Doc's Talk: Find Pride in Being Jewish

Wednesday, January 01, 2014

Find Pride in Being Jewish

Nurit Greenger

Three young and fascinating rabbis, speaking to a large audience at Nessah Synagogue, in Beverly Hills, can convince you that being a Jew is a privileged pride.

This week, Rabbi Zamir Cohen, Rabbi Yitzhak Fanger and Rabbi Yosef Mizrachi, leaders of the Hidabroot Internet Channel (http://www.hidabroot.org/), each is his own way, sold the audience refreshing Judaism, based on Simeon bar Yochai 's- one of the most eminent disciples of Rabbi Akiva –wisdom, who is attributed with the authorship of the Zohar, the chief work of Kabbalah.

Rabbi Zamir Cohen

For me Hidabroot – its goal is to simplify the Holly Book Torah so every ear can hear and understand its essence - was a new revelation, but it appears that this organization has sizeable audience. Some see the rabbis who lead this movement as Judaica stars.

One can listen to these three Bible and Kabbalah scholars for uncounted hours and for that they travel the world, participate in countless speaking engagements and bring the lost Jews back home, to Judaism. How? They explain the Bible is such a way it is no longer religiously forced upon you; it simply makes sense to those who question the Torah and the God Who gave it to his children, the Jews.

Rabbi Zamir Cohen spoke about Torah and science.

Rabbi Yitzhak Fanger, originally a secular Israeli through and through, told his fascinating personal story of how he became an observant Jew.

Rabbi Yitzhak Fanger

Rabbi Yosef Mizrachi spoke about the relations between God, you and money.

Rabbi Yosef Mizrachi

I choose to go over Rabbi Cohen's topic of Torah and science. Because if you "get it", next you will begin your journey to come home.

Torah and the Kabbalah-Zohar meet science and science meet Torah and the Kabbalah-Zohar. What does it mean?

Till 80 years ago scientists claimed that it was impossible that the world was created from nothingness therefore, it always existed. But 80 years, the theoretical physicist and cosmologist George Gamow, started to advocate and develop the Lemaîtres Big Bang theory. Scientists began to believe that the world was an instant creation, a result of a Big Bang, that from nothing something was created, just like in Genesis and the story of Creation by the Almighty.

From the time the Nation of Israel accepted God, they have claimed that God is omnipotent; now people are beginning to believe in what the Jews have been believing for over 3,000 years.

Only 350 years ago it became evidently known that millions of years ago giant animals – the dinosaurs - roamed planet Earth.

But the Zohar tells us, already 2,000 years ago, that two rabbis walked into a large bone of a huge animal and came out on the other side of the bone. Already then Jews knew that there were huge animals that disappeared from the fauna. Judaism claim that such bones and such huge skeletons remained after the Big Flood at the time of Noah to remind, us, human, what will happen if we do not believe in God. When Noah gathered the animals– two of each – into his Ark, he could only take in baby dinosaurs, as the adults were too large to fit in the Ark. During that Flood, the dinosaurs were wiped outand those who came out of the Ark were in small in numbers to eventually become extinct.

In Rhodesia, today Zimbabwe, they discovered caves with detailed drawings of dinosaurs that science claim to have vanished off the face of the earth 65 million years ago. So how come people painted these animals? They saw them before the Flood and the story about Noah.

You get it? The Torah and the Zohar are scientific books; there is no contradiction between science and the Torah, which brings me back to remind the reader, be proud of Judaism. It is not backwards, it is not primitive. It is supreme.

In Genesis Chapter 1:9-10: 9-And God said, "Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. 10-And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called the Seas." One large dry surface surrounded by water. The Zohar, 2,000 years ago, already dealt with seven continents. As we know today, the one large surface of God's Creation broke into what is known today to be the seven continents surrounded by seas and oceans.

Beginning to get it? To see the light?

Genesis chapter 2:7 deals with the creation of man. "And the God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." What Judaism tells us is that man was created from dust and God gave his soul life. When a man dies, his dust remains on earth and his souls returns to his Creator. Meaning, the human being body is simply the clothes and the real person is his spirit, his soul - the real Me - that lives in the body, the clothes.

Death is kind of a rebirth. First birth – a baby is born - is downloading the placenta, second birth – death - is downloading the soul.

God created man to make good in the world. But evil inclination rules the world and thus man does silly things and pays with bad that comes his way. The human body serves as a fitness device that builds the soul while the person is alive. From the time a man is born the soul has work to do and develop while inside the body. The more good work one does, the better it will be upon returning to the Creator. The theory is that everything in the universe contains a spiritual spark. When one eats the body gets material spark while the mind receives a spiritual spark. The food builds the body that houses the soul, the real human being.

A true believer throughout life accumulates spiritual assets which will serve him/her in this world and the next world.

A cute story sums up this lesson. Twins in their mother's womb having a chat. One is a believer and the other one is not. The believer tells his non-believer brother that when he gets out he will lose the umbilical cord and the comfort of the womb but it will be replaced with the protection of Divine. The non-believer brother does not want to come out because he believes that leaving the womb means death. The believer brother is born first and as expected the Mother's umbilical cord was replaced with the protection of Divine; he was not afraid of changes. Few seconds later the non-believe is pushed out to face God and his fears, for being a non-believer.

Do not be afraid of changes and be not afraid to find your Judaism. Pray to be close to God and work to get closer to Him.

Judaism is not scary; it is an ocean of spiritual wealth you need to learn to swim in.

We, Jews, were given a gift, it is OUR God Who appears to Abraham and Moses.

All we need to do is pray each day to God to give us the right livelihood that will bring us closer, and closer and more attached to Him.

Start right now! You have nothing to lose and all to gain.

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The IDF’s Minorities in Numbers and Pictures

In honor of IDF Diversity Week, we present diversity through numbers and pictures. Each year, more and more Muslims, Christians, Druze, Bedouin and immigrants from around the world take on the responsibility of defending Israel.

MUSLIMS:

Muslim Arab Israelis are not required to draft in the IDF, but there are many who volunteer. In 2013, there were over 200 Muslims serving in the IDF and over 300 in the reserves.

Bedouins:

Bedouins are nomadic Muslims who were in Israel when modern borders were set in place and are now considered Israeli citizens. They are not required to draft but a growing number choose to enlist. In 2012, there were over 1,400 Bedouin Muslim soldiers doing regular IDF service and almost 1,500 in the reserves.

Read more:http://www.idfblog.com/2014/02/27/truth-idf-numbers-pictures/#more-34027

Are you aware that in 2013, Middle class taxes go up-significantly?

In January of next year, the federal income tax rate for middle-class taxpayers is scheduled to rise from 25 percent to 28 percent, and the payroll tax is scheduled to rise from 13.3 percent to 15.3 percent… This drives the marginal tax rate based on the aforementioned three taxes to 48.12 percent. Add in state and local property, corporate, excise, and other state and local taxes, and the percentage of each additional dollar that is taxed hovers around 50 percent… When half of each additional dollar earned is taxed away, taxpayers experience a disincentive to start businesses or expand existing ones. This leads to fewer jobs being created.

Why is HAMAS Inside Tampa Schools?

Clare Lopez

Kelly Miliziano, who teaches history classes at Steinbrenner High School in the Tampa, Florida area apparently thinks it’s perfectly OK to invite a senior official of a HAMAS-affiliated organization into her classroom to discuss Islam with her students. According to local media reports, not only has this been going on for years, but in spite of the civil and criminal proceedings that could result from such reckless negligence, the Hillsborough County school superintendent, Mary Ellen Elia, and the chairman of the school board, Candy Olson, also expressed approval for students under their responsibility to be exposed repeatedly to guest speaker, Hassan Shibly, who is the Executive Director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) in the Tampa area.
More...

Did You Know... Ignoring the Call to Islam will Bring Jihad

‘Conquest through Da’wa [proselytizing] that is what we hope for. We will conquer Europe, we will conquer America! Not through sword but through Da’wa.’
-- Yousef al-Qaradawi , Muslim Brotherhood spiritual leader The Arabic word ‘Da’wa’ means the “call to Islam.” But do not think that Da’wa is the same thing as an invitation to an optional holiday event. The classical Islamic doctrine of jihad mandates that enemies must be given the opportunity to convert to Islam or pay the jizya tax before it is permissible to attack them.
Clare M. Lopez

Who is being discriminated-facts tell the truth

Religious bias

Hate crimes motivated by religious bias accounted for 1,409 offenses reported by law enforcement. A breakdown of the bias motivation of religious-bias offenses showed:

65.4 percent were anti-Jewish.
13.2 percent were anti-Islamic.
9.5 percent were anti-other religion, i.e., those not specified.
4.3 percent were anti-Catholic.
3.8 percent were anti-multiple religions, group.
3.3 percent were anti-Protestant.
0.5 percent were anti-Atheism/Agnosticism/etc.

http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/hate-crime/2010/narratives/hate-crime-2010-incidents-and-offenses.

On March 31, 1977, the Dutch newspaper Trouw published an interview

with PLO executive committee member Zahir Muhsein. Here's what he said:

"The Palestinian people does not exist. The creation of a Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our struggle against the state of Israel for our Arab unity. In reality today there is no difference between Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese. Only for political and tactical reasons do we speak today about the existence of a Palestinian people, since Arab national interests demand that we posit the existence of a distinct "Palestinian people" to oppose Zionism.

For tactical reasons, Jordan, which is a sovereign state with defined borders, cannot raise claims to Haifa and Jaffa, while as a Palestinian, I can undoubtedly demand Haifa, Jaffa, Beer-Sheva and Jerusalem. However, the moment we reclaim our right to all of Palestine, we will not wait even a minute to unite Palestine and Jordan."

In March 1977, Zahir Muhsein, a PLO executive, said:

"The Palestinian people does not exist. The creation of a Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our struggle against the state of Israel for our Arab unity. In reality today there is no difference between Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese. Only for political and tactical reasons do we speak today about the existence of a Palestinian people, since Arab national interests demand that we posit the existence of a distinct Palestinian people to oppose Zionism."

"For tactical reasons, Jordan, which is a sovereign state with defined borders, cannot raise claims to Haifa and Jaffa, while as a Palestinian, I can undoubtedly demand Haifa, Jaffa, Beer-Sheva and Jerusalem. However, the moment we reclaim our right to all of Palestine, we will not wait even a minute to unite Palestine and Jordan."

The Arab Apartheid

Ben-Dror Yemini
In 1948, the Arab countries refused to accept the UN partition proposal and they launched a war of annihilation against the State of Israel which had barely been established. All precedents in this matter showed that the party that starts the war - and with a declaration of annihilation, yet - pays a price for it. Between 550,000 and 710,000 Arabs fled because of the war and a larger number of 850,000 Jews were expelled or fled from Arab countries (the "Jewish nakba").
Population exchanges and expulsions were the norm at that time, occurring in dozens of other conflict points and affecting about 52 million people. In all the population exchange precedents that occurred during or at the end of an armed conflict, there was no return of refugees to the previous region, which had turned into a new national state.
Only the Arab states acted completely differently from the rest of the world. Instead of assimilating the refugees, they crushed them despite the fact that they were their coreligionists and members of the Arab nation - instituting a regime of apartheid. So the "nakba" was not caused by the actual dispossession, which had also been experienced by tens of millions of others. The "nakba" is the story of the apartheid, oppression, abuse and denial of rights suffered by the Arab refugees at the hands of the Arab countries. (Maariv)

International Law and Military Operations in Practice - Col. Richard Kemp

"Islamist fighting groups study the international laws of armed conflict carefully and they understand it well. They know that a British or Israeli commander and his men are bound by international law and the rules of engagement that flow from it. They then do their utmost to exploit what they view as one of their enemy's main weaknesses. Their very modus operandi is built on the correct assumption that Western armies will normally abide by the rules, while these insurgents employ a deliberate policy of operating consistently outside international law. "

Lost Historical Moments

What Rabin’s last Knesset speech really said:repudiation of a Palestinian state

Rabin ruled out a fully sovereign Palestinian state :

“We view the permanent solution in the framework of State of Israel which will include most of the area of the Land of Israel as it was under the rule of the British Mandate, and alongside it a Palestinian entity which will be a home to most of the Palestinian residents living in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. We would like this to be an entity which is less than a state, and which will independently run the lives of the Palestinians under its authority.”

Rabin ruled out a total withdrawal from Judea and Samaria and thus a return to the pre-June 1967 borders :

“The borders of the State of Israel, during the permanent solution, will be beyond the lines which existed before the Six Day War. We will not return to the 4 June 1967 lines.”

Rabin ruled out withdrawing form the Jordan Valley:

“The security border of the State of Israel will be located in the Jordan Valley, in the broadest meaning of that term.”

Rabin ruled out uprooting settlement blocs, like the Gush Katif bloc in Gaza (which was subsequently uprooted by former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon):

“The establishment of blocs of settlements in Judea and Samaria, like the one in Gush Katif.

AND

Rabin ruled out removing any settlement before coming to a full peace agreement with the Palestinians:

“I want to remind you: we committed ourselves, that is, we came to an agreement, and committed ourselves before the Knesset, not to uproot a single settlement in the framework of the interim agreement, and not to hinder building for natural growth.”

Rabin insisted on Israel retaining full security control of the borders with Egypt and Jordan, contrary to Israel’s relinquishment of the Philadelphia Corridor on the border with Egypt:

“The responsibility for external security along the borders with Egypt and Jordan, as well as control over the airspace above all of the territories and Gaza Strip maritime zone, remains in our hands.”

Correcting Oslo Myths-Part 2

3) Kuttab laments that the post-1993 Oslo process resulted in a Palestinian Authority "whose ministers and legislators are not guaranteed passage between Gaza and the West Bank ...."

Before free passage or other perquisites, PA leaders were obligated, among other things, to eliminate the terrorist infrastructure in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, end anti-Israeli, antisemitic incitement in schools, mosques, and communications media, and resolve all outstanding issues through peaceful negotiations. They met none of these commitments, sometimes bolstering terrorism and greatly increasing incitement.

4) Kuttab complains that under Oslo the PA got "lightly armed police ---- but no real sovereignty over the land or contiguity between our communities in Gaza and the West Bank."

Oslo agreements repeatedly were revised, regardless of Palestinian non-compliance, until the authorized number of police grew from 8,000 to 40,000. Though they were to be the only armed forces in the territories, Israeli estimates early in the second intifada put the number of gunmen - police, "security services," terrorists, and armed gangs - at 85,000. Their armament reportedly included not only heavy machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades, but also anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles.

Sovereignty was to be negotiated in the envisioned 1998 "final status" talks - after a five-year period of confidence-building. Palestinian leadership chronically undermined the process. Palestinian terrorism made the 1993 - 1998 Oslo period more deadly for Israelis than the 15 years preceding it.

The United States doesn't have contiguity between the lower 48 states and Alaska and Hawaii; territorial contiguity between the West Bank and Gaza Strip - that is, through the 20 miles of Israeli territory between them - was never promised and would destroy Israeli contiguity.

5) "Palestinians have been made to endure hundreds of checkpoints in the West Bank, an eight-foot wall deep in our territories, and tight Israeli control over borders."

The security barrier is not "deep in Palestinian territories," but rather encompasses less than 8 percent of Judea and Samaria, and is mostly a fence, rarely a wall; the land in question is not "our [Palestinian] territories" but disputed territory to which, according to the authors of U.N. Security Council Resolution 242, Jews as well as Arabs have claims; and there are no international borders, only the 1949 armistice lines with Jordan. Under 242, borders remain to be negotiated. As for checkpoints - like the security barrier and "tight Israeli control" - Palestinian Arabs precipitated these measures themselves. No terrorism and there would be no fence or tight Israeli control and few checkpoints - like before the first intifada.

Correcting Some Oslo Myths

1) In Oslo "Israeli, Palestinian and other world leaders promised that ... Palestinian sovereignty would be solidified."

No, they didn't. The 1993 Declaration of Principles and subsequent Oslo agreements outlined a process by which final status negotiations about the West Bank and Gaza Strip would be reached. The process required an end to anti-Israel terrorism and incitement and a commitment to peaceful negotiations. The PA, Fatah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and other terrorist groups, sabotaged the process from the start.

2) "The reality is that, in defiance of U.N. Security Council Resolution 242, which states that it is inadmissible to occupy land by force, Palestinian territories are still under foreign military occupation."
Wrong again. Resolution 242 (1967) does note "the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by war." It also affirms the right of every state in the area "to live in peace with secure and recognized boundaries free from threats or acts of force." There were no "Palestinian territories." Jordan occupied the West Bank, Egypt controlled Gaza. Israel did not have "secure and recognized boundaries," so retention of some of those territories was possible under 242. Israel is not a "foreign" military occupier in the West Bank but, pending final negotiations, the lawful military administrator as a result of a successful war of self-defense.

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