"People get the leaders they deserve"

16 Kislev 5773

That's an old saying. I don't know if it's true, but I do know that our leaders are a reflection of us. Come to think of it, maybe that's the reason we deserve them.

Take Barack Obama for example. His nation's economy is teetering on the edge of a financial abyss and what is he doing?

Residents Alerted to Obamas' Hawaiian Holiday Plans

The report delivered to residents living along the ocean and canal that surrounds the multi-million dollar homes at Kailuana Place where the President stays, informed them of restrictions that will be implemented for 20 days beginning December 17 and running through January 6.

...With the staff, special forces, local police presence and equipment, the President's visit adds up annually to at least a $4 million vacation courtesy of the Hawaii and federal taxpayers.

How is this any different from the throngs of Americans who put holiday shopping on Black Friday at the top of their priorities list and finance it with credit card debt that they know not how they'll pay?  There's no money, but spend, spend, spend anyway!

Closer to home, look at Bibi Netanyahu.  What the public sees portrayed in the media is not a true reflection of who he is, but who we are. We talk a good talk, but we're short on action. We make a show of loyalty to our Jewish identity, but we are afraid to anger our gentile benefactors by acting too Jewish.  G-d knows the gentiles admire the Israelis (albeit begrudgingly), but they merely tolerate the Jews (or worse). The kippah comes out occasionally, when it's use is unavoidable, but it's not for everyday. When asked "From where will my help come?" the Bibi Netanyahu Jews instantly reply, "America!"

About the "left" and so-called "center" secular there is simply nothing to say.  They are all traveling the wrong way down the road of perdition - the assimilation of the Jewish people into extinction.

Ah, but now there is hope waiting in the wings, yes?  The "right-wing" (read right-thinking) to be more precise.  Naftali Bennet (Jewish Home) as well as Moshe Feiglin (from within the Likud) are inspiring the right-wing religious Zionists. You'd think Mashiach had come.

Naftali Bennet:  Clean-shaven, no kippah. Hi-tech millionaire. Pays homage to "Jewish tradition" and settlements.   Former chief of staff for Bibi Netanyahu.  He's a younger version of Netanyahu, representing all those who really want to continue business as usual, but with some guarantee for settlements.  They have no vision for the Jewish future beyond being an extension of Edom in the Land of Israel.

Moshe Feiglin:  Bearded.  Not ashamed to wear a kippah everywhere all the time.  Gives credit to Hashem on a regular basis.  He goes up on Har Habayit and supports Jewish rights to worship there.  He is a man of faith who says he won't cave in to the demands of the gentile nations.  He's not afraid to declare that Yehuda and Shomron are ours and that Oslo is dead.

Granted, this is a huge leap when compared to the rest of the pack.  Consequently, it is tempting to dismiss the warning signs. After everything, Moshe aspires to be a politician, so he has to have the most necessary qualification to be a politician - he has to be a pragmatist.  He has to appeal to the broadest base possible in the Likud party which is after all not a religious party.  To offset his positive points which might scare off his secular supporters, he assures them that he is against religious coercion.  He is against the chametz law which bans the sale of chametz during the week of Passover and he says he is in favor of civil marriage.  Oh, and he favors legalization of marijuana.

After ten years, those who've put their faith in Moshe Feiglin's leadership, because up until now he offered the greatest hope for real change for those with a messianic vision, have been rewarded with the possibility that he might actually get a seat in the next Knesset.

This is about as good as it gets. It would seem that this non-Torah system of democracy is incapable of producing messianic leadership which will deliver us to the geulah shleimah.

As long as we continue to deceive ourselves and each other, we will continue to elect this kind of leadership, because it is a reflection of who we really are.  We really don't want Mashiach to come.  We really don't want to have Torah law as the law of the land.  We really don't want to build the Temple and reinstitute sacrificial worship.

Despite what we might think or proclaim, what most of us want is easily seen in our current leadership - an inferior copy of America where the highest priority is business success and the accumulation of wealth and all the things that wealth can provide.  And where religion and state each have their place, where religion is not a matter of nationhood, but a personal preference. And where we are not a unique nation with a G-d given mission and destiny, but one just like all the others.

When WE change and become the people deserving of a Mashiach-led regime, where Torah is the law of the land, deserving of coercion no less than current civil law which is "coerced" every day as needed, then Mashiach will be revealed before our eyes.

I'm afraid that were he standing before us today, only a handful would "vote" for him.

********
A note about the picture: Yes, democracy was a Greek invention and during Kislev, the time when we battled against the Greek worldview and its attempt to obliterate the light of Torah and replace it with its own warped idea of enlightenment, it is an ideal time to take it on and continue the battle our ancestors waged so courageously.

NOVEMBER 29TH - 1947 & 2012

15 Kislev 5773

(Devarim 32:21) "They have provoked My jealousy with a non god, provoked My anger with their vanities. Thus, I will provoke their jealousy with a non people, provoke their anger with a foolish nation."

A "non people" with a non government doesn't have a heritage of its own and certainly has no need of a land.

'With UN Bid, Arabs Once Again Try to Steal Israel's Heritage'  November 29th is a day that belongs to Israel, says one historian - and the PA is trying to 'steal' it for themselves
It's no accident that the Palestinian Authority is bringing its “case” to the United Nations on November 29 – a day that has for 65 years been identified with the State of Israel.

“It's very typical of the PA to choose the day that Israel was recognized as a state by the UN as the date for their state's recognition,” said one historian. “The PA has tried to co-opt so many Jewish and Israeli symbols in the past, and the co-opting of November 29 fits right in with that,” said Moshe Siebel, a history afficianado....

It does make it easier to see who the Erev Rav are.

Meretz to Rally for PA State at Zionism's 'Ground Zero'

Ehud Olmert isn't the only Israeli who is applauding the PA's statehood bid at the UN. Far left political party Meretz, too, approves of the moves, and plans a rally in Tel Aviv Thursday night – right in front of the building where David Ben-Gurion declared a Jewish state on May 14, 1948.... A special message from PA chief Mahmoud Abbas will be read at the event. Singer Miri Awad will perform.

I'll let Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu have the last word...

“A Hand Raised Against G-d will be Removed”

Chief Rabbi of Safed Shmuel Eliyahu related to the expected UN resolution in favor of the PA bid. “They think they can change their mind after voting to establish the State of Israel, and pass anti-Semitic resolutions. Their vote has no relevance. Pharaoh also released the Jewish Nation before changing his mind and chasing them by the Red Sea. Nothing remained of him or his army. Nations voting against Israel will have to deal with the Wrath of G-d.”

Supervolcano Risk X 2

15 Kislev 5773

By now, everyone knows there is an active supervolcano in Yellowstone Park in Wyoming, but did you know there is another one in California?? And it is currently at level "yellow" alert status because of an earthquake swarm???

From yesterday...

Upswing in Earthquakes in the Long Valley Caldera Region of California  (TheWeatherSpace.com) - An upswing in California earthquakes has some people questioning the health of the faultlines. Long Valley Caldera to Mammoth Mountain are swarming at the same time.

Earthquakes are the normal in California, however within the last week an upswing in activity has been noted. The Long Valley Caldera is showing signs that magma is indeed moving down there.

The Long Valley Caldera is something that is dismissed due to the Yellowstone Super Volcano. There is evidence in the past that the Long Valley Caldera is more dangerous than Yellowstone, and just a stone's throw away from the populated regions of Southern California.

The caldera is just north of Ridgecrest off of Highway 395 and activity has been spiking within the last week.

"We don't think much is going on there, but it is being monitored," said the USGS. "We have teams in the area and have just recently finished a study on the area."

So while no one can predict what will happen, just as Yellowstone, the Long Valley Caldera is considered a super volcano that can go off at anytime.

"We've notice an increase in 2s and 3s across California as well, with poppers across Southern California," said TheWeatherSpace.com Senior Meteorologist Kevin Martin. "This usually means we are going to have the stress released soon in the area. What is also interesting is Long Valley and Mammoth Mountain activity is happening at the same time. This is real interesting."

According to Jim Berkland, a retired geologist, Full Moons usually generate large earthquakes due to the tidal forces. There is a lunar eclipse tonight so the moon can't get any fuller.

Two Nice Follow-ups

15 Kislev 5773

Aftermath of Japan 'Quake nearly a year later...

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

And aftermath of Sandy one month on.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

The Puppet Trio

15 Kislev 5773

Israel is not a sovereign nation. I believe we lost that status with the first Camp David Peace Agreement in 1979. But, it took a bit longer before the US was able to put an actual puppet regime into power. How do I know? They aren't even making any pretenses about it now.

Rewards for services rendered:

Barak to be Honored by Panetta

Defense Minister Ehud Barak will receive the U.S. the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service, the highest award he could be given by a U.S. secretary of defense.

Barak will be given the award by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta when he visits the Pentagon on Thursday.

"He's been an important partner of the U.S. for a long time," a U.S. defense official said of Barak.

Obama Awards Peres Medal of Freedom

...Peres got the award for his devotion to peace and his support for the U.S. - Israel alliance. President Obama praised him as an "indomitable spirit" who spent his life working for peace and to strengthen the U.S. - Israel security relationship.

Will Binyamin Netanyahu get a "prize," too?

The Hammer is now poised over the West Coast

15 Kislev 5773

River of storms headed for Northern California

It's shaping up as California's equivalent of a hurricane: A series of warm, wet storms arriving today that will be unlike anything the state has seen in years.

...If this comes to pass, Sacramento could receive more rain in a few days than it gets in an average January, typically the wettest month of the year.

...The first storm arrives today and lasts through Thursday. It is expected to be relatively mild.

The second hits Friday and will be the real soaker, lasting through Sunday with drenching rain and strong winds. A third, even wetter storm, may follow later on Sunday.

Sacramento could see sustained winds of 35 mph with gusts to 45 mph. The Sierra Nevada foothills could see gusts up to 55 mph.

These are warm storms and snow levels will be high – 7,000 feet and up. That means many Sierra highway passes could stay free of snow. But it also means more terrain will be exposed to rainfall runoff.

..."These are the types of events that are responsible for the biggest flood damages on the West Coast," said [Marty Ralph, an expert on the phenomenon at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Earth System Research Laboratory in Boulder, Colo.] "To me, that's the analogue to the hurricane problem."

...In Sacramento, one of the capital region's premier sporting events, the 30th annual California International Marathon, is expected to go ahead on Sunday despite the weather. Organizers say the race has never been canceled.

[Reminiscent of New York City Marathon and Sandy?]

More than 15,000 people are expected at the 26.2-mile race, which starts at 7 a.m. Sunday near the base of Folsom Dam.

...High winds and soaked ground raise the potential for downed trees and power outages.

Deja vu, except for the surge of ocean water. However, this part of California has something in common with New Orleans. It has an aging levee system which poses a hazard to area residents in the event of failure. See what this 2006 article has to say about it:

California mired in its own levee crisis
Officials, in a stalemate, struggle to find money for repairs - despite rising warnings of failing levees.

New Orleans' levees aren't the only ones getting close scrutiny these days. California's deteriorating network of water barricades - humbler in structure than those in the Big Easy but no less key to the health and safety of millions of residents - is prompting state and local officials to speak in "state of emergency" terms.

...The threat of levee failure in northern California is immediate and widespread, warn experts. Depending on where a failure in the vast system occurs, it could be hurricane Katrina-like in scale, they add.

At serious risk are cities large and small, including the state capital; the San Joaquin Valley in central California, producer of half the nation's fruits and vegetables; and drinking water for 24 million Californians.

Then there's this from two weeks ago:

California's Katrina?

The scenario is known as “California’s Katrina.” An earthquake or superstorm causes Gold Rush-era earthen levees to collapse. Saltwater from San Francisco Bay floods the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, displacing half a million lowland Californians, poisoning the water supply for as many as 28 million more who live in Los Angeles, San Diego, and Silicon Valley, and ruining farmland that produces 11 percent of the nation’s agricultural value. The eighth-largest economy in the world could be sunk for months, even years.

********
In other flooding news:

Wild storm hits Western Australia
A BRUTAL storm has left more than 50,000 homes in Perth and regional Western Australia without power, as emergency services scrambled to cope with widespread damage to schools, heritage buildings and homes across the state.

UK Floods, Worst Flooding Since 2007, Extreme Weather Global Weirding?

The UK looks set to experience its worst series of floods since at least the great floods of 2007 when areas that had never flooded in living memory experienced what would turn out to be their worst floods in over 150 years.

The latest of a series of heavy rain fall induced flooding is being experienced by the south and south west areas of England and Wales, with over 500 flood warnings in place nation wide, as one of the wettest summers on record had left the ground saturated, unable to soak up additional heavy rain fall that is resulting in the failure of drainage systems.

The current wave of flooding follows on from highly damaging flooding earlier in the year (September) that literally resulted in roads and foundations of buildings being washed away that were subsequently demolished.

The following Met Office graph illustrates the increasing volatility in the extremes of weather that the UK is facing as a drought during the first 3 months of the year gave way extraordinarily heavy rainfall from April onwards, continuing in June, and July with rainfall of as much as 225% of the annual average. The Above average rainfall has continued into this month which looks set to turn out to be another record month for rainfall.

Cameron visits flooding-hit areas  

Now SNOW is set to fall as Britain faces coldest winter for 100 years

Environmental Agency warns of more risk of flooding

'We've lost everything': Hundreds of families face being homeless for Christmas due to floods

Elderly woman found dead in flooded home

Better late than never...

15 Kislev 5773

The following is Rabbi Nachman Kahana's parshah commentary for Parshat Toldot. Although it's late, its message is timeless. Enjoy the pure and unadulterated truth.

BS"D

Parashat Toldot 5773

A: Our parasha relates (26:2-5):

וירא אליו ה' ויאמר אל תרד מצרימה שכן בארץ אשר אמר אליך: גור בארץ הזאת ואהיה עמך ואברכך כי לך ולזרעך אתן את כל הארצת האל והקמתי את השבעה אשר נשבעתי לאברהם אביך: והרביתי את זרעך ככוכבי השמים ונתתי לזרעך את כל הארצת האל והתברכו בזרעך כל גויי הארץ: עקב אשר שמע אברהם בקלי וישמר משמרתי מצותי חקותי ותורתי:

2 The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, "Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live. 3 Stay in this land, and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will uphold the oath I swore to your father Abraham. 4 I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, 5 because Abraham obeyed me and did all I required of him, keeping my commands, my decrees and my instructions.

A highly-respected rabbi whose congregation is in an area that was hard hit by Sandy sent the following message to his congregants. I will quote the major portions of his message.

Dear Friends,

As we begin our new week almost two weeks since Sandy paid us an unwelcome visit, I can see a crack of light in the tunnel of murky deluge that enveloped us. More homes have had power restored, gasoline has begin to flow in more liberal quantities, the weather has gotten warmer, and we are now slowly entering the rebuilding phase. There are still many communal and individual problems to be resolved; but with time, they will be resolved. Yes, the tide is turning (please excuse the metaphor).A major factor in the positive turn of events has been the communal leadership of the local Shuls, the local JCCs, Achiezer, the help of other volunteer agencies, the help of some local politicians, and the incredible work of dedicated individuals who have tirelessly devoted themselves to the afflicted communities, families, and individuals. This leads me to a simple point--the power of communal responsibility. We are so fortunate to be a part of a great community that services its members through good times and challenging times.

This past Shabbos we read that Avraham was blessed in his old age 'bakol',which translates to "everything". The commentaries debate what 'bakol' means in a deeper sense.... I would like to suggest that 'bakol', everything, describes a state of mind that Avraham was blessed with in life. He was always happy with his lot. He always felt that he had 'kol' everything. I think that that is exactly the way we should think. We have everything! We are alive, we survived Sandy, no one was seriously hurt in our community, we have our families, our friends, and we live in a great community! I grew up in a small Shul and never had a real sense of community in a holistic way until I moved to... We have Shuls, Minyanim, an Eruv, a Mikvah, a Vaad Hakashrus, a Chevra Kadisha, Bikur Cholim, Chesed Committees, and charity funds.And now we have SANDY relief efforts. We really have everything. Just like Avraham, we are blessed 'bakol', with everything...

This weekend we put up a poster board of... letters of solidarity sent to us from Jewish children in Eli and Elkanah in Israel. What a blessing it is to get a bracha from pure and innocent Jewish children (even if their common message was that it is time for all of us to move to Israel). We are so blessed, and we should feel so empowered by the privilege to be a part of the oldest nation on this earth,'am Yisrael'.

It is to the rabbi, who I personally know and respect, and his congregants and to the 99% of Jews in America that I dedicate this week’s message.

C: Rambam in the section of Ta’ani’ot (fast days) deals with the way we should respond to disasters. Chapter one states:

מצות עשה מן התורה לזעוק ולהריע בחצוצרות על כל צרה שתבא על הצבור...
ודבר זה מדרכי התשובה הוא, שבזמן שתבוא צרה ויזעקו עליה ויריעו ידעו הכל שבגלל מעשיהם הרעים הורע להן... אבל אם לא יזעקו ולא יריעו אלא יאמרו דבר זה ממנהג העולם אירע לנו וצרה זו נקרה נקרית, הרי זו דרך אכזריות וגורמת להם להדבק במעשיהם הרעים, ותוסיף הצרה צרות אחרות...

It is a positive Torah commandment to cry out and to sound trumpets in the event of any disaster that affects the community... This practice is one of the paths of repentance, for when a disaster befalls, and the people cry out to God and sound the trumpets, all will realize that it occurred because of their evil conduct...

However, should the people fail to cry out and sound the trumpets, and instead say, "What has happened to us is merely a natural phenomenon and this difficulty is merely a chance occurrence", this is a cruel conception of things, which causes them to remain attached to their wicked deeds. Thus, this time of distress will lead to further disasters.

Two distressing matters have occupied our thoughts these last two weeks: Hurricane Sandy and the re-election of Barak Obama to the US Presidency.

It is my firm belief (and that of many others) that the overriding obligation of our generation is the return to Eretz Yisrael. So much so that everything that transpires in the lands of the galut is intended by the Almighty to uproot the Jews from there and direct them to return home.

Hurricane Sandy
In parashat Devarim 5772, I wrote regarding the approaching siyum haShas:

"Religious communities in the galut, under the leadership of their spiritual guides, are about to commit a sin of unprecedented proportions.

The Gemara in Yuma, and quoted in the Rambam, states: ... A sin which has an adjunct of chillul HaShem is so severe that remorse, resolution, Yom Kippur and difficulties in life will together withhold punishment, but pardon will be possible only upon the death of the transgressor.

There are many examples of chillul HaShem, but the classic definition is when a well-known rabbinic personality acts in a way that brings shame to God’s Holy Name or distorts HaShem’s holy Torah. The chillul HaShem increases incrementally when two rabbis perform the transgression, and ever more so when it is done by 100,000 religious Jews together.

Next week, in a stadium in New Jersey, it is estimated that this will be the number of participants in the mass siyum (conclusion) of the last 7-year daf hayomi cycle.
It will be a worldwide production of many rabbis, roshei yeshiva, and grand rabbis who will draw good and innocent Jews into the most publicized chillul HaShem ever undertaken.

Close to one hundred thousand observant Jews declaring before the world that God did not give us the Holy Land, because if He did they would be there.
They will make a travesty of tractate Ketubot in which the Talmud declares that a Jew who willingly lives in the galut is as if he has no God.

They will make a mockery of the Gemara (abid. 112b) which relates that Rabbi Chiya ben Gamda would roll in and caress the ground of Eretz Yisrael in keeping with the verse in (Tehilim 102) "For her servants desired its stones; and they shall treasure its soil."

One’s very presence at this chillul HaShem conveys to the United States, to the United Nations, to the Arab League, to Hamas, to Hizbollah, to the engineers now producing the Iranian bomb, to the world that Eretz Yisrael is some far-off dreamland to be realized only when the Mashiach comes; but in the meantime it is Arab Palestine. This is no exaggeration. This is real life.

If you value your Judaism, celebrate the new daf hayomi cycle privately, modestly and even shamefully in the place where you reside.

Compare the lack of ideals and lack of religious passion of the nearly one million observant Jews living a pseudo-Jewish life in the United States, with the words of Yehuda Halevi: "Who can provide me with wings? I would fly to you; I would cause my shattered heart to reside amidst your shattered ruins."

And: "Yerushalayim will be rebuilt when the Children of Israel will yearn in earnest (for the holy city), and then (HaShem) will have compassion even on its stones and dust"

The soul of the saintly Rav Meir Shapiro of Lublin, who initiated the daf hayomi study, will not be in New Jersey. It will be here in Eretz Yisrael hovering over the authentic, sincere part of our nation; the part which is of one mind and heart with Yehuda Halevi.

For the Jews in the United States, I say: Be proud of your Judaism. Stay away from the colossal chillul HaShem - desecration of the Holy Name - about to be perpetrated in front of the eyes of the world. Be able to tell your grandchildren that you were not there.

My voice is but a small, shrill call compared to the cacophony of the religious leaders in the galut who are calling out to good Jews to show up in force and sanctify the Holy Name.

I leave it to you, dear reader, to decide who is sanctifying the Holy Name and who is defiling the Holy name?

On the night of Tish’a Be’av, as you sit and weep for the destruction of the Temples and the exile of our fathers and mothers to foreign lands, think. Today there are six million Jews in Eretz Yisrael and the gates are open for all Jews to return home. Is this the sanctification of the Holy Name? Or is the Holy Name being sanctified by those who refuse to recognize their religious responsibilities and cling to their lives in the galut?

I recall telling my close friends that I fear HaShem will not overlook this desecration of His Holy Name, and retribution will come to the areas and to those who partook in that public denunciation of HaShem’s gift of Eretz Yisrael.

Retribution has come to pass in the form of wind, rain and ocean surges - HaShem’s trusted messengers. And if the necessary conclusions are not drawn and the steps towards returning home are not taken, then the Jews in the galut can expect more disasters.

Many will deny this and say, as in the words of Rambam, "What has happened to us is merely a natural phenomenon and this difficulty is merely a chance occurrence."
But Rambam also writes: "This is a cruel conception of things, which causes them to remain attached to their wicked deeds. Thus, this time of distress will lead to further disasters."

This should be the message of religious leaders in the galut today. Anything less than the call to return home will cause them to be judged by Jewish history together with the religious leaders in the 1920s and 30s, who encouraged their people to remain in Europe rather than return to Eretz Yisrael.

Obama’s Victory
There are many religious leaders in the galut who preach that one need not go to Eretz Yisrael, because the government does not follow the laws of the Torah. Of course, it is immaterial that, by law, Shabbat and all the yamim tovim are national days of rest; that all marriages and divorces must be performed and approved by the rabbinate; that the army, hospitals and public institutions must be kosher; that conversions can be performed only by the rabbinate; that the State spends hundreds of millions of shekels a year in support of yeshivot, and 50-60 thousand young men are deferred from army service because of their yeshiva studies; or the fact that the government builds the shuls and pays the rabbis’ salaries and supports free religious education.

And all this by a State which was founded by people who were not observant, while we the observant remained in the galut of Europe rather than dirty our hands in preparing the land or become infected with malaria and other diseases that developed here over the 2000 years of our galut.

But let’s leave all that aside. What does it have to do with Obama? The Obama victory revealed the hypocrisy of many of the religious leaders in the galut and the hollowness of their claims against the Jewish State.

Obama won because the demographic makeup of the United States changed by the mass immigration of Hispanics and the big numbers of black births. The America that I knew as a youth will never return. Now, if even half the religious Jews in the USA would come on aliyah, there would be a government here based on the Torah.

These religious leaders will have to find a more durable excuse for not coming home. One that will be able to stand before the onslaught of honesty and truth. If the above-mentioned highly-respected rabbi wrote what he did in order to bring comfort and consolation to his suffering community at their time of desperation, then that is commendable. But, if he really believes that they have everything - Shuls, Minyanim, an Eruv, a Mikvah, a Vaad Hakashrus, a Chevra Kadisha, Bikur Cholim, Chesed Committees, charity funds, and now SANDY relief efforts; just like Avraham who was blessed with 'bakol', with everything - then that community is being misled, as stated by the Rambam, "What has happened to us is merely a natural phenomenon and this difficulty is merely a chance occurrence."

The rabbi went on to write about what a blessing it is to get a bracha from pure and innocent Jewish children (even if their common message was that it is time for all of us to move to Israel) and that we should feel so empowered by the privilege to be a part of the oldest nation on this earth,'am Yisrael'. His reaction to the "pure and innocent" children’s message to return to Eretz Yisrael is disappointing, discouraging and even disparaging. For he appreciates the children’s letters of encouragement despite their call to come home to Eretz Yisrael. This is a staggering statement.

I pray that the Jews there, those who were spared and those who were harmed by the hurricane will be successful in rebuilding their homes, just beautiful enough to sell them to American gentiles who belong there, while the Jews come home to where they belong.

...Nachman Kahana

Comparatively Speaking

13 Kislev 5773

...Hurricane Sandy worse than Hurricane Katrina

Gov. Cuomo said Monday that Hurricane Sandy was in some ways even worse than Hurricane Katrina, as he announced the state would seek a whopping $42 billion in federal disaster aid.

Cuomo acknowledged that far more people died as a result of Katrina’s fury, than Sandy’s. But he said last month’s superstorm caused more property damage, and affected a greater number of people.

...Louisiana lost 214,700 homes as a result of the two storms; Sandy wrecked 305,000 homes just in New York. There were 800,000 power outages in Louisiana, compared with more than 2 million in New York.

And while 18,700 businesses were lost to the hurricanes in Louisiana, Sandy affected more than 265,300 businesses across the Empire State.

...Sandy is blamed for 135 deaths in the U.S., including 60 in New York. Katrina was responsible for 1,833 deaths.

(Hat tip Global Disaster Watch)

Stop the world, I want to get off!

13 Kislev 5773

The countdown to 21.12.2012, or The End of the World as We Know It, is now being counted in days - 25 to be exact. I don't know about you, but in light of the mess that mankind has made of this world - the poisoning of the planet and the imprisonment of its population - I'm all for the Creator hitting a reset button.

This is essentially what happened at the time of the Great Flood and also at the Tower of Bavel. Sometimes, we forget that this world and this reality are not what has always been, nor what will always be. I mean, there are people that, despite the downfall of empires across recorded history, have a difficult time imagining a world without America, which has only existed for 236 years - not even a blip on the cosmic radar. I think it is essential to understand that we are on the cusp of another Big Change, whether it actually begins or ends on the famous December date or not.

We're told numerous times in the Tanakh that the Era of Redemption will witness strange occurrences in the heavens as well as on the earth:

Yeshayahu 13.10 - "For the stars of the heavens and its constellations shall not allow their light to illuminate, the sun has become dark in its going forth, and the moon shall not shine its light."

Yechezkel 32.7 - "And with your smoke I will cover the heavens, and I will darken their stars; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon will not shine its light."

Yoel 2.10; 3.3,4,5 - "Before it the earth quakes, the heavens tremble; the sun and moon darken, and the stars withdraw their shining. ...And I will perform signs in the heavens and on the earth: Blood, fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall turn to darkness, and the moon to blood, prior to the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord. And it shall come to pass that whoever shall call in the name of the Lord shall be delivered, for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be a deliverance, as the Lord said, and among the survivors whom the Lord invites."

Yeshayahu 60.19 - "Your sun shall no longer set, neither shall your moon be gathered in, for the Lord shall be to you for an everlasting light, and the days of your mourning shall be completed."

Zechariah 14.4,6, 10 - "...the Mount of Olives shall split in the midst thereof-toward the east and toward the west-a very great valley. And half the mountain shall move to the north, and half of it to the south. ... And it shall come to pass on that day that there shall be no light, only disappearing light and thick darkness. ...The whole earth shall be changed to be like a plain, from the hill of Rimmon in the south of Jerusalem; but it [Jerusalem] will be elevated high and remain in its old place...."

Malachi 3.19,20 - "For lo, the sun comes, glowing like a furnace, and all the audacious sinners and all the perpetrators of wickedness will be stubble. And the sun that comes shall burn them up so that it will leave them neither root nor branch, says the Lord of Hosts. And the sun of mercy shall rise with healing in its wings for you who fear My Name."

Speaking of the sun. You may not have seen the news report coming as it did in the midst of Amud Anan. (That's why I failed to report on it at the time.)  But, on the second day of the war - Friday, 16 November - what has been described by scientists as a solar tsunami swept across the sun's surface.  (Spaceweather.com is the place to monitor the increasing solar activity.)

Bear all this in mind as you (hopefully) re-read a previous post entitled...

What is Really Going on With "2012"

5 Iyar 5772
Day 20 of the Omer

There is a LOT of misinformation and disinformation out there about what 21.12.2012 is really all about. What does it portend and what is the proof that anything at all will happen?

In short, nobody knows for sure, even the so-called experts, because this is all new territory for humankind. But all you have to do is read the news and view videos of recent world disasters to see with your own eyes that most of what was beginning to be predicted in 2008 and 2009 is already happening - massive flooding, torrential rains, increasing intensity and frequency of earthquakes, volcanoes, floods, windstorms (hurricanes, tornadoes and typhoons), and fireballs in the heavens.

I'm going to do my best to bring you all the most salient points in a nutshell in order to increase understanding and decrease confusion. Any one of these points could be expanded into entire volumes and some have been, but I want to give you the big picture - to the best of my own ability to understand it - and then you can dig deeper on your own if you want further explanation (or repudiation, as the case may be).

First of all, the Mayan connection: Their "long count" calendar was an astronomical calendar pinpointing astronomical events into the future with great accuracy which, by all accounts, surpasses even the abilities which exist today. In other words, they have a track record which proves they knew what they were talking about. So what was it exactly that they predicted for 21.12.2012? They predicted (and scientists now concur) that our solar system would reach its closest, unobstructed approach to the center of our galaxy on that day.

We are all familiar with the idea of our planets revolving around our sun...


But, did you know that our solar system revolves around the Milky Way galaxy? I didn't. I guess I never really thought about it. However, while the earth revolves in an elliptical orbit over the course of 365 days...


The entire solar system revolves around the galaxy in a wave motion...


...crossing the galactic equator or the galactic plane (marked as a yellow line in the picture) and aligning with the center of the galaxy every 26,000 years. In case you were interested, it supposedly takes 230 million years for it to make a complete revolution around the outer realms of the galaxy.

This is important because this is the area in which the black hole at the center of our galaxy exerts its greatest gravitational pull. We will reach the center point of that crossing or the time of greatest influence on our solar system on 21.12.2012.

Anyone who grew up watching any incarnation of Star Trek knows that a black hole sucks up everything within reach of it, so it's not surprising that new asteroids are being suddenly discovered in close proximity to earth and that giant fireballs - meteors pulled off course - are increasingly being reported worldwide. This is only the latest...

Minivan-Size Meteor Created Fireball in the Sky

(See also 1Asteroid 2011, 2Asteroid 2011 and Asteroid 2012.)

Ok, so we can see how smaller objects will likely respond to the galactic center's gravitational wave and how this, in turn, will affect the larger planets, but aside from dodging space debris, the most critical element in all of this is the glowing orb at the center of our solar system - the Sun.

Interestingly, the Hebrew prophets mention the Sun often in End Times prophecies about a period of time known as "The Day of the Lord" when the earth is being transformed - a time in which the Creator of the World reveals Himself through the power and forces of nature.

(Isaiah 30:26)- "...and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold as the light of the seven days,...."

(Malachi 3:19-20)- "For lo, the sun comes, glowing like a furnace, and all the audacious sinners and all the perpetrators of wickedness will be stubble. And the sun that comes shall burn them up .... And the sun of mercy shall rise with healing in its wings for you who fear My Name." (See more sources here.)

Also, "The Song of Deborah" (Shirat Devorah) found in the Biblical book of Judges is supposed to be an account of the final redemption and it ends off with...you got it! A reference to the Sun - "So may perish all Your enemies, O Lord; but they that love Him as the sun when he goes forth in his might."

It's not by chance that "The End of the World As We Know It" (TEOTWAWKI) discussions center around solar activity. The galactic center's gravitational wave will energize the Sun, more so the closer it approaches the middle of the galactic plane, and this will spur greater than usual solar activity at a time when our Sun is already reaching its normal cyclical solar maximum (which occurs every 11 years). And it will also cause the Sun to heat up the planets, as has already been noted in the scientific community...

Sun Blamed for Warming of Earth and Other Worlds
Mars Melt Hints at Solar, Not Human, Cause for Warming, Scientist Says

But, when I say "heat up the planets," I'm talking about more than heating the atmosphere, I'm talking about increased solar radiation accompanying massive solar flares which heat up the earth's core resulting in increased earthquake and volcanic activity, as well as increased speed and severity of surface winds and waves. Note this report from today's news...

Study: Antarctic ice melting from warm water below

Theoretically, the super-heated core could become destabilized from the crust leading to crustal displacement causing a geographic pole shift which some say ample evidence exists for its having happened before in earth's geologic history.

So far, we've only discussed the physical effects on the celestial bodies, but what about OUR bodies? Does this increasing gravitational field and resulting increase in solar radiation affect human beings as well? And while we've discussed physical manifestations, what about the spiritual ones? Is the soul affected, too?

I could not find ready answers to these questions, but the recent reports of abnormal behavior among airline crews may offer us a clue.

Again, this event only happens every 26,000 years, so no one has any previous experience with it, but some believe that ancient cultures like the Mayans and the Egyptians had a tradition about what to expect to happen.

One of the most bizarre Mayan prophecies demonstrates a uniquely peculiar effect of approaching a black hole...

"When the four corners of the earth rest on the dark rift, a cosmic sky portal will be opened up and souls will be harvested."
Black holes distort time and space and theoretically can produce an interdimensional rift through which people could disappear, a term the autistic children used in relation to the evildoers in the world. And it's reminiscent of Isaiah 24:18 - "...for windows from above have been opened and the foundations of the earth have trembled." But, now I digress....

It's known that in addition to the physical transformation, the Mayans expected a metaphysical transformation as well. I'll let Rabbi Glazerson's book The Mayan Culture and Judaism describe it...

...A tremendous surge of energy continually emanates from the center of the galaxy, the spiral whirlpool of the Milky Way. This energy does not approach the earth directly, rather it passes through many "stations" on the way (planets and different star systems - the most well-known being the sun) that transform this pure energy and channel it to us in a new form.

During this time there is a line-up of several planets that cause the earth to face the center of the galaxy head-on, thereby allowing us to receive this energy. This situation, according to the Maya, will significantly influence our consciousness, raising it to an extremely high level .... Just as the sun rises at a specific time, and there is the moment when the first infinitestimal ray of light shines, there is also a process in which we directly face the photonic light that comes from the center of the galaxy, and under these conditions on 21.12.2012 exactly - this sunrise will transpire. It has been scientifically verified.... We are presently experiencing an amazing awakening of consciousness. Why is this already happening? It is exactly like the rising of the sun. Long before we perceive the rising of the sun, it is already possible to see its light.

...It is the dawn of the rising of the galaxy!

These photonic rays will increasingly influence our awareness and will raise the frequency of our consciousness to the ultimate levels possible. ...If we are not able to receive these high frequencies, we will be negatively affected.

As the prophet said - "...all the audacious sinners and all the perpetrators of wickedness will be stubble. And the sun that comes shall burn them up .... And the sun of mercy shall rise with healing in its wings for you who fear My Name."

If all of this really comes about, and there certainly is evidence to support it, those who say it will be the end of the world as we know it will be correct and so will those who say it will be a spiritually transformative event which will lead to a new age of peace and harmony among mankind.

We Jews have been looking forward to just such a time for thousands of years. We call it the Messianic Era or Days of Mashiach and the Light at the center of the galaxy could very well be the Ohr Ganuz, or the Original Light of Creation which was "put away for the righteous in time to come."

GOOD RIDDANCE!!!!!!!!

12 Kislev 5773

Ehud Barak resigns from politics
Defense minister announces he is quitting public life to spend more time with family; 'I want to study, write, live and have a good time, he says. Minister Erdan: Barak misread political climate in Mideast

Barak to travel overseas following resignation from politics

And don't come back!!!!!!

Advertising the Miracles

11 Kislev 5773

I expect the following incident happened just so we would understand that the "great success" of the Iron Dome is not because of our technological prowess, but because Yad Hashem directs every missile and missile countermeasure over Eretz Yisrael personally.

Iron Dome missile explodes near highway
Ynet learns that during Wednesday's Grad rocket salvo fired at Ashdod, one of Iron Dome defense missiles intended to intercept Grads came extremely close to one of Israel's busiest highways, Route 4, exploding only 30 meters away

The interception that almost ended in tragedy: Ynet learned that during an interception attempt by the Iron Dome missile defense system this Wednesday, above Ashdod, one of Iron Dome's missiles strayed and landed in an open area not far from Route 4, near hundreds of moving cars.

However, the system that enjoyed an 84% success rate had a few mishaps.

Near tragedy near the highway
Wednesday, around 4 pm, Grad rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip to Israel, targeting the city of Ashdod. Three missiles from the Iron Dome defense battery tasked with protecting Ashdod were immediately fired at the oncoming barrage.

One of the rockets succeeded in intercepting one of the Grads, whilst another Grad landed in a residential area within city limits, resulting in the light injury of one person and damage to some structures.

However, the main drama took place near the Iron Dome battery itself. One of the rockets fired from the battery did a mid-air about-face. Instead of heading upwards towards the Grad, the missile turned in the direction of the nearby Route 4. At the last moment the rocket deviated and exploded in an open area adjacent to Route 4, some 30 meters away from the highway's northern lanes.

As a result of the ground explosion, pieces of burning shrapnel from the rocket exploded by the side of the highway. Drivers heading north were forced to hit their brakes to avoid getting hit by burning shrapnel. Luckily, no damage or injuries were reported....

Baruch Hashem!!!

"A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words"

11 Kislev 5773

A little fishy

11 Kislev 5773

It is being reported that the selling point for the Gaza ceasefire was Egypt's agreement to allow US troops to be deployed in the Sinai in the next 48 hours.

Egypt denies it.

Last week three American ships were brought into the Med to facilitate the evacuation of American citizens from Israel.

Now,  there are six Russian ships off the coast, ostensibly to evacuate Russian citizens from Gaza. (How many could there be?)

Are they not expecting the truce to hold and why now? Such drastic action was never undertaken in the past.

It all sounds more than a little fishy to me.

Shabbat Shalom

9 Kislev 5773

What Just Happened?

8 Kislev 5773

Normally, when we think of eight days in Kislev, we think of Hanukah. Now, we have the eight days of Amud Anan.

What just happened this past week in Aza? Well, there is the way the public perceives it; the way the politicians plan it; what the government tells us; the way the media presents it and ultimately, the way Hashem is directing it.

Most of the world can be classified either as puppets or pawns. The puppets think they know what's happening. The pawns don't have a clue, but they make guesses - some more educated than others. Only the One Above knows what's really going on.

But, I think that if we stay focused on the big picture, look at things from the perspective of our long and eventful history and view current events within the context of the unfolding redemption, we might be able to make some sense out of the confusion.

Clearly, as much as we all wanted to believe it, it was never the government's intention to put an end to Hamas once and for all.  I read one analysis (can't recall where) that implied that this whole adventure was a live training exercise to test the Iron Dome and to eliminate Hamas's supply of long-range missiles which threatened the center of Israel in preparation for the go at Iran.  If true, then it won't be long in coming as Iran will rush to resupply them.  In fact, a shipment is en route now.

It's interesting and (eye-opening) to see who has come out as the declared winner of this most recent conflict - Muhamed Morsi, Muslim Brotherhood President of Egypt.

Drudgereport 22-11-2012:
Gaza deal seals major role for Egypt's president...

Debka 22-11-2012:
...By deferring to Egypt’s superior authority, Israel let itself be demoted to an equal footing with Hamas,....

Netanyahu and Barak’s advisers defend this concession by maintaining that it is superseded by Morsi’s dependence on Washington for the sake of American aid grants and guarantees for international credit to rescue Egypt’s economy from collapse. Cairo will be in the hands of the Obama administration and so Israel has nothing to worry about, they say.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

I think this linkage between Obama and Egypt at this critical moment is a clue to where we stand in the redemption process.

We started with Egypt and we'll finish with "Egypt" - America, who is spiritual Egypt and who is headed by a man who is very likely a gilgul of one of the pharaohs. It was no coincidence that he gave his first big foreign policy address from Cairo.

But, do you know what concerns me most about all this? Two very critical things came out of Amud Anan which have no doubt doomed America and will consequently bring unspeakable suffering to its citizens and unmentionable danger to my Jewish brethren.

President of the US Barack Obama publicly and openly pressured Israel's leadership to bend to his will or else allowed it to appear as though he did.  And the Israeli "leadership" gushed praise and thanks, not to Hashem, but to US President Barack Obama.

As reported by Yeshiva World News...

Prime Minister: "I would like to thank US President Barak Obama for his support of our right to defend ourselves and throughout Operation Pillar of Defense. Thanks to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for her efforts as well."

Defense Minister: "Thanks to the Obama administration and to US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta for the ongoing support and assistance."

Foreign Minister: "Thanks to President Obama, EU Foreign Minister Catherine Ashton and the international community towards bringing an end to the attacks from Gaza."

Disgusting!

Out of all the thanks being poured out, not one word of thanks to HKB"H. But that's the Erev Rav regime for you. Did we really expect anything else? But, it's going to backfire because already there are comments on the internet that the public kudos to Obama for the Iron Dome "without which Israel could not have killed babbies in Gaza" is inviting retribution on America from angry Muslims.

Furthermore, as long as Israel gives credit to America instead of to Hashem, or as long as they stand in the way of us defeating our enemies once and for all, as the case may be, He will be compelled to remove America from this equation. Either way you look at it, America's days are numbered and the Jews who live within its borders will suffer the brunt of American rage against Israel.

It's not over yet.  Harder times are coming.  Make sure you are prepared.

Cosmic Milestone

8 Kislev 5773

Today marks one month left until... The End of the World As We Know It. That is, if the Mayan calendar is right. And no one has known them to be wrong yet.

Traumatic Stress

8 Kislev 5773

Well, you can't really call it POST-traumatic stress while it's ongoing. I would wager that there is not one Jew in Eretz Yisrael who is not suffering some kind of stress due to the current matzav. We are a small country and a tightly-knit people when the chips are down. No one remains unaffected. Even those in the north of the country where it is now quiet are surely reliving the trauma of 2006.

We are all reliving past traumas and recounting them to each other. I told a new employee about my famous "Terror Tour" of downtown Jerusalem where I can point out the place and describe each attack that occurred during the worst years of suicide bombings - three separate explosions of which I heard from my home.

I daresay there is no Jewish citizen of Israel who does not know someone who was killed or wounded in an attack over the years.

After taking my bus from home and waiting an extra long time getting through the checkpoint, I transferred to the Jerusalem lite-rail with the knowledge in the back of my mind that two dummy pipe bombs had already interrupted train service twice since last week. As soon as I took a seat, I heard one woman telling her seatmate that there had been a "pigua" on a bus in Tel Aviv. Flashback to the one I witnessed in Jerusalem where the bus roof had been peeled back like an open sardine can.

Immediately, one of my daughters called to tell me about it. I have another daughter who lives in Jerusalem, but works in Tel Aviv. I was sure she must be in her office working and not out traveling around the city.

Everyone I know is exhibiting some sign of stress beyond the usual. According to Reactions of Civilians Exposed to Terrorism and War Trauma in Israel: "...researchers have identified Israel as a natural laboratory for studying stress and its effects in the context of terrorism and war...."

Lovely.  

It's very important that we acknowledge this - to ourselves and to each other - and understand that this can be behind what otherwise might be construed as rude behavior or inattention, etc.  In short, we need to cut each other, and ourselves, some slack. Also, we need to take extra care to practice stress-reduction techniques - the foremost of which is reciting Tehillim.

And remember...this, too shall pass.

********
On another note entirely...

...today - 21 November / 8 Kislev - is the anniversary of the arrest of Jonathan Pollard. He is now beginning his 28th year in prison. Please take a moment to contemplate his sacrifice on behalf of Am Yisrael and say a special prayer for him.

Media War

7 Kislev 5773

Here are some things that caught my attention on Facebook.

The News from Jerusalem

6 Kislev 5773

About an hour and a half ago, the siren sounded signaling the second missile attack on Jerusalem. I had just taken my seat behind my desk at work. Everyone moved calmly and orderly to the designated protected area and waited the requisite period of time.

Then we got the report that there were two hits in an open area of Gush Etzion. The last report said it was near Beit Lechem.

A half hour ago, Ban Ki Moon's entourage passed by our front door en route to the Prime Minister's house. I expect he heard the siren, too.

"Nes Gadol Haya PO!"

6 Kislev 5773

B"H, many miracles are happening for Klal Yisrael in Eretz Yisrael!

‘It was a miracle, I don’t have a scratch on me’
80-year old woman survives direct rocket hit on her bedroom; "God saved her life," says Rosa Gabbai’s granddaughter.

Missile Hits Next to Bus in Be’er Sheva, No Serious Injuries
Miracle in Be’er Sheva: Bus passengers escaped serious injuries when a Hamas missile struck. 

What do they know that we don't?

6 Kislev 5773

U.S. sends warships near Israel in case evacuation needed

Three U.S. Navy amphibious warships are returning to the eastern Mediterranean to remain on standby in the event they are needed to assist Americans leaving Israel in the coming days, according to two U.S. officials.

The officials stressed an evacuation remains an extremely remote possibility and the Obama administration is not currently planning for one. Americans who wish to leave the region now are able to do so using commercial airlines.

But the decision to send the ships even if the event is such a remote contingency underscores the growing concern about where the Israel-Gaza conflict could be headed....

The scariest part is... Could they invoke some law that forces American parents to "evacuate" children who are American citizens? (Shudder)

Valuable Historical Record

6 Kislev 5773

FLASHBACK VIDEO: Promises Made By ‘Gaza Disengagement’ Supporters

We will not forgive and we will not forget!

Important Information

5 Kislev 5773

From Dov Bar-Leib at the End of Days Blog, a message from Rabbi Lazer Brody:

Rav Shalom now agrees that it should be published - pray that I get home safely in another 40 hours - regards from Oklahoma City. With blessings always, LB

See the rest here.

********

For those in Israel, a message from Home Front Command:



********
We are in a war for hearts and minds - Jewish hearts in chu"l and Jewish minds in Eretz Yisrael. The Jews in chu"l should have a change of heart and desire Hashem's holy land out of pure love for Him. And the Jews of Eretz Yisrael should have a change of mind, stop with the false western "morality" and determine to defeat and remove the enemy from our holy land.

Hiding in the Diaspora

5 Kislev 5773

Those who call for Jews to hurry home to Eretz Yisrael in order to "escape" trouble are making a big mistake. Eretz Yisrael is not a place to hunker down and hide out til trouble passes over. It's the vehicle for fulfilling our national destiny. And that's never been more obvious than when buses were blowing up and missiles were raining down. But, since 1948, the Diaspora has become a place where Jews hide out from their national responsibilities. Allow me to explain further.

It all goes back to Yetziat Mitzrayim.

Hashem took us down to Egypt where we grew into a great nation and then He brought us up out of Egypt to return us to our land - Eretz Yisrael - which we were going to have to conquer.

"It came to pass when Pharaoh let the people go, that God did not lead them [by] way of the land of the Philistines for it was near, because God said, Lest the people reconsider when they see war and return to Egypt." (Shemot 13.17)

When the meraglim - the twelve spies sent out by Moshe Rabeinu - reported back to the people, Hashem's fears were realized. Ten of the twelve convinced the people that the enemy was too great for us - that we would all die trying to conquer the land.  The two who had faith that Hashem would not let us down, but would fight alongside us, lost the battle for the hearts and minds of a large part of the People of Israel.

Then - as now - the punishment for rebelling against ratzon Hashem was exile from the land.  We lost our chance and had to wait forty years, wandering in the desert, for an entire generation to die off, before we got another chance.

The Torah tells us, and the prophets and the writings back it up, that exile from our land is a punishment and that one day, that decree would be lifted and Hashem would return us to our land.  How many times a day throughout all the centuries have we prayed for that day to come?  And yet, still there is this dichotomy of the meraglim where part of the Jewish people says, "We get to live in Eretz Yisrael," while the other part says, "We don't have to live in Eretz Israel."

It's a fact that Eretz Yisrael is the safest place for a Jew to be - and especially so as judgment begins to fall on the nations of the world - but, that should not be interpreted to mean that no trouble or trial or injury will befall a Jew in Eretz Yisrael.  No one would be foolish enough to believe such a claim.  It goes against all evidence to the contrary.  What it means is that when the trouble or trial or, G-d forbid, injury happens to a Jew in Eretz Yisrael, it catches him while he is busy about the business Hashem created him for, not hiding out from his God-given responsibilities.

It's predictable that as the situation deteriorates for Jews in the Diaspora, it will also deteriorate in Eretz Yisrael.  This is necessary to preserve free will.  History shows that the borders of Eretz Yisrael were wide open for a period of time before Hitler's rise to power in Germany, but the Arabs were perpetrating pogroms against the Jews and the British collaborated with them.  (Witness Hebron 1929.) So, even though they didn't like the climate that was developing in Europe, many European Jews held back from any serious consideration of emigratiion.  By the time it became clear how bad it was going to get there, the British White Paper had been issued, severely limiting Jewish immigration to Eretz Yisrael, and the rest of the world closed its doors (and eyes and ears) to Jews.

This is the only possible end for those who make calculations about where it is "safer" to be.  This should never be a consideration when we are deciding about making the ultimate move to Eretz Yisrael.  It's "safest" to be where you belong.  We can't run from troubles or even from death.  They are a necessary part of this reality which is preparing us for the world to come.  But, as Jews, we also can't continue to run away from our obligations to God and to our fellow Jews:

(Bamidbar 32.6-9) "...Moses said to the descendants of Gad and the descendants of Reuben, "Shall your brethren go to war while you stay here? Why do you discourage the children of Israel from crossing over to the land which the Lord has given them? This is what your fathers did when I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to explore the Land. They went up to the Valley of Eshkol and saw the land, and they discouraged the children of Israel from crossing into the land which the Lord has given them."

Hashem is asking every Diaspora Jew this question today - "Shall your brethren go to war while you stay here?" Shall you live in comfort and security and indulge yourselves among the impure nations while your brothers are fighting and dying to conquer the land which you have rejected, but for which you share an equal responsibility? Neither your physical well-being, nor even that of your children (witness the generation of the desert who feared for their children's lives!) must have any bearing on this holy and irrevocable calling.

Now, look how we've come full circle again back to the meraglim:

"...Why do you discourage the children of Israel from crossing over to the land which the Lord has given them? This is what your fathers did when I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to explore the Land. They went up to the Valley of Eshkol and saw the land, and they discouraged the children of Israel from crossing into the land which the Lord has given them."

Did you, as a Diapora Jew arguing for your right to remain in chu"l even to the point of accusing the Israeli Jew of sinning by being there, ever imagine yourself compared to one of the meraglim who discouraged the people?

This is very serious business, folks! Hashem deemed them worthy of death.

Hashem commanded us regarding Eretz Yisrael - enter and conquer.  The Israeli Jew is suffering because he has not completed the second part of this commandment, but the Diaspora Jew has not even begun!  Brothers and sisters, this is a reality-changiing error and never more so than NOW!  

And a special warning to those who speak lashon hara against Eretz Yisrael, discouraging Diaspora Jews from emigrating and discouraging Israeli Jews and causing them to doubt the righteousness of their mission - if you merit gehinnom, believe me, there will be a very special place for you there.

As I write this, I bear in mind that the Truth hurts and it's never popular with the masses.

It's No Mystery How We Came to This State

4 Kislev 5773

Cruel, wicked, cowardly "leadership" that cares more about world opinion than Jewish life and that adheres to a warped humanistic idea of morality.

This is an example of the kind of people (and thinking) that has brought us to this terrible state:

Former IDF Gaza Division Commander Brigadier-General (retired) Chico Tamir ... feels “we must lower our expectations regarding the outcome of this operation” because if ground forces are sent in, “the amount of force needed [to protect soldiers] will exceed all proportions and therefore the gain by sending in ground forces is minimal in my opinion”.

Tamir feels that the mission as it is may buy quiet for a period of time but “Hamas measures the blow in the number of killed and this operation will not buy us years of quiet to my sorrow. For that to happen, the use of force would have to be beyond what we would view as acceptable”.

He basically feels it is unrealistic to believe when this operation ends Hamas is going to fold up and go away.

And then there's this:

"The IDF reports the Kerem Shalom Crossing will operate for a number of hours on Sunday to permit deliveries of food and humanitarian supplies to Gaza."

And also this:

Prime Minister Netanyahu today spoke with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti, Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras and Czech Prime Minister Petr Necas. During his conversation with German Chancellor Merkel, the Prime Minister said that no country in the world would agree to a situation in which its population lives under a constant missile threat.

Yesterday (Friday, 2 Kislev), Prime Minister Netanyahu spoke with US President Barack Obama for the second time since the start of Operation Pillar of Defense and expressed his appreciation for the US position regarding Israel’s right to defend itself. The Prime Minister also thanked him for the American assistance in purchasing Iron Dome batteries.

Prime Minister Netanyahu is expected to speak with other world leaders this evening and in the coming days.

No other country would feel the need to justify the obvious or seek approval for it either.

The current "leadership" does not have what it takes to finish this job. Only one can - Hashem's anointed - Ben David. And he will only make his appearance when the Jewish people have had enough to understand what needs to be done and are willing to follow such a leader.

I can't help but wonder how much shockingly worse it has to get before that day arrives.

Tomer Devorah wants to publicly offer grateful thanks to HKB"H for His care and protection and for all the miracles He has performed for us that the destruction of Jewish lives and property has not been greater.

Another Milestone Reached

2 Kislev 5773

Debka today:

...Our sources report that Thursday, some international airlines cancelled flights to Israel. International airline officials told DEBKAfile that security in central Israel is uncertain after Palestinian rockets from Gaza reached the Tel Aviv area. They fear Ben Gurion international airport at Lod may be next.

The sources noted that the landing of a rocket in the sea off Bat Yam posed a serious aviation hazard because it occurred under the flight path of passenger planes bound for and departing Israel. Intense Israeli Air Force activity over Gaza was making commercial flights additionally “hazardous if not impossible,” they said.

Air France was the first to reschedule flights and advise passengers to call in before setting out for their airport of departure.

Like everyone else, I'm keeping up with the liveblogging at Muqata and YWN and praying.

Two notes about Shabbat:

Shabbat under Siege: Plans for Quiet Channel, Special Prayer

Rabbi Ovadia Yosef: Add Chosen Prayers till War's End

We may not be able to have a peaceful Shabbat externally, but we can remain at peace internally knowing that HKB"H is in charge of it all and He's doing everything for our very best, in order to bring the geulah shleimah at long last.

Shabbat shalom!

PS: Did you notice that time speeded up again? Watch how quickly developments are occurring now.

Kislev Begins with a Bang

Rosh Chodesh Kislev 5773

OPERATION CLOUD PILLAR LAUNCHED: Israel Eliminates Hamas Military Chief of Staff After 'Decade-Long Terrorist Activity'