31 August 2022

NO MATTER WHAT

4 Elul 5782 

Politics dominates the news.  It can really spoil your appetite.  Such losers!  The number one concern of politicians is not the needs of the citizenry which they represent, but getting and keeping their seats!!

I'm so sick of their antics, especially Netanyahu.  At least the secular leftists and Arabs are honest about who they are and what they want.  I despise the hypocrites who pretend to be "right-wing" but who still carry out the agenda of "the left" (for wont of a better term). 

Netanyahu can approve expulsions and enforce building freezes, commit harlotry with Christian missionaries and defile God's name and yet still be lauded as a great "right-wing" patriot by the so-called "national-religious" types.  And, here he is trying to capitalize on bringing "unity" to Am Yisrael, having meetings and twisting arms, making the usual empty promises; however, it's only in order to return to power.  It's all about those 61 seats!  

Someone please tell me, what is he going to accomplish now that he never did in 13 years of hogging the power??!!  Why would anything be different?

Disgusting!!!  Despite all the appeal to "unity," which in any case is nothing but a fraud and an illusion, the birur continues as the real "religious" Jews - those of real faith and authentic Torah - are forced to divide over principles which cannot be compromised.  For their trouble, they are labeled "extremists" - the most hateful epithet anyone can suffer in today's world.  It means you are not worthy of life itself; that the world would be better off without you in it.  Watch your head, the next drone might be for you.

The trouble today is that the entire world, both "left" and "right" politically, has moved so far to the extreme left that the traditional center - that balanced place where the Torah rules with mercy and justice - only appears by comparison to be at the extreme opposite pole.

How can any person of real faith who believes in the authentic Torah participate in a system which summarily disqualifies anyone matching that description from the electoral process as a "racist" and "extremist?"  We are an oppressed minority with no right to representation within the current government system!!  The only choice we are allowed is dumb and dumber, evil and less evil!!!

I mean, think about it!  How can The Jewish State be headed by a treif-eating Shabbat desecrator??!!!  IT'S NOT JEWISH!!!!!  As a Jew living in Eretz Yisrael, I should have the right to insist that, at the very least, the leader of my country be observant of Torah law.  Jewish identity depends on adherence to the Torah!

Why would you cast a vote for someone who dismisses you and your right to live and be represented in your own country?  That's not a government worth supporting.  It's not even a government worth recognizing.  Of course, the system itself is fatally flawed.  But, so are those who are eligible, by their very lack of principles, to put themselves forward to run it.  

It's all a distraction, a side-show, a bunch of clowns cavorting with self-importance.  They have no real existence, no real substance, and certainly no real impact or effect on this nation's destiny.  Their pompous, self-absorbed speeches are like so many buzzing insects - annoying and irritating.  Give us a world free of political speeches and endless, useless, meaningless elections.

No matter what they think, no matter what they believe, no matter what they say or don't say, do or don't do, those who cling to this system, this process, will never be able to stop the earth-shattering change that is coming, when those who hate the system will be vindicated in their abandonment of it and delivered from its vile legacy.

Judgment Day Is Coming And It's Almost Here

For lo, the sun comes, glowing like a furnace, and all the audacious sinners and all the perpetrators of wickedness will be stubble.  And the sun that comes shall burn them up so that it will leave them neither root nor branch, says the Lord of Hosts. 
And the sun of mercy shall rise with healing in its wings for you who fear My Name.  Then will you go forth and be fat as fatted calves.  And you shall crush the wicked, for they will be as ash under the soles of your feet on the day that I will prepare, says the Lord of Hosts.  
Keep in remembrance the teaching of Moses, My servant - the laws and ordinances which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel

Lo, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord,....  (Prophet Malachi, chapter 3)

This World of Lies Has An Expiration Date

It's going to happen, no matter what.  The days of the wicked are numbered, including the politicians!  On that day we will truly and finally be an Am chofshi b'Artzeinu - "a free people in our own Land."

Ken, yehi ratzon!!

29 August 2022

Crimes Committed in Your Name: Are You Guilty, Too?

2 Elul 5782

America has been out of control for quite some time now.  Her citizens - by and large - have no idea what crimes are being perpetrated in their name, yet their sacred oath that it is a government of, by and for the people it represents makes them all culpable in these crimes.

What's even worse is that the Torah learning and mitzvot performed by the observant Jews living there are an important source of power for them.

We are all headed for Judgment Day on Rosh HaShanah.  Everybody will have to give an answer.  The following documentary exposes but a tip of the iceberg.  It is a must watch for every American, especially American Jews, and anyone else who doubts that America richly deserves the fate that awaits her.


28 August 2022

SHANAH TOVAH!!

1 Elul 5782
Rosh Chodesh

I don't have to look any further than my front garden to know what time of year it is... 

And this tune starts running through my head...


The King is now in the field. Find Him and tell Him it's time to reveal Mashiach!!!

And let me be the first to wish you all a sweet new year. Besorot tovot!!

26 August 2022

Of False Prophets and Idolaters

29 Menachem Av 5782
Erev Shabbat Kodesh
Parashat Re'eh - Rosh Chodesh

The Midrash says on Parashat Re'eh:
...Moshe explained to the Jews: "Eretz Canaan is full of objects pertaining to idol worship. You cannot build a Land of holiness, with a Beit Hamikdash in its midst, while surrounded by the artifacts of idolatry." 

"Eliminate everything associated with idolatry - such as altars, stones, or trees - by whatever method is most effective. Demolish them, burn them, or cast them into the sea. Leave no trace of idolatry! If a place was named after idols, change its name."
While it is a mitzvah to eliminate idols in any country (where Jews have the legal power to do so), in Eretz Yisrael the obligation goes further: The Jews are required not only to destroy all known idols, but must search for and demolish all the hidden ones as well.

The Torah repeatedly emphasizes that idolatry is the severest of sins. There could be no greater audacity than using one's intellect, which is capable of inferring the presence of the Creator, to deny G-d's uniqueness and attribute the vast intelligence that obviously activates all of creation to powers other than Him [even another human being.]

...The Torah declares that besides the inherent evil of worshiping idols, G-d hates the wicked rites of the idolaters. A Jew must therefore distance himself from all idolatrous practices.

...Moshe warned the Jews, "If any 'prophet' - whether Jewish or otherwise - ever arises in your midst and claims that a deity other than Hashem gave him a prophetic message, or even claims that Hashem Himself ordered the permanent abrogation of any mitzva of the Torah, know that he is an imposter. ...Do not attribute any truth to his words, even if he performs wonders in heaven or on earth. [Even if he says he is here to "stand with Israel."] ...G-d is testing your loyalty to Him. 

...The Torah enacts very strict laws against a maisis, a (Jewish) "instigator" or "missionary" who attempts to persuade our people to accept strange gods.

He is not included in the law of "loving a fellow Jew." Rather, it is a mitzva to hate him, in accordance with "Hashem, do I not hate those who hate You?" (Tehillim 39.21) He may also not be judged favorably, not treated mercifully, and in his case, Beit Din is exempt from its usual obligation to find exonerating factors for someone condemned to death.

...Rambam comments, "By not favoring a rasha and not covering up for him, we bring peace upon the Jewish people." 

Even if you want to say that xianity is allowed to the gentiles - it is NOT ALLOWED to gentiles in Eretz Yisrael!! And even if you believe that they have "pure" motives, we are forbidden to allow them to perform xian worship on holy soil. How much more so to invite them to do so and to participate in it or even observe it!

In Sefer HaMitzvot it is written, "It is a negative commandment 213 not to turn astray after idol-worship, neither in thought nor in word, nor even by watching."

Sefer HaChinuch Negative Commandment 426 - "show no mercy to idol-worshippers (we should have no kind feelings for those who worship idols, and nothing about them should be good or pleasing in our eyes; in other words, we should remove far from our mind, and it should not [ever] arise in our speech, that there could be anything of value in one who worships in idolatry, and he should find no grace or favor in our eyes)

I've said this before, but it's worth saying again and again and again if I can get this idea across. The extent to which this sounds harsh or extreme to you is the extent to which you have assimilated Western values which stand in contradiction to Torah law.

Hashem says His thoughts are above our thoughts. It's up to us to align ourselves with the Torah and not to try to change it to fit "the times." We've become too complacent about this matter and too accepting of xianity even to the point of denying that is even idolatry. 

~ Shabbat Shalom - Chodesh Tov ~

24 August 2022

Right on Schedule

27 Menachem Av 5782 

I don't know if you've been keeping up, but judging by the massive wave of severe and extreme weather striking the US, Europe and other places right now, as well as the uptick in activity to our north here in Israel, it would appear that the geulah train is still on track for this shmitta cycle.  Oh, and today is Ukrainian Independence Day, so there are big expectations on that front as well.  Stay alert.  This is your heads up.

(CLICK IMAGE FOR STORY)
Even if Nasrallah claims to limit the potential war over the gas field to a single day, and even if Israel claims to be uninterested in war, the intensity of a potential military conflict between the two sides will be much greater than what we've become accustomed to during IDF's campaigns in Gaza. It will be difficult for Israel to control the situation once shots are fired, and an all-out war, which both sides are trying to avoid, might be inevitable. (Source)
 

Israel’s defense chiefs are advising the government to launch an intensive assault on Iran’s terror proxies. In a dramatic strategy shift, a new report calls for diverting resources from Iran strike preparations to focus on preemptive attacks on Tehran’s regional allies.

The sensitive document was recently submitted to Israel’s leadership, N12 News reports. Until now, the IDF focused on upgrading its capabilities to attack Iran.

However, the security chiefs believe that targeting Tehran’s forward bases in Lebanon, Gaza, Syria, Yemen, and Iraq should be prioritized. This would greatly weaken Iran’s power and ultimately make it easier to attack its nuclear project.

The new strategy would require Israel to launch a series of short but intense strike operations against Iran’s Mideast proxies. Israel will aim to immediately escalate any military clashes instead of focusing on restoring quiet, the report said.

The overall Israeli objective would be to destroy the capabilities of Iran’s militias quickly, to prevent Iran from rebuilding its regional terror armies.

Israel’s defense establishment is urging this strategic shift shortly after the successful preemptive assault on Islamic Jihad in Gaza. In parallel, Defense Minister Benny Gantz warned that the IDF could initiate military action against Hezbollah in Lebanon to thwart attacks on Israel’s new gas rig.

Notably, a leading strategic expert predicted earlier that Israel will shift to a preemptive war doctrine to neutralize Iran’s military buildup on its borders.

22 August 2022

Construction Area: Hard Hats Required

25 Menachem Av 5782 

More and more people across the entire spectrum of humanity are sounding the alarm.  If you have ears to hear it, then listen closely to the warnings:  financial crash, food shortages, chaos in the streets, nuclear threats, world war, more and more natural disasters - if it's not a flood, it's a drought.  

The pendulum of history is swinging to crazy extremes.  It's interesting that the War on Terror has morphed into a war against "extremism" which is defined by TPTB as anyone who disagrees with their vision of our future.  

However it appears, what we are witnessing and experiencing are the simultaneous death throes of the Old World of Lies and the birth pangs of the New World of Truth.  

If we are honest, we have to admit that it is already the end of the world as we've known it. 

This generation has the questionable privilege of living through a major rehab of not only society but the entire planet as well.  As you can well imagine, there are going to be some anxious days ahead until the renovation is complete.  

Watch your heads!


19 August 2022

"You Are What You Eat"

22 Menachem Av 5782
Erev Shabbat Kodesh
Parashat Ekev - Mevorchim 

"...not by bread alone does man live, rather by everything that emanates from the mouth of God does man live."  (Devarim 8.3)

That would include all the laws of kashrut.

The prohibition against eating insects is Min HaTorah (Biblical). If one eats an entire insect, even if it is less than a kezayis, he is punished with malkus (lashes). This applies to any insect that is visible to the naked eye. Insects that can only be seen under a microscope are not included in this prohibition.

The need to check fruits, vegetables, fish, and even water for insects is actually nothing new. The Gemara raises the issue in Maseches Chullin (67b) and the Shulchan Oruch devotes an entire siman (chapter) in Yoreh Dea’h (Si. 84) to it. The Pri Chadash actually writes: “I cannot contain myself from mentioning and making it known to the nation of Hashem regarding the severity of the prohibition of tolaim (insects). It has become light in the eyes of people and once a person becomes accustomed to a certain transgression it becomes ‘permissible’ in their eyes. Even the Chachomim are not careful enough in this matter.” (Source)

No doubt there will be plenty of "kosher" voices who will try to tell us there are all kinds of exceptions and help to pave the way for the "green revolution" in eating.  Be careful!  Everything on the WEF's agenda is part of their war against God and their desire to subjugate mankind.  

Follow the Divine Manufacturer's instructions and you won't go wrong.

~ SHABBAT SHALOM ~

18 August 2022

"If You Can't Beat 'Em, Join 'Em"

21 Menachem Av 5782 

The evidence is clear that the Sitra Achra's chosen pathway for the destruction of the Jewish People at the End of Days is through massive assimilation.  Some examples...

The Erev Rav regime is doing all it can to thwart Orthodox religious aliyah while encouraging all others, including non-Jews of false religions.

The Erev Rav regime is bending over backwards to take in as many non-Jewish "refugees" as it can in the name of "humanity."

Predominantly "Anglo" Jews and "Anglo" Jewish organizations are recruiting questionable converts into the rabbinic ranks and actually sponsoring "missionary" activities towards "outreach" to non-Jews.

A massive number of loosely-affiliated Jews are depending on the internet for their Jewish education.  Tragically, much of the worst heresy in the modern Jewish world is waiting there to entrap and mislead them.

HASHEM YERACHEM ALEYNU!!

BE AWARE!!  FOREWARNED IS FOREARMED!!!

16 August 2022

Where Is The Comfort?

19 Menachem Av 5782
Baruch Dayan Emet

Just when I thought we were about to catch the glimmer of light evidencing the end of the dark tunnel, the darkness settled around us like a suffocating blanket.



In the first case, a family from Ofakim was visiting Yerushalayim for bein hazemanim. The expectant mother wanted to shop for a bar mitzvah gift and new baby things with an eye to needs for the upcoming high holidays. The father and son of the family was onsite as well as extended family who were witnesses. There are just no words, Hashem save us!

The second case also involved an entire family, visiting from New York, again an expectant mother among the wounded, but thank God!, everyone has survived.  It happened near Kever David on Motzaei Shabbat.

Now, this morning comes the news that the soldier who was killed last night near Tulkarem was killed by "friendly fire."  He reportedly went to pray and was shot and killed by his fellow soldier as a suspected terrorist infiltrator upon his return to post.  

These were the best of us.  If it could happen to them, then no one can feel any sense of security.  The only comfort I can find in the current situation is that perhaps - perhaps! - this can be compared to the period when we thought we were about to be redeemed in Egypt and suddenly it all got a lot worse as we were forced to find our own straw to make the bricks.  Though, in my mind, the loss of life and the terror can't compare.

I'm hanging by a thread and I truly do not know how I am going to be able to keep standing if this continues.  Hashem, please help!

11 August 2022

"Nachamu Ami"

15 Menachem Av 5782
Erev Shabbat Kodesh - TU b'Av 
Parashat Va'etchanan - Shabbat Nachamu

"For Hashem, your God, is a merciful God, He will not abandon you nor destroy you, and He will not forget the covenant of your forefathers that He swore to them."
By Rabbi Yair Hoffman for 5tjt.com
So what are the top seven things to know about Shabbos Nachamu?

#1. Firstly, being joyous and celebrating Shabbos Nachamu is a custom with deep historical roots. The Maharil (1365 – 1427) in his Minhagim (27) explains that the entire nation should rejoice on this special Shabbos. He further writes that we should express our faith and conviction in the arrival of the redeemer who will surely comfort us.

#2. Because of this, it is worthwhile to treat this Shabbos differently than another Shabbos. Indeed, the Sefer entitled Drashos Eben Shoiv (Parshas VoEschanan) states that we should treat Shabbos Nachamu like a Yom Tov. This Sefer was written by a student of the Rashba.

The Ritvah (Taanis 30b) indicates that the food preparations on this Shabbos should be like Yom Tov – in other words, the food should be more elaborate than for a regular Shabbos.

#3. Many Shuls recite special Piutim on Shabbos Nachamu as well.

#4. Shabbos Nachamu also represents the first of the seven Shabbaths of consolation that is to come prior to Rosh haShana. But aside from being the first, Shabbos Nachamu is different than the others. Of all the seven, it is only Shabbos Nachamu which contains this remarkable “Yom Tov” nature.

#5. Another aspect of the Yom Tov nature of Shabbos Nachamu lay in the fact that the Torah reading is always Parshas V’Eschanan – when we lein the Aseres haDibros – the Ten Commandments. This is a convention enacted by Chazal. The Chofetz Chaim (in his Biur Halacha to Orech Chaim 428) explains that this was enacted so that during the week immediately before Tisha B’Av we can read the reproach of both Moshe Rabbeinu in Parshas Dvarim as well as that of Isaiah in the Haftorah.

Certainly, this is an important reason, to enable us to get the most out of Tisha B’Av and help direct our Teshuvah.

#6. But perhaps there is another reason, as well. Chazal tell us that there is no Simcha, there is no joy like Torah. Last week we read Yisamach Yisachar beOhalo – Yissachar, he who dedicated himself to Torah study will rejoice in his tent. The Abarbanel, as others, explains that there is no Simcha, there is no joy like the joy of Torah. This then may be another reason for why Shabbos Nachamu is always on Parshas VoEschanan. The reading of the Aseres haDibros gives us joy. It uplifts, nourishes, restores.

There is something different about Klal Yisroel – The collective neshama of the Torah nation is configured with a different operating system – one that finds joy and meaning in Torah itself. We are only truly happy, we only thrive on account of Torah.

We have just witnessed grave tragedies. The day that commemorates the destruction of both palaces of Hashem – the Batei HaMikdash. Klal Yisroel needs a reprieve, a salve for our affliction and ailments. There is no better salve than that of Torah, and the receiving of it.

#7. Many have the minhag to immerse in the Mikvah on Shabbos Nachamu – even those who do not do so normally on a Shabbos morning. And, of course, the Minhag is to honor the Rav of the Shul with the Aliyah of the reading of the Aseres HaDibros (See Mogain Avrohom 428:8). These Minhagim reinforce the joy and exultation of the day.

It is suggested that just as the Chofetz Chaim tells us that this special enactment was made so that the Haftorah will inform the impending day of Tisha B’Av, so too should we look at this Haftorah to inform how we conduct ourselves. We should once again serve Hashem in happiness. The period of mourning is over, and we should once again find the joy in our lives.

As in every Yom Tov, indeed, in every venue of human endeavor, the more we prepare for something the more meaning we ultimately can derive from it.

So, while it is still early, let’s go out and shop for a few extra delicacies for Shabbos Nachamu. Let’s hug our children. Let’s enjoy our older relatives. Let’s be tolerant of the foibles of others. Let’s appreciate the gifts that HaKadosh Boruch Hu bestowed upon us – especially the gift of Torah that is embodied in the reading of the Aseres HaDibros. And most importantly – Nachamu, nachamu Ami.  (YWN)
~ SHABBAT SHALOM UMEVORACH ~

"Everlasting Love"

14 Menachem Av 5782

Every 15th of the month which falls in a time of trouble, I am haunted by the vision I had in a dream of a missile attack on Eretz Yisrael which happened under a full moon.  Given the time and events, I can't help thinking it might actually materialize in a matter of days.  But, if it has to happen, it couldn't come at a more propitious time of the year to receive the maximum amount of mercy from HKB"H.

We have now entered the days of mercy, repentance, forgiveness and consolation.  Tonight begins the holiday of TU b'Av - the 15th of Av - the "Love" holiday.  

The Mishnah tells us that: "No days were as festive for Israel as the 15th of Av and Yom Kippur." (Tractate Ta'anit) What is Tu B'Av, the 15th of the Hebrew month of Av? In which way is it equivalent to Yom Kippur?

Our Sages explain: Yom Kippur symbolizes God's forgiving Israel for the sin of the Golden Calf in the desert, for it was on that day that He finally accepted Moses' plea for forgiveness of the nation, and on that same day Moses came down from the mountain with the new set of tablets.

Just as Yom Kippur symbolizes the atonement for the sin of the Golden Calf, Tu B'Av signifies the atonement for the sin of the Spies, where ten came bearing such negative reports which reduced the entire nation to panic. As a result of that sin, it was decreed by God that the nation would remain in the desert for 40 years, and that no person 20 or older would be allowed to enter Israel. On each Tisha B'Av of those 40 years, those who had reached the age of 60 that year died – 15,000 each Tisha B'Av.

This plague finally ended on Tu B'Av.

...That last year, the last 15,000 people got ready to die. God, in His mercy, decided not to have that last group die, considering all the troubles they had gone through. Now, when the ninth of Av approached, all the members of the group got ready to die, but nothing happened. They then decided that they might have been wrong about the date, so they waited another day, and another...

Finally on the 15th of Av, when the full moon appeared, they realized definitely that the ninth of Av had come and gone, and that they were still alive. Then it was clear to them that God's decree was over, and that He had finally forgiven the people for the sin of the Spies.

This is what was meant by our Sages when they said: "No days were as festive for Israel as the 15th of Av and Yom Kippur," for there is no greater joy than having one's sins forgiven – on Yom Kippur for the sin of the Golden Calf and on Tu B'Av for the sin of the spies. In the Book of Judges, Tu B'Av is referred to as a holiday (Judges 21:19). (Source)
It's fine that TU b'Av is associated with marriages and betrothals and the love between a man and a woman.  That definitely has its place in our tradition.  But, there is no greater love than that bestowed on Klal Yisrael by HKB"H.

"From long ago, the Lord appeared to me [Rashi: ...and told me to say to the congregation of Israel]; With everlasting love have I loved you; therefore have I drawn you to Me with loving-kindness." (Yirmiyahu 31.2)

Scary events are looming on our horizon, but they have one purpose only - not to destroy us, but to drive us to teshuvah so that as many as possible can survive to live in the Days of Mashiach which are dawning even now.

At the heart of the sins of our ancestors was their lack of faith in HKB"H's love.  They accused Him of bringing them into the wilderness in order to kill them there.  They said their children were going to Eretz Yisrael to die.

Never, ever, ever allow such thoughts to cross your mind - that HKB"H has brought us back to Eretz Yisrael just to let our enemies overrun and destroy us.

TRUST IN HIS LOVE FOR HIS PEOPLE!  HE MEANS ONLY GOOD FOR US - LIFE, HEALTH, BLESSINGS IN ABUNDANCE...  

Too many of us have become comfortable with the "status quo"; therefore, HKB"H must bring us to a situation where we will cry out for deliverance, just as we did in Egypt, and He will answer that cry, as He did then, by sending us a deliverer.

"Mashiach, when are you coming?"

"Today, if you will but heed my voice."

~ Wishing us all a very joyous TU b'Av ~

10 August 2022

The Irony of It All

13 Menachem Av 5782 

"If you go up high like an eagle, and if you place your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down, says the Lord."  (Ovadiah 1.4)



~ ~ ~

FYI: HaRav Avraham Baruch says: "The ceasefire is a temporary illusion before a large axis of missiles all over the country."  הרב אברהם ברוך - הפסקת האש היא אשליה זמנית לפני ציר גדול של טילים בכול רחבי הארץ

Excerpt:  "Sin/Artzot HaBrit, roshei teivot Sitra Achra...Syria/Iran, roshei teivot Sitra Achra...We are on the verge of war with Iran."

09 August 2022

Wheels Within Wheels

12 Menachem Av 5782 

According to an unconfirmed report from the Arab/Muslim side, the Axis of Resistance, which spins around Iran, has concocted a plan to counter a plan agreed upon between Israel and the US during Biden's visit in July.  It's worthwhile noting that this Israel/US plan is being carried out with the backing of Saudi Arabia and the cooperation of Egypt and Jordan, as well as possibly the signatories to the Abraham Accords, but I don't see yet how they are directly involved.

It appears that this "plan" has targeted assassinations as its lynchpin.

‘All Top Islamic Jihad Security Officials in the Gaza Strip Have Been Assassinated,' Israeli Army Says
But this latest round started a week ago with the arrest of "West Bank" PIJ leader Bassem Saadi in Jenin.  It is the possibility of his release that was used as the carrot for a ceasefire in the Gaza fighting about 36 hours ago.

The IDF had better luck this morning with a raid in Shechem ("Nablus") during which Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades Commander Ibrahim Nablusi was killed outright instead of being arrested.
Wanted terrorist among 3 said killed in IDF raid in Nablus, 40 injured
The plan seems to be to decapitate the terrorist groups, starting with the smaller ones first, leaving them in disarray without someone experienced to call the shots.  Israel is attempting to increase its chances of survival in a multi-front war launched against it by proxies on the orders of Tehran, when the US finally concedes to Saudi Arabia's demands that Iran be neutralized.

The US is the one who undoubtedly gave the green light to this plan and it was concocted jointly with American military leaders.
READOUT: U.S. CENTCOM Commander visited Israel today [July 17] to meet with Israeli Defense Force (IDF) leadership
I figure Egypt arranged the ceasefire, as it usually does, on the orders of the American president and the Saudi Royal Family.  And Jordan, via its WAKF, kept the order on the Temple Mount on Tisha b'Av for the same reasons.  

The Arab world can tolerate temporary cooperation with Israel for the sake of eliminating a greater threat - Iran.  But, make no mistake, another plan very likely exists for the day when Israel is of no further use to them.  And I'm sure the Arab world expects that day to be very close indeed once Israel has become weakened to the point of collapse from the onslaught it is surely facing once Hamas and Hizb'allah join in, as they most assuredly will.  This is their expectation and their hope at any rate.

These are only the opening shots in a much wider war - one that we have been anticipating for a very long time.  A lot of surprises are in store.

07 August 2022

The Hope and The Promise

10 Av 5782
Tisha b'Av (Fast Observed) 


(Use the little toggle apparatus at the top left to change directions in the video.)

The hope is that we might yet have this experience of closeness to HASHEM in this lifetime.  The promise is that it will surely come in one of our children's lifetimes, if not in our own.

THE COMFORT IS COMING - HOLD ON!!

The Axis of Resistance

 10 Av 5782
Tisha b'Av (Fast Observed)

The term Axis of Resistance...refers to an Anti-Western/anti-Israeli/anti-Saudi political and informal military alliance between Iran, Palestine, the Syrian Assad government and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. Pro-Syrian government militias, Iraqi Shia militias that are part of the Iraqi Government-sanctioned Popular Mobilization Forces and the Yemeni Houthi movement (officially: "Ansar Allah") are also considered part of the alliance.

Despite the alliance's differing ideologies, such as secular Ba'athism, Sunni fundamentalism and Shia Islamism, they are unified by their goal of opposing NATO, Israeli and Saudi Arabian activities in the region. Russia and China have also been considered by Iran as part of the alliance, due to their anti-Western political stance and mostly positive relations with Iran and Syria. (Source)
The following was posted to Twitter yesterday. It's credibility cannot be confirmed. 


If true, we would see Hamas joining the fray round about August 16 (Av 18).  Should that occur, then it would lend credibility to these statements and we could consequently anticipate Hizb'allah entering the action just after Rosh Chodesh Elul.  We would then be facing a three-front internal war during the traditional timeframe for national teshuvah to take place.

This is actually very hopeful.  

Unfortunately for the Muslims, because they follow a false prophet and a false religion which has all the most basic facts backwards (for example Yishmael being 'sacrificed' rather than Yitzchak), they can't see that it is Yitzchak's offspring who will enjoy the ultimate victory, not Yishmael's.  

They are unwittingly bringing about their own destruction and serving as the tool to prepare Klal Yisrael to enter into the complete redemption.

"In the seventh year - wars"

10 Av 5782
Tisha b'Av (Fast Observed)

We are now in the 'home-stretch' of the seventh year of the current shmitta cycle.  It is only seven weeks until the New Year 5783.  News of the war between Russia and Ukraine seemed to be put on the 'back burner' last week as the world waited to see how far China and the US would go in their dispute over Taiwan.  But the week had not even ended since Pelosi's provocative trip when suddenly Israel was back at war in Gaza - a war already being dubbed the "Tisha b'Av War" - the great significance of which is that we are expecting a Third Messianic War which will restore Jewish sovereignty over the Temple Mount and bring about the building of the Third Temple.

Just to catch you up with the highlights:

There has been an escalation and significant situation developing in Ukraine: A nuclear power plant - "much larger than Chernobyl" -  has been damaged and is variously reported as leaking fuel or having to be shut down. (See Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plant)

Regarding the situation with Taiwan, it is becoming more dire by the day.  Here is a small sampling of current headlines...


Now, with regard to what is developing in Israel, this article will tell you how it started. We went into Shabbat with the news that Israel had made a surprise attack and eliminated a top PIJ leader in Gaza, along with about 15 of his men.  We were informed that bomb shelters were being opened and iron domes placed.

When we came out of Shabbat and into the fast, we found that hundreds of rockets had already been fired into highly populated areas like Tel Aviv, Rishon L'Tzion, Holon and Modiin; coastal areas like Ashdod and Ashkelon; as well as Sederot and other areas bordering the Gaza Strip.  Iron dome appears to be effective into the upper 90s percentile - little damage, few injuries on our side.  However, the government claims they expect this operation to take a week to complete.  

Hamas has not elected to join in - YET - but they might get pulled in, ready or not, and as Hizb'allah is connected to the PIJ - both of them answering to Tehran - I think it highly likely that Nasrallah will open a second front from the north.  If this is the war we've been waiting for, I'd say it's a given.

Sadly, this is the way redemption comes when we haven't earned it and it comes "in its time" - frightening and depressing, not knowing what tomorrow holds in store.  But, remember - "lo lefached klal"!  Trust HKB"H!!

The Israeli Military has dubbed this operation "Breaking Dawn" (Alot HaShachar).  Someone must have been under prophetic influence when they chose that name as nothing could be more descriptive of a redemptive war.  The Redemption is always likened to the arrival of the dawn!

Yeshayahu, chapter 58...
"Then your light shall break forth as the dawn, and your healing shall quickly sprout, and your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall gather you in. Then you shall call and the Lord shall answer, you shall cry and He shall say, 'Here I am,'...."

~ Have an easy, meaningful and successful fast ~

05 August 2022

"From Desert to Destiny"

8 Av 5782
Erev Shabbat Kodesh
Parashat Devarim - Shabbat Chazon

From the Stone Edition Chumash Commentary on Parashat Devarim... 
...R. Hirsch explains that Devarim was Israel's introduction to the new life it would have to forge in Eretz Yisrael. Once they crossed the Jordan, the people would no longer see God's constant Presence and daily miracles, as they had in the Wilderness. They would plow, plant, and harvest. They would establish courts and a government. They would forge social relationships and means to provide for and protect the needy and helpless. They would need strong faith and self-discipline to avoid the snares and temptations of their pagan neighbors and false prophets. To stress these laws and values and exhort Israel to be strong was the function of Devarim, its laws and Moshe's appeals.
Thus, Devarim is not merely a review of the earlier four Books of the Torah, since "of the just over a hundred laws which are contained in this Book, more than seventy are completely new." Rather, in his final weeks, Moshe reviewed and taught all the laws of the Torah and the entire history of Israel - but in this Book, the Torah records the parts of his teachings that were most relevant for Israel's new life in its Land.
From the Stone Edition Chumash Commentary on Haftarah Devarim...
This Haftarah, the final one of the "three of affliction," is always read on the Shabbat that precedes Tisha b'Av. As R. Mendel Hirsch points out, the prophet does not lament because the Beit Hamikdash was destroyed; rather, he laments over the underlying causes of that destruction. And this annual lesson serves to focus the national mourning of Tishah b'Av not to the past but to the present. 
It is not enough to bemoan the great loss suffered by our people with the Destruction of our Land, our Holy City, and our Holy Temple. We must use our mourning as a way of initiating an examination of our present-day feelings, thoughts, and deeds
  • What have we done to eliminate the attitudes and practices that thousands of years ago sent our ancestors into exile - not once, but twice?
  • How have we improved our approach to the Divine Service as a way of life, a life devoted to duty rather than a substitute for it?
  • Are our verbal offerings, like the animal-offerings described by the prophet, merely perfunctorily performed rituals, never internalized, never spoken from the heart, just from the lips and outward?
And, as R. Hirsch puts it...
  • "Is our Jewish contemporary present already so deeply imbued with the Jewish spirit, so filled with the Jewish way of thinking, with knowledge of Judaism, with knowledge of the all-comprising and deep contents of the Torah that it could form a worthy environment for a Temple of God to be erected in our midst?"
  • "Does not the gulf between Israel and its God yawn perhaps wider than ever?"
"Every generation in which the Temple is not rebuilt, is considered as if that generation destroyed the Temple." (Talmud Yerushalmi, Yoma 1:1)

~ ~ ~

One of the things I promised to do in honor of Jonathan Pollard's birthday (which is today - HAPPY BIRTHDAY YEHONATAN!!) was to publicize some good news.  Well, one of the best, most positive and most hopeful news stories I have seen in recent weeks involves Jonathan himself.  

It seems that Jonathan Pollard has been involved with setting up a religious gan yeladim - Gan Esther in honor of Esther Pollard, a"h - for children in the center of Tel Aviv who, as I understand it, are coming from mostly secular families. 

Reportedly, when the parents were questioned about their choice of a religious environment for their children, they replied that they themselves were not given an opportunity to have any knowledge of God or their reason for being in this world, and their hope is that they might learn from their children.

וְהֵשִׁ֚יב לֵֽב־אָבוֹת֙ עַל־בָּנִ֔ים וְלֵ֥ב בָּנִ֖ים עַל־אֲבוֹתָ֑ם"
( 3:24 מַלְאָכִ֔י)

This is what is going to restore our Beit HaMikdash to us, to benefit not only us but the entire world.

~ SHABBAT SHALOM ~

02 August 2022

24-Hour Countdown to War Between the US and China?

4 Av 5782 

There is no question that America is the final incarnation of the Fourth Empire - "Wicked Rome."  It's the only Empire left in today's world.

Global Military Occupation of the American Empire


(Keep in mind that at last count, the US has no less than EIGHT bases here in Israel.)



Quoting from The Mitzvah Candle by Rabbi Yehuda Leove ben Bezalel, The Maharal of Prague:
...The fourth empire, [Rome],...because it considers itself everything (a characteristic that derives from its universality) desires that no one else should exist.  It therefore destroys all others, and is occupied with destruction only.  Thus, this beast [ref. Daniel] had teeth of iron, a destructive material,....  Indeed the basic trait of this empire was destructiveness, as it burned and destroyed the Temple of our God, an unparalleled act of destruction.  The first empire also destroyed the Temple.  However, there is a difference; it did so only to dominate Yisrael, the destruction not being an end in itself.  For this empire desired elevation above all others,....  It subdued Yisrael; to assure completeness of the subjugation, it beseiged and burnt everything. However, the fourth empire - where Yisrael was already in their hands;  Yisrael may have rebelled slightly, as is known, however it most certainly still remained totally in their dominion - was intent on destruction and the slight rebellion merely provided the excuse.

Its destructiveness derives from the non-existence that cleaves to it, since the fourth empire is the end and finish of the world empires; their deterioration and ruin.

According to The Zohar... 

In the future the children of Yishmael will stir great wars in the world. And the children of Edom [the West] will gather against them, and make war with them, one on the sea, and one on the land, and one by Jerusalem; and each one will prevail over the other but the Holy Land will not fall to the hands of Edom.
At the same time, a nation from the end of the world will be awakened against wicked Rome. And it will make war against her for three months, and many nations will gather there, and they will fall by her hand, until all the children of Edom will gather against her from all corners of the earth. And then G-d will awaken Himself against them, as it says, a "a sacrificial slaughter for the Lord in Batzra", and it says, "to shake the corners of the Land".
And after this, the children of Yishmael will be finished from the world. And all the supernal powers of the nations will be broken, and no power will remain above except for the power of Israel alone.  (Source)

Right now, the world is watching to see what will happen when House Speaker Nancy Pelosi attempts to land in Taiwan, possibly as soon as tomorrow.  China has been issuing the direst of warnings all week, even threatening to shoot down her plane, but nobody knows how far they are really willing to go.



A visit to Taiwan is not on any official schedule, but speculation has her landing there anywhere from tomorrow, August 2, to Thursday, August 4.  



According to the quote from The Zohar, this is what really brings about the Third World War!!  Hashem yerachem!!