Messianic "Brilliance" Shines in the Month of Ziv

9 Iyyar 5779
Day 24 of the Omer

I have written in the past about Three Messianic Wars: here, here, and here. The two which have been have both occurred in the month of Iyyar or Ziv, as the Torah calls it. So, there is reason to believe that the third and final one, which is yet to be, will also occur in this month. 

It is related in the Prophets (Kings I, 6:1) that King Solomon began the building of the First Temple. “In the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, which is the second month, he began to build the House of G-d.” The Radak explains: “The month Ziv is the month of Iyar… and it is called Ziv, as our sages explain, because of the splendor of the trees, namely the brilliance of the flowers and buds.” Ziv means “splendor” or “brilliance.” In this month of “brilliance” King Solomon “began to build the House of G-d.”

The two names of the month, Ziv and Iyar (from ohr, the primary word in Hebrew for “light”), are indeed two synonyms for “light.” They both relate to the special light that shines in this second month of the Jewish calendar. In particular, Iyar refers to the light source (or to the light within and proximate to its source), whereas Ziv refers to the expansion of radiant-energy as it shines far from its source. With regard to G-d’s Divine light, the Ziv is that radiance which descends from its source to shine on the Jewish soul as enclothed in a physical body on earth, and to awaken in it the desire to build a House for G-d (within the context of physical reality, far removed, as it were, from the source of Divine light).

...During Iyar, the “lower reality” is slowly refined to become a proper vessel able to receive the revelation of the essence of the “higher reality.” This is accomplished by fulfilling the commandment of sefirat ha-omer (“the counting of the omer; the word for “counting,” sefirah is from the same root as “saphire,” the brilliant stone known as even sapir, denoting the light scintillating from within lowly materiality). (Source)

Since the First Messianic War, which saw the return of Jewish sovereignty to a small part of Eretz Yisrael, took place on 5 Iyyar (20th Day of the Omer - Yesod in Tiferet) and the Second Messianic War, which saw the return of Jews to the mountains of Israel, the cities of the Patriarchs and Holy Jerusalem, took place on 28 Iyyar (43rd Day of the Omer - Chesed in Malchut), I have often wondered if the Third Messianic War, which is destined to bring us the East Bank of the Jordan River, as well as establish our sovereignty over the Temple Mount, will take place somewhere in the middle. Like the Sefirot themselves: one to the left, one to the right, and one the balance between the two.

The most obvious date would be 14 Iyyar - Pesach Sheini (29th Day of the Omer - Chesed in Hod) with it's obvious connections to redemption and second chances.  If we were looking for geulah on Pesach in Nisan, but were found undeserving, perhaps one month of counting the Omer might confer enough merit to bring geulah on Pesach Sheini 

On the other hand, a case could be made for any one of the days of the weeks during which we count the Sefirot of Netzach (Days 22 - 28 of the Omer) and Hod (Days 29 - 35 of the Omer). Day 33 of the Omer is, of course, L"g baOmer, the day the Zohar, which also alludes to brightness, was revealed.

...We will now describe the third group of sefirot which we will call the "tactical" sefirot; they are netzach, "victory," and hod, "awe."

When we call these sefirot "tactical," we mean that their purpose is not inherent in themselves, but rather as a means for something else.

For example, if I wish for my son, whom I love with all my heart, to make something of himself, I may have to be strict and stern with him in order to teach him discipline or insure that he applies himself to his studies, etc. The "strictness and sternness" is tactical -- that is, it is the means by which I endow the child with the benefits that I want him to have. But my intrinsic intent is that of kindness -- of giving him an education and teaching him values.

In another instance, I may use the tactic of kindness, though my intent may be antagonistic. I could lure an enemy into a trap by inviting him with a smile and a pleasant demeanor. The exterior façade of the act is pleasantness, its interior is punitive.

Understanding these two attributes of netzach and hod gives us a new perspective into understanding what is happening in the world. No longer do we merely look at an act at face value, and attempt to understand it as such, but we must look at it also in terms of "a means to an end."

...For instance, the suffering of the righteous may be a test in order to heighten their reward, or a way to cleanse them in this world of their few sins so that they are pure and perfect in the World to Come. The wicked may be prospering in order that their feeling of complacency forestalls their repentance or in order that they should receive their entire reward on earth so their later destruction can be total.

There are other possibilities too; the main point is that there is more to God's actions than what appears to be happening at surface level. (Source)

Quoting SEFIROS: Spiritual Refinement Through Counting the Omer by Rabbi Yaacov Haber:

For the Sefirah of Netzach...

...While the first three sefiros are primarily about internal relations, both netzach and hod are midos that connect with the outside world.

Netzach gives the long term view.  It sees events as part of a much bigger story. 

...Netzach and hod are very closely connected.  The two keruvim, the golden cherubs on top of the Ark of the Covenant, which provided the interface between God and humanity, represented netzach and hod.  Similarly, the two pillars at the entrance to the First Beis HaMikdash were called Yachin and Boaz, and also represented netzach and hod.

...Netzach is closely associated with the Written Torah, while hod is connected to the Oral Law.

...Netzach is personified by Moshe Rabbeinu.

For the Sefirah of Hod...

...Choice is associated with hod because any choice can only be for the moment.  Just like hod, free choice focuses on the present, while ultimately affecting the future.

Aharon HaCohen personifies hod.

All things considered, it seems to me that the week of Netzach (Yom Rishon, May 12 -  Shabbat, May18) is particularly suited to an outbreak of hostilities leading to the Third Messianic War.  And how appropriate would it be that the secular, Zionist, Democratic State is celebrating it as Eurovision Week!

...[On Sunday] All the traditional Eurovision glitz and glamor was on full display, including full-length ball gowns – on both men and women – head-to-toe sequins, sky-high heels, feathers and, in the case of Iceland’s Hatari – a whole lot of leather.

The grand finale – tickets to which sold out within hours – will be held in Tel Aviv on Saturday.

Hod in netzach is on Day 26 of the Omer - 26 being significant for the gematria of yud-kay-vav-kay.  That day is Yom Chamishi which corresponds to the fifth aliyah of Parashat Behar  (Vayikra 25) ...

29  And when a man sells a residential house in a walled city, its redemption may take place until the completion of the year of its sale. Its [period of] redemption shall be a full year.

30  But if it is not redeemed by the end of a complete year, then that house which is in the city that has a wall, shall remain permanently [the property] of the one who purchased it throughout his generations. It will not leave [his possession] in the Jubilee.

31  But houses in open cities, which do not have a wall surrounding them, are to be considered as the field of the land. It may have redemption and shall leave [the purchaser's possession] in the Jubilee.

32  And, [regarding] the cities of the Levites, the houses of their inherited cities shall forever have a [right of] redemption for the Levites.

33  And if one purchases from the Levites, whether a house or an inherited city, will leave [the possession of the purchaser] in the Jubilee, because the houses of the cities of the Levites, are their inherited property amidst the children of Israel.

34  And a field in the open areas of their cities cannot be sold, because it is their eternal inheritance.

35  If your brother becomes destitute and his hand falters beside you, you shall support him [whether] a convert or a resident, so that he can live with you.

36  You shall not take from him interest or increase, and you shall fear your God, and let your brother live with you.

37 You shall not give him your money with interest, nor shall you give your food with increase.

38  I am the Lord, your God, Who took you out of the land of Egypt, to give you the land of Canaan, to be a God to you.

It's all about redemption and return of the land.  In fact, the entire parashah is about redemption and restoration. How appropriate to the Third Messianic War!

Shabbat - the very day that is to be desecrated for the sake of Eurovision, chas v'shalom is Day 28 of the Omer - Netzach in Malchut.  The number 28 is the gematria of koach (power) and is twice yad (hand)  as in HKB"H acting with the power of both hands to redeem Yisrael.  The seventh aliyah...

47  If a resident non-Jew gains wealth with you, and your brother becomes destitute with him and is sold to a resident non-Jew among you or to an idol of the family of a non-Jew.

48  After he is sold, he shall have redemption; one of his brothers shall redeem him.

49  Or his uncle or his cousin shall redeem him, or the closest [other] relative from his family shall redeem him; or, if he becomes able to afford it, he can be redeemed [on his own].

50  He shall calculate with his purchaser [the number of years] from the year of his being sold to him until the Jubilee year; then, the purchase price shall be [divided] by the number of years; as the days of a hired worker, he shall be with him.

51  If there are still many years, according to them, he shall return his redemption [money] out of the money for which he was purchased.

52  But if only a few years remain until the Jubilee year, he shall make the [same] calculation; according to his years [that remain until Jubilee], he shall return the redemption [money]._

53 He shall be with him as an employee hired year by year; he shall not enslave him with rigor in your sight.

54 And if he is not redeemed through [any of] these [ways], he shall go out in the Jubilee year he and his children with him.

55  For the children of Israel are servants to Me; they are My servants, whom I took out of the land of Egypt. I am the Lord, your God.

The commentary on this parashah says...

The commandment of the Sabbatical Year has a special relationship to Mount Sinai [Behar].  At Mount Sinai, God's majesty and power were so manifest that it was clear that the determining factors in human material success are God's will and man's worthiness.  The land's rest in the seventh year, too, teaches that the primary force in the universe is God, not the law of nature.  ...The Torah emphasizes, therefore, that it is God Who gives the land.

And as if that were not enough!  The haftarah comes from Yirmiyahu 32:6-27 and begins as follows...

6  And Jeremiah said: The word of the Lord came to me, saying:

7  Behold, Hanamel, the son of Shallum your uncle, is coming to you, saying: Buy for yourself my field that is in Anathoth, for the right of redemption is yours to buy it.

8  Then Hanamel, my uncle's son, came to me in the prison yard, according to the word of the Lord, and said to me; Please buy my field that is in Anathoth, that is in the country of Benjamin, for the right of inheritance is yours, and you have the right of redemption; buy it for yourself." And I knew that this was the word of the Lord.

...

14  So said the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel; Take these scrolls, this deed of purchase and the signed one and this open scroll, and put them into an earthen vessel so that they remain many years.

15  For so says the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel; Houses and fields and vineyards shall be purchased again in this land.

...

37  Behold I will gather them from all the lands where I have driven them with My anger and with My wrath and with great fury, and I will restore them to this place and I will cause them to dwell safely.

38  And they shall be My people, and I will be their God.

...

44  Men shall buy fields for money and inscribe deeds and sign [them] and appoint witnesses in the land of Benjamin and in the environs of Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah and in the cities of the mountain and in the cities of the lowland and in the cities of the southland, for I will restore their captivity, says the Lord.

So may we see the complete fulfillment of this prophecy and the complete restoration of all our land and people.


Netzach means "eternal" and "victory." May the Holy One, blessed be He, reveal our righteous Mashiach now and grant us an eternal victory over all our enemies.
__________________________

RELATED: RISK OF GAZA WAR REMAINS IMMINENT, UN ENVOY MLADNEOV WARNS

The Fuse for WW3 Has Been Lit

8 Iyyar 5779
Day 23 of the Omer

How long can it burn before it explodes?

Rabbi Yitzchak said: (Yalkut Shimoni, Yishayahu 60)

"In the year when the king Moshiach will be revealed, all the kings of the nations of the world are provoking each other. The king of Paras (Iran) is provoking the Arab king (Saudi Arabia) and then the Arab King will turn to Edom (U.S.A.) for advice.

The king of Paras will then go and destroy the world. And all the nations of the world will shout from terror, fall upon their faces in fear and undergo such horrible pains as strong as labor pains.

And the Jewish people will shout from fear and say, "to where do we turn?! To where do we run?!"

And He will say unto them (Hashem), my children, do not be afraid; all that I have done here, I have done only for you. What do you fear? The time for your Redemption has arrived!"

We are now closer to the fulfillment of this "prophecy" than ever before.

Two Saudi tankers with oil for US among 4 ships “sabotaged” in UAE waters off Fujairah

Two of the four cargo ships sabotaged on Sunday, May 12, off Fujairah were oil tankers, said Saudi energy minister Khalid al-Falih on Monday., calling the attack “a threat to the security of global oil supplies.” One was on its way to be loaded with Saudi crude from the port of Ras Tanura for delivery to Saudi Aramco’s customers in the United States,....

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Monday postponed his trip to Russia without explanation and headed straight for Brussels for talks with US NATO allies on the crisis with Iran.

...DEBKAfile’s military and intelligence sources reported that despite the careful omissions in the official statements, it is obvious that Gulf oil and gas shipping came under attack from a party in the region. The obvious candidate is Iran, whose Revolutionary Guards and their fleet are fully capable of carrying out Tehran’s first major reprisal for US sanctions on its oil exports. From the Saudi statement that the oil on one of the stricken ships attacked in UAE waters was destined for “customers in the United States, ” it may be inferred that Tehran found a way to vent itself on two if not three of its enemies with a single blow. Iranian officials have declared that if Tehran can’t export its oil, neither will anyone else. Washington has so far made no response to this attack. A statement may be expected after Pompeo’s talks in Brussels.

This very scenario was predicted days ago by U.S. sources...

U.S. Warns Iran May Attack Oil Tankers In The Persian Gulf

'Specific, credible' Iran threat against US forces triggered carrier deployment, sources say

"Specific and credible" intelligence that suggested Iranian forces and proxies were targeting US forces in Syria, Iraq and at sea led the Pentagon to recommend a carrier strike group be moved to the region, two US officials tell CNN.

The Pentagon and Central Command asked the White House to announce the military moves to give added heft to the new orders and send a message to Tehran, according to multiple military and US officials.

The strike group's deployment from the Adriatic Sea to the Strait of Hormuz is aimed specifically at deterring any Iranian military actions, a senior military official added. The Strait, a 21-mile wide waterway that separates Iran from other Gulf countries, is the conduit for shipments of about 30 percent of the world's crude oil, making it a strategically crucial passageway for the global economy. (More on this later.)

And Israel foolishly bragged openly that this was based on intel provided by the Mossad...

Report: Mossad intel of looming Iranian attack led US to send in carrier force

Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency reportedly tipped off the United States on an impending Iranian attack on American interests in the Gulf, prompting Washington to deploy an aircraft carrier strike group to the region late Sunday, in a sharp escalation of US President Donald Trump’s pressure campaign.

John Bolton, Trump’s national security adviser who advocated attacking Iran before taking up the post, announced late Sunday that the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group would sail to unspecified waters in the vicinity of Iran.

The deployment is aimed at sending “a clear and unmistakable message to the Iranian regime that any attack on United States interests or on those of our allies will be met with unrelenting force,” Bolton said.

...According to Israel’s Channel 13, Israeli officials conveyed information gathered largely by the Mossad on an Iranian plan to attack either a US or US-allied target, details of which were not provided to the network.

The threat was initially raised two weeks ago in the White House, officials told Channel 13, when an Israeli delegation led by National Security Council head Meir Ben-Shabbat huddled with their American counterparts.

“It is still unclear to us what the Iranians are trying to do and how they are planning to do it, but it is clear to us that the Iranian temperature is on the rise as a result of the growing US pressure campaign against them, and they are considering retaliating against US interests in the Gulf,” an official was quoted as saying.

Even before the attack that reportedly occurred yesterday on the Saudi tankers, antisemitic elements on the internet were already spreading the story that Israel and the U.S. were preparing a false-flag attack to provide the basis for the West's war with Iran.  All the way back in 2012, the UK's Jeremy Corbyn was claiming that Israel would perpetrate a false flag action in order to provide a pretext for an attack on Iran.  The only difference now is that it is being made to appear as though Israel is setting up a scenario by which the U.S. will fight the war for her, which is mega times more dangerous for Jews worldwide. But any way you look at it, Jews are going to be blamed for the terrible blow-back that will ultimately result.

...what prompted many to speculate that the attack, or "sabotage" may have been a false flag provocation to escalate a regional conflict, the incident came as the U.S. has warned ships that "Iran or its proxies" could be targeting maritime traffic in the region, and as America deployed an aircraft carrier and B-52 bombers to the Persian Gulf to counter alleged threats from Tehran, while Tehran has called the U.S. military presence “a target” rather than a threat.

The reported sabotage incident also comes after the U.S. Maritime Administration warned Thursday that Iran could target commercial sea traffic.

"Since early May, there is an increased possibility that Iran and/or its regional proxies could take action against U.S. and partner interests, including oil production infrastructure, after recently threatening to close the Strait of Hormuz," the warning read. "Iran or its proxies could respond by targeting commercial vessels, including oil tankers, or U.S. military vessels in the Red Sea, Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, or the Persian Gulf."

So was Iran indeed "targeting commercial vessels", or was someone pretending to be Iran and targeting commercial vessels, and if so did the operation fail to achieve its goal, resulting in the prompt denial that anything happened, even though it was Iran who originally reported that seven tankers were involved in the explosions?

While there is no definitive answer, later on Sunday, a senior Iranian lawmaker and head of parliament’s national security committee, Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh, said that reports of “explosions” near Fujairah port showed the “the security of the south of the Persian Gulf is like glass.” (Source)

(See the comments there.)

Most people have assumed that such a confrontation would go nuclear and this is why "all the nations of the world will shout from terror, fall upon their faces in fear and undergo such horrible pains as strong as labor pains."  Also, this has been described as the fulfillment of the word of the GR"A that the Third World War would only last for 12 mins.  But, it would actually take ICBMs longer than 12 mins to reach the U.S.

On the other hand, how long would it take the stock market to collapse catastrophically???  At computer speed!

Remember that quote from above saying that the Strait of Hormuz is "a strategically crucial passageway for the global economy"?

Well, the global economy is already balanced on a feather...

Pessimists are predicting a global crash in 2020. You can see why

It won't stand a chance against the hurricane that would churn up in a shooting war between the U.S. and Iran. And if you think antisemitism is bad now...

"...the Jewish people will shout from fear and say, "to where do we turn?! To where do we run?!"

And HKB"H will say: "...What do you fear? The time for your Redemption has arrived!"

See also: U.S.-Iran war wouldn’t be a cakewalk — it would be hell
"...the regime could target landmarks such as the Burj Khalifa in Dubai — the world’s tallest building ‒ in order to trigger a financial meltdown across the region."

"Poway Attack: The Problem, The Solution You Will Hear Nowhere Else "

8 Iyyar 5779
Day 23 of the Omer

Rabbi Richter - Poway Attack: The Problem, The Solution You Will Hear Nowhere Else P.1

"The Omer: Countdown to Faith"

5 Iyyar 5779
Day 20 of the Omer
Erev Shabbat Kodesh

Parashat Emor- The Omer: Countdown to Faith- Rabbi Meir Kahane

When you come to the land that I am going to give you and you reap its harvest, you must bring an Omer of your first reaping to the Kohen. He shall wave it in the motions prescribed for a wave offering to the L-rd so that it is acceptable for you. The Kohen shall make this wave offering on the day after the first day of the [Pesach] holiday [see Torat Kohanim, Emor, Ch. 12] .... You shall then count seven complete weeks after the day following the [Pesach] holiday when you brought the Omer as a wave offering, until the day after the seventh week, when there will be [a total of] fifty days. [On that fiftieth day] you may present new grain as a meal offering to the L-rd. (Lev. 23:10-11, 15-16)

In order to reinforce the principle of a holy nation, G-d tied Pesach, the time of national liberation, to Shavuot, the time of the Giving of the Torah, via the Sefirat HaOmer, the “counting of the Omer”. The counting is also tied to the Land, for it begins with the harvesting of the Omer. This is why our sages declared (Menachot 83b), “All communal and individual offerings can come from the Land of Israel or from outside of it, from new grain or from old, except for the Omer and the two loaves of Shavuot, which can only be brought from new grain and from the Land.” The mitzvah of the Omer bound Pesach to Shavuot and the people to their holiness. It completed the creation of Israel as a holy nation and ensured that this holy nation would merit Eretz Yisrael. Our sages said (Vayikra Rabbah, 28:6): Never take the mitzvah of the Omer lightly, for Abraham merited through it to inherit the Land. It says, “To you and your offspring will I give the land where you are now living as a foreigner. The whole land of Canaan” (Gen. 17:8), and this was so that Abraham “would keep G-d's covenant” (Ibid., v. 9). By fulfilling the mitzvah of the Omer, which ties Pesach to Shavuot, and thereby becoming a holy nation, Israel merited to inherit the Land from the nations; for had they not agreed to be a holy nation, why should G-d have taken the Land from the nations and given it to them?

Our sages ask why the Torah was not given immediately or shortly after Israel left Egypt, and they answer (Kohelet Rabbah, 3:[11]2): When Israel left Egypt, they were worthy of receiving the Torah immediately. Yet ... G-d said, “My children have not yet attained their lustre. They emerged from an enslavement of mud and bricks, and shall I give them the Torah? Let them enjoy two or three months of the Manna, well-water [Miriam's well that miraculously followed Israel] and quails, and then I shall give it to them.” Nonetheless, the nation's faith was weak and abated very quickly. As our sages (Shemot Rabbah, 5:14): “Moses and Aaron then went to Pharaoh” (Ex. 5:1): And where did the elders go that they were not mentioned together with Moses and Aaron, when G-d had previously said to Moses, “you and the elders will go” (Ex. 3:18)? Our sages answered, “The elders went with them, yet they stole away... and disappeared. By the time Moses and Aaron reached the palace, not one remained.” Numerous other sources testify to Israel's lack of faith then. G-d, therefore, demanded of them at least a small sign of faith, albeit fleeting, before He would redeem them, because faith and trust are the root of serving G-d. Without them, without faith in the King, Redeemer and Savior, there is no Torah. Therefore, the counting of the Omer not only underscores the bond between the people and holiness, between a holy nation and its holy land, but also establishes the formation of the people on the basis of faith. The Omer was harvested from the new grain, and until then it was forbidden to eat new grain and forbidden even to harvest it. As Rambam wrote (Hilchot Temidim U'Musafin 7:13), “It is forbidden to harvest in Eretz Yisrael any one of the five species of grain before the Omer is harvested.” Through this, we proclaim that G-d gives bread to all flesh and that we depend on Him for this grain, for His blessings, for His dew and His rain. Therefore, the first cutting is given to G-d as the meal offering, as an announcement that we have placed our hope in Him with faith and trust, and as an acknowledgment and giving of thanks for blessing us with this harvest.

This idea is also alluded to in the law that this Omer comes from barley (Menachot 68b), an animal food, as with the meal offering of the Sotah, the suspected adulteress, and of the Sotah we find: All of the meal offerings come from wheat [a food consumed by humans] but [the meal offering of the Sotah] comes from barley [consumed by animals]... R. Gamliel says, “Just as her deeds were bestial, so is her offering from the food of the beast.” (Sotah 14a). All this is so even though the Omer meal offering is not entirely like the Sotah offering, since the former requires oil and frankincense, whereas the latter does not. Furthermore, the former is brought as geresh, the finest grade barley flour (not normally consumed by animals), whereas the Sotah barley offering is brought as regular barley flour, the way animals eat it. Even so, G-d wished to hint to us at the start of the new grain that man, like the animal, depends on G-d's mercy. As King David described in Psalms (104:27), “All of them wait for You, that You may give them their food in due season.” Our sages furthermore said (Vayikra Rabbah, 28:3): It says, “Neither say they in their heart:'Let us now fear the L-rd our G-d, Who gives the early and late rain in due season'” (Jer. 5:24). [Let him not say], “Once G-d gives you everything, you no longer need Him.” “Who keeps for us the appointed weeks of the harvest” (Ibid.). G-d will protect us from evil winds and evil dews. When? During the seven weeks between Pesach and Shavuot. In other words, we should not think that since the winter has passed and there was rain, and there is already grain, there is no more need to pray to G-d regarding this grain. Even when there is grain, if during harvest time rain falls and there are evil winds and evil dews, the grain will be ruined. As Samuel said, “Is it not wheat harvest today? I will call unto the L-rd that He may send thunder and rain... and all the people greatly feared the L-rd and Samuel” (I Samuel 12:17-18). For this reason, the Omer meal offering is waved, as our sages said (Vayikra Rabbah 28:5): How would he wave it? R. Chama bar Ukva said in the name of R. Yossi bar Chanina, “He passes it back and forth, and up and down. He passes it back and forth for the One Who owns the entire universe, and he raises it up and down for Him Who owns those in Heaven and earth.” R. Simon, son of R. Yehoshua says, “He passes it back and forth to cancel harsh winds, and he raises and lowers it to cancel harsh dews.” The main point here is that faith is a fixed component of the Omer meal offering, because the meal offering itself symbolizes faith. Indeed, G-d established this interlude between national liberation and sanctification in order to exalt and refine Israel with mitzvot and values, precisely those of faith and trust in G-d – the manna, the well and the quail. All three served as signs that the sustenance and survival of man on the individual and national levelare solely in G-d's hands.

As our sages said (Pesikta Rabbati, 18): G-d said to Israel, “My children, when I used to give you the Omer [of manna that fell for each person], I would give each of you 'an Omer per person, according to the number of people each man has in his tent' (Ex. 16:16). Now that you are giving Me the Omer, you give Me only one Omer from all of you collectively.” We see that the waving of the Omer, which makes the new grain permissible, serves as a reminder of the Omer of the manna, and as a symbol of Israel's faith and trust in G-d.From here, we learn that even physical and national liberation do not make the people fit to assume the mantel of holiness. After all, a secular nation, like all the nations, surely thinks exclusively in nationalist, “realistic” terms. For such a nation, only the size of its army and the quantity of arms and allies can make them secure. They must advance to this by keeping mitzvot which express concepts, values and trust in G-d, which refine and elevate the nation from base secular nationalism.  (Source)

~ SHABBAT SHALOM ~

NO Independence on Independence Day

4 Iyyar 5779
Day 19 of the Omer

Nothing could demonstrate this fact more clearly than the following report...

ALLEGEDLY LEAKED TRUMP PEACE DEAL CITES 'NEW PALESTINE,' UNITED JERUSALEM

Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials have allegedly been passing around in their online communication an unsigned document that claims to offer insight into the secret "deal of the century" peace plan soon to be released by US President Donald Trump and his administration.

It is impossible to know if the details are genuine or perhaps a hoax, Yisrael Hayom reported earlier this week.

The deal, the document claims, will be signed between Israel, Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, and will bring about the creation of a state called "New Palestine." This state would include the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, excluding Israeli settlements, and will share its capital with Israel. Arab residents of Jerusalem will be citizens of New Palestine.

Education of Arab residents will be overseen by New Palestine, all other issues will be handled by the municipality of Jerusalem.

The holy places will remain in their current state and no Arab or Jew will be allowed to purchase homes in neighborhoods of the other community.

Egypt is meant to lease to New Palestine land on which it will open an airport and an industrial zone, according to the supposedly released plan. A road would be paved between Gaza and the West Bank and it would be possible to transfer desalinated water via an underground conductor between the two places.

The US, EU and Gulf States purportedly would finance the deal at a cost of $30 billion during the first five years. Israel will carry the cost of evacuating any settlements. This support is meant to build a viable economy for the Palestinians.

The costs are split among the countries in this way, 70% paid for by the Gulf States, 20% by the US and 10% by the EU. New Palestine will not have an armed force and Israel will defend it from any attacks in exchange of payment.


Hamas, according to this document, will agree to hold a free election a year after the deal is made. These elections will decide the government of New Palestine. Prisoners will be released in the space of three years and a sea port and air port be built in Gaza in five years from the time the deal is sealed.

New Palestine, if the released documents are correct, would be given two border passages into Jordan. The rest of the territory along Jordan will remain under Israeli control.

Should Israel refuse to sign this deal, the US will end all financial support of the Jewish State. Should the Palestinians refuse to sign it, the US will end all support of the Palestinian people and ensure no other country in the world will offer them funds.

The White House refused to comment on the news or verify it in any way.

 "New Palestine" reminds me of "New Coke."  Typical American (Eisavian) superficiality.

Someday the Jews are going to learn the ultimate lesson of our nationhood: INdependence from the nations comes only when we are 100% DEpendent on HKB"H!

Looking forward to THAT day!

Yom HaZikaron/Yom Ha'Atzma'ut 5779

3 Iyyar 5779
Day 18 of the Omer

Despite it's many faults and failures, Israel is still the best country in the world in which to live!  I would do it all over again with absolutely no hesitation!!  NO REGRETS!!!

I appreciate the many and harsh sacrifices made by so many committed Jews who paved the way and made it possible, with G-d's help, for all of us to arrive at this day.

My very first trip ever to Eretz Israel was during the 46th Yom Ha'Atzma'ut.  Now, it stands at 71.  I'm very much looking forward to Year 1 of Mashiach and being in on the very beginning of what is developing here right now.

ISRAEL AT 71

As of May 2019, Israel’s population is 9,009,000. About 74.2% are Jews, 21% Muslim or Christian Arabs, and the rest non-Arab Christians and others. (Central Bureau of Statistics)

Citizens aged 0-20 comprise 43% of Israel’s population. The largest group within that category is 5- to 14-year-olds (18%). The latter category is largest in Jerusalem, making up 21% of its population. (Statistical Yearbook of Jerusalem)

Jerusalem is Israel’s most populous city, with about 883,000 residents. Tel Aviv-Yafo (Jaffa) comes in second (439,000) and Haifa third (280,000). (Statistical Yearbook of Jerusalem)

In Tel Aviv, the largest population segment by age is 35-44 (about 17%), while in Haifa the two highest population groups are ages 5-14 and 35-44 (12% each). (Statistical Yearbook of Jerusalem)

The most common family name in Israel is Cohen (one in 50 people). Agbaria is the most common surname among Muslims, Khoury among Christians and Halabi among Druze. (Central Bureau of Statistics)

The most common first names for boys in Israel are Muhammad, Yosef, Ariel, Omer, Adam, David, Daniel, Lavi, Eitan and Uri. The most popular names for girls are Tamar, Abigail, Miriam, Sarah, Adele, Yael, Noa, Shira, Noya and Lia. (Population and Immigration Authority, 2017-2018)

Israel has the highest number of startups per capita in the world. (2018 Global Startup Ecosystem Report)

Israel hosts about 8,200 active high-tech companies. (IVC Research Center)

30 Israeli venture capital funds raised $2.55 billion in 2018, the largest sum ever raised by Israeli VCs and 69% more than in 2017. (IVC)

Israel ranks fifth overall on the 2019 Bloomberg Innovation Index, moving up from #10 in 2018. In the R&D Intensity category, Israel ranks #1.

Israel’s expenditure on research and development (R&D) as a percentage of its GDP (4.21%) is the highest in the world. (OECD)

Israel ranks #2 among top 10 countries for scientific research, based on the number of scientific research papers released, the number of patents registered, the percentage of GDP spent on R&D and the number of researchers per 1,000 people. (RS Components)

More than 350 multinational corporations have R&D centers in Israel, including IBM, Intel, Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Merck, HP Indigo, J&J, GE, Siemens, Qualcomm, Applied Materials and Samsung. Israel has the world’s highest per capita number of such centers. (IVC, Ministry of Economy and Industry)

Every year, about 1,400 startups are founded in Israel and some 800 shut down. (Israel Innovation Authority)

Thirteen Israeli-founded companies with headquarters or development offices in Israel are “unicorns,” privately held startups valued at $1 billion or more: Payoneer, Taboola, Outbrain, Gett, Infinidat, ironSource, eToro, OrCam, Lemonade, Fiverr, JFrog, WalkMe and Via. (TechAviv)

The most lucrative acquisition of an Israeli company took place in 2017, when Intel bought Jerusalem-based Mobileye for $15.3 billion.

Intel is making the largest-ever corporate investment in Israel: An $11 billion production plant planned in Kiryat Gat.

Intel, which employs about 12,800 Israelis in five centers throughout the country, is the most active foreign corporate investor in Israel, putting $435 million into more than 90 Israeli companies — $120 million in 2018 alone. (IVC, Intel Capital Israel)

Israel has the lowest rate of diet-related deaths in the world. (Global Burden of Disease Study, Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation)

Israel ranks fifth in the world for healthy longevity and 11th in the world for overall happiness. (2018 United Nations World Happiness Report)

Average life expectancy for Israeli men is 80.7, and 84.6 for women, as of 2017. (Central Bureau of Statistics)

Israel ranks 10th on the 2019 Bloomberg Healthiest Country Index.

88.6% of Israelis say they are pleased with their lives. (Central Bureau of Statistics)

85% of Israelis over the age of 20 feel safe walking alone in the dark in their residential area. (Central Bureau of Statistics)

In 1948, about 2% of Israel was covered in trees. Now it’s up to around 8.5%. Since its establishment in 1901, Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National fund (KKL-JNF) has planted more than 240 million trees in Israel.

Israel is one of the only countries in the world that ended the 20th century with more trees than it had at the start. (KKL-JNF)

As of the end of 2018, every Israeli has access annually to an average 152 kilograms of fruit and 154kg of vegetables. (Central Bureau of Statistics)

In 2017, the leading crops produced in Israel were potatoes, tomatoes, carrots and peppers on the vegetable side; and bananas, apples, avocados and grapes on the fruit front. (Central Bureau of Statistics)

Citrus fruit is Israel’s largest agricultural export, adding up to $230 million in 2017. The value of all Israel’s fresh and processed agricultural exports was about $2.2 billion in 2016. (Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development)

In 2018, Israel welcomed a record-breaking 4,120,800 million incoming tourists.

The Western Wall in Jerusalem is the most-visited tourist site, followed by other sites in Jerusalem’s Old City: the Jewish Quarter, Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Via Dolorosa, Mount of Olives and the Tower of David Museum. Outside Jerusalem, the most popular tourist sites are Masada, the Church of the Annunciation, Tel Aviv Port, Capernaum and Caesarea. (Ministry of Tourism)

In 2018, almost half of all Israelis (4.1 million) traveled abroad – 2.2 million of them once, and 1.9 million twice or more. (Central Bureau of Statistics)

The Israel Hotel Association lists 370 member hotels, encompassing a total of 54,864 rooms. This number does not include hundreds of small boutique hotels and bed-and-breakfasts (tzimmers) across Israel.

The most expensive hotel rooms in Israel are the Noble Suite at Waldorf Astoria Jerusalem and the Presidential Suite at the Ritz Carlton Herzliya, each approximately $5,000 per night in high season.

Israeli households, industry and agriculture consume 2.1 billion cubic meters of water every year. (Mekorot National Water Carrier)

Israel recycles 87% of its wastewater for agriculture, much more than any other country in the world. Some 31% of irrigation water originates from wastewater treated at more than 150 plants. (Mekorot)

Sixty to 80% of Israel’s municipal water, adjusted according to season and real-time demand, flows from large coastal desal plants in Sorek, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Palmachim and Hadera. (Mekorot)

Sorek is the largest seawater reverse osmosis desalination plant in the world. The 100,000-square-meter facility can produce 624,000 cubic meters of water daily — 20% of domestic water consumption. (IDE Technologies)

As of 2019, Israel counts some 545 resident species of birds. (Israeli Birding Portal)

Every year some 500 million birds of 150 to 200 species migrate across Israel in their twice-yearly pilgrimage to and from warmer climes in March and November.

Israel has about 500 beekeepers with a total of 110,000 hives. (Israeli Honey Board)

Israel’s annual honey yield is about 3,000 tons.

About 1,600 tons of honey is consumed by Israelis every Rosh Hashana to symbolize the hope of a sweet Jewish New Year ahead. (Israeli Honey Board)

Twelve Israelis have been awarded Nobel prizes: S.Y. Agnon, Menachem Begin, Shimon Peres, Yitzhak Rabin, Daniel Kahneman, Aaron Ciechanover, Avram Hershko, Robert Aumann, Ada Yonath, Dan Shechtman, Michael Levitt and Arieh Warshel.

Israel has the highest number of engineers and scientists per capita. (Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

Israel ranks third among OECD countries for the percent of its population that has attained higher education and fifth for its total expenditure on educational institutions as a percentage of GDP. (Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

Israel boasts a literacy level of 97.8% of citizens above the age of 15. (Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

Israel is home to 66 institutions of higher education: Seven research universities, one open university, 23 teacher-training colleges, 21 academic colleges and 14 private colleges. (Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

A small Israeli-Arab village in the Lower Galilee has one of the highest numbers of doctors per capita in the world.

Israel has more than 230 museums, believed to be more museums per capita than any other country in the world. (CNN Travel)

Israel shipped $61.9 billion worth of goods around the globe in 2018. The top five exports are gems and precious metals (24% of total exports), electrical machinery and equipment (13.8%), pharmaceuticals (9.1%), optical, technical and medical apparatus (8.6%) and machinery including computers (7.8%). (World’s Top Exports)

There are more vegans (5%) and vegetarians (8%) per capita in Israel than anywhere else in the world.

In 2017, Israel hosted the world’s largest animal rights march, drawing some 30,000 activists. (PETA)

Every day, Osem produces one million bags of Bamba, Israel’s top-selling snack. Surveys show that 90% of Israeli families buy Bamba on a regular basis.

Israel has won nine Olympic medals since 1952: one gold in sailing, one silver in judo, and seven bronze (four in judo, two in sailing and one in canoeing).

Israeli rhythmic gymnast Linoy Ashram set a world record with a score of 20.65 points in the clubs event at the Rhythmic Gymnastics World Challenge Cup Championship in 2018.

Guinness World Records certified in April 2019 that Isaak Hayik of Or Yehuda, Israel, is the oldest soccer player in the world.

A new Guinness World Record was set for most people using virtual reality displays at the same time, when Israeli company Mobileye made a presentation to 1,867 business leaders at the 2017 YPO Edge conference in Vancouver, Canada.

Revealing Quote

2 Iyyar 5779
Day 17 of the Omer

A short while ago, I saw a headline that said...

United Right leader: Ceasefire - only when the enemy is deterred

No doubt he feels this is a very radical position to take, but it is very revealing of what is so wrong with each succeeding government.

It should read "...only when the enemy is DESTROYED!"

Instead of repeating the failed policy of "we cease and they fire," we should try something more like "we'll hold fire when they cease to be."

The Arrival of Mashiach Will Herald the End of the World of Lies

1 Iyyar 5779
Rosh Chodesh Bet
Day 16 of the Omer

Has the World of Lies reached a saturation point?  If so, Mashiach can't be far away...

FACEBOOK SAYS IT WILL ALLOW HOLOCAUST DENIAL

"We do not remove lies or content that is inaccurate," wrote Joel Kaplan, Facebook's vice president of global public policy.

Facebook Has Announced A Multistep Plan To Crack Down On Anti-Vax Misinformation