Planet Earth-and amazing place

Can't see images? Click here...                                                             Rabbi Yehuda Lave Take Joy in Being Better When a person regrets wrongdoings, this is not a contradiction to the pre-existing obligation to be happy. Why? Because he should feel joy that he has merited to recognize the truth and is now repenting! Love Yehuda Lave Planent Earth--an amazing place Europe wants to build a VILLAGE on the moon: Esa space boss describes plans for a 'crazy' lunar settlement Europe wants to build a VILLAGE on the moon Jan Woerner said the idea, called 'crazy' by some, is being widely discussed as the end of the ISS looms large. The broad concept is a base for lunar exploration by humans and robots. Read the full story: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3401462/Europe-wants-build-VILLAGE-moon-Esa-space-boss-describes-plans-crazy-lunar-settlement.html ISIS fighter executes his own MOTHER in Raqqa after informing his superiors that she wanted to escape the jihadi group together ISIS fighter executes his own MOTHER in Raqqa Activists inside Syria have revealed that an ISIS fighter has executed his own mother in Raqqa after he reported her for trying to persuade him to leave the jihadi group. Read the full story: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3390019/ISIS-fighter-executes-MOTHER-Raqqa-informing-superiors-wanted-escape-jihadi-group-together.html The Writings of Rav Binyamin Ze'ev Kahane HY"D- Dvar Torah in honor of Sukkot The Writings of Rav Binyamin Ze'ev Kahane HY"D- Dvar Torah in honor of Sukkot דבר תורה לכבוד חג הסוכות NOT EVERYONE IS INCLUDED IN THE FOUR SPECIES Organs of power at home joining the side of our enemy requires us to take another look at the known midrash about how the "four species" symbolize different levels in Am Yisrael. It is impossible to ignore the growing and obscene phenomenon, where Jews in the upper echelons of Israeli society mobilize time and time again to further the cause of our bitter enemies. Whenever possible, they rise from within us, under the orchestration of the media, to demoralize the nation during its fight for existence, while furthering the interests of the enemy. The question is: How should we relate to these people? Are they one of us, or are they "beyond the pale"? THE FOUR SPECIES: A PARABLE FOR THE JEWISH PEOPLE One of the famous midrashim in connection to Sukkot, compares the four species to the unity of Israel: Just as the Etrog has both taste and smell, so too do the Jewish People have within it people who have Torah and good deeds: Lulav...has taste and no smell, and so too there are those who have Torah and no good deeds... Just as the Hadas has smell and no taste...(there are those) with good deeds and no Torah... Just as the "Arava" has no smell and no taste, so (there are those) who have no Torah and no good deeds. And what does the Almighty do to them? To destroy them would be impossible! But rather the Almighty said that he will tie them all up in one unit and they will atone for one another". (Vayikra Raba, 30:12) In view of how we opened this article, this amazing midrash mentioning how the Aravot are held tightly together with the rest of Am Yisrael, seems to shed light on the subject, and must be further analyzed. WICKED, BUT WANT CONNECTION The worst kind of Jew spoken of here is the Arav, who is not destroyed, because the righteous atone for him. They are Jews "who have no Torah and no good deeds." True, we are not talking about the cream of the crop - but we are talking about Jews who are ready to be part of the union of Am Yisrael, connected to them so that the righteous can atone for them. We are not talking about Jews, who G-d forbid, sever themselves from the collective and detest their own Jewishness. We are not discussing Jews who the sages spoke of when they said that in the days of the Messiah, there will be Jews who will identify with and join forces with the enemy. About such Jews, the above midrash does not speak. On the contrary. The idea of the midrash is two-fold. On the one hand, G-d does not desire to see the wicked of Israel destroyed. One the other hand, the wicked mentioned here are those willing to join and be a part of Klal Yisrael. Only they merit this special atonement. It is an atonement reserved for one who feels belonging to the collective of the Jewish Nation. It must be known: Relatively speaking, there really are only a few Jews who seek to cut themselves off from Am Yisrael. In Israel today, this miniscule band of haters, though they wield tremendous control, are a tiny minority. Through all the generations, and especially in this final era before the complete redemption, there were always Jews who took themselves out of the collective, and deep inside of them, identify more with the goyim than with the Jews. SOME JEWS ARE BARRED And so, it is a great mistake to identify such people as the "Arava" described in the midrash. for while the Arava is still only an Arava, it still has a belonging to the Jewish collective. While it has no taste or smell, at least it does not give off a putrid or damaging smell. The Arava sees himself as part of the four species and does not nullify his Jewishness, nor does he want to be like a gentile. By this very fact, he is able to absorb within him the smell and taste of the others. We must also remember that there are certain things that disqualify the four species from being Kosher. And so, though we are never happy about disqualifying a Jew, there are those who are rejected, and not tied together with the rest of the four species. The nation is willing to absorb the individual sinners, and to cover and atone for them so that they will not perish with their sins. (Even though this causes us great suffering as a people). It is ready to hold on tightly to them with all its might in order to unite them, for we Jews are all guarantors for one another. But the nation is not ready to carry under its wing he who in his very essence is an aberrant traitor. Such people remove themselves from the Sukkah of Israel, and as much as it hurts to say, they are beyond the pale for us. Chag Sameach! Is Islam a religion of peace? From Dennis Prager University OUT OF THE MOUTHS OF CHILDREN.....SO BEAUTIFULLY SAID! Leave it to the children to make it so easy to understand.   Fifth Grade Assignment Wouldn't this be great if it was taught in every school. A fifth grade teacher in a Christian school asked her class to look At TV commercials and see if they could use them in 20 ways To communicate ideas about God. Here are some of the results: scroll down. God is like. BAYER ASPIRIN He works miracles. God is like. AFORD He's got a better idea.. God is like. COKE He's the real thing. (This is great) God is like. HAL LMARK CARDS He cares enough to send His very best. God is like. TIDE He gets the stains out others leave behind. ... God is like. GENERAL ELECTRIC He brings good things to life. God is like. WAL-MART He has everything. God is like. ALKA-SELTZER Try Him, you'll like Him God is like. SCOTCH TAPE You can't see Him, but you know He's there. God is like.. DELTA He's ready when you are. God is like. ALLSTATE You're in good hands with Him. God is like. VO-5 Hair Spray;He holds through all kinds of weather God is like. DIAL SOAP Aren't you glad you have Him? Don't you wish everybody did? God is like . The U.S. . POST OFFICE Neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet nor ice will keep Him from His appointed destination. God is like. Chevrolet. . . .the heart beat of America God is like Maxwell House. .... . Good to the very last drop God is like. B o u n t y . . . . He is the quicker picker upper. . Can handle the tough jobs. .. And He won't fall apart on you Forward this to! 10 people so that they can know what God is like....... ( only! If you want to)! BLESSINGS FROM MY HOUSE TO YOUR HOUSEPeace, Love and Prosperity to all !God is like. The Energizer BunnyHe Keeps Going, Going, and Going  'IN GOD WE TRUST' The Stranierofono is a PVC bass clarinet played via a keyboard (yes he made it!) on an accordion, for a one-man band performance, by his creator Mark Di Giuseppe. His website www.thestraniero.com #rareandstrangeinstruments See You Tomorrow (Wednesday) Rabbi Yehuda Lave Your mailing address Contact Phone Website LIKE TWEET FORWARD You received this email because you signed up on our website or made purchase from us. Unsubscribe

A trip to the Mount of Olives and the beginning of the redemption?

Can't see images? Click here...                                                             Rabbi Yehuda Lave The Wise, Kind, and Beneficial Thing to Say It is common for people to be told, "Your problem is that you have a low self-image." Such statements usually lower a person's emotional state and make them feel worse about themselves. It would be much wiser and kinder, and more beneficial, for people to say, "You have infinite value and worth. You already know you have strengths and inner resources. But you have even more strengths and resources that you are not yet fully aware of, and they will enhance your life as you become more aware of them. There are many more strengths and inner resources that you can gain and build up from now on. As you keep building your self-image, it will have a positive impact on all your future thoughts, words, and actions. You will be calmer, happier, and more self-confident." Love Yehuda Lave See the Mount of Olives in the background from the Jewish housing in East Jerusalem Not An Inheritance By Rabbi Joshua Hoffman As part of the preamble to Moshe's blessings to the nation before he died, he told them, "The Torah that Moshe commanded us is the heritage of the assembly of Ya'akov (Devarim 33:9). Rabbeinu Bachya points out that the word for heritage – morasha – is distinct from the word for inheritance, yerusha. An inheritance is something that is passively received, while a heritage, a morasha, requires an active role in order to maintain it. He says that we find this term in one other place, in reference to Eretz Yisroel (Shemos 6:3). He connects the two by saying that we will retain Eretz Yisroel by adhering to the Torah, and will go into exile for not adhering to it. Although he does not cite the Mishna in Avos, we are taught that the Torah is not an inheritance, equating our relationship with Eretz Yisroel to our relationship with Torah. They both require dedicated effort to retain them. My teacher, Rav Aharon Soloveichik, zt"l, would often speak of this theme common to Torah and Eretz Yisroel.   Rav Shlomo Goren, zt"l, in his Toras HaMikra, offers a different explanation. He demonstrates that both Torah and Eretz Yisroel were given to the Jewish nation as a whole, rather than to the collection of its individuals, and this is the meaning of morasha – a national heritage. Perhaps we can add to this definition by noting that Torah embodies the collective character of the Jewish people, as Rav Saadia Gaon writes in his Emunos VeDei'os: "our nation is a nation only though the Torah." In regard to Eretz Yisroel as well, Rav Kook writes in his work Oros, that Eretz Yisroel is not something external to the Jewish people, but part of its very essence, its national character. Both Torah and Eretz YIsroel then, serve to unite the nation. Perhaps this is also why the Sifrei, as quoted by Rashi and elaborated upon by the Ramban, says that the optimal place to fulfill the Torah is in Eretz Yisroel.   With Rav Goren's explanation in mind, we can better appreciate the subsequent verse, "And He became king in Yeshurun when the heads of the nation are gathered, the tribes of Yisroel in unity." According to one explanation, the king referred to is God, and we are being told that God is recognizable as our king when the tribes of Yisroel are united. It is Torah as a morasha, together with the morasha of Eretz Yisroel, that leads to this unity. keep on going!! THE BEGINNING OF THE REDEMPTION???   The Wisdom of Rabbi Binyamin Kahane HY"D... Kahane on the Parsha Rabbi Binyamin Kahane THE BEGINNING OF THE REDEMPTION???   As the people and State of Israel sink to ever greater depths, we often hear the claim that there is nothing we can do since we are still in "galut." One gets the impression that this argument is an escape - a way of releasing feelings of bitterness and despair and a convenient excuse for passively accepting our condition without trying to change it. Whatever its motivation, it is to refute the argument that we are still in galut that the following article is intended. Let's begin with an obvious question: When the Jewish people are living in the Land of Israel, have attained sovereignty over it, have scored awesome military victories, and have witnessed the land's miraculous agricultural blossoming - can they be said to be living in galut? After all, galut refers to a nation uprooted from its land. With all the problems we have - and we are certainly the last to ignore them! - the historical process we are living through is hardly one of galut. Indeed, it's the very opposite. Of course, referring to our condition as galut is not entirely without basis. The spiritual, moral, and national deterioration of the Jewish people today is, indeed, terrible and unprecedented. And so, in order to clear things up a bit, it behooves us to remember that geula isn't merely a slogan. Geula is a very specific process which our Rabbis describe. It is comprised of several components: the rebirth of the land, the liquidation of the Exile, the return of Jews to Eretz Yisrael, Jewish sovereignty over it, revenge against the enemies of Israel, the building of Jerusalem and the Temple, and the appearance of the Messiah son of David. If we wish to define the situation we are in today, we cannot do so based on our feelings or personal views. There are rules. There are specific components to geula. And so: Can anyone deny that the land is once again yielding its fruits ("there is no clearer indication of the end of days than this" - Sanhedrin 98a)? Can anyone deny that Jews have gathered to the land from the four corners of the world (an ingathering of the exiles); that the Diaspora is self-destructing (either by emigration to Israel or, G-d forbid, via physical liquidation or assimilation); and that large parts of the land were conquered in wars (war is also the beginning of the redemption - Megillah 17b) and are under Jewish sovereignty? Indeed, since the days of Solomon, the hand of Israel has never been stronger. The fact that we refuse to use our strength is another matter. These are all facts that only the blind refuse to see. What do they say in response? That this isn't the ingathering of the exiles we dreamed about. But what is the meaning of the term "ingathering of the exiles" if not a return of the Jewish people to the land? (Or perhaps it refers only to an ingathering of the Jews of Boro Park?) You are not pleased with the way it came about? Well, that's how G-d decided it would happen! What else do they say? That this isn't the rebirth of the land which the Rabbis meant. But the fact is that for 2,000 years the land kept its promise: it lay desolate despite the efforts of various peoples to revive it. Only in the last few generations, when the Jews returned, did the land yield its fruit! For those who say we are in galut, what has to happen to make the process kosher? Must we start again from the beginning? Must we all, G-d forbid, return to the Exile and must the land again become barren so that we can get it right the next time? Must we start over again so that things can go according to their script, the way they think the redemption should unfold? Naturally, there are valid questions that can be asked. For example, how is it possible that the wicked continue to dominate Israel despite all the miracles we have witnessed? How can the Jewish nation be descending into unprecedented depths of decadence if it is living in midst of the geula process? Is there not a contradiction here? On the contrary! The Rabbis discussed such a scenario long ago. Indeed, they told us (Sanhedrin 97a) that if geula comes b'ita, the government will turn heretical and an evil government will rule. Actually, the Rabbis tell us (Megillah 17b) that one of the stages in the geula process is judgment against the wicked! And so in the geula of b'ita, there will be wicked people, and these wicked people will be in power. But the Talmud also teaches us that at a certain stage they will be destroyed ("criminals and sinners alike will be broken, and those who have forsaken G-d will perish"). This stage, too, will come. When? THAT DEPENDS ON US! If instead of KVETCHING, G-d fearing Jews would take hold of the reigns of leadership to further the redemption, the geula process would accelerate and the Messiah son of David would come quicker. What a pity that so few study these passages, yet so many speak about geula as if they were experts. This subject is no less important than the laws of Bava Kamma. What a pity to live through this unique era submerged in blindness, without trying to understand its greatness. If we would only understand our era's significance, we could advance the redemption and save ourselves from some of the suffering of the birth-pangs of the Messianic period. In conclusion, the complete redemption has not yet arrived, but parts of it are already with us. The real problem is not that we are in galut, but rather that WE REFUSE TO REMOVE THE GALUT FROM WITHIN US!! Darka Shel Torah, 1999   Staying isn't always right--the other side See you tomorrow!! Rabbi Yehuda Lave Your mailing address Contact Phone Website LIKE TWEET FORWARD You received this email because you signed up on our website or made purchase from us. Unsubscribe

Ancient Muslim Inscription Confirms Dome of the Rock’s Jewish Temple Origin

Can't see images? Click here...                                                             Rabbi Yehuda Lave Emulate The Great If you have to explain something to someone who needs many repetitions, imagine that you are like the great Rabbi Praida, who repeated each idea 400 times to a slow student. You personally might not yet have developed the level of patience of Rabbi Praida. But when you imagine that you are Rabbi Praida, you plug into his amazing ability to be patient.   Love Yehuda Lave   Ancient Muslim Inscription Confirms Dome of the Rock's Jewish Temple Origin By: David Israel The ninth annual conference on archaeological discoveries in Jerusalem and its environs that was held at the Hebrew University this week revealed the existence of an ancient Muslim inscription testifying to the fact that the original name of the Dome of the Rock, Qubbat al-Sakhrah, was "Beit al Maqdis" بيت المقدس — "Beit Hamikdash" in Hebrew, aka the Jewish Temple — during the early Muslim era, Makor Rishon reported Friday. According to archaeologists Assaf Avraham and Peretz Reuven, the inscription is dated to the 10th century CE, about a thousand years ago. It is located above a mihrab-prayer niche inside an active mosque in the village of Nuba, located seven miles north-west of Hebron. It is unknown when it was placed there, but it certainly throws a fresh light on the process by which Jerusalem became holy to the Muslims and the inspiration that Islam drew from Jewish sources regarding the holiness of the Temple Mount compound and the Jewish temple that once stood at the spot where today stands the Dome of the Rock shrine. Participants in the Jerusalem conference were particularly excited by this revelation in light of two recent UNESCO resolutions which disavowed any connection between Jewish history and the Temple Mount. One participant reminded the forum that the Mufti of Jerusalem already admitted that the Dome of the Rock stands on the same spot as Solomon's Temple, "but here we have an archaeological find that proves it," he said. According to both researchers, in the early Muslim era the Dome of the Rock was the site of worship services that were influenced by the ceremonies of the Jerusalem Temple: cleansing, incense, anointing the Foundation Stone with oil and surrounding it with curtains inspired by the divine parochet. The shrine, built around the Foundation Stone, just like the two Jewish Temples, was completed in 691 CE, by an architect named Yazid Ibn Salam, who was either Jewish himself or had Jewish aides. There is a theory that Umayyad Caliph Abd al-Malik originally had the Dome of the Rock built as a shrine for the Jews, while Al Aqsa, the mosque on the southern end of the Temple Mount, was built for Muslims. There is a trend where Muslims have recently begun referring to the entire Temple Mount compound, which they also call al-Haram ash-Sharif ("The Noble Compound"), as Al Aqsa. David Israel About the Author: David writes news at JewishPress.com. Is this how you feel going into work on Sunday or Monday? Arabs Sprayed Swastikas, Hate Graffiti, in Samaria Jewish Community By: David Israel Published: October 28th, 2016 A group of Arabs took advantage of the "secure olive harvest," and under IDF and police protection given to the Arab pickers, against local Jewish residents, managed to penetrate a military post at the Mitzph Yitzhar neighborhood in Samaria and smear it thoroughly with hate graffiti and with the age-old equation of Star of David equals swastika. The Yitzhar community was surrounded this past week with Arab olive pickers, each protected by Israeli security forces against the "evil settlers." And so some of them expressed their gratitude by completely defacing the post manned by their chivalrous defenders, with compliments such as "Death to the Jews," "Land of Palestine" and, of course, the swastika. This is not the first time local Arabs have taken advantage of the Jewish protection they receive against their Jewish neighbors. In the past they threw rocks at Jewish cars and even stabbed and IDF soldier near the community of Talmon. "We view this penetration seriously, because it could have ended in a much more tragic way," said Yitzhar Secretariat Chairman Uriah Cohen. "The so called secure harvest has proven time and again to be life endangering; this farce must end, once and for all." David Israel Never enough Curly What we know about FBI's new Clinton email inquiry US official says messages uncovered in unrelated sexting probe into Anthony Weiner, estranged spouse of Democratic nominee's top aide By AP October 29, 2016, 4:37 pm 14 WASHINGTON (AP) — Thought the furor over Hillary Clinton's private emails was over? Think again. The FBI dropped what amounts to a political bomb on the Clinton campaign on Friday when it announced it was investigating whether new emails involving the Democratic presidential nominee contain classified information. The announcement was a surprise considering the FBI had closed its investigation into Clinton's private email server in July. Turns out, though, this investigation doesn't seem to have anything to do with Clinton's homebrew server. A US official with knowledge of the case said the new emails were uncovered recently in an unrelated sexting probe involving the estranged husband of Clinton aide Huma Abedin. What we know: Clinton and her server Shortly after Clinton announced her plans to run for president, the FBI began investigating the handling of classified material involving her server in New York while she was President Barack Obama's secretary of state. Clinton insisted all along that she never sent or received emails that were marked classified at the time, but some emails on her server were later deemed top secret or included confidential or sensitive information. Most of the messages have shown how Clinton dealt with a series of foreign policy hurdles, from the Arab Spring in the Middle East to the deadly 2012 attacks in Benghazi, Libya, and efforts to curb Iran's nuclear ambitions. It has also offered a more private window into Clinton's daily life, showing her asking an aide to help her find Showtime's CIA-focused drama "Homeland," getting political intelligence from longtime allies and managing a busy schedule and flights around the globe. Last July, the FBI said it wasn't recommending criminal charges against Clinton. But FBI Director James Comey delivered a blistering televised statement in which he called Clinton extremely careless with her handling of national secrets and contradicted her past explanations about her emails. What's new? In a letter to Congress on Friday, Comey said the FBI is investigating whether there is classified information in newly discovered emails. Comey says the emails surfaced during an unrelated FBI case, but didn't say where the new emails came from or who sent them. Disgraced former congressman Anthony Weiner leaves his New York apartment after acknowledging he texted sexually explicit messages with a girl online during his mayoral run (Richard Drew/AP) A US official with knowledge of the case said the emails were related to a separate sexting probe involving Anthony Weiner, the estranged husband of Clinton aide Huma Abedin. The official was not authorized to discuss details publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. Federal authorities are investigating illicit text messages Weiner sent a 15-year-old girl in North Carolina. The New York Times, which first reported the connection, said the FBI uncovered the new emails after it seized electronic devices belonging to Abedin and Weiner. Clinton told reporters that she knew no more than they did about Comey's revelation. "We don't know the facts, which is why we are calling on the FBI to release all the information that it has," she said at a brief news conference. "Even Director Comey noted that this new information might not be significant, so let's get it out." As far as any connection to Abedin and Weiner, Clinton said: "You know, we've heard these rumors. We don't know what to believe. And I'm sure there will be even more rumors." Classification confusion Clinton told the FBI she didn't pay attention to particular levels of classified information, though she said she treated all classified information the same. She said she could not give an example of how classification of a document was determined, and told the FBI that she relied on career professionals to handle and mark classified information. At one point in the interview, she was presented with a 2012 email that included a "c" marking before one of the paragraphs. Though the marking was meant to connote that the material was "confidential" — the lowest level of classification — Clinton said she wasn't sure. She speculated that perhaps the "c" referenced the paragraphs being "marked in alphabetical order," according to the FBI interview. Either way, Clinton said she regarded the content of the email as a "condolence call" and questioned the classification level. The emails of secretaries of state past According to the FBI investigation, Clinton contacted Colin Powell in January 2009 to ask about his use of a BlackBerry when he was secretary of state. Colin Powell (Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP) He warned her that if she used a BlackBerry to "do business," her emails could become official public records. "Be very careful. I got around it all by not saying much and not using systems that captured the data," he advised Clinton, the FBI said. Wait … Weiner? Yes. Federal authorities began investigating the former New York congressman in late September after an online news outlet, DailyMail.com, published an interview with a 15-year-old North Carolina girl who said she had exchanged sexually explicit messages with him over several months. Among other things, the girl said that during a Skype chat, Weiner had asked her to undress and touch herself. Weiner released a statement acknowledging that he'd corresponded with the girl. In it, he apologized, saying he had "repeatedly demonstrated terrible judgment about the people I have communicated with online." But he also said he had "likely been the subject of a hoax" and provided an email, written by the girl to a teacher, in which she recanted her story. Federal prosecutors in both North Carolina and New York were initially involved in the investigation, but agents in New York subsequently took the lead, according to a spokeswoman for the US attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Weiner resigned from Congress in 2011 after it was revealed he had been exchanging sexually explicit messages with multiple women. Abedin announced their separation in August following new sexting revelations. What happens next The FBI disclosure isn't good news for Clinton, who had just begun to pull away from Republican rival Donald Trump in the polls after the release of a 2005 video in which Trump bragged about sexual assault. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump speaks at a rally at the Raddison Hotel on October 28, 2016 in Manchester, New Hampshire. (Darren McCollester/Getty Images/AFP) The best scenario for Clinton is that the investigation is resolved quickly without charges. But it's more likely the review will take some time, casting a shadow over the election. Within minutes of Friday's FBI announcement, Trump accused Clinton of orchestrating a "criminal scheme" before a boisterous and jubilant crowd. "Perhaps finally justice will be done," Trump said. In this fantastic 1978 clip from a Johnny Cash special, The Man in Black brings Kris Kristofferson on stage to sing "Sunday Morning Coming Down," which Kris wrote and Johnny took to No. 1 on the country charts! RE inventing Hoover Dam singing in the rain with Gene Kelly See you tomorrow Rabbi Yehuda Lave Your mailing address Contact Phone Website LIKE TWEET FORWARD You received this email because you signed up on our website or made purchase from us. Unsubscribe