Call to return to the Faith once delivered:
2 Chronicles 30:6-12
2 Chronicles 30
1And Hezekiah sent to all Israel and Judah, and wrote letters also to Ephraim and Manasseh [whose descendants today are the Anglo-Saxons], that they should come to the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, to keep the PASSOVER unto the LORD God of Israel.
2For the king had taken counsel, and his princes, and all the congregation in Jerusalem, to keep the Passover in the second month.
3For they could not keep it at that time, because the priests had not sanctified themselves sufficiently, neither had the people gathered themselves together to Jerusalem.
4And the thing pleased the king and all the congregation.
5So they established a decree to make proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beersheba even to Dan, that they should come to keep the Passover unto the LORD God of Israel at Jerusalem: for they had not done it of a long time in such sort as it was written.
6So the posts went with the letters from the king and his princes throughout all Israel and Judah, and according to the commandment of the king, saying, Ye children of Israel, turn again unto the LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, and he will return to the remnant of you, that are escaped out of the hand of the kings of Assyria.
7And be not ye like your fathers, and like your brethren, which trespassed against the LORD God of their fathers, who therefore gave them up to desolation, as ye see.
8Now be ye not stiffnecked, as your fathers were [with your idolatrous traditions and religious lies] , but yield yourselves unto the LORD, and enter into his sanctuary, which he hath sanctified for ever: and serve the LORD your God, that the fierceness of his wrath may turn away from you.
9For if ye turn again unto the LORD, your brethren and your children shall find compassion before them that lead them captive, so that they shall come again into this land: for the LORD your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away his face from you, if ye return unto him.
10So the posts passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh even unto Zebulun: but they laughed them to scorn, and mocked them.
11Nevertheless divers of Asher and Manasseh and of Zebulun humbled themselves, and came to Jerusalem.
12Also in Judah the hand of God was to give them one heart to do the commandment of the king and of the princes, by the word of the LORD.
The Plain Truth about Easter
Plea to Diehard Catholics & Protestants to Repent
The Plain Truth About the "Lost Ten Tribes" and Why You Need to Know!
Sunday, April 16, 2006
Friday, April 14, 2006
Doesn't the Israel Project seek justice for Rabin?
The Israel Project and Kempler Video
Doesn't the Israel Project seek justice for Rabin? Does the Israel Project have any official comment on the Kempler video? Or has the Israel Project been bought off like so many other kapos?David Ben-Ariel
Our mission is to educate journalists concerning Israel and the Arab-Israeli conflict before they write their stories. To do this well, we have to focus, which means saying “no” to many other topics/issues. This video is outside our scope of focus.
Jack Zigon Senior Advisor for Strategy and Media
Direct 610 291 5884 l Fax 484 450 2003 | jackz@theisraelproject.org
The Israel Project | 2020 K Street, NW, Suite 7600 | Washington, DC 20006-1806
Winning the war of words and images, to make a safer world for our global Jewish family
"Next year in Jerusalem"
"NEXT year in Jerusalem" - always next year.
That's what I call the Jerusalem sin drone! God knows I yearn to return.
That's what I call the Jerusalem sin drone! God knows I yearn to return.
A Jewish Homeland
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Out of Egypt
"And the L-rd brought us forth out of Egypt..."
Deuteronomy 26:8
Nissan 14, 5766/April 12, 2006
As layl haseder, the first night of Passover approaches, we are all busy extricating the last grains of chametz - leavened crumbs - in our possession. But as we bear down on these hapless crumbs, which symbolize our own tendency towards an exaggerated sense of self importance, we must keep one thing in mind: perspective.
For perspective was really what that first pesach - passover - offering in Egypt was about. By bringing a lamb into their homes to be slaughtered and eaten, the children of Israel were communicating a three-way message: to the Egyptians they were saying: "Perspective! This lamb is not a deity. But the Holy One, the Creator of all living things has commanded us to take this lamb and prepare it as an offering unto Him." To themselves they were likewise saying: "Perspective! The Egyptians can neither harm us, nor keep us in perpetual slavery, as long as we cast our lot with G-d, by fulfilling His commandment." And to G-d Himself they were saying: "We are ready to step forth from bondage by cleaving to You. We are ready to accept the yoke of freedom by performing Your word."
Scouring our house for chametz as an act of spring cleaning may be worthy in and of itself, but it falls short of being life-changing or earth-shattering. Searching our souls for the sake of combatting our own false pride and haughtiness may be a noble act of self-improvement. But unless that effort is aimed toward achieving a purpose greater than the sum of our own individual selves, it is little more than vanity. In a world that worships the individual, we must never forget that it was G-d who "brought us forth out of Egypt" in order that we should serve Him. Our efforts at self-improvement, our striving for freedom are all for naught, if we do not see these goals as being attainable only in the service of G-d.
Preparing ourselves, and bringing the passover offering is no less of an imperative today that it was for our forefathers in Egypt. Complacency is no less of a shackle around our soul today than it was in Egypt. Pragmatism today, as then, is no more and no less than a speck of chametz attached to our heart, diverting us, and keeping us from true freedom. Leaving Egypt meant never going back. We indulge our complacency and self-satisfied sense of pragmatism at our own risk. For we are either in Egypt serving others, or outside of Egypt, serving G-d.
The passover offering symbolizes our selfless dedication to Hashem: removing the chametz of our self-importance, and bending our will toward His. G-d brought us forth "with a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm; with great terror and with signs and with wonders." (Deuteronomy 26:8) What are we ready to do for Him?
To learn more about Passover in Egypt, at the Holy Temple, and today, please listen in to this week's Temple Talk, with Rabbi Chaim Richman and Yitzchak Reuven. Temple Talk will not be broadcast next Monday during the intermediate days of Passover.
Important Announcement to All Temple Institute Members
We are now offering a number of desktop themes that can be downloaded to your computer. To view our selection, and to download the theme of your choice, simply log in using your user name and password.
If you are a member of The Temple Institute and have never received a PIN number, have forgotten your user name or password, or are having trouble logging in, please contact us.
If you are not a member, but would like to become one, please click here.
Once again, we urge you to click on Shlomo's Passover Adventure, and learn more about how the festival of Passover was celebrated in Temple Times. For kids and adults!
To all our friends, and to the entire house of Israel,
Chag Kasher VeSameach!
Happy Passover!
Yitzchak Reuven
THE TEMPLE INSTITUTE
PO Box 31876
Jerusalem, Israel 97500
Deuteronomy 26:8
Nissan 14, 5766/April 12, 2006
As layl haseder, the first night of Passover approaches, we are all busy extricating the last grains of chametz - leavened crumbs - in our possession. But as we bear down on these hapless crumbs, which symbolize our own tendency towards an exaggerated sense of self importance, we must keep one thing in mind: perspective.
For perspective was really what that first pesach - passover - offering in Egypt was about. By bringing a lamb into their homes to be slaughtered and eaten, the children of Israel were communicating a three-way message: to the Egyptians they were saying: "Perspective! This lamb is not a deity. But the Holy One, the Creator of all living things has commanded us to take this lamb and prepare it as an offering unto Him." To themselves they were likewise saying: "Perspective! The Egyptians can neither harm us, nor keep us in perpetual slavery, as long as we cast our lot with G-d, by fulfilling His commandment." And to G-d Himself they were saying: "We are ready to step forth from bondage by cleaving to You. We are ready to accept the yoke of freedom by performing Your word."
Scouring our house for chametz as an act of spring cleaning may be worthy in and of itself, but it falls short of being life-changing or earth-shattering. Searching our souls for the sake of combatting our own false pride and haughtiness may be a noble act of self-improvement. But unless that effort is aimed toward achieving a purpose greater than the sum of our own individual selves, it is little more than vanity. In a world that worships the individual, we must never forget that it was G-d who "brought us forth out of Egypt" in order that we should serve Him. Our efforts at self-improvement, our striving for freedom are all for naught, if we do not see these goals as being attainable only in the service of G-d.
Preparing ourselves, and bringing the passover offering is no less of an imperative today that it was for our forefathers in Egypt. Complacency is no less of a shackle around our soul today than it was in Egypt. Pragmatism today, as then, is no more and no less than a speck of chametz attached to our heart, diverting us, and keeping us from true freedom. Leaving Egypt meant never going back. We indulge our complacency and self-satisfied sense of pragmatism at our own risk. For we are either in Egypt serving others, or outside of Egypt, serving G-d.
The passover offering symbolizes our selfless dedication to Hashem: removing the chametz of our self-importance, and bending our will toward His. G-d brought us forth "with a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm; with great terror and with signs and with wonders." (Deuteronomy 26:8) What are we ready to do for Him?
To learn more about Passover in Egypt, at the Holy Temple, and today, please listen in to this week's Temple Talk, with Rabbi Chaim Richman and Yitzchak Reuven. Temple Talk will not be broadcast next Monday during the intermediate days of Passover.
Important Announcement to All Temple Institute Members
We are now offering a number of desktop themes that can be downloaded to your computer. To view our selection, and to download the theme of your choice, simply log in using your user name and password.
If you are a member of The Temple Institute and have never received a PIN number, have forgotten your user name or password, or are having trouble logging in, please contact us.
If you are not a member, but would like to become one, please click here.
Once again, we urge you to click on Shlomo's Passover Adventure, and learn more about how the festival of Passover was celebrated in Temple Times. For kids and adults!
To all our friends, and to the entire house of Israel,
Chag Kasher VeSameach!
Happy Passover!
Yitzchak Reuven
THE TEMPLE INSTITUTE
PO Box 31876
Jerusalem, Israel 97500
Temple Mount Faithful Passover Demonstration
The Temple Mount Faithful Movement Will March to the Temple Mount to Make a Pesach Pilgrimage to the Temple Mount on the 16th Nissan 5766 (April 16, 2006)
We Shall Bring With Us the Omer Offering and Blow the Silver Trumpets of the Third Temple
On the fourth day of the Pesach festival, 16 Nissan 5766 at 9:30 a.m. the Temple Mount and Land of Israel Faithful Movement will make a Pesach pilgrimage to the Temple Mount and will bring an Omer offering to the Temple Mount to the G–d of Israel. This is an offering of the first wheat from the fields of Israel. The Faithful Members will cut the Omer offering from the fields of Israel exactly as our forefathers did in the time of the First and Second Temples. The Word of G-d to Moses will become real again:
“And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Speak to the people of Israel, and say to them, When you come to the land which I give to you, and shall reap its harvest, then you shall bring the Omer (a sheaf) of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest; And he shall wave the Omer before the Lord, to be accepted for you; on the next day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it. And you shall offer that day when you wave the Omer a male lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt offering to the Lord. And the meal offering of it shall be two tenth deals of fine flour mixed with oil, an offering made by fire to the Lord for a sweet savor; and the drink offering of it shall be of wine, the fourth part of a hin. And you shall eat nor bread, nor parched grain, nor green ears, until the same day that you have brought an offering to your God; it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings” Leviticus 23: 9-14
We are so excited to renew this holy commandment of G–d to His people at a very special time of redemption of the people of Israel. We feel that time is short and the Temple is soon to be rebuilt on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem. We hear the call of G–d to Israel at these critical times not to wait more and to rebuild the Temple so that He can dwell again among His people. The Faithful Movement is not waiting longer. We decided to answer this call of G–d and we are making the campaign and the preparations for the end-time Temple of G–d. The pilgrimage and the offering of the Omer by the Faithful Movement on Pesach is an important part of it and fulfillment of G–d’s commandments. We know very clearly that the rebuilding of the Temple and fulfilling the commandment of G–d to make the pilgrimage three times a year on the three major festivals, Pesach, Shavuot and Succoth will finally remove the pressure and the desire of the enemies of Israel and most of the world to take from Israel the land. G–d taught us this very clearly in His Word: “Thrice in the year shall all your males appear before the Lord God, the God of Israel. For I will cast out the nations before you, and enlarge your borders; nor shall any man desire your land, when you shall go up to appear before the Lord your God thrice in the year” Exodus 34: 23&24
To symbolize the uniformity of the people and the land of Israel around the G–d of Israel on His holy mountain we shall also bring with us samples of earth from all of the areas of Israel especially from Judea, Samaria and Gaza that are now under pressure from the enemies of Israel and all the world to give them away to the so called Palestinians. We will also bring a large model of the Third Temple and carry it to the Temple Mount to show to the people of Israel and to all the world that the building of the Third Temple is no longer a theoretical vision but a practical and actual project to be built soon in our lifetime. We shall swear faithfulness to G–d, His holy mountain and Jerusalem while our faces will be towards the location of the holy of holies: “If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning. If I do not remember you, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I do not set Jerusalem above my highest joy” Psalms 137: 5&6
Again will be heard all over the hill of G–d our prayer of Hallel that were prayed by our forefathers when they made the pilgrimage on the three major festivals to the First and Second Temple. We shall blow the two silver trumpets that we prepared for the Third Temple exactly according to the Word of G–d. These are the Psalms 113-118 that start with the exciting Psalm 113: “Hallelujah! Praise, O you servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord. Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and for evermore. From sunrise to sunset the Lord's name is to be praised. The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens. Who is like the Lord our God, who dwells on high, Who looks far down to behold the things that are on heaven, and on the earth! He raises up the poor from the dust, and lifts the needy from the ash heap, That he may set him with nobles, with the nobles of his people. He gives the barren woman a home, and makes her a joyful mother of children. Hallelujah!”
After all of this we will march around the walls of the Temple Mount blowing the shofar and praying the Pesach prayers exactly as our forefathers did and Joshua did in Jericho when he wanted the walls of the enemy to fall.
We shall also call to the priests, that will make the priestly blessing in front of the western wall, and to the people of Israel to make their prayers no more in front of the western wall which is outside of the Temple Mount but to walk up to the Temple Mount and to there make the priestly blessing and their prayers on the Temple Mount on the original location of the Temple exactly as our forefathers did and as G–d is now expecting His people to do. We shall tell them that the time of the western wall, the Wailing Wall, that foreigners that occupied the land of Israel and forbid the Jews from walking up to the Temple Mount and worship there and allowed them to do it only in the small narrow place of the western wall outside of the Temple Mount is over. We shall tell them that at this godly time of redemption the western wall that expresses destruction and exile is over and only the prayers that will be done on the Temple Mount will be accepted and answered by the G–d of Israel in these end-times of redemption. We will call the people of Israel to immediately purify the Temple Mount from the pagan foreign enemies of Israel and to immediately start to rebuild the holy Temple of G–d
This will be an exciting event and an important stage and part of the exciting and critical time of the godly redemption that the people of Israel are experiencing in these days. Everyone in Israel and outside of Israel is called to participate in this godly end-time event and to have the privilege to be a part of it. One day exciting pages will be written in the books of history about these end-time events in Israel and parents and grandparents will share with their children and grandchildren how they were a part of them and how exciting end-time godly history was made them. For more information please contact us at our center in Jerusalem at (tel/fax). 972-02-625-1112 or 972-02-625-1113. E-mail: gershon@templemountfaithful.org.
Temple Mount Faithful
4 Yochanan Horkanos
P.O. Box 18325
91182 Jerusalem
ISRAEL
TEL: +972(2)625-1112
TEL/FAX: +972(2)625-1113
Temple Mount Faithful
We Shall Bring With Us the Omer Offering and Blow the Silver Trumpets of the Third Temple
On the fourth day of the Pesach festival, 16 Nissan 5766 at 9:30 a.m. the Temple Mount and Land of Israel Faithful Movement will make a Pesach pilgrimage to the Temple Mount and will bring an Omer offering to the Temple Mount to the G–d of Israel. This is an offering of the first wheat from the fields of Israel. The Faithful Members will cut the Omer offering from the fields of Israel exactly as our forefathers did in the time of the First and Second Temples. The Word of G-d to Moses will become real again:
“And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Speak to the people of Israel, and say to them, When you come to the land which I give to you, and shall reap its harvest, then you shall bring the Omer (a sheaf) of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest; And he shall wave the Omer before the Lord, to be accepted for you; on the next day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it. And you shall offer that day when you wave the Omer a male lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt offering to the Lord. And the meal offering of it shall be two tenth deals of fine flour mixed with oil, an offering made by fire to the Lord for a sweet savor; and the drink offering of it shall be of wine, the fourth part of a hin. And you shall eat nor bread, nor parched grain, nor green ears, until the same day that you have brought an offering to your God; it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings” Leviticus 23: 9-14
We are so excited to renew this holy commandment of G–d to His people at a very special time of redemption of the people of Israel. We feel that time is short and the Temple is soon to be rebuilt on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem. We hear the call of G–d to Israel at these critical times not to wait more and to rebuild the Temple so that He can dwell again among His people. The Faithful Movement is not waiting longer. We decided to answer this call of G–d and we are making the campaign and the preparations for the end-time Temple of G–d. The pilgrimage and the offering of the Omer by the Faithful Movement on Pesach is an important part of it and fulfillment of G–d’s commandments. We know very clearly that the rebuilding of the Temple and fulfilling the commandment of G–d to make the pilgrimage three times a year on the three major festivals, Pesach, Shavuot and Succoth will finally remove the pressure and the desire of the enemies of Israel and most of the world to take from Israel the land. G–d taught us this very clearly in His Word: “Thrice in the year shall all your males appear before the Lord God, the God of Israel. For I will cast out the nations before you, and enlarge your borders; nor shall any man desire your land, when you shall go up to appear before the Lord your God thrice in the year” Exodus 34: 23&24
To symbolize the uniformity of the people and the land of Israel around the G–d of Israel on His holy mountain we shall also bring with us samples of earth from all of the areas of Israel especially from Judea, Samaria and Gaza that are now under pressure from the enemies of Israel and all the world to give them away to the so called Palestinians. We will also bring a large model of the Third Temple and carry it to the Temple Mount to show to the people of Israel and to all the world that the building of the Third Temple is no longer a theoretical vision but a practical and actual project to be built soon in our lifetime. We shall swear faithfulness to G–d, His holy mountain and Jerusalem while our faces will be towards the location of the holy of holies: “If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning. If I do not remember you, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I do not set Jerusalem above my highest joy” Psalms 137: 5&6
Again will be heard all over the hill of G–d our prayer of Hallel that were prayed by our forefathers when they made the pilgrimage on the three major festivals to the First and Second Temple. We shall blow the two silver trumpets that we prepared for the Third Temple exactly according to the Word of G–d. These are the Psalms 113-118 that start with the exciting Psalm 113: “Hallelujah! Praise, O you servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord. Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and for evermore. From sunrise to sunset the Lord's name is to be praised. The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens. Who is like the Lord our God, who dwells on high, Who looks far down to behold the things that are on heaven, and on the earth! He raises up the poor from the dust, and lifts the needy from the ash heap, That he may set him with nobles, with the nobles of his people. He gives the barren woman a home, and makes her a joyful mother of children. Hallelujah!”
After all of this we will march around the walls of the Temple Mount blowing the shofar and praying the Pesach prayers exactly as our forefathers did and Joshua did in Jericho when he wanted the walls of the enemy to fall.
We shall also call to the priests, that will make the priestly blessing in front of the western wall, and to the people of Israel to make their prayers no more in front of the western wall which is outside of the Temple Mount but to walk up to the Temple Mount and to there make the priestly blessing and their prayers on the Temple Mount on the original location of the Temple exactly as our forefathers did and as G–d is now expecting His people to do. We shall tell them that the time of the western wall, the Wailing Wall, that foreigners that occupied the land of Israel and forbid the Jews from walking up to the Temple Mount and worship there and allowed them to do it only in the small narrow place of the western wall outside of the Temple Mount is over. We shall tell them that at this godly time of redemption the western wall that expresses destruction and exile is over and only the prayers that will be done on the Temple Mount will be accepted and answered by the G–d of Israel in these end-times of redemption. We will call the people of Israel to immediately purify the Temple Mount from the pagan foreign enemies of Israel and to immediately start to rebuild the holy Temple of G–d
This will be an exciting event and an important stage and part of the exciting and critical time of the godly redemption that the people of Israel are experiencing in these days. Everyone in Israel and outside of Israel is called to participate in this godly end-time event and to have the privilege to be a part of it. One day exciting pages will be written in the books of history about these end-time events in Israel and parents and grandparents will share with their children and grandchildren how they were a part of them and how exciting end-time godly history was made them. For more information please contact us at our center in Jerusalem at (tel/fax). 972-02-625-1112 or 972-02-625-1113. E-mail: gershon@templemountfaithful.org.
Temple Mount Faithful
4 Yochanan Horkanos
P.O. Box 18325
91182 Jerusalem
ISRAEL
TEL: +972(2)625-1112
TEL/FAX: +972(2)625-1113
Temple Mount Faithful
Saturday, April 08, 2006
The Passover Lamb Remembered
Could God's holy days, which portray His plan of salvation, exclude Jesus' sacrifice? How could Jesus' ultimate sacrifice be less than holy? Didn't God have the Israelites smear lamb's blood on their doors to avert death? Didn't that clearly represent Christ's offering for mankind? Yes!
The Passover lamb was to be kept from Nisan 10 until the 14th (Ex. 12:1-6). It was then to be killed on the 14th. It was to be killed in the evening. How do we know for sure which evening is being discussed? Because God the Father set us a PERFECT EXAMPLE!
When did God decree that Jesus could declare "it is finished" and die on the stake? Why at the very same time that THE JEWS were sacrificing their Passover lambs at the Temple! The Jews had always killed the Passover lambs during the final hours of the 14th. It was towards the end of the 14th, not at the beginning of the 14th, that the Passover lambs were killed.
After the lambs were killed they were prepared (which took some time) to be eaten, naturally, that evening - which began the 15th and the FEAST OF UNLEAVENED BREAD. Nothing of the Passover lamb was to be left over until the morning (Ex. 12:8-10).
God decreed that only unleavened bread should be eaten with the Passover lamb, and that only unleavened bread should be found throughout our property for seven days: "neither shall there anything of the flesh, that you sacrificed the FIRST DAY AT EVEN, remain all night until the morning...you shall sacrifice the passover at even, at the going down of the sun..."(Deut. 16:1-7; Matt. 27:45-46).
Here God clearly shows that He considered the Passover sacrifice, done at "the going down of the sun." as the FIRST DAY of the SEVEN DAYS OF UNLEAVENED BREAD (Mark 14:12). If we're to blindly follow popular Church tradition that kills the Passover lamb at the beginning of the 14th, rather than at the end of the 14th, then we end up with eight days of unleavened bread! Does it make sense that the lamb must be eaten with unleavened bread and then somehow afterwards for a whole day you can eat leaven again?! How preposterous! At least a child could figure this out. And that's what we all need to become again, like humble little children, hungry for God's truth, eager to please our Father and let His will be done, and commandments kept, rather than attempting to defend vain traditions (Mark 7:7).
God's Word shows that from the end of the 14th (the beginning of the 15th) until the 21st day of the first sacred month is seven days (Ex. 12:18).
The Passover lamb is killed at the end or afternoon (between the two evenings in Hebrew) of the 14th and eaten at the beginning of the 15th with unleavened bread: "For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast...with unleavened bread of sincerity and truth"(1 Cor. 7-8). Christ is our PASSOVER - not our "Lord's Supper." Jesus' last supper with His disciples offered Him the perfect opportunity to replace the traditional lamb with a bread and wine ceremony symbolic of His offered body and blood. (Even the rabbis decreed after the Temple's destruction that it was permissible to not eat a Passover lamb).
As we partake of these holy emblems, what are we remembering? Are we commemorating the night of Jesus' betrayal or are we commemorating Jesus' DEATH? We're to eat the BREAD in remembrance of Jesus' body that was sacrificed at the end of the 14th and we're to drink the WINE in remembrance of Jesus' shed blood on our behalf at the end of the 14th (1 Cor. 11:23-26). [And Jesus clearly associated His hour of trial and crucifixion with wine, not grape juice. See John 2:3-4].
We're to remember Jesus' sacrifice as our very personal Passover Lamb - the Lamb of God! Passover - with the bread and the wine substituted for the lamb - is the annual holy day, observed at meal time on the evening of the 15th, that commemorates Jesus' sacrifice.
The Passover is both a memorial and a feast (Ex. 12:14). The PASSOVER MEMORIAL is the FIRST of the seven days of unleavened bread (not eight), and the FIRST of God's seven holy days that portray His plan of salvation for all mankind.
It's important to note and get this straight with the first of God's festivals and new year: How would God's Church know when to celebrate God's holy days or even what they are if it weren't for the Jews? God has made the Jews His custodian and has committed His truths into their care, specifically the Pharisees (Matt. 23:2; Rom. 3:2-3; 9:4).
God's holy days are faithfully proclaimed from Moses' Seat each year "in their seasons" (Lev. 23:4) by His Jewish stewards who keep God's SACRED CALENDAR. How would we know which "season" is which, or which month is the "beginning of months," if God hadn't ordained the JEWS to preserve that knowledge for us? (Gen. 1:14; Ex. 12:2; Rom.3:2-3).
Thankfully, God's quite capable of ensuring that the Jews - despite themselves - will continue to fulfill this special calling (Num. 23:19; Rom.11:29). So everyone can put away their "calculators" (that only add up to confusion, everybody determining for themselves what's right and what's wrong). God's "business" has a full-time "Jewish accountant" who's solely responsible for the calendar.
Let's not attempt to interfere with God's business as He's chosen to run it. God - through His Jewish agent - has preserved the knowledge of His holy days and the correct dates to observe them for all who truly want to know and share in celebrating God's truth.
For additional vital information on the biblical festivals, I recommend the following free literature (although I disagree with them on the dates for Passover and Pentecost):
Pagan holidays or God's Holy Days - Which?
God's Holy Day Plan: The Promise of Hope for All Mankind
Passover and Pentecost Differences Settled!
David Ben-Ariel is a Christian-Zionist writer and author of Beyond Babylon: Europe's Rise and Fall. With a focus on the Middle East and Jerusalem, his analytical articles help others improve their understanding of that troubled region. Check out the Beyond Babylon blog.
The Passover lamb was to be kept from Nisan 10 until the 14th (Ex. 12:1-6). It was then to be killed on the 14th. It was to be killed in the evening. How do we know for sure which evening is being discussed? Because God the Father set us a PERFECT EXAMPLE!
When did God decree that Jesus could declare "it is finished" and die on the stake? Why at the very same time that THE JEWS were sacrificing their Passover lambs at the Temple! The Jews had always killed the Passover lambs during the final hours of the 14th. It was towards the end of the 14th, not at the beginning of the 14th, that the Passover lambs were killed.
After the lambs were killed they were prepared (which took some time) to be eaten, naturally, that evening - which began the 15th and the FEAST OF UNLEAVENED BREAD. Nothing of the Passover lamb was to be left over until the morning (Ex. 12:8-10).
God decreed that only unleavened bread should be eaten with the Passover lamb, and that only unleavened bread should be found throughout our property for seven days: "neither shall there anything of the flesh, that you sacrificed the FIRST DAY AT EVEN, remain all night until the morning...you shall sacrifice the passover at even, at the going down of the sun..."(Deut. 16:1-7; Matt. 27:45-46).
Here God clearly shows that He considered the Passover sacrifice, done at "the going down of the sun." as the FIRST DAY of the SEVEN DAYS OF UNLEAVENED BREAD (Mark 14:12). If we're to blindly follow popular Church tradition that kills the Passover lamb at the beginning of the 14th, rather than at the end of the 14th, then we end up with eight days of unleavened bread! Does it make sense that the lamb must be eaten with unleavened bread and then somehow afterwards for a whole day you can eat leaven again?! How preposterous! At least a child could figure this out. And that's what we all need to become again, like humble little children, hungry for God's truth, eager to please our Father and let His will be done, and commandments kept, rather than attempting to defend vain traditions (Mark 7:7).
God's Word shows that from the end of the 14th (the beginning of the 15th) until the 21st day of the first sacred month is seven days (Ex. 12:18).
The Passover lamb is killed at the end or afternoon (between the two evenings in Hebrew) of the 14th and eaten at the beginning of the 15th with unleavened bread: "For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast...with unleavened bread of sincerity and truth"(1 Cor. 7-8). Christ is our PASSOVER - not our "Lord's Supper." Jesus' last supper with His disciples offered Him the perfect opportunity to replace the traditional lamb with a bread and wine ceremony symbolic of His offered body and blood. (Even the rabbis decreed after the Temple's destruction that it was permissible to not eat a Passover lamb).
As we partake of these holy emblems, what are we remembering? Are we commemorating the night of Jesus' betrayal or are we commemorating Jesus' DEATH? We're to eat the BREAD in remembrance of Jesus' body that was sacrificed at the end of the 14th and we're to drink the WINE in remembrance of Jesus' shed blood on our behalf at the end of the 14th (1 Cor. 11:23-26). [And Jesus clearly associated His hour of trial and crucifixion with wine, not grape juice. See John 2:3-4].
We're to remember Jesus' sacrifice as our very personal Passover Lamb - the Lamb of God! Passover - with the bread and the wine substituted for the lamb - is the annual holy day, observed at meal time on the evening of the 15th, that commemorates Jesus' sacrifice.
The Passover is both a memorial and a feast (Ex. 12:14). The PASSOVER MEMORIAL is the FIRST of the seven days of unleavened bread (not eight), and the FIRST of God's seven holy days that portray His plan of salvation for all mankind.
It's important to note and get this straight with the first of God's festivals and new year: How would God's Church know when to celebrate God's holy days or even what they are if it weren't for the Jews? God has made the Jews His custodian and has committed His truths into their care, specifically the Pharisees (Matt. 23:2; Rom. 3:2-3; 9:4).
God's holy days are faithfully proclaimed from Moses' Seat each year "in their seasons" (Lev. 23:4) by His Jewish stewards who keep God's SACRED CALENDAR. How would we know which "season" is which, or which month is the "beginning of months," if God hadn't ordained the JEWS to preserve that knowledge for us? (Gen. 1:14; Ex. 12:2; Rom.3:2-3).
Thankfully, God's quite capable of ensuring that the Jews - despite themselves - will continue to fulfill this special calling (Num. 23:19; Rom.11:29). So everyone can put away their "calculators" (that only add up to confusion, everybody determining for themselves what's right and what's wrong). God's "business" has a full-time "Jewish accountant" who's solely responsible for the calendar.
Let's not attempt to interfere with God's business as He's chosen to run it. God - through His Jewish agent - has preserved the knowledge of His holy days and the correct dates to observe them for all who truly want to know and share in celebrating God's truth.
For additional vital information on the biblical festivals, I recommend the following free literature (although I disagree with them on the dates for Passover and Pentecost):
Pagan holidays or God's Holy Days - Which?
God's Holy Day Plan: The Promise of Hope for All Mankind
Passover and Pentecost Differences Settled!
David Ben-Ariel is a Christian-Zionist writer and author of Beyond Babylon: Europe's Rise and Fall. With a focus on the Middle East and Jerusalem, his analytical articles help others improve their understanding of that troubled region. Check out the Beyond Babylon blog.
Thursday, April 06, 2006
Peres spurns Temple Mount for Papal favors
Peres Meets With Pope in Vatican
17:39 Apr 06, '06 / 8 Nisan 5766
The two met for 40 minutes in the Vatican, and the Pope said he hopes to visit Israel sometime in the first half of next year. They said afterwards that they had discussed Middle East matters. "I definitely believe that a visit by the Pope can influence the peace process," Peres told reporters.
Peres is reported, in 1994, to have promised the Vatican official status in Jerusalem.
In February 2000, the Vatican and the Palestinian Authority signed an agreement calling for an internationally guaranteed special status for Jerusalem. The agreement stated that a special statute would protect "equality before the law of the three monotheistic religions [in Jerusalem], the proper identity and sacred character of the city, [and] freedom of access" to the city's holy sites.
Israel objected, saying that freedom of religion is already protected throughout the country. It also opposed the Vatican's treatment of the PA as an independent country.
Shortly afterwards, Pope John Paul II visited Israel, and - unlike one of his predecessors, Pope Paul VI, who visited in 1964 - agreed to come to Jerusalem. Pope John Paul met with the Chief Rabbis in their Jerusalem offices, and visited Yad Vashem as well. Pope Paul, on the other hand, refused to visit Jerusalem, leading then-Chief Rabbi Yitzchak Nissim to boycott his visit altogether.
During his visit in 2000, Pope John Paul II conducted a prayer service in Bethlehem, and announced that the Vatican had always recognized the Palestinians' national rights to a homeland. Rabbi Shlomo Aviner, Dean of Yeshivat Ateret Cohanim, said in response that the Pope's goal was simply to obtain a foothold in Jerusalem for the Church, and that his visit was one way the Pope hoped to reach this goal.
"If the Catholics would at least stop supporting the establishment of a Palestinian state in our land, and stop supporting the other Arab nations around us - then this could be considered a significant step," Rabbi Aviner said.
Pope John Paul II did not expressly apologize for the role played by the Church, and its silence, during the Holocaust. He said instead that the Church is "deeply saddened by the hatred, acts of persecution and displays of anti-Semitism directed against the Jews by Christians at any time and in any place... I fervently pray that our sorrow for the tragedy which the Jewish people suffered in the 20th century will lead to a new relationship between Christians and Jews. Let us build a new future in which there will be no more anti-Jewish feeling among Christians or anti-Christian feeling among Jews..."
Former Chief Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau has said that an earlier pope, Pope Pius XII, refused several requests by Chief Rabbi Isaac Herzog to meet with him before and during the Holocaust to discuss how the Church could help save Jewish lives. After the war, too, Chief Rabbi Herzog asked for the Pope's assistance in locating Jewish orphans who were cared for by Catholic families, and again, the Pope refused.
The current pope has been following in the footsteps of his predecessor John Paul in trying to improve Jewish-Catholic relations.
*******************************************
Shimon Peres, the bloody vulture who came to power over Rabin's dead body, and now Sharon's as well (and who knows if Ehud Olmert is next?), prostrates himself before the pagan pope in Rome and invites disaster, knowing exactly what he is doing. It's all part of their grand design to sever the heart of Jerusalem from the body of Israel and it all centers around Mount Zion and the Temple Mount.
Watch for the increasingly political pope to call for implentation of UN Resolution 181, acting like an ambassador for world peace while actually the Bavarian pope is nothing but a Roman wolf in sheep's clothing!
Unless the Israelis undergo a serious change of heart and direction, the fascist German-Jesuit EU is destined to seize Jerusalem in a brutal betrayal that will rock the world and shake the nations. All this horror will have been made possibly by treacherous political and religious leaders in Israel - from the vulture Shimon Peres to the butcher Chief Rabbi Yonah Metzger (a silly dove who looks to the Assyrian Germans for salvation).
17:39 Apr 06, '06 / 8 Nisan 5766
The two met for 40 minutes in the Vatican, and the Pope said he hopes to visit Israel sometime in the first half of next year. They said afterwards that they had discussed Middle East matters. "I definitely believe that a visit by the Pope can influence the peace process," Peres told reporters.
Peres is reported, in 1994, to have promised the Vatican official status in Jerusalem.
In February 2000, the Vatican and the Palestinian Authority signed an agreement calling for an internationally guaranteed special status for Jerusalem. The agreement stated that a special statute would protect "equality before the law of the three monotheistic religions [in Jerusalem], the proper identity and sacred character of the city, [and] freedom of access" to the city's holy sites.
Israel objected, saying that freedom of religion is already protected throughout the country. It also opposed the Vatican's treatment of the PA as an independent country.
Shortly afterwards, Pope John Paul II visited Israel, and - unlike one of his predecessors, Pope Paul VI, who visited in 1964 - agreed to come to Jerusalem. Pope John Paul met with the Chief Rabbis in their Jerusalem offices, and visited Yad Vashem as well. Pope Paul, on the other hand, refused to visit Jerusalem, leading then-Chief Rabbi Yitzchak Nissim to boycott his visit altogether.
During his visit in 2000, Pope John Paul II conducted a prayer service in Bethlehem, and announced that the Vatican had always recognized the Palestinians' national rights to a homeland. Rabbi Shlomo Aviner, Dean of Yeshivat Ateret Cohanim, said in response that the Pope's goal was simply to obtain a foothold in Jerusalem for the Church, and that his visit was one way the Pope hoped to reach this goal.
"If the Catholics would at least stop supporting the establishment of a Palestinian state in our land, and stop supporting the other Arab nations around us - then this could be considered a significant step," Rabbi Aviner said.
Pope John Paul II did not expressly apologize for the role played by the Church, and its silence, during the Holocaust. He said instead that the Church is "deeply saddened by the hatred, acts of persecution and displays of anti-Semitism directed against the Jews by Christians at any time and in any place... I fervently pray that our sorrow for the tragedy which the Jewish people suffered in the 20th century will lead to a new relationship between Christians and Jews. Let us build a new future in which there will be no more anti-Jewish feeling among Christians or anti-Christian feeling among Jews..."
Former Chief Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau has said that an earlier pope, Pope Pius XII, refused several requests by Chief Rabbi Isaac Herzog to meet with him before and during the Holocaust to discuss how the Church could help save Jewish lives. After the war, too, Chief Rabbi Herzog asked for the Pope's assistance in locating Jewish orphans who were cared for by Catholic families, and again, the Pope refused.
The current pope has been following in the footsteps of his predecessor John Paul in trying to improve Jewish-Catholic relations.
*******************************************
Shimon Peres, the bloody vulture who came to power over Rabin's dead body, and now Sharon's as well (and who knows if Ehud Olmert is next?), prostrates himself before the pagan pope in Rome and invites disaster, knowing exactly what he is doing. It's all part of their grand design to sever the heart of Jerusalem from the body of Israel and it all centers around Mount Zion and the Temple Mount.
Watch for the increasingly political pope to call for implentation of UN Resolution 181, acting like an ambassador for world peace while actually the Bavarian pope is nothing but a Roman wolf in sheep's clothing!
Unless the Israelis undergo a serious change of heart and direction, the fascist German-Jesuit EU is destined to seize Jerusalem in a brutal betrayal that will rock the world and shake the nations. All this horror will have been made possibly by treacherous political and religious leaders in Israel - from the vulture Shimon Peres to the butcher Chief Rabbi Yonah Metzger (a silly dove who looks to the Assyrian Germans for salvation).
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Yonah Metzger must go!
Attorney General Cited For Condemning Chief Rabbi
15:44 Apr 04, '06 / 6 Nisan 5766
By Hillel Fendel
Chief Rabbi Metzger, who was advised yesterday by Attorney General Mazuz to resign, has turned to the Supreme Court for redress. He says that Mazuz did not afford him a chance to defend himself.
******************************
The Bavarian Butcher (Metzger) should resign for colloborating with the dark forces of the Vulture (Peres) and the Bavarian Sorcerer (Pope) to pollute the Temple Mount.
Israel's Chief Rabbi Invites Foreign Occupation
15:44 Apr 04, '06 / 6 Nisan 5766
By Hillel Fendel
Chief Rabbi Metzger, who was advised yesterday by Attorney General Mazuz to resign, has turned to the Supreme Court for redress. He says that Mazuz did not afford him a chance to defend himself.
******************************
The Bavarian Butcher (Metzger) should resign for colloborating with the dark forces of the Vulture (Peres) and the Bavarian Sorcerer (Pope) to pollute the Temple Mount.
Israel's Chief Rabbi Invites Foreign Occupation
The Month of Redemption
The Month of Redemption
Nissan 5, 5766/April 3, 2006
The month of Nissan, called by the Torah "the first of your months" (Ex. 12:2), is referred to by our sages as "The Month of Redemption." It was in Nissan that the children of Israel marched forth from Egypt toward their destiny as "A kingdom of priests and a holy nation." (Ex. 19:6). Likewise, Nissan will mark the beginning of the future redemption for Israel, and ultimately, the entire family of nations.
The Passover festival is the celebration that marks the anniversary of our freedom. During the Seder we are commanded to relive our miraculous liberation from the bondage of Egypt and recount the story to our children. For we are not just the descendants of those who stepped from slavery to freedom; our very souls were among the six hundred thousand that emerged from the Egyptian crucible [DBA: we are not immortal souls - we were not there but we're to relate to it as if we were]. Recalling and relating details to our children is not enough: we must re-experience our own participation in the exodus, and impart this "first hand experience" to our children.
But what does it mean to be truly free? To be able to do just as I please?
This past week Jews around the world began reading the book of Vayikra (Leviticus). Called by our sages Torat Cohanim, (the book of the priests), sefer Vayikra teaches in detail the laws of purity and the bringing of korbanot - offerings - to the Holy Temple. Perhaps the most misunderstood aspect of all the Divine commandments, the bringing of animal offerings was, and will again be, a central component of the Divine service in the Holy Temple. The bringing of korbanot is a process of drawing closer - karov - to G-d. The offering service enabled man to access all levels of G-d's created world in order to redeem creation and draw closer to Him. The inanimate, (salt), the vegetative, (meal-offerings), and the animal world were all included in the offerings of man at the altar. The ennobling effect of the offering is hard to appreciate in our cynical and detached times. The sages understood this, and therefore instructed that children, guileless and "pure of soul," are best equipped to absorb and understand the laws of purity taught in Vayikra, and should therefore embark upon their Torah studies with this very book.
The liberation from Egypt, and the Passover celebration of our freedom to serve G-d, were also marked by an offering: the korban Pesach, or pascal lamb. Today's "post" Temple pre-Passover preparations and Seder night experience bear scant resemblance to the Passover of Temple times. The week before Passover already saw thousands upon thousands of pilgrims converging on their way to Jerusalem. Having arrived from the furthest reaches of the diaspora, on Passover eve the families of pilgrims, (some years numbering over one million souls), would bring their Passover lamb up to The Holy Temple Courtyard to be offered by the priests. The subsequent Seder meal would focus around both this Pesach offering, as well as the festival chagigah offering.
Please join Rabbi Chaim Richman and Yitzchak Reuven for a discussion of Nissan, Passover, and the opening chapters of Vayikra in this week's Temple Talk.
Once again, we would like to mention that part II of our Video Tour of the Temple Mount is now available online. To view parts I or II, please click here.
Shlomo's Passover Adventure, the story of the Passover pilgrimage and celebration during the time of the Holy Temple as told from the perspective of a young boy, is both great fun and instructive for children and adults alike. To view it, please click here.
We have added a dropdown menu to our navigation bar online, with the hope of easing navigation through our ever-growing site. If you encounter any difficulties using the menu, please contact us.
With blessings of a speedy redemption,
Yitzchak Reuven
THE TEMPLE INSTITUTE
PO Box 31876
Jerusalem, Israel 97500
Nissan 5, 5766/April 3, 2006
The month of Nissan, called by the Torah "the first of your months" (Ex. 12:2), is referred to by our sages as "The Month of Redemption." It was in Nissan that the children of Israel marched forth from Egypt toward their destiny as "A kingdom of priests and a holy nation." (Ex. 19:6). Likewise, Nissan will mark the beginning of the future redemption for Israel, and ultimately, the entire family of nations.
The Passover festival is the celebration that marks the anniversary of our freedom. During the Seder we are commanded to relive our miraculous liberation from the bondage of Egypt and recount the story to our children. For we are not just the descendants of those who stepped from slavery to freedom; our very souls were among the six hundred thousand that emerged from the Egyptian crucible [DBA: we are not immortal souls - we were not there but we're to relate to it as if we were]. Recalling and relating details to our children is not enough: we must re-experience our own participation in the exodus, and impart this "first hand experience" to our children.
But what does it mean to be truly free? To be able to do just as I please?
This past week Jews around the world began reading the book of Vayikra (Leviticus). Called by our sages Torat Cohanim, (the book of the priests), sefer Vayikra teaches in detail the laws of purity and the bringing of korbanot - offerings - to the Holy Temple. Perhaps the most misunderstood aspect of all the Divine commandments, the bringing of animal offerings was, and will again be, a central component of the Divine service in the Holy Temple. The bringing of korbanot is a process of drawing closer - karov - to G-d. The offering service enabled man to access all levels of G-d's created world in order to redeem creation and draw closer to Him. The inanimate, (salt), the vegetative, (meal-offerings), and the animal world were all included in the offerings of man at the altar. The ennobling effect of the offering is hard to appreciate in our cynical and detached times. The sages understood this, and therefore instructed that children, guileless and "pure of soul," are best equipped to absorb and understand the laws of purity taught in Vayikra, and should therefore embark upon their Torah studies with this very book.
The liberation from Egypt, and the Passover celebration of our freedom to serve G-d, were also marked by an offering: the korban Pesach, or pascal lamb. Today's "post" Temple pre-Passover preparations and Seder night experience bear scant resemblance to the Passover of Temple times. The week before Passover already saw thousands upon thousands of pilgrims converging on their way to Jerusalem. Having arrived from the furthest reaches of the diaspora, on Passover eve the families of pilgrims, (some years numbering over one million souls), would bring their Passover lamb up to The Holy Temple Courtyard to be offered by the priests. The subsequent Seder meal would focus around both this Pesach offering, as well as the festival chagigah offering.
Please join Rabbi Chaim Richman and Yitzchak Reuven for a discussion of Nissan, Passover, and the opening chapters of Vayikra in this week's Temple Talk.
Once again, we would like to mention that part II of our Video Tour of the Temple Mount is now available online. To view parts I or II, please click here.
Shlomo's Passover Adventure, the story of the Passover pilgrimage and celebration during the time of the Holy Temple as told from the perspective of a young boy, is both great fun and instructive for children and adults alike. To view it, please click here.
We have added a dropdown menu to our navigation bar online, with the hope of easing navigation through our ever-growing site. If you encounter any difficulties using the menu, please contact us.
With blessings of a speedy redemption,
Yitzchak Reuven
THE TEMPLE INSTITUTE
PO Box 31876
Jerusalem, Israel 97500
Sunday, April 02, 2006
What blocks Israel from building the Temple?
A professing Christian asked an alleged Jew on the Protest Warrior forum I frequent:
Why don't y'all build your temple already?
Alleged Jew responded:
Because this is in the way:
My response:
No, it's not in the way. What's in the way is the serious lack of a willing Jewish heart, a repentant Israeli spirit, that first finds a place for God in the heart and mind. The Temple Mount is not "in our hands" because it is not in our hearts. So said a letter of mine published in the Jerusalem Post that Gershon Salomon, chairman of the Temple Mount Faithful, agreed was definitely true.
From that picture you can understand why I call it a "beautiful abomination" with Beyond Babylon. It can help Bible readers to understand why the conquering Israelites under Joshua might have hesitated to destroy what God commanded destroyed - all the pagan shrines, idols and altars. Some were undoubtedly beautiful, even spectacular.
When a sufficient number of Israelis remove the obstacles from their hearts and minds, when the Temple is again important to them as it is to God, the Nazi-Muslim occupation will be history, plain and simple.
Where's the Temple on the Temple Mount?
Israel's Chief Rabbi Invites Foreign Occupation
Third Temple Coming Soon to Jerusalem!
Why don't y'all build your temple already?
Alleged Jew responded:
Because this is in the way:
My response:
No, it's not in the way. What's in the way is the serious lack of a willing Jewish heart, a repentant Israeli spirit, that first finds a place for God in the heart and mind. The Temple Mount is not "in our hands" because it is not in our hearts. So said a letter of mine published in the Jerusalem Post that Gershon Salomon, chairman of the Temple Mount Faithful, agreed was definitely true.
From that picture you can understand why I call it a "beautiful abomination" with Beyond Babylon. It can help Bible readers to understand why the conquering Israelites under Joshua might have hesitated to destroy what God commanded destroyed - all the pagan shrines, idols and altars. Some were undoubtedly beautiful, even spectacular.
When a sufficient number of Israelis remove the obstacles from their hearts and minds, when the Temple is again important to them as it is to God, the Nazi-Muslim occupation will be history, plain and simple.
Where's the Temple on the Temple Mount?
Israel's Chief Rabbi Invites Foreign Occupation
Third Temple Coming Soon to Jerusalem!
Friday, March 31, 2006
Road to Temple Mount uncovered
Road to Temple Mount uncovered
By ETGAR LEFKOVITS (The Jerusalem Post)
Friday, March 31, 2006 11:29 IST
The main Jerusalem road during the time of the Second Temple which led to the Temple Mount recently uncovered by Israeli archaeologists in the City of David.
The main road that ran from Jerusalem's City of David to the Temple Mount during the time of the Second Temple has been uncovered by Israeli archeologists, those involved in the dig said Thursday. The road connected the Shiloah pool in the City of David to the Temple Mount compound.
The 2,000-year-old road was discovered adjacent to the Shiloah pool during ongoing excavations at the site, said Israeli Antiquities Authority archeologist Eli Shukrun. He is directing the dig together with University of Haifa archeologist Prof. Ronny Reich.
The road was used by the tens of thousands of people who came to Jerusalem for the Jewish pilgrimage holidays during the Second Temple Period, who immersed themselves in the Shiloah pool before entering the Temple Mount, Shukrun said. He said the road showed the centrality of both the Temple and the pool for life in the city at the time.
Archeologists had previously discovered the other end of the 600-meter road near the Temple Mount, he said.
The archeologists have not learned when the road was built, but they have determined that it was in use between the first half of the first century BCE and the destruction of the second Jewish Temple by the Romans in 70 CE.
"This was the main road of Jerusalem during the Second Temple period," Shukrun said.
The archeologists also found large stones and boulders from the destruction of the Second Temple, burnt ashes, and an assortment of coins from the failed Jewish rebellion against the Romans.
The excavations at the site are being sponsored by the right-wing Ir David Foundation, which supports the reestablishment of Jewish communities in east Jerusalem.
The latest finds in the City of David, located just outside the walls of the Old City, came two years after Israeli archeologists stumbled upon the 2,000-year-old pool while the city was carrying out infrastructure work for a new sewage line.
The waters of the Shiloah pool, which come from the nearby Gihon spring, were used in Jewish purification rituals carried out, among other times, before visits to the Temple.
By ETGAR LEFKOVITS (The Jerusalem Post)
Friday, March 31, 2006 11:29 IST
The main Jerusalem road during the time of the Second Temple which led to the Temple Mount recently uncovered by Israeli archaeologists in the City of David.
The main road that ran from Jerusalem's City of David to the Temple Mount during the time of the Second Temple has been uncovered by Israeli archeologists, those involved in the dig said Thursday. The road connected the Shiloah pool in the City of David to the Temple Mount compound.
The 2,000-year-old road was discovered adjacent to the Shiloah pool during ongoing excavations at the site, said Israeli Antiquities Authority archeologist Eli Shukrun. He is directing the dig together with University of Haifa archeologist Prof. Ronny Reich.
The road was used by the tens of thousands of people who came to Jerusalem for the Jewish pilgrimage holidays during the Second Temple Period, who immersed themselves in the Shiloah pool before entering the Temple Mount, Shukrun said. He said the road showed the centrality of both the Temple and the pool for life in the city at the time.
Archeologists had previously discovered the other end of the 600-meter road near the Temple Mount, he said.
The archeologists have not learned when the road was built, but they have determined that it was in use between the first half of the first century BCE and the destruction of the second Jewish Temple by the Romans in 70 CE.
"This was the main road of Jerusalem during the Second Temple period," Shukrun said.
The archeologists also found large stones and boulders from the destruction of the Second Temple, burnt ashes, and an assortment of coins from the failed Jewish rebellion against the Romans.
The excavations at the site are being sponsored by the right-wing Ir David Foundation, which supports the reestablishment of Jewish communities in east Jerusalem.
The latest finds in the City of David, located just outside the walls of the Old City, came two years after Israeli archeologists stumbled upon the 2,000-year-old pool while the city was carrying out infrastructure work for a new sewage line.
The waters of the Shiloah pool, which come from the nearby Gihon spring, were used in Jewish purification rituals carried out, among other times, before visits to the Temple.
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
The Beginning of Months
"'This month shall be unto you
the beginning of months...'"
(Exodus 12:1-20)
Adar 27, 5766/March 27, 2006
This past Shabbat, in anticipation of the approaching Passover festival, parashat hachodesh was read in synagogues around the world. Named after its opening verse, "'This month - hachodesh hazeh - shall be unto you the beginning of months...'", (Exodus 12:1), the reading describes the first commandments the emerging nation of Israel was to receive. From these few commandments one can sketch the entire trajectory of the spiritual mission of the Jewish nation.
Calculating the months and years became a major task for the children of Israel, ultimately taken up by the Sanhedrin. The gravity of this task was not so much in its technical fulfillment. The awesome responsibility of accounting for G-ds creation, and calibrating its seasons is what compelled the sages of each generation to apply the strictest requirements for accepting the testimony of witnesses to the new moon. It is no wonder that ultimately witnesses to the new moon would be received and examined by the sages of the Great Sanhedrin, the highest court in the land, located in the Chamber of Hewn Stone, in the northern wall of the Holy Temple Courtyard. For this was more than a clerical function to be performed. Determining the new moon was nothing less than a partnership with G-d, and a shared responsibility in the maintenance of His universe.
"'In the tenth day of the month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to their father's houses...'"
(Exodus 12:3)
The performance of the first pascal offering, while still in Egypt, and the following commandment to do so every year hence, ("'And this day shall be unto you for a memorial, and you shall keep it a feast to the L-rd; throughout your generations you shall keep it a feast by an ordinance forever,'" Exodus 12:14), created the spiritual and historical imperative necessary for the eventual building of the Holy Temple. For when the Holy Temple stood, each year, on the fourteenth of the month of Nissan, the entire nation of Israel, man woman, and child, would converge upon Jerusalem, and in groups ascend the Temple Mount with their pascal lambs.
"'And they shall take of the blood, and put it on the two side-posts
and on the lintel...'"
(Exodus 12:7)
It was the performance of this commandment that would forever set the Israelite nation apart. For the lamb was considered a deity by the Egyptians. To slaughter a lamb was a sacrilege, no doubt punishable by death. By slaughtering lambs, family by family, the children of Israel were making themselves odious to the Egyptians. What nine plagues hadn't achieved, this act would set in motion: the exodus from Egypt. But where did the Israelites find the courage requisite for so bold an act? The answer is in this same act of smearing the blood on the doorposts. By creating a sign by which G-d could recognize and deliver them from the Egyptians, and from the blow He was about to deal them, they were placing all their trust in Him. It is this covenant of faith that continues to inform all our actions, large and small, each and every day. It is this covenant of faith that brought the people of Israel into the land, and sustained then through dark millennia of exile. It is this covenant of faith that has brought us back to the land, and it is this covenant of faith which will guide our hands in the rebuilding of the Holy Temple, and throughout the unfolding of our redemption.
Courage of our convictions, trust in Hashem and in our divinely ordained mission, are certainly the order of the day - today - no less than it was those many years ago in Pharaoh's Egypt. There are forces today at work, day and night, bent on shaking our conviction, stripping us of our historic mission, and enslaving us in submission to their twisted will. May we be reminded this Passover season, as we are every year, of the enormity of our task in fulfilling the word of G-d, as transmitted through His holy Torah, and the paramount significance for all mankind, of our success in doing so.
Part II of Rabbi Chaim Richman's video tour of The Temple Mount is now available online for viewing. For links to Part I and Part II, please click here.
This week Rabbi Richman and Yitzchak Reuven will not be broadcasting a new episode of Temple Talk. The current Temple Talk, as well as past broadcasts, are all available at our Mulitimedia page. Next week, G-d willing, a new episode of Temple Talk will be broadcast live.
Once again, we invite everyone to brush up on his and her knowledge of Passover as it was celebrated during the time of the Second Temple, by visiting our study tool, Shlomo's Passover Adventure.
May we, in our trust in Hashem, and our adherence to His word, be blessed with freedom and deliverance from all our enemies,
Yitzchak Reuven
THE TEMPLE INSTITUTE
PO Box 31876
Jerusalem, Israel 97500
the beginning of months...'"
(Exodus 12:1-20)
Adar 27, 5766/March 27, 2006
This past Shabbat, in anticipation of the approaching Passover festival, parashat hachodesh was read in synagogues around the world. Named after its opening verse, "'This month - hachodesh hazeh - shall be unto you the beginning of months...'", (Exodus 12:1), the reading describes the first commandments the emerging nation of Israel was to receive. From these few commandments one can sketch the entire trajectory of the spiritual mission of the Jewish nation.
Calculating the months and years became a major task for the children of Israel, ultimately taken up by the Sanhedrin. The gravity of this task was not so much in its technical fulfillment. The awesome responsibility of accounting for G-ds creation, and calibrating its seasons is what compelled the sages of each generation to apply the strictest requirements for accepting the testimony of witnesses to the new moon. It is no wonder that ultimately witnesses to the new moon would be received and examined by the sages of the Great Sanhedrin, the highest court in the land, located in the Chamber of Hewn Stone, in the northern wall of the Holy Temple Courtyard. For this was more than a clerical function to be performed. Determining the new moon was nothing less than a partnership with G-d, and a shared responsibility in the maintenance of His universe.
"'In the tenth day of the month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to their father's houses...'"
(Exodus 12:3)
The performance of the first pascal offering, while still in Egypt, and the following commandment to do so every year hence, ("'And this day shall be unto you for a memorial, and you shall keep it a feast to the L-rd; throughout your generations you shall keep it a feast by an ordinance forever,'" Exodus 12:14), created the spiritual and historical imperative necessary for the eventual building of the Holy Temple. For when the Holy Temple stood, each year, on the fourteenth of the month of Nissan, the entire nation of Israel, man woman, and child, would converge upon Jerusalem, and in groups ascend the Temple Mount with their pascal lambs.
"'And they shall take of the blood, and put it on the two side-posts
and on the lintel...'"
(Exodus 12:7)
It was the performance of this commandment that would forever set the Israelite nation apart. For the lamb was considered a deity by the Egyptians. To slaughter a lamb was a sacrilege, no doubt punishable by death. By slaughtering lambs, family by family, the children of Israel were making themselves odious to the Egyptians. What nine plagues hadn't achieved, this act would set in motion: the exodus from Egypt. But where did the Israelites find the courage requisite for so bold an act? The answer is in this same act of smearing the blood on the doorposts. By creating a sign by which G-d could recognize and deliver them from the Egyptians, and from the blow He was about to deal them, they were placing all their trust in Him. It is this covenant of faith that continues to inform all our actions, large and small, each and every day. It is this covenant of faith that brought the people of Israel into the land, and sustained then through dark millennia of exile. It is this covenant of faith that has brought us back to the land, and it is this covenant of faith which will guide our hands in the rebuilding of the Holy Temple, and throughout the unfolding of our redemption.
Courage of our convictions, trust in Hashem and in our divinely ordained mission, are certainly the order of the day - today - no less than it was those many years ago in Pharaoh's Egypt. There are forces today at work, day and night, bent on shaking our conviction, stripping us of our historic mission, and enslaving us in submission to their twisted will. May we be reminded this Passover season, as we are every year, of the enormity of our task in fulfilling the word of G-d, as transmitted through His holy Torah, and the paramount significance for all mankind, of our success in doing so.
Part II of Rabbi Chaim Richman's video tour of The Temple Mount is now available online for viewing. For links to Part I and Part II, please click here.
This week Rabbi Richman and Yitzchak Reuven will not be broadcasting a new episode of Temple Talk. The current Temple Talk, as well as past broadcasts, are all available at our Mulitimedia page. Next week, G-d willing, a new episode of Temple Talk will be broadcast live.
Once again, we invite everyone to brush up on his and her knowledge of Passover as it was celebrated during the time of the Second Temple, by visiting our study tool, Shlomo's Passover Adventure.
May we, in our trust in Hashem, and our adherence to His word, be blessed with freedom and deliverance from all our enemies,
Yitzchak Reuven
THE TEMPLE INSTITUTE
PO Box 31876
Jerusalem, Israel 97500
Monday, March 27, 2006
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
The Divine Promise of Purity
"'Up, make us a god who will go before us.'"
(Exodus 32:1)
Adar 21, 5766/March 21, 2006
Taking matters into your own hands is not always a good thing. The children of Israel were provoked by the mixed multitude into producing a golden calf. And what was the intended purpose of this golden calf? Not to replace or represent G-d, but to replace the man Moses, for "we know not what has become of him." (Exodus 32:1) The people confronted and compelled Aharon the high priest and brother of Moshe to act upon their demand. Buying time, Aharon calls on the people to collect their gold and bring it to him. The resulting debacle is well known: a golden calf is created, an altar is built, the people sink into hedonistic revelry, and Aharon announces a festival to Hashem on the morrow. Finally, G-d, silent up to this point, commands Moshe to go down from the mountain, and return to the people and see for himself. In G-d's words to Moshe, "...they have made a molten calf, and have worshipped it and have sacrificed to it, and said: 'This is your god, O Israel, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt.'" (Exodus 32:8)
Uncertainty and fatigue had left the people exposed to evil incitement. An innocent "stand-in" for Moshe brought about debauchery and ultimately, avodah zara - idol worship. Moshe rabbeinu has been described by our sages as a sort of "best-man at a wedding", an interlocutor between G-d and the people of Israel. Replacing him with a lump of gold, even if done with the best of intentions, was the first step in the return to the avodah zara that had been so pervasive in Egypt.
"And the L-rd spoke to Moses, saying: You shall also make a laver of copper..."
(Exodus 30:17-18)
No, not the inspiration of the rabble, or even of the finest of the generation, but a direct commandment from G-d. The laver was not intended as an intermediary between man and G-d, or even as a surrogate Moshe, as was the golden calf. The copper laver, the first vessel which the priests would come in contact with in their daily service, was an instrument for the washing of the priestly hands and feet. By washing their hands and feet at the laver, the priests were enabling themselves to draw ever closer to Hashem. And so it is with all of the Temple vessels: their sole intention is to facilitate the direct relationship between G-d and the priests. The holy Mei Hashiloach describes the priestly washing of their hands and feet as being nothing less than the cleansing of their hearts and minds of any preconceived notion of G-d. They would begin the Divine service each day literally by approaching Hashem anew. This is in direct contradistinction to the golden calf: Creating and dancing around a molten image throws up a wall between man and G-d. True interaction is frozen. There is no renewal, no drawing closer to Hashem. Only slipping further apart.
"This is the statute (chok) of the Torah which the L-rd has commanded..."
(Numbers 19:2)
This past Shabbat, in anticipation of the approaching Passover holiday, and in remembrance of Pesach as celebrated during the time of the Holy Temple, The Torah reading concerning the para aduma - the red heifer - was read in synagogues all around the world. The chok of the red heifer, by cleansing the children of Israel from impurity contracted by contact with death, enabled each and every Jew to make his Passover pilgrimage to the Holy Temple, fulfilling the Torah commandment. Like the copper laver, but on a more universal level, the red heifer's intended purpose was to draw people closer to the holy shechinah - presence - of G-d. The red heifer is understood by our sages as being the antidote, as it were, for the sin of the golden calf. Man, working solely on his own, drawing only from his own limitations, will always fall infinitely short of the mark, no matter how close! What hubris to assume that via our own calculations we could build a bridge to G-d. But G-d's commands, in their awesome unfathomability, draw us ever closer to Him, as is His desire.
To hear a thought provoking discussion of all these points, listen to this week's Temple Talk with Rabbi Chaim Richman.
To learn more about the red heifer, please visit The Mystery of the Red Heifer: Divine Promise of Purity.
May we begin each day with a fresh heart, and a renewed desire to draw closer to Hashem,
Yitzchak Reuven
THE TEMPLE INSTITUTE
PO Box 31876
Jerusalem, Israel 97500
(Exodus 32:1)
Adar 21, 5766/March 21, 2006
Taking matters into your own hands is not always a good thing. The children of Israel were provoked by the mixed multitude into producing a golden calf. And what was the intended purpose of this golden calf? Not to replace or represent G-d, but to replace the man Moses, for "we know not what has become of him." (Exodus 32:1) The people confronted and compelled Aharon the high priest and brother of Moshe to act upon their demand. Buying time, Aharon calls on the people to collect their gold and bring it to him. The resulting debacle is well known: a golden calf is created, an altar is built, the people sink into hedonistic revelry, and Aharon announces a festival to Hashem on the morrow. Finally, G-d, silent up to this point, commands Moshe to go down from the mountain, and return to the people and see for himself. In G-d's words to Moshe, "...they have made a molten calf, and have worshipped it and have sacrificed to it, and said: 'This is your god, O Israel, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt.'" (Exodus 32:8)
Uncertainty and fatigue had left the people exposed to evil incitement. An innocent "stand-in" for Moshe brought about debauchery and ultimately, avodah zara - idol worship. Moshe rabbeinu has been described by our sages as a sort of "best-man at a wedding", an interlocutor between G-d and the people of Israel. Replacing him with a lump of gold, even if done with the best of intentions, was the first step in the return to the avodah zara that had been so pervasive in Egypt.
"And the L-rd spoke to Moses, saying: You shall also make a laver of copper..."
(Exodus 30:17-18)
No, not the inspiration of the rabble, or even of the finest of the generation, but a direct commandment from G-d. The laver was not intended as an intermediary between man and G-d, or even as a surrogate Moshe, as was the golden calf. The copper laver, the first vessel which the priests would come in contact with in their daily service, was an instrument for the washing of the priestly hands and feet. By washing their hands and feet at the laver, the priests were enabling themselves to draw ever closer to Hashem. And so it is with all of the Temple vessels: their sole intention is to facilitate the direct relationship between G-d and the priests. The holy Mei Hashiloach describes the priestly washing of their hands and feet as being nothing less than the cleansing of their hearts and minds of any preconceived notion of G-d. They would begin the Divine service each day literally by approaching Hashem anew. This is in direct contradistinction to the golden calf: Creating and dancing around a molten image throws up a wall between man and G-d. True interaction is frozen. There is no renewal, no drawing closer to Hashem. Only slipping further apart.
"This is the statute (chok) of the Torah which the L-rd has commanded..."
(Numbers 19:2)
This past Shabbat, in anticipation of the approaching Passover holiday, and in remembrance of Pesach as celebrated during the time of the Holy Temple, The Torah reading concerning the para aduma - the red heifer - was read in synagogues all around the world. The chok of the red heifer, by cleansing the children of Israel from impurity contracted by contact with death, enabled each and every Jew to make his Passover pilgrimage to the Holy Temple, fulfilling the Torah commandment. Like the copper laver, but on a more universal level, the red heifer's intended purpose was to draw people closer to the holy shechinah - presence - of G-d. The red heifer is understood by our sages as being the antidote, as it were, for the sin of the golden calf. Man, working solely on his own, drawing only from his own limitations, will always fall infinitely short of the mark, no matter how close! What hubris to assume that via our own calculations we could build a bridge to G-d. But G-d's commands, in their awesome unfathomability, draw us ever closer to Him, as is His desire.
To hear a thought provoking discussion of all these points, listen to this week's Temple Talk with Rabbi Chaim Richman.
To learn more about the red heifer, please visit The Mystery of the Red Heifer: Divine Promise of Purity.
May we begin each day with a fresh heart, and a renewed desire to draw closer to Hashem,
Yitzchak Reuven
THE TEMPLE INSTITUTE
PO Box 31876
Jerusalem, Israel 97500
Sunday, March 19, 2006
Babylon is NOT America!
The United States is definitely not the Babylon of Revelation 18. My main two reasons are 1) we are Israelite in origin, not Gentile, as taught by Brit-Am Israel and 2) the prophesied revivals of the Roman Empire have always been in Europe and under Roman Catholic influence. That's why they would do well to research Europe's bitter roots that the Vatican wants them to "rediscover."
May God bless us all to FORSAKE BABYLON - at least what we know for sure: the pagan Babylonian Mystery Religion dressed in the drag of traditional Christianity - for the biblical Christianity Yeshua started and the early Church Jesus built followed (both Jewish and Gentile converts).
God bless America to repent and be spared (2 Chron. 7:14),
David Ben-Ariel
May God bless us all to FORSAKE BABYLON - at least what we know for sure: the pagan Babylonian Mystery Religion dressed in the drag of traditional Christianity - for the biblical Christianity Yeshua started and the early Church Jesus built followed (both Jewish and Gentile converts).
God bless America to repent and be spared (2 Chron. 7:14),
David Ben-Ariel
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Purim Sameach from Temple Institute in Jerusalem
"The Jews had light and gladness,
and joy and honor."
Esther 8:16
Adar 15, 5766/March 15, 2006
Shushan Purim
The scroll of Esther describes historical events that happened over 2,500 years ago. The Purim storyline involves so much intrigue, drama, and sudden turns of fate that it can sound at times more like a fairy tale then like the historical event it was. Yet, as fantastic as it may appear the first time around, the basic features of the Purim chronicle seem to have again been set in motion in today's current geopolitical situation. Once again, the Persian nation, (Iran), sees itself as the leader of an empire, (Moslem), that spans "from India to Cush (Ethiopia)". Once again, a son of Haman and Amalek, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran, has declared for no other reason than blind hatred of the Jews, his intention to wipe the nation of Israel off the map. Once again, "point zero" is Jerusalem and Mount Moriah. And once again, saviors like Esther and Mordechai will arise to rescue the Jewish nation from the grips of her most implacable enemies. And once again, pulling the invisible strings is the G-d of Israel, His presence hidden from all those whose faith fails to penetrate the sound and the fury of of mortals hellbent on evil.
To learn more about Purim, and the striking parallels between then and now, please click here.
Reminder: Temple Talk will be broadcast next week, Monday, March 20th, at its usual time.
Purim sameach - happy Purim - to one and all,
Yitzchak Reuven
THE TEMPLE INSTITUTE
PO Box 31876
Jerusalem, Israel 97500
and joy and honor."
Esther 8:16
Adar 15, 5766/March 15, 2006
Shushan Purim
The scroll of Esther describes historical events that happened over 2,500 years ago. The Purim storyline involves so much intrigue, drama, and sudden turns of fate that it can sound at times more like a fairy tale then like the historical event it was. Yet, as fantastic as it may appear the first time around, the basic features of the Purim chronicle seem to have again been set in motion in today's current geopolitical situation. Once again, the Persian nation, (Iran), sees itself as the leader of an empire, (Moslem), that spans "from India to Cush (Ethiopia)". Once again, a son of Haman and Amalek, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran, has declared for no other reason than blind hatred of the Jews, his intention to wipe the nation of Israel off the map. Once again, "point zero" is Jerusalem and Mount Moriah. And once again, saviors like Esther and Mordechai will arise to rescue the Jewish nation from the grips of her most implacable enemies. And once again, pulling the invisible strings is the G-d of Israel, His presence hidden from all those whose faith fails to penetrate the sound and the fury of of mortals hellbent on evil.
To learn more about Purim, and the striking parallels between then and now, please click here.
Reminder: Temple Talk will be broadcast next week, Monday, March 20th, at its usual time.
Purim sameach - happy Purim - to one and all,
Yitzchak Reuven
THE TEMPLE INSTITUTE
PO Box 31876
Jerusalem, Israel 97500
Monday, March 13, 2006
The fascist EU betrays and divides Jerusalem
Gerald Flurry and the Philadephia Trumpet magazine (sponsored by the Philadelphia Church of God) offer an invaluable service to mankind with articles of insight and understanding based upon Bible prophecy.
I respect the Philadephia Trumpet magazine's contribution to God's Work, even though they refuse to send it to me since I am a former member of the PCG even though I've probably promoted it more than any of their evangelists. For the record, I am an e-vangelist - not a televangelist - as the vast majority of my God-given Work is on the computer, sending emails and writing articles that appear all over the world of the internet.
I give credit where credit is due, so help me God. However, everybody makes mistakes. We all have our blind spots and that's perfectly understandable. Perhaps God permits some mistakes to observe how we respond to constructive criticism, whether we're willing to grow, and to remind us to forever be diligent that what we teach is in accordance with His Word and that all truth belongs to God - not to any one man, group or organization (1 Corinthians 4:4-7), even if they think they're rich and have need of nothing (Revelation 3:17).
Are we set in our ways or do we maintain the childlike attitude, humility and willingness to change whenever necessary, as we experienced with our "first love" and initial conversion? What is inexcusable is when mistakes are clearly pointed out, beyond any shadow of a doubt, and we prefer traditional darkness rather than walk in our new light of understanding (John 3:19-21). Why remain a slave to idolatrous tradition when the plain truth can set you free?
Gerald Flurry confused Mount Hermon with Mount Carmel on several occasions, so I wrote him and kindly pointed it out. He admitted in a letter to me that he had confused the two. (That's when I was still an official member of the PCG and contact was possible, as far as they're concerned). I knew Flurry had made a mistake since I was blessed to have lived next to both mountains: I lived next to Mount Carmel when I was a volunteer at Kibbutz Ramat Yohanan, and I lived next to the snow-covered Mt. Hermon at Kibbutz Dan during Operation Desert Storm, as I mention in From Toledo to Jerusalem.
I used to cringe when I would read the Philadelphia Trumpet magazine and find references to "Palestine," knowing that such a Satan-inspired term was used by the pagan Romans to spite the Jews after defeating and dispersing them, renaming the holy land after Israel's anicent enemies, the Philistines.
"Palestine" reflects the dark mind that would erase the name of our father Israel off the map (Psalms 83:4), as the wicked Iranian leader has recently called for, and the use of "Palestine" is totally unscriptural! We ought to call the Promised Land of Israel what God in His Bible has clearly named it: Israel - not Ishmael, not Philistine. How simple. All the more when you understand how politicized the usage of "Palestine" has become, aiding and abetting the sworn enemies of our Jewish brethren when we don't refer to the Jewish homeland as Israel.
I wrote Gerald Flurry, his son Stephen Flurry and others to protest using the accursed "Palestine" rather than Israel, and it appears to have registered with them for awhile, thank God, and then they reverted to their bad habit. I haven't noticed lately whether or not they still use the wrong word for the Jewish homeland. I hope not. Regardless, it is Israel and God forbid it ever become "Palestine!"
Gerald Flurry's most recent article on Jerusalem repeats his false teaching that the "Palestinians" will conquer East Jerusalem, followed by Europe control of all Jerusalem.
Here are a few excerpts:
From the Editor: Jerusalem Is About to Be Cut in Half
The Zechariah 14 Prophecy
"For I [Jesus Christ] will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city" (Zechariah 14:2). Note the big overview Zechariah gives us. There are three phases to this crisis. Zechariah starts at the Second Coming of Christ, the third phase, and works his way backward chronologically."
Christ is not working backwards, but Flurry has got it backwards! Zechariah 14 clearly states international opposition against Jewish sovereignty over Jerusalem, leading to the European Union seizing the whole city - "THE CITY shall be taken" - and following that, undoubtedly trying to appease the Arabs, the European Union forcibly divides Jerusalem.
Other prophecies reveal that Jerusalem will suffer under the EU jackboot for 3 1/2 years. When the "time of the Gentiles" is up, King Messiah will return from Heaven (in full view of all mankind) and liberate Jerusalem and fight against our enemies. This is the BIBLICAL ORDER OF JERUSALEM'S FALL, DIVISION AND LIBERATION.
Continue with Flurry's article:
"The verse starts with Christ conquering the European and Asian powers who are gathered together for battle. Then there is a semicolon, which means all these events in verse 2 are linked and closely associated."
The verse doesn't start with the European and Asian powers gathered for "Armageddon," that comes later. It starts with international opposition to Jewish sovereignty over Jerusalem, led by fascist Europe under the evil influence of the bloody Roman Catholic Church that has its evil eye on Jerusalem.
"The first semicolon introduces the second phase of this violent time. The city shall be taken, houses rifled and women ravished. This is when the king of the north (Europe) conquers the whole city of Jerusalem (also America and Britain), shortly after he conquers the king of the south (Daniel 11:40-41)."
There are no semicolons in Hebrew. Europe will strike terror into the Muslim world with a swift victory against them, a lightning strike that will go to their head, and then Europe will brutally betray and seize all of Jerusalem, divide it, and occupy Jerusalem.
The final revival of the Roman Empire will remain stationed in the Holy Land, headquarters Jerusalem, until the King of the Jews, the King of Israel, returns to reign, deposes Europe's wannabe divine emperor (and his religious promoter) who have trespassed upon the Temple Mount and polluted the Temple. Yeshua will liberate His City, the City of the Great King, and administer world justice from the throne of King David.
"The Palestinians will take half of Jerusalem. They say even now that a Palestinian state must include East Jerusalem, which already is comprised mostly of Palestinians, and the Temple Mount. They want Jerusalem, with the Temple Mount, as their capital. If they take the Temple Mount, you could see that act quickly provoking more war. The Temple Mount is holy to three great religions: Judaism, Islam and Christianity. It is the Jews' holiest site. The Arabs consider it their second- or third-holiest site. Christians, especially Roman Catholics, put more emphasis on the whole city. (Remember the Crusades?)"
The "Palestinians" are in no position whatsoever to take anything. Everything they have the Israelis have foolishly surrendered to them. It is because the Arabs demand East Jerusalem (actually they want all of Jerusalem) that Europe will seize Jerusalem and rip Israel's heart in two, while keeping the Temple Mount (with its imminent Third Temple) for themselves.
"The Palestinians could--and, I believe, will--conquer the Temple Mount and refuse access to anybody else. "
The Temple Mount is the third most holy spot for Muslims, following Mecca and Medina, since legend has it Mohammad ascended to Heaven from that sacred site, although the Koran does not mention Jerusalem even once, although it's mentioned over 600 times in the Hebrew Bible.
Satan knows the importance of Jerusalem even if some professing Christians and Jews have forgotten it, which is why Satan has stirred up the Nazi-Muslims to covet the Temple Mount and pollute it with their foreign objects that must soon be removed - either by an Act of God (earthquake) or responsible Israeli action - restoring the Temple Mount as the Temple Mount. Appropriately, the Temple Mount Faithful and the Temple Institute are educating folks in Israel and around the world, both Jews, Israelites and Gentiles, preparing for that glorious day.
The Nazi-Muslim's already occupy the Temple Mount! They've illegally denied the religious rights of Christians and Jews since 1967. That's when Moshe Dayan (cursed in Jewish history for such a sin that stinks to High Heaven) despised God and Judaism's holiest site - the Temple Mount - and surrendered it to the shocked Muslim authorities after it had been miraculously liberated during the Six Day War.
I was unjustly deported from Israel for highlighting the plight of the Temple Mount under Nazi-Muslim occupation - in various articles read throughout Israel (and since throughout the world). The Israeli authorities shamefully look the other way daily as the Muslims flout Israeli law that supposedly guarantees "freedom of access" to religious sites.
Even though the British "ordained" Chief Rabbinate forbids those who listen to them (they have no legal authority regarding the Temple Mount) from entering the Temple Mount compound, more educated and faithful Jews know there are "permitted places" they can make holy pilgrimage to without sinning. The Temple Institute and others arrange such holy tours for those Jews who want to properly visit the Temple Mount according to halacha (Jewish law).
Why should anybody listen to the religious prostitutes of the Chief Rabbinate, paid for and in service to the state, especially when Chief Rabbi Yonah Metzger just invited the Dalai Lama to help him create a UN of religions in Jerusalem? What an invitation for disaster! What spiritual blindness or colloboration with the dark forces that are intent on wresting Jerusalem from the Jews.
Thankfully, God commands Israel to build His Santuary, a House of Prayer for All Peoples, based upon His Word and Will that will soon be fulfilled.
David Ben-Ariel is a Christian-Zionist writer in Ohio and author of Beyond Babylon: Europe's Rise and Fall. With a focus on the Middle East and Jerusalem, his analytical articles help others improve their understanding of that troubled region. Check out Beyond Babylon.
I respect the Philadephia Trumpet magazine's contribution to God's Work, even though they refuse to send it to me since I am a former member of the PCG even though I've probably promoted it more than any of their evangelists. For the record, I am an e-vangelist - not a televangelist - as the vast majority of my God-given Work is on the computer, sending emails and writing articles that appear all over the world of the internet.
I give credit where credit is due, so help me God. However, everybody makes mistakes. We all have our blind spots and that's perfectly understandable. Perhaps God permits some mistakes to observe how we respond to constructive criticism, whether we're willing to grow, and to remind us to forever be diligent that what we teach is in accordance with His Word and that all truth belongs to God - not to any one man, group or organization (1 Corinthians 4:4-7), even if they think they're rich and have need of nothing (Revelation 3:17).
Are we set in our ways or do we maintain the childlike attitude, humility and willingness to change whenever necessary, as we experienced with our "first love" and initial conversion? What is inexcusable is when mistakes are clearly pointed out, beyond any shadow of a doubt, and we prefer traditional darkness rather than walk in our new light of understanding (John 3:19-21). Why remain a slave to idolatrous tradition when the plain truth can set you free?
Gerald Flurry confused Mount Hermon with Mount Carmel on several occasions, so I wrote him and kindly pointed it out. He admitted in a letter to me that he had confused the two. (That's when I was still an official member of the PCG and contact was possible, as far as they're concerned). I knew Flurry had made a mistake since I was blessed to have lived next to both mountains: I lived next to Mount Carmel when I was a volunteer at Kibbutz Ramat Yohanan, and I lived next to the snow-covered Mt. Hermon at Kibbutz Dan during Operation Desert Storm, as I mention in From Toledo to Jerusalem.
I used to cringe when I would read the Philadelphia Trumpet magazine and find references to "Palestine," knowing that such a Satan-inspired term was used by the pagan Romans to spite the Jews after defeating and dispersing them, renaming the holy land after Israel's anicent enemies, the Philistines.
"Palestine" reflects the dark mind that would erase the name of our father Israel off the map (Psalms 83:4), as the wicked Iranian leader has recently called for, and the use of "Palestine" is totally unscriptural! We ought to call the Promised Land of Israel what God in His Bible has clearly named it: Israel - not Ishmael, not Philistine. How simple. All the more when you understand how politicized the usage of "Palestine" has become, aiding and abetting the sworn enemies of our Jewish brethren when we don't refer to the Jewish homeland as Israel.
I wrote Gerald Flurry, his son Stephen Flurry and others to protest using the accursed "Palestine" rather than Israel, and it appears to have registered with them for awhile, thank God, and then they reverted to their bad habit. I haven't noticed lately whether or not they still use the wrong word for the Jewish homeland. I hope not. Regardless, it is Israel and God forbid it ever become "Palestine!"
Gerald Flurry's most recent article on Jerusalem repeats his false teaching that the "Palestinians" will conquer East Jerusalem, followed by Europe control of all Jerusalem.
Here are a few excerpts:
From the Editor: Jerusalem Is About to Be Cut in Half
The Zechariah 14 Prophecy
"For I [Jesus Christ] will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city" (Zechariah 14:2). Note the big overview Zechariah gives us. There are three phases to this crisis. Zechariah starts at the Second Coming of Christ, the third phase, and works his way backward chronologically."
Christ is not working backwards, but Flurry has got it backwards! Zechariah 14 clearly states international opposition against Jewish sovereignty over Jerusalem, leading to the European Union seizing the whole city - "THE CITY shall be taken" - and following that, undoubtedly trying to appease the Arabs, the European Union forcibly divides Jerusalem.
Other prophecies reveal that Jerusalem will suffer under the EU jackboot for 3 1/2 years. When the "time of the Gentiles" is up, King Messiah will return from Heaven (in full view of all mankind) and liberate Jerusalem and fight against our enemies. This is the BIBLICAL ORDER OF JERUSALEM'S FALL, DIVISION AND LIBERATION.
Continue with Flurry's article:
"The verse starts with Christ conquering the European and Asian powers who are gathered together for battle. Then there is a semicolon, which means all these events in verse 2 are linked and closely associated."
The verse doesn't start with the European and Asian powers gathered for "Armageddon," that comes later. It starts with international opposition to Jewish sovereignty over Jerusalem, led by fascist Europe under the evil influence of the bloody Roman Catholic Church that has its evil eye on Jerusalem.
"The first semicolon introduces the second phase of this violent time. The city shall be taken, houses rifled and women ravished. This is when the king of the north (Europe) conquers the whole city of Jerusalem (also America and Britain), shortly after he conquers the king of the south (Daniel 11:40-41)."
There are no semicolons in Hebrew. Europe will strike terror into the Muslim world with a swift victory against them, a lightning strike that will go to their head, and then Europe will brutally betray and seize all of Jerusalem, divide it, and occupy Jerusalem.
The final revival of the Roman Empire will remain stationed in the Holy Land, headquarters Jerusalem, until the King of the Jews, the King of Israel, returns to reign, deposes Europe's wannabe divine emperor (and his religious promoter) who have trespassed upon the Temple Mount and polluted the Temple. Yeshua will liberate His City, the City of the Great King, and administer world justice from the throne of King David.
"The Palestinians will take half of Jerusalem. They say even now that a Palestinian state must include East Jerusalem, which already is comprised mostly of Palestinians, and the Temple Mount. They want Jerusalem, with the Temple Mount, as their capital. If they take the Temple Mount, you could see that act quickly provoking more war. The Temple Mount is holy to three great religions: Judaism, Islam and Christianity. It is the Jews' holiest site. The Arabs consider it their second- or third-holiest site. Christians, especially Roman Catholics, put more emphasis on the whole city. (Remember the Crusades?)"
The "Palestinians" are in no position whatsoever to take anything. Everything they have the Israelis have foolishly surrendered to them. It is because the Arabs demand East Jerusalem (actually they want all of Jerusalem) that Europe will seize Jerusalem and rip Israel's heart in two, while keeping the Temple Mount (with its imminent Third Temple) for themselves.
"The Palestinians could--and, I believe, will--conquer the Temple Mount and refuse access to anybody else. "
The Temple Mount is the third most holy spot for Muslims, following Mecca and Medina, since legend has it Mohammad ascended to Heaven from that sacred site, although the Koran does not mention Jerusalem even once, although it's mentioned over 600 times in the Hebrew Bible.
Satan knows the importance of Jerusalem even if some professing Christians and Jews have forgotten it, which is why Satan has stirred up the Nazi-Muslims to covet the Temple Mount and pollute it with their foreign objects that must soon be removed - either by an Act of God (earthquake) or responsible Israeli action - restoring the Temple Mount as the Temple Mount. Appropriately, the Temple Mount Faithful and the Temple Institute are educating folks in Israel and around the world, both Jews, Israelites and Gentiles, preparing for that glorious day.
The Nazi-Muslim's already occupy the Temple Mount! They've illegally denied the religious rights of Christians and Jews since 1967. That's when Moshe Dayan (cursed in Jewish history for such a sin that stinks to High Heaven) despised God and Judaism's holiest site - the Temple Mount - and surrendered it to the shocked Muslim authorities after it had been miraculously liberated during the Six Day War.
I was unjustly deported from Israel for highlighting the plight of the Temple Mount under Nazi-Muslim occupation - in various articles read throughout Israel (and since throughout the world). The Israeli authorities shamefully look the other way daily as the Muslims flout Israeli law that supposedly guarantees "freedom of access" to religious sites.
Even though the British "ordained" Chief Rabbinate forbids those who listen to them (they have no legal authority regarding the Temple Mount) from entering the Temple Mount compound, more educated and faithful Jews know there are "permitted places" they can make holy pilgrimage to without sinning. The Temple Institute and others arrange such holy tours for those Jews who want to properly visit the Temple Mount according to halacha (Jewish law).
Why should anybody listen to the religious prostitutes of the Chief Rabbinate, paid for and in service to the state, especially when Chief Rabbi Yonah Metzger just invited the Dalai Lama to help him create a UN of religions in Jerusalem? What an invitation for disaster! What spiritual blindness or colloboration with the dark forces that are intent on wresting Jerusalem from the Jews.
Thankfully, God commands Israel to build His Santuary, a House of Prayer for All Peoples, based upon His Word and Will that will soon be fulfilled.
David Ben-Ariel is a Christian-Zionist writer in Ohio and author of Beyond Babylon: Europe's Rise and Fall. With a focus on the Middle East and Jerusalem, his analytical articles help others improve their understanding of that troubled region. Check out Beyond Babylon.
Friday, March 10, 2006
Ariel Sharon: Return to the Temple Mount!
Ariel Sharon: Return to the Temple Mount!
By David Ben-Ariel
UPI Religion & Spirituality Forum
Published January 8, 2006
Dear Prime Minister Ariel Sharon:
As you are very much aware, Lubavitcher rabbis presented to the Court of High Heaven a petition against you, signed, sealed and delivered. You have incensed the Great G-d in the highest heaven and His servants with your stench of betrayal, despising your biblical birthright and inheritance and expressing a willingness to transfer Jews for a g-dless peace that will only invite bloody German-Jesuit EU intervention and disaster for British-Israelites and Jews worldwide.
The master of the universe empowered you to become prime minister of His homeland and took you from your ranch in the Negev to help shepherd His people and your brethren and protect them from the many wolves within and without the holy land. Instead you have been branded as one who would dismember our mother (Israel) and dismantle the temple (Jerusalem and the Temple Mount) by following the blind leadership of President George W. Bush with his road map that seeks to throw away the biblical blueprint for a just and lasting solution for peace in the Middle East.
You were rewarded with your position as leader of Judah, sanctified from the day you set foot upon G-d's holy mountain and reminded the whole world of its supreme importance. You were to use your G-d given power and influence as a chariot/tank of G-d to roll over and crush the enemies of G-d and Israel fearlessly, like the warrior-king David fought the battles of the Lord. You were to strike terror into the wicked heart of Amalek and faithfully destroy every threat to the land and people of Israel with G-d as your fiery shield. (Zech 12:6).
Just because you're not religious doesn't mean the Great G-d of the Hebrews can't use you to help fulfill His plans and purpose for Jerusalem and Israel. You should have joined hands with your British-Israelite brethren, and encouraged them to utterly defeat our common terrorist foes! (Zech. 9:13). G-d would have blessed your efforts.
You can redeem yourself, save your skin and salvation! How? Return to the Temple Mount that empowered you! Clearly stake Israeli sovereignty over it in no uncertain terms, throwing down the wicked Wakf from Judaism's holiest site, just as the Romans evicted the corrupt Sanhedrin from the noble enclosure.
Make aliyah (ascend) to Har HaBayit (Temple Mount) with Gershon Salomon, Chaim Richman, Rav Ariel and other men of G-d and pray for Israel's deliverance and receive it. Only then would the aforementioned rabbis letter be returned to sender, marked null and void. This opportunity of a lifetime is yours for the asking. It's your responsibility. It's your choice.
Shema Ariel Sharon: Choose life and live and prosper!
For Zion's Sake,
David Ben-Ariel
(This open letter to Ariel Sharon was originally published July 7, 2004 by Think-Israel.)
———
David Ben-Ariel is a Christian-Zionist writer in Ohio and author of Beyond Babylon: Europe's Rise and Fall. With a focus on the Middle East and Jerusalem, his analytical articles help others improve their understanding of that troubled region. His email is davidbenariel@earthlink.net and blog is Beyond Babylon
copyright 2005 by David Ben-Ariel
By David Ben-Ariel
UPI Religion & Spirituality Forum
Published January 8, 2006
Dear Prime Minister Ariel Sharon:
As you are very much aware, Lubavitcher rabbis presented to the Court of High Heaven a petition against you, signed, sealed and delivered. You have incensed the Great G-d in the highest heaven and His servants with your stench of betrayal, despising your biblical birthright and inheritance and expressing a willingness to transfer Jews for a g-dless peace that will only invite bloody German-Jesuit EU intervention and disaster for British-Israelites and Jews worldwide.
The master of the universe empowered you to become prime minister of His homeland and took you from your ranch in the Negev to help shepherd His people and your brethren and protect them from the many wolves within and without the holy land. Instead you have been branded as one who would dismember our mother (Israel) and dismantle the temple (Jerusalem and the Temple Mount) by following the blind leadership of President George W. Bush with his road map that seeks to throw away the biblical blueprint for a just and lasting solution for peace in the Middle East.
You were rewarded with your position as leader of Judah, sanctified from the day you set foot upon G-d's holy mountain and reminded the whole world of its supreme importance. You were to use your G-d given power and influence as a chariot/tank of G-d to roll over and crush the enemies of G-d and Israel fearlessly, like the warrior-king David fought the battles of the Lord. You were to strike terror into the wicked heart of Amalek and faithfully destroy every threat to the land and people of Israel with G-d as your fiery shield. (Zech 12:6).
Just because you're not religious doesn't mean the Great G-d of the Hebrews can't use you to help fulfill His plans and purpose for Jerusalem and Israel. You should have joined hands with your British-Israelite brethren, and encouraged them to utterly defeat our common terrorist foes! (Zech. 9:13). G-d would have blessed your efforts.
You can redeem yourself, save your skin and salvation! How? Return to the Temple Mount that empowered you! Clearly stake Israeli sovereignty over it in no uncertain terms, throwing down the wicked Wakf from Judaism's holiest site, just as the Romans evicted the corrupt Sanhedrin from the noble enclosure.
Make aliyah (ascend) to Har HaBayit (Temple Mount) with Gershon Salomon, Chaim Richman, Rav Ariel and other men of G-d and pray for Israel's deliverance and receive it. Only then would the aforementioned rabbis letter be returned to sender, marked null and void. This opportunity of a lifetime is yours for the asking. It's your responsibility. It's your choice.
Shema Ariel Sharon: Choose life and live and prosper!
For Zion's Sake,
David Ben-Ariel
(This open letter to Ariel Sharon was originally published July 7, 2004 by Think-Israel.)
———
David Ben-Ariel is a Christian-Zionist writer in Ohio and author of Beyond Babylon: Europe's Rise and Fall. With a focus on the Middle East and Jerusalem, his analytical articles help others improve their understanding of that troubled region. His email is davidbenariel@earthlink.net and blog is Beyond Babylon
copyright 2005 by David Ben-Ariel
REBUILDING THE TEMPLE
REBUILDING THE TEMPLE
Journey to Unity Series, Essay 33b
copyright (c) 2006 by Mr. Yosef Ben Shlomo HaKohen
LIBERATED YERUSHALIYIM, D.C. (David's Capital), Liberated Israelite Tribal Territories of Yehudah and Binyamin, Kingdom of David and Shlomo, United Israelite Kingdom of Yehudah and Yosef, Erev Shabbat (Eve of the Jewish Sabbath), Yom Shishi, 10 Adar, 5766, Root & Branch Information Services [mailto:rb@rb.org.il] [www.rb.org.il]:
Dear Friends,
In Letter 27 of this series, we learned that the Second Temple was destroyed because of unwarranted hatred. We have a tradition, however, that through correcting the sins which led to the destruction of the Second Temple, we contribute to the building of the Third Temple. This teaching is discussed in the writings of the Chofetz Chaim, a sage of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. For example, he writes:
"It is well known that true peace is impossible without zealousness in avoiding unwarranted hatred and loshon hara -- speaking information which is either derogatory or potentially harmful to another individual. Every person who will strive to correct these sins will have a share in the building of the Third Temple, for without such people, the Temple would remain destroyed forever, Heaven forfend".
[Shemiras HaLashon 2:7 - cited in ArtScroll's "Tishah B'Av"]
Upon reading the above teaching, one may start to think about how the "other" person needs to uproot hatred from his heart and be careful how he speaks about others. One may forget, however, to apply this teaching to one's own self. The Chofetz Chaim therefore reminds us:
What each of us must do is uproot baseless hatred from within one's self, refrain from speaking loshon hara, and acquire the quality of shalom. How exalted will be those who merit these accomplishments, for when the Messiah will appear and the Temple will be built, it will become known that they played an important role in bringing this about.
[Shimiras HaLashon - cited in Art Scroll's "Chofetz Chaim: A Lesson A Day"]
In general, all the mitzvos (commandments) we perform can contribute to the building of the Temple. The Sfas Emes, a Chassidic sage of the late 19th century, refers to this idea in a talk given in the year 5634, on the Shabbos before Tisha B'Av. He teaches that every generation that adds spirituality to the world -- by bringing light to where darkness had previously reigned -- participates in building the Holy Temple.
The Sfas Emes adds that the same process also operates at the level of each individual. Just as the community, as a whole, can help to rebuild the Temple, so too, each individual's actions can help to rebuild the Temple. In this spirit, it's been said that each mitzvah adds a "brick" to the future Temple.
"May it be Your will, HaShem, our God and the God of our ancestors, that the Holy Temple be rebuilt, speedily in our days".
[Daily Prayer]
Shabbat Shalom and Purim Sameach from Liberated Yerushaliyim,
Mr. Yosef Ben Shlomo Hakohen
Advisory Board Member, Ecology Fellowship, Root & Branch Association, Ltd.
Advisory Board Member, Social Welfare Fellowship, Root & Branch Association, Ltd.
Author, "The Universal Jew" (Feldheim Publishers)
Editor, Shema Yisrael website: "Hazon: Our Universal Vision"
http://www.shemayisrael.co.il/publicat/hazon/
Notes:
1. For information on the ArtScroll books mentioned above, please visit: www.artscroll.com
2. The above insights of the Sfas Emes were taken from the Sfas Emes Weekly e-mail which is prepared by Dr. Nosson Chayim Leff. These insights appeared in the mailing for the Torah portion of Devarim. To subscribe to the Sfas Emes Weekly Email, please send an email message to: sfas-emes-subscribe@torah.org
3. For further insights on Tisha B'Av, please visit: www.aish.com
Journey to Unity Series, Essay 33b
copyright (c) 2006 by Mr. Yosef Ben Shlomo HaKohen
LIBERATED YERUSHALIYIM, D.C. (David's Capital), Liberated Israelite Tribal Territories of Yehudah and Binyamin, Kingdom of David and Shlomo, United Israelite Kingdom of Yehudah and Yosef, Erev Shabbat (Eve of the Jewish Sabbath), Yom Shishi, 10 Adar, 5766, Root & Branch Information Services [mailto:rb@rb.org.il] [www.rb.org.il]:
Dear Friends,
In Letter 27 of this series, we learned that the Second Temple was destroyed because of unwarranted hatred. We have a tradition, however, that through correcting the sins which led to the destruction of the Second Temple, we contribute to the building of the Third Temple. This teaching is discussed in the writings of the Chofetz Chaim, a sage of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. For example, he writes:
"It is well known that true peace is impossible without zealousness in avoiding unwarranted hatred and loshon hara -- speaking information which is either derogatory or potentially harmful to another individual. Every person who will strive to correct these sins will have a share in the building of the Third Temple, for without such people, the Temple would remain destroyed forever, Heaven forfend".
[Shemiras HaLashon 2:7 - cited in ArtScroll's "Tishah B'Av"]
Upon reading the above teaching, one may start to think about how the "other" person needs to uproot hatred from his heart and be careful how he speaks about others. One may forget, however, to apply this teaching to one's own self. The Chofetz Chaim therefore reminds us:
What each of us must do is uproot baseless hatred from within one's self, refrain from speaking loshon hara, and acquire the quality of shalom. How exalted will be those who merit these accomplishments, for when the Messiah will appear and the Temple will be built, it will become known that they played an important role in bringing this about.
[Shimiras HaLashon - cited in Art Scroll's "Chofetz Chaim: A Lesson A Day"]
In general, all the mitzvos (commandments) we perform can contribute to the building of the Temple. The Sfas Emes, a Chassidic sage of the late 19th century, refers to this idea in a talk given in the year 5634, on the Shabbos before Tisha B'Av. He teaches that every generation that adds spirituality to the world -- by bringing light to where darkness had previously reigned -- participates in building the Holy Temple.
The Sfas Emes adds that the same process also operates at the level of each individual. Just as the community, as a whole, can help to rebuild the Temple, so too, each individual's actions can help to rebuild the Temple. In this spirit, it's been said that each mitzvah adds a "brick" to the future Temple.
"May it be Your will, HaShem, our God and the God of our ancestors, that the Holy Temple be rebuilt, speedily in our days".
[Daily Prayer]
Shabbat Shalom and Purim Sameach from Liberated Yerushaliyim,
Mr. Yosef Ben Shlomo Hakohen
Advisory Board Member, Ecology Fellowship, Root & Branch Association, Ltd.
Advisory Board Member, Social Welfare Fellowship, Root & Branch Association, Ltd.
Author, "The Universal Jew" (Feldheim Publishers)
Editor, Shema Yisrael website: "Hazon: Our Universal Vision"
http://www.shemayisrael.co.il/publicat/hazon/
Notes:
1. For information on the ArtScroll books mentioned above, please visit: www.artscroll.com
2. The above insights of the Sfas Emes were taken from the Sfas Emes Weekly e-mail which is prepared by Dr. Nosson Chayim Leff. These insights appeared in the mailing for the Torah portion of Devarim. To subscribe to the Sfas Emes Weekly Email, please send an email message to: sfas-emes-subscribe@torah.org
3. For further insights on Tisha B'Av, please visit: www.aish.com
Europe after Iran gets Jerusalem
"'Removing settlers from Gaza policy.' Painful but necessary," chants Peter Sain ley Berry in "Are we heading for a second war in the middle east?," perpetuating the BIG LIE that "land for peace" has worked, which it clearly hasn't. Why insanely continue such a demonstrably failed policy of appeasement and expect different results? Why reward terrorism? Israel has a lot less land and isn't an inch closer to peace.
Another BIG LIE repeated is that the "Palestinian" problem is the root of all Arab evils. That has been disproven time and again, for those interested in the facts. As Genesis 16: 12 accurately profiled - "He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone's hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers." The Arabs have fought against each other and among each other long before the fictitious "Palestinian" people were forged as a political ploy that has duped the willing world that hates Jews, whether they express it diplomatically or engage in terrorism against innocent men, women, children and babies.
Every one of Israel's "peace partners" still call for Israel's destruction and do nothing to silence those among them who loudly call for genocide against the Jews, as is documented in their charters and covenants of death for all to see. Yet the world continues to hide its head in the sands of delusion and shamefully looks the other way. The Nazi-Muslims, like Hitler, have unapologetically made known their intentions. Why ignore or downplay them? It will not make them go away.
It's past time Israel enforce peace through strength, remove sworn Arab enemies and squatters from the Jewish homeland, as former Israeli Parliament Member Meir Kahane logically called for and Israel foolishly refused to do, and now - like some twisted tale from the Twilight Zone - the Israelis are expelling innocent Jews! At least Israel has proven that expulsions are possible, at least of Jews since such a Judenrein policy was undertaken without a cry of protest from the world. Where was the UN? Regardless, Israel must give Arabs for peace. Painful but necessary. Let the Arabs make concessions for peace. Let them feel the "pain" that Israel has too long endured.
"When Israel - the right of whose people to live in security and at peace within internationally recognised borders is absolute - is able, with the backing of the United States, to flout UN Resolutions with impunity, the whole system of international security is thrown into disrepute. "
Such an oxymoronic statement belies the harsh reality that Israel's right to live in security and peace is definitely not absolute to many in the hypocritical UN, as is proven by the continual bombardment of one-sided UN resolutions that would threaten Israeli security and peace if not ignored. When the UN engages in such bombastic resolutions against Israel, time and again, that the United States sees through and therefore wisely resists, the whole system of international security is violated by those of ill repute, degenerating the UN into a bully body of international thugs.
Israel, unlike Iran, has proven their remarkable restraint over the years, since they haven't used their nuclear weapons against those nations that have menaced the Jewish homeland. Israel's unheard of restraint is to a fault, since if they had removed the threat others pose against them, as they removed the pagan Osirak (Iraq's nuclear reactor) with a preemptive strike, the world would be a much safer place today.
Iran has gotten away with murder with their shrill calls for the elimination of Israel off the map (Psalms 83:4). Could you imagine Israel saying such a thing and not being expelled from the UN? However, Europe will soon force belligerent Iran to comply or die: Iran must cease and desist from their nuclear threat or Europe will strike terror in Tehran!
If Iran persists in their proud and stubborn ways, if they harden their heart against all reason, Iran will provoke the EU to contain the situation to keep Israel restrained. The EU rapid response to Iran's nuclear jihad will be a new crusade.
As the United States called upon Israel to become their virtual protectorate during Operation Desert Storm, the European Union will offer Israel guarantees of peace and security. Europe, not the overextended and highly inflated United States, will take out Iran.
However, even as the United States later pressured Israel to go to murderous Madrid as repayment and begin the lying "peace process," the European Union will expect to deploy "peacekeeping" troops in and around Jerusalem as a buffer zone and enforce the accursed UN Resolution 181.
Jerusalem is in danger of becoming the capital of Europe's Crusader Kingdom. The German-Jesuit EU will defeat Iran for Jerusalem. Woe to Ariel, Ariel, the City where David dwelt!
Another BIG LIE repeated is that the "Palestinian" problem is the root of all Arab evils. That has been disproven time and again, for those interested in the facts. As Genesis 16: 12 accurately profiled - "He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone's hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers." The Arabs have fought against each other and among each other long before the fictitious "Palestinian" people were forged as a political ploy that has duped the willing world that hates Jews, whether they express it diplomatically or engage in terrorism against innocent men, women, children and babies.
Every one of Israel's "peace partners" still call for Israel's destruction and do nothing to silence those among them who loudly call for genocide against the Jews, as is documented in their charters and covenants of death for all to see. Yet the world continues to hide its head in the sands of delusion and shamefully looks the other way. The Nazi-Muslims, like Hitler, have unapologetically made known their intentions. Why ignore or downplay them? It will not make them go away.
It's past time Israel enforce peace through strength, remove sworn Arab enemies and squatters from the Jewish homeland, as former Israeli Parliament Member Meir Kahane logically called for and Israel foolishly refused to do, and now - like some twisted tale from the Twilight Zone - the Israelis are expelling innocent Jews! At least Israel has proven that expulsions are possible, at least of Jews since such a Judenrein policy was undertaken without a cry of protest from the world. Where was the UN? Regardless, Israel must give Arabs for peace. Painful but necessary. Let the Arabs make concessions for peace. Let them feel the "pain" that Israel has too long endured.
"When Israel - the right of whose people to live in security and at peace within internationally recognised borders is absolute - is able, with the backing of the United States, to flout UN Resolutions with impunity, the whole system of international security is thrown into disrepute. "
Such an oxymoronic statement belies the harsh reality that Israel's right to live in security and peace is definitely not absolute to many in the hypocritical UN, as is proven by the continual bombardment of one-sided UN resolutions that would threaten Israeli security and peace if not ignored. When the UN engages in such bombastic resolutions against Israel, time and again, that the United States sees through and therefore wisely resists, the whole system of international security is violated by those of ill repute, degenerating the UN into a bully body of international thugs.
Israel, unlike Iran, has proven their remarkable restraint over the years, since they haven't used their nuclear weapons against those nations that have menaced the Jewish homeland. Israel's unheard of restraint is to a fault, since if they had removed the threat others pose against them, as they removed the pagan Osirak (Iraq's nuclear reactor) with a preemptive strike, the world would be a much safer place today.
Iran has gotten away with murder with their shrill calls for the elimination of Israel off the map (Psalms 83:4). Could you imagine Israel saying such a thing and not being expelled from the UN? However, Europe will soon force belligerent Iran to comply or die: Iran must cease and desist from their nuclear threat or Europe will strike terror in Tehran!
If Iran persists in their proud and stubborn ways, if they harden their heart against all reason, Iran will provoke the EU to contain the situation to keep Israel restrained. The EU rapid response to Iran's nuclear jihad will be a new crusade.
As the United States called upon Israel to become their virtual protectorate during Operation Desert Storm, the European Union will offer Israel guarantees of peace and security. Europe, not the overextended and highly inflated United States, will take out Iran.
However, even as the United States later pressured Israel to go to murderous Madrid as repayment and begin the lying "peace process," the European Union will expect to deploy "peacekeeping" troops in and around Jerusalem as a buffer zone and enforce the accursed UN Resolution 181.
Jerusalem is in danger of becoming the capital of Europe's Crusader Kingdom. The German-Jesuit EU will defeat Iran for Jerusalem. Woe to Ariel, Ariel, the City where David dwelt!
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