Ishmaelite Savagery

I was so sorry to hear that the three kidnapped boys, Gil-Ad Shaer, Naftali Fraenkel and Eyal Yifrah, were found dead 3 kilometers from Halhul:

Eyal Yifrah 19, from Elad; Gilad Sha'ar, 16, from Talmon; and Naftali Frenkel, also 16, from Nof Ayalon, went missing on June 12th, and officials soon identified Hamas as the culprits. Their bodies were found near between the Arab village of Halhul and the Jewish village of Carmei Tzur, near the city of Hevron, where the search operation for them - dubbed Operation Brother's Keeper - had been focused.

The bodies were apparently found together, bound and buried in a shallow grave in a field at approximately 5 p.m. The families of the boys have been informed of their tragic loss.

My heart goes out to their families. May they be comforted from Heaven.

Since the kidnapping the nation has been united in prayer for the safe return of the boys. In almost every prayer in the various synagogues that I have attended, special psalms were said after the regular prayer service for the boys. Unfortunately the prayers were not answered. I should have known that something happened when tonight, after ma'ariv, no psalms were said. It was only afterwards I received a phone call informing me of the bad news.

We do not know why this had to happen. I will not attempt to be God's bookkeeper.

What I do know that this is another manifistation of Ishmaelite savagery. Animals!

The nation of Israel will continue to build and be built, despite the acts of Arab terrorists and their Jew-hating supporters.

"He will swallow up death for ever; and the Lord GOD 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 LORD hath spoken it." - Isaiah 25

Mother of Kidnapped Teen: Please Pray

This is Howard Cosell from the Kosel

Not really, just some pics from shacharit this morning:

I love the caper bush in bloom:

Free advert for Tova Embroidery:

Good Shabbos, Shabbat Shalom, have a good Sabbath!

Shame on America!

A malfunctining reproductive system is nothing to be proud of:

The Significance of Israel's Presidential Election

It is easy to downplay the election of Reuven "Rubi" Rivlin. After all, the function of the President of Israel is largely symbolic. I must admit that I myself did not think too much of it.

My wife changed my mind. She said that this is also part of the redemption, that he is a big improvement over the outgoing president in many respects. I must say that I agree with her. The redemption comes little by little (qim'a qim'a), and we should not belittle any event which can be seen as a step forward.

Farewell Shimon Peres. Welcome President Rivlin!

Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef on the Heter Mechirah

The Shmittah year is coming up and with it the usual controversy about the use of the heter mechirah. Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef's opinion is well known. However it is interesting to hear it from his mouth.

Unlocking the Mysteries of Shavuot

Here's a video about Shavuot from the rabbi of the Young Israel Aish HaTorah synagogue in Las Vegas.

Arab Christian From Bethlehem Voices Her Opinion

חה"כ פייגלין קורא לשר אהרונוביץ' להתפטר

Independence 66

Today is Israeli Indepence Day. Happy 66th Israel!

In ten years people will look back and say that this is the year when things turned around, when the redemption wagon got back on track. What I mean to say that Israeli society and the region at large is in the middle of some major changes.

The Arab states in the region are in a state of turmoil, some on the brink of disintegration. The so called "Arab Spring" has not brought about the democratic revolution that many had hoped for. I think that it would be fair to say that these societies are just not ready for democracy. It seems that they are doomed to be ruled over by violent autocratic regimes for the near future.

It is becoming increasingly clear to an increasing amount of Israelis that giving up territory to Arabs will not bring peace. This was obvious to me, long before the failure of the Oslo Agreements, the "disengagement" and the latest Fatah-Hamas unity agreement. New ideas, such as Naftali Bennett's Stability Initiative, are seriously being considered:

Israel is becoming more religious:

More than half of Israelis define themselves as secular (53%), 26% as traditional and 21% as haredi or religious. Among young people aged up to 34, 30% define themselves as haredi or religious, while among adults over 50 only 15% define themselves as such. The high percentage of haredim and religious among those aged 34 and under is due to the greater number of children in religious and haredi families than in secular families.

Another important milestone will be the passing of a law defining Israel as a Jewish state:

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has announced his intention to submit a new Basic Law to the Knesset, enshrining the State of Israel's status as the nation-state of the Jewish people, and attacking attempts to undermine the country's Jewish identity.

"The Declaration of Independence sets, as the cornerstone in the life of the state, the national Jewish identity of the State of Israel," the Prime Minister said.

However, he continued, "To my great regret, as we have seen recently, there are those who do not recognize this natural right. They seek to undermine the historic, moral and legal justification for the existence of the State of Israel as the national state of our people."

"One of my main missions as Prime Minister of Israel is to bolster the status of the State of Israel as the national state of our people. To this end, it is my intention to submit a basic law to the Knesset that would provide a constitutional anchor for Israel's status as the national state of the Jewish people."

Mark my words: this year is a pivotal one.

How Muslims Behave When They See Jews on the Temple Mount

Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu Wants Banks Without Interest

Now this is interesting. Rabbi Eliyahu says that we can learn from the Muslims how to run banks that don't take interest. Personally, I like the idea.

MK Moshe Feiglin on the Temple Mount

Before you do this, please consult your local Orthodox rabbi:

שלום לך(לבן) דודי

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MK Orit Struk on the New Conscription Law

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The New Conscription Law

MK Ayelet Shaked presents the new conscription law, along with a history of why this law had to be legislated:

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Sabbath Observance Saves Jew From Ill Fated Plane Flight

The saying "More than the Jews have kept the Sabbath, the Sabbath has kept the Jews" took on a new meaning.

MK Moti Yogev on the Conscription Law

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MK Yoni Shetbon Explains Why He Won't Vote For the New Conscription Law

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Haredim and the Mitzvah to Serve in the IDF

Here is a discussion, based on halachic sources, on the mitzvah to serve in the Israeli Defense Force. A taste:

The mitzvah to enlist in the army is based on two great mitzvoth – haztalat Yisrael (saving Israel), and yishuv ha’aretz (settling the Land of Israel). It should be noted that seventeen mitzvoth from the Torah relate to the army, as listed by Rabbi Zevin in his book ‘L’Ohr Ha’Halakha’, where he thoroughly clarifies the mitzvah to enlist in the army. This issue was also expounded upon at length by Tzitz Eliezer, Rabbi Tzvi Yehudah HaKohen Kook in his book ‘L’Nityvote Yisrael’, and other gedolei Torah.