Broken Fingers on Shabbos

I was reminded of a story yesterday, a story that involved a young, Jewish boy who lived in a secular home.
The boy had lived a completely secular life, until someone had exposed him to Shabbos.

So he decided to start keeping Shabbos.

At first his parents, who were very against religion, thought it was cute. Until the kid started to become a nuisance, telling them to not turn the light on in his room when they were looking for something, and not to have the TV on.
After a while they decided that their son couldn't keep Shabbos anymore, so they told him that he had to go upstairs and write a report that he had due the following Monday.
He said, "It's Shabbos."
"I don't care go upstairs now!"
This went back and forth with his mother telling him he had to go write his report and him telling her it was Shabbos.
"Fine!" he shouted ending the argument. He walked over to the door, stuck his hand in, and slammed the door on his hand, breaking all of his fingers.
He walked back over to her, "I can't write the report I broke my hand."

This story really got me thinking if there was anything that I stood for so much that I would willingly break my hand in order to protect it.
It also got me thinking about Shabbos. I know a lot of people who treat Shabbos as a day off, which it is, but it's also a working day. Not work as in labor, or another physical aspect, it's a work day as in a day to work on our spiritual aspects, pray, learn, get back in touch with family who you haven't had the chance to talk to all week (like your kids, siblings, or wife).
As one of my Rebbaim said, regarding the "oneg Shabbos" to sleep all day, "getting 15 hours of sleep is not oneg Shabbos." You can go to sleep obviously, but he was referring to the afternoon naps in which some of us , after finishing our meals go to sleep for 6 hours. When you sleep on Shabbos, it shouldn't be because, "I'm tired, therefore I'm going to sleep." That's how you sleep during the week.
On Shabbos it should be, "I am completely free from any kind of worldly responsibility, therefore as a sign of how free I feel, and to thank G-d for freeing me from all of these responsibilities, I'm going to go to sleep."

Shabbos is an important day don't waste it.

A Video Game That Lets You be a Terrorist

Hezbollah has just released a video game that allows the player to take on the role of a terrorist in his quest to kill Jews. This is a clip from You Tube, but as disturbing the video is, I thought I should post some of the comments other people have left on this video

Awesome game.training 4 war against zionists

Iran have made a new pc combat game.you can fight against Americans.Love it

Hey, anyone know where one can download this game? It seems like the only games we can get in the U.S. are games where you kill Arabs or other Whites (WWII) on behalf of jews. Kind of similar to America's selection of military conflicts since 1940.

where do we get it

A Tree Falls in Chutz L'Aretz

There's a very moving article on Aish right now, but I don't want to discuss the article, I want to mention two quotes in there that I thought summed up the relationship between America and Israel, particularly the second which really shows the difference in the spiritual vs. physical mentality of the two places.

When I stepped onto the El-Al plane, I felt like someone had ripped out my insides. Before I left, a rabbi had told me: The good, geshmak feeling you get from walking the streets of Israel, that's comparable to the pleasant feeling you get from a Shabbat in America. The soul-brimming-over high you get from Shabbat in Israel -- that compares to Yom Kippur in America. As for the spiritual high of Yom Kippur in Israel? For that no counterpart exists in America.

The clothes you wear every day in America, are those you wear for Shabbat in Israel. The clothes you wear for Shabbat in America -- you wear for a wedding in Israel. As for weddings in America, there's no such equivalent in Israel. "What about the clothes I wore every day in Israel?" I asked. "Those clothes?" she said. A look of consternation furrowed her forehead as she puzzled that one. "Ah." Her face relaxed and she answered, "Those are the clothes you take out the garbage or clean with."

Here We Go Again. . .On a Different Issue

Well year #2 of college has started (which will probably mean I won't be posting as much as have been, this will be post #30 for August). I was given a fresh reminder why I have to move to Israel, this reminder having to do with being surrounded by people who have absolutely nothing to look forward to except a 9-5 job (hopefully) and a house in the suburbs.

There are definetly advantages to being Jewish, the main reason is that you have a great outline about how you're supposed to live your life and what's moral, in a binding book, that will not change (3rd Edition) with the movements of the 'hip' society.

I have something to look forward to, namely being that I have 47 weeks left in this country. But it also brings the realization, why am I moving to Israel? I ask the people around me 'Why are you in college?" The reply would probably be, so they can get a job that pays lots of money (or if their really righteous, that they want to help people, or because their parents or society told them), so they can retire at the earliest possible age so they can relax.

So the reason that they are working their butts off now is so that they eventually don't have to.

Interesting.

Why am I moving to Israel? Because I want my life to have meaning besides a 9-5 job. I don't want to be judged by the cloths I wear or the car I drive or how big my house his. I want to be judged as me. Just me.

I was reading an article about Aliyah in which they interviewed a former Baltimorean, now living in Israel, and he said something I found very definitive about the mindset in Israel.

In America how are you defined? Usually by your profession, and that usually puts you into a certain category. A category that gives people an idea of your physical worth. Almost any conversation you get into will at some point hit "what do you do."
This former resident of Baltimore said that's not the case at all in Israel, conversations aren't defined by your profession or wealth, it's defined by you, and who you are as a person.'

I'll admit that I don't have a clear idea of what he's talking about, but I do know that when I went out to people's homes in Israel, very rarely did the conversation turn to "what do you do." When it did it was usually asked by me, thinking about my future and researching career fields in Israel. I have a feeling I'll be able to get more of a picture about this after I make Aliyah.

But the point is, I am not defined by anything physical. Not by my wealth, fame, or weight. I can be defined by who I am, which is partially defined about what I think. In America no ones cares what you think as long as you smile for the camera, while you hand him the check.

Anyways, a little rant for today, go ahead and leave comments!

Why the Jews are Loosing

A story on Ynet today reported that Iran has shut down numerous barber shops that are offering styles that are too 'western.' The story said these barbershops offered western hairstyles, tattoos and even eyebrow plucking for men.

But the fact that a Muslim country is so strict on things based on their religion is something Israel can really pick up on. I think one of the main reasons we have such a falling out of Judaism in western countries is because the modern culture influences Jews to throw off the yoke of their ancestors and 'live freely.'

There's a reason that the Torah made these guidelines, they weren't put in place only when they were convenient, they're supposed to be an 'everlasting covenant.'

We mock the crazy things that the Muslims do, but the fact is the average Muslim has much more fear of G-d than the average Jew does.
Even religious Jews are included in this, I wrote in my post yesterday about a shul I davened in where G-d wasn't taken seriously at all. I'm sure that not everyone was like that, but the truth of the matter is that these people don't view a shul as a place to serve G-d, they view it as a place to socialize.
I don't know if this is true in Israel, but I would imagine that davening is taken much more seriously because most people actually know what they're saying. But still non-religious Jews in Israel all want 'to be like Mike,' IE they want to be like westerners as much as possible.

Good luck trying to get a cab in New York city around 5 o'clock in the afternoon. There's a good chance that the cab you're driving in at 5 will stop and the driver will pull out his rug and start praying, openly without any shame. You see Jews, when daven in public in America, trying to duck away in a corner, and stay out of everyone's way.
That's why we're loosing.
The Arabs get that this war is a spiritual war, that's why Jerusalem, Hevron, Shechem, and Kever Rachel are all considered "Palestinian towns." They know that without our religious places we are weak (or at least they think that).

We are going to win, the only question is how and when, in the meantime the only thing we can do is continue learning, davening, and turning as many Jews onto G-d and Torah as possible

Shabbat Shalom

Davening is for Talking and the Rabbi's Drash is for Sleeping. . .right?

I spent this past Shabbos in a shul (outside of Baltimore) that had a continuous murmur floating in from the back of the room throughout the entire davening. A murmur I can assure you that was not contributing to the conduciveness of the Kedusha in the room.

Then it miraculiously stopped. . . right when the Rabbi started his drash.

Then the Rabbi finished his drash and we started Mussaf. Then about the time I got up to Tekanta Shabbos, the murmer stated again, only this time it was louder. I wonder if the Kiddush Club had anything to do with it. . .

Anyways, this post was going to be a rant about talking in shul. But I have to mention some of the other things that went on during this past weekend.

You see we had traveled out of town for a family wedding (I won't tell you where because of the possibility of Lashon Hara), and lets just say that the entire situation was an educational experience.

The first thing that turned me off was obviously the lack of any fear for G-d in the Shul. I suppose there is something to be said that these people actually go to Shul on Shabbos, but no one has ever taught them how they're supposed to act there. I'm sure that when any of these people are in a meeting at work, they are not turning around and chating with the guy sitting next to them.

Just a thought.

The next big thing that turned me off this time was the wedding.

I could handle the large amount of women not dressed modestly (here's where having to wear glasses comes in handy, all you have to do is take them off). I could handle the hour long Chuppah! (My sister said that she actually enjoyed the long Chuppah "It didn't feel rushed" she said. Well, when you do everything before you actually get married, I guess there's no real rush to get to the Yichud room. Right? Just a thought). I could even handle the weird "She circles him 3 times, then he circles her 3 times, then they circle each other together." Strange, I don't remember coming across that one anywhere in a legitimate halachic authority.
I understand why they do it, they want to show that women are equal to men. Which in my case is a big mistake. Not they they shouldn't be equal to men, but they're already on a higher level than men are. Why would you want to lower them to the level of men? True, they are equalizing the sexes, but they have the whole concept backwards.

I'm not going to even talk about the mixed dancing. All I know is that is assur to have mixed dancing at weddings. Don't ask me to tell you where it says (but if anyone knows please tell me). Anyways, as soon as it started I had to leave the Shul and I went outside to throw up. I was absolutly disgusted. I then left the wedding and went back to the hotel, where I spent an hour learning Gemara, and then I watched Enterprise. At least I wasn't ruining my Neshama.

Anyways I was talking to someone about my whole 'experience' in this foreign city, I was saying the nerve of these people to stand at a Chuppah, that was going to lead to a wedding with mixed dancing, and they had the nerve to mention the Beit Hamikdash! I'm sure that's a topic that makes some people very uncomfortable, because that's what was on everyone's mind!

So the person I was talking to pointed out that all of those people are considered as if they were children captured and raised by non-Jews. It's not their fault for what they do, they have been 'captured' by the society around them. I suppose if you look at it that way, it's pretty incredible that anyone comes to Shul at all. They even had shiurim there.

A shocking realization hit me the other week when I walked of the bathroom to find my 4 year old brother playing on the floor. I said 'Hi' and he looked up at me and stared, shocked.
"What's wrong" I asked.
"You didn't say Asher Yatzar."

I suppose we're all 'captured' in some sense, all we need is a good jolt to free ourselves from the prison that we put ourselves. And I can assure you that I will be saying Aher Yatzar every single time I leave the bathroom for the rest of my life!

Interesting Idea. . .

I Know Who I'm Voting for in 2008

This from Israel National News

Giuliani Says Palestinian State Would Support Terrorism

by Ezra HaLevi

(IsraelNN.com) American Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani has bucked the party line of successive US administrations and come out against the establishment of a Palestinian state.

"Too much emphasis has been placed on brokering negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians — negotiations that bring up the same issues again and again," the former New York City Mayor wrote in a paper published in Foreign Affairs magazine. "It is not in the interest of the United States, at a time when it is being threatened by Islamist terrorists, to assist the creation of another state that will support terrorism."

Giuliani did not rule out the eventual establishment of such a state, but warned against the push by President George W. Bush and embattled Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to quickly establish a state in Judea and Samaria ruled by Fatah. "Palestinian statehood will have to be earned through sustained good governance, a clear commitment to fighting terrorism, and a willingness to live in peace with Israel."

Giuliani also took a swipe at the United Nations, saying America should have "realistic" expectations about the effectiveness of an organization he says has made itself “irrelevant” to the resolution of the past half-century’s conflicts. "The organization can be useful for some humanitarian and peacekeeping functions, but we should not expect much more of it.”

Saying the war with “Islamic fascism” will be a lengthy one, Giuliani explained that: "The Terrorists' War on US was encouraged by unrealistic and inconsistent actions taken in response to terrorist attacks in the past. A realistic peace can only be achieved through strength.”

Subject: NO ONE ALIVE TODAY WILL EVER SEE THIS AGAIN

Thought this is interesting enough to pass around

IT OUGHT TO BE SOMETHING TO SEE!

Once in a lifetime...

Mars

Image of Mars

The Red Planet is about to be spectacular!

This month and next, Earth is catching up with Mars in an encounter that will culminate in the closest approach between the two planets in recorded history. The next time Mars may come this close is in 2287. Due to the way Jupiter's gravity tugs on Mars and perturbs its orbit, astronomers can only be certain that Mars has not come this close to Earth in the Last 5,000 years, but it may be as long as 60,000 years before it happens again.

The encounter will culminate on August 27th when Mars comes to within 34,649,589 miles of Earth and will be (next to the moon) the brightest object in the night sky. It will attain a magnitude of - 2.9 and will appear 25.11 arc seconds wide. At a modest 75-power magnification Mars will look as large as the full moon to the naked eye .

Mars will be easy to spot. At the beginning of August it will rise in the east at 10p.m. and reach its azimuth at about 3 a.m.

By the end of August when the two planets are closest , Mars will rise at nightfall and reach its highest point in the sky at 12:30a.m. That's pretty convenient to see something that no human being has seen in recorded history. So, mark your calendar at the beginning of August to see Mars grow progressively brighter and brighter throughout the month.

Share this with your children and grandchildren.

NO ONE ALIVE TODAY WILL EVER SEE THIS AGAIN

We Won't Forget. . .

Bush, Olmert, Abbas, oh, this is going to be goooood!

George Bush is no longer a friend to Israel. Olmert is the Prime Minister of a country that doesn't want him leading. And both of these leaders of these great countries are trying to prop up another radical terrorist and portray him as 'moderate' and a 'partner for peace.'

Bush and Olmert are dedicated to giving a State to a group of people who have never shown that they are capable of running one. Not only that, they are trying to give these people a state, and the rallying cry from this group of people is that they want to destroy both Israel and the United States.

Really

Stupid

But Olmert is confused, and Bush is a suck up. All Olmert wants to do is fit in with all of the other nations. Why do we have to be different? Why can't we just do what all of the other countries in the world do, and just be like them?
Bush is simply doing what ever his advisor's tell him. Condshleeza Rice is always in the area, "Oh, we have to give the Palestinians a state, because for some reason they deserve one. So whenever Israel decides that they (Ha) want to defend themselves, I'll run to the region, get Olmert and Abbas to shake hands in front of the international media and Israel will sit back and do what ever I tell them, because I have Olmert eating out of my hand.


Now Olmert is really full of himself. He thinks that he'll be the first Prime Minister of Israel to finally achieve peace with the Arabs. So he's doing all of the things that, up until now, have been no-no's for all of Israel's PM's. Giving back land, evicting Jews from 'illegal' houses, while Arab's build illegally next door, and even offering a 'right of return' for the Arabs into Israel.

There's just one problem. Olmert has absolutely no one in Israel backing him! His is approval rating is hovering around 0 (that's like zero). He's backed by George Bush who also has a really bad approval rating. And Abbas in considered a collaberator to the Arabs! Here we have three losers, who are hated by the people they govern, and these people think that they're going to be the ones to finally get peace in the Middle East.

I laugh, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha,!!!!!!!!

Turns out he really was a terrorist

Arutz Sheva published an article today with an update on what really happened in this past Friday's story of an Arab stealing a security guards gun and shooting at innocent bystanders. Left wing news sources have been portraying the Arab as the victim, by claiming that he was shoot at point blank range after he had already been wounded, was not able to run anymore, and no longer posed a threat to the surrounding civilians who were doing their Shabbos shopping. The following video shows evidence to the contrary, showing that the Arab was shot while running away and in the process of shooting at innocent bystanders.

PLEASE LEAVE COMMENTS!

Thanks, I want to meet all of the awesome people who are reading this blog and what they think about my views.
Today I got hits from:
Baltimore
Los Angeles
Seattle
Ottawa
Portland
Some place in Idaho
And many more (including Australia)! I don't want to be the only one making all of the chatter! ;)

National Palestinian Radio

I emailed the following to NPR:

Dear NPR: I would like to express my disgust in your lack of balanced reporting, that is being covered up by claiming that it is balanced. I listen to NPR frequently, and I have never, never heard any interviews by Jewish residents who live in the West Bank. Whenever a discussion turns to Israel or the West Bank, a Palestinian Arab is brought to give his views, while either a Jew who lives outside of the West Bank, or someone who doesnt even live in Israel! It is extremely unsettling to hear this voice of the Jewish residents of the West Bank completely silenced. Now I am human and am unable to listen to all of your shows regarding this topic, so it might be possible that I have missed any shows that you have done with Jewish West Bank residents. But proportionately, the only residents of
the West Bank the I hear on your programs are Arabs. I would like for you to put some serious thought into the future of your programming, regarding the future of the West Bank, and not only show one side of the issue. Thank You

This is the response I received:

Thank you for contacting NPR.

Audience feedback is an important part of our newsgathering process. Please know that your message is being reviewed by NPR News.

Given the sensitivity of your concerns, your thoughts have also been forwarded on to NPR's Corporate Communications division for additional review.

We'll see what response I receive from NPR's Corporate Communications division. . .

ANGER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And faith in G-d

I had an interesting experience at the bank today. I was in line waiting to deposit some checks (I love the unemployment thing, it seems that I'm actually making more money then I did at my old job. Plus I have a lot more free time ). Anyways I figured that I would go at around 10 in the morning to avoid any lines, and I was in luck, when I arrived there was only one person in line in front of me.

Anyways, I thought this was going to be a quick visit.

The guy in front of me approached the counter, a real sketchy looking guy, with a ripped tee shirt, short shorts, and high black socks with sandals, and when he finished his transaction , started to walk away from the counter.

I took a step forward waiting for the teller to call me over when the man was back. He showed her his statement and demanded to know why there was a $2.50 charge on his statement. She told him that he had used the banks phone service more then the allotted free time a month, so he was charged an extra 50 cents for each time he used it.
Anyways he went into his whole "I didn't use it," and "the damn thing cut me off! They charged me for it?"

A line had started to form behind me and people started whispering, and asking if anyone wanted to just give this guy $2.50 so we could carry on with our business. The funny thing is that during this entire process that took about 10 minutes, there were three teller slots open, and this guy had managed to get every single one of them to stop what they were doing and help him.

I was just standing there, being very proud at myself for not getting angry like the people behind me were. If G-d was testing me, seeing if I could get angry or not, he's going to have to try harder.

The Gemarah in Yevamos 96 (the Daf 2 days ago) it says a story of two Rabbis in a shul in Tevaria, who were so angry with each other a Sefer Torah was ripped. Another Rabbi approached and told them that because of their anger, the shul would one day turn into a house of idol worship.

And it did.

I once heard one of my Rabbeim say that anger is like idol worship. He was quoting someone else whose name slips my mind right now. (Ironic since the case in the Gemarah was about one person being angry at another who didn't quote one of his teachings. Hopefully this post won't result in anything negative.)

How is anger like idol worship?

I'll put it like this: someone who (chas v'Shalom) gets angry he is saying that there is no G-d in the world.

Why?

If someone is angry about something, it usually has something to do with his frustration over a lack of control in a certain area. If he is upset with his lack of control, he's showing that he doesn't believe that G-d is in full control of everything. And if someone doesn't believe that G-d has full control of everything, it will lead to him not believing that G-d exists, which will then lead him into a life of idol worship.

That is why it is extremely important to never become angry.

I remember a story I heard Rav Avraham Twerski (see I remembered to quote him this time!) once say about a certain couple. The husband said that he and his wife simply didn't fight anymore. When asked why they didn't fight the husband replied very simply:

"I realized that the point of our fighting was so that I could win the argument. But then I realized that if I won the argument, she lost it. I didn't want to be married to a loser so we just stopped arguing!"

How's THAT for a Shalom Bayis story!

So remember anytime you feel angry about anything, try to identify why you're angry. Is it because you're trying to compensate for something? If you need to vent, do what I did and start writing a blog, I've found that this is a great way to blow off steam while at the same time doing a productive positive thing.

In most cases the reason someone is angry at someone/something has nothing to with that particular person, animal or object. Say someone asked for a raise at work and was refused. So instead of taking his frustrations out on his boss (probably a good thing) he goes home and vents on his kids, wife, dog (not such a good thing), without ever getting to the root of his problem.

Why does he want to get a raise in the first place? Is it because he is having trouble making ends meet? Or is it because he wants to buy an expensive car or another 'thing?'

If it's because he wants another toy (I think I've already written a post about that) he has another issue, an issue in his self esteem and self worth. Thinking that he needs "things" to define his self worth.

If that's the case, his boss is the least of his worries.

If it's because he can't make ends meet, there are other issues that need to be addressed. I don't want to claim that I have answers to parnussa issues, but we all have to remember that Hashem has already written how successful we'll be financially at Rosh Hashana time.

(But for practical tips on various financial endeavorers I would recommend subscribing to Early to Rise, as well as reading Michael Masterson's blog.)

Anyways a few things to think about in our future and hopefully calm lives.

Some Humor. . .

YES!!!!! A REAL MAN!!!!!!!!!

For some reason this story makes me happy, from Al Jezeera:

Dutch MP Calls for ban on Quran

Dutch member of parliament has called for the Quran to be banned in the Netherlands, describing it as a "fascist book" which calls on people to kill non-believers and rape women.

Geert Wilders, leader of the far-right Freedom Party, called for the ban in a letter published in De Volkskrant newspaper.

In his letter, Wilders compares the Muslim holy book to Mein Kampf, Adolf Hitler's autobiography, and said the Quran has "no place in our constitutional state".

"I have been saying this for years: there is no such thing as a moderate Islam," Wilders wrote.

Wilders' Freedom Party holds nine seats in the Netherlands' 150 seat parliament.

Call for ban

Wilders also said several chapters in the Quran "call on Muslims to oppress, persecute or kill Christians, Jews, dissidents and non-believers, to beat and rape women and to establish an Islamic state by force".

The publication of the letter comes after a weekend attack on Eshan Jami, a young Dutch politician, who established a group to support people who have renounced Islam.

Jami, who was not visibly injured in the attack, is now under police protection as is Wilders.

"Ban this wretched book like Mein Kampf is banned! Send a signal to Jami's attackers and other Islamic radicals that the Quran cannot be used in the Netherlands as an inspiration or an excuse for violence," Wilders said.

Wilders acknowledged that his plan would not receive majority support in the Dutch parliament.

"I am fed up with Islam in the Netherlands: no more Muslim immigrants allowed. I am fed up with the worship of Allah and Muhammad in the Netherlands: no more mosques," his letter concluded.

"May you be comforted. . .Jerusalem"

I was looking at the pasuk that you are supposed to say when you visit a house of mourning.
"May you be comforted with all of the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem."
What does that mean?
This past Tisha B'Av was very surreal to me. I realize now that I will, B'Ezrat Hashem, never have to spend another Tisha B'Av in Chutz L'Aretz, whether it's a day of sadness or of joy.
But as I was sitting on the floor in shul, listening to the conversations that were going on around me, it made me wonder why we're doing this.
I can tell you for sure that the teenagers weren't getting it, with a comment every so often about how hungry they were, or how uncomfortable sitting on the floor was. Not a lot of mention of the loss of the Beit Hamikdash.
But it wasn't only the teenagers, I overheard two guys talking about sports, more discussing trips they would be taking after Tisha B'Av was over.
Not a lot of tears, I can tell you that.
The only person who I did see cry was the Rabbi, while were saying the Kinah about the loss of people in the Holocaust.

I cried later, after shul was over. The atmosphere there was simply not conducive to an environment of sadness.

I went home and I cried for three hours.
I cried because we didn't have the Beit Hamikdash. I cried for how desensitized everyone around me was. I cried for the loss of Jewish lives in the world. I cried for Jews who were thrown out of their homes.

I then cried the next day, as I was listening to someone describe how you could really feel the destruction when you spent Tisha B'Av night at the Kotel.
Apparently the Kotel also is a social scene on Tisha B'Av, but the fact that you're there, the place where the Beit Hamikdash stood, and you look over the Kotel and all you see is black. Even if it's a social scene, it makes a big difference when you can actually see it, and physically be there.

This desensitization is brought to light in the pasuk "mourn like the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem."
When someone dies, you cry. You just do, and no one will look at you funny because they understand. If someone were to start hysterically crying for seemingly no reason, and when asked why he was crying, he answered "because we no longer have a Beit Hamikdash," in all honesty, what would you think about him?

The reason we say "mourn like the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem," is because the feeling one gets when a loved one dies should be the same exact feeling one should have about absence of the Beit Hamikdash!
Why don't we have this feeling? Maybe because we were never taught about the importance of the Temple or why we should be sad that it is destroyed. I don't know the answer, but I do know that we live in a generation where all the outside world wants to do is to desensitize everybody. News stories of death are told in the exact same tone as a news story about the installation of a new traffic light.
Get with the picture and think about what's really important. We only have one life, and it's up to us to decide how we're going to use it and what kind of a difference we are going to make.

The New York 'Slimes'

I'm was actually surprised to pick up the New York Times to see a picture with the following caption

As one settler was carried off near the market, an officer rushed to pick up the man’s glasses from the ground.

My first response whenever I see the NY Times do anything about Israel is, usually something along the lines of "here we go again." But I was presently surprised when I saw this picture, a classic Jew-in-distress picture of one Jew helping the other.

The pleasant feeling died as soon as I started reading the article.
"Settler"
"Occupied West Bank"
"Palestinian city, Hebron."

I don't expect the NY Times to study the Bible, or learn Jewish history. But I did learn something very interesting yesterday that might cause them to rethink who the 'occupiers' are.
The Arabs call themselves "Philistines," the West calls them "Palestinians." They claim that they are the descendants of the Philistines. Well some good 'ol fashion history for you.
The word "Philistine" in Hebrew is "Pelishtim."
"Pelishtim," means "Occupier."

Case closed.

What? They're not terrorists?

I picked up a book in the library yesterday titled "Hezbollah: A Short History."
I opened to the cover flap and found the sentence, "Hezbollah are mistakenly refered to as terrorists. This is due to their militant actvities against Israel."

Not terrorists huh? Check again:

Damn Intellectuals!

I was thinking about the whole "University hate Israel" thing, and I've come to a few conclusions.
1. For some reason the more "intellectual" you get the more you hate Israel
2. This has something to do with being shown half-facts regarding the PA Arabs
3. In some cases the guy filling cement on the street is actually smarter then the "smart" people are.

Why? Why are college educated usually drawn towards the left while blue-collar workers are drawn to the right.
I remember something my "wonderful" teacher once said regarding how people in the Mid-West of America see Iran. "They should bomb the hell out of 'em."
I personally see no problem with this. They've threatened to wipe an innocent country of the map as well as having led rallies and chants talking about the destruction of America and the West. But nooooo, they're PEOPLE! How can you justify the killing of innocent people?

Let me teach you a rule of nature. "Survival of the fittest," & "The strong survive."

We live in a modern world where we're past all of this animalistic behaviour right?
WRONG!
In America that may be the case, but there are people who want world supremacy for themselves and the only way not to get killed is to join them.
I am of course talking about the bad, bad 'M' word. Radical Muslims.

They want the destruction of all we hold good in the world, and if the "intellectuals" of America and the Free World continue to treat them as if the death sentences they make don't exist. They will, very soon, achieve their goal. And the Leftists will then see how wrong they were. I wish the world was like the Leftists see it, but they are trying to ring Mashiach too early. The world they are are trying to envision is the world after Mashiach comes. Before that, there are very real threats in the world and you would be extremely stupid to attempt to ignore them.

Maybe there's something to say about the blue-collar workers who say we should "bomb the hell out of Iran." They have not numbed their flight-or-fight reflexes. They see that they've been threatened, and they're going to do something about it!

"Nasty Settlers"

To Quote Al Jezeera regarding yesterday's expulsion of the Jews of Hevron

"The settlers are defying the authorities and they are keen to portray themselves as the victims"
"Within a matter of weeks, the settlers will probably find a way to reoccupy the houses"
Settlers in Hebron are among the most militant in the West Bank, territory Israel has occupied since the 1967 Middle East war.

These "settlers" happen to be some of the most peaceful, loving people that anyone could ever meet. Rabbi David Wilder is this small man who has a smile that could light up a room. But that's besides the fact, the reason Hevron is headline news today has absolutely nothing to do with the "occupation of the West Bank." It has to do with our enemies being smarter than our leaders. Hevron is one of the four holiest cities for the Jewish people, it is also the burial site of our Patriarchs and Matriarchs.
The Arabs get this, and they purposely use it for the very reason that it's important to the Jews, because they know what this war is about, and yes it is a war. Our leaders, and American, and UN leaders think that this is a war about land. But the Arabs know that this is a spiritual war, and they know that if they deprive us of out holiest sites than that will give them the ability to successfully wage war against us.
The Jews of Hevron know this, that's why they live there. They know how important it is to live in these holy cities, and how important it is for the continuation of the Jewish people in the Land of Israel. The government doesn't get it. The foreign governments don't get it. The media for sure doesn't get. We need to get it and support those people who do the things we wish we could do but are unable to.

Oh, and regarding the second quote, the houses were destroyed.

Hevron Expulsion

WARNING! These videos are extremely disturbing and should be viewed with caution. I have a strong feeling that the 'soldiers' are not Jews.

On the East Coast the Day's Hardly Started

It was quite a shock opening up Arutz Sheva this morning. The headline story was the NBN flight that landed on Tuesday in Israel welcoming 210 more Jews home.

Unfortunately, it also had the conclusion to the heroic efforts of the IDF. For those of you who don't know, the IDF was ordered to throw more Jews out of their homes yesterday, this time it wad two families in Hevron. I say heroic because that's what it was, 30 IDF soldiers refused to carry out their orders and throw Jews out of their homes. It was incredible to see how fast the government responded to this insubordination. By Monday night, they ha d already been tried and convicted. They are confined to their base for 28 days, are facing a monetary fine, and are restricted from serving in combat units.

The follow-up story was the government finishing their expulsion of the Jews from their homes without these soldiers help.

The next story was how Olmert is trying to speed up the creation of a Palestinian State. This guys insane. The creation of another Arab state will only result in a larger version of Gaza. Why do they think that it's going to work this time. The moment that happens, it's only a matter of time before Israel is destroyed. I just gotta remember that everything is in G-d's hands.

The next story was a sad/funny story. The story is sad, but the circumstances are funny. Sometimes rockets fired from Gaza into Israel fall short and land in Gaza. Two Arab children found the rocket and were killed while playing with it. It's sad that two children had to die, but sometimes justice has to be served, even if the government refuses to do so.

Dead Jewishly

I need to write about this member of my Shul who seems to think that he controls everything and if he doesn't like something he has to complain about it.
Like I said in my post on Friday that this guy just didn't like my Good Shabbos messages:
I say things like "May be bask in the glory of G-d on the Beit Hamikdash." Does he not want the Beit Hamikdash?
"May it be the last Shabbos in Galus." Does he want to stay in Galus?
"May all the sick be healed, pain be eliminated, be able to connect with the creator." Does he not want any of these things?

I want to quote Rabbi Shalom Gold, regarding people who are not in-tune with certain aspects of Judaism.
"They're dead Jewishly"

They
Are
Dead

This person happens to work in a very comfortable, prosperous field and I'm sure he brings in a lot of money every year, but Mr High & Mighty is having an issue with a simple Bracha that I send out every week?
Maybe it's because he's worried that the coming of Mashiach will burst the little bubble that he's created for himself. Maybe he won't be able to afford the nice cars he drives or the nice house he lives in because that will bring him down in the food chain of society.
You're not the car you drive or the house you live in. If you need "stuff" to make yourself feel worthy, all you're doing is proving that you have no worth.
Michael Masterson likes to explain the difference between "wealth," and "being rich."
"Being rich" is the kind of person who has the title "Filthy Rich" associated with his name. He's the guy who has the 40 cars in the garage on the 40 acre plot of land with the mansion and 2 pools. They like to accumulate "stuff."
Celebrities usually fall into this category, as well as sports stars and CEO's.
Now obviously not every celebrity, sports star and CEO falls into this category, but I'm trying to make a point.
"Wealth" is defined by your own personal worth. Masterson likes to use this analogy with money, but it can be used in the spiritual realm as well.
Masterson's definition regarding money can be illustrated with a story of Mike Tyson. Mike Tyson, at the time I heard this story was $30 million in debt. Yet he makes between $10-12 million a fight. Is he wealthy?
What were to happen if he lost a match? Maybe he would start getting $3 million a match. What happened it he got a career ending injury? What is he qualified to do? Work in McDonald's?

Do you see where I'm going?

Wealth is defined by how much you are worth. Not by by how much stuff you've "accumulated."

In the spiritual realm it works the same way. Lets say you have a Gemara test that you spend hours and hours studying for? They you get your grade back and you've gotten a 40.
Is that your real grade? What if you'd spent the same hours studying the same Gemara, but without the test? Would you still only have a 40?

When it comes to spiritual matters it's the effort that's counted, not the "accumulation."

Case in point. I know someone who went to Ner Israel in Baltimore and he knew how to learn. I remember a conversation I got into with him and I was quoting a story from the Gemara and he knew the story, as well as what Daf it was on.
Yet this guy, doesn't have a set seder a day, he most likely hasn't picked up a sefer in years. He just has a very good ability to comprehend and memorize almost anything.

Compare him to a guy who spends time, every day, struggling to get through the Parsha, or Mishna, or Gemara. This guy is racking up points in Heaven, not because he's ammassing great Torah knowlege, but because he's putting in the effort.
Can you imagine this working in medical school?
"Johnny has averaged a 35 on all of his tests, but he spends hours studying, more than anyone else. Lets just give him his surgeons license for the effort he put in."

So anyways, back to this guy in my shul, he needs to grow up. Maybe he has insecurities and has the need to always feel like he's in control (I hope he doesn't treat his wife like that). Maybe he just had a bad day that day and needed to take it out on someone. But this guy needs to get his priorities straight. If he gets an email like the ones that I send out, he should be smiling and grateful for the reminder that G-d runs the world, and that the Jewish people, unlike everyone else, actually have an end-goal in mind, that we all (hopefully) are working for.

Israel's Secret Weapon

Thanks to Lazer Beams

Very Cool. . .

Important words

"You can only make peace with joy."
"You can not make peace with anger."

-Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach

Oohhh, this one's going to be good-Neturei Karta Mechalel Shabbos-How'd I miss this one?

Apparently if you hate the State of Israel you are allowed to desacrate Shabbos. While surfing the internet, I came an interesting fact regarding the Neturei Karta.
Back in June I reported on the Anti-Israel Rally the was held in Washington DC. The previous day (Shabbos, June 9) there was another Anti-Israel Rally held in London.

This picture was taken, on Shabbos, of these burning-in-Hell-for-sure-no-respect-for-Torah-or-other-Jews pieces of garbage. Apparently they carried those signs outside of an Eruv. So after sitting down and eating their Chulent, they decided to slap G-d in the face and disgrace Jews all over the world.
One more thing, I got this picture FROM THE NETUREI KARTA WEBSITE! They're proudly boasting that they were mechalel Shabbos in order to embarress other Jews. And like they always do they have to wear the Europe uniform, which I'm sure will help Charedi standings all over the world.

I think I need to learn some more Gemara now.

A Death and a Realization

One of my sister's best friends was killed this morning in a car accident. And the worst part is that she wasn't even in Baltimore when it happened. Apparently she was down in South Carolina visiting someone and she was a passenger in a car that was hit. I don't know the details, but apparently she was killed on impact.

So anyways, you can imagine it's been a bright cheery day at my house. I came back from Minyan this morning to find my sister's and mom crying.

I was in shock. My sister's friend was one of those "everything" kinds of girls who, literally, did everything, and well. And I guess G-d decided that she did enough and took her from this world.

So my parents went over to the grieving parents house and they've been there all day, my sister and I are preparing Shabbos. The fact of how fragile we are really hit me hard.

After a certain amount of craziness of running around all morning I stopped at the Bais Medrish to do the Daf and I wandered into the Kollel kitchen for a cup of coffee.

It was cold.

The damn cup of coffee was cold.

I started laughing (to myself) here we are, with a dead girl and I'm feeling bad about a cold cup of coffee? Ha'levie the worst thing that should happen to anyone should be having to drink a cold cup of coffee in the morning.

Just another realization that we only have one life to live and any second, even right now, G-d could decide that we, or someone we know, have fulfilled our purpose and take us back.

I've mentioned before that I do my shul newsletter. I post it online on Thursday nights, and then send an email out to notify everyone that it's been posted on the shul website. In my emails I include some words of Bracha for the upcoming week, usually something on the lines of there being Shalom in the world, and how this should be an uplifting, energizing Shabbos, stuff like that.

Anyways there's one guy who, for the past two weeks has emailed me about how much he hates the emails I send him. (I believe his exact words were, "What are you smoking.") So this week he said that if I don't stop including the "stuff" in the emails he was going to take himself off the list.
I then sent him an email telling him how to do just that (don't worry, my tone was very professional)
So we'll see, everyone else who gets these emails keep telling me how much they like them, I guess this guy just can't accept a Bracha.
He probably had no idea that right before I'd read his email I'd heard the news about my sister's friend (in all honesty I think the guys a loser. If he doesn't like them, he just shouldn't read the email, I email the same link to the newsletter every week, it doesn't change). For some reason this person seems so irrelevant now. We'll see about the future.

So anyways. . .

So regarding my Aliyah date. . .

I realized (after thorough research that took all of half an hour) that I can become certified by the end of the year in my field( still not sure if it's going to be E-Commerce or Accounting) then continue the rest of the degree online. So, I said to myself, if you're going to be finishing your degree online, why not do it in Israel.

So it came to be that I have started telling everyone that I will be making Aliyah next summer. A few people have asked me "are you ever going to come back to visit us," to which I replied," I'm going to live in Eretz Hakedosha, your staying in Shmutz L'Aretz, you can come visit me!"

So I've been thinking about when exactly I'll go. I have to wait until after March 8 (don't ask, long story, should get it's own posting) and I want to go on a Nefesh B' Nefesh flight. I had been thinking that I wanted my last Shabbos to be Parshat Shelach (you know, the parsha about the spies who told everyone E"Y was such a bad place), but that was when I had been thinking about 2009. In 2008 that week is in early June, for sure no NBN flights then. So then started going over the Daf Yomi schedule, and I discovered that we're going to finish mesechta Sotah on the 9th of Tammuz Parshat Balak, also a good parsha to end off on. Maybe the added oomf of the Siyam/Pre-Aliyah Shalosh Seudos that people in my shul usually do will inspire some more people to follow. Hey a guy can always hope can't he?

Once I get there, I still have to call my Rav but I don't think it'll be a problem, I hope to be a madrich in my Yeshiva for the first year while I'm going to ulpan. After that, we'll see.

So anyways I have a date. DO YOU??!!!