April 29, 2008

Please visit a great new site.

Bar Kochba has once again shown his love and devotion to Am Yisroel with his new site The Truth About Moshiach.

Please check it out!

April 28, 2008

New Birkas Kohanim Video!

Thanks to Nava at Dreaming of Moshiach for pointing it out.

April 18, 2008

Worth Seeing.

Happy Pesach!

Chag Kasher V'Samayach!

May we all be redeemed in Nissan and see the Geulah!

April 15, 2008

Please daven for me.

I have seen many miracles happen through prayer. Last Friday, erev Shabbos, I was cleaning for Shabbos ands Pesach when I slipped on something left on the floor. I fell forward and broke my right leg.

Though I am in pain and I cannot help my wife prepare for Pesach, I do see miracles. When I fell, I was convinced I had broken both my legs as I couldn't move either and I have a history of fractures. Secondly, when I do fall and break my legs, I usually need surgery.

Well, it turns out I only fractured my right leg and I do NOT need surgery (B'IH). There is light within darkness and I don't know why this had to happen to me, but I thank HaShem that it wasn't worse.

Please daven for me and paa my name on. It is Yehudah Tzvi Ben Elisheva.

I would greatly appreciate your tefillos and I humbly ask you to pass my name on to the refuah shelaima list in your shul.

Thanks you so much and may we see complete healing and Redemption before Pesach.

Best,

JHK

April 09, 2008

April 03, 2008

Mmmmmmmm... Kohainlicious

Yee ha!





Just got my DNA results back.

Turns out I am "J1" which is the Kohain Modal Haplotype. Even cooler... I happen to share exact DNA with my neighbor and friend who is also a Kohain!

Small world, small tribe.

Learn more about the DNA project HERE

I am an "armchair" Kohen.

At least this is what Reuven Prager calls me. Here's his response to my valid inquiry:


RP: Shalom from Jerusalem!

JHK: Greetings. Judah HaKohain here from http://hamikdash.blogspot.com

RP: Never heard of you. I checked your link above, read its pretensions, and wonder why this is the first time you have contacted me. I have served as a Levite on Duty for 25 years, researching and restoring ancient Israelite customs in preparation for rebuilding the Holy Temple; restoring Beged Ivri, Biblical weddings, broken the taboo against wearing Techelet, identified and made available the 11 original ingredients of the Ketoret and 4 ingredients of the Shemen HaMishchah, and restored the mitzvah of netinat machatzit hashekel, establishing the criteria for the machatzit hashekel for this and future generations. And this filth is what you initiate contact with me for?

JHK: Would you please comment on why you are appearing at a messianic convention in Chicago in August?

RP: I was invited to speak. They agreed to my conditions for speaking; namely that I am to be respected for who I am; I am not to be subjected to any attempts to change my religious beliefs; and I am to be protected by staff from any zealous participant who cannot control the urge to 'witness' to me, so I am not left to defend myself from assault. I do not speak about religion or politics, only about the work taking place in Jerusalem to restore ancient Israelite customs in preparation for rebuilding the Holy Temple.

JHK: Do you endorse "messianic" judaism?

RP: Chas V'chalilah. You are obviously an armchair Kohen otherwise you would know me, my work, and the inanity of asking me such a ridiculous question.

JHK: Are you yourself "messianic" in that you consider the Christian god (aka Jesus) the Jewish Messiah?

RP: Are you insane? No.


Well, there you go. Perhaps I was wrong to question him.

The Levite doth protest too much, methinks.

These were legitimate questions. People are known by the company they keep. "Al tifrosh min hatzibor." Speaking to and thereby legitimizing these people are clearly separating yourself from the Klal. Hashem forbids socializing with idol worshippers. Simple.

As to "this filth" (aka my honest inquiry), I am still perplexed why "messianics" would be his choice of audience. Wouldn't a "Levite on Duty" want to distance himself from idol worshipers and those who prey on Jewish souls? Why give their "movement" credence by speaking to them?

Personally, this "Kohain on Duty" would not have anything to do with these people as they harm Jews. THAT'S where we differ. Sorry if that's filth.

Nowhere does Mr. Prager denounce "messianics" on his site. That would be a great first step. I would also love to see a haskama from Rabbis proclaiming his work with them as kosher. Would they give it if they knew the bulk of his time was speaking to "messianics?" Would Ha-Rav Ha-Gadol Amnon Yitzchak Shlita say this was a positive endeavor for Klal Yisrael?

It is time that we choose sides.

Please chime in, people!

I cannot say it any better.

I cannot say it any better, so I am reprinting Bar Kochba's latest post verbatim. He is to be commended for reaching out to the Klal. Many brachos to him~


On the Brink

Brothers, Am Yisrael is in dire straits. The sword of heavenly judgement is on our necks. Our people is in grave danger and our lives literally are held in the balance.

- The Hezbollah have around 30,000 rockets (according to the minister of security advertised on the news) and Iran and Syria are continuing to supply them with weaponry.

- Among the weapons are advanced, long-ranged Iranian rockets that are a threat to all major populated areas in Israel; power stations, airports, harbors, etc. the range extends all the way to the nuclear plant in Dimona ("Ha'aretz", March 2, 2008).

- There is an even greater threat from Iranian and Syrian missiles carrying biological or chemical weapons, something for which Israel is completely unprepared.

- Syria is boosting up forces along its northern border and calling up reserves in anticipation of a possible conflict with Israel. On Wednesday, the London-based Al-Quds al-Arabi reported that Damascus was preparing for a large-scale Israeli attack against Syria and Hizbullah and has begun increasing its presence along its border with Lebanon, as well as calling up reserve forces.

- Al-Qaeda No. 2, Ayman al-Zawahiri, pledged Wednesday night to do his utmost to strike Jews all over the world and to extend the Jihad to Jerusalem. "We promise our Muslim brothers that we will do the best we can to harm Jews in Israel and the world over, with Allah's help and according to his command," he said.

- Israel's leaders are still exhibiting suicidal tendencies in a misguided "peace" process, wanting to tear tens of thousands of Jews out of Judea and Samaria and to bring Arab rockets even closer to Israeli cities.

What can we do? How can we save ourselves from these threats of destruction?

Let us recognize that we have no one to rely on except HaShem. The US cannot save us, and neither can the Israeli army. Our only strength and protector is the Rock of Israel, HaShem.

We are taught that whenever evil decrees are upon Am Yisrael, we must all don sackcloth and ashes, fast and most importantly, pray for salvation and do teshuva. We must immediately return to HaShem, do complete teshuva, confess our sins and recommit to HaShem's Torah. The sword is upon Israel's neck, slated for destruction, G-d forbid, and nobody has any answers. The government has admitted that Israel is completely unprepared for an Iranian or Syrian biological or chemical attack. Our lives are in danger! There is no time to lose!

Simulataneous prayer services are being help in 40 cities in Israel and in Monsey, NY, Thursday. Traditionally, whenever the Jewish people have suffered tremendous tribulations, we have put on sack and ashes and fasted. The Patriarch Jacob, Moses, the nation as a whole several times during the period of the Judges, Mordechai and Esther- these are but a few examples of the proper response to divine judgement.

This is also what is written in Shulchan Aruch:

"All the people [of Israel] gather together, covering themselves in sacks… one of the people takes the ashes… each and every person takes from the ashes and places it upon his head. After that they bring one of their older wise men… and he says capturing words (words that capture the hearts of the listeners and arouse them to teshuva)… until their hearts surrender (to HaShem) and they then do complete teshuva."

Please my brothers, we have no time to lose. We have tried every secular option- of surrendering 'land for peace', of fighting the terrorists, of negotiating, of bombing our enemies- yet all have failed. We cannot make peace without HaShem.

"Oh that My people would hearken unto Me, that Israel would walk in My ways! I would soon subdue their enemies, and turn My hand against their adversaries." (Psalm 81:14-15)

While most of us cannot pick up a weapon and fight against our enemies, there is something that we each can do. The strength and weapon on Israel is prayer and mitzvot. The Arabs may have tilim (rockets) but we have a far greater power: tehillim (Psalms). A mitzvah, a G-dly deed, has the power to reach deep into the core of our being--where we are all one, and the physical distance between us is of no consequence. At this core, a positive deed on our part will help bring salvation to a brother and sister in distress. As the Rambam taught, a single good deed is enough to tip the scale in our favour and turn the tide.

Here are some suggestions. You can make a difference.

- Torah Study: The Torah is our true strength. HaShem promised that if we study and follow the Torah, our enemies will have no power over us. (Daily study)

- Heartfelt prayer: Say some Tehillim, pour out your heart and beg HaShem to have mercy on His people. "Some trust in chariots, and some in horses;
but we will make mention of the name of the LORD our God."
(Psalm 20:8)

- Charity and acts of kindness: Put a coin in a charity box, give a gift of money to a fellow in need or to a charitable cause, or extend a helping hand to someone who needs it. G-d loves nothing better than Jewish unity.

- Tefillin: The Torah promises that in the merit of the mitzvah of tefillin, "all the nations of the world will see that the name of G-d is called upon you, and they will fear you" (Deuteronomy 28:10). Every Jewish male must don tefillin every morning when praying.

- Mezuzah: If you have not placed mezuzot on your doors, do so. As our Sages have said: "A human king sits inside his palace and his servants guard him from the outside. But you sleep on your beds, and G-d guards you (i.e. through the Mezuzah on your doorposts) from the outside." (Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Avoda Zara 11a.)

- Shabbat candles: We are told by HaShem: "If you kindle for me the lights of shabbat, I will kindle for you the lights of Zion". Before sunset on Friday nights, every Jewish woman must light candles in honour of the holy shabbat.

"Bring us to Zion, Your city, with joy and to Jerusalem, Your Holy Temple with the joy of the world."