The Deed to the Land of Israel

Finally, finally, Israel has followed Torah's exhortation to proclaim before the gentile nations who accuse Israel of having robbed their land exactly as Ambassador Danny Dannon did in the U.N.'s security council on April 30, 2019.

The very first verse in Torah, and there, in the very first Rashi, Rashi dictates exactly the words that need be said to counter this false accusation. And indeed, Mr. Danon raised the Chumash in the air and said words to the same effect, if not exactly the right words.

God gave the Land of Israel to the Jewish people when he made a covenant with Abraham, said Danon, quoting from Genesis.

He could have elaborated just as Rashi elaborates, that God, creator of the world, had first given the land to the Canaanites and then took back the land from them -- to give it to the Jews.

Only this argument, which carries Torah's sanction, is the one that will be respected by the Goyim. Indeed, until now, no matter what else Israel had been arguing, it all fell on deaf ears. Now things are going to change.

Now, very close to the Era of Ultimate Redemption, it's due time that the right argument be put forth. Only this argument will be the one that the Gentiles nations will understand and respect, and eventually accept (whether they like it or not).

This big step is yet another clear sign we're heading down the path of Geulah.

(It pays to realize, too, that Rashi, who lived in France some 1,000 years ago, in the time of the Crusades, when Jews were deep in exile, scattered the world over, under persecution almost wherever they lived, in an era when the Land of Israel was merely a figment of imagination or a dream at best, wrote this Torah commentary derived from prophecy. For who then would have believed that there would ever again be a Land of Israel that will belong to the Jewish people, a people then dispersed across all the continents, without a common language, without an army, with no political clout, with no security and without any power whatsoever?)

____________ Rashi on Genesis 1:1 ____________

אמר רבי יצחק: לא היה צריך להתחיל את התורה אלא (שמות יב ב) מהחודש הזה לכם, שהיא מצווה ראשונה שנצטוו בה ישראל, ומה טעם פתח בבראשית, משום (תהילים קיא ו) כוח מעשיו הגיד לעמו לתת להם נחלת גויים, שאם יאמרו אומות העולם לישראל לסטים אתם, שכבשתם ארצות שבעה גויים, הם אומרים להם כל הארץ של הקב"ה היא, הוא בראה ונתנה לאשר ישר בעיניו, ברצונו נתנה להם וברצונו נטלה מהם ונתנה לנו

Rabbi Yitzchak said: "Torah ought to have began its narrative from (Shemot 12: 2) where God delivers His 1st commandment to the entire Jewish People, from the verse "This month (of Nissan) shall be for you the 1st month of the year ... ."  Why then did Torah open with the story of creation, etc. ? King David explains it (Psalms 111:6). It was "in order the people should know of God's omnipotence, which He projected for the sake of the Jewish People." That is, they should know that He, the Creator, gave them the inheritance to this land. For when the gentile nations will accuse the Jews of robbing them of it, and that Israel conquered a land that belonged to 7 other nations, Jews should respond, saying, that all of earth belongs to God, He created it and gave The Land to whom He saw fit for it; He first wanted the Canaanites to have it, but then wanted it back, because now He wanted to give it to us."

Anti-Semitism in Moshiach's Times

The previous post (Rating the Trump Miracle) posed the seeming contradiction of anti-Semitism prevalent in an era imminently leading to a utopian Redemption. The explanation given there was the standard answer that applies to all eras.

But here's a more apt reason from a Moshichist's perspective. The looming anti-Semitism in Moshiach times serves as a backdrop to portray the sharp contrast between good and evil. How so?

The present era, being the prelude of Moshiach's times, is depicted by the prophet Tzefaniah. In his last verse (3:20) he describes this era:

"'At that time, I will bring you to the land, ingathering you to there, and give you a reputation of praise among all peoples of the earth as I restore you from exile before your eyes',
said God."

בעת ההיא אביא אתכם ובעת קבצי אתכם כי אתן אתכם לשם ולתהלה  בכל עמי הארץ בשובי את שבותיכם לעיניכם
אמר ה׳

How can "all peoples of the earth" recognize Jewish merit? Until 100 years ago this could have been a very hard question to answer. How could people from Afghanistan to Zambia, from all continents and walks of life, know up close what's happening with Jews and who these people are, to recognize them, let alone praise them? Even television a few decades ago wasn't sufficiently widespread to capture the ongoing fluidity of events. But this phenomenon today can easily be appreciated. Today's modern technology is designed to capture everybody's attention on a whim. Hardly a person today, wherever on the globe, is prevented from seeing and hearing worldwide events - right in front of his nose.

For merit to be grasped, for good to take on tangibility, a backdrop of blatant evil makes it stand out in bold relief. Are not people who have for decades been aborting live fetuses today starting to turn around? Are not perverts and corrupt politicians running for office for all to see? Are not good people like judge Kavanaugh being paraded before the public to show how evil seeks to destroy what's good? And let's not forget, as the previous post emphasizes, that we have a role model of goodness leading the most powerful of all countries, having trumped (pun intended) what could have been the most wicked of administrations.

People the world over see who Jew-haters are. Their evil is starkly visible. The more people see this, the more they come to appreciate the value of goodness, the more they'll align with good against evil. And indeed, is not the world stage being set, as the entire world somehow always seems to focus on tiny Israel? And although evil will finally be eradicated only by Moshiach himself, by then those who chose the side of evil will easily be identified and vanquished.

Even the ingathering of Jews can now also be felt, as the screws mildly tighten across Europe, where they may need more convincing to make aliyah. However things pans out, it will always remain mild for Jews, no matter from where, and when; This is, after all, Moshiach's times. Be that as it may, in fact, the other main task that will be Moshiach's, besides destroying the last remnants of evil, will be the ingathering to Israel of all his brethren.

Rating the Trump Miracle

The election of President Trump in 2016 may well appear to the general public as a "natural" event that was just a happenstance, because long-shots on occasion win as they do in horse races.

Judging from his opposition's view of things still today, despite his convincing majority, they think his win was a fluke.

But those of us in the know, those who ride on to the coattails of the prophet and leader of this generation, know better. More than that, with our keenly honed perspective, we can even rate Trump's victory -- not just as a simple miracle that happened, but as a huge miracle of the highest proportions.

Of course to see it this way, you'd have to familiarize yourself with a good "miracle barometer".

To learn what this miracle barometer is based on, you can go to this LINK to find out. But for here, briefly, the difference between a "big" miracle and a "small" one is -- the extent of its concealment from the natural landscape. The more that nature's framework of laws and constraints is breached, the smaller the miracle is; And the greater its concealment within the natural environment, thus making it practically undetectable, the greater the miracle.

For example, consider events as they unfold before us in the present. As Jews, do we not sense a greater fear because of a rise in antisemitism the world over, and in America too, where it never existed to such a degree? Still, that would seem natural enough because Jew-hatred has been around for ages and now it's just escalating even over here. This phenomenon would assuredly cancel out any talk of living today under miraculous conditions, would it not?

Or, consider today's Democrats who have consolidated behind their "never Trump" posture, with full backing by the "deep state" or "establishment swamp", together with their Republican (in name only), university, mainstream media and Hollywood cohorts in full support. These have the strong impression they have simply encountered a bump in the old road, which will again smoothen itself out once they obliterate or trash their nemesis often enough. With such folk around, does today's scenario suggest a miracle is in progress?

Even good folk, even Trump lovers, without the spectacles that align us with the vision of the Rebbe MH"M, they too cannot see the great miracle that took on tangible form the day of Trump's election. They too would fail to see the momentous transformation occurring in real time, right now, and only growing stronger.

How so? Doesn't the virulent antisemitism and the disgusting politics of the left negate this view of the imminence of an era of ultimate Jewish and world redemption? On the contrary, does it not portend a slippery slope into an abyss of socialism, divisiveness and hate?

It would -- unless you see the present trend in motion from the Rebbe's angle. Consider the miracle of Purim. It all looked frightfully bleak for world Jewry then. They were destined for demise. That is, until that night when the Persian king was unable to sleep. At the crack of dawn, he welcomed into his palace the nemesis of the Jewish people. That's when events quickly revealed that a grander plan had actually been in effect already 9 years in the making. Sure enough, Jewish prospects suddenly took a turnaround. Less than a year later, Jews would breathe a deep sigh of relief and rejoiced. That was the Purim miracle, one that rates extremely high according to the aforementioned barometer. These events and the turnaround all became apparent when, metaphorically, "on that night the King [of the universe] had his sleep perturbed." (Esther 6:1) - בלילה ההוא נדדה שנת המלך
[The halacha is that this possuk must be read by the megillah-reader a bit louder because here the main part of the miracle is about to happen.]

There's a major transformation going on in our natural landscape and another huge step took place during the few hours polling booths were open across America. In that short span of time another giant leap to advance the Era of Ultimate Redemption happened.

Just before the election, the Hillary witch was destined to be the next leader, with some polls predicting her victory with 90% probability. And who was this dame? The wife of a crook, awash in Arab money, hateful of Jews, and having for two decades as her deputy chief of staff the daughter of a Muslim Brotherhood key figure. She was expected to take over the reins from the incumbent, Muslim, Jew-hating president, may his memory be wiped out. Until that election day, Jews certainly, if not most of America, had little hope for a good future had she won. This country would have quickly become a 3rd world country.

But behold, the election results betrayed the forecasts. In a matter of hours the outcome had cast aside a gloomy situation. It was the bright light of Moshiach dissipating darkness. The new Era of Ultimate Redemption can no longer be turned back.

Instead of a Muslim girl in the White House steering Hillary, we now have where a Jewish girl can comfortably sit in the White House. Instead of greed, hate, immorality, disgrace and ugliness spewing from the world's highest office, we now sense beneficence, love, moral integrity, grace and beauty exuding therefrom.

The election result was an obvious turnaround moment. Of course another such obvious turnaround event was wrought 70 years earlier when the United Nations (of all organizations) granted the Jews their right to return to their Jewish homeland.

As for the Jew-hatred, I suppose it's a way to keep our opponents busy so they can wallow in their evil as a world of goodness lying dormant is reshaping the natural terrain. It's a slow process, apparently for the purpose of still allowing the individual free choice, allowing him to consider which side he wants to be on, to weigh matters on his own and have bearing. To paint everything blatantly rosy would rob the individual of his free choice.

But besides for appearances, Israel and the Jewish people will thrive and only wax in prosperity.

The Rebbe MH"M told us, nay -- bombarded us daily, for years, from around 1991, trying his darnedest to get us to see the great miracle in its making. There were, to be sure, plenty of other significant events that pointed to the truth of his prophecy, before then and after then. And in 2016, Trump's election has clearly solidified the Rebbe's stance.

That Mr. Donald J. Trump will be a shoo-in in 2020 is a sure thing. May God grant him and his family good health and disposition. Thereafter too the golden path will be open to us, leading us to the utopian era. There's no turning back. May it happen that we dance with all Jews and with King Moshiach in Jerusalem sooner than we expect.

Israeli Expansion towards the Geulah

What a pleasant Purim surprise we got today from President Trump!

Today, Purim 5779, I read in Arutz 7 news that this good man announced his support for Israel's annexation of the Golan Heights. He did, in the U.S., what some Israeli government should long ago have suggested or done, in Israel.

For this Mr. Trump deserves a huge thank you. Of course he's not operating in a vacuum so the thanks also goes to his whole family and affiliates.

Today, the 14th of Adar-B, the Israelis have been provided sanction for all to see to call their own territory their own (As the first Rashi in Torah implores us to do vis-s-vis Israel naysayers!). The Rebbe, King Moshiach, however he wants to elude his believers physically, is behind all these telling moments as more and more of the imminent Era of Ultimate Redemption unfolds before our very eyes towards the tail end of the current 6th millennium of world history.

The Golan is but a small part of the territory promised Avraham Avinu, but it's the first step to the long mile.

And because this apparent small step occurred on such an auspicious occasion, arguably the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, for Yom Kippur only resembles the holiness of Purim but doesn't come close to it, as the Hebrew word itself suggests ("Ki-ppur"), it's a significant step.

HAPPY PURIM !!!


UPDATE: Nov. 20, 2019

On CHOF MARCHESHVAN, 5780, was the birthday of the "Rebbe Rashab", the 5th Chabad Rebbe, Rabbi Sholom DovBer of Lubavitch. It happened that on this day Mr. Trump announced that (the international court notwithstanding) USA policy no longer considers the Jordan Valley illegally occupied by Israel. This would encourage its annexation and due recognition as part of Eretz Yisroel, in effect. Another giant step to Geulah taken on another commemorative chassidic day.

From HaModia: On Monday, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reversed a policy that had been proclaimed by the State Department decades ago, saying that the U.S. would no longer view Jewish towns in Yehudah and Shomron as illegal. “Calling the establishment of civilian settlements inconsistent with international law has not advanced the cause of peace,” Pompeo said. “The hard truth is that there will never be a judicial resolution to the conflict, and arguments about who is right and who is wrong as a matter of international law will not bring peace. The establishment of Israeli civilian settlements in the West Bank is not, per se, inconsistent with international law.”

Unless you're attuned to a Chabad Moshiach-times perspective, you might miss the footprints the Rebbe leaves behind, at opportune chassidic moments, leaving you in the dark even while all around you erupts a new dawn of supernal light.