The Crown (Katrina) and the Tiara (Rita)
I have hesitated the writing the beginning of this essay, for its conclusion is too earth-shaking to ignore. Never before in history has this moment occurred, and if this is it, the moment will become brighter and brighter for the rest of created time. The Pakistani earthquake sealed the matter, I believe. Just weeks after Mushareff, the President of Pakistan, declared through his ambassador his unqualified support for Gog W.'s Road Map to Hell and a return to Israel's 1949 armistice lines in exchange for Pakistani recognition of Israel. Of course, East Jerusalem will be the new capital of the new terrorist launching pad for Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and of course, Fatah with all of its faces including Holocaust denier Mahmoud Abbas. It could be that the beat would have just continued as the secular Zionist dreamers continue to self-destruct. But alas, the Creator seems to have a different plan. Now that we have entered the year of Yitzchak, even talk by Muslim friends of the Erev Rav to divey up the Holy Land to terrorists and their apologists will have severe consequences on the Islamic world. For Esau and the Western World the situation will be slightly different this year since Esau was given special dispensation by Yitzchak most of his life. It appears that he will need to at least attempt to cause actual pain to G-d's first born before he gets whacked. Ah, but whacked he will be. Within one month of the Crime against Humanity in Gush Katif whose residents still have not been compensated for having their property robbed from them, G-d showed Gog who was really wearing the Crown (Keter) of Creation. Katrina began as the tenth tropical depression which merged with the twelfth depression as it became the eleventh named storm. It took an "unexpected" dip over Southern Florida and proceeded to tear up the toes on the foot of Louisianna. At that instant we entered a new era in history. The sixth millenium which started in the year 5000 (1240 ce) . Because Yesod is supposed to be the deepest and most painful part of our exile, the years since the year 1240 ce have not failed to disappoint. It has been Hell of the deepest magnitude for Israel in exile. Yes, it has been mixed with tremendous spiritual growth from the publication of the Zohar, the writings of the students of the Arizal (Rav Yitzchak Luria), the Gaon of Vilna, and students of the Ba'al Shem Tov, but the cost in terms of our very lives and sanity has been often too great for the average Jew. So many have left the fold, especially in the Ashkenazic world because the depth of the exile was too deep for them to accept and remain sane. They were not willing to wait it out with the newly uncovered wisdom of the above latter day shepherds of the Jewish people. But the same Kabbala that has told us that the centuries after the year 1240 ce (5000 a.c. after creation) would be laden with untold pain also tells us that sometime in that millenium the situation would instantly change. Because of a final straw is Israel's centuries long tavail, the removal of Jews from a great city called Kirvat Dekalia (according to the Targum Yonatan on the last vision of Moshe Rabbeinu at the end of his life), G-d would attach the Vav of Jewish history, its Yesod, to his Holy Name to begin the completion of His Name which will end with the Resurrection of the Dead. To show Mankind, or at least those who are paying attention, that this is happening, he would then proceed to place a Crown (a Keter) from the tenth and highest emanation of Elokut (His G-dliness) on the Vav in His Name to show who is really running the universe. This moment in the sixth millenium is called in the sefer HaLeshem "Ateret HaYesod", the "Crowning of Yesod". No Kabbalist could accurately predict exactly when this would need to occur even if we did not deserve it to happen early. Yet, most knew that according to the Zohar this would probably occur after the 2/3 point in the Sixth millenium (5666 a.c.). The Zohar itself (read the Secret of the Vav in Hashem's Name in the sidebar of this blog.) seems to hint that this should take place one hundred years after the year 5666 to mirror the miraculous birth of Yitzchak in the 100th year of Avraham's life.
It is worth noting at least at this point in the state of affairs that there are two words for crown in Hebrew, Keter and Atarah. Keter the root of the word Katrina means a full crown. Atarah is a tiara, a three quarters crown, which slides on to the top of the head. Atirah is the act of crowning someone with a tiara. Rita, of course, is the word atira backwords.
So let us see. Gog W. strongly encourages his lackey here in the Holy Land, the "Thornbush" Ariel Sharon to pull 10,000 Jews out of their homes at least in part to keep the Saudi's happy and producing lots of bubbling crude. G-d proceeds to take the crown off the tenth emanation of Gog W.'s soul and show the leader of a decaying Western Civilization who is wearing the Crown of Creation. The name HaShem Elokim is the name of HaShem which emanates from the throne of Strict Judgement. This is perceived in the spiritual realm to have eleven dimensions, that is it emanates into the Creation as an eleven dimensional concept. This is why there are eleven midot (dimensions) of strict justice that can be perceived by Creation. This is in contrast to the thirteen attributes of mercy which emanate from a higher throne (The Throne of Rachamim- Mercy). The name HaShem is associated with His attribute of Mercy, and the name HaShem Elokim has in it the ten emanations of Elokim in which Keter is the highest and the name HaShem which is a pure emanation. Together this combined name emanates into an eleven dimensionsl realm which is perceived as Strict Judgement. ( I will expand upon this concept during Chol HaMoed after I have built my sukkah and have more time.) The point of this is to understand why Katrina came from the tenth tropical depression to become the eleventh named storm. Yet, work must be done, my sukkah must be built. But I felt that I had to write all this to say a big Baruchim HaBa'im (Welcome!) It appears that this past Av as the Jews of Gush Katif were being pulled out of their homes we crossed over the threshold of Ateret HaYesod. From here on out the measure for measure judgements for bad behaviour will G-d willing become more obvious to all.
Welcome to that blessed moment for which suffering decent people have been yearning for. There is now a crown on the Vav in HaShem's Name.
G'mar Chatimah Tovah. Hope to see you here soon.
It is worth noting at least at this point in the state of affairs that there are two words for crown in Hebrew, Keter and Atarah. Keter the root of the word Katrina means a full crown. Atarah is a tiara, a three quarters crown, which slides on to the top of the head. Atirah is the act of crowning someone with a tiara. Rita, of course, is the word atira backwords.
So let us see. Gog W. strongly encourages his lackey here in the Holy Land, the "Thornbush" Ariel Sharon to pull 10,000 Jews out of their homes at least in part to keep the Saudi's happy and producing lots of bubbling crude. G-d proceeds to take the crown off the tenth emanation of Gog W.'s soul and show the leader of a decaying Western Civilization who is wearing the Crown of Creation. The name HaShem Elokim is the name of HaShem which emanates from the throne of Strict Judgement. This is perceived in the spiritual realm to have eleven dimensions, that is it emanates into the Creation as an eleven dimensional concept. This is why there are eleven midot (dimensions) of strict justice that can be perceived by Creation. This is in contrast to the thirteen attributes of mercy which emanate from a higher throne (The Throne of Rachamim- Mercy). The name HaShem is associated with His attribute of Mercy, and the name HaShem Elokim has in it the ten emanations of Elokim in which Keter is the highest and the name HaShem which is a pure emanation. Together this combined name emanates into an eleven dimensionsl realm which is perceived as Strict Judgement. ( I will expand upon this concept during Chol HaMoed after I have built my sukkah and have more time.) The point of this is to understand why Katrina came from the tenth tropical depression to become the eleventh named storm. Yet, work must be done, my sukkah must be built. But I felt that I had to write all this to say a big Baruchim HaBa'im (Welcome!) It appears that this past Av as the Jews of Gush Katif were being pulled out of their homes we crossed over the threshold of Ateret HaYesod. From here on out the measure for measure judgements for bad behaviour will G-d willing become more obvious to all.
Welcome to that blessed moment for which suffering decent people have been yearning for. There is now a crown on the Vav in HaShem's Name.
G'mar Chatimah Tovah. Hope to see you here soon.
posted by Dov Bar-Leib at 10/10/2005 01:42:00 PM
41 Comments:
Dov, this year is already very early on starting out to be filled with unusual natural disasters.
1. Historic earthquake in Pakistan. According to statements by Pakistani officials, the worst in Pakistani history.
2. A very unusual Hurricane forming very close to Portuagal and Spain.
3. Deadly mudslides caused by Hurricane Stan in Central America.
4. Historic flooding in the N.E. United States with some states seeing their worst flooding in decades, and some towns under several feet of water.
re:anonymous---natural disasters.
Notice that we haven't reached midnight hoshana raba yet...when this worldly judgement for 5766 begins to be executed by the malachim.
11 Dimensions
Rav Dov repeatedly mentioned an eleven dimensioned spiritual universe. We know that our physical world is a reflection of the spiritual realm. Can't help but think that perhaps the eleven dimensions spoken of in SuperString Theory & M-Theory (see http://superstringtheory.com/basics/basic7.html ) might parallel the 11 spiritual dimensions.
Eleven was a recurring number in the WTC 9/11 event. Rav Dov mentioned in a previous article that we are the 111th generation since Sinai. We are in the Sefirah of Yesod, which corresponds to Yosef, the 11th son. The number 11 seems to have popped up several times since, (though right now I cannot recall where).
As Rav Dov said: "This is why there are eleven midot (dimensions) of strict justice that can be perceived by Creation." Current events seem intertwined with the 11 dimensions. Apparently one aspect is the judging of the nations. Eleven also has the quality of hiddeness, concealment, being below the surface. This finds expression in the number of amot Noah's ark submerged, the number of Psalms forgotten after Moses' death, the number of curtains around the Mishkan and the number of "klipot" (cloaks) and chieftains of Esau. Maybe the time is coming where the opaque 11 will become clearer.
BS”D
To all,
Indeed this is a very special moment in time and place for me. One which I will never forget. My prayer is that we collectively do not allow any sort of tuma to attach itself (as tuma is prone to do) to the Kedusha being revealed here.
The Radak teaches that we can learn out the Final Redemption from the first one recorded in Exodus. Not that the Final Redemption is an exact duplicate of the first…but rather that the Final Redemption parallels the first in many aspects.
Our ancestors literally slaved over making bricks. We slave over making brick-shaped pieces of paper called money. One can rightly say that the demise of Egypt was pre-contained (in the soon to be actualized potential) within the Encounter with Hashem that Moses had at the Burning Bush. Not until the tenth plague, however, was Egypt’s stranglehold over the Yidden broken in actuality and sealed to its utter destruction thereafter at the Yam Suf.
The Torah attests to Moshe Rabbeinu playing the critical human role in achieving the obliteration of that evil empire. One solitary Tzaddik, Moshe Rabbeinu, is Divinely Empowered to fell the superpower of his day! To a limited degree all of the forces of nature were put at the disposal of Moshe. Moshe asked Pharaoh what time Pharaoh wanted the plague to stop and then Moshe prays to Hashem and Hashem listens and Moshe thereby publicly demonstrates his “protexia” with Hashem to Pharaoh and whoever else was paying attention. Just awesome!
Lest someone think that such events only happened in ages past…let me share this insider piece of information with you. One of the prior Lubavitcher Rebbes was informed (circa 1917-1918) that the Bolshevik revolution had just occurred in Russia. His response was “How long can such a thing last? 70? 75? years?” In 1990-1991 we saw the fall of the former Soviet Union. 1991 minus 1918 equals 73.
One can no more remove the relevance and involvement of the Lubavitcher Rebbe from what is currently happening than one can remove Moshe Rabbeinu from Sefer Shemos. But it goes even deeper. Much deeper.
Dov has come to and shared with us a profound series of Torah insights. I, for one, wish to personally thank him for all the countless hours of effort he has put into his studies that got him
to this point of perception. May he be Blessed with many, many more….(and he better further share them with us too.)
The year of Yitzchok has arrived. The Vov now has a Keter. Gevurah is to befall the enemies of our people. The Plagues have begun.
Moshe Rabbeinu was the 7th Jewish generational leader from Avraham. Through the collective efforts of all the 7 generational Jewish leaders from Avraham to Moshe was the Divine Presence brought to rest upon Sinai. There was indeed a 7 generational “agenda” to which all 7 Jewish generational leaders made their unique contribution… to collectively achieve the climax of that collective work which resulted in our having a perceivable Divine Intervention and receiving the Torah.
When, in 1951, the Lubavitcher Rebbe took office as leader of Chabad he gave over a Discourse called Basi L’Gani. In this work (being the Rebbe’s “manifesto”) it is explained that another 7 Jewish generational leaders’ “agenda” had been initiated. We were informed that the purpose of this, the 7th generation’s Avoda, was to return the Divine Presence to this world…just as had been done before from Avraham to Moshe. Far fetched you say? Kaballah teaches that there is an extension of the soul of Moses in every Jewish generation. The hot line to “Upstairs” has never been lost by our people. In fact…for Tzaddikim…it’s a local call.
Should the plagues indeed be in progress now (as I personally believe them to be) then it stands to reason that today’s Moshe Rabbeinu must have been (or, as I believe, is presently) pulling some protexia to manifest the Divine Agenda of what is perceivably unfolding.
When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1990-91 and the collapse of Bavel [Iraq] was initiated by Bush (41) the Rebbe chose then to cite the Yalkut Shimoni on Yeshaya 60:1 and repeatedly stated to us and all Jews “The time for your Redemption has arrived.”
Many distracted people imagined those words as ludicrous then. The implications of taking that statement seriously and as actual truth causes the mind to reel when the magnitude of what that statement contains is fully appreciated. One of the little “pieces” contained within that statement is that we are now poised for a Divine Intervention that will far surpass what occurred on Sinai.
As with the Jews of Egypt and, l’havdil, the Mitzreem there will be a gradual public awakening that something is indeed afoot here beyond mere abnormalities of nature. As Pharaoh’s magicians slowly recognized the “finger” of Hashem around the third plague…today’s counterparts to them will soon appreciate the “fist” of Hashem foretold to occur in numerous books of our Prophets.
There is an American televangelist called Pat Robertson. Yesterday he was quoted on the Drudge Report as saying that all these disasters occurring with greater frequency and strength point to (his erroneous grasp of) End of Days being upon us. That’s a start.
Let the global awakening begin.
Rabbi Moshe Yess
with all the natural disasters taking place, some draw comparison with the plagues of egypt... well remember the one when farm animals died? could the bird flu virus be it for our times? asia, and now turkey and romania are killing their poultry in the desperate attempt to beat it... one way or another their poultry is taken away from them.
may we all do teshuva in time!
have an easy fast everyone!
Amen Aharonbenjamin,
That is how I feel as well.
I do not know the meaning of these disasters, and I have trouble assigning a cause. How will these punishments help Israel? Wait gain have they brought to the refugees from Gush Katif? I trust that it will all work out for the best, but how and when I leave to G-d.
Given the decline of the educational system even in the most civilized countries, not to mention the very poor education in the third world, combined with the complete lack of moral education anywhere in the world, and I think we can safely describe a vast majority of the people who have died in recent natural disasters, both educationally and morally, as people who don't know their right hands from their left. In addition, many animals died. This means that all these assignments of disasters as punishments are direct contradictions of Sefer Yona (and maybe the predictors are due to be swallowed by whales!)
I realize that Mincha is the most neglected davening, even on Yom Kippur, and Haftara in general is the most negelected part of any davening of which it is a part, but the fact is Yona is part of Tanach and as such takes precedence over anything, including the Zohar, that Chazal did not choose to include. Any predictions of disaster or praying for (and gloating over!) deaths of our enemies has to take this into account, including the fact that Yona was punished for just such a desire. Worse, the enemies he wanted to be killed were those who would eventually destroy the Northern Kingdom. Nevertheless, he would have cooled his heels in the whale until he died if he hadn't done T'shuva.
As Aharonbenjamin pointed out, Chazal take a totally different approach, and as I have pointed out numerous times, so does Hashem. As we approach Yom Kippur, it is time for us to put aside the hatred, and, as Bruria suggested, start working to CHANGE our enemies into our allies, to PERFECT, not destroy, the world in the Kingdom of the Almighty. G'mar Chatima Tova.
BS"D
To characterize anyone's written comments here as gloating over the sufferings of disaster victims is both untrue and slanderous as to motive. I take offense at that. I feel that's a very cheap shot.
Let's go back to Bereishis. Sodoim and Amara are destroyed by Hashem for their sins. What was the educational level of those places? Did Hashem misjudge those cities? I thinks not.
We are watching what presently appears to be an increasing amount in frequency and intensity of what secularists call "natural disasters" and what Yidden call either Gevurah or acts of Hashem.
When trouble befalls someone he/she is supposed to re-examine their ways. Suffering acts like squeezing grapes. It brings forth the wine of repentence that otherwise would not have occurred.
Is it possible that Hashem needs no earthly mussar?..that Hashem knows better?...knowing that our enemies are not capable (at their present killing Jews level) of being elevated to Holiness. And while Chazal present their approach...Chazal do not chastize Hashem for what was done by Him to Sodoim and Amara. Chazal do not run the show. Hashem does.... and His Justice is perfect...even if you personally find it "too harsh" in proportion to the eductional level of the vicitms. One does not need a high school diploma to know that selling your children to the sex slave industry in S. E. Asia is a sin. And taking political actions to rob the Jews of their Land is a cursing of the Jews. That curse begets a curse to the curse giver. Such was promisd to Avraham Aveenu.
The Rebbe stated that the Final Redemption entails "the destruction of that which cannot be elevated to Holiness." No one here is cheering over human suffering. And I, for one, find more hot air contained in the incoming alleged "mussar" here than its actual Torah Emes content.
We have what appears to be a situation of Din in abnormal amounts coming from Hashem. Accounts of such Din saturate all the Books of our Prophets as being understood solely as Divine punishment for sins...and is therefore so by definition.
For anyone to say that Hashem dispenses Din upon those who do not know their left hand from their right is to cast a question of correctness upon what Hashem has already decided and done. That is NOT the Torah way. Hashem's Justice is perfect...whether you or anyone else approves of it or not... or feel that it is deserved or not. We do not question Hashem's deeds. Even Avraham Aveenu stopped praying for the sparing of Sodoim and Amara when he realized that sin begets Din. Such is how the universe was made and such is how it runs...al pe Torah.
Rabbi Moshe Yess
of coarse we pray for the sins to be uprooted and for sinners to repent so that wicked will be no more. by how do you propose they should repent???
when the tsunami struck asia, with indonesia being the hardest hit area, one would assume that people of that country would at least for a while focus on their pain and suffering and look for ways to make it better. the assumption is wrong! within days they had crowds of protesters in front of american embassy demanding for american government to stop supporting Israel... how do you get these people to repent???
no one is gloating about their misfortune. i cannot begin to image the devistation, pain and suffering of these people and of the survivors of other recent disasters. but we can't disregard acts of Hashem as some random events with no purpose. in fact if you look closely, He has given the world community plenty of opportunity to give charity and perhaps on some level to do teshuva.
in my opinion, as Jews we should first of all focus on our teshuva, not everyone elses. praying for the sins to be uprooted is a good start. only this has been done for generations and unfortunately at the end of the day we are where we are, with an astronomical number of intermarriages, a huge number of Jews looking for an "alternative" lifestyle, majority of Jewish children attending non-jewish schools... ...Jews expelling Jews from their homes in the Holy Land of Israel!!! if it isn't rock bottom i'm afraid to think what's comming.
these "natural disasters" show that we cannot continue the way we were before. time has come to make changes and to do it fast. it is time to get out of our comfort zones. praying is good but it's not good enough.
this Sukkot if, G-d willing, you have a Sukkah don't go out for meals, have your Sukkah open to more guests (those who otherwise won't have a Yom Tov meal). have your lulov and etrog ready for other people to bench. if you've read a good article with a positive message, print it out and hang it up in shul. it's not good enough to discuss it only among friends. put out pushkas for the poor in Israel. have them at your house, office and any gatherings that you may have. people that you are surrounded with should be given plenty of opportunity to do teshuva. we cannot afford to waste any more time and continue to be passive. we must do teshuva with aggression and passion, bringing Jews closer to G-d and each other!
Anonymus, you say nobody is gloating over the pain and death of innocent (yes im calling them innocent) people in america?
"Within one month of the Crime against Humanity in Gush Katif whose residents still have not been compensated for having their property robbed from them, G-d showed Gog who was really wearing the Crown (Keter) of Creation."
-Dov
This doesn't sound like someone at all regretful about someone dying.
"Yasher koach, R'Dov. Keep 'em coming."
-Yehudit Yerushalmi
And here is a wholehearted agreement, and if you've seen any of Yehudit's past postings, you'll know she's not the least bit regretful.
Now, as AharonBenjamin said, and I as well, said before, we have to pray for the evil to be uprooted, not for the evil people to be killed. But you say praying isn't enough? Then put down your siddur and do something yourself. Hashem is not going to do everything for us, this we can see from the torah, such as at the splitting of the Red Sea, there are some things we have to do for ourselves. If you pray for the hooligans down the street to do teshuva but they don't, you go over and talk to them yourself. And if, in the end, despite all your efforts, people continue to sin, you do not pray for their destruction. If Hashem deems it appropriate, he will take action against sinners. If he chooses to kill them, we do not gloat about it, we do not state loudly for all the world to hear that we are glad people have died, we mourn. We mourn that people have died, that there were people in the world so wicked that Hashem had no choice but to destroy them. When the Egyptians were drowned in the Red Sea, Hashem told his angels to stop celebrating, for the death of anyone is a terrible thing.
I personally, am deeply saddened by the recent deaths, and I hope that the terrible destruction ends doon.
-The Agent
to the Agent, it seems that you've only read parts of my previous post. i never suggested that we should stop praying, i said that praying is not enough and we must act in doing teshuva ourselves.
with regards to Dov's comment... whenever Hashem does something He is showing that He is the One who is wearing the Crown. unfortunately people forget, they fall into the trap of thinking that they are in charge and it is up to them to run this world... it is then Hashem sends a clearer message, shows His might and hopefully puts everyone back in their place. Dov merely underlined that point. He never indicated that he was happy about people dying. of coarse we want for people to recognize Hashem as the King, but unfortunately it's far from happening. and going over and talking to them, like you've suggested, doesn't work. what happened, when Moshe went to "talk" to pharaoh??? nothing. and i'm sure they all prayed then too. it is only after the death of his own son and few "disasters" before that he accepted Hashem's word and let the Jews go... i'm sure you can argue that a lot of innocent people suffered during that time. but Hashem, who is a kind King, was showing that it was He who is wearing the Crown and it is not our place to question His ways.
as i said before we must work on ourselves with a lot more arrgession, give those around us plently of opportunity to improve and most importently recongize who is the King!
kind regards
BS"D
Bringing the world to recognizing "Who is the King" is what Aleinu (and all prior Jewish Avoda) is all about. I just read the headlines. New Orleans has just announced that mardi gras is on. No lesson learned there. Bush's Republican hold over Congress and the Senate is fast unravelling. His ratings are below 40%. America has no leadership due to infighting between Dems and Republicans. I have never seen this country in such a tenuous leaderless situation. The EU is a conglamoration of what were former empires in their own right...now they're seeking strength in unity. That is also not happening. Not to mention the bird flu, AIDS, and corporate disregard for any country's welfare. In short we are watching mega-implosions coupled with repeated Whacks from Above. We may indeed be watching the beginning of the collapse of the 70 nations foretold to be a component of our Geula.
I do not have any sort of sense of the world being in a state of robust health or even romotely headed that way. To the contrary all appears headed into chaotic collapse. Floods, mudslides, tsunamis, earthquakes, historic X class flares on the sun, polar ice caps melting....Hashem is definitiely making these things happen. There is a Cheshbon for mellenia of Din that has not been dispensed yet upon Goyim for their aveiras. My email's in-box is flooded daily with such evil and disgusting spam that I too do not think that mussar to Goyim is an option anymore. Nor is it our fault for their chosen behavior that we have to do teshuva for their free will deeds.
That we are in a mode of Divine Anger seems self evident. The question is whether this is just a warning blip or the biggie spoken of in Novi. We shall see soon enough.
Rabbi Moshe Yess
The number 11
Remember:
New York: 11.9.2001
(also 11 is the shape of the two towers)
Madrid: 11.3.2004
(911 days between the two dates)
Arafat died: 11.11.2004
Katerina: 11th tropical storm
Alas that I don't have time for a full answer, but I have other, more important things to occupy my time. However, I will say these two things.
1) I forgot to adress that one point, the claims that natural disasters are actual divine punishments. You are simply seeing a natural process, finding convinient coincidences, and translate them to mean what you want to hear. Furthermore, if you are to use the example of the Macot that Hashem used to plague Egypt, none of those were natural. When Hashem punishes, he makes sure everyone knows he is doing it.
2) To Yehudit Yerushalmi: I strive daily to better myself, which I have said in the past. I also perceive and attempt to correct the problems of others, as the job is not primarily mine to do, everyone else just leaves me with it.
I would post a fuller response, but like I said, I'm busy nowadays.
-The Agent
It's the spirit of Amalek that denies G-d's hand in everything that happens in this world. Nothing whatsoever is by chance. People had the choice to view the plagues of Egypt also as natural phenomena. That's how free will was preserved then and now.
And G-d doesn't destroy "innocent" people. He is perfect in all His ways.
The only free will we have is that of the "fear of" or (lack there of) of Hashem. This fear of Hashem is really in other words how concious one is of the fact that Hashem is behind every event on a personel and national level. We can either choose Hashem as responsible for all that happens or Gd forbid choose coincidence. However we don't always know why things happen as we can only speculate on the reasons and try to learn and improve our selves.
BS"D
Here's another mokor for our days being Days of Moshaich.
For the first time in its history... Babylon [known by Jewish Bible Scholars as
modern day Iraq] reached its 70th year of existence as an independent country in October 2002. In the days of Darius it only reached 69 years.
Modern Iraq was established by the British in October 1932. Why does this matter?
Because of Jeremiah 29:10 which states
"when Babylon [Iraq] will complete 70 years, I shall attend to you and will fulfill My good prophecies" (Jeremiah 29:10)
The word "I" in the above Jeremiah 29:10 Prophecy refers to Hashem.
In short it states that Hashem begins to attend to the Jews and fulfills His good Prophecies regarding the Final Redemption of world Jewry
at the end of that 70th year of Babylon's [Iraq's] existence....(are you sitting down?) which landed on October 3, 2002 because Iraq [Babylon] reached 70 completed years of indepence [for the first time in its entire history!] because Iraq began as a recent country in October 1932----DING! DING! DING!
Rabbi Moshe Yess
The Number 11
The number 11 is associated with klipa, the ten constituant parts having being a "yesh", separate from the source. As distinct from one, which is unity with the source.
Eleven is the number of spices in ketores. Both korbanos (sacrifices) and ketores (incense offering) are holy, but korbanos (from loshon "kiruv", bringing closer that which is far) are offered on the outside altar. Ketores (meaning binding) is offered on the inside altar. Only kosher animals can be offered as korbanos, but the ketores includes a tamei (impure) substance without which it is invalid as an offering.
Korbanos are "korbani lachmi", food, sustenance; ketores is "re'ach nichoach", a pleasing scent, pleasure. Ketores are higher than korbanos, and they represent the elevation of evil to kedusha, the higher service of tshuva.
Article on Rabbi Kaduri's latest comments on Israel National news (a must read). Maschiach this year! (Ben yosef or Ben David?) Hope its Ben David! Any thoughts anyone!
Hag Sameach to all!
I'll try to post a fuller response later. In the meantime, I just read this article and I thought it was very interesting. Here's someone that interpreted Katrina in a different way:
http://www.aish.com/jewishissues/jewishsociety/The_Rabbi_and_Katrina.asp
Please note the fact that the rabbi mentions an elderly man who died during the incident. Was he being punished, too?
To the "agent"...That same Rabbi also wrote something that totally contradicts your previous post that denies Hashem runs the world:
"In life, nothing is random. God runs the world (quite precisely, in fact) and everything happens for a very good reason."
Hardly the message of Amalek--that everything happens haphazardly-- that your earliers posts were conveying. It is a basic concept that since the beit hamikdash was destroyed, hashem hides his face (hester panim), yet he still executes his justice through nature (through his name Elokim). Why that eldery man died, no one but Hashem knows, yet Hashem's justice is perfect, and to assume otherwise--that is was some random, bad luck occurence is a display of arrogance in the highest degree by the spirit of amalek.
I don't remember saying anything that happens is random. You may have translated it that way, but I never said it. What I do believe is that this storm was not divine punishment, not that it was random. I don't know what the reason for it was and, though I may try hard to think about it, I don't think I ever will, but there was certainly a reason.
I believe that nothing happens without reason. From the great disaster in New Orleans to little things that have happened to me personally, everything has a reason.
And, in the future, if you wish to refute a point I've made, please make sure I've made it first.
-The Agent
First of all, I wanted to let everyone know that the Agent is a chayal in the IDF, currently in basic training. The fact that he squeezes out a little of his precious free time to present such well-thought-out comments should be appreciated by all. Also, the fact that he is soon to be on the front line and has given this much thought should give his opinions much weight. (And no cracks in my presence against the IDF because of the hitnatkut...if it weren't for the Israeli army, there wouldn't be a Jew alive today in Eretz Yisrael...no Yeshivas, no Rabbis to help predict the time of Mashiach, nothing. The chiloni soldiers in the army are doing greater mitzvot on a daily basis then all of us dati armchair generals.)
Second, I think people should know that Dov lives around the corner from me. We made Aliya the same summer, we went to Ulpan together, and I consider us friends. The fact that we disagree so deeply does not change that; it is merely a manifestation of "eilu v'eilu divrei Elokim Chaim."
There is a lot of circular reasoning going on here...all based on an ASSUMPTION (and you know what happens when you assume) that the natural disasters that are occurring now are punishments. No one denies they all come from Hashem, but THERE IS NO PROOF that they are punishments. (Rav Shlomo Riskin in his pre-Shabbat HaGadol drasha last Pesach spoke of non-punishment reasons for the tsunami, as one example.)
If every bad thing that happens is a Divine punishment, then all the Rabbis and scholars who worry about "Tzaddik V'Ra Lo", bad things happening to good people, are wasting their time: if bad things happen, they cannot be good people. When Rav Levi Yitchak of Berdichev took Hashem to task for killing babies, he was in the wrong...obviously those babies were evildoers (or maybe their parents were; remember David HaMelech was punished for what he did with Batsheva by having the child die.) If a helicoptor of frum Jews crashes over the Grand Canyon and most die, or if a bear kills a frum baby on a porch in a NY bungalow colony, obviously those R'shaim got what they deserve. And we should stop giving tzadaka...poor people are poor because they deserve to be.
In other words, the whole thing is rediculous. If something bad happens to us, as has been mentioned here, each of us personally is supposed to examine our ways to see why it happenned...but it is wrong to say the same about others without careful deliberation.
And remember, in the parsha we are about to read: while everyone else is living to nearly 1,000 years old, Chanoch dies 'young' at 365, not, according to Rashi, because he was evil, but DAVKA because he was a Tzaddik!
Here's a personal example of how a natural disaster can be something other than a punishment. Someone mentioned the record storms and flooding in the Northeast US. Because of the nature of my work, providing phone tech support for American phone customers mostly in the Northeast, those storms sent my work level through the roof. One result was that I had no time left for blogging; not to post comments here nor to work on my own blog. Maybe that was the purpose of the storms! As to the reason, maybe I am being punished for something. Or maybe Hashem thinks what I say is not good and doesn't want me to bother people with it. Or maybe I'm right and He doesn't want me to post; this would give you the chance to plead ignorance before the Divine Bet Din after 120 years when he tells you how wrong you were. Your guess is as good as mine.
Dov told me personally the other day that he is not gloating or happy about the deaths; it is merely inevitable; those who did t'shuva will be saved and the rest are only getting what they deserve. So maybe gloating is not the right word; but calculaing "inevitable" deaths in the thousands and eventually millions? I don't think that's the way we should be going, and I don't think a single additional death is required to bring Geula if WE do our jobs right. Rabbi Yess mentioned the Aleinu...there is not one word in there about the deaths of non-Jews, but lots of words about them being TURNED BACK to Hashem. That has and always will be our only task...to be an Or La'Goyim, and if we can't reach some and He has to destroy them, to see it as a failure on our part and not an inevitablilty.
There have been a lot of comments that Hashem doesn't need our help or criticisim, that He wears the crown and knows what He is doing. Of course that is true. But there has always been a partnership between Him and B'nei Yisrael, and we have always had the right to challenge Him. As Avraham did by S'dom, as Reb Levi Yitchak did on numberous occasions, as Iyov should have and didn't, and as Chazal did by the famous case of Tanur shel Achnai (Bava Metzia 59b, where it ends with Hashem smiling and saying "my children have defeated Me," or as Rav Riskin points out, better translated as "my children have Immortalized Me".) As long as the challenge is out of love and respect. But where is the only case where he punishes for such a challenge? Where the challenger tells Him He must kill goyim instead of giving them a chance to be saved; for whatever the motivation, Yona had to understand that that is not His way. (Even the Seven Nations were given the chance to leave rather than be destroyed by Yehoshua.)
And what about here in this and other blogs? People here are trying to tell Him how and when to bring the Geula! That's pretty presumptious. (Question: there are at least 3 different ABSOLUTE timetables out for the Geula...how do we decide which one to force on Hashem?) In this just completed season of T'shuva, I see much Ga'ava and Chutzpa, but very little Anava (humility). WE know how Hashem works, WE know who will live and who will die. That's what I read and hear.
To the bottom of my heart I belive that there were numerous chances to stop the Hitnatkut; but the chutzpa of those who absolutely positively promised that Hashem would not allow it to happen caused Him to nullify those chances; so the punishment of the Hitnatkut was another case of our being punished for being an Am K'shei Oref. And if we continue in the same fashion, He will smash all our carefully calculated timetables as well and hold off the Geula until we learn some humility, even if it takes 6,000 time 6,000 years.
I have much more to say but I will save most of it for my own blog. I want to close with 3 short comments, 2 to individuals and one more general.
To Rabbi Yess: the reason Avraham stopped arguing with Hashem to save S'dom is because he WON. He won on the point that the righteous should not be destroyed with the wicked, he won on the point the the Judge of all the Earth MUST act Justly, and he won the point that even 10 Tzaddikim would be enough to save the tens of thousands of wicked people. As far as "educational level" of people destroyed, I was only quoting Hashem himself: Yona 4:11. Hashem taught Yona that He will not destroy morally ignorant people without giving them an EXPLICIT chance at T'shuva. Since He said it, I can use it in my arguments.
To Yehudit Yerushalmi: May your ears hear what your mounth is saying. You said: "those who see evil where no evil exists are merely looking at the reflection in their own hearts." YOU see evil everywhere you turn; here and in your own blog you have even condemned over 3/4 of the Jewish people as Eirev Rav (all conservative, reform, and unaffiliated Jews, not to mention possibly dati Jews who don't agree with you, myself included), as well as non-Jews the world over. What does that say about your reflection?
Finally, to all those of you who are Ba'alei T'shuva. Your parents weren't frum? How do they feel about your new life; are they supportive or abusive? How do they feel about Jews in the "territories", about a Palestinian state? Guess what? Your mom is an eirev rav! That makes you one, too; in other words, you're a Goy! So either you'd better revise some of your thinking in a hurry, learning concepts like Divine mercy and Tinok SheNishba, or you'd better find a Bet Din and convert.
Hoshana Raba is past; the books are sealed; but they are NEVER really sealed for those who return in T'shuva; I pray that this coming year will see ALL of B'nei Yisrael, from the most chiloni who doesn't care to the most dati who thinks there is noting left to repent, return to Hashem in full T'shuva, so we can have the proper Geula of Achishena.
For a better understanding of this subject, try reading "The Knowing Heart" by Rabbi Moshe Chayim Luzzato.
Believe whatever you like if it makes you feel better. The fact is that every Jewish holy book and every tzadik that ever lived agreed that when HaShem arises to judge the nations for their mistreatment of Israel, it will be a major sign of impending redemption, which benefits the entire world.
It is the redemption for which we long not the punishment of the nations, but they are connected.
Maybe you don't want to believe this is it. Maybe you have never felt a deep need to see justice done. Maybe your life is so cozy and comfortable that you don't look forward to redemption. Maybe it is nothing more than an irritating distraction for you, but others of us feel differently and that is both our right and our privilege.
You know, if you have a problem with it, you really don't have to subject yourselves to reading the posts here. I'm sure there are others who feel as you do, who would welcome your commiseration about the sorry state of the rest of Jewry while you lament the sad plight of the "innocent" goyim.
Our sages asked why did even the firstborn Egyptians who languished in prison deserve to die and the answer was that they were happy about the mistreatment of the Jewish slaves.
You universalists have much to learn, but you won't. You're too sure that you already know it all.
My reply was meant for you and for the Agent and anyone else who agrees with what he wrote. If you love Jews and goyim equally, that's "universalist" in my opinion. Something is wrong with a Jew who tears down his brothers while lifting up the goyim.
It's not the individual deaths anyway, it's the overall destruction and the way it keeps whacking away at the economic base. It is the false gods---money, pride, etc--- that are taking a beating and high time.
Btw, Katrina was a blessing in disguise for all the poor blacks who were relocated out of that cesspool. Most of them had probably never known anything else their whole lives.
I don't want to start a blog just to get a pen name so call me ---
NewJew
BS"D
Reading all the mussar and philosphy peddlers here is getting kind of shallow. Sorry...no insult intended.
The fact remains that as of Hurricane Alpha and now Beta we are now in historic hurricane occurrance territory. Several records have been broken. Not for here to list them.
No doubt as the first raindrops began to fall around Noach's Ark some wag said "Hmmm...a drizzle."
Then as it rained harder someone else stated "Gee! It's raining."
Followed by "This is a storm." Followed by "Look at that! It's starting to flood. It's just a little flood though. We'll survive... as we've done before."
Then the weather recorders announced "Hey this is a historic flood!"
The last spoken sounds of those outside the Ark were "Glug, glug, glug."
Not meaning to self advertise..but if you go to my website's first page and read the scientifically recorded facts regarding geological and other changes you may yet see that something is indeed happening.
Now seeing as how my Rebbe stated as a clear and certain Prophecy "Imediately to the Redemption! Behold! There! Moshiach approaches!" we can take it to the bank that such is underway. And such entails Din via geological and weather upheavals upon the wicked who deny Hashem, His Torah, and hurt His Yidden.
www.rabbiyess.com
Rabbi Moshe Yess
I'm sure NewJew was talking to me as well, so here are some answers.
To the extent that I believe that the sole purpose Hashem gave us is "L'takein Olam b'Malchut Shakai" (to FIX, not DESTROY,) to be an "Or LaGoyim" (from the Haftara we read just yesterday); to be a "Mamlechet Cohenim," and to be the source of Blessing for the world (the emphasis of B'reishit 12:2 is far more on blessing than on curse,) yes, I am a Universalist. Let the philosophers deal with how Hashem can "fail", but we learn that He "failed" with Adam, He "failed" again with Noach, and then He realized He had to start with one small group, the Jews, to LEAD THE WORLD BACK TO HIM. We're not exactly doing a bang-up job.
Rav Yaakov Love of Passaic, NJ, is fond of saying, "I'm not God's CPA." None of us know the exact relationship between actions and Divine reactions, nor the numbers of people who are slated to live or die. The same sources that talk about much destruction before the Geula also talk about many non-Jews recognizing Hashem and turning away from their evil. HOW CAN ANYONE PROVE that the deaths aren't all accounted for? Maybe every last person left alive is one that, like the people of Ninveh in Yona's time, has been judged worthy of doing T'shuva and living to the Geula!
If a man is found murdered outside a town, the Elders (Rabbis and Judges) of the town have to do an atonement: the Egla Arufa (D'varim 21:1-9). When a Sanhedrin is forced to execute one man in 70 years, it is called "bloody" (sorry, I don't have the Gemara reference for that one handy.) The reason is that if the leaders are truly doing their job right, NO SUCH CASES CAN EVER ARISE. Similarly, the unnecessary deaths of non-Jews shows that WE are failing to to the job that Hashem set us. So even if every death really is a punishment, we should feel a wrenching in our guts that we were unable to prevent it. It's not a small task He set for us, but it is our duty.
I feel a very deep need to see justice done; I just think it starts at home; as long as there are violations of Halacha within the Torah community, from petty theft all the way up to sexual abuse and murder, we don't need to point fingers at the rest of the world; let's get our own house in order and the rest will follow.
"Cozy and comfortable?" Me? I live on a Yishuv. The Palestinians from neighboring towns routinely try to cut our fences just to test the response times of the army and security forces. I ride buses in Yerushalaim almost every day. Plus, and even more dangerous, my life is threatened by Israeli drivers. In addition, because of my own diet and excersize habits, I could drop dead of a heart attack any day. In addition, those same prophesies everyone quotes here about dead non-Jews also talk about a lot of dead Jews! And despite the comfort that we give ourselves when we learn Pirkei Avot about all Jews having a share in the world to come, the second half of the quoted Mishna lists Jews who DON'T. I don't have the chutzpa to know I will be one of the ones who come back, so I can't rest "cozy and comfortable."
As to why I read this blog; first of all, I like Dov and even if I don't agree with his interpretations I am amazed by his erudition. In addition, if everything I say above is true, I am obligated to present my views here. Tilting at windmills or dreaming the impossible dream are just part of the Divine job we have. However, I plan at this point to concentrate my efforts on my own blog, where I can organize my thought in a proactive, not reactive way. You all know where to find me.
Finally, you say about "us universalists," "You're too sure that you already know it all." That sounds like a pretty know-it-all comment itself; be careful who you accuse of what.
One last comment to all; the ultimate source for everything we believe in is the 24 books of Tanach. That can't be overridden by later writings, and intricate calculations cannot override p'shat in pasuk. I continue to believe that the overwhelming weight of evidence in those books, as well as in the words of Chazal, support my point of view. No one has yet refuted a single direct quote I have made. If you wish to do so, email me; I am willing to listen.
i totally agree with maturgeman that the poor choices of goyim and the confussion that they create is a direct reflection of our actions. as i've mentioned before we (jews) are failing on many levels... with an astronomical number of intermarriages, a huge number of Jews looking for an "alternative" lifestyle, majority of Jewish children attending non-jewish schools... ...Jews expelling Jews from their homes in the Holy Land of Israel... jews, who are more familiar with what Hashem is expecting of us still often give in to secularity by investing their material and spiritual resources into nonsense. and then there is greater pool of jews who are so so distant from anything meaningful and unfortunately we, "frum" jews, do not serve as an inspiration to the rest of them.
just to give an e.g. i wanted to invite my friend over for shabbos bereshit... in response she told me that she had tickets to go a footy game which were given to her by her boss and since the boss was going to be there she didn't want to be rude and not show up... i've tried to explain to her that this shabbos is very important and so on, but couldn't change her mind. i told her that it is not the boss who feeds her, but Hashem and He expects her to respect shabbos before her boss... her response was that it is her boss who sustains her... (mind you this girl has completed a jewish school)
i don't judge her, nor do i judge any jew who makes the same poor choices on the daily bases. my point here is how can we expect goyim to act better if we ourselves failing just as badly. we, the nation that should be an example to the rest of the world, show the same lack of respect and therefore contribute to this overwhelming confussion that is going on.
what is going on now around the world, punishments or not, it is a call for us, jews, to wake up and start doing better. pointing fingers at others is useless. the only change one can make is to change oneself. the time to change is NOW!!!
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Meturgeman writes "but we learn that He "failed" with Adam, He "failed" again with Noach"
No source exists in Torah to support such a statement.
The emes is that the whole maiseh in Gan Eden was a case of "nora alila al bnei adam" ("a plot against man"). Hashem sees the outcome before He begins, so of course He knows what will transpire. He lets man fall down a hole so that man can pull himself out of it. Because once he pulls himself out, he will acheive a much greater level.
Kol yerida l'tzorech aliyah, every descent is for the sake of ascent. This includes the first, all-encompasing descent we just read about in Parashat Bereishit.
Um, Isaac, I think that is why my dh has the words "failed" in quotes. Obviously G-d isn't failing; he gives us chances and choices. That is what free will is about. He was trying to avoid the argument into "how can we have free will if Hashem knows everything".
At least I think that is where he is coming from. 26+ years of marriage I can still be wrong.
For me: obviously everything that happens is part of a greater plan. Exactly what that plan is and why a particular incident occurs is for me an unknown. Even when we think we know (for example, we miss a bus, and a crash) we might not know. As a friend of mine stated; everything is Hashagacha Pratis.
It seems to me as if many people are trying to write an equation for the events that are occuring now, and have them equal to another event. Then everyone plays around with the numbers till they come out correctly. Smile, then say "see it fits!" When further information comes in, that exposes a flaw in the equation, well it is back to the drawing board, rename some figures, change things a bit and smile again.
What right have we to tell G-d what formulae to use?
We aren't discovering anything new, we are just rearranging things to seem as if we are; like the old illusion with the disappearing square.
Aren't we suppose to simply try and live the life G-d gives us instead of trying to discover His future moves? We know what awaits us at the end. Trust in Hashem, and we will get there, just do what we are suppose to do.
I don't need a formula to tell my the Moshiach is coming; G-d has promised this. What I need to do is act in a way that will bring the Moshiach more quickly.
All this accusing and defending and backbiting going on here is working at cross purposes.
"A" accuses "B" of something "B" doesn't feel they are guilty of and tries to explain. "C" comes along and agrees with "B" and now both "B" and "C" are busy making a defense for a case that "A" never even opened. Now spouses are getting in on it.
I'm pretty impartial and I've read every post. Some people are just insisting on reading into other posts what they want to see regardless of how many times the authors deny the accusations being made against them.
Some people have set themselves up as judge and jury for other people who weren't bothering them at all, just stating an opinion they are entitled to like anyone else. It's even turning into a kind of harassment.
To Meturgemen and his supporters, unless any of you grew up a goy like I did, then I think I am a better judge of Am Yisrael's "lighting" abilities than you are. Being a goy is living at the darkest edge of the universe and that little light, no matter how weak, shines so brightly it is almost blinding.
It comes from simply being and engaging and doesn't even have anything to do with halacha. The Jew, by his nature, has an inner light that cannot be hidden.
This people does a hell of a job considering the multiple attempts to wipe it out over the centuries and considering that the latest genocide happened only 60 years ago and considering the energy and strength required just to survive. Also considering how divided the Torah world is over what real Judaism is anyway two thousand years this side of the reality of the Temple.
You judge too harshly and you ask too much!
You beat and whack with a spiritual stick and pour fire and brimstone down on your brothers' heads. Don't think I don't recognize it after 30 years in the church.
You may be your brothers' keeper but I really doubt G-d set you up to be their judge and jury.
Why not take your own advice and work on yourself. When your own light is shining brightly, you won't have to go out and beat people in the bushes for being on the wrong path. They'll gravitate to you and follow your own good example. Every good-hearted person is attracted to the light and none of them wants to be lost in the dark.
That can't be said of the evildoers though, the ones who seek out the darkness to hide their evil works. They run from the light and you can't blame the light-bearer for that although from what I've seen of you til now...you will probably try.
If I'd been attracted to your light, Meturgeman, the words out of your mouth would have sent me running in the opposite direction. Thank G-d it wasn't you I met on my path to Judaism!
Now can we get back to the subject of whether the new dynamics in the physical world portend a changed reality and how we as Jews need to relate to it?
Thank you!
NewJew
PS: I know a lot of people who live very, very comfortably in the yishuvim, better than me and my neighbors in our Jerusalem slum. And if you have a job, you're really well off.
dear newjew,
i don't know where exactly you would place me, into "a", "b" or "c", but i sure know that it is not our place to judge anyone, regardless of our background... however, i still think it's important to analyse what's happening and learn from it.
jews are the "light" you are referring to, yet just being and engaging is not good enough. if it was, then we wouldn't be required to do everything we have to do by the Torah. a light doesn't shine by itself, it needs to be connected to its source and reenergized continuously. Torah allows us, jews, to make that connection with our source, each other and the rest of the world. considering everything that is going on now there is obviously not enough connection. like you said yourself, not everyone is inspiring (i'm not referring to anyone specifically). it's important to recognize and respond with appropriate changes.
you ask to "get back to the subject of whether the new dynamics in the physical world portend a changed reality and how we as Jews need to relate to it?"... it is exactly what has been discussed here. the "new" dynamics are not really new and the reality has not been changed, it has been clarified for us. it tells us that the world cannot exist without Torah!
just remembered a friend of mine said something very profound (in my opinion)... Torah is often related to water, so in the absence of Torah, Hashem sends in water!
i think it answers your question.
kind regards
BS"D
E Pluribus Bloviations!
RMY
Quote:
"...Katrina, which laid waste to entire neighborhoods and claimed hundreds of lives here, may take another casualty: New Orleans' status as the country's voodoo capital.
"As of today I would say it's pretty dead," Glossop said. "Even the tourist shops are in jeopardy. There is a chance for a huge loss here."
Voodoo has long been entrenched in New Orleans, quietly practiced in homes with altars, candles and incense to solve problems of the heart and wallet. Before the storm tore through, about 15 percent of the city's population actively practiced, according to Lisa Fannon, a tour guide, though estimates vary widely.
Voodoo is part of the vernacular here, showing up in jazz and conversation. Some residents still sprinkle red brick dust on their doorway steps to ward off evil spirits."
http://www.breitbart.com/news/2005/10/31/D8DIUJMG0.html
WHat is all this? Every day i come back and see if Dov posted anything new and all i see is the same old post and the same old pointless comments. Why does everyone feel the need to defend themselves over comments they made. Everyone has the right to say what they want and others have the right to comment. But please people, don't waste your time as well as the time of others who are searching the comments for torah and new ideas. What ever happened to the comments that would add or help explain rav dov's insights. That's what we need, not a pointless blame game. Whatever happened happened and it did so because hashem wanted it to happen that way. Who cares why or if it should have happened, only hashem himself knows the answer to that.
Anonymous,
there's a paypal link on the right side. Maybe that would help?
Reb Dov! This is getting tedious. If you have anything ready please post it. I can't much more of this nonsense. Most of us are patiently waiting for your insights.
New video clips from mekubalim and other material: http://www.gog1.com/
For some reason my last post didn't go through. Alas, it was such a good one, too. Anyway, to get to my point, I just have one (possibly) last post to make.
No man can understand the level on which God operates. Just as a dog could never understand math, a man can not understand the devices and motives of Hashem. We may try, we may succeed, we may fail, but we will never be sure. To state that your theory is true for certain is saying you have the same understanding of the world that God does.
I don't claim to know everything, nor that I'm always right, I just don't want others to. All I know is that Hashem does what he will, when he will, for whatever reason he will, and I may never know why.
But I do believe Hashem has a hand in the world and that nothing is random. From removing me from a family member to the brief glimpse of the sun I had wished for on a rainy day, Hashem has always directed me and watched over me, and I will persist in doing his Mitzvot so that he will continue.
That is all.
-The Agent
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