Perfect Double Rainbow

An amateur photographer was lucky enough to stumble across the arresting sight of a 'twin' rainbow reflected out of the sea. Phil Thompson, 57, took his photograph of the rare phenomenon from the jetty at the Bellarine Peninsula in Victoria, Australia.  Not only was the rainbow reflected in the sea, but it had a double seemingly emanating from the water at a different angle.

Source: Daily Mail

Provocation #3

North Korea threatens 'sea of fire'

North Korea has threatened to turn Seoul's presidential office into a "sea of fire," one day after South Korea conducted large-scale military drills near a front-line island attacked by North Korea last year.

The exercises marked the first anniversary of North Korea's artillery attack on the South Korean island of Yeonpyeong that killed two marines and two civilians.

The North's military warned in a statement that "a similar sea of fire" may engulf Seoul's presidential Blue House if South Korean forces ever fire a single shot into North Korea's territory. The warning was carried by North Korean state media.

Source: The Australian

Provocation #2

Medvedev threatens to target U.S. missile shield in Europe if no deal is reached

MOSCOW — President Dmitry Medvedev said Wednesday that Russia will target the American missile defense system in Europe with its missiles if Moscow cannot reach an agreement with Washington and NATO on how the system will be built and operated.

Medvedev, who is leading the ruling United Russia party to the polls in the country’s Dec. 4 parliamentary elections, accused the United States and its NATO allies of failing to negotiate with Russia in good faith, and he said Russia reserved the right to halt its arms control efforts.

Source: Washington Post

The Voice of Yaakov

"The voice is the voice of Yaako, but the hands are the hands of Eisav"  [Toldos 27:22]

"There are certain Jews", the Dubno Maggid once said, "who are the very personification of the words: "The voice is Yaakov's voice" as the way they pray and study conforms perfectly with all the pertinent halachos.

"Unfortunately," continued the Maggid, "their hands are Eisav's hands. For when it comes to the mitzvos of tzedakah or gemilus chasadim, these same Jews keep their hands tightly shut.

"It is vital for such individuals to know that one aspect of avodas Hashem without the other will not last."

Source: Rabbi Yisrael Bronstein

Yaakov's Tikkun

According to kabbalistic teachings, Yaakov corrected the spiritual damage caused by Adam's sin.

Therefore, just like Adam had been misled by the ingenious plot of the serpent, the correction of Adam's sin had to come through ingenious trickery - "Your brother came ingeniously and took your blessing" [Toldos 27:35]

Based on Likutei Sichos Lubavitcher Rebbe

Guarding Your Speech

The Baal Shem Tov taught:
Your soul is mixed with good and evil, in order that it should be free.
Therefore, when you speak holy words, they draw down new life from holiness, and when you speak evil words, they draw down new life from the root of evil and the Other Side. The latter causes you to do evil.
So everything in your life, whether for evil or for good, depends upon your speech.

Upon Me

"His mother said to him: My Son, let your curse be upon me" [Toldos 27:13]

Why, asked the Vilna Gaon, would Rivkah invite a curse upon herself? Why did she not simply say "He will not curse you, my son?"

Rivkah, answered the Gaon, was hinting to Yaakov that he would face three main forms of hardship in his life. These hardships are alluded to in the acronym of the word עָלַי [upon me] - Esav, Lavan and Yosef.

Source: Rabbi Yisrael Bronstein