Tag Archives: Knesset

Did the Talmud Predict Today’s Crisis in Israel? (Video)

Within a passage of Messianic prophecies, the Talmud speaks of a future struggle in Israel involving lawmakers and judges. In this class, we explore a handful of lesser-known ancient Biblical and Talmudic prophecies that have been fulfilled in our days, and whether the current crisis in Israel was actually foreseen by the ancient Jewish Sages millennia ago.

Also discussed: the current thaw in Arab-Iranian relations, and what this might mean in the context of End of Days events as described in ancient texts, as well as why God gave control of the Holy Land to the Muslims specifically for 1300 years. And, what is special about the year 1909?

For lots more on prophecies fulfilled in our days, see here.

On the class that was mentioned about the prime ministers of Israel in prophecy, see here.

For more on the spiritual role of Iran and its alliance with Russia, see here.

On the significance of 1909 in the lead-up to the Messianic Age, see here.

Secrets of Tu b’Shevat (Video)

How did Tu b’Shevat go from a footnote on the Jewish calendar to an important mystical holiday? What are the true origins of the Tu b’Shevat seder? And what does it all have to do with the State of Israel and the coming of Mashiach?

Find out in this class where we also outline the proper steps of the Tu b’Shevat seder, explain the Kabbalistic meaning of the Tu b’Shevat fruits, explore the Book of Judges, and present an intriguing theory about the coming Final Redemption.

For a written summary on ‘Origins and Secrets of the Tu b’Shevat Seder’ see here.

For a detailed analysis on the ‘Prime Ministers of Israel and the Coming of Mashiach’, see the concluding chapter of Garments of Light, Volume One.

The Ideal Torah Government

This week’s parasha (outside of Israel) is Korach, about the eponymous revolutionary who sought to change the social structure of the nation in the Wilderness. Korach infamously accused Moses and Aaron of consolidating all the power for themselves and their family. After all, the supreme leader was Moses, the high priest was his brother Aaron, the military chief of staff was best friend Joshua, and the chief of the Levites was cousin Elitzafan. The final straw may have been when, at the end of last week’s parasha, God promised the kohanim numerous privileges for their priestly service (Numbers 15). Understandably, many did not like this. Korach argued that “we are all holy”, not just the priests. As Rashi comments, Moses did agree with Korach in principle, however, the reality is that people are not the same. Moses replied to Korach with something often echoed today by those on the political right against those on the left: equality does not mean sameness.

Interestingly, the Zohar (I, 17a) tells us that Korach represented the left side of Gevurah, while Moses and Aaron stood on the right side of Chessed. It seems the divide between Left and Right already existed over three millennia ago! There is an important message here for today: we would actually expect the platform of Korach to be on the side of Chessed, “kindness”, the side of unlimited giving—after all, they want everyone to be equal and the same and receive the same benefits. And we would think that Moses should be on the left side of Gevurah, “severity”, separation, and restraint. Yet, the Zohar says it is exactly the opposite. Trying to make everyone the same is not an act of kindness at all, and will ultimately fail. The real Chessed is the position of Moses and Aaron: we are indeed equal, and should have equal opportunities, but people are not the same, and sameness cannot be imposed on society.

The total failure of the Soviet Union proved the futility of attempting to impose sameness in the form of communism and excessive socialism. The kibbutz movement in Israel was closer to the original communist ideals, and was voluntary, not imposed. It enjoyed far more success than the USSR for a time, but ultimately floundered anyway. Such utopian societies sound good in principle, but never work in reality. As the old saying goes, one who is not a socialist at age 20 has no heart, and one who is still a socialist at age 40 has no brain. Still, Jews have played prominent roles in communist history, and antisemites often accuse Jews of pushing socialism. (Ironically, antisemites also accuse Jews of being greedy capitalists at the same time!) What is the actual Jewish approach to proper government and social structure? How does the Torah envision the ideal society? Continue reading