Why Bother Polling?

26 Marcheshvan 5774

Poll: Most Israelis reject Jordan Valley withdrawal by IDF

74% of Israeli Jews are against having international forces in the Jordan Valley, rather than the IDF, according to poll.

Every other day there is another poll, but why bother? It won't change anything. None of The Powers That Be (TPTB) care what the "little" people think... or want... or need. With them, everything is about gaining and maintaining POWER. They worship at the altar of POWER POLITICS and the thoughts, desires and needs of the "little" people are their sacrifices as in "sacrifices for peace."

Netanyahu to advance east Jerusalem construction as 'compensation' for prisoner release

PM announces four building projects in conjunction with Israel's release of 26 long-serving Palestinian prisoners; says gov't to okay tenders for 1,500 housing units over Green Line in Ramat Shlomo.

Lovely. King-of-the-Hill Netanyahu has graciously tossed some crumbs to all the "little" people in Israel. We should feel better now, knowing that G-d's name has yet again been desecrated before the entire world and justice has yet again been ground underfoot with the wanton release of 26 additional murderers of Jews, not to mention the emotional toll on the victims' families, because Netanyahu is going to allow the building of more homes in areas to be given as a gift to the murderous Arabs in six months time.

Israel to UNHRC: Release of Palestinian terrorists shows we're serious about peace

It won't stop until it reaches the point of - if you're really serious about making peace, you'd move ALL the Jews out, turn off the lights and close the doors. Because as long as there is even one Jew remaining in Eretz Yisrael, there will be no peace with the enemies of G-d.

Polling serves only one purpose.  It makes people think and then choose a side.  And that's what this time period is all about - choosing your side. We are all engaged in an emotional and psychological war for hearts and minds.  Truth and justice vs. perversion and corruption - the yetzer hatov vs. the yetzer hara.

For sure, TPTB don't care, but HKB"H DOES!! And lest anyone forget, let me remind you...


YESH DIN V'YESH DAYAN

Posted on FB by J4JP

26 Marcheshvan 5774

"Oded Granot is a senior news analyst and commentator for Israel's national television station, Channel One. This clip is from Channel One's October 26, 2013 weekly News Magazine."

Tzipi Livni - The Greatest Threat to Israeli Democracy

23 Marcheshvan 5774
Motzaei"sh

Report: Livni Trying to Avoid Vote on Terrorist Release

...Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, who heads Israel’s negotiations with the Palestinian Authority, has been working to bury a bill that would ban the release of terrorists as a “good-will gesture” to the PA.

'Sovereignty' - Israeli Right's Answer to a 'Two State Solution'

...Israel's left-wing Justice Minister and Two-State advocate Tzipi Livni leading secretive talks with the Palestinian Authority...amid accusations that she is going beyond her remit by offering the PA more than the government's official position....

Livni 'to Bury' Bill against Dividing Capital

Justice Minister Tzipi Livni was quick to announce on Sunday that she will appeal a decision by the Ministerial Committee for Legislation to put the Coalition's support behind a bill that would require any withdrawals from land within the city limits of Jerusalem to be approved by 80 MKs. The law was authored by MK Yaakov Litzman (UTJ).

The appeal by Livni will send the bill back to the Ministerial Committee for Legislation before it is brought for a Knesset vote. According to news site Walla, Livni – who chairs the committee – is expected to “bury” the bill simply by postponing indefinitely the date for a new vote on it.

Parashat Chayei Sara 5774

21 Marcheshvan 5774
Erev Shabbat Kodesh

Parashat Chayei Sarah - Whose Hebron is it, anyway? – Rav Binyamin Ze'ev Kahane

“And Avraham weighed to Ephron the silver...” (Gen. 23:16). Rabbi Yehuda Bar Simon said: It is one of the three places where the nations of the world would not be able to deceive Israel by claiming: You are thieves (since it was acquired with money). The Cave of the Patriarchs, as it is written: 'And Avraham weighed to Ephron the silver...'; The Temple Mount, as it is written, 'So David gave to Ornan for the place six hundred shekels of gold coins by weight'; Joseph's Tomb, as it is written, and he (Yaakov) bought the parcel of ground ... at the hand of the children of Hamor, the father of Shechem (Bereshit Rabbah, 89).

Three questions arise from the above Midrash: 1.) And on the rest of the Land of Israel the gentiles can say that we are robbers? 2.) What does it mean, “they will not be able”? We see that they are quite able and even successful in undermining our claim to those three places. Indeed, precisely those three places are where they concentrate their struggle! 3.) On the verse in Psalms (111:6), “The power of His works has He declared to His people in giving them the heritage of the nations”, Rashi writes: “so that the nations will not be able to say you are robbers when you conquer the seven nations”. And so, we see that Rashi says that on all of Israel “they cannot say” that we are thieves!

The Torah knew that when the gentile would rise up against the Jewish “thieves” and “occupiers”, certain Jews may doubt the justice of their cause due to all kind of guilt feelings. Perhaps the gentile is right that we stole his land? Perhaps he has an ethical argument? And so the sages come to tell us: Look, there are three places that even according to simple logic the gentile cannot open his mouth about, for they were purchased with money. And in any case, this justified claim makes no impression on them. On the contrary, it is precisely in these three places where they center their struggle against us! What does this teach us? That it isn't justice or ethics which motivates them, nor is it a dispute over property that can be resolved. Rather, it is a national-religious struggle!

Now the sages come and explain: Just as you know that in these three places their claims are not justified, by the same token you should not get excited about the rest of their claims on other parts of the land of Israel, since “the entire world belongs to the Holy One, Blessed Be He, He created it and gave it to whomever it was right in His eyes, of His own will He gave it to them and of His own will He took it from them and gave it to us!” (Rashi on the beginning of Genesis). This now explains Rashi in the aforementioned Psalm, that “the nations of the world won't be able to say you are robbers”. Not that they “won't be able to say” it. On the contrary, they'll say it all the time. But the “won't be able to” is not directed to the gentile, but rather to the ears of the Jews! That they must know that G-d gave us the Land, with an obligation to conquer and to expel. And so it is said: “The power of His works He has declared to His people in giving them the heritage of the nations” - the answer is intended for “His people”. The gentiles are not being addressed here, either because they will not listen anyway, or perhaps it simply is not important what they think.

Hebron, Shechem, and the Temple Mount [...] have become symbols of the Arab-Israeli struggle in the land of Israel. Indeed, the battle for the Land of Israel has reached its climax, and those three locations which the “gentile won't be able” to contest, are, in fact, the most hotly contested.
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Excerpted by Tzipora Liron-Pinner from the commentary on Chayei Sarah in “The writings of Rav Binyamin Ze'ev Kahane. HY”D”
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Background: Who stole Eretz Yisrael? - From the writings of Rabbi Meir Kahane

G-d is Creator of the universe and Owner and Master of the earth and all that it contains: “The earth is the L-rd's, and the fullness thereof” (Ps. 24:1). He gave Eretz Yisrael to the Jewish People as their land, to enable them to fulfill their mission of building a state and society in accordance with the laws and foundations of the Holy Torah: “He gave them the lands of nations; they inherited people's toils, that they might keep His statutes and observe His laws” (Ps. 105:44-45).As far as Eretz Yisrael, no apologies or justifications are necessary. The Jewish People came to the land where the seven nations dwelled and took it from them by decree of the Owner, G-d. G-d uprooted the nations who dwelled there and brought in His chosen people, Israel, because the land is His and does not belong to those who lived there as occupants.

As R. Yehoshua of Sachnin said in the name of R. Levi (Bereshit Rabbah, 1:2):“He declared to His people the power of His works, in giving them the lands of the nations” (Ps. 111:6): Why did G-d reveal to Israel what was created on the first and second days of Creation? [I.e., why did the Torah relate the entire Creation narrative when it should have concentrated on Torah law?]It was because of the nations of the world, lest they curse Israel and say, “What a nation of pillagers you are!” Israel can respond, “Are you yourselves not pillagers? Surely it says, 'The Kaftorim came from Kaftor and annihilated the Avvim, occupying their territories' (Deut. 2:23).” I.e., you and all the nations who claim that we, Israel, are pillagers, are hypocrites. After all, many nations took lands from nations who lived on them without any right or pretext for doing so. [Consider also America, Australia...] For example, the Kaftorim annihilated the Avvim and occupied their land. See Deut. 2 for further examples of nations who pillaged other nations and took their lands.

The point seems to be that before Israel respond to the nations with the main answer, they advance a side argument, namely: How can you and the Canaanites attempt to pose as innocent? After all, Eretz Yisrael was given to the descendants of Shem, and the Canaanites, descendants of Ham, took it from them. As Rashi wrote regarding the verse, “The Canaanites were then in the Land” (Gen. 12:6): “The Canaanites were gradually conquering Eretz Yisrael from Shem's descendants, for it had fallen to Shem's portion, when Noach divided up the earth amongst his sons.”

Afterwards comes the main argument: The world and all it contains were created by G-d and belong to Him. He is the Owner, and He gives to whomever He wishes and takes from whomever He wishes. He chose Israel to be His chosen people, His supreme, treasured nation, and He gave them the Land to be theirs and not the Canaanites'.It likewise says (Deut. 6:10-11): To give you great, flourishing cities that you did not build. You will also have houses filled with all good things that you did not put there, finished cisterns that you did not quarry, and vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant. You shall eat and be satisfied.[As Rabbi Kahane further explains in Peirush HaMaccabee on Shemot, Chapter 1]:And there, in the Land of Israel, they inherited houses full of good things(Nehemiah 9:25), just as G-d had promised to give them houses filled with every type of good, which you did not fill (Deuteronomy 6:11) – you did not fill these houses, rather you captured them already filled with good. (Incidentally, this also teaches that everything that the Gentiles built and acquired when the Jews were not in Israel, they acquired illegally – in fact, by theft – because the land does not belong to them. Thus it is permitted to repossess their lands; only such property as they acquired under Jewish sovereignty is truly theirs.)

Clearly, just as G-d supervises the world and builds houses for the Jews in the Land of Israel in spite of the Gentiles and their anger, so too, when the Jews sin (!), His supervision works against THEM: They will build houses, but will not dwell in them…the great day of Hashem is near (Zephaniah 1:13-14).[...]“For the children of Israel are slaves to Me, they are My slaves, whom I have taken out of the land of Egypt – I am Hashem, your G-d.” (Lev. 25:55) – This last verse was rendered [in Aramaic] by Targum Yonatan: “The children of Israel are Mine – slaves to My Torah.” NO ONE ON EARTH IS FREE! The children of Israel are not free, but slaves to Him and His Torah. Being such, how can we possibly own property? Surely, whatever a slave acquires, belongs to His master [...].

A Jew must realize that everything – the world, punishment, even he himself – is under G-d's exclusive domain [...].IT IS A MITZVAH AND DUTY UPON EVERY JEW TO LIVE IN ERETZ YISRAEL, and a chilul Hashem when Israel lives outside of it. NO NON-JEW HAS THE SLIGHTEST RIGHT TO OWNERSHIP OVER THE LAND, and any non-Jew who denies G-d's mastery and the ownership of His people Israel over the whole Land is rebelling against G-d, denying G-d's sovereignty on earth and profaning G-d's name. He has one fate – to leave the Land or to die.
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Compiled by Tzipora Liron-Pinner from “The Jewish Idea” and “Peirush HaMaccabee on Shemot” of Rabbi Meir Kahane, HY”D

SPRING 2014

20 Marcheshvan 5774

In addition to the US plan to establish a Palestinian State by April 2014, top economist Peter Schiff  is predicting a US economic collapse in 2014.

Trends analyst Gerald Celente goes so far as to call it specifically in Spring 2014:

"We are saying that by the second quarter of 2014, we expect the bottom to fall out...."

The second quarter begins in April.

It's looking more and more like Nisan 5774 could be the end date for geulah that we know as "b'ita" - in its (pre-ordained) time.

Israel Earthquakes UPDATE

20 Marcheshvan 5774
UPDATE

Besides two more tremors (3.3 and 2.2) in the Galil yesterday, there's been another 3.3 today, but further south in Eilat.

It occurs to me that the reason for this is to tell us that we are on shaky ground because of the traitorous acts of evil Jews who are trying to sell out the ground right from under our feet.

After all, the prophets have already described for us exactly what is happening at this very moment while "secret final status talks" are going on and Jerusalem is being bargained away.  When the deal is done, what will happen?  See for yourself...

"Behold a day is coming for Hashem, when your spoils [from the Six Days War] will be divided up in your midst. I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem for the war;...and the Mount of Olives will split open at its middle, ... half of the mountain will move to the north and half of it to the south." (Zechariah 14. 1,2, 4)
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17 Marcheshvan 5774

Israel is experiencing a rash of earthquakes. Besides the four which were large enough to be felt in northern Israel over the past week, there were reportedly four more which weren't and according to another report, there have been 7 earthquakes large enough to be felt in Israel this year.

"Israel’s last major earthquake rattled the region in 1927 - a 6.2 magnitude quake that killed 500 and injured another 700. An earthquake in 1837 left as many as 5,000 people dead. Major earthquakes strike Israel once every 80 years or so, meaning the country may be due for a serious natural disaster."

19 Marcheshvan 5774

The ocean is broken

Antisemitism Coming Out Into the Open

19 Marcheshvan 5774



Just remember, the German Jews did not believe it could happen there either.

"Mega-Fire" Down Under?

19 Marcheshvan 5774

Colossal 'mega-fire' could form if three wildfires merge, Australia officials warn

Australian officials warned on Monday that three large wildfires burning in southeastern Australia could merge into one colossal "mega-fire" and threaten the suburbs of Sydney.

...One firefighter said that if the three fires did merge, the resulting blaze would be a "major catastrophe," and far more difficult to control than the current situation.

The fires have so far destroyed more than 200 homes and killed one person. Fire officials are considering mandatory evacuations in some 25 townships.

The fires have also created dramatic scenes in the skies over Sydney, with some of Australia's most famous landmarks framed by black smoke and a red glow from the horizon.

SEE JEWISH SYDNEY FOR INFO ABOUT SYDNEY'S JEWISH COMMUNITY.

23 Years Gone, But Not Forgotten

18 Marcheshvan 5774

On 18 Marcheshvan 5751, an Arab bullet silenced the voice of Rav Meir David Kahane, may Hashem avenge his blood! But, there is consolation in the number 18 - CHAI!  While our beloved Rav Kahane lives on in Gan Eden, his message lives on in his students, in his videos and in his books and his newspaper articles. They thought they could silence Rav Kahane, but his voice was the voice of Truth and the voice of Truth can never be silenced.

His memory will forever be a blessing to those who knew him and to those who only know him through his students and his videos and his books and newspaper articles. Unfortunately, I never knew of Rav Kahane until after he was gone from this world.  I will forever be grateful to his students who became my teachers and who introduced me to Rav Meir David Kahane - the voice of Truth for our generations.



"I'm all for land for peace. I'll have the land and you'll have the peace...."

NOTE: Official yahrtzeit events in Jerusalem on October 24th, 16:00 at the graveside on Har HaMenuchot and from 18:00 onwards in Heichal David, Oholiav Str. 14, close to the Central Bus Station.

Is it a build-up to something more?

17 Marcheshvan 5774

Israel is experiencing a rash of earthquakes. Besides the four which were large enough to be felt in northern Israel over the past week, there were reportedly four more which weren't and according to another report, there have been 7 earthquakes large enough to be felt in Israel this year.

"Israel’s last major earthquake rattled the region in 1927 - a 6.2 magnitude quake that killed 500 and injured another 700. An earthquake in 1837 left as many as 5,000 people dead. Major earthquakes strike Israel once every 80 years or so, meaning the country may be due for a serious natural disaster."

What Every Jew Needs to Know

17 Marcheshvan 5774

Hidden Secrets Of Money Ep 1 - Currency vs Money

Hidden Secrets Of Money Ep 2 - Seven Stages Of Empire

Hidden Secrets Of Money Ep 3 - Dollar Crisis to Golden Opportunity

Hidden Secrets of Money Ep 4 - The Biggest Scam In The History Of Mankind

When you get to the end, you will understand how Israel will replace America as the richest nation on earth. One day, in the not too distant future, all the treasures of the Beit Hamikdash - a phenomenal amount of gold and silver - will be returned to Israel.

SEE THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS - THE COPPER SCROLL

"The treasure described in the Copper Scroll consists of vast quantities of gold and silver, as well as many coins and vessels. It is difficult to assess the value of what is described, since we are not sure what the weights in the scroll are actually equivalent to,...."

SEE THE VATICAN TREASURES - HUNT FOR THE TREASURES OF GOD

...The historian Josephus writes:

"At the break of dawn, clad in purple robes, Titus with the Emperor Vespasian, ascended a tribunal and acknowledged the cheers of the crowd. Before them, along the sacred way, passed a procession carrying the spoils of war, but most prominent were the treasures of the Temple; the golden table weighing several hundred weight, a scroll of law, and the seven branched golden candelabrum."

Later the Emperor put the gold treasures in a newly erected “Temple of Peace.”

In the last years of the first century the treasures were clearly still in Rome. By the middle of the fifth century Rome had twice been overrun by enemies, and the fate of the treasures had become shrouded in mystery.

...A more widely held belief links the treasures to a better known place in Rome - the Vatican.

"In the month of Aviv" - Spring!

16 Marcheshvan 5774

They warned us already three months ago.  There are six months left.

Joint Soverignty of Jerusalem by Spring 2014

The British Consul-General in Jerusalem, Sir Vincent Fean, announced yesterday (Saturday) that, "a permanent P.A.-Israel agreement will be reached by Spring of 2014", according to a report by the Maan news agency.

According to the consul, the agreement will include joint Israeli - Palestinian soverignty over Jerusalem.

"Spring 2014 is going to be important and crucial when it comes to establishing a Palestinian state on the basis of a political solution. Jerusalem will be the shared capital of Israel and Palestine. The agreement will also include land swaps", the Consul-General is reported to have said.

This is a clear message to us! Did you notice he uses the word "Spring" twice? Pesach comes in the month of "Spring!"

"...as the Gemara (Rosh Hashanah 11b) states: 'In Nisan you were redeemed, in Nisan you will be redeemed.' "

"Special Commentary on Missionaries in the Shomron"

16 Marcheshvan 5774
Motzaei"sh

by Rav Yehudah HaCohen, the Rav of our blog. Yasher koach!

Parashat Vayeira 5774

14 Marcheshvan 5774
Erev Shabbat Kodesh

Parashat Vayeira: A tale of two brothers
by Daniel Pinner

[Dedicated to the memory of two men whose Yahrzeits fall in the coming days: my grandfather, Naftali ben ha-Rav Moshe (Nathan Pinner) z”l, whose 32nd Yahrzeit falls this Shabbat, 15th Marcheshvan; and Rabbi Meir David Kahane Hy”d, whose 22nd Yahrzeit falls on Tuesday, 18th Marcheshvan.]

Last week’s parashah, Lekh Lekha, concluded with Abraham circumcising himself and all the men of his household, including his thirteen-year-old son Yishmael. Parashat Vayeira picks up the narrative three days later (Bava Metzi’a 86a, Bamidbar Rabbah 11:2), when “Hashem appeared to him in the Plains of Mamre, when he was sitting at the entrance of the tent in the heat of the day” (Genesis 18:1).

On this third day after Abraham had circumcised himself, the time when the wound was at its most painful (see Ibn Ezra and Radak to Genesis 34:25), he sat at the entrance to his tent, longing for the opportunity for hachnasat orchim – hospitality for wayfarers.

It was while he was hopefully awaiting this opportunity that “he raised his eyes and he saw, and behold! – three men were standing over him” (Genesis 18:2). These three “men”, whom Abraham did not yet identify as angels, had three different missions to fulfil: one to herald that Sarah would give birth a year hence; one to save Lot and his family from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah; and one to overturn Sodom and Gomorrah (Targum Yonatan); alternatively, one to herald that Sarah would give birth a year hence; one to save Lot; and one to heal Abraham (Rashi ad.loc., Bava Metzi’a 86b, Derech Eretz 2:2), because one angel can have only one mission.

Sure enough, a year later to the day, Sarah gave birth to Yitzchak.

Now in many ways the birth of Yitzchak followed the same pattern as the birth of Yishmael fourteen years earlier. In both cases the name of the son was decreed before he was yet born (Yishmael’s name in Genesis 16:11, Yitzchak’s name in 17:19). In both cases the name looks to the future: Yishmael (“God will hear”) and Yitzchak (“he will laugh”).

And recording both sons’ births, the Torah uses similar language. The Torah records Yishmael’s birth with the words: “And Hagar bore to Abram a son; and Abram called his son’s name, whom Hagar had born, Yishmael” (Genesis 16:15). And it records Yitzchak’s birth with the words: “Sarah conceived and she bore to Abraham a son in his old age, at the pre-ordained time that God had spoken to him. And Abraham called his son’s name, who was born unto him, whom Sarah had born him, Yitzchak” (21:2-3).

The Talmud (Yerushalmi Berachot 1:6) and the Midrash (Bereishit Rabbah 45:8 and Mechilta de-Rabbi Yishmael, Pis’cha 16 s.v. li hu) offer an intriguing insight, noting that four people were named before they were yet born: Yitzchak, Yishmael, Shlomo (King Solomon), and Yoshiyahu (King Josiah).

An angel announced to Hagar that she would conceive and give birth to a son whom she was to call Yishmael (Genesis 16:11). God Himself told Abraham that his wife would give birth to a son whom he was to call Yitzchak (17:19). When King David instructed his son to build the Holy Temple, he reminisced that God had told him that a son would be born to him, whom he was to name Shlomo (1 Chronicles 22:9). And shortly after King Shlomo’s death and the split of the kingdom, a prophet who castigated Jeroboam (king of Israel who had broken away from the Davidic monarchy) for his idolatry, told him that “a son will be born to the House of David, Yoshiyahu will be his name” (1 Kings 13:2).

The Yerushalmi concludes by saying simply that “this applies to tzaddikim”. The Mechilta de-Rabbi Yishmael gives more detail: “We find that the names and the deeds of the tzaddikim are revealed to God before they are even formed”.

This is intriguing because of the implication that Yishmael was a tzaddik. And indeed at some stage in his life he was.

Yet later on in Parashat Vayeira we read about Yitzchak’s birth and the aftermath. Sarah saw Yishmael “metzachek” (“jesting”), and subsequently told Abraham to expel Hagar and Yishmael, which Abraham did after God ratified what Sarah had said (Genesis 21:9-12). Does this not seem like a disproportionate response? What does the Torah mean when itsays that Yishmael was “jesting”?

The Ibn Ezra understands it to imply no worse than the usual tomfoolery of any teenager: “‘Jesting’ – because this is how all youths behave; but [Sarah] was jealous because he was bigger than her son”. According to the Radak, Yishmael’s “jesting” meant “mocking Yitzchak for being born to such old people”.

However according to the Midrash (Bereishit Rabbah 53:11, Sh’mot Rabbah 1:1) “jesting” implies something far more sinister: sexual immorality, idolatry, and murder. At his tender age (15 years old, according to Tanhuma, Sh’mot 1), Yishmael was already raping unmarried women (following the interpretation of Maharz”u) and seducing married women, building idolatrous altars, and attempting to murder Yitzchak: he would take his young half-brother into the fields on the pretext of checking on the crops, and then shoot arrows at him as though only in jest.

Little wonder, then, that Sarah wanted this young hooligan out of the house!

But this raises another puzzling question. When Hagar and Yishmael, banished from Abraham and Sarah’s house, were wandering thorough the desert near Beer Sheva and their bottle of water was depleted, Hagar feared that her son would die of thirst and wept. “And God heard the voice of the youth, and an angel of God called out to Hagar from heaven saying to her: What has happened to you, Hagar? Do not fear, for God has heard the voice of the youth as he is now” (Genesis 21:17).

The Midrash (Eichah Rabbati 2:4 and Bereishit Rabbah 53:14) picks up on the phrase “God has heard the voice of the youth as he is now” – what do the words “as he is now” mean? After all,when else could God have heard Yishmael’s voice?

“The ministering angels jumped to accuse him, saying: Sovereign of all Worlds, will You produce a well for a man who in the future is going to put Your children to death by thirst?! [God] said to them: Presently what is he – righteous or evil? They said to Him: Righteous. He responded to them: I only judge a man as he is now”.

But if, as the Midrash earlier said, Sarah wanted Yishmael banished from the house because he was committing sexual immorality, idolatry, and murder, then how could the ministering angels say that he was righteous? And if he had committed these sins, then why indeed did God produce the well to save his life?

Let us return to that earlier Midrash and see the exact wording: “‘Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had born to Abraham, jesting’ (Genesis 21:9)…this teaches that our mother Sarah would see Yishmael raping unmarried women and seducing married women… Our mother Sarah would see Yishmael building idolatrous altars…” (Bereishit Rabbah 53:11).

From the unusual wording (“Sarah would see Yishmael raping unmarried women…” rather than simply “Sarah saw Yishmael raping…”, or even more simply “Yishmael raped unmarried women…”), I suggest that Yishmael was not actually committing these sins – yet. Sarah, however, foresaw that one day he would be doing all this. After all, the Midrash (Sh'mot Rabbah 1:1 and Tanhuma, Sh’mot 1) derives from this whole episode that “Abraham was subordinate to Sarah in prophecy”, which was why God commanded Abraham “everything that Sarah tells you – listen to her voice” (Genesis 21:12).

So at this tender age, Yitzchak and Yishmael were both righteous. They both had tremendous potential – after all, they were both biological sons of Abraham our father himself! True, God decreed to Abraham that “your seed shall be called through Yitzchak” (ibid.) – but nevertheless, Yishmael had inherited the genes of holiness from his father.

And true, Yishmael was born to Hagar and thus did not inherit Sarah’s innate righteousness – yet he must have inherited Hagar’s genes of greatness. Hagar was, after all, born to royalty, the daughter of the Egyptian Pharaoh (Bereishit Rabbah 45:1, Pirkei de-Rabbi Eliezer 26).

Both Yitzchak and Yishmael had the best possible start in life; both began at an unimaginably high spiritual level. Both were given names which looked forward to what they could achieve.Yet see what each made of himself!

Yitzchak – “he will laugh”. As we saw earlier, when Yishmael was “metzachek” (“jesting”), he was on the way to committing the three cardinal sins of idolatry, sexual immorality, and murder. The Midrashim (cited above) and Rashi (commentary to Genesis 21:9) cite several instances from the Tanach where the verb “laugh” appears in connexion with these three sins.

Yes, Yitzchak – “he will laugh” – could have chosen to walk Yishmael’s path and regressed into the most heinous of sins. He had free will, and he chose to remain on his father’s path of holiness and to make his laughter the laughter of holiness.

And Yishmael – “God will hear” – could have chosen to retain his mother’s attribute of royalty and to remain on his father’s path of holiness. What greatness he could then have achieved, for himself and for his descendants!

But Yishmael, too, had free will, and he chose other paths. The angel told Hagar to call her as-yet-unborn son Yishmael, “because Hashem has heard your prayer” (Genesis 16:11), and Yishmael could have chosen to actualise his name for good. But he instead chose the bad. “So why was he called Yishmael (‘God will hear’)? – Because in the future time, God will hear the screaming of the nation [of Israel] because of what Yishmael’s descendants will do to them in the Land of Israel at the end of days” (Pirkei de-Rabbi Eliezer 32).

Yitzchak and Yishmael: both given the potential for greatness, both named before their births – and both of whose names will be applied at the end of days. Yishmael’s descendants will cause Yitzchak’s descendants to scream. But ultimately yishma El – God will hear their screams and will save them.

And then yitzchak – he will laugh. “Then will our mouths be filled with laughter” said King David, looking forward to the time when God will return the Jewish exiles to Zion. Complete laughter is not for this world: “A person is forbidden to fill his mouth in this world, as it says ‘Then will our mouths be filled with laughter and our tongues with joyful song (Psalms 126:2)’. And when will this be? – At the time when ‘they will say among the nations, Hashem has done great things for them’ (ibid.)” (Berachot 31a).

We are already deep into the first of these eras – the time when the nation of Israel screams because of what Yishmael’s descendants are doing to them in the Land of Israel. The Midrash shines forth as a veritable beacon of hope: God will hear the voice of their screams, and then Abraham’s true descendants and heirs, free and independent once again in their Land, will laugh.

THINK ABOUT IT

14 Marcheshvan 5774

From the world's point of view...

Israel was pushing the US and others to attack Syria and then a new day dawned and a diplomatic solution was found. Syria's chemical weapons stores are reportedly being dismantled as I write this and "peace talks" between the Assad regime and the "opposition" are in the works.

Israel was pushing the US and others to attack Iran and suddenly, a new day dawned and another diplomatic solution was found. Talks have begun and Iran is "hinting" at "significant concessions" on its nuclear program.

From the world's point of view...

There's hope that a corner has been turned and that WW3 has been avoided. Maybe when the world powers stepped back from the brink back in September it was a major turning point. Maybe diplomacy really will win out over brute-force war.

But, there stands Bibi Netanyahu with a scowl on his face and a grim, but determined look in his eye. "IRAN MUST BE STOPPED. IT CAN NOT BE ALLOWED TO POSSESS NUCLEAR WEAPONS."

Netanyahu's whole life has been leading up to this moment. His destiny awaits. While the whole world celebrates the victory of diplomacy, Israel under the leadership of Bibi Netanyahu will shove the world over the cliff and into the abyss.

And Israel will be to blame. And Jews everywhere will be to blame.

Take special note...

A story leaked by Washington to caution Netanyahu

US watching for signs of Israeli strike on Iran

The "Can" Stops Here

13 Marcheshvan 5774

Government Creating Phony Crisis So They Can Pretend To Save Us

Peter Schiff: "...When our creditors realize how broke we are, they're going to impose a lending ceiling and we can't raise that. And that's when we'll have a real meltdown here in the United States."

The politicians may have overplayed their hand this time.  I think America's main creditor just woke up to the real possibility of default.

Chinese agency downgrades US credit rating

AFP - A Chinese ratings agency downgraded its US sovereign credit rating Thursday despite Washington's resolution of the debt ceiling deadlock, warning that fundamentals for a potential default remained "unchanged

China To Unleash The Worst Nightmare For The US

On the heels of Washington desperately moving to buy more time to deal with its financial crisis, today Canadian legend John Ing warned King World News that China is preparing to unleash the “worst nightmare” for the United States. Ing, who has been in the business for 43 years, also stated that the Chinese are about to make a “major move” which will enable the timetable for this “nightmare” to be greatly accelerated.

Ing: “Washington kicking the can down the road doesn’t solve the debt problem. Apparently this process has been so fun they are going to do it all over again, and the markets are getting pretty jaundiced about it. But standing back, the fact is that the US debt is still escalating....

...the Chinese have not been idle while the debt discussions have been unfolding. As an example, the Chinese have recently signed a deal in the UK that allows for the renminbi to be converted into pounds. This is something like 24 countries now which are now on board with China’s currency. The bottom line is the Chinese are slowly and quietly making the renminbi convertible.

The next major move for the Chinese is they will allow for their big state-owned companies to buy other companies. That’s a good way for them to unload their foreign exchange reserves, particularly dollar reserves. When that happens, Eric, we will see the first competitive currency against the US dollar, which up to now has held the preeminent position as the world’s reserve currency since 1944.

This process by the Chinese to unseat the US dollar as the supreme currency has recently been accelerated because of concerns about the recent chaos in Washington. You also have Russia now pushing for an alternative reserve currency. So this international movement for an alternative reserve currency is now unfolding in a major way, and it will have incredibly dramatic ramifications for the United States in the future.

...I would just add that 15 years ago the Chinese renminbi was not even on the radar screen of foreign currency traders. Today it is one of the top ten currencies traded in the world, and the Chinese are quickly setting the stage for the renminbi to become the United States’ worst nightmare as they aggressively position their currency to eventually unseat the dollar from its position of global supremacy.”

The rest of the world is not fooled either. Congress just kicked the can a bit further down the road, but the end of it is in sight.  At best, they've bought themselves a few more weeks.  The one-third of the country on government assistance might still eke out a little holiday cheer for their families, but when the SHTF it will be the dead of winter in America.

Dollar slides as relief at U.S. debt deal fades

LONDON (Reuters) - The dollar fell and Wall Street was expected to weaken on Thursday as relief over a U.S. budget deal gave way to worries over the effects of the 16-day government shutdown and prospects of a re-run early next year.

The legislation signed overnight by President Barack Obama to fund the government until January 15 and extend a debt ceiling deadline to February 7 did nothing to resolve the differences over spending and deficits that divide Republicans and Democrats.

"The U.S. can give a sigh of relief for now but the New Year could bring a dangerous sense of déjà vu," Luke Bartholomew, investment analyst at Aberdeen Asset Management, said.

Equity markets in the U.S. and Asia initially welcomed the last-minute deal which pulled the world's biggest economy back from the brink of a historic default, but the rally ran out of steam as the longer-term implications sank in.

Blame it on Global Warming

13 Marcheshvan 5774

...Numerous business customers with Chase Business Select Checking and Chase Business Classic accounts have received letters over the past week....


Dear Business Customer,

Starting November 17, 2013:

- You will no longer be able to send international wire transfers. You will still be able to send domestic wires and receive both domestic and international wires. We’ll cancel any international wire transfers, including recurring ones, you scheduled to be sent after this date....

The heat is being incrementally increased.  And you do not even notice.

"Sacrificing Sacred Cows"

13 Marcheshvan 5774

I've written here many times over the years about the dangers of creeping assimilation in Eretz Yisrael, not the assimilation of Jews among goyim, but of goyim among the Jews. Evil Erev Rav "Jews" are actively promoting, sponsoring, even recruiting Xians to live and work in the yishuvim under the pretense of them "fulfilling prophecy" or being one of the "lost" ten tribes.

Listen to Hanoch Young pander speak to a Christian audience at the Alliance of Redeemed Israel conference in Florida just a couple of months ago.



'Rabbi' Eliezer Melamed of Har Brachah, who has been instrumental in allowing Xian missionaries to take up residence in his yishuv wrote the following op-ed article which was recently featured at Arutz Sheva and The Times of Israel and who knows where else?  

Christians Fulfilling the Prophecy of Isaiah

Following is a response and rebuttal by Rabbi Dr. Sholom Gold, Rabbinic Director of Jewish Israel:

"Jumping the Geula Gun" - a Response by Rabbi Sholom Gold to Rabbi Eliezer Melamed

My Jewish brothers and sisters, if you don't come home and claim your heritage and help us physically to fight the Erev Rav, they will bring others to take your place! Whether it is the Erev Rav of the left giving our land to the Arabs or the Erev Rav on the right giving it to the Xians - once it's gone, what will it take to get it back again!?

Ominous Sounds

12 Marcheshvan 5774

I've been hearing this sound overhead non-stop for the past hour.  Night before last, it was this sound and not a light could be seen anywhere.

Given that the US debt crisis is looming larger than ever this day before a possible default AND that talks in Geneva went about as expected AND that the Prime Minister is hinting at Israeli military action to come, it makes me think that these sounds have some greater significance.

Monday, October 21st will be 17 Cheshvan - the anniversary of the Great Flood.  Will a global economic tsunami wash over the world in the days to come?  If the Great Powers are paralyzed by it, will the Arabs see it as an opportunity to eliminate Israel once and for all?  Will the Israeli government strike before they do?

These are the kinds of questions running through my mind as I listen to yet another military jet zoom over my head on this sunny fall morning just outside Jerusalem.

Why do we preface Cheshvan as Mar-cheshvan?  Mar - bitter.  Because it is the only month without a holiday.  However, it is destined to have a holiday in the future.

The Clock is Ticking

12 Marcheshvan 5774

The American government is bankrupt. It owes more money than it can ever hope to pay back. It's been "kicking the can down the road" by raising the debt limit and printing more dollars, but world economists agree that even this must come to an end sometime. Has the "can" finally reached the end of the road???

Debt clock ticking, but default damage already unfolding

The warnings from Wall Street are dire: A stomach-turning dive in the stock market. World economies in peril. Another recession in the United States. A replay of the 2008 financial crisis — or worse.

And the date investors are worried about is fast approaching. It’s Thursday, when the United States bumps up against the $16.7 trillion limit set by Congress for the amount of money the government can borrow.

...t may not happen exactly at the open of business Friday morning. The government might scrape by until next week sometime. But if it’s forced into default by Congress, the damage would spread within days. And would take years to clean up.

As US Default Nears, Investors Shrug Off Threat

Warren Buffett likens it to a nuclear attack. Economists warn that government spending on programs like Social Security would plunge. The Treasury says the economy would slide into a recession worse than the last.

Yet you wouldn’t know that a U.S. debt default could amount to a nightmare from the way many companies and investors are preparing for it: They aren’t. The assumption seems to be that in the end, Washington will find a way to avert a default.

“Doomsday is nigh, and everyone shrugs,” said Nicholas Colas, chief market strategist at ConvergEx Group, an investment brokerage in New York.

Yahrtzeit of Rachel Imeinu

11 Marcheshvan 5774

Rachel Imeinu Passes Away

On the eleventh of Cheshvan, while giving birth to her 2nd son, Binyamin, Rachel, the beloved wife of Ya'akov, died, and was buried on the road to Bethlehem.

The site of her burial in Bethlehem, south of Jerusalem, known to us by tradition, is covered by a stone edifice. For millennia, Jews have come to this site to pour forth their hearts in prayer, and to awaken her merit in any time of travail, for the community as well as for the individual.

Our mother Rachel was not buried in the tile cave of Machpelah in Hevron together with the other Matriarchs and Patriarchs of our people. Instead, she was buried on the road to Jerusalem, exactly where she died, while coming back to Jerusalem from the House of Lavan with Ya'akov.

Why did our Father Ya'akov bury Rachel on the road in Bethlehem?

According to Rabbi Eliyahu Ki Tov's Book of Our Heritage, Ya'akov saw prophetically that in the future, Jewish exiles would pass by on that road and she might seek mercy for them.

When Nebuzaradan exiled the Jews from Israel, and they in fact passed her grave, Rachel emerged to weep and to ask for mercy in their behalf, (Yirmeyahu 3l): "Thus did the Lord say, a voice is heard on high, lamentation and hitter weeping, Rachel weeps for her children, she refuses to be consoled for her children, for they are not." And God in fact answers: "Thus did the Lord say, refrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears, for there is reward for your labor, said the Lord, and the children shall return to their boundary" (Rashi Va'yechi, and Midrashim quoted by Radak, Yirmeyahu 31).

Another Midrash relates: When the Patriarchs and Matriarchs went to intercede with God over the image which Menasheh placed in the Temple, God was not reconciled. Rachel entered and said before Him: Lord of the universe! Whose mercy is greater? Yours? Or the mercy of a person of flesh and blood. Surely, Your mercy is greater. Have I not brought my rival (Leah) into my house? For all the work which Yaakov did for my father, was done by him, only for my sake. When I came to enter the chupah, my sister was brought in my place. And not only did I keep silent, but I even gave her my signs. You too -- though Your children have brought Your enemy into Your House - be silent towards them! He said to her: You have defended them well, there is reward for your labor, for your righteousness in having given your signs to your sister (Rashi Yirmeyahu 31).

From the time when the People of Israel went into their first exile until Yirmeyahu's prophecy of redemption ('and the children shall return to their boundary'), the grave of our mother Rachel has always been and will always remain a House of Prayer to Israel, for she is a mother to all Israel, and always awakens mercy in their behalf.

Discussion with Moishe'la: "Now We Are Orphans"

10 Marcheshvan 5774

BS"D

Discussion with Moishela (with his family)
A Handicapped child
Cheshvan 3rd '5774 (Oct 7 '13)


NOW WE ARE ORPHANS

Today we have entered a new phase in the process of ridding ourselves of this terrible diaspora and bringing us to the Geula. The last of the great Tzaddikim of this generation, of the great Rabbonim that had tremendous influence on most of the Jewish world has been taken from us. I can say for sure that we are now officially Yesomim (orphans). We are orphans, we are alone and even though there are still Rabbonim, it is different. Those that have left us came from a generation that was much more truthful and they influenced a great part of the Jewish world. Now the last of them has been taken from us.

Of course, Boruch Hashem, we still have a few Tzaddikim left but they cannot take upon themselves the huge task of being leader and father and spiritual mentor to much of Klal Yisrael, not only to one small group.

Don’t think that Hashem took Harav Ovadya Zt"l in order to help us, in order to make our lives easier, in order to bring a Kappara for us. Harav Ovadya Zt"l and Harav Elyashev Zt"l and all the great Rabbonim that were taken from us in the last 68 years did not leave this world to make it easier on us. They were taken to make it easier on them, because what is waiting for us is very very difficult, and what is waiting for them is the most splendid, choicest spots in Gan Eden.

We remain here and we may look forward now from this moment on to a great descent into difficult times. We will have to find the truth for ourselves. We won't be able to be sure if we attach ourselves to a Rav if he's a Rav of truth or not. We will have to look only to Hashem Himself to help us get through this terribly lonely time. In this noisy world, this world of action and violence, this world of lies and deceit, we will just have to find the time and place where we can be alone and just talk to Hashem without confusion.

We must try to feel exactly what Hashem wants from us and try very hard to Daven and attain the Emes.

I'm sorry that I cry so much .Writing this message has brought out of me more pain. The Tzaddikim of today are great according to this Dor, but now when one of the greatest has been taken away we are left with no shield, except our own Teshuva, Torah and Mitzvos. As you know this is a lowly generation.

Hashem put the world into a new mode. We are now coming into the last stages before the Geula Sheleimah. But now the final distance to the Geula could be as hard as the thousands of years of Golus compacted in a much shorter time.

It is very sad and I beg Hashem to help me know what to do. The pain will be so strong, but with Hashem's help all true Jews will manage with Hashem's kindness to greet Moshiach Tzidkainu.

Rav Ovadya was sent to save the Sephardi world of Torah and Mitzvos that for so many generations was the elite of the world. Many of these Kehillos like the European Jews fell very hard with the introduction of the Haskolah.

After the Europeans conquered Middle Eastern countries like Morocco etc., many so-called enlightened Jews moved there infecting their Sephardi neighbors with their newfound lax attitude in Torah observance. In Eretz Yisroel the Sephardic Jews lost most of their Yiddishkeit due to the bad Influence of the Israeli, Ashkenazi, non-religious, community. So Hashem sent a personality who helped pull up a whole generation that was almost lost to Yiddishkeit. This giant personality managed with Hashem's help to put thousands of Sephardic Bochurim back into Yeshivas. He helped to bring the parents of these Bochurim back to the Mesorah of their forefathers.

He helped create a new generation of Sephardim that were proud of their heritage. Many are in Ashkenazi Yeshivas now, but now many more are proud of their Sephardi Heritage and prefer Sephardi Yeshivas.

Since the first great Aliya of Sephardi Jews, they were treated very badly in the state of Israel. In most cases they were considered second class citizens. Rav Ovadya helped bring these people up to realize their rich heritage and to reignite their love of Hashem and his Torah. Sephardi Jews were still strong in their observance of Torah and Mitzvahs until they came to Medinas Yisroel. Here they became distant from their Mitzvah observance. However because in their hearts most Sephardi Jews have kept a strong love of Hashem and have kept the great Mitzvah of Taharas Hamishpacha they kept the link alive with their great ancestors.

Reb Ovadya was a real Ish Emes, even though many could argue about his Zionistic leaning. He was a Yid that did everything to separate his Kehillah from the Chiloni world, and proof of this is how many true Baalai Teshuva were influenced by Rav Ovadya.

Thousands of Torahdik homes have been built by those who he influenced to become Baalai Teshuva. These Baalai Teshuva's sons learn in Charaidi Yeshivas and their daughters in Charaidi schools. The young generation of these Baalai Teshuva are continuing in the direction of true Yiddishkeit. Our generation is well known as the weakest generation ever and it wasn’t easy what Rav Ovadyah, Be'ezras Hashem, accomplished. He bent a little here and there, but we cannot criticize him. He loved every Yid and he was a giant in Torah knowledge and everything he did to save Am Yisroel was according to Torah.

The few Tzaddikim that are left cannot take Am Yisroel on their shoulders in the same way that those greats of the past did, and therefore this is almost the end of the Golus as we know it and the beginning of a short journey through no-man's land. Now each person will be on his own searching for a Kesher between him and Hakodosh Boruch Hu. There will be terrible times of confusion now and it has actually already started.
We will have to do without leaders. Maybe some Tzaddikim will help us find our way individually. At some point Am Yisroel will be separated from the Erev Rav completely. At first we will all be frightened but true Yidden will see it's only for our good.

Yes, Mommy I know how hard it will be but until we reach the Geula Shelaima we will suffer much. Hold onto Emunah and Bitachon in Hashem. If you fall unwillingly, just get up and do Teshuvah and keep going. Don’t think you'll get to the knowledge of Hashem's existence by not doing Mitzvos and learning Torah. When you truly recognize Hashem, you will also recognize the fact that a person's only Tafkid in life is to do Hashem's will and we were created to grow and thrive only when we do His will.

If you have a true Tzaddik stay with him. He will be able to help you greet Moshiach. There will be all kinds of Jews that will try to lead but in the end they will fall because they are not on the side of Truth. Beware of the false prophets that will appear during this difficult time.

I do feel Am Yisrael has had a great loss. We are so alone now, and while we must not be sad for too long and we must not dwell on the fact that we feel now so alone and abandoned. We must pull ourselves together and try very hard to come as close as possible, each individual, to Hakodosh Boruch Hu.

We are going into the last test before the great explosion begins and now we can see much more clearly that the world has become a dark fearful place. A person won’t have anywhere to escape to, no one to cry and tell our troubles to. We have no one, only directly to Hashem. Those who do not feel closeness to Hashem will not know what I'm talking about and those poor souls who cannot make contact because they are so heavy with their Gashmius, those Jews can never rise high enough to feel that contact with our Creator. But if we become lighter and more refined and more detached from the Olam Hazeh then we can reach the greatest of heights and even without our greatest Rabbonim to guide us. We can still save ourselves and our families and come close to our Creator.

I know that Harav Ovadya had many followers and Harav Ovadya was a man of truth. Sometimes he said the truth so bluntly that people didn’t know what to do or how to react but that was because they were living a lie and the plain truth was too hard for them to digest. Harav Ovadya had people that liked him more and liked him less but no one can deny he was a great Talmid Chachom. No one can deny that he was a kind father to streams of Yidden that came to him for help and for Chizuk.

No one can say that he didn’t love Am Yisroel because he loved Am Yisroel very much. His greatness was his love for Am Yisroel, and his tremendous Torah knowledge which he used to help Am Yisroel. He definitely was a man Leshem Shomayim, even though he was the leader of a political party. I just beg those who are his followers to emulate him and not start fighting over politics. I beg those that followed him when he was alive to keep his truth and guard it and don’t get into clashes with each other which will create a tremendous Chillul Hashem. Unfortunately human nature is human nature and when we don’t have greatness to help us to control our worst side then everything can go out of control.

No, we must not care what others do. Each one of us has to take ourselves in hand and search only for the truth, live only by the truth and whoever wants to live by the truth Hashem will guide them to the Emes.

We must all, Ashkenazi and Sephardi Charaidi and Chiloni realize our tremendous loss today and that this is the beginning of a new phase, a new time, a new hope. The prophecy has come true that the generation before Moshiach will be orphans, and will not have the greatness of the great Rabbonim to guide us. We've seen clearly with our own eyes that when Harav Ovadya exited this world Hashem put us into a new situation which was foretold .We should be encouraged and know that means that Moshiach is definitely soon to be revealed. It cannot be otherwise.

Another Chapter in America's Downfall

9 Marcheshvan 5774

Computer Glitch Blamed For Nationwide EBT System Shutdown On Saturday

BOSTON (CBS/AP) - People in Ohio, Michigan and 15 other states found themselves unable to use their food stamp debit-style cards on Saturday, after a routine test of backup systems by vendor Xerox Corp. resulted in a system failure.

At about 9 a.m. Saturday, reports from across the country began pouring in that customers’ EBT cards were not working in stores.

At 2 p.m., an EBT customer service representative told CBS Boston that the system was currently down for a computer system upgrade.

Xerox spokeswoman Jennifer Wasmer released further details later in the afternoon in an emailed statement.

“While the electronic benefits system is now up and running, beneficiaries in the 17 affected states continue to experience connectivity issues to access their benefits. Technical staff is addressing the issue and expect the system to be restored soon,” Wasmer said. “Beneficiaries requiring access to their benefits can work with their local retailers who can activate an emergency voucher system where available. We appreciate our clients’ patience while we work through this outage as quickly as possible.”

Wasmer said the affected states also included Alabama, California, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Mississippi, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia.

U.S. Department of Agriculture spokeswoman Courtney Rowe said the outage is not related to the government shutdown.

Shoppers left carts of groceries behind at a packed Market Basket grocery store in Biddeford, Maine, because they couldn’t get their benefits,....

Food Stamp Temporary Stimulus Boost Ends

A temporary increase in food stamps expires Oct. 31, meaning for millions of Americans, the benefits that help put food on the table won't stretch as far as they have for the past four years.

'De-Americanised' world needed after US shutdown: China media

Beijing (AFP) - While US politicians grapple with how to reopen their shuttered government and avoid a potentially disastrous default on their debt, the world should consider 'de-Americanising', a commentary on China's official news agency said Sunday.

"As US politicians of both political parties (fail to find a) viable deal to bring normality to the body politic they brag about, it is perhaps a good time for the befuddled world to start considering building a de-Americanised world," the commentary on state news agency Xinhua said.

In a lengthy polemic against American hegemony since World War two, it added: "Such alarming days when the destinies of others are in the hands of a hypocritical nation have to be terminated.

"A new world order should be put in place, according to which all nations, big or small, poor or rich, can have their key interests respected and protected on an equal footing."

World top bankers warn of dire consequences if U.S. defaults

Connecting the dots

9 Marcheshvan 5773

Beginning of September 2013...

Nuclear warheads reportedly moved from Texas to South Carolina

A high level source has confirmed a secret US nuclear warhead transfer is underway to the East Coast from Dyess Air Force Base, home of 7th Bomb Wing located just outside Abilene, Texas.

The move of the nuclear warheads to South Carolina is reported to be a secret transfer without paper trail.

“Dyess is beginning to move out nuclear war heads today. I got a tap from DERMO earlier. He said it was the first time they have been even acknowledged since being put there in the 80′s. No signature was required for transfer… There was no directive. He said that Dyess Commander was on site to give authority to release. No one knew where they were going really, but the truck driver said to take them to South Carolina and another pick up will take them from there.”

At the same time...

 Senator Lindsey Graham warns of NUKE ATTACK on South Carolina without war in Syria  

Now...

 Michael Carey, Air Force General In Charge Of Nuclear Missiles, To Be Fired Over 'Loss Of Trust'

The Air Force said Friday it fired the two-star general in charge of its nuclear missiles in response to an investigation into alleged personal misbehavior. It was the second sacking this week of a senior commander of nuclear forces.

The decision was made by Lt. Gen. James Kowalski, commander of Air Force Global Strike Command. Kowalski is in charge of all Air Force nuclear weapons, including bombers. On Wednesday, the second-in-command at U.S. Strategic Command, Vice Adm. Tim Giardina, was relieved of command....

...Kowalski has selected the vice commander of Air Force Global Strike Command, Maj. Gen. Jack Weinstein, to temporarily replace Carey as head of 20th Air Force.

And although his name does not appear on the list of Jewish Generals and Admirals in America's Military, with a name like Weinstein, the antisemites won't care.  In fact, it's already started.

Parshat Lech Lecha 5774

7 Marcheshvan 5774
Erev Shabbat Kodesh

Parashat Lech Lecha - Abraham and Jewish greatness - Rabbi Meir Kahane

Hashem said to Abram, "Go for yourself from your land, from your relatives, and from your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation; I will bless you, and make your name great, and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who curses you I will curse; and all the families of the earth shall bless themselves by you." (Gen. 12:1-3)

After Adam sinned and G-d saw that it was impossible to achieve by natural processes a state in which all of mankind would be good, He decided to create a single emissary, one nation which would be anointed as G-d's Messiah on earth, a light unto the nations to teach them G-d's ways. This Messiah, this chosen people, was Israel. Israel were called "Adam" because it was they who were to continue the mission of Adam, who was created for this purpose yet failed. For two thousand years, G-d searched for the man who would undertake Adam's mission but execute it differently, who would fashion a nation - from his seed - which would be G-d's elect, a holy nation that would sanctify itself and thereby influence the world to accept the yoke of Heaven.

G-d waited two thousand years, searching the world over to find one person who would be worthy to have this nation emerge from him. Yet, He did not find him until he enhanced the intellect and understanding of our forefather Abraham, making him ready for this mission if he would only use that understanding for self-sacrifice. This is the intent of Bereshit Rabbah 30:8, which stated that Abraham "was ready to direct the whole world in repentance." Clearly, greatness cannot emerge from lowliness, and G-d perfects the spirits of certain beings for greatness. Yet, if they do not use this Divine gift, it goes to waste. As our sages said (Esther Rabbah, 6:3), "Noach was ready to recognize his Maker", yet he did not sacrifice himself for this. Abraham's intellectual improvement came about through his being from a family that was close to the monarchy and to priests of idolatry. It is obvious that this was so, for they certainly would not have allowed just anyone to fashion and sell idols as they did with Terach [his father]. Since Abraham was in this position, he had the opportunity to learn and ponder. The same goes for Moses. G-d arranged for Moses to grow up with Pharaoh so that he would be surrounded by royalty and greatness. All the same, whoever is unready for self-sacrifice forfeits G-d's improvement.Nedarim 32a teaches, "When Abraham was three, he recognized his Creator, as it says, 'It is because ["ekev" in Hebrew] Abraham obeyed My voice [and kept My charge, My commandments, My decrees and My laws]'" (Gen. 26:5). Abraham lived 175 years, and "ekev" has the numerical value of 172. It is thus interpreted that out of his 175 years, he kept G-d's charge for 172 - "ekev" - years, i.e. all but the first three. Rambam explains (Hilchot Avodah Zarah 1:3): Weaned, but still a toddler, Abraham's thoughts began to soar. Day and night this great spirit would ask himself how our world could function without a master. He wondered who was directing it, for it could not possibly direct itself. No one had taught him or informed him of anything. He was immersed in Ur Kasdim among foolish idolaters, his father and mother and his whole nation, and he worshipped with them. Gradually his understanding grew until he grasped the truth through apt perceptions. He knew that there was just one G-d and that He conducts the world and created everything, and that in all the universe there is no G-d but Him. He knew that the whole world had erred, and that their error was due to their having worshipped the stars and images until they lost the truth.

Abraham's knowing his Maker began with his understanding as a small boy that idols are meaningless. Terach made and sold them, and the boy certainly saw how they were made and understood that something man made cannot cannot possibly be man's master. Our sages said (Bereshit Rabbah, 38:13). "R. Chiya, grandson of R. Ada of Jaffa, said: Terach was an idol worshiper. One time he went out and left Abraham to sell idols for him. When a customer came in to make a purchase, Abraham would ask how old he was, and he would reply that he was fifty or sixty. Abraham would then say, woe to the sixty-year old who wishes to worship something one day old. The customer would be embarrassed and leave. One time a woman came, carrying a plate of fine flour, and said, take this and place it before the idols. Abraham took a staff and broke all the idols, placing the staff in the hands of the largest idol. When his father returned, he asked Abraham who had done this, and Abraham responded: I cannot lie to you. A woman came with a plate of fine flour and told me to place it before the idols. I did so and they all began arguing over which one would eat first. Then that large one took the staff and smashed the others. Terach then said: Why are you mocking me? Do they have minds? Abraham responded, can your ears not hear what your mouth is saying? Terach took him and handed him over to Nimrod. Nimrod said to him, let us worship fire, and Abraham replied , let us worship water which douses fire. Nimrod said, then let us worship water, and Abraham replied, if so , then let us worship the clouds which hold the water. Nimrod said, let us worship the clouds. Abraham replied, let us worship the wind which disperses the clouds. Nimrod said, let us worship the wind. Abraham replied, let us worship man, who is not moved by the wind. Nimrod said, this is all just talk. I only bow down to fire. Now I shall throw you into it, and let the G-d that you bow down to come and save you."

Thus, once Abraham's belief was complete, he proceeded to risk his life for the Oneness of G-d, treating idolatry with contempt. First, he did so with his father's idols, and then he went out and chastised the public. Abraham completed his spiritual development by not retreating or denying his faith, instead sanctifying the name Heaven (see Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, Ch. 26, where it says that before he was thrown into the fiery furnace,he also sat in prison: "His second trial was his being imprisoned for ten years, three in Cutha and seven in Kardu.") This is how Abraham grew to greatness. G-d searched for someone fit to inaugurate the era of Torah, someone from whom the Chosen People could emerge and become G-d's anointed emissary to disseminate the true Jewish idea throughout the world. Such a person had to be unique, someone who would find the truth himself and be ready to risk his life for it without and prophecy or revelation by G-d until after he had passed his test. The true believer is known solely for his complete bitachon, his readiness to sacrifice his life for Kiddush Hashem. Our sages said (Shir HaShirim Rabbah, 1:13): "My beloved is to me a bundle of myrrh" (Song of Songs 1:13): R. Azariah, in the name of R. Yehudah, interpreted this verse as dealing with Abraham: Just as his myrrh heads the list of spices [Ex. 30:23, for the sacred anointment], so is Abraham at the head of all saints. Just as this myrrh gives off no scent without fire, so were Abraham's deeds unknown until he was thrown into a fiery furnace.In other words, there was no proof of the genuineness of Abraham's faith until he was ready to sacrifice himself for Kiddush Hashem, trusting not that he would be saved, but in the truth of G-d's existence and in His ultimate victory. Having bitachon does not mean trusting that if one does a specific act he will be saved or that G-d will give him what he wants. When Abraham was ready to fall into a fiery furnace, he was not certain he would be saved, yet he was still ready to do it for the sake of Kiddush Hashem. He was certain of G-d's existence. Precisely his brother, Haran, who linked his trust in G-d to that G-d would perform a miracle for him, was killed. As our sages say (Bereshit Rabbah, 38:13): Haran was there, and he had conflicting thoughts. He said, "Either way! If Abraham wins, I will say that I am with Abraham, and if Nimrod wins, I will say that I am with Nimrod." When Abraham entered the fiery furnace and was saved, they asked Haran, "Whose side are you on?" and he answered that he was with Abraham. They took him and threw him into the fire, and his innards burned up... He died in sight of Terach his father.

We see that G-d does not perform miracles for those who rely on them. That is not bitachon at all but knowledge that one will be saved. Bitachon comes into play precisely where there is danger, when a person does not know whether he will be saved, yet trusts in G-d anyway, championing Divine truth destined to win out. This self-sacrifice is the pinnacle of bitachon, as stated, and from it stems Kiddush Hashem. Kiddush Hashem is a trait that nothing else transcends; and because Abraham was ready to sanctify G-d's name even at the cost of his life, he merited to be chosen as G-d's select son, from whom would emerge lofty, holy seed.

The Jewish people were conceived through the self-sacrifice of their founder, our forefather Abraham, and only through such self-sacrifice, the climax of accepting the yoke of Heaven, was it possible to anoint the messenger nation of G-d. The Jews are unique because they possess the truth and are, moreover, obligated to preserve in their self-sacrifice on its behalf, even if standing alone like Abraham, the first Jew.
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[Source: Compiled by Tzipora Liron-Puinner from "The Jewish Idea" of Rabbi Meir Kahane HY"D]
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