31 May 2013

R. Meir Kahane on Parshat Shelach

22 Sivan 5773

Parashat Shelach – Fatal Error - Rabbi Meir Kahane
by Tzipora Liron-Pinner

All the Children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron, and the entire assembly said to them, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt, or if only we had died in this Wilderness! Why is Hashem bringing us to this Land to die by the sword? Our wives and young children will be taken captive! Is it not better for us to return to Egypt?” (Num. 14:2-3)

It is a mitzvah, a Divine decree, that we must live in Eretz Yisrael under G-d's dominion, sanctifying His name, in order to create a holy state and society which clings to mitzvot completely and properly, uninfluenced by the alien, false culture of the nations.At the same time, it is an unforgivable, loathsome sin to refuse to live in Eretz Yisrael, and to prefer the depravity of the exile and foreign rule. It is a chilul Hashem, and Israel are, thus, exposed to the influence of the nations and their abominations.

G-d, therefore, was angry at our ancestors in the desert when they refused to go up to Eretz Yisrael and called out, “Let us appoint a new leader and go back to Egypt” (Num. 14:4). Surely the spies Moses sent out were prominent and righteous, as our sages said  This is in line with, “He that sends a message by the hand of a fool, severs his own feet and imbibes damage” (Prov. 26:6). Were the spies fools? Surely the Torah said, “Send out men (“anashim”),” and “anashim” always refers to righteous persons... Rather, they were called fools only because they slandered the Land... All the same, they were great men who made themselves into fools.

[As Rabbi Meir Kahane puts it in Peirush HaMaccabee – Shemot, Ch. 3]:Incidentally, this also teaches the bitter lesson that even the greatest of men can become a “fool” in the Torah sense of the word, if he lacks faith. As the Talmud says: "What can cause the tzaddikim to have less than their full share in the World to Come? – Their lack of faith" (Sotah 48b). Here, their lack of faith caused the spies to put out an evil report of the Land of Israel, and G-d therefore said: "For how long will this nation fight against Me and for how long will they refuse to believe in Me?" (Numbers 14:11). The leader of the generation has to be perpetually on guard, to ensure that his fear of heaven is greater than his wisdom, because without fear of heaven, his wisdom will not endure. He has to work to ensure that his faith is securely anchored in his fear of heaven. And we all have to be aware that even a leader of the generation can err – especially in matters of faith.Likewise, Num. 13:3, “All the men were leaders of the children of Israel,” was rendered by Targum Yonatan as, “All were wise men who had been appointed heads of the children of Israel.”  Thus, they were great and righteous men, yet they sinned in turning their backs on Eretz Yisrael and wishing to settle down in the exile, in Egypt. As King David said, “They scorned the Desirable Land, they believed not His word” (Ps. 106:24).

Ostensibly, they had a good argument, pikuach nefesh, i.e., they wished to prevent loss of life. The spies said of the Canaanites, “We were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so were we in their sight” (Num. 13:33). They were certain that the war against the Canaanites would be severe, and it would be hard to defeat the giants. Moreover, even if they defeated them, a few Israelites would fall. After all, we do not rely on miracles.For that reason, these great and righteous men rendered a halachic ruling that pikuach nefesh overrides all areas of Eretz Yisrael; it overrides Eretz Yisrael in its entirety. They certainly did not intend to abandon G-d's Torah, but rather to return to Egypt and keep it there. This, however, was their sin, because G-d had decreed that it was forbidden for them to dwell outside the Land, and that only in Eretz Yisrael could they sanctify His name and live in the isolation of Torah. For that reason, no danger to the nation overrode Eretz Yisrael, the only place the Jewish People could keep the Torah completely and properly. A war over the mitzvah of living in and conquering Eretz Yisrael is a milchemet mitzvah, which no danger to life overrides. Quite the contrary, this mitzvah overrides such danger, as Ramban wrote in Sefer HaMitzvot, Ibid., Mitzvah 4):This is what our sages call milchemet mitzvah. In the Talmud (Sotah 44b) Rava said, “Joshua's war of conquest was an obligatory duty according to all opinions.” One should not make the mistake of saying that this mitzvah only applies to the seven nations we were commanded to destroy... That is not so. We were commanded to destroy those nations when they fought against us, and had they wished to make peace we could have done so under specific conditions. Yet, we cannot leave the Land in their control or in the control of any other nations in any generation.Fear of the nations is just one dismal reason the Jewish People treat the Desirable Land with contempt (longing for the good life is another). Precisely because of this delusion that the exile is safe but Eretz Yisrael is dangerous, G-d became angry and decreed death in the desert for the generation that left Egypt, adding, “You said your children will be taken captive, but they will be the ones I will bring there, so that they will know the land that you rejected” (Num. 14:31). Those who feared that they and their children would die in Eretz Yisrael died precisely in the desert, whereas their children entered the Land and lived. This teaches that the only security for the Jewish People is in Eretz Yisrael, whereas the exile is their burial place.

Our sages said (Torat Kohanim, Bechukotai, Ch. 1): “'You will live securely in your land' (Lev. 26:5): In your land you will live securely, but not outside it.” Likewise, Obadiah said (v. 17), “Upon Mount Zion there shall be deliverance.” In other words, in Zion but not in the exile.G-d, Who knows His people's mind, knew, as well, that Israel would always prefer the non-Jewish life of the exile, whose abominable depravity is so sweet to the sinner among us. As King Solomon said, “Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant” (Prov. 9:17). G-d, therefore, decreed that Israel would never find safety and security in the exile. And; Bereshit Rabbah 33:6 teaches:“He sent out the dove... I t could find no place to rest its feet” (Gen. 8:8-9): “Had it found a place to rest, it would not have returned. Just so, it says, 'She dwells among the nations; she finds no rest' (Lam. 1:3);  'Among the nations you shall have no repose; there shall be no rest for the soles of your foot' (Deut. 28:65). If Israel found rest in the exile, they would not return.”

Thus, G-d decreed that Israel would never find permanent rest (“manoach”) in the exile, and whoever says that they really can find it is an “ignoramus” [in Berachot 61a, R. Nachman calls Samson's father Manoach an “ignoramus”].Not in vain did our sages (Mechilta, Bo, 1) compare the exile to a cemetery, for if Israel refuse to dwell in Eretz Yisrael, if they spurn it for the depravity of the exile, they have no future, but suffering, tragedy and annihilation.
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[Source: Compiled by Tzipora Liron-Pinner from “The Jewish Idea" and "Peirush HaMaccabee- Shemot" of Rabbi Meir Kahane, HY”D]

30 May 2013

R. Nachman Kahana on Parshat Shelach 5773

21 Sivan 5773

BS"D

Parashat Shelach - The parasha of the Meraglim (scouts) who spoke badly of HaShem’s holy land.

A.
Rashi begins his commentary on parashat Shelach by explaining the connection between the last episode in last weeks parasha (Beha’alot’cha) of Miriam’s criticism of Moshe and the episode of the meraglim (scouts) at the beginning of this week’s parasha Shelach. That the conduct of both Miriam and the Meraglim were affronts to the two most fundamental precepts of Judaism. Miriam degraded the Torah by insulting Moshe who is the personification of Torah, and the Meraglim degraded the mitzva of "yishuv ha’aretz" - to reside in HaShem’s holy land of Eretz Yisrael.

Indeed Torah study and Eretz Yisrael are the twin pillars which support and sustain the relationship between HaShem and the Jewish nation; however there is a fundamental difference between them.

Torah study is available to all, with success dependent upon the quality and quantity of grey matter one is born with, combined with 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration.

Eretz Yisrael is another story altogether. Residence in Eretz Yisrael is an exquisite, unique mitzva reserved only for those who Hashem desires to host in His land.

Yishmael and Aisav were expelled from the Holy Land. The meraglim and their generation of 600 thousand men were denied entry into the land. Twice, when we sinned, HaShem exiled us from the land. And those who are here today are invited guests and those who are not are not invited.

B:
In the more than five decades of living in Eretz Yisrael, I have seen people come and go. There are those who merited a successful aliya, being absorbed into society and contributing to the advancement of the Medina in many ways, and those who were rejected and expelled from the land . There are also many people who have never even tried to come home.

Now since living in Eretz Yisrael is a major Torah requirement, why are there so many observant Jews who are still in the galut? And how is it that some Jews are expelled from the land?

From two words in this week’s parasha - "ru’ach acheret" (a different spirit or inclination), we can learn who is desired by Hashem. The Torah states that Calev ben Yefuneh was permitted to enter the land because out of all the other 600 thousand Jewish men there was a "different spirit" within him. Yehoshua was in a different category than even Calev, as he was endowed with the Godly prophetic spirit which emanated to him from Moshe. The Godly spirit of Yehoshua and the "ru’ach acheret" of Calev were the factors that determined Hashem’s choice to permit them to enter the Land.

The meraglim were more deeply steeped in the knowledge of Torah than any of the Torah giants in whose shadows we walk today, and their spiritual level was far above any tzadik who we wish to emulate! Yet they do not posses that profoundly mysterious "ru’ach acheret" that drove Calev to defy all rationality as he thirsted to enter the land and do battle with giants. Calev and Yehoshua possessed total confidence and emuna that HaShem would bring them victory and fulfill His promise to make the descendants of Avraham, Yitzchak and Ya’akov sovereign over the Holy Land.

Hashem, who knows the inner thoughts of all men, rejected the 600 thousand, who although outwardly appeared to be God fearing, were in fact more fearful of man than of God.

C:
I was witness to "ru’ach acheret" from a most surprising source.

I have a cousin by marriage who is a radical leftist with high sensibilities for the rights of the poor Arabs. His best friends are Arabs and he produces motion pictures to further their cause. But for some strange reason he sincerely likes me, and I have feelings for him as a person.

At the out break of the Yom Kippur War, he found himself in London with little chance of returning home on a civilian airline. He performed astounding feats to get on a plane to Eretz Yisrael, and upon arrival immediately joined his active military unit where soldiers had been killed. How can one explain it? It was the spark of Yiddishkeit in his soul that drove him to stand against a formidable enemy when he could have easily waited out the war in London.

At the other end of the spectrum, there are observant Jews whose souls are insensitive to the mystical attraction of the Holy Land. They are to found in many lands of the galut, and many even fulfill religious functions in their communities.

I received two articles, penned by a young man and the other by a young woman who claim to be orthodox . They both share the almost terminal disease of galut, although there is a great difference in their outlooks. I do not condemn them, because I am not the "sheriff of this town", and more so because they were exposed to rabbis and teachers who themselves are products of modern day meraglim.

The young lady writes:

"Within the Modern Orthodox community, the question is rarely one of loving Israel. Our allegiance is assumed, our reverence expected. Israeli flags in dorm rooms and teary eyes during the recital of Ha’Tikvah serve as confirmations. We dance on Yom HaAtzmaut and cry on Yom HaZikaron. We visit Israel for holidays and reminisce fondly about our seminary and yeshiva experiences, traipsing around the cobble-stoned streets of Jerusalem.

But who’s going back?

Those who answer deal breaker have chosen Israel. But for those of us who finagle around the question of aliyah, talking about jobs and family ties and war-zones, we’ve chosen America.

I don’t make light of these considerations. I don’t make light of the decision to stay in the United States. What I find interesting, however, is the way we acknowledge the decision we have made to stay in America. More oft than not, the challenge to verbalize the decision is accompanied by justifications, rationalizations, ambivalence, and even shame.

We justify: we’re here, yes. But our hearts are with Israel. We proudly display libi ba’mizrach(my heart is in the east) quotations on necklaces, rings and bracelets. We assiduously keep up with the news, visit when we can, and add the names of soldiers to our daily prayers. But are we going? Make no mistake: aliyah is not a passive choice. It is a dream that has to be prioritized. No choice is the tacit agreement to stay here.

When the aliyah question is addressed to me, my response is wrought with ambivalence. When I am posed with the question, I recall longingly the unique experience of being a Jew in Israel. I recall the chag sa’meach greeting signs on buses, the taxi driver who handed me a small book of tehillim and told me to recite after him, and the elementary school children at Shabbat tables who could recite entire sections of chumash by heart. I respond that aliyah is an ideal. A far off dream, perhaps – but a dream no less vivid.

However, the pronouncement of aliyah as an unequivocal ideal is quickly followed by a laundry list of buts. My career. The language. Money. The precarious way of life. The foreign culture. The school systems.

An ideal? Yes. Am I going? No. This is the response I give. It is also the response I have received, time and time again, in return.

I don’t usually let the contradiction and inconsistency of this reply bother me. The response has enabled me to affirm my unwavering allegiance to the dream of Israel while simultaneously excusing my decision to stay here. Though we usually strive to achieve ideals, somehow we are okay with leaving the dream of aliyah respectfully untouched. Israel has become more a statement of ideology than a plan of action.

But sometimes the disingenuousness does bother me." 

And the article continues. Clearly, the writer acknowledges that aliya is the demand of the Torah but she cannot rise above her doubts and weaknesses.

The second article, a response to the above, is much more offensive to the mitzva of aliya, as follows.

"After coming across ‘My friend (her name)... Aliyah: A sacrifice too big?’ I immediately decided to respond to some of her assertions. Though her prose is well-crafted, she establishes an allegation about the Modern Orthodox Jewish establishment that I believe to be incorrect. She asserts that Aliyah is viewed as an ideal by most in America’s Modern Orthodox community, and that those who stay in America understand their decision through "justifications, rationalizations, ambivalence, and even shame." For myself and many other American Orthodox Jews, I know this to be hardly the case. Our decision to remain in America rests on the fact that we identify ourselves firmly as Americans. We don’t view living in America as a timid compromising of ideals; we see it as an ideal in and of itself...

For me and many other American Orthodox Jews, we proudly see America as our homeland. We believe that American culture is our culture, and certainly Jewish culture has contributed to it. There isn’t anything shameful about being an American, quite the reverse is true.

To me and the overwhelming majority of America’s Jews, we have no reason to apologize for living in America. I am proud to be an American, and I don’t see Aliyah as that ‘unequivocal ideal’."

The author of this article is truly focused on being a loyal son of the galut. However, he does not hear the echoes of the Jews in many lands who made similar statements, but retracted them while on their way to the pyres of Spain and Portugal, and to the death camps and crematoria of Eastern Europe.

In conclusion: Aliya is an exquisite mitzva whose fulfillment is conditional on being invited by HaShem to His holy palace.

We who have received the invitation by virtue of the "ru’ach acheret", which we have been fortunate to acquire, must thank HaShem every moment that we are blessed to be in Eretz Yisrael, and pray for our brothers and sisters in the galut to awaken their souls and come home.

Shabbat Shalom
Nachman Kahana

Are these people for real?

21 Sivan 5773

Superland, an amusement park in the center of the country, admitted that they schedule Arab and Jewish school groups on different days so as to avoid difficulties between them.

The lousy politicians couldn't wait to express their mock horror at this blatant example of "non-democratic racial discrimination." They can't miss any opportunity to prove how self-righteous they are and consequently how foolish. Their words and actions are totally divorced from reality!

Superland in Hot Water Over Separate Jewish/Arab School Days

The Knesset Education Committee, chaired by MK Amram Mitzna (Hatnua), will hold a special hearing Monday on what Mitzna said was a “racist policy” at Israel's largest amusement park, Superland, located in Rishon Lezion.

According to a teacher at at an Arab school in Jaffa, a group that he had planned to bring to the amusement park was told that the day they wanted to visit was a “Jews only” day, and that he needed to schedule the visit for a day that Arab kids were admitted, as the park reserved separate days for each group.

Speaking on Israel Radio, the teacher said that there had been no problem until he told park officials that he taught in a school in Jaffa, and that at that point he was given a “runaround”, until the true reason for the reluctance of park officials to take his reservation was revealed. He said that he had “felt very upset and depressed, as a teacher who believed in educating students on democratic principles and equality that such a thing could happen in our democratic society. This is not the first time I have encountered racism, but it is the first time I have seen it in a context like this.

In response, Superland issued a statement saying that it was open to the general public throughout the year, and that during the month of June it held special days for schools. “We have received requests from both Arab and Jewish schools that we hold separate days for students from each sector. The requests were made in order to ensure public order and to prevent violence and confrontations between groups that have occurred in the past. As a result it was decided this year to honor the requests of schools from both sectors and hold separate days for schools from each sector.”

Jewish patrons of Superland have complained numerous times in past seasons of being intimidated by Arab youths, who start fights with Jewish youths, steal money from them, push ahead in line, and call out anti-Semitic slogans. There have been confrontations between student groups from Arab and Jewish schools in past seasons as well.

Mitzna called on Education Minister Shai Piron to ban visits by schools to the park until the matter could be clarified. “This behavior by Superland is a slap in the face to those seeking to lower the level of racism in Israeli society,” Mitzna said. “We will not allow this to pass unchallenged.”


DM Ya'alon Castigates Superland Discrimination

The Superland amusement park confessed, Thursday, to allocating separate days for visits of Jewish and Arab schools in order to prevent clashes between Jews and Arabs.

Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon responded with a Facebook posting which said, "This is as shocking and dismaying as would be a similar discrimination in the Diaspora if any amusement park decided to require segregation between Jewish and non-Jewish groups."

Parents: Violent Arabs Make 'Superland' Super-bad

The Superland amusement park is under attack in the media and in the political arena for a policy of keeping Jewish and Arab visitors apart, but independent-thinking parents and teachers explained Thursday why they feel the policy is justified and necessary.

Arutz Sheva has spoken to parents of children who visited the park over the past year. They said that the Arab children and youths in the park have a habit of provoking fights with the Jewish kids, and that they behave similarly in other parks in Israel.

A teacher who did not want to be identified said the Arab groups have a marked tendency of behaving “with insolence and brutality,” turning the Jewish kids' fun days into violent nightmares.

"We often arrive at the parks with dozens of children,” the teacher said. “Arab groups often begin to provoke the Jewish kids. The Arab youths curse, swear and try to provoke a violent fracas. We need to support Superland in its decision. We cannot surrender to the extreme Left in its attempt to harm the park, which simply wanted to have separate days in order to avoid unnecessary violence.”

Another teacher told Arutz Sheva about similar experiences at the Kiftzuba park near Jerusalem, where there have been numerous violent fights between Jewish and Arab kids lately. “The Arab students swear and curse and behave rudely toward the Jews. We can't have fun days if the parks are mixed. That is the truth and there is no other truth.

"The leftist media is trying to twist the truth, as it always does, and present a picture of poor Arab kids who were not allowed to enter this park or another but that is the truth and this is the real picture. It's not a matter of racism.”

29 May 2013

"Hitler kettle" @ JC Penney



20 Sivan 5773

'Hitler kettle' advertised on US billboard

American retailer JC Penney has been criticized on Twitter and Reddit for advertising a kettle that bore a remarkable resemblance to Adolf Hitler, the Huffington Post reported Tuesday.

The 10-foot tall billboard, which stands on the 405 highway near Culver City in California, has led several motorists to stop and take pictures, posting images of the appliance across microblogging sites.

"That Hitler looks like a kettle," commented one user of Reddit.

"He even has his right arm extended," wrote another, while a third added: "I'm a little Nazi, short and stout."

ccording to the British Daily Mail newspaper, another motorist tweeted: "Every time I see that JC Penney billboard with the teapot, I keep seeing Hitler. Seriously, the thing looks exactly like Hitler."

Proving the billboard may not be the best advertising for the retailer, another commuter tweeted: "Uh, no thanks, JC Penney. I don't think I want your HITLER teapot."

Other social media users added that they dreaded to think what the store's pressure cookers must look like.


Questions: Are we really to assume that this 'diabolical' tea kettle was designed purposely to bring Hitler to mind? And if not, how did such a thing occur?  Also, if so many people are able to see Hitler hidden in the tea kettle now, why didn't anyone see it before it was produced and marketed?

Conclusions: Even something as mundane as a tea kettle can have cosmic consequences. Hitler was Amalek and Amalek has not yet been eradicated from this world. It's a message from Heaven telling us that Amalek is still among us and can be found in the most innocuous-looking packaging. It's a mitzvah to eradicate Amalek from the world. Maybe we need reminding.

It's a sad state of affairs if HKB"H can only get our attention by advertising on a billboard!

28 May 2013

Duck and cover, America!

19 Sivan 5773

Watch out for the fallout from the latest American treachery against Israel...

Kerry wants major Israeli concessions for Palestinians, including sovereign northern Dead Sea coast

...Kerry’s top-secret plan places on Israel the onus of major concessions including strategic and national assets, for the sake of buying the Palestinian leader’s consent to sit down and talk. Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) is not required to pay anything real in return....

As the first of these concessions, Kerry wants Israel to permit the Palestinians to build in Jericho for their prospective state an international airport for direct civilian flights to and from America and Europe.

...He wants Israel to hand over to the Palestinians the Kalia region on the northern shore of the Dead Sea. Kibbutz Kalia, albeit part of sovereign Israel from its inception in 1948, is nonetheless one of the assets Kerry wants Israel to cede to the Palestinians.

...Israeli concessions would not end at the northern Dead Sea coast, according to the secret Kerry plan; it would be just the first in a series of land and sovereignty handovers....

The Palestinians would also be awarded by the process a three-year economic reconstruction program... [headed by] Tony Blair.... [Kerry's] goal is to raise $4 billion for investing in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

“This is the biggest, boldest and most ambitious program ever granted the Palestinians since Oslo, 20 years ago,” Kerry....

Since the payment of sovereign Israeli territory would be no more than the down- payment for pulling the Palestinians to the table, how many more high-value security and national assets will Israel will be required to part with along the road toward meeting the Palestinians’ ever-rising price tag?

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4,000 evacuated as wildfire rages in California

SHAMEFUL!

19 Sivan 5773

Jews! Wake up and smell the coffee! The security services, as well as the military brass, believe that their job is not to protect Jewish life and property, but to keep the conflict on a low simmer - to keep it from getting "out of control" - so that the politicians and the rich can maintain their lifestyles and keep the US, EU, the UN and the Saudis appeased. They are a kind of diplomatic corps who work for the power elite and not on behalf of the citizenry.

THIS IMPOTENT REGIME MUST GO!!!

Gantz Tells Knesset Why IDF Can't Protect Jews
Chief of Staff explained that he believes changing IDF's open-fire orders will lead to escalation and loss of control.

See the whole sorry story here.

26 May 2013

Last Gasp of the Yetzer HaRa

Rabbi: Boycott Bus Company for Running Shabbat Bus Service

A plan to institute a 24 hour a day, seven day a week bus service in the Haifa area is set to begin this weekend. ...Clearly, the Transport Ministry is using Haifa as a test case, ...if they get away with mass Sabbath transportation there, they will expand it to other cities – effectively turning the Sabbath into a weekday.

Minister Ariel: We will Oppose Longer Hesder Service

Hareidi MK: Hareidi Draft Bill 'Detached from Reality'

"Just Allow Hareidim to go to Work"

Google Says Gush Etzion Residents Live in 'Palestine'

Ben Dahan: Mikvahs are for all Streams of Judaism

"Every Jew, every stream, both Conservative and Reform could use the baths, including for the purpose of conversion."

Supreme Court Ruling Overturns Beis Din Cherem


"even more extreme than usual"

17 Sivan 5773


Hurricane season fears as warning satellite fails...


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24 May 2013

Shabbat Shalom

15 Sivan 5773

Parashat Beha'alotcha – Jews refusing orders – Rav Binyamin Ze'ev Kahane
by Tzipora Liron-Pinner

In Parashat Beha'alotcha, we are witness to a unique event: the choosing of leaders. The Torah even “lets us in” on which factors played part in how these Jewish leaders were chosen.In chapter 11 of our Parasha, Moshe Rabbeinu reaches his breaking point - “I can't carry the burden of this people alone, for it is too heavy for me”, and asks G-d to find people who can share the burden of leadership with him. How does G-d pick these leaders? After all, there was no shortage of righteous and talented Jews around.G-d immediately singles out a specific group from which the next Jewish leadership will be chosen:  “Gather to me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people, and officers over them.” Rashi explains: “Those whom you recognize, who were appointed over them as officers in Egypt during the rigorous labor, and they (the officers) had pity on them (the Israelites) and were smitten because of them.” 


Though this may appear a rather surprising choice, a deeper probe into the matter will reveal to us a tremendous lesson, so pertinent for today. Who in the world were these Jewish police officers? In Shemot Chapter 5, Pharaoh lays down a rather heavy if not impossible edict on his Jewish slaves. They must produce a specific quota of bricks without even being given straw. The Jewish officers were ordered by the Egyptian taskmasters to oversee that this quota was met. If not, the officers would be blamed for it and beaten. Thus, they were in a dilemma. Either they can turn over their brothers and by doing so save their own skin, or they can refuse orders and be severely punished for it. In short, these “officers” were supposed to be Jewish “kapos”. But these policemen, unlike others who have been placed in similar situations in our sad history, refused to bear down on their already suffering brethren, and did not hand over the names of Jews who could not meet the quota. The result? The Egyptian taskmasters thrashed the “refusenik” policemen instead of the Jewish slaves: “And the officers of the children of Israel, whom Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten...” (Shemot 5:14)

If we think of this seriously, and not relate to it like to some “fairy tale” we heard in kindergarten, we would get goose bumps all over contemplating such heroism. What can be a more inspiring description of Ahavat Yisrael and caring for a fellow Jew by someone in a position of authority. Not only didn't they exploit their power, but these officers understood that sometimes they must bear the suffering of their brothers. This is what G-d saw. And He did not forget. The minute there was a need for leadership, He knew whom to turn to. G-d did not seek out people with charisma, nor did he pick talented organizers or even Torah scholars. One thing: Ahavat Yisrael.


The centrality of this attribute cannot be disputed. The two greatest leaders in Jewish history, Moshe Rabbeinu and King David, were former shepherds. The sages teach us that G-d tested them via their ability to care for their flock and show mercy on those they are responsible over.Here we must stress a key point. Today, everyone speaks of “Ahavat” Yisrael. But too often it is merely a slogan. When selecting the leaders, G-d did not choose those who make nice speeches about “Ahavat Yisrael”. G-d wanted people with a “previous record”: a record of suffering for one's brothers; a record of placing one's personal welfare secondary to that of one's people.


How sweet it is to read again and again this Midrash about the Jewish policemen. After all, we are so familiar with the claims of the soldiers and policemen in Israel today: “I'm just a small cog in a big machine. I'm just following orders.” But that is not what the Jewish policemen did to their brothers in Egypt. The policemen saw the illegality and immorality in the cruel Egyptian decree, and refused the order! It is important to note that mesirut nefesh (self-sacrifice) for the Jewish People is not necessarily the readiness to die for them. Sometimes it may mean the readiness to be hated for your actions; the willingness to sit in jail for your people; or to be ostracized by the establishment.Such leadership stands in stark contrast to the self-indulgent politicians of today. But know that only when such alternative leadership sprouts, Am Yisrael will be redeemed.
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From ' The Writings of Rav Binyamin Ze'ev Kahane, HY”D ', commentary on Parashat Beha'alotcha
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23 May 2013

It's Not the Geulah-bloggers' Imagination!



14 Sivan 5773

Are We Entering The Worst Period For Natural Disasters In U.S. History?

Weather patterns are becoming increasingly erratic and the ground under our feet is becoming extremely unstable. So precisely what in the world is going on here?

...The tornado that just hit the town of Moore, Oklahoma is already being called one of the most destructive tornadoes that America has ever seen. That tornado came almost two years to the day after the deadliest tornado in U.S. history hit Joplin, Missouri. But of course it is not just tornadoes that seem to be getting more powerful. Giant sinkholes are appearing at an unprecedented rate, earthquakes are becoming more frequent and more powerful, 6 of the 10 worst years for wildfires ever recorded in the United States have all come since the year 2000, and the western part of the country is experiencing the worst stretch of drought since the days of the Great Depression. Is all of this just some sort of a giant coincidence? If not, what is causing these changes?

...[the Moore tornado]was far more powerful than the atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima, and it is being called “the worst tornado damage-wise in the history of the world” by a meteorologist at KFOR-TV.

...Meanwhile, other parts of Oklahoma experienced very unusual weather as well. In fact, hail the size of grapefruits was falling in one area near Oklahoma City.

...Another huge concern is the epidemic of sinkholes that we have seen all over the United States over the past few years.

Some cities are actually being eaten alive by these things. For example, just check out what is happening to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

And check out what is happening in one housing division out in California

...At the same time, we have seen the number and intensity of earthquakes increase all over the planet in recent years.

...Meanwhile, the “Ring of Fire” continues to heat up.

...We live in very unusual times.

It seems like everything that can be shaken is being shaken.

Sounds a lot like Rabbi Nir Ben Artzi doesn't it???

Is Gay Marriage a 'Jewish' Value?

14 Sivan 5773

This is not good news.

The Vice President of the United States has lauded American Jews for helping to manipulate public thinking so as to accept the idea of gay marriage.

Of course, that's not how it's worded, but that's what it means. More grist for the mill of conservative right-wing Americans who already believe evil Jewish-controlled Hollywood is responsible for the downfall of morals in their beloved country. And now it has the stamp of truth put to it by the second highest office in the land.

Biden: Jewish leaders drove gay marriage changes

US Vice President Joe Biden is praising Jewish leaders for helping change American attitudes about gay marriage and other issues.

Biden said culture and arts changed people's attitudes. He cited social media and the old NBC TV series "Will and Grace" as examples of what helped changed attitudes on gay marriage.

Biden said, "Think – behind of all that, I bet you 85% of those changes, whether it's in Hollywood or social media, are a consequence of Jewish leaders in the industry."

Biden said the influence was immense and that those changes had been for the good.

Biden spoke Tuesday night at a Jewish American Heritage Month reception hosted by the Democratic National Committee. He said Jewish values were an essential part of who Americans are.

The truth is these are not 'Jewish' values. The Jews in America have assimilated Western liberal 'values.' Just because Jews practice or promote it certainly does not make it a Jewish value.

Just another reason, among many, why American Jewry will be forced to an end - one way or another.

22 May 2013

Terror in London

14 Sivan 5773

While former French President Sarkozy and current US Secretary of State Kerry are here in Israel (give you one guess why) the heart of Western civilization has seen it's first Islamic beheading "in broad daylight in front of dozens of witnesses" in the streets of London!

(SEE MORE HERE.)


21 May 2013

"Apocalyptic"



13 Sivan 5773

"Lately, tornado activity in America has been Jekyll-and-Hyde weird, and scientists are unsure if climate change has played a role in recent erratic patterns."

What is it really going to take to wake people up to the fact that the Creator of All is still in control of it all?

Power Of Moore Tornado Dwarfs Hiroshima Atomic Bomb



Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

17 May 2013

"The Forces of Nature Will Intensify"

8 Sivan 5773
Erev Shabbat

US Spent More on 2012's Extreme Weather Cleanup than on Schools or Roads - U.S. taxpayers paid nearly $100 billion responding to damages caused by last year's extreme weather events associated with climate change, about $1,100 per taxpayer, according to an analysis by the Natural Resources Defense Council. That means that federal spending to deal with extreme weather far exceeded total spending aimed at solving the problem. In fact, it was eight times the EPA's total budget and eight times the total spending on energy.

Extreme Weather Drove More Than 30 Million People from Their Homes in 2012 - Millions of people were displaced from their homes due to flooding. 


Ohio had at least 75 RECORD-BREAKING EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS in 2012.Nationally, 3,527 monthly weather records for heat, rain and snow were broken by extreme weather events, according to an updated review. 


160 RECORD-BREAKING EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS in 2012 in Michigan. 


Extreme Weather Whiplash - 106° in Iowa on the Heels of Record May Snows. Sioux City, Iowa had their first-ever snowfall on record in the month of May on May 1 (1.4"), but hit an astonishing 106° yesterday. 

Three weeks of extreme weather compels emergency relief from Maldives' government - Maldivian government authorities are providing emergency services and relief funds to island communities battered by three weeks of “extreme weather”. The National Disaster Management Centre issued a statement May 15 urging island and atoll councils to report any damage caused by the “harsh weather” as soon as possible.

Flooding due to three weeks of severe weather and heavy rain has damaged households, sewerage systems, as well as caused extensive agricultural destruction. Food shortages on some islands have resulted from agricultural damage and the disruption of transportation and supply networks due to bad weather.


Big storms in China have killed at least 33 people and destroyed thousands of houses. 12 people are missing. At least nine provinces have had storms and some flooding and landslides since Tuesday. Guangdong province has been hit the hardest with 19 deaths and 11 missing people. Guangdong's weather service said some areas received more than 8 inches (21 centimeters) of rain in nine hours on Thursday. It forecasts more rain in the coming days and warns of mudslides. 

United Kingdom - Snow fell across parts of Britain Tuesday night while another area had a MONTH'S WORTH OF RAIN IN JUST 24 HOURS as winds of up to 65mph battered the country’s coastlines in UNUSUAL WEATHER for the month. 

(H/T Global Disaster Watch)

15 May 2013

50% Chance of X-Class Flares Today



7 Sivan 5773

ANOTHER X-FLARE ON MAY 15: When the week began, the sun hadn't unleashed an X-flare all year long. In only two days, sunspot AR1748 has produced four. The latest X-flare from this active sunspot occured on May 15th at 0152 UT. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured the extreme ultraviolet flash:

Huge Solar Flares Keep Erupting from Busy Sunspot

An overachieving sunspot on the surface of the sun unleashed its fourth major solar flare in two days late Tuesday (May 14), a solar storm that may deal Earth a glancing blow, space weather experts say.

The active sunspot AR1748 roared to life Tuesday night releasing an X-class solar flare — the strongest type the sun can experience — that peaked at 9:48 p.m. EDT (0148 May 15 GMT), according to NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center in Boulder, Colo. The flare came after a relative lull in activity from sunspot AR1748, which fired off three monster X-class solar flares within a 24-hour period between Sunday and Monday.

In a morning update, NOAA space weather officials said they are studying this latest solar flare from AR1748 to see if it coincided with an eruption of super-hot solar plasma known as a coronal mass ejection, or CME. Such explosions can unleash huge waves of charged solar material streaking out into space at millions of miles per hour.

13 May 2013

A Voice of Reason in the Wilderness

4 Sivan 5773
Day 48 of the Omer

Wikipedia: Mordechai Kedar (born 1952 in Tel Aviv) is an Israeli scholar of Arabic literature and a lecturer at Bar-Ilan University. He holds the Ph.D. from Bar-Ilan University.

Kedar is an academic expert on the Israeli Arab population. He served for twenty-five years in IDF Military Intelligence, where he specialized in Islamic groups, the political discourse of Arab countries, the Arabic press and mass media, and the Syrian domestic arena. The Los Angeles Times' Edmund Sanders described him as "one of the few Arabic-speaking Israeli pundits seen on Arabic satellite channels defending Israel".

I love listening to Mordechai Kedar and you will, too. He just makes so much sense!

Read his "Open Letter to the Arab League"...

To the Honorable Leaders of the Arab States,

We in Israel received with great pleasure your agreement to normalize relations with Israel on condition that we agree to the establishment of a Palestinian state and exchanges of territories between that state and Israel. The Palestinian state that you propose to establish in Judea and Samaria would be the second Palestinian state, since the first Palestinian state was established six years ago in the Gaza Strip, and you clearly recognize it as such in practice. How else can the state visits of the Emir of Qatar and the secretary of the Arab League in Gaza be understood? Now you propose the establishment of a second Palestinian state? Perhaps a third!! Because Jordan is also a state with a Palestinian majority. And all of these states were established – as you know – on land that the League of Nations had designated for a Jewish state at the San Remo Conference, in April of 1920. So why should we agree to exchange territories with any state or states that have been established or will be established on our land?

See the rest here. And just so you get the full effect, listen to his delivery...



Dr. Mordechai Kedar, you are a Gibor Yisrael in my eyes! Thank you!!

12 May 2013

Amalek - Within and Without

4 Sivan 5773
Day 48 of the Omer

People are stuck on these irrelevant labels - leftists and right wingers; as if politics has anything to do with what is really going on here. Let's call it what it really is - Eisav, Amalek and the Erev Rav against the righteous gentiles and the Children of Israel.

And Amalek is the worst of all. There's the Amalek within...

Leftist Glee over Terror Murder Earns Police Complaint

Gad Di'ee of the grassroots Samaria Residents Council has filed a police complaint against leftists who expressed glee after the stabbing murder of a Jew, Evyatar Borovsky of Yitzhar.

...One leftist activist, Hila Shifman Galant, put up a link on her Facebook page to a photograph of Borovsky's son hugging his father's body at the funeral and wrote: "Daddy went to a place where he can't burn fields or poison sheep anymore. Don't take it so hard, sweetie."

...Yossi Visoker, another leftist activist, wrote in his Facebook page: "So what… one piece of scum from Yitzhar (30 years old and already a father of five) was killed? What a waste. Stand in silence to honor his memory (hahaha, a victim of terror) next year. The people of Yitzhar are the real Amalek that must be erased from the face of the earth."

And the Amalek without...

Carter Calls on EU to Label Products from 'Illegal Settlements'

...Carter was in Dublin together with former Irish president Mary Robinson and former Brazilian president Fernando Henrique Cardoso for talks with Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Eamon Gilmore and diplomats from some 20 European countries on revitalizing the peace process in the Middle East.

“With the Middle East peace process making no significant progress, we call on Europe to play a stronger and more independent role in revitalizing peace efforts, with a fresh approach,” Carter said, according to the European Jewish Press (EJP).

“The EU has repeatedly condemned settlement expansion in the West Bank. It could therefore introduce a clear labeling of products made in Israeli settlements, which are illegal under international law,” he added.

...Carter said he was “very encouraged” by the response of the European diplomats at the meeting.

“They all said they were very eager to demonstrate to the world that the 1967 borders were intact, and were almost sacred, and that any intrusion by Israel into Palestine to build settlements was illegal,” he said, according to EJP.

One day soon, Amalek will cease to exist - within and without!

11 May 2013

LOOK OUT BELOW!!

3 Sivan 5773
Day 47 of the Omer

...or what goes up must come down.

Why the Next Stock Market Crash Will Happen Any Day Now

...Robert Wiedemer, who along with a team of economists correctly predicted the collapse of the U.S. housing market, equity markets, and consumer spending that almost sank the United States during the “Great Recession,” recently recorded a controversial interview in which he predicts that the coming market crash will result in a 90% stock market drop, 50% unemployment, and 100% annual inflation starting this year.

...The blame lies squarely on those whose job it was to avoid the exact situation we find ourselves in, including current Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke and former Chairman Alan Greenspan, tasked with preventing financial meltdowns and keeping the nation’s economy strong through monetary and credit policies.


JEWS, GET OUT WHILE YOU STILL CAN!!

10 May 2013

Greatly Beloved by God

1 Sivan 5773
Erev Shabbat - Rosh Chodesh Sivan
Day 45 of the Omer


Parshat Bamidbar

Hashem spoke to Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai ..., saying: Take a census of the entire assembly of the Children of Israel according to their families, according to their fathers' household, by numbers of the names, every male according to their head count. (Num. 1:1-2).

Tanchuma, Bamidbar, 20, teaches:  A man had glass vessels, and he would take them to the market, set them out and gather them back up without ever counting them. Because they were of glass, he did not keep track of them.  He had other merchandise, fine pearls, which he would count before taking to the market, before setting them out and before gathering them back up. Because they were pearls, he loved them. In the same way, so to speak, G-d said, “I did not count the nations, since they have no importance for Me, as it says, 'all the nations are as nothing before Him, they are accounted before Him as things of naught and vanity' (Isaiah 40:17). Yet, you, Israel, 'are borne by Me from birth, carried by Me from the womb' (Isaiah 46:3). Therefore, I count you constantly.” Thus it says, “Make a tally of the male firstborn among the children of Israel” (Num. 3:40)...

[Source: Compiled by Tzipora Liron-Pinner from "The Jerwish Idea" of Rabbi Meir Kahane HY"D]


Shabbat shalom!

09 May 2013

CHODESH TOV!!

1 Sivan 5773
Rosh Chodesh Sivan
Day 45 of the Omer

"From Rosh Chodesh Sivan there will be huge miracles for Israel and great mercy from the Creator of the World upon the Land of Israel and upon the Jews. ...On Rosh Chodesh Sivan, every Jew who is a real Jew will have a feeling, sensing and knowing about the crowning of the King Mashiach! From Rosh Chodesh Sivan there will not be quiet in the world,.... "

Read the rest here.

Happy Hebron Day!

29 Iyyar 5773
Erev Rosh Chodesh Sivan
Yom Kippur Katan
Day 44 of the Omer

"The city is most notable for containing the traditional burial site of the biblical Patriarchs and Matriarchs and is therefore considered the second-holiest city in Judaism after Jerusalem."

It was returned to Jewish hands the day after Jerusalem was liberated in 1967, until Bibi Netanyahu signed most of it away to murderous Arabs in 1997.

Go visit your grandparents!

08 May 2013

LOL - Perfect for Yom Yerushalayim!

28 Iyyar 5773
Day 43 of the Omer

Al-Aqsa Association: Pray on Mount with the Messiah

The Knesset held a special session on the possibility of legislation to allow Jews to pray on the Temple Mount. Guest speaker was Muslim representative, Rian Kamal, Chairman of the Al-Aqsa Association, who told the Knesset, "Here's our proposal: Your Third Temple will be rebuilt after the arrival of the Messiah, and from that point on we will relinquish our rights to pray on the Temple Mount."

BARUCH HASHEM!!!!

28 Iyyar 5773
Day 43 of the Omer

Major Terror Ring Busted by Shabak, Just in Time

The Shabak, along with the IDF, discovered and halted a major terrorist conspiracy that was being formed in the Binyamin region. The conspiracy was being organized from Gaza, via the Internet. Several members of the conspiracy, including two leaders, were arrested, preventing the group from carrying out its plans.

According to the Shabak, the group was preparing to carry out several types of attacks, including setting bombs, kidnapping soldiers or residents, and the manufacturing of rockets and missiles.

...According to the Shabak, both were recruited in the past months to Hamas, and were prompted to plan terror attacks. They were guided by a senior Hamas terrorist in Gaza via the Internet, and used disposable cellphones to cover their tracks. They recruited several workers to help them plan attacks, while the senior Hamas agent guided them in how to prepare bombs and rockets, and how to mark potential kidnap victims.

The Shabak added that the two had been in touch with their Gaza handler just days before the arrest, informing him that they were prepared to carry out their first attack, which was to take place within the week....

07 May 2013

Happy Jerusalem Day

28 Iyyar 5773
Day 43 of the Omer

In honor of Yom Yerushalayim, I'm sharing an excerpt from something I wrote eleven years ago...

THE HOLY CITY

Sunlight sparkles radiantly off of her time-worn stones. Moonlight bathes her in luminescent beauty. At dusk, she is an apparition, a dream of prophets and priests, pilgrims and the pious. At dawn, she is the immortalized city in Israel’s favorite song Yerushalayim shel Zahav - Jerusalem of Gold.

”If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its skill. Let my tongue adhere to my palate if I fail to recall you, if I fail to elevate Jerusalem above my foremost joy."

How arrogant of Rome to call herself “The Eternal City!” Jerusalem was the capital of a vast kingdom, the focus of a sophisticated form of religious worship and the center of the most progressive system of civil law in the world for two hundred years before Rome arose as a collection of primitive huts in 750 bce.

No woman’s name has ever been whispered with such love and adoration as Jerusalem; inspiration of poets and mystics and driving force of bloodlust throughout the centuries. She sits enthroned at the center of the world. King David called her “fairest of sites, joy of all the earth.”

Jews the world over and through all generations have venerated and paid homage to her by turning their faces her direction three times a day in prayer, always with a request for her welfare - for 3,000 years. She is The Holy City.

There is a legend that Jerusalem disguises herself as an ugly beggar woman to those unworthy of her, but reveals herself in all her glory and beauty to those who truly love her. Often one reads or hears of rhapsodies to Jerusalem in which one claims Jerusalem as his own - ”My Jerusalem.” But, she is too ancient and too exalted to belong to any mortal being. At most, all we can hope for is that she will take us in and let us belong to her.

A Chinese Puzzle

27 Iyyar 5773
Day 42 of the Omer

A civil war is raging to our north in Syria and threatening to spill over into neighboring countries and what does China have on its mind today?

Beijing proposes four-point peace plan to Abbas

...calls for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state and peaceful coexistence with Israel.

“To establish an independent state enjoying full sovereignty on the basis of the 1967 borders and with east Jerusalem as its capital is an inalienable right of the Palestinian people and the key to the settlement of the Palestinian question,” the Chinese proposal states.

...“The immediate priority is to take credible steps to stop settlement activities, end violence against innocent civilians, lift the blockade of the Gaza Strip and properly handle the issue of Palestinian prisoners, in order to create the necessary conditions for the resumption of peace talks.

Let's Be Logical

27 Iyyar 5773
Day 42 of the Omer

Yesterday, Rabbi Nir Ben Artzi issued a message in which he said : "Government of Israel - If it doesn't come together and do things logically, it will fall."

I would clarify that by adding - if it doesn't come together for the sake of Am Yisrael. None of the following could be considered acting either logically or in the best interests of Am Yisrael. Hence, you may draw the logical conclusion.

Report: Netanyahu Orders Another Yesha Building Freeze

Court Releases Terrorist Convicted of Planning Tel Aviv Attack

Bedouin Squatters to Get Land, Cash As Settlement Law Approved

Israel and Turkey Close to a Compensation Deal

01 May 2013

From Simmer to Boil?

21 Iyyar 5773
Day 36 of the Omer

UPDATE: UNIFIL: Hizbullah in Position along Israeli Border



Report: IDF Re-Entering Unused Golan Bases

The Israel Defense Forces have begun to staff abandoned bases in the northern and southern parts of the Golan Heights, according to a Tuesday-morning report by the Ma'ariv daily. One with strategic importance overlooks Israel's border with Syria and Jordan.

Arab media reported, about a month ago, that Syrian rebel forces conquered the area next to the southern Golan, driving out forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, taking control of a long stretch along the border.


Israeli reserves called up for Syrian, Lebanese borders. Military drill starts Sunday

The call-up of thousands of Israeli military reservists for the Syrian and Lebanese borders starting Tuesday, April 30, will continue until the end of the week, ready for the launch of a military exercise on those borders next Sunday, May 5. This is reported by DEBKAfile. These steps are expected to sent military tensions shooting up between Israel, Iran, Syria and Hizballah in Beirut.


...In a broadcast speech Tuesday night, Hizballah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah said that Israeli military moves are worrying, but should be seen in the context of the Syrian war. He sent a warning to Syrian rebels: “You can’t overturn the Damascus regime by military means. You face a long haul. Syria has true friends in the world, who won’t let Syria fall into the hands of Israel, America or al Qaeda.”
He was referring to Iran and Russia. At the same time, he distanced his Hizballah from Israel's moves.
All three parties – Israel, the US and Hizballah - appear to be playing for time before making definite military commitments in the next stage of the Syrian conflict.


...Israel’s armed forces launched a snap division-scale drill along the full length of the Syrian and Lebanese borders Tuesday, April 30, with call-up orders for thousands of reservists, DEBKAfile’s military sources report.


It was taken into account that the unannounced exercise would send military tensions shooting up on the volatile Israeli, Jordanian, Syrian and Lebanese borders. Moscow, Tehran, Damascus and Hizballah headquarters would assume that Israel is massing troops in advance of US military intervention in Syria.


...Our Washington sources report that President Barack Obama is poised for a momentous decision on whether to pursue military action against Syrian military targets, including Bashar Assad’s chemical weapons facilities....