Never Again

Can't get psyched up for Holocaust Remembrance Day. Reasons:

1. Children getting gassed in Syria. Haunting images of last week's horrific massacre scar my psyche.

2. Jews being poached in Land of Israel for a whopping 3-million-dollar bounty per head, courtesy of PA (=UN, EU, US, etc). It's open season for Jews. Rammed with cars, plowed down with trucks, gunned down, chopped up with kitchen knives. Instant wealth and celebrity status for Jew killers.

3. Israel sandwiched between genocidal rogue regimes of their own creation, funded by nations of the world. Preschools, primary schools, summer camps, & media there teach children to hate and murder Jews, much like Nazi propagandist and Hitler Youth indoctrination of the thirties.

4. 85-year-old Holocaust survivor brutally murdered in Paris, Jewish woman beaten & tossed out of window to her death, synagogues firebombed in Europe, antisemitism rising worldwide. Outspoken Jew hatred surging on the left and right.

5. Jewish state blamed for virtually all of world's problems by prominent body representing nearly all the world's nations. Said body & its members states demand that entire regions be ethnically cleansed of Jews. No ethnic cleansing, no peace.

6. Pariah of the world once again, Jewish state reviled and deplored by academia and media. Serious worldwide effort to boycott, sanction, and divest from Jewish state. Athletes from Jewish state barred from open participation in international sports competitions. Prominent US Jews lecture Israel on why it's wrong to killl genocidal jihadists who are shooting at their own soldiers.

7. Jews declared illegitimate among the nations. Singled out for international condemnation and scorn. 3,000 years of Jewish history brazenly denied. Most ancient and holiest Jewish sites vandalized and ancient Jewish artifacts trashed.

8. Rockets fired from rogue police state (with stated genocidal mission) onto Jewish state every now and then. World aghast with condemnation when puny Jewish state attempts to defend its citizens.

9. Nearly-nuclear Iran encroaching in on their stated target, the world's only Jewish state, from close range. Six million Jews again in perilous jeopardy.

World is silent and inactive. Again.

What do they mean when they say "Never Again?" Are they serious?

It's more like: "Oh no. Not Again!" לא תקום פעמיים צרה.

What do we hope to accomplish by just passively remembering the horrors of the past, yet we stand by helplessly witnessing the horrors of the present?

At the very least, let's change the slogan to "No more" or "Let's actually stop it now, because it's happening again."

That would be far more respectful to the memories of the millions of victims of the Nazi genocide, as well as to the memories of the thousands of victims of the contemporary Oslo-inspired genocide that persists to this day.

Actually, the most appropriate slogans are "Moshiach Now!" and "Enough Galut!" (exile).  For once we experience the True and Complete Redemption, the Galut and its horrors & holocausts will truly be gone for good... Never Again.

Awesome Israel Initials

Do you know what these Hebrew letters refer to?

In the recent two decades, ever since the onset of the sms/internet/mobile-phone-era phenomenon, acrostics like LOL and ASAP have become ubiquitous. Everyone can easily recognize their emphatic meanings.  What you may not know is that Jews have writing this way for centuries, perhaps millennia.


It was not only a means to conserve ink, paper, and time, although those were presumably the major factors. The deeper significance is to express how obvious or inherent an idea is to the readers, so obvious that it was redundant to even spell it out. The mere initials invoked powerful feeling that transcend words.

The acronym above is an excellent example. Used widely throughout Jewish literature to refer to what had been then known as Palestine,[1] it is comprised of two phrases:

The first initials (אה"ק) define the location and describe its significance, while the second (תובב"א) is a prayerful wish, concluding with an article of faith. It’s truly remarkable how a few letters can convey such a wealth of meaning.

For those who aren’t familiar with the nuances of the Hebrew original, I'll delineate them here.

It stands for: “אַרְצֵנוּ הַקְדוֹשָׁה, תִּבָּנֶה וְתִכּוֹנֵן בִּמְהֵרָה בְיָמֵינוּ אָמֵן.”

It means: “Our Holy Land, may it be rebuilt and securely-reestablished speedily in our own days, Amen!”

Simply put, it refers to the land of Israel. However, although it only contains eight initials, it expresses eleven simple but powerful ideas:

1.   אַרְצֵ  – land.

We refer to a land, not a state. The state is great, as it helps the people live in the Land. However, while the state is only 70 years old, the Land is 3,330 years old. The state owes its existence (partially, at least) to the United Nations and other international sponsors. The Land owes its existence only to its Divine Creator, and to no one else. Also, the “state” doesn’t include territories outside of its official internationally-recognized state borders, especially if there are other inhabitants in these areas who wish to have a different (or mutually-exclusive) state. The Land includes the entire expanse of the land, irrespective of any modern political realities. A Jew in Hebron is living in the Land, but not necessarily within the state.

2.   נוּ  – our.

It is our land. The Land has been granted to us, the Children of Israel, as an eternal inheritance. While most lands belong exclusively to the citizens of the particular state within whose boundaries the lands are geographically located, this Land Is different. It is inherently “our land,” and as such, belongs to all of us. A Jew living in Hebron is living in his own Land, not just in the the Land. In fact, he’s living in my land too, and in yours as well. He’s living in our land. Unlike all other lands, this Land belongs to every single Jew worldwide, irrespective of citizenship or location.[2]

3.  קְדוֹשָׁה – holy.

It isn’t just any land, or a land we love simply because it’s ours. We acknowledge that it’s sacred soil irrespective of whether it’s ours. We cherish it because of Whose presence is manifest there.[3] It is not merely beloved or cherished.[4] It is hallowed.

4.  הַ)קְדוֹשָׁה) – the (holy).

It’s not just one of many sacred lands. It is “the” holy land with definite article. The one and only Holy Land. This Land is inherently different from the rest of the mundane earth.[5] It is the location of G-d’s unique “home” on earth. It’s where G-d feels at home, and consequently, so do we.

5.  תִּבָּנֶה  – may it be built. It’s not talking about big buildings, skyscrapers or stadiums. This is a common misconception. It refers to the construction of more Jewish homes, enough for all the Jews on earth to return and resettle our ancestral land. Even more essentially, it refers to the construction of G-d's home, the Holy Temple. That’s what we mean when we refer toירושלים הבנויה, “Next year in the rebuilt Jerusalem." Its ultimate building needs to be built.

6.  וְתִכּוֹנֵן  – and may it be securely established.

It's not enough for Jewish homes to be built throughout our Land. They need to be securely established for all time.

7.  בְיָמֵי – in days.

We envision and anticipate an actual time, a real day in the future, when the Temple will indeed be built on its proper site, and all the exiles will indeed return and securely resettle the Land.

8.   נוּ   – our.

In our days. May this come to fruition quite literally in our lifetimes.

9.  בִּמְהֵרָה – speedily.

Not just in our days, but speedily in our days. Not just in decades, years, or even months from now. In our days, and with speed. In other words, TODAY. In fact, we can’t even mention our Holy Land by name without immediately expressing our heartfelt yearning for reconstruction of the Temple and the ingathering of the Exiles to occur speedily in our days!

10.  אָמֵן – Amen.

This means: “So be it. It's true. I truly believe this statement and mean it quite literally. It’s not just a hopeful wish, but something that I know and affirm to be true. It’s an article of faith.[6] I know that this wish will indeed become fulfilled.”

11.  !(אָמֵן) – Amen at the end, with implied emphasis.

This is a final amen. Generally, one does not respond “amen” after his/her own blessing or prayer. It’s superfluous, since one is always supposed to mean what he/she says, without any need to affirm it.[7] It’s only recited after hearing someone else’s prayer or blessing, and expresses agreement, shared belief and affirmation.

However, there’s a notable exception. One recites “amen” only if it’s to signify the end, ultimate finality, that there’s nothing after it.[8] It implies "Amen. Period."

Why is this significant here? Our sages taught that the ultimate Redemption is different from all the others in that it will never be followed by an exile, “גְאוּלָה שֶׁאֵין אַחֲרֶיהָ גָלוּת” in Hebrew, unlike the exodus from Egypt or the return from Babylon, victory over the Hellenist Seleucids or Persian-era Hamanists. All those salvations were later followed by a subsequent debacle, destruction and exile. The final redemption is truly final, complete and permanent. That is why we call it “גְאוּלָה הָאֲמִיתִּית וְהַשְׁלֵמָה ," the "True and Complete Redemption."

That's why “Amen” is recited at the end of our own prayerful wish and affirmation of faith concerning the rebuilding and secure reestablishment of our Holy Land and G-d’s eternal city. We are affirming our belief that it will be built and securely-reestablished permanently, and will never again be destroyed. And that will be the wonderful final chapter of the story of man on earth, a grand finale that will last to eternity.

May it be speedily in our days. Amen!

---

Footnotes:

[1] See Tanya, Igeret Hakodesh, preface to Epistle 27.

[2] No need to call it the “Promised Land” anymore, since it has already been given and eternally deeded to us. The promise has been long since kept and fulfilled millennia ago. Now, it’s simply “Our Land.”

[3] It was cherished by our Patriarchs and Matriarchs before it was granted to them, and even before it was ever promised to their descendants.

[4] As its also referred to in TaNaKh, “ארץ חמדה,” the “cherished” or “desired” land. In fact, etymologically speaking, the very word “ארץ” (land) is a cognate of “רצון”, desire.

[5] קדוש, usually translated as “holy,” actually means “separate” or “removed from,” i.e. beyond the mundane.

[6] אמונה means belief. אמת means truth. Both are cognates of אמן.

[7] Consequently, saying “amen” after one’s own blessing is considered derisive and disrespectful in most cases.

[8] For example, some recite “amen” at the last of a group of blessings to signify that it is the end. See Berachot 45b, Rashi “הא בבונה ירושלים.” Furthermore, we recite “amen” after our own blessing in “Boneh Yerushayim,” the third blessing of Grace, to indicate that it is the end of the Biblically-required blessings. See Shulchan Aruch Harav, Orach Chayim, 188:1.

World's Most Lucrative Business

Surest way to become an instant multi-millionaire these days:

Simply murder a Jew, and be richly rewarded by the so-called Palestinian Authority.

Easy instant wealth... to the tune of 3 million U.S. dollars, courtesy of the United Nations, European Union, and of course...me and you! That's right, our very own hard-earned tax dollars are paying for each Jew-slaying. 

Think about that when paying taxes this week.

Think about it on "Yom Hashoah" this week when we beat our chests and chant empty slogans like "Never Again."

Let's think about it when we argue bitterly about deficits, tax cuts, and lamentable lack of funds to pay for vital domestic programs.

Meanwhile, it's open-Jew-season in the Holy Land & elsewhere, and we're funding the killing spree.

Far more lucrative than ivory, uranium, meth, cocaine or opioids, Jew blood is the world's hottest commodity.

It's easy. Just get a sharp knife and learn how to scream Allahu akhbar, find a defenseless Jewish child, and you're all set.

No degree, skill, or investment capital necessary. As long as you're okay with blood and guts. (Caveat: you have to be a depraved mass murderer, which is really no big deal nowadays.)

Not only that, it'll earn you instant fame and prestige. You'll be hailed as a hero & saint, and you might even get an elementary school named after you in "Palestine," the hottest market for Jew blood ever, far more than Nazi Germany ever was.

Heck, had you been a Ukrainian peasant and dragged a Jewish neighbor to her death after gang-raping her, the most you'd get in 1941 is an approving pat-on-the-back, or maybe a bottle of German beer.

But in 2018, do the same and become an overnight millionaire! And the whole world is paying you for it!

Who needs to poach dangerous animals if you can poach Jews? If you hunt down and kill a gorilla or lion, you'll be deplored, reviled and internationally condemned.  But if you do the same to a Jew, why, you'll be a celebrated hero for life, and you'll be a martyr posthumously to boot! Your family will live in new-found wealth and celebrity status.

Yup. "Never Again" is our fervent mantra, our rally cry against the alt-right, our feel-good lip-service against racism and discrimination in "all of its forms" (read: certain specific forms that have been embraced by modern society & academia, to the exclusion of all others, especially its most historically-politically-expedient-most-widely-ignored form ever, Jew hatred.) 

That's right.  "Never again!" We say it and we mean it... (sort of)

We'll chant it again next week on Yom Haatzmaut, amidst feelings of supposed pride and feigned resolve as we sentimentally watch a dramatic array of fighter planes flying overhead.

But meanwhile on the ground, it's open-Jew-season. In our own backyard, in our own streets and buses. And WE'RE paying for it.

"Never again!" we'll cry, as Jewish blood spills freely on the street, a Holocaust survivor get butchered and incinerated in her own apartment in Paris, a block away from where another Jewish woman is bludgeoned and defenstrated, tossed out the window of her third-floor apartment to her death. Jews chopped up, gunned down, in Israel and abroad, Israelis regularly targeted by Gazan rockets. Synagogues get firebombed in Germany with barely a slap on the wrist by German judges, etc. And the response? Silence, inaction and more silence. 

The only time we hear from US Jewish politicians who supposedly champion liberal causes is when they cynically condemn Israel for eliminating Hamas terrorists.

We chant Black/Brown/All Lives Matter, but seems like the only lives that matter in "Palestine" are those of genocidal Jew-poachers. Their Jewish victims' lives don't seem to matter much. They're just par for the course.

Nothing new here, nor anything particularly newsworthy. Just like prominent news stations failed to report the beheading of a ten-month-old Jewish baby in her crib (and her parents and siblings being knifed to death in their home) in 2011. And the stations that did find it newsworthy simply reported that five settlers had been fatally attacked by Palestinian youth who were indignantly protesting "occupation."

No big deal. Jewish lives never really mattered too much. Not in 1941 nor in 2018.

Anyway, Jews aren't an endangered species like elephants or lions. The world doesn't seem to mind much if a few more million get poached, just like it didn't mind much 75 years ago.

The weird thing is how we Jews think this is "progress" and keep on chanting "Never Again."

What do we mean by "Never Again?" Never again what?

Seems to me that Jew hatred has gone on unabated since the Holocaust. Only difference is that now, WE are sponsoring it. 

Yikes. Seems that things are actually somewhat worse now than they were in 2018.

At least in the 1940's, the free world opposed the genocide of Jews, and fought to end it.

Nowadays, the "authority" that is responsible for both the incitement to murder Jews and for compensating the murderers themselves, is supported by theUnited States, United Nations, & European Union! The world seems to be "united" & "unified" against Jews more now than ever before.

If this isn't world-sponsored genocide of Jews, then I don't know what is.