Chai Elul ...

Wednesday:

TAMUZ Tikkun - Sense: Sight

The summer (the period of Tamuz) is the "holiday" of the eyes. It is the time that one must "guard" his eyes to see only that which is good (in the world in general and in his fellow man in particular) and modest. The ability to guard and focus one's eyesight correctly is the rectified "sense" of sight.

Center of Alertness

Jerusalem Researchers Find Brain's 'Center of Alertness'

A tiny cluster of nerve cells in the upper brain stem has been identified by Hebrew University of Jerusalem researchers for the first time as being an essential part of the "circuit" that controls states of unconsciousness.

The groundbreaking work, based on years of working on rats and likely to be applicable to humans, could lead to future treatments for loss of consciousness, sleep disorders and pain. It was recently published as a 12-page article in the Journal of Neuroscience.

Prof. Marshall Devor, the Cecile and Seymour Alpert professor of pain research - who worked with graduate student Ruth Abulafia and research associate Dr. Vladimir Zalkind - told The Jerusalem Post on Monday that this small group of cells appeared to have "executive control" over many brain functions [...]

He speculated that this specific part of the brain - called MPTA,
or the mesopontine tegmental anesthesia area - could have been what was turned off by G-forces, lack of oxygen or blood glucose, or other factors when fighter pilot Capt. Assaf Ramon suddenly lost consciousness in his plane as it made a sharp turn, and crashed on Sunday.

JPost article.

Chai Elul ...

Tuesday:

SIVAN Tikkun - Sense: Walking

Walking as the sense of the month of Sivan is referring not only to physical walking but to the spiritual sense of progress or development. An individual who possesses a sense of walking has a particular keenness in moving forward and always striving for more. The Torah was given so that mankind could progress, and as such the Torah is the ultimate instrument of progress.

Each of the many laws that are learned from the 613 commandments of the Torah is called a halachah (הלכה ) in Hebrew, a word that stems from the same root as “walking” (הילוך ).

“The walkings of the world are His.” Since the word “walkings” (הליכות ) is almost identical to the word for laws of the Torah, halachot (הלכות ), the sages explain that one who studies the laws of the Torah, “the world is his,” referring to the World to Come.

The Torah gives us the power to progress, to move forward, by healing our psyches and by directing us in how to find and elevate the fallen sparks of Divinity that are scattered throughout our present reality.

Rosh HaShana 5770

Pomegranate crop in Israel will reach a record of 20,000 tons this year

The pomegranate is one of the agro branches in Israel that is growing rapidly due to the recent recognition of its nutritious values and low water consumption. All parts of the fruit contain only good nutrition elements and contributes in preventing heart diseases and arteriosclerosis.

Beetroot and Pomegranate Salad



by Janna Gur

I never thought of mixing beets and pomegranates in one dish, but one bite revealed the magic. Almost identical in color, their diametrically opposed textures and flavors complement each other beautifully: pomegranates are tangy and crunchy, beets – soft and sweet. Plus you have two symbolic Rosh Hashana fruits in one yummy dish.

Ingredients (serves 6)
• 3-4 medium beetroots
• 2 tablespoons pomegranate syrup (pomegranate molasses)
• 2-3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2-3 dried chili peppers, crushed
• Coarse sea salt
• 1/4 cup delicate olive oil
• 1/2 cup fresh coriander leaves
• 1 cup pomegranate seeds

1. Boil the beetroots in water until tender. Cool, peel and cut into very small dice.
2. Mix with the pomegranate syrup, lemon juice, peppers and coarse sea salt. Set aside for about 15 minutes.
3. Mix the salad with the coriander leaves and pomegranate seeds, pour the olive oil on top and serve.

Carrot and Date Salad



Not only Ashkenazi Jews eat tzimmes on Rosh Hashana. Sliced carrots, reminiscent of golden coins, are considered a symbol for a prosperous year. In this delicacy hailing from the Jewish Moroccan kitchen, carrots are combined with dates, another symbolic autumn fruit. Ingredients (serves 6-8)

• 4 carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/2'' disks
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 5 cloves garlic, chopped
• 8-10 fresh dates (those with smooth shiny skin), halved and pitted
• 1 sprig thyme
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 5 tablespoon silan (date honey - see below, or substitute honey)
• 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1. Bring carrots to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes until tender. Drain and set aside.

2. Heat olive oil in a skillet, and sauté the garlic until golden. Add dates and sauté for 1-2 minutes. Add sliced carrots, thyme, cinnamon, silan (or honey) and lemon juice. Cover and cook for 5 minutes on low heat.


3. Cool and serve at room temperature. The salad will keep for 3 days in the refrigerator.

Silan (Date Honey)
A very thick sweet syrup made from dried dates, similar to honey but darker in color and with a pronounced caramel taste. It is used as a color and flavor enhancer in slow-cooking dishes like hamin, or in any recipe calling for honey, caramel, molasses or syrup. If unavailable, it can be substituted by honey. Historians believe that the "honey" in the "Land of Milk and Honey" is actually silan.

Fesenjan – Duck in Pomegranate and Walnut Sauce



This recipe first caught my eye when I was working on the most recent Rosh Hashana issue of our magazine. I was intrigued by the pomegranate and walnut combo and had to try it out at home. It tasted even better than it sounded! This Persian classic is served in many Jewish Iranian households for special occasions. Anat and Davis David gave us their family recipe complete with a bit of Iranian folklore: A woman hoping to give birth to a son should prepare fesenjan for her husband. 

Ingredients (serves 4-6)

• 4-6 duck breasts and/or thighs*

For the sauce:

• 2 onions, chopped
• 1/3 cup oil
• 6 saffron threads
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 500 g (1 lb) walnuts, coarsely ground
• 5 tablespoons pomegranate syrup (pomegranate molasses)
• salt and freshly ground black pepper


• chopped parsley and pomegranate seeds

To serve:

1. Heat oil in a large pan and sauté onions until golden.

2. Crush saffron threads with sugar, mix with 3 cups of water and pour into the pan. Add ground walnuts, bring to a boil, lower the heat and add pomegranate syrup (pomegranate molasses). Stir well and transfer to a bowl. Set aside.

3. Add duck pieces to the same pan and fry until golden. Pour in the walnut sauce, add water to cover and cook for about 45 minutes until the duck is tender and the sauce is thick and shiny. Towards the end of the cooking cycle taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Up until point this you can make the stew ahead and store refrigerated for up to 2 days.

4. When ready to serve, heat gently (you may need to add a bit of water if the sauce is too thick). Serve over white rice. Sprinkle with parsley and fresh pomegranate seeds.

Variations: * Use chicken instead of duck. * Use the same sauce to cook meatballs, season 1 kg (2 lbs 2 ounces) of ground meat (preferably 2/3 beef, 1/3 lamb) with black pepper, salt and nutmeg to taste. Form small balls and add to the sauce (step 3).

A New Holiday Stamp

42-Cent New Stamp

Celebrates Muslim holiday

REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of Pan Am Flight 103!

REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993!

REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of the Marine Barracks in Lebanon !

REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of the military Barracks in Saudi Arabia !

REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of the American Embassies in Africa !

REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of the USS COLE!

REMEMBER the MUSLIM attack on 9/11 !

President Obama has directed the United States Postal Service to REMEMBER and HONOR the EID MUSLIM holiday season with a new commemorative 42 Cent First Class Holiday Postage Stamp..

Assalamu Alaykum !

[I wonder who he was centered on here?]

Opposing Forces ...

Things

are

heating

up !

The Prez is determined to get his Medical Rationing Plan put into action, for better or worse.

"Republicans are seething,"

one source said.

"Joe Wilson isn't the only Republican who thinks the president lied for forty-five minutes; he's just the one who said it out loud." "The John Batchelor Show" .

"The word from the cautious, defensive Republican leadership meeting on Capitol Hill the day after the president's health-care address was that no one in the GOP had ever seen anything like this.

"He walked in and threatened us, a separate and equal branch of government" said one congressional Republican source. "He had a plan? That was the biggest myth of all. There're just platitudes. Twelve years in the minority, two and a half in the majority, and they still don't have any semblance of a plan. The president declared he was gonna fix health care forever. He tells us the details are left to be worked out. Everybody thought he was kidding. Telling a joke. But he wasn't kidding. He didn't understand it was a joke. The whole chamber laughed at him." "

The full "Batchelor style analysis at The GOP's Next Moves .

But for those living in America, we watch this tug of war between those pushing a socialist/marxist style regime vs. Today's version of the Colonial Founders.

The people want their voices heard.

[great pics courtesy of atlas but seen here]

We are witnessing the "Change" this young black Chicago community organizer promised on the campaign trail vs. the US Constitution, US Bill of Rights, and the traditional Senate and Congressional processes.

This will have universal ramifications.

HaRav Ariel Bar Tzadok has a very interesting article about Europe, the United States, and a historical process that may be playing out now - The Kings of Edom and the United States, an excerpt follows:

"[...] The history of the United States is most peculiar. In one way the nation grew in typical Edomite fashion. It conquered and sought to destroy the indigenous peoples of this land and sought to make itself into a mighty power similar to Europe. Yet, with all the Edomite influence of prejudice and evil against the Native and against the imported Africans, there was something about the United States of America that made it in many ways deeply different from its European counterparts. In spite of all its fallings, there were still significant influences in the nation that did not tow the European line. There was significant support for African/American liberation, to such a point that it was one of the major causes of the first American Civil War.

"America could not escape its Edomite origins, yet still, this representative of Edom was somehow peculiarly different from its European origins. America outshined the Europeans in the realms of morality and religion. America came to represent the best of what Europe had to offer. The creation of the United States of America was essentially Heaven's plan to emerge the "head of Edom."

"The American culture has for decades been despised specifically by the Europeans. Although both cultures share a desire for secularism and both are rather opulent, still the American culture has for the longest time managed to hold on to its Protestant religious ethic and religiosity. To be blunt about it, America has always been more sincerely religious than the Europeans.

"To this day, when traditional religion is definitely being targeted and rooted out of the public eye, still there remains throughout the United States millions of religious faithful from many different religious paths who all share the common values of traditional morals. This American attitude is what makes America reviled in the eyes of many Europeans. And now that a younger generations of Americans are about to take over to lead the country; they plan to redirect the nation in their own course, a course set more in accordance to European standards than in common with traditional American standards. [...]"

And in conclusion, a few words

from Thomas Jefferson

For us of the Jewish Religious Torah Way of Life these changes may be laden with Anti-Torah swamps and quicksand.

First Day of Creation -- 25 Elul

25 Elul -- Monday

The First Day of Creation in the Jewish Calendar

In some shuls it is customary to read the Torah's description of the creation that occurred on each day from the 25th of Elul to Rosh Hashana, this Shabbos.

One Day: Yom Echad,

Second day: Yom Sheni,

Third day: Yom Slishi

Fourth day: Yom Revii,

Fifth day: Yom Hamishi

Sixth day: Yom Shishi

Yom Shabbat and Rosh HaShana:

Five thousand seven hundred and seventy years from Creation

The Friendly Skies ...

Beyond First Class

What a beautiful interior

What a brilliant design

Just what the 'Friendly Skies' needed

A brand new Airbus 340-600 (the largest passenger airplane ever built) sat outside its hangar in Toulouse, France, without a single hour of airtime.

The Arab flight crew of Abu Dhabi Aircraft Technologies (ADAT) began pre-delivery tests on the ground. The ADAT crew taxied to the run-up area, then ran all four engines up to takeoff power with a virtually empty aircraft. The takeoff warning horn was blaring in the cockpit, as all 4 engines were at full power. The aircraft computers were preparing for take-off, but not configured properly. Then one ADAT crew decided to pull the circuit-breaker to silence the alarm.

The computers automatically released all brakes and set the aircraft rocketing forward. The ADAT crew had no idea this was a safety feature (so pilots can't land with brakes on).

But not one member of the seven arab crew throttled back the engines from their maximum power.

Next, the $200 million aircraft crashed into the blast barrier.

The pictures speak volumes

It pays to read the Manual!

French Airbus: $200 Million

Untrained Arab Flight Crew (#?): $300,000 yr

Unread Operating Manual: $200

[SMILE, I'm a much safer mode of travel!]

[article received via email from a friend]

Chai Elul ...

Sunday:

NISAN Tikkun - Sense: Speech

The sense of speech implies ones ability to express one's deepest feelings and insights. Therefore, conceptually, all forms of expression are referred to generically as "speech." "This world" (created by the letter hei of Nisan) is one that is founded upon (verbal) communication. Personifying the sefirah of kingdom, our present reality is often referred to as "the world of speech" (or "the revealed world").

Monday:

IYAR Tikkun - Sense: Thought

The sense of thought in Sefer Yetzirah implies contemplation and introspection. It also signifies the power of calculation (as in the complex astronomical calculations needed to compute the Hebrew calendar).

As noted, Iyar is the month during which most of the Counting of the Omer occurs. In Hebrew, the root meaning “to think” (לַחְשׁוֹב ) is equivalent with the verb “to mathematically calculate” (לְחַשֵׁב ), from which stems also the Hebrew word for “mathematics” (חֶשְׁבּוֹן ).

News Tidbits

9/11 Coincidence?

The eighth anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks brought a reminder of how little progress the stock market has made since then, largely because of the steep slide that began two years ago.

On Sept. 10, 2001, the Dow ended at 9,605.51; that is nearly identical to friday's close of 9,605.41.

9/12 Tea Party on the Mall

It was up to 2 MILLION at the

DC 9/12 TEAPARTY Gathering

and

not

Tens of Thousands!

Prophecy alive and well ... in Israel

Second Bais haMikdash Era

Synagogue Discovered - Menorah Depiction Inside

According to a press release by Israeli antiques authority Archaeologists discovered a synagogue from the Second Temple era at the construction site of a hotel along the Migdal coast, a few miles north of Tiberias.

At the center of the synagogue is a stone inscribed with a seven-branch menorah. The central hall of the synagogue is 120 sq. meters (1,292 sq. feet) in area. Stone benches used by the worshippers were built along the synagogue walls. In addition, the floor is mosaic and its walls are graced with fresco.

The Archaeological Authority’s director of the excavation called the finds “exciting and unique.” Dina Avshalom-Gorni said, “This is the first time in which a description of the menorah was discovered from the days that the Temple still stood.

This is the first menorah discovered in a Jewish context, dated to the Second Temple era (the beginning of the Roman era). One could suppose that the inscription that appears on the stone that the Archaeological Authority discovered was made by an artisan that saw the seven-branched menorah at the Temple in Jerusalem with his own eyes.”
Advertisement:

She added that the synagogue joins the ranks of the only six other synagogues in the world known to exist from the Second Temple era.

Israel Antiquities Authority:

One of the Oldest Synagogues

in the World was Exposed in the Israel Antiquities Authority Excavation

Shabbos Kodesh!

Shabbat Shalom!

Parshas Nitzavim - Vayeilech

Shabbos Selichot Motzei Shabbos

MURDER!

9 / 11 ...Premeditated MURDER

of American Citizens - of all walks of life

I remember where I was on September 11, 2001

In an MTA train underground on my way to work in Manhattan; when we were redirected out the back car onto the station platform (the only car near the station exit). When we got up to the street it was a helter skelter scene with a fine dust in the air flowing our way. Police and Emergency Patrols yelling to walk, run, just go uptown, get goin'!

A glance back and I saw the first Tower go down.

Just keep walking ... !

[What in the world is going on Hashem?]

People, many people just walking uptown, on cell phones, trying to call their loved ones.

Just keep walking ... !

Walking.

A couple streets over is a park where I would sit a few minutes to think!

[To seek Hashem's guidance]

People emotionally communicating on their cell phones.

Another peek down and up in the air in time to see the second Tower slide down into history.

Oh, my, Hashem, what did we do to deserve this?

Nothing!

It was premeditated murder of innocents

because we the people

believe

in

the founding principles of

the Republic of

America

But

there are still some who would like to finish their job of destroying freedom's principles!

We need to be ever vigilant, to turn to the G-d of the Universe to guide us out of this.

To revisit that day in photos and video: 9.11.01

and

NY anniversary commemoration at WTC

and

New Video of 9.11 Plane Crasing into WTC

Visit Vos Iz Neias for more

Watch The Third Jihad for Free on 9/11

Chai Elul ...

Friday:

SHEVAT Tikkun - Sense: Eating, Taste

The rectified sense of eating is the special sense of the tzadik, as is said: "The tzadik eats to satisfy his soul" (Proverbs 13:25). This verse continues: "but the stomach of the wicked is always lacking." The soul-oriented tzadik feels "full" and happy with a little; the body-oriented wicked person never feels content.

Eating from the Tree of Life, the tzadik derives great pleasure ("life" in Torah means "pleasure") from the Divine sparks of light and lifeforce present within the food he eats. In his rectified state of consciousness he is continuously aware that "not on the [physical dimension of] bread alone does man live, but on each utterance of the mouth of God does man live."

The time of greatest pleasure in partaking of food is on the day of Shabbat. The word for "to satisfy [his soul]" (שֹׂבַע) is cognate to the word for "seven" (שֶׁבַע), alluding to the seventh day of Shabbat. [You will be able to perform the rectification of the sense of 'eating' and 'taste' related to Shabbos, exactly on the day of Shabbos.] A true tzadik experiences the pleasure of Shabbat the entire week (in the Zohar, the tzadik is called Shabbat). The word Shevat itself transforms to Shabbat (since the two letters tet and tav, both letters of the tongue, are phonetically interchangeable).

Saturday/Shabbos:

ADAR Tikkun - Sense: Laughter

Laughter is the expression of unbounded joy, the joy which results from witnessing the light brought forth from darkness. The epitome of laughter in the Torah is that of Sarah at the birth of Isaac (יצחק) whose name derives from the word for laughter (צחוק): "God made me laugh, whoever hears shall laugh with me.”

Giving birth at the age of 90 (and Abraham at the age of 100), after being barren and physically unable to have children, is witnessing Divine light and miracle emerging from total darkness. The word in Hebrew for "barren" is composed of the same letters (in the same order) as the word for "darkness." Purim (פורים) comes from the word meaning "be fruitful [and multiply]" (פרו).

Of Isaac, the archetype personification of laughter in the Torah, it is said "the fear [source of awe, i.e. God] of Isaac." This phrase can also be read as: "fear shall laugh"--the essence of fear shall metamorphize into the essence of laughter. In relation to Purim, the fear of (the decree of) Haman transforms into the exuberant laughter of the festival of Purim.

Chai Elul ...

Thursday:

TEVET Tikkun - Controller: Liver

The sages teach us that "the liver is angry." The function of the liver [kaved, in Hebrew] is to purify the blood with which it is saturated. In Kabbalah, the liver corresponds to the primordial snake, whose rectification is personified by Dan. (The three "rulers" of the body and soul are the brain, the heart, and the liver, which correspond to Adam, Eve, and the snake, respectively). The snake, in Kabbalah, represents the initial state of immaturity of the soul, as characterized by the unrectified attribute of anger. The venom of the snake is hot like the fire of anger. When converted to the good, the fire (and blood of the liver) serves to warm the cold month of Tevet.

Kaved = 26 = Havayah. This reflects the secret mentioned above, that the sum of the four months which "fast" over the destruction of the Temple, which culminate in Tevet, together equal 26. By fasting over the destruction one rectifies one's liver--mellows one's anger--and thereby "sweetens" the anger of G-d (with Israel, the cause of the destruction) and arouses the mercy of Havayah to rebuild the Temple.

Posted 9/9/09 at 9:09 PM

Chai Elul ...

Wednesday:

KISLEV - Controller: Belly

The belly (keiva, in Hebrew) is one of the three gifts which we are commanded to give to the priests upon slaughtering a kosher animal. The word keiva derives from kav, which means "measure." Of the great Tanniac sage, Rabbi Chaninah ben Dosah, it is said: "The whole world is fed in the merit of Rabbi Chaninah ben Dosah, yet for Rabbi Chaninah ben Dosah one measure (kav) of carobs is enough for him from Friday to Friday."

In the rectification of one's character traits, the rectified keiva is never to be jealous of others. Our sages teach us: "a man desires one measure [kav] of his own more than nine of his friend." And so are we taught in Pirkei Avot: "who is rich, he who is happy with his portion."

Red,White,Green&Black Flag Waving in the Leftist Breeze

Netanyahu’s Waterloo

[or Freezeloo]

= The “Good Ship Israel”

in for a traumatic crash.

Palestinian paper: Netanyahu visited Arab state After Israeli journalists inquire as to PM's whereabouts Monday, Al Manar says he met with Arab officials in country that does not have diplomatic ties with Israel to discuss Iran

Netanyahu backs creation of Palestinian state
Prime minister endorses creation of Palestinian state, stresses any such entity will have to be demilitarized and acknowledge Israel as a Jewish nation

Left to mount campaign supporting PM
Ynet learns prominent political figures in Left, Center plan to launch campaign meant to bolster Netanyahu's public standing following Bar Ilan speech, in which he announced intention to promote two-state solution

The campaign, titled "Blue and White Peace," is meant to bolster's Netanyahu position supporting a two-state solution. [This sounds like an invention from the other party on the special phone link between Wash DC and Tel Aviv]

DO YOU REALLY BELIEVE THESE DECEIVERS?

[Please let this be just a ruse in favor of the Jews, but it is not looking good!]

Barak: Difficult decisions ahead
Defense minister tells mayors' conference boycotted by Judea and Samaria leaders that Israel should be promoting peace process rather than 'going round in circles hoping other side, world's nations will understand'


Barak approves 455 West Bank housing units ahead of freeze … these were already approved, so this is a political ploy.

They are giving away your homes!

Netanyahu doesn't know his "right" from his "left" as Dry Bones catches it!

At The Ohel of the Ba'al Shem Tov

Thank you COLlive

Chassidic Movement Founded (1734)

After many years as a member of the society of "hidden tzaddikim", living under the guise of an ignorant clay-digger, Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov was instructed by his masters to reveal himself and begin to publicly disseminate his teachings. This he did on his 36th birthday, Elul 18, 5494 (1734).

More pictures and nice article at Col Live

Chai Elul ...

Tuesday:

CHESHVAN - Sense: Smell

The sense of smell is the most spiritual of all senses. The Hebrew word for "smell" (רֵיחַ) is cognate to the word for "spirit" (רוּחַ). The sages teach us that smell is the one and only sense that "the soul enjoys and not the body."

The sense of smell is the only sense (of the five senses) that did not participate, and thereby was not blemished or polluted, in the primordial sin of man in the Garden of Eden. It is explicitly stated that the sense of Mashiach is the sense of smell. "And he shall smell with the awe of God"—"he shall judge by smell" (rather than by sight or hearing. Isaiah 11:3; Sanhedrin 93b). By his sense of smell (his "holy spirit") the Mashiach will know how to connect each Jewish soul to its Divine root, and thereby identify its tribe (branch) in Israel.