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Israel Museum’s special exhibit: How to dress for the resurrection
all the people of the land shall bury them. The day I manifest My glory shall bring renown to them—declares Hashem.
EZEKIEL3913(THE ISRAEL BIBLE)

Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz
ADAM ELIYAHU BERKOWITZ
BIBLICAL NEWS
MARCH 8, 2023
Home » Israel Museum’s special exhibit: How to dress for the resurrection


The Israel Museum in Jerusalem is running a special exhibition titled, “Dressed for Eternity: Jewish Shrouds through the Ages”. The exhibit features tachrichim: the special shrouds that are traditionally used by Jews to bury their dead and which, according to the Talmud, will be their clothes when they are resurrected.

“This exhibition of shrouds is the direct continuation of previous displays showcasing items of clothing and fashion in Jewish culture.,” the museum explains on its website. “As is the case with the clothes of the living, the story of the changing form of shrouds exemplifies the transition from traditional costume unique to each community, toward unification.”

“This landmark exhibition provides a rare glimpse into the ancient ritual of dressing for death in Judaism. Since rabbinic times, it has been the accepted practice in Judaism to bury the deceased in garments specifically meant for that purpose, i.e., shrouds. This final garment, which accompanies the deceased to their graves, may be viewed as a single-use item. However, the intense engagement with this item of clothing in Jewish sources, beginning with rabbinic literature, reflects the traditional view according to which the last garment is also a ceremonial ‘dress for eternity,’ or at least until the Resurrection of the Dead. Moreover, articles originally used for a wedding or in childbirth were eventually included in an individual’s shrouds.”

The exhibit includes more than 10,000 garments, some available for public viewing for the first time. They include a first-century BCE shroud in remarkable condition found in Ein Gedi as well as garments dating to later centuries from numerous communities across the world. There are also examples of contemporary artistic interpretations. available for public viewing for the first time.

Jewish tradition is quite specific regarding shrouds. The body is dressed after undergoing a Tahara (ritual purification). Prior to the destruction of the Second Temple, the Jews were buried in the garments they were wont to wear during life. Today, the tachrichim are made of plain white linen cloth as per a section of the Talmud (Moed Katan) in which it is written that the wealthy had a custom of holding exorbitant funerals which included dressing the deceased in expensive shrouds, which the poor could not afford, thereby embarrassing the poor.

“The problem grew to the point that relatives would sometimes abandon the corpse and run away,” the Talmud wrote. This continued until Rabban Gamliel, about fifty years after the destruction of the Temple, who “waived his dignity, by leaving instructions that he be taken out for burial in linen garments.”

“And the people adopted this practice after him and had themselves taken out for burial in linen garments,” the Talmud wrote. “Rav Pappa said: And nowadays, everyone follows the practice of taking out the dead for burial even in plain hemp garments [tzerada] that cost only a dinar.”

Another section of the Talmud explains that when the resurrection of the dead occurs after the arrival of the Messiah, people will wear whatever they wore at the time of burial. Rabbi Yochanan asked that he be buried in neutral colors so that if he would be punished for his sins, he would not stand out among his fellow penitents who would be wearing black, and if he would be rewarded for his good deeds, he would not stand out among the righteous who would be dressed in white. Rabbi Yirmiyah instructed: “Dress me in white shrouds that are sewn properly. Dress me in what I would wear during my life. Put shoes on my feet, a stick in my hand, and place me on my side, so that when Moshiach comes, I will be ready to greet him.”

White garments are also reminiscent of the white linen garments worn on Yom Kippur by the High Priest who ordinarily wore colorful clothing containing gold and precious gems.

Regardless of gender, the tachrichim includes a shirt, pants, a head covering, and a belt. cut and sewn together with large stitches. In addition to tachrichim, some men are wrapped in the prayer shawl, or tallit, with the fringes removed to demonstrate that the person is no longer bound by the religious obligations of the living. The ends of the thread are left unknotted and the garment is intended to last only until the body has decayed. Linen disintegrates quickly, some explain, allowing the soul to quickly divest itself from its earthly trappings and ascend to heaven. Tachrichim swaddle the entire body, including the face, so that the deceased are both clothed and protected against the gaze of other people.

The Women Who Saved Dagan Hill
He brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey.
DEUTERONOMY 26:9(THE ISRAEL BIBLE
The hill in Efrat would likely be a suburb of Arab-controlled Bethlehem if not for the heroic efforts of an extraordinary group of women in 1995.
oday, the Dagan hill in Efrat is a bustling neighborhood of close to 400 Jewish families, with a high percentage of immigrants from the United States. But Dagan, on the northernmost edge of Efrat, would likely be a suburb of Arab controlled Bethlehem if not for the heroic efforts of an extraordinary group of women in July of 1995. Marilyn Adler, Sharon Katz, Eve Harow and Nadia Matar share their story.
READ MORE » https://www.israel365news.com/367898/the-women-who-saved-the-dagan-hill/?


Ahead of SCOTUS Case on Sabbath Work Discrimination, Groups Decry ‘Heckler’s Veto’
but the seventh day is a Shabbat of Hashem your God: you shall not do any work—you, your son or daughter, your male or female slave, or your cattle, or the stranger who is within your settlements.
EXODUS20:10(THE ISRAEL BIBLE)
If the court does not overrule a lower decision, grumbling co-workers could prevent the faithful from observing their holy days of rest, say American Jewish organizations.
READ MORE » https://www.israel365news.com/367999/ahead-of-scotus-case-on-sabbath-work-discrimination-groups-decry-hecklers-veto/?



Alleged Israeli airstrikes shut down Aleppo airport
And Hashem shall be king over all the earth; in that day there shall be one Hashem with one name.
ZECHARIAH14:9(THE ISRAEL BIBLE)
MIDDLE EASTMARCH 7, 2023
Home » Alleged Israeli airstrikes shut down Aleppo airport
“At 2:07 a.m. on Tuesday, the Israeli enemy carried out an aerial act of aggression from the direction of the Mediterranean, west of Lattakia, targeting Aleppo International Airport, which led to material damage at the airport as it went out of service,” SANA reported.
There were no immediate reports of casualties.
more https://www.israel365news.com/367988/alleged-israeli-airstrikes-shut-down-aleppo-airport/?

Power, Persecution and Preservation

A Jewish man is taken in captivity to a foreign land where he rises to power. Through deep insight, wisdom, and personal devotion to God, he comes to the aid of the foreign government. Eventually, the very same ruling house turns on the Jews and tries to wipe them out.
READ MORE »
[WATCH] Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Attends Purim Service at Police Base

“I, along with the people of Israel, greatly appreciate your actions, your efforts, your heroism and your sacrifice. May God grant you success and that you watch over the country, yourselves and each other,” said Netanyahu.
WATCH »
Netanyahu Slams Refusal by Soldiers to Serve as Existential Threat

“This will not be allowed to gain a foothold,” said the Israeli prime minister.
READ MORE » https://theisraelbible.com/power-persecution-and-preservation/?


Israeli Delegation in DC for Talks on Iranian Nuke Program
Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi meet with Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
READ MORE » https://www.israel365news.com/368021/israeli-delegation-in-dc-for-talks-on-iranian-nuke-program/?

Purim in Biblical Israel’s oldest city canceled due to terrorists at large
It happened in the days of Ahasuerus—that Ahasuerus who reigned over a hundred and twenty-seven provinces from India to Ethiopia.
ESTHER
1:1(THE ISRAEL BIBLE)

Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz
ADAM ELIYAHU BERKOWITZ
BIBLICAL NEWS, TERROR WATCH
MARCH 7, 2023
3 MIN READ
Home » Purim in Biblical Israel’s oldest city canceled due to terrorists at large

JERICHO PURIM TERRORISM
The traditional megillah reading at the site of an ancient synagogue in Jericho has been canceled because the terrorists who murdered a US citizen in the area last week are still at large in the region.

Purim commemorates the victory of the Jews over those in the Persian Empire who wanted to exterminate them.

The holiday was celebrated by the Jews of Persia on the 14th of Adar (Esther 9:17). But in the Persian Empire’s capital Shushan, the killing of the enemies of the Jews, most notably the sons of Haman, continued for an additional day. So the Jews of Shushan celebrated Purim the following day on the 15th of Adar (Esther 9:15). For this reason, all cities which existed and had walls at the time when Joshua entered the land of Israel with the Israelites celebrate Purim a day later than the rest of the world. While many know that Jerusalem celebrates Shushan Purim instead of regular Purim, few are aware that a small group of Jews hold an annual reading of Megillat Esther at the Shalom al Israel Synagogue in Jericho, a city that also fits the requirements to celebrate the belated holiday.


Jews pray at the Old Synogogue in Jericho. Due to continued fighting during the intifada, jews have been prohibited from entering Jericho for the last four and a half years. Both IDF and Palestianian Authority were on hand to see this historic event. May 26, 2005. Photo by Nati Shohat/Flash 90.
The Jericho synagogue stands on a mosaic that dates to the late 6th or early 7th century CE and was discovered in 1936. The mosaic floor incorporates Jewish symbols such as the Ark of the Covenant, the Temple Menorah, a shofar, and a lulav. There is also a Hebrew inscription, “Peace [up]on Israel” (שלום על ישראל), after which the mosaic was named. Unlike most synagogues of the period, no Hellenistic symbols are found on the mosaic and there are no names of benefactors. A house was built on top of the mosaic to preserve it by a well-off Arab Jerusalemite, Husni Shahwan, who owned the land.

A tradition has it that this is the place where Joshua was met by the Angel of G-d before embarking on the conquest of Jericho, the first city he would go on and conquest. The angel told him, “Take your shoe from off your foot, for this place is holy” (Joshua 5:13).

After the 1967 Six-Day War, the site came under Israeli military control and remained under the responsibility of the owners, the Shahwan family. The site became a popular tourist destination and religious Jews came regularly for prayers. The Shawan family charged an entrance fee until 1987 when the First Intifada broke out and the Israeli authorities confiscated the mosaic, the house and a small part of the farm around it. They offered compensation to the Shahwan family, but the offer was rejected.

After the 1995 Oslo Accords, control of the site was given to the Palestinian Authority (PA). At the beginning of the Second Intifada in 2000, the site again became a source of conflict. Since July 2007, Jewish prayer services in the Jericho synagogue have been allowed once a week.

Erna Covos has dedicated herself to keeping the Shalom al Israel synagogue open for Jews to pray.

“Prayer is only permitted with permission from the IDF,” Erna told Israel365 News. “They just informed us that prayers will not be allowed this year. This is because the terrorists who murdered Elan Ganeles last Monday are still at large.”

Last year, approximately 50 Jews arrived for the reading of Megillat Esther.

“There is a fallacy in that tourist groups are permitted to enter,” Erna said. “This is not just a national conflict. This is a religious war of good against evil, just like the story of Purim. Just as there is great evil, there is also great good in the nation of Israel. But we have to allow the good side to win.”

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https://www.israel365news.com/367971/nine-things-you-probably-didnt-know-about-purim/?
And in every province and in every city, when the king's command and decree arrived, there was gladness and joy among the Yehudim, a feast and a holiday. And many of the people of the land professed to be Yehudim, for the fear of the Yehudim had fallen upon them.
ESTHER 8:17 (THE ISRAEL BIBLE)
Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz
ADAM ELIYAHU BERKOWITZ
BIBLICAL NEWS
MARCH 6, 2023
6 MIN READ
Home » Nine things you (probably) didn’t know about Purim
PURIM
On Monday night and Tuesday, Jews all over the world will celebrate the festival of Purim. Among others, they will hear the Book of Esther twice, exchange food gifts (mishloach manot) and give charity to the poor. But the holiday presents many aspects that are significantly less known.

WHICH DAYS CAN PURIM FALL ON?
The Megillah explicitly states that Haman had chosen the 13th day of the month of Adar for the annihilation of the Jews (Esther 9:1). But the holiday of Purim commemorates the victory and the cessation of the killing of the enemies of the Jews which was celebrated by the Jews of Persia on the 14th of Adar (Esther 9:17).

But in Shushan, the killing of the enemies, most notably the sons of Haman, continued for an additional day. So the Jews of Shushan celebrated the following day; on the 15th of Adar (Esther 9:15), known as Shushan Purim. Shushan Purim is still observed in cities that were walled in the days of Joshua, most notably Jerusalem.

But not always. When the 15th falls on Shabbat, Shushan Purim is only partially observed on the 15th because the megillah of Esther is not read on Shabbat. In addition, the Purim feast on Shabbat would be indistinguishable from the regular Shabbat meals which would dishonor both the Shabbat and the holiday. Observance is therefore extended to the 16th, making for a three-day Purim.

Indeed, the Mishna concerning the holiday begins by saying, “The Megilla is read on the eleventh, on the twelfth, on the thirteenth, on the fourteenth, or on the fifteenth of the month of Adar, not earlier and not later.”

The problem of a Shabbat Purim is so troublesome that when the sages established the Hebrew calendar, they arranged it in such a manner that the 14th of Adar would never fall on Shabbat.

PURIM IS CELEBRATED ONE DAY LATER IN THE HEART OF THE PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY
As explained above, Purim is celebrated one day later in cities that had walls when the Jews entered Israel after leaving Egypt. While most people are aware that Shushan Purim (as it is called) is celebrated one day later in Jerusalem, few people know that a small group of Jews hold morning prayers and a reading of Megillat Esther at the Shalom al Israel Synagogue in Jericho on Shushan Purim. The Jericho synagogue stands on a mosaic that dates to the late 6th or early 7th century CE and was discovered in 1936. A house was built on top of the mosaic to preserve it.

After the 1995 Oslo Accords, control of the site was given to the Palestinian Authority (PA).At the beginning of the Second Intifada in 2000, the site became a source of conflict. Since July 2007, Jewish prayer services in the Jericho synagogue have been allowed once every week.

TOMB OF MORDECHAI AND ESTHER STILL EXISTS IN THE HEART OF IRAN
The burial site of Purim heroes Mordechai and Esther stands proudly in the heart of Iran, proclaiming the Jews’ Biblical victory from within their most prominent modern enemy. Located in Hamadan, 200 miles west of Tehran, claims to be the Biblical city of Shushan, the capital of ancient Persia and the setting for the story of Purim. The site is proudly displayed, and known to all, and Persian Jews visit the site annually en masse to read the Book of Esther. In 2008, the Iranian government added the site to its National Heritage list, thereby putting it under government protection.

NOT ALL THE JEWS LIKE WHAT MORDECHAI DID
Of course, Haman was evil. And, of course, Mordechai was a righteous Jew who saved the Persian Jews from the Amalekite courtier. But the Book of Esther made a peculiar hint in its closing verse:

For Mordechai the Yehudi ranked next to King Ahasuerus and was highly regarded by the Yehudim and popular with the multitude of his brethren; he sought the good of his people and interceded for the welfare of all his kindred. Esther 10:3

The word translated here as ‘multitude’ is actually ‘rov’ (רֹב אֶחָיו), literally meaning ‘the majority of his fellow’. The medieval French commentator known as Rashi explained this as “The majority of his fellows, but not all.” Rashi explains that many people in the Sanhedrin were angry at Mordechai for becoming friendly with the non-Jewish royal court. Or, in the words of Ibn Ezra, “It is impossible to please everybody because of jealousy.”

It is also important to note that Mordechai was the first (and only) person referred to in the Bible as a “Jew” (ish yehudi a man of yehuda) (Esther 3:4) and the Book of Esther refers to the “Jews” (yehudim Esther 3:6). It is also the first time that the Jews are described (by Haman) as being a “belief” (Esther 3:8) that is different than others.

ESTHER: A MOST PECULIAR BOOK
The Book of Esther is unique in many ways. The Megillat Esther (Book of Esther) became the last of the 24 books of the Tanakh to be canonized by the Sages of the Great Assembly. According to the Talmud, it was a redaction by the Great Assembly of an original text by Mordechai. It is usually dated to the 4th century BCE.

The Purim miracle is considered the last miracle that was allowed to be recorded in the Tanakh, as the Sages state, “Esther is the end of all the miracles” (Yoma 29a). Jewish tradition teaches that the Jews were given the Torah under Mount Sinai with God threatening to drop the mountain on them if they refused. Yet we received the Torah in the time of Mordechai and Esther (Esther 9:27).

Jewish tradition teaches that the Jews were given the Torah under Mount Sinai with God threatening to drop the mountain on them if they refused. Yet we received the Torah in the time of Mordechai and Esther (Esther 9:27).

In effect, the writing of Megilat Esther concludes the Hebrew Bible even though (or perhaps because) it does not mention the name of God. The only other book of the Bible that does not mention the name of God is Song of Songs. Though it is not unique in this respect, the Book of Esther is unusual in that it describes events that took place outside of Israel.

ESTHER WAS A VEGETARIAN
According to the Midrash, prior to the fateful beauty contest and while Esther lived in the court of King Ahasuerus, she followed a vegetarian diet consisting largely of legumes so that she would not break the laws of kashrut. For this reason, there is a tradition of eating beans and peas on Purim.

And Vashti was the great-granddaughter of Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian emperor who destroyed the first Holy Temple.

A BELATED PURIM FEAST WAS HELD IN A NAZI CASTLE
In 1945, while World War II was still being fought, a group of American soldiers held Purim services in the main dining room of a castle that had belonged to Nazi propagandist, Dr. Joseph Goebels. According to JTA coverage at the time, the Jewish chaplain “carefully arranged the candles over a swastika-bedecked bookcase in Goebbels’ main dining room,” and Jewish soldiers explained to their Christian comrades in attendance “about Haman and why it was so fitting that Purim services should be held in a castle belonging to Goebbels.”

STALIN’S PLOT TO MURDER MILLIONS OF JEWS WAS STOPPED BY PURIM
In February 1953, Stalin commissioned the construction of four camps in Kazakhstan, Siberia and the Arctic North. Many years later, his plans to use these camps to exterminate Russia’s two to four million Jews came to light. This was revealed in a 2003 article in the French Newspaper, ‘Paris-Soir’ written by P.K. Ponomarenko, Soviet Ambassador in Poland and later recounted by eyewitnesses.

“A week before the Purim of 1953… Jewish faces were far from merry,” recounted Mrs. Batyah Barg, author of the autobiography Voices in the Silence. “In train stations all over Russia, train cars were being requisitioned to carry huge caravans of Jews into exile and slow death. Reliable sources confirmed that the expulsion would begin on the sixth of March, just a few days after Purim.”

That Purim night, Stalin “collapsed in a fit of rage” during a meeting in which his supporters expressed opposition to his evil plan, according to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. That Purim, thousands of Jewish prisoners were freed. Joseph Stalin died on March 5, just a few days later, to the great relief of Russian Jewry.

GULF WAR PURIM MIRACLE
The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait spearheaded by the United States. 39 Scud missiles landed in Israel over the course of 42 days, mostly in heavily populated areas. It was feared that the despotic Saddam Hussein had armed the missiles with some form of gas or chemical weapon. Months earlier, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, had predicted the Gulf War would conclude on Purim. And that is precisely what happened. The missiles falling in Israel caused only one death. By contrast, one scud missile fell on a U.S. Army barrack in Saudi Arabia, killing 28 US soldiers.

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The Biden Administration is Costing Israeli Lives
“If you remain silent at a time like this, relief and rescue shall come to the Jews from elsewhere, and you and your family will be lost.”
ESTHER
4:14(THE ISRAEL BIBLE)
Rabbi Pesach Wolicki
RABBI PESACH WOLICKI
OPINION
MARCH 5, 2023
Home » The Biden Administration is Costing Israeli Lives
JOE BIDEN PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY TERRORISM
Since the start of 2023, Israel has suffered a wave of deadly terrorist attacks. As Israelis mourn and express their rage, many are asking the obvious questions. Why now? What leads to these waves of terror? Some in the media have taken to blaming the new Netanyahu government. As they see it, the existence of a nationalist, right-wing government provokes Israel’s enemies, who would be much more peaceful and less murderous were Yair Lapid sitting in the Prime Minister’s seat.

While there are no doubt numerous causes of the timing of the current wave of terror, I’d like to suggest a significant factor that is being ignored. Simply put, people respond to incentives. Allow me to explain.

It is well known that for decades the Palestinian Authority has provided generous lifetime stipends to the families of the perpetrators of deadly attacks against both Israelis as well as non-Israeli visitors to the Jewish state. This “pay-to-slay” program provides a significant incentive to carry out terrorist attacks. And the scope of this murder-incentive program is significant. According to the US State Department, in 2019 alone the Palestinian Authority distributed over $340 million to terrorist murderers and their families.

Which leads us back to the question, “Why now?”

In March 2018, President Donald Trump signed into law the Taylor Force Act (TFA). Taylor Force, a US citizen and a veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, was murdered in Jaffa by a terrorist in 2016. He was visiting Israel as a tourist on a school-sponsored trip with Vanderbilt University. The law that bears Force’s name stipulates that the US must withhold all economic aid to the Palestinian Authority so long as the policy of financially rewarding terrorist murderers and their families persists.

In August 2018, in the first round of enforcement, the US cut hundreds of millions of dollars in aid. Eventually, in February 2019, the US government announced that, as per the TFA, it was ceasing all aid to the PA. In the wake of this decision, something amazing happened. Terrorism declined. Less Israelis were being murdered.

In the 5-year period, 2014-2018, 100 Israelis (and visitors to Israel) were murdered in Israel by terrorists; an average of 20 per year, with a low of 14 in 2018, the year of the passing the TFA. In 2019, the first year of TFA enforcement, the number of murder victims fell to 11. In 2020 it fell further to 3.

But it’s not only about the money. Even before the passage of the TFA in 2018, terrorist murders in Israel were on the decline ever since Donald Trump took office. Of the 5-year period 2014-2018 cited above, the 2 lowest annual numbers of victims were 2017 and 2018. Simply put, Donald Trump’s policies and statements sent a clear message to the enemies of Israel that under his administration, terrorism would not be rewarded.

Shortly after taking office, on March 26, 2021, the Biden administration announced that it would be sending $75 million to the Palestinian Authority to be used in part to regain the “trust and goodwill” of the Palestinians in the wake of the Trump cuts in aid. The State Department made it known at that time that this payment was only the beginning of a renewed pledge to support the PA.

What happened next should not surprise anyone. 2021 saw 17 Israelis murdered by Arab terrorists, the highest number since 2015. It is worth noting that all of these murders took place after the renewal of American financial aid at the end of March, a full quarter into the year. Not surprisingly, 2022 saw yet another rise in terror victims with 31 people losing their lives to terrorist murderers. And in the first two months of 2023, 14 people have already been murdered, as of this writing.

All this leads one to wonder how this is all happening. After all, the Taylor Force Act is not merely some Trump-era policy or presidential executive order that can be reversed by the next administration. The TFA is law, passed by both houses and signed by the president. What this means, quite plainly, is that the US government under Joe Biden is in violation of the law. And yet, as of this writing, the Biden administration has given over $1 billion to the Palestinian Authority.

I will say this plainly. The current US administration, through its criminal violation of US law is empowering and incentivizing the murder of Israeli citizens. The Biden administration is indirectly, yet knowingly, funding the families of terrorist murderers.

In a few days, the Jewish people worldwide will once again celebrate the festival of Purim. Purim recalls the triumph of the Jews over our genocidal enemies as told in the book of Esther. At a critical moment in that story, Mordecai, while persuading Esther to speak to the king on behalf of her people said,

“If you remain silent at a time like this, relief and rescue shall come to the Jews from elsewhere, and you and your family will be lost.” – Esther 4:14

The message is as true now as it was then. The Jewish people will prevail. We have been through all manner of persecutions and hatreds spanning thousands of years. It may be painful, but Israel will continue to live and thrive. In the words of Mordecai, “rescue shall come to the Jews from elsewhere.” Of that, we have no doubt.

And just as in the Purim story which saw Haman and his sons hanging from the gallows, history has not been kind to those who stand against the Jewish people. By enabling the financial incentive to the murder of Israelis, the Biden administration is skating on thin ice. Is America on our side or Haman’s?

Rabbi Pesach Wolicki serves as Executive Director of Ohr Torah Stone’s Center for Jewish-Christian Understanding and Cooperation, and he is cohost of the Shoulder to Shoulder podcast.

https://www.israel365news.com/367857/israel-slams-brazil-for-letting-iranian-warships-dock/
Israel slams Brazil for letting Iranian warships dock
Yona, however, started out to flee to Tarshish from Hashem's service. He went down to Yaffo and found a ship going to Tarshish. He paid the fare and went aboard to sail with the others to Tarshish, away from the service of Hashem.
JONAH1:3
(THE ISRAEL BIBLE)
MIDDLE EAST
MARCH 3, 2023
< 1 MIN READ
Home » Israel slams Brazil for letting Iranian warships dock


BRAZIL IRAN
The Israeli Foreign Ministry condemned on Thursday the docking of two Iranian warships in Brazil, calling on Brasilia to not grant any “prizes” to Tehran.

The Islamic Republic of Iran Navy’s IRIS Makran forward base ship and IRIS Dena light frigate docked in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday despite pressure from the United States to bar them.

“Israel sees the docking of Iranian warships in Brazil a few days ago as a dangerous and regretful development,” the Foreign Ministry wrote in a statement. “Those ships were specifically designated by the United States only a few weeks ago, and they are part of the Iranian Navy, which works closely and synchronizes its actions with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a designated terrorist entity.”

The ministry noted that the Islamic Republic is a hostile state “responsible for human rights violations against its own citizens, executing terror attacks all over the world and proliferating weaponry to terrorist organizations all over the Middle East.

“This is the time to follow the steps taken by the E.U., U.S., Canada, Australia, Japan and many other countries, and single out the Iranian regime as what it really is: A terror entity. It is still not too late to order the ships to leave the port,” added the statement.

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US Citizen Elan Ganeles laid to rest, as IDF apprehends suspects of his murder
Comfort, oh comfort My people, Says your God.
ISAIAH40:1(THE ISRAEL BIBLE)
Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz
ADAM ELIYAHU BERKOWITZ
ISRAEL NEWS, TERROR WATCH
MARCH 1, 2023
3 MIN READ
Home » US Citizen Elan Ganeles laid to rest, as IDF apprehends suspects of his murder

IDF - ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCE JUDEA AND SAMARIA TERROR VICTIMS
Elan Ganeles, the 27-year-old American-Israeli citizen who was murdered in a Palestinian terrorist attack on Monday, was laid to rest in the Klausner cemetery in Ranana on Wednesday afternoon. His parents, doctors Andrew and Carolyn Ganeles, flew in to attend the funeral, telling media that their son was “being buried in the country he loved”.

Approximately 3000 people attended the funeral and another 2,500 watched a livestream broadcast.

“While in Israel, he fell in love with the land and the people. This is where he wanted to be,” Elan’s father Andrew said. “He was going to make aliyah.”

“He was a very passionate individual,” Elan’s mother said about her eldest son. “And when he was passionate about something, he pursued it fully and deeply. He was such a gift in our lives, with so many attributes. He had a whole life of so much potential, he wanted so much to see the world, to soak up every aspect…. Our loss is a loss for the world.”

“We feel as if a part of our being has been taken from us. He was so loved, and he will be missed so much,” his parents concluded as they addressed the mourners together.

“Elan loved his friends more than anything,” said Simon, his brother. “His friends were his family. He was in Israel to see all his friends from different parts of his life. He had more friends than anyone I know. He was constantly trying to make people happy.”

“He made the most of all his time,” Simon continued. “He meticulously filled out his itinerary in Israel so that he could use each day to its utmost and see as many new places as possible in his few weeks here. This was true about all his travels…”

“Elan was my brother, my best friend, and my biggest inspiration. I will always love him,” said Simon.

Amichai Eliyahu of Otzma Yehudit attended the funeral as a representative of the government and addressed the crowd in Hebrew, saying that he was “embarrassed and hurt” by Ganeles’ death.

“We built this country and it continues to grow stronger every day, but as much as we are growing, we also see more and more hate. As a minister in the government of Israel, I say we failed.”

Rabbi Dov Lipman, a former Member of the Knesset and the Founder of Yad L’Olim, was in attendance. He said that the turnout was impressive as Elan did not have family in Israel.

“It was very emotional, of course, and from what people said, it was clear that he was an exceptional young man,” Lipman said. “But there was no anger at the funeral. As they were walking toward the grave, the family was told that the terrorists had been apprehended. It was an impactful moment but they were focused on burying their son so they did not really react.”

Since the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993, more than 64 Americans, including two unborn children, have been murdered by Palestinian terrorists in Israel. Rabbi Lipman called on the US government to respond to the recent murder of one of its citizens.

“When a Palestinian journalist who was a US citizen was unintentionally killed, the US government got involved,” Lipman said. “They should certainly get involved in this case which was the intentional murder of a US citizen. The US government should reconsider funding a Palestinian government that rewards terrorism.

Elan was a recent Columbia graduate and Connecticut native. He served as a sergeant as a lone soldier in the Israeli Defense Force from 2016-2018. He was in Israel to attend a friend’s wedding.

Ganeles is survived by his parents and two younger brothers, Simon and Gabriel.

Elan was murdered in a drive-by shooting by Palestinian gunmen on Route 90 at Beit HaArava junction near Jericho. Ganeles was killed a day after two Israeli brothers were murdered by Palestinian terrorists in Hawara, Samaria in a similar attackAfter a two-day manhunt, the IDF captured two suspects in Aqabat Jaber near Jericho which they believe to be the terrorists responsible for the murder. A third suspect was shot as he tried to flee.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a statement on apprehending of the suspected terrorists.

“A short time ago, we apprehended the three terrorists who were responsible for the murder of Elan Ganeles,” the statement read. “I salute the IDF and ISA for quickly locating the terrorists and carrying out a precise operation.”

“Whoever tries to hurt us will pay the price,” he concluded.

https://www.israel365news.com/367463/kabbalist-earthquakes-are-a-warning-to-governments-take-care-of-your-peopleor-else/
Mountains shall be overthrown, cliffs shall topple, and every wall shall crumble to the ground.
EZEKIEL38:20 (THE ISRAEL BIBLE)
Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz
ADAM ELIYAHU BERKOWITZ
BIBLICAL NEWS
FEBRUARY 24, 2023
3 MIN READ
Home » Kabbalist: Earthquakes are a warning to governments; “Take care of your people…or else”
EARTHQUAKES
Last month an earthquake on the border of Syria and Turkey killed over 47,000 people. Since that catastrophic event, almost 8,000 aftershocks have shaken the region, many felt in Israel. A Jerusalem Kabbalist weighed in, suggesting that the catastrophe was a divine warning.

A 4,5 magnitude earthquake centered off the coast of Lebanon was felt in Israel on Wednesday morning marking the second time this week that Israel was shaken. The epicenter was 18 kilometers below sea level some 81 kilometers northwest of the Israeli coastal city of Nahariya.

The tremor was reportedly felt by residents mostly in the north of the country but no injuries or damages were reported as a result of the tremor.

This follows a 6.4-magnitude earthquake that hit the Turkey-Syrian border region on Monday. That earthquake was also felt in Israel. Six people were killed in Turkey.

7,930 aftershocks have shaken the region since the first devastating 7.8-magnitude earthquake on February 6. More than 600,000 apartments and 150,000 commercial premises had suffered at least moderate damage. The death toll from that earthquake has reached over 47,000.

Many of the aftershocks were felt in Israel.

Rabbi Avraham Shira has been a student and teacher of Jewish mysticism for close to three decades at Yeshivat HaMekubalim, Nahar Shalom, in Jerusalem.

“The Zohar teaches that there are nine rivers that come down from heaven, and each one has its own crocodile in charge,” Rabbi Shira said, emphasizing that the text was speaking in metaphors. “There is another crocodile, the tenth, that is the biggest crocodile of them all.”

“The Zohar is describing the pathways through which the powers of darkness and evil come into the world.”

Rabbi Shira explained that according to the Zohar, these ministering angels of darkness “shake their flippers” once every 70 years, generating an earthquake in the region they rule over.

“The Zohar is teaching us about a primordial force, an energy structure that God uses in interacting with the world,” Rabbi Shira said. “This was imagery that people could understand. Today, scientists have different names for energies affecting the world but it is still a description of how God interacts with the natural world.”

Rabbi Shira explained that scientists do not understand why earthquakes happen at any particular moment or place.

“The Zohar is teaching us that God is active in the world, controls nature, and evil actions give more power to the dark influences that can destroy the world,” Rabbi Shira said. “God is not vengeful in the way that people are vengeful. God mirrors us back at us and recorrects the balance of things, sometimes using earthquakes. If we understand that, we can do tshuva (repent) and fix the balance ourselves.”

“We don’t have the vision or understanding to judge ourselves or others accurately. But we need to try. And thankfully, God is much more merciful than any man would be.”

Rabbi Shira said that a hidden mystic told him that many of the recent earthquakes were intended for Israel but were deferred thanks to the merits of the Jews performing mitzvoth (commandments).

“Many of the buildings in Turkey were unsafe,” Rabbi Shira said.

This small statement emphasized a deeply disturbing point about the recent catastrophe. A report in Turkish media five years ago noted that of the 20 million structures in the country, seven million would be unsafe in an earthquake. The report also warned that many areas previously assigned as earthquake assembly areas in Istanbul were now being used for other purposes. 300 out of 470 such assembly areas were being used as shopping malls and business centers.

In the wake of the earthquakes in Turkey last month, 113 arrest warrants were issued in connection with the construction of buildings that collapsed.

“God is our mirror and we’re supposed to adjust to what happened,” Rabbi Shira said. “But these poor people that are suffering, as we speak, are also not to be blamed. However, there were a lot of builders making a lot of money for those buildings that shouldn’t have been built and they were built.”

“Maybe God’s telling us we should be more careful about how we build because poor people suffer. That’s really the responsibility of leadership that has failed here,” Rabbi Shira said. “Humanity has to take responsibility for accepting what God is telling us. That’s part of the equation people forget. It’s not about blaming God or thinking, God forbid, that he was punishing anyone. It’s about taking responsibility.”


https://www.israel365news.com/367458/jordan-airport-security-cut-tefillin-claiming-safety-hazard/
Jordan: airport security cut tefillin, claiming safety hazard
MIDDLE EAST
FEBRUARY 24, 2023
3 MIN READ
Home » Jordan: airport security cut tefillin, claiming safety hazard
Arabbi on his way to board a connecting flight at Jordan’s main airport had the straps of his tefillin (phylacteries) cut by security guards who called them a security threat, he said Thursday.
It was the latest in a series of harassment incidents at Jordanian border crossings, Israeli officials said.
U.K.-born Rabbi Moshe Haliwa, who lives in Israel, was returning on Monday night to Dubai, where he has been working as the head of a Sephardic community for the last year, when the incident took place.

Haliwa said he was stopped at the security checkpoint at Amman’s Queen Alia International Airport after an airport security guard noticed the two pairs of tefillin he had packed in his carry-on.

“Apparently, they did not know what tefillin was, so I showed it to him and explained that religious Jews wear it every day during prayer,” he told JNS from Dubai.
By then, two or three more guards had arrived.
“I showed them how I wear it and explained that it is 100% leather, there is nothing metallic in it, and that it has been through hundreds of airports,“ he said.

The original guard called his superior who said it could not be taken as hand luggage and could only be checked in a suitcase. But Haliwa had only a carry-on bag for the short flight from Israel to Dubai.

“I told them it was just a religious item, that we pray to the same God, and that it posed no threat,” Haliwa said. “I begged, I pleaded, I cried.”

The Jordanian security personnel indicated that they do not allow any threads or straps in hand luggage due to concern over strangulation.

Tefillin are a set of small black leather boxes with leather straps containing scrolls of parchment inscribed with verses from the Torah that observant Jews wear during weekday morning prayers.

At this point, Haliwa, who didn’t want to get in trouble, suggested they cut the straps off and let him take the boxes.

Unmoved, the guard would not let him do that and threatened to call the police if he did not move on.

Haliwa passed through the security checkpoint leaving his tefillin behind.

He then recounted the events to a sympathetic female security guard, who took him to the head of airport security.

The head of security, who listened politely to what happened, was also unfamiliar with tefillin, so the rabbi showed him pictures on Google.

The security chief walked Haliwa back to the security checkpoint and told him that although he couldn’t take the straps through, he would take the tefillin boxes and board his flight, Haliwa said.

The rabbi was grateful but said he was shaken up emotionally by the “harrowing experience.”

“It gave me flashbacks of the scenes of the Nazis cutting off the side curls of teenagers,” he said.

Haliwa said that he felt that the incident was antisemitic because he was singled out as an Orthodox Jew.

“Never has tefillin been used to strangle someone,” he said. “I was Jewish and that was it.”

After returning to Dubai, he spoke with the Israeli consul general, who told him she was familiar with other incidents of harassment by Jordanian border guards at land crossings with Israel, but that this was the first she heard of tefillin in hand luggage being an issue at the airport.

Haliwa said it was heart-warming to receive messages of support from both Jews and not Jews after he went public with his story.

He hopes fellow religious Jewish passengers will learn from his experience that they cannot bring tefillin in carry-ons while transiting through Jordan.

Next time, he will take a direct flight and he will not fly through Jordan again, said Haliwa.


https://theisraelbible.com/understanding-the-past-to-fight-for-the-future/
Understanding the Past to Fight for the Future
Feb 15, 2023
וַיִּשְׁלַח יִפְתָּח מַלְאָכִים אֶל־מֶלֶךְ בְּנֵי־עַמּוֹן לֵאמֹר מַה־לִּי וָלָךְ כִּי־בָאתָ אֵלַי לְהִלָּחֵם בְּאַרְצִי׃
Yiftach then sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites, saying, “What have you against me that you have come to make war on my country?”

va-yish-LAKH yif-TAKH mal-a-KHEEM el ME-lekh b'-nay a-MON lay-MOR mah LEE va-LAKH kee VA-ta ay-LAI l'-hi-la-KHAYM b'-ar-TZEE
Judges 11:12
By Rabbi Elie Mischel

Initially scorned by his brothers, Jephthah was appointed as the leader of Israel at a moment of crisis. When the evil Ammonites invaded the land of Gilead, Jephthah’s brothers begged him to lead them in battle against the enemy. Jephthah agreed to lead the men of Gilead in battle, and immediately sends messengers to the king of Ammon:

“Jephthah then sent messengers to the king of the Ammonites, saying, ‘What have you against me that you have come to make war on my country?’” (Judges 11:12)

The King of Ammon responds by accusing the people of Israel of stealing Ammonite land on the eastern shore of the Jordan river over 300 years earlier, when the Israelites first left Egypt and entered the land of Israel. The king then threatens Jephthah, demanding that Israel cede the land back to Ammon, or prepare for an invasion!

That should have ended the conversation. But for the next thirteen verses, Jephthah continues to argue with the king of Ammon, carefully explaining why the land in dispute did, indeed, belong to the people of Israel and not to Ammon. He explained that Sihon the Amorite had originally conquered the disputed land from the Ammonites, and the people of Israel then took the land from Sihon. The people of Israel had never attacked the Ammonites, and the land belonged to Israel, fair and square!

“Now, then, Hashem, the God of Israel, dispossessed the Amorites before His people Israel; and should you possess their land?… While Israel has been inhabiting… all the towns along the Arnon for three hundred years, why have you not tried to recover them all this time?” (Judges 11:23, 26)

Unsurprisingly, the king of Ammon was not persuaded by Jephthah’s argument, and proceeded to invade the nation of Israel. His accusations against the people of Israel were merely a pretext for the invasion; Jephthah’s arguments made no impact at all.

Jephthah certainly understood that the king of Ammon intended to attack, and that his arguments would not dissuade him. Why, then, did Jephthah engage the king of Ammon in a public argument to convince Ammon of Israel’s legal right to the land? What did he hope to accomplish with this exchange?

I believe that although Jephthah was addressing the king of Ammon, his true audience was the nation of Israel itself. He knew that the Ammonites would not listen to his arguments, but he made them anyway in order to remind his own people of their history and their right to the land.

Jephthah understood that he could only defeat the Ammonites in battle if the people of Israel were conscious of their own history and their God-given right to the land of Israel. When a nation loses its self confidence and begins to sympathize with its enemies’ point of view, it is doomed to defeat. And so, Jephthah recounted the history of the people of Israel and their conquering of the land to ensure that every last Jewish soldier would be confident in his people’s righteousness and their God given rights to the land of Israel.

Jephthah’s insight is critically important for our own time, when many nations, from the Palestinians to the European Union, are challenging the right of the Jewish people to the land of Israel. Only one month ago, in January 2023, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution condemning Israel’s “prolonged occupation, settlement and annexation of Palestinian territory.” In the face of these spurious attacks, the Jewish people must respond with clear and strong arguments that prove God gave the land of Israel to the Jewish people. Although the United Nations is unlikely to listen to these arguments, Israel must continue to make them, so that the Jewish people themselves understand that the holy land belongs to them!

Just as Jephthah made his arguments to remind his own people of their history and their right to the land, we must also clearly state our own arguments to ensure the Jewish people understand that Judea and Samaria belong to them. If they do not, they will not have the strength to stand up to Israel’s many enemies.

Along the same lines, it is essential for all Americans to study and understand the history of the United States and its extraordinary dedication to liberty. Only by understanding the past will we have the strength to fight for the future.

https://www.israel365news.com/367248/israeli-government-to-bar-jews-from-the-temple-mount-on-last-ten-days-of-ramadan-report/?
Israeli Government to Bar Jews From the Temple Mount on Last Ten Days of Ramadan - Report
“It's unfortunate that a Jewish government can't figure out a way to allow Jews and Muslims to coexist religiously during the Muslim holidays,” Rabbi Yehuda Levi said.
Behold, I will make Yerushalayim a bowl of reeling for the peoples all around. Yehuda shall be caught up in the siege upon Yerushalayim.
ZECHARIAH12:2THE ISRAEL BIBLE)
Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz
ADAM ELIYAHU BERKOWITZ
BIBLICAL NEWS, ISRAEL NEWS
FEBRUARY 20, 2023
3 MIN READ
Home » Israeli government to bar Jews from the Temple Mount on last ten days of Ramadan – report
RAMADAN TEMPLE MOUNT
The Israeli government has decided to place restrictions on visitation to the Temple Mount by non-Muslims during the Muslim month of Ramadan, Israeli Kan News reported on Sunday, including during the Jewish holiday of Passover. The hours of visitation by non-Muslims will be limited to four hours in the morning, Sunday through Thursday, and non-Muslims will be entirely barred from the site on the last ten days of Ramadan. Jews will also be prohibited from bringing food or drink to the site as the Muslims will be fasting from sunrise until sundown during Ramadan.

This has been government policy every year and while authorities claim it is due to the threat of Arab violence at the site, violence on the Temple Mount has nonetheless intensified every year during Ramadan. This year, Ramadan begins in the evening on Wednesday, March 22, and ends on Thursday, April 20.

The last Friday of Ramadan called “Alvida Jumma” or “Friday of Farewell,” is considered one of the holiest days on the Muslim calendar. In 1979, this Muslim holiday was usurped by the Iranian regime in 1979 which renamed it “Quds Day, dedicating it to hatred of Israel and Zionism. It is not celebrated by any other Muslims outside of Israel and Iran. In 2017, over 300,000 Arabs arrived at the Temple Mount to observe Quds Day.

In addition, this year, Passover runs from the evening of April 5 to the evening of Thursday, April 13. Last year, Arab rioting intensified on and before Passover leading to the arrest of over 300 Arabs in one day on the eve of the Jewish holiday. In years when Passover did not coincide with Ramadan, Muslims scattered bread (referred to as chametz and forbidden to Jews on Passover) on the pathways.

Tom Nisani, CEO of the Beyadenu association for the Temple Mount, responded to the report.

“Cleansing the Temple Mount of Jews and taking away the right to visit our holiest site in the afternoon on the eve of Passover strikes at the heart of Judaism,” Nisani said, emphasizing that the afternoon on the eve of Passover is when, for thousands of years, Jews arrived at the Temple in Jerusalem to perform the most important ritual of the year; sacrificing the Paschal Lamb.

“These restrictions on Jews will only serve to turn the Temple Mount compound into a base for Arab violence and terrorism, the destruction of antiquities, and harm to the police, as it does every year,” Nisani told Israel365 News. “This has never decreased the Arab violence and will certainly not help anything. The full responsibility for this surrender to terrorism will be in the hands of the ministers of the government and the cabinet.”

Rabbi Yehuda Levi, Co-founder of High on the Har and Director of Outreach for Yeshivat Har Habayit, was dismayed at the report of possible restrictions.

“It’s unfortunate that a Jewish government can’t figure out a way to allow Jews and Muslims to coexist religiously during the Muslim holidays,” Rabbi Levi said. “The policy showcases that the priorities of the Muslim holiday take precedence over the Jewish significance of the site.”

“Imagine if the positions were reversed and the Muslims were prohibited from the site for the entire seven days of Passover,” he said. “There is never a time, not even for one day when the site is open to Jews and closed to Muslims. This is a clear statement of where the priorities are. I am not denigrating the government but this is the reality right now. The Jewish government has decided that violence and terrorism set the agenda. And that is a shame.”

Jewish visitation to the site has increased steadily in recent years and Yeraeh, a Temple Mount activist organization, reported that 20,329 Jews visited the site since the beginning of the Jewish New Year on Sept. 25, 2022. This constitutes a 16% increase compared to the same time last year

Last year, over 780 Arabs were arrested on the Temple Mount for violent activities during Ramadan. In 2021, the Temple Mount was closed to Jews for 19 days during the Muslim month of fasting. This was met with massive riots at the site, accompanied by riots in Arab-Jewish cities and over 3,400 rockets from Gaza. As the Arabs rioted on the Temple Mount, they also worked to create physical barriers to prevent Jews from visiting their holiest site. The barriers were created using stones that were remnants of the Jewish Temples, damaging the stones in the process. Rioters barricaded themselves in the al-Aqsa Mosque. They also threw rocks and launched fireworks at the Western Wall from the Temple Mount. In other locations, the Arabs took advantage of the absence of Jews to carry out illegal excavations that potentially destroyed artifacts at the site.

https://www.israel365news.com/367169/solar-crown-leaves-scientists-puzzled-jewish-tradition-may-help/
Solar “crown” leaves scientists puzzled. Jewish tradition may help
Before the great and terrible day of Hashem comes,* I will set portents in the sky and on earth: Blood and fire and pillars of smoke;The sun shall turn into darkness And the moon into blood.
JOEL3:3(THE ISRAEL BIBLE)
Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz
ADAM ELIYAHU BERKOWITZ
BIBLICAL NEWS, MEDICAL/SCIENCE
FEBRUARY 19, 2023
3 MIN READ
Home » Solar “crown” leaves scientists puzzled. Jewish tradition may help
SPACE
Scientists recorded an unprecedented and inexplicable solar phenomenon that had a solar flare creating a ‘crown’ around the sun’s northern pole. This image appears to correspond to a Midrash description of how the sun looked like when it was created and how it will appear in the end of days.

Earlier this month, astronomers recorded a video showing that a huge section of the sun had broken off, creating a filament of plasma. The filament rose to the sun’s pole and circled it, forming what some scientists described as a “crown-like vortex over the solar north pole”.


The incident was caught by NASA’s James Webb telescope and shared on Twitter by Dr. Tamitha Skov, a space weather forecaster. The material seemed to break away, circling the pole at 60 degrees latitude over about 8 hours, at a speed of about 96 kilometers (60 miles) per second.

Scientists said they have never witnessed anything like this and they are unsure what caused it. The sun has been particularly active recently and has flared every day this year so far, sending out several X-class and M-class flares, the biggest and second-biggest eruptions the Sun is capable of. It is believed that the sun undergoes such increased activity, referred to as the solar maximum, every eleven years coinciding with fluctuations in the solar magnetic field. This is believed to happen when the sun reverses its magnetic poles and the polarity of the magnetic field reverses.


Midrash actually describes the sun and the moon as having royal crowns. The Talmud (Hulin 60b) discusses the seeming contradiction in the verse describing the creation of the sun and the moon.

Hashem made the two great lights, the greater light to dominate the day and the lesser light to dominate the night, and the stars. Genesis 1:16

Though initially described in equal terms, the verse then noted the sun and the moon were not equal, with the sun being called the “greater light” and the moon the “lesser light”. The Talmud explains that when God created the sun and the moon they were equal in every manner, including size and intensity. The moon complained, saying, “Two kings cannot share one crown.” God agreed and made the moon shine less intensely, compensating the moon by commanding Israel to set the calendar by its cycles.

Reish Lakish explained in the Talmud that every new moon, a public sin offering was brought to atone for this injustice. Jewish mysticism explains that this slight to the moon will be rectified at the end of days when the sun and the moon will be equal in both size and intensity.

This Midrash is reflected in science. The moon is 400 times smaller than the sun but they appear to be the same size in the sky. This is because the sun is approximately 400 times farther away from the earth than the moon. No other planet in our solar system has solar eclipses because the odds of this happening precisely as it does on Earth are so infinitesimally small. Since the sun and the moon appear to be the same size when viewed from the earth, solar eclipses, caused by the moon blocking out the sun when it passes between the sun and the earth, can occur. Scientists have yet to discover another planet that has solar eclipses. Astronomers call this Earth’s ‘grand coincidence’.

The moon is, in fact, moving away from the Earth at the rate of one centimeter every year, and in the future, the moon will appear smaller in the sky, and solar eclipses, unique as they are, will be a thing of the past.

Prophet Malachi describes the sun’s destructive power.

For lo! That day is at hand, burning like an oven. All the arrogant and all the doers of evil shall be straw, and the day that is coming—said the lord of Hosts—shall burn them to ashes and leave of them neither stock nor boughs. Malachi 3:19

The medieval French Biblical commentator, Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki, known by the acronym Rashi, explained the verse in Malachi.

Lo, I will send the Navi Eliyahu to you before the coming of the awesome, fearful day of Hashem. Malachi 3:23

The ‘Day of God’ [described in verse 19] is the result of God’s taking out the Sun from its sheath,” Rashi wrote, describing the removal of an existing cover protecting the earth from the full light of the Sun.

https://www.israel365news.com/367134/the-abrahamic-family-house-inaugurated-in-dubai/?
The Abrahamic Family House, a compound that houses a mosque, church, and synagogue described as the "first purpose-built synagogue in the United Arab Emirates", was inaugurated on Thursday.
ubai
I will bring them to My sacred mount And let them rejoice in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices Shall be welcome on My mizbayach; For My House shall be called A house of prayer for all peoples.”
ISAIAH56:7 (THE ISRAEL BIBLE)

Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz
ADAM ELIYAHU BERKOWITZ
BIBLICAL NEWS
FEBRUARY 17, 2023
2 MIN READ

The Abrahamic Family House aims to serve as a community for inter-religious dialogue and exchange and be a physical manifestation of the Document on Human Fraternity, also known as the Abu Dhabi declaration, a joint statement signed by Pope Francis and Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, in February 2019 in Abu Dhabi. The complex, designed by Ghanian architect Sir David Adjaye, seeks to represent interfaith co-existence, preserves the unique character of the religions represented, and builds bridges between human civilization and the Abrahamic messages.

Tours in either English or Arabic are available between 11 am and 7 pm, from Tuesday to Saturday. Visitors are required to adhere to a dress code. Women are required to cover their head in the premises. If they are not carrying a scarf, they will be provided one at the compound. Men are required to wear trousers that cover their knees and shirts that cover their shoulders.


REPORT: US-Funded Palestinian School Held Ceremony Celebrating Terrorist Who Murdered Jews

The Omariya Secondary School for Girls in Qalqilya held a ceremony on January 30 celebrating the “hero Khairy Alqum”, just three days after he murdered seven Israelis and wounded three in front of a synagogue in Neve Ya'akov.
MORE https://www.israel365news.com/367142/report-us-funded-palestinian-school-held-ceremony-celebrating-terrorist-who-murdered-jews/?


Israel, US Signal Unprecedented Cooperation in Military Preparations Against Iran
Nevertheless, despite the convergence of U.S.-Israeli assessments, Israel may still end up having to take on Iran’s nuclear program on its own, says a former intelligence official.
READ MORE » https://www.israel365news.com/367104/israel-us-signal-unprecedented-cooperation-in-military-preparations-against-iran/?


Mike Pompeo Calls Palestinian Authority President a ‘Known Terrorist’
The former U.S. secretary of state and former CIA director spoke about Mahmoud Abbas, and broadly about Israel, on a podcast.
READ MORE » https://www.israel365news.com/367109/mike-pompeo-calls-palestinian-authority-president-a-known-terrorist/?


Out of all the incredible museums Jerusalem has to offer, this one has a special place in my heart. The museum's focus is the First Temple period, the time when most of the Hebrew Bible took place.The likes of what we heard we have now witnessed in the city of the lord of hosts, in the city of our God— may Hashem preserve it forever! Selah.
ka-a-SHER sha-MA-nu KAYN ra-EE-nu b'-EER a-do-NAI tz'-va-OT b'-EER e-lo-HAY-nu e-lo-HEEM y'-kho-n'-NE-ha ad o-LAM SE-lah
Psalms 48:9
READ MORE » https://theisraelbible.com/the-timeless-charm-of-jerusalem/?
[WATCH] Israel's Government LEGALIZES 9 Settlements in the WEST BANK


[WATCH] Israel's Government LEGALIZES 9 Settlements in the WEST BANK
After 11 Israelis were murdered in the last two weeks, Israel’s government responded by legalizing 9 settlements in Judea and Samaria. The international community responded by NOT condemning these attacks, but condemning Israel for legalizing these 9 Jewish communities that have already been around for at least a decade.
WATCH »
The post is “pure evil,” said Israel’s minister of Diaspora affairs.
READ MORE » ttps://www.israel365news.com/367146/israels-government-legalizes-9-settlements-in-the-west-bank/?


https://www.israel365news.com/367113/main-bds-handle-tweets-photo-of-jewish-holocaust-victims-calls-them-palestinians/?
Main BDS handle tweets photo of Jewish Holocaust victims, calls them Palestinians
for the wicked and the deceitful open their mouth against me; they speak to me with lying tongue.
PSALMS
109:2(THE ISRAEL BIBLE)
The official Twitter account of the Palestinian BDS National Committee, which calls itself the “Palestinian leadership of the global Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions (BDS) movement,” shared an image with its 237,800 followers, which it referred to as Palestinian victims of the “Tantura massacre.”
Israeli Minister of Diaspora Affairs Amichai Chikli stated that the “racist” handle had broken a Guinness record, using “a picture from the German concentration camp of Nordhausen to lie about a fictional massacre during Israel’s War of Independence.”
“Holocaust distortion, appropriation and denial, further victimizing Jewish people,” he added. “Pure evil.”
The racist @BDSmovement breaks a Guiness record, uses a picture from the German concentration camp of Nordhausen to lie about a fictional massacre during Israel's War of Independence.
Holocaust distortion, appropriation and denial,further victimizing Jewish people.
Pure evil.
BDS MOVEMENT LIES
https://www.israel365news.com/367113/main-bds-handle-tweets-photo-of-jewish-holocaust-victims-calls-them-palestinians/?



Jewish Earthquake Survivors From Antakya Rescued and Flown to Istanbul
As the death toll from Turkey’s devastating earthquakes earlier this month approaches 35,000, members of eight Jewish families were rescued in a special operation and are being housed in a Jewish nursing home
READ MORE » https://www.israel365news.com/367127/jewish-earthquake-survivors-from-antakya-rescued-and-flown-to-istanbul/?


5.1 Earthquake in Turkey felt in Israel
You have made the land quake; You have torn it open. Mend its fissures, for it is collapsing.
PSALMS 60:4(THE ISRAEL BIBLE)
Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz
ADAM ELIYAHU BERKOWITZ
MIDDLE EAST
FEBRUARY 17, 2023
< 1 MIN READ
Home » 5.1 Earthquake in Turkey felt in Israel
EARTHQUAKES
Amagnitude 5 earthquake shook Turkey on Thursday night with its epicenter in the southern Hatay state. The tremor was felt throughout the region in Syria, Lebanon, and northern Israel. Syrian media reported that a building in Aleppo collapsed as a result of the earthquake.
This recent earthquake comes ten days after a devastating two 7.8 magnitude earthquakes hit the Syria-Turkey border. The death toll from that catastrophe has topped 42,000. On Friday, two more people were pulled from the rubble
This is the fourth earthquake in the region since the beginning of the month that was felt in Israel.
MORE https://www.israel365news.com/367130/5-1-earthquake-in-turkey-felt-in-israel/?

https://www.israel365news.com/367042/what-can-biblical-tradition-teach-israel-about-judicial-reform/?
Moshe chose capable men out of all Yisrael, and appointed them heads over the people—chiefs of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens;and they judged the people at all times: the difficult matters they would bring to Moshe, and all the minor matters they would decide themselves.
EXODUS18:25(THE ISRAEL BIBLE)
Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz
ADAM ELIYAHU BERKOWITZ
BIBLICAL NEWS, ISRAEL NEWS
FEBRUARY 15, 2023
Home » What can biblical tradition teach Israel about judicial reform?

ISRAEL SUPREME COURT ISRAELI HIGH COURT OF JUSTICE JUDICIAL SANHEDRIN SUPREME COURT
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s newly formed right-wing coalition is being challenged by mass rallies protesting the proposed judicial reform as being anti-democratic, a biblically-based judicial system may be more democratic and more suited to the Jewish state than many realize.

The judicial reforms have been proposed by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice Yariv Levin (Likud) and the Chair of the Knesset’s Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, Simcha Rothman (Religious Zionism). While the protests are partisan, dissatisfaction with the judicial system is almost universal. According to the University of Haifa’s index for public sector performance, the public’s level of trust in the Israeli judicial system was at an all-time low in 2018. According to the study, only 18% of the public expressed a high level of trust in the judicial system, while 33% of Israelis expressed low confidence in the system. In 2020, Haaretz reported that from 2017 to 2020, left-wing voter confidence in the judicial system dropped from 44% to 25%.

Perhaps the most important aspect of the proposed reform is to grant the government control over judicial appointments. Under the current system, the procedure for appointing judges is in the hands of the nine-member Judicial Selection Committee, which selects and promotes judges and can also remove them from the bench. Three of the members are Supreme Court judges, two are representatives of the Bar Association, two are Knesset members and two are ministers. Critics of the current system claim the judicial system is guilty of political activism.

The reform proposes that the committee will consist of eleven members, namely the Minister of Justice who will serve as the Committee Chairman, two Ministers designated by the government, the Chairman of the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, the Chairman of the Knesset State Control Committee, the Chairman of the Knesset Committee, the President of the Supreme Court, two other judges of the Supreme Court who will be chosen from their fellow judges, and two public representatives chosen by the Minister of Justice, one of them being a lawyer.

Rothman has claimed this as the flagship aspect of the reform, saying “the core of the reform is that the people choose the judges.”

Under Israel’s current constitutional framework, all legislation, government orders, and administrative actions of state bodies are subject to judicial review by the Supreme Court, which has the power to strike down legislation and reverse executive decisions The proposal seeks to curb the judiciary’s influence over lawmaking and public policy by limiting the Supreme Court’s power to exercise judicial review. Under the reforms, the Knesset can override Supreme Court rulings by a simple majority.

Israel does not have a constitution, relying instead on Basic Laws which have no special status and can be passed in almost exactly the same way as regular legislation. By implementing judicial review, the Supreme Court can unilaterally institute Basic Laws without input from the Knesset. Under the reform, the court would be unable to hear cases in which the Basic Laws are the point of contention.

Opposition leaders and activists accused the government of undermining established norms of checks and balances and attempting to seize absolute power.

Netanyahu has proposed judicial reforms based on Jewish law. In 2014, he spoke at a Likud conference and suggested some reforms to the Basic Law including making the Hebrew calendar, which is based on Jewish law, the official calendar of Israel. He also wanted to establish the Talmud as an official basis for Israeli state law. He also wanted the Basic Law to prevent the creation of a Palestinian state inside the borders of Israel.

Prof. Hillel Weiss, professor emeritus of literature at Bar Ilan University, has been working to bring judicial reform to Israel based on Biblically mandated principles. Towards that end, he joined the nascent Sanhedrin in 2004, serving as a member and its spokesman. The organization regarded itself as a provisional body awaiting integration into the Israeli government as both a supreme court and an upper house of the Knesset.

Prof. Weiss explained what he proposed as the basis of a Jewish state’s judicial system.

“It is really quite simple and known to anyone who has read the Torah,” Rabbi Weiss said. “A Sanhedrin of 71 elders.”

Rabbi Weiss noted that the major criticism of the proposed judicial reform was that it would endanger democracy.

“A biblically based judicial system would be the epitome of democratic ideals,” he said, referring to the Book of Exodus.

Moshe chose capable men out of all Yisrael, and appointed them heads over the people—chiefs of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens;and they judged the people at all times: the difficult matters they would bring to Moshe, and all the minor matters they would decide themselves. Exodus 18:25

“This describes the court system and the system of governance; both being democratic and both being separate. A citizen will be able to choose for himself the court system he needs and the government he wants,” Rabbi Weiss said. “Even the king is subject to the law and the Sanhedrin but the Sanhedrin does not have the power to act independently.”

“The sons of Jethro sat on Moses’ Sanhedrin,” Prof. Weiss said. “A Sanhedrin of modern Israel would include Arabs, Druze, and non-religious.”

Prof. Weiss explained that Biblically-based does not mean a system of religious laws.

“That is Sharia [Islamic law],” he said. “At the foundation of the Jewish state is a constitution that protects its values, its teachings, its sovereignty, its system of government, and its security and borders,” Prof. Weiss said. “The constitution derives its authority and inspiration, first and foremost, from the worlds of the Torah, the Halacha (Jewish law), and from the Jewish morality that emerges from them. It is the sum total of the Jewish-historical experience.”

Prof. Weiss explained that in many ways, such a system would be indistinguishable from current forms of democratic governments.

“The current government is based on having a prime minister and the principle of separation of powers,” Prof. Weiss said. “It distinguishes between the legislative, judicial, and executive branches. It fosters a centralized governing authority, subject to constant democratic review.”

“A president, or a king selected by the people, will hold office as long as they are able to serve in it according to their state of health, or as long as they are not replaced by the people, according to law.”

Prof. Weiss emphasized that the Bible also had a separation of powers balancing the king and the Sanhedrin.

“The Sanhedrin serves the purpose of the High Court,” Pro. Weiss said. “It is an independent institution for jurisprudence and opinions on national matters, which does not depend on the opinion of the government. It is elected by recognized sages without political involvement. The Knesset must consult the High Torah Court on any national or political issue and any decision that involves a vote.”

“One of the functions of the High Court is to settle contradictions between the laws of the state and the laws of Halacha, if there are any.”

https://www.prophecynewswatch.com/article.cfm?recent_news_id=5899
It's no longer just Google that has banned permanently all advertising going to World Net Daily (WND) and a number of other sites.

Now Microsoft has joined an orgy of backlisting against WND, blocking any advertising that makes it through the Google and Facebook stranglehold.

Days ago, a report from the Washington Examiner identified WND, the pioneering news site that was founded back in 1997 and the first to challenge established media, as victim of this advertising blacklisting.

Among the false claims made against the targeted conservative sites is that they were peddling "disinformation." That's projection for you.

Other websites identified included the Washington Examiner itself, Daily Wire, Real Clear Politics, Hot Air, Newsmax, Daily Caller, Life News, MRCTV, Breitbart, Redstate, The Blaze and more.

As part of a series about groups tracking supposed "disinformation" and then discriminating against conservative opinions and reporting, the Examiner explained how Xandr, a major advertising company that "subscribes to a left-leaning 'disinformation' group's secret blacklist," has been flagging those with comments with which it disagrees.

Worse yet, Xandr has been actively "taking steps to defund and deplatform them."

The report explained, "The Global Disinformation Index [GDI], a British organization with two affiliated U.S. nonprofit groups, is feeding secret blacklists to ad companies, such as Xandr, with the intent of shutting down websites peddling alleged 'disinformation.'"

The Examiner also reported that Xandr, which Microsoft bought in 2021 for $1 billion, "has targeted disfavored speech and blocked conservative websites from reaping key ad dollars."

"Xandr's use of politically motivated flags on this blacklist stands outside of the norm in advertising," a senior executive at an ad company told the Examiner. He noted that the real purpose of blacklisting should be to protect brands from advertising 'on content that is illegal, fraudulent, or low-quality.'"

Continued the Examiner report: "In this case, Xandr prevented us from talking to our voters in the critical days leading up to Election Day. Our audience reads the Examiner, Daily Wire, Townhall, etc. Voters go to these news & opinion sites to inform their decisions. And if Microsoft is using their technology to block us from showing ads on these websites, they're actively preventing us from talking to voters on the public squares where their decisions are being informed."

In other words, it's another case of "election tampering" as an executive of the company candidly admitted - albeit anonymously.

WND was one of the most successful sites in the world for a long time - operating on virtually an even playing field until Donald Trump began his run for the presidency. That was clearly the turning point - 2015. It was the first time since WND's founding more than 25 years ago that the news site enthusiastically supported a presidential candidate.

Since advertising is our main source of revenue and sustenance, and Google and other search engines our primary source of traffic, the Tech Cabal began its assault in those realms.

Then, when it came time for the crucial 2020 election, that's when three major international online ad companies that had long supported WND all suddenly decided, at almost the exact same time, to cancel us - just before the most important presidential contest of our lifetime.

The ad companies blacklisting WND - namely Xandr, TripleLift and Teads - all cited vague breaches of their terms of service, including, "any content that is illegal or otherwise contrary to any applicable law, regulation, directive, guideline or order, including without limitation any misleading, unethical, obscene, defamatory, deceptive, gambling-related or hateful content."

They suddenly didn't like our politics. They were at odd with America's voters, too.

Other websites targeted by Xandr included the Epoch Times, Sean Hannity, Washington Times, Lifezette, Bill O'Reilly, Daily Signal, Judicial Watch, Chicks on the Right, Mike Huckabee, OANN, RSB Network, Charlie Kirk, Glenn Beck, American Thinker, Townhall, Newsbusters, Wayne Dupree, Louder with Crowder, CNS, Twitchy, Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, Free Republic, Law Enforcement Today and Drudge.

Xandr announced just last year that it was adopting Global Disinformation Index standards for trying to hurt voices with which it disagrees.

"Domains or apps that GDI has classified as a disinformation site will be added to Xandr's global blocklist, preventing spend to those domains or apps," an email on the issue confirmed.

"What we see going on is not new," Dan Schneider, vice president for the Media Research Center's Free Speech Alliance group, told the Examiner. "We saw redlining efforts to prevent blacks from buying homes in certain communities. We saw blacklists in Hollywood to prevent people with different political beliefs from appearing in movies and getting writing contracts."

The Examiner also has revealed that the State Department has given $330,000 to the Global Disinformation Index for its efforts to suppress dialogue - and the First Amendment.

Originally published at WND News Center - reposted with permission.

https://www.israel365news.com/366781/prominent-rabbi-compares-syrian-earthquake-victims-to-egyptians-killed-in-the-exodus-many-rabbis-disagree/?
Prominent rabbi compares Syrian earthquake victims to Egyptians killed in the Exodus. Many rabbis disagree
Hashem is beneficent in all His ways and faithful in all His works.
PSALMS145:17(THE ISRAEL BIBLE)
Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz
ADAM ELIYAHU BERKOWITZ
BIBLICAL NEWS, ISRAEL NEWS, WORLD NEWS
FEBRUARY 12, 2023
4 MIN READ
Home » Prominent rabbi compares Syrian earthquake victims to Egyptians killed in the Exodus. Many rabbis disagree
Chief Rabbi of Safed Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu was the focus of consternation on Friday when he wrote in the Hebrew-language Olam Katan that the devastating earthquakes that killed over 28,000 in Syria and Turkey were “divine justice”. While Rabbi Eliyahu is a highly respected Torah authority, many rabbis understood that Jewish law required Israel to step in and help, even when the recipient of kindness was a sworn enemy.

Rabbi Eliyahu began by comparing the recent catastrophe to the Biblical splitting of the sea that resulted in the deaths of the entire Egyptian army.

“There is no doubt that whoever would have seen the Egyptians drowning in the sea and would not have remembered the whole event from beginning to end, would have been filled with great pity for them and tried to save them from drowning,” Rabbi Eliyahu wrote. “But the Israelites sang because they knew the Egyptians and understood that those who drowned wanted to kill some of them and continue to enslave the rest.”

“They sang a song because they understood that it was divine justice intended to repay the Egyptians who drowned the children of the people of Israel in the Nile, that all the wicked in the world will see and be afraid.”

Rabbi Eliyahu compared Egypt to Syria which attacked Israel several times with the intention of wiping it out.

“This is about Syria — which abused its Jewish residents for hundreds of years in the blood libels of Damascus and others; which invaded Israel three times in order to kill and destroy,” he said.

He then cited a prophecy of Ezekiel that said that after the biblical promise of the ingathering of the exiles, when all Jews return to the land of Israel, “revenge will come to all the nations around us who have harmed us.”

Rabbi Eliyahu then referred to a Midrash relating that the angels began to sing when they saw the Egyptians die but God silenced them, saying, “My handiwork is sinking in the Sea, and you wish to sing?!”

The rabbi also related that the Talmud taught that an earthquake is an expression of God’s tears over the people of Israel who are still in exile and, therefore, a blessing is recited and the Song of the Sea is recited in synagogues, praising God for killing the Egyptians

“It is not that we are impervious to the sorrow of humanity,” Rabbi Eliyahu said. “Definitely not. But if God forbid, we don’t say thank you to God for watching over us, it is ingratitude. If we think the disaster is a happenstance, that is heartless. If we believe that we are more merciful than God, it is wickedness and stupidity.”

Rabbi Avraham Stav from the Tzohar organization responded to Rabbi Eliyahu by saying he was “troubled” by the rabbi’s interpretation of events.

“The thought that the entire world is in tears amid the terrible sights and stories in Turkey, and we, the people who brought to the world the tidings that every person is created in [God’s] image, should according to Rabbi Eliyahu rejoice over these horrors,” Rabbi Stav wrote.

Rabbi Yehuda Gilad wrote that he had read Eliyahu’s comments “again and again and can’t believe it. Thousands of people made in God’s image are buried beneath the ruins of their homes, elderly and infants expiring in terrible agony and we should view this as being to our benefit?”

Rabbi Hanan Schlesinger co-founded Roots/Shorashim/Judur, a joint Palestinian-Israeli grassroots peacemaking initiative dedicated to understanding nonviolence. Rabbi Schlesinger believed that there was room to interpret Jewish law differently than Rabbi Eliyahu.

“From my perspective, fundamental moral concerns are not extraneous to Jewish law,” Rabbi Schlesinger said. “They are the foundation of Halacha (Jewish law). Even if there is no relevant reference to the situation in the Jewish legal texts, if there is an explicit moral concern, it should be considered as Halacha.”

Rabbi Schlesinger suggested that people emulate God’s attributes as described in Psalms:

Hashem is beneficent in all His ways and faithful in all His works. Psalms 145:17

“This is a meta-halachic principle,” Rabbi Schlesinger explained. “The Rambam gives guidelines for giving charity by teaching that you are required to prioritize the poor people of your city but that does not exclude the poor who come from far away or to non-Jews.”

“This is, of course, based on the belief that all men were created in the image of God,” he pointed out.

Rabbi Schlesinger’s organization reaches out to Palestinians, a demographic some Israelis might consider to be an enemy. He applied this to the earthquake victims.

“I don’t know if you can classify Turkey or even Syria as ‘the enemy’,” the rabbi said. “Right now, they are victims of a terrible tragedy. I wouldn’t define a person trapped under a collapsed building as an enemy.”

Israel sent over 400 relief workers to help in the rescue efforts in Turkey and offered humanitarian aid to Syria. Israel’s public broadcaster Kan said in an unsourced report that Russia had relayed the request for Israel to assist Syria. In addition, many of the people arriving at the Israeli aid stations in Turkey were, in fact, refugees from Syria.

This would not be the first time that Israeli assistance saved lives in Syria. Israeli hospitals treated thousands of sick and wounded Syrians. From 2013-2017, about 2,800 injured Syrians entered Israel to receive medical care. As part of Operation Good Neighbor, Israel also trucked supplies across the border. This reflects the IDF Code of Ethics requires soldiers and medical personnel to treat enemy troops and civilians.

In comparison, the UN Security Council delayed sending aid to northwestern Syria due to the rebel strongholds in that region. At least 2,100 people were killed in the earthquake in that region.

An unnamed Israeli military official told Elaph news site on Thursday that “there is information indicating that Iran will take advantage of the tragic situation in Syria” to deliver weapons to Hezbollah in Lebanon and other Iran-backed terrorist groups in Syria. The unnamed official said that Israel would not accept this and such actions would result in a “firm military response from us without hesitation.”
Several Iranian cargo planes have landed in Syria since the earthquake hit last Monday, ostensibly carrying humanitarian aid.

https://www.israel365news.com/366705/breaking-seven-wounded-in-jerusalem-ramming-attack/

BREAKING: Two Israelis murdered including 6-yr old boy, at least five wounded in Jerusalem ramming attack
Hashem, be mindful of Your compassion and Your faithfulness; they are old as time.
PSALMS 24:6
(THE ISRAEL BIBLE)

Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz
ADAM ELIYAHU BERKOWITZ
TERROR WATCH
FEBRUARY 10, 2023
2 MIN READ
Home » BREAKING: Two Israelis murdered including 6-yr old boy, at least five wounded in Jerusalem ramming attack


APalestinian terrorist drove into a bus stop on the corner of Golda Meir Ave. and Binyamin Mintz at around 1:27 on Friday afternoon in the Ramot neighborhood of Jerusalem, murdering a six-year-old boy and a young man. At least five others were wounded including another child in critical condition. The scene of the attack was near the burial site of the Prophet Samuel.


Ramming attack in Ramot (Photo from United Hatzala)
The Magen David Adom ambulance service said the two seriously hurt victims were children. Two other victims were in serious condition, while two more were lightly hurt.

The Psychotrauma and Crisis Response Unit has been dispatched to the area due to the nature of the incident.


Photo United Hatzalah
Dovi Weisenstern, head of ZAKA, said:

“This is a very difficult scene, a terrorist who violently rammed into a bus station where there were many families. When I arrived at the scene, I saw a lot of commotion, difficult scenes of people and children dressed in Shabbat clothes lying near the station suffering from serious injuries. Cries for help from all sides. The medical teams quickly evacuated the victims with varying degrees of injury to the hospital. Unfortunately, at the scene of the attack, one wounded person was pronounced dead.

“The terrorist was neutralized and eliminated on the spot. Once again, we are dealing with a serious incident of injury to innocents, a brutal attack on Friday afternoon against civilians who were waiting at a bus stop.”


Photo United Hatzalah
Eli Polak, CEO of United Hatzaala reported from the scene that “it is a vehicle that hit a bus stop. The medics are currently doing CPR on an 8-year-old boy. A 27-year-old boy is in critical condition. and provide assistance to three other victims who were hit by the vehicle while they were at the bus stop. Rescue Union ambulances at the scene.”

“When we arrived at the scene, the sight was shocking,” said MDA medic Shraga Rosenthal. “We saw a car near the bus station after it hit pedestrians who were waiting at the station. We saw six victims lying next to each other, among them, two were children about 6 years old who were unconscious with severe multisystem trauma.”

This is a developing story and will be updated as details emerge.

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https://www.israel365news.com/366636/earthquakes-shake-israel-three-times-in-24-hours-the-talmud-may-know-why/?

Earthquakes shake Israel three times in 24-hours – The Talmud may know why
Mountains shall be overthrown, cliffs shall topple, and every wall shall crumble to the ground.
EZEKIEL38:20
(THE ISRAEL BIBLE)

Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz
ADAM ELIYAHU BERKOWITZ
BIBLICAL NEWS, ISRAEL NEWS
FEBRUARY 9, 2023
3 MIN READ
Home » Earthquakes shake Israel three times in 24-hours – The Talmud may know why


EARTHQUAKES ISRAEL JERUSALEM
The Geological Survey of Israel’s Seismology and Earthquakes division confirmed that at 4:58 PM on Wednesday afternoon, a 3.3 magnitude earthquake shook Israel. The epicenter was located some 20 kilometers southeast of the city of Ariel in Samaria.

Less than five hours later, a 4.1 magnitude earthquake hit near the border between Syria and Turkey some 130 kilometers north of the border with Israel. The effects of that tremor were also felt in Israel.

A 3.5-magnitude tremor occurred at 11:14 PM local time on Tuesday night and was centered around 24 miles north of Jerusalem.

Also on Tuesday night, an earthquake of magnitude 4.8, followed by another of magnitude 3.2, occurred in central Turkey and were felt in Israel.

The Home Front Command said the earthquake warning system dubbed Teruah was not activated because the tremors did not pose a danger to residents. No injuries were reported.

On Monday, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit the Turkey-Syria border region on Monday killing more than 12,000 people with some 31,000 people injured. Israel has sent rescue teams to Turkey and offered humanitarian aid to Syria.

Israel’s Jordan Valley and Dead Sea are part of the Syrian-African Rift Valley, which stretches from Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley to Mozambique in Southeastern Africa. Large earthquakes usually hit Israel approximately once every 90 years and there is concern that another one is due – considering that the most recent one occurred in 1927. That event saw more than 400 people killed and extensive damage to buildings in Jerusalem and Hebron.

According to data presented by Kan News, about 60% of the homes in Israel are still not protected from missile attacks, earthquakes, or collapse due to obsolescence. More than half of Israeli citizens live in a building not properly protected against such events.

For this reason, a major earthquake is predicted to cause up to 7,000 deaths and 145,000 injuries, with 170,000 people left homeless and 320,000 buildings damaged.

TALMUD: EARTHQUAKES ARE GOD CRYING FOR THE EXILE OF THE JEWS
The Talmud in Tractate Berachot (59A) teaches that when a person witnesses an earthquake, he should make the blessing “Blessed be He whose strength and power fill the world.”

This is followed by a story about Rav Ketina walking past the house of a necromancer when an earthquake occurred. The necromancer told Rav Ketina that earthquakes were the result of God’s tears hitting the ocean when he was sad over the exile of the Jews. Rav Ketina disagreed with this explanation, reasoning that if that were the case, there would be a long series of earthquakes in quick succession. Rav Ketina claimed that earthquakes were God clapping his hands, as described based in a verse in Ezekiel:

I, too, will strike hand against hand and will satisfy My fury upon you; I Hashem have spoken. Ezekiel 21:22

The Talmud admits that the necromancer was, in fact, correct and that when an earthquake strikes, it is a series of quakes. But Rav Ketina did not want people to believe that necromancy was an acceptable form of divination.

Commentaries on this section of the Talmud emphasize that natural phenomena and catastrophes are associated with the actions of Man and most especially with the fate of the Jews in Israel.

TOO MANY THEATERS AND CIRCUSES

The Talmud Yerushalmi discussed the causes of earthquakes as benign due to not giving tithes. It then suggests that the cause is “theaters and circuses existing in safety and quiet” while the holy Temple in Jerusalem stands in ruin. The commentaries explain that the theaters and circuses were Roman and featured violence and lewd displays. The Temple, of course, was precisely the opposite. Another possible cause of earthquakes discussed in this section of the Talmud Yerushalmi is quarreling among Jews and lewd behavior. The Talmud then suggests that earthquakes presage a change in government, noting that the Prophet Jeremiah (51:29) wrote that an earthquake struck before the fall of the Babylonian king.

https://www.israel365news.com/366597/state-of-the-union-how-many-times-did-biden-mention-god/
State of the Union: How many times did Biden mention God?
Then, with the whole congregation of Yisrael standing, the king faced about and blessed the whole congregation of Yisrael.
KINGS 8:14
(THE ISRAEL BIBLE)
Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz
ADAM ELIYAHU BERKOWITZ
BIBLICAL NEWS, US-ISRAEL RELATIONS
FEBRUARY 8, 2023
2 MIN READ
Home » State of the Union: How many times did Biden mention God?
JOE BIDEN
President Joe Biden gave his second State of the Union Address on Tuesday night, marking the halfway point of his four-year term as Commander in Chief. While the president focused on the economy, he did invoke God in a more serious manner than in his previous SOU address.

BACKGROUND: LOW JOB APPROVAL RATINGS
Polls indicate that the public is displeased with his performance. Recent polls posted on fivethirtyeight.com show his approval rating at 43.2%, and 52.2% of Americans disapproving at this point in his presidency. This compares to a 40.2% approval rating for his predecessor, Donald Trump, at this stage. His former boss, Barack Obama, had an approval rating of 48.5% when giving his second State of the Union Address. Indeed, polling shows that his ratings began to fall almost immediately after he entered the Oval Office and have been net negative (more Americans disapproving than approving) for 16 months, putting him on a par with Trump.

Even within his own party, he lacks support. Only about 34% of Democrats favor a Biden-Harris ticket in 2024.

His lack of support was evident last night as he was heckled at several points by Republican lawmakers. GOP House Speaker Kevin McCarthy was forced to request that the heckling stop.

HONORED GUEST
This was the first SOU since 2019 that permitted guests. Doug Emhoff, the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, brought Ruth Cohen as a guest. Cohen, 92, survived the Holocaust after being interned in numerous concentration camps, including Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Other guests included Ukrainian Ambassador to Washington Oksana Markarova, Irish singer and activist Bono, and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband, Paul.

FOCUS ON ECONOMY
Biden focused most of the address on the economy which is a weak point for his administration with recent polls showing that only about 37% of Americans approve of his handling of the economy. 41% of Americans say their personal finances have gotten worse since he took office. He touted achievements, like record-low unemployment and falling inflation, that were disputed by fact-checkers.

He also claimed to have improved the infrastructure, lowered prescription drug prices for seniors, and increased manufacturing.

Noticeably absent from the SOU were social issues that are foremost for so many Americans.

MENTIONED ‘GOD’ SIX TIMES
Biden invoked the word ‘God’ six times. He described the elderly and people with disabilities as “doing God’s work” and quoted the mother of a victim of police brutality as saying her son had “faith in God.” Biden thanked God for passing gun laws and called for national unity since all people were created in the image of God. He ended his speech with the classic, “ May God bless you all. May God protect our troops.” This compares to his using the word ‘God’ seven times in the 2022 SOU, albeit as a generic invective in all but the last two usages.


https://www.israel365news.com/366608/israel-shaken-by-earthquake-centered-24-miles-north-of-jerusalem/
Israel shaken by earthquake centered 24 miles north of Jerusalem
On that day, He will set His feet on the Mount of Olives, near Yerushalayim on the east; and the Mount of Olives shall split across from east to west, and one part of the Mount shall shift to the north and the other to the south, a huge gorge.
ZECHARIAH14:4
(THE ISRAEL BIBLE)
Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz
ADAM ELIYAHU BERKOWITZ
ISRAEL NEWS, JERUSALEM
FEBRUARY 8, 2023
2 MIN READ
Home » Israel shaken by earthquake centered 24 miles north of Jerusalem
EARTHQUAKES JERUSALEM
A3.5-magnitude tremor occurred at 11:14 p.m. local time and was centered around 24 miles north of Jerusalem, according to Israel’s Energy Ministry’s Seismology Division. The Home Front Command said the earthquake warning system dubbed Teruah was not activated because the tremor did not pose a danger to residents. No significant damage was reported.

Arab reports from Jenin and Shechem say that cracks have formed on dozens of buildings.
Massive earthquakes in Israel are mentioned in many prophetical accounts about the end of days. According to these accounts, these earthquakes will be so severe as to cause geographic changes in the Temple Mount, requiring the construction of an entirely new city. The quakes will cause springs of water to burst forth around Jerusalem, bringing about the prophecy in Zechariah.

And it shall come to pass in that day that living waters shall go out from Yerushalayim: half of them toward the eastern sea and half of them toward the western sea; in summer and in winter shall it be.” Zechariah 14:8

This prophesied earthquake will split the Mount of Olives in two.

On that day, He will set His feet on the Mount of Olives, near Yerushalayim on the east; and the Mount of Olives shall split across from east to west, and one part of the Mount shall shift to the north and the other to the south, a huge gorge. Zechariah 14:4

A sinkhole that appeared in the courtyard of an Arab-owned house in the Ras al Amud neighborhood of Jerusalem adjacent to the Mount of Olives offered a glimpse of the biblical narrative coming to life. Israel has experienced heavy rains for the past week and the cause of the sinkhole is unknown.

Israel’s Jordan Valley and Dead Sea are part of the Syrian-African Rift Valley, which stretches from Lebanon’s Beqaa Valley to Mozambique in Southeastern Africa. Large earthquakes usually hit Israel approximately once every 90 years and there is concern that another one is due – considering that the most recent one occurred in 1927. That event saw more than 400 people killed and extensive damage to buildings in Jerusalem and Hebron.

According to data presented by Kan News, about 60% of the homes in Israel are still not protected from missile attacks, earthquakes, or collapse due to obsolescence. More than half of Israeli citizens live in a building not properly protected against such events.

For this reason, a major earthquake is predicted to cause about 7,000 deaths and 145,000 injuries, with 170,000 people left homeless and 320,000 buildings damaged.

On Monday, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit the Turkey-Syria border region on Monday killing more than 7,000 people with some 31,000 people injured. Israel has sent rescue teams to Turkey and offered humanitarian aid to Syria.

Also on Tuesday night, an earthquake of magnitude 4.8, followed by another of magnitude 3.2, occurred in central Turkey and was felt in Israel.

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https://theisraelbible.com/the-warrior-legacy-of-king-david/
The Warrior Legacy of King David
אֱלֹהִים בְּאָזְנֵינוּ שָׁמַעְנוּ אֲבוֹתֵינוּ סִפְּרוּ־לָנוּ פֹּעַל פָּעַלְתָּ בִימֵיהֶם בִּימֵי קֶדֶם׃
We have heard, O Hashem, our fathers have told us the deeds You performed in their time, in days of old.
e-lo-HEEM b'-oz-NAY-nu sha-MA-nu a-vo-TAY-nu si-p'-ru LA-nu PO-al pa-AL-ta vee-may-HEM BEE-may KE-dem
Psalms 44:2
By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz
King David started life as a shepherd but he came from a military family. I imagine his brothers coming home on leave, sitting at the dinner table, telling war stories to their red-headed little brother. Of course, David’s rise to the throne began on the battlefield, facing off against the giant Goliath.
Military tales were surely a part of Israelite culture, ranging from the Battle of Five Kings in the Valley of Siddim in the time of Abraham, to the conquest of the Promised Land under Joshua, to the struggle against the Philistines in David’s time.
One theme that must have run throughout all of these tales was the role of God in each of these battles.

This tradition continues in modern times, as the stunning victories in the 1948 War of Independence and the 1967 Six-Day War are described as miracles. I once spoke with an old Israeli veteran who had fought in the Golan as a tanker in the 1973 Yom Kippur War, when 160 outclassed Israeli tanks faced over 1,000 Syrian tanks. He told me how he was young and terrified but carried out his tasks until he was numb with fatigue, and then kept fighting on. A secular Jew, he described how he stumbled out of his tank in the morning and looked out over the Valley of Tears.

“We were firing blindly all night,” he said. “But what I saw in the morning was a vast field of tanks that had been crushed by the hand of God. There was no way we did that.”

Today, Israelies reassure each other that they have a holy Iron Dome in heaven protecting them from Hamas rockets which is even more effective than the mechanical version.

David’s oral tradition that kept alive the military exploits of previous generations, and God’s hand in them all, was his message in Psalm 44.

David writes:

We have heard, O Hashem, our fathers have told us the deeds You performed in their time, in days of old. With Your hand You planted them, displacing nations; You brought misfortune on peoples, and drove them out. It was not by their sword that they took the land, their arm did not give them victory, but Your right hand, Your arm, and Your goodwill, for You favored them. Psalm 44:2-4

Rabbi David Kimhi (1160–1235), also known by the Hebrew acronym RaDaK, taught that the tradition that King David received accompanied the Jews into exile:

“Although the Jews who witnessed the miracles could not personally recount them to their descendants born centuries later, the Psalmist implies that the transmission of this tradition was not broken. This tradition was transmitted from father to son through the generations until it reached the generation that went into exile.”

Picturing David the warrior as the ancestor of the shtetl Jews of Europe can seem a bit incongruous, but the military tradition of the Jews is deeply embedded in their collective subconscious. The candles lit on Hanukkah are prominently displayed in order to advertise the military victory of the tiny nation of Judah against the mighty Seleucids.

Unlike other warlike nations, however, the nation of Israel has a higher purpose and a higher source for this military tradition. As David noted in graphic terms:

“You are my king, O Hashem; decree victories for Yaakov! Through You we gore our foes; by Your name we trample our adversaries; I do not trust in my bow; it is not my sword that gives me victory;You give us victory over our foes; You thwart those who hate us. Psalm 44:5-8

But what good is passing on a warrior tradition when in exile? Without a land or an army, the Jewish people have suffered horribly, reciting this psalm about God leading them to victory. Often, they had to resign themselves to that grim reality, while calling out:

Rouse Yourself; why do You sleep, O Hashem? Awaken, do not reject us forever! Psalm 44:24

Yet their warrior past was not lost with the Temple. It was this tradition, passed through the generations, that enabled them to rise from the ashes of the Holocaust and build an army that could stand against five Arab nations.

This warrior tradition was not limited to the battlefield, but also influenced the cultural and political landscape of the Jewish people. The strength and resilience they had acquired through their warrior past helped them to overcome numerous challenges and establish a thriving and sovereign nation in the modern era. Today, with the help of God, the legacy of their warrior past continues to inspire and guide the Jewish people in their quest for peace and justice in the world.

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https://www.israel365news.com/366535/are-the-muslim-structures-on-the-temple-mount-falling-down/
Are the Muslim structures on the Temple Mount falling down?
Is it a time for you to dwell in your paneled houses, while this House is lying in ruins?
HAGGAI1:4
(THE ISRAEL BIBLE)
Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz
ADAM ELIYAHU BERKOWITZ
BIBLICAL NEWS
FEBRUARY 7, 2023
Home » Are the Muslim structures on the Temple Mount falling down?
DOME OF THE ROCK TEMPLE MOUNT
Arab media reported on Tuesday that pieces of mosaics containing anti-Christian verses from the Koran began falling off the facade of the Dome of the Rock.

On Tuesday morning, Arab media began posting reports that a mosaic tile was falling off the western facade of the Dome of the Rock located on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. On Monday, Jerusalem experienced heavy rain, and the earthquake that devastated Turkey and Syria was also felt in the city. The ceramic tile measured approximately 20 centimeters square. The reports blamed the incident on “the occupation’s [Israel’s] prevention of restoration work inside the mosque.” The media noted similar incidents in June when stones fell in the interior of the Aqsa Mosque, the gray domes structure at the southern end of the Temple Mount. In August, stones fell from a column adjacent to the Prophets Gate, also known as the Double Gate, one of the permanently closed gates along the Southern wall.

The damage has been overall limited.


The tiles on the exterior feature Arabic calligraphy recording Surah Ya-Sin (the ‘Heart of the Quran’) which was commissioned in the 16th century by Suleiman the Magnificent. The Surah relates that after the Mahdi (the Muslim messiah) only the followers of Mohammad will be resurrected, noting specifically that the apostles of Jesus are “impostors and threatened with stoning.”

While some Muslims claim the Temple Mount is the location of Mohammad’s “Night Journey” described in Surah 17 of the Koran, most Sunni dispute this and there is no mention of this in the calligraphic decorations anywhere on the Temple Mount. The mosaics on the interior of the Dome of the Rock are a Koranic (19:33-35) rejection of the divinity of Jesus.

Constructed in 692 CE by the Umayyad Caliphate on the orders of Abd al-Malik on the site of the Jewish Temple, the current shrine is the oldest Muslim structure in existence. The architecture and mosaics were patterned after nearby Byzantine Christian churches and palaces and using the measurements of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The Crusaders captured Jerusalem in 1099 and the Dome of the Rock was given to the Augustinians, who turned it into a church. Jerusalem was recaptured by Saladin in 1187, and the Dome of the Rock was reconsecrated as a Muslim shrine. During the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent (1520–1566), the exterior of the Dome of the Rock was covered with tiles.

The building was severely damaged by earthquakes in 808 and again in 846. The dome collapsed in an earthquake in 1015 and was rebuilt in 1022–23. The mosaics on the drum were repaired in 1027–28. The earthquake of 1033 resulted in the introduction of wooden beams to enforce the dome. Parts of the Dome of the Rock collapsed during the 11 July 1927 earthquake, and the walls were left badly cracked.

Rabbi Harry Moskoff, the author of The A.R.K Report, explained that the structure is actually built on an ancient underground complex.

“At the center of the Dome of the Rock is a large flat foundation stone,” Rabbi Moskoff explained. “According to Jewish tradition, that is where God sent Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. Underneath the stone is an empty chamber called the Well of Souls. In that chamber is a type of manhole that leads down to a tunnel. No one has ever explored that tunnel and it is believed that it was used as part of the Temple.”

“It is even possible that the Ark of the Covenant is in that tunnel,” Moskoff said.

Rabbi Moskoff explained that before the Dome of the Rock, a temple to the pagan god Jupiter was built at the site of the Jewish temple by the Roman Emperor Hadrian around 130 CE. Tuvia Sagiv, an architect who has studied the Temple Mount extensively, noted that both the Temple of Jupiter in Baalbek, Lebanon which is still standing today, and the Islamic buildings we see on the temple mount were almost an exact match in both design and scale. He theorized that the Muslim structures were based closely on the pagan temple. Though nothing remains of the original pagan temple in Jerusalem, it is believed to have stood until the time of Hadrian’s later successor Constantine in 325 CE.

“It seems strange that the remains of the temple in Lebanon were shaken yesterday in an earthquake and its twin structure in Jerusalem begins falling apart today,” Moskoff said.

https://www.israel365news.com/366483/as-massive-earthquake-hits-the-middle-east-what-does-biblical-tradition-teach-us-about-it/?
As massive earthquake hits the Middle East, what does biblical tradition teach us about it?
Mountains shall be overthrown, cliffs shall topple, and every wall shall crumble to the ground.
EZEKIEL38:20 (THE ISRAEL BIBLE)
Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz
BIBLICAL NEWS, WORLD NEWS
FEBRUARY 6, 2023
Home » As massive earthquake hits the Middle East, what does biblical tradition teach us about it?
EARTHQUAKES SYRIA TURKEY
Amajor earthquake hit the Turkey-Syria border region on Monday and was felt also in Israel. A phenomenon occurring in the region for millennia, earthquakes are widely discussed in the Bible and other Jewish sources.

EARTHQUAKES IN JEWISH TRADITION
Jewish tradition has much to say about earthquakes as a sign of God’s interaction with the earth. The Mishna in Tractate Brachot (54A) says that when a person witnesses an earthquake, he should make the blessing “Blessed be He whose strength and power fill the world.”

The Sefrei Devarim teaches that when God gave the Torah to Israel at Mount Sinai, He “thundered” the entire world on its inhabitants.” This global earthquake is based on a verse in Psalms:

The voice of Hashem is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, Hashem, over the mighty waters. Psalms 29:3

The Zohar Chadash (Ruth 59) claims that earthquakes transpire when God gazes down at that specific part of the earth.

END OF DAYS
Earthquakes are prophesied to accompany the end-of-days. Earthquakes and volcanoes are explicitly mentioned by the prophets as playing a role in the end of days, preparing the world by burning away impurities as a crucible is used in metallurgy to purify metal.

But Hashem God is the true God, He is the living God, and the everlasting King; at His wrath the earth trembleth, and the nations are not able to abide His indignation. Jeremiah 10:10

The Prophet Ezekiel specifically described earthquakes as preceding the War of Gog and Magog.

Mountains shall be overthrown, cliffs shall topple, and every wall shall crumble to the ground. Ezekiel 38:20

Some rabbis have attributed this pre-Magog shake-up to God entering into the fray, using the forces of nature as his weapons of choice.

EARTHQUAKES AND PROPHECY
As terrifying as earthquakes can be, there may be a silver lining to an increase in regional seismic activity. In a 2007 article in the J-Post, Dr. Shmuel Marco, Head of the School of the Environment and Earth Sciences at Tel Aviv University, noted that prophets became active a certain number of years after major earthquakes. Major earthquakes were recorded in the Jordan Valley in the years 31 BCE, 363 CE, 749 CE, and 1033 CE.

“So roughly,” wrote Marco, “we are talking about an interval of every 400 years. If we follow the patterns of nature, a major quake should be expected any time because almost a whole millennium has passed since the last strong earthquake.”

Dr. Marco went so far as to attribute Joshua’s victory at Jericho to divinely directed seismic interference.

“The destruction of the walls of the city and the damming of the river, as described in Joshua 6:1-16, is generally agreed by most archeologists to be the result of an earthquake, possibly on the Jericho Fault,” Dr.Marco wrote.

Dr. Marco’s theory is consistent with the story of Prophets Amos and Zechariah whose periods of prophecy were expressly oriented around a major earthquake.

The words of Amos, a sheep breeder from Tekoa, who prophesied concerning Yisrael in the reigns of Kings Uzziyahu of Yehuda and Yerovam son of Yoash of Yisrael, two years before the earthquake. Amos 1:1

https://www.israel365news.com/366418/biblical-climate-justice-learning-from-trees-on-tu-bshvat/?
There is hope for a tree; If it is cut down it will renew itself; Its shoots will not cease.
JOB 14:7
(THE ISRAEL BIBLE)

Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz
ADAM ELIYAHU BERKOWITZ
BIBLICAL NEWS, JEWISH WORLD
FEBRUARY 5, 2023
5 MIN READ
Home » Biblical climate justice: Learning from trees on Tu B’shvat

CLIMATE CHANGE ENVIRONMENT TU B'SHVAT
An American rabbi in Jerusalem is using his Torah-based principles to lead the way in global environmentalism. In order to teach these principles to Bible lovers around the world, he has written an “Eco Bible” that is both a Bible study tool and a guide to healing God’s Creation.

Judaism is based in the land of Israel with much of the Temple service focusing on agriculture. This is emphasized on Tu B’Shvat, the 15th day of the month of Shvat, the New Year’s of the trees that begins on Sunday evening. The foundation for it is found in a verse in Leviticus:

When you enter the land and plant any tree for food, you shall regard its fruit as forbidden. Three years it shall be forbidden for you, not to be eaten. In the fourth year all its fruit shall be set aside for jubilation before Hashem; and only in the fifth year may you use its fruit—that its yield to you may be increased: I Hashem am your God. Leviticus 19:23-25

For three years after planting a tree, any fruit that it produced was Orla, forbidden for consumption. In the fourth year, the fruit was classified as Neta Revai and could be brought to Jerusalem to be eaten inside the walls of the city. On Tu B’Shvat, every tree acquired an additional year. So even if the tree was planted one week before Tu B’Shvat, when the holiday arrived, the tree was now one year old. After passing through three such Tu B’Shvats, the tree was no longer Orla.

With all of this focus on nature, agriculture, and the land, a commentary on the Bible that focused on environmentalism was necessary, according to Rabbi Yonatan Neril. Therefore, Rabbi Neril wrote the “Eco Bible: An Ecological Commentary on the Hebrew Bible”.

“I took courses on environmental issues in college, and then came to Israel and studied for over six years in yeshivot (Jewish learning centers),” Rabbi Neril told Israel365 News. “When I was studying Jewish texts, I saw deep linkages between the Bible and ecology. I worked with editors and my co-author, Rabbi Leo Dee, and out came Eco Bible.”

Rabbi Neril’s inspiration was also more personal. The Talmud (Ketubot 111a) teaches that “whoever walks four cubits in the Land of Israel is assured of a place in the world to come” and Rabbi Neril embodies that precept. Raised in California, he gathers inspiration from hiking in the forests surrounding Jerusalem with his wife, Shana, and their two children.

In addition to being the basis of his Jewish faith, Rabbi Neril sees the Torah as the perfect vehicle to teach about environmentalism to people of all religions.

“The Eco Bible is for anyone who seeks to find wisdom in the Bible,” he said. “At a time of ecological and spiritual crisis, how the Bible is understood can have a profound impact on human behavior, since billions of people in religions worldwide consider it a holy book.”

The book is a commentary on over 400 verses from an environmental persepctive. Volume one is a commentary on Genesis and Exodus. Volume two is a commentary on Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

“Eco Bible quotes over 100 rabbis and other great Jewish thinkers commenting on verses from the Hebrew Bible,” Rabbi Neril said. “Until now, their ecological insights could be found scattered in hundreds of books but might only be noticed by a bible scholar also focused on ecology. Eco Bible gathers and connects these insights for anyone studying the Hebrew Bible—insights which relate even more critically to our time than any before.”

“We hope this Eco Bible will speak to all those who relate deeply to the Hebrew Bible and deeply care about the health and survival of our planet,” Rabbi Neril said.

One commentary teaches a lesson about “Edible Trees” based on Genesis:

And Hashem said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation: seed-bearing plants, fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it.” And it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation: seed-bearing plants of every kind, and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it. And Hashem saw that this was good. Genesis 1:11-12

Rabbi Neril cites Rabbi Jacob ben Asher, a Medieval rabbinic authority known as the Ba’al HaTurim.

“Rabbi Asher points out, God commanded the earth to produce ‘fruit trees that bear fruit,” Rabbi Neril wrote in the Eco Bible”, meaning trees whose bark could be eaten as well as their fruit. However, he notes that the earth produced trees whose bark is not eaten that produce fruit in order that the trees themselves would not be devoured.”

“Long ago, and today, we have come to understand that trees – in addition to the fruit they produce – have broader value including providing homes for animals large and small, and retaining soil to prevent erosion and catastrophic mudslides.”

Another eco-commentary explains a verse about Abraham:

Let a little water be brought; bathe your feet and recline under the tree. Genesis 18:4

Rabbi Neril cites Rabbeinu Chananel ben Chushiel, an 11th-century Kairouanan rabbi and Talmudist, who asked why the angels revealed themselves to Abraham under a tree.

“He answered that in doing so they revealed a message to Abraham,” the Eco Bible explains. “You, like a tree, will flourish even in your old age.”

This commentary is derived from a verse in Job:

There is hope for a tree; If it is cut down it will renew itself; Its shoots will not cease.If its roots are old in the earth, And its stump dies in the ground, At the scent of water it will bud And produce branches like a sapling. Job 14:7-9

“Abraham’s resilience and prosperity are compared to a tree,” Rabbi Neril wrote. “Indeed, trees are one of the most resilient organisms, specifically against drought. This is increasingly important in light of climate change causing unpredictable rainfall, extreme weather events, and stronger pests that threaten forests. Contemporary researchers have discovered that diverse “forests with trees that employ a high diversity of traits related to water use suffer less of an impact from drought. They are also more resilient to forest fires.”

Yet another commentary is based on a pact made by Abraham:

[Avraham] planted a tamarisk at Be’er Sheva, and invoked there the name of Hashem, the Everlasting God. Genesis 21:33

Rabbi Neril cited the 19th Century commentary by Rabbi Meir Leibush ben Yehiel Michel Wisser known as the Malbim who explained that the tamarisk was actually an orchard.

“The peace pact made with Abimelech, king of Gerar, today’s Gaza, is concluded with the planting of fruit trees,” Rabbi Neril said. This represents the importance of sustaining long-term and environmental prosperity for all, and demonstrating that true peace is based upon a joint hope for a better future.”

“This is comparable to modern Israel and Jordan which based a 1994 peace pact on sharing water resources,” Rabbi Neril concluded.

Rabbi Neril is an active force in the world of environmentalism. He founded the Interfaith Center for Sustainable Development, which reveals the connection between religion and ecology and mobilizes faith communities to act on climate change. He is a member of the United Nations Environment Program’s Faith-based Advisory Council and has spoken internationally on religion and the environment.

The rabbi has also co-organized twelve interfaith environmental conferences in the US and Israel. Most recently, he helped organize an initiative called The Sinai Climate Partnership which took place in the Sinai Peninsula, in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt in November. The event culminated in the “Ten Principles for Climate Justice”. As a symbolic gesture, some participants staged a smashing of a pair of tablets on the peak of Mount Sinai.

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https://www.israel365news.com/366436/meet-the-rabbi-activist-working-to-open-up-the-temple-mount-as-a-house-of-prayer-for-all-nations/
My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.
ISAIAH 56:7
(THE ISRAEL BIBLE)

Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz
ADAM ELIYAHU BERKOWITZ
BIBLICAL NEWS, CHRISTIAN ZIONISM, JERUSALEM
FEBRUARY 5, 2023
Home » Meet the rabbi-activist working to open up the Temple Mount as a “house of prayer for all nations”

JERUSALEM RABBI YEHUDAH GLICK TEMPLE MOUNT
Rabbi Yehuda Glick has at times been called an “extremist”.

An American-born Israeli Orthodox rabbi, Temple Mount activist, and former Likud Member of Knesset, Rabbi Glick’s efforts are focused on the Temple Mount. As the President of Shalom Jerusalem Foundation, he campaigns for expanding universal access to the Temple Mount.

Ironically, it is this universalist vision that has led to this characterization of the rabbi as a right-wing fundamentalist.

“I am an extremist: an extremist for human rights,” Rabbi Glick told Israel365 News. “We have to end this absurd situation where people are prevented from praying on the Temple Mount on the basis of their religion.”

Currently, non-Muslims, including Jews, can visit the compound where the Holy Temple of Jerusalem used to stand only under severe restrictions. Among others, they cannot pray.

Rabbi Glick firmly believes in the Temple Mount as a “house of prayer for all nations” and has even engaged with Arabs at the site in a manner that many would find incongruous for a right-wing “extremist”.

“The only people who should be allowed on the Temple Mount are those who want everyone else to be there too,” Rabbi Glick said

Through an unexpected turn of events, Rabbi Glick became a Likud MK in 2016.

“When I first began advocating for the Temple Mount, it was not part of the Likud Platform,” Rabbi Glick said. “Prime Minister Netanyahu still rejects universal prayer. The issue is not entirely right-wing in Israel.”

“When I first started getting active politically, I was a fringe element. Likud didn’t necessarily support me at the time but they had an open mind,” Rabbi Glick explained.

While Rabbi Glick has a strong following among evangelicals in the US, his approach is not to court specifically the Christian supporters of Israel.

“The connection that I’ve been trying to develop for several years is a connection between Hashem, Yerushalayim, the Bible, and all peoples in the world,” Rabbi Glick said. “I don’t choose specifically evangelical Christian or political conservatives. It’s not a political issue. I try to connect with Muslims as well. I reach out to Republicans as well as Democrats.”

The rabbi also acknowledged that currently Christian evangelicals are among the most engaged supporters of Israel.

“Today, it is certainly easier to connect with evangelical Christians over Jerusalem but that is not by any choice that I am making to target them,” he said. “They happen to be the ones opening the doors today. But my goal is to develop Zionist movements. I definitely would like Indonesian Zionists, Malaysian Zionists, and Indian Zionists. I want all nations to be Zionists.”

“That is pretty ironic,” Rabbi Glick said. “100 years ago, the biggest enemies of the Jewish people were Christians, and the Muslims were actually most friendly with Israel. Granted, there always were Christians who were better friends than the Muslims. And I think vice versa. But this is where we are for the time being.”

Rabbi Glick said that his experience has connected him to many people from the broad spectrum of politics.

“To call it right-wing may not be accurate,” Rabbi Glick said. “This is just a political expression of a universal Biblical ideal. When I was in the Knesset, I met with many American liberals and I shared my vision with them as well. I showed them how the Temple Mount is connected to human rights as the liberal western values. I believe that what I’m talking about, definitely connects to all kinds of values. ”

“This is a spiritual-religious movement that is beginning to take specific political manifestations,” he added.

The rabbi emphasized that these growing alliances that transcend political boundaries are essentially spiritual in nature and geared toward serving the God of Israel.

“I don’t talk about common Judeo-Christian values,” Rabbi Glick said. “I talk about Biblical values”

“Politics are not a goal,” he concluded. “They are a tool to get where you need to go. My goal is all humanity. We’re living at a time when the people of Israel have come back and we have a message that we want to share with the world. And that isn’t right or left.”
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https://www.israel365news.com/366443/french-israeli-activists-banned-from-temple-mount-for-waiving-israeli-flag/?
French-Israeli activists banned from Temple Mount for waiving Israeli flag
My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.
ISAIAH 56:7
(THE ISRAEL BIBLE)
Staff Writer
BIBLICAL NEWS, JERUSALEM
FEBRUARY 5, 2023
Home » French-Israeli activists banned from Temple Mount for waiving Israeli flag

JERUSALEM TEMPLE MOUNT
Two French-Israeli activists received a three-month ban from the Temple Mount Sunday for waving an Israeli flag on the site last month.

Two weeks ago, Nili Naouri and Raphael Benisti from “Israel is Forever” – an organization promoting Israel advocacy for French speakers – ascended the mount to honor the memory of Naouri’s father Jacques Kupfer on the second anniversary of his death.

After the activists waved the Israeli flag on the compound, the police arrested them and detained them for 6 hours. On Sunday, the police issued a 3-month ban.


“I call on Minister Ben Gvir to immediately change police protocols on the Mount,” said Naouri. “When I lived in Paris, I waved the Israeli flag on the streets proudly and was never arrested by the French police.”

“This discrimination can’t be tolerated: while I am banned from the Mount, the police did nothing against Arabs who waved PLO flags,” she added. “I expect the police to not ban me from the holiest place to Jews!”

Non-Muslim can visit the Temple Mount only under severe restrictions.

“We see again that in the State of Israel there are places where waving the national flag is a cause for sanctions against civilians,” said Tom Nisani, CEO of Beyadenu, an organization devoted to raising awareness on the Temple Mount heritage. “This is morally wrong and cannot be tolerated. This is our flag and our Mount.”

What Do Right-Wing US Evangelicals and Right-Wing Israeli Religious Jews Have in Common?

According to Pastor Trey Graham, the relationship between American evangelicals and religious Israelis can be described as "a biblical friendship."
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Prayers Needed for the Soldier Shot by Terrorist in Jerusalem, Parents Say

The parents of the soldier wounded by a terrorist in Jerusalem on Saturday say his condition has worsened.
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Congress to Vote on Removing Ilhan Omar From Foreign Affairs Committee—Report

Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) earlier this month repeated his promise to oust Omar from her influential post due to her antisemitism.
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God is Not a Sexist

The sages explain that Deborah’s husband was not actually named "Lappidoth," but that the word is hinting that Deborah would spend her time preparing wicks – known in Hebrew as "Lappidoth" – for the Tabernacle in Shiloh.
READ MORE » https://theisraelbible.com/god-is-not-a-sexist/?

[WATCH] A First Responder’s Account of the Palestinian Terror Attack in Jerusalem

On Saturday, United Hatzalah’s volunteer medic Josh Wander was called away from his family to care for a Jew who was seriously wounded by a 13-year-old Palestinian terrorist near the Old City.
WATCH » https://www.israel365news.com/video/a-first-responders-account-of-the-palestinian-terror-attack-in-jerusalem/?


‘Overwhelming Evidence of Ties Between Palestinian NGOs and the PFLP’

Based on open-source materials, NGO Monitor's research identified at least 60 Palestinian NGO officials with links to the terror group.
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Meet the Israeli Doctor Helping Thousands in Ethiopia Receive Eye Care

Dr. Morris Hartstein: There are fewer than 300 ophthalmologists for a population of 120 million people.
READ MORE » https://www.israel365news.com/366271/meet-the-israeli-doctor-helping-thousands-in-ethiopia-receive-eye-care/?

Two IDF Soldiers Injured in Samaria Car-Ramming

The Palestinian driver, who according to the army accelerated towards the troops, quickly turned himself in, claiming the incident was an accident.
READ MORE » https://www.israel365news.com/366281/two-idf-soldiers-injured-in-samaria-car-ramming/?

Abbas Presents Blinken With List of Demands for Israeli Concessions

Palestinians' "horizon of hope" is shrinking, the secretary of state said.
READ MORE » https://www.israel365news.com/366267/abbas-presents-blinken-with-list-of-demands-for-israeli-concessions/?


The EU Sponsors Illegal Palestinian Land Grabs and Terror Groups. Why?
by James Sinkinson
Rather than encouraging Palestinian independence, the Europeans have become proxies in the Palestinian terror war against Israel.
READ MORE » https://www.israel365news.com/366290/the-eu-sponsors-illegal-palestinian-land-grabs-and-terror-groups-why-opinion/?



Soldiers of Misfortune
by Clifford D. May
[ICYMI] Christians Should Understand the Israeli-Arab Conflict From a Bible-Based Perspective. Here is How

Christianity's foundation began with the hope of Israel's physical Kingdom restoration.
READ MORE » https://www.israel365news.com/366227/christians-should-understand-the-israeli-arab-conflict-from-a-bible-based-perspective-here-is-how/

https://www.israel365news.com/366071/two-shabbat-terror-attacks-seven-dead-five-wounded/?
Two Shabbat Terror Attacks: Seven dead, five wounded
O break the power of the wicked and evil man, so that when You look for his wickedness You will find it no more.
PSALMS 10:15
(THE ISRAEL BIBLE)
Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz
ADAM ELIYAHU BERKOWITZ
TERROR WATCH
JANUARY 28, 2023
4 MIN READ
Home » Two Shabbat Terror Attacks: Seven dead, five wounded
TERRORISM
On Friday night, International Holocaust Remembrance Day, seven Israelis were murdered and three were wounded near a synagogue in the Neve Yaakov neighborhood of Jerusalem. The terrorist arrived at the scene around 8:15 PM by car and opened fire at the people. The Palestinian terrorist, a resident of Jerusalem, then fled to the Arab neighborhood of Beit Hanina a few hundred meters away. He was shot and killed by security forces as he exited the vehicle. A handgun, presumably the weapon used in the attack, was found at the scene.

Magen David Adom said its medics declared five victims dead at the scene, and another two victims were declared dead at hospitals in Jerusalem. MDA said the dead were five men, aged 20, 25, 30, 50, and 60, and two women, aged 60 and 70.


The wounded victims included a 15-year-old boy in moderate-to-serious condition, a 24-year-old man in moderate condition, and a 60-year-woman, also in moderate condition.


Police and rescue personnel at the scene of a shooting attack in the City of David, in East Jerusalem, on January 28, 2023. Photo by Yonatan Sindel/Flash90.
On Saturday morning, a 13-year-old Palestinian boy armed with a handgun shot and wounded two Israelis, a father, age 59, and son, in his 20s, near the Old City of Jerusalem. The son, an off-duty officer in the Paratroopers Brigade, returned fire despite his wounds, hitting the terrorist.

The victims were taken to Shaare Zedek Medical Center with gunshot wounds to their upper bodies where they were listed in serious but stable condition.

Rockets were fired at Israel overnight on Thursday from Gaza.

Celebrations were held in several Arab cities in Israel and in Gaza.



Palestinians celebrate following the deadly terror attack tonight, in Gaza City, on January 27, 2023. Photo by Atia Mohammed/Flash90.
The Palestinian Authority Security Council released a statement in the official WAFA news agency blaming Israel for the attacks.

“The Palestinian leadership holds the Israeli occupation government fully responsible for the dangerous escalation that the situation has reached due to its crimes, which amounted to 31 martyrs during the current month, and its continuation of its colonial settlement practices, land annexation, house demolitions, arrests, policies of ethnic cleansing and apartheid, and the desecration of Islamic, Christian holy sites, and storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque,” the statement read. “These policies are a result of the Israeli occupation government’s evasion of its commitment to implement the signed agreements and its violation of the resolutions of international legitimacy. The leadership warns the occupation government against continuing this approach, which will lead to further deterioration, threatening security and stability in the entire region.”

A statement from a spokesperson for UN chief Antonio Guterres said the secretary-general “strongly condemns today’s terrorist attack by a Palestinian perpetrator outside a synagogue in Jerusalem” and “extends his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and wishes a prompt recovery to those injured.”

“It is particularly abhorrent that the attack occurred at a place of worship, and on the very day we commemorated International Holocaust Remembrance Day. There is never any excuse for acts of terrorism. They must be clearly condemned and rejected by all,” the statement added.

Guterres said he was “deeply worried about the current escalation of violence in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory. This is the moment to exercise utmost restraint.”

The European Union decried the Palestinian terrorist attacks but warned Israel not to use deadly force in its response.

“The European Union fully recognizes Israel’s legitimate security concerns, as evidenced by the latest terrorist attacks, but it has to be stressed that lethal force must only be used as a last resort when it is strictly unavoidable in order to protect life,” said Josep Borrell, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

He also blamed Israel’s war on terrorism in Judea and Samaria for the “spiral of violence”.

“More than 150 people were killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank, including 30 children,” he said, claiming this was “the highest number since the end of the second intifada in 2005.”

“[It is] urgent… to reverse this spiral of violence and engage in meaningful efforts to restart peace negotiations,” he said. “We call on all parties not to react to provocations.”

Russia also called on Israel to show “maximum restraint.”

“We perceive this development of events with deep concern. We call on all parties to exercise maximum restraint and prevent further escalation of tension,” Russia’s foreign ministry said in a statement.

“Recent events clearly confirm the need to urgently relaunch a constructive Palestinian-Israeli dialogue and to renounce unilateral actions,” it added.

Germany also warned of a “spiral of violence” and called for negotiations.

“A dialogue and cooperation between Israel and the Palestinian authorities are more necessary than ever in order to eliminate terror,” a spokeswoman for Germany’s foreign ministry said. “The spiral of violence that has already caused too many casualties on both sides this year must not continue.”

https://www.israel365news.com/366044/mozambique-jews-christians-and-muslims-join-in-remembering-the-holocaust/?
Mozambique: Jews, Christians, and Muslims join in commemorating Holocaust Remembrance Day
A friend is devoted at all times; A brother is born to share adversity.
PROVERBS 17:15
(THE ISRAEL BIBLE)

Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz
ADAM ELIYAHU BERKOWITZ
HOLOCAUST
JANUARY 27, 2023
4 MIN READ
Home » Mozambique: Jews, Christians, and Muslims join in commemorating Holocaust Remembrance Day


While the Holocaust raged during World War II, Mozambique became a rare haven for Jews fleeing the horrors of Europe. Today, on International Holocaust Remembrance Day the community of about 45-50 Jews is joined by their non-Jewish neighbors to declare “Never Again.”

Just over half of Mozambique’s population is Christian and around 28% is Muslim, but Sam Levy, who moved to Mozambique 30 years ago from New York and is one of the lay leaders in the capital city Maputo, told Israel365 News that the Jews are a treasured by the other faiths.

“There is no discernible anti-Semitism in the country,” Levy said. “More the opposite. I call it philosemitism.”

“The Jewish community is welcomed among all the faiths,” he said. “We have cordial relations with all groups in the country – Christian, Muslim, Hindu, and Bahai, among others. Mozambique actively cultivates tolerance along many dimensions.”

Indeed, if a picture is worth a thousand words, the images of the community commemorating the day speak volumes.


Mozambique Jewish community (Photo courtesy Domingos Gomes)

A member of the Jewish community of Mozambique (Photo Sandra Rodrigues)
” We occasionally host student groups,” Levy said. “Muslim students, Christian students, adults as well as young people. And we will also go to their communities. There are a lot of common interfaith events, particularly on national holidays, especially Mozambique’s National Peace and Reconciliation day, which is October 4. It is really a model in terms of interfaith dialogue and mutual respect.”


A non-Jewish friend of the Jewish community of Mozambique (Photo Sandra Rodrigues)
While the Holocaust devastated European Jewry, the small Jewish community in Mozambique was untouched and actually flourished. The community reached its peak in 1942, thanks to immigration restrictions in other countries and the effects of World War II. Mozambique was a sanctuary for Jews looking to escape Nazi Germany. That’s when as many as 500 people made up Maputo’s Jewish population.


The Honen Dalim Synagogue in Maputo, Mozambique (Photo courtesy)
“The Holocaust Day observances are not new,” Levy said “We do it more or less every year, but we are sometimes joined by people from other faiths. Last year, for instance, we worked with the Catholic Church and screened the movie, Schindler’s List, to the young catechists. Our member, Michael Roup, introduced the film, and told them about what the Holocaust was and why it’s important to remember it.”


Andrew Cunningham with members of the Mozambique community (Photo via twitter)
“This year that campaign spread and we are telling more people about the Holocaust,” Levy said. “It’s going well. It’s sponsored by the African Jewish Congress with the support of the World Jewish Congress and they are spreading the word all across southern and eastern Africa to raise awareness.”


A member of the Jewish community of Mozambique (Photo Sandra Rodrigues)
The community has a long history that has waxed and waned. During the 15-year civil war, lasting from 1977 to 1992, a high percentage of Jews left Maputo. The synagogue was abandoned and the cemetery was vandalized. However, by 1989, the synagogue was back in Jewish hands and regular Shabbat services were restored between 1993 and 1994. In 2012, the synagogue was completely restored.


Sandra Rodrigues, a member of the Jewish community of Mozambique (Photo courtesy)
“The numbers are small and much reduced since COVID when some of the foreign families or members of the community left,” Levy said. “But I am sure the community will grow again.”


Mozambique Jewish Community on Sukkoth joined by friends (Photo courtesy)

https://www.israel365news.com/365935/doomsday-clock-even-closer-to-armageddon-rabbi-disagrees/?
The Doomsday Clock’s time is set by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists’ Science and Security Board.
“But you, Daniel, keep the words secret, and seal the book until the time of the end. Many will range far and wide and knowledge will increase.”
DANIEL 12:4
(THE ISRAEL BIBLE)

Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz
ADAM ELIYAHU BERKOWITZ
BIBLICAL NEWS, MEDICAL/SCIENCE
JANUARY 25, 2023
4 MIN READ
Home » Doomsday clock even closer to Armageddon; Rabbi disagrees

RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR
On Tuesday, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists set the Doomsday Clock at 11:58:30, 90 seconds before the theoretical end of the world at midnight, which is the closest to global catastrophe it has been since its inception in 1947. The clock, measuring the perceived likelihood of a nuclear holocaust, inched forward due partly to the war in Ukraine, biological threats such as COVID-19. and the “climate crisis.”

The Doomsday Clock’s time is set by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists’ Science and Security Board with the support of the Bulletin’s Board of Sponsors, which includes 10 Nobel Laureates. Previously, the Doomsday Clock had been set at 100 seconds to midnight since 2020.

“We are living in a time of unprecedented danger, and the Doomsday Clock time reflects that reality,” Rachel Bronson, PhD, president and CEO, of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, said. “90 seconds to midnight is the closest the Clock has ever been set to midnight, and it’s a decision our experts do not take lightly. The US government, its NATO allies and Ukraine have a multitude of channels for dialogue; we urge leaders to explore all of them to their fullest ability to turn back the Clock.”

The Doomsday Clock statement explains that “Russia’s war on Ukraine has raised profound questions about how states interact, eroding norms of international conduct that underpin successful responses to a variety of global risks. And worst of all, Russia’s thinly veiled threats to use nuclear weapons remind the world that escalation of the conflict—by accident, intention, or miscalculation—is a terrible risk.”

“The possibility that the conflict could spin out of anyone’s control remains high,” it adds. “Russia has also brought its war to the Chernobyl and Zaporizhzhia nuclear reactor sites, violating international protocols and risking the widespread release of radioactive materials. Efforts by the International Atomic Energy Agency to secure these plants so far have been rebuffed.”

The statement has been translated into Ukrainian and Russian.

The statement cited several reasons for the increased nuclear threat assessment:

The 2026 expiration of the New START, the last nuclear treaty between Russia and the United States.
China’s considerable expansion of its nuclear capabilities.
North Korea increased the testing of intermediate and longer-range missiles.
Iran’s increased its uranium enrichment capacity.
India and Pakistan modernized their nuclear arsenals.
The United States, Russia, and China are now pursuing full-fledged nuclear weapons modernization programs, setting the table for a dangerous new “third nuclear age” of competition.
The Bulletin also cited the “climate crisis” being exacerbated by the war in Ukraine and weather extremes attributed to climate change.

Bio-threats like COVID-19 were also taken into account. Without acknowledging any connection, the Bulletin stated that “laboratory accidents continue to occur frequently” and “disinformation.”

When describing the threat posed by “disinformation”, the Bulletin cited “election deniers in 2022” as a global threat that was successfully diverted by the American electorate. A global catastrophe was also diverted by the election of French President Emmanuel Macron over right-wing candidate Marine Le Pen.

The Bulletin also hailed US President Joe Biden for increasing “the role of scientists in informing public policy.” Biden’s efforts were hampered, according to the Bulletin, by “political opposition to a ‘Disinformation Governance Board’ proposed by the Department of Homeland Security was grounded in willful misrepresentation and the politics of personal destruction.”

“These types of attacks are hardly new but are emblematic of corruption in the information environment,” the Bulletin wrote.

Rabbi Yosef Berger was skeptical of the report.

“The scientists are trying to figure out what the sages and the Torah already wrote about,” Rabbi Berger said. “But the scientists are getting it all wrong. They think they have the power to destroy the world and the power to stop the end of the world from coming. They have neither.”

Rabbi Berger, whose family prides themselves on being descendants of King David, is a member of the nascent Sanhedrin, an attempt to reestablish the Biblically mandated court of 71 elders.

“God created the world and he will bring the Messiah in its proper time,” he pointed out.

The rabbi cited the Talmud which contains detailed descriptions of the conditions preceding the end of days.

“The Torah says that in the sixth year of the Shemittah (sabbatical cycle) voices will cry out to warn the Messiah is coming,” Rabbi Berger said. “This will presage wars and when the Shemitta ends, the Messiah will reveal himself.”

“This is what the scientists are sensing. They haven’t done any experiments or have any empirical data so they don’t really ‘know’ what they are talking about. But any person who is in touch with his neshama (soul) can tell that the Messiah is imminent. So many rabbis and hidden mystics are, to an unprecedented degree, saying so and world events just confirm what we can sense and what we know if we connect current events to what we know from the Bible.”

Rabbi Berger emphasized predicting the end without recommending a course of action bore no benefits.

“The Shemittah ended on Rosh Hashanah a few months ago,” Rabbi Berger said. “Of course, there have been many Shemittah cycles since the sages wrote about the Shemittah and the Messiah,” Rabbi Berger said. “Every generation has a Messiah in potential. He only reveals himself if we merit it. And when the Messiah does reveal himself, the scientists will claim that they predicted it.”

“But there is one thing the scientists have never said and that is how to prepare for the end that they are predicting,” he further remarked. “The Bible did write about this as well and it is very simple. Any person who believes in the prophecies as they are written in the Bible will begin preparing now by increasing in charity and acts of lovingkindness. The Prophets make it clear that the focus will be on Jerusalem and Israel.”

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists was set up in 1947 by a group of researchers, some of whom had participated in the Manhattan Project producing the first nuclear bomb. Cognizant of the destructive power of the weapons they helped create, the scientists set up the Bulletin as a means of reminding the public about the consequences of using them. In 1947, the Doomsday Clock was made to graphically illustrate the global threats of nuclear weapons and climate change.

The setting of the clock is the result of a complex evaluation of many factors. The Clock’s original setting in 1947 was seven minutes to midnight. It has since been set backward eight times and forwards 16 times for a total of 24, the farthest from midnight being 17 minutes in 1991.

Established by scientists, the bulletin touted technology as the potential savior of mankind from the threats that had originated from technology. Misinformation on the internet and artificial intelligence were listed as threats to mankind. The bulletin also listed the overturning of Roe v. Wade as an existential threat to humanity as it might lead to government surveillance of pro-abortion groups.

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WATCH » https://www.israel365news.com/video/watch-prime-minister-netanyahu-meets-with-us-national-security-advisor-jake-sullivan/?

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READ MORE » https://www.israel365news.com/365720/terrorists-karim-and-maher-younis-rearrested-questioned-over-alleged-incitement/


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Why Christians Should Care About Israel’s Supreme Court
by Rabbi Tuly Weisz
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READ MORE » https://www.israel365news.com/365770/why-christians-should-care-about-israels-supreme-court/?