I Only Wish It Were A Purimshpiel

14 Adar 5778
Chag Purim

Just in time for Purim...

Trump peace plan could recognize Palestinian state – report
Arab diplomats quoted as saying yet-to-be revealed plan will nix refugees' right of return, raze far-flung settlements, place Jerusalem's Old City under international protection 


It was entirely predictable (last five paragraphs).

Now, when we are making our requests of HKB"H today, let's ask that He make Trump's plan as successful as Haman's, y"sh. But, this time, with open and revealed miracles! No more hiding!!

The Mitzvah of Mishloach Manot

13 Adar 5778

Ta'anit Esther

What's wrong with this picture? 

Sugar, sugar and sugar! A lot of empty, nutritionless calories. With the invasion of western culture into the Jewish State, this is the kind of mishloach manot that can be seen all over at all the shops in Israel.

I'd like to encourage all my readers to resist the temptation to buy these ready-made baskets and invest some time, effort and imagination into creating healthier versions, perhaps something more in keeping with our time-honored traditions.

Even something simple like these cheery butterflies meets the halachic requirements for mishloach manot. See the following...

There is a mitzvah to send one gift called Mishloach Manot, consisting of two foods, to one person on Purim. After fulfilling one Mishloach Manot according to the halacha, one may give more even if they don’t fulfill all the stringencies of Mishlaoch Manot. Anyone who increases in sending Mishloach Manot is praiseworthy. Some explain that we’re supposed to give gifts in order to increase friendliness and spread kindness and peace among Jews. Others explain that the obligation is meant to supply people with food for the Purim Seuda especially those who are poor and are embarrassed to ask for money.

Mishloach Manot should be given during the day of Purim and not the night. It is preferable to give it before eating the Seudat Purim. The food being sent should be cooked or ready to eat,.... Canned food is considered ready to eat and is acceptable. ...Many say that each food should be something that could serve as a course in a meal. If one sends bread it counts as one food and only one other is required. ...A drink counts just like a food, but some are strict to give two foods.

Women are obligated to fulfill Mishloach Manot. However, if she’s married she may fulfill her obligation if her husband sends more than one. ...If a Mishloach Manot is addressed to a group of people such as a family one should make sure that there’s 2 separate foods per person of the group.  (Source)

Tzom Kal and a very happy Purim to all! 

"Our Orphaned Generation"

12 Adar 5778

See Our Orphaned Generation by Donny Fuchs.

How to ID Mashiach

10 Adar 5778
Shavua tov!

Introducing Rabbi Lawrence Hajioff. According to his Wikipedia entry, he is an English American rabbi, educator, and writer. He is on the Judaic studies faculty of the Stern College for Women at Yeshiva University and is also the Assistant Director of Admissions. Hajioff served as the official rabbi for Birthright Israel in Manhattan, New York. Hajioff is also the author of three books: Jew Got Questions? (2014), Will Jew Marry Me?: A Guide to Dating, Relationships, Love and Marriage (2016), and The Future: A Guide to the Jewish Messiah, Israel, and The End of Days (2018).

He has several excellent shiurim on the subject of Mashiach at his Youtube channel, like the one posted below and also, an entire series on Megillat Esther, as well as many more. 

Happy Listening and Learning!

The Seven Fold Mission of the Messiah and How We Know We Found the Right Person

Mortal Enemies Squaring Off

10 Adar 5778

Shavua tov!

It's all in the hands of HKB"H. But, what if all these preparations are His hand?

IDF, US troops get ready for drill to simulate massive missile attack on Israel

...In total, some 4,500 soldiers from the two militaries will take part in the exercise — 2,500 of them from the United States’ European Command (US EUCOM) and 2,000 from the Israel Defense Forces. This is a substantial increase from the 2016 exercise, in which some 3,200 soldiers took part.

The Juniper Cobra exercise is scheduled to begin on March 4 and will formally run until March 15, though some American troops will stay in Israel and continue training with the IDF until the end of the month, the army said.

...On Monday, a top IDF general warned that this year was more likely to see war break out between Israel and the Iranian-led axis of Tehran, Damascus, and the Beirut-based Hezbollah terrorist organization — all three of which have called for Israel’s destruction — as the trio’s victories in the Syrian civil war will allow them to focus their attentions on fighting the Jewish state.

“The year 2018 has the potential for escalation [of military conflict], not necessarily because either side wants to initiate it, but because of a gradual deterioration. This has led us to raise the level of preparedness,” Maj. Gen. Nitzan Alon, head of IDF Operations, told Army Radio in a rare interview.

Russia deploys advanced stealth jets in Syria with warning aimed at Israel

Russia has deployed two of its most advanced and sophisticated stealth jets in Syria, in a power move likely to draw US criticism, as the Pentagon expressed its alarm earlier this month over recent close calls with Russian planes in the war-torn country.

Satellite images by Israeli company ImageSat International this week showed the fifth generation jets — two Su-57 fighter aircraft — at Russia’s airbase in the coastal Syrian city of Latakia. A source in the defense ministry confirmed to RBK news agency this week that the two planes were sent to the Hmeimim base “for a test in real conditions.” The jets are said to be a potential rival to the US’s Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor, which American forces use in patrols over Syria.

The deployment came with a covert warning to Israel by a Russian official, who said that the presence of the Su-57s will doubtlessly send a political message, serving as a deterrent “for aircraft from neighboring states, which periodically fly into Syrian airspace uninvited.”

Two more Russian topline Su-57 land in Syria to challenge US, Israeli air might

Government sources in Moscow reported Saturday, Feb. 24, that four fifth-generation Sukhoi-57 jet fighters are currently deployed in Syria after a second pair landed Friday.

...The Su-57’s weapon bays are designed to carry Russia’s new nuclear tactical X-50 air-launched cruise missile, although it is not known whether the aircraft in Syria are carrying them. DEBKA Weekly’s military sources see President Vladimir Putin’s decision to send the Su-57 fighters to Syria as substantially raising the big power stakes in Syria after the loss of dozens of Russian troops on Feb. 7 to massive US artillery and air strikes that decimated the Russian, Syrian and pro-Iranian forces crossing the Euphrates River. An American radar-invisible F-22 took part in that raid. The Russians have dubbed the Su-57 the “F-22 killer.”

It is also Russia’s response to Israel’s air offensive on Feb. 10, which targeted the shared Russian-Iranian T-4 air base near Palmyra and smashed four Iranian Revolutionary Guards forward command centers in Syria, after downing an Iranian drone. It is also seen in Moscow as a challenge for Israel’s newly acquired fifth-generation US F-35 combat aircraft.

Does Putin intend to order his mighty airborne strike force to go into battle against the US or Israel in the boiling Syrian arena? If he does, he will be launching the first contest between the most sophisticated warplanes ever devised for a test of superior might between the US and Russia and a war escalation unprecedented, even in Syria.

Meanwhile, nothing like provoking HKB"H with yet another graven image on holy soil and one representing the Christian man-god no less!

A 1,034 lb. male lion will be given to Israel this spring if plans go as expected,....

This lion will be a gift from American Christians to the Jewish state in honor of its 70th anniversary as a modern nation. 

...The large than life, 105 percent size is based on the dimensions of the largest male lion ever known. An additional 5 percent was added for God, according to the Christian sculptor and evangelist.

For thousands of years, the lion has been a symbol of the Jewish nation, King David and the Messiah. It is even referenced in the first and last books of the Bible, in Genesis 49:10 and Revelation 5:5.  (Source)

This is, of course, in keeping with Christian tradition and "Lion of Judah" is a popular appellation for JC of Nazareth.  Hashem yerachem!

Understanding Parashat Zachor

8 Adar 5778
Erev Shabbat Kodesh
Parashat Tetzave - Zachor

VERY IMPORTANT - Understanding Parashat Zachor

Balancing the Scales a Bit

 8 Adar 5778

I'm not here to tell you how to think. I'm here to provide you with "the other side of the story" so you can make a well-informed decision about where you stand on certain issues - no matter which way you choose to go. Cyberspace seems to be curiously heavily weighted in favor of only one side at the moment.

With regards to a bombastic statement attributed to a prominent Bnei Braq rabbi, Da'at Torah says the following...

RABBI DAVID BAR-HAYIM ON RAV CHAIM DOVID STERN

Israel's Vulnerability to An Attack By Iran

6 Adar 5778

This is the week of Parashat Zachor: "Remember what Amalek did to you on the way." But, it's not enough to remember what Amalek did. We have to also remember why he was successful against us.

Idolatry in the camp of Israel (The Book of Our Heritage, Eliyahu Kitov)

You followed me in the wilderness in a land that was not planted (Yirmeyahu 2:2) – The Sages explained: This [the complete dependence on G-d that characterized Israel’s existence in the desert] is only temporary and will last only as long as you are on the way [to the Land of Israel] and until the Torah is permanently implanted within you. Afterwards, you shall enter the land which is My place, and you will plant at the time of planting, sow at the time of sowing, and harvest at the time of harvesting, and I shall grant you bounty greater than any other nation or land.

However, the imperative to remove all traces of idolatry and to serve only G-d—this is incumbent upon you now and for generations to come. Have you removed the foreign gods from your midst? Have you brought yourselves under My wing and shattered all of your idols? Let Amalek come and examine you. If your hearts are completely with Me, you have nothing to fear. But if there is among you a man or woman whose soul still clings to the idols of Egypt and their abominations, let them [the idols] come and save you from the wicked Amalek! The verse therefore states: And Amalek came (Shemos 17;8)…and he tailed after you [striking] all the weak who fell behind (Devarim 25;18).

After he tailed after you—R. Nachman explained: All those whom the “protective cloud” cast out were caught by Amalek. The Sages explained: This refers to the tribe of Dan who were cast out by the “protective cloud” because they were all idol-worshipers. The idol which Michah had created was in their midst, and there were many among them who had not wholeheartedly resolved to serve God alone (Yalkut Shimoni, Parashas Ki Setze).

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

Now, Amalek comes to threaten us again, davka this week at this time of year...

And sinners among our people have allied themselves with idolatry at the center of power in our country, davka now, this week before Purim, Parashat Zachor, in the shadow of the threat of war with Amalek.

May all the enemies of God and Israel fall, never to rise again.