A Gaza Dialogue

Ben Shapiro with some truth

“You can stay here until the arrival of the Messiah”

In his memoir released in 2022, Benjamin Netanyahu shares his unforgettable encounters with the Lubavitcher Rebbe.

I went to see the Lubavitcher Rebbe. It had been more than four years since our first meeting, and I came to say good-bye. He was not happy with my decision and tried to dissuade me, while lamenting the situation in Israel.

“There are no good tidings from Israel,” the Rebbe said. “Action is key and there is no action, but maybe you can influence from here the leadership there.” 

“I intend to return to Israel and to try to influence things there,” I answered. 

The Rebbe insisted, “There is still much to influence here at the United Nations…. You know there is a Jewish mitzvah [injunction] to influence the gentiles. This is your job to do.” 

I dodged this diplomatically. 

“I haven’t forgotten our first meeting,” I said, “and I have acted as the Rebbe said, standing proud and strong. Yet I have been here for years.” 

Evidently, this length of service didn’t impress the Rebbe. “You can stay here until the arrival of the Messiah,” he said.

Source: Anash

When Gaza Falls.... Moshiach Will Come

H/t Sherry

He is talking about Rabbi Levi Yitzchak 

Sweetening Judgments

Art OceanXGoddess

from the writings of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov

When the messengers who bring suffering are despatched, they are made to take an oath: that they will neither set out nor return except on such and such a day, at such and such a time, and only [carry out their mission] by using the designated means. However, repentance, prayer and charity have the power to nullify [the enactment of] this oath.

Reciting the Torah chapters concerning the Choshen, the Breastplate [Exodus 28:15-30; 39:8-21] is a tikkun [rectification] for harsh judgments.

A person who suffers affliction should give charity. This charity will be considered as if it were a fee paid to a judge for his services, which when accepted, nullifies the verdict's validity. And through this his suffering will be alleviated.

When a person rebukes his friend for the right motives, he has a thread of loving-kindness drawn over him.

A person who does not accept rebuke will experience suffering.

To sweeten harsh judgments, recite Psalm 39 and Psalm 77.

When the nations have issued an evil decree against the Jews, Psalm 62 should be said.

A person can determine and understand his sins from the suffering which he experiences.

There are four things which abolish harsh decrees: Tzedakah [charity], crying out to G-d, changing one's name and improving one's conduct.

Crying out to G-d helps the individual only prior to the final decree.

A person's accusers are beaten off by the study of Torah.

A final decree accompanied by an oath cannot be abolished, even for the sake of an entire community.

The effects of a decree against a person apply only in a specific place. He can save himself by changing his location.

A person should tell others of his anguish so that they will pray for mercy on his behalf.

Accepting suffering with love is like bringing a sacrifice.

A person who falls down while walking should see this as a sign of a downfall on a spiritual level. Falling down while walking sometimes serves to nullify a pronouncement of death which has been issued against the person.

A person who finds himself suffering from harsh judgment should make it a habit to gaze at the Heavens.

The Holy One exonerates the person who teaches righteousness to the wicked.

A man of truth receives G-d's lovingkindness undisguised by judgments.

Trust in G-d sweetens judgment and draws down loving-kindness.

Through faith [emunah] it is possible to convince G-d to follow your will.

The Black Rainbow

For anyone who missed it in the comments yesterday, here it is

Moshiach: Exodus 2.0

"Some say the world will end in fire, some say in ice…"

by HaRav Adin Even-Israel [Steinsaltz]

Only the Final Redemption will overshadow the Exodus in its significance.  

The Exodus from Egypt was apocalyptic, not only because of the supernatural events that took place during its unfolding, but also because it sparked an extremely significant change within a relatively short amount of time – and without any warning or preparation. It is true that the events recounted in the Book of Exodus did occur over the course of a few months, but when we think about the amazing transformation that the People of Israel underwent as a result – from a loosely related ethnic group of slaves to a new nation – the redemption from Egypt does indeed seem very sudden and surprising.

While Passover is the festival of redemption, the Exodus from Egypt is commemorated on each of the Biblical festivals and all through the year. Even events in Jewish history as important as the re-establishment of sovereignty in Israel during the Second Temple era are not considered to be equal to the Exodus. Our Sages teach that only the Final Redemption will be able to overshadow its significance.

The Exodus has also become a prototype of redemption for all nations of the world, a model against which other redemptions are measured and assessed. The coming of the Messiah is a momentous event – not only for the Jewish people, but for the entire world. It is not simply a matter of national deliverance, nor even of a Jewish renaissance, but of an intrinsic change in world history. In a certain way, the Final Redemption, as its name implies, marks the "end of history," or, at least, the end of history as it has been for the last several millennia.

We know from Biblical prophecies and from the Talmud that there are two possible scenarios for the Final Redemption. The difference between them lies in a fundamental question: will it be a revolutionary event, or an evolutionary one? The first redemption, the Exodus from Egypt, was a whirlwind of supernatural events, a total revolution. Indeed, many descriptions of the Final Redemption – in Jewish and non-Jewish sources alike – depict the final redemption in a similar way. For example, this approach, "the great and terrible day of the Lord," [1] is a universal earthquake which begins with "darkness, not light" [2] and involves colossal wars between "the children of light and the children of darkness." Like the Exodus, the Final Redemption is, so to speak, a Divine tour de force vis-à-vis the world. When God wills it, all of reality will be torn to shreds, and the new day will shine, as was the case in the Exodus from Egypt – out of "blood and fire and pillars of smoke." [3]

The alternative scenario of redemption is an evolutionary one and is based on human progress – whether slow or fast – toward a higher state of existence: "For you shall not go out in haste, neither shall you go by flight; for the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will follow you behind" [4]; or, in other words, "in sitting still and rest will you be saved." [5] While the Exodus from Egypt contained an element of flight, this redemption will be a slow, smooth process and, despite the enormous differences between the present and the future, it will still be possible to discern the steps that paved the way for the redemption. Even the Biblical metaphor that likens redemption to birth – a dramatic event with a clearly defined "before" and "after" – presupposes the long pregnancy that came before it.

Will the future redemption be a revolutionary event, or an evolutionary one?  The difference between these two diametrically opposed scenarios can be explained by the somewhat enigmatic Talmudic saying: "The son of David [the Messiah; in other words, the final redemption] will come only in a generation that is either altogether righteous or altogether wicked." [6] Redemption for an "altogether righteous" generation is preceded by years of preparation in which people work to better themselves. This kind of redemption is just the finale of an evolutionary process. On the other hand, the redemption of an "altogether wicked" generation cannot possibly be an extended, slow process, because such people, by their very nature, make no preparations for it. Therefore it must entail a revolutionary outburst, which, in this case, is not a grass-roots effort but a Divine one. As such, it must shatter the old patterns of existence – a painful, even tragic event.

The future redemption is, in many ways, the continuation and completion of the Exodus. We know from the Book of Exodus[7] that the redemption from Egypt occurred at midnight; the end of the Passover Haggadah includes references to the future redemption as the second half of this night of deliverance. This is not only solace and encouragement in the face of our present trials and tribulations; it is also a logical sequence. The Exodus, then, is a comma in the manuscript of world history, whereas the final redemption is a full stop. But what shape the final redemption will assume depends, to a great extent, on us as human beings. Through the totality of our actions, we will determine whether we are an "altogether wicked" or "altogether righteous" generation and, consequently, if we can expect "blood and fire and pillars of smoke" or salvation through "sitting still and rest." 

 FOOTNOTES 

1. Malachi 3:23. 

2. Amos 5:18. 

3. Joel 3:3. 

4. Isaiah 52:12 

5. Ibid., 30:15. 

6. Tractate Sanhedrin 98a. 

7. 12:29.

How and When Will Israel Build The Third Temple?

Rabbi Yitzchak Breitowicz

Comet 12P Pons-Brooks [a.k.a. Kochav Yaakov]

 

My heart started to beat very fast when I read this article, because yesterday commenter Margolis confirmed that this Comet 12P Pons-Brooks is the Kochav Yaakov and today I read this article saying it would reach perihelion [closest to the sun] two weeks after showing up near the eclipse on April 8.

April 8 is Rosh Chodesh Nissan, and two weeks later it will be Pesach.  

I don't know why it's that blue colour, it's the same blue as the object near the Sun, which causes the blue flashes around the sun.  I thought it was supposed to be red. That issue will remain a question.

I love this blue, and it's the same blue seen here:

NASA photo - blue sunset on Mars

The sky on Mars is red and its sunsets are blue, which is exactly the opposite of Earth's.

Unlike Earth's sunset, Mars' atmosphere, primarily composed of carbon dioxide, interacts with iron-rich dust, scattering red light during the day and creating a red sky. However, during twilight, the red light disperses, revealing a cool blue hue due to the dusty haze.

I just threw that Mars stuff in because the blue is the same blue, but it's not really relevant to this post. 

You can read all about the Comet 12P appearance at The Comet vs The Eclipse