The Divine Punishment of America and It's Salvation at the End of Time

Rabbi Mendel Kessin

Journeys

Written by Rabbi Yisrael Bronstein

"These are the journeys of the Children of Israel" [Masei 33:1]

אֵלֶּה מַסְעֵי בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל

This verse alludes to the four exiles that the Jewish nation would endure:

אֵלֶּה - Eileh - Edom [Rome]

מַסְעֵי - Masei - Madai and Paras [Medes and Persia]

בְנֵי - Bnei - Bavel [Babylonia]

יִשְׂרָאֵל - Yisrael - Yavan [Greece]

Why, asks Rashi, was it necessary to enumerate all of the different journeys?

To answer this question, Rashi quotes the words of the Midrash Tanchuma: "This can be compared to the case of a king whose son was ill and he took him to a distant place to cure him. Once they started back, his father began to enumerate all the stages [of their journey] saying to [his son]: "Here we slept. Here we felt cold. Here you had a headache, etc."

What is the nimshal [the application] of this parable? asked the Imrei Emes [R' Avraham Mordechai of Gur]. Is the Torah merely telling us that the Jews rested or cooled themselves in these places? Isn't it obvious that they had to do these things? What, then, is the Midrash coming to teach us by listing the places where they slept or felt cold?

These verses and Chazal's parable, answered the Rebbe, have deep meaning and contain hidden admonishments.

"Here we slept" - this is an allusion to the time of the Giving of the Torah. For on that monumental morning when the Torah was to be given, the Jewish nation overslept.

"Here we felt cold" - this alludes to when Amalek "cooled down" the Jewish nation's enthusiasm for serving Hashem, as the verse states "That he happened [karcha, "made you cold"] upon you on the way" [Devarim 25:18]

"Here you had a headache [chashasta es roshecha]" - this is an allusion to the sin of the Golden Calf, when the Jewish people had uncertainties [chashashos] regarding the whereabouts of their leader [rosh] Moshe Rabbeinu.

This is why, concluded the Rebbe, the Torah specified each journey, in order that the Jewish nation should remember what transpired at each place and repent wholeheartedly.

A History of the Olympic Games and the Lubavitcher Rebbe's Warning

After the satanic opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics - a ceremony which insulted Christians by making a mockery of the "last supper" complete with drag queens and other symbolism.... [I didn't watch it, I avoid anything Olympic like it's a plague] - anyway, all the lights went out in Paris.  Paris went dark for a while.   So I thought I would re-post this warning from the Lubavitcher Rebbe.

Compiled and written by Rabbi Elozor Reitchik

The Olympic Games began over 2700 years ago and was a religious event in honor of one of the many Greek gods.

The original Olympic Games took place in Olympia, where temples for idolatry were situated. The modern-day Olympics, which resumed in the year 1896, are directly connected to the ancient games since they begin with the lighting of the Olympic Torch. The Torch is ignited by the sun's rays in the temple on Olympia, and from there it makes its way to the country where the Games are held.

Even the fact that the Games take place every four years, as well as the Olympic symbol of five interlocking rings, are connected to idol worship. The five intertwined circles represent Venus, which traces a perfect pentacle across the sky every 8 years. To the ancient Greeks, Venus became the symbol of perfection and beauty, qualities prized in athletes' bodies. As a tribute to Venus, the Greeks used "her" 8-year cycle to organize their Olympic Games. The 4-year schedule follows Venus' half cycle.

Sourced in Idolatry

When the Olympic Games took place in Munich, Germany in 1972, the Lubavitcher Rebbe referred to it in a sicha on Shabbos parshas Vayeishev, Shabbos Chanuka, 5733, and said that this was an inyan of avoda zara [idol worship].  [Note: 11 Israeli athletes were massacred at the 1972 Games in Munich]

Free translation follows: 

The entire concept of the Olympic Games is connected with idol worship. These games began with the Greeks, who had a custom of going to a certain place and running there, jumping on stones and bones, dancing, fighting, and killing, etc. The modern version is the Olympic Games, but the source is idol worship. 

In those days, the Greeks attained very high levels of wisdom, even the wisdom of mathematics and astronomy. After reaching very high levels of wisdom, they began to think -- what about faith? 

There was a mountain near the city, and it wasn't a high mountain, but a mountain that goats and sheep, cows and oxen, and people too, could climb. This mountain wasn't in some forsaken place in the mountains of darkness, but right near the city. So the wise men of Greece declared that their two idols were there, that one had hit the other and killed him, and they did all sorts of evil things there. Including every possible bad trait, and even those you can only think of, and they said that these idols were their gods, and were omnipotent -- the name of this mountain was Olympia. 

Then they decided that once every few years they would gather there, and each one would take his cat, etc., with him, and one would strike another, and jump, and celebrate a holiday there. 

All this was in the time of the Greeks. In recent years, this became the Olympic Games, which take place every four years. Therefore, the Olympic Games that take place in our generation are sourced in idol worship. 

The Olympic Torch

On Chanuka 5732, a few months before the start of the Olympic Games in Munich, the Olympic Torch was carried through Eretz Yisrael on its way to Munich. The Rebbe spoke sharply about this and in a talk delivered on Shabbos parshas Chayei Sarah he said: 

This was the custom of the Greeks 2000 years ago. Nothing remains of the Greeks themselves, aside from their books, and among the things written in their books, is the custom to take a torch and to run with it from place to place. Now they want to take this Greek custom and celebrate Chanuka with it! 

The whole point of Chanuka is the Jews' victory over the Greeks, and as we see and all know, nothing remains of the Greeks aside from their language and their books. Now they want to dig up an ancient custom from the cemetery -- not from the "beis ha'chayim" ["place of the living," a Jewish euphonism for a graveyard] but from the "beis ha'kevaros" ["place of graves"] -- and resurrect this Greek custom, the opposite of the whole point of Chanuka! 

In 5748 (1988), before the bar mitzva of Eliyahu Schusterman, his father, Rabbi Gershon Schusterman of Los Angeles prepared a speech in which he derived Jewish lessons to be learned from the Olympic fire which burned on Mt. Olympia in Greece, from which the Olympic torch was lit to open the Olympic Games. 

When he sent in the speech to the Rebbe, the Rebbe crossed it all out and wrote: "as was publicized, the beginning of all this was actual idol worship."  The Lubavitcher Rebbe completely negated any Chabad activity in connection with the Olympic Games, since they are sourced in idol worship. And the Games today are connected and associated with the symbols of Greek idol worship.

The Subtle Evil

Art by Ileanap

The Lord spoke to Moses saying, "Take revenge for the children of Israel against the Midianites; afterwards you will be gathered to your people. So Moses spoke to the people, saying, "Arm from among you men for the army, that they can be against Midian, and carry out the revenge of the Lord against Midian.

Parshat Matot 31:1-3

According to Chassidic thought, the war against the seven Cana'anite nations alludes to the ''battle'' of refining one's overtly undesirable character traits [which fall into seven broad categories, stemming from the seven emotional facilities of the Animal Soul - the Nefesh HaBehamis]  Consequently, this ''war'' is not relevant to the tribe of Levi, or to those who aspire to their spiritual level - as Rambam writes that this could be ''any type of person - whose spirit inspires him, and he resolves in his mind to set himself apart [from worldly pursuit], to stand before G-d and serve as His minister, to work for Him, and to know G-d'' [end of Laws of the Sabbatical and Jubilee Years].

In contrast, the war against Midian involved fighting against a subtle type of evil which is found in virtually every personality, even those who dedicate themselves as full time ''ministers'' of G-d.  Thus, even the Levites and those among the Jewish people who devote themselves ''to stand before G-d and serve as His ministers'' must participate in waging the spiritual war against Midian.

What is the ''subtle evil'' that can plague even the most dedicated servant of G-d? Chassidic thought explains that this is a lack of unity and camaraderie between one man and another, indicating underlying emotions of divisiveness and unjustified hatred.   All this arises from a sense of our over-inflated self-importance, which causes a person to be intolerant of others and eventually view them as enemies.  Clearly the war against these attributes is very important indeed.

Source: Based on Likutei Sichos vol 28 Lubavitcher Rebbe

Pinchas: The Lonely Road

 

The two Parshiot before Pinchas - Chukat and Balak - are often read together [in Eretz Yisroel only]. The two parshiot afterwards - Matot and Maasei - are almost always read together. 

Pinchas, which is between these parshiot is always alone. Why? 

This teaches us that when you are Kana'i [zealous] you should be prepared to spend your life alone. People do not have the courage to fight for what is right and even if they start out behind you, by the time you turn around they will be gone. 

Source: Revach

The Key to Redemption

Rabbi Daniel Glatstein

The Darkness & the Dawn Event - Shiva Asar B'Tamuz

"The Older will Serve the Younger"

H/t Mindel Puah bas Leah

Well this is going to upset a few people..... 

This is Rabbi Isser Weisberg, and he's basically validating the words of Rabbi Mendel Kessin regarding Trump.

"At the end of days....the older will serve the younger...."

Rabbi Weisberg titled this video "My Messiah, Donald" but I thought that title would be a bit mis-leading on a Geula blog, because Donald is NOT my Messiah..... but if you listen to this video, you will understand what he is saying.

Pinchas and Eliyahu haNavi: The Same Soul

Art Vladimir Kush

There is a midrash that states that Pinchas and Elijah the Prophet are the same person. 

The simplest meaning is that the same soul descended to the world twice -- once in the body of Pinchas and once in the body of Elijah.

The same statement can be found in a number of places in Midrash. What is interesting is that "Pinchas is Elijah" and "Elijah is Pinchas" are written interchangeably. When Pinchas is being discussed, the Midrash says that Pinchas is Elijah. When Elijah is being discussed, the Midrash says that Elijah is Pinchas.

Since Elijah the Prophet lived hundreds of years after Pinchas, it would apparently make more sense to say that "Elijah is Pinchas", and not the reverse. After all, Pinchas lived before Elijah, and was Pinchas before he was Elijah.

According to an explanation in the Zohar, the soul of Elijah was actually created during the Six Days of Creation. He has existed ever since as an angel, but on occasion, he descends to the world in human form, born of a mother and father.

This is why the Midrash sometimes uses the phrase "Pinchas is Elijah", even though Pinchas was born first. The essence, the soul of Elijah existed before Pinchas was born.

Elijah and Pinchas led similar lives and their paths complement each other. Pinchas is a symbol of zealousness for G-d and His commandments. He displayed self-sacrifice to prevent G-d's name from being desecrated. Elijah the Prophet is a guest at every circumcision, to witness the Jewish People imprint their bond with G-d in their flesh.

Through our single-minded commitment to fulfilling G-d's will, as epitomized by the deeds of Pinchas and Elijah, we will merit the ultimate Redemption, which will be heralded by Elijah the Prophet, who is Pinchas.

[Bereishis 1:20. Yalkut Simoni, Pinchas. Zohar, 3:15,1; Igrot Kodesh, vol. III, p. 160. Likutei Sichot vol II, p. 343]

Source: Chabad World [original link no longer exists]