Shiloh is in the center of the Biblical Heartland. It is mentioned many times in the Bible. We Jews have more connections to Shiloh than almost any other part of the Land of Israel. Only Jerusalem and may Hebron could have more.
Showing posts with label Eretz Yisrael. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Eretz Yisrael. Show all posts
Saturday, April 13, 2019
Shiloh, A Place of Great Beauty
As you know, I live in Shiloh. Some of you even know that I take walks, mostly for fitness. The other day my walking partner and I decided to change our route a bit. We took a short detour, right near our neighborhood, and it was such a treat.
Shiloh is in the center of the Biblical Heartland. It is mentioned many times in the Bible. We Jews have more connections to Shiloh than almost any other part of the Land of Israel. Only Jerusalem and may Hebron could have more.
Shiloh is in the center of the Biblical Heartland. It is mentioned many times in the Bible. We Jews have more connections to Shiloh than almost any other part of the Land of Israel. Only Jerusalem and may Hebron could have more.
Sunday, October 21, 2018
Hiking Through Emek Shiloh Valley עמק שילה
Last Friday at high noon, a multigenerational group from גוש שילה Gush Shiloh Bloc took off together under the guidance of Land of Israel, Eretz Yisrael guide extraordinaire Zeev Ehrlich.
A treasure trove of little-known history and Biblical geography, Ehrlich told us about the unusual nature of the massive Shiloh Valley and its place in Jewish History.
Apparently today's growth of Jewish communities around Emek Shiloh Valley עמק שילה isn't new. Over the millenia, even a few hundred years ago, there were also Jewish towns surrounding the valley and taking advantage of the fertile land for agriculture.
 |
| Zeev Ehrlich |
I'm supporting this list, because I feel that it has the most vision for growth and unity. In order to maximize our potential the numerous existing communities must give up some independence and work together. This is a process that has played out all over Israel. Many of today's major and successful cities also began as small independent communities. No doubt that the גוש שילה Gush Shiloh Bloc will remain a combination of rural and suburban, but too much money and manpower are now being wasted.
The Biblical stories centered in גוש שילה Gush Shiloh Bloc are well-known, and it was very exciting to learn of Jewish life here during other times, even long after the Destruction of the Second Holy Temple. As you can see from the pictures, there's plenty of empty Land for Jewish Life here in גוש שילה Gush Shiloh Bloc.
Friday, May 4, 2018
Blog Round-Up, Lots to Read
Anyone on the internet can read, share and comment. Please feel free to do so. I also appreciate suggestions of new blogs, which aren't on the blogrolls of my two blogs. In order to encourage/tempt you to read different blogs, I just list the titles without identifying the blog.
Please read, comment and share thanks. Here we go:
The New World
Israel 70 Years: Past and Future
Best Wine Producer in Israel
Merlot" Great Shiloh Dairy Restaurant
Nine (9) things I wouldn't have to tell a Canadian neighbour
Wonderful Aliyah Story, "From Big Whine to Big Grapes"
New Starts and Fresh Beginnings
Miriam Peretz, Israel Prize, Yom Ha'atzmaut 5778, 2018
Chuck (Haim) Hornstein Pictures
Yaron's remember garden
Suddenly, Mahmoud Abbas' closest allies turn against him after he mouths off with more antisemitism
Obama Spokesman Blames (Who Else?) The Jooz!
New Discovery in Shiloh Hakeduma, Tel Shiloh
Everyone Knows
It's A Journey Not A Destination
Shabbat Shalom Everyone
Monday, February 19, 2018
Aliyah: Not The "Ultimate Sacrifice"
Not long ago I heard a speaker say something that I found so outrageous, sacrilegious, 'חילול ד chillul Hashem, disparaging of Gd and the Land of Israel, that I searched him out afterwards to tell him how upset he had gotten me. He had called Aliyah "The Ultimate Sacrifice."
Of course I understand that Aliyah, the move to Israel is sometimes more difficult for others as it was for me, but to call it The "Ultimate Sacrifice" puts a value on living outside of Eretz Yisrael, the Land of Israel over living here that has no place in Judaism or reality.
Of course there are adjustments one must make in any move, whether from Brooklyn to Monsey or Monsey to Jerusalem. Most people find any change traumatic, especially when the decision is made by someone else. And sometimes parents don't "market it well" for their kids or find the right educational framework. In any move, parents must be sensitive to their children's needs and advocate for them. I'm still upset with my parents' oblivion to my suffering when we moved from Bayside, NYC, NY to Great Neck, NY. Even though the physical distance was just a few miles, the educational system was totally different. I was put back a grade, and my parents hadn't a clue or didn't care. Maybe it was the parenting style of that time, but nobody, neither parents nor school guidance counselors, ever spoke to me about it.
Moving to Israel, making Aliyah, is totally different from any other move. First of all, Gd commanded us to live in Eretz Yisrael, the Land of Israel. Many of the mitzvot, Torah commandments can only be done here. Besides that, there are government offices and Nefesh B'Nefesh which are dedicated to facilitating the absorption, adjustment, of olim chadashim, newcomers to Israel.
Unlike when my husband and I made aliyah, came here in 1970, Israel is on the same if not higher technological, standard of living as any place else in the world. Today's Israel also has one of the world's strongest economies.
Every move demands change and adjustment. But if you are angry about the decision that had been made for you, learning to see the good and adjusting will be near impossible.
Israel is a wonderful, beautiful country, full of goodness, miracles and chessed. To me it's a sacrifice living any place else.
Before one of my sons went into the IDF he was in a program which had a very good fitness trainer who always said:
Of course I understand that Aliyah, the move to Israel is sometimes more difficult for others as it was for me, but to call it The "Ultimate Sacrifice" puts a value on living outside of Eretz Yisrael, the Land of Israel over living here that has no place in Judaism or reality.
Of course there are adjustments one must make in any move, whether from Brooklyn to Monsey or Monsey to Jerusalem. Most people find any change traumatic, especially when the decision is made by someone else. And sometimes parents don't "market it well" for their kids or find the right educational framework. In any move, parents must be sensitive to their children's needs and advocate for them. I'm still upset with my parents' oblivion to my suffering when we moved from Bayside, NYC, NY to Great Neck, NY. Even though the physical distance was just a few miles, the educational system was totally different. I was put back a grade, and my parents hadn't a clue or didn't care. Maybe it was the parenting style of that time, but nobody, neither parents nor school guidance counselors, ever spoke to me about it.
Moving to Israel, making Aliyah, is totally different from any other move. First of all, Gd commanded us to live in Eretz Yisrael, the Land of Israel. Many of the mitzvot, Torah commandments can only be done here. Besides that, there are government offices and Nefesh B'Nefesh which are dedicated to facilitating the absorption, adjustment, of olim chadashim, newcomers to Israel.
Unlike when my husband and I made aliyah, came here in 1970, Israel is on the same if not higher technological, standard of living as any place else in the world. Today's Israel also has one of the world's strongest economies.
Every move demands change and adjustment. But if you are angry about the decision that had been made for you, learning to see the good and adjusting will be near impossible.
Israel is a wonderful, beautiful country, full of goodness, miracles and chessed. To me it's a sacrifice living any place else.
Before one of my sons went into the IDF he was in a program which had a very good fitness trainer who always said:
הכל בראשThe meaning is that you actually can control your feelings and capabilities. If you look at Aliyah as The "Ultimate Sacrifice," then you will always feel victimized by it, rather than a privileged beneficiary of living here in Gd's HolyLand.
Hakol barosh.
"It's all in your head."
Sunday, April 2, 2017
Israeli Sovereignty vs Terror
No surprise. More terror attacks.
BDS is just a front for pro-Arab terror antisemitism.
When we look for help from the outside world, we'll only find people willing to help us dismantle and weaken the State of Israel.
There is no need to get approval for Israel's existence and survival. On November 29th, 1947, the United Nations grudgingly voted "approval" of a Jewish State, but those countries that voted "yes" never expected that theoretical Jewish State to survive at all.
Every single time we try to please foreigners we get weaker. Dependence on approval of others and foreign aid is the diametric opposite of INDEPENDENCE.
There is only one power mightier than the United Nations, United States etcetera, and that is GD ALMIGHTY!
For those who read the Bible, that's the message there.
Time after time various rulers/dictators/pharaohs/emperors/kings etc attack, invade, conquer and occupy us and our Land, and then somehow we escape/defeat them and renew our rule and independence. If we declare full and uncompromising sovereignty over all of the Land we hold, we will enjoy permanent peace under Gd's eternal protection. But if yet again come to some compromise and follow foreign dictates, we will again find ourselves exiled, attacked and enslaved.
Stabbing attack foiled in HevronThose Arabs sure don't "deserve" a state.
TERRORIST STABS THREE BEFORE BEING SHOT DEAD IN OLD CITY
BDS is just a front for pro-Arab terror antisemitism.
When we look for help from the outside world, we'll only find people willing to help us dismantle and weaken the State of Israel.
There is no need to get approval for Israel's existence and survival. On November 29th, 1947, the United Nations grudgingly voted "approval" of a Jewish State, but those countries that voted "yes" never expected that theoretical Jewish State to survive at all.
Every single time we try to please foreigners we get weaker. Dependence on approval of others and foreign aid is the diametric opposite of INDEPENDENCE.
There is only one power mightier than the United Nations, United States etcetera, and that is GD ALMIGHTY!
For those who read the Bible, that's the message there.
Time after time various rulers/dictators/pharaohs/emperors/kings etc attack, invade, conquer and occupy us and our Land, and then somehow we escape/defeat them and renew our rule and independence. If we declare full and uncompromising sovereignty over all of the Land we hold, we will enjoy permanent peace under Gd's eternal protection. But if yet again come to some compromise and follow foreign dictates, we will again find ourselves exiled, attacked and enslaved.
Wednesday, June 1, 2016
GUEST POST: WHY ALL JEWS MUST DIE!
WHY ALL JEWS MUST DIE!
(guest post by Mr. Cohen)
The Koran teaches that Jews are the biggest enemies of Muslims.
are the Jews and the polytheists...”
___________________________________
Translation of Sahih Bukhari, Book 56:
Narrated by Abu Huraira:
and the stone behind which a Jew
will be hiding will [miraculously] say:
___________________________________
Notice how this Islamic teaching is NEVER
mentioned in the mainstream news media because it
gives the wrong message: It reveals the truth about Islam!
___________________________________
<b><i>Islam Teaches that Jews are Apes and Pigs</i>:</b>
www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/muslim-clerics-jews-are-the-descendants-of-apes-pigs-and-other-animals
___________________________________
because it gives the wrong message:
It reveals the truth about Islam!
************************************************
www.IsraelLawCenter.org
www.TheLawFareProject.org
************************************************
************************************************************
www.IsraelBehindTheNews.com
www.ngo-monitor.org
www.UKMediaWatch.org
************************************************
*************************************************************
www.CameraOnCampus.org
www.Israel-Academia-Monitor.com
www.StandWithUs.com
https://twitter.com/cmaccabees
************************************************
OTHER BLOG POSTS BY MR. COHEN:
Quick Bible Quotes from Joshua and Jeremiah:
http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/11/guest-post-joshua-chapter-23-verse-12.html
https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/12/guest-post-jeremiah-chapter-17.html
http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/05/guest-post-cornelius-tacticus.html
Rambam Rejected Childless Messiah:
http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/08/rambam-rejected-childless-messiah-by-mr.html
Why Muslims Hate Jews:
https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/12/guest-post-why-muslims-hate-jews.html
https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2017/01/guest-post-moynihan-1982.html
Forgotten Oppression against Jews:
https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2017/01/guest-post-forgotten-oppression.html
https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2017/03/guest-post-forgotten-anti-semitism.html
Seven Times Stronger
(a quick quote about American anti-Semitism during the Holocaust):
https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2017/01/guest-post-seven-times-stronger.html
How a Reform Rabbi Become Orthodox (true story):
http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/07/how-did-reform-rabbi-become-orthodox-jew.html
How to Convict the New York Times:
https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/11/guest-post-nyt-erases-israel-from-map.html
http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/03/guest-postnyt-vs-israel.html
Why Pray for Tzahal-IDF:
http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/04/guest-post-why-pray-for-idf.html
How to Pray for Tzahal-IDF:
http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/09/how-to-pray-for-tzahal-idf.html
Why Israel’s 1967 Borders are Undefendable:
https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2017/03/guest-post-why-1967-borders-are-suicide.html
************************************************
www.afsi.org
www.IronDomeAlliance.com
www.KeepJerusalem.org
www.zoa.org
http://5tjt.com/how-aipac-failed-us/
************************************************
(guest post by Mr. Cohen)
While the international news media relentlessly strives to make
Jews look like villains, and Muslims look like innocent victims, nobody seems
to notice that the laws of Islam do not permit any Jewish state anywhere in the
Middle East, regardless of its size or the shape of its borders.
Even if Israel would give the Palestinians their own state, a state
that included ALL of Jerusalem (both east and west Jerusalem), Muslims would
still be required by the laws of their religion to destroy ALL of Israel.
Even if Israel would shrink itself to the size of Yankee Stadium, its
existence would still be a violation of Islamic law [actually, around half-a-dozen
Islamic laws, but I refuse to get distracted by a detailed analysis of Islamic
religious laws], and Muslims would still have a religious obligation to destroy
it.
Last but not least, the holy books of Islam teach that the Islamic Messianic
Era cannot come until
ALL JEWS ARE KILLED: even those Jews who never visited the land of Israel, even those Jews who are non-Zionist, even those Jews who are anti-Zionist; all of them must eventually be killed, and the entire world must be made Judenrein, according to the teachings of Islam.
ALL JEWS ARE KILLED: even those Jews who never visited the land of Israel, even those Jews who are non-Zionist, even those Jews who are anti-Zionist; all of them must eventually be killed, and the entire world must be made Judenrein, according to the teachings of Islam.
Just in case you did not understand what I said in the previous
paragraph, please allow me to explain that according to the laws of Islam, ALL
JEWS MUST EVENTUALLY BE KILLED, even those who live in: England, France,
Russia, Japan, Canada, USA, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Cuba, Panama, Morocco,
Portugal, Switzerland, Singapore, India, Hungary, Hong Kong, South Africa, and
all other lands and nations.
Just in case you did not understand the meaning of "ALL",
that word means: one-hundred percent (100%).
Just in case you did not understand the meaning of "ALL",
that word means: one-hundred percent (100%).
If you still believe that it is possible for Israel to negotiate
a genuine peace treaty with Muslims, then I ask you:
Which part of "ALL JEWS MUST BE KILLED"
did you not understand?
___________________________________a genuine peace treaty with Muslims, then I ask you:
Which part of "ALL JEWS MUST BE KILLED"
did you not understand?
The Koran teaches that Jews are the biggest enemies of Muslims.
The Koran’s 5th
chapter [al-ma’idah = the table], verse 82 says:
“You will find that the people
most
hostile towards the believers
[Muslims] are the Jews and the polytheists...”
___________________________________
Translation of Sahih Bukhari, Book 56:
Narrated by Abu Huraira:
Allah's Messenger [Mohammed]
said,
"The Hour will not be
established
until you fight with the
Jews, and the stone behind which a Jew
will be hiding will [miraculously] say:
"O Muslim!
There is a Jew hiding behind
me, so kill him!"
SOURCE: Sahih al-Bukhari 2924, Book 56,
Hadith
137, Volume 4, Book 52, Hadith 175___________________________________
A slightly different version of this Hadith:
___________________________________
Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger
(Peace be upon him)
as saying:
The last hour would not come unless
the Muslims will fight
against the Jews
and the Muslims would kill them until
the Jews would hide
themselves behind
a stone or a tree and a stone or a tree would say:
“Muslim, or the servant of Allah,
there is a Jew behind me;
come and kill him.”
SOURCE: Sahih Muslim, Book 41, Hadith 6985:
___________________________________Notice how this Islamic teaching is NEVER
mentioned in the mainstream news media because it
gives the wrong message: It reveals the truth about Islam!
___________________________________
<b><i>Islam Teaches that Jews are Apes and Pigs</i>:</b>
www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/muslim-clerics-jews-are-the-descendants-of-apes-pigs-and-other-animals
___________________________________
Notice how this Islamic teaching is
NEVER
mentioned in the mainstream news media, because it gives the wrong message:
It reveals the truth about Islam!
************************************************
PLEASE HELP SUE THE TERRORISTS IN COURT:************************************************
www.IsraelLawCenter.org
www.TheLawFareProject.org
************************************************
THANK YOU VERY MUCH!************************************************
***** ISLAM AND HONOR KILLINGS *****
“The contempt Islam holds toward women is best illustrated through it
time-honored practice of honor killings.
Any woman’s or girl’s perceived transgression against the teachings of
Islam or against a man’s wishes, or behavior that insults a man, permits a male
member of a family to murder the female to avenge and restore honor to the
family in the eyes of society.”
“Honor killings are executed by slitting the victim’s throat, hatcheting
them, stabbing, burning them to death, bullets to the head or chest, or by any
other means imaginable.”
“In addition, it is also customary to cut off the victim’s left hand or
index finger to prove to the tribal elders that the deed has been accomplished
and the family honor can now be restored.’
“Even moderate Jordan withdrew a referendum to tighten laws on honor
killing after devout Muslims said that the law would eradicate Islamic values
and traditions.
Article 341 of Jordanian Law stipulates that murder is a legal act of
defense when:”
“the act of
killing another or harming another was committed as an act of defense against
his life, or his honor, or somebody else’s life or honor.”
“Honor killings are performed throughout the Muslim world. In 1997, an
attorney general in the Palestinian authority told an audience of women that,
in his opinion, the honor killings of women in Gaza and the West Bank were
close to 70% of all female deaths.”
“The independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, citing government
figures, said in a 2006 report that about 1,000 women die annually in honor
killings.”
SOURCE: They Must Be Stopped: Why We
Must Defeat Radical Islam
and How We Can Do It (chapter 9, page 175) by Brigitte Gabriel,
year 2008, year 2010, St. Martin’s Press, 288 pages,
ISBN 0312571283, ISBN 9780312571283.
and How We Can Do It (chapter 9, page 175) by Brigitte Gabriel,
year 2008, year 2010, St. Martin’s Press, 288 pages,
ISBN 0312571283, ISBN 9780312571283.
************************************************************
PLEASE HELP DEFEND ISRAEL FROM UNFAIR MEDIA:************************************************************
www.IsraelBehindTheNews.com
www.ngo-monitor.org
www.UKMediaWatch.org
************************************************
THANK YOU VERY MUCH!************************************************
QUICK HISTORY QUIZ:
Which of the following famous religious leaders
or philosophers owned slaves?
or philosophers owned slaves?
(A) Moses (Judaism)
(B) Siddhartha (founder of Buddhism)
(C) Confucius (ancient
Chinese philosopher)
(D) the founder of Christianity
(E) Mohammed (founder of Islam)
(F) Martin Luther (founder of Protestantism)
(G) Rabbi Yisrael Baal Shem Tov (founder of Hassidic Judaism)
(H) Joseph Smith Jr. of Vermont (founder of
Mormonism)
(I) Mary Baker Eddy (founder of Christian Science)
The correct answer is: (E) Mohammed (founder of Islam).
Brigitte Gabriel said:
“Mohammed
himself owned dozens of slaves.
His
followers continue to do so today.”
SOURCE: They Must Be
Stopped: Why We Must Defeat Radical Islam
and How We Can Do It (chapter 9, page 183) by Brigitte Gabriel,
year 2008, year 2010, St. Martin’s Press, 288 pages,
ISBN 0312571283, ISBN 9780312571283.
and How We Can Do It (chapter 9, page 183) by Brigitte Gabriel,
year 2008, year 2010, St. Martin’s Press, 288 pages,
ISBN 0312571283, ISBN 9780312571283.
*************************************************************
PLEASE HELP FIGHT ISRAEL-BASHING ON-CAMPUS:*************************************************************
www.CameraOnCampus.org
www.Israel-Academia-Monitor.com
www.StandWithUs.com
************************************************
THANK YOU VERY MUCH!************************************************
Brigitte Gabriel said:
“Muslims were enslaving black Africans 1,300 years
before slave ships brought black Africans to the New World.”
“Most interesting, though, is that even though black
slavery by Muslims began long ago, also no descendants of those slaves are
alive today in the Muslim world. Why is there no black culture in the Middle
East?”
“Most slaves were either killed or died from being
worked to death.”
“Islamic racism is so entrenched in Muslim society
that the Arabic word for black is abed (slave) or abeeds
(slaves). There is no other respectable
word in the Arabic language that describes a black person as equal or even
human. Blacks are also referred to [in Arabic] as filth.”
SOURCE: They Must Be Stopped: Why We Must Defeat Radical
Islam and How We Can Do It (chapter 9, page 183) by Brigitte Gabriel, year 2008,
year 2010, St. Martin’s Press, 288 pages, ISBN 0312571283, ISBN 9780312571283.
____________________________________________________________OTHER BLOG POSTS BY MR. COHEN:
Quick Bible Quotes from Joshua and Jeremiah:
http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/11/guest-post-joshua-chapter-23-verse-12.html
https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/12/guest-post-jeremiah-chapter-17.html
Ancient Roman historians connected Jews with the Land of Israel and Jerusalem:
https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2017/02/guest-post-josephus-vs-muslim-liars.htmlhttp://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/05/guest-post-cornelius-tacticus.html
Rambam Rejected Childless Messiah:
http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/08/rambam-rejected-childless-messiah-by-mr.html
Why Muslims Hate Jews:
https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/12/guest-post-why-muslims-hate-jews.html
https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2017/01/guest-post-moynihan-1982.html
Forgotten Oppression against Jews:
https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2017/01/guest-post-forgotten-oppression.html
https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2017/03/guest-post-forgotten-anti-semitism.html
Seven Times Stronger
(a quick quote about American anti-Semitism during the Holocaust):
https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2017/01/guest-post-seven-times-stronger.html
How a Reform Rabbi Become Orthodox (true story):
http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/07/how-did-reform-rabbi-become-orthodox-jew.html
Sephardic Jews Reject Reform Judaism:
https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2017/07/sephardim-reject-reform.html
https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2017/08/guest-post-persian-rabbis-decree.html
https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2017/07/sephardim-reject-reform.html
https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2017/08/guest-post-persian-rabbis-decree.html
How to Convict the New York Times:
https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/11/guest-post-nyt-erases-israel-from-map.html
http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/03/guest-postnyt-vs-israel.html
Why Pray for Tzahal-IDF:
http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/04/guest-post-why-pray-for-idf.html
How to Pray for Tzahal-IDF:
http://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2016/09/how-to-pray-for-tzahal-idf.html
Why Israel’s 1967 Borders are Undefendable:
https://shilohmusings.blogspot.com/2017/03/guest-post-why-1967-borders-are-suicide.html
************************************************
HELP-ISRAEL ORGANIZATIONS TO JOIN:************************************************
www.afsi.org
www.IronDomeAlliance.com
www.KeepJerusalem.org
www.zoa.org
http://5tjt.com/how-aipac-failed-us/
************************************************
THANK YOU VERY MUCH!************************************************
Sunday, February 8, 2015
Jewish People/Nation/Religion Like No Other. Maybe That's Why We're Hated?
The children of Israel camp opposite Mount Sinai, where they are told that G‑d has chosen them to be His “kingdom of priests” and “holy nation.” The people respond by proclaiming, “All that G‑d has spoken, we shall do.”In the title I gave this post, I called us not only a religion, because we're also a people and and nation and I even left out another two crucial aspects.
On the sixth day of the third month (Sivan), seven weeks after the Exodus, the entire nation of Israel assembles at the foot of Mount Sinai. G‑d descends on the mountain amidst thunder, lightning, billows of smoke and the blast of theshofar, and summons Moses to ascend.
G‑d proclaims the Ten Commandments, commanding the people of Israel to believe in G‑d, not to worship idols or take G‑d’s name in vain, to keep theShabbat, honor their parents, not to murder, not to commit adultery, not tosteal, and not to bear false witness or covet another’s property. The people cry out to Moses that the revelation is too intense for them to bear, begging him to receive the Torah from G‑d and convey it to them. (Chabad)
- We Jews have a very unique language, Hebrew, which unlike other languages has what can be considered "magic letters." As I mentioned in my book review of "Lashon HaKodesh: History, Holiness, & Hebrew," any combination of them has meaning.
- We Jews are a Land, too. Many of our Mitzvot, G-d given commandments are based on being in the Land He gave us, the HolyLand, the Land of Israel.
No other society or religion or nation or language is like the Jewish one. Is it this uniqueness that is the proof that we are G-d's Chosen People, and the other nations, religions etc are jealous? That could be it, because the two most powerful and ambitious religions Christianity and Islam both attempt to supplant us. Both have stolen the narrative of our Bible, our Land and try to show that G-d has rejected the Jews and chosen them. In today's lingo it's called "identity theft."
And why is, davka, this important Torah Portion named after a man who wasn't born a Jew? That must be because instead of being jealous and hateful of the Jewish People, Yitro accepted and recognized that we Jews are G-d's Chosen People.
Today's world is mirroring many of the events in our ancient past. And just the fact that we Jews are the same People as lived thousands of years ago, while all of our ancient enemies are no longer in existance, troubles those who are trying to supplant and destroy us.
The Torah Portion of Yitro stresses that the "righteous gentiles" who accept and support us will always be honored.
Shavua Tov uMevorach
May the New Week be Good and Blessed
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)