10 Tevet 5774 Erev Shabbat Kodesh Tzom Asara b'Tevet Parashat Vayechi: A preview of Mashiach by Daniel Pinner
[In memory of Tzvi Dov ben Chaim Pesach (Herb Sunshine), a proud Jew who was uncompromisingly dedicated to Torah, to the Jewish nation and to Eretz Yisrael, whose neshamah returned to Gan Eden on Wednesday 8th Tevet, 11thDecember. I was honoured to have been a close friend of his for a quarter of a century. Yehi zichro baruch.] “Jacob called to his sons and said: Assemble, and I will tell you that which will befall you in the end of days. Gather together and hearken, O sons of Jacob – hearken to Israel your father” (Genesis 49:1-2). As Jacob lay on his death-bed he called his twelve sons to him to reveal the distant future – the end of the nation – to them. “He spoke to them prophesying the future. And those who say that these are blessings are mistaken, because at the end [of this section, the Torah] says ‘and he blessed them’ (v.28); yet where are Reuben’s and Simeon’s and Levi’s blessings? Rather, all that their father said to them were prophecies; afterwards he blessed them, but the Torah does not mention the blessings” (Ibn Ezra on verse 1). In these prophecies Jacob had initially intended to tell his sons precise details of the final redemption: “Jacob called to his sons and said to them: Purify yourselves of all spiritual impurities, and I will show you sealed-up secrets and hidden mysteries of the final times, and the reward that will be give to the tzaddikim and the punishment of the wicked, and the delights of Eden. The dozen tribes of Israel gathered around the golden bed upon which he lay; and when the glory of Hashem’s Shekhinah was revealed, the final time of the future King Mashiach was hidden from him. So he said: Come, and I will tell you that which will befall you in the end of days” (Targum Yonatan to verse 1). Or, in the terse comment of Rashi, quoting Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish (Reish Lakish) in Pesachim 56a: “He wanted to reveal to them the final time but the Shekhinah abruptly departed from him, so he began to speak of other matters”. So Jacob, on his death-bed, gave each of his twelve sons a prophecy of what was awaiting their progeny, the Twelve Tribes of Israel. And while most of these prophecies are parochial (in the sense of relating solely to the specific Tribe to which they are addressed), there is one exception. “Dan”, Jacob prophesies, “will judge his nation, the Tribes of Israel will be as one. May Dan be a snake along the way, a viper along the path, which bites the heels of the horse so its rider falls backwards” (Genesis 49:16-17). And then, uniquely among these prophecies, Jacob gives voice to a prayer: “For Your salvation I have hoped, O Hashem” (verse 18). Clearly, salvation is for the entire nation of Israel, all twelve Tribes, not only for the Tribe of Dan. Yet this prayer, “For Your salvation I have hoped, O Hashem”, is either a part of Jacob’s prophecy for Dan’s future or its epilogue. It is of course significant that in this series of prophecies, it is the Tribe of Dan which unites the twelve Tribes of Israel: “Dan will judge his nation, the Tribes of Israel will be as one”. This is the literal translation of דָּן יָדִין עַמּוֹ, though Targum Onkelos, Targum Yonatan, Rashi, Rashbam and Ramban, all understand יָדִין to mean “will avenge” in this context: “Dan will avenge his nation – all the tribes of Israel as one”. The entire nation will yet be united, any attack on any one Tribe will constitute an attack on the entire nation, and Dan will accept the challenge of avenging any such attack. The Malbim writes: “Dan was the gatherer [i.e. the rearguard] of all the camps [Numbers 10:25], and the children of Gad went at the head of all the camps. Dan had to defend them from the enemies who would approach from behind the camp and attack all the weakest ones; so [Jacob] said that Dan would take up their cause and fight the nation’s battles like all the Tribes, even though they went last”. A picture emerges of Dan as a unifier, bringing the twelve Tribes together as a single nation, making all the Tribes aware of their mutual responsibility for one another. I suggest that the Torah points to this attribute of Dan very subtly, with an exquisite detail embodied in the text. In the word עִקְּבֵי, ikvei (“the heels of”, in the phrase “…a viper along the path, which bites the heels of the horse…”), there is a peculiarity: there is a dagesh (a dot) in the letter ק, even though there is no grammatical reason for this. There are just three other places in the Torah where a ק has a dagesh for no grammatical reason. The first is ten verses earlier, in Jacob’s prophecy to Judah: “The sceptre shall not depart from Judah nor a law-interpreter from among his descendants, until Shiloh shall come, and his will be an assemblage of nations” (Genesis 49:10). Here, in the word יִקְּהַת, yik’hat (“assemblage”), the ק has an unwarranted dagesh. The next case is the ק in the word מִקְּדָשׁ, Mikdash (“Sanctuary”), in the Song at the Red Sea: “You will bring them and implant them on the Mountain of Your Inheritance, the foundation of Your dwelling-place that You have wrought, O Hashem – the Sanctuary, my Lord, that Your hands established” (Exodus 15:17). And the final time is the ק inthe word קְּעָרֹתָיו, ke’arotav (“its dishes”), in describing the accoutrements of the Tabernacle in the desert: “You will make its dishes and its spoons…” (Exodus 25:29). On the word מִקְּדָשׁ (“Sanctuary”) in the Song at the Red Sea (Exodus 15:17), the Minchat Shai says simply: “The ק has a dagesh to glorify it”. Extrapolating from the Minchat Shai’s comment, just as the dagesh in the ק in the word מִקְּדָשׁ (“Sanctuary”) glorifies it, so too does each unwarranted dagesh in each ק in the Torah. In Genesis 49:10, the dagesh in the ק in the word יִקְּהַת (“assemblage”) glorifies Judah’s kingship. In Exodus 15:17, the dagesh in the ק in the word מִקְּדָשׁ (“Sanctuary”) glorifies the Sanctuary. In Exodus 25:29, the ק in the word קְּעָרֹתָיו (“its dishes”) glorifies the accoutrements of the Tabernacle in the desert. So returning to the prophecy concerning Dan, the dagesh in the ק in the word עִקְּבֵי (“the heels of”) glorifies Dan’s task of uniting the nation. The Book of Psalms parallels the Torah: “Moshe gave [Israel] the Five Books of the Torah, and corresponding to them King David gave them the Book of Psalms which comprises five Books” (Midrash Shocher Tov 1, s.v. אשרי). And in the Book of Psalms there is just one ק which has an unwarranted dagesh – the ק in the word בְּיִקְּרוֹתֶיךָ, bikrotekha (“visit you”): “Daughters of kings visit you, the queen stands erect at your right hand in the golden jewellery of Ophir” (Psalms 45:10). Psalm 45 is a paean of praise either to the Sages of the Sanhedrin (Targum, Rashi) or to the Mashiach (Radak). Commenting on verse 10, both Rashi and Radak note the unwarranted dagesh in the ק in the word בְּיִקְּרוֹתֶיךָ, and explain that this dagesh suggests that the word בְּיִקְּרוֹתֶיךָ can be derived not only from the root בקר (“visit”), but also from the root יקר (“glory”): not just that “daughters of kings visit you”, but also that “daughters of kings glorify you”. As with the four times that the Torah adds an unwarranted dagesh into a ק for glorification, so too the Book of Psalms adds this unwarranted dagesh into a ק for glorification. Whether referring to Torah sages or to the King Mashiach, the dagesh in the ק glorifies the leaders of the nation. And the Tribe of Dan glorifies Israel by uniting them, and unites them by bringing true justice to the nation and by avenging them on their enemies who attack them. And so it is in this context that, uniquely in all Jacob’s prophecies of the nation’s future, he infuses the prayer: “For Your salvation I have hoped, O Hashem”.
9 Tevet 5774 Israel in White Well, the biggest story in Israel today is the winter snow storm. Facebook is full of pictures and videos of Israeli 'children' of all ages playing in the white stuff. But since I'm at a lower elevation, seeing only gray rain out my window, I thought I'd show solidarity by writing a follow-up to the previous post Micha'el - The Snow Angel. Snow is generally thought of as a positive force of nature. It covers over all the world's blemishes with a pure white coating and softens all the harsh sounds of modern life. But, does snow have a darker side? Here are some interesting insights on snow from an Aish.com article by Rabbi Borouch Leff. (Hat tip to Anonymous commenter for the link.) Snow: The Dark Side ...Rabbi Tzadok of Lublin explains that there is a mystical klipah (barrier to holiness) called snow which is associated with the nation of Amalek, the Jews' arch-enemy. Amalek attacked the beleaguered Jewish people as they left Egypt, and God instructed us to remember this evil deed of Amalek, as they will always seek to harm the Jewish nation. In fact, the Hebrew word for snow -- sheleg -- has a numerical value (gematria) of 333 -- the same as the word shich'cha, which means forgetfulness. This seems to suggest that snow is not a vehicle for growth at all. And when we venture outside on a snowy day, we are surrounded by forgetfulness and Amalek. What could this possibly mean? The Torah tells us to remember what Amalek did as we left Egypt because he "happened upon you (karcha) and attacked." The simple reading, as Rashi explains, is that Amalek's attack was a surprising and unexpected one -- "he happened upon you." A key aspect of their hideous crime was the sheer brazenness and trickery involved. However, Rashi suggests that karcha can also mean "he cooled you off," coming from the Hebrew word kar -- cold. As Rashi explains, the Jews were compared to a hot, scalding bath of water, symbolizing their great passion for spiritual achievements as they left Egypt. But Amalek was willing to burn themselves by attacking the Jewish people with the aim of showing that the heat of inspiration will not endure. By doing so, Amalek cooled off the tremendous fear that all of the other nations had for the Jews, giving them license to attack as well. Amalek, we see, relates to cooling. You'll recall that I said the snow was following John Kerry (קרי) as he was expected back again on the same day as the storm, arriving to continue to apply pressure on Israel. Kerry back in Mideast for new peace talk push Continuing a furious pace of shuttle diplomacy aimed at securing an elusive Israeli-Palestinian peace deal by spring, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry arrives in the Middle East on Thursday on his ninth trip of the year. In closed-door talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday and Friday, Kerry will be following up on elements of a West Bank security plan,.... With the Hebrew letters, you can clearly see the connection... זָכוֹר אֵת אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה לְךָ עֲמָלֵק בַּדֶּרֶךְ בְּצֵאתְכֶם מִמִּצְרָיִם:אֲשֶׁר קָרְךָ בַּדֶּרֶךְ וַיְזַנֵּב בְּךָ כָּל הַנֶּחֱשָׁלִים אַחֲרֶיךָ וְאַתָּה עָיֵף וְיָגֵעַ וְלֹא יָרֵא אֱלֹהִים: You shall remember what Amalek did to you on the way, when you went out of Egypt, how he happened upon you on the way and cut off all the stragglers at your rear, when you were faint and weary, and he did not fear God. (Devarim 25:17-18) And there is another place where the same word appears... וְאִם בְּאֵלֶּה לֹא תִוָּסְרוּ לִי וַהֲלַכְתֶּם עִמִּי קֶרִי: וְהָלַכְתִּי אַף אֲנִי עִמָּכֶם בְּקֶרִי וְהִכֵּיתִי אֶתְכֶם גַּם אָנִי שֶׁבַע עַל חַטֹּאתֵיכֶם: And if, through these, you will still not be chastised [to return] to Me, and if you [continue to] treat Me happenstance, Then I too, will treat you as happenstance. I will again add seven punishments for your sins: (Vayikra 26:23-24) I don't think it is a stretch to say that Hashem is sending John Kerry to us over and over again to get across the message that we are behaving towards Hashem "b'kerry" - also translated as "casually" - offering Him a cold and dispassionate service. If we want Kerry to stop what he's doing, we must change our ways and demonstrate to Hashem that we've got the message and are taking it seriously. Just some food for thought on this cold and snowy day in the Land of Israel.
9 Tevet 5774 So be grateful and say "thank you." Rain Update: Lake Kineret Rises Another Inch Wednesday's rain has caused Lake Kineret (Sea of Galilee) to rise another inch. The level is now at -211.38 meters below sea level. The black line is -214.4 meters below sea level. More rain is expected throughout the weekend. Chief Rabbis: Rain Has Fallen, Now Say Thank You Israel's two Chief Rabbis issued a call on Wednesday to recite a special prayer of thanks for the rains that have fallen over most of the country. Precipitation is expected to increse over the weekend with snow predicted.
BS"D Discussion with Moishela (with his family) A Handicapped child Teves 1 '5774 (Dec 4 '13) Eisav's Burning Hatred To Yaakov Oh Mommy, Mommy, what can I say? I feel that everything is closing in on us. I feel like we're in Russia, communist Russia. I feel that Europe, communist Russia, and communist China are swallowing up the world and conducting a great war against Hakodosh Boruch Hu. There is absolutely no doubt that the Reshaim of today who are trying to take over the world are the same Yivanim that once ruled the world or most of the world. Rome came after Greece, but was the clear continuation of the Greek approach to life. No doubt that all of those same villains of history are all here now. They are all the same Reshaim that wanted to eliminate both of our Batei Mikdosh, that wanted to eliminate the Jewish religion, and wanted to destroy our Kesher with Hakodosh Boruch Hu. Unfortunately, we also have the Misyavnim (Hellenists, those Jews who left Yiddishkeit) here with us today. Every Jew is in terrible danger because we have already been weakened by the Avodah Zarah in the form of the Egel HaZahav, the materialism. We have sunken very low without realizing that it's happening. We've become so enamored with the materialism that we have forgotten that it is separating us from the wellsprings of our life, from our Torah which is life itself. It is separating us from Hakodosh Boruch Hu, Hashem Yishmor. And this worship of the Egel HaZahav, the Gashmius, the materialism, has taken a good few hundred years to do its dirty work. Now however, not only are the Chilonim involved very deeply in this form of idol worship, but even the Chareidim are in many cases involved in this kind of idol worship. Some Shomrei Shabbos are ready to give their souls for the Gashmius, because once they get used to the pleasures of life that only satisfy physical needs, and once they are confused with philosophy and psychology etc. which only makes a justification for the materialistic way of life, then they are lost. These Jews are playing right into the hands of the Yivanim, the Romans, Eisav. And even in Eretz Yisroel we will soon see foreign troops on our soil, Hashem Yishmor .They will be here and they're going to rule over us. In fact they're already ruling over us, but they're ruling through the so-called Jews that are controlling this Medinah (State of Israel). There were Rabbonim that saw this would happen even before the state of Israel came into existence. And now it is clearly happening! The Kever of Dovid Hamelech is already in the hands of the Catholic Church. Why do they want it? Everyone is waiting for Moshiach, the Christians the Muslims and the Jews. The Catholic Church is the Roman Empire. The Catholic Church was born from a small group of Christians that were no longer Jews and were living in Rome. These two religions, the Roman idol worshiping and the Christian religion were brought together as a new religion which became the official religion of Rome under its emperor Constantine, which every citizen of Rome had to accept. In those times when every person had a different "getchke" (idol) it was hard for the emperor to organize his people under one banner. So he took a little bit of this and a little bit of that and formed a new religion called Christianity which we know today as the Catholic Church (but it was always based on Avoda Zarah). And why would the Catholic Church want Kever Dovid Hamelech? Because Dovid Hamelech is the forefather of Moshiach, and they want to control the world under a new mish-mash religion which would help them to rule the people more easily and for this they will probably try to make their own messiah, Chas Veshalom. There are a few rooms upstairs from the Kever of Dovid Hamelech that are probably going to be turned into a church. Who could stop them? Who wants to stop them? It's not only I that said it. It's known. It was in the newspapers. It's no secret. The Pope doesn’t keep it a secret, and it's not only the Kever of Dovid Hamelech they want. It will also affect every one of our Mekomos Kedoshim because they want to control the Jews. Since the base of all truth comes from the Jewish religion and they cannot control the Jews (who have, up to this point, outlived the greatest of the Reshaim that have ever lived in this world) without neutralizing Chas Vashlom their Torah and their Mekomos Kedoshim which gives the Jews the spiritual strength to resist all attempts to separate them from their Father in Heaven, Hakodosh Boruch Hu. I have said before, the noose is tightening. The Edomites, the Amalaikim, the Erev Rav want to rule the world from Eretz Yisroel. This is a direct affront to Hakodosh Boruch Hu. What is happening with Iran and all of the Arabs countries is a complete farce. These Romans sent people in to cause all these revolutions. In all the countries they sent massive amounts of soldiers and weapons in the form of Arab rebels to destabilize all these Arab countries such as, Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Tunisia, Syria etc. This is the first part of the last war. We are now in the last war! This war is going to develop into a much greater and much more frightening war that eventually effect the whole world. The Syrians are suffering terribly. But it's nothing compared to what's going to happen to the world. We must look at what is happening and approach it with the attitude of Rabbi Akiva, when he saw the fox running over the ruins of the Bais Hamikdosh and he became joyful. Why was he happy about such a sight? Because if that Nevua came about, then the Nevua that says that the Bais Hamikdosh will be rebuilt will also happen, Be'ezras Hashem. Everything that is happening today are clear signs that are written in the Nevuas (prophecies) and is definitely heralding in the coming of Moshiach. Italy is Rome, and the Vatican is the heart of the Roman Empire. It is the spirit of Eisav himself. It is Eisav's burning hatred and jealousy of his brother Yaakov. These are the ones that wish to rule the world. They've already caused much fear in the world, and also confusion. Very few people see the truth, because people that are so tied to the Gashmius to the materialism will never see the truth, not ever. They will die still holding on to their stupid, ridiculous, crazy, illogical ideas. The world is ruled today by madmen. Rav Dessler z"l said that the coming generation, which is our generation, will all be mentally deranged, and that is the way it is. Yes, Mommy we are in big trouble. But since we see the world going exactly according to the Nevuas, it obviously will bring us to Moshiach Be'ezras Hashem. Don’t make any mistakes, we are now in the Third World War. This war is getting larger and larger, more complex and more complex until it explodes. Very soon thereafter there will be many revelations before the world suffers its final blow. People will suddenly see the huge lies, the absolutely wild lies that we are dealing with. We will discover how many lies that we were sure are absolute truth, are just plain lies. Only very few people know today how unbelievably large the lie is, but soon everyone will know and still many will go to their deaths never allowing themselves to realize what is true and what isn’t. Mommy, I am sorry that I keep you up at night, and I am sorry that I cry in my sleep, but what can I do? Just know, Mommy, that this all will bring us to Moshiach Tzidkainu. I am very frightened for the whole world, but mainly for our Yidden. We have to get close to Hashem and He will protect us. He created us. He will protect us. Now, after we have been living a life of terribly great amounts of Gashmius, of materialism, the kind of which was never heard of before. It is a world where every other person has a car or owns an apartment at enormous prices, where every other person in the Western world goes on vacation on cruises etc., where you eat off of plates that you throw away, and use utensils that you throw away. (there are even pots that are thrown away,) where there is all kinds of waste of tremendous amounts. The materialism everywhere in the world has watered down our Yiddishkeit, and now we are going to have to pay the price. We've been living in a world of an absolutely disgusting amount of easy materialism. We are so disjointed and disorientated from it, and we've become so dependent on it that even though we may pray three times a day and put on Tefillin and wear a beard and long Payos and black suits and more or less our wives dress modestly, depending on the amount of Gashmius that you are used to, still we keep Shabbos and so on and so forth. Our Yiddishkeit has come down. Yiddishkeit has come down very much because we lost our connection with Hakodosh Boruch Hu. There are people that still have it, but they are few and far between. We have to get back to the desire to really Daven with tears. Why with tears? Because the tears break apart the Mechitza between us and Hakodosh Boruch Hu. When we are broken and contrite that is the moment that we are willing to come to our Tatti in Heaven, to save us to help us, that’s when we feel Him so much. As long as we are arrogant and sure of ourselves and depending on doctors and Social Security and Medicaid and the American army or the Israeli army or the Rosh Memshala the president or whatever and not on Hakodosh Boruch Hu, then we are in trouble, big trouble. Everyone has to go back to a simple life and to our connection to Hakodosh Boruch Hu. Why don’t people understand that the only thing that’s going to save us is the spiritual connection with Hashem? They lie to us everywhere. They steal our money from the banks. They lie to us about medications. They kill people in the hospitals. Everything is a lie! There is only one Truth, and that’s Hakodosh Boruch Hu and His Torah. That is our only shelter. That’s the only way to reach eternity. Good night Mommy I 'm going to sleep.
8 Tevet 5774 Jerusalem Prepares for Weekend Snowfall The snow is following John Kerry and that's why the snow is supposed to start the day he arrives - even though it is too early in the season for snow in Israel. In the US, the snow represents judgment, but in Israel it is representative of God's mercy and protection. In both cases, it is a warning to John Kerry and those he serves to cease and desist from trying to uproot Am Yisrael from Eretz Yisrael. If you'll recall from a previous blogpost, the four archangels correspond to the four elements of nature and it is Micha'el who is the snow angel and also the guardian & defending angel of Israel. ...Michael is made up entirely of snow and Gabriel of fire, and though they stand near one another they do not injure one another, thus indicating the power of God to "make peace in His high places." According to the Aggadah, both Michael and Gabriel will be among those who will accompany the Messiah, and they will then contend with the wicked. Michael is considered superior to Gabriel in rank and wherever he appears, the glory of the Shekhinah, the Holy Spirit, is also bound to be found. Each nation has its guardian angel, Michael being the guardian angel of Israel. He acts as the counsel for Israel's defense when the wicked bring charges against them before God. According to the midrash, Michael is the angel who prevented Abraham from offering up Isaac at the Accede; informs Sarah that she will give birth to a boy; rescues Abraham from the furnace; instructs Moses; smites the army of Sanneherib; endeavors to prevent the exile by pleading on Israel's behalf to God; and defends the Jews of Persia when Haman plotted to destroy them. ...Malach Michael...in our time is the...defense attorney of Klal Yisrael. Michael is the one who is going to defend Klal Yisrael in the last moments prior to the geula as it says in Daniel 12:1... There'll be a terrible situation like there never was since Klal Yisrael became a nation....at that time Michael will stand in defense of Klal Yisrael....Michael is the one who stands opposite the Sar Malchus Paras, who is today...Iran.
...The medrash says that Haman, while he was being mekatreg on Klal Yisrael, at the same time, ...Michael is defending us....So Michael was [our defender] at that time and Michael will be [our defender] prior to the geula, where Klal Yisrael will be plunged into a hester panim like they were then, where it was Paras and now it's also Paras. There are only two things Kerry comes to Israel for, 1) to push us to make suicidal land concessions and, 2) to convince us to let the Amaleki in Iran have the bomb. If the snow really is following him, he must have some really dastardly plan to propose this time.
8 Tevet 5774 THE MONTH OF TEVET The month of Tevet is the tenth in the number of months counting from Nisan. The name Tevet was acquired in Babylonia, as is the case with the names of the other Hebrew months. In the Scroll of Esther (Chapter 2) the month is referred to as, "the tenth month, which is the month of Tevet." ...During the month of Tevet, three fast days are observed, the 8th, 9th and 10th of the month, in commemoration of three major calamities which befell the People of Israel. The fast days of the 8th and 9th of Tevet are called 'fast-days-for-the-righteous,' as on these days, only individuals who choose to, fast, whereas the fast of the 10th of Tevet is a public fast obligating the entire Jewish community. What Happened? 0n the 8th of Tevet, at the beginning of the "Greek Era," the Torah was translated into Greek by the decree of King Ptolemy, in about the year 313 B.C.E., according to the Bayit Sheni Timeline presented in the Chanukah Section, which locates the date of the Destruction of the First Temple in 423 B.C.E. This corresponds to the approximate year of 476 B.C.E., according to the alternate timeline which locates the Destruction at 586 B.C.E. That day was regarded as equally calamitous for Israel as the day on which the Golden Calf was made, since it is impossible to adequately translate the Torah. Moving backwards in time, the 9th of Tevet commemorates the death of both Ezra the Scribe and Nechemia, two of our greatest leaders, who faithfully led Israel during the return from Babylonian captivity. This occurred in approximately the year 353 B.C.E., according to the first Timeline referenced above, or approx. 516 B.C.E., according to the alternate Timeline. It is said that the eyes of all Israel were clouded by their death, for the loss of these great leaders was a tremendous blow, and Ezra's stature, in particular, was so great that it is said of him that had the Torah not been given to Israel through Moses, it would have been given to Israel through Ezra. On the 10th of Tevet, Nevuchadnetzar, King of Babylonia, laid siege to Yerushalayim. The imposition of this vise-like siege occurred in the approximate year 426 B.C.E., according to the Bayit Sheni Timeline, or the approximate year 589 B.C.E., according to the timeline which sets the year of the Destruction of the First Temple as 586 B.C.E. The walls of Yerushalayim were subsequently breached on the 17th of Tammuz, during the third year of the siege, and the Temple destroyed on Tisha B'Av, the 9th of Av, the saddest day in the Hebrew Calendar, the Date of Destruction of both Temples, and the most somber fast day. But the start of the siege set the stage for both of those tragic events. It was for this reason that the Prophets and other Jewish Leaders of the time set the Tenth of Tevet as a day of fasting for the Jewish People. In modern day Israel, the 10th of Tevet has been designated as Yom Hakaddish Haklali - the day on which we mourn those whose date or place of death is unknown.
7 Tevet 5774 It doesn't take an expert to see the link between the "catastrophic" storms and Kerry's continuing efforts to force a US-brokered land deal with the Arabs. Hat tip to Tamar Yonah for telling us that the storm-that-won't-end has a name - דיון. The letters can be rearranged to spell דין-ו or "judgment - six", for the six directions of the physical world, i.e. judgment coming from every direction. Mr. Kerry apparently does not have a clue yet that there is any connection at all. Kerry to Visit Israel, PA Yet Again U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will be in the region again on Wednesday to pressure the sides to reach a peace agreement.
Now, take a look at this... Snow falling. In Australia. In summer. And snow is being forecast for Israel starting tomorrow - completely out of season!! Not only is it the day Kerry is set to arrive once again, but it is the first of three fast days (only one of which we actually fast). What does it mean? More on this in an upcoming post.
