Chanukah Sameach, May You Have an Enlightened Holiday!

Women, you're invited to join us for Rosh Chodesh Prayers at Tel Shiloh this coming Tuesday:

During the Chanukah Holiday we will also celebrate ראש חודש טבת Rosh Chodesh Tevet. We'll be celebrating together at Tel Shiloh, on Tuesday, 30 Kislev, December 7, at 9:30 am. נחגוג ביחד בתל שילה, תפילת נשים יום ג', 7-12, ל' כסלו 9:30 Women's Prayers, הלל Hallel and מוסף Musaf and then a short דבר תורה Dvar Torah

Please tell your friends, family and neighbors that they are welcome, too. נא להזמין חבירות, משפחה ושכינות. כולן מוזמנות! Tel Shiloh is open for visitors every day. For more information, including the possiblity of arranging tours and special events such as Bar/Bat Mitzvah parties, contact telshilo@gmail.com or call 02-994-4019.

I blog much more frequently on Shiloh Musings and me-ander.  You're certainly invited to check them out.

Reflecting on The First Night of Chanukah

By the time I got home the sky was dark, and the first Chanukah light was lit at the neighbors.  I quickly got things ready at home. This afternoon I was unexpectedly at the Kotel f2f with Chaviva and Evan.  The Kotel area was pretty empty.  Mid afternoon is frequently like that.  I don't go there all that often.  I feel more kedusha at Tel Shiloh just wandering around.  The Kotel just just an outer wall of the Temple Compound.  Even when I made more of an effort to doven there, I could never relate to leaving notes. I understand that makes me a rather minority, but I honestly find it incomprehensible.  Part of it may be that I wasn't raised in a spiritual home.  My parents have always been proudly Jewish in a national sense, but we didn't have many Jewish traditions in the house. So I look at these pieces of paper falling out of cracks, being inserted in cracks etc and I wonder what it's all about. I've heard that there are workers who sweep them up and put them in special storage.

In another few hours it's Shabbat, next week will be Chanukah and before Chanukah ends it'll be Rosh Chodesh Tevet.  Here in Israel we're feeling G-d's wrath as hot winds blow instead of blessed rain.  It's all written so clearly in the Bible.  If we keep G-d's commandments we will be blessed, but if we don't we'll be punished.

On Rosh Chodesh Tevet, there will be Women's Prayers at Tel Shiloh ראש חודש טבת 30

 Kislev, December 7, at 9:30 am. נחגוג ביחד בתל שילה, תפילת נשים יום ג', 7-12, ל' כסלו 9:30 Women's Prayers, הלל Hallel and מוסף Musaf and then a short דבר תורה Dvar Torah

I blog much more frequently on Shiloh Musings and me-ander.  Please visit there.

Myth Busters: The Western Wall and American Aid

In honor of the upcoming Chanukah holiday, the Jewish Holiday which celebrates religious freedom, Jewish national independence, how the apparent weak can defeat the rich and "strong" and how a small vial of pure olive oil can save the day I'm going to attack a couple of powerful myths.

Myth #1- the Western Wall HaKotel HaMa'aravi, הכותל המערבי

The Kotel is not the holiest site for Jews!

The ancient wall which is known as "the kotel" is a later-built outer wall to the area in which you can find our holiest spot on the Temple Mount, Har HaBayit הר הבית.  The kotel has no religious or historic significance for any other religion except as part of the ongoing attempts at identity theft by Muslims and Christians.

It would be like standing in the street outside the Eisenhower Executive Office Building and looking for the windows to the Obama family bedrooms.

 Israel's religious and political leadership have sold us very short by worshipping the Kotel.  To say that The Temple Mount is "too holy" for Jews but the let the Muslims run free, play games and destroy our holy artifacts is a chillul Hashem, insult to G-d.

 

Myth #2 American Aid

 American Aid is bad for the Israeli economy!

That's right.  In actuality, the aid is only good for the American economy.  That's because the Americans don't give a blank check, greenbacks, real money for Israel to buy weapons wherever it deems best. 

 The United States gives "shopping coupons," which is their way of subsidizing certain American industries.  Foreign countries then patronize American industry at the expense of their own.

 For Israel, it's triply bad.  Not only has it severly affected our own military industrial development, but when our engineers/experts improve the American products, we don't profit and if we use any of the American components to produce military products for export, we can't sell them without American permission.

What the State of Israel needs are true allies, friendly countries which condemn our enemies when they attack us and stop encouraging us to self-mutilate. 

Our greatest danger is participating in those "talks" which the Arabs and Americans see as the tool for establishing a Pseudostinian aka palestinian sic state.  If American is considered Israel's friend, it's an example of:

I was at Sunday's anti-freeze demonstration near the Prime Minister's Office.  I heard from someone who works there that they were very aware of our demonstration.  I posted about it with pictures and videos, including of an unpublicized in the media protest here. There's a poll on me-ander for Jewish women who cover their hair for religious reasons.  You may enjoy reading my other blogs, Shiloh Musings and me-ander which get updated more frequently.

What Does The U.S. Have Over Bibi?

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's brutal and illogical anti-Jewish, pro-Arab building freeze to facilitate the establishment of a Pseudostinian aka Palestinian sic State in the heart of the State and Land of Israel is obviously a danger to the continued viability of the State of Israel.  Netanyahu, who for years was a spokesman against such a state and such policies.  There must be something that the American Government, its Intelligence people, have over Bibi which has forced him to change his tune.  Honestly, I don't need to know what it is.  I'd just like him to do the right thing and resign.  He fears them more than he fears G-d and his future name in history books.

In another one of those amazing G-d planned coincidences, I had spent the morning in Jerusalem at the anti-freeze of Jewish building in Judea and Samaria and then I returned to Jerusalem for a Bible learning evening of the Matan Al haPerek program. 

The subject of last night's class was "The Blessings and Curses."  Basically, you can call it G-d's "Rewards and Punishments" for how we observe the  מצות  Mitzvot, G-d given Commandments and how we treasure the Land G-d gave us. 

During the demonstration, as I felt myself baking in the dangerously unseasonably dry, hot and sunny weather, it was so clear to me that we are suffering stage one of the curses for our abuse of the Land that G-d gave us.

For those of us who were old enough to understand and appreciate the miracle of Biblical proportions of the 1967 Six Days War, it's clear that by saving the State of Israel, G-d expected us to (demanded that we) immediately and enthusiastically settle the Land liberated in the war.  The Moshiach was waiting in the wings but fled when He saw that the key to the Temple Mount was given to the Moslems and the government was looking at the Land as a way of buying peace from the Arabs. 

We had peace.  G-d had given it to us with YESHA, the Golan and the Jordan Valley.

Next on my blogging schedule is a picture filled post from yesterday's anti-freeze demonstration in Jerusalem.

He has paid enough. Let him out!
It's Saturday night, after Shabbat.  I wish you all a good week.  May we be blessed with rain, G-d willing. 

I invite you to read my other blogs, Shiloh Musings and me-ander where you can find a much wider variety of posts and opinions.

Pollard's Release Should Be on American Legal Grounds Only

It's in Jonathan Pollard's best interests, legally and morally, that the campaign to get him released from his American imprisonment be based on American legal precedent.  The new campaign which has the support of American Congressmen is in the right direction.

There was a miscarriage of justice.  Pollard's punishment in all aspects was totally out of proportion according to all similar cases.  Actually, there may not have been any "similar cases," because Pollard gave the information to an ally.  But even comparing that to those who were spies for enemies of the United States, the sentence and conditions of Pollard's imprisonment have been unusually harsh.  The campaign should concentrate on that aspect and not link him to anything going on in Israel.

Pollard is an American who made a mistake, broke the law, and he has paid for it over and over.  He has paid enough.  Let him out!

Just a quick reminder before the main attraction, that I have two other blogs which are updated much more frequently, Shiloh Musings and me-ander.  Please pay them visits.  Thanks

 

If The U.S. Is "...maintaining Israel's qualitative edge" Are We Like A Kept Woman?

 I don't feel reassured by the statement:

P.J. Crowley says US is "committed to maintaining Israel's qualitative edge in region..."  (complete article) (emphasis mine)

I feel insulted.  What is the United States, some manipulating "sugar daddy?" And what is this "qualitative edge?"  Is it that some American Defense and State Department bureaucrats get the right to decide just how many weapons Israel and our Arab enemies get to have what  they consider a "fair" or "safe for whom" fight, which in the end will preserve what American politicians and civil servants consider the proper status quo? Again, I repeat:

I don't like this! I can't accept it!

It's dangerous for the continued security and existence for the State of Israel.  The entire idea that a foreign country can control our defense/military capabilities is outrageous!  I'd say it's immoral for the Israeli Government to accept such a thing.   And in all honesty, I'd say that this relinquishing of the foundation of independence is treasonous.  Put that in your pipe and smoke it.