Concerning the Jews - Mark Twain

Click on image to enlarge it.Though Mark Twain was a smart man, he couldn't figure out the secret we have, which is about as obvious as the sun is bright. All he had to do was ask a Jew. We have the Torah and we do Hashem's commandments.

Here's a rabbi who addresses this very topic and Twain's thematic question: "What is the Jewish secret?" (LINK)
(Listen too to the incredible story of the Jews of Dombrov, Poland!)

The Reform Rabbi and the Angry Child

A "Reform Judaism" site in Westchester removed many of my comments I had posted on their blog, this even after once acknowledging I had made a "powerful" point. Deletion is a sure-fire way to save face with their clientele. After all, any rational Reformist seeing my comments would immediately sense the absurd knots Reformist jargon ties itself into as it tries to maintain a bond with Jewish heritage.

My words never bore a tinge of malice. The contrary is true because I know most Reform Jews have been "abducted" since infancy by a non-Torah culture. Besides, I meant to educate the Jews among them and only by being friendly can this be accomplished.

The site posted an article by a Reform "rabbi" who claimed to being "half-Jewish". He used this term almost a dozen times. In his article he also uses another phrase - very common on Reform sites, namely - "Our Jewish tradition".

I pointed out to him that Reform Judaism has no tradition, not longer than 3 or 4 generations at the most. By that time, the Jewish familial ties to our Jewish ancestry have been wiped away. Whereas orthodox Judaism is rooted in a geneology of 3.5 millennia, propagated since Jacob our forefather, Reform Jews of today are in no way ancestors of earlier generations of Reform Jewry, for this deviant fringe invariably self-extinguishes. (A chart that illustrates this empirical fact can be seen here.)

And although this "rabbi" confidently invokes "our Jewish tradition", I pointed out that being "half-Jewish" cannot be relegated to that same Jewish tradition - because in that tradition - there is no such thing as a "half-Jew"! If the mother was Jewish, she gave birth to a Jew, a full-fledged Jew; And if she was Gentile, then she gave birth to an entirely complete Gentile, even if the father was Jewish.

The "rabbi" mentioned how sad he was to find that his half-Jewish friends felt no pride for being Jewish. Imagine how much less pride a Reformist would feel in the next generation, he now being only "one-quarter Jewish".

For Reformists to acknowledge Torah law, as by acknowledging the mother's religion determines that of her child's, would undermine their raison d'etre, which is to deviate from Torah. In their own interests, for the sake of self-preservation, for at least one more generation anyhow, they have no real choice but to delete my commentary. To let it stand would mean to allow a challenge go unanswered, for all their clienete to see. Don't forget that intermarriage among Reform Jews runs rampant - especially among their "rabbis".

Reform Jews, especially their "rabbis", unlike Torah-true Jews who have a God-given absolute authority to rely on, act like angry babies when it comes to defending themselves. When truth rubs them the wrong way, they just lash out by censoring you. After all, for them to provide sound reasoning, in tying Torah to their way of life, would involve miraculous verbal contortions.

Chabad Stragglers - Not Giving it All They Ought

When it comes to averting temptation, orthodox Jews have an unusual risk factor for transgression.

Normally the "Evil Inclination", which sends its communiques from the heart to the brain, does it rather unabashedly; At best, it modifies the recommendation to make it appear respectable. The challenge for the Jew is simply to erase the notion from his mind and supplant the idea with a permissible one. An example is talking in the synagogue. Rather than pursuing small talk in this holy place, the Jew can revert to communion with God Almighty.

The religious Jew, however, can get this occasional dispatch to his psyche from an unsuspecting source - an ostensibly religious-appearing Evil Inclination. This makes determination of the activity, whether permissible or not, whether "kosher" or not, more difficult to decipher. The sin suggested thereby, cloaked as a religious undertaking, can appear quite admirable, even outright holy.

A good example of this is when the seemingly virtuous behavior is untimely. But because it looks right, aside from the timing, the person can be deceived and fall for the Evil Inclination's trap.

Such a case we find in Torah (Num.14:39-45). The spies had polluted the minds of Jews and convinced them to resist entry into the Land of Israel. God then struck the spies dead and Moses rebuked the people, telling them of their punishment, which entailed extending their desert sojourn to 40 years and that only the next generation shall merit entry into the Holy Land.

After the rebuke, many Jews felt a sincere change of heart. So, with a new surge of faith in God and a feeling of surety that God's entrusted gift of The Land will not be denied, they arose early next morning and en masse began a hasty climb towards the Holy Land to undo their mistake, looking to force themselves through enemy territory and burst through into The Land of Israel.

Moses warned them to halt but they persisted with their "holy" mission. The result was a massacre at the hands of the enemy.

Why did these brave warriors meet with such a bitter end? After all, their cause was a most worthy one. Were they not extremely inspired with a new faith in God and a profound trust they will succeed? Did they not show love for the Holy Land? Did they not express terrible regret and grief for forsaking the wishes of God? And, is this not the very reason for which Jews left Egypt in the first place?

Here, then, is the lesson that should not be lost on readers of this portion of Torah. The problem was - they went against the exhortation of Moses, the leader of the generation. Moses said "Do not go!" and they figured they could proceed nevertheless, feeling justified with new-found faith and trust in God.

But the leader of the generation knows what others know nothing about; Timing, for example.

When the leader of the generation, the "head" of the Jewish "body" says to do one thing, and Jews, on their own, under the very best intentions, even holy intentions, think they can one up on their leader's instruction - here lies an impending source for disaster. To rely on one's own brain and overrule the wishes of the Leader of the Generation (נשיא הדור) spells FORFEITURE. This is the lesson to learn of this Torah episode.

The leader of our generation, on Shabbat Chayei-Sarah, 1992, announced a new provision for his followers. The entire talk he devoted to this purpose. He said to his listeners they should promote the "acceptance of the countenance of Moshiach" as a main point, as the only framework from which to operate all other Chabad activity. All light they project must emanate from this focal point. He did not say to halt any activities that bring Jews closer to the religious fold. No. These, he said, should continue. But he did say these activities should not proceed unless they first have been threaded through the porthole called "Accepting the Countenance of Moshiach" (see here). First things first. First comes the idea of "Accepting Moshiach". Then, and only then, once this Messianic notion is wafted, can any Chabad interaction be one the Rebbe recommends. In fact, said the Rebbe, in order for such activity to be branded as a mission of Chabad, it first must undergo this Messianic initiation. Such was the Rebbe's directive on that Sabbath day.

Simply put, it can go something like this: Say you want to put Tefillin on someone.
"Do you know we live in a special generation?"
"How so?"
"Because in our generation Moshiach will show up to redeem the Jewish people. Do you know who the Messiah is?"
"Nope. Who?"
"My feeling is - it's my Rabbi, the Lubavitcher Rebbe."
Now go ahead and don the tefillin. You will thereby have launched your interaction from a Messianic framework.

Of course, that precursor narrative must conform to the peculiarities assessed in the target - so the listener can appreciate the message. The Rebbe relies on the gut instincts of the Chabadnik. The message should be delivered appropriately, and not in a wild manner.

There are those in Chabad who continue, in good faith, rendering friendly services to fellow Jews. And for this they must be commended. However, if they circumvent the threading of their activities through the proper precursor framework, they effectively short-circuit the desire of the Rebbe, the leader of our generation - and fail in their mission.

The Rebbe's Vanguard - The Juggernaut of Chabad

The word "Moshichist" I first heard a Chabad chassid use disparagingly. He felt the Rebbe died a natural death and those who believe otherwise are, by sheer force of logic that Nature exerts, delusional.

This Jew feels his camp aligns with integrity of thought. Until the 3rd of Tammuz he too believed the Rebbe as most qualified for rank of Moshiach. But once Nature intervened, this proved the exalted expectation never materialized. God had someone else in mind. In effect, we were forced into a new wait-state, fresh to consider whomever else comes forth to prove himself a worthy candidate.

He too believes some abstract notions transcend Nature, such as belief in God, or that God gave Jews the Torah at Mount Sinai, and therefore prayers to an invisible God, or wearing tzitzis, for example, merit indulgence; But that a man of flesh and blood after burial can remain "alive and well" - this his mind will not tolerate. Here he draws the line between foolishness and sanity. "Moshichism", he thinks, renders its adherents somewhat insane, a camp he regards with disdain.

He takes comfort in pragmatism. He avoids complicated reasoning raised by Moshichists, mind-bending issues of the Rebbe embracing the supernatural. He is aware many issues in the holy Jewish literature relate to King Moshiach and the Messianic Era, but these became impractical because God denied such status to the Rebbe. He thinks the Rebbe's "crowning" as Moshiach was based on mere hope by a bunch of hopefuls. Pragmatists like himself took a wait-and-see attitude - especially after the Rebbe suffered a second stroke that sapped his vitality.

This point is key, because it takes us back in time - to BEFORE the 3rd of Tammuz. Most Chabad chassidim, based on all the Rebbe said since he assumed leadership, had regarded the Rebbe as Moshiach. Even those today who consider the Rebbe dead - also shared that view. So what axe fell that hewed Chabad into two?

On the 3rd of Tammuz, 5754, Chabad reached a watershed. What ostensibly appeared as a homogenous Chabad community emerged from that day's prism split into a dichotomy. Hidden reservations that the Rebbe was Moshiach, or, conversely, strong convictions that he was, once latent and unnoticed, now emerged and contrasted in bold relief.

Accordingly, from that day on the conversation in both camps also changed radically.

For one camp, their "Moshiach bubble" burst. All booming talk of the Rebbe as Moshiach collapsed. The doubts they harbored before the 3rd of Tammuz now seem justified. This group would not deny Nature. Perhaps the Rebbe remains alive - but only in soul. The real Moshiach candidate has been thrown up for grabs. At best, the Rebbe might be brought back to life if God so wills it, but they won't be betting this long shot.

All their talk of Moshiach now, if the subject is broached, dresses itself decidedly in generic fashion. This group's conversation has become rather indistinct from most other orthodox circles.

Another striking resemblance this group shares with other orthodox, non-Chabad circles is their comfort level with Messianic vagueness. The 3rd of Tammuz released the tension they felt in casting the Rebbe into a Moshiach mold. Like a burden removed from the shoulder, this group regained a relaxed composure; No longer do they feel vulnerable grappling with the identity of Moshiach; Finally this irritating issue they could toss into oblivion.

Yes, these people pray about Moshiach daily; But then they leave Moshiach in the siddur - once they close it.

So how would we characterize this group's belief in the Rebbe BEFORE the 3rd of Tammuz? Until that day they figured that - "CHANCES ARE the Rebbe MIGHT be Moshiach".

The other camp, in sharp contrast, never doubted anything the Rebbe said. If something he said did not square with rationale, they would keep these words nearby so one day they could discover their intent and tie things together. Never did they bear doubt on what the Rebbe said. The Rebbe's words resonated for them with absolute precision and absolute truth. ALWAYS they held the Rebbe's words tightly to their bosom.

Incredibly, this group believes no essential change occurred that Tammuz day; The Rebbe's apparent burial had no impact whatsoever on the Rebbe's actual reality. If facts of Nature seems to clash with what the Rebbe taught, it's because fleshy eyes cannot perceive absolute truth. These chassidim cling to the supernatural prospect that the Rebbe remains alive in body! The Jewish people, as a "body", cannot be without a "head". The Rebbe, therefore, until today, remains the physical "head" of the Jewish people.

They believe that day in Tammuz marks the first day of a precursor period that will usher in the final Era of Redemption. It marks the start-time of a trial period for believers like themselves to disregard Nature's apparent facade. The generation of Moses failed this waiting-test with the sin of the Golden Calf in the last hours prior to Moses' reappearance. This group is banking on the Rebbe until the outcome is plain for all to see.

They have what to bank on. For example, several stories in Talmud tell of sages who died yet remained physically alive (e.g., Yaacov our forefather, Rabbi Yehuda Hanassi, Rabbi Eliezer the son of the Rashbi). Many authoritative sources, ranging from Midrashim to latter-day sages such as Rashi, Ramban, Chassam Sofer and Rabbi Bechayei predict such a scenario before Moshiach's final debut. The Torah itself and the Holy Books too (e.g., Chanoch, sons of Korach, Eliyahu, Chiram, Daniel) invoke the phenomenon of escaping death. The Rebbe discussed many of these supernatural circumstances.

Relegating Nature to inferior status vis-a-vis the supernatural truth intimated by the Rebbe resonates from and characterizes this Chabad group's conversation. In fact, this articulation is what gives Chabad its current distinctive ring.

So how would we characterize this group's belief about the Rebbe BEFORE the 3rd of Tammuz? They believed that - "FOR SURE the Rebbe WAS Moshiach". The former group fostered a doubt and, for them, the Rebbe's spark extinguished. The latter group holds every word of his sacred and, for them, the spark of Moshiach energizes them.

The prophet Daniel tells us that before Moshiach's revelation, truth and falsity will become evident. Like a crucible used to purify gold and purge it of foreign elements, the period prior to Moshiach's revelation will give truth buoyancy, separating it from untruth. This inevitability does not spare Chabad. That which inherently lurked as doubt in the Rebbe, after the 3rd of Tammuz manifested in a demotion in the Rebbe's rank. Those for whom the Rebbe's aura of Moshiach was palpable, after the 3rd of Tammuz rejoiced in an ideal deemed to be on track, with ever greater anticipation.

So Chabad today constitutes two groups of stark contrast. Whereas they wear the same wear, pray the same prayer and walk the same walk, they talk a different talk.

The majority in Chabad feel uncomfortable touting the Rebbe as Moshiach. This majority group represents the "stragglers" of Chabad, the ones who by dint of inheritance hang on to their Chabad namesake - and not because they think differently from their non-Chabad, orthodox brethren. They will begrudgingly admit the Rebbe is best suited to be knighted as Moshiach, but only when "cornered". The other group, smaller but with powerful conviction, represents the vanguard of Chabad. This group today projects the Messianic ideology, and, paradoxically, the entire world, both Jewish and Gentile, attributes this as characteristic of Chabad - the whole of Chabad! It's a case of minority representation receiving all of the spotlight. Chabad and Moshichism are synonymous. Opposition to the Rebbe being Moshiach, if ever vented, hardly makes a dent on world impression. Opposition to a Messianic Chabad segment remains a vapid narrative, one that cannot be made to stick.

This is the result of divine providence. For all its history, Chabad had been the cutting edge of Jewish revival and still represents the front line forging the way for the Jewish community to prepare itself for Moshiach.

That a large part of Chabad fell by the wayside after the 3rd of Tammuz, is unfortunate. Strangely enough, most of these proponents originate from Chabad families that predated the Rebbe's leadership. But the great majority of Chabadniks who "enlisted" during the Rebbe's leadership, hundreds of thousands - remain behind the Rebbe as Moshiach. These represent the major bulk of the Chabad vanguard. Many of those with "older roots", for some strange reason, fell in with the "stragglers" group.

There are some Chabad emissaries who admit they refrain advocating the Rebbe's Messianic agenda for fear of "turning off" potential financial benefactors, thinking their benefactors would not tolerate such "absurd" talk. Such Chabad folk also fall in with the "stragglers" group for they lack the spirit to push the Rebbe's cause and, furthermore, they deny the Rebbe's assertion that, if presented sensibly, "the world is ready to accept Moshiach!".

Despite this perceived dichotomy in Chabad, it is a non-issue. The very fact that Chabad continues to forge ahead as a catalyst for Moshiach's agenda, even as these advocates represent a minority, provides ample testimony that Chabad's core values have not been compromised and remain on target. Detractors cannot gain traction. Divine providence has ruled them out, despite their majority. No matter how disparate the two groups' opinions, the spotlight remains in focus, with nothing to hinder the juggernaut of Moshiach, as the minority group leads the pack.

A brief history of Chabad deserves review. Nine generations ago, the Ba'al Shem Tov got the go-ahead to illuminate Jewry with the new light of Chassidus. The purpose was to rouse them from their stupor wrought by two millennia of exile and to pave the way for Moshiach's arrival. Thoughts of Moshiach were stifled subconsciously, even taboo for fear of shams. People needed again to appreciate the purpose for which the world was created in the first place. The major thrust for this awareness and philosophy came from the Chabad Rebbeim. For the last 7 generations Chabad has been the forefront of chassidic/Messianic Judaism. Other chassidic sects rested on their laurels with the chassidus they acquired, but Chabad campaigned yet harder every generation to prepare all of Jewry for the Era of Moshiach and Redemption.

Each of the seven Rebbeim outdid his predecessor by a geometric order of magnitude in spreading chassidus. For example, the Previous Rebbe, after firing up his chassidim to self-sacrifice for Judaism in the Soviet Union, moved to North America, where religious Judaism hung on a hair. As soon as he arrived, the Previous Rebbe began bulldozing the continent with chassidus and heralding the advent of Moshiach. His son-in-law, the 7th and present Rebbe, surpassed these efforts and dispatched emissaries to nearly every corner on the face of the globe where a Jew would step foot. Often these volunteer emissaries are newlyweds, starting out on a dime and setting up a new life of self-sacrifice for the sake of helping other Jews appreciate Torah tradition. By now Chabad has taken the world by storm and the words "The Rebbe" and "Moshiach" have become household names. Even Gentiles can be included in the know.

The Rebbe, the moment he accepted leadership of Chabad in 1951, asserted that his generation merited a favored status (by being the 7th) and would merit to usher in the Era of Redemption. While the topic of Moshiach was always pronounced, from about 1988 almost every talk the Rebbe gave intimated that he, the leader of the generation, was Moshiach. He never said so point blank, but his strong hints could be explained in no other way. He explained that Moshiach, as a king, must be "given life" and appointed by the people. "There can be no king without a common folk appointing him over them", he would say. Many chassidim therefore accepted the Rebbe's role as King Moshiach. In fact, about two years before the 3rd of Tammuz, many Chabad rabbis signed a Jewish legal decree assigning Messianic sovereign sanction to the Rebbe.

Since its inception, Chabad always served as the dominating factor for revitalizing Judaism. In the beginning they had to fight the bitter Misnagdim. Then, with self-sacrifice, they fought against the atheistic Communist repression. Later, in the free world, Chabad extended itself to prevent Jews from undergoing assimilation. And always, as now, Moshiach remained a major agenda, every generation ratcheting up its dissemination.

God's plan for the world has not changed. He created the world for becoming a utopia for the Jewish people and righteous Gentiles. The body of this collective union has a head - the Rebbe - the Moshiach! The Rebbe, to take this agenda from its embryonic state to full birth, sculpted a final dynamic blueprint to achieve this end. That movement today defines the vanguard of Chabad. That Chabad movement is the tugboat pushing the world to meet its utopic destiny into the port called The Era of the Final and Ultimate Redemption. And may it happen speedily - in our days!

The irony in the disparaging view alluded to earlier is apropos. Just as Judaism some 10 generations ago was torn by the introduction of Chassidic teachings, and, despite mighty forces to denigrate the initiative, as by use of the disparaging term "Chassid", a name opposers themselves adopted for the mockery, Chassidism in the end thrives and all opposition to it effectively fell away over the years, to the extent that the once-disparaging term today has become an honorary label. A similar irony manifests today with the so-called term "Moshichist", which also originated among detractors as a label of scorn, yet, in the end, cannot help but become a label of distinction, one everyone will proudly adopt, because the outcome - belonging to Moshiach's circle - will not be denied; After all, it's God's plan for His universe. Every Jew prays for the rebuilding of the Beit Hamikdash, but the master purveyor in those days of glory will be none other than King Moshiach, and for none other than for every single Jew in the entire world.

Tisha B'Av - Its Inner Light

With credit to artist DAVID ASCALON

Coincidence is a misnomer. Nothing happens in this world for naught. Most especially so with the Jewish people. Most especially with God's Temple in Jerusalem.

Nearly 2,000 years ago the 2nd Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed. The Jewish people were forced to scatter across the globe, banished from their beloved Land of Israel. Why? Was it a coincidence?

The destruction of the Temple is a phase in the rebuilding of the 3rd temple. Without a destruction, the pinnacle the third Temple shall reach could not be attainable. As a necessary prerequisite to rise well beyond the previous level of holiness, a descent was a necessary component to achieve the ultimate ascent, as sure as a seed must first decompose to become a tree. The first two Temples were built by human hands. The third Holy Temple will be built by God, with only about 1% of it left for finishing by man. But to merit this final and eternal Temple, Jews had to undergo exile for nearly two millennia, to wrought a refinement that only an exile, a long exile, can accomplish.

Nevertheless, despite the role the exile has on the Jewish spirit, the Jewish presence in all countries they exist across the globe - has another purpose too. And that is to raise the people around them to higher spiritual levels as well. When Abraham began his life in the Middle East, he was the sole person in the entire world who recognized the One and Only God of the universe. Since his time, many more have come to recognize what to Jewish people is today obvious. However, even today, no more than a third, I reckon, of people the world over recognize and believe in the One and Only God, and this is sad.

The Jewish people also have influenced their Gentile peers in many other respects and have changed their values exceedingly. Look at the world today, in terms of peaceful countries living side by side, with defined borders, with humanitarian respect for each other, and realize that this phenomenon of borders more than a hundred years ago never existed. Then the law of might held sway and borders were as fluid as were the armies they encompassed.

The Jewish people are a light to all nations and the foremost light with which they illuminate comes from the Torah. Without the light of Torah, for example, the dream and manifest creation of the free land of America would never have happened. The founding fathers in this land of liberty, and every great American today who espouses love of God, love of freedom and love of country, have been touched by Jewish Torah values.

Tisha B'Av for Jews is a day of mourning for on this calendar day the destruction of both Temples occurred. But it is also the day the supernal light impregnating this darkness took conception. The destruction was not for its own sake but rather for the sake of a higher, positive result. That's why on that day the birth of Moshiach's light came into being. It is the brightest light yet to shine, and glimmers of it are breaking through the fog of a turbulent world, at least for those whose eyes are keenly focused to the teachings of our sages and rabbis. This bright light will soon shine upon the earth, will raise the earth by orders of magnitude in spirituality, will reward the good people with this new insight, it will sweep away evil and will bring on the utopia this day was meant for in the first place - may it happen very soon, in our own days.

Moshiach: Dead or Alive? Sanhedrin 98b

The Talmud depicts the character of the Jewish Messiah: "If he is among the living, he is someone like Rabbi Yehuda; If he is from the dead, he is someone like Daniel." Why them specifically? Says Rashi, "because they were extraordinarily righteous and absorbed much suffering."

Rashi explains "If he is from the dead":
"If you want an example in this generation of someone who qualifies to be Moshiach, it's Rabbi Yehuda Hanassi. And if the candidate would be of a previous era who would qualify, it could be Daniel. 

In other words, he can be from the dead or from the living.

Then Rashi continues:
"And another version:
If such a personality we see today, it's Rabbi Yehuda Hanassi ... or, were he to be as exemplified by a personage of yesteryear, he would be like Daniel."

In his 2nd explanation Rashi is saying that were Moshiach to come presently, he would come only from the present generation;  and worthy candidate examples, from past and present, who Moshiach would resemble (Rabbi Yehuda or someone like Daniel) are offered.

Rashi thereby explains that Moshiach can come from both the dead and certainly from the present.

The Rebbe's 'shita', i.e., the Rebbe's usual way of looking at opposing views in gemora,  is always to find a mediating position where in fact both positions bear validity. Both positions in fact can be understood as the same position, or are not arguing at all.

Well here, how so? How can "from the dead" and "from the living", two opposing views, be rectified to being compatible with each other?

Chabad chassidim, especially those who believe the Rebbe is Moshiach, have no problem here weaving together both perspectives into one. The Rebbe, to be sure, had been buried, as sure as Yaakov Avinu was buried. But, just as Yaakov remains alive despite his burial - a way we don't even expect to understand but accept on full faith, because our Talmudic sages tells us so, so too the Rebbe, who on the 3rd of Tammuz exited this world - as we see it, is well and alive. He is invisible to us, but Moshiach can be both "dead" and "alive" too.

In every generation a head of the generation is planted by God upon the body of the Jewish people, ever since the first generation of Jews, the generation of Moses. No leader of the Jewish people is physically apparent today in this generation, yet the Rebbe's outreach, the Rebbe's influence and his war against the enemies of the Jews is today still gaining momentum and quite apparent - for those tuned in to see.

We waited with anticipation. This generation, the Rebbe said, is the last generation of exile and the very first generation of the Era of Redemption. All indications point to the Rebbe as having been granted by God the rank of King Moshiach.

Unfortunately, there are a few who regard the natural events of Tammuz 3, 5754 as proof the Rebbe's Messianic kingship was forfeited, disqualifying him of that role.

Most, however, as myself, believe the natural events on that fateful day didn't changed the true, supernatural state of King Moshiach, despite our natural presumptions. We were thrown into a sensory "darkness" to test our faith in the supernatural, as alluded to at the end of Daniel (12:12), where Rashi asserts (quoting several Midrashim) that Moshiach "will reveal himself, then hide himself, and then again reveal himself."

Torah-Sages, Christians and Christianity

A man wagered 400 zuz he could vex Hillel. When he failed and lost the wager, Hillel consoled him: "It's worth losing twice 400 zuz for Hillel not to get angry." (Shabbos 31a) Such is the importance of guarding one's temper.

Hillel is a blessing to the Jewish people and a blessing to the world. Like Hillel, all Torah-sages beamed a perfection of mind and character, and were very close to God. Because God loves Israel above all nations (Deut. 10:14-15, Ex. 33:16-17, Jer. 31:3, Malachi 1:2-3), therefore God loves the Torah-sages above all people in the world.

Hillel, the paragon of humility, kindliness and wisdom, was leader of the Jews throughout the reign of Herod and his son Archelaus. His contemporaries included the sages Jonathan ben Uziel, Akaviah ben Mehalalel, Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai, Bava ben Buta, and many others - all beloved, wise men. The latter once got a lamp broken over his head by a foolish woman. This disciple of Shammai then heaped upon her his blessings.

The Nazarene's Jewish followers called the Torah-sages "hypocrites" and "vipers". They mentioned no names as the targets of their slander; They just took a broad swipe against the whole lot of them. (Who do YOU think were the crooked and the venomous? Ignorami betray themselves as they project their own failures upon others.)

The Gentiles of the time who followed these ignorami of Israel did not especially hate the sages any more than they hated Jews in general. Only these ignorami of Israel especially hated the Torah-sages.

Which goes to show you that the Christians themselves are better than Christianity!

The evil inclination of these ignorami of Israel found it necessary to concoct slanderous insults against the holy nation, particularly against its elite representatives, to ensure that no Gentile emulate the beloved Jewish ways.

Until today you have huge numbers of human beings who cannot take their minds to a higher level, to separate dogma from clear thought, and therefore continue to plod the path some ignorant Jews paved for them, one that envisages a god in man's image, rather than take the high road and trust the Jews of today who still follow Torah and the Torah-sages - so more of the world could recognize the One and Only God, and be all the more thankful for it!

The concept of a pure God they pollute with an image of man, much like Muslims pollute the purity of God with their own animalistic inclinations; Thereby the goodness and oneness of God deteriorates from a pristine concept into an inferior one fouled by lowly human projection or beastly desires.

(Taken in part from the prolific Rabbi/author/teacher/savant Avigdor Miller ע''ה, in his book "Sing You Righteous")

Who is the Son of God?

Who is the Son of God?

This "Suffering Servant" Holds the Key to Your Salvation

by Bryan Ellison

You were created so you could recognize your Creator, love Him, and serve Him here on earth. But do you know who God really is? The answer to this question surprises many people.

It is an easy mistake to think one is worshipping the one, true God, while actually serving a false one. To help prevent this mistake, God described Himself in the Bible, warning us to remember how He appeared when He gave the Ten Commandments:

"And the Eternal spoke to you from the middle of the fire; you heard the sound of words, but you saw no form, only a voice...." (Deut. 4:12)

"And guard your souls carefully, for you did not see any form on the day the Eternal spoke to you in Horev from the middle of the fire, lest you become corrupt and make for yourselves an idol, an image of any physical shape, the form of a man or woman." (Deut. 4:15-16).

In other words, God has no physical shape. He is infinite and unlimited, and never appears in the form of any human.

Nor does God have any "partners". He alone is the only One Who brings us eternal salvation, as He says in the Bible:

"Am I not the Eternal? And there is no other god besides Me — a just God and savior; There is none else. Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth, for I am God and there is none else." (Isaiah 45:21-22).

Anyone who makes the mistake of worshipping a man for spiritual salvation will be betrayed; "Don't put your trust ... in a human, for he cannot render salvation." (Psalms 146:3). Eternal life comes directly from God, Who is One and infinite, and not through any mediator.

God's Firstborn Son

So how has God brought His message of truth to the world? According to the Bible, God declares that He does have a special son whose mission is to bring His blessings and His salvation to the entire world.

Who is this son? Many religious leaders have offered their opinions on the identity of His son, but really we should find out God's "opinion" on this matter.

In the book of Exodus, God openly proclaims His son to the world: "Thus says God: My firstborn son is Israel." (Exodus 4:22).

"Israel" is the Jewish people—all of them. The Jews were chosen by God to be His special "son," to be, in the words of the Bible, "a kingdom of priests and a holy nation" for the whole world (Exodus 19:6).

All people are God's children, of course, but the Jews are like a "firstborn son" who brings God's word to his younger brothers. Every person who learns from the Jews, and helps them fulfill their special role, becomes a part of God's kingdom.

Unfortunately, many times people have not listened to the Jews. For many centuries the Christian church killed hundreds of thousands of innocent Jews — men, women, and children — to prevent their holy message from reaching the rest of the world. Today, church leaders still try to silence the Jewish message by sending missionaries to convert Jews to Christianity!

The Bible tells us the Jews would suffer greatly, not just for their own sins, but also for the sake of bringing God's word to a rebellious world: "Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Persuade Jerusalem and call to her, for her time is full, for her sins have been repaid; for she has received from the hand of God double for all her sins." (Isaiah 40:1-2).

Salvation Through the Law

The Jewish people have been taught the secret to eternal life and blessings for all people, and now they finally have the freedom to reveal God's message.

According to that message, the key that unlocks the door to a personal relationship with God is His Law—one part for the Jews, the other part for the rest of the world.

At Mount Sinai, God gave the Ten Commandments (and hundreds of others) to the Jewish people. These laws apply only to the Jews in their special role as the world's spiritual leaders.

But for everyone else, God gave the Seven Commandments (and dozens of other laws). These commandments were given to Noah, after he left the ark that saved his family from the great flood, as an eternal covenant with all the peoples of the earth (Genesis 8:20 - 9:17). Since Mount Sinai, the Jews have carried the message of these seven laws to all the peoples.

A non-Jew who follows these commandments is called a Hasidic gentile, and he receives both eternal life and God's blessings in his earthly life. By doing good works exactly as God commands, he earns a close relationship with his Creator.

A Hasidic gentile celebrates certain "Old Testament" holidays - not Christian holidays. He prays to God in the proper way, according to God's instructions. He also helps the poor, and he guides his fellow humans — including non-religious Jews—back to God's Law. A Hasidic Gentile learns how to redeem every part of his life from the emptiness of modern existence, becoming a "soldier" in God's spiritual army.

The Messiah's Message to the World

By asking the Jews for spiritual guidance and turning back to "Old Testament" Law, a Noahide also accomplishes the most important task of all: He helps bring the Messiah to redeem the entire world.

The Messiah is a Jewish king who will gather all the Jewish people to Israel, destroy all evil, rebuild the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, and bring true freedom to the world by returning everyone to the Law. He will institute God's eternal kingdom here on earth.

The Messiah will teach the Word of God to all nations, causing Christianity and all other religions to disappear. The Bible says everyone will become a Hasidic Gentile, thirsting for the ancient Truth:

"O God, my strength and my fortress, and my refuge in the day of distress, gentiles will come to You from the ends of the earth and say, 'We have inherited only lies from our fathers, vanity and things which are not useful. Can a man make gods for himself, and they are not gods?' Therefore, behold, I will cause them to know, this time I will let them know My hand and My strength, and they will know that My Name is Hashem." (Jeremiah 16:19-21).

In our generation, the spiritual leader of the Jewish people — and therefore of the whole world — is Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson (known as the "Lubavitcher Rebbe"), in New York. He is a righteous prophet who has never sinned, nor even been tempted, in his entire life; Indeed, he has brought hundreds of thousands of Jews and gentiles back to the Law. Moreover, he is a direct descendant of King David.

The Rebbe has revealed that the Messiah will finally arrive now, in our generation, amidst great miracles. He has also announced that every Jew, and every gentile, is a representative of God to help bring the Messiah immediately.

An Urgent Call to Action

In the book of Genesis, God told Abraham that his descendants, the Jewish people, would bless the world with the light of God's Word. Only by turning to the Jews can anyone join God's holy kingdom: "And I will bless those who bless you, but I will curse those who curse you; And through you all the families of the earth will be blessed." (Genesis 12:3)

God promised Abraham this covenant of priesthood would apply to all the Jews, forever: "And I establish my covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you, throughout their generations, for an eternal covenant." (Genesis 17:7).

Regardless of your race, religious background, or nationality, God is calling on you to help the Jewish people bring the Messiah. You don't have to be Jewish to help; In fact, Hasidic Gentiles can serve God in special ways that Jews cannot, since God's Law is stricter for Jews.

You can start today, simply by asking for more details. Don't miss this exciting opportunity!

---- ---- ---- ---- ----

Bryan runs at least these 3 sites. The first two provide a wealth of wonderful resources for Noahides. The 3rd exposes conspiracies and corruption at the highest levels. There may be those taken aback by his perspective, but these, I believe, can only be naive. The world everywhere, including Israel, has everything backwards, and it's only because leadership is dishonorable and criminal; They seek power and wealth while trampling on man's dignity and unalienable rights.
noahide.com
hasidicuniversity.org
attacreport.com

248 "Members" in the Human Body - The Bartenura's Definition

I require elucidation on the Mishnah (Taharot 1:8) where it enumerates 248 "אברים" in the human male. (252 in women). What does that term mean - anatomically? The Mishnah starts its count of 248 by enumerating "members" of the foot. [Click on the above image to enlarge it.]

__________________________

The Mishna says:
"Man comprises 248 'אברים': 
30 in one foot, 6 in each digit (5 x 6 = 30); 10 in the ankle, ... etc."

According to the Mishna, then, each foot comprises 40 (30 + 10) "אברים".

Obviously "Eivarim" cannot mean BONES, because the number of bones in each foot is 26. (7 in the ankle, and 19 more more distally.) The Mishnah's total count is 14 more than the foot's number of bones!

Below the ankle, the Mishnah says "6 in each digit" (5 x 6 = 30). It cannot mean bones because anatomically the 5 digits comprise 19 bones. The Mishnah's count exceeds this bone count by 11!

Each ankle has 7 tarsal bones; Not 10. The Mishnah's count is 3 more!

Looking into the MUSCLE groups involved also does not match the Mishnah's count of "אברים".

So "member", "limb" or "component" - whatever you want to call it - what is it? What does the Mishna mean by the term "Eivarim" (אברים)?

We can begin to flesh out an answer by the definition of אבר
as given by the Bartenura:
צריך שיהיה בהם בשר וגידים ועצמות ובכך הוא נחשב אבר
That is, an "Eiver" must have bones, sinews and muscle, as a composite, to be called אבר.

Perhaps, then, אבר means a group of these tissues that collectively subserves a function. The foot therefore must have 30 such functions. If so, different functional units (אברים) probably overlap in their anatomical components with other such functional collective units.

Now consider this: In order for a skeletal muscle to work, it has to cross a joint. Which means that two bones are a minimum necessary to achieve function! And of course two muscles and two tendons are also the very minimum required for the joint to move. So notice the accuracy of the Bartenura's use of nouns in the plural!

By function I mean movement; Which implies these movements take place across joints! So in deciding what an אבר is, we ought to concentrate on the joint involved!

Here's what one sports medicine site writes about "Foot and Toe Movements".

Toe movements take place at the joints. These joints are capable of motion in two directions: plantar flexion or dorsiflexion. In addition, the joints permit abduction and adduction of the toes.

The foot as a whole (excluding the toes) has two movements: inversion and eversion. All the joints of the hindfoot and midfoot contribute to these complex movements that ordinarily are combined with movements at the ankle joint.

Thus we have 1) plantar and 2) dorsal flexion, as well as 3) inversion, 4) eversion, 5) adduction and 6) abduction of the toes, in conjunction with the ankle. That's 6 movements - for 5 toes = 6 x 5 = 30. Is this what the Mishna meant? I just don't know. If anybody can give me an explanation I'd be much obliged.

More perplexing is the incongruity between "Eivarim" and the anatomy of the knee. The KNEE joint gets a count of FIVE in the Mishnah. Are 5 different movements possible at the knee joint? The following chart suggests YES!

Here's a chart I found on the knee's movements (and muscles involved). Note that there are FIVE - just as the Mishnah states!


Does the rest of the Mishnah appear to coincide with the above "movements hypothesis"? I'd appreciate your input to determine the real English meaning of an "Eiver"?

A further contemplation: The 248 “Eivarim” relate to the 248 Positive Commandments of the 613 Commandments. The other 365 Negative Commandments relate to something else.

What's a commandment? That which asks of you to behave in real time. Whether it be walking, talking, moving limbs or handling objects, to concur with God's desires. The action of avoiding or not doing, as prescribed by the other 365 commandments, similarly effects the environment in positive ways as per God's wishes.
This is what halachah is all about. We are changing the environment as we live out our Torah lives. We don't yet see the incredible changes we are achieving, but our tradition teaches us to expect the Era of Redemption to dawn upon us quickly, and then we'll see what we wrought.

Obviously these "members" of our anatomy, as when, for example, we don tefillin, our windings involve "limbs", our "eivarim". That is, THE DEFINITION OF EIVER CANNOT BE A STATIC CONCEPT AS IT IS IN MEDICAL ANATOMY, but rather the definition seems to include motion, I suppose.

Eisner - the True Embodiment of Never Again

Remember the incident 3 months ago with Lt. Col. Shalom Eisner, who hit a leftist rabble-rouser with his rifle? Here's an article that relates to that incident, by Camie Davis - a Noahide lady!

It’s time for Yom HaShoah, a day when Jews in Israel stop to honor the memory of the victims of the Holocaust. It’s very moving to think of an entire country literally stopping in its tracks to remember and to say, “Never again!”

What’s sad, pathetic really, is that the minute so many of the liberal Jews, including many members of the government, go back to the routine of their daily lives, they forgot. They completely forget and enable the harming of Jews “again” everyday.

Last year on Yom Hashoah, Netanyahu made a moving speech in which he said, "Has the world learned the lesson of all this? I doubt it. Have we learned it? I believe so. May the whole world know that when Israel and the Israel Defense Forces say 'Never again,' we mean every word.” Blah, blah, blah. I’m sure his speech this year will be just as moving. And just as empty when measured against the Israeli government’s actions.

Dayenu. It would have been enough if only the Israeli government kicked Jews out of their homes and destroyed Jewish homes to appease the enemies of Israel, but learned a lesson. Dayenu, it would have been enough if only the Israeli Supreme Court bent over backwards to give away Jewish land, but learned a lesson. Dayenu, it would have been enough if only the Israeli government “negotiated” (i.e. sold their soul to the devil) year after year with terrorists hell bent on Israel’s destruction, but learned a lesson. Dayenu, it would have been enough if only Israel apologized for defending herself against the flotilla terrorists, but learned a lesson. Dayenu, it would have been enough if only Israel showed restraint while over 12,500 missiles were launched at its citizens, but learned a lesson. Dayenu, it would have been enough if only the Israeli government released hundreds of murderers from prison, but learned a lesson. Dayenu, it would have been enough if only the Israeli government shut down viable, terrorists-stopping road blocks to appease a U.S. government that has no idea how to fight terrorism, but learned a lesson.

But alas, as we approach another holiday, that one would hope would shake the liberal Jews and Israeli government out of their stupor and remind them of how NOT to let their enemies destroy them, they instead choose to remain in their appeasement stupor and continue to aid and abet the enemies of Israel. Again.

Bravo to Lt. Col. Eisner who recognizes that Israel is at war. A war that has many fronts and participants, but who all share the same common goal; to destroy Israel.

It’s safe to assume that Eisner recently celebrated Purim. It’s also safe to assume that deep inside his soul, he realized on Purim that the holiday had a bit more meaning to it than eating hamentashen and cheering Mordechai and booing Haman. He must have realized, as do so many other Jewish patriots, that the holy, righteous way to live, everyday, not just incrementally on holidays, is to fight and defend Jewish lives and fight and defend the land of Israel.

It’s pathetic enough that the world cries, “Foul!” when an Israeli soldier actually takes a defensive action against an enemy of the state as Eisner did. But it is sickening when the leaders in the Israeli government join in with the world and point fingers at a soldier, who surprise, surprise, actually acted like a first-class soldier instead of a first-class wuss.

So if you happen to hear or read any of Netanyahu’s Yom HaShoah speech this year, just remember he is the same person who publicly said this about one of his own people who embodies and actually lives out the words, “Never again!” About Eisner, he said, “This kind of behavior is not typical of the IDF's soldiers and commanders, and has no place in the IDF and the state of Israel."

What a shame that defending the Jewish people and its land, according to the Prime Minister of Israel, has no place in Israel. May the holy, righteous branch of David soon rise up in our day, who will not only defend the honor of Hashem, but will defend the Jewish people and the land of Israel.

Her blog - here.

Fundamental Differences Between Judaism & Christianity

A Comparison of
Judaism and
Christianity

by Bryan Ellison (link)

Judaism is G-d-centered, selfless

Christianity is Man-centered, selfish

Bible (5 books of Moses) written by G-d, with Moses as secretary

New Testament written by man

G-d creates man in His image; thus man has a soul and free will

Man creates G-d in his image; thus Jesus is declared to be a deity

Bible (Hebrew Scriptures) quotes G-d directly, in His own words, over 3800 times

New Testament never quotes G-d a single time, other than quotes from the "Old Testament"

Man's purpose is to serve G-d through His Law—the commandments

G-d's purpose is to serve man by providing salvation—for free

G-d's commandments are binding obligations

G-d's Law is a nice idea, but it is only "fruits of the spirit," not a duty

Jews believe in the Bible because G-d said so (orally)

Christians believe in G-d because the Bible tells them to

Jews study the Bible only according to the oral tradition received from G-d

Christians interpret the Bible according to their own ideas and opinions

Jews believe in Moses because G-d gave him authority

Christians believe in Jesus because he gave himself authority

G-d controls evil, using it to punish sinners and for other purposes

The devil controls evil, using it to rebel against G-d

By doing G-d's commandments, man brings G-d closer

Christians wait until G-d brings Himself closer to man before agreeing to do any good works

Man follows G-d's commandments according to G-d's own detailed instructions, whether or not it makes sense to man

Man uses his own reasoning and interpretation to decide what are "good works" and what are not

Man transforms the world to reveal its Creator -- to bring G-d's eternal kingdom here on earth

Man leaves the world behind, escaping earth to enjoy heaven

G-d creates and runs the world to serve Him

Evil controls the world, which will ultimately be destroyed

Man has direct access to G-d through prayer and repentance; any mediator only gets in the way and blocks the relationship

Man has no access to G-d except through a man (Jesus)

Doing G-d's commandments is a privilege an opportunity that provides true freedom

G-d's law is a burden and a curse that enslaves and condemns man

G-d made eternal covenants—1 with Jews, 1 with gentiles—and He keeps His promises

G-d "changed His mind," throwing away the old covenant for a new one

Making Sense of the Non-Sensible

Torah's commandments subdivide into 3 classes. One class makes no common sense. The laws of the Red Heifer fall into this class. Its ashes purify the impure and make impure him who purifies.

Rules for the Red Heifer begin with this awkward introduction (Num. 19:1): "These decrees pertain to the Torah ... " - when it should have said "These decrees pertain to the Red Heifer ... "; Why should the term "Torah" replace the term "Red Heifer" when, in fact, the latter is the subject of the entire chapter?

Commandments that make common sense are pleasurable to obey. Nevertheless, commandments that make no sense have their own advantage: The observer of that commandment feels he does so only because God commanded him. He feels therefore, by doing it, bonded to His Creator.

Commandments that make sense often lack this aspect. For example, in respecting his parents, one may well be oblivious of God during his preoccupation with his parents. He enjoys the interaction and gets carried away or so involved that he easily could forget about God who commanded him to respect his parents in the first place.

Whereas, for a commandment that lacks common sense there's no other reason to do it EXCEPT BECAUSE God so commanded it.

This we know why the Torah writes "These are the decrees of the Torah ..." instead of the expected "These are the decrees of the Red Heifer ...". Torah thereby suggests that all of its commandments ought to share the uniqueness there is in the laws of the Red Heifer. Just like these commandments one should do because God commanded us, so too all of Torah's commandments we ought to do because God commanded us, irrespective of the rationale or apparent value behind them.

For example, in honoring one's parents, one should do it out of consideration of God's wishes - primarily. If then one gains satisfaction therefrom, so much the better, but the very first reason ought to be consideration of the divine will.

The name of this week's Torah portion, Chukat (חוקת) reinforces this same lesson. This Hebrew word, which means "decree", as in "These are the decrees ...", also shares its Hebrew root with another verb - "to engrave" (חקיקה). As, in fact, the Ten Commandments were engraved in stone.

Unlike something written on parchment, where ink and parchment are separable entities, words engraved in stone are part and parcel of the stone into which they are etched. The words and the stone are inseparable.

Similarly, all of God's commandments need to be inseparable from our bond to God. Whether it's an understandable commandment, such as "Don't kill", or whether it is "Keep My Sabbath", or be they the laws of the Red Heifer, God wants that we fulfil all His commandments as if they were engraved in out psyche because He willed it.

This is, after all, what Jews proclaimed and as a result of this proclamation they received the gift of the Torah; They said "We will [first] do, and [then] we'll try to understand!" (נעשה ונשמע) (Ex.24:7)

The Zebra and the Horse

Chapter 32 in "The Code of Jewish Law" ("קצור שלחן ערוך") formulates Torah's directives regarding illness. It pinpoints the main cause for disease:

רוב החלאים הבאים על האדם, אינם אלא או מפני מאכלים רעים, או מפני, שהוא ממלא בטנו ואוכל אכילה גסה, אפילו ממאכלים טובים

"Most illnesses visited upon man is for no reason other than from bad foods; Or, because one fills his gut beyond moderation even with good foods." (In Halachah 3)

Note this assertion's incisive, unequivocal and emphatic tenor -
"is for no reason other than"!

Similarly, Maimonides states categorically, "Most illnesses originate from what man ingests." (Mada 4:15).

(Maimonides was a doctor of sultans and princes. Even gentiles know of him; In Archives of Internal Medicine (Sep. 1999), it says, "Fittingly, the great physician and father of modern medicine Sir William Osler wrote that Maimonides was 'not only the Physician of Princes but also the Prince of Physicians.'")

Although the above law does not explain the word "most", we can reasonably assume at least 95% of illnesses have as their primary cause for culpability the above canon, otherwise the term would have been qualified.

"Ingestion" of course includes prescribed drugs, drinking fluoridated water, skin absorption of cosmetics, or of chlorine during swimming, inhaling deodorant spray, laundry gases, engine exhaust, etc., or taking into your body anything unnatural. Although environmental toxins can debilitate under high exposure, most exposure remains less than traumatic, although it certainly augments toxicity. 

Nonetheless, according to Torah, the single most important cause of illness is improper food intake. Either what is ingested is bad food ("toxic"), or, what's worse, believe it or not, eating good food beyond moderation. However, because our present culture is so far removed from the soil and fresh organic produce, the most common cause for illness has probably become - eating bad food beyond moderation.

This means people knowingly or, more likely, unknowingly, have themselves to blame for diseases they acquire! Similarly, knowingly or unknowingly, grown-ups are to blame for a child's onset of disease.

One might argue, how can that be; We hear about diseases of the liver, of the eyes, of the nerves, of blood sugar, blood pressure, the digestive tract, the joints, migraines, asthma, cancer, etc., so how can the simple, unitary act of food ingestion give rise to such a wide variety of sicknesses? This question, however, does not negate the truth of the aforementioned singular, main cause of illness. It is a good question and there is a good answer, but the question does not change the fact, which lays the blame for disease squarely on the individual himself - for eating improperly.

(But to answer the question briefly: The body's "weakest link" in the body's myriad networks of physiological functionalities breaks first. It's a locus where acidity has its primary deleterious consequences.)

In Western culture, when a person becomes sick, his first thought usually is - "Which doctor or hospital do I go to?" Given that contemporary society regards medicine diametrically opposed to Torah view, one where pill-taking is the norm rather than an exception, it's a shame. Only in case of emergency is that approach understandable. But for an illness that crept up, or for one that's long chronic, the very best way to think should be - not what doctor do I go to, but rather - How do I change my diet? Such thinking and subsequent corrective dietary action are what conform to Torah's prescription for how to deal with at least 95% of illnesses.

You would think doctors themselves know the main cause of disease. Unfortunately most do not. For the last century or so, becoming a doctor meant following educational guidelines fixed by the pharmaceutical industry. Since then, this industry aggressively affiliated itself with many more industries that fell in line with it, or were bought out. Today, therefore, everything from medical education's curriculum, admission requirements, provision of licenses, the number of practice slots available, administration of graduate tests, medical publishing, insurance claims, research funding, laws against alternative persuasions, pesticide regulation, artificial fertilization, hormonal supplements, genetic seed modification, cancer charities, etc. brainwash and enforce today's medical perspective and "knowledge". Which is why today's medical approach evolved into attacking symptoms rather than their root cause - in order to push patentable drugs and advance invasive treatment. For example, a woman would be denied insurance for osteoporosis, unless - and only if - she got it from radiation treatments!

That the body can take care of itself given an adequate supply of nutrients, while eliminating toxicity, makes no sense to today's medical practitioners. There's no money to be made going this natural way. What's worse, they also try to destroy practitioners lives who dare cure via alternative methods or with unpatentable herbs and diets.

There seems no way out of this anti-Torah attitude because "Big-Pharma" controls governmental regulation; Bribed overseers of medical practice sit in key governmental seats. The medical mafia is now huge, well-entrenched and outright ruthless. Any deviation from their declared policies invites harsh retribution.

Remember back to the time you last visited a doctor's office. Did he ever ask you what foods you eat? (At least some do ask about exercise, another important Maimonidic principle of health). In fact, when the doctor prescribes a pill, he knows full well you'll be eating the same things you've been eating up until now. In his mind, there's no connection between food intake and disease. Walking out of a doctor's office without a prescription in hand is today practically unheard of. 

Doctors know very little about nutrition and diet; These topics are not taught in medical school. They were taught to follow blindly. For example, that fluoride in the water is "good for the teeth", that vaccinations help boost the response against future microbial attacks, or that you need prescribed pills, they accept with no good science behind these claims. Doctors are indoctrinated the moment they get into medical school. 

Even shopping for organic food has become a problem. Over 90% of the supermarket foods are canned, jarred, frozen, pickled, colored, preserved, flavored, heated, processed, cleansed, filled with additives, etc. Good foods are hard to come by.

Back in the days of Dr. Semmelweis, they mocked him (until he became insane) when he urged the washing of hands between patients. And until today they continue to mock, legislate to death, or actually poison practitioners who fight disease in an "unorthodox" manner. This list of abused practitioners is very long indeed and even contains Nobel Prize laureates and prominent caregivers.

The public still gets to hear advertisements from Big-Pharma, like the importance of taking vaccines. It is almost impossible to avoid their barrage of disinformation, on radio, TV, print media, billboards, etc. Society is being brain-washed by this propaganda. And, if you hadn't yet noticed, they've gone after "diagnosing" and "treating" many of our youngsters too, effectively hooking these children on drugs for their lifetimes. We now even hear of new diseases kids have, like ADHD or the like. And were a youngster labeled as "psychotic", he is forever at the mercy of abusive psychiatry (talk about quackery).

The cruelty of medicine today is palpable. If a person comes down with cancer, the policy is to FRIGHTEN the victim into immediate action, because time, they say, is of the essence. The real reason for the medical push for early "treatment" is because the sooner the patient can be labelled and started on "treatment", the better his chances of lasting 5 years in life. Modern medicine has managed to legislate into definition a new value for "cure". A patient who lasts 5 years from diagnosis is considered "cured". Truth is, taking no cancer treatment in 98% of cases yields better results than taking them.

The only 3 legal ways to treat cancer in America today are by chemotherapy (poisoning), radiation (burning) and surgery (mutilation). They've been at it now for nearly 100 years.

Another reason to frighten the patient into quick action is to prevent the patient from seeking alternative forms of therapy. 

People should realize the body has enormous resourcefulness to correct illness given a correct diet and detoxification. Just as sure as a skin bruise, or broken bone, can heal with correct management, so too can cancer or most any other chronic degenerative disease. There are many great people who came up with brilliant strategies and simple means to CURE degenerative diseases who have been wiped clean from historical journals, let alone practice, because of the medical mafia.

Spiritual Abortion of Jews

As if we haven't enough trouble from fellow Jews who want to give away parts of Israel to our worst enemies, which only exacerbates Israel's integrity and security, we also have gentiles or "Messianic 'Jews'" who tear at our flesh with their hatred of Torah and God by imbuing naive and innocent Jews with the hollowness of christianity. As Rashi says (Num. 13:27), to make their lies palatable or believable, they need to throw in some truth at first. So they dress themselves in Jewish costume and accoutrements, but the aim is to sway the Jew to believe the nonsense concerning Yoshke (Jesus יש''ו) and to dissuade Jewry from accepting their authentic Jewish tradition. These are well-oiled, well-heeled organizations. And the closer we get to Moshiach's revelation, the more satanic their drive to abort the Jewish soul.

Here's a website I bumped into. They operate in Israel. The pictures speak for themselves.

They have no shame to desecrate the holy Torah. Because that's exactly what they want to do. Note the bald head; The styled beard; The (?Shabbat) microphones (where the band plays - like in a church event); The verse inscribed on the bimah; The colorful talleissim; And note that nobody stands next to the Torah from either side of it!

(I wonder how they make their Torah purchases. They're probably unkosher Torah scrolls anyway.)

Here's their "rabbi", a pox on him! Notice he blows the shofar on Rosh Hashanah, as the microphone dangles on his shoulder.


By closing his eyes he conveys his blessings, in tallis, of course. In that congregation, Jew, Arab, foreigner are treated equally, you would think; It makes no difference, you'd think. But if no Jews were to visit that organization, I guarantee you it would close down on its own and the hell with the Arabs and foreigners they love so much. Why else sponsor this "congregation" in Israel? Only to nab unsuspecting Jewish souls. Jewish souls are secretly the prize possessions of the lot.


Here the "rabbi" and the terrorists fawn over each other. Read the words - "only one roadmap to peace" - by the Israelis giving up even more of his Jewish rights - to Arabs. This kissing and washing of feet smacks of disgusting paganism.



What better way than to entrap the youngsters first, with "love".


As they grow older, the love for spurious Judaism morphs into a social club. The better to laugh away sanctity.


Eventually the innocent Jewish victims become informed their false messiah, with the patent name "Yeshua", happens to have an English name - Jesus.

Had I navigated to look at more of this site, I'd have vomited.

The Rebbe often said a spiritual downfall of the Jew is worse than a physical one. I can only guess at why: Whereas both lead to the extinction of Jewish seed, the spiritual approach is insidious and contagious and can infect many more lives during the process. It can infect by direct influence and indirect influence as well, as when observed by a naive or innocent child or friend who knows no better. The physical way is more gruesome, but less effective than the stealthy one.

The following is presented to show that the above spiritual, Maoz "rabbi-abortionist", who is anything but a Jew, is just as cruel as his physical, Chinese counterparts, only more sly.

China, a horrible communist country, with its many slave labor camps, its many state-of-the-art forced-organ-resection hospitals, which are strategically located on the premises of their subsurface prisons, the better to forcibly harvest organs for immediate sale to foreign "visitors" ($50,000 a pop), also enforces the one-baby-only edict with ruthless terror. Here's one such story:

14 June 2012: It was while her husband was at work when Feng Jianmei, a resident of Shanxi, China was forcibly removed from her home by a group of “Family Planning Police” who barged into their apartment. She was seven months pregnant. Her crime: violating the one-child rule. They took her by car to the "hospital" where they pierced the fetus' head with a stylus and injected the fetus with something, or both. No family member was allowed to accompany her.

She and her husband were given the choice of paying 40,000 yuan – the equivalent of about 3 years wages – or submitting to an abortion. Not having the money, Feng Jiammei was forced to have an abortion. They brought her back two days later, after she aborted. As if this was insufficient for the Family Planning Police, the aborted child was placed next to the distraught mother as shown at the following links (WARNING: VERY DISTURBING & GRAPHIC IMAGES – click here and here to view). UPDATE (27 June): Husband missing. (link)

What Christians Should Know

Because gentiles may happen upon my site, here's an article written by Bryan Ellison (LINK). (He has two intriguing sites: noahide.com and attacreport.com).

Who Was Jesus?

The Bible gave a warning about a dangerous, false prophet who would arise to test our faith in G-d. In Deuteronomy 13, G-d describes this false prophet as a member of the Jewish people (v. 2, 7) who would tell true prophecies and would have the power of miracles. G-d Himself would give this false prophet the power to perform miracles and reveal prophecy, but the false prophet would try to seduce the people away from G-d's Law and towards strange gods unknown to Judaism. The purpose would be to test whether we are truly committed to living under the Law, or whether we will be dazzled and fall for the temptation to join a false path to salvation (v. 3-6, 7-8, 11). In this Biblical passage, G-d repeatedly commands the Jews to kill this false prophet, lest the evil spread and destroy many souls.

To be accepted by the people, the false prophet would sometimes pretend to be a righteous Jew who fulfills the Law, but at key moments he would turn against certain details of the Law in order to make the breach (v. 6, 7). This is the reason that verse 1 commands us not to add or subtract any details from the Law, and verse 5 warns us to remain steadfast with all the traditions of the Law.

In Deuteronomy 17, this false prophet is also described as someone who would rebel against the authority of the judges of the Jewish people, and who should be put to death for his rebelliousness (v. 8-13, esp. v. 12). Who are the judges? The highest court in Israel was the Sanhedrin, which was established by Moses (Exodus 18:13-26; Numbers 11:16-29), and which lasted more than 15 centuries. The members of the Sanhedrin were the rabbis known as "Pharisees" (Pirushim, "those with the explanation"). G-d gave permanent authority to these judges to interpret the Law and G-d's Word, and it is a commandment to follow their decisions without turning even slightly to the right or the left (Deut. 17:11). But the false prophet would challenge the authority of the Sanhedrin, thus revealing himself to be an evil man.

In the book of the prophet Daniel, this false prophet is described as a king (the eleventh horn on a terrible beast) who would wage war against the Jews (the "holy ones"; see Deut. 14:2 on this term) and would change the Law including the calendar and the holidays (Daniel 7:8, 20-25). Elsewhere, this false prophet is described as a king who would disregard the G-d of his fathers, exalting himself as a god and giving honor to this new god-head (Daniel 11:36-39).

The man known today as "Jesus" fulfilled all these prophecies. He became a "king" (over the Christian church) who changed the original Law, doing away with the Hebrew calendar and the Biblical holidays (Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkos the Festival of Tabernacles, Passover, etc.). He disregarded the one, infinite G-d of the Hebrew Bible in favor of a new "trinity" that included himself. And he repeatedly broke the Law by committing terrible sins, while openly challenging the G-d-given authority of the rabbis of the Sanhedrin.

Naturally, Jesus did sometimes pretend to respect the Law, but whenever he thought he could get away with it, he turned right around and broke that same Law. In Matthew 5:17-19, he declared that he came to fulfill the Law, and in Matthew 23:1-3 he defended the authority of the rabbis. But the rest of the time, he rebelled against the Law—thus showing that his occasional words of piety were meant only to hide his evil agenda. The following sins of Jesus are recorded in the "New Testament":

1. Jesus repudiated the laws of kosher food (Mark 7:18-19). [Compare this to the prophet Daniel's strict adherence to kashrus, in Daniel chapter 1.]
2. He repudiated the laws of honoring one's parents, and called on his followers to hate their parents; he also dishonored his own mother (Matthew 10:34-36; Matthew 12:46-50; Luke 14:26).
3. He violated the Sabbath by picking grain, and incited his disciples to do the same (Matthew 12:1-8; Mark 2:23-26).
4. He again violated the Sabbath by healing a man's arm, which was not a matter of saving a life, and he openly defied the rabbis in his total repudiation of the Sabbath (Matthew 12:9-13; Mark 3:1-5). [Compare this to G-d's view of violating the Sabbath, in Numbers 15:32-36, Nehemiah 10:30-32, and dozens of other places throughout the Bible.]
5. Jesus brazenly defied and disobeyed the rabbis of the Sanhedrin, repudiating their authority (This is recorded in many places throughout the New Testament, but look especially at Matthew 23:13-39 and John 8:44-45).

The Talmud (Babylonian edition) records other sins of "Jesus the Nazarene":

1. He and his disciples practiced sorcery and black magic, led Jews astray into idolatry, and were sponsored by foreign, gentile powers for the purpose of subverting Jewish worship (Sanhedrin 43a).
2. He was sexually immoral, worshipped statues of stone (a brick is mentioned), was cut off from the Jewish people for his wickedness, and refused to repent (Sanhedrin 107b; Sotah 47a).
3. He learned witchcraft in Egypt and, to perform miracles, used procedures that involved cutting his flesh—which is also explicitly banned in the Bible (Shabbos 104b).

The false, rebellious message of Jesus has been thoroughly rejected by the vast majority of the Jewish people, as G-d commanded. Unfortunately, however, this same message has brought a terrible darkness upon the world; today, over 1.5 billion gentiles believe in Jesus. These lost souls mistakenly think they have found salvation in Jesus; tragically, they are in for a rude awakening. Truth and eternal life are found directly from G-d, through performing His Law. Any "mediator" only separates man from G-d:

1. "G-d is not a man, who can lie, nor the son of man, who relents... He has not beheld iniquity in Jacob, nor has He seen perverseness in Israel" (Numbers 23:19).
2. Speaking prophetically of the Christian church, Moses declared, "For their 'rock' is not like our Rock... Where is their god, in whom they trusted?" (Deut. 32:31, 37).
3. "'See now that I, only I, am He, and there is no god with Me. I kill, and I bring to life; I wound, and I heal, and there is none who can rescue from My Hand...' Sing songs of joy, gentiles, with His people, for He will avenge the blood of His servants, and will take vengeance on His enemies, and will forgive His land and His people" (Deut. 32:39, 43).
4. "I, only I am Hashem (the L-rd), and besides Me there is no savior" (Isaiah 43:11).
5. "I am the First and I am the Last; besides me there is no god... Is there a god besides Me? There is no rock; I do not know any" (Isaiah 44:6).
6. "Israel is saved in Hashem with an eternal salvation... Assemble yourselves and come, come near together, you gentiles who have escaped [the judgment]. (They have no knowledge, those who carry wooden sculptures and who pray to a god that does not save.) Announce and bring near, even take counsel together: Who declared this from ancient times, and announced it from then? Is it not I, Hashem? And there are no other gods beside Me, nor any righteous and saving god other than Me. Turn to Me and be saved, all ends of the earth, for I am G-d and there is none else. By Myself I swore, a righteous word went out of my mouth and it will not be withdrawn, that to Me every knee will bow and every tongue will swear" (Isaiah 45:17, 20-23).

What is the true key to salvation? Those who return to the Law (the Seven Commandments for the Children of Noah, according to the eternal covenant made with Noah in Genesis 9) and who assist the Jewish people (Isaiah 60, 61, 66) will be saved and will participate in the miracles and revelations, including worshipping in the Third Temple, under the kingship of the Messiah. As described in many places, including Jeremiah 16:19-21 and Zechariah 8:20-23, all the old gentile religions of the world will disappear, and their followers will turn to the Jews for spiritual leadership. Until then, Christians are spiritually blinded, and cannot yet understand G-d's wisdom in the Bible.

Ours is the last generation of the era of sin and evil and the first of the Messianic Era. Indeed, for the first time in history, there is a growing consensus of leading rabbis willing to name the man most suited to be the Messiah, and they are agreeing that he is the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson. The Rebbe is the spiritual leader of our generation, having boldly stirred up controversy over vital issues in which other leaders have remained tragically silent or have even caved in to the growing forces of darkness. He has upheld the Law perfectly and has worked mightily to strengthen the observance of the Law by Jews, as well as the observance of the Noachide Law by gentiles. Through his teaching of chasidus (Jewish mystical teachings, preserved from Moses and Mount Sinai), he has taught the world that G-d is One, the Infinite Who renews creation at every moment. The Rebbe is a direct descendant of King David and has received a true prophecy from G-d that we who are alive in this generation shall be the first in history to see the coming of the true messiah. Many Jews are eagerly anticipating the Rebbe's resurrection from the grave, ready to re-establish the Sanhedrin and anoint the king.

Our job is to finish preparing the way, by announcing the truth and bringing all of mankind back to the Law immediately. Through our divinely mandated efforts, we shall now clear the path for the return of the Garden of Eden and the establishment of the eternal sinless world promised by Isaiah and the other Biblical prophets.