Sunday, December 26, 2010
Do You Remember 1987.......
I had forgotten all of this. Do you remember when the senators were giving Ollie North such a bad time? This brings it all into perspective doesn't it? Have a great day.
Do you remember 1987.......
Thought you might be interested in this forgotten bit of information.........
It was 1987! At a lecture the other day they were
playing an old news video of
Lt.Col. Oliver North testifying at the Iran-Contra
hearings during the Reagan
Administration.
There was Ollie in front of God and country getting the
third degree, but what he said was stunning!
He was being drilled by a
senator, 'Did you not recently spend close to
$60,000 for a home security system?'
Ollie replied, 'Yes, I did, Sir.'
The senator
continued, trying to get a laugh out of the
audience, 'Isn't that just a little excessive?'
'No, sir,' continued Ollie.
'No? And why not?' the
senator asked.
'Because the lives of my family and I were
threatened, sir.'
'Threatened? By whom?' the senator questioned..
'By a Muslim terrorist, sir' Ollie answered.
'Terrorist? What terrorist could possibly scare you that much?'
'His name is Osama bin Laden, sir' Ollie replied.
At this point the senator tried to repeat the name,
but couldn't pronounce it, which most people back then
probably couldn't. A couple of people laughed at the attempt.
Then the senator continued.. Why are you so
afraid of this man?' the senator asked.
'Because, sir, he is the most
evil person alive that I know of', Ollie answered, and the Muslims are trying to take over America and destroy it from the inside out and putting their people into our political offices.
'And what do you recommend we do about him?' asked the senator..
'Well, sir, if it was up to me, I would recommend that an
assassin team be formed to
eliminate him and his men from the face of the earth.'
The senator disagreed with this approach, and that was all that
was shown of the clip.
By the way, that senator was Al Gore!
Also:
Terrorist pilot Mohammad Atta blew up a bus in
Israel in 1986. The Israelis captured, tried and
imprisoned him. As part of the
Oslo agreement with the Palestinians in 1993,
Israel had to agree to release
so-called 'political prisoners.'
However, the Israelis would not release
any with blood on their hands. The American
President at the time, Bill Clinton,
and his Secretary of State, Warren Christopher,
'insisted' that all prisoners be
released.
Thus Mohammad Atta was freed and eventually thanked
us by flying an airplane into Tower One of the World Trade Center .
This was reported by many of the American TV networks at the time
that the terrorists were first identified.
It was censored in the US from all later reports.
If you agree that the American public should be made
aware of this fact, pass this on.
Do Not Break - it is 8 years strong.
This has not been broken since 9/11/01,
please keep it going...
This has been kept alive and moving since 9/11. In memory of
all those who perished this morning; the
passengers and the pilots on the
United Air and AA flights, the workers in the World
Trade Center and the
Pentagon, and all the innocent bystanders..
Our prayers go out to the friends and
families of the deceased.
Monday, December 6, 2010
The Haifa Fire
The text says Midrash Raba:
Midrash (Shir Hashirim 2:5, elaborating on the passage, K'shoshana bane ha chuchim): Right before Moshiach comes, Hashem will burn the outskirts of Haifa. See it for yourselves...
We do not cry like the secular media who says, "if we can't put out a forest fire, how can we defend ourselves?"
We never did defend ourselves - it was Hashem that pulled us out of every fire; this is personal experience talking...
We teach in the principles of emuna that everything Hashem does is for the very best. Everyone asks, how can 42 losses of life and thousands of acres of charred forests be for the best?
Midrash (Shir Hashirim 2:5, elaborating on the passage, K'shoshana bane ha chuchim): Right before Moshiach comes, Hashem will burn the outskirts of Haifa. See it for yourselves...
We do not cry like the secular media who says, "if we can't put out a forest fire, how can we defend ourselves?"
We never did defend ourselves - it was Hashem that pulled us out of every fire; this is personal experience talking...
We teach in the principles of emuna that everything Hashem does is for the very best. Everyone asks, how can 42 losses of life and thousands of acres of charred forests be for the best?
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Goodness
The Salant Center
THE AGADAH OF THE TALMUD
Rabbi Akiva taught that the verse, "Love your friend, like you love yourself," is the primary axiomatic principle of the Torah. That is, love of others is the root of the Torah, from which all of its branches extend. Love of our fellow man is the core that powers every Mitzvah and its fulfillment.
The Alter of Kelm, Rabbi Simcha Zissel, offers a beautiful explanation of this verse. The verse tells us to "Love your friend, like you love yourself." Therefore, in order to love others, you must love them in the same way that "you love yourself."
A person naturally loves himself. He doesn't need the Torah to command him to love himself. Just as we naturally love ourselves, the Torah instructs us to love others "naturally." That is, he should not love them only because the Torah commands us to love them. No one wants to be "loved" by order of the Torah, because forced love is not sincere love.
Therefore, loving others is the one Mitzvah that should not be performed as "a Mitzvah." Meaning we shouldn't say, I love him because the Torah commands me to love him." Rather, just as we automatically love ourselves, we should see the good in our friends and love them automatically - and naturally.
TODAY: Fulfill the axiomatic principle of the Torah by loving others - naturally.
THE AGADAH OF THE TALMUD
Rabbi Akiva taught that the verse, "Love your friend, like you love yourself," is the primary axiomatic principle of the Torah. That is, love of others is the root of the Torah, from which all of its branches extend. Love of our fellow man is the core that powers every Mitzvah and its fulfillment.
The Alter of Kelm, Rabbi Simcha Zissel, offers a beautiful explanation of this verse. The verse tells us to "Love your friend, like you love yourself." Therefore, in order to love others, you must love them in the same way that "you love yourself."
A person naturally loves himself. He doesn't need the Torah to command him to love himself. Just as we naturally love ourselves, the Torah instructs us to love others "naturally." That is, he should not love them only because the Torah commands us to love them. No one wants to be "loved" by order of the Torah, because forced love is not sincere love.
Therefore, loving others is the one Mitzvah that should not be performed as "a Mitzvah." Meaning we shouldn't say, I love him because the Torah commands me to love him." Rather, just as we automatically love ourselves, we should see the good in our friends and love them automatically - and naturally.
TODAY: Fulfill the axiomatic principle of the Torah by loving others - naturally.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
My Confession
INTERESTING THEORY - I Only hope we find GOD again before it is too late
Remarks from CBS Sunday Morning - Ben Stein
I Only hope we find GOD again before it is too late
The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary.
My confession:
I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees, Christmas trees. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are, Christmas trees.
It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, 'Merry Christmas' to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu . If people want a creche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.
I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period.. I have no idea where the concept came from, that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.
Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went to.
In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.
Billy Graham 's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her 'How could God let something like this happen?' (regarding Hurricane Katrina ).. Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, 'I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?'
In light of recent events... terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.
Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave, because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem ( Dr. Spock 's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about. And we said okay.
Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.
Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.'
Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.
Are you laughing yet?
Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it.
Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us.
Pass it on if you think it has merit.
Remarks from CBS Sunday Morning - Ben Stein
I Only hope we find GOD again before it is too late
The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary.
My confession:
I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees, Christmas trees. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are, Christmas trees.
It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, 'Merry Christmas' to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu . If people want a creche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.
I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period.. I have no idea where the concept came from, that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.
Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went to.
In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.
Billy Graham 's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her 'How could God let something like this happen?' (regarding Hurricane Katrina ).. Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, 'I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?'
In light of recent events... terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.
Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave, because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem ( Dr. Spock 's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about. And we said okay.
Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.
Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.'
Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.
Are you laughing yet?
Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it.
Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us.
Pass it on if you think it has merit.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Diamonds a story
I would like to share with you a story. A person who lives in London England who deals in diamonds, related this story to me. He travels many miles a year on an airplane for business.
The last two travels he took he was stopped at customs and millions of dollars worth of diamonds were taken away. From that point on for the next several weeks he wandered in the streets broken and sad.
A person in the community noticed him everyday wandering sadly and looking broken. The gentleman approached him and asked why do you look sad? He replied with the story that happened to him.
This person decided to buy a ticket immediately and travel with him to Israel to see rav Asher.
The young man entered rav Ashers' room. Before the young man could start speaking rav asher explained to him why he had come and what had happened to his diamonds. The young man feeling astonished for the rabbi had read his mind, started to feel hope and feel more relaxed.
Rav Asher asked that they should bring food for this young man and he should start eating. After he finished eating Rav Asher told him to say the whole book of psalms everyday for one week.The man returned to London.
Seemingly, the person never recited Psalms before realized that it would take him 24 hours to finish the whole book. So the first day he recited chapter 1 and 2 and then the last chapter 150. He asked g-d to fill in and complete the rest of the chapters in between. The second day till the seventh day he only said chapter 1 and chapter 150 and again he asked G-d to fill in the chapters in between.
On the seventh day when this person finished saying psalms he went to sleep. He awoke in the morning to the ringing of the phone. He answered it and on the other end of the line it was the customs department.
They said that they have made a mistake and ask him to please pick up all his merchandise. They young man travel led again to meet with rav asher and thank him for the miracle he had performed. Rav Asher replied that G-d is the miracle man and it was the power of reciting psalms.
If each and everyone of us will undertake to say the book of psalms each and everyday whether in a group or alone we can't even comprehend the powerful positive effect it will have for the jewish nation around the globe. And furthermore the happiness it will bring to the almighty G-d master of the universe.
There isn't any nature. The nature that we think and see is really spirituality above nature. There isn't anything that a person can't have and will not receive from the almighty G-d master of the universe.
But we must pray and believe through truth that there isn't anyone else who can and will give us anything and everything. Through this we will realize and accept that the almighty G-d master of the universe controls and runs the world with our best interest in mind.
We are all go through difficulties in life whether with our up bringing, friends, peers and parents. We all have complaints to our parents for what they did and didn't do in life, for not being understanding of us, not emotionally connected and not letting us be our self.
There isn't anything wrong in admitting our pain. It is just the opposite that it is healthy to do so.If we will not deal with our pain then we will eventually let it out at someone else.
If one will tuck it under the rug then it will only give the person more ammunition to live in their self-pity.
But if one realizes and deals with their pain, then G-d gives them the ability to move on and not be stuck in the rut. Then and only then will one be able to receive the faith, trust and unconditional love that the almighty G-d master of the universe gives each and every one of us.
In doing so we will then be able to surrender to go and enjoy the land that the almighty G-d master of the universe will show us.
In life we all have to uproot from something BUT we must not forget to take the story of the past with us. But we must always remember not to get stuck and live in the past.
If one takes the past with them then G-d can show us all the truth. If we heaven forbid get stuck in our self-piety then we can never witness the truth but end up living in denial.
By Mordechai Gutman
The last two travels he took he was stopped at customs and millions of dollars worth of diamonds were taken away. From that point on for the next several weeks he wandered in the streets broken and sad.
A person in the community noticed him everyday wandering sadly and looking broken. The gentleman approached him and asked why do you look sad? He replied with the story that happened to him.
This person decided to buy a ticket immediately and travel with him to Israel to see rav Asher.
The young man entered rav Ashers' room. Before the young man could start speaking rav asher explained to him why he had come and what had happened to his diamonds. The young man feeling astonished for the rabbi had read his mind, started to feel hope and feel more relaxed.
Rav Asher asked that they should bring food for this young man and he should start eating. After he finished eating Rav Asher told him to say the whole book of psalms everyday for one week.The man returned to London.
Seemingly, the person never recited Psalms before realized that it would take him 24 hours to finish the whole book. So the first day he recited chapter 1 and 2 and then the last chapter 150. He asked g-d to fill in and complete the rest of the chapters in between. The second day till the seventh day he only said chapter 1 and chapter 150 and again he asked G-d to fill in the chapters in between.
On the seventh day when this person finished saying psalms he went to sleep. He awoke in the morning to the ringing of the phone. He answered it and on the other end of the line it was the customs department.
They said that they have made a mistake and ask him to please pick up all his merchandise. They young man travel led again to meet with rav asher and thank him for the miracle he had performed. Rav Asher replied that G-d is the miracle man and it was the power of reciting psalms.
If each and everyone of us will undertake to say the book of psalms each and everyday whether in a group or alone we can't even comprehend the powerful positive effect it will have for the jewish nation around the globe. And furthermore the happiness it will bring to the almighty G-d master of the universe.
There isn't any nature. The nature that we think and see is really spirituality above nature. There isn't anything that a person can't have and will not receive from the almighty G-d master of the universe.
But we must pray and believe through truth that there isn't anyone else who can and will give us anything and everything. Through this we will realize and accept that the almighty G-d master of the universe controls and runs the world with our best interest in mind.
We are all go through difficulties in life whether with our up bringing, friends, peers and parents. We all have complaints to our parents for what they did and didn't do in life, for not being understanding of us, not emotionally connected and not letting us be our self.
There isn't anything wrong in admitting our pain. It is just the opposite that it is healthy to do so.If we will not deal with our pain then we will eventually let it out at someone else.
If one will tuck it under the rug then it will only give the person more ammunition to live in their self-pity.
But if one realizes and deals with their pain, then G-d gives them the ability to move on and not be stuck in the rut. Then and only then will one be able to receive the faith, trust and unconditional love that the almighty G-d master of the universe gives each and every one of us.
In doing so we will then be able to surrender to go and enjoy the land that the almighty G-d master of the universe will show us.
In life we all have to uproot from something BUT we must not forget to take the story of the past with us. But we must always remember not to get stuck and live in the past.
If one takes the past with them then G-d can show us all the truth. If we heaven forbid get stuck in our self-piety then we can never witness the truth but end up living in denial.
By Mordechai Gutman
Difficult life
A person passed away and went up to G-d. He asked: "G-d why was life so difficult for me in every way?"
G-d took him to a closet and opened the door. Inside was health, happiness and treasures waiting. G-d replied:"This was all destined for you. But I was waiting for you to ask".
Two people were discussing ideas what each one would do in a given situation, finally one replies to do such and such. The fellow being so impressed with the answer he asked his friend: "Where did you get that idea from?"
He replied: "G-d".
He said: "G-d has ideas that I wouldn't even think about."
The moral is very simple in every given situation G-d has the right answers and salvations for us and G-d will never forsake us. But we never know from where the salvation will appear. We must realize in every given situation one goes through G-d is going through it with them. So we must surrender to the Almighty master of the universe to seek his assistance and advise for G-d advise prevails all.
We together with our Jewish brothers must feel the pain of what is happening in our homeland and with our families. The soldiers are a purpose and reason from G-d to show us all, that G-d exists and we need not be afraid to stand up for the sake of
G-d. G-d is with us in our battle. All Jewish people are responsible for one another.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Yamim Noraim - take advantage!
All of us know probably that these [ especially these coming ten days-yemee-ha-tsuva] are very special for praying and other good deeds and the pasuk from Yeshayahu is brought in this connection :
"Seek Hashem when he can be found, call Him when he is near".
What struck me especially [ and I am quoting her from the book of rabbi Elozor Barclay and rabbi Yitzchok Jaeger : Guidelines - three hundred of the most commonly asked questions about the yomim noraim] is that the Rambam writes that "an individuals prayer during this period has the same power as that said in a congregation and is accepted immediately".
If one thinks really seriously about this extreme strong statement from the Rambam, then nobody will leave these hours we still have left before Yom ha-Kippurim [and rosh Ha-shana] “unused” by not praying to the Creator for whatever we long for [for the good of his family / friends / Am Israel we l'olam kulo].
May I wish you all a healthy, blessed , peaceful year.
"Seek Hashem when he can be found, call Him when he is near".
What struck me especially [ and I am quoting her from the book of rabbi Elozor Barclay and rabbi Yitzchok Jaeger : Guidelines - three hundred of the most commonly asked questions about the yomim noraim] is that the Rambam writes that "an individuals prayer during this period has the same power as that said in a congregation and is accepted immediately".
If one thinks really seriously about this extreme strong statement from the Rambam, then nobody will leave these hours we still have left before Yom ha-Kippurim [and rosh Ha-shana] “unused” by not praying to the Creator for whatever we long for [for the good of his family / friends / Am Israel we l'olam kulo].
May I wish you all a healthy, blessed , peaceful year.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Holocaust Survivor's View on Fanatic Islam
This is one of the best explanation of the Muslim terrorist situation I have read. His references to past history are accurate and clear. Not long, easy to understand, and well worth the read. The author of this email is Dr. Emanuel Tanay, a well-known and well respected psychiatrist.
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A Holocaust Survivor's View on Islam -
A man whose family was German aristocracy prior to World War II owned a number of large industries and estates. When asked how many German people were true Nazis, the answer he gave can guide our attitude toward fanaticism. 'Very few people were true Nazis,' he said, 'but many enjoyed the return of German pride, and many more were too busy to care. I was one of those who just thought the Nazis were a bunch of fools. So, the majority just sat back and let it all happen. Then, before we knew it, they owned us, and we had lost control, and the end of the world had come. My family lost everything. I ended up in a concentration camp and the Allies destroyed my factories.'
We are told again and again by 'experts' and 'talking heads' that Islam is the religion of peace and that the vast majority of Muslims just want to live in peace. Although this unqualified assertion may be true, it is entirely irrelevant. It is meaningless fluff, meant to make us feel better and meant to somehow diminish the specter of fanatics rampaging across the globe in the name of Islam.
The fact is that the fanatics rule Islam at this moment in history. It is the fanatics who march. It is the fanatics who wage any one of 50 shooting wars worldwide. It is the fanatics who systematically slaughter Christian or tribal groups throughout Africa and are gradually taking over the entire continent in an Islamic wave. It is the fanatics who bomb, behead, murder, or honor-kill. It is the fanatics who take over mosque after mosque. It is the fanatics who zealously spread the stoning and hanging of rape victims and homosexuals. It is the fanatics who teach their young to kill and to become suicide bombers.
The hard, quantifiable fact is that the peaceful majority, the 'silent majority,' is cowed and extraneous.
Communist Russia was comprised of Russians who just wanted to live in peace, yet the Russian Communists were responsible for the murder of about 20 million people. The peaceful majority were irrelevant. China's huge population was peaceful as well, but Chinese Communists managed to kill a staggering 70 million people.
The average Japanese individual prior to World War II was not a warmongering sadist. Yet, Japan murdered and slaughtered its way across South East Asia in an orgy of killing that included the systematic murder of 12 million Chinese civilians, most killed by sword, shovel, and bayonet.
And who can forget Rwanda, which collapsed into butchery? Could it not be said that the majority of Rwandans were 'peace loving'?
History lessons are often incredibly simple and blunt, yet for all our powers of reason, we often miss the most basic and uncomplicated of points:
1 - Peace-loving Muslims have been made irrelevant by their silence.
2 - Peace-loving Muslims will become our enemy if they don't speak up, because like my friend from Germany, they will awaken one day and find that the fanatics own them and that the end of their world will have begun.
3 - Peace-loving Germans, Japanese, Chinese, Russians, Rwandans, Serbs, Afghans, Iraqis, Palestinians, Somalis, Nigerians, Algerians, and many others have died because the peaceful majority did not speak up until it was too late. As for us who watch it all unfold, we must pay attention to the only group that counts -- the fanatics who threaten our way of life.
4 - Lastly, anyone who doubts that the issue is serious and just deletes this email without sending it on is contributing to the passiveness that allows the problems to expand. So, extend yourself a bit and send this on and on and on! Let us hope that thousands, world-wide, read this and think about it, and send it on - before it's too late.
Emanuel Tanay, M.D. 2980 Provincial St. Ann Arbor , MI 48104
Dr. Emanuel Tanay MD ;is a well-known forensic psychiatrist who has been an expert witness in many famous cases.
A Holocaust survivor himself, Dr. Tanay coauthored a book about the survivors of the Holocaust and was asked by the German governmen t to consult on just compensation for the Holocaust survivors. Dr. Tanay has served on several journal editorial boards, authored many publications, and presented countless times on forensic medicine. His efforts have also produced many awards and commendations from groups such as theMichigan State Medical Society, APA, the Detroit Institute of Technology, and AAFC, among others.
I hope this letter gets read by millions of people all across the USA,Canada and the rest of the civilized world.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A Holocaust Survivor's View on Islam -
A man whose family was German aristocracy prior to World War II owned a number of large industries and estates. When asked how many German people were true Nazis, the answer he gave can guide our attitude toward fanaticism. 'Very few people were true Nazis,' he said, 'but many enjoyed the return of German pride, and many more were too busy to care. I was one of those who just thought the Nazis were a bunch of fools. So, the majority just sat back and let it all happen. Then, before we knew it, they owned us, and we had lost control, and the end of the world had come. My family lost everything. I ended up in a concentration camp and the Allies destroyed my factories.'
We are told again and again by 'experts' and 'talking heads' that Islam is the religion of peace and that the vast majority of Muslims just want to live in peace. Although this unqualified assertion may be true, it is entirely irrelevant. It is meaningless fluff, meant to make us feel better and meant to somehow diminish the specter of fanatics rampaging across the globe in the name of Islam.
The fact is that the fanatics rule Islam at this moment in history. It is the fanatics who march. It is the fanatics who wage any one of 50 shooting wars worldwide. It is the fanatics who systematically slaughter Christian or tribal groups throughout Africa and are gradually taking over the entire continent in an Islamic wave. It is the fanatics who bomb, behead, murder, or honor-kill. It is the fanatics who take over mosque after mosque. It is the fanatics who zealously spread the stoning and hanging of rape victims and homosexuals. It is the fanatics who teach their young to kill and to become suicide bombers.
The hard, quantifiable fact is that the peaceful majority, the 'silent majority,' is cowed and extraneous.
Communist Russia was comprised of Russians who just wanted to live in peace, yet the Russian Communists were responsible for the murder of about 20 million people. The peaceful majority were irrelevant. China's huge population was peaceful as well, but Chinese Communists managed to kill a staggering 70 million people.
The average Japanese individual prior to World War II was not a warmongering sadist. Yet, Japan murdered and slaughtered its way across South East Asia in an orgy of killing that included the systematic murder of 12 million Chinese civilians, most killed by sword, shovel, and bayonet.
And who can forget Rwanda, which collapsed into butchery? Could it not be said that the majority of Rwandans were 'peace loving'?
History lessons are often incredibly simple and blunt, yet for all our powers of reason, we often miss the most basic and uncomplicated of points:
1 - Peace-loving Muslims have been made irrelevant by their silence.
2 - Peace-loving Muslims will become our enemy if they don't speak up, because like my friend from Germany, they will awaken one day and find that the fanatics own them and that the end of their world will have begun.
3 - Peace-loving Germans, Japanese, Chinese, Russians, Rwandans, Serbs, Afghans, Iraqis, Palestinians, Somalis, Nigerians, Algerians, and many others have died because the peaceful majority did not speak up until it was too late. As for us who watch it all unfold, we must pay attention to the only group that counts -- the fanatics who threaten our way of life.
4 - Lastly, anyone who doubts that the issue is serious and just deletes this email without sending it on is contributing to the passiveness that allows the problems to expand. So, extend yourself a bit and send this on and on and on! Let us hope that thousands, world-wide, read this and think about it, and send it on - before it's too late.
Emanuel Tanay, M.D. 2980 Provincial St. Ann Arbor , MI 48104
Dr. Emanuel Tanay MD ;is a well-known forensic psychiatrist who has been an expert witness in many famous cases.
A Holocaust survivor himself, Dr. Tanay coauthored a book about the survivors of the Holocaust and was asked by the German governmen t to consult on just compensation for the Holocaust survivors. Dr. Tanay has served on several journal editorial boards, authored many publications, and presented countless times on forensic medicine. His efforts have also produced many awards and commendations from groups such as theMichigan State Medical Society, APA, the Detroit Institute of Technology, and AAFC, among others.
I hope this letter gets read by millions of people all across the USA,Canada and the rest of the civilized world.
SHORT AND SWEET:
WARREN BUFFET ON THE MIDDLE EAST
"If you go to the Middle East looking for oil, you don't need to stop in Israel.
But if you go looking for brains, energy and integrity, it is the only stop."
Warren Buffet
2010
"If you go to the Middle East looking for oil, you don't need to stop in Israel.
But if you go looking for brains, energy and integrity, it is the only stop."
Warren Buffet
2010
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Woman's honor
"To a woman, says the Rambam, her life has as much value as she feels she's worth to her husband. When her husband honors her, he shows that she is valuable to him. A wife is not a chavrusa, G-d forbid. It can cause a lot of trouble if you think in those terms - that sometimes you're right and sometimes she's right.
No! Whatever a wife does is good and nice, and if you scold her and take that feeling of importance away from her, you've robbed her of her life."
The Golden Rule in Marriage by Rabbi Mendel Kaplan z''tl
excerpt from Reb Mendel and His Wisdom - artscroll (page 173)
No! Whatever a wife does is good and nice, and if you scold her and take that feeling of importance away from her, you've robbed her of her life."
The Golden Rule in Marriage by Rabbi Mendel Kaplan z''tl
excerpt from Reb Mendel and His Wisdom - artscroll (page 173)
Golden Rule in Childraising
The Golden Rule in Childraising by Rabbi Moshe Feinstein z''tl
excerpt from Darash Moshe Vol.2 - artscroll (page 123)
"Hashem said to Moshe, I have seen this people, and behold! It is a stiff-necked people" Shmos Ki Sisa
It is apparent from the text that Hashem considers being stiff necked
a negative attribute. This is difficult to understand, for historically, this characteristic has served us well. Because we are stiff-necked people, we are slow to be seduced by the ways of the gentile nations. It is therefore just this attribute that has prevented us from assimilating with the gentiles over the many years of galus. What is it about being stiff necked that Hashem finds undesirable?
The answer is that Hashem does not wish our mitzvos to be done out of stubborness. When we do a mitzvah, Hashem wants it to be done out of joy, with all our heart and soul. Only in this way will we be successful in training our children to follow in our footsteps. If children see that a mitzvah is a burdensome chore only to be fullfilled after much perseverance and effort, they will wish to have no part of it.
If however, on the other hand, they are taught that a mitzvah is a thing of great beauty and worth, to be done with joy and happiness, they too will look forward to involving themselves in the Torah and its commandments. It is for this reason that Hashem despises this attribute. For although it may occasionally result in some short term good, the long term threat to the perpetuation of Torah is too great to be ignored.
excerpt from Darash Moshe Vol.2 - artscroll (page 123)
"Hashem said to Moshe, I have seen this people, and behold! It is a stiff-necked people" Shmos Ki Sisa
It is apparent from the text that Hashem considers being stiff necked
a negative attribute. This is difficult to understand, for historically, this characteristic has served us well. Because we are stiff-necked people, we are slow to be seduced by the ways of the gentile nations. It is therefore just this attribute that has prevented us from assimilating with the gentiles over the many years of galus. What is it about being stiff necked that Hashem finds undesirable?
The answer is that Hashem does not wish our mitzvos to be done out of stubborness. When we do a mitzvah, Hashem wants it to be done out of joy, with all our heart and soul. Only in this way will we be successful in training our children to follow in our footsteps. If children see that a mitzvah is a burdensome chore only to be fullfilled after much perseverance and effort, they will wish to have no part of it.
If however, on the other hand, they are taught that a mitzvah is a thing of great beauty and worth, to be done with joy and happiness, they too will look forward to involving themselves in the Torah and its commandments. It is for this reason that Hashem despises this attribute. For although it may occasionally result in some short term good, the long term threat to the perpetuation of Torah is too great to be ignored.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Interesting observations
Last week, I stated this woman was the ugliest woman I had ever seen. I have since been visited by her sister, and now wish to withdraw that statement..
- Mark Twain
<><>
The secret of a good sermon is to have a good beginning and a good ending; and to have the two as close together as possible
- George Burns
<><>
Santa Claus has the right idea. Visit people only once a year.
- Victor Borge
<><>
Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint.
- Mark Twain
<><>
By all means, marry. If you get a good wife, you'll become happy; if you get a bad one, you'll become a philosopher.
- Socrates
<><>
I was married by a judge. I should have asked for a jury.
- Groucho Marx
<><>
My wife has a slight impediment in her speech. Every now and then she stops to breathe.
- Jimmy Durante
<><>
I have never hated a man enough to give his diamonds back.
- Zsa Zsa Gabor
<><>
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass
all four essential food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
- Alex Levine
<><>
My luck is so bad that if I bought a cemetery, people would stop dying.
- Rodney Dangerfield
<><>
Money can't buy you happiness ... But it does bring you a more pleasant form of misery.
- Spike Milligan
<><>
Until I was thirteen, I thought my name was SHUT UP .
- Joe Namath
<><>
I don't feel old. I don't feel anything until noon. Then it's time for my nap.
- Bob Hope
<><>
I never drink water because of the disgusting things that fish do in it..
- W. C. Fields
<><>
We could certainly slow the aging process down if it had to work its way through Congress.
- Will Rogers
<><>
Don't worry about avoiding temptation. As you grow older, it will avoid you.
- Winston Churchill
<><>
Maybe it's true that life begins at fifty ... But everything else starts to wear out, fall out, or spread out..
- Phyllis Diller
<><>
By the time a man is wise enough to watch his step, he's too old to go anywhere.
- Billy Crystal
And the cardiologist's diet: If it tastes good spit it out.
- Mark Twain
<><>
The secret of a good sermon is to have a good beginning and a good ending; and to have the two as close together as possible
- George Burns
<><>
Santa Claus has the right idea. Visit people only once a year.
- Victor Borge
<><>
Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint.
- Mark Twain
<><>
By all means, marry. If you get a good wife, you'll become happy; if you get a bad one, you'll become a philosopher.
- Socrates
<><>
I was married by a judge. I should have asked for a jury.
- Groucho Marx
<><>
My wife has a slight impediment in her speech. Every now and then she stops to breathe.
- Jimmy Durante
<><>
I have never hated a man enough to give his diamonds back.
- Zsa Zsa Gabor
<><>
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass
all four essential food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
- Alex Levine
<><>
My luck is so bad that if I bought a cemetery, people would stop dying.
- Rodney Dangerfield
<><>
Money can't buy you happiness ... But it does bring you a more pleasant form of misery.
- Spike Milligan
<><>
Until I was thirteen, I thought my name was SHUT UP .
- Joe Namath
<><>
I don't feel old. I don't feel anything until noon. Then it's time for my nap.
- Bob Hope
<><>
I never drink water because of the disgusting things that fish do in it..
- W. C. Fields
<><>
We could certainly slow the aging process down if it had to work its way through Congress.
- Will Rogers
<><>
Don't worry about avoiding temptation. As you grow older, it will avoid you.
- Winston Churchill
<><>
Maybe it's true that life begins at fifty ... But everything else starts to wear out, fall out, or spread out..
- Phyllis Diller
<><>
By the time a man is wise enough to watch his step, he's too old to go anywhere.
- Billy Crystal
And the cardiologist's diet: If it tastes good spit it out.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Quotes
Perceptions of Jews by Renowned Gentiles
#1
"Some people like the Jews, and some do not. But no thoughtful man can deny the fact that they are, beyond any question, the most formidable and the most remarkable race which has appeared in the world."
-- Winston Churchill
------------------------------------------------------------------------
-#2
"The Jew is that sacred being who has brought down from heaven the
everlasting fire, and has illumined with it the entire world. He is the
religious source, spring, and fountain out of which all the rest of the
peoples have drawn their beliefs and their religions."
-- Leo Tolstoy
------------------------------------------------------------------------
-#3
"It was in vain that we locked them up for several hundred years behind the walls of the Ghetto. No sooner were their prison gates unbarred than they easily caught up with us, even on those paths which we opened up without their aid."
-- A. A. Leroy Beaulieu, French publicist, 1842
------------------------------------------------------------------------
-#4
"The Jew gave us the Outside and the Inside - our outlook and our inner life. We can hardly get up in the morning or cross the street without being Jewish. We dream Jewish dreams and hope Jewish hopes. Most of our best words, in fact - new, adventure, surprise, unique, individual, person, vocation, time, history, future, freedom, progress, spirit, faith, hope, justice - are the gifts of the Jews."
-- Thomas Cahill, Irish Author
------------------------------------------------------------------------
-#5
"One of the gifts of the Jewish culture to Chris trinity is that it has
taught Christians to think like Jews, and any modern man who has not
learned to think as though he were a Jew can hardly be said to have
learned to think at all."
-- William Rees-Mogg, former Editor-in-Chief for The Times of London and a member of the House of Lords
------------------------------------------------------------------------
-#6
"It is certain that in certain parts of the world we can see a peculiar
people, separated from the other peoples of the world and this is called the Jewish people....
This people is not only of remarkable antiquity but has also lasted for
a singular long time... For whereas the people of Greece and Italy , of
Sparta, Athens and Rome and others who came so much later have perished so long ago, these still exist, despite the efforts of so many powerful kings who have tried a hundred times to wipe them out, as their historians testify, and as can easily be judged by the natural order of things over such a long spell of years. They have always been preserved, however, and their preservation was foretold... My encounter with this people amazes me..."
-- Blaise Pascal, French Mathematician
--#7-----------------------------------------------------------------------
"The Jewish vision became the prototype for many similar grand designs for humanity, both divine and man made The Jews, therefore, stand at the center of the perennial attempt to give human life the dignity of a purpose."
--Paul Johnson, American Historian
------------------------------------------------------------------------
-#8
"As long as the world lasts, all who want to make progress in
righteousness will come to Israel for inspiration as to the people who
had the sense for righteousness most glowing and strongest."
--Matthew Arnold, British poet and critic
------------------------------------------------------------------------
-#9
"Indeed it is difficult for all other nations of the world to live in the presence of the Jews. It is irritating and most uncomfortable. The Jews embarrass the world as they have done things which are beyond the imaginable. They have become moral strangers since the day their
forefather, Abraham, introduced the world to high ethical standards and to the fear of Heaven. They brought the world the Ten Commandments, which many nations prefer to defy. They violated the rules of history by staying alive, totally at odds with common sense and historical evidence. They outlived all their former enemies, including vast empires such as the Romans and the Greeks. They angered the world with their return to their homeland after 2000 years of exile and after the murder of six million of their brothers and sisters.
They aggravated mankind by building, in the wink of an eye, a
democratic State which others were not able to create in even hundreds of years. They built living monuments such as the duty to be holy and the privilege to serve one's fellow men.
They had their hands in every human progressive endeavor, whether in science, medicine, psychology or any other discipline, while totally
out of proportion to their actual numbers. They gave the world the
Bible and even their "savior."
Jews taught the world not to accept the world as it is, but to
transform it, yet only a few nations wanted to listen. Moreover, the
Jews introduced the world to one God, yet only a minority wanted to
draw the moral consequences. So the nations of the world realize that
they would have been lost without the Jews.. And while their
subconscious tries to remind them of how much of Western civilization
is framed in terms of concepts first articulated by the Jews, they do
anything to suppress it.
They deny that Jews remind them of a higher purpose of life and the
need to be honorable, and do anything to escape its consequences. It is simply too much to handle for them, too embarrassing to admit, and
above all, too difficult to live by.
So the nations of the world decided once again to go out of 'their' way
in order to find a stick to hit the Jews. The goal: to prove that Jews
are as immoral and guilty of massacre and genocide as some of they
themselves are.
All this in order to hide and justify their own failure to even protest
when six million Jews were brought to the slaughterhouses of Auschwitz and Dachau ; so as to wipe out the moral conscience of which the Jews remind them, and they found a stick.
Nothing could be more gratifying for them than to find the Jews in a
struggle with another people (who are completely terrorized by their
own leaders) against whom the Jews, against their best wishes, have to defend themselves in order to survive. With great satisfaction, the
world allows and initiates the rewriting of history so as to fuel the
rage of yet another people against the Jews. This in spite of the fact
that the nations understand very well that peace between the parties
could have come a long time ago, if only the Jews would have had a fair chance. Instead, they happily jumped on the wagon of hate so as to justify their jealousy of the Jews and their incompetence to deal with their own moral issues.
When Jews look at the bizarre play taking place in The Hague, they can only smile as this artificial game once more proves how the world
paradoxically admits the Jews uniqueness. It is in their need to
undermine the Jews that they actually raise them.
The study of history of Europe during the past centuries teaches us one uniform lesson: That the nations which received and in any way dealt fairly and mercifully with the Jew have prospered; and that the nations that have tortured and oppressed them have written out their own curse."
--Olive Schreiner, South African novelist and social activist
------------------------------------------------------------------------
-#10
"If there is any honor in all the world that I should like, it would be
to be an honorary Jewish citizen."
--A.L Rowse, authority on Shakespeare
#1
"Some people like the Jews, and some do not. But no thoughtful man can deny the fact that they are, beyond any question, the most formidable and the most remarkable race which has appeared in the world."
-- Winston Churchill
------------------------------------------------------------------------
-#2
"The Jew is that sacred being who has brought down from heaven the
everlasting fire, and has illumined with it the entire world. He is the
religious source, spring, and fountain out of which all the rest of the
peoples have drawn their beliefs and their religions."
-- Leo Tolstoy
------------------------------------------------------------------------
-#3
"It was in vain that we locked them up for several hundred years behind the walls of the Ghetto. No sooner were their prison gates unbarred than they easily caught up with us, even on those paths which we opened up without their aid."
-- A. A. Leroy Beaulieu, French publicist, 1842
------------------------------------------------------------------------
-#4
"The Jew gave us the Outside and the Inside - our outlook and our inner life. We can hardly get up in the morning or cross the street without being Jewish. We dream Jewish dreams and hope Jewish hopes. Most of our best words, in fact - new, adventure, surprise, unique, individual, person, vocation, time, history, future, freedom, progress, spirit, faith, hope, justice - are the gifts of the Jews."
-- Thomas Cahill, Irish Author
------------------------------------------------------------------------
-#5
"One of the gifts of the Jewish culture to Chris trinity is that it has
taught Christians to think like Jews, and any modern man who has not
learned to think as though he were a Jew can hardly be said to have
learned to think at all."
-- William Rees-Mogg, former Editor-in-Chief for The Times of London and a member of the House of Lords
------------------------------------------------------------------------
-#6
"It is certain that in certain parts of the world we can see a peculiar
people, separated from the other peoples of the world and this is called the Jewish people....
This people is not only of remarkable antiquity but has also lasted for
a singular long time... For whereas the people of Greece and Italy , of
Sparta, Athens and Rome and others who came so much later have perished so long ago, these still exist, despite the efforts of so many powerful kings who have tried a hundred times to wipe them out, as their historians testify, and as can easily be judged by the natural order of things over such a long spell of years. They have always been preserved, however, and their preservation was foretold... My encounter with this people amazes me..."
-- Blaise Pascal, French Mathematician
--#7-----------------------------------------------------------------------
"The Jewish vision became the prototype for many similar grand designs for humanity, both divine and man made The Jews, therefore, stand at the center of the perennial attempt to give human life the dignity of a purpose."
--Paul Johnson, American Historian
------------------------------------------------------------------------
-#8
"As long as the world lasts, all who want to make progress in
righteousness will come to Israel for inspiration as to the people who
had the sense for righteousness most glowing and strongest."
--Matthew Arnold, British poet and critic
------------------------------------------------------------------------
-#9
"Indeed it is difficult for all other nations of the world to live in the presence of the Jews. It is irritating and most uncomfortable. The Jews embarrass the world as they have done things which are beyond the imaginable. They have become moral strangers since the day their
forefather, Abraham, introduced the world to high ethical standards and to the fear of Heaven. They brought the world the Ten Commandments, which many nations prefer to defy. They violated the rules of history by staying alive, totally at odds with common sense and historical evidence. They outlived all their former enemies, including vast empires such as the Romans and the Greeks. They angered the world with their return to their homeland after 2000 years of exile and after the murder of six million of their brothers and sisters.
They aggravated mankind by building, in the wink of an eye, a
democratic State which others were not able to create in even hundreds of years. They built living monuments such as the duty to be holy and the privilege to serve one's fellow men.
They had their hands in every human progressive endeavor, whether in science, medicine, psychology or any other discipline, while totally
out of proportion to their actual numbers. They gave the world the
Bible and even their "savior."
Jews taught the world not to accept the world as it is, but to
transform it, yet only a few nations wanted to listen. Moreover, the
Jews introduced the world to one God, yet only a minority wanted to
draw the moral consequences. So the nations of the world realize that
they would have been lost without the Jews.. And while their
subconscious tries to remind them of how much of Western civilization
is framed in terms of concepts first articulated by the Jews, they do
anything to suppress it.
They deny that Jews remind them of a higher purpose of life and the
need to be honorable, and do anything to escape its consequences. It is simply too much to handle for them, too embarrassing to admit, and
above all, too difficult to live by.
So the nations of the world decided once again to go out of 'their' way
in order to find a stick to hit the Jews. The goal: to prove that Jews
are as immoral and guilty of massacre and genocide as some of they
themselves are.
All this in order to hide and justify their own failure to even protest
when six million Jews were brought to the slaughterhouses of Auschwitz and Dachau ; so as to wipe out the moral conscience of which the Jews remind them, and they found a stick.
Nothing could be more gratifying for them than to find the Jews in a
struggle with another people (who are completely terrorized by their
own leaders) against whom the Jews, against their best wishes, have to defend themselves in order to survive. With great satisfaction, the
world allows and initiates the rewriting of history so as to fuel the
rage of yet another people against the Jews. This in spite of the fact
that the nations understand very well that peace between the parties
could have come a long time ago, if only the Jews would have had a fair chance. Instead, they happily jumped on the wagon of hate so as to justify their jealousy of the Jews and their incompetence to deal with their own moral issues.
When Jews look at the bizarre play taking place in The Hague, they can only smile as this artificial game once more proves how the world
paradoxically admits the Jews uniqueness. It is in their need to
undermine the Jews that they actually raise them.
The study of history of Europe during the past centuries teaches us one uniform lesson: That the nations which received and in any way dealt fairly and mercifully with the Jew have prospered; and that the nations that have tortured and oppressed them have written out their own curse."
--Olive Schreiner, South African novelist and social activist
------------------------------------------------------------------------
-#10
"If there is any honor in all the world that I should like, it would be
to be an honorary Jewish citizen."
--A.L Rowse, authority on Shakespeare
Painless bris milah
The article below from French researchers: “Potent Painkiller Found in Human Saliva More powerful than morphine” brings a new dimension to what I wrote about the metsitsa.
I find it fascinating to see how again and again Torah truths are discovered these days by science [of course the Torah does not need science as a "proof" ]
Potent Painkiller Found in Human Saliva More powerful than morphine it could lead to better pain medicines, researchers say
Printer-friendly version Printer-friendly version
HealthDay
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
HealthDay news imageTUESDAY, Nov. 14 (HealthDay News) — French researchers say they’ve discovered a natural painkiller in human saliva that’s several times more potent than morphine used in animal studies.
The researchers have named the pain inhibitor opiorphin, because it acts on the same pathways as morphine and other opiate painkillers. The finding could lead to improved pain medications because opiorphin is a naturally occurring molecule that is quickly metabolized, according to a report by researchers at the Pasteur Institute, in Paris.
Not much is known as yet about opiorphin, said study author Dr. Catherine Rougeot, director of the institute’s Laboratory of Pharmacology of Neuroendocrine Regulation.
“We found it in saliva, that was the first step,” she said. “Now, we are exploring its presence in other human biological tissues. Maybe it is localized in the blood, the brain. Now, I cannot answer.”
It’s not even known where in the body the substance is produced, Rougeot added. “We need more information to answer this question. Now, we need to characterize its function at physiological levels and learn by which tissues it is produced,” she added.
The study was published in this week’s issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The discovery was made after the researchers identified a powerful pain-inhibiting molecule in rats. Their search for a similar molecule in humans turned up opiorphin. In rat studies, injections of 1 milligram of opiorphin per kilogram of body weight equaled the painkilling power of 3 to 6 milligrams of morphine per kilogram. Opiorphin was equally effective against chemical-induced inflammation and acute physical pain.
In addition to studying opiorphin, Rougeot and her colleagues plan to make and study variations of the original molecule. “It is important to mimic such compounds,” she said.
A painkiller arising from the research could have important applications for human use, Rougeot said. “Opiorphin is natural, so it is quickly metabolized,” she said, so its effects on the body would be more limited than those of existing painkillers.
Rougeot already has contacted a pharmaceutical company about funding for more research on opiorphin. “To complete this program, I need very much money,” she explained.
Identification of opiorphin is “a potentially very significant finding,” said Dr. Max Kelz, an assistant professor of anesthesiology and critical care at the University of Pennsylvania. “This new compound could serve as a potentially useful therapy for fighting pain in a number of conditions.”
Kelz agreed that the discovery was just a beginning. “More has to be done to elucidate how this affects other endogenous painkillers,” he said. “But the results are certainly promising.”
Dr. Ed Ross, director of the pain management center at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, said opiorphin could be an important addition to the only other natural painkillers found in the human body — endorphins.
“Endorphins have been around for quite a while, but they are weak and have a short half-life, so the problems in using them clinically are very significant,” Ross said. “Now, this is a compound that has much more strength than the endorphins. It also suggests a potential for other synthetic compounds that work on different receptors that we have known before, and, for a pain doctor, that is very significant.”
Another paper in the same issue of the journal described the discovery of toxins from two species of snails that hold promise for relief of severe nerve pain such as sciatica. The toxins lock onto nerve cell receptors to block nerve pain, said the report by researchers at the University of Utah.
One of the toxins, designated Vc1.1, is being developed by an Australian company and already is undergoing trials in human patients. It is administered by injection.
It may be possible to develop a version that could be taken orally, but that might require 10 years, said a statement by J. Michael McIntosh, a research professor of biology and a member of the team reporting the discovery.
“There really is no highly effective treatment available for this kind of severe pain, so having a new way to treat it is exciting,” he said.
This I sent you a while ago in english and in hebrew:
Leviticus: 12-3: And in the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.
Did you know that the 8th day is the safest day for the child to be circumcised??
The ” rofe kol basar ” ["the Healer of all flesh"] knew this-so to speak- very well and may have probably engineered the system of every newborn this way.
Of course these kind of medical facts are just an example of the wonderful ways in which we may recognize our creator.
On this day the clotting factors in the blood are super-optimal.
Before that date and after that date they are or sub-optimal or just “normal”.
Do you know that metsitsa[ sucking by mouth] of the blood during/after the brit [circumcision ]is the best and safest method there is to regulate the bleeding after the circumcision[and not by a tube]?
This is of course not meant to criticize anybody /any mohel who does otherwise now a day.]
I am speaking pure medically and expressing the ideas of many rabbis of the past.
It has been shown that morning saliva [the first saliva in the morning, before eating or drinking makes the chance of transferring diseases nil
[even Aids!!]
How proper would it be for this medical reason alone to do the brit early in the morning!! and to use metsitsa.
For the same reason we advise people with severe acne to dap there face ,as first thing in the morning ,with the morning saliva ,directly after netilat yadayim] , the antibacterial effect is tremendous.
I find it fascinating to see how again and again Torah truths are discovered these days by science [of course the Torah does not need science as a "proof" ]
Potent Painkiller Found in Human Saliva More powerful than morphine it could lead to better pain medicines, researchers say
Printer-friendly version Printer-friendly version
HealthDay
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
HealthDay news imageTUESDAY, Nov. 14 (HealthDay News) — French researchers say they’ve discovered a natural painkiller in human saliva that’s several times more potent than morphine used in animal studies.
The researchers have named the pain inhibitor opiorphin, because it acts on the same pathways as morphine and other opiate painkillers. The finding could lead to improved pain medications because opiorphin is a naturally occurring molecule that is quickly metabolized, according to a report by researchers at the Pasteur Institute, in Paris.
Not much is known as yet about opiorphin, said study author Dr. Catherine Rougeot, director of the institute’s Laboratory of Pharmacology of Neuroendocrine Regulation.
“We found it in saliva, that was the first step,” she said. “Now, we are exploring its presence in other human biological tissues. Maybe it is localized in the blood, the brain. Now, I cannot answer.”
It’s not even known where in the body the substance is produced, Rougeot added. “We need more information to answer this question. Now, we need to characterize its function at physiological levels and learn by which tissues it is produced,” she added.
The study was published in this week’s issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The discovery was made after the researchers identified a powerful pain-inhibiting molecule in rats. Their search for a similar molecule in humans turned up opiorphin. In rat studies, injections of 1 milligram of opiorphin per kilogram of body weight equaled the painkilling power of 3 to 6 milligrams of morphine per kilogram. Opiorphin was equally effective against chemical-induced inflammation and acute physical pain.
In addition to studying opiorphin, Rougeot and her colleagues plan to make and study variations of the original molecule. “It is important to mimic such compounds,” she said.
A painkiller arising from the research could have important applications for human use, Rougeot said. “Opiorphin is natural, so it is quickly metabolized,” she said, so its effects on the body would be more limited than those of existing painkillers.
Rougeot already has contacted a pharmaceutical company about funding for more research on opiorphin. “To complete this program, I need very much money,” she explained.
Identification of opiorphin is “a potentially very significant finding,” said Dr. Max Kelz, an assistant professor of anesthesiology and critical care at the University of Pennsylvania. “This new compound could serve as a potentially useful therapy for fighting pain in a number of conditions.”
Kelz agreed that the discovery was just a beginning. “More has to be done to elucidate how this affects other endogenous painkillers,” he said. “But the results are certainly promising.”
Dr. Ed Ross, director of the pain management center at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, said opiorphin could be an important addition to the only other natural painkillers found in the human body — endorphins.
“Endorphins have been around for quite a while, but they are weak and have a short half-life, so the problems in using them clinically are very significant,” Ross said. “Now, this is a compound that has much more strength than the endorphins. It also suggests a potential for other synthetic compounds that work on different receptors that we have known before, and, for a pain doctor, that is very significant.”
Another paper in the same issue of the journal described the discovery of toxins from two species of snails that hold promise for relief of severe nerve pain such as sciatica. The toxins lock onto nerve cell receptors to block nerve pain, said the report by researchers at the University of Utah.
One of the toxins, designated Vc1.1, is being developed by an Australian company and already is undergoing trials in human patients. It is administered by injection.
It may be possible to develop a version that could be taken orally, but that might require 10 years, said a statement by J. Michael McIntosh, a research professor of biology and a member of the team reporting the discovery.
“There really is no highly effective treatment available for this kind of severe pain, so having a new way to treat it is exciting,” he said.
This I sent you a while ago in english and in hebrew:
Leviticus: 12-3: And in the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.
Did you know that the 8th day is the safest day for the child to be circumcised??
The ” rofe kol basar ” ["the Healer of all flesh"] knew this-so to speak- very well and may have probably engineered the system of every newborn this way.
Of course these kind of medical facts are just an example of the wonderful ways in which we may recognize our creator.
On this day the clotting factors in the blood are super-optimal.
Before that date and after that date they are or sub-optimal or just “normal”.
Do you know that metsitsa[ sucking by mouth] of the blood during/after the brit [circumcision ]is the best and safest method there is to regulate the bleeding after the circumcision[and not by a tube]?
This is of course not meant to criticize anybody /any mohel who does otherwise now a day.]
I am speaking pure medically and expressing the ideas of many rabbis of the past.
It has been shown that morning saliva [the first saliva in the morning, before eating or drinking makes the chance of transferring diseases nil
[even Aids!!]
How proper would it be for this medical reason alone to do the brit early in the morning!! and to use metsitsa.
For the same reason we advise people with severe acne to dap there face ,as first thing in the morning ,with the morning saliva ,directly after netilat yadayim] , the antibacterial effect is tremendous.
What is love?
Yichidus
Mrs Chana Sharfstein
In her early twenties in 1954
One time when I went into Yechidus, the Rebbe started asking me about Shidduchim.
I was dating, and I just answered: Yes, I was meeting people.
Then the Rebbe started asking me about different boys.
I thought to myself that is strange, all the boys that the Rebbe asked me about, I had gone out with them.
I answered about each one, that although they were nice boys, I had my reasons for not marrying them.
The Rebbe then said to me: I know that you like to read.
I said: oh yes I do.
He said: and what kind of books do you prefer reading.
I said that I loved to read novels.
The Rebbe said, that: Novels are fiction, and fiction is make believe, it is not real.
So what you read in a novel, is not what happens in real life.
In a novel, people meet and there is this big blinding storm of passion. That is not what real love is all about.
Two people can meet, and there can be a thread of understanding. It is like a tiny little flame.
And as these people merge their lives together, and decide to build a home, and raise a family. Through the everyday activities of life, through caring and sharing, through commitment to each other, going through the daily tribulations of life; this little flame then grows ever brighter, into a much bigger flame.
Until these two people, who started out as strangers, have through life become intertwined to such an extent, that neither one of them can think of life, without the other.
This is what true love is all about. It is small acts, that you do on a daily basis, that make you become, instead of you and I, us.
Mrs Chana Sharfstein
In her early twenties in 1954
One time when I went into Yechidus, the Rebbe started asking me about Shidduchim.
I was dating, and I just answered: Yes, I was meeting people.
Then the Rebbe started asking me about different boys.
I thought to myself that is strange, all the boys that the Rebbe asked me about, I had gone out with them.
I answered about each one, that although they were nice boys, I had my reasons for not marrying them.
The Rebbe then said to me: I know that you like to read.
I said: oh yes I do.
He said: and what kind of books do you prefer reading.
I said that I loved to read novels.
The Rebbe said, that: Novels are fiction, and fiction is make believe, it is not real.
So what you read in a novel, is not what happens in real life.
In a novel, people meet and there is this big blinding storm of passion. That is not what real love is all about.
Two people can meet, and there can be a thread of understanding. It is like a tiny little flame.
And as these people merge their lives together, and decide to build a home, and raise a family. Through the everyday activities of life, through caring and sharing, through commitment to each other, going through the daily tribulations of life; this little flame then grows ever brighter, into a much bigger flame.
Until these two people, who started out as strangers, have through life become intertwined to such an extent, that neither one of them can think of life, without the other.
This is what true love is all about. It is small acts, that you do on a daily basis, that make you become, instead of you and I, us.
Truth
"During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act." - George Orwell
Diet as a Jewish challenge
Similarly, the basic chassidic work of Tanya emphasizes that life for the average guy is about continuously dealing with challenges, withstanding temptation and then withstanding its mutated form. Resist the extra cupcake, and tomorrow you'll find your favorite pie staring you in the face. That's life; that's living: overcoming challenge, and then dealing with the next one.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
War? Soon?
Yesterday, cannons were fired on the northern border of Israel after a long period of quiet. Israel again finds itself in a difficult security situation, which has claimed the life of a soldier. Kassams have returned and rockets are being fired.
Against the background of these events are recent statements from several rabbonim predicting that a war will break out real soon in Israel.
Rav Eliezer Berland, a leading rov of the Breslover community, told his Chassidim recently to daven because a war would break out on 22 Av.
A few days later, Rav Amnon Yitzchak said during a drasha in Modi’in Illit that within weeks, a bloody war will break out.
“Wars do not happen during winter,” said Rav Yitzchak. “The Iranian nuclear threat is ticking, and the military will not drag the war into the winter, so as not to drown in the Lebanese mud.”
Rav Yitzchak addressed the recent tragedies, including the loss of six lives in the Air Force crash during training in Romania.
“The army is doing preparations for an attack on Iran,” said Rav Yitzchak.
In recent days, Rav Mordechai Genut, author of the “Dovor Be’ito” luach, said that “Based on the stars, war will break out next month.”
{Yair Alpert-Matzav.com Israel}
Against the background of these events are recent statements from several rabbonim predicting that a war will break out real soon in Israel.
Rav Eliezer Berland, a leading rov of the Breslover community, told his Chassidim recently to daven because a war would break out on 22 Av.
A few days later, Rav Amnon Yitzchak said during a drasha in Modi’in Illit that within weeks, a bloody war will break out.
“Wars do not happen during winter,” said Rav Yitzchak. “The Iranian nuclear threat is ticking, and the military will not drag the war into the winter, so as not to drown in the Lebanese mud.”
Rav Yitzchak addressed the recent tragedies, including the loss of six lives in the Air Force crash during training in Romania.
“The army is doing preparations for an attack on Iran,” said Rav Yitzchak.
In recent days, Rav Mordechai Genut, author of the “Dovor Be’ito” luach, said that “Based on the stars, war will break out next month.”
{Yair Alpert-Matzav.com Israel}
Friday, July 30, 2010
“Decoy Jew”
“Decoy Jew” is a new phrase in the Netherlands .
Jews are no longer safe in major
Dutch cities such as Amsterdam . Since 1999, Jewish organizations in the
Netherlands have been complaining that Jews who walk the Dutch streets wearing
skullcaps risk verbal and physical attacks by young Muslims. Being insulted,
spat at or attacked are some of the risks associated with being recognizable as
a Jew in contemporary Western Europe .
Last week, a television broadcast showed how three Jews with skullcaps, two
adolescents and an adult, were harassed within thirty minutes of being out in
the streets of Amsterdam . Young Muslims spat at them, mocked them, shouted
insults and made Nazi salutes. “Dirty Jew, go back to your own country,” a group
of Moroccan youths shouted at a young indigenous Dutch Jew. “It is rather
ironic,” the young man commented, adding that if one goes out in a burka one
encounters less hostility than if one wears a skullcap.
In an effort to arrest the culprits who terrorize Jews, the Amsterdam
authorities have ordered police officers to walk the streets disguised as Jews.
The Dutch police already disguise officers as “decoy prostitutes, decoy gays and
decoy grannies” to deter muggings and attacks on prostitutes, homosexuals and
the elderly. Apparently sending out the decoys has helped reduce street crime.
The “decoy Jew” has now been added to the police attributes.
The deployment of “decoy Jews”, however, is being criticized by leftist parties
such as the Dutch Greens. Evelien van Roemburg, an Amsterdam counselor of the
Green Left Party, says that using a decoy by the police amounts to provoking a
crime, which is itself a criminal offence under Dutch law.
Unfortunately, the situation in Amsterdam is not unique. Jews in other Dutch
cities also regularly complain about harassment. So do Jews in neighboring
countries.
On Monday, the Belgian newspaper De Standaard reported that large numbers of
Jews are leaving Antwerp for America , Britain or Israel . Antwerp – nicknamed the
“ Jerusalem of the North” – is one of the major centers of Jewish culture in the
Low Countries . “In London , you are not harassed if you wear a skullcap, but here
you are,” a young Antwerp Jew told the paper.
Kleinblatt, a famous Jewish Antwerp bakery, which has been handed down from
father to son since 1903, will soon break with that tradition because the
baker’s son has emigrated to the U.S. “We no longer feel safe and welcome here,”
a young Jew who is leaving for London told De Standaard. “Muslim immigrants
blame us for what is happening in Israel .” Another young Jew, who is leaving for
New York , says: “ New York is a paradise for Jews. Unlike Belgium , non-Jews in
America are pro-Israel.”
Ultra-orthodox Jews remain in Antwerp , but the less orthodox are leaving in
droves. Even Jacques Wenger, the director of Shomre Hadas, the Jewish community
center in Antwerp , is emigrating to Israel . If the current trend continues, he
predicts, in fifty years’ time there will be no Jews left in Antwerp except for
the ultra-orthodox.
It is often said that the Jews are the canary in the coalmine. When the Jews
feel compelled to leave, the light of freedom is being extinguished. Something
is badly wrong when the police need to deploy “decoy Jews..” Once again, the
specter of anti-Semitism is haunting Europe . If the Europeans do not stand with
the Jews, they deserve no freedom themselves and cities such as Amsterdam and
Antwerp will soon be Islamic cities.
http://www.brusselsjournal.com/node/4470
Monday, July 19, 2010
It's all about love
TISHA B'AV\THE NINTH OF AV
The Talmud (Yoma 9b) states: "The First Temple was destroyed because of three sins that took place in that era - idol worship, adultery, and murder. Whereas during the period of the Second Temple the people were engaged in Torah study, the performance of Mitzvoth, and good deeds. If so, why was the Second Temple destroyed? It was destroyed because the people of that generation were afflicted with the trait of baseless hatred."
Rabbi Akiva taught that the axiomatic principle of the Torah is: "Love your fellow as you love yourself." There are two components of love: (1) Deed and (2) Thought.
"Deeds of Love" means to perform acts of kindness - unconditionally, abundantly, and unceasingly.
Whereas "Thoughts of Love" consists of two ideals: Firstly, the contemplation of the great worth of each member of our community, as well as the great value of the community at large. The very awareness of these precious thoughts, i.e., the love, importance, and worthiness of other people, is the basis of the world's existence.
The second ideal of "Thoughts of Love" concerns sensitivity to others, i.e., to feel the joy, pain, and needs of our fellow human beings.
For that reason, the "baseless hatred" of the people of the Second Temple period caused the Temple to be destroyed. The Temple was the link between the Nation of Israel and Heaven. The Torah urges us to love, value, and care for each other. When the love is replaced with baseless hatred, we no longer have the merit to have the Presence of HaShem dwell among us. Consequently, the Temple, i.e., the dwelling place of HaShem, can no longer exist on earth.
The Tikun (rectification) for the sin of baseless hatred is to relate to others with unconditional Love. Let us endeavor to view all of our family members and friends with a positive eye (including yourself.)
In this way, we will re-establish the awareness of "Love for our Fellow," which is the required condition for the Temple to be re-built.
May we merit seeing the return of the Divine Presence amongst the People of Israel.
[Based on Chachmah V'Mussar of Rav Simchah Zissel Ziv]
Today: Filter all negative thoughts of other people from entering your mind.
When you do think of others - only think of them in ways of how you can help them. (Rabbi Yisrael Salanter)
The Talmud (Yoma 9b) states: "The First Temple was destroyed because of three sins that took place in that era - idol worship, adultery, and murder. Whereas during the period of the Second Temple the people were engaged in Torah study, the performance of Mitzvoth, and good deeds. If so, why was the Second Temple destroyed? It was destroyed because the people of that generation were afflicted with the trait of baseless hatred."
Rabbi Akiva taught that the axiomatic principle of the Torah is: "Love your fellow as you love yourself." There are two components of love: (1) Deed and (2) Thought.
"Deeds of Love" means to perform acts of kindness - unconditionally, abundantly, and unceasingly.
Whereas "Thoughts of Love" consists of two ideals: Firstly, the contemplation of the great worth of each member of our community, as well as the great value of the community at large. The very awareness of these precious thoughts, i.e., the love, importance, and worthiness of other people, is the basis of the world's existence.
The second ideal of "Thoughts of Love" concerns sensitivity to others, i.e., to feel the joy, pain, and needs of our fellow human beings.
For that reason, the "baseless hatred" of the people of the Second Temple period caused the Temple to be destroyed. The Temple was the link between the Nation of Israel and Heaven. The Torah urges us to love, value, and care for each other. When the love is replaced with baseless hatred, we no longer have the merit to have the Presence of HaShem dwell among us. Consequently, the Temple, i.e., the dwelling place of HaShem, can no longer exist on earth.
The Tikun (rectification) for the sin of baseless hatred is to relate to others with unconditional Love. Let us endeavor to view all of our family members and friends with a positive eye (including yourself.)
In this way, we will re-establish the awareness of "Love for our Fellow," which is the required condition for the Temple to be re-built.
May we merit seeing the return of the Divine Presence amongst the People of Israel.
[Based on Chachmah V'Mussar of Rav Simchah Zissel Ziv]
Today: Filter all negative thoughts of other people from entering your mind.
When you do think of others - only think of them in ways of how you can help them. (Rabbi Yisrael Salanter)
Thursday, July 15, 2010
What is leadership?
THE AGADAH OF THE TALMUD
Good leadership is a vital element in a nation's success. The spiritual goals of the Nation of Israel require different leadership qualities than other nations. Yet, it is not simple to abstract rules of leadership from the profound wisdom of the Torah. Therefore, we ask: what is the essence of a good Jewish leader?
When HaShem appointed Yehoshua as Moshe's successor, he referred to Yehoshua as "a man of spirit." In light of the fact that every person has a "spirit" or soul, what was unique about Yehoshua's spirit?
Yehoshua accepted and loved every member of the People of Israel. He was a "man of the spirit," meaning that, his spirit embraced every person in his great community. He was a living example of Abraham, who loved all of his fellow man.
Now, this is interesting. Jewish leadership is not about power, a smooth tongue, and ego. It is about GOODNESS. Simply put, the Jewish leader is good and does good to others. His model of goodness is the greatest and most important function of a Jewish leader. His goodness uplifts his people and inspires them to be good.
The verse states (Daniel 12:3), "And those who teach righteousness to the multitudes will shine like the stars forever and ever," Rashi writes, "The teachers of children turn many to righteousness, because they train them to go the way of the good."
May we ourselves fill our hearts with love and understanding for every person. As a result, we will be true leaders - and spread the light of goodness to the entire world.
[Based on the Ohr HaChaim and Ohr Yisrael]
TODAY: Open your heart to accept every person in love and spread goodness to mankind.
Good leadership is a vital element in a nation's success. The spiritual goals of the Nation of Israel require different leadership qualities than other nations. Yet, it is not simple to abstract rules of leadership from the profound wisdom of the Torah. Therefore, we ask: what is the essence of a good Jewish leader?
When HaShem appointed Yehoshua as Moshe's successor, he referred to Yehoshua as "a man of spirit." In light of the fact that every person has a "spirit" or soul, what was unique about Yehoshua's spirit?
Yehoshua accepted and loved every member of the People of Israel. He was a "man of the spirit," meaning that, his spirit embraced every person in his great community. He was a living example of Abraham, who loved all of his fellow man.
Now, this is interesting. Jewish leadership is not about power, a smooth tongue, and ego. It is about GOODNESS. Simply put, the Jewish leader is good and does good to others. His model of goodness is the greatest and most important function of a Jewish leader. His goodness uplifts his people and inspires them to be good.
The verse states (Daniel 12:3), "And those who teach righteousness to the multitudes will shine like the stars forever and ever," Rashi writes, "The teachers of children turn many to righteousness, because they train them to go the way of the good."
May we ourselves fill our hearts with love and understanding for every person. As a result, we will be true leaders - and spread the light of goodness to the entire world.
[Based on the Ohr HaChaim and Ohr Yisrael]
TODAY: Open your heart to accept every person in love and spread goodness to mankind.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Rumor about Redemption and the Gra
Regarding the Rumor about the Building of the Holy Temple on March 16th, 2010, and the Story that Lies Behind It
A STORY HAS BEEN CIRCULATING RECENTLY concerning the prophesied commencement of construction on the Holy Temple on March 16th, 2010. It would appear that the current interest began when a certain Israeli daily newspaper published a story claiming that the celebrated Rabbi of Vilna, Eliyahu ben Shlomo, known to this day as the Vilna Gaon, (The genius of Vilna), or by his acronym, the Gra, who lived over 200 years ago, (1720-1797), purportedly declared that the beginning of the redemptive process would commence upon the completion of the rebuilding of the Churva synagogue in Israel. The current excitement has to do with the fact that the Churva synagogue is being rebuilt at this moment and March 15th is scheduled to be the day of its rededication. The essence of this story is very beautiful, and most beautiful is the tremendous anticipation it has been generating.
BY MORPHING TWO DIFFERENT historical happenings into one, the story making the rounds today is one of prophecy, vision, calculating the precise dates of the redemption, and a strong dose of Divine determinism. After all, if March 16th is the projected date, then where is our input? Suppose we want to build the Holy Temple today? And we should so desire, of course, for G-d said, "Build Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them." (Exodus 25:8) Build Me - today, not necessarily on March 16th, 2010.
AS EXCITING AS THIS STORY IS, the true story, from which the current version has taken certain poetic license, is even more exciting. The Gra was very proactive, and he believed that the long awaited redemption depended upon positive steps being taken. He encouraged his disciples to pack up their belongings and move to the land of Israel. This they did, one hundred years before the advent of modern Zionism, and a number of them settled in Jerusalem. Basing himself on the Gra's mystical teachings, his most accomplished student, and leader of the Jerusalem community, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Mishklov, was of the conviction that the completion of a certain Jerusalem synagogue, known as the Churva, was an essential roadmark on the path toward redemption. Now at the time the holy land was under the authority of the Ottoman empire, and so when the followers of the Gra took upon themselves to complete the construction of the unfinished Churva synagogue, they needed first to be granted permission to do so by the Ottoman authorities. After twenty years of effort, in 1836 they were finally given the long sought go ahead. They began the rebuilding embued with the sense that the redemption was truly under way. A number of traditional observations marking the destruction of the Holy Temple were dropped from their daily and Shabbat liturgy, as they moved forward with the construction of the synagogue. In addition to resettling the land, and rebuilding the Churva synagogue, the community of the Gra's followers in Israel made tremendous efforts to reconvene the Sanhedrin, but in this they did not succeed.
The construction of the Churva synagogue was originally begun in 1700 under the auspices of Yehuda heHassid, who had relocated with his follower from Poland to Jerusalem. The construction ceased upon his death. An ensuing lack of funds prevented the completion of the synagogue, until the effort was taken up by the follower of the Gra, in 1836. The "official" title of the synagogue remains to this day, the Yehuda heHassid Synagogue. The appelation, Churva, which means "a ruin," was given to it in commemoration of the Holy Temple.
THE SYNAGOGUE WAS COMPLETED IN 1856, and was one of Jerusalem's largest structures at the time. Less than one hundred years later, in 1948, during Israel's war of independence, the Jordanian Arab Legion, which occupied Jerusalem's walled city, razed the synagogue to the ground. When Israel liberated the eastern sector of Jerusalem in 1967, which included the old walled city and the Temple Mount, the Churva synagogue was a pile of rubble. Over forty years passed before the rebuilding of the synagogue commenced in 2003. Now, as completion of the synagogue nears, and a rededication ceremony has been set for March 15th, the original enthusiasm of the followers of the Gra from 1936 has been rekindled. Today, however, the enthusiasm has spread from beyond the wall of Jerusalem, and can be felt around the world.
HAVING EXAMINED THE HISTORY of the Churva synagogue, and the source of today's current excitement, it can be stated that heart of the matter is not a prophetic prediction of a precise building-of-the-Temple date, but something, in fact, much more compelling: The taking upon itself by the nation of Israel the performance of prophetic action. The return to Israel and the rebuilding of Jerusalem are precursors to the great event of the rebuilding of the Holy Temple. Israel today, unlike two hundred years ago, has the means and the authority to do so. The realization of the necessity for the rebuilding of the Holy Temple and the renewal of the Divine service for the spiritual revival and redemption of all humanity, is growing day by day. Both inside Israel and abroad, the longing for the Holy Temple is becoming a powerful voice for change. May it be G-d's will that we soon begin the rebuilding of the Holy Temple, if not before the 16th of March, then not a day later!
A STORY HAS BEEN CIRCULATING RECENTLY concerning the prophesied commencement of construction on the Holy Temple on March 16th, 2010. It would appear that the current interest began when a certain Israeli daily newspaper published a story claiming that the celebrated Rabbi of Vilna, Eliyahu ben Shlomo, known to this day as the Vilna Gaon, (The genius of Vilna), or by his acronym, the Gra, who lived over 200 years ago, (1720-1797), purportedly declared that the beginning of the redemptive process would commence upon the completion of the rebuilding of the Churva synagogue in Israel. The current excitement has to do with the fact that the Churva synagogue is being rebuilt at this moment and March 15th is scheduled to be the day of its rededication. The essence of this story is very beautiful, and most beautiful is the tremendous anticipation it has been generating.
BY MORPHING TWO DIFFERENT historical happenings into one, the story making the rounds today is one of prophecy, vision, calculating the precise dates of the redemption, and a strong dose of Divine determinism. After all, if March 16th is the projected date, then where is our input? Suppose we want to build the Holy Temple today? And we should so desire, of course, for G-d said, "Build Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them." (Exodus 25:8) Build Me - today, not necessarily on March 16th, 2010.
AS EXCITING AS THIS STORY IS, the true story, from which the current version has taken certain poetic license, is even more exciting. The Gra was very proactive, and he believed that the long awaited redemption depended upon positive steps being taken. He encouraged his disciples to pack up their belongings and move to the land of Israel. This they did, one hundred years before the advent of modern Zionism, and a number of them settled in Jerusalem. Basing himself on the Gra's mystical teachings, his most accomplished student, and leader of the Jerusalem community, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Mishklov, was of the conviction that the completion of a certain Jerusalem synagogue, known as the Churva, was an essential roadmark on the path toward redemption. Now at the time the holy land was under the authority of the Ottoman empire, and so when the followers of the Gra took upon themselves to complete the construction of the unfinished Churva synagogue, they needed first to be granted permission to do so by the Ottoman authorities. After twenty years of effort, in 1836 they were finally given the long sought go ahead. They began the rebuilding embued with the sense that the redemption was truly under way. A number of traditional observations marking the destruction of the Holy Temple were dropped from their daily and Shabbat liturgy, as they moved forward with the construction of the synagogue. In addition to resettling the land, and rebuilding the Churva synagogue, the community of the Gra's followers in Israel made tremendous efforts to reconvene the Sanhedrin, but in this they did not succeed.
The construction of the Churva synagogue was originally begun in 1700 under the auspices of Yehuda heHassid, who had relocated with his follower from Poland to Jerusalem. The construction ceased upon his death. An ensuing lack of funds prevented the completion of the synagogue, until the effort was taken up by the follower of the Gra, in 1836. The "official" title of the synagogue remains to this day, the Yehuda heHassid Synagogue. The appelation, Churva, which means "a ruin," was given to it in commemoration of the Holy Temple.
THE SYNAGOGUE WAS COMPLETED IN 1856, and was one of Jerusalem's largest structures at the time. Less than one hundred years later, in 1948, during Israel's war of independence, the Jordanian Arab Legion, which occupied Jerusalem's walled city, razed the synagogue to the ground. When Israel liberated the eastern sector of Jerusalem in 1967, which included the old walled city and the Temple Mount, the Churva synagogue was a pile of rubble. Over forty years passed before the rebuilding of the synagogue commenced in 2003. Now, as completion of the synagogue nears, and a rededication ceremony has been set for March 15th, the original enthusiasm of the followers of the Gra from 1936 has been rekindled. Today, however, the enthusiasm has spread from beyond the wall of Jerusalem, and can be felt around the world.
HAVING EXAMINED THE HISTORY of the Churva synagogue, and the source of today's current excitement, it can be stated that heart of the matter is not a prophetic prediction of a precise building-of-the-Temple date, but something, in fact, much more compelling: The taking upon itself by the nation of Israel the performance of prophetic action. The return to Israel and the rebuilding of Jerusalem are precursors to the great event of the rebuilding of the Holy Temple. Israel today, unlike two hundred years ago, has the means and the authority to do so. The realization of the necessity for the rebuilding of the Holy Temple and the renewal of the Divine service for the spiritual revival and redemption of all humanity, is growing day by day. Both inside Israel and abroad, the longing for the Holy Temple is becoming a powerful voice for change. May it be G-d's will that we soon begin the rebuilding of the Holy Temple, if not before the 16th of March, then not a day later!
Friday, January 29, 2010
Funny english
Cocktail lounge, Norway :
LADIES ARE REQUESTED NOT TO HAVE CHILDREN IN THE BAR.
Dry cleaners, Bangkok :
DROP YOUR TROUSERS HERE FOR THE BEST RESULTS.
In a Nairobi restaurant:
CUSTOMERS WHO FIND OUR WAITRESSES RUDE OUGHT TO SEE THE MANAGER.
On the main road to Mombassa, leaving Nairobi :
TAKE NOTICE: WHEN THIS SIGN IS UNDER WATER, THIS ROAD IS IMPASSABLE.
On a poster at Kencom :
ARE YOU AN ADULT THAT CANNOT READ? IF SO WE CAN HELP.
In a City restaurant:
OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK AND WEEKENDS.
In a cemetery:
PERSONS ARE PROHIBITED FROM PICKING FLOWERS FROM ANY BUT THEIR OWN GRAVES.
Tokyo hotel ' s rules and regulations:
GUESTS ARE REQUESTED NOT TO SMOKE OR DO OTHER DISGUSTING BEHAVIOURS IN BED.
On the menu of a Swiss restaurant:
OUR WINES LEAVE YOU NOTHING TO HOPE FOR.
In a Tokyo bar:
SPECIAL COCKTAILS FOR THE LADIES WITH NUTS.
Hotel, Yugoslavia :
THE FLATTENING OF UNDERWEAR WITH PLEASURE IS THE JOB OF THE CHAMBERMAID.
Hotel, Japan :
YOU ARE INVITED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE CHAMBERMAID.
In the lobby of a Moscow hotel across from a Russian Orthodox monastery:
YOU ARE WELCOME TO VISIT THE CEMETERY WHERE FAMOUS RUSSIAN AND SOVIET COMPOSERS, ARTISTS AND WRITERS ARE BURIED DAILY EXCEPT THURSDAY.
Advertisement for donkey rides, Thailand :
WOULD YOU LIKE TO RIDE ON YOUR OWN ASS?
Airline ticket office, Copenhagen :
WE TAKE YOUR BAGS AND SEND THEM IN ALL DIRECTIONS.
LADIES ARE REQUESTED NOT TO HAVE CHILDREN IN THE BAR.
Dry cleaners, Bangkok :
DROP YOUR TROUSERS HERE FOR THE BEST RESULTS.
In a Nairobi restaurant:
CUSTOMERS WHO FIND OUR WAITRESSES RUDE OUGHT TO SEE THE MANAGER.
On the main road to Mombassa, leaving Nairobi :
TAKE NOTICE: WHEN THIS SIGN IS UNDER WATER, THIS ROAD IS IMPASSABLE.
On a poster at Kencom :
ARE YOU AN ADULT THAT CANNOT READ? IF SO WE CAN HELP.
In a City restaurant:
OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK AND WEEKENDS.
In a cemetery:
PERSONS ARE PROHIBITED FROM PICKING FLOWERS FROM ANY BUT THEIR OWN GRAVES.
Tokyo hotel ' s rules and regulations:
GUESTS ARE REQUESTED NOT TO SMOKE OR DO OTHER DISGUSTING BEHAVIOURS IN BED.
On the menu of a Swiss restaurant:
OUR WINES LEAVE YOU NOTHING TO HOPE FOR.
In a Tokyo bar:
SPECIAL COCKTAILS FOR THE LADIES WITH NUTS.
Hotel, Yugoslavia :
THE FLATTENING OF UNDERWEAR WITH PLEASURE IS THE JOB OF THE CHAMBERMAID.
Hotel, Japan :
YOU ARE INVITED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE CHAMBERMAID.
In the lobby of a Moscow hotel across from a Russian Orthodox monastery:
YOU ARE WELCOME TO VISIT THE CEMETERY WHERE FAMOUS RUSSIAN AND SOVIET COMPOSERS, ARTISTS AND WRITERS ARE BURIED DAILY EXCEPT THURSDAY.
Advertisement for donkey rides, Thailand :
WOULD YOU LIKE TO RIDE ON YOUR OWN ASS?
Airline ticket office, Copenhagen :
WE TAKE YOUR BAGS AND SEND THEM IN ALL DIRECTIONS.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
About Jews - Churchill and Tolstoy
"Some people like the Jews, and some do not. But no thoughtful man can deny the fact that they are, beyond any question, the most formidable and the most remarkable race which has appeared in the world."
-- Winston Churchill
------------------------------------------------------------------------
"The Jew is that sacred being who has brought down from heaven the
everlasting fire, and has illumined with it the entire world. He is the
religious source, spring, and fountain out of which all the rest of the
peoples have drawn their beliefs and their religions."
-- Leo Tolstoy
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