Friday, November 30, 2012

Is this a mosquito? And the world is a dream and a black day for American JewsIs this a mosquito? And the world is a dream and a black day for American Jews MinimizePop-outClose Recipients

World is like a Dream

A group of people lost a large amount of money. There was one person in the group who was still happy, even though the others were miserable over their loss. The others asked him how he could be so happy while they were so sad.

He replied, "I'll give you an analogy. A person once came into a room where a few people were sleeping. The sleepers were dreaming nightmares and cried in their sleep. The person who was awake did not join them in their crying for he realized it was merely a dream. Similarly, I realize this world is like a dream. People upset over worldly matters are as in the midst of a nightmare. I am awake, and cognizant of how illusory worldly suffering really is."
Love Yehuda Lave

Is this a mosquito? No.

It's an insect spy drone for urban areas, already in production, funded by the US Government.

It can be remotely controlled and is equipped with a camera and a microphone.

It can land on you, and it may have the potential to take a DNA sample or leave RFID tracking nanotechnology on your skin.

It can fly through an open window, or it can attach to your clothing until you take it in your home.

A Black Day for American Jews

Diaspora Jewry should examine their role in Israel's failures to combat Palestinian moves at the UN.

By: Tzvi Fishman

Published: November 29th, 2012

Today is a black day for American Jews. Why? I'm sorry to say it, but as the so-called "Palestinian Authority" is gaining entrance to the United Nations as an observer, non-voting state, the Jews of America are out playing golf or watching things on TV, instead of protesting outside the UN with all of their might. "Israel Belongs to the Jews!" their protest signs should declare. "Israel is Our State!" their banners should proclaim. But, except for the few regulars and Rabbis who always show up at the demonstrations in NY, no one is there to protest.
In the upcoming Torah portion regarding the casting of Yosef into a pit, the Torah notes: "And the pit was empty, there was no water in it." Our Sages inform us that there wasn't water, but there were snakes and scorpions. A vacuum doesn't stay empty. The same is true of the Land of Israel. If the Jews of the West had responded to the calls of the Zionist Movement and come on mass aliyah, especially with the founding of the State of Israel, the Land wouldn't have filled up with snakes and scorpions.
Now these same snakes and scorpions are demanding that the United Nations recognize that Israel is their homeland, and the Jews of America sit at home and watch on TV (a least a fraction of them, since the vast majority our totally lost), and they shake their heads and say, "The Government of Israel is to blame. They should have annexed all of the territory… they never should have agreed to Oslo….", when, in truth, it is they themselves who are to blame for not having said good-bye to comfortable America, and France, and England, and South Africa, and Mexico, and Canada, and Australia, and returned to the Jewish Homeland to reclaim it for the Jews.
So the Arabs claimed it instead. It's shameful to say, but when it comes to the Land of Israel, the Arabs have more mesirut nefesh and a readiness for sacrifice than Diaspora Jews. The "Palestinians" are ready to give up their lives for the Holy Land. How many Diasporians can say that? They are prepared to suffer, and engage in armed struggle to win sovereignty over the Land. How many Diasporians can say that? Instead they sit in Brooklyn, and Monsey, and Lakewood, and Chicago, and Dallas, and Beverly Hills, and they shake their heads and say, "Too bad those weak Israelis didn't transfer them all to Saudi Arabia," while they go into the kitchen to make another bagel and lox.
So, with the hope that a least a handful of readers will hear these words and recognize their truth, I composed a prayer for Diaspora Jews to say on this black day of our history:
"Dear God, and God of my forefathers, Avraham, Yitzhak, and Yaacov; on this black day when Arabs are demanding that world recognize their right to a state in the Land of Israel, I sit here silently in America doing nothing to protest, even though Israel is my Land, not theirs.
"I know it is my Land because I know you commanded Avraham to live there, and You promised it to his descendants the Jews, as an eternal covenant. I know it is the Land of the Jews, and the place you want me to live, because You told Yitzhak to never leave it, and when Yaakov had to flee from Esav, You told him to return to the Land of Israel to raise his family there.
"And when You freed the Jews from bondage in Egypt, You commanded us to return to Israel. And I know I am supposed to live there because it says so in the Torah over and over again, and all the Prophets all speak about our returning from the exile to rebuild our national life in the Land of Israel, and that our Redemption can only happen there.
"I know that I am supposed to live in the Land of Israel and not let other nations dwell there in my stead, because that's what the Torah says clearly, and that's what we pray for in our daily prayers, and that's what I say myself at the end of every Passover Seder, and at the conclusions of my Yom Kippur prayers, "Next Year in Jerusalem," yet here I am, still in New York, and Los Angeles and Boca Raton, when I know I should move to Israel.
"But I'm stuck, either because I don't know how I can make a living there, or I'm afraid to go into the Israeli army, or I don't want to leave my parents, or I'm comfortable here, or a dozen other reasons, some of them real and others invented, and I know that You know what's really in the heart of man, so I ask Your forgiveness in that I haven't done as much as I can, whether in going to live in Israel myself, or helping others in whatever way I can, by forming an aliyah group at my synagogue, or convincing our shul's Rabbi to urge our young people to go, or help to raise funds so families can make a new start in Israel.
"True, I follow what's going on in The Jewish Press, and I post articles about Israel on Facebook, and I give whatever tzedakah I can, but I know I could do lots more. Please forgive me that I don't act on the words of my prayers, and that I ignore the great mitzvah of living in the Land, and even though there are Gedolim who say that aliyah isn't an obligation today, everyone agrees that it is still a great mitzvah, and though I strive to perform all of the other commandments as best as I can, over this one I am surely remiss, especially when I see how You have miraculous gathered in millions of Jews to Israel, and rebuilt the country in a miraculous way, while here in America, and England, and France, assimilation is eating up our ranks, and we look away as if everything is OK as long as it is down the block with the reformers, and not in the bubble of our wonderful glatt kosher neighborhood. Forgive me, Father, that I sit passively in my home while Arabs proclaim their right to the Land of Israel.
"Even though the Israelis could have handled things differently, I know that I am to blame as well for making America my home over Israel. I am ashamed that the Arabs are acting more Jewish than I am. You have commanded us, the Jewish People, to establish our sovereignty over the borders of Israel, and in my procrastination, the sons of Ishmael are doing it in my stead. Woe is me. Woe is me. My shame spreads out up to Heaven. Please, my Father and King, from this time forth, put in my heart, like a raging fire, the desire and courage to extricate myself from galut and come home to Israel, to be in my own Jewish Land, and not continue on as a stranger amongst the gentiles. And if I can't make aliyah now for whatever reason, let me encourage my children to do so, and do whatever I can to let others know that our only future is in the Land of the Jews, just like it clearly states, again and again, in the Torah, in the writings of our Prophets, and in our prayers.
"May it be your will, Amen."
About the Author: Tzvi Fishman was awarded the Israel Ministry of Education Prize for Creativity and Jewish Culture for his novel "Tevye in the Promised Land." For the past several years, he has written a popular and controversial blog at Arutz 7. A wide selection of his books are available at Amazon. The views expressed in this blog are solely those of the author and do not represent the views of The Jewish Press

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Thursday, November 29, 2012

History of the world in 2 minutes and Ballsbridge, Dublin, Ireland

Way To A Happy Life

The only way to have a happy life is to keep your eyes focused on what you have and not on what you are lacking.

Love Yehuda Lave

We make it to Dublin at the end of our trip and we stay in BallsBridge, Central Dublin, Ireland

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cu2DrjI0nR0

THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD AND

PERSONKIND IN TWO MINUTES

belowhttp://marcbrecy.perso.neuf.fr/history.html

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No trees have been killed in sending you this email, but a lot of electrons were

terribly inconvenienced.

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Wednesday, November 28, 2012

OUCH !!!! Russian tunnel of Death, and why men want two women

Think Before Taking Action

Action will enable you to accomplish and achieve. But something must come before taking action: thinking.

Think first. Yes, think big and think bigger, but always think first.

Taking action without thinking will lead to many avoidable mistakes and errors. Taking action without thinking first will lead to unnecessary quarrels and arguments, hurt feelings, and misunderstandings.

Taking action without thinking will lead to wasting much time and energy.

Taking action without thinking might get you far, but it's likely to get you far in the wrong direction.

When you spend time thinking about your options and about consequences, you will be able to learn from each experience to think even better and wiser next time.

Love Rabbi Yehuda Lave

David Petraeus and the Biblical Lessons of Why Men Want Two Women

When Jacob is fooled into marrying Leah, he accepts her as a partner and eventually the mother of his children. But his yearning is for Rachel.
By: Rabbi Shmuley Boteach
Published: November 27th, 2012

The David Petraeus scandal, where a national hero betrays a solid, devoted, soul mate of a wife to be with a young hot thing who gets his blood pumping seems as old as time itself. In earlier times a general or king would usually have two women to being with to fulfill two very different needs. The pedigreed wife for children and to rule as a consort – and recall that Petraeus married the daughter of the Superintendent of West Point – and a mistress for passion and excitement. But Petraeus had to resign because our society does not tolerate unfaithfulness. It expects men who are accomplished in their public life to be equally accomplished in marriage by finding find both dimensions in one woman, namely their wives.

The Biblical story of Jacob and his two wives, Rachel and Leah (which we read in last week's portion) provides insight into what men search for and the tragedy of not orchestrating disparate needs into one indivisible woman.

When Jacob first meets Rachel, he seeks to impress her by moving a giant stone, then kisses her, and breaks into tears. He then offers Laban, her father, seven years of work in return for Rachel's hand in marriage. The years pass by so quickly that 'they appeared in his eyes as if they were just days.'

Jacob's love for Rachel is one of deep passion and yearning. It is love as covetousness, lust, and desire. It is the fieriest kind of romantic love. It is also the most tragic. Romantic, passionate, lustful love that is balanced by partnership and intimacy nearly always ends badly. Either because the fires die down, or because the fire burns so brightly that it consumes both participants. Fiery, lustful love rarely ends up with a happily ever after. Jacob feels in his bones that his passion for Rachel must end disastrously. Thus, he is drawn to kiss her, but he immediately weeps. He recognizes that in this imperfect world, perfect love is impossible to attain. He wants Rachel to be his soul mate, but he intuits that he will never fully possess her is destined to lose her.

By contrast, he experiences none of the same passion for Leah. When he is fooled into marrying her, he accepts Leah as a partner and eventually the mother of his children. But his yearning is for Rachel. Leah feels hated and names the first of her three children after her experiences of rejection from Jacob. Reuben is for the God 'who saw my affliction and granted me a son.' Simeon is for the God 'who saw that I am hated.' Levi is the son whose birth 'will bring my husband closer to me.' Only with the fourth son, Judah, which means 'praise to God,' do we begin to see a name that gives the child an intrinsic identity rather than one that relates instead to the relationship of his father to his mother.

Leah longs for Jacob the way that Jacob longs for Rachel. But for Jacob, Leah represents a maternal, practical partner with whom he shares a life but has no passionate connection. It reflects, arguably, the way Petraeus viewed his own loyal wife. They have intimacy but no intensity. They have a family but no fervor or fire. He loves her but does not long for her. He does not want bad things to happen to her. He wishes to protect her but she is not the delight of his soul.

Yet Jacobs knows in his heart that Leah, rather than Rachel, is destined to be his soul mate. (No doubt Petraeus knew in his heart as well he was always destined to return to his wife, if she would accept him back). She is destined to bear most of his children, share his life, and share eternity with him by being buried at his side. Leah represents stability and order. She will be Jacob's anchor. She is his permanence. The woman who tethers him to family. Yet he will never make peace with love that is only functional and not romantic, stable but not passionate.

Rachel is playful, girlish, and evinces, at times, immaturity that is often characteristic of women whom men desire mightily. She can also be callous about Jacob's love for her, so confident is she in the of his desire. When Reuben brings flowers for his mother Leah, Rachel strikes a deal with Leah to exchange the flowers for a conjugal night with Jacob. What Leah longs for, Rachel treats as mere currency. Unlike Jacob who understands intuitively the tragic nature of passionate, romantic love, Rachel thinks they have endless time to be together. One night will make no difference. But Jacob knows the clock is ticking.

Women like Leah ultimately both triumph and suffer. They triumph because in their stability they end up gaining the commitment of men who build families and lives with them. But they suffer because they never feel the passionate desire of their husbands. They never really feel wanted. They never truly feel special. And a woman wants to be lusted after even more than she wants to be loved.

But it is the amalgamation of both types of love that is meant to characterize the successful marriage. Not a man in a relationship with two women, but a man and woman whose marriage incorporates both dimensions. Husbands and wives are meant to have passion and practicality, fire and firmness, lust and love, desire and durability. Rachel and Leah are meant to be one.

The Jewish laws that will follow with the giving of the Torah at Sinai will prescribe half of the month devoted to passion and sexual fire, and half of the month devoted to soulfulness and intimacy. The orchestration of the two is what makes a marriage whole. We are meant to be lovers and best friends, paramours and soul mates, people who ache for each other but settle down with one another to create a life of stability and permanence. Our wives should be our mistresses and our companions, our excitement and our anchor. We never wish to lose our lust, but we also need to accompany lust with love.

It was Jacob's inability to value both dimensions that lead to many problems in the life of his own family. Jacob seems scarred from his childhood. His father favored Esau, so from his earliest age he tasted rejection. Later, he will repeat many of these mistakes in favoring Joseph, creating even more dysfunction and sibling rivalry among his own children than he experienced with Esau. Likewise, he favors one wife and one type of love. He struggles to appreciate the stability of Leah and gravitates exclusively toward the drama of Rachel. With Rachel he fights and argues. She accuses Jacob of being responsible for her not falling pregnant. He fires back that he is not God and is not responsible for her infertility. But dramatic relationships are addictive and Rachel is the drug of choice. But in favoring Rachel so exclusively Jacob risks becomes emotionally monolithic, never quite mastering the art of relationships. He is, interestingly, far better at adversarial relationships than intimate ones. He outmaneuvers the wily Esau to take his blessing as well as his immoral and cunning father-in-law Laban. He wrestles with an angel and defeats him. He has learned from an early age to survive on his wits.

Like many a man who has experienced insufficient love in his childhood, Jacob finds intimacy challenging. Love for him is more of a high than a deep sharing of self. He seeks the deep thrill of love that comes from a woman of passionate nature like Rachel rather than a woman of deep emotion like Leah. Jacob gravitates to the romantic love of the poets rather than the practical love of real life.

But, whatever man's plans, God often intends something different. Jacob lusts for Rachel but his future is with Leah.

We men of the modern era can draw the appropriate lesson.

About the Author: Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, the world-renowned author of Kosher Sex and The Kosher Sutra, has just secured the Bergen and Hudson County Endorsement for the Republican Congressional Nomination in New Jersey's Ninth District. You can support his campaign at www.shmuleyforcongress.com. Follow him on Twitter @RabbiShmuley.

Subject: OUCH !!!!

MUST READ BEFORE WATCHING VIDEO AND SOUND ON!!

The 3,150 m long Lefortovo tunnel in Russia , (near Poland ) is the longest In-city tunnel in all of Europe . It is nicknamed 'The Tunnel of Death'. See for yourself why. There is a river running over the tunnel and water leaks through in some areas. When the temperature reaches nearly 0°C like it does during the winter in Russia , the road freezes and becomes as slippery as . well . . . ice.. The result is the attached video which was taken during a single day with the tunnel surveillance camera.
Congratulations to the dual-carriage bus driver - imagine the passengers in the back! What a ride! The next time you complain about traffic, remember this video...love that Russian engineering. Be careful how you drive home!

Fwd: OUCH !!!! Russian tunnel of Death, and why men want two women

David Petraeus and the Biblical Lessons of Why Men Want Two Women

Subject: OUCH !!!!

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Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Converts to Judaism and the Round and the Museum

Snatch Growth From the Jaws of Defeat

"Everything in life serves as a challenge and test to elevate us" (Path of the Just, ch.1). For those who develop a comprehensive spiritual awareness there is not a major difference between victory and defeat. Both are potentially elevating tests. It's not the external event that counts. Rather, it's your growing from this event.

Defeat is your opportunity to speak and act in ways that express your awareness that the purpose of life is to connect with the Creator in this world and for all eternity. Although the defeat will have an effect on your present emotional state, ultimately your spirit will be raised.

Love Yehuda Lave

To finish the day in Mayo County Ireland, we see the Round tower and finish the Museum

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nm_Vb_CpXCQ

B"H

Stories of converts to Judaism

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aiY075uQGY&feature=related

Monday, November 26, 2012

RARE PHOTO after WW II and Trampoline Bridge and National Museum of Ireland

Curb Verbal Abuse

Speaking hurtfully to someone is worse than hitting him. When you hit someone, you affect his body. But words go much deeper.

Moreover, bruises eventually heal. But the negative effects of words may never heal.

If you see someone causing other people pain with words, speak up. Respectfully and courteously tell them that hurting people with words is a crime.

And of course, be careful with your own speech - even when you may be angry.

Love Yehuda Lave

In County Mayo in the North West we see the National County Museum

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibIp5mQFKVc

Trampoline bridge could let you bounce across the Seine

Trampoline Bridge

. American soldiers who liberated Europe are having the High Holiday services in the former home of Nazi Joseph Goebbels (yemach shmo v'zichro) after his death.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/doctor_noe/8051224462/in/set-72157602923374214/

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Sunday, November 25, 2012

We lost the War and old twilight zone tv show about the future

Expect Ups And Downs

When a person works on himself in spiritual matters, he/she will find that one has ups and downs. It is easy to feel discouraged when one find oneself on a lower level than previously. Rabbi Tzadok Hacohen addressed himself to this when he said: "It is impossible for a person to have a major elevation without a prior descending."

It is unreasonable to expect constant successes. Look at each failure as a stepping stone to greater growth.

Love Yehuda Lave

From half a century ago -- When it was still cool to appear on TV with a lit cigarette:

http://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DEXzQD2SRESs&sa=X&ei=_3unULLhG-GriALn4IHQDQ&ved=0CDcQuAIwAg&usg=AFQjCNEPyOqfaV8_UupBZ9GKjtFi0_YM2w

HERE WE GO AGAIN

We Lost the War

Israel gained no strategic asset at all.

By: Yori Yanover

Published: November 22nd, 2012

tell a friend

Three Tenors of the Apocalypse
Photo Credit: Miriam Alster/FLASH90

The last "Color Red" siren was sounded in Regional Council Sha'ar HaNegev at precisely 10:58 PM, and since then—11 hours, give or take—it's been quiet in the Jewish settlements around the Gaza Strip. Both the IDF and the terrorists have been sticking to their commitment. (Update: The Jewish Press just reported, at 10:15 AM Thursday, that a rocket fired at Regional Council Ashkelon Coast exploded over Arab territory).

Also, according to the IDF Spokesman's office, out of the 13 rockets and mortar shells fired after the official ceasefire had begun, at 9 PM, 10 fell inside Gaza, two fell in open areas in Israel, causing no damage, and one was intercepted by the Iron Dome system.

I'll deal in a minute with the deeper meaning of having reached a ceasefire through the good services of the U.S. and a Muslim Brother Egyptian president, and also what it means that Israel has now de facto recognized the Hamas government. But before we deal with that, and the rest of the moral, spiritual, and, of course, military and political aspects of this bizarre truce, let's review what has been achieved over the past week or so of fighting.

Here are the IDF's official figures: During Operation Pillar of Defense, aka Pillar of Cloud (the literal meaning of "Amud Anan"): The IDF attacked 1500 targets, including 19 major Hamas command centers, operational control centers and senior headquarters. 30 senior terrorists were attacked, wreaking havoc on Hamas's short-term command and control issues. Hundreds of underground launchers were attacked and destroyed. 140 smuggling tunnels and 66 fighting tunnels were demolished. Dozens of Hamas war rooms and camps were attacked. 26 sites that manufactured and stored weapons were destroyed. Dozens of long-range launchers were destroyed.

These are the top Hamas operatives killed during the operation:

11.14: Ahmad Sa'id Khalil Jabari, head of the military wing of Hamas.

11. 15: Bahabseh Hassan Awadh Mesmeh, senior Hamas police commander.

11.16: Ahmad Abu Jalal, commander of the military wing Al-Mu'az and Khaled Sha'ar, a senior commander of Hamas's anti-tank system.

11.17: Osama Kadi, a senior activist in southern Gaza smuggling operations and Muhammad Kalab, an activist in the air defense array.

In other words, Israel gained no strategic asset at all. As has been shown in the past with the assassination of every major, "irreplaceable," terror genius, each time we kill one of those, soon enough he is replaced, and the terrorist system absorbs the damage skillfully, quickly returning to its former functionality if not better.

As the old adage says: the graveyards are full of irreplaceable people.

Yesterday I uploaded a bunch of pictures of the Hamas government district after the IAF had pounded it overnight. It looked like a junkyard, it reminded me of images of Stalingrad during the war. If, God forbid, they had been able to inflict this kind of damage on us, you'd see the lines of Israelis at Ben Gurion airport stretching all the way to Tel Aviv, with everybody holding tickets for safe havens in Warsaw, Berlin, and New York City.

But the Arabs in Gaza, at least the Hamasniks among them, are celebrating. Heck, they celebrate so hard, one got killed and three wounded just from the happy shooting in the air! They live like rats underground, they risk their lives every day, moving Iranian, Ukrainian, Chinese and Russian death technology through the Egyptian desert from the Sudan, from Libya, from wherever they can. Now and then the IAF rains death on their heads and they retreat, pause, and get started all over again.

The last time I saw that kind of dedication on our side was in 1973, when a tiny group of IDF armor soldiers held the entire Syrian army at bay, keeping it from pouring into northern Israel.

But during that 1973 war Israel was transformed. We were forced to take instructions from our masters in Washington, who had different designs for us. It's true that, back in 1956, we were also ordered by a U.S. president to pull out of the Sinai and give up the territory we had gained in battle. But in 1973 we had an opportunity to finally and unequivocally stake our claim to our homeland, make a clear statement about the fact that we belong here, and will stay here forever, God willing.

Back in 1973, while the invading Egyptian Third Army was surrounded and under a hermetically sealed siege, east of the Suez Canal, the IDF was on the African side of the water, in a town called Faid, 30 miles or so from the pyramids. There was nothing between us and Cairo, there was no Egyptian military left, including their airforce. We had an opportunity to take Cairo. Not to annex it, not to expand Israel into another continent – but to rub their noses in it. We had them down, with our boots on their necks, and we pulled back.

It was downhill from there. In less than seven years, the man who is more responsible than any Jew in history for Israel's current humiliation, Prime Minister Menachem Begin, signed an agreement that instituted a new morality: If you come to murder me and I overcome you and take your land, you can get your land back if you promise not to murder me.

The Oslo Accords were merely the logical extension of that immoral pact, sealing a deal whereby troops of professional Arab murderers—on the brink of extinction, mid you— were imported from Tunisia and from other spots in the Middle East, to govern in territories which we promptly vacated, in exchange for the same promise: we won't murder you.

The only difference was that much of the Sinai territory we gave back in 1979 was far away from Jewish homes (with the distinct exception of the city of Yamit). But the land we handed our murderers in 1994 was right next door to us. We actually invited bands of armed, ruthless killers to settle across the street from us and live in peace.

Ever since that point in our history, we've switched completely from fighting wars—to containing terrorism. Until that point we still had some notions about winning: we did chase Arafat and his killers from Lebanon. We did maintain a satellite Christian Lebanese army to fight the Hezbollah. But over the past 18 years we've moved to contain, contain, contain.

We are no longer interested in the other side—as far as we're concerned they could kill each other, as long as they don't do anything to us. This is why we built the despicable Security Wall between us and the PA (leaving whole swaths of Jewish towns and villages on the wrong side). And this is why we created the magnificent technological marvel, the Iron Dome. Because we are in the business of containing the terrorists and absorbing their attacks. We are definitely not in the business of killing the terrorists and freeing both our own people and the civilians suffering under the terrorist yoke across the border.

Last night I watched three morally corrupt men: Prime Minister Netanyahu, Defense Minister Barak, and Foreign Minister Liberman, renege on every last statement they had ever made regarding the war against Hamas.

Back in 2008, Netanyahu campaigned in the southern communities with the slogan of We Must Topple the Hamas, no ceasefire, no negotiations. And Liberman actually demanded, as a condition of his joining a Likud-led coalition government, that destroying the Hamas be included as a bona fide item in the coalition agreement. And Barak, after the 2008 Cast Lead operation, assured us that the Hamas would never be able to re-start firing at Israel after the damage they had sustained.

Last night the three tenors of the apocalypse gave a de facto recognition to Hamas as the legitimate government of Gaza, boosted Muslim Brother Egyptian president Morsi's world status as peace maker and a strong ally of the U.S. (who will give him $12 billion to shore up his current social disasters), and showed the Arabs that the only way to get anything from Israel is through violence against civilian Jews.

The quiet will be over soon enough, the civilian casualties will start mounting again, and we will be right back where we started, with no strategic assets and several billion dollars poorer.

We've lost this war.

About the Author: Yori Yanover has been a working journalist since age 17, before he enlisted and worked for Ba'Machane Nachal. Since then he has worked for Israel Shelanu, the US supplement of Yedioth, JCN18.com, USAJewish.com, Lubavitch News Service, Arutz 7 (as DJ on the high seas), and the Grand Street News. Now he's here.

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Friday, November 23, 2012

Bennett-Husain CNN Debate: "Hamas is killing its own kids" and our potential for self improvement

Our Potential for Self-Improvement

The Chazon Ish (20th century Israel Sage) described the level a person is potentially capable of attaining if he has a long term goal for self-improvement: "If a person constantly strives to improve his character traits, it is possible he will eventually reach a level that he no longer gets angry, will not feel hatred or resentment, will not take revenge nor bear a grudge, will not have ambitions of seeking honor, and will not desire mundane pleasures."

Today, view every person you find difficult as your partner in character development. View every encounter as an opportunity to develop your positive qualities.

Love Yehuda Lave

CNN debate about current Israeli situation. Who is killing the kids?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=3nOrYOLggOM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nOrYOLggOM

This Ceasefire Won't Last

Of course, everyone knows that this ceasefire won't last.

By: Barry Rubin

Published: November 22nd, 2012

Originally published at Rubin Reports.

A ceasefire ending this round of the Hamas-Israel fighting went into effect at 9 PM local time, November 21, 2012. There were reports of more rockets being fired from Gaza at Israel after the ceasefire was to be implemented. Hamas immediately claimed victory. So did Netanyahu and here is his statement.

The brief agreement provides that both sides will stop all hostilities. For Israel, that included the targeted killings of terrorists and Hamas leaders. For the Palestinian side, the phrase, "All Palestinian factions," was used. That means the Hamas regime is responsible for any attacks by Islamic Jihad, al-Qaida affiliates, and other small Salafist groups. According to the text, at least, Hamas cannot hide behind allowing or encouraging such groups to attack and then disclaiming responsibility.

Another provision is that Israel will reopen the crossings and let people (a small number of Gazans seeking medical attention in Israel) and supplies to return to normal levels.

Egypt—not the United States, which isn't mentioned in the agreement–is the sponsor of the ceasefire. According to some reports which seem accurate, the ceasefire was agreed to through Egypt but delayed until Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived. By allowing Clinton to claim credit for the agreement, Israel may get something in return including most obviously a greater U.S. commitment to make the agreement work.

There is an interesting hint on this kind of secret agreement contained in Netanyahu's statement:

"Israel obviously cannot sit idly while our enemy reinforces itself with weapons of terror. Therefore we decided, President Obama and myself, that the United States and Israel would work together to fight the smuggling of weapons to the terror organizations – weapons, virtually all of which come from Iran."

Here is a very significant point that's being missed in all of the coverage and discussions regarding the ceasefire. Netanyahu's remark suggests there will be a new anti-smuggling effort involving U.S. intelligence, cooperation with other countries, and pressure on Egypt to make it harder to get weapons–especially missiles–into the Gaza Strip. It is clear that long-range missiles are the hardest thing to bring in and the easiest weaponry for Egypt to stop at the border. Whether this will have any U.S. effort does reduce the arms going to Hamas, of course, remains to be seen.

By helping negotiate and guaranteeing the ceasefire, Egypt also clinches its gaining more U.S. aid, though that probably would have happened anyway. Israel will know to what extent Egypt is helping Hamas smuggle in weapons, looking the other way, or merely not trying hard enough. This will be a key issue in future Egypt-Israel relations.

On Hamas's side, the decision to reach a ceasefire was motivated by the damage the organization was suffering and fear of a massive Israeli ground attack. Perhaps most important, however, was that Hamas found it was not receiving strong support from Egypt and other states, especially because Cairo is now ruled by a Muslim Brotherhood government. Hamas is an independent branch of the Muslim Brotherhood movement. Apparently, Hamas did not consult with Egypt before escalating attacks against Israel, the factor that set off large-scale Israeli retaliation. In turn, Egypt, along with Qatar, the Hamas regime's main Arab funder, pressured the regime to stop the fighting.

The timing for a crisis could not be worse for the new Egyptian regime. It has not yet tamed its army, finished writing its constitution, or established the legitimacy of the parliament it dominates. At the precise time the war started, the Egyptian government was completing negotiations that can be expected to bring it almost $10 billion in aid from the European Union, International Monetary Fund, and United States.

Whatever Egypt does in future, it does not want trouble from Israel at present. Israel had also earlier reassured the Cairo regime that it would support an amendment in their thirty-year-old peace treaty that would allow Egypt to station more troops in the eastern Sinai. The number wouldn't be enough to threaten Israel but enough to help control the Salafist groups there that have targeted Israel several times in cross-border raids. That is, if Egypt wants to stop them from doing so. At any rate, Egypt faces attacks on itself from some of these groups as well.

Israel's motives included ending attacks on its civilian population which caused few fatalities but had a tremendously disrupting psychological and economic effect. The truth is that Israel's population, while overwhelmingly supporting the war, evinced more fear about the attacks than in earlier conflicts. The ability of Hamas to fire missiles toward Tel Aviv and Jerusalem–though this was partly a bluff since these missiles were almost emptied of explosives to get a longer range–set off concerns, especially in Tel Aviv. The Iron Dome system worked very well in shooting down a high percentage of the rockets outside the far south.

But Israel's most realistic interests–though not its preferences–were reached by agreeing to a ceasefire now. There was international, and especially U.S., pressure to avoid a ground attack which meant that the limit of its military gains using only air power had been already attained. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants to develop the best possible relationship with newly reelected President Barack Obama, with whom he will probably be dealing with–assuming Netanyahu's reelection on January 22–for the next four years.

Equally important was that Israeli leaders–and public opinion generally agrees–know that a temporary ceasefire is the best outcome that can be obtained. A very large portion of Hamas's weapons, especially longer-range missiles, has been destroyed and it will take Hamas time to rebuild. While people can come up with ideal solutions in their heads the problem is that Israel does not want to return to rule the Gaza Strip (which would involve armed battles almost daily) and does not have international support for overthrowing Hamas.

In a reasonable world, the international community would support, even join, in bringing down the current regime and replacing it with the Palestinian Authority. After all, Hamas staged an armed coup and chased out its Fatah rivals, killing many of them brutally. It then openly declared its intentions to commit genocide against Israel and Jews generally; staged a constant series of terror attacks; forced out the small Christian population; let al-Qaida affiliated groups operate; and systematically taught children to grow up to be terrorists and suicide bombers.

Instead, however, the international community is determined to protect the survival of the Hamas regime and the Palestinian Authority would not take back rule over the Gaza Strip, either by its own efforts to overthrow Hamas or at the hands of a victorious Israeli army. If the war continued, some more Hamas leaders would be killed and munitions would be destroyed. But that additional benefit would be limited. At the same time, more civilians would be killed on both sides and the relatively positive international support and mild media criticism–by the usual standards, of course–would dissipate.

Of course, everyone knows that this ceasefire won't last. The key to anything more durable is if the Egyptian government decides that it wants to avoid another war because of its own interests. In other words, despite its hard line toward Israel, would the Brotherhood regime decide that it wanted to consolidate its rule over Egypt–totally transform the army; Islamize the society; and suppress Christians, women and secularist–before taking on Israel. Can it create a repressive regime and fight a jihad simultaneously or does it need to take on these tasks one at a time? By helping to broker the ceasefire, the Egyptian regime has also won points with the Obama Administration that should bring it benefits in future.

Thus, is the twisted situation characterizing contemporary Middle East politics and U.S. policy.

Originally published at Rubin Reports.

About the Author: Professor Barry Rubin is director of the Global Research in International Affairs (GLORIA) Center and editor of the Middle East Review of International Affairs (MERIA) Journal. See the GLORIA/MERIA site at www.gloria-center.org.

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Thursday, November 22, 2012

Thanksgiving is here..Click on the turkey

Don't Spread The Insult

Some people become so upset when they are insulted, that they repeat the incident to others who would otherwise not know about it! By giving the matter additional attention, you are causing yourself additional embarrassment! FORGET ABOUT IT!!!!

Love Yehuda Lave

On our full day in Dublin, we take the city tour and go to the Dublin Castle

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7AAbSDjmoM

Click on the turkey

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Wednesday, November 21, 2012

What moms will do and Westport in Ireland and the Israel Defense Forces

Peace of Mind Leads to Love

Only when a person has peace of mind can he really feel love for humanity. Lack of peace of mind leads to animosity towards others. Peace of mind leads to love.

Only if a person has peace of mind will he be able to pass the test of dealing properly with other people. He will be able to kindhearted to everyone. His peace of mind will enable him to tolerate others and be patient with them.

Love Yehuda Lave

On the second part of our day in Westport which is County Mayo in Western Ireland we continue our tour of a five hundred year old house built on the foundations of a pirate empire.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWFbYNqAx48&feature=g-all-u

Hero Mom Dog

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GR3CXAcs58k




				Hospital in Israel taking care of Arab victims

http://www.flickr.com/photos/73610375@N07/sets/72157632037624335/

The official U-tube of the Israel Defense Forces

http://www.youtube.com/user/idfnadesk

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Tuesday, November 20, 2012

How many lives are worth yours? and I Just Learned How to Text Message, And Westport House

Our Day in Westport takes us to a 500 year old historic house

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9BxC8-sWnw&feature=g-all-u

GOOD MORNING! Would you murder one person to save a million lives? What if that person were a 99 year old person who had already lived out the prime years of his life? Weighing one against the other, it might seem to make sense. Yet, intuitively we know that it is not right. Why?

What is the value of a life? How do we measure the value of one life versus another?

In the book Holocaust and Halacha, the situation is related of a concentration camp inmate asking a rabbi, "The Nazis have imprisoned one hundred children who they plan to murder tomorrow morning. My son is among them. I can bribe the guard to free my son, but if I do, the Nazis will grab someone else's son to replace mine. Rabbi, may I bribe the guards to free him?"

The rabbi refused to answer. From his silence, the father derived the rabbi's answer -- he was forbidden to free his son at the expense of someone else's life ... and did not bribe the guard.

The Talmud (Sanhedrin 74a), discussing a similar predicament, states, "How do you know your blood is redder? Maybe his blood is redder?" Rashi, commenting on the Talmud, elucidates: "Who knows that your blood is more precious and more dear to your Creator than the blood of someone else?" How can one weigh the value of one life against the value of another? How can one know which person is more precious? Each individual is an entire world.

This makes sense when dealing with one life versus another. However, how does it explain saving one life at the expense of a million? Can't we say with confidence that in God's eyes millions of lives are more precious than one?

At the heart of this issue is how one measures the value of life. Every person is born with a unique personality and set of circumstances and a certain amount of potential for growth. Where we begin is beyond our control. However, we are responsible for where we end up and the choices we make along the way.

A person's real worth is the result of the choices he makes in his effort to grow. To determine the value of his life we must take every factor and detail of his existence into account. The complexities involved in making such a judgment are staggering -- which is exactly why no human being is in the position to judge the worth of another. No one knows the challenges of another person or his potential or what the Almighty expects from him. We can never measure someone's true value. That is God's business alone. And it is never a good idea to play God.

We can judge another person's actions, but not his worth. These two judgments are separate, the former belonging to man and the latter belonging only to God. Therefore, whether it is a million lives or millions of lives versus one 99 year old person, maybe that one life is more precious and dear to the Almighty. How can we know? The issue has nothing to do with numbers. The judgment is not ours to make, no matter how many lives are involved.

The Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Sanhedrin 37a, teaches us "If a person destroys a life, it is as if he destroyed an entire world. If a person saves a life, it is as if he saved an entire world." Each and every life has value, tremendous value!

So what do you think? How many lives are worth one?

On the same Vein, with rockets flying on both sides, I share this piece about the current Israel situation:

Rationalist Judaism: Letter to Britain's "The Independent"

Letter to Britain's "The Independent"

Posted: 18 Nov 2012 10:55 PM PST

To the Editor:

Mr. Robert Fisk, in his article of Sunday, November 18, correctly observes that the rockets sent by Hamas into civilian towns are intended to kill as many men, women and children as possible. He then claims that the same is true of the Israeli attacks on Gaza.

As of the time of writing, the IDF has carried out over 1300 attacks on the densely-populated Gaza, with fighter planes, heavy artillery boats, and the world's most sophisticated weaponry. Yet only 81 Palestinians, and only half of them civilians, have been killed. Assuming that the world's most advanced and powerful weaponry is not completely useless, the conclusion is obvious. Not only is Israel not trying to kill as many men, women and children as possible; it is exerting extraordinary effort to minimize the loss of civilians. And not only is this true; it is very obviously true, by looking at the power of the IDF and the results of its efforts.

Mr. Fisk laments that there are those who would call him an antisemite for his charge. What, then, is the correct term for someone who issues an obviously false and extraordinarily defamatory libel against the Jewish State?

Sincerely,
Natan Slifkin
Bet Shemesh, Israel

I Just Learned How to Text Message

Hey everyone,

I Just Learned How To Text Message, Talk on My Phone, and drive while Setting my GPS!

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