Increased Anti-Semitism and Purim's Message for Jews of Israel

Seeing that HKB"H is whipping up the antisemitism to motivate the Jews in Chu"l to return (both in teshuva and) to Eretz Yisrael, in addition to what is found in the Zohar and in the words of our prophets about a 'Star' Kochav Yaakov to visit us as this Redemption speeds up, and that Purim is the one Jewish holy-day to survive the others, we must see in the Purim narrative the key to our true Geulah. What was the ikkar? What was forced upon the Jews of Shushan to save them? And I'm not referring to the fast of Esther! Rather, it was the one thing that has suffered through the ages. We were punished by being sent into Golus. Therefore we were never all together again like at Sinai; we were deprived of achdus.

Achdus could not exist being scattered throughout the nations. We were eventually hated in every land we sojourned. History intervened and allowed the Jews an opportunity to return to our source, Eretz Yisrael. But not every Jew understood this. And so the Golus dragged on. However, this is coming to an end. Those who could not come, or did not want to leave, are now being chased out.

For only in the Land of our Avos and Imahos can the Jew achieve true Achdus (not political OR spiritual, but both).

Below is one man's observation:

"[...] Having successfully been saved, the holiday of Purim was declared and the different ways that it is celebrated are considered refutations of Haman's claim the the Jewish people lacked unity. This includes SEUDAT PURIM, MISHLO'ACH MANOT, and MATANOT LA'EVYONIM, all of which put a lie to Haman's claim.

"Commemorating the mitzva of MACHATZIT HASHEKEL by reading Parshat Sh'kalim on or before Rosh Chodesh Adar, and giving ZEICHER L'MACHATZIT HASHEKEL before Megila reading, brings into the picture our mitzva that represents Jewish Unity, because everyone gave MACHATZIT HASHEKEL equally, because the amount of HALF makes the statement that we are all part of something together.

"But the nagging question that we each must grapple with, is - Was Haman right? Are we a scattered and fractionalized people? Or have we learned the lesson of Purim and drawn closer together as one AM YISRAEL? Do we have to spell it out? Look around you. Do you see Jewish Unity? Or do you see religious and secular, Ashkenazi and S'faradi, Mitnageid and Chassid, Zionist and non-Zionist and anti-Zionist, Dati Leumi and Chareidi, political right and left, two-state solution people and one-state people, military service for Yeshiva students or not... Sadly, we can go on and on with the splits that divide us.

"The differences are not going to go away so quickly. What perhaps can be worked on is something that we learned along time ago - at the conclusion of the Torah: ATEM NITZAVIM HAYOM KULCHEM... we are all standing before G-d, together. There are more than enough peoples in the world [that] can't stand the Jews. We need to seriously change our attitudes towards HOW we argue with each other. HOW we differ. We can disagree. Even passionately. But that doesn't mean we should hate."


Source:  Post Purim

PURIM Spoof on NIBIRU

This is a clever spoof for PURIM on the buzz going around about NIBIRU. A commenter on ShiratDevorah posted this LINK.

Megillas Estheroid

According to many opinions, this is the time of [3600] year[s] that we should be reading Megillas Estheroid. This Megillah was discovered very recently and translated from the Sumerian cuneiform by HaKofer Harav Zecharia Sitchin, Alav Hacheshbon, also known as the Chozeh Kochavim M’Lundin and the mechaber sefer Planet Shteim Esreh – Mi Yodeah. (Also the inventor of the “Sitchin Comet-T”).

According to Reb Zecharia, A”H, there is an additional planet in the solar system which he calls the 12th planet with about seven moons. He says that the ancient Sumerians called it “Niburu”. Others call it “Planet X” in reference to the tenth planet (after Pluto) and some call it Planet IX (Nine) since Pluto was downgraded from a planet to a Disney cartoon character. Even others call it Planet 7X (just to be different, I guess). Some call it the “Dark star”. Some call it a star, some call it a planet, some call it a comet and some call it an asteroid. Whatever it is, this heavenly body is supposed to have a mass ten times that of planet Earth.

It supposed to be just now circling the sun and is right next to it which makes it all but impossible to see with the naked eye. It doesn’t come out at night.

This planet does not orbit in a circle like the rest of the planets but rather in an elliptical (egg shaped) orbit and it takes about 3600 years to pass near our planet Earth. The Orbital ring is full of asteroids and meteors and also leaves a trail of breath mints.

When it does pass near Earth, its tremendous gravitational pull will cause havoc on Earth. There will be heightened seismic and volcanic activity (earthquakes and eruptions), polar shifts and meltdowns which will raise the sea levels and tsunamis. Not the best time to vacation in Hawaii!

It is also predicted that when this “Dark star” passes between the Earth and the sun, it will cause a prolonged eclipse with EMP failures that will put us in a state of darkness (Makkas Choshech) and purify us from the Internet. Some say this will last three days, some say 2 weeks and the Zohar says 40 days. Have plenty of extra candles around!

Finally we will have the privilege of viewing a magnificent meteor shower which will knock most of world – and the Azrieli towers - to smithereens. Put on your 3-D glasses!

This may all sound like science fiction except that there are references in no less than four places in the Zohar to a great star – with seven moons - that will come and cause wars and darkness! This will be HKBH’s instrument to seek vengeance upon the wicked of the Earth. The Zohar repeatedly references the pasuk stated by Bilaam in his Acharis Hayamim prophecy: דרך כוכב מיעקב – a great star will set a path from Yaakov – וקם שבט מישראל – a rod will arise from Yisroel. This is taken as a reference to what we call a כוכב שביט - a Comet!

Hence, many want to claim that Niburu was also the instrument to bring about the Great Flood (warning! - this is a X-tian source) in its previous orbit – although that was closer to 4100 years ago. This may explain why the Dor Haflaga tried to claim that after every set time interval – they claimed it was 1656 years – the sky collapses and destroys the Earth. Maybe they were only half-wrong!

There are also many references to this in Megillas Estheroid. For instance:

· Nobody can really see it with the naked eye (yet). It is hidden – הסתיר אסתיר.

· Nobody knows its real name or nationality.

· Queen Estheroid says: לך כנוס את כל היהודים... וצומו עלי ואל יאכלו ואל ישתו שלשה ימים. This is a clear reference to the advice of the autistics who say that when this planet comes, all the Jews should go into their houses and lock themselves up for the three days (or two weeks) until it passes and do teshuva and daven to HKBH to be saved. If you don’t stock up some food you will definitely have to fast for three days and nights!

· ונוח בארבעה עשר – A clear reference that this happened as well in the time of Noach!

· וישם המלך ... מס על הארץ ואיי הים – This means that the planet will have a tremendous mass that will cause earthquakes on land and tsunamis in the sea.

· And finally – Mordechai is called מור דרור which has a targum of מרי דכי . The second word דכ"י stands for דרך כוכב מ-יעקב!

When is all this supposed to happen? In the end of days!

According to our autistic brethren and Rav Michael Glazerson, this is sometime in 5776. According op Reb Zecharia, A”H, the Earth should begin to cross the Orbital path of Niburu starting on March 26, 2016.

That’s tomorrow (gulp)!

So, in order that we should be prepared for this momentous event, the Hirshman family has prepared for you a sumptuous Mishloach Manos that is out of this world. It contains:

· A miniature rocket powered by solar grape juice (Bottle of Grape juice)

· A bright orange clementine sun – with real sun spots! (Tangerine)

· A miniature (candy) comet – Kochav Shavit (Lollipop)

· Dark Star cookies (Cookies)

· Moon-cakes (Cupcakes with candy stras on it)

· The Orbit trail of breath mints (Orbit Breath Mints)

· Star-kissed tsunami salad (Starkist Tuna Salad)

· A detailed map of the solar system (A napkin with stars, planets and spaceships on it)

· Igerret HaKochav with some of the fascinating references from the Navi and Zohar.



May we all be zocheh to see the Ohr Haganuz, בב"א.

What is the significance of the number “thirteen?”

“May the light of the moon be like the light of the sun and like the light of the seven days of Creation, as it was before it was diminished.”

The Number Thirteen

I was raised on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in a world of elegant apartment buildings. The doorman greets you and then you board the elevator. Up you go! And what do you find after the twelfth floor? It is obvious! After twelve comes ... fourteen! What else could it be? As we learned in school: “11… 12 … 14”!

Wait! What happened to thirteen?

Well, it doesn’t exist! No one wants to live on the thirteenth floor! In the fantasy world of Esau, there is “no thirteen!” Untold thousands of people indulge in the remarkable fiction of calling the thirteenth floor “fourteen.” This is the world of lies in which we live!

What is so frightening about “thirteen?”

Thirteen is the number which reveals the eternal existence and spiritual grandeur of the Jewish People! The nations of the world will do anything to pretend that it doesn’t exist!

The essence of the Jewish People transcends this world and extends into the Next. This is all alluded to by the number “thirteen”. 

 This Truth so frightens the other nations that they actually pretend there is no number “thirteen” at all, just as they want to pretend that there is no Nation of Israel, no Land of Israel and no Holy City of Jerusalem bequeathed eternally to us by the Creator of the Universe.

I saw a fascinating analysis from a great sage on this subject, which relates to the month of Adar II, our current month, which occurs in every “ibbur yor,” the “Leap Year” in the Jewish calendar. This analysis discusses the relationship of Israel to Ishmael. Both nations descend from twelve tribes, but Ishmael’s tribes descended from Hagar, a slave woman (see Genesis 25:16 and the Maharsha on Sanhedrin 12a), as opposed to the tribes of Israel. We share one common father with Ishmael, but that is where the similarity ends. The Jewish People descends from all three Patriarchs and from Matriarchs of the highest spiritual level.

But there is more. In fact The Jewish People does not in fact descend from twelve tribes! We descend from thirteen, because Yosef is comprised of two tribes! As Jacob says, “Ephraim and Menashe shall be mine like Reuven and Shimon!” (Genesis 48:5) Therein lies our key to preeminence over all other nations: the number thirteen, which denotes eternity.

The number “thirteen” is also reflected in our calendar. Just as our twelve tribes are actually thirteen, so our twelve months are actually thirteen. We are currently in the thirteenth month.

What is the significance of the number “thirteen?” The sage refers to Sefer Yetzira, which mentions the twelve borders of a cube. This physical world resembles a cube. It has six directions: east, west, north, south, up and down. A cube has six sides, which means that it has twelve edges, where the sides meet. These correspond with the twelve tribes and the twelve months. This cube corresponds with the life of the other nations. They are bounded by the physical world, in which they are trapped.

There is an expression: “think outside the box.” This means to be open to concepts outside the usual parameters, concepts previously assumed to be beyond what others may think possible. The Jewish People has always lived “outside the box.” We have attached ourselves to the Master of the Universe; our entire existence transcends the limits of time and space. Our existence today as a nation which lives by Torah, even as a nation which exists at all, is literally miraculous and points to the existence of the Creator Who is by definition outside the limits of space and time. Our very existence transcends what is considered possible, and it is clear that we only exist by virtue of the special kindness which the Master of the Universe showers upon us, giving us life where other nations could never have survived. This is the meaning of the thirteenth tribe or the thirteenth month. We live by rules that are beyond this world, outside “the box.”

Why do we need an “ibbur yor,” a year with an added Adar? We add an extra month of Adar seven times in every 19-year cycle because the solar year is longer than the lunar year and we need to adjust the calendar periodically in order to keep Passover in the “month of spring” (Deuteronomy 16:1), which is identified as the month of Nissan, the first month of the year. The added month of Adar II serves to correct a discrepancy between the lunar and solar cycles.

But why do we need to correct the discrepancy between the sun and the moon? Did G-d create the universe with a discrepancy? Impossible! We learn from our sages that the moon was diminished at the beginning of history when it “complained” to G-d that there cannot be “two kings utilizing the same crown” (Chulin 60b).

. . . at the end of history that discrepancy will be corrected, as we say in the Kiddush Levana prayer. . .

I wonder whether the diminution of the moon which took place at the beginning of history also resulted in the discrepancy between the cycles of the sun and moon. We know that, at the end of history that discrepancy will be corrected, as we say in the Kiddush Levana prayer, “May the light of the moon be like the light of the sun and like the light of the seven days of Creation, as it was before it was diminished.”

At that time, thirteen will be the “normal” condition of mankind because it will be normal to live a life which is completely connected to G-d. No longer will mankind be trapped in the cube, surrounded by materialism and ensnared at the end by the Angel of Death. “And may there be fulfilled upon us the verse … ‘Afterward the Children of Israel will return and seek out the L-rd their G-d and David their king’” (Hosea 3:5; Kiddush Levana).

The world will have returned to its perfect state, unseen since our ancient parents left the Garden of Eden. May we see it soon in our days!

© Copyright 2016 by Roy S. Neuberger

A Pot·Pour·ri of Purim Antics and an iPhone Haman App

A pot·pour·ri (conglomeration) of Purim Antics

An illustrated Megillah iPhone app designed by haredi artist Yoel Waxsberger was rejected for being too violent. The problematic drawings are one of Haman's ten sons hanging from a tree, and another of spear-wielding Jews fighting Persians. The artist's Malchut Waxberger Gallery re-submitted the app, omitting the two offending frames. The app, which can be bought here for $0.99, includes the entire text of Megillat Esther, as well as three noisemaking options when the name "Haman" is pressed.

And an Oldie but Goodie:

PURIM is International Agunah Day 5776 in Israel

PURIM IN ISRAEL IS INTERNATIONAL AGUNAH DAY

International Agunah Day is marked yearly on Ta'anit Esther, which falls this year on March 23rd. Through the work Dr. Rachel Levmore does in the IYIM Agunah and Get-Refusal Prevention Project it is clear that the best possible solution for the Agunah Problem at this time in history, is to prevent the very possibility of get-refusal. To this end every marrying couple should sign a halakhic prenuptial agreement for the prevention of get-refusal---The Agreement for Mutual Respect - Heskem 'l'Lavod Hadadi


On International Agunah Day: Follow my lead
Jerusalem Post, March 22, 2016
Dr. Rachel Levmore

Have you noticed the laypeople motivating, albeit incrementally, the rabbis? Remove the politicians from the turbulent Israeli mix of religion and state, focus on the foundation of Jewish identity – personal status – and you’ll see some signs of openness to innovation in the rulings and attitude of the rabbis. In most cases it is not self-inspiration motivating the rabbis, rather it is a reaction to the people.

Whether we speak of rabbinical court judges – under whose jurisdiction all JewishShowImage 4 residents of the State of Israel fall – or community rabbis, there has been a slow change in the approach to the status of spouses in a marriage, particularly that of the woman.For the judges it is in end-of-marriage issues, while for the community rabbis the change is occurring at the point the couples marry. Read More HERE



The Jewish Press, March 16,2016
Dr. Rachel Levmore

A year has passed and the outrageous stories of get-refusal continue to shame Jewish communities – both in their own eyes and in the eyes of general society. We have witnessed women suffering as agunahs in all the Orthodox sectors— yeshivish, chassidish, modern Orthodox and everyone in between. Rabbis and families stemming from every part of the religious community have experienced the frustration of being ineffective in relieving the existential pain of an agunah and her children.
When a husband refuses to give his wife a get, the victims of that get-refusal are more or less powerless to force him to do so. I say “victims” in the plural since a get-refuser holds reign not only over his wife, but also over her parents, siblings, community and even the rabbonim of the Beit Din trying to resolve that particular agunah problem. All of them pay the price of iggun, each in his own way. Not only is the situation agonizing, it is heartrending – since each of those involved could have prevented the husband from refusing to give the get. Read More HERE

'Tsunami Hazard Zone' Signs on Israeli Beaches OR NIBIRU ESCAPE ROUTE?

Could this be prompted by the warnings of possible pass-by debris from a comet, meteor, NIBIRU? Or has HaShem put this in the minds of security officials? (see request at very end)

Israel Unveils Tsunami Warning Signs

Defense Ministry begins placing 'Tsunami Hazard Zone' signs and emergency escape routes at Israeli beaches to prepare for the worst. The Defense Ministry's National Emergency Management Authority (NEMA) on Wednesday morning unveiled new signs to be placed along Israeli beaches, warning the public against the danger of tsunamis.

"Tsunami Hazard Zone" read the yellow signs, which feature the symbol of a large incoming rolling wave. By placing the signs, which soon are to be placed along the length of Israel's coast on the Mediterranean Sea, Israel will join a large number of countries that have prepared emergency tsunami escape routes to flee from beaches to secure areas.  Arutz Sheva

The Mediterranean Sea is a vulnerable region for tsunamis. Around 25% of all recorded tsunamis in human history took place in the Mediterranean.

We Read on Tomer Devorah, 

"IT's REAL"

About NIBIRU
Communication with Aharela and Menachem
Yerushalayim, Motzaei Shabbat Kodesh
Parshat Vayakhel, 26 Adar I 5776

"The star - it's not imagination. This star, the comet, is hiding itself now behind the sun, and when it comes out - woe to all the world. And it's not correct that it doesn't exist, clearly it exists. And even the scientists have known for a few hundred years already that it exists."

"And NASA knows it from their telescopes. Of course they know. They have telescopes that can see clearly. But, not only that. They sent satellites in order to see it, and they're seeing it all the time. People said that they sat there, and saw it, saw it come, and saw it clearly how it's getting bigger and bigger. It exists - and in a little bit it will appear, b'ezrat Hashem."

Tel Aviv and Haifa are on the coast, 

as well as Gaza, Rishon L'Tsiyon, Netanya, 

Ashdod, Ashkelon, Hadera, Caesaria, Zikron Yaakov.

"Tel Aviv isn't Israel, it's not Israel at all, and also Haifa - not Israel, at least part, to the bottom part. Indeed, the part where Jews live won't be hurt."

AND REB MENACHEM WROTE ON Absolute Truth:  What is Going to Happen and When?

“And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will cause to rain upon him and upon his bands and upon the many peoples that are with him an overflowing shower and great hailstones fire and brimstone." Ezekiel 38:22

That sounds like the wicked being destroyed by asteroids, meteors and all kinds of rocks coming into the atmosphere of Earth, burning up and landing exactly where Hashem has planned, and on whom Hashem has planned. One extra consideration is that the approach of Nibiru will intensify the earthquakes and volcanic action. Those two scenarios are also sounding like the fulfillment of Ezekiel.

There is a new FC message from Daniel that is very interesting. It hasn’t appeared in English yet, but says that Nibiru can be seen now. He is advising us that it is still close to the sun as we see it.

AND THEN IN 
Fascinating Discoveries about Nibiru 
and the Unsheathing of the Sun 
Reb MENACHEM WRITES:

Investigating further brought me to the Gemara in Nedarim 8b which states:

In the name of Reish Lakish: “In the future (in messianic times) there will be no Gehinnom (Hell), rather Hashem will remove the sun from its sheath; Tzadikim will be cured by it and Reshaim, the wicked ones, will be judged by it.”

........................................................................
LET'S PRAY FOR ANOTHER "V'nahafoch Hu". I am posting this on the day that is Erev PURIM for the rest of Eretz Israel and the world. Therefore, If you live in Yerushalayim, on Shushan Purim when we celebrate PURIM, know that one's Requests to Hashem are ALL ACCEPTED, so please include with your personal requests, that if this is truly real about Nibiru, that all worthy Jews be saved from any disaster and live to greet Mashiach Tzidkeinu. Our Prayers on PURIM might just cause a "REAL""V'nahafoch Hu"

Finding Esther in Hamadan

Imagine the opulence of Shushan

Finding Esther *

by Annika Hernroth Rothstein

A Swedish Jew who came to Persia, to Ramadan and to Esther HaMalka

The sun shines brightly over the ancient City of Hamadan in the Kurdish part of northern Iran, encapsulated by the majestic Mount Alvand. I've traveled a long way to get here from a frigid Nordic kingdom, in order to see my hero and fulfill a dream. I have come to find Queen Esther.

She was the second wife of XerxesI (who ruled from 486 to465 BCE) – referred to as Khashayarsha in Persian – the fourth king of the Achaemenid Empire. She is the heroine of the story of Purim, together with Mordecai – both Jews exiled from the Land of Israel along with many of their compatriots in the sixth century. We celebrate their deeds "that they should make them days of feasting and gladness, and of sending portions one to another and gifts to the poor." (Esther 9:22) every year on a day that is holier to us even than the solemn Yom Kippur.

Iranian Jews also make a pilgrimage to the graves in Hamadan where Esther and Mordecai are buried.



For years there have been rumors of destruction surrounding their tombs, but on that cold February morning I see nothing broken about the humble structure. I bow walking through the tiny front door and the vault opens up to me, familiar sentences in an otherwise foreign land. There is a small synagogue inside, and next to it a carving of the entire bloodline of Mordecai. I follow the Hebrew letters with a shivering hand and mouth the names tentatively, gathering myself before I turn back around.

It is unassuming yet grand, the small room containing the two tombs of my ancestors. Red cloth covers a Persian woodcarving and over it a silver chain, holding a thin golden plaque with their names, sealed out in the letters of three alphabets.

I touch the wood and I cry, silently but violently, moved by the moment but also by the passage of time. We are still here, I keep thinking. We are alive and we are thriving and I, a Swedish Jew, have come here to pay tribute to those who fought for that survival and ensured the pride I feel today. Every thought I had in that moment was a prayer, every feeling I felt was in worship.

I had made it; I had finally realized the dream.  I went to find her. And I found everything.

.............................................

*This article appeared in the JPost Friday edition, March 19. It was a pleasure to read about her travel to Ramadan in the Kurdish area of Persia. Also featured was nother article by Anikka entitled "The Dichotomy of Iran," wherein she documents (Firsthand impressions of Tehran and its People) her visit to Persia and the people she met and what she learned. (I typed the article from the Post, as the online version required creating an account.)

Why Do We Wear Costumes on PURIM?

Some History about PURIM Costumes 
by Rabbi Yair Hoffman

Moritz Steinschneider, (1816-1907) the great bibliographer whose impact and opinions are still felt today, brilliant though he was, cannot fathom that the minhag developed independently. He attributes the development of the Minhag to the direct influence of the Roman Carnival. Carnival is a festive season which occurs immediately before the Catholic season of Lent. The Roman Carnival involved a public celebration and or parade that combined elements of a circus, the wearing of masks and public street partying. People would dress up in masquerade during these celebrations. Carnival is a festival traditionally held in Roman Catholic and, to a lesser extent, Eastern Orthodox societies. It originated in Italy and was held in February.

But our Minhag did not come from Roman Carnival. It is not that we believe that cultural diffusion does not exist. We do.

But its application must be tempered with rational precision and reason. We must always display a cautious intellectual approach. Scholars who know what Klal Yisroel is actually all about, know that this particular type of cultural diffusion is about as likely as eggnog consumption and Chrismas Carolling affecting the behavior of Yeshiva boys on a Purim.

It simply would not have happened. End of story. The apperception of the Roman Carnival in Torah circles was beyond the pale of acceptable activity even to mimic. This cannot be the source – especially so close to the time of Rav Yehudah Mintz, who sanctioned it’s use.

No, we must look for other sources in order to find truth. Steinschneider’s theory is just too pat. We must also bear in mind that silence in the Seforim and responsa literature does not necessarily indicate absence in normative Jewish practice. A Minhag could exist and yet not be mentioned in the Seforim or Teshuvos until much later.

The Apter Rebbe, Rav Avrohom Yehoshua Heschel, was known as the Ohaiv Yisroel. He writes (Ohaiv Yisroel Shmos Section on Parshas Zachor) that one of the reasons why we dress up in masquerade on Purim is to show that the miracle of Purim came from something that actually would have initially caused us much grief. This, says the Apter Rebbe, stresses that the greatest joy lies in the knowledge that the opposite result might very well have happened. A good theory, but one that, perhaps, may sound more likely to be a post-development rationalization than the original cause of the Minhag.

Rav Yitzchok Weiss zatzal, author of the Siach Yitzchok and student of the Shaivet Sofer, explains (Siman 380) that the origin of the custom to dress up in masks is to highlight the fact that Haman hid his hate for the Jewish people when approaching Achashveirosh for permission to destroy Klal Yisroel. Hashem responded, midah Keneged midah – measure for measure – by sending Eliyahu – disguised as Charvonah.

Eliyahu too was hiding his real intent – to defend the Jewish people. Here, the idea of hiding, and a mask as a central theme of Purim seems likely. It may very well have been the idea that spurred on the Minhag in Klal Yisroel to wear masks.

The Bnei Yissaschar (on Adar 9:1) cites a Maharam Chagiz who quotes the Gemorah in Megillah (12a). The Gemorah explains that the Jewish people only did things “Lifnim” – hidden – So Hashem as well only did things “Lifnim” – hidden.

The theme of hiding and its association with Purim, therefore, is found explicitly in the Gemorah itself. Could it have developed just then? Perhaps, but it is hard to imagine that it developed back then and no mention of this custom was made from 500 CE until the late 1400’s.

The mystery continues.

However, there is a Tosfos in tractate Rosh haShana (3a) that might be very enlightening here. The Tosfos deal with a fascinating episode in Parshas Chukas in the book of Bamidbar (21:1). The Cnaani in the Negev (the south) hear that Klal Yisroel has arrived and go out to do battle with them. Rashi identifies the incongruity. The Negev?? Why, that is Amalek!

Rashi’s conclusion is that it was Amalekites who spoke in the Cnaani dialect so that Klal Yisroel will pray to Hashem that the Cnaanim be handed over to them and not the Amelikes!

Our Tosfos, however, add more. They write that the Amalekits changed not only their voices and dialect, they changed their clothing too. They cite the person who wrote the piut for Parshas Zachor – Ksus VeLashon Shineh – Clothing and language he (or they) did change!

So here is the theory, then.

It is France and Germany, not Italy. The Paytan for Parshas Zachor has written that they changed their clothing – referring to the Amalekites. Jews see it. Parshas Zachor is close to Purim. Very close. Some regular people read the piut. They may think, perhaps, that it refers to Jews.. The scholars among them realize that it refers to Amalekites, but Haman is from Amalek anyway.

On Purim we are Marbeh BeSimcha. It is in the Piut. They begin to dress up, like Haman. The Minhag catches on. The Talmidei Chachomim of Germany accept it.

Soon the practice travels to Italy. Steinschneider cannot resist and attributes it to the Roman Carnival. But he errs. It is much likelier that it came from the Piut for Parshas Zachor. The origin is a kasher minhag b’Yisroel from German-Jewry.

And now we go back to the Apter Rav – the Ohaiv Yisroel. He writes that one of the reasons why we dress up in masquerade on Purim is to show that the miracle of Purim came from something that actually would have initially caused us much grief. This, says the Apter Rebbe, stresses that the greatest joy lies in the knowledge that the opposite result might very well have happened. It is a Minhag that brings us ever closer to the true Dveikus Bashem and Simcha that lies at the heart of what Purim is all about.

Let us, with this in mind, remember the words of the Nesivus Shalom regarding drinking on Purim. He writes that the word “wine” is absent in the formulation of the Shulchan Aruch. “Chayav adam libsumei bePuraya ad delo yada.”

The reason is clear. We must become inebriated with the concept of Purim and not with wine. The concept of Purim is that Hashem is very close and that we can achieve remarkable Dvaikus Bashem at this time.

No matter how distant we are – even if we are “Arur Haman” in terms of our general distance from Hashem– we can become, at this particular time of Purim, as close as Boruch Mordechai.

The nation of Israel can achieve a remarkable degree of real genuine Dveikus Bashem. We can do so like no other people can. When we dress up, therefore, let us appreciate the significance and the Taamim brought down by the Apter Rav, the Bnei Yissaschar and the Siach Yitzchok. This Purim, let us discover the talent that lies within us in this area. If we can do this, we can achieve both a personal Geulah as well as one for all of Klal Yisroel Amain.


Source: YeshivaWorldNews

Mr Pew and the Potemkin Village

Mishpacha Magazine: Finding Truth in the Pews* 

[Issue 502, 6 Adar II, 5776]

"Pew Research Center's Israel survey made headlines with Israeli attitudes about Arabs, but dig down deeper and the survey also reveals that Israelis are becoming more religious and right-wing."

Five pages of columns of votes in response to questions posed, answered by Charedi, Dati, Masorti, Chiloni, and either US Jews or Muslims. Questions were posed in each category: economy; about peace; science, religion and halacha; Israel and the US; social studies. Some of the "Key Findings" were:

• US Jews are more worried about security issues than Israelis are.
• Even four out of ten Muslims surveyed say their own side has not done enough to make peace.
• Democracy and theocracy are incompatible as forms of government..
• A majority of Israeli Jews feel the US is not supportive enough of Israel.
• Being funny is more important to American Jews than Israeli Jews.

"This most recent Pew Research Center survey of religion in Israel is more complex and nuanced. In Pew's own words, the picture that emerges is of deep gulfs among jews, as well as between Jews and Arabs, over political values and religion's rule in public life."

Sometimes America is described as
the One Percent controling the 99%, 

here in Israel we have an 8% who are
like pesty tiny fleas eating away at your home (Israel).  

One perspective of Mr. Pew 

is succinctly captured by Abu Yehuda: 

The Israeli Left is a Potemkin Village. 

"The recent Pew survey of political and religious attitudes in Israel found that only 8% of Israeli Jews self-identify as part of the Left; the rest place themselves in the center (55%) or on the right (37%).

"Nevertheless, this 8% has remarkable power inside Israel, as well as the ability to project its voice to the world. The Left absolutely dominates the creative and performing arts here. Exhibitions feature their work, prizes and grants are given to them by committees made up of their ideological twins. Their films and books picture Israel to the world. Try making a right-wing film in Israel! The universities, at least in the humanities and social sciences, are solidly packed with leftist instructors. These academics serve as visiting professors at universities in the US and Europe on a regular basis.

"All but one of the TV stations, plus the state-operated radio service and even Army Radio lean leftward (which is one of the reasons the BTS exposé, on Israel’s TV Channel 2. [...] Israel’s ‘newspaper of record’, whose English Internet edition is read by diplomats and foreign journalists around the world, is the extremist Ha’aretz. Its print circulation in Hebrew is minimal; the center-left Yediot Aharonot and the center-right Israel Hayom together reach 17 times as many Israelis than Ha’aretz. Regular columnists in Ha’aretz include Gideon Levy and Amira Hass, who bash Israel consistently.

"These and others contribute op-eds in English to publications like the NY Times and are interviewed on NPR in the US and the BBC in the UK. Sometimes one of these outlets will present a discussion between an Israeli Jew and a Palestinian; the Israeli is almost always a leftist academic or journalist.

"So it is no wonder that people think that many Israelis are on the Left.

"They are not. The Left in Israel is dying, strangled by the reality of the Second and Third Intifadas, the hostility of Hamas, and the knowledge that no concession to the Arabs can end the threat from Iran, Hezbollah and Da’esh. [...] The Left is increasingly composed of aging ideologues and bitter anti-state extremists. It is on life support with money flowing from Europe.

"The Israeli Left is a Potemkin village, a Hollywood set. There is no substance, only surface. Don’t let its big mouth fool you."

Wikipedia: The phrase "Potemkin village" [...] was originally used to describe a fake portable village, built only to impress. According to the story, Grigory Potemkin erected the fake portable settlement along the banks of the Dnieper River in order to fool Empress Catherine II during her journey to Crimea in 1787. The phrase is now used, typically in politics and economics, to describe any construction (literal or figurative) built solely to deceive others into thinking that some situation is better than it really is. Some modern historians claim the original story is exaggerated.

................................................

* There is no link to the article, but a link to Pew Forum website, where you can try to understand their charts and graphs, and also download a PDF copy.

The Mighty Power of HaShem: Rabbi Davens at Gaza Fence for HaShem to Destroy Hamas Tunnels

This article is in Hebrew and I cannot translate it. However it is an amazing testimony to the power of Prayer to HaShem. it was first mentioned in a link on the absolute truth blog, which also spoke about an amazing discovery Menachem made about the Sheath covering the Sun. The Wonders of Hashem's creations is unending. In the end of days HaShem will remove the covering on the sun to heal the righteous. Read more at Menachem's blog.

"The day is coming, burning like an oven, 

when all the wicked people and the evildoers will be like straw 

and Hashem will burn them up and totally consume them. 

But a sun of righteousness and healing will shine 

for those who fear my name, with healing in its rays…”

עוד מנהרה קרסה בגלל תפילות המקובל מנתיבות? בכיר חמאס נהרג

בכיר בזרוע הצבאית של החמאס נהרג בצהרים בהתמוטטות מנהרה ברצועת עזה: זהו ההרוג ה-17 מאז תחילת השנה, והפעם התשיעית בחודשיים האחרונים שקורסת מנהרה • תלמידי הרב נתנאל שריקי: "הכל בגלל הסגולות שלו. הבוקר הוא התפלל בגדר, ובצהרי היום פורסם שקרסה מנהרה"

יוסף גרינבוים 2 ד' 'אדר ב התשע"ו / 14.03.2016 19:08

שריקי

צילום: מסך טוויטר, אלמוג בוקר

35

מה גורם לקריסת המנהרות בעזה – האם כפי שגורמים פלסטינים טוענים כי הקריסות בתקופה האחרונה אינן מקריות, וכי ישראל ומצרים הן אלה שעומדות מאחוריהן, או כפי שטוענים תלמידיו של הרב נתנאל שריקי, הכל בגלל הסגולות המיוחדות שמפעיל המקובל מנתיבות?

אבל תחילה אל העבודות: עבד אל-סלאם עאיד אל-בטניג׳י, בן 36, מפקד בכיר בזרוע הצבאית של חמאס נהרג היום (שני) בקריסת מנהרה בשכונת שג'עיה במזרח עזה. הזרוע הצבאית של חמאס דווחה, כי מדובר בתאונת עבודה.

עובדה מספר 1: מדובר בהרוג ה-17 מאז תחילת השנה.

עובדה מספר 2: זו הפעם התשיעית בחודשיים האחרונים שקורסת מנהרה ברצועה.

תלמידיו של הרב נתנאל שריקי אומרים: "כבר לא מדובר בצירוף מקרים. בפעם החמישית ברציפות, הרב נתנאל שריקי מנתיבות יצא להתפלל לקריסת המנהרות בגדר עזה ולאחר מכן קרסה מנהרת חמאס".

לדבריהם, ביום חמישי האחרון והבוקר יצא המקובל אל גדר המערכת, שם התפלל כמנהגו לקריסת המנהרות.

התפילות נענו, הם אומרים, ובצהרי היום פורסם שקרסה מנהרה נוספת.

הרב שריקי החל להתפלל לקריסת מנהרות החמאס לפני כחודש וחצי, ומאז – כך תלמידיו – החלו באורח פלא לקרוס המנהרות.

"מאז הרב החל להתפלל אנו פתאום שומעים על עוד ועוד מנהרות שקורסות", מספר אחד מתלמידי הרב. "אנחנו משוכנעים כי תפילותיו של הרב הן אלו המביאות לקריסת המנהרות.

עוד הם מספרים, כי לפני כחודש ביקשו חיילי צה"ל להצטרף לתפילה, אולם צה"ל אסר על השתתפותם והרב נותר בגפו על גדר הגבול.

הסיפור על המקובל מנתיבות הגיע גם אל אתר פלסטיני, שדיווח על רב ישראלי שמתפלל בגבול עזה כדי שהמנהרות יקרסו.

גם אלמוג בוקר, כתב חדשות 10 בדרום, פרסם לפני שבועיים בדף הטוויטר שלו, לצד תמונה, את הטקסט הבא: "הרב נתנאל שריקי מתפלל על גבול הרצועה לקריסת המנהרות. בערב: מנהרה קורסת ברצועה…"

הרב נתנאל שריקי, בן 36, מתגורר בנתיבות. הוא נכדו של המקובל שלום איפרגן. דודו מצד אמו הוא 'הרנטגן'.

הרב שריקי מייעץ בענייני פרנסה, שלום בית, פריון וזיווג, ועסקים. את חצרו נוהגים לפקוד ידוענים ישראלים.

הדפס כתבה

Read the full articles at the links provided above.

Two Green Comets to Pass Close to Earth Monday

One comet to swerve closer to Earth than any other comet in centuries

Monday, followed one day later by a kissing cousin that will swerve closer to the planet than any other comet in nearly 250 years.  USAToday

Photo by Justin Tilbrook, NASA / Astronomical Society of Southern Australia.

One comet to swerve closer to Earth than any other comet in centuries

Sporting a surprisingly bright, lovely green coma Comet 252P/Linear poses next to the Large Magellanic Cloud in this southern skyscape. The stack of telephoto exposures was captured on March 16 from Penwortham, South Australia. Recognized as a Jupiter family periodic comet, 252P/Linear will come close to our fair planet on March 21, passing a mere 5.3 million kilometers away. That's about 14 times the Earth-Moon distance. In fact, it is one of two comets that will make remarkably close approaches in the next few days as a much fainter Comet Pan-STARRS (P/2016 BA14) comes within 3.5 million kilometers (9 times the Earth-Moon distance) on March 22. The two have extremely similar orbits, suggesting they may have originally been part of the same comet. Sweeping quickly across the sky because of their proximity to Earth, both comets will soon move into northern skies.

The first and bigger of the two comets will be visible Monday to the naked eye in the southern hemisphere, as long as city lights are far away. Stargazers in the United States will probably need only binoculars to see the bigger comet in late March. Scientists, however, are bringing out the big guns. The Hubble Space Telescope, the powerful ground-based Gemini telescopes and others will be trained on the celestial visitors, which will provide an extraordinary close-up of objects usually glimpsed only at a distance.

Astronomers discovered the trailing member of the pair, P/2016 BA14, a few months ago. It was shrugged off as yet another asteroid, or space rock. Then astronomers peering through a telescope saw it had a tail – and was therefore a comet. That means BA14 and its larger companion “are among the closest comets to pass by Earth in recorded history,” says Knight, who took the first snapshot revealing BA14 is a comet. The only comet known to have skimmed past us at a smaller distance was Lexell’s Comet in 1770.

Read more at link to USA Today above.

Vayikra – AMALEK and – The Last Generation

This Parsha is VayikrA and Parshas Zachor

when we "remember" to blot out the name of Amalek

which is done in Shul standing and affirming
[see Commentary at end]

Rebi Yehudah says: 

“The generation within which Moshiach will come . . . The truth will be lacking, as it says, ‘The truth will be missing’ (Yeshayahu 59:15) . . . He who turns away from evil will be considered foolish in the eyes of the people.” (Sanhedrin 97a). 

"The Son of David will not come until .  .  . the [last] perutah has gone from the purse. (Sanhedrin 97a)

The entire sod of AMALEK is in this week’s parshah, and not just in this week’s parshah, but in the first verse of this week’s parshah. In fact, it is not only in the first verse, but in the very first word of the parshah—vayikra—in a single letter, the Aleph at the end of the word.

This Aleph is everything. Comprised of three letters, Yud-Yud-Vav, it has the gematria of God’s four-letter Name (10+10+6) that is too holy to pronounce during non-Temple times. In Sofrus, the “shpitz” of the Yud points Heavenward confirming that its gematria is no random coincidence. Representing the number one, it is meant to direct our attention to THE One of Ones, God Himself.

Grammatically, the letter Aleph transforms the word “vayikar” into “vayikra.” Conceptually, it transforms the word from meaning that Creation is on auto-pilot, as many believe it is, to meaning that God is “hands on” every moment of history on every level of Creation.  One small letter with an awesome and universal impact, making it the very antithesis of Amalek.

This point is made clear much earlier in the Torah, when Amalek first confronts the Jewish people. After assembling an army and defeating Amalek, Moshe Rabbeinu declares, and Rashi asks:

“For there is a hand on the throne of the Eternal, 

[that there shall be] a war for God against Amalek 

from generation to generation.” (Shemos 17:16) 

Why is “throne” written Chof-Samech and not 

Chof-Samech- Aleph? 

And why is God’s Name divided in half? (Rashi)

The Hebrew word used in the verse for “throne” is “kisay,” which is spelled Chof-Samech-Aleph. In the verse, however, it is missing the Aleph and is therefore pronounced “kase.” Why? Rashi answers:

The Holy One, Blessed is He, 

swore that His Name will not be whole 

and His throne will not be complete 

until the name of Amalek is completely obliterated. (Rashi)

It sounds deep, but not deep enough. Does God really have a throne? Yes, but not in an conventional sense. The “kisay” refers to a particular level in the sefiros, relatively high up. Make no mistake about it, it is the real kisay in Creation, even if made of Divine light. The ones we sit on are only physical manifestations of the conceptual one to which the verse refers.

This is part of the message of Megillas Esther, though many don’t pick it up. It has to do with an important detail of the story to which very few refer, if any, other than the Vilna Gaon. According to the Gaon, it was around Achashveros’ throne, so-to-speak, that the redemption of Purim revolved.

The Vilna Gaon asks why it was that Achashveros established his throne in Shushan, Persia, when his predecessors sat in Bavel, or Iraq? He answers that Achashveros had his throne built in Shushan, and being too large to transport in the end, he chose instead to base himself in Shushan. He literally changed the location of the monarchy based upon the location of the throne.

In fact, so important is a throne to the establishment of royalty that it is often referred to as the “seat of the monarchy.” The phrase “capturing the throne” usually means to usurp the monarchy from the previous king or queen. It may only be a place to sit, but its elevated structure and elevated status turns it into the most powerful seat of power in an empire.

That is though, only with respect to a human throne. How does this apply to the Divine throne, which certainly cannot be “captured” by anyone other than God Himself?

The Aleph is the key. The Aleph is missing from God’s throne, but what is the Aleph? Whatever it is, it is the opposite of Amalek, something to which the Torah alludes here:

Remember what Amalek did to you 

on your way when you left Egypt, 

encountering you along the way and attacking the weak 

who straggled after you, while you were tired. 

He came after you and did not fear God. (Devarim 25:17-18)

Of course Amalek did not fear God. That’s why he attacked the Jewish people straight out of Egypt. Has anyone ever expected Amalek to fear God? Eisav grew up in the house of Yitzchak and didn’t fear God, so why should Amalek, his grandson, who probably never even had contact with Yitzchak Avinu?

As the Malbim points out, and as mentioned many times in the past, the Hebrew word “yireh,” or “fear,” has a similar root as “liros,” which means “to see.” This indicates that fear of God is also the seeing of God, which, of course, is not physically possible. Spiritually though, it is different. There are ways to spiritually “see” God and to make Him noticeable, based upon the following:

. . . A tablet fell down from Heaven 

for them upon which the word “truth” was inscribed. 

Rebi Chanina said: “One may learn from this 

that the seal of The Holy One, Blessed is He, is truth.” (Yoma 69b)

What does this mean?

It means, just as a throne represents the power of the king, his seal represents how he wants others to perceive him and his monarchy. In the case of God, the King of Kings, He wants to perceived as the God of Truth, with a capital T.  Perception of God is the perception of truth, Absolute Truth, and vice versa.

[...]When Truth reigns in the world, then God does as well, and His throne is firmly established.
The Hebrew word for “truth” is “Emes,” spelled: Aleph-Mem-Tav. If the Aleph is removed then all that remains is Mem-Tav, which spells “maice,” which is a dead person, regarding whom the Talmud teaches:

The righteous, even in death are called “living” . . . 

Evil people, even while alive, are called “dead.” (Brochos 18a)

The Talmud makes an ominous prediction regarding the End-of-Days:

Rebi Yehudah says:

“The generation within which Moshiach will come . . . The truth will be lacking, as it says, ‘The truth will be missing’ (Yeshayahu 59:15) . . . He who turns away from evil will be considered foolish in the eyes of the people.” (Sanhedrin 97a).

And:  "The Son of David will not come until .  .  . the [last] perutah has gone from the purse. (Sanhedrin 97a)

by Rabbi Pinchas Winston, Shaar Nun Productions

.............................................................

Commentary:  The world is missing Emes and the nations are ganging up on little Eretz Yisrael:  Islam and the EU. The next step in the Redemption Process might be the economic devastation mentioned so many times, and close behind that the Heavenly appearance of Nibiru (if HaShem allows it to be), and the arrival of Mashiach IY"H (BE"H Pesach time).

The Influence of the Stars

The RaMChaL on

The Way of G-d

Divine Providence

The Influence of the Stars

It's ironic that we in modernity are more thunderstruck by the millions of lights on the ground when our plane descends at night over a city than we are by the sight of millions of stars and planets in the sky. The ancients, though, were indeed nonplused by the over arching ring of galaxies over their heads. Is it because they were more Heaven-centered than we, and we more earth-centered than they? Probably. But be that as it may, it's clear that they realized the power of the galaxies while we simply don't.


Perhaps that's why the following statement by G-d doesn't quite move us. G-d is revealed to have told us the following: "I created twelve constellations in the firmament, and I created thirty hosts for each one. For each host I created thirty legions; for each legion I created thirty cohorts; for each cohort I created thirty maniples; for each maniple I created thirty camps; and I attached three hundred and sixty-five thousand myriads of stars to each camp... *all for your sake*" (Berachot 32b). The implication is of course that the universe is vast, opulent, and chock full of stellar life, and that somehow or another it all serves *our* needs. So let's now explore the role the various planets and stars play in our lives.

Ramchal starts by reminding us of the point he'd made a while back: that there's a Heavenly "backdrop" behind everything in our world that includes transcendent forces and angels (see 1:5:1). Included among them, we now find, are the stars and planets, too. What they do is draw out and transfer the "information" stored in the transcendent forces to our world, and make sure it's all applied in the appropriate material form.

Like everything else, the exact number of stars and planets, and the potency accorded each is specific to the tasks at hand and purposeful. Each serves to fulfill G-d's purposes, and the lot of them help to maintain the material world and to turn spiritual essences into matter.




Let's lay out the cosmic process of interaction between Heaven and Earth again in more detail.

Everything that happens on Earth is initiated up Above, as we've said. By G-d at first, then through the transcendent forces, where the "information" to be communicated is then stored. The planets and stars then transmute and "translate" all this information into earthly form in general, as we learned last time. The point to be made now is that that information is then applied to a form that's appropriate to each individual and for every happenstance.

The broad, overarching, and far-reaching life-themes touched by this process include our mortality, well-being, sustenance, intellect, family life, and the like.

But the stars and planets don't only transmute this information from Heaven as a matter of course. Each one lends a particular hue and tone to whatever it affects. Thus, each element of our life is affected by a particular star or planet with its own makeup, character, and idiosyncrasies as well as by the combination of stars and planets in the cosmos.

And the whole of it -- from on high down to each element and every moment below -- is one grand, roiling cosmic stew.

Each and every one of us, Jew and Gentile, is effected by the draw and reach of the stars. Much the way we're all subject to the same laws of nature and share a common physiognomy. [The general form or appearance of something]

But just as the laws of nature can be overridden by miracles and wonders, the influence of the stars can be countermanded as well -- when G-d wants it to be.

That explains the dictum that the Jewish People aren't beholden to the rule of the constellations (see Shabbat 156A). That doesn't mean to say that we're oblivious to or utterly above the laws of nature or the influence of the stars.

It's just that there are times when G-d's ultimate will -- which we play a direct role in -- surpasses the natural order of things. And those are the time when extraordinary things happen to us despite the planets and stars.

Never forget, though, that the planets and stars aren't independent entities with powers of their own, as some mistakenly assume. Indeed, the Jewish understanding of their role in the grand scheme of things is very different from others'.

Others believe that the planets and stars hold sway over our lives and are a force not to be denied. As we've been indicating, we believe that G-d uses their electric and majestic push and pull to affect us, but not to determine our "fate" in any sense of the word. For the constellations indeed are beholden to rules G-d has them follow and they're limited in what they can do.

So let's try to illustrate the actual role the constellations play in our lives by means of an analogy.

Imagine, if you will, that we were seeds in the soil of a boundless field rather than indiviuals in vast space. Look upon the planets and stars in that context as relatively large pebbles and clumps of soil in close-enough proximity to us to affect the way life-giving water and minerals reach us, and thus our quality of life. See them and us in that context and you come closer to the idea of the place of the constellations in the big picture. It's not that they have power over us and rule the heavens -- G-d forbid! It's just that in their relative proximity to us they affect our experience of G-d's life-giving radiant splendor to a very great degree.

Some individuals can determine approximately how much the constellations affect us by "reading" them. But those individuals can indeed be far off, since our knowledge of the forces behind the planets and stars is limited. Also because the planets' and stars' influences are often overridden by G-d's will, as we've indicated.

Source: Torah.org/Ramchal

Images from NASA

Autistic Iris Grace and Thula her Best Friend

Iris Grace is a severely autistic young 6 year old who does not and may never speak, but she has a best friend, Thula:




Iris Grace and her Paintings






Originally viewed on DailyMail

More About NIBIRU

This is very interesting and seems to cover many (not all) of the points that we have read about in different blog sources, but all discussed here in one video. It ends abruptly and I couldn't find a sequel.

Planet X Nibiru Must Watch





If this is true, it is amazing. However, why is it still on you tube? 
(Hint: at the very end is the answer.)





This video is made by a non Jew (but no proselytizing) However very interesting about the time of Yehoshua and the sun standing still.

A Most Splendid Zemira: Shimru Shabsosai by Rabbi Belsky Z'TL

Please listen to the very end.

It would be nice to learn it and sing it every Shabbos

as a zechus for the Neshomah during the first year.

As viewed on The Partial View

The 36 Sins that Receive Karet (The Soul Gets Cut Off) in the Torah

A Very Serious Shiur





FURTHER EXPLANATION from the Jewish Virtual Library

KARET (Heb. כָּרֵת; "Extirpation"), a punishment at the hands of heaven mentioned in the Bible as the penalty for a considerable number of sins committed deliberately such as: idolatry, desecration of the Sabbath, the eating of leaven on Passover, incest and adultery; and for some forbidden foods. No previous warning need be given in these cases. The halakhah explains karet as premature death (Sifra, Emor, 14:4), and a baraita (MK 28a; TJ, Bik. 2:1, 64b) more explicitly as: "death at the age of 50," but some amoraim hold that it refers to "death between the ages of 50 and 60." The word karet is also used to indicate the degree of severity of a transgression, and serves as a "standard" for many other halakhot.

The Mishnah (Ker. 1:1) enumerates the 36 transgressions mentioned in the Torah for which the penalty is karet, and lays down (ibid., 1:2) that only where there is karet for the deliberate act is there a sin-offering for the act committed inadvertently. Since the punishment is divine, and the fact that it is deliberate is known only to God, it does not require witnesses or previous warning. The halakhah also lays it down that only the offspring of a union for which the penalty is karet have the status of *mamzerim (Yev. 4:13).

There is a dispute between tannaim whether or not the penalty of karet exempts the transgressor from *flogging, which is the automatic punishment for most prohibitions of the Torah of which one is guilty after having been duly warned (Mak. 13a–b); according to the view that it does not exempt from flagellation, the flagellation itself exempts from karet (Mak. 23a–b). Repentance however has the effect of annulling karet (ibid.), and, with the exception of Neḥunya b. Ha-Kanah, all agree that karet does not absolve the guilty person from civil claims arising out of his action (Ket. 30a).

Every attempt toward a general rationale of this punishment involves serious halakhic and philosophical difficulties, and the problem greatly exercised the early authorities; although the halakhah itself makes a distinction between karet and "death by the hand of heaven" (MK 28a), the difference between them is not clear. Some rishonim hold that "natural" death takes place at the age of 60 (or later), when the karet period has ended, and that "death by the hand of heaven" has no fixed time, save that one's span of life is curtailed. Others hold, in accordance with the Jerusalem Talmud (Bik. 2:1), that karet comes at the age of 50, "death by the hand of heaven" at 60, and natural death between 60 and 70.

The connection between the punishment of "ariri" and karet and the real nature of the former is also not clear. In the Bible the punishments of karet and ariri are frequently found together. Some rishonim hold that the minor children of a sinner are also punished through the father's karet, and in their view this also constitutes the difference between karet and "death by the hand of heaven" (Rashi, Ket. 30b, et al.). Others, however, differ (Tos. to Shab. 25a). With regard to karet in the case of the old, it is laid down that the punishment lies in the manner of death, since "one dying in either one, two, or three days has suffered karet."

The punishment of karet raised difficulties in the theory of reward and punishment current among medieval scholars, and constituted part of the polemic around Maimonides and his views on this subject. Basing himself upon the statement (Sanh. 90b): "Hikkaret tikkaret: 'hikkaret' in this world, 'tikkaret' in the world to come," Maimonides (Yad, Teshuvah 8:1) lays down that: "The punishment of the wicked is that they are not vouchsafed this life [of the world to come], but they suffer karet and die… and this is the karet written in the Torah…" This constitutes a maximal punishment, since ordinary sinners, after being punished in *Gehinnom according to their sin, live again in the world to come (ibid. 8:3, 5).

In the opinion of *Naḥmanides (in the Sha'ar ha-Gemul), the soul can never perish and be annihilated and he therefore holds that those liable to karet are also punished in the world to come according to their sin, and he divides sinners into three categories: those who have been guilty only once of a transgression involving the penalty of karet; those whose wicked deeds exceed their good in addition to this transgression; and lastly the blasphemers and idolaters. Only the last are punished both by karet of the body and of the soul in this world and in the next (Comm. to Lev. 18:29 and in Sha'ar ha-Gemul).

Karet of the soul, according to Naḥmanides, does not mean absolute perishing; it means only a degradation, in a way of metamorphosis, and absolute negation of spiritual pleasures awaiting the souls of the righteous.

A NEW SYKES-PICO AGREEMENT: Nation Conquerers Divide and Chaos Again

IN RESPONSE TO MY PREVIOUS POST, 

Pashtun Proverbs and Nation Conquerers:

Anonymous Anonymous said...
The Pashtuns might be the only ones I believe had a connection historically to the Jews. Many of their customs, etc. and there is much idication that they come from one of the tribes; believe these were one of the tribes of the kingdom of Israel when they were conquered by the Assyrians. But after 2000 years, they are no longer Jews in any sense of the word. There is a chance if they only 'intramarried' within their own, then they still might be considered Jews, but their violent nature is more of Yishmael. As far as the other peoples, there are many, many questions and do not believe they have any connection to the Jewish people, other than the great assimilation of Jews worldwide over the millenia. Fishing for people to be 'Jews' is really sinful and we do not need another Erev Rav population. Further return of Jews will be as individuals who sincerely yearn individually to convert to Judasim, and this is what is meant by the return of lost Jewish souls. We cannot allow ourselves to be brainwashed by years of purposeful media propaganda by those even with kippot on their heads.

ME: Anonymous, you did not even recognize or comment on the Sykes Pico Agreement fiasco perpetrated against Jews and the Arabs (and in turn also against the Israelis).

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Today in the Jlem Post – A must read Time for a new Sykes-Pico Agreement to Fix the Middle East. Three guesses what that will end up to be. However, while the article does not mention Israel, what is America (Obama et al) trying to do ...........DIVIDE ISRAEL and *SEPARATE JERUSALEM FROM ISRAEL.

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ITS TIME FOR A NEW SYKES-PICO AGREEMENT TO FIX THE MIDDLE EAST

[a Reuters blog by Peter Van Buren printed in the Jlem Post today)

My 'thesis' is right on target – Conquerer Divide and Chaos. It was inviting war when they drew up the first Sykes-Pico arrangement, now it might even be the beginning of the greatest war of all wars (Gog Magog). It could be that a secret proposal would be to take East Jerusalem including the Holy Old City plus Har HaBayit to incorporate this into a new (ugh) Palestinian State; including possibly Jordan. This as a footnote to the New Sykes-Pico Agreement!]

It’s time to renegotiate the contract that put the Middle East together.

The “contract” is the 1916 Sykes-Picot Agreement, which divided up most of the Arab lands that had been under the rule of the Ottoman Empire. The world that document created exists now only on yellowed maps, and the issues left unsettled — primarily the need for separate Sunni, Shi’ite and Kurdish territories — have come home begging. War is not fixing this; diplomacy might.

In November 2014, I wrote the only solution to Islamic State was to use American peacekeepers to create a stable, tri-state solution to the Sunni-Shi’ite-Kurd divide inside Iraq.

However, in the intervening 15 months, Turkey and Russia entered the fight, and the Saudis may soon join the fray. Meanwhile, the United States and its allies — as well as Iraq, Islamic State and Iran — never left. Only a massive diplomatic effort, involving all parties now on the playing field, including Islamic State, has any potential of ending the bloodshed. That means a redivision of the region along current ethnic, tribal, religious and political lines.

A new Sykes-Picot Agreement, if you will.

The old Sykes-Picot Agreement was enforced by the superpowers of the day, Britain and France, with buy-in from Russia. The immediate aim was colonialism; the long-term goal stability, following the massive realignment of power that was World War One. The lines were literally drawn for the next nine decades.

Another important goal of the era, creating “Kurdistan,” never actually happened. The 1920 Treaty of Sevres left an opening for a referendum on Kurdish independence. Problem one: the referendum only included plans for Kurds outside of Syria and Iraq. Problem two: the referendum never happened, a victim of fighting that saw the Turkish people separate themselves from the remains of the Ottoman Empire and fight for two years to prevent the dismantling of what is now modern Turkey. The result was 20 million Kurds scattered across parts of modern Iran, Iraq, Turkey and Syria.

From a geopolitical perspective, here’s what we have now: the 2003 invasion of Iraq blew open the struggle among the Sunnis, Shi’ites and Kurds. It unleashed the forces behind some of the Arab Spring-driven chaos in Syria, and drew Iran deep into the Iraqi conflict. Shi’ite militia and Iraqi government attacks on Sunnis opened the door for Islamic State to step in as their protector.

The struggle metastasized into the ongoing, broader conflict. The Kurds are expanding the land they control, out of Iraq, and into Turkish and Syrian territory. The Turks look to repel that effort, and perhaps seize some territory to tidy up their own border with Syria. Russia has re-entered the region as a military force. The Saudis may yet send in troops. Iran is already there via proxy forces. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad still holds territory, but only alongside Islamic State. The United States is training, assisting and equipping groups often fighting each other.

That all has led to human suffering on a genocidal scale, including refugee flows no one seems sure how best to handle. The ongoing effort to bomb away the problems has resulted in destroying cities like Ramadi, Kobane, Homs, and soon Mosul, in order to “save” them. Four American presidents have made war in the region without concrete results, and Obama‘s successor will be number five.

The only answer left, the one not yet tried, is to negotiate a comprehensive resolution that addresses all of the issues, borders and struggles now underway. That resolution will need to be enforced with military power coordinated by the United States, Russia and Iran, with each speaking for, and agreeing to corral, its proxies.

It will mean giving Islamic State a seat at the table, as the British were forced to do with the Irish Republican Army in the 1990s to resolve the “troubles” in Northern Ireland. One, by definition, must negotiate peace with one’s enemies. That is why, in part, the current ceasefire in Syria, which excluded Islamic State, has little chance of achieving any long-term progress.

Out of the new negotiations will have to emerge a Kurdistan, with land from Turkey, Iraq, perhaps Iran, and Syria. Assad will stay in power as a Russian proxy. Iran’s hold on Shi’ite Iraq will strengthen. A Sunni homeland, to include the political entity Islamic State will morph into, will need to be assured via a strict hands-off policy by Baghdad.

That Sunni homeland offers the first real way to geographically contain Islamic State. There obviously is risk in overtly allowing Islamic State to continue to exist, though that lives alongside the questions of whether it can be militarily destroyed, or if another group will simply take its place, as Islamic State did with al Qaeda in Iraq. These groups are symptoms of the broader Sunni-Shi’ite problem, not problems of their own per se.

The payoff of such a broad resolution will be a measure of stability, and a framework to enforce it. American efforts will shift from fanning the flames (American weapons are as ubiquitous as iPhones in the region) to putting out fires.

At risk for not acting: an empowered Islamic State, thriving on more chaos. An explosive dissolution of Iraq. A Russian-Turkish fight that could involve NATO. The shift from a Saudi-Iranian proxy war to a straightforward conflict between the two countries. A spark that forces Israel to act. A mini-world war, in the world’s most flammable region, that will create its own unexpected and uncontrolled realignment of power, and leave behind a warehouse of the dead.

Yes, I hate it, too. It is a very imperfect resolution. But an elegant solution is no longer viable.

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* Its Not Even About Dividing Jerusalem It's Not Even About Dividing Jerusalem.

Pashtun Proverbs and the Nation Conquerers

UPDATE:  Just in Time: Time for a New Sykes-Pico Agreement to Fix the Middle East by Peter Van Buren for Reuters Blog (printed in the Jlem Post today). My 'thesis' is right on target.

Pashtun Proverbs

You want to know whether I am first a Pashtun, a Muslim, or a Pakistani. I have been a Pashtun for 2,000 years, a Muslim for 1,400 years, and a Pakistani for 30 years. Therefore, I will always be a Pashtun first.

Wali Khan

My spirit will remain in Afghanistan, though my soul will go to God. My last words to you, my son and successor, are: Never trust the Russians.

Abdur Rahman Khan

Amir of Afghanistan, 1880-1901

My sons and successors should not try to introduce reforms of any kind in such a hurry as to set the people against their ruler...they must adopt all these gradually as the people become accustomed to the idea of modern innovation.

Abdur Rahman Khan

Amir of Afghanistan, 1880-1901

The Pashtun is never at peace, except when he is at war.

Pashtun Proverb

First comes one Englishman, as a traveler or for shikar; then come two and make a map; then comes an army and takes the country. Therefore it is better to kill the first Englishman.

Pashtun Proverb

Did you know The Bani-Israelite theory about the origin of the Pashtuns is based on Pashtun oral traditions; the tradition itself was documented in the Makhzan-i-Afghani, which is the only written source addressing Pashtun origins


Did you know that all the political/military fuss over in Afghanistan/Pakistan is really about Dividing The Jews (Pashtun Tribes) and has been going on for years and years. We Jews in Israel are just learning about this.

Did you know Afghanistan, also called Khorasan or Khurasan in medieval Muslim and Hebrew sources, has a Jewish history that may date back 2,700 years to the destruction of the Temple and the Babylonian exile

Did you know "People that exist within a sovereign state’s borders and outside the state’s authority present a dangerous problem to both the state itself and the international community." This is a thesis that addresses the efforts of different states to establish their authority over the Pashtun ethnic group. The Pashtun are at the heart of the conflict in Afghanistan, and provide both an important and current example of why “ungoverned spaces” have become such hot topic among many of the world’s countries. [After reading splices of this Thesis: Think of the non-people plaguing the Jews in sovereign Israel, and how the "Conquering Nations" want to divide Israel, but didn't succeed in Afghanistan, and are still trying in tiny Eretz Yisrael. The conquering nations used a "divide and chaos" strategy. What connects these two groups of peoples is that they are Jews!]  So says The Tribal Analysis Center.

The same strategy sliced through the Arab World with the Sykes–Picot Agreement. The Agreement is considered to have shaped the region, defining the borders of Iraq and Syria and leading to the current conflict between Israel and the Palestinian. (Notice the use of Area A and Area B. Sound familiar? Only in Israel we have an Area C added to the cocktail.)

Map of Sykes–Picot Agreement showing Eastern Turkey in Asia, Syria and Western Persia, and areas of control and influence agreed between the British and the French. Royal Geographical Society, 1910-15. Signed by Mark Sykes and François Georges-Picot, 8 May 1916


The Conquers Divided the Land. The Durand (red) Line (intern'l boundary) divides Afghanistan from Pakistan (yellow), right in the middle of the Pashtun Tribal land (blue). Some say there is no such thing as a Pakistani People (sound familiar–Israel has its 'non-people' to contend with.)

The Conquerers were the British (raping countries), Russia (defeated by Pashtuns) and now the U.S. Government (State Dept.) All out to destroy the Jewish People wherever they are in the world).


Did you know about the "Afghan Genizah"

In January 2013, Israel's National Library officially unveiled a large cache of Hebrew documents and manuscripts discovered from caves in former Taliban-controlled areas of Afghanistan that provide the first physical evidence of a Jewish community over a thousand years old.

One Source for Afghan, from King Saul, and his grandson Malak Afghana.

An Interesting Interview from Israel Rising (click on red circle to stop audio, then click on "X" in upper right Soundcloud screen to listen when you are ready): Discussion of the plight of Biafra and Pashtunistan as well as their linkage as Israelites in their war for freedom against a global neo-colonial military system.






In 2009 and 2010 I posted several articles on the Pashtuns being possibly the Ten Lost Tribes. Here is a Search Link which lists many of them. But there are more. I remember receiving an email from a researcher in Afghanistan asking if he could use my data; this data was merely research from the internet searching for whatever I could find relating to the Pashtuns.

Other Articles

Theory of Pashtun descent from Israelites

Nimat Allah al-Harawi

HOPE of ISRAEL written by Menasseh ben Israel

Taliban may have origin in ancient tribe of Israel / Anthropologist finds many similarities.

Taliban may be descended from Jews The Daily Telegraph revealed that Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad family may have been Jewish.