Happy Purim Meshulash!

16 Adar 5781

When Shushan Purim falls out on Shabbat as it does this year, the residents of Yerushalayim give their gifts ot the poor and read the megillah with the rest of the nation on Thursday night/Friday morning, but defer their seudah and mishloach manot delivery to Sunday.  This spreads the holiday out over the course of three days, hence the term Purim Meshulash (shalosh is "three").

In keeping with the spirit of the day, therefore, I am happy to bring you news of developments which may very well presage the ultimate downfall of our enemies ... as in those days at this time.

Former Israeli ambassador to UN: 'Iran will pay heavy price'

"We will not be silent. The Iranians will pay a heavy price for any aggression against the Israeli state," former Israeli ambassador to the UN Danny Danon said, referring to the damage caused to an Israeli-owned cargo vessel that was damaged by a mysterious explosion in the Gulf of Oman.

Defense Minister Benny Gantz has said that Iran is the main suspect behind the attack, which took place overnight Thursday.

Did Iran finally take a more direct shot at Israel? - analysis

Questions are swirling about whether an Israeli-owned cargo ship used to transport vehicles was damaged overnight Thursday by an active attack by Iran and if it will lead to a deterioration between Jerusalem and Tehran.

The cause of the mysterious explosion in the Gulf of Oman is still unclear, but both defense Minister Benny Gantz and a US defense official who spoke to Reuters seemed to point the finger at the Islamic Republic.

...All of this could lead to deterioration and even a broader conflict.

Blaming Iran, security officials said to back response to blast on Israeli ship

Israeli security officials view the attack on an Israeli-owned ship in the Persian Gulf on Friday as a crossing of a red line on the part of Iran, and support an Israeli response, according to a report Saturday.

Kan News said Israel unequivocally believes Tehran was behind the explosion, and high-level discussions on the matter are expected to take place Sunday.

“We are considering an appropriate response,” senior officials told Ynet. “This will not be accepted silently.”

One year ago, on Shushan Purim, the coronavirus outbreak was declared a global emergency.  If we are really on track for geulah this year (5781), war is the next stage of the process.  The Big War has been threatening for literally years now.  It heats up and then it cools back down, like labor pains building and receding.  

If there is going to be a birth, we have to get past all these false labor pains to the real deal.  Ask any mother, false labor can be exhausting and it robs a person of the strength she needs to face the hard job of delivery.  No one looks forward to that pain, but when you realize it's the only way to get the baby into the world, we just focus on the eventual joyful outcome, and then we know we can get through it.  Nonetheless, HKB"H should have mercy on His children and grant us renewed strength to face all that is set to come.  

Wishing for us all to see the unfolding of the geulah shleimah by Rosh Chodesh Nisan!

* * *

DRUDGEREPORT CITES DAILY STAR ON YALKUT SHIMONI !!!!!

...An 800-year-old prophecy predicts "the US will go to war with Iran before the coronavirus pandemic ends".

The source is based on precise methods to reveal a code in the holy book the Torah. It claims a month before the pandemic fades a global conflict, involving the United States, will break out between bitter enemies Saudi Arabia and Iran.

It also claims that the fighting will "bring great strife and darkness into the world".

The version of events is revealed in Yalkut Yishayau, a book published in 1939 based on a section of the Yalkut Shimoni, a compilation of Jewish commentary on the Bible believed to have been composed in the 13th century.

The text reads: "Rabbi Yitzchak said: 'In the year that the Messiah will be revealed, all of the leaders of the nations will provoke each other.

"The king of Persia will provoke the king of Arabia, and the king of Arabia will go to Edom to receive advice from them.

"And the king of Persia will go and destroy the entire world, and all the nations of the world will shake and panic and fall on their faces and feel contractions like those of giving birth, and Israel will shake and panic and ask: 'Where will we go?'

"And (God) will say to them, ‘My children, do not fear, because everything I did, I did for you. Why are you afraid? Don’t be afraid. The time has come for your redemption’.”

The Purim of Messianic Times?

 14 Adar 5781
Purim - Erev Shabbat Kodesh
Parashat Tetzaveh - Shushan Purim

There is a very good chance that we will look back on this day and say, it all started on Purim.

EXCLUSIVE-U.S. carries out airstrike against Iranian-backed militia target in Syria, officials say

* * *

"They shall make a Sanctuary for Me - so that I may dwell among them..."
(Shemot 25.8)

Hashem is surely watching all his little children running around trying to find a place to hear the Megillah of Esther to fulfill His will and getting more and more incensed at those who would prevent them.  Surely, He is thinking, well, if they won't let them into the synagogues, I'll just bring them their Temple and let's see anyone stop them then!  And so may it be His will!!

PURIM SAMEACH and SHABBAT SHALOM!!!!

IT'S TIME, HASHEM

13 Adar 5781
Ta'anit Esther

Arise, O God, judge the earth, for You inherit all the nations. (Psalms 82:8)

 

"NEW NORMAL"? YOU HAVE NO IDEA!

12 Adar 5781

I can't help wondering how many people are actually aware of this.  I was quite surprised when I first read it...

[Source: Website]

YOUR FUTURE AT THE POINT OF A NEEDLE

Turn Our Tragedies Into Joy

12 Adar 5781

My heart broke at the news of the 32-year-old pregnant mother-of-four who died, along with her unborn child of complications from COVID.  And it broke again when the establishment pounced on it and used the tragedy to further their evil ends of scaring more and more people into getting the experimental, and in some cases, lethal vaccine.

Headline from yesterday:  "Wave of Vaccinations After Pregnant Woman Dies of Coronavirus"

For the entire past year we didn't hear of such things, so I wracked my brain trying to understand how it could have happened.  They made a really big deal out of her brother-in-law hosting an "anti-vax" group on Facebook and trotted out the usual hysterical accusation of "murderers" by none other than the newly-converted-to-the-cause brother-in-law.  Although they at first claimed that the woman had been influenced by the family's anti-vax feelings, I wondered if she had not gone and gotten the vaccine without telling anyone.  So, today the truth comes out.

Bereaved Husband Says His Wife Wasn’t Against Vaccines

Yehudah Ben-Shitrit, the husband of Asnat, z’l, who passed away of the coronavirus on Motzei Shabbos at age 32, told Channel 13 News that contrary to rumors, his wife wasn’t opposed to vaccines and even made an appointment to receive the first dose but caught the virus prior to the appointment.

“At the beginning, she was a little nervous due to all the talk in the media about pregnant women but later she decided to be vaccinated and she made appointments for both of us,” Yehudah said.

“I got vaccinated with the first dose but then contracted the virus and then she caught it and it was too late for her to be vaccinated. We were in favor of vaccination – I recommend to everyone to be vaccinated, to protect your lives so you won’t come to our situation.”

And knowing that, he is still pushing other people to get the vaccine.  This truth is too hard for him to acknowledge.  Who is the "murderer" now?

May we see - with our own eyes - the grand turnaround where all tragedies are forgotten and all sadness is turned to joy - quickly - even NOW!

Purim — The Joy of Life

In the eighth year of Achashverosh’s rule, on the thirteenth of Adar, every Jewish man, woman and child was to be slaughtered. Young or old, wealthy or poor, they were counted as one, and on that fateful day, the Jewish people would cease to be. According to the ways of the world and according to the natural course of events, that is what should have happened.

But it didn’t. In the greatest reversal of fortune, the tables were turned and the Jews were saved. In a heartbeat, they went from death to life, from despondency to hope, from being sheep led to the slaughter to having Mordechai HaTzaddik paraded through the streets of Shushan. The people had lived through an astonishing miracle, and they experienced great joy. “And the Jews of Shushan were jubilant and celebrated.”

Yet, when the Gemara describes their elation, it seems to leave out the issue of life and death. Where the Megillah says, “The Jews had light and gladness, and joy and honor,” Chazal interpret it to mean, “The Jews had Torah, yom tov, milah and tefillin,” as if to say that the reason the Jews were celebrating was because they again had the opportunity to do these mitzvos. The issue of their being granted their lives doesn’t seem to weigh into the equation. It seems that the Gemara is saying that their entire celebration and their source of joy was that they were now once again able to perform these mitzvos.

Read the full article HERE.

Several Videos of Interest

 11 Adar 5781

One reader writes to ask why I don't allow opposing views.  In this case, why won't I publish information pointing out how the opinions against the vaccine are fake news and conspiracy theories.  Very simply, one is the truth and one is a lie.  Why would I give equal time to the lies and keep people in confusion?  What service does that provide?  I hope that clears it up.

PURIM 

Shocking Revelation: Why Are We Celebrating Purim On the Wrong Day - Part 2

Shocking Revelation: Why Are We Celebrating Purim on the Wrong Day - Part 1

VACCINE 

Conversation with the FDA
(It's in Hebrew, but the call to the FDA is in English. Needless to say, when Kupat Cholim Maccabi and the MOH are contacted, they insist that the vaccine is indeed FDA "approved.")

Bill Gates Deleted Documentary

Mark Zuckerberg Expresses Concerns About the COVID-19 Vaccine

Dr. Vladimir Ze'ev Zelenko on the COVID-19 Vaccine

The Future of Vaccines

"Immediately Preceding the Month of Nisan"

7 Adar 5781
Erev Shabbat Kodesh
Parashat Terumah - Zachor

"Remember what Amalek did to you on the way." 

It's not enough to remember what Amalek did.  We also need to remember why he was able to do it.

Idolatry in the camp of Israel (The Book of Our Heritage, by Eliyahu Kitov)

You followed me in the wilderness in a land that was not planted (Yirmeyahu 2:2) – The Sages explained: This [the complete dependence on G-d that characterized Israel’s existence in the desert] is only temporary and will last only as long as you are on the way [to the Land of Israel] and until the Torah is permanently implanted within you. Afterwards, you shall enter the land which is My place, and you will plant at the time of planting, sow at the time of sowing, and harvest at the time of harvesting, and I shall grant you bounty greater than any other nation or land.

However, the imperative to remove all traces of idolatry and to serve only G-d—this is incumbent upon you now and for generations to come. Have you removed the foreign gods from your midst? Have you brought yourselves under My wing and shattered all of your idols? Let Amalek come and examine you. If your hearts are completely with Me, you have nothing to fear. But if there is among you a man or woman whose soul still clings to the idols of Egypt and their abominations, let them [the idols] come and save you from the wicked Amalek! The verse therefore states: And Amalek came (Shemos 17;8)…and he tailed after you [striking] all the weak who fell behind (Devarim 25;18).

After he tailed after you—R. Nachman explained: All those whom the “protective cloud” cast out were caught by Amalek. The Sages explained: This refers to the tribe of Dan who were cast out by the “protective cloud” because they were all idol-worshipers. The idol which Michah had created was in their midst, and there were many among them who had not wholeheartedly resolved to serve God alone (Yalkut Shimoni, Parashas Ki Setze).

The complete obliteration of Amalek will occur at the time of the final redemption, immediately preceding the month of Nisan.  A trace of that obliteration is felt each year during Purim, which falls in the month preceding Nisan. The reading of Parashas Zachor was therefore prescribed for this time of year.

May we merit due to the depths of HKB"H's mercy to witness the final downfall of Amalek in these days "preceding the month of Nisan." 

~ SHABBAT SHALOM ~

Halachot of Purim with HaRav David Bar-Hayim

 6 Adar 5781

It's only a week away!

Q and A Shiur: Halachot of Purim

TIME FOR SOME CHIZUK

5 Adar 5781 

It’s not good, but it is normal for doubts to creep in and make you wonder if you are not the one who is crazy, and maybe everyone else is right after all.  This is the war that the yetzer hara wages in our minds.  As long as we keep that realization uppermost in our thoughts, we can be on guard against those tactics. 

But, keep this in mind, too.  Anyone who comes with bribes and threats and whips up the level of fear to astronomical levels to impose their will on yours – this is not something good.  This is something very, very bad and this is an enemy to be resisted at all costs. 

Safek (doubt) shares the same gematria as Amalek.  Doubt leads to despair.  Never give in to it!!  Especially at this time of year, coming up to Purim when Amalek  threatened us with extinction as a people, we must remember – “Remember what Amalek did to you on the way.”  

HKB”H says:  “Remember.  And remember, too, how I saved you from the hands of Amalek.  I am your rescuer.  I, and no one else.  And I will surely save you now.”         

Why are we constantly reminded in all our prayers about “Yetziat Mitzrayim?”  

HKBH says:  “As surely as I brought Yisrael up from Mitzrayim, so will I redeem Yisrael with a complete redemption in time to come.  As surely as it happened then, so it will most assuredly come to pass for their children.” 

As we affirm three times, every day, in the Shemonah Esrei prayer: 

“Blessed are You, Hashem our God…Who recalls the kindnesses of the Patriarchs and brings a Redeemer to their children’s children, for His Name’s sake, with love.” 

Remember!  And turn a deaf ear to the internal voice that whispers the doubts: 

“Mashiach is a fairy tale, a mental crutch to help weak people deal with their miserable lives.  He hasn’t come in 4000 years, he is never coming.  Give up and give in.  Why persist in fighting the inevitable?” 

There is another voice, a different voice calling to you out of the depths of your soul.  Heed this voice instead: 

“I am Hashem your God Who recalls the kindnesses of the Patriarchs and My promise to bring a Redeemer to their children’s children, for My Name’s sake, with love.”

Remember!  And never forget it!!

GUEST POST: "Third Temple Culture: The Ethos of The Hilltop Youth"

 4 Adar 5781

Third Temple Culture: The Ethos of The Hilltop Youth A vigorous new worldview that moves beyond the State of Israel “We are post-zionist, yes; but also adamantly halachic.” The Hilltop Youth are not the same young fellows you read about in the mainstream media. There, you’ll find endless stories about dropouts, vandals and ‘messianic zealots’. And in the burgeoning academic literature, too, where every manner of anthropologist, sociologist and criminologist is tripping over himself to develop a convincing typology for the group, or to formulate some original model the better to render them, like Eliot’s butterfly, “sprawled and wriggling on a pin” – the target is missed altogether. In the case of the journalists, it’s mostly laziness.  If you’re a secular reporter, what, after all, is your motivation to get ‘inside’ and really understand the heart of a movement that will eventually upend the course of modern Jewish history? And besides, in contemporary journalism an agenda has to be pushed, so it’s easier to just stigmatize (or demonize) the group in order to advance your career, rather than run up against some woke editor who’ll consign you to proofreading the social page if you don’t conform. As for the ‘academics’, it’s too often the case that papers are written in order to make policy proposals for politicians and law enforcement (alongside making a name for themselves as good students of these very bad Jews). Ultimately, that means finding vulnerabilities in the group that can be exploited by well-meaning government types who just want to make the ‘problem’ go away. In short, almost no one writing today about the Hilltop Youth is doing so in an honest, intelligent manner, or with a view toward knowing what truly animates them. Very simply, the Hilltop Youth possess a single-minded yearning for the Third Temple – a desire so consuming and uncompromising that it has de facto created a separate and exclusive Hilltop culture – not only distinct from the shallow, mainstream zeitgeist of the Israeli sh’fela, but also from the spirit of those ‘settlers’ in whose midst they dwell. Now, that’s a lot to parse, I know, so let’s try to unpack it. Hilltop Bullet Points We’ll start with this: the Hilltop Youth is not ‘Israeli’, in the normative cultural sense of the term.  They possess Israeli citizenship, yes, but… They care nothing for the politics that enlivens the average Israeli.  They care less for TzaHaL, over which most of the country still fawns. High tech is the least of their ambitions. And as for a life of ease – in the most vulgar, western understanding of the phrase (gadgets and holidays) – it’s nothing they pine for. All of which places them in an entirely different galaxy from the average citizen of the so-called Jewish State. Rather, the weltanschauung of the Hilltop Youth group is one of pure spirit. Know, too, that there’s no organization here. This is an entirely generational mindset that was absorbed via a number of disparate historical processes and phenomena that began in 1967.  It includes, among others – Rabbi Kahane, Oslo, Gush Katif, the broader settlement enterprise (and especially its conflict with the Minhal Ezrachi), Israeli judicial overreach, increasing police malfeasance, and a wholesale rejection of the statist politics of their elders. Throw in an overwhelming love of the Land and People of Israel and you come up with a product that the state and its institutions truly regard as a mortal threat to their existence. And they’re right. But for the wrong reasons. A New Vision The dream of the Hilltop Youth is to lead a life of mesirut nefesh for the sake of the Land of Israel and the Jewish remnant that believes, as they do, that nothing short of the messianic vision of the prophets will suffice for them – or for G-d. And so, in an unceasing effort to occupy the space that’s bound by their convictions, they have moved into that ‘place’ that is wholly Third Temple. That is, they have dispensed with anything that does not comport with life as it is meant to be lived in Temple times, and have filled their days exclusively with the necessities of learning about and preparing for the temple sacrifice ritual as explained in the Mishna. All else is superfluous. Life is led as if the Temple might appear tomorrow, and the group will simply walk undisturbed into that new reality without so much as a blink. What that means… 1.      It means that animals and crops are raised in a natural, organic manner for both sustenance and sacrifice. 2.      That the Israeli state as a political concept (and reality) is rejected in favor of a King and Sanhedrin that are now in their emergent stages. 3.      That the state, moreover, is considered to be the single biggest roadblock on the road to a Third Temple reality. 4.      That a complete repudiation of, and disengagement from the institutions and processes of the State of Israel — and all those who work for and support them — is therefore a categorical necessity. 5.      That economically, the abiding focus is on agriculture, artisanry and crafts that will eventually contribute to a full Third Temple existence – to the exclusion of all other occupations. 6.      Submission to an overall ‘primitivism’ (they’ve certainly been called worse), that considers trapping, gathering, preserving, spinning, dyeing, and excelling at all the fiber, metal- and wood-working arts as activities of the highest value — to be learned, taught and thoroughly promoted. Third Temple Economy The group is now engaged in developing a Third Temple economic infrastructure that is Torah and agriculture based.  The laws of shmittah and yovel are studied and implemented with great stricture. The group sees guilds and apprentice-style learning groups emerging for crafts and tradesmen, along with A barter system with designated weights and measures, and set locations for the effective commercial transfer of goods, based on the original Mishnaic Monday/Thursday market-day protocol. A group of learned and trustworthy rabbis without any state affiliation – itinerant teachers of sorts – is now active across Yehuda and Shomron, visiting the various hilltops to teach the relevant laws of agriculture and trade and to ensure they’re adhered to. Sympathetic legal experts have also been engaged to coach the group and instruct them in the methods of Erev Rav state trickery – and how to defend themselves against it. This is Hitnatkut — Complete Disengagement Willful and With Purpose So much unlike the last one… This de-coupling will form the underpinning of a new Jewish sensibility, a genuine Third Temple reality that will arise in the highlands between Hebron and Shechem in the years ahead. And then spread beyond. May you be zoche to find yourself among those who would partake of it. Dean Maughvet

___________________________ 

T.D.: I expect this is why the synagogues have been closed.  And I expect, they will only fully open to all once the Beit HaMikdash has been rebuilt. 

The Children Are Ready II 

The Children Are Ready III

"A STORM COMETH"

 4 Adar 5781

So, the third lockdown just ended here a week ago and already they say they are going to have to lock us down for Purim.  Who knows when that will start.  With an actual blizzard being predicted to arrive in Jerusalem beginning tomorrow night, I felt today was my best chance to go to town and shop for Purim.  

The lockdown doesn't really prevent one from traveling to Jerusalem and wandering anywhere he wants, but during the lockdown, there is no place to go.  All the businesses are closed except phone and computer stores, housewares and hardware, groceries and pharmacies.  I've been waiting a long time to buy some clothes for my grandchildren and some new shoes for me.  I forgot that they were opening up this last closure "slowly," so what I found open in Jerusalem today was the phone and computer stores, housewares and hardware, groceries and pharmacies.  Every single clothing and shoe store was closed up tight.  As one of my dearest friends likes to say: " <sigh>".

I did get everything I needed for my seudah and mishloach manot, however.  And there are three family birthdays coming up.  Picked up a few things on that score, but not enough.  A costume is no issue since I wear the same one every year - the queen bee.  

Speaking of the "blizzard," the Jerusalem Weatherman who keeps us all updated on snow news in the capital of Israel, explains that a blizzard is not defined by how much snow there is but by how much wind accompanies it.  I had only been out of Colorado for four years when I saw my first Jerusalem snowfall - 18 inches!!  I kid you not!! That was twenty-one years ago and there have been a few snows in Jerusalem since, but nothing like that one.  For the past nearly ten years I've been living in what I think is the friendliest and most beautiful little village in all the Land of Israel, out in the Judean Desert.  We are only 12 miles east of Jerusalem, but 500 meters lower in elevation, so it would be a very special gift from HKB"H for my grandchildren if snow fell even out here.

Actually, it seems like there is an awful lot of it going around.  Did you see this?

Historic Winter Storm! Ice Storm, Blizzard Conditions & Record Cold! - POW Weather Channel

It's even snowing in my hometown of Houston, Texas! That's a rarity. But, it's not just the US. Look at this...

Low temperatures records have been tumbling across the planet of late, particularly in the Northern Hemisphere — North America, Europe, and Asia have each logged thousands of new cold records this winter, and now the situation looks set to intensify even further...

Latest GFS runs show a hemisphere-wide hyperborean invasion starting now and running all of next week, with brutal Arctic air masses occupying the majority of the mid-latitudes by Monday, Feb. 15.

Temperature departures of 20C below the winter average will grip much of North America and Russia, with North Africa and eastern Asia also copping nation-spanning blasts of anomalous cold.

We are going to start hearing a lot more harping on climate change because the weather anomalies are gonna go up another whole level of crazy. [See "Here Comes the Sun".  Note: video came from a 2009 interview.] 

Wherever you are, I hope you are warm and cozy!  

Forty-Five Days Later...

2 Adar 5781
Shavua Tov!

The Battle of the Last War - Are You Programmed?

HAPPY ROSH CHODESH ADAR!!!

30 Shevat 5781
Rosh Chodesh Aleph

Quick Vaccine News Update:  I wish it were a Purim joke, but alas!  One can only conclude that this is the work of a 'king' whose edicts are worse than Haman's!!

Can it be at coincidental that the next largest concentration of Jews after Israel is the US and UK???

(Source of graph)

But cheer up!!  No sad faces!! 

 THE TURN-AROUND IS COMING!!!!

Mishenichnas Adar

VIDEOS YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS

29 Shevat 5781
Yom Kippur Katan
Erev Rosh Chodesh Aleph

Quick Vaccine News Update...

Don’t want to vaccinate? Israel set to limit access to cafes, culture and more

The Health Ministry is reportedly closing in on a plan to spur more Israelis to get vaccinated by bringing back certain leisure activities in the near future, but making them hard to access for those who have not gotten shots.

Channel 12 News reported Wednesday that officials are looking to limit access to gyms, hotels, restaurants and cultural and sports events for those who refuse to be vaccinated, while the inoculated will be able to enter freely.

As it is legally problematic to completely ban those who do not want to take the shots, a path will be available to those with fresh negative COVID-19 test results from the past 48 hours.

But health officials hope to find ways to make getting tested more difficult — thereby further encouraging more people to go for the vaccine — including charging for tests, limiting their numbers and cutting back on testing locations.

I don't go to any of those places anyway, but it's the nastiness and deviousness of their wicked plan that irks me. I'm sure they have no clue that they are living on borrowed time. I hope they make the best of it. 

 ~ ~ ~

RABBI RICHTER: Is the Anti Torah-Judaism State of Israel the Beginning of Redemption? (Part 2)  (Part 1)

[Anyone interested in the book the Rabbi refers to, called HaNevuah, can see it HERE.]

~ ~ ~

THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE IS TRANSITIONING TO DAYS OF MASHIACH!  (Start at 0:03:40 if you don't want to see it all.)

IT'S ALL CONNECTED TO PURIM

28 Shevat 5781

THE PURIM CONNECTION TO COVID-19

There are some very interesting and instructive connections that can be drawn between our current situation and the Purim holiday.  Recall that the so-called pandemic was declared a global emergency on Shushan Purim 5780 (11 March 2020).  The conspiracy to annihilate all the Jews in Esther and Mordechai's time was global in scope - 127 provinces in the Persian Empire.  

When it says that HKB"H will raise up a king like Haman against us and then we will surely do teshuvah, really think about what that would mean.  And what position we would find ourselves in - just like Mordechai and Esther did - pretty helpless - sort of like today?  Or just like today?  All they could do was fast and pray and do teshuvah, but in the end, that is what worked to turn the situation around.  That is what HKB"H responded to when he sent them their deliverance.

Furthermore, present-day Iran, so often in the news today, was ancient Persia.  They are reaching a point where they might once again represent an existential threat to Am Yisrael. Right here at Purim time again.

I read someplace, I wish I could remember where, that Gog is the title of the leader of Amalek, that it comes from Agag, the ancient leader of the Amalekites and progenitor of Haman.  There is even a tie-in to Purim and the wars of Gog uMagog.  Some speculate as to whether Hitler, y"sh, could have been the "king like Haman."  Have you heard the story about "Purimfest 1946"?  I'll let you read for youself. And keep in mind how often you may have heard the word "Nuremberg" recently in connection with this vaccine.

PURIM - HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF

On 1 October 1946, after 216 court sessions, the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg delivered its verdicts sentencing the leaders of the Nazi party to death by hanging. The author of the following account, Kingsbury Smith of the International News Service, was chosen by lot to represent the American press at the execution of ten of those leaders.

Nuremberg Gaol, Germany

16 October 1946

International News Service 

…Julius Streicher made his melodramatic appearance at 2:12 a.m.

While his manacles were being removed and his bare hands bound, this ugly, dwarfish little man, wearing a threadbare suit and a well-worn bluish shirt buttoned to the neck but without a tie (he was notorious during his days of power for his flashy dress), glanced at the three wooden scaffolds rising menacingly in front of him. Then he glanced around the room, his eyes resting momentarily upon the small group of witnesses. By this time, his hands were tied securely behind his back. Two guards, one on each arm, directed him to Number One gallows on the left of the entrance. He walked steadily the six feet to the first wooden step but his face was twitching.

As the guards stopped him at the bottom of the steps for identification formality he uttered his piercing scream: 'Heil Hitler!'

The shriek sent a shiver down my back.

As its echo died away an American colonel standing by the steps said sharply, 'Ask the man his name.' In response to the interpreter's query Streicher shouted, 'You know my name well.'

The interpreter repeated his request and the condemned man yelled, 'Julius Streicher.'

As he reached the platform Streicher cried out, 'Now it goes to G-d.' He was pushed the last two steps to the mortal spot beneath the hangman's rope. The rope was being held back against a wooden rail by the hangman.

Streicher was swung suddenly to face the witnesses and glared at them. Suddenly he screamed, 'Purim Fest 1946.' [Purim is a Jewish holiday celebrated in the spring, commemorating the execution of Haman, ancient persecutor of the Jews described in the Old Testament]…

Streicher had been a Nazi since early in the movement’s history. He was the editor and publisher of the anti-Semitic newspaper "Der Sturmer." In May of 1924 Streicher wrote and published an article on Purim titled "Das Purimfest" (The Festival of Purim). In order to publish his vitriolic attack Streicher must have had a good deal of knowledge about Jewish thought and practice. However we can only speculate to what extent he was aware of the remarkable parallels between Haman and his own execution. However, they are indeed striking:

“And the king said to Esther the queen, ‘The Jews have slain and destroyed five hundred men in Shushan the capital, and the ten sons of Haman...Now whatever your petition, it shall be granted; whatever your request further, it shall be done.’

Then said Esther, ‘If it please the king, let it be granted to the Jews that are in Shushan to do tomorrow also as this day, and let Haman's ten sons be hanged upon the gallows.’ ” (Esther 9:12-14)

If Haman’s ten sons had already been killed, how could they be hanged?

Our Sages comment on the word “tomorrow" in Esther's request: "There is a tomorrow that is now, and a tomorrow which is later." (Tanchuma, Bo 13 and Rashi, Shemot 13:14).

In the Megilla, the names of Haman’s ten sons are written very large and in two columns. This is in distinct contrast to the style of the rest of the Megilla. The left-hand column contains the word v'et (and) ten times. According to our Sages the word v'et is used to denote replication. The inference is that another ten people were hanged in addition to Haman's ten sons.

If we examine the list of Haman's sons three letters are written smaller: the taf of Parshandata, the shin of Parmashta and the zayin of Vizata.

Those three letters together form taf-shin-zayin, the last three numbers of the Jewish year 5707, which corresponds to the secular year 1946, the year that those ten Nazi criminals were executed.

The Nuremberg trials were a military tribunal and thus the method of execution was usually by firing squad. The court, however, prescribed hanging. Esther’s request "Let Haman's ten sons be hanged" echoes down the ages.

Equally uncanny is that the date of the execution (October 16, 1946) fell on "Hoshana Rabba" (21 Tishrei), the day on which G-d seals the verdicts of Rosh Hashana for the coming year.

As the Megilla recounts, a decree that the king has sealed cannot be rescinded, and thus Achashverosh had to promulgate a second decree to allow the Jewish People to defend themselves. In other words, that first decree was never nullified.

Our Sages teach us that eventually the Jewish People will return to G-d either voluntarily, or if not, G-d will raise up another despot whose decrees will be “as severe as Haman” (Sanhedrin 97b).

When we look toward the place of our original encounter with Haman and see the rise of a fanatic whose rhetoric rivals our most vicious enemies, we should remember that history most often repeats itself for those who fail to learn its lessons.  

And lest we forget, the Shabbat before Purim is when we read Zachor.

REMEMBER AMALEK

The Midrash relates: Cursed are the wicked.  They occupy their time with ideas about how to destroy the Jews, with each one vying for the honor of having the best idea.  Esav ridiculed Cain for killing Abel during Adam’s lifetime.  If Cain wanted the whole world for himself, he should have realized that Adam was still alive and could have more children.  Esav was not going to make that mistake.  He would wait until Yitzchok’s death and then kill Yaakov.  Later, it was Pharaoh’s turn to laugh at Esav.  Didn’t Esav know that Yaakov could have children before Yitzchok died?  Nothing would be gained by killing Yaakov if he had offspring that would survive him.  Pharaoh thought himself smarter than Esav.  He would kill every Jewish male at birth.  Centuries later it was Pharaoh’s turn to be thought a fool, by Haman.  Didn’t Pharaoh understand that even if one Jewish male remained he could father the nation anew?  Haman’s plan was to kill them all! 

The Midrash concludes by teaching that in the future, Gog and Magog will deride Haman.  Didn’t Haman know that the Jews have a Father in Heaven Who will never let them be destroyed as long as they do His bidding?  So they will first do battle with God by keeping the Jews from observing the Torah and mitzvot. This will enable them to destroy the Jews.  But God’s response to this is clear: “I have many messengers whom I can send into battle. But the war against Gog and Magog I shall wage Myself.  Their destruction shall be complete.” (Esther Rabbah 7:23.) 

Today, though Amalek definitely and unfortunately exists, we cannot say with certainty who, or where, all of them are.  However, there is a noteworthy exception.  When Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany [the Gog of WWI] visited Jerusalem during his journey to the Holy Land almost all the religious leaders of Jerusalem came to the city gates to greet him.  Rabbi Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld (d.1932), the spiritual leader of Ashkenazic Jewry in Israel at that time, did not go. When asked about his refusal he answered that although the Kaiser himself was deserving of the honor bestowed upon him, “I have a tradition that Germany is Amalek.” (Source)

100 YEARS OF GOG UMAGOG

The Chafetz Chaim famously said that WWI was the first war of Gog uMagog and that about 25 years later, there would be a second, followed about 70 years later by a third.  There are some interesting similarities between the prior two wars of Gog uMagog (WWI and WWII) and the one we seem to be in the midst of today.

WWI:    Who instigated it?  Germany - Kaiser Wilhelm II (Second Reich)
What was one result of it?  Eretz Yisrael was freed from Turkish (Yishmael) rule.

WWII:   Who instigated it?  Germany - Adolph Hitler (Third Reich)
What was one result of it?  Eretz Yisrael was freed from British (Eisav) rule.

(Speculative)

WWIII:  Who instigated it?  German-born Klaus Schwab (Fourth Industrial Revolution)

What will be one result of it?  Eretz Yisrael will be freed from Zionist (Erev Rav) rule.

I'm pretty convinced this Schwab character is the present-day "king that is worse than Haman."  He has written all the books on the subjects (The Great Reset, COVID-19, The Fourth Industrial Revolution).  His World Economic Forum was created to advance a program of transhumanism - the re-creation of the human race.  The "Elite" who pay dearly for the privilege of attending his Davos conferences each year intend to rule the world and right now, only the Jews stand in their way.

 "So they will first do battle with God by keeping the Jews from observing the Torah and mitzvot."

So, we will keep observing Torah and mitzvot and praying for our deliverance by the hand of HKB"H, who ultimately will redeem us and the whole world.

Are the Vaccine Wars Going Viral?

 27 Shevat 5781

I promised to keep you informed of new developments, so read on.

To recap a bit in case you missed it, not enough people are volunteering to take the vaccine.  [See  Vaccine drive slowed by 50%, official laments, blaming online ‘fake news’]  Instead of threatening us with rising case numbers, they intend to threaten us with the dropping vaccine numbers.

Today, the media reported that the Health Ministry is "furious" with Rabbi Asherov for his influence over the hundreds of thousands of people who have viewed his videos on the dangers of the vaccine.

...Many doctors have refuted his claims and the Health Ministry, which is trying to have his videos removed, has issued a warning about their content.

...Asherov's videos start with a disclaimer that "the information provided here does not replace conventional medical advice and the law must be respected," but the rabbi's resistance to the coronavirus vaccination campaign and his warnings that the Israeli people have become "experimental guinea pigs" are dangerously popular online.

Einav Shimron, deputy director-general at the Health Ministry's Information and International Relations Department, says that the ministry is working with the authorities to "remove his information." She says that the ministry is about to launch a fact-checking website where "all of Asherov's claims will be surely refuted." 

"It is hard to calculate the damage caused by these videos," Shimron says. (Source)

Try accessing the rabbi's videos now:  COVID-19 VACCINE: PART 1 and PART 2.  As of this writing, Part 2 is still up on Youtube, but possibly only because he starts the video with a disclaimer explaining that he is not a medical doctor and is not giving medical advice.

Also today, Rabbi Anava's Jan. 5, 2021 lecture on the vaccine has been removed from Youtube.  There is nothing in the video lineup to click on any longer, but when I used the url I had saved to it, this is what was waiting there:

I think it stayed up as long as it did because it was cleverly titled "Should You Take the Corona Vaccine - Why Do So Many Doctors and Rabbis Say to Take It?"  It might be read as being PRO-vaccine if you just go by the title.

Thanks to Yakov Butterfield, you can still see it at Brighteon or on BitChute (as soon as processing is complete.)

The thing about all these videos is that they were taken down because someone complained about them.  Same as this incident...

Facebook removes anti-vaccine 'fake news' in Israel, government says

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Facebook has taken down content that spread lies in Israel against coronavirus vaccinations as the government seeks to drum up support for the programme, the Justice Ministry said on Sunday.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday became the first person to be vaccinated in Israel. Opinion polls show some two-thirds of the public want to follow suit.

The Justice Ministry said that, at its request, Facebook took down four groups at the weekend that had disseminated texts, photographs and videos with “deliberately mendacious content designed to mislead about coronavirus vaccines”.

Such “fake news” included arguments that vaccines would be used to plant government tracking chips in recipients’ bodies, to poison them and thus cull the population or to subject them to medical experimentation, the ministry said in a statement.

A Facebook spokeswoman confirmed that four Hebrew-language groups had been taken down as part of the company’s policy against “spreading misinformation regarding the vaccines”.

Israeli officials say the country has enough vaccines on order by year’s end to protect the most vulnerable 20% of the population and then lift some coronavirus curbs, but worry that turnout might be dampened if people get false information about the inoculations.

Israel began administering vaccines to medical staff on Sunday. At Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, dozens of doctors and nurses danced as they prepared to receive their injections.

Imagine!  A prettier piece of propaganda would be hard to find.  And then there is this...

Synagogues call to allow indoor prayer in accordance with guidelines

The World Organization of Orthodox Synagogues has warned of a dangerous combination of increased activity inside synagogues due to the growing number of people inoculated against the coronavirus and lax adherence to pandemic guidelines among those who have yet to receive the vaccine.

The organization called on the government to open synagogues to worshippers that have either been vaccinated, recovered from COVID-19, or tested negative for the virus 72 hours before entering the temple to pray.

According to existing lockdown guidelines, up to five people are allowed to gather in a closed space, and up to 10 are allowed to convene in open areas. In effect, these restrictions prevent worshippers from praying in a minyan – a quorum of 10.

As a result, the organization noted, many people have begun to either ignore or bend the rules on the number of worshippers allowed to gather in one place.

"Unfortunately, we are seeing worshippers, including those who do not have a green passport, beginning to pray in closed spaces. We fear the phenomenon will grow and threaten the health of many," the organization said in a statement.

"Worshippers must adhere to the guidelines and immediately get vaccinated as all the experts have advised. This is both a halachic and moral obligation," the organization said.

According to the framework, the number of worshippers allowed inside the synagogue would be determined by experts to maintain the necessary distance between people. In addition, mask-wearing and hygiene would be enforced. Each synagogue would appoint a coronavirus chief with enforcing the guidelines and limiting entry to green passport holders. Those without a green passport would be allowed to pray outside and in adherence with social-distancing and other pandemic guidelines.

Carmiel mayor approves vaccinated-only shopping

Yep. The worst enemies are always those within. Hashem yerachem!

"How to Fight the Evil Regime" - Part 3

 26 Shevat 5781

(Part 1, Part 2)

Excerpts from The End Illuminated: Sequel, Chapter 3, "Gezeiros Before the Geulah"...

...there are...times when hishtadlus is not called for at all, nor will it be effective.  One of those times is now, as we approach the end of galus and prepare for the Geulah.  At this time ideally we should not engage in hishtadlus at all in regard to the current gezeiros or certain communal tzaros whose whole purpose is just to motivate us to daven for the Geulah,....

...it is clear from numerous sources (see Keitz Hayamim, vol. 4, sha'ar 5:3) that Klal Yisrael will merit the Geulah by recognizing and internalizing the truth of ein od milvado.  If that is the case, then obviously hishtadlus will not be the appropriate way to approach the gezeiros that precede the Geulah.

...Now, at the end of our galus, it is necessary for us ... to come to the clear recognition of ein od milvado and ein al mi lihisha'ein ela al Avinu ShebaShamayim in order to merit the Geulah Shleimah.  Therefore, doing hishtadlus now to counteract the gezeiros with which we are being faced, and that are here to bring us to this recognition, would be counterproductive. 

...besides for the current tzaros pushing us to recognize ein od milvado, upon which the Geulah is dependent, davening for the Geulah in itself may be one of the pivotal purposes of our current tzaros.

...although throughout galus it was correct to do hishtadlus, and surely to daven to get rid of our tzaros so we could continue to serve Hashem in galus, at this point hishtadlus and davening for salvation from these particular tzaros are no longer appropriate on a communal level....

Now is the time to beg for the Geulah. 

~ ~ ~ 

Excerpts from The Ishmaelite Exile, Part 6: The End of Days: Final Purification, Chapter 3: "Israel's Tribulations as Preparation for Redemption"... 

The Chessed LeAvraham writes that the intensification of Israel's oppression constitutes a wonderful process of purification in preparation for the redemption:

Israel's troubles will become as grave as can be, and they will suffer intense pain.  They will say of the mountains, "They have covered us," and of the hills, "They have fallen upon us," because of the tremendous troubles that will surround them on all sides.  The reason for this is that the Divine Presence will judge its household, and G-d will bring them back to the established covenant so as to purify them for the redemption and for the goodness promised to us by His prophets.

...All those who are stubborn and do not repent will perish.  But anyone who bears the yoke of repentance and accepts the troubles without complaint, putting his shoulder to the task, will be purified and become worthy.   

~ ~ ~

Excerpts from Or HaRa'ayon, Chapter 24: "Kedusha (Holiness)"... 

...Mitzvot open up for man the way to holiness.  They refine his senses and his soul so that he differentiates between a sin and a mitzvah, between good and evil, between holiness and impurity.  The more holy and pure he becomes, the more refined his senses become; and he begins to distinguish, naturally, between truth and falsehood.

Sin, by contrast, makes him spiritually insensitive.  It roughens his soul and his senses by blunting them.  An impure outer shell forms and seals up his soul.

...As we have said, G-d chose Israel as His special people, treasured, chosen, supreme and holy.  This holiness was given to them both through the Patriarchs' merit and through their own, and their souls were purified of filth at the Sinai Revelation.  Indeed, Israel are pure and holy as a nation.   Even so, it is a mitzvah for every Jew to hallow himself more and more until he achieves the level of having Ruach HaKodesh, Divine inspiration....

THIS is how we "fight" the Evil Regime.  Through our repentance and purification of our souls, we strip Evil of its power and allow the Geulah Shleimah to arrive. 

"How to Fight the Evil Regime" - Part 2

 25 Shevat 5781

(Part 1)

"One aspect of Milchemes Gog U'Magog that's even more serious than the physical battle is that it will be a spiritual battle royale between tumah and kedushah." 

                    --- The End Illuminated by Rabbi Yisroel Moshe Sorotzkin

Kadosh means separated and that's really our weapon....  People want to know how to fight the evil regime that is coming to annihilate us.  Only if you are holy.  If you are holy, nothing is going to touch you.                         --- Rabbi Alon Anava

     Continuing with Or Ha'Ra'ayon on Kedusha...

Kedusha is the foundation of the world, because kedusha is perfection and purity, without a trace of abomination, spiritual baseness, selfishness, or bestial lust.  Kedusha involves preparation, readying oneself to become holy, to fill one's soul with kedusha, as was said at Sinai, "Go to the people and sanctify them [וקדשתם-vekidashtam]" (Ex. 19:10), and Rashi comments, "Ready them so that they can prepare themselves."  Kedusha means being ready for holiness and purity to enter the heart and soul.  The opposite of kedusha is chulin non-holiness, from the root chalal, a vacuum.  The irreligious Jew is an empty vacuum, whom kedusha has left.

Indeed, kedusha is the foundation of the world and of Israel, because the world was created for the sake of kedusha, and Israel - G-d's emissary and anointed one on earth - was created, as well, for the sake of kedusha.  Israel are obligated to emulate G-d and imitate His attributes and ways, as an example and as a light unto mankind, in order to form a world that is totally good.  Our sages said (Torat Kohanim, Kedoshim, 1):

 If you sanctify yourselves, I will credit you as having sanctified Me.  If you do not sanctify yourselves, I will treat you as not having sanctified Me...  Abba Shaul says, "Israel are the King's retinue, and they are required to emulate the King."

In other words, Israel, as G-d's retinue, have the task of imitating Him, of being as similar to Him as is possible for a man to be similar to G-d, and of coming close to Him.  If they do so, then, so to speak, G-d, as well, ascends spiritually and becomes holier.  G-d decreed this upon Israel:  "Remember and keep all My commandments and be holy to your G-d" (Num. 15:40).  The Sifri comments (Shelach, 115), "This is the kedusha of all the mitzvot."  In other words, through all the mitzvot, Israel become holier; and this is their task, because it was for the sake of this that G-d took them out of Egypt, as shall be explained below. 

 It also says (Lev. 11:44-45):

For I am the L-rd your G-d, and since I am holy, you must also make yourselves holy and remain sanctified.  Therefore, do not defile your souls by eating any small animal that lives on the land.  I am the L-rd, and I brought you out of Egypt to be your G-d.  Therefore, since I am holy, you must also make yourselves holy.

 ...We also learn (Torat Kohanim, Shemini, 12),  "Just as I am holy, so are you holy.  Just as I am set apart, so must you be set apart."  Here we find kedusha defined:  It means separating oneself from the abominations, impurity and bestiality of the world, and instead clinging to purity and spiritual loftiness, goodness and the yoke of Heaven, intent on ascending and becoming holier.  The beast is a prisoner of physical drives and lust.  It cannot possibly separate itself from bestiality, for it is entirely bestial and was created to be precisely that in order to show man the behavior from which he must flee.

Breaking down one's passions is Israel's task.  That is why kedusha was commanded so many times in the realms of life fraught with lust and desire; namely, food and conjugal relations.  Regarding food, G-d stressed this in Leviticus (at the end of Ch. 11), and in Deuteronomy (14:2-3), where the section on food prohibitions begins as follows:  "You are a nation consecrated to the L-rd your G-d....  Do not eat any abomination."  Ibn Ezra comments, "Anything that is abominable to the pure soul, like the crawling things of the earth,"* and Vayikra Rabbah, 13:3, teaches:  "'These are the mammals that you may eat.

With this in mind, I find it very interesting that part of the Elites' plan is to deny meat to the masses and put them all on a diet of insects instead [See And the Lab-Grown Meat Shall Go Forth From Yerushalayim; Insect Market To Explode: EU Gives Green Light To Eating Mealworm; Edible Insects Market to receive overwhelming hike in Revenues by 2018 – 2027.]

They do mean to create an underclass of sub-human beings by weakening the soul within.  This would no doubt result in a true Zombie apocalypse, but rest assured that humanity is not hefker.  The World has a Master and it is not these spiritual pygmies, themselves enslaved to the Satan.  The very fact that all of this is global in scope indicates that the End of the World As We Have Known It Until Now has finally arrived.

(To be continued, iy"H)