Showing posts with label Bible. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bible. Show all posts
January 9, 2025
October 26, 2024
September 18, 2024
August 22, 2024
October 16, 2022
Israel, Warrior Nation
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(Source Photo: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flickr_-_Israel_Defense_Forces_-_Givati_Recon_Company_at_Training.jpg)
October 9, 2021
Light at the End of The Ark
Why was Noah commanded to build a skylight in the ark?
Noah and all the fascinating people in the Bible weren’t just characters in a novel, but they were real people and they experienced up and downs, as we all do in life. The key to remember is that there is always a window where we can see our relative good fortune and everything we have to be grateful for, where we can keep an eye on the light at the end of tunnel (as my father used to say about bad things, “this too shall pass”), and we can look up to our Father in Heaven and remember that He will bring deliverance to us. Even in the mightiest of floods that devastated the world, G-d was still there for us, and He was, is, and always will be!
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
August 25, 2021
Israel and Our Forefathers
It shows that the Hebrew word for Israel is actually made up of the first letters of all the names of our forefathers and mothers:
Isaac - יצחק
Jacob - יעקב
Sarah - שרה
Rebecca - רבקה
Rachel - רחל
Abraham - אברהם
Leah - לאה
Like the Bible says, we are truly the "children of Israel" (ישראל)! ;-)
(Credit Photo: RavDror via Facebook)
April 11, 2021
Never A Doubt: Not An Inch
Please see my new article in The Times of Israel called, "Never A Doubt: Not An Inch."
In an effort to make peace with the Palestinians, some perhaps well-meaning politicians have attempted to negotiate to give away parts of the holy land of Israel, and this is a big mistake. In contrast to these politicians and some diehard “peaceniks” (i.e. who believe in peace at almost any cost), there are many people in Israel, from Zionists and nationalists to settlers, messianists, and the religious who maintain a deep underlying faith that the land of Israel, in its entirety, belongs to the Jewish people. Moreover, they trust that our current and miraculous possession of Israel, after 2,000 years of exile, is anchored in our transition from helpless, stateless, and victimized Jews to instead those of self-reliance, bold action, and faith in the Almighty that we are living in the times of redemption and Mashiach.
It’s not easy to stand firm in the face of delegitimization, boycotts, terrorism, and even war. For Jews, it’s a matter of faith over fear. If we have faith that G-d has brought us back to Israel and that he will not forsake us, then we will neither fear the absurdly biased resolutions of the crooked United Nations or the nations and their terror proxies roundabout that have sought our destruction. In the end, G-d decides, and not man, the fate of Israel and its people, and let it be for blessings only.
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
July 15, 2020
Don't Lose Your Head
Woman are notorious in the Bible for taking men’s heads—and I mean taking them!
The great news is that women are awesome fighters, the bad news is that your head is a very valuable thing to lose.
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
November 26, 2019
A Song of Saul and David
Great song: David and Shaul from Ehud Banay's third album, ”The Third/Hashlishi”
The song is about the "bipolar" feelings of King Saul toward David (then the next king of Israel).
Here are the lyrics:
כולם מזמן הלכו לישון
רק שאול ער, קודר
מרים לדוד טלפון
A late-night hour
Everyone is long gone to sleep
Only Shaul is awake, cheerless
He calls David up over the phone
נפשי אגם שחור
תביא איתך את הגיטרה
כי באצבעותיך אור
Maybe you should stop by, Ya David
My soul is a black lake
Bring the guitar with you
For you have light in your fingers
דוד בא מיד רגוע,
מתיישב ומכוון
את המלאכה היטב יודע
עוצם עיניים, מנגן
David comes right away and he is calm
Sit down and tunes (the guitar)
The job he well knows
Closes his eyes, he plays
עשר אצבעות לדוד
קצה כל אצבע - קרן אור
כשהוא פורט על המיתר
הזמן זורם לו לאחור
Ten fingers David has
The tip of each one - a ray of light
When he port on the string
The time is flowing backwards
קרבות בתוך בטנו
אוהב-שונא, ומקנא
מכור לחברו
Shaul is torn inside
Battles in his stomach he has
Love-hate, and jealous he is
Addicted to his friend
השד חוזר להשתולל
סכין נזרקת באוויר
פתאום יש בין השנים קיר
Something dark falls
The demon is back to a rage
A knife is thrown in the air
Suddenly there is a wall between the two
דוד מתחמק משאול
אבל שאול לא מוותר
דוד שוכח וסולח
כששאול מתקשר
דוד שוכח וסולח
כששאול מתקשר
David is avoiding Shaul
But Shaul is not giving up
David forget and forgives
When Shaul call up
בוא שוב לנגן לי דוד
קח אותי לכוכבים
בוא שוב לנגן הלילה
שיר געגועים
קח אותי לכוכבים
בוא שוב לנגן הלילה
שיר געגועים
Come again to play to me David
Take me to the stars
Come again to play tonight
A song of longing
בוא שוב לנגן הלילה...
Come again and play tonight..
שיר געגועים...
Come again and play tonight..
A song of longing..
(Kudos to my Ulpan teacher, Rivka D. for sending me the video and to Izchak, my wonderful son-in-law, for providing the Hebrew/English lyrics)
May 10, 2019
Who Is Occupying Whom?
Please see my new article in The Times of Israel called, "Who Is Occupying Whom?"
- Palestine was never a state, nor one ever administered by Palestinians.
- Israel is not occupying any foreign sovereign’s land, so it cannot legally be considered an occupier.
- There was never any partition plan accepted by the Arabs or implemented, so Israel is not occupying anything.
- It is Israel that has continuously opened itself to the Arabs as citizens and settlers, while the Arab countries have rejected their own Arab brethren and exiled their Jews.
I hope you read this article and understand the lies and propaganda that is being spread about "the occupation."
July 3, 2018
Going Back To Ulpan
It was 2.5 hours and it was such a joy for me and my wife and one of my daughter to have the wonderful opportunity to participate in this.
It wasn't like in Yeshiva where we focused on learning the Biblical and prayer book Hebrew, and on Aramaic from the Talmud, but was more focused on modern-day conversational Hebrew.
I loved learning and speaking the words, for example to describe a large cosmopolitan city like Tel Aviv.
We also listened to recordings of others speaking, read the text, and learned verbs.
It reminded me of my mom, who also used to love to take Ulpan, and carried around her notebook with the Hebrew words and their translation and the many descriptive verbs--she was so happy learning and practicing.
Given my horrible language skills, it was funny for me that I was asked if I wanted to join the advanced class...ah, no! (or at least not yet...)
While so many languages (and cultures) have died over the ages, Hebrew and the modern State of Israel is a complete revival--it's truly miraculous!
There were people in the class from Asia, South America, and all over the world!
And from all the people there, I felt a tremendous love not only for the language, but for the land of Israel, and the Jewish people.
I wish like this beautiful language we all embraced, everyone could love and not hate us anymore!
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
January 31, 2018
Birthday of Trees
That is the Birthday for (fruit) Trees!
It's when Jewish people celebrate and plant trees around the world and especially in the Holy Land.
Last night, we celebrated with Chabad Israeli Center of Rockville where they had not only of the "7 Fruits" of Israel (wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives, and dates), but they also had some very nice wine and cheese, delicious bourekas, and pastries.
We learned about the biblical meaning of the "7 Species of Fruits" and the flourishing of the land of Israel, celebrated with music and song, and played a trivia game with our smartphones using a cool new gaming and learning application, called Kahoot.
A special thank you to Chabad Rabbi Shlomo Beitsh and to Samy Ymar for sponsoring the event.
Overall, a beautiful evening to meet new people and celebrate a very happy birthday to the beautiful trees and mother nature that G-d has so benevolently bestowed on us. ;-)
(Source Photos: Andy Blumenthal)
January 11, 2018
Bringing Down The House
And one of my favorite stories and Biblical characters.
Samson was dedicated to G-d from birth and was an enormous warrior.
Even when he was betrayed, blinded, and bound, he maintained his ultimate faith in G-d.
He prayed that he be given the strength one more time to bring justice to G-d's enemies.
And that's when he pushed against the pillars and brought the house down on them.
On one hand, a tragic figure that trusted and was fooled by the beautiful Delilah, but a completely heroic man of great integrity, who believed in G-d and in vanquishing his enemies.
Look to the Heavens for your strength and G-d can grant you the ultimate strength to achieve your mission in life and even in death. ;-)
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
December 6, 2017
Mazel Tov On Jerusalem
- 70 years after President Truman instructed the State Department to support the U.N. partition plan.
- 50 years since the Six Day War in which Jerusalem was reunified.
- 22 years after the Jerusalem Embassy Act was passed for relocating the U.S. Embassy to the capital, Jerusalem.
Everyone has been patient and waited a long time for this.
As President Trump stated, we are recognizing the reality, the obvious, and "it is the right thing to do!"
Yes, Israel is a sovereign nation with the right to determine their own capital as every nation does.
And Jerusalem is that capital today as it has been historically from the times of the Bible.
We are blessed to be witnessing in our time the miraculous fulfillment of G-d's promise for the quintessential return of the Israelites to the Promised Land, and toward the ultimate redemption.
From the ashes of the Holocaust, G-d has resurrected and brought us alive again.
Many that I have spoken with today express genuine fear about the ramifications of this announcement of recognition.
But as President Trump displayed today, we must all go forward together courageously and in celebration.
The State of Israel is blooming from its agricultural fields to the incredible medical and technological innovations that are helping people throughout the world.
We must never forget that it is only with G-d's blessing and under his watchful eye.
May we all pray for peace and security, and let their not be war or terrorism anymore! ;-)
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal via WhiteHouse.gov)
October 21, 2017
The Origin of Government In The Bible
Thought this was a really interesting speech by the Rabbi Haim Ovadia in synagogue today.
The origin of government and the function/dysfunction of society and rule of law is rooted in the in beginnings of mankind as told in the Bible/Torah.
Starting with Adam and Even in the Garden of Eden -- This was pretty much anarchy with only one law at the time not to eat the apple from the forbidden Tree of Knowledge.
Then in Noah's Generation - There was oligarchy with roaming gangs that took the women and committed wickedness.
Followed by the Tower of Babel -- This was communism with everyone united to build and have a common property, a great city and tower reaching to the heavens.
Subsequently Sodom & Gomorrah - This was capitalism with people looking after their own selves and cities, getting spoiled of their material goods, and committing all manner of vices.
And only then in the time of Abraham - There arose democracy with G-d electing Abraham and the Israelites based on lovingkindness and charity.
As we know from the Bible and can see in the chart above, only democracy resulted in blessings for all of mankind.
Yes, the election in the bible was made by G-d, but the notion is one based on "elected" representatives that do good and are a light for the whole world--so no, dictators need not apply!
The Bible is truly a blueprint for us as to how we can live our lives as well as how we can govern the world effectively . ;-)
(Source Graphic: Andy Blumenthal)
August 5, 2017
Thou Shalt Not
What stood out to me was when he talked about the Ten Commandments, particularly the 2nd set of five.
And how some people hear what they want to hear.
All of the 2nd five start with "Thou shalt not," but there are those people that only hear the part that comes after those words.
So for example: Thou shalt not kill...steal...commit adultery...lie...desire.
But not everyone listens to the "Thou shalt not" and instead they just hear--selectively:
- Kill
- Steal
- Commit adultery
- Lie
- Desire
If you take out the "Thou shalt nots," you are left with a list of terrible and evil deeds.
How convenient for those who are looking for the upper hand and pleasures in life--get rich quick, get and maintain power, take whatever and whomever you want and when you want it--no matter who it belongs to or how they feel.
Like the good angel and bad angel sitting over our shoulders and one says don't do the bad thing and the other encourages us to do!
Who you going to listen to?
Not everyone seems to care--they live for today and forget about tomorrow.
Yet every misdeed leaves a tarnish on our soul, while every good deed adds a merit.
And if there is no justice in the end then who the hell wants to be in such a world anyway. ;-)
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
August 2, 2017
Greatest Museum of Them All
The Museum of the Bible.
Right here in Washington, D.C.--a few blocks from the Capitol.
There is a wonderful video on their website.
It's 430,000 square feet and 8 stories floors.
With two 40-feet-high bronze doors that look like the Ten Commandments.
And an overall tall and narrow shape with a curved roof that reminds me of Noah's Ark.
It encompasses:
Religion.
History.
Art.
It all comes together here.
There is an interesting display of all the different versions of the Bible.
But what it all points to is how similar we all really are.
The emergence of faith in The One G-d who created us all--his children--and the foundation in the words of His book.
Yes, we share in common much more than what separates us.
If we can just see ourselves in His eyes and be the people we can be and were meant to be.
The museum should be an inspiration to be better, to be brothers, to have peace, to partner and progress to the future.
With our faith sustaining us, and the Bible and our conscience as our guides, we can overcome. ;-)
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
April 18, 2017
The Nature of Good and Evil
Like in the Bible...
When our forefather Itzchak was about to bless his son Jacob and he said the words (are good) like Jacob, but the hands (deeds) feel like Esau.
Words are cheap, and actions speak volumes louder!
Good deeds mean something, but words are easily manipulated.
We can all spot good deeds, and that is what must guide our judgement of people and situations--that is where the truth rests.
Like my father and grandfather always taught me--some people are good and some are not so good. ;-)
(Source Video: Dannielle Blumenthal)
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