Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Can Teeth Cause Psychogenesis?

You thought you were safe with an amalgam-filling of the tooth, or when they filled your root canal with amalgam metal. I would not at all be surprised if some young people, who were just fine during childhood, later developed mental problems because of these fillings.

When I told my dentist friend of this mercury radiation from the amalgam, he waved it off as nonsense. When I showed him this video (8 min.) that demonstrates it, he began to doubt his own conviction. Most dentists (and certainly most doctors) just don't know.  You can watch the video, and get more information, here.

Friday, December 25, 2009

Up Syndrome

Most people have no idea Down's Syndrome children are so very special children, the light of the household. Here's a really fine woman (introduced by a wonderful guy) who does understand. Kudos to the Palin family and to Glenn Beck. May they all enjoy ever more success.

The trisomy 21 syndrome, described by Dr. J. L. Down, ought better to be called "Up Syndrome".

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

A War Waged to Preserve Jewish Spirituality

It's naive to think the Maccabees rebelled against the ruling empire only because they begrudged governance by outsiders. For over 200 years the Land of Israel was under foreign rule - so what suddenly happened? The First Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians, who then ruled. Then came the Persians, and under Koresh the Second Temple was built. The next ruler of this land was Alexander of Macedonia. Control thereafter fell into the hands of the Greek Assyrians - so why did they revolt just now?

The answer we find in the Chanuka prayer, "In the time of Matisyahu ... when the vile [Grecian empire] wanted to blank out from Jews Your Torah and to have them transgress Your laws, Your wishes."

The Greek Assyrians saw man, or himself, as the "center" of adoration and ability. They did not object to man-made codes of behavior.

So as long as Jews accepted Torah as an intellectual effort, a book with sound advice for health, business or education, if that's what people wanted to pursue - they had no problem with this. What disturbed them was the association of Torah to aspects of divinity and sanctity. Against such claims they resisted oppressively. They prohibited all attributions in Torah to G-d and His will.

These Gentiles did not want to kill Jews. They wanted Jews to live with them. They wanted only to deny Jews their attachment to G-d. So they forced Jews to renounce their Jewish tradition or their beliefs in holiness and G-d.

To make things worse, a Jewish majority also opposed religious attitude and preferred the secular Grecian lifestyle. These assimilated Jews, known as Hellenists, joined the ranks of the Gentiles. During the war, they actually fought on the side of the Gentiles!

The Chanuka miracle happened in the merit of the few righteous Jews who could no longer tolerate the spiritual oppression of the Greeks.

Today, after some 2,200 years, things haven't changed much. This is why the Chanuka blessing reads, "... miracles you performed ... in those days - in ours." For this struggle is an age-old struggle. Today too the minority Jewish religious element has its opponents who want to wipe out from Jewish education all mention of G-dliness and holiness - to be replaced by artificial rationale.

Today's "reform movement" is the modern-day equivalent of those Hellenists. The reform outlook treats Torah as a "nice book" - but not a holy book. They say, it "most probably" was written by some unknown author or authors. But why unknown? They don't know. This much they would admit; The authors of this book must have been "very smart" or "wise". And why has it achieved such high readership? They'd rather not speculate. And why would they too base their not-so-religious behavior on this book as their "source" - well, it's a great book, right? They consider this book part-history, part poetry (anything but divine!). That it is the authentic gift of G-d to the Jews - let's not be ridiculous! No doubt they most probably have a problem with this "esoteric" concept of "G-d" in the first place.

Is there a difference between the Hellenists of then and the reform movement of today? Yes. The Hellenists knew the other side and strayed therefrom (that's my guess). Today's reformists, except for a bitter few, are "infants kidnapped from birth" - as The Rebbe calls them. They never knew or were exposed to religious aspects of daily Torah life. From birth they grew up in an assimilated Gentile environment. For example, chances are 100% not a single reform "rabbi" today has forgone a college degree.  And I'll bet, also, their "temples" demand "membership admission". Okay, it's not a gladiator show, but the Rabbi should give them a good show for their money. Prayers, as in synagogue, to Hashem - what's that?

Chanuka is a holiday of lights, wherein every day its light is amplified, and wherein these lights must illuminate in public to bring light to others - especially to those "kidnapped from birth."

Thursday, December 17, 2009

The Commandment to
Make the Groom & Bride Happy

This commandment traces back to the sages. It's just that these Chabad boys take the tradition more seriously than others.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Visitors to the Temple of G-d

Suppose you invite someone to visit you at home; Would you not expect your visitor to behave properly? It would more than annoy you were he to spit on the carpet, or pocket a necklace – thinking you didn't see, right?

This is an analogy to how we might behave; For we too are visitors to this world - which is G-d's domain. Like that visitor, we too mustn’t do as we feel, in disregard of the master of this “house”. We too must behave properly.

But what constitutes proper behavior? How do we know what G-d expects of us?

The answers we find in the “Manual of Life” that G-d entrusted to the Jewish people. This supernatural event occurred in the Sinai Desert in the year 2,448, the day G-d gave Jews “The Ten Commandments”. Moses then took 40 years to complete the Torah as dictated to him by G-d, and by prophesy.

The Hebrew name “Torah” derives from the root word “to instruct”. The Torah, as a book of instruction, contains guidelines by which to live by – for both Jew and Gentile!

G-d chose the Jewish people as the Torah’s trustees. Jews must observe 613 laws contained therein that apply to them. Additionally, there are 7 laws meant for all Gentiles to observe. 

Starting with Adam and Eve, the first 10 generations were expected to observe 6 commandments. After the Great Flood, starting with Noah and his family, mankind received one additional commandment - thus the 7 Noahide Laws.  

Once the Jews received the Torah, they were obligated to disseminate these 7 Noahide Laws to Gentiles, among other obligations.

Eventually all Gentiles must acknowledge this Jewish role and that it derives via Moses (even though Noahide laws predate the Mount Sinai event by 16 generations, or 791 years).

This latter point is important. Were a Gentile to keep the 7 laws, perhaps because he grasps on his own their morality, or recognizes the inherent ideality these carry for world settlement, but refuses to recognize Moses as the mediator – this would disqualify this Gentile from being a Noahide. The giving of the Torah changed the nature of the heretofore Noahide obligations. Since that watershed event, Noahides must accept Moses into their realm of observance. This requirement is almost like an 8th commandment.

So were someone to ask you,"How many religions are there in the world?" The answer should be - "There are only 2 proper modes of decorum in the abode of The Almighty." Judaism is the behavior that conforms to the King’s expectations from His Jewish group of subjects. The 7 Laws of Noah constitute the framework of proper behavior for His Gentile group of subjects. These are two roles, for two groups of people – in the palace of the King.

There are only two ways to worship G-d. There are only two prescriptions of proper behavior in G-d’s domain: Jews serve one way, Gentiles in another.

Sunday, December 06, 2009

Jewish Soldier Discipline - Rabbi Yisroel Ariel

Some 30 years ago the avalanche began. That's when prime minister Menachem Begin decided to withdraw from Sinai. Most members of parliament, believers in "The Peace Process", voted in favor of his decision.

At that time, "The Organization to Stop the Retreat" rose to stave off the withdrawal. One of their slogans asserted, "Today Yamit - Tomorrow Jerusalem!" Everyone mocked them, "On Jerusalem we'd never acquiesce!"

Well, look and see this now for a fact. When today a house is about to be built in Giloh, a suburb of Jerusalem, Washington announces, "There will be no construction (for Jews) in Jerusalem!" That's what happens, you give an inch, and they want a mile.

Our sages taught (Shabbat 105b), "Such is the ploy of the instigator of sin: Today he says, 'Just do this', and tomorrow he says, 'Just do that', and, finally - you end up worshipping idols!"

The same applies to military code: He who agrees to uproot "illegitimate" settlements, or agrees to these "last-resort" evictions, will end up violating Shabbat. And did we not see the destruction of Chavat Gilad, the Yeshiva at Chomesh, and Shvut Ami, as "religious" soldiers shamelessly desecrated the Shabbat?

Some respond, "The soldiers are not to blame; It's their officers!" Says Maimonides (Kings 3, 9), "If the King of Israel decrees a decree that opposes one from Torah - for example, to desecrate the Shabbat, we do not obey!" Maimonides goes on to explain, "Were a king to give an order, and one of his servants gives an opposing order, to whom do we listen to?" Every child knows we obey the king's order. But it turns out, what's clear to a child is not clear at all to rabbis and educators.

For see how one of the principals of Yeshivot Hesder ruled when soldiers from both the Shimshon and Nachshon brigades stood up in protest of the evictions:  He said, "As soon as a soldier dons an IDF uniform, he must obey military commands."

In other words, Torah is but a Purim masquerade; When you wear civilian clothing, you serve Hashem; And when you dress up in military uniform, you serve military officers and desecrate the Shabbat. This is his admirable ruling.

Unfortunately, this isn't a joke, nor a festive Purim ruling, but rather a Halachic decision a "renowned" Yeshivot Hesder principal enunciated. This Yeshiva principal is greater than Maimonides, greater than Rabbi Avrum Shapira, greater than Rabbi Goren, and greater than Rabbi Niryah, (all of blessed memory), all of of whom said to disobey such a command. This principal is, in fact, greater than G-d, the King of kings, Who says (Devarim 1, 8): "... Come and occupy the land"; Whereas this principal says, "Wear uniforms and chase the Jews out of the land."

Maimonides chides elsewhere (Bechorot 4, 4), "I've seen in Israel people called 'Principals of Yeshiva' who haven't learned even one day."

Dear Yeshiva principal: Let's follow in the footsteps of the brave students, the soldiers of Shimshon and Nachshon. These are today's heroes. Such as these our sages refer to when they say, "And from my students I learned the most!"

(Translated from sos-israel.com)

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

A Breakthrough for Multiple Sclerosis

Here's hopeful news for MS sufferers from Dr. Paolo Zamboni in Italy. Chances are the "Pharma clique" may thwart its application as long as they can, for while diminishing its significance they can continue to ply their toxic, worthless - but expensive - drugs. While they're at it, they'll also push their baseless "auto-immune" etiology.
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NEWS UPDATE:  Here's a story by Dr. Rowen about a MS patient diagnosed 10 years ago, and how an almost miraculous cure by a Dr. Robson via orthotics helped her breath better, which led to better oxygen saturation of her blood and relief of debilitations. And all he did was - correct her posture! 

In light of Dr. Paolo Zamboni's above findings, it's more than likely - and this is my guess - this lady's cranial venous return was compromised, either from poor posture or asymmetric muscular tension, which then caused blood to back up in the brain chronically. But one thing is for sure - the pathologic immunological causation of MS can be eliminated.

Monday, November 23, 2009

A Midrash Explained - The Future Foretold

Not all Jews left Egypt in the historical "Exodus". In fact, a minority left. Because they didn't want to leave, the majority died during the Plague of Darkness several weeks earlier (Rashi; Shmos 10, 22). Thus G-d spared the remaining Jews, busy burying their dead, from being embarrassed by Gentiles who otherwise would see this tragedy; Nor could the latter take joy in this.

The any-day-now final exodus for the Jewish diaspora will differ in some respects from the first exodus, one difference being the percentage of Jews involved. The final exodus, unlike the first, will include 100% of world Jewry - said the Rebbe. No matter how remote or obscure a place a Jew will be in, physically or spiritually, every Jew will be included.

How many, in fact, departed in the first exodus? The Torah uses a cryptic word to tell us (Shmos 13, 18): "... and the Israelites left Egypt 'penta-armed'". Just what does this Hebrew word mean? The Mechilta says, "It means 'well-provisioned' [i.e., all left]. Some say 1 out of 500 left, some say 1 of 50, and some say 1 of 5".

But how can opinions differ regarding a physical fact (probably well known in the time of the sages)? What's more, how could the disparity be so ridiculously vast, from 0.2% to 100% - a 500-fold variance?!

Says the Rebbe, these are not disagreements. Rather, the Midrash comes to teach us what The Final Redemption will look like! The sages are not speaking of the past; They're actually intimating to us what stages the future redemption process will go through!

At first, only 1 in 500 Jews will actually want this exile to come to an end. Most will prefer to focus on their primary concerns of business as usual. But the few desiring redemption will persist. Their tenacity will pay off because, later, 1 in 50 will push for its arrival. Finally, thanks to the perseverance of this minority, 1 in 5 will want out, and ultimately - it will include every Jew.

It's not unusual for a "Chabadnik" to hear, "What's this issue you have with Moshiach; He'll come when he'll come; What's with the urgency?"

Chabad responds simply by holding up a little light of truth that dispels more and more resistive darkness.

The many voices opposing Moshiach over the few "Moshichists" will not deter the latter.

A historical story from Tanach illustrates the point. King Chizkiyahu was faced with Sanheriv's huge army surrounding Jerusalem. They were primed for attack. The elders of Israel, even the majority of the Sanhedrin, tried to persuade the king to capitulate to this tremendous force, but Chizkiyahu held firm to his own opinion. He heard from Isaiah, the prophet of the generation, that G-d will vanquish the enemy. That was enough for him. The king remained without fear. Despite his many critics, he went to bed and slept soundly, sure to awake in the morning with a miracle rendered. He was proven right.

The majority doesn't hold sway against words of a prophet.

Sunday, November 15, 2009

A Mumbai Anecdote

His former name was Bahagirdesh Pradesh. His father was a high Hindu priest. He says of his father, "He had several strange idols to which he attributed different powers. I never understood how father respected man-made idols. I didn't understand why mother busied herself making meals for the idols, when often I would end up eating them covertly."

After high-school he confronted his father, "How can you believe in such nonsense?" His father remained silent. "One day I took a hammer and just smashed the idols." When his father said, "The gods will be angry", he answered, "Let them get up and do something to me!"

He continued his studies in Mumbai's medical university. There he became friends with Christian students. Sensing his keen interest in religion, they gave him the Jewish Bible (Tanach). These books excited him as he devoured their content, especially the Book of Psalms, and the figures of Abraham, Moses and the story of the Jews.

He graduated and accepted a residency in a major hospital in Mumbai. There he met his wife-to-be, a nurse. She too became drawn to the Holy Books. After they married, they decided to change their surname to Abraham, the historical figure they held in high esteem. His own first name he changed to Aaron, because of his admiration for the Jewish High Priest of ancient Israel.

They began to feel the desire to convert to Judaism. Acquaintances persuaded them to convert - as "Reform Jews". They now thought they were full-fledged Jews.

It happened the Holtzbergs, Chabad emissaries of the Rebbe, who ran a "Chabad House" in Mumbai, had a son with severe congenital problems, who needed emergency treatment. They rushed the child (who later passed away) to the emergency room in Mumbai's prestigious Breach Candy Hospital, where Dr. Aaron Abraham directed its Intensive Care Unit. From this contact with Gabi and Rivkah Holtzberg, Aaron learned that his "conversion" was, in fact, no conversion at all. He began to take classes with Gabi, while his wife took classes with Rivkah.

After the brutal massacre in Mumbai a year ago, when terrorists targeted the Holtzberg's Chabad House and murdered them in cold blood, Aaron and his wife were shaken to the core. That Chabad House had become their axis of life. There they spent every Shabbos and every holiday. Now they felt they had no more reason to stay in India. They emigrated to Israel and now live in Kiryat Arba. They continue to learn, still intent on a proper conversion to become full-fledged Jews.

The Secret of Superpower Status

Is America as the world's superpower on the decline? It may well look like it is, with Obama steering it to Hell, but this thesis predicts a more cheerful outlook.

One of the earliest superpower nations was ancient Egypt. While Jews lived there, its reign extended to include the entire world (with the help of Joseph). Subject nations were beholden to her with taxes and slaves. But once the Jews fled the country, Egypt lost this status (Mechilta, Shmos, 14, 5).

This Midrash tells that all nations that ruled over Jews achieved superpower status, projecting their control over the entire world. Why so? Because thereby G-d gives honor to His people. It would be unworthy of G-d's people to reside under the dominance of a nation less than the world's most powerful.

Babylonia too ruled the entire world, as G-d says in Yirmiyah (27, 6-8), "And now I make all these lands subject to Nevuchadnetzar's control ...,", with no exception. The same held true with the dominion of the Persians and Medes, then of Greece (under Alexander the Great), followed by the rule of Rome (Daniel, chpts. 6 & 7). 

The Alter Rebbe asserts the same thesis holds true today, namely, that the country which contains most of the Jewish population automatically gains superpower status - for the sake of Jewish honor. (Otherwise, who would even know what a Jew was, lost somewhere among two-bit nations ruling over them.)

I know too little about world history, but I'd not be surprised to learn the glory achieved by empires in Europe and Asia correlates with the majority of Jews they harbored within their borders.

Think back only a few decades ago, when both America and the Soviet Union hotly competed to see who could outmuscle the other with more intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of carrying multiple nuclear warheads. These mutual threats were grave concerns for these two superpowers of the world. Remember too that both Russia and America then housed most of world Jewry.

As proof for the above thesis, the Rebbe points out the moment Russia finally raised its "iron curtain" to  permit emigration and 95% of Jews streamed out of the country, the former mighty Soviet Union evaporated. Overnight, without a shot fired, it lost its awesome superpower status. Political pundits most likely attribute the Soviet Union's downfall to the policy and wisdom of Ronald Reagan. But their analysis omits the workings of divine providence.

Today, only the U.S. retains its superpower status.

Remember too, not long ago, how powerful became the industry of Japan, how everything was made in Japan, and how strong the Yen seemed to be? In the end, their climb to the top fizzled. Why? They have no significant quantity of Jews in that country, so why would G-d flaunt their banner? Are you worried about China and its projected power? Don't be - they hardly have any Jews there.

There's a sorrowful irony in this. The problem for Jews throughout history has been, that despite their major host country achieving superpower status, Jews continued to be hounded. This ill fate has, however, finally changed with our American host. Why so? Says the Rebbe, because we've entered the eve of the "Era of the Ultimate Redemption". (And for no other reason). This favorable fate shall continue until that era finally dawns.

The corollary of this thesis also held true, namely, whenever Israel was to be conquered, G-d would only allow the mightiest of nations to conquer His people. Paradoxically, that too was for the honor of the Jews.

This corollary holds true today too and I relate to the threat by Iran to wipe Israel off the face of the globe. Israel too, after all, with its own large population of Jews, is a powerful force to be reckoned with, despite some Obama-like creeps in the hierarchy. Iran is a punk-country and there's no chance G-d would allow it to subdue His people, just as Israel's enemies have been unable to beat Israel over the years no matter how many punk-countries colluded to destroy her.

Sunday, November 08, 2009

Moshiach's Shadowy Trail

Where did the holy, maternal seed of Moshiach originate? In Sodom! And what event received this first honor? Incest! From this union came Ruth and Na'amah, wives of Boaz and Shlomo, respectively. 

And what misdeed initiated the fraternal, genealogical line of Moshiach? A union between Tamar, draped as a roadside prostitute, and Yehuda, her former father-in-law whom she seduced, from which Peretz was born. Her intent, to be sure, was sublime and pure.

Although beneficent, G-d introduced bad into the world to balance out the good, to give mankind free choice, to provide merit for their good choices and demerits for their bad ones. Similarly, G-d infuses counter-forces, or "dark" forces, into the world to fight and balance out holy forces, or sources of "light". No initiative for the sake of sanctity can exist without its corresponding counter-measure that promotes desecration. 

Being that Moshiach, the holiest of souls, is predestined to escort the world to its ultimate level of sanctity, a mighty counter-measure of "darkness" has the capacity to resist this "light". To give rise to the holy Moshiach, the seeds that will unite in creating this person must find a way to materialize, by removing resistance to their existence. Only under a facade of "darkness" can these seeds retain their holiness and survive. Under the guise of illicitness, this condition fools the unsuspecting opposition. This counter-force of darkness simply does not expect to find holiness within an apparent taboo, thus resistance is effectively eliminated. 

Lot and his 2 daughters escaped from Sodom as this huge city and its 4 neighboring cities underwent an unnatural upheaval and infernal destruction. Only 10 generations earlier the Great Flood erased all life from the face of the earth. Now too, they thought, a similar event repeated itself. They thought they were the world's only survivors. The oldest daughter therefore proposed to her sister a scheme to inebriate her father so progeny can result from intercourse with him. Their intention came from this purity of wish.

Camouflaged by otherwise abhorrent acts, this "purity of light" managed to dodge the suspicions of the opposer. This opposition never suspected an act of incest or "prostitution" requires his intervention or resistive force. The seeds thereafter will need to find future conditions that masquerade as seemingly improper situations where their holiness can dwell, to remove the bad opposer's suspicion and survive yet another critical juncture along the holy genealogical path. 

Once married, the seeds of Boaz and Ruth established the House of David. Thereafter, the seeds of Na'amah and Shlomo finalize the familial dynasty towards Moshiach.  

Events cast in murky circumstances typify the path of this pure light that must not call attention to itself, but rather must hide in places of impurity, if not from generation to generation, then at least at important genealogical intersections, to assure its survival, until it finally arrives to its final destination and revelation - the end-product that manifests as Moshiach.

Take the story of aging Boaz, the greatest personage of that generation, who decides to marry the younger Ruth. The circumstances that lead to this moment are all fascinating, but we focus on one of them. He calls together the elders to rule whether or not he can marry Ruth, who derives from the most despicable nation, Moav. The elders rule a Moabite can never enter the Jewish nation, but a Moabitess - can. Boaz then marries her - and passes away the same day! The elders, taken aback, now think perhaps they ruled incorrectly. So the seed of Oved comes to life with an aura of suspicion cast upon him.

Now take the story of Oved's son, Yishai. He was extremely righteous, one of the few in the world who never sinned. After having 7 sons, he rethinks his grandfather's affairs, and suddenly, as if a screw loosened in his brain, is seized with terror. Could it be, in fact, his grandfather Boaz illicitly married Ruth? In his righteousness he wants to prevent his virtuous wife from bedding with a Moabite such as he, in fact, may be. So he shuns her. His sons later realize the separation. Years later, knowing Hashem wants for people to live normally on earth, he sets his eyes upon his Gentile maidservant. He conditions a marriage with her as follows: He releases her from servanthood and to become a Jewess if he, in fact, is a kosher Jew; But she remains a servant in case he's not kosher, in which case she retains her Gentile status and is permitted to lay with him. 

Seeing Yishai's wife in anguish from the separation, the maidservant offers her a scheme, to exchange herself just as Rachel had replaced herself with Leah the night she wedded Jacob, 10 generations earlier. Months later the boys note the mother's pregnancy and tell the father she and her fetus must be killed. The father agrees but points out a "technicality"; Casting aspersion on the mother's conduct automatically casts this same aspersion upon the boys themselves, for if she prostituted herself for this child, who is to say she didn't do the same previously. So they decide to banish the child-to-be, David, from their sight, by sending him off to shepherd their flock. Chances are also good this shepherd could die in these far off pastures, where lions and bears roam. Only when Shmuel anointed David did Yishai realize his son's legitimacy.

Then the whole story of David, after his anointment, yet unable to reign for another 7 years; His horrible years when haunted by King Saul who seeks to kill him; And later, when his own sons seek to kill him. Then there's the episode of the so-called "sinful" marriage to BatSheva, the mother-to-be of King Shlomo. Only before his death, does King David manage to usurp control from competing forces to crown Shlomo.

The final story of this characteristically shadowy trail is still unwritten. Before long, Moshiach will reveal himself, and the world will transform into a utopia. Darkness itself will shed its cover to reveal the inner good that gave it its life-force in the first place.

Monday, November 02, 2009

Reggie White - A Tribute to a Giant

Reginald Howard White towered over men in more ways than one.

Physically he was lean, stood 6' 5" and weighed over 300 pounds. Elected to 13 straight Pro Bowls for his many records for sacking the quarterback, Reggie became one of the greatest pass rushers the NFL ever knew. In 2006 they enshrined him into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

His leadership qualities paralleled his physical strength. Well before his football career, at only 17 years of age, Reggie became an ordained minister. He would preach confidently to whomever would listen. His football chums called him "the minister of defense".

But his real strength was his strength of character; He could go from one passion to the next with the same gusto, even if on a unique trajectory. After he retired from football, he began to study the original Bible. He sensed translations distort this truth so he bypassed them and delved into studying the Bible's original language, Hebrew. He engrossed in its study, sometimes 9 hours a day. His diligence paid off; Eventually he could take up the original Torah and translate it for himself - an amazing feat for a late starter, a self-starter, in Biblical Hebrew no less. Many Jews, let alone a Gentile, do not share this ability.

He found the King James Bible often misquoted Torah and took portions out of context. He found words were added or removed or improperly translated. He would always discuss these distortions with his wife, Sara, and kids, Jecolia and Jeremy.

The more he studied, the more Torah intrigued him. The more he probed, the greater became his dismay of the past. Now he knew what he had preached as truth to people had been untrue. He felt he had cheated them. He felt sorry he raised funds for churches not true to God. His wife Sara said, “Pastors were intimidated by Reggie because Reggie knew the truth, and they knew he knew the truth.”

The more the family got involved with Torah, the more they rejected the customs they inherited. Dramatic changes ensued. They began to shake off anything that smacked of idolatry. If someone asked him, "What's your religion", he'd respond, "I'm a believer".

His family shared Reggie's spiritual journey. They felt uplifted. They became a tighter family unit. He and Sara traveled to Israel twice.

When Reggie died prematurely at the age of 43, the family held together, buttressed by their new-found beliefs. Sara said, “We got close to God and to each other … Reggie lived the years that were allotted to him to the fullest. What matters is not how long we live, but what we do while we live. He was looking for the Father, and the Father said, ‘Come home.’”

Visiting his grave site recently, she said, “Your passion was honoring God, your passion was learning Hebrew, your passion was teaching the word of God. If I can get that message across to people I think I can honor you because you accomplished so much off the field that most people can only dream about.”

Much more about this man can be learned below:

(Thank you to Bonnie Williamson for helping me put together the facts.)

ADDENDUM: Here's where the lionhearted rests:

Sunday, November 01, 2009

The Disjointed and Unity Concepts of G-d

The Christian belief in G-d does not deny the concept of a G-d, but it allows for another divine autonomy to co-exist. Judaism, on the other hand, insists upon G-d's unity, rejecting any other perspective. This is the reason a Jew must not enter a church. On the other hand, under Jewish law, a Gentile is under no obligation to adhere strictly to monotheism, as long as he accepts G-d.

The Islamic view of G-d coincides with the Jewish view, which is why no prohibition exists for a Jew to enter a mosque. The fact that Muslims pervert the idea of G-d, in Whose name they'll commit the most heinous crimes, is a separate issue. That has to do with their role model, their "prophet", who Maimonides calls "The Idiot" (המשוגע). For a grown man to "marry" a 6-year-old girl, the word "idiot" is a compliment.

Since any name you'd give G-d seems inapropriate, in terms of defining the undefinable, the Jewish language uses the word "Oibershter", which means The Above. This way, no matter what concept one has, use of that name implies, "It's above that too." In Hebrew, G-d is often called "The Name" (Hashem).  Here too the title implies remoteness, something like "whatever-you-call-it".

The 2nd principle of Maimonides' 13 principles of Jewish faith addresses this "Unity of God". But the word "unity" requires qualification: It means to say this is the quintessential idea of Oneness. It is not like the oneness of a pair (as in, a pair of doves - one group) and not "one", as of a species, as, e.g., a man, that has many members in this group. Nor like a body, with many components. Rather, G-d is one and there is no other oneness like His.  A Jew meditates on this fundamental every day when he recites, “Understand (Listen) Israel, Hashem Our God, Hashem is One!”

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Infinity Unimaginable

With the aid of microscopes, telescopes and theoretical science, we can "see" things down to the quark or as far away as beyond the galaxy, covering a range of metric sizes about 10 to the power of 39; From so tiny as 100 "attometers" in resolution to as far as 10 million light years away! 

Never mind figuring out the number of quarks, or even electrons, that exist in the universe. Just the number of stars in the universe is 1,063,400,000,000,000,000 (Brachot 32b)! [Do the math yourself.]  And most of these stars are much larger than our tiny earth.

And forget about conceiving how to control all of these, and their collective formations, at the same time and in their mutual interactions, in continuous time, all the while maintaining "multi-dimensional cross-sectional" integrity of the whole swirl and flurry of these dynamic micro and macro interactive events. 

That just begins to give you a tiny bit of an idea of the infinitely infinite power of Our Creator. Let alone, for now, the beneficence, magnificence, and other properties of The Only One.

(Here's a slide show (view it in "manual" mode) of that range of distances, going from micro to macro, or in reverse.)

Knesset Member Admits Failure on Pollard

Arutz Sheva reports Rafi Eitan of the Israeli cabinet admits failure and has regrets on Pollard.  (Pollard's story, by Caroline Glick, you can read here).

Something really stinks. What kept him from admitting it earlier? After burying someone alive, he had 24 years to think about it, why awake now? This later than late admission must play into his hand. This guy's up to something. Or, if he's no longer of hostile heart, let him propose something useful to his victim.

A Memorable Cartoon
- Click It to Enlarge It


My Mom (ע''ה) was in Auschwitz, and my Dad (ע''ה) was in German labor camps; Just another reason this topic speaks to my heart.

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

A Warning - from Ronald Reagan, 1961

Obama cynically plots to transform this country into a totalitarian regime. Why the urgency? To forestall a next election he may well lose. He contemptuously hypes "Health Care", but he couldn't care less! To ensnare us requires socialized medicine as the 1st critical step.

Click
HERE to hear about socialized medicine and "liberals". It's from 1961, but it's fresh as of 2009.

Monday, October 26, 2009

On Forced Vaccinations

This fellow, Gary Null, testifies at a hearing on forced vaccinations, in the N.Y.S. Assembly.  It regards the danger of vaccines. Watch all 3 clips, for one has what the other doesn't in terms of data, emotion, eye-opening revelation (like the horrific effects of inoculation of U.S. troops in Afganistan), and setting. He's brave, because big-Pharma's fat cats can now attack him. 

Too many are unaware of the pharmaceutical industry's corrupt control of medicine, research and health-care in this great country - which is profusely hemorrhaging these days.  But ignorance won't stabilize it. 


Saturday, October 24, 2009

Moshe Yess & Shalom Levine

This goes back a few years. Enjoy 10 minutes of their concert, in these two short clips.


A Chabad Fisherman

I got this friend who "fishes" in the strangest of places. His catches are often exotically colorful. He canvassed America for this fishing hole, and now stakes his claim in the backhills of Clearwater Florida. He sent me this email, and this picture of a recent "catch".
 - - - - - - - - 
Here is Bob S[beep], founder of reform temple Ahavat Shalom here in Clearwater Fl. back in the 70`s.  I went to the gym last Friday to lift some weights, and as I was about to leave this guy comes in and I ask him "ARE YOU JEWISH?"  He says "YES", so I went to the car, got him some challah made by Raizy, AND PUT ON TEFILLIN WITH HIM FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HIS LIFE IN HIS 60`S!!!  You can see me in the mirror taking the picture with my cell phone!!!

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Why the Storytelling in Genesis?
A Lesson for the Jews.

Right from the very outset of Torah an alert reader could ask, "Why would a manual of instruction to the Jewish people preoccupy itself with storytelling, first about the creation of the world and later about the patriarchs?" All of Genesis, in fact, is heavily narrated with stories. "Torah" in Hebrew comes from the word "to teach", so what does all this storytelling teach us?

It turns out, the sole purpose of the entire book of Genesis, with all its stories, is to provide the basis for the Jewish people upon which to stake their claim to the Land of Israel! It's the ammunition they should fire back with when accusers charge them with "occupying someone else's land".

In his very first commentary on Torah, Rashi asks, "Why not start the Torah from the first commandment to the Jewish people (concerning Passover; Exodus 12, 2)?" Why get sidetracked with storytelling in a book of laws?

Says Rashi. "Know that the Jewish people will be accused of conquering and displacing other peoples." (Note that Rashi lived some 1,000 years ago, when no one heard of a country called "Israel", nor could even dream of these scattered Jewish outcasts as an "aggressor nation"! Which testifies to Rashi's prophecy.)

He says to the Jew, "The reason G-d started the story from creation and tells the stories is - so you should know how to respond to your Gentile accusers! Here's what you tell them: G-d created the world; He gave the land to whomever He saw fit and wanted to give it to; He then took it away from them and gave it to us!" Period.

Says Rashi, "This is what King David meant in Psalms (111, 6): 'The might of His deeds He narrated to His people, to give them land inherited from Gentiles.'".

So why the Torah's long preamble? Why the seeming distraction with the entire Book of Genesis and 285 verses into the Book of Exodus, before it gets to the first commandment?

The answer is - to teach Jews they must invoke this demonstrable power and will of The Creator of the universe Who granted them this land - to lay claim to it! All that scripture serves as a living document with which to justify the claim. G-d "wastes" 1,819 verses so Jews should know how to respond to nations who accuse them of being usurpers of this land!

The reason Israel faces so much opposition most probably stems from saying everything but these words! Most religions acknowledge the Torah; Therefore most Gentiles would accept the message. But once we cite economic, military, humanistic or other reasons, to justify our claim to the land, instead of invoking the divine gift - that's when things get muddled up.

We must say clearly what Torah wants us to say, what it teaches right at its outset; And not stray one iota from that Torah instruction.

Sunday, October 18, 2009

The Bulkhead - By Dr. Yaakov Brawer

There are Chassidim who relish davening on airplanes. Immediately after takeoff, a Chassid of this breed stands up in the aisle (the farther forward, the better), intones a thunderous brachah, and with a great sweeping motion, envelops himself in a tallit, causing nearby passengers to flinch as flying tzitzit miss their eyes by millimeters. He then prays with an ardor rarely seen in shul, blocking the aisle and attracting the attention of everyone on the plane, and that, of course, is precisely his intent. He is, after all, a Chassid, charged with the mission to reveal G-d's presence within whatever niche of creation he happens to occupy at any given moment. Although the airline is under the impression that it has staged the flight in order to make money, and the passengers think that they are on the plane in order to actually arrive somewhere, the Chassid knows better. The Chassid understands that the objective of the flight is to sequester 150 souls 50,000 feet above sea level so that they can watch him daven and learn that there is a G-d in the world. When finished davening, any Chassid worth his salt works the cabin, entwining Jewish men in tefillin, reminding Jewish women to light Shabbat candles, and exhorting non-Jews to keep the seven Noahide commandments.

Although my admiration for these stalwarts knows no bounds, I am most definitely not one of them. I just do not have the genes. I abhor public display and I can not bear to make a spectacle of myself, no matter how worthy the cause. It goes without saying that I am useless on mitzvah campaigns, except in those instances in which an adult is simply needed to drive the getaway car.

Thus, some years ago, while en route to LA, my stomach knotted up as I realized that I would have to daven on the plane on my return trip.  (Read the rest here.)

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Vaccination Time? The Blind Leading the Blind.

Doctors too can be creatures of bad habit. Some follow the pharmacological industry's "set up" - no questions asked. Just like you (would like to) trust your doctor, so too your doctor trusts the vaccination protocol in blind faith. But you need not be blind.  Here's a video to make you rethink what too many consider trivial to worry about - most unfortunately.



UPDATE (10/16): Woman gets a neurological disorder 10 days after her flu shot.
UPDATE (10/22): Video of this girl, here.

Wednesday, October 07, 2009

The Biggest Beasts of Land and Sea

מה רבו מעשיך ה' כולם בחכמה עשית

How manifold your works, G-d, all that You created in wisdom! 
(Teh. 104, 24)


(1) The Birth of an Elephant - This is a marvelous 5.5 minute video. Watch how mom does not give up on her calf.

Any birth, be it of a baby or a calf, or for that matter, any reproduction in any taxonomic kingdom, reveals the power G-d invested in the species to do what only G-d can do - to create - giving each species the instincts or faculties it needs for procreation.



(2) A Pod of Humpback Whales: Learn, in 2 minutes, how they cooperate to "bubble-feed"!

Monday, October 05, 2009

The Pivotal Role of Jerusalem

The fate of the Jewish people forever challenges them because, as recited during the Passover seder, "... for in every generation after generation some nation always seeks to destroy them [either physically or spiritually]".

In the Haftarah of the 1st day of Succot, Zechariah (chpt 14) the prophet reveals an unusual point of information; The final war against the Jews, the one that will precede the revelation of Moshiach, centers around the city of Jerusalem. ("Jerusalem" appears 10 times in this chapter).

Over 1,900 years ago Jerusalem was destroyed. Only in recent history has she been revived. Never had this city been the capital of any country except for Israel. The so-called "Palestinians", Arabs who live in Israel and claim no other land as their own although they came from surrounding countries, choose, of all cities, Jerusalem as their "capital"? They not only want to hijack their host country, they want to redefine its capital as non-Jewish. This may well be the prophecy beginning to materialize.

Jerusalem will become the world's fulcrum about which two sides will emerge. One camp will come out in support of the Jewish claim; The other will support the enemies of the Jews. Not only will the world focus on little Israel, but all eyes will laser in on events happening in the city of Jerusalem. It will appear as though defenders of Jerusalem will go down in a tsunami of disaster - when, in fact, that very day the world will realize the Master of the Universe, the G-d of the Jews, rules alone and rules supreme.

Thursday, October 01, 2009

Chareisha, Israel - On the Chopping Block

Wanted to prove to you, the "temporary freezing of settlements", as termed by Netanyahu, is really permanent in his mind as he indulges the current rogue American government. The uprooting (of Gush Katif) 5 years ago (of 8,000 Jewish citizens) looks like it might repeat itself with settlements in Yehuda and Shomron, G-d forbid. Here's an 8-minute video of the plight of residents in the beautiful town of Chareisha, a plight wrought by the despicable leftist treacherous organization euphemistically called "Peace Now", may its constituents rot.

Thanks to YidWithLid.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Hamas Paid to Come to the United States - HB 1388

I got this email from a friend:

We are being sold down the river by 'executive order'. This is absurd.

There went 20.3 billion again!

We as Americans should be up in arms over this. This is unbelievable.

HB 1388 PASSED !!

You just spent $20,000,000 to move members/supporters of Hamas, a terrorist organization, to the United States ; They get housing, food, the whole enchilada.

EVERYONE IN THE U. S. needs to know.....

Something happened.... H.R. 1388 was passed, behind our backs. You may want to read about it.. It wasn't mentioned on the news... just went by on the ticker tape at the bottom of the CNN screen.

Obama funds $20M in tax payer dollars to immigrate Hamas Refugees to the USA . This is the news that didn ' t make the headlines.... By executive order, President Barack Obama has ordered expenditure of $20.3 million in "migration assistance" to Palestinian refugees and "conflict victims" in Gaza .

The "presidential determination", which allows hundreds of thousands of Palestinians with ties to Hamas to resettle in the United States , was signed and appears in the Federal Register.

Few on Capitol Hill, or in the media, took note that the order provides a free ticket replete with housing and food allowances to individuals who have displayed their overwhelming support to the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in the parliamentary election of January 2006.

Let's review....itemized list of some of Barack Obama ' s most recent actions since his inauguration:

His first call to any head of state, as president, was to Mahmoud Abbas, leader of Fatah party in the Palestinian territory

His first one-on-one television interview with any news organization was with Al Arabia television.

His first executive order was to fund/facilitate abortion(s) not just here within the U. S. , but within the world, using U. S. tax payer funds.

He ordered Guantanamo Bay closed and all military trials of detainees halted.

He ordered overseas CIA interrogation centers closed.

He withdrew all charges against the masterminds behind the USS Cole and the "terror attack" on 9/11.

Now we learn he is allowing hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refuges to move to, and live in, the US at American taxpayer expense.

These important, and insightful, issues are being "lost" in the blinding bail-outs and "stimulation" packages.

Doubtful? Verify this for yourself.

PLEASE PASS THIS ON... AMERICA NEEDS TO KNOW

WE are losing this country at a rapid pace.

Saturday, September 26, 2009

A Little Light Dispels Lots of Darkness

Netanyahu, speaking to the Israeli press after his speech at the U.N. 3 days ago, recalls what The Rebbe told him in 1984; That one day he'll again speak at the U.N.; And the advice he got - which he spells out for the press in an unusual burst of emotion.

Although Netanyahu stuck to The Rebbe's advice on this issue, The Rebbe would surely berate him and ask him to retract that horrible precedent he set a few weeks ago - airing the prospect of a "Palestinian State" on Jewish soil - which The Rebbe would vehemently oppose.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Israel's False Posture as a Democracy

I remember well an event that took place in Israel around Tisha B'Av, 2005. It was a day or two before the Israeli government rudely expelled 8,000 Jews from their homes and land, demolished the houses, synagogues and businesses, and handed over the whole area to Israel's avowed enemies, under the guise of another "peace plan" (read: a "piece by piece" giveaway plan). Until today these victims of their own government's ruthless eviction suffer from indifference by the perpetrators.

My wife and I prepared to go to Sderot to participate in a mass protest, to try and deter the expulsion. We travelled from Tel-Aviv and arrived at Bat-Yam, wherefrom buses were to bus us to our Southern destination.

But no buses were to be seen when we arrived in the mid-August heat. Local folk explained police had come and threatened the bus drivers with license confiscation were they to remain at the pick-up site.

It was bad enough to be on the side of Gush Katif residents and feel their pain. But to be prevented from even demonstrating against the plot magnified our plight.

Lest anybody be fooled, Israel's status as a "democracy" is but an illusion. As long as the entrenched leftist powers conspire to destroy the state, by police force, by aiding the enemy, by farcical legislation, by media control, by imposing liberal scholastics, or by religious persecution, the rightist majority continues to suffer the indecencies.

The last election is telling. Although the majority of popular votes supported a rightist platform, leftist elements, by political strong-arming, continue along their hidden agenda - today under the leadership of a conniving Netanyahu. E.g., the so-called "temporary" freeze in construction is meant to assuage the critics and dupe them into dropping their protestations, to buy more time for the leftist's evil agenda.

Rule #1 for GOOD HEALTH

The single, most basic rule for good health boils down to this: Eat when you're hungry and drink when you're thirsty.

The corollary to this rule is - do not eat or drink if you're not hungry or thirsty.

The single, major cause of illness is abuse of this golden rule. People get sick because they eat and drink too much. There are, of course, many other rules for good health, but none of those compare with this one in importance and predominance.

Here's a question for you. If given a choice between nutritious food and non-nutritious food, which is best for your body? The answer may surprise you. The Kitsur Shulchan Aruch (who bases his laws on the Rambam) tells you quite clearly, that a small amount of harmful food is better for the body that a big amount of nutritious food!

People who survived Auschwitz [as did my mother, a"h] or other concentration camps [as did my father, a"h] could easily attest to this fact. They survived on potato peels from the garbage or bits of hard, moldy bread, and some water. Ironically, upon liberation from these camps, many freed inmates died after their liberation when they consumed the meat their liberators generously offered them. My mother had traded her meat for a loaf of bread.

So important is this rule of good health that the Rambam actually makes it a law - forbidding one to ingest more than 75% of the amount that will bring to satiation.

A wise person, says the Rambam, eats only enough as to sustain him. Because overeating or satiation is poisonous, plain and simple. The fat person cannot hope to live as long as a skinny person.

The healthy man will eat on an empty stomach. The unhealthy one's habit is to eat when prior food hasn't yet drained from the stomach.

As for the reason, the mechanism - why a full stomach robs you of good health - we'll discuss in a later post. Some of the pertinent physiology you can find here.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Rabbi Tuvia Bolton

How much better if you know Hebrew and can make out his lyrics! He used to be, in his youth, lead guitarist of a rock band; Most of his gigs were in neighborhood bars. His website is here.

Thursday, September 17, 2009

A "cure" that's worse than the problem!

Here's a sound essay on the Swine Flu and the government's penchant for supporting the pharmaceutical industry - no matter how destructive the ramifications are. Is the vaccination for the sake of the people, or is it for the sake of the pharmaceutical industry - at the expense of the people?

It's why Obuma wants so badly to have government-run health care. Besides being a first step to socialism, it's a sure way to enforce vaccination of the populace.
By Frank Shallenberger, MD

I guess I’ve been around too long. I remember the swine flu “epidemic” of 1976. I had been practicing medicine for three years then. According to some of the infectious disease experts of the time, the swine virus was so dangerous that they were able to convince the United States Congress to pay for every citizen to be inoculated with a vaccine to prevent the “deadly” disease. About 25% of all Americans bought the idea. The results?

Twenty five people died of the vaccine, and one died of the virus. The winner? Big Pharma? How would you like it if the US government paid for every person in the country to have one of your products? But more about the love affair between the government and Big Pharma a little later. For now, just how dangerous is this year’s version of the swine flu, also known as the H1N1 virus?
Read this great article here.
And, be sure to read the great article on peroxide right after it. They're both really important.

Friday, September 11, 2009

Rockland County's Sheriff & his Deputy














That Sheriff James Kralik is a real swell guy. And the fellow next to him, why he's a deputy! You can read about him here. And about that horse, you can read about here.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Rush Limbaugh - Speaking from the heart penetrates the heart


Rush reacting to the apology of Congressman Joe Wilson, who called Obuma a liar in last night's speech to Congress. (2 min. 45 secs).

Wednesday, September 09, 2009

Uprooting Jewish Homes in Eretz Yisroel Should be Outlawed

Rabbi Sholom Dov Volpo
Every day a new scandal rocks the "nation that dwells in Zion": the Mofaz Law, the mother accused of starving her son, the US money laundering case, Mexican Flu, Safra Parking Lot, the Land Plot Law, murder in Tel Aviv, the Leiberman conviction, fire in Zichron Moshe and more. So, is there time to deal with side issues as a Palestinian state, expulsion from Yehuda and Shomron and the construction freeze? Come on now, be realistic! There are many more important issues to take care of at the moment.

This is exactly what Obama, Netanyahu and the media wish to achieve. Busy yourselves with a million different subjects, just not with the preparations that are taking place right now, behind our backs, for new accords that will give us an enemy state in our midst, costing the uprooting and destruction of many Jewish settlements.

This is how they anesthetize us, by blowing side events completely out of proportion, and lowering the volume on the really earthshaking issues. Until one day, when the news will hit us like a bombshell from out of the blue. Amidst all the scandals and breaking news stories, the true news will shake us to our very core. But by then it will be too late.
Read the rest here.

Tuesday, September 08, 2009

America's Fascist Transformation is in Full Swing

The beginning of America's end lurched forward with the printing of trillions of dollars of paper money, under the euphemistic guise of a "stimulus package". Now the wheels for The New Totalitarian World Order, with world headquarters at the U.N., are spinning much quicker. The faster they can cement up big, bold moves over the breakage of the infrastructure, the harder it will be to undo the damage.

Here are some fresh headlines, among so many other ominous ones pouring in, that portend dire prospects, if the Muslim Communist at the helm is allowed to succeed. If he does, G-d forbid, savings accounts will become worthless and freedom will be severely curtailed.

1) Senate must raise debt ceiling above $12 trillion

2) China alarmed by U.S. money printing

3) U.N. wants new global currency to replace dollar

4) Obama to seal US-UN relationship

Thursday, September 03, 2009

Differering Torah Opinions

Despite the arguments that abound in Talmud, our sages say, "All opinions are the words of the Living G-d." That is, all differing opinions brought in Gemorrah and Poskim are truth, even though the law bases itself according to only one of them. E.g., today we usually defer to the opinion of Bet Hillel, but in the future, the law will revert to that of Bet Shamai. Therefore, even while studying that which today is not established law, we do not waste our time, because, in fact, we are studying G-d's Torah.

The mitzvah of bringing the first fruits of The Land starts out, "And it will be when you come to the land..." (Dev. 26, 1). According to Midrash Sifri, the first-fruit offering must be brought immediately upon entry into The Land. The law, however, was to have brought it only after the 14 years it took to occupy and distribute The Land.

The mitzvah entails thanking G-d for the good He's done giving us The Land of Israel. One opinion would then be to thank G-d immediately for His gift, as soon as he's got his portion in the land. On the other hand, you might say it's better to offer thanks once everybody is settled in and and happy for their neighbors, at which time your thanks would be more profound.

Similarly, when a Jew awakes from a night's sleep. He immediately says the "Modeh Ani", thanking G-d for the return of his soul, which he says even before he washes his hands and gets up. Thereafter, during prayer, the Jew again thanks G-d, as when he says "Hodu". At the end of prayer he thanks G-d by saying, "Ach tzadikim yodu ...". Why all these thanks? Because each reflects a renewed appreciation.

Apparently both views of the first-fruit offering are right. There's the immediate thanks we give, as we offer spontaneous appreciation to G-d. But later, as we marvel and reflect on G-d's greatness, and share our friends' joy, it becomes a happier, more profound sort of thanks.

The 18th of Elul is the birthday of two tzadikim whose life-works coincide with the heart of the above matter. The Ba'al Shem Tov and the Alter Rebbe worked two different ways to thank G-d. The Ba'al Shem Tov worked to instill simple faith in G-d, as in teaching Jews to say "Thank G-d" for everything they can be grateful for. The Alter Rebbe founded the Chabad movement of Chassidus, wherein one internalizes Torah, so much so that it penetrates and reflects in thought, speech and action, so that thanking G-d comes from the person's very essence; Not just from spontaneity.

Despite their different approaches, however, "All ways are the ways of the Living G-d." (Adapted from Moshe Hendy in Lod, Israel)

Wednesday, September 02, 2009

Torah Keeps its Promise to Yearning Jews

It wasn't long ago the Land of Israel was nothing more than a wasteland; No thriving cities, no fertile farms, hardly any greenery. The Jews and Arabs were a rather sparse, peasant population in this dry and desolate land with no formal government. Mark Twain ("Innocents Abroad", chpt. 56) described its city dwellers as "swarms of animated rags". Here's part of his description of this "Holy Land" in 1867.
Of all the lands there are for dismal scenery, I think Palestine must be the prince. The hills are barren, they are dull of color, they are unpicturesque in shape. The valleys are unsightly deserts fringed with a feeble vegetation that has an expression about it of being sorrowful and despondent. The Dead Sea and the Sea of Galilee sleep in the midst of a vast stretch of hill and plain wherein the eye rests upon no pleasant tint, no striking object, no soft picture dreaming in a purple haze or mottled with the shadows of the clouds. Every outline is harsh, every feature is distinct, there is no perspective - distance works no enchantment here. It is a hopeless, dreary, heart-broken land.

Small shreds and patches of it must be very beautiful in the full flush of spring, however, and all the more beautiful by contrast with the far-reaching desolation that surrounds them on every side. I would like much to see the fringes of the Jordan in spring-time, and Shechem, Esdraelon, Ajalon and the borders of Galilee--but even then these spots would seem mere toy gardens set at wide intervals in the waste of a limitless desolation.

Palestine sits in sackcloth and ashes. Over it broods the spell of a curse that has withered its fields and fettered its energies. Where Sodom and Gomorrah reared their domes and towers, that solemn sea now floods the plain, in whose bitter waters no living thing exists - over whose waveless surface the blistering air hangs motionless and dead - about whose borders nothing grows but weeds, and scattering tufts of cane, and that treacherous fruit that promises refreshment to parching lips, but turns to ashes at the touch. Nazareth is forlorn; about that ford of Jordan where the hosts of Israel entered the Promised Land with songs of rejoicing, one finds only a squalid camp of fantastic Bedouins of the desert; Jericho the accursed, lies a moldering ruin, to-day, even as Joshua's miracle left it more than three thousand years ago; Bethlehem ... is untenanted by any living creature, and unblessed by any feature that is pleasant to the eye. Renowned Jerusalem itself, the stateliest name in history, has lost all its ancient grandeur, and is become a pauper village...

Palestine is desolate and unlovely. ....

Palestine is no more of this work-day world. ....
Most Jews dwelled in other regions of the globe. For two millennia they've been in exile. On the lips of Jews, daily prayers beseeched G-d to return Israel to its former glory and, moreover, to usher in the Era of Ultimate Redemption.

Who would have thought all these years, with the Holy Land scrapped in rubbish, their prayers would bear fruit? Who would have dreamed so seismic an upheaval could happen, to transform this inhospitable panorama into a thriving heartland?

The first verse of today's Torah portion (Tavo) begins to relate what one is expected to bring as first-fruit offering to the Priests up in Jerusalem. But if you read the verse slowly, you also realize the verse constitutes a promise to the Jewish people they will once again be masters of their land. Note the first words, said in future tense, "And it will be when you come to the land that G-d gives you as an inheritance ..." (Dev. 26, 1).

To Jews, this eternal, living Torah spoke to them. And because they believed in Torah's divinity, they took G-d at His word. They prayed day after day, year after year, century after century, for nearly 2,000 years for this promise to materialize.

Miraculously, Jews again have back their land. And it's blooming. But, as they say, "We ain't seen nothing yet", for very soon a new Era of Final Redemption will catapult this world into an as yet unimaginable utopia.

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