American Twilight
I have just written this letter as a comment to one of the readers of this blog. I publish this now as an essay in its own right. It is both a love letter to America and a goodbye, and a warning to those Jews who would continue to rely on its 230 year history of tolerant greatness. It is also a good introduction for the blog that I am writing about the Four Rivers from the Garden of Eden:
It should be said, in truth, that there is much in Christianity which is praiseworthy. It has raised Western Man from the muckity muck of abject Paganism. The credo that should be applied to the apostles of Yesu (Jesus) is whatever they said that was true was not new, and whatever they said that was new was not true. The problems with Christianity, the Kingdom of Edom, though, are two-fold.
1. They see their deeds and the deeds of others, which are tainted with making the best of our extenuating circumstances, as being dirty rags. The Talmudic view is the opposite. One who makes the best choice taking into account his extenuating circumstances is a Tzaddik. I believe this Jewish view of a praiseworthy act and Man's accountability to act praiseworthily is the single greatest cause of Christian anti-Semitism, for it obligates the King and the guttersnipe to a moral code which takes the variables of one's life into account. Thank G-d America in its public sphere made itself a nation under G-d as opposed to a nation under Christ. By doing so it inherently dedicated itself to developing a national relationship with the Almighty where it would be judged by real parameters not the ideal ones of the Garden of Eden. For instance, stealing would usually be forbidden, but to save one's life on the open prairie, taking what was not his, would receive compassionate dispensation in an American court as long as it was demonstrable that one's life was at risk and that he had no other recourse. Of course, these real parameters of G-dly law only went to full citizens, not to those who were excluded from citizenship (Indians) or who were considered 3/5 of a human being (black slaves). Jews were given the kindness of enjoying full citizenship. The ink was barely dry on the American Constitution when George (Gog?) Washington swiftly sent off a letter to the Jewish Community of Newport, R.I. letting them know that they were fully emancipated citizens of the new great Republic. The decency of this great act has been truly rewarded to America one thousand-fold.
2. The problem with America, though, lies in Edom's second flaw. Since Christianity offers its believers the World to Come, signed, sealed, and delivered, the main purpose for serving G-d is to build this world, not the World to Come. Such lofty goals as doing what is right on a national scale at the cost of some national prosperity is not part of America's game plan. It never was from America's get go, and it definitely is not part of America's game plan in its twilight. Great individual Americans can be altruists, but America, the nation, does not have a covenant of altruism with its Creator, who has bestowed so much deserved blessing upon it. There is only one nation that has a covenant of altruism, to do what is right for its own sake, with the Creator of the Universe. Only Israel, and those righteous gentiles who cleave to Israel's destiny, has this covenant. Yet, sadly there is one place in the Torah where the Nation of Israel tried to mistakenly combine service to G-d with building a utopia of national prosperity as the goal of this service. It is when they built the Golden Calf on the 17th of Tamuz, 40 days after the greatest national revelation in history, when Moshe was late coming down from Sinai. They really thought that the calf, a representation of potential national prosperity, was a proper repository for the divine presence. They were wrong. They may have been spurred on by a mob of the mixed multitude to hold this view. Such is the result of pure democracy. Yet, at the gateway to the Garden Eden, Israel took a giant step backwards. Does it not make sense that the last great test for Jews in their present exile would be a rejection of this same concept. Jews who are stuck in America, because of the divine largesse which has been bestowed upon it, are making a big mis-calculation. A great nation, the greatest of all gentile nations, has mixed you into its melting pot. It would like to make you into one of them, the mixed multitude. But America is failing now. It is ceasing to play a positive role in G-d's over-arching plan of history. It sits in judgment of His First Born for supposed sins that America itself committed in the early years of its history. That along with the moral abyss into which America has sunk are good enough reasons to be wary about the future under its sovereignty. Leave now if you can afford to. If you are seriously into Kiruv work (bringing Jews close to Judaism), have one foot out the door and a place to go to in the Holy Land. For the United States will have its day of judgment, too. Its great day of founding, July 4, 1776 will be its undoing. On that day according to the Hebrew calendar every year we try to see where we failed 3317 years ago when we confused utopia with prosperity. You see, that day was the 17th of Tamuz. Press this link. Note that Tzom Tamuz is the Fast of Tamuz (the 17th of Tamuz).
From Gog to Gog there is no Gog quite like Gog from the Land of Magog.
It should be said, in truth, that there is much in Christianity which is praiseworthy. It has raised Western Man from the muckity muck of abject Paganism. The credo that should be applied to the apostles of Yesu (Jesus) is whatever they said that was true was not new, and whatever they said that was new was not true. The problems with Christianity, the Kingdom of Edom, though, are two-fold.
1. They see their deeds and the deeds of others, which are tainted with making the best of our extenuating circumstances, as being dirty rags. The Talmudic view is the opposite. One who makes the best choice taking into account his extenuating circumstances is a Tzaddik. I believe this Jewish view of a praiseworthy act and Man's accountability to act praiseworthily is the single greatest cause of Christian anti-Semitism, for it obligates the King and the guttersnipe to a moral code which takes the variables of one's life into account. Thank G-d America in its public sphere made itself a nation under G-d as opposed to a nation under Christ. By doing so it inherently dedicated itself to developing a national relationship with the Almighty where it would be judged by real parameters not the ideal ones of the Garden of Eden. For instance, stealing would usually be forbidden, but to save one's life on the open prairie, taking what was not his, would receive compassionate dispensation in an American court as long as it was demonstrable that one's life was at risk and that he had no other recourse. Of course, these real parameters of G-dly law only went to full citizens, not to those who were excluded from citizenship (Indians) or who were considered 3/5 of a human being (black slaves). Jews were given the kindness of enjoying full citizenship. The ink was barely dry on the American Constitution when George (Gog?) Washington swiftly sent off a letter to the Jewish Community of Newport, R.I. letting them know that they were fully emancipated citizens of the new great Republic. The decency of this great act has been truly rewarded to America one thousand-fold.
2. The problem with America, though, lies in Edom's second flaw. Since Christianity offers its believers the World to Come, signed, sealed, and delivered, the main purpose for serving G-d is to build this world, not the World to Come. Such lofty goals as doing what is right on a national scale at the cost of some national prosperity is not part of America's game plan. It never was from America's get go, and it definitely is not part of America's game plan in its twilight. Great individual Americans can be altruists, but America, the nation, does not have a covenant of altruism with its Creator, who has bestowed so much deserved blessing upon it. There is only one nation that has a covenant of altruism, to do what is right for its own sake, with the Creator of the Universe. Only Israel, and those righteous gentiles who cleave to Israel's destiny, has this covenant. Yet, sadly there is one place in the Torah where the Nation of Israel tried to mistakenly combine service to G-d with building a utopia of national prosperity as the goal of this service. It is when they built the Golden Calf on the 17th of Tamuz, 40 days after the greatest national revelation in history, when Moshe was late coming down from Sinai. They really thought that the calf, a representation of potential national prosperity, was a proper repository for the divine presence. They were wrong. They may have been spurred on by a mob of the mixed multitude to hold this view. Such is the result of pure democracy. Yet, at the gateway to the Garden Eden, Israel took a giant step backwards. Does it not make sense that the last great test for Jews in their present exile would be a rejection of this same concept. Jews who are stuck in America, because of the divine largesse which has been bestowed upon it, are making a big mis-calculation. A great nation, the greatest of all gentile nations, has mixed you into its melting pot. It would like to make you into one of them, the mixed multitude. But America is failing now. It is ceasing to play a positive role in G-d's over-arching plan of history. It sits in judgment of His First Born for supposed sins that America itself committed in the early years of its history. That along with the moral abyss into which America has sunk are good enough reasons to be wary about the future under its sovereignty. Leave now if you can afford to. If you are seriously into Kiruv work (bringing Jews close to Judaism), have one foot out the door and a place to go to in the Holy Land. For the United States will have its day of judgment, too. Its great day of founding, July 4, 1776 will be its undoing. On that day according to the Hebrew calendar every year we try to see where we failed 3317 years ago when we confused utopia with prosperity. You see, that day was the 17th of Tamuz. Press this link. Note that Tzom Tamuz is the Fast of Tamuz (the 17th of Tamuz).
From Gog to Gog there is no Gog quite like Gog from the Land of Magog.
posted by Dov Bar-Leib at 3/08/2005 08:21:00 PM
16 Comments:
If America is in twilight due to maltreatment of its "democratic" ally in the Middle East, then what is the status of a state that chose to have anti-Torah apikorsim as part of its ruling coalition, and plans to expel citizens from their homes to create Judenrein territories, give control of parts of Eretz Yisrael to terrorists and endanger its own citizens, all in the name of some dream to create a prosperous peaceful country? Is this not an infinitely worse state than America, because these atrocities are occuring in the palace of the Creator, in Eretz Yisrael? America never tried to create Judenrein territories. I believe the energy should not be spent blasting America, but in doing all that is legally possible to replace the leaders in Eretz Yisrael, who are truly worshiping a golden calf, just as the Eruv Rav did over 3300 years ago, because they don't know where Moshe is. Today, they believe the solution to their problem is not to
keep the Torah, but to assimilate and become just another democratic state in the Middle East. Unfortunately, there cannot be peace under such circumstances. America has been punished already for its misguided policies, but America's plans to create a new "contiguous" state will never happen without cooperation from anti-Torah atheists in Eretz Yisrael. The darkness is infinitely more intense currently in Eretz Yisrael, but this is because the intense revelation of light is coming, and this darkness is needed to offset the enlightment of coming events, that I am sure will be publicized by the excellent author of this blog. Thanks for reading and I look forward to future posts.
You said - "It should be said, in truth, that there is much in Christianity which is praiseworthy. It has raised Western Man from the muckity muck of abject Paganism."
Hashem had mercy, he used a pushy Jew, Saul of Tarsus...
You said - "The credo that should be applied to the apostles of Yesu (Jesus) is whatever they said that was true was not new, and whatever they said that was new was not true."
That's true of everything...Even Torah existed in the mind of G-d before being spoken.
You said..."The problems with Christianity, the Kingdom of Edom, though, are two-fold..."
The problem with Chrisitianity is they don't follow the words or example of their teacher.
You say... "Thank G-d America in its public sphere made itself a nation under G-d as opposed to a nation under Christ."
Agreed, since Christianity's founder would have opposed such a concept.
You said..."By doing so it inherently dedicated itself to developing a national relationship with the Almighty where it would be judged by real parameters."
Dedicated, hardly! Rather, America is dedicated to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The nation wants freedom to live and let live - 'Don't tread on me'...And, be one's own master. America's is reaching to establish the true enlightenment state - a tall tower to man - Faith's symbols and churchianity simply made it more tolerable.
You say..."For instance, stealing would usually be forbidden, but to save one's life on the open prairie, taking what was not his, would receive compassionate dispensation in an American court as long as it was demonstrable that one's life was at risk and that he had no other recourse. Of course, these real parameters of G-dly law only went to full citizens, not to those who were excluded from citizenship (Indians) or who were considered 3/5 of a human being."
Now they're 7/5 of a human or 1 and 2/5s with mineral rights, casinos, with legal, and educational opportunities that most Americans can only dream about. The Indian angle ain't working here.
You said - "Jews were given the kindness of enjoying full citizenship. The ink was barely dry on the American Constitution when George (Gog?) Washington swiftly sent off a letter to the Jewish Community of Newport, R.I. letting them know that they were fully emancipated citizens of the new great Republic. The decency of this great act has been truly rewarded to America one thousand-fold."
hmmmm...Something to think about. Perhaps, yes.
You say..."The problem with America, though, lies in Edom's second flaw. Since Christianity offers its believers the World to Come, signed, sealed, and delivered."
Nope.
You say..."The main purpose for serving G-d is to build this world, not the World to Come."
This is America and perhaps even Churchianity, but this is not Christianity.
You say..."Such lofty goals as doing what is right on a national scale at the cost of some national prosperity is not part of America's game plan."
Yep, right on...Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness is America's alter.
You say..."It never was from America's get go, and it definitely is not part of America's game plan."
Definitely not.
You say..."Great individual Americans can be altruists, but America, the nation, does not have a covenant of altruism with its Creator, who has bestowed so much deserved blessing upon it."
Nope definitely not. But America is not Christianity.
You say..."There is only one nation that has a covenant of altruism, to do what is right for its own sake, with the Creator of the Universe. Only Israel, and those righteous gentiles who cleave to Israel's destiny, has this covenant."
I agree. Israel is different.
You say..."Yet, sadly there is one place in the Torah where the Nation of Israel tried to mistakenly combine service to G-d with building a utopia of national prosperity as the goal of this service. It is when they built the Golden Calf on the 17th of Tamuz, 40 days after the greatest national revelation in history, when Moshe was late coming down from Sinai. They really thought that the calf, a representation of potential national prosperity, was a proper repository for the divine presence. They were wrong."
Excellent stuff here...
You say..."They may have been spurred on by a mob of the mixed multitude to hold this view. Such is the result of pure democracy."
I see your point - Democracy at its heart is evil. 'Cursed is the man who trusts in makind and makes flesh his strength.'
You say..."at the gateway to the Garden Eden, Israel took a giant step backwards. Does it not make sense that the last great test for Jews in their present exile would be a rejection of this same concept."
It does make sense...
You says..."Jews who are stuck in America, because of the divine largesse which has been bestowed upon it, are making a big mis-calculation."
Huge error...They've essentially become non-Jews. As Esau they're choosing the savory soup.
You say..."A great nation, the greatest of all gentile nations, has mixed you into its melting pot."
Yep, tragic...
You say..."It would like to make you into one of them, the mixed multitude. But America is failing now."
Indeed it is...Rotting from the inside and it simply has yet to manifest. Cancer...a cancer, killing silently in the darkness.
You say..."It is ceasing to play a positive role in G-d's over-arching plan of history."
Wrong, it's playing a role, but the role is insidious.
You say..."It sits in judgment of His First Born for supposed sins that America itself committed in the early years of its history. That along with the moral abyss into which America has sunk are good enough reasons to be wary about the future under its sovereignty."
Don't disagree...
You say..."Leave now if you can afford to. If you are seriously into Kiruv work (bringing Jews close to Judaism), have one foot out the door and a place to go to in the Holy Land. For the United States will have its day of judgment, too."
Yep.
"Its great day of founding, July 4, 1776 will be its undoing. On that day according to the Hebrew calendar every year we try to see where we failed 3317 years ago when we confused utopia with prosperity. You see, that day was the 17th of Tamuz. Press this link. Note that Tzom Tamuz is the Fast of Tamuz (the 17th of Tamuz)."
Fascinating and thanks. Finally don't put America and Christianity in the same sock...That's a mistake. Genuine Christianity has largely left the U.S. 60 years ago as it left Europe almost 100 years ago.
From Gog to Gog there is no Gog quite like Gog from the Land of Magog.
Maybe...
(..)a tall tower to man(..), hmmm,...yes, n we all know what happens to people building towers,...
America's strength and weakness is symbolized by the word "Gog", Gimmel Vov Gimmel. Gimmel means "giving", as in Gemilas Chesed, Vov is "And"...
America has been a "giving" country, and still is generous, helping Israel with at least 2 billion dollars in aid annually for many years, but its problem and downfall is the "AND GIVING", it is overly generous, and now it is giving to the wrong causes in the name of the State department's long time policy of "evenhandness in the Middle East" (to minimize Arab hatred as we exploit their oil), so they now are sticking it to their "democratic" ally in the Middle East, by creating false Arab "democracies", to show Israel that they are not so special, the Arabs are "democratic" too and deserve America's "Giving" also, even giving to terrorist murderers so they can set up a "democratic state" (ok, so what if they teach their kids to strap dynamite on themselves...it's a free democratic country...isn't it?). This is the Gift of Giving from GOG of MAGOG.
According to Chassidus, at Yaakov's encounter with Esav (after leaving Lavan's house) Yaakov was ready for the geulah (redemption) and he was disappointed to see that Esav was not. When he tells Esav that he will meet him at Seir, that he will travel slowly due to the children and women and flocks, Chassidus explains that this is because Yaakov (the Jewish people) at this point took on the difficult task of refining Esav himself (the job Esav failed to do).
The point of mentioning this here is that while no Jew should ever be confused as to where his homeland is (Eretz Yisroel) and what the ideal government is (spiritual monarchy under the King Moshiach, may we see it soon), we should at the same time understand that 2000 years of fulfilling the Jewish task of Torah and Mitzvos in golus -- particularly the bitter golus of Edom (Esav) -- has led to a refinement in Esav to the point where Esav is ready to willingly accept the 7 Noahide laws incumbent upon him. This is not my meager opinion, but the clear statements of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, whose opinion in these matters is met with almost unanimous respect among the leaders of the greater Chassidic and Sephardic world.
You may be interested in this essay (click here) on America's Founding Fathers, composed from the Rebbe's statements:
It is appropriate to reiterate that the character of this nation is based on faith in G-d. And we speak not of an abstract Super Being; but of G-d, Creator and Master of the world.
One can profess belief in a Creator while failing to recognize G-d’s interest in the details of the world and in man’s mortal actions. Our nation however, is built on the principles established by the founding fathers. When they landed on these shores one of their first acts was to set and proclaim a holiday of Thanksgiving to the Creator and Master of the world who had saved them from danger and brought them to these safe shores. Here they could live without fear, religious persecution or oppressive decrees. Here they could conduct their lives according to their sacred beliefs. Their thanksgiving expressed this faith: G-d not only created the world but also directs the events of the world. They recognized the providence of G-d in their salvation.
Regarding the nature of American "giving:" America gives with one hand and takes back with the other. It "gives" where it sees it can extract something in return. This is its policy throughout the world and is no point of condemnation. It is the way of the world after all. Only please do not presume a righteous benevolence where none exists. It's nothing more than political expediency.
To Steve: Whether you believe this or not, it is the nation you have chosen to call home and to support and strengthen with your life and energies which conceived of and pushes forward this diabolical plan. When the full truth is known, you will see that America was far more wicked than the Israelis whose every flaw is exposed to world view.
You wrote: "America never tried to create Judenrein territories." Who created the Road Map? And who does Condi Rice represent when she goes about the world pushing the Road Map Plan and the establishment of a Palestinian state? And who but Pres Bush said it is his goal to create a Palestinian State? Which is worse creating Judenrien areas in America (which one might argue assimilation has done quite nicely) or "in the palace of the Creator, in Eretz Yisrael?"
Anyone who sees so clearly the error of Israel's ways and yet stands at a distance pointing his finger instead of coming to the aid of his faithful brothers who are small in number and strength, yet struggling to uphold Torah in the Land of Israel...well, what do you call such a person? What will be Hashem's judgement on all the "righteous" and "religious" who were too good to sully themselves in the battle for the soul of our Land?
You wrote: " America has been punished already..." Brother, America has not even begun to feel her punishment. 9/11 was a slap on the face to get her attention. Those Jews who choose to remain at her side, separated from their brothers and sisters in Eretz Yisrael, will justly share in her punishment by that choice. The darkness you see is not evident from Jerusalem. It is the shadow of death creeping across America, G-d forbid.
DevoraChaya said...the usual divisive comments of the internet cassandra eager to see "justice" executed on her "wayward brothers". Waiter, two helpings of Ahavas Yisroel, please, with perek 32 of Tanya on the side.
Now on to better things. A student of Torah knows that world politics is a direct outcome of the actions of the Jewish people. If the goyim are pressuring Israel, it is in order to bring out our resistance to the pressure. As the Lubavitcher Rebbe states in a letter of 1968:
"It is not the non-Jews I fear, for they have no free will, but rather the Jews, who do have free will, who are misled. It makes no difference if the delusion is unintentional, or forced upon them, for this does not change the practical outcome." (http://www.truepeace.org/thecry/correspondence.htm)
There was peace in the world during the reign of Shlomo Hamelech not because the goyim were any better, and we are on the brink of chaos today not because the goyim are any worse. If the Israeli "leaders" had stood up to the world in 1967 (when they astonished everybody by practically begging to give back Jerusalem, etc), things would look different today.
The only thing that affects the future in any way are the actions of a Jew in Torah and Mitzvos. If you are a Jew: increase your Torah and Mitzvos. If you are a non-Jew: assist the Jews in their task.
May we hear good news.
even in the case of those who are removed from G-d's Torah and His service...one must draw them near with strong cords of love, perchance one might succeed in bringing them closer to the Torah and Divine service. (Tanya, ch. 32)
"...even in the case of those who are removed from G-d's Torah and His service...one must draw them near with strong cords of love, perchance one might succeed in bringing them closer to the Torah and Divine service." (Tanya, ch. 32)
"Who therefore has the right to weigh in his own human - of flesh and blood - mind the weight of the sins of this generation and to pronounce that because of these sins will come retribution. G-d forbid such a thing. This is the opposite of that which the Torah rules: that these people are in the category of a tinok shenishbah whom Torah exempts!"To describe G-d as One who sits and calculates the number of sins and waits until there is enough to take retribution, G-d forbid, and then when punishment is exacted again starts counting, etc., this is surely the opposite of respect for G-d, as it gives the impression that G-d can be compared to a cruel king who is waiting to punish. This is in fact the opposite of the truth that G-d is a 'Merciful Father' as explicitly stated in numerous verses, particularly in the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy.
"Moreover, when the A-lmighty does punish for sins - after He has been abundantly patient - the punishment is not G-d forbid a revenge, rather it is for the good of the person, in order to cleanse and purify him from the impurity of the sin. In the words of the Alter Rebbe: 'Like a merciful father who is wise and righteous who strikes his son ... like a great and awesome king who himself washes the excrement off his only son out of his great love for him.'"
Had he been there, he would not have been redeemed (Passover Haggada)This restriction applies only with regard to the exodus from Egypt. In the future Redemption, by contrast, all Jews will be redeemed. At the time of the Giving of the Torah, G-dliness became part of every Jew's inner being. From that time onward, there is no possibility of a Jew being consigned to oblivion...every member of our people will share in Mashiach's coming.
Wow…the discussion certainly has become hot and heavy, but many valid points are being made here... indicating we have gotten to the root of the matter. None of us wants to see anybody in Klal Yisrael hurt anywhere in the world, and nobody can measure the weight of sins either, nor do we sit and calculate the weight of the sins. We want to prevent future suffering as I think Dov bar Leib is doing with his warning about what may happen to America, and also what DevoraChaya stated. Dov we eagerly await your comments on this interesting discussion you have generated. The issue under discussion is…where is the “twilight”…where is the darkness of Golus greatest…in Eretz Yisrael, the place of greatest potential where tremendous mistakes are being made, or in America or Golus where laziness and greed, cooperation with terrorists via Gog/Condi, abandoning “allies” to insure oil supplies, setting up phony “democracies” is the order of the day?
I would like to respectfully comment on DevoraChaya’s posts. I share your contempt for current US foreign policy towards Medinat Yisrael. However, Sharon was even more eager than Collin Powell to expel the “settlers” at their last meeting. Yes, the golus is being liquidated, however we must understand that our last golus is that of the Eruv Rav according to the Vilna Gaon (read Even Shlaima) and as hinted in Parshas Vayishlach, Yaakov put the children of the handmaidens first when he returned to Eretz Yisrael, indicating that the “mixed multitude – Eruv Rav” will be in charge when we return to Eretz Yisrael and have to face Esav. So please realize…and I’m sure you do even though you say the darkness is not apparent in Jerusalem…that you are also in the midst of a terrible Golus even as you live in Eretz (and I certainly respect you and the soldiers of IDF for doing so, together with my parents and other siblings). It is a tremendous challenge to beat these terrible “leaders” who let Arafat escape in 82, brought us Madrid and Oslo, and the current terror. Dov Bar Leib’s point was that America is in “twilight” and may be in for unpleasant times due to past and present misdeeds. The intent of my comments was that while currently America is acting in self-interest (laziness, greed, lack of will to develop independent energy supplies, appeasement of murderous oil suppliers), the current leadership in Eretz is endangering the entire country on its own for no apparent reason or gain other than an elusive peace process golden calf, (although there may be threats from America behind the scenes), they are rewarding terror, and are creating a huge Chilul that may (we pray not) cause more suffering. This may be the greatest darkness our generation has witnessed since the holocaust, greater than the twilight of America who is just basically greedy. We are not prophets of doom, we really all just want a geula shleima; we don’t want to see more suffering in Golus. But although we wish Aliyah to Eretz was the solution to the problems of Golus, we know that the real solution is an internal change. After all, there is a purpose in Golus; it is to change us and this change can occur in Eretz Yisrael or the diaspora. There is no way that those in Tel Aviv who eat pork and drive to the beach on Shabbat will escape the birthpangs of Moschiach, while the Rav who learns and teaches in Yeshiva all day in Queens will be swept away in a plague of darkness as DevoraChaya’s comments would suggest. Do we not have a merciful Rebono shel Olam? And Rav Kahane HY”D wouldn’t think so either. After all the gemorah says explicitly and Yaakov N would likely agree…make your business Torah and Chesed to escape the birth pangs of Moshiach…it didn’t say make aliyah …although it is certainly a great Mitzva, and as DevoraChaya and Dov both suggest may eventually have to be made involuntarily.
Chuck "the guy from Kansas commented:
"Hashem had mercy, he used a pushy Jew, Saul of Tarsus..."
Rav Sha'ul of Tarsus must have been "pushy" indeed at very least. He was the Tovia Singer of his day until something happened to him while going to Damascus to persecute the followers of " the new way" of the Nazarene.Whatever happened to Sha'ul on the Damascus road ( theologians would term it a theophany) turned him on to the new way. But at least Rav Tovia Singer does not persecute anybody.
Dear Steve, DevoraChaya, Ya'akov, Chuck, DH, Hugo, and whoever else has read this post:
This is obviously the toughest time in human history to make a decision. While Jews, in particular, have been through more horrendous suffering than they are going through today, I believe it has never been harder to make a life changing decision. It is if we are stuck where we are in Eretz Yisroel or America, and trying to decide whether we should make aliyah or run away towards the deterioration of the world outside Eretz Yisroel are equally odious decisions. All things being equal, our holy sources definitely indicate since the eye of Hashem never is removed from Eretz Yisroel, it is better to be here than anywhere else in the world at this time in history.
According to Rav Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook, based on the karpas at the Pesach Seder, there are three naturally occurring stages to this final redemption, all directed down to the meticulous detail from above. The first stage was when there were 600,000 Jews here in the Holy Land. Before he passed away in the mid 1930s, he said that the first miracle of our redemption would occur when we reached that plateau. The first time that Israel reached this plateau since the crushing of the Bar Kochba revolt over 1800 years prior was in 1947. The second plateau was when there were 600,000 men over age 20. The population that is needed for this to occur is about 2.7 million people. Israel reached this figure of 2.7 million in the mid-1960s just before the 6 Day War. According to Rav Kook, that as you should remember passed away in the mid 1930s, another miracle will occur when there are 6 million Jews here in Eretz Yisroel. Yes 6 million! How did he know the significance of this figure? Because of several factors. One of them is that the word karpas stands for 60x something with perech (bone-breaking suffering) The fact that the number 60 modifies nothing specifically in the word karpas allows for the Creator to have elbow room. With the first redemption from Egypt, the number 60 modified 10,000 so that there were 600,000 Jews in hard labor at the time of the 1st Redemption. For the final redemption, 60 in its final stage will modify 100,000, ten times the value that it did in Egypt.(I will explain this in a future blog about the Machzit Hashekel, the Holocaust, and the Final Redemption). The authentically Jewish population of Eretz Yisrael is now over 5.2 million growing by over 80,000 per year even though aliyah is near an all time low. Apparently the number of Jews leaving is equal to the number of returning Israelis which stabilizes the yeridah (emigration) figure. This 80,000 per year figure is set to grow, as the massive Exodus of French Jews picks up and as the number of Americans coming continues to grow because of Nefesh B'Nefesh and because of the sliding value of the dollar. Nefesh B'Nefesh is the new carrot to bring Jews from North America and the deteriorating value of the dollar will soon become the stick. Of course, as the dollar continues to slide, making it here with the dollars that one has will become more and more difficult forcing those, who want to come here as the economic situation in America begins to deteriorate, into staying in America. Coming from America before Mashiach comes may be a hard road to travel on sooner than you think.
Does one want to be one of the 6 million here to welcome Mashiach as the 4 winds of G-d's spirit are gathered from the four corners of the earth? Or does one want to be amongst the 6 million shteiging (toiling away in Torah and work) in Chutz LaAretz (outside the Land of Israel). I firmly believe that I am well-backed up by sources, that although the 6 million in Chutz LaAretz will be brought here after Mashiach comes, there is a qualitative difference to being in the thick of the redemption than watching it from a distance. According to Chazal (our sages of the ages), we will be raised to the level of angels here in Eretz Yisrael while those coming from outside the Land will have to struggle to come through natural means. Rav Pinchus Winston on his website, www.thirtysix.org has a full discussion of this difference. I firmly believe that there is a special reward for putting up with the donkey p--p with which the Erev Rav (mixed multitude of Jews who descended from non-Jews who converted insincerely) here in Eretz Yisrael wants to blind our spiritual vision. There is a definite spiritual reward for telling G-d that this is one's home, and although one is just a grasshopper amongst giants like Gog? Bush and Jacque Chirac, G-d will favor us grasshoppers. There is a definite spiritual benefit to telling G-d, that one wants to have no part in the Sin of the Spies by telling those who do not value innocent human life, even their own wretched one, that we are staying put.
The spark of purity and holiness is about to blast through the husks of spiritual impurity. The last place that Moshe Rabbeinu saw before he passed on was Tzoar, the place to which Lot and his daughters fled when the other four cities of the plain were destroyed. From his incestuous relationship with his daughters that followed because they believed that they had to repopulate the world, the spark of Mashiach was kindled. This lishma aspect (for its own sake aspect) of Lot's eldest daughter brought us Ruth, the great-grandmother of King David. The spiritual husks of impurity are about to give way. The rose of Mashiah ben Yosef will blossom amongst the thorns, and Mashiach be David will come riding on the jackass that is spreading so much poop to blur our vision. Coming now is an awesomely frightening thing, but according to the Klausenberger Rebbe and others, we are not straying into another Holocaust, G-d forbid. The physical brutality of our galut (exile) at the hands of the nations as spoken about in the Rebukes in Leviticus and Deuteronomy has already ebbed. The Holocaust was the seventh and final blow (something I will show in a future blog). If you believe that G-d stands by His promises, why not come if you can. The choice is yours.
Something bothers me here,
America is certainly the most Jewish friendly nation in the world(at least when you look at the major nations). I would appear to me that first the other nations of the world would falter before america. why do you believe that america's economy will falter before say england,france,switzerland etc. which i believe have been more anti israel than america. Hashem has a plan, i really don't believe that we know when or how this plan will play out. we have some hints but i really don't see how anyone can tell me when, how and where this plan will unfold.
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