I learned a lesson today (Tuesday, 21 May 2024, 13 Iyyar 5784) when my computer refused to reboot after a Torah class. I was offline for a couple of hours and, instead of getting upset about it because my at-home fix-it-guy wasn't home, I went and did something I had been wanting to do for months: A small gardening task on the retaining wall leading to the entrance to the apartment building where I live.
Last year around this time someone planted a mint bush there, and it flourished all summer as I (and possibly others) watered it. Weeds started growing next to it during the winter that looked like very large dandelions, but with pricks up and down their stems. I still don't know what they really are, even after searching for them online.
When the first signs of spring arrived this year, I noticed that tiny ants had started moving into the spots around these plants, but I was too busy to deal with it then.
It turned out that there were two colonies of different sized ants of the smaller varieties, even smaller than I'm used to.
Just so you understand, I'm not the appointed gardener here. But as my fix-it-guy says, no tenant here takes responsibility, so he often does, with different things. I took responsibility today with the retaining wall.
When I started working on the weeding, ants came pouring out. Fortunately, they didn't all jump on me at once, but many did, and I had to blow them off. Literally. I didn't want to kill them; I was aiming at the weeds, after all. But what I was doing was affecting their lives very greatly.
I found one ant had planted itself in my left arm, like a bee would. It was then that I realized that ants have stingers, they're just not as prominent as those of other bugs. But they are more like bees and wasps than I had realized, just not as poisonous per animal. More about ants HERE.
After dealing with that ant, and having taken out the weeds and throwing them over the wall, I watered what remained. Ants came pouring out again; I moved so they wouldn't jump on me. After a while I noticed that there weren't so many of them hanging around.
I think they "moved house." At least, I hope they did, for their own sake.
***
My lesson learned had as much to do with my people, Israel, if not more, as with the ants. It occurred to me that the people of this earth think that the Jews are like ants, who will move if their nest is uprooted or otherwise threatened.
I hate to tell you this, but with the Jews this has a limit. Just because you have seen Jews move about over the last 2,000 years, you think this will go on until there are no more Jews, even though the Bible and the Quran both declare Israel the Land of the Jews. Not just the land we're sitting on now, but much more than that. We are not ants, despite what you think of us because of our historically diminished population size. You will find out that we have a God Who has temporarily punished us because of our misbehavior, but Who loves us nonetheless.
If ants have a right to defend themselves and build their homes, all the more so do the Jews.
It may be that the death of the president of Iran and seven other high officials is the beginning of the end for our 'brother' enemies in the Middle East.
Unless you repent of your wicked ways!
We're really not ants, you know. This is our disguise! 😜
***
After doing my job outside, when I came back inside, my computer started working again. Baruch haShem!
I only stumbled on the particularly relevant video above on the day I posted.
***
P.S. Don't forget to pray for Arvin Netanel ben Sonia Tziona, as well as all the Jewish hostages all over the world, in addition to the ones in Gaza.
11 Iyyar 5784 | יא באייר ה'תשפ"ד 26th Day of the Omer Count
NOTE: This post is dedicated to my rabbi, R' Ephraim Avraham Sprecher, zz"l (Rabbi was niftar yesterday, Shabbat Emor.)
Arvin Netanel Ghahremani ben Sonia Tziyona. From Matzav.com, obviously 😉
*UPDATES* BELOW
Perhaps you have heard of the imminent execution of a young man, Arvin Ghahremani, for the death of Amri Shokri. Both are from Iran.
Certainly, this needs context, and it is hard to get, but here is what we have as of this writing:
The deed took place in Iran two years ago. Arvin is a Jew, while Amri was a Muslim. For anyone who knows about religious laws in Iran, which all of the countries except Israel have in common (I don't think there are Christian countries here anymore; there used to be), we can derive the following point: Arvin is a dhimmi, and thus has far fewer rights than Amri, the one with the ruling religion.
Arvin is a Torah scholar, while we don't know what Amri was.
The actual facts on the ground don't seem to matter to the Iranians, but in absolute terms they do, especially as complete redemption approaches. As far as I can determine, in chronological order:
1. Arvin lent Amri money more than two years ago, when he was 18 years old.
2. At some point, Arvin asked for his money back.
3. Amri didn't want to pay Arvin back, so he brought a knife with him and threatened Arvin with it. According to at least one report, 7 men attacked him. (see below)
4. Arvin defended himself from this imminent threat and Amri ended up dead, from his own weapon being used on him.
5. Amri's parents won't accept the blood money that is every Iranian's right to offer; Iranian Jews from all over, and as far away as Los Angeles, offered them money. THEY WANT THE JEW DEAD, NO MATTER WHAT. A number of ways to pay this money have been DECLINED.
I am not a legal expert of any kind, but from a derekh eretz point of view I see some problems:
Muslim law dictates that dhimmis not possess weaponry or defend themselves in any way from attack by someone of the dominant religion.
Amri was killed with a knife, apparently his own large knife.
If Muslims believe in their law, they have to admit that Arvin didn't possess a knife, thus no intention to kill Amri. Arvin only wanted his money back, that he'd lent to Amri.
The fact that Amri was killed by his own weapon is his own fault because he brought it with him.
But Muslim law declares the Muslim's superiority over the dhimmi Jew, thereby nullifying Amri's fault "legally."
While I was writing this post, this breaking news item came across: The execution was held off for another month. By the time you read this, there will be more articles on this.
While one could take this to be torture for Arvin and his family, I see a silver lining: The authorities don't really believe that Arvin is guilty of the charges against him. If they believe in their own law, they know that Arvin didn't have a weapon, much less bring one to the fight 2 years ago.
Therefore, I believe that Arvin has been, and still is, a hostage of the Iranian government for the past 2 years.
If they really believe in God, they will ultimately let him go free, or be forced to do so by a Higher Authority.
Speaking of which, I was praying this morning and asked H' to act accordingly, and He
apparently took the next step. This post is to advocate the complete freedom
and justice for Arvin Netanel, not just mercy and softened hearts. It's time to let him go.
Please continue to pray for, and say tehillim for, Arvin Netanel ben Ziona. Several versions of his Hebrew name are here in case you want to pray for him by any of them.
Some ways to pray in joint tehillim readings (all the same person):
One article said he was released, but I can't find any confirmation or details. Please feel free to write me at my blog address if you find anything that gives details on his release, and how you want to be mentioned, or not at all, if you prefer.
Many thanks in advance!
***
UPDATE after Shabbat 23 Sivan 5784: with your Tehillim, Hashem has decided to extend this for another 40 days. They received a 40 day extension this morning. Pls DO NOT add anything to this when passing the news.
UPDATE: From a WhatsApp news group: The Mekubal from LA wants people to pray Ps. 51, and while reading verse 12 there, say the names of Amri's parents: Iman Shukri (father) and Hadiyeh Nazari Mir Aghaei (mother), that they should agree to free Arvin Netanel ben Sonia.
Psalm 13, 13 times, are still being said and desired.
UPDATE: According to The Jerusalem Post, time is of the essence, despite the "delay." They can decide to execute him AT ANY MOMENT. The regime (not the people) enjoy executions!!! Maybe the Mekubal would consider praying for the Iranian government to have softer hearts too? Would that work?
I like what H' did to Raisi and all who were with him...the government didn't take that warning, so maybe He would do the world a favor and sink it down into the ground, like Korach and his followers in the Bible?
I have learned from many sources, as I'm sure many of you have as well, that when evil is fully revealed, it is a signal, one of many, that it's time to look for the redemption promised by God. It will be because of a general political and social "climate change," and not for the better.
That means (or at least, implies) that we will see evil openly practiced, without legal consequence or jail terms set and served by a legitimate court, and its system, that has serious proceedings. It's called lawlessness. It has been prophesied that the end would come when even governments would recognize law only if it suited them. Possibly, even worse, "the law" will be made to even permit evil to supersede good (see NYC-proposed law 2.13 search, (allowing the state to seize citizens for no good reason. It's a highly controversial topic as of this writing.) If you're from New York, you may want to send a message to your state senator and assembly member about a similar NY bill, A6761/S8352.
I leave it to you, dear reader, to determine whether we have come to that fork in the road, that place in time, or not. The truth is, too much is going on and it's too soon to determine the outcome.
***
Back home: We here in Israel do not seek to get away with things that are truly criminal, but usually proceedings against Israel prevent her from exercising commonly allowed practices indicating sovereignty, as other nations do. This has been going on for a long time, especially in the United Nations.
Consider the news from the International Criminal Court at The Hague. Israel is not a member of the ICC. But to seize jurisdiction over Israel, the ICC took the legally dubious step of accepting “Palestine” as a member state. Since Oct. 7, the Palestinian Authority has deluged the ICC with war crimes complaints against Israel, even though they lack evidentiary basis. But they are supported politically by a slew of anti-Israel NGOs, and the U.N.’s institutionally anti-Semitic governing apparatus and agencies.
Early this week, rumors began to swirl that ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan is poised to act on these groundless complaints and issue international arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces. If Khan proceeds as reported, Israel’s top leaders will be unable to visit any of the ICC’s 120 member nations without first securing bilateral agreements with authorities in each country not to arrest them during their stay.
This is terrible in and of itself, of course. But the wider implication is even more dire. If Khan goes through with his plan, he will essentially declare Israel a criminal state with no right to self-defense.
Given that Israel is in the midst of a terrible war for its national survival, by denying Israel the right to self-defense, the ICC will deny Israel the right to continue to exist. Moreover, the ICC will have made it the position of the international community that the Jewish state must be destroyed.
***
While I was drafting this post, it was still a rumor...since then, on 28 April (during Pessah), Ms. Glick posted a video update (almost an hour long) that suggests it's become more than that.
It seems as though Israel will ultimately be labeled a criminal country, to be destroyed (see search). This video describes some of the process we are currently undergoing, the result of many years of work, war, and wearing us down on our enemies' part.
It may or may not have to do with Karim Khan. Melanie Phillips wrote in An arresting story that he is an unlikely person to do this at all:
Snippet:
...none of this fits with the known attitude of Khan himself. A
British lawyer and an extremely cautious individual, he is also an
Ahmadi Muslim. Ahmadis are themselves victims of persecution and
oppression within the Islamic world where other Muslims consider them to
be heretics. He is hardly likely to be a Hamas groupie...
Khan, who became the ICC prosecutor in 2021, is undoubtedly keenly
aware of the ICC’s deeply damaged reputation as a court owing more to
international power politics than to the rule of law, and which was all
but wrecked by his two incompetent and deeply partisan predecessors in
the post.
While the current investigation into possible abuses in
Gaza and the disputed “West Bank” territories of Judea and Samaria
dates back to 2014 and has been marked by a number of malign moves
against Israel, Khan will be acutely concerned to repair the ICC’s
reputation as an impartial and fair court of law.
This is very possibly how prophecy will be fulfilled: The whole world, sent possibly by the ICC or some other agency, will come to destroy us, as they command...but none of these have read their favored source of His Holy Word for a very long time. So, they may not realize they're playing into H's hand. Shhh! 😉
***
Another issue in the "climate change" being discussed here is raised by Sheri Oz concerning how the Israeli public is being worked on to leave us without focus on support for proper goals for the war. She asks why only certain voices are being promoted heavily, and others, not so much or not at all; three videos are presented as examples of what she's writing about.
Supposedly, the hostages' families are important; one would think that the different views they hold would be important. But you might detect, if you read this article and listen to the videos, a certain discrimination among the voices, in a certain direction.
***
The "usual" kind of climate change occurred to me earlier this year as well, so I present my question here:
Spring began coming early this year, like the middle of February from where I sit. Are people (especially weather professionals) noticing anything about the sun's path possibly changing too? Will we have a hot summer in the north and a cold winter in the south come June-July-August-September, or will we have a more moderate weather pattern all over the world...and how long will that last?
As of posting, it's still going on in mid-May here, from where I sit, which is a very limited area. I'm not a weather expert, so I don't know — and that's why I'm asking questions about what I think I'm observing.
A progression like this might be an indication that something more significant is happening than a "man-made" climate change. It might be slowly taking over, if the Creator is having mercy on us.
***
A theme I would like to pursue more often is the idea that freedom and equality are secondary compared to common decency ("derekh eretz" דרך ארץ in Hebrew - it's a keyword on my sidebar. 👉). In order for freedom and equality to have life-enhancing meaning, they need common decency as an underlying factor for all law and order.
Why? Because these are not only crazy times, but also the prelude to the time of geulah; and in order to survive it, I believe, we will all need to adjust our notions of what common decency is, after all that multiculturalism, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI; BTW: I think it's so funny that this acronym is the Latin word for God!) and critical race theory (CRT) have contributed to its lack. Ironically, they were supposed to equalize people's behavior toward each other; but instead, they only made things worse by reversing the roles played by each culture/race in the past.
Even better yet, we should all be praying for the coming of the first King of Israel in a couple thousand years! (Hint: this is another way of referring to Mashiah.) Do you really think that the nations will let Israel win this war, as we are now?
My prayer, in addition, is that we citizens of Israel will investigate the benefits to be had by a properly Biblical kingdom so that we will be informed properly, thus be more likely to consent to it.
We have been gaslighted into thinking this would be a bad thing for a very extended period of time! If my experience is normative on this issue, it will be difficult to find a good source of information on the internet. I think we will just have to study the laws from our Tana"ch, and learn the lessons from previous iterations so that we don't repeat them.
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More reading & viewing. I held on to this post for at least 2 weeks before posting. Here we go:
