Let Us Not Continue To Reject The Land Of Israel

by Tamar Yonah

Tonight I will be sitting on the floor in the dark with a candle with my kids and read from the book of Eicha (Lamentations). 

Please, wherever you are, say a prayer that we may merit the Holy Temple and the Moshiach, and then, make a plan to go and implement that.  Tisha B'Av became a day of mourning because we rejected the Land of Israel.  The place that G-d gave us as a homeland, the place where our forefathers are buried; Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and our foremothers, Sarah, Rivka and Leah (all buried in Hebron) and Rachel, buried in Bet lechem (Bethlehem).  Our kings are buried here as well, King david, King Solomon, etc...  This is where our history is, and this is where our future is.

Let us not continue to reject the Land of Israel. If you haven't made aliyah, go to www.NbN.org.il and check out how it has never been easier in history to come and make aliyah and return home form our long exile. 

Do good deeds, pray, and plan what you CAN do to bring the redemption.

May The KBH, the Holy One Blessed Be He, have mercy on us, and may we merit through our deeds and love, the rebuilding of our Holy Temple.  Amen. 

If you like, you can leave a prayer below for the return of our Holy Temple that will be a light not just to Jews, but to all of Mankind.  We have no idea what we are missing.

Egypt: 57 Years Later

by Tamar Yonah

"On July 23, 1952 people of Egypt woke up to a message being aired over Egyptian airwaves stating that a military group made up of free officers took over the country."

The following is an article written by a former guest I interviewed on my show:, Dottore Architetto Ashraf Ramelah, President of "Voice of the Copts".    He writes about the plight of the Copts (Christian Egyptians) under Moslem-Egyptian rule.  I myself, am not Christian and therefore do not agree with the same things that they do, but I thought this article was a good reminder for us all to see what kind of neighbors Israel has to contend with. All photos, cartoons, and videos were added by me (for THIS blog) and NOT by the author. You can add any comments you have below. 

Egypt: 57 Years Later

This Thursday will mark the 57th anniversary of a sad hour of Egyptian history in the 20th century.  On July 23, 1952 people of Egypt woke up to a message being aired over Egyptian airwaves stating that a military group made up of free officers took over the country. The announcer was no other than a person who would win a Nobel Peace Prize for a peace treaty he made with Israel in 1978 -- Anwar El Sadat.

Mr. Sadat would also become the third out of four presidents Egyptian would have in the 20th century.  He was also a member of this military group who's leader was General Mohammed Naugib. This broadcast started at 7:30 am stating that there was a revolution currently in action aimed to depose a king who was corrupted and to improve Egypt for all Egyptians.

The leader of the younger officers was Gamal Abdel Nasser who was also part of the infamous Muslim Brotherhood, which was also a partner of the Nazis and had helped the Nazis escape the Allies' jurisdiction to eventually settle in Egypt and in South America. He had also formed a coalition with Naugib which would eventually avoid any problems with other officers who did not care for his ideas.

The major declared goal of this "revolution" was to improve the military's income and protest against the king.  Sadat, who was never one for bloodshed or conflicts would disappear into a movie theater, however, to make sure that he was not a part of that group (in case of the coup was to be unsuccessful). He had purposely started a fight with another man so that there would be a police report made on him to assure an alibi.

Most of the world knows all about Nasser and his ideas. After a year of the King's dethronement, Nasser eventually deposes General Naugib and became the second "President" of Egypt.

How was this successful?
There are many reasons.  One, Egypt was going through a critical period of history.  There was a lot of instability, mischief and corruption throughout the government.  Two, Egypt was losing all battles it had started with the newly created Jewish State of Israel which became a black eye to the ego of Egypt and of the population.  And third, the Egyptian army was defected and ineffective to the Jewish militia who even though in rags and in second-hand military equipment, knew similar to that of a chess game what would be the best moves.

Above: 'Nasser Kicking Israel Into The Sea' (I found this on the web and don't know which anti-semitic Moslem-Arab media source to accredit this cartoon to.)

Gamal Abdel Nasser was a member of the Muslim Brotherhood and had been taught by its religious leader, the former close friend of Adolph Hitler, Haji al Husseini the vast hatred of Jews, Christians, Zoroastrians, and Atheists. 
In the beginning of 1956, the European Cold War between the USSR and the United States, Britain and Europe started. The US knowing the President of Egypt and his group's background tried to entice him to stand with them against the USSR and other Soviet Bloc countries to block any communistic infiltration in the Middle East and especially in using the Suez Canal.
The US backed Egypt to become a part of the International Bank and to facilitate international investment in the country as well as to implement a huge irrigation project which was to be given to the countries along the Nile River.

It is no secret that President Nasser ever cared at all about Egypt or its economy. There was only one goal - to annihilate Israel once and for all - murdering the Jews and infidels. Nasser attempted to use the bank to buy enormous quantities of military arms and supplies from the US. However, the US, had to refuse Nasser’s demand. Nasser having been refused went to China, one of US’s enemy at the time. 

With the help of China, Egypt was able to start to obtain new military equipment, but in this process the International Bank withdrew the financial opportunity to build a dam that in the long run would have benefited nearly ten African countries.

On the advice of China, Nasser travels to Czechoslovakia (then a Soviet Bloc country) where he signs an army contract to buy USSR made arsenal. He felt sure that his plans were taking place and there was no stopping him and with Allah's blessing - his goal of destroying all Jews and infidels was at hand.

   Suez Canal

He had decided to nationalize the Suez Canal at this time (1956) without honoring any earlier international agreement. He had established with a young relation of Haji al Husseini by the name of Yassir Arafat many guerilla (terrorist) cells to attack any English properties in Egypt as well as inside Israel. These cells would go and attack villages in Israel and in English facilities in Egypt.

Israel started defending herself, attacking the cells. The Israeli military started to follow the attackers going into Egyptian territory. In October 1956, Israel entered the Sinai which would become two great battles.  The battles were Al Contellah and Ras Al Mounkab.

The world started learning a new Arabic word.  The guerrillas were called the Fedayeen.  The United Kingdom requested that Egypt respect the independence agreement and protect the international vessels from attack in the Suez Canal, as well as the air space, railroads and roads.  Nasser decided to annul all agreements and declared all English military bases in Egypt will now be Egyptian. 

This meant that now the UK would have to attack Egypt in order to protect their property and personnel. At this same time, France had captured a ship from Romania which was carrying Soviet arsenal and Egyptian secret service agents.  This ship proved to the French government that Egypt was helping to support Algerians who were fighting the French. France had decided to attack Egypt and destroy all its weapon depots.

The USSR saw a great opportunity to defended Egypt by giving an ultimatum to the UK, France and Israel to cease or else.  As we all know -- it ended as a stalemate.

However, since this time, 1956 to today in 2009 the government of Egypt has honored this day to celebrate a victory against three countries.  Even though it was a true stalemate, to the "Arab" mind and that of any terrorist, it was a victory. The truth in Arab world is their own made-up truth, as we have seen with all Arab leaders’ speeches that at any given time the facts are turned around to complement their own benefit.

In conclusion, one will notice that

The Egyptian revolution was not more than a military coup performed by a group of young militaries to improve their income. The true goal of the revolution was not to improve Egyptian life but to fight the newly created Jewish State of Israel and the infidel population in and out of Egypt. The Fadayeen groups (terrorist cells) were initiated by Nasser. The attacks from Israel, the UK and France were a chain reaction generated due to the actions of the Egyptian government. In reading the true accounts, there have been many excursions made by Nasser against Israel.  The greatest and most famous of them all happened in 1967, otherwise known as the Six Day War.

Tired of Praying to a Wall

by Tamar Yonah

It was sometime after 4am and I was awake at the computer because I had gotten up to have a quick breakfast before the fast of the 17th of Tammuz.  This fast day marks the breaching of the walls of Jerusalem, as well as the beginning of the grueling Three Weeks of mourning.  It ends with the fast of Tisha B'Av, the 9th of the month of Av when our Holy Temple was destroyed by the Romans and the subsequent 2,000 year Exile .

As I was on the computer, I got an instant message from a rabbi friend of mine (we are actually related) and he wrote me this:

4:40 AM Rabbi: I'm sick of fasting. Let's just build the Temple instead.

Me: ha! I am with you!

Rabbi: I can't stand the "mourning game." Well sorry for attacking you at this hour; just had to get it off my chest before going to shul (synagogue) and seeing all the people wailing over the Temple as if they cared; when I try to talk to them about it say, in December, they look at me like I'm crazy; but now in the Three Weeks it's politically correct in Orthodox circles to act as if it's important.

Me: you have no idea how much you are appreciated!

Rabbi: oh go on, now.

Me: I would love to be a fly on the wall when you do say that to the other Jews.  I think we all need to keep hearing this, to wake us from our stupor. We learn it is a mitzvah to build the Temple and we even learn that the Second Temple was empty, didn't have the Holy Ark or the Show Bread, yet we still built it and had it, so why can't we build the Temple today?  When we came back to Israel from Persia (after the Purim story) we built the Temple.  We didn't wait for it to be dropped from heaven, or until the Messiah came.

Rabbi: May we collectively start acting Jewish

Me: amen!

4:48 AM Rabbi: That is exactly true, the mitzva is beckoning to us in every generation, no less now then it was then, and we have become as a people so twisted in thinking, that we think that halachically (the code of Jewish law) there is a problem, when in reality halachically we are supposed to begin building.

(end of instant messenger conversation)

So, my friends, we are really acting pathetically today.  Why do we settle to pray and worship at a wall that sits below our holiest place on earth, where our Temple stood?  I am tired of settling for praying at a 'wall'.  Yes, it's the Kotel, the Holy Western Wall, but with all due respect, I want more.  I want the real deal.  I want G-d's house and I want His presence, His Shechina, hovering here with us.

These three weeks, we are supposed to be immersed in mourning.  As Rabbi Richman stated on his last show of Temple Talk, he said that most people think something like, 'oy, the three weeks, let's just try to get through this as fast and painless as we can."  But this is the time to really feel and yearn for the Third Temple.  He continued saying that how will we merit the Third Temple, if we don't really yearn for it?

Losing our Temple, should be like losing our spouse ...G-d forbid.  We should be looking towards the Temple Mount and crying and pacing back and forth like someone in shock, after losing their partner in life.  We should be looking at the void on the Temple Mount (not at the big gold pimple) and say to ourselves, "How can I go on?  Oh my gosh! We have lost our Temple!  We have lost the Shechina (G-d's  hovering presence) from our midst!"  We should be feeling as if we can't continue, like if we G-d forbid lost our spouse.  We should be asking ourselves as we pace nervously, "How can I go on?  How can I fill this void in my life?  Oh my, we need our Temple!"  THIS is what we should be feeling, this yearning for not settling to pray at an outside surrounding 'Western Wall'.  We want to go UP!  We want HaShem to dwell with us again.  

Every morning, in addition when I pray, I look towards Har HaBayit, the Temple Mount, and I add to my morning prayers, "Please G-d, bring us the Moshiach (the Messiah) and let us have the Holy Temple back. We need it so badly!"

But do most of us yearn for building G-d's house?  Everyone here is worried about buying their own house, re-doing their kitchen, or renovating their home, but what about G-d's house?  Why doesn't anyone worry about building HIS house?  How do we continue to 'settle' for the wall, when we should be yearning, crying, aching for the Holy Temple? 

We are already a (modern) state for over 60 years, and yet we are still content to pray at a wall. 

Can you imagine what G-d might say if He really saw the Jewish people not sit and be content with the Kotel? And instead we demanded that the government allocate the money and build the Temple, and thumb our nose to the world if any of them so much as say 'boo'??  Looking down on us, G-d might tell the angels, "Look!  My children want the Holy Temple back!  They want me to return to them, as they are returning to me.  They are willing to get their heads bashed in, they are willing to not settle for mediocrity, and they call for me.  I will respond.  I have been waiting for you, my Holy Children, to desire Me and now that you call upon me, I will grant you the privilege of having my Temple once again, and this Temple will be a place where the whole world will come to.  Because you have showed me your yearning and your actions and willingness to sacrifice for it and I will reward you with it." 

Wouldn't that just be something?

And let's remember, that even if we can't convince our leaders to be courageous and forge ahead with building the Temple, just SPEAKING and YEARNING about it could help.  Remember, G-d SPOKE the world into being. He did not take his hands and mold planets and stars, He SPOKE the world into being, "And G-d said, Let there be light."

So even if we can't actually go and get the permission to build it, we can still speak and yearn for it in our prayers, but really mean it.  Wouldn't that just be what G-d would want?

And wouldn't the building, or at least REAL yearniing for the Temple be helping the revealment of G-d in this world, and thus we would have a more peaceful world where mankind can finally understand that G-d is one and His name is one?  Yah, I am ready, I am yearning, and I am tired of praying to a wall.