Harry Potter is a Zionist Plot, and the Jews are to Blame for Darfur...

Click. Wow, we sure are an insidious lot, aren't we? :)

Cool Quiz Site!

Click. And you can post the results on your blog!! :)

Christians United For Israel - CUFI

DovBear had an interesting post today that linked to this article. Christians United for Israel, headed by the "venerable" Pastor John Hagee, had a big summit in Washington on July 16. Hagee, as you may know, seems to be God's Christian gift to the Jews. He supports Israel and even calls for its expansion, seems to love Jews, and has called for unilateral attacks against Iran to preempt Iran's seemingly imminent attack on Israel with nuclear weapons.

But there's a catch. In Max Blumenthal's own words:

But CUFI has an ulterior agenda: its support for Israel derives from the belief of Hagee and his flock that Jesus will return to Jerusalem after the battle of Armageddon and cleanse the earth of evil. In the end, all the non-believers - Jews, Muslims, Hindus, mainline Christians, etc. - must convert or suffer the torture of eternal damnation. Over a dozen CUFI members eagerly revealed to me their excitement at the prospect of Armageddon occurring tomorrow. Among the rapture ready was Republican Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay.

The sad thing is many right wing Orthodox Jews, including many hardcore Religious Zionists I know (see, I don't just bash Chareidim...), think that people on the Christian Right like Hagee and Bush are wonderful for Israel and are Israel's best hope in Israel's ongoing fight against terrorism within her own borders. This is obviously not the case.

And it gets worse:

None of this seemed to matter to Lieberman, who delivered a long sermon hailing Hagee as nothing less than a modern-day Moses. Lieberman went on to describe Hagee's flock as "even greater than the multitude Moses commanded."

Lieberman went so far as to call Hagee an "Ish Elokim" - a man of God. Lieberman, as we all know, isn't exactly an authority on Torah Judaism. But as ignorant as he is, how can even he fall for this Christian claptrap about being for Israel when there is ample evidence, even proof, that they are indeed not?

And when Blumenthal tried to ask tough questions, he was removed from the conference:

The conference, we were told, was about "one message" - evangelical Christians supporting Israel. We were instructed to only interview CUFI leaders capable of sticking to the talking point that their support for Israel has, as Hagee declared, "nothing to do with the End Times." But I was forbidden from asking Hagee about statements he made in his book, "Jerusalem Countdown," that appeared to blame Jews for their own persecution. After doing just that during a press conference, I was removed from the conference by off-duty DC cops summoned by members of Hagee's family.

I'm not sure where exactly this idea that Evangelical Christians can be true friends of Jews came from, but it's very disturbing. These people do not love Jews. They want Jews to be Christians or be damned to Hell forever. This is there "hashkafa," their calling, their purpose in life. They want Israel in the hands of Jews not because they believe Jews deserve it but because they believe the Holy Land needs to be in the hands of the Jews, or at least in the hands of non-infidels, in order for Jesus to have his "second coming." According to their beliefs, at that point, it's either convert or be damned, but all the world will be Christian, or some such nonsense.

Watch the video, be enlightened, and DON'T BE TAKEN IN BY THESE PEOPLE. THEY ARE NOT OUR FRIENDS. THEY ARE OUR SPIRITUAL ENEMIES TO THE END AND STAND FOR THE OPPOSITE OF EVERYTHING IN WHICH WE BELIEVE.

Science vs Torah

DovBear had an interesting follow-up to the topic of the post below, along the lines of what I wrote here..

The Convenience and Inconvenience of Apologetics...

DovBear had a fascinating post yesterday about the denial of scientific fact in the "Torah True" world. For all of you who don't know, this is the ironic self-given name of the Chareidi/Yeshivish world. Ironic, that is, since they are not, as I've mentioned before, not really frum or "Torah True" at all...

Anyway, DovBear, in his usual tongue-in-cheek style, wanted to make sure Chareidimi stayed true to their "Mesorah" and provided them with a new set of "Ani Ma'amins."

Attention Jews who piously repeat 13 Ani Maamins each day. You are koferim. Heretics. Deficient in belief. Spiritual Pygmies.

Perhaps 13 fundamentals were enough for our ancestors, but we live in more challenging times. Therefore, following the excellent advice acquired here, I firmly suggest that you add the following proclamations to your daily devotions:

- I firmly believe the world in exactly 5767 years old. [*] [1]

- I firmly believe that the sun, moon and planets revolve around the earth. [1]

- I firmly believe that the Mediterranean Sea is the largest body of water (hence it's name "yam hagadol").

- I firmly believe that Eretz Yisroel is higher than all other lands, including Mount Everest [1]

- I firmly believe that there are six planets

- I firmly believe that there are 4 elements [1]

- I firmly believe that lice do not come from eggs [1]

- I firmly believe that the moon generates its own light, and does not merely reflect the sun.

- I firmly believe that there was a flood that covered the entire earth.

- I firmly believe that no animal species will ever go extinct.

Laughing? Stop. These are genuine Haredi beliefs.

[*] Any Rishon who suggested otherwise was a kofer.
[1] I know actual people who believe this.

Oh, and I know people who believe this dribble as well.

What I find interesting is this: Here is a great opportunity for Chareidim and modern day "gedolim" to use everyone's favorite way to explain away and dismiss "strange" and "otherwise incomprehensible and unexplainable" events and behaviors in Tanach: Apologetics! And it would even be apologetics the way apologetics should actually be used! Some RWNJ (Right Wing Nut Job) posted this stupidity, thinking they had completely debunked science. Incidentally, this is DB's source for his new "Ani Ma'amins."

Let's take a look:
1. I firmly believe the world in exactly 5767 years old.
Sure! Time is Relative! We have no idea about the flow of time when the Big Band took place. (Don't like my belief in the Big Bang? See my post Fear of Science)

2. I firmly believe that the sun, moon and planets revolve around the earth.
Any of you Chareidim ever think this might mean in a SPIRITUAL sense?!

3. I firmly believe that the Mediterranean Sea is the largest body of water (hence it's name "yam hagadol").
Ok, that's just dumb. First, the Torah speaks B'Lashon B'Nei Adam - as people would speak. As far as the residents of the Middle East at the time were concerned, this was the largest body of water they knew. Also, it says "Yam" - Sea. It doesn't say "Okyanus" - Ocean.

4. I firmly believe that Eretz Yisroel is higher than all other lands, including Mount Everest.
Once again, in a SPIRITUAL sense, YES! In a physical sense, NO. Interesting to note, however, that Israel does boast the Earth's lowest PHYSICAL point (the Dead Sea).

5. I firmly believe that there are six planets.
Funny. I'm pretty well-learned, and I have NEVER seen any other planets mentioned in TORAH. Sure, Chazal later generations discuss them, but not the TORAH. So, as far as Chazal and the Rishonim knew, based on the scientific knowledge of their times, they believed there were six planets. Had they lived today, they would have believed there were eight. As for the stupid remark that last year there were nine and next year there might be ten? That's really dumb. I don't think I really need to explain further. The point is Chazal and the Rishonim worked on knowledge they had available to them then, not on knowledge we have available to us now. Rambam even writes based on Aristotle's scientific theories, which have proven, in their majority, to be very wrong. Does this make the Rambam stupid? No. He was working with what he had. Does it make him wrong in certain things? Yes. And he would be the first to admit it.

6. I firmly believe that there are 4 elements.
See above explanation for point number 5.

7. I firmly believe that lice do not come from eggs

Same as 6 and 5.

8. I firmly believe that the moon generates its own light, and does not merely reflect the sun.
The Chareidi retort to this is: It says "Hamaor Hakatan" - the lesser light, or as they would explain it, sun. Therefore, the moon must give off it's own light and not that of the sun. ??????????? It says Maor - Light. It doesn't say anything about the origin of its light. And the moon gives off plenty of light, especially when it's a full moon. And don't forget, the moon has a DARK SIDE. If it has it's own light source, why is it the only part of it that gives off light is the side THAT FACES THE SUN?!

9. I firmly believe that there was a flood that covered the entire earth.
Who said the Flood covered the entire planet? I personally think it only covered the parts that were populated ( don't know if that's scientifically correct, but I'm open to other explanations...)! 

10. I firmly believe that no animal species will ever go extinct.
Apparently, this is a quote from the Minchas Hachinuch, which was written by a person, not God. This person, as mentioned earlier, probably didn't have the knowledge we do now. If he did, he might not have said what he said!

See, apologetics used here would have been great! But Chareidim/Yeshivish people can't get passed the idea that the Gedolim of previous generations, let alone the modern day "gedolim," were in fact fallible. Period. Using this basis, they could have taken the opportunity and fit science nicely into a Torah mindset, regardless of the era or the science.

Instead, they use apologetics to completely maim and destroy stories in Tanach (yes, Moshe did indeed screw up...), when they could use apologetics in a proper manner and teach how science does indeed fit into a Torah mindset, even if you have to be a bit creative about it, which you really don't.

If you want to read more about the IMPROPER use of Apologetics, see here, here, here, here, here, and here (you might want to read them in the order I provided...).

Possible Reason Our Governmental (Emphasis on MENTAL) Leaders Last So Long...

Heh! They're fruitcakes too!!

DovBear's Tag!

DovBear tagged all his readers today. It was about Tisha B'Av. Here are my answers:

Fast: Really easy! I'm a big guy, and I guess my reserves make fasting very easy for me.

Insights: The new Harry Potter book sucked! Oh, wait, about Tisha B'Av? See my post, The Nine Days.... DB inspired me to write this...DovBear had this AMAZING INSIGHT!

Moments: Fixed my screen door after my 21 month old escaped into my driveway...

How long was Shacharis: I didn't go to shul and didn't have to put on talis and Tefillin, so pretty short. I don't say very many Kinos. I don't find it meaningful to do so...

Kinah for Gush Katif: Didn't know one existed until today! See here.

Kinah for the Holocaust: EVERY SINGLE YEAR!! I worked for Steven Spielberg's Shoah Foundation for over three years. I probably, just by the fact that I dealt with so much info about the Holocaust, know more about the Holocaust than 99% of the Earth's population. Also, this Kinah is very meaningful not only because it laments the loss of European Jewry. It is also meaningful because because here we see a modern day example of new liturgy accepted into prayer; this proves things can be changed - that halacha and davening and probably many other aspects of Orthodox Judaism is flexible and mutable, despite any objections from, shall we say, more "right wing" elements... And that's why I think the creation of the new Sanhedrin in Israel is a WONDERFUL IDEA!!!!

Break Fast (shouldn't this be one word?): Spreadable cheese on fresh rye bread, vegetarian "pigs in blankets," and lots to drink...

So, in the spirit in which DB tagged all his readers, if any of you read my blog but don't read his, consider yourselves tagged by yours truly!!!

Continuing Proof That We Are an "Am Kshe Oref"

Well, we're going into Tisha B'Av again tonight, aren't we? :(

Hence my aptly named blog...

Please have a meaningful fast that reflects upon the reasons we fast on this terrible day.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows!

Eh. OK. I already finished it. It was 759 pages long, and the story could have been told in about 400 pages. There was a lot of diddle dallying in the book, a lot of non-action. It does all come to together in the very climactic final few chapters, especially when Harry finally learns all the secrets. Then came the completely unnecessary epilogue, which takes place nineteen years later and is there simply to tell us all is well in the future.

End of story? Ended so-so. Rather disappointing.

A Couple of Prickly City Strips...

Hmm. Maybe we should consider this... (the quote toward the end...)








This one just speaks for itself...:)

Joke! Or Maybe Not...

Many years ago, when he was still alive, Yasser Arafat met with Ariel Sharon. They met in neutral territory to simply have lunch and discuss things without the media attention (probably Bemidji, MN).

At one point, Sharon says, "I think I have figured out why there is so much animosity between my fellow Jews and your Palestinian people."

Arafat asks, "Why is that?"

Sharon explains, "Several centuries ago, Moses went for a swim in the Jordan, and one of your ancestors stole his clothes from the beach."

Arafat ponders this for a few moments, then says, "No, that simply cannot be. Palestinians weren't around them."

Sharon smiles and says, "Now that we have THAT cleared up."

Saudis are WHOSE Friends?

Well, pretty much no one west of them. Or east. Or north or south for that matter either! Ah! Oil!! "Yado Bakol V'Yad Kol Bo..."

Click here for more Dry Bones!

Thanks to the artist, Yaakov Kirschen, for allowing me to post this strip!

Mouse Cursor...:)

Ever wonder how the cursor on your computer works if you looked at it real close? Click here to find out...:)

The Nine Days - The Story Kamtza and Bar-Kamtza Part Two

So, look at the story. There's the debacle with the host of the party. He's not a good guy. There's Chazal who were there. Didn't do anything to improve the situation. There's Bar-Kamtza, who decides to take revenge. There's Zecharia ben Avkilos, who seems to, quite frankly, have gone nuts. And R' Yochanan pretty much supports me here with his statement about Zecharia ben Avkilos basically causing the destruction of the Bais Hamikdash.

But there's another part of the story, and I'm going to use some of the actual language of the Gemara, because that's part of the code: Nero (possibly a general by the same name as the emperor of the time, Nero) the general was sent to Jerusalem. As he approached Jerusalem, "Shada Gira (hard G)" - he fired an arrow (Gira here is a key word, so keep it in mind...) to the east and it fell in Jerusalem. [He fired one] to the west, and it fell in Jerusalem. [He fired to] all four winds and [they] fell in Jerusalem. He said to some children, "tell me what you are learning." They said, "I will take my revenge against Edom (commonly referred to as Rome) through the agency of My people Israel..." Said the general: "Hmm. God wants to destroy the [Bais Hamikdash] and wipe his hands clean of that man (in other words, destroy that person)." So, he ran away and, IGA-YER.

Now, don't jump yet and say, "Hey! That means converted!!" Yes, yes it does. But it also mean, oh, so much more than that. You see, first, he fired a "GIRA" into the air (Hebrew letters: Gimmel, Yud, Reish, Alef), and when he figured out this couldn't possibly end well for him, IGA-YER (Alef, Yud, Gimmel, Yud, Yud, Reish).

See, these two words have are essentially the same! It's a code! Shada Gira, Iga-Yer. WHEN HE REALIZED WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN, WHEN HE HAD THE PRESENCE OF MIND TO FIGURE OUT THE NOLAD, THE OUTCOME OF HIS ACTIONS, HE DID TESHUVA, AND MUCH MORE THAN THAT, HE WAS IGA-YER BECAUSE THE GIRA DIDN'T BODE WELL FOR HIM!!

This man, this Roman Goy, out of all the people in this story, was THE ONLY ONE who could figure out what was going to happen here. NO ONE ELSE COULD BECAUSE THEY DID NOT SEE THE NOLAD AS THE ROMAN DID!!

The Jews of this time period, even the best of them, ESPECIALLY the best of them, did not see it coming because their hatred for each other, their Chanufa, and their political maneuverings blinded them to the Nolad.

The outcome? A golus that still, nearly two thousand years later, has not ended. And it won't until we open our eyes to see the Nolad to which our nation has been blind for so very long.

The Rav who taught me to read this Gemara this way continued: This whole Gemara is a code, and it's a difficult code to decipher. How Chazal could have missed all this is a question to which we simply don't know the answer. All we do know is the only one perceptive enough to figure it out and come away clean was a Roman general who did not want to screw around with God. THE ONLY ONE...

Take this as you will. It doesn't make the Gemara any easier, but it does give a little more clarity into one small part of it.

Giving Thanks To HaKadosh Baruch Hu

For those of you who know me, you also know our financial situation for the past few years has been absolutely horrendous.

I just want to take a moment and thank Hashem Yisbarach. I just closed a deal (I sold an MRI system to an Orthopedic center in New England) that will (once we, Im Yirtze Hashem) get paid tomorrow (July 18) solve many problems for us. I want to thank all our friends who've been there with emotional support and have always been there to lend an ear. I want to thank my wife for standing behind me and encouraging me it can be done. I want to thank my dad for helping me get through it (he's my partner and my friend). I want to thank my in-laws, who've been there to help us emotionally and finanacially. And above all, I want to thank Hashem Yisbarach for helping us through this very difficult time. We are still in need (always will be, I guess) of Parnassah, but closing this deal will go a long way toward helping us solve some financial problems and will give us the breathing room we need to plan for the future.

May He continue to grant all of us Kol Mishalos Libeinu L'tova. Amen.

The Nine Days - The Story Kamtza and Bar-Kamtza Part One

We all know the story. Man throws party, mistakenly has servant invite wrong guy (Man's enemy instead of friend). You can read the story almost it its entirety in English here or in its entirety in the original Gemara here (scroll down to the fourth wide line at the colon - it starts with Amar Rabbi Yochanan) and on the next page here (through the ninth wide line), or here, ArtScroll's translation... (up to "and R' Meir descended from him" [p. 56a4).

This Gemara has always been very troubling. Extremely so. How is it that so many people screwed up so royally?! And I'm not just talking about the Ba'al HaSimcha, or Bar-Kamtza. I'm talking about the members of Chazal who were sitting there, those who were at the Bais Hamikdash when Bar-Kamtza brought the blemished animal, and R' Zecharia ben Avkilos. In other words, nearly (explanation shortly) everyone involved in this story.

First, of course, there's the apologetics we are all fed: Bar-Kamtza really should have left, he should have known better, he shouldn't have allowed the Ba'al HaSimcha to make a big scene. Blah, blah, blah. BS. Those are simply apologetics designed to make Bar-Kamtza seem worse than he already was. Perhaps he really didn't want to be embarrassed?

Then there's the other apologetics about Chazal. I looked up in the meforshim about this gemara. It's interesting that the ArtScroll Gemara (and here's a way to KNOW ArtScroll is simply wrong about things - makes you wonder how many things) (mis)quotes the Maharasha completely: "The Rabbis did not protest because they felt doing so would be to no avail." (OK, never mind the REALLY BAD GRAMMAR HERE.) This is absolutely NOT what the Maharasha says. AT ALL. IN ANY WAY. The Maharasha says, with lots and lots of doubt that the Rabbis did not protest because "one could say it is possible they were afraid to say anything because of Chanufa." Spelled out, this means one might be able to say that it's possible the rabbis said nothing because they were afraid of political ramifications if they seemed to side with Bar-Kamtza over the Ba'al HaSimcha, who, apparently, was an important political figure at the time. And the Maharasha sounded very iffy about this reason. VERY IFFY.

So, this is a very troubling Gemara. I found it interesting when I did a search online for this Gemara, I found many sites that quote this story, but not in its entirety. It leaves out the KEY to the whole shebang! All the sites I looked at ended with R' Yochanan's statement that R' Zecharia ben Avkilos' "anvanus" lit. humbleness, but here used as a euphemism for stubborness "destroyed our House (the Bais Hamikdash) and burned the Heichal (courtyard) and drove us out of our land." Unfortunately, the other sites leave out the key, as I mentioned, to this entire story.

You see, this entire Gemara is in code, and you have to see the whole picture to understand this code.

To Be Continued...

The Nine Days...

DovBear had an interesting re-post today about the Nine Days. He is trying to figure you why he doesn't like the Nine Days and comes to this conclusion:

In my humble opinion, this strange gloom that overtakes me year after year is simply one of the unhappy by-products of my all-too-succesful Jewish education.

I was taught to be sad during the nine days, and so I am.

For me, personally, aside from the time of year, which does greatly upset me, more and more each year, I have another reason why I don't like the Nine Days, one DovBear doesn't mention, but one that might also explain his dislike, and it certainly explains mine.

The Nine Days make me sad, yes. But they also make me angry at the Jewish Nation. That is angrier than usual...It royally pisses me off that it's been nearly two thousand years since this golus started, and there seems to be no end in sight. I sit in shul on Shabbos Chazon every year, listen to the Haftara, and cry my eyes out.

We, myself included, are a nation that simply can't get along with itself. "Kol Yisrael Chayavim - everyone is wrong in everyone else's eyes." And as a result, here we are. Still in golus, still filled with hate for one another, still begging Hashem for a Geula we simply do not deserve.

I've said on other threads before, I don't hate the RWNJs (Right Wing Nut Jobs). I don't like them, but I do love them. They are Jews, and I am commanded to love them. And I do. My goal in this space has never changed. It was never to demonize the RWNJs (even when it sounds like I am). It was always to show there are other ways to Avodas Hashem. My core thesis, that these people simply aren't frum, isn't because they don't learn and don't follow mitzvos. It's because they don't accept anyone else who does, but not on the same derech as them.

Says the Navi:

Why do I need your numerous sacrifices, says Hashem...When you appear before me, who sought this from your hands? ...You shall not continue to bring me worthless meal-offering...you appointed festival, My sould hates; they have become a burden upon Me; I am weary of bearing [them].

Knock off the BS, says God. That's all he's saying here. Just knock it off. I don't want chumras, I don't want korbanos. I want you simply be what a Jew is supposed to be and knock off all the hatred.

Learn to do good, seek justice, strengthen the victim, do justice for the orphan, take of the cause of the widow...

The posuk doesn't say "learn well." It says "learn to do good." there's a big difference here.

So, where is the compassion between Jews?! Where is the love? I don't know. Oh, sure, some will claim, "well, look at all the certain communities do." Whoopee. Hooray. What, you want to be praised on things you are already supposed to do? You want Geula for that?! If it were that easy, the geula would have happened centuries ago. No, it's the going above and beyond, WAY ABOVE AND BEYOND what we are supposed to do that will bring the geula.

And this is what the posuk says. I would go out on a limb here and say the ArtScroll translation of "Limdu Heiteiv - learn to do good" is wrong. I would say the correct translation LEARN - emphasis on the word LEARN - to do BETTER - Heiteiv can also mean improve - Learn to Improve! Don't just learn to do good. That's easy. LEARN TO DO BETTER THAN GOOD, LEARN TO KEEP IMPROVING - that's where the challenge exists. It's easy to do good. It's not so easy to keep improving on it.

The Three Weeks, and especially the last Nine Days, and even more especially, Tish'a B'Av itself, are not just a national Jewish Day of Mourning. They are much, much more than that. It's up to us, not God, to bring about the Geula. He's sitting up there, waiting for us.

The very next Haftara, Nachamu, gives us a key: "her iniquity has been conciliated, for she [Jerusalem, and by association, the Jewish People] has received from Hashem twice [the punishment] for all her sins." The hint here: It's not just twice the punishment; it's twice the effort on OUR PART, as the Jewish Nation, that will bring the Geula. God destroyed the Bais Hamikdash, we all know, because of Sinas Chinam. The Geula isn't going to take place because we no longer hate each other. That's just one step. But we have to double that effort: "Kiflayim bechol chatoseha - double for her sins" says the Navi - it's not enough to just take that one step forward and stop hating, as we took that one step backward and started hating.

We all need to put in DOUBLE the effort, just as we received double the punishment - we need to feel Ahavas Chinam for each other as well. This is the logical procession to to a full Geula - doubling the correct behavior to right the wrong we have been doing for over two thousand years. Not just stepping away from Sinas Chinam, but stepping into Ahavas Chinam - we need to distance ourselves from Sinas Chinam so the chance of falling back into that behavior is minimized, perhaps even eliminated, by creating a schism between the positive and the negative behavior.

This is why the Bais Hamikdash will only be rebuilt when we have Ahavas Chinam for one another - because Ahavas Chinam is the double - the two step solution..."Kiflayim bechol Chatoseha..."

So, I don't know, DB, but maybe this is reason for your dislike as well. Maybe it's not just the standard "it's a sad time of year and you're not allowed to be happy" reason we all get in school.

U.S. launches Middle East peace moves

You know, the last time an American president tried this, an Intifada started, and it still hasn't ended.

This really can't go anywhere good...

Very Well Said Essay

Jeremy Rosen's Blog

This is just a great essay. I really couldn't have said it better myself...

Hattip: DovBear

Israel to Release 250 Terrorist Prisoners

According to this AFP article, Israel is set to release 250 Palestinian prisoner by this Friday.

Here's a quote from the article I found to be especially ridiculous:

The prisoners include 11 minors, with the rest adults who have at least a year left to serve in their sentence, and all will have to sign a "commitment not to be involved in terror," the Israeli official said.

Ok, then. Riiiiigghhhhtttt. Suuuuuure! And because they signed a piece of paper, this is supposed to stop them from being involved in terrorist activities?!

This just goes to show the naivete of the Israeli government. What a shame that so many decades of terror has taught the government of Israel absolutely nothing...