3,337 YEARS AGO...

13 Nisan 5785
Erev Shabbat Kodesh
Parashat Tzav - Shabbat Hagadol (Erev Pesach)

Excerpted from The Book of Our Heritage by Eliyahu Kitov (Vol 2, p. 496)...   

In Sefer ha-Pardes, which is ascribed to Rashi, we find:

People are accustomed to calling the Shabbos before Pesach Shabbos ha-Gadol, but they do not know what makes this Shabbos greater than any other.  The Children of Israel went out of Egypt on a Thursday, as is recorded in the Seder Olam.  They prepared the lamb for the Pesach sacrifice on the previous Shabbos, on the tenth of Nisan.  When they were instructed to do so, they wondered:  "If we sacrifice an animal which the Egyptians hold sacred, before their very eyes, they will surely stone us."  But the Holy One, blessed is He, told them:  "Now you will see the wondrous things which I will do for you."  The Children of Israel thereupon each took a lamb and kept it for four days.  When the Egyptians saw this, they wanted to rise up and take revenge, but they were stricken with all kinds of horrible afflictions and could do no harm to the Children of Israel.  Because of the miracles which God performed on that day, the Shabbos before Pesach, it became known as Shabbos ha-Gadol.

From the Haftarah for Shabbat Hagadol (Malachi 3.14 - 18)...

You have said, "It is futile to serve God, and what profit do we get for keeping His charge and for going about in anxious worry because of the Lord of Hosts?" 

And now we praise the bold transgressors. Yea, those who work wickedness are built up. Yea, they tempt God, and they have, nevertheless, escaped. 

Then the God-fearing men spoke to one another, and the Lord hearkened and heard it. And a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who feared the Lord and for those who valued His name highly. And they shall be Mine, says the Lord of Hosts, for that day when I make a treasure. And I will have compassion on them as a man has compassion on his son who serves him. And you shall return and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him who serves God and him who has not served Him.

~ SHABBAT SHALOM ~
 and
~ Chag Kasher v'Sameach ~ 

PUBLIC RENOUNCEMENT

12 Nisan 5785

Because Israeli political leaders presenting themselves as religious Jews are publicly desecrating God's name by celebrating and congratulating the appointment of Mike Huckabee to the post of US Ambassador to Israel, I feel the need to make a public statement of my own.  

Neither I, nor any member of my family, supports, let alone celebrates, the appointment of a man dedicated to enabling and advancing the spiritual shmad of the Jewish people!

Gov Mike Huckabee endorses missionaries

"He’s been endorsed by Mike Huckabee, former Governor of Arkansas, who gave $5000 to Sean through his HUCK PAC."

Mike Huckabee: Background

...He entered the ministry in 1972 at Garrett Memorial Baptist Church in Hope. (Age 17)

...He graduated from Ouachita Baptist University on May 8, 1978, completing his bachelor's degree in religion before attending Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. He dropped out of the seminary after one year in order to take a job in Christian broadcasting.

...At age 21, Huckabee was a staffer for televangelist James Robison. Robison commented, "His convictions shape his character and his character will shape his policies. His whole life has been shaped by moral absolutes." Prior to his political career, he served as pastor at Immanuel Baptist Church in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, from 1980 to 1986, and the Beech Street First Baptist Church in Texarkana, from 1986 to 1992. In 1989, Huckabee ran against Ronnie Floyd of Springdale for the presidency of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention. Huckabee won and served as president from 1989 to 1991. 

...In April 2011, Huckabee said, "I almost wish that there would be a simultaneous telecast and all Americans would be forced, at gunpoint, to listen to every David Barton message," in praise of the Christian revisionist author David Barton.   (Source)

Mike Huckabee: An Ambassador for Christ

Barbara Rainey, March 03, 2025

...I was looking forward to talking with Mike about the similarities between acting as U.S. ambassador with our responsibility of being an ambassador for kingdom of God. 2 Corinthians 5:20 says, “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”

Mike says, “The key the key to understanding what an ambassador is, both biblically as well as diplomatically, is that you do not carry your own message. You are the messenger of your government. In the case of an ambassador for Christ, it's not that you go and tell everybody what you think. You present God's Word as God has given it to you. So your job is to take his message ... in the same way an ambassador for a country takes the message of his or her country.”

Being appointed as an ambassador, he said, is an incredible sense of trust. “It’s not just simply going and telling somebody the difference between heaven and hell. It's doing it with the spirit of Christ and carrying that same attitude and heart because otherwise it could be very cold and indifferent and God is not cold and indifferent?” (Source)

His god (Yeshu) is not our God and Christian Zionism is based on Judeo-Christianity, a modern name for Hellenism.  

~ ~ ~

I'm including the following here because it is related.  The anti-Torah, anti-God mayor of Tel Aviv is not wrong in this instance...

Tel Aviv Mayor Raises Furor: “You Believe In Hashem? You’re Anti-Democratic”

...Perry: “You’re saying something harsh that I don’t accept. Are you saying that anyone who believes in a supreme being cannot accept democracy in the same breath?” 

Huldai replied without hesitation: “No. Because if you believe in Him, it means He is supreme. It can’t be that the Supreme Court will decide against what is written and what you believe in. Therefore, religion, by its very nature, is anti-democratic.” 

“Those who are religious go to the Rav for everything. It’s already determined and written and the Rav tells you if something is according to Halacha or not. If Halacha is the law – then we are Iran,” Huldai added.

The only thing he is wrong about is the quip about "Iran." Following halachah makes us Jews, not Muslims.  Torah Law is not Sharia Law, God forbid!!  But someone like Ron Huldai, how is he supposed to know that?  Secular Jews are scared silly of a halachic state because they envision Taliban.  How will they know how sweet and desirable and beneficial are God's laws for humanity unless we who hold by Torah and want to live in accordance with its values - NOT WESTERN, DEMOCRATIC ONES - talk about it openly and explain it and endeavor to correct all the misconceptions?

URGENT NEWS and DIRE INDICATORS

11 Nisan 5785

URGENT!!  Prayers for the refuah shleimah of HaRav Meir Nissan (Mazuz) ben Kamsana have been requested of the public.  He is in very serious condition in hospital.  Hashem yerachem!

~ ~ ~

(Via Drudge Report): STOCKS CONTINUE PLUNGE, 104% TARIFFS ON CHINA!

(Via X @ 7:25 pm IST)

~ ~ ~

(UPDATED @ 7:20 pm IST)

Unprecedented number of B-2 bombers amassed for strike...

War has never been closer...

US could be bombing Iran by weekend if Tehran doesn't fall in line

IF Iran does not sit down with US diplomats to discuss scrapping its nuclear ambitions on Saturday, massive bombing raids - and the prospect of an extended and costly US/Iran conflict could result, a national security expert warned today. Historically Tehran has refused to meet US negotiators as a matter of political principle but Donald Trump is demanding face-to-face meetings with top political and military brass from both nations.

(Open Source Intel via X)  "Several top U.S. military officials have landed in Tel Aviv.

(Israel Radar via X)  "Russian official says Moscow will not provide military assistance to Iran in case of US attack, Ynet reports."

(i24NEWS via X) 🔴 Iran transfers long-range missiles to Iraq in major escalation - report

(Eretz Israel via X):🚨 The IDF has cancelled Passover holiday leave for a large number of combat and support troops due to a high level of alert.

(Terror Alarm via X): 🚨Turkey flexes muscle in Syria, sending a large military convoy without Israel's permission. Tensions rise as Ankara pushes for a foothold, ignoring all warnings.

~ ~ ~

TURKEY, T-4 and THE TALMUD ON PALMYRA

Ten years ago, the Yeranen Yaakov blog addressed the destruction of Palmyra (ancient name Tadmor or Tadmur) as a sign for the End of Days.  At that time the city was reported to have been captured by ISIS...

In 2015, ISIS overran Palmyra, and committed barbaric and monstrous assaults on the people, cultural monuments, and artifacts of the city. The destruction of Palmyra’s magnificent monuments provoked an international outcry and prompted media attention.

ISIS began by executing Khaled Al-Ass’ad, the former Director of Antiquities at Palmyra, a devoted and outstanding archeologist who loved Palmyra like no one else. Following this horrific execution, ISIS began to destroy many of the most famous ruins—the Bel and Baalshamin temples, the tower tombs, the monumental arch and standing columns in addition to plundering the Palmyra Museum and destroying a large number of sculptures and artifacts left there.

In March 2016, the Assad forces (backed by the Russian military) recaptured Palmyra and immediately started building a Russian military base within the World Heritage Site. ISIS recaptured Palmyra in early December 2016 and destroyed the tetrapylon and damaged the theater. The Assad regime forces managed to take Palmyra back in March 2017. (Source)

According to Yaak's blog post...

...it was publicized this week that the ISIS organization captured the ancient city of Tadmur, and we find in the gemara (Yevamot 17a) [Daf | Text | English]: 

יתיב רב יוסף אחוריה דרב כהנא ויתיב רב כהנא קמיה דרב יהודה ויתיב וקאמר עתידין ישראל דעבדי יומא טבא כי חרבי תרמוד 

R. Joseph sat behind R. Kahana while R. Kahana sat before Rab Judah, and while sitting he made the following statement: 'Israel will make a festival when Tarmod will have been destroyed'. 

And as a footnote (#19) in the Soncino on the previous daf notes: Tarmod or Tadmor, (Palmyra) lay in an oasis of the desert of Syria.

[See more here and here.]

As no festival was ever held, there must yet be a fulfillment of this 'prophecy'.  This is where Turkey, the T-4 military base come in.

Erdogan is a megalomaniac who imagines he can restore the Ottoman Empire with himself at the head.  He sees an opportunity in the midst of the Syrian chaos since Assad's ouster and Israel recognizes that clearly.  Erdogan is making a move to establish Turkish military bases at the former Syrian air force's T-4 base and Palmyra base!

(Reuters, April 7, 2025)  The Islamists replacing Assad have alarmed Israel, which is wary of an Islamist presence on its border and has lobbied the United States to curb Turkey's growing influence in the country.

Ankara, a longtime backer of opposition to Assad, is positioning to play a major role in the remade Syria, including with a possible joint defence pact that could see new Turkish bases in central Syria and use of Syria's airspace.

In preparation, Turkish military teams in recent weeks visited the T4 and Palmyra air bases in Syria's Homs province and the main airport in Hama province, according to a regional intelligence official, two Syrian military sources and another Syrian source familiar with the matter.

The sources spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the visits, which have not been previously reported.

Turkish teams evaluated the state of the runways, hangars and other infrastructure at the bases, the regional intelligence official said.

Another planned visit to T4 and Palmyra on March 25 was cancelled after Israel struck both bases just hours beforehand, according to the regional intelligence official and the two Syrian military sources.

Strikes at T4 "destroyed the runway, tower, hangars and the planes that were grounded. It was a tough message that Israel won't accept the expanded Turkish presence," said the intelligence official, who reviewed photographs of the damage.

"T4 is totally unusable now," said a fourth Syrian source, who is close to Turkey.  (Source)

That leaves Palmyra.  According to "Yehudit", Mashiach ben Yosef "will give instructions to completely exterminate a city in Syria."  Will it be Palmyra?  Is that when we'll make a festival over its destruction?  Or is it possible that it will happen while we are celebrating an established festival - like Pesach or Shavuot?  

Trump Offers To Mediate Israel-Turkey Talks Amid Syria

 Clash, Then Tells Netanyahu To Be Reasonable

Oldies But Goodies

10 Nisan 5785

On the Tenth of Nisan:  Preparing to Slaughter the Lamb 

~ ~ ~

From Rav Richter:  "This shiur is from five years ago but it is more relevant than ever."

The Amazing Prophecy of the Mystical Zohar for the 14th of Nissan!!

The Chaos President Bringing Down the Old World Order

9 Nisan 5785

 This is good news.  It's the prelude to Mashiach and the Geulah Shleimah...

* The United States will be severely struck because of their pride.

* The dollar will lose its value and the inflation will severely escalate.

* America will become bankrupt.

* The severe strikes on the U.S. will come thru wars and even more, thru powerful weather disasters.

* The quick escalation of Moshiach ben Yosef will contribute to antisemitism.

* Antisemitism will rise to unimaginable heights.

* Jews of the United States will be forced to flee like fugitives, because those who survived the weather disasters will not be able to survive the tremendous waves of hatred against them.

* The survivors will arrive in Israel with only the clothes on their backs and Moshiach ben Yosef will reach out to help them.  (Yehudit )

When the Money god falls,
the crash will be heard around the world.

Meet the controversial Jewish billionaire driving Trump’s tariff policy

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, seen as the architect of Trump’s tariff policy, is under fire from allies who say he lacks basic economic knowledge and misunderstands how tariffs work, raising concerns about his growing influence on trade decisions

“ECONOMIC NUCLEAR WINTER”: Jewish Pro-Trump Billionaire Bill Ackman Issues Dire Warning Over U.S. Tariff Blitz

Billionaire hedge fund titan Bill Ackman unleashed a scathing rebuke of President Trump’s sweeping new tariffs, warning that the White House is marching the U.S. economy straight into what he chillingly calls an “economic nuclear winter.”

"From the Desert to the Ends of the Earth"

6 Nisan 5785

Erev Shabbat Kodesh

Parashat Vayikra 

(Reposted excerpt by Daniel Pinner)

Having completed the building of the Mishkan at the end of the Book of Exodus, the Book of Leviticus continues very naturally with the functioning of the Mishkan: “When He called to Moshe, Hashem spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting…” (Leviticus 1:1).

The Midrash (Sifra, Vayikra 1) notes the sequence here: God first “called to Moshe”, and then “He spoke to him”. And then the Sifra goes on to note that this is the third of three occasions when God first called to Moshe and then spoke to him.

The first time was about two years earlier at the Burning Bush, when Moshe was still exiled from his nation, a humble shepherd tending the flocks of his father-in-law Yitro (Jethro). When God saw that Moshe had turned aside to behold the wonder, “God called to him from the midst of the bush, and He said, Moshe, Moshe” (Exodus 3:4).

The second time was at Mount Sinai, immediately before the Giving of the Torah: “Hashem called Moshe to the peak of the Mountain, and Moshe ascended; and Hashem said to Moshe: Go down, warn the nation lest they break through to Hashem to gaze” (Exodus 19:20-21).

The obvious question that arises from here is: what do these three events (the Burning Bush, the Giving of the Torah, and the beginning of the Mishkan’s functioning) have in common?

The simplest and most obvious answer is that all of these were events which were intimately connected with Israel’s redemption. The process of redemption from Egypt began when God revealed Himself to Moshe at the Burning Bush; the purpose of redemption was the Giving of the Torah (1); and the building of the Mishkan was the pinnacle of the redemption (2).

It is significant that Rabbi Shimon bar Yochay, one of the greatest of first-generation (mid-3rd century) Tannaim in the Land of Israel, cited these three occasions as examples of when God bestowed His glory on the Elders of Israel: “We have learned in a few places that God gave honour to the Elders. At the Burning Bush, as it is written ‘God said to Moshe…, Go and assemble the Elders of Israel’ (Exodus 3:15-16); at Sinai, as it is written ‘To Moshe He said, Go up to Hashem, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the Elders of Israel’ (Exodus 24:1); and at the Tent of Meeting, as it is written ‘It happened on the eighth day [of the Inauguration of the Mishkan] that Moshe called Aaron and his sons and the Elders of Israel’ (Leviticus 9:1)” (Shemot Rabbah 5:12).

So on the three separate occasions which were the three milestones on the road from Egyptian slavery to redemption, God first called to Moshe and then spoke to him. And on those same three occasions He gave honour to the Elders of Israel.

The Midrash (Shemot Rabbah 5:12) continues: “And in the future time to come, it will be the same, as it says ‘When Hashem, Lord of Legions, will reign in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, there will be glory for His elders’ (Isaiah 24:23). Rabbi Avin said: In the future God will seat the Elders as on a threshing-floor, with Himself sitting as the head of them all as the President of the Court, and they will judge the idolaters, as it says ‘Hashem will enter into judgment with the elders of His nation and its princes’ (Isaiah 3:14). It does not say [that He will enter into judgment] 'against the elders of His nation’ but rather ‘with the elders of His nation’: He will sit with them and judge the idolaters”.

We pause here to explain the somewhat cryptic reference to the Elders sitting “as on a threshing-floor”. The Mishnah records that “the Sanhedrin would sit in the shape of a semicircular threshing-floor so that they could see one another” (Sanhedrin 4:3).

This refers specifically to the Great Sanhedrin, the Supreme Court of Israel, which would sit in the Chamber of Hewn Stone in the Holy Temple. (Every town and city with more than 120 adult men would have its own Minor Sanhedrin of 23 judges, and every village with fewer than 120 adult men would have a court of three judges.)

Of the 71 Judges on the Great Sanhedrin, 69 would sit in three concentric semicircles of 23 each. Facing them were the Nasi (the President of the Court), and to his right the Av Beit Din (Father of the Court). The Nasi was the leader; the Av Beit Din was the second in charge (Rambam, Laws of the Sanhedrin 1:3).

So the Midrash looks back on three landmark events in the first redemption, the redemption from Egypt, when God called to Moshe and then spoke to him, which were the three times when He gave honour to the Elders of Israel.

Our parashah opens with the third of these occasions – when the Mishkan began to function.

And the Midrash then looks forward to the time of the final redemption – may it come speedily! – when God will again give honour to the Elders of Israel. And though then, at the time of the first redemption, the Elders’ honour was manifest only to Israel, in the time to come their honour will suffuse the entire world. After all, only thus will they be able to stand with God Himself, so to speak, to judge all the idolaters in the world.

And this is logical. After all, 3,337 years ago in the desert, God gave honour to the Elders of Israel in the Mishkan, which holy though it was, was but a precursor to the Holy Temple which would only be built 479 years later by King Solomon. The second Holy Temple, the one built by Ezra and Nehemiah, had a lower level of sanctity than that of King Solomon.

But the third Holy Temple, the one destined to stand for all time, the Holy Temple which the prophet Ezekiel depicts so graphically in chapters 40 to 44, will be far grander and more magnificent, and have a far higher level of sanctity, than those which came before.

So it is entirely fitting that in that third Holy Temple, God Himself will stand, so to speak, as the Leader of the Sanhedrin, to administer ultimate justice, not only to Israel, but to the entire world.

~ SHABBAT SHALOM ~

"The Natural Order Is Suspended"

5 Nisan 5785

Excerpted from The Book of Our Heritage by Eliyahu Kitov (Vol 2, p. 471 - 472)...   

Even though the laws of nature were given to Israel as well as to the other nations, and they can choose to live naturally as do other nations and can even be more prosperous doing so, nevertheless they were also given a path of miracles and wonders which supersedes the natural order of the world - a path which is meant to be their primary objective and which is to take precedence over the natural path.  This is alluded to in the words  This month shall be the first of the months for you...of the year.  In other words, the path of renewal [the essence of chodesh, month] is to be your objective, rather than the fixed, natural order [the essence of shanah, year].  Israel's strength and virtue, and their survival throughout all the generations has come about not through natural means, but rather through the miracles and wonders by which God revealed His glory to His people.

Thus, when the Holy One blessed is He, revealed Himself on Mount Sinai, He said:  I am the Lord, your God, Who has taken you out of the land of Egypt.  He did not say, "Who has created you and Who has taken you out."  It is as if He mentioned the major point - the redemption from Egypt - and overlooked the minor point.

For you - for your sake.  At the time of the redemption, the Holy One, blessed is He, changed all the fixed rules of nature.  He did this to demonstrate that He is the Creator - that everything that transpires is in accordance with His will, and that the entire world was created for Israel.  When He chose to change the laws of nature and show His great strength, He did so only for the sake of His people, Israel.

God could have redeemed Israel from Egypt through conventional means.  He could also have guided them from the first in a manner that would not have led to their being enslaved in Egypt.  However, the sole purpose of the exile in Egypt was to make it clear to Israel and to the whole world that the entire universal order - with its laws and structure, end every power that there is in the world - is bound by the will of God and exists for the sake of His chosen people.  At His will, natural law is maintained, and at His will, it is suspended or changed for the sake of Israel.  The verse therefore states:  This month shall be...for you - it is for your [Israel's] sake that this new path of miracles and wonders has been introduced, to elevate you and make you exalted, just as My Name is exalted throughout the world.

~ ~ ~

In what way does Israel differ from the other nations?  For their sake, the Holy One, blessed is He, made changes in His world, to redeem them.  Moreover, He instilled within them the ability to transcend the natural order and to utilize this ability constantly.  Does the verse not state:  There is nothing new under the sun (Koheles 1:9)  But God foresaw that Israel would accept the Torah and follow its ways, and the Torah preceded the creation of the world and is above everything that was created.  He granted them this virtue, that they are renewed through miracles and wonders.  Under the sun there is nothing new, but above the sun - for those who follow the path of Torah - there is renewal and change.

And this also explains the verse in Malachi 3.19-20...

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.

Beware the Wolves in Sheep's Clothing

4 Nisan 5785 

The Last Bastion Has Been Infiltrated!

‘Our shared nation is under attack’: A Haredi rabbi explains how to draft the ultra-Orthodox

A new IDF combat platoon lets religious women join the fight while keeping the faith

IDF General Admits: “Army Did Not Meet Its Commitments To Chareidim”

The Jewish Faith is Under Attack! - Rabbi Tovia Singer

In A First, Hagaon HaRav Dov Landau Publicly Issues Clear Guidelines To Bnei Yeshivos

"Hostage Forum Take-Over"

3 Nisan 5785 

Hostage Forum Take-Over
Rabbi Richter

"From Darkness Into Light"

1 Nisan 5785
Rosh Chodesh

Excerpted from The Book of Our Heritage by Eliyahu Kitov (Vol 2, p. 467)... 

One who experiences redemption has emerged from darkness into light.  One who has never suffered the oppression of bondage, will not appreciate redemption.  The very essence of redemption is the freedom which has its source in the bondage itself.  Had Israel not been enslaved, they would never have experienced true freedom.  Once they were enslaved, that very enslavement gave rise to their redemption.  From the midst of that darkness - and from nowhere else - light burst forth.  Our Sages taught:  Israel said to God, "Master of the Universe, when will You redeem us?"  God answered:  "When you descend to the lowest level - at that moment I shall redeem you."

The First Commandment: Sanctify the New Moon!

28 Adar 5785
Erev Shabbat Kodesh
Parashat Pekudei - HaChodesh

From the Stone Edition Chumash Commentary:

Sforno comments that the Tabernacle and its individual parts were of such awesome holiness that they survived intact through time and wars.  Unlike the two Temples that were sacked and destroyed, Moses' Tabernacle remained intact and was never captured or desecrated.  The four reasons for this are alluded to in the first two verses:  (a) It was the Tabernacle of Testimony, where the Tablets, the symbols of God's communion with Israel, were deposited; (b) it was built at Moses' bidding, thus benefiting from his personal majesty; (c) the service of the Levites [who had proven their greatness by their loyal response to Moses after the catastrophe of the Golden Calf] and all the components of the Tabernacle were under the charge of Issamar, a man of great stature; and (d) those who led the work, as represented by Bezalel, were men of distinguished lineage and outstanding righteousness.  Because of all these factors, Sforno explains, the Tabernacle was impervious to time and enemies.  Solomon's Temple, by contrast, was built [in great measure] by non-Jewish workmen.  Consequently, although the Shechinah rested upon it, its parts became worn with time and required repair and replacement.  The Second Temple was built only thanks to the benevolence of King Cyrus, and it never had the Tablets or the Shechinah.  Both Temples fell into enemy hands, were looted, and destroyed.

He comments further that compared to the gold and silver that were used in the Temples of Solomon and Herod, the amounts listed [in the parashah] are insignificant.  Nevertheless, the Tabernacle surpassed both Temples in holiness....  This proves that God rests His Presence not where there is wealth, but where there is righteousness.

~ SHABBAT SHALOM ~
and

~ Chodesh Tov ~

The last of the special haftarot for Adar - HaChodesh - falls on Erev Rosh Chodesh Nisan.  

More from the Stone Edition Chumash Commentary:

...The first day of Nisan was and always remains a historic day for the Jewish nation.  It was the day when the people received their first commandment as a nation: Sanctify the New Moon.  This ritual has a profound spiritual and historic significance.  It is noteworthy that it was one of the three commandments that the Syrian-Greeks, in the time before the Chanukah miracle, attempted to nullify by force.  The other two were Sabbath observance and circumcision.  Clearly, therefore, Israel's enemies understood that the sanctification of the New Moon was basic to the existence of Israel as a nation of Torah.

Rabbi Richter: "Weaponizing The Hostages"

27 Adar 5785

Special Note:  Tonight is recognized in Ramadan as "The Night of Power."  It is described as the holiest night of the year in Islam and commemorates the Quran entering into the world via The Meshuggeneh (per Rambam).  It can be a cause of increased "tensions" between Muslims and the Security Forces on Israel's Temple Mount.

~ ~ ~

Weaponizing The Hostages

Sabbatical Cycles of Creation (and Destruction)

26 Adar 5785  

This post goes with the previous one in order to validate the claim of a looming cataclysmic event that Science shows has occurred cyclicly about every 6000 years.

According to Ben Davidson of SpaceWeatherNews (SO)

Those who approach Science without the input of Torah sources are bound to get many of the details wrong, but that doesn't mean they don't get some of it right.  With regard to the concept of cycles of destruction demonstrated by geologic evidence, the following excerpts from the book Immortality, Resurrection, and the Age of the Universe: A Kabbalistic View by Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan of blessed memory will be helpful.

The question of the age of the universe has been discussed in Torah circles for more than a century.  The Torah seems to teach that the universe is no more than six thousand years old.  Indeed, many would say that any opinion stating that the world is more than six thousand years old must of necessity contradict the Torah.  However, there appears to be a good deal of observational evidence that the universe is much older than six thousand years.

A number of approaches have been proposed to resolve this problem, some of which were discussed in a book published a few years ago.  Our concern, however, is not merely to resolve the question, but to do so in a manner firmly based on Torah teachings.  That is to say, we seek a solution that is actually found in the classic Torah literature.

The only choice...is to look into our classical Torah literature and determine whether there are any pertinent statements regarding the age of the universe.  Significantly, there is a very important, though not well known, concept that is discussed in the Sefer ha-Temunah, an ancient Kabbalistic work attributed to the first-century tanna, Rabbi Nehunya ben ha-Kanah.  The work discusses the forms of the Hebrew letters and is the source of many of the most frequently cited opinions on this subject in the halakhic literature.  Thus, Sefer ha-Temunah is not an obscure, unimportant work, but one which is relied upon by most halakhic authorities.

The Sefer ha-Temunah speaks about Sabbatical cycles (shemitot).  This is based on the Talmudic teaching that "the world will exist for six thousand years, and in the seven-thousandth year, it will be destroyed."  The Sefer ha-Temunah states that this seven-thousand-year cycle is merely one Sabbatical cycle.  However, since there are seven Sabbatical cycles in a Jubilee, the world is destined to exist for forty-nine thousand years.

There is a question as to which cycle we are in today.  Some authorities maintain that we are currently in the second Sabbatical cycle.  Others maintain that we are currently in the seventh cycle.  According to the second opinion, the universe would have been forty-two thousand years old when Adam was created.  As we shall see, the implications of this are very important.

...According to Sefer ha-Temunah, then, there were other worlds before Adam was created.  These were the worlds of previous Sabbatical cycles.

Significantly, there are a number of allusions to this approach in the Midrash.  Thus, commenting on the verse, "It was evening and it was morning, one day" (Genesis 1:5), the Midrash Rabbah states, "This teaches that there were orders of time before this."

Another well-known Midrashic teaching also appears to support the concept of Sabbatical cycles.  The Midrash states that "God created universes and destroyed them."  One of the important classical Kabbalistic works, Ma'arekhet Elokut, states explicitly that this passage refers to worlds that existed in Sabbatical cycles before Adam was created.  The same source states explicitly that the Midrashic teaching that "there were orders of time before this [creation]" is also speaking of earlier Sabbatical cycles.

A Talmudic passage seems to support this view of Sabbatical cycles.  According to the Talmud, and some Midrashim as well, there were 974 generations before Adam.  ...The Ma'arekhet Elokut states explicitly that these generations existed in the Sabbatical cycles before Adam's creation.

The concept of pre-Adamic cycles was well known among the Rishonim (early authorities), and is cited in such sources as Bahya, Recanati, Ziyyoni, and Sefer ha-Hinnukh.  It is also alluded to in the Kuzari, and in the commentaries of the Ramban and Ibn Ezra. 

The world's elite believe this.  It's why they all have bunkers prepared and why they built a seed vault near the North Pole.  However, if they refuse to acknowledge the sovereignty of the Master of the Universe, HKB"H, nothing they do can help them. 

What's important for the righteous to understand is that while it appears to that the poor and downtrodden will never in any natural way succeed in overthrowing The Powers That Be, HKB"H is going to arise to judge the earth and wipe evil from the world.  They will be as if they never were.  May it truly be soon!

"The Great and Awesome Day of the Lord"

26 Adar 5785 

Do not despair.  The world is not hefker.  HKB"H sees all, knows all and controls all.  Do not lose faith.  Just a little bit longer...

For I know the thoughts that I think about you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.  (Yirmiyahu 29.11) 

For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain therein. But the wicked shall be cut off from the land, and the treacherous shall be uprooted therefrom.  (Mishlei 2.21-22)

For evildoers shall be cut off, and those who hope for the Lord - they will inherit the land.  A short while longer and the wicked man is not here, and you shall look at his place and he is not there.  But the humble shall inherit the land, and they shall delight in much peace.  (Tehillim 37.9-11)

Arise, O God, judge the earth, for You inherit all the nations.  (Tehillim 82.8)

When God rises for judgment, to save all the humble of the earth forever.  (Tehillim 76.10)

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, that he may turn the heart of the fathers back through the children, and the heart of the children back through their fathers - lest I come and smite the earth with utter destruction.   (Malachi 3.19-24)

See the entire chapter 59 of Yeshayahu.

It's coming - faster and faster and faster! 

"In its time, I will hasten it."  (Yeshayahu 60.22)

If you are unfamiliar with the cataclysm which is looming on our doorstep, please see my other blog.

Pole Shift Acceleration About To Happen:
Government Is Tracking It

 

The Unbridgeable Divide

25 Adar 5785 

What more will it take for God-fearing Jews to understand that we can't live with these people.  Literally!!  They are killing us slowly, bit by bit - destroying our souls, bit by bit.  And they admit freely and openly that this is their goal.  Don't be fooled.  "Kahanism" in their minds is just another word for Torah Judaism.  The Shin Bet admits that its "job" is to root it out wherever it dares to raise its head.  And this is also the goal of bringing yeshivah bachurim into the army.  They speak of the threat of civil war, but we are already in a civil war.  For some reason, instead of fighting back and fighting to take control away from them, we are closing our eyes and wishing it away, like a child confronting a monster from his nightmares.

Face the facts, People!!

I don't believe for one minute that the Prime Minister "didn't know."  His denials are getting really old.  Either he knew everything and was complicit, or he has proved himself, through his gross ignorance, to be unworthy of his office.  If he really had any character, he would resign with such an admission.  The fact that he won't speaks volumes.

HKB"H is going to reveal His Anointed One (sooner than you think) and only those who are willing to go the distance with him are going to have any chance of survival.  There is no fixing this failed system.  It has to be replaced, and the evil that has enabled it up until now must go the same way as the Gazan population, because there is no coexistence between Torah and anti-Torah in Eretz Yisrael.

“Earthquake:” Shin Bet Led Secret Probe Of Ben-Gvir, Police

In recent months, the Shin Bet conducted a covert investigation against the police and the minister in charge of it, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, on suspicion of “undermining the foundations of government and the democratic regime,” Channel 12 News reported on Sunday evening.

According to the report, a secret document compiled by the Shin Bet stated: “We have marked the spread of Kahanism to law enforcement institutions as a dangerous phenomenon, the prevention of which is part of the Shin Bet’s mission. Given the involvement of the political echelon, this must be carried out with great care and caution.”

Bar’s people were instructed to gather information secretly and come up with some “findings,” with the document stating: “Continue to collect evidence and testimony of the political echelon’s involvement in the actions of the security echelon in the direction of using force in a manner contrary to the law, and come up with some findings.”

The Shin Bet initially confirmed the report, even claiming that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu was informed of the investigation, but then retracted the statement and denied the existence of such a probe.

Ben-Gvir responded by saying: “This is an earthquake. Now it is even clearer why Ronen Bar must not be left as the head of the Shin Bet for even a minute. The head of a secret organization who initiates investigations and gathers materials against elected officials, while defining the goal in advance, ‘to collect evidence and testimony of the political echelon’s involvement’, is an immediate danger to democracy, who must be removed from any position immediately.”

According to reports, a stormy scene took place on Sunday evening when Ben-Gvir, who heard about the Shin Bet probe from his advisors, burst into a meeting of the cabinet and shouted at Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, saying: “Are you behind this?”

Bar responded: “A lie. I never ordered an investigation against you. They’re always telling lies about me.”

Ben Gvir then left and returned with the documents and presented them to the participants at the meeting, saying to Netanyahu: “This is a lying Shin Bet chief, a criminal whose place is in prison, a head of a secret service who spies on the political echelon, orders the collection of incriminating material on them, and tries to carry out a coup. It is simply unbelievable that a security organization in Israel is undermining the government and conducting a political investigation in order to carry out a political coup against the will of the people.”

Netanyahu’s office responded to the report on Sunday evening, stating: “The Prime Minister is not aware of this investigation and was not updated about it by the Shin Bet chief.”

His office published another harsh statement against Bar on Monday morning, stating: “The claim that the Prime Minister authorized Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar to collect evidence against Minister Ben-Gvir is another lie that has been shattered.”

The statement added that “the document that was published – which shows an explicit directive from the Shin Bet chief to collect evidence against the political echelon – is reminiscent of dark regimes, undermines the foundations of democracy, and was aimed at overthrowing a right-wing government.”

“The Prime Minister was never updated by the Shin Bet chief that he intended to collect evidence on the political echelon behind his back, and did not authorize this. On the contrary, at a working meeting on June 19, 2024, when the Shin Bet chief raised a claim about the entry of Kahanist elements into the police, the Prime Minister unequivocally instructed the Shin Bet chief to present him with evidence to support this claim, to raise it directly and immediately before the Minister of National Security, and in no way to act behind the Minister’s back. The Shin Bet chief pledged to the Prime Minister to do so, but did not keep his commitment.”

On Monday morning, Ben-Gvir demanded that a criminal investigation be opened against Bar, writing on X: “Ronen Bar is a criminal and a liar, who is now trying to deny his attempt to conspire against elected officials in a democratic country, even after the documents were revealed to the public and the world. I will not be satisfied with his dismissal, he must face criminal charges for attempting a coup and attempting to overthrow democracy.”

Otzma Yehudit MK Limor Son Har Melech stated: “Now it is clear where the Shin Bet was – instead of focusing on the war on terror and protecting the security of Israeli citizens, it invested resources in the political persecution of elected officials and the persecution of Jewish settlers.

“A Shin Bet chief who conducts a political investigation against the political echelon while setting a goal in advance – to provide evidence against the government – has crossed a dangerous red line. This is not national security – this is a governmental coup under the guise of a secret organization. Ronen Bar must end his term immediately.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

Only Seven More Days...

23 Adar 5785

Excerpted from The Book of Our Heritage by Eliyahu Kitov (Vol 2, pp.394, 458)...

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

~ ~ ~

...Rosh Chodesh Nisan begins the new year for the kings of Israel; i.e., the year of their reign is calculated from Nisan.  The sovereignty of the kings of Israel is dependent upon the tangibility of the kingdom of Heaven.  For this reason, the two mitzvos of designating a king over Israel and destroying Amalek are adjacent in the Torah.

~ ~ ~

The last seven days of Adar - from the twenty-third until Rosh Chodesh Nisan - are called the "days of dedication."  It was then that Moshe Rabbenu consecrated the Tabernacle after its construction.  On Rosh Chodesh Nisan, the Mishkan was first put into use and Aharon and his sons began to serve as kohanim.  During the seven days of dedication, Moshe Rabbenu alone served as the kohen.  Every day he would erect the Mishkan; offer sacrifices of consecration; eat the sanctified portions; perform all of the service of the Kohen Gadol; and take the Mishkan apart.

These days of dedication of the first Mishkan of God - constructed by Moshe at God's command - are destined to be repeated when the Mashiach comes.  It is said that his coming and the rebuilding of the Beis ha-Mikdash will take place in the month of Nisan.  Thus, the days of dedication serve as a memorial to the Mishkan made by Moshe, as well as a time of prayer for the final redemption and the rebuilding of the Beis ha-Mikdash in which the Divine Presence will dwell eternally.

~ ~ ~

The Moon represents Israel while the Sun represents the nations. It's remarkable that at the very moment that the Moon has no light and seems to have disappeared, it is precisely then that it has the power to eclipse the Sun itself, denying it the power to shed its own light.

March 29, 2025 Partial Solar Eclipse - Path of the Eclipse Shadow

Regions seeing, at least, a partial eclipse: Europe, North in Asia, North/West Africa, Much of North America, North in South America, Atlantic, Arctic. [For specific places, see here.]

The US and Canada will see the most coverage of any other countries within the shadow's path.

Daily Moments of Joy

23 Adar 5785

The highlight of my day: an early morning conversation with my three-year-old grand-daughter.  What could top that?

The Rebuilding of Jerusalem...

21 Adar 5785
Erev Shabbat Kodesh
Parashat Vayakhel - Parah 

It's not about hi-tech and luxury towers...

It's about the Third Temple!!

From the Stone Edition Chumash Commentary on Parashat Vayakhel...

In this Sidrah, Moses addresses the entire nation and charges them with the privilege of building the Tabernacle.  ...Israel's ability to create a setting for God's Presence is a measure of its greatness and, indeed, a primary reason for its very existence.  Its future history would revolve around its worthiness to have the Temple in its midst.  When Israel was unfaithful to its trust, God's Presence would depart from the Temple, leaving it an empty shell, devoid of its holiness.  Once that happened, destruction and national exile came quickly.  The challenge of the exile is for Israel to return to its former estate, and thereby bring about the era of Messiah and the Third Temple.  This longing is expressed in our daily prayers that God return us to Jerusalem and the Temple, may they be rebuilt speedily in our days.

~ SHABBAT SHALOM ~

Time For A Reminder And A Review

19 Adar 5785

Part and parcel with the redemption process is a change to the physical structure of Earth and its environment; something we see more and more evidence of as each day passes.

VOLCANOES ERUPTING EVERYWHERE!!!

("Tanach on Earth Changes" - originally published in 2012)

Psalms 46

2. God is for us a shelter and a strength, a help in troubles; He is very accessible.

3. Therefore we will not fear when the earth changes and when mountains totter into the heart of seas.

4. His waters shall stir and be muddied; mountains shall quake from His pride forever.

5. But as for the river - its rivulets shall cause the city of God, the holy place of the dwellings of the Most High, to rejoice.

6. God is in its midst that it should not totter; [Jerusalem will be the safest place.] God shall help it as morning approaches.

7. Nations have stirred, kingdoms have tottered; He let out His voice, the earth shall melt.

8. The Lord of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress forever.

9. Go and see the works of the Lord, that He has wrought devastation in the earth.

Psalms 97

1. The Lord has reigned, the earth will exult; many islands will rejoice.

2. Cloud and thick darkness are around Him; righteousness and judgment are the foundation of His throne.

3. Fire will go before Him and will burn His enemies all around.

4. His lightnings illuminated the world; the earth saw and quaked.

5. Mountains melted like wax from before the Lord, from before the Master of all the earth.

Isaiah 2

1. The word that Isaiah, son of Amoz, prophesied concerning Judah and Jerusalem.

2. And it shall be at the end of the days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be firmly established at the top of the mountains, and it shall be raised above the hills, and all the nations shall stream to it.

...19. And they shall come into the caves of the rocks and into the hollows of the earth, because of the fear of the Lord and because of the splendor of His pride, when He rises to break the earth.

Isaiah 13

6. Lament, for the day of the Lord is near; like a raid from the Almighty it shall come.

7. Therefore, all hands shall grow feeble, and the heart of every mortal shall melt.

8. And they shall panic; pangs and throes shall seize them; like a woman in confinement they shall writhe; each man shall be amazed at his fellow; their faces are faces of flames.

9. Behold, the day of the Lord is coming, cruel with wrath and burning anger, to make the land desolate, and its sinners He shall destroy from it.

10. For the stars of the heavens and its constellations shall not allow their light to illuminate, the sun has become dark in its going forth, and the moon shall not shine its light.

11. And I will visit evil upon the earth, and upon the wicked their iniquity; and I will cut off the pride of the presumptuous, and the arrogance of the tyrants I will humble.

12. I will make mortal man dearer than fine gold, and man [dearer] than the collection of the gold of Ophir.

13. Therefore, I will make heaven quake, and the earth will quake out of its place, because of the anger of the Lord of Hosts, and on the day of His burning wrath.

Isaiah 24

18. …for windows from above have been opened and the foundations of the earth have trembled.

19. The earth has broken; the earth has crumbled; the earth totters.

20. The earth sways like a drunken man, and it sways like a lodge, and its transgression shall weigh down upon it, and it shall fall and not continue to rise.

21. And it shall come to pass on that day, that the Lord shall visit punishment upon the host of heaven on high and upon the kings of the earth on the earth.

22. And they shall be gathered a gathering [as] prisoners into a dungeon, and they shall be shut up in the prison, and [sins] of many days shall be visited [upon them].

23. And the moon shall be ashamed and the sun shall be abashed, for the Lord of Hosts has reigned in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and before His elders will be glory.

Isaiah 30

25. And there shall be on every high mountain and on every raised hill, canals, rivulets of water, on the day of the great slaying, when the great ones fall.

26. And the light of the moon shall be like the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold as the light of the seven days, on the day the Lord shall bind the fracture of His people, and the stroke of their wound He shall heal.

Isaiah 34

1. Nations, come near to hear, and kingdoms, hearken. The earth and the fullness thereof, the world and all its offspring.

2. For the Lord has indignation against all the nations and wrath against all their host. He has destroyed them; He has given them to the slaughter.

3. And their slain ones shall be thrown, and their corpses - their stench shall rise, and mountains shall melt from their blood.

4. And all the host of heaven shall melt, and the heavens shall be rolled like a scroll, and all their host shall wither as a leaf withers from a vine, and as a withered [fig] from a fig tree.

5. For My sword has become sated in the heaven. Behold, it shall descend upon Edom, and upon the nation with whom I contend, for judgment.

6. The Lord's sword has become full of blood, made fat with fatness, from the blood of lambs and goats, from the fat of the kidneys of rams, for the Lord has a slaughter in Bozrah and a great slaughter in the land of Edom.

7. And wild oxen shall go down with them, and bulls with fat bulls, and their land shall be sated from blood, and their dust shall become saturated from fat.

8. For it is a day of vengeance for the Lord, a year of retribution for the plea of Zion.

9. And its streams shall turn into pitch and its dust into sulfur, and its land shall become burning pitch.

10. By night and by day, it shall not be extinguished; its smoke shall ascend forever and ever; from generation to generation it shall be waste, to eternity, no one passing through it.

Isaiah 60

19. You shall no longer have the sun for light by day, and for brightness, the moon shall not give you light, but the Lord shall be to you for an everlasting light, and your God for your glory.

20. Your sun shall no longer set, neither shall your moon be gathered in, for the Lord shall be to you for an everlasting light, and the days of your mourning shall be completed.

Jeremiah 4

23. I saw the earth, and behold, it was void and unformed, and the heavens, and they had no light.

24. I saw the mountains, and behold, they were quaking, and all the hills moved to and fro.

25. I saw, and behold, there were no people, and all the fowl of the heavens wandered away.

26. I saw, and behold, the fruitful field became a desert, and all its cities were destroyed because of the Lord, because of His fierce anger.

27. For so says the Lord: All the land shall be a desolation, but I will not make an end.

28. For this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above shall darken, for that which I spoke as I had planned, I did not regret and I will not turn back from it.

Ezekiel 32

2. "Son of man, lift up a lamentation over Pharaoh the king of Egypt, and you shall say to him: You resembled a young lion among the nations but you are like a crocodile in the seas, and you went out with your rivers, and you sullied the water with your feet, and you trod their rivers.

3. So said the Lord God: I shall spread My net over you in the congregation of many peoples, and they will draw you up with My net.

4. And I shall scatter you on the earth; upon the face of the field I shall cast you, and I shall cause all the fowl of the heavens to rest upon you, and I shall sate the beasts of all the earth with you.

5. And I shall lay your flesh upon the mountains, and I shall fill the valleys with what is cast off from you.

6. And I shall water with your blood the land where you float, even to the mountains, and the streams will fill up from you.

7. And with your smoke I will cover the heavens, and I will darken their stars; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon will not shine its light.

8. All the bright lights in the heavens - I will darken them because of you, and I will cast darkness upon your land, says the Lord God.

Ezekiel 38

20. And at My presence, the fishes of the sea and the birds of the heaven and the beasts of the field and all the creeping things that creep upon the earth and all the men who are upon the surface of the earth shall quake, and all the mountains shall be thrown down, and the cliffs shall fall to the ground.

Joel 2

1. Sound a shophar in Zion and sound an alarm in My holy mountain; all the inhabitants of the land shall quake, for the day of the Lord has come, for it is near.

2. A day of darkness and gloom, a day of cloud and thick darkness, like the dawn spread over the mountains; a numerous and mighty people, the like of which has never been, and after it there shall be no more until the years of the generations.

... 10. Before it the earth quakes, the heavens tremble; the sun and moon darken, and the stars withdraw their shining.

Joel 3

3. And I will perform signs in the heavens and on the earth: Blood, fire, and pillars of smoke.

4. The sun shall turn to darkness, and the moon to blood, prior to the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.

Amos 8

9. And it shall come to pass on that day, says the Lord God, that I will cause the sun to set at midday, and I will darken the land on a sunny day.

Michah 1

3. For behold, the Lord comes forth from His place, and He shall descend and tread upon the high places of the earth.

4. And the mountains shall melt under Him, and the valleys shall split - as wax before fire, as water poured down a steep place.

Michah 4

1. And it shall be at the end of the days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be firmly established at the top of the mountains, and it shall be raised above the hills,….

Nahum 1

3. The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, but He will surely not acquit; the Lord - His way is with a tempest and with a storm and cloud is the dust of His feet.

4. He rebukes the sea and dries it up, and He has dried up all the rivers; Bashan and Carmel are cut off, and the blossoms of the Lebanon are cut off.

5. Mountains quaked because of him and the hills melted, and the land raised up from before Him - and the inhabited earth and all who dwell thereon.

6. Who can stand before His fury and who can rise amidst His wrath? His wrath has reached [the earth] like fire, and the rocks have been broken up by Him.

Malachi 3

19. 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.

20. And the sun of mercy shall rise with healing in its wings for you who fear My Name. ….

Zechariah 14

6. And it shall come to pass on that day that there shall be no light, only disappearing light and thick darkness.

10. The whole earth shall be changed to be like a plain, from the hill of Rimmon in the south of Jerusalem; but it [Jerusalem] will be elevated high and remain in its old place;….

Tzephaniah 1

2. I will totally destroy everything from off the face of the earth, says the Lord.

3. I will totally destroy man and beast; I will totally destroy the fowl of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, and the stumbling blocks with the wicked; and I will cut off man from the face of the earth, says the Lord.

...14. The great day of the Lord is near; it is near and hastens greatly, the sound of the day of the Lord, wherein the mighty man cries bitterly.

15. That day is a day of wrath; a day of trouble and distress; a day of ruin and desolation; a day of darkness and gloom; a day of clouds and thick darkness;....

...17. And I will bring distress upon men, and they shall walk like the blind, for they have sinned against the Lord. And their blood shall be shed like dust, and their flesh like dung.

18. Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to save them on the day of the Lord's wrath. And with the fire of His passion the entire land shall be consumed; for an end, yea, a sudden end, He shall make of all the inhabitants of the land. 

But upon His Children, He will show mercy.