"In the year in which the King Moshiach is revealed, all the kings of the nations of the world are provoking one another,..." (Yalkut Shimoni)
Chavez threatens military action over Honduras coup
N. Korea threatens to shoot down Japanese planes
Iran threatens 'crushing' response to U.S.
Syrian group threatens 'force' against Israel
29 June 2009
26 June 2009
Look out! Big whack comin'!
U.S. Appreciates Israel's Roadblock Removal(IsraelNN.com) The United States State Department expressed appreciation to Israel Thursday over steps taken to make things easier for Palestinian Authority residents in Judea and Samaria. Those steps included the removal or easing of processing at roadblocks and inspection points, and reduced Israeli security activity in four PA cities.
When the State Department is happy with Israel, something very bad for the Jews is taking place...
Netanyahu folds under US pressure for pulling out of West Bank towns before peace talks
Despite his pledge to keep security considerations uppermost in his dealings with the Palestinians, Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu is buckling under pressure from the US administration aimed at softening Israel up ahead of Middle East peace talks.
...It is the most sweeping redeployment of Israeli security forces since their unilateral withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and northern Samaria four years ago as part of Ariel Sharon's disengagement policy.
To make the gesture palatable to the Israeli public - who have not forgottenthat years of Palestinian suicide bombing attacks from the West Bank were finally stemmed by the IDF presence in terrorist city strongholds - Netanyahu told the army spokesman to announce Thursday, June 25, that the measures were being given a one-week trial run before being finalized.
However, once in place, these measures will be practically impossible to withdraw.
That big ugly guy up at the top? We don't need to be concerned about his big whack, but he sure needs to worry about HIS big 'whack.'
25 June 2009
24 June 2009
Are we on the verge of WW3?
UPDATE: NKorea threatens US; world anticipates missile
YAHOONews is reporting:
N. Korea ship, maybe with weapons, passes Shanghai
SEOUL, South Korea – A North Korean ship suspected of carrying illicit weapons cruised through waters off Shanghai on Tuesday en route to Myanmar, a news report said, as regional military officials and a U.S. destroyer kept a close eye on the vessel.
Debkafile comments on the situation:
US military strike at North Korean vessel would send Tehran a strong signal
...US president Barack Obama appears to be on course for a military showdown with North Korea,.... Military sources in Japan and South Korea report US satellites and the guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain are shadowing a North Korean vessel suspected of carrying weapons for Myanmar. Their target is currently 322 kilometers south of Shanghai. It is expected to make its way through the Strait of Malacca for possible refueling in Singapore.
...DEBKAfile's military sources report that no official in Washington, Seoul or Tokyo can say whether the US and North Korea are heading for a naval clash, a limited air engagement or possibly a small incident that could get out of hand and blow up into a major encounter.
YAHOONews is reporting:
N. Korea ship, maybe with weapons, passes Shanghai
SEOUL, South Korea – A North Korean ship suspected of carrying illicit weapons cruised through waters off Shanghai on Tuesday en route to Myanmar, a news report said, as regional military officials and a U.S. destroyer kept a close eye on the vessel.
Debkafile comments on the situation:
US military strike at North Korean vessel would send Tehran a strong signal
...US president Barack Obama appears to be on course for a military showdown with North Korea,.... Military sources in Japan and South Korea report US satellites and the guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain are shadowing a North Korean vessel suspected of carrying weapons for Myanmar. Their target is currently 322 kilometers south of Shanghai. It is expected to make its way through the Strait of Malacca for possible refueling in Singapore.
...DEBKAfile's military sources report that no official in Washington, Seoul or Tokyo can say whether the US and North Korea are heading for a naval clash, a limited air engagement or possibly a small incident that could get out of hand and blow up into a major encounter.
22 June 2009
18 June 2009
Update on the Dollar
The American Empire Is Bankrupt
This week marks the end of the dollar’s reign as the world’s reserve currency. It marks the start of a terrible period of economic and political decline in the United States. And it signals the last gasp of the American imperium. That’s over. It is not coming back. And what is to come will be very, very painful.
Barack Obama, and the criminal class on Wall Street, aided by a corporate media that continues to peddle fatuous gossip and trash talk as news while we endure the greatest economic crisis in our history, may have fooled us, but the rest of the world knows we are bankrupt. And these nations are damned if they are going to continue to prop up an inflated dollar and sustain the massive federal budget deficits, swollen to over $2 trillion, which fund America’s imperial expansion in Eurasia and our system of casino capitalism. They have us by the throat. They are about to squeeze.
There are meetings being held Monday and Tuesday in Yekaterinburg, Russia, (formerly Sverdlovsk) among Chinese President Hu Jintao, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and other top officials of the six-nation Shanghai Cooperation Organization. The United States, which asked to attend, was denied admittance. Watch what happens there carefully. The gathering is, in the words of economist Michael Hudson, “the most important meeting of the 21st century so far.”
It is the first formal step by our major trading partners to replace the dollar as the world’s reserve currency. If they succeed, the dollar will dramatically plummet in value, the cost of imports, including oil, will skyrocket, interest rates will climb and jobs will hemorrhage at a rate that will make the last few months look like boom times. State and federal services will be reduced or shut down for lack of funds. The United States will begin to resemble the Weimar Republic or Zimbabwe. Obama, endowed by many with the qualities of a savior, will suddenly look pitiful, inept and weak. And the rage that has kindled a handful of shootings and hate crimes in the past few weeks will engulf vast segments of a disenfranchised and bewildered working and middle class. The people of this class will demand vengeance, radical change, order and moral renewal, which an array of proto-fascists, from the Christian right to the goons who disseminate hate talk on Fox News, will assure the country they will impose.
There's more...
This week marks the end of the dollar’s reign as the world’s reserve currency. It marks the start of a terrible period of economic and political decline in the United States. And it signals the last gasp of the American imperium. That’s over. It is not coming back. And what is to come will be very, very painful.
Barack Obama, and the criminal class on Wall Street, aided by a corporate media that continues to peddle fatuous gossip and trash talk as news while we endure the greatest economic crisis in our history, may have fooled us, but the rest of the world knows we are bankrupt. And these nations are damned if they are going to continue to prop up an inflated dollar and sustain the massive federal budget deficits, swollen to over $2 trillion, which fund America’s imperial expansion in Eurasia and our system of casino capitalism. They have us by the throat. They are about to squeeze.
There are meetings being held Monday and Tuesday in Yekaterinburg, Russia, (formerly Sverdlovsk) among Chinese President Hu Jintao, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and other top officials of the six-nation Shanghai Cooperation Organization. The United States, which asked to attend, was denied admittance. Watch what happens there carefully. The gathering is, in the words of economist Michael Hudson, “the most important meeting of the 21st century so far.”
It is the first formal step by our major trading partners to replace the dollar as the world’s reserve currency. If they succeed, the dollar will dramatically plummet in value, the cost of imports, including oil, will skyrocket, interest rates will climb and jobs will hemorrhage at a rate that will make the last few months look like boom times. State and federal services will be reduced or shut down for lack of funds. The United States will begin to resemble the Weimar Republic or Zimbabwe. Obama, endowed by many with the qualities of a savior, will suddenly look pitiful, inept and weak. And the rage that has kindled a handful of shootings and hate crimes in the past few weeks will engulf vast segments of a disenfranchised and bewildered working and middle class. The people of this class will demand vengeance, radical change, order and moral renewal, which an array of proto-fascists, from the Christian right to the goons who disseminate hate talk on Fox News, will assure the country they will impose.
There's more...
Hashem Expresses His Displeasure
The whole month that Obama has been harping on "the settlements."
Severe Weather Pounds the Nation
...every day in June has had severe weather in the United States, with most days having more than 100 reports, and 4 big days with more than 300 severe weather reports!
LOOK OUT!
Severe Weather Pounds the Nation
...every day in June has had severe weather in the United States, with most days having more than 100 reports, and 4 big days with more than 300 severe weather reports!
LOOK OUT!
15 June 2009
BiBi's Speech
The way it should have been...
Honored guests, citizens of Israel, Peace has always been our people’s most ardent desire. Our prophets gave the world the vision of peace, we greet one another with wishes of peace, and our prayers conclude with the word peace.
We are gathered this evening in an institution named for two pioneers of peace, Menachem Begin and Anwar Sadat. They made a cold peace, which is really not much more than a permanent ceasefire. The same situation exists with Jordan. We have been unable until now to forge a true and lasting peace with our neighbors because what is essential is that we make peace with our Father in Heaven. Only then, will we find the peace that has eluded us until now.
I took the oath of office as the Prime Minister of Israel. I pledged to establish a national unity government – and I did. I believed and I still believe that unity was essential for us now more than ever as we face three immense challenges – the Iranian threat, the economic crisis, and the attempt by the United States to deny us our sovereignty as a nation.
The Iranian threat looms large before us, as was further demonstrated yesterday. The greatest danger confronting Israel, the Middle East, the entire world and human race, is the nexus between radical Islam and nuclear weapons. I discussed this issue with President Obama during my recent visit to Washington, and I will raise it again in my meetings next week with European leaders. For years, I have been working tirelessly to forge an international alliance to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. However, even should we have to confront this threat alone, we will rise to the occasion. The G-d of Israel is our Strength, our Shield and our Protector. We depend upon Him alone for our salvation and our success.
Confronting a global economic crisis, the government acted swiftly to stabilize Israel’s economy. We passed a two-year budget in the government – and the Knesset will soon approve it. And the third challenge, so exceedingly important, is the ongoing and increasing involvement of the United States in dictating terms to Israel as if she were not a sovereign nation in her own right. I also spoke about this with President Obama, and I fully expect him to think twice before making any more threats about cutting aid or restricting access to ammunition and parts, while they continue to supply our enemies. To this end, I met with President Mubarak in Egypt, and King Abdullah in Jordan, to elicit the support of these leaders in scaling down the amount of aid and supplies being directed to this region by the US, until it can be eliminated in its entirety.
I turn to all Arab leaders tonight and I say: “Let us meet. Let us speak of self-interest and cooperation to our mutual benefit. I am ready to meet with you at any time. I am willing to go to Damascus, to Riyadh, to Beirut, to any place- including Jerusalem. I call on the Arab countries to cooperate with us in our just efforts to rid the Middle East of the ravages of Western culture and influence by freezing the Americans out of the region. We must become more self-sufficient and less dependent on the West for our needs. We must cut the strings that bind us to their good will and advance an economic peace. An economic peace is not a substitute for a political peace, but an important element to achieving it. Together, we can undertake projects to overcome the scarcities of our region, like water desalination or to maximize its advantages, like developing solar energy, or laying gas and petroleum lines, and transportation links between Asia, Africa and Europe. The economic success of the Gulf States has impressed us all and it has impressed me. I call on the talented entrepreneurs of the Arab world to come and invest here and to assist us in spurring the economy.
Together, with Israel in the lead, we can develop industrial areas that will generate thousands of jobs and create the greatest tourist draw the modern world has ever seen. The rebuilt Beit Hamikdash will attract millions of visitors eager to walk in the footsteps of history – in Hebron, in Beit El and in Shechem, around the walls of Jericho and the walls of Jerusalem, on the banks of the Sea of Galilee at Teverya and in Tsfat.
There is an enormous potential for archeological tourism and spiritual renaissance, if we can only learn to cooperate and to develop it. I turn to you, our ‘Palestinian’ neighbors, currently led by the ‘Palestinian’ Authority, and I say: pack your bags and pick your city. You will be given a deadline by which you must leave this place for good. We own this land by the grace of the Sovereign of the Universe and our covenant with Him forbids us to share it with you, for what are by now very obvious reasons.
Like America who recently said they will not be bound by any previous agreement made between Ariel Sharon and George W. Bush over what the world calls “West Bank Settlements,” Israel no longer feels obligated by its international commitments and expects all parties to act in their own national self-interests in accordance with the dictates of their Creator. We want to live with you in peace, as good neighbors. We want our children and your children to never again experience war: that parents, brothers and sisters will never again know the agony of losing loved ones in battle; that our children will be able to dream of a better future and realize that dream; and that together we will invest our energies in plowshares and pruning hooks, not swords and spears, but we are also realistic and we understand that only the Sovereign of the World can bring that day into reality.
I know the face of war. I have experienced battle. I lost close friends. I lost a brother. I have seen the pain of bereaved families. I do not want war. No one in Israel wants war. If we, the people of Israel will humble ourselves and pray, searching our hearts and souls and doing sincere and complete teshuva by correcting all our errors until this day, there is no limit to the development and prosperity we can achieve for ourselves and for the world – in the economy, agriculture, trade, tourism and education - most importantly, in providing our youth a better world in which to live, a world in which the abundance of Heaven flows out from the rebuilt Temple of G-d, where the Name of G-d is exalted and praised by the Leviim, where those who approach in purity and holiness can bring their offerings, empowering and uplifting their souls. We can all experience a life of meaning and purpose---a life full of tranquility, creativity, opportunity and hope.
If the advantages of re-establishing the Holy Temple are so evident, we must ask ourselves why this great national mitzvah remains so long unfulfilled, even as our hands remain outstretched to Heaven? Why has this been neglected for more than sixty years? In order to bring an end to this deplorable situation, we must give an honest and forthright answer to the question: What is the root of our failure to act?
In his speech to the generation that left Egypt, the tribal leader of Shevet Yehudah, Calev ben Yefuneh, said about the Jewish national home “We can surely go up and take possession of it, for we can indeed overcome it.”
Today, I will speak about the immense challenge of conquering and taking possession of this land. Even as we look toward the horizon, we must be firmly connected to reality, to the truth. And the simple truth is that the root of the conflict was, and remains, our refusal to recognize the full rights of the Jewish people to our historic homeland. In 1947, when the United Nations proposed the partition plan of a Jewish state and an Arab state, the entire Arab world rejected the resolution. The Jewish community, by contrast, welcomed it by dancing and rejoicing.
The Arabs rejected any Jewish state, in any borders. Those who think that the continued enmity toward Israel is a product of our presence in Judea, Samaria and Gaza, is confusing cause and consequence. The attacks against us began in the 1920s, escalated into a comprehensive attack in 1948 with the declaration of Israel’s independence, continued with the fedayeen attacks in the 1950s, and climaxed in 1967, on the eve of the six-day war, in an attempt to tighten a noose around the neck of the State of Israel. All this occurred during the fifty years before a single Israeli soldier ever set foot in Judea and Samaria. Fortunately, Egypt and Jordan left this circle of enmity. The signing of peace treaties have brought about only an end to overt hostilities, but not an end to the conflict. However, this is not the case with the ‘Palestinians.’ The closer we get to an agreement with them, the further they retreat and raise demands that are inconsistent with a true desire to end the conflict. It is high time that we dealt with these usurpers and interlopers in the same way that we dealt with the seven nations of Canaan.
Many good people have told us that withdrawal from territories is the key to peace with the ‘Palestinians’. Well, we withdrew. But the fact is that every withdrawal was met with massive waves of terror, by suicide bombers and thousands of missiles. We tried to withdraw with an agreement and without an agreement. We tried a partial withdrawal and a full withdrawal. In 2000 and again last year, Israel proposed an almost total withdrawal in exchange for an end to the conflict, and twice our offers were rejected. We evacuated every last inch of the Gaza strip, we uprooted tens of settlements and evicted thousands of Israelis from their homes, and in response, we received a hail of missiles on our cities, towns and children. The claim that territorial withdrawals will bring peace with the ‘Palestinians,’ or at least advance peace, has up till now not stood the test of reality.
In addition to this, Hamas in the south, like Hezbollah in the north, repeatedly proclaims their commitment to “liberate” the Israeli cities of Ashkelon, Beersheba, Acre and Haifa. Territorial withdrawals have not lessened the hatred, and to our regret, ‘Palestinian’ moderates are not yet ready to say the simple words: Israel is the nation-state of the Jewish people, and it will stay that way.
Achieving peace will require courage and candor. We, the People of Israel, must arise and say: “Enough of this conflict. We claim this land in the Name of the Creator Who granted it to our forefathers and to us, and we are prepared to live in it in accordance with the dictates of our Holy Torah.” I am yearning for that moment, for when our leaders say those words to our people and to the people of the world, then a path will be opened to resolving all the problems between our peoples, no matter how complex they may be.
Therefore, a fundamental prerequisite for ending the conflict is a public, binding and unequivocal Israeli recognition of the terms of the covenant which we forged with the Creator at Har Sinai. To vest this declaration with practical meaning, there must also be a clear understanding that the ‘Palestinian’ problem will be resolved according to the Torah model. For it is clear that any demand for allowing the ‘Palestinians’ to remain within Israel undermines Israel’s continued existence as the state of the Jewish people and prevents the fulfillment of her unique destiny.
The ‘Palestinian’ refugee problem must be solved, and it can be solved, but this is the responsibility of the nations of the world who drove our ancestors out of our land, bringing about a situation where usurpers and interlopers came in unopposed and took what rightfully belonged to us. Tiny Israel successfully absorbed tens of thousands of Jewish refugees who left their homes and belongings in Arab countries. Therefore, justice and logic demand that the ‘Palestinian’ refugee problem be solved outside Israel’s borders. On this point, there is a broad national consensus. I believe that with goodwill and international investment, this humanitarian problem can be permanently resolved.
So far I have spoken about the need for ‘Palestinians’ to recognize our rights, because where this land is concerned the ‘Palestinians’ have no rights. Allow me to say that the connection between the Jewish people and the Land of Israel has lasted for more than 3500 years. Judea and Samaria, the places where Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, David and Solomon, and Isaiah and Jeremiah lived, are not alien to us. This is the land of our forefathers.
The right of the Jewish people to a state in the land of Israel does not derive from the catastrophes that have plagued our people. True, for 2000 years the Jewish people suffered expulsions, pogroms, blood libels, and massacres which culminated in a Holocaust - a suffering which has no parallel in human history. There are those who say that if the Holocaust had not occurred, the state of Israel would never have been established. But I say that if the state of Israel would have been established earlier, the Holocaust would not have occurred. This tragic history of powerlessness explains why the Jewish people need to re-learn the lessons learned in the midbar---that ayn od milvado and His arm is not too short or too weak, if we will but do our part and then trust Him completely.
But our right to build our sovereign state here, in the land of Israel, arises from one simple fact: this is the homeland of the Jewish people, this is where our identity was forged. As Israel’s first Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion proclaimed in Israel’s Declaration of Independence: “The Jewish people arose in the land of Israel and it was here that its spiritual, religious and political character was shaped. Here they attained their sovereignty, and here they bequeathed to the world their national and cultural treasures, and the most eternal of books.”
But we must also tell the truth in its entirety: within this homeland lives a large ‘Palestinian’ community. We do not want to rule over them, we do not want to govern their lives, we do not want to impose either our flag or our culture on them. We do not want to continue to support and provide for them as they continue to reproduce and then educate their children to murder Jews.
In my vision of peace, in this small land of ours, two such diverse peoples can not live freely, side-by-side, in amity and mutual respect. Each will have its own flag, its own national anthem, its own government. The Palestinians will forever threaten the security or survival of Israel. Therefore, the only real solution is separation. As our revered Rabbi Meir Kahane, ztz”l, Hy”d once said so eloquently, “They must go!”
I have come tonight to give expression to that reality, and to the principles of peace and security which we learn from our Torah sages. These are the principles that guide our policy. This policy must not take into account the international situation that has recently developed. We must recognize that the nations will always oppose us and so we must be prepared to stand our ground bravely and at the same time stand firmly on those principles essential for Israel.
I have already stressed the first principle – recognition. ‘Palestinians’ must clearly and unambiguously recognize Israel as the state of the Jewish people. The second principle is: depopulation. The territory currently under ‘Palestinian’ control must be returned to Israel and voluntarily depopulated of ‘Palestinians’ with ironclad security provisions for Israel. Without these two conditions, there is a real danger that an armed Palestinian state would emerge that would become another terrorist base against the Jewish state, such as the one in Gaza. We don’t want Kassam rockets on Petach Tikva, Grad rockets on Tel Aviv, or missiles on Ben-Gurion airport. We want peace.
In order to achieve peace, we must ensure that ‘Palestinians’ will not be able to import missiles into our territory, to field an army, to close their airspace to us, or to make pacts with the likes of Hezbollah and Iran. On this point as well, there is wide consensus within Israel.
It is impossible to expect us to agree to the principle of a ‘Palestinian’ state. We must assure that this state never comes into being. On a matter so critical to the existence of Israel, we must have our national needs addressed.
Therefore, today we inform our friends in the international community, led by the United States, for what is critical to the national destiny of Israel: Clear commitments that the territory currently controlled by the ‘Palestinians’ will be depopulated of Arabs and the relinquishment of all future claims to this land for succeeding generations. Furthermore, what occurs in Gaza today will also no longer be tolerated. We cannot accept anything less.
I told President Obama when I was in Washington that if we could agree on the substance, then the terminology would not pose a problem. And here is the substance that I now state clearly: If we receive this guarantee regarding depopulation and Israel’s national needs, and if the Palestinians agree to go without resistance, then we will be ready to let them live and leave in peace.
Regarding the remaining important issues that will be discussed as part of the final settlement, my positions are known: Israel needs defensible borders, and Jerusalem must remain the united capital of Israel with religious freedom for all Jews and G-d fearers who abandon other false faiths. In the meantime, we have no intention of stopping new settlements or of limiting natural growth in existing settlements. But there is a need to enable the residents to live normal lives, to allow mothers and fathers to raise their children like families elsewhere. The settlers are neither the enemies of the people nor the enemies of peace. Rather, they are an integral part of our people, a principled, pioneering and Zionist public. Unity among us is essential and will help us achieve reconciliation with the Holy One, Blessed be He.
That reconciliation must already begin by altering existing realities. I believe that a strong, reformed Rabbanut will strengthen the people’s connection to Torah. There is no national goal more important at this time than re-connecting the people to their G-d given laws and heritage.
Above all else, the Israeli people must decide between the path of the yetzer hatov and the path of the yetzer hara. The renewed Sanhedrin will have to establish the rule of Torah law over all of Eretz Israel. Israel will no longer sit at the negotiating table with terrorists who seek their destruction. Hamas, who will not even allow the Red Cross to visit our kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit, who has spent three years in captivity, cut off from his parents, his family and his people, will be the first to go. We are committed to bringing him home, healthy and safe and to seeing that he is the last Jew ever held captive.
With the ‘Palestinian’ leadership and their people exiled far from Eretz Israel, with the active participation and agreement of the Arab world, and the support of the United States and the international community, there is no reason why we cannot achieve a breakthrough to peace. Our people have already proven that we can do the impossible. Over the past 61 years, while constantly defending our existence, we have performed wonders. Our microchips are powering the world’s computers. Our medicines are treating diseases once considered incurable. Our drip irrigation is bringing arid lands back to life across the globe. And Israeli scientists are expanding the boundaries of human knowledge. I advise our neighbors to respond positively to our call – a just peace is within our reach.
I call on the leaders of the Arab world and on the ‘Palestinian’ leadership, let us begin a new/old path together, on the path of Yehoshua ben Nun and Calev ben Yefuneh, King David and Shmuel HaNavi.. Let us realize the vision of the prophet Isaiah, who in Jerusalem 2700 years ago said: Awaken, awaken, put on your strength, O Zion; put on the garments of your beauty, Jerusalem the Holy City, for no longer shall the uncircumcised or the unclean continue to enter you." With God’s help, we will know no more war. We will know true peace, the peace that comes only from Above.
(See the original here.)
Honored guests, citizens of Israel, Peace has always been our people’s most ardent desire. Our prophets gave the world the vision of peace, we greet one another with wishes of peace, and our prayers conclude with the word peace.
We are gathered this evening in an institution named for two pioneers of peace, Menachem Begin and Anwar Sadat. They made a cold peace, which is really not much more than a permanent ceasefire. The same situation exists with Jordan. We have been unable until now to forge a true and lasting peace with our neighbors because what is essential is that we make peace with our Father in Heaven. Only then, will we find the peace that has eluded us until now.
I took the oath of office as the Prime Minister of Israel. I pledged to establish a national unity government – and I did. I believed and I still believe that unity was essential for us now more than ever as we face three immense challenges – the Iranian threat, the economic crisis, and the attempt by the United States to deny us our sovereignty as a nation.
The Iranian threat looms large before us, as was further demonstrated yesterday. The greatest danger confronting Israel, the Middle East, the entire world and human race, is the nexus between radical Islam and nuclear weapons. I discussed this issue with President Obama during my recent visit to Washington, and I will raise it again in my meetings next week with European leaders. For years, I have been working tirelessly to forge an international alliance to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. However, even should we have to confront this threat alone, we will rise to the occasion. The G-d of Israel is our Strength, our Shield and our Protector. We depend upon Him alone for our salvation and our success.
Confronting a global economic crisis, the government acted swiftly to stabilize Israel’s economy. We passed a two-year budget in the government – and the Knesset will soon approve it. And the third challenge, so exceedingly important, is the ongoing and increasing involvement of the United States in dictating terms to Israel as if she were not a sovereign nation in her own right. I also spoke about this with President Obama, and I fully expect him to think twice before making any more threats about cutting aid or restricting access to ammunition and parts, while they continue to supply our enemies. To this end, I met with President Mubarak in Egypt, and King Abdullah in Jordan, to elicit the support of these leaders in scaling down the amount of aid and supplies being directed to this region by the US, until it can be eliminated in its entirety.
I turn to all Arab leaders tonight and I say: “Let us meet. Let us speak of self-interest and cooperation to our mutual benefit. I am ready to meet with you at any time. I am willing to go to Damascus, to Riyadh, to Beirut, to any place- including Jerusalem. I call on the Arab countries to cooperate with us in our just efforts to rid the Middle East of the ravages of Western culture and influence by freezing the Americans out of the region. We must become more self-sufficient and less dependent on the West for our needs. We must cut the strings that bind us to their good will and advance an economic peace. An economic peace is not a substitute for a political peace, but an important element to achieving it. Together, we can undertake projects to overcome the scarcities of our region, like water desalination or to maximize its advantages, like developing solar energy, or laying gas and petroleum lines, and transportation links between Asia, Africa and Europe. The economic success of the Gulf States has impressed us all and it has impressed me. I call on the talented entrepreneurs of the Arab world to come and invest here and to assist us in spurring the economy.
Together, with Israel in the lead, we can develop industrial areas that will generate thousands of jobs and create the greatest tourist draw the modern world has ever seen. The rebuilt Beit Hamikdash will attract millions of visitors eager to walk in the footsteps of history – in Hebron, in Beit El and in Shechem, around the walls of Jericho and the walls of Jerusalem, on the banks of the Sea of Galilee at Teverya and in Tsfat.
There is an enormous potential for archeological tourism and spiritual renaissance, if we can only learn to cooperate and to develop it. I turn to you, our ‘Palestinian’ neighbors, currently led by the ‘Palestinian’ Authority, and I say: pack your bags and pick your city. You will be given a deadline by which you must leave this place for good. We own this land by the grace of the Sovereign of the Universe and our covenant with Him forbids us to share it with you, for what are by now very obvious reasons.
Like America who recently said they will not be bound by any previous agreement made between Ariel Sharon and George W. Bush over what the world calls “West Bank Settlements,” Israel no longer feels obligated by its international commitments and expects all parties to act in their own national self-interests in accordance with the dictates of their Creator. We want to live with you in peace, as good neighbors. We want our children and your children to never again experience war: that parents, brothers and sisters will never again know the agony of losing loved ones in battle; that our children will be able to dream of a better future and realize that dream; and that together we will invest our energies in plowshares and pruning hooks, not swords and spears, but we are also realistic and we understand that only the Sovereign of the World can bring that day into reality.
I know the face of war. I have experienced battle. I lost close friends. I lost a brother. I have seen the pain of bereaved families. I do not want war. No one in Israel wants war. If we, the people of Israel will humble ourselves and pray, searching our hearts and souls and doing sincere and complete teshuva by correcting all our errors until this day, there is no limit to the development and prosperity we can achieve for ourselves and for the world – in the economy, agriculture, trade, tourism and education - most importantly, in providing our youth a better world in which to live, a world in which the abundance of Heaven flows out from the rebuilt Temple of G-d, where the Name of G-d is exalted and praised by the Leviim, where those who approach in purity and holiness can bring their offerings, empowering and uplifting their souls. We can all experience a life of meaning and purpose---a life full of tranquility, creativity, opportunity and hope.
If the advantages of re-establishing the Holy Temple are so evident, we must ask ourselves why this great national mitzvah remains so long unfulfilled, even as our hands remain outstretched to Heaven? Why has this been neglected for more than sixty years? In order to bring an end to this deplorable situation, we must give an honest and forthright answer to the question: What is the root of our failure to act?
In his speech to the generation that left Egypt, the tribal leader of Shevet Yehudah, Calev ben Yefuneh, said about the Jewish national home “We can surely go up and take possession of it, for we can indeed overcome it.”
Today, I will speak about the immense challenge of conquering and taking possession of this land. Even as we look toward the horizon, we must be firmly connected to reality, to the truth. And the simple truth is that the root of the conflict was, and remains, our refusal to recognize the full rights of the Jewish people to our historic homeland. In 1947, when the United Nations proposed the partition plan of a Jewish state and an Arab state, the entire Arab world rejected the resolution. The Jewish community, by contrast, welcomed it by dancing and rejoicing.
The Arabs rejected any Jewish state, in any borders. Those who think that the continued enmity toward Israel is a product of our presence in Judea, Samaria and Gaza, is confusing cause and consequence. The attacks against us began in the 1920s, escalated into a comprehensive attack in 1948 with the declaration of Israel’s independence, continued with the fedayeen attacks in the 1950s, and climaxed in 1967, on the eve of the six-day war, in an attempt to tighten a noose around the neck of the State of Israel. All this occurred during the fifty years before a single Israeli soldier ever set foot in Judea and Samaria. Fortunately, Egypt and Jordan left this circle of enmity. The signing of peace treaties have brought about only an end to overt hostilities, but not an end to the conflict. However, this is not the case with the ‘Palestinians.’ The closer we get to an agreement with them, the further they retreat and raise demands that are inconsistent with a true desire to end the conflict. It is high time that we dealt with these usurpers and interlopers in the same way that we dealt with the seven nations of Canaan.
Many good people have told us that withdrawal from territories is the key to peace with the ‘Palestinians’. Well, we withdrew. But the fact is that every withdrawal was met with massive waves of terror, by suicide bombers and thousands of missiles. We tried to withdraw with an agreement and without an agreement. We tried a partial withdrawal and a full withdrawal. In 2000 and again last year, Israel proposed an almost total withdrawal in exchange for an end to the conflict, and twice our offers were rejected. We evacuated every last inch of the Gaza strip, we uprooted tens of settlements and evicted thousands of Israelis from their homes, and in response, we received a hail of missiles on our cities, towns and children. The claim that territorial withdrawals will bring peace with the ‘Palestinians,’ or at least advance peace, has up till now not stood the test of reality.
In addition to this, Hamas in the south, like Hezbollah in the north, repeatedly proclaims their commitment to “liberate” the Israeli cities of Ashkelon, Beersheba, Acre and Haifa. Territorial withdrawals have not lessened the hatred, and to our regret, ‘Palestinian’ moderates are not yet ready to say the simple words: Israel is the nation-state of the Jewish people, and it will stay that way.
Achieving peace will require courage and candor. We, the People of Israel, must arise and say: “Enough of this conflict. We claim this land in the Name of the Creator Who granted it to our forefathers and to us, and we are prepared to live in it in accordance with the dictates of our Holy Torah.” I am yearning for that moment, for when our leaders say those words to our people and to the people of the world, then a path will be opened to resolving all the problems between our peoples, no matter how complex they may be.
Therefore, a fundamental prerequisite for ending the conflict is a public, binding and unequivocal Israeli recognition of the terms of the covenant which we forged with the Creator at Har Sinai. To vest this declaration with practical meaning, there must also be a clear understanding that the ‘Palestinian’ problem will be resolved according to the Torah model. For it is clear that any demand for allowing the ‘Palestinians’ to remain within Israel undermines Israel’s continued existence as the state of the Jewish people and prevents the fulfillment of her unique destiny.
The ‘Palestinian’ refugee problem must be solved, and it can be solved, but this is the responsibility of the nations of the world who drove our ancestors out of our land, bringing about a situation where usurpers and interlopers came in unopposed and took what rightfully belonged to us. Tiny Israel successfully absorbed tens of thousands of Jewish refugees who left their homes and belongings in Arab countries. Therefore, justice and logic demand that the ‘Palestinian’ refugee problem be solved outside Israel’s borders. On this point, there is a broad national consensus. I believe that with goodwill and international investment, this humanitarian problem can be permanently resolved.
So far I have spoken about the need for ‘Palestinians’ to recognize our rights, because where this land is concerned the ‘Palestinians’ have no rights. Allow me to say that the connection between the Jewish people and the Land of Israel has lasted for more than 3500 years. Judea and Samaria, the places where Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, David and Solomon, and Isaiah and Jeremiah lived, are not alien to us. This is the land of our forefathers.
The right of the Jewish people to a state in the land of Israel does not derive from the catastrophes that have plagued our people. True, for 2000 years the Jewish people suffered expulsions, pogroms, blood libels, and massacres which culminated in a Holocaust - a suffering which has no parallel in human history. There are those who say that if the Holocaust had not occurred, the state of Israel would never have been established. But I say that if the state of Israel would have been established earlier, the Holocaust would not have occurred. This tragic history of powerlessness explains why the Jewish people need to re-learn the lessons learned in the midbar---that ayn od milvado and His arm is not too short or too weak, if we will but do our part and then trust Him completely.
But our right to build our sovereign state here, in the land of Israel, arises from one simple fact: this is the homeland of the Jewish people, this is where our identity was forged. As Israel’s first Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion proclaimed in Israel’s Declaration of Independence: “The Jewish people arose in the land of Israel and it was here that its spiritual, religious and political character was shaped. Here they attained their sovereignty, and here they bequeathed to the world their national and cultural treasures, and the most eternal of books.”
But we must also tell the truth in its entirety: within this homeland lives a large ‘Palestinian’ community. We do not want to rule over them, we do not want to govern their lives, we do not want to impose either our flag or our culture on them. We do not want to continue to support and provide for them as they continue to reproduce and then educate their children to murder Jews.
In my vision of peace, in this small land of ours, two such diverse peoples can not live freely, side-by-side, in amity and mutual respect. Each will have its own flag, its own national anthem, its own government. The Palestinians will forever threaten the security or survival of Israel. Therefore, the only real solution is separation. As our revered Rabbi Meir Kahane, ztz”l, Hy”d once said so eloquently, “They must go!”
I have come tonight to give expression to that reality, and to the principles of peace and security which we learn from our Torah sages. These are the principles that guide our policy. This policy must not take into account the international situation that has recently developed. We must recognize that the nations will always oppose us and so we must be prepared to stand our ground bravely and at the same time stand firmly on those principles essential for Israel.
I have already stressed the first principle – recognition. ‘Palestinians’ must clearly and unambiguously recognize Israel as the state of the Jewish people. The second principle is: depopulation. The territory currently under ‘Palestinian’ control must be returned to Israel and voluntarily depopulated of ‘Palestinians’ with ironclad security provisions for Israel. Without these two conditions, there is a real danger that an armed Palestinian state would emerge that would become another terrorist base against the Jewish state, such as the one in Gaza. We don’t want Kassam rockets on Petach Tikva, Grad rockets on Tel Aviv, or missiles on Ben-Gurion airport. We want peace.
In order to achieve peace, we must ensure that ‘Palestinians’ will not be able to import missiles into our territory, to field an army, to close their airspace to us, or to make pacts with the likes of Hezbollah and Iran. On this point as well, there is wide consensus within Israel.
It is impossible to expect us to agree to the principle of a ‘Palestinian’ state. We must assure that this state never comes into being. On a matter so critical to the existence of Israel, we must have our national needs addressed.
Therefore, today we inform our friends in the international community, led by the United States, for what is critical to the national destiny of Israel: Clear commitments that the territory currently controlled by the ‘Palestinians’ will be depopulated of Arabs and the relinquishment of all future claims to this land for succeeding generations. Furthermore, what occurs in Gaza today will also no longer be tolerated. We cannot accept anything less.
I told President Obama when I was in Washington that if we could agree on the substance, then the terminology would not pose a problem. And here is the substance that I now state clearly: If we receive this guarantee regarding depopulation and Israel’s national needs, and if the Palestinians agree to go without resistance, then we will be ready to let them live and leave in peace.
Regarding the remaining important issues that will be discussed as part of the final settlement, my positions are known: Israel needs defensible borders, and Jerusalem must remain the united capital of Israel with religious freedom for all Jews and G-d fearers who abandon other false faiths. In the meantime, we have no intention of stopping new settlements or of limiting natural growth in existing settlements. But there is a need to enable the residents to live normal lives, to allow mothers and fathers to raise their children like families elsewhere. The settlers are neither the enemies of the people nor the enemies of peace. Rather, they are an integral part of our people, a principled, pioneering and Zionist public. Unity among us is essential and will help us achieve reconciliation with the Holy One, Blessed be He.
That reconciliation must already begin by altering existing realities. I believe that a strong, reformed Rabbanut will strengthen the people’s connection to Torah. There is no national goal more important at this time than re-connecting the people to their G-d given laws and heritage.
Above all else, the Israeli people must decide between the path of the yetzer hatov and the path of the yetzer hara. The renewed Sanhedrin will have to establish the rule of Torah law over all of Eretz Israel. Israel will no longer sit at the negotiating table with terrorists who seek their destruction. Hamas, who will not even allow the Red Cross to visit our kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit, who has spent three years in captivity, cut off from his parents, his family and his people, will be the first to go. We are committed to bringing him home, healthy and safe and to seeing that he is the last Jew ever held captive.
With the ‘Palestinian’ leadership and their people exiled far from Eretz Israel, with the active participation and agreement of the Arab world, and the support of the United States and the international community, there is no reason why we cannot achieve a breakthrough to peace. Our people have already proven that we can do the impossible. Over the past 61 years, while constantly defending our existence, we have performed wonders. Our microchips are powering the world’s computers. Our medicines are treating diseases once considered incurable. Our drip irrigation is bringing arid lands back to life across the globe. And Israeli scientists are expanding the boundaries of human knowledge. I advise our neighbors to respond positively to our call – a just peace is within our reach.
I call on the leaders of the Arab world and on the ‘Palestinian’ leadership, let us begin a new/old path together, on the path of Yehoshua ben Nun and Calev ben Yefuneh, King David and Shmuel HaNavi.. Let us realize the vision of the prophet Isaiah, who in Jerusalem 2700 years ago said: Awaken, awaken, put on your strength, O Zion; put on the garments of your beauty, Jerusalem the Holy City, for no longer shall the uncircumcised or the unclean continue to enter you." With God’s help, we will know no more war. We will know true peace, the peace that comes only from Above.
(See the original here.)
Tumah vs Taharah
If one can judge by the increasing flood of tumah unleashed upon Holy Yerushalayim, we must really be at the literal end of the redemption process. (I can hope, can't I?)
Yesterday, I walked across the street from the Central Bus Station to get a bus home. I hadn' t been there ten seconds, when a small black woman (obviously not Ethiopian) walked up to me and asked if I spoke English. I just almost shook my head 'no.' Then I thought to myself---maybe she needs directions---so I said yes.
She asked, "Are you a Xian?" Immediately a flame flared in my gut. I proclaimed proudly, "I am a Jew. This is a Jewish country, it's the Jewish State, so, of course, I am a Jew." And against my better judgement I added, "What are you?"
"I am a xian." She pronounced it "krees, tee-ahn." I go, "In that case, you are an idolater and you need to get out of my country. You don't belong here, you have no business being here. Why don't you go back to wherever it is you came from?"
"It was the L-rd G-d who brought me here," she replied. I told her she had dreamed that all up in her head just like the religion she practiced. I know, I know. I should have simply turned my back on her after the first question and ignored her thereafter. But, I didn't. Our confrontation escalated.
She told me I should go back where I came from and I informed her that G-d gave me this land and brought me home. "Where do you get that from?" she asked. I told her, "The Torah," and she says, "What's that?" I told her her religion is considered idolatry according to the Torah and she asked, "What's idolatry?" So I told her that this was her primary problem, that she needed to find out what idolatry is and understand the penalty for it. I tried to explain it to her, but either she wasn't getting it or didn't want to get it.
In any case, I told her that by trying to turn Jews to the worship of a dead man as G-d, she was deserving of the death penalty and I would be happy to throw the first stone. While all this was going on, I kept trying to distance myself from her and put an end to the back and forth, but she followed me around the area and started wagging her finger in my face, calling loudly upon her god to open my eyes to her truth and show me the error of my ways. I called on the G-d of our fathers to send her immediately to her just reward.
We were getting louder and louder and a few people gathered around to see what the commotion was about, but we had been speaking in English so I began explaining to the Israelis in Hebrew that she was a missionary and that she was harassing me, wanting me to believe in Yashke.
The Israelis couldn't care less, but an American olah, dressed city-settler-style, stepped up to offer her assistance.
She said to me, "If you really want to do something about the problem of idolatry in Israel, you could make a donation to those of us who live here." I was really wound up by this time. I must have looked apoplectic as I stared at her in disbelief and shouted at the top of my lungs---"I LIVE HERE!!!!"
I told her how I was minding my own business when this woman walked up and started trying to convert me. She suggested that I stop following her around. I was in sputtering mode by this time, "I'M NOT FOLLOWING HER, SHE'S FOLLOWING ME!!!!"
"Well, that's not what it looks like," she offered with her nose a tad bit toward the sky. And for further emphasis, she repeated it, "That's not what it looks like." All I could come back with is "ARE YOU NUTS OR WHAT?!!"
As she walked away, I realized that the "kress-tee-ahn" was nowhere in sight. Well, B"H for that!
I don't know if you are aware, but the International Xian Embassy in Jerusalem (ICEJ) claims that they are the ones to thank for convincing the government to resettle hordes of (very) black Darfurians and Sudanese refugees in Jerusalem. The men roam the streets in gangs and stand around the street corners, making it very uncomfortable for Yerushalmi women to feel safe in their own neighborhoods. And this is in addition to the Thais and who knows what other kind of Asian men one sees sitting on their haunches in the doorways of their apartments or beneath the pay phone.
Then there are the Asian women who, when they are not performing their domestic duties in Jewish homes, are prancing about the Holy City in skin-tight jeans and worse. The other day, I glanced up to see an Asian couple standing on the corner of King George and Yafo St. It was obscene. She was wearing short-shorts (another emerging plague on the streets of Jerusalem) and a halter top and she was leaning back on her male Asian escort while he bent over to kiss her neck. This was about 1:30 pm on the most central intersection of the city. I was so tempted to lay into them, but who knows where it would stop if I ever got started.
Unfortunately, the tumah is not restricted to the foreigners in our midst. My daughter and I were riding a bus a couple of weeks ago when a bunch of high school kids got on after school. Kids usually hang together on the bus and talk, so I didn't think anything of it at first, but over time it became too painfully, obviously clear that there was much more going on between two of the boys than simple, normal, friendship.
It's hard to see it. I don't want to see it, but at the same time, it is impossible to miss. I try to quickly look away. I feel guilty that there is not something I can do to change the situation. So I pray. I take the deep pain that wells up in my soul from the desecration of the holiness and sanctity of the city where Hashem chose to place His Name, and I use it to power and lift my longing and pleading for the geulah shleimah. May it come NOW, please G-d!!
And I take some comfort from Hashem's promise through His prophet Yeshayahu---
"Awaken, awaken, put on your strength, O Zion; put on the garments of your beauty, Jerusalem the Holy City, for no longer shall the uncircumcised or the unclean continue to enter you."
Yesterday, I walked across the street from the Central Bus Station to get a bus home. I hadn' t been there ten seconds, when a small black woman (obviously not Ethiopian) walked up to me and asked if I spoke English. I just almost shook my head 'no.' Then I thought to myself---maybe she needs directions---so I said yes.
She asked, "Are you a Xian?" Immediately a flame flared in my gut. I proclaimed proudly, "I am a Jew. This is a Jewish country, it's the Jewish State, so, of course, I am a Jew." And against my better judgement I added, "What are you?"
"I am a xian." She pronounced it "krees, tee-ahn." I go, "In that case, you are an idolater and you need to get out of my country. You don't belong here, you have no business being here. Why don't you go back to wherever it is you came from?"
"It was the L-rd G-d who brought me here," she replied. I told her she had dreamed that all up in her head just like the religion she practiced. I know, I know. I should have simply turned my back on her after the first question and ignored her thereafter. But, I didn't. Our confrontation escalated.
She told me I should go back where I came from and I informed her that G-d gave me this land and brought me home. "Where do you get that from?" she asked. I told her, "The Torah," and she says, "What's that?" I told her her religion is considered idolatry according to the Torah and she asked, "What's idolatry?" So I told her that this was her primary problem, that she needed to find out what idolatry is and understand the penalty for it. I tried to explain it to her, but either she wasn't getting it or didn't want to get it.
In any case, I told her that by trying to turn Jews to the worship of a dead man as G-d, she was deserving of the death penalty and I would be happy to throw the first stone. While all this was going on, I kept trying to distance myself from her and put an end to the back and forth, but she followed me around the area and started wagging her finger in my face, calling loudly upon her god to open my eyes to her truth and show me the error of my ways. I called on the G-d of our fathers to send her immediately to her just reward.
We were getting louder and louder and a few people gathered around to see what the commotion was about, but we had been speaking in English so I began explaining to the Israelis in Hebrew that she was a missionary and that she was harassing me, wanting me to believe in Yashke.
The Israelis couldn't care less, but an American olah, dressed city-settler-style, stepped up to offer her assistance.
She said to me, "If you really want to do something about the problem of idolatry in Israel, you could make a donation to those of us who live here." I was really wound up by this time. I must have looked apoplectic as I stared at her in disbelief and shouted at the top of my lungs---"I LIVE HERE!!!!"
I told her how I was minding my own business when this woman walked up and started trying to convert me. She suggested that I stop following her around. I was in sputtering mode by this time, "I'M NOT FOLLOWING HER, SHE'S FOLLOWING ME!!!!"
"Well, that's not what it looks like," she offered with her nose a tad bit toward the sky. And for further emphasis, she repeated it, "That's not what it looks like." All I could come back with is "ARE YOU NUTS OR WHAT?!!"
As she walked away, I realized that the "kress-tee-ahn" was nowhere in sight. Well, B"H for that!
I don't know if you are aware, but the International Xian Embassy in Jerusalem (ICEJ) claims that they are the ones to thank for convincing the government to resettle hordes of (very) black Darfurians and Sudanese refugees in Jerusalem. The men roam the streets in gangs and stand around the street corners, making it very uncomfortable for Yerushalmi women to feel safe in their own neighborhoods. And this is in addition to the Thais and who knows what other kind of Asian men one sees sitting on their haunches in the doorways of their apartments or beneath the pay phone.
Then there are the Asian women who, when they are not performing their domestic duties in Jewish homes, are prancing about the Holy City in skin-tight jeans and worse. The other day, I glanced up to see an Asian couple standing on the corner of King George and Yafo St. It was obscene. She was wearing short-shorts (another emerging plague on the streets of Jerusalem) and a halter top and she was leaning back on her male Asian escort while he bent over to kiss her neck. This was about 1:30 pm on the most central intersection of the city. I was so tempted to lay into them, but who knows where it would stop if I ever got started.
Unfortunately, the tumah is not restricted to the foreigners in our midst. My daughter and I were riding a bus a couple of weeks ago when a bunch of high school kids got on after school. Kids usually hang together on the bus and talk, so I didn't think anything of it at first, but over time it became too painfully, obviously clear that there was much more going on between two of the boys than simple, normal, friendship.
It's hard to see it. I don't want to see it, but at the same time, it is impossible to miss. I try to quickly look away. I feel guilty that there is not something I can do to change the situation. So I pray. I take the deep pain that wells up in my soul from the desecration of the holiness and sanctity of the city where Hashem chose to place His Name, and I use it to power and lift my longing and pleading for the geulah shleimah. May it come NOW, please G-d!!
And I take some comfort from Hashem's promise through His prophet Yeshayahu---
"Awaken, awaken, put on your strength, O Zion; put on the garments of your beauty, Jerusalem the Holy City, for no longer shall the uncircumcised or the unclean continue to enter you."
14 June 2009
Inspiring Words
Letter from Rabbi Tzvi Tau to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on the eve of his speech to the world:
To Our Prime Minister, Raised Above the People, Mr. Binyamin Netanyahu, May G-d protect and strengthen him
Peace and blessing.
At this fateful hour, the eyes of all Israel are uplifted towards you – the man whom the Supreme Providence has elevated to raise up the honor of Israel, by standing strong in the face of the pressures of the nations that abuse our independence and intervene in our affairs.
Has this not always been their way, the way of anti-Semitism? – to lead us to dilute, with our own hands, our strength, and to destroy that which we have built, and do away with the hope of our future. They cause us to be uprooted within our own land, wandering and persecuted, in order that they can be the ones to have “compassion” on us. Is not the entire Zionist movement a defiance of this tactic?
The nations of the world will ultimately drop off the stage of history, but – “the eternity of Israel will not lie” (Samuel I 15,29), and will remain forever true.
The prophecies of the Prophets of Truth and Justice will come true, and “not one word of their words will return unfulfilled.”
We are in the midst of returning to the inheritance of our forefathers, by virtue of the historic Divine decree that “says to Jerusalem ‘you shall be inhabited,’ and says to the cities of Judea ‘you will be built’” (Isaiah 44,26) – while the nations are “like a drop in the bucket, like dust on the scales” (ibid. 40,15). The word of our G-d will be established forever.
Honored Prime Minister of Israel, the responsibility of the generations rests upon your shoulders at this hour. There are historic moments at which one’s success depends precisely upon his measure of correlation with the long and eternal lines of He Who “proclaims all the generations from the beginning” (ibid. 41,4).
The nation elected you, with the trust and hope that you would stand proudly and strongly. You have begun to act with boldness to rebuff the American and European pressures. Your success, and our nation’s success, depends upon your continued stance in this manner.
It behooves you, as our senior commander, to stand and clarify your decisive opinion, with responsible conviction, that “we have no option of retreating from our Divine ownership over this land – and the very basis of our existence and the might of our advance is dependent upon our steadfast grasp on this stance.”
For “G-d will not abandon His nation” when it itself does not abandon His inheritance (see Psalms 94,14).
The Nation of Israel, living in the Land of Israel and elsewhere, expects and prays that its honor and respect will be raised up by you. All the generations of our people, as well as those among the other nations who have integrity – though they are not always the ones in power - will hold you in great esteem for this, and you “will find favor and grace in the eyes of G-d and man.”
The prayers of many generations are with you. You are the emissary of the public, of the entire Jewish People, and of G-d. You are an emissary appointed with the power of holiness, the Divine power that runs the entire world, the power of the Guardian of Israel Who never sleeps or slumbers, and Who leads it to the Full Redemption.
Be strong! Know that you are reinforced by He Who girds Israel with valor, and are empowered by He who crowns Israel with glory.
With anticipation for full salvation,
(Rabbi) Tzvi Yisrael Tau
To Our Prime Minister, Raised Above the People, Mr. Binyamin Netanyahu, May G-d protect and strengthen him
Peace and blessing.
At this fateful hour, the eyes of all Israel are uplifted towards you – the man whom the Supreme Providence has elevated to raise up the honor of Israel, by standing strong in the face of the pressures of the nations that abuse our independence and intervene in our affairs.
Has this not always been their way, the way of anti-Semitism? – to lead us to dilute, with our own hands, our strength, and to destroy that which we have built, and do away with the hope of our future. They cause us to be uprooted within our own land, wandering and persecuted, in order that they can be the ones to have “compassion” on us. Is not the entire Zionist movement a defiance of this tactic?
The nations of the world will ultimately drop off the stage of history, but – “the eternity of Israel will not lie” (Samuel I 15,29), and will remain forever true.
The prophecies of the Prophets of Truth and Justice will come true, and “not one word of their words will return unfulfilled.”
We are in the midst of returning to the inheritance of our forefathers, by virtue of the historic Divine decree that “says to Jerusalem ‘you shall be inhabited,’ and says to the cities of Judea ‘you will be built’” (Isaiah 44,26) – while the nations are “like a drop in the bucket, like dust on the scales” (ibid. 40,15). The word of our G-d will be established forever.
Honored Prime Minister of Israel, the responsibility of the generations rests upon your shoulders at this hour. There are historic moments at which one’s success depends precisely upon his measure of correlation with the long and eternal lines of He Who “proclaims all the generations from the beginning” (ibid. 41,4).
The nation elected you, with the trust and hope that you would stand proudly and strongly. You have begun to act with boldness to rebuff the American and European pressures. Your success, and our nation’s success, depends upon your continued stance in this manner.
It behooves you, as our senior commander, to stand and clarify your decisive opinion, with responsible conviction, that “we have no option of retreating from our Divine ownership over this land – and the very basis of our existence and the might of our advance is dependent upon our steadfast grasp on this stance.”
For “G-d will not abandon His nation” when it itself does not abandon His inheritance (see Psalms 94,14).
The Nation of Israel, living in the Land of Israel and elsewhere, expects and prays that its honor and respect will be raised up by you. All the generations of our people, as well as those among the other nations who have integrity – though they are not always the ones in power - will hold you in great esteem for this, and you “will find favor and grace in the eyes of G-d and man.”
The prayers of many generations are with you. You are the emissary of the public, of the entire Jewish People, and of G-d. You are an emissary appointed with the power of holiness, the Divine power that runs the entire world, the power of the Guardian of Israel Who never sleeps or slumbers, and Who leads it to the Full Redemption.
Be strong! Know that you are reinforced by He Who girds Israel with valor, and are empowered by He who crowns Israel with glory.
With anticipation for full salvation,
(Rabbi) Tzvi Yisrael Tau
12 June 2009
Amen, brother! Shabbat shalom!
Excerpt from Roy Neuberger's latest newsletter:...A very holy Jew told me a few days ago that evidence of the sanctity of a place is provided by the amount of tuma, impurity that is drawn to it. Like moths to a flame, the Moslem presence on The Temple Mount and the Vatican presence on Mount Zion are drawn there because they know that these are the holiest places on earth. They cannot bear to see the Children of Israel returning in sanctity to our ancient Holy Land. The Pope and the leaders of the Moslem nations are passionately united in their zeal to drive the Children of Israel out of our Holy Land. The ancient dream of the "Final Solution of the Jewish Problem" lives on.
...Children of Ishmael, the Moslem Nations, and Children of Esau, the Western Nations: know that your days, hours, minutes and seconds are limited. As we say on Shavuos, "G-d came from the south and the Holy One came of Old from Mount Paran; His glory covered the heavens and His praise filled the earth.... Before it went a plague and fiery flashes went forth as it advanced. It came to a halt and measured portions of the Land; it gazed and caused nations to flee; the eternal mountains exploded; the ancient hills were laid low; for the ways of the world are His."
Before you are eternally humbled, you who reek of impurity and idolatry, bow down before the Eternal G-d and flee before the Children of Israel. "It is said: G-d will be King over all the world, on that day G-d will be One and his Name will be One." As the moths fly into the flame, they are destroyed. The Light of G-d is about to flash over the entire world. All His Children will return in sanctity to our Holy Land and His Name will be One when our Redeemer comes in Glory to Zion.
The day cannot be far off, my friends, and those who cling with love to G-d and His Torah will see it.
Roy S. Neuberger
Before you are eternally humbled, you who reek of impurity and idolatry, bow down before the Eternal G-d and flee before the Children of Israel. "It is said: G-d will be King over all the world, on that day G-d will be One and his Name will be One." As the moths fly into the flame, they are destroyed. The Light of G-d is about to flash over the entire world. All His Children will return in sanctity to our Holy Land and His Name will be One when our Redeemer comes in Glory to Zion.
The day cannot be far off, my friends, and those who cling with love to G-d and His Torah will see it.
Roy S. Neuberger
11 June 2009
Dawning of the Age of Redemption
As dawn brightens on the horizon, its light begins to permeate every dark corner and reveal everything that was previously hidden in the darkness. When the new day arrives, it is impossible to remain asleep any longer.
"We've had six decades of American presidents whose orientation was in our direction, and now I think that we are having to wake up."
By now, I'm sure you've probably already seen the video of NBC's Brian Williams bowing to Obama as if he were royalty and the video of Evan Thomas of Newsweek calling Obama "a god."
This is the ultimate gaivah about which Hashem says, "There is not enough room in the world for both Me and him."
Israel's Channel One TV reported that Netanyahu was told Tuesday by an "American official" in Jerusalem that, "We are going to change the world. Please, don't interfere." The report said Netanyahu's aides interpreted this as a "threat." (Hat tip to the SpineDoc's wife)
There is a Jew who stands at Barack Obama's right hand. His name is Rahm, as in "loud, high, senior, important, esteemed." He is a reflection of his boss's self-image.
Now, see what Parashat Shelach has to say:
"A person who acts high-handedly---b'yad ramah---...he shall be cut off...."
But probably not before he fulfills his destiny to "change the world." He'll change it all right.
"He is an evil messenger who will cause the destruction of most of the world."
And after that, it really will change---from the World of Sheker to the World of Truth.
May Hashem have mercy on us and extend His kindness to us so that we might live and survive to see that day fully dawned and experience its inexpressible joy. AMEN!
"We've had six decades of American presidents whose orientation was in our direction, and now I think that we are having to wake up."
By now, I'm sure you've probably already seen the video of NBC's Brian Williams bowing to Obama as if he were royalty and the video of Evan Thomas of Newsweek calling Obama "a god."
This is the ultimate gaivah about which Hashem says, "There is not enough room in the world for both Me and him."
Israel's Channel One TV reported that Netanyahu was told Tuesday by an "American official" in Jerusalem that, "We are going to change the world. Please, don't interfere." The report said Netanyahu's aides interpreted this as a "threat." (Hat tip to the SpineDoc's wife)
There is a Jew who stands at Barack Obama's right hand. His name is Rahm, as in "loud, high, senior, important, esteemed." He is a reflection of his boss's self-image.
Now, see what Parashat Shelach has to say:
"A person who acts high-handedly---b'yad ramah---...he shall be cut off...."
But probably not before he fulfills his destiny to "change the world." He'll change it all right.
"He is an evil messenger who will cause the destruction of most of the world."
And after that, it really will change---from the World of Sheker to the World of Truth.
May Hashem have mercy on us and extend His kindness to us so that we might live and survive to see that day fully dawned and experience its inexpressible joy. AMEN!
10 June 2009
Some things never change
[Washington] believes that a closer relationship with Arab and Muslim countries is necessary. To achieve that, a solution of the Arab-Israeli conflict is deemed essential. Reaching a settlement will entail painful concessions by Israel. For Israel to agree to make those concessions, pressure will have to be exerted.
Furthermore, Israel's policy of retaliation against terrorist attacks...is seen as an obstacle to attaining such a settlement. Israel has to be persuaded, indeed pressured, to adopt a policy of restraint.
...asking Israel to show restraint is not enough if no alternative is proposed for Israel to feel secure. ...it feels very much in danger, cornered diplomatically and under attack militarily. Its neighbors are adamant in their refusal to recognize its existence, let alone negotiate peace with it. The policy pursued by the ... administration only serves to render its sense of isolation more acute.
Sounds familiar. Yesterday's headlines? Today's news? Try the mid-1950's, the Eisenhower administration. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Read on...
BY THE END of 1954, a peace plan was devised by the US and Britain. The so-called Alpha Plan called, among other things, for Israel to make territorial concessions in the Negev, agree to a territorial corridor on its sovereign territory to link Jordan with Egypt and accept some Arab refugees.
Israel strongly objected.
Following Israel's victory in the Sinai Campaign of 1956, Eisenhower considered imposing sanctions if it refused to withdraw from the recently captured Sinai Peninsula.
In the eyes of Eisenhower and Dulles, Israel's existence had to be reluctantly tolerated. Dulles said so, albeit in different words. Eisenhower himself stated that he didn't know whether he would have been in favor of the establishment of the state had he been president in 1948. However, now that it was a fact, the US had to deal with it.
The objective of his administration was clear: to elicit the support of the Arab and Muslim countries in order to face the communist threat. To achieve that, the US had to remove any obstacle in the way.
and that was before the gains of 1967 and the 'settlments'! Today, the communist threat has been relaced by the "terrorist threat" But take heart, my fellow Jews. Just as Hashem thwarted their plans from then until now, so He will continue.
Where are the world powers of old today? Egypt? Babylon? Persia? Rome? The United States is following them into oblivion. One day, they will be nothing more than a chapter in the history books. And we? We will still be here...in Jerusalem!
Furthermore, Israel's policy of retaliation against terrorist attacks...is seen as an obstacle to attaining such a settlement. Israel has to be persuaded, indeed pressured, to adopt a policy of restraint.
...asking Israel to show restraint is not enough if no alternative is proposed for Israel to feel secure. ...it feels very much in danger, cornered diplomatically and under attack militarily. Its neighbors are adamant in their refusal to recognize its existence, let alone negotiate peace with it. The policy pursued by the ... administration only serves to render its sense of isolation more acute.
Sounds familiar. Yesterday's headlines? Today's news? Try the mid-1950's, the Eisenhower administration. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Read on...
BY THE END of 1954, a peace plan was devised by the US and Britain. The so-called Alpha Plan called, among other things, for Israel to make territorial concessions in the Negev, agree to a territorial corridor on its sovereign territory to link Jordan with Egypt and accept some Arab refugees.
Israel strongly objected.
Following Israel's victory in the Sinai Campaign of 1956, Eisenhower considered imposing sanctions if it refused to withdraw from the recently captured Sinai Peninsula.
In the eyes of Eisenhower and Dulles, Israel's existence had to be reluctantly tolerated. Dulles said so, albeit in different words. Eisenhower himself stated that he didn't know whether he would have been in favor of the establishment of the state had he been president in 1948. However, now that it was a fact, the US had to deal with it.
The objective of his administration was clear: to elicit the support of the Arab and Muslim countries in order to face the communist threat. To achieve that, the US had to remove any obstacle in the way.
and that was before the gains of 1967 and the 'settlments'! Today, the communist threat has been relaced by the "terrorist threat" But take heart, my fellow Jews. Just as Hashem thwarted their plans from then until now, so He will continue.
Where are the world powers of old today? Egypt? Babylon? Persia? Rome? The United States is following them into oblivion. One day, they will be nothing more than a chapter in the history books. And we? We will still be here...in Jerusalem!
07 June 2009
The Purpose of This Blog
Just in case it is not as obvious to my readers as it is to me, I thought I might take a moment to explain the rationale behind my choice of subject matter. To my mind, each post represents a footstep of Mashiach and the most recent ones are resoundingly clear. By pointing out these footsteps to those who might have missed them, I'm hoping to give strength to all of us who, if you are anything like me, are flagging as the wait for the final redemption is prolonged.
CHAZAK V'AMATZ! WE'LL GET THERE!!
CHAZAK V'AMATZ! WE'LL GET THERE!!
05 June 2009
Jews Being Forced to Face the Truth
Galilee communities: We're not racist, we just don't want Arabs
Residents of the Misgav bloc of communities in the Galilee consider themselves to be liberal, peace-loving people who support coexistence with their Arab neighbors and even root for Bnei Sakhnin, the soccer club based in a nearby Arab town considered a prominent symbol of that community. Which is why they were shocked this week when proposals raised at local council meetings to accept only applicants who shared their Zionist principles drew negative headlines and criticism for alleged racism.
...Residents of the Misgav bloc are not used to being accused of racism, and dismay at being compared to Jewish settlers in the West Bank.
It bears repeating: WE ARE ALL 'SETTLERS.'
Residents of the Misgav bloc of communities in the Galilee consider themselves to be liberal, peace-loving people who support coexistence with their Arab neighbors and even root for Bnei Sakhnin, the soccer club based in a nearby Arab town considered a prominent symbol of that community. Which is why they were shocked this week when proposals raised at local council meetings to accept only applicants who shared their Zionist principles drew negative headlines and criticism for alleged racism.
...Residents of the Misgav bloc are not used to being accused of racism, and dismay at being compared to Jewish settlers in the West Bank.
It bears repeating: WE ARE ALL 'SETTLERS.'
03 June 2009
"A new king arose..." -- Part 2
We saw this one coming. See the post "A New King" from back in January. And how ironic is it that B "Hussein" Obama is planning to give his big speech to the Islamic world from Cairo?(See video.)
Rabbi Sitorsky said in a recent shiur that Obama's insistence on zero growth in the settlements was tantamount to what Paro did when he decreed that all the boy babies of the Hebrews should be killed.
Suddenly, it's ok to talk about the US President's "Islamic roots:"
During a conference call in preparation for President Obama's trip to Cairo, Egypt, where he will address the Muslim world, deputy National Security Adviser for Strategic Communications Denis McDonough said "the President himself experienced Islam on three continents before he was able to -- or before he's been able to visit, really, the heart of the Islamic world -- you know, growing up in Indonesia, having a Muslim father -- obviously Muslim Americans (are) a key part of Illinois and Chicago."
And what about this jewel?
Barack Hussein Obama: US "one of the largest Muslim countries in the world"
It is important to note that "if you actually took the number of Muslim Americans, we'd be one of the largest Muslim countries in the world".
So says President Barack Obama. Or I should say: Barack Hussein Obama.
That's right: Barack Hussein Obama. Say it proud. Say it out loud. The middle moniker that dared not speak its name during the election campaign is now front and centre of the US president's attempt to woo the Muslim world, the theme of his visits to Riyadh on Wednesday and Cairo on Thursday.
As the light of redemption grows ever brighter, the masks are falling and TRUTH is becoming ever more evident. The connection between America and Israel is the last obstacle to the fall of Edom, a necessary part of the complete redemption. So read the good news:
U.S.-Israeli relationship takes new direction
"...Pressure. Defiance. Collision....."
01 June 2009
Overheard Conversation
Oleh: Hey! How are you? Haven't seen you in awhile. Are you back?
Yored: No, just visiting. I'm in Baltimore now.
Oleh: What are you doing there? Didn't you go there to go to school or something?
Yored: Yeah, I finished school. Now, I work at a bagel shop.
Oleh: But, you could be working at a bagel shop here.
Yored: (shrugs sheepishly)
Oleh: You should come home.
Yored: No, just visiting. I'm in Baltimore now.
Oleh: What are you doing there? Didn't you go there to go to school or something?
Yored: Yeah, I finished school. Now, I work at a bagel shop.
Oleh: But, you could be working at a bagel shop here.
Yored: (shrugs sheepishly)
Oleh: You should come home.