The Rainbow Connection?

In this emotionally charged time I would like to say that I'm not a prophet, nor the son of a prophet, and not anyone who is connected to Hashem enough to lay any claim to knowing the reasons behind why He does certain things. In writing this I'm just a simple person who is sharing an observation as a possibility - a possibility which I don't believe goes against Daat Torah so what the heck.

Our boys were kidnapped on the night of June 12th. The very next day, June 13th, was the 16th annual Tel Aviv Gay Parade. While these were two separate dates in the Gregorian calendar, it was the same date on the Hebrew one. Additionally if I'm not mistaken it was at the close to a full week of such disgusting celebrations.

This week the day after the funeral, the charred body of an arab teen shows up in the forest, and immediately arabs start rioting and indeed the entire world comes out in condemnation of us as the perpetrators, even though there isn't any public evidence as to who committed the killing. However rumor has it that the main police lead right now is that the kid was gay and his own family murdered him as an honor killing. This could just be speculation, but if you've seen the picture of him Ynet posted, let's just say he's not the most macho looking kind of guy.

If indeed he was killed by his own people, maybe even his own family, for being gay yet we are still being wrested with the blame a thought popped into my head of the possibility of this being consequences for the continued support of "gay rights" being pushed in our name. It's been observed by others before how ironic it is that the gay movement has chosen the rainbow as it's icon when this is the very symbol G-d chose to remind humanity of the flood. Indeed Chazal says seeing a rainbow is an omen that the world is returning to a level of degeneration low enough to merit a second flood had G-d not promised never again to bring another one (of water at least). It could be that with every extra rainbow flag that is waved, it's actually a hint from Shemayim that we are getting deeper and deeper in the shmutz. Additionally Chazal tell us that though the sins of the generation were great, Hashem didn't actually decree the flood until it reached the point where gay marriage became legal and common. It's interesting to note that recently Education Minister Shai Piron got himself into a bit of hot water for an interview in which he didn't even speak out against homosexuality per se, but rather said from a religious point of view a gay couple can not constitute a family. It's no surprise for left wing secular Israelis to espouse pro-gay views... ain chadash tachat hashemesh. However when it reaches the point that people are suddenly shocked that a self-proclaimed "Orthodox Rabbi" says from a Torah perspective that gays aren't a real family, that's something that raises an eyebrow. The fact anyone would reasonably expect something different from the mouth of a man with a kippah on his head is indicative of what a low level we've reached. I'm personally surprised he keeps the kippah on his head when he apparently boasts in the same interview that he's supported every pro-gay piece of legislation that has been offered up during his time in the knesset.

Chazal teach us that the original flood reached everywhere in the world except for the land of Israel. Indeed, lately we have, for the most part, seemed to enjoy being an island of tranquility in the middle of an ever increasingly violent and self-destructive Middle East and entire world for that matter. Like I said, I have no clue why Hashem is making things play out the way they currently are, however it's interesting to ponder the "rainbow connection."

I'd like to write further on the murder of our boys, some of the reactions across Israeli society and what I hope is the big picture of it all, however that will have to wait for a later post. In the meantime let's just pray that we merit to see all "abominations" cleansed from our land - up to and including the wanton slaughtering of our children, may Hashem avenge their blood.... and may He do so in the most brutal and painful way possible.

It's a very very Mad World

I think this may have been part of what Chazal had in mind when they said, "Let Ben David come... but don't let me be around to see it..."

Head of Roman Catholic Church greeted by head of Secular Zionist Church

The Washington Times had an interesting piece on the Vatican a few weeks ago which I mean to comment on but things have been a little hectic lately. However in honor of "His Un-Holiness" being in town I guess now is as fitting a time as ever. Before I begin, let's do a short word-association quiz. Please take mental note of the very first thing that comes to mind when you think of the following:

1) Buddhist Monk
2) Voodo Witchdoctor
3) Catholic Priest


Let's see if your answers resemble mine at all... 1) orange tunic & sandals 2) doll with a pin 3) child molester. I could be wrong but I'm guessing my personal #3 is a pretty common first answer these days. And indeed the WT's piece speaks about the UN's Torture Committee issuing a special report on abuse cases in the church. The findings themselves didn't seem to contain any bombshells - mainly just that members of the church have problems keeping their hands off the kiddies (wonder how much money was spent discovering that huge revelation?).

However there was one very eyebrow raising suggestion the committee included in its report: "The U.N. Committee on the Rights of the Child rebuked the Vatican in February for its handling of the sexual abuse scandal and suggested that the Catholic Church update its canon to approve homosexuality, abortion, birth control and premarital sex."

Now it's nothing new that the UN supports such values, and I could frankly care less what the Church's policy on these things are as no matter what they may claim about their spirituality and holiness, they have a marked history of transgressing the 3 true cardinal sins: Murder (i.e. Inquisition), Niuf (molestation/underage rape), and Avodah Zara (worshiping a guy on a stick). However what is worrisome is that suddenly the UN feels it has a mandate to start dictating to major world religions what their policy should and should not be regarding controversial issues of tremendous moral impact. Just as they feel it's their right to re-write the rules of Catholicism, what's to stop them from attempting to make a few edits to the Gemara or Rashi on Tanach when they discuss the Jewish people's connection and G-d given rights to the land of Israel? Rav Kahane HY"D was branded a racist for trying to pass laws in the Knesset that were based straight out of the Mishna Torah. If the state's participation in certain UN committees, or it's standing in the UN in general was threatened by what the Torah has to say about our relationship to Israel I wonder just how willing today's politicians would be to try and censor rabbinic figures and books who state the truth on these issues? Given that Rav Yaakov Yosef and Rav Dov Lior were stalked and arrested like mafiosos a couple of years ago not even for any sefarim they themselves wrote, but simply for writing a haskama on somebody else's book it's troubling to speculate.

Let's pray the UN and the rest of the world just leave us alone and keep their attention focused on the guy in the bathrobe and Bar Mitzvah kipah.

Is it all about to tumble down?

These latest prisoner releases have truly been boggling my mind. With previous releases we got something tangible in return such as the return of captured soldiers, or at least their bodies so we could honor them with a proper Jewish burial. Yet these current ones are beyond nonsensical. What are we getting in return? The ability for backstabbing Tzippi Livni to engage in behind closed doors discussions where they won't let the public have one inkling of what is actually on the table (what exactly are they offering that they are so afraid of us to know about?) with no guarantee that the talks will even complete their 9 month timeline much less garner any actual results. Yet if Abbas gives the word to pack up and go home those prisoners won't be returning to prison (at least until they get caught in their next act of terror). And while he gets to send his negotiating team home, the murdered Jews certainly won't be going home.

In previous prisoner releases, when there was at least a reciprocation of something from the other side, however negligible, those who orchestrated the release had something to defend their decision. One might say that over a thousand terrorists, many of them murderers, was a bit high a price to pay for the return of one soldier. Whether right or wrong, at the very least the other side could counter with the guilty accusation of, "Don't you want Shalit back? What if G-d forbid it was your son?" Yet what can they counter with now? "What, don't you want Tzippi to be able to negotiate the abandonment of our land, security and Jerusalem itself? What if it was your peacemaking credentials at stake?" Sounds absurd, yes? Yet the response they hurl back isn't really much more logical - something to the effect of, "The ruling powers that be in the government have made their decision and publicly challenging it is irresponsible." Really? REALLY? Yet somehow releasing unrepentant murderers onto the street for nothing in return when history shows they will most likely attempt to murder again is somehow responsible? But hey - thank heavens at least they didn't declare the questioning of their logic and morality as anti-Democratic. The more this story goes on the more one feels they went to sleep and woke up in Bizarro World.

Now a very sharp and poignant protest of posting signs on soldiers graves claiming their deaths were in vain due to current prisoner releases is being described as "shameful," an "act of cowardice," and "having crossed the line." Ummm... hello? Are we to insinuate that putting murderers back onto the street to murder even more innocent Jews for no reason whatsoever is by comparison prideful, brave and well within the lines of acceptable decision making? I'm not one to condone using Jewish graves to make a point however right it may be, but I would like to ask those who are decrying it if they protested as loudly (or at all) against the thing that brought about this act in the first place? With all your concern for the dead where is your concern for the living whom they sacrificed their lives to defend?

I forget where I heard it from, but I remember hearing years ago that at the end of times the lies and untruths of the world will become so abundant and ridiculous that one won't need to do great searching to arrive at the truth - the truth will become self evident by virtue of the fact the lie has grown far too large and unbelievable to ever be substantiated. That description certainly has a familiar ring to it now doesn't it? And as the lies become more blatantly untrue the leftitst establishment that perpetuates them goes into ever greater hysterics in order to keep their power hold on the pathetic life-support it now finds itself. The image that comes to my mind is that game we used to play as kids - Jenga. What starts out as a solid tower of filled in blocks starts to grow higher and higher. However in order to continue increasing the height you have to keep taking from the blocks beneath - thus making the foundation supporting your higher levels evermore shaky. The whole point of the game is to not be the player who takes that one piece, just the right one, which pulls out the last meager support and sends the whole thing crashing down. And the more outrageous and illogical their defenses become, the more I feel the Tzippi Livni's of the world are sweating bullets as they look tensely at each other and silently wonder who will be the one to take out that final block.

Thus the fanatical opposition to common sense. Every sane-minded question becomes a sharp reality check that sends this sickening Tower of Pisa swinging and risks ending the whole charade. Therefore it can not be tolerated at any cost. But their efforts are in vain. I wonder if even they realize somewhere deep down the futility of their cause and are just to proud to admit it... or are they really just that delusional? Either way, the truth has a hard time allowing itself to be ignored forever. Eventually that one reality check will come that knocks over the whole thing as we know from history. For what is G-d's way of sending a reality check? The cry of the shofar. And once Yericho had totally rotted and gone past the limits of what Hashem had allowed for human behavior, Am Yisrael didn't need battering rams or catapults. All they needed to do was circle the city, blow the shofar and the walls collapsed on their own.

Perhaps that has something to do with the fact the current amount of murderers being released is 26 - the same as Hashem's name? May we be zoche to such a revelation of the truth soon - before things get much worse.