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By Ted Belman

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November 17, 2014 | 113 Comments »

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50 Comments / 113 Comments

  1. @ yamit82:

    “Jews are not only G-d’s servants we are alos G-d’s instruments and when we take vengeance it is a holy duty as we are inflicting G-d’s vengeance upon G-d’s enemies.”

    A holy duty only if He explicitly commands it.

    Otherwise it is strictly your OWN vengeance masquerading as His.

    “All enemies of the Jewish people are by definition G-d’s enemies.”

    There is no psychopath, living or dead, who has not convinced himself that his enemies were “God’s” enemies.

    Yet even if the enemies of the Jewish people are God’s enemies, it does not follow that their vengeance is His (unless you think they are ‘God’).

    “The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance [of God], he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked” (Psalms 58).

    Shall rejoice not when he DOES the vengeance

    — but when he “SEES” it.

    @ yamit82:

    “If as I deeply believe the State of Israel is part of G-d’s will and plan for the Jews and all of mankind we are empowered to do his will Now…”

    That does not follow.

    His plan but YOUR way and with YOUR timing?

    — I think not.

    “No reason we cannot exact our collective vengeance Today even Now as I type.”

    No reason other than the fact that it’s not His but yours.

    Moreover, even as to His vengeance, you are unclean and not qualified for the task.

    “He who heaven’s vengeful sword would bear should be as holy as severe. . . .” [Measure III, 1]

  10. @ yamit82:

    In theory Yamit you are correct. Unfortunately because of all our blunders since the creation of our Holy State Israel we have defiled Israel by allowing our oppressors to have too much of a foothold.

    So….we have put ourselves on stall and delay tactics until we return to our roots.

    Too many have been sidetracked by erroneous doctrine, material possessions being their replacement for G-d, sexual deviance and first and foremost abandoning Torah.

    We have to get ‘back on track’ first.

    I do believe that G-d will be gracious and have mercy on us. The Holocaust destroyed much of the Jewish soul. G-d will meet us where we are at.

  12. dove Said:

    @ yamit82:
    That is like putting the cart before the horse. ‘Vengeance is MINE says the Lord’. Before we can execute a righteous vengeance we need to come together as a people and unite as a people…..then the world will KNOW that G-d is with us!!

    I have to disagree here that’s what the rabbis would have you believe but it’s not true. That’s why we have a state, an army, and other security services

    “What is the reason that the righteous shall not receive their full reward in the World to Come? It is because of the tininess that was amongst them.” (Sotah 48) “Tininess of faith.”     (Rashi)

    If as I deeply believe the State of Israel is part of G-d’s will and plan for the Jews and all of mankind we are empowered to do his will Now not at some abstract possibly never to be utopian messianic concept and time…..

    No reason we cannot exact our collective vengeance Today even Now as I type.

    To the enemy of the Jew, Jewish defeat is proof of the inability of the G-d of Israel to give His people strength and triumph and glory. Such a G-d is either impotent or non-existent.


    “Oh L-rd, what shall I say, after Israel hath turned their backs before their enemies… and what wilt Thou do for Thy great Name?”     (Joshua 7)

    “Israel’s degradation is the desecration of the Name of the L-rd.”     (The Biblical commentator Rashi, Ezekiel 39:7)

    “Ephraim, he mixes himself with the peoples; Ephraim is become a cake not turned. Strangers have devoured his strength and he knoweth it not.” (Hosea 7)

    The Jew waits. He waits to be a victim, twice over.

  15. @ yamit82:

    That is like putting the cart before the horse. ‘Vengeance is MINE says the Lord’. Before we can execute a righteous vengeance we need to come together as a people and unite as a people…..then the world will KNOW that G-d is with us!!

  16. @ dove:

    All well and good but since there is no request for vengeance
    I will hold my participation in their requests.

    Jews are not only G-d’s servants we are alos G-d’s instruments and when we take vengeance it is a holy duty as we are inflicting G-d’s vengeance upon G-d’s enemies. All enemies of the Jewish people are by definition G-d’s enemies.

    “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” Gen 12:3

    “Yes, when vengeance is needed, it is a great thing” (Brachot, 3a). Or “let the high praises of G-d be in their throat and a two edged sword in their hand – to execute vengeance upon the nations…” (Psalms 58).

    “The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth vengeance, he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked” (Psalms 58). And why? For it is only vengeance that proves that there is indeed a G-d in the world, that there is good and evil and punishment for that evil. When the wicked kill and injustice reigns, surely the wicked cry out: “There is no G-d, for if their was He would punish me.” And the victim in his agony, agrees. When there is no vengeance and punishment and the wicked reign, G-d is pushed from his throne; it is the greatest Hillul Hashem – desecration to G-d’s Name, it is “proof” that there is no G-d.

  17. @ bernard ross:

    I thought there might be a connection was one of my reasons for posting other than I like good adventurous Jewish stories especially when based of historical facts.

    Ties to Columbus and the Jews as well. Should Jews claim indigenous rights to Jamaica???? 🙂

    Just kidding!!!!

  18. @ yamit82:
    thanks for these memories:
    Ed Kritzler was a good friend of mine since I first went to jamaica in 1968. He was then a copy writer for the Jamaica tourist Board. I spent many a time at his house in red Hills in those days when we were all young. That was when his first wife was still his girlfriend and he introduced me to who turned out to be my first girlfriend in Jamaica, she also worked at the JTB. He had 3 wives through the years. He went back to the US for a number of years and then returned again to Jamaica in his last years. It looks like the videos were made when he was dying of cancer. I went to a remembrance ceremony for him in jamaica around 2009 or 10, cant remember the exact year. Ed was known for his boisterous enthusiasm.
    Pretty much any spanish or portuguese surname in Jamaica descends from the Jews who inhabited Jamaica during the spanish reign and remained after the English conquest. The Jews are now the oldest inhabitants of the island as the original natives were killed by the spanish. Their history is fascinating but it was Eddie who brought into the public light the pirate history of the jews.

  19. Request from the Devastated Widows
    and their Bereaved Families

    “Sing aloud, O Nations… for He avenges the blood of His servants… and atones for His Land and His people”

    Our hearts are broken and melting amidst tears over the spilling of the blood of the martyred heads of our families – may God avenge their death.

    We turn to you, our fellow Jewish brethren wherever you may be! Let us all unite in order that we receive God’s mercy. Let us take upon ourselves to increase love and brotherhood between people, communities, and diverse groups.

    We implore each person to take upon himself at the onset of Shabbat, to sanctify this Holy Shabbat, Parshat Toledot (the eve of the Rosh Chodesh Kislev), to make this Shabbat a day of unconditional love – a day of refraining from divisiveness and arguments, gossip and tale-bearing.

    This act will bring about a great elevation of our husbands’ souls, slaughtered in sanctification of God’s Name, may He be blessed.

    May God look down from above, see our suffering, wipe away our tears. and say “Enough!” to our troubles. May we be worthy to witness the coming of the Messiah very soon – amen, amen!

  21. @ honeybee:

    THE SOUND OF A CIRCLE

    The sound of a circle rolls upwards from below,
    obscure chariots going and revolving

    The sound of melodies goes up and down
    it goes and wanders in the world.

    The voice of a shofar extends
    through the depths of stairs,
    and the circle spins around.
    That’s the sound,
    the sound of a circle going up and down.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7_PFoSUIpE

  22. @ honeybee:
    HB thank you. Do not worry. Most of the time I can understand the lyrics. If I want the lyrics I can always Google it.
    I like BR version better also.
    I’m feeling better but I will be out more often. It is very cold here in NY. Today it was warmer. Temperatures have been in the twenties. Yesterday morning 23o. Tomorrow I hope is like today. How is the temperature in Texas?

  29. @ yamit82:

    , “…’If I forget you, O Jerusalem, withered be my right hand! May my tongue cleave to my palate, if I ever not think of you, if ever I not set Jerusalem above my chiefest joy!’

    King David didn’t pen these words as just a pretty poem. “

    Actually, he didn’t pen those words at all.

    “On the wings of Divine Inspiration, he is teaching us that our love for Jerusalem is to be the guiding principle of our lives. We are to set Jerusalem above our chiefest joy, to struggle in its behalf, and to dedicate ourselves to its holy rebuilding.”

    ‘How can we sing the L-rd’s song in a foreign land?’ King David asks.”

    He DOESN’T ask.

    No way King David wrote those words. He’d been pushing up the daisies for over 400 years when they were written.

    Just because something is in Tehillim [Pslams 137] doesn’t automatically make it David’s work.

    The “foreign land” alluded to was Babylon, and the Babylonian Captivity (beginning 586 BC) was well under way

    — as Verse One makes quite clear: “By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion.”

    And Tzvi Fishman, from whom you lifted those stirring words of commentary, should have known better.

  32. dove Said:

    Bernard Ross is correct in his responses to Yamit……period.’

    Like hell he is “Period.”

    Good luck with your Hebrew. When You get here we can converse.. I don’t speak Canadian too good.

  33. @ bernard ross:

    Bernard Ross is correct is his responses to Yamit. Having secular Jews in power in Israel is as harmful as the left.

    Your right Bernard. I was in a hurry and lumped my personal opinion in with agreeing with your findings. I should have said….’Bernard Ross is correct in his responses to Yamit……period.’

    In another sentence then I could have stated that in my opinion Secular Jews making decisions for Israel can be as harmful as the left…. they tend to be too lenient with our oppressors and lack confidence. When you are that far removed from the Torah you will lack confidence.

  34. @ yamit82:

    “If I forget you, O Jerusalem, withered be my right hand! May my tongue cleave to my palate, if I ever not think of you, if ever I not set Jerusalem above my chiefest joy!”

    Is this the same or almost the same. Found it in an old book from home.
    “Si me olvidara de ti Jerusalem, si me olvidara, a olvido sea entregada mi mano derecha. Quede pegada mi lengua al paladar si yo no me acordara de ti.”

  35. dove Said:

    Bernard Ross is correct is his responses to Yamit. Having secular Jews in power in Israel is as harmful as the left.

    I dont remember saying this but my complaint is that I never hear Israeli GOI leadership from any sector who clearly states unequivocally the Jewish settlement in YS and all of Israel is both legal and legitimate. Bennett speaks annexation of C but that is not the same thing. My view is that the lack of response to this canard and libel on the part of Israel also fuels and increases these libels and fuells anti semitism. The GOI always qualifies Jewish settlement as limited to Jewish neighborhoods in Jerusalem,areas over the green line which will be kept in any agreement. As for the religious sector I am disappointed in that they can muster protest of thousands for perks and hundreds of thousands for a rabbi’s funeral but I have never seen them muster a protest for Jewish settlement in YS.
    yamit82 Said:

    I think BR is against the religious not me.

    No, I am against behaviors. I am for religious zionists and against religious sects who cavort in support of enemies of the jewish people and against israel. In general I am against religous anti zionists and lump them with the shtetleists who advised Jews to stay in Europe during the holocaust. I find the worship of 18th century Polish aristocratic fashion to be distasteful and indicative of superficiality. I find their disloyalty to the Jewish people to be distasteful and sometimes divisive. I do not respect their living on the Jewish people and then disparaging Israel and Israelis who serve in the IDF.

  37. @ yamit82:

    There was another thread that you and Benard were going back and forth on. I am more supportive of his position.

    The ‘religious’ in Israel are the haredi – not a good choice. Your position on the diaspora is bleak. I am not prepared to throw all the Jews in the diaspora out – which seems to be your position – especially in North America.

    I just started Hebrew classes this week.

  39. dove Said:

    Bernard Ross is correct is his responses to Yamit. Having secular Jews in power in Israel is as harmful as the left.

    Huh???? Don’t remember what thread you are referring to but are you saying that I am against a religious Jew leading the country???

    I think BR is against the religious not me.

    , “If I forget you, O Jerusalem, withered be my right hand! May my tongue cleave to my palate, if I ever not think of you, if ever I not set Jerusalem above my chiefest joy!”

    King David didn’t pen these words as just a pretty poem. On the wings of Divine Inspiration, he is teaching us that our love for Jerusalem is to be the guiding principle of our lives. We are to set Jerusalem above our chiefest joy, to struggle in its behalf, and to dedicate ourselves to its holy rebuilding.

    “How can we sing the L-rd’s song in a foreign land?” King David asks.

    The answer is that we can’t.

    To sing the L-rd’s song, you have to sing it in Israel, as Shir HaMaalot (Psalm 120) teaches: “Our mouth was filled with laughter and our tongue with ringing song” (Psalm, 126:2).

    When?

    “When the L-rd brought the exiles back to Zion” (there, verse 1).

  40. Paypal isn’t perfect – my card # got out somehow – and I only use Paypal to contribute to one charity – the only payment they accept.

  43. @ dove:
    Hi Dove, glad to see you around here. You can have a credit card with paypal. Whenever you make a charge with paypal it is charged to your credit card. It is very convenient because it is much easier to keep every expense in one place. At the end of the month just pay your credit card in full and it is
    great. I have several credit cards but use only one. Many websites from stores and other places allows you to pay with paypal. Then you do not have to go through the process of giving all the information they require when paying with a credit card. Better to keep the information private. I find
    paypal very efficient and convenient. You do not have to pre-pay anything when you purchase something.
    Nice to see you around here again. I have been away since I’m convalescing from a procedure I had done in the hospital. Starting to feel better than ever.

  44. I just tried making a donation 3 times with a credit card and it keeps saying there is information missing but there is no info missing. I could use paypal but you will have to wait a few days so I can deposit money into my paypal account.

  46. @ Ted Belman:

    You misunderstood my comment. There are Jews (mainly the young Jews) who need to be warned about what Jews in the Diaspora are going to be facing as anti-Semitism is on the rise.

    We can’t count on our Rabbis to do this as they come at everything from a religious perspective. We need to unite as a People as we are facing this war on a global level. The older Jews have scared off the younger ones and are pushing them away.

    Bernard Ross is correct is his responses to Yamit. Having secular Jews in power in Israel is as harmful as the left.

    I hope Bennett gets in as your next PM. I am not disputing that Israel will be a great place to live but G-d does not only care about Israeli Jews…..G-d also cares about us in the diaspora.

    An old religious die hard was giving me action for not being as good a Jew as him. I said ‘Excuse me?’ Where have you been all these years? Where is your support for our homeland? Don’t expect me to be a knowitall Jew you hypocrite! We need to put our differences aside because I can assure you it is about to get whole lot worse in the diaspora.

  48. Hi Ted….This is the first time I have checked out your site in awhile. I know you work hard and I will make a donation.

    I have figured out the problem with Israel. I wasn’t trying to a find a problem but it kept being dropped in my lap. I met one of your head honchos that interrogates terrorists. When asked the question if their strategy was being based on Jewish Law he replied “No, not at all. There is nothing Jewish about it! I am totally secular”. That’s the problem Ted.

    Perhaps this is just one of the reasons why many of us have been delayed in returning home. I know another Jew who is finding the diaspora hard. He was planning to move to Israel this summer but has now delayed it. I found this puzzling. He is young…only in his 20’s and very likable. He has many friends of all stripes. It’s as if ‘in spirit’ we already made our trek to Israel and have been dispatched back to Canada to help warn and save others.

    I find I am quite combatant with complacent Jews. I don’t try to be but if they want to challenge me….they are going to get an earful. Take care!!