ידל

Be Open Minded and Respect My beliefs.

2006-08-21T01:55:00.000-07:00

Shalom U'Bracha...

It has been a while but it's not like any one reads this any way....

For quite some time I have been coming to a realization about the phases "be open minded" and " respect my beliefs ( or opinion)." You might think that people who use such phrases will be examples of open-mindedness and respectful behavior, but in reality you will see that is not the case, just the opposite. Don't mistake what I'm saying, they are genuine in their requests for open-mindedness and respect. The whole thing can be a bit misleading.

When some one asks you to be open minded, they honestly want you to be open minded:

Release your mind from the shackles of logic, reason, and understanding, so that it might be infiltrated by my unfounded opinion. You see my opinion can't stand up to the tests of a mind that isn't open and willing to accept any thing that comes at it. Your ideas are tied down and fastened by fundamentals, and principles , open your mind and let go of those ancient, time tested and proven ideas. You see I'm offering you something that hasn't really been tested yet, and if you don't open your mind you'll never accept what I'm selling.

You will find that most people who make this request are the most closed minded people you have met, only their mind isn't closed up in the binds of logic, reason, and understanding. They are tied up with the ropes of desire, laziness, hate and things comparable. You see to be able to satisfy their desires they need some sort of opinion that will give them permission for the immoral, such an opinion most defiantly will not withstand an open mind, logic would come in and crush these opinions. You can see how people would need such opinions to also support their laziness and hate.

When arguing with those who request you to open your mind they will often argue their point without an argument. They will talk, make shallow points, and repeat them over and over changing the semantics ever so slightly as to not indicate their true plan. If your mind is open it will soon be filled with their watered down arguments and any remnants of a solid and founded idea will be washed away. These people can be tricky because sometimes they have the gift of flowery speech that can beautify the most ugly ideas, but anyone who hasn't yet abandoned his intellect will , upon inspection , be able to recognize that there is no substance in such arguments.

Very often when some one asks you to "respect my beliefs" he in-fact means "open your mind" this can clearly be seen from their arguments and opinions. Many times "respect my beliefs" is the true intention of the words. Don't be mislead, it does not mean that your beliefs will be respected in return, just the opposite.

Respect my beliefs because I don't respect yours. I have no intention to listen to your arguments because my opinion is the only one deserving of respect. Don't bother me with your logic and reason, I don't have the time and I will not bring my beliefs down to a level to meet with yours.

These people generally don't have the mental capacity to stick to their beliefs if they were brought down from their falsely elevated state to the realm of reasonable thinking. Like those requesting open-mindedness the respect seeker needs some way to protect his ideas, and often the respect seeker also intends to destroy your opinions while protecting his, only he uses an elevated position rather than a closed mind.

There is though possibly a more innocent side to the respect seeker, many times they recognize their lack of mental capabilities, and recognize that they haven't yet understood the ideas close to them, and it would be unfair to expose these ideas to attack when they are unprotected and do not yet have a solid base. If this is his intent then he is praiseworthy, and you will find that he is deeply involved in the learning and pursuit of understanding of his own beliefs.

Chafetz Chaim VS Newsweek

2006-04-26T18:40:00.000-07:00

I saw the following in the "Daily Halacha" from Yeshivat Beit El by R' David Samson.

In general, when it comes to secular magazines and newspapers, it is best to follow the always wise words of the Chafetz Chaim, who writes:

“Due to our great sins, the evil inclination, who is the Satan, has instigated mankind to pursue after a new demise - to cause our brethren, the Children of Israel, to sin the sin of leitzanut (cynicism) and thus cause the removal of Divine Providence from the world via the reading of newspapers, which has increased so greatly in our times. These publications are filled with cynicism, evil speech, libel, scorn, untruth, and the outright mockery of G-d…Everyone will have to pay for this sin in the end, when they come before the King of Kings - those who print newspapers, those who sell them, and those who read them. This habit has become so ubiquitous that many Jews are so addicted to it, they cannot pass one day without reading a newspaper and wasting away many hours.

“And I have heard something even more scandalous - that the Sabbath day and Holidays which were given to us at Sinai to be sanctified, have sunk to the very opposite through the work of the Satan, through the publication on Erev Shabbat of twice the number of newspapers, whose editors outdo themselves by filling the pages with all sorts of cynicism, mockery, evil talk, and lewdness. And many of our brethren spend the entire Sabbath day reading these matters!!!”[9]

9. Shmirat HaLashon, Letters of the Chafetz Chaim, 42.

Re: Observing Passover

2006-04-02T15:40:00.000-07:00

The following is a message that I received about a non-jew who was interested in "observing" pesach this year, and my response. I'd like to point out 2 things:

First is that it seems rather odd that a non-jew would want to celebrate pesach, It is like a south african celebrating Cinco DeMayo.

The second is that I'm not any type of authority on the responsibilities of non-jews in the world, I'm only a simple jew sharing some of the little knowledge that I have gleaned. Do not take any of what you are about to read too seriously without first checking up on its accuracy from a more reliable source.

Hi

This may seem an odd question, and it probably is, but I've been exploring my religious horizons recently, and with Passover coming soon, I was hoping to understand it more and how it is observed. I thought I could talk to someone I knew more personally about it first before maybe talking to someone more formally. But I know this is a fairly personal topic and I don't know what are the regulations in regards to discussing or participating in the observation, so I understand if it's unfeasible. But if you have any ideas of something I can read or talk to instead or beforehand I'd appreciate that as well.

Take care,

-John Q Non-Jew

Hello

We have the tradition that g-d, our creator (yours and mine) made the jewish people along with many other nations (peoples) , each nation has its own unique purpose. To us jews he gave special instructions to live our lives, in a way that will fit our spiritual needs best. Following the path he created for us will lead to growth and elevation on all realms, the spiritual , as will as the the world that we can experience with our physical senses. But if we follow the path set for one of the other nations it will cause us harm. We have the tradition ( for over 3k years) that if some one from one of the other nations tries to follow the path designated for the jewish people then he will more than likely cause him self more harm than good.

Let me give an example. One day a week jews rest from all creative activity, because we have specific instructions from The creator to do so, and for us it is a great thing "in his eyes*" . But if a non-jew does no creative work for a whole day , what has he done ? Wasted a whole day. He had no instructions to do so. Maybe that was the day he was supposed to discover the cure for cancer, or foil a terrorist plot, or meet his wife. Even though he had the best intentions, to become closer to his creator he has in-fact done harm to him self , as well as possibly the whole world.

I'm sure you can easily understand this.

It is for example I'm sure you understand that some people are more fitted for certain jobs. If a world renowned brain surgeon, with the best intentions, tried to design a nuclear power-plant to provide power to a poor third world country, the results would be disastrous. And of course the same thing would apply in reverse, I wouldn't want a nuclear engineer performing brain surgery on me. Obviously they would cause damage, but we might ignore is that the time that they spent causing damage could have been used to cause benefit . Spirituality is much the same, we all have "spiritual aptitude" or "spiritual talents" for different tasks.

With that said when some one without jewish "spiritual talents" tries to do to the tasks designated for jews, he is not doing him self or the world any kindness. ( the same thing of course applies when a jew tries to do a task that requires the "spiritual-talents" of a different nation. )

One, out of the many tasks that requires specifically jewish "spiritual talents" is keeping passover. While I can understand why some one who is "exploring his religious horizons" would be interested in exploring one of the foundations of the jewish faith, you should know that it will do you more harm than good.

So if you can't practice the jewish religion then what should you do? We also have from tradition certain things that The creator expects from the other nations as well, the 7 laws for the children of Noach.

One of the great jewish sages teaches : (note that this is a translation from the original language, and as with translations much of the meaning was lost)

Whoever accepts the seven commandments and is careful to do them, behold he is from the righteous of the nations of the world, and he has a portion in the world to come. And that is if he accepts them and does them because the Holy One Blessed be He commanded them and informed us about them through Moshe our teacher, that the children of Noah were commanded to obey them. But if he did them because of his own philosophical conclusions, he is not a "Righteous Gentile" and is not from the righteous of the nations nor from their wise ones

So what are these 7 laws ?

Recognize and worship only The creator of the world.
Do not murder.
Respect the family, by not committing "sexual immorality"
No stealing, even of an inconsequential amount
Do not eat the limb of an animal while it is still alive
Respect the name of The creator of the world.
Set up courts to enforce the above.

This is, of course an over simplification of each of the laws, there are many details to exactly what each one means, and how exactly to "guard" each law. If you (hopefully) have interest let me know and I'll find you more information, or direct you to some one else who can help.

One last word of caution. There are many groups out there today who claim to be teaching Judaism or kabalah. Any one who teaches non-jews about these things is either an ignoramus or a fraud. Most of these organizations are out there to just collect your money. Any "synagogue" that encourages the participation of non-jews, should be stayed away from because it is not a holy place.

~YDL

*The creator does not have any physical attributes, we only use them as a metaphor.

משנכנס אדר מרבים בשימחה

2006-02-28T10:07:00.000-08:00

The Measure Of Happiness

"When Adar comes in we increase in Simcha"

What is happiness? We are all familiar with it. But what is it? What is its essence?

Everyone knows what it's like to be happy. But what does happiness teach us about reality?

In the Talmud, there is a measurement known as a tefach sameach. A tefach is about ten centimeters. Sameach means happy. How can a measurement be happy? A laughing slide-rule? A smiling tape-measure? A tefach sameach is a large tefach. It's still a tefach - but it's a little more. Why did the Rabbis of the Talmud choose the term "happy" to describe a measurement which was slightly on the large side? Couldn't they have called it a "maxi" tefach or a "generous" tefach? Why a "happy" tefach?

The Last Horizon

The tefach sameach is still a tefach but it connects, it extends to that which is beyond itself. It becomes more. This is the essence of all simcha. To perceive the self becoming more. Extending one's boundaries and visions. Growing.

The tefach is the same. It stays within its boundaries but it reaches out, connecting to that which is beyond itself. That's the essence of happiness. Staying within the definition of who we are, but reaching out. Expanding our horizons without abandoning our borders.

A Measure Of Sadness

When we see ourselves confined within ourselves, defined solely by our physical parameters, that we are who we are and no more - that's the essence of sadness. When our definition of ourselves ends with our fingertips that is sadness in its essence. But when we perceive ourselves as being connected, reaching to that which is beyond ourselves, that point of connecting who we are to what is beyond is the epitome of happiness. The feeling that we can touch the most distant echo of the Ein Sof - The Endless - is the essence of happiness. Happiness itself.

When we broaden our existence - by getting married, by having children - we feel happy. For these are ways that we go beyond ourselves while still staying who we are.

from http://ohr.edu/yhiy/article.php/1511

Something important that is missing here, but is obvious to us is the ultimate way to expand beyond our physical constraints is to recognize our connection to the clal. If we look at our own personal achievements then it is easy to get depressed because by our nature we are limited, but when we see our unlimited growth possible through our connection to Am Yisrael, and the goal we are working toward how can we not be happy?!

Imagine that you are part of a team of scientists who discover a cure for cancer , how proud, accomplished and happy must you feel! Now you couldn't have done this on your own, for what ever reason, lack of funding, knowledge, skills , etc.. and by your self you were extreemly limited in what you could do. But through your connection to a group you expanded you abilities and your happiness.

How much more so if you are part of the biggest project there is !? To know that YOU helped to make the great kiddush H' , the kiddush H' by Am Yisrael. Once you connect to this , your happiness will be unlimited.

We should merit to the simcha of seeing the kiddush H' , the gathering of exiles, and Beit HaMikdash, quickly in our days .

IF YOU ARE AN AMERICAN PLEASE READ!

2006-02-11T19:23:00.000-08:00

Protest the PLO in Washington DC Georgetown accepted $20 million dollars from a sheik who funds millions to Hamas to create a “Muslim-Christian” understanding center while Saudi Arabia imprisons people who wear a cross or even own a Bible. Israel was Jewish for 4000 years and Modern Israel is the“Jewish Homeland” and Jerusalem our eternal capitol. Without a Jewish majority, Israel as a Jewish Homeland ceases to exist and there will be another Muslim fascist state. This will not happen unless …you fall for the propaganda that will be promulgated at this event. JOIN US!

MOSSAD LAMBASTES MUNICH

2006-01-25T22:16:00.000-08:00

(Jan. 23) Steven Spielberg's controversial film 'Munich', about to be viewed in Israel, is sparking a firestorm. Former officials of Mossad, Israel's secret service, have lambasted the movie from start to finish. Former Mossad chief Shabtai Shavit accuses Spielberg of basing the film on a bogus book that bears no resemblance to what actually happened. 'Yonatan', a former Mossad agent, who actually took part in the operation to execute all the Palestinian terrorists involved in the murder of the eleven Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics, said there is nothing authentic in the film. That included the portrayal of 'Avner' the main character.

http://www.isracast.com/Transcripts/230106b_trans.htm

Dear World

2006-01-23T21:57:00.000-08:00

Dear World,

It appears that you are hard to please. I understand that you are upset over us, here in Israel. Indeed, it appears that you are quite upset, even angry and outraged! Indeed, every few years you seem to become upset over us. Today, it is the brutal repression of the Palestinians; yesterday, it was Lebanon; before that it was the bombing of the nuclear reactor in Baghdad and the Yom Kippur War campaign. It appears that Jews who triumph and who, therefore, live, upset you most extraordinarily. Of course, dear world, long before there was an Israel, we, the Jewish people - upset you. We upset a German people who elected a Hitler and we upset an Austrian people who cheered his entry into Vienna and we upset a whole slew of Slavic nations - Poles, Slovaks, Lithuanians, Ukrainians, Russians, Hungarians, Romanians. And we go back a long, long way in the history of world upset. We upset the Cossacks of Chmielnicki who massacred tens of thousands of us in 1648-49; we upset the Crusaders who, on their way to liberate the Holy Land, were so upset at Jews that they slaughtered untold numbers of us. We upset, for centuries, a Roman Catholic Church that did its best to define our relationship through Inquisitions. And we upset the arch-enemy of the Church, Martin Luther, who, in his call to burn the synagogues and the Jews within them, showed an admirable Christian ecumenical spirit. It is because we became so upset over upsetting you, dear world, that we decided to leave you - in a manner of speaking - and establish a Jewish State. The reasoning was that living in close contact with you, as resident-strangers in the various countries that comprise you, we upset you, irritate you, disturb you. What better notion, then, than to leave you and thus love you - and have you love us? And so we decided to come home - to the same homeland from which we were driven out 1,900 years earlier by a Roman world that, apparently, we also upset. Alas, dear world, it appears that you are hard to please. Having left you and your Pogroms and Inquisitions and Crusades and Holocausts, having taken our leave of the general world to live alone in our own little state - we continue to upset you. You are upset that we repress the poor Palestinians. You are deeply angered over the fact that we do not give up the lands of 1967, which are clearly the obstacle to peace in the Middle East. Moscow is upset and Washington is upset. The Arabs are upset and the gentle Egyptian moderates are upset. Well, dear world, consider the reaction of a normal Jew from Israel. In 1920, 1921 and 1929, there were no territories of 1967 to impede peace between Jews and Arabs. Indeed, there was no Jewish State to upset anybody. Nevertheless, the same oppressed and repressed Palestinians slaughtered hundreds of Jews in Jerusalem, Jaffa, Safed and Hebron. Indeed, 67 Jews were slaughtered one day in Hebron - in 1929. Dear World, why did the Arabs - the Palestinians - massacre 67 Jews in one day in 1929? Could it have been their anger over Israeli aggression in 1967? And why were 510 Jewish men, women and children slaughtered in Arab riots in 1936-39? Was it because of Arab upset over 1967? And when you, World, proposed a U.N. Partition Plan in 1947 that would have created a Palestinian State alongside a tiny Israel and the Arabs cried and went to war and killed 6,000 Jews - was that upset stomach caused by the aggression of 1967? And, by the way, dear world, why did we not hear your cry of upset then? The poor Palestinians who today kill Jews with explosives and firebombs and stones are part of the same people who - when they had all the territories they now demand be given them for their state - attempted to drive the Jewish State into the sea. The same twisted faces, the same hate, the same cry of "idbah-al-yahud" - "Slaughter the Jews!" that we hear and see today, were seen and heard then. The same people, the same dream - destroy Israel. What they failed to do yesterday, they dream of today - but we should not "repress" them. Dear World, you stood by the Holocaust and you stood by in 1948 as seven states launched a war that the Arab League proudly compared to the Mongol massacres. You stood by in 1967 as Nasser, wildly cheered by wild mobs in every Arab capital in the world, vowed to drive the Jews into the sea. And you would stand by tomorrow if Israel were facing extinction. And since we know that the Arabs-Palestinians daily dream of that extinction, we will do everything possible to remain alive in our own land. If that bothers you, dear world, well - think of how many times in the past you bothered us. In any event, dear world, if you are bothered by us, here is one Jew in Israel who could not care less.

Rabbi Meir Kahane, Zt"l (November, 1988)

(No less true today than it was 17 years ago - Moshe@Maccabee.Org)

Apple Script is Shomer Shabbat !!

2006-01-21T20:51:00.000-08:00

So I was looking to the documentation for apple script and I fond a sample code that is very interesting.

set theDate to current date

if (weekday of theDate) = Saturday then

display dialog "I shouldn't be working today!"

end if

it appears that apple is encouraging its developers to be shomer shabbat.

Do you want to study Judaism and Hebrew in Israel in a truly Zionist environment?

2006-01-19T21:50:00.000-08:00

Please Pass this on to any one who might be interested.

Are you between the ages of 18-30?

Do you want to study Judaism and Hebrew in Israel in a truly Zionist environment?

Now is the time! Complete scholarships are available!

A representative of the Machon Meir English Department will be in the LA area between January 24th – 26th.
If you are interested in learning more about study opportunities at Machon Meir or to find out if you qualify for a scholarship, please contact us today at MachonMeir@hotmail.com

2006-01-19T08:22:00.000-08:00

30% Off the Regular Price of One Book

2006-01-05T21:04:00.000-08:00

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What makes a person Jewish ?!

2005-12-26T20:32:00.000-08:00

I was reading a website that attempted to answer peoples questions about judaism. Here is one of the responses that really bothered me. (Names were changed to protect HaLashon )

Q: I am Jewish and my spouse is not. We are raising our daughter as a Jew, but my spouse wants her to be exposed to Xtianity as well. Every year we go to my in-laws to celebrate x-mas with them, but this year my daughter is old enough to understand what it's all about and I'm starting to feel uncomfortable about going. Will it be too confusing to her? I'm also concerned about hurting my in-law's feelings.
A: ...
The real issue is what you mean by "exposing" your daughter to X-tianity. Children who are given "exposures" to both traditions so that they can choose later are not considered Jewish. They are also put into the difficult position of having to choose between what they know deep down will please daddy and disappoint mommy, or vice versa.
Written by -----------, Temple ---- -- , ---------, New Jersey

Wait a second here... Who says that a child loses his status as a jew because his parents decided to expose him/her to a different religion. Why does a child get excommunicated from the jewish people because of what his parents taught him ? The way I understand it once a jew ( by birth or proper conversion with Mikva and brit mila for men ) always a jew*. I'm sure that many of you who consider your self jews might not believe in every thing that the jewish faith tells you, and some of you would rather die than keep shabbat, but does that mean your not jewish ? And I'm almost sure that almost all of you has had some exposer to other traditions, and you may have chose to make some of those traditions your own, but that mean your not jewish ? Of course not! We know that being a jew is not because you follow the jewish traditions, but rather the other way, We follow the jewish traditions because we are jewish! We as jews feel some complement to follow the traditions , either Religious, or just only for the sake of pleasing our grandparents.

Jews have a unique and predetermined function in this world, all of the different "Nations" of the world were given a special talent and divine task to perform in this world. Our jewish faith teaches us as jews how we are to perform our divine task, we are given the responsibility of bringing a certain amount of "Holiness" into this physical world, and The Mitzvot ( Commandments ) are the way to do that. Its like an artist who was given the talent to bring beauty in to this world , if she doesn't use her talent does that mean that she doesn't have it? The talent may not become refined without practice, but the natural talent still remains. It may be a shame if she choses not make the world a more pleasant place with her talent, but that doesn't mean she loses it. The same by us jews, just by not expressing our jewishness through Judaism, doesn't mean that we lose our special spark of kedusha (holiness ) that makes us jews. If we don't use our spark, we might not refine it, and we might not share its benefit with the world but we for sure don't lose it.

Those of you who know me know that I don't endorse encouraging jews to participate in other religions, but only for the reason that in doing so the jew is not developing his/her spark to the fullest, and is not bringing as much kedusha into the world as he could. If you don't believe in Kedusha then I can fully understand why you don't want to develop it , and while I may think you are uninformed I don't think your less of a jew.

Oh and by the way, I would recommend not to use that website for your questions on Judaism, but I would recommend this site englishorot.blogspot.com.

*I believe there are some rare cases where people are put in a form of excommunication.

The air out side of Israel is has a major problem with Pollution.

2005-12-26T16:27:00.000-08:00

Thats what you think! The yetzer Ha'ra is an "Old Fooler."

What I'm talking about in cleansing is al pi Kabala ... not the simple level.

"There is a famous story concerning the Gaon of Vilna which is related by his student, Rabbbi Chaim of Volozhin. Magidim, or heavenly ,messengers, would regularly visit the Gaon, but he repeatedly refused to listen to them. He would not even glance at their heavenly form. When one of these messengers came to reveal Torah secrets to Rabbi Chaim's brother, Rabbi Shlomo Zalman, the Vilna Gaon commanded that the Torah scholar not to receive it, or even glance at its celestial radiance. Rabbi Zalman asked why not - after all, the Beit Yosef, Rabbi Yosef Caro, author of the Shulchan Aruch , had a Magid who informed him of secrets from heaven. The Goan of Vilna answered that, first of all the Beit Yosef had lived several hundred years before, and secondly he was in Eretz Yisrael. The Gaon told him that outside of the Land of Israel, it is impossible to receive heavenly messengers without the pollueded interfernce and Kilpot of Chutz L'Aretz. Heavenly information can only be properly recieved in its purity in Eretz Yisrael. This is why when a Magid first appeared to Rabbi Yosef Caro in Chutz L'Aretz, he told him to go to Eretz Yisrael."

--Lights on Orot

MRan Ha'Rav Kook Writes:

אי אפשר לאדם מישראל שיהיה מסור ונאמן למחשבותיו, הגיונותיו, רעיונותיו ודמיונותיו, בחו'ל, כתכונת הנאמנות הזאת בא'י.

It is impossible for a person from Yisrael to be devoted and faithful to his thoughts, reasoning, conceptualizations and imaginations, outside of the Land [of israel], when compared to their faithfulness in the land.

From this it should be obvious that what ever thoughts a person has in Chul could be so much Clearer in E'Y. It doesn't mean that no good thoughts happen in chul but any thought is contaminated. The clarity of your thoughts in Chul is depended on how strong is your connection to E'Y. The more your connected and yearn for E'Y and redemption the clearer your thoughts will be even in Chul. "Accourding to the magnitude of an individual's yearing for and connection to E'Y, his thoughts become clear, due to the foundation of "the air of Eretz Yisrael" which hovers over everyone who desires to see her." And the Gemara teaches us that "the air of Eretz Yisrael causes wisdom" ( look it up Bava Batra 158B.)

So go home and get your brain cleaned!

Sources for Women not doing Malacha

2005-12-26T13:33:00.000-08:00

I just recently found out that many people have never heard of the Minhag (custom) for women not to do work while the Hanukah Lights are burning...

קצור שלחן ערוך: The Abriviated Shulchan Aruch Ch 139

חנוכה-מתר בעשית מלאבה. אך הנשים נוהגות, שלא לעשות מלאכה כל זמן שהנרות שבבית דולקות, ואין

להקל להם.

On Chanukah it is permitted to do Malacha (work), Although the minhag for women is to not do Malacha the whole time the lights in the house are burning. They should not be lenient in this.

שלחן ערוך: תר'ע סעיף א'

Shulchan Aruch Ch: 670 Law 1

...ונוהגות הנשים שלא לעשות מלאכה בעוד שהנרות דולקות

And the custom is women do not do Malacha while the lights [of Hanukah ] are lit...

משמה ברורה אומר

The Mishna Berurah Says.

דוקא נשים לפי שנעשה נס על ידיהם,... ויש מקומות שגם האנשים מחמירים בזה.

Specifically the women because the miracle was done by their hands ... And there are places where also the men are stringent in this.

The Chafatz Chaim Refers to סעיף ב' Where the RAM'A explains:

שהאכילה יהודית את האויב....

That Yhudit fed the enemy [ and killed him while he was sleeping]

This is also brought down by the Magen Avraham and the Gra.... And I'm sure many others...

(It should be obvious that this only applies to Jewish Women )

New Torah Pod-cast

2005-12-15T10:27:00.000-08:00

Hi.

I'm helping one of my Rabbis� �from Machon Meir set up a pod-cast. They are recordings of his class given at the Machon.��

This is stuff you wont here from american Rabbis. Listen and tell me what you think, and pass it on.

Here is the podcast.

http://feeds.feedburner.com/Englishorot

They are also on a blog where you can leave comments.

http://englishorot.blogspot.com/

I'm working on getting it put in the itunes directory.�

Kol Tuv

YDL

What really happened on Dec. 25?

2005-12-04T16:16:00.000-08:00

Recently a friend of mine attended a "fabulous lecture about the origins (and myths) of x-mas". by R' Lawrence Kelemen.He also sent me a the original notes for the lecture (http://www.simpletoremember.com/vitals/Christmas_TheRealStory.htm) What I'm passing on here is my summary/commentary on those notes. I strongly suggest that you read the original document as well as the sources, and draw your own informed conclusions about one of the western worlds biggest events of the year.

My views expressed here (or any where ) do not necessarily reflect the views of the original author or the Jewish people or any-one else.

When was Yeshkah really born?

It seems that the myth puts his birth on 23rd of Tevet, 3762 (December 25^th 1 C.E. ). The x-tain scripture actually gives no date for his birth, the earliest of his publicists (Mark) wrote around 3825 ( 65 C.E) about Yeshkah going to toivel ( being baptized ). If his birth is such an important date why is there no mention of it by his first worshipers ?

The year of Yeshkah's birth was calculated by Dionysius Exiguus, a Scythian monk. In the Roman, pre-x-tian era, years were counted from the founding of Rome (AUC), 1 AUC is about 2973 since creation. The monk had a tradition Augustus reigned 43 years until about 7th of Elul, 3774 ( 19 August 0014) , and was followed by Tiberius. Another one of Yeshkah's publicists, Luke (3:1, 23) says that when Yeshkah turned 30, it was 15 years into the reign of Tiberius, about 3789 ( by my calculations ), so if Yeshkah was 30 in Tiberius' reign then the other 15 was in Augustus' reign of about 42 years, this puts Yeshkah's birth in the 28th year of Augustus's reign'. Augustus took power in 727 AUC, there fore, Dionysius put Yeshkah's birth in 754 AUC. ( do your own math and see if it works out ). But Luke (1:5) puts the birth in the reign of Herod, and Herod died in 750 AUC, four years before the monk calculated the birthday.

Joe A. Fitzmyer. writes in the Catholic Church's Official commentary on the X-tain additions to the bible:

Though the year of Jebus birth is not reckoned with certainty, the birth did not occur in AD 1. The X-tian era, supposed to have its starting point in the year of Jebus birth, is based on a miscalculation introduced ca. 533 by Dionysius Exiguus.

Besides being a Fitzmyer, Joe has a PhD from Hopkins, is Professor Emeritus of Biblical Studies at the Catholic University of America, member of the Pontifical Biblical Commission, and former president of the Catholic Biblical Association. He is hardly a light weight in the history of Yeshkah circles. Based on "historical records" the Fitzmyer guesses that the birthday was on September 11 (Spooky) 3 B.C.E. (3758).

The Deepish Computes, an anonymous document believed to have been written in North Africa around 4004 (243 CE), placed Yeshkah's birth on March 28. Clement, a bishop of Alexandria (3976) (d. ca. 215 CE), thought ol' Yeshki was born on November 18. Hmmm... Still no 12-25-0001.

Where in the world is 12-25-0001 coming from?

The Roman pagans had a holiday called Saturnalia "winter solstice festival". From December 17-25 they gave law the day off. Courts were closed, and no-one was held accountable for any damages to person or property, an anarchists paradise. They would start the festival by picking someone to represent the "Lord of Misrule", they would force this person to over indulge in physical pleasures throughout the week, and then at the end of the week they would eliminate( read murder ) this "enemy of the Roman people", and thus destroying the forces of dankness. Who can argue with "destroying the forces of darkness?"

Lucian, the ancient Greek writer, poet, and historian describes this celebration in his time in his dialog, Saturnalia. Some of the favorite ways of celebrating the holiday include, widespread intoxication; going from house to house while singing naked; rape and other sexual license; consuming human-shaped biscuits (Ginger bread men); and the ever popular human sacrifice. Now you can see why Greek style, college fraternities are so popular in the U.S.

Around 4060 (4th century CE), the X-tians attempted and succeeded to convert the pagans by promising them that they could continue to celebrate Saturnalia. There was only a slight problem with this, "What in the world does saturnalia have to do with Yeshkah worship !?"...... "It's our god's birthday"... "yeah, yeah, that's it, that's the ticket, yeah we must of forgot", "quick Johny hide that calendar!".

It appears, though, that instead of converting the pagans to x-tianity, they converted x-tanity to heathenism. Stephen Nissenbaum, professor history at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, writes,

"In return for ensuring massive observance of the anniversary of the Savior's birth by assigning it to this resonant date, the Church for its part tacitly agreed to allow the holiday to be celebrated more or less the way it had always been."

The earliest X-mas holidays resembled more of a trip to a sleazy strip-bar in PG county Maryland, than a holy day. Well I guess that also depends on your definition of a "holly day".

The Puritans even banned the Observance of X-mas because of its pagan origins, and it's observance was made illegal in Massachusetts (the modern state of open-mindedness) The Reverend Increase Mather of Boston observed in 5448 (1687 ) that:

the early Christians who first observed the Nativity on December 25 did not do so thinking that Christ was born in that Month, but because the Heathens' Saturnalia was at that time kept in Rome, and they were willing to have those Pagan Holidays metamorphosed into X-tian ones.

(see the original article for how the Catholic church revived some of the most depraved customs of the pagans (sections G and H )

Some of the most depraved customs of the Saturnalia carnival were intentionally revived by the Catholic Church in 1466 when Pope Paul II, for the amusement of his Roman citizens, forced Jews to race naked through the streets of the city. An eyewitness account reports, “Before they were to run, the Jews were richly fed, so as to make the race more difficult for them and at the same time more amusing for spectators. They ran… amid Rome’s taunting shrieks and peals of laughter, while the Holy Father stood upon a richly ornamented balcony and laughed heartily.”[5]
H. As part of the Saturnalia carnival throughout the 18th and 19th centuries CE, rabbis of the ghetto in Rome were forced to wear clownish outfits and march through the city streets to the jeers of the crowd, pelted by a variety of missiles. When the Jewish community of Rome sent a petition in1836 to Pope Gregory XVI begging him to stop the annual Saturnalia abuse of the Jewish community, he responded, “It is not opportune to make any innovation.”[6] On December 25, 1881, Christian leaders whipped the Polish masses into Antisemitic frenzies that led to riots across the country. In Warsaw 12 Jews were brutally murdered, huge numbers maimed, and many Jewish women were raped. Two million rubles worth of property was destroyed.

)

Yeah but there is none of that pagan stuff left

Oh yeah!? Lets examine some of the more common customs that much of the world practices today.:

Lets start with the good old clean fun of x-mas trees. Yeah well if you thought worshiping some guy was bad, how about worshiping a tree. Just as early x-tians recruited Roman pagans by associating x-mas with the Saturnalia, so too worshipers of the Asheira cult and its offshoots were recruited by the Church sanctioning "x-mas Trees". Pagans had long worshiped trees in the forest, or brought them into their homes and decorated them, and this observance was adopted and painted with a x-tian veneer by the Church.

"OK, well what about a sweet kiss under the mistletoe?! What is wrong with that." Oh come on, this one is just so weird it had to come from Pagans. Norse mythology recounts how the god Balder was killed using a mistletoe arrow by his rival god Hoder while fighting for the female Nanna. Druid rituals use mistletoe to poison their human sacrificial victim. The x-tian custom of kissing under the mistletoe is a later synthesis of the sexual license of Saturnalia with the Druidic sacrificial cult. And I'm not even going to get into the issue of kissing compleete strangers... Cootie-city.

"Please tell me there is nothing wrong with the free stuff." Well if your already comfortable with being a freeloader, think about where the custom started. In Rome, the emperors compelled their most despised citizens to bring offerings and gifts during the Saturnalia (in December) and Kalends (in January). So if your a giver your playing the part of despised citizen and if your a receiver your the Roman Dictator.

And this brings us to the Coke Spokes model ( wait, you'll see ).The Catholic Church gave this custom a x-tian flavor by re-rooting it in the supposed gift-giving of Saint Nicholas. Nick was born in Turkey around 4030 (270 CE), he became a bishop , and died. He wasn't saint until around 5560 (1900 CE). He came up with the novel idea that Jews are "the children of the devil" and they sentenced Yeshkah to death (Johny Boy 8:44). (Next time you see him in the mall try to refrain from giving him a kick in the teeth)

In 4848 (1087 C.E.) some sailors Idolized Nicholas and moved his bones from Turkey to Italy. In Italy Nick replaced the deity known as "The Grandmother" (I'll bake you a lasagna that you can't refuse). She used to fill the children's stockings with gifts. She was kicked out of her shrine at Bari, which became the center of the Nicholas cult. Members of this group gave each other gifts during a pageant (like the M.Gibson movie?) they conducted annually on the anniversary of Nicholas' death, December 6.

The cult-of-Nick spread north until it was adopted by German and Celtic pagans. These groups worshiped a pantheon led by their chief god who had a long, white beard and rode a horse through the heavens one evening each Autumn. When Nicholas merged with the Chief, he shed his Mediterranean appearance, grew a beard, mounted a flying horse, donned heavy winter clothing, and rescheduled his flight for December in the evenings (becoming nick-at-night).

In an attempt to convert the members of the cult-of-nick-at-night the Catholic church gave Nick a flight delay from the 6th to the 25th of December, and taught that he did (and they should) distribute gifts.

In 5570 (1809 C.E.), the novelist Washington Irving (most famous his The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle) wrote a satire of Dutch culture entitled Knickerbocker History. The satire refers several times to the white bearded, flying-horse riding Saint Nicholas using his Dutch name, Santa Claus. Later a poem by Dr. Clement Moore, changed the horse to 8 reindeer, And turned nick into a chimney cleaner.

The Bavarian illustrator Thomas Nast almost completed the modern picture of Nick. Based on Moore's poem, Nast drew more than 2,200 cartoon images of Nick for Harper's Weekly. Before Nast, Saint Nicholas had been pictured as everything from a stern looking bishop to a gnome-like figure in a frock. Nast also gave Nick a home at the North Pole, his workshop filled with elves, and his list of the good and bad children of the world. All nick was missing was his red outfit....

And Coca Cola needed a new spokes model. In 5691 (1931 C.E.), the Coca Cola Corporation contracted the Swedish commercial artist Haddon Sundblom to create a coke-drinking Nick. Sundblom modeled his Nick on his friend Lou Prentice, chosen for his cheerful, chubby face. The corporation insisted that Nick's fur-trimmed suit be bright, Coca Cola red. And the modern day Nick was born - a blend of X-tian crusader, pagan god, frat boy, and American idol.

So what do you want from me !?

Well first off, if your a X-tian, I in no-way am encouraging you to become a Jew. X-tians have always been the champs of seeking converts and us Jews have no desire to join the competition. My purpose in writing these comments is for 2 groups.

Group one is the Yeshkah worshipers who have at least some interest in the truth, maybe they will re-examine their practices, and realize that not everything they grew-up believing is the word of g-d, especially the idea that Jews are "the children of the devil" and they sentenced Yeshkah to death (Johny Boy 8:44). Maybe through re-examining their religion they will realize that they don't need any guy on a stick to atone for their sins, all they need is to be good people.

Group 2 is those who aren't Yeshkah worshipers (Jews, Muslims, Pagans, Chicken Voo-doo murder). These guys need to know what is really going on on 12-25. And when they get invited to a party, and the host says " It's your holiday too" you can respond, "sorry, you must have me mistaken for a pagan." I'm not telling not to go act like pagan, if that is what your into, I just want you to be tricked into thinking it is "your holiday too" (unless you are a pagan).

Another point, don't take my comments too seriously. Read the original article and the sources. If you think I'm insulting you or "full of hate" or some other defensive label. Stop and think, re-read what I wrote, re-read the original article, and if you still are offended, just ignore this as the ramblings of a fundamental extremist.

I will close this with a quote from the original article:

Many who are excitedly preparing for their Christmas celebrations would prefer not knowing about the holidays real significance. If they do know the history, they often object that their celebration has nothing to do with the holidays monstrous history and meaning. We are just having fun.

Imagine that between 1933-45, the Nazi regime celebrated Adolf Hitlers birthday April 20 as a holiday. Imagine that they named the day, Hitlerday, and observed the day with feasting, drunkenness, gift-giving, and various pagan practices. Imagine that on that day, Jews were historically subject to perverse tortures and abuse, and that this continued for centuries.

Now, imagine that your great-great-great-grandchildren were about to celebrate Hitlerday. April 20^th arrived. They had long forgotten about Auschwitz and Bergen Belsen. They had never heard of gas chambers or death marches. They had purchased champagne and caviar, and were about to begin the party, when someone reminded them of the days real history and their ancestors agony. Imagine that they initially objected, We arent celebrating the Holocaust; were just having a little Hitlerday party. If you could travel forward in time and meet them; if you could say a few words to them, what would you advise them to do on Hitlerday?

On December 25, 1941, Julius Streicher, one of the most vicious of Hitlers assistants, celebrated Christmas by penning the following editorial in his rabidly Antisemitic newspaper, Der Stuermer:

If one really wants to put an end to the continued prospering of this curse from heaven that is the Jewish blood, there is only one way to do it: to eradicate this people, this Satans son, root and branch.

It was an appropriate thought for the day. This Christmas, how will we celebrate?

Oh one more thing, for you Jews who feel under attack this month... You can always come home.

Scythia: an ancient region in southeastern Europe and Asia. The center of the Scythian empire, which existed between the 8th and 2nd centuries bc, was on the northern shores of the Black Sea and extended from southern Russia to the borders of Persia.

Borders coupon: 15% off one item

2005-11-25T07:42:00.000-08:00

Borders coupon: 15% off one item

10:10 am ET, Nov 25, 2005; expires 11:59 pm ET, Dec 31, 2005

Borders stores take 15% off one item of regular price via this printable coupon. Electronics and video games are 10% off. Periodicals and comics are excluded. Coupon ends December 31.

This isn't Spam, I don't get any profit from this, just thought every one can use a�coupon like this.

Where do they come up with this stuff!?

2005-11-21T15:36:00.000-08:00

Ok so I went and put some google ad's on my blog ( sorry but the bills aren't getting paid the way they used to ) And one of the ad's (to be blocked ) was for an x-tian.

I just don't understand where they get this stuff from.

My comments are in red.
Dear Ploni ,

I am afraid Ray, as it seems that you have been misled by the clever devil, to think that you will only be saved in that fire. Yes it is indeed true that Yeshki came to save sinners, but those sinners must believe the gospel now to enable the Lord to save them ( I thought you said Yeshki was saving the sinners )! Salvation will not come after death but is attained now, through faith.

You will not be cleansed in a fire after you have died. Such concept comes from the devil (there they go again calling the jews the devil) , simply to misled you and those that do not want to believe. This serpent, does not want to be thrown there alone, but he wants to take you with him.
The demons are afraid of being thrown in that place to an extent of begging the Lord, not send them back to hell, when He was still living in the flesh (umm ... what ? ההורא יתברך שמו אינו גוף ולא ישיגוהו משיגי הגוף. The creator, bless his name, has no physical body and is not subject to physical things ( The Rambam's 13 principles of faith #3)). See Luke 8:31; It is indeed your democratic (?!) right to choose (bachirah) to go to hell . You will not blame anyone but yourself. Please think about that! You are not in good hands as you don't believe the whole gospel, but the serpent has you. (so G-d turns his back on those who don't believe in this stuff ? )

You simply refuse to read carefully the book of Isaias Isaiah the prophet in chapter 66 verses 22-24 for your own good. The devil has twisted your poor mind for your own destruction. (While your at it read the whole book of Yishayah, it gives some pretty strong rebuke about worship other gods than the One (yirbarach shemo ) )

If G-d would save sinners through fire as you are suggesting, John would not have told the Pharisees and the Sadduces to produce fruits in this life that befit repentance. He would simply have told them to wait until they are cleansed in the lake of fire. God has not failed to save, but it is people like yourself who refuses to believe the true gospel of Yeshki Chuckles and be saved. My God will not force anyone to come to Him. He always ask humbly but many people simply ignores His pleas!
(So then what, he likes to bbq sinners for fun! What is the purpose ? )

Lastly, if you do not repent, your punishment will be much greater than that of any other ordinary sinner only because your are busy contaminating the minds of the people who Chuckles died for in the cross (ok this is where you lose me, if he died to clear off all your sins why can't he clean off the 'sin' of not believing ?). You must understand that they will die for their sins but the blood will be sought by God from you. Read Ezekiel 3: 17-21. ( Again, great book to read about why not to worship other gods, be sure to get a good commentary on it too )

There is absolutely nothing that you will help me with! Your type of the gospel is from Satan and his demons. He is your father and the father of all sinners that refuses to repent! BEWARE, you are on your way to Hell and the everlasting Lake of Fire. It does not matter whether you believe it or not (didn't you say that if he believed he would be 'saved'?!), it will surely take place only because G-d has said so. (When did he say this ? )

The buck stops here, nevertheless, I will surely pray for you that your poor soul should be saved from the coming destruction.

Thanks for your ill-informed gospel! ( and thanks for yours )

Yours in Stuff,

Ploni
[Ploni replies]
Dear Ploni:

I am sure that you are completely convinced that what I am saying in my material is wrong, evil, and of the devil. You are primarily basing all of that on a few mistranslation and the false teachings of Yeshkidom.

Your knowledge of the word "hell" is quite lacking. Hell has NOTHING to do with fire. "Hell fire" mentioned in the KJV is from the Greek word "Gehenna." It is a valley south of Jerusalem (Where did you get that from ). It used to be the city garbage dump. As such it was on fire. As garbage and organic materials were constantly thrown into this fire, the worms there did not die out, but kept on multiplying until there was nothing left to eat. The valley is STILL in Jerusalem, Dan, but the fire is OUT and there are no WORMS there.

The word "hell" in the KJV is translated from the Greek word "Hades" which means the UNSEEN or etymologically, UN=PERCEIVE or IMPERCEPTIBLE. There can NOT be feelings, torture, pain, etc., in a place that by its very name means to have NO PERCEPTION OF ANYTHING!! People must first be resurrected from Hades before they will have perception again. ( Sorry but the word "Hades" was never written in the original bible, and it was written in hebrew not greek, so your correcting his mistranslations based your mistranslations )

Are you interested enough in the Word of G-d to study this word and see if I am correct?

In Luke 8 (I thought you said the Word of G-d) , the demons did not fear going to "hell." Read it, Dan, they feared being put back into the "deep" as it is in KJV or more properly the "submerged chaos." It is the SAME word translated "bottomless pit" in Rev. where Satan is held for a thousand years, and THEN he is put into the "lake of fire" (Ver. 10). (He is held in the pit because God has one more dirty work for Satan to perform before he begins his purification in the lake of fire (not the pit).

There is NO WORD in either the Hebrew or Greek scriptures that means "eternal" or "everlasting" or "for ever and ever." Since there is NO SUCH WORD IN THE BIBLE, all such translations are WRONG and misleading. See the first ten pages of my letter to John Hagee for absolute proof of this. If you don't agree, prove me wrong SCRIPTURALLY!
Um what ?
Try these : תמיד, לנצח, לעולם, לעולם ועד, לעד, try to look them up ... I'm sure you can find more if you tried

Ploni, on a personal note. I know you feel very smug and comfortable in call me OF THE DEVIL and that the DEVIL HAS ME and that I AM OF MY FATHER THE DEVIL, etc., etc. However, a word of warning: The one time that the Pharisees accused Yeshki of doing something of the devil or the prince of demons, He warned them that if something really is of THE HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD and one says that that is really THE SPIRIT OF THE DEVIL, then they have committed a sin that will NOT be pardoned in this life (or age or world) or in the age to come. Such people WILL have to suffer the punishments of the lake of fire to be purified of such evil sins.

Sincerely,
Ploni

Sorry I wasted your time to have you read that, but some people say that "MY" G-d is judgmental. I just want to assure you that I don't know who they are talking about but it sure isn't "MY" G-d.

"YOU JUST GOTTA SAVE X-TIANITY, RICHARD! YOU GOTTA!"

2005-11-17T11:10:00.000-08:00

Here is an interesting article about the crusades. My comments are in red and the underlining is mine. Also note that my comments do not in any way reflect the opinions of the author or Aish (or any one else ). The main thing is the article its self, my comments you can take or leave.

	http://www.aish.com/literacy/jewishhistory/Crash_Course_in_Jewish_History_Part_45_-_The_Crusades.asp

Crash Course in Jewish History Part 45 - The Crusades
by Rabbi Ken Spiro

The Crusaders came to liberate the Holy Land from the "infidels" and woe to any Jews who stood in their way.

As long as the Byzantine (Eastern) Empire, with its seat in Constantinople, dominated the Christian Church, it maintained the balance of power between the bishop of Constantinople and the bishop of Rome. But when it began to crumble, Rome began to assert itself.

As we will see, the Crusades originated with Rome. However, before we can discuss the Crusades and how they impacted the Jews, we must first set the stage and go back in history.

Ever since the 4th century, the Western (Rome-based) Empire had been shrinking considerably, thanks to the Goths and Franks. It finally disappeared altogether in 476. The resulting vacuum in the economic, legal and administrative infrastructure led to a state of chaos. The Church, aligning itself with the Franks, stepped in to restore order.

Consciously modeling its bureaucratic framework on the model of the old, the Church created titles and administrative positions which people were used to. It's not by accident that the pope (from the Latin papa or "father") was called pontiff (from pontifex maximus or "chief priest") -- a title previously reserved for the Roman emperor.

Today we remember the period of time when the Church ruled Western Europe with an iron hand as the "Dark Ages," although more charitable historians will call it the "Middle Ages."

FEUDALISM

With its well-organized bureaucracy, the Church found itself assuming a position of paramount importance in the evolution of feudalism in European society.

Feudalism has its roots in all the warring that was going on in this period of time. To support the cavalry, the kings gave their soldiers estates of land farmed by dependent laborers. It was a huge pyramid with the majority of the population at the bottom, working as serfs or virtual slaves for somebody else.

Feudal serfs worked at backbreaking labor, dawn to dusk. They lived in absolute filth and squalor. It is impossible for us to imagine today the conditions and the deprivations of this time period.

The Church's role in the feudal system was quite ironic. Not only didn't the Church fight this injustice, the Church helped to create it, and profited handsomely from it.

The Church supported the inequality of the feudal system through its various dogmatic formulations, which strongly implied that God Himself wants things this way, that poverty has great spiritual value, and that the king is a divinely ordained human being whose authority cannot be questioned.

All though they claim to believe in the same 'old testament as us they read it in an entirely different way.

Why? Because the Church was "a major player" in the feudal game. Early in its history, the Church started to acquire land. At first, the Church took over the properties of pagan temples and temple priests. But it continued to expand it holdings, until it became by far the biggest landowner in Europe, collecting huge amounts of taxes from the hapless peasants.

Oxford scholar Henry Phelps-Brown in Egalitarianism and the Generation of Inequality (p. 33) suggests that the Church, while it embodied monotheism, (I don't see how a trinity is monotheism) had yet to rid itself of the old Hellenistic pagan tendencies:

"Thus Christianity itself, and the views on wealth and power that came down from it, did not challenge the inequality of the secular world. They rather upheld it ... In this way they followed the main drift of the pagan philosophies. The inequality of human capacity was obvious, the need for subordination inescapable."

As the Church's empire grew in size so did its need for more money to support it. While the Crusades were launched in part to curb the growth of the Islam Empire, a key motivation was to gain new lands and wealth for the growing population of Europe. They offered an outlet for the ambitions of land-hungry knights and noblemen.

The ostensible reason given at the time, however, was the reclamation of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem from the Muslims. This church had been originally built on the site identified in the 4th century by Empress Helena, the mother of Constantine, as the site where Jebus (ימח שמו וזכרו) was buried following his crucifixion.

(This church still stands today, after being rebuilt by the Crusaders; it is a focal point of Christian pilgrimages to Jerusalem although Protestant Christian denominations contend that it is not the site of Jebus' (ימח שמו וזכרו) burial.)

THE "NOBLE" QUEST

To our (our meaning american not necessarily monotheistic) Western minds, reared on the Hollywood version of so much history, the Crusades mean noble knights rescuing damsels in distress. Oy vey -- is that ever a lie.

Now, it's true that there were knights, and there were kings, and there was a chivalric ideal. And that King Richard the Lionhearted, a Crusade leader, (who was incidentally one of the worst kings England ever had) was definitely a macho warrior. But that's pretty much where it ends.

The Crusades turned into campaigns of slaughter, rape, and pillage, and woe to the poor Jews ( and arabs ) in the way. Indeed, the Crusades mark the first large-scale mob violence directed against Jews which is going to become, unfortunately, the pattern for the next hundreds of years. The later pogroms are just going to be a repeat of this idea.

The Jews were not the only -- and in fact, not the primary -- victims of the Crusaders. Muslims were. If you're a student of Islamic history, you know that a large part of the reason why the Arab world is today the way it is has to do with the Crusades . All the brutality directed toward them devastated the Arab peoples economically, made the Arab world very closed, and contributed to Arab hatred of the West. (thanks alot! we really needed that)

(Why do Arabs paint the doors of their houses blue to this day? To ward off the evil eye. Why blue? One explanation is that it was the color of the blue-eyed northern Europeans that came to slay them.)

There were altogether ten Crusades covering a swath of time between the 11th through the 13th centuries (CE):

The First Crusade, 1095-1099, saw the taking of Jerusalem from the Muslims, the slaughter of both the Muslim and Jewish populations of the city, and the establishment of the Crusader-run Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem (which lasted only until 1187).
The Second Crusade, 1147-1149, was organized to help the Christians to recover lands which they lost to the Turks, but it ended in dismal failure.
The Third Crusade 1189-1192 was organized after Saladin, the Sultan of Egypt, recaptured Jerusalem. This is the Crusade in which King Richard the Lionhearted figured. It was a failure.
The Fourth Crusade, 1202-1204, saw the capture of Constantinople, which at the time was occupied by Greek-speaking Eastern Orthodox Christians, who did not recognize the authority of the Roman Pope (יש''ז).
The Children's Crusade, 1212, sent thousands of children for the Holy Land, where they were captured by Muslims only to be sold as slaves or to die of hunger or disease. (what was the point of that ?)
The Fifth Crusade, 1217-21, was aimed at Egypt, but failed.
Four more Crusades mounted in the 13th century failed to reverse the Muslim gains. In 1291 the last Crusader stronghold at Acco fell.

That's the picture in a nutshell. Now we can look in greater detail at the aspects of the Crusades which most impacted on the Jews.

(For anyone interested in knowing more about specific Crusades, the authoritative source is a book by H.E. Mayer, called The Crusades, published Oxford University Press.)

INFIDEL CLEANSING

Pope Urban II (יש''ז) mounted the first campaign, in part in response to a plea for help from Christians in Constantinople who were besieged by the Muslims. Its aim was to beat back the "infidels"(that means you and me) (as Christians called their fellow (what happened to love your fellow as yourself?) monotheists) and to recapture the Holy Land.

To sweeten the pie, the Pope (יש''ז) promised those that signed up that there would be plenty of booty, not to mention the spiritual benefit of having all your sins forgiven by God. (Kill jews and arabs AND get your sins forgiven ... oh boy! oh boy )

The Pope (יש''ז) received an enthusiastic response. An armed force of 15,000 -- including 5,000 knights and the rest infantry -- set off wearing a large red cross (kinda like the nazis (יש''ז)) on their outer garments (hence their name Crusaders from the Latin word meaning "cross," though they called themselves "pilgrims").

A peasant force also joined in. As these peasants started marching through Europe (in advance of the knights), they needed to eat, and eat they did by pillaging the countryside. As they were marching along they got the idea that they might as well get rid of the infidels in their midst -- namely the Jews.

Here is one eyewitness account of an attack on the Jewry of Mainz in May of 1096. This comes from The First Crusade by August Krey, and it is a letter written by a Jew who survived:

"The Jews of the city, knowing of the slaughter of their brethren fled in hope of safety to the Bishop of Ruthard. They put an infinite treasure in his guard and trust having much faith in his protection. He placed the Jews in a very spacious hall in his own house that they might remain safe and sound in a very secure and strong place.

"But ... the band held council, and after sunrise attacked the Jews in the hall with arrows and lances, breaking down the bolts in the doors. They killed the Jews, about 700 in number who in vain resisted the force of an attack of so many thousands. They killed the women also and with their sword pierced tender children whatever age and sex..."

This is how about 30%-50% of the Jewish community of Europe met its end. Some 10,000 Jews of an estimated population of about 20,000-30,000 were slaughtered by Crusaders mobs.

FALL OF JERUSALEM

After conquering Antioch in Turkey, the Crusaders got to Jerusalem ( יבנה מהרה), many of their number gone due to the heavy fighting along the way.

At the gates of Jerusalem, fighting in the blistering sun heating up their heavy impregnable armor, many more of the knights died.(ברוך ה')

In Part 44, in our discussion of Rashi, we mentioned the French nobleman Godfrey du Bouillon. Godfrey -- plus Raymond of Guilles, Raymond of Flanders, and Robert of Normandy -- besieged the gates of Jerusalem which at that time had a significant population of Jews. Their forces breached the walls and poured into the city.

(Incidentally, the Crusader cry of "Hep! Hep!" originated at this time. It was an acronym for the Latin of "Jerusalem Has Fallen." With time it became "Hip, Hip, Hooray!" -- a cheer that Jews never (should) use.)

What happened after the Crusaders entered the city?

We have one account from Ibn Al Kalanisi, the Moslem chronicler, describing hair-raising behavior of unnecessary brutality. The poor Jews had all huddled together in a synagogue and this is where the Crusaders found them, set the place on fire, and burned them alive.

The Crusaders, once they conquered Jerusalem, embarked on a vast building effort all over Israel. The ruins of the many fortresses and churches they built can be visited today. (Most of these were destroyed by the Muslims once they reclaimed their earlier holdings, in fear that the Crusaders would return.)

The Crusaders established special orders of knights to look after this kingdom. Those that interest us in particular are the Knights Templars and the Knights Hospitalers.

The Knights Templars were stationed on the Temple Mount (hence their name). Interestingly, Knights Templars did not destroy the Dome of the Rock (though the Crusaders did destroy all the mosques that they did not turn into churches). Why? They thought it was the "Temple of Solomon," and that the nearby Al Aksa mosque was the "Palace of Solomon." (I thought they read the bible!?)(See Jerusalem: An Archeological Biography by Hershel Shanks, p. 238-239.)

So what did they do? They removed the crescent from the top of the Dome of the Rock, replaced it with a cross, and called the place Templum Domini, "Temple of God." They turned the El Aksa mosque, as well as the vaulted space below the mosque, into a monastery. Consistent with their other errors, they called this space, which had been built by Herod -- "Solomon's Stables."

(These so-called stables have recently been excavated by the Muslim Wakf and transformed into another mosque amid enormous archeological devastation, which the government of Israel felt powerless to stop.)

The Knights Hospitalers were supposed to provide hospitality to the large numbers of Christian pilgrims who would come down and visit the Christian holy sites, and to care for the sick among them. (Thus we see the word for hospitality became synonymous with a place of care for the sick -- hospice or hospital.)

The Knights Hospitalers built their main complex near the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a logical place for it. Another complex -- consisting of church, hospice and hospital -- was built in what is today the heart of the Jewish Quarter of the Old City Jerusalem near the main staircase going down to the Western Wall. This ruin has been preserved and is a tourist attraction. Nearby Crusader buildings have been renovated and are in use as apartments, schools and shops. (See Jerusalem Architecture by David Kroyanker, p. 37-43.)

Needless to say, the Knights Hospitalers did not provide hospitality to Jews. In fact, they brought in Christian Arab tribes to help populate the city with Christians.

But Jews always yearned to be part of the holy city. One such Jew, who braved the Crusader occupation of the Holy Land, was none other than the famed poet and writer Judah HaLevi (זצ'ל) (whose work The Kuzari we discussed in Part 44).

Judah HaLevi managed to reach the city, but was trampled to death by a Christian Arab horseman just outside one of the city gates. As he lay dying, he is said to have recited one of his own poems: "Zion, shall I see you ... I shall cherish your stones and kiss them, and your earth will be sweeter than honey to my taste." (See Martin Gilbert, Jerusalem: An Illustrated Atlas, p. 21.)

SULTAN SALADIN

The reign of the Crusaders over the Holy Land was short lived. In less than one hundred years, in fact in 1187, the Crusaders are conquered by Sultan Saladin of Egypt (whose family, by-the-way was employing Maimonides (זצ'ל The RamBam) as their physician as we saw in Part 44).

Sultan Saladin beat the Crusaders at what was one of the most important battles in the medieval history of the Middle East -- at the Horns of Hattin, which is northwest of the Sea of Galilee. There Saladin very skillfully managed to lure the Crusaders out into the open. In the middle of the summer and burning heat, they found themselves vastly outmaneuvered and outnumbered, and this is how Saladin destroyed them.

Even though they lost Jerusalem, the Crusaders didn't give up. They mounted campaign after campaign to recoup the Holy Land. They never did get Jerusalem back, (although the Moslems did grant them access to Christian holy sites there (that was nice of them )). Finally, in 1291, the last Crusader stronghold -- in Acco (also known as Acre) -- fell.

Today we have amazing ruins from the Crusader period all over Israel. Some of the most massive and impressive are in Caesarea, Acco, Tiberias (Tveriah) and in Belvoir (near the battle site of Hattin). If you should happen to visit any of these sites, keep in mind while admiring them, what the Crusaders did to the Jews.

NEXT: BLOOD LIBEL

Note:
I have received a lot of feedback from Christian readers regarding the topic of Medieval anti-Semitism. Most of the comments come from evangelical Christians who claim that those who persecuted Jews in the Middle Ages were not really true Christians and that I shouldn't lump all Chritians together.

Readers of this series should understand that this is a history series and as such, it reflects the historical realities of the past. One thousand years ago in Western Europe, there were no evangelicals. The Catholic Church reigned supreme. Superstitious, violent anti-Semitism was rampant and there were no Christian supporters of the Jewish people.

Today, thank God, the situation is very different. There are tens of millions of Christians who are good friends (with friends like these? ) of the Jewish people and true supporters of Israel.

In no way is the series meant to reflect the modern realities of Jewish-Chrisitan interaction, nor is it meant as an attack against Israel's true friends and allies. My sincere apologies if it was understood to be otherwise.

Sincerely,
Rabbi Ken Spiro

Author Biography:

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Rabbi Ken Spiro is originally from New Rochelle,NY. He graduated from Vassar College with a BA in Russian Language and Literature and did graduate studies at the Pushkin Institute in Moscow. He has Rabbinical ordination from Yeshiva Aish HaTorah in Jerusalem and a Masters Degree in History from The Vermont College of Norwich University. Rabbi Spiro is also a licensed tour guide by the Israel Ministry of Tourism. He lives in Jerusalem with his wife and five children where he works as a senior lecturer and researcher on Aish HaTorah outreach programs.

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T'suvah

2005-10-06T03:15:00.000-07:00

So we are now in the 10 days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom HaKiporim. These days are called the 10 days of t'shuva. T'shuva literally means "return", but there is so much more to it than that.

I've been trying to learn about t'shuva, from a book written by Rav Kook, "Orot T'shuva" but the hebrew is hard ( even for Israelis ). I was in a book store here and found a great english explanation of Rav Kooks original writings "The Art of T'shuva" ( available from Arutz 7 and Judaism.com) . I've read other translations but this is by far a better picture. It really gives a great description of t'shuva, I recommend that you get a hold of it, but in the mean time let me share some of it with you.

From the Preface:

> The magnificence of t'shuva lies in its depth. R' Kook writes that > "The foundation of t'shuva is an accounting of man's state in the > world. The roots of this accounting are higher than the accounting > itself, just as the theory of numbers is above the numbers them > selves" > > People can focus on the arena of do's and don'ts, and get bogged > down in the precepts. If this happens, the observance of the > commandments can become mechanical. One can forget to delve into > the deeper realities behind the external deeds. Because one does > not see the roots of a tree, one can forget that the roots are > keeping the tree upright. The root of Judaism is cleaving to G-d. > This is what lies at the foundation of the commandments. It is a > feeling, a vision, a life project, a joy. > > People who are only involved in the dry mechanics of Judaism > sometimes feel that life is lacking real substance and inspiration. > They want to feel close to G-d, and to experience a more spiritual > high. Not having delved into the deeper understandings of Judaism, > they do not realize that the practical mitzvot and Divine "high" > witch they are seeking actually go together. G-d is to be found in > the mitzvot themselves, and in all of the details of life. This is > the beauty of Judaism. G-d is with you every moment of your life, > in everything you do. > > Rabbi Kook teaches that this deeper understanding of Judaism can be > discovered through the wonders of t'shuva.... >

From Ch1 "The Secret Of Happiness"

> While t'shuva is normally translated as penitence or repentance, > the root of the Hebrew word t'shuva means "return." T'shuva is a > return to the source, to one's roots, to one's deepest inner self. > Rabbi Kook writes: > > "When one forgets the essence of one's soul; when one distracts his > mind from seeing the true nature of his own inner life, everything > becomes doubtful and confused. The principal t'shuva, witch > immediately lights up the darkness, is for a person to return to > himself, to the root of his soul....

I'm still working my way through it but as I read more I'll share more, and please ask questions if something isn't clear.

Cahzon Ish / Extreemisim

2005-10-06T01:45:00.000-07:00

On 29/13/5765, at 18:13, Ploni wrote:

Another question. The Chazon Ish who wrote the quote about extremism on your blog.. Is he if it is a he and not a group, Jewish or Muslim? Not a trick question I just can't tell by the name, or if this is a premise you put there because you believe it or can't believe it.

So first off the Chazon Ish or R' Avraham Yeshayahu Karelitz, was a Rabbi of the last generation.

Here is a snip about him from Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chazon_Ish)

The reputation of the Chazon Ish for saintliness and knowledge was widespread and people from all walks of life would frequent his home, for scholarly discussions or to seek advice on religious, business, or personal problems, or simply to receive his blessing. When in 1933 he settled in the Land of Israel, his house in Bnei Brak became the address for thousands who sought his guidance.
Holding no official position, the Chazon Ish nevertheless became a recognized worldwide authority on all matters relating to Jewish law and life. He was not appointed as communal leader, yet he exerted an enormous influence on the life and institutions of religious Jewry. He did not publish many responsa, but became the supreme authority on halakha (Jewish law). David Ben-Gurion, the prime minister of Israel, visited him once to discuss political-religious issues.
He belonged to no official movement. He loved and respected all beings and as equally admired by all, without exception – by Hasidim, Mitnagdim, Ashkenazim, Sefardim, Haredim, Datiim, Hilonim, Zionists, and others. Today there is hardly a town in Israel without a street named in his honor. Although essentially an academic scholar, he applied himself to practical problems, devoting much effort to the strengthening of religious life and institutions. His rulings on the use of the milking machine on Shabbat and on cultivation by hydroponics during the sabbatical year are two illustrations of his practical approach. A model of modesty and kindness, the Chazon Ish wrote over 40 books in clear Hebrew, in polished and precise style, which are models of lucidity and brilliance.

Now lets talk about the quote you were referring to.

Extremism is the perfection of the topic. One who waves the banner of moderation and hates extremism, is in the same camp as liars or imbeciles...

First I should say that I can't remember where exactly I heard this, and it is most likely a translation for hebrew, when you translate any thing from hebrew you are losing it's soul.

"The perfection of the topic," any topic, isn't that something we should be striving for? Don't you want to be the best at your job? If your learning something wouldn't you try to obtain a perfect understanding ? What about a perfect relationship with your spouse? What about perfect love for humanity ? Who can say that perfection on its own is a bad thing ?

What about the person who says , " I don't want to do a perfect job, a moderate job is what I strive for," or "Who needs a perfect relationship with their spouse, a moderate relation ship is all that I want". What do you think about a person like that? The person who only wants a moderate relationship with his spouse, he either must be lying or an idiot. If he says " My wife and I we don't get along as well as we could, but that is ok with me." Who would believe that? He must be lying, to us , and worst to himself. What if he truly believes what he says, and has no desire to improve his relationship? What an idiot !

So you see what the Chazon Ish said, seems to be on target.

The word "extreme" has been mutilated to deserve a bad connotation, just as we saw, about "Ultra Orthodox", the words "ultra" and "extreme" in themselves aren't bad. It depends on what you put it in front of.

"Extreme Love" , "Extreme Hate"

"Extremely Smart", "Extremely Stupid"

"Extreme Generosity", "Extremely stingy"

You can think of many more examples I'm sure. What I think the Chazon Ish was saying is, in what ever you do, strive to be the best, no one should be satisfied with mediocracy.

Of course you need to chose good causes, any one who says that he is advocating "extreme hate" or "extreme violence" is off. We should find good goals and then pursue them to the best of our ability.

I hope your question was answered "Extremely" well.

You should have an "Extremely" good and sweet year.

YDL

To Enlist of Not to Enlist

2005-09-16T16:42:00.000-07:00

This is from the Machon Meir website... Every week there is something good there but espeicilly this week I think this needs to be seen

Rabbi Elisha Aviner - Education Corner Open Letter to Our Youth: “To Enlist of Not to Enlist”

Recently a petition has been circulating that calls upon youth to forego their army service. This was to be expected. Time after time, our country’s leadership has been warned that their policy is causing a rift in the nation. The heads of the army have been warned that enlisting the army in uprooting Jews from parts of Eretz Yisrael and their massive involvement in the expulsion would lead to profound estrangement from the army. For many, the army is no longer perceived as a people’s army. It has lost its luster. Hence, it is no surprise that young people are speaking negatively about the army and are embarrassed to wear its uniform. The main question is this: Does the present crisis of confidence regarding the army justify not enlisting in it? Is this a proper step? Is it an appropriate response? This grave episode warrants examination from various angles:
1. Israeli army service is a mitzvah. We do not enlist in the army because we support the political steps being taken by the prime minister or his defense minister. We do not enlist because of our enormous admiration for the head of the army or one of the generals in his staff. Rather, we enlist because it is a mitzvah. Enlisting is not a political step that expresses faith in the government or the Knesset. Rather, it is a mitzvah. What mitzvah is it?
First of all, it is a mitzvah to take part in Israel’s compulsory wars defending Israel from its enemies. The Israeli army ensures the safety of the residents of the State of Israel. It is doing this in these very times. It fights terrorists from within, and provides deterrence against the many enemies who surround us from without. Iran, Egypt and Syria are not suspected of excess love for the Jewish People. They sit “quietly” only because of the Israeli Army. Therefore, whoever enlists in the army fulfills the mitzvah of “defending Israel from its enemies,” protecting the state’s inhabitants from slaughter by the enemies of the Jewish People.
The army also ensures Jewish sovereignty over sections of Eretz Yisrael. It is the central vehicle to fulfilling the mitzvah of settling the Land, enabling us “to prevent the Land from being in the hands of any other nation” (Ramban). Even if the army has betrayed its role regarding Gush Katif, it still continues to fulfill its role as far as the rest of Eretz Yisrael, from Kiryat Shemoneh to Eilat. We are angry at the army. We are angry at the heads of the security establishment. That anger is justified. It has to find expression via various kinds of protests, yet that does not free us from fulfilling an important mitzvah relating to the entire Jewish People. G-d has not exempted us from fulfilling this mitzvah.
2. A similar question has been dealt with in the past, and has already been decided by great rabbis of Israel. The question came up in relation to our integration in the Zionish Movement. The Zionist movement not only worked towards Jews moving to Zion, but expressed its position regarding the borders of the Land. It was ready to concede many portions of Eretz Yisrael, and at a certain point it even considered exchanging Eretz Yisrael for Uganda. It formally proclaimed that it had nothing to do with religion, and when the State was first established, it worked against religion and made an effort to distance new immigrants from their religious roots. Therefore, there were those who called for people not to “enlist” in the Zionist Movement, and not to “serve” in its ranks. Yet many great rabbis called upon Jews to join it and to be active in it, due to its contribution towards the redemption of the Jewish People and the return to Zion. We have already mentioned a few times Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda Kook’s interpretation of the Jerusalem Talmud’s words, “Greater is the sanctification of G-d’s name than its profanation.” Isn’t it obvious that the former is greater than the latter? Yet, as Rav Tzvi Yehuda explained, even when G-d’s name is being simultaneously sanctified and profaned, the sanctification wins out. Such thinking led to the decision of many great rabbis in favor of Zionism, as well as to their decision in favor of enlisting in the army. The army’s activities greatly sanctify G-d’s name, and even though they sometimes profane His name as well (as with Jews being expelled from their land, a terrible profanation of His name), the sanctification is decisive.
3. The army is one of the central expressions of Israeli society in the aggregate, perhaps the most central of all. This has led to the deep bond of Israeli society with the army, and to their distaste for anyone who wishes to harm the army or to avoid its ranks. Therefore, whoever cuts himself off from the army cuts himself off from Israeli society. He can proclaim a thousand times over that he feels like part of the State of Israel and Israeli society despite his not having served, but Israeli society does not accept that and does not view him as part of it. In other words, the army is one of the central, tangible expressions of the Jewish People. Whoever sets himself apart from the army, literally sets himself apart from the Jewish People.
This brings us to the profound explanations appearing in Maharal and Rav Kook regarding one’s duty not to set oneself apart from the Jewish People under any circumstances. Maharal stresses that the argument over whether a Jew who sins remains a Jew or not focuses on individual Jews. Regarding the Jewish People in the aggregate, however, even if they worship idols they remain the Jewish People, and we do not cut ourselves off from them. Obviously there are different spiritual levels within the roots of the Jewish People. There is a spiritual hierarchy. Sometimes our people are called “Knesset Yisrael” [the assembly of Israel]; sometimes they are called “Tiferet Yisrael” [the glory of Israel], etc. The Jewish People remain pure and holy at all times. Still, it is not just the ideal “Jewish People” that we have to remain connected to, but also the real-life Jewish People in the flesh, “standing before us today, from the wood carriers to the water drawers.”
4. The petition against enlisting in the army is an expression of anger. Injustice arouses anger and requires a protest. One is allowed to be angry and to protest; it is even a mitzvah to protest. Yet it is forbidden for one’s anger to take control, because it is impossible to build by way of anger. Anger is a destructive force, not a constructive one. In response to the destructive proceedings being carried out by the State’s leadership, we must increase our rebuilding. We must increase our hold on the Land of Israel; our spiritual influence on the State; our social involvement; our rebuilding within the Jewish People, together with the Jewish People. We know that by way of this partnership, we will not encounter just light, but we must maintain it all the same. Let us continue to build within the Jewish People, together with the Jewish People.
Hence, we shall continue enlisting in the army, not because we take lightly what occurred; and not because we are indulgent towards those in the political and security establishment responsible for uprooting part of Eretz Yisrael, but because we feel a responsibility for the State’s future and an obligation to fulfill the Torah’s commandments.

Intl_Media_Condemns__Synagogue_Burnings

2005-09-13T12:26:00.000-07:00

The U.N. document states, "Holy Places and religious buildings or sites shall be preserved. No act shall be permitted which may in any way impair their sacred character.... Similarly, freedom of worship shall be guaranteed in conformity with existing rights, subject to the maintenance of public order and decorum."

So since that is what the UN document says, Is it a�surprise to see these barbaric acts by the arabs�condemned in the press ?

Consider�the words of the BBC:

Palestinians came streaming to the settlements that caused them so much pain, to sightsee and to loot. Israel stole thirty-eight years from them. Today, many were ready to take back anything they could,"

Wait, what was that ? They�clearly violated a UN agreement and your giving them excuses ? Oh and my british friends aren't you the one's who first occupied that land and�named them them ? They must just have their facts confused... oh and last time I went sight-seeing I didn't set anything on fire, but�apparently that is what the BBC does for holiday.

Let's see if the americans can do any better, (the pillars of morality that they are ), from�Knight-Ridder News:

" 'I want to destroy everything here as they did the Al Aqsa mosque,' said Mahmoud Malahi, who told a reporter he had lost a leg to an Israeli tank when he was 15. 'I want to destroy everything here. It's a symbol of occupation. Destroying it is a symbol of Islam.'"

Oh that poor boy, he is only doing what the jews did to the Al Aqsa.... Hey! Wait A Minute !? How stupid does he think americans are !?"The Al-Aqsa mosque still stands on the Jewish Temple Mount and enjoys the same protected status as Christian and Jewish places of worship." Hasn't he seen a recent picture of Jerusalem ?

The Scotsman news agency reported that the Cabinet decision not to destroy the synagogues "dampened any hopes for a more peaceful era."�

Yes if Israel wants any chance at peace they should have wiped them selves out. Shame on you Israel for not making the Arabs do the dirty work of wiping you out! You should have done it yourself!�

I'm so confused, why isn't the media�condemning the arabs for violating the UN agreement? We live in such modern and tollerant times, it can't be that jew-hatred�is still alive and well,� ...... can it ?

*Just a�friendly reminder that you can't trust the media*

more here�

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news.php3?id=89796�

Wasn't this supposeed to bring peace ?

2005-09-12T16:22:00.000-07:00

Isn't this supposed to be the road map to peace ? If so then why are Arab Terror leaders saying "Jihad and attacks are the only way to liberate the occupied lands, not by negotiations.” And why are jewish parents "keeping their children at home in protest over their safety concerns." And why are rocket attacks increasing ?

What happened to the "Peace" that this was supposed to bring ?

Religious Questions.

2005-09-11T12:21:00.000-07:00

If you are wondering, No! and No!

A new path.

2005-09-11T11:50:00.000-07:00

It is the beginning of the month of Elul, a time of tsuvah ( returning ) to the correct path. This is becoming more difficult because more and more of our brothers are disengaging from us. We might not know exactly the right path but each of us as individuals knows witch way doesn't work. If we come together we can help each-other to eliminate all of the wrong paths "and then we can walk together to look for the path leading out."

Here is more from yeshiva.org.il

Torn Together

2005-09-07T15:53:00.000-07:00

This is worth watching, don't bother reading the comments though.

$20 off at Office Depot

2005-09-05T10:51:00.000-07:00

OfficeDepot.com slices $20 off a purchase of $75 or more via coupon code "45036047". Coupon ends September 17. Other OfficeDepot.com coupons are available. tell a friend

Re: They have been sucked into the sin of the Spies

2005-09-02T11:40:00.000-07:00

First Spies is referring to a specific set of Spies ( summary ) talked about in the Chumash. The simplified story is that before the Am Yisrael (Nation of Israel, The jews ) went into Eretz Yisrael ( the land of Israel ), they wanted to send spies into the land, these spies were made up mostly of the leaders of the nation. The spies came back with a negative report to discourage the people and discourage them from entering the land. ( except for 2 Kalev Ben Yfune, and Yhosuah Ben Nun). Because of what they did they were forbidden to enter the land until that whole generation died. This is a very over simplification. This is an important ( although tragic) event in jewish history.

When I wrote this It was just to clear up something that I misunderstood and maybe other people did too. I missed an important point of the quote. "they have been sucked into the sin of the Spies." Originally I saw the religious jews who didn't consider living in israel as important as being hypocritical and just missing the point. What I missed was that they have been tricked, they just don't see or understand what they are doing. Kind of like a blind person walking off a cliff. They are surrounded by things that confuse them even when it is so clear. So I was trying to point out is that those who can see clearly should feel sorry for those who can't, like a drug addict. You don't hate him for destroying his body, you feel sorry for him.

As for "eternal truth," I don't really understand what you expect me to say ? When you write a paper on physics you don't go back and derive things from first principles every time for those who don't know the "basics," you expect them to accept certain things, even if it is just temporarily for the sake of understanding your material. If some one tells you "I don't believe in calculus, you have to explain this to me in a way were there is no calculus involved." You can give him a very superficial explanation but he will be really missing many of the pivotal points.

I'm not writing any of this to try to convince any one of my "eternal truths" I'm writing my opinion, and if someone wants to understand then they should accept that what I'm writing is based on a set of principles. If there is a principle that is not clear I'm happy to ( try to) explain it ( and explain my logic) but I can't make any one believe something that they don't want to. If some one doesn't want to believe in my principles then they can accept them as theory for the sake of the article ( even though I know they aren't theories ).

If you notice "Achronim" and "Giants of the World" is from a quote, not something I wrote on my own. I was attempting to explain the quote, and clarify something that was unclear to me.

I hate to point this out but "world will turn its back" no matter what Israel does. There are so many worse things going on in the world, but you see that Israel gets more attention than any of that. Why was this disengagement on the front page of even the secular american papers. I'm sure that there was some domestic issue that was of much more importance to the well being of average american non-jew. The fact is that the nations ( in general ) have a condition called Sinat-Yisrael . This is a genetic disease that they have, some times it flares up and is worse than others, but it is always there, it is one of those "eternal truths".

What is worse is that even some of Am Yisrael is catching this disease, and it happens from time to time. In jews this is a dangerous allergy to any thing jewish. It is an allergy to something that is essential for their well being. Some jews have more extreme cases where they need to distance them selves from even a hint of Yhadut. But most jews these days have a more mild form where they just have an intolerance to larger quantities, the cure for this is just more exposure, this will built up a tolerance.

The 'believers" do not want to separate them selves from the "non-believers". There are times when the believers get discouraged by the actions of the "non-believers." The point I was trying to make was that even when the "non-believers" give the "believers" reason to separate, the "believers" need to understand that the "non-believers" are confused and blinded by their condition, and that they need help, and not to be pushed away. We can see from this awful thing that just happened that the "believers" are trying their hardest to love and connect with the "non-believers."

I hope this cleared up any confusion...

On 28/12/5765, at 07:06, Ploni wrote:

Yisrael -

Why is Spies capitalized? Who are they spying on? The words are all presented as emanating from an eternal truth which most can’t understand or related to. If it is meant to convince only those who already believe in that truth, why bother? If it is meant to convince or educate others, then trying to do on the basis of faith won’t reach those outside the belief system. Most people don’t know who Achronim is – and when you say Giants of the World – it doesn’t register. People won’t respond. The Jews have to solidify and fortify a strong nation that is beyond reproach – they need the help of even the “non-believers” to survive. If terrorist rockets kill children – even the non-believers will be outraged. If Israelis kill children, even in self-defense, the world will turn its back.

~Ploni

Rabbi Kahane, Vindicated

2005-08-29T15:18:00.000-07:00

No matter what you think of him, whether you hate him or love him, the name [Rabbi] Meir Kahane (ע) is a name that will forever be engrained in the history of the Jewish people. But just this past week, fifteen years after his murder, he was vindicated on the world stage via American national television.

What he is refering to is a special on National Geographic, Inside 911.

The documentary starts with the assassination of Rabbi Meir Kahane and goes on to dedicate a portion of the first hour explaining how the rabbi was targeted by an Islamic terrorist.

What else is interesting is that the Kach political party in Israel, founded by R' Kahane "was eventually declared "terrorist" by the U.S. State Department." And now it appears that US TV is indicating that he was a victim and who the real terrorists are. I find this a relving change from the normal skew that the media is putting on terrorists.

I don't have a TV and I don't plan a purchasing one just so I can watch this (while It might be interesting TV is still a waste of time). So if you happen to have seen this please let me know how it is.

So who does want this thing ?

2005-08-29T10:48:00.000-07:00

So wait ? I thought that the arab wanted their own state ? So can some one explain to me why "250 Gazan Arabs Also Requested Relocation Inside Green Line" !?

If they don't want this and for sure we don't want it , what is the point again ? Please remind me.

They have been sucked into the sin of the Spies

2005-08-23T22:25:00.000-07:00

"Many of the sinners in this great sin of , 'They despised the cherished land,' and also many of the guardians of Torah, will not know or understand that they are caught in the sin of the Spies, that they have been sucked into the sin of the Spies in many false ideas and empty claims, and they cover their ideas with the already proven fallacy that the mitzvah of the settlement of [Eretz] Israel no longer applies in our day, an opinion which has already been disproven by the giants of the world, the Rishonim and the Achronim."

--Vilna Gaon, Kol HaTor Ch.5:

When I first read this a few months ago, I saw the main Idea as the mitzvah to settle Eretz Yisrael applies in our time. While this if for sure true. I've just seen it in another light. What a shame it is for those who are in-favor of the PM's plan, He and they deserve our pity. They Yetzer Ha'rah (bad inclination) has blinded them and " they have been sucked into the sin of the Spies."

In addition to davening for our brothers who have been removed from their homes, we should daven for the ones imposing this plan that they will "understand that they are caught in the sin of the Spies, that they have been sucked into the sin of the Spies in many false ideas and empty claims." May the force of their tsuva will be able to reverse this decree!

More from הרב מרדכי אליהו

2005-08-23T16:55:00.000-07:00

From Arutz 7.

You can her הרב מרדכי אליהו here

Rabbi Eliyahu: We Will Not Be Silent, Nor Rest 13:05 Aug 19, '05 / 14 Av 5765 By Nissan Ratzlav-Katz

Former Chief Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu expressed pride in the Jews of Gush Katif, reiterating his call for continued prayer.
Speaking on Arutz-7 Radio, the Rishon Letzion said that the people of Israel deserve to hear words of encouragement at this difficult time. Rabbi Eliyahu then quoted Psalms 94:14, saying, "For the Lord will not abandon his people, nor will He forsake His inheritance."
"We should be proud of the heroic Jews of Gush Katif," Rabbi Eliyahu said. "Had the rabbis issued instructions to resist, no one would have had the power to remove them from Gush Katif. But the rabbis said not to raise a hand, and that is why they are not resisting."
The well-known Kabbalist, and spiritual leader of many in the national-religious community, emphasized the need to avoid civil war. The residents, their supporters, as well as the police and soldiers who come to remove them, must not raise a hand against one another, he reiterated.
Addressing Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Rabbi Eliyahu said:
"You turned to the residents [of Gush Katif] with a request not to harm the police officers and soldiers who come to take them out, but rather, to harm you. I'd like to tell you: it is forbidden for Jews to harm you, as well. I suggest to you, resign your position and in that way you will do a favor for the people of Israel. Quit now."
Rabbi Eliyahu added:
"There are two negative things this government is doing. It is not only expelling the Jews there, it is turning their land over to enemies, as in 'Two evils my people have committed... hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns....' [Jeremiah 2:13]
"We will continue to pray; we will not be silent, nor will we rest. Moses was a loyal servant of the Holy One, blessed be He, yet God did not allow him to enter the Land of Israel. God told him, 'If you add another prayer, I will accede to you.' Why did the Holy One, blessed be He, not want Moses our teacher to enter the Land of Israel? Because if would have entered, the Temple would have been built by Heaven and would never have been destroyed. As soon as [God] removed His presence from the Temple that was built by human hands, [however,] He could unleash His wrath on trees and stones.
"Similarly, in the case of the residents of Gush Katif, God is unleashing His wrath on trees and rocks and not on the residents. We pray to the Holy One, blessed be He... that He declare our sufferings over and that we are worthy of the complete redemption."

So What

2005-08-18T17:19:00.000-07:00

What Can Be Done? Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu Answers

2005-08-16T13:36:00.000-07:00

What Can Be Done? Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu Answers

הרב מרדכי אליהו: על הציבור לקבל על עצמו היום צום

בתשובה לשאלת כתב ערוץ 7 מה ניתן לעשות על מנת לסייע במאבק נגד הגירוש אמר בנו של הראשון לציון הרב מרדכי אליהו, הרב יוסי אליהו, בשם אביו כי על הציבור לעשות שלושה דברים:

א. להרבות בלימוד תורה לזכות האנשים הנצורים בגוש קטיף.
ב. לקרוא פרקי תהילים ולהתמקד במיוחד בפרקים צ"א ו-כ' ולחזור עליהם פעמים רבות ככל הניתן.
ג. מי שיש לו כוח לצום צריך לקבל על עצמו בתפילת מנחה של היום שיצום מחר (יום רביעי) מן הבוקר ועד הערב. הרב הדגיש כי על האנשים הנמצאים בגוש קטיף או המנסים להיכנס לשם לא להשתתף בצום.

The son of Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu, Rabbi Yossi Eliyahu, informed an Arutz-7 correspondent of the following directives from his father on Tuesday:

The public should increase Torah study "for the merit of those under siege in Gush Katif."
Recite T'hillim (Psalms) concentrating on Chapters 91 and 20, repeating them many times over.
People who have the strength to fast, should accept upon themselves at Mincha time (during the daily afternoon prayer, before sundown) that they will fast tomorrow (Wednesday) from the break of dawn until nightfall. Important: Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu said that those inside Gush Katif (and those on their way there – Rabbi Yossi Eliyahu) should not participate in this fast.

Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu (pictured above), a former Chief Sephardic Rabbi of the State of Israel, is a leading halachic (Jewish legal) and Kabbalistic scholar many of whose students and followers reside in the Jewish Communities of Judea, Samaria, and Gaza (Yesha).

Previously, Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu communicated via another son, Tzfat Chief Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, the following announcement:

"From the straits, I call to you, G-d. It is a difficult time for Jacob, and from it we will be saved. In order to annul the decree which is hovering over the Jewish People, one should make efforts to recite Tikun Hatzot and Pitum Hak'toret in groups. If it is difficult to recite with a group, then it should be recited alone. Through the strength of unity and prayer, we will be redeemed. The Lord should build the Building of Ariel [ed: The Temple], and gather our brothers, the House of Israel, to our Holy Land, and we will settle it in its complete borders as promised by G-d to our holy fathers, and He should expel the nations of the world from our Land, now, speedily, and soon. Amen.

The time for reciting Tikun Hatzot in Israel is from 12:44 AM.

Psalms Chapter 20

א  לַמְנַצֵּחַ, מִזְמוֹר לְדָוִד.
ב  יַעַנְךָ יְהוָה, בְּיוֹם צָרָה;    יְשַׂגֶּבְךָ, שֵׁם אֱלֹהֵי יַעֲקֹב.
ג  יִשְׁלַח-עֶזְרְךָ מִקֹּדֶשׁ;    וּמִצִּיּוֹן, יִסְעָדֶךָּ.
ד  יִזְכֹּר כָּל-מִנְחֹתֶךָ;    וְעוֹלָתְךָ יְדַשְּׁנֶה סֶלָה.
ה  יִתֶּן-לְךָ כִלְבָבֶךָ;    וְכָל-עֲצָתְךָ יְמַלֵּא.
ו  נְרַנְּנָה, בִּישׁוּעָתֶךָ--    וּבְשֵׁם-אֱלֹהֵינוּ נִדְגֹּל; יְמַלֵּא יְהוָה,    כָּל-מִשְׁאֲלוֹתֶיךָ.
ז  עַתָּה יָדַעְתִּי--    כִּי הוֹשִׁיעַ יְהוָה, מְשִׁיחוֹ: יַעֲנֵהוּ, מִשְּׁמֵי קָדְשׁוֹ--    בִּגְבֻרוֹת, יֵשַׁע יְמִינוֹ.
ח  אֵלֶּה בָרֶכֶב,    וְאֵלֶּה בַסּוּסִים; וַאֲנַחְנוּ,    בְּשֵׁם-יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ נַזְכִּיר.
ט  הֵמָּה, כָּרְעוּ וְנָפָלוּ;    וַאֲנַחְנוּ קַּמְנוּ, וַנִּתְעוֹדָד.
י  יְהוָה הוֹשִׁיעָה:    הַמֶּלֶךְ, יַעֲנֵנוּ בְיוֹם-קָרְאֵנוּ.

1 For the Leader. A Psalm of David.
2 The LORD answer thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob set thee up on high;
3 Send forth thy help from the sanctuary, and support thee out of Zion;
4 Receive the memorial of all thy meal-offerings, and accept the fat of thy burnt-sacrifice; Selah
5 Grant thee according to thine own heart, and fulfil all thy counsel.
6 We will shout for joy in thy victory, and in the name of our God we will set up our standards; {N} the LORD fulfil all thy petitions.
7 Now know I that the LORD saveth His anointed; {N}
He will answer him from His holy heaven with the mighty acts of His saving right hand. 8 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; {N}
but we will make mention of the name of the LORD our God. 9 They are bowed down and fallen; but we are risen, and stand upright.
10 Save, LORD; let the King answer us in the day that we call. {P}

Psalms Chapter 21

‎91:1 ‏יֹ֭שֵׁב בְּסֵ֣תֶר עֶלְיֹ֑ון בְּצֵ֥ל דַּ֗י יִתְלֹונָֽן׃
‎91:2 ‏אֹמַ֗ר לַֽ֭יהוָה מַחְסִ֣י וּמְצוּדָתִ֑י אֱ֝לֹהַ֗י אֶבְטַח־בֹּֽו׃
‎91:3 ‏כִּ֤י ה֣וּא יַ֭צִּֽילְךָ מִפַּ֥ח יָק֗וּשׁ מִדֶּ֥בֶר הַוֹּֽות׃
‎91:4 ‏בְּאֶבְרָתֹ֨ו׀ יָ֣סֶךְ לָ֭ךְ וְתַֽחַת־כְּנָפָ֣יו תֶּחְסֶ֑ה צִנָּ֖ה וְֽסֹחֵרָ֣ה אֲמִתֹּֽו׃
‎91:5 ‏לֹא־תִ֭ירָא מִפַּ֣חַד לָ֑יְלָה מֵ֝חֵ֗ץ יָע֥וּף יֹומָֽם׃
‎91:6 ‏מִ֭דֶּבֶר בָּאֹ֣פֶל יַהֲלֹ֑ךְ מִ֝קֶּ֗טֶב יָשׁ֥וּד צָהֳרָֽיִם׃
‎91:7 ‏יִפֹּ֤ל מִצִּדְּךָ֨׀ אֶ֗לֶף וּרְבָבָ֥ה מִימִינֶ֑ךָ אֵ֝לֶ֗יךָ לֹ֣א יִגָּֽשׁ׃
‎91:8 ‏רַ֭ק בְּעֵינֶ֣יךָ תַבִּ֑יט וְשִׁלֻּמַ֖ת רְשָׁעִ֣ים תִּרְאֶֽה׃
‎91:9 ‏כִּֽי־אַתָּ֣ה יְהוָ֣ה מַחְסִ֑י עֶ֝לְיֹ֗ון שַׂ֣מְתָּ מְעֹונֶֽךָ׃
‎91:10 ‏לֹֽא־תְאֻנֶּ֣ה אֵלֶ֣יךָ רָעָ֑ה וְ֝נֶ֗גַע לֹא־יִקְרַ֥ב בְּאָהֳלֶֽךָ׃
‎91:11 ‏כִּ֣י מַ֭לְאָכָיו יְצַוֶּה־לָּ֑ךְ לִ֝שְׁמָרְךָ֗ בְּכָל־דְּרָכֶֽיךָ׃
‎91:12 ‏עַל־כַּפַּ֥יִם יִשָּׂא֑וּנְךָ פֶּן־תִּגֹּ֖ף בָּאֶ֣בֶן רַגְלֶֽךָ׃
‎91:13 ‏עַל־שַׁ֣חַל וָפֶ֣תֶן תִּדְרֹ֑ךְ תִּרְמֹ֖ס כְּפִ֣יר וְתַנִּֽין׃
‎91:14 ‏כִּ֤י בִ֣י חָ֭שַׁק וַאֲפַלְּטֵ֑הוּ אֲ֝שַׂגְּבֵ֗הוּ כִּֽי־יָדַ֥ע שְׁמִֽי׃
‎91:15 ‏יִקְרָאֵ֨נִי׀ וְֽאֶעֱנֵ֗הוּ עִמֹּֽו־אָנֹכִ֥י בְצָרָ֑ה אֲ֝חַלְּצֵ֗הוּ וַֽאֲכַבְּדֵֽהוּ׃
‎91:16 ‏אֹ֣רֶךְ יָ֭מִים אַשְׂבִּיעֵ֑הוּ וְ֝אַרְאֵ֗הוּ בִּֽישׁוּעָתִֽי׃

1. He who dwells in the covert of the Most High will lodge in the shadow of the Almighty.
2. I shall say of the Lord [that He is] my shelter and my fortress, my God in Whom I trust.
3. For He will save you from the snare that traps from the devastating pestilence.
4. With His wing He will cover you, and under His wings you will take refuge; His truth is an encompassing shield.
5. You will not fear the fright of night, the arrow that flies by day;
6. Pestilence that prowls in darkness, destruction that ravages at noon.
7. A thousand will be stationed at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it will not approach you.
8. You will but gaze with your eyes, and you will see the annihilation of the wicked.
9. For you [said], "The Lord is my refuge"; the Most High you made your dwelling.
10. No harm will befall you, nor will a plague draw near to your tent.
11. For He will command His angels on your behalf to guard you in all your ways.
12. On [their] hands they will bear you, lest your foot stumble on a stone.
13. On a young lion and a cobra you will tread; you will trample the young lion and the serpent.
14. For he yearns for Me, and I shall rescue him; I shall fortify him because he knows My name.
15. He will call Me and I shall answer him; I am with him in distress; I shall rescue him and I shall honor him.
16. With length of days I shall satiate him, and I shall show him My salvation.

פטום הקטרת

פטום הקטרת הצרי והצפורן החלבנה והלבונה משקל שבעים שבעים מנה. מור וקציעה שבולת נרד וכרכם משקל ששה עשר ששה עשר מנה. הקושט שנים עשר קלופה שלשה קנמון תשעה, בורית כרשינה תשעה קבין, יין קפריסין סאין תלתא וקבין תלתא, ואם אין יין קפריסין מביא חמר חורין עתיק, מלח סדומית רובע מעלה עשן כל שהוא. רבי נתן אומר אף כפת הירדן כל שהוא, אם נתן בה דבש פסלה, חיסר אחת מכל סמניה חייב מיתה. רבן שמעון בן גמליאל אומר הצרי אינו אלא שרף הנוטף מעצי הקטף, בורית כרשינה ששפין בה את הצפורן כדי שתהא נאה, יין קפריסין ששורין בו את הצפורן כדי שתהא עזה, והלא מי רגלים יפין לה אלא שאין מכניסין מי רגלים בעזרה מפני הכבוד.

Rabbis Meet With PM Sharon

2005-08-15T11:52:00.000-07:00

Aruz 7 is running an article on a recent meeting between "Several leading religious-Zionist rabbis" and PM Sharon. They bring a few quotes from R' Shmuel Eliyahu (pictured), the Chief Rabbi of Tzfat. It seems like the Rabonim already knew that they weren't going to change his mind.

They quoted R'Eliyahu as saying

"We stopped short of saying what we really think, that if he goes through with this, his name will be remembered forever in infamy; no one will ever want to call his child Sharon again."

I'm not so sure why they "stopped short" maybe this is the kind of thing he needs to hear ? Or maybe he will just hear it as an Insult and go back to accusing the religious of "incitement."

"We don't have to get angry; anger doesn't help," Rabbi Eliyahu said. "What we should do instead is to continue the fight, and not give up. Whoever can, should go down towards Gush Katif - and others, such as women with children (and those stuck in chutz l'aretz), should pray. Prayer has great weight. G-d is great - much greater than this puny Sharon."

We just finished our day of morning for the destruction of the Batie Mikdash. Hopefully we can keep this in mind, that the 2nd Beit Ha'Mikdash was destroyed because of fighting between our people. We need to continue to love our ignorant brothers. It is especially hard to do that now, as explained by Rabbi Shlomo Aviner . But we have to remember that they don't know, but we do. We know H' and we know he wants us to love or fellow jew. But they don't . And we know who is going to be held more accountable.

Loving them doesn't mean that we can just let them make this huge mistake, we must "continue the fight, and not give up. Whoever can, should go down towards Gush Katif - and others, such as women with children (and those stuck in chutz l'aretz), should pray. Prayer has great weight. G-d is great." And if our prayer is coupled with Tsuvah it will have an even greater weight.

Rabbi Shapira Calls on IDF Chief Rabbi to Resign

2005-08-08T14:36:00.000-07:00

09:10 Aug 08, '05 / 3 Av 5765

(IsraelNN.com) Rabbi Avraham Shapira, the dean of Jerusalem’s Mercaz HaRav Kook Yeshiva and a former Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi has called on his student, IDF Chief Rabbi Brigadier-General Yisrael Weiss to resign from the IDF.

The rabbi’s letter to Rabbi Weiss came in response to an interview with the army’s top rabbis in the IDF weekly BaMahane magazine in which Rabbi Weiss is quoted as saying Rabbi Shapira is aware of his position vis-א-vis the disengagement but has not called upon him to resign his senior military position.

Rabbi Weiss has come out strongly against disobeying orders while his mentor, Rabbi Shapira, leads the rabbinical camp opposing the disengagement, calling on soldiers and officers alike to disobey disengagement orders.

An Open Letter to North American Rabbis

2005-08-08T14:16:00.000-07:00

An open letter is being sent to dozens of North American rabbis, reminding them that the Gush Katif/Shomron crisis is not just "politics," and that it leaves in its wake a host of critical problems.

The problem is that I think that most of the 'Respected' rabbis in chutz l'aretz have already made up their mind to avoid the subject ( but what do I know )

You can show this to your rabbi, and I pray that it works, but also show this to your friends. Every jew need to know "We are all in trouble, and we need Teshuva, Tefillah, Tzedakah (repentance, prayer, charity)! " No matter how much orange you wear with out these 3 you are not helping! ( I'm afraid that wearing orange in Chutz L'Aretz might do more harm than good )

Siege on Gush Katif

2005-08-08T13:59:00.000-07:00

No matter what your opinion on the current situation in Eretz Yisrael, jews are suffering and we have a responsibility to help them.

The following is a message from a Rabbi who I feel very close to.

----------------

Dear Friends,

I know that everyone is busy and everyone cares. I know this person personally and know you want to read this now. All the best!

Did you know that Gush Katif is being placed under siege? Starting now, the army is stopping food from entering Gush Katif. There is already a shortage of baby-food, diapers, food & basic staples. The army isn't letting things enter and the supermarket shelves are emptying. We have been warned that any minute the supply of Gas and Water may stop.There will be opportunities during the next three days to bring in supplies. We need your help NOW.

We have been promised by our brethren that in our time of need they will stand by us. The Jews in Israel are fulfilling "Kol Yisrael Arevim Zeh Lazeh" in the highest sense by uniting behind the residence of Gush Katif. Many have left there homes and work to help in Gush Katif. Join. Please be a part of the unification of our people in Gush Katif. Any donation is appreciated. (ALthough we need food for Thousands of people, even $5 can buy a lot of bread) Just click on the link https://www.group.co.il/donation/katifund/CreditInput.asp?lang=2

Your caring gives us strength.

Anita T.

Important: Please write in the "Notes Section" at the bottom of the donation-form the word NOW so that your donation will be processed immediately for these emergency supplies.

Anita Tucker is from Brooklyn and her Husband is from Cleveland. They have been living in Gush Katif for 29 Years. She has Children and Grandchildren that were born there, and prays every day to see Great-grandchildren born there. She is a farmer who grows insect-free produce and her children who live in Gush Katif are farmers as well.

Is it permissible to daven in a Reformative place of assembly?

2005-08-07T18:13:00.000-07:00

So it seems that "Rav Moshe Feinstein (Shu"t Iggrot Moshe Orach Chayyim IV 91)prohibits davening in a Conservative synagogue even in a separate room that is not used for Conservative services. This because of Conservative rejection of basic principles of faith and observance. "

Non religious jews should keep this in-mind when they are planning a simcha ( celebration ). They might be alienating there religious family. They should also keep in mind the other benefits of doing things the proper way. Cutting corners can only lead to problems down the road.

That doesn't mean they were right.

2005-08-05T18:07:00.000-07:00

Eden Natan Zada, a 19 year old Israeli soldier was murdered and lynched by a violent Arab mob in Shfaram after he allegedly opened fire on a bus, killing several Arab passengers. Police cuffed and arrested Eden, and later allowed the mob to lynch him. This was still not sufficient to calm the Arab marauders down. An Arab doctor was then permitted to come on the bus to make certain that Eden was in fact dead.
This too was not enough as the crowd danced and stormed the bus. The police allowed this wild mob to control the area and the bus for several hours, until they stepped in to remove the Jewish body from the bus. The police moved in only after Jewish civilians threatened to extricate the body and to storm into Shefaram. Five minutes after the Jewish threat was given, the cops sent in specially trained riot police to restore some peace and order to the area around the bus.
Yekutiel Ben Yaakov

Recently I wrote about the incident in Shfaram. I took a very strong stance about that it was not a jewish act. I want to make it clear that that in no way justifies what happened to him. We know that in Halacha that for some one to be given the death sentence there need to be 2 kosher witnesses and he needs to be warned!

In the past there have been many cases where Arab terrorists murdererd Jews and were protected from angry Jewish bystanders. How many time shave we heard the brave policeman speak of a fair trial, law and order and all of the other fine words to justify their protection of the Arab terrorists, often at great personal risk to themselves.
--VOJ.com

This was a tragedy because 4 people were killed, and then a 5th killed by a mob!

Thanks For the vote of confidance.

2005-08-04T17:07:00.000-07:00

When I read articles like this I just think NU!? Did you mchadash any thing ? What good does this do? There is no solution offered here. All he is doing is kvetching.

I recently heard a shiur on breslev, and the basic idea was that we all love to kvetch but we waste it on people who don't really care. We need to direct our kvetching to H' ( yitbarach). He is the one who wants to hear our complaints, but we find it so hard to talk to him! We'd much rather spew our problems to people who don't care ( I've been told that when giving musar to have in mind like your talking to your self .)

We don't need this. We need solutions. We need to be encouraged to do Tsuvah, to give Tzdakah, and to Ask The Ribono Shel Olam for help. We should reach out to our brothers who are in despair and provide support. This is directed to us who are so unfortunate to be in Chutz L'Aretz.

The solution for us is not so much wearing orange or protesting. It is about us reconnecting to the clal . And not just our brothers who hold the same views as us but, but to my brother who ( h' should help hip ) has been given the command to carry out this thing. It bears repeating, Tsuvah, Tzdakah, and Tfilah, that is what we can do in Chutz L'Aretz. And that is only for those of us who are stuck here.

And addressing this invisible man analogy, first thing, It won't happen. Second thing, Go! (and don't come back)

Sinat-Yisrael

2005-08-04T13:36:00.000-07:00

So I'm sick of this argument that our cousins, the arabs use, that they are Semites and so Anti-Semitism = anti-arab. What is even worse is that they aren't 100% wrong (in this particular argument )

Although the connotation is specific Anti-Semite is such a, ambiguous term, due to the fact that it is disputed who is a semite.

From Wikipedia:

"Semitic is an adjective referring to the peoples who have traditionally spoken Semitic languages or to things pertaining to them."

"The concept of a "Semitic" people is derived from Biblical accounts of the origins of the cultures known to the ancient Hebrews. Those closest to them in culture and language were generally deemed to be descended from their forefather Shem. Enemies were often said to be descendents of his cursed brother Ham. In Genesis 10:21-31 Shem is described as the father of Aram, Asshur, and others: the Biblical ancestors of the Arameans, Assyrians, Babylonians, Phoenicians, Punians, Chaldeans, Sabaeans, and Hebrews, etc., all of whose languages are closely related; the linguistic family containing them was therefore named Semitic by linguists. However, the Canaanites and Amorites also spoke a language belonging to this family, and are therefore also termed Semitic in linguistics despite being described in Genesis as sons of Ham (See Sons of Noah). Shem is also described in Genesis as the father of the Elamites and the Far Eastern descendants of Lud, whose languages were not Semitic."

Why not say what we really mean. Why say Anti-Semitism instead of Sinat-Yisrael ( Hatred of jews) ? Why say Anti-Semite instead of Jew Hater ? Maybe we are just in the habit of this from the time of the crusades, when those who tried to kill the jews also attacked the arabs.

I think we would get rid of a lot of ambiguity if we started being clear and saying that Aint-Zionisim = Anti-Jew . Then we also can stop arguing about semantics and get to the point!

"So, I urge you to spread this very helpful suggestion to create awareness of the criminal psychopathic abuse of the very legitimate term, "anti-Semitism," by racist fanatics whose main reason for living is to exterminate all Semites."( J. Bruce Campbell JBC@wealthkeeper.net )

( Please thank Mr. Campbell for pointing this out to us )

I may have to agree w/ PM Sharon

2005-08-04T11:47:00.000-07:00

In relation to the recent tragedy in Shfaram PM Sharon said " This is not a Jewish act and not a human act."

When I first heard about this my first thought was how could this be a jew!? Because we know that: "כל מי שיש בו שלש מדות הללו- בידוע שהוא מזרעו של אברהם אבינו: רחמן, ובישן, וגומל חסדים" "Who ever has these 3 traits , we know that he is a jew, compassion, shyness, and kindness."

What is even worse is that some are trying to say that he is a representation of all those who oppose disengagement. There are those who are "naming him “a settler” even though he was not a resident of any settlement."

The full story!

2005-08-03T15:31:00.000-07:00

There is an interesting movie on Arutz 7 I don't really know much about where this story comes from. I'm undecided about how I feel regarding it. My thinking is that most of the people who would watch this are already aware of the situation, and it might just re-ignite new anger toward our brothers. I still think that it is worth watching as long as you remember the importance of Ahavat Yisrael. You can also download the movie here. ( I'm not sure how long it will stay there ) The original is here

Rabbi Shapira in Favor of Personal Appeals to Soldiers

2005-08-03T10:56:00.000-07:00

"At this time, as thousands of Israelis express their position and our right to the Land of Israel, we are obligated to be involved in 'face-to-face' activities, to draw close, with love, our brethren, our flesh and blood, the soldiers and the policemen of Israel, to explain to them in a pleasant manner and, with love, our firm position that the expulsion of Jews from their land and homes in the Land of Israel is forbidden according to the Torah, is opposed to morality and humane behavior, and is something which has never been in Israel. And the Lord's blessing will rest on anyone who does not take part and does not assist in the exiling of Jews from their homes. And words that come from the heart will enter the heart."

-- הרב אברהם שפירא שליט"א

Rabbi Yisrael Ariel: Create a Jewish State in Gaza

2005-08-03T10:23:00.000-07:00

ארוץ 7 is reporting on an Idea proposed by Rabbi Yisrael Ariel , to allow the jews in Aza to remain there and allow them to protect them selves. I was thinking this might happen but there is the whole problem of "lo titgodedu" (" Do not form internal groups of difference within the Jewish people").

Documentary about "Disengagement"

2005-08-02T11:38:00.000-07:00

If you haven't seen this yet you might want to.

It is in hebrew available with or without subtitles.

From the cover of the DVD:

REVEALING
The whole truth about the 'Disengagement" Plan and Israel's security.
חשיפה!
כל האמת על תכנית "ההתנתקות" והביטחון שלך

Buy Israel Goods

2005-08-01T17:33:00.000-07:00

just make a little change

Isn't it nice to know what .edu means these days.

http://www.studentorg.vcu.edu/fpn/images/boycott_barcode.gif

Thanks to a Israel Friendly website we can now more quickly spot Israeli products and support their economy.

Who Are the Palestinians?

2005-08-01T14:17:00.000-07:00

"If you are so sure that “Palestine, the country, goes back through most of recorded history”, I expect you to be able to answer a few basic questions about that country of "Palestine":"

This if from an article on Arutz 7.

Yashiko Sagamori is a New York-based Information Technology consultant.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/article.php3?id=1614

Islam and the afterlife...

2005-08-01T12:45:00.000-07:00

This was sent to me by a friend. Torah on the East Coast...

--------
I believe a non-Jewish comedian posed a similar question: "Who really wants to have a harp and wings and fly from cloud to cloud?" Is that all we're looking forward to? For that matter, Islam compares to us even more pathetically. It so cheapens the concept of a hereafter as to imagine it as a large harem (of 70 or so virgins -- I'm not sure what they promise women ;-). (This, by the way, might explain how they convince teenagers to blow themselves up for the holy cause.) Pardon my saying it, but it reflects such a shallow understanding of the immortality of the soul to see eternity through the eyes of physical lust. As a marketing tool (if you're trying to sell a man-made religion to others) it may prove effective. But as the word of G-d, it is a sad commentary indeed on the human corruption of truth.

There are two articles on today's Slashdot that seem to imply that Israel is a country just like any other

2005-07-29T13:30:00.000-07:00

בס'ד

Is it possible that slash dot is becoming a breeding ground for anti-semitism ?

A well slashdot commented

"There are two articles on today's Slashdot that seem to imply that Israel is a country just like any other in the rest of the civilized world. It is not! It is a country that discriminates on the basis of religion and ethnic origin. It is a country where ethnic cleansing is the norm. America and the rest of the world should have nothing to do with these thugs."

Please, visit slash dot today and leave him comments showing your support.

But also keep your posts clean, bad language and insults will not do any thing to further your cause.

In addition, try to submit articles to slash dot that show more information about Israel and its invasion to the technology sector.

Maybe soon we will have the merit to have another fine post by our friend along the lines of "There are 50 articles on today's Slashdot that seem to imply that Israel is a country just like any other"

But we all know that is a lie and that Israel is not a country just like any other. And (g-d willing) it never will be.

http://levshelo.blogspot.com/

Re: Plishtime

2005-07-15T15:14:00.000-07:00

00:37:15 GMT-07:00 22 תמוז 5765

This is a followup e-mail to a discussion I was having with a friend during שבת lunch. Just a hint of the type of talk at our Shabbos Table .

Yisrael -

Basically, “Palestine” was the Roman corruption of the Hebrew word “Plishtim” (“פלשתים”), from “לפלש”, “to invade”. The Plishtim, who appear throughout Tanach, from Avraham onward, were not really one people; rather, they were the term by which locals (Canaanites and Israelites alike) referred to the non-indigenous, warlike peoples who colonized and terrorized the Coastal Plain for a thousand years - “The Invaders”.

Biblical archaeologists love to cite the “Philistines” as proof that the Torah was written by men, because whoever wrote it, conveniently used whichever enemy was contemporaneous to him, and simply applied that label back through time, so that Avraham, Moshe, Shimshon and the Nevi’im all battled this omnipresent Philistine nation. Using that line of reasoning, it is highly unlikely in real history that the same enemy (Philistines) would have terrorized Israel for a millennium.

The proper reading of it, though, is that the locals (Canaanites and Israelites) referred to these strangers as “The Invaders”, much like we refer to border-jumpers in California or Texas as “illegal aliens”. They may be mostly Mexicans nowadays, but they might also be former Soviets, Cubans, or any other folks illegally gaining entry into the U.S. This interpretation of Plishtim allows that the “Philistines” were really not one continuous nation at all, but rather a succession of invading peoples with little or no connection to one another – which, of course, makes a lot of sense, and does not contradict Tanach.

After the Romans destroyed Judea in 3826, they Romanized “P’lishtia” into “Palestina”. Later, Arafat (yemach sh’mo) and the A-rabs resurrected the word because of the Roman connection to wiping out the Jewish presence, but “Arabicized” it to “f’lishtia”, because they cannot pronounce the “P”. They now claim the Land as theirs, while simultaneously trumpeting themselves as, etymologically speaking, “the invaders”. They are right – they are the invaders. What morons.

(By the way, the Ethopian Jews used to be called “Falashas” in Amharic by the locals. Reversed roles, same idea.)

Just the same, the A-rabs deny the Jewish historical presence in places like Nablus, yet in reality, that city, formerly Shechem, was also renamed by the Romans, to “Naples”, and the A-rabs corrupted that one to “Nablus” because, again, they can’t pronounce the “P” and have no clue where their words come from.

Not too long ago I found a good website which explains this all very well, but I do not remember it now.

In the meantime, check out this article that I found, written by a Japanese woman:

Oprah Supports Arab Terror !?

2005-07-12T15:07:00.000-07:00

I recieved this message on

יב תמוז 5765

Dear Friends thought this might interest you. All the best!
Sent: Monday, July 18, 2005 12:11 PM To: Undisclosed-Recipient:; Subject: oprah
Anyway, as we all know, Oprah is all wise about all things. And she shares her wisdom in her magazine each month, telling us how to live and what matters and what's right and who and what to care about.
In the current issue of her magazine, Oprah has a story that truly shows how delusional she is.
It's the story of Yusra Abdu, an 18-year-old Palestinian. "A wonderfully frivolous teenager," "a happy girl with an optimistic smile."
Oh, by the way, Yusra Abdu wanted to be a suicide bomber.
According to the article in Oprah, she was a girl with "velvety skin" who did it all for love. And, of course, because the Jews made her do it.
Indeed, the article's headline is "Love and Terror," and the introductory paragraph refers to Yusra as "one of the youngest casualties of an unending conflict."
Catch that word "casualty?" Yes, according to Oprah, this young woman, who the article says has an "overfull closet of clothes, whose doors are layered with posters of handsome Arab stars," is a casualty. Why? Because she's now serving a 15-month sentence in an Israeli jail. Why? Because she was planning to murder Jews, not that the article would ever use the word murder.
Only in the strange world of the Palestinians, and evidently Oprah, is someone who is setting out to kill innocent people, actually the victim in the whole thing.
That she evidently fell in love with Hani Akad, the top man in the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine in the city of Nablus, as they were planning her mission, makes her all the more the victim, according to Oprah. Oh by the way, Akad, an explosions expert responsible for many suicide bombings and on Israel's most wanted list of terrorists, is referred to by Oprah as a "charismatic young rebel."
And that indeed is the tone of the entire article with every Israeli military operation "bloody" and every Palestinian a victim.
Take this one very representative paragraph. "The Israeli crackdown since 2000 has been overwhelming. Entire cities at times have been sealed off interminably; infrastructure such as electricity grids and roads routinely interrupted or destroyed ... Israel justifies these maneuvers by saying they were necessary to reduce the number of suicide bombings, which spiked in 2002 and have declined dramatically since."
Unbelievable. It doesn't note that the reason they have declined is not because the Palestinians have stopped trying, but because Israel has been forced to take the measures it has. Much worse, however, not once in this whole long article is it mentioned that more than 1,500 Israelis were murdered in almost daily terrorist attacks in the last couple of years. And if you want to talk about young victims of this unending conflict, how about the 10-month-old Israeli girl killed while sitting in her stroller and all the other Israeli victims of suicide bombings, young and old, including pregnant women and children eating ice cream cones.
No, to Oprah, the victims are the suicide bombers, not those who have been killed by them.
Not once does the article raise the question of what kind of society not only breeds but venerates suicide bombing, nor whether suicide bombing can ever be justified as a means of political __expression.
And while the article says the Israelis and Palestinians are equally to blame for the failure of the Camp David peace talks in 2000, even though President Clinton has said the failure was all Arafat's, somehow only Israel is to blame for the Intifada that followed.
I could go on and on showing how unbelievably skewed this article is, and remember I am one who believes the media is generally very fair to Israel.
When Opra decides to venture into the Middle East situation among her articles on "the non-diet diet" and "surf, sand and cellulite," it's to paint the picture of an innocent young Palestinian teenage girl who is in jail just because those big bad Jews got all nuts about her wanting, just like her master terrorist boyfriend, to blow up as many Jews as possible.

Korach Parsha

2005-06-28T13:07:00.000-07:00

This is a test post with korach

ידל

Be Open Minded and Respect My beliefs.

Chafetz Chaim VS Newsweek

Re: Observing Passover

משנכנס אדר מרבים בשימחה

IF YOU ARE AN AMERICAN PLEASE READ!

MOSSAD LAMBASTES MUNICH

Dear World

Apple Script is Shomer Shabbat !!

Do you want to study Judaism and Hebrew in Israel in a truly Zionist environment?

30% Off the Regular Price of One Book

What makes a person Jewish ?!

The air out side of Israel is has a major problem with Pollution.

Sources for Women not doing Malacha

New Torah Pod-cast

What really happened on Dec. 25?

When was Yeshkah really born?

Where in the world is 12-25-0001 coming from?

Yeah but there is none of that pagan stuff left

So what do you want from me !?

Borders coupon: 15% off one item

Where do they come up with this stuff!?

"YOU JUST GOTTA SAVE X-TIANITY, RICHARD! YOU GOTTA!"

T'suvah

Cahzon Ish / Extreemisim

To Enlist of Not to Enlist

Rabbi Elisha Aviner - Education Corner Open Letter to Our Youth: “To Enlist of Not to Enlist”

Intl_Media_Condemns__Synagogue_Burnings

Wasn't this supposeed to bring peace ?

Religious Questions.

A new path.

Torn Together

$20 off at Office Depot

Re: They have been sucked into the sin of the Spies

Rabbi Kahane, Vindicated

So who does want this thing ?

They have been sucked into the sin of the Spies

More from הרב מרדכי אליהו

So What

What Can Be Done? Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu Answers

What Can Be Done? Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu Answers

הרב מרדכי אליהו: על הציבור לקבל על עצמו היום צום

Psalms Chapter 20

Psalms Chapter 21

פטום הקטרת

Rabbis Meet With PM Sharon

Rabbi Shapira Calls on IDF Chief Rabbi to Resign

An Open Letter to North American Rabbis

Siege on Gush Katif

Is it permissible to daven in a Reformative place of assembly?

That doesn't mean they were right.

Thanks For the vote of confidance.

Sinat-Yisrael

I may have to agree w/ PM Sharon

The full story!

Rabbi Shapira in Favor of Personal Appeals to Soldiers

Rabbi Yisrael Ariel: Create a Jewish State in Gaza

Documentary about "Disengagement"

Buy Israel Goods

Who Are the Palestinians?

Islam and the afterlife...

More anti-Semitic Posts on Slash Dot!

There are two articles on today's Slashdot that seem to imply that Israel is a country just like any other

Re: Plishtime

Oprah Supports Arab Terror !?

Korach Parsha