Rabbi Mansour’s column last month (The Ultimate “Flood” Insurance Policy) brought out such a beautiful message. I wish this article came out a couple of years ago. It wasn’t too long ago that I was guilty of neglecting my spouse and kids. My children were constantly nagging me about how often I was on my phone. It took a while for me to realize that I was addicted to my iPhone. When my four-year-old screamed at me and shouted, “Stop looking at your phone!” I decided that I needed to break this bad habit immediately.
As Rabbi Mansour suggested, investing time in your family is the best investment one can make. Spending time together, focusing on each other without distraction is the healthiest way to build or maintain a relationship, and share experiences. Disconnecting to reconnect is critical to our happiness and family strength. As parents, we need to set a good example for our children.
David S.
Presidential Election
I for one can’t wait until this election is over. This topic has become so consuming and destructive. It has become a common sight to witness family members and friends yelling and screaming at each other about which candidate they think is best.
In chapter two of Pirkei Avot it states, “Beware of rulers, for they befriend someone only for their own benefit; they act friendly when it benefits them, but do not stand by someone in his time of need.” We do the best we can. We listen to the political speeches and vote for
the candidate that we think will do the best job. However, we must always be prepared for betrayal. Better to spend your time studying Torah and doing mitzvot, rather than arguing with friends and relatives about which candidate to vote for.
Mike E.
COVID-19
It is discouraging, frightening, and almost hard to believe that the media and some politicians are implying that the Jews are to blame for the Coronavirus. Haven’t we come farther than that? Was it not five hundred years ago that we were blamed for the Bubonic Plague? Hasn’t this world evolved more than that? I find it incredibly upsetting that blame is being laid at our feet. With the rise of virulent anti-Semitism it is so easy to blame our people for everything and anything that goes wrong. It is so disheartening that after the Holocaust we still are so reviled. What have we ever done to deserve such intense hatred? It hurts my heart, and it makes me worry for my little grandson’s generation. What do they have to look forward to? Will it get worse? I fear that there will never be any resolution.
The community has a very high reverence for the term “Magen David.” There are shuls and yeshivot that share that name. Yet, what is Magen David? It is King David’s shield. Yes, King David went into battle with Hashem’s blessing, but not without his shield – to teach us we cannot depend on miracles. Today, we don’t have a Magen David – we need a face mask. We cannot rely on miracles. If you want to live a long life – wear a face mask!
Sincerely,
Charles P.
Between Carpools
As soon as I saw the No Mixer Oatmeal Cookie recipe ingredients in last month’s column, I said to myself, “That’s the one that I want to make – it looks absolutely delicious.” I plan on making it for my company in a couple of weeks. All should try this one. I am not a baker, and I find it easy to make. Enjoy!
Greg walks into a department store and goes straight to the fragrance section. He says to the sales lady, “Today is my wife’s birthday, and I would like to buy her a nice bottle of French perfume.”
“Oh, wonderful,” the sales lady said. “That will be a nice surprise for her.”
“Yeah, it sure will,” Greg replies. “She’s expecting a diamond necklace!”
Abie C.
Speeding Seniors
A policeman spotted a car speeding down the highway in the left lane. He immediately turned on his siren and went chasing after the speeder. When he got close enough, he pulled up alongside the car and saw a man who looked like he was at least 85 years old driving about 90 mph, while a lady about the same age sat in the passenger seat next to him, calmly knitting. The policeman took out his megaphone and loudly demanded, “Pull over!”
Turning around and seeing the cop with his lights flashing and sirens blaring, the little old lady opened her window and shouted to the policeman, “No… it’s a sweater.”
Yitzy D.
Police Perspective
A salesman, tired of his job, gave it up to become a policeman. Several months later, a friend asked him how he liked his new role.
“Well,” he replied, “the pay is good and the hours aren’t bad, but what I like best is that the customer is always wrong.”
Sarah A.
Sight Seeing
Sam walked into the Museum with his guide dog. Though unable to see, he could feel the aura generated by the quiet atmosphere, marble floors, and impressive exhibits.
Suddenly, Sam stopped, yanked the leash and began swinging the dog over his head. The manager was quickly alerted and came running over.
“Stop that right now!” he shouted. “What do you think you’re doing?”
Sam replied innocently, “Just looking around.”
Ezra Sultan
Know Your Station
Barbara was in Grand Central Station on her way to Connecticut. She had never taken the trip before, and was wondering if she had to switch trains in Stanford. When she reached the ticket booth, she placed her money on the counter and announced her destination. As she received her ticket, she asked the ticket agent, “Will I need to change?”
The agent looked up at Barbara and said, “Well, I wasn’t going to say anything but, yes – those shoes really don’t go with that belt.”
Jack V. Grazi
A Turn of Events
Yankel was waiting on the platform at the train station. He noticed a Jewish man standing nearby and asked him the time. The man ignored him, and so Yankel asked him again, only to be ignored a second time.
Frustrated, Yankel asked, “Excuse me, but I’ve asked you for the time twice. Why are you ignoring me?”
The man looked at Yankel and said, “Look, we’re obviously both waiting for the train. If I would answer you, then when we get on the train you will most likely come and sit next to me. Then you will probably start a conversation and while we are talking I may invite you to my house for Shabbat. When you come to dinner, you will meet my daughter and I’m sure you will like her. You may eventually want to marry her.”
“And what would be wrong with that?” Yankel demanded.
“To be honest with you,” the man replied, “why would I want a son-in-law who can’t afford a watch?”
Dalia H.
Leading American Technology
Back in the 1960s, when NASA first started sending up astronauts, they quickly discovered that standard ink based pens were unreliable in zero gravity. To combat the problem, NASA set up a task force of scientists at six top university research centers around the country, who spent a decade and $26 million to develop a pen that can write equally well in zero gravity, upside down, underwater, on almost any surface, and at temperatures ranging from below freezing to 220 degrees. The Russians, faced with the same technical challenge to space travel, just used a pencil.
Raymond J.
My Career Search
My first job was working in an orange juice factory, but I got canned… couldn’t concentrate.
Then I worked in the woods as a lumberjack, but I couldn’t hack it… so they gave me the ax.
After that I tried to be a tailor, but I just wasn’t suited for it… mainly because it was a sew-sew job.
Next I tried working in a muffler factory, but that was too exhausting.
Then I tried to be a chef. I figured it would add a little spice to my life…. but I just didn’t have the thyme.
I attempted to be a deli worker, but any way I sliced it, I couldn’t cut the mustard.
I studied a long time to become a doctor, but I didn’t have any patience.
I finally got a job as a historian… until I realized there was no future in it.
So I retired.
Morris M.
Always Be Prepared
After a rash of accidents in Florida where cars skidded into canals, Mrs. Stevens was worried that this might happen to her. So she asked her 20-year-old son Brian to buy a tool that could break the car windows in case the vehicle ever went underwater.
“It’s good to be prepared,” she mentioned to her son when he gave her the device.
While driving his mother’s car the next day, Brian called his mother, “Mom, where’s the tool I bought, did you have a chance to put in the car?”
“I sure did,” his mother replied, “It’s in the trunk next to the spare tire.”
A.C.
What Daddy Does
Richie: “Hey Tommy, what does your daddy do for a living?”
Tommy: “My daddy’s an accountant and he works from home.”
Richie: “That’s cool.”
Tommy: “What does your daddy do?”
Richie: “My daddy’s a Congressman in Washington.”
Tommy: “Honest?”
Richie: “No, just the regular kind.”
Michael L.
It Was an Accident
Joe was getting into his car when he noticed a dent. He then looked up and saw a note on the windshield with the phone number of the driver who caused the damage.
Joe called and the woman profusely apologized for the incident. “I feel terrible,” she said. “I accidentally hit your car as I was pulling into the next parking spot.”
“Please don’t worry,” Joe said. “I’m sure our insurance companies will take care of everything.”
“Thank you so much for understanding,” she said. “You’re so much nicer then the man that I hit on the way out.”
Jack V. Grazi
A Private’s Pitch
Impressed by how well Private Jones was getting recruits to sign up for GI Insurance, the captain listened in on his sales pitch.
“If you have insurance and are killed in battle, the government pays $50,000 to your beneficiaries,” Jones explained. “If you don’t have insurance and get killed, the government pays nothing. Now,” he concluded, “who do you think gets sent into battle first?”
Which is the odd word out in each of these sets of five words? Four of the words all have something in common that the fifth one doesn’t.
1. Elephant, Rabbit, Mouse, Turtle, Dog
2. Red, Yellow, Orange, Violet, Indigo
3. Six, Nine, Twelve, Twenty, Thirty
4. Gym, Myth, Rhythm, Cry, Oxygen
Last Month’s Riddle: Bike Repair
If four people can repair four bicycles in four hours, how many bicycles can eight people repair in eight hours?
SOLUTION: 16 bicycles.
Solved by: Kiko, Joseph Betesh, Yitzchak Saieda, Haim S., Joshua H., The Shmulster, and Big Mike.
JUNIOR RIDDLE: Coin Challenge SUBMITTED BY: Nathan D.
In the United States, there are four coins that people use on a regular basis: the penny (1 cent), the nickel (5 cents), the dime (ten cents) and the quarter (25 cents). Assuming you have as many of each of these coins as you need, what is the minimum number of coins you need to make up a total of 88 cents?
Last Month’s Junior Riddle: Family Outing
Two mothers and two daughters went out to eat. Everyone ate one burger, yet only three burgers were eaten in all. How is this possible?
SOLUTION: They were a grandmother, mother, and daughter.
Solved by: Haim S., The Dweck Family, Ruth M., The Shmulster, and Big Mike.
As a Yeshivah of Flatbush graduate, I was thrilled to interview an alumna who studied at Flatbush from pre-K through high school, who now plays an integral role at the high school in providing a safe, confidential space in which students can share, gain support, and develop skills to cope with their school experiences.
Please meet Etty Ballas Mizrahi, the Director of Guidance at Yeshivah of Flatbush Joel Braverman High School.
The Guidance Department imparts a significant function during typical times, helping students “thrive academically, personally and socially.” You can imagine how critical the Guidance Department’s work became when COVID-19 hit NYC.
Before we dive into Etty’s current role, let’s step back to take a look at her journey from student to adulthood.
The Early Years
Etty Ballas, born in Queens, moved to Brooklyn when she was a little girl. She has a brother and sister and is the oldest of the three. Etty’s parents were inspiring role models who championed her both emotionally and academically. Mayer Ballas, Etty’s father, emigrated from Syria as an adult after attending medical school in Syria. Dr. Ballas worked hard to bring Syrian Jews to the United States so that they, too, could earn a living and learn Torah freely. Etty describes her mother Rachel lovingly as a person who is always present for family and would do anything to help others.
“As a child and teenager, I enjoyed school greatly and worked hard – the pressure to do well came from within.”
Mom and Dad were on board with Etty’s decision to apply early to Columbia University. Her father inquired about her goals. Etty considered following in her father’s footsteps and studying medicine. Etty was grateful that her parents were so supportive and allowed her to dorm and enjoy the total college experience.
Etty met Raymond (“Ray”) Mizrahi in her senior year of high school. Ray, two years older than Etty, was a Yeshivah of Flatbush alumnus. They married in 2003 and it was Ray’s encouragement and constant support every step of the way that enabled Etty to pursue graduate school and her career goals.
The Mizrahi’s have been married for 17 years and have five children ranging in age from two to thirteen. Ray works in the fine foods business and is a devoted partner and father. The Mizrahis are glad that all their kids attend Flatbush. Their 13-year-old son will be entering high school this year.
Academics and Career
Back to Etty’s Columbia days. She thought about pre-med studies but then realized how much she loved psychology and working with children. During college, Etty was a second grade assistant teacher at Flatbush and enjoyed the kids tremendously. That position confirmed her desire to work with children one-on-one. Etty applied to Brooklyn College for a master’s degree in school psychology and returned to Flatbush for an internship in the Middle Division when she was expecting her first child.
After completing her master’s degree, Etty was hired as a school psychologist at Barkai Yeshivah.
“I loved my experience at Barkai. Three months into my job, I was chatting with a friend about pursuing a doctorate degree and she said, ‘Etty, instead of talking about it, go for it!’”
Etty felt torn. Things were going well at Barkai, yet the Pace University doctoral program in school-clinical child psychology called to her. Etty wanted the flexibility and opportunity afforded by a doctorate, and she wanted to follow her passion for learning. After consulting with others in the field (who later became her mentors), Etty took the leap and applied.
Etty entered Pace’s Psy.D school-clinical child psychology program with one child at home and one on the way. As a student therapist, she saw clients and attended classes during the day and made every available hour productive. Family time, however, particularly during Shabbat, was sacred to her. That January, Etty gave birth to her second child. She was back in her statistics class a week later.
In her third year at Pace, Etty received an externship at Kings County Hospital. She landed a full-time internship at NYU’s Rusk Institute during her fourth year. She completed a fellowship at NYU’s pediatric cancer center following her graduation from Pace in 2012. She was exhilarated about her clinical training at NYU. Etty gave birth to her third child shortly after beginning her fellowship.
Returning to Flatbush
As fate would have it, Etty saw a Guidance Director position advertised at Flatbush High School. She was interviewed by her former high school principals and received a job offer for the position that had been previously held by one of her mentors.
One of Etty’s much-loved parts of her job is working directly with students, but she is glad that she gets to apply her clinical skills and training in so many ways, and finds her role and responsibilities fulfilling and challenging!
Etty’s Special Essence
Etty was modest when asked her to describe herself. “I do the best I can at whatever I do and try to give my all. I care about people and try to be there for those I am close to, including family, friends, colleagues, and students. I prefer to be a giver but I am learning to accept help from others.” While I observed that she was driven, Etty described herself using the softer term “motivated.”
Being “present” and “genuine” are Etty’s priorities. Since I am a life coach, these attributes touched me, as they both require an individual to really listen. Being present means giving your time, energy, and attention, and showing up without inserting a personal agenda.
Genuine people have the ability to really listen. They generally do not care so much about being liked and they share their real thoughts about life.
Miriam Wielgus, Etty’s colleague and the Jewish History Department Chair, portrayed Etty as extremely warm, empathetic, and special.
Flatbush Guidance
Etty is so proud of Flatbush’s unique guidance program. The Yeshivah believes that every student benefits from having their own personal advocate as they navigate their high school years. Each incoming freshman is assigned a guidance team member who stays with them throughout the four years. These relationships grow as the student advances through high school. “We look at each student as a whole person, with different abilities, talents, and perspectives and we support each one to achieve success and fulfillment.”
Her favorite aspects of the job? Number one is meeting one-on-one with students. That’s what initially drew Etty to psychology. Number two are her supervisory responsibilities. “I work with an amazing team of gems. We all have different backgrounds and skills, including school psychology, social work, and art therapy, but we all collaborate, cover for each other, and perform the same responsibilities. We work with our students, teachers, administrators, and parents to help our students have the best possible experience throughout high school. We work toward building students’ inner strength, character, and values in all that we do.”
The Guidance Department creates student and parent programming on topics affecting teenagers, such as relationships, substance use, and mental health issues. Etty and her team collaborate closely with Project SAFE teachers, who conduct weekly life skills discussion classes on all aspects of teen life.
The Juggling Act of a Working Mom
Elly admits that it is a daily challenge to balance work and family life and that she could not do it without Ray’s support. He even shops at Moisha’s for her! She also credits her wonderful nanny who has been with her since her oldest child was six weeks old.
Etty loves her work but her family is her prime accomplishment, “I love being a mom and love the stage I’m in with my children.”
Since her job is an all-consuming one, Etty structures her time carefully. “Sometimes I feel like I’ve had a full day before I walk into work!”
Her advice to working moms? “Do something for yourself every day and set boundaries as far as what you commit to.”
Etty spends her free time with family and friends. She loves outings to beaches and parks and greatly enjoys cooking, eating, reading, and attending lectures with friends.
COVID-19 Response
Dealing with the pandemic from a Guidance perspective was a huge undertaking. In-person learning ended with one day’s notice in March. Etty and her team communicated that they were there for students, parents, and teachers and provided resources for all of them. Students were engaged virtually, individually, and in groups. The team also used social media to convey uplifting messages to Yeshivah of Flatbush families.
The Guidance Department’s focus throughout the reopening process is on taking care of the mental health of the students, parents, and faculty and supporting families as they transition back to school.
Connect with Etty at emizrahi@flatbush.org.
Ellen Geller Kamaras, CPA/MBA, is an International Coach Federation (ICF) Associate Certified Coach. Her coaching specialties include life, career, and dating coaching. Ellen works part-time as an entitlement specialist at Ohel Children’s Home and Family Services. She can be contacted at ellen@lifecoachellen.com (www.lifecoachellen.com).
The Torah is the blueprint for living a proper religious life. But in Parashat Noah, we find a much different kind of blueprint – the blueprint of Noah’s ark.
The Torah is surprisingly specific in telling us about this structure, which housed Noah, his wife, his sons, his daughters-in-law, and all the creatures while Gd destroyed the earth which had been corrupted. It finds it necessary to tell us its precise dimensions – that it was 300 amot (cubits) long, 50 amot wide, and 30 amot high.
Why do we need to know the ark’s dimensions? Would the story have been any different if it were 350 amot long, instead of 300?
Another curious detail is the fact that the floodwaters rose 15 amot above the mountains. This point, too, seems to be nothing more than a trivial statistic, which does not appear to enhance our understanding of the Flood, or of its message for our lives.
The first clue to uncovering the meaning of these figures is an observation made by the Keli Yakar (Rav Shlomo Efrayim Luntschitz, Prague, 1550-1619). He noted that throughout the story of the Flood, the number 15 is prominent. The surface area of the ark’s interior was 15,000 amot (300 X 50). The ark was 30 amot tall, but it had three different floors, such that each floor consisted of a space of 150,000 amot (300 X 50 X 10). As mentioned earlier, the water rose 15 amot over the mountaintops. And, the Torah mentions that after the rain stopped falling, the waters gradually receded over the course of 150 days. Once again, we find the number 15 being mentioned.
Marriage and the Shechinah
This enigma is solved for us by one of the great Kabbalists, Rav Natan Neta Spira (Poland, 1585-1633), in his famous work Megaleh Amukot, where he draws a fascinating connection between the story of the Flood and a famous passage in the Gemara relevant to our most sacred institution – marriage.
The Gemara (Sotah 17a) observes that the Hebrew words ish (man) and ishah (woman) are quite similar. Both consist of the letters alef and shin. The difference between these words is the third letter – the word ish contains the letter yod, and the word ishah contains the letter heh. When a husband and wife are loyally and devotedly bonded, then the yod of the word ish connects with the heh of ishah to form the Name of Gd, as yod and heh spell one of the divine Names. This signifies the blessing of the Shechinah, the Divine Presence, which rests among them.
But if the husband and wife are not bound together by mutual commitment, then the Shechinah departs the home. The yod and the heh leave, and only the letters alef and shin remain – which form the word esh – fire. Once the Shechinah departs, the home is consumed by the fire of strife and discord, Heaven forbid.
The generation of the Flood, the Megaleh Amukot writes, was plagued by immorality, by a complete breakdown of the bond of marriage, of the family. Husbands and wives were not loyal to one another.
And so the yod and the heh, the Divine Presence, departed from the world, leaving behind “esh.” Tradition teaches that the waters which flooded the earth were boiling. The earth was not just flooded, but burned. Once the yod and heh departed, and the “esh” it left behind consumed the earth.
This explains why the number 15 plays such a prominent role, and receives such emphasis, in the story of the Flood. The gematria (numerical value) of the letter yod is 10, and of heh is 5 – for a sum of 15. The Flood occurred because of the breakdown of marriage, because of the dissolution of the marital bond. This resulted in the Shechinah’s departure – represented by the number 15 – and the eruption of a destructive “fire,” in the form of the scalding floodwaters which consumed the earth.
The Faithfulness of the Dove
This explains a number of other mysteries that we encounter when reading the story of the Flood.
First, it explains why it was specifically a dove that Noah sent from the ark to determine whether the earth had dried and become once again inhabitable. Of all species in the world, Noah chose a dove. The reason, as some have explained, is that the dove is the symbol of marital fidelity. The Midrash (Shir Hashirim Rabbah) teaches that once a male and female dove mate, they never mate with anyone else. Noah understood that in order to rebuild the world following the Flood, mankind must commit itself to loyalty and devotion in marriage, symbolized by the dove. And so he chose specifically a dove as the creature that would deliver the message that the floodwaters had subsided, that the time had come to build a new, better society.
Additionally, this explains an otherwise peculiar word added by the Torah in describing the exiting of the ark. The Torah writes that Noah, his sons and daughters-in-law, and all the creatures left the ark “lemishpehotehem – by their families” (Beresheet 8:19). Life in the world was renewed with a firm commitment to build strong families. The world was destroyed because of the breakdown of the family; it needed to be rebuilt through a devotion to family, to loyalty and devotion.
Completing the Name
As we know, the letters yod and heh are only the first two letters of the Divine Name. The full Name consists also of another pair of letters – vav and heh.
We must wonder, then, how does a couple complete Gd’s Name? As we have seen, the marital bond brings together the yod and the heh. But what about the other two letters? How do a husband and wife complete the process of bringing the Shechinah into their homes and into their lives?
The Rabbis pointed to a number of aspects of the Jewish wedding as symbols of this process.
First, the groom gives the bride a small object of value – usually, of course, a ring – as an expression of his devotion. The hand has five fingers, and so the groom’s hand which gives the ring, and the bride’s hand which receives it, represent the two heh’s in the Name. The groom’s outstretched arm resembles the vav, and the small ring symbolizes the yod, the smallest letter. This act of giving completes the Name – because a husband and wife bring the Shechinah into their lives through giving, through self-sacrifice, by devoting themselves to one another.
There is also another way to complete the Name.
The Arizal (Rav Yitzhak Luria, 1534-1572) taught that a married couple completes the Name by begetting children. Halachah follows the view of Bet Hillel that although a couple should produce as many children as they can, the minimum requirement is fulfilled by begetting one boy and one girl. (It goes without saying that a couple’s obligation is to try to produce children; the success of these efforts, as we know, depends solely on Gd’s assistance.) In Kabbalistic teaching, the male is associated with the letter vav, and the female, with the letter heh. Thus, the bond between the husband and wife forms the first letters of Gd’s Name – the yod and heh – and their fulfillment of the command of procreation forms the final letters – the vav and the heh, thereby completing the Name.
The way we bring Gd’s presence into our lives, then, is through a commitment to family, through a marriage characterized by giving and kindness, and through begetting and raising children. When we build a strong family unit, the Shechinah resides among us in our homes, and we are then able to receive the countless blessings that the Divine Presence brings.
The Modern-Day “Flood”
After Noah and his family left the ark, Gd famously promised that He would never again destroy the earth, that He would instead patiently wait for us to correct our behavior without requiring the annihilation of the world as occurred in Noah’s time.
However, although Gd will never again bring a “flood,” mankind is capable of destroying itself, by repeating the mistake of the generation of the Flood.
Unfortunately, we see this happening in our time. The world is “flooded” by the breakdown of marriage and family. Many people today are not interested in entering into a committed relationship, and many couples who do are not interested in begetting children. And even among those who do marry and produce children, the endless distractions of modern life are disrupting family life. Couples are looking at their devices instead of talking to one another and nurturing their relationship. Parents and children spend time in front of screens instead of spending time with one another. People expend time and energy creating fake “relationships” on social media rather than building real, meaningful relationships within the family. And, of course, our society’s culture of immorality and permissiveness discourages the commitment between husband and wife which forms the bedrock of the family unit.
As this “deluge” of immorality floods the earth, let us, observant Jewry, build the “ark” that will save humanity from itself. Let us lead by example, by building beautiful, happy homes, by investing time in our spouses, in our children, and in our other family members – by taking our eyes off our screens and directing them towards the people we love. Let us show that true happiness, contentment, and fulfillment is achieved not through permissiveness and a lack of boundaries, but to the contrary, through the hard work and commitment required to build a beautiful, loving family.
Election Day is right around the corner and things are indeed different this time around.
For example, there are no stump speeches, no canvassing, and no live fundraisers during these Coronavirus times. It certainly makes candidates less accessible and puts a damper on our ability to get to know them as people, and to get a handle on just what they represent. And secondly, it is tough to assess which policies will be able to put into action if the COVID-19 lockdown continues.
What is also interesting is that former Vice-President Joe Biden, if elected, will be the oldest president sworn in, at 78 years old. President Donald Trump would swear in for a second term at age 74.
As might be expected, there are major differences between the two candidates on a variety of issues – with Republican Donald Trump running on his list of achievements, and Democrat Joe Biden running on the ideas he hopes to implement, if elected.
Let’s take a look at a few main issues voters are interested in.
ISRAEL
What you are probably very concerned about is where each candidate stands on Israel. Israel is not merely in our hearts and minds, nor just a place where we might have relatives. Israel for us is an ideological lodestone. In that regard, what a president says and does regarding Israel is a reflection of his moral compass – how he sees right and wrong. Let us look at President Obama’s voting against Israel at the UN and his backing of abstentions during anti-Israel resolutions. Contrast these moves with Trump’s backing of Israel with his pick of UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, who courageously stood up to the Security Council time and again, in defense of Israel.
President Trump negotiated the historic United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement.
Biden’s rhetoric and policy on Israel is not so different from what was seen under Obama. Biden positions himself as a fair and neutral party, who advocates a two state solution. Where he differs from Trump is that he plans to reinstate Palestinian aid. What they have in common is that both have denounced the use of the label of “occupation” to describe Israel’s presence in the West Bank.
Trump’s record on Israel and assisting the Jewish people is for many no less than legendary.
(L-R) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Donald Trump, Bahrain foreign minister Abdullatif al-Zayani, and UAE foreign minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan wave from the Truman Balcony at the White House after they participated in the signing of the historic peace deal last month.
Trump’s positions on Israel are widely known, and he is probably the president who has made more overtures to the Jewish people than any other president before him. Trump has worked closely with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and plans to continue doing so. Over the last three years Trump has shown unwavering support for the Israeli people and the Israeli government. He recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s rightful capital, and the Golan Heights as Israeli territory. Trump’s administration has made it clear that the lands east of the Green Line are not illegal – contrary to the Democrats’ position.
Trump has also made it clear that on his watch there will be no push for a two-state solution or an independent Palestinian state.
Though the New York Post in mid-September touted President Obama’s détente with Muslim nations as a crowning achievement worthy of his Nobel Peace Prize, Trump (at the time of this writing) has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for tangibly brokering agreements that never would have been imaginable six months ago. He has been a party to trade agreements between Israel and Middle Eastern countries that previously had no diplomatic relations with Israel.
For example, Trump helped arrange the Abraham Accords – the peace deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. Bahrain is next in line, reports say, and for the first time in history, Saudi Arabia has allowed Israeli planes to fly over their airspace. Other rumored peace deals (or accords) in the works are with Oman, Lebanon, Morocco, and Kuwait.
The Trump Administration withdrew from UNESCO to show that the United States would not stand for the organization’s anti-Israel bias, and withdrew from the UN Human Rights Council, citing “a chronic bias against Israel” and the human rights abuses of various sitting members (China and Venezuela, among them).
Of course, long ago Trump pulled out of the disastrous Iran deal signed under Obama, and it only took about a year into the president’s term before Israeli spies captured hundreds of tons of documents showing that the Iranians were still hard at work developing their nuclear weapons program. It might be difficult for Biden to justify how his superior made a wise move with that deal.
CLIMATE CHANGE
Another large election issue concerns climate change and energy policies. From Biden’s point of view, the planet is in imminent danger, and as such, he has made a promise to make climate change the heart of his energy policy as president. He has vowed to invest more than $2 trillion in green energy. Critics might be wary of the hefty price tag, as well as having questions as to how that sum is to be spent. By way of example, Obama poured $50 billion into three dozen burgeoning “green energy” companies – most of which were never built, none of which produced a single kilowatt of energy.
Trump is not really known for his climate change policies, and has said on numerous occasions that he does not think there was man-made climate change. He has, however, signed legislation that demonstrates his good stewardship of the environment.
Trump famously opted out of the Paris Accord, a plan in his view that would mean onerous economic and infrastructure changes on the United States, while giving a pass to some of the world’s biggest polluters. Instead, President Trump negotiated the historic United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA), which contains the strongest environmental protections of any trade agreement in history.
The President signed the Save Our Seas Act to protect our environment from foreign nations that litter our oceans with garbage. And he signed the Great American Outdoors Act, securing the single largest investment in the nation’s National Parks and public lands in history. Trump designated 1.3 million new acres of wilderness and joined the One Trillion Trees initiative to plant more trees. And finally, he spent $38 billion for drinking water infrastructure improvement for Americans.
TAXES
Biden has talked about different tax policies he would like to see enacted, like repealing Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), taxing capital gains at income tax rates, raising corporate income tax, and enacting increased payroll tax on income over $400,000. Trump supports the TCJA and has said he plans to lower income taxes even further, as well as extending more generous estate tax exemptions.
IMMIGRATION
Biden would reinstate DACA status for Dreamers. While he has a history of a talking tough on immigration, he has called Trump’s immigration approach “morally bankrupt” and would like to focus on the root causes of illegal immigration from other countries, including providing more foreign aid to countries with a large number of citizens wishing to immigrate to the United States. Biden continues to support the 2013 reform plan under Obama that never came to fruition. This plan includes a path to citizenship.
For his part, Trump has worked hard to limit illegal immigration into the United States, including immigration bans from certain countries. He has used Executive Orders to change asylum and deportation, as well as instituting a visa policy that is much more restrictive. The promise to build a border wall is still very much an issue for Trump, as he continues to boast that it is already underway. He supports merit-based immigration rather than family connection (chain migration) immigrations.
FOREIGN POLICY
Biden has served in the Senate Foreign Policy Committee for many years, which is seen as evidence of his knowledge of foreign policy. He sees himself as inheriting a very chaotic situation in regard to global stability. Biden’s goals are to return to normal relations with America’s allies, and to advance global aims in health and climate change. He says one of his priorities is to restore America’s image as a member of a global community.
Meanwhile, since taking office Trump’s focus in foreign policy has been an America First approach, aimed at showing America’s strength and supremacy. The aforementioned USMCA will encourage increased manufacturing in the U.S. and will allow workers and small businesses to flourish.
Trump has successfully influenced several nations to uphold their commitment to pay their share of NATO funding Prior to Trump’s intervention, these countries had not been making their promised payments.
Under Trump, several U.S. major military victories can be counted, including strikes against Syrian bases and eliminating some of the worst terrorists in the Middle East.
Islamic State’s Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed by U.S. forces, and so too his immediate successor, in a separate raid. (Baghdadi once controlled thousands of square miles of territory across the Middle East.) Later, a U.S. drone strike killed Qasem Soleimani, Commander of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ elite Quds Force, in Baghdad.
ECONOMY
Biden has focused most of his economic policy around recovery from the economic downturn caused by COVID-19. That means he plans to focus on health and safety as a way to return the economy to pre-Covid numbers. Universal Healthcare is a key prong of his plan as well, seeing medical expenses and debt as serious roadblocks to economic freedom for Americans. Biden’s focus on climate change, immigration, education, and new infrastructure are also key components to his economic policy.
Trump’s America First philosophy carries over to economics, informing his trade negotiations and deals. He has cut and plans to continue to cut regulations and red tape for businesses, and has long supported bringing more manufacturing jobs home. Trump wants to cut government spending by way of eliminating waste and by reducing the number of federal employees, with the ultimate goal of creating more jobs.
CHINA
Biden has been criticized for an inconsistent and unarticulated strategy in regard to China and Chinese power gains. He does tend to agree that China has taken advantage of the U.S. in trade deals but believes that Trump’s tariffs are self-defeating. Biden proposes, instead, that the US utilize current trade deals. At the same time, he thinks Trump backed down too quickly to China in the wake of COVID-19 and critiqued his weak support of Hong Kong.
Trump rose to power on the rhetoric that he would be hard on China, and he has mostly done so. He has entered into trade wars with the Communist nation, ending special economic status, and has imposed sanctions for rights violations in Hong Kong.
The Trump administration blocked the state-backed Chinese phone company Huawei from operating in the U.S., and cracked down on China’s counterfeiting and technology theft. In response to China’s rampant trade cheating, the Trump Administration placed 25 percent tariffs on roughly $250 billion worth of products that are supported by China’s unfair industrial policies.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE
Biden, previously known as a law and order politician, has shifted his stance in the wake of the death of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis, and the nationwide protests that followed. Though Biden has not embraced the more progressive calls to defund police, he has agreed that funding should be based on departments meeting standards of decency. Biden has said that he believes there are systemic disparities in treatment of the accused and convicted based on race, income, and status.
The First Step Act passed with Trump’s support. It has contributed to thousands of inmates being released from prison for minor crimes, who are not a clear and present danger to society. This is the most comprehensive step to undo the damage of the Crime Bill under President Clinton, and the Mass Incarceration that started under President Nixon. Trump said he intends to take more action on these issues in his second term.
SCHOOL CHOICE
This issue is one of many dividing lines between the two candidates. In August, Trump said, “I’d love to see school choice” and “I’d love to see that be a big factor” in his second term. He also said, “In a second term, I will expand charter schools and provide school choice to every family in America.” He said school choice is “the civil rights issue of all time.”
He has to be careful though. While the annual federal funding for charter school expansion has risen by $100 million over the course of Trump’s term to $440 million, the annual budget for the U.S. Department of Education’s (that is, public schooling) has grown by $5 billion to total $73 billion, despite his pledge four years ago to shrink it.
Interestingly, the 2017 GOP tax overhaul signed by Trump changed rules for 529 savings plans, to permit them to be used for K-12 private school expenses, not just for postsecondary costs.
However, Biden is against sending public money to parochial K-12 schools through voucher programs, something that is supported by Trump.
Along party lines, Democrats in Congress have sought to cut the $440 million in aid for charter growth, and since about ten percent of school spending comes from DC, it is possible that the House, with a continued majority, could whittle down voucher funding.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, these are just nine of the many issues that are being discussed in this election cycle. Most, if not all, of these issues are relevant to our community as a whole. Certainly, they are topics on the minds of all voters who will cast their ballots this November. Ultimately, we want to be assured that our community’s values are represented in the White House. It is up to all of us to make an informed choice.
I’d like to share with you a great way to get more cooperation from children. This happens when we include our children in the rule making process. Now, don’t get scared. Even if we include them in the rule-making process, they do need to know that at the end of the day it’s the parents who set the rules. It’s the parents that make the decisions about whether something will or won’t be a rule in the house. That has to be very clear and we have to be super confident about it.
Your Children Do Want to Follow the House Rules
Before we speak about actually including children in the rule making process, let’s make sure that we’re really clear about our understanding that our children actually want to follow rules.
A lot of parents might say, It looks to me like my child doesn’t.
Let’s examine a universal truth about children – all children have a natural feeling of wanting to BELONG to their parents. There are only two ways to achieve that sense of belonging. You can either belong through disruption or you can belong through cooperation. And we want to believe that every child on the planet wants to belong though cooperation. The more we believe it, the more it actually happens. The way we think about our children is how they actually act.
Figuring It Out Together
So, with that being said, I had a discussion with my children aged seven, nine, and eleven- about what would be a good bedtime this year, with school starting. We pulled out a sleep chart to see how much sleep each child needs for their age. As we looked at the chart we mapped out our upcoming day. Our conversation went something like this:
Being a nine year old, you need a little less than 10 hours of sleep. Since Mommy will drive you to school this year, we’re going to leave at 8:20am. What time would you like to wake up?
My nine year old decided that 7:30am would be a good time to wake up, and we proceeded to figure out that if he were to wake up at 7:30am and his body needs approximately 10 hours of sleep that he needed to be sleeping by 9:30pm. That is when we worked our way to figure out what time each child should be in bed. Each of my children gave different answers. One child said that he could be in bed by 9:27pm because he falls asleep very quickly. Another child said that he likes to read before bed, so he’ll be in bed by 9:10pm to give himself some time to read and then fall asleep.
We came up with the rules together, which will now be posted in the hallway. These rules are now much easier for the kids to follow because they were part of the rule-making process.
Instilling Confidence
We need to show kids that we trust them and that we know that they can figure things out well. Giving our children a sense of My mom trusts me to make good choices, gives them the confidence to follow rules without worrying that we don’t think they are able to make decisions for themselves.
Ultimately, we decide if a rule is healthy or not. So if a child does come up with something that we know is not the right thing for him or her, we need to be super confident about saying, Nope! That’s not going to work. Give them the ability to figure it out themselves. They will be so proud, and so will you!
Have you tried this? Let me know! I love a good before and after!
Served in a hearty broth, these wontons are filled with savory, melt-in-your mouth succulent beef and aromatic fresh ginger. Folded wontons may look laborious, but they’re actually quite easy and fun. If you can fold samboosak, you can certainly fold a wonton. But if pleating your food sounds too complicated for you, simply folding them in half will work too. While the components of this soup can be prepped in advance, the wontons may only be cooked immediately before serving.
Serves 6
1 tbsp oil
1½ lb beef chunks
1 tbsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
6 cloves minced garlic
2 tbsp fresh minced ginger
2 inch piece of peeled ginger
1 cup soy sauce
24 circular dumpling wrappers
1 lemon
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 bunch Swiss chard or bok choy
1 bunch Scallions
Photo by Adina Yaakov
In a large pot, heat oil. Sprinkle beef with salt and black pepper and cook both sides for about 4 minutes each, stirring often. Add 3 cups water, minced ginger, ½ cup soy sauce, and 3 cloves minced garlic and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cover. Let cook for 30 to 45 minutes until beef is tender and soft.
Separate beef from the broth. Place beef chunks in a large bowl, and gently pull apart beef with two forks and set aside.
Place beef broth on a low fire and add 6 cups water, sesame oil, chunk of ginger, and remaining garlic and soy sauce into the pot. Bring to a boil and then simmer for ten minutes. Discard the ginger.
To make the wontons, place a wrapper in one hand and place about one teaspoon of beef in the center. Dampen the edges of the wrapper by dipping your finger into a bowl of water and moisten the edges of the wrapper with the water.
Fold the dumpling wrapper in half in a taco formation, pinching it together lightly at the center. fold a small portion of the top dumpling skin towards the center seam. Continue pleating until the edge of the dumpling. Repeat on the other side. Press the edges together to seal it well, adding water if it gets dry. Press out any air bubbles. Repeat until all wontons are filled.
Bring broth mixture to a low boil and place wontons in boiling broth, being careful not to overcrowd. Once the wontons float to the top, cook two minutes more. The wonton wrappers should look semi-transparent when done. Transfer them to a bowl immediately.
To serve, place wontons in soup bowls. Pour in broth mixture on top, squeeze in juice from the lemon, and top with scallions. Serve hot.
Recipe, Photo, and Styling By Adina Yaakov, Dietetic Intern and Recipe Developer For more recipes follow @OnceUponAThyme__ on Instagram NEW! Find more recipes on www.OnceUponaThyme.co
The Mitzvah Man organization is known as the place to call for those in need of hesed. During the extra challenge presented by COVID-19, their thousands of volunteers stepped up to the plate, and provided even more help than usual.
Fallout from Quarantine
The quarantine was difficult for everyone, but those most affected were the homebound. Living by themselves, they felt even more isolated, which led many into serious depression. Holocaust survivors with no local family members always knew that visits from the Mitzvah Man volunteers would be the highlight of their week. They worried what would happen during quarantine.
Even those young and healthy members of the community were caught unprepared for the economic fallout from COVID-19. Small businesses were collapsing because of forced closures.
Imagine the trauma felt by family members of patients who succumbed to the Coronavirus. We had an unprecedented number of funerals and families having to sit shiva without the moral support of other family members. To comfort a mourner one had to pick up the telephone to call, even if the mourner was the neighbor down the block.
Mitzvah Man Volunteers – Team Players
The Mitzvah Man compares his volunteers to a baseball team. Every player is valuable and has a role to play. The catcher, the first baseman, and the pinch hitter work together. Every member is important and is needed in order to provide the hesed that is the Mitzvah Man’s trademark.
From March 18 to mid-May the pandemic was rampant, and the Mitzvah Man volunteers found themselves busier than ever before.
“What we did is what we are geared up for,” the Mitzvah Man explained. “We have over 3,000 volunteers and a system to reach out to them from 8am in the morning until 10pm at night. We assisted over 1,000 people weekly with their needs during the heart of COVID-19.
“We have groups of women who take turns cooking hot meals. Hundreds of families had no way of getting their meals. We had drivers to deliver meals and medications.”
“Our phones were ringing off the hook, and within 20 minutes of every call our volunteers were out there filling the needs of the caller. Calls were coming in from the those who ordinarily have nurses or aides but because of the pandemic they could not get to work. People were alone and scared but we were able to reassure them.”
The Mitzvah Man organization was critical in helping people cope who were hit hard economically due to COVID-19. He arranged for store owners to provide merchandise on credit for those in dire need.
Volunteers delivered supplies to nursing homes and brought strong gloves and special protective masks to emergency personnel. Volunteers unloaded truckloads of food delivered to Brooklyn to be distributed to those in need. Mitzvah Man drivers made deliveries from restaurants and pizza shops straight to the doctors and nurses at Maimonides and NYU Medical Center.
The organization has a list of repairmen for appliances (such as ovens and freezers) who volunteer their services or charge a nominal fee that the organization covers. In cases where a new appliance was needed, the Mitzvah Man was able to provide these as well.
Focus on the Elderly
Mitzvah Man volunteers regularly assist the elderly, particularly Holocaust survivors. Many are alone and homebound. Home visitations were replaced by phone calls. However, if there was a fear that something was wrong that a phone call could not help, the Mitzvah Man arranged whatever help was needed, of course taking all the precautions necessary.
One man called, panic-stricken. “What’s going to happen to me?” he cried. The Mitzvah Man reassured him, “Don’t worry. We will get whatever you need. Just relax. We are here for you. It might not be a good idea to watch Television during this time of the pandemic. We will make calls to you on a regular basis.”
Later, the man called back, saying that each one of the volunteers is an angel. “All my life I had Hashem, but I never had people. Now I have people” he said thankfully.
The Mitzvah Man states with pride, “I am the manager of a huge team. The COVID-19 pandemic brought out the best in my volunteers, and we were able to accomplish even more than we usually do.”
Tradition teaches that the Messianic era won’t come easily. We have all heard of the harsh “Gog Umagog” wars that will rage just prior to the arrival of Mashiah and the final redemption. This installment of our series will explore this fascinating aspect of Mashiah and attempt to explain more fully what kind of wars will be waged, by whom, and how exactly these frightening events will unfold.
Defining “Gog Umagog”
Contrary to the common misconception that the terms “Gog” and “Magog” refer to two warring states, most commentaries assume that Magog is the name of a country which is led by a ruler named Gog.[1] Others explain that Gog is the name of a country, and Magog is one of its provinces.[2] Thus, “Gog Umagog” refers to a single nation, and not to two countries at war with each other.
The Book of Beresheet (10:2) makes reference to a grandson of Noah named Magog, and it is widely assumed that the nation of Gog Umagog will descend from that individual.[3] The commentators disagree, however, as to whether this nation will be Muslim or Christian.[4] The Malbim[5] comments that the identity of Gog Umagog may remain unknown until the war actually occurs.
Three Wars of Gog Umagog
The wars of Gog Umagog will take place in three stages over the course of our present exile.[6] The Abarbenel[7] writes that the three wars will be fought between the Muslims and Christians, adding that the first two of these wars have already taken place. The first Abarbanel claims, was the Muslim conquest of the Middle East from the Christian Roman Empire in the seventh century C.E., and the second was the thirteenth-century onslaught of the Crusaders against the Arabs who controlled Eress Yisrael. The third war, he writes, will erupt just prior to the arrival of Mashiah and will usher the final redemption.
According to others, the three wars have yet to be fought, and they will all take place in the period just before the redemption.[8]
In the midst of World War I (1913-1917), the Hafess Haim z”l (1838-1933) was asked if that war was the battle of Gog Umagog, heralding Mashiah’s arrival. The Hafess Haim responded in affirmative.
“This war,” he foresaw, “is only the first stage. It will be continued in some twenty-five years with another world war that will make this first war look like child’s play in comparison. That war, too, will end, but eventually a third world war will take place, which will be a time of terrible suffering for the Jewish nation, much worse than ever before, and from there we will be redeemed.”[9]
When Will the Final War Take Place?
It is clear from the prophet Yehezkel that the war of Gog Umagog will occur after the Jews return to and resettle Eress Yisrael.[10] While many commentaries understood that the war will be waged only after Mashiah’s arrival, during the Messianic Era[11], most later commentaries dismiss such a notion. It is inconceivable, they contend, that the gentile nations will wage war against the Jews after witnessing the miraculous events accompanying Mashiah’s arrival, which will irrefutably demonstrate Hashem’s supremacy and the Jews’ stature as His Chosen Nation. This war must therefore take place before Mashiah’s arrival, but after the Jews return and resettle Eress Yisrael. This position has been affirmed by our relatively recent resettlement of our homeland.[12] Further evidence may be drawn from the Amida prayer, which arranges the blessing “Teka Beshofar,” which discusses the Jews’ return from exile, before the blessings of “Hashivah Shoftenu,” which asks that our judges be restored to their posts and “Laminim Velamalshinim,” which speak of punishments befalling the wicked. These two blessings allude to the punishment Hashem will bring upon the nation of Gog Umagog, which will occur after the Jews’ return to their land. These blessings are then followed by the blessings of “Boneh Yerushalayim” and “Et Semah” which discuss the arrival of Mashiah.[13]
However, while it is assumed that this war will transpire before the onset of the Messianic era, the Malbim writes that the exact date of this third war was never recorded and will not be revealed before Mashiah’s arrival.[14]
The Outbreak of the Final War
How will this war begin, and which nations will it involve?
The Talmud[15] cites Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi as predicting that Rome, the world power in his time, will eventually be conquered by Persia. Rav, a third-century Talmudic scholar, predicted that to the contrary, the Persians will ultimately fall into the hands of the Romans. Our sages explain[16] that in truth, both views are correct. The Talmud speaks here not specifically of the Roman Empire, but rather of Christendom generally. The Christian world is called “Rome” because the Roman Empire formally adopted Christianity in the fourth century, making it the world’s dominant religion. Furthermore, the Christian leadership resided and still resides in the Vatican, in the ancient city of Rome. According to both Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi and Rav, Rome will wage war against the Muslim countries, led by Persia, and they will both destroy each other just prior to Mashiah’s arrival.
Thus, the battle of Gog Umagog will entail a fierce, bloody confrontation between the Christian and Muslim worlds.
According to most views, this confrontation will begin when all the leading nations of the world, Christians and Muslims alike, will unite to fight the Jews who had resettled Eress Yisrael. The nation of Gog Umagog will instigate the world’s other nations to join this campaign, which will at first meet with success. The axis of nations will conquer Jerusalem, but will then be torn asunder by internal conflict. The Christian and Muslim nations will fight for their individual beliefs and interests, resulting in a deadly battle over Eress Yisrael.[17]
The Abarbanel[18] foresees a different sequence of events, claiming that the world’s leading Christian countries will join forces in an attempt to seize Eress Yisrael from the Jews. Their efforts will initially succeed, and these nations will take control of the land for a period of nine months, during which time they will oppress the Jews and cause havoc to the Arabs living in Eress Yisrael and in the neighboring Muslim countries. Thereupon, the nation Gog Umagog will unite with other Muslim countries to defend themselves from the Christians, avenge the blood of their Muslim brothers, and wrestle control of Eress Yisrael away from their oppressors.
This final war, as the Midrash tells, will take place in three stages. The first two stages will take place in Eress Yisrael – one on the ground and one at sea[19] – while the third and harshest confrontation will occur in the city of Rome, where the Muslims will attempt to destroy the Christian stronghold there. Our sages explain[20] that after the first two deadly battles, which will result in numerous casualties on both sides, the Muslims will triumph over the Christians and then attempt to achieve world domination by destroying the Christians’ ancient city of Rome. But then Mashiah ben David will emerge on the scene, defeating the enemies of the Jewish people and leading the entire nation to Eress Yisrael, thereby ushering in the period of our final redemption[21].
A Time of Bitter Suffering
The prophets[22] describe the unparalleled suffering the Jewish nation will endure during the time of God Umagog, which will surpass even the worst periods of persecution in our nation’s history. Both Christians and Muslims alike will oppress the Jews, resulting in tens of thousands of Jewish deaths.[23] No country will offer the Jews refuge[24], and they will find themselves helplessly persecuted for a period of nine months.[25] At that point, a wise, courageous leader from the tribe Efraim – Mashiah ben Yosef – will assemble an army of righteous Jews to wage war against the invading gentile nations.[26] Mashiah ben Yosef will fall in battle, resulting in a renewal of the oppression against the Jews. The Midrash describes how during this period the Jews will flee the cities to the deserts in an attempt to save themselves, subsisting on whatever plants and vegetation they find. Many will perish simply from malnutrition and starvation. Forty-five days later, Hashem, in response to the people’s heartfelt prayers and cries, will sound a powerful shofar blast that will be heard throughout the world. Mashiah Ben David will then be sent forth to destroy the attacking gentile nations and redeem the Jewish nation from exile.[27]
The Wicked Armelous
Many sources depict a frightening figure named Armelous who will step onto the scene during this war and cause devastating harm to the Jews, including the murder of Mashiah Ben Yosef during battle.[28] Different sources describe Armelous as either a Christian or Muslim.[29] Many commentaries identify Armelous as the ruler Gog, while others claim that Armelous will be Gog’s twin brother.[30]
Armelous, as the Midrash describes, will be born with a full, adult frame, and then grow to a size of nearly four feet wide and twenty feet tall. He will feature blazing red eyes, and, possessing the soul of Satan himself, will never fear any human being. According to the Midrash, he will make his appearance following the major successes of Mashiah ben Yosef in his battles against the Christians and claim to be a God. Armelous will kill all who oppose him and, according to some sources, will seize control over the entire world. Although Armelous will succeed in killing Mashiah ben Yosef, he will eventually meet his fate at the hands of Mashiah ben David, who will kill him with the mere utterance of words.[31]
Today’s Current Events
Today’s world finds itself in the midst of an intensifying conflict between the Western world and radical Muslim leaders, as manifest most clearly in the emergence of international Islamist terror networks, such as that which perpetrated the deadly 9/11 attacks. A closer examination of these developments, along with expert analysts’ assessments of these events, leads us to the frightening realization that the world is likely headed toward another world war between radical Muslims and the Western world.
This progression, in all likelihood, is leading toward the war of Gog Umagog predicted by the prophets, and serves as yet another indication of how close we are to the coming of Mashiah and the final redemption.
Next Issue: Gog Umagog in Detail
[1] See Rashi and other commentaries to Yehezkel 38:2.
