Friday, September 19, 2014

Parshiyos Netzavim-Vayelech, Rosh Hashanah, Haazinu, miracles and stories


Parshiyos Nitzavim-Vayelech

The second Drasha of Moshe in his last 40 days started with Re’eh and ended with the blessings and curses of Ki Savo. We are now on the morning of the 7th of Adar 2488 and Moshe is handing the reigns over to Yehoshua Bin Nun only Chazak V’ Amatz (be strong and fortified) which appears here and from HASHEM in Sefer Yehoshua Chapter 1.

This is Moshe’s last opportunity to see Am Yisrael and the reverse is true. The sun (Moshe) is about to set and the moon (Yehoshua) is about to rise. The torch of the generations is being passed on. The leadership is not made up of youngsters both Kalev and Yehoshua are in their 80’s but still strong in their leadership roles. Elazar is Cohain Gadol and this new leadership is going to conquer the land of Eretz Yisrael.  This is the generation that will place giant stones in the Yarden which three of them will still exist in the days of the Talmud.

29:9 Ye are standing this day all of you before the LORD your God: your heads, your tribes, your elders, and your officers, even all the men of Israel, 10 your little ones, your wives, and thy stranger that is in the midst of thy camp, from the hewer of thy wood unto the drawer of thy water;

The woodcutters and water drawers were very hard professions and consider the lowest most boring and menial work. (Different from the days of Rivka in Beresheis where she is elevated for it or Yacov removing the stone from the well or Moshe meeting Tziporah by the well.)

Both your woodcutters [and your water drawers]: [The mention of these people separate to the main community of Israel] teaches us that in the days of Moses, Canaanites came to convert [to Judaism], just as the Gibeonites came [to convert] in the days of Joshua. This is the meaning of the verse regarding the Gibeonites,“And they also acted cunningly…” (Josh. 9:4), [i. e., pretending that they had come from a far away country. When they were discovered, Joshua made them woodcutters and water drawers for Israel (see Josh. 9:3-27). Likewise here, the Canaanites attempted to deceive Moses,. but they did not succeed, and Moses did not accept them to be Jews. Rather,] Moses made them woodcutters and water drawers [i.e., slaves for Israel]. — [Tanchuma 2; Yev. 79a; see Rashi Gittin 23b]

Approximately 2, 500,000 people are looking at Moshe Rabbaynu for the last time. Some will remember this occasion so that decades later they will describe this gathering as their forefathers described to them the thundering and lightning of Mt. Sinai when the Torah was given and the splitting of the sea which they saw with their own eyes. But alas our generation is so far removed from this. However, there is home that the miracles of this generation some caught on film will remain for the next ones to view after us and my oldest grandson has been passed this tradition which he heard and saw in news photos.

11 that thou should enter into the covenant of the LORD thy God--and into His oath--which the LORD thy God makes with thee this day;

That you may enter: Heb. לְעָבְרְךָ‏. [Meaning,] “That you may pass through [i.e., enter] the covenant.” One should not understand this verb [to be in the causative conjugation,] to mean “to cause you to pass through,” [but rather, the verb is in the simple conjugation, and means that you yourselves will pass through]. This is similar to the expression, לַעֲשׂתְכֶם, “that you [yourselves] should do them” (Deut. 4:14). That you may enter into the covenant: [lit.] “that you may pass through the covenant.” This was the method of those who made covenants: They would set up a demarcation on one side and a demarcation on the other, and [the respective parties of the covenant] “passed through” between [these partitions], as the verse says, “[when] they cut the calf in two and passed between its parts” (Jer. 34:18).

12 that He may establish thee this day unto Himself for a people, and that He may be unto thee a God, as He spoke unto thee, and as He swore unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.

HASHEM has established his covenant with you and you will be HIS people in HIS land.

13 Not only with you am I making this covenant and this oath; 14 but with those standing with us this day before the LORD our God, and also with him that is not here with us this day—

This is for all of Am Yisrael. You standing here today should know that the oath was not only for the Avos and not only for you but for future unborn generations.
But not only with you am I making this covenant and this oath,But not only with you am I making this covenant and this oath,But not only with you am I making this covenant and this oath,But not only with you am I making this covenant and this oath,But not only with you am I making this covenant and this oath,But not only with you am I making this covenant and this oath,
15 for ye know how we dwelt in the land of Egypt; and how we came through the midst of the nations through which you passed; 16 and you have seen their detestable things, and their idols, wood and stone, silver and gold, which were with them-- 17 lest there should be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart turns away this day from the LORD our God, to go to serve the gods of those nations; lest there should be among you a root that bears gall and wormwood; 18 and it come to pass, when he hears the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying: 'I shall have peace, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart--that the watered be swept away with the dry';

This happens to many a character who justifies themselves. Adulterers are famous for making up excuses, lies and manipulating things. I am sure that those who murder their co-religionists and innocents including children in the name of Allah also justify their actions with their hearts of stone.

19 the LORD will not be willing to pardon him, but then the anger of the LORD and His jealousy shall be kindled against that man, and all the curse that is written in this book shall lie upon him, and the LORD shall blot out his name from under heaven; 20 and the LORD shall separate him unto evil out of all the tribes of Israel, according to all the curses of the covenant that is written in this book of the law.

We do believe that eventually the 10 lost tribes will be found but they have been lost for a good reason and will have to reaffirm the bris as those claiming to be from certain tribes today in Afghanistan and Pakistan are practicing Muslims and nobody knows how their marriages and intermarriages and divorces work so until Eliyahu comes they will remain where they are.

21 And the generation to come, your children that shall rise up after you, and the foreigner that shall come from a far land, shall say, when they see the plagues of that land, and the sicknesses wherewith the LORD hath made it sick; 22 and that the whole land thereof is brimstone, and salt, and a burning, that it is not sown, nor bears, nor any grass grows therein, like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which the LORD overthrew in His anger, and in His wrath; 23 even all the nations shall say 'Wherefore hath the LORD done thus unto this land? What means the heat of this great anger?'

A century and a half ago Yisrael was barren and only the return of the students of the Vilna Gaon, some Sephardim, Moshe Solomon and Montefiore did the land slowly start to re-blossom again. With my eyes I have seen the dunes of Ashdod turn into a city with trees and parks, Modiin a bunch of rocks the same story and more places spring into being.

24 then men shall say: 'Because they forsook the covenant of the LORD, the God of their fathers, which He made with them when He brought them forth out of the land of Egypt; 25 and went and served other gods, and worshipped them, gods that they knew not, and that He had not allotted unto them; 26 therefore the anger of the LORD was kindled against this land, to bring upon it all the curse that is written in this book; 27 and the LORD rooted them out of their land in anger, and in wrath, and in great indignation, and cast them into another land, as it is this day'.—

Those who visited the area where I live 30 years ago could not imagine that a year ago 86,000 lived in Modiin and 60,000 in Modiin Illit with about 10,000 in the little Yeshuvim throughout the area which was barren when I took my paramedic course 38 years ago and we used the area for field training.

28 The secret things belong unto the LORD our God; but the things that are revealed belong unto us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.

One good thing is reading this passage before Rosh Hashanah and remembering WHOM it is that is able to read and understand thoughts, hearts, kidneys and the rest of the functions in the human being.

30:1 And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt bethink thyself among all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath driven thee, 2 and shalt return unto the LORD thy God, and hearken to His voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thy heart, and with all thy soul; 3 that then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the peoples, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee.

The continuing bigotry in our people and groundless hatred between eastern European Jews and Western European Jews and contempt for the Sephardim or Ashkenazim or Yemenites. Although most of this has stopped in the last two generations it is still out there and the reason of groundless hatred still exists. Only groundless love will finally bring Moshiach but we are finally on our way as the Kassams, Scuds, Katyushas, etc. have started binding us together. In a tank or ground force your life depends on the next fellow no matter what black, white or oriental Jew.

4 If any of thine that are dispersed be in the uttermost parts of heaven, from thence will the LORD thy God gather thee, and from thence will He fetch thee.

There are Jews in Siberia, Alaska, Hawaii, Australia, New Zeeland, Chile, Peru, Africa, China etc. We see different colors among us from the blonds of northern Europe to the Lemba and Kaifeng Jews.  

5 And the LORD thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and He will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers. 6 And the LORD thy God will circumcise thy heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, that thou may live. 7 And the LORD thy God will put all these curses upon thine enemies, and on them that hate thee, that persecuted thee. 8 And thou shalt return and hearken to the voice of the LORD, and do all His commandments which I command thee this day. 9 And the LORD thy God will make thee over-abundant in all the work of thy hand, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy land, for good; for the LORD will again rejoice over thee for good, as He rejoiced over thy fathers; 10 if thou shalt hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this book of the law; if thou turn unto the LORD thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul. 11 For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not too hard for thee, neither is it far off. 12 It is not in heaven, that thou should say: 'Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, and make us to hear it, that we may do it?'

Don’t go around looking for a new and better Torah or a change in the Torah for HE who created the atoms to the great super galaxies created the eternal Torah before HE created mankind. The Torah will never be replaced and it is firm.

13 Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou should say: 'Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, and make us to hear it, that we may do it?'

If you send a submarine to the depths of the sea or a probe to mars and the planets will you find a new or better Torah?

14 But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou may do it.

Rather the Torah is here in your heart and the words in your mouth like Shema Yisrael to observe it. Therefore look into the Torah and understand it.

15 See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil, 16 in that I command thee this day to love the LORD thy God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His ordinances; then thou shalt live and multiply, and the LORD thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest in to possess it. 17 But if thy heart turn away, and thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them; 18 I declare unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish; ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over the Jordan to go in to possess it. 19 I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that I have set before thee life and death, the blessing and the curse; therefore choose life, that thou may live, thou and thy seed; 20 to love the LORD thy God, to hearken to His voice, and to cleave unto Him; for that is thy life, and the length of thy days; that thou may dwell in the land which the LORD swore unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.

The Pshat here is quite clear. It is being said on the 7th of Adar 2488 which is Moshe’s last day on earth. The final call to the people that Torah is a tree of life and the length of our days and we are to follow it. If not we will end up dying from discarding the Mitzvos. Only through Torah and Mitzvos will you be free men in your own land! Parsha Haazinu is that call and these inanimate objects will be instruments in punishing violators of the Torah.

Rashi comments on Pasuk 19 but I have lumped also 20 together with it: This day, I call upon the heaven and the earth as witnesses: For the heaven and earth exist for ever, and when the evil befalls you, they will be witnesses that I had warned you regarding all of this. Another explanation of “I call upon the heaven and the earth as witnesses, etc.”: The Holy One, Blessed is He, said to Israel, “Look at the heavens which I created to serve you. Have they ever changed their ways? Has the sphere of the sun ever failed to rise from the east to illuminate the entire world, as it is stated, ‘The sun rises, and the sun sets’ (Ecc. 1:5)? Look at the earth which I created to serve you. Has it ever changed its ways? Have you ever sown [in] it that it did not grow? Or have you ever sown wheat and it yielded barley? Now, they [heaven and earth] were created with neither reward nor loss in mind-for if they are meritorious [by fulfilling their purpose for which I created them], they nevertheless do not receive reward [for this]; and if they sin, they are not punished. And yet [even with this lack of incentive], they have never changed their ways! So you, who will receive reward if you are meritorious and who will be punished if you sin-how much more so [should you fulfill My will]!”- [Sifrei 32:1] You shall choose life: [God says: “Even though you have free choice, nevertheless,] I instruct you to choose the portion of life.” It is like a man who says to his son, “Choose for yourself a fine portion of my estate,” and then directs him to the best portion, saying to him, “This [is the portion which] you should choose for yourself!” And regarding this, the verse says, “The Lord is my allotted portion and my cup; You guide my destiny” (Ps. 16:5). [The last clause, אַתָּה תּוֹמִי‏ךְ גּוֹרָלִי, literally means “You laid upon my lot.” That is to say:] “You laid my hand upon the good lot, saying, ‘Take this for yourself!’”


31:1 And Moses went and spoke these words unto all Israel. 2 And he said unto them: 'I am a hundred and twenty years old this day; I can no more go out and come in; and the LORD hath said unto me: Thou shalt not go over this Jordan.

My time has come to be gathered unto my forefathers. My time is up.

3 The LORD thy God, He will go over before thee; He will destroy these nations from before thee, and thou shalt dispossess them; and Joshua, he shall go over before thee, as the LORD hath spoken.

The L-RD has appointed Yehoshua to be your leader and therefore follow his commands as you have followed me.

4 And the LORD will do unto them as He did to Sihon and to Og, the kings of the Amorites, and unto their land; whom He destroyed.

These mighty kings with well-trained armies and equipment in fortified cities have been destroyed by you. The same will be for the people of Canaan.

5 And the LORD will deliver them up before you, and ye shall do unto them according unto all the commandment which I have commanded you. 6 Be strong and of good courage, fear not, nor be affrighted at them; for the LORD thy God, He it is that doth go with thee; He will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.'

The theme of Sefer Yehoshua Chapter 1 is a reiteration of this Chazak V’ Amatz.  

7 And Moses called unto Joshua, and said unto him in the sight of all Israel: 'Be strong and of good courage; for thou shalt go with this people into the land which the LORD hath sworn unto their fathers to give them; and thou shalt cause them to inherit it.

Chazak V’ Amatz

8 And the LORD, He it is that doth go before thee; He will be with thee, He will not fail thee, neither forsake thee; fear not, neither be dismayed.' 9 And Moses wrote this law, and delivered it unto the priests the sons of Levi, that bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and unto all the elders of Israel. 10 And Moses commanded them, saying: 'At the end of every seven years, in the set time of the year of release, in the feast of tabernacles, 11 when all Israel is come to appear before the LORD thy God in the place which He shall choose, thou shalt read this law before all Israel in their hearing. 12 Assemble the people, the men and the women and the little ones, and thy stranger that is within thy gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the LORD your God, and observe to do all the words of this law;

Both the born Bnei Yisrael and the Gerim in the midst shall hear this song. (You might ask who was a Ger at the time according to the Medrash Serach bas Asher was a Giyores and so was Basya the daughter of Pharaoh who raised Moshe. I assume that there were many more too not listed in the Torah some of whom were the wood-cutters and water carriers mentioned above just to be part of Am Yisrael.)

13 and that their children, who have not known, may hear, and learn to fear the LORD your God, as long as ye live in the land whither ye go over the Jordan to possess it.' 14 And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Behold, thy days approach that thou must die; call Joshua, and present yourselves in the tent of meeting, that I may give him a charge.' And Moses and Joshua went, and presented themselves in the tent of meeting.

Moshe hands over the reins of leadership to the most qualified person not dynastic like the Kahuna but on merit.

15 And the LORD appeared in the Tent in a pillar of cloud; and the pillar of cloud stood over the door of the Tent. 16 And the LORD said unto Moses: 'Behold, thou art about to sleep with thy fathers; and this people will rise up, and go astray after the foreign gods of the land, whither they go to be among them, and will forsake Me, and break My covenant which I have made with them.

I am retiring you for eternal rest until I will need a spark from your soul to be Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai and later the Ari HaKadosh. You have had rebellions and have kept the people under control but with your passing the nation will grow weaker until generations later they will go astray.

17 Then My anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide My face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall come upon them; so that they will say in that day: Are not these evils come upon us because our God is not among us? 18 And I will surely hide My face in that day for all the evil which they shall have wrought, in that they are turned unto other gods.

This is one of the reasons we have to look deeper in place for the hidden miracles today as both from the religious and especially from the completely non-religious, HASHEM is hiding HIS face.

19 Now therefore write ye this song for you, and teach thou it the children of Israel; put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for Me against the children of Israel.

Haazinu Song will be a covenant Song for the people of Yisrael to follow and obey.

20 For when I shall have brought them into the land which I swore unto their fathers, flowing with milk and honey; and they shall have eaten their fill, and waxen fat; and turned unto other gods, and served them, and despised Me, and broken My covenant; 21 then it shall come to pass, when many evils and troubles are come upon them, that this song shall testify before them as a witness; for it shall not be forgotten out of the mouths of their seed; for I know their imagination how they do even now, before I have brought them into the land which I swore.'

If you follow the covenant it will be good if not woe unto you and your children.

22 So Moses wrote this song the same day, and taught it the children of Israel. 23 And he gave Joshua the son of Nun a charge, and said: 'Be strong and of good courage; for thou shalt bring the children of Israel into the land which I swore unto them; and I will be with thee.'

Chazak V’ Amatz

24 And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished, 25 that Moses commanded the Levites, that bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD, saying: 26 'Take this book of the law, and put it by the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee. 27 For I know thy rebellion, and thy stiff neck; behold, while I am yet alive with you this day, ye have been rebellious against the LORD; and how much more after my death? 28 Assemble unto me all the elders of your tribes, and your officers, that I may speak these words in their ears, and call heaven and earth to witness against them.

Although the little ones would sing it for the future, the elders were the members of the Sanhedrin and they would be the judges to enforce the Torah after crossing the Yarden.

29 For I know that after my death ye will in any wise deal corruptly, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will befall you in the end of days; because ye will do that which is evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him through the work of your hands.'

This is the evil of the destruction of both Beitei Mikdashim that were destroyed and we were sent into exile.  This is not the end of days of the Noviim when we shall repent and return.  

30 And Moses spoke in the ears of all the assembly of Israel the words of this song, until they were finished:

Parsha Haazinu

The last gift of Moshe to Yehoshua Bin Nun and Am Yisrael is this song to guide them.

32:1 Give ear, ye heavens, and I will speak; and let the earth hear the words of my mouth.

A few years ago I brought down a story written by my great-great grandfather bases on Talmud Niddah called the “Pit and the Weasel”. If one calls to witness inanimate objects or animals, they are used as instruments of HASHEM to enforce the breaking of a contract. Therefore violation will be brought about by any instrument such as lighting, wind or rains from heaven or earthquakes, landslides, crevices or a combination of both.

2 My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew; as the small rain upon the tender grass, and as the showers upon the herb. 3 For I will proclaim the name of the LORD; ascribe ye greatness unto our God. 4 The Rock, His work is perfect; for all His ways are justice; a God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and right is He. 5 Is corruption His? No; His children's is the blemish; a generation crooked and perverse.

Since HASHEM is perfect and we are imperfect we must obey without question.

6 Do ye thus requite the LORD, O foolish people and unwise? Is not He thy father that hath gotten thee? Has He not made thee, and established thee? 7 Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations; ask thy father, and he will declare unto thee, thine elders, and they will tell thee. 8 When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when He separated the children of men, He set the borders of the peoples according to the number of the children of Israel. 9 For the portion of the LORD is His people, Jacob the lot of His inheritance.

If one does not remember history such as the first exile then history will repeat itself with the second exile. One must learn well their lessons and take heed and most of all –REMEMBER WHO CREATED HEAVEN AND EARTH AND HAS MADE A COVENANT WITH AM YISRAEL AND WHAT WE ARE REQUIRED TO DO.

10 He found him in a desert land, and in the waste, a howling wilderness; He compassed him about, He cared for him, He kept him as the apple of His eye. 11 As an eagle that stirs up her nest, hovers over her young, spreads abroad her wings, takes them, bears them on her pinions-- 12 The LORD alone did lead him, and there was no strange god with Him. 13 He made him ride on the high places of the earth, and he did eat the fruitage of the field; and He made him to suck honey out of the crag, and oil out of the flinty rock; 14 Curd of kine, and milk of sheep, with fat of lambs, and rams of the breed of Bashan, and he-goats, with the kidney-fat of wheat; and of the blood of the grape thou drank foaming wine.

This is if you follow the Mitzvos.

15 But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked--thou didst wax fat, thou didst grow thick, thou didst become gross--and he forsook God who made him, and contemned the Rock of his salvation. 16 They roused Him to jealousy with strange gods, with abominations did they provoke Him.

However, if you have a large inheritance from your fathers who became wealthy through the blessing of HASHEM be wary lest you provoke your G-D.

17 They sacrificed unto demons, no-gods, gods that they knew not, new gods that came up of late, which your fathers dreaded not. 18 Of the Rock that begot thee thou were unmindful, and didst forget God that bore thee. 19 And the LORD saw, and spurned, because of the provoking of His sons and His daughters. 20 And He said: 'I will hide My face from them, I will see what their end shall be; for they are a very froward generation, children in whom is no faithfulness. 21 They have roused Me to jealousy with a no-god; they have provoked Me with their vanities; and I will rouse them to jealousy with a no-people; I will provoke them with a vile nation. 22 For a fire is kindled in My nostril, and burns unto the depths of the nether-world, and devours the earth with her produce, and set ablaze the foundations of the mountains.

May we return completely unto HASHEM that nuclear disaster mentioned here happen to our enemies and blot them off the face of the earth. For what is described above perhaps was not nuclear but torching the land by the Romans and the evils below therefore we must realize what can happen  if we are over satiated and diverge from Torah, Mitzvos, Tephilla, Tzeduka and review of our deeds leading to Teshuva.

23 I will heap evils upon them; I will spend Mine arrows upon them; 24 The wasting of hunger, and the devouring of the fiery bolt, and bitter destruction; and the teeth of beasts will I send upon them, with the venom of crawling things of the dust. 25 Without shall the sword bereave, and in the chambers terror; slaying both young man and virgin, the suckling with the man of gray hairs. 26 I thought I would make an end of them, I would make their memory cease from among men; 27 Were it not that I dreaded the enemy's provocation, lest their adversaries should misdeem, lest they should say: Our hand is exalted, and not the LORD hath wrought all this.' 28 For they are a nation void of counsel, and there is no understanding in them. 29 If they were wise, they would understand this, they would discern their latter end. 30 How should one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, except their Rock had given them over and the LORD had delivered them up? 31 For their rock is not as our Rock, even our enemies themselves being judges. 32 For their vine is of the vine of Sodom, and of the fields of Gomorrah; their grapes are grapes of gall, their clusters are bitter; 33 Their wine is the venom of serpents, and the cruel poison of asps. 34 'Is not this laid up in store with Me, sealed up in My treasuries? 35 Vengeance is Mine, and recompense, against the time when their foot shall slip; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that are to come upon them shall make haste.

It will appear as complete vengeance from HASHEM but in truth it will be a fatherly punishment. Do not think that a father who hits is son with a rod or strap hates him but rather it is a chastisement. However, according to the sin – measure for measure – shall the chastisement be and sometimes it is very harsh.

36 For the LORD will judge His people, and repent Himself for His servants; when He sees that their stay is gone, and there is none remaining, shut up or left at large. 37 And it is said: Where are their gods, the rock in whom they trusted; 38 Who did eat the fat of their sacrifices, and drank the wine of their drink-offering? let him rise up and help you, let him be your protection.

For those who have great questions about the Shoah of which many of the human Rabbis have no answer for read the above and see the answer below:

39 See now that I, even I, am He, and there is no god with Me; I kill, and I make alive; I have wounded, and I heal; and there is none that can deliver out of My hand.

Perhaps this is the answer to the question that my friend Jack K. with the Auschwitz Number on him asks “Why me? Why did I survive when I had righteous parents and siblings and only I survived?”

40 For I lift up My hand to heaven, and say: As I live forever, 41 If I whet My glittering sword, and My hand take hold on judgment; I will render vengeance to Mine adversaries, and will recompense them that hate Me.

This is a good reason to love the L-RD your G-D with all your heart, all your soul and all your might (money).

42 I will make Mine arrows drunk with blood, and My sword shall devour flesh; with the blood of the slain and the captives, from the long-haired heads of the enemy.' 43 Sing aloud, O ye nations, of His people; for He doth avenge the blood of His servants, and doth render vengeance to His adversaries, and doth make expiation for the land of His people.

But in the end, the Nations of the World will be judged from the State Department of friends and their head to the vicious enemies of Yisrael.

44 And Moses came and spoke all the words of this song in the ears of the people, he, and Hoshea the son of Nun. 45 And when Moses made an end of speaking all these words to all Israel, 46 he said unto them: 'Set your heart unto all the words wherewith I testify against you this day; that ye may charge your children therewith to observe to do all the words of this law. 47 For it is no vain thing for you; because it is your life, and through this thing ye shall prolong your days upon the land, whither ye go over the Jordan to possess it.'

This is where the Song Haazinu ends and Moshe climbs the mountain to see the Promised Land. I assume that it was not only a physical view all the way down to the coast and up into Lebanon and Syria and to the Sinai but like the Ari and Baal Shem Tov a spiritual and deeper insight also into the future time.

48 And the LORD spoke unto Moses that selfsame day, saying: 49 'Get thee up into this mountain of Abarim, unto mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, that is over against Jericho; and behold the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel for a possession; 50 and die in the mount whither thou go up, and be gathered unto thy people; as Aaron thy brother died in mount Hor, and was gathered unto his people. 51 Because ye trespassed against Me in the midst of the children of Israel at the waters of Meribath-kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin; because ye sanctified Me not in the midst of the children of Israel. 52 For thou shalt see the land afar off; but thou shalt not go thither into the land which I give the children of Israel.'

Moshe climbs the mountain and goes into a cave. The Medrash will state how he gets a kiss from HASHEM. I assume that some earthquake triggers a landslide that hides the entrance to the cave forever so that it will not become an object of worship.

Rosh Hashanah

One thing that I like about Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are the aleph-bet acrostic that we sing or say. The Yom Din Tephilla before Kedusha or in the repeat about HASHEM ruled, rules and will rule and Melech Elyon Tephilla and Shir. Arousing words and song to bring us higher and higher.  Of course we have the Ten Tokef Prayer which is the height of prayers before the Kedusha – who will live and who will die, who by earthquake, who by sword … The sword was brought home this year with the death of the reporters and prisoners of war in Iraq and Syria by barbaric forces.

This week I received a message that brought home the prayer of Rav Amnon HY”D http://www.ou.org/holidays/rosh-hashanah/unetaneh_tokef/ translation: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unetanneh_Tokef  Translating the middle section only: On Rosh Hashanah will be inscribed and on Yom Kippur will be sealed - how many will pass from the earth and how many will be created; who will live and who will die; who will die at his predestined time and who before his time; who by water and who by fire, who by sword, who by beast, who by famine, who by thirst, who by upheaval, who by plague, who by strangling, and who by stoning. Who will rest and who will wander, who will live in harmony and who will be harried, who will enjoy tranquility and who will suffer, who will be impoverished and who will be enriched, who will be degraded and who will be exalted. But Repentance, Prayer, and Charity avert the severe Decree!"

A number of years ago, the parents of Rebbitzen Rothman who had worked so hard volunteering for Yeshiva Mercas HaTorah passed away from Carbon monoxide one cold Yerushalayim Night that was like strangulation and this month the parents of my friend Kathy died when her father tripped setting off his gun which shot him in the chest and her mother bending over to help him ended up being shot in the neck and both dying instantly this is like the sword. We cannot understand the working of HASHEM and why this form of death as an atonement vs. that form of death or the couples that make the news when they pass away within hours in their beds next to each other.

Sometimes we do question why them and why now? Sometimes one has to see the bigger picture that HASHEM sees of past, present and future of these souls. For the ways of HASHEM are straight and brings joy to the heart. (Tehillim 19:8) It is up to us to look into our inner small picture inside our souls, pour out our hearts and return to HASHEM.

After Midnight Guests: Rabbi Hayim Pinto had a dream in which a great rabbi complained to him, "I sent you my grandson happy, and you sent him back to me sad." Connection: Seasonal--Saturday night, 26th Elul (2014: Oct. 21) is the 169th Yahrzeit of Rabbi Chaim Pinto. By Rabbi Yerachmiel Tilles: http://ascentofsafed.com/cgi-bin/ascent.cgi?Name=877-55

Rabbi Hayyim Pinto awoke every night to recite prayers and to make "requests of G-d." Afterwards, he would study Torah until dawn. One day his daughter Mazal entered into his room in the middle of the night and saw him studying with a man she did not recognize. In the morning, he went to speak with her and asked her sadly, "Why did you come into my room without knocking? You are not at the level to see Eliyahu Hanavi (Elijah the Prophet). Now Heaven has decreed a punishment: on the day of your marriage you will become blind."

A few years later, the grandson of the deceased Torah sage, Rabbi Khalifa Malka, came from Agadir to Mogador and went directly to Rabbi Hayyim Pinto's home. When he saw Mazal, she found favor in his eyes. Having already heard much about her excellent character and exemplary behavior, he asked Rabbi Hayyim to give his daughter to him in marriage, but the tzadik refused. He pleaded, he insisted, but the tzadik continued to refuse. The grandson of Rabbi Khalifa Malka returned to Agadir saddened and hurt because Rabbi Pinto had refused to let him marry his daughter.

Weeks later, Rabbi Hayyim Pinto had a dream in which he saw Rabbi Khalifa Malka, who told him, "I sent you my grandson happy, and you sent him back to me sad."

Rabbi Hayyim responded, "Your honor is aware that my daughter Mazal saw Eliyahu Hanavi when she shouldn't have and a decree was issued that on the day of her marriage she will become blind. This is why I refused to consider letting her marry your grandson." Rabbi Khalifa replied that his grandson would accept this decree and still want to marry her. All this dialog occurred during the dream.

The next day, Rabbi Pinto sent a special messenger to Agadir asking that the grandson of Rabbi Khalifa Malka should come to him again. When Rabbi Hayyim saw him, he explained what would happen to his daughter on the day of her wedding. The young man quickly responded that even so, he still desires to marry her and no one else.
The young couple married, and then, thanks to the merit and righteousness of both of them, the decree of blindness was annulled. They had children and lived to ripe old age, eventually passing away in the same week.
~~~~~~~~

When Rabbi Hayyim Pinto would arise every night to study Torah, his shamash (attendant), Rabbi Aaron Ben-Hayyim, would also arise and prepare him a cup of coffee. Once, Rabbi Aaron awoke a little late and therefore hurried to prepare a cup of coffee for the Rabbi, when suddenly he heard two voices coming from the inner room. He then went and prepared an additional cup for the unexpected guest.

In the morning, Rabbi Pinto asked his attendant, "Why did you prepare two cups of coffee during the night?"

"I heard two voices and I thought to prepare a second cup for the guest."

Rabbi Hayyim told him, "Happy are you, my son, you who had the merit to hear the voice of Eliyahu Hanavi. However, I decree that you repeat this secret to no one while I am alive."

It was not until after the death of the tzadik that the shamash recounted this incident to the inhabitants of the city.
~~~~~~~~

Rabbi Maklouf Ben Lisha once needed to discuss with Rabbi Hayyim Pinto matters of importance for the community of Mogador. Due to the seriousness of the matter, he went directly to the Rabbi's room in the middle of the night. Entering, he was astonished by the "illuminated" face of Rabbi Pinto and the presence of someone else who resembled an angel. He wanted to approach closer, but was seized with such great fright that he fled to his home.

The next day the tzadik told him, "Fortunate are you, my son, who had the merit of seeing the face of Eliyahu Hanavi."

Rabbi Maklouf lived a long time, to the age of 110, and he described this incident in his prayer book.
~~~~~~~~

On the day of Rabbi Hayyim Pinto's passing (see "Biographical note" below), he promised his disciples that those who would invoke his name on the day of his Hilula would see their prayers answered.
~~~~~~~~

Source: Adapted by Yerachmiel Tilles from the rendition on //www.hevratpinto.org, based on the book, The Light of the Righteous.

Biographical note:
Rabbi Hayyim Pinto Hagadol ("the Great") [Tammuz 15, 5509 - Elul 26, 5605 (July 1, 1749 - September 28, 1845)], a descendant of Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto--the "Rif" of Ein Yaakov--was born in Agadir, Morocco on the 6th Hilula of Rabbi Hayyim Ben Attar. At age 20, he became the head rabbinical judge in Mogador, exercising this function for more than 70 years. The greatest Torah scholars of the generation esteemed him, and Jews and Muslims alike venerated him. It is said that Eliyahu Hanavi revealed himself regularly to him and studied with him. On the day of his passing, at age 96, he promised his disciples that those who would invoke his name on the day of his Hilula would see their prayers answered.

Connection: The 171st yahrzeit of Rabbi Hayyim Pinto Hagadol (2014: Sat. night, Sept. 21).

From Gail Winston: A miracle during Operation Protective Edge by Yosef Mendelevich 9/11/14  A story of tefillin, Tehillim & ‘tilim’ – phylacteries, psalms & rockets.

On the day Operation Protective Edge began, Avraham Yitzhak Rahamim Mendelevich was preparing to leave the IDF & return to yeshiva. Instead, he was sent from his position on the Golan Heights, where he had been serving for almost two years, to fight in the Gaza Strip. His battalion was stationed on the outskirts of the Zeitoun neighborhood, not far from the settlement of Netzarim.
The young soldier very much regretted that he would not be able to go to the grave of his grandfather, Moshe Mendelevich, an Aliya activist in Riga, Latvia – which was under Soviet control in the 1970s – on his yahrzeit, 16 Tamuz, the eve of the Three Weeks leading up to Tisha Be’av. Also on that day, Mendelevich’s father, Yosef, wished to be in contact with his son, to give him tefillin with a special story.
BY 1980, Yosef had already been imprisoned in Leningrad for 10 years, for attempting to hijack a Soviet plane & flee to Israel. At the same time, a special envoy of Lubavitcher Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson arrived in the Soviet Union to show solidarity with the Prisoners of Zion. The envoy was impressed with the extreme devotion of the younger generation, & told Rabbi Yitzhak Kogan, a Chabad underground activist, that he would report back to the Rebbe what he had witnessed & ask him to specially bless Kogan. But Kogan surprised the envoy, & instead insisted the Rebbe bless Yosef Mendelevich.
“He has been on a hunger strike for 55 days, demanding they give him back the Chumash & Siddur they confiscated from him,” said Kogan. “His physical condition is very bad. The Rebbe must pray for his immediate release from the prison.”

     The Rebbe’s prayer was in fact answered, & within a few months Yosef was flown straight from the prison to Israel. On a stopover in Vienna, the redeemed prisoner was brought to the Israeli Embassy in Austria. “What is your first request?” the ambassador asked him. “I need a set of tefillin to put on before sunset.”
The ambassador looked at his embassy staff members – which of them would still have tefillin? Suddenly, there stepped forward Rabbi Israel Singer, then director of the World Jewish Congress.
     “IT WAS very interesting,” recalls Singer. “After hearing about the release of Mendelevich, I was supposed to fly out to welcome him.  Before that, I contacted the Rebbe & asked him, ‘What I should take for the freed Yosef?’ “‘Take him tefillin,’
the Rebbe answered. “‘And here are the tefillin I have brought you on the orders of the Rebbe,’” Singer told Yosef  that day in Vienna. & so, for the first time in his life, Yosef put on tefillin.


AFTER HE arrived in Israel, the tefillin disappeared.  Yosef was heartbroken. But on the day his son was being sent to the Gaza Strip, the tefillin were suddenly found with a nephew, Ronen Lisitzin. The moment Yosef got the tefillin back, he began to think about how to get them to Mendelevich, to grant him special protection. It turned out it was not possible to send tefillin to the battle area, but as is known, God turns good intentions into deeds – & Yosef  hoped that thanks to all that, the tefillin would begin to perform their mission.
Contact with Mendelevich was very difficult.  With entry into the battle zone, cellphones were taken from the combatants.   In brief sallies to the rear for equipping the tank with ammunition & for repairs, Mendelevich would contact his parents on the unit commander’s phone. Every such conversation was a gift from Heaven, & caused great excitement in the family. His mother asked her son to observe all safety regulations, & his father asked him to read from the Book of Psalms (Tehillim) every day.
In the neighborhood where Battalion No. 7 was located, fierce battles were taking place. The terrorists were using anti- tank missiles as well as snipers, attacking from the tunnels.
On Rosh Hodesh Av, there was a powerful flash of light in the tank, followed by the sound of a huge explosion. The tank filled with smoke. Over the intercom it was announced, “Tank No. 3 has been destroyed.” Mendelevich said later that he was deafened by the explosion. He didn’t know whether he had been wounded & what had happened to his companions.  A minute later he heard the commander shouting: “Are you all alive?” They were all alive. At that moment, they received the order to return fire, scoring a direct hit on the terrorist who had fired the missile.   WHAT HAPPENED next was nothing short of a miracle, in Mendelevich’s telling.
“There was a cease-fire, & we retreated to a safe position to rest. The commander gave us permission to leave the tank. We had spent 48 hours inside the tank; it was very hot & we were exhausted. 

     “But I decided to remain in the tank.  I had promised my father I would read Psalms every day. & I had to read the psalm for Monday, Psalm 30: ‘1. A Psalm; a song at the dedication of the house of David. 2. I will extol Thee, O Lord, for Thou hast raised me up, & hast not suffered mine enemies to rejoice over me.’ “And because I didn’t go out, my fellow crew members also remained with me inside the tank.  “Even though we were hidden inside an olive grove, the Hamas lookouts spotted us. They shot at us, apparently with a Sagger guided anti-tank missile.”
     In reality, there was no chance of escaping from this missile. But the Hamas operative & the missile struck exactly the rear of the tank. So, at first, they thought that we had been hit.” When the crew emerged from the tank, Mendelevich looked at the place in the tank turret where he was supposed to have stood during the rest period. All the equipment was burnt; the missile had passed within one meter. Returning from war, at a welcome-home meal in his parents’ Jerusalem home, Mendelevich told of the miracle he had experienced thanks to the Guardian of Israel, & to the Psalms of King David. His father, Yosef, then stood up & told everyone about the tefillin which the Rebbe had sent him 33 years before, which had turned up just when it was needed – during Operation Protective Edge. ■

Translated by David Herman. FREEMAN CENTER BROADCAST For Zion’s sake I will not hold my peace & for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest.” Isaiah 62.                     FREEMAN CENTER FOR STRATEGIC STUDIES P.O. Box 35661 * Houston, Texas 77235-5661OUR WEB SITE www.freeman.org >  

What could happen next year the Shmita year Sanhedrin 97A: Our Rabbis taught: in the seven year cycle at the end of which the son of David will come-in the first year, this verse will be fulfilled: And I will cause it to rain upon one city and cause it not to rain upon another city;2  in the second, the arrows of hunger will be sent forth;3  in the third, a great famine, in the course of which men, women, and children, pious men and saints4  will die, and the Torah will be forgotten by its students; in the fourth, partial plenty;5  in the fifth, great plenty, when men will eat, drink and rejoice, and the Torah will return to its disciples; in the sixth, [Heavenly] sounds;6  in the seventh, wars; and at the conclusion of the septennate the son of David will come. R. Joseph demurred: But so many septennates have passed, yet has he not come! — Abaye retorted: Were there then [Heavenly] sounds in the sixth and wars in the seventh! Moreover, have they [sc. the troubles] been in this order7  ! Taken from the Soncino Talmud http://www.come-and-hear.com/sanhedrin/sanhedrin_97.html

K.J. who is interesting in Converting wrote: I have never heard a Christian Sermon on Yechezkel 18:21 But if the wicked turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all My statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die. 22 None of his transgressions that he hath committed shall be remembered against him; for his righteousness that he hath done he shall live. 23 Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? says the Lord GOD; and not rather that he should return from his ways, and live?
I replied: Do you know why you never heard it because they hold somebody died for your sins no ownership like Obama. Unfortunate Satan is a banker and if you don't repent he keeps your sins in his vault. This means that Yechezkel is saying “Face up ownership and repent!”


Surprise-surprise a suspect corrupt politician: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/185242#.VBqFapscTIU

Esav and Yacov were twins to I think that when Esav saw him he was so shocked after 34 years that he saw a very old man that he realized that he might die on the same day as Yacov for twins are in the same Mazel:  http://mom.me/in-the-loop/14791-sisters-give-birth-hours-apart/?icid=maing-grid7%7Chtmlws-main-bb%7Cdl23%7Csec1_lnk3%26pLid%3D530176

MK Chaim Katz deserves congratulations as his son rises to the rank of Lt. Col. In the 8200 Unit.


Inyanay Diyoma

A. Perez posted this and I copied: DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ISIS AND ISIL, VERY IMPORTANT YOU KNOW:

Why does Obama insist on calling ISIS the alternate term of ISIL? Well, it's for sinister reasons. The "S" in ISIS stands for Syria; the "L" in ISIL stands for Levant. Levant is the land bridge from Turkey to Egypt, and INCLUDES ISRAEL. By using the term ISIL, the Imam in the W.H. is signaling the world of Islam that he recognizes their claim to the land occupied by Israel. The Son-of-Islam is cunning, evil, and is aiding and abetting the Islamic quest to Islamize the entire world

Friday had me planting with its earth some flowers that I bought before the Shmita (Sabbatical) Year. I had to take things early in the sun and do only a little. I am beginning to get that feeling that I am no longer 41 years old that I was when we moved into our house here.

On Shabbos my friends and I were having a non-betting pool if Hamas is going to re-start the war on the 29th of Elul, 1st or 2nd day of Rosh Hashanah as they usually break the ceasefires early. The weekly B-Sheva Newspaper was writing about the war - breaking out again soon.


Wrong turn in Yerushalayim becomes a death defying act. One has to be careful it once happened to me bad signs. This week I twice passed by Isawiya going back and forth to the Dead Sea. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/185037#.VBKySpscTIU

IDF needs an update badly after the budget cuts and the Gaza War which the government recognizes only as a campaign to save compensation money to businesses. Ed-Op: Last year, I published an article about the defense budget with a title pointing to its content: A clear, concrete danger. I explained that the IDF was bigger (both in manpower and in weapons – planes, tanks, cannons, etc.) than the British or French or German armies, while the Israeli defense budget was four to five times lower than the defense budget of each of these countries. So where is the army's "fat" hiding? http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4569978,00.html

Israel has the soldiers probed in order to stop UN Probe: http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Rule-of-Law-Ready-for-a-fight-375144


This is what happens when you take leftist Israelis into intelligence. The Shin Bet wants them against the right but it back-fires big time on them: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4570256,00.html it happens that out of the 43 only 10 were in intelligence the rest were only helpers in the unit.

Cyber-Dome to protect the internet, water and electric works. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4570114,00.html

Netanyahu and Steinmetz do not sleep well at night over this:
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4570209,00.html


Haden warns of the bad guys doing damage: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4570076,00.html

Bennett accused of moving to the left to be Prime Minister as he will get between 19 to 20 seats: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/185034#.VBL7vJscTIU

Muslim Student Association vs. David Horowitz thanks to Shirley: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fSvyv0urTE

Even the center-left finds the extreme leftist in the intelligence Corp Reserve refusal as repulsive: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/185060

Will there be elections or will the Charedim join the government? http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4570519,00.html

Senator Ted Cruz walked off the stage last night Thurs 9/11 after hecklers booed his words in support of Jews and Israel at a Washington dinner sponsored by In Defense of Christians, a group that seeks to raise awareness of the persecution of Christians and religious minorities in the Middle East. Sen. Cruz said: 

"When I spoke in strong support of Israel and the Jewish people, who are being persecuted and murdered by the same vicious terrorists who are also slaughtering Christians, many Christians in the audience applauded. But, sadly, a vocal and angry minority of attendees at the conference tried to shout down my expression of solidarity with Israel.
"They cannot shout down the truth. And we should not shy away from expressing the truth, even in the face of - especially in the face of - ignorance and bigotry. I told the attendees that those who hate Israel also hate America, that those who hate Jews also hate Christians.”


Britain to send the Kurds more anti-tank weapons and arms after this beheading: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/185065#.VBUInJscTIU

Ed-Op Minister Eldan World forgetting Holocaust: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4570062,00.html

I get Gail Winston’s updates daily if I put down only half, I would have to start a news blogspot. However, I do bring down some articles in full. Dear Family & Friends,
Thus it is still 9/11 in the USA, my old home country.  I was just interviewed on Franklin Raff’s radio show at 1590, WCGO – Chicago.  That it was 9/11 resonates here in Jerusalem. Many more Websites & informationals for you to enjoy over the coming Shabbat & Sunday.
Mainly, get a grip on how Israel is leading the fight against a determined enemy.  We’ve won against Hamas – for now.  Everything is back to the new normal here.  Quiet, no “Az’akas”, (sirens) but the knives are out to get us in the UN & the world MSM:  MainStreamMedia.
Have a quiet night.  All the very best, Gail/Geula/Savta/Mom I wanted to add that the ambulances no longer sound like ice-cream trucks and are back to normal however, two idiots with motor cycles going by appear to me to be the preliminary revving up of the siren. A mature person on a motor-cycle does not make noises like this as often a real motor-cycling tour group comes by on Shabbos and they may be ‘rolling thunder’ but not that sound.
Reality check: Why Egypt offered to solve the 'Palestinian Problem'   By Caroline B. Glick Published Sept. 10, 2014 something extraordinary has happened.
On August 31, PLO chief & Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas told an audience of Fatah members that Egypt had offered to give the PA some 1,600 kilometers of land in Sinai adjacent to Gaza, thus quintupling the size of the Gaza Strip. Egypt even offered to allow all the so-called "Palestinian refugees" to settle in the expanded Gaza Strip.
Then Abbas told his Fatah followers that he rejected the Egyptian offer.
On Monday Army Radio substantiated Abbas's claim.
According to Army Radio, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi proposed that the Palestinians establish their state in the expanded Gaza Strip & accept limited autonomy over parts of Judea & Samaria.
In exchange for this state, the Palestinians would give up their demand that Israel shrink into the indefensible 1949 armistice lines, surrendering Jerusalem, Judea & Samaria. Sisi argued that the land Egypt is offering in Sinai would more than compensate for the territory that Abbas would concede.
In his speech to Fatah members, Abbas said, "They [the Egyptians] are prepared to receive all the refugees, [and are saying] 'Let's end the refugee story.'" "But," he insisted, "It's illogical for the problem to be solved at Egypt's expense. We won't have it."
In other words, Sisi offered Abbas a way to end the Palestinians' suffering & grant them political independence. & Abbas said, "No, forget statehood. Let them suffer."
Generations of Israeli leaders & strategists have insisted that Israel does not have the ability to satisfy the Palestinian demands by itself without signing its own death warrant. To satisfy the Palestinian demand for statehood, Israel's neighbors in Egypt & Jordan would have to get involved.
Until Sisi made his proposal, no Arab leader ever seriously considered actually doing what must be done. Indeed, the rejection of this self-evident Israeli claim has been so overwhelming that in recent years, every Israeli suggestion to this effect was met with raised eyebrows & dismissal by Israelis & foreigners alike.
So what is driving Sisi? How do we account for this dramatic shift? In offering the Palestinians a large swathe of the Sinai, Sisi is not acting out of altruism. He is acting out of necessity. From his perspective, & from the perspective of his non-jihadist Sunni allies in Saudi Arabia & the United Arab Emirates, the Palestinian campaign against Israel is dangerous.
Facing the prospect of a nuclear-armed Iran, & the rise of jihadist forces from al-Qaida to the Islamic State to the Muslim Brotherhood, the non-jihadist Sunnis no longer believe that the prolongation of the Palestinian jihad against Israel is in their interest.
Egypt & Jordan have already experienced the spillover of the Palestinian jihad. Hamas has carried out attacks in Egypt. The Palestinian jihad nearly destroyed Lebanon & Jordan. Egypt & Saudi Arabia now view Israel as a vital ally in their war against the Sunni jihadists & their struggle against Iran & its hegemonic ambitions. They recognize that Israeli action against Sunni & Shi'ite jihadists in Hamas, Hezbollah & Iran serves the interests of non-Jihadi Sunnis. And, especially after the recent conflict in Gaza, they realize that the incessant Palestinian campaign against Israel ultimately strengthens the jihadist enemies of Egypt & Saudi Arabia like Hamas.
Apparently, Sisi's offer to Abbas is an attempt to help the Palestinian people & take the Palestinian issue out of the hands of Palestinian jihadists.
Unfortunately for Sisi & his fellow non-jihadist Sunnis, Abbas is having none of this. In rejecting Sisi's offer Abbas stood true to his own record, to the legacies of every Palestinian leader since Nazi agent Haj Amin el-Husseini, & to the declared strategic goal of his own Fatah party & his coalition partners in Hamas. Since Husseini invented the Palestinians in the late 1920s, their leaders' primary goals have never been the establishment of a Palestinian state or improving the lives of Palestinians. Their singular goal has always been the destruction of the Jewish state, (or state-in-the-making before 1948).
Sisi offered to end Palestinian suffering & provide the Palestinians with the land they require to establish a demilitarized state. Abbas rejected it because he is only interested hurting Israel. If Israel is not weakened by their good fortune, then the Palestinians should continue to suffer.
For Israel, Sisi's proposal is a windfall.
First of all, it indicates that the Egyptian-Saudi- UAE decision to back Israel against Hamas in Operation Protective Edge was not a fluke. It was part of an epic shift in their strategic assessments. And if their regimes survive, their assessments are unlikely to change so long as Iran & the Sunni jihadists continue to threaten them. This means that for the first time since Israel allied with Britain & France against Egypt in 1956, Israel can make strategic plans as part of a coalition.
Second, Sisi's plan is good for Israel on its merits. The only way to stabilize the situation in Gaza & comprehensively defeat Hamas & the rest of the terrorist armies there is by expanding Gaza. If, as Sisi offered, the Palestinians of Judea & Samaria accept limited autonomy, Israel will no longer be demographically challenged. As a consequence Israel could apply its laws to Area C, ensuring its long-term security requirements & safeguarding the civil rights of all of its citizens. Sisi's plan is a boon for Israel as well because it calls Abbas's bluff.
Abbas is genuflected to by the US & the EU who insist that he is a moderate. The Israeli Left insists that he is the only thing that stands between Israel & destruction. Yet here we see him openly acknowledging that from a strategic perspective, he is no different from the last of the jihadists. He prefers to see his people wallow in misery & poverty, without a state to call their own, than to see Israel benefit in any way. Abbas's rejection of Sisi's offer demonstrates yet again that he & his Fatah comrades are the problem, not the solution. Continued faith in the PLO as a partner in peace & moderation is foolish & dangerous. He would rather see Hamas & Iran flourish than share a peaceful future with Israel.
The only reason that Abbas is able to continuously reject all offers of statehood & an end to Palestinian suffering, while expanding his diplomatic war against Israel & supporting his coalition partner's terror war, is because the US & Europe continue to blindly support him. The final way that Sisi's offer helps Israel is by showing the futility of the West's strategy of supporting Abbas.
According to Army Radio's report, both Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu & the Obama administration have been briefed on the Egyptian plan. The Americans reportedly support it. Netanyahu's position on the Egyptian proposal was not reported. But his recent statements indicate that he views the Egyptian proposal as a sea change that may facilitate a diplomatic breakthrough. During his press conference following the conclusion of the cease-fire in Gaza a week & a half ago, Netanyahu was asked about the prospect of renewing the peace process with Abbas. Netanyahu responded vaguely that prospects of the peace process are better now, in light of regional shifts. With the Egyptian proposal now out in the open, & assuming that this is what Netanyahu was referring to, his remarks were accurate.
Sisi's offer, even with Abbas's rejection of it is a gift to Israel. & Israel's challenge in the weeks & months ahead is to make the most of it. If the Americans force Abbas to accept Sisi's offer, Israel & the Palestinian people will benefit.   & if Abbas successfully scuttles it, Sisi's offer will show that Israel is correct that it cannot satisfy Palestinian demands on its own, & indeed, it demonstrates how unreasonable those demands are. Sisi's offer demonstrates that for non-jihadist Sunnis, not only is Israel not the problem in the Middle East, a strong Israel is a prerequisite for solving the region's troubles. Here is a major Arab leader willing to stand with Israel even if it means discrediting the PLO .
As a consequence, Sisi's offer is a challenge to the US & Europe. Sisi's offer shows Washington & Brussels that to solve the Palestinian conflict with Israel, they need to stand with Israel, even if this means abandoning Abbas. If they do so, they can take credit for achieving their beloved two-state solution. If they fail to do so, they will signal that their primary goal is not peace, but something far less constructive.
JWR contributor Caroline B. Glick is the senior Middle East Fellow at the Center for Security Policy in Washington, DC & the deputy managing editor of The Jerusalem Post, where her column appears. Read more at http://www.jewishworldreview.com/0914/glick091014.php3#FGq6wFlckeEtydwF.99


Part two of interview with General Hayden: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4570553,00.html

Islamic Genius Rabiya Shahade, an Israeli Arab from Nazareth, is described by those who knew him as a brilliant student with both Christian, Jewish friends – now he seems to be fighting with ISIS, vowing to 'drink blood' in video.  http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4570574,00.html

75 years after the outbreak of WWII, Germany to lead the fight against anti-Semitism: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/185069#.VBUt9ZscTIU

Danger in the Galil as Hezballah could take over some of the Galil and what would happen to civilians??? http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/185097#.VBXQgZscTIU

Investment in Defense spurs the economy: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4570936,00.html

Last week I brought down articles about black Africa and the various Muslim Groups making their area into a Caliphate. Today about North Africa and ISIS while abandoning Al Qaeda. The world likes to be on a winning team and so far the west is not yet in it to win but to contain. Containment did not work for Hitler in Czechoslovakia in 1939 and it will not work here. Some of you will get the article with my comments in green sent to me by Gail and will not know what I wrote and what J.E.Dyer wrote. We start off with Turkey. The only reason that they are in NATO is for their own defense but they are not allies of anybody but themselves. The sooner the west realizes what the Cypriots found out years ago and the Greeks know the better off they are. Although I talk about ISIS threatening Yarden it is of a real concern for Yisrael.

Turkey prefers the Sunni Jihadists as they are fighting the Shiites and the west better wake up: http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Analysis-Turkey-balks-at-helping-West-prefers-Sunni-jihadists-375353

Yesterday, Israel announced that if ISIS crosses into Yarden, it would be caucus belli and Israel would come to the rescue as we cannot have ISIS controlling our eastern front. The statements from the little king are sometimes obnoxious but there has been since the Six Day War peace with the kingdom. I will not get into whom the land belongs to at this point as the future holds HASHEM’s will which will be done in the proper time. I got this from Gail Winston and she opens up as follows: From:  JE Dyer:  I can’t tell you how much I wish this didn’t have to be such a negative analysis.  But there’s no positive spin to put on it.  I am gravely concerned at the prospect of Obama’s proposed strategy & impending deployments in Iraq.  It has gone from bad to worse just in the last 48 hours.  Partly because ISIS has taken the Syria option out with a blitzkrieg.  Maps at the link.  http://libertyunyielding.com/2014/09/13/isis-promptly-outflanks-obamas-new-strategy-neutralizes-syrian-opposition/
ISIS promptly outflanks Obama’s new strategy, neutralizes Syrian opposition By J.E. Dyer on September 13, 2014 at 5:47 am
Iraqis flock to ISIS during conquests earlier this summer. (Image via Tea Party Tribune)
ISIS is busy neutralizing the Syrian factions that might make common cause with the United States.  On Thursday, Breitbart London reported that several dozen leaders of Syrian rebel factions opposed to ISIS, who were gathered at a meeting in northwestern Syria, were killed in a massive explosion on Wednesday.
Huffington Post on Friday evening summarized reports that ISIS has signed a non-aggression deal with a separate group of rebel factions in Syria, nominally so that all of the factions can continue to fight the Assad regime.
According to the Dubai-based Arabic news site Orient News, one of the signatories to the agreement is the Syrian Revolutionary Front (SRF), a group that has received U.S. support & has been touted as a likely partner for a U.S. strategy to oppose ISIS in Syria.
The SRF has been losing ground in recent weeks, suffering a major blow when one of its top commanders was killed at the end of August.  At the same time, the SRF was reported to be fighting alongside al-Qaeda-affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra in southern Syria, including the battle for the crossing point with Israel in the Golan over which the rebel factions claimed control on 27 August.
Now it appears that the non-aggression pact with ISIS was brokered by Jabhat al-Nusra.  None of this comes as a surprise to those who’ve been following along with Patrick Poole at PJ Media.  On 3 September, Poole outlined the continuing cooperation of factions in the Free Syrian Army with ISIS & Jabhat al-Nusra – cooperation that has resulted in a flow of U.S.-supplied weaponry to the latter two armies.  On 9 September, he expounded on a report from the Los Angeles Times that one of the “vetted moderate” groups, Harakat Hazm, is quite open about fighting alongside Jabhat al-Nusra.
The U.S. has already given this group anti-tank missiles.  Appended to Poole’s analysis is the tweeted text of an alliance agreement concluded by “vetted moderate” faction Harakat Hazm & other similar groups with Jabhat al-Nusra.  The text was tweeted on 8 July.
It’s not just credible, it’s highly bloody likely that some of the rebel factions – including U.S. client SRF – have indeed made a pact with ISIS.  The fact that it won’t be worth a bucket of warm spit ought to serve not as an encouragement to U.S. delusions of a meaningful alliance in Syria, but as a warning.    
The evanescent quality of alliances & deals among factions in Syria is a terribly unpromising condition for Obama’s proposed mode of passive-aggressive U.S. military operations there.  So is the ease with which ISIS (almost certainly) has just blown nearly 50 of their leaders up.
It’s hard to issue the warning about this trenchantly enough – & a similar concern must apply in Iraq as well, given the parlous state of national unity & regional cohesion.  Iraq may look simpler & less like a free-for-all, but ISIS is already there, & with each day that passes is able to build a more extensive network of clients & affiliated cadre around the area in which the U.S. plans to operate.
This would be one thing if we were going in in force.  But we’re not.  Our posture in northern Iraq will bear no resemblance to what we’ve been used to in Afghanistan for the last five years. In Afghanistan, we have tens of thousands of troops still, & sizable, heavily fortified redoubts to quarter them in.  The size of our forces & their level of protection are still prohibitive for the Taliban outside the fences.
To view the map click here: http://libertyunyield.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/ISIS-strat-3.jpg Overview of ISIS control, early Sep 2014. (Map via BBC)
Overextending
It cannot be overemphasized that that will not be the case in Iraq.  We aren’t sending in a force with overwhelming superiority.  In fact, we’re actually going to be putting a small concentration of troops who aren’t professional ground-pounders in a very vulnerable position in one place in particular:  the air base at Irbil (or Erbil) in the Kurdish region of northern Iraq, where we will reportedly be basing strike-fighters.
I’m really not sure why we’re doing this.  I mean, I know why: the Turks won’t let us use their air bases to launch strike-fighters for attacks in Iraq or Syria. Comment – in the previous analysis from the Jerusalem Post we know why Turkey does not let the States use their bases. In fact they are in NATO for their defense only and nothing more! To operate Air Force F-15s or F-16s in either country, the most convenient operating base will therefore be in Iraq.  (Up to now, Air Force strike-fighters have been using bases in Kuwait & Qatar.  Navy F/A-18s have been operating from USS George H. W. Bush (CVN-77) in the Persian Gulf.  This makes for long flights & abbreviated availability on-station, however.)
We have had a small number of combat helicopters & MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft at Irbil since early August, providing air support for Kurdish fighters in northern Iraq.  (Drones are presumably being flown out of Irbil as well.)  It’s not that we don’t have a small concentration of troops & high-value weaponry there already.  It’s that we’re going to be expanding the size of it, but without changing the basis for our presence or operations.
Irbil is an exposed & poorly defended facility, especially for a guerrilla force that quite probably is armed with antitank missiles (which can be used effectively against anything big with a nice heat signature) & a variety of shoulder-fired & battlefield rockets.  The New York Times has been posting a useful set of graphics throughout the ISIS campaign (here), & has an excellent generic view of the approaches to Irbil (below; the original annotations relate to events in early August).
Of particular note is the short distance between Irbil & the line of ISIS control to the west, which today is about 35 miles.  The darker shaded areas on the terrain view indicate spots where ISIS-led fighters have recently conducted attacks on Kurdish forces.
Click here to see map: http://libertyunyield.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/ISIS-strat-4.jpg Vulnerable approaches to Irbil. Forward line of ISIS control in red; locations of recent attacks in darker shade. (Graphic: NYT; author annotations added)
The next map shows the larger strategic vulnerability of Irbil, with Sunni enclaves to both the west & south, & an uncertain mix of conditions to the east, on the other side of the Iranian border.  The Sunni areas are ISIS’s recruiting grounds; the enclave of Sulaymaniyah & its corridor from Iran are big question marks in terms of friendliness to the U.S. presence. http://libertyunyield.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/ISIS-strat-2.jpg Demographics of the Iraqi terrain. (Map via BBC)THIS IS THE OIL RICH AREA OF IRAQ and perhaps that is what woke up the west out of their slumber.
        The threat problem here is not that ISIS will be able to conquer & occupy Kurdish territory, but that it will be able to infiltrate Kurdish territory to conduct attacks on the U.S. forces in Irbil as well as the Kurds.  (One form of attack, we must not forget, is the use of anti-air missiles.  The one thing a guerrilla force with shorter-range, lower-altitude missiles usually has trouble doing is getting close to the airfield where the aircraft have to take off & land.  Oops.)
The size & character of the U.S. contingent that will be in Irbil are not suited for taking the fight to guerrilla troops operating in the local area.  Our force will have to rely on the Kurds for that: for keeping ISIS fighters too far away to inflict significant damage on us. We’ll have air assets to support them with, but security for our base is not something we’ll have the final say over, in terms of its operational priority in the fight or the comfort level we might prefer.
We’ll be depending on a condition we may very well not have, at least not for long: i.e., that Irbil doesn’t need to be heavily fortified or built up.  Besides the helicopters (it’s not clear if we have standard-issue ApachesBlack Hawks, or perhaps special forces helicopters based at Irbil) & the Ospreys, we’ll be moving in ground support for strike-fighters & large batches of weaponry, along with the airframes themselves.  The attractiveness of the Irbil air base as a target will increase dramatically.  & even if we harden the facility itself, hardening the approaches to it – keeping a guerrilla force from being able to get close to it – is going to be difficult, if there is any breach in the Kurds’ defense of Irbil as an urban stronghold.
There won’t be a secure ground line of communication (GLOC) between Irbil & the rest of Iraq.  But this will not be like the 2001 entry into Afghanistan, which we made with a clear-cut & measureable purpose, & for which we had the prior buy-in of a key neighbor: Pakistan.  Expanding our footprint at Irbil, with no GLOC & no formal relations with the nearest neighbor, Iran, is one of the longest-tether & most exposed things we’ve ever done.
Now add to that mix the likelihood that an unusually well-organized, well-funded ISIS can exploit shifting loyalties – or at the very least can wield intimidation – among every local faction that is not Kurdish, & perhaps it will be clear the kind of danger we are courting.  ISIS isn’t going to just sit still while we increase our footprint & ramp up bombing operations, while not changing our methods or operational objectives.
Inside our “OODA loop
In fact, ISIS hasn’t sat still.  Once Obama made his speech on Wednesday, the option of mounting coordinated attacks on ISIS’s strategic rear in Syria immediately became a major threat posed by the U.S.  If we could do it effectively, we could force ISIS to defend its rear: shift resources away from the campaign in Iraq, & perhaps even rework its overall strategy.
So ISIS promptly took out nearly 50 opposition rebel leaders & signed its non-aggression agreement with America’s potential partners in Syria.
Remember that ISIS doesn’t have to show good faith over time with any of those Syrian factions.  It just has to preempt their cooperation with the United States.  The mechanism for that is straightforward.  We’re an easy read – ponderous making decisions, easily spooked, committed to at least perfunctory public transparency – & our president is a slow learner.
If ISIS can prevent anyone in Syria from cooperating with the U.S., ISIS can concentrate its effort in Iraq, where our forces on the ground will be: small, scattered, un-concentrated, embedded with local groups which may not all be fighting for the same objectives.  Remember this also: Obama is determined not to overlay an obtrusively coherent U.S. framework on this operation.  Kurds fighting in northern Iraq & Sunnis fighting along the Euphrates in Anbar – each with a separate ill-defined connection to the struggling Shia-majority government in Baghdad – will have the lead.
Even in Vietnam & Somalia, I don’t think we’ve ever backed into anything with our hindquarters flapping quite so egregiously in the breeze.  Military success doesn’t just happen.  It’s as much a matter of political will, & a coherent strategy & operational plan, as it is of training, expertise, & weapons superiority at the tactical level.  Assuming we do go ahead with the plan-deficient, few-boots non-war the Obama administration has been proclaiming for the last 72 hours, I am very concerned that American troops could find themselves vulnerable under fire & fighting for their lives within weeks.
I would actually feel better at this point if we weren’t enlarging our footprint in Irbil at all, but instead planned to just keeping flying strike-fighters from Kuwait & Qatar.  There are sound operational reasons to be gravely concerned about Obama’s decision to dismiss the advice of his military leaders & go with a toxic brew of half-measure objectives & exposed deployment situations.
The rapid, cynical, homicidal initiative shown by ISIS in seeking to neutralize Obama’s Syria option is a pretty good indicator of what we’ll be up against.  Pundits & officials who are vocally criticizing the president are not just showing partisan sour grapes.  This is real, & it’s bad.

One of the few times that I concur with Harry Reid: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/185111"Hamas and IS are both vicious, corrupt, hateful, evil groups. And both are extreme. Yet, for some reason, Hamas' brutality doesn’t elicit the same horror from the international community as ISIS. How can that be?"

The security cameras make it easier to catch the rioters who torched the gas station: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/185098

Ed-Op the west is living in La-La Land regarding the Muslim Brotherhood http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4570874,00.html

Israel is the 4th most Educated Country in the World and after seeing the Russian Education we are probably the third: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/185103#.VBZ2DZscTIU

Algerian revolutionaries leave Al Qaeda for ISIS: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4570980,00.html

ISIS is being funding by $3,000,000 a day by various methods: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4570968,00.html

38 minute movie on the world’s greatest fraud = Palestine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GU7K1JjiiBo

Baruch Dayan Emmes blessed be the true Judge: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4571243,00.html


No more UN peace keepers as Al-Nusra Jihad takes over:  http://www.ynetnews.com/home/0,7340,L-3082,00.html

Jewish and travelling to Sinai, Turkey or Europe then watch out: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4571220,00.html

Time to raise the Defense budget by billions: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/185140

UFO spraying something seen over the western US could it be a biological weapon? http://www.wnd.com/2014/09/mystery-streak-of-light-across-u-s-west/

The Goyim are worried about our Shmita “Motzei Shmita Ben David Ba” –Sanhedrin 97 A: http://www.wnd.com/2014/09/shocker-7-year-biblical-cycle-affecting-everything/


This is what is going on in Gaza and this incitement will never bring peace: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/185158#.VBexXJscTIU

On the political front Hamas is changing its tactics to become more popular as a public opinion poll showed if elections were held 61% would want Hamas and 32 or 34% the PLO on the west bank. In my opinion (RP) that means that an intifada has started in Yerushalayim the kidnapping of the three Yeshiva Boys and the consequent murder of the 16 year old Arab Boy was enough to spark that off: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4571119,00.html

US government is not going to launch vehicles into space they are going to fund private companies to do the job more efficiently: http://www.aol.com/article/2014/09/16/nasa-announces-boeing-spacex-manned-spaceflight/20963074/?icid=maing-grid7%7Chtmlws-main-bb%7Cdl13%7Csec1_lnk3%26pLid%3D530148

Tuesday saw the first mortar shell in the south since the war and Hamas deals with break of discipline: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/185188#.VBl_kZscTIU



The Rabbi did not leak information to Bennett, he gathered it himself from the field about the tunnels. Yaalon and Netanyahu are trying to control the Cabinet and hiding information: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4572093,00.html Yaalon lying: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/185209#.VBmB9JscTIV

A planned axe murder and a full murder in the Yerushalayim area: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/185246#.VBqD1ZscTIU


Australia arrested 15 of 60 suspected terrorist planning to murder by beheading innocent civilians and in NJ a College Student on his way home was shot and killed by a cold blooded person interested in Jihad for revenge on the USA. This is savage madness and in Lebanon the extreme Sunnis are beheading captured Shiite soldiers for demands that will never be met. http://www.foxnews.com/world/2014/09/18/australia-terror-raid-prompted-by-isis-plans-for-public-killing-pm-says/ There will be more Fort Hood workplace shootings of course PC not a hate crime: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2014/09/17/law-enforcement-bulletin-warned-isis-urging-jihad-attacks-on-us-soil/


The war in the south is not over for the residents and it is just a matter of time.  http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/185231#.VBqKP5scTIU

Real members with Likud Philosophical Beliefs are leaving Netanyahu and Yaalon to the left of the membership. Minister Gilad Erdan was expected to quit the government over his opposition to Netanyahu to become UN Ambassador but the big surprise came from his top rival in the Likud for role as Prime Minister Gideon Saar: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4572326,00.html
The newspaper suspects that Erdan might stay if offered Interior Ministry: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4572418,00.html

First of all Congratulations to Gail Winston the new great grandmother who posted this the day before the bouncing baby boy was born:                                               BY TIMES OF ISRAEL STAFF & RAPHAEL AHREN September 15, 2014 
Raphael Ahren is the diplomatic correspondent at The Times of Israel.
Israel’s air force commander gave an apparently unintended insight into his priorities & preoccupations, when he remarked during comments about the defense budget that Israel might need to send its attack planes to Tehran at very short notice.
Speaking about the imperative for the government to allocate additional funding to the armed forces, Israel Air Force chief Major-General Amir Eshel declared that “there’s no one in this room who’d be prepared to ride in a car as old as our planes. I’m telling you, no-one. Yesterday these planes were in Gaza, & tomorrow we may send them to Tehran.”
Eshel’s comments, broadcast Sunday on the local Channel 2 News, came as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu & Finance Minister Yair Lapid sparred over the national budget, with Netanyahu earlier Sunday asserting that, in the wake of the summer’s 50-day Israel-Hamas conflict, “We need a significant increase of several billion in the defense budget.”
Netanyahu has repeatedly vowed that Israel will prevent Iran from attaining a nuclear weapons capability, acting alone if necessary. In a major address last week in which he highlighted Israel’s role in confronting worldwide jihadist terrorism, & expressed Jerusalem’s full support for the American-led offensive against the Islamic State organization, the prime minister took pains to stress that the struggle against Sunni radicalism should not lead the world to neglect the threat of Shiite extremism, championed by Iran.
The greatest threat to world peace, Netanyahu said, would be a nuclear-equipped Iran. “You would see things you never imagined could be possible,” he said, describing a scenario in which the regime in Tehran succeeded in obtaining nuclear weapons. “Horrors you couldn’t even contemplate come to fruition. The ultimate terror. A terrorist regime with the weapons of the greatest terror of them all. We must not let that happen.”
In an address to the UN General Assembly last October, Netanyahu said Israel would act on its own if necessary to stop Iran attaining nuclear weapons. There should be no confusion over this, Netanyahu said, warning that “Israel will never acquiesce to nuclear arms in the hands of a rogue regime that repeatedly promises to wipe us out… If Israel is forced to stand alone” against that threat, “Israel will stand alone,” he said, though it would know that it was also defending others.
Gail also sent me two articles on the Kurdistan front: At the Kurdistan Front  by Jonathan Spyer The Weekly Standard  September 12, 2014 http://www.meforum.org/4808/at-the-kurdistan-front
The Conditions of Victory & Peace  by Shoshana Bryen http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/4682/victory-peace 

Gail Winston published an excerpt by Gil Ronen on this article. Cruelty in Islamhttp://www.militantislammonitor.org/article/id/6540

Assad has still many chemical weapons: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4572692,00.html

This public opinion poll was taken before Gideon Saar Resigned: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/185266#.VBsUVpscTIU


I am happy that my siren application is only on the Modiin Area Only as 5 false alarms go off during Hamas Seals training drill. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/185251#.VBsVqZscTIU

Army officer arrested for taking bribes to bring in illegal Arabs: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/185262#.VBsWO5scTIU



Ana in Holland sent me this translated from Dutch by Bing. Antwerp police chief wants army to Jewish institutions
Editorial – 18/09/14, 14u37 − source: Belga © belga. Serge Muyters

Police Chief of the Antwerp local police Serge Maher asks the Federal Coalition negotiators to make it possible to deploy the army in the protection of Jewish institutions. Maher did that call yesterday on a security Congress between the police top and the Antwerp Jewish institutions, reports Joods Actueel today.

The police confirm the statement, but stressed that it was going to be a collaboration with the army and only when there is a prolonged period of an increased terrorist threat level. …

If an Israeli or US Passport is stolen this can happen: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4572875,00.html

From on high the army has orders against Jewish Settlers know this before casting your ballot!!! http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/185300#.VBvziZscTIU

Trying to blot out history as the Babylonians destroyed Yerushalayim and the Romans destroyed us so ISIS now comes and destroys their remains it will not change history only makes them more barbaric. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4572885,00.html

Ed-op on choosing the chief of staff of the IDF: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4572283,00.html


Now for M. Wolfberg’s Good Shabbos Story “Real Royalty”
Good Shabbos Everyone.  In this week’s portion Ki-Savo Hashem tells us if you observe the commandments of Hashem, your G-d, and you go in His ways. Then all the peoples of the earth will see that the Name of Hashem is proclaimed upon you, and they will honor you. (Devorim 28:9-10) The verse teaches us that when we Jews act according to the Torah, the nations will recognize that we are a holy people.  
     
The following amazing true story shows how we Jews can be "a light unto the nations."  
     
In 1908, Queen Wilhelmina of Holland went for a brief vacation to the popular resort area of Marienbad, Austria, near the German border. Since this was not an official state visit, she only had a small entourage of people with her, and there was no welcoming ceremony on her arrival at the train station in Marienbad.  
     
As the Queen got off the train, she noticed a large crowd on the platform. Obviously, a prominent personality had just arrived. Everyone was gathered around trying to get a glimpse of the famous person.
Queen Wilhelmina asked and was told that a great Jewish personality, the Munkaczer Rebbe, Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch Spira (1845-1914) had just arrived. Many of the Rebbe’s Chassidim had come to greet him at the train station.
  
     
The Queen then asked what a Rebbe is. She was told that a Rebbe is a very holy man of great wisdom who gives blessings and advice to his many followers. Thousands seek his counsel and ask the Rebbe to pray on their behalf. Often the Rebbe’s prayers are answered and those who seek his blessings live to see their wishes fulfilled.  
     
When the Queen heard that the Rebbe had spiritual power, she immediately thought of her own situation. The Queen and her husband Prince Hendrik were childless. Both she and her husband were concerned that the Dutch monarchy should continue in their family. Without children, the royal line would end with Queen Wilhelmina.  
     
The Queen and her entourage left the train station. Later that day, the Queen asked one of her attendants to try to arrange for her to meet the great Rebbe privately. The next evening, the Munkaczer Rebbe was brought to a secluded area of a beautiful park just outside of the city. Queen Wilhelmina was accompanied by two attendants and the Rebbe came with two bochurim (yeshiva students).  
     
As the Rebbe and the Queen sat down, the Queen sensed that the man sitting opposite her was a personality of great stature. She spoke candidly to the Rebbe about how sad she was about being childless.  
     
The Rebbe listened attentively and told the Queen not to worry. Her monarchy would continue. As the Queen was about to depart, the Rebbe cited a verse from the Torah saying that the Queen’s kingdom will not be severed until Shilo comes. (Genesis 49:10) Meaning, the Queen will have descendants until the coming of the Moshiach.(the Messiah)  
     
The next year, in 1909, the Queen had a little girl and named her Juliana. It was the only child that the Royal couple ever had. (Thirty-nine years later, in 1948, Juliana became Queen of Holland. Her daughter, Beatrix is presently the Queen of Holland.)  
     
A little more than 30 years after the Munkaczer Rebbe had given Queen Wilhelmina a blessing for a child, a black cloud descended over Europe. World War II had begun. The Germans sought out Jews in every country where they could find them.   
     
Rabbi Yakov Tzvi Katz was one poor Jew who was caught in the German net. During the War, Rabbi Katz was sent to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. Rabbi Katz’s 18 year old son Shmuel was deported from the ghetto and never heard from again. 12 volumes of Rabbi Katz’s writings on halacha (Jewish law) were burned.  
     
After the war was over Rabbi Katz returned to his native Hungary, in an attempt to put his life back together. He quickly saw that there was no future for the Jews in post-war Hungary. Many Jews at the time were trying to emigrate to Holland. Rabbi Katz tried, but he was denied entry into Holland twice. Holland was only accepting those Jews who had professions which would benefit the country. There were already plenty of rabbis in Holland.  
     
One day, Rabbi Katz decided to write a letter directly to Queen Wilhelmina. He explained the hardships he and his family had experienced in the war. He then wrote, Surely Your Highness remembers the very momentous meeting that preserved the course of royalty in Holland.  
     
He detailed the Queen’s encounter with the Munkaczer Rebbe in Marienbad, almost 40 years previous. Rabbi Katz continued writing in his letter to the Queen that the Rebbe had insisted that two boys come along with him for the meeting with the Queen.  
     
The Rebbe would need an interpreter since the Queen would be speaking German. Rabbi Katz wrote, I was that 18-year-old boy who accompanied the [Rebbe], and it was I who transmitted to the Queen the wonderful news from the saintly Rabbi that [the Queen] would bear a child within a year.  
     
The letter which Rabbi Katz had sent to the Queen was written in Yiddish. Although Rabbi Katz could have written the letter in German, he was concerned that one of the Queen’s attendants would intercept the letter, read it, and then prevent it from getting to the Queen. Therefore, when the letter in Yiddish arrived, and old Russian chazan named Rabinowitz was summoned from his synagogue in The Hague and asked to translate the letter. The chazan read the letter. Realizing its significance, the chazan translated the letter with all the emotion he could manage. The translated text was brought to Queen Wilhelmina.  
     
After reading the note, the Queen saw to it that Rabbi Katz be granted immigration papers swiftly.  Then he was able to rebuild his life which had been largely destroyed. (from: Echoes of the Maggid, R. Pesach J. Krohn p.95-99)  
     
We see from this amazing story the power of a Jew to make a good impression on the nations. As the verse tells us, If you observe the commandments of Hashem, your G-d, and you go in His ways. Then all the peoples of the earth will see that the Name of Hashem is proclaimed upon you, and they will honor you. (Deuteronomy 28:9-10) When a Jew acts according to the Torah, he shines with the holiness of Hashem.   
     
The Munkaczer Rebbe and Rabbi Yakov Tzvi Katz showed the nations the beauty of a Torah observant lifestyle. Let us all learn from their examples and then we will truly be a light unto the nations. As the Prophet tells us, ... I will strengthen your hand; I will protect you; I will set you for a covenant to the people, for a light unto the nations...(Yishayahu 42:6) Good Shabbos Everyone. M. Wolfberg is sponsored by: L'illui Nishmas Aryeh Leib ben Avrohom and Malka bas Tzvi Refuah Shleima to Reb Mordechai Mendel ben Tziporah Yitta  Refuah Shleima to Leah bas Tziporah
A healthy and peaceful Shabbos to all and pray for the people of Yisrael. As the year closes please see this as a personal blessing to each and every reader: A healthy, happy, joyous, wonderful, successful, prosperous, fruitful, wisdom-filled, and Torah filled Shmita Year with all the sweetness that HASHEM can offer. Keep safe during these pre-Messianic Times and return with all your heart and soul unto HASHEM.
Rachamim Pauli