The Myth of Xmas -- המיתוס של חג המולד

This article is taken from TorahAnytime.com's Weekly Parasha Hashavua Newsletter.

Santa Claus Was Created By Coca Cola!

  

So, X-mas has just passed and I'm willing to put money down that you fit into one of three categories with regards to this holiday: You either 1- love Chanukah but think that X-mas is pretty cool, 2- heard that X-mas has something to do with the birth of Yeshu (Jesus), but are curious how everything else (the tree, Santa, gingerbread men, etc...) fits in, or 3- couldn't care less.

Regardless of which group you're part of, it's absolutely necessary to know and understand what X-mas is reallyall about. After all, our families are raised in an extremely Christian oriented society, and if we aren't armed with the knowledge needed to combat this, we stand very little hope of preventing its influence on our families and selves.

Lets begin.

First off, we must state outright that it is a completemyth that Yeshu was born on 12/25. Not only does the New Testament fail to give any date for his birth, but the earliest Gospel written-St. Mark-records stories only of anadult Yeshu; there is no story recorded of his birth at all!

We could easily go into greater detail, but suffice it to say, there are 3 respected opinions in the Christian world as to when Yeshu was born, and-get this-none of them place it at December 25^th. DePascha Computus, the earliest Catholic document discovered, says he was born on March 28^th. Clement, a church Bishop from the same time period thought he was born on November 18th. More recently, Joseph Fitzmyer, a Cardinal with extremely close ties to the Pope disagreed with both of them, and claims he was born on September 11^th 3 BCE!

Kind of makes you wonder, doesn't it?

If this is the case, you might be wondering how in heaven's name X-mas ended up being celebrated on the 25^th of December? Well, in order to answer this question, we need to take a trip back in time to ancient Roman days and learn about the pagan festival of Saturnalia,which took place from Dec. 17^th-25^th.

The custom of this festival was as follows: There were no rules-plain and simple. You could dowhatever you wanted however you wanted withwhomever you wanted. In addition to human sacrifice, other customs of this day included widespread intoxication, complete rampant immorality, going from house to house singing disrobed, and eating human shaped biscuits. The last two traditions are indeed the forerunners of modern day X-mas caroling and gingerbread men cookies.

Keep reading. It gets better.

In the 4^th century, the Church decided that it wanted to convert people en masse, and so they adopted the holiday of Saturnalia into Christianity in an effort to attract pagan followers! The only problem was that there wasn't anything inherently Christian about Saturnalia, so Christian leaders...can you guess it...named the last day of the holiday-Dec. 25^th as Yeshu' birthday.

Of course, the Church couldn't have its followers spend a week out of the year getting drunk, having illicit relations, and murdering whomever they wanted, so some leaders tried to stop it; they had very little success though. After all, who would want to give up such a great holiday? The kicker is this: From 1659-1681, the Puritans in Massachusetts [the famous Pilgrims] actuallybanned X-mas because of its terrible pagan origins!

The Origin of Christian Customs:

The Tree:Just like the Church incorporated Saturnalia in an effort to attract pagans, they attracted the worshippers of the Asheira Cult by incorporating the trees they worshipped into Christian Doctrine. Sounds familiar? Asheira Trees? The Torah mentions them outright as a form of idolatry!

Mistletoe: Norse/Druid mythology tells the story of their god Balder being shot and killed by an arrow laced with poisonous mistletoe. Druid rituals, therefore, used mistletoe poison to kill their sacrificial human victim. Just as with the Asheira cult, Christians adopted their customs in an effort to missionize them, and "kissing one's beloved under the mistletoe" (a combination of the immorality of Saturnalia and Druid sacrifices) was born.

Presents:  Roman Emperors forced their most despised citizens to give them gifts during Saturnalia. This soon became a tradition amongst all Romans during Saturnalia, and when Saturnalia became a "Christian" Holiday, the Church gave it a "Christian flavor" by claiming that St. Nicholas would give presents.

But how is Santa connected to St. Nicholas?

We're running out of room so I'll keep it short and sweet:

St. Nicholas, a Middle-Eastern Christian man, died and was buried in Turkey in 345 CE. About 800 years later, his bones were uprooted by sailors who idolized him, and they reburied him in Italy. Ultimately, because of his popularity in the region, he replaced the god of the area, Pasqua Ephiphania, who used to fill children's stockings with gifts. And so, Nicholas had now become a gift-giving god. His popularity spread north into the Germanic regions where he ultimately replaced their god, Woden, as well. Woden had a long white beard and rode a horse through the heavens in late autumn. Now it was Nicholas who grew a beard, had heavy winter clothing, and flew a flying horse. In deference to Saturnalia however, his flight was rescheduled to December.

Not quite the modern Santa, but we're getting closer...

In the 1800's, a new and improved history of St. Nicholas began surface. Firstly, the Dutch equivalent of St. Nicholas,called Santa Claus, became extremely popular through the efforts of popular author Washington Irving (who also wrote Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle), and people stopped calling him St. Nicholas and only called him Santa Claus. Additionally, through the publications of well-known professor Dr. Clement Moore and illustrator Thomas Nast, Santa Claus was popularly portrayed in books and newspaper cartoons as flying with reindeer, descending through chimneys, having a home in the North Pole, owning a workshop filled with elves, and keeping a list of good and bad children.

That's right. You read correctly. The majority of Santa Claus stories...are just made up stories.

All we're missing is the red suit.

Enter Coca Cola...

In 1931, Coke's sales had plunged because they'd removed their key ingredient due to legal issues-cocaine. In an effort to boost sales, they contracted Swedish artist Haddon Sundblom to create a coke drinking Santa. Sundblom modeled Santa, who up until then was a skinny man, after his friend Lou Prentice, a cheerful and chubby person. Coca Cola insisted that Santa's suit be colored Coca Cola Red, and at long last, our classic modern-day Santa complete with his red suit, big belly, and reindeer was born...

NOW I want you to think about the difference between Chanukah and X-mas. What does each holiday represent? Which has any intrinsic value and why?                                                                    Shabbat Shalom | Chanan Tzionov

Living Amalek, עמלק החי

I may not be a fan of Zionists, and Israel needs Moshiach to be in their next government (not the current Zionist regime which is made up of the Erev Rav), but this Amalek will be destroyed when Moshiach comes.  Here's a living proof of a living Amalek, whose words are  unbelievably foolish and utter nonsense and sounds like a Hitler, yemach shemo v'zichrono, which is also an acronym for Yeshu.




The STate of Isreal is not a Jewish country as the following is quoted:

• President Peres wishes Christians a Merry Christmas
• 12.20.2012
• 

  President Peres singing with the local children's choir (Photo: GPO)

  
  

  President Peres: “It is for me a privilege, as president of the State of Israel, to send profound wishes on behalf of all of Israel for a Happy Christmas to the whole Christian world and to express the hope that the Middle East may enter an era of peace and prosperity.”
• ​
  

  (Communicated by the Office of the President)

  President Shimon Peres, today (Thursday, 20 December 2012), paid a visit to the official residence of Archbishop Elias Chacour in Haifa. President Peres sang traditional Christmas songs with the local children's choir from the Christian-Arabic school in I'billin.

  President Peres delivered a festive greeting to Christians in Israel and across the world and said: "It is for me a privilege, as president of the State of Israel, to send profound wishes on behalf of all of Israel for a Happy Christmas to the whole Christian world and to express the hope that the Middle East may enter an era of peace and prosperity. The State of Israel is committed to protecting all the holy sites and the freedom of worship for everyone. In the Holy Land coexistence between Jews, Christians and Muslims will continue. From the city of Haifa, a model of peace and coexistence, I wish to send one clear message to the world – a message of peace and unity between all faiths, between all nations."

  President Peres added: "We are proud of the Christian community in Israel and are also proud that they feel fully at home, completely free to worship in their own way and to continue with their own traditions. I wish them and all Christians everywhere a Merry Christmas."

  President Peres was welcomed at the festivities by a children's choir dressed in traditional Christmas outfits, leaders of the Christian community in northern Israel and Archbishop Chacour who said: "I thank the president of the State of Israel for coming to speak with the Christian community and share his blessings with us before Christmas and the New Year. The Christian community in Israel is small but proud of being Israeli citizens. The community will continue to work in partnership to build the state, hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder with Jews and Muslims.

  Haifa Mayor Yona Yahav said: "In Haifa we don't have coexistence but one existence – in Haifa we celebrate the Festival of Festivals with complete equality between all religions and that is my wish for Christians across the Middle East this Christmas."

And Netanyahu's message echoes similarly:



Would you want to keep this type of tradition alive in your next Israeli government? A source of heresy and heretics running the country?  When Israelis shout "Chillul Hashem" in the Diaspora, which is worse?  Chillul Hashem on Hashem's special land for Jews, or outside?

The current government is encouraging more Xians to live in the Holy Land not as Bnei Noach but as idol worshipers, and of course, to get tourism from blood money!   Maybe that's their way of atoning for Jewish blood over the centuries?

Noah Pozner's Family Fund -- קרן משפחתו של הנח פוזנר

Baruch Dayan HAEmes to Noah Pozner, a"h, who was one of the Jewish victims of the Newton elementary school shooting.

Noah Pozner's family has set up a fund to seek financial aid for counseling for his family.

Noah Pozner was among the children who died in the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary on Friday, December 14, 2012.  This eventbrite link has been set up to accept donations to this irrevocable trust specifically for Noah's surviving siblings, two of whom were also in the school that day, in different classrooms.  

The funds received will be used to provide counseling services, education and basic needs for the children at this time of grief.  Noah leaves behind his twin sister and three other siblings, and is the youngest victim in this horrible tragedy.

Funds are being collected through eventbrite, and structured as tickets.  Please donate any amount and please select today's date as the day of event.

Thank you for your generous donation during this very difficult time.

You can donate to this fund here,  http://noahsarkofhopefund.eventbrite.com/

This link is legitimately given by Congregation Adas Yisrael of Newton.

For those who want to help

If you would like to donate to all the victims' families of the tragedy that took place on 12-14-12 at Sandy Hook School, we currently recommend two charities:  newtown.uwwesternct.org or www.everribbon.com If you would like to donate directly to the family of 6 year old victim Noah Pozner, you can donate directly on the web site Www.NoahsArkofHopeFund.eventbrite.com.  All checks we receive earmarked to support Noah Praver's family will continue to be sent directly to them as well. We are a small Congregation in deep financial trouble and need to keep our doors open for years to come so we can continue to be the Rock that supports the Jewish community of the Greater Newtown Area.  All donations would be greatly appreciated to help us meet our goal.  Checks can be made out to Congregation Adath Israel and sent to P.O. Box 623, Newtown, CT 06470.  You can also donate on our website using the link to the right. THANK YOU. Rabbi Shaul Praver

Best Chanukah Videos -- סרטוני חנוכה הטובים ביותר

Happy 8th Day of Chanukah!  As Israelis like to say "Chag Urim Sameach!"

A series of videos (the best in our opinion) available on the Internet for Chanukah.

Interactive Singing Menorah -- you must click on the candle(s) for it to show you how to sing! :)

How do we make Hashem do open miracles for us like in the past? איך אנחנו משפיעים קב"ה לעשות נסים גלויים בשבילנו כמו בעבר?

Appropriate for Chanukah and any time of the year.

Public Service Announcement -- הודעת שירות ציבורית

A public service message from a resident in an Anglo-populated community in Israel:

***Public Service***: xxxxx A woman's Vigilance saves the day!!!

In last week's chadash edition in the Hebrew side, a featured story (front page) told as follows:

A woman called the police after noticing a black car with 2 Arab guys, circling Dolev (during the day) looking quite sinister.

This was followed by the police coming to the scene and singling the two Arabs guys to slow down. Apparently as soon as the 2 men saw the police they broke into high speed and left through luz down the road and into a near by moshav. The high speed chase continued until the police lost track of the suspect's car. 

Later on the police found the car (the two men ran off and got away). Turns out the car was stolen and inside the police found 2 sets of chariedi men garb, complete with pants, shirt, hat, beards, shoes….police costumes as well as teaser guns make shift guns and some other things….the police was puzzled and assumed that the 2 men were either planning to rob or chas v'shalom abduct.

Baruch Hashem a most sinister crime was prevented due to a woman's vigilance. 

I read the whole thing in Hebrew and felt very sad this was not translated into English; I think it is imperative that our community appreciates the importance of being vigilance.

We must be aware of the real potential risks which we face daily having all these workers (perhaps some of whom are terrorists) around.

A Torah View on Toevah , השקפת התורה על טועבה

Rav Aharon Feldman, shlita, the Rosh Hayeshiva of Yeshivas Ner Israel of Baltimore, penned an article called "A Torah View on Homosexuality."  You can view the Rav's entire article here, or read the first page of it below.

Kedushas Shabbos and the Holy Clock, קדושת שבת והשעון הקדוש

To increase the awareness of Shabbos and Yom Tov observance worldwide, and speed up the geulah b'rachamim (redemption with mercy),  if you have a website, please set it up so that your visitors who visit on Shabbos will be made aware that your website is Shomer-Shabbos and will encourage your visitor to keep Shabbos him/herself.

This service is available *free* on HolyClock.com

All you have to do is to embed a set of code on your <head>...</head> page and another set of code inside your <body>...</body> HTML front page and test it to make sure it works.  It's really that easy!  Read this to learn how to do it on both Blogger and Wordpress websites.

This service works on 1 and 2 day Yomim Tovim as well.

Visit today!  Spread the word around, please.

Let's speed up our final geulah with mercy by encouraging our brethren to keep Shabbos!

Rabbi Shlomo Amar, the Chief Sefardi Rabbi of Israel, has been quoted to encourage every Jew to observe Shabbos at this time, as a spiritual connection to Hashem.

Mussar of Rabbi Mizrachi to the Jews in EY -- מוסר של רב מזרחי ליהודים בארץ הקדוש

Rabbi Yosef Mizrachi delivers mussar to the Jews in Eretz HaKadosh.

Also read the post,

Emergency Alert: Bnei Yishmael to rule over EY for 9 months, חירום התראה: בני ישמעאל לשלוט על ארץ ישראל במשך 9 חודשים

More on current events and our getting closer to Gog uMagog.

2012 Elections Voter Fraud and Seceding from the Nation, הונאות 2012 בוחרים ופרשו מהאומה

The past 2012 elections has sprung up information about voter fraud and states requesting peacefully to secede from the nation.

Visit this link, http://www.obamavoterfraud.com/, for more information.

Today, more and more states are petitioning to secede from the nation. Visit https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petitions for the latest.  These petitions usually begin with "Peacefully grant the State of .... to withdraw from the United States of America ...".  These states are not represented by any politician, but by the people themselves.   To date, there are petitions from almost every state.



An older video about the state of New Hampshire to secede.



The secession movement is not new as Glenn Beck informs us.

Source: The Blaze, Daily Caller, Politico

We cannot rely on anyone but Hashem -- אנחנו לא יכולים לסמוך על אף אחד, אבל קב"ה

The Obama re-election is good for Jews.  Obviously, this is what Hashem has planned, and according to His Will.  Who among us lowly creatures knows, maybe he will fit the role of Gog (of Magog) very well and hasten the coming of Moshiach.

Hurricane Sandy is good spiritually for the Jews.  There is so much soul searching to be done.   We may have over-indulged in gashmius (materialism) in our lives.  All the gashmius we have taken years to accumulate can be gone in a day or less.  Do we need such a big house?  Do we need so much Jewish entertainment?  Do we need so much money, when we only need the basic sustainence (food, water, clothing, heat and Torah) to survive, especially in an emergency?

Obama and Israel. When is Israel going to learn?

“Obama’s victory demonstrates that the state of Israel must take care of its own interests,” Danon said. “We cannot rely on anyone but ourselves.  (WND)

The above statement could have been written this way.  "WE CANNOT RELY ON ANYONE BUT HASHEM."  But it wasn't.  Until then, Obama and Ahmedinejad and all our Moslem brothers who want to kill us are good for us, the Jews.  Because we have yet to learn the lesson.  Hashem is very patient.  He is still waiting for us to do teshuva -- and in the meantime, He brings us anti-semitism, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornados, fire, kassams, rockets, nuclear bomb.

There are many shiurim related to Sandy.  Go to TorahAnytime,com and LearnTorah.com and you will find them.  Sandy happened in the same parshas Vayera, where the Jews are compared to the stars of the heavens and the sands of the seashore.  (Verse 22:17) What perfect timing!

The Red Line -- הקו האדום

This video is produced by Rabbi Shraga Simmons of Aish.com. Please watch and pass the message along.  The website is http://settheredline.com/  There is a petition you can sign as well.  You can also upload your own video to show your protest on the YouTube channel, http://www.youtube.com/user/SetTheRedLine?feature=watch.

As religious Jews, we know what we must do to stop our enemies -- T E S H U V A.. Hashem would much prefer that we return to Him, by taking on the yoke of Torah, live up to the mitzvos and be a light unto the nations. And the alternative is the War of Gog uMagog and the process is not prettty. However, for those of us who are not on the same page, the least we can do is to participate in this peaceful world protest against the destruction of the Land of Israel and the world.

You are the Target -- אתה היעד

This could happen to you or another Jew you know.  Please spread the word.



You are the Target from JEWS FOR JUDAISM on Vimeo.

Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan, zt"l, wrote an excellent book titled " You take J---s, I take G-d".  You can read about it here.

Rabbi Eidensohn talks about it more openly here, about the difference between Jew and Israel, according to the Xians.





Visit JewHaters.com.

Who's behind this speech ?-- מי עומד מאחורי הנאום הזה?

The woman is the foundation of the home. The foundation of the marriage, the children and the home, are completely placed in her trust. “Beito zu ishto,”, a man’s home is his wife. A woman need not be in the home. A woman is the home. The woman is trusted by her husband, family, and those who eat in her home.
Source: http://www.chabad.org/theJewishWoman/article_cdo/aid/376141/jewish/The-Role-of-Women-in-Judaism.htm

Hashem requires modesty from all people. The additional modesty expected of women applies to non-Jews, such as Moavites, as well (see, however, Maharshal Yevamos 77a). Source: http://www.torahweb.org/torah/2010/parsha/rwil_bamidbar.html

Shmiras Einayim (guarding your eyes) is the idea that one should take care to avoid looking at images and people who might elicit sexual thoughts and fantasies. Source: http://haemtza.blogspot.com/2012/05/shmiras-einayim-how-far-must-one-go.html



The right answer will be published in a week's time.  The answer is Ayatolah H.

Brave Rabbi's Dialog with Iranian TV -- הדיאלוג של הרב אמיץ בטלביזיה איראנית

A Chassidic Rabbi out of Monsey, is doing his best to explain the Jewish view of the many aspects of Jews and Judaism on Iranian TV. His name is Rabbi David Eidensohn, who has acquired a huge number of following on YouTube.  As an attempt to clarify the Charedi position on Israel and Iran, he has done a good job, in my humble view.

Open dialog with mutual respect for each other, to demistify the myths of the Jews and explain it with sweetness according to Torah seems to be the trend nowadays.  YouTube is full of intellectual debates between atheists and clergy, and civilized enemies of different nations.  

I wish much success to Rabbi Eidonsohn and his "kiruv" work to the nations.  Maybe this will make our transition to Moshiach much easier, kein y'hi ratzon, without a nuclear war. 

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The Third Temple, בית שלישי

"Wake the Dawn" is a documentary film depicting the history and significance of the Temple, through the eyes of the Talmud and Jewish tradition.

Produced in 1989 Written and Directed by Chaim Clorfene.

And now, a vision of the future, third and everlasting Bais Hamikdash.

Simchas Bais Hashoevah 5773 -- שמחת בית השואבה 5773

This is our 2nd annual Simchas BAis Hashoevah on Moriya's Place! Welcome and rejoice on this chag! Moadim L'simcha! Spread the joy! The time to rejoice is NOW!

Menucha - V'atah Kisvu Lachem Es Hashira Hazos



Pirkei Boys Choir - Alecha



 Eli & Yaakov Mordechai Gertsner - Ani K'rasicha



 Medad Tasa - Anovim



 Yaakov Schwekey - Lo Ya'avod (Must see! A song about Achdus! Latest from Schwekey)



 Yaakov Schwekey - Cry no More, Yerushalayim !



 Pruz - You're Watching Me -- 9/11 Tragedy - Saved Twice by Hashem!

Justice for Rubashkin, צדק בשביל רובשקין

Tip: TvTorah.com

From Shalom Rubashkin's son:
Please watch this video and pass it along to EVERYONE you know. Al pi derech hateva, this is the LAST chance SMR has to get his case heard. Out of 10,000 cases or so presented to the Supreme court, then only choose a handful. Rubashkins lawyers believe that if this video goes viral, their chances to get heard will rise exponentially. 

Please send this link out to all your contacts and encourage them to pass it on to their contacts via twitter, email, facebook etc in order to create a buzz about it and get as many views as possible. Our goal is to hit 1 million views! They should also "like" it. With Hashem's help, this should help bring my father home!

Sign the Petition: 
Facebook 
Twitter 




Please daven for Shalom Mordechai Halevi ben Rivka

The Movie you've been waiting for, הסרט שחיכית לו

http://tinyurl.com/cwrfa23 (Video is no longer available)

Vote Romney in November 2012!

Modern Day Dina bat Leah -- דינה בת לאה המודרנית

Modern-day Dina bat Leah was 20 years old when she decided to join the Palestinians and lived with them under a life of abuse.  She was rescued in July, 2012 by Yad L'Achim, a Jewish anti-missionary organization in Israel.


For the full-story, go here.

Even though Dina has decided to remove her Arab garbs, may she learn to embrace the holy Jewish garbs and cover her hair as a married woman, and not fall into the Erev Rav's hands.

Yad L'Achim is one of my favorite Israeli charities. During the Yamim Noraim (Days of Awe), support this organization to save the Israeli Jews from the murderous and barbaric Arab hands.

Apparently, the Arab Bedouins are also concerned about the high alarming intermarriage rate among Arabs and Jews.

It isn't just the Jews who are concerned about intermarriage with Arabs. A hard-hitting documentary on Jewish girls marrying Arab men that aired recently on Israel's Hot 3 TV station revealed that the Bedouin community also opposes intermarriage.

Reporter Ahmed Abu Swiss noted that the phenomenon is growing at an alarming rate. "We're no longer talking about 15 or 20 men [who've married Jews]," he reported on the program, which aired on Dec. 28, 2011. "There are neighborhoods in which more than 50 men are married to Jews."

Abu Swiss added that Bedouin sheikhs are very concerned about the trend and speak out against it in the mosques. They preach that assimilation is against the Bedouin tradition and results in many Bedouin women remaining single until 35, since the available men are marrying Jews.

In a similar vein, Sheikh Faiz Abu Seheban, the mayor of the Bedouin town of Rahat, recently spoke out against Arab men marrying Jewish women. He told Ilana Dayan, the host of the hugely popular Uvda investigative news program, that a majority of Arabs viewed these relationships in an unfavorable light and that they were like trying to mix oil and water.

In the next video interviewing an Arab man, he emphasizes that the Arab men are at a top "level" and hence, Jewish women are not fitting for them.   Let them think however they want, but there is a truth to this -- Jewish women are not fitting for the Arab men or any other non-Jewish men, period.  Jewish women are princesses of the King of kings, what are they doing mixing with the umos haolam?

Rosh Hashana is not only a holiday for the Jews, ראש השנה היא לא רק חג ליהודים

Rabbi Mizrachi on "Last Call for Teshuva," reminding us that Rosh Hashana is a judgement day for the whole world, not only for Jews.  Non-Jews should watch this too.

How Modesty Saved a Jews' life on 9/11, איך צניעות הצילה את חייו של יהודי על 9/11

9/11 came and went quietly without much hoopla this year.  But we can still gain plenty of lessons that have not yet been documented from this event.  Here is one.

A young newly-wed Jewish woman who's a ba'alas teshuva (a returnee to Judaism), and aware of the Jewish law for married women to cover their hair, decided to take upon herself to cover her hair when she leaves the house.  One day, she was standing on her balcony of her house and the door shut behind her and she was locked out.

As she couldn't get herself back into the house, she started pondering how in the world she would be able to do this in a modest way, since her hair was not covered.  All she had with her was a cell phone, and she decided to call her husband, who was at work.

Her husband, who just arrived at work in Manhattan, asked her what she wanted from him.  Well, she wanted for him to come home and unlock the door behind her so that she could get back into the house.  Her husband suggested that she get herself to the front door, press the security pin codes and get herself back in that way, since that was the easiest way.  But she reminded him that her hair wasn't covered and she has taken a vow for herself to not walk out of the house with uncovered hair.  He replied that there's no way he's going to ruin his entire work day by getting back home to her.  He suggested that she covered her head with her hand while doing it.  Yeah right, silly silly.

However, after some back and forth of arguing, he did leave home and helped his wife.  Unbeknownst to him, his office as well as the rest of the floor he was at was targeted on the same day by Islamic terrorists whose mission was to destroy the Twin Towers that day and it was history.  His life was saved for a down-played mitzvah like covering a married woman's hair.

The moral of the story is, when you are committed to doing a mitzvah, you are not spiritually alone.  You have Hashem backing you all the way.  Our Rabbis teach us that when you are doing a mitzvah, you will not come under harm's way.  When we do a mitzvah, we create good angels whose mission from Hashem is to protect the mitzvah doer.

9. Because you, O Lord, are my refuge. You have made the most High your habitation;
10. No evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling.
11. For he shall give his angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways.
12. They shall carry you up in their hands, lest you dash your foot against a stone.
13. You shall tread on the lion and on the adder; the young lion and the crocodile shall you trample under foot.
14. Because he has set his love upon me, therefore I will save him; I will set him on high, because he knows my name.
15. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will save him, and honor him.
16. With long life I will satisfy him, and show him my salvation.

Psalm 91, composed by Moshe Rabbeinu

A challenging mitzvah for a married woman, such as hair covering is not taken lightly in Hashem's eyes.  How much more so, the other aspects of tzniut (Jewish Modesty) that applies to Jewish men, women, and children alike. Tzniut affects the kedusha (holiness) of the camp of Israel, and without it, we kick out Hashem from our midst and invite all the evil into our camp.  How can we take the mitzvah of tzniut lightly?

To hear this and other inspiring anecdotes about how we should dress to impress HaKadosh Baruch Hu, tune in to this video now.

The Aleppo Codex, Rambam and State of Israel, הכתר, רמב"ם ומדינת ישראל

The Sephardic Jewry may have escaped the Holocaust, however, they did not escape persecution from the Arabs where they live in Syria, Iraq, Iran, Morocco, etc.  The birth of the State of Israel was not good news for every Jew.

Despite the joyous news of the reconstitution of the Jewish State, it was a sad day in Jewish history. Death and destruction consumed Jewish communities of the Near East and one of the most important preserved holy books had reportedly gone up in smoke.

The above quote came from the latest article regarding the Aleppo Codex / Keter  Arab Soba /  Crown of Aleppo, a must read to learn about the real history of this ancient Tanach scroll that was once used by the Rambam to help him develop his Mishne Torah, and the illegitimate claim to this text by the ex-President of the State of Israel.

Source:  Aleppo Codex Mysteries

Amalek and Atheism in America, עמלק ואתאיזם באמריקה

Rabbi Mashiach Kelaty (the Rabbi's name is just amazing. I know of Israelis whose last name is Mashiach alone) points out that the mitzvah of eradicating the memory of Amalek is today targeted towards the Atheists, the enemy of Hashem.

He is not wrong.  It is not surprising that in a recent American debate held in intellectual circles, hosted by Intelligence Squared, the audience voted for the motion to get rid of religion.  59% supports the notion that the world is better off without religion, 31% against and 10% undecided.

Source: http://youtu.be/NNuJ6A6iGP4

Perhaps the audience has been contaminated with atheists supporters to begin with.   One atheist speaker is a descendant of Darwin himself.   However, unfortunately, one of the speakers for religion is represented by a Reform Rabbi, although he's really polished and brought forth empirical evidence that religious people do more good for the world through charities and undocumented chesed.

The world is going according to Hashem's plan.  The Jews are getting closer to fulfilling the mitzvah of eliminating the memory of Amalek, when Mashiach comes, please G-d, may this be now, we need it more than ever.

Listen to the shiur by clicking on the link:
Rabbi Mashiach Kelaty: Nemesis Rising The Terror Of Amalek

It is very important for a Jew to keep his EMUNA strong! -- Rabbi Kelaty

Related links:

Who Will Battle Amalek? מי ילחם עמלק?

Where can I be safe? איפה אני ניתן בטוח?

Yakov Yosef ben Reizel will be finally arriving home to Eretz Yisroel, יעקב יוסף בן רייזל יהיה סוף הסוף שהגיע הביתה לארץ ישראל

תכלה שנה וקללותיה

After four and a half years of trials and tribulations, isolated in his prison cell in Japan, Yakov Yosef ben Reizel is finally on his way home.

Unimaginable mountains of red tape, that until recently seemed insurmountable, hindered and delayed the prisoner transfer procedure for what seemed like eternity. Reb Aron Nezri stood at the forefront of this painstaking campaign, that has now with great siyaate dishamye come to a close. Details of the transfer were for obvious reasons kept under wraps.

As usual, Yakov Yosef has with great mesirus nefesh continued his shiurei torah diligently, and completed gomoroh masechta Shabbos just yesterday, Tuesday, when local shliach Rabbi Binyamin Edery and his family, came to pay farewell to Yakov Yosef at the Chiba Prison. Rabbi Binyamin Edery and his family have devoted unlimited care and attention to the welfare of Yakov Yosef ever since his detention.

Words cannot describe the emotions. Finally, after so many years of pain and suffering, Yakov Yosef arrived at the airport to depart from Japan.

Reb Aron Nezri (London) and Reb Meilech Bindinger (Antwerp) were on the phone with Yakov Yosef’s father (Bnei Brak), monitoring in real-time Yakov Yosef’s release from his jail compound and transfer to the immigration centre where procedures start for his transfer to Eretz Yisroel.

During the conference call whilst Yakov Yosef was at immigration, we were alerted that Yakov Yosef now had the opportunity to speak to his father for just half a minute.

For the first time in four and a half years, Yakov Yosef held a telephone to his ear, and with fervor said “Boruch Matir Asurim” to which his father emotionally answered “Amen”, whilst we shed tears of gratitude and relief.

The multitudes of concerned yiden across the globe who davened for Yakov Yosef and never ceased to forget his suffering; the thousands of our dear brethren who contributed towards the efforts to gain Yakov Yosef’s release, wrote letters of chizuk to Yakov Yosef, accepted upon themselves resolutions in Yakov Yosef’s merit, now rejoice along side his dear family.

In conformity to Japan’s stipulations, Yakov Yosef will soon be transferred to an Israeli correctional facility. He and his family will be comforted that he is now close by, and in an environment that respects his religion and speaks his tongue.

At this junction in time, we can only ask that people continue to bear Yakov Yosef ben Reizel in mind in their prayers that he should be soon unconditionally free to rejoin his family.

In the best interest of Yakov Yosef, and to avoid possible negative consequences, the team of Rabonim and askonim involved, endeavoured to keep the transfer process as low profile as possible. We apologise for not updating the tzibur on this procedure, however, our opting to confirm the good news only after Yakov Yosef was released from his cell in preparation to come home, was to circumvent damaging repercussions that past media exposure have caused.

The family of Yakov Yosef, and the askonim involved, request that respect should be given to the required discretion, and they not be contacted for further details or interviews.

כתיבה וחתימה טובה.

This is how they view our women, ככה הם רואים הנשים שלנו

What is wrong with this picture?

The above photo came from a Yishmaeli site.  They are comparing their levels of modesty to ours, and purposefully denigrating ours.

Note:

• our Orthodox Jewish women not covering their collar bone and wide necklines (see Rabbi Falk's Modesty, Adornment for Life)
• our Orthodox Jewish women not covering all their hair even in their hair covering, revealing hair that should be covered (see Rabbi Falk's Modesty, Adornment for Life)
• our Orthodox Jewish women wearing clothes that are tight fit, showing the curves (see Rabbi Falk's Modesty, Adornment for Life)
• our Orthodox Jewish women with lots to say (notice open mouth), perhaps suggesting Loshon Hora?

Is there any truth to this? You decide.

This year, make it your business to study the Halachos of Tzniut (Jewish Modesty) and understand why we are not dressing up to Hashem's standards of modesty for us, and try to become a light unto the nations, instead of the laughing stock of the nations.  The Jewish women have it in their hands to prevent the Yishmaelim from taking over Eretz Yisrael and the entire nation for 9 months before Moshiach comes b'ita.

Rav said: Moshiach ben Dovid will come only after the kingdom will rule over Israel 9 months, as it is said, therefore He shall give them until the time of birth, a young girl and the rest of her brothers shall return to the Children of Israel. (Sanhedrin 98b)

Additional resources: Modesty for Jewish Women 1 and 2.

Rabbi Yehuda Levin on "Tznius, Our Responsibility"

More readings: Bnay Yismael to rule over Eretz Yisrael for 9 months 

Mrs Iris Odani Elyashiv explaining why women, especially Jewish women should be modest.