Kindred Spirits

22 Menachem Av 5786 

Still learning, still growing, driven by the search for Torah Truth...

Zionism & The Israeli State is the Most Powerful,

Dangerous and Treacherous Idolatry Ever for Jews

See my previous blog posts on this subject...

Beware the "Judeo-Chr*stians"

Like Mixing Oil and Water

The Knitted Kippah

The Other Side of the Coin

See also: The Poison Fruit of Religious Zionism (Judeo-Chr*stianity)

"Just Asking..."

21 Menachem Av 5786

A comment was submitted which posed the following... 

...focus more on encouraging us to break out of the them vs us paradigm, to work towards real solutions.

...Instead of blaming, can we find a way forward where we can change something in ourselves, to break the paradigm that has us all trapped pointing fingers at others, instead of doing something ourselves, to improve the situation?

So there are two separate issues to address here.  It's very important to me to get this right; to ensure that my efforts have not gone in vain.  I'll try to be more succinct.

If you live in Israel, you can't have missed the constant reference to the "conceptzia".  It comes from the English word concept...

Definition:  A concept is an abstract idea, a general notion, or a mental picture of what something is and how it works. It helps us group similar things together and understand the world around us.

The concept upon which the Oslo Accords were based, along with everything that followed out from it, up to and including not just the Simchat Torah Massacre, but up until this very day and what is coming immediately upon us, was a false "conceptzia."  Most intellectually honest people can admit that now.

But, there are other false conceptzias out there like ahavat chinam is the solution to sinat chinam or the State of Israel is already the messianic kingdom so all that's left is to build the Temple, or that unity comes before everything else.  None of these concepts has any basis in Torah, they are child-like wishful thinking.  The questions that plague me are...

How do you unwash the brainwashed mind?

How do you convince people that the Torah already has all the answers and convince them to pay heed to it?

These are the "real solutions," but "breaking people out of the them vs us paradigm" is not part of any solution, it's at the heart of the problem.

Separation is the key to Redemption.

The Torah is full, full, full of examples:  Creation began with separation and it ends with the birur separation.  Those who did not sin with the Golden Calf were called to separate from those who did, the people gathered around Korach were commanded to separate themselves from him and his family and supporters or go down with them.  The Maccabim called for those loyal to Hashem to separate from the Hellenists.

In my blog posts, I've identified some serious misconceptzias and a solution to go with it.  A "first step" - separate from the sinners so you don't share their fate.  

Did you know that the meforshim say that those who stood by and watched the celebration of the Golden Calf and said nothing against it were considered as guilty parties?

Herem is the Torah-mandated way to wake sinners up to the facts of life.  And it is in everyone's power to separate themselves from evil-doers.  You've just been brainwashed to believe just the opposite.  

You tell me, how do we undo all these disastrous anti-Torah concepts in the minds and hearts of otherwise righteous Jews?  Anyone??

Living With the Unthinkable: The Mental Failure of This People

20 Menachem Av 5786

Basically, the National Religious (Religious Zionist) public cries out to their Chareidi brothers in anger,  "Our sons are dead and dying while yours sit safely in yeshivah.  To be fair and equal, your sons should be dying right alongside ours!!!"

What a failure in thinking!  Instead, let's dismantle the cult of child sacrifice that has taken hold in our Land in the name of Zionism and choose a leadership that will defeat the enemy, win the war and stop this wanton murder of our children via the war machine that is lining the pockets of the 'Elites'!!

Yes, the State of Israel IS GUILTY of killing children, just like the world says.  But it's NOT the children of Gaza, it's not the children of Lebanon, it's the Jewish children of Eretz Yisrael.

When will we wake up to our reality?!!

* * *

Israel’s Central Elections Committee is preparing emergency procedures to safeguard voting in the event of missile fire or other security disruptions on Election Day, according to a report in i24 News.  (VOTING UNDER FIRE: Israel Drafts Emergency Election-Day Procedures)

There is no shame in Israel.  The fact that this can be published as if it's a given that we will live continually under threat demonstrates it.  The very people and philsophy they follow like an alternative religion are responsible for bringing us to this situation and yet they court your vote with the understanding that they have no power to arrange peace even for the span of an election cycle.

When will we decide enough is enough?!!

The New Waller Mission: Spread Judeo-Chr*stianity to the World from the Zionist State

19 Menachem Av 5786

The deadly game of "friendship" with practitioners of avodah zarah - building their "Base of Operations" in "the heartland" of the Jewish nation.  Idolatry was always a problem for Samaria.  Some people just can't seem to get it.  Jews are always their own worst enemy.

Excerpt from Zac Waller's website (Part One: The Fire at Chavat Gilad):

"...It is named for Gilad, the eldest brother of our dear friend Rabbi Yonadav Zar of Har Bracha, a man who has taught our volunteer groups for years and continues to bless us in our work at Israel Lighthouse."

Another HaYovel - Israel Guys -
Waller Family Ministries project...

Israel Lighthouse For The Nations

You have to first understand that Chr*stians - like Zac Waller and his ever growing extended family -  believe that Israel failed in this Divine mission itself and the duty to be "the light to the nations" passed to the followers of the false messiah.  The Greek Testament says so explicitly (Google Acts 13:47).

Quoting from Zac's website...

We can not ignore this darkness any longer. That’s why we are launching: Israel Lighthouse for the Nations.

In a world darkened by political upheaval and moral confusion, Israel Lighthouse exists to equip Christians to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness through authentic discipleship, raising up torch-bearing servant-leaders who bless Israel and illuminate the nations.

Projected Impact:

• Israel-Aligned Christians will be equipped with an identity that they can stand firmly in and pass to successive generations.

• All Christians will gain access to a solid, structured, pro-Israel theology.

• The body of Messiah will be invited to walk a path of repentance from replacement theology and Christian antisemitism.

• Hardcore Christians will actively advocate for Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria.

• Christians and Jews will engage in respectful and productive theological dialogue.

• Families and communities will be built up by adopting a Bible-based moral standard.

• A global network of Zionist Christians will emerge who are engaged in bringing God’s literal, physical kingdom to earth.

​ Action Plan

2025

• Incorporate Israel Lighthouse as a US non-profit
• Share the vision and raise funds
• Build online platforms
• Set up a base of operations in Israel

2026

• Produce a six week small group study
• Develop curriculum and resources in partnership with Christian and Jewish educators
• Launch Israel Lighthouse online courses
• Develop partnerships with universities, seminaries, and churches

2027

Launch full online course list

Pilot on-ground courses in Israel

2029

Offer full course catalog on-ground

Publish resources for existing Christian entities

2035

Establish Israel Lighthouse Centers internationally

Example Courses

The Israeli/Arab Conflict

Christian Anti-semitism

Hebraic Worship

The Torah (Morality)

The Prophets (Redemption)

The New T. (Zionism)

Hebraic Thinking

Intercession for Israel

Eschatology

Geography of Israel

Blessing Israel

Ecclesiology

AND MANY MORE!!!

About the Founder: Zac Waller

Zac Waller is a worshiper, a husband, a father, a mentor, a leader, and a shepherd—called by God to raise up torchbearers from the nations.

...At thirteen, Zac gave his life to the God of Israel and committed to follow Yeshua with all his heart. That commitment led him far from the hollows of Tennessee to the vineyards of Samaria, where he first set foot on the Mount of Blessing in 2004—and never looked back.

Among the ripening grapes of Har Bracha, Zac heard the call loud and clear: the land was awakening, Israel was rising, and the nations were invited to be part of it. Within a few years he was appointed Director of HaYovel, and quickly promoted to Executive Director. Under his leadership, more than 3,000 volunteers from 33 nations came to work the land, love the people, and draw closer to God.

Though building out a business with many unique challenges was invigorating, God began to slowly move Zac out of business leadership into a spiritually shepherding role of teaching and ministering to staff and volunteers. He taught every other week at the ministry base, gave Bible lessons to volunteers, led the men's bible studies for the staff team, and would often lead worship.

His original songs like Israel, You’re Not Alone and Restoration, continue to stir hearts around the world. He also brought Torah teachings through The Heartland Connection podcast, authored the devotional Christians Meet Israel, co-wrote Facing Jerusalem, and developed deep relationships with Orthodox Jewish pioneers in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria.

Zac is a student of God's Word and a lifelong learner, currently studying toward a Master of Divinity at The King’s University. He has also completed nine courses through Torah Resource Institute, with studies ranging from Christology and philosophy to rabbinic literature.

Zac is married to Becca. Together, they are raising nine children — five lionhearted boys and four radiant daughters — in the mountains of Samaria. Their home is filled with prayer, laughter, and music.

Through Israel Lighthouse, Zac is continuing the journey he began in the fields of Tennessee and the vineyards of Samaria—equipping Christians to love God’s Word, bless God’s people, and shine God’s light to all nations.

Sorry, Zac, but you are yourself too steeped in the darkness of the world's largest cult to recognize the light when it actually shines on you.  You will only lead your followers to perdition.

You clueless, useless Shomroni Jews had better wake up quick before all of the Land burns beneath your feet.  It's a miracle that the neighboring Arabs have not attacked before now. 

This has been building for 22 years and we have been sounding the warning for 20 of those years.  You can see for yourself what it has become in that time and the plans they have for the future.  Either you stop them and gain the merit, or HKB"H will stop them and you will suffer their fate alongside them, r"l.

The "Base of Operations" for this missionary activity and center of avodah zarah on holy soil is doomed - one way or another.  Maybe the entire yishuv of Har Brachah needs to be put in herem by the rest in an effort to bring them to teshuvah and make an example.  

This is the easiest and least painful way of bringing people to their senses.  What are you waiting for?!!!   

Wake up!!  This is an abominable sin and betrayal of the covenant.  It won't continue to be tolerated.  Judgment is at the gate!!!

The Conditions of the Covenant

17 Menachem Av 5786

Erev Shabbat Kodesh

Parashat Ekev

We just have to fulfill our part of the bargain.  Stone Edition Chumash, Devarim 7.12 - 18...

This shall be the reward when you hearken to these ordinances, and you observe and perform them; Hashem, your God, will safeguard for you the covenant and the kindness that He swore to your forefathers.

He will love you, bless you and multiply you, and He will bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your Land; your grain, your wine, and your oil; the offspring of your cattle and the flocks of your sheep and goats, on the Land that He swore to your forefathers to give you.  

You will be the most blessed of all the peoples....

Hashem will remove from you every illness; and all the bad maladies of Egypt that you knew - He will not put them upon you, but He will put them upon all your foes.  

You will devour all the peoples that Hashem, your God, will deliver to you; your eye shall not pity them; you shall not worship their gods, for it is a snare for you.

Perhaps you will say in your heart, "These nations are more numerous than I; how will I be able to drive them out?"

Do not fear them!  You shall remember what Hashem, your God, did to Pharaoh and to all of Egypt.

* * * 

Haftarat Ekev, Yeshayahu 49.17...

Your children will hasten to repent, but your spoilers and your destroyers must depart from you.

My commentary:  This says to me that all the actual Jews will repent, but the haters among us - the Erev Rav - will separate from us. 

~ SHABBAT SHALOM ~

Day In, Day Out - Rampant Destruction

15 Menachem Av 5786

By Wind, Fire, Flood and 'Quake (in the past 24 hours) ... 

God's Great Love For Israel: Forgiveness

15 Menachem Av 5786 

The celebration of TU b'Av began even before we first entered the Land of Israel...

...regarding the 600,000 Jews who were subjected to the penalty of in this wilderness you shall be destroyed (Bemidbar 14:29), fifteen thousand would die every Tisha b'Av.  On the last Tisha b'Av in the wilderness, fifteen thousand men dug their own graves and waited.  But God granted them a reprieve and they survived.

However, when they arose on the morning of that Tisha b'Av, they did not know that they had been spared.  Instead, they concluded that they must have been mistaken in calculating the date.  They therefore lay down in the graves every night for the followiing five nights.  When the fifteenth of Av arrived and they saw the full moon, they knew that their calculations had been correct and realized that since Tisha b'Av had passed, the decree must have been rescinded.  They therefore observed the date as a day of celebration.  (The Book of Our Heritage)

~ And So May We All Be Forgiven ~ 

More First Steps: Herem

14 Menachem Av 5786

In line with the title, this is a follow-up to the previous blog post.  There is quite a lot of neglected work that needs to be done before any serious attempt to rebuild the Beit Hamikdash can take place. 

Despite decades of warnings and appeals, there is a viper's nest in the midst of the Shomron that just keeps growing and growing, putting more and more Jews at life risk.  

Please revisit this 2011 article:  Har Bracha residents:  Chr*stians Out!

Har Brachah Chr*stian Visitors Center - Jews Invited

One year ago, HaRav Dov Lior, shlita, issued a psak din: "it is forbidden to cooperate with or accept any support or assistance from the organization "HaYovel."  (See A Decision 20 Years in the Making).

Instantaneously, "Hayovel" was rebranded as "The Israel Guys" and business proceeded as usual.

Despite the firm belief of millions of righteous Jews who live here, Israel is not a Jewish State.  Jews are obligated to observe Torah Law and any purportedly Jewish country would be bound by that same law which, like Rav Lior's psak din, would forbid the establishment of a Chr*stian "base of operations" in the midst of a Jewish yishuv.

However, the secular Western-democratic system that currently holds sway here does not allow us to expel the Chr*stians.  So what do we do?  We go after the Jews who enable them.

As a first step, until we have the proper form of government for the Jewish nation, we have a tool that was used very effectively in the Diaspora.  I propose we make holy use of the herem.  After all, we all want to rebuild the Beit Hamikdash don't we?  Do you really imagine it will stand in the absence of the imposition of Torah Law in society at large?  Surely, this is an appropriate step in the right direction!

Jewish Practices & Rituals: Excommunication

...[T]he term herem ... [indicates] the act of excommunicating people who disobeyed the law or authorities.  If the elders and rabbis of a community believed a person to be disobedient, the offender was punished by being forced into isolation, removed from the community at large.  The excommunication could last anywhere from a day to a lifetime, depending on the urgency of the convicted act. Once the allotted time has elapse the individual may return to the community as long as he repents for his actions.

If my suggestion makes you the least bit queasy or squeamish at the very idea, I don't want to hear anything more from you about Har Habayit construction!  It is not a serious subject for discussion - YET!!  Most unfortunately.

First Things First

12 Menachem Av 5786 

The Yetzer Hara is such a formidable enemy because he is not above tempting a good and righteous Jew to do a good and righteous act if it will lead to a sin.  Sometimes a good and righteous act, even when performed by a good and righteous Jew, can be shrouded in pompous, self-serving motives.  Like it makes him feel good, superior to others, especially when he can point to himself as an example to follow.

It's a truly wonderful thing when Jews take note of the chillul Hashem that exists in the continuing destruction of Hashem's House on Har HaMoriah.  It's especially poignant at this time of year.  And it's very commendable when they take real and concrete steps to exhibit their faith in the Divine promises of its rebuilding by preparing all that it is possible to prepare in advance of that time.  

But from where I sit, it seems that these noble acts have unwittingly served a darker purpose.  They've become a distraction from the first steps, a way of making people feel they can leap ahead and build the edifice without doing the harder, less satisfying work of laying the actual foundation.  And what would that be precisely?

Quoting Rav Tzvi Yehuda Kook in Torat Eretz Israel, p. 283:

When people approach me with this proposition [to rebuild the Temple], I say: ...Just as there is a precept to build the Temple, there is a sequence to its fulfillment. The Gemara says, "Israel was commanded with three precepts when they entered the Land: To appoint a King; to annihilate the seed of Amalek; and to build Hashem's chosen house. And the Gemara continues, And how do I know which comes first? You have to say raise up a King. And how do I know whether to build the Temple first, or to annihilate the seed of Amalek? You have to say first annihilate the seed of Amalek. The Gemara is speaking of the initial entry into the Land and of the construction of the first temple, but the Rambam decides that this is generally true. 'Israel was commanded with three precepts upon entering the Land...the King's appointment precedes the war with Amalek, and the annihilation of Amalek precedes the building of the Temple.' This is a clear order not a haphazard arrangement."

It makes perfect, logical sense.  First, we have to have a REAL Torah-Jewish government, not a Hellenized imposter [10 years old and as relevant as ever].  And that government must defeat and remove the enemy who holds sway on the Temple Mount.  Only when the Arabs are gone and the Dome is gone and the government rules according to Torah Law, will a HOLY Temple which can never again be destroyed be built.  That's why we can prepare for it, but Mashiach is the one who will build it.  

Until then, the only kind of Temple we could see built on Har Habayit will be some kind of perverted, UNholy structure dedicated to humanity and their New World Religion.  God forbid!! Would we really want to see Women of the Wall carrying on at the Holy Temple as they do at the Western Wall?  Would we really want to see the Holy Temple standing a half-mile from the annual Pride Parade?  God forbid!!

When the previous two Temples were built, there were still prophets in our Land.  We had strong, righteous, recognized leaders.  Today, "most of the rabbis are from the Erev Rav"!

I want to see and experience the world that has the Beit Hamikdash at the center of it, but as it says in Shir HaShirim: "...do not stir up, do not arouse love, until it please."

Tisha b'Av is now past for another year and we are standing before a rare opportunity.  We have a non-government in that the Knesset has been dissolved and the various political parties are preparing for a new election. 

Let's please turn to this matter with the same resolve and energy and confidence to inspire and encourage the good and righteous Jews to campaign, both in Shamayim and in This World, for nothing less than a R-E-V-O-L-U-T-I-O-N in our national government.  

We are in most desperate need of a Torah government and again, from where I am sitting, the minds and hearts of good and righteous Jews are more open and accepting of the idea of rebuilding the Temple than they are of choosing a King and establishing a Sanhedrin; of Jewish-only citizenship and land ownership; of the closure and dismantlement of houses of avodah zarah and the outlawing of the practice of idolatry across this Holy Land with the closure and deportation of all missionary organizations.  This is a priority because HKB"H hates idolatry so very much and it brings curses and accusations and evil decrees against us in Shamayim.  

Instead of preparing our society for the Third Beit Hamikdash by at least speaking out about the plague of idolatry as a first step in the right direction, some of those advocating most vocally for its rebuilding are taking known idolaters up onto the Mount where they bring offerings of prayer to their foreign god.

Please let's not waste any more time avoiding the harder, less romantic deeds needed to prepare for the Holy Temple to stand in our midst.  Now is the time to put first things first and rebuild our Jewish society with a Torah government.  And now is the time to focus the minds and hearts of the Jews on it and convince them that it is possible and desirable.  

It HAS to come BEFORE the Temple can be rebuilt!!!!!

* * *

Latest from Moshe Feiglin... 

(Translated from Hebrew:  See original.)

Again, the same stupid and bloody pattern.

After an attack - they stop the workers.

After a few weeks of relative quiet - they bring them back with infuriating indifference.

And then the next attack comes. And it starts all over again.

This isn't policy. This is moral and rational bankruptcy.

This time the terrible price came with the fall of Maj. Yuval Ezra and Sgt. Maj. (res.) Beniyahu Malat HY"D. But the system keeps on as if nothing happened: another pathetic Band-Aid, another atrophied tactical response trying to sweep reality under the rug.

To stop workers from entering settlements but leave industrial zones open? To approve "exceptions at construction sites" while the blood is still fresh on the ground?! This is cynical mockery at the expense of Israeli citizens.

If there's a security threat that justifies closing the crossings today - it existed with exactly the same intensity yesterday too. And if there's no threat - why spill Jewish blood and only then remember to act?

Security can't be run like a pathetic pendulum based on the weekend's body count!

As long as the State of Israel insists on maintaining an "integration economy" and relying on manpower from those who educate to slaughter us, we are funding the terror with our own hands and feeding the monster that will come back to bite us.

Enough managing the terror. Enough Band-Aids.

The response to blood and bereavement isn't "easing and exceptions at construction sites" - the response is victory!!! Full sovereignty over all of Judea and Samaria, and complete and final elimination of dependence on the enemy.

A truly sovereign state doesn't wait for the next funeral to remember that it must protect its citizens. May the memory of Yuval and Beniyahu HY"D be blessed, and may their families know no further sorrow.

AMEN!!

Guest Post: "The Closing Window of Opportunity"

10 Menachem Av 5786

Erev Shabbat Kodesh

Parashat Va'etchanan
Shabbat Nachamu

(Reposting from 5770)

BS"D

YESHIVAT HARA'AYON HAYEHUDI

Jerusalem, Israel

HaRav Yehuda Kreuser SHLIT"A, Rosh Yeshiva

PARSHAT VAETCHANAN / SHABBAT NACHAMU

13 Av 5770/23 - 24 July 2010

THE CLOSING WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY

"I implored G-d at that time saying, My L-rd You have begun to show your servant Your greatness and Your strong hand, for what power is there in the heavens or on earth that can perform according to Your mighty acts? Please let me cross and see the good Land that is on the other side of the Jordan, this good mountain and the Lebanon."

What was bothering Moshe, that he felt that he just had to enter into the Holy Land? If he was like the great majority of the Jewish people throughout the generations, he certainly would have been happy, quite happy to stay put in the exile and not enter. What made him so possessed that he prayed more then 500 times to enter the Land? The Talmud answered that Moshe wanted to fulfill the commandments of the Torah, something which is done in the exiles only so that we shall not forget them when we come into the Land - what one might call a practice run. But now that the Jewish people were so close to entering the Land of Israel, Moshe wanted the real thing, to be able to fulfill G-d's commandments in the Land.

Similarly, we find King David, who was forced out of the Land of Israel by King Saul, saying: "Why have you taken me out of the inheritance of the L-rd, saying, go and worship idols?" Now would anyone think that the great David would go and worship idols? Rather, David was saying: The mere fact that I have been exiled from the Land, it is as if I am worshiping idols. So, too, Rashi states that one who lives outside the land of Israel is as if he has no G-d.

So much greatness awaits the Jewish people in the Land of Israel, not only on a personal level but also on a national level. For as long as the Jewish people stubbornly hold on to the exile, the Redemption cannot come. We find in the times of Ezra and Nechemiah that only a small minority of the Jewish people heeded the cry and returned to the Land of Israel. The great majority, the important ones, the leaders, the gedolim stayed in beloved Babylon. They said: Certainly G-d is not going to bring the Redemption though King Cyrus, a non Jew, this is not the way of redemption, we will tell G-d how to redeem the nation - so they stayed.

The Midrash teaches us that because they did not come back to the Land, the Divine Presence also did not return in full, and so the Second Temple period, which could have been the Final Redemption, was doomed from the start. What became of all those who stayed behind? All the important Jews? They all died out, intermarried and were lost for all generations; only the riffraff, the "no good" ones who came to the Land of Israel survived - and we are their descendants.

In the book "Eim Habanim Smeichah", Rabbi Yissachar Teichtal, who lived during the years of the Holocaust, cries out that all of the troubles that are befalling the Jewish people are coming because there is no awakening to come up to the Land of Israel. Excuses they had for not coming home: the Jews who are in the Land are not religious, G-d will not redeem His people though the nations of the world. Once again we were teaching G-d how to redeem His people, and once again the exile ended bitterly for the Jews.

As I look out from my home in Mitzpe Yericho, I can see the mountains of Nevo, the same mountains where Moshe stood and implored G-d to allow him to come into the Land. But Moshe Rabenu's dream of entering the Land was not fulfilled, and here I am, together with my family, able to walk the width and length of the Land. Not just me, but anyone can today come up to the Land. With so much greatness and holiness here, what, then, is holding all my brethren back? Why are they not here beside me? As history has proven over and over again, the window of opportunity is not forever open. Now is the time to enter and embrace greatness, now that the door remains open. Take hold of her while there is still time!

Blessings,

Levi Chazen 

And the Mourning Continues...

10 Menachem Av 5786

Mourning for the corrupted minds that equate the Zionist (Erev Rav) State with the Beit Hamikdash, r"l.

Netanyahu: “In The Past Three Years, Together, We Prevented The Destruction Of The Third Bais Hamikdosh”

Israeli Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu delivered a national address on Wednesday as Israel prepared to enter Tisha B’Av. In his remarks, Netanyahu reflected on the lessons of Jewish history, praised the unity demonstrated by Israelis during times of crisis, and outlined his vision for the country’s future, including the formation of a broad national coalition.

Opening his address, Netanyahu drew a connection between the solemn day of remembrance and the importance of preserving national unity. “My brothers and sisters, dear citizens of Israel. On the eve of Tisha B’Av, we remember the destruction of the Bais Hamikdosh. We remember the terrible price of hatred and boycotts within us,” the Prime Minister opened.

The Prime Minister then pointed to the extraordinary challenges Israel has confronted in recent years, saying that the nation overcame them through solidarity and determination. He highlighted the cooperation and sacrifice displayed by both civilians and members of the security forces, declaring: “In the past three years, together, we prevented the destruction of the Bais Hamikdosh. Instead of a civil war, we were brothers who fought shoulder-to-shoulder to repel those who sought to harm us. We joined forces, we fought like lions, and together, we saved the State of Israel. We showed the world that the people of Israel are a brave people, with a brave army, a generation of heroes. We repelled the terror of destruction, and we achieved great achievements.”

While emphasizing Israel’s accomplishments, Netanyahu acknowledged that major challenges remain. He said the country still faces significant security and political hurdles but expressed unwavering confidence that Israel will continue to prevail. Stressing his priorities for the coming years, he stated that “even though the work is not complete, even though many challenges lie ahead, I am certain with every fiber of my being that we will succeed.” He also laid out his political objective, saying: “As the Prime Minister of Israel, I intend on increasing unity among us. Therefore, I will work to form a broad national government, a stable government that will care for our security and future.”

God forbid that this arrogant, hedonistic, sorry excuse for a leader will continue to represent the Jewish nation and presume to have any say in its future.  How much longer will Heaven tolerate the daily desecration of God's Name?  😭

All of Our Tragedies Stem From Doubt and Lack of Faith in HKB"H

9 Av 5786

Tzom Kal

[Resharing from 2017.  Set to publish after halachic noon.]

In my previous post, I wrote about the root problem that caused Tisha b'Av to become a fast day. Whenever a person has any doubt regarding HKB"H's goodness (lack of emunah), it opens the door to rebellion which leads to exile.

Chavah listened to the serpent and believed that Hashem would withhold good from her by denying her the tree at the center of the Garden. In her lack of faith and trust in HKB"H, she disobeyed and the end result was exile from Gan Eden.

Am Yisrael listened to the Erev Rav and believed that Hashem would deliver them from Egypt just to leave them leaderless in the midbar. In their lack of faith and trust in HKB"H, they allowed the Golden Calf to be built as a substitute for Moshe.

Yet again, Am Yisrael listened to the ten spies and believed a bad report against HKB"H, that the Land of Israel really wasn't the great gift G-d claimed it was, that He had done all the miracles just in order to bring them to this horrible land to die in a horrible way, chas v'shalom.

If you examine the reasons for why the two Batei Hamikdash were destroyed, you will see that it always goes back to lack of emuna and bitachon in Hashem. The yetzer hara tells us that HKB"H really does not have our ultimate good at heart, chas v'shalom, so we must turn to substitutes and take matters into our own hands.

Avraham Avinu passed the ultimate test of emunah when he did not hold even Yitzchak's life above obedience to G-d's command. Do you wonder how he could do it? He absolutely believed in Hashem's goodness, that He would not ask him to make the sacrifice capriciously, but had only their ultimate good and blessing in mind.

Am Yisrael demonstrated this level of faith and trust when they slaughtered the lambs and put the blood over their doors in Mitzrayim and again when they plunged into the Red Sea. But, keep in mind that they did so in obedience to G-d's commands. It wasn't something they thought up on their own and then offered it to G-d.

This account in Shmuel Aleph, perek 15 is instructive. The prophet Samuel is speaking to King Saul regarding his failure to destroy Amalek...

...the Lord sent you on a mission, and said, 'Go, and you shall utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and you shall wage war against them until they destroy them.' Now, why did you not hearken to the voice of the Lord, but you flew upon the spoil, and you did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord?"

And Saul said to Samuel, "Yes, I did hearken to the voice of the Lord. I did go on the mission on which the Lord sent me, and I brought Agag, the king of Amalek alive, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. And the people took from the spoil, sheep and oxen, the best of the ban, to sacrifice to your God in Gilgal."

And Samuel said, "Has the Lord (as much) desire in burnt offerings and peace-offerings, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than a peace-offering; to hearken (is better) than the fat of rams.

For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and stubbornness is as idolatry and teraphim. Since you rejected the word of the Lord, He has rejected you from being a king."

We would not be honest with ourselves if we did not ask "what is the point of fasting all these years?" The point is to make us aware of what we are lacking and I'm not talking about the obvious answer "we're missing our Beit Hamikdash, of course." The missing Bayit is a symptom, not the illness itself. We lack the Temple, because we lack faith and trust in HKB"H.

As I've written here before on more than one occasion, Rabbi Kook brought down the Rambam that there is a clear order to the restoration of our nation: 1) we must appoint a king; 2) we must destroy Amalek; 3) we must build the Temple. [IN THAT ORDER!]  It's a very logical progression. Once we have a Torah government, we can destroy the enemy who prevents the rebuilding. But, ignorant and faithless people propose to do it all backwards and so are doomed before they even start.

If we truly want to rebuild the Holy Temple on Har Habayit, we are going to have to be willing to obey HKB"H to the letter of this order. We have to be willing to replace democracy with monarchy, to give up dreams of coexistence and be willing to annihilate Amalek, and to build the Third Temple in accordance with all the strictures of the Torah. There will not be a temple to avodah zarah here!!!

Only once we have repented for the lack of emunah which leads to rebellion (failure to obey G-d's will), then will come the test to see if the repentance is sincere. If it is found to be so, then forgiveness and redemption will arrive hand in hand.

However, there is first going to be a very, very big test of that repentance - a test of our faith in HKB"H - to see if it is really sincere and only those who pass the test will remain in this world to enjoy the messianic era. 

*******Secrets of the Greatest Emunah Test*******

Is A Literal Earth-Shattering Event On Our Horizon?

8 Av 5786
Erev Tisha b'Av 

"In the future, Persia will fall into the hands of Rome.  Firstly, because they destroyed the houses of prayer and, secondly, it is the decree of the King that builders [of the Second Temple] should fall into the hands of the destroyers."  (Yoma 10a.)

* * *

Posted to "X" at 7:11 PM - July 21, 2026

Pickaxe Mountain is located in the Zagros Mountains, just about 1.5 to 2 kilometers south of Iran's main Natanz nuclear complex in the Isfahan Province. It is built deep underground (over 100 meters beneath solid granite rock), making it heavily fortified against aerial bombings and conventional bunker-buster weapons. Western and Israeli intelligence assess that Iran has moved thousands of uranium-enrichment centrifuges into tunnels beneath the mountain to shield its nuclear infrastructure from military strikes.    (Gemini)

A specialized tactical nuclear earth-penetrator would be sufficient to destroy the main underground halls of the Natanz complex. However, it would likely require a full-on strategic nuclear weapon (or repeated tactical strikes) to fully collapse the neighboring, hyper-fortified Pickaxe Mountain facility.

Note the proximity of the City of Qom there. The city of Qom holds massive, dual significance for Iran—serving as both the spiritual heart of the Islamic Republic and a critical, heavily fortified anchor of its nuclear program.  Qom is also the final resting place for several of the most famous and highly revered figures in Islamic history, Persian royalty, and modern Iranian politics.  (Gemini)

The connection of current events to the Hebrew date when both Temples were destroyed is unmistakable and in no way coincidental! 

~ May this mark the end of fasting for our national sins ~ 

The Real Reason for the Season

 7 Av 5786

Many, many religiously observant people struggle with the practices performed during the Three Weeks period.  They can manage the outward forms required, but they are not invested in it mentally and emotionally.  

For example, many modern Jews feel that the redemption arrived with the founding of the State and that hi-rise buildings crowding the narrow streets of the capital constitutes the rebuilding of Jerusalem.  In their view, Jewish life is thriving in Eretz Yisrael despite the constant state of tensions and wars.  Try as they might, they can't work up any depth to the feeling of loss for something that happened 2000 years ago.

First of all, these fast days are installment payments on a past debt to HKB"H - the national sins which occurred at these times.  When the debt has been paid in full, they will no longer be necessary.  Instead, we will celebrate sort of like a couple who pay off a 25-year mortgage note.  What we should be feeling today is the burden of that 'note' that comes due every year at this time, along with regret over the life that we could be living but cannot while the debt remains.  In other words, we mourn over our current sorry condition.

I think there is another major reason people have trouble accepting the curtailing of their business-as-usual activities during this time.  It is a result of a major misunderstanding (or just ignorance) of the impact of spiritual forces in our physical realm.  These basics have been virtually lost in our rational, technological age.  

[I]n Kabbalistic and Jewish thought, the forces of tumah (spiritual impurity) and Din (harsh judgment) reach an annual peak during the months of Tammuz and Av.

Specifically, the 21-day period between the 17th of Tammuz and the 9th of Av (Tisha B'Av)—known as Bein HaMetzarim ("Between the Straits" or the Three Weeks)—is considered the most spiritually vulnerable time of the year. During this window, the forces of the Sitra Achra (the "Other Side") are in severe ascendance.

Why Tumah Ascends Now

The Concealment of Holiness: Kabbalah teaches that the physical destruction of the Holy Temples in Jerusalem during these months reflected a spiritual reality: a severe restriction of Divine light. When holiness is hidden, tumah automatically rushes in to fill the vacuum.

The Rule of Cosmic Judgment: According to the Zohar, the year is split into seasons of mercy and seasons of judgment. The hot summer months of Tammuz and Av are dominated by solar heat, which mystically represents blinding, raw Din (unmitigated justice/judgment). Without the tempering cooling effects of Chesed (loving-kindness), negativity holds great sway.

The Danger of K**** M*****

The Talmud (Pesachim 111b) and midrashic texts explicitly warn of a physical manifestation of tumah during these weeks: a destructive spiritual entity or plague-demon called K**** M*****. It is said to rule from the 17th of Tammuz until the 9th of Av. It is particularly active during the middle of the day—from the fourth to the ninth halachic hours (roughly 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM). 

Because of this ascendance, classical Jewish law (Shulchan Aruch) advises people to exercise extreme physical caution during these weeks, avoiding dangerous activities, remote areas, or intense physical confrontations.

The Kabbalistic Paradox: Hidden Light

While the Sitra Achra dominates the surface of Tammuz and Av, Kabbalah reveals a comforting paradox: the greater the darkness, the more powerful the hidden light inside it.

The Chassidic masters teach that the intense energy of these months was originally meant to channel the highest possible spiritual revelations. Because humanity could not handle that intensity, it shattered into tragedy. Therefore, any spiritual work, repentance, or Torah study done during this low point has a disproportionately powerful effect in dismantling tumah and transforming it into ultimate good.     (Source: Gemini)  

I hope this helps the readers as much as it helped me to be reminded.  With thanks to the one who started the conversation which turned into this blog post.   You know who you are. 😉💖

The Internal War - It Can Only End One Way

7 Av 5786  

This is another proof that it's not about needing more soldiers to fight the wars that they refuse to win, purposely extending them with endless "ceasefires."

It's all about distancing them from Torah and exposing them to bad influences.  (Something like assigning dati leumi sherut leumi girls to a missionary base where they would greet Chr*stian tourists.)

ALTERNATIVE TO CONSCRIPTION: Katz, IDF Move To Expand Civilian Service For Chareidim

Defense Minister Israel Katz is advancing a plan, in coordination with the IDF and the Civil Service Administration, to significantly expand civilian service opportunities for Chareidim who will not enlist in the military.

However, I doubt that any court will accept this plan as it doesn't have the added 'benefit' of killing off the soldiers in order to bring down the birth rate in that sector, r"l.  [See: Why are so many of Israel's fallen soldiers from religious Zionist camp?]

Dati Leumi Talmid: “They’re Turning Us Into Deserters Too”

Yishai, a Dati Leumi talmid yeshiva, told Kol Chai about a growing phenomenon of Dati Leumi talmidim who seek to defer their military service to continue learning Torah being classified as deserters.

Yishai said that many of his friends have already been declared deserters despite intending to serve in the IDF in the future.

“They want to enlist—just not at age 19,” he explained. “They want to postpone their service so they can learn for a few more years, but because of problems with obtaining draft deferments, they end up being classified as deserters.”

He said that these are talmidim attending well-known Dati Leumi yeshivos rather than Hesder yeshivos.

He added: “This isn’t just a war against the Chareidi community—it’s a war against everything that is holy. The same people who want to dismantle the Chareidi Torah world also want to dismantle the Religious Zionist Torah world.”

He added that, in his view, this is part of a broader campaign against Torah institutions. He also referred to protests within the Religious Zionist community over religious issues in the IDF, including the integration of women into the Armored Corps, saying that these developments make it more difficult for young men who wish to enlist while maintaining their religious way of life.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

It's way past time for real "brothers" to act like true brothers and join hands in this battle. The Religious Zionists have to decide whether to be religious or Zionist because you can't be both. Not anymore.

UNITY among Jews - from our very beginnings - was only ever around the Torah of Hashem.  There is, and never has been, and never can be any UNITY with those who reject and rebel against God's Law.