A Reminder to Boost the Jewish Spirit

Purim and Adar are behind us now, for us to begin a new monthly countdown. We transition from Adar, a month of miracles camouflaged in natural events for the Jewish People, to Nissan, a month of miracles for the Jewish People in a revealed manner.

But because there's some gloom in the atmosphere today, I want to remind you all that we are inside of a new era, as The Rebbe had declared back in 1991. This was emphasized some 4 years ago when a major turnaround happened in world events. That event was a stark reminder, and we need reminders if only to confirm our otherwise absurd beliefs, that indeed we Jews, as well as the world at large, is inside of the new and final Era of Redemption.

The new viral phenomenon these days, instead of spelling gloom, ought to be understood as the new panorama wherein the whole world begins to gel into one communicable complex.**

The new technology of recent years, with the internet, computers and mobile gadgets, came into being so today the whole world can be embraced at one time. This viral episode, as yet another phase, serves much as a testing phase, if you will, in further preparing the world audience to become instantly in touch. The virus, like God, is invisible, the tiniest organism known to mankind, one that fits the bill perfectly.

The goal, of course, is that any day now we will - all - experience a most significant time of our lives, which will indeed draw wordwide focus on Moshiach himself.

The turnaround that happened in 2016 ought to have opened our eyes real wide. Until Trump's election, the prospects for the Jewish People, as well as the whole world, looked horrible. At the helm of the most powerful and influential country in the world was a serpent of hate and moral degradation. In his stead, the mainstream media had their polls predicting a major win for yet another monster, whose ever-present right-hand advisor was an Arab woman with ties to terror and Arab influence. Clinton was believed to have had a 90% chance of taking over. Anti-semitism was breathing heavily down the necks of Jewry and Israel, and corrupt oligarchies were threatening to impoverish and subdue the the world.

Then, suddenly, in a matter of hours, rather than days, the miraculous turnaround happened. Just as when Haman had been close to annihilating world Jewry, the turnaround happened in a matter of days after Esther had walked into the king's palatial quarters without being summoned. Suddenly the head of the treacherous Haman was hung by a noose and the Jewish people were given instant relief.

On election day in 2016, a similar "Purim miracle" happened. Instead of an Arab lady being held in esteem inside the White House, suddenly a lovely Jewish girl was sitting in her place.

We had gone from this ... :







... to this:











And, just in case people hadn't yet figured it out, or didn't take the change to heart, Trump had become Israel's great friend, had returned Yerushalayim to its age-old status, had sanctioned retaking historical Jewish territory, had inspired the world's peoples to believe in God, and had given us believers a welcome infusion of confidence that our dreams are not for naught.

Today is Rosh Codesh Nissan. Its the timely month of Spring. We know Torah is truth. We know that the Moshe Rabbeinu of our generation spoke truth. We trust in Hashem, despite unbelievable events that make no constructive sense to us. Still, any day soon will yet come the greatest miracle of all, when the Ultimate Era of Redemption will shake the world to its core with new light and blessings we cannot even yet imagine.

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** I write this with a sad heart because close friends passed away during this so-called pandemic. But I surrender to my madness of thought because it's not for us to understand how this is all for the good.

The Dash to Redemption in 5776

The Lubavitcher Rebbe inaugurated 1990 as the “year of miracles”. Since then we saw the dissolution of the Soviet Union, bringing Communism to a halt without one shot fired; The takedown of the Berlin Wall; The miraculous Persian Gulf War where 39 Scud missiles fired into Israel from Iraq killed nobody, this when just one Scud missile killed scores of American soldiers stationed in Saudi Arabia; As well as a significant reduction of nuclear proliferation by the superpowers - ;“and they will turn their swords into plowshares”. (Isaiah 2:4).

Another not small miracle becoming apparent is the coming demise of the Islamic world. The whole world now has an open window to the cruelty and depravity of Islamic culture, where over 50 Muslim countries have zero to show in terms of success or advancement since the Middle Ages. Islam is still eating dust. It looks like Arab borders will soon disintegrate entirely; Whereas once you had Iraq, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Egypt, Lebanon, etc., ever since the “Arab Spring” it seems these borders will soon disappear, leaving behind havoc and anarchy. So the world will see, if not acknowledge, that this Jew-hating culture is and always was morally destitute.

We are watching the unfolding of Isaiah’s prophecy “I will instigate Egyptian against Egyptian, brethren against brethren and peer, city against city, kingdom against kingdom” (19:2), where Muslim enemies of the Jews swallow each other up, as Israel sits with arms crossed watching the show (thank God!).

The World War of Gog & Magog is pressing full-steam ahead while generally Jews remain and will remain untouched, as the Rebbe prophesied in 1980! (link)

The Arab chaos recently shifted into higher gear with the sudden onset of “Isis”, to accelerate the process.

Recall what Torah says of the Muslim (Yishmael): “He will be a human maniac; He will impose on every nation, and then every nation will be against him.” (Gen. 16:12) Torah tells us about this - that when Yishmael ultimately falls, Israel will finally rise. (eg, Baal HaTurim; Gen.25:18)

That is, before their fall, Muslims will become a gigantic threat across civilization. The tsunami of Muslims invading Europe may just be God’s payback to that continent where Jewish blood spilled like water. In an ironic twist, we see how today’s virulent anti-Semites now have Germans and other past supporters of Hitler as bedfellows.

This while waves of Jewish immigrants, mostly from invaded Europe, are flying to Israel.

And, while most Western countries have been thrown into economic distress, little Israel is finding gas and diamonds, building military prowess (eg. “Iron-Dome” technology, drones), and pushing forward full of vigor. (Even as domestic Muslims and queer sympathizers do their utmost to destroy the country from within.)

In summary, we are witnessing God promise in Torah coming true: As per the words of Bilam, “The Jewish nation will by itself prevail, without kowtowing to other nations”. (Numbers 23:9)  Despite prevalent and rising anti-Semitism in the West, in the U.N. and elsewhere, the Jewish people have a loyal shepherd in Hashem protecting them, taking His People to redemption.

We’ve turned the corner of exile, now dashing headlong to the Era of Ultimate Redemption. Soon we’ll dance with Moshiach in the streets of Yerushalyim, may it happen NOW, amen!

(Of course, if your perspective derives through the prism of “Nature”, then of course you will remain distraught about the “natural” threats of missiles, ISIS, tunnels, cyber attacks, etc. However, in contradistinction, trust in the Rebbe’s words and in Hashem’s Torah renders an alternate, very bright perspective.)

Keeping Mitzvot Saves Lives - A Miracle Story

I stopped blogging because many others have more inspiring things to say than I do, and they say it better. Especially Harav Yitschak Ginsburg. He speaks of this year, 5775, as the propitious year for the Ultimate Redemption to happen and I figured to give this year its chance to materialize in said way, without diluting this blog’s last post of the Rav and his powerful inspiration.

But I heard this miracle story I wanted to share with you nonetheless concerning the terrorist activity shown on Youtube (link) around the start of the Hamas Tunnel War in 2014 ("Operation Protective Edge" last summer).

A group of Jews of the chareidi variety were concerned about kosher sources of food for the oncoming two years of Shmittah and Yovel. So off they went to search all over Israel to locate wheat fields they can harvest to last them for these 2 years. They found large fields near the Gaza area where the wheat stalks were nice and high and still very green. When they went to the owners to negotiate a price for the harvest, the owners began offering selected portions of the area. In response the group said, “We’ll buy all of it!”, and so they did.

Soon after the war started with Hamas and their underground tunnels, these chareidis harvested their crop and stored away their cherished produce. They left the fields, once sprouting with high outgrowth, shaven.

That’s when Hamas happened to erupt from their underground tunnel, more than a dozen terrorists heavily armed, as a surprise tactic, in the middle of a field inside Jewish territory. We remember the video clip shown by Tzahal: Tzahal successfully spotted them by radar, emerging from the mouth of the tunnel by night, and bombed them, killing those that did not scurry back and disappear into their hole.

Those stationed for Tzahal at the radar desks were girl soldiers, who apparently have better concentration abilities than men for this job. When one of the girls noticed the unusual activity, she took action. It took all of 90 seconds before Tzahal targeted the infiltrators.

Had the chareidi group found their harvest in some other fields, this Hamas tactic could well have spread horrible tragedy, God forbid. Had this wheat not been harvested, its long stalks would easily have camouflaged the terrorists and prevented their detection.

Atrocity was averted all because some Jew tried to keep God’s commandments. Jews that learn and keep Torah, just as their soldiering peers, participate in Hashem's army, in one miraculous way or another.

As we just read in last week's Torah portion (Lev.18:5),

ושמרתם את חקתי ואת משפטי אשר יעשה אתם האדם וחי בהם

"Keep my commandments ... and you will live by them" - can be taken literally!

Just another little miracle among so many God does for us in all our wars and, indeed, every day and every moment of our lives.

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UPDATE (8/27/15):

Just found this video that tells the above story in more and accurate detail! HERE

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UPDATE (9/6/16):

Israeli soldiers seen walking among the flower beds at Nir Yitzhak, Southern Israel, on the spot which was a staging area for Israeli tanks and soldiers during last summer’s “Operation Protective Edge”. (Photo: Edi Israel/FLASH90)

Your Miracle Barometer

Are all miracles of equal import?

No, some demonstrate more or less divine impact.

Here's a barometer to help you decide the measure of a miracle's divine force: The closer the miracle cooperates with or mimics Nature, the loftier its source!

Take the miracle of the "burning bush". This could have, at first, appeared quite normal in that a dry bush could conceivably combust under the hot desert sun. At first, then, it could "fit" with a Natural scenario. Only when it failed to extinguish did the fire become recognized as a miracle.

We also saw such a miracle, that resembled a Natural process, regarding "The Persian Gulf War" (link).

Compare that with the miracle of the splitting of the Reed Sea in ancient Egypt that completely overwhelmed Nature and easily distanced itself from what might appear as a Natural phenomenon.

Your barometer will now tell you, and you might be surprised to learn, the Persian Gulf War registers as a "higher" miracle than that which occurred during the Egyptian exodus.

How then would you measure the miracle of the rebirth of the Land of Israel from its ancient roots? Given that it occurred in the aftermath of a slaughter that even Gentiles acknowledge as appalling, and therefore many nations of the U.N. in 1948 voted to create a Jewish territory out of sympathy, you have what resembles an "It's only natural!" consequence.

But now, with this insightful barometer, you can sense the greatness of this miracle. Even a Gentile historian familiar with the rise and fall of empires over thousands of years would recognize the rebirth of Israel as an exceptional miracle.

Two rational reasons explain why miracles wrought within the framework of Nature, rather than by trouncing it, derive from a higher order of revelation.

1) When a miracle breaches Nature (for example, when the Egyptian landscape was inundated with frogs, or when darkness paralyzed Egyptians for 3 days), Nature suffers an assault; An Infinite power creates a new reality that disregards Nature's constraints.

But for a miracle to worm its way through Nature, without significantly disrupting it or drawing special attention, this can only be accomplished by conforming and intermingling with the finiteness of Nature. Because finiteness and infinity are opposites, the only way to render Nature intact during a miracle would be to draw the Infinite power from G-d Himself, because only G-d can exert control over the finite and the infinite. Only this highest source of potential can pull off such a miracle.

Lesser miracles can occur without summoning the highest powers available from the Infinite. As our sages tell us (Shmos Rabbah 19:6), "During the Egyptian exodus, I and My tribunal went before you; In the future, I will go Myself."

2) When a miracle breaches Nature, it demonstrates G-d's overpowering dominance, where Nature cannot stand in the way. However, if the miracle streams through Nature, camouflaged in natural events, it shows G-d also controls Nature. A miracle that disrupts Nature only shows that that power can defeat Nature, whereas a miracle wrought with the help of Nature shows that Nature too falls under the control of G-d!
(A conclusion from learning the Rebbe's Ma-amar of 1952
[Sefer Hama-amarim, Melukat, vol. 4,  pp. 225-234, "כימי צאתך מארץ מצרים"]. )

The Judenrein Miracle

Kid strapped into a car seat

Here's one miracle G-d does for every Jew: He has the Arabs hate Jews so badly they declare their countries "Judenrein"; By law these countries legislate themselves off-limits for the Jew.

Now is that not a miracle? Every Jew thereby need never step into any of these horror countries or depraved cultures.

Some liberal Jew might jump to attack such a politically incorrect attitude such a statement betrays in terms of denigrating the humanity of a large general population, but, of course, everything is in the eyes of the beholder.

You can consider the "Judenrein" policy of all Muslim countries as a distressing cognition, or you can see it as a blessing for every Jew in the world that he never ever need live or or step foot among such cruel and debased people.

Not All Miracles are the Same

Miracles can occur by trouncing Nature, creating their own new reality that clashes with Nature; Or, miracles can weave their way through the fabric of Nature, making it appear as if it were a "natural" incident.

Examples of the former mode of miracle are the 10 plagues that struck ancient Egypt prior to the Jewish exodus. The latter mode is exemplified by the miracle of Purim, where, once the dots are connected on the grid of "circumstances", a clear pattern emerges that spells "miracle".

G-d makes His Presence felt by way of miracles. Miracles are meant to broadcast that a higher divine power exists. The miracle, however, can derive from a LIMITED INFINITY, on the one hand, or it can project from a higher source yet, one of UNLIMITED infinity.

(Infinities, of course, can be variegate. A line possesses an infinite number of points. But the infinity of the number of points on two lines relates to a higher order of magnitude.)

Why should miracles where Nature can be toppled or beaten be of lesser "voltage" or sourced from a lower Infinity than that which masquerades in Nature's garments?

Above-Nature miracles show that their source is "stronger than Nature". But it fails to transmit that which miracles "hidden within Nature" reveal. These have an advantage; When the miracle is configured inside of Nature's guidelines, it shows that Nature ITSELF is ALSO under the control of God. The loftier miracle shows that NATURE ALSO EXISTS UNDER GOD'S MASTERY.

There's another reason too. The world is one of finiteness. If a source of limited infinity is used to create a miracle, this infinity cannot co-exist with Nature without upstaging it. In order for infinity to coexist with the finite, only a source from God Himself can drive such a phenomenon because God exists everywhere, both in the infinite as well as in the finite.
(Culled from the Rebbe's Ma-amar [Sefer Hama-amarim, Melukat vol. 4, "כימי צאתך מארץ מצרים"]. )

Persian Gulf War in Retrospect

Miracles, by definition, override Nature. While some miracles subvert Nature, others may well co-operate with it.

Here are examples of both types.

The miracles that occurred in ancient Egypt, such as the splitting of the Reed Sea that created a dry passageway for the Jews, or when water turned into blood for the Egyptians - overruled Nature, "hijacked" it, for the sake of the Jewish people.

In contrast, a recent miracle that occurred in Israel exemplifies the type of miracle that streams through Nature mostly "co-operating" with it. This happened during the Persian Gulf War when Iraq launched 39 Scud missiles (each the size of a bus) at Israel and not one life was lost thereby. (Compare that with what happened when one single Scud missile landed in the American compound in Saudi Arabia about that time; It killed over a score of soldiers.)

The miracles during the Persian Gulf War, because they did not appear to supplant Natural , derived from a source of divinity much higher than that which produced the miracles in Egypt 3,326 years ago.

All Israelis know of and can recount miracles that occurred to them or their friends in the Israeli wars. All these miracles, by virtue of the fact that the miracles did not overwhelm Nature, but rather enclothed themselves within Nature's "garments", as it were, points to an elevated source of Godliness that drives them, one much loftier than for those that happened for the Jews during the exodus from ancient Egypt.

Such miracles that "hide" within Nature will continue to occur until an even higher source for more fantastic revelations will usher in the Final and Ultimate Era of Redemption in all its stunning glory.

As in the days you left Egypt - I will show wonders!

Set aside for now the fact that everything that Nature is - is miraculous. Let's just consider the continuity of Nature as "normal".

Beyond the "normalcy" of Nature, then, there exist 3 different forms of miracle that will supersede Nature.  In other words, within the fabric of Nature itself, miracles can stream through it in 3 ways.

The most obvious miracle imposes its own set of rules that counteract the laws of Nature. An example of this type of miracle is the splitting of the Reed Sea. Whereas normally the sea bed is covered by ocean, during the Jewish exodus from Egypt the elements of water, wind, earth and the fish - all had a change imposed upon them to conform with the miracle's agenda.

The next type of miracle is less obvious because it "respects" the laws of Nature without altogether "breaking" them. An example is the miracle of Chanukah. Although the Hasmoneans (חשמונאים) used swords in battle, their sword-fighting ability seemed miraculous in that so few could overcome so many Romans. So, although Nature was, in fact, abrogated during the fighting, an observer could have thought otherwise, seeing that the battle proceeded within the framework of Nature. Similarly, the fact that some oil lasted much longer than it should have may have seemed to an observer as an accident of "Nature".

Another example would be the miracles that occurred during the Purim story, where all those "circumstances" in a maze of events could easily be seen for what they were - an outright miracle - albeit within the confines of a "Natural" framework.

The miracle that transcends Nature, such as all the water in Egypt turning to blood, or the splitting of the sea, has its source in a level of divinity LOWER than that which respects the laws of Nature. The miracles of Chanukah and Purim that streamed through Nature, therefore, derived from a level of Godliness that was higher than the source that provided the miracles during the Egyptian exodus.

When the lowest level of the Infinite is "plugged into", it cannot cooperate with Nature. This level, from the Infinite, therefore, taps a limited infinity. The more that Nature conceals the miracle, the higher the source of Godliness tapped into to produce that miracle.

The very highest root of divinity produces miracles entirely disguised within the fabric of Nature. The target of this miracle, for whose sake the miracle occurred in the first place, usually does not recognize a miracle occurred! An example would be, where someone broke his leg on the way to the airport, only to find out later this airplane he failed to board exploded in midair.

Silent miracles run deepest.

There where God's handiwork to produce miracles accommodates Nature's guidelines, without "breaking" the latter's laws, demonstrates that control is exercised omnipotently over both Nature and miracles to mesh synchronously, without either phenomenon disturbing the other.

This highest source of divinity for weaving miracles through the fabric of Nature will be given visibility when the process for the Era of Redemption ramps up.

Regarding that future, you would think the prophet Michah (7:15) spoke silly when he said,
"As in the days you left Egypt - I will show wonders!"

  "כימי צאתך מארץ מצרים אראנו נפלאות"

Didn't Michah know that which our sages would teach us, that miracles in the Era of Redemption will far outclass the "mere" miracles that highlighted the Egyptian exodus (Brachot 12b)? Why even mention them when they'll be dwarfed by those to occur in the future? It's like praising a record-breaking Olympic champion for some high-school event he won in his junior years. Who could care about that?

In fact, because the future's redemptive miracles will be so phenomenal compared to those of the Egyptian redemption, in that they will tap the highest source for streaming miracles - plus the fact that they will thence be VISIBLE ("I will show you ..."), explains it.
(Culled from the Rebbe's Ma-amar [Sefer Hama-amarim, Melukat vol. 4, "כימי צאתך מארץ מצרים"]. )

Another PLO Miracle - Dressed in Nature

In trading land for peace, as Israel did with Egypt, when Egypt got back the entire Sinai Peninsula, Israel today is willing to offer the PLO a state of their own.

Back in 2000, Israel was willing to offer the PLO more than 95% of the land in question. The PLO refused.

Now too the Israelis would have surrendered more territory to the PLO, but the PLO decided to unify with Hamas, recognized as a terror organization by most of the world.

Now suddenly the "peace negotiations" screeched to a halt. The PLO, recognized as a non-terror organization by much of the world, though it teaches its next generation to hate and kill the Jew, now again saved the Jewish nation from certain catastrophe.

These are open miracles. They may appear as nondescript political incidents to the casual observer. But to a Chassid from Chabad, whose Rebbe told him we are living in the Era of Redemption, albeit in its initial phase, these incidents are nothing short of miraculous.

After all, all the PLO really had to do is say, to any offer that comes their way, "Yes, we'll take it", and then, as they now do demonstrably in Gaza, they can continue to chisel away more and more Jewish territory and meanwhile spawn more terror across a wider range.

Their "hardening of the heart", by spurning the foolhardy offer, is a miracle attired in Nature, that otherwise would have doomed the Jewish nation, God forbid, with immense tragedy.

The Inverted Tree

If the entire universe is an expression of God, He Who is One, then there must be some way to comprehend how a world that embodies finiteness and boundaries can stem from, or represent, the Single God.

Chassidus resolves this conundrum with the concept of "Levels of Derivation". The best way I know to describe this concept is by imagining an upside-down tree, where its root, which points upward, represents our abstract of God, and therefrom descends the tree-trunk, which gives off branches along the way. The higher the branch, the loftier its creative source. Each branch along the trunk can become the source for created elements.

For example, take the case of "miracles". These can be generalized into two categories, those that override Nature and those that cooperate with Nature.

Those miracles that occurred in Egypt, starting with water turning into blood, and, finally, the splitting of the Reed Sea, derived from one level of Godliness.

The other sort of miracle, those that enclothe themselves within Nature, keeping intact the framework of Nature, have another source. The miracles of Purim and Chanuka exemplify this category.

In fact, according to the Rebbe, the latter miracles derive from a level higher than the source of those miracles that break the rules of Nature.

There is yet a third level of miracles, those that derive from the highest source; These miracles the person cannot recognize them for what they are. Such a miracle only God Himself is privy too.

Within the mechanics of Nature God can manipulate things as we go about our daily tasks using free choice, to produce for us miracles. The better Nature conceals the miracle, the loftier its source. But, of course, the source is the One Above, only the level at which things derive and "drop-off" for Nature to absorb have differences.

(An idea involved in the Rebbe's Ma-amar [Sefer Hama-amarim, Melukat vol. 4, pp.123-134], although not yet well enough understood by me. Please forgive me, though, for scribbling my premature thoughts. The learning of these Ma-marim requires industrious study. They differ from normal "talks" [שיחות] in that they reflect divinity more directly [דברי אלוקים חיים] and thus I must return to these preambles to correct or just slice away some parts until they are more fully understood. Again my apologies.)

The Enemy From Within

The על הניסים we include in our prayers and in the blessing after a meal during Chanukah details the miracles that occurred during the Hasmonean uprising about 2,150 years ago.

The prayer lists the 5 miracles during the war:

"You delivered -
1) "the strong into hands of the weak;
2) "the many into hands of the few;
3) "the defiled into hands of the pure;
4) "the transgressors into hands of the righteous; and
5) "the reformists into hands of the Torah-true."

The first two miracles make sense. The Greeks/Syrians presented a formidable and massive enemy, and still the Jews triumphed. But what sense does it make to expect the "pure" be weaker than the "defiled"? Similarly, why should "righteous" people be any weaker than "transgressors"?

The answer is simple. The Gentile army enjoyed as their ally the Jews who sought to reform Torah in order to assimilate with the Greek culture. These "Hellenists" actually took up arms and fought against their Hasmonean brethren in concert with the Gentiles they so admired. (Reminds you of the "Peace Now" movement in Israel, does it not?)

The last 3 miracles mentioned takes this Hellenist component into consideration, which even more severely tilted the odds against the Torah-true Jews. And, in spite of these excessive odds, the Gentiles and their Jewish sympathizers were soundly shellacked.

"... Miracles in Those Days - in Our Time"

He who chooses a military operation's name in the IDF, such as "Operation Cast Lead", I have no idea, but surely no one asks a rabbi. Be that as it may, the last operation's name, "Pillar of Cloud", should raise your antennae if you are among those attuned to events that disguise the unfolding Era of Redemption, appearing as if they were simply part of "Nature".

Chassidus, generally speaking, recognizes two categories of miracle; One that breaks Nature's rules, such as the splitting of the Reed Sea, which is the least miraculous; And one, like that of Purim, that weaves through the fabric of Natural life, which perhaps with hindsight one might recognize as miraculous, which is of a higher sort. (Nature itself, Chassidus recognizes, is miraculous, in fact the greatest of miracles, for this involves continuous creation, continuous input of divine derivation to achieve something from nothing, but besides this highest level of miracle, there are those lesser two mentioned above.)

Operation "Pillar of Cloud" obviously recalls the events of the great Jewish exodus from Egypt, 3,325 years ago. That miraculous exodus will never go forgotten. As the opening event of the Jewish nation's history, it must forever be remembered even into the Era of Redemption.

After the Jews had already left Egypt, Pharoah regretted his decision to free the Jews. His hate for them compelled him to draft his army and give chase to capture his former slaves. On the 7th day he caught up with them at the sea shore. Pharoah now felt elated and confident, with 600 of his armed chariots and best soldiers right behind him.

Suddenly something strange happened. A thick cloud lowered itself right in the path of the fast-approaching army. Despite poor visibilty, Pharoah gave the order for a massive volley of arrows and missiles. Miraculously, however, that "Pillar of Cloud" blocked the projectiles.

Now thousands of years later we see the same miraculous phenomenon - in the "Natural" guise of Israel's "Iron Dome". Amazingly, in its inaugural performance, it scored better that an 80% hit-rate. The truth is, even before this contraption's use, we saw how years and years Hashem's protective hand saved Jews from bombs raining down upon them. Surely everybody has heard individual stories of miracles.

Do you recall the Persian Gulf war? No less that 39 Scud missiles landed in Israel and not one Jew died as a result of these bombs - each one the size of a bus. (See below what just ONE missile did that landed in Saudi Arabia!)



One such story happened to my mother-in-law (ע''ה) whose house was one block away from one of those Scud missiles that landed in Tel-Aviv. It smashed right into earth where beneath was a school's underground shelter. It just so happened the children on that day were taken to Eilat for a day's excursion. The missile, which never exploded, nevertheless shook the ground and all windows of her apartment shattered.

The next time Israel invades Gaza, for anyone with eyes in his head knows this has to happen, may Hashem guard every Jewish soul from harm and, if the Era of Redemption hasn't yet become blatantly manifest, may Israel wipe out its enemies entirely - this time by taking the offensive with a "Pillar of Fire" to lead them.

ברוך אתה ה' ... שעשה נסים ... בימים ההם בזמן הזה

Sowing Discord between Syria and Syria

The Syrian civil war continues unabated, each side now reinforced with more money and weapons from involved supporters, and with fresh enlistments from these foreign countries supplementing their ranks. America, in some measure, has helped the anti-Assad melange, as does Turkey, Russia, AlQueida and Saudi Arabia, from the big players, while Iran props up Bashar Assad's side. Just yesterday Hizbullah sent into Syria 5,000 soldiers.

This war of "Syrian Loyalists" against "Syrian Rebels" is analagous to the war once played out long ago, for the sake of Jews, when "Egypt" fought "Egypt", as it says in Isaiah (19:2):

וסכסכתי מצרים במצרים ונלחמו איש באחיו
ואיש ברעהו עיר בעיר ממלכה בממלכה

And I will sow discord between Egyptians and Egyptians, they will clash - man against his brother, man against his neighbor, city against city, kingdom against kingdom.

This is exactly what's happening now in Syria. I said before, in "Syria - A Miracle Unfolds", that a miracle is unfolding before our very eyes. What may well happen is that Israel will be spared, please God, from the necessity of fighting and bloodshed because her enemies are killing each other and downsizing their might. Iran, with its Hizbullah proxy, has already heavily entered into the fray. (Israel can now take relief from the threat to her northern border.) Soon we can expect Turkey to scale up the war as a counter measure to Iran's last move. Who knows how far this will spread?

I don't mean here to prohesize, only to shed light on what is happening from "an End of Days" Jewish perspective, which takes into account the war Moshiach is waging (behind the scenes) against Jewish enemies, by strategically setting enemy against enemy, evil against evil, thereby beginning the sweep up of evil from the world, as he refines the world by preserving the good while eliminating the bad.

Things may look like the rules of Nature are hard at play, but it depends who is doing the looking and the glasses worn by the observer. This observer sees Redemption in the cards.

Rather than fret, therefore, and become overly concerned with mundane politics and "logistical" calculations, it would be far waiser if we continue learning about Moshiach and Redemption, which, as stated here, in "Resuscitating a Dying Counter-Culture", is in and of itself the very best means to gain victory over our enemies, and leave our army experts do their job while we do ours.

Clouds of Glory

It didn't seem possible under natural law, that many millions of people, from infants to elderly, on an hour's notice, from all over the district of Goshen in Egypt, could arrive to their point of departure in the city of Ramses. But this was what the Jews had to do on the night of Nissan 15, 2448.

By then the Jews were quite accustomed to astonishing miracles; In fact, a whole year went by where with every passing month a new and fabulous miracle would occur to break the back of Egyptian control over Jewish servitude.

Sure enough, another miracle now swept in - in the form of friendly clouds, serving as "flying carpets" upon which all Jews were taken aboard.

These "Clouds of Glory" not only transported the Jews, and their possessions, from their residences, to Ramses, but, from there, took them all to their next encampment site, Sukkot, a distance of 120 kilometers, again at breathtaking speed.

Under the leadership of their redeemer, Moses, miracles seemed to have become a daily phenomenon.

These miraculous clouds proved to be even more miraculous. A week later they shielded the Jewish masses against the artillery of the Egyptian army chasing from behind.

The clouds were 7 in number. Like walls around the multitude, four clouds from four sides engulfed them; Another cloud, beneath their feet, straightened out the path they would walk, and killed snakes and scorpions in its way; And a seventh one hovered above them to protect them against the sun, while proving shade.

These clouds had even more roles to play over the 40 years they would accompany the Jews in the desert, until the Jews entered the Holy Land. It was then the Jews were commanded, "In huts shall you sit for seven days ... so your generations will know that in huts I placed the Jewish people when I took them out of Egypt." (Lev. 23: 42-43) And, in the words of the Alter Rebbe in his Shulcan Aruch, "These were clouds of His glory that engulfed them to shade them and protect them against heat stroke or dryness; And as a model of this we were commanded to make shaded huts (sukkot) so we remember His miracles and wonders, and thus must we direct our thoughts when sitting in the sukka to remind us of the exodus from Egypt."

From Rags to Riches - then, Much Higher!

Dror, an Israeli tourist, decided to put America's promise of potential riches to the test.

He rented out some cart space at a mall and began selling cheap merchandise around the New Year winter season, when Americans do much shopping. He earned quite well and decided the next year to "expand", renting vans, filling them up with merchandise, parking them at the malls, to alleviate the problem of storing and retrieving more merchandise when inventory levels needed refreshment. The next year he further expanded into many malls. Indeed he was earning much money.

One day he got a call from his sister in Israel who informed him she was soon getting married and could he please come to the ceremony.

Dror was in a quandary. He had now long overstayed his U.S. visa requirements. Were he now to leave the U.S., he'd never be allowed in again. So he decided on this plan: He will leave the U.S. and make his way back into the U.S. by way of Mexico, which he knew had porous borders.

After his sister's wedding he flew to Mexico, found the escort he sought near the Arizona border, and for $200 joined a group that was set to cross the border by walking through. Very soon another group crossed this group's path and Dror was persuaded to join this other group, which was going to walk across the border through the desert. Dror felt somewhat uneasier with this new group but didn't let that bother him.

On the second night he awoke and found himself alone in a desert. The group was gone, his large bag was gone too, and only the small bag he used as a pillow remained his only possession. He opened this bag and found a bottle half-filled with water. Not sure of what to do, he decided to continue walking in the same direction he earlier embarked on. He had finished his water long ago and now felt tired and needed rest. He spotted a tree and next to it laid down, again putting his "pillow" under his head. But now he felt a hardness and opened the bag to find it contained a book. The book, written by Chaim Sasson, one that explains the Rebbe's claim to fame, entitled "Now I Have Come to Know" (עתה ידעתי), made him think. He turned to God and said, "God, if You get me out of this situation, I promise to become religious." He laid down again.

Not 5 minutes passed and he hears ringing. He realizes his cellular phone, which he now found in one of his jacket pockets, was ringing. A friend was calling him. Dror told the friend of his predicament. The friend then made a few calls.

It turns out Dror had already entered U.S. territory. The Arizona police found him and took him to jail. A few days later he appeared before a judge. The judge asked him, "Where are you from?" Dror answered. "What city". He told the judge. "What street?" Now Dror felt uneasy about this scrutiny; He told the judge. "What address"? Dror felt the judge was crazy.

It turns out this judge had lived in Israel as a child, right next door to where Dror lived! The judge maneuvered and helped Dror "fix" his paperwork in such a way that he would not have a problem returning to the U.S. after his deportation. And so it happened that Dror was deported, but could come back to the U.S., where he had more than a million dollars in his bank account.

Dror kept his word and became religious. He also returned to his previous enterprise, and in the process lost all his money. So he packed his bags and went to learn in the Chabad yeshiva in Ramat-Aviv. A chavrusa of his at the yeshiva, who dined at my Friday night Shabbat table, told us this story.

The Fall of Islamofascism

Just when the Islamofascist venom infected the bloodstream of Western society, causing convulsions in Europe and threatening to destabilize other Western societies, a miracle, being forged for the Jewish people, runs well-hidden behind this specter. Paradoxically, though Arab peril seems to be waxing, Yishmael's downfall is, in fact, in the making.

The Purim miracle, unlike that of Chanukah's for example, wove itself through the fabric of day-to-day events without breaking Nature's rules. An observer of daily events in ancient Persia would never have noticed the many "coincidences" that intertwined to produce the one big miracle. In ancient Jerusalem, on the other hand, this observer would easily have spotted the miracle of the rout of Rome's huge, well-equipped army by a handful of Maccabees, or that the Temple's one day's supply of oil lasted 8 full days.

Of the two sorts of miracle (let alone that Nature itself is an ongoing miracle), the Purim-type is the "greater" miracle (as if God needed extra effort to camouflage the miracle within regular, day-to-day events.)

We now have a Purim-like miracle transpiring for the Jewish people. Let's step back to scan the unfolding picture. The birth pangs of Moshiach brought us from the holocaust back to our Holy Land, after some 2,000 years. Jews continued to suffer, mostly from Muslim terrorism, because the labor contractions can continue a while longer, even after birth.

The all-powerful Soviet Union vaporized and hundreds of thousands of captive Jews fled for freedom and opportunity.

Israel's hostile enemies, the Arab and Muslim dictatorships, are beginning to fall. Iraq's sadist despot, Saddam Hussein, was overthrown, captured and hanged. Tunisia, who many years gave Palestinian terrorists refuge, recently collapsed.

Egypt went next. Although the country appeared stable, the economy suffered horribly because most of its money went into boosting military might. It exploited the "peace" with Israel by spending billions on armaments, including hundreds of F-16s, Mirage 2000s, Apache and Black Hawk helicopters, scores of missile ships, thousands of American artillery canon and tanks (including the Abrams, which ranks with Israel's Merkava), modern anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles, as well as sophisticated systems for electronic warfare and surveillance.

Mubarak encouraged international incitement against Israel and turned a blind eye to the smuggling of weapons into the Gaza Strip. With Mubarak gone, chances are high much effort will shift to improving the lot of the citizenry and economy. Perhaps a form of democracy too will sprout.

Much of Libya's huge wealth was channeled into support for terrorist organizations. The Pan-Am disaster over Lockerbie was a Libyan initiative. Reagan called Quaddafi "the most dangerous person in the world". Enormous amounts of armaments were purchased. He bought more tanks and artillery than his own army could deploy; He promised to transfer these to those who would war against Israel (as he did during the Lebanon War, and as he helped Egypt during the Yom Kippur War). For this purpose he also had long-range missiles in place and developed the capability of aerial refueling. Libya too no longer poses a threat to Israel.

Syria's aggressive tyrant will also soon fall. He fostered strong ties with Iran. He set up a nuclear reactor (that Israel later destroyed). He armed the Hezbollah in Lebanon, built an anthrax production facility and runs a big army. The protests he now tries to quell are in major cities, like Damascus and Halab. Even army officers and soldiers are rejecting orders. Syria's revolution would bring a severe blow to Hezbollah, being that Syria served as its conduit for arms from Iran. Iran too would suffer because Syria today is its only ally in the Middle East. In a heartbeat, the peril at Israel's North border that had approached the flashpoint for conflagration has dissipated.

A short while ago, fear mounted that Turkey and Syria might join forces against Israel. And now, just as Turkey rattles its sabers against the Jewish state, Syria's strong relations with her neighbor suddenly deteriorated, because Syria was killing many Moslems as he tries to crush the revolution, to the point where Turkey threatened to go to war unless Syria stops the killings.

Iran too has miraculous "coincidences" to take note of. The huge protests there, violently suppressed, reflect the little faith the populace has for its leadership party. As for Iran's nuclear aspiration, significant delays mark its progress. Many of their centrifuges became dysfunctional by the Stuxnet virus, and important nuclear physicists are dropping like flies.

Many more Arab dominoes have yet to fall.

What Torah lesson might these facts refer to? The last words of the last verse of the Torah portion Chayei Sarah, regarding Yishmael's ancestors, literally reads, "... on the face of his brethren he fell". The first words of the next verse, the first verse of portion Toldot, reads, "And these are the chronicles of Isaac...". The famous commentator, the Ba'al Haturim, reveals the significance in juxtaposition of these two verses. "This comes to teach us that when Yishmael will fall at the end of exile, that's when the son of David will emerge" (Gen 25:18). In other words, once Moslem dominion begins to decline, the Jews and Moshiach will be on the ascendancy.

In a nutshell, what we are witnessing is the terrorism support base of the Middle East disintegrating, all while the redemptive process for which we eagerly look forward to stealthily waxes. We are witnessing the bright light at the end of the tunnel. Happy 5772! Moshiach now!!

A People of Miracles

Years ago someone asked the Rebbe, "Is it proper to educate children to believe in miracles?".

You wonder what planet some people live on, with the questions they raise. After all, from the moment of its inception, the Jewish nation was fostered on miracles and super miracles. It started with our very first forefather, when Abraham was safeguarded from Nimrod's inferno. Isaac, our second forefather, was born to Sarah who, a barren woman, first gave birth at the age of 90. What about the splitting of the Reed Sea, the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, or the wars Joshua fought to conquer the Land of Israel?

What about the miracles after destruction of the Temple, namely, the miracles of Purim and Chanukah? And what about the very existence of the Jewish people until now, remaining pure-bred over 3,700 years, surviving as a lamb among 70 wolves?

The Rebbe responded thus (roughly translated), "Firstly, I must say, and hope you'll excuse me for it, it does not cross my mind that you do not believe in miracles! ... For in our time, if a Jew were to say he doesn't believe in the supernatural, it's self-deception ... Were he simply to open his eyes and lay aside superstitions, he'll not have to 'believe' in miracles, because he'll see them with his fleshy eyes!"

The Rebbe wrote this letter some 50 years ago, in 1962!

Today, after the Six-day War; After the Yom Kippur War; After the downfall of the mighty Soviet Union that fought so hard to extinguish worship of God; After the Gulf War, when 39 Scud missiles landed on Israel, only causing some scratches; After the Israeli government offered the so-called "Palestinians" 97% of their land requests and Arafat obstinately refused; And so many others times - why, miracles have become commonplace!

We the Jewish People always have been an ongoing miracle; And shall be, forever. If anything, these miracles are becoming more obvious, collectively and individually. We only need to open our eyes to see them for what they are.

Everything and all of life is a miracle; It's just that with Jews it's more obvious!

The Rebbe's Blessing

This story spans 28 years. It's one of countless miracle stories of the Rebbe. The only reason I write it up is, I know Dovid Marciano from 19 years ago when I attended a weekly class in Chassidus he sponsored at his home in Israel.

David Marciano married in 1982. Three years later he travelled to New York to ask the Rebbe for a blessing for children. The Rebbe blessed him, but not specifically for children. This same scenario repeated itself 4 years later. Meanwhile they visited many doctors, underwent fertility treatments, but to no avail.

In 1989 David suffered a blast during a defense department job. Both hands were amputated at the wrist and iron claws were fit to both arms. It was at this point when I got to know him. He was a magnanimous personality. Despite his severe handicap, he continued to sponsor the weekly Chassidus class. His wife prepared for us wonderful hot tea to sip as we learned.

The year thereafter, the couple travelled again to the Rebbe, determined to request a specific blessing for children. Because of his injury he could not stand for hours to wait in line, so they were sent to the front of the line to see the Rebbe. Again the Rebbe blessed them but with no reference to children.

"I don't know where I got up the nerve," he says, "but I said to the Rebbe that I want a bracha for children. The Rebbe looked at both of us in the eyes, gave us another dollar and said, 'This is for the children to be born!'".

They left the Rebbe with elevated spirits. But over the years their faith did not go untested.

Twenty years passed since the Rebbe's blessing. Finally, after 28 years of marriage with no children, David's wife became pregnant. Three months ago he dreamt, for the first time in his life, of the Rebbe, who handed him a chocolate cake. He awoke drenched in sweat. Two weeks later, in Cheshvan, he was holding a new baby boy in his arms.
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UPDATE (May 15, 2017): Bumped into Marciano in 770 on Pesach Sheini. This is one chabadinfo.com pic of him there with his son.