I really want Mashiach to come.

Today.

Now.

For the first time in life I can honestly say that I am "craving" Mashiach. Not that he's coming some time in the future. I feel his presence. I find myself looking out my window. I'm checking the news. Things are different. There is a different aura and energy surrounding people and things.

I can't explain it, but the world seems different lately.

Chodesh Tov!

In Nissan the Jewish People were redeemed, and in Nissan they will be redeemed once again.
(Talmud, Rosh HaShannah 10b)

Baruch HaShem! Thousands encircle the Temple Mount

(IsraelNN.com) About 2,500 Jews took part this evening in a march around the gates of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. The march is a monthly event expressing religious and national attachment to the Mount, Judaism's holiest site, site of the two Temples. Tomorrow morning and afternoon, many Jews are expected to go up onto the Temple Mount in honor of the new Hebrew calendar month of Nissan. Those going up in organized groups tomorrow will be strictly adhering to Jewish religious and ritual strictures on where and under what conditions one may visit the Mount.

Bad times?

I would like to open this post to all for a serious discussion.

Here's my question:

These past weeks have been horrible for me in almost every way. Things seem to be going from bad to worse on a global, national, community and individual level. Are there those out there who are experiencing this as well? Do you think this is preceding an imminent Geula or is it just coincidence?

Please comment.

My nightmare

I dreamed last night that I was in a Yeshiva with hundreds of bachurim. I was just released from the hospital but was still in much pain. I could not walk. The Yeshiva was dark and lifeless. I tried to learn, but when I was given a sefer I could not even read the Hebrew. I was told that it was Hebrew letters but the language was Italian (Latin?). No one would help me. I tried to keep up with the bachurim who left the beis medresh but could not. When I returned, the seats were being occupied by young women. I could not find the men nor could I learn with the women so I just stayed in the hallway very sad and in pain.

Dark Day for Israel in many ways

Kadima in.

Hamas in.

Security out.

In honor of this sad day, I offer you a link to the Solar eclipse that darkened the land.

Click HERE

Unacceptable! A Call to Action!

Police Close Temple Mount to Jews
from Arutz Sheva

Israel's Police have announced that the Temple Mount, Judaism's holiest site, is now closed to Jews. The decision followed threats of Muslim violence leveled by Islamist Mufti of Jerusalem and other Arab leaders, who promised they would not allow rabbis to ascend the mount as planned Monday.

The Movement for the Establishment of the Third Temple issued a statement in response to the decision. "The movement is not surprised by that the Kadima government continues its tradition of surrender to Hamas violence by closing the Temple Mount to Jews tomorrow. This surrender will be reflected in the ballot box, when the public sees its weakness in the face of the Arab enemy, while at the same time using an iron fist against those in the Jewish nation who want to ascend and pray at the holiest site to the Jewish people."

Me: ALL Jews need to band together and let the Israeli Government know that this is an unacceptable move. Whether you hold it is mutar or assur to go up, the secular government should not forbid Jews to go anywhere in Eretz Yisrael especially our Holiest site! Speak out and let the Knesset know that they should not bow to Muslim pressure and cave to terrorist threats.

Email addresses to MKs:

Ehud Olmert (Kadima) - Probably a waste of time, but he should know that we have a voice.
Benjamin Netanyahu (Likud) - Let him show some koach if he has any left

Yitzchak Cohen (Shas)
Amnon Cohen (Shas) - Hopefully two Kohanim (I'm assuming) will have the guts to speak up!

Gila Finkelstein (National Religious Party)

Meir Porush (Agudat Yisrael)

Eliezer Cohen (Yisrael Beitenu) Another Kohain (again, I assume)

Yitzchak Levi (Renewed National Religious Zionism) A Levi

Moshe Gafni (Degel HaTorah)

The Temple Mount should not get mixed into Israel election politics.

Har HaBayit B'yadienu.

Halachic Trivia - do you know the answer?

My wife was pregnant when a close relative passed away. Is she allowed to go to the cemetary with a kohain growing inside her?

Cue Jeopardy music...

Book recommendation from A Simple Jew

Book recommendation by A Simple Jew

Drop by his site and read all about it. While you're there, browse a great blog by a very heimish man.

Thanks ASJ! I look forward to reading it.

As for me, I am now reading the following... CLICK HERE

From the publishers website:

"An in-depth look at the halachos that are incumbent upon a Kohen--from theory to practical applications. Non-Kohanim will benefit from the chapters on the mitzvah of honoring a kohen, who is a kohen, and how to aid a kohen in avoiding tumas meis. Contains photographs, diagrams, and measures, as well as a glossary of terms. "

My take on this book? The Kohen's handbook starts off on a very basic level, then dives head first into the complex halachos of tumos and teharos for Kohanim. Not easy stuff. I try and dig in on Shabbos, but unfortunately find myself drifting off into dream land. It is probably me and my lack of sleep. A book like this in english is very necessary and I applaud the author and publisher for releasing it.

I will try and discuss the other books in my "Kohain Library" as I get to them.

When Mashiach Comes...

Could this mean war in the Old City?

I just saw this on the Netflix site. It is the plot line for the movie USHPIZIN.

"Shot on location in Jerusalem with the support of the local population, this lighthearted film documents a week in the life of Moshe (well-known Israeli actor Shuli Rand) and Male, two recently converted orthodox Jews who receive a large sum of money and prepare for a lavish Sukkot feast. But the pair of ushpizin (the Hebrew word for Armenian) dinner guests who turn up on their doorstep aren't prepared to accept Moshe's new lifestyle. "

Also, note the term "recently converted."

Hee hee.

More Linkim Tovim

End of Days

Chardal

Aspaqlaria (Aish Das)

Herut (en Espanol... muy picante!)

Why haven't I added these to the side bar yet?

I'm just that lazy.

My crystal ball says

Shinui comes up with new print ad

"Look at those creatures!" cries Avi.

"Those sinister Jewish noses! Those lousy beards! Those dirty, standing-out ears! Those bent legs! Those flat feet! Those stained, fatty clothes! Look how they move their hands about! How they haggle! And those are supposed to be men!"

"And what sort of men?" replies Amir. "They are criminals of the worst sort."


This actually comes from Der Giftpilz, an anti-Semitic children's book published by Julius Streicher, the publisher of Der Stürmer. The names "Fritz" and "Karl" have been replaced.

The Nazis couldn't have done it much better

In honor of this week's parsha in which the "Erev Rav" play such a prominent role, I offer you a glimpse into the mind of the "mixed multitude" of today:

Here is a video clip of a commerical put out by the Shinui Party. It speaks volumes.

See it HERE

Kudos to One Jerusalem for bringing it to light.

My final word: Yesh Mashiach, ain Shinui.

Links Me Likey

The Sin of Expulsion

Desde Sefarad (en Espanol)

Revava

Reb Moshe (Not political, just one cool Hassid)

Extry!!! Extry!!! Zionists Travel Back in Time and "Jew up" Palestine!!!

Archaeologists Find Ancient Israel Tunnels
From the Associated Press

Underground chambers and tunnels used during a Jewish revolt against the Romans nearly 2,000 years ago have been uncovered in northern Israel, archaeologists said Monday.

The Jews laid in supplies and were preparing to hide from the Romans during their revolt in A.D. 66-70, the experts said. The pits, which are linked by short tunnels, would have served as a concealed subterranean home.

Yardenna Alexandre of the Israel Antiquities Authority said the find shows the ancient Jews planned and prepared for the uprising, contrary to the common perception that the revolt began spontaneously.

"It definitely was not spontaneous," Alexandre said. "The Jews of that time certainly did prepare for it, with underground hideaways here and in other sites we have found."

The underground chambers at the Israeli Arab village of Kfar Kana, north of Nazareth, were built from housing materials common at the time and hidden directly beneath the floors of aboveground homes _ giving families direct access to the hideouts. Other refuges found from the time of the revolt are hewn out of rock.

"This construction was very well camouflaged inside one of the houses," Alexandre said. "There are three pits under this house and one tunnel leading to another pit. There are 11 storage jars in that pit."

Built like igloos, the chambers are wide at the base and small at the top. The tunnels between them are short and the ceilings are too low for standing upright.

Zeev Weiss, a professor of archaeology at Hebrew University in Jerusalem not connected to the discovery, said the find "can give us more information about life in the Galilee in the first century and the preparations Jews were making on the eve of the revolt." Weiss is director of excavations at Sepphoris, which was the largest city in the Galilee at the time of the revolt.

The Jewish revolt against Roman rule ended in A.D. 70, when the Romans sacked Jerusalem and destroyed the Second Temple.

The ancient Jews at the Kfar site built their houses over the ruins of a fortified Iron Age city, reusing some of the stones from the original settlement. Then they dug through 5 feet of debris from the ruins to build their hideaway complex. "It was quite a lot of work," Alexandre said.

The original settlement, which dates from the 10th and 9th centuries B.C., is also a new discovery.

Alexandre attributes current dating of the original city as an Iron Age settlement to pottery remains, which are plentiful. The excavators have also found large quantities of animal bones, a scarab depicting a man surrounded by two crocodiles and a ceramic seal bearing the image of a lion.

The excavation of the city's architecture has uncovered fortified walls which still stand 5 feet tall in some places. "It's magnificent," said Alexandre. "You can walk among them."

How dare they!!!

How dare the Israelis go into territory it leaglly won during the Six Day War, enter a mock jail and capture the soon to be freed murderers of a Knesset Member?

For shame!

Israel on High Alert, PA Arabs on Strike
from Arutz Sheva

The Israeli public was placed on high alert Wednesday following threats by terrorist organizations they would avenge the capture of the terrorist who killed Tourism Minister Rehavam Ze'evi.

Read the rest of the mishugas by clicking HERE

You know what the Pallys should do? They should find the killer of a four-year-old Jewish girl and grant him immediate citizenship. That'd lean 'em.

Oh, wait... they did...

PA Grants Murderer of 4-Year-Old Girl Honorary Citizenship

The outgoing Fatah regime in the Palestinian Authority voted on March 5th to grant honorary citizenship to Lebanese terrorist Samir Quntar who murdered a 4-year-old Israeli girl and her father.

According to a report from Palestinian Media Watch (PMW), Jordanian terrorist Sultan Al-Ajaluni also received honorary citizenship in the same vote. Both terrorists are serving life sentences in Israeli jails.

In 1979 in the coastal town of Nahariya, Lebanese terrorist Samir Quntar [pictured above] murdered Danny Haran and his four-year-old daughter, Einat. Danny's daughter Yael, just two-years-old, suffocated to death while hiding in a crawl space with her mother. Quntar is serving multiple life sentences totaling 542 years in Israeli prison.

Read the rest HERE

I wish this was a Purim joke.

Iran to give up nuclear weapon ambitions!

"I was being a total jerk-face," declared Amnadja... Aminadj... Ahmindaj... the President of Iran. "My doctor switched me from Zoloft to Welbutrin and I was literally freaking out. I actually hallucinated and thought I was the Mahdi! That plus, my wives were on the same cycle and well, you know how that is! It was a bad scene. But they are all dead now, so no harm no foul. My apologies to the Jewish nation. I hope we can all live in peace."

Reaction was swift:

"This is nothing more than a Zionist plot!" - Hamas

"This is nothing more than a Zionist plot" - Neturei Karta

Have a happy Purim!

More nuttiness from Neturei Karta

You say Iran wants to destroy the nation of Israel? Hey, cool by these guys!

"Orthodox Jews the world over, are saddened by the hysteria which has greeted the recent stated desire of the Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, to see a world free of Zionism. This desire is nothing more than a yearning for a better, more peaceful world. It is a hope that with the elimination of Zionism, Jews and Muslims will live in harmony as they have throughout the ages, in Palestine and throughout the world. " - Rabbi Yisroel Dovid Weiss [bolding mine]

Good times.

In honor of these Uncle Toms who betray their fellow Jews, I offer some sanity in an insane word. Enjoy!

Italian Muslim Assembly

Nonie Darwish

Arabs for Israel

[17:104] And we said to the Children of Israel afterwards, “ scatter and live all over the world…and when the end of the world is near we will gather you again into the Promised Land.” - Quran

Buh-bye Tagboard

I am oh so sick of the pop up ads, so it's a hearty "sholum aliechem and zie gezunt" to the people at Tagboard. Please feel free to leave messages in the comments section.

Moshe Rabbeinu

Today is the birthday of Moshe Rabbeinu (Moses our Teacher), in 2368 [1393 BCE] and his Yarzheit in 2488 [1273 BCE] the greatest Prophet whoever lived.

A little taste of emes...

Click HERE for a positive video.

Now if we can only get G-d fearing Muslims to feel the same way...

(Thanks to RB for the link)

A Tour of the Temple Mount

"Take a Tour of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, Israel with Rabbi Chaim Richman of the Temple Institute. Learn the importance of visiting the location of the Jewish Temple. The tour illustrates that the Temple Mount can be visited while respecting the sanctified areas."

Click HERE for the tour

Am I Over the Line?

Smooth Stone (someone whom I greatly respect) and I seem to be at odds regarding evangelical Christian support of Israel.

Please visit his informative site and scroll down to "Televangelist Zola Levitt in life struggle vs. cancer." Read all the comments and feel free to chime in here. I don't want to take up any more space on his site as I think I am grating on his nerves (sorry Smooth!).

The man in question is Zola Levitt, a Jewish born convert to Christianity who preaches on television. From the Zola Levitt Ministries website:

What We Believe

Zola Levitt Ministries, Inc., is a non-profit 501(c) organization guided by the standard of Romans 1:16 — “To the Jew first and also to the Gentile.”

We hold to a strictly literal and inerrant Bible interpretation, salvation through Christ alone, a soon pre-tribulation Rapture of all believers and the establishment of a thousand-year kingdom on Earth.

The evangelism of the unbelievers and the exhortation of the believers take precedence over all other activities of this ministry. (emphasis mine)

I mean, come on... I sincerely do not disrespect Christians as a whole. I do feel, however, that the true motives of Evangelical and Apocalyptic Christians in regard to their support of Israel must be brought to light. I don't appreciate being a pawn in their Armageddon scenarios.

Prove me wrong.

From this week's parsha

וְעָשׂוּ לִי מִקְדָּשׁ וְשָׁכַנְתִּי בְּתוֹכָם

And let them make Me a sanctuary (mikdash), that I may dwell among them.

My dream last night

Last night I had an incredible dream.

I was in a B'nei Noach house of worship somewhere in southern California (it seemed to be in the suburbs where there were no Jews). I was wearing shorts, a t-shirt and no shoes. The B'nei Noach we dressed up in their finest black suits.

I realized that I was at a funeral. A body of one of the congregants lay in a coffin and the people mourned. Suddenly the body and the casket were removed and the funeral turned into a wedding. There was no bride or groom, but the congregants danced and sang with the most intense simcha. They joy was intoxicating.

I felt ashamed that I was not dressed properly for their holy, joyous celebration. Their leader was a man with a short beard and his hair was in a ponytail. He spoke elequant words of faith and the room was filled with crisp light.

I stole away not feeling worthy and I vowed that I would dedicate my life to spreading the word of Torah and B'nei Noach philosophy to the Gentiles.

I then awoke.

May the B'nei Noach be blessed in all their endeavors.

Who said it...?

In a letter to the heads of Hamas:

"Now, on the occasion of the recent elections that have taken place in Palestine, we join our brethren in Palestine, in humbly offering our blessings and congratulations to you leaders, followers, and supporters of the Hamas organization upon your success. "

That's right. It was "rabbi" Yisroel Dovid Weiss and "rabbi" Ahron Cohen of Neturei Karta (Yemach Shemam).

They continue:

"Leaders of Hamas, upon your elevation to the position of official representatives of the entire Palestinian people, we offer our blessing and a prayer to the Almighty:

MAY the Almighty guide you and bestow upon you His wisdom to enable you to lead the Palestinian nation according to His will.

MAY the Almighty unite the hearts of the Palestinian people to accept and embrace your leadership with love and good will.

MAY it be the will of the Almighty that we should merit to see the peaceful and speedy dismantlement of the Zionist entity - the state of “Israel” and the transformation of rule over the entire Holy Land, including of course Al-Quds, to its proper rulers, the Palestinian people. Then we can once again live according to the will of the Almighty, Arab and Jew as neighbors, as we have been doing for so many hundreds of years up until the inception of Zionism."

I humbly ask that these traitors be shunned and placed in cherem. They have Jewish blood on their hands and should be excommunicated from all Jewish groups and sects.

I welcome your comments.