History Repeats Itself

Unbelievable:

Six people have been injured in a stabbing attack at Jerusalem's gay pride march, according to police.

Emergency services say that two of the victims are in "serious" condition.

The stabber - who was arrested at the scene - has been identified as Yishai Shlissel, the man who was jailed for 12 years for stabbing three people at the same march in 2005.

Shlissel had only been released from jail a few weeks ago, after serving the majority of his term.

Several thousand participants at the 13th annual Jerusalem Pride Parade were marching along Keren Hayesod Street when the knifeman apparently broke through a police cordon to attack them.

The annual gay pride march through Jerusalem has been the source of heated controversy, due to the city's holy status to Jews, Christians and Muslims.

Since the 1990s, gay activist groups have held an annual mega-parade in the largely-secular Tel Aviv. However, in 2002 they began holding a smaller, far more contentious march through Jerusalem, amid bitter opposition from the city's largely traditional and religious residents.

Unlike the Tel Aviv event, the Jerusalem march is usually met with loud counter-protests. In 2005 tensions boiled over when a haredi extremist stabbed three participants before being arrested by police.

In recent years, however, protests have been smaller as some haredi leaders urged their followers to stay away from what they term the "abomination parade" altogether.

The fact that these parades are taking place in the holy city of Jerusalem. against the will of the vast majority of its inhabitants, is infuriating. However, to go and stab people...let's just say that it's not a good idea. In fact, gives the organizers of the march exactly what they want: attention. Ten years ago I prescribed the following with regards to this sad event:

My advice to all Jerusalemites is to stay away from the gay parade. There is no reason to go there and protest against the deviants. That is exactly what the organizers of the provocation desire. Instead, stay at home or go to the synagogue and do what we do best: pray.

It is interesting to note that the area which the march took place in, downtown Jerusalem, is slowly but surely turning ultra-Orthodox.

Pollard to Go Free?

Not exactly. He will be released from jail but will not be allowed to leave the United States for five years. It looks like Obama and Kerry finally played the Pollard card to draw attention away from the scandalous deal with Iran. It ain't gonna work!

Feeling the Destruction

What happens if you say Shema Yisrael on the Temple Mount?

Great Speech by Allen West

Ben Shapiro: It's Not Rude to Say That Someone Who is Biologically a Male is a Male

Ben is an island of clarity in a sea of stupidity:

And BTW, if this Zoey character wants to be a woman, the least he can do is be shomer negiah!

The Battle of Beaumont

Every battle has a start,
But there are some battles that never end,
And so was the Battle of Beaumont.

The deadly enemy was indeed daring and formidable,
But absolutley not invincible,
In the Battle of Beaumont.

Somewhere, somehow the Book of War was forgotten,
Along with the Tree of Life,
During the Battle of Beaumont.

And after years of struggle,
From all its lofty heights,
Beaumont plunged to the deepest deaths.

O keyboard warrior, master of cut and paste
Spare me your haughtiness,
As you stare at this destruction made public.

For if Beaumont fell,
Then so can you,
Then so can I.

Faith and Wisdom,
Prayer, prayer, and more prayer,
And your camp shall be holy.

I'm home, baby!

Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu Disassociates Himself From Kashrut Orot Eliyahu

About three and a half years ago "Orot Eliyahu" was born:

A new mehadrin, super-kosher kashrut authority was launched this week from Safed, targeting the national-religious community.

The more discerning members of the crocheted kippa-wearing public will be now able to purchase fresh poultry slaughtered under the auspices of the Badatz Orot Eliyahu authority.

Badatz Orot Eliyahu is the brainchild of Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, chief rabbi of Safed, and Rabbi Ezra Sheinberg, dean of the Orot Ha’ari yeshiva in Safed.

The birds will be slaughtered in accordance with the rulings of former Sephardi chief rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu, father of Shmuel, after whom the new authority is named. The nationalreligious Badatz stamp will apply to beef in the coming months.

However, starting from today, 1 Av, Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu has nothing to do with "Orot Eliyahu".

FYI.

Justice Clarence Thomas, OBERGEFELL v. HODGES and Rabbi Kook

I saw something interesting today in SCOTUS Justice Clarence Thomas' dissenting opinion on the OBERGEFELL v. HODGES case. This is what he wrote:

Perhaps recognizing that these cases do not actually involve liberty as it has been understood, the majority goes to great lengths to assert that its decision will advance the “dignity” of same-sex couples.The flaw in that reasoning, of course, is that the Constitution contains no “dignity” Clause, and even if it did, the government would be incapable of bestowing dignity.

Human dignity has long been understood in this country to be innate. When the Framers proclaimed in the Declaration of Independence that “all men are created equal” and “endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,” they referred to a vision of mankind in which all humans are created in the image of God and therefore of inherent worth. That vision is the foundation upon which this Nation was built.

The corollary of that principle is that human dignity cannot be taken away by the government. Slaves did not lose their dignity (any more than they lost their humanity) because the government allowed them to be enslaved. Those held in internment camps did not lose their dignity because the government confined them. And those denied governmental benefits certainly do not lose their dignity because the government denies them those benefits. The government cannot bestow dignity, and it cannot take it away.

This reminded of one of Rabbi Kook's ideas:

The difference between a slave and a free person is not merely a matter of social position. We can find an enlightened slave whose spirit is free, and a free man with the mentality of a slave.

True freedom is that uplifted spirit by which the individual — as well as the nation as a whole — is inspired to remain faithful to his inner essence, to the spiritual attribute of the Divine image within him. It is that quality which enables us to feel that our life has value and meaning.

A person with a slave mentality lives his life and harbors emotions that are rooted, not in his own essential spiritual nature, but in that which is attractive and good in the eyes of others. In this way, he is ruled by others, whether physically or by social conventions.

Vanquished in exile, we were oppressed for hundreds of years by cruel masters. But our inner soul is imbued with the spirit of freedom. Were it not for the wondrous gift of the Torah, bestowed upon us when we left Egypt to eternal freedom, the long exile would have reduced our spirits to the mindset of a slave. But on the festival of freedom, we openly demonstrate that we feel ourselves to be free in our very essence. Our lofty yearnings for that which is good and holy are a genuine reflection of our essential nature.

Do you think that Justice Thomas is familiar with Rabbi Kook's writings?

It's Time for Jews to Leave the U.S.A. for Israel

I really do think that the time has arrived. Actually, the minute that it was possible to get on a plane or a boat and come to Israel, almost every Jew that puts spirituality before materialism should have gotten up and left. But in light of the decision of the SCOTUS regarding so called "marriage equality" a decision which flies in the face of the Seven Noahide Laws, all 50 states are obligated to tolerate and facilitate this abomination. Even though the gentiles have not been diligent in keeping the Noahide Statutes (see Bava Kama 38A), this decision, as I wrote, is particularly anti-Noahide and as such anti-God.

Now that evil rules from sea to shining sea (along with Hawaii and Alaska), it is worthwhile reviewing the words of our great master and teacher, Maimonides:

It is natural for a man's character and actions to be influenced by his friends and associates and for him to follow the local norms of behavior. Therefore, he should associate with the righteous and be constantly in the company of the wise, so as to learn from their deeds. Conversely, he should keep away from the wicked who walk in darkness, so as not to learn from their deeds.

This is [implied by] Solomon's statement (Proverbs 13:20): "He who walks with the wise will become wise, while one who associates with fools will suffer." Similarly, [Psalms 1:1] states: "Happy is the man who has not followed the advice of the wicked."

A person who lives in a place where the norms of behavior are evil and the inhabitants do not follow the straight path should move to a place where the people are righteous and follow the ways of the good.

If all the places with which he is familiar and of which he hears reports follow improper paths, as in our times, or if he is unable to move to a place where the patterns of behavior are proper, because of [the presence of] bands of raiding troops, or for health reasons, he should remain alone in seclusion as [Eichah 3:28] states: "Let him sit alone and be silent."

If they are wicked and sinful and do not allow him to reside there unless he mingle with them and follow their evil behavior, he should go out to caves, thickets, and deserts [rather than] follow the paths of sinners as [Jeremiah 9:1] states: "Who will give me a lodging place for wayfarers, in the desert."

There are many righteous gentiles in the United States who deplore this decision. My heart is with them, and I hope that they will be able to remove this blight from their nation. As for those Jews that are still loyal to God's Torah, I ask, what more has to happen to make them abandon the fleshpots? As for those Jews of the SCOTUS that contributed to this scandalous decision, I bring a verse from the prophet Malachi,

"For, behold, the day cometh, it burneth as a furnace; and all the proud, and all that work wickedness, shall be stubble; and the day that cometh shall set them ablaze, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch."

In order to end on a good note, here is the continuation of that prophecy:

"But unto you that fear My name shall the sun of righteousness arise with healing in its wings; and ye shall go forth, and gambol as calves of the stall. And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I do make, saith the LORD of hosts."

The Expulsion From Gush Katif and the Sin of the Spies

Most of this week's Torah portion deals with the "sin of the spies". It's been almost ten years since the expulsion from Gush Katif. In my mind, the expulsion was in many ways a repetition of that ancient sin, a sin which our sages view as being the seed of the destruction of the Temples and the exiles that we the Jews as a nation have suffered. I believe in the power of Teshuvah, that it is possible to learn from mistakes and that by doing so, we can make ammends for the bad deeds that were perpetrated. Of course, the first step is realizing that a mistake was made!

Preparing to Receive the Torah

Here are some thoughts on the upcoming holiday of Shavuot that I heard/learned from others:

Tonight is the night that we will complete the counting of the Omer. But it is not enough to count the Omer. You have to make the Omer count! The period between Peisach and Shavuot is a time that one should prepare himself to receive the Torah.

The Torah that we learn, the Mitzvot that we perform, and the acts of loving kindness that we do are like glue that help us to cling to the Creator. If you want to glue two surfaces together, you have to make sure that they are clean before you apply the glue. Dirt will prevent the glue from sticking. Similarly, if we want to cling to God, we have to clean ourselves from transgression.

Humility is also a precondtion to receive the Torah. The Torah is compared to water. Just like water always flows to lower places, the Torah is acquired only by those who are humble.

Shabbat Shalom and Chag Sameach!

The Redemption Comes Little By Little

This is a good thing to remember today, the 48th anniversary of the liberation of East Jerusalem and the reunification of our holy city. Things are happening here, but one needs to be sensitive to notice. Here is an example:

This a picture I took not too long ago of the Romema neighborhood near the western entrance to Jerusalem. Do you see what I see? Two new apartment buildings being built where previously smaller structures previously existed, if my memory is correct. Jerusalem's population continues to grow. The old vessels are simply too small to contain the blessing! Bigger ones are being built all over. Little by little the redemption is taking place before our eyes. But to see it, your eyes have to be open.

Happy Jerusalem Day!

Attempted Anti-religious Coercion in Rehovot Fails

Recently I came accross the following article by a fellow who goes by the name of David Suissa:

With the Celebrate Israel Festival coming up this Sunday at Rancho Park, I thought it’d be an ideal time to write a love letter expressing my unabashed and unconditional attachment to Israel. But as much as I’d still like to do that, that column will have to wait for another week, because right now my mind is too upset about something that happened recently in the holy land.

It’s a little story that barely made the news, but it speaks to a growing cancer inside the Jewish state, the cancer of religious intolerance.

I smell somebody with an axe to grind! The article continues:

It was brought to my attention two weeks ago when I had lunch with Yitzhar Hess, who runs the Masorti (Conservative) movement in Israel.

In a nutshell, this is what happened: A Charedi mayor of an Israeli town decided to cancel a planned bar mitzvah ceremony for four boys with autism because the ceremony would be taking place in a Conservative, rather than an Orthodox, synagogue.

This special program for boys and girls was launched about 20 years ago by the Masorti movement, and it was introduced last year to the Lotem School in Rehovot, a school run by the municipality that accepts special-needs children from all religious backgrounds. Masorti trains the kids for months in preparation for the big day when they are called to the Torah.

Most of the kids trained in the program have severe autism, so the program developed creative ways to help them recite blessings, such as by pressing buttons on a tablet that plays a recording of the individual blessings. Needless to say, being able to have such a ceremony is an incredibly moving experience for the kids and their families.

But in Rehovot this year, just days before the ceremony was scheduled to take place, the mayor, Rahamim Malul, cancelled it by prohibiting the staff at the school from participating in the event. According to Hess, it was a chain reaction that began when a Charedi mother at the school (who did not have a child in the Bar-Bat Mitzvah program) complained to the Charedi head rabbi of Rehovot (Rabbi Simcha Hakohen Kook) who called Charedi MK Meir Porush (United Torah Judaism) who then called Malul.

Read the rest. As is typical with such agenda driven dribble, the author does not bother to present the other side of the story. Why bother seeking the other side of the story when the author is obviously interested in presenting the event as an example of the "growing cancer inside the Jewish state, the cancer of religious intolerance"?

Through the wonders of Google I was able to find the other side of the story (in Hebrew). It turns out, according to the Rehovot Municipality, that we are dealing with a case of anti-religious coercion. The school in question provides education to children with special needs from Rehovot and its surroundings. The students in the school in question come from secular, religious, and ultra-Orthodox homes. There were parents that objected to this "Bar Mitzvah" ceremony taking place in a non-Orthodox synagogue, as this would prevent their children from participating. A meeting was held where it was agreed to by all the parties involved, including the parents and representatives of the Conservative Movement, that the ceremony would take place in a synagogue that is located inside one of the city's schools. The CEO of the Conservative Movement in Israel rejected the compromise that was reached.

That's the story in a nutshell. If there is a party-pooper here, it is the CEO of the Conservative Movement in Israel. Chazak Uvaruch to Rahamim Malul, the mayor of Rehovot, and to the parents to standing up to such coercion.

As an aside, it's no secret that the Conservative Movement is imploding in the United States. They are not having too much success here in Israel either, and that's an understatement.

An additional aside: Apparently the rabbi of the Conservative synagogue where the ceremony was supposed to take place is openly gay.

This case is a typical example of why one should here both sides of the story before forming an opinion.

There is No Palestinian People

Azmi Bishara admitting that there is no Palestinian People:

הכל מעלין לארץ ישראל

מעניין: רבי שמואל אלכסנדר אונסדורפר בביקור אצל הרבי מליובאוויטש בתקופת מלחמת המפרץ - י"ב בשבט תשנ"א. שיחה שאל את הרבי, היות שבתור רב באים לשאלו אם לנסוע מארץ ישראל ולארץ ישראל, מה עליו להשיב. הרבי הגיב כי יועיל כלום מה שיאמר לו הרבי מה לעשות כיון שדרוש שיענה תשובה רב מארץ ישראל, והוא - הרבי, אינו רב ולא מארץ ישראל. אם כן - סיים הרבי - עליך ללמוד הענינים בשולחן ערוך, והרי הדברים פשוטים, שאלו הדרים בארץ ישראל ודאי חל עליהם איסור לנסוע מארץ ישראל, ואפילו אלו שגרים כאן ופרסמו שהולכים לנסוע לשם, אם כן ביטול הנסיעה על ידי הפרסום שנלווה לזה הוא ודאי ענין שנגד השולחן ערוך.

The Lubavitcher Rebbe on The Mystical Meaning of 7

I like it:

דרשת הרב מרדכי אליהו ליום העצמאות תשנז

I miss Rav Mordechai Eliyahu. I feel holier and purer just from watching this:

Israel Independence Day #67

My keyboard cannot possibly express how grateful I am to God for the State of Israel. King David said it best:

A Song of Ascents.

When the LORD brought back those that returned to Zion, we were like unto them that dream.

Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing;

then said they among the nations: 'The LORD hath done great things with these.'

The LORD hath done great things with us; we are rejoiced.

Turn our captivity, O LORD, as the streams in the dry land.

They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.

Though he goeth on his way weeping that beareth the measure of seed,

he shall come home with joy, bearing his sheaves.

A Song of Ascents. Israel is ascending! In spite of all of the difficulties, the nation is advancing materially and spiritually.

When the LORD brought back those that returned to Zion, we were like unto them that dream. Is this not a dream, that after almost 2000 years of exile we have been gathered from the four corners of the earth? Is it not a dream that the Hebrew language, which was more or less dormant, has come to life? Is it not a dream, that the land which was desolate is now blooming?

Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing; We are happy indeed, however this verse will be actualized to its fullest extent only when the Temple is rebuilt.

then said they among the nations: 'The LORD hath done great things with these. The righteous among the gentiles recognize the great things that have happened, in some cases even before we see it ourselves. They rejoice with us. The wicked among them are also conscious of what is happening, and therefore they oppose us in every imaginable way.

The LORD hath done great things with us; we are rejoiced. Woe to those among us who do not see the hand of God in the establishment of the state of Israel. Woe to the ingrates! "The upright see it, and are glad; and all iniquity stoppeth her mouth(Psalms 107)."

Turn our captivity, O LORD, as the streams in the dry land.

They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.

Yes, we sow in tears. The land is acquired through affliction. However, in spite of all the sorrow, it is worth it.

Though he goeth on his way weeping that beareth the measure of seed,

he shall come home with joy, bearing his sheaves.

Just as the farmer who plants will enjoy the fruits of his labor, so it is with the land of Israel. Those that labor to build and protect it will enjoy its spiritual benefits in this world and in the world to come.

Here Comes the Sun

Totally cosmic! The sun like you have never seen it before: