"The Essential Core of the Whole Torah"

17 Tevet 5784
Erev Shabbat Kodesh
Parashat Vayechi

(H/T Israel 613)

There is only one verse in all the Tanach which is composed of all the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet plus the five end-letters. The verse in found in Tzefanyah (3:8) and speaks of the importance of waiting for the final redemption.

ספר צפניה פרק ג : ח

לָכֵן חַכּוּ לִי נְאֻם יְדֹוָד לְיוֹם קוּמִי לְעַד כִּי מִשְׁפָּטִי לֶאֱסֹף גּוֹיִם לְקָבְצִי מַמְלָכוֹת לִשְׁפֹּךְ עֲלֵיהֶם זַעְמִי כֹּל חֲרוֹן אַפִּי כִּי בְּאֵשׁ קִנְאָתִי תֵּאָכֵל כָּל הָאָרֶץ

“Therefore wait for Me, says Hashem, until the day that I rise up to the prey. For My determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them My indignation, all My fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of My jealousy.”

That all the letters of the Torah express this theme teaches us that the yearning and waiting for the redemption to reveal His dominion is the essential core of the whole Torah. (Be'er Moshe on Vayechi 820)

~ SHABBAT SHALOM ~

When the Truth Will Be Known...

14 Tevet 5784

I think this is...

A HIGHLY PLAUSIBLE SCENARIO 

"The Long and the Short of It"

14 Tevet 5784 

The situation in Eretz Yisrael looks very uncertain right now and the situation in chutz la'aretz also appears very uncertain right now.  How is a Jew to decide where it's best to be?  Leaving any arguments over whether it's a mitzvah to live in Eretz Yisrael aside, there is a future in Eretz Yisrael.  There is no future for Jews in chutz la'aretz.  What we are suffering from in Eretz Yisrael is the pains of birth - the birth of the messianic age.  Chutz la'aretz is suffering the pains of a slow death.

I'm anticipating a potential move to Phase 2 in the next few days.  We're waiting for the fighting in the North to become much more serious.  We'll get there.  Wait and see.

THE STORM IS HERE!

12 Tevet 5784

America Is No Longer A Safe Haven For Jews

ALONE with HASHEM

10 Tevet 5784 - Yom Tzom
Erev Shabbat Kodesh
Parashat Vayigash

(Re-posted excerpts from a 5778 article by Yekutiel Ben Ya'aqov) 

Benjamin standing alone?

In this week’s parsha, VaYigash, there is a fascinating dialogue or actually more of a monologue, with Yehuda beseeching Joseph to allow him to leave Binyamin at home with his father Jacob and not to risk bringing him down to Egypt. Yehudah pleads with Joseph, “…his (Binyamin’s) brother (Joseph) died and he was left alone to his father and mother, (only remaining child). 

It is difficult to understand the choice of words, (“Vayevateer hu Levado“) “left alone to his father and mother”. Why does the Torah not simply say he is like an only child? Moreover, what is the point – so what if he is the only child left to Jacob from Rachel? Furthermore, Benjamin was surrounded by many loving siblings and stepbrothers from his father, and the words - “left alone” hardly reflects, the true picture. Left alone? That sounds so lonely. And judging by the fight his brothers are leading on his behalf, there can be no choice of words that are further from the truth.

I think that in order to understand the hidden meaning behind the seemingly strange choice of words: “left alone to his father and mother” we need to review another place in the chumash where a similar phrase and choice of words is used. In parshat VaYishlach, the Torah describes Jacob’s status the moment before his battle with the angel of Esav, “and Jacob was left alone”. There, too, it is difficult to understand the description of Jacob being left alone. Could it be that Jacob, who divided the camps into two huge camps, was walking around alone, with no guards, escorts, disciples or children?

Isolation-standing alone and salvation

A popular song about the Jacob-Esav ultimate-fight episode could shed more light and help understanding the phrase and its hidden meaning. “G-d is lofty alone, on that day, and Jacob was left alone “. The song combines two verses, one - a prophecy from Isaiah that refers to the final Day of Redemption when G-d will judge the nations alone and save the Jewish people, and the other verse: from VaYishlach, referring to Jacob’s fight with Esav’s angel. The song and the identical words connect G-d’s behavior to the behavior of Jacob. Yaakov, the man who symbolizes whole truth, shows that he can stand alone and defeat Esav. Yaakov is referred to as “Tam” complete or whole. This is an attribute that we do not see in reference to Abraham [or] Yitzhak. Yaakov enlists in the ultimate and eternal battle against evil. Isaac and Abraham, each, in their own way attempted to reconcile with the existence of evil in this world. Yaakov - the ultimate and complete man of truth - could not tolerate any compromise on truth or with evil in this world. 

Abraham - father’s Yitzhak and Yishmael. 

Yitzhak - fathers Yaakov and Esav. 

Yakov represents the whole and unadulterated filtered truth, and from Yaakov is born the children of Israel and the chosen nation of Israel.

Thus, when the Torah states that Yaakov was left alone, it means much more than the physical loneliness that may or may not have existed, but rather a state of mind, and a willingness to stand alone, with complete faith in G-d; to represent G-d’s truth and to struggle against the rest of the world, if need be. It is this test of faith that Yaakov passed when he fought the angel of Esav, emerging victorious and graduating him to the new name of Yisrael. It is in the merit of faith and standing alone, without allies, that brings the Jew his salvation and delivery. When we rely on man, super-powers and allies and defy the Torah, then we are left to our own designs and to the mercy of the gentiles. However, when we are prepared to stand alone, with faith in G-d, we are protected by G-d and at His mercy.

Standing alone, with your truth, with no others around who share your truth, may sound lonely but in reality, this catapults man to be embraced by G-d. Faith brings redemption, Isolation brings salvation.

This was the special gene that Jacob possessed and that he and Rachel passed on to Joseph and Binyamin. The other brothers ostracized and betrayed Joseph, who was a lone-wolf.

The role of Moshiach Ben Yosef VS the role of Yehuda and Moshiach Ben David

Now, we can better understand the dialogue/monologue between Yehuda and Joseph in this week’s parsha. Yehuda was not merely stating an irrelevant fact that Binyamin was left alone to his biological mother and father, now that Joseph was perceived to be gone. Yehuda was saying that if something happens to Benjamin, this will cause sure death to Jacob as well, and then who will be left to transfer that genetic spiritual trait of obsession to truth and willingness to stand alone and take on the world? And as Isaiah prophesies, the final day-of-judgment and redemption will come when G-d stands alone without allies. G-d can only stand alone when there are Jews of faith who stand alone, without fear and with no allies to rely on or to be dependent upon. It is only through such a scenario that it can be revealed to all, that G-d is the only one! It is only then when the redemption and miracles will be attributed to G-d alone and not to allies and super-powers.

Essentially, Yehuda is explaining that risking Binyamin means risking the final redemption of the Jewish people and risking the day when G-d can be recognized as the lone savior of the Jewish people. This is equivalent to killing Moshiach ben Yosef, the Messiah who is supposed to stand tall and provoke the nations. Some say that Moshiach Ben Yosef is killed and then, Moshiach Ben Dovid from the tribe of Yehuda completes the final stages of redemption. Here, in this fascinating discourse we see Yehuda pleading with Joseph not to kill Moshiach ben Yosef. As Rav Meir Kahane HY”D brings down in Ohr HaRayon, in the name of the Gra and others who explain that someone fulfills the potential role of Moshiach Ben Yosef in every generation, but does not have to die. That is exactly what Yehuda is trying to arrange with Yosef, as he pleads not to risk Binyamin and Yaakov. 

It is said that every generation has a potential Moshiach Ben Yosef, who is betrayed and not recognized by his brothers, or who is revealed and who hastens the redemption. Moshiach Ben Yosef is said to feel the pain of the desecration to G-d’s name personified through Jewish weakness and suffering of the Jews in Exile. His battle is a “lonely battle” of truth as he stands alone against the detractors of truth who rule in this world until the final day of judgment.  Then comes the role of Yehuda and Moshiach Ben Dovid and the spiritual redemption.

The death of Moshiach Ben Yosef could be avoided

If enough Jews join the battle having faith in G-d, then the death of Moshiach Ben Yosef can be avoided. Redemption through needless pain and suffering can be averted. It is when Joseph no longer stands alone, in the sense that his brothers join him with a true love of Israel, and with complete faith that Binyamin and Moshiach Ben Yosef can be saved. In the end, it is necessary for the Jewish people to show uncompromising faith in G-d, without fear of the gentiles, for the redemption to be completed. The final show-down can be triggered by a lone Moshiach Ben Yosef who is betrayed by his brothers and killed or by a significant movement of Jews, who embrace the way of Jacob, Joseph and Binyamin with faith and with the courage of their convictions, who defeat the modern-day angels of Esav, and sanctify G-d’s name.

The nation of Israel shows it’s faith by acts of faith in defiance of international opinion, dictates and resolutions.

It is acts of faith such as expulsion of our enemies, annexing territories and preparing to build the Beit HaMikdash that show our faith in Hashem, and that show that we believe that He is stronger than the nations. Such brazen acts of faith hasten the redemption, as our sages teach us that it is faith that brought about the redemption from Egypt and that will bring the final redemption. This is the message of Moshiach Ben Yosef in every generation. Rejection of this message and this path of action by the brothers of the potential Moshiachs in every generation, results in prolonging the exile with all of its needless suffering. The ultimate question: will Jacob and Binyamin stand alone and will the nation of Israel take the lead and embrace the path of faith to risk standing alone against the entire world or will they continue to cower before the nations with delusions and illusions that they can buy the love of the gentiles through appeasing the nations? 

~ SHABBAT SHALOM ~

THE THREAT TO JUDEA AND SAMARIA

10 Tevet 5784 

'We hear digging': Israelis near West Bank fear another October 7 terror attack

Against the backdrop of the war against Hamas, residents of Bat Hefer in the Hefar Valley claim that they hear digging beneath their homes alongside explosion sounds coming to them from the Tulkarm area. Gadi Ohayon, a resident of Bat Hefer, spoke on Thursday with Ben Caspit and Yinon Magal on their show on 103FM and expressed his opinion on the ongoing situation.

"The situation is really not good," Ohayon stated. "We live in a constant state of insecurity, the settlement is targeted with direct and indirect fire almost every day. We can show you pictures of shells from our yards."

"Let's say that one day we receive reports of three to four incidents, then one quiet day, and then another two days with incidents. We hear shootings; we find shells in our yards, in inner houses, not those adjacent to the fence," he continued.

"At night, we wake up from explosions, the enemy really enjoys annoying us during hours when we're all turning right and left in bed, and we feel very helpless," Ohayon continued. "We feel that any response on our part to these activities that our enemies are trying to carry out against us is treated on a point-by-point basis. We need to understand that what they did on October 7 is a model for what they plan to do." [Read on...]

*******

The other front: How the Palestinian Authority is preparing for battle – right under our noses

The details of the overall situation in Judea & Samaria – Israel's current "third front" – ostensibly appear to be rather mundane and routine. Another late-night arrest, another targeting operation, more shooting attacks on the roads, but only after you put all the small pieces of this large puzzle together do you get to see the terrible danger, the initial signs of which are just now coming to light.

This is not "merely" a case of more mass demonstrations in support of the October 7 massacre on the outskirts of Ramallah, Nablus, or Tulkarm. This is not "merely" another case of declarations praising the October 7 massacre in the Gaza belt communities, made by senior Fatah officials, and let's not forget that this is a movement headed by Mahmoud Abbas the Chairman of the Palestinian Authority (PA), and an attempt to stir up feelings towards a potentially similar horrendous act of violence against the Jewish settlements in Judea & Samaria or in those communities along its borders.

What is currently evolving before our very eyes should be a clear signal to all and sundry that the "Oslo approach"' of perpetuating the PA, which both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the defense establishment still adhere to, is on the verge of collapsing. The scenario of the PASF (Palestinian Authority Security Forces) "turning their guns" and aiming them at the IDF forces, and/or the settlements in Judea & Samaria and those that border the Green Line, is rapidly developing into actuality. The warning signs are too numerous for us to ignore. [Read on.]

WAR UPDATE

9 Tevet 5784 

Last Minute! Israel Defeated 3 Countries at Once! 

The Entrance to Sinwar's Last Tunnel Has Begun!

ISRAEL REALTIME - "Connecting the World to Israel in Realtime"

🔅MORNING SUMMARY:

Alert for northern Israel near-Lebanon towns, gates and roads closed. Several rounds of rockets from Lebanon overnight, heavier attacks expected. IDF attacked heavily overnight and continues this morning with airstrikes and artillery, including ranger farther into Lebanon that previously.

Hostage negotiations seem to be at a standstill, with Hamas or Islamic Jihad demanding a comprehensive end-of-war agreement where everything returns to how it was, instead of a ceasefire.

Yemen’s Houthis are mass recruiting an Israeli invasion force… with no way to get to Israel. But those zealots tend to try to do whatever they claim, regardless of consequences. Could they load up hijacked container ships with fighters and head towards Israel? Related, a weapons warehouse exploded in Yemen, and U.S. jets are doing Yemen reconnaissance from the U.S. aircraft carrier. And more shipping companies abandon Red Sea / Suez Canal routes, increasing shipping costs to/from Europe.

In Israel internal issues, the IDF put forth a plan to bribe near-Gaza residents back to their homes, while the local governments adamantly refuse until the war is won and the towns are safe from Gaza massacre or rockets. In the meantime over 130,000 people are evacuated to hotels around Israel, and besides personal and family impact have job impact, school, mortgage payments on homes they can’t live in, etc.

Heavy fighting continues in Gaza as the IDF pushes further into every neighborhood — which unfortunately is required as every clinic, every school, every mosque, etc. is a weapons warehouse, tunnel junction, and/or rocket launching facility.

🔹 Join ISRAEL REALTIME - click below and you’re in!

🔹 PREFERRED Telegram link .. https://t.me/Israel_Realtime_Updates 

….  WhatsApp too, link .. https://chat.whatsapp.com/IFE7j7LTc7b9tGctRPazy4  

"Three Days of Darkness"

9 Tevet 5784 

From The Book of Our Heritage by Eliyahu Kitov...

Three fast days are observed during the month of Teves, commemorating three calamities which befell Israel - on the eighth, ninth, and tenth days of the month.  The fast days of the eighth and ninth are referred to as "fast days for the righteous."  On these days, only individuals fast, whereas the fast on the tenth of Teves is a public fast for the entire community.

The fast of the eighth of Teves commemorates the day when the Torah was translated into Greek at the order of King Talmai [Ptolemy Philadelphus].  The Sages (Soferim 1:7) note that the day on which the Torah was translated into Greek was as calamitous for Israel as the day on which they made the golden calf, for it is impossible to translate the Torah adequately.

...In Megillas Ta'anis, the Sages described the event in the following way:

On the eighth day of Teves, the Torah was rendered into Greek during the reign of King Talmai, and darkness came into the world for three days.

The fast of the ninth of Teves commemorates the deaths of Ezra the Scribe and Nechemyah, who faithfully led Israel during the return from Babylonian captivity.  When they died, the people of Israel were devastated, for their loss was irreplaceable.

The fast of the tenth of Teves is a communal fast, for on that day, Nevuchadnetzar, king of Babylonia, began the siege of Jerusalem during the time of the first Beis ha-Mikdash. 

It really looks like we are headed into a very dangerous period which may bring with it more days of calamity.  Hashem yerachem!

Quoting from today's morning report from Israel Realtime Updates...

The US military just declared a coalition of 10 nations to counter Houthi attacks in the Red Sea:

US Secretary of Defense Austin: The United States stands firmly alongside Israel, resolute in our commitment. In the Red Sea, we lead a multinational maritime taskforce to safeguard the fundamental principle of freedom of navigation. Iran's backing of Houthi attacks on commercial vessels must cease.

The US Secretary of Defense declared the formation of a multinational force to safeguard Red Sea trade post Houthi attacks. The force boasts members such as Bahrain, Great Britain, Canada, France, the Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles, Spain, and the USA. Notably missing are Arab nations, particularly Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, known for their historical conflicts with the Houthis. As of now, Bahrain stands as the sole representative of Arab countries in the multinational force.

And seen on Twitter (X)... 

This scenario has been war-gamed as a possible lead-up to World War Three and potentially, an all-out nuclear war.

*******

'Threat already escalating': Amid Israel-Hamas war

'Houthis most likely root to regional escalation'

May all our fast days be turned to days of joy!

__________________

RELATED:  RED ALERT!! BP HALTS OIL TRANSIT THROUGH RED SEA!! GERMANY TO DEPLOY 5000 TROOPS TO LITHUANIA!!

The Pressure Is Not Letting Up

6 Tevet 5784

And that is the good news.  Keeping the pressure on is necessary to get us where we have to be in time to meet HKB"H at the geulah shleimah.

Nothing happens randomly or without a reason.  If we don't know what it is, that doesn't mean there isn't one.  Once in awhile, we get hints.

Remember I told you about that Messianic (Christian) Attorney Calev Myers?  (Agents of Eisav)  And how he was shepherding the hostages' family members all over the world to Christian venues?  Well, one of those venues was Liberty University, a Christian institution, where thousands of Christians prayed over Yonatan and Ido Shamriz, the brothers of Alon Shamriz, one of the three escaped hostages who were killed by Israeli soldiers.  [Here @ 55:32 - 57:22]  And yes, they did invoke the name of their false deity at the end! [@ 1:01:45]

Had this young man been rescued, the credit would have been given to this false god and that message would have gone out to the world in the millions.  Possibly even tens or hundreds of millions of Christians, all of them giving thanks to the false god and their faith in the false god thereby strengthened.

The fact that those young men survived to this point is the proof that HKB"H sustained them to this moment and then HE ended their lives in this world because HE is THE GOD and there is no other and it is in HIS hands who lives and who dies and how.

You can believe it or not, but it was a mercy for their souls that they did not survive to become the Christian "poster boys" for glory and praise to the false god.  God forbid!  And may He avenge their blood on the evil enemies of Israel!

You Either Get It or You Don't: Some People Learn Nothing

3 Tevet 5784
Erev Shabbat Kodesh - Parashat Miketz
8th Candle - Zot Hanukkah 

A tale of two Jews:  "Moshe" and Jonathan...

Parashat Miketz - Trust Only In God

Father of hostage who met Biden says: 'We learned that there is no one to trust, except the president'

Two days have passed since Jonathan Dekel-Chen, the father of the 35-year-old Gaza hostage Sagui Dekel-Chen, received the message that he was going to meet with U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House, a meeting that took place Wednesday night. These were two days of "very great joy and hope," he told Ynet, and it was "a hope that did not disappoint."

Biden listened to the families talk about their family members and their concerns for nearly two hours. "It's unbelievable that the busiest person in the world sits with us and listens in the most respectful way possible," shared Dekel-Chen. "We came away very encouraged and we received reinforcement for things we already knew - that the administration is completely committed to this issue and is doing everything that a government, which is not a direct part of the conflict, can do. We feel in the most clear and certain way possible that the American administration is a true friend in the whole issue of the hostages.

Dekel-Chen says this is a reassuring feeling, especially in the face of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's reaction.

"I am not revealing anything new to anyone about the fact that the families of the hostages are disappointed with the government in Israel," he said. "We no longer have expectations. I am from Kibbutz Nir Oz and the disaster that befell us is one level above the average abduction - our house was completely destroyed, we are refugees in our own country. We were abandoned on October 7, the army arrived in our community an hour and a half after the terrorists left. Not one shot was fired in Nir Oz. That's why we learned that there is no one to trust, except for Biden."

[Biden meets families of hostages at White House, they plead for ‘Christmas miracle’]

~~~~~~~~

AYN OD MILEVADO!

SHABBAT SHALOM

"The Battle Is The Lord's"

3 Tevet 5784

8th Candle of Hanukkah

The enduring question of the holiday of Hanukkah is: How did they do it? How did the few defeat the many? The short answer is..."they" didn't. HE did!

Al Hanisim Prayer

...when the wicked Hellenic government rose up against Your people Israel to make them forget Your Torah and violate the decrees of Your will...You, in Your abounding mercies, stood by them in the time of their distress. You waged their battles, defended their rights, and avenged the wrong done to them. You delivered the mighty into the hands of the weak, the many into the hands of the few, the impure into the hands of the pure, the wicked into the hands of the righteous, and the wanton sinners into the hands of those who occupy themselves with Your Torah. You made a great and holy name for Yourself in Your world, and effected a great deliverance and redemption for Your people Israel to this very day.

A testament to the continuing truth of the words of King David...

Shmuel Aleph 17:45-47

And David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with sword, spear and javelin, and I come to you with the Name of the Lord of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel which you have taunted. 

This day, the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I shall slay you, and take off your head, and I shall give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines this day, to the fowl of the air and to the beasts of the earth, and all the earth shall know that Israel has a God.

And all this assembly shall know that not with sword and javelin does the Lord save, for the battle is the Lord's, and He will deliver you into our hand."

"For the battle is the Lord's," from that day to this, and forevermore.

Zot Chanukah

The "simple" explanation for this special name for the last day of Chanuka is the Torah reading from the end of Parshat Naso that emphatically announces ZOT CHANUKAT HA-MIZBEI'ACH (when the Torah is summing up the gifts of all the Tribal Leaders.

There is another, deeper meaning to the name. If you want to really know what Chanuka is all about, the answer is THIS, THE EIGHTH DAY OF CHANUKA - the fact that there are 8 days of Chanuka - ZOT CHANUKA, this is what Chanuka means. It means EIGHT. EIGHT is our answer to the Greek challenge. They said nature is perfect. They said it is a mutilation of the body to be circumcised. And they forbid us to fulfill that great mitzva of ours, under pain of death. EIGHT represents the step beyond TEVA, beyond nature. MILA on the 8th day represents our challenge to go beyond how we were created and take charge of the completion of our physical and spiritual form. The Mikdash began to function on its higher spiritual level on the EIGHTH day. The Greeks tried to take that away from us too. Torah was given to us on the day following seven sevens. It is an EIGHTH too. And the Greeks tried to take that from us also. With G-d's help, we prevailed over the Greeks and the triumph is celebrated with an 8 day holiday. This is Chanuka. ZOT CHANUKA.  (Courtesy of OU.org)

Those Inspiring Maccabees!

1 Tevet 5784
Rosh Chodesh

6th Candle of Hanukkah

Following is a sampling of inspiring speeches made by the Maccabean leaders which aroused the Jewish neshamahs of their followers to greatness in the Name of Hashem. Excerpted from The Chanukah Scroll by Hagi Ben Artzi:

[To the Greek officer who bid him come and sacrifice a pig on the altar to Zeus,]...Matityahu's response was delivered in a loud and confident voice, and was clearly heard throughout the city square. Matityahu said: "Even if all the nations in the Kingdom of Antiochus hearken to him and abandon their traditions and customs and follow the paths of the Greeks, I, and my sons and my brothers will continue to walk in the ways of our Forefathers, and will not betray the covenant of our God. We dare not leave our Torah and our national tradition! We will not follow and will not hearken to the words of King Antiochus, for the God Who dwells in Heaven is our King."

..."Jews, we are going out to war! Whoever is zealous for the Torah, whoever is loyal to the covenant with our God, follow me to fight for our faith and our Torah!"

[Even from his deathbed, Matityahu persevered]..."My sons, be zealous for the Torah; give your very souls for the sake of the covenant of your Forefathers. Remember the actions of your fathers, how they gave their lives and brought salvation to their nation. Remember Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov; remember Moshe and Pinchas; remember Yehoshua and Calev; remember David and Eliyahu; remember Daniel, Chanayah, Mishael and Azaryah.

Carefully reflect on the previous generations; learn from them that one need not fear an evil man, even if he is strong and threatening. Our fathers trusted in God, and He came to their salvation. You, as well: Believe in God, and become strong with Torah - for only this way will bring you pride. In your war with the enemies of our nation, Yehuda will be your Chief of Staff and commander, and Shimon will be your advisor and father. Gather to you all those who uphold the Torah, and avenge the honor of your people. Give the Gentiles what they deserve, and hold fast on to the Torah's commandments."

With these words, Matityahu passed away....

...when Yehuda's few men saw the great Syrian army marching towards them, great fear fell upon them. They called to their commander Yehuda: "We are few and weak; how will we be able to fight this great camp?" Yehuda then gathered all the men together, and strengthened their spirit with words of faith.

Thus he said to them: "Nothing can prevent God from saving us, whether we are few or many. It is not great numbers of soldiers or heavy weaponry that brings victory in war. It is rather a spirit of valor, one that stems from true faith. We are fighting for our nation and our Torah, whereas they are coming upon us with haughtiness and evil, to destroy us, our wives and our children, and to take our property. The God of our fathers will not abandon us; He will smite them before us.

Arise, my brothers! Go out and fight without fear!"

When Yehuda finished speaking, a spirit of valor overtook his men, and they fell upon their enemies with great force.

[When the war had continued many years, Shimon, the last of the Maccabees] ...gathered a large crowd in the courtyard of the Temple in Jerusalem, and encouraged them and raised their spirits. He said to them: "You know that which we have done - I, my brothers, and my father's house - on behalf of the Torah and the Temple. All my brothers died in the great war, in which they gave their lives for their people; I, alone, remain. Do not fear that their deaths have caused  me to be afraid or to seek my own personal safety, for I know that I am no better than my brothers. Just as they did, I will continue to lead you in the way of the Torah and to fight the wars of God."

[When Antiochus sent a demand for the return of captured 'Greek cities' in Eretz Yisrael] ...Shimon rebuffed these demands..., and responded in resolute and firm terms: 

"Not foreign land did we take, and not over property of foreigners did we take control. We have returned to the inheritance of our forefathers, from which we were unjustly banished by our enemies. And now, with the help of our God, we have returned to the inheritance of our fathers."

AMEN AND AMEN!!

And the Spirit of the Maccabees lives on...

An Indictment of the National Religious Public

29 Kislev 5784

5th Candle of Hanukkah

Unless there is a pressing reason, I try not to write new material during the holidays.  Instead I'll repost something relevant.  So, I had an entirely different Hannukah-related post to share in this spot today, but an email request had me doing a quick search and in the process, I came across what follows.  I debated in my mind a while before deciding to repost this essay from 2011.  I made the decision based on two facts:  (1) The people and area in question are closer to the danger than they were even then, and (2) the situation described is much worse with regard to the intrusion of idolatry and interfaith relations.  

It's not a happy subject, but a very necessary one in my view.  I wish it were not so.

*******

7 Elul 5771

My "Rebbe" said, "If you love Jews enough, you say the painful things which will save them."  In that spirit, I write the following:

Dear National Religious Public, shalom~

I have lived among you, yet not part of you. I have been amazed, dumfounded, incredulous and speechless at the things I have witnessed while in your presence. While your leaders praise you and tell you how righteous you are, the creme de la creme of Israeli society, the backbone of the nation, and you're so convinced of it that you urge your brethren to follow your example, I have to tell you that there are some very serious problems in your community. I think that if you were half as righteous as you think you are, I would not have to be writing this letter. Now, I'd like you to see yourselves through my eyes, an interested and caring bystander.

The Settlement Enterprise

Two centuries ago, America promoted an ideology among their citizens known as Manifest Destiny. They believed that it was their G-d given mandate to settle the land from sea to sea - from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. Do you know what they did? They gave the land away - not to their enemies - but to any citizen who wanted it enough to make self-sacrifices to settle on it and build it up.

The modern Israeli settlement enterprise leaves much to be desired in this respect. If a Jew comes in the spirit of self-sacrifice to settle the Land of Israel, he must overcome many obstacles first.

He must apply to a committee which will schedule an interview for him in which he will be evaluated as to his suitability to fit in with the community.

He may also be required to undergo psychological testing and evaluation.

He must be willing to pay the entrance fee of several thousand sheqels upon acceptance.

He may be allowed to live in a caravan for a set period, during which time he must build a home much the same as all the other small to large palaces which dot the landscape. If he overstays his welcome in the caravan, his name will be slandered to future potential residents as they are toured around the yishuv. This is to warn them against any thought of doing the same thing - moving in and then not building a home starting at $120,000.

He must not be poor, unemployed, old or single. Only young couples with good jobs are desired.

He should be sure that he can afford his own private transportation before moving in as public transportation is infrequent and quite expensive. If he thinks that he will be welcome to hitchhike as the kids like to do, he should be forewarned that older, employed people who hitchhike to work everyday are viewed as a "social problem." (It really bothers those who sometimes just want to enjoy the drive alone without an interloper sitting in the car with them.)

He should also be aware that if his home should ever go on "the chopping block," he should not expect any help from those whose homes are not (yet) - those who feel that as long as they are ok, why rock the boat.

Should the potential new resident have any idea of trying to open a small business to support himself and his family and grow the community, he should be aware of two things.

---The yishuv's leadership many times works purposefully to keep the yishuv small so that it remains a private little Garden of Eden (or fiefdom);

---The yishuv's leadership or someone with enough money to buy them off, often holds a complete monopoly on every business opened on the yishuv.

This is why after 45 years, there are only 300,000 Jews living in Judea and Samaria.

Bringing the Enemy inside the Gate

The National Religious public pride themselves on expertly fulfilling the mitzvah of yishuv ha'aretz - settling the land - and yet "settling" is only half of the mitzvah. The other half is to drive out the gentiles who were living there when we arrived because they will forever compete with us for it. Furthermore, you are supposed to tear down every place and destroy every item of their religious worship. The Torah warned us that if we would be satisfied to perform only half of the mitzvah, then at some point, we, ourselves, would be driven off of the land.

Excuse me, but is this not the very threat that has been hanging over your heads since Camp David? You saw what happened to the Sinai, far away from the "heartland," and yet you didn't seem impressed. Then you saw it happen much closer - in Gush Katif - but, you've not been inspired to change your ways.

"What do you want from us?" you ask. "The government won't allow us to drive out the Arabs or tear down their mosques." To which I reply, "But would you, even if you could?" I've heard you brag about your wonderful, cordial relations with the resident enemies - the same ones who could slaughter the Fogel family on Shabbat in Itamar. (In a radio interview, a prominent resident of Sderot actually said that if the rockets would stop today, we could go back to peaceful coexistence tomorrow. And that, my dearly beloved brethren is why the rockets still rain down.)

I've heard you reminisce about sharing happy occasions with your good Arab neighbors and even having a coffee together. I've heard you speak of the bargains when you were able to shop in Arab stores and how convenient it was to have the car repaired in the next Arab village. And is there any reason why we should even go into who built the homes, shuls and schools and who laid the sidewalks and paved the roads of the yishuvim?

My dear brothers and sisters, these are not the words and actions of a Jew who is ready to kill and destroy the enemy at the gates. If you had shown Hashem that you would have if you could, then He would have counted it in your favor, but such was not the case here.

Now, today, we have a deeper problem. We are not only improperly contending with the resident enemy. Our lovely Erev Rav "Jewish" leadership in the yishuvim are importing a new enemy to our midst. It started with accepting money from Christian groups - money which was spent on spurious things like diving trips for the youth in Eilat. Then, it was welcoming them to visit, giving them access to the kindergartens, pimping the children by allowing them to be photographed and their pictures posted to Christian websites where they raise money for spreading the gospel, G-d forbid!

Then, it progressed to accepting their "free" labor and allowing them into Jewish homes to share Shabbat meals and maybe be included in the guest list for a wedding. Now - today - it has blossomed into a full scale movement of long-term settlement of Gentile Christians into Jewish neighborhoods in the Shomron, where they will live amongst G-d fearing Jews. They don't need governmental approval in order to obtain work permits. They will have their entire day free to learn Hebrew in ulpan and circulate amongst the Jews "making friends" as they are supported with missionary money from abroad. And make no mistake about it, they are the frontline troops who are here to make way for the greater invasion to come. As things get worse economically and as their doomsday scenario plays out before their eyes, they see Israel as an escape hatch. If we do not stop them and if Hashem does not stop them, we are in for even bigger problems!

I guarantee you that from Heaven's perspective, this is criminal! Criminal!! Why should Hashem continue to allow you to live in these areas when this is what you do with it!???? Not only have you not cleansed the Land of the impurity of foreign worship, but you have not even opposed it in your hearts and minds. And not only did you not oppose it in your hearts and minds, you have fostered it and promoted it by bringing it in where it did not even exist before!!!!

Perverted priorities

In the name of saving money on construction costs, for the sake of vacation trips and playground equipment and cold water (money for burying water pipes). For kavod, for convenience and for the sake of Western (anti-Torah) values like love of and unity with humanity, you have put Jewish souls in harm's way. This is CRIMINAL!! And the Torah demands that criminals be punished!

********

Now, a word to the women. Women from the national religious public set a great store on higher learning for women, both the secular and religious studies, and yet, when it comes to personal modesty, something for which Heaven judges very strictly, they are very lax. I do not understand the reason for this. I only know that it needs to change.

For not the first time, I was walking behind one of these women on a Jerusalem street and she was wearing a style of skirt very popular with her crowd. It is long - almost to the ankle -and yet it has a slit in the back which exposed half her thigh and the whole leg with every step she took. Also, while they wear a head covering religiously, it often shows a lot of hair. A man covers his head and a woman covers her hair. A hat perched atop the woman's head with exposed hair hanging down around does not do the job.

Furthermore, I've been an unfortunate witness to many married women from this community who work professionally and have coffee and/or lunch or share work breaks with married men from the workplace. "Friendships" bloom and grow among men with knitted kipot and women with hats and exposed hair wearing slit skirts. Learning has its place, but a truly modest woman is far superior to a learned one.

Open your eyes and see yourselves! You have much for which to repent and this is the month of repentance. You are facing an existential crisis on Sep 20th. You saw it happen in the Sinai and you saw it happen in Gush Katif. And it can happen in Judea and Samaria. Hashem is yelling at you! Open you ears and hear!! You are not completely righteous and blameless! If the worst happens, do not blame Hashem for abandoning you. You abandoned Him first with your disobedience and rebellion. He's calling you to repentance. Change your ways and Hashem will make your enemies into your footstool.

But, if you refuse to mend your ways and do teshuva and the worst happens, do not ask "Why?"  Do not ask, "Why did this happen to all these tzadikim and tzidkaniot?"

29 Kislev 5784: Were it not a holiday, this would be Yom Kippur Katan.  Please do not delay teshuvah even one more day!! ❤️

Hanukkah: A Celebration of Civil War?

28 Kislev 5784
4th Candle of Hanukkah

The Maccabees and the Hellenists 

Hanukkah as Jewish civil war

By James Ponet

...Read in its historical context,...the Hanukkah story is really about a revolt against the Hellenized Jews who had fallen madly in love with the sophisticated, globalizing superculture of their day. The Apocrypha's texts make it clear that the battle against Hellenization was, in fact, a kulturkampf among the Jews themselves. Here is how the first Book of the Maccabees describes Jerusalem on the eve of civil war and revolt in the time of Antiochus (translation by Nicholas de Lange):

At that time there were some evil-doers in Israel who tried to win popularity for a policy of integration with the surrounding nations. It was because the Jews had kept themselves aloof for so long, they claimed, that so many hardships had befallen them. They acquired a following and applied to Antiochus, who authorized them to introduce the Greek way of life. They built a Greek gymnasium in Jerusalem and even had themselves uncircumcised.

Uncircumcision as the price of admission to the Jerusalem gym! When they were eight days old, the "sign of the covenant" had been carved in their flesh; now as young men, these Jews risked health and sacrificed sexual pleasure to "become one flesh" with the regnant beauty culture. In Judea, then, there were Jews choosing to die rather than publicly profane Jewish law—and there were Jews risking death to free themselves from the parochial constraints of that law. The historic Jewish passion to merge and disappear confronted the attested Jewish will to stand apart and persist.

That's the clash of Hanukkah. Armed Hasmonean priests and their comrades from the rural town of Modi'in attacked urban Jews, priests and laity alike, who supported Greek reform, like the gymnasium and new rules for governing commerce. The Hasmoneans imposed, at sword's edge, traditional observance. After years of protracted warfare, the priests established a Hasmonean state that never ceased fighting Jews who disagreed with its rule....

And this battle is still going on today.  The Torah-true Jews who cherish their uniqueness and guard against foreign intrusion are an extreme minority.  It is also very noteworthy that every trouble we have ever had with foreign rulers was due to reshaim who wanted to assimilate.

Rabbi Richter: "All Yeshivah Students to the Front Lines!" ?

27 Kislev 5784
3rd Candle of Hanukkah 

War in Gaza!  All Yeshiva students to the front lines! 

Classic Kahane: "Down With Chanukah"

27 Kislev 5784

3rd Candle of Hanukkah

DOWN WITH CHANUKAH
by Rabbi Meir Kahane
December 15, 1972

If I were a Reform rabbi; if I were a leader of the Establishment whose money and prestige have succeeded in capturing for him the leadership and voice of American Jewry; if I were one of the members of the Israeli Government’s ruling group; if I were an enlightened sophisticated, modern Jewish intellectual, I would climb the barricades and join in battle against the most dangerous of all Jewish holidays – Chanukah.

It is a measure of the total ignorance of the world Jewish community that there is no holiday that is more universally celebrated than the “Feast of Lights”, and it is an equal measure of the intellectual dishonesty and of Jewish leadership that it plays along with the lie. For if ever there was a holiday that stands for everything that the mass of world Jewry and their leadership has rejected – it is this one. If one would find an event that is truly rooted in everything that Jews of our times and their leaders have rejected and, indeed, attacked – it is this one. If there is any holiday that is more “unJewish” in the sense of our modern beliefs and practices – I do not know of it.

The Chanukah that has erupted unto the world Jewish scene in all its childishness, asininity, shallowness, ignorance and fraud – is not the Chanukah of reality. The Chanukah that came into vogue because of Jewish parents – in their vapidness – needed something to counteract Christmas; that exploded in a show of “we-can-have-lights-just-as-our-goyish-neighbors” and in an effort to reward our spoiled children with eight gifts instead of the poor Christian one; the Chanukah that the Temple, under its captive rabbi, turned into a school pageant so that the beaming parents might think that the Religious School is really successful instead of the tragic joke and waste that it really is; the Chanukah that speaks of Jewish Patrick Henrys giving-me-liberty-or death and the pictures of Maccabees as great liberal saviors who fought so that the kibbutzim might continue to be free to preach their Marx and eat their ham, that the split-level dwellers of suburbia might be allowed to violate their Sabbath in perfect freedom and the Reform and Conservative Temples continue the fight for civil rights for Blacks, Puerto Ricans and Jane Fonda, is not remotely connected with reality.

This is NOT the Chanukah of our ancestors, of the generations of Jews of Eastern Europe and Yemen and Morocco and the crusades and Spain and Babylon. It is surely not the Chanukah for which the Maccabees themselves died. Truly, could those whom we honor so munificently, return and see what Chanukah has become, they might very well begin a second Maccabean revolt. For the life that we Jews lead today was the very cause, the REAL reason for the revolt of the Jews “in those days in our times.”

What happened in that era more than 2000 years ago? What led a handful of Jews to rise up in violence against the enemy? And precisely who WAS the enemy? What were they fighting FOR and who were they fighting AGAINST?

For years, the people of Judea had been the vassals of Greece. True independence as a state had been unknown for all those decades and, yet, the Jews did not rise up in revolt. It was only when the Greek policy shifted from mere political control to one that attempted to suppress the Jewish religion that the revolt erupted in all its bloodiness. It was not mere liberty that led to the Maccabean uprising that we so passionately applaud. What we are really cheering is a brave group of Jews who fought and plunged Judea into a bloodbath for the right to observe the Sabbath, to follow the laws of kashruth, to obey the laws of the Torah. IN A WORD EVERYTHING ABOUT CHANUKAH THAT WE COMMEMORATE AND TEACH OUR CHILDREN TO COMMEMORATE ARE THINGS WE CONSIDER TO BE OUTMODED, MEDIEVAL AND CHILDISH!

At best, then, those who fought and died for Chanukah were naïve and obscurantist. Had we lived in those days we would certainly not have done what they did for everyone knows that the laws of the Torah are not really Divine but only the products of evolution and men (do not the Reform, Reconstructionist and large parts of the Conservative movements write this daily?) Surely we would not have fought for that which we violate every day of our lives! No, at best Chanukah emerges as a needless holiday if not a foolish one. Poor Hannah and her seven children; poor Mattathias and Judah; poor well meaning chaps all but hopelessly backward and utterly unnecessary sacrifices.

But there is more. Not only is Chanukah really a foolish and unnecessary holiday, it is also one that is dangerously fanatical and illiberal. The first act of rebellion, the first enemy who fell at the hands of the brave Jewish heroes whom our delightful children portray so cleverly in their Sunday and religious school pageants, was NOT a Greek. He was a Jew.

When the enemy sent its troops into the town of Modiin to set up an idol and demand its worship, it was a Jew who decided to exercise his freedom of pagan worship and who approached the altar to worship Zeus (after all, what business was it of anyone what this fellow worshipped?) And it was this Jew, this apostate, this religious traitor who was struck down by the brave, glorious, courageous (are these not the words all our Sunday schools use to describe him?) Mattathias, as he shouted: “Whoever is for G-d, follow me!”

What have we here? What kind of religious intolerance and bigotry? What kind of a man is this for the anti-religious of Hashomer Hatzair, the graceful temples of suburbia, the sophisticated intellectuals, the liberal open-minded Jews and all the drones who have wearied us unto death with the concept of Judaism as a humanistic, open-minded, undogmatic, liberal, universalistic (if not Marxist) religion, to honor? What kind of nationalism is this for David-Ben-Gurion (he who rejects the Galut and speaks of the proud, free Jew of ancient Judea and Israel)?

And to crush us even more (we who know that Judaism is a faith of peace which deplores violence), what kind of Jews were these who reacted to oppression with FORCE? Surely we who so properly have deplored Jewish violence as fascistic, immoral and (above all!) UN-JEWISH, stand in horror as we contemplate Jews who declined to picket the Syrian Greeks to death and who rejected quiet diplomacy for the sword, spear and arrow (had there been bombs in those days, who can tell what they might have done?) and “descended to the level of evil,” thus rejecting the ethical and moral concepts of Judaism.

Is this the kind of a holiday we wish to propagate? Are these the kinds of men we want our moral and humanistic children to honor? Is this the kind of Judaism that we wish to observe and pass on to our children?

Where shall we find the man of courage the one voice, in the wilderness to cry out against Chanukah and the Judaism that it represents-the Judaism of our grandparents and ancestors? Where shall we find the man of honesty and integrity to attack the Judaism of Medievalism and outdated foolishness; the Judaism of bigotry that strikes down Jews who refuse to observe the law; the Judaism of violence that calls for Jewish force and might against the enemy? When shall we find the courage to proudly eat our Chinese food and violate our Sabbaths and reject all the separateness, nationalism and religious maximalism that Chanukah so ignobly represents? …Down with Chanukah! It is a regressive holiday that merely symbolizes the Judaism that always was; the Judaism that was handed down to us from Sinai; the Judaism that made our ancestors ready to give their lives for the L-rd; the Judaism that young people instinctively know is true and great and real. Such Judaism is dangerous for us and our leaders. We must do all in our power to bury it.

~ HAPPY HANUKKAH ~

and

 ~ SHAVUA TOV ~

The Connection Between Parashat Vayeshev and Hanukkah

25 Kislev 5784
Erev Shabbat Kodesh
Parashat Vayeshev - Mevorchim

UPDATE:  For those who want an organized outcry to HKB"H for redemption now (sorry I didn't think of it sooner), please have this kavanah during Hallel on every day of Hanukkah where we say "ana Hashem hoshia na, ana Hashem hatzlicha na."  Spread the word! 🙂

(Reposting from notes taken on a shiur by Rabbi Sitorsky - Kislev 5771...)

Hanukkah can be found in Parashat Vayeshev. 

...the Shlah Hakadosh tells us that golus Yavan occurred because of the sin of the selling of Yosef Hatzadik, which automatically connects this parashah to Hanukkah because it is the Shabbat that we read about Mechirat Yosef. Because of Mechirat Yosef (the sale of Yosef), there was a Greek exile and because there was a Greek exile, there was a geulah from Greece which was Hanukkah. Hanukkah is the geulah from the Greek exile, so Hanukkah is the holiday to rectify the selling of Yosef. 

The sin of Mechirat Yosef was a blemish in the unity of Am Yisrael and a blemish in the area of speech. There was an aspect of lashon hara involved. Yosef reported on his brothers. Yosef Hatzadik is punished. Meforshim say the ten years of incarceration is one year for each brother that he spoke against and the other two years for lack of faith in Hashem, according to Rashi.

The Shlah Hakadosh tells us that Yosef is Hanukkah.  Avraham is Pesach, Yitzchak is Shavuot and Ya'aqov is Sukkot, so Yosef is Hanukkah.

Hanukkah is the holiday that brings near the Jews who are far away from Yiddishkeit. It affects those neshamas that no other holiday affects, including Shabbat. The most unaffiliated Jew, even if he doesn't keep Shabbat, will celebrate Hanukkah. It's for those who are outside...this is our generation.

Yosef Hatzadik brings near those who were far away. Hanukkah is the holiday of kiruv. Those who don't have a tikun any other time of the year, get a tikun on Hanukkah.

Yosef is a hidden tzadik. He's misunderstood; not accepted. Hanukkah, too, was not accepted at first. What would we be today without Hanukkah? What would we be today without Yosef Hatzadik?

Yosef and Binyamin HAVE to be united.

Yosef is the rival of Eisav.

Eisav was killed on Hanukkah. (Ya'aqov was buried on Hanukkah.) [Eisav has his 'holiday' at Hanukkah time.]

Binyamin is the rival of Yishmael.

Hanukkah is the tikun for pegam habrit. It prepares us for Shovavim. The story of Yehudah and Tamar is about the blemish that would prevent Mashiach and the repair for that blemish which results in the birth of Peretz, ancestor of Mashiach.

Hanukkah is not complete until Yosef and Binyamin are joined. Hanukkah is the fusion of Yosef and Binyamin. Hanukkah is the holiday to overpower Eisav joining with Yishmael.

Yishmael is the fifth exile. Hanukkah is the fifth holiday and we drink five cups on Pesach, the fifth is the cup of redemption. These five cups appear in the parashah. "Cup" is mentioned five times. Four in the story and once again at the end of the parashah. Hanukkah is the fifth cup. Hanukkah is the light of Melech HaMashiach. The light of the fifth geulah after the exile of Yishmael. Corresponds to the five levels of the neshamah. Yechidah, the highest level corresponding to the fifth (which also corresponds to Neilah of Yom Kippur).

Yishmael has their mosque on the very place of the Beit HaMikdash where the miracle of Hanukkah happened. On Hanukkah we can merit all five levels of the neshamah. The gematria of the names of the five levels of neshamah is equal to the phrase "lamed vav nerot shel Hanukkah." (Yishmaelim pray five times a day.)

Vayeshev means to relax, to rest in peace and tranquility, but the stories are anything but. They are full of tragedies. Why is it called "vayeshev"? Right in the middle comes the story of Yehudah and Tamar which opens the way for the birth of Mashiach. And the miracle of Hanukkah is hidden here. Out of all the tragedies of these stories comes the hope of Mashiach.

At the end of the parashah we see how all of the tragedies were working towards a wonderful end to provide a salvation for Am Yisrael. It's just the same now in our generation. Soon we will see how all of the tragedies that we are now suffering will end just as wonderfully.

 ~ SHABBAT SHALOM ~

and

Hanukkah Sameach!

The Festival of Lights

25 Kislev 5784

1st Candle of Hanukkah

The Battle Is With Hamas, But the War Is With the West

24 Kislev 5784

Erev Hanukkah 

I don't like publishing so much material so fast that the readers don't have time to take it all in and think it over, but I just don't have any choice right now.  I feel an overpowering urgency to pound this message home.  We are almost out of time.

~~~~~~~

It is so open and obvious, who can still fail to see it?  From the beginning, they told us this was Israel's 9/11.  Well, 9/11 was an inside job that became the justification for wars which would establish a new world order. In 2013, on this blog, I shared critical information which I was personally privy to in 2003.  You can read the entire thing here:  US Plan for MidEast Dominance Revealed in 2003.  Here is an excerpt:

...[John Loftus] said that "good things" are going to happen for Israel in the near term and then he dropped his bombshell. Over the next two years, America is going to "take out all seven dictatorial regimes in the Middle East."  [See General Wesley Clark saying the same thing in 2007.]

The conquest was begun with Iraq and is to be followed by Iran, the groundwork for which is already being laid and which, according to Mr. Loftus, will be finished "by Spring", only to be followed in swift succession by Libya, N. Korea (which will be divied up to China), Syria and Lebanon. Since Jordan and Egypt are already on America's payroll, that only leaves Saudi Arabia which will have no other option, according to Mr. Loftus, but to fall into line. The plan is ostensibly to "liberate" all the democracy-starved hordes of the Middle-East and rebuild all the war-torn countries courtesy of the American taxpayer (to whom Israel is also beholden, reminds Mr. Loftus, lest we Jews ever forget), and create a climate in which "moderate Islam" can flourish.

Then Mr. John Loftus, carefully and meticulously documented friend of the Jews, dropped his second bombshell. You know the "Road Map?" Well, according to him, "it's just a smoke screen to prevent a third front from opening up" and getting in the way of this grandiose scheme. And what does Washington want from Israel? According to Mr. Loftus, we are expected to behave pretty much as we did in Gulf War I. They want us to "sit back and let America take out all our enemies." The word "democracy" was repeated throughout the lecture almost like a mantra; as if it were a little god that we both worshipped. I could hardly contain myself. I was about ready to erupt and as I looked around me, the Jews were politely listening, laughing here and there as he joked good-naturedly.

Did you know we Jews are "not good at PR?" That's what Mr. Loftus says with a rueful smile. He says, regrettably, that "in American eyes, Oslo was necessary" despite the tragic loss of Jewish life. Our "biggest mistake," Mr. Loftus adjures, "was in not cultivating the US for help." We did not "make our case adequately to Congress."

He emphasized that no one anywhere in the world is a match for the US war machine and that all comers are left in the dust of American military might. When he proceeded to impress upon us the importance of the largesse so unselfishly bestowed upon us yearly by the predominately Gentile US taxpayers, I lost it and as a result, was asked to leave. So, what are we to make of this strange and unexpected revelation? I'll tell you what I think and then you be the judge.

Israel has no friend and no ally save her Father in Heaven....

You see, the "extremists" - on BOTH sides - stand in the way of their plans for global domination.  While the IDF is hunting down Hamas in Gaza, other parts of the IDF are arresting and disarming "extremist settlers" in the "West Bank".  

Religion will be allowed, but one that unites instead of dividing - certainly not one which insists it is the sole representative of Truth - like real Torah Judaism.  Something more along these lines...

Decidedly Not These New Maccabees - "Unacceptable"!
(NOTE: The accusations of violence or physical attacks on Christians are outright lies.)

The Ultimate Goal For the Jews: To Become Totally Assimilated 

 

Again!  It is so open and obvious, who can still fail to see it!? The United States has made no secret of the fact that they are never going to "allow" us to take back Gaza or annex the West Bank.  We are not allowed to harm "innocent" Palestinians or get rid of the Palestinian Authority.  Already today, they are back to demanding yet more fuel be let inside Gaza!

They moved in and began managing this "war" from the very beginning!  (How did they know!?)  They have no intention of letting us win.  But, our IDF CAN do their dirty work of ridding the land of "extremists" who stand in the way of their vision of a world where THEY rule as a gods, r"l!

Gaza and the West Bank MUST AT ALL COSTS become "Palestine".  And why?  

Lest the messianic dreams of the Return to Zion be realized, lest the Temple Mount ever see one stone placed for a rebuilt Temple, in short, to prevent the fulfillment of God's will on earth.

The War is against the Master of the Universe and Amalek has their hand on His throne.

We are His foot soldiers and His palace guard.  We MUST understand who the enemy is and what we have to do to DEFEAT them!

THIS IS THE REAL WAR AT HANUKKAH!