Notre Dame: A Down Payment on What is Owed

11 Nisan 5779

This is no random, "tragic" incident - especially not when it occurs during "Holy Week" and on the 10th of Nisan.

Christians and art buffs are devastated over the potential loss of nine centuries of history and masterpieces

France is mourning the obliteration of one of the most prominent symbols of its national heritage just days before the Easter celebrations.

But in a glimmer of hope, Paris' Mayor Anne Hidalgo said cops and rescuers formed a human chain the save some of the artworks - including the crown and tunic of Saint Louis.

France’s Interior Ministry said firefighters are optimistic they can save the main structure and the building’s two bell towers, despite the steeple being destroyed.

Shocking pictures show the collapsed roof and smoke-filled interior of the iconic building.

Among the most celebrated artworks inside are its three stained-glass rose windows, placed high up on the west, north and south faces of the cathedral.

Notre Dame’s most precious treasure, a relic venerated as the Crown of Thorns worn by [Yeshu], is understood to have been saved from the fire.

The Crown of Thorns, which is considered Paris’s equivalent of the Crown Jewels, is stored at the end of a nave of the cathedral, not readily visible to visitors.

It is encased in an ornate gold and glass container commissioned by Napoleon and is only brought out on Fridays during Lent and on Good Friday.

While the authenticity of the relic has not been certified, historians have dated it back to [Yeshu's] crucifixion.

The relic originally came from Jerusalem and was carefully placed in the nearby Sainte-Chappelle, a chapel built in the 13th century specifically for the crown.

The massive South Rose glass window is an awe-inspiring sight inside the famous cathedral.

Originally a gift from King St. Louis IX, the window was created in 1260 and is dedicated to the New Testament.

It was removed from the facade of Notre Dame during the Second World War when the French feared the Germans would target it and was replaced in the Sixties.

The cathedral’s website boasts that its three rose windows “constitute one of the great masterpieces of Christianity.”

But it is not yet know what damage the smoke and falling debris could have on the artwork.

...The iconic cathedral was first commissioned in 1163 by King Louis VII and completed in 1345, nearly 200 years later.

...Dramatic drone pictures show the devastation caused by the savage blaze which has already laid waste to the 850-year-old church's spire and much of its Gothic roof.

Emmanuel Gregoire, the deputy mayor of Paris, said the cathedral had suffered "colossal damages" and that emergency workers were trying to salvage the priceless pieces stored inside.

Scaffolding that had been set up around the building has been decimated along with large parts of the cathedral, including the spire, which dates back to the mid-19th Century.

A "stray flame" linked to £5 million renovation work is thought to have sparked the inferno in the loft at around 5.30pm local time on Monday. (Source: The Sun)

France will not get any expressions of sympathy from me. I'm thrilled to see a major symbol of the false, idolatrous and antisemitic religion crash and burn.  And so may be the fate of every place of worship for false gods.

Pesach Prep Disrupted by Early Easter Celebrations

9 Nisan 5779

On the first day of the last week before Pesach with preparations in full swing and just at the hour those working jobs need to get home, the Christians are being allowed to shut down the main hub in the center of Jerusalem for a "Palm Parade."

I went early to take care of urgent business and had forgotten this was their so-called "Palm Sunday" until I saw what looked like Sukkot decorations up and down the train track outside the Christian Quarter of the Old City.  Could the Christians of the Holy Land be more stupid?  I mean those who live here and see the Sukkot celebrations every year have to see the connection to the palm branches.  But, since their Bible says the crowds waved palm branches in front of Yeshu the Sunday before Passover, they can't question its infallibility.

It's the same with their claim to Yeshu being the "Passover Lamb," despite the fact that those lambs were slaughtered because they were an Egyptian deity and their blood never atoned for anyone's sin, nor was it intended to.  

Willful ignorance is a tragic and pitiful thing to behold, but we are the ones who always pay the price for it. Two-thousand years later and they are still disrupting life for Jews in Jerusalem at the worst possible time with their nonsense religion.

"BEFORE REDEMPTION"

7 Nisan 5779
Erev Shabbat Kodesh
Parashat Metzora - HaGadol

Shabbat Hagadol - Before Redemption - Rabbi Meir Kahane

For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the wicked people and all the evildoers will be like straw... (Malachi 3:19)

Behold, I send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and awesome Day of Hashem. And he will turn back [to G-d] the hearts of fathers with [their] sons and the hearts of sons with their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with utter destruction. (Malachi 3: 23,24)

Then you will return and see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves G-d and one who does not serve Him. (Malachi 3:18)

Before us, then, there is a fundamental principle regarding the future of the Jewish People: Redemption can come by one of two ways. If we merit it, through repentance and deeds worthy of it – especially faith and trust in G-d, without fear of the non-Jew – it can come through G-d hastening it, quickly, immediately, “today, if we hearken to His voice”. Not only will it come quickly, but with glory and majesty, without the suffering or Messianic birth pangs of which both Ula and Rabbah said (Sanhedrin 98b), “Let it come without my seeing it”. If we do not merit this, however, then the Messiah will certainly come and the Redemption with him, but only later on, “in its time”. This redemption will be accompanied, G-d forbid, by the terrible suffering of Chevlei Mashiach, Messianic birthpangs.

We seem to have two contradictory redemption processes before us; [...] but there is no contradiction. Rather, both are possibilities. That is, either can happen, but not both. As for which it will be, that depends on the Jewish People and their deeds. If they prove worthy, they will merit redemption “in haste”, glorious and majestic, without Messianic birth pangs. Otherwise, a different process will occur, a process that does not have to be – complete redemption through unparalleled suffering, and all because of our sins and our stubbornness. Only the blind and those who refuse to see will fail to understand that today we are right at the very heart of the Ikveta DeMeshicha, “the footsteps of the Messiah”, the beginning of the redemption. This State of Israel is the beginning of G-d's wrath against the nations who do not know Him and who have profaned His name with scorn and derision. Yet, it is clear that a redemption whose beginning is based exclusively on redemption “in its time”, on, “I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel” (Ezek. 36:22), on, “Not for your sake do I do this, says the L-rd G-d. Be it known unto you. Be ashamed and confounded for your ways, O house of Israel (Ezek. 36:32) has concealed within it tragedies and Messianic suffering from the Supreme King of Kings; and whoever says that G-d concedes shall concede his life (Bava Kamma 50a).

There will be no “hasty” redemption (Isaiah 60:22), glorious and majestic, devoid of dreadful suffering, unless the Jewish people return to their Father in Heaven, accept His yoke, and chiefly, unless they trust in Him completely and are ready to sanctify His name through self-sacrifice. The redemption which began despite our sins in order to sanctify G-d's name before the nations in might and splendor, has, in the hands of an “ungrateful, unwise nation” (Deut. 32:6), turned into a profanation and a blasphemy carried out precisely by those whom G-d sought to redeem. If the beginning of the redemption and the state served to sanctify G-d's name, then the only way to move on to “hasty” redemption is to continue reinforcing the Kiddush Hashem which the state's very establishment constituted. The Divine imperative is continued Kiddush Hashem through trusting in G-d, and liquidating the Chilul Hashem without fear of the non-Jew, without fear of flesh and blood. Every retreat, every submission, every concession to the non-Jew, every hand raised against the Jew, every attack, let alone murder, of a Jew in the Land, every taunt and curse by a non-Jew in the Land is a Chilul Hashem. Now, instead of continuing to reinforce the Kiddush Hashem process, the Jewish people retreat and profane G-d's name.

Whoever does not allow Jews to live everywhere in the Land, whoever ties their hands [...], profanes G-d's name and profanes the great miracle and the powerful dream realized by G-d at the start of the redemption.

A time will come when G-d sees that to the nations and most of Israel, it seems that “His power is gone” - He is impotent. He will see that for many Jews and non-Jews, He is “nothing”, non-existent, Heaven forbid. For many others who pay lip service to His existence, He will appear “hindered”, powerless to act, a king “caught in tresses” (Song of Songs, 7:7), without connection or relevance to the world. He will see that there are masses of Jews who keep rituals, who keep the practical mitzvot by rote, yet who in times of danger, at the moment of truth, abandon their faith and trust in G-d.For them, G-d will become like one “abandoned”, and no Chilul Hashem could be greater. G-d will then wish to sanctify His great name, transformed by faithless heretics to “nothing, hindered, and abandoned.”

Listen well, my friend, to a great axiom of redemption. Ostensibly, those who ridiculed the mourners of Zion, who mocked those who believed in redemption, were the nations. Clearly this is so, yet also countless Jews do not believe, and they ridicule those who look forward to redemption, and, in general, the whole concept of redemption and the Messiah. Do not let your brother, friend or the rabbi to whom you feel closest lead you astray by saying that redemption will come without suffering or tragedy, for that is impossible without repentance and trust in G-d through bold deeds without fear of the nations.

Redak's quotation from Isaiah is part of the following (Isaiah 26:20-21): Come, My people, enter your chambers and shut your doors behind you. Hide yourself for a brief moment until the wrath is past. For the L-rd shall leave His abode to punish the earth's inhabitants for their sin. With this, G-d informs Israel that before redemption comes, before G-d leaves His abode to punish the nations for their sin, there will be a moment of wrath; that is, a period of wrath and suffering. This clearly is referring to the war of Gog and Magog. Although it says, “Hide yourself for a brief moment”, and Redak commented that they would “suffer briefly”, woe to us for that brief moment, for it will include Jerusalem's conquest and accompanying atrocities, [...] and the nations' conquest of Eretz Israel for nine months, and in G-d's eyes, that, too will constitute just a “brief moment”. Who can measure the suffering and anguish which that moment will generate, if it comes through redemption “in its time”? All the same G-d, Who has control over time and place, has the power to transform that “moment” into a very short time, if redemption comes “in haste”. This is a major principle regarding the Messianic birthpangs, and we must not forget it.

If Israel heed G-d's voice and follow in His ways, He will subdue Gog and Israel's enemies “kim'at”, like the kim'at rega, the “brief moment” of Isaiah 26:20. Then, redemption will come quickly and “forever”.

Return unto Me, and I will return unto you, says Hashem, Master of Legions… (Malachi 3:7) And this is a repetition of the same promise that is given in Zechariah 1:3, in a tremendous oath! The redemption will come to the extent that we long for it and demand it.

Parashat Metzora – Insights from Rabbi Meir Kahane's 'Peirush HaMaccabee'

The Kohen shall command; and for the person being purified there shall be taken two live, clean birds; cedar wood, crimson thread, and hyssop. (Lev. 14:4)

The Kohen has to take two birds, and slaughter one of them such that its blood drips into an earthenware vessel with flowing water, and dip cedar-wood, hyssop, crimson thread, and the other bird into the flowing water which is mixed with the blood of the slaughtered bird. He then sprinkles this over the metzora (“leper”) or the house seven times, after which the live bird is set free. Now the whole subject of the metzora carries tremendous morals: the Talmud says: These afflictions come because of seven things: lashon ha-ra’, blood-shed, swearing false oaths, sexual immorality, arrogance, robbery, and stinginess (Arakhin 16a).

A person who sinned by committing robbery and being stingy is condemned to sitting alone outside of the camp, thereby losing money because he is unable to work; and sometimes, his house becomes afflicted and has to be destroyed. And if he shed blood, he is reminded of this sin by having the bird’s blood sprinkled over him; he is afflicted with bodily suffering as a punishment for having afflicted bodily suffering on someone else. As a punishment for pursuing sexual immorality he becomes physically repulsive, such that no woman will want him. As a punishment for having spoken lashon ha-ra’ and thereby causing division among people, he is now divided from everyone else and dwells alone.

It goes further: he guarded his tongue neither from lashon ha-ra’ nor from swearing falsely; so the Talmud says, What makes the metzora unique, that the Torah commands him to bring two birds to purify himself? – G-d said: His actions were the actions of a chatterer, therefore the Torah enjoins him to bring [birds which are] chatterers as a sacrifice (Arakhin 16b). And for his sin of arrogance he brings the wood of the cedar tree, one of the tallest and proudest of all trees, together with hyssop, one the smallest of all plants, on which the Midrash explains: Why is the metzora cleansed with the tallest of the tall and the lowliest of the lowly?... – Because he is afflicted with tzara’at for having aggrandised himself like a cedar tree; so when he humbles himself like a hyssop, he is cured (Pesikta Rabbati, Parah 14, 60b). The sinner thereby purifies his sin which was as red as the crimson thread and makes it as white as snow. It seems to me that his arrogance is the source of all his sins, and all the other sins are a result of it, as I shall show immediately.

These two birds represent important concepts. The Torah commands him to bring two birds, live and pure (Leviticus 14:4), which the Midrash expounds upon: Rabbi Yosé the Galilean says: Specifically a bird which lives outside of town. And which bird is this? – A swallow (Sifra, Metzora 5:14). And the Sifra further says: The birds must be live, and not slaughtered; pure, and neither impure…nor non-kosher (ibid. 1:12). The swallow, whose Hebrew name is צִפּוֹר הַדְּרוֹר, tzippor ha-dror (literally “bird of freedom”) which must be a clean fowl, serves to symbolise the person: every person is born pure, clean of all sin, unblemished; like the swallow, the tzippor ha-dror, the bird of freedom, free to go in any direction he desires, free to choose good or evil. If he does good, he will live and receive his just reward; and if he does evil, he will be punished. And the way to achieve the good is through humility and modesty, whereas arrogance and callousness lead to denying G-d and shaking off His yoke. And this being the case, it is good for a person to be modest and humble and quiet, not to raise his voice and his head – because what is he? – Dust and ashes, decay and maggots! And what are we?! (Exodus 16:7). G-d will punish anyone who transgresses His commandments, thereby transforming his pure and beautiful and wondrous soul into something ugly. And since it is impossible to see the ugliness of a soul, G-d afflicts him with tzara’at, making him physically ugly for all to see, symbolising the ugliness of his soul (and sometimes, G-d afflicts only his garments or his house, for him to see his soul reflected therein). And he – this man who wanted to aggrandise himself above all others – is then forced to humble himself, to dwell in solitude, this man – who wanted only bodily pleasures – suffers bodily afflictions. Thus he takes two birds; one of them he slaughters, and the other one he sets free. Two birds, symbolising his free choice – good or evil.

The Abravanel comments there: The purpose here is to indicate that both the birds were previously alive – and at G-d’s command and word one of them died. Such it is with humans: one can fall sick and die, while another one remains alive. Everything depends upon G-d’s decree. And this is why He commanded [the Kohen] to slaughter the bird into earthenware vessels, alluding to the human who is as an earthenware vessel, fashioned by the hands of the Potter, blessed be He… And the bird is slaughtered over flowing water in the vessel to symbolise the Torah…because the bird who was slaughtered died because of the Torah which was not kept properly… And the Torah says that in the end “he shall send out the live bird free over the field” (Leviticus 14:7) – that is to say, to roam free in its natural habitat – symbolising that the purified person returns to the camp, there to roam free as and when he pleases, no longer to be confined. And I would add to this final detail that what this means is that he is hereby given a new opportunity for free will – if he will only learn his lesson.

Source: "Peirush HaMaccabee" on Shemot, Chapter 2, English translation by Daniel Pinner

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~ SHABBAT SHALOM ~

The Holiday of Freedom Is Approaching

6 Nisan 5779

It’s Time For Pollard To Come Home
By Rabbi Mordechai Weiss

AMEN!! 

Genocide Has Been Replaced by "Peace" - Outcome Is the Same

6 Nisan 5779

Only the worst of the traitorous, faithless, ignorant Erev Rav could display such chutzpah as to think they can pull this off where all else have failed.

In leaky White House, Trump team keeps Mideast peace plan secret

...Aides expect Trump to release the plan once Netanyahu forms a government coalition, and officials say that despite criticism of the administration's moves to date, the plan will demand compromises from both sides.

...Kushner and Greenblatt have limited the plan's distribution over the two years they have been crafting it. It has been kept secret "to ensure people approach it with an open mind" when it is released, a senior administration official said.

Only four people have regular access - Kushner, Greenblatt, U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman and Kushner aide Avi Berkowitz, the official said.

Trump is briefed regularly on the contents but is not believed to have read the entire document of dozens of pages.

"He is briefed if something interesting is happening or there is an idea they want to run by him," the official said.

...Kushner, a New York real estate developer and husband of Trump's daughter Ivanka, and Greenblatt, a former lawyer for Trump, joined the process knowing little about the tortured, decades-long path in search of Arab-Israeli peace.

Our worst enemies come from within. 

ELECTION SURPRISES

5 Nisan 5779

It's no surprise to me that Netanyahu is still in power.  After all, he is the man the US wants to be there.  He initiated the Christian Allies Caucus in the Knesset and allegedly provides John Hagee with regular security updates.  And he is the one they are counting on to deliver the "peace." This is the man who promises, but does not fulfill.  Jews are expelled while this Beduin shantytown on our doorstep is STILL untouched with its 'Palestinian' flag flying proudly out front.

I was very surprised that after all the polls kept predicting Bennett/Shaked and Feiglin getting in that they have now apparently failed to "cross the threshold."  Now, who "wasted" votes?  On the other hand, if this is all scripted anyway, why should I be surprised that the two loudest voices from the right opposing Netanyahu's policies should be nullified?

True to what I predicted early on, however, I will not be a bit surprised if, despite having sufficient support from the religious parties to form a majority coalition, Netanyahu will reach out to form a unity government with Gantz.  Many sources are hinting at it.

...Although Likud and Blue-White could if they joined forces command a comfortable majority in the 120-member Knesset – this would be a landmark event in Israel’s political history – the reality for now is that the right-of-center bloc controlled by Netanyahu can muster 8-10 seats more than the left-of-center parties willing and able to support Gantz’s bid for the premiership.  (Source)

Should this unfortunate outcome be realized, it may also come as no surprise that the "Deal of the Century" is going to be a very bitter pill to swallow and only such a political arrangement will be strong enough to force it down our throats.

What may be most surprising in the end is how these "religious" parties will respond then.  The only ace up their sleeve has been to abandon the coalition and collapse the government, but that nuclear option will have already been removed from the table by that time.

No Spring Planting Season in 2019???

4 Nisan 5779

(Remember THIS?)

Early spring storm threatens central U.S. with blizzard conditions
Many areas of the Midwest that basked in sunny, mid-70-degree weather on Monday will likely be shivering under a blanket of snow within 48 hours.

"All of these weather elements mean one thing, a very impactful event," the weather service's Minneapolis office said. "This would include widespread travel impacts, and the anticipating of more river flooding once this all melts in the next week."

Trump's behind-the-scenes machinations on behalf of his overlords is bringing destruction on America.

You know why he had to backtrack so quickly off closing the border with Mexico?  Someone finally informed the President that half of the food American's eat comes from Mexico!

It's Hard to Resist the Hype

4 Nisan 5779

Constant text messages arriving via my phone, bombardment of the media, discussions with family and friends, we've reached a saturation point with this 2019 Israeli election.  Good thing it ends tonight at 10 pm. By then all decisions will be locked in.

It's interesting that the Hebrew root word for elections is בחירה - "choice." Unfortunately, I do not find any of the current choices acceptable. After Yachad, which ticked all the boxes for me, was eliminated, all that was left was Rabbi Mazuz's instruction to support UTJ.  I wanted to and I was even still thinking about this morning, but I just can't get past this part of their platform...

UTJ has said that it is willing to join coalition governments that are dedicated to engaging the Palestinians in peace negotiations and was a member of the coalition government that carried out the disengagement from the Gaza Strip. (Source)

Even for all the good UTJ stands for, I can't get past this. Even though I know and understand that ultimately Hashem determines everything, it's still hard to resist all the hype and not participate.  If there was anyone at all that I could support in good conscience, but there just isn't.  

Waiting and anticipating and really looking forward to Mashiach's arrival - by Pesach?

This Could Come Back to Bite Us

4 Nisan 5779

US designates Iran’s Revolutionary Guards a terror organization

Trump says military body heads a ‘global terrorist campaign’; thanking the president, Netanyahu claims decision came at his request

WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump officially designated the Iran Revolutionary Guards Corps a terrorist organization on Monday, in a move that Israel has long pushed forand that will ramp up the administration’s pressure campaign against Tehran.

The decision, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said had come at his request, is the first time that an extension of a foreign government has been designated a terrorist entity by the US.

“This unprecedented step, led by the Department of State*, recognizes the reality that Iran is not only a State Sponsor of Terrorism, but that the IRGC actively participates in, finances, and promotes terrorism as a tool of statecraft,” the president said in a statement.

...The Trump administration’s decision is expected to ramp up tensions between the United States and Iran. Shortly after Trump’s decision, Iran labeled the US military a terrorist group, following up on a threat its leaders had issued days earlier.

...Netanyahu thanked Trump for the decision and sought to claim credit for it, saying he had asked the president to declare the IRGC a terrorist organization.

“Thank you for accepting another important request of mine, which serves the interests of our countries and countries in the region,” Netanyahu tweeted.

Now that this precedent has been set at "Israel's" request, what's to prevent any government from labeling the IDF as a terrorist organization?  Will that be next?  Or will this...

IRAN THREATENS U.S. TROOPS IN MIDEAST IF IRGC DESIGNATED AS TERROR GROUP

Iranian Major General Mohammed Ali Jafari warned that US troops could be targets in response to reports that the US would list the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a designated terrorist organization. Jafari is the head of the IRGC.

If US troops come to harm as a result of this foreign policy move which Netanyahu has crowed about being responsible for, will American Jews pay the price of public outrage? R"l.
_______________________
* Department of State under the leadership of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, cut from the same Christian cloth as VP Pence.

"Blemish and Perfection"

29 Adar II 5779

Erev Shabbat Kodesh

Erev Rosh Chodesh Nisan

Parashat Tazria - HaChodesh

Parashat Tazria – Blemish and Perfection – Rabbi Meir Kahane

“On the eighth day, the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.” (Lev. 12:3)

G-d bound the Land to the great mitzvah of milah (circumcision) by an everlasting covenant and equated milah, a mitzvah carried out right on the body, with Eretz Yisrael, which a Jew must be right inside: 

“I will sustain My covenant between Me and between you and your descendants after you throughout their generations, an eternal covenant. I will be a G-d to you and to your offspring after you. To you and your offspring I will give the land where you are now living as a foreigner. The whole Land of Canaan shall be your eternal heritage, and I will be a G-d to your descendants.” G-d then said to Abraham, “As far as you are concerned, you must keep My covenant – you and your offspring throughout their generations. This is My covenant between Me, and between you and your offspring, that you must keep. You must circumcise every male.” (Gen. 17:7-10)

Following is Bereshit Rabbah, 46:9: 

R. Yuden says, There are five [conditions here]: If your offspring receive My Divinity, I shall be your G-d and patron, and if not, I will not be your G-d and patron. If they enter the Land they shall receive My Divinity, and if not, they shall not receive My Divinity. If they perform milah, they shall enter the Land... If they accept the Shabbat, they shall enter the Land... 

Here, G-d decreed the connection between the Land and mitzvot. Only if Israel enter the Land do they receive G-d as their L-rd and Master. Outside the Land, they live under the nations and their harmful cultural influence. This involves Chilul Hashem, because when we live among the nations, under their rule, the nations' gods and culture enjoy superiority. 

Moreover, the Torah is adulterated by alien, non-Jewish ideas. G-d's becoming Israel's Master is also conditional on their accepting milah, a fundamental mitzvah, whose linkage to a Jew's actual body makes it an inseparable part of him. As our sages said of King David (Menachot 43b): 

Israel are beloved in that G-d surrounded them with mitzvot: tefillin on their heads and arms, tzitzit on their garments and mezuzot on their doors... When King David entered the bath house and saw himself standing naked, he said, “Woe to me that I stand naked without mitzvot.” Once he recalled the milah on his flesh, he calmed down. 

G-d wished the Jew to be surrounded with mitzvot every single moment of his life, so that he would always be holy and complete. He, therefore, established a mitzvah for his body to be an essential part of the person himself. That way, he would always be accompanied by a mitzvah. Likewise, G-d wished Israel to dwell always within a mitzvah. He, therefore, established the mitzvah of living in Eretz Yisrael. Thus, G-d tied the mitzvah of milah to Eretz Yisrael, and together, they were the first brit, or covenant, that G-d forged between Himself and Abraham, father of the nation.

G-d feared leaving the Jew free of mitzvot even a single moment. Not only would that leave him without holiness, but he would be exposed to the influence of the nations and the alien culture. G-d, therefore, affixed milah upon the Jew's flesh so that he would always be accompanied by a mitzvah. Milah is a mitzvah which enters a Jew's body, and Eretz Yisrael is a mitzvah into which a Jew enters. Why were both necessary? So that Israel would always be set apart from the nations, and so they would thereby safeguard their holiness completely and properly. For that reason, Israel could not enter the Land until they were circumcised, because milah and Eretz Yisrael are linked to each other through their keeping the Jew separate.

G-d ordained that Jews must perform circumcision, and in practice there are two types, one applying to the foreskin, the other to the heart. Of the first it says, “Ye shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin” (Gen. 17:11), and of the second, “Circumcise the foreskin of your heart” (Deut. 10:16). Circumcision serves to soften man's pride, his physical and psychological strength, the arrogance of, “My power and the might of my hand has gotten me this wealth” (Deut. 8:17). Circumcision serves to complete the Jew. As long as he is uncircumcised, he is flawed, as though missing part of his body. This holds a great moral lesson. When a Jew gives up something of himself, that is precisely when he becomes perfect and complete. Before Abraham's circumcision, G-d said to him, “Walk before Me and you shall be perfect” (Gen. 17:1). Our sages comment (Nedarim 31b):

“Great is circumcision, for with all the mitzvot Abraham performed, he was not called 'perfect' until he was circumcised.” Rashi comments, “As long as your foreskin is in place, you are flawed.” And Nedarim 31b further teaches, “Great is circumcision, for if not for it, G-d would not have created the world: “Thus says the L-rd: 'If not for My covenant [brit] day and night, I would not have set Heaven and Earth in motion' (Jeremiah 33:25)”. 

The reason circumcision is related to in this way is clear. It is G-d's mark that man has subjugated his body and his energies to Him. It is also clear that everything said regarding circumcision of the foreskin applies to circumcision of the heart. Both act to weaken man's arrogance and lust, suppress his passions and subjugate him to the service of G-d.

We are commanded to circumcise the hard shell that prevents man from feeling mercy, kindness and justice, for only these can bring him to humility, refinement and accepting G-d's yoke. This idea is alluded to by, “The L-rd has sought Him a man after His own heart” (I Samuel 13:14), i.e. a man with a heart like G-d's. The person who denies G-d's nature and decrees and rejects the yoke of Heaven will say, “It is my own life and my own body.” This fool does not understand that every sin he commits corrupts his soul and will ultimately lead him to hurt others through his false views. Through worshiping himself and pampering his physical cravings and desires, he will necessarily arrive at a situation in which his selfishness and arrogance dominate him, until he is enslaved to his body and his lusts. [For him, this week's Parasha points out that asides from the mitzvah of circumcision, applying to heart and foreskin, there is also another way to achieve the humbling of the heart: suffering of the body, as seen in the example of the leper].

Solomon said: Why is this leper purified by the highest of the high and the lowest of the low – by cedar wood and hyssop? To teach that if a person elevates himself like a cedar tree, he is stricken with leprosy; and when he humbles himself like hyssop, he is healed by hyssop (Yalkut Shimoni, Vayikra 559). Whoever suffers learns how weak and lowly he is. His arrogance and selfishness are erased, because he must lift his eyes to Heaven for salvation. Achieving humility and ridding oneself of evil conceit are one's very mission on this earth, and by such means one is spiritually magnified and exalted. Moreover, only through one's own suffering can one understand the suffering of others and learn empathy for the sick and the needy. The more severe and painful a person's suffering, the more his own arrogance is broken down. G-d decreed that Moses must take blood from the milu'im ram and place it on the right ear lobes, right thumbs and right big toes of Aaron and his sons [during their inauguration for service in the Tabernacle]. 

HaMidrash HaGadol (Lev. 8:24) asks, “Did Aaron and his sons need blood on their thumbs and toes? Rather it was done to teach them how to purify lepers.” The leper, as well, had blood placed on these same spots. Yet, why precisely here during the milu'im did G-d establish this lesson? The answer is that, also regarding the leper, we find the importance of lowliness, which is a condition for trusting in G-d. After all, leprosy struck in response to ten sins (Vayikra Rabbah 17:3), or eleven (Bamidbar Rabbah 7:5), and among them were arrogance and Chilul Hashem. Because Aaron was not humble enough to act with complete trust in G-d and self-sacrifice, and to blot out the Chilul Hashem [regarding the sin of the golden calf], G-d rendered him as if smitten with leprosy for his arrogance and the Chilul Hashem. I said previously that the world's having been created in Hebrew (Bereishit Rabbah 31:8) means that Hebrew did not emerge by itself via a historic process like other languages. Rather, it was “ready-made”, “created” by G-d alone. Thus, every word holds secrets and allusions, and Hebrew words are tied to one another by moral themes. Take note that mum (hebr.: blemish), and tamim (hebr.: perfect) come from the same root. Even so, they are opposites, as is G-d's way with the Hebrew language. This teaches that whoever is imperfect, spiritually blemished, will be smitten with a physical blemish. In this regard, G-d hinted to Aaron: because you were not perfect, you need the milu'im. Moreover, you must conduct yourself like the leper who has been smitten physically for not behaving with spiritual perfection. Mum and tamim are separated only by sin. In circumcision, mum becomes tamim through the removal of the foreskin.

Israel, by circumcising themselves physically and spiritually, will merit to destroy the nations. Yalkut Shimoni (Tehillim 875, on Ps. 118:10-12) comments:

“Three times it says 'they swarm around me', corresponding to the three times Gog and Magog are destined to attack Jerusalem.” Three times Gog and his men will attack Jerusalem, yet all three times, “I shall destroy them [“amilam” – hinting at milah, circumcision].” 

This will happen by virtue of our circumcising body and heart. (Source)

~ SHABBAT SHALOM - CHODESH TOV ~

It's Time for Torah Jews to Separate from "Zionism"

28 Adar II 5779

I've written several blog posts on the subject of Zionism and more specifically, "Religious" Zionism, like "A Torah-True Jew Can't Be A Zionist."  Religious Zionism is as oxymoronic as Jewish Democratic State.  But, Rav David Bar-Hayim can explain it far better than I can...

Is Rabbi David Bar-Hayim a Zionist?

ELECTION FARCE

28 Adar II 5779

Israeli politics has reached a new low.  And they did this by trying to imitate America.  Instead of outlining what each party stands for and what the public has to gain from voting for them, they list all the sins of their competitors.  They are using an US vs. THEM strategy, coupled with fear tactics, to bully the public, claiming that if you don't vote for them, the other guy is so bad and so dangerous, you'll be very sorry.

Increasing the percentage a party must have to even enter the Knesset is leading us slowly towards a two-party system where people really don't have a choice at all.  Already, you can see from the Gantz/Netanyahu contest that they want to bring it really to just two sides of the same coin. There is no right or left on a coin, just two different images of the same thing - a superficial difference only.

By blocking every attempt Eli Yishai made to join with another party, the establishment has once again (after Rabbi Kahane in 1988) disenfranchised at least 100,000 people's right to choose their representation.  So much for their vaunted "democracy!"  You have to ask yourself, why was Eli Yishai seen as the only viable threat?

So, left with no one to vote for, I won't be voting.  It was never about winning anyway, there is no way to "win" when you are forced to join with anti-Torah, anti-God elements.  There will be no "winning" for the Yirei Shamayim until a Redeemer comes to Zion and "throws the bums out!"

Let's not forget why we are even having elections at this time.  The government was brought down in order to establish a coalition that would support and implement the "Deal of the Century" when it is released.  That's the only reason!  And the "right-wing and religious" parties are going to be in shock when Netanyahu and Gantz agree to cooperate and form a unity coalition to do just that.  They have to, there is no other way to do it.  The Arab news is even reporting today that the plan will be released on May 15th - the date the US recognizes as the birth of the State of Israel.

Tough times ahead.  Keep the faith! God fulfills His promises without fail.

Rafi Eitan's Regret

28 Adar II 5779

Rafi Eitan, who has to be one of the worst of the Erev Rav, expressed one regret. And what was it.  It wasn't having been the one to instruct that Jonathan Pollard be thrown off the Israeli embassy grounds into the arms of the waiting FBI, but that he wasn't there to personally "put a bullet in his head."

HAMODIA EXCLUSIVE: Who is the Real Rafi Eitan? By Avraham Weissman

"Passover -- The Jewish Sweet 16 Party"

27 Adar II 5779

Rav Richter Shiur: Passover -- The Jewish Sweet 16 Party (or Why Jews Don't Whine Over Spilled Wine) 

For the refuah shleimah of Faiga bat Malka Rayza

Will the Third Messianic War Arrive with Mashiach ben Yosef?

27 Adar II 5779

In light of this news from yesterday's Debka (Egypt’s Israeli-Hamas deal further shakes Jordan’s Hashemite throne), I am reposting something I wrote five years ago...

There is an amazing prophecy in the Book of Yeshayahu that comprises only one pasuk, but which may very well describe what I call a "messianic war."  To my mind, a "messianic war" is defined as one which brings us closer to the fulfillment of our destiny and includes the restoration of Jewish sovereignty over significant parts of our land.

For instance, the War for Independence in 1948 was the first so-called Messianic War.  It brought us sovereignty over the Land of Israel once again after almost two-thousand years of exile.  The Six Days War of 1967 was the second Messianic War.  It restored Jewish sovereignty over Judea and Samaria and, more particularly, Jerusalem.

Are you beginning to see a pattern here?  It's called "levels of kedushah."  Everyone knows that the Land of Israel has more kedushah than any other land and that Jerusalem is another step up in kedushah from the Land of Israel as a whole.  So, what is the next step up after that?  You got it!  The Temple Mount!

It should be clear to all by now that despite the words of the revered General Mordechai Gur, a"h - "Har Habayit beyadeinu!" - it's really not.  On 25 July, an Arab flag was hoisted over it and the Israeli police station there was set afire.

Therefore, the Third Messianic War should give us complete sovereignty over the Temple Mount and result in the eventual construction of the Third Temple.  So, is this Third Messianic War really described by the Prophet Yeshayahu?  It begins in chapter 11 and identifies the time period as being when "He will gather in the dispersed ones of Judah from the four corners of the earth."  Unlike in Yeshayahu's own time when we were divided into two kingdoms - Israel and Judah - we will be united as one people upon the land and then,...

They will fly in unison against the Philistine (Palestinians) to the West (Gaza), and together they will plunder the people of the East ('Palestinian Territories'); their hand will extend over Edom and Moab, and their discipline over the Children of Ammon (Jordan). (Yeshayahu 11:14)

If I have understood correctly, The Third Messianic War will begin with the re-conquest of Gaza and will ultimately end with our occupation of Jordan.  We can easily imagine how this could happen even today as some unexpected occurrence in the current conflict in Gaza expands to rioting in the 'West Bank' and moves on to Jordan where a reported 75-80% of the population identifies as "Palestinian."  That country becomes destabilized and the kingdom falls and...Israel must rush to fill the vacuum.

With the Jordanian WAKF out of the picture, we will have complete sovereignty over the Temple Mount restored and we will yet again be in possession of more land area, as happened in 1967.  This will also fulfill a promise made by the Prophet Yirmiyahu...

And I will return Israel to its abode, and he will graze in the Carmel and in the Bashan; and in Mount Ephraim and in the Gilead his soul will be satiated. (Yirmiyahu 50:19)

Carmel and Mount Ephraim are on the west bank of the Jordan River. Bashan and Gilead are on the east bank of the Jordan River. See also...

...days are coming - the word of Hashem - when I will make the alarm of war heard in Rabbah [capital] of the Children of Ammon; it will become a heap of ruins and its surrounding towns will be burned down in fire; then Israel will inherit its inheritors, said Hashem. (Yirmiyahu 49:2)

CLICK TO ENLARGE

Like Mashiach's arrival, just because it is delayed doesn't mean it's never going to happen!

Incredible, But True

26 Adar II 5779

William Coupon, portrait photographer, who shot Trump in New York City for Manhattan,inc. in 1983: “I shot Donald Trump twice. This is my favorite. Trump was offering his services as a ‘peace negotiator’ between the Israelis and the Palestinians....  (Source)

“He was 32 years old when I took that photograph, in 1983.” Bill explained. “He was attempting to (independently) negotiate an agreement between the Israelis and Palestinians at the time.” (Source)

LIES, LIES AND MORE DAMN LIES!!!

26 Adar II 5779

I weighed posting this video from every possible angle, but in the end, I felt the worth of Jews knowing these facts outweighs the exposure. That's because I've met too, too many Jews who have been taken in by Christian "friends" and "lovers of Israel." ALL of those "evangelical believers" who volunteer here in Israel are all in with the sentiments expressed here.  What these people say in this video is not fringe, it is standard, for evangelicals - the ones most attached to us.  Imagine an influential settler rabbi declaring these "righteous!"

I have no fear that anyone will be fooled by these most blatant lies - no Jew can be taken in by this tripe - so, for instructional purposes and as a kind of vaccine against loving the enemy, I post the following video.  Warning in advance, the false god's name is mentioned in its various forms.  

This also serves to explain my total antipathy and yes, even hatred, for this false religion for all the damage it does in the world.  If you can listen to this all the way through and still think not all Christians are bad or that some of them are real friends or that they have any real love or appreciation for Jews, you are a lost cause indeed.

Jews, open your eyes!  Wake up!!  This is the scum of the earth!

God forbid any of you would order that book.  Or comment on that video.  Don't give them your money or the satisfaction of knowing you watched it.  They won't believe any truth you try to impart to them.  

If you want to know more about Rabbi Kadouri, which is absolutely NOT as these people are presenting it, see HERE.

Rabbi's Hidden Message Decoded Shocks the World! And Jewish History Forever Changed

TOTALLY MORALLY BANKRUPT

25 Adar II 5779

There is a US evening news program that ends its broadcast with a "heart-warming, inspirational" segment. On March 30th, this segment featured a grandmother who carried and gave birth to her own granddaughter.  But, wait for it...  The sperm was donated by her daughter and the sperm was donated by her son, so he and his male partner could have a child to raise.  God help us!

Is there any wonder that nature has gone haywire???

The (As-Yet) Unrecognized Disaster

25 Adar II 5779

Most people today never think about where the food in their local grocery store comes from and never imagine that it could disappear overnight.

With winter crops just about ready to be harvested and spring crops needing to get into the ground, "apocalyptic" flooding and snowfalls have destroyed the former and are preventing the latter.  The video below focuses on the devastating Mid-West floods in the USA, but this is happening worldwide.  Record weather disasters are destroying food supplies and it won't be long before people will begin to take notice at the grocery checkout.  By this time next year, we may be experiencing severe shortages.

Cyclone Idai 'might be southern hemisphere's worst such disaster'

The devastating cyclone that hit south-eastern Africa may be the worst ever disaster to strike the southern hemisphere, according to the UN.

Cyclone Idai has swept through Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe over the past few days, destroying almost everything in its path, causing devastating floods, killing and injuring thousands of people and ruining crops.

"As Many As A Million Calves Lost In Nebraska" – Beef Prices To Escalate Dramatically In Coming Months

How Much Food Prices Will Rise After Midwest USA Floods

Parashah: "The Meaning of Life"

22 Adar II 5779
Erev Shabbat Kodesh
Parashat Shemini - Parah - Mevorchim

Parashat Shemini – The Meaning of Life – Rabbi Meir Kahane

The sons of Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, each took his fire pan, they put fire in them and placed incense upon it; and they brought before Hashem an alien fire that He had not commanded them. A fire came forth from before Hashem and consumed them, and they died before Hashem. (Lev. 10:1-2)

Dear friend, open your mouth wide and I will fill it with a major, albeit harsh, principle from the Torah of life: Since life on this earth is only a vestibule for the banquet hall which is the World-to-Come, only an instrument of G-d whose purpose is to bring man and the world to holiness and the yoke of G-d's kingdom, and since true life occurs only in the World-to-Come, the world of truth, it follows that in order to attain this goal and teach people fundamental lessons, G-d sometimes shortens peoples' lives.

Sometimes, those who pass away are righteous, innocent persons, even children and infants, and the fools and the “dead” who move around among us see in it only cruelty, or even lack of logic, direction and Divine conduct in the world. Life was given to man as a loan, a loan that he must pay off when the time comes, and that he is not entitled to refuse. As our sages said (Avot, end of Ch. 4): Perforce you were formed and perforce you were born; perforce you live, perforce you shall die, and perforce you have to give a strict account before the Supreme King of Kings, the Holy One, blessed be He. The two sons of R. Meir and his wife Beruriah died. Our sages describe how Beruriah acted before revealing the tragedy to her husband (Yalkut Shimoni, Mishlei 964): Beruriah set food before R. Meir. After he had eaten she said, “Master, I have a question to ask. Someone previously gave me a deposit to take care of for him. Now he has come to reclaim it. Should I return it or not?” R. Meir replied, “Daughter, if someone has a deposit, is he not obligated to return it to its owner?” She then said, “I would not return it without your knowledge.” Taking his hand, she brought him up to the bedroom. She pulled back the bed sheets and he saw his two sons lying there deceased. He began to cry and said, “My sons, my sons! My teachers, my teachers! My sons in proper behavior. My teachers in that they would enlighten me with their Torah.” At that moment she said, “Master, did you not tell me that we must return a deposit to its owner? 'The L-rd gave and the L-rd has taken away. Blessed be the name of the L-rd' (Job 1:21).”

Life is nothing but a deposit from G-d. It is decreed that one should live a specific length of time, and during that time he should fulfill the mission incumbent on him. Like anyone guarding a deposit, a person must guard his life, neither damaging nor making improper use of it. When the time comes, he must return it to its owner. Man's life on earth is exceedingly short; it passes in the blink of an eye. On the one hand, it is qualitatively of enormous importance, for only through it can a person fulfill the duty for which he was created. On the other hand, however, how brief and transient life is! It is compared to “the potsherd that breaks, the grass that withers, the flower that fades, the shadow that passes, the cloud that vanishes, the breeze that blows, the dust that floats, the dream that flies away” (U'Netaneh Tokef). Our true, eternal existence is in the World-to-Come, not here on earth. As our sages said (Avot 4:16), “This world is like a vestibule before the World-to-Come. Prepare yourself in the vestibule so that you may enter the banquet hall.” This carries both encouragement and a warning, and we must assimilate the whole message with pure acceptance of the yoke of Heaven. A person must understand his mission on earth and the idea that life was given only to fulfill that mission. He must understand how brief and transient life is and how much emptiness pervades it. Once he understands these things, he will recognize that he need not fear either the day or moment of death as long as he pursues life by accepting the yoke of Heaven and being constantly ready to sanctify G-d's name through self-sacrifice. If someone has attained immortality by doing G-d's will, what does he lose if he suddenly leaves this world? One should not delude oneself into viewing longevity as an end in itself. The main thing is life's quality: how a person lives. Does he attain true life as defined by G-d? When a person exists on this earth without accepting the yoke of Heaven and without readiness to sacrifice his life to sanctify G-d's name, that is not “life” at all, but a bestial existence.

By contrast, if someone's life was cut off in its prime through his sacrificing himself, that person was alive before, he is still alive now, and he will remain alive forever in the World-to-Come. The wise person who understands G-d's ways and Torah will thus never fear. He will always be ready to sacrifice his life to sanctify G-d's name, and precisely in this way, to continue living. When G-d wishes to demonstrate how great, awesome and just He is, He shows no favoritism even to the righteous. He killed the two sons of Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, who were righteous (and not only did He kill them, but He took their souls on the most joyous and holy day, that of the Tabernacle's dedication). What great suffering was caused to Aaron, their father, and Elisheva, their mother! Dear reader, let us consider our grave duty to fear G-d. As explained above, G-d will sometimes take a person before his time to teach a profound idea that will sanctify His name. G-d's doing so involves no cruelty whatsoever. On the one hand, life on this earth is short and fleeting. It is not eternal. If someone dies young, as much as a tragedy it is for his relatives and friends, he is really only leaving this earth a few years before he would have anyway. 

On the other hand, someone whom G-d kills to teach that person's nation and contemporaries and the world a Divine lesson that will sanctify G-d's name, thereby ascends to greatness. Our sages said (Vayikra Rabbah 2:1), “Ten things are called precious... From whence do we know that the death of the saintly is among them? It says, 'Precious in the sight of the L-rd is the death of His saints' (Ps. 116:5).” Thus, those saints who die to sanctify G-d's name are precious, and their death is precious.

G-d suffered greatly for having killed Nadab and Abihu, who were righteous. As our sages said (Bamidbar Rabbah 2:23): “Nadab and Abihu died before the L-rd” (Num. 3:4): The Torah's mentioning their death in several places teaches that G-d was sorrowful because Aaron's sons were dear to Him. Likewise it says, “I will be sanctified through those close to Me (Lev. 10:3). Vayikra Rabbah (20:10) says, “The death of Nadab and Abihu was twice as hard on G-d as it was on their father.” R. Eliezer HaModai says (Sifri, Pinchas 137): Consider how dear the righteous are before G-d. Wherever it mentions their death it mentions the sin that led to it as well. Why does it go to such lengths? To avoid giving mankind the pretext to say that righteous men died because they had acted corruptly in secret. Thus, in four places it mentions the death of Aaron's sons, and in each it mentions their sin to make known that they had no sin but this. One should be aware that in all four places where G-d mentions Nadab and Abihu's sin, He points to the strange fire that they brought in the Holy of Holies. This was their sin, as noted in previous sources. When they saw the fire descend, they became excited and followed their own Halachah that it was a mitzvah to bring regular fire as well. They wished to stress the connection between G-d's holiness and that of man. At the root of all this was their desire to enter the Holy of Holies, to commune there with G-d, and to offer an incense that would be accepted. Although Nadab and Abihu were righteous and wished to come close to G-d, the outcome of their deed was the diminishing of G-d's glory and of Israel's reverence for Him. Hence G-d made Nadab and Abihu an eternal example, an everlasting reminder of the crucial principle that we must demonstrate fear of G-d through reverence for the Temple: This is what G-d meant when He said, 'I will be sanctified through those close to Me, and thus glorified before all the people.' Aaron remained silent (Lev. 10:3).

Besides the general reverence all are obligated to feel, there are concrete limitations on a persons' entering the Temple, depending on who he is. If he is an Israelite, his being pure or impure has a bearing, as does the type of impurity itself. If he is an ordinary Kohen, his being physically blemished, not cutting his hair or wearing torn clothes has a bearing. If he is the Kohen Gadol, he faces other limitations when he enters the Holy of Holies once each year. Although the reason for these limitations is the levels of holiness within these boundaries, entering in opposition to that holiness indicates a lack of fear of G-d, the levels of holiness having been fixed chiefly so man would experience that fear. What emerges from all this is that G-d gave us life to perform a specific task, and created man to fulfill that task and bring the world holiness, purity, humility, fear of Heaven and acceptance of G-d's yoke. This being the case, when the times demand it, G-d might also remove someone from this earth to teach a specific idea. We need not mourn such a person. Rather we must stand silently as did Aaron and accept sentence. We must transcend our natural sorrow and be joyful about this exalted soul. G-d's holy ones are likewise adored and lauded through this, for by their early deaths they complete their role on this wretched earth in holiness and acceptance of the yoke of Heaven, and there is nothing greater than that. No exit from this earth could be more exalted. (Source)

~ SHABBAT SHALOM UMEVORACH ~