צניעות

דרך אמת

 WOE TO THE RABBIS WHOSE SOLE PURPOSE
IS TO PLEASE THEIR LISTENERS

In the book kav ha Yashar it is written: It is a common occurrence in today’s day and age, that people give public lectures with false and misled ideas. Their words are not pure and true, and they confuse people for the sake of receiving praise for their talents. These people have exchanged the everlasting world for this temporary world. They bring about evil decrees, as we have explained above. Anyone who has fear of G-d should consider well the terrible loss that he is incurring by choosing money or honor in this world, rather than the eternal life of the World to Come. The honor that people may give him for his speech or lecture is but a thorn in his soul.  Very suddenly he shall find himself overcome by a terrible fear and darkness.  Woe unto the shame and humiliation that he will suffer when the time for him to die will come.

Since the Reform and conservative Rabbis love the prophets so much because they speak of ethical behavior, let these Rabbis apply to them the following words of the Prophet Yeshayahu

20 Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! 21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! 22 Woe to those who are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mix strong drink; 23 Who justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!   (Isaiah 5:20 -23)

EVEN IF THE REFORM AND CONSERVATIVE WANT TO LIVE LIKE THE GENTILES, HASHEM WILL NOT LET THEM LIVE LIKE THEY WISH TO   

   32 And that which comes into your mind shall never come about, that you say, We will be as the nations, as the families of the countries, to serve wood and stone. 33 As I live, says the Lord G-d, surely with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out, will I rule over you; 34 And I will bring you out from the peoples, and will gather you out of the countries where you are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out. (EZEKIEL 20:32-34)

Rambam writes on Mishne Torah Hilchot Deot 2:1

Those who are sick in the body taste the bitter as sweet and the sweet as bitter, and among the sick there are those who desire foods that are not fit to eat, such as earth and charcoal, and hate healthful foods such as bread and meat - all depending on how serious the sickness is.

Similarly, those who are morally ill desire and love bad traits, hate the good path, and are lazy to follow it. Depending on how sick they are, they find it exceedingly burdensome.

Isaiah [5:20] speaks of such people in a like manner: “Woe to those who call the bad good, and the good bad, who take darkness to be light and light to be darkness, who take bitter to be sweet and sweet to be bitter.” Concerning them, [Proverbs 2:13] states: “Those who leave the upright paths to walk in the ways of darkness.” What is the remedy for the morally ill? They should go to the wise, for they are the healers of souls. They wil.l heal them by teaching them [how to acquire proper] traits, until they return them to the good path.

      GREAT ATHEISM IS COMING INTO THE WORLD

Rebbe Nachman said, ‘‘Great atheism is coming to the world.’’ Many times he told us that the world’s many sins are resulting in great disbelief. Happy is he who is strong in his faith. The Rebbe said, that the fact that he is predicting this will not prevent this G-dlessness and confusion from increasing. Thousands of years ago, Daniel the prophet and others predicted that this would happen in the days before the Messiah. They said (Dan. 12:10), ‘‘Many will purify themselves and be refined, and make themselves shining white. The wicked will be evil, and only the wise shall understand.” It has already been predicted that there will be great temptations before the Messiah’s coming, where “many will purify themselves and be refined, and make themselves shining white’’ in faith. Fortunate indeed is one who resists these temptations and remains firm in his belief. He will be worthy of all the good promised to us by the prophets and sages of old. Knowing full well that this has already been predicted, it would seem ridiculous for one to succumb to any temptation to abandon his beliefs. It would seem obvious that every Jew would have enough intelligence to remain firm. But still it is a great trial. Many will fall away, and for this reason it is written that ‘‘the wicked will be evil.’’The Rebbe said, ‘‘Still, I am revealing this for the sake of the few faithful who will remain strong in their belief. They will certainly have great conflicts. But when they see that this has already been predicted, it will give them additional strength and encouragement.’’ (Rebbe Nachman’s wisdom 35)

DID YOU NOTICE THAT THE FURTHER PEOPLE ARE FROM THE TRUTH THE MORE THEY CONSIDER SOMEONE WHO TURNS AWAY FROM EVIL TO BE A FOOL? 

REBBE NACHMAN, SEFER HA MIDDOT, EMET 

  DO YOU WANT TO BE LIKE THE NATIONS?

    In the prophet Ezekiel (20:32) it is brought, the footsetps of Mashiach people will hold the idea of "We will be like the nations", this prophecy started to materialize before 150 years [To the year 1940] through the hands of the leaders of the Enlightment from Berlin. They justified this idea with the motto "Be a Jew in your house and a person in the street". Not many days went by until we saw the fruits of this ideology where the Jews ceased to behave like Jews and abandoned their religion.

This ideology had as its goal to uproot the foundations of the Torah. The Torah warned the Jews about the neeed for extreme separation in all walks of life from the nations around them "And I will separate you from the nations to be unto Me" (Vayikra 20:26, Rambam Hilchot Avoda Zara 1:1) But the enlightened held steady to their ways, to be like all the nations. The Holy One Blessed be He said: "What you say, we will be like the nations, will not be so, for with a strong hand and an outstretched arm and an outpoured anger I will rule over you" (Ezekiel  20:32) The Holy One Blessed be He will start with a strong arm, and if the people will prolong their deceipt, then the outstretched arm will come, and if the Jews will still treat Hashem with lightness then the outpoured anger will come. We do not know in which of the three stages we are today, and the future will soon show us where we are ...

Rabbi Elchanan Wasserman (Killed by the Nazis in the Shoa), May his Blood be avenged

The wicked think, “How many people can Gehinom accommodate? Two million? Three million? How many evildoers are there in every generation? Gehinom assuredly must run out of space and cease to accept new candidates.” Responds Hashem, “As many evil men as there may be in the world, Gehinom expands to accommodate you.” This is enunciated by the prophet Isaiah (30:33), “Gehinom is prepared from the previous day; it is ready for kings, too; it is deepened; it is broadened; its furnace is full of fire and much fuel; Hashem’s breath is like a river of sulfur burning in it.”(Yalkut Shimani 2:436)

From the Book Continents in Motion: The New Earth Debate:

We may note that one of the world’s most active volcanoes, Kilauea in Hawaii, constantly exudes gas with the distinct smell of sulfur.’ Writes Walter Sullivan, “Geothermal plants are not necessarily pollution free. The first thing that strikes a visitor to Big Sulfur Canyon in the Geysers steam field is the powerful smell of hydrogen sulfide... that smells like rotten eggs.”

AN UNDERGROUND WATER SOURCE IS ADJACENT TO GEHINOMM WHICH FEEDS THE WORLD'S HOT SPRINGS FOR THE PLEASURE OF MANKIND (PIRKE DE RABBI ELIEZER 5)

Many years before the Nazi rise to power, R. Meir Simcha Hakohen, in his Meshech Chochmah, alluded to this future development when he commented upon the verse, “I will not cast them away, nor will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly” (Vayikra 26:44):

   The Jew will forget his origin and true identity and consider himself a full-fledged citizen of the country of his exile. He will abandon his study of Torah for the study of languages and culture foreign to him. He will, choose to learn from the depraved and not from the upright. He will consider Berlin to be his new Jerusalem and follow the example of the more degenerate of the Gentiles and not of the decent ones. Do not rejoice,  0 Israel, do not exult like the nations, lest a stormy wind brew and viciously uproot you from the trunk and deposit you in a distant country whose language you know not. Then you will know that you are a stranger.

SOME SINS ARE SO GREAT...  

Some sins are so great that those who commit them are not afforded Divine assistance to repent. Included among them is one who was able to rebuke others, be it a group or individuals, and did not do so but left them in their backsliding. (Rambam Hilchos Teshuva 4:1)

Those who rebuke the people sweeten the heavenly decrees and increase peace on the world. But when the wickedness of the people overules and spoils  the rebuke and admonition, the peace on this world is ruined and this causes an expulsion and strife (Likute Etzot, Erech Tochacha)

If a Rabbi of a congregation is liked by his congregants (It is not so because they are so good but rather) it is a sign that he does not admonish them on matters pertaining to heaven (Ketuvot 105)

This is what the Zohar ha Kaddosh (1, 25-26) says about the types of Erev Rav: There are five types among the Erev Rav "mixed multitude", Nefilim, Gibborim, Anakim, Refaim, and Amalekim...

THE GIBBORIM BUILD SYNAGOGUES FOR THEIR OWN BENEFIT BUT CLAIM THEY DO IT ONLY FOR G-D’S SAKE

The Gibborim (mighty ones) are those of whom it is written: “They are the mighty ones…men of name” (Genesis 6, 4). They come from the side of those who said: “Come, let us build a city and make a name for ourselves” (Bereshit 11,4). These men build synagogues and Yeshivot and place in them Torah Scrolls with rich ornaments, but they do it not for the sake of G-d, but only to make themselves a name, and as a result  of this the powers of evil rule over Israel (who must be humble like the dust of the earth), according to the verse “And the waters prevailed greatly upon the earth” (Bereshit 7:19).

THERE WILL BE A FLOOD OF IMMORALITY
BEFORE THE COMING OF MASHIACH

Rabbi Nachman concluded by saying that it is said that before the Mashiach comes, there will be a flood. (People will be flooded with atheism.) It will not be a flood of water, but of immorality. It will cover all the high mountains, even in the Holy Land, where the original flood did not reach. But this time, it will come with such strength that the water will splash over the land. This means that it will have an effect even in virtuous hearts. There will be no way to combat this with sophistication. All the royal ministers will be scattered, and the entire kingdom will not be firm on its foundation. The only ones who will uphold it will be the simple Jews who recite Psalms in simplicity. Therefore, when the Mashiach comes, they will be the ones to place the crown on his head”. (Rabbi Nachman's Stories #21)

“It will be very difficult to remain firm in faith, and not be misled by everyone’s mistaken beliefs in the pre Messianic era. At that time, many who call themselves religious leaders will preach falsehood. A group like ours, where people gather together, thirsting for G-d’s word, will no longer exist. There will be some truly religious individuals, but they will be very few and far between. Rabbi Nachman then quoted the verse: “Write this as a record in a book” (Exodus 17:14). In days to come let people know that there was someone who already predicted this. Then they will know and be encouraged in their faith”

 (Rabbi Nachman of Bresslov [1772-1810], Sichot Ha Ran 126)

THOSE WHO FEAR HASHEM NEED STRENGTH NOT TO FOLLOW THE PATH OF DECEPTION OF THE MAJORITY

The prophet Malachi already spoke about the great hiding of the face of Hashem and the great confusion of minds and ideas before the arrival of Mashiach because the evildoers and the actions of the Satan will be successful and the trials and the strength needed will be great, and there will be no possibility of talking about the truth and about faith in front of the multitudes…Therefore the prophet said: “Then those who fear Hashem spoke each one to his fellow” that those who fear Hashem will have to strengthen themselves that they should not err and go after the mistaken people and after the majority, and one should help his fellow man and strengthen him and tell him: “Be strong” and the Holy One blessed is He who searches the heart and kidneys, will test their words.

(Maskil el Dal)

    “A brutish man knows not, neither does a fool understand this” When the wicked spring up like grass and all workers of iniquity flourish, it is so that they will be exterminated forever" (Psalms 92:6-7)

                                   Some time after, Rabbi Abba, as he was on his way to Rabbi Shimon, went into the town where this man lived. He found him expounding the verse: “A brutish man knows not, neither does a fool understand this” (Psalms 92, 6). ‘How foolish’, he said, ‘are mankind that they take no pains to know the ways of the Almighty by which the world is maintained. ‘What prevents them? Their stupidity, because they do not study the Torah; for if they were to study the Torah they would know the ways of the Holy One, blessed be He. “A fool does not understand this”: meaning  [76a] the ways of “this” (zot is the Shechinah), in the world, how it judges the world. For they only see the punishments of this zot falling on the righteous and not falling on the wicked who transgress the precepts of the Torah, and who inherit this world in every direction, as it is written, “the wicked spring as the grass”. And so that we should know better, did not King David enlighten us in the second part of the verse, saying, “It is that they shall be destroyed for ever”; that is, to be destroyed in the other world, where they shall be dust under the feet of the Tzaddikim.’ He further discoursed on the verse: “My leanness rises up against me, it testifies to my face” (Job 16, 8). ‘Observe’, he said, ‘that if a man transgresses the precepts of the Law, the Torah itself goes up and down and makes marks on that man’s face so that all both above and below look at him and heap curses on his head. We have learnt that all the eyes of Hashem which go to and from in the world to observe the ways of mankind look well at the face of that man and exclaim: Alas, alas, Alas for him in this world, alas for him in the world to come. Keep away from So-and-so because his face testifies against him that an unclean spirit rests upon him.

ZOHAR HA KADDOSH ACHARE MOT 75B 76A

BE WARY OF ALL NEW
CUSTOMS AND PRACTICES

The holy Sefer ha Brit (Part 1, Chapter 3) states: “Be wary of all new customs and groups that do not follow the ways our forefathers knew. Even if these people are Torah scholars and doers of acts of kindness, if they deviate even an inch from the Shulchan Aruch do not follow them. If they conduct themselves contrary to the Shulchan Aruch, distance yourselves from their ways and don’t go near their homes. Because also among the followers of Shabetai Tzvi [may his name be blotted out] there were many Torah scholars with great Torah knowledge. And there is nothing new that will be good and won’t bring sin in its wake. Therefore, be very careful about new things. And this rule should always be in front of you: “The one who turns his face away from the Shulchan Aruch, even a little has no portion in the G-d of Yaakov and in his congregation.”  [See also Chovot ha Levavot, Shaar ha Yichud ha Maase, chapter 5 – See also Likute Amarim Tanya, Chapter 1 and 24 - Talmud Eruvin 21b] 

 EVEN THE GOOD THINGS THAT THE EREV RAV DO,
HAVE TO BE TREATED WITH CONTEMPT

The root of our deficiency comes from what the Erev Rav do to us. As it is written in the Zohar: “They (The Erev Rav) damage Israel more than all the nations”.

And one has to strengthen oneself with great faith (EMUNA), because Israel were redeemed from Mitzrayim only in the merit of faith, and so it will be with the future redemption, that we will need great faith because we will see how the ways of evildoers succeed… and even if we see in them (The Erev Rav) good things like Torah and tradition and good manners and in particular they make peace with everybody and peace is the foundation of everything, and it is a very good trait, even so, as in the case of a sick person that needs to have his blood extracted even though the soul is in the blood, so it will be in the days prior to Mashiach, we must reject all these people even when they have good aspects in their behavior because then will be time of Clarification and selection and this will be the trial and choice in those days

(Divre Simcha by Rabbi Simcha Ysachar Ber Chalberstam, zt’l).

(Likutim Ha GRA)

FIVE TYPES OF LEADERS OF THE EREV RAV

This is what the  Zohar ha Kaddosh (1, 25-26) says about the types of Erev Rav: There are five types among the Erev Rav "mixed multitude", Nefilim, Gibborim, Anakim, Refaim, and Amalekites.

The Amalekites are those who are left from the time of the Flood, from those of whom it is written, "and he blotted out all living substance"; those who have been left from this class in this fourth exile of Israel make themselves leaders by force, and are scourges to Israel; of them it is written, "for the earth was full of violence because of them". These are the Amalekites.

THE REFAIM ABANDON ISRAEL
WHEN THEY ARE IN TROUBLE

The Refaim (lit. weak ones), the fourth section of the "mixed multitude  - EREV RAV” are those who if they see Israel in trouble, abandon them even though they are in a position to help them, and they also neglect the Torah and its students in order to ingratiate themselves with the non-Jews. Of them it is said, "They are Refaim (shades), they shall not arise" (Is. 26, 14); When redemption shall come to Israel, "all their memory shall perish" (Ibid.).  (Zohar ha Kaddosh 1, 25-26) 

THE EREV RAV CARRY WEAPONS TO WOUND ISRAEL

In “Bnei Yisachar” (articles of Chodesh Adar) it is written, “the groups of the Erev Rav who sit among us, are heretics, informers, Apikorsim, they are from the root of Amalek, the Sitra Achra, as you may see in these generations, that on account of our myriad sins, the heresy has increased. And there are those who carry weapons on them to wound Israel with bad advice and faulty laws.”

And in the Zohar Chai Parashat Bereshit (4, pg. 96) it says: “And the Erev Rav is the bad side of Moshe, and Moshe wanted to correct them…And Moshe himself comes in every generation (in the ARIZAL, afterwards in the BAAL SHEM TOV) and he will reincarnate in the last generation among the Erev Rav…And now most of the generation with their leaders are from the Erev Rav…And Moshe comes to prevent the Erev Rav from derailing the people of Israel”.

THE EREV RAV ARE THE ONES WHO BUILT THE GOLDEN CALF AND MIXED GOOD WITH EVIL

My son even with all this the letter HEI stood before man. After the EREV RAV came and made the golden calf, they caused the HEI to go up to the VAV and the YUD and the word HOI was made. And who caused this? “HOI GOI CHOTE” “Oh a sinful nation” (Isaiah 1:4) And the final HE stood alone and this is what is written: “How lonely sits” (Eicha 1:1)…And they mixed the good with the evil which the Holy One had separated as it is written: “And Hashem separated the night from the day” (Bereshit 1:4)” They caused the Shechinah to be exiled and be mixed among the nations of the world…

Tikkune Zohar Tikkun 19

THE RESHAIM ARE THE EREV RAV THEY ALL RISE AND DOMINATE ISRAEL DURING THE EXILE

And the RESHAIM, the evil ones, these are the EREV RAV, and they are called SOF PASUK (The end of the sentence) for they come from the seed of AMALEK about whom it is written KI YAD AL KES YA (Shemot 17:15). And there are 5 types AMALEKIM, GIBBORIM, NEFILIM, ANAKIM and REFAIM. For they all rise and dominate ISRAEL during the exile and this is what is written (Bereshit 7:18) “And the waters prevailed, and were increased greatly upon the earth” Four times it is written VAYIGBERU - VEGABRU (Prevailed) corresponding to the four exiles. And they are called SOF PASUK for the Holy One Blessed be He will POSEK [Cease them to be] at the end of days from the world.

Tikkune Zohar Tikkun 21

The materialist philosophers, who claim that everything operates only by virtue of the laws of nature, are a breed of wild animals who have made terrible inroads into our people and caught many of our sons in their clutches. Many Jewish souls are sunk in this like birds caught in a snare. If you love your soul, keep well away from these wild beasts, who would otherwise snatch your soul and consume it. Keep well away from books of speculative science, even those written by our own great Sages. There is no greater evil (Likutey Moharan II 46)

This is why a person has to be so careful to guard his mind and his thoughts and make sure that he never admits alien ideas or ways of looking at things. All our problems and defects and sins come from abusing the sanctity of the mind, G-d forbid, by admitting alien thoughts, and ideologies. To achieve true repentance and to make amends for all one’s sins, one must cleanse the mind of all these alien ideas. Wisdom and intelligence actually are the soul. By clearing the mind of alien ideologies the faculty of thought is elevated to its source. This is the essence of returning to G-d (Rebbe Nachman’s wisdom ).

People who make fun of the words of the Sages are punished with boiling excremehts (Gittin 56a). Stinking vapors rise up to their brains, leaving them twisted and confused. No matter how much they may study Torah, they will never be able to derive true guidance from it about the way to lead their lives. Their hearts are as filthy as a privy. They never have a clear idea how to live at all. This kind of cynicism leads in the end to severe decrees being passed against the Jewish people. They are expelled from the countries they were living in, and the end result of the upheavals is that whole areas of Torah wisdom become lost to us   (Rebbe Nachman’sLikkute Moharan 6 ).

SAMA-EL AND HIS COHORTS HUMILIATE
AND MISTREAT THE JEWS IN EXILE

BERESHIT YIRA BOSHET. Woe to SAMA-EL when the Holy One Blessed be HE will come to redeem the Shechina and Israel her son. And will avenge from him and from the 70 nations together with their angels who control them, all the suffering that they inflicted upon the Jews during their Exile. Because before Israel was exiled, the Holy One Blessed be He revealed to them, that the Jews were destined to be under their yoke, and He showed them the reward if they treated the Jews with kindness while they would be in exile, this is what is written (Bereshit 39:5) “And G-d blessed the house of the Egyptian because of Joseph”. And SAMA-EL and his cohorts don’t give honor to the Jews but on the contrary they denigrate the Shechina and the Jews, for they say to them every day: “Where is your G-d?”…

Tikkune Zohar, Tikkun 7

The Origins of Reform Judaism

(Or how to scrap a 3,000 year old tradition in order to copy the ways of Esav)

Reform Judaism was born at the time of the French Revolution, a time when European Jews were recognized for the first time as citizens of the countries in which they lived. Ghettos were being abolished, special badges were no more, people could settle where they pleased, dress as they liked and follow the occupations that they wanted.

Many Jews settled outside of Jewish districts, and began to live like their neighbors and speak the language of the land. They went to public schools and universities, began to neglect Jewish studies and to disregard the Shulchan Aruch.

In 1815, after Napoleon's defeat, Jews lost the rights of citizenship in several countries. Many Jews became Christian to retain those rights. Thoughtful Jews were concerned about this. They realized that many of these changes took place not because of a dislike of Judaism, but to obtain better treatment. Many rabbis believed the way to address this was to force Jews to keep away from Christians and give up public schools and universities. This didn't work.

Leopold Zunz proposed something else. He suggested that Jews study their history and learn of the great achievements of the past. While Zunz was implementing his ideas, a movement began to make religious services better understood, by incorporating music and the local language. Local Rabbis, however, persuaded the government to close the test synagogue.

Shortly after the closing, Rabbi Abraham Geiger suggested that observance might also be changed to appeal to modern people. Geiger, a skilled scholar in both Tanach and German studies, investigated Jewish history. He discovered that Jewish life had continually changed. Every now and then, old practices were changed and new ones introduced, resulting in a Jewish life that was quite different from that lived 4,000 or even 2,000 years before. He noticed these changes often made it easier for Jews to live in accordance with Judaism. Geiger concluded that this process of change needed to continue to make Judaism attractive to all Jews.

Between 1810 and 1820, congregations in Seesen, Hamburg and Berlin instituted fundamental changes in traditional Jewish practices and beliefs, such as mixed seating, single­day observance of festivals and the use of a cantor/choir. Many leaders of the Reform movement took a very "rejectionist" view of Jewish practice and discarded traditions and rituals. For example:

• Circumcision was not practiced, and was decried as barbaric.
• The Hebrew language was removed from the liturgy and replaced with German.
• The hope for a restoration of the Jews in Israel was officially renounced, and it was officially stated that Germany was to be the new Zion.
• The ceremony in which a child celebrated becoming Bar Mitzvah was replaced with a "confirmation" ceremony.
• The laws of Kashrut and family purity were officially declared "repugnant" to modern thinking people, and were not observed.
• Shabbat was observed on Sunday.
• Traditional restrictions on Shabbat behavior were not followed.

Reform Comes to America

American Reform Judaism began as these German "reformers" immigrated to American in the mid­1800s. The first "Reform" group was formed by a number of individuals that split from Congregation Beth Elohim in Charleston, South Carolina. Reform rapidly became the dominant belief system of American Jews of the time. It was a national phenomenon.

Reform Judaism in American benefitted from the lack of a central religious authority. It also was molded by Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise. Rabbi Wise came to the United States in 1846 from Bohemia, spent eight years in Albany, NY, and then moved to Cincinnati on the edge of the frontier. He then proceeded to:

1. Write the first siddur edited for American worshipers, Minhag American (1857).

2. Found the Union of American Hebrew Congregations in 1873.

3. Found Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati in 1875.

4. Found the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR) in 1889.

Reform Jews also pioneered a number of organizations, such as the Educational Alliance on the Lower East Side of New York, the Young Men's Hebrew Association, the American Jewish Committee and the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai Brith.

By 1880, more than 90 percent of American synagogues were Reform. This was the time of the major Eastern European immigration, which was heavily Orthodox and non­German, as contrasted with the strongly German Reform movement. Many Reform congregations of this time were difficult to distinguish from neighboring Protestant churches, with preachers in robes, pews with mixed seating, choirs, organs and hymnals. Like their counterparts in Germany, American Reform rabbis, such as David Einhorn, Samuel Holdheim, Bernard Felsenthal and Kaufmann Kohler, adopted a radical approach to observance.

Although early American Reform rabbis dropped quite a bit of traditional prayers and rituals, there was still a "bottom line." In 1909, the CCAR formally declared its opposition to intermarriage. And, although decried as "archaic" and "barbarian," the practice of circumcision remained a central rite.

This early radicalism was mentioned in the 1885 Pittsburgh Platform, which dismisses "such Mosaic and rabbinical laws as regulate diet, priestly purity and dress" as anachronisms that only obstruct spirituality in the modern age. The platform stressed that Reform Jews must only be accepting of laws that they feel "elevate and sanctify our lives" and must reject those customs and laws that are "not adapted to the views and habits of modern civilization."

Early Reform Judaism was also anti­Zionist, believing the Diaspora was necessary for Jews to be "light unto the nations." Nevertheless, a number of Reform rabbis were pioneers in establishing Zionism in America, including Gustav and Richard Gottheil, Rabbi Steven S. Wise (founder of the American Jewish Congress) and Justice Louis Brandeis. Following the Balfour Declaration, the Reform movement began to support Jewish settlements in Palestine, as well as institutions such as Hadassah Hospital and the Hebrew University.

As the years passed, a reevaluation took place in which many members of the Reform movement began to question the "reforms" that were made. By 1935, the movement had begun to return to a more traditional approach to Judaism-distinctly Jewish and distinctly American, but also distinctively non­Christian. Starting with the Columbus Platform in 1937, many of the discarded practices were reincorporated into the Reform canon, and constitute what is now called "Modern" Reform Judaism, or more succinctly, Reform Judaism. The platform also formally shifted the movement's position on Zionism by affirming "the obligation of all Jewry to aid in building a Jewish homeland...."

THE VILNA GAON ON HERETICS

It is the way of the wicked (''Rashah'') who is wicked in matters between Man and G-d, to have a natural disposition to be good in matters between Man and his fellowman. Yet despite looking good, the truth is that in his heart the wicked yearns for evil like that which evil people do (''Hara-im'') - like robbery and violence - commentary on Prov. 12:12.

Most of the minim (missionaries are an example of ''minim'') are good people by nature... but just the righteous who are always engaged in performing G-d's precepts, know the ways of G-d, and they understand that there is in this,(the good of the heretics) only an enticement- commentary on Prov. 11:9; 12:12.

Our Sages explain: Do not befriend an evil person (Avot 1), and added: even if your object is to bring him closer to Torah (Avot d'R. Nathan, the end of chapter 9, according to the Gaon's version). The Gaon added: Leave the fools, even if your object is to reprimand them to straighten their ways, lest they influence you to be like them - commentary on Prov. 9:6.

"In other words, that the Torah told him to go by himself and not in the way of the wicked, even if his object is to reprimand them, so that he may always remain in continual separation. This is the meaning of `if you are smart', i.e., if you stay alone and learn, you will enjoy the learning and its reward. But if you stay among the sons of man - `your mockery you shall bear alone' - even of their mockery, you shall bear their sin" - commentary on Proverbs 9:12.

Most of the minim (missionaries are an example of ''minim'') are good by nature, for they steal the heart of their fellowman and corrupt it. This is the meaning of a flattering mouth - commentary on Proverbs 11:9 (see also on 12:12).

 REFORM JEWISH LEADER PRAISES FEDERAL COURT RULING DECLARING ABORTION BAN UNCONSTITUTIONAL

Saperstein: Today's decision affirms our strong belief that sensitive medical decisions should remain in the hands of women, in consultation with their doctors and on the basis of their own beliefs, without interference from those with political agendas in opposition to established rights.

WASHINGTON, June 1, 2004 - In response to today's ruling by Federal District Judge Phyllis Hamilton that the Partial Birth Abortion Act of 2003 is unconstitutional, Rabbi David Saperstein, Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, issued the following statement:

The Reform Jewish Movement welcomes the ruling by United States District Court Judge Phyllis Hamilton recognizing that the Ban on Safe Abortions, misleadingly referred to as the "Partial Birth Abortion Ban," is an unconstitutional infringement of a woman's right to reproductive choice. Today's decision affirms our strong belief that sensitive medical decisions should remain in the hands of women, in consultation with their doctors and on the basis of their own beliefs, without interference from those with political agendas in opposition to established rights.

Jewish tradition emphasizes the sacredness of life, of healing, and of freedom of choice. The Reform Jewish Movement opposes any law that would prevent women from choosing to access safe and potentially life-saving medical treatment. We applaud Judge Hamilton's ruling, which affirms that the well-being of women is too precious to be subject to political whims.

###

The Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism is the Washington office of the Union for Reform Judaism, whose more than 900 congregations across North America encompass 1.5 million Reform Jews, and the Central Conference of American Rabbis(CCAR) whose membership includes more than 1800 Reform rabbis.

July 15, 2004

Attention Rabbis and Cantors:

We need your help to defeat a Constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage in America
Many lawmakers mistakenly believe that a significant majority of America’s faith communities support a Constitutional amendment outlawing same-sex marriage in the United States. We need to let them know that this is not true. They need to know that millions of religious Americans from all different traditions are very concerned about this effort to write discrimination and religious intolerance into our Constitution. Your signature on this letter to senators will help set the record straight.
>Sign on now to our interfaith clergy letter urging U.S. Senators to oppose the amendment

Ever since that momentous occasion, when Hashem brought us near to His service and unified us as His nation, thereby elevating us above the other nations of the world, the Gentiles have greatly envied us and our religion. Chazal thus state, ''Why was it called Mt. Sinai? Because the hatred (sinah) of the nations of the world emanated from there" (Shabbat 89a). Their leaders and rulers girded their loins to arouse hatred and resentment against us because of Sinai. "From the moment the Torah was given until the present, there has never been a time that an oppressive gentile ruler or a powerful despot did not try, as his first objective, to destroy our Torah and forcibly abolish our religion by means of the sword. For example: Amalek, Sisera, Sancheriv, Nevuchadnetzar, Haman, Titus, Hadrian, and many others like them.

This is one of the two methods devised to foil the divine plan. However, the second method is used by the more clever rulers and wiser nations, such as the Edomites, the Persians, and the Greeks. They, too, set as their goal the destruction of our religion and the nullification of our Torah. [But, instead of accomplishing this by way of the sword, they attempt to do so] by means of arguments and questions aimed at refuting the Torah. Their purpose is to destroy the Torah and erase all traces of it through their writings, just as the tyrants intend to do through war."

Hence, we have two types of persecutors: those who use chariots, swords, and spears; and those who employ deceptive arguments and cunning speech. Neither of these shall succeed, for the Holy One Blessed be He has assured us, through Yeshayahu, that the weapons of any oppressor who attempts to physically destroy our Torah and abolish our religion will be broken and rendered ineffective. This metaphor means that his scheme will never succeed. The same holds true for anyone who tries to abrogate our heritage by means of arguments; he will be found "guilty," and his claims will be proven null and void.

 This is the meaning of the verse "Any weapon that is formed against you will not prosper, and any tongue that will rise against you in judgment, you will condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and the recompense of their righteousness appointed by Me, says the Lord" (Yeshayah 54:17)

This means that neither of these two enemies will succeed "in destroying the foundations of our religion that are so deeply rooted... The edifice will stand firm. The truth will ridicule them and laugh. That is to say, the Holy One Blessed be He, Who is Truth, sits and scoffs at them. He laughs at the fact that they plot, with their limited intellect, a scheme that is doomed to failure. Similarly, King David said with his Ruach HaKodesh, Let us cut their cords and cast away their ropes from us. He who sits in heaven will laugh, the Lord will mock them (Tehillim 2:3-4). We have been continually tried and tested by these two groups, both in the days of our sovereignty and, in part, during the period of exile." This concludes the relevant passages from the Rambam.

RABBI YSACHAR SHLOMO TEICHTEL

SEFER EM HA BANNIM SEMECHA

In Rabbi Kook's book, Orot HaKodesh, he writes: "Secular morality is superficial; it does not penetrate the inner recesses of the soul. Although it may lead one to be good out of an appreciation for the correctness of its logic, its guidance cannot withstand the assault of man's many passions when they erupt in full force. And certainly this weak morality cannot guide the collective community of man in all of its depth and breadth, nor can it penetrate the depth of the soul..." The Torah, Rabbi Kook writes, has the unique power to refine and uplift the nature of man. All other disciplines, whether religious, scientific, philosophical, or literary can add to man' s quantitative knowledge, but they do not effect any inner change. In contrast, the Torah penetrates man's inner being to heal and perfect human  character. This inner purification is not merely lip service to some heavenly ideal, but hard, diligent work mandated by the ethics of Judaism, constant study, and faithful adherence to the code of Jewish law.

...What distinguishes us from other nations? In Galut, where we are downtrodden and disgraced, forced to adopt foreign manners and ways, our inner qualities are hidden. But now, as the winter of the Exile passes the lifeless branches of the nation return to life, and a national consciousness begins to flower and bear fruit.

"And among these nations you will find no ease, neither will the soul of your foot find rest; but the L-rd will give you a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and despair of mind, and your life will hang in doubt before you; and you will fear day and night, and have no assurance of your life (Deut., 28:65-66)

This nightmare is the norm of Galut. Our life is a struggle of survival which we can never win, an existence of worry, and a sycophantic fear of the goyim. Periods of calm appear now and then, times of assimilation, material success, and social acceptance by the gentiles, but the cloud of anti-Semitism is never far away, reminding us that foreign lands can never be our home.

WAR AND PEACE, BASED ON THE WRITINGS OF RABBI AVRAHAM YTZCHAK HAKOHEN KOOK ZTKL, FIRST CHIEF RABBI OF ISRAEL

Our Sages describe the day when our material needs, and even our work force, will be provided by the gentiles - so that Israel will be free to leam Torah. But first, we must know ourselves; know who we truly are and what our destiny is, in order to filter out the evil of the nations from the good. We must come to understand that not everything glorified by the gentile is necessarily beneficial to us. Values such as honor, fame, vanity, physical prowess, and material wealth, so cherished in the West, are not true Jewish values. Our Sages exhort us to flee from honor and fame. Success is to be sought after in Torah. While we are commanded to work to provide for our needs, we are to not be obsessively driven toward profit. We are to look to G-d for security, and not to transient riches. And while physical strength is important, the truly strong man is the one who conquers his lusts.(Avot) When we come to truly know ourselves; when we purify ourselves both inwardly and outwardly from the impurities of gentile cultures, values, and lands, then, from self-recognition, our light will shine forth to all of the nations on earth.

The sin of the murderers is imbedded with stain, (Jeremiah, 2:22) the evil kings of the land, and all those who bring terror to the earth. 'The land will not be atoned for the blood which has been spilled upon it except through the blood of those who spilled it;' (Numbers, 35:33) and the atonement is sure to come - the total annulment of all of today's cultural machinations, with all of their lies and deceit, with all of their evil pollutions, and their venomous poisons. The entire culture which praises itself with melodious lies must be erased from the world, and in its stead will be established the kingdom of the high holy ones (Daniel, 7:18. 2ohar, Vayishlach, 170A)

 The light of Israel will appear, to establish a world whose nations are possessed of a new spirit, nations who will no longer speak emptiness, and will no longer act contemptuously against G-d and against His Mashiach, against the light of the life of the world, and against the perfection and the belief embodied in the eternal covenant.

Israel will see with its own eyes the retribution of the wicked, and will march upon the destruction of those who boast of new forms of paganism, just as we trampled upon the remains of Babylon and ancient Syria. Then it will be known and proven that only in Him, in the G-d of Israel, is there salvation. And the salvation of G-d will certainly come.

Then, the present-day culture will be totally annulled, with all of its foundations, with all of its libraries, with all of its theaters, and all of its institutions. And all of the laws that are founded on vanity and cruelty, and all of the evil and sinful customs of life will all pass away to oblivion. And G-d alone will be exalted above all in that day.

From the beginning of its foundation, and throughout its entire development, it is nothing else but the counsel of lies and the falsification of intricate evil, which are bound with the psychological and physiological tendencies that have gained power through the architectural structure of nationhood of our time - forgetters of G-d  in their innards, and carrying His Name on their lips, upon their mouths and their tongues.

When the day comes for Israel to radiate its full power, there will be no room for usurpers who try to push the Jewish people aside. In the blinding light of Israel's Kedusha, all imitators will be of no account whatsoever. All of the masqueraders who claimed to possess a monopoly on truth, whether Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, communism, capitalism, and all of the rest, will be exposed as empty flasks. When Judaism reaches its historical maturity with the return of the Kingdom of Israel, its holy culture will dominate the entire world psyche, as it is written: "For then I will convert the peoples to a pure language, that they may all call upon the Name of the L-rd, to serve Him with one consent".

The reason why there can be no room for competing ideologies is because the Jews hold the true monopoly on the word of Hashem in the world. This is the Divine selection of Israel. The nation of Israel, and only the nation of Israel, was chosen by G-d to bear His truth and declare His Oneness. Just as there is only one G-d, there is only one way to serve Him, through the law which He gave to the Jewish people at Sinai. (Kuzari, 1:99-101)   Everything else is fantasy, falsehood, and illusion. In the exalted light of the renewed Kingdom of Israel, the treachery of all other doctrines will be universally exposed. The Rambam writes: "When the Messianic King will truly arise and be successful and uplifted and exalted, they (the nations) will all immediately repent and realize that their ancestral heritage is falsehood, and that their prophets and ancestors caused them to err (Rambam, Laws of Kings and Their Wars, 11:4, uncensored edition)

 WAR AND PEACE, BASED ON THE WRITINGS OF RABBI AVRAHAM YTZCHAK HAKOHEN KOOK ZTKL, FIRST CHIEF RABBI OF ISRAEL

The essence of Judaism is the acceptance by the Jews of the yoke of the heavenly kingdom, the yoke of the mitzvot. It is his obeying the commandments because they were commanded, not because he agrees with them or their rationale. Torah is not a nice or ethical thing, since those are value judgments that emerge from our own standards. Torah is first and last the Law of the Almighty, to be obeyed whether we agree with the concepts or not. Torah is the standard by which we judge all other ethics and morals and when it contradicts liberalism or conservatism, humanism or barbarism, socialism or capitalism, it stands alone, and to its precepts and concepts we bend the knee.

Torah is the law and its concepts are the truths regardless of our personal views and, clearly, regardless of the ethical and moral perceptions of the gentile and secular society that we live in and that does so much to shape our views and concepts.

R MDK ZTKL

 Not only must individual tyrants be destroyed, but the philosophies, religions, and "cultural machinations" which lead to such international evil must come to an end. All too often, the very people who have been preaching universal peace for 2000 years have been the world's most zealous spillers of blood. All over the globe, anyone who did not agree with the Christian doctrine of love and salvation was slaughtered. Present-day culture spouts civilized words from its lips and has murder engraved in its heart. It is a charade, hiding a rancid interior. History is proof. Throughout this last century, all of the world's civilized countries; France, England, America, Russia, Germany, Italy, and Japan, have been engaged in vicious, murderous wars. For the world to be improved, the foundations of this unG-dly culture must be uprooted and destroyed.

All of man's philosophies, religions, and systems of government are man-made inventions, the imposition of human will and ego on the world, rather than a submission to the true word of G-d. And it is obvious that the American culture, exported to every port, shopping center, and television set in the world, exalts, under its wholesome exterior, a world of money, power, violence and sex - a far cry from the holy existence which the Almighty expects from His creatures.

WAR AND PEACE, BASED ON THE WRITINGS OF RABBI AVRAHAM YTZCHAK HAKOHEN KOOK ZTKL, FIRST CHIEF RABBI OF ISRAEL

 The Maggid of Kelm a great Rabbi talked about the new laws of the reform movement that disregarded completely all the traditions of the Jewish people for thousands of years.  During the Franco-Prussian War of 1871 the Maggid of Kelm said:

The German does not persecute the Jew arbitrarily. He does not just tyrannize the Jewish People when he comes to power. Rather, he acts out of anti-Semitism as if prescribed by some Code of Law, Heaven help us. Because of the sin of the Geiger (Reform) Shulchan Aruch (Code of Law), this new German-style shulchan aruch will be enacted against us, and its underlying principle will be “Kill even the best of the Jews; kill even the best of the Jewsl” May G-d preserve us!

Quoted by The Sefer Zichronot of K. Maze of Moscow

TO THE RABBIS OF REFORM AND CONSERVATIVE     

WHAT SYNAGOGUE ARE YOU LEADING? ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT THE CIRCUS THAT YOU PERFORM? THAT'S NOT A SYNAGOGUE, THAT'S  A TEMPLE OF FALSEHOOD, THAT' A CHEAP IMITATON OF A CHURCH. YOUR CROWD GETS BORED BECAUSE YOU AND ALL THE RABBIS IN YOUR MOVEMENT PREACH LIES. WHY DON'T YOU TELL PEOPLE THE TRUTH AND THEN MAYBE THEY WILL NOT FEEL THE SERVICES ARE EMPTY AND BORING?

IF YOU DON'T LIKE THE REAL TORAH THEN YOU SHOULD ALL BECOME  STOCKBROKERS OR FITNESS TRAINERS. AT LEAST IN THAT WAY YOU WOULDN'T MESS SO MUCH WITH G-D.

YOU SAY: JUDAISM WITHOUT G-D, TORAH AND MITZVAH CAN NOT SURVIVE. SO THEN ACT ON IT. EMBRACE THE TORAH AS WE RECEIVED IT FROM OUR FOREFATHERS, NOT LIKE THEY FASHIONED IT IN  19th CENTURY EUROPE.

FOR WHAT YOU DO NOW IS NO TORAH AND NO MITZVAH AND ACCORDING TO YOUR ACTIONS YOU SHOW YOU DON'T BELIEVE IN G-D NOR TORAH NOR MITZVAH.

IN JUDAISM WE LISTEN TO G-D AND NOT TO MONEY OR PERSONAL COMFORT AND WE CERTAINLY SHOULD NOT FASHION OUR RELIGION BY COPYING THOSE WHO DON'T LIKE US (THE EUROPEANS).

"We have been asked ... if it is allowed to participate in and to take part in the New York Board of Rabbis or similar organizations in other cities that combine Reform and Conservative 'rabbis.'

"And as we have gathered to clarify this point, it is decreed by us that it is forbidden by the laws of the Torah to be a member in or participate in any such group.

"Similarly we were asked (concerning) the Synagogue Council of America which combines Reform and Conservative organizations and we have de creed that it is forbidden ...to participate either as an individual or in the role of a communal organization.

Signed...this 18 Adar 5716, here in New York:

(Rabbis) A. Yaffen, A. Kalmanowitz, A. Kotler, G. Shorr, D. Lifshitz, C. M. Katz, Y. Kaminetsky, Y. Y. Ruderman, Y. Hutner, M. Y. Zaks, M. Feinstein."

Following this prohibition, similar interdictions were issued by the late Brisker Rav, Rabbi Velvel Soloveichik, zt"l, and by other leading Gedolei HaTorah in Israel, inc1uding: Rabbis Z. P. Frank (Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem), Z. Sorotzkin, D. Weidenfeld (Chubiner Rav), R. Katz (Chief Rabbi of Petach Tikva), A. Sofer (Pressburger Rav), and B. Marcus (Chief Rabbi of Haifa).

The signers of the prohibition did so not out of malice or hatred towards non-Orthodox elements. They and we - and indeed all Orthodoxy - feel in our hearts naught but love, sympathy, and compassion for all brother Jews. It was not hate, but a terrible fear for the future of Torah that drove the leading authorities to ban these groups. For the rabbis understood that by our sitting with these groups, by our according them status as rabbis and as representatives of the Jewish religion we were digging the grave of Torah.

For if we ourselves call them rabbis, then surely the layman can too. Then surely the average Jew can rely on them for weddings and  divorce and kashrus and authority to rule on any matter of law. When we place the other "wings" of Judaism on an equal footing, when we even accord them recognition, we are in effect acquiescing to their arguments that there are three separate but equally legitimate versions of Judaism and any Jew can quite properly choose the one he feels is most suitable to him.

And on the day that we admit this hypothesis to be true - we are undone. It is only our insistence on our sole legitimacy and our indictment of the others as frauds, that can keep the light and darkness separate in the minds of the people, that can still cause them pangs of conscience, that can render our battle meaningful. To all Jews - as individuals - we grant everything: as self-proc1aimed religious leaders - nothing.

This then is why the Gedolim - in their wisdom and vision - issued their decree. And the many, many rabbis - INCLUDING NOT INCONSEQUENTIAL NAMES - who have defied them, and remained within the banned groups in order to savor a whiff of "prestige" or lick a bit of "kavod" have done a far greater harm to Judaism than that of helping to legitimize the Reform and Conservative. They have done much, much, much worse.

R MDK ZTKL

 THE DISASTER OF REFORM AND CONSERVATIVE MOVEMENTS

I state categorically that the Conservative and Reform movements are a disaster for the American Jew (and let it be immediately understood that there are no Conservative and Reform Jews, since neither Reform nor Conservatism has any meaningful definition that any ten "ideologicians" could agree upon; there are only Reform and Conservative rabbis and temples). I move on to state that I stood in front of a Reform temple one Friday in 1969 prepared to defend it against an anti-Semite and would do so for any temple. I add that I see not the slightest difference between any Jew - each one is as precious to me as any other and when I fought for Soviet Jewry, I never asked whether they were Orthodox or atheist. I believe that every Jew who is observant and does not aid others because of their differences is a Jew who transgresses the Law - and having said all that, I repeat that Reform and Conservatism are disasters for the Jewish people and the Berkowitz fiasco touches on only one aspect of Jewish life that has be en perverted and twisted by the non-Orthodox so that countless gentiles now pass as Jews because of them. 1 refer to adoptions.

In the anarchy that is the American separation of Church and State, there is no kehilla, organized community, that would guarantee that conversions are only according to Halacha so that gentiles do not go through the sorry travesty that is today's Conservative and Reform "conversion." There is nothing to stop the marriages not according to Halacha that lead to tens of thousands (at least) of mamzerim due to Reform and Conservative leniency and ignorance; and there is nothing to prevent Jews from adopting gentile children and calling them "Jewish."

...These conservative and reform Rabbis, They call black white and darkness light and gentile Jewish. They do it with adoption, they do it with conversions, they do it with marriage and divorce. These are not things that we can look at with equanimity, saying: Well, perhaps next week or next year we will correct the situation. One cannot correct a false conversion that passes through three generations so that no one knows that the original convert was a gentile and her children and grandchildren are all gentiles, too. One cannot "correct" a mamzer. One can only threaten a literal split in the Jewish people with one part not able to marry the members of the other parto This is what is already happening in the United States, despite the unwillingness of anyone to admit that there is a desperate need for a communal register to ascertain the Jewishness and Halachic fitness of individuals. It is the Reform and Conservative leniency and ignoring of Halacha that threatens the unity of the Jewish people in the United States.

R MDK ZTKL

Rabbi Yochanan further said in the name of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai: It is permitted to fight the evildoers in this world. For it says, "Those who forsake the Torah praise the evildoer, but those who keep the Torah fight them" (Proverbs 28:4). We also learned in a Baraita: R. Dosta'i b. R. Mattun says: It is permitted to fight with the wicked in this world. For it says, "Those who forsake the Torah praise the wicked... " And if a person should whisper in your ear and tell you: But it says, "Do not fight with evildoers, and don't be envious of wrongdoers" (Psalms 37:1), then you should tell him: A timid person interprets the verse that way, but the real meaning of this verse is: "Don't compete with the evildoers and strive to be like them, and don't be envious of wrongdoers, trying to be like them." And so it says, "Do not envy sinners in your heart, but only G-d-fearing men, at all times (Proverbs 23:17).

Talmud Massechet Berachot 7b

A Statement of Principles for Reform Judaism

Adopted at the 1999 Pittsburgh Convention

Central Conference of American Rabbis

May 1999 - Sivan 5759

Preamble
On three occasions during the last century and a half, the Reform rabbinate has adopted comprehensive statements to help guide (YOU WANT TO  HELP GUIDE OTHERS YET YOU ARE MOST THE MOST MISGUIDED WHO CAN NOT GUIDE YOURSELVES) the thought and practice of our movement. In 1885, fifteen rabbis issued the Pittsburgh Platform, a set of guidelines that defined Reform Judaism for the next fifty years. A revised statement of principles, the Columbus Platform, was adopted by the Central Conference of American Rabbis in 1937. A third set of rabbinic guidelines, the Centenary Perspective, appeared in 1976 on the occasion of the centenary of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations and the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. Today, when so many individuals are striving for religious meaning, (RELIGIOUS TRUTHS THAT REFORM CAN NOT OFFER) moral purpose  (YOU HAVE NO MORALS WHEN YOU CHANGE THE TRADITION OF YOUR FOREFATHERS) and a sense of community, we believe it is our obligation as rabbis (PLEASE DON'T CALL YOURSELVES RABBIS, MAYBE REVEREND OR FATHER MAY BE MORE APPROPRIATE) once again (WHY DO YOU KEEP CHANGING? MAYBE YOUR PRINCIPLES ARE NOT TRUE AND THAT'S WHY YOU NEED TO CHANGE THEM EVERY FEW YEARS)  to state a set of principles that define Reform Judaism in our own time. (HURRY FOR SOON YOUR TIME WILL BE UP AND YOU WILL NEED TO RETHINK YOUR PRINCIPLES).

Throughout our history, we Jews have remained firmly rooted in Jewish tradition, (NOT REFORM LEADERS) even as we have learned much from our encounters with other cultures. (WE LEARNED TO IMITATE THOSE WHO HATE US, WE CONVERTED OUR SYNAGOGUES INTO CHURCHES) The great contribution of Reform Judaism is that it has enabled the Jewish people to introduce innovation (G-D DID NOT ASK YOU TO INNOVATE) while preserving tradition (WHAT TRADITION? ABORTION? GAY MARRIAGE? VIOLATING THE SHABBAT? EATING NON KOSHER FOODS? CHANGING ALL OUR PRAYERS?) to embrace diversity while asserting commonality, to affirm beliefs without rejecting those who doubt, and to bring faith to sacred texts without sacrificing critical scholarship (AND WITHOUT SACRIFICING HERESY, FALSEHOOD, SELFISHNESS AND DEMAGOGY).

This "Statement of Principles" affirms the central tenets of Judaism - G-d, Torah and Israel - even as it acknowledges the diversity of Reform Jewish beliefs and practices (YOU GUYS CAN NOT BELIEVE IN TWO OPPOSITE THINGS AT THE SAME TIME, SO DON'T SAY YOU BELIEVE IN THE CENTRAL TENETS OF JUDAISM). It also invites all Reform Jews to engage in a dialogue with the sources of our tradition, responding out of our knowledge, our experience and our faith. Thus we hope to transform our lives through (kedushah), holiness. (WHEREVER YOU FIND SEPARATION BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN THERE YOU FIND KEDUSHAH, AND THE KEDUSHAH OF THE SYNAGOGUE YOU ELIMINATED BY ALLOWING MIXED SEATING DURING SERVICES)

G-d

We affirm the reality and oneness of G-d, even as we may differ in our understanding of the Divine presence. (THEN YOU DON'T BELIEVE IN HIS ONENESS)

We affirm that the Jewish people is bound to G-d by an eternal (b'rit), covenant, as reflected in our varied understandings of Creation, Revelation and Redemption. (SHABBAT WITH ALL ITS LAWS IS ALSO CALLED BRIT AND TEFILLIN IS ALSO CALLED BRIT, NONE OF WHICH YOU CARE TO OBSERVE)

We affirm that every human being is created (b'tzelem Elohim), in the image of G-d, and that therefore every human life is sacred. (INCLUDING UNBORN BABIES, WHICH YOU DON'T MIND TO KILL)

We regard with reverence all of G-d's creation and recognize our human responsibility for its preservation and protection. (PRESERVE EVERYTHING BESIDES OUR OWN RELIGION)

We encounter G-d's presence in moments of awe and wonder, in acts of justice and compassion, in loving relationships and in the experiences of everyday life. (YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT HIS PRESENCE, ACTUALLY YOU, LIKE ALL ARROGANT PEOPLE PUSH HIM AWAY. THE ARROGANCE YOU SHOW IN CHANGING THE LAWS OF THOSE WHO CAME BEFORE YOU HAS NO BOUNDS AND CETAINLY G-D CAN NOT ABIDE THIS BEHAVIOR, SEE PSALM 101:5)

We respond to G-d (YOU DON'T HAVE TO RESPOND, YOU SHOULD START BY LISTENING TO HIS WILL AS EXPRESSED BY OUR SAGES) daily: through public and private prayer, through study and through the performance of other (mitzvot), sacred obligations -- (bein adam la Makom), to G-d, and (bein adam la-chaveiro), to other human beings. (DON'T USE THE WORD SACRED BECAUSE YOU DON'T REALLY BELIEVE IN ANYTHING SACRED, THE ONLY THING THAT'S SACRED FOR YOU IS YOUR EGO AND YOUR WISH TO BE LIKE THE GOYYIM AROUND YOU))

We strive for a faith that fortifies us through the vicissitudes of our lives -- illness and healing, transgression and repentance, bereavement and consolation, despair and hope. (IF YOU STRIVE FOR SUCH FAITH THEN DON'T INNOVATE. FOR JEWS ALWAYS HAD THAT FAITH, IT IS THE FAITH OF OUR FOREFATHERS, THE PROPHETS, THE HOLY SAGES, BUT NOT THE FAITH OF GEIGER AND HIS PEERS)

We continue to have faith that, in spite of the unspeakable evils committed against our people and the sufferings endured by others, the partnership of G-d and humanity will ultimately prevail. (ALL THE EVILS THAT PEOPLE HAVE DONE IN HISTORY CAN NOT COMPARE TO THE EVIL THAT YOU DO IN CHANGING G-D'S TORAH ACCORDING TO YOUR WILL)

We trust in our tradition's promise that, although G-d created us as finite beings, the spirit within us is eternal.

In all these ways and more, G-d gives meaning and purpose to our lives.

 Torah

We affirm that Torah is the foundation of Jewish life. (WHICH WE CHOOSE NOT TO LIVE)

We cherish the truths revealed in Torah, G-d's ongoing revelation to our people and the record of our people's ongoing relationship with G-d. (WE NEVERTHELESS HAVE OUR OWN TRUTHS THAT ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN G-D'S TRUTH)
 

We affirm that Torah is a manifestation of (ahavat olam), G-d's eternal love for the Jewish people and for all humanity.  (TORAH IS NOT THAT, IT IS THE LAW, G-D'S LAW, AND STOP TALKING ABOUT LOVE, BECAUSE YOU ONLY LOVE YOURSELVES)

We affirm the importance of studying Hebrew, the language of Torah and Jewish liturgy, that we may draw closer to our people's sacred texts. ( WHAT ABOUT GERMAN? SHOULD WE STILL LEARN GERMAN? )

We are called by Torah to lifelong study in the home, in the synagogue and in every place where Jews gather to learn and teach. Through Torah study we are called to (mitzvot), the means by which we make our lives holy. (NONE OF YOUR RABBIS ARE HOLY, QUITE THE CONTRARY, YOU PROMOTE UNHOLY BEHAVIOR. WHAT THE TORAH CALLS HOLY YOU CALL OLD AND ANTIQUATED)

We are committed to the ongoing study of the whole array of (mitzvot) and to the fulfillment of those that address us as individuals and as a community. Some of these (mitzvot), sacred obligations, have long been observed by Reform Jews; others, both ancient and modern, demand renewed attention as the result of the unique context of our own times. (ALL MITZVOT HAVE TO BE PERFORMED, NOT ONLY THE ONES YOU APPROVE OF, THE TORAH IS ONE UNITY. YOU CAN NOT CHOOSE WHAT YOU LIKE AND DISCARD THE REST)

We bring Torah into the world when we seek to sanctify the times and places of our lives through regular home and congregational observance. (DON'T USE THE WORD SANCTITY WHEN YOU SIT TOGETHER IN YOUR TEMPLES, THAT IS NOT SANCTITY, THAT'S DECADENCE, THAT'S NOT THE JEWISH WAY) Shabbat (DIDN'T YOU START BY OBSERVING THE SUNDAY LIKE THE GOYYIM AROUND YOU? ) calls us to bring the highest moral values to our daily labor and to culminate the workweek with (kedushah), holiness, (menuchah), rest and (oneg), joy. (NICE WORDS BUT EMPTY IN THE END. SHABBAT IS THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT AND IT HAS TO BE OBSERVED WITH ALL ITS LAWS.) The High Holy Days call us to account for our deeds. (WOE FOR THE DAY THAT G-D WILL BRING THE REFORM RABBIS TO JUDGMENT).The Festivals enable us to celebrate with joy our people's religious journey in the context of the changing seasons. The days of remembrance remind us of the tragedies and the triumphs that have shaped our people's historical experience both in ancient and modern times. And we mark the milestones of our personal journeys with traditional and creative rites that reveal the holiness in each stage of life. (CREATIVE RITES? HOLINESS? WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?)

We bring Torah into the world (YOU SHOULD SAY: WE BRING THE TORAH TO CHAOS AND THEREBY WE BRING THE WORLD TO A STATE OF TOHU VABOHU) when we strive to fulfill the highest ethical mandates (WHAT ABOUT: YOU SHALL NOT BE A FALSE WITNESS) in our relationships with others and with all of G-d's creation. Partners with G-d in ( tikkun olam), repairing the world, we are called to help bring nearer the messianic age (INDEED YOU DO HELP, AS IT IS WRITTEN IN PSALMS 92: "WHEN  EVILDOERS SPRING UP LIKE GRASS, AND ALL WORKERS OF INIQUITY FLOURISH, IT IS FOR THEM TO BE DETROYED FOREVER" AND THIS VERSE IS FULFILED THROUGH YOUR DEEDS) . We seek dialogue and joint action with people of other faiths in the hope that together we can bring peace, freedom and justice to our world (YOU TALK LIKE THE BEST POLITICIAN IN THE WORLD). We are obligated to pursue (tzedek), justice and righteousness, and to narrow the gap between the affluent and the poor (THEN DON'T SPEND SO MUCH BUILDING GREAT CHURCHES), to act against discrimination and oppression, to pursue peace, to welcome the stranger, to protect the earth's biodiversity and natural resources, and to redeem those in physical, economic and spiritual bondage. (THE WORST BONDAGE IS BEING SLAVE TO YOUR EGO, IT IS SO BAD THAT BECAUSE OF YOUR EGO YOU WILL FORFEIT THE LIFE OF THE WOLD TO COME)  In so doing, we reaffirm social action and social justice as a central prophetic focus of traditional Reform Jewish belief and practice (YOU HAVE NO TRADITION, YOU KEEP CHANGING THINGS, AND INNOVATING, AND CREATING NEW RITES). We affirm the (mitzvah) of (tzedakah), setting aside portions of our earnings and our time to provide for those in need. These acts bring us closer to fulfilling the prophetic call to translate the words of Torah into the works of our hands.

In all these ways and more, Torah gives meaning and purpose to our lives.

 Israel

We are Israel, a people aspiring to holiness, singled out through our ancient covenant and our unique history among the nations to be witnesses to G-d's presence. We are linked by that covenant and that history to all Jews in every age and place.

We are committed to the (mitzvah) of (ahavat Yisrael), love for the Jewish people, and to (k'lal Yisrael), the entirety of the community of Israel. Recognizing that (kol Yisrael arevim zeh ba-zeh), all Jews are responsible for one another, we reach out to all Jews across ideological and geographical boundaries. (THAT'S WHY WE SUFFER SO MUCH, FOR ALL JEWS HAVE TO PAY FOR THE TERRIBLE HARM YOU DO TO THE TORAH AND TO ALL THE JEWISH PEOPLE)

We embrace religious and cultural pluralism as an expression of the vitality of Jewish communal life in Israel and the Diaspora.

We pledge to fulfill Reform Judaism's historic commitment to the complete equality of women and men in Jewish life. (SO THAT MEN SHOULD GIVE BIRTH AND WOMEN SHOULD LEAD THE SERVCES IN THE SYNAGOGUE, AND SO THAT WE CAN BE LIKE THE GOYYIM, EVEN IF IT ENTAILS BREAKING A FEW COMMANDMENTS GIVEN BY G-D)

We are an inclusive community, opening doors to Jewish life to people of all ages, to varied kinds of families, to all regardless of their sexual orientation, to (gerim), those who have converted to Judaism, and to all individuals and families, including the intermarried, who strive to create a Jewish home. (JEWISH HOME YOU SAID?)

We believe that we must not only open doors for those ready to enter our faith, but also to actively encourage those who are seeking a spiritual home to find it in Judaism.

We are committed to strengthening the people Israel by supporting individuals and families in the creation of homes rich in Jewish learning and observance. (IF YOU WANT TO DO THAT THEN LEAVE THE JEWISH PEOPLE ALONE)

We are committed to strengthening the people Israel by making the synagogue central to Jewish communal life, so that it may elevate the spiritual, intellectual and cultural quality of our lives. (YOU KILLED THE PURPOSE OF THE SYNAGOGUE. THE SYNAGOGUE IS A SUBSTITUTE FOR THE BEIT HA MIKDASH NOT A SUBSTITUTE OF EUROPEAN CHURCHES)

We are committed to (Medinat Yisrael), the State of Israel, and rejoice in its accomplishments. We affirm the unique qualities of living in (Eretz Yisrael), the land of Israel, and encourage (aliyah), immigration to Israel. (THAT'S NOT WHAT YOU SAID AROUND 100 YEARS AGO)

We are committed to a vision of the State of Israel that promotes full civil, human and religious rights for all its inhabitants and that strives for a lasting peace between Israel and its neighbors.

We are committed to promoting and strengthening Progressive Judaism in Israel, which will enrich the spiritual life of the Jewish state and its people. (YOU WANT TO TAKE YOUR IDOLATRY TO ISRAEL? WHY? WE HAVE ENOUGH HERETICS THERE, WE DON'T NEED MORE PROBLEMS, PLEASE, LEAVE G-D ALOE IN HIS CHOSEN LAND, DON'T TAKE THE FILTH OF YOUR MINDS THERE)

We affirm that both Israeli and Diaspora Jewry should remain vibrant and interdependent communities. As we urge Jews who reside outside Israel to learn Hebrew as a living language and to make periodic visits to Israel in order to study and to deepen their relationship to the Land and its people, so do we affirm that Israeli Jews have much to learn from the religious life of Diaspora Jewish communities. (THEY HAVE NOTHING TO LEARN FROM YOU)

We are committed to furthering Progressive Judaism throughout the world as a meaningful religious way of life for the Jewish people. (BE PROGRESSIVE AND BRAVE AND RETURN TO THE REAL RELIGION OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE. BE BRAVE AND ABANDON YOUR ERRED WAYS, YOU CAN EASIILY CONVERT YOUR TEMPLES TO SYNAGOGUES IF YOU SO WISH. MAY HASHEM ILLUMINATE YOU AND SOFTEN YOUR HEARTS OF STONE SO THAT YOU WILL DESIRE TO GO IN HIS WAYS, AMEN)

In all these ways and more, Israel gives meaning and purpose to our lives.

(Baruch she-amar ve-haya ha-olam).

Praised be the One through whose word all things came to be.

May our words find expression in holy actions.

May they raise us up to a life of meaning devoted to G-d's service

And to the redemption of our world.rotect wo

Reb Chaim Ozer Grodzenski of Vilna wrote:

 Faith in G-d has weakened in our time. Reform began in Western Europe and its influence has spread eastward. Our nation has suffered increasing persecutions, but instead of learning our lesson and returning to Torah, the irreligious are growing in number and audacity. As they refuse to repent, our suffering increases. And people wonder that this is our lot

 Stop Interference and Coercion by the Rabbis!
by Steven Plaut
Aug 30, '04 / 13 Elul 5764
The political interference by the rabbis is getting more and more unbearable. The attempt to impose their opinions and lifestyles, regardless of the preferences of the majority of their fellow citizens, is outrageous. They are arrogant and anti-democratic and coercive.

I am, of course, referring to the Reform rabbis in the United States.

While not every rabbi or every member of the Reform synagogue movement has been recruited into the "Political Liberalism as Judaism" school of pseudo-Judaism, enough have. The "Political Liberalism as Judaism" doctrine and pseudo-religion dominates the main institutions of the Reform synagogue movement, including their Council of Rabbis. And of course, the leftist SWAT team for the Reform movement is the Ridiculous, er, I mean, the "Religious" Action Center, under the commissarship of David Saperstein, who recently launched a Reform jihad against Israel's attempts to defend its children from terrorists by constructing a security wall. The RAC is more worried about inconveniencing the Palestinians than about the rights of Jewish children to ride buses without being blown up. It is far more critical of the Boy Scouts for not hiring gay scout leaders than of the PLO.

But no less outrageous is the theological coercion efforts of the Reform rabbis, attempting to impose their liberal political theology not only on fellow American Jews, but on the US as a whole. While whining about supposed Orthodox religious coercion in Israel, the Reform establishment today embodies the worst form of Jewish religious coercion on earth, with the religion in question being liberal politics and liberation theology.

The Reform movement has adopted the entire agenda of the American Left, down to and including bashing Israel for daring to defend itself. The Reform establishment is today barely distinct from the buffoons in the Tikkun-Aleph-Renewal cult of Michael Lerner and Arthur Waskow, other than the fact that they have not - yet - endorsed LSD use by Jews. The Reform establishment opposes school choice for Jews and wants Jewish children confined to public schools; it supports every wacky idea to emerge from the most extremist environmentalist movements; it supports affirmative action quotas that discriminate against Jews. The number one item on its agenda these days is gay "marriage" and David Saperstein's comments opposing welfare reform were so outrageous that a few years back they were cited with approval by the American Communist Party newspaper.

The Reform establishment blocks school vouchers by trotting out the old bogeyman of religious coercion, while at the same time, its entire raison d'etre is religious coercion - liberal theological PC fad "religion" coercion, that is. No tradeoffs, no policy analysis, no understanding of markets, no thinking any deeper than a leftist bumper sticker.

The Reform establishment supports partial-birth killings of babies, but vehemently opposes execution of convicted murderers and terrorists. It wants Israel to return to its 1949 borders with all "settlers" expelled. Reformies in Israel have led the anti-globalization hoodlums seeking to make the world safe for Marxism. The US Reform movement has conscripted itself on behalf of jailed Stalinist terrorist Lori Berenson in Peru.

I have a serious question for David Saperstein and the Reform establishment (and for parts of the Conservative synagogue movement as well). I am not being facetious:

In your opinion, are Michael Moore, Teddy Kennedy and Ralph Nader Jewish?

I am serious.

After all, if being Jewish is nothing more than liberal political activism, why are these people not to be regarded as Jewish? And don't answer that it is because Jews eat kosher and keep shabbos, because we know how common that is among Reform Jews. And do not reply that it is because Reform Jews base their liberal politics on the Bible. Come on now. Where does the Bible endorse homosexuality and abortion and Palestinian statehood in the West Bank? And many of the Reform leaders I have met know the Bible far less well than your average Mormon.

So seriously, if all of Judaism is liberal self-sanctimonious agitprop, why can't Moore, Kennedy and Nader be considered Jewish? And if a Jewish liberal marries a non-Jewish liberal, why should anyone consider that an intermarriage? After all, they have exactly the same "religion".

There is virtually no religious coercion in Israel. True, the politicized religious parties once forced the cinemas closed on Sabbath, but today the whole country has DVDs. True, once the Orthodox politicos forced the buses to stop running on Sabbath, but who cares when everyone has a car? I would venture to say that almost no Israelis ever are forced to observe any religious ritual against their will. And other than some minor difficulties for those wishing to have a "civil" wedding, which is quite possible today, no secularist in Israel has to have any contact whatsoever with the Orthodox institutions if he/she does not want to.

It is not the religious parties who are responsible for the national self-destruction in Israel, but the secularist ones, although the religious parties display cowardice in not stopping it.

But contrast that with the political interference and coercion by the Reform movement in the US. In an era when true believers in liberalism are an endangered species outside the Bay Area and Hollywood, the Reform establishment lobbies in the name of "Judaism" and "Biblical ethics" to impose its leftist political biases and lifestyle on all Jews and on the entire United States. It seeks to hijack Judaism, Jewish holidays and Jewish ethical authority on behalf of the PC fads of the liberal-Left.

The time has come to get these rabbis and other Reform leaders out of our bedrooms, out of our politics and back to their proper roles. Stop this liberal pseudo-theological coercion!

EXCERPTS FROM THE PROHIBITION OF THE AGUDATH HARABONIM ON THE REVISED KETUBAH AND  BETH DIN OF THE  RABBIS

In view of the false and heretical decisions and reforms of the conservative rabbis in recent years, and in view of their revision of the Ketubah and their establishment of a BETH DIN OF ‘PORTZEI GEDER” (breakers of religious safeguards and Stan­dards), whose ideology is based upon KFIRA (heresy), the Agudath Harabonim declares to the Jewish public that — like the reform rabbis — the conservative rabbis have the status of ‘PORSHIM MIDARCHEI TZIBUR” (seceders from the correct ways of religious Jewry) and of “KOFRIM BATORAH”. According to Jewish law, THEY HAVE NO RABBINIC AUTHORITY and SHOULD NOT BE ENTRUSTED WITH ANY RABBINIC FUNCTIONS.

The contemplated Beth Din of the conservative rabbis and the reforms and decisions of that Beth Din have no validity and should not be relied upon under any circumstances. The revised Ketubah of the conser­vative rabbis is forbidden and should not be used.

It is forbidden to participate in a wedding wherein the revised Ketubah is used. This injunction applies to the performers of the marriage rite, the witnesses and the participants in the Sheva Berochos, as well as to the bride and groom and their escorts. It also applies to the Cantor and to the Shammosh.

We solemnly declare that the false decisions and reforms of the conservative rabbis undermine the very foundations of Judaism. The contemplated Beth Din and the revised Ketubah of the conservative rabbis are conducive to the serious transgressions of the laws pertaining to Arayoth and will lead to illegiti­macy, cause a split among our people and destroy Jewish family life. This will compel us to prohibit marriage into the families whose members married in accordance with the false decisions and reforms of the conservative Beth Din. This will also force us to introduce into each community a book of records for the registration of such families.

 In matrimonial matters our sages of all ages —the Talmudic sages, the post Talmudic authorities, known as Poskim, and the Geonim of the Vaad Arba Aratzoth and of later periods — proclaimed the strongest prohibitions and the strictest admonitions in order to safeguard and preserve the Laws of the Torah.

We hope and expect that American Jewry will comply with our Issur and heed our warning and thus secure the continuance of the purity of the Jewish family life, and bring upon themselves the blessings of the Torah.

  •AGUDATH HARABONIM

Union of Orthodox Rabbis of U. S. and Canada

(Please display this on Bulletin Board before Yom-Tov and read it from the pulpit before Yizkor).

בספר פתחי שערים נתיב פרצופי לאה רחל פתח ט' וזה לשונו: ולכן נק' נפילה בגלותא, והוא סוד האמונה בתורה שבעל פה דנפלת בגלותא בין ערב רב בדרא בתראה בעקבות משיחא, שרבו הרשעים המינים הרוצים לעקור תחומי תורה שבע"פ ומכחישים באמונתה, וע"ז נאמר (עמוס ה ב) נפלה לא תוסיף וכו', שהיא בתולת ישראל הלכה למשה מסיני מאורסה דילי', שהלכה היא בדעת דידה ו"ק דידה הם ו' סדרים. וברגלין דילה בסוף יומייא היא נפלת, וכמ"ש ברע"מ פ' כי תצא (ד' רעט ע"א) גלותא רביעאה תהום רבה חלל דאגוזא והאי איהו וחושך וכו' ואתקרי בור דנפל שמה שור דא דכתי' ביוסף בכור שורו וכו' והבור רק וכו' ריק בלא תורה אבל נחשים ועקרבים יש בו ודא גלותא רביעאה דור דרשעים מלא נחשים ועקרבים וכו' דעקרין מילי דרבנן וכו' עלייהו אתמר היו צריה לראש וכו' דישראל באילין רשיעייא ערב רב ודא בסוף גלותא וכו' יעו"ש באריכות. וסוד שור וחמור הם ב' משיחין דאחידין בב' רגלין דילה ובהם נפילת שכינתא תמן בע"ר, והם המכחישים בביאת משיח ובעיקרי תורה שבע"פ ורוצים לעקור יסודותי' ותחומיה, כאשר אנו רואים בעוה"ר חדשים מקרוב באו זה שנה ושנתיים שהוא בסוד נאמן כפוף נ' כפופה דנפלת בגלותא. ונ' הוא בסוד לויתן תנינא דאורייתא שהוא רע"מ ו' דגחון שהוא נאמן פשוט עד"א איש האלקים בעלה דמטרוניתא התנין הגדול וכו' דבלע כל נוני ימא שהם תלמידי חכמים, דנשמתו מתלבשת בהם בכל דור והוא נחש בריח. ובגלותא בתראה נפל תמן בגלותא ביני ע"ר שהם השולטים על תלמידי חכמים שבדור ומבזים אותם והוא מחולל מפשעינו וכו', והוא בסוד הנפילה, הני כרעי דרבנן דמוקפי מנייהו הוי, ונעשה בסוד נ' כפופה שהוא בנחש עקלתון, ורע"מ נק' נאמן כמ"ש (במדבר יב ז) בכל ביתי נאמן הוא, והוא נאמן כפוף בגלותא ונאמן פשוט בגאולה עד כי יבוא שיל"ה וכו' כידוע.

התלמידי חכמים האמיתים שבישראל שעל ידם יהיו נשמרים ישראל והתורה, ועומדים בפרץ שהם מניצוצי נשמת משה הנקשרים באמונה שהוא יסוד החכמה העליונה. והוא בעקבות משיחא שרבו המתפרצים והם שבעקב דיעקב ששם ויאבק איש עמו

בספר הקדוש פתחי שערים נתיב גדלות דז"א – פתח ס"ט וזה לשונו: והוא סוד הארת ערב רב בצד ימין של פרצוף יעקב שהוא אינו ביושר רק יוצא בסט"א, ונראה לעיני הבריות שהוא בצד ימין בסטרא דקדושה, שלכך נגזר על נשמת משה להתגלגל בכל דור ולהיות בגלותא ביני ערב רב כמ"ש בזוהר וברע"מ ובתיקונים בכ"מ. והם התלמידי חכמים האמיתים שבישראל שעל ידם יהיו נשמרים ישראל והתורה, ועומדים בפרץ שהם מניצוצי נשמת משה הנקשרים באמונה שהוא יסוד החכמה העליונה. והוא בעקבות משיחא שרבו המתפרצים והם שבעקב דיעקב ששם ויאבק איש עמו כו', וכמו שכתוב בפרשת גיד הנשה (ל"א, א) וריב"ל אמר, אמר קרא בהאבקו עמו כאדם שחובק את חבירו וידו מגעת לכף ימינו של חברו. רשב"ג אמר, כעכו"ם נדמה לו כו', שהוא סוד פרצוף ערב רב שבצד ימין של יעקב שע"י הוא המלחמה בין סט"א לסטרא דקדושה, כי נופת תטופנה וגו.

PASSAGES FROM THE TALMUD (SANHEDRIN 97a) ABOUT THE TIMES WHEN THE MASHIACH WILL COME

“Rabbi Yehuda says: In the generation when Mashiach will come…those who fear sin will be despised…and truth will disappear as it is written “And the truth will be absent, and he who turns away from evil will become foolish (in the eyes of others) (Isaiah 59:15)”.

“Rabbi Nehorai says: In the generation when Mashiach will come young people will shame the old, and old people will rise before the young and a daughter will be against her mother and a daughter in law against her mother in law, and the face of the generation will be like that of a dog and a son will not be ashamed in front of his father”

“Rabbi Nechemiah says: In the generation when Mashiach will come, insolence will increase…. whole kingdoms will turn to heresy and there will be no rebuke”

SANHEDRIN 98a

“Rabbi Abba said: There is no clearer indication of the End of Times than this: “But you, mountains of Israel, you will shoot forth your branches and bear your fruit for My People Israel” (Ezekiel 36:8)

“Rabbi Chama the son of Rabbi Chanina said: “The son of David will not come until the bad governors will cease from ruling Israel”

“Zeiri said in the name of Rabbi Chanina: “The son of David will not come until the arrogant are eliminated from Israel”

     “You will arise and have mercy on Zion for it is time to favor her, for the time has come” (Psalms 102:14) …“Jerusalem will be rebuilt when the Jewish people desire it to the maximum, taking pleasure in her and favoring her stones and dust” (The Kuzari of Rabbi Yehuda Ha Levy 5:27)

          “Rabbi Yanai said: When you see that generations, one after the other curse and blaspheme G-d, then wait for the steps of the Mashiach, because it is written: (Psalms 89:52) “…Your enemies have insulted the footsteps of your Mashiach”, and immediately after that it is written (Psalms 89:53): “Blessed be The Lord for ever and ever”  (Shir ha Shirim Rabba 2)