This blog has been quiet, because I haven't been home.  I was in America where the biggest news was cruelty to children, not that it doesn't happen in all countries. I even got to see some of G-d's wonders, the Grand Canyon and Sedona, but I didn't feel the holiness of Shiloh. As you can easily guess, I've written lots more on Shiloh Musings and me-ander. Here's today's message:

Rosh Chodesh Av, August 1, Good Time to Pray

The Jewish Month of Elul, the month before Rosh Hashanna and Yom Kippur is traditionally to time for reflection, repentance, tshuva, but when you think about it, that should begin a month earlier, on the first of the month of Av.

This year it falls on August 1.

Av is a time of mourning the destruction of Jerusalem and the Holy Temple.  Chazal, our sages tell us that the cause was the bad relations between fellow Jews.  Because of this we enter a period of mourning from the 17th of Tamuz until the 10th of Av.  It becomes most intense from the first of Av until the 9th.

For the past few years I've been inviting women to join me for Rosh Chodesh Prayers in Tel Shiloh.  Shiloh is a traditional place for prayers.  The Holy Tabernacle was located there for 369 years.  It's where Biblical Chana successfully prayed for a son.

Women's Prayers at Tel Shiloh

Rosh Chodesh Av

Monday, August 1, 2011 9:30am

Dvar Torah, Short Torah Lesson ...

Please come, and invite family, friends and neighbors

 תפילת נשים

 ראש חודש אב בתל שילה

 יום ב' 1-8 9:30

יהיה דבר תורה קצר

נא לבוא, לפרסם ולהזמין חברות, משפחה ושכנות

We're really getting into summer mode here in Israel.  Schools are closing for the "big vacation," and our local pool is open. You're invited to read more about my ordinary, everyday life on me-ander and more of my political observations on Shiloh Musings.

Here I'm posting two related articles.

Israel-Arab "Land Swap" plus "Defensible Borders," An Oxymoron

In political speeches, like fairy tales and romance novels, reality doesn't hold a candle.  You're expected to "just imagine" a world in a different dimension where the Laws of Nature and Numbers don't function.

If Israel gives away to anyone, friend, foe, Arab, U.N., U.S. etc an iota of the land we now hold we won't have defensible borders.  The idea of "land swap" is even worse.  Just look at the maps:

 

The lines/borders are pretty straight right now.  Once you start making squiggles and swaps Israel won't have defensible borders.  It's very simple.

No doubt in my mind that when United States President Barack Hussein Obama and all sorts of other politicians, media people, professors etc claim that we can be safe and secure after giving Arab terrorists our Land, they are out and out lying.  They don't care one iota if we survive or not.

We, Israel, don't have to please anyone.  We just must take care of ourselves!

Negotiating Peace in Good Faith? Not In the Foreseeable Future

Unfortunately, some things must be seen in black and white.  Negotiating in good faith would mean no prior demands and a mutual goal.  We have none of that between Israel and the Arabs.  Egged on, encouraged by United States President Barack Hussein Obama, the Arabs are demanding that as a condition for even beginning to negotiate, Israel must agree to a total withdrawal from the land we won fair and square in a defensive war for our very existence in June, 1967.

If that's the case, then what is there left to negotiate?

Nu, there's another problem.  Israel wants peace, and the Arabs want our Land to make a new state.  We don't have the same goals.

Nu, so what's there to talk about?

Talks with the Arabs will only bring us war.

It's very clear. So, let's just get on with living here.  And let's stop this farce.  Say NO TO NEGOTIATIONS!

Regardless of the unseasonable mists here in the HolyLand, spring is turning into summer. You can read more of my articles and see more photographs on me-ander and Shiloh Musings. Shabbat Shalom and have a good week.

Bibi, There is a "solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict"

Ha'Aretz has a headline: Now, for something "out of the box." Why do we need a "solution?" It's like trying to put a square peg in a round hole.  A pre-schooler would fail an Intelligence Test if he/she insisted on stuffing a square peg in a round hole. Chipping away at the square peg doesn't solve the problem.

You must match the shapes to the holes.  They need to be the right shape and size. There are many overweight children and adults who were trained to eat more "to grow taller."  Basic height is genetic and can't be increased by eating more.

And dressing Arab terrorists in a suit and tie and giving them a state won't change them from terrorists to peace-loving, pro-human rights leaders.

So, what's my solution?

• Israel must stop all negotiations with the Arabs.
• Israel must declare that there must never be a "Palestinian State."
• Israel must annex all of the Land we still administer since the 1967 Six Days War ended.
• Israel must build more homes for Jews in all locations and encourage Jews to live in our Historic Homeland.

Yes, that's my SOLUTION.  If the Arabs don't like it, they can vote with their feet, but the chances are that they'll want to stay here under Israeli Law, benefiting from Israeli technology, education, health care and increased security.

This is a busy week.  Jews all over the world will be celebrating the Shavuot Holiday, which celebrates G-d's giving us the Holy Torah, the basis of Judaism.

I blog more frequently, on a wider variety of subjects on my other blogs, Shiloh Musings and me-ander.  Please check them out.

The IDF Puts Its Faith in Technology. Why Not Just Play Computer Games?

*Here's the report While reading this, please listen to David Bedein's radio show.

Having Ehud Barak as Defense Minister has me running scared and our enemies cheering.  Shouldn't it be the opposite?

The freshest emails in my box early this morning were reports of violence against innocent Jews in the Shiloh area.*  No, it wasn't a case of Arab terrorism.  It was the Israel Defense Forces attacking Jewish residents here in the small Jewish communities near Shiloh.  The last report I received tells of injured Jews attacked by our soldiers in the middle of the night.  Sick, yes, I agree.

 

Also in my email were notices from IMRA about some of the "defense innovations" Barak has invested our tax money.

"In the future, robots will replace fighters in the field." (complete article)

Colonel Nessim Levy says that it will prevent/reduce human casualties.  In the meantime, to reduce casualities, our soldiers are sent to attack civilians who don't want to escalate into a real battle or civil war.  That keeps the soldiers pretty safe.  It reminds me of how King Saul kept trying to kill David, but King David refused to harm him.

Samuel chapter 24

 ג וַיָּבֹא אֶל-גִּדְרוֹת הַצֹּאן עַל-הַדֶּרֶךְ, וְשָׁם מְעָרָה, וַיָּבֹא שָׁאוּל, לְהָסֵךְ אֶת-רַגְלָיו; וְדָוִד, וַאֲנָשָׁיו, בְּיַרְכְּתֵי הַמְּעָרָה, יֹשְׁבִים. 3 And he came to the sheepcotes by the way, where was a cave; and Saul went in to cover his feet. Now David and his men were sitting in the innermost parts of the cave. ד וַיֹּאמְרוּ אַנְשֵׁי דָוִד אֵלָיו, הִנֵּה הַיּוֹם אֲשֶׁר-אָמַר יְהוָה אֵלֶיךָ הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי נֹתֵן אֶת-איביך (אֹיִבְךָ) בְּיָדֶךָ, וְעָשִׂיתָ לּוֹ, כַּאֲשֶׁר יִטַב בְּעֵינֶיךָ; וַיָּקָם דָּוִד, וַיִּכְרֹת אֶת-כְּנַף-הַמְּעִיל אֲשֶׁר-לְשָׁאוּל--בַּלָּט. 4 And the men of David said unto him: 'Behold the day in which the LORD hath said unto thee: Behold, I will deliver thine enemy into thy hand, and thou shalt do to him as it shall seem good unto thee.' Then David arose, and cut off the skirt of Saul's robe privily. ה וַיְהִי, אַחֲרֵי-כֵן, וַיַּךְ לֵב-דָּוִד, אֹתוֹ--עַל אֲשֶׁר כָּרַת, אֶת-כָּנָף אֲשֶׁר לְשָׁאוּל. 5 And it came to pass afterward, that David's heart smote him, because he had cut off Saul's skirt. ... ט וַיֹּאמֶר דָּוִד לְשָׁאוּל, לָמָּה תִשְׁמַע אֶת-דִּבְרֵי אָדָם לֵאמֹר: הִנֵּה דָוִד, מְבַקֵּשׁ רָעָתֶךָ. 9 And David said to Saul: 'Wherefore hearkenest thou to men's words, saying: Behold, David seeketh thy hurt? י הִנֵּה הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה רָאוּ עֵינֶיךָ, אֵת אֲשֶׁר-נְתָנְךָ יְהוָה הַיּוֹם בְּיָדִי בַּמְּעָרָה, וְאָמַר לַהֲרָגְךָ, וַתָּחָס עָלֶיךָ; וָאֹמַר, לֹא-אֶשְׁלַח יָדִי בַּאדֹנִי--כִּי-מְשִׁיחַ יְהוָה, הוּא. 10 Behold, this day thine eyes have seen how that the LORD had delivered thee to-day into my hand in the cave; and some bade me kill thee; but mine eye spared thee; and I said: I will not put forth my hand against my lord; for he is the LORD'S anointed. יא וְאָבִי רְאֵה--גַּם רְאֵה אֶת-כְּנַף מְעִילְךָ, בְּיָדִי: כִּי בְּכָרְתִי אֶת-כְּנַף מְעִילְךָ וְלֹא הֲרַגְתִּיךָ, דַּע וּרְאֵה כִּי אֵין בְּיָדִי רָעָה וָפֶשַׁע וְלֹא-חָטָאתִי לָךְ--וְאַתָּה צֹדֶה אֶת-נַפְשִׁי, לְקַחְתָּהּ. 11 Moreover, my father, see, yea, see the skirt of thy robe in my hand; for in that I cut off the skirt of thy robe, and killed thee not, know thou and see that there is neither evil nor transgression in my hand, and I have not sinned against thee, though thou layest wait for my soul to take it. יב יִשְׁפֹּט יְהוָה בֵּינִי וּבֵינֶךָ, וּנְקָמַנִי יְהוָה מִמֶּךָּ; וְיָדִי, לֹא תִהְיֶה-בָּךְ. 12 The LORD judge between me and thee, and the LORD avenge me of thee; but my hand shall not be upon thee.

Israel is investing in weapons against missiles, but our greatest enemy won't be defeated by all these technological inventions and machinery.  Our greatest enemy is the Leftist defeatist "post-Zionist" ideologies raging in Israel and the Jewish world.

All of our greatest military victories were due to G-d's miracles, not superior strategies nor weapons.  If we would just fight our enemies and settle our G-d-given Land, then we will live in peace.

 

 

I don't understand why Shiloh isn't a more popular pilgrimage spot for prayers. Personally, I don't go for praying at graves and tombs. And I also don't understand why more Israelis, Jews and thinking people all over the world don't understand or accept the fact that there is no way we can have peace with today's Arabs. Nothing we do or give will change that fact. Maybe things will be better in fifty or a hundred years and maybe not. But the real message is that we ought to stop the talking and begging and apologizing for breathing!

I blog more frequently on Shiloh Musings and me-ander.  You're invited to read those blogs, too.

The Biggest Difference Between the U.S. Presidents Bush and Obama

I really don't see any big policy, ideological difference between Republican Bush and Democrat Obama when it comes to Israel and our keeping (or rights to) the Land we liberated in the 1967 Six Days War.

• Neither recognize our rights to be in the Jewish neighborhoods like Ramot, Ramat Eshkol, Gilo etc. 
• Neither supports Israel's annexing Judea, Samaria etc.

So why didn't bush get the condemnation that Obama keeps getting?

It's simple.  Obama's speech writers, the people he pays to right his speeches about Israel and to Jewish audiences aren't as good as the ones that Bush used.  Remember that being a good actor, reading a pre-written speech with sincerity and pathos is a requirement for the American Presidency.

It's pretty well known that Eli Wiesel was involved in the writing of Bush's best "Israel speeches," and nobody is more eloquent on the subject.  Obama's speech writers just don't know how to make him seem like he truly cares about Israel's survival.