Sheep in Haifa, Skunks in Sacramento

Ladaat reports (with pictures) that a Hareidi neighborhood of Haifa was temporarily overrun by dozens of sheep who came to eat the greenery growing in the area.  No shephard was around to the knowledge of the residents there.

Fox News reports on hundreds more skunks than usual in Sacramento, CA looking to mate.

I was thinking of posting about the obvious contrast of the two, but I think a better lesson is showing how Hashem gives every creature exactly what it needs.

עֵינֵי-כֹל, אֵלֶיךָ יְשַׂבֵּרוּ;    וְאַתָּה נוֹתֵן-לָהֶם אֶת-אָכְלָם בְּעִתּוֹ

פּוֹתֵחַ אֶת-יָדֶךָ;    וּמַשְׂבִּיעַ לְכָל-חַי רָצוֹן

The eyes of all wait for Thee, and Thou givest them their food in due season.

Thou openest Thy hand, and satisfiest every living thing with favour.

(אכלם תרתי משמע)

So it was with the Man that Hashem made fall from Shamayim.  So, it doesn't hurt to say Parshat HaMan every day, but especially today - the Tuesday of Parshat Beshalah.

As in the Days of Your Exodus From the Land of Egypt...

The verse says:

כִּימֵי צֵאתְךָ, מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם, אַרְאֶנּוּ, נִפְלָאוֹת

'As in the days of thy coming forth out of the land of Egypt will I show unto him marvellous things.'

What is going on behind the scenes that Hashem will allow miracles to occur during the Final Redemption like what occurred during the days of Egypt, but not earlier?

The Sulam on Bereishit 53b explains that it's all due to sorcery.  If it weren't for sorcery, the righteous would have the ability to perform miracles from the upper worlds in order to bring everyone closer to Hashem, similar to what happened during the Exodus and the later prophets.  However, due to Adam's sin, the 4 worlds of אבי"ע were created on the other side - exactly corresponding to the 4 worlds of אבי"ע on the holy side - in order to distance people from Hashem, as it says in Kohelet גַּם אֶת-זֶה לְעֻמַּת-זֶה, עָשָׂה הָאֱלֹהִים [God hath made even the one as well as the other].  Sorcery has an equal power to the holy side of the righteous to make miracles occur and veto miracles that come from the side of holiness.  Therefore, only on very rare occasions does Hashem overrule the veto and allow for a miracle on the side of good to go through that brings the multitude of people closer and not be vetoed by the sorcerers - like during the Exodus and the time of the prophets.

When Mashiah comes, however, אראנו נפלאות - Hashem will show us miracles - just like when we were in Egypt because at that time, the power of Tum'ah will be nullified from the earth, and there will no longer be fear of the worlds of אבי"ע on the other side.  Therefore, the righteous will be able to create miracles and wonders just like in Egypt.

Israelis' Belief and Observance at Minha Gedola Exceeding Hatzot Levels

Source: English PDF of the report, p. 51

The third Guttman-Avi Chai Report came out and the numbers look good for Torah-based belief and observance in Israel.  Apparently, there was a decline in the 1990s until 2000, but since then, the numbers have climbed and by 2009, have exceeded the 1991 levels.

In regards to belief in the coming of Mashiah, the numbers vastly differ from another poll that I mentioned in 2006.  I wonder why such a huge discrepancy.  The 2006 number (43%) is lower than the 1999 number (45%), but then climbed way up to 55% in 2009?  It doesn't make sense unless something beyond reason is occurring.

Yeshaya 11:9:

כִּי-מָלְאָה הָאָרֶץ, דֵּעָה אֶת-יְהוָה, כַּמַּיִם, לַיָּם מְכַסִּים

for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.

Geula Update from Rav Fish - Bo 5772

From Rav Fish's latest:

• The verse says (Zecharia 8:19) "כֹּה-אָמַר יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת, צוֹם הָרְבִיעִי וְצוֹם הַחֲמִישִׁי וְצוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי וְצוֹם הָעֲשִׂירִי יִהְיֶה לְבֵית-יְהוּדָה לְשָׂשׂוֹן וּלְשִׂמְחָה, וּלְמֹעֲדִים, טוֹבִים ['Thus saith the LORD of hosts: The fast of the fourth month, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth, shall be to the house of Judah joy and gladness, and cheerful seasons;]"  And it's definitely hinted to within the verse when this will be fulfilled.  I heard from a young man who wishes to remain anonymous to whom an amazing dream was revealed about this verse.  He dreamt that he saw the words of this verse, and afterwards, he saw the letters תשעה באב [Tish'a Be'av], with the first letter bigger than the rest.  Then, he saw the letters שבעה עשר בתמוז [seventeenth of Tamuz], with the first letter bigger than the rest.  Next, he saw the letters עשרה בטבת [tenth of Tevet], with the first letter bigger than the rest.  Finally, he saw the letters גדליה [Gedalia], with the first letter bigger than the rest.  Together, the Rashei Teivot of the 4 fasts are תשע"ג.  This comes out according to the order of stringency of the fasts [most stringent to least stringent]:  Tish'a Be'av, Shiv'a Asar Betamuz, Asara BeTevet, Gedalia.  We should merit this year to fulfill this verse that all fasts should turn into festivals, Amen, Ken Yehi Ratzon.  Also, the Rashei Teivot and Sofei Teivot of this part of the verse"צוֹם הָרְבִיעִי וְצוֹם הַחֲמִישִׁי וְצוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי וְצוֹם הָעֲשִׂירִי יִהְיֶה לְבֵית" is the gematria of תשע"ג [which is 773].
• Rav Shmuel Weingurt adds that we find in the Midrash (Pesikta Rabati 37):

  Ribbi Shimon ben Pazi said: At the moment that HKB"H raises the Mashiah until the heavens and spreads the glory of His honor over him because of the nations of the world, in front of the wicked Persians, He tells him, "Efraim [a nickname of Mashiah]!  Our righteous Mashiah!  Judge these people and do with them whatever you want for were it not for the mercy which overcame you in the extreme, they would have already destroyed you from the world in one second.

  We see from here, that during the Redemption, the Persians will act in one second.
• ארז [cedar] has the same gematria as אור [light] with the Kollel.  Also, the verse (Yeshaya 40:1) נחמו נחמו עמי is the gematria of ארז.
• תשע"ד [which is 774] is the gematria of רוח מלכנו משיחנו.
• The verse that hints to Yihud Panim Befanim (Devarim 5:4) פָּנִים בְּפָנִים, דִּבֶּר יְהוָה עִמָּכֶם בָּהָר--מִתּוֹךְ הָאֵשׁ [The LORD spoke with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire] has the gematria of תשע"ב [which is 772].
• [After mentioning how the words in Rut 2:14 hint to parts of the Redemption process, he adds more information.] Also, the year תשל"ו [which is 5736], which is a part of the Endtime process, as mentioned earlier [by the Ariza"l], is hinted to in the continuation of the verse [verse 16]" וְגַם שֹׁל-תָּשֹׁלּוּ לָהּ, מִן-הַצְּבָתִים; וַעֲזַבְתֶּם וְלִקְּטָה [And also pull out some for her of purpose from the bundles, and leave it, and let her glean]."
• [After talking about how חשים - Hushim, the son of Dan - has the same letters as משיח - Mashiah, he adds:]  We find in the Yerushalmi (Yevamot 48b) that the verse in Divrei Hayamim I 8:8 calls Boaz - at the time that he married Rut in order to be the father of the root of Mashiah - by the name of חושים [Hushim], because he concerned himself [חש] to learn the halacha that a Moabite man cannot enter the congregation, but a Moabite woman could.
• [After talking about Shimshon's connection to Mashiah, he says:] שמשון ע' הב' [Shimshon - the second eye] has the gematria of תשע"ג [which is 773].
• From last week:

  Rav Menachem Zisman adds that Tehillim chapter 72! speaks about the Mashiah "יְהִי שְׁמוֹ, לְעוֹלָם-- לִפְנֵי-שֶׁמֶשׁ, ינין (יִנּוֹן) שְׁמוֹ" [Yinon is one of the names of Mashiah.] The chapter concludes, "כָּלּוּ תְפִלּוֹת-- דָּוִד, בֶּן-יִשָׁי [The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.]" which hints to the End of Days.

  And really, this verse is difficult - why would David say about himself that his prayers were finished and ended?  Did King David finish praying?  It could be explained according to what we are saying that David is hinting to the fact that until 72, he is praying to sweeten the exile, but after 72 [meaning 5772], there is already a Redemption.  Also, the Radak explains there:

  "The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended" - when these consolations will be fulfilled, then the prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.  And it doesn't say "songs" or "praises", but rather, "prayers" - dealing with atonement, forgiveness, and salvation - because when everything is complete and the King Mashiah ben David will rule, they will no longer need atonement or salvation, and then, the prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.

• Rav Shalom Tzur Shlit"a adds that הרב הקדוש מבעלזא [the holy rabbi from Belz] is the gematria of תשע"ב [which is 5772].
• [After saying that slaying of Baba Elazar has the aspect of the stabbing of Mashiah ben Yosef, he adds that:] The funeral and eulogy came out from the Porat Yosef Yeshiva.
• [After talking about the power of 9s and the 9th Sefira of Yesod, he adds that:] Also, the greatest downturn in our generation is with matters of the Yesod [guarding the Berit Mila].  And it is also brought down in the name of the Ben Ish Hai that he said that before Mashiah comes, there will be a great downturn in matters of modesty.
• We find in the Zohar Hadash (Balak 68b):

  [On the verse אראנו ולא עתה - "Rabbi, Rabbi! How hard is the matter? How long is the time? How many troubles upon troubles are prepared for the Jewish people in exile? How many beasts will rule? How many will roar to tear Israel asunder in every era until the End of Days?" At the time that will be prepared according to the counting of years of Yovel and Shemitta together - which is 274 from the 6th day. A sound will be awakened from the highest heights of the heavens, a bitterly sad sound, that which never existed before from the day that the worlds were created. ... And that sound will be soft and quiet, with bitterness and sadness, going down and going up, going up and going down. And it also says, "A lovely impala you were to Me from the early days, but you were forgotten from Me. I had everlasting love with it. I remember that the seal of its image was sealed upon My heart and was sealed upon My arm, and its love was strong inside Me, and its flashes of flames burn inside Me." At that time, HKB"H will strengthen Himself and appease His impala with many appeasements, and will strengthen it, and will raise it from the dust - He and no one else.

  We see from here that the Zohar mentions 274 years - not like other places where the Zohar mentions 272 years. The Ziv HaZohar on the Zohar Hadash (Shir Hashirim 5) explains that there is a Redemption process that lasts 2 years - and this explanation is similar to the way we explained it in this essay.
• Hashem's name with the מילוי ס"ג, which symbolizes the Sefira of Bina, with its simple gematria plus its Milui plus the Milui of the Milui is the gematria of 772.  Also, the year 5772 is the second of this decade, so in the matter of the indivdual year, it is the aspect of Bina.  This means that from aspects of the decade and the century, we are in the Sefirot of Hod, while from the aspect of the individual year of 5772, we are in Bina, as we have Kavana in the Siddur of the Rasha"sh for the year 5772: Bina of Hod of Hod.
• [After mentioning that the Milui of יעקוב with the Kollel is 771, he adds that:] We also find in the Zohar (Aharei 66b) that יעקוב with the ו is the Sod of the Be'itah Redemption.
• [After mentioning that ברק אובאמה is the gematria of נחש, which is the arch-enemy of משיח and shares its gematria, he adds:]  And also, ברק חוסיין אובמה has the gematria of סוכת דוד.
• [After mentioning that ברק חוסיין אובאמה is the gematria of ארור המן and ברוך מרדכי, he adds:]  And also, ארור המן ברוך מרדכי is the gematria of the Milui of ה'תשע"ג as ה"י תי"ו שי"ן עי"ן גימ"ל.
• The Sofei Teivot of the Milui of ה'תש"ע as ה"י תי"ו שי"ן עי"ן are the letters of ינון - a name of Mashiah.
• [After quoting the Hafetz Hayim saying that the Gog Umagog War is divided into 3 parts, which is interpreted as WWI, WWII, and a war that has not yet occurred,] We will bring quotes from the newspaper "Hamevaser" (28 Tevet, 5772):

  The Mufti of Yerushalayim calls for the killing of Jews
  
  In an event that was arranged last week, Hussein said, "The moment of the resurrection of the dead will not come until the Muslims will not be afraid of fighting the Jews and killing them and will bring the moment of the resurrection of the dead closer."

  We see that the events that occurred before the second world war are reoccurring these days exactly the same way - Hashem should have mercy and pity on His nation Israel.  As it is known that on the eve of WWII, the Mufti of then went to strengthen the Germans YM"S and called for the destruction of the Jews.
• Commentators ask: why on the holiday of Shavuot do Diaspora Jews add an extra day because of Sefeika DeYoma [the doubt of days in the calendar]?  Isn't the holiday set as the 50th day after Sefirat Ha'omer? So there should be no concern that the messengers will not reach [those in the Diaspora to tell them when Rosh Hodesh was]!  The Magen Avraham (494) answers that they want to also fulfil the opinion of Ribbi Yosei that the Torah was given on the seventh of Sivan.  The Hatam Sofer (Beitza 4b) asks on this: If so, why do only Diaspora Jews do so?  He answers that the Diaspora Jews, since they are in the Diaspora in exile, they add an extra day corresponding to the Future Redemption - so that they will remember that they are still in exile and were not redeemed, and they will not disrespect the other second days of holidays for those in exile.  According to what we said, that שָׁבֻעֹת is the same letters as תשע"ב, therefore, this holiday hints to the Future Redemption.
• ה'תשע"ב is the second letter of each word in the Targum of the verse (Yeshaya 27:13) בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא, יִתָּקַע בְּשׁוֹפָר גָּדוֹל [in that day, that a great horn shall be blown] which is:  בְּעִדְנָא הַהִיא יִתְקַע בְּשׁוֹפָרָא רַבָּא
• Also תקון עולם במלכות שדי is the Rashei Teivot of תשע"ב

"Mashiah" in the News

2 news items from 2 women whose first name starts with an "N" and whose last name is "Mashiah".

Al Arabiya has an article from Naava Mashiah called "Are Arab Jews extinct?"
Elder of Ziyon has a guest post from Point of No Return who critiques it.

Meanwhile, Natalie Mashiach is claiming she was lynched by a band of extremist Hareidim in Beit Shemesh while putting up posters for the lottery, while she almost ended up like the victim of the short story "The Lottery".  Avreichim there are calling it a provocation since she initially refused to leave the Beit Midrash after being asked to do so (which does not at all justify the lynch, but merely shows the context).

We hope and pray to Hashem that the real Mashiah comes to save us from all those who come to harm us.

Rav Chaim Kanievsky: Don't Destroy Grasshopper Miracle Wall

The well-known story of Rav Chaim Kanievsky and the grasshopper is back in the news again.

Kikar is now reporting that after doing some renovations on his apartment to connect it to his son's apartment, he woke up on a Friday night looking at one of the walls of the house, saying, "I'm concerned that they knocked down the wall upon which the grasshopper miracle happened." 

He explained, "There is a known story with the Hid"a ZT"L where a miracle occurred on the steps close to his home, and after a while, he requested that they cover the steps with pure gold as a sign and wonder about the holy event - so that Jews would be strengthened in their Emuna with this and they will see that there is a Leader to the tower."

I couldn't tell from the story whether the wall was actually knocked down or not.  Also, the story that I heard had it occurring via a window - not a wall.  If someone knows how to reconcile these issues, I'd appreciate it if you can answer in the comments.  But it is interesting nonetheless.

Moshe Feiglin on a Jewish Economy

From his website:

What is your stand on economy?

In a Jewish country the economy should be based on a triangle whose base is capitalism (the right of purchase) and whose right and left sides are faith and lovingkindness. I abhor populist socialism that essentially demands equal distribution of poverty. I believe that the state does not have the right to rob one of his possessions, and it must interfere with the economy as little as possible.

To deal with poverty we must hold district elections and develop community organizations. In doing so we will restore personal responsibility to our citizens and develop the Jewish values of loving kindness and mutual responsibility. The centralized welfare policies currently in effect in Israel have gone bankrupt long ago, and we all feel it. We must develop the traditional Jewish community structure (that the State of Israel essentially destroyed), and in this way erase the phenomenon of hungry children and forgotten elderly.

Also, on News1:

יושב-ראש מנהיגות יהודית בליכוד, משה פייגלין, דיבר על כלכלה יהודית. הוא אמר כי למרות תמיכתו במחאה החברתית מאולם לא הגיע למאהל משום שהפתרון אותו מציעים מארגני המחאה אינו יהודי. הפתרון אותו הציע לבעיית הדיור הוא העברת הקרקעות מרשות המדינה, המחזיקה ב-93% מהן, לרשות האזרחים.

פייגלין אמר כי המדיניות הכלכלית בישראל נעה במטוטלת שבין תפישה סוציאליסטית קיצונית לתפישה קפיטליסטית, ואילו התפישה היהודית אינה נמצאת בראש מעייני מעצבי הכלכלה בארץ. הוא ציטט מדברי זאב ז'בוטינסקי שאמר "אני בורגני" וגישתו לא התקבלה בעשורים הראשונים לקום המדינה, בהם ננקטה מדיניות שתקעה את כלכלת ישראל במצב רע. בהחלט יש כלכלה יהודית, אמר מבלי להסתייג מהזכאות להיות טייקונים ("אבותינו אברהם, יצחק ויעקב היו מיליארדרים"). לדבריו, עושר הוא טוב כל עוד בעליו מבין שניתן לו כפיקדן מאת הבורא כדי לסייע לאחרים. כדוגמה למודל עסקי יהודי ציין את פועלו של איש העסקים רמי לוי.

My translation:

The chairman of Manhigut Yehudit in Likud, Moshe Feiglin, spoke about a Jewish economy.  He said that despite his support for the social protests from the hall, he didn't go to the protest tent because the solution that the organizers of the protests are suggesting is not Jewish.  The solution that he suggests for the housing problem is transfering lands from the state, which owns 93% of them, to the citizens.

Feiglin said that the economic policy in Israel moved on the pendulum between an extreme socialist outlook and a capitalist outlook, whereas the Jewish outlook isn't present in the analytical head of designers of the economy in the land.  He quoted Ze'ev Jabotinsky who said, "I am Bourgeois" and his approach was not accepted in the initial decades since the founding of the state, of which policies were taken that put the Israeli economy in a bad situation.  "There is definitely a Jewish economy," he said without disapproving the right to be tycoons ("Our forefathers Avraham, Yitzhak, and Yaakov were billionaires").  According to him, wealth is good as long as its owners understand that it was given to him on loan from the Creator in order to help others.  As an example for a model of Jewish business, he noted the works of businessman Rami Levi.