22 Sivan 5776
In response to my post for Parshat Sh'lach last week, this is the question I received as a comment: "Are you a dirt worshipper?" Since this week is Parshat Sh'lach in the Diaspora, it is still relevant, so I will answer this question now.
If by "dirt worshipper" the commenter means as follows...
"For Your servants hold dear her stones and cherish even her dust." (Tehillim 102:15)
The touching scene of Jews kissing the earth upon their arrival in Eretz Yisrael has its roots in the words of King David and in the actions of our Talmudic Sages. Rabbi Abba kissed the rocks at the port of Acco. Rabbi Chiya bar Gamda rolled in the dust of the land. Rabbi Chanina went even further by repairing the roads so that his beloved country would not have a bad reputation with those who traveled upon them. (Kesuvos 112)
...then I must plead guilty. I think Eretz Yisrael is the most beautiful land on the face of the Earth and I never tire of extolling her virtues to whomever is willing to listen. It's our marital home with HKB"H. How can I not love it? Every image of her thrills my soul.
Every day I look out across the hills of the Judean Desert towards the towers and spires of Holy Yerushalayim and I thank God and I think dayenu!
I listen to the happy little birds singing their hearts out from the walls and the trees and I know that this is the song they sing so joyfully - every single day: The Beautiful and Holy Land of Israel!
May we merit to witness the elimination of all idolatry and houses of avodah zarah from our Holy Land.
See also: Ohr Somayach's Love Of the Land Archives - Selections from classical Torah sources which express the special relationship between the People of Israel and Eretz Yisrael
27 June 2016
26 June 2016
Global Rebellion - Remaking the World in Man's Image
20 Sivan 5776
The New World Order crowd means to unseat the Sovereign of the World by undoing and undermining the Creator's existing order so as to replace it with their own! They think they will re-create the world in their own image, but little do they realize that they are only lackeys of the Satan and they are really remaking it in the image of the serpent of old who hates mankind and wishes to destroy it.
In the past, when the Generation of the Tower of Bavel tried to do the same thing, the Creator stopped them by destroying their unity, as this is what enabled them to accomplish so much. He intervened by separating them into different languages and by dividing the world's land mass into separate continents.
Electricity fuels the technology which makes the globalization process of today succeed. Every minute of every day, there is an opportunity for a solar flare or CME which will deliver a mortal blow to the world's electric grid. When it goes, the result will be exactly like what happened to the Generation of the Tower of Bavel.
The New World Order crowd means to unseat the Sovereign of the World by undoing and undermining the Creator's existing order so as to replace it with their own! They think they will re-create the world in their own image, but little do they realize that they are only lackeys of the Satan and they are really remaking it in the image of the serpent of old who hates mankind and wishes to destroy it.
In the past, when the Generation of the Tower of Bavel tried to do the same thing, the Creator stopped them by destroying their unity, as this is what enabled them to accomplish so much. He intervened by separating them into different languages and by dividing the world's land mass into separate continents.
Electricity fuels the technology which makes the globalization process of today succeed. Every minute of every day, there is an opportunity for a solar flare or CME which will deliver a mortal blow to the world's electric grid. When it goes, the result will be exactly like what happened to the Generation of the Tower of Bavel.
A Word About "Brexit" - Beginning of the Endgame
20 Sivan 5776
Make no mistake! The only reason the "exit" vote in the referendum to take Britain out of the EU succeeded is because this is the way the NWO wanted it to go.
It's counter-intuitive. The idea is to bring down the current system and create such chaos, want and need that the world will welcome, even beg for a new one-world currency system as their salvation. It's mental and emotional manipulation - including, and especially, all the media coverage of this event.
This is not a victory for the 99% over the 1%. That's obviously what they want us to believe, but it's just another psy-ops!
It looks like this is the beginning of the "controlled crash" that we've been expecting. If so, look for unstable and volatile market moves this week. There are already unconfirmed reports of people not receiving their electronic benefits for the month of June in the US and of interruptions in electronic funds transfers. Make sure you have a supply of needed items on hand. There is just no way to know how quickly a situation might degenerate to the point at which stores may be depleted or that you won't be able to safely travel the streets to reach one.
This applies worldwide!!
Make no mistake! The only reason the "exit" vote in the referendum to take Britain out of the EU succeeded is because this is the way the NWO wanted it to go.
It's counter-intuitive. The idea is to bring down the current system and create such chaos, want and need that the world will welcome, even beg for a new one-world currency system as their salvation. It's mental and emotional manipulation - including, and especially, all the media coverage of this event.
This is not a victory for the 99% over the 1%. That's obviously what they want us to believe, but it's just another psy-ops!
It looks like this is the beginning of the "controlled crash" that we've been expecting. If so, look for unstable and volatile market moves this week. There are already unconfirmed reports of people not receiving their electronic benefits for the month of June in the US and of interruptions in electronic funds transfers. Make sure you have a supply of needed items on hand. There is just no way to know how quickly a situation might degenerate to the point at which stores may be depleted or that you won't be able to safely travel the streets to reach one.
This applies worldwide!!
23 June 2016
Parashat Sh'lach - 5776
18 Sivan 5776
Erev Shabbat Kodesh
"Why is the LORD taking us to that land [Israel] to fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be carried off! It would be better for us to go back to Egypt!”
ADL: Dramatic rise in US anti-Semitic assaults in last year
ADL CEO Greenblatt: “We are disturbed that violent anti-Semitic incidents are rising, and we know that for every incident reported, there’s likely another that goes unreported."
...And Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, of those who had scouted the land, rent their clothes and exhorted the whole Israelite community: “The land that we traversed and scouted is an exceedingly good land. If the LORD is pleased with us, He will bring us into that land, a land that flows with milk and honey, and give it to us; only you must not rebel against the LORD.
...And the LORD said to Moses, “How long will this people spurn Me, and how long will they have no faith in Me despite all the signs that I have performed in their midst?
If you get nothing else out of this parashah, then understand this...
From these statements we learn some important facts: 1) rejection of Eretz Yisrael is equal to rebellion against God; and, 2) rejection of Eretz Yisrael is equal to rejecting God and lacking faith in Him.
The Torah itself attests to this! Think on this all your days.
Food for Thought:
"Your children will roam in the Wilderness for forty years and bear your guilt.... Like the number of the days that you spied out the Land, forty days, a day for a year, a day for a year, shall you bear your iniquities - forty years - and you shall comprehend straying from Me."
I was thinking about this forty years for the forty days. According to the way I read this pasuk, there were forty days of sinning that had to be 'paid for' with the forty days of wandering.
But, doesn't it make you wonder why forty days when the sin was only committed when the evil report was given at the end of the forty days?
Could it be that the spies who erred had determined in their hearts from the very beginning that no matter what they saw in the Land, they had no intention of going in to settle it? This would be one explanation for why they viewed every detail so negatively and why they couldn't be swayed by Calev's or Yehoshua's arguments. Perhaps for all those forty days, they had been planning to give a bad report.
Erev Shabbat Kodesh
"Why is the LORD taking us to that land [Israel] to fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be carried off! It would be better for us to go back to Egypt!”
~~~~~~~~
Don't even think about it!
ADL: Dramatic rise in US anti-Semitic assaults in last year
ADL CEO Greenblatt: “We are disturbed that violent anti-Semitic incidents are rising, and we know that for every incident reported, there’s likely another that goes unreported."
~~~~~~~~
...And Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, of those who had scouted the land, rent their clothes and exhorted the whole Israelite community: “The land that we traversed and scouted is an exceedingly good land. If the LORD is pleased with us, He will bring us into that land, a land that flows with milk and honey, and give it to us; only you must not rebel against the LORD.
...And the LORD said to Moses, “How long will this people spurn Me, and how long will they have no faith in Me despite all the signs that I have performed in their midst?
If you get nothing else out of this parashah, then understand this...
From these statements we learn some important facts: 1) rejection of Eretz Yisrael is equal to rebellion against God; and, 2) rejection of Eretz Yisrael is equal to rejecting God and lacking faith in Him.
The Torah itself attests to this! Think on this all your days.
~~~~~~~~
Food for Thought:
"Your children will roam in the Wilderness for forty years and bear your guilt.... Like the number of the days that you spied out the Land, forty days, a day for a year, a day for a year, shall you bear your iniquities - forty years - and you shall comprehend straying from Me."
I was thinking about this forty years for the forty days. According to the way I read this pasuk, there were forty days of sinning that had to be 'paid for' with the forty days of wandering.
But, doesn't it make you wonder why forty days when the sin was only committed when the evil report was given at the end of the forty days?
Could it be that the spies who erred had determined in their hearts from the very beginning that no matter what they saw in the Land, they had no intention of going in to settle it? This would be one explanation for why they viewed every detail so negatively and why they couldn't be swayed by Calev's or Yehoshua's arguments. Perhaps for all those forty days, they had been planning to give a bad report.
22 June 2016
21 June 2016
It's Always "Midah K'Neged Midah"
15 Sivan 5776
Something interesting came up in a discussion at home this morning. I'm sure you've heard that reference to how if the Jews find themselves under spiritual attack, they are required to make a physical response and vice versa, if they find themselves under physical attack, then the appropriate response is a spiritual one. Traditionally, this has been illustrated through Purim and Hanukah. At Purim, the Jews were threatened with physical annihilation and responded with prayer and fasting, while at Hanukah, the Greeks forbid us to practice our religion and our response was a physical one - war.
The question came up as to whether this was the correct explanation or could it be a case of the response being dictated by the location. In other words, in the Purim story, the Jews were outside the Land of Israel where the gentiles ruled, so they had no power to do more than fast and pray until the gentile king decreed they could do more. But, the Hanukah story took place inside the Land of Israel where the Jews had self-determination and actually had the power and the authority to declare a war.
I consulted Rav Yehudah Richter for the source of this idea and asked his opinion on which approach was more valid. I took notes as we spoke on the phone, so if anything appears to be in error, it's either my lack of understanding or a misstatement of what he communicated to me.
Apparently, the original source for the concept of physical threat/spiritual response and vice versa comes from the Bach who wrote a halachic commentary on the Tur's commentary on the Shulchan Aruch. (I really hope I got that right.) In any case, what has commonly come down to us is missing a few very important details, which when understood, actually explain how neither of the two above approaches adequately expresses the real situation.
In the case of Purim, for example, it wasn't precisely that they were under a physical threat or that they were residing in the Diaspora that dictated the appropriate response and the same goes for the events of Hanukah.
Rav Richter explains that it is all about the sin for which they needed to do teshuvah, how to make that teshuvah and then how they commemorated those events all in a midah k'neged midah framework.
At Purim, the Jews sinned through eating and drinking at Ahashverosh's banquet. Consequently, their teshuvah was expressed through the absention from eating and drinking. And those days of Purim are celebrated through holy eating and drinking.
At Hanukah, the Jews sinned through laxness in their service in the Beit Hamikdash, so they were punished midah k'neged midah by being denied their spiritual service to Hashem. Their teshuvah came in restoring it and the historical commemoration of those events involves spiritual actions like kindling lights. There is no mitzvah to eat or drink on Hanukah.
Thank you, Rav Richter!!
So, now, knowing this, we might be better able to figure out what we are supposed to be doing about our situation today. I don't know about you, but I'd heard sinat chinam and lashon hara repeated so often as the source of all our present difficulties that I think I had come to view it as a kind of knee-jerk explanation lacking a real basis in reality. But, if we concentrate on the principle of midah k'neged midah, this, I think, is the key to the truth and lo and behold...
What characterizes the most recent decree upon the Jews of Eretz Yisrael? Stabbing attacks and car rammings. Stated another way: running people down and stabbing them in the back. Aha! Wow! Sinat chinam and lashon hara!
Lest we err further, ahavat chinam is not the correct answer. That just goes to the other extreme. And we know that there are instances in which, by law, lashon hara is not only permissible but a mitzvah. So, how do we do teshuvah for this? Very simplistically, we need to lift our brothers and sisters up and defend their character and their honor.
Life is a balancing act and as every tightrope walker knows, it ain't simple and it ain't easy. But, if we realize that harboring ill-will toward a neighbor out of envy or sharing gossip about a friend out of our own insecurity could result in a mass-casualty car-ramming in Tel Aviv or a stabbing in the Old City, maybe it will make us think twice and make a real effort to change our attitudes.
On the other hand, if we are successful in squelching that temptation to evil thought or speech, we might just be instrumental in preventing the next attack!
Everything has its consequence - midah k'neged midah.
It was only after I had posted this that I found this wonderful article which complements it so remarkably and picks up where I left off. You must not miss this!
Something interesting came up in a discussion at home this morning. I'm sure you've heard that reference to how if the Jews find themselves under spiritual attack, they are required to make a physical response and vice versa, if they find themselves under physical attack, then the appropriate response is a spiritual one. Traditionally, this has been illustrated through Purim and Hanukah. At Purim, the Jews were threatened with physical annihilation and responded with prayer and fasting, while at Hanukah, the Greeks forbid us to practice our religion and our response was a physical one - war.
The question came up as to whether this was the correct explanation or could it be a case of the response being dictated by the location. In other words, in the Purim story, the Jews were outside the Land of Israel where the gentiles ruled, so they had no power to do more than fast and pray until the gentile king decreed they could do more. But, the Hanukah story took place inside the Land of Israel where the Jews had self-determination and actually had the power and the authority to declare a war.
I consulted Rav Yehudah Richter for the source of this idea and asked his opinion on which approach was more valid. I took notes as we spoke on the phone, so if anything appears to be in error, it's either my lack of understanding or a misstatement of what he communicated to me.
Apparently, the original source for the concept of physical threat/spiritual response and vice versa comes from the Bach who wrote a halachic commentary on the Tur's commentary on the Shulchan Aruch. (I really hope I got that right.) In any case, what has commonly come down to us is missing a few very important details, which when understood, actually explain how neither of the two above approaches adequately expresses the real situation.
In the case of Purim, for example, it wasn't precisely that they were under a physical threat or that they were residing in the Diaspora that dictated the appropriate response and the same goes for the events of Hanukah.
Rav Richter explains that it is all about the sin for which they needed to do teshuvah, how to make that teshuvah and then how they commemorated those events all in a midah k'neged midah framework.
At Purim, the Jews sinned through eating and drinking at Ahashverosh's banquet. Consequently, their teshuvah was expressed through the absention from eating and drinking. And those days of Purim are celebrated through holy eating and drinking.
At Hanukah, the Jews sinned through laxness in their service in the Beit Hamikdash, so they were punished midah k'neged midah by being denied their spiritual service to Hashem. Their teshuvah came in restoring it and the historical commemoration of those events involves spiritual actions like kindling lights. There is no mitzvah to eat or drink on Hanukah.
Thank you, Rav Richter!!
So, now, knowing this, we might be better able to figure out what we are supposed to be doing about our situation today. I don't know about you, but I'd heard sinat chinam and lashon hara repeated so often as the source of all our present difficulties that I think I had come to view it as a kind of knee-jerk explanation lacking a real basis in reality. But, if we concentrate on the principle of midah k'neged midah, this, I think, is the key to the truth and lo and behold...
What characterizes the most recent decree upon the Jews of Eretz Yisrael? Stabbing attacks and car rammings. Stated another way: running people down and stabbing them in the back. Aha! Wow! Sinat chinam and lashon hara!
Lest we err further, ahavat chinam is not the correct answer. That just goes to the other extreme. And we know that there are instances in which, by law, lashon hara is not only permissible but a mitzvah. So, how do we do teshuvah for this? Very simplistically, we need to lift our brothers and sisters up and defend their character and their honor.
Life is a balancing act and as every tightrope walker knows, it ain't simple and it ain't easy. But, if we realize that harboring ill-will toward a neighbor out of envy or sharing gossip about a friend out of our own insecurity could result in a mass-casualty car-ramming in Tel Aviv or a stabbing in the Old City, maybe it will make us think twice and make a real effort to change our attitudes.
On the other hand, if we are successful in squelching that temptation to evil thought or speech, we might just be instrumental in preventing the next attack!
Everything has its consequence - midah k'neged midah.
~~~~~~~~
It was only after I had posted this that I found this wonderful article which complements it so remarkably and picks up where I left off. You must not miss this!
19 June 2016
16 June 2016
The Tactics of the Yetzer HaRa
10 Sivan 5776
Usually, the Yetzer HaRa, our evil inclination, tries to push us from the right path by one of two ways - two extremes. Either he will try to convince us to be bad (go against Hashem and His Torah) or barring that, he will try to convince us to be overly good ("improve" on Hashem and His Torah). You can easily see that the root of both of the two extremes is gaivah - pride/ego/chutzpah.
Right now, as far as I can see, these extremes are the source of all the battles and controversies in the world. The world of Eisav (Western Civilization) is all about "freedom" - to do whatever you want, whatever feels good, no restrictions, no boundaries, no limits. It's weighted to far towards chesed - everything is forgiven. That's one extreme.
At the same time, the world of Yishmael (Islam) is about the opposite - self-denial, self-sacrifice, imposing restrictions, boundaries and limits. "Good" taken to an extreme though, becomes tyrannical. It refuses to recognize anything beneath the standards it has set for itself as legitimate in its own right. It's weighted to far towards din - nothing is forgiven. That's the other extreme.
Our role as Jews is to model the perfect balance of the two as it is expressed and instructed in the Holy Torah. We have no permission to change it. In fact, the Torah itself forbids adding to or subtracting from its words:
"Do not add to the word which I command you, nor diminish from it, to observe the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you." (Devarim 4.2)
And it's not only in the outside world, but the battles and the controversies between these two extremes are raging within the Jewish people as well, and especially in Israel.
Here are a few examples from just today's news...
High Court Cancels Temporary Appointments Made by Rishon L’Tzion
...The reason for the lag in appointments is the ongoing machlokes between political parties, women’s rights organizations and the chareidim and the dati leumi communities.
Reform and Conservative Mixed Gender Mincha at the Kosel – Rabbonim Calling on Am Yisrael to Come to the Kosel
...The Reform and Conservative Movements on Thursday 10 Sivan at 5:00PM, will be holding a mixed gender ‘mincha’ at the Kosel Plaza. The event is not planned in the ezras noshim or the men’s area, but the back plaza of the Kosel.
Some feel this is nothing more than revenge for Jerusalem Chief Sephardi Rabbi HaGaon HaRav Shlomo Moshe Amar davening shachris at the egalitarian prayer area earlier this week after setting up a mechitzah.
Vandals Target The Home Of The Man In Charge Of Chareidi Induction Into The IDF
Vandals on Tuesday night...targeted the Bnei Brak home of the head of the IDF enlistment program in the IDF. Family members on Wednesday morning realized the lock on the front door was glued and inoperable. In addition, paint and tar were thrown in front of their door.
A military source explains that the people who commit such acts represent a small minority in the chareidi community and the matter is being addressed by Israel Police. Officials add “We hope police will bring an end to this shameful phenomenon and bring an end to the harassment by these fringe element extremists against those among the chareidim wishing to serve the nation”.
King Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, wrote:
"There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is ways of death." (Mishlei 14.12, and 16.25)
Those who dwell at either extreme believe wholeheartedly in the correctness of their chosen path. But, they are dead wrong. Only strict adherence (no additions or subtractions) to the Manufacturer's Book of Instructions (Torah) will assure the smooth and optimal running of Life.
And that's what Mashiach is going to do when the time comes. He's going to abolish the extremes and clearly delineate the perfect middle-ground balance. There will no longer be any confusion or doubt about what is right and what is wrong. And everyone who remains to live in the perfected world will delight in it.
Usually, the Yetzer HaRa, our evil inclination, tries to push us from the right path by one of two ways - two extremes. Either he will try to convince us to be bad (go against Hashem and His Torah) or barring that, he will try to convince us to be overly good ("improve" on Hashem and His Torah). You can easily see that the root of both of the two extremes is gaivah - pride/ego/chutzpah.
Right now, as far as I can see, these extremes are the source of all the battles and controversies in the world. The world of Eisav (Western Civilization) is all about "freedom" - to do whatever you want, whatever feels good, no restrictions, no boundaries, no limits. It's weighted to far towards chesed - everything is forgiven. That's one extreme.
At the same time, the world of Yishmael (Islam) is about the opposite - self-denial, self-sacrifice, imposing restrictions, boundaries and limits. "Good" taken to an extreme though, becomes tyrannical. It refuses to recognize anything beneath the standards it has set for itself as legitimate in its own right. It's weighted to far towards din - nothing is forgiven. That's the other extreme.
Our role as Jews is to model the perfect balance of the two as it is expressed and instructed in the Holy Torah. We have no permission to change it. In fact, the Torah itself forbids adding to or subtracting from its words:
:לֹא תֹסִפוּ עַל הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוֶּה אֶתְכֶם וְלֹא תִגְרְעוּ מִמֶּנּוּ לִשְׁמֹר אֶת מִצְוֹת יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוֶּה אֶתְכֶם
"Do not add to the word which I command you, nor diminish from it, to observe the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you." (Devarim 4.2)
And it's not only in the outside world, but the battles and the controversies between these two extremes are raging within the Jewish people as well, and especially in Israel.
Here are a few examples from just today's news...
High Court Cancels Temporary Appointments Made by Rishon L’Tzion
...The reason for the lag in appointments is the ongoing machlokes between political parties, women’s rights organizations and the chareidim and the dati leumi communities.
Reform and Conservative Mixed Gender Mincha at the Kosel – Rabbonim Calling on Am Yisrael to Come to the Kosel
...The Reform and Conservative Movements on Thursday 10 Sivan at 5:00PM, will be holding a mixed gender ‘mincha’ at the Kosel Plaza. The event is not planned in the ezras noshim or the men’s area, but the back plaza of the Kosel.
Some feel this is nothing more than revenge for Jerusalem Chief Sephardi Rabbi HaGaon HaRav Shlomo Moshe Amar davening shachris at the egalitarian prayer area earlier this week after setting up a mechitzah.
Vandals Target The Home Of The Man In Charge Of Chareidi Induction Into The IDF
Vandals on Tuesday night...targeted the Bnei Brak home of the head of the IDF enlistment program in the IDF. Family members on Wednesday morning realized the lock on the front door was glued and inoperable. In addition, paint and tar were thrown in front of their door.
A military source explains that the people who commit such acts represent a small minority in the chareidi community and the matter is being addressed by Israel Police. Officials add “We hope police will bring an end to this shameful phenomenon and bring an end to the harassment by these fringe element extremists against those among the chareidim wishing to serve the nation”.
King Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, wrote:
"There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is ways of death." (Mishlei 14.12, and 16.25)
Those who dwell at either extreme believe wholeheartedly in the correctness of their chosen path. But, they are dead wrong. Only strict adherence (no additions or subtractions) to the Manufacturer's Book of Instructions (Torah) will assure the smooth and optimal running of Life.
And that's what Mashiach is going to do when the time comes. He's going to abolish the extremes and clearly delineate the perfect middle-ground balance. There will no longer be any confusion or doubt about what is right and what is wrong. And everyone who remains to live in the perfected world will delight in it.
14 June 2016
Stop Taking Sides: It's Not Our Fight
8 Sivan 5776
In the case of West versus East - Eisav vs Yishmael - the enemy of my enemy is not my friend. Jews need to just shut-up and stop trying to curry favor with Eisav (and seek his protection) by endlessly pointing out how both Jews and Christians are targets of Islam.
Let them fight it out until they're both down and neither of them is a threat to us any longer.
Search your mind and heart and root out any sympathy for or attachment to Eisav as he is embodied in Western civilization and culture. His lifestyle is completely opposed to the paths of Torah that we are under covenant to guard and protect.
And if you are a Jew living in the tents of Eisav, you are in bed with the enemy - a rebel against your King. You are sitting on the wrong side of this battle. Best take shelter in neutral territory - in your Father's house.
In the case of West versus East - Eisav vs Yishmael - the enemy of my enemy is not my friend. Jews need to just shut-up and stop trying to curry favor with Eisav (and seek his protection) by endlessly pointing out how both Jews and Christians are targets of Islam.
Let them fight it out until they're both down and neither of them is a threat to us any longer.
Search your mind and heart and root out any sympathy for or attachment to Eisav as he is embodied in Western civilization and culture. His lifestyle is completely opposed to the paths of Torah that we are under covenant to guard and protect.
And if you are a Jew living in the tents of Eisav, you are in bed with the enemy - a rebel against your King. You are sitting on the wrong side of this battle. Best take shelter in neutral territory - in your Father's house.
13 June 2016
The 50th Gate
7 Sivan 5776
(H/T Dov Bar Leib)
What is the significance of 50 dead and 50 injured in the worst mass shooting attack in US history on the 50th day and completion of the counting of the Omer - Shavuot, the Day of Commemorating the Giving of the Torah?
Excerpted from the ... book Jewish Wisdom in the Numbers.
Who Knows 50?
The number 50 is the distinguished number of transcendence. The count up to 50 is composed of two essential and distinct stages.
The first phase is the step-by-step progression rising from 1 up to 49. As the square of 7 (7²=49), 49 denotes the complete cycle within the physical universe. This is a natural development, one that reaches the extremities of the outer boundaries. This may be the furthest limit as far as nature is concerned – but it is not the endpoint. But the ultimate destination of a Jew is his arrival at the second phase – one where he somehow manages the supernatural leap from 49 to arrive at the transcendental quality of 50.
The progression from 49 to 50 has, as its precedent, the stepping stone from 7 to 8. The soul is likened to the 7th center of holiness within the body that sanctifies the 6 directions of the physical world toward spiritual pursuits. Through this process, the soul is able to elevate itself, and the body with it, toward perfection. In number terms, the 7 is elevated beyond to reach 8, which is synonymous with entry onto the higher transcendental plane. And the arrival at 50 similarly marks the entry into this exalted state.
A Passage to Sinai
Perhaps the count toward the number 50 finds its most well-known historic expression in the Exodus and its aftermath. – exodus: 50
The momentous event that commemorates the birth of the Children of Israel as a nation was the exodus from Egypt. Not only is there a twice-daily remembrance of this milestone, but much of mitzvah observance is marked by repeated references to the Exodus. Its central importance is due to this event celebrating the Jewish People’s brand-new state of existence.
Their deliverance was not only from physical slavery but also from the Egyptian worldview. The Exodus released them from an outlook constrained by the natural realm. The redemption catapulted Israel into an alternate state of reality. They exchanged the restricted for the unrestricted, the natural for the supernatural, and the ordinary for the extraordinary. It was the seminal event that would define what Israel had now become: God’s Chosen People. Their transcendental quality was now evident in the aftermath of their trailblazing liberation.
The historic event of the Exodus is mentioned in the Torah a total of 50 times. And the redemption process which started on the first day of Pesach finally reached its completion stage 50 days later at Sinai. Indeed, God freed the Children of Israel in order that they accept the Torah. The Divine instruction given to Moshe at the burning bush was to lead Israel out of Egypt and bring the nation to serve God at that mountain. – shavuot: day 50
The 50 stages of redemption required a minimum 49-day interval for their national metamorphosis. Prior to their liberation, the Children of Israel had sunk to the nadir of spiritual impurity: the 49th level of impurity. The Exodus introduced a spiritual cleansing process. Israel embarked upon a gradual path of ascension, one level after another. Theirs was a phenomenal rise from their degraded position on the 49th gate of impurity up to the 49th gate of purity. Finally, they arrived at the highest spiritual pinnacle on the 50th day.
This period bridges the Festivals of Passover and Shavuot. The journey is alluded to in the mitzvah that famously links this time frame: the 50-day Counting of the Omer, from date of the cutting of an Omer measure of the new crop of barley, which was brought up as an offering on the second day of Pesach: You shall count for yourself … 7 weeks that shall be complete until the morrow after the 7th week – it shall be 50 days ….” – torah: 50
Shavuot is the only Festival not referenced by a specific date in the Jewish lunar calendar. Its classification as the time of the giving of Torah is recorded as Day 50 after the Exodus. This firmly establishes Shavuos as the climax of the Exodus. In the relationship between God and Israel, the giving of Torah at Sinai is termed on your wedding day.
Marriage celebrates the total commitment of two parties to each other. The obligations of a Jewish marriage arrangement are recorded in the ketubah, the wedding contract. The set monetary settlement allocated to a maiden was 50 silver shekels (equivalent to 200 zuz/dinars in Mishnaic currency).13 This sum finds its perfect parallel in the giving of the Torah, where the contractual duties of Israel’s wedding day came into effect on the 50th day after the Exodus.
Here God showered His beloved nation with the best wedding gift of them all: the gift of Torah. The metaphysical quality of Torah often sees its depiction as qualities of the Divine intellect. Its transcendental nature is over and above the physical existence of This World. Appropriately, Torah was given at the beginning of the 8th week after the Exodus. It taps into the symbolism of 8 transcending the natural realm epitomized by the number 7. In this respect, 50, which follows the cycle of 7 weeks each consisting of 7 days, shares the “out of this world” quality of the number 8.
As the 50th day after Egyptian deliverance, in the 8th week, Shavuot relates to the transcendental nature of Torah.15 In the singular form, the word Torah is said to occur 50 times in the Torah.
Parallel to the number 8, the 50th level relates to that which is “out of this world.” The Mishkan, Sanctuary, and subsequently the Beis HaMikdash, Temple, revolved around Torah as represented by the Luchos, Tablets, housed in the Kodesh HaKodashim, Holy of Holies. (In itself, the construction of a House of God served to immortalize the giving of Torah at Sinai.) The purchase of the Temple site took effect through the 50 shekels of silver paid by each tribe. The maximum age for a Levi to serve in the Temple was 50 years old. In particular, the innermost chamber, the Kodesh HaKodashim relates to this 50th transcendental level. And there were 50 golden hooks upon the roof spread directly above the curtain cover at the entrance of the Kodesh HaKodashim.
Above Nature
We have noted that 50 represents the full journey toward acceptance of Torah in the 50 days bridging Pesach and Shavuos. The passage through life calls for the Jew to emulate the national passage to Sinai. He must proceed until the natural end – and then go beyond it. He must transcend the finite and touch the sublime 50th gate that belongs over and above the natural rules of This World. – 50: at a distance
The number 50 is used as the measure that places something at a distance. The Talmud notes the use of a rope measuring 50 cubits for matters such as measuring the 2,000-cubit distance of techum Shabbos, the distance beyond the city one may travel on Shabbos. Because of the negative impact of a granary, leather tannery, and cemetery, these were not halachically permitted to be located within 50 cubits of the city. Of course, the 50-day journey from Egypt to Sinai ensured that Israel was no longer under the sinful influence of their idolatrous past.
No less than 50 stages of redemption – parallel to the 50 times the Exodus is recorded in the Torah – were required to achieve a clean break from the past. Now, on the 50th day, Shavuos, the shackles of bondage were finally broken. This is recorded in the mention of the Exodus in the opening verse of the 10 Commandments: I am Hashem your God Who took you out of the land of Egypt from the house of slavery. – 50: gates of understanding
The creation of Israel in the 50 days between Passover and Shavuot ties into another aspect of symbolism found in this number. God created the universe with the 50 Gates of Understanding. The 50 Gates relate to the ascending spiritual levels within the world through which man must pass in order to uncover the inner secrets of creation and in order to comprehend the powers, capabilities, and life forces within.
In a sense, the 50 Sha’arei Binah signify the distance of how far removed man is from God’s wisdom. It is incumbent upon man to pass through these Gates of Understanding in a journey to uncover the Divine wisdom hidden in the words of Torah. This often involves the deductive reasoning of understanding, (“bina” in Hebrew) to derive “one thing from something else.” “Bina” is cognate to “bein”, between, which indicates the gap that man must bridge in order to approaches his Creator.
The 50 days of the Omer parallel the 50 Shaarei Binah. The word binah further relates to “binyan”, building. The count of the Omer toward Shavuot is the process of building where the Jew builds himself up from the lowly level of an animal up to the spiritual heights of a Godly being. It is his bid to traverse the 50 gateways of Divine wisdom. He endeavors to transcend the natural and to touch the supernatural realm where he will gain a clearer perception of God.
The highest level humanly possible is 49 gates; it is God Who enables a person to make the final leap from 49 to 50. The human being who passed through the full 49 gates was Moshe. However, the final 50th gate still lay beyond his grasp. The secret of this ultimate step would lie within the secret nature of Yovel. – yovel: year 50
The 7 weekly cycles of 7 days lasting until the 50th day, Shavuot, has its obvious parallel to the 7 Shemittah, Sabbatical cycles of 7 years that culminate in the 50th year, Yovel, Jubilee Year. Yovel marked the cumulative conclusion of an epoch. Everything that had occurred previously – even something termed as lasting l’olam, forever – comes to an end. The slate is wiped clean. It returns to its original pristine state to enable the process to begin anew.
Shemittah is classified both as holy, and as Shabbos; Yovel is Holy of Holies, and “Shabbos of Shabbosos.” Actually, Yovel’s description as Shabbos of Shabbosos is shared by the festival of Yom Kippur, Day of Atonement. On this date, the Jewish nation was forgiven for the sin of the Golden Calf that had undermined the Torah given on Day 50. A new era began as Israel was given the second set of Tablets, delivered by Moshe on Yom Kippur. This signaled that God had forgiven Israel, affirming that He would not destroy them.
The process of teshuvah, repentance – itself related to binah – is such that sin is eradicated. What happens? A person relates to his transcendental roots, returns to God, and emerges as a new creation. Interestingly, there is a total of 50 days of teshuvah from Rosh Chodesh Elul (29 days) until the end of Hoshana Rabbah (21 Tishrei).
The word yovel also refers to the shofar-horn of a ram. Indeed, the 50th year assumed the status of the Jubilee year only once the shofar was sounded. The yovel/shofar was blown on Yom Kippur of the 50th year. It would herald that people and objects would revert to their original position. Sold fields returned to their original owners. Jewish slaves were released from their captivity. Here they freely return to their true identity.
Yovel replicates the impact of the shofar to awaken man toward repentance. The freedom of Yovel was unhindered by any constraints. It denotes the transcendental point that stretches above any prior attachment to what came before. – 50: all-in-1
In This World, there can be no independent human expression on the 50th level. It remains the ultimate, yet unknowable Godly dimension. It can be characterized as elevated or apart, from everything that precedes it. It transcends the natural world and human experience.
In one respect, the 50th is the uncountable number. The Omer period lasts for 50 days – yet only 49 are to be counted. The counting of 49 automatically leads to the arrival of the 50th. This elevated state was reached at Sinai. It truly surpassed everything that came before it. It was on the 50th day, Shavuot, that the union between Israel and God, like a marriage, was solemnized.
With this act the Jewish nation supernaturally transcended worldly existence to become one with God. Israel achieved this unity when they arrived at Sinai to encamp in a unified state: like a single person with a single heart. The names of the 12 Tribes of Israel, which were engraved upon the Stones worn by the Kohen Gadol, have a total of 50 letters, merged as one entity with their Creator.
Thus, the 50th is the point of arrival. This is where man has come “all the way.” This is the ultimate level; man has successfully completed the requisite stages of the natural passage and progressed to transcend up to the Godly level of eternity. This is the dimension of Torah, of Divine understanding, of true freedom. It is where Israel transcends to truly become one with God.
(H/T Dov Bar Leib)
What is the significance of 50 dead and 50 injured in the worst mass shooting attack in US history on the 50th day and completion of the counting of the Omer - Shavuot, the Day of Commemorating the Giving of the Torah?
Excerpted from the ... book Jewish Wisdom in the Numbers.
Who Knows 50?
The number 50 is the distinguished number of transcendence. The count up to 50 is composed of two essential and distinct stages.
The first phase is the step-by-step progression rising from 1 up to 49. As the square of 7 (7²=49), 49 denotes the complete cycle within the physical universe. This is a natural development, one that reaches the extremities of the outer boundaries. This may be the furthest limit as far as nature is concerned – but it is not the endpoint. But the ultimate destination of a Jew is his arrival at the second phase – one where he somehow manages the supernatural leap from 49 to arrive at the transcendental quality of 50.
The progression from 49 to 50 has, as its precedent, the stepping stone from 7 to 8. The soul is likened to the 7th center of holiness within the body that sanctifies the 6 directions of the physical world toward spiritual pursuits. Through this process, the soul is able to elevate itself, and the body with it, toward perfection. In number terms, the 7 is elevated beyond to reach 8, which is synonymous with entry onto the higher transcendental plane. And the arrival at 50 similarly marks the entry into this exalted state.
A Passage to Sinai
Perhaps the count toward the number 50 finds its most well-known historic expression in the Exodus and its aftermath. – exodus: 50
The momentous event that commemorates the birth of the Children of Israel as a nation was the exodus from Egypt. Not only is there a twice-daily remembrance of this milestone, but much of mitzvah observance is marked by repeated references to the Exodus. Its central importance is due to this event celebrating the Jewish People’s brand-new state of existence.
Their deliverance was not only from physical slavery but also from the Egyptian worldview. The Exodus released them from an outlook constrained by the natural realm. The redemption catapulted Israel into an alternate state of reality. They exchanged the restricted for the unrestricted, the natural for the supernatural, and the ordinary for the extraordinary. It was the seminal event that would define what Israel had now become: God’s Chosen People. Their transcendental quality was now evident in the aftermath of their trailblazing liberation.
The historic event of the Exodus is mentioned in the Torah a total of 50 times. And the redemption process which started on the first day of Pesach finally reached its completion stage 50 days later at Sinai. Indeed, God freed the Children of Israel in order that they accept the Torah. The Divine instruction given to Moshe at the burning bush was to lead Israel out of Egypt and bring the nation to serve God at that mountain. – shavuot: day 50
The 50 stages of redemption required a minimum 49-day interval for their national metamorphosis. Prior to their liberation, the Children of Israel had sunk to the nadir of spiritual impurity: the 49th level of impurity. The Exodus introduced a spiritual cleansing process. Israel embarked upon a gradual path of ascension, one level after another. Theirs was a phenomenal rise from their degraded position on the 49th gate of impurity up to the 49th gate of purity. Finally, they arrived at the highest spiritual pinnacle on the 50th day.
This period bridges the Festivals of Passover and Shavuot. The journey is alluded to in the mitzvah that famously links this time frame: the 50-day Counting of the Omer, from date of the cutting of an Omer measure of the new crop of barley, which was brought up as an offering on the second day of Pesach: You shall count for yourself … 7 weeks that shall be complete until the morrow after the 7th week – it shall be 50 days ….” – torah: 50
Shavuot is the only Festival not referenced by a specific date in the Jewish lunar calendar. Its classification as the time of the giving of Torah is recorded as Day 50 after the Exodus. This firmly establishes Shavuos as the climax of the Exodus. In the relationship between God and Israel, the giving of Torah at Sinai is termed on your wedding day.
Marriage celebrates the total commitment of two parties to each other. The obligations of a Jewish marriage arrangement are recorded in the ketubah, the wedding contract. The set monetary settlement allocated to a maiden was 50 silver shekels (equivalent to 200 zuz/dinars in Mishnaic currency).13 This sum finds its perfect parallel in the giving of the Torah, where the contractual duties of Israel’s wedding day came into effect on the 50th day after the Exodus.
Here God showered His beloved nation with the best wedding gift of them all: the gift of Torah. The metaphysical quality of Torah often sees its depiction as qualities of the Divine intellect. Its transcendental nature is over and above the physical existence of This World. Appropriately, Torah was given at the beginning of the 8th week after the Exodus. It taps into the symbolism of 8 transcending the natural realm epitomized by the number 7. In this respect, 50, which follows the cycle of 7 weeks each consisting of 7 days, shares the “out of this world” quality of the number 8.
As the 50th day after Egyptian deliverance, in the 8th week, Shavuot relates to the transcendental nature of Torah.15 In the singular form, the word Torah is said to occur 50 times in the Torah.
Parallel to the number 8, the 50th level relates to that which is “out of this world.” The Mishkan, Sanctuary, and subsequently the Beis HaMikdash, Temple, revolved around Torah as represented by the Luchos, Tablets, housed in the Kodesh HaKodashim, Holy of Holies. (In itself, the construction of a House of God served to immortalize the giving of Torah at Sinai.) The purchase of the Temple site took effect through the 50 shekels of silver paid by each tribe. The maximum age for a Levi to serve in the Temple was 50 years old. In particular, the innermost chamber, the Kodesh HaKodashim relates to this 50th transcendental level. And there were 50 golden hooks upon the roof spread directly above the curtain cover at the entrance of the Kodesh HaKodashim.
Above Nature
We have noted that 50 represents the full journey toward acceptance of Torah in the 50 days bridging Pesach and Shavuos. The passage through life calls for the Jew to emulate the national passage to Sinai. He must proceed until the natural end – and then go beyond it. He must transcend the finite and touch the sublime 50th gate that belongs over and above the natural rules of This World. – 50: at a distance
The number 50 is used as the measure that places something at a distance. The Talmud notes the use of a rope measuring 50 cubits for matters such as measuring the 2,000-cubit distance of techum Shabbos, the distance beyond the city one may travel on Shabbos. Because of the negative impact of a granary, leather tannery, and cemetery, these were not halachically permitted to be located within 50 cubits of the city. Of course, the 50-day journey from Egypt to Sinai ensured that Israel was no longer under the sinful influence of their idolatrous past.
No less than 50 stages of redemption – parallel to the 50 times the Exodus is recorded in the Torah – were required to achieve a clean break from the past. Now, on the 50th day, Shavuos, the shackles of bondage were finally broken. This is recorded in the mention of the Exodus in the opening verse of the 10 Commandments: I am Hashem your God Who took you out of the land of Egypt from the house of slavery. – 50: gates of understanding
The creation of Israel in the 50 days between Passover and Shavuot ties into another aspect of symbolism found in this number. God created the universe with the 50 Gates of Understanding. The 50 Gates relate to the ascending spiritual levels within the world through which man must pass in order to uncover the inner secrets of creation and in order to comprehend the powers, capabilities, and life forces within.
In a sense, the 50 Sha’arei Binah signify the distance of how far removed man is from God’s wisdom. It is incumbent upon man to pass through these Gates of Understanding in a journey to uncover the Divine wisdom hidden in the words of Torah. This often involves the deductive reasoning of understanding, (“bina” in Hebrew) to derive “one thing from something else.” “Bina” is cognate to “bein”, between, which indicates the gap that man must bridge in order to approaches his Creator.
The 50 days of the Omer parallel the 50 Shaarei Binah. The word binah further relates to “binyan”, building. The count of the Omer toward Shavuot is the process of building where the Jew builds himself up from the lowly level of an animal up to the spiritual heights of a Godly being. It is his bid to traverse the 50 gateways of Divine wisdom. He endeavors to transcend the natural and to touch the supernatural realm where he will gain a clearer perception of God.
The highest level humanly possible is 49 gates; it is God Who enables a person to make the final leap from 49 to 50. The human being who passed through the full 49 gates was Moshe. However, the final 50th gate still lay beyond his grasp. The secret of this ultimate step would lie within the secret nature of Yovel. – yovel: year 50
The 7 weekly cycles of 7 days lasting until the 50th day, Shavuot, has its obvious parallel to the 7 Shemittah, Sabbatical cycles of 7 years that culminate in the 50th year, Yovel, Jubilee Year. Yovel marked the cumulative conclusion of an epoch. Everything that had occurred previously – even something termed as lasting l’olam, forever – comes to an end. The slate is wiped clean. It returns to its original pristine state to enable the process to begin anew.
Shemittah is classified both as holy, and as Shabbos; Yovel is Holy of Holies, and “Shabbos of Shabbosos.” Actually, Yovel’s description as Shabbos of Shabbosos is shared by the festival of Yom Kippur, Day of Atonement. On this date, the Jewish nation was forgiven for the sin of the Golden Calf that had undermined the Torah given on Day 50. A new era began as Israel was given the second set of Tablets, delivered by Moshe on Yom Kippur. This signaled that God had forgiven Israel, affirming that He would not destroy them.
The process of teshuvah, repentance – itself related to binah – is such that sin is eradicated. What happens? A person relates to his transcendental roots, returns to God, and emerges as a new creation. Interestingly, there is a total of 50 days of teshuvah from Rosh Chodesh Elul (29 days) until the end of Hoshana Rabbah (21 Tishrei).
The word yovel also refers to the shofar-horn of a ram. Indeed, the 50th year assumed the status of the Jubilee year only once the shofar was sounded. The yovel/shofar was blown on Yom Kippur of the 50th year. It would herald that people and objects would revert to their original position. Sold fields returned to their original owners. Jewish slaves were released from their captivity. Here they freely return to their true identity.
Yovel replicates the impact of the shofar to awaken man toward repentance. The freedom of Yovel was unhindered by any constraints. It denotes the transcendental point that stretches above any prior attachment to what came before. – 50: all-in-1
In This World, there can be no independent human expression on the 50th level. It remains the ultimate, yet unknowable Godly dimension. It can be characterized as elevated or apart, from everything that precedes it. It transcends the natural world and human experience.
In one respect, the 50th is the uncountable number. The Omer period lasts for 50 days – yet only 49 are to be counted. The counting of 49 automatically leads to the arrival of the 50th. This elevated state was reached at Sinai. It truly surpassed everything that came before it. It was on the 50th day, Shavuot, that the union between Israel and God, like a marriage, was solemnized.
With this act the Jewish nation supernaturally transcended worldly existence to become one with God. Israel achieved this unity when they arrived at Sinai to encamp in a unified state: like a single person with a single heart. The names of the 12 Tribes of Israel, which were engraved upon the Stones worn by the Kohen Gadol, have a total of 50 letters, merged as one entity with their Creator.
Thus, the 50th is the point of arrival. This is where man has come “all the way.” This is the ultimate level; man has successfully completed the requisite stages of the natural passage and progressed to transcend up to the Godly level of eternity. This is the dimension of Torah, of Divine understanding, of true freedom. It is where Israel transcends to truly become one with God.
12 June 2016
"Earth Changes Summary - May 2016"
7 Sivan 5776
"Last month, more volcanoes erupted during one week than would typically erupt during an entire year in the 20th century. Hailstones the size of tennis balls fell across southeast Asia, while the Indian subcontinent roasted in a record-breaking heatwave for the second year running. Europe experienced record-late snowfall in many places, followed by tornado outbreaks, devastating flash-floods and hailstorms that required snowploughs to clear streets. Wildfires raged across vast expanses of sub-Arctic regions, notably in central Canada, where the population of an entire city was forced to flee."
"Month after month, the rain falls harder, the winds blow stronger, and the meteors come closer. Devastated homes can't be rebuilt fast enough before the next waves of natural disasters hit." (Source)
SOTT Earth Changes Summary - May 2016: Extreme Weather, Planetary Upheaval, Meteor Fireballs
"Last month, more volcanoes erupted during one week than would typically erupt during an entire year in the 20th century. Hailstones the size of tennis balls fell across southeast Asia, while the Indian subcontinent roasted in a record-breaking heatwave for the second year running. Europe experienced record-late snowfall in many places, followed by tornado outbreaks, devastating flash-floods and hailstorms that required snowploughs to clear streets. Wildfires raged across vast expanses of sub-Arctic regions, notably in central Canada, where the population of an entire city was forced to flee."
"Month after month, the rain falls harder, the winds blow stronger, and the meteors come closer. Devastated homes can't be rebuilt fast enough before the next waves of natural disasters hit." (Source)
SOTT Earth Changes Summary - May 2016: Extreme Weather, Planetary Upheaval, Meteor Fireballs
10 June 2016
08 June 2016
"Said the Spider to the Fly"
2 Sivan 5776
Day 46 of the Omer
Day 46 of the Omer
"Won't you come into my parlor said the spider to the fly..."
The Spider and the Fly is a poem by Mary Howitt (1799–1888), published in 1829. The first line of the poem is "'Will you walk into my parlour?' said the Spider to the Fly." The story tells of a cunning Spider who ensnares a naive Fly through the use of seduction and flattery. The poem is a cautionary tale against those who use flattery and charm to disguise their true evil intentions. (Source)
Netanyahu Meets Russia’s Putin, Visits Israeli Technology Exhibit in Moscow
“We certainly feel at home,” Netanyahu said. “Israel’s doors are open to Russia and Russia’s doors are open to Israel.
Netanyahu Meets Russia’s Putin, Visits Israeli Technology Exhibit in Moscow
“We certainly feel at home,” Netanyahu said. “Israel’s doors are open to Russia and Russia’s doors are open to Israel.
07 June 2016
Reality or Illusion?
1 Sivan 5776
Rosh Chodesh
45 Days of the Omer
Elon Musk: Become cyborgs or risk humans being turned into robots' pets
Are We Living In A Simulation? (starting at 6:23)
They still have their sights set too low, but science, on its way to finding truth, ultimately ends up where the Torah begins.
Rosh Chodesh
45 Days of the Omer
Elon Musk: Become cyborgs or risk humans being turned into robots' pets
Are We Living In A Simulation? (starting at 6:23)
They still have their sights set too low, but science, on its way to finding truth, ultimately ends up where the Torah begins.
06 June 2016
Ramadan Mubarak...Now Die!
29 Iyyar 5776
Yom Kippur Katan
44 Days of the Omer
...While most Muslims observe Ramadan as a period of fasting and reflection, radical Islamists and the Islamic State in particular have focused on Ramadan as a period of intensified jihad, or holy war, when Sunni Muslims should lash out at both nonbelievers and Shiite Muslims.
...“It’s counterintuitive, you’d think [Ramadan] would be a time of turning inward, but for some [extremists] it’s also a time when your holy obligation to fight against the nonbelievers and blasphemers becomes even more imperative,” says Marvin Weinbaum, a former south Asia intelligence analyst at the State Department who is now a resident scholar at the Middle East Institute in Washington. (Source)
Isis recording warns they’ve planned terror attacks during Ramadan
A hateful Isis audio recording has asked followers to prepare for terror attacks over the month of Ramadan in Europe and the US.
In the audio message, Abu Muhammad al-Adnani asked jihadists to prepare for ‘a month of calamity everywhere for non-believers’.
But the recording made no mention of the EgyptAir flight 804 tragedy – which the extremist group has not claimed responsibility for.
Al-Adnani said: ‘Get prepared, be ready… to make it a month of calamity everywhere for the non-believers.
Ramadan Violence: Islamic State Urges Lone Wolf Attacks in U.S., Europe
The Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL), in a new propaganda message, is urging supporters to carry out violent attacks against civilian and military targets within the United States and Europe during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which begins in early June.
...The day that marks the birth of the United States, the 4th of July, will fall on Ramadan. In addition, the holy month will take place during the summer, the season for multiple music festivals and concerts across the nation.
Various presidential campaign and election events will also take place during Ramadan 2016, as June will mark the end of the contentious primaries and caucuses held by the states and parties during which ISIS and Islam were debated.
“The period of Ramadan, which carries on into July, happens to coincide with a number of big events in Europe,” including the Euro Soccer Cup, Wimbledon, the Glastonbury Festival, and the London Gay Pride Parade, notes IBTimes.
Millions of Muslims in the United States and Europe are expected to participate in Ramadan.
Yom Kippur Katan
44 Days of the Omer
...While most Muslims observe Ramadan as a period of fasting and reflection, radical Islamists and the Islamic State in particular have focused on Ramadan as a period of intensified jihad, or holy war, when Sunni Muslims should lash out at both nonbelievers and Shiite Muslims.
...“It’s counterintuitive, you’d think [Ramadan] would be a time of turning inward, but for some [extremists] it’s also a time when your holy obligation to fight against the nonbelievers and blasphemers becomes even more imperative,” says Marvin Weinbaum, a former south Asia intelligence analyst at the State Department who is now a resident scholar at the Middle East Institute in Washington. (Source)
Isis recording warns they’ve planned terror attacks during Ramadan
A hateful Isis audio recording has asked followers to prepare for terror attacks over the month of Ramadan in Europe and the US.
In the audio message, Abu Muhammad al-Adnani asked jihadists to prepare for ‘a month of calamity everywhere for non-believers’.
But the recording made no mention of the EgyptAir flight 804 tragedy – which the extremist group has not claimed responsibility for.
Al-Adnani said: ‘Get prepared, be ready… to make it a month of calamity everywhere for the non-believers.
Ramadan Violence: Islamic State Urges Lone Wolf Attacks in U.S., Europe
The Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL), in a new propaganda message, is urging supporters to carry out violent attacks against civilian and military targets within the United States and Europe during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which begins in early June.
...The day that marks the birth of the United States, the 4th of July, will fall on Ramadan. In addition, the holy month will take place during the summer, the season for multiple music festivals and concerts across the nation.
Various presidential campaign and election events will also take place during Ramadan 2016, as June will mark the end of the contentious primaries and caucuses held by the states and parties during which ISIS and Islam were debated.
“The period of Ramadan, which carries on into July, happens to coincide with a number of big events in Europe,” including the Euro Soccer Cup, Wimbledon, the Glastonbury Festival, and the London Gay Pride Parade, notes IBTimes.
Millions of Muslims in the United States and Europe are expected to participate in Ramadan.
05 June 2016
Floods Around the World and Other Major Events
28 Iyyar 5776
Yom Yerushalayim
43 Days of the Omer
Floods apocalypse around the world in June 2016: USA, Mexico, Russia, China, France, Germany, Belgium, Ukraine, Romania (and Australia)
Germany
In Germany, 10 people have been killed, including four in Baden-Wuerttemberg in flooding that hit Sunday and Monday.
See it HERE.
France
Thousands have been evacuated as floods continue to threaten homes and businesses across the Paris region.
See it HERE.
Belgium
Belgium endured a fourth day of heavy rain, with flooding reported in several areas across the country. Several neighborhoods have had to be evacuated as cellars flooded and streets were submerged in overflowing creeks and rivers.
Romania
Two people were killed in floods in the Romanian counties of Vrancea and Bacau. Several hundreds of families have been evacuated. Red alert! Firefighters and police officers conduct rescue operation. Several rural areas are cut from the outside world.
Ukraine
As a result of heavy rain in Odessa, all major highways were flooded with sometimes more than half a meter of water on the roads.
Russia
The monthly precipitation – 82mm of rain – fell within 3 hours in Krasnodar, Russia on June 3, 2016.
United States of America
Texas faces days of rain as flooding crisis grows
Mexico
More than 500 residential houses in the Iztapalapa neighborhood of Mexico City have been flooded by heavy rains.
See it HERE.
China
The east and central provinces of China are currently experiencing apocalyptical floods. More than five thousands people have been evacuated, hundreds of thousands are suffering material damage.
See it HERE.
India
HEAVY FLOOD ON PEOPLE | Uttarakhand India
Australia
Australian east coast battered by heavy rain, strong winds, flash floods
Hundreds of people were in evacuation centres and up to 26,000 homes were without power as torrential rain and high winds battered Australia's east coast on Sunday (June 5), leading to widespread flooding and damage.
NUMBERS OF PEOPLE KILLED AND INJURED IN LIGHTNING STRIKES AROUND THE WORLD HAVE SKY-ROCKETED
"Between May 12 and 13, 81 people died in lightning strikes in 26 districts across Bangladesh during a spell of thunderstorms, according to the disaster management ministry."
At least 82 injured as lightning strikes Rock am Ring festival in Germany
Lightning strikes kill two in Pirojpur, Bangladesh
Lightning bolt kills two in Pune, India
Two farmers were killed by lightning bolt in Cambodia
Lightning strikes kill 17 and injure 12 in Odisha, India; bolt kills 21 cattle
Lightning strike casualties on the rise in Nepal: At least 553 killed in 5 years
In recent years, lightning has emerged as one of the deadliest natural disasters with 28 deaths and 60 injuries recorded from April 13 to May 31 in this year alone.
...According to the ministry, number of deaths caused by lightning has been increasing.... An analysis of distribution of human deaths in different districts shows that amongst various disaster types, lightning has caused more human deaths in 44 districts.
Planetary upheaval: More volcanoes erupted last week than during entire (average) year in 20th century
ASTEROID EXPLODES OVER ARIZONA: On June 2nd just before 4 a.m. MST, a small asteroid hit Earth's atmosphere and exploded over Arizona. The airburst shook the ground below and produced a flash of light 10x brighter than a full Moon. NASA says it was a 3-meter wide space rock from beyond the orbit of Mars. Shortly after the explosion, Mike Lerch walked out the front door of his house in Phoenix on the way to work, and this is what he saw:
"At first I thought it was a rocket launch," says Lerch. "Now I realize it was debris from the asteroid." Indeed, the smokey remains were widely visible as they twisted in the winds high above Arizona.
The flash itself was so bright, it briefly turned night into day.
...Bill Cooke of NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office says this is the brightest fireball detected in the 8-year history of the NASA's All Sky Fireball Network, an array of cameras that monitors fireball activity across the USA. The fact that the explosion blinded most cameras that saw it initially complicated analysts' efforts to pinpoint its nature and origin. Ultimately, however, they were able to draw firm conclusions: The mass of the asteroid was some tens of tons and it exploded with a kinetic energy of approximately 10 kilotons.
"There are no reports of any damage or injuries—just a lot of light and few sonic booms," says Cooke. "If Doppler radar is any indication, there are almost certainly meteorites scattered on the ground north of Tucson." (Source: Spaceweather.com)
And we're still just at the beginning.
Yom Yerushalayim
43 Days of the Omer
Floods apocalypse around the world in June 2016: USA, Mexico, Russia, China, France, Germany, Belgium, Ukraine, Romania (and Australia)
Germany
In Germany, 10 people have been killed, including four in Baden-Wuerttemberg in flooding that hit Sunday and Monday.
See it HERE.
France
Thousands have been evacuated as floods continue to threaten homes and businesses across the Paris region.
See it HERE.
Belgium
Belgium endured a fourth day of heavy rain, with flooding reported in several areas across the country. Several neighborhoods have had to be evacuated as cellars flooded and streets were submerged in overflowing creeks and rivers.
Romania
Two people were killed in floods in the Romanian counties of Vrancea and Bacau. Several hundreds of families have been evacuated. Red alert! Firefighters and police officers conduct rescue operation. Several rural areas are cut from the outside world.
Ukraine
As a result of heavy rain in Odessa, all major highways were flooded with sometimes more than half a meter of water on the roads.
Russia
The monthly precipitation – 82mm of rain – fell within 3 hours in Krasnodar, Russia on June 3, 2016.
United States of America
Texas faces days of rain as flooding crisis grows
Mexico
More than 500 residential houses in the Iztapalapa neighborhood of Mexico City have been flooded by heavy rains.
See it HERE.
China
The east and central provinces of China are currently experiencing apocalyptical floods. More than five thousands people have been evacuated, hundreds of thousands are suffering material damage.
See it HERE.
India
HEAVY FLOOD ON PEOPLE | Uttarakhand India
Australia
Australian east coast battered by heavy rain, strong winds, flash floods
Hundreds of people were in evacuation centres and up to 26,000 homes were without power as torrential rain and high winds battered Australia's east coast on Sunday (June 5), leading to widespread flooding and damage.
~~~~~~~~
NUMBERS OF PEOPLE KILLED AND INJURED IN LIGHTNING STRIKES AROUND THE WORLD HAVE SKY-ROCKETED
"Between May 12 and 13, 81 people died in lightning strikes in 26 districts across Bangladesh during a spell of thunderstorms, according to the disaster management ministry."
At least 82 injured as lightning strikes Rock am Ring festival in Germany
Lightning strikes kill two in Pirojpur, Bangladesh
Lightning bolt kills two in Pune, India
Two farmers were killed by lightning bolt in Cambodia
Lightning strikes kill 17 and injure 12 in Odisha, India; bolt kills 21 cattle
Lightning strike casualties on the rise in Nepal: At least 553 killed in 5 years
In recent years, lightning has emerged as one of the deadliest natural disasters with 28 deaths and 60 injuries recorded from April 13 to May 31 in this year alone.
...According to the ministry, number of deaths caused by lightning has been increasing.... An analysis of distribution of human deaths in different districts shows that amongst various disaster types, lightning has caused more human deaths in 44 districts.
~~~~~~~~
Planetary upheaval: More volcanoes erupted last week than during entire (average) year in 20th century
~~~~~~~~
ASTEROID EXPLODES OVER ARIZONA: On June 2nd just before 4 a.m. MST, a small asteroid hit Earth's atmosphere and exploded over Arizona. The airburst shook the ground below and produced a flash of light 10x brighter than a full Moon. NASA says it was a 3-meter wide space rock from beyond the orbit of Mars. Shortly after the explosion, Mike Lerch walked out the front door of his house in Phoenix on the way to work, and this is what he saw:
The flash itself was so bright, it briefly turned night into day.
...Bill Cooke of NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office says this is the brightest fireball detected in the 8-year history of the NASA's All Sky Fireball Network, an array of cameras that monitors fireball activity across the USA. The fact that the explosion blinded most cameras that saw it initially complicated analysts' efforts to pinpoint its nature and origin. Ultimately, however, they were able to draw firm conclusions: The mass of the asteroid was some tens of tons and it exploded with a kinetic energy of approximately 10 kilotons.
"There are no reports of any damage or injuries—just a lot of light and few sonic booms," says Cooke. "If Doppler radar is any indication, there are almost certainly meteorites scattered on the ground north of Tucson." (Source: Spaceweather.com)
And we're still just at the beginning.
Neo-Nazi Warning
28 Iyyar 5776
Yom Yerushalayim
43 Days of the Omer
A siren is wailing for American Jews, but they seem to be deaf to it...
Yom Yerushalayim
43 Days of the Omer
A siren is wailing for American Jews, but they seem to be deaf to it...
‘Fire up the oven’: Neo-Nazis target Jewish candidate in California
Re-Unification of Jerusalem? Yes, But Under Whose Authority?
28 Iyyar 5776
Yom Yerushalayim
43 Days of the Omer
Jewish "sovereignty" is an illusion used to pacify the masses.
Nearly a month ago, we were "celebrating" the re-establishment of Jewish sovereignty in the Land of Israel. Today, we are "celebrating" the re-establishment of Jewish sovereignty in the ancient capital city of Jerusalem. What do we have to "celebrate"? The fact that now there is such an appearance of Jewish sovereignty that most Jews think the Messiah has already come? At least if it were still obvious that we are being ruled by the nations of the world, good Jews would not be so satisfied with, nor intent on maintaining, the Status Quo.
Are we to celebrate the fact that we are free to visit the Western Wall under guard and in fear for our lives while Holy Jerusalem is ruled by a Hellenistic Jew and becomes more and more a monument to foreign powers, foreign ideas and foreign gods?
It is no coincidence that Cinema City, Jerusalem's Temple to Western Values and Materialism, was built across the street from the Illuminati and Mason-inspired Supreme Court Building.
Or that both of them, along with the Knesset, in fact the entire ruling complex, are located at "the gates" (entrance) to the city - the power base of the Erev Rav. Not only is there just the illusion of sovereignty over East Jerusalem, but in West Jerusalem as well!!
On this Yom Yerushalayim, keep in mind that while we give thanks to HKB"H for giving Yerushalayim back to us, we should bemoan the fact that the Erev Rav immediately snatched it away again.
“The Erev Rav delay the redemption much more than all the nations of the World.” (Raaya Mehemna-Sefer Ha Zohar)
Yom Yerushalayim
43 Days of the Omer
Jewish "sovereignty" is an illusion used to pacify the masses.
Nearly a month ago, we were "celebrating" the re-establishment of Jewish sovereignty in the Land of Israel. Today, we are "celebrating" the re-establishment of Jewish sovereignty in the ancient capital city of Jerusalem. What do we have to "celebrate"? The fact that now there is such an appearance of Jewish sovereignty that most Jews think the Messiah has already come? At least if it were still obvious that we are being ruled by the nations of the world, good Jews would not be so satisfied with, nor intent on maintaining, the Status Quo.
Are we to celebrate the fact that we are free to visit the Western Wall under guard and in fear for our lives while Holy Jerusalem is ruled by a Hellenistic Jew and becomes more and more a monument to foreign powers, foreign ideas and foreign gods?
It is no coincidence that Cinema City, Jerusalem's Temple to Western Values and Materialism, was built across the street from the Illuminati and Mason-inspired Supreme Court Building.
Or that both of them, along with the Knesset, in fact the entire ruling complex, are located at "the gates" (entrance) to the city - the power base of the Erev Rav. Not only is there just the illusion of sovereignty over East Jerusalem, but in West Jerusalem as well!!
On this Yom Yerushalayim, keep in mind that while we give thanks to HKB"H for giving Yerushalayim back to us, we should bemoan the fact that the Erev Rav immediately snatched it away again.
“The Erev Rav delay the redemption much more than all the nations of the World.” (Raaya Mehemna-Sefer Ha Zohar)
03 June 2016
Chosen of the Chosen
26 Iyyar 5776
Erev Shabbat Kodesh - Parshat Bamidbar41 Days of the Omer
One might call the Levites "Chosen of the Chosen" since they were singled out from among Am Yisrael for special service to HKB"H.
The Lord spoke to Moses saying:
Only the tribe of Levi you shall not number, and you shall not reckon their sum among the children of Israel.
But you shall appoint the Levites over the Tabernacle of the Testimony, over all its vessels and over all that belong to it; they shall carry the Tabernacle and they shall minister to it, and they shall encamp around the Tabernacle.
When the Tabernacle is set to travel, the Levites shall dismantle it; and when the Tabernacle camps, the Levites shall erect it; any outsider [non Levite] who approaches shall be put to death.
The children of Israel shall encamp, each man by his own camp and each man by his division.
The Levites shall encamp around the Mishkan of the Testimony, so that there be no wrath upon the congregation of the children of Israel and the Levites shall keep the charge of the Mishkan of the Testimony.
And the children of Israel did according to all that the Lord had commanded Moses thus did they do.
~~~~~~~~
As for Me I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel in place of all firstborns among the children of Israel who have opened the womb, and the Levites shall be Mine.For more very interesting information on the "Chosen of the Chosen" see...
The Tribe: The Cohen-Levi Family Heritage
(Excerpt) ...The choice of the tribe of Levi for the highest spiritual service was due to their ability to channel their strong character in the service of God. Levi, the son of Jacob, was chastised for his anger by his father: "Cursed is their zealousness for it is brazen and their wrath for it is hard. I will separate them in Ya'akov and scatter them throughout Israel" (Genesis 49:6-7).
Four generations later, Moses blessed the same tribe of Levi: "Your righteous men...keeper of Your word and covenant; He shall teach Your judgment in Ya'akov and Your Torah in Israel...Blessed of God is his valor and his actions are pleasing..." (Deuteronomy 33:8-11). The Levites were able to apply their physical and spiritual strength to the fulfillment of God's will and gain forever the role of God's trusted servants.
...The loyal nature of the Levites was most clearly demonstrated at the episode of the Golden Calf. The general population was influenced by the evil promptings of the mixed multitude. The Levites rallied to the side of Moshe to avenge God's honor. They were rewarded with the spiritual service lost at that time by the firstborn of the other tribes. The Levites were tested and proved themselves able, thereby earning their elevated spiritual status.
The Levites were constantly willing to risk their lives for God's service. They carried the sanctified vessels of the Tabernacle, which if mishandled, resulted in death.
02 June 2016
Escape Into Darkness
25 Iyyar 5776
40 Days of the Omer
It's not a coincidence that we are hearing the term "TRANS" so often now. The world is about to be TRANSformed in the era of Mashiach and on a soul-level people are sensing it. Souls are yearning for this TRANSformation, but unfortunately, it is being expressed in many non-kosher ways. When the soul cuts itself off from its Source and instead connects to the Other Side, the desire for TRANSformation becomes a form of escapism - an escape into darkness.
Many souls are in torment because of the degradation they are suffering in a world that has reached to the very depths of evil. Having turned their backs on God, they are wandering ever farther afield from the light and in their need to escape the pain, they descend deeper and deeper into the darkness.
There is a whole subculture of people dressing up in costumes today and pretending to be either superhuman or something other than human (Cosplay). Some go so far as to surgically alter their bodies in order to bring as much realism to their illusion as possible. This, too, is a corrupted expression of the soul's yearning to reconnect with the Truth, but only by warping it and bending it to flawed human will.
Evil's henchmen, aka The Powers That Be, are capitalizing on it by playing to this innate human desire for TRANSformation. They offer a faux light in the darkness that they have helped to create and draw these lost souls in ever deeper with promises they cannot possibly keep.
THE MAGNIFICENT HISTORY OF THE WORLD’S MOST POPULAR FESTIVAL: TOMORROWLAND.
...The gigantic festival we know today that sells out in seconds and welcomes people from every corner of the world had to struggle to build their reputation and to bring their fairy-tale reality into the hearts of dance music lovers every where.
How ironic is it that Israel is participating? July 23rd is not only the holy Shabbat, but it is also the 17th of Tamuz.
That's what it means to do teshuvah - to stop running away from God, to turn around and run TO Him.
However, the siren song is loud and compelling and the illusion is strong. How many will find the strength to free themselves?
40 Days of the Omer
It's not a coincidence that we are hearing the term "TRANS" so often now. The world is about to be TRANSformed in the era of Mashiach and on a soul-level people are sensing it. Souls are yearning for this TRANSformation, but unfortunately, it is being expressed in many non-kosher ways. When the soul cuts itself off from its Source and instead connects to the Other Side, the desire for TRANSformation becomes a form of escapism - an escape into darkness.
Many souls are in torment because of the degradation they are suffering in a world that has reached to the very depths of evil. Having turned their backs on God, they are wandering ever farther afield from the light and in their need to escape the pain, they descend deeper and deeper into the darkness.
There is a whole subculture of people dressing up in costumes today and pretending to be either superhuman or something other than human (Cosplay). Some go so far as to surgically alter their bodies in order to bring as much realism to their illusion as possible. This, too, is a corrupted expression of the soul's yearning to reconnect with the Truth, but only by warping it and bending it to flawed human will.
Evil's henchmen, aka The Powers That Be, are capitalizing on it by playing to this innate human desire for TRANSformation. They offer a faux light in the darkness that they have helped to create and draw these lost souls in ever deeper with promises they cannot possibly keep.
THE MAGNIFICENT HISTORY OF THE WORLD’S MOST POPULAR FESTIVAL: TOMORROWLAND.
...The gigantic festival we know today that sells out in seconds and welcomes people from every corner of the world had to struggle to build their reputation and to bring their fairy-tale reality into the hearts of dance music lovers every where.
How ironic is it that Israel is participating? July 23rd is not only the holy Shabbat, but it is also the 17th of Tamuz.
The king of all electronic music festivals, Tomorrowland, is taking place for the first time in Israel this summer! “UNITE – The Mirror to Tomorrowland” is an international event taking place simultaneously in 7 countries (Germany, India, Israel, Japan, Mexico and South Africa) “mirroring” the father event, the Belgian festival which has become a cult among electronic music fans. Broadcasting live from the Belgium stage to the Israeli festival will be huge names of electronics .... Local DJs will open the event, for a psychedelic night of partying uniting thousands of people around the world. UNITE – The Mirror to Tomorrowland takes place at the Payis Arena in Jerusalem, on July 23, 2016. Ticket are on sale for 149 NIS.The only hope for humanity is to quickly turn around and head the other direction - and fast!
That's what it means to do teshuvah - to stop running away from God, to turn around and run TO Him.
However, the siren song is loud and compelling and the illusion is strong. How many will find the strength to free themselves?
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