tree constantly so that there should be no blemish; this is for the sake of the fruit that is to come from it in the future. Once the figs are harvested, he leaves the tree and stops guarding it.

So it was with Moab that was in the future to bring these figs. The Holy One, blessed be He, guarded them as is written, "Don't harass the Moabites and don't go to war with them" (Deut. 2:9). But about Midian, which had already given its figs, which had been collected from them [Jethro and his children], it is written, "Harass the Midianites and strike them, for they harassed you with their wiles" (Num. 25:17, 18). From this point on, this fig tree was not destined to give fruit. (Zohar, Num. 188a)

A fig is full of seeds which are like future generations that issue from the people of any particular nation. As long as there is a truly righteous person still to emerge from that nation G‑d guards that nation from harm - even if it is hard for us to understand why from our time-bound point of view!

Pomegranate

[Regarding the High Priests coat it is written] "A golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, upon the hem of the robe all around it." (Ex. 28:34). We have explained this [that the pomegranate with its many seeds represents the souls of Israel and their many good deeds, and the bells sound their praise] and everything was designed in accordance with the higher spiritual worlds as we said, for what is written [in the following verse]? "And his sound shall be heard when he goes into the holy place before G‑d [the Holy of Holies], and when he comes out, that he should not die."

This is because there is a need for a voice to be heard [below in the sound of the bells to arouse the higher "voice"] and then blessing will flow down and imbue the world. [The High Priest is worthy to cause this] because he [represents the sefira of chesed that causes] all to be blessed and serves on behalf of all.

We have explained the golden bells, and the [reason for the] pomegranate is that [the High Priest] is full like a pomegranate that has more seeds than all other [fruits]. (Zohar, Ex. p.231a)

When the High Priest entered the inner sanctuary of the Temple, the pomegranates on his robe symbolized each and every soul in Israel that he was representing.

Olive

[As a result of the modest behavior of a Jewish mother she merits that] "Your children will be like olive saplings around your table." (Psalms 128:3) What does this mean; the children will be like olive saplings? Just like the olive tree doesn't lose its leaves, whether in winter or summer, and it always is more important than the other trees [giving fruit to eat and light to see by in the form of olive oil], so will her children rise to be more important than the rest of people of the world. (Zohar, Num. 126a)

Olive oil represents the sefira of chochma which is always full of fresh insights. Modest behavior in the home represents submission to a higher code of conduct and results in a woman never losing her freshness. This in turn leads to children who, because of their fresh insights, are more important in the world. (For example, 25% of Nobel Prizes come from less than .002 of the world's population!)

***Honey 

The righteous one eats to satisfy his soul…

"Out of the eater came food, and out of the strong came sweetness." (Judges 14:14) There is a support for this verse from another source. What is written "from the eater" refers to the tzadik [sefira of yesod, which "eats" all of the powers of the sefirot above it] as is written; "The righteous one eats to satisfy his soul". The [sefira of yesod, or the] righteous one certainly eats and takes from all [gathering all the higher lights]. Why [does the sefira of yesod have to receive all this]? It is in order to satisfy his soul, meaning in order to give satisfaction to that place which is called "the soul of David" [malchut].

And the words "came food" indicate that if it were not for the tzadik no sustenance would come down to the world and it could not continue to exist. "From the strong came sweet"; this refers to Isaac [gevura] who blessed Jacob [tiferet] that he receive from the dew of the heavens and the fat of the earth. Also, even though they seem different the explanations are all one [in referring to gevura passing on sustenance] because if wasn't for the side of strict judgment honey could not emerge. 

What is the secret of honey? It is the oral law as it is written: "The judgments of G‑d are a mixture of truth and righteousness together. More to be desired than gold, even very fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb." (Ps. 19:10) The strong is the written law, as in the verse "G‑d will give strength to his people". From this strength came out sweet that is the oral law. (Zohar, Gen. 240a)

This is the source for the custom to start teaching little children the alef-beit with letters dipped in honey.


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* Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, also know by the acronym "Rashbi," lived in the Holy Land in the 2nd century C.E. A disciple of Rabbi Akiva, Rashbi played a key role in the transmission of Torah, both as an important Talmudic sage and as author of the Zohar, the most fundamental work of Kabbalah. He was buried in Meron, Israel, west of Safed.

** Shmuel-Simcha Treister is a lawyer from New Zealand who made aliya to Safed with his family in 1993 to study Zohar. He continues doing so to this day. He also works in the Ascent multi-media center. © Copyright, Chabad.

Source: Chabad.org
Photos from Wikipedia

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*** When the Torah refers to Honey, it is date honey. balashon

While the term "honey" (dvash in Hebrew) appears 55 times in the Bible, it refers to date or fig honey in all but two references: Judges 14:8-9, when Samson took honey from the lion's carcass, and I Samuel 14:27, when Jonathan dipped his rod in a honeycomb during a battle and his countenance brightened.

Sarna has a similar note in his commentary on Shmot 3:8 -

Honey in the Bible (Heb. devash) is predominantly the thick, sweet syrup produced from dates and known to the Arabs as dibs. Apiculture seems to have been unknown in Palestine; the few explicit references in the Bible to bees' honey pertain to the wild variety. While the date itself is never mentioned, the inclusion of honey among the seven characteristic products of the land listed in Deuteronomy 8:8 indicates that, like all the others, it too derives from the soil.

I happened to take out a book from the local library that discusses this issue in detail: Fruit Trees in the Bible and Talmudic Literature, by Yehuda Feliks (Rubin Mass, 1994). The chapter on dvash is in Hebrew, and I can't quote the entire thing here, but I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the subject. I will summarize a few points he brings up:

The phrase ארץ זבת חלב ודבש ("land flowing with milk and honey") in the Torah is clearly referring to honey from fruit trees, as it is praising the agricultural bounty of the land. However, in Yeshayahu 7:22, when it mentions כי חמאה ודבש יאכל כל הנותר בקרב הארץ "Everyone who is left in the land shall feed on curds and honey", it is a parody of the Torah verses. For here, the prophet is describing a time when the land is desolate - and therefore the bees can proliferate. (The milk for the curds will also be widely available, because the cows and sheep will be able to graze on the previously tended croplands).

Bee honey is not seen as a sign of blessing for the land, even though it is seen as fortunate to find it (as in the story of Yonatan mentioned above). Yaakov also probably sent bee honey to Yosef (Bereshit 43:11), because it mentions מעט דבש - "a small amount of honey", and bee honey would have been hard to obtain.

Many sources where the honey is mentioned as coming from rocks (Devarim 32:13, Tehilim 81:17) it is likely referring to fig honey, as figs (unlike dates) grow in rocky terrain.

Although the rabbis generally identify the biblical dvash with dates (Sifrei Devarim 297, Mechilta D'Rashbi 13:5), when they used the word dvash themselves, they were referring to bee honey. For example, the Yerushalmi (Bikkurim 1:3) interprets the biblical word: "And dvash - this is dates. Could it be actual dvash (e.g. bee honey)?" They answer that since the dvash in the verse is obligated in tithes, it cannot be referring to bee honey, but rather date honey. We also see that if someone makes an oath that they will not eat dvash, they are allowed to eat date honey (Nedarim 6:9)

While the article was written before the recent discovery (and sadly Prof. Feliks passed away last year, and did not merit to review it), I don't think the discovery radically challenges anything in the article. Certainly bee honey was considered a rare treat, and there would have been efforts to make the product more widely available. And by Talmudic times, these efforts had succeeded so well, that bee honey became the dominant meaning of "dvash”.

But the meaning of eretz zavat chalav u'dvash still refers to the agriculture of the Land of Israel, particularly, as Feliks points out, in comparison to that of Egypt, whose dates were much dryer and did not easily produce honey.

Kabbalistic Tu B'Shvat Seder (How to)

Tu B'Shvat, the New Year for the Trees, is January 31, 2018.
Celebrate the environment and appreciate the fruits of the Land of Israel

Kabbalistic Tu B'Shvat Seder
On Tu B'Shvat, you can ponder a world-full of fruits for hours.

(1) INTRODUCTION

Tu B'Shvat is the New Year for the Trees. As in all other points in the Jewish calendar, Tu B'Shvat offers a unique opportunity for insight into living and personal growth. Throughout the centuries, Kabbalists have used the tree as a metaphor to understand God's relationship to the spiritual and physical worlds. Moshe Chaim Luzzatto, in his 18th century classic The Way of God, teaches that the higher spiritual realms are roots that ultimately manifest their influence through branches and leaves in the lower realms.

In the 16th century, the Kabbalists of Tzfat compiled a Tu B'Shvat seder, somewhat similar to the seder for Passover. It involves enjoying the fruits of the tree, particularly those native to the Land of Israel, and discusses philosophical and Kabbalistic concepts associated with the day. Among other things, the seder is a great way to appreciate the bounty that we so often take for granted, and to develop a good and generous eye for the world around us. The seder presented here is based primarily on the Kabbalistic work, Chemdat Yamim, later published separately under the title Pri Aitz Hadar.

PREPARATIONS

To enjoy this experience in your own home, try to prepare the basic items mentioned below. Don't worry if you can't find all these items; do the best you can. Since the order and the contents of the seder do not follow a specific Jewish law, there is much room for flexibility and creativity.

You will need lots of fruit, including: The seven species by which the Land of Israel is praised:
Figs
Dates
Pomegranates
Olives
Grapes(or raisins)
wheat and barley (in the form of bread, cake or cereal)
Various nuts with the shells (walnuts, almonds, pistachios, coconut), and fruits with peels (oranges, pomegranates, avocado)
Other fruits with edible seeds (e.g. blueberries)
Other fruits with inedible pits (e.g. peaches, plums)
Wine or grape juice, both white and red

Important note: Since insects are not kosher, check your fruits to make sure they are bug-free. Bugs are especially common in figs, dates, and dried apricots. To check, split the fruit in half and look carefully before eating.

(2) THE SEDER BEGINS

The leader asks: Why do we celebrate the New Year for fruit trees on Tu B'Shvat?

All say: Since the Holy Temple was destroyed, the Jewish people could no longer bring the First Fruits (Bikkurim) to Jerusalem. On Tu B'Shvat we offer instead the fruit of our lips, to praise God for all the fruit trees in the world.

A participant says:
Tu Bishvat marks a new period for taking tithes, a portion of which is given to the poor.

Therefore:
When a person is privileged to eat in the presence of God, he must show his appreciation by giving charity to the poor and feeding them, just as God in His bounty feeds him. ( Zohar – Parshat Trumah)

At this point it is appropriate to pass around a 'pushka' to collect tzedakah. After the seder, the money should be donated to a worthy cause.

A participant says:
The Mishnah in Tractate Rosh Hashana says that Tu B'Shvat is New Year for the TREE (singular). This reference to a singular tree alludes to The Tree – the Tree of Knowledge in the Garden of Eden.

And God said: 'Let the earth put forth grass, herb-yielding seeds, and fruit trees bearing fruit of its kind.' 'Fruit tree' means the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, which put forth blossoms and fruit. 'Bearing fruit' is the tzaddik, the basis of the world. 'Of its kind' means all the human beings who have in them the spirit of holiness, which is the blossom of that tree. This is the covenant of holiness, the covenant of peace – and the faithful enter into that kind and do not depart from it. The Tzaddik generates, and the tree conceives and brings forth fruit of its kind. ( Zohar – Bereishit 33a)

Meditation:
One should intend that he is eating at the celestial table before God, in the Garden of Eden before the Divine Presence. ( Raishit Chochma – Shar HaKedusha)
Take a few moments and think deeply about being in the company of God... sitting at His table... experiencing the sublime spiritual pleasure of a relationship with the Creator Himself.

Discussion questions:
A) When Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden, they were permitted to eat only fruits and vegetables. Only after Noah's Flood did God permit meat. In what ways is it considered spiritually higher to eat meat? And in what ways is it considered spiritually higher to be a vegetarian?

B) There were two trees in the center of the Garden: the Tree of Life (representing Torah and eternal life) and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil (representing death and distortion). Another way of expressing this distinction is that the Tree of Life is objective wisdom, while the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil is personal experience. Why would Adam and Eve have chosen to eat from the latter, especially since God had explicitly instructed them not to?

A participant says:
Man's very name – Adam – is derived from the word Earth, adama. While man is at once the pinnacle of creation, the master and caretaker of the world, he is also dependent on the earth for his most basic needs. The Torah, in outlining the negative commandment of destroying fruit trees, refers to man himself as a tree of the field (Deut. 20:19). Our sages learn from this verse a prohibition against any needless destruction. In other words, fruit trees serve as the archetype for man's relationship and responsibility to his environment.

It was through a mistake in eating fruit that caused Adam and Eve's exile from the Garden of Eden. Eating fruit is a metaphor for our interaction with this world. Correct usage leads to a perfected world and spiritual bliss. Misuse leads to destruction and spiritual degradation. The seder of Tu B'Shvat is our opportunity to rectify the past iniquity and return once again to our rightful place within the Garden.

All say:
Adam and Eve erred by eating from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. To correct this mistake, we eat our fruit today with pure intentions, as if from the Tree of Life.

A participant says:
Rabbi Chaim Vital wrote: My teacher [the holy Arizal] used to say that one must intend while eating the fruits [at the Tu B'Shvat Seder] to repair the sin of Adam who erred by eating fruit from the tree. Partaking in the physical world inappropriately, for its own sake, lowers us spiritually and diminishes our enjoyment. The solution is to engage in the physical world as a means to a worthy end – i.e. appreciating the greatness of God who created all.

(3) THE SEDER CONTINUES

A participant says:
In the Talmud, Rabbi Abbun said: In the next world, a person will be judged for all the fine fruit that he saw but did not eat.

Rabbi Elazar fulfilled this teaching. Although he was very poor, he saved up small coins which he kept in a special pouch, to purchase new fruits as they came into season. He tried to make a blessing over every kind of fruit at least once a year.

Why is one held accountable for not eating a new fruit when presented with the opportunity?
Because each life form, even fruit, is entrusted to a specific angel. By saying a blessing over a fruit, we empower that angel to reproduce more of that fruit. One who refrains from partaking of a fruit deprives the world of the spiritual influence that the blessing would have provided. (Chemdat Yamim)

The Talmud says that someone who eats and doesn't say a blessing is considered a thief. Why? Because every aspect of God's creation is inherently holy. So when one eats a piece of fruit, he is depriving the world of a piece of holiness. A blessing re-infuses the world with holiness. Eating without a blessing, however, lowers the level of holiness in the world without replacing the loss – and is regarded as theft. (Maharal of Prague)

A participant says:
The Baal Shem Tov, the founder of Chassidut, was once visiting the home of Rabbi Yaakov Koppel. When Rabbi Yaakov danced in front of his Shabbos table for an hour, the Baal Shem Tov asked to explain this unusual custom. Rabbi Yaakov replied: Before I taste physical food, I absorb the food's spiritual essence. In doing so, I become so excited that I sing and dance!

The leader says:
Everything in the physical world is a metaphor for a deeper spiritual concept.
Eating is to the body, what knowledge is to the soul. When we eat, we internalize the good part of the food – and through that we grow and develop. Similarly, when we learn a new piece of information, we must chew it over, digest it, and integrate it into our very being. Only then can we truly grow in wisdom and spirituality.

(4) GRAIN PRODUCTS

Now comes the part we've been waiting for: drinking wine and enjoying other delicacies!
Wheat and barley are the first two of the seven species connected to the greatness of the Land of Israel, as it says: A land of wheat and barley, of vines, figs, and pomegranates, a land of olives and honey (Deut. 8:8).

We begin by eating bread or cake. When Tu B'Shvat falls on Shabbat, it is appropriate to incorporate the seder into one of the Shabbat meals, using challah as the bread.

The leader says:
Before saying the blessing, let us pause and reflect on our good fortune. God has given us innumerable blessings, enabling us to enjoy this food. God could easily have arranged for humans to be nourished by photosynthesis like plants, or by eating bland oatmeal, or by taking pills. Instead, He created a seemingly endless variety of appetizing and nourishing foods for us to enjoy. He gave us taste buds, and many miraculous organs with which to eat and digest the food.

A blessing is a thank-you note to our Creator. The sages say: Who is the wealthy person? The one who is happy with what he has. The more we appreciate our gifts, the more sincere is our thanks, and the more sublime is our pleasure.

If eating cake or cereal, recite the following blessing:
Baruch Atah Ado-nai, Elohai-nu Melech HaOlam, boray minay mezonos.
Blessed are you God, King of the Universe, Who creates species of nourishment.
If eating bread, begin with the washing of the hands, twice on both hands and say:

As we raise our hands, we remind ourselves that the food we are about to eat – even though it was made by a human being – ultimately comes from God. As the verse says: He would feed him with the finest wheat (Psalms 81:17).
Without speaking from the time of the washing, we then recite the blessing on the bread:

A participant says:
The verse says:  'When you eat the bread of the Land, you shall bring an offering to God' (Numbers 15:19). This refers to the waving (tenufah) of the Omer. Tenufah can be read as tenu feh – give a mouth. The mouth is symbolic of the honor we give to God. Hence the Omer was waved to show that we give to God this mouth, since the chief praise of God is when the Jewish people give Him honor and glory.

Why was the Omer made from barley and not from wheat? Because barley ripens first. Wheat (chita) is the more perfect food, being symbolic of the elimination of sin (chet). There are those who say that wheat is the plant with which Adam sinned. ( Zohar – Balak 189a)

Meditation:
Savor each bite of the cake or bread. Appreciate that God loves us and created everything for our good.

(5) FRUIT

On Tu B'Shvat, we eat the fruit by which God Himself praises the Land of Israel. As the verse says: The trees have borne their fruit, fig tree and vine have yielded their strength. Children of Zion be happy, rejoice in the Lord, your God. (Yoel 2:22-23) If you have a preference, eat the fruits in the order you most enjoy. Otherwise the order of eating should be: olives, dates, grapes, figs, pomegranates.

Say the following blessing and then eat one of the fruits: Baruch Ata Adod-nai Elohai-nu Melech HaOlam boray pri ha-aitz. Blessed are you God, King of the Universe, Who creates the fruit of the tree.

If there is a seasonal fruit at the table which you have not yet tasted this season, say the following additional blessing before eating the fruit: Baruch Ata Ado-noi, Elohai-nu Melech HaOlam, sheh-he-che-yanu vi-kee-yimanu vi-hee-gee-yanu laz-man ha-zeh. Blessed are You God, King of the Universe, Who has kept us alive, sustained us, and brought us to this season.

Take each fruit one by one, as the appropriate paragraph below is recited. Enjoy the many unique flavors and textures. Reflect on the reality that the Creator of time and space wants us to take pleasure in everything that He put into the world.

Participants take turns saying the following paragraphs:

Olives:
God called your name 'a green olive tree, nice and beautiful fruit.' (Jeremiah 11:16)
Your children shall be like olive plants around your table. (Psalms 123:3)

Rabbi Yehoshuah Ben Levi said: Why is Israel compared to an olive tree? Because just as the leaves of an olive tree do not fall off either in summer or winter, so too the Jewish people shall not be cast off – neither in this world nor in the World to Come. (Talmud – Menachot 53b)

The Sages taught: Just as olive oil brings light into the world, so do the people of Israel bring light into the world. (Midrash – Shir HaShirim Raba 1:2)

Dates:
The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree (Psalms 92:13). The righteous are fruitful and sweet, just like a date palm.

Your stature is like a palm tree (Song of Songs 7:8). Just as the palm tree doesn't bend or sway, so too the Jewish people.

No part of the palm tree is wasted. The dates are for eating; the Lulav branches are for waving in praise on Sukkot; the dried thatch is for roofing; the fibers are for ropes; the leaves are for sieves; and the trunk is for house beams. So too, every one of the Jewish people is needed. Some are knowledgeable in Bible, others in Mishnah, others in Aggada (homiletic understanding of the Torah). Still others perform many mitzvot, and others give much charity. (Midrash – Bamidbar Raba 3:1)

Grapes:
Just as a vine has large and small clusters and the large ones hang lower, so too the Jewish people: Whoever labors in Torah and is greater in Torah, seems lower than his fellow [due to his humility]. (Midrash – Vayikra Raba 36:2)

Figs:
Rabbi Yochanan said: What is the meaning of 'He who tends a fig tree will eat its fruit'? (Proverbs 27:18) Why is the Torah compared to a fruit tree? Figs on a tree do not ripen all at once, but a little each day. Therefore, the longer one searches in the tree, the more figs he finds. So too with Torah: The more one studies, the more knowledge and wisdom one finds. (Talmud – Eruvin 54a)

Pomegranates:
Let us get up early to the vineyards. Let us see if the vine has flowered, if the grape blossoms have opened, if the pomegranates have budded. There I will give you my love.
If the pomegranates have budded. These are the little children who study Torah and sit in rows in their class like the seeds of a pomegranate. (Midrash – Shir HaShirim Rabba 6:11)

For discussion:
Rami Bar Yechezkel once came to Bnei Brak and saw goats grazing under a fig tree. Honey was dripping from the figs and milk from the goats – and they became intermingled. He said: Behold, a land flowing with milk and honey! (Talmud – Ketubot 111b) Ask participants to share a story or experience he/she had while in the Land of Israel.

(6) WINE:

At the Tu B'Shvat seder, it is traditional to drink four cups of wine, similar to the Passover seder.

First Cup – pure white
Second Cup – pale pink (white with a drop of red wine)
Third Cup – darker pink (with more red added)
Fourth Cup – almost totally red (with only a drop of white)

A participant says:
White wine represents nature in potential. Red wine represents nature in full bloom. On this day, we begin to leave the winter behind and move into a period of renewal and life.
It is stated in the Zohar: Wine has two colors – white and red. White is from the right side [of kindness]; red from the left side [of strength and judgment].

As we progress from white to red, we move from potential to actuality. We are able to appreciate God's judgment as well as His kindness. We see God's design and goodness in the world with increasing clarity.

A participant says:
Wine rejoices the heart of man. This refers to the wine of Torah. Yayin (Hebrew for wine) equals 70, the numerical value of Sod, meaning secret. [Wine represents the hidden aspects of the Torah.] ( Zohar – Parshat Pinchas).

A participant says:
The Talmudic section dealing with agriculture is called trust in God. When a farmer plants a seed, trust in God gives him the strength to survive the winter. On Tu B'Shvat he begins to see that trust rewarded. Similarly, when we plant a seed for personal growth, it requires trust and patience to survive the 'cold,' before we see the fruits of our labor.

We will now drink four cups of wine (or grape juice) in conjunction with four different categories of fruit. Each of these pairs correspond to each of the four spiritual realms (from lowest to highest):

action – asiah
formation – yetzirah
creation – briah
emanation of pure Godliness – atzilut

Each level becomes more spiritual and connected to the Creator. As we eat, we elevate the fruits – and ourselves – through the various levels, rising higher and higher.

A participant says:
The Almighty said: Although wine can be a source of trouble in this world, in the future I shall make it only a source of joy, as it says: 'And it shall come to pass on that day, that the mountains will drip with sweet wine' (Yoel 3:18). (Midrash – Vayikra Raba 12:5)

Pour the first cup of wine (all white):
All say the following blessing, and then drink from the wine (if you haven't already done so during Kiddush): Baruch Ata Adon-ai Elohai-nu Melech HaOlam boray pri ha-gafen. Blessed are you God, King of the universe who creates the fruit of the vine. Slow down and really enjoy the taste of the wine. The most prestigious universities offer courses in wine tasting. There's a lot to appreciate in life. Be a connoisseur!

The leader says:
We now eat fruits with inedible shells or peels. For example: nuts, pomegranate, oranges, avocado. The edible part of the fruit corresponds to perfection and purity, while the inedible is connected to deficiency and impurity. This is parallel to the realm of action (asiah), the lowest of the spiritual worlds – a world which is enveloped by materialism, just as the fruit is enveloped in its peel/shell.

A participant says:
Rabbi Tarfon compared the Jewish people to a pile of walnuts. If one walnut is removed, each and every nut in the pile is shaken and disturbed. So too, when a single Jew is in distress, every other Jew is shaken. (Midrash – Shir HaShirim Raba 6:11)

A participant says:
As it is the virtue of a nut to be closed in from all sides, so too the Heavenly Chariot which goes out of the Garden of Eden is hidden on all sides. And just as the four sections of a walnut are united at one side and separated on the other, so are all parts of the Heavenly Chariot united in perfect union – and yet each part fulfills a specific purpose. ( Zohar – Shmot 15b)

Meditation:
As you toss away the peels and shells, see one of your bad character traits (anger, impatience, etc.) being tossed away. In your mind's eye, picture the bad trait as the shell. Then, as you toss it away, feel the trait leaving you. That's not the real you. The real you is the fruit... delicious and nourishing. See the trait going into the garbage.

(7) CUPS 2, 3,4

Drink the second cup – pale pink (white with a drop of red).

The leader says:
We now eat fruits with inedible pits. For example: dates, olives, peaches, plums, cherries. This stage is comparable to the realm of formation (yetzirah). The edible parts of the fruit represent holiness. Pits represent impurities which have penetrated the holiness.

As the color of the wine begins to gets darker, we can start to see potential turn into reality. The inedible part has now moved from the outside to the inside of the fruit. This is an advancement toward purity. In addition, the inedible part is no longer waste; it is a seed with potential to grow.

Meditation:
Imagine one of your bad traits as this seed. Really see it. Then, see that trait growing and developing into something great. This trait no longer holds you back, but propels you forward. Many great people have turned their faults into assets. You too can become great.
Drink the third cup of wine (dark pink).

The leader says:
Now we eat fruits that are completely edible: blueberries. This is the realm of creation (briah), the highest level in the created world. (The three lower worlds – asiyah, yetzirah, and briah – are referred to as ma'aseh bereishit, the act of creation. )

Meditation:
Things are coming close to their full potential. Even the seeds are now edible. They not only have future potential, but are also delicious and ready to eat right now.
Think about an area of life you would like to improve. Picture your ideal self. Realize that's the real you. Now, for the rest of Tu B'Shvat, actually be that person. Act as if you're already there. The experience can be transformational.

Drink the fourth cup (red with a drop of white).

The leader says:
We now taste the fruit on the table with the best fragrance. This is comparable to the realm of pure Godliness (atzilut). This level is called the ma'aseh merkava, the act of the Chariot. The prophet Ezekiel saw a Chariot in his vision relating to the mysteries of creation.

A participant says:
In Leviticus 23:40, the Esrog is described as pri aitz hadar – fruit of the majestic tree. The Esrog is the most spiritual of all trees, as it's fruit and bark both have fine taste and smell. On Tu B'Shvat, when all trees are judged, it is fitting to pray for a beautiful Esrog during the coming Sukkot.

A participant says:
The sense of smell is the purest and most elevated. It is through the nose that God invested Adam with a soul, as it says, God breathed into man's nostrils a breath of life (Genesis 2:7). Since there is no perceptible physical matter to smell, it is the most spiritual and Godly of the five senses. Burning the fragrant incense was designated as the holiest act of the Jewish year – performed by the Kohen Gadol in the Holy of Holies on Yom Kippur.

(8) CONCLUSION

The leader says: Eating 12 different fruits is significant, since this corresponds to the 12 different arrangements of the four-letter ineffable Name of God. Upon eating the 12th fruit, we recite the verse:

And they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, nor shall they learn war any more. But they shall sit each person under his fig tree, and none shall make them afraid, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken (Micah 4:3-4)

Eating 15 different fruits is also significant, since this is the numerical value of Yud-Heh, the Name of God which connects the physical to the spiritual, between this world and the next world. In the Holy Temple, the Levites would sing each of the 15 Shir HaMa'alot Psalms as they ascended each of the 15 steps.

After-blessing:
After enjoying all the wonderful pleasures that God has given us, we complete the process with a meaningful, heartfelt thanks to the Creator.
Those who ate bread say the full Grace After Meals. Otherwise, we say the three-faceted blessing – including the relevant lines for cake, wine, and/or fruit, plus the special insertion for Shabbat if applicable. The text of these blessings are found in the ArtScroll Siddur (www.artscroll.com).

A participant says:
Rabbi Abba taught: There is no more revealed redemption – no greater indication of the impending redemption – than that which the verse (Ezekiel 36:8) states: And you, mountains of Israel, you shall give forth your branches and you shall bear your fruit for my people Israel, for they shall soon come. (Talmud – Sanhedrin 98a)

Rashi explains: When the Land of Israel will give fruit bountifully, this is an indication of the impending redemption, and there is no greater indication than this.

Conclusion:
We come to the end of the Tu B'Shvat seder. We have only touched the surface of the true meaning of the holiday and of the significance of trees and fruit in God's creation. That is the beauty of the Jewish calendar. Each year we celebrate the same holidays, yet each year we grow and develop many new insights.

The rest of the evening is spent singing and learning Torah. Next year in Jerusalem!

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

- Copyrighted material used with permission from A Person is Like a Tree: A Sourcebook for Tu BeShvat, by Yitzhak Buxbaum (Jason Aronson Inc.), available from www.bn.com.

Source: AISH

Parshat Yitro Message of Nir ben Artzi 12 Shevat ENGLISH

[Please note that the English translation is by Google, with me scanning for obvious translation flaws, until Reb Menachem ben Rifka can resume his blog. The latest update on Reb Menachem can be found in the ’comments’ HERE]
בס"ד
Message from Rabbi Nir Ben Artzi shlita
The portion of Yitro
Sunday, January 28, 2018, 8:30

The king of the Kings of the Holy Kings, Blessed be He, Father in Heaven and in Israel, has a plan from the beginning of the world to this day, to turn this world into a pure and Holy world, without wars and without killing, without thieves and vandals. A world of free love , and unity, help without desire to receive [united without receiving reward],  the observance of the Ten Commandments, prayers, Torah study and adherence to the Holy One, Blessed is He. They will- [run to the] good, they will not suffer and suffer [be tormented] for nothing. The Jews gave [were given] a soul that is part of Gd above, and through the Jewish people living in Israel, light, goodness, purity and holiness will spread to the repair of  the world.

The Creator said, “In [By] the sweat of your mouth you shall eat bread," for a man to work [that man labors], to work and make a living with integrity, [in] truth and honor, without theft and theft [stealing], without lies, deceit and bribery.

The Holy One, blessed be He, gave the Sabbath a[s a] gift. Six days are [of] hard work and the Sabbath is a rest for all the people of Israel. For all Jews, Shabbat is the source of blessing. When you observe the Sabbath, you have good health, love and peace, abundant livelihood, long and protected life, a blessing for a good living for the coming week and the sins of the Jew are canceled. God says that you are  Shabbat [is complete] - he  pays. It's a pity that people are going against the Sabbath and waiting for her not to keep her, too bad.

Jews who live in Europe, the United States and many other places should go away [leave] and go to the Holy Land, now and urgently, whether they like it or not, they will eventually have to immigrate to Israel, [and] they will not have a shekel in their pockets. [Murder a]nd death is stronger than anything.

The Holy One, blessed be He, loves the people of Israel and the Jews who live in the Land of Israel.
The Holy One, Blessed is He, gave and gave [will give] blessing [of rain from Heaven], gave blessing to the Sea of ​​Galilee and the Sea of ​​Galilee would never be empty - the Blessing of the Lord at the Sea of ​​Galilee because the[re is the] place of Miriam the prophetess.

In Israel everything is good. Plenty of blessings and health. The Holy One, Blessed be He, blesses His children who live in the Land of Israel. The Holy One, Blessed be He, blesses his Jewish children who live abroad, [that they] who will have [understanding and]  wisdom, wisdom and knowledge to immigrate to the Land of Israel. The Holy One, Blessed be He, wants the Jews to ask him constantly, and believe in him - he will give them their requests.

All the cities filled with water and flooded by the rain - it is not from the Holy One, Blessed be He. The docks in the flooded cities are not good, they did Arab work there, not good work, so everything is blocked and the city is flooded.

Trump does all his work happily. He loves the Jews who live in Israel and is happy to help Jews who live in the Land of Israel. His deputy, Mike Pense, also loves the people of Israel. He saw face to face the evil and hatred of the Arabs against the Jews.

The entire world and all the countries of the world are connecting day by day to the Land of Israel and to the Jewish people living in the Land of Israel. All the Arabs hate the Jews, but they hate the Christians a hundred[fold] times.

No one will help anyone, Trump wants a hard hand with the Arabs. The Muslim Arabs care only about their pride and the word they said, to murder and to do evil in the world. Trump knows who he's got [to do] a business with, so he acts with a hard hand. The Arabs, like Pharaoh, find it difficult and insistent, and all this is done by the Holy One, Blessed be He, so that the people of Israel will appreciate the Holy One, Blessed be He, who will know that everything starts from the Holy One, Blessed be He.

The Muslim Arabs and the African refugees want to conquer Europe and the whole world. In Europe, harsh laws were passed to neutralize the refugees, who would [let them[ flee from there. They live in illusions. Most of Europe is Muslim Arabs and they will carry out attacks and severe damage, and the Jews will have no choice but to flee to the Holy Land.

The State of Israel must not give up its rights [to anyone] in the world. Everyone saw that the Holy One, Blessed be He, sent an angel [Malach] who spoke from Trump's throat and stated that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. Jews in Israel must not sell or give up any piece of land. Those who want peace do not want to take land. And those who want to take land from the Holy Land - do not want peace, are fake.

Hamas - the IDF does not hurt it, and the IDF can finish it in a very short time. Israel wants quiet from the world, so before every explosion Hamas is warned. Method of the US.

Egypt, anyone who wants to compete against Sisi in power - has disappeared from the map. Waiting for Sisi to hurt him, to take care of himself. To be heard in the voice of the Israeli government.[?]

In Iran, smart and educated people, they are planning a severe defeat for the regime. Anyone who demonstrated against the regime [was] put him in jail and killed him, as if they had earned quiet. All the families of the dead will not give up. Soon they will go wild and revolutionize Iran.

In Syria, the killing and the disasters will continue. Syria is fighting: Syrians, Turks, Kurds, rebels and Hezbollah - the Tower of Babel. Their sword shall come in their hearts, and their bow shall be broken.

Jordan is waiting for Trump's results. Is in peace with Israel openly and secretly. It contains all the peoples, terrorists, Da'as, Jordanians - one whole porridge [chulent?]

Abu Mazen will not help, nothing [noise] without ringing, an angel spoke through his throat and cursed Trump. As if he was doing good to the Arabs, but only doing damage to them ...
East Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Hebron, Jenin, Nablus and many Arab villages in Israel - full of ammunition and weapons. Be wary of Arabs with Israeli identity cards, some of them dangerous, not all of them.

All the enemies, prime ministers and presidents who want to harm the Holy Land and the Jews who live in Israel, the Holy One, Blessed be He, will lower them to the seabed and harm them so that they will not interfere with the rest of His children. Every president or prime minister who wants to harm the people of Israel, the Holy One, blessed be He, gives him the most severe blows, natural disasters, complications and conflicts, and killing each other.

Jews listen carefully! Outside the borders of Israel, Gog and Magog and chaos, everything is turned upside down and Israel is protected [guarded] and protected!

Hezbollah and Nasrallah cannot talk [discuss anything] because the ammunition is his breakfast, lunch and dinner, and the IDF blows up all the ammunition [within] inside, and [but] he keeps ammunition for emergencies, not wasting.

Lebanon wants peace. She does not care about anybody.

The IDF must pay attention to the borders of the north and everywhere, there is no faith in the gentiles.

Many countries in the world, who did not know the people of Israel and the Land of Israel, began to open their hearts and want to know the Land of Israel and the Jews who live in the Land of Israel, want to come to the Land of Israel, want advice and technology of the Jews in the Land of Israel. At this rate, which will last - all the countries of the world will bend, fold and seek help from the Land of Israel.

Natural disasters, fires, earthquakes, floods, storms and winds will continue. Tragedies will continue on trains, planes and roads.

Dear Jews and Jews! [Do] Not to assimilate with Gentiles, it angers the Holy One, Blessed be He. A day will come and you will repent [regret] very deeply and there will be no one to help. Parents! To Warn the children of [about] assimilation, gambling, drinking and drugs.

[The] Holy Land is growing and [expanding] growing in real estate. The land in Israel is growing and growing. Even if 100 million Jews come, there will be work and livelihood for all, and a good life for all.

Moshiach, the Holy One, blessed be He, allowed people to discover and recognize Him. The Holy One, Blessed be He, is at the highest level in the heavens and in the earth, and presses all the Rabbis and everyone who has the vision to speak to whom the Holy One, Blessed be He, chose Messiah Avduh.

The Holy One, Blessed be He, wants it to be the Rabbis of their free choice, who will vote for whom the Holy One, Blessed be He, chose for the Messiah - who is in our generation! Even though the Messiah is a protector, [responds with replies] a guard and a convert. Most of them know who he is and do not have the courage to speak, waiting for the great Torah scholars to speak. The Torah sages will speak, the Holy One, Blessed be He, will give them the opportunity to speak and be in the first circle of eternal life.

[The] Holy Land is in the best period ever. Every Jew feels and senses in the air that there is something special about our generation. With the help of Gd, when the Torah sages begin to speak, everything will come out and will blossom in public!



Courtesy of Tair Neri (and google translate)

Parshat Yitro Message of Nir ben Artzi 12 Shevat HEBREW

[Google English to follow]
בס”ד
מסר מפי הרב ניר בן ארצי שליט"א
לפרשת יתרו תשע"ח
נמסר ביום ראשון, י"ב בשבט תשע"ח 28.1.18 | 8:30

מלך מלכי המלכים הקדוש-ברוך-הוא, אבא שבשמיים ובארץ, יש לו תוכנית מאז תחילת העולם ועד היום הזה, להפוך את העולם הזה לעולם טהור וקדוש, בלי מלחמות ובלי הרג, בלי גנבים ונואפים, בלי אנשי זימה ושוחד. עולם של אהבת-חינם ואחדות, עזרה בלי רצון לקבל, קיום עשרת הדיברות, תפילות, לימוד תורה והידבקות בקדוש-ברוך-הוא. ירצו - מה טוב, לא ירצו – יסבלו ויתייסרו לחינם. ליהודים נתן נשמה שהיא חלק אלוקה ממעל, ודרך העם היהודי שגר בישראל, יתפשטו האור, הטוב, הטהרה והקדושה לתיקון העולם.
בורא עולם אמר "בזֵעת אפיך תאכל לחם", שאדם יעמול, יעבוד ויתפרנס ביושר, באמת ובכבוד, בלי גזל וגניבה, בלי שקרים, רמאות ושוחד.
הקדוש-ברוך-הוא נתן את השבת מתנה. שישה ימים עובדים קשה ויום השבת הוא מנוחה לכל עם ישראל. לכל היהודים, השבת היא מקור הברכה. כשמקיימים את השבת יש בריאות טובה, אהבה ושלום, פרנסה בשפע, חיים ארוכים ומוגנים, ברכה לפרנסה טובה לכל השבוע הבא ומתבטלים חטאי היהודיאומר הקדוש-ברוך-הוא שאת השבת - הוא משלם. חבל שאנשים הולכים נגד השבת ומחכים לה כדי לא לשמור אותה, חבל.
היהודים שגרים באירופה, בארה"ב ובעוד הרבה מקומות, כדאי להם לברוח דחוף ולעלות לארץ הקודש, עכשיו ודחוף. יִרצו או לא ירצו, הם יצטרכו בסוף לעלות לארץ ישראל, לא יהיה להם שקל בכיס והם יעלו לישראל שפופים וכפופים, כואבים ומבוישים, כי ההרג והמוות חזקים מהכל.
הקדוש-ברוך-הוא אוהב את עם ישראל ואת היהודים שגרים בארץ ישראל. הקדוש-ברוך-הוא נתן ונותן גשמי ברכה, נתן גשמי ברכה בכנרת והכנרת לעולם לא תהיה ריקה - ברכת ה' בכנרת כי שם מקומה של מרים הנביאה.
בישראל הכל טוב. שפע של ברכות ובריאות. הקדוש-ברוך-הוא מברך את ילדיו שגרים בארץ ישראל. הקדוש-ברוך-הוא מברך את ילדיו היהודים שגרים בחו"ל, שתהיה להם חוכמה, בינה ודעת לעלות לארץ ישראל. 
הקדוש-ברוך-הוא רוצה שהיהודים יבקשו ממנו כל הזמן ויאמינו בו - ייתן להם את בקשותיהם.
כל הערים שהתמלאו מים והוצפו מהגשם – זה לא מאת הקדוש-ברוך-הוא בכלל. הניקוזים בערים המוצפות לא טובים, עשו שם עבודה ערבית, עבודה לא טובה, אז הכל עקום וסתום והעיר מוצפת.
טראמפ עושה את כל עבודתו בשמחה. הוא אוהב את היהודים שגרים בישראל, שמח ונהנה לעזור ליהודים שגרים בארץ ישראל. גם סגנו, מייק פנס, אוהב את עם ישראל. הוא ראה פנים מול פנים את הרוע והשנאה של הערבים אל מול היהודים. 
העולם כולו וכל מדינות העולם הולכים ומתחברים מיום ליום לארץ ישראל ולעם היהודי שגר בארץ ישראל. כל הערבים שונאים את היהודים, אבל את הנוצרים הם שונאים פי-מאה. 
לא יעזור לאף אחד כלום, טראמפ רוצה יד קשה עם הערבים. הערבים המוסלמיים אכפת להם רק מהגאווה שלהם ומהמילה שאמרו, לרצוח ולעשות רע בעולם. טראמפ יודע עם מי יש לו עסק, לכן מתנהג איתם ביד קשה. הערבים כמו פרעה - מתקשים ומתעקשים ואת כל זה עושה הקדוש-ברוך-הוא, כדי שעם ישראל יעריך את הקדוש-ברוך-הוא, שיֵדעו שהכל מתחיל מהקדוש-ברוך-הוא ומסתיים ממנו.
הערבים המוסלמיים והפליטים האפריקנים רוצים לכבוש את אירופה ואת כל העולם. באירופה התחילו לחוקק חוקים קשים כדי לנטרל את הפליטים, שיברחו משם. הם חיים באשליות. רוב רובה של אירופה הם ערבים מוסלמיים והם יעשו שם פיגועים ונזקים קשים, וליהודים לא תהיה כל ברירה, רק לברוח לארץ הקודש.
למדינת ישראל אסור לוותר על הזכויות שלה בעולם. כולם ראו שהקדוש-ברוך-הוא שלח מלאך שדיבר מגרונו של טראמפ וקבע שירושלים היא עיר הבירה של ישראל. אסור ליהודים בישראל למכור או לוותר על אף פיסת אדמה. מי שרוצים שלום – לא רוצים לקחת אדמה. ומי שרוצים לקחת אדמה מארץ הקודש – לא רוצים שלום, הם מזויפים.
חמאס - צה"ל לא פוגע בו. צה"ל יכול לגמור אותו בזמן קצר ביותר. ישראל רוצה שקט מן העולם, לכן לפני כל פיצוץ מזהירים את החמאס. שיטה של ארה"ב.
מצרים, כל מי שרוצה להתחרות מול סיסי בשלטון – נעלם מהמפה. מחכים לסיסי לפגוע בו, שישמור על עצמו. שישמע בקול ממשלת ישראל.
באיראן אנשים חכמים ומשכילים, הם מתכננים מפלה קשה למשטר. כל מי שהפגין נגד השלטון, הכניסו אותו לכלא והרגו אותו, כאילו הרוויחו בזה שקט. כל משפחות ההרוגים לא יוותרו, בקרוב הם ישתוללו ויעשו מהפכה באיראן.
בסוריה ימשיכו ההרג והאסונות. בסוריה נלחמים: סורים, תורכים, כורדים, מורדים וחיזבאללה – מגדל בבל. חרבם תבוא בליבם וקשתותם תישברנה. 
ירדן מחכה לתוצאות של טראמפ. היא בשלום עם ישראל בגלוי ובסתר. יש בה מכל העמים, מחבלים, דאע"ש, ירדנים - דייסה אחת שלמה.
לאבו מאזן לא יעזור כלום, רעש בלי צלצולים, דיבר מלאך דרך גרונו וקילל את טראמפ. כאילו שהוא עושה טוב לערבים, אבל עושה להם רק נזקים...
מזרח ירושלים, בית לחם, חברון, ג'נין, שכם והרבה כפרים ערביים בישראל - מלאים תחמושת ונשק. להיזהר מערבים בעלי תעודת זהות ישראלית, חלק מהם מסוכנים, לא כולם.
כל האויבים, ראשי ממשלות ונשיאים, שרוצים לפגוע בארץ הקודש וביהודים שגרים בישראל, הקדוש-ברוך-הוא ינמיך אותם עד קרקעית הים ויפגע בהם קשות, כדי שלא יפריעו למנוחתם של ילדיו, מנוחתם של היהודים בעם ישראל. כל נשיא או ראש ממשלה שרוצה לפגוע בעם ישראל, הקדוש-ברוך-הוא נותן לו מהלומות קשות ביותר, אסונות טבע, סיבוכים וסכסוכים והורגים זה את זה. 
יהודים תקשיבו טוב! מחוץ לגבולות ארץ ישראל גוג ומגוג ותוהו ובוהו, הכל מתהפך להם וישראל - מוגנת ושמורה! 
חיזבאללה ונסראללה לא יכול לדבר כלום, כי התחמושת היא ארוחת בוקר, צהריים וערב שלו וצה"ל מפוצץ לו את כל התחמושת בפנים. הוא שומר תחמושת למקרי חירום, לא מבזבז.
לבנון רוצה שלום. לא אכפת לה מאף אחד.
צה"ל לשים לב בגבולות הצפון ובכל מקום, אין אמונה בגויים.
להרבה מדינות בעולם, שלא הכירו את עם ישראל ואת ארץ ישראל, התחיל להיפתח הלב והם רוצים להכיר את ארץ ישראל ואת היהודים שגרים בארץ ישראל, רוצים להגיע לארץ ישראל, רוצים עצות וטכנולוגיה של היהודים בארץ ישראל, רוצים את עזרתם של היהודים שגרים בארץ ישראל. בקצב הזה, שיימשך - כל מדינות העולם יתכופפו, יתקפלו וירצו עזרה מארץ ישראל. 
יימשכו אסונות הטבע, שריפות, רעידות אדמה, שיטפונות, סופות ורוחות. יימשכו האסונות ברכבות, מטוסים ובכבישים. 
יהודים ויהודיות יקרים! לא להתבולל בגויים, זה מכעיס את הקדוש-ברוך-הוא. יבוא יום ותתחרטו חרטה עמוקה מאוד ולא יהיה מי שיעזור. הורים! להזהיר את הילדים מהתבוללות, הימורים, שתייה חריפה וסמים.
ארץ ישראל הקדושה גְדלה ומתפתחת בנדל"ן, שטח האדמה בישראל גדל וגדל, גם שיבואו מאה מיליון יהודים, תהיה עבודה ופרנסה לכולם וחיים טובים לכולם. 
משיח, הקדוש-ברוך-הוא נתן לאנשים לגלות ולהכיר אותו. הקדוש-ברוך-הוא נמצא למעלה בשמיים ובארץ, ולוחץ על כל הרבנים ועל כל מי שהגיע לו החיזיון, לדבר במי בחר הקדוש-ברוך-הוא למשיח עבדו, שלא יהיה להם מאוחר. הקדוש-ברוך-הוא רוצה שזה יהיה לרבנים מהבחירה החופשית שלהם, שיצביעו במי בחר הקדוש-ברוך-הוא למשיח - שנמצא בדורנו! למרות שמשיח מגן, שומר ומחזיר בתשובה. רובם יודעים מיהו ואין להם אומץ לדבר, מחכים לגדולי התורה שידברו. גדולי התורה ידברו, ייתן להם הקדוש-ברוך-הוא הזדמנות לדבר ויהיו במעגל הראשון לחיי עולמים.
ארץ ישראל הקדושה נמצאת בתקופה הטובה ביותר שהיתה אי-פעם. כל יהודי מרגיש וחש באוויר שיש משהו מיוחד בדור שלנו. בעזרת ה', כשיתחילו גדולי התורה לדבר - הכל ייצא לאור ויפרח בפרהסיה! 

באדיבות: אתר "תאיר נרי"

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...