Rav Nachman asked Rav Yitzhak, ‘have you heard when Bar Nafli will come? ’Rav Yitzhak asked, ‘who is Bar Nafli’…Rav Yitzhak said, the Messiah [Sanhedrin 96b]

The Messiah will be absolutely mortal, born of a man and a woman [Rambam, Sefer HaVikuah 88] 

The king messiah will be like one of us in every aspect, with a mother and a father. He also will be among the people in exile, suffering the afflictions of exile as his brethren.[Abarbanel, Yeshuot Meschicho 3:3]

Shevet achim gam yachad: “tribes of brothers [living and worshipping] as one, totally united” is the famous refrain of psalm 133, one of the fifteen songs of ascent chanted on the holy days of Sukkot the festival of booths. Hinai mah tov: “it is so good…” In the culminating of the three pilgrim feasts, all Israel unite to re-experience and affirm the teachings in the wilderness and to affirm that they will raise et Sukkat David HaNofelet, “the fallen booth of David” (Amos 9:11). From this verse the Mishnaic sage Rav Nachman derives a nickname of messiah (above). The extensive discussion of his arrival and of the end of days in Talmudic Tractate Sanhedrin emphasizes that the timing of his appearance reflects the status and behavior of all Israel: our actions make a difference, a big difference. So like the lead verse in the famous song, holy writings on the destiny of the Jews emphasize their character as a family that must be whole, intact, complete (shaleim) and in which each person is responsible for the wellbeing of all. The integrity that confronted the sorcerer Balaam turned his curses to blessings (Numbers 22-4).

Today again Israel must change a curse to a blessing…

The leaders of successive governments have turned their backs on Jonathan Pollard although increasingly large majorities of the people and the Knesset have demanded that he be returned to Zion. But he is in his 22^nd year of unjust and deadly incarceration. All Jews suffer for this, in the land and in the exile where Pollard suffers explicitly what others suffer in less obvious ways, distant from the light that is the dream fulfilled. (more…)

Few people today recognize, and, such are our times, few educators want it known that the plays of Shakespeare teach in their details, themes and story patterns the basic tenets of Judaism and the Noahide mitzvot. Let us clarify our understanding of the redemptive capabilities of these plays and how they can illuminate what those seeking a Godly way can do to discern and live the divine goodness in the Creation.  (more…)

The November 07 American mid-term elections have come and gone with predictable results. Pundits from CNN to FOX were unanimous in stating that Republican losses in Congress resulted from “the War in Iraq.” Not only are they totally wrong but, as usual, they have framed the issue in a way that defeats thought, understanding and analysis. That is their job and that is how they keep their jobs.

After examining the disinformation and facts we will briefly consider two interesting new developments.

There is NO war in Iraq (not waged by America, anyway) no more than there is a genuine nation called “Iraq.” Those are two major mystifications that enchain thought and people. Once the American executive branch, the interlocking NSC and State Departments pulled the Marine Division out of Mesopotamia late in April 2003 it became clear Americans were facing another social work – police action later dubbed, “operation freedom and democracy in Iraq.” Like Korea but worse, this was meant to fail (more…)

The end returns to the beginning in the lives of individuals, ideas, nations, cultures and entire civilizations. This law of nature and of nature’s G-d and Creator is being played out very vividly around the Promised Land in these autumn days. 

During the past and present week, Jews and those who like to follow their studies and learn from their Scripture have been reading the Torah portions that tell the stories of Noah and Abraham. The key personal – and civilizational qualities and events of those days are being demonstrated before our eyes and the sight is not pretty: it is alarming.

“Noah was a righteous man, perfect in his generations; Noah walked with G-d” (Genesis 6:9). But in the days of Noach human beings corrupted their way upon the earth “and the land was filled with Hamas” (“violence”). It also was filled with sexual profligacy, predation and perversion, the fantasies of the human heart were evil from birth, that’s how bad it was; that’s how filled and conditioned by bad examples people were ten generations after Adam. The one righteous man and his family were ignored and G-d opened the fountains of the deep and the windows of heaven to send a great flood upon the earth drowning all creatures except for this family. (more…)