Another Sign We Are in a Transition Period Into Messianic Times

26 Sivan 5780

And it shall be at the end of the days,...the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of man shall be humbled, and the Lord alone shall be exalted on that day. And the idols shall completely pass away. (Yeshayahu 2.2, 17-18)

Like everything about life in This World (Olam HaZeh), there is a predetermined destination.  Our choices only dictate whether we will arrive at it by the short, peaceful route through submission to the Will of our Creator, or by the long, hard road,  a detour taken by those who rebel against the authority of HKB"H.

A prime example of this is illustrated by the journey of Bnei Yisrael from Egypt to Eretz Cana'an.  It should have taken eleven days.  Instead, it was forty years.

The whole world is on the Road to Redemption-in-its-Time - the longest, hardest road there is - but rest assured that the destination is still glorious, regardless of how we get there.

The inhabitants of Earth should be tearing down all the statues ("You shall not make for yourselves any graven image.") out of love for HKB"H and in obedience to His commandments.  Instead, they are doing it out of the attitude of rebellion that rules their hearts in these turbulent times.

Either way, this is a start towards a world where no "graven images" at all are tolerated, as per the expressed desire of our Creator.

Jews don't need statues to remember our history

...SO HOW is it we remember as a people, scattered over dozens of countries worldwide, our history – and the goodies and the baddies? Our community memory is an oral memory; we are not called the People of the Book for nothing. We write things down and discuss them. We made sure they were handed down from generation to generation....

Of course, this is happening mainly in the United States - the country that makes the biggest show of its Biblical heritage.  I found this recent image of members of Congress "taking a knee" in the presence of idols in the US Capitol to be particularly thought-provoking.

"Trouble, Trouble Everywhere" (FYI)

26 Sivan 5780

Just in case you missed any of these...

Intifada In France? Jewish MP: “I’m Afraid It’s Too Late For France”

A frightening scenario is occurring in France in recent days in the city of Dijon, with four consecutive days of guerrilla warfare between Chechen and Muslim gangs, complete with Kalashnikov rifles and other weapons, iron bars, gunshots and shouts of “Allah Akbar.”

The violence, apparently sparked by an alleged assault on a Chechen teenager, is centered in the low-income district of Grésilles, which has a large Muslim population. Cars have been set on fire, a police officer lynched, over a dozen wounded, and despite the hundreds of anti-riot police deployed, not one arrest has been made.

Meyer Habib, a Jewish Member of the French Parliament, wrote on social media: “After the anti-Semitic outbursts when they screamed “Dirty Jews!” these images reflect a harsh reality in France of 2020. And what are we doing? Nothing!”

“Furthermore, the extreme left wants to dismantle the police. Instead of suspending our police forces – “the suspects of racism” – it would be better to invest our means in enforcing order. It’s an upside-down world. The Republic is falling. It pains me about France and I’m afraid it’s too late.”

~~~~~~~~~~ 

Beijing residents are rounded up and put in quarantine as the city goes back into lockdown, schools are shut and travel bans are reintroduced to stop 'extremely severe' new coronavirus outbreak blamed on 'European salmon'

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Rumors Of Wars: China, India, North Korea, South Korea, Israel And Turkey All Move Toward War

CHINA, INDIA VIOLENT BATTLE IN HIMALAYAS

The hand-to-hand combat lasted hours, on steep, jagged terrain, with iron bars, rocks and fists. Neither side carried guns. Most of the soldiers killed in the worst fighting between India and China in 60 years lost their footing or were knocked from the narrow Himalayan ridge, plunging to their deaths.

India has reacted with shock and caution to the loss of at least 20 soldiers on its disputed border with China, with images of the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, burned in Indian cities.

Modi Warns of ‘Befitting Reply’ From India if China Tensions Worsen

North Korea ‘to mass troops near border’ and slams ‘mongrel dog’ South Korea after blowing up ’embassy’ building

Turkish plans for permanent military presence in Libya spark concern

Turkey in military action on three Mid-East fronts, now adds Yemen

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Scientists made 1 small edit to human embryos. It had a lot of unintended consequences.

On the brighter side, the Israeli Knesset voted 53-26 today to NOT allow public transportation on Shabbat.

It Has Already Begun - "The Boogaloo Boys"

25 Sivan 5780

In my last blog post, I explained why a right-wing response to Antifa had to arise in light of the ongoing protests in America right now.  Apparently, it already started as reported...

Extreme-right ‘boogaloo’ follower charged with killing cop at US racism protest

WASHINGTON — A California Air Force sergeant with ties to the extreme-right “boogaloo” movement was charged Tuesday with the murder of an Oakland policeman during Black Lives Matter protests, one of two police officers he is accused of killing in recent weeks.

The Justice Department said Steven Carrillo gunned down Oakland police officer Patrick Underwood in a drive-by shooting from a white van during the May 29 protests over the police killing of a handcuffed African American man in Minneapolis.
Eight days later, on June 6, Carrillo’s van was discovered to the south near Santa Cruz, and when police neared Carillo’s residence, he ambushed them and killed another officer, Damon Gutzwiller.

...Officials said the Air Force security specialist was associated with the underground “boogaloo bois” ideology, which espouses a mix of anti-government extremism and civil and race war. Its followers often openly carry assault weapons and wear military-like and flowery Hawaiian garb in public.

According to local reports, Carillo — who had weapons, ammunition and materials for bombs in his van and home — wrote “boog” on the hood of a car in his own blood when he was arrested.

“The boogaloo term is used by extremists to reference a violent uprising or impending civil war in the United States,” said US Attorney David Anderson on Tuesday during a press conference in Oakland.

It was the second case of far-right extremists being arrested in relation to the protests against police brutality that swept the nation after the May 25 killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, since charged with murder.

On June 3, Las Vegas police arrested three men also associated with the boogaloo movement and charged them for attempting to incite riot and start fires during a Black Lives Matter protest.

The three, two formerly in the military and one in the army reserve, had originally sought to stir up violence in mid-May protests against the coronavirus shutdown, the indictment said, citing a confidential FBI source.

On May 30, they decided to try to use the protests over Floyd’s death as a cover to stir up violence, preparing guns, ammunition and Molotov cocktails.

One “was very upset that the protests were not turning violent,” the indictment said.

In case you think this might be an isolated event, think again.

THE BOOGALOO BOYS (BOIS)

...The boogaloo movement, adherents to which are often referred to as boogaloo boys or boogaloo bois, is a loosely organized American far-right extremist movement.

Participants generally identify as a libertarian citizen-militia, and say they are preparing for a second American Civil War, which they call the "boogaloo". Widespread use of the term dates from late 2019, and adherents use the term (including variations, so as to avoid social media crackdowns) to refer to violent uprisings against the federal government or left-wing political opponents, often anticipated to follow government confiscation of firearms.

The movement consists of pro-gun, anti-government groups. The specific ideology of each group varies, and views on some topics such as race differ widely. Some are white supremacist or neo-Nazi groups who believe that the impending unrest will be a race war; however other groups condemn racism and white supremacy. The boogaloo movement primarily organizes online (particularly on Facebook), and participants have appeared at in-person events including the 2020 United States anti-lockdown protests and the May 2020 George Floyd protests. They are often identified by their attire of Hawaiian shirts and military fatigues, and are heavily armed. In May and June 2020, Facebook acted to limit the movement's activities and visibility across its social media platforms.

...Extremism researchers first took notice of the word "boogaloo" being used in the context of the boogaloo movement in 2019, when they observed it being used among fringe groups including militias, gun rights movements, and white supremacist groups. This usage of the term is believed to have originated on the fringe imageboard website 4chan, where it was often accompanied by references to "racewar" and "dotr" (day of the rope, a neo-Nazi reference to a fantasy involving murdering what the posters view to be "race traitors"). Researchers from the Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI) found that the usage of the term "boogaloo" increased by 50% on Facebook and Twitter in the last months of 2019 and into early 2020. They attribute surges in popularity to a viral incident in November 2019, when a military veteran posted content mentioning the boogaloo on Instagram during a standoff with police, and to the December 2019 impeachment of Donald Trump. The boogaloo movement experienced a further surge in popularity following the lockdowns that were implemented to try to slow the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, and the Tech Transparency Project observed that the boogaloo groups appeared to be encouraged by President Trump's tweets about "liberating" states under lockdown. The Tech Transparency Project also found that 60% of boogaloo Facebook groups had emerged following the pandemic lockdowns, during which time they amassed tens of thousands of adherents. A Facebook spokesperson said that Facebook and Instagram had changed their policies as of May 1 to "prohibit the use of ['Boogaloo' and related] terms when accompanied by statements and images depicting armed violence." (Source)

Don't say no one warned you.  

"...An urgent plea to American Jewry"

24 Sivan 5780

From last week (Part 1)...



PLEASE NOTE IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU READ TO THE END!  [Videos below are optional and for those wanting additional info.]

On a related subject - the 'original' antifa?

I knew from my reading of history that the Nazi movement played on the public's fear of communism to gain their support, but I had never read in-depth on the communist party's actions in pre-WWII Germany.  It isn't so easy to find.  It's like every history wants to focus on Nazism as if it sprang fully formed from the ground.  But had it not been for the activities of communist agents and sympathizers, it is very possible that Nazism would never have gone mainstream.

We've seen it before in the ages-long rivalry between Christianity and Islam.  It would seem that when one extreme comes into the world, its opposite extreme follows in order to bring the world back into balance.  If true, then communism would by necessity bring in its wake fascism.  The question now is whether America, with the rise of Antifa, now stands at this crossroads where fascism enters the picture in a very big way.

Everyone has likely heard the truism:  "Those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it."  Is history repeating itself now in 2020 America?  [How ironic that there is a global pandemic going on now just as there was in 1918-1920?]

Engineering A Race War: Will This Be The American Police State's Reichstag Fire?

It’s the Reichstag Fire all over again.

It was February 1933, a month before national elections in Germany, and the Nazis weren’t expected to win. So they engineered a way to win: they began by infiltrating the police and granting police powers to their allies; then Hitler brought in stormtroopers to act as auxiliary police; by the time an arsonist (who claimed to be working for the Communists in the hopes of starting an armed revolt) set fire to the Reichstag, the German parliamentary building, the people were eager for a return to law and order.

That was all it took: Hitler used the attempted “coup” as an excuse to declare martial law and seize absolute power in Germany, establishing himself as a dictator with the support of the German people.

Fast forward to the present day, and what do we have? The nation in turmoil after months of pandemic fear-mongering and regional lockdowns, a national election looming, a president with falling poll numbers, and a police state that wants to stay in power at all costs.

Note the similarities?

It’s entirely possible that Americans have finally reached a tipping point over police brutality after decades of abuse. After all, until recently, the legislatures and the courts have marched in lockstep with the police state, repeatedly rebuffing efforts to hold police accountable for official misconduct.

Then again, it’s also equally possible that the architects of the police state have every intention of manipulating this outrage for their own purposes.

It works the same in every age.

As author Jim Keith explains, “Create violence through economic pressures, the media, mind control, agent provocateurs: thesis. Counter it with totalitarian measures, more mind control, police crackdowns, surveillance, drugging of the population: antithesis. What ensues is Orwell’s vision of 1984, a society of total control: synthesis.”

Here’s what is going to happen: the police state is going to stand down and allow these protests, riots and looting to devolve into a situation where enough of the voting populace is so desperate for a return to law and order that they will gladly relinquish some of their freedoms to achieve it. And that’s how the police state will win, no matter which candidate gets elected to the White House.

Are they right?  Is what the US is experiencing now a repeat of the moment enacted by the Communist Sparticus League in pre-Nazi Germany?

Spartacus League

The Spartacus League (German: Spartakusbund) was a Marxist revolutionary movement organized in Germany during World War I. The League was named after Spartacus, leader of the largest slave rebellion of the Roman Republic. It was founded by Karl Liebknecht, [Jewess] Rosa Luxemburg, Clara Zetkin, and others. The League subsequently renamed itself the Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands (KPD), joining the Comintern in 1919. Its period of greatest activity was during the German Revolution of 1918, when it sought to incite a revolution by circulating the newspaper Spartacus Letters.

Interestingly enough, there is a branch of this organization operating in the United States today.

Sparticist League (US)

This Spartacist League named themselves after the original Spartacus League of Weimar Republic in Germany, but the current League has no formal descent from it. The League self-identifies as a "revolutionary communist" organization.

In the United States, the group is small but very vocal, and [is active] within leftist-activist coalitions and wide-scale social justice protest movements....

For more info on the communist revolution of pre-WWII Germany, see the following videos, or just skip below.





I found the reference to Spartacus intriguing because of it's reference to Rome.  Germany is very connected to Rome. Kaiser is the German form of Caesar (as is the word Czar).  [In Hebrew, it is pronounced Kay-sar.]  Germany was also once known as the Holy Roman Empire.

The backlash created by the fear of a communist takeover of Europe in the wake of the Russian Communist Revolution of 1917 was so strong that it led many Jews not only to vote for Hitler, but to organize to support the Nazi party.

Association of German National Jews

The Association of German National Jews (German: Verband nationaldeutscher Juden) was a German Jewish organization during the Weimar Republic and the early years of Nazi Germany that eventually came out in support of Adolf Hitler.

It was founded in 1921 by Max Naumann, who was its chairman until 1926 and again from 1933 to 1935, when the association was dissolved. The association was close to the national conservative and monarchist German National People's Party which, however, refused affiliation to the Association.

The goal of the Association was the total assimilation of Jews into the German Volksgemeinschaft, self-eradication of Jewish identity, and the expulsion from Germany of Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe. Naumann was especially opposed to Zionists and Eastern European Jews. He considered the former a threat to Jewish integration and carriers of a "racist" ideology serving British imperial purposes. He saw the latter as racially and spiritually inferior.

The association's official organ was the monthly Der nationaldeutsche Jude edited by Max Naumann. The magazine had a circulation of 6,000 in 1927.

Among the activities of the Association was the fight against the Jewish boycott of German goods. It also issued a manifesto that stated that the Jews were being fairly treated.

In 1934 the Association made the following statement:

"We have always held the well-being of the German people and the fatherland, to which we feel inextricably linked, above our own well-being. Thus we greeted the results of January 1933, even though it has brought hardship for us personally."

A possible reason why some German Jews supported Hitler may have been that they thought that his antisemitism only was for the purpose of "stirring up the masses".

The seemingly ironic fact that a Jewish association advocated loyalty to the Nazi programme gave rise to a contemporary joke about Naumann and his followers ending their meeting by giving the Nazi salute and shouting "Down With Us!".

Despite the extreme patriotism of Naumann and his colleagues, the German government did not accept their goal of assimilation. The Association of German National Jews was declared illegal and dissolved on 18 November 1935. Naumann was arrested by the Gestapo the same day and imprisoned at the Columbia concentration camp. He was released after a few weeks, and died of cancer in May 1939.  [See also:  German Vanguard.]

If history really is repeating itself, when will the fascist backlash begin?  Honestly, I am a bit shocked that there hasn't been one yet.  I don't know what they are waiting for.  There is no way that it won't happen.  I guess it's just waiting for the right spark to set it off.  I wonder if it might be coming July 4, 2020...

Min. Louis Farrakhan Announces Major July 4 Worldwide Address

Nation of Islam (NOI) Leader The Honorable Min. Louis Farrakhan announced he will deliver a major message to the entire world on July 4, reported The Final Call. Farrakhan’s message will commemorate the Nation’s 90th anniversary.

“This message will not just be for Muslims; it is not just for Christians; it is not just for Jews, it is for every inhabitant of this planet,” Farrakhan said.

...He said he would be delivering the message in July in accordance with the 25th Surah (Chapter) of the Holy Qu’ran, which means “to discern truth from falsehood,” according to the report.

“That message if it is the Will of Allah (God), I will deliver it to the world on the 90th birthday of the Nation of Islam from somewhere in Chicago, Illinois or in Michigan; a message to the world, an announcement to the world,” Farrakhan said. “I say to you with deep humility from the 25th Surah of the Qur’an: ‘Blessed is He Who sent down the Discrimination upon His servant that he might be a warner to the nation.’”

And at the same time, there is BLACKOUT DAY scheduled by the black community for July 7th, but for which there are calls to move up to July 4th, and a call from the right-wing for a BLACK OUT WEEKEND July 4-5.

For the Jews, July 4, 2020  is Shabbat, 12 Tammuz, Parashat Balak which contains the enigmatic messianic prophecy of "Kochav Ya'aqov."  [Well worth the read, especially since it points out the submission of Moav and the downfall of Edom which are linked to these very current events!  Hamevin yavin.]

Kind of makes you wonder if the toxic antisemite "Minister" Farrakhan is a reincarnation of Bila'am since we know nothing happens by coincidence.

The month of Tammuz this year could be getting ready to really live up to its reputation.  Lest we forget, the current Israeli regime can announce annexation at anytime from July 1st and the so-called Palestinians are promising a violent response. [See also HERE.]

Whatever comes, just do not fear.  Cling to HKB"H.  It is He who runs the world.  

ISAIAH 43:1-15

The Embattled Jewish Soul

22 Sivan 5780

Eisav/Edom, as exemplified by his red coloring, has a war-like character. I'm not sure it's ever been more on display in America than it is today. Everything is expressed in terms of war - War on Poverty, War on Drugs, War on Terror, War on COVID-19. Now, they have a real war in their streets after decades of militarizing their civilian police forces.

A war we often fail to recognize is the war on Torah Judaism - to replace authentic Judaism with Judeo-Christianity. The majority of our brethren in chu"l have enlisted on the side of our enemies. And its trending that way in Eretz Yisrael as well, as the American influence in our country steadily grows and gains strength via the Erev Rav regime in power.

To keep you abreast of developments, following is some new information as well as some updates...

Israeli bus driver given ‘disciplinary hearing’ for talking about Jesus

A bus driver in Israel could lose his job for sharing the Gospel with passengers, according to his employer.

The story went viral on social media in the Jewish state, where proselytizing to minors is illegal, but some have come to the driver's defense saying he did nothing wrong,

...An angry passenger, who took his complaint to an anti-missionary group, spoke to Ynet, a Hebrew news site, calling the driver's actions "illegal" because children were present on the bus.

“Would you be so upset if the driver had been preaching repentance according to Jewish law?” a Ynet host asked the unnamed passenger.

He responded, "No, and it wouldn't have been illegal either."

Despite his controversial remarks, many Israelis defended him online.

“100 percent legal,” one person wrote. “Every citizen has the right to his or her own faith.”

...The incident comes a month after Israeli Communications Minister David Ansalem threatened to shut down a new channel, GOD TV, if it engages in "missionary work."

UPDATE: As far as I can tell, the Ministry of Communication has, to date, failed to issue their ruling on the legality of the deal between GodTV and the HOT cable channel. Meanwhile, they continue to operate without hindrance and to crow about it to their supporters.

Some time ago, this blog discussed an entity called JH Ranch/JH Israel. (See HERE.) It's a Christian organization that is working hand-in-hand with the Israeli government to indoctrinate Israeli youth and soldiers - "the future leaders" - into a Judeo-Christian mindset. Here is an update on that...

CLICK TO VIEW SITE

How We Began

"During a twenty-year journey of friendship and cooperation, Heather Johnston established uniquely significant and meaningful ties with Israeli leaders, including Prime Ministers, Cabinet Ministers, local government leaders, scientific, educational, military and business leaders that laid the foundations for USIEA to begin educating and connecting leaders in 2011. We value the Judeo-Christian heritage and the historical and spiritual significance of Israel; therefore our relationships are based on deep mutual respect and open dialogue."

Over the past 18 months, the National Leadership Center (NLC) [JH Israel] has undergone a major facilities expansion to increase our capacity from 12,000 to 24,000 students annually. Initially, the project faced several challenges and delays. It seemed impossible for construction to be completed in time to fulfill our agreement with the Ministry of Education.

But when the COVID-19 pandemic closed schools and NLC programs ground to a halt, construction of the new facilities continued.

Now they are ready for use as the NLC is about to reopen! We are poised to see the vision of shaping Israel’s next generation of leaders become a reality. The NLC is about to enter a new chapter in its partnership with the Ministry of Education [under Naftali Bennett].
Here is why:

• The Ministry of Education has just asked the NLC to make its program teaching Biblical values available to hundreds of additional schools in Israel, beginning this fall.

• Israel’s new coalition government is about to declare sovereignty over territories in Judea and Samaria, making Ariel as much a part of Israel as Tel Aviv.

• The new Minister of Education [Yoav Galant]* and the Minister of Informal Education have both visited the NLC in Ariel and are supportive of its programs.

As you take a moment to view a ... video showing the construction of the completed facilities, the words of General Krulak, as he saw what God is doing through the NLC will resonate with you. You will rejoice at the powerful impact our team is having on Israel’s next generation of leaders.

As we relaunch, we have a significant opportunity to go to many more schools and impact thousands of students across the nation. Initially, we’ll need to provide scholarships for students coming to the NLC, and our trainers will need to do classroom presentations in these schools. These extra costs were unexpected.

The letter ends with an appeal for donations.  Don't they all?

*NOTE: The current Deputy Minister of Education is Meir Porush of UTJ! 

WHO IS GENERAL CHARLES KRULAK?

According to Israel InSight - The Magazine for Israel's Christian Friends...

...One organization in particular has corralled the General — the US Israel Education Association. This is a small Birmingham-based organization that thanks in part to the General’s leadership is making an international impact. As a hands-on board member, educator, fundraiser and advisor to Executive Director Heather Johnston, this retired military leader is playing a key role in advancing the U.S.-Israel relationship through several USIEA initiatives.

In fact, he just got back from Israel where he served as a resource for two back-to-back USIEA trips — one that included Auburn University basketball coach Bruce Pearl and one that included four key members of Congress. “The itineraries were non-stop, powerful and educational, and every single participant gained a deeper understanding of Israel’s importance to the U.S.”

“Gen K’s” passion for Israel stems from the tapestry of his life.

His father’s parents were Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe. They chose to assimilate into the American mainstream, gradually shedding their Judaism. Krulak’s dad — Victor Krulak, a legendary Marine general himself — married a Christian woman and Charles and his siblings were raised in the Christian faith. However, he never loses sight of his Jewish origins.

For example, whenever discussions about the Holocaust come up, General Krulak quietly notes that some of his Jewish relatives were among those murdered by the Nazis, and had there been an Israel at that time — a sovereign Jewish state to which Jews could flee — millions of European Jews, including members of his own family, might have been saved.

...Upon moving to Birmingham in 2011 to assume the presidency of Birmingham-Southern College, the General reached out to the Birmingham Jewish Federation, building key relationships, becoming a generous donor to the Federation’s annual fundraising campaign, and working with the Federation to attract more Jewish students to Birmingham-Southern. In recognition of his dedication to Israel and outreach to the Jewish community, he was honored by State of Israel Bonds at a Jewish community event.

“I’m so grateful that I’ve developed so many wonderful Jewish friendships in Birmingham. I also believe that as a Christian, it is my sacred duty, based on Genesis 12:3 (‘I will bless them that bless thee….’), to support Israel and the Jewish people.”

It was a Christian, Heather Johnston, who got General Krulak involved in USIEA. Johnston, who has become internationally-known through her work on behalf of Israel, is the organization’s founder as well as executive director. “I call her Hurricane Heather,” the General says, smiling. “I’ve never met anyone more dedicated to Israel, more tenacious or more inspirational. She is a true Christian who honors God and walks the walk.”

So, basically it is his end-of-life's mission to see that the rest of the Jew's follow his own family's example - ASSIMILATE!!

The current tactic of all Christian missionaries is to convince Jews that they may remain Jews while becoming followers of JC and his teachings - that there is no contradiction.  But, missionaries like Heather Johnston and General Krulak are missionaries with a long-term strategy for stealing the souls of unsuspecting Jews.  Once they have indoctrinated the next generation and the future leaders and teachers with this hybrid false religion called Judeo-Christianity (note that even the term indicates that it is still Christianity, but with a Jewish flavor, God forbid!), they are on their way to completely uprooting and eradicating authentic Torah Judaism from the Land of Israel.  This is Eisav soneh et Ya'aqov.  Why are we being so gullible?  Why are we being so complicit?

And you Jews in chu"l who are drowning in the Judeo-Christian culture of the West are doubly to blame because (1) your presence there gives strength and power to those nations, and (2) your lack of presence in Eretz HaKodesh robs it of the same strength and power.  But, obviously this cannot continue.  This is why the 4/5ths of the Jews in Egypt who refused to leave had to die in the darkness.  God could not completely destroy Egypt while they remained there, but because it was their own choice to stay, He was so-to-speak left with no other option and history is bound to repeat itself as the prophet foretells (Yechezkel 20:35-38)...

I shall bring you to the wilderness of the peoples, and I shall contend with you there face to face.  As I contended with your forefathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so will I contend with you, says the Lord God.

And I shall cause you to pass under the rod, and I shall bring you into the transmission of the covenant.  And I shall separate from you those who rebel and those who transgress against Me; from the land of their sojournings I shall take them, but to the Land of Israel they shall not come, and you will know that I am the Lord.

For more info, see the following links:

Influencing Israel's Teachers

About the NLC (National Leadership Center in Ariel aka JHRanch-Israel)

The NLC's activities are based on four main components:
Personal empowerment; developing teamwork; processing and debriefing talks, the integration of the Biblical story and Biblical heroes.  [According to the Christian view, of course.]

Bible-based Leadership Training in Israel Brings Christians and Jews Together

Israeli government funding evangelical christian learning centre for Israeli children

Christians Teaching Bible to Jews - "We encourage participants to clarify their purpose in life and to learn about the spirit of biblical leadership through personal application of these values in their lives"

The Sin of the Spies 2.0

22 Sivan 5780
Shavua Tov!

We are all rightfully concerned with the great need for Am Yisrael to "do teshuvah."  Everybody has his own idea about what that teshuvah entails, especially on the personal level, but we also have to be concerned with what we need to do teshuvah for on the national level.  There is no question that we still need to do teshuvah for continuing the sin of the spies.  And that's why it's too soon to leave this parashah.  Please consider the following quotes taken from the Stone Edition Chumash Commentary and take its words to heart.  Decide honestly where you fit into this paradigm.

The Spies' Report

When the spies came back after their extensive forty-day tour of the Land, they should have reported to Moses, who had sent them; instead they made their comments in a loud public declaration. In view of the account in Deuteronomy that the entire people demanded raucously of Moses that he send a spying expedition, it is understandable why the report was made in such a public manner: The people had demanded the mission and they felt entitled to hear the results.

On the surface, the spies did nothing wrong in describing what they had seen. They had been sent to make their own observations and they could not be faulted for reporting the truth as they saw it. Indeed, at this point in their report one sees nothing that should have caused their brethren to despair - yet the result was such a vociferous outcry against God and Moses, that Caleb had difficulty in having his defense of Moses accepted.

Ramban comments that the key word in their report that revealed them to be lacking in faith was the word "but" (ch. 13, v. 28).  In a purely factual report, there was no need for such a qualifier; they should have continued to state the facts. By using a word that implied a contradiction to the optimism of their first two sentences, they were, in effect, telling the nation that no matter how rich and blessed the Land was, it was beyond their reach. The inhabitants were too strong and their cities too impregnable. Ordinary human beings could not do battle with giants. Thus the spies were advising the nation not to even attempt an assault on Canaan. Then, compounding the frightening effect of their comments, they mentioned the dreaded Amalekites and the equally powerful nations that would never surrender their land easily. The very mention of Amalek was treacherous and was calculated to incite the people against Moses, because the land of Amalek was not even part of Eretz Yisrael, and the Amalekites would not have been a threat to a nation that was not crossing its borders.

We Cannot Ascend

Now, the spies said explicitly what they had only suggested before. Earlier, after the assembled people had gone back to their tents unsure whom to believe, the spies spread out among the people and spread malicious lies about the Land (v. 32), something they had not dared to do in the presence of Moses and Aaron, Caleb and Joshua. They claimed that the nature of the Land and its produce is such that it can be tolerated only by unusually huge and robust people; but ordinary people like the Israelites would not survive there (Ramban).

National Hysteria

The meraglim/spies had done their work well. The entire nation, even members of the Sanhedrin, the High Court, became convinced that the advance to Eretz Yisrael was doomed and that Moses had misled them by taking them out of Egypt. So convinced were they that they would be doomed if they ventured into Eretz Yisrael, that they wanted to replace Moses with a leader (ch. 14, v. 4) who would guide them back to the land of their enslavement. The Sages teach that this "leader" would have been an idol (Sanhedrin 107a), a telling indication that the sin of the spies involved a lack of faith in God.

The tragedy of their delusion had far-reaching consequences, for when the people wept that night, God declared, "They indulged in weeping without a cause; I will establish [this night] for them [as a time of] weeping throughout the generations." That night was Tisha b'Av [the Ninth of Av], the date when both Temples were destroyed and many other tragedies took place throughout Jewish history (Rashi to Psalms 106:27).

The Basis for the Spies' Error

The question remains how the spies - great men and leaders of the nation - could have sinned so grievously, especially when two of their number were telling the truth.

The Jewish people were about to enter a new type of existence. In the Wilderness they had been surrounded by miracles. Their food, their protection, the freshness of their clothing - everything had been miraculous. Upon their imminent entry into the Land, all of this would change. They would be required to live "natural" lives, to subsist through plowing, planting, commerce - and their new mission would be to live this way without ever forgetting that it is God's blessing, not the sweat of their brows, that assures success. Furthermore, the spies understood that Israel would have to conquer the Land through natural means. They erred in thinking that they would have to be strong enough to conquer and thrive in the Land without any help from God and concluded that they surely would be helpless against a race of giants, impregnable cities, and living conditions suited only to very hardy people.

The spies should have risen above these "logical" considerations and understood, as Caleb did, that if God wanted them to succeed, they would. It was because such doubts existed among the people that God chose such great men for the mission. If anyone, they would have the capacity to see the truth through the mists of mistaken logic. But the nation's lack of faith - as evidenced by their raucous insistence on sending the spies - had an effect on the spies themselves, resulting in the historic disaster (based on Maharal and Chiddushei HaRim).

Truth in Advertising

20 Sivan 5780
Erev Shabbat Kodesh
Parashat Sh'lach

There are many lessons to be learned from the incident of the spies in this week's parashah - Sh'lach.  Not the least of which is that the spies discouraged the people from entering Eretz Yisrael to the point that they preferred to return to Egypt.  Like the Diaspora rabbis of today, they told the people that they could not succeed, that their children and even their own lives would be at risk, that they would be better off remaining in the wilderness than trying to conquer Eretz Yisrael.  And to add insult to injury to HKB"H, they told the people that they would actually descend spiritually by entering God's Holy Land in comparison to their level out in the wilderness.

I was shaking earlier from what I heard this afternoon from another American Rabbi on the subject of aliyah.  At least now I think I understand what is going on.  I actually thought Rabbi Wallerstein was telling people to make aliyah even though he didn't think he could do it.  The title of his shiur was "It's Time to Go."  Today, I listened to another shiur entitled "You Must Make Aliyah NOW!!!"  (If you choose to listen, although I do not recommend it, see particularly 0:07:06 - 0:13:28 and 1:38:03 - 1:40:35.)

The rabbi explains that unless you listen to his whole shiur (2 hrs, 12 mins), you won't be able to properly understand what he means by the title.  He says if we take his words literally without commentary, we are being like Christians and heretics.  He claims that another American rabbi famous for kiruv has also been misunderstood by the masses of listeners who thought he was endorsing aliyah when that was not the case at all - so he claims in this shiur.

Whether consciously or subconsciously, these American rabbis are titling their shiurim to draw in people who think it means they have changed their positions on the subject of aliyah, but instead, they go about discouraging it.  In the end, this American rabbi admitted that for a few select people, aliyah is ok, but it's not for the majority.  In true kiruv fashion, he concludes that supporting kiruv is the most important mitzvah of all and it "guarantees" Divine protection wherever you are. "This is the real aliyah," he proclaims.

He says that the very first thing you have to have to make aliyah is a way to make money.  It seems to be a common misunderstanding among American Jews in general that HKB"H can deliver their parnassah in America, but can't manage to do it in Eretz Yisrael, the land on which His eyes are focused continually; the only land that is not served by a ministering angel but by HKB"H Himself.  (Who knew a thin dollar bill could be such a stumbling block?)  The rabbi finishes by suggesting that "spiritual" aliyah is for everyone while "physical" aliyah is not always possible or desirable or successful.

This [spiritual] type of aliyah is guaranteed to work.  All you have to do is commit - commit a certain amount of time, commit a certain amount of money, commit a certain amount of effort to make sure that helping other Jews do teshuvah is a serious part of your life.  That is the greatest type of aliyah a person can do because that type of aliyah is guaranteed to work.  (2:06:14)

So, even though the rabbi vehemently discourages "physical" aliyah, the title to his shiur is no lie because he is talking about "spiritual" aliyah, i.e. "You Must Make [Spiritual] Aliyah NOW!!!"  And he says further:

...HKB"H says, "[If] you do it, I'm gonna help you succeed.  And not only am I gonna help you succeed, but on top of that, I'm gonna give you the reward, because you sanctified My Name before the Mashiach came, that means you're gonna have protection.  Because you made aliyah - the REAL aliyah - the type of aliyah that Hashem wants, regardless of where you are in the world! 

The claim that remaining in the Diaspora and earning reward by supporting kiruv is a sanctification of God's name totally contradicts the words HKB"H put into the mouth of his holy prophet Yechezkel (36:23-24):

And they entered the nations where they came, and they profaned My Holy Name, inasmuch as it was said of them, 'These are the people of the Lord, and they have come out of His land.' But I had pity on My Holy Name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations to which they had come.

Therefore, say to the house of Israel; So says the Lord God: Not for your sake do I do this, O house of Israel, but for My Holy Name, which you have profaned among the nations to which they have come. And I will sanctify My great Name, which was profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst;

and the nations shall know that I am the Lord - is the declaration of the Lord God - when I will be sanctified through you before their eyes.  For I will take you from among the nations and gather you from all the countries, and I will bring you to your land.

Going into exile outside the Land of Israel was a desecration of God's Name and His Name will be sanctified - according to HIS own words - when He returns us to our Holy Land!!  And anyway, this is not an either/or proposition.  It's not move to Israel OR support kiruv work.  What?  There is no kiruv in Eretz Yisrael?  No support for kiruv worldwide by Jews in Eretz Yisrael???  The shiur continues...

You could be in Africa, you could be in Australia, you could be in Israel, you could be in America, in England, wherever you are.  I have people watching shiurim in Japan, people watching in Australia, people watching in Indonesia, people watching in California, in Oregon, all types of places in the world, why?  Because somebody cared enough to make aliyah - to share the video, to send a CD, to send a kiruv package, to send a book, to share a website, to share a text with one of our videos, the next thing you know, another Jew is watching, or another Noahide who wants to get close to Hashem is watching!  Someone is watching to get close to Hashem?  Guess what?!  THAT'S ALIYAH!!"   (0:07:43 - 0:08:50)

How is this any different from the original sin of the meraglim whom we read about this Shabbat?  These words we've heard this week from various American rabbis exactly demonstrate the way the meraglim spoke when they returned with their evil report...

They returned from scouting the Land at the end of forty days.  They went, and they came to Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the children of Israel in the desert of Paran, to Kadesh. They brought them back a report, as well as to the entire congregation, and they showed them the fruit of the land.

They told him and said, "We came to the land to which you sent us, and it is flowing with milk and honey, and this is its fruit.  However, the people who inhabit the land are mighty, and the cities are extremely huge and fortified, and there we saw even the offspring of the giant.

The Amalekites dwell in the south land, while the Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the mountainous region. The Canaanites dwell on the coast and alongside the Jordan."  Caleb silenced the people to [hear about] Moses, and he said, "We can surely go up and take possession of it, for we can indeed overcome it."

But the men who went up with him said, "We are unable to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.  They spread an [evil] report about the land which they had scouted, telling the children of Israel, "The land we passed through to explore is a land that consumes its inhabitants, and all the people we saw in it are men of stature.  There we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, descended from the giants. In our eyes, we seemed like grasshoppers, and so we were in their eyes.  (Bamidbar 13:25-33)

From the Stone Edition Chumash Commentary... 

As the nation stood at the threshold of Eretz Yisrael and Moses told them that it was time for them to conquer it (Devarim 1:22), a pivotal incident took place.  Twelve of the truly great leaders of the nation, one from each tribe, went to survey the Land - and came back with a report that demoralized the people and caused them to lose faith in their ability to occupy their Divinely ordained inheritance.  As a result, the entire generation was condemned to death in the Wilderness and Israel's entry into the Land was delayed for nearly thirty-nine years.

...Although the spying mission took place shortly after [Miriam's] experience had taught the nation the gravity of malicious gossip; nevertheless, the wicked spies did not learn their lesson and were not deterred from slandering the Land (Rashi).

Think deeply on how grievous a sin it is to reject God's gift of Eretz Yisrael.  It is such an egregious sin, that we have a special day set aside upon which we cry over it and we've been crying for more than 3000 years already!!

If HKB"H shows mercy and allows aliyah to continue, make a tikun today for your part in this ongoing national sin.  Make teshuvah for rejecting HKB"H's precious gift of Eretz Yisrael.  Make aliyah without any further reservations or delays.  Trust HKB"H, ain od milevado.
__________________________

RELATED: Please be sure to also read: Deal of the Century vs the Torah

~ SHABBAT SHALOM ~

"The REAL Reason All Jews Should Make Aliyah..."

19 Sivan 5780

Following below is a response from Rabbi Aharon Lubling of RBS (h/t SK) to the video clip that I made and posted on Tuesday night.  The title, "It's Time to Go," was the original title as posted by Torah Anytime.  That's what drew me in to listen.  An American rabbi admitting to American Jews "it's time to go" to Eretz Yisrael?  This I have to hear!  A person can go deaf straining his ears to hear such a message from an American rabbi.

I heard the entire thing and it was just as Rabbi Lubling reports, at some points even worse in my opinion.  It made me cringe.  And it's why I took the clip because I could not in good conscience recommend the rest of it.  But, even in the part I took to pass along, the word that came to my mind was "tragic."  

Unfortunately, and probably for very obvious reasons, the only rabbis calling for aliyah are the ones already here in Eretz Yisrael and for that reason, most Diaspora Jews disregard their calls.  But, when a rabbi from their midst says it, flawed though it assuredly is, it makes a huge impression on the very people who are most desperate for the message.  And that's why I passed it on.  Tragedy is added to tragedy if those hearing the American rabbi's words take them as encouragement to remain at his side.  This is a case of "Do as I say and don't do as I do."  This is apparently the best American rabbis have to offer.  Nebuch!

The thing is, it's already too late even to tell people to drop everything and run. With the coronavirus lockdown just being lifted after months of closed offices, how many months will it take for Jews to get passports or renew outdated passports?  And for those who stayed prepared by keeping all family passports in order with even money set aside to buy tickets, what airline can they fly on?  When will Eretz Yisrael reopen the border to non-Israeli citizens?  Right now, it looks like the door is closed.  It remains to be seen whether it will ever open wide once again.  Virus resurgence can keep it closed.  A war with Hamas and Hizballah could suspend flights again.  That's up to HKB"H.  It's His hand on the doorknob.

In my opinion, 911 was the big wake-up call - the banner raised to gather in the exiles.  The entire world was witness to that event.  Chai (18) years were given as a grace period for all the Jews to make their way home.  New reports inform us that the coronavirus had already begun circulating in the Fall of 2019 (at the New Year 5780).  And while it incubated and spread, there was another 4-5-month grace period.  Then came Purim and the door slammed shut before Pesach.  It looks to me as if the only Jews who are still getting out are those who decided to leave before that time.  

At some point, events seem to outstrip free will and at that point, that's when the choice becomes null and void.  In other words, it's possible to wait too long.  My take.