Does Zehut Have the Answers?

2 Adar 5777

If they do, they are not sharing them on Facebook. I guess the communication is only meant to be one-way. I (and others) have asked some serious questions, but no response is forthcoming, not even a "We'll have to get back to you on that."

Here is my final question, for which I do not expect an answer either. Where is the money coming from for such a production as this...

2 hours ago, I left a planning meeting about Zehut's upcoming convention and my mouth is still wide open. I am in shock. I have never seen anything so professional, exciting, and energetic in my life!
My impression is that this convention – Tuesday, Feb 28^th at the Tel Aviv port "Hangar 11" – will simply blow people away. It will give the impression that this is not some political rally in Israel, rather that they are standing in the middle of the Republican National Convention.

Here's a sneak peek:

• 24 screens all around the room

• A round stage similar to what was used at BOTH the US Democratic and Republican Conventions a few months ago

• Live entertainment from top Israeli singers and performers

• The complete, never-before-seen Zehut platform, printed as a 300-page book (in Hebrew) plus a 25-page synopsis of the platform in Hebrew, English, and French. (Russian and Spanish will be available after the convention)

• Animated movies that highlight portions of the Zehut platform

• Simultaneous translation in several languages

• Huge flags, banners, and balloons

• Live streaming on Facebook… and Arutz-7 as well!

Funny story:
I asked Shai Malka, General Manager of Zehut, if our usual videographer, Tehila, will be filming the conference. He answered; "No..we have Israel's #1 film crew - with a team of 14 video cameras – filming the event from every angle imaginable!" 14 cameras?? This is like the Super Bowl!!!

And yes, there will be a clip of the exciting highlights after the convention…

A convention like this has never taken place in Israel's history!
Yes, there have been political conventions but they have ALWAYS been limited to members of the party. THIS convention is for… Am Yisrael – the entire Nation of Israel.

Let me review the details:It's at the Tel Aviv Port (called the "Namal") inside "Hangar 11" this coming Tuesday evening – February 28^th (the 2^nd of Adar). Zehut members are asked to come between 3:00pm-5:45pm in order to vote on key Zehut issues regarding our primaries. Doors open to the General Public at 5:45pm and the program will begin promptly at 6:15pm. The evening will conclude at 8:45pm.

New leadership is coming to Israel sooner than you think. Let's get to work!

With love of Israel,
Shmuel Sackett
Chairman, Zehut International

You have to wonder, for such an extravaganza - just like the Americans! - who is bankrolling it? 
________________________

So, a reader has sent the following...

Moshe Feiglin & Zehut Charidy(sic) Money Bomb Donate NOW – $400,000 Goal

Every donation will be matched 4x. Here is what Shmuel Sackett sent me. I donated $1,000, which is matched by donors to $4,000.

And, again, I ask. Where is this money coming from? Or should I ask from whom?

Protecting Our Land, Protecting Ourselves

2 Adar 5777

I would really like to see Moshe Feiglin's new Zehut party really offer some solutions for Jewish Identity in Israel. But, what I've seen so far is very disappointing. Regarding foreign influence in the Jewish State...

ARABS

Principle 2 from the Four Principles e-book
Arab residents of Judea and Samaria will have three options: voluntary emigration, permanent residency status or citizenship for those who will tie their fate with the State of Israel, as exemplified by the Druze population.

Besides the fact that none of these options is allowed under Torah law, I wondered why not take this as an opportunity to begin to move people in the right direction. As I put forth on the Zehut Facebook page...

Jewish Identity - That would be an excellent way to push things in a great direction for the ultimate good of all if it concentrated on establishing that Israeli citizenship and land ownership must be for JEWS ONLY and while others may live here in the meantime with their civil rights protected, they cannot be citizens or vote in elections unless they also want to become a Jew. The same way that American citizenship is reserved for Americans (and foreigners who become Americans in accordance with American laws), citizenship in the Jewish State is reserved for Jews (and any foreigner who becomes a Jew in accordance with Jewish law). If you did nothing more than pound this idea home day after day after day, eventually it might sink in, which would be a tremendous step in the right direction. Especially in doing away with the erroneous idea that we are a religion rather than a nation. The Torah is not a religious book, it is our nation's constitution. It is instructions for how to build a properly functioning society which becomes the light to the nations.

REFUGEES

On this subject Zehut gets an A+. See Moshe Feiglin: Israel Must Not Open Gates to Syrian Refugees. He said similar things about "refugees" from Darfur and Sudan, etc. in 2009. I'd like to know how Zehut envisions solving the problem of the illegal occupation of South Tel Aviv.

CHRISTIAN MISSIONARIES

In the past, Moshe Feiglin came out on the right side of Glen Beck's intrusion and more recently, his number one, Shmuel Sackett, came out similarly against Mike Huckabee. However, the fact that at least one announced candidate on his list has close ties to a major missionary organization in Israel is problematic.

Also, the designation of "Lovers of Israel", as in the following announcement, is worrisome. We all know what that is code for.

...ZEHUT International is about one thing: Becoming part of the game and not just a fan from the sidelines.
...ZEHUT International is making YOU part of Israel's democratic process.
You will have the opportunity to make recommendations for members of Zehut's Knesset list. You will essentially become their constituents, from wherever you are in the world!
PS - Membership in ZEHUT International is open to all lovers of Israel. Voting rights are reserved for members of the Jewish nation. See here.

That comes straight off their mailing. 

NON-JEWS WHO THINK THEY ARE JEWS

It's all well and good to talk about "only members of the Jewish nation" having actual voting rights, but it's another thing to do it in practice. It's one thing to guarantee that only citizens vote since they carry a voting card verifying their right to vote. But, how will they ever be able to guarantee the Jewish identity of those claiming to be Jews in the Diaspora? 

Besides the problem of non-halachic converts and children of Jewish men without Jewish mothers, how many Xian "Messianic Jews" and "lost Israelites" will sign up to vote as Jews? How many "Ephraimites" like the Wallers and their volunteers who are still Xians, but lay claim to our land and heritage, will use it as a way to exert even greater influence here because of their financial contributions to the party. (Membership is $10 a month. Multiply that by a few million deluded people). How long until their dream of Xian aliyah is realized through this influence?

So much for Jewish Identity. 

Expulsion From Amona

30 Shevat 5777

"WARNING! GRAPHIC!!"

Rav Richter's Shiur. Amona. Part I February 15, 2017
Rav Yehuda Richter delivers a shiur on what really happened in Amona, and why a Jewish village no longer exists

Rav Richter's Shiur. Amona. Part II February 22nd 2017
Rav Yehuda Richter from Elon More delivers a Torah shiur on the destruction of Amona, the reasons it happened, and the lessons to learn from it.

Jewish Government - Part 3

27 Shevat 5777

Part 1, Part 2

Obviously, an earthly regime of limited human scope is needed, one that enforces law and order on a daily basis. Yet, precisely as the people, themselves, who stand above the flesh-and-blood leaders elected to govern them, are subject to the ultimate authority of Torah law, so, too - how much more so - is the people's government subject to this authority. Surely their status is beneath that of their electors. Even if we say that the mundane regime has the standing of a father vis-a-vis his family, it clearly cannot achieve a status higher than that of an individual father, regarding whom it says, "Every person must revere his mother and father, and keep My Sabbaths. I am the L-rd your G-d" (Lev. 19:3). The Talmud derives from this (Yevamot 5b), "I might think honoring one's parents should override Sabbath observance. It therefore says, 'Every person must revere his mother and father, and keep My Sabbaths.' You are all obligated regarding My honor." Rashi adds, "Although I have admonished you regarding revering one's father, if your father tells you to violate the Sabbath, do not listen to him, and the same applies regarding all other mitzvot."

It is the same with the Jewish People's government, that same government whose origin is the Torah, and whose chief task is to maintain internal order and defend the people from external enemies so that we can fulfill our duties to G-d in peace. Our duty to honor and obey our mundane government depends on the extent to which that government honors and obeys Torah law, the Kingdom of Heaven, the ultimate authority of both the Jewish People and their elected government.

I have already noted above that the source for the Jewish government is Deuteronomy 17:15: "You must appoint a king whom the L-rd your G-d shall choose." Rambam brings this mitzvah down as law (Hilchot Melachim 1:1), as quoted, and he clearly defines the authority accorded to the king and the honor that he deserves:

We treat the king with great honor, and we imbue his fear and reverence in the heart of all people.... If someone rebels against a king of Israel, the king is allowed to kill him...and the same applies to whoever denigrates or curses him" (Ibid., 2:1; 3:8).

The reason for this is that a citizen who refuses to obey the law or who takes the law into his own hands for personal reasons, destroys the foundation of society and ushers in total chaos. He has no right to decide what law he will or will not obey. G-d placed the ruler in charge and gave him rights and powers, and no citizen can object. (See Rambam, Hilchot Melachim, Ch. 4).

Indeed, the powers of the king - or government - and his rights are clear, yet so, too, are the restrictions:

When the king is established on his royal throne, he must write a copy of this Torah as a scroll.... It must always be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life. He will then learn to be in awe of the L-rd his G-d, and carefully keep every word of this Torah and these rules. He will then also not begin to feel superior to his brethren or stray from the mandate to the right or to the left. He and his descendants will, thus, have a long reign in the midst of Israel. (Deut. 17:18-20)

The people are obligated to honor and revere their government, yet their government must learn "to be in awe of the L-rd" and "not to stray from the mandate." The Torah literally remains with the king, lest he forget for even a moment who his own Ruler and King is. 

As Samuel told the people when he anointed their first king: "If you behave wickedly, both you and your king shall be swept away" (I Sam. 12:25). The king - with his regime - forfeits his right and authority to rule when he violates G-d's word. As we find, "Then came the word of the L-rd unto Samuel, saying, 'I regret having set up Saul to be king, for he has turned away from following Me and has not performed My commandments'" (Ibid., 15:10-11). Samuel said to the king, "The L-rd has rent the kingdom of Israel from you this day" (Ibid. 15:28).

The powers of the king and his regime depend on the assumption that he will obey the higher authority. Once he rebels, his own authority is no longer valid. Our sages taught this explicitly (Sanhedrin 49a):

It says, "Whoever rebels against your commandment and does not hearken unto your words in all that you command him shall be put to death" (Josh. 1:18). I might think this applied even to the Torah [i.e., if you command him to violate the Torah]. It therefore says, "Only be strong and of good courage" (Ibid.) [to keep the Torah].  --(Source)

Part 4

"Mercy in Judgement"

28 Shevat 5777
Erev Shabbat Kodesh
Parashat Mishpatim/Sheqalim/Mevorchim
Shabbat shalom! Chodesh tov!

Rabbi Mordechai Sitorsky

Parashat Mishpatim: Mercy in Judgement - Li'Iliuy Nishmas Michla Bas Eliyahu

Christianity and Pedophilia - More Prevalent Than You Thought

27 Shevat 5777

Most people are surely aware of the scandal of pedophilia in the Catholic church. Priests who are required to remain celibate throughout their lives in order to attain some high level of spiritual purity instead sink to the lowest form of debasement as they prey upon innocent and defenseless children. But, this is just an outward sign of a deeper evil.

Christianity, especially the Evangelicals, those whom many so-called "Orthodox" Jews have embraced unconditionally (meaning they don't require them to give up their false and idolatrous beliefs) because of their vocal attestations of "love and support" for the Jewish people, is guilty of spiritual pedophilia. 

In a well-meant, but misguided attempt to adhere to the injunction of King Solomon to "Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it" (Proverbs 22:6), they seek out and prey upon children particularly. With typical Christian subterfuge, they also see it as a way to ensnare the parents, too. And so it is!

This is how my heart and mind were captured, enslaved and made to serve a false god from the age of nine.

Every summer, the church would sponsor a two-week program for children called Vacation Bible School. They would typically have a parade to draw the kids in and invite all the children in the surrounding community with the offer of 3-4 hours a day of free babysitting for parents and the promise of fun and refreshments for children. Along with it came heavy doses of Christian indoctrination. At the end of two weeks, a special "graduation" ceremony was held for the parents to attend, at the end of which a special "invitation" was given to "accept J****". By that time, some kids were ready to do whatever it took to avoid the fires of hell awaiting them. Oftentimes, the parents would follow their children into joining the church.

Someone got the idea to do this on a more regular (weekly) basis with a "bus ministry". Some printed up flyers and left them at homes in the church's surrounding area, while others knocked on doors personally, offering to pick the kids up with a school bus every Sunday morning for Sunday School letting the parents sleep in. Here, too, it wasn't long before the kids wanted to join the church and the parents often followed. 

By targeting children, they were preying on those least able to understand their duplicity and least able to resist the brainwashing. Once a child grows up in this environment, he just continues to trust that the adults in his life have steered him a straight course and few there are who ever doubt the righteousness of their path or ever grow up enough to question what they've been taught.

Maybe the worst thing is what happens between such a captured child and any parent who does not come on board with him. For me, it was my father, who never set foot inside any church his entire life to my knowledge. I know he believed in God, but unfortunately, I don't know anything else. The Xian "savior" was a barrier between us. I was convinced that he was a lost cause and I lived in fear that he would die and spend eternity in torment unless I could think of some way to bring him into the fold. That never happened, thank God, but it meant we never spoke of it as a result. 

What else can you rightfully call this, but spiritual pedophilia!? They rape your mind! That's how I view these people, even though I once served them and their agenda and even though they seem otherwise loving, giving, kind, and sympathetic. That's how pernicious it is. 

And that's why it shocks and hurts me to the depths of my soul to find them being welcomed into the inner sanctum of Judaism where I sought and found refuge in the truth and purity of the Torah HaKadosh.

Imagine you are a child who escaped a child molestor who held you in chains for years. You went to the ends of the earth so as never again to be reminded of the torture and the loss, only to find that he has not only followed you, but he has been invited into the new home where you had found sanctuary. Your adoptive family is befriending and celebrating him while you must watch from the sidelines and wonder who he will target next and how and what you can possibly do about it. 

Welcome to my life.

Jewish Government - Part 2

26 Shevat 5777

Part 1

After the first Trump/Netanyahu meeting last week in the United States, a press release containing their remarks was issued. One statement stands out: "In today’s meeting, President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu agreed that there will be no daylight between the United States and Israel,....” 

This is in extreme opposition to the Creator's will as expressed in our Holy Torah. Therefore, this being, as it were, attached at the hip bodes grave ill for Israel.

And speaking of "extreme". If the Torah seems "extreme" to you, that says more about how far you have drifted away from the truth than it does about the Torah's "extremism", God forbid, as if the Creator Himself Who gave the Torah could possibly be considered "extreme". He is the One Who defines it, not us. And if you reject this Torah truth in favor of your own ideas and feelings, then you are a rebel against the rule of the King of kings. Think about that. We, as the creatures must conform to the Creator, not the other way around. We are not the masters of our own fate. HKB"H is Supreme!

(Continuing...)

Chapter Twenty-two

The Jewish Government

...The non-Jewish state in our day, as we know it, and as perceived by the alien culture which venerates it, came into being through the gradual development of families, clans, and tribes into distinct nations. These, seeking security and survival, recognized some authority and settled on territory of their own. Thus,  both the nation and the state came to be controlled by an authority elected by the people. There was nothing miraculous or unique about this development. The state did not come into being at a specific moment or via the intervention of some supernatural power. It was created by consent of the people, who for practical, utilitarian reasons recognized the need for an authority which would maintain internal order and defend against external enemies. Such a government derived its authority and its right to decree without protest both from the practical need for order and from the power invested in it by the people to act and to speak on their behalf.

This idea - that the people are the ones who gave the government the right to speak on their behalf, and that in actuality the government is the people - is what backs up the argument that the individual must not violate the government's decisions. In this secular, mundane conception of government, the people are the ultimate authority. They are the legislators, whether by direct decision, or by the election of representatives who speak and legislate on their behalf. Hence, government becomes the ultimate authority, and on this is based the non-Jewish government's demand for absolute obedience by the individual.

Yet, none of this is relevant to the Jewish People, whose inception did not involve gradual, mundane development and whose ultimate authority does not derive from the people, itself, but from an external source. There was a moment defined in time in which the Jewish People became a nation, and it was a very special moment.

Now, if you obey Me and keep My covenant, you shall be My special treasure among the nations, even though all the world is Mine. You will be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation to Me.... All the people answered as one and said, "All that the L-rd has spoken, we will do" (Ex. 19:5-6, 8).

This special, supernatural, planned moment, in which the nation was born, was underscored once more when the day of Moses's death drew near:

Today you are all standing before the L-rd your G-d - your leaders, your tribal chiefs, your elders, your law enforcers, every Israelite man, your children, your women, and the proselytes in your camp - even your woodcutters and water drawers. You are, thus, being brought into the covenant of the L-rd your G-d, and accepting the dread path that He is making with you today. He is establishing you as His nation, so that He will be a G-d to you." (Deut. 29:9-13)

At a precise moment, the Jewish nation was created. This moment was special, supernatural and planned. Israel's creation stemmed from an outside source, such that its supreme authority and the right to make decisions about its fate and future, likewise, did not derive from the people's will, as with other nations, but from the external force which created it - G-d.

Israel's creation resulted from a covenant with G-d. This covenant created a unique, exclusive nation, committed to obeying the laws and statutes of G-d and to accepting one supreme authority.

This supreme authority is absolute and not open to restrictions or objections. It is the Kingdom of Heaven, and we are commanded to accept its yoke upon ourselves. As the Mishnah teaches (Berachot 13a): "R. Yehoshua ben Korcha said, 'Why is the paragraph of "Shema" read before the paragraph "And it shall come to pass, if you hearken...."? It is so that one will first accept upon himself the yoke of Heaven and then the yoke of mitzvot.'"

The Torah is our supreme authority, and its laws bind and control us. In order that we should recognize its overriding domination over us, we daily swear loyalty to it: "Hear, O Israel, the L-rd is our G-d, the L-rd is One" (Deut. 6:4). Through this, we daily accept upon ourselves the yoke of Heaven, the laws of the Torah. This is the ultimate authority over Israel. --(Source)

Part 3

Binyamin Golden: "Murdering Our Children"

25 Shevat 5777

FC Message from Binyamin Golden
12 Shevat 5777, Parashat Beshallach

"Murdering Our Children"  (English Audio)
  רצח הילדים שלנו   (Hebrew Text)

Breaching the Boundaries

25 Shevat 5777

Ynetnews published an article yesterday entitled Ivanka is not alone: Everyone wants to be Jewish. The author wonders why suddenly it seems like everyone wants to be Jewish. Despite the New Testament's teaching that Jews will be provoked to jealousy by the Christians, it would seem that it is the non-Jews who are jealous for what we have inherited as the Jewish People. 

It is important to recall that this is not new. No sooner had Ya'aqov and his family arrived in Shechem than the locals began plotting how to benefit from a connection to them. They were so enthralled by the expectation of what they stood to gain materially, they were even willing to submit to circumcision, although they had no interest in being in a covenantal relationship with HKB"H. They had no concept of or desire for kedushah. 

Even today, very, very few do. Instead, what they really want is what the residents of Shechem wanted.  They are willing to move a little bit towards us (a purely outward show with kippah, tzitzit and tallit, maybe a shofar) if we will move a little bit towards them (give up our exclusivity and abandon Hashem's mitzvot which obligate us to remain separate and apart) and meet them somewhere in the middle. 

God forbid!!

...All of Israel are bound together in one unit by faith and nationality, thereby differing, even in their approach to faith, from other nations and other faiths, all of which are false. In order to establish this definition and to secure it from the influence of the nations and of their illegitimate faiths and beliefs, G-d commanded this holy people that they must also have a holy land, unique to them, where all of Israel would gather together to live Torah lives and where they would speak Hebrew wihch would unify all of them (and I have elaborated on Eretz Yisrael previously).

The values of the alien culture are abominable nonsense, a distortion which has infiltrated large sectors of G-d's people, who speak of the "equality" of all men and all nations. This equality, the cause celebre of the nations, has no foothold in that bastion of truth, the Torah, with its attributes and values, and of this it says, "Who has required this at your hand, to trample My courts?" (Isaiah 1:12). G-d established for Himself a special, treasured nation, holy and lofty - the Jewish People - who dwell alone. Woe to the eyes and ears that see and hear large portions of G-d's people who have gotten so confused and assimilated that many of them scorn their crown and loathe their land and their selection as a holy, lofty people, children of G-d - indeed, they attack the whole idea! Woe to this people, "ungrateful and unwise!" (Source)

What you see above is just one small tip of the iceberg. Here is the perfect example of what Rabbi Kahane, may his blood be avenged, was describing - "Woe to this people, 'ungrateful and unwise!'"

Excerpted from Lars Enarson's "The Prophetic Restoration of Israel":

...That is the new covenant that we have come into through faith in J**** C*****. We have been incorporated into the people of God, into the family of God.

...The mystery of C***** is that Gentiles are heirs together with Israel. We have one destiny with the Jewish people!

... I’m talking now about the prophetic that is going to be raised up in the last days to join Jew and Gentile together,.... 

...We are members together of God’s family. This is clearly speaking about the uniting of the fathers, meaning the nation of Israel, the people of Israel that gave birth to the church, and the children, which is the new covenant people that was born out from the nation of Israel. Elijah is going to come and he is going to restore and heal that bridge – that gap – that is between Israel and the church. The church is going to be built up on this foundation that we have been joined with Israel, to inherit the promises given to them...!

...We are going to see a reuniting, where Paul said that salvation has come to the Gentiles in order to provoke Israel to jealousy. In other words: there is going to be a work done in the church, in the nations, that will be so powerful, that eventually the nation of Israel is going to be jealous over us. ...Their hearts are going to begin to turn towards us, because of the mighty works of grace that God is going to do, in the church, in the last days.

...So Elijah repaired, he restored that altar where the whole family of God came together! And it was on that restored altar of a unity between Jew and Gentile that the fire could fall from heaven that provoked the people to jealousy. To have their eyes opened, to see...[Yeshu]... Before the church can heal that relationship with the Jewish people, they will never recognize who their messiah is. And then there is no hope for the world.

...The church is going to be restored, ...it is going to be restored back to its fellowship, its unity with the Jewish people just like when it began in the temple.

God forbid! And this is what is being taught to the followers and volunteers of Tommy Waller and his HaYovel Ministries by Lars Enarson and his cohorts. This is what all those Christian "Lovers of Israel" believe.

From the personal email report of a frequent HaYovel volunteer:

"...Speaking of the Har Bracha community - This year I saw a new depth of love and acceptance with the Israeli's we spent time with...and I marveled at it. More and more, hearts are changing and opening to us. 

...This year I heard several times, '...And so, my brothers, my sisters, my friends..." with all sincerity. We were told, "We consider you our family."

There were several times that different speakers or friends would tell us that the new Temple that will be built will be a "house of prayer for all nations." (Isaiah 56:7) They want to make sure we know that we are invited and included. (You'll remember that this is the verse [Yeshu] quoted when He cleansed the Temple from the money changers and from those buying and selling. The fulfillment of that prophecy is something that He wants as well.)

Hashem yerachem al Klal Yisrael!

What Constitutes Jewish Government

23 Shevat 5777

"My people were silenced for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you from being a priest to me; seeing that you have forgotten the Torah of your God, I, too, will forget your children." (Hoshea 4.6)

Please refer to my previous post if you have not already seen it. Distorters of Torah wearing kippot are worse than the bare-headed Deniers of the Torah because they pretend to be acting l'shem shamayim while all the time undermining the foundation of Judaism and serving themselves. 

Much better the obvious wolf than the wolf in sheep's clothing whose threat goes unnoticed by the sheep!

The wolves in sheep's clothing can only succeed where the sheep remain ignorant of the danger. Only Torah education can save them! Therefore, this post will mark the beginning of a series on Jewish Government according to the Torah. 

Because we are so very close to Mashiach's rule, Jews must become knowledgeable in what constitutes a Jewish government in order to be prepared to accept that rule, else they won't be allowed by HKB"H to remain to be a part of it. 

"And destruction shall come over rebels and sinners together, and those who forsake the Lord shall perish." (Yeshayahu 1.28)

Chapter Twenty-two

The Jewish Government

Since G-d decreed isolation for Israel and established a place for them to dwell alone in order to build their Divine, holy society, He also decreed that there should be a governmental authority in the Land, whose mission would be to fight G-d's battles against Israel's enemies and establish order. These two missions serve to advance the Torah's status in the Land: Israel must have rest from their enemies to establish the kingdom of G-d and Torah, and there must be law and order in the Land so that the nation obeys G-d's mitzvot in the Torah state that is established. Rambam taught (Hilchot Melachim 1:1):

Three mitzvot were commanded to Israel on their entering the Land: to appoint a king, as it says "You must appoint a king" (Deut. 17:15); to annihilate Amalek's descendants... and to build the Temple. [Devash: "In that order!"]

He also taught (Ibid., 4:10):

In everything, [the king's] deeds should be for the sake of Heaven, and his purpose and intent should be to raise up the true religion, to fill the world with justice, to crush the evildoers, and to fight G-d's battles, for our purpose in crowning a king is only for him to execute justice and wage war: "That our king may judge us, and go out before us and fight our battles" (I Sam. 8:20).

The Jewish government, the king and the police apparatus were mainly intended to run the Jewish State as a theocracy in accordance with G-d's mitzvot. [Devash: "And so it was for the thousand years that the Mishkan and the Holy Temple stood!] Regarding the verse, "Appoint yourselves judges and police" (Deut. 16:18), R. Eliezer ben Shamua says (Sifri, Shoftim, 144), "If there are police, there are judges. If there are no police, there are no judges." The intent is clear: If there are police to enforce the judges' Torah rulings, then the judges' word will endure. Otherwise, it is as though there are no judges. Their rulings are then nothing but a farce. In essence, G-d commanded that there be governmental coercion so as to ensure that the people follow G-d's path. G-d scornfully cast off of Himself and of us the alien non-Jewish opposition to "religious coercion," opposition which is nothing but rebellion against G-d and His decrees.

Sefer HaChinuch wrote (Mitzvah 491):

To appoint judges and policemen who will coerce mitzvah observance and restore to it by force those who have strayed from the truth. They will command regarding what is appropriate to do and will prevent unsavory acts from occurring, and they will uphold punishments against violators until people cease to relate to the mitzvot and prohibitions according to how they personally interpret them.

This concept stands in absolute opposition to the alien culture and to the licentiousness and abominations at its core, yet Sefer HaChinuch goes on:

The rationale behind this mitzvah is obvious, that through it we can establish our religion, with the fear of our leaders and judges upon the masses. By being accustomed to goodness and uprightness through fear, it will become second nature for them to act justly and righteously out of love, [Devash: Just the opposite of what some are telling us today.] through their recognizing the path of truth. As the wise say, human nature is a function of habit. Just as nature forces a person to do what he must, so, too, does constant habituation render traits second nature and compel him to adopt a practice forever. Then, when the people take the path of integrity and belief and choose goodness, goodness clings to them and G-d is happy with His works.

In other words, through coercion a person becomes accustomed to leading his life according to Torah law. Seeing how pleasant and beautiful and holy it is, he learns to keep the Torah even without coercion. Yet, even if the Jewish People do not achieve this understanding, G-d will not let them sit securely while they rebel against Him and violate His mitzvot. It is, therefore, a mitzvah for us to force G-d's ways upon man, because when we are able to do this and do not, we, too, are held responsible for the sins of the wicked.

Clearly, the government's whole worth is solely as a means toward the proper running of G-d's state. It is inconceivable that there could be any valid authority to a government that does not conduct itself this way. The monarchy, or whatever government there may be, was intended only to fulfill the Divine mission assigned to it by Divine decree. Thus, all the rights and authority of Jewish governments stem solely from the Torah. A Jewish government must not resemble any regime of the nations, because the government, state and people, themselves were created only to obey G-d.

--(Source)

Part 2

Our Greatest Enemy

23 Shevat 5777
Shavua tov!

"The erev rav is that part of the Jewish People intent on war against God and against the truth and credibility of His Torah..."

Make no mistake. Many of them wear a kippah and some are even called "Rabbi". But, they bring another Torah - one more pleasing to their own sensibilities - to replace the one we received at Har Sinai.

The only way to tell who they really are is to listen closely to what they say. Some are more obvious than others. Some stay very close to the truth and only deviate in ways which can easily confuse unlearned people. But, once they have convinced you to follow them down their deviant path, the longer you go, the further from the truth you are until you are completely corrupted.

"...With them we face an uncompromising battle to the finish, [a war for hearts and minds] and the Gra emphasized this in his call to holy war against them. When he says that whoever does not actively fight the erev rav becomes their partner and is better off never having been born, he means to warn against the distorted tolerance and groundless love which are the main impediments in this war."  (Source)


See also "The Loyalty Phenomenon" Indeed.

UPDATE: MISSIONARY AT FLORIDA SYNAGOGUE

21 Shevat 5777
Erev Shabbat Kodesh
Shabbat shalom!

If you don't know what I am referring to, see these previous posts...

Assimilation From Within the Synagogue?


Update on the Situation with Boca Raton Synagogue

BARUCH HASHEM! THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED!

[Apologies. Comments were not intended to be open on this post. When received, I responded, but I thought better of it and they are closed now.]

"From Depression to Joy"

21 Shevat 5777
Erev Shabbat Kodesh
Shabbat shalom!

Rabbi Mordechai Sitorsky

Parashat Yitro: From Depression to Joy

Out of Sight, Out of Mind

20 Shevat 5777

We landlubbers don't often give thought to what is going on seaward. Thanks to this article from Ynet, we can get a glimpse into what is happening in our very own backyard - the Mediterranean Sea.

Maritime activity raging as navy ships in the Mediterranean display their presence

On the backdrop of the Syrian civil war, navy missile boat fighters are finding themselves sea-deep in work facing dozens of warships in the international waters of the Mediterranean.

The increased presence of Israeli missile boats amidst the American, Russian, French, Turkish, British, Italian and Greek warships is intentional. A lack of presence in these crucial times, in an area that is of strategic significance to Israel, would make it that much harder to later return to force.

See the whole thing HERE.

"Off-the-Derech" Rabbis

19 Shevat 5777

This is what you get when there is no possibility of law enforcement and every man does what is right in his own eyes. Well, these days are numbered, thank God!

Here is another example of interfaith cooperation which appears to break new ground. Now, rabbis are providing the material and participating in the promotional video for a Christian-written book. 

"...Britt Lode, a Christian from Norway."

"Norwegian Christian author Britt Lode...."

"Britt Lode lives in Norway with her beautiful family of five. For more than fifteen years she has had a special interest in Israel, and especially in the mountains of Judea and Samaria. She is passionate about fostering peace between Christians and Jews and about making the information about their common heritage and common goal readily available."

How can any Torah Jew, much less an "Orthodox" rabbi make common cause with this? It is the Erev Rav, themselves a mixture, who never cease wanting to mix the Jews with the surrounding nations and cultures! It is the Erev Rav who want to deny Israel's uniqueness and separateness! What other conclusion can be drawn?



What good is the Torah that they are teaching when those who hear it remain in their mental slavery and criminal idolatry, besides the fact that it is all ASSUR!!, not to mention just plain wrong?

Feiglin's Failed Ideas

18 Shevat 5777

Although I do not doubt that Moshe Feiglin has good intentions, I do very much doubt his good judgment. After years and years of disregarding calls by supporters to build a new party to rival the Likud for right-wing votes, he finally put together a platform and a team and called it Zehut - Identity.

If HKB"H has not given up on us, we can hope that it will go the way of everything else with Feiglin's stamp on it. 

Quoting a party representative...

"...Zehut is completely against religious coercion. It is not the duty of the state to get involved in its citizens religious observance. That is against Bechirah (free choice) which is a major tenet of our Torah."

One wonders if the person who made this statement has ever read the Torah, much less studied it, because nothing could be further from the truth!

This party claims to promote Jewish identity, but there is no Jewish identity outside the framework of the Torah's coercive "religious" laws.

What do you think? I'll open up comments for discussion.

1. Shimshon14/2/17 12:41 PM

   I am a founding member of Zehut and followed Feiglin and Manhigut for many years before that.
   
   This is a misunderstanding of who Feiglin is or what Zehut's goals are. He wants to just about dismantle the predatory, and I may add (as you very well know and point out yourself on MANY times), extremely anti-Torah state. You think it's better to remake that same state in some sort of Torah-true image. You are wrong. The first step is to slay the beast. Not try to tame it.
   
   In any case, you misunderstand his views on Jewish observance, and I think you should contact Zehut directly for a more nuanced response on the subject. I could give over my recollection of a response I heard from Moshe himself years ago on a question directed to him asking why he was against state-mandated closure of a fully privatized El Al (as one example).
   
   Why don't you come to the convention this 28/2? I'm going to be there, and so will lots of other people.
   
   By the way, here is a nearly direct quote on Moshe's views on the state (and why he is against coercive legislation that stems from it) from a speech he delivered last November.
   
   "People don’t understand that concept here in Israel. They think the state are their fathers and mothers. The concept that the state comes instead of the family is a communist…ultra-leftist…concept. In the Stalin regime the child that gave away his parents to the gulags was a hero. This is what we’re talking about. A state that comes instead of the family. We’re talking about taking the power from the state and giving it back to the community, and to the family. And we’re talking about doing that in all spheres. In education. In the economy. In any kind of family circle, giving back authority to the family, and to the man of the house."
   
   Taking the authority from the state and giving it back to the family. That actually sounds pretty Torah-true to me. Far more than any of the speech of any other politician in Israel. Are you even familiar with his positions besides statements (not positions mind just, mere statements) perhaps even taken out of context? He wants to end the draft! That's a type of coercion, by the way. He says the charedim can teach their (my) kids any way they like. Another type of coercion he wants to get rid of. There are many other things he wants to do that are like that.

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   Devash14/2/17 4:01 PM
   I was also there in the very beginning and I gave Moshe Feiglin the benefit of the doubt. I wanted very much to believe that someone would bring us an alternative to the existing structure.
   
   However, I soon realized that it was not enough to just bring an alternative. Going to the other extreme is just as detrimental in its own way. Only ONE governmental structure is suited to Am Yisrael in Eretz Yisrael and that is the one mandated by the Creator Himself as instructed in our Holy Torah.
   
   Part of the problem seems to be an assimilation of western thought that the Torah is a "religious" document and that all matters relegated to "religion" must be separated out of the public domain and left to individual conscience. That works for Jews living under gentile domination in chu"l, but it does not conform to Torah instructions for sovereign Jews in Eretz Yisrael.
   
   There is Torah and there is everything else. You rightly say, "You think it's better to remake that same state in some sort of Torah-true image." Absolutely! We had a Temple and a fundtioning Torah government for over 1000 years. There is no reason we can't have it again today. We only lack the national will.
   
   Moshe likes the train analogy so I'll employ it here. Why would I get off the Destination A train to get on the Destination B train when my actual destination is C?
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2. 
   Shimshon14/2/17 12:45 PM

   I recently helped put this interview of Moshe Feiglin by Vox Day.
   
   http://voxday.blogspot.co.il/2017/01/interview-with-moshe-feiglin.html
   
   Here's another statement of his that addresses what he sees as the problem. He wants to encourage the development of a culture that fosters interest in Torah and observance, not mandated using the blunt force of the state.
   
   VD: You're often described as being liberty-minded, even as a libertarian. What does that mean in a historically socialist state such as Israel?
   
   MF: That's exactly the point! The social concepts that were the basic roadmap of Israel's founders in 1948, in the three first decades of Israel, those concepts are not Jewish concepts. With all due respect to the kibbutz and all the socialists' ideas, these are not Jewish ideas. The basic Jewish ideas are freedom and liberty. There is also the frame of the Jewish values of mercy, and taking care of each other, and responsibility to society, but these should not be state regulations. They should be more of a national culture that has to be developed in the community. We know that in states that are more free and more capitalist, the situation of the poor is much better than in socialist states. So, there is no contradiction between freedom and humanity.

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   Devash14/2/17 4:15 PM
   "He wants to encourage the development of a culture that fosters interest in Torah and observance, not mandated using the blunt force of the state."
   
   In other words, he'd like to see Western culture here. Because, again, this is what we see in modern western culture, where individuals are wooed by other individuals to follow different religions and it is left up to the individual to decide for himself.
   
   Under these conditions, anti-missionary laws would be illegal. No wonder the messianics are all planning to attend your conference.
   
   Let me tell you seomthing, Mr. Shimshon. It is a blessing that a communist/socialist model was followed here until the Torah could prevail because it is an obvious evil. Had Israel followed the Western-American model (a la "Libertarian" Zehut) from the beginning, the Jews would feel themselves already in messianic times with no need to be delivered!
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3. 
   Unknown14/2/17 3:09 PM

   I cannot find comments he made years ago about this online. It made sense to me then and resonates with me now. If I remember the gist of what he said it was something like this: Although I certainly want a government that is Torah observant, it will not force Jews to obey any laws, it is incumbent upon them to do so on their own. However, the government will not facilitate anything non halachic. Citizens, using their free will, choose to move towards Hashem or away, but will not be coerced to move towards and will not be helped to move away. In other words, give every opportunity to help and give no opportunity to hurt.
   
   Until we have Moshiach, this seems to be a big step forwards from what we have now. I may be a dreamer, but I feel that the majority of traditional Jews in Israel would move towards God in this instance.

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   Devash14/2/17 4:27 PM
   "...it will not force Jews to obey any laws, it is incumbent upon them to do so on their own."
   
   So, don't want to follow the speed limit, don't see any reason to pay taxes, don't feel like getting my car inspected, that's ok, because Moshe Feiglin's government doesn't intend to enforce the laws?
   
   Oh, wait! Do you mean only "religious" laws? Like Shabbat and Yom Tov closure laws? And minimum standard of kashrut laws? And like the aforementioned anti-missionary laws? Etc.
   
   It seems to me that you are saying this proposed system is even somehow superior to the Torah being the law of the land.
   
   You can't improve on the Torah. It is God-given. The Creator knows His creations better than we know ourselves. There is always going to be coercion and enforcement of laws. Society requires it because people cannot always be depended upon to do the right thing by choice. The only question is whose laws will prevail?
   
   This does not depend on Mashiach. It worked for 1000 years without Mashiach. It can work now, unless people's heads are being turned with such things as Zehut!
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   Unknown14/2/17 4:37 PM
   "Oh, wait! Do you mean only "religious" laws? Like Shabbat and Yom Tov closure laws? And minimum standard of kashrut laws? And like the aforementioned anti-missionary laws? Etc."
   
   No, you are getting the wrong concept. Yes for Shabbat and Yom Tov laws, Kashrut, anti-missionary! No for beating down someone's door to make sure that that are keeping Shabbat. There is a big difference.
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   Devash14/2/17 4:45 PM
   The Torah never mandated such a thing. In fact, it states clearly that things done publicly are the responsibility of the public and things done privately are for God. Therefore, no Torah government would be sending inspectors to private homes to determine what goes on behind closed doors.
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   Unknown14/2/17 4:55 PM
   Then we are in agreement. You are just stating it in much more harsh terms that the general public will have a big problem accepting. But we are saying the same thing.
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4. 
   Anonymous14/2/17 3:38 PM

   The governement definitely should stay out of the individual's free will to do what they want. However, the jewish courts (some day the sanhedrin) are obligated to enforce jewish law in the country. So, the fact that feiglin wants to keep the governement out of ruling on halachic matters is wonderful. Just as long as he makes sure to have the our Torah leaders take control of all religious matters.
   
   The original me

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   Devash14/2/17 4:40 PM
   "...free will to do what they want."
   
   Can you tell me where is this idea is found in the Torah? This idea of free will to do what you want is enshrined int he US Declaration of Independence, but it's unheard of in Torah-true Judaism.
   
   The Torah tells us we have the choice to obey or disobey. Obedience to the laws of the Torah brings life and blessing, whereas disobedience brings with it the very grave consequences of death and curse.
   
   You see, ever since our original choice to accept the Torah at Har Sinai (with a mountain hanging over our heads), the only "free-will choice" that remains to us is this - we can reach our destination by the short, easy path or the long, hard road. That's it.
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   Kenpukan Dojo14/2/17 6:07 PM
   ""...free will to do what they want.""
   
   "Can you tell me where is this idea is found in the Torah?"
   
   You answer your own question right here..
   
   "The Torah tells us we have the choice to obey or disobey..."
   "You see, ever since our original choice to accept the Torah at Har Sinai..."
   
   Everyone has a choice to do what they want. And accept the consequences of course. But the governemtn should not be allowed to tell us we don't have the right to choose for ourselves. What the government should do instead, is obligate the Torah leaders of the generation to establish Jewish courts to enforce Torah laws (and punishments if someone made a bad choice). The government must be run according to Torah but does not have the authority to enforce Torah laws. Only our Rabbis can do that.
   
   the original me
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   Devash14/2/17 6:40 PM
   The Torah knows no concept of separation of synagogue and state.
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5. 
   shifra hendrie14/2/17 4:12 PM

   I completely agree with the above comments. I think it is very presumptuous - and dangerous - to believe that we, in our current pre-messianic state - and without Moshiach to guide us - and enforce religious observance from the political plane.
   
   To my mind, the highest function of enlightened politics at this stage would be to support individual and communal initiatives to foster Torah values, Torah learning and Torah institutions on the ground, to support Jewish settlement of every inch of the Land of Israel in every possible way, and to represent ourselves/interact with the world, diplomatically, militarily, etc. in accordance with the Torah's very clear positions on these things.
   
   Speaking just of Feiglin and Zehut - as grateful as I am for Moshe's clarity and integrity, I do have a problem with them - and that is, that they acting solely (or primarily) within the political sphere. Waiting, in fact, for a large enough groundswell of support to be able to take political leadership.
   
   It seems crystal clear to me (although I don't think they agree) that Moshe's insights and talents would be most powerfully used HERE and NOW in a daily online broadcast in Hebrew and English, of his take on problems and solutions in the ongoingly unfolding context of political events within and outside of Israel. It would be easy from that platform for him to be a credible and regular guest on all kinds of Israeli and foreign media as well.
   
   Moshe's biggest strength, as far as I can see, is his ability to see the fatal flaws in current leadership and direction, to the point where he is almost prophetic in understanding how things will unfold.
   
   His biggest weakness is that he is more or less hanging back behind the scenes waiting for some kind of magic awakening with him at it's head, rather than serve as a consistent and powerful beacon of light that will attract that following bit by bit, on the ground, starting here and now.

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6. 
   Shimshon14/2/17 5:00 PM

   That's a lot baseless of assumptions, Mrs. Devorah. It's wrong to assume he wants to allow missionary activity. On what basis do you claim he does? The only things I've read on the subject has been deeply critical of it. You need to do much more research. He is not a libertarian of the large L variety, and his political views are not in variance with Torah. There is no contradiction between broad political stances and specific policy decisions.

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7. 
   Shimshon14/2/17 5:03 PM

   Free will. In other words "choose life." Hashem wants us to do exactly that. It's the subtext of everything in the Torah.

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8. 
   Anonymous14/2/17 5:03 PM

   Ahh, comments again... Ja.
   Yeah yeah, identity; what is an identity when you flood nations with other nations and massive 3rd world immigration and dilute the people? Shame to even talk and Let them discuss that but until then, they should be quiet.
   Jack

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9. 
   Anonymous14/2/17 5:37 PM

   How's that religious police working out in the ultra Orthodox community? If you think mashiach is going to come and then a group is going to go around the country forcing people with sticks and threats you're mistaken. You are rooted in gevurah and maybe that's how you would like to see it but I doubt that religious laws are going to enforced by a Jewish Taliban.

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   Devash14/2/17 6:41 PM
   Mashiach will rule the same way his father David did.
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10. 
    Shimshon14/2/17 6:42 PM

    Whoops. I was writing on my phone, and I see now I misstated. I meant to say that I think his political stances are NOT AT ODDS with the Torah. Please post this clarification.
    
    By the way, I have spoken personally with Moshe about returning to the silver shekel as legal money. I believe this is something he is interested in pursuing. We'll find out soon enough, as Zehut will be publishing a 100 page platform outlining its goals in detail (even in English!). False (dishonest) money is one of the (if not THE) foundations for all the sheker in the world today. You might even call the silver shekel...Torah money.
    
    And, technically, if such were to be done via legal tender laws, that would indeed be...coercion. Towards a more Torah-infused government. "Coercion" is not a standard. It's a word with a certain meaning to Israelis. It's not what you think it means.
    
    There is too much to like to keep posting negativity based on assumptions and cursory reading. Please reconsider.

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    Devash15/2/17 11:25 AM
    It means the same thing in every language - being forced by law to do something (or abstain from something) you do or don't want to do that you think should be left to individual choice and conscience.
    
    In Israel, the biggest issue is with marriage. Of all things, whom one chooses to marry should be a private matter unencumbered by legal restrictions of any kind or so say the democrats and the libertarians. But, that's not Judaism.
    
    In a Jewish country, we all have a say in the matter because 1) we are all guarantors one for another and we all signed onto the deal called The Torah which puts restrictions on certain relationships with the force of law, and 2) we have an obligation to safeguard the future by ensuring that Jewish children are protected from being born into these forbidden relationships.
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