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06 November 2017

Na Nach Nachma Nachman Mi-Uman – Rebbe Nachman

Nachman ben Feiga and Simcha

Israel asks to transfer Rebbe Nachman's remains. Army Radio reported this morning that diplomats, by instruction of Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely, made an official request to the government of Ukraine to allow the transfer of the remains of Rebbe Nachman to Israel.

"It does not make sense that half of the Jewish people leave the Land of Israel on Rosh Hashanah," said Rabbi Aryeh Lippo, a member of the Breslov Hasidic sect who was involved in the move. ArutzSheva


But there is a another story.


Rabbi Yosef Mizrachi shlit”a said in his recent shiur that the remains of Rebbe Nachman was already interred in Eretz Yisrael, and that he had been told by the Rabbi that witnessed this, that the Rebbe is already here. 

What will be when they open the grave in Uman? What will they find there? Who will they find there? Who knows how the Rebbe was interred? Could there be other witnesses to counter the above by Rabbi Mizrachi? Will this ever come to light?

I believe it was in this shiur THE BEST INVESTMENT IN HISTORY 



*Wikipedia on Rebbe Nachman’s name.

Rabbi Kessin The Key to Understanding the Tafkid of Tikunim From Adam to Yisroel to Mashiach

This is an Amazing Shiur Which Shines Light on 6000 Years of Jewish History 

While this is an old shiur it is worth listening again, because of how he describes the hidden seed of Mashiach growing throughout our history. There is no Video, only an Audio:



05 November 2017

Harav Yitzchak Ginsburgh's Monthly English Broadcast


Tune in LIVEBROADCAST to hear Harav Yitzchak Ginsburgh's Monthly English Broadcast
"King and Monarchy in Torah"
Netzach Yisrael Beis Medrash/Shul, Jerusalem,
Sunday, 11:30 am NY – 18:30 Israel

* * * * *

Right and Left – Parashat Vayera
Abraham constantly advanced from intellect to faith until the surprising climax at the Binding of Isaac

Parashat Vayera is the second Torah portion that deals with Abraham and his lifetime. The next two portions focus on Isaac, even though Abraham was still alive until Jacob and Esau were fifteen years old. The portion concludes with the tenth and final trial that Abraham endured, the climax of his service upon earth: the Binding of Isaac.[1]

Always Turn Right

God commanded Abraham, “Take your son… and go for yourself to the land of Moriah and offer him up there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I will tell you.” This sounds similar to God’s instruction to him in the previous parashah, “Go for yourself from your land… to the land that I will show you.”[2] From that first commandment, Abraham spent his entire life on a journey. Upon his arrival in Canaan, “Abraham travelled back and forth southwards,” then God commanded him, “Arise and wander the length and the breadth of the land,” followed by, “walk before Me and be sincere.” Throughout his life, Abraham took giant-steps that covered immense distances on his journey to the unknown.[3] In Parashat Vayera we reach his final expedition to Mt. Moriah.

Abraham’s journeys are not just physical, but also symbolic of a profound spiritual progress. Where was Abraham heading? Could he not take a moment’s respite from being constantly on the move?

The key to this question lies in the verse, “Abram travelled back and forth southwards.” The south is where the sun reaches its peak at noon, and it is the direction that is always bathed in sunlight.[4] In the Torah, south is also referred to as “right.”[5] In contrast, north is dark and is referred to as “left.” In Kabbalah, the right hand represents loving-kindness, and the left hand, might. Abraham always chose right as his direction, as he told his brother-in-law, Lot, “If you turn left, I will turn to the right.”[6] Thus, Abraham’s continual advance “southwards” relates to a corresponding advance in his attribute of loving-kindness, as his love for people and for his Creator constantly develops. In Parashat Lech Lecha, Abraham transformed his attribute of truth to love, and throughout his lifetime he improved and augmented his loving-kindness, revealing how he could be even kinder, more generous and more openhearted.

The Right Faith

In addition to its association with loving-kindness, “right” (יָמִין) is conjugate to “faith” (אֶמוּנָה), so much so that the two words are sometimes interchangeable in the Bible.[7] As Abraham continually becomes more “right-wing,” his southward progression also represents developing his faith.

Indeed, Abraham excelled in faith as he excelled in loving-kindness, as the verse states, “He believed in God and He considered it charity.” Abraham is the “head of all believers.”[8] He established the true monotheistic faith and disseminated it to mankind. Thus, Abraham’s advance represents a vector force that heads towards ever-higher levels of faith. In fact, Abraham revealed the secret of infinite faith; a faith in God that constantly progresses and flourishes as it emerges.

These two connotations of walking southwards—towards loving-kindness and towards faith, are closely related. Hillel the Elder is another example of an individual who revealed both attributes at a very high level. Hillel was a “disciple of Aaron, [who] love[s] people,”[9] and he practiced and preached this doctrine of loving-kindness, even to those who deliberately attempted to undermine his self-restraint.[10] Yet, he was also a great believer, who trusted that God would send him his daily sustenance, saying “Blessed is God, day by day.”[11]

Loving-kindness flows freely from the right, but is restricted by the limits of might and fear on the left. Similarly, the far-reaching power of faith is balanced by the limits of human intellect. This is illustrated by Shamai, Hillel’s “left-wing” study partner, who was the stricter and more judgmental of the two. Indeed, Shamai and his disciples were intellectually “sharper” than Hillel.[12] Hillel, with his high level of faith in God, is on the right and Shamai, the intellectual, is on the left. Nonetheless, the law is determined according to Hillel’s school of thought because they were “easy-going and self-effacing.”[13]

The Wondering Jew

With this new perception, we can contemplate the spiritual meaning of Abraham’s journey from left—his “intellect”—to right—his “faith.” Maimonides states that Abraham began his intellectual inquiry at a young age, pondering day and night until he reached the truth and inferred of his own accord that there is only one God, who created the world.[14] Thus, Abraham began his service of God with rational analysis. However, Abraham’s intellect led him to transcend logic and reach the super-conscious realm of faith. The essence of faith lies beyond the rational mind. Despite the profundity of human intellect and its broad scope, it remains limited, while faith in God knows no bounds. In Kabbalah, this corresponds to the super-conscious crown (the source of faith in the soul), which transcends the conscious powers of the soul, including the intellect. Abraham put aside all the knowledge that he acquired through his intellect in the realization that as much as I already know, I actually know nothing; above all my knowledge is my simple and sincere faith, “The goal of all knowledge is to realize that we know nothing.”[15]

This realization was not a one-time accomplishment for Abraham, but a constant process by which he continually advanced from intellect to faith. He was always on the move and devoted his mind and knowledge to understanding Divinity, so much so that new horizons of knowledge opened up to him every day. What he knew of God one day was more than he knew the day before, and his new knowledge brought with it a new left that required him to move further to the right. He elevated himself from what today seemed to him to be faith until it was integrated into his mind and became a rational thought, that led him beyond it to a new level of faith. Abraham travelled “back and forth” from intellect to faith, to new intellect and new faith.

The Final Journey

Abraham’s final journey to Mt. Moriah reached the apex of faith, which took him to the extreme right. God commanded Abraham to take his beloved, long-awaited son―the actualization of His promise to Abraham to be “a great nation” and the embodiment of all his hope for the entire future―and to offer him up as a burnt sacrifice. Human intellect is incapable of resolving such a paradox! How could this commandment not stand in direct opposition to the Divine promise that “In Isaac will be called your seed”? How could it not contradict the educational policies that Abraham had taught mankind, which strictly opposed child-sacrifice? No logical explanation was available. But, where the light of logic ends, faith begins to glow. In Chassidut,[16] it is explained that each of the trials that Abraham endured was a test of faith, but the Binding of Isaac tested his faith to the upper limit.

Inter-including Left within Right

Whereas Abraham represents the right and loving-kindness, his son Isaac represents the left, which corresponds to fear and judgment. By binding Isaac to the altar and preparing to offer him as a sacrifice, Abraham reached the definitive right. He completely discarded his intellect, triumphing over his “leftness,” and ascended the peak of pure faith. Yet, Kabbalah represents the Binding of Isaac not as an expression of the victory of right over left, but as the inter-inclusion of left within right. Abraham did not actually slaughter Isaac, God forbid, but only placed him upon the wood and bound him there. Thus, the Binding of Isaac by Abraham symbolizes the binding together of right and left.

By interpreting the Binding of Isaac in this way, we infuse new significance into Abraham’s accomplishment. Our usual perception is that in order to reach a destination, we must distance ourselves from our previous location. Every time Abraham travels “southwards,” to the “right,” he moves away from the “left.” With every additional step that he took in the direction of “faith,” he by necessity had to leave his intellect behind. However, although this was true at the earlier stages of Abraham’s spiritual development, at the Binding of Isaac, God revealed to him how to advance towards a goal without ever leaving his previous location.

Abraham progressed further and further to the right until he reached the climactic discovery that his son, Isaac who he had bound “upon the altar, above the wood,” was the epitome of the left. Only then did God reveal that the ultimate purpose is not that the right should slaughter the left and overcome it, rather, “Do not send your hand towards the youth!” The right should join together with the left until they arrive as one at their destination, “And the two of them went together.”

In terms of intellect and faith, not only should we constantly elevate our consciousness from intellect to faith, we must realize that the highest form of faith somehow includes our limiting, analytical intellect; the left is included within the right. The intellect that is included within pure faith at its highest level, toys with faith, delving ever deeper into its depths to reveal infinite secrets.” As the verse states, relating to the primordial Torah that preceded creation, “I was a nursling [אָמוֹן; from the same root as “faith” (אֶמוּנָה)] beside Him, and I was [His] delight every day, playing before Him at all times.”[17] Indeed, in Kabbalistic terms, faith (the crown) is a “higher intellect” that is “hidden beyond any idea.”

Who Leads?

At the end of this process we reveal that Isaac, the “left,” is higher than Abraham, the “right.” In fact, although we read how Abraham elevated Isaac to place him on the altar, no verse ever states that Isaac descended from there. This brings the sages to state that Isaac became a “burnt offering” without ever being sacrificed. In other words, through the act of binding Isaac to the altar, Abraham revealed that his son’s soul root is higher than his own.

God is referred to as “the Fear of Isaac”[18] (פַּחַד יִצְחָק) but this phrase also means, “Fear will laugh.” The revelation that the left is included within the right is a completely new innovation that brings indescribable joy and laughter to the world. It is because Isaac represents the attribute of judgment and fear that such great joy and playfulness emanate from him. This will be revealed in full in the future, when the Jewish people will say to Isaac in particular “You are our father.”[19]

Indeed, in Kabbalah it is explained that Isaac is a futuristic-messianic figure: Isaac (יִצְחָק) “will laugh” and Mashiach (מָשִׁיחַ) “will rejoice” (יִשְׂמָח).

[1] Avot 5:3 as interpreted by Maimonides and Bartenura.
[2] Genesis 12:1.
[3] Bereishit Rabah 43: 3.
[4] In Hebrew, one interpretation of the word “south” (דָּרוֹם) is where the sun “lives at the height” (דָּר [בַּ]רוֹם). See Nachmanides, Exodus 26:18 etc.
[5] Genesis 15:15.
[6] Genesis 13:9. See also Bereishit Rabah 41:6, how Abraham chose the right under all circumstances.
[7] Isaiah 30:21.
[8] Psikta Zutrata, Shir Hashirim 4:8.
[9] Avot 1:12.
[10] See Shabbat 31a.
[11] See Beitzah 16a.
[12] Yevamot 14a.
[13] Eiruvin 13b.
[14] Hilchot Avodah Zarah 1:3.
[15] Bechinat Olam 13, 33; Keter Shem Tov 3.
[16] Pri Ha’aretz, Vayera; Derech Mitzvotecha 185b
[17] Proverbs 8:30.
[18] Genesis 31:42.
[19] Shabbat 89b.

03 November 2017

Parshas Vayeira – INTENSE HEAT

INTENSE HEAT
By Roy S. Neuberger

Avraham Avinu was born in the year 1948, counting from Beraishis. The Navi Malachi was born approximately 1400 years later. Jewish prophesy begins with Avraham and ends with Malachi. It is amazing to see how connected they are, and how we – some 2400 years after Malachi – are connected to them.

In this week’s parsha we read, “Hashem appeared to [Avraham] in the plains of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance of the tent in the heat of the day.” (Beraishis 18:1) Tanach expresses “heat of the day” as “k’chom ha yom,” which, according to Rashi, means that Hashem “took the sun out of its sheath,” causing intense heat to reach the earth. This took place directly following Avraham’s bris milah. Rashi explains that Hashem brought this extraordinary heat upon the world so as “not to trouble Avraham with guests” during his recuperation. One of the three “men” who came to visit Avraham at this time was the malach Raphael, whose mission was to heal Avraham. (Bava Metzia 86b)

Fourteen hundred years later, Malachi Hanovi wrote very similar words: “Ki hinai ha’yom bo …. For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the wicked people and all the evildoers will be like straw, and that coming day will burn them, says Hashem, Master of Legions, so that it will not leave them a root or branch. But a sun of righteousness will shine for you who fear My Name, with healing in its rays….” (Malachi 3:19-20) Once again, the word “yom” is associated with intense heat.
In what way does heat heal?

Ohr Hachaim asks “why Hashem had to bless the creatures of the sea [to multiply], which He did not do for the creatures that came forth from the earth.” He answers as follows: “[The] ability to reproduce [stems from] the basic element of fire [heat]. For the nature of cold … ruins the capability to reproduce.” The reason Hashem blessed the fish “was to declare that they shall have the ability to reproduce, and the coldness of the water [in which they live] will not prevent them [from doing so].” (Beraishis 1:23) Ohr Hachaim then refers to Avraham Avinu, who believed that he could not father children because he was born under the influence of Jupiter, which is in the cold part of the heavens.
During Kiddush Levana, we say, “May it be Your will [Hashem] … to fill the flaw of the moon …. 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.” After the moon became “dissatisfied” with its lot, Hashem diminished it. (See Chullin 60b) Once apparently equal to the sun, it is now cold and lifeless, bringing no warmth to the world.

Life exists on earth only because Hashem created the sun some 93 million miles away. It is perfectly positioned; a bit further and we would freeze; a bit closer and we would burn. The sun’s warmth enables life to exist. Without it, there would be no life on this planet; indeed there would be no planet at all. Hashem gave the heavenly luminaries “strength and power … to be dominant in the world…. He called out to the sun and it glowed with light.” (Kail Adon)

“Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish [says]: there is no Gehinnom in the World to Come. Rather, Hakadosh Baruch Hu will take the sun out of its sheath; the righteous will be healed by it, whereas the wicked will be punished through it….” (Nedarim 8b) The Maharal explains this Gemora to mean that the sun is considered to be in a category beyond the purely physical creations, who live, reproduce and die. The sun is on the spiritual madreiga of a creation which itself gives life. As a spiritual object, the sun’s radiance is something that reshaim, wicked people cannot handle. As such, they are burned when exposed to the intense heat which will radiate from it after it is withdrawn from the sheath which has covered it since the days of Creation.

But tzaddikim desire nothing more than ruchnius. They desire to dwell to the maximum extent in the Presence of Hashem and nothing more than to bring the Shechina back to its Makom, as we say every day, “May our eyes behold Your return to Tzion in compassion!” (Shemoneh Esreh) Thus Malachi Hanovi can say, “[that coming day will burn] all the wicked people and … evildoers, but a sun of righteousness will shine for you who fear My Name.”

Is it not remarkable, my friends, that one of the greatest environmental threats the world faces today is called “global warming,” which is caused by depletion of the ozone layer, which filters out the direct rays of the sun! The worldwide climate is being affected to the extent that the polar icecaps are melting, oceans are rising and global weather patterns are being disrupted.

My friends, the evidence of the Geulah is everywhere. All this was hinted at when Hashem spoke to Avaraham Avinu at the very dawn of Jewish history. “Ma’ase avos siman l’banim … the events in the lives of the fathers are signs for the children!” And the navua of Malachi is coming to pass in our own days!

Perhaps this is a sign for us. Maybe our Father Avraham is telling his children: “Kinderlach, be good to your brothers and sisters. Don’t be cold. Don’t ignore your brother. This is our only mishpacha. If we treat each other with love, we will bring healing warmth to the entire world!”

(I wish to thank my choshuve chavrusa Rabbi Shaul Geller for his help in preparing this article.)

* * * *
Roy Neuberger, author and public speaker, can be reached at roy@2020vision.co.il.

© Copyright 2017 by Roy S. Neuberger

ALSO PLEASE SEE: Sodom and Gomorrah

02 November 2017

Parshas Vayera – Rabbi Yosef Mizrachi shlit”a

THE BEST INVESTMENT IN HISTORY





He covers the recent terrorist attack and the leftists rantings, plus much more.

The Rabbi also speaks about Sodom and Gomorrah. As a companion article about this, please read: 
Biblical Archeology: Sodom and Gomorrah
Does archeological data support the Biblical story?
Link: Sodom and Gomorrah

Parshas Vayeira and Sodom and Gomorrah


Biblical Archeology: Sodom and Gomorrah
Does archeological data support the Biblical story?


The Torah tells us the story of the rise and downfall of Sodom and Gomorrah. To the non-believer, the Biblical story seems so incredible that it must be relegated to the realm of myth and fantasy. The 20th-century German Bible critic, Theodor Noldeke asserted that "The whole story of Sodom and Gomorrah is unhistorical and comparatively late in origin." J. Maxwell Miller of Emory University boldly claims, "These narratives of Sodom and Gomorrah are purely products of the storyteller's art, which of course raises serious questions about their usefulness for historical reconstruction." John H. Hayes, a colleague of the aforementioned J. Maxwell Miller, confirms Professor Miller's belief. [1] Are the assertions of these skeptics based on facts or are they merely the distorted opinions of non-believers? Let us examine the facts of the case and see for ourselves.

There are two places in the desert area near the Dead Sea that could not be more radically different from each other. One area is a dry, harsh wilderness. All that is found there are craggy hills, land strewn with crumbled rock, coarse sand, and intense heat: daytime temperatures rise to 130 degrees Fahrenheit. Rivers are few and meager. The waters of the nearby great lake are not potable: No fish live in its inhospitable waters. There are no trees to offer shade. Wayfarers are few. Snakes and scorpions are the only creatures that find comfort in this forsaken place. Desolation echoes forth from the dry river beds.

The second area is a great and thriving metropolis. Grain grows in abundance and precious raw materials are easily accessed. Its lush tree-shaded groves graciously bestow their blessings of fine fruits. The green canopy of its orchards stretch as far as the eye can see. There are no predatory animals to threaten passersby. The great metropolis and its citizenry are self sufficient; every need can be met locally. A veritable Garden of Eden, it is described in the Torah when Abraham and Lot decide to part ways: And Lot lifted up his eyes, and saw the valley of the Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, like the Garden of the Lord (Genesis 13:10).

In fact, as incredible as it may seem, the two places are one and the same. We call the area Sodom-Gomorrah. The very names of these two cities, Sodom and Gomorrah, are associated with sin and debauchery. Sodom has become a synonym for perversion. The first description of the desolate territory is the area once inhabited by the wealthy, aristocratic Sodomites as it appears today. The second description is the way it appeared earlier, at its Patriarchal Era zenith as depicted in the Talmud and the Midrash (Babylonian Talmud Sanhedrin 109a, Midrash Rabah Leviticus 5:2, Midrash Rabah Numbers 9:24.)

Sodom and Gomorrah were part of a metropolis assumed to have been located on the eastern bank of the Dead Sea consisting of five cities, each with its own king. There was (1) Bera, king of Sodom, (2) Birsha, king of Gomorrah, (3) Shinab, king of Admad, (4) Shember, king of Zeboiim, and (5) the king of Bela, which is also called Zoar (Genesis 14:8). This thriving group of city-states is referred to in the Bible (Genesis 13:12) as the Cities of the Plain. The five kings were under the dominion of a coalition of eastern Mesopotamian overlords. According to the Torah, with the help of the patriarch Abraham, the cities gained their independence, though their independence was only short-lived. A few years later, God destroyed the cities in a hail of fire and brimstone.

In the early part of the 20th century, the entire Biblical account of Sodom and Gomorrah was doubted by many academicians. Not merely the part of the story of the supernatural destruction, but also any possible rule over the area by the Mesopotamians to the east. There was no route connecting the Dead Sea area with Mesopotamia. How could the Mesopotamians have possibly conquered the area? These factors caused even those normally sympathetic to the Biblical narrative, such as William Foxwell Albright, to doubt the story.

In the early 1920s, Dr. Nelson Glueck discovered evidence of an ancient route between Mesopotamia and the Dead Sea area.

However, in the early 1920s, Dr. Nelson Glueck discovered evidence of an ancient route between Mesopotamia and the Dead Sea area. Traces of the actual route, which had been covered by the desert storms, were uncovered. Mention of the route was subsequently found in cuneiform tablets in Mari and in Ebla.

By 1924, the previously doubtful Albright became convinced of the possibility of some ancient inhabited area near the barren eastern bank of the Dead Sea. His expedition had found some meager remains of an early Bronze Age structure assumed to have been a fortress or temple. It was located on a mound, known as Bab edh-Dhra, overlooking the desert floor some 550 feet below. Albright assumed that the structure was in some way to be identified with the Sodom-Gomorrah story, but was uncertain what that connection might be.

The Five Cities of the Plain

No serious excavations were undertaken in the area until about 40 years later. In the 1960s, a large cemetery was discovered near Bab edh-Dhra. Archeologist Paul Lapp spent three seasons excavating the area where he unearthed a great number of shaft-tombs -- possibly as many as 20,000. (A shaft-tomb is a vertical hole, about 3 feet in diameter, dug into the rocky ground to a depth of approximately 6 feet.) At the bottom of each shaft were 1-5 horizontal shallow shafts, each containing between 1-6 bodies. In addition, there were a number of mud-brick buildings, charnel houses that are repositories for bones or bodies of the dead. Each charnel house contained the remains of several hundred people.

Current estimates of the number of bodies occupying that cemetery is about a half million! Pottery shards found with the skeletal remains indicate that approximately 3,000,000 pottery vessels were used in conjunction with the burials. Other funerary items include clay figurines of goddesses, wooden staffs, sandals and reed baskets, some still containing food remains. [2] The great number of corpses in a single burial ground is evidence of a major population. But this is only the beginning.
Significantly, some forms of the pottery, jewelry, and cylinder seal impressions show a distinct Mesopotamian influence. [3] This bolsters the Biblical connection between the Dead Sea area and Mesopotamia.

A rather obscure branch of archaeology is known as paleoethnobotany. This study examines traces of food items used by ancient cultures in order to get a perspective of the culture's agriculture and diet. Paleoenthnobotanists found in Bab edh-Dhra traces of wheat, barley, dates, plums, peaches, grapes, figs, pistachio nuts, almonds, olives, pine nuts, lentils, chick peas, pumpkin, flax seed, and watermelon. [4] It was a gourmand's delight. The healthy diet manifested itself in the physique of the inhabitants: skeletal remains indicate that a height of 5'9"-6'4" was quite normal. [5] This is a rather tall figure for such an ancient culture.

Only these five cities have been found.
Between 1973 and 1979, four more "cities" to the south of Bab edh-Dhra were found. Their Arabic names are Numeira, Safi, Feifa, and Khanazir. The surrounding area has been thoroughly explored and no other cities have been found, only these five. The five cities, a few miles apart from each other, are almost in a straight line going from north to south.

Numeira was excavated for two seasons and the foundations of a few homes were uncovered. Perhaps the most interesting find was the remains of a winery with 4000-year-old whole grapes were still there, preserved by the arid desert climate. In latter years Moses referred to the vineyards of Sodom,For their vine is of the vine of Sodom and of the fields of Gomorrah; their grapes are grapes of gall, their clusters are bitter. (Deut. 32:32) The other three "cities" of the area have yet to be excavated. Surrounding the archeological ruins of Safi is an Early Bronze cemetery which rivals the size of Bab edh-Dhra. About nine miles south of Safi is the next of the five cities, Feifa. A cemetery has been found there too.

The burial grounds of Feifa are similar in size to that of Babe edh Dhra and Safi. [6] As noted above, the cemetery of Bab edh-Dhra is reported to contain the remains of 500,000 individuals. The cemetery in Safi seems to hold the same number of corpses, another 500,000. The grounds of Feifa hold another 500,000. The cemeteries of Numeria and Khanazir have yet to be located; however, the known number of burials in this relatively small area of the Dead Sea Desert -- 1,500,000 bodies -- indicates that this was once a thriving, heavily populated area. Indeed, it does seem to be incredible, yet the evidence is there. Based on this dating of the pottery of the grave goods in Bab edh-Dhra, it seems that this city existed for about 1,000 years. Numeira, on the other hand, existed for a very short span of time, certainly less than 100 years. The Talmud (Babylonian Talmud Shabbos 11a) says that Sodom existed for a mere 52 years. This would make Numeira a likely candidate for Sodom.

Fire and Brimstone
Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven. (Genesis 19:24)

"Fire and brimstone" is a common expression used to describe the sermon of an overzealous preacher, but exactly what is brimstone? The Hebrew word for brimstone in the Biblical verse is gafrit and is usually understood to mean sulfur. The Targum Yonathan ben Uziel translates the word into Aramaic as kivraitah. The term kivraitah appears in the Talmud (Babylonian Talmud Shabbos 89b, 90a; Nidah 62a) and is used in the context of a cleaning agent. It is likely that the Biblical gafrit is the hydrocarbon bitumen, which is the essential ingredient of asphalt. Bitumen can also be distilled into a cleaning agent. Bitumen/asphalt is a naturally occurring, highly flammable substance found in the Dead Sea area. In fact, Josephus refers to the Dead Sea as Lake Asphaltites. [7] It is of interest to note that Josephus writes that the Lake Asphaltites was formed as a result of the devastation that destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.

The entire areas of Bab edh-Drha and Numeira are covered with a spongy ash. These two cities show clear signs of utter destruction. The layer of ash ranges from 4-20 inches in depth. [8] Parallel to these five cities is fault line where two large plates of earth are exerting great pressure on each other. This tectonic feature has caused a number of earthquakes in the region. The pressure can also force subterranean matter, such as magma, or, in this case, bitumen into the air. Geologists suggest that, (when the time came for the destruction of Sodom -- my insertion), the earth spewed forth flammable hydrocarbons high into the atmosphere. These were ignited by lightening or some other natural source and the flaming debris fell back to earth. [9]

According to the Biblical narrative, Sodom and Gomorrah were under attack by the Mesopotamian coalition. After winning their independence from the Mesopotamians, Sodom and Gomorrah enjoyed a brief period of peace until it was destroyed in the hailstorm of fire and brimstone. The Talmud (Babylonian Talmud Shabbos 10b) states that it was only a 26 year gap between the two events.
The city of Numeira, as we conjectured, possibly Sodom, is the better preserved of the two excavated sites. Numeira shows signs of two devastations. The latter was the catastrophic fiery event that utterly destroyed the city. An earlier event shows less sign of such a catastrophe, but rather more like the result of a war. Dr. Bryant G. Wood, an expert in Syrio-Palestine archaeology, formerly of the University of Toronto, has examined the two layers of destruction. He concluded that the two events probably occurred a little more than 20 years apart. [10] His estimation is in line with the Talmud's time frame of 26 years.

Dating
There is one point that prevents this evidence of the Biblical story from being 100% conclusive. The date of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah according to Biblical chronology was about one year before the birth of Isaac, which was in 1712 B.C.E. The archaeological dating of the destruction of Bab edh-Dhra and Numeira is about 2300 B.C.E. [11] This discrepancy of 600 years is significant.
The dating of metal and ceramic artifacts in the Holy Land is dependant on comparisons to similar findings in Egypt. Dating Egyptian finds is far easier to estimate due to the existence of contemporary hieroglyphic writings. Archaeologists generally assume that similar type finds in the Holy Land, which are not accompanied by any written evidence, probably date to the same era as their Egyptian counterparts.

But recent evidence found by Manfred Bietak in Tel el-Daba indicates that Middle Bronze Age Canaanite artifacts lagged about 100 years behind their Egyptian counterparts. When it comes to Sodom and Gomorrah, the lag could be much more substantial because, according to the Talmud (Babylonian Talmud Sanhedrin 109a), intentional isolationism prevailed in the Cities of the Plain.
The (inhabitants of the cities of the Plain) said: "Since there cometh forth bread out of land and it hath the dust of gold, why should we suffer wayfarers, who come to us only to deplete our wealth? Come, let us abolish the practice of traveling into our land.”

If, as the Talmud records, traveling into the area of Sodom and Gomorrah was sharply curtailed -- forbidden, or at least discouraged -- the introduction of outside styles of pottery and metal working would seriously fall behind the style and techniques of the more advanced Egyptians. How far the Cities of the Plain would have straggled is unknown. We must be patient and await further evidence to emerge.

Preponderance of Evidence

To summarize, the archaeology evidence as to the destruction of the five Cities of the Plain is inconclusive. However the preponderance of other evidence with regards to the Torah's story of Sodom and Gomorrah is overwhelming.

1. The Bible refers to a metropolis of five cities in the Dead Sea area.
Five, and only five cities, have been found in the Dead Sea area.
2. The Bible refers to a conquest by the Mesopotamians.
The artifacts found in the Dead Sea area show a Mesopotamian influence.
3. The Midrash describes the metropolis as a thriving population.
The enormous number of burials in the large cemeteries attests to a great population.
4. The Talmud and the Midrash describe the area as an agricultural
wonderland. The great diversity of agricultural products found in the ruins verify the lush produce enjoyed by the area's inhabitants.
5. According to the Talmud, there was a span of only 26 years between a war in the area and the ultimate destruction. Devastation levels found in Numeira (Sodom) are consistent with the Talmud's assertion.
6. The Talmud states that Sodom, unlike other cities in the area, only existed for 52 years.
The ruins in Numeira (Sodom) indicate that the city lasted less than 100 years.
7. The Bible attributes the destruction of the cities to a fiery storm that rained down from above.
Thick layers of burnt material covering the remains of the cities in the area bear this out.
After reviewing all of the archaeological data, it is quite clear that the story related in the Torah and Midrash is completely accurate in spite of what the non-believers may boldly claim.


Footnotes
1 J.M. Miller & J.H. Hayes, A History of Ancient Israel (Philadelphia ,Westminster Press, 1986) 60.
2 "Have Sodom and Gomorrah Been Found?" BAR, Sept/Oct 1980, H. Shanks ed.
3 R.T. Shaub, "Bab edh-Dhra" in The New Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land, ed. E Stern (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1993)135.
4 D.W. McCreery, Paleobotany in Preliminary Report of the 1979 Expedition to the Dead Sea Plain, Jordan, (Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, 240, 1980) 52.
5 Ibid. BAR, Sept/Oct 1980.
6 http://www.abu.nb.ca/ecm/topics/arch5.htm
7 Antiquities, Book I, chapter 9.
8 M.D. Coogan, Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research (ASOR), 1984, 255, p. 80.
9 D. Neev & K.O. Emery, The Destruction of Sodom, Gomorrah, and Jericho: Geological, Climatological, and Archaeological Background (New York: Oxford University Press, 1995) 13-14, 33,37; G.M. Harris & A.P. Beardow, The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah: A Geological Perspective, Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology, Vol. 28, 360.
10 http://www.johnankerberg.org/Articles/_PDFArchives/science/SC3W0903.pdf
11 http://www.johnankerberg.org/Articles/_PDFArchives/science/SC3W1003


Source: AISH, with a thanks to TomerDevorah for linking to this article, which I found fascinating.

UPDATE: ‘GLOBAL OUTBREAK’ of the "Black Death"

UPDATE: Madagascar plague outbreak set to last another SIX MONTHS as health officials warn Black Death pandemic could explode (Sun
WORLD health officials say rainy season poses a big threat to containing the spread of the disease. At least 128 people have been killed and more than 1,300 infected by the deadlier pneumonic strain of the Medieval disease (The UK Sun)

WIKIPEDIA ON THE BLACK PLAGUE:
The Black Death is thought to have originated in the arid plains of Central Asia, where it then travelled along the Silk Road, reaching Crimea by 1343. From there, it was most likely carried by Oriental rat fleas living on the black rats that were regular passengers on merchant ships. Spreading throughout the Mediterranean and Europe, the Black Death is estimated to have killed 30–60% of Europe's total population. In total, the plague may have reduced the world population from an estimated 450 million down to 350–375 million in the 14th century. The world population as a whole did not recover to pre-plague levels until the 17th century. The plague recurred occasionally in Europe until the 19th century. [*see Third Plague Pandemic at end of article]

Warnings of 
‘GLOBAL OUTBREAK’ of Black Death 
as PLAGUE 
continues to spread. HEALTH experts are warning there is “something different” about a new Black Death outbreak spreading across the world.
[article is from the Daily Star, another plague of indecency]













An estimated 50 million lives were lost as a result of the Black Death epidemic of the 1300s.

And now the deadly disease has spread into more African countries after taking root in Madagascar.

Countries affected include South Africa, Mozambique, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Comoros, the Seychelles, Mauritius and Reunion.

So far, the virus has killed 124 people and infected around 1,300, but scientists say this figure will definitely rise.



The World Health Organisation, which has been working with Madagascar’s Ministry of Health, has warned the risk of the epidemic spreading is “high”.

"Plague, though terrifying, is nothing new in Madagascar, where about 600 cases are reported annually," the organisation said on its website.

But officials said while "health officials couldn't explain it", the plague is different this time.

A Crisis Emergency Committee has been established in response to the outbreak, which will "coordinate surveillance, contact tracing, case management, isolation and supplies" until it is contained.

Air Seychelles, one of Madagascar's biggest airlines, stopped flying earlier in the month, in an effort to contain the spread and airports are screening passengers to avoid spread of the plague.

Schools and businesses have been closed, and large public gatherings have been cancelled.


A WHO official said: “The risk of the disease spreading is high at national level… because it is present in several towns and this is just the start of the outbreak.”
The last significant outbreak of the disease occurred nearly a century ago in Los Angeles, when a two-week epidemic killed 30 people.
There are three types of plague – bubonic affecting the lymph nodes, septicaemia which causes bleeding under the skin, and pneumonic which affects respiration.
The WHO describes the pneumonic plague as “the deadliest and most rapid form of plague”
Nearly 1.2 million doses of antibiotics and £11.4 million worth of emergency funding have been sent by the WHO to fight to plague.
People infected with plague usually develop “flu-like” symptoms after an incubation period of three to seven days.
Typical symptoms include fever, chills, head and body-aches and weakness, vomiting and nausea

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

*Third plague pandemic

The third plague pandemic (1855–1859) started in China in the mid-19th century, spreading to all inhabited continents and killing 10 million people in India alone. Twelve plague outbreaks in Australia between 1900 and 1925 resulted in well over 1,000 deaths, chiefly in Sydney. This led to the establishment of a Public Health Department there which undertook some leading-edge research on plague transmission from rat fleas to humans via the bacillus Yersinia pestis.

The first North American plague epidemic was the San Francisco plague of 1900–1904, followed by another outbreak in 1907–1908. From 1944 through 1993, 362 cases of human plague were reported in the United States; approximately 90% occurred in four western states: Arizona, California, Colorado, and New Mexico.

Modern treatment methods include insecticides, the use of antibiotics, and a plague vaccine. The plague bacterium could develop drug resistance and again become a major health threat. One case of a drug-resistant form of the bacterium was found in Madagascar in 1995. A further outbreak in Madagascar was reported in November 2014.

01 November 2017

Anticipating the Redemption and Yearning for Moshiach

Anticipating the Redemption and Yearning for Moshiach
דף מקורות מאת Mordechai Lewis
מידע נוסף

Rav Wasserman writes in a letter sent from his hometown of Baranovitch, Lithuania, dated Thursday, Parshas Chukas:[1]
“… Moshiach will come בהסח הדעת, when we aren’t thinking about him. Just as when the Jews were redeemed from Egypt, it says, ‘They did not heed Moshe because of shortness of breath and hard work,’[2] before Mashiach’s arrival, too, people will be so dulled by pain and suffering that they will be incapable of accepting words of comfort and consolation…”

From Rav Wasserman’s words, Rabbi Yechezkel Levenstein’s statement doesn’t sound farfetched:
“When it comes to the arrival of Moshiach and the resurrection of the dead, we are quiet, as if we are embarrassed to speak about them, as if we have given up them altogether…”[3]

Before we begin discussing Moshiach in depth, let me quote to you the words of Rabbi Eliyahu Lopian:[4]
“While in London I heard from the holy Rabbi Elchanan Wasserman, quoting the Chofetz Chaim, that Chazal say the War of Gog and Magog will be threefold. After the First World War, the Chofetz Chayim said that it was the first battle of Gog and Magog and that in about 25 years there would be a second world war, which would make the first one seem insignificant. Then there would be the third war…”[5]

True, to the Chofetz Chayim’s prediction, WWII began in 1939, exactly 25 years later! How did his prediction materialize so accurately? The Gemara[6] states, “The tzaddik decrees and Hashem fulfills.”

Nevertheless, does there really need to be a third world war? It depends on us.
As the Gemara[7] says, “There are three things that have the ability annul harsh decrees. They are: tefillah, teshuvah[8] and tzedakah.” Furthermore, one should involve himself in Torah,[9] doing acts of kindness[10] and eating three meals on the Shabbos.[11]

What is Geulah?
The Gemara states a metaphor: “The ultimate Redemption will be like the morning star, which sheds very little light as it begins to emerge, but then burst forth and can be seen in its full and luminous glory.”[12] As Rabbi Zecharia Wallerstein explains: “The Geulah is not a moment. Rather, it’s a process.” Rebbe Shimon bar Yochai[13] says, “The redemption is not to happen all at once, but rather a little at a time.”

Similarly, the Malbim says, “A long time before the redemption a few men of the Diaspora will gather and settle in Yerushalayim. After many years of settlement there, the birth pangs of the redemption will come to them and then the general ingathering of the exiles begin.”[14]

How many people does it take to bring the Final Redemption?
Hashem Himself answers this question:[15]
“I searched for someone who would stand before Me and daven on behalf of Klal Yisroel, that I should not destroy them, but I did not find anyone, so therefore I will pour out My wrath against them and consume them with the flame of My fury.”[16]

One person could have saved all of Klal Yisroel - one person could have prevented the churban. If even one person would have stood up and prayed on behalf of Klal Yisroel.

Hashem would have rescinded His decree. This is a message of Hashem which is repeated by another one of His prophets as well:
“Go in the streets of Yerushalayim… and seek in its plazas if you will find a just man if there is one who dispenses Justice and seeks emunah if you find even a lone man like this then I will forgive the whole city.”[17]

If there would have been even one person in all of Yerushalayim who was just, Hashem would have forgiven the entire city.[18] [19]

Mesillas Yesharim[20] states the following:
Now, if a person should say, “Who am I? What is my importance that I should pray about the end of the exile of Israel and about the rebuilding of Yerushalayim, etc.? Will my prayer cause the exiles to be ingathered and the redemption to sprout forth?” The Gemara[21] responds to a person with such a mindset: Man was created as an individual: so that each person should say to himself, “For my sake, the world was created.”

The Gemara is teaching us that was worthwhile for Hashem to create the world for the sake of a single person! Thus, each individual is of inestimable importance and his prayers may indeed have a powerful impact.[22] Moreover, in any case, it is a source of satisfaction to [Hashem], blessed be He, that His children request and pray for this. Even if their requests are not fulfilled because the appropriate time for the Redemption has not yet arrived or for whatever other reason, they have, regardless, done their [part] by praying for it and the Holy One, blessed be He, rejoices over this concern of theirs for His honor.

Regarding the Geulah, Rabbi Pinchas Winston[23] cites Rabbi Yechezkel Levenstein, who states the following:
“The exodus from Egypt liberated only one out of five Jews — and some say one out of every 50 – because all those who were bound to Egypt and did not want to depart died in the three days of darkness and were not privileged to leave.[24] That is, only those who desired redemption with all their hearts were redeemed.”

However, what most people do not know is what Rabbi Levenstein adds:
“The Final Redemption, likewise, depends upon our yearning.”[25]

As we say every morning, “By the End of Days He will send our Messiah, to redeem those longing for His final salvation.”[26]

Secondly is emunah, faith. This entails keeping Shabbos. Why? Because Shabbos is the basis of faith.[27] If our nation will keep just two Shabbosos properly, Moshiach will come immediately.[28] However, the Yerushalmi[29] says that our nation only needs to keep Shabbos. Rav Chaim Kanievsky said that we hold like the Yerushalmi.

Rebbe Shimon bar Yochai[30] a frightening statement:
“…When Hashem decides to bring the Geulah He will look down on the world and see if there is a tzaddik who is worthy of bringing the redemption. Hashem will see that there is no one who has sufficient merit for this, and He will need to bring great tribulations on the Jewish people, in order that the Geulah should take place. At the same time, happy is this generation, for someone who passes the tests of this trying period with strong emunah will merit to see the light of Hashem.”

How does one accomplish both tasks?
The Chofetz Chayim[31] says, “If we were truly yearning for the final Redemption and waiting each day for its arrival, then we would be preparing ourselves by learning the relevant halachos, for there are many halachos to be learned and they cannot all be covered in a short time…[32] For if it would be revealed that in a short time the final Redemption would arrive, then certainly millions of Jews would quickly learn the halachos to the Beis HaMikdosh, since at that time all of these halachos will be applicable, not only for kohanim but for all Jews, for instance, the halachos regarding eating karbonos and visiting the Mikdash… Therefore, if we are truly waiting and yearning for the final Redemption… we too should arouse ourselves and learn these halachos with all our strength.”[33]

Is there any sefer that exists nowadays which has relevant halachos regarding the Beis HaMikdosh?

Yes! It’s called Days Are Coming by Rabbi Moshe Silberstein.[34]
What is the sefer about? It’s an In-Depth Analysis of the Practical Halachos Relevant to Visiting the Bais HaMikdash. By studying this sefer, one is imbuing himself with faith that Hashem will redeem us. Secondly, a person should designate some type of article of clothing – i.e. suit, shirt, hat, belt or shoes etc., that he/ she has designated to wear when Moshiach reveals himself. As the Sefer HaChinuch[35] says, “A person is fashioned by his deeds.” Therefore, saying the 12th Principle of the Ani Ma’amins every day or learning Seider Kodshim isn’t enough.

Conversely, the Rambam[36] says, “Anyone who does not anticipate Moshiach’s revelation denies [the pronouncements] of the prophets; even worse than that, he rejects the Torah and Moshe our Teacher.”

What’s the purpose of the redemption?
That G-d’s Name should be sanctified…[37] [38] As the Rambam[39] says, “Moshiach will correct the entire world to worship G-d together, as it says, ‘For then I [G-d] will turn to the peoples a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the Hashem, to serve Him with one consent.’”

What’s the main emphasis of הָשִׁיבָה שׁוֹפְטֵינוּ כְּבָרִאשׁוֹנָה, restore our judges as we had formerly? וּמְלֹךְ עָלֵינוּ אַתָּה ה' לְבַדְּךָ, rule over us – You, Hashem, alone. The whole world should know of His existence!

Why in Ma’ariv[40] do we ask our Creator, “gather us from among the nations…”[41]? In order that, “… All the nations that You have made will come and bow down before You, O L-rd, and they will give glory to Your Name.”[42]

Sometimes, a person needs to ask themselves, “Am I in this world to sanctify G-d’s Name or my own name?” The Novi give us the proper mindset: “You are My servant, Yisrael, through whom I am glorified!”[43]

Can one return to G-d[44] after Moshiach reveals[45] himself?
The Ramban[46] says that teshuvah is no longer a possibility.

Where will he reveal himself from?
Rebbe Shimon bar Yochai[47] says, “He shall reveal himself in the land of Galilee because in this part of the Holy Land the desolation (Babylonian exile) first began, therefore he will manifest himself there first…”

Is he superhuman?
The Jewish Messiah is truly human in origin, He is born of ordinary human parents and is of flesh and blood like all mortals.[48]

How would one describe him?
He is a leader of the Jews, strong in wisdom, power and spirit.

In addition, he will bring eternal peace, love, prosperity and moral perfection to the entire world.[49] A feat which no world leader has been able to accomplish!

Rabbi Elchonon Wasserman zt”l, wrote in a letter: “Several times I heard from the holy Chofetz Chayim, that we can learn about the end of our exile from what happened at the end of our exile in Egypt…”[50]

How? The posuk[51] says, “It happened during those many days, that the king of Egypt died and the Children of Israel groaned because of the work and they cried out. Their cry for help from the oppression rose up to G-d.”

Rabbeinu Bachayei writes the following:
“Even though the time of the redemption had arrived, they weren’t worthy of being redeemed. However, once they all cried out in unison[52] from the work that they were undergoing, their tefillos were accepted… This is to teach you that the tefillah of a person is only complete when one cries out from the pain and stress that are contained within one’s heart. This type of tefillah is more accepted by Hashem then mere lip service.”[53]

He continues, “It is possible to say that this parsha is a hint to our future redemption which depends on returning to G-d and prayer. For we find that in Egypt they were redeemed because they returned to G-d and prayed to G-d who responds in time of distress and their prayers were accepted; then the Redeemer came to them immediately.”[54]

Who was that? Moshe.[55] As the Novi[56] says, “It will be a sign and a witness to Hashem in the land of Egypt, that when they cry out to Him because of oppressors, He will send them a savior and a leader who will deliver them.” In fact, R’ Berachia said in the name of R’ Yitzchak that the last redeemer will be just as the first.[57]

Believe it or not (and I’m not referring to Ripley), Rabbeinu Bachayei’s “possibility” is an actuality! What do I mean? The Gemara[58] states that our nation was redeemed from Egypt due to distress, crying out and returning to G-d.

The Chofetz Chayim[59] states: “All the many troubles that have fallen upon us, from which we have still not been saved, are because we don’t scream and increase our prayers in response to them. If we had prayed (properly), we would not have returned empty-handed. And it is not enough that (one) prays the Shemoneh Esrei prayer three times each day; several times daily he must pour out his requests in solitude, in his house, from the depths of his heart. The three regular prayers are so routine that one does not really concentrate during them[60] – which is not the case if each person would contemplate in solitude his own plight... then he would pour out his heart like water to Hashem. Such a prayer would emerge with very deep intent with a broken heart and with great humility. Such a prayer will certainly not go unanswered…!”[61]

Every morning we say, “He responds to His people at the time they cry out to Him.”

The Medrash[62] states, “When Israel went out of Egypt, they looked back and saw the Egyptians chasing after them… When Israel saw, they were surrounded on all sides – the sea in front of them blocking their path, their enemy chasing after them, and wild animals on both sides in the desert – they lifted their eyes up to their Father in Heaven, and cried out to the Holy One Blessed be He, as it is written: ‘…and Bnei Yisroel cried out to Hashem.’ Why did Hashem do this to them? Because Hashem yearned for their tefillos.”
Rav Yitzchak[63] said, “The salvation of Israel depends only on crying... as it is written: ‘...with crying, they will come and with lamentations, I will lead them.’”

When an infant wants his parents to give him attention, he cries. If they don’t hear him or choose to ignore him, he cries, screams even louder or throws a tantrum, until his parents come and attend to his needs.

The Chofeitz Chayim says the following:
“Even though we pray for the redemption several times every day, requesting by itself is not enough. One must demand the redemption, just as with the wages of a hired worker.[64] Failure to do so shows that this matter is clearly not that urgent to us!”[65]

With Hashem’s help, may we all merit, very soon, to witness the revelation of Moshiach Tzidkeinu, who will make our Creator’s Name Great Again!


Dedicated in memory of Rav Yisrael Meir ben R’ Aryeh Zev HaKohein, Menachem Mendel ben Levi Yitzchak, Elchonon Bunem ben Naftali Beinish, Dovid Tzvi ben Yosef Yochanan, Kayla Rus bas Bunim Tuvia and Chana Tziporah bas HaRav Nochum Yehuda HaKohein.

This article can also be viewed at http://bit.ly/2vxijVl. For comments or feedback, please email sreviewch@gmail.com.
[1] Excerpted from Rav Schwab on Chumash by Rabbi Myer J. Schwab, page 231.
[2] Shemos 6:9.
[3] Rabbi Yechezkel Levenstein cited in Geulah BeRachamim by Rabbi Pinchas Winston, page 78 (in physical book).
[4] Leiv Eliyahu, Shemos, (page 172) “וכעת בעיקבתא דמשיחא”. See also Rav Schwab on Chumash by Rabbi Myer Schwab, pages 240 – 241 (Israel Bookshop Publications).
[5] There’s a dispute whether World War III will be before the revelation of the Moshiach or after (אוצרות אחרית הימים, פרק ה', מלחמת גוג ומגוג and When Moshiach Comes: Halachic & Aggadic Perspectives by Yehudah Chayoun, part 1, chapter 5, The Battle of Gog and Magog.
[6] Kesubos 103b and Tehillim 145:19.
[7] Sanhedrin 97b, Yerushalmi, Ta’anis 8b “שלשה דברים מבטלין את הגזירה קשה ואלו הן תפלה וצדקה ותשובה” and Bereishis Rabbah 44:12 “רַבִּי יוּדָן בְּשֵׁם רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר אָמַר שְׁלשָׁה דְבָרִים מְבַטְּלִים גְּזֵרוֹת רָעוֹת, וְאֵלּוּ הֵם, תְּפִלָּה וּצְדָקָה וּתְשׁוּבָה”.
[8] see Yalkut Shimoni, Tehillim 106:865 “פעמים” and Nidchei Yisrael volume 2, chapter 34 “והנה”.
[9] Zohar volume 3, page 270a.
[10] Sanhedrin 98b, Nefesh HaChayim 4:17, Berachos 5a, Tehillim 18:51, Sotah 14a.
[11] see ArtScroll Shabbos 118a, footnotes 15 and 17.
[12] Yerushalmi, Berachos 4b “אמר רבי חייא רבה לר' שמעון בן חלפתא בי רבי כך היא גאולתן של ישראל בתחילה קימאה קימאה”.
[13] Zohar volume 1, page 170a.
[14] We Are Not Alone by Adi Cohen, pages 207.
[15] see Days Are Coming by Rabbi Moshe Silberstein, page 80.
[16] Metzudas Dovid on Yechezkeil 22:30 – 31 “ואבקש מהם”.
[17] Metzudas Dovid on Yirmiyahu 5:1 “ואסלח לה” and “שוטטו”.
[18] After the Jews left Egypt, the Egyptians pursued them until they came upon the Red Sea, at which point they were unable to continue. G-d told Moshe: “Speak to the Children of Israel and let them journey forth! (Shemos 14:15) They need do nothing but go forward and the sea will not stand in their way. This was sufficient for those whose trust in G-d ran deep. Consequently, the tribes vied with each other as to who would be the first to go into the water and thereby increase the honor of Heaven (ArtScroll Sotah 37a, note 60. See also Maharsha, Chiddushei Aggados to Sotah 37a “קפץ שבטו של בנימין וירד לים כו'”).
Yet, Nachshon ben Aminadav, the prince of the tribe of Yehudah, leaped forward and descended into the sea first… Why? He still ruled with G-d, i.e. he had faith in the Holy One, Blessed is He…” (Sotah 37a) In the end, the sea split because he – one person, one lone individual – took action, thereby sanctifying G-d’s Name! (see Bamidbar Rabbah 13:4)
[19] There’s a poster which has a picture of Uncle Sam pointing his finger at you, saying, “I want YOU for U.S. army.” Similarly, our Creator says to each and every one of us, “I want YOU to have a part in hastening the redemption.” As Rabbi Pinchas of Koretz said, “Every person may change the course of history; it is in the power of every individual to shorten the exile” (Four Hasidic Masters and Their Struggle Against Melancholy by Elie Wiesel, page 19).
If you think Rabbi Pinchas of Koretz is exaggerating, here are the words of the Rambam:
“A person should view his life all year long as if his merits [for his mitzvos] and his guilt [for his sins] are exactly balanced, and that a single mitzvah could tilt the scales in his favor. Likewise, he should view the entire world as if it is exactly balanced in this way and that his mitzvah could tilt the entire world toward favorable judgment” (Mishnah Torah, Hilchos Teshuvah 3:4 and Kiddushin 40b).
[20] Excerpted from ArtScroll Mesillas Yesharim, pages 403 – 408 (chapter 19 “ועל זה אמרו”).
[21] Sanhedrin 37a.
[22] Rav Tzadok HaKohein of Lublin writes, “Just as one must believe in Hashem, so too, one must believe in himself” (Tzidkas HaTzadik #154). Meaning, Hashem wants us to believe in our strengths, capabilities, ability to overcome evil and achieve greatness.
[23] Geulah BeRachamim by Rabbi Pinchas Winston, page 21.
[24] see Rashi to Shemos 10:22 “ויהי חשך אפלה וגומר שלשת ימים וגומר”.
[25] Approximately 130 years ago, Rabbeinu Tzidkiyah zt”l wrote in the name of his brother R’ Binyamin zt”l, the following: “Even if a person will be alive when the redemption arrives, one will be written in the group of the wicked who do not believe and are not fit for the redemption, as we find by [the redemption from] Egypt that all those who did not believe in the redemption (i.e. yearn for it) died during the three days of darkness and did not merit to leave Egypt” (see Shemos Rabbah 14:3) [“יש מן היחידים שנוהגין שלא לאכול... ר' בנימין זצ"ל” שבלי הלקט השלם, סדר תענית, פרק רע"ד].
Rebbe Shimon bar Yochai says that once Moshiach is manifested throughout the whole universe all the kings will unite to fight against him and even in our nation there will be found some wicked ones who shall join them in the fight against Moshiach. Then there will be darkness over all the world for fifteen days and many of our people shall perish in that darkness* [excerpted from Soncino Zohar, Shemos, page 7b (Judaica Press)].
*Which R’ Binyamin spoke about above.
[26] Birchas HaShachar “ישלח לקץ...”.
[27] Seifer HaChinuch, mitzvah #32; Rashi on Chullin 5a “אלא לאו הכי קאמר”.
[28] Shabbos 118b.
[29] Ta’anis 3b and Shemos Rabbah 25:12.
[30] Zohar volume 2, Shemos, page 7b “רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן זָקַף יְדוֹי וּבָכָה”.
[31] Torah Ohr, chapter 12.
[32] The posuk says, “Noach… went into the ark because of the waters of the Flood” (Bereishis 7:7). Rashi explains, “Noach, too, was one of those with little faith; he believed, yet he did not believe fully that the Flood would come…”
If Noach didn’t believe that the Flood would come, then we certainly need ask ourselves, “Do I really believe that the final Redemption will come or is it just a ‘concept’ that is in the subconscious part of my mind?”
[33] It’s imperative to adopt a mitzvah that society generally ignores (Chayei Adam 68:20).
[34] See also Geulah BeRachamim by Rabbi Pinchas Winston.
[35] Shemos, mitzvah #16 “משרשי המצוה”.
[36] Rambam Mishneh: Laws of Kings and Laws of Idol Worship by Avraham Yaakov Finkel z”l, page 54.
[37] See note 16 for the concept. In addition, see also Kol HaTor by Rabbi Hillel Rivlin of Shklov, chapter 1, page 53 #2; chapter 4, pages 75 – 76 and Meir Einei Yisrael volume 1, page 236.
[38] Around 125 years ago, a man named Rabbi Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler said the following:
“Through the destruction of the kingdom of Edom (i.e. America), the kingdom of Heaven arises and is revealed… When HaKadosh Baruch Hu brings the world to a point where the foundations of civilization collapse – peace of mind will be disturbed, individual life will be filled with worry, fear, and suffering* and the whole world will be under threat of ruin and destruction – then it will become clear to all that man’s arrogance and pride in his supposed progress and conquest of nature have led him only to perdition; then comes the emptiness, the spiritual void, of life dedicated to worldly gain… and then the light of Mashiach will be revealed, ‘and deliverers shall ascend Mount Zion to judge the mountain of Eisav,’ and all shall see the downfall and destruction of the Kingdom of Edom. As our Sages taught: ‘Mashiach sits at the gate of Rome’ (Sanhedrin 98a). As Maharal explains (Netzach Yisrael, chapter 28), this refers to the end of Edom’s period of domination. Only when men come to see the futility and emptiness of a life dedicated to This World, will they be enabled to rise to a spiritual outlook… and the light of Mashiach will be revealed” (Michtav M’Eliyahu volume 3, Golus v’Geulah, pages 204 – 205 ‘ירידתה של מלכות אדום’).
*The posuk says, “You will [literally] go insane from the sight of your eyes that you will see (Devarim 28:34), amongst the nations you will not be tranquil, there will be no rest for the sole of your foot; there Hashem will give a trembling heart, longing of eyes and suffering of soul” (Ibid. 28:65).
I think all of us experience these pesukim in our lives.
[39] Mishnah Torah, Hilchos Malachim 11:7.
[40] In the paragraph of ברוך ה' לעולם.
[41] see Tehillim 106:47 and Yechezkeil 20:34.
[42] see Tehillim 106:47 and Yechezkeil 20:34.
[43] Yeshayah 49:3.
[44] The Hebrew word for return, תְּשׁוּבָה, is derived from תָשׁוּב אֶל-ה', [You shall] return to G-d” (Devarim 30:10).
[45] see Yalkut Shimoni, Yeshayah 60:499 “שנה שמלך המשיח נגלה”.
[46] Devarim 30:11 “ומל ה' אלקיך את לבבך”.
[47] Zohar volume 2, Shemos 7b “מִפְּנֵי פַּחַד ה'”.
[48] see Aryeh Kaplan Anthology Volume I, The Real Messiah, pages 274 – 276 and Rav Schwab on Prayer, pages 495-497.
[49] Ibid.
[50] Redemption Unfolding by Alexander Aryeh Mandelbaum, page 78. See also Sefer Meir Einei Yisroel volume 2 by Yisrael Meir HaKohein, page 460).
[51] Shemos 2:23.
[52] The Jewish people will not be redeemed until they become a single group – i.e. united (מדרש תנחומא, פרשת נצבים א'. ראה גם תנא דבי אליהו רבה, פרק כ"ד). Watch Stand Together.
[53] Shemos 2:23 “... ותעל שועתם אל האלקים מן העבודה”
[54] Ibid. 2:23 “ואפשר”.
[55] see Shemos 4:19-20.
[56] Yeshayah 19:20.
[57] Koheles Rabbah 1:9 “כַּגּוֹאֵל רִאשׁוֹן כָּךְ גּוֹאֵל אַחֲרוֹן”.
[58] Yerushalmi, Ta’anis 3a “מתוך חמשה דברים נגאלו ישראל ממצרים מתוך הקץ מתוך צרה מתוך צווחה מתוך זכות אבות מתוך תשובה”.
[59] see Redemption Unfolding by Alexander Aryeh Mandelbaum, page 82.
[60] The Gemara (Yerushalmi, Berachos 5:5) says that prayer with the proper intention will surely be answered and the Yearos Devash (drush 4) adds that it will generate other mitzvos and success in one’s endeavors in Torah and business.
[61] One who prays with tears* and supplication, even if he lacks merit and good deeds, will be answered (Sefer Chassidim 136).
*From the day that the Beis HaMikdosh was destroyed, the ‘gates of tefillah’ was closed. However, the ‘gates of tears’ were never closed” (Bava Metzia 59a). In addition, crying out in prayer is beneficial for a person because it has the effect (i.e. power) to reverse a decree (see Rosh Hashanah 16a–b).
If that’s the case, why “don’t” we cry to Hashem? Because we are emotionally constipated (see Rav Schwab on Chumash by Rabbi Myer Schwab, pages 47 – 48).
[62] Shemos Rabbah 21:5. See also Bereishis Rabbah 45:4 and Yevamos 64a.
[63] Zohar volume 2, Shemos, page 12b “אָמַר רִבִּי יְהוּדָה, לְזִמְנָא”.
[64] Mishnah Bava Metzia 9:12 and Meseches Bava Metzia 111a.
[65] כל כתבי חפץ חיים השלם, שיחות החפץ חיים, דף ע"ב, מספר יד "אנו צריכים לבקש על הגאולה. כמו שפעולת שכר שכיר ביומו, אם אינו תובע אין החיוב לתת כמו כן אנו צריכים לתבוע את הגאולה".
R’ Shimon ben Menassia teaches that the redemption will not come until the Jewish people pray for the return of the three things it had rejected in the days of Yeravam: the rule of G-d, the kingship of Dovid and the rebuilding of the Beis HaMikdosh (Yalkut Shimoni, Shmuel I 8:106).

NOTICE TO NEW YORK / BROOKLYN – Rabbi Yosef Mizrachi – MASHIACH & GEULA

TODAY WEDNESDAY 8 PM 




















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31 October 2017

Joshua Describes a Solar Eclipse on October 30, 1207 B.C.E., Over 3,220 Years Ago. ALSO WITH WHAT THE TORAH SAYS

Joshua describes a solar eclipse on October 30, 1207 B.C.E., over 3,220 years ago.
Biblical Record of Eclipse 3,200 Years Ago May Rewrite Pharaonic Era in Ancient Egypt



Joshua said the sun and moon stood still: Now archaeologists think he recorded an annular eclipse in 1207 B.C.E.

Then spake Joshua to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon.  And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed." Joshua 10: 12-13

The Bible is replete with stories of miracles, and now at least one has been reinterpreted to exclude the deity. Joshua may have asked the Lord to make the sun and moon stand still, but scientists have reconsidered previous objections, and now think the Book of Joshua describes a solar eclipse on October 30, 1207 B.C.E., over 3,220 years ago.

The Gibeon eclipse isn't the oldest such reference in ancient writing – that apparently would be an eclipse of around 4,150 years ago that peeved the emperor in China, but it's one of the oldest.

Is the Bible a true story? A special Haaretz report.

The reinterpretation of event as eclipse rather than miracle, plus clues from ancient Egyptian texts, have led historians to redate certain Egyptian dynasties, notably that of Ramesses II (aka the Great) and his son Merneptah, Sir Colin Humphreys of the University of Cambridge and W. Graeme Waddington report in Astronomy and Geophysics.

Did a frog eat the sun?

To begin with the theory of eclipse rather than miracle, the authors suggest that rather than the sun and moon stopping in their celestial tracks, including based on the original Hebrew word, "a plausible alternative meaning is that the Sun and Moon stopped doing what they normally do: they stopped shining." This interpretation actually goes back at least a century, the authors themselves point out, to an article in the Princeton Theological Review of 1918.

"This interpretation is supported by the fact that the Hebrew word translated 'stand still' [dom] has the same root as a Babylonian word used in ancient astronomical texts to describe eclipses," Humphreys stated.

Still, the eclipse theory not only didn't gain traction, it was discredited, in part because scientists couldn't reconcile the dates of total solar eclipses to the postulated timing of the Joshua story. But if one relates to annular solar eclipses, that changes things.

The Merneptah Stele, which states: 
"Israel is laid waste, its seed is no more.” 

Not quite. Webscribe, Wikimedia Commons

During a total eclipse, the moon is relatively near the Earth and basically blots out the whole sun. During an annular "ring of fire" eclipse, the moon is relatively farther, does not completely cover the sun, and a ring of light remains screamingly obvious. It apparently took many millennia for our forefathers to distinguish between total and annular eclipses, not to mention to stop assuming a dragon or frog or some other beast had swallowed the light god.

Was there an annular solar eclipse in the right time frame for Joshua? There was, calculate the writers: on October 30, 1207 B.C.E., which is within the possible dates of Joshua's incursion into Canaan.

Having established that there was an annular eclipse on that day, we get to redating the pharaonic regimes of Ramesses the Great and his son Merneptah, to within a year.

When Merneptah woz here

While much of the Bible remains in dispute, third-party evidence of an ancient Israelite presence in Canaan between 1500 and 1050 B.C.E. comes from the Merneptah Stele.  That inscription dates to the fifth year of Pharaoh Merneptah, son of Ramesses the Great (aka Ramses). The stele describes Merneptah defeating the People of Israel in Canaan, ergo, the Israelites were definitely in Canaan by Merneptah's fifth year. The question is when that fifth year was.

The part of the Merneptah Stele showing the inscription saying "foreign nation Ysyreal" (line 27).

Merenptah makes an offering to the god Ptah Chipdawes

Mainstream Egyptologists date Ramesses II's reign to around 1279–1213 B.C.E., and Merneptah's to 1213–1203 B.C.E. Others have suggested their reigns were decades later, and a whole new set of theories for ancient Egypt, called the “New Chronology,” puts Merneptah's fifth year at 867 B.C.E.
The new information indicates that the mainstreamers were closest all along: Merneptah's reign apparently began in 1210 or 1209 B.C.E. And Ramesses the Great, one of the most powerful pharaohs of the lot, ruled the roost from 1276 to 1210 B.C.E., plus-minus a year. His remains are on display at the Cairo Museum.


Also very interesting:

Family Finds Roman-era Stables Beneath Their Garden, Arrests Made Over Looting. Eilabun residents uncovered elaborate caves carved out of bedrock in ancient Galilean Jewish village, and allegedly robbed the site.

Oldest recorded solar eclipse helps date the Egyptian pharaohs
UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE

Solar eclipse of 1207 BC helps to date pharaohs
Colin Humphreys Graeme Waddington
Astronomy and Geography (source)

See Also: Patterns of Evidence

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
A companion article appears in the Jerusalem Post daily, Tuesday, Oct. 31:

MIRACLE DESCRIBED IN BOOK OF JOSHUA MAY HAVE BEEN EARLIEST RECORDED SOLAR ECLIPSE – Solar eclipse viewed in Israel for last time until 2020
BY DANIEL K. EISENBUD OCTOBER 31, 2017 00:57
Researchers have tracked the eclipse to its exact date: October 30, 1207 BCE.


WHAT OUR TORAH SAYS:

Joshua Stops the Sun (1273 BCE) 
On the third of Tammuz of the year 2488 from creation (1273 BCE), Joshua was leading the Jewish people in one of the battles to conquer the Land of Israel. Victory was imminent, but darkness was about to fall. "Sun," proclaimed Joshua, "be still at Giv'on; moon, at the Ayalon valley" (Joshua 10:12). The heavenly bodies acquiesced, halting their progress through the sky until Israel's armies brought the battle to its successful conclusion. (Yehoshua 10:12)


12  Then Joshua spoke to the Lord on the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, "Sun, stand still upon Gibeon, and Moon in the valley of Ajalon.”

יב  אָ֣ז יְדַבֵּ֚ר יְהוֹשֻׁ֙עַ֙ לַֽיהֹוָ֔ה בְּיּ֗וֹם תֵּ֚ת יְהֹוָה֙ אֶת־הָ֣אֱמֹרִ֔י לִפְנֵ֖י בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וַיֹּ֣אמֶר | לְעֵינֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל שֶׁ֚מֶשׁ בְּגִבְע֣וֹן דּ֔וֹם וְיָרֵ֖חַ בְּעֵ֥מֶק אַיָּלֽוֹן:

13  And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is this not written in the book of Jashar? (which is the Torah)? So the sun stood still in the midst of the heaven, and it did not hasten to go down exactly a whole day.

יג  וַיִּדֹּ֨ם הַשֶּׁ֜מֶשׁ וְיָרֵ֣חַ עָמָ֗ד עַד־יִקֹּ֥ם גּוֹי֙ אֹֽיְבָ֔יו הֲלֹא־הִ֥יא כְתוּבָ֖ה עַל־סֵ֣פֶר הַיָּשָׁ֑ר וַיַּֽעֲמֹ֚ד הַשֶּׁ֙מֶשׁ֙ בַּֽחֲצִ֣י הַשָּׁמַ֔יִם וְלֹא־אָ֥ץ לָב֖וֹא כְּי֥וֹם תָּמִֽים:

14  And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the Lord hearkened to the voice of a man, for the Lord fought for Israel.

יד  וְלֹ֨א הָיָ֜ה כַּיּ֚וֹם הַהוּא֙ לְפָנָ֣יו וְאַֽחֲרָ֔יו לִשְׁמֹ֥עַ יְהֹוָ֖ה בְּק֣וֹל אִ֑ישׁ כִּ֣י יְהֹוָ֔ה נִלְחָ֖ם לְיִשְׂרָאֵֽל:

15  And Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to the camp to Gilgal.

טו  וַיָּ֚שָׁב יְהוֹשֻׁ֙עַ֙ וְכָל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֣ל עִמּ֔וֹ אֶל־הַֽמַּֽחֲנֶ֖ה הַגִּלְגָּֽלָה:


30 October 2017

Are We Watching The End Of An Empire?

Are We Watching The End Of An Empire?

[A]fter living over 200 years in the United States of America even the Frum Jews have almost lost this very important foundation of our Yiddishkeit. But now, my dear friends, I must tell all American Jews, religious or not that the time has come for you to realize that the party is over and it’s time to return to our beloved Eretz Yisroel. The world is moving towards total chaos. There is going to be a great war that has been foretold in our Nevuas-prophecies and this war will only be the beginning of the havoc that is going to be wreaked on the world as we know it, by Hashem

[M]any of the Gedolai Hador are saying the same things. It’s over! The Golus is over! It’s time to come home! The Shechina has left Chutz l'Aretz and it has gathered itself into the borders of ancient Eretz Yisroel. There is not that G-dly protection of the Shechina that went with us in to the Golus and stayed with us all those years. Now there is no protection. There is no reason to stay. If you cannot financially make the trip or if you don’t have enough Bitachon in Hashem to leave the comforts of your home and life in Chutz l'Aretz that you built with Hashem’s help then show Him that you want to do what He wants you to do by day and night begging Him with all your heart and soul to take you out of this bitter Golus and bring you and your family to Eretz Yisroel where your true destiny lies.
Meir Yisroel Message from Dani18


Depravity, Frivolity, And Dissent: Are We Watching The End Of An Empire?  ZeroHedge

The following excerpt is from:  Empires — The Rise and Fall [Excerpt from Four Horsemen: The Survival Manual by Mark Braund and Ross Ashcroft.]

In the age of decadence many people choose to behave in ways that are unsustainable, apparently unaware of the consequences. They indulge in excessive, often conspicuous, consumption. An absurdly wealthy elite emerges, but instead of repelling the masses it is admired and celebrated. Those outside the elite aspire to similar levels of consumption, and are encouraged by the availability of cheap credit. People become convinced that increased consumption is the key to happiness, but in its pursuit they become measurably less happy. As David Morgan says, “you can never get enough of what you don’t need.”

At this point in the life cycle of an empire frivolity, as Glubb calls it, comes to the fore. In order to distract people from what’s really going on, the economy creates diversions. Voyeurism becomes central to culture: the gladiatorial spectacles in decadent Rome are mirrored in today’s ‘reality’ television. People become fixated on celebrity as the genuinely noteworthty become understandably camera shy. These invented celebrities are ‘famous’ just for being famous…

…Debauchery is another recurring theme at the end of empire. Society develops a strangely immature obsession with sex. People drink themselves to the point of unconsciousness and shamelessly collapse in the street. In Roman times, binge drinkers were left to their fate. Today’s debauchery is supervised by the police; its ‘victims’ are taken care of by hard-pressed health care professionals, placing further pressure on the public purse. And, all the while, supermarkets and corporations make a killing selling discounted booze to people barely old enough to buy it. This is our modern-day bread and circuses, with obese citizens literally becoming a burden on the state.

But the small can never satisfy the large. Cheap pleasures fail to compensate for the absence of meaning in so many people’s lives. A hankering for something greater remains…growing numbers are denied access to work; they can find no meaningful involvement in their community, so their potential goes unfulfilled. When people are prevented from fulfilling their potential, they often self-destruct. (source)

29 October 2017

Climate Chaos UPDATE – Around the World and In Outer Space

Climate Chaos Around the World and Up In Outerspace


Ultra high speed object appears to 'ignite' a portal in the sky - "One for the X-Files"

October 28, 2017: A sky observer "DiversityJ" of Youtube captured a very rare, incredibly fast sequence of events on the evening of October 26, 2017 at 7:32pm while recording Saturn in the west sky. A nearly transparent ULTRA high speed object that seems to defy basic laws of motion, from the viewers's perspective it traveled directly across the surface of Saturn in the lower Western sky actually distorting the light of Saturn being recorded by a Nikon P900. Then, after it quickly passed Saturn the object appeared to trigger some sort of high intensity white "portal" high in the sky. If you look closely you can see the object turns from light orange to white as it seems to become one with the bright white flash of light, like a portal.
Very fascinating sequence of events observed from NE Ohio that would have never been noticed if it weren't for the great camera work and intuition of DiversityJ to have the camera recording just at the right time. Entire event lasted less than 2 seconds!




2000 mile wide typhoon remnant low generating 60ft waves near Alaska!
October 25, 2017: A 1000 mile wide are of 40ft+ waves are rolling through the North Pacific near the S Aleutian Islands of Alaska. Some waves were reaching heights of nearly 60FT!
This is the remnant low of typhoon LAN.


"Climate Chaos" - 'Freak Storm' appears in Central US - 32 inches of rain wreaks havoc in Osaka
October 23, 2017: A routine thunderstorm traveling NE through the central plains of the US on Saturday night around 9CSt was NOT so routine after all!!
Typhoon LAN wreaks havoc on Osaka as it makes landfall.


150,000 in dark as ENTIRE island of MAUI loses power - "Climate Chaos"
October 24, 2017: A severe 'thunderstorm' has recently knocked out the flow of electricity to the ENTIRE island of Maui.


More water disappearing - PA lake goes bone dry in 48 hours - Local man mystified!October 25, 2017: Images of a DRY lake sent in by Conrad of PA. This lake was full of water 48 hours ago...where did the water go? He has been driving past this lake for 20 years and has never seen it dry. He says this lake has no dam. POCONO