Sentiments For Our Days

13 Sivan 5780
Erev Shabbat Kodesh
Parashat Beha'alotcha

When the Ark would journey, Moshe said, "Arise, Hashem, and let Your foes be scattered, let those who hate You flee from before You."  And when it rested, he would say, "Reside tranquilly, O Hashem, among the myriad thousands of Israel." (Bamidbar 10:35-36)

The Stone Edition Chumash comments:

...Recognizing that Israel would always have foes and haters who strive to prevent submission to God from holding sway on earth, Moshe began every journey with a plea that God protect His servants from those who seek to thwart the realization of His will. And when the people, led by the Ark, were coming to rest, he prayed that the vast numbers of the nation and its future descendants would feel the Divine Presence, unopposed, in their midst. ...these two verses...encompass the striving and final triumph of the Divine ideal.

In another take on these verses, Rabbi David Etengoff, a Torah columnist for The Jewish Star wrote:

I find the first of our two pesukim particularly difficult to comprehend; in particular, the phrase, “and may those who hate You flee from You,” seems to hide far more than it reveals. After all, exactly who are those “who hate You”? Moreover, what does it actually mean to “hate G-d”? Fortunately, these questions were addressed long ago in the Midrash Sifrei on our pasuk:

“Are there really haters [that stand before] the One who spoke and the world came into being? Rather, the text is teaching us that anyone who hates the Jewish people is as if he hates the One who spoke and the world came into being. We find this idea, as well, in another verse: ‘And with Your great pride You tear down those who rise up against You; You send forth Your burning wrath; it devours them like straw’ (Shemot 15:7). Are there really those who rise up against the One who spoke and the world came into being? Rather, the Torah is teaching us that anyone who rises up against the Jewish people is as if he has risen up against the Omnipresent One” (Pesikta 84).

According to this Midrash, no one actually hates or rises up against Hashem. Instead, anyone, be they individuals or nations, who has abject antipathy for our people and wreaks havoc against us is included among those who are called sonei Hashem (haters of Hashem). Professor Nechama Leibowitz zt”l, one of the previous generation’s greatest exponents of Torah analysis, offers an interpretation of our midrashic passage that is particularly apropos:

“Accordingly, the enemies of Israel are synonymous with the enemies of G-d. Whether we are worthy or not of this title; those bent on our destruction regard us as the standard-bearers of truth and justice and the representatives of the divine Law. And it is for this reason they persecute and hate us” (Studies in Bamidbar, page 91).

Professor Leibowitz buttresses her insights with the following synopsis of Rav Shimshon Raphael Hirsch’s zt”l interpretation of our pesukim:

“Hirsch, commenting on this passage, remarks that Moses was aware that enemies would rise up against the Torah from the moment that it was given. Its demands for justice and altruism were bound to antagonize aggressors and tyrants and stand in the way of their designs. The Torah’s call to holiness would not only arouse hatred, but active persecution” (Ibid.)

Taken in tandem, Professor Leibowitz provides us with a clear path for understanding the very nature of anti-Semitism, and why, for example, the Haggadah solemnly proclaims: “Bechol dor v’dor omdim aleinu l’chaloteinu” — “In each and every generation, there are those who rise against us to completely destroy us.”

In sum, it is because we are “the standard-bearers of truth and justice and the representatives of the divine Law.” In addition, the Torah itself, and we as its representatives, are antithetical to everything for which the tyrants of the world have stood and continue to stand. “Its demands for justice and altruism,” coupled with the Torah’s “call to holiness,” are ideals by which our enemies cannot abide.

As a result, as the “People of the Book,” that is, as representatives of Hashem’s holy Law, we continue to be hated and persecuted until this time.  (Source)

I tried to find the source, without success, but I do recall learning somewhere that those who are "our foes" are of Yishmael and "our haters" are of Eisav.  We must never forget that it is a halachah that Eisav soneh et Ya'aqov.  Eisav hates Ya'aqov.  When you understand and accept that, things like the following come as no surprise at all.

  According to a report from Kann News, US officials said, "Settlers are ungrateful and that is the reason for our [Trump Administration's] cold shoulder. As we struggle with the coronavirus and riots in the streets - they attack us."

(See Trump's Kindness to Israel.)  May we all find perfect rest and peace in the joy of the Holy Shabbat and may we merit to see with our own eyes either the teshuvah or the downfall of all Hashem's foes and haters!!

~ SHABBAT SHALOM ~

Tower of Bavel Reborn?

11 Sivan 5780

Riffing off Rabbi Richter's latest video shiur...

“...The Ben Ish Chai, Tractate Brachot, page 10, side A, tells an amazing Torah that when at the End Times, at Armageddon, Gog uMagog – the seventy nations – will come with the same Tower of Babel. The same tower that represented the fight against Abraham, against God, against the Torah. That same tower will be used in the End Days to fight against God and the Jewish People.” (0:41:28 - 0:42:20)

I propose that the aptly named 

ONE WORLD TRADE CENTER "FREEDOM" TOWER 

is this very tower.

At its middle, the tower forms a perfect octagon. From the street, it looks like a pyramid ascending toward the sky.  (Source)

What locals and tourists alike call the Freedom Tower is officially One World Trade Center. ...One World Trade Center is the name of the building, but not all of the building is open to the public. The area open to visitors is the One World Observatory.

...One World Trade Center has the distinction of being the tallest building in the United States, the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere, and the sixth-tallest building in the world. ...there’s a special historical reference built into One World Trade Center’s height that even most New Yorkers don’t know about. The building’s total height, including the spire, is 1,776 feet. This was designed deliberately to reference the year the Declaration of Independence of the U.S. was signed.

[REMINDER TO READERS: July 4, 1776 was 17 Tammuz on the Hebrew calendar.]

...From the videos and displays at the visitor entrance to the amazingly fast Skypod elevators that take you up 102 stories in just 47 seconds, everything about the visit is high-tech and built to impress. It’s a full audiovisual experience.... (Source)

"OMG, Is This How Gog and Magog Looks? Scary!"

11 Sivan 5780

I Can No Longer Say I Didn't Know

11 Sivan 5780

Thanks to Rav Yaron Reuven...



PLEASE WATCH TO THE END AND SHARE!

The Penalty For Tearing Eretz Yisrael From the Jews

10 Sivan 5780

What the world is witnessing in the United States today is the penalty for those who continue, despite many harsh warnings, to try to tear large portions of Eretz Yisrael from the hands of the Jewish people.  And as could be seen yesterday, the chaos is spreading across the globe because the whole world approves the plan to divide the land and give it to Israel's enemies.

I wish I could find the image, but I clearly recall Rabbi Mizrachi back in January holding up a newspaper showing two headlines side by side, one announcing the release of the "Deal of the Century" and the other announcing the outbreak in China of a novel coronavirus.

The "political" part of the Trump Peace Plan was revealed at a White House ceremony on January 28, 2020 and the WHO declared the coronavirus to be a global emergency on January 30, 2020.  January 27, 2020 was Rosh Chodesh Shevat!

Since then, there have been significant events occurring around each Rosh Chodesh.  The headlines on Rosh Chodesh Adar announced "World on Lockdown" and "Stocks Turn Red."  By Rosh Chodesh Nissan the headlines announced 1 million jobless in Israel and 3.3. million jobless in America while the borders were closed.

On Rosh Chodesh Iyyar, a cyber war broke out between Israel and Iran initiated by Iran with an unprecedented attack on our national water system.  Israel responded on Pesach Sheini with a counterattack on a major Iranian port and Iran came back again on Yom Yerushalayim with another cyber attack that affected hundreds of Israeli websites.

Additionally and notably on Rosh Chodesh Iyyar, the numbers of infected with the coronavirus in Israel began to decline.

Rosh Chodesh Sivan fell on May 24, 2020.  George Floyd was killed by the police in Minneapolis on May 25, 2020.

During all this time, we now know that Netanyahu has never ceased to hold meetings regarding the turnover of our Holy Land...

Israel, Saudi engaged in secret talks over Temple Mount: report

Israel and Saudi Arabia have been conducting clandestine talks about including Saudi representatives in the Islamic Waqf Council at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, Hebrew-language daily Israel Hayom reported Monday.

Top anonymous Saudi diplomats told Israel Hayom that the two countries have been engaged in discussions since December, involving a limited negotiating team of senior diplomats and security officials from Israel, Saudi and the United States.

The talks are part of the Peace to Prosperity Middle East initiative formulated by US President Donald Trump’s administration, the report stated.

According to a top Saudi diplomat, up to a few months ago the Jordanians adamantly objected to any change in the Waqf Council. But the Hashemite Kingdom has changed its stance amid intensive Turkish interference in east Jerusalem and the Temple Mount, Israel Hayom reported.

And just yesterday...

Report: Netanyahu discusses annexation plans with Kushner, top diplomatic envoys

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly held talks with White House senior adviser Jared Kushner, along with US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, over West Bank annexation plans on Monday, according to Hebrew-language broadcaster Channel 13.

Israel's Ambassador to Washington, Ron Dermer, was also reportedly included in the conversation.

During the discussion, according to Hebrew media sources, Kushner and White House officials urged Netanyahu “to greatly slow the process” of initiating Israeli annexation plans over West Bank territory, citing a number of challenges currently occupying the administration's attention at the moment.*

...The talks came just hours after Israel Defense Minister Benny Gantz ordered the country's top military general to start preparing plans involving West Bank annexation.

Gantz said he instructed IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi to also provide plans on how to manage various Palestinian responses if Israel ultimately decides to extend its sovereignty into parts of the West Bank.

Speaking at his Blue and White party faction meeting, Gantz said that both he and the premier are in touch with the Trump administration on how to best execute the White House's vision for Middle East peace.

Under Israel's current government coalition agreement, moves to carry out Israel's annexation plans can begin after July 1.

*And the violence and destruction there is continuing to escalate.

Netanyahu will assuredly annex the 30% of the West Bank in accordance with the Trump Peace Plan because that is what he has been ordered to do by The Powers That Be.  And when he does, I have no doubts that it will launch The Third Messianic War.  (See also How Israeli Annexation Talk Is Already Reshaping the Middle East.)  It remains to be seen whether it will happen on July 1, 2020 or not, but be aware that the Hebrew date is 9 Tammuz.

I believe that war, whenever it happens, will bring with it the end of the Erev Rav regime and the revelation of Mashiach ben Yosef.  Only in this way can the gains of the war be properly managed.

"He who keeps Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps."

Oh the irony of the White House suffering the same fate that awaits Israeli villages in Judea and Samaria should the President's plan be implemented. 

VERY POWERFUL AND TIMELY MESSAGE FROM R. ANAVA

9 Sivan 5780

The lecture itself is from 2019, but this is allegedly the first time it is online.  Very appropos.

"YOU WILL BE LIKE GODS"

9 Sivan 5780

But of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, God said, "You shall not eat of it, and you shall not touch it, lest you die.'"  And the serpent said to the woman, "You will surely not die.  For God knows that on the day that you eat thereof, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like gods, knowing good and evil." (Breishit 3:3-5)

Since the beginning of our time on this earth, the Satan has inspired rebellion in the hearts of human beings. And he does it by causing people to question and doubt whether they can trust HKB"H as well as appealing to their egos and challenging them to become "gods" in their own right.

This is what drove the effort to build the Migdal Bavel and now we find ourselves once again at the same turning point at the end of history.



I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS DOCUMENTARY FOR EVERYONE. Some will gain from it, others will not. That's why I am not embedding the full video. But, for anyone who wants the proof that we are truly and certainly at The End of This World, follow the link to the original that is included in the notes of this excerpt on Youtube.

And the Lord descended to see the city and the tower that the sons of man had built. And the Lord said, "Lo! They are one people, and they all have one language, and this is what they have commenced to do. Now, will it not be withheld from them, all that they have planned to do? (Breishit 11:5-6)

The Reshaim of today understand the power of unity, hence The New World Order, intended to accomplish what they failed to do back then - to establish themselves as the gods of this world in place of HKB"H, God forbid!

Every attempt they make to assert their own godhood brings the world closer to its ultimate Destruction.  They will never realize their goal to replace The Creator because without Him, they are nothing but destroyers.  Life and light is only with HKB"H while death and darkness resides with them.

This is the most compelling proof yet that Mashiach and Redemption are at the door.  The alternative would be: "...will it not be withheld from them, all that they have planned to do?"
______________________________

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Chag Shavuot Sameach!

5 Sivan 5780
Erev Chag Shavuot
Day 49 of the Omer

In case you missed it the first time around...



What is the Story of Shavuot?

The "stories" of many things, their background and purpose, can be told by explaining what they are called. To a great extent, this is true in general of the Jewish holidays and, in particular, it is true of the holiday of Shavuot. The names of this holiday are:

"Chag Shavuot" - The Feast (or Holiday) of Weeks
"Z'man Matan Torateinu" - The Time of the Giving of Our Torah
"Chag HaBikkurim" - The Holiday of the First Fruits
"Atzeret" - The Holiday of "Being Held Back, or Restrained, Close to Hashem, in the Temple"
"Chag HaKatzir" - The Holiday of the Cutting of the Crop

The holiday is given this name because it is the climax of the Counting of Days and Weeks which make up the Sefirat HaOmer. Sefirat HaOmer connects Passover and Shavuot. Passover is the holiday on which we commemorate our Redemption from slavery in Egypt. That was our "Physical Redemption."

But physical redemption is not enough. It would have left us "free" people, but with no purpose to our lives. The purpose of the Jewish People is to serve G-d. The way we serve G-d is by studying and practicing his Torah. On Shavuot, G-d Himself appeared to us on Mt. Sinai to give us the Torah. By accepting it, we earned the title of "A Kingdom of Priests and a Holy Nation."

Thus, Shavuot is the purpose of the Exodus from Egypt. Seven weeks had to pass before we were able to shake off the feeling of being subject to our Egyptian taskmasters. The Jewish Religion believes that there is no legitimate master for a human being other than G-d. This is probably the most important lesson of Shavuot.

"Z'man Matan Torateinu" - The Time of the Giving of Our Torah

The Jewish People arrived in the vicinity of Har Sinai (Mt. Sinai) on Rosh Chodesh Sivan. The purpose of their assembling there was to receive the Torah from Hashem. Three days passed before the Jewish People recovered from their six-week sojourn in the desert. Moshe was instructed by Hashem that the Jewish People would have to prepare themselves for another three days before they would be ready to receive the Torah.

Before giving the Torah to the Jewish People, Hashem had, so to speak, "shopped it around" to the various nations of the world, but there were no takers.

Moshe "Rabbeinu," Moses our Teacher, according to another Midrash, had to overcome the objection of the Angels, who claimed that the Jewish People weren't sufficiently deserving to receive the Torah. But, fortunately for the Jewish People, and for the world, Moshe won that debate.

"Chag HaBikkurim" - The Holiday of the First Fruits

This name commemorates the New Grain Offering, which was brought at this time; its offering made it permissible to bring Grain Offerings from the "Chadash," the New Grain.

This was also the time that the first fruits of all the Seven Types of Produce with which the Land of Israel is Blessed (wheat, barley, wine, figs, pomegranates, olives and dates) were brought to the Temple. This procedure is described in the Talmud in Masechet Bikkurim.

"Atzeret" - The Holiday of "Being Held Back, Close to Hashem"

This is the name used exclusively for this Holiday in the Talmud. It suggests a similarity to Shemini Atzeret. The latter comes at the end of Sukkot, while this "Atzeret" comes at the conclusion of a process which began on "Pesach," or Passover.

One way of understanding the idea of "Atzeret" is that Hashem wants the Jewish People to feel close to Him at all times. But to have them come back to the Temple in Jerusalem several weeks after Sukkot would have required difficult travel in the winter. So Hashem just held them back for one day after Sukkot, to show his special love for them.

Whereas, Shavuot and Pesach have a special relationship which makes them really, in a sense, almost like one holiday, namely, the Holiday of Redemption, Physical and Spiritual, of the Jewish People.

"Chag HaKatzir" - The Holiday of the Cutting of the Crop

This refers to the wheat crop, which is the latest of the crops to be harvested, which took place at this time. There is also a reference here to Megillat Ruth, which places the time of the events described in the Megillah as "at the beginning of the cutting of the barley crop."