Meanwhile, the Galut Continues...

4 Jews killed in Suicide Bombing

Iran successfully tests radar-avoiding missle

Amazing Parchment Story

From Haaretz

Hat tip: Cross Currents

Geula is in the Air

Taking a look at my stats (from statcounter.com), I noticed that there are a number of people looking for Rosh Hodesh Nissan - Mashiah information.

This is just a snapshot of what certain people were looking for (and yes, I checked, it's coming from various IP addresses).

Lazer Beams: Time to Strengthen Emuna

R' Lazer Brody:

Elections, solar eclipse, the new moon of Nissan - the heavenly fragrance of redemption (Geula) is as strong in the air here as the scent of the citrus blossoms in full bloom. Even little children in cheder and young girls in the Beis Yacov - those who never see a newspaper or a computer - are coming home with animated stories that they heard from other children about the dreams of tzaddikim and the prophecies of newborn babies.

On the other hand, the tests of faith are tough. Tens of thousands of Israel's finest citizens are now threatened with a proposed exile that will make Gush Katif look like Disneyworld. As of yesterday, primitive Qassam rockets have given way to deadly Russian-Iranian Katyushas smuggled into Gaza from Egypt, that can now threaten all of Ashkelon. Many people here don't have enough to eat. Everyday almost, there's word about new troubles over here.

Continued at Lazer Beams

Return to Eretz Kanaan?

Did this election result in naming the land Eretz Kanaan?

I saw that 4th on the United Arab List is Mohammed Kanaan.
It turns out that they changed him to someone else, who didn't even end up making it in the final list anyways.

Hashem1.net: Another Rav Says Mashiah in Nissan

Hashem1.net reports via a friend that told him that a certain known Rosh Kollel who has appeared on the Hareidi satellite occasionally, and who never talks about End of Days issues, said that "Be'ezrat Hashem, we will merit the complete redemption this Nissan without any doubt".

This rabbi, who is being referred to by Hashem1.net as ".הרב הגאון ח. ה", said, "On Wednesday, they say that it's an important day - there will be a solar eclipse, and afterwards, we will see great things." Hashem1.net's friend is sure that the "they say" refers to Torah giants with whom this rabbi is in close contact.

Another item of interest that he said was the following:

3 great men died recently all within a short time-span:

• Rav Darzi (Rav Kaduri's student)
• Rav Kaduri
• Rav Shabetai Atoon

The rabbi ".ח. ה" said that Rav Atoon appeared to a certain Tzadik Yesod Olam of our generation (unknown) and revealed to him what this verse refers to:

.תָּשֵׁב אֱנוֹשׁ, עַד-דַּכָּא; וַתֹּאמֶר, שׁוּבוּ בְנֵי-אָדָם

DaKA is an acronym for Darzi, Kaduri, and Atoon. This implies that now is the time for the Teshuva of Yisrael.

For more fascinating info about this (in Hebrew), see Hashem1.net.

Election Results & My Mixed Reaction

Updated with final numbers

Election Results:

Kadima-2829
Labor-20
Shas-1312
Yisrael Beiteinu-1211
Likud-1112
Arab Parties-109
NU/NRP-9
Retirees-7
UTJ-6
Meretz-45

The good news:

• Shas is [now tied with Likud as] Israel's third largest party
• Ain Shinui
• Kadima got less seats than polls indicated

The not-so-good news:

• Kadima likely will form a coalition that will give away parts of Eretz Yisrael

The consoling news:

• Lev Melachim Beyad Hashem, and with our Tefillot and Teshuva, He will protect us from harm that would result from this government being formed.
• We have reason to believe that Mashiah is coming in Nissan.

Pictures of Gedolim Voting

at Ladaat.net

Update: More pictures

New Geula Blog & Site

R' Yaakov Nathan, webmaster at yiddishkeit.org and moderator at Ledavid.com started a new Geula-themed blog called "Dawn of Redemption".
http://hageulah.blogspot.com


Also, I just noticed this site after seeing it mentioned on Arutz Sheva. Here's a link to an interview with the webmaster of http://www.jewishfuture.com/

Kabbalists Weigh in on the Elections and Eclipse

The Halban (milkman), who was mentioned here predicts a Kadima victory, but a strong showing for the National-Religious parties, which will give Olmert a hard time making his coalition.

As previously mentioned, many Kabbalists have said that Ariel Sharon would be the last Prime Minister before the Mashiah. R' Nir Ben Artzi is one of them, but he adds that there may be a rotation via some National Unity government, but there won't be a leader that will compare to Sharon's power until Mashiah.

R' David Batzri (like R' Ratzabi) said that the solar eclipse symbolizes the beginning of the flowering of Mashiah. He added that Egypt will suffer a great blow from extremist Muslims, and the entire peace process will be in great danger. He said that "it's forbidden to return territory for a peace agreement. This is already not relevant to our times."

Source for the above

R' Bentzion Mutzafi said that the eclipse is a sign for earthquakes coming afterwards. However, he said that specifically that after this eclipse, THE earthquake is likely to come soon after the eclipse (how long afterwards is unknown). The earthquake refered to is the one mentioned in Yehezkel 38. He told people not to be afraid of the earthquake, and advised people to say Nishmat Kol Hai while the earthquake is being felt as a Segulah to be saved from it.

Sof Davar Hakol Nishma #5

#1 #2 #3 #4

Hashem1.net is back from his break and tells us that the Teimani leader - Rav Ratzabi - who told us to vote for the Shas party (mentioned here) also tells us that there's an old manuscript that says that a solar eclipse in Adar is a sign for the coming of Mashiah.

Also, check out these links thanks to R' Yaakov Nathan in Ledavid.com

Compiled from different sources:

The Biala Rebbe says: "this week between wednseday and thursday something very very important for the world and Moshiach will happen" (thanks to davidh) [LINK]

Baba Baruch (son of the Baba Sali, ztvk"l) says: Moshiach will be here in Nissan (thanks also to davidh)
[LINK]

Also from davidh is the report of the Rabbi who went to Israel to witness the opening of Rav Kaduri's letter, who says that the geulah is imminent! (My translation of davidh's Englais expression "very very next" ) [LINK]

Rav Mordechai Eliyahu is quoted on YNET stating that after the Israeli elections, "the country will change, everything will change." [LINK]

Nava posted, back on March 9, that a group went to Tzfat to daven by the Tzaddikim. They went afterwards to a mekubal (name not disclosed) for a bracha and he told them "Be prepared for a big surprise Adar 28 - election day and be ready the following day to be at the Kotel." [LINK]


It was posted that a certain individual in Bnei Brak had a dream that "his daughter told him that this coming Thursday [Rosh Chodesh] something will happen that will shake the world. And when R' Chaim Kanievsky, shlita, heard about this he requested that they buy him a new suit for this Thursday"
[LINK]

And finally, I personally heard from a friend in Israel that a certain mekubal they spoke with said, regarding the Israeli elections (scheduled for Tuesday, two days before Rosh Chodesh Nissan), that it is already been sealed in Heaven.



Think about these reports for a moment...
...and then ACT!
Take a day off from work this week and devote a day to kedusha! Learn Torah and especially Chassidus, say tehillim with joy, daven longer and more deeply than usual! Go to the kever of a tzaddik! Put tefillin on a "not-yet-religious" Jew!

In short: Tut altz vos ir kent!
Do everything you can! NOW IS THE TIME!
It might be our actions that make the difference!

Amen amen amen, ken yehi ratzon!

Amen!

Election News

Incapacitated leader wins primary

(Sorry. Wrong election.)

Here's the important election news:

Rav Aharon Leib Shteinman was B"H not injured in a car accident while campaining for UTJ.

Rav Ovadia tells overseas voters that it's obligatory to come to Israel and vote Shas.

Teimani leader: Vote Shas

Bird Flu in Judaism Links

Bird Flu in Torah Codes

Rav Batzri (unconfirmed elsewhere AFAIK)

R' Dov Bar Leib

Hazit candidate Baruch Marzel

Hashem1.net links:
1
2
3
4

Hashem should help all the farmers and doctors in Israel and throughout the world eradicate this virus from the face of the earth.

Tsunami Kabbalist Revealed

Source

Daniel, the third-hand source of information coming from the tsunami-predicting Kabbalist, reports that his source can no longer attend the Shiurim of the kabbalist for personal reasons.

The Tsunami-Kabbalist's name is Rav Shimon Dahan.

Here's my translation of some of the rest of what Daniel said:

As I originally said when I brought the updates, one of the Tsadikim of the generation who is part of a known [Kabbalistic] dynasty, advises people to only learn Kabbala from him. This dynasty is the Abuhatzeira dynasty, and the Tsadik that I was speaking of was the Tsadik Bab Elazar - the son of the Baba Sali.

I said that he is not known on a national scale, and I'm sure that there aren't many who have heard of him (I myself had not heard of him at all until I heard about him from my source).

I said that a search on him on Google brings just 1 article, and he's only mentioned there in passing - but this is the article from Arutz Sheva. http://www.arutz7.co.il/print.php3?what=article&id=3172 There, it just mentions him in passing.

I said that he was a student of Rav Nahmeini, and that is of course true - and it appears that he was very close to him.

I'm writing all this only so that you'll see that everything that I wrote was only the truth, and I tried to the best of my ability to always be precise.

...

I did what I could to bring you the updates from the rabbi as best as I could, but now, when it's no longer in my hands, I can do no more. Perhaps someone else can continue the updates (if the rabbi himself will continue them), but part of my Nisayon - with everything that different people say on the Internet, beware of imitations.

That's it. So long to everyone.

Thank you, Daniel, for all your updates.

Kotel Renovations @ Pinchas

Pinchas has info and pictures of the new Kotel renovations:
Here and here.

May we soon be able to renovate the other side of the wall as well.

For Parshat Ki Tisa

The Ketoret

This week's and next week's parshiot deal with the Ketoret (incense) that was brought twice daily in the Beit Hamikdash.

Rav Pinhas Zvihi has a great book on the Ketoret called Mizahav Umipaz, that I study regularly. It's in numerous languages (including English, but I only found the Spanish version online). It talks about the laws of the Ketoret, has an explanation of the Pitum Haketoret that we say 3 times daily, and goes into great detail of the benefits of the Ketoret even in our days.

Also, here's an interesting article on the Ketoret.

Hashem1.net Signs Off

For personal reasons, Hashem1.net is closing shop "at least for the time being, but maybe permanently". He says that he wants to devote his time and efforts to Teshuva, Torah, and Yirat Hashem. Who can blame him?

I wish him much Hatzlaha in his endeavors, and hope that we will greet Mashiah Tzidkenu Bimhera Veyamenu, Amen.

I Don't Believe EVERYTHING I Read

Some people might call me gullible for posting predictions from every Chaim Yankel rabbi that says something. It's not true. I try to limit my postings to those rabbis who are a) well-known or b) well-respected (or both).

Well, there's a website out there that may seem to know what he's talking about, but I'm just not buying it.

Among the things he claims:

• Lake Michigan will overflow and flood Chicago on March 17th (either 2006 or 2007) - causing the deaths of millions.

He cites as his source:

Beit Din Shamayim

Now, he says a lot of things that I agree with. But, something seems fishy about it. And, I'm very much against his tirades against Hacham Ovadia and Hareidim in general elsewhere on the site. It seems like he has an agenda.

Am I wrong for this suspicion?

Let me know.

WZO Election Results

Received via email:

Thank you all for helping bring up the Torah representation from 29 in the last election to 35 this election.


We are happy to share with you the following results:

The RELIGIOUS ZIONIST SLATE went up from 29 to 35 delegates and came in 2nd place; with 24% of the vote.

Out of 145 delegates, the Reform movement received 55 as opposed to 61 in the previous elections ,although the Conservative movement kept their amount of seats at 32 they nevertheless went down to 3rd place. Thereafter, the ZOA and Progressive with 5 seats ; Likud 3; Green, Herut , Reconstructionist and Dor Zion 2 each; with the Russian and Baltimore party 1 each.

Defending Hacham Ovadia

Hazak Uvaruch to my cousin Josh Waxman for his excellent defense of Hacham Ovadia Yosef from the biased Israeli media, and to R' Gil for linking to him.

MiShe MiShe MiShe MiShe...

In honor of Adar:

• Jameel is starting a jblogger parody carnival.



• Another season of OnlyTzaras.com. The laughs keep on coming.

On a more serious note:

• as Hamikdash said:
  

  May this be a year of the 2nd Purim when Persia is again defeated and the Jewish nation stands up against tyranny!




• Another great essay by R' P. Winston

Zionism Debate Over at Chardal

Yet another Zionism debate is going on at Chardal in the comments section.

D.B. & Jak Black

vs.

mevaseretzion & Chardal

Check it out!