First of all, a reminder that this Friday (and also Shabbat) is Rosh Chodesh Adar I, and G-d willing I'll be at Tel Shiloh for our monthly Women's Prayers.  Please let others know.  All women are invited.  It's a Jewish custom that Rosh Chodesh is a special women's only holiday, so treat yourself to a prayer date at Tel Shiloh.

To contact the tourist office telshilo@gmail.com or call 02-994-4019

And of course you know that I post much more frequently on Shiloh Musings and me-ander.  Please visit and comment here and there.  Thanks

With Mubarak on His Way Out, How Many Years Until Stability Returns to Egypt?

 

 

I have no doubts that it will take many years for Egypt to fully calm down.

This isn't a simple western-style government change.  The rioters are making demands; they're not working to rule better, more fairly. It's very naive and unrealistic to expect good government by western standards.  Maybe things will improve, but not immediately.  And I'm not saying that Mubarak was good, but if Obama is so sympathetic to the rioters' demands, he should have been putting pressure on Mubarak to make changes for the past two years.  Instead of doing that, the Obama government has been putting pressure on Israel to discriminate against Jewish Civil Rights.  I just hope that all these riots, in Tunisia, Egypt and ? will take the pressure off of us.

--just a note.  One of the clips may not be working here and can be found on Shiloh Musings.

Thank G-d we've been having some rain, not enough, but rain just the same.  I blog more frequently on Shiloh Musings and me-ander.  You may enjoy joining the comments there.

Building A Future for Jews in The Land of Israel

 

Our enemies can talk all they want, but we're building homes for Jewish families here in Shiloh, Israel.  And people are buying, thank G-d.

 

We're the only people who have a national history here.  This is Jewish Land, our Land and there's no way to deny it.

 

Barak Backs Himself Into A Corner

Ehud Barak has left the Labor Party.  This may be his next exit from politics.  He was defeated after being Prime Minister and somehow bounced back, because Binyamin Netanyahu wanted a Center-Left government and appointed him Defense Minister.

Ehud Barak isn't all that popular with ordinary Israelis any more.  I can't imagine too many people voting for a breakaway party headed by him.  Like many former IDF Chiefs of Staff, he was pretty popular early on in his retirement from the army, but his reign as Prime Minister was so terrible, terrorist-terrible, that his luster was quickly tarnished.  The Labor Party itself hasn't been doing well in recent elections, and a split is the last thing it needed.

It's interesting that Barak is touting his new party/faction as Center, not Left.  That should have him fighting with Kadima and Bibi's vision of Likud for votes. Politics is fun to watch, to observe.  I prefer it to reality TV.  It's the real thing....

Jerusalem is preparing for the running of the lightrail downtown.  This week, I felt like part of history by riding a bus on Jaffa Street. Yes, as usual, I do blog a lot on Shiloh Musings and me-ander, and of course you're invited to visit and comment on those blogs.

Terror, No One's Immune

As a victim of a terror attack, lightly wounded when an Arab terrorist ran into innocent Israeli civilians waiting at a bus stop almost fifteen years ago, I was given a very personal lesson in how we can't control terrorism.  When I complain about the dangerous route of the new, soon to be functioning (at least that's what they tell us) multi-doored (impossible to guard and supervise) Jerusalem lightrail, which goes through Arab neighborhoods considered dangerous for ordinary Jewish Israelis, I've been saying:

"They planned it as if it was in Arizona, like the Phoenix lightrail."

Did I give Arizona an "eyin haraa," evil eye, like a jinx?  The Tucson, AZ terror attacker murdered a little girl who was davka born on 9-11, the date of America's largest terrorist attack.  If that had been the plot of a book, nobody would have accepted it.

Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, whose Jewishness is not accepted by mainstream Torah Judaism, may have been targeted because of her Jewish identity.  There's no proof that Jared Loughner shot her for that reason, mainly because he has not been cooperating with the authorities and hasn't revealed his motivation.  Everything so far is guess-work.

I guess Arizona isn't all that safe.  There's deadly hatred all over. Is this connected to George Friedman's theories, predictions about the next decade?

 

hat tip: IMRA

It certainly looks like things are getting more dangerous all over the world.  The Arabs, the Muslims aren't afraid.  They are enthusiastic and aren't restricted by PC norms and morality.

If we're going to defeat terrorism of all stripes, we must open our eyes and take off the gloves.  They won't be destroyed by Lala Left sweetness.  They consider their enemies weak jokes and they're right about it.  We must fight force with force.

Thank G-d we've had some rain recently, maybe not enough but probably more than we deserve.

I write much more frequently on Shiloh Musings and me-ander.  This week I also hosted the 62nd Kosher Cooking Carnival, which you may find interesting.  Shabbat Shalom!

Rosh Chodesh Shvat at Tel Shiloh, A Treat for The Eyes and Soul

Today Rosh Chodesh Shvat, as has been my custom the past few years, I went to pray Tel Shiloh, where the Mishkan Tabernacle rested for for three-hundred-sixty-nine years, from the time of Joshua until the time of Samuel the Prophet.  I went with a few other women.  There probably were others there at the same time or a bit earlier or later, but Tel Shiloh is very large and hilly.  You can have a few dozen people wandering around and never even see each other.

Just under three months ago, there had been a fire on the western side of the Tel, and we could still see signs of it.  There was even a pocket that still smelled awful, as if the fire had just been a few days ago.  Thank G-d there was a nice covering of greenery.

Granted that in a better, wetter year it would have looked like this two and a half months ago, but at lease we've had some rain.  Also, this year winter will be longer, at least on the calendar.  There will be two months of Adar, and G-d willing G-d will give us lots of rain. Here's a picture from Rosh Chodesh Tevet.

And here are some from today, Rosh Chodesh Shvat, a full month later.

 

Next Rosh Chodesh, Adar Alef, the First Adar will be Friday, February 4.  G-d willing the grass and weeds will be much higher and we'll see lots of wild flowers.  The Jewish "leap year" is our chance to get exra rain, G-d willing.

Sadly, I must report that things haven't changed in the HolyLand.  It's still deadly dry and windy.  G-d is giving our rain to peoples who don't abuse their land.

You're invited to read more of my writing on Shiloh Musings and me-ander, where I post more frequently and on a wider variety of topics.

G-d and Man Working Together, Matan's Al HaPerek Siyum (Completiton) of Sefer Yehoshua (Book of Joshua)

Last night's festive evening at Matan celebrating the Al HaPerek Siyum of Sefer Yehoshua was a wonderful treat.  I'm one of the few hundred from all over the world who have already joined the Al HaPerek Bible studies.  It will be a five year program; we receive study/thinking questions on two chapters each week.  Of course, I'm familiar with some limited chapters in the Bible, but most of it will be very new to me.  I don't expect to complete the program as an expert, but I hope to be much more familiar with it than I am today.  Already, after reading line by line, chapter by chapter, the Book of Joshua is no longer a mystery.  And now Joshua and the initial conquest of the HolyLand are more fleshed out and meaningful in my mind and eye.

 

I'm certain that neither the organizers nor the speakers had any idea that the two English language classes would match so perfectly.  First Atara Snowbell (my Wednesday Megilat Scroll of Ester teacher) compared the leadership of Moshe and Yehoshua.  Then Rabbi Yehoshua Berman led us in a very inter-active class on Achan and Group Punishment.  (Sorry, but I can't find a copy of the official titles.)

Atara gave us a handout with a chart comparing Moshe and Yehoshua.  The first example of the differences in the leadership was that Joshua delegated authority, while Moshe took on everything, even after his father-in-law, Yitro and later G-d suggested how to delegate, share.  There's a very fine art to knowing how to do this.  Moses led the Jewish People with the full help of G-d and His miracles, but once Joshua brought the People into the Land, that had to end. 

 We had to learn to be on our own.  In Rabbi Berman's class we went over the lessons of the battles of Ha'Ai, the differences between the first failed battle and the second, the victorious one.  Joshua delegated responsibility to twelve "spies" to check out Ha'Ai.  In the heady aftermath of the miraculous defeat of Jericho, they reported that it would be a piece of cake and only a small fighting force would be necessary.  Joshua confidently followed their instructions and sent off a few thousand soldiers.  Those soldiers expected the enemy to miraculously give them their victory.  But the real world is different.  In shock, our soldiers fled, and when Joshua saw this he fell down in misery.  G-d chastised him severely.  Only then did Joshua understand. Our victories aren't our own.  We defeat our enemies with G-d's help and with strong human leadership.  The second battle of HaAi is a different story.  It's a beautiful working relationship between man and G-d. 

The comparison with today and our recent history is so strong and obvious.  I hope you can hear the two classes on the Matan site.  My post is my interpretation of the classes, yes, my "drash" to their "pshat."

 I'll end with a bit of the music we were treated to, Moshe Musa Berlin and daughter.