R.Mizrachi at His Very Best

11 Iyyar 5775

Day 26 of the Omer

He really outdoes himself here - faithful messenger of the Torah Truth. Everyone should hear this - Jews and non-Jews alike.



Rabbi Mizrachi is one of (if not the most) successful kiruv rabbis in the world. Notice that he does not 'dumb-down' the Torah or dress it in goyishe garb in order to make it appealing to the non-religious. After all, Hashem is not looking for quantity, but quality.

Look How Things Are Speeding Up

11 Iyyar 5775

Day 26 of the Omer


The twin towers fell in 2001. The space shuttle Columbia fell to earth in 2003. The stock market fell in 2007.

In the past week we've had volcanic ash falling, snow falling, hail falling, avalanches falling, buildings falling, PEOPLE falling and spacecraft falling. What will be next?

(Yeshayahu 24:18-20):

And it shall come to pass, that he who flees from the sound of the fright shall fall into the pit, and he who ascends from within the pit shall be snared in the trap, for windows from above have been opened and the foundations of the earth have trembled.

The earth has broken; the earth has crumbled; the earth totters.

The earth sways like a drunken man, and it sways like a lodge, and its transgression shall weigh down upon it, and it shall fall and not continue to rise.

Is a 'Second Chernobyl' in the Making?

10 Iyyar 5775

Day 25 of the Omer

Forest fires heading for Chernobyl nuclear plant – Ukraine Interior Ministry

The Ukrainian National Guard has been put on high alert due to worsening forest fires around the crippled Chernobyl nuclear power plant, according to Ukraine Interior Minister Arsen Avakov.

"The forest fire situation around the Chernobyl power plant has worsened," a statement on Avakov's Facebook page says.

"The forest fire is heading in the direction of Chernobyl's installations. Treetop flames and strong gusts of wind have created a real danger of the fire spreading to an area within 20 kilometers of the power plant. There are about 400 hectares [988 acres] of forests in the endangered area."

...in comments to Russia’s Moscow Speaks radio, a representative of Greenpeace Russia said that the situation is much worse: “A very large, catastrophic forest fire is taking place in a 30-km zone around the Chernobyl power plant. We estimate the real area of the fire to be 10,000 hectares; this is based on satellite images. This hasn't been officially acknowledged yet.”

The potential danger in this fire comes from the radioactive contaminants the burning plants have absorbed, ecologist Christopher Busby told RT. “Some of the materials that were contaminating that area would have been incorporated into the woods. In other words, they land on the ground in 1986 and they get absorbed into the trees and all the biosphere. And when it burns, they just become re-suspended. It's like Chernobyl all over again. All of that material that fell on the ground will now be burned up into the air and will become available for people to breathe." Christopher Busby is the scientific secretary of the European Committee on Radiation Risks.

Ecologist Dmitry Shevchenko from the Environmental Watch on North Caucasus says it is difficult to predict where exactly the contaminants will go: “We don't have a real-time monitoring system for the Chernobyl area. We can hypothesize whether the radionuclides will go here or there, but there is no-one who can reliably predict the situation."

VIDEO HERE.

A Tale of Another Big 'Fall'

10 Iyyar 5775
Day 25 of the Omer

This was brought to my attention yesterday when the first reports of the spacecraft's trouble docking with the ISS were first reported. Looks like Hashem is sending the final warnings for this world in big and dramatic ways in order to really get our attention. The trouble is, most people fail to see Yad Hashem in every circumstance and loudly criticize those who do.

Falling to Earth: unmanned Russian spacecraft 'has nowhere else to go', says official

Although the Russians are still trying to save the craft, unofficial reports indicate that it seems a hopeless endeavor. However, there appears to be no danger as this spacecraft is routinely allowed to burn up in the atmosphere when its mission is complete; unless, that needs to be accomplished in a controlled manner. No word has as yet been issued about any danger on the ground.

Is the State of Israel Samson?

10 Iyyar 5775
Day 25 of the Omer

Is the State of Israel Samson? Is the State of Israel the Beginning of the Final Redemption?

Don't miss these two new parts of the ongoing video shiur from Rav Yehudah Richter...


PART 8

PART 9


See all parts here.

IRAN PROVOKES EDOM

9 Iyyar 5775
Day 24 of the Omer

Pentagon denies ship is American...

Tehran claims 34 sailors aboard...

LIVE TRACKER...

Accused of 'trespassing' in territorial waters...

Rabbi Mizrachi and the Nepal Earthquake

9 Iyyar 5775
Day 24 of the Omer

The rashaim hate Truth with a great passion.

Hat tip to Yaak for sending me a link to a Forward article condemning Rav Yosef Mizrachi for saying the following on his Facebook page under a picture of the ruins of a Buddhist temple...

"All the idols worshiping places in nepal are now destroyed"

The attacks were immediate and hateful.  This simple statement was turned into an expression of "glee" at the deaths of thousands of people. In his own defense, Rav Mizrachi tried to clarify himself...

"no one said here anything about the people that died no one said that they happy they died just that hashem destroyed the places of idol worshiping why do you try to make noise out of nothing why it bother you so much that hashem does what the torah said to do why do you think that you are sheriff of the world you are nothing but a moser that lo mitztaref le minyan (if you were a man) pure erev rav"

My own response follows...

Anyone who has any problem with what the Rabbi posted is disconnected from authentic Torah Judaism. There is no greater crime in the world than to worship false gods while enjoying the beneficience of the Creator every day of your life. You think it's ever an accident of nature when something like this happens? There are NO ACCIDENTS in this world. ALL is by the design and the will of the Creator. Stop trying to make Him over in your image and understand that it is you who is the creature and NOT HaKadosh Baruch Hu! We have an obligation to question why tragedies happen because they are connected to our actions which need correcting. if we make the appropriate changes, we can prevent future tragedies! If you can not accept this simple Truth, you are in worse trouble than the Nepalese right now.

According to the experts, this earthquake happens every 60-70 years. It had been 80 years since the last one, so they had 10-20 years grace period to stop the idol-worshiping. If they would repent of their crimes against the Creator, it could have been delayed indefinitely. But, no."The earthquake struck as Nepal was holding a centuries-old ceremony dedicated to Avalokiteshvara...." (Source: CNN) It's a mitzvah to tell a sick person how to get well, if you know the cure. And a kiddush Hashem as well!! This should serve as a warning to others to give up their evil ways before the punishment comes to them. Or had you not noticed - with all the laws and police and prisons - that this world operates on the spiritual promise of reward and punishment. No one wants to be reminded of it, but it's true!

Sadly, very many Jews have assimilated "Western values" which puts "happiness" as the goal of this life. And anything which impinges on this goal is to be shunned at all costs. Nothing could be further from the Truth of the holy Torah. And yes, the great majority of those who call themselves Jews today are from the Erev Rav and they will very soon disappear from reality.

It's also what I would have commented to the Forward article, too, if comments had been possible.

I'll go a step further. I don't believe we should be sending Jews outside of Eretz Yisrael to 'minister' to the needs of the victims. It would be questionable in my mind even if there were no one else to help, but of course, they are already getting massive amounts of help from the many gentile nations and don't really need our help at all. The main motivation for the State of Israel to send teams is to curry the love and favor of the nations. That's a Hillul Hashem not a Kiddush Hashem.

The Message of the Nepal Earthquake

8 Iyyar 5775
Day 23 of the Omer

It's easy to see within the Hebrew letters which spell out Nepal (נפאל) the same letters which spell the Hebrew word meaning "fall" (נפל). According to Morfix: "to fall, to stumble; to drop, to decline; to collapse, to be defeated, to surrender, to be conquered; to be killed; to fall by the wayside (a proposal, plan); (colloquial) to fall on (a day, date); to descend...."

In the case of this devastating earthquake, all of the above would apply. But, beyond the message that the whole world is poised to fall in the same way that Kathmandu has fallen, I found a deeper message in a CNN report about the earthquake - a video essay called "Why was Nepal unprepared?"

"...In Nepal, people always talk about this 'impending'  earthquake. So, the experts had always warned that every 60-70 years there will be a major earthquake in Kathmandu. Now, the last major one, a magnitude about 8.4 on the Richter scale, that was back in 1934. So, an earthquake was almost overdue. Even though Nepal and Nepalese have been aware of this so-called 'impending' earthquake, no one actually believed that it would happen...."

(Yeshayahu 2:11-19)

...The haughty eyes of man will be humbled, and the height of men shall be bowed down, and the Lord alone shall be exalted on that day. For the Lord of Hosts has a day over everyone proud and high, and over everyone exalted, and he shall become humble. And over all the cedars of the Lebanon, high and exalted, and over all the oaks of the Bashan; And over all the high mountains and over all the exalted hills; And over every lofty tower and over every fortified wall; And over all the ships of Tarshish and over all coveted floors. And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of man shall be humbled, and the Lord alone shall be exalted on that day. And the idols shall completely pass away. And they shall come into the caves of the rocks and into the hollows of the earth, because of the fear of the Lord and because of the splendor of His pride, when He rises to break the earth.

Believe it. 

Erev Rav Review

8 Iyyar 5775
Day 23 of the Omer

In his introduction to Mesilat Yesharim, the holy Ramchal says that he is not about to teach something new, but things we already know, but need to be reminded about. Furthermore, he suggests that his book should be read over and over again, In other words, we need constant reminding in order to stay on track - on the true path.

This is also true of the subject of the Erev Rav who rule over us at the End of Days. Especially where it concerns the Erev Rav, if you are not part of the solution, you are definitely part of the problem. Hence, this review.

(Excerpts from Part 4 of The War at the End of Days)

...Those original Erev Rav souls became intermingled with the authentic Jewish souls. We still have the Erev Rav with us, but today, they can be born into the best families, have the highest pedigree, and be the most (externally) pious and 'frum' people you'd ever care to meet.

...the Erev Rav are brazen, which means that they won't accept any suggestion that they are doing anything wrong (Ex.), and they will justify their evil deeds with any amount of lies, evasion, intimidation and other manipulative behaviours.

..If we don't actively fight against their evil influence and ideas, then we end up helping them, and the Vilna Gaon tells us it would then have been better for us if we hadn't been born in the first place.

...Rabbi Simcha Issaschar Ber Halberstam, the Divre Simcha, explains that even the 'good' that the Erev Rav do has to be rejected.

Rav Halberstam is teaching us that prior to Moshiach coming, one of our main jobs will be to split off from, and reject, the Erev Rav, even if they are apparently doing 'good' things.

In particular, the Erev Rav are obsessed with 'making peace' at any price, and will bully others mercilessly to get them to acquiesce to their plans.

And "making peace" does not just refer to deals to trade land for 'peace' with the Arabs, but even more perniciously to make 'peace' with Christianity (Shlomo Riskin and his students) and Islam (like the late Menachem Froman).

See the best resource on this subject: The Modern Erev Rav

Binyamin: "He's the Last"

5 Iyyar 5775
Day 20 of the Omer

Communication with Binyamin and Aharel'a
Jerusalem, 17 Nisan, Chol HaMo'ed Pesach 5775

[Excerpt: Regarding the petirah of Rav Wozner,ztz"l]

...This is the sign that we are at the beginning of the greatest decline before the geulah shleimah. And it will go fast, it will go really fast. The descent - sharp, and in every sharp descent there is great speed. Therefore, I warn everyone, warn everyone, to take a deep breath, and make a very strong connection to HKB"H, because if not - this fall will frighten you and drive you crazy, and you won't even be able to breathe, or even to think how to save yourselves. Whoever prepares now - won't be afraid, they will know that they are, so to speak, in the hands of HKB"H and they won't be afraid of this sharp descent.

You have, of course, been through, here and there, a sharp physical descent. I'm not speaking about an emotional aspect, I'm talking about like a roller-coaster. It' s the feeling of going up high and when you're going down - your stomach goes up in your throat... and it's a terrible fear, even when you know it's only 'like' [falling]. But, now, it's not 'like', now it's for real. When we begin to descend below, then it will really be scary if you're not ready.

It's possible to stop this very-not-nice feeling, it's possible to stop the danger, if we will hold on to the spiritual rope that connects us to HKB"H.   

The whole time that we are holding onto this rope - it's impossible to go down and with this rope Hashem will pull us up, up and we won't go down. We will hold on to the rope, everyone will go down - and we will go up. Just hold on to the rope. But, it's not so simple to hold on to this rope, we need to believe, we need to want to be with HKB"H, not just to save ourselves, but first and foremost to be with HKB"H more than anything in the world, more than any connection in this world, only this we want, and He will pull us up with this rope. 

...HaRav Shmuel, HaTzadik HaGadol, ztz"l, he was really a Jew 'above and beyond', he didn't get into any arguments, he ruled on what he was sure was true and didn't get into a dispute with anyone. He remained within his dalet amot of the Torah and didn't go out and didn't get mixed up with the politics between the hareidim. He didn't take one side against another. He simply gave his ruling. He ruled - and that's it. He ruled without the influence of askanim. He ruled the truth that he believed in, based on his closeness to HKB"H and his tremendous knowledge of the Torah and his love for Am Yisrael. The moment that he ruled, that finished the business.

But, he remained at the end. He remained the last of this generation and passed away from the world. He remained the last who was actually loved by everyone, the Litvak-Ashkenazim as well as the Hasidim, as well as the Sefaradim. And even the seculars gave him honor, why? Because he did not go down to their level, he didn't occupy himself with their politics. He closed himself within the dalet amot of the Torah and didn't take himself out at all into the dirty street. And therefore, he was the last that Hashem is taking back before the enormous troubles that are waiting for this world, the tremendous destruction and death that is about to be for us in the near future. He's the last. He can no longer cover us or keep the accusations in Shamayim from speaking against us. He's there with all the tzadikim....

[To be continued, iy"H...]

Always Fact-Check Everything You Read

5 Iyyar 5775
Day 20 of the Omer

These days, we are often overloaded with information and much of it is misinformation and disinformation - even on so-called "Jewish" and "religious" newsites. We have to be very careful and fact-check everything.

A case in point - a short time ago I read this in reference to a report about the killing of American-Islamic-Convert-Jihadist Adam Gadahn: "Born Adam Pearlman to a Jewish family which converted to Christianity,...."

When I started fact-checking, I discovered that 1) his mother was a Catholic from Pennsylvania and 2) while his father's own father was Jewish, his mother was also Christian-born. Both Adam's father and paternal grandfather intermarried with Christian women.There is no way this statement about being "born to a Jewish family" is correct. 

It used to be that news sources were very careful about fact-checking their reports before publishing them, but no more! We have to do it ourselves, which thankfully, the internet makes possible. If you don't have the time to do that, at least, please don't pass on information that you read before checking it out for truthfulness. I usually try to be careful, but even I need reminding from time to time.

"Tsipitah Hayeshuah?"

4 Iyyar 5775
Day 19 of the Omer

It is said that one of the questions they will ask us in Shamayim when we come to the end of our 120 years in this world is: "Tsipitah Hayeshuah? Did you anticipate the redemption?" 

Rabbi Eliyahu Kin says there is a big difference between awaiting and anticipating redemption. I've written the following little story in the hope of illustrating this idea. 

Awaiting vs Anticipating

An elderly man was sitting on his front porch enjoying the afternoon when the strange actions of the boy across the street caught his attention. He was busy at some project in his front yard, but every so often he would glance up from his work and gaze down the street in both directions. Every time a car or truck engine could be heard, he dropped whatever tool he had in his hand and ran for the curb, lifting a hand to shade his eyes, the better to see what was coming. When the vehicle got close enough to see, he would invariably drop his hand to his side and amble dejectedly back to work - clearly disappointed. And yet, he never ceased looking up from time to time to concentrate his gaze into the distance, clearly looking for something he was keenly anticipating.

The old man's curiosity got the better of him and the next time the boy ran to the roadside to get a good look at what was making its way through the neighborhood, the old man decided it was a good time to check for his mail. As he walked to the end of his sidewalk and reached to lower the door on the rural box, he glanced over to the boy and asked casually, "You expecting a visitor today, young man?"

The boy looked over at the old man and grinned broadly. "My grandpa's coming to visit," he beamed, his face alight with anticipated pleasure. 

"That's nice," replied the old man. "Enjoy your visit." 

He returned to his porch as the boy went back to his project. He marveled at the boy's persistence and observed for a little while longer before, feeling the pressure of time, he got up to attend to his chores. Hours later, he glanced out the window and was surprised to see the boy still going through the same motions as before.

The sun was going down and evening was coming on with a bit of a chill in the air. The man stepped out onto his porch just as the boy made what must have been his hundredth trip to the curb since morning. He was looking hard in the direction of the sound of an approaching car, but it turned the opposite way at the last minute. 

Seeing the disappointment mirrored in the boy's face, the man yelled over, "You going to stay out all night? Maybe he changed his mind!"

The little boy stopped and turned towards the old man and said with great confidence, "When my grandpa says he's coming, Mister, then he's coming. I'll watch for as long as it takes." 

A bit perturbed, the old man replied, "Well, can't you wait inside at least? Maybe watch some tv to make the time pass faster?" 

The little boy, with a beatific smile, shook his head, "I can't wait. I wouldn't be able to concentrate on tv. I don't want to miss out on the very minute my grandpa's car turns the corner!"

This is how geulah bloggers feel every day. Despite the calls by well-meaning commenters to cease and desist from yelling out "Maybe that's him!" - yet again - and running for the curb to see if it's his car coming - yet again - we will continue to do so, because, very simply, we can't do otherwise. We are anticipating the redemption!

( h/t to R. Yaak for the example.)

Baruch Hashem for the Shell Which Houses the Egg!

4 Iyyar 5775

Day 19 of the Omer

Like a chick developing within the protection of its shell, so is the Kingdom of Israel slowly, slowly developing and maturing within the klippah of the secular "western democratic" State of Israel.

Without 67 years of the State of Israel, we would not be anywhere close to the complete redemption today. There must be a body before a soul can descend to this world. In this case, there had to be a State before it can become a Kingdom again.

(Excerpted from "Who is the Messiah?" by Rabbi Aryeh Carmell)

...the first to predict the rise of a secular Jewish state as prelude to the coming of the Messiah is Rabbi Judah Loew ben Bezalel of Prague (1525-1609) known as "Maharal", in his discussion of the rise of "the Kingdom of the Messiah".

Maharal affirms that the coming of the Messiah is not, as often thought a sudden event; it is a process. The "Holy kingdom of Israel" - Maharal's term for the reign of the Messiah will emerge from an earlier, non-holy kingdom.

The Midrash states: Just as Moshe, who was destined to break the power of Pharaoh, was brought up in Pharaoh's palace, so the Messiah, who is destined to settle accounts with Edom, will live with them in their city. The ultimate failure of the empire of Edom will give rise to a new and different kingdom- the Kingdom of the Messiah...

This is why Yaacov was born holding on to the heel of Esav (Bereshit 25:26).

Now, "the kingdom of Edom" refers to the last of the four empires of the world foreseen by Daniel (chapters 4-5): Babylonia, Media, Greece, and Rome. Rome, as world power, is long since dead and gone. But its heritage, Western Civilization, rules the world. Our Rabbis indicate that the kingdom of the Messiah will grow up in the context of Western civilization. Indeed, the parable of "the heel of Esav" signifies that the spiritual failure and moral bankruptcy of that civilization will be the catalyst for the coming of the Messiah.

2. So far Maharal - properly understood - has described how the kingdom of the Messiah emerges from the break down of Western civilization.

But this is not all. Maharal's vision is guided by veiled hints in the Midrash: the "Kingdom of Israel" itself undergoes development. In its immature stage it forms part of the Fourth Empire, and only when it reaches maturity does it throw off this attachment and emerge as "the holy kingdom of the Messiah". (Kingdom is, of course synonymous with "state".)

Maharal continues:

So long as the kingdom of the Messiah has not yet reached perfection, the kingdom of the Messiah is attached to Edom (nigar el Edom) ...The holy kingdom of Israel... must grow out of the non-holy kingdom that preceded it.
Maharal, in a telling parable, describes the relationship between the embryonic "kingdom of Israel" and its "Edomite" environment: Fruit grows within a husk; when the fruit ripens the husks falls off... So it is with Israel. Their kingdom emerges and grows from within the kingdom of the nations i.e., from the existential power of the kingdom of the nations, and from their level, it raises itself to a higher level. And when the kingdom of Israel reaches complete maturity the kingdom of nations is removed, just as the husk is removed, and falls off when the fruit reaches its perfection.

The Messianic revolution will take place in the hearts and minds of the people. The "falling off of the husk" does not refer to a political or military event, nor does "kingdom of the nations" refer to a political entity. The husk refers to the value system of the Western world. The falling off of the husk signifies the victory of spirituality over materialism, faith in G-d over unbounded trust in one's own power, and awareness of divine providence over belief in blind chance.

Yet it appears that the "kingdom of Israel" in its infancy (and here "kingdom" means both state and cultural entity) is still definitely "attached to Edom". Could Maharal, from his 16th century vantage point, be referring to the reality of the State of Israel today?

We are far from "independent." Either we are dependent on other nations or we are dependent on HKB"H. I and my house choose HKB"H! He never lets us down. With G-d's help and if He wills it, we will soon see the breaking forth of the renewed Kingdom of Israel and the secular State's purpose would have been served. Baruch Hashem!!

Everyone Is Looking for a Sign

3 Iyyar 5775
Day 18 of the Omer

Double, Quadruple Rainbows Spotted On LI Following Stormy Weather

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – WHAT DOES IT MEAN?!

Stormy, rainy weather across the Tri-State area Monday into Tuesday brought about a magnificent sight this morning.

Double and even quadruple rainbows could be seen on Long Island as well as a rainbow arching over a NYPD Highway Patrol precinct.

If I'm not mistaken, according to our tradition, a rainbow is not a good sign. It means our behavior is such that Hashem must remind Himself that He promised not to destroy the entire world again with water. So four reminders???? Not good.

The "Blood Moons" Myth

3 Iyyar 5775
Day 18 of the Omer


I am very disappointed to once again be hearing the theory of the "Blood Moons" which originated with Mark Biltz, a so-called 'Messianic' preacher, and was propagated by Baptist preacher John Hagee in a best-selling book. What is most disturbing is that I am hearing it from respected and otherwise knowledgable rabbis. 

I just tried to listen to a lecture by one of my favorite and most trusted rabbis and what did it start off with but all the same old lies of the "blood moons" that have been debunked even by other Christians. Yes! I am upset!! I expected more.

Once and for all - there is no such thing as a "blood moon!" No one ever called a lunar eclipse a "blood moon" before Biltz and Hagee coined the term and started making money off of it. Please do not continue to refer to it that way. They made up the phrase to make it appear that these eclipses were fulfilling the prophecies of both our Tanakh (Yoel 3:4) and their New Testament. They don't, of course, because, as is typical for preachers, they throw out the inconvenient truth which contradicts their theories. This is how they read JC into the Tanakh. We are better than that. We look for the truth and we make the facts conform to the truth or we throw them out!

So, to make it easier, I've gathered the facts for you here...

MYTH #1: There have only been three "tetrads" of lunar eclipses in the last 500 years. 

FACT: According to the same NASA website that Mark Biltz purportedly used to formulate his "blood moons" theory, there have been 14 tetrads of lunar eclipses in the past 500 years.

Tetrad: 1493 - 1494
Tetrad: 1504 - 1505
Tetrad: 1515 - 1516
Tetrad: 1522 - 1523
Tetrad: 1533 - 1534
Tetrad: 1562 - 1563
Tetrad: 1580 - 1581
Tetrad: 1909 - 1910
Tetrad: 1927 - 1928
Tetrad: 1949 - 1950
Tetrad: 1967 - 1968
Tetrad: 1985 - 1986
Tetrad: 2003 - 2004
Tetrad: 2014 - 2015 to be followed by 6 more in this century.

MYTH #2: It's rare for the moon to be 'red' during an eclipse.

FACT: Every total lunar eclipse appears 'red' at totality. (See why here.)

MYTH #3: It's rare for a lunar eclipse to fall on a Jewish "Feast" Day.

FACT: A lunar eclipse can only occur on the night of a full moon and since Passover and Sukkot take place on the full moon, there is always a chance that a lunar eclipse can occur on a Jewish festival. In just the last twenty years...

2008 - Purim
2006 - Purim
2005 - Sukkot
2005 - Passover
1998 - Purim
1997 - Purim
1996 - Sukkot
1996 - Passover
1995 - Sukkot
1995 - Passover

MYTH #4: The tetrad of 1493-1494 heralded the Expulsion from Spain; the tetrad of 1949-1950 heralded the 1948 Israeli War for Independence; and, the tetrad of 1967-1968 heralded the victory of the Israeli Six Days War.

FACT: Since all three of these tetrads occurred following the events they are supposed to be signaling, what was the point? To be consistent, you'd have to say that whatever event the 2014-2015 tetrad portends must have already happened at least in 2013!

Don't ever just take someone's word for something. Check it out for yourself, especially if its origins are questionable and maybe even when it's not!

Moishela: "The Seven Pure Korbonos"

2 Iyyar 5775
Day 17 of the Omer

Before you begin to read Moishela's message, I just want to clarify something. When mention is made of Hashem taking innocent lives as korbanot for the sins of the community, it is in no way  to imply that these pure souls are being punished for the sins of others or that, G-d forbid, their deaths can atone for the sins of the community. We already know from the Holy Torah that this is untrue. But, do the innocent die as a consequence of the sins of the community? No question.

What Moishela seems to be describing below is a situation where sin is running rampant in a community and must be called to account. It's like the children all running around and screaming and can't hear their Father shouting at them to stop. In order to get their attention, the Father decides to do something drastic before a greater tragedy can occur, so he calls out the innocent bystander and it shocks all those engaged in the mayhem into silence so they can finally hear what the Father is trying to tell them. If you want to send a message, you have to start with those who can already hear you. And if you want to send a message about teshuvah, you start with those who don't need to do teshuvah, so those who do will get the mesage while there is still time to do something about it.


BS"D

Discussion with Moishela (with his family)
A Handicapped child 5775 #4
4 Nissan 5775 (Mar 23, ‘15)

The Seven Pure Korbonos

Oy, oy, oy, what a terrible tragedy. When will the suffering end? When will Moshiach finally come? It’s beginning to be so so difficult to wait, so difficult day after day, tragedy after tragedy, to wait and to wait and to wait. We Daven every day, several times a day, that Moshiach should come. Where is he? Where is he? How much suffering? How often can we listen to a father’s cry? “I had so much hope for these children. I had so much hope for their future,” he said crying hysterically, but he added, “I trust Hashem and I know that everything Hashem does is for our good. I have Bitachon in Hashem and I have no Taanos.” Where does a man, where does a Yid get so much Koach in the deepest sorrow of his whole life, a sorrow that most people never feel? How could he have so much trust in Hashem and how could we have so little? These Korbonos, these perfect Korbonos, had no blemish on them. They were perfect. They were put on the Mizbayach for our sins, not for theirs, not for the sins of their parents, for our sins, for Am Yisroel’s sins.

You look at me and ask, “What sins do we have? We do so much Chessed. We learn Shmiras Haloshon every day. We try to be good Jews. We Daven. We learn etc. How could you say it’s because of our Aveiros?” I say it again it’s because of our Aveiros, not their Aveiros. They had no Aveiros. They were perfect. How can you say that Am Yisroel is so full of Chessed when everywhere I look there is anger one against the other. There’s cheating. There’s Gezel. There’s every Aveirah imaginable, almost. How can you say that we are clean of Aveiros, that Am Yisroel is clean of Aveiros when everybody is at everybody’s throat, when Tznius is at its lowest it has ever been. I don’t think that Am Yisroel has ever been so low in their Tznius, in their Kedusha, not everyone of course, but so many. It’s hard to walk in the streets. You can’t look not to the right, not to the left. You can’t look up. You can’t look down. Everywhere there’s Pritzus, Frum Pritzus. I’m talking about the Frum streets not the Chiloni streets or the Goyisha streets. I’m talking about the Frum streets. I don’t know how any Avreich can walk down Malchei Yisroel or Rabbi Akiva or 13th avenue or Stamford Hill or Golders Green etc. without seeing what he is not supposed to see. Even if he keeps Shmiras Einayim, even if he looks down, he sees their feet with high heels with sheer stockings. He looks to the right and he sees people half undressed or very tight clothes. If he looks up he sees women hanging out of windows talking, yelling, bringing full attention to themselves, but no one thinks it’s wrong. Everyone thinks its Yiddishkeit. I’m sure that if our former Gedolim would have now Techias Hamaisim they would run back to their graves because they would be afraid to be spiritually tarnished. What can I tell you? A tragedy like this on such a special Shabbos, how could we deny it’s a message from Hashem?

We learn Shmiras Haloshon, but what is happening? What is happening to us Am Yisroel with all this Machlokes with all the Machlokes specifically among the “learners”, the ones that sit and learn Torah every day? The Machlokes that produces fist fights among the so-called Erlicha Bochurim, violence that has often brought many of the people involved serious injuries, Machlokes that very often looks more like drunken brawls than anything even close to “Leshem Shomayim”. What’s with us Am Yisroel? You are angry that someone doesn’t want to vote? What do you care? It’s not so simple to vote. However the true fight between the two sides has nothing really to do with voting or any other legitimate reason. Underneath it all it’s just a fight to control. One Gadol said like this, another Gadol said like that, and who are we to decide which one is the greatest Gadol? Very dangerous to get into a fight between two Gedolim. Do what your Gadol wants, but don’t try to destroy another Yid because his Gadol Hador says something else. What’s happened to us?

We’re holding on tight to the tail of the Egel Hazahav and that’s what we’re interested in. We dress him up in a Yarmulka and Tzitzis and we say look he’s Frum. The Egel Hazahav is Frum. It’s a Mitzvah to worship him. He’s a Shaliach from Shomayim Chas Vesholom. It’s a mitzvah to worship him! Oy, Am Yisroel, Oy, Am Yisroel, how are we going to stop these terrible, terrible tragedies. Those children were born to be a sacrifice for us. This was their job in life, but what is our job in life? We have to come closer to Hashem. We have to shed all of this nonsense that we’ve layered ourselves with. We have to stop criticizing other Jews because they are trying to be close to Hashem, or laughing at them because they have taken on more Frum ways.

I warn you Am Yisroel, I warn you clearly there is going to be a great upheaval in the world and that upheaval is going to destroy much of the world. Where do you want to be? Where do you want to find yourself? We’ve spoken for years about a third world war, about all that was going to happen financially and even the greatest of the economists are warning about a devastating crash in the financial world, but not just the financial world, also in the world of just plain everyday life. We’re going to see and already are seeing tremendous inflation that will eventually destroy the economic base of the whole world. You cannot imagine how many intelligent, well educated people in economics are saying that this is going to happen and its part of our Nevuas as well. So Am Yisroel don’t you think its time to prepare? Don’t you think it’s time to get off your Egel Hazahav and sit down on a chair take a Siddur and cry and cry and say Vidduy and beg Hashem to forgive us and then decide to dedicate all of your life, every single moment of your life to Kiddush Hashem, to getting closer to Hashem, to doing what Hashem, wants His Ratzon all day long 24/7.

What else can I tell you that I haven’t said? If we want to stop the terrible tragedies, we have to shape up. All Am Yisroel has to shape up and get ready for the Geula Sheleimah because whoever does not get close enough to Hashem to see the truth, at least the truth that we can see in this world with all the Hester Panim then when you get to the time of Moshiach, which is going to be very soon you won’t be able to tolerate Olam Habah of Moshiach. It will be so strange to you. You won’t be able to take it because you don’t want to live like that because that it is the greatest Taanug, pleasure in the whole of existence just to come closer and closer to Hashem. That closeness to Hashem is the greatest gift, the greatest pleasure that we could ever know. Those who have no inkling what a tremendous gift from Shomayim this spiritual closeness to Hashem means, when they find themselves without their cars, without their makeup, without their Sheitels, without their tight clothes, without their movies, without their iPhones, and so on, they’ll think that they are in Gehenom. They’ll run away and disappear into nothingness. Oy Am Yisroel, Am Yisroel let’s go together, together all of us. Let us get ready together to walk into the world of Moshiach Tzidkainu, to the Olam Habah of Moshiach. We now have time to get ready for the greatest salvation, The Yeshuah Sheleimah. Remember very few will survive.

Tatti: Why did this tragedy happen in the United States of America?

Moishela: The United States of America since its creation in 1776 has become the greatest nation in the world. There was never as much Gashmius in any country in the world as the Gashmius achieved for almost every citizen in the United States of America. However because of that Gashmius people are dying and The United States of America is dying. It’s not going to be the stars and stripes forever any more. Its finished. One man walked in, took over the presidency, the last of a chain of traitors to the American ideal and is destroying the Unites States of America systematically. However this is the punishment for the Egel Hazahav that they so believed in. The American public became decadent and they became wild and they became without bounds and this is all because of this terrible Gashmius. But worst of all it has affected the Frum community in the most terrible way in the most terrible way. Most of the Yidden that are Frum (I am not talking about the non-Frum because they have been really affected in the most horrible way, worse than the Chareidim), the Chareidim have taken this Egel Hazahav and placed it next to the Torah, Shelo Naida. We’ve turned much of our Yiddishkeit into Goyishkeit but we still wear Tzitzis and we still put on Tefillin and we still keep Shabbos and Kashrus. The standards, however are extremely low in most cases and it has become just a Churban, a Churban Habayis. This plastic Yiddishkeit has been exported to the whole world from the United States of America and therefore it’s time that the Yidden in America that do want the truth, start looking for it and not be embarrassed or afraid of what the society is going to say about them.

Tatti: Why did the tragic reminder happen to innocent children?

Moishela: The children were taken because they are the purest. The children are the purest pure sacrifices. It grabs everybody’s heart. It tells people that we better shape up. We better start thinking. If it was someone eighty years old or even fifty years old or even twenty years old it wouldn’t have the same effect on us. However these pure sweet little children dying in such a horrible way, that catches our attention. Nothing else catches our attention. We’ve become very cold and calculated in our Gashmius direction.

And I want to tell you that I’m so glad that long ago we moved here, because if not I cannot tell you for sure if we wouldn’t also be Korbonos, Chas Vesholom. I want to tell you something else. We are a good example of what I was talking about. We were also caught with the Egel Hazahav. We came to Eretz Yisroel for idealistic purposes and Boruch Hashem from almost the moment that we got here, we started to change for the better. I wasn’t yet in this world when you came, but in spirit I was. I knew that I would have a job here with you and Boruch Hashem you came in time, just in time thirteen and a half years ago, just the right time. The symbol of the gates opening, leading us to this time in history was the destruction of the Twin Towers. When the Twin Towers were destroyed, it was to show that Hashem was declaring war on the Egel Hazahav. The Twin Towers were the greatest representation at that time of the Olam Hazeh. I thank Hashem for sending us here. I thank Hashem that I was born in Eretz Yisroel and even though the Egel Hazahav is flourishing here in Eretz Hakodesh still the Shechina and the Kedusha is available to any Yid that wishes to connect to it and this is not in accessible to us in any other place in the world. I thank Hashem also that we don’t have to be Korbonos and I Daven very much that our family together with all Am Yisroel will be Zoche to greet Moshiach Tzidkainu, Im Yirtzeh Hashem. Then nobody will be handicapped not me, not anybody, not in body, and not in soul, not me, not anybody!

Will There Be a Third Miracle War in Iyyar?

1 Iyyar 5773

Rosh Chodesh
Day 16 of the Omer

In the future, all of creation is destined to ascend to the next spiritual level.  The whole world will one day attain the kedushah of Eretz Yisrael; Eretz Yisrael will rise to the kedushah of Yerushalayim; and, Yerushalayim will ascend to the level of kedushah equal to that of Har Habayit today.

I think this future reality will have been mirrored in the physical realm by our attaining access to these three in stages by virtue of three miracle wars that take place in the month of Iyyar.

First, the Land of Israel returned to us on the 5th of Iyyar.  Nineteen years later, on the 28th of Iyyar, Yerushalayim was returned to us. Now, as anyone reading today's news can attest,  Har Habayit is still not entirely under our control, but that's coming next - maybe even this Iyyar, please G-d!

The Month of Iyyar: From Darkness to Light

Iyyar is the month in which the Levites first raised the Tabernacle onto their shoulders to carry it through the desert, and it is the month in which King Solomon laid the foundations for the Holy Temple onto the bedrock of Mount Moriah.

...The month of Iyyar is known by the name "Ziv" in the Tanach, a word which means "brightness." Only during the era of the second Temple was the name Iyyar adopted. Iyyar, related to the words for light, and for air, also means brightness. The month of Iyyar doesn't merely mark the passage of time from exodus to revelation, it marks spiritual growth. The children of Israel were brought out in "haste" by G-d, but while deliverance from evil can occur in the twinkling of an eye, the spiritual maturity required to take on a life dedicated to walking in the way G-d has prescribed, requires spiritual preparation - and that's what Iyyar, which falls in the midst of this 49 day preparation - is all about.

We learn that the manna, which nourished the Israelites throughout their forty year sojourn in the desert, began to fall during the month of Iyyar. The well of Miriam, which miraculously followed the Israelites from station to station, likewise came into being during the month of Iyyar.

...The war with Amalek - the Israelites' entrance onto the stage of world history - took place during that first month of Iyyar after the exodus from Egypt. 

...Iyyar - the month of brightness, marks the passage from the darkness of slavery and exile to the brightness of revelation and the acceptance of G-d's Torah, and the yoke of heaven, by the Israelite nation....

Hiding in Plain Sight

30 Nisan 5775
Day 15 of the Omer
Motzaei"sh - Rosh Chodesh I


If you are a regular visitor to alternative internet news sources, you are probably already familiar with the term Jade Helm 15 and the mystery of the five Walmarts closing across the American south - all at the same time... for the same reason... and for the same period of time. For those who aren't familiar, I will summarize.

Jade Helm 15 is being described as a “realistic military training exercise involving nine states, which will involve the Green Berets, Navy Seals, and the 82nd Airborne Division and is set to take place from July 15-September 15,...." (You can see the details here: Request to Conduct Realistic Military Training (RMT) JADE HELM 15)

THIS TIME PERIOD COVERS EREV ROSH CHODESH AV UNTIL ROSH HASHANAH 5776! 

Different alternative news analysts are speculating that this is a set-up for a martial law takeover of America. One source points out that "drills are always the way that operations are designed to position men and materials ahead of an operation or concurrent with planned attacks." It's like hiding in plain sight. They come in under the guise of a "drill", set everything up and then - boom! It's the real deal, but now it's too late to protest. Another source shows that the drill has been expanded to include southern states coast to coast.

The story about the Walmarts is really bizarre. Five Walmarts across this same area suddenly closed their doors this past Monday night for an announced period of six months (until September 2015) for "plumbing repairs." (See more here: Mystery surrounds Wal-Mart's bizarre cover story of closing five stores for six months due to "plumbing problems")

One source claims they are being converted to military "command and control centers" and points out the nearness of each of these Walmarts to a major military installation in its area.

I have no idea what the reshaim have planned, but I do know that nothing happens by chance. There are no coincidences. And they already know when they want to start WW3. From my perspective, these dates are the most significant portion of this report. And the lengths to which they are going indicate how significant an event this may yet turn out to be.

Just a heads up. Shavua tov! Chodesh tov!

[This blog post was written on Friday and scheduled for publication on Saturday night.]

Parashat Tazria-Metzora 5775

28 Nisan 5775
Day 13 of the Omer
Erev Shabbat Kodesh


Parashat Tazria-Metzora: Afflictions
by Daniel Pinner

[Note: Due to the extra day of Pesach outside of Israel which this year fell on Shabbat, Jewish communities in the countries of exile are one week behind Israel in the Torah-reading. This will continue until Shabbat 27th Iyyar (16 May), when communities in Israel will read Parashat Bechukkotay (Leviticus 26:3-27:34) and communities in the exile will catch up by reading the double parashah Behar-Bechukkotay (Leviticus 25:1-27:34). My comments until then will focus on the Torah-reading appropriate for Israel.]

The two parashot Tazria and Metzora are usually combined; only in leap years, and always in leap years (meaning seven years in every 19-year cycle), are they read separately.

Parashat Tazria starts by setting forth the rules of ritual uncleanness and subsequent purification for a woman after childbirth (Leviticus 12), then the rest of Tazria and half of Metzora give the laws of tzara’at. This is usually translated as “leprosy”, and metzora is usually translated as “leper”, but this is inaccurate. Some of the symptoms are superficially similar to leprosy, but that is where the similarity ends. Tzara’at is a spiritual affliction, not a physical one.

The Torah begins with the basic signs of tzara’at: “Hashem spoke to Moshe and to Aaron saying: A person who on the skin of his flesh has a se’eit, or a sappachat, or a baheret, which becomes a tzara’at-affliction on the skin of his flesh, is to be brought to Aaron the Kohen (Priest) or to one of his sons the Kohanim. Then the Kohen will see the affliction…” (Leviticus 13:1-3). The Kohen who sees the symptom, and only the Kohen, can declare the afflictee contaminated; and then, if and when the symptoms disappear, the purification process can begin.

The Torah uses four expressions here: se’eit, sappachat, baheret, and tzara’at. Many English translations render these respectively as “a rising” (se’eit being a cognate of נשא, “raise up”), “a scab”, “a bright spot”, and “leprosy”, but these are inaccurate approximations. There are no precise English words for these terms, which is why some translations (such as ArtScroll and Margolin) simply transliterate the words, as we have done here.

Rashi (Commentary to Leviticus 13:2) says that “these are names of afflictions, and the one is whiter than the other”.

The Mishnah (Nega’im 1:1-2 and 7:2) defines the colours of these afflictions, which the Rambam collates as halachah: “Tzara’at is when a specific place on the skin of the flesh becomes whiter than the rest of the skin… Tzara’at has four visible signs: the brightest white, when the skin looks like snow, is baheret. A slightly darker white, which looks like the clean wool of a day-old lamb, is called se’eit. White which is slightly darker than the se’eit and which looks like the plaster of the Holy Temple is a derivative of the baheret and is called sappachat. And white which is slightly darker than the plaster of the Holy Temple and which is like the membrane of an egg is a derivative of the se’eit, and it too is called sappachat” (Mishneh Torah, Laws of Tzara’at-Uncleanness 1:1-2).

The Midrash (Vayikra Rabbah 15:9) sees these four symptoms of tzara’at affliction (se’eit, sappachat, baheret, and tzara’at) as allusions to the four mighty empires which oppressed Israel:

“The se’eit represents Babylon, following ‘Raise up [nasata] this parable against the king of Babylon and say: How has the oppressor ceased! How has the arrogant one ceased! (Isaiah14:4)… The sappachat represents Media from which arose the evil Haman who incited [saph] like a snake, following [God’s curse to the snake,] ‘On your belly you will crawl’ (Genesis 3:14). The baheret represents Greece which distinguished itself [me-baheret] by its decrees against Israel, telling them: Write on the horn of the ox that you have no share in the God of Israel. And ‘the affliction of tzara’at’ represents Edom [Esau, Rome] which sprouted from the strength of the old man”.

The Matnat Kehunah (commentary on the Midrash by Rabbi Yissachar Ber Katz, Poland and Israel, 16th century) explains this last enigmatic statement. Edom was the descendant of Esau, who flourished because of the blessing that Isaac, “the old man”, conferred upon him: “By your sword you shall live, and your brother you shall serve; but it will be that when you will have a legitimate complaint, you shall overthrow his yoke from off your neck” (Genesis 27:40).

The Targum Onkelos, Targum Yonatan, Targum Yerushalmi, and Rashi all interpret this to mean that Israel legitimately rules over his older twin Esau only as long as Israel obeys the Torah. But as soon as the Jews stop keeping the mitzvot, they lose all legitimate claim to rule over Esau, who is then justified in throwing off the yoke of Israel.

And the S’forno (Rabbi Ovadyah S’forno, Italy, c.1470-1550) adds: “‘…you shall overthrow his yoke from off your neck’, because you will indeed be skilled in warfare and capable of greatness”.

Therefore – concludes the Matnat Kehunah – “he [Edom, Rome] is the hardest of all exiles, like the affliction of tzara’at”.

Another allusion to these four oppressors is in the river which flowed forth from Eden to water the Garden, splitting into four headwaters – Pishon, Gihon, Hiddekel (Tigris), and Euphrates (Genesis 2:10-14).

“The Pishon represents Babylon, following ‘Their horsemen spread [pashu] themselves forth’ (Habakkuk 1:8)… The Gihon represents Media… The Hiddekel represents Greece which was swift [kalah] and sharp [hadda] in their decrees, telling them: Write on the horn of the ox that you have no share in the God of Israel… The Euphrates represents Edom, because it broke faith with [heiphira] and distressed His children; also because it was fruitful [phara] and multiplied in accordance with the blessing of the old man [Isaac]” (Bereishit Rabbah 16:4).

The symptoms of tzara’at and the waters of the Garden of Eden: two allusions to the four oppressors of Israel.

The se’eit (Leviticus 13:2) and the Pishon river (Genesis 2:11) represent Babylon. The se’eit is the first sign that tzara’at might be present, though as yet unformed and unconfirmed. According to the Zohar (Volume 1, Chayyei Sarah 125a), Rashi (commentary to Genesis 2:11), S’adiah Gaon, and the Ramban (commentary to Genesis 3:22) the Pishon river is the Nile, the river which irrigates Egypt – the country of our primordial exile, the country to which Israel descended when they were as yet unformed, the country wherein they evolved from an amorphously defined family to a recognised nation.

The sappachat (Leviticus13:2) and the Gihon river (Genesis 2:13) represent Media. The sappachat, as we have seen, “looks like the plaster of the Holy Temple”. Media, which morphed into Persia, was the empire which both oppressed Israel and allowed them to return to their homeland. Persia was the empire which both hindered and allowed the Jews to rebuild the Holy Temple. So it is appropriate that the sappachat, representing Media, resembles the plaster of the Holy Temple.

Media (the Gihon river) was the empire which conquered and defeated Babylon (the Pishon river), which had destroyed the first Holy Temple. So it is intriguing that the Gihon river took over from the Pishon in welcoming Israel to the shores of the Red Sea: “Egypt chased after them and caught up with them when they were encamped by the Red Sea, gathering pearls and precious stones which the Pishon river swept from the Garden of Eden into the Gihon, and the Gihon took them to the Red Sea, and the Red Sea cast them to the shore” (Targum Yonatan, Exodus 14:9).

The baheret (Leviticus13:2) and the River Hiddekel (Genesis 2:14) represent Greece. Baheret is a feminine form of bahir (bright). Greece appeared to be the epitome of enlightenment with its philosophy, art, architecture, erudition, love of learning, music, legal system, and so forth; yet their rejection of holiness and their attempts at forcing to Israel to declare that they “have no share in the God of Israel” made them the epitome of darkness.

Similarly, though the word baheret denotes brightness and the baheret is indeed the whitest of the signs of tzara’at, it is nevertheless the harbinger of spiritual uncleanness. Like Greece, the dazzling pure whiteness is deceptive.

The affliction of tzara’at (Leviticus 13:3) and the River Euphrates (Genesis 2:14) represent Rome. Though the River Euphrates is the last of the four rivers to be mentioned, it has a special status: twice (Genesis 15:18 and Deuteronomy 1:7) the Torah calls it “the great river”, and both times Rashi comments: “Because it is attached to the Land of Israel it is called ‘great’, even though it is the last-mentioned of the four rivers which go forth from Eden”. By delineating the border of Israel it acquires its special status.

This follows the Midrash (Sifrei, Devarim 6): “‘Until the great river, the Euphrates River’ – this teaches that its greatness and its strength correspond to the Land of Israel”.

(Incidentally, this explains why the Torah calls the Mediterranean Sea “the Great Sea” in Numbers 34:6 – the Mediterranean Sea defines Israel’s western border.)

And then the Midrash continues (as does Rashi): “A common aphorism says, the servant of a king is a king. Cling to distinguished people and you will be considered distinguished”.

The Roman Empire and its successors indeed achieved greatness; as the S’forno (cited above) put it, “skilled in warfare and capable of greatness”. True – but sadly, Esau chose to make his greatness in evil, in opposition to Israel. Hence the Talmudic dictum: “If someone will tell you that Caesarea and Jerusalem are both in ruins – do not believe it; or that they are both populated – do not believe it. But if he tells you that Caesarea is in ruins and Jerusalem is populated, or that Jerusalem is in ruins and Caesarea is populated – believe it!” (Megillah 6a).

As much as Jerusalem symbolises Israel and Jewish independence, so Caesarea symbolises Edom and Roman domination. The one is bounded by the other. Like opposite ends of a see-saw, as the one ascends the other inevitably descends. Just as the River Euphrates defines the physical limit of Israel, which is the River Euphrates’ greatness, so Edom defines the spiritual limit of Israel.

That is Edom’s greatness.

Edom – the Roman Empire, the Roman exile – is symbolised by tzara’at. And tzara’at has two diametrically opposing characteristics: it is both a curse and a blessing.

Tzara’at can afflict both the body and the house, and a house afflicted by tzara’at has to be dismantled. This seems like a curse – but it can also eventually turn out to be a blessing. The Talmud (Horayot 10a) and the Midrash (Sifra, Metzora 5 and Vayikra Rabbah 17:6) record that when the Canaanites heard that the Israelites were approaching the Land of Israel, they concealed their wealth in the walls of their houses to deprive the Jews of it. When a house afflicted by tzara’at would be dismantled, the owner would then discover the concealed treasures.

This is the end of tzara’at: after the affliction comes the purification. The Midrash (Vayikra Rabbah 15:9) concludes its exposition on Parashat Tazria: “In this world the Kohen sees the afflictions; but in the World to Come – says God – I will purify you. Thus it is written, ‘And I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be cleansed’ (Ezekiel 36:25)”.