Parshas Shemini – THE SMALLEST NATION

THE SMALLEST NATION

Roy S. Neuberger

This week’s Parsha describes the inauguration of the Mishkan.

The essence of our mission is unity with the King of the Universe. No other nation possesses this greatness. The Mishkan was where this encounter took place, thus the term “Ohel Moed,” which is translated as “Tent of Meeting.” The possuk says, “They took what Moshe had commended to the front of the Tent of Meeting, and the entire assembly approached and stood before Hashem. Moshe said: This is the thing that Hashem has commanded you to do; then the glory of Hashem will appear to you.” (Vayikra 9:5-6)

This kedusha was later transferred to the Bais Hamikdosh. “Dovid went and he brought up the Aron of G-d … to the City of Dovid with gladness. Whenever the bearers of the Ark of Hashem walked six paces, he slaughtered an ox and a fatted ox. Dovid danced with all his strength before Hashem and Dovid was girdled in a linen tunic. Dovid and the entire House of Israel brought up the Ark of Hashem with loud joyous sound and the sound of the shofar….” (II Shmuel 6:12 -15; Haftaras Shemini)

This Makom is called “a house of prayer for all the peoples.” (Yeshiah 56:7)

“Also a gentile who is not of Your people Israel, but will come from a distant land … and will come and pray toward this Temple … May You hear [them] from Heaven … so that all the peoples of the world may know Your Name, to fear You … and to know that Your Name is proclaimed upon this Temple ….” (I Kings 8:41ff)

The nations hear of our greatness and desire to attach themselves to us. In my book, From Central Park to Sinai, I recount an amazing incident in which I was driving in Manhattan during rush hour. I suddenly realized that I had forgotten to daven mincha; I had only a few minutes until shkia. I pulled into one of those “Don’t even think of stopping here!” zones, got out of my car and started saying “Ashrei.” Suddenly I heard a loud voice: “What do you think you’re doing! Get that car out of here.” I turned around and said, in a quiet tone, “Officer, I actually just need a few minutes to pray before sunset.” Silence. He looked at me. “Pray! Why didn’t you tell me! You take as long as you want! And don’t forget … pray for me!”

The nations of the world desire our tefillah. In their heart of hearts they too yearn for the “house of prayer for all the peoples.” They too know there is no survival without us and our dvaykus with the Lord of the Universe. They too know that Hashem promised Avraham Avinu that “all the families of the earth shall bless themselves by you.” (Bereishis 12:3)

Several weeks ago, before boarding a plane to the Holy Land, I noticed a group of very large men about to board our plane. They looked quite unlike the typical El Al passenger. Guess what? I wound up sitting across the aisle from two of these gentlemen!

Renaldo Wynn (left) and Michael Pierce (right) 

aboard El Al Flight 008. The author is between them

Guess what! We talked for most of the flight.

This was a group of National Football League players, and they were really big! Someone had paid for an entourage to visit Israel. My wife and I prepared our new friends for the Holy Land as well as we could. They were extremely respectful. I also believe that they were grateful to meet Jews who were so friendly to them and whose obvious priority was the fulfillment of a Biblical lifestyle, the effect of which would be to bring those blessings Hashem promised to Avraham Avinu down to this planet.



My wife took a picture of me standing between my two giant friends. I was reminded of the miraglim, who said, “There we saw the Nephilim, the sons of the giant from among the Nephilim; we were like grasshoppers in our eyes and so we were in their eyes.” (Bamidbar 13:33)

But we are not grasshoppers!

No! We are descendants of kings and prophets, giants of Torah, masters of spiritual greatness. We are the smallest of the nations and the greatest of the nations. We are not measured physically. “For you are a holy people to Hashem, your G-d [Who] … has chosen you to be for Him a treasured people above all the peoples on the face of the earth. Not because you are more numerous than all the peoples did Hashem desire you and choose you, for you are the fewest of all the peoples. Rather, because of Hashem’s love for you and because He observes the oath that He swore to your forefathers did He take you out with a strong hand and redeem you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt.” (Dvarim 7:6-8)

The mishkan was erected in the desert. Within it the Presence of the King of All Kings came to meet with the Holy Nation of Israel, bringing blessings to this world. The kedusha of the Mishkan was transferred to the Bais Hamikdosh, whose Makom lies within a small city in the midst of a small nation. To this Makom are drawn all those who seek blessing. “A Baraisa was taught in the yeshiva of Rabbi Yishmael: Blessing is not found except in something at which the eye cannot gaze, as it is said: Hashem shall command the blessing up you in your hidden storage places…. For blessing is not found in something that has been weighed, nor in something that has been measured, nor in something that has been counted. It is found only in something that is hidden from the eye.” (Taanis 8b)

Soon the Shechina will return in its glory! “V’sechezena ainainu … May our eyes behold Your return to Tzion in compassion!” May we see it soon in our days!

* * * *

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

© Copyright 2018 by Roy S. Neuberger

What is Eliyahu’s Role?

BS”D
Pesach 5778
Rabbi Nachman Kahana

A PESACH THOUGHT

In parashat Bo, HaShem discloses the four stages to redemption that He will provide for the Jewish nation (Shemot 6,6-7):

(ו) לכן אמר לבני ישראל אני ה’ והוצאתי אתכם מתחת סבלת מצרים והצלתי אתכם מעבדתם וגאלתי אתכם בזרוע נטויה ובשפטים גדלים: (ז) ולקחתי אתכם לי לעם והייתי לכם לא’להים וידעתם כי אני ה’ א’להיכם המוציא אתכם מתחת סבלות מצרים
6 Therefore, say to the children of Israel: ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment.
7 I will take you as My own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.
Analogous to the four stages of redemption (bring you, free you, redeem you, take you) our rabbis established the requirement of drinking four cups of wine on the seder night.

Question: There is a fifth stage in the exodus saga (6,8):

(ח) והבאתי אתכם אל הארץ אשר נשאתי את ידי לתת אתה לאברהם ליצחק וליעקב ונתתי אתה לכם מורשה אני ה
And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the Lord.’”

Why didn’t the rabbis require drinking a fifth cup of wine?

What is Eliyahu’s Role?

Eliyahu HaNavi (Elijah the Prophet) appears twice in the Pesach Seder; once when we fill up the cup with wine in his honor and again when we open the door for him with our request that HaShem pour out His wrath on the evil nations of the world.

Question: what is Eliyahu’s involvement with the Egyptian exodus that induced his inclusion in the seder? And why in these two capacities?

I submit:

On this night two Torah mitzvot are in effect – to eat matza and relate to our children the slavery episode and the miraculous exodus.

The hagada describes a dysfunctional family where generational and ideological gaps exist between parents and children. Father is perplexed by his obligation to transmit the heritage to children who are either uninterested in the glorious past of our nation, or incapable of understanding its implications.

Enter Eliyahu HaNavi. How?

The Prophet Malachi states (3,23):

(כג) הנה אנכי שלח לכם את אליה הנביא לפני בוא יום ה’ הגדול והנורא:
(כד) והשיב לב אבות על בנים ולב בנים על אבותם….
Now. I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes. He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents…

The future mission of Eliyahu is to restore the family functions and relationships to their intended status, where children are inculcated with parental wisdom and seek to follow in their footsteps.
Eliyahu will heal the divisions in our nation caused by 2000 years of galut in two ways, which are expressed in the two times he is mentioned in the hagadah.

The fifth cup of wine represents the fifth stage of redemption “I will bring you to the land” as quoted above, whereby the Jewish people will escape the wretched galut and begin closing our religious and ideological gaps.

The second and final re-unification will be when HaShem will use the army of Israel, Tzahal, to pour out His wrath on the evil nations of the world.

This will be the task of Eliyahu HaNavi who is the forerunner of the Mashiach, to re-unite the various factions of Judaism into one united people under the Torah.

CHAG SAMAYACH
Nachman Kahana

Copyright © 5778/2018 Nachman Kahana

IN ERETZ YISRAEL . . .

“63 'Prisoners of Torah' who were imprisoned during the winter for prolonged periods of time”

WHY?

they didn’t want to join the army
they wanted to keep their menorah to sit and learn our Holy Torah

A Jewish Army was established under David HaMelech, but today this is not how it is. Some survive and others fall into the philosophy of the Generals, with Jewish customs trampled on causing severe PTSD for some Jewish soldiers. One cannot deny that it is a secular army, with little room for Judaism. Yes, we need defense and security, but there are Jewish youth that do not belong in the IDF and they should not be forced into it.

IN RUSSIA

they didn’t want to join the army

While we do not live in Russia today; however, could enlistment/induction/conscription into the Israeli IDF (against one’s religious beliefs) and ensuing imprisonment be "legal kidnapping"? legal dictionary

Many of the early settlers/founders of Israel came from communist socialist countries and lived under foreign rulers with unJewish laws. How did this affect their outlook Weltanschauung (ger. world outlook) in establishing laws in their old/new environment?  JA

According to the "Statute on Conscription Duty" signed by Tsar Nicholas I of Russia on August 26 (September 7 new style), 1827, Jews were made liable to personal military service and were subject to the same conscription quota as all other tax-paying estates ("sosloviya") in the Russian Empire. Conscription Duty

The Soldatskaya Synagogue, or Soldiers' Synagogue, a unique wooden structure that was built in 1907 by Jewish soldiers who had been kidnapped as children to serve in the Russian Imperial Military, was formally returned to the Jewish community of Tomsk, Siberia, on Feb. 1. Siberian Wood Synagogue of Kidnapped Jewish Children

One of the most dreaded aspects of Jewish life in Tzarist Russia was conscription into the army. ... In the mid-nineteenth century, when Tzarist agents took to kidnapping young Jewish boys for forced military service. Forced Military Service.

Tens Of Thousands Attend Peleg Motorcade Event To Honor 63 ‘Bnei Torah’ Prisoners

See more photos at YeshivaWorldNews

Chol HaMoed Pesach Message of Nir ben Artzi ENGLISH

בס"ד

Message from Nir Ben Artzi
Chol HaMoed Pesach,
the seventh day of Pesach - Parashat Shemini, 5778
Sunday, 16 Nissan [emphasis mine]

Father in Heaven and in Israel, King of the Kings of the Holy One, Blessed is He, the world belongs to him, everything on Earth belongs to the Holy One, Blessed is He. The Holy One, Blessed be He, runs the world according to His will, and it is all in our favor. From everything that happens to a person in this world, he must not give up, not from the harsh anguish and not from all kinds of disturbances, he must cope and hope and expect that it will be good. Even if a person is in the most difficult situation, he must not despair and must not give up. One must always try and continue to ask for mercy from the Holy One, Blessed be He. The Holy One, Blessed is He, examines His heart and kidneys, He checks His sons if they believe in him. God wants us Jews - faith. Faith is to accept everything with love. It is forbidden to grumble, you must not complain, and you must not harm any Jew, no one. According to our faith, according to how much we receive everything with love, so the Holy One, Blessed be He, gives us abundance of goodness for all our desires.

Every Jew will not let go of requests from the Holy One, Blessed be He, even when he does not see or hear him. The Holy One, Blessed is He, sees us and hears us and expects to hear our requests from the depths, from the walls of the heart. When your request is heard from the walls of the heart, the Holy One, Blessed be He, fulfills your good request. "Lip service" is not heard by the Holy One, Blessed be He. A person can speak for two minutes from the depths of his heart and open the gates of Heaven, and a person can request requests for lip service, whole days in a row - and will not be heard in Heaven or in Israel.

Every Jew who does good and tries to fulfill the Ten Commandments, the Holy One, Blessed be He, does not forget all the good that he does and will return to him many times, in stages and at appropriate times.

We are on the holiday of freedom. Passover reminds every Jew of what his ancestors passed through Egypt and reminds us of a memory for generations, only to believe in the Holy One, Blessed is He, only in the Holy One, Blessed be He! We live in freedom, and freedom in this world, thanks to the Holy One, Blessed be He. We live here thanks to the unity and unity of the Jews, surviving from generation to generation. Oneness gives us strength to continue to believe in the Holy One, Blessed is He. Every Pesach the Holy One, Blessed be He, gives us the opportunity to wake up and remember that there is no one but Him!

The people of Israel, a united people, solidarity, and united even in the world, cannot beat them. Not to believe any Gentile or any foreign person. Our ancestors always helped the whole world, they were innocent.

Satiety, food, and medicine - only from the Holy One, Blessed be He. There is no one in the world who feeds human beings. Only the Holy One, Blessed be He, feeds every mouth, heals people and gives food and food (nourishment) to the whole world, from lice to ram, trees and fish. To rely only on Father in Heaven is the Zen, the container, the living and the healing. there are none but Him. Not to pursue any flesh or blood. And not watch the flesh and blood he will give you without working, "with the sweat of your nose you shall eat bread." Count on the Holy One, Blessed Be He, who consumes, nourishes, and rejuvenates.

The Holy One, Blessed be He, gives us the Holy Land of Israel, surrounded by pure gold that illuminates all the world, gives joy to the Land of Israel and gives life to the whole world. Thanks to the Holy Land and the Jews who live in the Holy Land who study Torah and pray, the whole world lives, suckling from the Land of Israel like a fetus living from the navel. As small as Israel is, it is powerful and gives light to the whole world. In the Land of Israel, the Jews learn Torah and pray, and this is a pipe and a direct and open connection to the Holy One, Blessed be He.

Every pure Jew has an affinity to the Holy One, Blessed be He, especially a Jew who loves your neighbor as yourself, and Derech Eretz Kedmo L'Torah - that is the character of a Jew. The Holy One, Blessed be He, says to the Jews and to the entire world:

'I have given ten Commandments to fulfill them. If you do not [. . .], there are ten plagues. In order to be protected from the ten plagues, the Ten Commandments must be observed. “

Gog and Magog and Chaos - only outside the Land of Israel. There will be nothing in the Holy Land of Israel, and nothing will happen. It was not for nothing that the Holy State of Israel was established in 1948, in order to bring all the Jews back to build the Temple so that there will be resurrection of the dead. They will want or not want, there is strength, the mind, and good will.

All the nations around us and every country against Holy Land, the Holy One, Blessed be He, gives them the ten hard plagues. A state that is in favor of holy Israel - is Blessed by the highest one.

Heavenly angels help soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces and help Air Force pilots reach anywhere in the world. Pilots, never forget that angels accompany you from Heaven! If there were no angels accompanying you, you would not cross the borders of Israel. The Israel Defense Forces and the Air Force can reach anywhere in the world.

Hamas in the Gaza Strip, they hate the Jews in the Land of Israel. Some live in Israel, some live in Europe. They instruct their people and the Palestinians to hold demonstrations and disturbances in the Land of Israel and tell them: 'The IDF will not harm you.’

The Israel Defense Forces is the strongest in the world, guarding its borders. The Israel Defense Forces are strong and strong, the Israel Defense Forces will fight against anyone who interferes with the welfare of the Jews who live in the Land of Israel. All those in the world waiting for disturbances and complications in the Land of Israel, which are expected to be a mess in Israel, says the Holy One, Blessed be He: "There will be nothing in the land of Israel, everything will be very good and everything will be better than good! The Land of Israel is protected and protected and no one can disturb my children who live in the Land of Israel! ' The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) loves peace, and if it fights, it is for the purpose of self-defense and defense of the Jews in the Land of Israel.

Members of Knesset and the Government of Israel, to stop looking for honor, to pursue honor will never find honor. Every man digging a hole for his friend will fall first in this pit. Only the Holy One, Blessed be He, is a righteous judge in the world and knows what is in the heart of man. Instead of slander and free hatred, one must let the law do its job. Members of Knesset, to help the Jews, to protect the Holy Land, to develop the Holy Land and to build houses in the Negev, the West Bank, Benjamin and the Western Galilee, the Golan Heights, Judea, the Arava and the Jordan Valley. Who, who dug a pit for this and who would inform on it. They do not do their job. Those who do not fulfill their mission - the Holy One, Blessed be He - complicate Him in this world.

Jews living outside the Land of Israel, some of them do not want to come to the Land of Israel. The Holy One, Blessed be He, stabs each and every one with a needle until they come to Israel. They still do not understand that billions of gentiles hate Jews and that anti-Semitism and Muslims harass Jews every day. It is difficult for them to leave the Diaspora, the power of impurity found there, the evil inclination - it is difficult for them to leave.

The Holy One, Blessed be He, gives all the Jews who live abroad to feel how much the Gentiles hate them -  immigrate to Israel! The Creator says to them: 'Your mother and father are the Land of Israel. Spirituality, healthy life and adherence to the Holy One, Blessed be He ‘

Egypt, Sisi works according to the help of the Israel Defense Forces and Israel, Israel is helping Sisi, a modern and good peace partner with Israel and the world, all those who disturb him are primitive, have no education and no intellect, do not want to move forward.

Abu Mazen steals all the money he gets, grasps and mixes, makes swirls and laughs at everyone. The media sounds like he cares about the Palestinians - an actor, it's all one whole show. His day is near, they will take his inheritance.

In East Jerusalem, be careful, alert and open your eyes everywhere. IDF soldiers and policemen - you are a target, to keep your eyes open.

Trump loves the Jews living in Israel, admires the people of Israel and the IDF and rejoices the people of Israel, Trump is the smartest in the world. He knows that the Jews who live in the Land of Israel are compassionate and merciful and have good powers and help from God.

Russia, Putin loves the Jews secretly and appreciates them. He is a wise man and knows what a Jew is, the power of the Jews. Says: "Over seven billion people in the world do not understand a thing, and a handful of Jews, a few million, drive the whole world."

The president of France got into trouble with the Muslims. Be their friend at first, now he is in their hands. They will turn all of France into Muslim. That the Jews would continue to be there, that some of the Jews would not believe that there was redemption and Messiah. Every day that the Muslims pass more cruelly, when they feel full security, they will hurt the Jews most severely in the world.

Turkey has become entangled with itself, it has no control, soldiers are killed like flies. It will soon have a revolution, little by little, patience.

All that is written in the message that we write every Sunday, everything will take place. Patience. Times of Heaven are not times of the mouth (uttered).

Iran is next to be like Turkey. The women in Iran are stronger than the boys, and they will make a revolution. Iran is in fear of the Israeli air force. The Holy One, Blessed be He, says to them: 'Try to send a missile or use any weapon in the direction of Israel - it will explode and turn against you in front of your face and you will be hit the hardest in the world. I will bring upon you the ten plagues and every blow that is much more severe. ' "Their sword shall come in their hearts, and their bow shall be broken.”

Syria is being wiped out, there will be no peace. The US is also leaving, and Syria will continue to be wiped out.

Jordan is a country that eats its inhabitants.

Hezbollah and Nasrallah without the ammunition of Iran is paralyzed and can not move, not even squeak. He's afraid of his ammunition.

Lebanon loves only themselves.

Parents, keep your children from assimilation, drugs, alcohol and gambling.

All the people who took bribes, and who want to take bribes, or cheat and steal and live on the backs of others, engage in lewdness and dirt - stop immediately. They will do an urgent repentance - they will come from Heaven and come to meet them and save them.

Disturbances anywhere in the world, disturbances in Israel among members of the Knesset, disruptions among mayors in every city, disturbances in the rabbinate, chief rabbis who do not manage problems and disagreements between them, and with all the disturbances - Israel is protected, preserved and functioning.

In all these disturbances, the Creator says: There is no one to trust! I cannot rely on flesh and blood, and therefore I send  Mashiach, a man of G–D, who will save and redeem, and will save Israel and the entire world. 

The general feeling, the vicissitudes of the weather, the tension, the anxieties, the complications and agonies in the world and in Israel - all this before the revelation of King Messiah in public! 

The gift to receive Moshiach is not easy, but the direction is real and good and there is no end backward. We are at the edge of the kingdom of King Messiah, even though he works secretly and works in secret. 

These are the signs that the revelation of Mashiach ben David is imminent. It will not be sudden, because there is redemption in mercy. Step by step, the Holy One, Blessed is He, the entire State of Israel, the Jews and the entire world. The most difficult things in nature, volcano eruptions, floods, storms, complications of wars within and between countries, entanglements in planes, trains, ships and cars, all these difficult things in the world - so that Mashiach ben David will be king over the Land of Israel and the whole world !

Moshiach is revealed in stages and steps, so that you will not panic. The rabbis who receive visions are waiting for a strong one to emerge and all will follow. Even in Heaven, the righteous and the angels wait and expect like the Jews in Israel, to reveal the Messiah in public!

Chol HaMoed Pesach 5778 Message of Nir ben Artzi HEBREW

בס"ד

מסר הרב ניר בן ארצי שליט"א

לפרשת חוה"מ פסח, שביעי של פסח - פרשת שמיני תשע"ח

נמסר ביום ראשון, ט"ז בניסן תשע"ח 1.4.18 | 8:30

אבא שבשמיים ובארץ, מלך מלכי המלכים הקדוש-ברוך-הוא, העולם שייך לו, כל מה שנמצא בכדור הארץ שייך לקדוש-ברוך-הוא. הקדוש-ברוך-הוא מנהל את העולם לפי רצונו, והכל לטובתנו. מכל מה שקורה לאדם בעולם הזה, אסור לו להתייאש, לא מהייסורים הקשים ולא מכל מיני הפרעות, הוא צריך להתמודד ולקוות ולצפות שיהיה טוב. גם אם אדם נמצא בבעיה הכי קשה, אסור לו להתייאש ואסור לו להרים ידיים. צריך תמיד להשתדל ולהמשיך ולבקש רחמים מהקדוש-ברוך-הוא. הקדוש-ברוך-הוא בוחן לב וכליות, הוא בודק את בניו אם הם מאמינים בו. הקדוש-ברוך-הוא רוצה מאיתנו היהודים - אמונה. אמונה - זה לקבל הכל באהבה. באמונה אסור להתמרמר, אסור להתלונן ואסור לפגוע באף יהודי, באף אדם. לפי מידת האמונה שלנו, לפי כמה שאנחנו מקבלים הכל באהבה - כך מרחם עלינו הקדוש-ברוך-הוא ונותן לנו שפע של טוב לכל רצונותינו.

כל יהודי ויהודי לא ירפה מלבקש בקשות מהקדוש-ברוך-הוא, גם כשהוא לא רואה ולא שומע אותו. הקדוש-ברוך-הוא רואה אותנו ושומע אותנו ומצפה לשמוע בקשותינו מעומק, מקירות הלב. כשבקשתך נשמעת מקירות הלב, הקדוש-ברוך-הוא מקיים את בקשתך הטובה. 'מס שפתיים' לא נשמע אצל הקדוש-ברוך-הוא. אדם יכול לדבר שתי דקות מקירות ליבו וייפתחו לו שערי שמיים, ויכול אדם לבקש בקשות ב'מס שפתיים', ימים שלמים ברצף - ולא יישמע בשמיים ולא בארץ.

כל יהודי שעושה טוב ומשתדל לקיים את עשרת הדיברות, הקדוש-ברוך-הוא לא שוכח את כל הטוב שהוא עושה ויחזיר לו פי כמה וכמה, בשלבים ובזמנים מתאימים.

אנו בחג החירות. חג הפסח מזכיר לכל יהודי מה עברו אבותיו במצרים ויזכיר לנו זיכרון לדורי דורות, אך ורק כדי להאמין בקדוש-ברוך-הוא, רק בקדוש-ברוך-הוא להאמין! אנו חיים בחֵירות וחופש בעולם הזה, בזכות הקדוש-ברוך-הוא. אנחנו חיים פה בזכות האחדות והאגודה אחת של היהודים, שורדים מדור לדור. האחדות נותנת לנו כוח להמשיך ולהאמין בקדוש-ברוך-הוא.

כל פסח נותן לנו הקדוש-ברוך-הוא להתעורר ולזכור שאין עוד מלבדו!

עם ישראל עַם סגולה, כשהם מאוחדים ומלוכדים אף עם בעולם לא יכול לנצח אותם. לא להאמין לאף גוי ולאף אדם זר. אבותינו תמיד עזרו לכל העולם, היו תמימים.

השובע, האוכל והרפואה – רק מהקדוש-ברוך-הוא. אין אדם בעולם שמאכיל את בני האדם, רק הקדוש-ברוך-הוא מאכיל כל פה, מרפא את בני האדם ונותן מזון ואוכל לכל העולם, מביצי כינים ועד קרני ראם, עצים ודגים. לסמוך רק על אבא שבשמיים הוא הזן, המכלכל, המחייה ומרפא. אין עוד מלבדו. לא לרדוף אחרי אף בשר ודם. ולא לצפות מבשר ודם שייתן לך מבלי שתעבוד, 'בזיעת אפך תאכל לחם'. לסמוך על הקדוש-ברוך-הוא שמכלכל, זן, מרפא ומחייה.

נותן לנו הקדוש-ברוך-הוא את ארץ ישראל הקדושה, מוקפת זהב טהור שמאיר לכל העולם, נותן שמחה לארץ ישראל ומחייה את כל העולם. בזכות ארץ הקודש והיהודים שחיים בארץ הקודש שלומדים תורה ומתפללים, כל העולם חי, יונק מארץ ישראל כמו עובר שחי מהטבור. כמה שישראל קטנה, ככה היא עוצמתית ומפיצה אור לכל העולם. בארץ ישראל, היהודים לומדים תורה ומתפללים וזה צינור וקשר ישיר ופתוח לקדוש-ברוך-הוא.

כל יהודי טהור יש לו זיקה לקדוש-ברוך-הוא, במיוחד יהודי שנוהג 'ואהבת לרעך כמוך', ו'דרך ארץ קדמה לתורה' – זה אופיו של יהודי. הקדוש-ברוך-הוא אומר ליהודים ולעולם כולו: 'נתתי עשר דיברות כדי שתקיימו אותן. אם לא תקיימו - יש עשר מכות. כדי להיות מוגנים מעשר המכות, צריך לקיים את עשרת הדיברות'.

גוג ומגוג ותוהו ובוהו - רק מחוץ לארץ ישראל. בארץ ישראל הקדושה לא יהיה ולא יִקרה כלום. לא לחינם קמה מדינת ישראל הקדושה בשנת תש"ח (1948), כדי להביא את כל היהודים בחזרה, כדי לבנות את בית המקדש וכדי שתהיה תחיית המתים. הקדוש-ברוך-הוא לעולם לא הולך אחורה, תכניותיו מתקיימות בדיוק לפי מה שתכנן, ירצו או לא ירצו, יש בכוח ויש במוח ויש ברצון טוב.

כל הגויים סביבנו וכל מדינה שהיא נגד ארץ ישראל הקדושה, הקדוש-ברוך-הוא נותן להם את עשר המכות הקשות. מדינה שהיא בעד ישראל הקדושה - מתברכת מפי עליון.

מלאכי שמיים עוזרים לחיילי צבא-הגנה-לישראל ועוזרים לטייסי חיל האוויר להגיע לכל מקום בעולם. טייסים, לעולם לא לשכוח שמלאכים מלווים אתכם משמיים! אם לא היו מלאכים מלווים אתכם - את גבולות ישראל לא הייתם חוצים. צבא-הגנה-לישראל וחיל האוויר יכול להגיע לכל מקום בעולם.

החמאס ברצועת עזה, הם שונאים את היהודים בארץ ישראל. חלק מהם גרים בארץ ישראל, חלק גרים באירופה. הם מדריכים את אנשיהם והפלסטינים לעשות הפגנות והפרעות בארץ ישראל ואומרים להם: 'צה"ל לא יפגע בכם'.

צבא-הגנה-לישראל הוא הכי חזק בעולם, שומר על גבולותיו. צבא-הגנה-לישראל ער וחזק, צבא-הגנה-לישראל יילחם נגד כל אדם שיפריע לשלומם של היהודים שגרים בארץ ישראל. כל אלו בעולם שמחכים שיהיו הפרעות וסיבוכים בארץ ישראל, שמצפים שיהיה בלאגן בישראל, אומר להם הקדוש-ברוך-הוא: 'בארץ ישראל לא יהיה כלום, יהיה הכל טוב מאוד ויהיה הכל יותר טוב מטוב! ארץ ישראל מוגנת ושמורה ואף אחד לא יכול להפריע לילדיי שגרים בארץ ישראל!'. צבא-הגנה-לישראל אוהב שלום, ואם הוא נלחם, זה לצורך הגנה עצמית והגנת היהודים בארץ ישראל.

חברי כנסת וממשלת ישראל, להפסיק לחפש כבוד, רודף כבוד לא ימצא את הכבוד לעולם. כל אדם שחופר בור לחברו, ייפול הראשון בבור הזה. רק הקדוש-ברוך-הוא שופט צדק בעולם ויודע מה בלב האדם. במקום לשון הרע ושנאת חינם, צריך לתת לחוק לעשות את העבודה שלו. חברי כנסת, להתעסק בעזרה ליהודים, בהגנה על אדמת הקודש, בפיתוח אדמת הקודש ובבניית בתים בלי סוף, בנגב, בשומרון, בבנימין ובגליל המערבי, ברמת הגולן, ביהודה, בערבה ובבקעת הירדן - על זה צריכים חברי הכנסת לשים דגש, ולא על מי יפיל את מי, מי יחפור בור לזה ומי ילשין על זה. הם לא עושים את ייעודם. מי שלא עושה את ייעודו - הקדוש-ברוך-הוא מסבך אותו בעולם הזה.

יהודים החיים מחוץ לארץ ישראל, חלק מהם לא רוצים לבוא לארץ ישראל. הקדוש-ברוך-הוא 'דוקר' כל אחד ואחד עם מחט עד שיבואו לישראל. הם עוד לא מבינים שמיליארדי גויים שונאים את היהודים ושהאנטישמיות והמוסלמים מציקים יום יום ליהודים. קשה להם לעזוב את הגולה, את כוח הטומאה שנמצא שם, את היצר הרע - קשה להם לעזוב.

הקדוש-ברוך-הוא נותן לכל היהודים שגרים בחו"ל להרגיש כמה שהגויים שונאים אותם - לעלות לישראל!

בורא עולם אומר להם: 'אמא ואבא שלכם זה ארץ ישראל, יהיו לכם חיים הכי מאושרים, רק בארץ ישראל. אל תחפשו כסף וכבוד, תחפשו רוחניות, חיים בריאים והידבקות בקדוש-ברוך-הוא'

מצרים, סיסי פועל לפי עזרת צה"ל וישראל. ישראל עוזרת לסיסי. סיסי מודרני וטוב לשלום עִם ישראל והעולם. כל המפריעים לו הם פרימיטיביים, אין להם השכלה ולא שכל, 'ענתיקות', לא רוצים להתקדם. העוני במצרים חזק והרעב חזק.

אבו מאזן גונב את כל הכסף שמקבל, מסכסך ומערבב, עושה מערבולות וצוחק על כולם. בתקשורת נשמע כאילו אכפת לו מהפלסטינים – שחקן, הכל הצגה אחת שלמה. יומו קרוב, ייקחו לו את הירושה.

במזרח ירושלים להיות זהירים, ערניים ולפקוח עיניים בכל מקום. חיילי צה"ל ושוטרים – אתם מטרה, לפקוח עיניים.

טראמפ אוהב את היהודים שגרים בישראל, מתפעל מעם ישראל ומצה"ל ושמח בעם ישראל. טראמפ הכי חכם בעולם, הוא יודע שהיהודים שגרים בארץ ישראל הם רחמנים בני רחמנים וטובים ויש להם כוחות ועזרה מריבונו של עולם.

רוסיה, פוטין אוהב את היהודים בסתר ומעריך אותם. הוא איש חכם ויודע מה זה יהודי מה כוחם של היהודים. אומר: 'מעל שבעה מיליארד בני אדם בעולם לא מבינים כלום וקומץ של יהודים, כמה מיליונים - מניעים את כל העולם'.

נשיא צרפת הסתבך עם המוסלמים. היה חבר שלהם בהתחלה, עכשיו הוא בידיים שלהם. הם יהפכו את צרפת כולה למוסלמית. שימשיכו היהודים להיות שם, שימשיכו חלק מהיהודים לא האמין שיש גאולה ומשיח. כל יום שעובר המוסלמים אכזריים יותר, כשירגישו ביטחון מלא הם יפגעו ביהודים בצורה קשה ביותר בעולם.

תורכיה הסתבכה עם עצמה, אין לה שום שליטה, חיילים נהרגים כמו זבובים. תהיה לה מהפכה בקרוב, לאט לאט, סבלנות.

כל מה שכתוב במסר שאנחנו כותבים בכל יום ראשון, הכל יתקיים. סבלנות. זמנים של שמיים זה לא זמנים של פה.

איראן הבאה בתור להיות כמו תורכיה. הנשים באיראן חזקות יותר מהבחורים, והן יעשו מהפכה. איראן בפחד-אימים מחיל האוויר הישראלי. אומר להם הקדוש-ברוך-הוא: 'תנסו לשלוח טיל או להפעיל נשק כלשהו לכיוון ישראל – יתפוצץ ויתהפך עליכם מול הפנים ואתם תיפגעו בצורה הקשה ביותר בעולם. אביא עליכם את עשר המכות וכל מכה קשה פי כמה וכמה'. "חרבם תבוא בליבם וקשתותם תישברנה".

סוריה נמחקת, לא יהיה שלום. גם ארה"ב יוצאת משם וסוריה תמשיך להימחק.

ירדן ארץ אוכלת יושביה.

חיזבאללה ונסראללה בלי התחמושת של איראן הוא משותק ולא יכול לזוז, גם לא מצייץ. הוא פוחד על התחמושת שלו.

לבנון אוהבים רק את עצמם.

הורים, לשמור על ילדיכם מהתבוללות, סמים, שתייה חריפה והימורים.

כל האנשים שלקחו שוחד, ושרוצים לקחת שוחד, או לרמות ולגנוב ולחיות על גב אחרים, לעסוק בזימה ולכלוכים – שיעצרו את זה דחוף. יעשו תשובה דחוף - משמיים יָקֵלו ויבואו לקראתם ויצילו אותם.

הפרעות בכל מקום בעולם, ההפרעות בישראל אצל חברי הכנסת, הפרעות אצל ראשי ערים בכל עיר ועיר, הפרעות ברבנות, הרבנים הראשיים שלא מסתדרים ויש בעיות ומחלוקות ביניהם, ועם כל ההפרעות - ישראל מוגנת, שמורה ופועלת.

בכל ההפרעות האלה אומר בורא עולם: אין על מי לסמוך! אי אפשר לסמוך על בשר ודם ולכן אני שולח משיח איש אלוקים, שיציל ויגאל ויושיע את ישראל ואת העולם כולו. התחושה הכללית, תהפוכות מזג האוויר, המתח, החרדות, הסיבוכים והייסורים בעולם ובישראל – כל זה לפני התגלות מלך המשיח בפרהסיה! הַמַתָנָה לקבל משיח היא לא קלה, אבל הכיוון אמיתי וטוב ואין אחורה. אנחנו נמצאים בקצה של הקצה של המלכת מלך המשיח, למרות שהוא עובד בסתר ופועל בסתר. אלה הסימנים שקרוב גילוי משיח בן דוד, תהליך אלוקי. זה לא יהיה בפתאומיות, כי יש גאולה ברחמים. שלב אחר שלב, מרגיל הקדוש-ברוך-הוא את כל מדינת ישראל, את היהודים ואת כל העולם. דברים קשים ביותר באיתני הטבע, התפרצויות הרי געש, שיטפונות, סערות קשות, סיבוכים של מלחמות בתוך ובין מדינות, תסבוכות במטוסים, רכבות, אוניות ומכוניות, כל הדברים הקשים האלה שיש בעולם - כדי שמשיח בן דוד ייצא להיות מלך על ארץ ישראל ועל העולם כולו!

משיח מתגלה בשלבים שלבים, כדי שלא תהיה פאניקה. הרבנים שמקבלים חזיונות, מחכים שרב אחד ייצא חזק וייצאו אחריו כולם. גם בשמיים הצדיקים והמלאכים מחכים ומצפים כמו היהודים בישראל, להתגלות מלך המשיח בפרהסיה!

Is This The Israel I Know . . . Or Know Not?

The Torture of a Jewish Child, ie the Torture of a Jew by The (Jewish sic!) State of Israel!

Its very painful to write this, but something must be done to free these boys, and stop the perpetrators from doing this to Jews.

By Boaz Shapiro, Translated from the Arutz Sheva Hebrew site by Chava Shulman. arutzsheva

What is currently happening in Israel is inconceivable. The Jewish world is silent as two Jewish boys have been brutally tortured and subsequently incarcerated for over two years.

I am referring to the so-called "Duma affair". I will not delve into the legal aspects of this case. The evidence for the defendants' guilt is perceived as fictitious and baseless by many.. I will instead focus on the human dimension.... on the severe, unrelenting pain of parents and children who are tormented by unspeakable and intractable human suffering.

There are many signs indicating that the arson in Duma, in which 3 Arabs of the Abu Dawabsha clan were killed, was the result of an internal Arab dispute within the Dawabsha clan. Additional cases of arson occurred in Duma after this case, where the unanimous consensus of Israeli police and army was that the fires were started by Arabs of the town. A calligraphic analysis of an anti-Arab Hebrew slogan found in Duma indicates that it was written by Arabic speakers ...

From a legal perspective, the prosecution has no evidence that the two Jewish defendants have any connection to this crime. The only "evidence" they have are confessions which the Jewish section of the Shabak obtained after mercilessly torturing 16 year old Elisha O. and 18 year old Amiram Ben Uliel for two weeks. Unbelievably, the Shabak committed these acts with the imprimatur of the highest levels of government, starting from the office of the Prime Minister, the office of the Attorney General, the police and the head of the Shabak.

I would like to focus on the harsh tortures suffered by several Jewish youths, the majority of whom were released without charge, while two others have been languishing in jail now for over two years. The courts are now weighing whether their confessions can legally be used to convict them even though the prosecution admits that these confessions were obtained under severe torture.

One of those interrogated boys testified that the Shabak interrogators placed him on a low chair with no backrest, shackled to a chair, with his legs bent back and tied to a chair. The interrogators then forcibly bent his back until his head touched the floor and his back formed an "opposite arc". They held him in this position for several entire nights. The pain caused by this torture was unbearable. The interrogators screamed in his face that if he wanted to be freed, he must confess to the arson and crimes they accused him of.

The torture lasted for two weeks. It included prolonged sleep deprivation, slapping, beatings, curses, threats, being tied into impossible body positions which caused excruciating pain and fainting.

One of those interrogated boys testified that an interrogator beat his stomach while another interrogator threw his head back until a doctor had to be called.

Another time, one of the boys was shackled with his feet to a chair, his hands cuffed behind him. The interrogators raised his hands back until they formed a 90-degree angle with his back, thus stopping the flow of blood into his hands. The boy, then 17 years of age, felt numbness and freezing cold in his hands due to the cessation of the blood flow. Then the interrogators gave him an electric shock and he felt his hands burning with terrible pain. The shock was so strong that the boy was thrown to the ground.

There are other terrible and horrific testimonies that I will not describe here. The two boys were eventually willing to say anything to stop the suffering, the pain, and the agony. One of the boys, Elisha O., who was a mere 16, tried to commit suicide. He begged the torturers to tell him what they wanted him to admit. He said he would admit to anything to make them stop - even the assassination of Rabin, the murder of John Kennedy or the murder of Arlozoroff.

It was reported that during a closed-door trial, one of the defendants asked his parents to leave the hall when he was called to testify. He did not want his tormented parents to hear about his harsh suffering.

For over two years, caring and moral individuals have tried to knock on the doors of Members of Knesset, politicians, members of the judiciary, journalists, spiritual leaders ... to no avail. Today, two families whose sons have been detained in inhumane conditions for more than two years remain alone.

Where are the voices of the Institute for Democracy, the Council for Child Welfare, the Association for Civil Rights and the Rabbis of Israel?

Imagine the scale of the suffering and the intensity of the worry. Try to imagine how you would feel if your child was tortured and imprisoned and you were helpless to help him. Inconceivable. Unbearable. Suffering beyond the pale.

In order to justify the use of "special measures" (harsh torture), the interrogators claimed that this was a "investigation of necessity" (to prevent future terrorist activity). This claim was totally unfounded and fictional.

And recently, the prosecution requested that the court "recognize torture as lawful" - an unprecedented request in the State of Israel. This is a continuation of the State Attorney's Office's attempt to convince the justices that despite the use of torture, the confessions were given "willingly" and are legally admissible. They furthermore wrote that the torture was conducted "while maintaining the defendants' dignity (!)" Is it possible to grasp the magnitude of this absurdity?

I do not know the outcome of the trial, but can only pray that at last, Elisha O. and Amiram Ben Uliel will be treated with justice. What is clear is that the harsh torture of two Jewish boys must be thoroughly investigated. The heart and mind do not tolerate that the Jewish state treats Jewish boys where there is no clear evidence of guilt in a manner that is harsher than they treat Arab terrorists whose bloody hands are held up for all to see.

Sequel to “Hint of Ingathering” – What happened to Spain's Jews?

Sequel to “Hint of Ingathering” – What happened to Spain's Jews?

INTERVIEW WITH ASHLEY PERRY, A DESCENDANT OF SPANISH JEWRY, PRESIDENT OF RECONECTAR ORGANIZATION

Over 100 million people descended from forcibly converted Spanish Jews, says Reconectar organization, 1 in 4 US Latinos has Jewish ancestry.

Last week, a report produced by a special committee within the Diaspora Affairs Ministry made headlines when it suggested that there are some 100 million people around the world with Jewish ancestry – the children of recent Jewish converts to other religions, or the descendants of Jewish communities forced to adopt other faiths.

[. . .] Prior to the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem in 70 CE, the Jewish people numbered as many as four to four and a half million people according to some studies, or equivalent to nearly 10% of the entire Roman Empire. Some studies estimate the number of Jews in that period at as many as eight million.

[. . .]
Ashley Perry, President of the Reconectar organization, says that just the descendants of Iberian Jews forced to convert alone likely numbers over 100 million

Ashley Perry (Perez) is from the Spanish and Portuguese (Sephardic) Jewish community. Brought up in London from one of the oldest Jewish families in the UK, Perry made Aliyah (immigrated) to Israel in 2001.

Once the largest Jewish community in the world, most of the Jews of Spain and Portugal were forced to adopt Catholicism, with a minority fleeing the peninsula.

While many of the Spanish and Portuguese Jews forced to convert (Anusim, or ‘Forced Ones’) maintained their Judaism covertly for centuries, the knowledge of their Jewish heritage often faded with the passing generations, leaving only family traditions with distant roots in Judaism.

Perry, who immigrated to Israel from the UK and served as an adviser to an Israeli deputy premier and foreign minister, has taken up the cause of the ‘Bnei Anusim (Descendants of the Forced Ones). Perry serves both as the Director-General of the official Knesset Caucus for the Reconnection with the Descendants of Spanish and Portuguese Jewish Communities, and President of Reconectar, which helps descendants of Iberian ‘lost Jews’ reconnect with their heritage.

In an interview with Arutz Sheva, Perry said that the number of Bnei Anusim alone is 100 million, with some studies suggesting there are as many as 200 million descendants of Spanish and Iberian Jews.

“It is very difficult to gauge the number of people descended from the Jews of Spain and Portugal who were coerced to convert to Christianity or to practice their Judaism in secret.”

“There are different figures that have been suggested, based on studies of the number of Jews forced to convert to Christianity in Spain and Portugal going back to the 14th century. Given the birthrate over the years, studies have estimated the number of descendants of these Jews at anywhere from 100 million to 150 million and even some who claim there are as many as 200 million around the world descended from Spanish and Portuguese Jews. I like to follow the most conservative estimates and say that we are talking about at least 100 million people.”

Most of the ‘Bnei Anusim’ today live in the Americas, continued Perry, they can be found around the globe.

“These people today live all over the world. Obviously most live in Latin America, but there are many in the United States in Spain, Portugal, and in Southern Europe in countries like Italy. But many live outside of these areas, all across the globe in countries ranging from India to New Zealand. According to some studies, one in seven or as many as one in four Latinos living in the US has Jewish ancestry. In many countries across Central and South America there are many [people with Jewish ancestry], including in Brazil, where many Bnei Anusim settled.”

“Many Spanish names which are today common in Latin America were originally Jewish names, and show just how many descendants of the Anusim there are. My family name, for instance, Perez, comes from the Hebrew name Peretz, one of the tribes from Judah. Lopez is another such name, as is Hernandez. We’ve compiled a huge database of Spanish and Portuguese Jewish names.”

“Today, more and more people are rediscovering their Jewish heritage and looking to reconnect with it – that’s why our organization is called ‘Reconectar’ from the Spanish and Portuguese word for ‘reconnect’. We’ve been contacted by tens of thousands and even hundreds of thousands of people around the world reaching out because they’re interested in reconnecting with their Jewish heritage.

“Some, on one extreme, want to become Jewish – convert to Judaism, observe Judaism, and in some cases even make Aliyah [immigrate] to Israel. 

On the other extreme, there are people who identify as Christians – Catholics, Evangelicals, or other Christian denominations – and want to remain as such, but are interested in learning about their Jewish background. We have no interest in missionizing – that’s not our goal. We want to provide people with the chance to reconnect with their heritage in the way that they see fit.

“Some people always knew about their Jewish heritage. Others kept some Jewish traditions – traditions which over time were no longer understood. For instance, some people would observe “Esther’s Fast” – a practice which has its origins in the traditional Taanit Ester [Fast of Esther] observed by Jews ahead of Purim. Some people had family traditions of not eating pork, or of not mixing meat and milk. There are some who eat only flat [unleavened] bread or crackers in the spring around Easter time.

“Today with the internet, there is greater access than ever to information, allowing people to rediscover the origins of their family traditions. And with genetic testing, more and more people are able to verify their claims of Jewish heritage.

“This is a very exciting time. There is a huge amount of interest in this, with people all over the world looking to reconnect with their Jewish roots. 

We had one meeting – just a meeting – in the Knesset for the establishment of the parliamentary Caucus for the Reconnection with the Descendants of Spanish and Portuguese Jewish Communities, and people came from all over the world to attend. This was just a two-hour meeting, but we had people coming in from around the world because they were so excited about the concept. One person came all the way from New Zealand – a round trip of 48 hours – just for a two-hour event.”

____________________________

Source: In part: ArutzSheva

Unprecedented 100,000 at the Kotel for Birchat Kohanim

Just Listen to our Kohanim

A HINT TO THE FINAL INGATHERING ?

Is This A Hint to The Final Ingathering of the Lost From the Ancient Jews Scattered Across the Globe? 

Those who profess connection to the Israelites Expelled from the Batei HaMikdash?

FIRST, READ CONTROVERSIAL ARTICLE BY HAARETZ, Israeli Ministry Sets Sights on Millions of 'Potential Jews’: [this article has created a hasty condemnation and confusion, there is much more to this than meets the eye, despite the JA’s purposes]

"According to the #report, these groups include **descendants of Jews who are ineligible for the Law of Return, such as Jewish converts; communities who claim to be Jewish but still need to undergo conversion such as the Falash Mura (Beta Israel) from Ethiopia or the Bnei Menashe from India; descendants of forced converts in Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, South America and the southwestern U.S.; descendants of Eastern Europeans who hid their faith under communist regimes; communities in Africa and Asia that claim a more distant connection to the Jewish people; and groups around the world with "a desire for an ideological and spiritual affinity .”

"As part of the attempts to estimate the number of people who could possibly be involved, the #committee sketched out five “circles of affinity.”

# THE REPORT AND COMMITTEE was established in 2016 by the Diaspora Affairs Ministry, which is (today, not in 2016) headed by Education Minister Naftali Bennett, the chairman of the Habayit Hayehudi party. The committee’s goal (back in 2016) was to recommend a policy to the government concerning the “**large communities” that have asked Israel for recognition, aid, and sometimes even citizenship.

** LARGE COMMUNITIES:
The first group is the Jewish “core” with over 14 million people who are commonly recognized as Jews.
The second group is comprised of nine million people who qualifying for Israeli citizenship under the Law of Return, including their family members.
The third group includes the more than five million people who can be considered "distant relatives" of Jews.
The fourth group includes some 35 million people who have “declared their affinity to the Jewish people,” such as the descendants of communities that were forced to abandon their Judaism. The fifth and last group is the largest, about 60 million people, described as having “future potential" as "descendants of Jews, descendants of forced converts, and additional communities with an affinity to the Jewish people but are not currently declaring so or are unaware of it.”

*  *  *

WHAT WAS QUOTED IN A DIFFERENT ARTICLE [from Obadiah 1:19]: And that exiled force of Israelites [shall possess] what belongs to the Phoenicians as far as Zarephath, while the Jerusalemite exile community of Sepharad (Spain) shall possess the towns of the Negev.

HOW CHABAD QUOTES Ovadiah 1:19-20

19. And [the inhabitants of] the southland shall inherit the mountain of Esau, and [the inhabitants of] the plain, the Philistines, and they shall inherit the field of Ephraim and the field of Samaria, and Benjamin [with the inhabitants of] Gilead.

יטוְיָֽרְשׁ֨וּ הַנֶּ֜גֶב אֶת־הַ֣ר עֵשָׂ֗ו וְהַשְּׁפֵלָה֙ אֶת־פְּלִשְׁתִּ֔ים וְיָֽרְשׁוּ֙ אֶת־שְׂדֵ֣ה אֶפְרַ֔יִם וְאֵ֖ת שְׂדֵ֣ה שֹֽׁמְר֑וֹן וּבִנְיָמִ֖ן אֶת־הַגִּלְעָֽד:

20. And this exiled host of the children of Israel who are [with] the Canaanites as far as Zarephath and the exile of Jerusalem which is in Sepharad shall inherit the cities of the southland.

כוְגָלֻ֣ת הַֽחֵל־הַ֠זֶּה לִבְנֵ֨י יִשְׂרָאֵ֚ל אֲשֶֽׁר־כְּנַֽעֲנִים֙ עַד־צָ֣רְפַ֔ת וְגָלֻ֥ת יְרֽוּשָׁלִַ֖ם אֲשֶׁ֣ר בִּסְפָרַ֑ד יִֽרְשׁ֕וּ אֵ֖ת עָרֵ֥י הַנֶּֽגֶב:

*  *  *

FURTHER, CONCERNING THE ARTICLE FROM HAARETZ, Israeli Ministry Sets Sights on Millions of 'Potential Jews’:

Mention was made about Bnei Menasha:
"The Bnei Menashe (sons of Manasseh) claim descent from one of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel, who were sent into exile by the Assyrian Empire more than 27 centuries ago. Their ancestors wandered through Central Asia and the Far East for centuries, before settling in what is now northeastern India, along the border with Burma and Bangladesh. Throughout their sojourn in exile, the Bnei Menashe continued to practice Judaism just as their ancestors did, including observing the Sabbath, keeping kosher, celebrating the festivals and following the laws of family purity. And they continued to nourish the dream of one day returning to the land of their ancestors, the Land of Israel.” Shavei Israel. Michael Freund, Founder and Chairman of Shavei Israel, and the Staff for the other communities.

Shavei Israel lists the following:

SPAIN, PORTUGAL, AND LATIN AMERICA: Bnei Anousim (or Marranos) whose ancestors were compelled to convert during the Spanish Inquisition 500 years ago
INDIA: Descendants of one of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel such as the Bnei Menashe
POLAND: Hidden Jews from the Holocaust era
RUSSIA: Subbotnik Jews whose forefathers embraced Judaism two centuries ago
CHINA: The Chinese Jews of Kaifeng
BRAZIL: Jews of the Amazon
PERU: The Inca Jews of Trujillo
ITALY: The Jews of San Nicandro and the Bnei Anousim of Sicily and southern Italy

ALSO CONCERNING THE ORGANIZATION, RECONECTAR:
*Ashley Perry emphasized that Reconectar is not an organization focused on conversion as Jewish identity is one of peoplehood and not religion.  “We do not impose ourselves on how people choose to reconnect,” Perry said. “Judaism is returning to its natural status as a national identity. It was never a religion or faith. In the Bible and onward, Jews were referred to as a people.”

Perry noted: “[O]n the 31st March 1492 the Alhambra Decree, the Edict of Expulsion from Spain, was signed by the joint Catholic Monarchs of Spain (Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon) ordering the expulsion of practicing Jews from the Kingdoms of Castile and Aragon and its territories and possessions by 31 July, of that year."

This year March 31 is/was PESACH.

_______________________________________

For further reference:

The Lost Tribes of Israel in Afghanistan and the hidden descendants of Moses [Pashtun Tribes]
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvKSDLhr39k]

Pashtuns are Israelites: Reality or a Myth?
[https://www.israelrising.com/pashtuns-israelites-reality-myth/#comment-590]

*RECONECTAR:
Ashley Perry (Perez) is President of Reconectar and Director General of the Knesset Caucus for the Reconnection with the Descendants of Spanish and Portuguese Communities [(engl) https://www.facebook.com/ReconectarEng/]. He was adviser to Israel's Minister of Foreign Affairs from April 2009 to January 2015. He has also worked with several other government ministers, Members of Knesset and many of the leading international Jewish, Zionist and Hasbara organizations. (http://reconectar.co) Our goal is to strengthen and to bolster the State of Israel and the Jewish People, by facilitating a reconnection between the descendants of Spanish and Portuguese Jewish communities and the recognized Jewish world. (https://www.facebook.com/ashley.perry.12)

Jews in Latin America and Caribbean (Wikipedia)
"After the expulsion, many Sephardic Jews migrated to the Netherlands, France and eventually Italy, from where they joined other expeditions to the Americas. Others migrated to England or France and accompanied their colonists as traders and merchants. By the late 16th century, fully functioning Jewish communities were founded in the Portuguese colony of Brazil, the Dutch Suriname and Curaçao; Spanish Santo Domingo, and the English colonies of Jamaica and Barbados. In addition, there were unorganized communities of Jews in Spanish and Portuguese territories where the Inquisition was active, including Colombia, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Mexico and Peru. Many in such communities were crypto-Jews, who had generally concealed their identity from the authorities.”

______________________________________

ADDENDUM: There is so much collected information and data on these communities and these lost neshomas that are now (in these last days of this final Golus) coming “out of the hidden closet” (description purposes only) that one should be open to discussion and examination; which creates a chulent of confusion and complexities vis-a-vis Jewish Halacha for our authentic Rabbinic Authorities, that only, I believe, Mashiach can decipher “who is a Jew” as prophecy says he will do by his "scent of smell.”

"The term Yericho (Jericho) derives from the word rei’ach (smell), and alludes to Moshiach of whom it is said “veharicho b’yiras Hashem – in the fear of G-d..” (Isaiah 11:3): that is, Moshiach is called “mari’ach veda’in – he is able to judge a person by merely “smelling” him.” (Sanhedrin 93b).

Soon we will be able to greet the Moshiach, who will instantly and perfectly perceive the spiritual aspect of everything, and transmit his knowledge to mankind. This is one reason why we make a special point of blessing on spices as Shabbat goes out (Havdallah ceremony). Then we have a heightened expectation of greeting Eliyahu who will herald the arrival of Moshiach (Likutei Halakhot, Laws of blessings on Smell).” AytzChayim–Sense of Smell from Creation . . .”

FINAL INGATHERING PROPHECIES [Wikipedia]:

1. And it will be, when all these things come upon you the blessing and the curse which I have set before you that you will consider in your heart, among all the nations where the Lord your God has banished you,
2. and you will return to the Lord, your God, with all your heart and with all your soul, and you will listen to His voice according to all that I am commanding you this day you and your children,
3. then, the Lord, your God, will bring back your exiles, and He will have mercy upon you. He will once again gather you from all the nations, where the Lord, your God, had dispersed you.
4. Even if your exiles are at the end of the heavens, the Lord, your God, will gather you from there, and He will take you from there.
5. And the Lord, your God, will bring you to the land which your forefathers possessed, and you will take possession of it, and He will do good to you, and He will make you more numerous than your forefathers.

— Deuteronomy 30:1-5[4]

In the process of the gathering of the exiles of Israel Moses emphasizes the followings points:

Following conditions attached to: "and you will return to the Lord, your God."
The exiles "at the end of the heavens" will also return.
The situation will be improved after the ingathering of the exiles of Israel in the land of Israel: "and He will do good to you, and He will make you more numerous than your forefathers.”
And it shall come to pass that on that day, the Lord shall continue to apply His hand a second time to acquire the rest of His people, that will remain from Assyria and from Egypt and from Pathros and from Cush and from Elam and from Sumeria and from Hamath and from the islands of the sea.
And He shall raise a banner to the nations, and He shall gather the lost of Israel, and the scattered ones of Judah He shall gather from the four corners of the earth.

— Book of Isaiah 11:11-12[5]

And I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will return your captivity and gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will return you to the place whence I exiled you.

— Book of Jeremiah 29:14

With a pleasing savor I shall accept you when I take you out of the nations, and I shall gather you from the lands in which you were scattered, and I shall be hallowed through you before the eyes of the nations.
And you will know that I am the Lord when I bring you to the land of Israel, to the land that I lifted My hand to give to your forefathers.

— Book of Ezekiel 20:41-42

In Law of Kings, Maimonides writes:

1. The Messianic King will arise in the future and restore the Davidic Kingdom to its former state and original sovereignty. He will build the Temple and gather the dispersed of Israel. All the laws will be re-instituted in his days as they had been aforetimes; sacrifices will be offered, and the Sabbatical years and Jubilee years will be observed fully as ordained by the Torah.
2. Anyone who does not believe in him, or whoever does not look forward to his coming, denies not only the other prophets but also the Torah and of Moses our Teacher. For the Torah attested to him, as it is said:

"then, the Lord, your God, will bring back your exiles, and He will have mercy upon you. He will once again gather you from all the nations... Even if your exiles are at the end of the heavens, the Lord, your God, will gather you from there, and He will take you from there. And the Lord, your God, will bring you... (Deuteronomy 30:3-5).

These words, explicitly stated in the Torah, include all the statements made by all the prophets.
— Maimonides, Mishneh Torah, Law of Kings 11:1-2

Cyrus's Declaration (538 BC), Ezra 1:3[13]

Who is among you of all His people, may his God be with him, and he may ascend [va'Yaal / Aliya] to Jerusalem, which is in Judea, and let him build the House of the Lord, God of Israel; He is the God Who is in Jerusalem.

According to the Bible, Cyrus the Great called upon the Jews to implement the ingathering of the exiles of Israel, a Kibbutz Galuyot, through his conquests, and not only to live there but also to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem (Beit HaMikdash) that was destroyed.

ABOUT KING CYRUS:

As Netanyahu explained in his remarks:

I want to tell you that the Jewish people have a long memory, so we remember the proclamation of the great king, Cyrus the Great, the Persian king 2,500 years ago. He proclaimed that the Jewish exiles in Babylon could come back and rebuild our Temple in Jerusalem. We remember a hundred years ago, Lord Balfour, who issued the Balfour Proclamation that recognized the rights of the Jewish people in our ancestral homeland. We remember 70 years ago, President Harry S. Truman was the first leader to recognize the Jewish state. And we remember how a few weeks ago, President Donald J. Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Mr. President, this will be remembered by our people through the ages.

What is known about Cyrus is as much myth as fact, [. . .] Jewish tradition has been consistent in treating him as a pagan agent of God’s divine plan for Jews to return to the Land of Israel from their exile in Babylon (modern-day Iraq). Cyrus shows up in Chronicles saying,

  “The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah.”

ad infinitum

____________________________________



Add to the above, a statement on Jewish Aliya by Caroline Glick, in her article, Time to End Demographic Fearmongering:

“[. . .] The most direct solution to Israel’s demographic challenge is what it always has been – Jewish immigration, aliya.

"There are 700,000 Jews in the former Soviet Union. There are 500,000 Jews in France, 300,000 in Germany and 300,000 in Britain and 50,000-75,000 in South Africa. If Israel sets a goal of bringing 500,000 Jews to Israel in the next 10 to 15 years, it can achieve it.

"And if Israel brings another 500,000 Jews to Israel, then even with Judea and Samaria it will reinstate its 75% majority. Indeed, Israel may end up with an even larger majority since Jewish fertility rates outpaced the Palestinian fertility rates in Judea and Samaria in 2012 and the gap has only grown in ensuing years.[. . .]"

Counting Sefira Week One Chesed

Sefirat HaOmer

The Omer is counted every evening after nightfall, from the second night of Passover till the night before Shavuot

Forgot to count the Omer at night? Count the following day, but without a blessing. On subsequent nights, continue counting with a blessing as usual.The blessing is made only if every day has been counted; if you missed a day, say the day's count without the blessing.

Omer Count for Shabbat Night March 31, 2018
1 Day in the Omer - Hayom Yom Echad LaOmer - Chesed Sheb’Chesed

About Chesed

Tree of LifeChesed, the most expansive of the Sefirot, representing Mercy, sits below Chochmah on the right-hand column. Chesed, representing pure positive energy, holds the still undifferentiated seed of all that has taken place between the upper Sefirot, and since it represents the total Desire to Share, it can be generous to a fault. We all have seen Chesed run amok. It is the person who weeps more for the criminal than for his victim; it is the poor man who has won the lottery and gives every penny of his new fortune to charity, leaving his own family destitute. Unrestrained, Chesed gives until it hurts - to almost everybody.

Pesach Thoughts

Pesach Thoughts

by Shalom Pollack

We are very close once again to the time of celebrating the most important moments in our history as a nation. The holiday of our freedom as a people, 3,500 years ago, pointed us on our way to receiving the laws that made us unique and making our way to our promised land.This is unparalleled in history.

As I recollect these earth-shattering events, I try to compare them with any other single period in our very long history. The only period that comes to mind is the one we are blessed to live in this day. In fact, for me and almost seven million Jews, it is not only this day but this place.

I am sharing these thoughts from my home in Jerusalem.

As my grandfather would say in Yiddish, "ein klenekeit"(no small thing). My grandfather was lucky to leave Czarist Russia in time to raise a family in the US. I was lucky enough to fulfill the dream of hundreds of generations that preceded my grandfather and come full circle. Ein Klenekeit indeed!
Could my ancestors, as they were expelled from one hostile land to another ever imagine that one day it would really happen. Did they really?

Our sages tell us that the final redemption will be much like the first, in Egypt. It is not difficult to find some clear parallels:

We were freed from physical personal and national bondage.

How many millions of Jews left their antisemitic totalitarian countries in which they lived for centuries, in Europe, the Mid-east and beyond to fulfill the prophecies of the"ingathering of the exiles " at the end of days? It is happening outside my window.

Against all odds, the Jewish people, never a military power, freed our land from a host of powerful military powers in the promised land. That was 3,500 years ago. A similar miracle was repeated in 1948 (and in 1967, 1973....).

Our greatest leader of all time, Moshe abandoned a very comfortable life to rouse his people to break the bonds of slavery and march home.

In the late nineteenth century, another man, raised in the lap of European comfort decided to leave that comfort and to dedicate his life to his people for the same reason. As Moses, he too was met with many naysayers and critics. He too had to face derision and accusations from the people he was trying to save and dedicated his life too.

By the time they died, both were recognized by the world as the leader of their people. Both ultimately did not enter the promised land but paved the way for the rest of his people.

As soon as the People of Israel left Egypt, the Egyptians changed their mind and against all logic, pursued them until the former cruel masters were drowned in the Red Sea.

The British issued the "Balfour declaration" in 1917 promising the Jews their homeland. They too changed their minds very shortly afterward and became the nemesis of the Jewish dream of the return.

Like Egypt, Britain soon lost its superpower status as its empire quickly crumbled and is a shadow of its former self. Millions of Muslims stream into England destabilizing British life from within. Their best days are long gone. Their pinnacle was when they issued the "Balfour declaration" They began to sink fast when they reneged.

When the people of Israel settled the promised land, they had were engaged in constant war with neighboring and internal nations who continually challenged Israelite sovereignty.

And today...?

Our sages guarantee us that the ultimate redemption will make the Exodus from Egypt seem pale for all of the miracles that God will do for us.

It has been a very convincing beginning.

The best is yet to come!


www.shalompollacktours.com