HaRav Adin Steinsaltz is undergoing Chemotherapy Adin Yisrael ben Sarah.
A FEW WORDS ABOUT THIS PERIOD: Again I had a more than hectic week to put it bluntly. I did not have time for the gym for must of the week I was busy dealing with a final date for my medical procedure and the extra arrangements that I have to make. The blogspot suffered from this too. I got an hour learning Shulchan Aruch with Rabbi Mimran Shlita which made me feel better.
A note about Kabbala 101 Dr. Zvi Faier claims that the sun was like a black hole until the 4th day when it began to burn. I was fortunate enough to hear Professor Natan Aviezer about that and he pooh-poohed it. He then spoke about the book by the Nobel Prize winner Stephen Weinberg who wrote about the first three minutes. What takes billions of years could happen in 3 seconds because the big bang was hot very hot. He said that he was not talking about millions of degrees or billions of degrees but HOT! So G-D willing when I recover I should be back in Yisrael writing more about the Kabbala again and it with conjunction to physics.
Parsha Vayetzei
28:10 And Jacob went out from Beer-Sheva, and went toward Haran.
This is the Pshat according to the straight meaning of the words but according to the Medrash Yacov went to the Beis Medrash of Shem and Ever for 14 years. Why is this so? Either the girls were very young or that they had reached marital age of 12 or less and he thought them young. For he was with them 20 years in Pardan Aram before he left and at this time the sisters stopped becoming pregnant and giving birth.
11 And he lighted upon the place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took one of the stones of the place, and put it under his head, and lay down in that place to sleep. 12 And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven; and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.
He saw Esav’s angel rising as his descended and vice versa.
13 And, behold, the LORD stood beside him, and said: 'I am the LORD, the God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac. The land whereon thou lie, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed. 14 And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south. And in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. 15 And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee whithersoever thou go, and will bring thee back into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.' 16 And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said: 'Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not.' 17 And he was afraid, and said: 'How full of awe is this place! this is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.' 18 And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put under his head, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it. 19 And he called the name of that place Beth-el, but the name of the city was Luz at the first. 20 And Jacob vowed a vow, saying: 'If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, 21 so that I come back to my father's house in peace, then shall the LORD be my God, 22 and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God's house; and of all that Thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto Thee.'
A short note that Yacov asks not for much – bread to eat and clothing to put on without mentioning shelter at all! Note also that in the beginning he takes stones from the place and then makes an altar from the stone. According to the Medrash there were 12 stones that he placed down and when he arose there was one fused stone which he made into an altar.
The Parsha is strange in one way and gets more complicated with the Medrash that Rabbi Tuvia Mushkin told me. Besides Leah and Rachel being daughters of Lavan, it turns out that Lavan had relations with his slave girl and the Zilpah and Bilhar were also sisters and hence half-sisters of the former.
Last week we discussed Yitzchak who never saw Rivka. He first marries her and brings her to his home and then he is comforted by her and finally he loves her. This week we meet a story book and tragic romance. Yacov meets his cousin Rachel and it is love at first sight. He left according to tradition at least at the age of 63 and per the Medrash learned 14 years. Now at the age of 77 has a romance like a love sick teen moves a stone with his strength and using a fulcrum and waters Lavan’s sheep. He has no money and agrees to work 7 years for Rachel. Lavan tricks him into an extra 7 years and more time to earn wages. We see Yacov as a manager of his wife and quiet diplomacy working.
Mitzvos and Halachos by Danny Shoemann
A worker may not eat from the food he is working with, except in a field during the final stages of harvesting. While reaping he may not yet eat from the crop. Applies to everybody, everywhere, always
Verse: "...do not lift a sickle onto your neighbor’s crop" (Devarim 23:26)
Source: The Chafetz-Chaim's Sefer HaMitzvos HaKatzar; Prohibition 186
When allowed to eat during the final harvesting stages, a worker may not pick up (with the intention of eating) more than one mouthful at a time. He may also not pick up anything and give it to others to eat.
Applies to everybody, everywhere, always Verse: "...and into your vessels do not put any" (Devarim 23:25)
Source: The Chafetz-Chaim's Sefer HaMitzvos HaKatzar; Prohibition 187
It is forbidden to prevent an animal from eating while it works - especially from the produce it is working with. One may not muzzle the animal even before starting to work. One may not even yell at it to prevent it from eating. This is true even if the animal belongs to a non-Jew.Applies to everybody, everywhere, always Verse: "Do not muzzle an ox while it's threshing" (Devarim 25:4) Source: The Chafetz-Chaim's Sefer haMitzvot HaKatzar; Prohibition 188
Today (Sunday) and tomorrow are Rosh Chodesh Kislev.
One adds Yaaleh VeYavo - יַעֲלֶה וְיָבוֹא in the 17th Bracha of the Amida - רצה. If one forgot to do so during the Amida of Ma'ariv (evening prayers) - on either day - one does not need to make amends; since the Sanhedrin did not sanctify the month at night.If one forgot to do so during Shachrit (morning prayers) or Mincha (afternoon prayers), then one has to return to the 17th Bracha of the Amida - רצה and make amends.
If one already finished the Amida - by saying Yihyu leRatzon - יהיו לרצון - then one needs to restart the Amida.One also needs to add Ya'a'leh VeYavo - יַעֲלֶה וְיָבוֹא - in Birkat Hamazon.
Source: Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 19:10
Men wear Tefillin (phylacteries) every day during Shacharis (morning prayers) except for Shabbat and Yom Tov. Rosh Chodesh has some aspects of a Yom Tov, yet work is permitted. Tefillin are worn on Rosh Chodesh during Shacharis, Hallel and the Torah reading. They are removed before starting Mussaf.
Source: Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 10:19
In this week's Parsha we learn that Yaakov said to Lavan's daughters "with all my might I worked for your father".
All employees have to work to the best of their ability. A worker may not take on a extra night job, if that will effect his performance the next day. If one hires out one's animals, then one may work with them at night if that will tire them out the next day. Source: Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 185:6
The following Story came forwarded from Richard A. it could have been about Israeli Soldiers in the six day war bit is about Iwo Jima
Six Boys And Thirteen Hands...
Each year I am hired to go to Washington, DC , with the eighth grade class from Clinton , WI where I grew up, to videotape their trip. I greatly enjoy visiting our nation's capitol, and each year I take some special memories back with me. This fall's trip was especially memorable.
On the last night of our trip, we stopped at the Iowa Jima memorial. This memorial is the largest bronze statue in the world and depicts one of the most famous photographs in history -- that of the six brave soldiers raising the American Flag at the top of a rocky hill on the island of Iwo Jima, Japan , during WW II.
Over one hundred students and chaperones piled off the buses and headed towards the memorial. I noticed a solitary figure at the base of the statue, and as I got closer he asked, 'Where are you guys from?'
I told him that we were from Wisconsin. 'Hey, I'm a cheese head, too! Come gather around, Cheese heads, and I will tell you a story.'
(James Bradley just happened to be in Washington, DC, to speak at the memorial the following day. He was there that night to say good night to his dad, who had passed away. He was just about to leave when he saw the buses pull up. I videotaped him as he spoke to us, and received his permission to share what he said from my videotape.. It is one thing to tour the incredible monuments filled with history in Washington , DC , but it is quite another to get the kind of insight we received that night.)
When all had gathered around, he reverently began to speak. (Here are his words that night.)
'My name is James Bradley and I'm from Antigo, Wisconsin .. My dad is on that statue, and I just wrote a book called 'Flags of Our Fathers' which is #5 on the New York Times Best Seller list right now. It is the story of the six boys you see behind me.
'Six boys raised the flag. The first guy putting the pole in the ground is Harlon Block. Harlon was an all-state football player. He enlisted in the Marine Corps with all the senior members of his football team. They were off to play another type of game. A game called 'War.' But it didn't turn out to be a game. Harlon, at the age of 21, died with his intestines in his hands. I don't say that to gross you out, I say that because there are people who stand in front of this statue and talk about the glory of war. You guys need to know that most of the boys in Iwo Jima were 17, 18, and 19 years old - and it was so hard that the ones who did make it home never even would talk to their families about it.
(He pointed to the statue) 'You see this next guy? That's Rene Gagnon from New Hampshire. If you took Rene's helmet off at the moment this photo was taken and looked in the webbing of that helmet, you would find a photograph... a photograph of his girlfriend. Rene put that in there for protection because he was scared. He was 18 years old. It was just boys who won the battle of Iwo Jima . Boys. Not old men.
'The next guy here, the third guy in this tableau, was Sergeant Mike Strank. Mike is my hero. He was the hero of all these guys. They called him the 'old man' because he was so old. He was already 24. When Mike would motivate his boys in training camp, he didn't say, 'Let's go kill some Japanese' or 'Let's die for our country.' He knew he was talking to little boys.. Instead he would say, 'You do what I say, and I'll get you home to your mothers.'
'The last guy on this side of the statue is Ira Hayes, a Pima Indian from Arizona . Ira Hayes was one who walked off Iwo Jima . He went into the White House with my dad. President Truman told him, 'You're a hero' He told reporters, 'How can I feel like a hero when 250 of my buddies hit the island with me and only 27 of us walked off alive?'
So you take your class at school, 250 of you spending a year together having fun, doing everything together. Then all 250 of you hit the beach, but only 27 of your classmates walk off alive. That was Ira Hayes He had images of horror in his mind. Ira Hayes carried the pain home with him and eventually died dead drunk, face down at the age of 32 (ten years after this picture was taken).
'The next guy, going around the statue, is Franklin Sousley from Hilltop, Kentucky . A fun-lovin' hillbilly boy. His best friend, who is now 70, told me, 'Yeah, you know, we took two cows up on the porch of the Hilltop General Store. Then we strung wire across the stairs so the cows couldn't get down. Then we fed them Epsom salts. Those cows crapped all night.' Yes, he was a fun-lovin' hillbilly boy. Franklin died on Iwo Jima at the age of 19. When the telegram came to tell his mother that he was dead, it went to the Hilltop General Store. A barefoot boy ran that telegram up to his mother's farm. The neighbors could hear her scream all night and into the morning. Those neighbors lived a quarter of a mile away.
'The next guy, as we continue to go around the statue, is my dad, John Bradley, from Antigo, Wisconsin , where I was raised. My dad lived until 1994, but he would never give interviews. When Walter Cronkite's producers or the New York Times would call, we were trained as little kids to say 'No, I'm sorry, sir, my dad's not here. He is in Canada fishing. No, there is no phone there, sir. No, we don't know when he is coming back.' My dad never fished or even went to Canada . Usually, he was sitting there right at the table eating his Campbell 's soup. But we had to tell the press that he was out fishing. He didn't want to talk to the press.
'You see, like Ira Hayes, my dad didn't see himself as a hero. Everyone thinks these guys are heroes, 'cause they are in a photo and on a monument. My dad knew better. He was a medic. John Bradley from Wisconsin was a caregiver. In Iwo Jima he probably held over 200 boys as they died. And when boys died in Iwo Jima , they writhed and screamed, without any medication or help with the pain.
'When I was a little boy, my third grade teacher told me that my dad was a hero. When I went home and told my dad that, he looked at me and said, 'I want you always to remember that the heroes of Iwo Jima are the guys who did not come back. Did NOT come back.'
'So that's the story about six nice young boys. Three died on Iwo Jima , and three came back as national heroes. Overall, 7,000 boys died on Iwo Jima in the worst battle in the history of the Marine Corps. My voice is giving out, so I will end here. Thank you for your time.'
Suddenly, the monument wasn't just a big old piece of metal with a flag sticking out of the top. It came to life before our eyes with the heartfelt words of a son who did indeed have a father who was a hero. Maybe not a hero for the reasons most people would believe, but a hero nonetheless.
We need to remember that God created this vast and glorious world for us to live in, freely, but also at great sacrifice Let us never forget from the Revolutionary War to the current War on Terrorism and all the wars in-between that sacrifice was made for our freedom… Remember to pray praises for this great country of ours and also pray for those still in murderous unrest around the world. STOP and thank God for being alive and being free at someone else's sacrifice.
God Bless You and God Bless America. REMINDER: Everyday that you can wake up free, it's going to be a great day. One thing I learned while on tour with my 8th grade students in DC that is not mentioned here is ... that if you look at the statue very closely and count the number of 'hands' raising the flag, there are 13. When the man who made the statue was asked why there were 13, he simply said the 13th hand was the hand of God.
A Rabbi warns: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFUli7Ne4o4&feature=player_embedded#!
Thanks to Obama’s actions on Israel the Jewish voters are waking up: In Pennsylvania, results showed that Pat Toomey received 30.7% of the Jewish vote, while Joe Sestak received 62%. In Illinois, Mark Kirk received 32.3% of the Jewish vote, while Alexi Giannoulias received 58.5%. In the three House races, the results were as follows:
NY-4: Fran Becker (R) 26.8% / Carolyn McCarthy (D) 58%
CT-4: Dan Debicella (R) 30.5% / Jim Himes (D) 49.8%
NV-3: Joe Heck (R) 37.3% / Dina Titus (D) 54%
Why would an All-Powerful God need to rest? by Rabbi David Fohrman
Let’s try the following theological zinger on for size:
“Why, exactly, would God feel it necessary to rest after creating the universe? Was He tired?”
The question isn’t as facetious as it sounds. Judaism, like many other major religions, conceives of the Almighty an All-Powerful being. That, indeed, is why they call Him “the Almighty”. So if God is really All-Powerful, how difficult would it have been for him to create a Universe? Presumably, this didn’t require a lot of exertion on His behalf. Well, then, why did He need to rest afterwards?
Well, that’s one conundrum. And now, here’s another:
Most of us seem to assume that Sabbath observance is tied to our acknowledgement that God created the world; that is, “we rest, because the Creator rested”. But there is something odd about this when you get right down to thinking about it. Why do we commemorate God's Creation of the Universe through a day of "rest"? Why not instead set aside a day of "work"?
In case this question doesn’t strike you as all that troubling, let’s bring it out of the realm of abstract theology for a minute and couch the problem in more mundane terms.
Imagine that the government decided to institute a special Rosa Parks Day on the calendar. Its intent: To commemorate the civil rights triumph of the black woman who refused to give up her seat to a white man on a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama. And imagine that officials were looking for some sort of symbolic activity they could promote on this day to honor the memory of Rosa Parks' great act. Eventually, they came up with the following: Everyone should go home on Rosa Parks Day, and take a nap in bed. Why? Because, you see, after Rosa Parks took her historic ride on the bus, she was tired, and she went home to rest in bed. So let's all commemorate Rosa Parks Day by resting in bed, just as she did.
I don't think many people would consider this a spectacular idea. If you really wanted to commemorate Rosa Parks, then we should re-enact her historic trip. People could spend part of the day riding on buses, or finding ways to fight racial prejudice in their home towns, just like Rosa did. But taking a nap? Somehow, that just doesn't seem to add up.
Yet on the Sabbath, isn't that really what the Torah is asking of us? We commemorate the Almighty's historic act of creating the world -- and we do so by resting. We do this, we say, because the Almighty rested when He finished making the universe. But shouldn’t we instead remember creation by "creating," rather than "resting"? The point isn’t that God rested – it’s that He made the world, right? Isn't “rest” just incidental?
Back to the Text
Well, let’s look at the verses and check it out. In Genesis chapter 2, the Torah chronicles the coming into being of the very first Sabbath. Listen carefully to these verses and ask yourself: Exactly what is the Sabbath designed to commemorate?
God finished on the seventh day the work that he had made, and He rested on the seventh day from all the work that He had made. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it He rested from all the work that God had created to make (Bereishis, 2:1-3).
These verses tell us the reason the Almighty deemed the Seventh Day special: Because on this day He rested... Now, think about what those words are actually saying. As strange as it may seem, the verse is telling us that the point of the Sabbath Day is not, actually, to celebrate God's creation of the universe. It is to celebrate His rest.
One second. That sounds downright silly. How could anyone think that God’s Rest is more important than His work – than the very act of creating the world? It sounds roughly like saying that the purpose of work is vacation. Vacation might be nice; it helps you gear up and refresh yourself to accomplish more things when you get back to work. But is vacation really what it’s all about?
Purposeful Rest
Evidently, the verses are telling us we need to re-assess our ideas about work and rest. God's rest, apparently, had very little in common with the idea of "vacation." It was not something that merely happened after God created the world; it was not that God took some time off for a breather. The Creator's rest was a deliberate act. It was a kind of rest that was, somehow, an end in and of itself:
You made the Seventh Day Holy for Your Name, it being the very purpose of the Making of Heaven and Earth...
These words come from the backbone of the Friday night prayers Jews recite every week, from the Friday night shemoneh esrei. Listen to what they are saying. Shabbat, "rest," is portrayed as the very purpose of creation, the end for which the entire heavens and earth were created.
What does it mean to see rest in this way -- not as something you do to help you work, but something which is the very point of all your labor? Why would God consider His "rest" more worthy of commemoration than His successful creation of a universe?
Tied up in the secret of rest's deeper meaning is the mystery of Shabbat itself. It is a mystery we will explore further next week.
Finally getting it right a story by Les
To make a short story longer: at the age of 16 I became a Christian, and for roughly 40 years my life consisted of little outside that faith. Of course Christianity taught me to avoid and mistrust Jews, therefore I had no idea ...what true Jews, Judeo-xtianity, Judaism, or the Tanach, was REALLY about.
My quest for the truth began the last day of Dec 1999, about 9:00 PM, in a motel room in Oklahoma City, Ok. I realized just before 'Y-2K' I did not know what time it was on the timeline of History or what G-d's message to the people of the world was at that hour. Y-2k did not scare me - being ignorant did. You see, I had my own successful business and was working day and night. G-d, unfortunately, had been slowly squeezed out of my life's purpose.
So, for then on, I sought HaShem like never before. I listened to the entire Christian Bible on cassette, several versions, for hours each day. I listened for 100's of hrs. I attended my Church's home meetings faithfully, and during that time I asked HaShem to show me what was really real. I wanted to know the TRUTH no matter what it cost me; no matter how much it hurt. I felt more and more something was not right - but I couldn't put my finger on it. At one of those home meetings (March 2002) a fellow Christian invited me to go to a Michael Rood (Messianic Jew) meeting in Waco, TX, where I lived.
Until then I had never heard the terms Tanah, Messianic Jew, Kippah, Tzitzis, Mitzvos, etc. Rood said things I never heard before, so unlike most Christians, I set about to see if the things he said were true. I even talked to Michael personally. But he couldn’t answer the only question I felt was important: "Why can't the trinity be articulated in Hebrew?" I don't know how I knew that - I just knew.
I left Christianity and attended Messianic Meetings, eventually meeting most of the main Messianic leaders in the USA. I was still a believer in Jesus but some Christians still persecuted me. One of my biggest persecutors was my ex-wife. I had to secretly buy my first Tanach just to help keep the peace. As a Messianic, I still found most of what they said still conflicted with my Tanach. Moreover, I found the behavior of many Messianic leaders to be worse than the Christians. There are stories I could tell, but not now. I will say this, the more I studied, the more I found Christianity and Messianic Jew-ism to be in conflict with Biblical facts (in Tanach).
In late 2004 I walked out of Messianic Jew-ism, all alone, still believing in Jesus and still continuing to search for the TRUTH. Finally, after exhausting ever nook and cranny of the Tanach, but finding only non-factual illusions about Jesus, etc., - I dropped everything (in mid 2006) that pertained to Christian-based theology; I had no choice. I had to relearn everything I believed.
Funny thing is, I learned most of what I put in my writings the old fashion way - wading thru Christian reference materials. And, at that time I still did not know the Hebrew aleph bet, how to read Hebrew, I knew no Jews, no Jewish websites, no Arutz Sheva, no Talmud, no Jewish ANYTHING except an Americanized (with some Christian influences) JPL Tanach. I also had 2 Christian Bible study CD's of limited help.
I simply sought HaShem. That's why I try to give in minutes what took me years to learn. All I can say is HaShem was gracious enough to open my eyes. It was hard, and I lost everything I worked so hard to gain, including my house and children, a marriage of 25 yrs., but I would not hesitate to do it again. In exchange I gained my life back, a new self-confidence, a new love for myself and HaShem, a wonderful wife, hundreds of Jewish and Noachide friends (who I dearly love) a new understanding of Jews, Judaism, the Tanah, world events, world politics, REAL world History, economic freedom, how to write (enough to not be totally scoffed at) friends in the Israeli Knesset ... and, a reputation among Christians and Messianic Jews as being "deceived." Somehow the "deceived" part actually gives me nice warm feelings, ha!
For the record, I would like to say that despite being taught to mistrust everything Jewish - the thing that touches and impresses me the most is HOW MUCH the Jews as a whole got and gets things RIGHT! No one else can boast that. LONG LIVE THE JEWS and MAY THEY PROSPER!
The Israeli Army becomes more religious: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3970392,00.html
The above was the news and the following is an opinion: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3981811,00.html The truth of the matter is that a real Yeshiva Modern Orthodox or Modern Charedi cannot advance truly in the army past a certain limit. The front line from my own experience is not really built with a mechanism to handle kashrus. It is an unsupervised kitchen with milk being cooked and one cannot kosher even with fire fast enough to keep up with violations. Food is usually sufficient but in the last war the supply did not reach the lines. Israel Hesder Yeshiva boys are not trained like Green Berets to live off of nature’s land.
Inyanay Diyoma
Teach your children peace and tolerance for neighbors in Arabic draw your own conclusions: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahBnW2FTLSk
Arabs dress as Ultraorthodox Jews: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/140480
Now is the time to hit Iran hard: http://www.debka.com/article/9132/
A story 20 years later: http://hfe8m.th8.us/
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3981116,00.html
And the poor shall not disappear from the land: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3981263,00.html
White House and NATO on Iran: http://www.debka.com/article/9133/
ISRAEL BRACES FOR THE IRANIAN RAIN OF FIRE By Emanuel A. Winston, Mid East Analyst & Commentator
For many years I have been writing to warn about a very real potential for a saturation missile attack by a conglomeration of Arab/Muslim nations, including their Terrorist proxies: Hamas, Fatah and Hezballah. Concurrently I have observed weak and Leftist Israeli Prime Ministers artfully avoid dealing with the blatant build-up of weapons in these entities, to include short and long range missiles some known to have chemical warheads. Presently, Iran is adding Nuclear capability to their extensive missile array. Leftists, like Israel’s Defense Minister Ehud Barak, following President Barack Hussein Obama’s marching orders, are preparing the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) with smart weapons to avoid civilian casualties regardless of the observable fact that the Muslim Arabs have deliberately targeted mostly Israel civilians with no attempt to avoid Jewish civilian casualties.
Regrettably, Israel’s leaders seem to be more anxious to appease Obama and the Europeans than pre-emptively protecting their own cities and civilians. Hopefully, as the Arab Muslims fire their first salvos, the Israeli Courts will gather up the Prime Minister, Defense Minister, among others and put them on trial for crimes against the Jewish people. There is no good solution against a primitive people, consumed by their religious hatred imbued by their own Koran, who seek death as a quick trip to Allah’s courtyard as Shahids (martyrs).
Clearly, Israel should adopt a scorched earth policy and destroy their cities, military installations, using every weapon in Israel’s inventory with no restraint for civilian casualties because the Muslim Arabs always use their own civilians as Human Shields. Will the Jew-killing nations of Europe think better of Israel if their own leaders sacrifice the Jewish nation/state to appease them or the Arabs?
Can Israel count on Obama and his gaggle of hand-picked anti-Semites to honor Israel’s suicidal restraint? Not likely.
Besides Obama needs such an attack on Israel prior to his 2012 elections so he can act “Presidential” and send U.S. and NATO troops into Israel to protect the Muslim Arabs claiming they want all of Israel – for Peace to reign in the Middle East.
Is there any sane reason for Israel to follow what is called “The Rules of War” when her enemies have pledged Israel’s total elimination, using every method of warfare – including especially murder of Jewish civilians?
Moreover, confirming polls of Arab Muslim civilians demonstrate their support of Terrorist methods and their goals to eliminate all Jews in the Land of Israel. Israel has had to fight 7 major wars against the combined Arab states and proxies – all pledged to Jewish Genocide and ethnic cleansing.
Since Jews have experienced Genocide at the hands of many nations, we have no more lessons to be learned at the hands of the world’s nations. Granted, the Arab and Muslim act like a ‘low’ people, dedicated only to war, looting, murder – all for the approval of their Moon god, Zin (aka Allah).
From the time of Ishmael who, as a boy used to shoot arrows at passing caravans, counting on his father, Abraham to protect him, nothing has changed. Over the centuries other nations have also had to face the Arab Islamists.
But, things have changed since the greedy West has sold all the Muslim countries weapons, in trade for oil and their money. Now, those greedy nations, including America, are facing the same weapons coming back at them in the hands of radical Islamic Terrorists. We now await a Nuclear Weapon exploding in Washington, New York or other American cities.
These same nations of the West, although themselves threatened by Muslim Islamists are furious with the Jewish Nation/State for defending themselves so capably, by fighting and defying the Arab Muslim attacks as the Muslims strive for hegemony, leading to a Global Caliphate for Islam.
It’s regrettable that a President like Obama is leading the assault against Israel in perfect lockstep with his Muslim upbringing.
Those who believe in G-d understand why America is now under assault as her economy fails and is being dragged down to a Third World status, hopelessly in debt – as of now a $14,000,000,000, that is $14 TRILLION dollar debt, and growing exponentially.
COMMENTARY BY EMANUEL A. WINSTON
ISRAEL BRACES FOR THE IRANIAN RAIN OF FIRE http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htatrit/articles/20101105.aspx
November 5, 2010: The head of Israeli military intelligence warned his political superiors that the next major war Israel encountered would likely result in much higher Israeli casualties, especially to civilians. There is also growing concern about Russia selling advanced anti-aircraft systems to Syria, which could pass them on to Iran.
All this could be traced back to preparations Iran has been making for over a decade. Using their oil wealth, and weapons smuggling network, Iran has armed Syria, Hezbollah (the Shia militia in southern Lebanon) and Hamas (the Palestinian terrorist group that runs Gaza) with over 50,000 rockets, plus numerous other weapons. Most of the rockets are short range (about 10 kilometers), but several thousand have a much longer reach, and can hit targets throughout Israel. The Iranian master plan is for Hezbollah, Hamas, Syria and Iran to simultaneously fire as many missiles and rockets into Israel as they can. Even if there are no ground forces to follow up such an attack, the casualties (civilian and military) in Israel would be seen as a great Islamic victory, and would demoralize the Israelis. While Israeli defensive moves could do great damage to Syria, Lebanon and Gaza, Iran considers it a reasonable plan. Hezbollah, Syria and Hamas are not so sure, but Iran already has all the rockets and missiles in place.
Israeli military planners have seen this coming. Over the last three years, Israel has been revising its civil defense plans, and how to deal with the growing arsenal of rockets and ballistic missiles aimed at it. The latest change is the announcement that the military is dispersing its stocks of supplies, equipment and spare parts to a larger number of (better protected) locations.
The basic defense plan assumes a future war with Syria, and gives the local officials an idea of what to expect. Currently, the Israelis estimate that there would be as many as 3,300 Israeli casualties (including up to 200 dead) if Syria tried to use its long range missiles against Israel. If the Syrians used chemical warheads, Israeli casualties could be as high as 16,000. Over 200,000 Israelis would be left homeless, and it's believed about a 100,000 would seek to leave the country.
Israel now assumes that Iran would also fire some of its ballistic missiles as well, armed with conventional warheads. But the big danger is Syria, which is a client state of Iran. Syria has underground storage and launch facilities for its arsenal of over a thousand SCUD missiles. Armed with half ton high explosive and cluster bomb warheads, the missiles have ranges of 500-700 kilometers. Syria also has some 90 older Russian Frog-7 missiles (70 kilometer range, half ton warhead) and 210 more modern Russian SS-21 missiles (120 kilometer range, half ton warhead) operating with mobile launchers. There are also 60 mobile SCUD launchers. The Syrians have a large network of camouflaged launching sites for the mobile launchers. Iran and North Korea have helped Syria build underground SCUD manufacturing and maintenance facilities. The Syrian missiles are meant to hit Israeli airfields, missile launching sites and nuclear weapons sites, as well as population centers. Syria hopes to do enough damage with a missile strike to cripple Israeli combat capability.
Israel has long been aware of the Syrian capabilities and any war with Syria would probably result in some interesting possible attacks on the Syrian missile network. The SCUD is a liquid fuel missile and takes half an hour or more to fuel and ready for launch. So, underground facilities are a major defensive measure against an alert and astute opponent like Israel. But Syria has been adding a lot of solid fuel ballistic missiles to its inventory, and recently transferred some of these to Hezbollah, in Lebanon. Hezbollah and Syria would likely coordinate an attack on Israel. Hamas, in Gaza, is a semi-client of Iran, and might be persuaded to join in as well.
No unclassified government planning documents have discussed what Israel would do in response to such an attack, but in the past, Israel has threatened to use nukes against anyone who fired chemical weapons at Israel (which does not have any chemical weapons). But current plans appear to try and keep it non-nuclear for as long as possible.
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Daniel Greenfield article: A Smiling Obama Returns to Bloody Jakarta
By Emanuel A. Winston, Mid East Analyst & Commentator
More and More of President Barack Hussein Obama’s mask is being peeled away and an ugly person is emerging. Naturally, the Left Liberal Media will continue to do everything possible to keep up the façade of a smiling, affable President with the gift of smooth gab – even when the gab is full of lies.
COMMENTARY BY EMANUEL A. WINSTON
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Daniel Greenfield article: A Smiling Obama Returns to Bloody Jakarta http://sultanknish.blogspot.com/2010/11/smiling-obama-returns-to-bloody-jakarta.html
Good Shabbos Everyone. In this week’s parsha Vayeitzeh we read about how, on the way to Charan, Yakov Avinu stopped to rest for the night. As he slept, Yakov dreamt that he saw a ladder. The famous dream of the ladder contains some of the most inspirational spiritual lessons of the entire Torah. The verse tells us that Yakov “dreamt, and behold! A ladder was set on the earth and its top reached towards the heavens...” (Bereishis 28:12) The Sages teach us that the ladder symbolizes the position of a Jew in this world. Although we stand on the ground like the base of the ladder, we strive to reach up to the heavens, like the top of the ladder in the dream. As the verse states, "A ladder was set on the earth and its top reached towards the heavens..."
The following emotional story illustrates how one Jew climbed very high in life and in death. For the first two decades of his life, Gavriel Kadel (not his real name) lived as a secular Israeli. Born and raised in the Holy Land, Gavriel knew next to nothing about his religious heritage. And then Gavriel joined the growing throng of Israeli baalei teshuva. Fired by a deep sense of commitment to Torah and mitzvos, Gavriel joined a yeshiva and dedicated himself fully to the service of Hashem. Just one year after his return to Torah observance, Gavriel had already made tremendous strides in his learning and yiras shomayim - fear of heaven. But then Hasgacha Pratis (divine intervention) intervened. Gavriel contracted a life threatening illness, and he grew weaker as the days passed. Friends prayed for his recovery, but Hashem had other plans…
Only a short time later, Gavriel passed away. His fellow students, his Rabbeim (Rabbis), all those who had come to know and admire the enthusiastic young man were devastated by the news. But even as they tried to come to terms with their grief, the Rabbeim in the yeshiva were faced with a troubling problem. They knew that they ought to visit Gavriel’s parents to console them for their loss. Yet they also knew that his parents had been angry when their son had become religious. Would the parents even want to see or speak to the Rabbeim?
Torn by the conflict, the Rabbeim finally decided to consult with a gadol. They went to speak to Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, the son and successor of the Steipler Gaon. After listening carefully to the Rabbeim, Reb Chaim said, "Tell them that in truth, their son should have passed away the year before. But because he became religious, Hashem granted him another year of life to fulfill Torah and mitzvos." The Rabbeim left Reb Chaim with feeling that they were in a sticky situation. No doubt Reb Chaim knew what he was talking about. Yet how could they go to irreligious parents and offer this as a condolence? What did such people know of the power of such a respected Torah leader? Surely they would mock the words of Reb Chaim! No, Gavriel’s Rabbeim decided, they would simply have to come up with some other way of consoling the parents.
The meeting with the parents proceeded much as the Gavriel’s Rabbeim had feared. "You religious Jews!" the parents said bitterly. "What did our son gain by becoming religious? Nothing! He lost everything, including his life!" With anger and accusations being hurled at them from all sides, Gavriel’s Rabbeim slowly realized that none of their carefully prepared remarks were helping. Perhaps, they thought, they should simply say what Reb Chaim had suggested. "We spoke to Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky about your son," one of the Rabbeim began cautiously. "He told us that, far from costing your son his life, his newfound interest in religion actually saved his life." The parents remained silent for a moment.
Emboldened, the Rabbi continued. "In fact, Reb Chaim said that your son was actually supposed to die the year before and that it was only because he became religious that he was granted another year of life." There was a sudden gasp from his mother. "It is true!" she yelled hysterically. "Every word the Rabbi said is true!" "You are right," the father said, tears streaming down his cheeks. "We blamed you for the death of my son, but the rabbi is right. Becoming religious did save his life." The Rabbeim simply could not understand it. What had brought about this change in attitude? What was there about the message of Reb Chaim that had finally gotten through to the parents of the young man?
After she calmed down, the mother explained: “ Last year, my son began thinking about keeping Shabbos, though he was not really religious yet. Exactly one year ago, on one Shabbos morning, his old group of friends drove up to the house and tried to convince him to go along for some fun. Gavriel thought about it, but he decided against joining them. They drove away, laughing and mocking Gavriel for his beliefs. Later that day, the same group of friends were involved in a car accident and all of them were killed. If Gavriel had gone along with them, he would also have been killed. It was his newfound interest in religion and keeping Shabbos that saved his life. I was not willing to admit it then, but deep down I suppose I really knew that religion was helping Gavriel, not harming him. When you told me the words of the Rabbi, I realized that you were right. Thank you. You have consoled us for our loss.” Said the mother. And when Gavriel’s Rabbeim left the house, they went with a new understanding of the faith and trust we must have in the guidance of our Torah leaders.(Visions of Greatness, R.Y.Weiss)
We do not know how high our spiritual ladders will take us. However, it is our obligation as conscientious Jews to always try to climb in life. Spiritual life is eternal, while our physical existence is fleeting. As the verse tell us “…because you are dust and to the dust you shall return.” (Bereishis 3:19) In the end, the dust returns to its source in the ground and the soul returns to its source above. We do not know how many days have been allotted to us. Thus, we must make the smart investment in our spiritual selves.
By doing mitzvahs such as keeping Shabbos, we climb the rungs of the spiritual ladder. This idea is hinted to in the dream of Yakov. As the verse tells us "A ladder was set on the earth and its top reached towards the heavens..." The challenge of a Jew is therefore to elevate his earthy being to become more like Hashem in heaven. The ladder must stay on the ground in order to climb on it, yet the purpose of the ladder is to climb higher. So too, although we must take care of our earthy needs such as eating and sleeping, etc., our primary goal is to reach the heavens.
In conclusion, whenever we see a ladder we should stop to reflect on our position in life.(Reb Zelig Pliskin) Are we climbing higher towards our spiritual source in Heaven above? Are we using our materialism to grow closer to Hashem? If we can stay focused on climbing the spiritual ladder, we will all live happier lives. Good Shabbos Everyone.
M. Wolfberg’s stories are sponsored by: Mazal Tov to Reb and Mrs. Yanky Leib Cantor on the occasion of the birth of their son Refuah Shleima to Mordechai Menachem Mendel ben Tziporah Yitta Refuah Shleima to Tsviah bas Bracha Leah Refuah Shleimah to Chana Ashayra bas Dodi.
Have a wonderful Shabbos, Please note that during the next few weeks, I will be very busy and may not produce the www.rabbipauli.blogspot.com weekly during this time.
Rachamim Pauli
