Another piece of the "set-up"?

8 Shevat 5772

Senator Leaks Secret Mossad Meetings on TV

Mossad director Tamir Pardo is in Washington for talks about a possible attack on Iran's nuclear installations, Israel's Channel 2 reported on Tuesday.

Pardo's visit, which would normally be conducted in secret, was revealed by US Senate Intelligence Committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein, 78, who made the faux pax at committee hearing.

The hearing was being broadcast live by US television.

A heads up?

7 Shevat 5772

Ever since I read R Nir Ben Artzi's latest projection at Bat Aliyah, I've had a growing suspicion about a certain possibility - a set up, so to speak. I've debated with myself since last week whether to say anything or not and now, I've decided it could possibly be a help to someone. Others may disagree, so there it is.

Even if nothing happens this time or it doesn't happen as I suggest, the fact remains that the possibilities for danger in the Diaspora are endless and if for no other reason than to re-emphasize this truth, I think further discussion is called for. The Chesed l'Avraham said that in the Last Days, the Land of Israel would be like the Ark of Noah. Why be like the mockers of his time? Why not take advantage of the protection that Hashem has provided for us?

Here is the part to which I am referring:

"Beginning next week, there will be a sharp increase of shock in the world and severe hatred of the Jews!"

So, I thought to myself, what could be a shock to the world that could be blamed on Jews? But, before I tell you what came to my mind, I'd like to backtrack just a bit.

Remember that article written by Atlanta Jewish Times publisher Andrew Adler?

"...In a Jan. 13 column, Adler outlined what he said were three possible responses by Israel to Iran's acquiring a nuclear weapon: a pre-emptive strike against Hamas and Hezbollah, terrorist groups that he said would be emboldened by a nuclear Iran; a direct strike on Iran; and 'three, give the go-ahead for U.S.-based Mossad agents to take out a president deemed unfriendly to Israel in order for the current vice president to take his place, and forcefully dictate that the United States policy includes its helping the Jewish state obliterate its enemies.'"

To me, this falls under Rabbi Winston's category of "That which is wondrous in our eyes..." Rabbi Pinhas Winston has a shiur on this quote from Tehillim and he says, in essence, that when something really stands out as unique and unusual, even improbable, it is likely from Hashem.

Think about the improbability of a person in Mr. Adler's position doing something so 'insane,' something so potentially self-destructive, even dangerous for the Jewish community as a whole.

This happened in Atlanta, the state capital of Georgia, where lo and behold, more unusual news concerning the president is coming out.

Obama could easily have lost Georgia eligibility case by “no-show” default

A hearing was held on January 26, 2012, in the Georgia Administrative Court room of Judge Michael Malihi for considering the eligibility of President Obama to appear on the Georgia 2012 Presidential Ballot.

The judge could have made a decision based on default because Obama was not there to prove his eligibility. The hearing was ignored by President Obama, his lawyers, and most of the mainstream media.

This is the third report by this writer for Examiner.com regarding the lawsuit brought against the President’s eligibility to be on the Georgia Ballot.

I'm sure that there is some hidden message in the fact that "Georgia" is the place where these events took place, but I'll leave that for you to ponder. What instantly engages me is the speculation that this continuing eligibiliy question, among other things, might make Obama too much of a liability in the coming election.

So, assuming that you are one of the global ruling elite, you might now be asking yourself how to replace an encumbent candidate who enjoys international popularity and put the eligibility question to rest forever?

Suddenly, an idea has been presented on a silver platter. A JEWISH publisher of a JEWISH newspaper in the American (traditionally anti-black) South has suggested that the "Mossad" remove Obama for Israel's sake. What could be better than this? Not only would it solve the 'problem,' but it has two very nice advantages. It could swing a sympathy vote back toward the Democrats and punish the Jews as well. What could be better than that for the antisemitic global ruling elite?

And don't think they haven't already thought of it! They didn't get where they are by being slow on the uptake. And just so the Joe Sixpacks don't miss it, they could arrange to have the potential perpetrator say or write how it was the publicity about the JEWISH newspaper editorial that inspired him.

I can already hear the Muslims cranking up the rhetoric about their Muslim brother and how he championed a Palestinian State and on and on. Instant Jew-hatred worldwide.

If you think another idea is more likely, all I want you to do is understand how vulnerable Jews are in the Diaspora, no more so than now when the Shechina has by all reports begun leaving.

Come home, dear brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, daughters and sons!! We love you and we miss you and want no harm to come to you at all. Please come home where we are protected under our Father's wings.

Here is the remainder of what R Nir Ben Artzi said on this subject:

At the time of the Egyptian exile, Moshe said to the Holy One, “Why have You made it so bad for the people?” and the intent was that the Holy One, who reigns over purity and impurity, gave permission to the sitra achra to chastise Am Yisrael even more. The same thing is happening now! The Holy One has given permission to the sitra achra, beginning next week, to disturb all the Jews outside of Eretz Yisrael! He will implant hatred within the nations against the Jews in order to drive out the Jews from their cars, their homes, their places of work, from their synagogues with no let-up! Because the Holy One’s patience has run out! If they come to Eretz Yisrael – they will have endless blessing!

"Mida k'neged Mida"

6 Shevat 5772

Or "what goes around comes around."

I was looking at Drudge and came across this story:

U.S. Drones Patrolling Its Skies Provoke Outrage in Iraq

BAGHDAD — A month after the last American troops left Iraq, the State Department is operating a small fleet of surveillance drones here to help protect the United States Embassy and consulates, as well as American personnel. Some senior Iraqi officials expressed outrage at the program, saying the unarmed aircraft are an affront to Iraqi sovereignty.

The program was described by the department’s diplomatic security branch in a little-noticed section of its most recent annual report and outlined in broad terms in a two-page online prospectus for companies that might bid on a contract to manage the program. It foreshadows a possible expansion of unmanned drone operations into the diplomatic arm of the American government; until now they have been mainly the province of the Pentagon and the Central Intelligence Agency.

American contractors say they have been told that the State Department is considering to field unarmed surveillance drones in the future in a handful of other potentially “high-threat” countries,....

When you are the only "superpower," you can do whatever you want. You don't have to respect anyone else's "rights," cuz, really now, if they don't like it, what are they realistically gonna do about it?

Then I saw this headline story over at INN:

US Fears for Lives of Citizens Locked in Egypt
The US worries of the fate of its citizens barred by the Cairo regime from leaving Egypt, which has criticized their lobbying activities.

...At least 10 American citizens were employed by three US-based firms that lobbied the American government on behalf of Egypt but which abruptly canceled their contracts with Egypt last Friday, following deteriorating relations with the regime in Cairo. It had criticized the lobbyists for having defended the government of Hosni Mubarak in its first raids on protesters last year.

One of the lobbyists who cannot get out of Egypt is Sam LaHood, the son of President Barack Obama’s Secretary of Transportation, Ray LaHood. The three lobbying firms are run by former Congressmen and a powerful lobby group with close ties to the Obama administration.

Like a bull in a china shop, the US runs all over the world sticking its nose into everyone else's business instead of tending to its own. And then they express surprise at why they receive a less than enthusiastic welcome.

It's an evangelistic nation that is so convinced of the righteousness of its own philosophy, it is trying to force it on the rest of the world. They are busy as little bees trying to spread their empty cultural "values." There's an oxymoron for you.

And speaking of bees, I'll let them illustrate the point:

The Honey You Should Never Buy - It May Be Tainted with Lead and Antibiotics

...As usual, at the core of the problem is big industry, which is blinded by greed and enabled by a corrupt governmental system that permits the profit-driven sacrifice of our environment. Unfortunately, this motivation reflects an extreme shortsightedness about the long-term survival of the human race, as well as of our planet. Not only are commercial agricultural practices harming honeybee colonies, but your own health is being compromised by deceptive marketing practices about the "honey" you buy, some of which isn't really honey at all, despite what it says on the label.

This is the result of unrestrained capitalism. Everyone and everything is mowed down in the drive for the Almighty Dollar. "Use it up and throw it away" - there's a "value" for you. But, it gets worse...

..Pure, natural, unfiltered raw honey has an abundance of medicinal and nutritional uses.... [But] more than 75 percent of the honey on American supermarket shelves may be ultra-processed—to the point that all inherent medicinal properties are completely gone—and then smuggled into the country by the barrel drum. Nearly all of this fake honey is made in China. Some of these brokers will even create bogus country of origin papers. All 60 jars of "honey" tested by FSN came back negative for pollen (including Sue Bee and Winnie the Pooh brands), which is a clear sign of ultra-processing.

...Millions of pounds of honey that have been banned by the European Union are being smuggled into the U.S. from China. Much of this honey is tainted with illegal antibiotics, including chloramphenicol, which can cause DNA damage and cancer, and heavy metals like lead. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) states that any product that's been ultra-filtered and no longer contains pollen IS NOT honey.

(Hat tip to Rav Yehuda for the bee story)

"Mida k'neged mida" the "honey" that Americans are consuming is as empty of real "value" as their empty culture and political process that they insist on foisting upon the rest of the world.

In his work The Mitzvah Candle, the Maharal wrote:

...The fourth empire [Rome, whose successor is America today] ...is not symbolized by an animal whose sign of cleanliness is hidden, for on the contrary, the split hoofs of the swine are openly revealed. This indicates that the relationship that this empire has with the Holy One, is not more than surface deep. That is, it pretentiously flaunts sings of purity, while truthfully, on the inside, it is not pure. Pretending to be pure is the closest it comes to the Holy One and to truth - by displaying their hoofs which externally and superficially indicate purity, while this is not really so.

...the fourth empire was a universal synthesis, alone equivalent to the others. ...Because of its universality, this empire is motivated to be everything, not allowing anyone else to co-exist along with it.

...The fourth empire...because it considers itself everything (a characteristic that derives from its universality) desires that no one else should exist. It therefore destroys all others, and is occupied with destruction only. Thus, this beast [in Daniel's vision, ch. 7] had teeth of iron, a destructive material.... Indeed, the basic trait of this empire was destructiveness, as it burned and destroyed the Temple of our God, an unparalleled act of destruction. The first empire also destroyed the Temple. However, there is a difference; it did so only to dominate Yisrael, the destruction not being an end in itself. For this empire desired elevation above all others.... However, the fourth empire - where Yisrael was already in their hands; ...was intent on destruction and the slight rebellion merely provided the excuse.

Its destructiveness derives from the non-existence that cleaves to it, since the fourth empire is the end and finish of the world empires; their deterioration and ruuin. The fourth empire is associated with void, and he who is associated with nothingness and void has the power to transmit it to another. Thus, the fourth empire derives the capacity to destroy and demolish all that is.

...non-existence does not cleave to the original empires, for they each draw an additional empire after themselves. Complete void and non-existence adheres only to the fourth empire; instead of leading to another empire, it leads to void.

So, is there any good news in all of this? I thought you'd never ask. The Maharal continues...

...Void, however, is what leads to existential renewal, as is well-known, and therefore, the vacuum and non-existence created by this empire will lead to the re-existence of Yisrael. The fourth empire is therefore called a swine - Hazer, for it will return - TaHazor, royal power to Yisrael. That is to say, the non-existence which adheres to the fourth empire will bring existence to the kingdom of Yisrael.

As the L-rd told the Prophet Yirmiyahu, ch. 29.11-14...

For I know the thoughts that I think about you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. And you shall call Me and go and pray to Me, and I will hearken to you. And you will seek Me and find Me for you will seek Me with all your heart. 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.

One man's nightmare is another man's dream

5 Shevat 5772

Gideon Levy, writing for Haaretz, editorializes about the recent results of the Israeli Democracy Institute poll showing that 80% of Israelis believe in G-d and 70% believe that Jews are The Chosen People. He means to be sarcastic and negative in his assessment, but it comes across to me as good news. His "us & them" mindset reminds me of the Erev Rav and their universal hatred of real Jews and Judaism.

God rules all in 2012 Israel, even the state
Israel: Not what you thought, not what the world thought, not what Israelis imagine themselves to think. Israeli society isn't secular, it isn't liberal and it isn't enlightened.

By Gideon Levy

God exists. Eighty percent of Israeli Jews can't be wrong. And it is precisely for that reason we must say: God protect us from the results of the poll (conducted by the Israel Democracy Institute's Guttman Center for Surveys and the Avi Chai Foundation ). While it is conceivably possible to deal with that burning, wholesale belief in the divine, what do we do with the "You chose us" part? Seventy percent of respondents said they also believed Jews are the Chosen People - and that frightening parameter is only on the rise.

...Even the religious character of the state, which is much less secular than we tend to think - no buses or El Al flights during Shabbat, no civil marriage, no unkosher hotels, a mezuzah on the doorjamb of nearly every home and a rising number of people who kiss it each time they enter or exit - all this can be explained by the survey data.

... From now on, it can no longer be claimed that the secular majority has acquiesced to the religious minority; there is no secular majority, only a negligible minority.

...We should admit the truth, which is that we are an almost religious society and a state that is almost based on religious law. There's no need to keep counting the number of people wearing kippot, headscarves or shtreimels. Bareheaded people are in the same camp: They accept the character of their state, where the religion is the state and the state is the religion, all mixed together. There's no need to keep being shocked by religious extremism - being religious, whether moderate or extreme, is all the same, and it's the majority here.

...From Bnei Brak to Mea She'arim, these Haredim are, to a large extent, us, just with different dress and languages - more extreme versions of the same belief.

...Perhaps it was inevitable. A state that arose on a certain territory and conquered another territory and has remained there nearly forever, all on the basis of Bible stories; a population that never decided whether it was a nation or a religion; and a state that purports to be a "Jewish state," even if no one has any idea what that means. All these cannot exist with no foundation - a chosen people that believes in its God. That is Israel, circa 2012. God have mercy on us.

Halevai!

CHODESH TOV!

1 Shevat 5772
Rosh Chodesh

Tomorrow is Yom Kippur Katan

28 Tevet 5772

YOM KIPPUR KATAN

...The very end of a month, when the moon is barely visible, is an appropriate time to remind ourselves of what we are to be doing with our lives. We can gaze upwards and see almost none of the moon, knowing that a mere two weeks later, the moon will be full. Similarly, we can gaze within ourselves and see not even a tiny spark of inspiration or desire to strive for greatness. At the same time, we should know that we have the ability within us to shine brightly. Right before we begin a new month, we should inspire ourselves to improve, regardless of the method we employ to do. For this reason, specifically the day before Rosh Chodesh is set aside for a day of self improvement and introspection, thus earning it the name Yom Kippur Katan.

See also Jewish Virtual Library

March time frame

28 Tevet 5772

The March time frame comes up again in a new report from Debkafile:

Panetta: USS Enterprise carrier group to transit Hormuz in March

Three weeks after Tehran threatened action against any US aircraft carrier entering the Strait of Hormuz, US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta disclosed Sunday, Jan. 22, that the USS Enterprise Carrier Strike Group is heading for the Persian Gulf and would steam through the strategic strait in March. This was a direct message to Tehran that the US would continue to deploy ships there.

...debkafile's Washington sources note that Panetta was the first high-ranking administration official to give Tehran an ultimatum: Accept the American offer to negotiate terms for halting your nuclear weapon program, or face up to America's mighty fleet of American aircraft carriers.

"Our view is that the carriers, because of their presence, because of the power they represent, are a very important part of our ability to maintain power projection both in the Pacific and in the Middle East," said the defense secretary.

His statement gave Iran a time frame for responding to the US ultimatum, just over a month. If by March, Tehran has not accepted the offer to negotiate, President Barack Obama will order the Enterprise to sail through the Strait of Hormuz.

"Hilltops"

28 Tevet 5772

Mishpacha Magazine ran an article on the "Hilltop Youth" in its January 11, 2012 issue. I feel a very close kinship to these young people and their ideals. Lest anyone forget, what is recognized today as "Israel Proper" was settled the same way as these hilltops a hundred years ago. No one can say that Tel Aviv or Haifa is more Jewish than Judea and Samaria.

Bunker Hill
Aharon Granevich-Granot

Five years ago, Meir Brettler was banned for six months from his home on a windswept Samarian hilltop — joining a list of 20 others thrown out of their communities in Judea and Samaria by administrative orders. At the time, it didn’t stop him from sneaking back into the Yishuv HaDaat farm (population three families at the time) for his second child’s bris. Today the Brettlers still live on that lonely hilltop, and Meir still infuriates Israel’s intelligence network.

Brettler, 25, would never fit into Lakewood, but he looks just like the other “hilltop youth” whom he mentors: a massive knit kippah covering his head, a large beard, wild peyos, and tzitzis fluttering in the wind. And he has no qualms about doing things that the Israeli government and security forces feel will inflame the Middle East — as long as those actions help him achieve the goals that he believes in.

“We are the front line,” he says. “There are two million dunams of land here, and we will settle them....

Read the rest here.

Snow storm hits Japan

25 Tevet 5772

Heavy snow on Japan's northern island of Hokkaido

An unusually powerful storm hit the city of Iwamizawa on Monday, leaving behind mounds of snow nearly two metres deep. Scientists say they can't confirm exactly how much snow fell because their measuring instruments were damaged in the blizzard. But the island's meteorological agency said this is the most snow Iwamizawa has been hit with since records began in 1946.

...the sheer weight of the snow caused the collapse of a wooden roof. The falling structure knocked over several stoves, setting the building ablaze. On Tuesday, many bus and train services remained suspended due to snow on the tracks and roadways.

"Venahafoch hu" in the month of Tevet!

25 Tevet 5772

"Venahafoch hu" is a term we usually hear at Purim time in the month of Adar. (Maybe it's coming early this year.) It refers to something meant for evil that Hashem flips upside down so that good triumphs - like when the evil Haman was hanged on the very gallows he had built for righteous Mordechai.

Here is a heartwarming description of just such an end arising out of the horrible events in Beit Shemesh which occurred over the past months and culminated in nationwide attention in recent days.

It Was Never in Our Hands to Begin With
Rabbi Moshe Grylak Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Incredible as this may sound, the wave of anti-chareidi hysteria that has recently swept over Eretz Yisrael has actually brought some positive results. Once again we see that Divine Providence is ultimately in control of events, channeling them to serve a higher purpose.

The following story will testify to the sublime truth that the Ramchal teaches us in Daas Tevunos: “The will of HaKadosh Baruch Hu is done in any case.” People bring about events as they like, and He puts the events to work to bring about His goals.

Before I tell you about the positive effects of the prolonged uproar over Beit Shemesh, let us note that in our Torah reading, we’ve just completed Sefer Bereishis, ending with the story of Yosef and his brothers. Yosef sums up the whole decades-long ordeal in one sentence: “You calculated to do me evil; G-d calculated it for good.” Events that you see only as the cause of pain, suffering, and anguish were in fact paving the way for something much bigger.

Likewise, the Beit Shemesh story -- with all its scandalous episodes of gender-segregated buses and the rest of the ingredients that the secular media brewed into a toxic mix that they call by the catchword, “exclusion of women.”

It turns out that by drawing so much attention to the chareidim and their intense feelings regarding modesty, the media has stirred up the curiosity of Jewish souls hungry for more knowledge of authentic Torah perspectives. A rebbetzin who is seasoned in kiruv work reports that in the wake of the recent flood of slander against Judaism, which included unabashed mockery of Jewish modesty and family purity, she and her colleagues have received a corresponding flood of inquiries from secular women seeking a deeper understanding of these matters. The media, however evil their intentions, actually sowed the seeds for a Jewish revival that we couldn’t foresee.

You in the media, you in the world of political intrigue, calculated to do evil. You schemed to incite more hatred of Judaism among the public (and we chareidim are still suffering from your schemes, and must ask ourselves why we had to be punished in this way), but we must also discern the ray of light that has shot forth, at an unexpected angle, from the unholy mess you created, and we should take comfort in it. You could not suppress the holiness that was meant to find expression precisely now, for it was present in the seeking hearts of Jews, and the results may surprise you as more families bring a new level of kedushah into their lives. We can only hope that there will be so many families seeking this new path that those who lit the fires of hatred will regret what they did when they see things turning out so differently than they planned.

Read the rest of it here. Shabbat shalom~