The Ariel Blood Libel

A few weeks ago, before Purim, the son of an Israeli missionary in the city of Ariel was hurt in a bomb blast, disguised in a Purim basket. While this attack is certainly disgusting and cannot be justified, without any shred of proof, members of the Evangelical, Baptist, Anglican and Messianic churches have leveled a number of serious and anti-semitic accusation against the Torah-observant community.

Pat Robertson's, our supposed "friend", newspaper, Christian World News, has published an article accusing Orthodox Jewry of attacking the missionary's son and other attacks against Christians in Israel.

(excerpt from CBN):

News of this terror attack has reverberated throughout Israel and around the world.
...
Some see the bombing against the Ortiz family as an unprecedented attack on Messianic believers - Jews who believe Jesus - or Yeshua - is the Jewish Messiah and see no contradiction between being Jewish and believing Jesus was the Son of God.

"One of the most difficult things for the family is that when the press originally brought the story out in Israel in Hebrew, they said that someone from a radical missionary cult was injured," said Calev Meyers of the Jerusalem Institute of Justice.

The Ortiz family asked Meyers to act as a family spokesman.

"The reason the press treated it this way is that the Messianic community in Israel are the victims of ongoing vicious propaganda against the community - especially in the ultra-religious media," Meyers said.

"The ongoing vicious propaganda that comes against families like this and against the Messianic Jewish community lays the basis for radical events or attacks like this against the community and that's what we're really trying to fight," he said.
...
Meyers said, "One of their messages would be, 'We're not giving up and we're going to continue to build the Kingdom of God in Israel, even in the face of this kind of aggression."

Not one of these libels are true. Fatah terrorists have already taken credit for the attack, according to the Bethlehem-based Maan news agency. Of course, this hasn't stopped our "friends" from repeating vicious slander against the Jewish people. The article mentions the Narkiss church fire of last October, and a few other church attacks, and points a finger at the Jews. Despite all of the attacks, police are yet to have any suspects or leads. These accusations are nothing short of a blood libel. Pat Robertson is publicly accusing Orthodox Jews of plotting to murder the son of a pastor.

It is reprehendible how the Christian community has twisted this attack to serve their purposes, to demonstate how "oppressed" they are. They neglect to mention their total disregard for Jewish faith and beliefs. In fact, this month, the World Evangelical Alliance launched a major campaign calling for renewed efforts at Jewish conversion. They took out full page ads the New York Times and other major newspapers. That organization claims 420 million evangelicals in 128 countries. Christian money continues to pour into Israel, to build houses, communities, and most importantly, to "witness" to Jews. There is a veritable epidemic in Israel of Christian missionization, a plague that we have brought upon ourselves. The Jewish nation, parallel to the physical threat, faces the danger of shmad, spiritual annhilation. Let's see how fast the money vanishes when we state that we are not interested in their false messiah.

Watch this video about "persecution" of cultists in Arad. Notice how the Christians refer to Torah-observant Jews as "Pharisees" and mock their black coats and beards, taunts which they learnt from their god.



And look how soon Christian "love" turns on us when we demand respect for our faith. The missionary is attempting to run over a Jew while wearing a t-shirt that says 'J lives me'!



It is time to make fences around the Torah. No more missionaries! Any friend of Israel must respect our Jewish faith. That is our condition.

Archaeological Evidence for the Ten Plagues

I was recently priviledged to read a fascinating book detailing the amazing parallels between ancient Jewish sources regarding the Exodus and Egyptian archaeological records. I highly recommed The Riddle of the Exodus by James D. Long.

While the book presents proof and evidence that is far beyond the scope of this post, I wanted to show proof the the Ten Plagues. In an ancient papyrus, the Egyptain priest Ipuwer presents a lengthy diatribe to the Pharaoh (who certainly is the cause of the Plagues) and laments a series of catastrophes that have shaken the core of the nation. "And Pharaoh's servants said unto him: 'How long shall this man be a snare unto us? let the men go, that they may serve the LORD their God, knowest thou not yet that Egypt is destroyed?'" (Shemot 10:7)

The Torah records:
7:20 "…all the waters of the river were turned to blood."
7:21 "...there was blood thoughout all the land of Egypt …and the river stank".
7:24 "And all the Egyptians dug around the river for water to drink; for they could not drink of the water of the river."

Ipuwer laments:
"Plague is throughout the land. Blood is everywhere."
"The river is blood."
"Men shrink from tasting - human beings, and thirst after water."
"That is our water! That is our happiness! What shall we do in respect thereof? All is ruin!"

The Torah says:

9:23-24 ...and the fire ran along the ground... there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, very grievous.
9:25 ...and the hail smote every herb of the field, and broke every tree of the field.

9:31-32 ...and the flax and the barley was smitten; for the barley was in season, and flax was ripe.

But the wheat and the rye were not smitten; for they were not grown up.

10:15 ...there remained no green things in the trees, or in the herbs of the fields, through all the land of Egypt.

Ipuwer writes:

"Forsooth, gates, columns and walls are consumed by fire."
"Lower Egypt weeps... The entire palace is without its revenues. To it belong [by right] wheat and barley, geese and fish."

"Forsooth, grain has perished on every side."

"Forsooth, that has perished which was yesterday seen. The land is left over to its weariness like the cutting of flax."

The plague of pestilence:

9:3 ...the hand of the Lord is upon thy cattle which is in the field... and there shall be a very grievous sickness.
9:19 ...gather thy cattle, and all that thou hast in the field...

9:21 And he that did not fear the word of the Lord left his servants and cattle in the field.

Ipuwer continues:

"All animals, their hearts weep. Cattle moan..."
"Behold, cattle are left to stray, and there is none to gather them together."

Darkness:

10:22 And there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt

"The land is without light."

The Slaying of the Firstborn:

12:29 And it came to pass, that at midnight the Lord smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive that was in the prison.
12:30 ...there was not a house where there was not one dead.
12:30 ...there was a great cry in Egypt.

"Forsooth, the children of princes are dashed against the walls."
"Forsooth, the children of princes are cast out in the streets."

"The prison is ruined."

"He who places his brother in the ground is everywhere."

"It is groaning throughout the land, mingled with lamentations."

The Pillar of Fire:

13:21 ... by day in a pillar of cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night.

"Behold, the fire has mounted up on high. Its burning goes forth against the enemies of the land."
The Spoiling of Egypt:

12:35-36 ...and they requested from the Egyptians, silver and gold articles and clothing. And God made the Egyptians favour them and they granted their request. [The Israelites] thus drained Egypt of its wealth.

"Gold and lapis lazuli, silver and malachite, carnelian and bronze... are fastened on the neck of female slaves."

There are many more parallels and proofs of the Exodus. Of course, the greatest proof is that for 4 000 years Jews have sat down by the Seder table and repeated the exact same story to their children. This is a chain of a direct unbroken tradition passed down from fathers who saw the events, to their children who in turn passed it down to their children, who passed it down to their children... As soon as the Jews left Egypt, they were commanded to rememeber the Exodus. All of the holidays are designed to commemorate the Exodus. Jews wear tefillin every morning which records the Exodus and have mezuzot on every door to remember G-d passing over the houses of the Jews.

Have a chag kasher v'sameach!

Yearning for the Redemption

"I believe in perfect faith in the coming of the Moshiach and even though he may tarry, I will await his coming every day."


The coming of the Moshiach is a fundamental concept in Judaism. Somebody who denies the coming of Moshiach has no place in the World to Come. The Talmud relates to us that one of the first questions that a person is asked in Heaven is: "Tzipita la'yeshua? - Did you anticipate the Redemption?". It is not merely waiting passively for the Redemption, but anticipation, getting excited over it. King David writes of the Geula: "My soul waits for the Lord, more than watchmen for the morning; yea, more than watchmen for the morning." Just as a watchman stands guard and looks for any sign of the breaking of dawn, so too must we keep watch for the coming of the Redemption. Every single event must be interpreted as a sign of the coming of the Moshiach.

Being the month of Nissan, it is fitting to increase our yearning for the Moshiach. To be able to desire his coming properly, we must first learn about the whole concept of Moshiach. A fantastic resource is Moshiach.com.

Traits of the Moshaich:

He will be descended from King David:
"And there shall come forth a shoot out of the stock of Jesse, and a twig shall grow forth out of his roots." -Isaiah 11:1

He will be a man of this world, an observant Jew with a fear of G-d:
"The Spirit of the L-RD will rest on Him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength, The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the L-RD." -Isaiah 11:2

He will ensure that All Israelites are returned to their homeland:
"And He will set up an ensign for the nations, and will assemble the dispersed of Israel, and gather together the scattered of Judah from the four corners of the earth." -Isaiah 11:12

He will include and attract people from all cultures and nations:
"And it shall come to pass in that day, that the root of Jesse, that standeth for an ensign of the peoples, unto him shall the nations seek; and his resting-place shall be glorious." -Isaiah 11:10

Once he is King, leaders of other nations will look to him for guidance; He will Ensure peace among the Nations:
"And he shall judge between the nations, and shall reprove many peoples: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more." -Isaiah 2:4

Evil and tyranny will not be able to stand before his leadership:
"But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the land; and he shall smite the land with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked." -Isaiah 11:4

He will be a messenger of peace:
"How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger of good tidings, that announceth peace, the harbinger of good tidings, that announceth salvation; that saith unto Zion: 'Thy God reigneth!'" -Isaiah 52:7


He will then perfect the entire world to serve God together:
"For then will I turn to the peoples a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the LORD, to serve Him with one consent." -Zephaniah 3:9


In the Time of the Moshiach:

The Sanhedrin will be re-established:
"And I will restore thy judges as at the first, and thy counsellors as at the beginning; afterward thou shalt be called The city of righteousness, the faithful city." -Isaiah 1:26

The peoples of the world will turn to the Jews for spiritual guidance:
"Thus saith the L-RD of hosts: In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold, out of all the languages of the nations, shall even take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying: We will go with you, for we have heard that G-d is with you.'" -Zechariah 8:23

Knowledge of G-d will fill the world:
"They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the L-RD, as the waters cover the sea." -Isaiah 11:9

The whole world will worship the One G-d of Israel:
"And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be brought low; and the L-RD alone shall be exalted in that day." -Isaiah 2:17

The ruined cities of Israel will be restored:
"And thy sisters, Sodom and her daughters, shall return to their former estate, and Samaria and her daughters shall return to their former estate, and thou and thy daughters shall return to your former estate."- Ezekiel 16:55

The Temple will be rebuilt resuming many of the suspended Mitzvot:
Ezekiel 40-42

Nations will end up recognizing the wrongs they did to Israel:
"Behold, My servant shall prosper, he shall be exalted and lifted up, and shall be very high." -Isaiah 52:13

Weapons of war will be destroyed:
"And they that dwell in the cities of Israel shall go forth, and shall make fires of the weapons and use them as fuel, both the shields and the bucklers, the bows and the arrows, and the hand-staves, and the spears, and they shall make fires of them seven years." -Ezekiel 39:9

Death will be swallowed up (i.e. cease to exist) forever:
"He will swallow up death for ever; and the L-rd G-D will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the reproach of His people will He take away from off all the earth; for the L-RD hath spoken it."- Isaiah 25:8

All of the dead will rise again:
"Thy dead shall live, my dead bodies shall arise--awake and sing, ye that dwell in the dust--for Thy dew is as the dew of light, and the earth shall bring to life the shades." -Isaiah 26:19

The Jewish people will experience eternal joy and gladness:
"And the ransomed of the L-RD shall return, and come with singing unto Zion, and everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away." -Isaiah 51:11

In the merit of our yeaning and longing, may HaShem send His Moshiach speedily in our days, amen.

Separation and Redemption

As history has shown, the natural trend of the Jews is towards assimilation. We don't want to be different. We want to fit it, to belong, to be like everyone else. Even when Jews are prepared to assert themselves, we want allies and friends. Many Jews do not see themselves as members of the Jewish nation but rather "Americans (or Canadians, or British, or French) of the Mosaic Persuasion". As the old saying goes, be a man on the street and a Jew at home. Such was the tragic thinking of the Jews in Egypt.

On Pasuk, (Shemot 1:7) "And the land was filled with them (the Jews)," the Yalkut stated: "If the Egyptians went to the theater, it was full of Jews; if they went to the circus, again, the place was full of Jews." As soon as Levi, the last surviving brother, passed away, the Jews moved away from the customs and ways of Ya'akov and moved out of the shtetl, into cosmopolitain Egypt. The Jews began assimilating in ernest. Pharaoh used their desire for integration and acceptance to his own benefit, as he said (1:10), "Come, let us outsmart them." Pharaoh announced a new public works project for the good of Egypt and invited all of the Jews and native Egyptians to participate. Being loyal citizens, the Jews joined with the Egyptians in this new and glorious project. Pharaoh even set the first brick! As all the Jews had gathered to work, free of charge in order to gain acceptance, Pharaoh brought in the taskmasters who forbade the Jews to stop working. He tricked Am Yisrael into slavery!

To the degree which the Israelites tried to integrate into Egyptian society, they were violently thrown out. Being rejected, they turned insular and returned to their roots. The Midrash tells us that in the merit of the Jews keeping their Jewish names, Jewish language and Jewish garb, they merited the Redemption. Assimilation brought slavery and oppression while separation and self-identification heralded divine compassion and great miracles. G-d took the Jewish people out of Israel to separate us from the other nations, to remove us from the influence of idolatry and of wickedness, to end the foreign influence over us.

"And you shall be holy to Me, for I, the Lord, am holy, and I have distinguished you from the peoples, to be Mine." (Vayikra 20:26)

"So I said to you, You shall inherit their land, and I shall give it to you to possess it a land flowing with milk and honey. I am the Lord your G-d, Who has separated you from the peoples." (Vayikra 20:24)

Sadly, the nation of Israel seems intent today on committing the same foolish sin. Hillel, the Jewish organization on campus, has recently announced that it is opening its doors to non-Jews for membership. According to the report, "the organization is throwing open its doors to everyone, designing programs that appeal to Jews and non-Jews and hyping its contribution to university -- not only Jewish – life." Reportedly, more and more non-Jews are serving on Hillel boards. Whereas the group's mission statement before 2006 was to increase the number of Jews "doing Jewish with other Jews," it now seeks to "enrich" Jewish student life, the Jewish people and the world.

"Most of the students that we have are not interested in doing Jewish with other Jews," a Hillel campus head told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. "They're interested in doing Jewish with their friends who are doing Catholic and Puerto Rican and Turkish -- their friends and their family. The challenge for us is how do you create expressions of Jewish life that students will deem to be authentic at the same time as they are not exclusive or tribal."

Hillel, which purportedly claims to seek to enrich Jewish life on campus and to bring Jews together, is opening the door to assimilation and spiritual destruction. Already, in the United States, every second Jew that gets married is opting out of Judaism, and marries a non-Jew. What is it about Jews that we want to seem tolerant and accepting at all costs, even putting ourselves at jeopardy? (Could it be that being in exile too long has led us to forget that we too have rights?) This is the same dangerous thinking that leads Jews to shun Jewish schools because they are too "sheltered", for the Israeli government to continue its suicidal tendencies at the behest of the United States or to persue policies that put Jewish life in danger in order to gain acceptance by the anti-semitic United Nations. It is this mindset that demands that we continue to allow non-Jews, Evangelical Christians, to support us, even though this gives them a foothold in the Land and brings on the more serious problem of missionization and spiritual erosion.

Jews, we cannot be part of the United Nations, to assimilate among the goyyim. We are a "people that dwells alone and among the peoples is not reckoned" (BaMidbar, 23:9). This is a mitzvah! By relying on non-Jews, we postpone the Ultimate Redemption which will only when we are so pitifully alone, when it will be obvious that Israel has no one to rely on except for HaShem. Rabbi Meir Kahane HY"D wrote: "For so long as the Jew has even one ally, he will be convinced - in his smallness of mind - that his salvation came from that ally. It is only when he is alone - against all of his own efforts and frantic attempts - that he will, through no choice, be compelled to turn to G-d." We do not want acceptance or to integrate. We do not want to be the same or to fit in. Jews, we cannot give up our heritage. Such is a crime and postpones the coming of the Righteous Moshiach. The Redemption from Egypt only occured when it was clear that no one would stand up for the Jews, when Pharaoh arrogantly boasted: "Who is HaShem that I should obey Him and let Israel go?" (Shemot 5:2). Only then did HaShem unleash His full fury and wrath against Egypt and humble the wicked. The plagues and the splitting of the Sea proclaimed to the entire world "There is none like Me on all the earth! (9:14)"

"Blessed are You, Hashem our G-d, King of the universe, Who separates between holy and secular, between light and darkness, between Israel and the nations, between the seventh day and the six days of labor. Blessed are You, Hashem, who separates between the holy and the secular."

Rosh Chodesh Nissan- Renewal

Tomorrow is Rosh Chodesh Nissan, the beginning of the month of Nissan. The Hebrew calendar is determined by the moon, which is a symbol for the nation of Israel. Just as the moon waxes and wanes, yet always regains its strength, so too does the people of Israel. Rosh Chodesh, the New Moon, represents renewal and regrowth. Though today the situation may seem bleak and the Jewish people appear defeated, we will arise like a phoenix from the ashes. Despite the numerous challenges and difficulties we face, both from the inside and out, we will triumph. The Jewish nation lives forever!

Our Sages teaches that just as we were redeemed in Nissan, the month of the Exodus from Egypt, so too are we destined to be redeemed again in Nissan. A hopeless and pathetic rabble of slaves, a broken and lifeless collection of individuals and tribes, were transformed by G-d's mighty hand into a powerful nation. A people that appeared dead were energized and filled with life by the Almighty. Just like the growing crescent of the moon, the nation of Israel was redeemed and renewed. By giving us the power to determine the timing of the New Moon (since a New Moon could only be declared if the court in Jerusalem ruled it so), G-d gave us mastery over time. While other greater and more powerful nations have come and gone, leaving behind only dust and traces, the Jewish people remains. Time has no effect on us as time only exists in this world, while we belong to a different world.

'Will these dry bones live again?', asks the poor Jew. G-d answers him that He has chosen this nation from all others, and that its success is in His hands alone. Today, we are surrounded by a sea of bloodthirsty foes whose hatred knows no bounds. We may seem lethargic or apathetic as assimilation and intermarriage reeks its horrible toll, creating a spiritual genocide. Nonetheless, know that like the moon, we will be renewed. Once we are re-energized, there will be no limit to the accomplishments of Am Yisrael. The nations will stand in amazement as the people that they took for dead, that they did their best to murder and destroy, rape and pillage, convert and assimilate, stands proudly once again and asserts its rights. Our redemption is now. It is a time for comfort.

"Turn Thou us unto Thee, O LORD, and we shall be turned; renew our days as of old."

Separating the Holy from the Impure

(This graphic is reprinted with the permission of Yehuda HaKohen. This is a hechsher for kosher sites. Should anybody wish to reuse it, e-mail Yehuda and ask for his permission. Otherwise, it is stealing.)

We are commanded in the Torah to make separations between the holy and the impure. "For I am the LORD your God; sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy; for I am holy... to make a difference between the unclean and the clean." (VaYikra 11:44,47) Purity and impurity cannot coexist. One cannot have a piece of bacon at a shabbat table. In the same way, mixing Judaism with idolatry does not make it kosher. In fact, it makes it all the more repugnant, detestable and loathsome.

Being a Torah-oriented site, I strive for kashrut and kedusha in all of my writing. Unfortunately, this site is often hijacked by avodah zara, idolatry, evil and impurity. That being said, all For Zion's Sake readers must conform to some new rules:

1) I don't care how much you love Israel or support the Jewish people. It doesn't matter if you drop Yiddish phrases, eat bagels and lox or "Judaize" your faith. There is no Yeshua, nor is there a Brit Chadasha. I doubt that any of you were taught in Sunday school about the Rav Shaul or his 12 talmidim. These are simply attempts to kasher up treif and to mislead gullible Jews. You can wrap it in a tallis, immerse it in a mikveh and get an OU stamp on it but if it believes in JC as Lord and Saviour, it ain't kosher.

2) There is to be no mention of foreign gods, especially the name of Yeishu HaNotzri, yimach shemo. I have no need for your pagan saviour-gods, or for men deified by votes during the early centuries CE.

3) No missionary texts are to be quoted. It is pointless to quote the Christian Bible to me or to any Jew as we do not hold it as authoritative. You might as well quote Harry Potter, an equally good (I think better) work of fiction.

4) Anybody, Jew or non-Jew is free to comment and discuss, but should any attempt be made to missionize or to share avodah zara (idolatry), the result will be automatic suspension or being banned from my site.

5) If you claim to support the Jewish people, then that must extend to respect for the Jewish faith and belief. I will not tolerate any accusations of following "the laws of men" and no slander of the rabbis will be permitted. (A favourite is calling them "a brood of vipers.") I don't need your faith to be "saved". I have the Torah and you cannot take that away from me.

6) Messianic "Jews" need not apply.

This is not out of anger or hatred. It is merely a request for common courtesy. I simply want respect of my religion on this blog. Many non-Jews comment here and have been nothing but respectful. I do not want them to leave. Feel free to ask any questions that you want as long as there is no intent to missionize.

"Therefore we put our hope in You, HaShem our G-d, to soon see the glory of Your strength, to remove all idols from the Earth, and to completely cut off all false gods; to perfect the world in the kingdom of the Almighty. And for all living flesh to call Your name, and for all the wicked of the Earth to turn to You. May all the world's inhabitants recognize and know that to You every knee must bend and every tongue must swear loyalty. Before You, HaShem, our G-d, may all bow down, and give honor to Your precious name, and may all take upon themselves the yoke of Your rule. And may You reign over them soon and forever and always. Because all rule is Yours alone, and You will rule in honor forever and ever. As it is written in Your Torah: "HaShem will reign forever and ever." And it is said: "HaShem will be Ruler over the whole Earth, and on that day, G-d will be One, and G-d's name will be One."

Amen, may that day come soon.

On the Brink

Brothers, Am Yisrael is in dire straits. The sword of heavenly judgement is on our necks. Our people is in grave danger and our lives literally are held in the balance.

- The Hezbollah have around 30,000 rockets (according to the minister of security advertised on the news) and Iran and Syria are continuing to supply them with weaponry.

- Among the weapons are advanced, long-ranged Iranian rockets that are a threat to all major populated areas in Israel; power stations, airports, harbors, etc. the range extends all the way to the nuclear plant in Dimona ("Ha'aretz", March 2, 2008).

- There is an even greater threat from Iranian and Syrian missiles carrying biological or chemical weapons, something for which Israel is completely unprepared.

- Syria is boosting up forces along its northern border and calling up reserves in anticipation of a possible conflict with Israel. On Wednesday, the London-based Al-Quds al-Arabi reported that Damascus was preparing for a large-scale Israeli attack against Syria and Hizbullah and has begun increasing its presence along its border with Lebanon, as well as calling up reserve forces.

- Al-Qaeda No. 2, Ayman al-Zawahiri, pledged Wednesday night to do his utmost to strike Jews all over the world and to extend the Jihad to Jerusalem. "We promise our Muslim brothers that we will do the best we can to harm Jews in Israel and the world over, with Allah's help and according to his command," he said.

- Israel's leaders are still exhibiting suicidal tendencies in a misguided "peace" process, wanting to tear tens of thousands of Jews out of Judea and Samaria and to bring Arab rockets even closer to Israeli cities.

What can we do? How can we save ourselves from these threats of destruction?

Let us recognize that we have no one to rely on except HaShem. The US cannot save us, and neither can the Israeli army. Our only strength and protector is the Rock of Israel, HaShem.

We are taught that whenever evil decrees are upon Am Yisrael, we must all don sackcloth and ashes, fast and most importantly, pray for salvation and do teshuva. We must immediately return to HaShem, do complete teshuva, confess our sins and recommit to HaShem's Torah. The sword is upon Israel's neck, slated for destruction, G-d forbid, and nobody has any answers. The government has admitted that Israel is completely unprepared for an Iranian or Syrian biological or chemical attack. Our lives are in danger! There is no time to lose!

Simulataneous prayer services are being help in 40 cities in Israel and in Monsey, NY, Thursday. Traditionally, whenever the Jewish people have suffered tremendous tribulations, we have put on sack and ashes and fasted. The Patriarch Jacob, Moses, the nation as a whole several times during the period of the Judges, Mordechai and Esther- these are but a few examples of the proper response to divine judgement.

This is also what is written in Shulchan Aruch:

"All the people [of Israel] gather together, covering themselves in sacks… one of the people takes the ashes… each and every person takes from the ashes and places it upon his head. After that they bring one of their older wise men… and he says capturing words (words that capture the hearts of the listeners and arouse them to teshuva)… until their hearts surrender (to HaShem) and they then do complete teshuva."

Please my brothers, we have no time to lose. We have tried every secular option- of surrendering 'land for peace', of fighting the terrorists, of negotiating, of bombing our enemies- yet all have failed. We cannot make peace without HaShem.

"Oh that My people would hearken unto Me, that Israel would walk in My ways! I would soon subdue their enemies, and turn My hand against their adversaries." (Psalm 81:14-15)

While most of us cannot pick up a weapon and fight against our enemies, there is something that we each can do. The strength and weapon on Israel is prayer and mitzvot. The Arabs may have tilim (rockets) but we have a far greater power: tehillim (Psalms). A mitzvah, a G-dly deed, has the power to reach deep into the core of our being--where we are all one, and the physical distance between us is of no consequence. At this core, a positive deed on our part will help bring salvation to a brother and sister in distress. As the Rambam taught, a single good deed is enough to tip the scale in our favour and turn the tide.

Here are some suggestions. You can make a difference.

- Torah Study: The Torah is our true strength. HaShem promised that if we study and follow the Torah, our enemies will have no power over us. (Daily study)

- Heartfelt prayer: Say some Tehillim, pour out your heart and beg HaShem to have mercy on His people. "Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will make mention of the name of the LORD our God." (Psalm 20:8)

- Charity and acts of kindness: Put a coin in a charity box, give a gift of money to a fellow in need or to a charitable cause, or extend a helping hand to someone who needs it. G-d loves nothing better than Jewish unity.

- Tefillin: The Torah promises that in the merit of the mitzvah of tefillin, "all the nations of the world will see that the name of G-d is called upon you, and they will fear you" (Deuteronomy 28:10). Every Jewish male must don tefillin every morning when praying.

- Mezuzah: If you have not placed mezuzot on your doors, do so. As our Sages have said: "A human king sits inside his palace and his servants guard him from the outside. But you sleep on your beds, and G-d guards you (i.e. through the Mezuzah on your doorposts) from the outside." (Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Avoda Zara 11a.)

- Shabbat candles: We are told by HaShem: "If you kindle for me the lights of shabbat, I will kindle for you the lights of Zion". Before sunset on Friday nights, every Jewish woman must light candles in honour of the holy shabbat.

"Bring us to Zion, Your city, with joy and to Jerusalem, Your Holy Temple with the joy of the world."





*** Please help publicize this important message.

Cross-posted to Jewish Vengeance

HaShem Reigns!

Hear O Israel, HaShem is our G-d, HaShem is the One and Only. HaShem is G-d. HaShem reigned, HaShem reigns, HaShem will reign for all eternity.

HaShem is the One and Only power in this world. There is none other besides Him. He sent us down to this world with the purpose of us getting to know Him. He's waiting for you. You need only take the first step and recognize His majesty.

"And you shall know today, and set it firmly in your heart,
that Hashem is the G-d in heaven above and on earth below, there is no other." (Deuteronomy/Devarim 4.39)

"The Holy One said, open for me a door as big as a needle's eye and I will open for you a door through which may enter tents and camels." (Midrash Rabbah, The Song of Songs, 5.3) Open the door for Him.

Resisting Evil

As China prepares to host the 2008 Olympic Games, it is time to examine China's horrendous human rights record. The repressive Chinese regime intends to use the Olympic Games as propaganda, as a means of gaining worldwide recognition and legitimacy. It is also a perfect opportunity to showcase Chinese attrocities.

Darfur:

Since 2003, between 200 000 and 400 000 thousands black Africans have been murdered by the state-sponsored Arab janjaweed militiamen in Darfur. Thousands have been slaughtered or raped, villages have been razed and horrible war crimes have been committed. A strong UN force is needed to stop the genocide in Darfur. The Sudanese President has repeatedly refused to allow an international force into Darfur, preposterously claiming that it is an attempt to recolonize the country. He has been able to get away with this largely because China, a permanent member of the Security Council, continues to protect him with the threat of using its veto. China, in an attempt to fuel its booming economy, is desperate for new sources of resources. China is trying to diversify its oil sources beyond the crisis- prone Middle East, and Africa is one obvious alternative. Already, 7 percent of China's imported oil comes from Sudan.

Sending international forces to protect Darfur, over the protest of Sudan's government, conjures up fears in Beijing of a UN force intervening in Tibet. China's continued support for the Sudanese president and refusal to condemn the ethnic cleansing in Darfur is one of the primary obstacles in ending the wanton slaughter.


Organ Harvesting:

In 2006, a report emerged that China was harvesting organs- lungs, hearts, kidneys, livers, etc.- from healthy prisoners, and Falun Gong sect members, and selling them at exorbitant prices to keep its lucrative organ market operating. Some dismissed this as slander. In response, the Canadian government appointed two respected attorneys, David Matas and David Kilgour, to investigate the allegations. On May 8, 2006, their submitted report confirmed the worst: that thousands of healthy prisoners were being slaughtered in order to harvest their organs.

Rabbi David Druckman, the Chief Rabbi of the northern city of Kiryat Motzkin and an outspoken opponent of Land of Israel withdrawals, says Jews must take the lead in condemning China for its murder of prisoners of conscience in order to harvest their organs.

"The atrocity is so great," Rabbi Druckman says on a recently released video, "that there are simply no words to express it. From a certain standpoint it is even worse than what the Nazis did... to cut organs from people under the cover of medical help for other people is simply astonishing and shocking from every human vantage point."

"It is especially incumbent upon us as Jews to lead the campaign that expresses total disgust at this phenomenon," Rabbi Druckman says. "Especially us, the Jewish Nation, that suffered the crimes of the Nazis, may their names be blotted out, and those of the Communists under Stalin - who can stand by and comprehend the world's silence at all this?"


Burma:

Burma has one of the worst human rights records in the world. According to one report, "The Burmese military regime is allowing its troops systematically and on a widespread scale to commit rape with impunity in order to terrorize and subjugate the ethnic peoples" in the country's northeast. It is ruled by a brutal military junta and the people suffer tremendous repression. The international community has threatened to sanction the oil-rich kingdom but to no avail as the West has little leverage over Burma. But China does. China is the country's biggest investor, major consumer of its resources, and primary arms supplier, and thousands of Chinese laborers have flowed into the country. Because of Chinese economic interests in Burma, China supports a regime that oppresses its own people and has killed tens of pro-democracy protesters.

Tibet:

In 1949-1950, Chinese troops were sent in to occupy Tibet. In the following years, the Chinese set out to destroy and eradicate Tibetan culture and history. 1.2 million Tibetans, one-fifth of the country's population, died as a result of China's policies; many more languished in prisons and labor camps; and more than 6000 monasteries, temples and other cultural and historic buildings were destroyed and their contents pillaged. There has been a huge influx of ethnic Han Chinese into Tibet and in certain regions, Chinese outnumber Tibetans two to one. This population shift is an attempt by the Chinese to weaken Tibet's autonomy and identity and to erase Tibetan culture. Unarmed demonstrators have been shot without warning by Chinese police on five occasions between 1987 and 1989. Amnesty International believes that at least 200 civilians were killed by the security forces during demonstrations in this period. There are also reports of detainees being summarily executed. Chinese has replaced Tibetan as Tibet's official language. Tibetan speakers find it increasingly hard to find employment in Tibetan. Religious practice was forcibly suppressed until 1979, and up to 6,000 monasteries and shrines have been destroyed. Resettlement of Chinese migrants has placed Tibetans in the minority in many areas, including Lhasa, causing chronic unemployment among Tibetans. In 1990, the Chinese admitted that there were 44,000 Chinese in Lhasa and around 80,000 in the whole of the TAR. But independent observers believe the figure is in fact far higher. In the east Tibetan border provinces of Kham and Amdo, the Chinese outnumber Tibetans many times over. China is currently violently suppressing Tibetan protester.

***

China's human right abuses are really not surpising given China's atheist Communist ideology. Communism is doctrinally opposed to G-d and religion. [Consider China's campaign of repression against Tibetan and Burmese Buddhists or of Chinese Christians.] Communism believes that everything can be reduced to economic worth, therefore a human being has a purely economic value, and an undesirable such as a Falun Gong adherent, a Tibetan monk or a political dissident, has thousands of dollars worth of organs to be harvested. According to their perverted philosphy, humans have no inherent value and are disposable should an individual oppose the policies of the Chinese government.

Such was the belief on many ancient societies. The Greeks used to dispose of unwanted or weak babies by leaving them to die on abandonned mountains or forests. Thousands endured horrific conditions in Egyptian, Greek or Roman slavery. And along came the Jews with a new system of morality. This system was based on the Torah, which gives humans spiritual value due to their creation in the image of G-d. The sanctity of human life is inviolable because it is divine in origin.

Jews are commanded to disseminate the Universal Noahide Laws around the world. One is them is the prohibition against murder, which many have unfortunately forgotten. It is a religious duty for every Jew, and Noahide, to oppose China's evil human rights abuses.

Rabbi Druckman says: "When there is evil in the world, every person with a human conscience, and every person with intelligence, must protest against it... Jewish Law requires of us to spread values of faith in the Creator and of maintaining the human image throughout the world. The same Torah that tells us to keep the Sabbath and to eat only Kosher food, also requires that we influence all of mankind - as is written, 'From Zion shall go forth Torah and the word of G-d from Jerusalem.'"

"We must also do whatever will result in a sharp condemnation of these animals that are doing these things in China. This will help raise the standard of the entire human race in the world, and the more the world improves and becomes more gentle, this will bring us closer to the Redemption and the arrival of the Just Redeemer."

As the Olympic torch travels around the world, let us light a different type of torch. Let us light a torch of human rights, of being "a light unto the nations". Let us illuminate the world with the timeless and eternal wisdom of the Torah. May the day come when nations shall not lift up swords against other nations, neither shall they learn war anymore. Amen.

Cross-posted to Goat's Barnyard

Fitna

I have nothing more to say.

Thanks, Pastor, for Saving Me

I came across a very interesting article in a magazine of which I am not a very frequent reader, Christianity Today, one of the largest evangelical magazines in the US, which is a call to evangelize the Jews. While I obviously disagree with the author's sentiments, I appreciate his candor. Here it is: (My commentary in red.)

Why Evangelize the Jews?

by Stan Guthrie

Larry King is not known as a tough interviewer. Yet with smooth-talking pastor and author Joel Osteen, he went for the jugular, asking whether Jews and Muslims must believe in C to go to heaven. And Osteen blinked: "I'm very careful about saying who would and wouldn't go to heaven. I don't know." (A very mature pastor. I like him.)

While Osteen later apologized for seemingly downplaying the necessity of faith in C for salvation, the pluralistic pressure to waffle on this issue is intense. Several mainline denominations support a two-covenant theology, which holds that Judaism and Christianity are parallel, divinely guided paths to God. (I guess that Christianity's finally growing up. Now if they would just drop their belief in J...) In addition, in 2002 the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops released a document, "Reflections on Covenant and Mission," affirming that "Jews already dwell in a saving covenant with God."

Noting that many church leaders and theologians have "retreated from embracing the task of evangelizing Jews," in 1989 a global group of evangelical theologians (including Vernon Grounds, Kenneth Kantzer, J. I. Packer, and Tokunboh Adeyemo) drafted the Willowbank Declaration on the Christian Gospel and the Jewish People. They denied that "any non-Christian faith, as such, will mediate eternal life with God." (I'm sure Isaiah must have got it wrong when he said: "Your people are all righteous, they shall inherit the land forever; the branch of My planting, the work of My hands, wherein I glory." [60:21])

Such a statement, attacked when it was released, remains politically incorrect. Voices both inside and outside the church say that evangelizing Jewish people—calling them to repent of their sins and trust in J C as their Lord, Savior, and Messiah—is inappropriate. Rabbi David Rosen recently told CT that if someone relates to him "as someone who's going to burn in hell, then I can't really see that as genuine love toward my people and my faith." Duh!

I love and respect the Jewish people and their faith. (Only the parts that they got right, of course. Christianity is the way to go.) After all, J was a Jew (if he existed), and Christianity is firmly rooted in the Hebrew Scriptures (not quite true. Leave my Scriptures alone! I challenge any Christian to find one solid proof supporting the messiahood of JC. Not an ambiguous, unclear quote taken out of context, but the sort of proof that would stand up in a court of law.). Certainly the Holocaust and the church's horrific anti-Semitism have changed the context for evangelism. (Right... so since burning us at the stake didn't work, Christians should take a different approach to getting us to become Christian. Maybe like dressing up as Jews, worshipping "Yeshua", according to the "Brit Chadasha" and going to Messianic "synagogues", dropping Yiddish terms, supporting Israel and eating bagels and lox.) We have much for which to apologize. But we cannot apologize for the gospel, which is Good News for Jewish people precisely because they—like all human beings—need J. Paul, a Hebrew of Hebrews (not! Paul, who taught that JC saved the Jews from the "curse of the law", clearly violated Deuteronomy 13:1, which states that nothing can be added or subtracted to G-d's law. In opposing the Torah and in deifing JC, Paul's sins warranted the death penalty. That's why many Jews reacted violently to his teachings.), said plainly, "What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. for … all, both Jews and Greeks, are under the power of sin." (If you've sinned, do teshuva. “That every man will turn from his evil way, then I will forgive their iniquity and their sin.” (Jeremiah 36:3). But, of course, Christians know the Torah better than us.)

Some believe that Romans, which states emphatically that "all Israel will be saved," teaches that Jews do not need to hear the Good News from us. (I really don't care what you believe. If you can do enough theological acrobatics to worship a man as G-d, you can surely fix this problem. Leave us alone!) (Along those lines, Rosen asks evangelicals to "suspend your proselytizing and allow the Almighty to do whatever the Almighty thinks is the thing to do in his own time.") Such interpretations remind me of the apocryphal story of the misguided churchman who condescendingly told budding missionary William Carey, "Young man, sit down; when God pleases to convert the heathen, he will do it without your aid and mine." If Carey had sat down, the modern missionary movement might have died stillborn.

Ordinarily God uses people to spread his message. Good news is no news at all if it is not communicated. And it must be shared first with the Jews (Rom. 1:16). Their calling as God's covenant people makes our evangelistic obligation to them greater, not less. "The biblical hope for Jewish people," Willowbank says, "centers on their being restored through faith in C to their proper place as branches of God's olive tree, from which they are at present broken off." ("Thus saith the LORD: If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, then will I also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, saith the LORD." [Jeremiah 31:36] We don't need Christianity to make us kosher- we got the Torah.)

Some people denigrate the methods and motives of people who evangelize Jews. They claim that focusing ministry on—or "targeting"—Jews is just plain wrong. "Billy Graham didn't target Jews," pastor John Hagee says. "Bill Bright refused to target the Jews. I'm not targeting the Jews." (Good for you! Interested in a little Noahide laws yourself? At least these are kosher.)

Others charge that those who evangelize Jewish people are deceptive or are attempting to snare the vulnerable in the Jewish community. These would include students, the aged, Russian Jews, the impoverished, those from dysfunctional or interfaith families, and the uneducated.
Strangely, other types of focused evangelism—such as among students or the homeless—seem to be acceptable. As Willowbank correctly notes, "The existence of separate churchly organizations for evangelizing Jews … can be justified … as an appropriate means of fulfilling the church's mandate to take the gospel to the whole human race." (Only ignorant Jews who are completely assimilated and desperately thirst for spirituality while being unaware of the beauty of Judaism succumb. Have missionaries had any luck in Meah Shearim or in Bnei Brak?)

Of course, deception and manipulation are always wrong. The ends do not justify the means when it comes to evangelism. Rick Warren of Saddleback Church has rightly told Jewish audiences that he doesn't believe in coercion—though he does believe in persuasion.
So must we. As we continue the good works of dialogue and practical ministries among our Jewish neighbors, let's renew our commitment to also sensitively but forthrightly persuade them to receive the Good News. (Obviously, if you play good cop/ bad cop with us, we'll just chuck that whole 'Judaism' thing out the window. Get real. Study some Torah.)
***

Why are these guys our friends? If anybody wants to steal our souls, we don't need them. HaShem will protect us, so we have no need to rely on goyyim. They need us though, since those who bless Israel will be blessed and those who curse Israel will be cursed.

Since the author seems so determined to evangelize to Jews, I'm gonna evangelize back. The path for non-Jews to achieve salvation is to follow the 7 Universal Noahide Laws. The only one worth worshipping is HaShem, the One and Only, and there is no need for an intermediary between you and Him.



Take a look at this video. It seems that some of these people (some- there are many good Christians out there who support us with no ulteriour motive) are using us as cannon-fodder for the Second Coming. Some Christians hold that before JC can come back, a certain amount of Jews have to accept Christianity. What will happen when Christians realize that we're not converting and JC's not coming back? What will they do when they realize that we're holding up his return? Will they forcibly convert us? It's not so far-fetched. Something to chew on...

A Jewish State

There are over a hundred nations of Christian background, slightly less Muslim nations, and only one extremely small Jewish nation sitting on a narrow strip of land along the Mediterranean. While nobody seems to have a problem that the Queen of England, its head of state, is also the head of the Church of England, or that non-Muslims are forbidden from publicly worshipping in Saudi Arabia, the world nods in agreement that the idea of a Jewish state, a democratic, free state of Jews built on Jewish principles (hopefully), is something primitive, wrong or artificial. (As if a state of French people in France or Chinese in China is offensive!) Many believe it to be charitable for another leader or country to acknowledge Israel's right to exist, as if Israel's right to exist is suspended in mid-air until someone allows us to live. Nobody challenges the rights of Canada, Chad or Australia to exist but to the self-righteous liberals of the world, a Jewish state is intolerant and racist. One need not look far to hear calls for the dismantling of Israel, branding the state as illegitimate, born in sin. Such calls are not only dangerous, but they are plain anti-semitic, to deny Jews the right of self-determination which is extended to all peoples. It is also genocidal in nature because by marking the Jews in Israel as squatters, they give liscence to Arab excesses and murder in the attempt to "liberate" their land.


The Jewish people arose in the Land of Israel and since the time of the Conquest by Joshua, Jews have maintained a constant presence there. In 70 CE, the Roman armies of Titus and Hadrian marched through Judea, massacred its people, enslaved and exiled the remnants, razed Jerusalem and burnt the Holy Temple, rebuilt on its site a pagan city, and renamed the land Palastina. Millions of Jews, of Zionists, slaughtered, and the survivors were scattered to the four corners of the globe for two millenium. During these bitter years, the Jewish people suffered intense persecution, humilation, oppression, pogroms, Crusades, Inquistions, forced conversions and Holocausts. Thousands of Jews gave their lives in order to remain Jewish, as Muslim and Christian mobds demanded that they accept the truth of the revelations of Jesus or Muhammad. The Jews endured ridicule and ostracism, being a minority in hostile lands. It is little over 60 years ago when the Jews were taken from all over Europe (and the Jews of North Africa were only saved miraculously) and killed by the Nazis. The Jewish nation was weak, dispersed and defenseless. As the Jews suffocated and burned in Auschwitz, the world sat silently. The Pope turned a blind eye as all of the Jews of Rome were rounded up from beneath his very window. The message was painfully clear: never again to be a minority. We must be the masters in our own house.

From these ashes of the horrid destruction that engulfed the Jewish people 60 years ago, the nation regathered in its ancient homeland and reestablished itself. Jews had been living there since biblical times, and in the previous two centuries, settlements and aliyah flourished. Land that had been desolate and malaria-infested under the Arabs for hundreds of years suddenly bloomed when its rightful owners returned to reclaim it. Jerusalem, the ancient and eternal capital of Israel, which had been a backwater outpost in the Ottoman Empite, had a thriving Jewish population. In 1948, the state of Israel was declared and it quickly accepted 600 000 Holocaust surivors and close to a million Jews from Arab lands who were expelled from lands which they had lived in for millenium. The state grew and in 1967, following Arab threats and belligerence, Israel liberated Judea and Samaria, Sinai and the Golan and the Jews were finally reunited with their ancient and eternal capital Jerusalem, which was forbidden to Jews under Jordanian rule. The Israeli army ran towards the Kotel and towards the Temple Mount, which has been used as a garbage dump by the Arabs, and the tears of the soldiers poured over the holy stones. The Jewish people had come home.

Some people naively argue today that since most countries guarantee Jews equal rights for the moment, we should waltz right back into exile. Little do they know that anti-Semitic acts are quite common in Europe, Canada and even the United States as synagogues are firebombed, Jewish schools and cemetaries vandalized, and Jews beaten up regularly. Anti-semitism is far from gone and is on a frightening increase. Nonetheless, even without anti-semitism or Jew-hatred, Israel is essential. The Jews are entitled, as are the Swiss, the Italians and the Cambodians, to self-rule, to have a country of their own in which to practice their faith freely, to develop their culture and to shape their own destiny.


Israel has always been at the center of Jewish conscious. Jews pray three times a day that "our eyes behold Your return to Zion in mercy". We have ended every Passover seder with the words, "Next Year in Jerusalem!". The Land of Israel is the heart of the nation (Or Ne’erav 5:4). All of the Jewish pilgrimage festivals are based on the agricultural cycle of Israel. "See how dear the Land of Israel is before the Holy One Blessed Be He, that most of the commandments are determined there" (Batei Midrashot 1). Judaism in exile is unnatural, existing like a spirit without a body. Only in Israel is Judaism healthy, natural, complete and uncompartmentalized. The Jewish communities in the Diaspora are shrinking, plagued by a 50% assimilation and intermarriage rate. The American Jew is quickly vanishing, through assimilation, country clubs, pork chops, intermarriage and public schools. Israel is the only Jewish community that is thriving and flourishing because it is where Judaism belongs. "There is no Torah like the Torah of the Land of Israel And no wisdom like the wisdom of the Land of Israel." (Sifri, Ekev) Just as the Swede is connected to Sweden, so to is the Jew connected with his heart and soul in Israel. "The Land of Israel is our inheritance from our forefathers" (Baba Batra 119:B) It belongs to us by virtue of inheritance, by Divine promise, by our never ending love-affair with this land. It is in Israel that the Jew is meant to create a holy society, to be able to practice the mitzvot freely, which is impossible in exile. Our Jewish destiny is to become a "light unto the nations", to teach the world of the Truth of HaShem, that there is none but Him, which cannot be done living in the humilation and enslavement of exile.


G-d said: The Land is Mine, and the People of Israel is Mine. I will give My Land to My People (Tanchumah, Bamidbar 34). Who dares fight against the Master of the Universe?

Cross-posted to Goat's Barnyard and Jewish Vengeance

It is Not in the Heavens!

A friend of mine is seriously into karate and trains very hard. He almost ha a black belt. Once, he travelled to Japan for a tournament and on this trip, he was able to meet with old Japanese masters at karate. They were older men trained and raised in the ancient arts, devoted to teaching and spreading karate. They were treated with extreme respect as they, having lived their entire lives in the study of karate, were experts at it. These elders had been trained in the secrets of the martial art. As anybody knows, a discipline or art cannot simply exist in an academic level but must have leaders and masters.

Interestingly enough, while almost everyone would treat these karate masters with respect, many deride the rabbis as "a brood of vipers", "Pharisees" and taunt the Jews as following the laws of man as opposed to the laws of G-d. Some like to mock the rabbis and call them hypocrites who prefer to focus on the trivial aspects of the law as opposed to its deeper purpose: intimacy with G-d. Fools. Little do they know.

On Mount Sinai, G-d spoke to the entire Jewish nation and revealed to us His Torah, both the Oral and the Written. One is meaningless without the other, in the sense that one cannot learn karate from a book but only with a teacher. At Sinai, G-d taught to Moses His commandments, who transmitted it to Joshua, who transmitted it to the Elders, then to the Prophets, and then to the Men of the Great Assembly. Moses was taught of the many laws that are not found explicitly in the Torah, yet are alluded to. He was shown how to make tefillin, of what colour it should be, of what material, how to wrap it, etc. Moses was shown the precise way of wrapping tzitzit, the fringes that Jews wear on the corners of their garments. For 40 years, the Jews dwelt in G-d's womb and studied Torah from His mouth.

While many aspects of Judaism are from Sinai like kashrut, the 39 forbidden labours on Shabbat, or tefillin, many prohibitions or obligations are rabbinical in origin. The holidays of Chanukkah and Purim are nowhere in the Five Books of Moses yet they are equally incumbent on every Jew as the biblical holiday of Pesach. The prohibition against carrying on Shabbat is one a rabbinic one as well, to "build a fence around the Torah" and to prevent Shabbat desecration. Laws of man?

A fundamental principle in Judaism is that of lo bashamayim hi. In Moses' final oration and testimony to the Jews before he died (Deut 30:12), he summed his speech up with four magnifience verses: "Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, "Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?" Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, "Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?" No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it." From this we derive the principle that the Torah is no longer in heaven, but that G-d gave it to man to interpret and to follow. With this verse, G-d gave us the power and authority to decide halacha, matters of Torah law. Actually, G-d's opinion is no longer relevant as Torah law became the sole domain of the Jewish people. But the phrase "not in heaven" took on an extraordinary life of its own in the rabbinic era. It gave rise to a justly famous story in the Talmud (Baba Metzia 59a), one of the most radical and paradoxical in religious literature. It is the tale of another oven that needed to be declared kosher. This oven was a new invention created by a certain man named Achnai. Achnai brought his new oven to the rabbinical court at the house of study for them to give his contraption their imprimatur and deem it appropriate for Jewish use. With the exception of Rabbi Eliezer, every sage at the house of study declared that the oven was un-kosher. Rabbi Eliezer brought forward every imaginable argument to try and convince the other sages that the oven was kosher, but none of his colleagues was convinced. Rabbi Eliezer was getting frustrated, and he shouted at them: “If Achnai's oven is in fact kosher, as I say it is, then let this carob tree prove it!” And the carob tree flew out of the ground and landed a hundred cubits away. Unimpressed, the other sages retorted: “No proof can be brought from a carob tree.” Again Rabbi Eliezer implored them: “If the oven is kosher, then let the stream of water prove it.” And the stream of water flowed backwards. “No proof can be brought from a stream of water,” the rabbis rejoined. More frustrated than ever, Rabbi Eliezer cried out: “If the oven is kosher, as I say it is, let the walls of this house of study prove it!” And the walls began to fall inward. But Rabbi Joshua rebuked the collapsing walls saying: “When scholars are engaged in a disagreement over a point of Jewish law, what right do you have to interfere?” And the walls did not fall in honor of Rabbi Joshua, nor did they resume their upright position in honor of Rabbi Eliezer. Again Rabbi Eliezer said to the sages, “If the law agrees with me regarding the fact that Achnai's oven is kosher, then let it be proved by heaven.” And a heavenly voice cried out: “Why do you rabbis argue with Eliezer? He's always right in his interpretation of the law!" But Rabbi Joshua arose and exclaimed to the sky: “It is not in Heaven” (Deuteronomy 30:12). One must follow the majority!” At that moment, the sages say, God laughed, saying “My children have defeated me! My children have overruled me!”

With this, we became partners with G-d in creation. When the majority of rabbis in the Sanhedrin, and today in the beit din, decide the halachah, the law becomes the Words of the Living G-d and no Jew is free to oppose them. The Torah states: "If there arise a matter too hard for thee in judgment, between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke, even matters of controversy within thy gates; then shalt thou arise, and get thee up unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose. And thou shall come unto the priests the Levites, and unto the judge that shall be in those days; and thou shalt inquire; and they shall declare unto thee the sentence of judgment. And thou shalt do according to the tenor of the sentence, which they shall declare unto thee from that place which the LORD shall choose; and thou shalt observe to do according to all that they shall teach thee. According to the law which they shall teach thee, and according to the judgment which they shall tell thee, thou shalt do; thou shalt not turn aside from the sentence which they shall declare unto thee, to the right hand, nor to the left. And the man that doeth presumptuously, in not hearkening unto the priest that standeth to minister there before the LORD thy God, or unto the judge, even that man shall die; and thou shalt exterminate the evil from Israel. And all the people shall hear, and fear, and do no more presumptuously." (Deut. 17:8-13) The Torah was given to man to interpret, to understand and to live by. The Talmud tells us, when the ministering angels come to G-d to ask when is the Festival of the New Moon, He tells them, "Why do you ask me? Let us go to the earthly court of the sages and ask them what they've decided. (Midrash Rabbah, Devarim 2:14)

The Torah is not in the heavens! It is near and dear to us, given to man to live by. G-d gave us the amazing priviliege of living by His Torah. What an amazing challenge! It is said that G-d is to found within the four cubits of the halacha. Will you meet Him there?

You Shall be Holy!

YnetNews has published another article in a long series of articles on gays in Israel. I am not quite sure why they keep on broadcasting this smut but its really starting to bug me. This one's about OUT magazine publishing pickup lines for Israeli gays, coming after one calling for Jews to accept homosexuality (right after accepting chillul shabbat, of course) and about a website for "religious" gays. These come after the mayor of Tel Aviv pledged to promote gay tourism in Israel.

It sickens me to my stomach to believe that in the land of Sodom and Gomorah, there are calls for more gay tourism, gay "Pride" parades and gay acceptance. Israel is not the United States, it is not Europe, it is not Las Vegas. The Holy Land cannot tolerate this kind of debauchery. The Torah is very explicit: "Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them: I am the LORD your God. After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do; and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do; neither shall ye walk in their statutes... Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind; it is abomination... Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things; for in all these the nations are defiled, which I cast out from before you. And the land was defiled, therefore I did visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land vomited out her inhabitants. Ye therefore shall keep My statutes and Mine ordinances, and shall not do any of these abominations; neither the home-born, nor the stranger that sojourneth among you-- for all these abominations have the men of the land done, that were before you, and the land is defiled-- that the land vomit not you out also, when ye defile it, as it vomited out the nation that was before you. For whosoever shall do any of these abominations, even the souls that do them shall be cut off from among their people. Therefore shall ye keep My charge, that ye do not any of these abominable customs, which were done before you, and that ye defile not yourselves therein: I am the LORD your God." (Leviticus 18:2-3,22,24-30). The Canaanites who inhabited the land before the Jews were known for their promiscuity and debauchery. They worshipped their idols by way of sacred prostitution, child sacrifice and orgies, both heterosexual and homosexual. The land could not tolerate such sinful and perverse behaviour and the seven nations of Canaan were vomited out. If we continue to indulge in these evil things, our fate will be, G-d forbid, similar.

Unfortunately, the issue of homosexuality is not dealt with properly, with respect and compassion by the religious community. Sexual orientation should never be a reason to ostracize someone. At the same time, there is a widespread acceptance in both the religious and secular community of the gay activist claim that "gays are just born that way", which is unsupported by any scientific proof. G-d is not cruel enough to create someone in a way that is fundamentally opposed to His Will. Maimonides teaches: "Free will is bestowed on every human being. If one desires to turn towards the good way and be righteous he has the power to do so. If one wishes to turn towards the evil way and be wicked, he is at liberty to do so." (Laws of Repentance 5:1) Consequently this true, free will, described by Maimonides, is decisively all-powerful. Yet, in the laws relating to Moral Disposition and Ethical Conduct, Maimonides admits that: "Every human being is characterized by numerous moral dispositions...exceedingly divergent. One man is choleric, always hot tempered; another sedate, never angry...one is a sensualist whose lusts are never gratified; another is so pure that he does not even long for the few things that our physical nature needs...stingy, generous, cruel, merciful, and so forth." (Laws of Ethical Conduct 1:1) Maimonides adds: "Of all the various dispositions, some belong to one from the beginning of his existence and correspond to his physical constitution." (Ibid:2) True free will comes from choosing to overcome your physical desires and lusts.

Nonetheless, no one should be expected to live their life with unwanted urges or desires. To this, the Torah offers a brilliant solution. The Talmud (Avodah Zorah 3a) teaches that "ain HaKodosh Boruch Hu bo bitranina aim bitraninav" , the Holy One, Blessed be He, does not play tricks on His creations. Says Bar Kapparah (Nedarim 51a), "toeivah", abomination (Lev. 18:22) means "to'eh ata ba", "your have strayed from her." The verse is saying that the person with same-sex desires become lost because of it! The possiblity of teshuva is always open! In fact, there are organizations in Israel and the United States devoted to helping those who want to heal unwanted same-sex attractions like JONAH (Jews Offering New Alternatives to Homsexuality) or Atzat Nefesh. Change is possible. G-d created sexuality holy and it is forbidden to defile it. The first covenant that G-d made with Avraham was the brit milah which begins with circumcision but continues with sexual morality.

G-d's desire is clear: "You shall be holy, for holy am I, HaShem your God" (Vayikra 19:2). Holiness is a prerequisite to HaShem being our G-d. The choice is ours. Let us strive for holiness.

Save a Life in Malaysia

PETITION

SAVE A LIFE IN MALAYSIA MOVEMENT


We, the undersigned, are in full support of your proposal to have the signs be placed right at our municipal, city and county boundaries that express that it is the official position of the municipal, city and county to save a life in Malaysia. We feel that the lives of the innocent in Malaysia such as the newly born babies being thrown out on the streets of Malaysia and Eurasian Christians like Mr. Arthur Samuel who was subjected of assaults and death threats are in great danger.

We deeply feel that there is a need of a positive public expression supporting the "Save a Life in Malaysia Movement", with no cost to government and help save many innocent lives in Malaysia. By signing, we give permission to have our support be made public through newspaper or television coverage.

We do understand that the signs will not create a traffic hazard, and that the final draft will be subject to official approval. We hope that all citizens will fully enjoy the benefits of a more united community, and we ask our elected leaders to make this movement come to reality.



NAME ORGANIZATION________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________

Proposed Resolution

It is the policy of the (community) to support "Save a Life in Malaysian Movement" in all aspects. The existence of cruelty in the country is unacceptable to the international community. It even affects the very existence of a human being living in such country. As a human being who shared this earth with the others for existence, it is but the sole responsibility of every individual to make sure that no one is deprived of his or her own right to live in a peaceful environment and in harmony.

While each has different beliefs and religion, we believe that all of us shared a common ground to live a life peacefully and with no fear. It is the main purpose of this resolution to encourage feelings of sympathy, compassion and love within our community to support the movement especially to the likes of Arthur Samuel, a Eurasian Christian.

The seeds of hatred for Christians and Jews were planted early and often in the minds of the Muslims, Hindus, and pro-communist Chinese. A verse from the bible, "not long before the second coming of Christ, the 'kings from the east' will play a prophetic role in the world", which is referred to the Muslim and Chinese, as stated on the London Times article dated August 6, 2007.

The pro-communist Malaysian Chinese with triads, drugs counterfeit goods, illegal activities aspect and the unholy alliance with the Malay/Muslim and with the 'barbarity' behavior by the Indian thuggish with drunkard illustration, wife beater, treating their children as animals and prostitute and profoundly display with the same manner by Astro and Airasia as a testimonial by a British administrator Sir W H Sleeman in the petition and the article because the readers has to understand that Bible and well-known publication clearly stated this concern .

The unholy opposition alliance with the pro-centric Chinese communist DAP party with forging synergy alliance with Jihards PAS party and former de facto gay and fraud Vice Prime minister Anwar Ibrabhim in his PKR party in winning 55% votes in the recent general elections in Malaysia and forming a defunct Taliban/communist regime country making the region unstable in their persuade in informing the next Fidel Castro and Taliban nation, the Kuala Lumpur stock exchange plugged to a 12 years low.

These are the different scenarios where cruelty is being shown in Malaysia. Malay, Chinese and Indian communities are in unity to spread evil and cruelty in Malaysia and soon to the world.

The Christian Eurasians, a great minority in Malaysia, are increasingly under threat from a violet regime that has a main intent of annihilating all non-Muslims from the Malaysian society. A worrying example of the escalating tightening of human rights is the recent redeployment in December 2007 of the Internal Security Act (ISA) to potentially detain protesters indefinitely.

Alongside with the racial discrimination and attacks against Christian Eurasians is the fact that Malaysia has been transformed as a main transit point for human trafficking to the USA and Europe, and the "middleman" in the global nuclear black market where Pakistan's top nuclear scientist, Abdul Qadeer Khan, sold nuclear technology to countries that has supplied Iran, Libya, and North Korea with the technology to build a nuclear bomb. Malaysia is, in the words of one US official, "a perfect place for terrorists 'R' and 'R' where Islamic radicals from around the region and their al-Qaeda backers can meet.

The 9/11 bombing in the world trade towers, the Madrid train bombing and the London bombing was plan and care out from Malaysia by the fundamentalist leaders.

For other news pertaining to Malaysia and terrorism here are some news links for reference:



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Terrorism_in_Malaysia
http://www.time.com/time/asia/features/malay_terror/cover4.html
http://www.tkb.org/Group.jsp?groupID=4401
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/2116032.stm
http://www.oprah.com/community/thread/8361tstart=0 .http://www.worldpress.org/2298.cfm#down . http://www.dafka.org/newsgen.asp?s=4&pageid=1858
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/7/22/nation/18375022&sec=nation
These are the many faces of Malaysia of which have not been discovered by the world. But one has emerged to be brave enough to voice out what was really happening within the borders of Malaysia.
All Arthur Samuel wants to bring his message to the world. By doing so, he has revealed his exceptional courage and fortitude. Sadly without your urgent assistance, this gritted determination will end in his martyrdom.
Those are just a few, of the countless reasons, Arthur Samuel, seeks solace. He is determined to tell the truth, yet he fears, there are stories; he may not live to tell. What he needs is to be taken under the wing of a strong, stable nation. To be able to live, work and study freely, in a government that will grant him political asylum or a scholarship. He believes his humble request, will help him cope with the atrocities he has faced, and live life, anew, in the free world.
He desperately needs your help to secure his release and that of fellow freedom fighters, so they can bring this message and warning to the world. What he needs is to find sanctuary within the borders of a strong, stable nation. To be able to live, work and study freely, under the auspices of a government that will grant him political asylum. Arthur Samuel's hope of being granted a education scholarship to the US ,or UK and a citizenship that sustains him and if granted, will help him more effectively cope with the atrocities he has faced, and live life, anew, in the free world.
Please find the generosity to help support the fight against religious oppression and expose the radicalization of Malaysian Muslims before it is too late. Please help Arthur Samuel reveal the truth about what is going on in Malaysia. Sponsor his request for asylum and education in a place where he can continue the fight for racial and religious justice.
We therefore resolve and direct that the posting of such signs of declaration should take place. Said signs will be supplied by the (your group) at no direct cost to the city. Said signs will contain the phrase, "Save a Life in Malaysia Movement" and will include the seal of the City of (your city). Said signs will be directly posted by the county or city road departments, in accordance with all local laws or procedures. Community groups would then furnish replacement signs as deemed necessary.

We resolve that by doing this action, we affirm constitutional and other laws of our land which support to build a better society and relationship with other human beings from different countries such as Malaysia by supporting democracy, equality and unity. This is to save the lives of future newly born babies and every Eurasian Christians who formed the minority in Malaysia to be saved from the cruel acts of Malaysians, Malays, Chinese, and Indians. SAVE A LIFE IN MALAYSIA NOW!

Articles

Mayhem in Malaysia – The World's Greatest Masquerade

"Malaysia Truly Asia" as its ad campaign for its tourism industry has indeed captured a lot of investors and tourists to come visit this marvelous country with great prestige. But behind this beautiful façade lies a dark secret that no one has ever told, a secret that once soon known to the world will bring Malaysia to its downfall.

Malaysia is one of the fastest growing countries in Asia. According to the recent reports, much of its success stems from the new Prime Minister, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who vowed to clamp down corruption by giving authority to anti-corruption agencies. The future of economy of Malaysia looked set to gather momentum while, according to OSK Investment Research, its GDP increased from 5.9% in 2006 to 6.2% in 2007. Currently, the United States ranks number one in foreign direct investment (FDI) in Malaysia, while Malaysia ranks tenth in FDI in the United States, which is more than countries like Brazil. Malaysia even attracted western companies and expatriates to seek their own fortune.

But little did these western companies, expatriates, and the international community know that Malaysia is a country in a grip of a brutal system of acute racism at the hands of Islamic extremists whose hidden agenda is to destroy Israel and its Zionist leaders with the backing of other extremist nations and groups. Malaysia's hidden agenda is backed up with other radical Islam groups with strong associations with Iran, Palestine, Hezbollah, Chechen terrorist from Soviet Union, Syria. Malaysia is the chair country for the organization for the Islamic countries.

One person who claims to have personally suffered at the hands of the Muslim extremists is Arthur Samuel. Eurasians and Christians are constantly being victimized and brutally suppressed. Huey Tan and Kenny Cheung, the corporate attorneys of Microsoft's Law and Corporate Affairs Department based in their attempts in eradicating counterfeit software's in South East Asia as a devious NEO-Nazi and pro-communist hidden agenda in elimination of minority races like Arthur, who is a Eurasian and a Christian. He tried to assist them with their eradication of the counterfeit software program but instead he was subjected to their cruel intentions in trying to run him over with their cars, paying of the police to detain him in the police cell.

On March 3, 2008, there was an attempted murder on the life of Arthur Samuel. He was left injured in the hospital by a Muslim/Malay assassination attempt. "I was beaten up so badly that now I suffer from amnesia and blurred vision, headaches and dizziness", he said. Samuel believes it is because he is a Eurasian, one of the minority races which resulted from the mixed marriages between the many people who settled in Malaysia 400 years ago and approximately there 10,000 Eurasians in the country.

Arthur Samuel's stay has been perilous in extreme. He is constantly forced to watch his back from the further attacks from the public officials or racial extremists. According to Samuel, there is no hope for his country and he intends to escape before he is murdered by the coalition parties. Even the local Kosmo newspaper, which is affiliated to UMNO, the ruling national party in Malaysia, has injured Arthur Samuel, causing his blurred vision and a fractured skull.

It is the purpose of this article to expose that the Prime Minister as head of an illegal organization along with the rest of his cabinet members. During his investigation, Samuel claims he was assaulted by a Malay newspaper cameraman and two Indian men who were determined to silence him once and for all. He firmly believes Malaysia is now a place of intense discrimination and political conspiracies which the world has yet to realize. This is what the authors, Johan from the Philippines and Jon from the US call the "The World's Greatest Masquerade".

The seeds of hatred for Christians and Jews were planted early and often in the minds of the Muslims, Hindus, and pro-communist Chinese. A verse from the bible, "not long before the second coming of Christ, the 'kings from the east' will play a prophetic role in the world", which is referred to the Muslim and Chinese, as stated on the London Times article dated August 6, 2007.

The pro-communist Malaysian Chinese with triads, drugs counterfeit goods, illegal activities aspect and the unholy alliance with the Malay/Muslim and with the 'barbarity' behavior by the Indian thuggish with drunkard illustration, wife beater, treating their children as animals and prostitute and profoundly display with the same manner by Astro and Airasia as a testimonial by a British administrator Sir W H Sleeman in the petition and the article because the readers has to understand that Bible and well-known publication clearly stated this concern .

The unholy opposition alliance with the pro-centric Chinese communist DAP party with forging synergy alliance with Jihards PAS party and former de facto gay and fraud Vice Prime minister Anwar Ibrabhim in his PKR party in winning 55% votes in the recent general elections in Malaysia and forming a defunct Taliban/communist regime country making the region unstable in their persuade in informing the next Fidel Castro and Taliban nation, the Kuala Lumpur stock exchange plugged to a 12 years low.

The 9/11 bombing in the world trade towers, the Madrid train bombing and the London bombing was plan and care out from Malaysia by the fundamentalist leaders.

For other news pertaining to Malaysia and terrorism here are some news links for reference: