Hamas' Sickening "Suicide by Cop"

I installed "RedAlert" on my iPhone, which is a free app. It alerts me whenever there is a rocket or missile alert, and where the missile or rocket is headed. I have it set to "all areas."

One might think I have this app because I am primarily worried about my family and friends in Israel, but that is not the reason. If that was so, I certainly wouldn't have it set to "all areas."

My family and friends in Israel are in the hands of G-d. They are protected by those in whom G-d has placed knowledge, skill, and understanding. I am not worried for them.

However, I am worried about Israel in general. I am worried that our Sacred Land, a place that cradled the three religions of monotheism, has been attacked by terrorist thugs intent on the international equivalent of "suicide by cop." They have nothing to gain but the pictures of dead civilians they wish to use for their sick PR campaigns to get more money, weapons, and power while they sit in 4-Star hotels in Quatar.

Every time the alert goes off, I say a little prayer for the success of the IDF, and the mental health of our soldiers being so cruelly used by these terrorists. There is a very big difference between those who kill to protect and preserve their nation and those who kill to spread lies and collect money.

Every time I see a picture--real, cinematically produced, or recycled--of a dead child or adult, I am sick to my stomach that terrorists and terrorist supporters would use these victim's deaths toward the cause of terrorist sympathy. Those who share these pictures have no morality, no ethics, no respect for the dead. It's a macabre, sick, and twisted view of the world that would broadcast the faces of the children they have maimed in order to collect money and political support.

Please notice that Israel never shows the bodies of her dead. We show their school photos, we show them when they were alive and well. When we show a picture of a terrorist attack, we show objects--blown up busses, destroyed homes--but never the dead.

We revere and respect life because we are a religion of life. To show someone dead is the ultimate disrespect to the deceased person and, more importantly, to G-d from Whom Life was given. To show death is to disrespect G-d.

So, we may lose the PR war, we may have to sit idly by while the world screams that we are murderers, but we keep our humanity, our respect, and our reverence for G-d.

In the end, I don't care what they they scream. The war is not won if we give up the reason we fought in the first place: to maintain our way of life, our national identity, and our faith in G-d.

Meanwhile, the alarm is sounding again, and I must leave to say a prayer.

More Non-Military Actions Against Iran

B"H


OK, what does the international community not get about Iran's threats against Israel?


This is NOT about oil, money, or anything else.  This is about Iran's supreme ruler, Khomeini, who believes he can bring the 12th Imam if he makes a nuclear holocaust in the world.


These are religious fanatics, not politicians or economists!


My "prophecy" about this move from SWIFT, is that it will have no bearing, whatsoever, on the nuclear ambitions of Iran.


They are willing to suffer for their religious beliefs.  If anything, the suffering will make the whole thing sweeter in their eyes.


This is one time when the secularist view of history and politics just won't serve to change things.  You have to be in tune with what it is to be religious, no matter which religion, to understand others who are religious.


Their motives are not always "logical."  They come from a deep-seated belief, and they are unlikely to be changed by economic conditions.


M
----- 


Steinitz: SWIFT sanctions could topple Iranian economy 
 By JPOST.COM STAFF
18/03/2012 


 Finance minister says sanctions barring Iran from making int'l electronic fund transfers make receiving money for billion dollar oil transactions impossible; Shalom: Sanctions may convince Iran to abandon nukes. 


 Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz said Sunday that SWIFT's decision to halt Iran's ability to use its electronic fund transfer system to make international transfers constitutes a tremendous blow that could potentially lead to the collapse of the Iranian economy. 

Purim Poem 2012

A crazy Persian madman,

An ineffective king,

A leader of Jews who understands

We must survive this thing.

Sounds like Esther’s story

Has leaked into our time.

No longer just a scroll we read,

Its meaning quite sublime.

But who plays the part of Esther,

The lady of the hour?

Who can sway the people now?

Who has that kind of power?

We look about our stage,

And cannot find an actor.

We need to find our princess fast,

Before they build a nuclear reactor.

Suddenly our answer comes,

It couldn’t be much clearer.

We will find our Esther inside

Each and every mirror!

Happy Purim!

May the Miracles of the Past be the Miracles of our Present!

On Purim we read about how the Jews were under threat of annihilation. They understood that this was serious, so they came together, fasted and prayed with all their hearts, and in a matter of only A FEW DAYS, they were SAVED! 

But CAN THIS REALLY HAPPEN TODAY?

We all understand that as Jews we are constantly under threat of attack from our enemies...

The story of Purim is just as applicable today as it was then.  G-d's hand was hidden but it was there, waiting for us to call for it.

This Wednesday, we will all be fasting on Taanit Esther. 

We are ALL coming together just like in the days of Purim and WE DO have the power to uproot the decrees against us.

We must really believe that.

As a nation, we need to fast and pray with a real feeling of urgency, and we need to do so TOGETHER. 

This year, do not just fast and pray by yourself. Feel that you are part of an entire nation as you do so. Believe that we have the same power they did then.

Please share this message.   ITS IMPORTANT! 

With the speed of modern technology, maybe we can reach the whole Jewish nation before the fast, and WE CAN MERIT TO SEE MIRACLES.

It IS possible, and it's up to YOU.

Thank You.

M

Rabbi Angel on Purim

A Purim Miracle: Thoughts for Purim By Rabbi Marc D. Angel Esther the Jewess marries King Ahashverosh. Her Uncle Mordecai tells her not to reveal that she is Jewish. The Jews throughout the 127 provinces of the Empire know Esther is Jewish. But not one of them gives away the secret. Ahashverosh, Haman and the entire royal court are kept in the dark about the Queen’s true identity. This, commented Rabbi Haim David Halevy (late Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv), was an amazing phenomenon, a veritable miracle. Not one Jew in the entire empire betrayed the secret. The Jewish people were united, discreet, and disciplined to an extraordinary degree. Let us imagine how this story would play out if it occurred today.

Our Joy Increases! Beinisch "Retires" from Supreme Court

B"H

I'm not sure there is a happier way to welcome Adar than to see Beinisch step down from the bench! I just hope this isn't a Purim Prank . . . 

Beinisch has been the hatchet against every religious expression, Jewish right, and Jewish Settlement in Israel.

There is no place she didn't try to destroy Israel from the inside out.  She was like a festering cancer at the heart of our homeland.

I have written about Beinisch and her disgusting excuse for "justice" over the years, and I am ELATED that she has left the bench.  (On the way out, may the door soundly hit her where the Good Lord split her!)

Unfortunately, I don't think we are done with this witch.  I have a feeling that her imperious belief that she knows far more than we mere mortals will lead her to run for office.  G-d Forbid!

If she does run for office, I pray that the voters will remember her past in high detail.  Here is a partial list, in case anyone would like to know.  
(I am not privy to the full list of her transgressions . . . only Hashm has that!)

Please Don't Give Me a Valentine!

B"H

When I was a child, I spent a lot of summers at my grandmother's house in Santa Rosa, California.  She lived on a leafy street across from a large ranch home with a working orchard.  Down the street was a park lined with California Laurel and Eucalyptus trees that perfumed the air, especially when it was hot.

As I write this post, I can still smell those trees and recall the palpable heat of July in Santa Rosa.  My grandmother loved to walk, and we would spend at least a hour every Saturday walking in that park.

Then I would go home, develop a horrible headache and a churning stomach, and lay motionless for the rest of the evening, unaware of what was wrong with me.

After I grew up and moved to Humboldt County for college, I discovered that I was extremely sensitive to California Laurels.  They give me a horrible headache.

True, I have beautiful and sentimental memories of walking with my grandmother in that park, of sharing those times with her, but I would never want to return to

Community Stands Up Against Missionaries

B"H


God bless the community of Kfar HaRo'eh, the "local mail distributor" who alerted the community rabbis of this illegal attempt by Christian missionaries to distribute their pamphlets to Jewish communities, and Rabbi Eliezer Weiss and Eitan Kupferberg who found a solution to this problem.  

I have no problem with Christians in general.  I respect my Christian brothers and sisters who stand with us in support of Israel and the Jewish people, but they must not attempt to convert us--especially with the lies and deceit employed by those who call themselves "messianic Jews."

We must always draw a firm line between respecting fellow religious people and allowing those people to plot to steal the souls of the weak in Jewish communities.

Incredibly Disgusting Action: Saudi "Hackers" Explose Credit Card Information of 400,000 Israelis

B"H


I understand that people have political differences.  I understand that some Saudis think that Israelis are wrong, and that some Israelis think that Saudis are wrong.  


I have no problem with people expressing ideas, having disagreements, and staging peaceful protests.  However, stealing credit card information from innocent Israeli families and exposing that information on the internet is going way too far.


This is a crime that is so filled with hatred, that is so filled with anti-Semitism, that its almost painful to write about it.  Why would any group do this?  


This is not legitimate protest.  This is not political speech.  This is pure, unadulterated criminal thuggery against hard-working regular people on the street.

A FREE Technological Answer to On-Line Tsniut Issues

By Michelle Nevada, Israel Jewish News

B"H


Just a short post to tell you about something I have discovered that has been very beneficial to my on-line browsing experience and may be even more beneficial to those wishing to avoid the almost unavoidable as they are attempting to read articles on the internet:  advertisements featuring half-naked women.


The issue became very pertinent for me today as I tried to read a rabbi's column in an Israeli newspaper online, but the article was surrounded by and even embedded with advertisements for weight loss pills and diet plans featuring women in jogging bras and underwear showing off how much weight they have lost.


It may just be the algorithm for my specific computer that showed those advertisements (How do they know I need to lose a few pounds?).  However, if you don't want to deal with the issue at all, there is a free technological solution to the problem.

49 Hours of Shabbat?

B"H


When Samoa decided to switch its relationship to the rest of the world by deciding to skip the last Friday in December and move to the other side of the International Date Line, they unwittingly began a fascinating halachic debate.


When, exactly, does one celebrate Shabbat under that circumstance?


And, of course, there are issues of travelers, not only to Samoa, but for anyone crossing the date line. For example, the International Date Line is slightly different in Halacha than it is observed on international maps.   When does Shabbat start and end when you cross the date line?  Is it a different day if you live there, as opposed to simply traveling there?


What happens when Shabbat starts on Thursday evening and goes until Saturday night, 49 hours? (Can you imagine how overcooked the Hamin must be?)


I don't know about you, but the whole discussion makes my head spin!


M
-----

The Day Shabbat Started on Thursday Night

How can the Jewish Sabbath start Thursday night and last 49 hours? Visit Samoa, where it jump-started the International Date Line.

US Looks the Other Way While Iran Engineers Destruction

B"H


Israel has now supplied the US government with soil samples from Iran to prove that Iran is building secret reactors.


No go. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta continues to claim that an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities could "consume the Middle East in a confrontation and a conflict that we would regret."

This begs the question:  Would Panetta "regret" a nuclear attack on Israel?

Refusing to make a choice IS a choice.  The longer the US waits and quakes in it's boots, the more sure we can all be that Khomeini will near his goal nuclear holocaust in the name of "the 12th Imam."

We all know that the US government doesn't have the B'Z to attack Iran, and that they will wait in the wings and watch as Israel does it.  "After all," they are probably thinking, "All the arabs hate Israel anyways, so nothing will change if they attack!"

What they don't realize is that things will change.  America will become an even better target for the terrorist forces of the world because arabs don't respect weakness, they respect strength.  

Israel already understands that it is more important to be respected than loved.  The US may learn that lesson the hard way--led by weak-kneed patsies like Leon Panetta.

M

Rabbi Elyashiv Condemns Hareidim to Poverty, Ignorance . . . Again

B"H

It is so sad that Rabbi Elyashiv has so little trust in the strength of Torah that he thinks that those who study secular subjects will become "tainted" by those subjects and turn away from Torah.

Did Maimonides turn away from Torah when he studied medicine?  Did he stop being a man of learning?

How can a rabbi who has no formal education in History, Art, Technology, or Science render a p'sak about those areas?  A rabbi NEEDS to know a lot more than Gemmorah and the collected works of Rabbi Elyashiv!

Even more pertinent, is Torah something divorced from everyday life, or a guide to it?

Back to my blogging . . .

B"H

I have been so quiet lately!

Mostly it is the result of a tremendous amount of work that was completely unexpected and overwhelming.  Most of my work is done on the computer, so taking a moment to blog after a full day of computer stuff was almost more than I could face.

However, I need to write, and I will continue now.  The three-month hiatus was a nice break.  Thank you for standing by.

Michelle

Some customs for the holiday of Hanoukah by Joseph Mosseri

1) The custom in Egypt was not to say Sidouq HaDin all 8 days of Hanoukah.

2) The custom amongst all Middle Eastern and North African Jewish communities is to only use pure olive oil for the Hanoukah lights. The reason being that this is considered to be the best way to fulfill the commandment and because the holiday miracle occurred through olive oil.

3) When lighting, the custom as brought down by Maran, Hakham Yosef Karo, in his Shoulhan 'Aroukh, is to start with the light on the right. Meaning that on the first night when you are going to light, you begin with the wick closest to your right hand.

On the second night, you begin with the wick adjacent to the one you lit on the first night, them you light the one of the first night.

On the 3rd night, you begin with the newest wick, and work your way back to the right. And such is the manner on each night.

By the last night you'll be lighting that closest to your left hand first and moving to your right. In the same manner that we write English or any Western language. Since the custom is to use oil wicks and not candles, we light with a candle and after the obligatory lights are kindled, the Shamash, or extra wick is kindled with the candle. The candle is then extinguished.

4) If you can safely light near your entranceway in order to publicize the Hanoukah miracle to those who pass by in the street that is great. If not you can feel comfortable knowing that you can follow the custom to light inside the house where it will be publicized to the family members. This is based upon MaHaRYQaSh ,in his gloss to the Shoulhan 'Aroukh, chapter 671.

The Laws of the Sukkah, According to Dr. Seuss

B"H

To me this is a favorite
I post it for every Sukkot.

These laws are very real, you'll see
They all have a helpful footnote!

M
-----
Rabbi Arthur E. Gould, Sukkot 1999 - 2001
Rules of the Succah (with numbered footnotes)
(For more about the Laws of the Succah seehttp://www.yeshiva.org.il/midrash/shiur.asp?id=958.)


You can build it very small (1)
You can build it very tall (2)
You can build it very large (3)
You can build it on a barge

You can build it on a ship (4)
Or on a roof but please don't slip (5)
You can build it in an alley (6)
You shouldn't build it in a valley (7)

You can build it on a wagon (8)
You can build it on a dragon (9)
You can make the s'chach of wood (10)
Would you, could you, yes you should

Make the s'chach from leaves of tree
You shouldn't bend it at the knee (11)
Build your Succah tall or short
No Succah is built in the Temple Court

Personal Memories of 9/11

B"H

Everyone has a story of where they were at 9/11, just like everyone in the generation before us had a story about Pearl Harbor.  They are moments where time stands still for everyone.

That day, I was standing in my kitchen in Minden, Nevada, looking out the window as I rinsed dishes. I was listening to NPR.

The announcer said, "A small private plane has slammed into the World Trade Center."  It didn't seem much at first.  I didn't really react.  The announcer went to to chat with the reporter about how small planes have hit tall buildings in the past, for example, the Empire State Building.

Then the report turned more ominous.  There was a fire burning out of control.

I yelled to the living-room where my children--who were five, seven, and eleven--were watching morning cartoons before school and said, "turn on CNN."

Finally! Bibi has found his BZ! EVERY terrorist who took part in the raid against innocent Israeli citizens in Eilat have been ELIMINATED. That includes the lookouts and the scouts--E*V*E*R*Y*O*N*E.

B"H

For once, Bibi didn't act like someone's vassal, asking for "permission" to strike.  He acted like he should act:  like the Prime Minister of the INDEPENDENT State of Israel.

Bully for you, Bibi!  That's 20 down . . . and about 20,000 to go.

According to this article, EVERY terrorist who took part in the raid against innocent Israeli citizens in Eilat have been ELIMINATED.  That includes the lookouts and the scouts E*V*E*R*Y*O*N*E.

I hope he is right.  I hope that every single one of them is dead.  

I hope we bury every single one of them upside down, in an unmarked grave, under a pig farm . . . but I doubt Bibi will do that.  

He will have to show "diplomacy," lest our enemies actually believe that we are as tough as Bibi says we are.

Still, it is a very nice feeling knowing that, not only did we kill the active members, we also killed the mastermind.  

Now, where do we go to kill the "imam" that gave this his blessing?  I think that guy should be unable to sleep well in his bed for however long it takes to send him to hell.

Keep it up, Bibi!  Don't take prisoners to be exchanged!  Don't give in!  

M

Please, Israel! Block Your Ears! Gird Your Loins! ATTACK!! ATTACK!! Don't Listen to the EU and US Weenies! DESTROY AMALEK!

B"H

Again, the scum of the earth, the most despicable vermin to walk the earth, have attacked my beloved Israel. 

May Israel learn that Hashm was not kidding when HE said to "clear the land before you." This is our land, a heritage given by Hashm, which cannot be traded away for fictional promises of "peace." 

We must retake every inch of Israel from these heathen scum and make no excuses for doing so. Then there will be Peace!

I am SO angry right now. 

Please, Israel! 

Please! 

Block your ears! Gird your loins! 

ATTACK!! ATTACK!! 

Don't listen to the EU or US weenies! They have no idea what our role in the world is, they don't understand what it is to be attacked because you are a Jew.  

They are Amalek.  Destroy them.

 

M

Rockets from Gaza, Hezbullah Gearing Up, and Egyptian Troops Taking on al Qaeda in the Sinai . . . Maybe G-d wasn't Bluffing When HE Said We Should "Drive Out the Inhabitants of the Land Before You."

B"H

"The L-rd spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying:

'Speak to the children of Israel and say to them: When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, destroy all their temples, destroy their molten idols, and demolish their high places.  You shall clear out the Land and settle in it, for I have given you the Land to occupy it.

'You shall give the Land as an inheritance to your families by lot; to the large, you shall give a larger inheritance and to the small you shall give a smaller inheritance; wherever the lot falls shall be his; according to the tribes of your fathers, you shall inherit.

'But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the Land from before you, then those whom you leave over will be as spikes in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they will harass you in the land in which you settle.

'And it will be that what I had intended to do to them, I will do to you.'"

Bamidbar/Numbers 33:50-56

 I don't suppose that G-d could have been much clearer here.  We are COMMANDED to rid the land of Israel of our enemies.  

The command is especially harsh and clear because G-d knows that this will be very hard for us to do.  

Not hard as in "we are not a strong military force," but hard as in "all the other nations will despise us."  

Peer pressure, it seems, is just as difficult for nations as it is for adolescents.