The Shabbos between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is called Shabbos Shuvah, because its special haftarah reading begins with the words Shuvah Yisrael ("Return O Israel"), from the prophecy of Hoshe'a. It is referred to as Shabbos Shuvah because it falls during the Ten Days of Teshuvah - Repentance.
...It is customary in almost all Jewish communities for the rabbi of the city or the congregation to expound on teshuvah, and to emphasize the severity of transgression so that the people turn their hearts toward repentance. Our Sages have said that when the wise address the people, God forgives the sins of Israel.
The Shabbos was given to Israel as a time for Torah study and prayer, and, although one should always take care not to pass the time idly or in inappropriate conversation, on Shabbos Shuvah one should be especially careful to concentrate entirely on Torah, prayer, and reflection on teshuvah, thereby attaining forgiveness for whatever unfitting behavior may have marred other Sabbaths. (Book of Our Heritage)
"...and the king of Persia returns and lays waste to the entire world and the nations of the world are shaken and terrified and fall on their faces, and pangs seize them like the pangs of a woman in labor, and Israel is shaken and terrified."
Never - ever - take anything at face value, especially when it comes to politics. Since their inception, the intelligence services have been experimenting with methods of mind control and manipulation. The term psy-ops has become a catch-all term that describes these activities which are carried out all over the world.
"Psyops, short for psychological operations, is the planned use of communication and information to influence the emotions, motives, and behavior of target audiences."
It is so prevalent and widespread that a case could be made for every headline of our news being some form of manipulation. But, because HKB"H still runs His world, the truth may still be determined if you ask the right questions. Many people prefer not to be bothered. They feel helpless and cynical and view it all as a waste of time, but it is encumbent on us as Jews to always be searching out the truth of every matter that confronts us.
Every situation has a kernel of truth at its core, else it could not exist at all. We don't live in a bubble. We, both as individuals and as a nation, are affected by everything that confronts us each and every day. Living in the information age means that we have to spend a lot of our time and thoughts on sorting through the information; understanding it and knowing how to act upon it in accordance with our covenant obligations to HKB"H.
I'll give you a case in point.
We are told that the international community is appalled by "the extremist" Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and that his inclusion in the government lowers Israel's standing in the world. We are led to believe that Netanyahu is not happy with him and is looking for a way to disengage.
True to the "us-or-them" dynamic, the so-called "right-wing" thinks he is their champion (because maybe that is the role he has been assigned) and the "left-wing" has a "Jewish extremist" monster to villify. Everybody is happy - and distracted!
I think there is more to this than meets the eye. Remember, take nothing at face value and ask questions. Let's go back to the Otzma Yehudit party's beginnings...
Otzma Yehudit was founded in 2012 as Otzma LeYisrael by Members of Knesset Aryeh Eldad and Michael Ben-Ari.
Founders
Aryeh Eldad: A secular politician and former MK who split from the National Union.
Michael Ben-Ari: An Orthodox Jewish activist and former MK associated with the Kahanist movement.
Disqualified Leaders
Michael Ben-Ari: In March 2019, Israel's Supreme Court disqualified Ben-Ari from running in the upcoming Knesset elections due to racist incitement. This marked the first time the court barred an individual candidate rather than an entire party list under Basic Law: The Knesset.
Baruch Marzel and Bentzi Gopstein: In subsequent election cycles (such as late 2019), additional prominent figures and associates tied to the party's Kahanist lineage, like Baruch Marzel and Bentzi Gopstein, were also barred or pressured off electoral lists by court rulings or legal challenges regarding racism and incitement, though Ben-Ari remains the primary historical precedent of a party leader directly disqualified by the Supreme Court. (Current party leader Itamar Ben-Gvir was cleared by courts to run in past key elections, despite historical petitions against him). (Gemini)
Important question #1: Why was Ben Gvir not also disqualified?
This brought to mind the following...
Barry Chamish claimed that Itamar Ben-Gvir was a Shin Bet agent and a provocateur.
The Claim: In 2005 articles on his website, Chamish wrote that Ben-Gvir was a secret agent for Israel's security service. He alleged that Ben-Gvir faked opposition to the 2005 Gaza pullout to undermine real protests, incited violence, and repeatedly escaped legal trouble on technicalities.
The Lawsuit: Ben-Gvir sued Chamish for libel in the Jerusalem Magistrate's Court.
The Ruling: In 2008, the court ruled in favor of Ben-Gvir, stating the claims portrayed him as a traitor and a fraud. The judge ordered Chamish to pay NIS 36,000 in damages. (Source)
Important question #2: Why did Ben Gvir invite the likes of Yishai Fleisher to join his list? His universalist "Abrahamic Faith" initiatives do not appear to adhere to the Kahane ideology of Otzma Yehudit. (The media often links them together due to their mutual connections to Hebron.)
Important question #3: If Ben Gvir is truly the bogey man many people love to hate, why did he and his wife occupy a seat of honor next to US Ambassador Huckabee, the host of the 250 Years of America event held September 8, 2026 at the Museum of Tolerance in Jerusalem?
Arguably, Ben Gvir's greatest claim to fame may turn out in the future to have been achieved as the strongest proponent for the death penalty for terrorists.
Important question #4: What happens when the US Ambassador begins insisting on the application of the death penalty for those he accuses of being Jewish "terrorists"?
Important question #5: Don't the Jewish people deserve a Minister of Security who is as concerned about their spiritual safety as well as their physical safety?
I don't buy the idea that he is catering to his party base when missionary activity becomes protected instead of criminalized.
I don't come to any conclusions here. All I have are some concerning questions and a warning not to take anything at face value.
Muslim TV preacher sentenced to 8,658 years in jail by Turkish court
An Istanbul court Wednesday sentenced a Muslim televangelist who surrounded himself with scantily clad women he called “kittens” to 8,658 years in prison in a retrial, local media reported.
Adnan Oktar led television programs surrounded by women wearing lots of makeup and little clothes as he preached creationism and conservative values.
Last year, the 66-year-old was sentenced to 1,075 years for crimes including sexual assault, sexual abuse of minors, fraud and attempted political and military espionage.
But that ruling was overturned by an upper court.
During the retrial, Istanbul high criminal court sentenced Oktar to 8,658 years in prison on several charges including sexual abuse and depriving someone of their liberty, the Anadolu news agency reported.
Oktar, whom critics see as the leader of a cult, gained notoriety for his programs on the online A9 television channel and had regularly been denounced by Turkey’s religious leaders.
...Oktar, also known by his pen name Harun Yahya, has authored numerous books promoting creationism against Darwin’s theory of evolution as well as conspiracy theories.
He has been criticized in the past for publishing books featuring antisemitic conspiracy theories and Holocaust denial, but in recent years has renounced them and held events to combat those phenomena in the Muslim world. He has been embraced by some high-profile Israelis.
In a 1986 book he penned called “Judaism and Freemasonry,” he claimed both groups were making use of their power “to erode the spiritual, religious, and moral values of the Turkish people and make them like animals.”
He was later slammed over a 1996 book titled “The Holocaust Lie” published under his pen name, which claimed that “what is presented as Holocaust is the death of some Jews due to the typhus plague during the war and the famine toward the end of the war caused by the defeat of the Germans.”
Oktar has hosted many Israelis on his TV show, including Temple Mount activist and former MK Yehudah Glick, former minister Ayoub Kara, and several Orthodox rabbis. He has been lauded for pro-Israel views, including affirming the connection between the Jewish people and Jerusalem and the Land of Israel.
He has supported the rights of Jews and Christians to pray on the contested Temple Mount compound in Jerusalem, the holiest site in Judaism and third-holiest for Muslims, who refer to it as Al-Haram Al-Sharif. (Source: Times of Israel 2022)
It's easy to get so caught up in the "slichah" of the slichot season that we short-change the malchuyot aspect of the Yamim Noraim.
Crowning God as king is a central spiritual theme in Jewish tradition, representing the ultimate acceptance of divine sovereignty, especially during the High Holidays.
Jewish Tradition and Rosh Hashanah
Core Theme: On Rosh Hashanah, the primary focus of prayer is not just asking for personal needs, but Crowning God King.
The Concept of Malchuyot: As discussed in rabbinic texts...God commands us to declare and crown Him as King, aligning human will with divine purpose.
Surrender of Ego: Worshippers nullify their own pride to accept God as their beloved and revered monarch.
The central core of the Rosh Hashanah Musaf service features three unique middle blessings—known as Malchiyot, Zichronot, and Shofrot—that expand the standard Amidah into nine total blessings.
1. Malchiyot (Sovereignty) Theme: Declares God as King of the universe, acknowledging His divine rule and supreme authority over all creation.
Focus: Accepting God's sovereignty upon ourselves and the world during the New Year.
2. Zichronot (Remembrances) Theme: Recalls how God remembers the deeds of humanity, the covenant with the patriarchs, and past merits.
Focus: Praying that God looks upon us with mercy and remembers our good actions and the binding of Isaac.
3. Shofrot (Shofar Blasts) Theme: Connects the day's judgment to the sounding of the ram's horn.
Focus: Looks forward to the ultimate redemption and the great future blast of the shofar that gathers the displaced.
The shofar blasts signify both the coronation of the King as well as the announcement of the King’s arrival.
The Talmud tells us that G‑d says to us on Rosh Hashanah, “Say before Me verses whose themes are sovereignty, remembrances and shofar. Sovereignty, so that you should crown Me king over you; remembrances, so that I should remember you for good; and with what? With a shofar.”
Thus, it is through the shofar that the first two “objectives,” coronation and remembrance, are accomplished. Additionally, the sounding of the shofar reminds us of the two greatest events in all time: the giving of the Torah and the coming of Moshiach. Thus, we recite verses describing the revelation at Sinai as well as a prayer for the sounding of the great shofar heralding the final redemption.
The following is just to give you a very small and simple taste of what is in store for the future...
The ruling regime in Israel believes so and it's willing to put money on it...
Seder With A Heretic (Missionary Mike Evans)
As Mike Evans (FOZ) claims to be of Jewish birth, his connection to and promotion of Chr*stianity makes him a heretic and a rasha gamur. He should be persona non grata in Israel, and would be if it really were a Jewish State, but certainly among the religious leaders, no?
This is the same Mike Evans who has organized the spiritual attack set for October 7, 2026 at the Kotel Hama'aravi. (See The Next Oct. 7th.)
More information has come to light that indicates this is much more than a missionary attempt to co-mingle with Jews at the Kotel. Our erroneously named "Jewish" State is deeply involved. It looks to me as if it is a quid pro quo trade-off to buy loyalty and support for the current regime.
More than 1,000 U.S. pastors flew to Jerusalem on December 3–7 [2025] for the Friends of Zion Ambassador Summit, a fully funded trip backed by Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
No modern government has ever invested so much money, coordination, and political effort to mobilize American pastors before now. Why would Israel pay to assemble 1,000 Christian leaders, covering their airfare and luxury accommodations, and choreograph their every step?
In 2025 Mike Evans' FOZ brought 1000 pastors to Israel for the "Ambassadors Summit". According to a Haaretz article, the Israeli foreign ministry paid for it and it included prayer at the kotel with the "Western Wall Rabbi".
The 1000 Pastors project offered 1070 American evangelical clergy an expense-paid trip to Israel in December to equip them to serve as “ambassadors for Israel” on their return, and proposes to invite thousands more in the coming year [2026]. (Source)
"This year's summit attendees will participate in the "Global Prayer Event"at the Kotel."
"The journey will conclude with a powerful Global Prayer Eventat the Kotel (Western Wall)."
MFA is the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs...
Israeli Government Funding and Partnership
The Friends of Zion (FOZ) Ambassador Program is a direct joint venture with the Israeli government, specifically backed by the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Fully Funded Trips: Media reports and organization releases note that the State of Israel pays for the immersive trips as part of its strategic public relations and global advocacy budget.
Strategic Budgeting: Following the initial 1,000-pastor summit, the Israeli cabinet heavily increased its global advocacy and public relations budgets to continue bringing high-profile delegations, elected officials, and influencers to Israel throughout 2026.
Official Certification: Upon completing the training, participants receive diplomas officially co-signed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, commissioning them as honorary global ambassadors for Israel. (Source: ChatGPT)
