"And the Lord was with Yehudah..."

יט  וַיְהִי יְהוָה אֶת-יְהוּדָה, וַיֹּרֶשׁ אֶת-הָהָר:  כִּי לֹא לְהוֹרִישׁ אֶת-יֹשְׁבֵי הָעֵמֶק, כִּי-רֶכֶב בַּרְזֶל לָהֶם.	19 And the LORD was with Yehuda; and he drove out the inhabitants of the hill-country; for he could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron.
כ  וַיִּתְּנוּ לְכָלֵב אֶת-חֶבְרוֹן, כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר מֹשֶׁה; וַיּוֹרֶשׁ מִשָּׁם, אֶת-שְׁלֹשָׁה בְּנֵי הָעֲנָק.	20 And they gave Hebron unto Caleb, as Moses had spoken; and he drove out thence the three sons of Anak.
כא  וְאֶת-הַיְבוּסִי יֹשֵׁב יְרוּשָׁלִַם, לֹא הוֹרִישׁוּ בְּנֵי בִנְיָמִן; וַיֵּשֶׁב הַיְבוּסִי אֶת-בְּנֵי בִנְיָמִן, בִּירוּשָׁלִַם, עַד, הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה.  {פ}	21 And the children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites that inhabited Jerusalem; but the Jebusites dwelt with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem, unto this day. {P}

When the HaShem is with us we are victorious.  We have come home to dwell in our ancient homeland...we have been victorious in expressing the divine will of the prophets and yet we fail to recognize it.  HaShem is with us, but we act like Binyamin and let our enemies dwell among us.  They throw rocks and kill and we do nothing. They live and prosper and grow and more of our Nation suffers.

Both the tribe of Yehudah (including Shimon) and Binyamin remained after the exile of the Northern Kingdom.  They in a sense merged together and so too these two aspects as well. There is part of our Nation which dwells alone, willing to fight for our Land and their are others who wish to have our enemies dwell among us.  This not a malicious desire, but one of misplaced focus.  We are not yet in final throes of the Geulah process where "the wolf will lie down with the lamb."  We have yet to conquer our Land fully and so we have a struggle within.

Interestingly when we returned from our first exile (both Yehudah and Binyamin) we united in vision and purpose against our internal adversaries and despite this unity we became weak and our building was frozen:

א  וַיִּשְׁמְעוּ, צָרֵי יְהוּדָה וּבִנְיָמִן:  כִּי-בְנֵי הַגּוֹלָה בּוֹנִים הֵיכָל, לַיהוָה אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל.	1 Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity were building a temple unto the LORD, the God of Israel;
ב  וַיִּגְּשׁוּ אֶל-זְרֻבָּבֶל וְאֶל-רָאשֵׁי הָאָבוֹת, וַיֹּאמְרוּ לָהֶם נִבְנֶה עִמָּכֶם--כִּי כָכֶם, נִדְרוֹשׁ לֵאלֹהֵיכֶם; ולא (וְלוֹ) אֲנַחְנוּ זֹבְחִים, מִימֵי אֵסַר חַדֹּן מֶלֶךְ אַשּׁוּר, הַמַּעֲלֶה אֹתָנוּ, פֹּה.	2 then they drew near to Zerubbabel, and to the heads of fathers' houses, and said unto them: 'Let us build with you; for we seek your God, as ye do; and we do sacrifice unto Him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us up hither.'
ג  וַיֹּאמֶר לָהֶם זְרֻבָּבֶל וְיֵשׁוּעַ, וּשְׁאָר רָאשֵׁי הָאָבוֹת לְיִשְׂרָאֵל--לֹא-לָכֶם וָלָנוּ, לִבְנוֹת בַּיִת לֵאלֹהֵינוּ:  כִּי אֲנַחְנוּ יַחַד נִבְנֶה, לַיהוָה אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּנוּ, הַמֶּלֶךְ כּוֹרֶשׁ מֶלֶךְ-פָּרָס.	3 But Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of fathers' houses of Israel, said unto them: 'Ye have nothing to do with us to build a house unto our God; but we ourselves together will build unto the LORD, the God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of Persia hath commanded us.'
ד  וַיְהִי, עַם-הָאָרֶץ--מְרַפִּים, יְדֵי עַם-יְהוּדָה; ומבלהים (וּמְבַהֲלִים) אוֹתָם, לִבְנוֹת.	4 Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and harried them while they were building,
ה  וְסֹכְרִים עֲלֵיהֶם יוֹעֲצִים, לְהָפֵר עֲצָתָם--כָּל-יְמֵי, כּוֹרֶשׁ מֶלֶךְ פָּרַס, וְעַד-מַלְכוּת, דָּרְיָוֶשׁ מֶלֶךְ-פָּרָס.	5 and hired counsellors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.
ו  וּבְמַלְכוּת, אֲחַשְׁוֵרוֹשׁ, בִּתְחִלַּת, מַלְכוּתוֹ--כָּתְבוּ שִׂטְנָה, עַל-יֹשְׁבֵי יְהוּדָה וִירוּשָׁלִָם.  {ס}	6 And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, wrote they an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem. {S}

This is where we are now.  We have returned under the auspices of International Agreement (Balfour Declaration) just like under Cyrus and we are surrounded by our adversaries (צָרֵי יְהוּדָה וּבִנְיָמִן). They are our enemies of old.  They have an aspect of the Plishtim and filled with the spirit of Amalek (who relishes attacking women and children).  After all we know that it was in fact Haman that was called צֹרֵר הַיְּהוּדִים.

י  וַיָּסַר הַמֶּלֶךְ אֶת-טַבַּעְתּוֹ, מֵעַל יָדוֹ; וַיִּתְּנָהּ, לְהָמָן בֶּן-הַמְּדָתָא הָאֲגָגִי--צֹרֵר הַיְּהוּדִים.

10 And the king took his ring from his hand, and gave it unto Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the Jews' enemy.

These are the only two places in the Tanach where this expression is used. Both were Amalek.

It is true that HaShem is with us and at the same time the Creator is hidden within the working of nature and geopolitics. It is hard to see how we will found our way out of this situation. We need to know one thing, one idea. Rosh Hoshanah is the time to crown HaShem the King of the world. This is not for us, but for the whole world. HaShem is guiding us to Geulah Sleima. There are enemies among us that believe we have no right to live here. They deny us our rightful place in our Ancient biblically mandated homeland. In doing so they deny the providence of the Creator and so they reveal their true hate for him and for us.

If we believe that the our G-d is the same G-d who took us out of Mitzrayim (Egypt) and is the same G-d who directs the Universe's historical forces then no matter how dark it looks and how many victims have fallen to the hands of our sworn enemies, we know that HaShem is King and he can and will bring Geulah in an instant. We just have to do our part.

...he went down to Ahab to Samaria

ב  וַיֵּרֶד לְקֵץ שָׁנִים אֶל-אַחְאָב, לְשֹׁמְרוֹן, וַיִּזְבַּח-לוֹ אַחְאָב צֹאן וּבָקָר לָרֹב, וְלָעָם אֲשֶׁר עִמּוֹ; וַיְסִיתֵהוּ, לַעֲלוֹת אֶל-רָמֹת גִּלְעָד.

2 And at the end of years he went down to Ahab to Samaria. And Ahab killed sheep and oxen for him in abundance, and for the people that were with him, and persuaded him to go up with him to Ramoth-gilead.

What was will be.  We know that the two kingdoms are destined to be reunited at the end of days.  More so in the beginning of our return Beit Yisrael will rule.  We learn from Rav Kook that the secular Zionists were activating the aspect of Beit Yisrael led by Achav from Beit Efraim and although their clinging to the Land was not based on Torah, they were still involved with a lofty enterprise.  Like Achav they were focused on the National structure, the vessel of our return.  Beit Yehuda was at the time of Achav led by a righteous king Yehoshephat.  Achav had the stronger army and in fact the pasukim referred to Achav as Melech even when Yehoshephat was next to him, referring to the latter by only his first name.  All homage despite his evil actions was given to Achav. There for it said that Yehoshephat descended to Achav for Achav was at a lower place spiritually.  Yet Yehoshephat still saw the need to attempt to help the King of Israel.

The first pasuk in the chapter uses the word לְקֵץ or at the end.  Now this could be taken simply like after a long time or it is like many things in the Tanach be giving us a hint to something else.  We know that the Torah and Nach uses a vav to switch the future tense to past tense.  This is the style of the grammar, but this is not by accident.  HaShem and the Anshei Knesset Gedolah are doing this to relate to the timeless nature of the events in both the Torah and Nach.  At "the End"  means both the simple meaning and the future meaning of the end of days as it is used in the Navi'em.

We find ourselves now at the cusp of the switch between the Malchut Yisrael led by Beit Efraim (the current political structure of the State of Israel) to the Malchut Yisrael led by Beit Yehuda and ultimately David.  Like Achav before who fell in war leading to the final downward trend of the Northern Kingdom, so to now, with the weight of the world upon it, the only way forward for Medinat Yisrael is to go the way of Malchut Beit Yehuda by reuniting both Kingdoms under the Creator or face a disintegration so perilous that Beit David will be forced to rise to save us all.  I pray for the former.

"Return With Us...And You Shall Be the Head..."

In the first three pasukim in 6th chapter of Shoftim (Judges) it introduces Yiftach, the future leader of Israel, specifically of Gilead in the following way:

וְיִפְתָּח הַגִּלְעָדִי, הָיָה גִּבּוֹר חַיִל, וְהוּא, בֶּן-אִשָּׁה זוֹנָה; וַיּוֹלֶד גִּלְעָד, אֶת-יִפְתָּח.	1 Now Yiftach the Gileadite was a strong man of valour, and he was the son of a harlot; and Gilead begot Yiftach.
ב  וַתֵּלֶד אֵשֶׁת-גִּלְעָד לוֹ, בָּנִים; וַיִּגְדְּלוּ בְנֵי-הָאִשָּׁה וַיְגָרְשׁוּ אֶת-יִפְתָּח, וַיֹּאמְרוּ לוֹ לֹא-תִנְחַל בְּבֵית-אָבִינוּ--כִּי בֶּן-אִשָּׁה אַחֶרֶת, אָתָּה.	2 And Gilead's wife bore him sons; and when his wife's sons grew up, they drove out Yiftach, and said unto him: 'You shall not inherit in our father's house; for you are a son of another woman.'
ג  וַיִּבְרַח יִפְתָּח מִפְּנֵי אֶחָיו, וַיֵּשֶׁב בְּאֶרֶץ טוֹב; וַיִּתְלַקְּטוּ אֶל-יִפְתָּח אֲנָשִׁים רֵיקִים, וַיֵּצְאוּ עִמּוֹ.  {פ}	3 Then Yiftach fled from his brothers, and dwelt in the land of Tob; and empty men were gathered to Yiftach, and they went out with him. {P}

Eventually the elders of Gilead under threat from Ammon go to Yiftach and beg him to be their head and military leader.  He eventually agrees and rules Israel fro 6 years.  The question is, what was Yiftach's trait that attracted "empty men" to him and yet allowed him to be the type of leader Am Yisrael needed.

He Will Open

The word Yiftach in Hebrew means He Will Open.  The men that came to Yiftach were empty.  We learn in Perkei Avot in the 2nd Perek/5th Mishna that one who lacks fear of heaven is like a well.  The Rabbeinu Yonah points out that this is an "empty" well.  Later we learn that Rabbi Eliezer ben Horkunus is likened to a closed well that loses no water (i.e. Torah). By being filled up with the divine light a true chacham or leader has the ability to open the closed wells around him and fill them with the water of life or the Torah.

This was Yiftach's trait.  He drew those empty of Torah and Emunah and filled them with HaShem's light.  It was this trait that the elders of Gilead longed for in a leader and thus yearned for even when they saw it in  a lowly "son of a harlot."

We know that every Rosh Memshelah of Israel is an empty vessel that is still considered the head of our political system.  Just like the Medinah is an empty vessel void of the light of the Creator so to are its leaders. We need to pray that a true leader will arise and open our politicians eyes and all of Am Yisrael to the true light, the light of Emunah and Torah.  When this happens no force on Earth can take away what by Divine Right belongs to the people of Israel.

The Medinah when filled with the light of the Creator will become the Medinat Malchut Melech HaMoshiach.  This is the level where everyone and everything is reconnected to its true root, the pure divine light of the Creator. The light will be so strong it will cover the world.  With HaShem's help we will be led with proper leaders, filled with the divine light of Moshiach.

Earthquake, Hurricane, and Pollard

As I landed in Eretz Yisrael on Tuesday afternoon after a four day express visit to NYC to see my father and grandparents I heard news of an earthquake on the east coast of the USA.  We all know by now that the Washington Monument has been cracked.  This is an overt sign to all those who have open eyes that the USA is in fact crumbling. Read my posts on the downgrade to understand more. My boss pointed out that the obelisk was also the same shape prized by Rome and Egypt.  The crack, is a huge crack in the American Empire, yet we must understand why this is happening.

The earthquake spanned from its epicenter in Virginia North to Martha's Vineyard while the President was there vacationing and the South to North Carolina. Jonathan Pollard is being held in Butner, North Carolina.  By this weekend Hurricane Irene is set to hit the Carolinas and then go North through DC/Baltimore, NY, and smack into Cape Cod, once again where the President is vacationing. Another link between Pollard who rots in jail, barred from visiting his dying father and attending his funeral.

Let My Brother Go

The message is clear.  Jonathan is entrapped in jail, because we as a nation are entrapped by the klippot of the Western culture.  Our souls yearn to be free as Jonathan yearns to come home to his own land.  Our fates are entwined.

A friend of mine asked me why  this message is being sent now to the USA and to Obama and not all the years before. He wanted to know why this year was different.  This year was the first time a Prime Minister made an official request for Pollard's release.  When Bibi did that has the head of Medinat Yisrael it changed the dynamic.  No longer had we failed to undertake pidyon shevuyim. By actively embracing the all encompassing mitzvah we placed the onus and responsibility both morally and spiritually on the shoulders of the USA.  We have screamed: Let My Brother Go! And so now HaShem is sending messages to Obama and the US to let him go, because by letting Jonathan Pollard go free we will be let go as well.  So far Obama is not listening and the US is crumbling.  Like Pharoah before him his heart is hardened and the miracles will grow great until Jonathan and all of us are freed from our inner galut and able to experience the light of the Creator in an open and revealed way.

The Western Downgrade

The West is collapsing...tomorrow? No, but it is on a downward trend and forecast is it will get much worse.  China seems to be rising, but without desire to rule the world.  The 70 nations are trembling, because without their money they are powerless and so that is what is happening.  A part of us is going down with them.  We are connected somewhat with that world, a world physical pleasure and yet deep down inside we know that we want and need to be free.  Our Nation is the hand and sword of the Creator in the world and our weapons are the mitzvot and prayer.  The more we do and the more plead and connect with the One source of creation, the more we can will bring the redemptive light into the world.

The Nation of Israel is the collective Moshiach and it is with this light that we can will repair our world.  The Western crash is for our own good.  It releases us from our the captivity of physical prison and allows to achieve our true purpose.  Emunah is the light of the Creator and the true Tzaddik is the messenger and catalyst for the activation of this light in each one of us.  The more we connect and yearn for it the more we can express this light, this essential truth to the world.  In order to do this we must break free of our shackles, our constraints.  If we won't do that, then the Creator, the blessed holy one, the one source of being and creation will and is doing it for us.  Hold on to your seats, what ever crash the markets have had and what ever uneasiness about the world you have had...its only just beginning!

No More Sadness

From America to Afghanistan, China to Rothchild the world seems to be careening out of control.  The truth is we have been in this situation for a while now.  When the World Trade Center collapsed into a fiery inferno, the world shook and has been shaking ever since.

We are hours away from Tisha B'Av and we seem to be entering another level of chaos.  America "our friend" is in clear decline.  The Middle East is quaking and the disgruntled "masses" are making Woodstock Tel Aviv style.  With all of this going on fear and uncertainty are growing.  And despite all of this we are ignoring the simple solution to our problems and that solution is to know with perfect and complete belief that the Moshiach is here with us.  The answer to our problems is not QE3, government entitlement, better military, but the full and complete revelation of Moshiach and the rebuilding of the Beit Hamikdash.

Reb Nathan of Breslev points out that the purpose of the Beit HaMikdash was to remind Am Yisrael and the nations of the world what the true purpose of life is about.  We forget that this world is part of , many worlds above and that our spiritual galut is one where we are disconnected from birth with our source.  Geulah is the revelation of our true connection above.  The only thing that can guide us properly is a clear focus and goal in life.  The Beit HaMikdash reminds of that goal and with impending Geulah and the realization that all is for the best we will once again be sad no more because we and the whole world will know the truth and live by it.

Default, Downgrade, and the Redemption (Part 3)

A Post Gog U Magog World

I have been of the opinion that George W. Bush was Gog.  Now you are going to ask: What about the invasion of Israel and division of Jerusalem as Yechezkel fortold?

It is very important to understand that Yechezkel’s timeline of events of the Redemption starting in the 36^th chapter are very allegorical.  It is clear they are written to convey deep points about the end of days and the process that unfolds.  In chapter 38 Gog leads the nations of the world against us in fact he is called Nasi (Prince or President). 

When one looks at the events surrounding George Bush he clearly fought wars against the Arabs and Muslim world as most commentators suggest will happen at the end.  These same commentators then say that at the end they will join forces against us. 

When was that you might ask.  That was at the Annapolis Conference on the 27^th of November in 2007.  The nations of the world gathered together to divide Jerusalem and Israel.  Our government was led by Ehud Olmert and Shimon Peres (with of course Livni and Barak in toe) probably the most revealed and public members of the Erev Rav.  Yet we made it through.  Even the Toldos Aharon Rebbe predicted that everything would fall apart from then on out.  He used the word Naphal because it is the root of the word Annapolis.  Nov. 27^th was right before the economic crash of the Western World and America.  George Bush came to Israel twice in 2008 and both time with a large entourage.  The economic collapse was well underway by his second trip and even more so after it. 

The Kingdom of G-d

The Kingdom of G-d comes not from the four kingdoms, but in place of them as Daniel describes it as a stone which comes smashing the statue of the four kingdoms to pieces.  Essentially what is happening is the fall of the New World Order and the Four Kingdoms.  This is happening financially and directly after the events against Israel in 2008.  The world has been in a tailspin since then and the world economy has been unraveling.  At the end of this process which is being sped up now with the very real possibility of a default and downgrade in the USA will be a world without the coverings and restraints and what we will see is a full revelation of HaShem’s light.

The Weapon of Moshiach

Rebbe Nachman states in the second Torah of Lekutei Mohran: “The essential Weapon of Moshiach will be prayer. “ All the events we are witnessing are coming about now because the Moshiach is here and is praying for the unraveling of the “Evil Empire” and the revelation of the Creator’s light.  He is fighting the “Wars of HaShem” with his mouth and we are witnessing the outcome in reality.  At the end of the break down he will be revealed and he will teach us how pray with nothing holding us back. We know that according to the Rambam that he goes in the way of Torah like King David his father.  King David was the master of prayer and that is the Torah and Weapon of the Moshiach.