I Stopped Watching Sesame Street When...

1) Snuffleupagus became visible to all
2) Mr. Hooper got voted off the show
3) We saw more and more of Elmo and less and less of Super Grover
4) Cookie Monster started eating veggies instead
5) I realized I couldn't make things appear by saying "A la peanut butter sandwiches!"
6) Lightning didn't appear when I counted to any number
7) I turned 11 and my friends started making fun of me

Happy 40th Anniversary, Sesame Street!

Yishmael and Zimah

The connection was known to Haza"l and is known to us today.

Kiddushin 49b

י' קבים זנות ירדו לעולם תשעה נטלה ערביא ואחד כל העולם כולו

Also coming to mind is the famous Midrash on וזרח משעיר למו הופיע מהר פארן that says that Hashem asked the nations if they want the Torah, and they refused for various reasons. Many versions have it that Hashem asked Yishmael to accept the Torah. They asked, "What's written in it?" The reply was לא תנאף (Thou shalt not commit adultery). They replied that they don't want the Torah in such a case.

2 recent articles (among many) promote this idea:

Elder of Ziyon: Arab report: Extremists use sex to recruit suicide bombers

Fox News: Alleged Fort Hood Shooter Frequented Local Strip Club

And here's another especially disturbing one from this past summer.

20 Heshvan Geula Links

Shirat Devorah

Tomer Devorah

Mystical Paths

This may tie into it too.

Also, don't forget about the Zohar Hadash in Balak (Ma'amar Darach Kochav MiYa'akov), which you can find on page 35 here or here:

ובירחא דבול, יפולו שנאיהון, ויתעברון כל אינון גילולין דישתארון בארעא קדישא. ומתמן יהכון ויתערון קרבין על עלמא. ובעוד דאינון יגיחון קרבין עם כל בני עלמא, יתכנשון בנוי דאדום על ארעא קדישא, ויתפסון לה, וישלטון עלה תריסר ירחי

which translates to Hebrew as

ובחודש בול [שהוא מרחשון] יפלו שונאי ישראל, ויעברו אלו הגילולים שיישארו בארץ הקדושה, ומשם ילכו [ישראל] ויעוררו מלחמות על העולם, ובעוד שאלו יעשו מלחמות עם כל בני העולם, יתקבצו בניו של אדום על הארץ הקדושה, ויתפשו אותה, וישלטו עליה י"ב חודשים.

which doesn't start out as the rosiest scenario, but it shows that Heshvan is an important time in the Geula process.
Shabbat Shalom.

Never Thought I'd Say This: Today, I'm a Mets Fan

Despite what may have happened in 1969, I am now proud to be a Mets fan (for a few days anyways).

Matzav.com:

Eleven organizations from the US and Israel have tried to persuade the New York Mets to cancel a November 21st dinner at the Caesars Club at Citi Field for the Brooklyn-based Hebron Fund. The dinner is a fundraiser for the Jewish community in the city of Chevron.

In a letter sent to the Mets on November 3rd, the groups said, “The New York Mets will be facilitating activities that directly violate international law and the Obama administration’s call for a freeze in settlement construction, and that actively promote racial discrimination, and the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from their homes in Hebron.”
...
The New York Mets, however, have not backed down at all due to the intimidation tactics and the anti-Israeli propaganda.

Rav Shmueli: Yishmael's Reign Ending "Now"

At the end of Rav Shmueli's latest Shei'ur (at approx. the 1:05:45 mark until the end), he said that Rav Mordechai Sharabi's Yahrtzeit is 20 MarHeshvan, which falls out on Shabbat this year, and they plan to have a memorial on Thursday night and a special Shabbat in his Yeshiva, with special Derashot, Tefillot and a special Se'udat Shelishit. All for the purpose of bringing the Redemption closer.

He then said that although Yishma'el had the merit of Berit Milah to allow them to stay in Eretz Yisrael for (300)[1300] years, their reign will "now, now, now" come to an end. Just like right before a person dies, he gets stronger (as the Ariza"l says that his נרנח"י all come together to accept the punishment of death), so too, even though we see Yishma'el getting stronger, it's a sign of his imminent demise.

4 Kings vs. Mashiah Part 3

דבר אחר ויהי בימי אמרפל מלך שנער זו בבל
אריוך מלך אלסר זו יון כדרלעומר מלך
עילם זו מדי ותדעל מלך גוים זו מלכות אדום שהיא
מכתבת טירוניא מכל העכו״ם אמר רבי אלעזר
בר אבינא אם ראיתה מלכיות מתגרות אלו באלו צפה
לרגלו של משיח תדע שכן שהרי בימי אברהם ע"י שנתגרו
המלכיות אלו באלו באה הגאולה לאברהם

The end of the Midrash tells us that if nations start up with each other, you can expect Mashiah soon just as a Ge'ula came to Avraham when nations started up with each other. The Nezer Hakodesh explains it like he said earlier that Mashiah was saved for the final Ge'ula when Avraham saved Lot.
He then gives a more Kabbalistic explanation by saying that Mashiah's soul is hidden deep inside the outer forces, which are controlled by the angels of the nations. Because of this, it's impossible to free his soul from there and bring the Ge'ula closer. However, when wars are going on, the nations' ministering angels are distracted from Mashiah's soul, and he's able to free himself to bring the Ge'ula closer.

However, the beginning of this Midrash is also interesting, especially the idea that תדעל מלך גוים represents Edom. Rashi in Humash brings down a prior Midrash that says that "גוים" means that a bunch of people got together and they made a king from among themselves. In other words, it was the first country where the monarchy was not inherited, but it was similar to a democracy of sorts. This is similar to the Edom that we live in today.
President Obama wants to not just be the President of the United States - he wants to be the President of the World. In other words, he wants to be מלך גוים - a king over nations.
Much has been said about the gematria of ברק חוסיין אובאמה being 501, which is the same as ראש and ישמעאלים. However, if you use the 3 words of his name to add the כוללים, you get 504, which is the gematria of תדעל.

So, תדעל מלך גוים, aka President of the World - Barack Hussein Obama, is trying to destroy Avraham, aka the Jews of Eretz Yisrael by splitting up their land. However, he cannot get to them (although he keeps trying), so he captures the Jews of the Diaspora, by convincing almost 80% of them to vote for him, and meeting with "Peace" groups, like JStreet. Obama may know that Diaspora Jews are like Lot in that they hold the key to Mashiah's arrival in some hidden way (see the Kabbalistic explanation above). However, his plan is now being foiled by the Jews of Eretz Yisrael, who were against Obama from the start, and are showing the Diaspora Jews that Obama is not worth their support, thereby "saving" them from his clutches.

We will have to wait and see if he's going to further his battle against the Taliban, or start something with North Korea or Iran, but if he does, expect Mashiah to come soon thereafter.

Update: See אמת עכשיו who has a different opinion about this.

4 Kings vs. Mashiah Part 2

א"ר אבון כשם שפתח בד' מלכיות כך אינו חותם אלא בד' מלכיות את כדרלעומר מלך עילם ותדעל מלך גוים ומרפל מלך שנער ואריוך מלך אלסר כך אינו חותם אלא בד' מלכיות מלכות בבל ומלכות מדי ומלכות יון ומלכות אדום

The Nezer Hakodesh explains this Midrash to say that just as the first war in history was with 4 kings, so too the last war in history will be fought against the 4 kingdoms of Bavel, Madai, Yavan, and Edom - since Edom encompasses the 3 previous kingdoms as well. And that will be the war that ends all wars, as we know from לא ישא גוי אל גוי חרב.

The Midrash continues that there's a verse in Micha (4:12) that is clearly speaking of the war of Gog Umagog, which says that the armies of all the countries that fight against Yerushalayim will not know what Hashem's plan is for bringing them all there in that one spot of the world. They're only interested in getting the spoils of war. The verse says that they will be trampled on like the sheaves on the threshing-floor. This is exactly what happened to the 4 kings with Avraham - Hashem put them into Eimek Hasidim to be destroyed by Avraham and his army. מעשה אבות סימן לבנים.

4 Kings vs. Mashiah Part 1

Bereishit Rabba 42:1

ומצאו יושב ודורש...
הפסוק הזה חרב פתחו רשעים וגו' זה אמרפל וחביריו
להפיל עני ואביון זה לוט לטבוח ישרי דרך זה אברהם
חרבם תבא בלבם ויחלק עליהם לילה הוא ועבדיו ויכם
...

The Nezer Hakodesh ד"ה להפיל עני ואביון explains this Midrash to say that the main purpose of the 4 kings attacking the 5 cities of the plain was to attack Avraham and Lot, even if the original purpose of the war was to quell the rebellion - it quickly turned into a fight against Lot and Avraham. So they captured Lot and they knew that Avraham would go after him, so that's how they were to get both of them.
The Nezer Hakodesh asks 1) how they knew that Avraham would go after him, and 2) in fact why did Avraham go after him if Lot was such a Rasha that his shephards were thieves? Also, the Zohar says that Lot had an appearance similar to Avraham's so by taking Lot, they were satisfied and left Sedom, but 3) how is taking someone with Avraham's appearance good enough for the 4 kings if they really wanted Avraham?
The Nezer Hakodesh answers these questions by saying that since Amrafel was really Nimrod, he was very intelligent in כח הטומאה - the dark forces. He knew that Avraham's descendants would hold the key in destroying these dark forces, and that's why Nimrod wanted Avraham dead so badly. However, Nimrod also knew that the final Tikkun against the dark forces would only come via Mashiah, who came from Lot (via Mo'av -> Rut -> David). This is why Avraham went after Lot to save him, and how they knew that Avraham would go after Lot to save him. Also, if a person is similar to another in appearance, it means that their spiritual souls are similar as well. Even though Lot was no Avraham, but hidden within him was the potential for a later generation to be Mashiah, and that's why his appearance was similar to Avraham's. This is what Nimrod saw as well, and that's why he was satisfied with Lot being taken.

How many stars are in the universe?

Answers.com answers:

Based on current estimates, there are between 200 - 400 billion stars in our galaxy (The Milky Way). There are possibly 100 billion galaxies in the Universe. So taking the average of our galaxy, gives approximately 3 x 1024 stars. So about 3 septillion. This has been equated to the same number of grains of sand that are on Earth.

One source (BBC) stated that there are 1,000 stars to every grain of sand on Earth!!
There are an estimated 100 to 200 billion galaxies.

So taking a conservative number of 100 billion stars per galaxy, gives an approximate total of 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 stars. (which is 10 sextillion)

Hashem told Avraham:

וַיּוֹצֵא אֹתוֹ הַחוּצָה, וַיֹּאמֶר הַבֶּט-נָא הַשָּׁמַיְמָה וּסְפֹר הַכּוֹכָבִים--אִם-תּוּכַל, לִסְפֹּר אֹתָם; וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ, כֹּה יִהְיֶה זַרְעֶךָ

And He brought him forth abroad, and said: 'Look now toward heaven, and count the stars, if thou be able to count them'; and He said unto him: 'So shall thy seed be.'

We further find these verses in Devarim:

יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם, הִרְבָּה אֶתְכֶם; וְהִנְּכֶם הַיּוֹם, כְּכוֹכְבֵי הַשָּׁמַיִם לָרֹב
יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵכֶם, יֹסֵף עֲלֵיכֶם כָּכֶם--אֶלֶף פְּעָמִים; וִיבָרֵךְ אֶתְכֶם, כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר לָכֶם

the LORD your God hath multiplied you, and, behold, ye are this day as the stars of heaven for multitude.--
The LORD, the God of your fathers, make you a thousand times so many more as ye are, and bless you, as He hath promised you!--

Rashi first asks that 600,000 doesn't even come close to the amount of stars! He answers that the verse means that we're compared to the sun and stars only in that we will exist forever just as they do. However, the רא"ם on that Rashi says that that's true in Moshe's time, but in the future, we will actually be as numerous as the stars, as is hinted to by the word "לָרֹב".

On the next verse, Rashi says:

מהו יוסף עליכם ככם אלף פעמים . מהו
שוב ויברך אתכם כאשר דבר לכם אלא אמרו לו למשה אתה נותן קצבה לברכתנו כבר הבטיח הקב״ה את אברהם (בראשית יג) אשר אם יוכל איש למנות וגו׳ אמר להם זו
משלי היא אבל הוא יברך אתכם כאשר דבר לכם

which means that instead of 10 sextillion, Moshe's promise will make us 10 septillion, according to the conservative estimates. According to the other estimates, instead of 3 septillion, we'll be 3 octillion. And that doesn't include Hashem's additional Beracha, which makes it unlimited.

Things Found on the GBlogosphere

(that's the Goyish Blogosphere)

• My Life is Average has this to say:

  Today I realized that indigo isn't part of the rainbow, Pluto isn't a planet, Dora the explorer is now a teen, and the cookie monster likes veggies. How much more can they ruin childhood?

• The Unapologetic Mathematician shows a still from the movie A Serious Man, which, I heard Michael Medved say, is based on the Book of Iyov. Anyways, this still shows a gigantic chalkboard with math problems, but in the middle, you see Hebrew lettering. Is there actual mathematics that uses Hebrew lettering or is this just Hollywood at work?
  
• Keep on refreshing the page at Easiertounderstandthanwave.com