Israel Discovers Gas!
Hillel Fendel, Arutz Sheva, INN, Jan. 18, 2009
Noble Energy Platform
Infrastructures Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer (Labor) said that the find was of “historic proportions,” and that it could change the face of Israel’s economy.
Eighty-seven billion cubic meters, or nearly 3.1 trillion cubic feet, of high-quality gas are estimated to be in three deposits in the Tamar Drilling site, which is named for Delek owner Yitzchak Teshuva’s granddaughter. Teshuva said that the find marks a “historic milestone and a great holiday for Israel,” and that he has no doubt it will “supply Israel’s energy needs for many decades to come.”
Stock prices in the Delek company jumped 38% following the announcement, and its daughter company, Delek Drilling, has jumped even higher.
The gas is located 90 kilometers west of Haifa, between Israel and Cyprus, but the rights to the Cypriot drilling sites are also owned by Teshuvah. The depth of the water above the find is 1.7 kilometers, over a mile, and the gas is located another 4.9 kilometers deep in an area 140 meters wide.
In light of the positive results from the finds, a $20 million test drill will be carried out over the next three weeks.
Coal Plant: The End?
The discovery is likely to put an end to plans to build a coal energy plant in Ashkelon. MK Rabbi Michael Melchior, of the Meimad-Green movement, said after the announcement of the gas find, “Until now, proponents for the coal plant said that Israel could not afford to rely on natural gas from hostile countries. But now, we must bury the plans for the coal plant, which would be dangerous to the health of the residents in the area. Instead, a plant fueled by green, Israeli natural gas must be built there, with minimal health risks and great financial benefits to Israel’s economy.”
Comment on this story
This is most very probably what most of us Christian Zionists have been watching for, the resource that Israel would have that would motivate an alliance including Russia, Iran, Northern Africa, Turkey & some Arab countries in Ezekiel 38 to set out to attack her — interestingly, Ez 38 does not say their motive is revenge, but “to take spoil and seize plunder.” Also interesting, a report came out yesterday in “The Hindu” that Russia announced putting naval bases in Iran, Libya & Yemen. Stage-setting happening before our eyes.
Comment by soren — January 19, 2009 @ 12:11 pm
Soren,
(1) I don’t agree that the gas is the “plunder” Israel’s enemies are going to be eager for. If you want to see the Arab attitude towards plunder, just look at what happended after the Jewish abandonment of Gaza: The Arabs destroyed and plundered whatever they could find, then were unable to even to market the products they left undamaged. The Arabs would “plunder” the Jews, even if all they had to offer was old, used sanitary napkins. They don’t need natural gas nor any other commodity to entice them.
(2) If the Christian Zionists have been waiting and watching for something like a natural gas find to happen to Israel, simply in order to see Israel’s enemies attack her, that’s just plain sick. It’s a given, that Israel’s neighbors (and indeed, nearly all the world) all hate her; and that attacks against Israel will be the primary source of media revenue for the forseeable future. Yes, Gog (Turkey) will undoubtedly lead an Islamic coalition to attack Israel in the near future; and Israel will soundly defeat them. If God had a “Plan B”, I would prefer this — for the sake of the Turks as much as for the Jews. Israel will bask in victory for seven years, and then the absolutely horrifying thing will happen, something I do not at all look forward to.
I am glad that Israel has discovered large deposits of natural gas. The gas is more than 50 miles west of Israel, well outside any recognized “territorial waters”; so I wonder how free Israel will be to exploit it. If it can exploit it, in the service of its national interest, this is a good thing. I don’t need any prophecy to tell me that.
Comment by BlandOatmeal — January 19, 2009 @ 1:10 pm
Soren…
The terrorist attack on the US had actually triggered the war, which according to the ancient writing that we have, is the Gog and Magog war, the same war that is mentioned by Ezekiel (38-39) and by many other prophets. This demonstrates how the terrorist attack on the US does indicate the start of the great last war, Gog and Magog war, what’s supposed to happen in this war?
The YALKUT SHIM’ONI, which is a collection of Jewish ancient rabbis (HAZAL/RAZAL) brings in “clue 506″ a commentary on the Haftarah that was read in synagogues on the exact week when the terrorist attack occurred.(9/11)– This is the commentary according to the old Midrash (”Pirkey Rabbi Elie’zer”):
Rabbi Ishmael says: The Ishmaelites shall make three wars of panic in the Latter Days, as it is written (Isiah 21,15): “For they fled from the swords, from the drawn sword”. One in the sea (there): “from the bent bow” One in land (there): “from the drawn sword”—– One in a big city, which is heavier than both, as it is written: “from the distress of war”
And then [the Messiah] son of [King] David shall emerge, and will show us the destruction of those and those, and will come from there to the Land of Israel, as it is written (Isiah 63): “Who is it who comes from Edom” etc.
When HaShem (G-d) comes from Edom, the SHARET angels come before him and find his clothes red as scarlet. They say (there): “Why is your apparel red”. He says to them, I had a small wine press and I have trodden it, as it is said (there): “I have trodden the winepress alone”. At the same time, HaShem (G-d) takes all of the sins of Israel and puts them on the evil Esau, as it is written…
This extraordinary Midrash, from about 2000 years ago, describes in a clear manner an amazing thing: The Islamic Terror (Ishmaelite=Arabs and Islam in Jewish tradition, “war of panic” must be terrorist attacks, not ordinary war) will eventually strike a huge city (Hebrew phrase: “KRACH”),
It is interesting, that about the question of what happens with the sins of the people of Israel, it is written that HaShem (G-d) is transferring all the sins of Israel to Esau, which in Jewish tradition represents Christianity. This resembles the Ben-Ish-Hay prophecy about the big blow that was transferred before Elul 25th .
The Zohar: Before Redemption -( Presaged Christianity and Islam )
Moslems will fight against Christians
The holy Zohar (written some 2000 years ago by rabbi Shim’on Bar-Yoahi ZYA”A), prophesied the next passage (brought in the commentary on Exodus, VaEra parasha, page 32):
And the Ishmaelites shall rule the holy land, at the time when it is empty, for a long time, as their circumcision is empty, and not whole (Moslems only remove the prepuce (ORLA). Jews have another stage for the Brith called PRIAA), and they shall prevent the Israelites from returning to their homeland (Since the beginning of Jewish immigration to Israel, Arabs used violence against the Jews, wars and terror attacks. This still prevents the majority of Jews which is in the Diaspora to make Aliyah to Israel) until that privilege of the Ishmaelites will expire.
And the Ishamelites shall ignite big wars in the world, until they will make the Edomites (which are Christians by Jewish tradition) gather to a war against them.
And shall make wars: one on the sea, one in land and (one) near Jerusalem. And those shall rule over those. And the holy land will not be handed over to the Edomites (Christians).
At that time, one people will be awaken from the end of the world to the big sinful city, and there he will ignite a war that will last three months. And peoples will gather there, and will fall in his hands.
Until all the Edomites (Christians) will gather on him (from all the ends of the world). Then HaShem (G-d) will be awakened on them.
This is the meaning of the writing (Isiah 34,6): “For HaShem has a sacrifice in Bossrah” etc. and at the end of it, it says (Job 38,13): “to take hold of the ends of the earth”
And shall destroy the Ishamelites from us, and will break all the armies of Above, and there shall not remain any army Above for a people of the world, except for the army of Israel exclusively.
This is the meaning of the writing (Psalms 121,5): “HaShem (G-d) is your shadow on your right hand”, because the holy name is in the (spiritual) right side, and the Torah is also in the (spiritual) right side. Therefore all depends on the right side.
And we have learnt orally: He who come to pray, will put his right hand over his left hand, as it was established in Jewish Halacha.
At the Latter Days (Psalms 60): “Deliver your right and answer me”, and at that time it is written (Zefaniah 3): “For then I shall turn to peoples in a clear language, all to call the name of HaShem (G-d), to worship him together”. And it is written (Zechariah 14): “And HaShem (G-d) shall be the King of all the land, on that day HaShem (G-d) will be one, and his name will be one”.
HaShem shall be blessed for ever, Amen and Amen.
We definitely see here an amazing prophecy of Moslems “making troubles” to Jews in the Land of Israel, but - more important - that the Moslems will ignite a war which will bring most of the Christian nations to fight them, as we see the beginning of the process right before our eyes with the Sep. 11 attack and the war in Afghanistan. We know as a fact that bin Laden wanted to start a war with Christianity, because Islam believes that the last war will be made between “believers” (in Islam) and “Romans” (Christians).
The outstanding thing is, that the Zohar was written about 2000 years ago, when Christianity was only in the beginning and Mohammed wasn’t even born yet…
The Zohar, at VaYera parasha, page 119 it is written how this war will end, before the appearance of the Messiah. Pay attention that the Zohar uses the phrase “hailstones” (AVNEY- ELGAVISH), which is the same phrase used at the description of Gog and Magog war (Ezekiel 38,32).
In the 70th, on three (months?), all the kings of the worlds shall gather to the (big) city, and HaShem (G-d) shall awake on them hail and hailstones, and they will be lost from the world. And only the kings that shall not go there will remain in the world, to return for other wars.
From that time the Messiah King will be awakened all over the world, and will gather with him few peoples and few armies from all the edges of the world.
And all of the Israelites will be gathered, in all their places.
(fallow=SHMITA)
The Babylonian Talmud talks in big extent on “Sanhedrin” about the time when the redemption will come, and the Messiah will appear (see more details on the redemption year signs page). It is written there that on the fallow year (SHNAT SHMITA) which will be one year before the appearance of the Messiah, there shall be wars.
The year of 5761 was a fallow year. Just at the beginning of this Hebrew year, The Arabs in the holy land started what they call “Al-Aqsa Intifada”. The terrorist attack came on the last week of the year.
It’s interesting to mention, that based on this prophecy of the Talmud, Rabbi Amnon Yitzhak of the Shofar organization said in a public appearance in Britain just 2 days before the attack on the US, that before the end of the Hebrew year (which was just 10 days away) a major war will emerge. A skeptic man in the crowd asked him how can he know this for certain. The Rabbi answered - “I am basing my words on Jewish writings throughout the centuries”. 2 days later he proved to be right…
(Rabbi Daniel Zer SHLITA)
The rabbi “Hafetz-Hayim”,is the author of the “Mishna Brura” (a commentary of the Shulhan Aruch, the book that summarizes Jewish Halacha), who lived at the beginning of the 20th century,
As it is known, in the holy festival of Succoth (Tishrey 15-22), according to Jewish Halacha, Jews in the synagogues read the Ezekiel 38 - the description of Gog and Magog war. The Haftarah is called “Gog” Haftarah. The Rabbi Hafetz Hayim, wrote in his commentary WHY this is what we read in Succoth:
Because in the time to come, the Gog and Magog war will start on Tishrey
And we all now that the war in Afghanistan broke on Tishrey 21st
(Rabbi Daniel Zer SHLITA)
The famous Rabbi called the ADMOR of Zejichov, who lived some 200 years ago, wrote in his book a commentary about Exodus 4,13. The rabbi asks, how come the word “NA” (which is translated in English to ‘please’) is written in the verse. And he writes: Know this: Gog and Magog war will start at Hosha-Na Raba And as he foresaw, the war broke EXACTLY at Tishrey 21st, which is Hosha-Na Raba
Comment by yamit82 — January 19, 2009 @ 2:27 pm
soren:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3596529702547060491
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3235423378789294307&hl=en
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3833552521650335373&hl=en
Comment by yamit82 — January 19, 2009 @ 2:54 pm
It is foolish to rely on what isn’t yet in hand, rather than continuing to use what already is. Abandoning coal plants for greenie nature-worship is not only folish from a practical standpoint, but quite probably a form of idolatry. We had plenty of food to withstand the Roman seige of Jerusalem, but the fanatical zealots burned it. Now fanatical zealots demand we appease nature by forfeiting energy security because gas deposites probably exist that we might be able to access. Relying on chance is another form of idolatry. One would think we would have learned by now to rely on Hashem, and not to rely on the ways of the nations, which don’t work for them, either.
Comment by yonaton — April 6, 2009 @ 1:30 pm
yonaton
Before you engage your mouth engage your mind with some facts. Israel imports coal from S. Africa, as it was cheeper than other fossil fuels. We import most of our Gas we developed in Sinai from Egypt at a price lower than market price. Infrastructure (pipelines and pumping stations already exist. Some power stations have dual use generators that can burn several types of fuel. Barak gave our Gas field off Gaza to Arafat and BP who has the concession is dying to sell us our gas back to us. The Russians and the Americans want to build a pipeline from the caucuses to Eilat and by pipe line to the med at Ashkelon. Natural Gas is an imperative for as as it is nonpolluting and our air pollution is about as bad as it gets. WHERE IS YOUR DUTY TO PIKUACH NEFESH? Since the above article an even larger Gas find was announced last week of the coast of Hadera. Sure it takes 3-5 years to get delivery but the cost of coal generation are such that even when gas will be available due to the heavy investment in coal fired plans the economic pressure would or could be to limit gas purchases in favor of existing coal. This is not where we want to be.
Your concept of idolatry is unique among those I have heard till now and presupposes many things that are not so.
Apparently our forebearing Zealots were up against it with Roman collaborators and cowardly Jews like yourself.. The burning of the food was to force Jews like you to fight and die in battle or die in any event from starvation. Unlike you they valued Torah and and the Temple and were prepared to die for them. What are you prepared to die for?
Comment by yamit82 — April 6, 2009 @ 1:59 pm
yamit82 — April 6, 2009
I’m really disappointed with you. From the few of your posts I’ve read, I never would have expected this nonsense from you.
Idolatry, in it’s most general definition, is relying on any power other than Hashem. Those who abandon things that work, which G-d has given us for our good in order to pursue fantasy schemes, are relying on their hopes and dreams not facts or reality. When we’ve developed that gas, and it’s flowing into Israel, and we defend our right to it and don’t give it away in a bid for “peace,” then tell me how wonderful it is.
Our Sages tell us those “zealots” of yours were NOT real Zealots, but fanatics, and that because of them many Jews died and suffered needlessly. Remember, it is that same kind of evil “zealotry” which caused the death Gedalia. I am proud to be a “coward” by your ridiculous definition, one who trusts the Sages not irrational and violent fools who make things up. The people you admire were profoundly wicked, causing the deaths of many Jews, and the removal of others from the Land, a terrible Chillul Hashem. There are three sins for which one must die rather than commit them, and to sanctify Hashem’s name. Anything else that leads to death is itself a sin.
Pikuach Nefesh means SAVING JEWISH LIVES, not forcing people to disobey the Sages and G-d, which would only result in useless loss of Jewish lives and desecration of G-d’s name. To a Jew, life is precious, not something to be thrown away to satisfy his personally crafted perverse ideology.
Comment by yonaton — July 10, 2009 @ 3:53 pm
B”H
Another little history lesson for yamit82
If you go against the Sages, you are no true Zealot.
Comment by yonaton — July 10, 2009 @ 4:11 pm
Pikuah Nefesh, misapplied
The atheist rabbis love the concept of pikuah nefesh, which is so refreshingly liberal: life is valuable above all things. The other, more educated rabbis understand how nonsensical that interpretation is, but adhere to it as it allows them to abstain from political action, ostensibly in order to save lives. Even Meir Kahane partially conceded to that view, and declared he wouldn’t impose too many Jewish values on Jews for a fear of civil war.
A historical precedent. About thirty-five centuries ago, when we left Egypt, “God led them not by the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said: ‘Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt.’” Not that modern Arabs have anything to do with the ancient Philistines, but the analogy holds. Here lies the death of misapplied pikuah nefesh: “Lest the people repent when they see war.” War, by its nature, takes precedence over lives. That is true not only for wars directly sanctioned by God, but for every war Jews choose to wage, even wars of expansion like King David’s. God hardly observed the pikuah nefesh when slaughtering the Egyptian firstborn, nor did the Jews when slaughtering the already harmless Babylonians on Purim and slaughtering the liberal Jews in the civil war we celebrate on Hanukkah.
If life is above values, then Jews should convert to Islam (which is definitely not idolatry) and save themselves from wars with Arabs. Joshua bin Nun was somehow oblivious to pikuah nefesh when he told the Hebrews to cross the River Jordan and fight the Canaanites. And sometimes not killing the Arab enemies means allowing them to murder Jews in the future. It doesn’t matter whether the enemies are right; Amalek was surely right to defend his territory against Hebrew refugees streaming from Egypt. In terms of saving lives, our only objective is to save the lives of reasonably righteous Jews—but they must establish their righteousness by killing and risking their lives to further Jewish values.
Ignorant rabbis allude to the view that one only endangers his life to abstain from idolatry, incest, and murder; never mind they commit idolatry continuously and sanction assimilation, which is no better than incest. That rule applies to observant Jews. Jewish tradition economizes on words; written down explicitly, the rule would run as follows, “An observant Jew should endanger his life only when forced to commit idolatry, incest, or murder.” Non-observant, apostate Jews are executed as usual. When the apostasy is public, executing them is a major religious obligation; no court verdict is required. Pinchas merited eternal blessing for his descendants when he killed a Jew who peacefully married a shiksa.
Contrary to pikuah nefesh, the Torah values not every life, but only the lives of reasonably righteous people: they are defended with the brutally efficient maxim, “a bruise for a bruise.” The Torah doesn’t hesitate to dispense capital punishment for criminal acts, Shabbat violation, religious immorality, and other types of un-Jewish behavior.
Jews are mandated to accept death rather than be forced to publicly violate any commandment whatsoever. “Publicly” means in the presence of even ten people. And how we do praise such Jews in the Book of Maccabees!
Talmudic sages greatly expanded the number of capital offenses. Sensible rabbis suggested hanging, asphyxiating, burning, decapitating, and stoning the offenders. They would have been not a little surprised to know that “saving lives is the major commandment in the Torah.” Strictly speaking, there’s no such commandment at all. In recent times, the absolutely authoritative Orach Chaim (ch.329), based on the Talmud, mandates that Jews fight even on Sabbath if the enemy asks just for “straw and hay.” The libertarian rabbis should read this: Jews must kill their enemies in any conflict whatsoever, even down to “straw and hay” disputes. Jewish religious authorities from Moses to Rambam to Rav Kook established that lives hold no value at all when Jewish national interests are at stake.
God concurs. He could have saved plenty of lives by planting in the Canaanites’ hearts the idea of abandoning the land; he did so in 1948. God, however, commanded that Hebrews liberate a space for themselves, losing many of our own and killing many Canaanites in the process. God, who has told us to annihilate Amalek—does he care about lives? Striving to emulate him, should we care?
principles of milchemet mitzvah
The Rambam in Hilchot Melachim attempts to clarify these categories. He mentions three situations that are milchemet mitzvah- a war against the seven forbidden nations (who were in Eretz Yisrael before the conquest of Am Yisrael) and the war against Amalek and saving Yisrael from enemies who came upon them”.
This seems to be your point: I disagree as does the Torah as do most of the Chazal.
The Rambam3defines a milchemet reshut as “a war fought with other nations in order to increase the borders of Israel, as well as to increase his (i.e. the king) greatness and name”. Increasing the greatness of the kingdom is not mentioned in the Gemara and the category of attacking a nation to remove them as a threat is mentioned in the Gemara, but not in the Rambam. The Lechem Mishna explains that the Rambam would include attacking others to remove a potential threat under the category of increasing the greatness of the king and hence no need for the Rambam to specifically mention it.
Based on this Rambam and the Gemara, it would seem that a pre-emptive war like the Six-day war, where it was clear that opposing troops were ready to attack Israel, would be considered a milchemet mitzvah. This is because enemies who were ready to attack them posed an immediate danger to Jews. From the Aruch Hashulchan , it would appear that the argument in the Gemara as to the permissibility of killing others to prevent war is referring to attacking a nation without any cause to fear an attack in later years. This opinion is proposed when he states that if there is a worry that they will attack in the future it is considered a milchemet mitzvah and included under Rambam’s category of saving Yisrael from an enemy.
In another aspect relating to conflict, the Torah state that when you approach a city for battle, you must give them an opportunity to make peace with you . Yet, in Parshat Vayishlach, the Torah tells the story of Shimon and Levi killing the people of Shechem after Shechem abducts and rapes their sister Dina. The people of Shechem are clearly caught off-guard and unprepared. The Maharal asks how Shimon and Levi can attack the people of Shechem without warning – it seems to go against the principle of giving the enemy a chance at peace before attacking them. Putting aside the separate discussion of whether our forefathers were obligated in mitzvot prior to Matan Torah, the Maharal explains that the Torah only requires B’nai Yisrael to offer peace if there was no prior confrontation, but when the enemy provides the initial provocation (as was done by Shechem kidnapping and then raping Dina), no warning is necessary. Similarly, in recent years, Rav Yisraeli has stated that it is only considered a milchemet reshut when a country never previously attacked Israel, but once there is precedent in combat, every war can be considered a milchemet mitzvah.
Rashi and Ramban argue as to whether the rule obligating B’nei Yisrael to ask the enemy for peace is exclusively applicable for a milchemet reshut or whether it applies to a milchemet mitzvah. According to Rashi , the posuk requiring one to ask the enemy for peace is limited to a milchemet reshut. He supports his ruling based on a posuk nearby which states “so should you do to the cities that are very far from you”, which Rashi seems to feel insinuates an expansion of current borders and therefore a milchemet reshut. In contrast to this opinion, Ramban states that a Jewish army must give the enemy a chance to surrender even for a milchemet mitzvah. He brings as proof the fact that Moshe Rabbeinu followed this process when attacking the Amorites, one of the seven nations whose conquering is considered a milchemet mitzvah.
There are several other differences between a milchemet mitzvah and a milchemet reshut. One difference is whether or not a war can be started less than three days prior to Shabbat. Only a milchemet mitzvah is permitted to begin within three days of Shabbat or even on Shabbat, if necessary. This distinction is clearly made due to the urgency of a milchemet mitzvah. A milchemet reshut can generally be waged at the “convenience” of the Jewish army, thus there is ample reason to try to avoid being mechalel (desecrating) Shabbat. Yet another distinction between these two categories of war is the obligation of the king to lead his men into battle, which is only necessitated by a milchemet mitzvah .
Unfortunately, one common reality of conflict is prisoners of war. In light of the prevalent American military view that Iraq killed its prisoners of war in the most recent confrontation, it is noteworthy to see the profound contrast in the Jewish view of treating those captured in battle. Towards the beginning of Melachim Bet , the king asks Elisha the prophet if he can kill the prisoners. Elisha responds “Do not strike them! Would you strike down people whom you have captured with your sword and your bow? Rather, place food and water before them”. Though we do not necessarily accept every passage in the Torah as law, it is clear that the Torah is very sensitive to these desperate people and provides a powerful lesson of how one should treat his enemy. Nevertheless, it is probable that the treatment of prisoners is not exact in every case and must correspond to the specifics of each prisoner based on his previous actions, his ability to save lives, and any future danger he could present.
The Minchat Chinuch adds another dilemma to the discussion. He initially proposes that it would not seem possible for there to be an obligation to wage war since it is known, that in general, the appearance of danger pushes away the obligation of fulfilling mitzvot (with the three known exceptions of murder, idol worship, and immoral relations). He rejects this assumption logically by suggesting that the principle of exemption from mitzvoth that require one to forfeit his life is only applicable when the mitzvah itself is not inherently life-threatening. When the nature of the mitzvah is inherently dangerous, such as a war, it is obvious that the Torah cannot apply this principle. The Heichal Yitzchak adds that even a milchemet reshut is considered a mitzvah because otherwise one would not be allowed to put himself in such grave danger.
To this I bring the halachic question of whether or not women are obligated to hear Parshat Zachor. The Sefer Hachinuch states that women are exempt from the mitzvah of hearing Parshat Zachor since the purpose of the mitzvah is to inspire us to fight and destroy Amalek and women are not considered to be soldiers of war. The Minchat Chinuch on this mitzvah questions this logic as we learned earlier in the article that milchemet amalek is considered a milchemet mitzvah and for a milchemet mitzvah even a bride from her chupah is expected to participate in battle. Rav Ovadiah Yosef defends the Sefer Hachinuch and states that the obligation of women in a milchemet mitzvah is in providing food for the soldiers. However, the Minchat Chinuch and Maharil Diskin felt that women are obligated in war and therefore required to hear Parshat Zachor.
The yoke of heaven:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oguHBnL5UYc&feature=PlayList&p=F02B180A3309D74A&index=0&playnext=1
Moses killed an Egyptian merely for beating a Jew. The Hebrews in the Sinai raged on almost every nation they encountered. A specific commandment requires Jews to exterminate the Canaanites rather than establish peace with them. Jews happily celebrate Purim, the remembrance of wholesale murder and looting of their enemies. Jews as happily celebrate Hanukkah, a victory of Jewish fundamentalists over the reformers of their day.
Judaism extends tolerance only to neighbors, members of the community who share the same basic values. There is no tolerance of enemies; killing enemies is specifically excepted from the prohibition.
The politically correct rabbis and leftists at the helm dislike real Judaism. Anything else, however, amounts to turning the other cheek, and with terrorism on the march, we will soon run out of cheeks.
http://www.simpletoremember.com/articles/a/war_for_jerusalem/
http://www.simpletoremember.com/articles/a/destruction_of_the_temple/
context yonaton: What was the political situation of that time under Roman occupation:? What were the political and religious factions of the period? Who were the faction who sided with Rome? Why? The Kohaneim were corrupted and appointed by Rome not hereditary Kohanim, Most of the wealthy classes of Jews were Hellenists assimilated Jews of the time. The pharasees were losing their power and authority over the peasants the Am HaAretz because to opposed opposition to the Romans, which may have been wise but anti Torah in almost every aspect. I could argue that if the majority of the Jews had united in common casue and fought with faith in Ha Shem without fear of death who knows what would have been the result. There were even worse revolts later and not led by Zealots. It was always the Jewish traitors and cowards like yourself who guaranteed defeat. Pacificism is not and has never been a Torah madate the opposite is the truth.
While I understand the motivations of the Rabbis in preserving Torah based Judaism after the destruction of the Temple and appaud them. The Judaism they created is a Judaism of the Galut and must now revert back to the Judaism centered in aand on the Land of Israel and that requires the willingness to fight and die for those borders.
We must in our time first and foremost start the rebuilding of the Temple everything else will be subtext to that effort.
Comment by yamit82 — July 10, 2009 @ 7:09 pm
Yonatan:
the Jewish people is a National-Religious people whose fulfillment of purpose rests in the reclamation of Eretz Yisrael and in the Jewish institutions that govern it. Unique among the nations, only the Jewish people is a people for whom it is a religious and national obligation to establish an independent polity. As important to the physical reclamation of the land is the physical return of the Jewish people to the biblically promised lands of our forefathers.
Since you are so fond of quoting Chazal, why don’t you listen to and do what they suggest if not command you to do:
Source for Halakha 11:
Talmud Bavli, Ketuvot, 111a, R. Eleazar said: Whoever is domiciled in the Land of Israel lives without transgression, for it is said in Scripture, And the inhabitants shall not say, ‘I am sick’; the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity. [Isaiah 33:24] Said Raba to Rav Ashi: we apply this to those who suffer from disease.
R. Anan said: Whosoever is buried in the Land of Israel is deemed to be buried under the altar; since in the latter it is written in Scripture, An altar of earth shalt thou make for me, [Sh'mot 20:21] and in respect to the former it is written in Scripture, And his land doth make expiation for his people. [D'varim 32:43]
. . . And the spirit to walk therein [Isaiah 42:5], of it, said R. Yirmeyahu b. Abba in the name of R. Yohanan, that whoever walks four cubits in the Land of Israel is assured a place in the World to Come.
Source Halakha 12:
Talmud Bavli, Ketuvot, 110b, Our Rabbis taught: One should always live in the Land of Israel, even in a town most of whose inhabitants are idolaters, but let no one live outside the Land, in a town most of whose inhabitants are Israelites; for whoever lives in the Land of Israel may be considered to have a G-d, but whoever lives outside the Land may be regarded as one who has no G-d. For it is said in Scripture, To give you the Land of Canaan, to be your G-d. [Vayikra 25:38] Has he, then, who does not live in the Land, have no G-d? But [this is what the text intended] to tell you, that whoever lives outside the Land may be regarded as one who worships idols. Similarly it was said in Scripture in [the story of] David, For they have driven me out this day that I should not cleave to the inheritance of the L-rd, saying: Go, serve other gods. [Shmuel I 26:9] Now, whoever said to David, ‘Serve other gods’? But [the text intended] to tell you that whoever lives outside the Land may be regarded as one who worships idols. [Tosafot,'Avoda Zara, 5]
Yonaton you and your rabbi are cherry picking those commandments you wish to live by and those you don’t> I think my citations above are self explanitory: What the hell are you doing there and not here then.
You should always follow what the sages teach Right?
so don’t be a Zealot, be a good Jew!
Show me a sage that tells you it is fine for any Jew to cling to and live in Galut especially when you are a ticket and a plane ride from home?
Comment by yamit82 — July 10, 2009 @ 7:43 pm