BD"E

Israel advised to brace for Syrian missile attack –

conventional or chemical

DEBKAfile Special Report

July 14, 2012, 2:36 PM

At practically the same time

Between 4:40 and 5:30, Wednesday, July 18

Jewish Tourists to Bulgaria

in Bus Bombing

and

BD"E

HaGaon HaRav Yosef Sholom Elyashiv

has passed away

The Levaya is being held from 22:00/10:00 pm

Traveling from his home to

Har Menuchos in Givat Shaul

LIVE COVERAGE HERE

From the Arutz Sheva website: Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv was born in 1910 in Lithuania to Rabbi Avraham Erener and Chaya Musha, daughter of the kabbalist Rabbi Shlomo Elyashiv. His parents were married for 17 years before his birth and he was an ony child. In 1922, the family moved to Israel and changed their name to Elyashiv at the advice of the famed Chafetz Chaim, settling in the hareidi Jerusalem neighborhood of Meah Shearim.

The young scholar never attended a regular yeshiva framework, but was recognized as a genius in Talmud study at a young age. When after serving as rabbi of Ramle for a short time, Rabbi Elyashiv was appointed a Rabbinic Court judge (dayan), Rabbi Yitzchak Herzog, Israel's Chief Rabbi, excused him from rabbinical and rabbinic court examinations, saying that they were unnecessary for someone of his caliber.

Rabbi Elyashiv married the daughter of Rabbi Arye Levine (called "father of the prisoners" as he visited and helped the Lehi fighters incarcerated and later hanged by the British during the Mandate period).

Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda Kook, later head of the Merkaz HaRav Yeshiva was the matchmaker and his father, the first Chief Rabbi of Israel and founder of the Merkaz HaRav Yeshiva (called Yeshiva Merkazit at the time) , Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak HaCohen Kook, performed the wedding.

Rabbi Elyashiv and his wife Shayna Chana z"l had 12 children, one of whom, Rivka, was killed in an artillery barrage during Israel's War of Independence. One of his daughters married Rav Chaim Kanievsky, another a son of Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach.

Manhattan's Beautiful Sunset

A very interesting phenomenon taking place in New York City.

""Manhattanhenge" occurs when the sun is perfectly aligned with the buildings of Manhattan, creating an incredible sunset. The term "Manhattanhenge" is due to the sundial appearance of the buildings shadows' and the similarity to Stonehenge." Manhattanhenge.

Ken Bolido's Photo

"WOW! the heavens really do declare the glory of God!"

Ehudy's Photo

"glory to God the most highest & peace to his people on earth"

Andrew Dallos' Photo

Saving Jewish Lives and Jewish Identity

UPDATE. Rabbis in Fiery Letter to Peres: You Should Apologize. Thank you Rabbis!

"Settlement activity endangers State's Jewish identity" so says the JPost article quoting Shimon Peres!

This type of fallacious thinking must be countered, and Danny Danon is right there with, "The only danger to the State of Israel as a Jewish nation is the failure to believe in our historical right to our land". This is the psychological war being waged in this generation. It's the battle between younger Israeli minds, raised on the land, against the European Galut mentality and US subversive policies. The international community already gave Israel the green light to their homelan, and the refusal of the Arab nations to recognize Israel's historical and religious identity is what caused all the wars, uprooting of people, massacres and internecine fighting over the last 60 years.

God returned us to our land (gasp, yes it was God working in history! I dare say this, to those readers who shy from such realities), He will make sure we will stay here, but it is us, the Jews, who have to do our part here on the land to fulfill His Will. This means building up the land, developing the infrastructures, bringing more Jews out of the international unnatural ideological environments back to the soil that nurtures them and the whole world. The righteous people in the international nations are also the beneficiaries of Jewish historical renewal. That is our biblical purpose, our spiritual purpose, and our worldly purpose.

I say, Shimon Peres' antiquated and subversive ideas are what is endangering Jewish identity and the future of Jewish lives.

Analysis

If one reads the white letters between the black letters of the news reports describing the devastating weather-related attacks and technological disasters occurring in many countries/nations of the world, a pattern arises.

Commissions are set up to examine what happened, who might be at fault, measures that were or were not enacted, and were the systems set up to address the damages adequate to do their job.

All this results in 'finger-pointing', blame and culpability.

And what does this produce?

Apologies, people losing their positions.

What is the bottom line to all this:

the humbling of the pride

of the politicians,

leaders

and professionals.

A Force greater than man is bringing *rectitude to the nations

While at the same time we can see with our keen Jewish insight that the Land of Eretz Yisrael is becoming stronger and stronger. “The Truth & Beauty of Israel fused with the Inspiration of Judaism & Jerusalem” (Ari & Jeremy).

Conclusions of Levy Committee Report

"After having considered the terms of reference set out in the Commission's mandate, and in light of what we have heard, as well as the considerable body of material presented to us by a wide range of bodies, our conclusions and recommendations are as follows:

"Our basic conclusion is that from the point of view of international law, the classical laws of 'occupation' as set out in the relevant international conventions cannot be considered applicable to the unique and sui generis historic and legal circumstances of Israel's presence in Judea and Samaria, over the course of decades.

"Therefore, according to international law, Israelis have the legal right to settle in Judea and Samaria and the establishment of settlements cannot, in and of itself, be considered to be illegal."


Likud MK: Let's Start with Sovereignty over Communities

MK Regev thinks Israel should place Jewish communities on Judea and Samaria (Yehuda and Shomron) under its sovereignty as a preliminary step before placing all of the territory – also called Yesha, in a Hebrew acronym – under its sovereignty. He said this in a recorded speech that is to be delivered at the Second Conference for Placing Judea and Samaria under Israeli Sovereignty, to be held Thursday in Hevron.


Israel Winning ‘Demographic War’ in Judea and Samaria

Jewish growth in Judea and Samaria has outstripped Arab growth in the past three years – either because of or despite of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.

“The Associated Press reported the figures and reasoned that the Jewish growth of 18 percent in three years is a result of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s policies, but the truth may be the opposite. Under American pressure, he slapped a 10-month freeze on building new homes for Jews in Judea and Samaria in order to satisfy Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas’ conditions for a resumption of the moribund “peace process” for the establishment the Palestinian Authority as an independent country.”

Hotovely to Submit Bill Adopting 'No Occupation' Report

MK Tzipi Hotovely (Likud) announced on Monday that she intends to submit a bill to the Knesset which adopts the principles of a report filed by an official committee that states Judea and Samaria (Yehuda and Shomron) are not "occupied territories.”


G-d Helped Pass the Jerusalem Law, Says MK Cohen

Former Knesset Member Geula Cohen believes that annexing Judea and Samaria is possible, if Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu wills it. Based on her experience, however, she noted that the law can be proposed by an MK and not by Netanyahu himself.

See Also Two More Signs

_______________________

*Rectitude: rightness of principle or conduct, moral virtue, correctness, straightness

IT'S GETTING HOTTER ......... Than We Think

Are we safe from the sun?

"Solar flares keep on getting stronger - with latest hotspot the size of 15 Earths strung together."

Scorching temperatures in June's second half helped the continental United States break its record for the hottest first six months in a calendar year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said on Monday. The last 12 months also have been the warmest since modern record-keeping began in 1895, narrowly beating the previous 12-month period that ended in May 2012. (Reuters)



The biggest flares are known as 'X-class flares' based on a classification system that divides solar flares according to their strength. The smallest ones are A-class, which are similar to normal background levels, followed by B, C, M and X.

Similar to the Richter scale for earthquakes, each letter represents a 10-fold increase in energy output, meaning an X is ten times an M and 100 times a C. The sun is now heading into the peak of its 11-year solar flare cycle, with 2013 expected to the tumultuous year. With the increased spread in communications in the last 11 years, a sever solar storm could cause huge issues for the planet. More at DailyMail




This image, captured by the Solar Dynamics Observatory, shows the M5.3 class solar flare that peaked on July 4, 2012 (photo/report from DailyMail)

VIDEO DIRECT LINK

HOT HOT HUGE SOLAR FLARE
and
SHOULD THE EARTH WORRY?

Draft the Secularists into Torah Study

NOW THAT'S A GREAT IDEA!

All the leftist secularists need to be drafted into the Jewish Army = a Yeshiva program of Torah Study tailored for them!

So says Rabbi Simcha Avraham Halevi Shlit"a:

“The Jewish people survived its entire cruel history not through the might of arms, not through airplanes or tanks, not through the deterrent effect of the IDF and not through the power of the State of Israel, but through the merit of Torah study and the fulfillment of its commandments,” the Bnei Brak-based rebbe proclaimed during his weekly Torah lesson.

“Therefore, we are obligated to bring about equality in the burden among our brothers of the Children of Israel, so that all secular youth bear the yoke of preserving and defending the inheritance of the Jewish people, and fulfill their national duty through Torah study and the fulfillment of the commandments.”

“The stupidity of their hearts prevents them from seeing and understanding that despite the ability of these students, who have many possibilities open to them to become wealthy and earn a better living due to their high intellect, they nevertheless kill themselves in the tents of Torah with self-sacrifice and many hours [of study] every day.

They scorn the vanities of the world and are the true defenders of the Jewish people in the Land of Israel.”

Read the JPost article.

Joe Settler on the Draft

Joe Settler wrote a thoughtful piece on "the draft issue" at the Muqata, "Chareidi Gush Katif"

However, I wrote the following comment, because this is not a simple matter, and the leftists are going crazy in their attempts to bring down the government and cause national mahem for all of us. They should keep to the betterment of life for ALL Israelis and not slip into "army-now, using peace-now tactics".

About the draft,

Maybe financial pressure on the Yeshivos would have an impact. The Yeshiva heads would then need to weed out those who are not serious or semi-serious, from the others. The govt. should not force them into the army, because they will not be able to discern the serious from the others. The Yeshivos need a particular set of rules.

Most of the 'learners' come to Eretz Yisrael to learn because of the special quality of life here that is conducive to "achieving in learning". I happen to believe this is really beneficial to the State and People of Israel. This group needs one particular set of rules.

However, those who are born here and intend to remain here, should show some HaKoras HaTov for being able to do so. Without the government and all that it gives to the Yeshiva system, they need to express their gratitude to HaShem for being able to do so. This group needs a different set of rules.

I believe that those who have attacked the police, called them Nazis, and have gone overboard about tznius and Shabbos desecration are actually showing HaShem that they don't appreciate and have gratitude to HIM for having the privilege of being here. They too are subject to all the halachos. And this group needs rehabilitation quickly, and maybe instead of jail, it's into the Army immediately. Put that zealousness to good use.

There is a crisis, but a 'one-answer' to all the problems won't work. There needs to be a several approaches to the several problems plaguing the Chareidi lifestyle. They are not one homogeneous clump; there are differing perspectives among them.

It seems this much too long Galus has done irreparable damage to many areas of our lives. All Jews are suffering in one way or another.

In my opinion this means HaShem needs to apply an historical solution. (b'Rachamim)

By the way, did anyone read Rabbi Brody's Lazer Beams on the Plesner Committee? And be sure to read the comments there also!

G-d Must Surely Be Smiling Down On His Creatures!

HIGGS BOSOM - A God Particle?: As We Believe, "There Are No Coincidences"

A scientific rendering of particles smashing at the Geneva accelerator

Amazing: Scientific Discovery Affirms the Alter Rebbe's Words

[But, does it?]

[Crown Heights info:] The science world went crazy over the (possible) discovery of the Higg's Boson, also called “the God particle,” which confirms the existence of 'dark energy.'

In that very day's Hayom Yom, the Rebbe writes in detail about a Maamar the Alter Rebbe privately said in this week's parsha that disputes science's understanding of the function of gravity.

The scientific discovery of dark energy proves that gravity alone is not the force that keeps everything in its place, as the Alter Rebbe explains in that Maamar!

Without getting into any scientific discussions, the mere fact that: 1. The Alter Rebbe said this Maamar in Parshas Balak, and 2. The Rebbe writes about it in the Hayom Yom (14 Tammuz) - is nothing short of a miracle.

Read the HaYom Yom.

What is most interesting about whether this analogy is accurately understood follows in the comments section of this post, as the Hassidic minds grapple with scientific correlations to Chassidus.

For example, one commentator wrote:

"“The scientific discovery of dark energy proves that gravity alone is not the force that keeps everything in its place” This is nonsense. Not only isn't it right, it's so nonsensical that it's not even *wrong*. And it certainly is gravity, and *only* gravity, that keeps us (no matter where we live) attached to the ground. Without gravity there is no such concept as “up” or “down”. As for the Alter Rebbe's maamar, there has never been such a “kushyas hatochnim”; no astronomer has ever asked such a question. And the AR's “answer” adds up to saying, correctly, that the question makes no sense."

And another:

"If you look up the source of the Hayom Yom, you will see that the Alter Rebbe was not discrediting gravity - he didn't mention it! He was disputing another theory - that each element is drawn to its element, and that man - being from earth - is drawn to earth. This, the Alter Rebbe says, is not true. The Alter Rebbe's explanation is perfectly in tine with the theory of gravity, in fact explaining the spiritualistic side of it."

And another:

"1. The Higgs Boson particle is NOT what is refereed to as “dark energy”.
2. the Alter Rebbe says that the reason that the people in America dont fall off, is because we are on a sphere. and there is no top and bottom on a sphere. that is NOT what the scientists have learned from the confirmation of the existence of the Higgs Boson!
3. the confirmed existence of the Higgs Boson explains how anything in the universe has mass. gravity is a result of mass. no scientist will tell you that the confirmation of the Higgs disproves gravity!
4. science today very much believes in gravity! The question was: if the strength of gravity is dependent on the size of the mass of the two objects, what in general gives any object which is made up of atoms etc. its mass?
Where does mass come from?
it is that last question that scientists have answered and confirmed with the confirmation of the Higgs.
IE the Higgs particle explains how all the sub-atomic and atomic particles in the universe get their mass. once mass exists at the atomic level, the more atoms that are grouped together (IE a big planet or star) the stronger the mass will be... the stronger the gravitational force will be...
5. So in actuality the hayom yom and the scientific discovery have nothing to do with each other.
6. This is not to be taken as taking sides between the Alter Rebbe and science. Chas vesholom! but that doesn't mean they are saying the same thing?! "

Another:

"'Without getting into any scientific discussions...' I would agree with the author if what the Rebbe wrote in Hayom Yom had any correlation with the discovery of the Higgs Boson. The Higgs Boson may explain the existence of mass but it doesn't do much for explaining why people on one side of the earth don't fall head first into space (not to mention what keeps planets in orbit). The explanation in Etz Chaim for this phenomenon seems fairly esoteric and Hayom Yom doesn't really explain its meaning. Yes, it's intriguing that the discovery was announced on the same day as the mention of gravity in Hayom Yom. But 'nothing short of a miracle' seems a bit excessive."


And a response from the original author of the post:

"Not exactly how I put it. (I understand that you need to trim the article down, but...)

Dark energy was discovered in the last few decades. The Alter Rebbe zt“l spoke about this 210 years ago (parshas Balak) when he said that their opinion (on gravity) is 'not emes'. (As confirmed by the NASA links I sent you.) The possible discovery of Higg's Boson (which turns physics on its ears) supposedly confirms existence of a particle closer to what we call in Chassidus ”Koach Hayolee“.

The key points though are that:
1. The Rebbe zt”l elected to write about this topic EXACTLY on this date in Hayom Yom.
2. The Alter Rebbe zt"l spoke about this science on this Parsha and used America as an example. And CONTRADICTED the [widely believed] gravity theory, back then.

This issue is important because it strengthens our emuna and demonstrates that Tzadikkim not only understood Science a magnitude greater than all scientists combined, they also with their kedusha, foresaw world events decades and centuries into the future. (Obviously they have access to *God's particle*!) On that note, I once saw in a sefer (forgot the name) a detail remez on the exact date when man will land on the moon. On the posuk where Hashem created the moon!"

And, A translation by chabad.org of the HaYom Yom:

"The Tzemach Tzedek notes in one of his discourses: “On Tuesday of parshat Balak 5562 (1802) our master,1 of blessed memory, said to his sons as follows: To understand the problem posed by the astronomers, that since the earth is round and spherical like an apple, why do not those people fall who live on the side of the globe opposite to ours, 'down below,' in America?... Their answer is not the true one... Our master,1 of blessed memory, said that the answer lies in explanation of the Etz Chaim that the Nine Spheres are nurtured by that state termed igulim, 'Circles,' and in a circle there is no above or below. For this reason those who live opposite us, 'down below,' have their heavens high above them arching in one continuity with the heaven above us, and the earth there is below, relative to the heavens over it.”"

Still another:

"With the theory of gravity, Issac Newton was able to give apikursus an ideological foundation. The conecpt is as follows: If there is such a thing as gravity, then this means that the earth is a far away planet in a lost corner of the universe. It also implies that the earth orbits the sun, and that the sun orbits the center of the milky way galaxy, and that the milky way galaxy orbits the center of the universe. According to this theory, even if there was a g-d, he long ago ago forgot about us and we are now on our own. May the strongest win. Obviously, this runs counter to everything in Torah. The problem with the theory of gravity is that it has never been proven to the point it can be integrated into the other three fundamental theories that underly quantum physics (the strong nuclear force, the weak nuclear force, and electromagnetism).

For the past hundred years science has been looking for the answer to this conondrum. Dark matter is only the latest attempt to justify the theory of gravity. They are trying to prove that the unexplained forces that hold the universe together (and cannot be explained by the theory of gravity) are in fact invisible i.e. dark matter. This is genius. If no one can see it or measure it, then no one can say it's wrong. No matter how long they search for a way to support the theory of gravity, they will never succeed. Thet is because the theory is flawed. Etz chaim explains why things “Fall Down”. But if you accept the explanation in Torah, then you also have to accept that the earth is the center of the universe and that every action we do has a profound effect. you can no longer behave immorally. This is the real reason for the zealotry shown by advocates of gravity. They dont want to have to modify thier behavior. They would rather go on for the next hundred years looking for the “Missing Piece” to the theory of gravity."

All the comments are here:

Addenda

The author of Rationalist Judaism presents, in summing up,

" [T]he Higgs-Boson is significant in that it fills a major gap in our knowledge and ties together disparate entities. As such, it plays a crucial role in understanding the overall unity of the universe. Not only did modern science emerge from monotheism, it continues to support monotheism insofar as it discovers the unity present in the universe. As Rav Hirsch writes:

"In light of the foregoing, would Judaism not be justified in viewing this idea of a universal unity, which inquiring minds have already pieced together from the textbook of the universe and which man’s consciousness yearns to express, as nothing less than the long-awaited triumph of the truth of Judaism? This is the truth with which, thousands of years ago, Judaism first appeared in the midst of a chaotic multitude of gods, proclaiming that there is only one, sole God in heaven and on earth, and that all the phenomena of the universe are founded upon His Law. This idea, the concept of the Unity of God, is the truth for which Judaism has endured a course of martyrdom without parallel in world history.""

Wikipedia explains:

"[in part:] "Because of its role in a fundamental property of elementary particles, the Higgs boson has been referred to as the "God particle" in popular culture, although virtually all scientists regard this as a hyperbole. According to the Standard Model, the Higgs particle is a boson, a type of particle that allows multiple identical particles to exist in the same place in the same quantum state. Furthermore, the model posits that the particle has no intrinsic spin, no electric charge, and no colour charge. It is also very unstable, decaying almost immediately after its creation."

What Is The Question?

What presumably presages this debate: A book entitled, The God Particle: If the Universe is the Answer, What is the Question?:

"The God Particle: If the Universe Is the Answer, What is the Question? is a 1993 popular science book by Nobel Prize-winning physicist Leon M. Lederman and science writer Dick Teresi. The book provides a brief history of particle physics, starting with the Pre-Socratic Greek philosopher Democritus, and continuing through Isaac Newton, Roger J. Boscovich, Michael Faraday, and Ernest Rutherford and quantum physics in the 20th century. Lederman said he gave[citation needed] or his editor gave the nickname "The God Particle" because the particle is "so central to the state of physics today, so crucial to our final understanding of the structure of matter, yet so elusive, ..." See List of Chapters.

Where do some of the most intelligent Israeli minds figure into this scientific endeavor?

"Scientists at Geneva’s European Laboratory for Particle Physics (CERN) – where scores of Israelis have worked for decades to bring the discovery nearer..."

JPost article from the Health & Science section: Israelis Rejoice Over Discovery of 'God Particle': "Theoretical and experimental physicists see the groundbreaking discovery of a new subatomic particle – announced Wednesday in Geneva – as even more of a technological and scientific achievement than America’s first landing on the moon. But unlike the astronauts’ romp over the dusty lunar rocks in 1969, the new breakthrough is so intangible that it leaves the general public clueless. ..."

"Knesset Science and Technology Committee chairman Ronit Tirosh said Wednesday that she was “very proud of the contribution of Israeli scientists [to] the discovery.” Astrophysicists from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Tel Aviv University, the Technion-Institute of Technology in Haifa and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have been active in the massive effort, which involved CERN’s particle accelerator – the largest machine in the world, costing over $10 billion."

"Prof. Yaron Oz, dean of TAU’s faculty for exact sciences, who worked on CERN’s multinational team at Geneva for four years and has made numerous visits since, told The Jerusalem Post in an interview that the huge facility “is like the UN should be.""

"Prof. Aharon Levy, who is modern Orthodox and has headed a research group in Hamburg: "As a religious person, Levy said the discovery “does help us understand how much we don’t understand about the universe. A religious Jew might say the discovery shows the orderliness of nature that is evidence that the universe was created by a Divine power, but we don’t get involved in this.”"

I have extracted only portions of the JPost article, please read it in full about the: discovery of new sub-atomic particle.

G-d Must Surely Be Smiling Down On His Creatures!

Hello America!

Fourth of July Message to America

from Glenn Beck:

It’s the Fourth of July, and I’m pulling myself away from my family to send a special message to those of you who have been so dedicated to restoring this country the past few years. Now, as many of you know, I swore off technology this week to be with my family so I’m assuming you’re getting this via some kind of carrier pigeon or a European swallow (that or someone on my staff was nice enough to transcribe this and put it out in an e-mail).

Anyway, I wanted to take a minute of your time today to talk about one thing: independence.

On this day in 1776, the founders declared America’s independence from Britain. Everybody knows this – but the fact we tend to gloss over is that the fight wasn’t finished right then and there. They kept fighting for that freedom until 1783, over seven years of bloody struggle and sacrifice. In fact, “we the people” didn’t adopt our Constitution until 1787, more than 11 years after those 56 men gathered in a room and signed their name to a piece of parchment that said there’s a better way for men and women to live: in freedom.

On July 4th, 1776, Thomas Jefferson wrote some of the greatest most powerful words in all of history: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

These words are powerful because they are true, and they are self-evident. We don’t need to look it up on some fact checking website. Somehow, we just know it’s right – and that is why the founders and the revolutionaries spent the better part of a decade fighting to bring those words to life. And that is why big government progressives so desperately seek to marginalize them and ‘progress’ away from them. Because they know those words, those self-evident truths, are the only thing preventing them from obtaining the power they seek.

It’s a scary thought to wonder what happens if they succeed.

You see, freedom is very fragile – in fact, only 5% of all the civilized world throughout history has ever lived with the kind of freedoms we enjoy here in America. That 5% share a frightening commonality: when they lose their freedom, that’s it. They never get it back. And many did lose it. No matter how big, no matter how powerful. Do you want to be part of the generation that fell asleep and allowed America to fall? Do you want to be the ones who future generations of frustrated kids being told what car they can and cannot drive, how much soda they can drink, what temperature to set their thermostat at – point to and say ‘they did this!’ ?? I don’t. And I know you don’t either. So let’s commit ourselves to being ever vigilant.


Being ever vigilant requires more than soaring rhetoric. The single most effective enabler to an exponentially growing big government is an uninvolved people. The less we do to help our fellow man, the more we legitimize governments efforts to fill a particular ‘need’ in America. If you want to reduce the size of government, you have to reduce the need they seek to fill. How do we do that?

At Restoring Love on July 28th in Dallas, TX, we will show this country and the world that America is still a nation that prefers freedom and liberty over progressive nanny state rule. We will demonstrate that a lemonade stand run by pre-teens is a valuable life lesson, NOT a threat to national security. We will prove that government food stamps aren’t the only way to feed the homeless and less fortunate. We will start the process that puts an end to the days when people turn to the federal government first in times of need.

We will once again declare America’s independence and stand together, united by the common yet powerful ideals that everyone – everyone – knows in their hearts are good and true: that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

Many people dream of a day when these words are long forgotten. I refuse to allow that to happen without a fight – and I look forward to fighting alongside each and every one of you.

Happy 4th of July!

Devastation Continues

More than 1 million in U.S. still without power five days after storm.



"Much of the hardest-hit areas were to bake for another day in scorching heat, with the National Weather Service forecasting temperatures from 90 Fahrenheit (32 Celsius) to more than 100 F (37.7 C) from the Midwest to the Atlantic Coast."

Catastrophic USA

America in part is being pelted by fire, wind, rain, hurricanes, floods, heatwaves, blackouts and *stink bugs. About the loss of electrical power, that includes (to name a few) gas stations, computers, street lights, emergency first aid equipment, refrigerators, phones, anything that needs an electrical current, one politician said, "Mild taste of what an electromagnetic pulse attack would cause."

"Almost 2.4 million people from Illinois to Virginia were still without power Monday morning, with the biggest concentration of outages in the Washington, D.C. area." These states include Maryland, Atlanta, So Carolina, Tennessee, No Carolina, Missouri, Mississippi, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio.

The forecast is "Catastrophic Damage to Power Grids", while the temperatures predicted go from Hot to Hotter (38, 40 and 41 C in some places).

Power may be out for a week for some customers: "an additional 55,000 outages were reported overnight. At 2 p.m., Dominion Virginia reported more than a quarter-million outages in the Northern Virginia area, with just more than 400,000 outages statewide."

My heart goes out to the people in Colorado who lost their homes, mansions, possessions, and their lives will never be the same again.

A very interesting and strange scene is this picture showing how one lone home survived the raging flames, while surrounding neighbors lost everything. What makes one home survive while another is reduced to ashes?

*Stink Bugs

Lights Out Obama

LIGHTS OUT DC

Darkness Descends On The Capital

Could it be the recent Supreme Decision?

OR

Could it be behind the scene negotiations around a renewed Israel - Pale.olithic fiasco?

Power outages drag on in D.C. region; officials fuming at utility companies Between 9:30 and 11 p.m. Friday night, one of the most destructive complexes of thunderstorms in memory swept through the entire D.C. area. Packing wind gusts of 60-80 mph, the storm produced extensive damage, downing hundreds of trees, and leaving more than 1 million area-residents without power.



Racing along at speeds over 60 mph, the bowing line of thunderstorms formed west of Chicago around 11 a.m. and by midnight approached the Atlantic ocean. It left a massive trail of destruction spanning from northern Illinois to the Delmarva Peninsula. The National Weather Service has logged well over 800 reports of damaging winds.

Here is possibly what Dov Bar Leib referred to as a Ring of Fire:



Facts about Derechos
[this name is close to the Hebrew transliteration of derech, which means "way" or "path" or "manner", and much can be extrapolated from this]

In Colorado

Colorado wildfires: 32,000 evacuated

as blaze jumps perimeter near Colorado Springs

In Ulpana, Beit El, Eretz Yisrael

Jews have been evicted from their homes,

Jewish homes dismantled,

Jewish lives dismantled,

A Change We Can No Longer Ignore

First, the State's recognition of the large, youthful non-Orthodox next generation,

And now

A lighthouse for the Jewish future
By JOHANNA ARBIB PERUGIA
18/06/2012 (In full, an article from today's JPost:

I relish the extent to which the Jewish people is, in fact, a global family.
 
Jewish leadership, like Jewish affiliation, is taking on many different forms, and recognizing new leadership and affiliation patterns has become a challenge we can no longer afford to ignore.

For years now, we have been making a national pastime out of bemoaning “growing indifference” and “alienation” of young Jews to Israel and Jewish life (as reflected in the drastic drop in affiliations to Jewish communities and Jewish/Israel-related organizations). But what we should begin to realize, is that such affiliations are no longer an accurate measure of Jewish or Israeli identity.

Lately, I have come to identify most with the current generation of young Jewish leaders. I subscribe fully to their life-goals, multi-faceted worldviews, and fluid sense of identity (not to mention their hectic lifestyles). Though these leaders differ greatly from our parents’ generation – celebrated luminaries and respected leaders of men – it is far from a bad thing. These young trailblazers think and feel and touch the world on numerous levels. They are primed to make a real difference.

And don’t be fooled: they are not more or less identified or committed than previous generations. Rather, their identities are more integrated, more inclusive than any others who have come before.

Today’s child experts tell us that a parent’s main task is not to be an instructor but a “lighthouse,” a point of light by which the next generation can comprehend their environment and steer a sure course. Indeed, our own Jewish sources having been telling us the same thing for thousands of years.

According to our tradition, it is the Jewish mission to become “a light unto the nations,” a proverbial lighthouse for the world. But before we can lead others, we must first figure out how to become the guides these young Jewish leaders really need.

I believe that our first challenge in passing the torch is capitalizing on every type of leadership and meeting the younger generation on their turf.

For example, we must recognize that recommendations via social media are powerful tools. In fact, marketing experts have determined that they are often more effective than conventional (read: the same old) channels because they constitute a personal connection and instill trust. They also lead to action, commitment and real results (often in real-time).

Every generation subscribes to a certain worldview that characterizes the way they live, act and interact with others.

For our grandparents, it was nationalism.

For our parents, it was internationalism.

For us, it is globalization – the quest for an integrated, synergetic world. This has become a reality in our modern world, and has always been the Jewish reality.

Judaism has always relied on geographic mobility and fluidity. It is a way of life that nurtures flexible ideas and thinking – it is second nature to us.

When I travel the world for KH-UIA events and programs, I relish the extent to which the Jewish people is, in fact, a global family.

I see my leadership role as an expression of globalization, an essential Jewish value that began when Abraham was commanded by the Almighty to leave his past behind and charge forward to the Land of Israel. It was a courageous venture that took great fortitude. But above all, it was an act of faith. Guided by the Creator’s “light,” Abraham was able to lead the world in a new direction.

And so our best next step is actually a leap of faith. We must release our young Jewish leaders from our antiquated notions of leadership and affiliation so that they can “go forth” and tackle the issues facing our global Jewish family in ways that best suit the times in which we live. As challenging as it might be, we can best serve these talented and committed young men and women by simply becoming the points of light they need to comprehend their past and steer a sure course for our Jewish future.


[it seems we are headed toward the prophecy of becoming a totally secularized and barely religious Jewish nation c"s]

Pied Piper of Eretz Yisrael

Rabbi Lazer Brody plays his flute

Like the Pied Piper

Calling all Jews to come Home


Rabbi Lazer Brody travels to Golus

And talks about the beauty of Eretz Yisrael

Calling all Jews to come Home


If only this would get them going ...

Isn't this a very Moshiach-like thing to do?



Webster's def of 'Pied Piper" = a charismatic person who attracts followers

No, We Are Not Blind

The intrepid watchful eye of Daisy at Israel Truth Times keeps us posted.

"And the destruction of churches and cathedrals continues....

CHURCHES AND CATHEDRALS KEEP COLLAPSING ONE BY ONE IN AN UNNATURAL MANNER, - NOW IT'S THE TURN OF THE FRANCISCANS, ONE OF OUR MAIN TORMENTORS -; A PRIEST GETS KILLED TRYING TO SAVE A STATUE OF HIS FAVORITE IDOL; WHILE SCANDAL AFTER SCANDAL ROCKS THE VATICAN. CAN'T YOU SEE SIGNS HERE? I SURE CAN: ROME IS LITERALLY COLLAPSING.

THEY STILL DON'T KNOW IT, THEY REFUSE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THEIR END IS NEAR, JUST LIKE PHARAOH REFUSED TO LISTEN DESPITE OVERWHELMING EVIDENCE. THEY KEEP BEING IN DEEP DENIAL; THEIR SENSE OF SUPERIORITY IS SO INGRAINED, THEY REFUSE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT GOD THE ALMIGHTY HAS POWER OVER THEM.

WE, HOWEVER, ARE NOT BLIND, DEAF OR DUMB. WE SEE DEVELOPMENTS FOR WHAT THEY ARE. THERE IS SO MUCH MORE TO THIS STORY, BUT UNFORTUNATELY I DO NOT HAVE EITHER THE ENERGY OR THE TIME TO ELABORATE. MAYBE ONE OF THESE DAYS."





While Dov Bar-Leib makes a piercing observation as only he can do, about the "60 Days of Black Fire" in his assessment of the FLAME VIRUS and SKYwipe at Flame of Black Fire.

Dov mentions the prophecy of Ezekiel, "the greater prophesy of Ezekiel over the four winds has not yet occurred, and represents the spiritual redemption that should be on Tisha B'Av 5772, 60 days after Isru Chag of Shavuot."

The relevant portions of the prophecy is: Yehezkel 37:

9 "Then He said to me, 'Prophesy to the spirit, prophesy, O son of man, and say to the spirit, "So says the Lord God: From four sides come, O spirit, and breathe into these slain ones that they may live."

10. And I prophesied as He had commanded me, and the spirit came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, a very great army, exceedingly so.

11. Then He said to me, "Son of man, these bones are all the house of Israel. Behold they say, 'Our bones have become dried up, our hope is lost, we are clean cut off to ourselves.'

12. Therefore, prophesy and say to them, So says the Lord God: Lo! I open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves as My people, and bring you home to the land of Israel.

13. Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and lead you up out of your graves as My people.

14. And I will put My spirit into you, and you shall live, and I will set you on your land, and you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken it and have performed it," says the Lord."'"

Amen

Fukushima Bluefin Tunafish

I guess we all knew this was a possibility. Such a disaster has to have myriad ramifications. And the ordeal is not even over: WHO releases mixed Fukushima radiation report. And a Fukushima Update containing many informative articles can be found at Fukushima Update.

Following, Reuters reports on Radiation in Bluefin Tuna:

Low levels of nuclear radiation from the tsunami-damaged Fukushima power plant have turned up in bluefin tuna off the California coast, suggesting that these fish carried radioactive compounds across the Pacific Ocean faster than wind or water can.

Small amounts of cesium-137 and cesium-134 were detected in 15 tuna caught near San Diego in August 2011, about four months after these chemicals were released into the water off Japan's east coast, scientists reported on Monday.

That is months earlier than wind and water currents brought debris from the plant to waters off Alaska and the U.S. Pacific Northwest.

The amount of radioactive cesium in the fish is not thought to be damaging to people if consumed, the researchers said in a study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Without making a definitive judgment on the safety of the fish, lead author Daniel Madigan of Stanford University's Hopkins Marine Station noted that the amount of radioactive material detected was far less than the Japanese safety limit.

"I wouldn't tell anyone what's safe to eat or what's not safe to eat," Madigan said in a telephone interview. "It's become clear that some people feel that any amount of radioactivity, in their minds, is bad and they'd like to avoid it. But compared to what's there naturally ... and what's established as safety limits, it's not a large amount at all."

He said the scientists found elevated levels of two radioactive isotopes of the element cesium: cesium 137, which was present in the eastern Pacific before the Fukushima Daiichi disaster in the spring of 2011; and cesium 134, which is produced only by human activities and was not present before the earthquake and tsunami hit the Japanese plant.

Because cesium 134 is generated only by human activities - nuclear power plants and weapons - and there was none in the Pacific for several years before the Fukushima accident, they reckoned that any cesium 134 they found in tuna off California had to come from Fukushima.

SWIMMING THROUGH CESIUM

Do we stop eating tuna? A staple in many homes throughout the world? The full Reuters article can be found at Fukushima radiation seen in tuna off California.

Even if the island slipped into the ocean this would not be the end of the disaster, but maybe a new chapter.

The Internet is Not Potiphar, it is the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, Choose Life, Choose the Good

This is a companion piece (from my perspective) to Akiva's post on Is Your Kedusha Stronger than a Computer? kol HaKavod Akiva, I was also going to add that video to this post when I viewed it.

From the Asifa:

"So grave is the danger of Internet-watching that Torah authorities have ruled that Internet surfing without an anti-porn filter is a violation of the Torah commandment, “Thou shall not put a stumbling block in front of a blind man.” Erotic pictures on the Internet, whether they be in ads, on the Yahoo home page, or in adult sites, cause a person to violate a long list of Torah commandments, including:

“You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy!” (Vayikra 19:2)

“Thou shall not turn astray after your hearts and after your eyes which lead you astray.” (Bamidbar 15:39)

“Therefore shall your camp be holy, that He see no unclean thing in you and turn away from you.” (Devarim 23:15)

“And you shall guard yourself from every evil thing.” (Devarim 23:10)

“Do not turn astray after their gods!” (Vayikra 19:4)

“You shall not walk in the customs of the gentile.” (Vayikra 20:23)

“Thou shall not bring an abomination into your house.” (Devarim 7:26)

THEREFORE

With respect to the above, Religious Jewish men:

Do not walk on Manhattan streets
Do not own a business in Manhattan where one needs to hire locals
Do not ride the MTA lines to go anywhere
Do not ride city buses anywhere
Walk with eyes down on the streets of Boro Park, Flatbush, et al

Because the dangers do not only reside on some Internet sites, as they would have you believe, the dangers reside in your hearts. The antidote is to strengthen yourselves in Middos Tovos, in the personal Middos that pertain to strengthening one's outlook on life, one's motivations, aspirations, and your personal Ratzon. One can see a pile of mud and not want to get into it. The secret lies in your hearts, not to want or desire that which is truly not yours.

If your learning is entering your minds and hearts, would there be room for anything else?

This is your test from Shomayim in these days before Moshiach's arrival. Say "NO" to all perversions. Do you want to be among the 4/5ths that did not leave mitzrayim? It could happen.

Take your life seriously, your neshoma's health seriously, return to the basics of yiddishkeit, Torah and family.

When your computer/iPad screen/desktop is dark, it becomes a mirror to view one's reflection.

Making an Impact ... A Kiddush HaShem

I wish 60,000 men, together with their wives and children, would move to Eretz Yisrael, make it their home, and the impact on Israel, the people, and the life, would be undeniably impacted ...




... far greater than the impact on New York.

HOW CAN THIS BE??

What do we make of this horrific tragedy?

Two days after Yom Yerushalayim ...

The day after reciting the Prayer for Children composed by the Shela HaKodesh ...

On Rosh Chodesh Sivan ...

Baruch Dayan HaEmes

29 Iyar: A Special Day to Pray for our Children

On the 29th of Iyar according to the Hebrew calendar. Jewish tradition teaches that it is an opportune time to pray that our children grow up in health of body, mind, and soul. The best known prayer that our people have been using for hundreds of years is "A Parent's Prayer" composed by the holy Shl"a, a 17th Century Scholar and Kabbalist who is buried near the Rambam in Tiberias. Lazer Beams

Rosh Chodesh Sivan and a Horrific Accident Claims all but one of a Family, Six Children:

The accident claimed eight lives. There was only one survivor from the passengers of the vehicle, a 7-year-old girl who escaped with relatively minor injuries, but her entire family is gone.

The call arrived at Ichud Hatzalah at 01:25, reports of a vehicular accident on Derech Menachem Begin near Ulpana Junction in Tiveria. It appears the driver of the minivan lost control of the vehicle. The survivor, the girl, was found in the bushes, thrown from the vehicle which was engulfed in flames. She was transported to Poriah Hospital in Tiveria, listed in moderate condition. She was moved to Rambam Medical Center in Haifa during the night.

Tiveria police received a call for a vehicle with brake failure, dispatching a unit. While they were on the phone the dispatcher heard screams from the vehicle and the arriving unit saw the minivan crash and flip over, then burst into flames.

Firefighters, EMS and rescue personnel were horrified as the site after the flames were extinguished. The magnitude of the tragedy quickly became apparent to all on the scene, as well as the reality that there was nothing to do but to address the issue of kovod ha’meis.

The family that was killed in fatal crash R”L resided in Moshav Bar-Yochai in the north, near Kever Rashbi.

For the names of the Family and members, please see source articles.

However, please continue being mispallel for the lone survivor of the family, Rachel Efrat bat Yehudit

Sources: YWN and YWN

Please also see Sole Crash Survivors: A Little Girl and a Bible. A Bible was the only possession not damaged in the horrific car crash that left one young girl alive to mourn for eight family members.

More Yom Yerushalayim

Learning to be more patient with one another...
All types together in Simcha ...

Yom Yerushalayim

Today is Yom Yerushalayim and the city is alive with Simcha pouring out of everyone.

This morning I went to hear three shiurim on Yerushalayim, in Baka, and then after a garden lunch we all started our march from Baka to the old Derech Hevron and listened as our guide spoke of Avraham Avinu and his footsteps on the way to Har HaBayit. Some of us felt as if we were treading that same path.

On we went with our footsteps traversing a rugged path, thru trees, pebbles and stones, and then we came out onto the Tayelet. This is the very large winding walkway that just about traverses all of Yerushalayim. At least. From this hilltop pathway one could see almost all the other hilltops, Har HarHabayit, Har HaZeitim, Mt Scopus, a few Arab sounding hills too, plus Harei Yehuda, a desert moshav, the Yam HaMelech. As far as the eye could see, the expanse was breathtaking, all the way over to the sand hills of Yehuda and practically into Jordan.

The buses are running on a different schedule, because the streets are filling up with marchers. Up Rehov Ramban they are marching, in their white shirts, knitted kippot, flags flying high, and voices bellowing out patriotic tunes. I'm home now, in the afternoon, and my mirpeset door is open and there is a cacophony of birds singing, helicopters flying overhead, singing marchers, and cars with music rising and filling the crisp, clean air. The weather couldn't have been more excellent, a perfect blend of coolness and caressing warmth. (If I close my eyes, it sounds like Purim)

HaShem must be getting Nachas from His children so full of joy for the love of Yerushalayim, and for the miracle that He performed for us.

How could a Jew stay in a land not his own, but one that celebrates turkey day, rabbits, and jingling bells?

First Lemonade, Now Ice Cream

(Photo from Annie Tao Photography)

"A state Environmental Police truck stands by the entrance to Great Brook Farm State Park in Carlisle Tuesday. Officers closed the ice-cream stand there Friday over alleged construction-permit violations."

Here's what the Lowell, Mass. Paper wrote:

Looking to hit the spot with a savory ice cream at Great Brook Farm State Park this week?

You may be out of luck.

The park's popular ice-cream stand was unexpectedly shut down by state officials over the weekend, after the stand's operator made building improvements at the site without getting permission first.

Mark Duffy, who has operated the dairy farm at the state-owned park for 26 years and has a lease with the state to run the stand, said armed Environmental Police officers showed up at stand on Friday evening and stood guard throughout the weekend, turning away customers craving delectable sundaes and frappes.

To make matters worse, said Duffy, the shutdown happened right before the sunny Mother's Day weekend.

Read the rest of this kid-unfriendly bust at "Ice Cream Caper"


Meanwhile the Lady in the White Tower has been eating them all when we weren't looking: ice cream, cakes, milkshakes, cream pies, you name it.

Watch the GBTV episode:



See what Glenn Beck plans: Lemonade, Cake, and Hug-a-Thon Across America in support of another American tradition being trampled upon.

Yum, Yum :-)

Remarkable Discovery

It seems Israeli archaelogists have been unearthing more and more artifacts that substantiate our presence in our Land from Biblical times. Many Jews need no substantiation, but revel in the items relating to our ancestors nevertheless. I feel that the unearthing of Biblical artifacts sends messages of encouragement for the Israeli Government to do "the Right Thing" vis a vis G-d's command to enter our Land and our Return to our Homeland.

As the Geula is approaching, these 'finds' are encouragement to many, and should soon put to rest the Palestinian lies. To Jews living in other lands this can only stir the emotions, hopefully, and perhaps provide the impetus to return Home. The following was first seen on VosizNeas, but printed here in part from The Jerusalem Post:

Discovery of 3 Small Shrines Have Revealed Use of Ancient Architectural Consistent with Solomon's Temple



A Hebrew University archeologist has discovered artifacts from a 3,000-year-old community that have created a new understandings of how the First Temple was built, the university announced on Tuesday.

Prof. Yosef Garfinkel, the Yigal Yadin Professor of Archeology at the university, displayed models of items excavated in Khirbet Qeiyafa, a fortified city in the Valley of Elah, about 30 km. southwest of Jerusalem.

The religious community, which Garfinkel believes was Jewish, based on the lack of pig bones and graven images, kept small shrines in rooms of three buildings. The small ritual objects are box-like in shape and made from basalt or clay. The shrines predate the First Temple by at least 30 years, but utilize important architectural designs written in the Torah that describe how the Temple should be built.

The discovery of these ritual objects has allowed archeologists a new understanding of the Temple’s construction, explained Garfinkel.

More than 20 architectural terms that describe the Temple no longer exist in modern language, so models of the Temple are based on educated guesses. For example, the Torah states that the Temple had “slaot,” which was previously understood as “columns,” and “sequfim,” which was widely translated as “windows.” But after studying the small shrines, Garfinkel concluded that the number of slaot corresponded to triglyphs, ornamental decorations above the columns, and the number of sequifim was consistent with a triple recessed doorway, rather than windows.[...]


[Please go to JPost link above for remainder of article.]

The Land of our Forefathers

Our rights to the land, prior to coming from the laws of the nations, is based on the history of this land, on the deep connection thousands of years old between the people of Israel and Eretz Yisrael... We believe with all our hearts, that the Jewish settlement in Eretz Yisrael is the actualization of our rights. It is returning to the land of our forefathers. And this right combined with the right of the Jewish people to national security... After you have read the Tanakh well you know very well that to Bet El, just as to Hebron, Avraham and Yaakov went 4000 years ago, well before it occupied todays headlines.

Minister of Education Gideon Saar,

at the International Bible Quiz

Quote of the Day on Life in Israel

Made In Israel ... 64 Years Young

In Honor of Yom Atzmaut, from the Israel21C.org website:

iMMERSE

There’s so much to Israel beyond your imagination: Scientific advancements. Technological breakthroughs. Cultural achievements. Life-saving devices. Generational trendsetting…Israel is called the Start Up Nation for a reason.

iMMERSE is a new joint initiative between the iCenter and ISRAEL21c, a leading news organization covering Israeli innovation and culture. With on-the-ground reporters in Israel, ISRAEL21c works with the iCenter to create compelling and inspiring educational material targeted to teachers, students, parents and anyone looking to learn about modern Israel today.

Presented as digital, mobile-friendly content in the form of original videos and feature articles, iMMERSE delivers accompanying study guides and discussion tools for a robust learning experience about Israel today –– into classrooms, the schoolyard, dinner tables and anywhere where the dynamic home of the Jewish people is being discussed.

Aimed at kids as they develop a relationship with Israel, just about anyone can learn from iMMERSE installments. And the content comes right from Israel.

Enjoy this inaugural installment of iMMERSE –– just in time for Israel’s Independence Day, Yom Ha’atzmaut! For its 64th birthday, learn more about Israel’s amazing accomplishments and how these advances are a part of your life.

iMMERSE anytime you want to teach or learn about Israel. Find us at www.israel21c.org or www.theicenter.org

iMMERSE is a project of ISRAEL21c, a news and educational organization that focuses on 21st century Israel, and the iCenter, the North American address for Israel education. Israel’s top 64 innovations. From health breakthroughs to technology, agriculture, the environment and the arts, the country’s innovations are transforming and enriching lives everywhere. Israel today is playing a significant role in some of the most important challenges facing our planet. 

Click here to view the article.

America ...