Can There Be A Greater Chutspah!?

5 Tamuz 5777

American Conservative and Reform Jews who care nothing for the Beit Hamikdash, or about the Land of Israel for that matter, are so upset about Israeli insistence on maintaining the status quo at the Western Wall Plaza that they have inundated their Congressmen with complaints.

They are appealing to what is for us a foreign, goyische power to intervene and force us to do things their way. These are wicked people who would do such a thing. And this is in spite of the fact that a very nice, very special area of the Western Wall has already been made available to them. They davka want to make it impossible for Orthodox Jews to pray there any longer because that is what would happen if men and women were to begin mixing at the traditional prayer area off the plaza.

US CONGRESSMEN URGE NETANYAHU TO RETRACT DECISION TO NIX WESTERN WALL DEAL

Usually, members of Congress are reluctant to criticize internal Israeli government decisions on most matters, but Eliot Engel, a democrat from New York, told The Jerusalem Post in a statement that interest from his constituency compelled him to speak out.

...Another New York Democrat, Nita Lowey, “strongly urged” the premier on Wednesday to change course.

"As a member of Congress who has advanced the US-Israel relationship throughout my career, I strongly urge the government of Israel to reverse its decision to suspend the previously approved plan to create a pluralistic prayer pavilion at the Western Wall," Lowey told the Post. "The majority of Jews around the world consider Israel their ancestral homeland, and Israel should provide an opportunity for all Jews, men and women, to have egalitarian prayer at the Western Wall."

And Jerry Nadler, also a Democrat from New York, was harshest of all, saying in a press release the decision should "disappoint everyone who extols Israel as a champion of religious freedom and a model of pluralism."

All three members of Congress are Jewish, and represent some of the largest Jewish communities in the United States.

American Jewry is digging its own grave. They will pay a very heavy price for having instigated this.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION WANTS RESOLUTION TO KOTEL CRISIS, US OFFICIAL SAYS

US ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, has "urged the parties to re-engage with each other" to resolve crisis between Israeli government, US Jewish leaders.

Where, oh where is Mashiach!!!! Naftali Bennett reportedly said that US Jews feel they were slapped in the face by Israel. Somebody needs to slap them and hard! Maybe then they'll finally wake up!! (Not holding my breath.)

Answer to Assimilation - Just Call Everybody a Jew

5 Tamuz 5777

I purposely did not say "make" everybody a Jew, because that's not what these "private" conversions are about. The conversions being discussed in this Ynet article, Tzohar chairman: Conversion bill could split Jewish people, is about just sticking the Jew label on people who have no intention of observing the Law of the Jews, aka Torah.

Those who brought these non-Jewish Russians to Israel are the ones responsible for them. It is not now the job of Orthodox Jewish authorities to clean it up for them by waving a magic wand and declaring them all Jewish. The day after, nothing at all will have changed. They will still be non-Jews if they don't convert leshem Shamayim.

I really dislike "Modern" Orthodox who make a habit of pitting Jew against Jew in their misguided struggle against chareidi influence in the state. I remember when Mayor Barkat appeared at the OU Israel Center in Jerusalem in his first campaign and he referred to "us" (MO and secular) as opposed to "them" (Chareidim).

Rabbi Stav of Tzohar does that when he claims erroneously that keeping all conversions within the Chief Rabbinate's purview "would mean hundreds of thousands of people who have been prevented from converting by extreme groups inside the ultra-Orthodox world would be permanently blocked...."

Are we to believe that abiding by Torah law and halachah which we have followed for centuries is now to be considered "extreme"? I have some experience with the Rabbanut's conversion courts and process and no one is "permanently blocked". At any point that they can convince the courts that they are sincere in their desire to convert according to the halachah, even if they were previously rejected, they will be converted. This is just hyperbole and scare tactics by Tzohar because they know these 400,000 Russians, most of them Xians, will never convert k'halachah because they just want to be called Jews, not actually be Jews.

Rabbi Stav further claims,“This bill will cause the rise of two Jewish peoples by preventing hundreds of thousands of people who want to convert from converting,”.... Does he mean the actual Jewish people and those who claim to be Jewish, but aren't? It's impossible for there to be more than one Jewish people. It's a nonsensical statement meant only to incite.

Again, among these people being rejected by the Rabbinate are those who only want to be called Jews (or want to be allowed to marry Jews), they don't actually intend to be Jewish. The Xians among them will go to the local Messianic Jews and think that makes them ok.

Thank God for the Chareidim. They are our last line of defense as everyone else seems to want to allow everything regardless of any consideration of Torah or halachah. In my opinion, anything that calls itself "Modern" is already suspect!

And this is why more and more dati leumim are going to become chardalim (like me).

Are Disenchanted Bayit Yehudi Voters Moving To Yishai’s Yachad Party?
...it seems that the voters are not ready to wait and many voters and supporters of the chardali (chareidi dati leumi) party, Yachad, are moving over to Yishai now.

So, the birur continues and this, in my opinion, is the wave of the future. "Modern" is going to have to make a choice whether to go more chardali or go to the "Open" which is really Conservative which itself is really no different foundationally than Reform, i.e. no longer Judaism. The middle has shifted. The real center is today considered by many to be "extreme". 

Where the Truth is extreme, I'll be happy to be called "extreme."

America's Crimes Against Humanity

4 Tamuz 5777

Right now, the United States has Israel firmly under her thumb - caught like a mouse in a trap. Very soon now, a man is going to go public and challenge that control. And not just for Israel, but for the whole world which has suffered and continues to suffer under American domination.

There are too many examples to list them. Let one suffice to demonstrate to you what I mean.

The Shock Doctrine - Documentary by Naomi Klein
[Warning for some disturbing images]

This man who very soon will go public and challenge US hegemony will call America to account for the crimes she has committed and all the blood she has shed and misery she has caused all over the world. This man will be Mashiach and they will hate him and go after him without mercy.

Just look what what they did to Aaron Swartz who was perceived to be a real threat to the powers that be.

The Story of Aaron Swartz, The Man Who Could Change the World - Documentary

Contrary to the official version, I do not believe that he committed suicide. Faked suicide is a favored way of eliminating enemies of the state.

What won't they try to do to stop Mashiach??? But, they will have no chance whatever of success.

Insidious

4 Tamuz 5777

Yesterday, I linked to a document which appeared in all respects to be a scholarly Jewish work with solid Jewish sources. I failed to check all of the internal links listed in the footnotes and therefore, I failed to find the link to a Christian page proclaiming Yeshu to be Messiah, God forbid! Thankfully, someone else did check and let me know.

Save for the large red title at the top - A Study of the Book of Revelation - one might also take it to be a scholarly Jewish work as it references the Ramchal and several portions of Talmud and Midrashim. If one were hurriedly looking for a particular portion of Talmud and Google sent him here, it's possible he might have overlooked what the page was about generally, but today we have to be much more careful. God forbid that any of us wold inadvertently send a Jew to such a page and he become confused by what he read there. That's why I have removed my link to the original document and caution anyone else about sharing it until the author can fix it.

I don't want to think that it was a purposeful act. Let this stand as a warning. Not everything that appears Jewish today is actually Jewish.Great care must be taken to ensure the purity of our sources.  Google any Jewish topic and a hundred Christian references will be returned for every Jewish one. Sometimes it is not obvious that it is Christian until you get very far into it. Christianity posing as a form of Judaism is insidious and is taking over by sheer numbers once it told Christians all over the world that they are literally part of Israel al pi the New Testament.

Light and Darkness, It's not Either/Or

3 Tamuz 5777

Redemption is described as a process. However, the process itself is not redemption. Even though we might think we can point to a specific event or moment in time when the process began, we can't say, "it has begun, therefore it has arrived", anymore than backing the car out of the driveway for a 200-mile journey is in any way equivalent to arriving at the intended destination.

Sunrise is also a process, a gradual lightening of the sky in the east until the sun itself finally breaches the horizon. But, we don't say the sun has risen until the precise moment in time that this happens, at a precise moment in time we call sunrise. It's the same with the geulah.

I was pondering how it could be that the impending arrival of the geulah brings a greater and greater light into the world while the world itself seems to be sinking ever deeper into darkness and I had a chidush. It's like when the pillar of fire and the cloud came between Bnei Yisrael and the Mitzrim at Yam Suf the night before the sea split.

Rashi on Shemot 14.20 - "The pillar of fire [illuminated] the night for the Israelites, and it went before them as it usually went all night long, and the thick darkness [from the cloud] was toward the Egyptians."

The darkness is real and the light is equally real and they exist side by side. The fact of the darkness does not negate the light, it reinforces it. Which one we see and which reality we live with depends on which side we are standing on. It's our choice. And that is why the 4/5ths of Jews who did not want to leave Egypt died during the plague of darkness! In this instance, too, the Jews enjoyed light while the Mitzrim were sunk in a tangible darkness.

Awareness of the deepening darkness in the world should prick our hearts and cause us all to cry out to Hashem like we cried out on the edge of the sea. But, we cry out, not just because of the fear and hopelessness that darkness engenders, but because we can see the light alongside it, getting brighter and brighter and we have no more patience to wait. Our cry is equally a longing for deliverance from the darkness and the embrace of the light.

"Lighting Up the Darkness"

3 Tamuz 5777

Rabbi Lawrence Kelemen - Lighting Up the Darkness

New Messages from Binyamin and Meir Yisroel

3 Tamuz 5777

I don't know what to think about it anymore, so I'm not recommending it, but I'm reading it and I'm posting it for those who have an interest. (Six in English and one in Hebrew.)  HERE.

What Does Redemption Really Mean?

2 Tamuz 5777

The word "redemption" is being thrown around a lot today and is being used as an excuse for a lot of people to do a lot of very questionable things. 

The Hebrew word geulah (גְּאֻלָּה) is translated into English as "redemption". There are important reasons why one word is chosen over another when translating, because it's not just a word that is being translated but an entire concept.

Many of you will no doubt be too young to remember stamp redemption centers, but once upon a time they were very common. In order to draw in customers, some gas stations (more commonly referred to as filling stations in those days) and some groceries would give out trading stamps with each purchase. The more money you spent, the more stamps you collected. They would be pasted into a book and after enough books had been filled, you could go to a redemption center and redeem your stamps from all manner of items. They had a catalogue that listed all the available items which could be traded for the stamps along with how many books it would cost you.

I was thinking about this concept today and thought how the word "exchange" comes closest to describing the concept of redemption in this context. When I looked it up in the dictionary, I found: "redeem: gain or regain possession of (something) in exchange for payment."

I thought about this with regard to the redemption from Egypt and it fits. When we left Egypt, we exchanged one master for another Master. We stopped being slaves to Egypt and became bond-servants (of our own free will - na'aseh v'nishmah) to HKB"H. And that was the essence of the covenant we entered into at Har Sinai. Unlike the popular modern notion of Passover being a holiday of freedom which can be applied to all oppressed people-groups, the foundational concept of freedom at Passover is that we became free to choose our master. No one is ever truly free in this world. We are only free to choose - substance over artifice, truth over lie, good over evil, life over death, etc.

It also includes the idea of HKB"H coming to take possession of His people Israel. This is an aspect that is also clearly revealed in the concept of the kinsman-redeemer spoken of in the Book of Ruth. The kinsman-redeemer was the closest relative who could "redeem" the earthly posessions of a niftar so that they not be lost to the family line. 

So, the next question naturally becomes how then are we to understand the final redemption in light of this? What will it mean to be redeemed in the future?

HKB"H is going to establish His possession of this world and all who live in it; to confirm that Israel is His chosen nation - not only His holy servants, but his precious children -  and to exchange the World of Truth for this current World of Lies.

Just like in the example above, the stamps were just a token - a promise, if you will - of something else, something better and more valuable, to come. This is what we are awaiting and it's clearly not something we can do. Just like we could not take ourselves out of Egypt. Only the Master of the Universe, the Almighty King of Creation can do this. All we can do is prepare ourselves for it so we might be counted worthy to enjoy it when the time comes.

Understanding it in this way also makes it abundantly clear that a world where the majority of its inhabitants continue to worship in false religious systems which promote lies and deceit and call HKB"H by names unknown to our fathers is not the redemption we are waiting for. Those who promote acceptance of such a world where humankind continues in its false ways, but united in peaceful coexistence is not bringing redemption!

When redemption has finally arrived, only HKB"H will be worshipped and in the manner the Torah prescribes and His name will be One - not three or three thousand, but ONE.

As long as there remains one Christian praying in the name of Yeshu or one Muslim calling out in the name of Yalla, we have not yet been redeemed. And if it is possible to delay the redemption, then surely those who encourage Christians to remain "good" Christians and Muslims to become "peaceful" Muslims, are doing just that - pushing off the day when all will worship one God in only one way.

From Avraham to Yitzchak to Ya'aqov - Yishmael and Eisav Not Included

1 Tamuz 5777

Rosh Chodesh

Poor Avraham Avinu. So many false ideas are being laid at his feet in these last days of the World of Lies.

Listen to what Yishai Fleisher says to Adnan Oktar on his recent visit to Turkey...



Avraham Avinu was a radical extremist in his time. The Ivri! He stood on one side with HKB"H against the entire world on the other. Nimrod, the one who instigated the building of the Tower of Bavel - the first attempt at a New World Order without HKB"H - was Avraham Avinu's nemesis. Now, they are attempting to bring all the religions together for the final attempt at a New World Order and they will dare to do it in the name of Avraham Avinu!! The one who did not even withhold his only son from slaughter at HKB"H's command?? Really??!!

Abrahamic Faiths Peacemaking Initiative (AFPI)

As Jewish, Christian and Muslim people we find common ground in our common origin. We are followers of Abraham, committed to the human family and therefore adhere to a common core of ethical standards. We shall pursue friendship, peace and justice. We will speak out against all forms of prejudice, hatred, and discrimination.

We shall stand for the religious pluralism and mutual understanding that undergird the resilience of America.

How unseemly that a representative of the Jewish Community in Hevron, the City of our Patriarchs will go and totally mis-represent our forefather and all that he stood for. Professor Jon Levenson's book Inheriting Abraham opens up a discussion on this topic.

OUR ABRAHAM, NOT THEIRS

...In Inheriting Abraham, Jon Levenson, the Albert A. List Professor of Bible at Harvard’s Divinity School, throws cold water on the mutual-understanding campfire. Misunderstanding is not what divides the image of Abraham in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, the misnomered “Abrahamic religions”; on the contrary, the founders of the younger religions well understood Abraham’s role in Judaism. St. Paul’s transformation of Abraham into the father of all who believe, and the Quran’s recasting of Abraham as a Muslim prophet who prefigured Muhammed, both rejected the Jewish version by design, by inventing their own Abrahams to serve their own doctrinal purposes.

Through published excerpts and interviews, Levenson has been drawing attention to his most provocative conclusion: that it is wrong to present Abraham as a unifying figure who transcends the differences among Christians, Jews, and Muslims. The progressive wings of Christianity as well as Judaism have a great deal invested in this reassuring claim, and Levenson’s devastating refutation of the “three Abraham religions” thesis will be unwelcome. He makes short work of pop theologians like Bruce Feiler, whose best-selling book on the patriarch claims that “Abraham belongs to all of humanity” and that “the carefully balanced message of the Abraham story [is] that God cares for all his children—a tradition that existed for hundreds of years before the religions themselves existed.” Feiler and his co-thinkers, Levenson observes, have essentially invented another Abraham—“a neutral Abraham who can be made to serve as a control on the Abrahams of the three traditions that are thought to derive from him.”

You can read the article in its entirety here. 

Nothing Much Has Changed

29 Sivan 5777
Erev Shabbat Kodesh/Erev Rosh Chodesh
Parashat Korach

(H/T Yeranen Yaakov)

A Historic Missed Opportunity

~ Shabbat shalom - Chodesh tov! ~

Your "Jewish" Government At Work - Part 2

29 Sivan 5777

The so-called "right-wing" Likud party once had a slogan: "Only Likud Can..." And so we've seen that a party perceived as right-wing, strong on security and supportive of building up Judea and Samaria can get away with giving away parts of the Land of Israel and expelling Jews from their homes and bulldozing synagogues.

It was a Likud-led government that signed the first peace agreement with an Arab state (Egypt) giving them land (Sinai) from which Jews were expelled and their properties destroyed.

It was a Likud-led government that signed away Hevron.

It was a Likud-led government that gave Gush Katif to Hamas, expelled its Jews and destroyed all their properties.

And it is a Likud-led government which continues to expell Jews from their homes, razing them along with synagogues.

Now, we can also thank a Likud-led government for reportedly establishing the first Messianic (J4J) church in Jerusalem. Keep in mind this is the same church referred to in a previous post which has nearly taken over Binyan Klal.



(Note that this was about the same time that the infamous International Christian Embassy Jerusalem was getting set up, too.)

And did you catch that bit about bringing Christian agricultural workers to kibbutzim "to show the true face of J*sus to this nation...". So, Tommy Waller and HaYovel are by no means the first to come up with this diabolical plan.

Remember Rosemary Schindler who trades on her famous relative's name to make a name for herself?

SCHINDLER'S ARK

We are a Christian Zionist ministry whose vision is to build an alliance between Christians and Jews, Israel and the USA.

We teach about our Hebraic roots and work to connect Christians to Israel and their biblical faith.

Rev. Rosemary Schindler Garlow, relative of Oskar Schindler, shares her experiences and archives from being part of the Schindler legacy that includes Oskar’s successful efforts to save more than 1200 Jewish lives in the face of Nazi genocide. She is continuing the family’s heritage and message through Schindler’s Ark International.

Schindler’s Ark’s purpose is to be a bridge of support between Christians and Jews, the USA and Israel. As a Christian Zionist, Rosemary, together with Holocaust survivors and their descendants,....

Some of their stated goals...

• To promote...unity between Christians and Jews... 

• ...to demonstrate our biblical mandate of Israel’s natural and spiritual restoration, and to prepare the way for Messiah’s coming.

• To be the branches, the “Notzrim”, Hebrew for Christians, who are grafted into the Olive Tree of Israel, having returned to our Jewish, biblical roots.

• To volunteer to serve the brave men and women of the IDF and the farmers in Israel’s Heartland. ...You can volunteer to plant, prune and harvest in Judea and Samaria by farming with the Waller family restoring the crops and cattle to the mountains of Israel.

• To participate in raising funds for ... the persecuted Christians in the Middle East and congregations of Believers and biblical causes.

Your "Jewish" Government At Work

28 Sivan 5777

Are there really Jews out there who still think the government will do anything about missionary activity in Israel???

The Knesset Christian Allies Caucus is a caucus within the Israeli Knesset that seeks to build a direct line of communication, cooperation and coordination between the Knesset and Christian leaders around the world. Josh Reinstein serves as the Caucus Director....

Launched in 2004, Knesset Christian Allies Caucus inspired a network of Israel Allies Caucuses in over 25 parliaments around the world.[Who would all be very upset with Israel if it came down on missionary activity.] Today, the Israel Allies Foundation serves as the umbrella organization helping coordinate the work of these various caucuses into a unified pro-Israel voice. (Source)

[It's just another part of GoguMagog.]

"Mission Statement"

The mission of the Knesset Christian Allies Caucus is to build direct lines of communication, cooperation and coordination between the Knesset and Christian leaders around the world. We strive to establish relationships between the members of Knesset and leaders of Churches, Christian organizations and political representatives throughout the globe. [There is that "relationship" thing again.] The Knesset Christian Allies Caucus has attracted an increasingly diverse and growing number of Christian leaders globally.

The Caucus works with Christians who support Israel alongside those who are undecided on their position towards Israel. Many Christians recognize that their belief in the Bible connects them to the land and the people of Israel. On this basis, we work together to achieve our goals.

Goals and Caveats

To recognize the contribution that Christians in America, Europe and around the world are making to the security of the State of Israel and to the welfare of the Jewish people.

To bring to the attention of the population of Israel the unqualified support Christians have given, and continue to give, to Jewish aspirations in the Holy Land.

[1 and 2 to make Jews feel beholden to them.] 

To provide Christians in Israel with assistance in dealing with the red tape and bureaucratic issues that may arise.

To reach out to all Christians in order to mobilize political support for Israel.

The Caucus refuses alliances with any group that actively pursues the conversion of Jews to Christianity. [But, not to "Messianic Judaism".]

The Caucus refuses cooperation with any group that regards terrorism as a legitimate form of freedom fighting.

The Roots of Judaism and Christianity in Israel

Israel is the birthplace of Christianity and Judaism and within this land lies the testament and the truth of our shared past. As history is displayed throughout Israel’s archeological landmarks, so is the story of our common Judeo-Christian values. The values of ethical monotheism, on which our precious systems of morality are based, can be found in our shared roots and history in the Land of Israel."

Participants: Chairman, Robert Ilatov
Members: Hamad Amar,  Yehiel Hilik Bar,  Merav Ben Ari,  Anat Berko,  Avi Dichter,  Oded Forer,  Yehuda Joshua Glick,  Sharren Haskel,  Yoel Hasson,  Aliza Lavie,  Mickey Levy Yakov Margi,  Yoel Razvozov,  Nachman Shai,  Bezalel Smotrich,  Elazar Stern,  Revital Swid (Source)

HaYovel's Got Proteksia

"HaYovel is honored to announce that we will be hosting an Israeli diplomatic delegation in Washington D.C. for the inauguration of our 45th President of the United States, Donald J. Trump.

The delegation, consisting of MK (Rabbi) Yehuda Glick (Likud), MK Sharren Haskel (Likud), and our Knesset Representative Tsofia Nahon, will attend a series of events throughout the week accompanied by HaYovel Founder Tommy Waller, to include the inaugural ball, seminars on Capitol Hill, congressional meetings, receptions, and rallies."

The One New Man (or Woman) on display in DC - Capital of "Edom".

Sharren Haskel with Tommy Waller on Har Brachah

Sharren Haskel in tight with the Wallers and HaYovel in Har Brachah.

But these pathetic Jews can't protect them from the wrath of the Almighty!

Read more about the CAC HERE.

PART 2

Witness the Future of Israel

27 Sivan 5777

Introducing the Fellowship of Israel Related Ministries (FIRM)...

‘Historic’ Israel Summit Launches FIRM Ministry

With high-profile Christian speakers from the United States and Jerusalem, a sold-out Israel Summit Conference drew 1,700 Bible-believing supporters to Colorado this week while launching a ministry that organizers predict will grow into a global solidarity movement of Jews and non-Jews.

Israel-loving Christians and Messianic believers from the United States, Brazil, Pakistan, Sweden, Australia and India filled Resurrection Fellowship Church's worship auditorium in Loveland as FIRM, the Fellowship of Israel Related Ministries, launched. A global online audience also joined the conference.

FIRM formed in 2014 with 20 Christian leaders signing on as board members under the leadership of Jerusalem-based pastor Wayne Hilsden. He, current Resurrection Fellowship Senior Pastor Jonathan Wiggins and Resurrection Fellowship's former pastor, John Stocker, forged friendships around Israel and the congregation Hilsden leads, King of Kings Community in Jerusalem.

Hilsden introduced the new ministry on the opening night of the Loveland conference, calling the summit "historic." Wiggins and other leaders echoed the sentiment, saying FIRM's formation and plans represent "history in the making."

"FIRM," Hilsden said, "is a global fellowship of biblically grounded believers committed to cultivating Messiah-centered relationships to bless the inhabitants of Israel (Jew and non-Jew) and the Jewish community worldwide."

[Continues HERE.]

On June 13, 2017, FIRM held a big conference in Binyan Klal in Jerusalem. This huge building in the center of Jerusalem has been taken over bit by bit until it is now almost all messianic-controlled with even a church on site.

The "Vision" of Messianic KoK

"King of Kings Community is called to be a compelling, Messiah-centered, Spirit-empowered, disciple-making [i.e. missionary] community revealing the true face of Yeshua (Jesus) to Israel and the nations."

In response to this missionary conference, a brave band of Jewish youth gathered there to protest. This is the future of Israel. Each one of them is my hero. These are the souls who will greet Mashiach!



The video was posted to Facebook by so-called Messianic "Rabbi" Joel Liberman who says: 

"Young ultra-orthodox who felt the need to protest at the FIRM (Fellowship of Israel Related Ministries) conference tonight in Jerusalem. Shouts of 'meshumed' (traitor) towards the Messianic Jews in attendance brought sadness to my heart, but reinvigorated my spirit to pray as Sha'ul did for 'all Israel' to meet Messiah, Yeshua and experience eternal and abundant life!"

He can be seen HERE laying tefillin, knowing he is either an apostate from Judaism or not a Jew at all as he says he was raised in a "Messianic home", i.e. his parents were already xians. Sick!

Those "young ultra-orthodox" Jews have a wonderful future along with the rest of Klal Yisrael, but this "meshumed" has nothing - not in this world and not in the World to Come.

Miracle On The First Day of Summer

27 Sivan 5777

It NEVER rains at this time of year...

Israel’s summer start dampened by freak rainfall

As Israel kicks off its first official day of the summer in anticipation of its usually scorching hot temperatures, residents were surprised by a freak phenomenon on Wednesday morning as rain began to briefly fall on a number of central and southern cities including Tel Aviv, Holon, Petah Tikva, Kiryat Ono, Ashdod and Sderot.

Meteorologist Tzachi Waxman of Meteo Tech said that “Ironically, today is the first official day of the summer with light rains falling from the north to the outskirts of the Negev desert.”

Look Out!

27 Sivan 5777

KUSHNER, GREENBLATT TO VISIT ISRAEL THIS WEEK IN PURSUIT OF A PEACE DEAL

What on earth are they planning? If we can judge by what is stirring there...

Yellowstone Supervolcano Hit By A Swarm Of More Than 400 Earthquakes In One Week

It's so hot in Phoenix, they can't fly planes

Tropical Storm Cindy Forms in the Gulf of Mexico; Heavy Rain, Flooding Expected Along Gulf Coast

This earthquake fault in northeast L.A. and Pasadena isn't well known, but experts say it poses dangers

LOOK OUT!

"The Last Gilgul"

27 Sivan 5777

With thanks to Devorah Esther...

The Last Gilgul



You might also enjoy her teaching series on the book Adorned With Dignity. I've only just found it and have heard Part 1 and Part 15 (the most recent). I intend to go back and hear the entire thing. Looks good!

Thank you, Devorah Esther!

There's A Lot of Pain Coming

26 Sivan 5777

How much of it is yours depends on you.

Quoting my good friend Aryeh Yosef...

People SAY "We want Mashiach". NO THEY DON'T. Because when Mashiach REALLY arrives, he is not going to pat people on the head and say, "It's ok to swindle, cheat and lie, there is one God in the Bet Knesset and another in the Boursa. Or the Diamond Exchange. Or the World Out There".

BLUNTLY. When he arrives, Mashiach is going to KICK ASS and BUST HEADS. Yes, the gentile nations coming against us will be/are being shattered and destroyed. But he is going to go after the bullies, the tyrants, the cowards, the thieves, the swindlers, the con men, AMONG US.

And he won't be interested in the "good stories" about the "bad homes" these people came from.

On Mashiach's Hit List FIRST and FOREMOST will be "religious" people, the one's who PROFANED and DESECRATED the Name of the God of Israel by saying THIS and doing THAT.

And he will go after the "nice people", the "good people", the "respectable people" who form a Greek Phalanx of Protection around the PERPETRATORS and treats the victims and those who defend them as the ENEMIES OF THE PEOPLE.

You'd better believe it because it's true! Somehow people have gotten the wrong idea about what is coming even though the prophets warned us. They ignore those warnings with the saying that "Bad prophecies don't have to come true." And yet, if you look back down the road of history, we see that every one of them has - until today. This is the track we are on and it's too near the end to change now.

Along with this dream of an easy, pain-free redemption has arisen this vision of Days of Mashiach where everyone is finally free of the constraints of the law. (Yes, there is a good reason why this sounds like Christian teaching.) People somehow think it is righteous to pray for unlimited and unrestrained mercy, but this is exactly what we see in the world today. And maybe it's necessary for this time period, but it can't go on forever like this.

A world with severly restricted justice becomes unstable and out of balance. It becomes a world without hope as it begins to appear as if it is hefker, ownerless, abandoned and out of control. It's not just children who need, even crave, boundaries and limits, in order to feel secure. It's a need shared by all human beings.

The Days of Mashiach will see a much higher level of justice applied than what we see currently. Remember the famous disputes between the House of Hillel and the House of Shammai?

In the first century BCE, Babylonian born Hillel (later known as Hillel the Elder) migrated to the Land of Israel to study and worked as a woodcutter, eventually becoming the most influential force in Jewish life. ...He was known for his kindness, gentleness, concern for humanity....

Hillel the Elder’s friendly adversary was Shammai, a native of the Land of Israel about whom little is known except that he was a builder, known for the strictness of his views. He was reputed to be dour, quick-tempered and impatient. Both lived during the reign of King Herod (37-4 BCE), an oppressive period in Jewish history because of the Roman occupation of the Land of Israel. Shammai was concerned that if Jews had too much contact with the Romans, the Jewish community would be weakened, and this attitude was reflected in his strict interpretation of Jewish law. Hillel did not share Shammai's fear and therefore was more liberal in his view of law.

Hillel was the more popular of the two scholars, and he was chosen by the Sanhedrin, the supreme Jewish court, to serve as its president. While Hillel and Shammai themselves did not differ on a great many basic issues of Jewish law, their disciples were often in conflict. The Talmud records over 300 differences of opinion between Beit Hillel (the House of Hillel) and Beit Shammai (the House of Shammai). The Rabbis of the Talmud generally sided with the rulings of the School of Hillel, although the Sages believed that both views were valid.

Sixteenth-century kabbalist Rabbi Isaac Luria (the “Ari”) said that not only are both the words of the House of Shammai and the House of Hillel enduring on the conceptual level, but each has its time and place on the pragmatic level as well. In our present world, we follow the rulings of the House of Hillel, but in the era of Messiah, the majority opinion will shift in favor of the House of Shammai, and their rulings will then be implemented. The Ari believed that in our present reality, where divine commandments must be imposed upon an imperfect world, the rulings of the House of Hillel represent the ultimate in conformity to the divine will, while the rulings of the House of Shammai represent an ideal that is too lofty for our present state (which is why we perceive them as “stricter” and more confining), and can only be realized on the conceptual level. In the era of Messiah, the situation will be reversed: a perfected world will embrace the more exacting application of Torah law expressed by the House of Shammai, while the Hillelian school of interpretation will endure only conceptually. (Source)

More here...

The idea that the Halacha will be in accordance with Beis Shamai in the time of Moshiach comes from the Arizal. It is quoted in his name by Mikdash Melech to Zohar Parshas Bereishis 17b and in Likkutey Torah (Rabbi Shnuer Zalman of Liadi) Parshas Korach 54c. The Arizal interprets the Mishna in Pirkey Avos (5:19) that an argument for the sake of heaven such as that of Hillel and Shamai will endure; although now the Halacha is like Beis Hillel, the argument will endure as later the Halacha will be like Beis Shamai. An alternate source is Tosfos Chadashim at the beginning of Avos who brings this in the name of the Gaon of Nikolsburg.

There are two general explanations brought:

1) Mikdash Melech: Hillel represents kindness and Shammai severity (hence the rulings of Beis Hillel are almost always more lenient). When Moshaich comes the advantage of the severity will be revealed and therefore the halacha will be in accordance with Beis Shamai. [Based on this reason some say that this is only in cases where Bais Shamai are stricter].

2) Tosfos Chadashim: Bais Shmai comes from such a high level this present world is incapable of withstanding and only when Moshiach comes will we be able to follow their opinion. [It seems based on this reason we will follow all Beis Shamai's rulings, not only the stricter ones.]

The Lubavitcher Rebbe explains at length in his Kuntres "Torah Chadosha Me'Iti Teztzei" how the fact that the Halacha will change in accordance with Beis Shamai is consistant with the immutable nature of the Torah.  (Source)

So, if you are one of those who is looking forward to Days of Mashiach being a time when halachah no longer applies, think again! 

No Room For Halachah in the World of the One New Man

25 Sivan 5777

The following quote demonstrates the prevailing attitude amongst many self-described "religious" Jews today...

"To be completely honest, I do not think that Halacha is something that must be followed in every instance. There are plenty of areas including LGBT rights, the Agunah problem, and many other moral imperatives that I believe override any Halachic consideration. However, one of the interesting things about not having Halacha be the only ethical system that I follow, is that I feel that I can have a much more objective view than someone who is completely committed and engulfed by it."

They have elevated their own thoughts and feelings above the revealed will of the Creator. They refuse to submit their personal opinions and sensitivities to the constraints of the Covenant and thereby make themselves into rebels who spread apikorsus and kefirah.

This outright rebellion against the Sovereign of the Universe has gone viral. It has spread worldwide like a virus and its aim is to infect every person on the planet. Every tool - mass media, social media, public education, etc. - is being brought to bear in the war to unite all mankind under the banner of a New World Religion which is based on liberalism. In this world of the One New Man, there is no room for Halachah which causes division.

Just look at a sampling of yesterday's headlines...

Jared and Ivanka do their own thing as observant Jews. And that’s normal. (Times of Israel)

So apparently Jared and Ivanka play golf on Shabbat. Cue the handwringing.

The New York Post reported Wednesday that the president’s Jewish daughter and son-in-law like to hit the links on the holy day, and stay within the bounds of the Sabbath rules by walking the course (instead of driving a cart) and tipping the caddie the next day (instead of handling money). Of course, the newspaper also noted that even according to the “less strict” Conservative movement, merely playing the game is a violation of Shabbat.

Articles of this type — I’ve written a couple — are premised on the idea that if Javanka are Orthodox Jews, they should be observing Jewish law, called halachah, strictly by the book. Anything less is hypocrisy or blasphemy.

On the surface, that assumption seems to make sense. But it’s wrong.

That’s because Jared and Ivanka have never claimed to strictly observe halachah. And among Jews who identify with Orthodoxy and belong to Orthodox synagogues, they are far from alone.

The real abomination is the vitriol directed at Rabbi Dweck (Times of Israel blog)

It’s really disheartening to hear of all the negative energy sent in Rabbi Dweck’s direction. As a man of deep integrity and wisdom, it is clear from all of his teachings that he understands the fragility of the human condition and is keen to find ways for people to embrace the love of Torah.

Having spoken to him directly on issues concerning LGBT+ members of the Jewish community here in London, it is abundantly clear to me that Rabbi Dweck is perplexed by the disproportionate actions taken by members of the community to denigrate its LGBT+ members, purportedly in the name of Halachah.

Time To Rethink Our Resistance To Intermarriage (The New York Jewish Week)

...While the Reform movement has the most welcoming posture towards families with non-Jewish partners, the Conservative and Modern Orthodox worlds would be well served if they adopted a similar approach. Gone are the days when dogma and devotion rule; today every Jew is a Jew by choice. If our traditional communities do not learn how to adapt to modernity and cater religiously to different people’s needs, Judaism risks nearing its extinction date.

... In order for the Jewish people to be a light unto the nations, it’s time we revisit our tribalistic approach toward intermarriage and our highly divisive conversion practices. Instead, welcome “the other” into the Jewish family.

It's all about erasing the lines of division and creating One New Man out of the Jew, the Muslim and the Christian.

Multifaith Iftar meals bring settlers, Palestinians together (Ynet News)

Approximately half the attendees are Israeli residents of the Gush Etzion settlement bloc communities of Efrat, Alon Shvut, Kfar Etzion, Bat Ayin, Tekoa and others, who have come to celebrate the end of the fast, talk about co-existence and build relationships.

The evening, hosted by the Shorashim/Judur organization, a local NGO that calls itself a “grassroots movement of understanding, nonviolence, and transformation among Israelis and Palestinians,” is second of four break-fasts the organization will be hosting in June and just one of dozens of interfaith programs throughout the month.

Jews and Christians are guests as taboo-breaking liberal mosque opens in Berlin (Times of Israel)

Top religious leaders urge followers to ‘make friends’ across faiths (Times of Israel)
...In a three-minute video made in partnership with Twitter, the petitioners — including Pope Francis, Former UK Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, the Dalai Lama and Egyptian Grand Mufti Shawki Allam — disseminated their message in 16 different languages.

Only Israel was bidden by her Creator to remain a separate people entrusted with a unique mission. This Truth is under attack like never before in the history of the world.

Parashat Shlach 5777

21 Sivan 5777

The Birur Continues All Around the World

21 Sivan 5777

The strength and effectiveness of this worldwide birur is a very clear sign of how close we are to Mashiach. HKB"H is creating situations where Jews must choose sides - between right and wrong - "and this is the clarification of those days" wherein it is becoming clear where each person stands. You are either with the Torah or you are against it. Just like in this prime example...

ROW OVER SAME-SEX LOVE LECTURE 'ALARMING,' SAYS TOP UK RABBI

Evil thinks its day has arrived. That it is now strong enough to withstand the light, so it has come out of the closet. Like this rabbi and like the missionaries in Eretz Yisrael. They used to hide their true colors, but not anymore. This false sense of security has been granted to them by HKB"H so they will make themselves known to the klal and so we may gain merit by separating from them. Soon, they will disappear from the face of the earth.

"You will but gaze with your eyes, and you will see the annihilation of the wicked." (Tehillim 91)

Some want to preach "unity above all", but there is only one kind of unity among Jews and that is the unity we shared at the foot of Har Sinai - unity of purpose, unity of devotion, unity of destiny - all of it rooted in our acceptance of the Torah.

The Torah Is The Tree Of Life...

21 Sivan 5777

I think among the Dati Leumi community, the Torah has got to be a higher priority than building the land. As we've seen in recent days, when Jews are willing to make shady, non-halachic alliances for the sake of building up the land and don't know what the Torah teaches about how we are to live in it, what is the good in building it up only to let our enemies overrun it?

Dati Leumi Rabbonim Are Concerned They May Not Have Gedolei Torah

"Jews On Missionary TV"

20 Sivan 5777

Jews On Missionary TV 

This is a sampling of Jewish guests on the missionary TV program "In The Last Days" with Christian hosts Martin and Nathalie Blackham. (It has now been rebranded as "Israel First".)

You'll see it's like a roundup of the usual suspects and then some.

New Blog - HaYovel: The Enemy Within

19 Sivan 5777

THE WALL OF SHAME

What Is Shituf And Is It Really Allowed For Gentiles?

19 Sivan 5777

I was going to write a blog post on the concept of shituf and whether it was really allowed to Gentiles, but someone else beat me to it. Find it here, if you are interested. It is long, but excellent. (There's a short version below.)

There are some truly amazing actual righteous gentiles in this world, but you won't find them among Christian Zionists. Those Jews who call Christians "righteous" and even "holy", ignoring their criminal idolatry, are in the process make a mockery of the great personal sacrifices made by truly righteous Gentiles or "Noahides". They do a disservice to humanity as a whole, to the Jewish people particularly, to Torah truth and to the Master of the Universe. When they pretend to be rabbis and spokesmen and say things like "Jews want Christians to be the best Christians they can be", they speak for no one but themselves. 

Truly righteous Gentiles also take exception...

...When you think about the fact that Torah observant Jews know that the roots of christianity are false and inconsistent with their own worldview, and yet a significant amount of them, while ardently warning other Jews against touching such a poisonous worldview, would encourage gentiles to stay in and embrace the christian religion saying there’s nothing fundamentally wrong with it (including the Jesus-worshipping parts of it), a potentially disheartening realisation can dawn upon a savvy gentile, especially one that knows of and does his best to observe the Seven Commandments. What’s that realisation? That we are not all in this together!

...And how do you think this comes across to those, like me, who are watching the actions of the christianity-promoting/preserving Jews? Like they really give a damn about gentiles? You’ve gotta be kidding me. It seems more like they are trying to appease the religions around them and remaining in somewhat comfort in their exile while their attempts to appease surrounding religions only gives those religion confirmation to continue in the sort of actions that bring us as gentiles lower. And once the time of these christian-appeasing Jews is over, whether by death or by return to their homeland in “aliyah”, having protected themselves and ensured their own safety, our “reward” for such “service” is that they would have done a fantastic job in watching over and guiding the poisoning of our “water supply”, our sources of knowledge; let’s enjoy the potential mental retardation of us and our children and the further establishment of the house the Esau/Edom built [rabbis more faithful to the cause of truth see the link between the christian and Roman sources of our society and the ways of biblical Esau]. Sorry if I don’t rush to show my gratitude.
(Source)

A very sobering perspective that cannot and should not be ignored.
_______________________

My Short Version on Shituf

It's the idea that a Gentile may worship one of the creations along with the Creator as long as he recognizes that this created being is subject to the Creator as all created things are, i.e. not a god itself, but still an object worthy of worship and service.

Where did the idea that shituf is allowed to Gentiles originate, I wondered, and I found out that like many evil things, it came out of Germany, in the Middle Ages at a time when Jews were mixing in with the surrounding culture. See here.

Jewish views, as codified in Jewish law, are split between those who see Christianity as outright idolatry and those who see Christianity as shituf. While Christians view their worship of a trinity as monotheistic, Judaism generally rejects this view.

The Talmud warns against causing an idolater to take oaths. The commentators living in Christian Germany in the 12th century, called Tosafists, permitted Jews to engage in business practices with Christians, even though this could result in the Christian partner taking an oath by God, which to Christians would include Jesus, by saying that so long as another deity is not mentioned explicitly, there is no idolatry taking place, but only an association. In a terse comment, they wrote:
It is permissible to [cause a gentile's oath through litigation with one's non-Jewish partner because] today all swear in the name of the saints to whom no divinity is ascribed. Even though they also mention God's name and have in mind another thing, in any event no idolatrous name is actually said, and they also have the Creator of the world in mind. Even though they associate (shituf) God's name with "something else", we do not find that it is forbidden to cause others to associate (shituf), and there is no issue of placing a stumbling block before the blind (see Leviticus 19:14) [by entering into litigation with the non-Jewish business partner, thereby causing him to take an oath] because Noachides were not warned about it.

 Three hundred years later...

In the 16th Century, the terse comment is explained as follows by Moses Isserles:
Today, it is permitted [to form a partnership with Christians], because when they swear on their holy scriptures called the Evangelion, they do not hold it to be divine. Even though when they mention God they mean Jesus, they do not mention idolatry since they really mean the Creator of heaven and earth.

Even though they mention jointly (shituf) God's name and another name, there is no prohibition to cause someone to jointly mention [or associate] (shituf) God with another... since this association is not forbidden to gentiles.

Another two hundred years after that, again in Germany!... 

...Moses Mendelssohn, the 18th century Jewish Enlightenment thinker, used the concept of shituf as cited in Tosafot to justify any form of association of God with another entity. 

And we all (should) know what happened to Moses Mendelssohn...

• "the first Jew to bring secular culture to those living an Orthodox Jewish life"
• "the Father of the Jewish Enlightenment"
• "a spokesman for brotherhood and love of humanity"
• "recognized the necessity of multiple religions and respected each one"
• "wanted to take the Jews out of a ghetto lifestyle and into secular society"
• "translated the Bible into German"
• "campaigned for emancipation and instructed Jews to form bonds with the gentile governments"
• "tried to improve the relationship between Jews and Christians as he argued for tolerance and humanity"
• "became the symbol of the Jewish Enlightenment, the Haskalah"

And finally, the only way it was ever going to go...

"Mendelssohn's own descendents, the most famous being the composer Felix Mendelssohn, left Judaism for Christianity."