Red Tigress' Lair

Where have you visited?

01.31.04 (8:48 pm)   [edit]
Here's where I've been in the US. You can make a map of the places you've visited in the whole world also! This is really cool!




create your own visited states map
or write about it on the open travel guide

My New Pulse Poll Question...

01.31.04 (8:04 pm)   [edit]
If you voted already in my poll to the right, PLEASE vote again! As of today, I had to redo it completely because of a java error and all of the data was lost.

If you havn't voted yet, PLEASE do!

Thanks for your help!

Your opinion really does count!!!! :)

A Jewish Soldier in Iraq

01.31.04 (7:23 pm)   [edit]
Joe Kashnow, an Orthodox U.S. soldier from Baltimore, was serving in Iraq when terrorists ambushed his unit on the roads to Baghdad. His right leg was broken, mangled, and penetrated by shrapnel below the knee. It would take much reconstructive surgery to get him to walk again.

Picking up the cause of the former NCSYer, [u]ou.org[/u] asked people to daven for [b]Yosef Eliyahu ben Malka Ita[/b], as well as to send emails earmarked for him to his brother at [u]mikekashnow@yahoo.com[/u]. The response overwhelmed Mike, who wrote:

[i][b]There have been over 70 emails that have come in as a result of your posting! I am sure that is indicative of at least 5 times the amount of people who have seen the notice, and of only a fraction of those who are davening for a rufuah shleimah because of it.[/b][/i]

More recently, after Joe's latest surgery, he wrote:

[i][b]BS"D
2-Dec-03

On September 17, 2003, I was wounded in a terrorist ambush outside of Baghdad. Since then I have been the recipient of an incredible display of compassion, caring, and concern from people all over the world. Most of the letters and emails have been from people I don't even know. This community display of achdut has been very moving, and, more importatnly, a great Kiddush HaShem. I want to take this opportunity to personally thank everyone who has taken the time to send in a letter or email. My family and I very much appreciate all the kind and thoughtful well wishes. This reaction from the community has been overwhelmingly supportive during this difficult time.

Any frum person who has spent time in uniform knows that holding onto your yiddishkeit while in the army, (especially when at war), isn't exactly the easiest thing to do. Davening was one of the hardest things. Certainly there were days that we had leisure time towake up and do whatever personal things we liked. There were also plenty of days where we were awakened after only a few hours sleep and ordered to leave on a mission "right this instant!" We would stay out for several hours without stopping and thus I missed the chance to daven properly. Perhaps the most interesting davening experience I had, beside the driver's seat of an armed HMMWV occured while stationed in Tikrit inside Saddam's second wife's palace. I probably was the first Jew in the palace compund, but I definatly was the first person in Tallis and Tefillin there. My ordeal in Iraq taught me priceless life lessons. My perspective and appreciation for HaShem and the life He has given me has fallen into a new light, and I know I must reciprocate the goodness I have recieved. In response I have created the[/i] Jewish Soldier Foundation[i]. The Foundation is to help protect the religious rights and freedoms of fellow Jewish Soldiers. I can only imagine how difficult it was for my wife, Sarai, when herhusband of one week went into work on a Sunday afternoon to begin deployment preperations. I know first hand what a Jewish Soldier and his family needs, and I want to be able to secure what's needed for my brothers in uniform.

Again let me say thank you to everyone for your caring and support. It is all very much appriciated. On December 9th I am scheduled for bone graft surgery which, with G-d's help, will be the last major surgery I need. The doctors are confident that they have saved my leg and that it's not long until I leanr to walk on it again. I know your prayors have played a tremendous part in this.

Thank you again,

Spc. Joe Kashnow
The Jewish Soldier Foundation[/b][/i]

Another Quiz

01.31.04 (7:00 pm)   [edit]





in my eyes i see you as mysterious and strange alot
of people wish they could know you better and
you are probably an artist? i really wish there
were more people like you out there..i really
do. (rate?)


in my eyes you are...(pics and different outcomes)
brought to you by Quizilla

The Most Pointless Game Ever

01.31.04 (6:44 pm)   [edit]
But perhaps the most fun!

This is penguin baseball: http://www.fury.com/mirror/pe...

And it's very stupid, very funny, and did I mention very stupid?

Click the abomidable snowman and then when the penguin reaches close to you bat, click again and watch the penguins fly!

Enjoy! This is getting added to the links section!

D'var Torah for Parshat Bo

01.30.04 (4:55 pm)   [edit]
Parshat Bo contains the very first commandment the Jews received as a nation; the Mitzvah to have a first Rosh Chodesh (new month), and to mark the beginning of every month thereafter (Exodus 12:2).

What makes this commandment so important for it to be the very first commandment for the Jews? Also, when describing the first month that the Jews need to acknowledge, the Torah fails to name that month. If the Torah values the months, wouldn’t it be important for the Torah to name those months, just like the Torah names important places the Jews had traveled through?

The Ramban (Nachmonedes) explains that the Torah called the months as first, second and so on because the numbers refer to how many months the Jews were removed from the moment when we were established as a people. This helps focus our attention to the most important moment we had as a nation. But it also focuses us on something else; The months we now control (both in name and in timing) dictate when holidays occur, when customs are performed, and even when God judges us.

The very first commandment is the one that empowers us. The first commandment as a nation makes us partners with God, because although we didn’t determine the holidays to celebrate, we do determine when they are celebrated. So every time we celebrate Rosh Chodesh, we should celebrate our partnership with God, and our being empowered to individually “name” the month as we, as a people, see fit!

Have a great Shabbos!

Israel criticizes Annan for 'vague' statement on J'lem bombing

01.30.04 (4:53 pm)   [edit]
[b]Israel criticizes Annan for 'vague' statement on J'lem bombing

[i]By Shlomo Shamir, Haaretz Correspondent, and Agencies [/b][/i]


Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Daniel Gillerman on Friday launched a rare criticism of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan for issuing a "vague" statement on the suicide bombing in Jerusalem the day before, in which a Palestinian policeman blew himself up on a bus, killing 10 people and wounding more than 50 others, some seriously.


Meanwhile, Israel on Thursday condemned as "outrageous" the failure by Security Council diplomats to agree on a press statement condemning the suicide bombing.

Gillerman told a news conference Friday that while Israel respected Annan's efforts toward a Middle East peace, his statement the day before signaled a trend by failing to mention Israeli victims in the Jerusalem explosion.

"No mention is made of the Israeli victims slaughtered in the bombing. In fact, no specific reference is made to the attack at all, or to a condemnation, in any terms of the terrorist perpetrators," he said.

"This is in distinct contrast to the tendency of the office of the secretary-general to issue statements of reprimand, with clear and specific detail, when Israel engages in defense measures against terrorist operatives..."

Annan's statement said in part: "Once again violence and terror have claimed innocent lives in the Middle East. Once again I condemn those who resort to such methods."

Gillerman said the "vague references to those who resort to violence and terror that have claimed innocent lives in the region are not sufficient."

Apparently anticipating the news conference, Annan told reporters in Brussels, "As you know, I have always condemned without reservation suicide bombings that take innocent lives..."

UN spokeswoman Marie Okabe said Annan's Middle East policy should be seen in light of all statements he had issued on the subject and one statement did not "make a policy."

On Thursday, Gillerman blamed on Algeria, the only Arab nation on the council, for insisting that any statement include a condemnation of the deaths of eight Palestinians in an IDF operation in Gaza City on Wednesday.

The suicide bomber, a Palestinian policeman from Bethlehem who struck near Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's residence, said in a note that he was avenging the Gaza deaths.

Council diplomats said three hours of closed-door negotiations fell apart Thursday when Algeria refused to issue a statement that did not include condemnation of the Gaza raid. Several other council members supported Algeria, the diplomats said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Gillerman said Thursday that the United States had unsuccessfully attempted to persuade its allies on the council.

"This attempt by Algeria to make a parallel between a clash between IDF soldiers and armed Palestinian gunmen and a suicide bombing in a bus killing 10 civilians is totally outrageous," said Israel's deputy UN ambassador Arye Mekel.

"We are upset that the council did not find a way to condemn this killing of innocent civilians."

Gillerman's criticism Friday was unusual as Israel has usually distinguished between Annan, who has spoken frankly against anti-Semitism, and the UN General Assembly, where Arab supporters have a majority.

Gillerman acknowledged that Israel now was taking the offensive in delivering criticism and proposing resolutions and statements in the United Nations, even if rejected.

He said Israel had a hand in asking the United States to prepare a Security Council statement condemning the Jerusalem attack by a Palestinian Authority policeman.

Gillerman said he had noticed a trend in Annan's secretariat over recent months. He singled out a requested General Assembly report on the West Bank separation barrier and said the secretary-general's dossier showed a "bias... that borders on the absurd.

"We know that there is a lot of criticism about the fence, but there are facts on the ground which nobody disputes." the ambassador said.

Powell condemns Jerusalem bombing, says terror has got to stop

01.30.04 (4:48 pm)   [edit]
WASHINGTON: Condemning the "horrendous attack" by a Palestinian suicide bomber in Jerusalem that killed at least 10 persons, US Secretary of State Colin Powell has said such terrorist activities would make it difficult to achieve the goals laid out in the Middle East 'roadmap'.

"Once again, terrorists have killed innocent people, and at the same time they have struck a blow once more against the aspirations of the Palestinian people to have a homeland of their own," Powell told reporters here yesterday.

"This kind of action has got to stop," he said, imploring Palestinian leaders, "and especially Prime Minister Abu Alaa, to do everything in his power to ostracise these terrorists." As long as it continues, the hopes of both Israelis and Palestinians, for peace will constantly be dashed, he said.

The road map to create a Palestinian State living in peace side by side with Israel, Powell said, is still there, but "the longer time goes by without progress, we can't get it going, the parties can't get moving because of this terrorist activity, the more difficult it will be to achieve the goals laid out in the roadmap with respect to the time-table."

Referring to Syria, Powell said that Syria cannot be serious about wanting a better relationship with Israel, the United States or anyone else so long as it serves as any kind of a transshipment point for weapons that are going to "terrorists of the kind who killed innocent people" yesterday in Jerusalem.

Powell, who was appearing before the media jointly with visiting Turkish Foreign Minister Gul, said "pressure on all sides" is needed to solve the Greek-Turkish dispute over Cyprus.

AJC Expresses Horror at Jerusalem Bus Bombing

01.30.04 (12:45 am)   [edit]
Thu Jan 29, 2:06 PM ET
To: National and International desks

Contact: Kenneth Bandler, 212-891-6771 or bandlerk@ajc.org; or Lisa Fingeret Roth, 212-891-1385 or rothl@ajc.org; both of the American Jewish Committee; http://www.ajc.org

NEW YORK, Jan. 29 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The American Jewish Committee today issued the following statement after a Palestinian policeman destroyed a Jerusalem city bus, murdering at least 10 and wounding dozens, in a suicide bombing.

"After so many senseless, barbaric Palestinian terror attacks on Israeli citizens, it is difficult to find the right words to express our sorrow, our horror, and our anger, yet today we are even more outraged that a member of the Palestinian Authority police carried out the bombing in the heart of Israel's capital. We again are reminded that there are those Palestinians who not only oppose peace, but who object to the very existence of Israel, whatever its final borders may be.

"When the AJC Board of Governors travels to Israel and meets with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in Jerusalem in the coming days, we will personally express our deepest sympathies to the people of Israel, as well as our continuing, unwavering support for Israel's longstanding quest for peace and security."

http://www.usnewswire.com/" title="http://www.usnewswire.com/" target="_blank"http://www.usnewswire.com/

-0-

/© 2004 U.S. Newswire 202-347-2770/

Hezbollah: Group May Kidnap More Israelis

01.30.04 (12:41 am)   [edit]
Disgusting! The prisoners that Israel holds are criminals who wish to do civilians harm. Hezbollah will kidnap more innocents (and possibly kill them--definatly torture them) to get the other inprisoned criminals free! How can this be ok with everyone? Either way, they want to "Throw the Jews into the sea!" I say NO negotiations with hostege taking terrorist garbage! NO return home for the criminals Israel captures! Throw the terrorists into the sea!



[b]Hezbollah: Group May Kidnap More Israelis
AP
Thu Jan 29, 3:16 PM ET

[i]By SAM F. GHATTAS, Associated Press Writer[/b][/i]

BEIRUT, Lebanon - Hezbollah will kidnap more Israelis to secure the release of Lebanese prisoners, if necessary, the militant movement's leader warned Thursday.

Speaking at a mass rally to welcome 21 Lebanese prisoners freed by Israel hours earlier, Sheik Hassan Nasrallah said his guerrillas could capture more Israelis to bargain for the freedom of Lebanese still held in Israeli prisons.

Turning to a huge poster of a guerrilla ambush in which three Israeli soldiers were captured in October 2000, Nasrallah said: "This is a choice."

The soldiers bodies were part of the major exchange of prisoners and remains of fighters that was effected between Israel and Hezbollah on Thursday through German mediation.

And Justice Shall Prevail

01.30.04 (12:35 am)   [edit]
[b]Israeli Troops Raid Bethlehem After Bus Bombing
Reuters
2 hours, 40 minutes ago

[i]By Said Ayyad[/b][/i]

BETHLEHEM, West Bank (Reuters) - Israeli forces pushed into Bethlehem on Friday for the first time in six months in a sweep for militants after a Palestinian policeman from the city killed 10 Israelis in a suicide bombing on a Jerusalem bus.

Near the West Bank city of Hebron, soldiers shot dead a Hamas militant who the army said had opened fire at them as they entered his house to arrest him.

Palestinian witnesses said Israeli armored vehicles rumbled into Bethlehem before daybreak and troops fanned out to search houses, including one where the policeman -- a member of the militant Al Aqsa Brigades -- was thought to have lived.

Witnesses said soldiers detained 12 Palestinians. About 15 Israeli armored vehicles took part in the operation.

"The operation was launched after we made clear the Palestinians had not fulfilled their obligations to stop terror, something which was made clear in yesterday's bombing," an army spokeswoman said.

Israel handed Bethlehem to Palestinian police in July to bolster a now violence-stalled peace "road map." Israeli officials said at the time the army would be back if Palestinian forces did not rein in militants in the city of Jesus's birth.

Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, linked to Palestinian President Yasser Arafat's Fatah faction, claimed the bombing and issued a letter left by the bomber that said he was avenging an Israeli raid that killed eight Palestinians in Gaza on Wednesday.

It was the deadliest suicide bombing since an October 4 attack on a Haifa restaurant, where a woman bomber from the Islamic Jihad faction killed 23 other people.

The bombing, which also wounded dozens, overshadowed the latest push by a United States envoy to revive the road map.

But in a hopeful sign for mediation efforts, U.S. officials said Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurie had told them he was ready for a summit with Israeli leader Ariel Sharon (news - web sites).

The Palestinian Authority condemned the bombing and also called for a halt to Israeli violence. Israel accuses the Palestinians of failing to crack down on militants.

BOMBING COINCIDED WITH PRISONER SWAP

Sharon expressed his condolences for families bereaved by the bus attack at a ceremony on Thursday for three dead soldiers brought home in a deal with Lebanese guerrilla foe Hizbollah.

"This (the bombing) appears to be the price paid by a society that holds life sacred living alongside a society that does not lift even a finger in order to uproot the murder and evil from within," he said.

Israel freed hundreds of Arab prisoners -- most of them Palestinians -- in exchange for the three soldiers and a captive businessman, Elhanan Tannenbaum, who was to be questioned by security services after returning to Israel.

The young soldiers, Benny Avraham, Adi Avitan and Omar Souad, were abducted on a border patrol in 2000. Souad was one of the many Israeli Bedouin Arabs who volunteer for the army as trackers. All three were to be buried on Friday.

Some 30 Arab prisoners, mostly Lebanese, also returned to a heroes' welcome in Beirut, where Hizbollah threatened more kidnappings as an option if Israel did not free the longest-serving Lebanese prisoner.

Kerry and Dean Are Out of Step On Israel

01.29.04 (1:20 pm)   [edit]
Scratch another Democratic candidate off my list of posibilities...


[b]Kerry and Dean Are Out of Step On Israel
by Ariel Natan Pasko
Jan 29, '04 / 6 Shevat 5764[/b]

Both Democratic wanna-be presidents, John Kerry and Howard Dean, proved recently how out of step with the rest of America they are in regard to US policy vis-a-vis the Israeli-Palestinian issue.

The leading US Democratic presidential contender, John Kerry, just said that the government in Israel currently lacks someone - i.e. Sharon - who can provide the goods in everything connected to negotiations with the Palestinians.

Yet, according to a poll commissioned by the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) and carried out by the firm of McLaughlin & Associates during mid-January of 2004 - the poll questioned 1,000 Americans from throughout the United States - 67.4% of Americans say that the Palestinian Arabs have not met US President Bush's conditions for statehood, such as fighting terrorism, halting incitement to murder, and respecting human rights. So why blame the Israeli government?

Kerry, who spoke at a political rally ahead of the New Hampshire primary, criticized the settlement policy of the Israeli government; i.e., building homes for Jews in their ancestral homeland. He said that it was a mistake to increase building there at this time. When will it be a good time? When Palestinian Arabs stop hating Jews and being racist?

Yet, 66.6% of Americans disagree with the Arab position that all Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria - the West Bank - and Gaza should be expelled from their homes. Most Americans see Jews continuing to live in all parts of their ancient homeland; even after a peace deal is made.

John Kerry called for strengthening the Palestinian Authority so that it will be stronger than Hamas. Here, Kerry's main rival, former front-runner Howard Dean, agrees with him. Dean said at a campaign event recently that America should increase resources for the Palestinian Authority in order to persuade the Palestinians to relinquish the "right of return".

I guess they haven't heard about how Yasser Arafat and his cronies have embezzled most of the donor money they've been given till now. That's hundreds of millions of dollars, and the reason that even the pro-Palestinian European Union has curtailed funding to the Palestinian Authority.

65.2% of Americans say the Palestinian Authority "cannot be trusted to fulfill peace agreements that it signs with Israel." That means most Americans don't believe the Palestinian Arabs will stop terror or give up the right of return.

And even more Americans, 73.6% say the US should stop sending the $200-million each year to the Palestinian Arabs, that it does send. So why exactly do Howard Dean and John Kerry want to waste American taxpayer dollars?

Dean called on Israel to demonstrate flexibility in regard to final borders in order to allow the creation of a Palestinian state.

Yet, 55.7% of Americans say that the Palestinian Arabs' goal is "the eventual destruction of Israel"; only 21.3% say their goal is "to have a small state living in peace alongside Israel." And here, Americans are right on target again, and the Democratic candidates are way out of touch.

Hamas leader Abdel Aziz Rantisi not long ago said, "We will continue with our holy war and resistance until every last criminal Zionist is evicted from this land. By G-d, we will not leave one Jew alive in Palestine. We will fight them with all the strength we have. This is our land, not the Jews'."

Finally, John Kerry promised that if elected president, he would ask former US presidents Bill Clinton or Jimmy Carter to serve as a special envoy to the region.

Clinton's Foreign Policy failures are well known. His peace-making efforts in Northern Ireland and the whole Oslo peace process have gone nowhere. He coddled Saddam Hussein for eight years. Need I say more? As for Jimmy Carter, other than receiving a Nobel Prize, what good has he done lately? Both have been soft on terror, the Palestinians, the Iranians, every evil dictator and regime, in fact. Their re-involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian issue would be disastrous.

As ZOA National President Morton A. Klein recently said, "It is a myth that American public opinion supports creating a Palestinian Arab state or expelling the Jewish residents of Judea-Samaria and Gaza. An overwhelming majority of Americans oppose creating what would be a new terrorist state, and oppose the racist, un-American concept of kicking people [Jewish 'settlers'] out of their homes and towns on the basis of their religion or ethnicity."

If these pronouncements by candidates Kerry and Dean are as "wise" as they get, then (1) it's clear they are out of step with the American people and, (2) need to go back to school and learn a lot more about the Middle East.

(c) 2004/5764 Pasko

10 DEAD, 10 INJURED! DEATH TO THOSE WHO HELPED TO MAKE IT POSSIBLE!

01.29.04 (12:14 pm)   [edit]
DEATH TO THOSE WHO ADVOCATE THE MURDER OF INNOCENTS!






[i]Injured Israelis receive first aid next to the wreckage of a destroyed bus following an explosion in Jerusalem January 29, 2004. At least 10 people were killed when a suicide bomber blew himself up on a bus near Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's official residence in Jerusalem, security sources said. (Yossi Zamir/Flash 90 via Reuters)[/i]


[b]Bombing Plunges Jerusalem Street Into Nightmare
Reuters
Thu Jan 29, 7:50 AM ET

[i]By Corinne Heller and Steven Scheer[/b][/i]

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - One minute, it was a quiet tree-lined street drenched in morning sunlight. The next, it was a nightmare of blood, screams and mangled bodies.

A Palestinian suicide bombing on a crowded Israeli bus on Thursday again brought scenes of carnage to Jerusalem, a city that had been spared such attacks for more than four months.

Ofer Mozes was walking nearby when the explosion ripped Bus Number 19 apart before his eyes, hurling body parts into the street and sending black smoke into the sky. At least 10 people were killed and dozens wounded.

"People were lying on the floor, burned and half-naked," he said. "There was the smell of death. Hair was burning and blood was dripping everywhere."

Another witness, Drora Resnick, said she watched in horror as the "pastoral serenity" of a residential neighborhood was shattered.

She peered inside the bus, its roof partly peeled back and its insides gutted by the blast near the official residence of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

"Bodies were sitting in their chairs burned, motionless. There were burned children sitting together," she said.

The Palestinian militant group al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades claimed responsibility for the bombing. A statement from the group quoted the bomber as saying he carried out the attack to avenge an Israeli army raid in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday in which troops killed eight Palestinians, including five fighters.

Police said the bomb was packed with nuts and bolts to maximize casualties.

Nir Azulai, 21, was working as a security guard on another bus nearby when he heard the explosion. He jumped off and rushed to the scene.

"I never saw such a horrible sight (or smelled) such a terrible smell. "People were broken up in pieces. People without legs were crying for help."

Shalom David, a passerby, called the explosion the "loudest boom I ever heard in my life."

"I was thrown back violently and hit the back of my head hard. I heard screaming, people were in hysterics. Glass went flying and there was blood everywhere. Black smoke filled the air as it poured out of the bus and I couldn't breathe."

David blacked out and woke up at a nearby hospital.

"It's my birthday today -- I am 51 and this is what I got," he said.

Tredgedy strikes the holy land: They've done it again. I'm having trouble trusting...

01.29.04 (12:05 pm)   [edit]
This is higly unacceptable. Israel can NOT be forced to live this way! 10 dead 50 injured, body parts blown everywhere! Glass broken, chaos! How many more lives must be taken before these evil subhuman murderers (Palestinian terrorists, not all Palestinians) are thwarted? Terrorists don't want peace, they want death and they want the whole of Israel for themselves. Hamas and other terror organizations must be thwarted! There is no other way! Ah, but it was a Palestinian policemant that did this! A POLICEMAN! You know, those in a position to SERVE AND PROTECT. Not maim 50 and murder 10. IS IT PEACE THAT THE WHOLE OF PALESTINE WANTS OR IS IT DEATH AND DESTRUCTION???



[i]The covered bodies of victims lie on stretchers after being removed from a blown up bus nearby in central Jerusalem Thursday Jan. 29, 2004. A homocide/suicide bomber blew himself up inside the bus killing at least 10 Israelis and wounding about 50. The attack took place near the Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's official residence. (AP Photo/Ilan Mizrahi)[/i]


[b]Jerusalem Bus Bomber Kills 10, Injures 50
AP
1 hour, 30 minutes ago

[i]By RAVI NESSMAN, Associated Press Writer[/b][/i]

JERUSALEM - A Palestinian suicide bomber detonated a bag of explosives on a crowded Jerusalem bus outside Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's residence Thursday, killing 10 passengers and wounding 50 bystanders in the deadliest attack in four months.

The blast sent body parts flying into nearby houses. Shaken survivors crawled out of broken bus windows. A chunk of the bus' roof landed on top of a two-story building, and witnesses said there was an overpowering smell of blood and smoke.

Sharon was not home at the time of the attack, claimed by the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, a militant group close to Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement.

The bomber, identified as Ali Jaara, 24, a Palestinian policeman from the West Bank town of Bethlehem, said in a note he left that he wanted to avenge eight Palestinians killed in fighting with Israeli troops in the Gaza Strip the day before.

The bombing marked another setback for stalled peace efforts. It came at a time when senior State Department officials were in the region to try to revive the U.S.-led "road map" peace plan.

Washington has criticized the Palestinian Authority for not doing enough to stop militants, and the bomber's ties to the security forces were particularly embarrassing. Bethlehem is one of only a few Palestinian towns not under Israeli military control.

White House Press Secretary Scott McLellan said, "These terrorist attacks only undermine the aspirations and hopes of the Palestinian people. We continue to urge the Palestinian cabinet to take steps to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure."

Secretary of State Colin Powell said continued terrorist activity will only impede the progress of the peace plan.

"The longer time goes by without progress because ... the parties can't get moving because of this terrorist activity, the more difficult it will be to achieve the goals laid out in the road map with respect to a timetable," Powell said Thursday in Washington.

The attack also coincided with a German-brokered prisoner swap between Israel and the Lebanese guerrilla group Hezbollah, which went ahead as planned. It was not clear whether the Al Aqsa militia had timed the bombing to go off during the exchange.

Police spokesman Gil Kleiman said the bomber boarded the bus carrying about 15 pounds of explosives in a bag. The assailant detonated the explosives on bus No. 19 just before 9 a.m. in the Rehavia district in downtown Jerusalem, just 15 yards from Sharon's official residence.

Passenger Svetlana Minchiker said she was talking on her cell phone as the blast went off — a bang that left her so disoriented she thought at first the phone had exploded.

"At first I did not see anything except my hands," she said, holding up one hand still stained red. A trickle of dried blood marked her left cheek.

"As my feelings slowly returned to me, I managed to ... crawl through the window."

The green Egged bus was charred, with wires dangling everywhere. One side was blown out and the back half of the roof was blown off. Eli Beer, a paramedic, said victims were scattered over a wide area.

"There were a lot of heavy injuries, a lot of the people who were injured were in bad condition, a lot of people had missing limbs," he said.

Bret Stephens, editor in chief of the Jerusalem Post, was near the scene at the time of the blast.


"There was glass everywhere, human remains everywhere," he said.

People, dazed and crying, wandered around the area.

Jaara, who lived with his parents and nine siblings, was described by relatives as a devout Muslim who showed little interest in politics.

"I was expecting to marry him, not to bury him," his father, Munir, said.

Jaara's mother cried uncontrollably on a mattress on the floor, holding a picture of her son in his police uniform carrying a police-issued Kalashnikov rifle. Many family members said they opposed militant attacks against Israelis.

"These operations are not only not good for us, but really bad for us. They only hurt us," said Jaara's 26-year-old sister, Ola.

Thursday's bombing was the deadliest since a female suicide bomber killed 21 people at a seaside restaurant in Haifa on Oct. 4. The last bombing was a Christmas Day suicide attack at a bus stop outside of Tel Aviv that killed four people.

Israeli officials said the weeks of calm preceding the bombing resulted from Israeli security measures, not a reduction in violence on the Palestinian side.

The blast came amid renewed efforts to bring about a cease-fire.

Earlier this week, senior Egyptian officials had tried to win a pledge from Palestinian militants to halt attacks on Israelis. Two senior State Department officials, David Satterfield and John Wolf, were meeting with Israel's defense minister, Shaul Mofaz, at the time of the explosion, Israel Radio said.

In response, Sharon and his foreign minister, Silvan Shalom, canceled a planned meeting on the humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian areas that was to include the Americans, Palestinians and international donors.

"A difficult day when innocent Israeli citizens are murdered in the streets of the capital of Israel is not the time to discuss the easing of restrictions (on Palestinians)," the two leaders said in a statement.

After a three-hour meeting with his security chiefs, Mofaz decided not to impose a closure on the West Bank — Israel's usual response to bombings, a senior security official said.

Powell phoned Shalom to express condolences, the Foreign Ministry said.

Palestinian Authority officials condemned the bombing while also denouncing the Wednesday deaths of the eight Palestinians during fighting in Gaza. Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia appealed "to all parties to stop this bloody series of violence," declare a cease-fire and resume the peace plan.

Abdel Aziz Rantissi, a Hamas leader in Gaza, praised the bombing.

"It's not important who carried out this operation. The only thing which is very important is that we are resisting occupiers who came ... to occupy our land and to kill our people," he said.

Sharon's spokesman, Raanan Gissin, said the attack underscored the need for the barrier Israel is building in the West Bank.

Israel says the structure, which dips deep into the West Bank, is needed to keep suicide bombers out of Israel. But Palestinians have accused Israel of seizing their land. With Palestinian backing, the legality of the barrier will be decided by the World Court in the Netherlands.

Balaam And His Ass

01.29.04 (11:50 am)   [edit]
Recently, I was asked a biblical question by one of my fellow tbloggers (and friend), LynnKramer (http://lynnkramer.tblog.com). The letter went as follows...




[b]Dear RedTigress,
I surmise from your blog writing that you are a devout Jewish person?

I am a somewhat devout Catholic, who from time to time has trouble understanding my own Bible.

You being Jewish, with respect could you do your best to help me to understand verse in what we call the "old testiment" (being before the coming of Jesus)? I am thinking that if you could put them into another context, perhaps I would see more clearly the meaning. I am most interested in verses 22-35. Thank you in advance for your kind help.

The verses are these:

Num 22:1
And the children of Israel set forward, and pitched in the plains of Moab on this side Jordan [by] Jericho.
Num 22:2
And Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites.
Num 22:3
And Moab was sore afraid of the people, because they [were] many: and Moab was distressed because of the children of Israel.
Num 22:4
And Moab said unto the elders of Midian, Now shall this company lick up all [that are] round about us, as the ox licketh up the grass of the field. And Balak the son of Zippor [was] king of the Moabites at that time.
Num 22:5
He sent messengers therefore unto Balaam the son of Beor to Pethor, which [is] by the river of the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt: behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me:
Num 22:6
Come now therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people; for they [are] too mighty for me: peradventure I shall prevail, [that] we may smite them, and [that] I may drive them out of the land: for I wot that he whom thou blessest [is] blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed.
Num 22:7
And the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the rewards of divination in their hand; and they came unto Balaam, and spake unto him the words of Balak.
Num 22:8
And he said unto them, Lodge here this night, and I will bring you word again, as the LORD shall speak unto me: and the princes of Moab abode with Balaam.
Num 22:9
And God came unto Balaam, and said, What men [are] these with thee?
Num 22:10
And Balaam said unto God, Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, hath sent unto me, [saying],
Num 22:11
Behold, [there is] a people come out of Egypt, which covereth the face of the earth: come now, curse me them; peradventure I shall be able to overcome them, and drive them out.
Num 22:12
And God said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people: for they [are] blessed.
Num 22:13
And Balaam rose up in the morning, and said unto the princes of Balak, Get you into your land: for the LORD refuseth to give me leave to go with you.
Num 22:14
And the princes of Moab rose up, and they went unto Balak, and said, Balaam refuseth to come with us.
Num 22:15
And Balak sent yet again princes, more, and more honourable than they.
Num 22:16
And they came to Balaam, and said to him, Thus saith Balak the son of Zippor, Let nothing, I pray thee, hinder thee from coming unto me:
Num 22:17
For I will promote thee unto very great honour, and I will do whatsoever thou sayest unto me: come therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people.
Num 22:18
And Balaam answered and said unto the servants of Balak, If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the LORD my God, to do less or more.
Num 22:19
Now therefore, I pray you, tarry ye also here this night, that I may know what the LORD will say unto me more.
Num 22:20
And God came unto Balaam at night, and said unto him, If the men come to call thee, rise up, [and] go with them; but yet the word which I shall say unto thee, that shalt thou do.
Num 22:21
And Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddled his ass, and went with the princes of Moab.
Num 22:22
And God's anger was kindled because he went: and the angel of the LORD stood in the way for an adversary against him. Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two servants [were] with him.
Num 22:23
And the ass saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field: and Balaam smote the ass, to turn her into the way.
Num 22:24
But the angel of the LORD stood in a path of the vineyards, a wall [being] on this side, and a wall on that side.
Num 22:25
And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she thrust herself unto the wall, and crushed Balaam's foot against the wall: and he smote her again.
Num 22:26
And the angel of the LORD went further, and stood in a narrow place, where [was] no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left.
Num 22:27
And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she fell down under Balaam: and Balaam's anger was kindled, and he smote the ass with a staff.
Num 22:28
And the LORD opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?
Num 22:29
And Balaam said unto the ass, Because thou hast mocked me: I would there were a sword in mine hand, for now would I kill thee.
Num 22:30
And the ass said unto Balaam, [Am] not I thine ass, upon which thou hast ridden ever since [I was] thine unto this day? was I ever wont to do so unto thee? And he said, Nay.
Num 22:31
Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and he bowed down his head, and fell flat on his face.
Num 22:32
And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? behold, I went out to withstand thee, because [thy] way is perverse before me:
Num 22:33
And the ass saw me, and turned from me these three times: unless she had turned from me, surely now also I had slain thee, and saved her alive.
Num 22:34
And Balaam said unto the angel of the LORD, I have sinned; for I knew not that thou stoodest in the way against me: now therefore, if it displease thee, I will get me back again.
Num 22:35
And the angel of the LORD said unto Balaam, Go with the men: but only the word that I shall speak unto thee, that thou shalt speak. So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.
Num 22:36
And when Balak heard that Balaam was come, he went out to meet him unto a city of Moab, which [is] in the border of Arnon, which [is] in the utmost coast.
Num 22:37
And Balak said unto Balaam, Did I not earnestly send unto thee to call thee? wherefore camest thou not unto me? am I not able indeed to promote thee to honour?
Num 22:38
And Balaam said unto Balak, Lo, I am come unto thee: have I now any power at all to say any thing? the word that God putteth in my mouth, that shall I speak.
Num 22:39
And Balaam went with Balak, and they came unto Kirjathhuzoth.
Num 22:40
And Balak offered oxen and sheep, and sent to Balaam, and to the princes that [were] with him.
Num 22:41
And it came to pass on the morrow, that Balak took Balaam, and brought him up into the high places of Baal, that thence he might see the utmost [part] of the people.[/b]


So, being the helpful spirit that I am (or at least try to be), I researched and wrote back:


[b]Dear Lynn,

Yes, I am an observant Jew. :)

I can do my best to help you as I am not a Rabbinical authority. I'll site the Rabbinical commentaries as necissary so that you know where this information came from. I'm not exactly sure of what you are asking except to merely better clarify these verses. I am happy to try to answer any questions you may have. I shall just clarify and explain these verses to you roughly and if you have any specific questions, please feel free to ask. It would make it easier for the both of us. :)

I shall also give the direct translations from the Hebrew (which may differ sometimes from the other versions) because the direct translation from the true source proves more accurate and easier to understand and clarify. :) Again, if you are looking for something more specific in an explanation, please don't hesitate to ask. :)

I hope the entire message gets through as this is very long. ;)

Num 22:1--

"The children of Israel journeyed and encamped in the plains of Moab, on the bank of the Jordan, opposite Jericho."

When it says, "in the plains of Moab," we're talking about the plain seperating the eastern bank of the Jordan from the high plataeu further east. Even though it had been part of Sihon's kingdom, it was still called Moab, to which it had formerly belonged.

Num 22:2--

"Balak son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorite."

Although he was the king of Moab (v. 4), his title is not mentioned here, possibly because he was renowned as a mighty warrior long before he became king. Thus the Torah wishes to imply that even Balak -- not a mere king who relied on others to fight his battles -- was cowed by the approaching Israelite host. It may also be that Balak was not a king at first; his people elevated him as a result of their fear of Israel (according to Nachmonedes). According to Rashi, (v. 4), Balak was not even a Moabite. He was a foreign noble whom the Moabites appointed to lead them against Israel.

When it talks about "all that Israel had done to the Amorite," it's referring to the fact that the Moabites had relied on the mighty Amorite kings Sihon and Og for protection. If they were powerless to stop the Jews, surely Moab was in mortal danger (Rashi). The Moabites entertained this fear even though God had forbidden Israel to attack Moab (Deut. 2:9,19), because, Balak reasoned, part of the Amorite domain had once belonged to Moab -- if the Jews did not hesitate to seize that part of Moab's patrimony, they could be expected to ignore God's command and take the rest as well (Tanchuma).

Nachmonedes suggests that even if Israel would not invade Moab, they would conquer all the surrounding lands and force the Moabites to become a vassel state and pay tribute.

Num 22:3--

"Moab became very frightened of the people, because it was numerous, and Moab was disgusted in the face of the Children of Israel."

When it says, "because it was numerous," it's talking about how Israel had multiplied miraculously under Egyptian servitude, whil Moab was a relitively young nation, whose population growth had been natural. Thus, it was heavily outnumbered by the advancing Jews (Nachmonedes).

Num 22:4--

"Moab said to the elders of Midian, 'Now the congregation will lick up our entire surroundings, as an ox licks up the greenery of the feild.' Balak son of Zippor was king of Moab at that time."

Moab and Midian had been traditional enemies, but now they came together in response to the perceived threat from Israel, which, they feared, would uproot and utterly destroy everything in its path, as an ox pulls out the roots of grass so that nothing is left of it. Seeking some formula to save itself, Moab hoped that the Midianites, among whom Moses had lived when he fled Egypt as a boy, could shed light on the reason for his success and how he could be defeated. The Midianites said that his strength lay in his mouth, so the Moabites sent for the evil prophet Balaam, whos power lay in his ability to curse (Rashi).

Num 22:5--

"He sent messengers to Balaam son of Beor to Pethor, which is by the river of the land of the members of his people, to summon him, saying, 'Behold! a people has come out of Egypt, behold! it has covered the surface of the earth and it sits opposite me.'"

"By the river," refers to (according to Onkelos and Targum Yonasan) that this was the Euphrates, which, as the primary body of water in the region, was referred to simply as "the river," much as the Nile was called "the river" by the Egyptians.

"The land of the members of his people," i.e., Balak's native land was Aram, where Balaam lived. Balaam had prophesied that Balak would become king, so that the new ruler of Moab knew of Balaam's prowess firsthand (Rashi).

According to Ibn Ezra and Nachmonedes, however, the verse refers to Balaam's homeland, not Balak's. Indeed, according to the Midrash in the Zohar, Balaam was a descendant of Laban, who was from Aram and who taught him the occult arts that he was now called upon to practice against Israel.

Num 22:6-7

"'So now -- please come and curse this people for me, for it is too powerful for me; perhaps I will be able to strike it and drive it away from the land. For I know that whomever you bless is blessed and whomever you curse is accursed.' The elders of Moab and the elders of Midian went with charms in their hand; they came to Balaam and spoke to him the words of Balak."

Balak hoped that Balaam's curse would enable him and his cohorts to defeat Israel in battle. By speaking of Balaam's power to bless, Balak was merely flattering him, because Balak knew that his power was limited to knowledge of the most advantageious time to invoke God's wrath by cursing. Otherwise, Balak would have requested a blessing for his own success (Sforno). He sent his agents to summon Balaam not for prophecy, although Balaam was a prophet, but to effect a curse. To make sure that Balaam could not please that he lacked the necessary tools, Balak sent charms, the tools and implements that Balaam would need to cast spells (Rashi).

Num 22:8--

"He said to them, 'Spend the night here and I shall give you a response, as HaShem (God) shall speak to me.' So the officers of Moab stayed with Balaam."

"The officers of Moab," -- from this point, the elders of Midian, who had been part of the delegation (v. 7), are no longer mentioned. They had decided beforehand that if Balaam stalled, it would indicate that he was a fraud, so when he asked for an overnight dely, they left his house (Rashi).

Num 22:9-10--

"God came to Balaam and said, 'Who are these men with you?' Balaam said to God, 'Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, sent to me: ..."

We can assume that God is referring to the people who have come to Balaam in request of a curse.

Num 22:11-12--

"'"Behold! the people coming out of Egypt has covered the surface of the earth. Now go and curse it for me; perhaps I will be able to make war against it and drive it away."' God said to Balaam, 'You shall not go with them! You shall not curse the people, for it is blessed!'"

"Curse...for me," -- In his request, Balak used a term which meant to drive away the Jews [arah] and is far milder than the term for the curse to destroy them [kavah]. He wanted only to save his people from conquest or harassment, and asked that he be enabled to drive Israel away, not that they be destroyed. Balaam's hatred of Israel was far greater. He employed a much stronger expression of curse and spoke of "driving it away" totally, implying total destruction. [Later, however, Balak himself used the stronger term (v. 17). Perhaps as his fear of Israel grew, his hatred increased with it.] In forbidding Balaam to go, God used the milder term for curse [loe ta-or] (v. 12), to make it clear that he was not to pronounce a curse of any kind. Ever the sycophant, Balaam said that he would go bless Israel, to which God replied, "It is blessed!" -- it needs neither your curse nor your blessing (Rashi).

Num 22:13--

"Balaam arose in the morning and said to the officers of Balak, 'Go to your land, for God refuses to let us go with you.'"

"With you."--According to Rashi, based on Tanchuma, Balaam chose his words
carefully. He was too arrogant to admit that God had categorically forbidden him to go. By saying "with you," he implied that it was only with THIS delegation that he could not go -- but if Balak were to send a delegation of higher rank, the answer might be different. As the following verses show, Balak understood the message. Apparantly, Balaam hoped that God might relent, or that Balak might abandon the plan and spare Balaam the embarrassment of another rejection.

Num 22:14-17--

"The officers of Moab arose and came to Balak and said, 'Balaam refused to go with us.' Balak kept on sending officers -- more, and higher ranking than these. They came to Balaam and said to him, 'So said Balak son of Zippor, "Do not refrain from going to me, for I shall honor you greatly, and everything that you say to me I shall do; so go now and curse this people for me."'"

All of this basically reflects the above commentary.

Num 22:18-19--

"Balaam answered and said to the servants of Balak, 'If Balak will give me his houseful of silver and gold, I cannot transgress the word of God, my God, to do anything small or great. And now, you, too, stay here for the night, and I will know what more God will speak with me.'"

Continuing the Midrashic interpretations that focus on Balaam's base of character, Rashi notes that by speaking of a houseful of gold and silver he revealed his greed [as if to say if he WERE able to transgress the word of God he would -- but only for a huge sum of money (Gur Aryeh)]. He implied here that it would be far more economical for Balak to pay him for an effective curse than to invest even larger sums in a standing army that was not guaranteed to win in battle.

Num 22:20--

"God came to Balaam at night and said to him, 'If the men came to summon you, arise and go with them, but only the thing that I shall speak to you -- that shall you do.'"

God's acquiescence to the mission is difficult to understand. Following are some of the interperetations:

--Rashi: In his reply, God used the word "Lecha," meaning "to you," which also has the connotation of "for your benefit," meaning that if Balaam felt that it was to his financial adcantage to go -- and his greed was already shown by his earlier dialogues with the emissaries -- he was free to do so. However, God, told him clearly that the permission extended only to his right to go, but he had no freedom to say what he pleased; he could say only what God instructed him.

--Ibn Ezra: Sometimes God is influenced by the entreaties of people to do things of which He does not approve. An example of this is the permission God gave the nation to send spies to the Land even though He had promised them that it was good and they had nothing to fear. Since Balaam was so anxious to go, God left it up to him, but warned him that he could not say what he wished against them. Nachmonedes adds that his is summed up pithily in the maxim "they lead a person on the path he wishes to travel" (Bamidbar Babbah 20:20). God was angry because Balaam went even though he knew it was wrong (v. 22).

--Nachmonedes: From the start God told Balaam that he was not to curse Israel, and he informed Balak's emissaries of this, but Balak [undoubtably aware of Balaam's greedy and arrogant nature] simply assumed that with higher-ranking emissaries and suggestions of ample reward, Balaam would redily come. When the second delegation came, Balaam said he had to consult God -- which was proper -- but he did not tell the emissaries what God had said. God told him he could go, but only if the emissaries were ready to have him on his terms, i.e., that he would pronounce only the words that God would tell him -- not a curse. God wanted Balaam to go and bless ISrael, so that the nations would know that even their own prophet had t o add his blessings to God's Chosen People. But Balaam did not tell this to the delegation; he let them think he had been given permission to curse. Thereby he desecreated God's name, for he led them to believe God had gone back on His word, and later, when God commanded him to bless, Balak and his people would be sure that GOD, not Balaam, had decieved them.

--Midrash HaGadol, citing Mishnas R' Eliezer (ch. 10): Before God destroys the foes of Israel, He elevates them. Balaam deserved to be punished for his powerful desire to curse an entire nation that had done him no harm, so God let him think that he was permitted to go, provided Balak gave him sufficient honor and money.

Num 22:21--

"Balaam arose in the morning and saddled his she-donkey and went with the officers of Moab."

"Balaam arose"--The Sages (Sanhedrin 105b) describe Balaam's enthusiasm contemptuously. Hatred causes people to violate norms of conduct. Surely it was not fitting for a man of Balaam's stature to saddle his own donkey, but he hated Israel so much that he did not let dignity stand in his way, and even got up early in the morning to do it. God said, "Wicked one, their forefather Abraham preceded you, for he got up even earlier and saddled his own donkey to do My will and take his beloved Isaac to the slaughter!" Furthermore, the verse says that he went WITH Balak's people, implying that he wholeheartedly subscribed to their desire that he curse Israel (Rashi).

Num 22:22--

"God's wrath flared because he was going, and an angel of God stood on the road to impede him. He was riding on his she-donkey and his two young men were with him."

"An Angel of God"--The use of God's name, the one that indicates God's compassion, is used here to imply that God was being merciful to Balaam by sending an angel to save him from a sin that would lead to his own destruction (Rashi).

Num 22:23--

"The she-donkey saw the angel of God standing on the road with his sword drawn in his hand, so the she-donkey turned away from the road and went to into the feild; then Balaam struck the vineyards, a fence on this side and a fence on that side."

"The she-donkey saw"--Rashi and Nachmonedes disagree reguarding what the animal saw. According to Rashi, animals are allowed to see spiritual beings that are blocked from the human eye, because human intelligence would cause people to live in constant fear if they could percieve everything around them.

Nachmonedes asserts that angels are not physical beings and cannot be seen by people or animals, unless they assume human form -- as when they visited Abraham -- in which case they are visible to everyone. In Balaam's case, it was not that the she-donkey actually SAW the angel. Rather, it SENSED that it was in danger, for, figuratively, a being with a drawn sword stood before it.

"With his sword dran in his hand"-- This confrontation symbolized the eternal rivalry between Jacob's "voice" of Torah and prayer, and Esau's "sword." The angel was about to show Balaam that if he attempted to usurp the power of the voice and use it to harm Israel, he would be subject to the sword that characterizes the gentile nations led by Esau (Rashi).

Num 24-27--

"The angel of God stood in the path of the vineyards, a fence on this side and a fence on that side. The she-donkey saw the angel of God and pressed against the wall, and it pressed Balaam's leg against the wall -- and he continued to strike it. The angel of God went further and stood in a narrow place, where there was no room to turn right or left. The she-donkey saw the angel of God and crouched beneath Balaam. Balaam's anger flared and he struch the she-donkey with the staff."

Rashi cites Tanchuma that the three times the angel blocked the she-donkey symbolized the three Patriarchs. Tanchuma elaborates that it was as if a different Patriarch did the blocking each time. The first time (vs. 22-23), the angel prevented him from moving ahead, but he could have gone to the right or left, symbolizing that Balaam could curse Abraham's progeny that had drifted to the right or left, i.e., the descendants of Ishmael or of Keturah (whom Abraham married after Sarah's death), but he could not harm the descendants of Isaac, Abraham's true son. The next time (vs. 24-25), the she-donkey had only a narrow space to avoid the sword, alluding to Isaac, who had only one unworthy son, Esau. Finally, the third time (v. 26-27), there was no room at all for the she-donkey to move, symbolizing the offspring of Jacob, all of whom were righteous and whom Balaam could not curse.

Overview vs. 22-27; God impedes Balaam's path: Balaam went with God's permission but, as discussed above, with the hope, if not the outright intention, of flouting His will. To show him and his Moabite escort that he was powerless to act on his own, God dispatched an angel to block his way. That he was unable to see the angel until the very end of its mission, while his she-donkey sensed or saw it, was a refutation of his brazen boast that he knew God's will and was His spokesmen, as it were.


Summery vs. 28-37; In a most unusual miracle, Balaam's she-donkey now was granted the power of speech to admonish him for striking it. The purpose of the miracle was to show Balaam that even man's normal functions, such as the ability to speak, are under God's control. If a beast could speak intelligently, then surely Balaam could be forced to say what God wanted him to, and be silenced if he wished to oppose God's will. This proved to him that his sorcery could not prevail against God (Nachmonedes).

Num 22:28--

"God opened the mouth of the she-donkey and it said to Balaam, 'What have I done to you that you struck me these thress times?'"

"These three times"--This was an allusion to the future merit of Israel, which would protect it from the Balaams who wish it harm. Three times a year, for the three pilgrimage festicals of Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot, Jews would leave their feilds and homes without protection and go to Temple in Jerusalem. Did Balaam think that he could harm a people that had such faith in God? (Rashi).

Num 22:29--

"Balaam said to the she-donkey, 'Because you mocked me! If only there were a sword in my hand I would now have killed you!'"

"I would now have killed you"--Balaam's reaction to the she-donkey's admonishment is puzzling. In the face of an obvious and unprecedented miracle, all he could think of was to threaten the helpless animal, as if that could have silenced God, as well. This is another illustration of his pagan philosophy that probably saw God as a supreme ruler of many forces, whose will can be challenged by someone who can marshal cosmic forces. This is the same mind-set that made Balaam think his machinations could secure permission to accept Balak's offer and ultimatly curse the Jews (R' Hersh Goldwurm). He appeared as a fool to his escorts. The man claimed that he could kill an antire nation with his curse, but he needed a sword to dispatch his she donkey! (Rashi).

Num 22:30-31--

"The she-donkey said to Balaam, 'Am I not your she-donkey that you have ridden all your life until this day? Have I been accustomed to do such a thinkg to you?' He said, 'No.' Then God uncovered Balaam's eyes and he saw the angel of God standing on the road with his sword drawn in his hand. He bowed his head and prostrated himself in his face."

"The God uncovered"--It appears obvious from this verse that Balaam was not accustomed to seeing angels, for if he was, it would not have been necessary for his eyes to be UNCOVERED. This also proves that he was not a prophet, for even Abraham's wife Hagar and the prophet Elisha's servan Gahazi saw angels, though they were not prophets. If Balaam had been a true prophet, he would have had no trouble seeing an angel; bu his base character (see vs. 13, 18) made even such a degree of revelation impossible. Actually, Balaam was a sorcerer, not a prophet. The sublime prophecies he uttered later in the Sidrah were temporary aberrations that God granted him only for the honor of Israel. After his ignoble return to his homeland, he did not prophesy again, and reverted to his permanent status of sorcerer, as he was called (Joshua 13:22), "Balaam son of Beor, the sorcerer" (Ramban).

Num 22:32-33--

"The angel of God said to him, 'For what reason did you strike your she-donkey these three times? Behold! I went out to impede, for you hastened on a road to oppose me. The she-donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. Had it not turned away from me, I would now even have killed you and let it live!'"

The angel knew very well what had happened, but chided him for being insensitive to the Divine omens. Three times God's angel tried to prevent him from continuing on his evil mission and three times he persisted, impervious to the sword wielding angel (Sforno).

Num 22:34-35--

"Balaam said to the angel of God, 'I have sinned, for I did not know that you were standing opposite me on the road. And now, if it is evil in your eyes, I shall return.' The angelof God said to Balaam, 'Go with the men, but only the word that I shall speak to you -- that shall you speak.' So Balaam went with the officers of Balak."

Sanctimoniously and cynically, Balaam played the role of an obedient servant of God. He ignored the fact that the angel represented God's ire at his true motive in going, which was to sure the JEws. When he said that he was ready to turn back, he was sidestepping the truth (R' Hersh Goldwurm).

Now he was forced to admit that despite his boasts that he knew the mind of God (24:16), he -- unlike the lowly she-donkey -- could not even sense the presence of an angel. By offering to return, he was actually alluding to the audacious suggestion that God was reversing Himself, as if to say, "God Himself told me to go, and now He sends an angel to reverse Himself!" Even after the angel warned him to go on the condition that he say only what God told him, Balaam still hoped to deliver a curse, for verse 35 states that he went "with the officers of Balak;" the word "with" implies that he was united with them in their intention (Rashi).


Num 22:36-40--

"Balak heard that Balaam had come, so he went out toward him to the city of Moab, which is on the border of Arnon, which is at the edge of the boarder. Balak said to Balaam, 'Did I not urgently send to you to summon you? Why did you not go to me? Am I not capable of honoring you?' Balaam said to Balak, 'Behold! now I have come to you -- am I empowered to say anything? Whatever word God puts into my mouth, that I shall speak!' Balaam went with Balak and they came to Kiriath-huzoth. Balak slaughtered cattle and sheep and sent to Balaam and to the officers who were with him."

Balak's attitude is revealing. He had gone to great lengths to induce Balaam to come. He knew of Balaam's prowess from their days in Aram and he was convinced that Balaam was his only hope, yet he treated him with contempt. He greeted him with a verbal onslaught that accused him, in effect, of being interested in personal honor. And when he prepared a feast for Balaam and his entourage (v. 40), he sent the food to them, and did not even deign to joing them or invite them to his own quarters. In view of the Jewish concept of sages as holy people who deserve the utmost deference, Balak's attitude toward one of his one "holy men" is shocking.

Num 22:41--

"And it was in the morning: Balak took Balaam and brought him up to the heights of Baal, and from there he saw the edge of the people."

Balak took Balaam to a hill on which was a Moabite idol, Baal, in the hope that it might inspire him and perhaps add to the efficacy of the Jews, and that perhaps the prophet's malevolent gaze might have a deleterious effect on Israel.[/b]

I hoped that helped and so I also share it with readers on my blog. Fortunatly, it did help because she writes:


[b]Thank you so much for your prompt help. Your interpretation was most helpful and enlightening for me.

You know from a child I have been told that the old testiment was the words of God and a history of his people until (in Catholic belief) the coming of Jesus. I never really understood until recently how rich and full of additional information and insight the Hebrew Torah can provide for me.

Certainly we must have a lot of common beliefs afterall, don't you agree? If I have any more problems I hope I might be allowed to call on you in the future.

You are a jewel among women.
Thank you again.[/b]

::blushes:: My reply was of course gracious:


[b]You are most certainly welcome! :)

I love to help so please do ask anything that comes to your mind in the future.

You are very sweet and I am glad to have proven helpful. :)

You are most welcome once more! :) :)

-Tigress[/b]


So I hope this may have been helpful to anyone else reading. It is good to ask questions becuase how else are we to learn things?

You can feel free to ask questions of me at any time or you can have a look at the Torah resources in the links section to the left. I highly recommend askmoses.com for most inquiries, but it is also good to get a variety of sources whenever you are seeking answers. Always look to the giants of which you stand upon the shoulders. :)

A Midnight Quiz (More like 1am-ish, but who's counting?)

01.29.04 (1:20 am)   [edit]
I don't know if I like this result or not...





Yours are DEMON wings, possibly resembling
those of a bat - huge, black, and clawed. You
are cold and impure, and a born Creature of the
Night. Possibly with an interest in those of a
vampyric nature, or possibly one yourself. You
have little sympathy or care for humanity and
see them as existing for no real purpose -
thus, you can be very manipulative and bend
them to fit YOUR purpose. And you do have a
purpose, to everything you do. Nine times out
of ten it will be strictly for your own self
gratification or perhaps merely amusement. As
soon as a person or situation is no longer
productive or pleasurable in your life, you
will rid yourself of it or them. You could very
well have just a touch of superiority complex
(or perhaps more than a touch?). Despite all of
this, you are capable of love so intense that
you place that person's wishes even above your
own - the only time that you will do so.
Chances are you are attracted to people in
which you see...yourself. Though many hate you
for your carelessness and evil...Sexy, fierce,
sinful, and mysterious...you turn me on.


*~*~*Claim Your Wings - Pics and Long Answers*~*~*
brought to you by Quizilla

Judaism's Concepts of "Heaven" and "Hell"

01.28.04 (9:35 pm)   [edit]
Judaism does have a concept of reward and punishment in the afterlife. However, since words we use bring to mind certain images, particularly “Heaven” and “Hell,” it is better to use the Jewish terminology which comes without the baggage.

When someone dies, the disembodied soul leaves this sensory world and enters “Gan Eden,” the spiritual Garden of Eden (a.k.a. “Heaven”). In the Garden of Eden, the soul enjoys the “rays of the Divine Presence,” a purely spiritual enjoyment dependent on the Torah learning and good deeds done while in a body. Every year on the yarzeit, the day of passing, the soul ascends to another level closer to God. This gives it tremendous pleasure.

Before entering the Garden of Eden, though, every soul must be refined, for it cannot enjoy the Divine Presence to the fullest degree with the pleasures and coarseness of our physical world still engraved on it. These would give the soul poor “reception” of divine radiance, and must be removed.

In order to restore the level of purity the soul had possessed before entering the physical world, it must undergo a degree of refinement commensurate to the degree which the body may have indulged itself. If a person sinned in this lifetime, as most of us do, then, to continue the radio analogy, we have serious interference. This means there is even more cleaning to be done. This cleaning process hurts, but is a spiritual and mental process designed not for retribution, but to allow one to truly enjoy his/her reward in Gan Eden. This cleaning process is called “Gehinom,” or, in the vernacular, “Hell.”

The Thirteen Principles of Faith

01.28.04 (9:19 pm)   [edit]
The Jewish faith has many laws, traditions, beliefs, etc. But there are thirteen principles upon which the whole of Judaism stands.

To use a mundane example, think of baseball. There are many intricate rules and strategies in the game. But in order to play on the most elementary level there are a few basics without which you cannot play.

Judaism’s basics are encapsulated in what are called the Thirteen Principles. These were composed by Maimonides, one of the greatest Jewish scholars of all time. Some Jews have the custom of reciting these principles everyday after the morning service. These principles are also expressed in the famous synagogue prayer “Yigdal.”

Here they are:

· That the Creator creates and controls everything. He alone has made, is making, and will make all things.

· That the Creator is one. There is no other unity like His. He alone is our God. He was, He is, and He will always be.

· That the Creator is not a physical being. Physical concepts do not apply to Him. Nothing at all resembles Him.

· That the Creator is without beginning and without end; He precedes all existence.

· That it is proper to pray only to the Creator. It is not proper to pray to anything else.

· That the Creator communicates through His prophets.

· That the prophecy of Moses was true. He was the chief of all prophets, both before and after him.

· That the entire Torah (both Oral and Written), which we now have is that which was given to Moses.

· That the Torah will not be changed. The Creator will not give another Torah.

· That the Creator is aware of all of man’s deeds and thoughts.

· That the Creator rewards those who keep His commandments and punishes those who disobey His commandments.

· That the Messiah will come. Even though he will delay, every day I will expect his arrival.

· That the dead will be brought back to life. The Creator will decree the time for this awakening.

OMG!!!! I need a caption for this photo!

01.28.04 (8:53 pm)   [edit]
Ok, this has to be the most funny/disgusting photo I've seen in a while! Therefore, I'm sharing it with everyone and asking them to give me a caption for it! It's a total open forum on this one. Let's see what you can think of! :)




Please leave your captions in the comments section below!

Enjoy and have fun!

Prayor "Disrespectful"?

01.28.04 (7:37 pm)   [edit]
[b]House Democrats claim prayer is 'disrespectful'

The Arizona Republic
Jan. 28, 2004 12:00 AM[/b]

Rep. Doug Quelland, R-Phoenix, caused a stir on Tuesday when he delivered a prayer on the House floor that took aim at multiculturalism, welfare, abortion and "alternative lifestyles."

It was a prayer that has made the rounds on the Internet since 1996 when it was delivered before the Kansas House of Representatives.

Offended Democrats, led by Rep. Wally Straughn of Phoenix, filed an official protest, saying the prayer was partisan, disrespectful and divisive.

Here is the prayer:

Quelland: "Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know your word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and inverted our values. We confess that:

"We have ridiculed the absolute truth of your word and called it pluralism.

"We have worshiped other gods and called it multiculturalism.

"We have endorsed perversion and called it alternative lifestyle.

"We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery.

"We have neglected the needy and called it self-preservation.

"We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.

"We have killed our unborn and called it choice.

"We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable.

"We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem.

"We have abused power and called it political savvy.

"We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition.

"We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression.

"And we have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.

"Search us, O God, and know our hearts today; try us and see if there be some wicked way in us; cleanse us from every sin and set us free.

"In the name of your son, the living Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen."

This is the Democrats' response:

Straughn: "Pursuant to House Rule 20, we, all the members of the House Democratic Caucus, protest the lack of respect that was shown the members of this body and the citizens of Arizona during the opening prayer on January 26, 2004.

"The opening prayer is the one opportunity during each day that we can come together as a body. The opening prayer should unite us, not divide us.

"But the prayer on January 26, 2004, was divisive. It was a pandering, mudslinging, name-calling political statement. It was hateful and mean-spirited. It was undignified.

"The citizens of Arizona deserve better. We are diverse. We have unique perspectives. And our unique voices should be respected. Especially during the opening prayer, as members of this body we must set aside our differences and show respect for Arizona in all of its diversity."

An Exotic Dessert You'll Love to Share!

01.28.04 (2:32 pm)   [edit]
I have found my dessert that I shall make in two days time -- finally! This sounds very good and not so hard. It should be slightly challenging though which is how I like things to be; especially when it comes to my cooking. You can try it out for yourself with the recipe here, if you like. Let me know how your's comes out! :)


Crostata di Limone (Italian Lemon Tart)
Recipe copyright Mario Batali, 2002. All rights reserved.

Recipe Summary
Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 6 to 8 servings

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup ground toasted almonds
1/2 cup sugar
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 egg, plus 4 eggs, separated
Pinch salt
3/4 cup sugar
2 lemons, zested, plus 3 lemon, juiced

Grease the bottom and sides of a 9-inch tart pan with butter and set aside.

Toss together the flour, almonds, and sugar. Cut the butter into the dry mixture until it is the consistency of fine bread crumbs. Add 1 egg and salt and mix well, kneading slightly. Form the pastry into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate while you make the filling.

Beat the 4 egg yolks with the sugar until very thick, then beat in the lemon zest and juice. Transfer the mixture to the top of a double boiler and set over barely simmering water. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture becomes thick, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Roll the dough, if you can, between 2 sheets of waxed paper. Place in a pan and prick the dough with a fork all over the bottom, line with waxed paper, and fill with dried beans or rice to keep the bottom from puffing. Place in the oven and bake 10 minutes, then remove the paper and beans, and cook an additional 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, beat the 4 egg whites until very stiff and fold them into the cooled lemon mixture.

Remove the pie casing from the oven and reduce the temperature to 325 degrees F. Spread the lemon filling over the pie shell and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the filling is thoroughly set.

What are miracles? Should modern man still believe in them?

01.28.04 (1:17 pm)   [edit]
Miracles occur whether we see them or not. Two people can look at the same occurrence in life, and one experienced a miracle while the other a simple accident of nature.

When Joshua led the Jewish nation in a miraculous battle, defying nature itself, the Torah says that the sun stood still in the skies throughout the battle, not setting in its proper time and allowing the Jews to emerge the victors. Some philosophers argued that the battle was won so quickly that it appeared that time had stopped and the sun stood still.

Rabbi Yehudah Loew, the legendary Chief Rabbi of medieval Prague, disputes this claim. He argued that the sun indeed stopped in its course, yet it was perceived only by the Jewish nation. To the other nations, reality was unchanged and the sun moved on. A physical occurrence was experienced, yet simultaneously the perception of that reality was vastly different, depending on the spiritual level of those experiencing it.

To experience miracles, one must open oneself to the experience. Explaining a miracle scientifically does not lesson the miracle. In fact, nature is as great a miracle as a supernatural occurrence, and perhaps even greater. For nature is a miracle that occurs constantly.

I want this outfit!!!

01.28.04 (12:41 pm)   [edit]
How pretty is THIS:



[i]Laura Michelle Kelly as Eliza Doolittle is seen in a West End production of 'My Fair Lady' in this undated file photo. Kelly will star as everyone's favorite umbrella-carrying nanny when a stage version of the P.L. Travers' book and the Disney-Julie Andrews movie opens Dec. 15 at the Prince Edward Theatre in London. Before playing ``Poppins,'' the 22-year-old Kelly will portray Hodel, the second of Tevye's three daughters, in a production of ``Fiddler,'' opening Feb. 26 in New York. London rehearsals begin in July. (AP Photo/Michael le Poer Trench,PA)[/i]


SO pretty!!!!

More on the French Banning of Head Shmatahs

01.28.04 (12:24 pm)   [edit]
[b]French Cabinet Adopts Head Scarf Ban
AP
18 minutes ago

[i]By ELAINE GANLEY, Associated Press Writer[/b][/i]

PARIS - Despite protests at home and abroad, the French government took its first formal step toward banning the Muslim head scarf from public schools, adopting the measure in a Cabinet session Wednesday.

President Jacques Chirac defended the legislation that would outlaw conspicuous religious symbols from public schools, which some believe is discriminatory. He said France must uphold its secular foundations.

"To do nothing would be irresponsible. It would be a fault," Chirac told the closed-door Cabinet meeting, according to government spokesman Jean-Francois Cope.

The bill would ban Jewish skullcaps, large Christian crosses and other religious symbols as well as Islamic head scarves. But Chirac has made clear that it is aimed at the Muslim coverings.

In a nationally televised speech in December, Chirac called for a bill that could be passed quickly and put in force by the new school year in September. Parliamentary debate is set to begin Tuesday.

The bill stipulates that "in schools, junior high schools and high schools, signs and dress that conspicuously show the religious affiliation of students are forbidden." It would not apply to students in private schools or to French schools in other countries.

Sanctions for refusing to remove conspicuous religious signs would range from a warning to temporary suspension from school to expulsion.

Most, but not all, public schools already have guidelines forbidding head coverings. However, schools have been left to decide themselves whether to take action against those who flout the rules.

The draft law has drawn criticism from Muslims around the world, and opponents fear it could trigger a backlash in France's huge Muslim community.

Some lawmakers have already said they would abstain or oppose the bill in the scheduled Feb. 10 lower house vote. Among them are centrist allies of Chirac.

Even Chirac's party, the conservative Union for a Popular Movement, or UMP, appeared to lean toward amending the bill.

Jacques Barrot, UMP leader in the National Assembly, said Wednesday that the text should emphasize that students would be allowed to appeal the decisions.

"It's not firstly a law of interdiction. It's a law of dissuasion," Barrot said.

Despite dissent, the bill is all but assured passage. Chirac's party holds 364 seats in the 577-seat National Assembly, and a bill needs only 288 votes to pass.

Some 10,000 people, mostly Muslims, marched through Paris on Jan. 17 to protest the proposed law. A similar number of protesters marched in countries around the world.

In Pakistan on Wednesday, about 70 women belonging to the radical Islamic party Jamaat-e-Islami protested in front of the French Embassy in Islamabad.

Echoing a complaint heard in France, party leader Samia Raheel Qazi said the law amounted to a "clear-cut violation of basic human rights."

However, Chirac said France has a duty to protect French values, notably the constitutional principle of secularism that underpins French society.

France has the largest Muslim population in Western Europe, estimated at some 5 million, and there is growing concern that Muslims are not integrating. The concern has been magnified by fears of a rise in Muslim fundamentalism.

Not acting would mean "leaving teachers and school principals alone in the face of growing difficulties," spokesman Cope quoted Chirac as saying. The legislation "lays down a clear principle."

Chirac evoked fears of what the French call "communautarisme" — minorities and ethnic groups living apart from mainstream society. France must do something so it does not "leave open the dangerous path," Chirac said.

The legislation culminates 15 years of often bitter debate over the wearing of Islamic head scarves in school.

Arab-Israeli Prisoner Swap Schedule

01.28.04 (12:16 pm)   [edit]
Here is how the swap is expected to unfold, according to Israeli military officials. All times are EST and subject to change. (I recieved this from the [i]Associated Press[/i]):

[b]WEDNESDAY[/b]

_3 p.m.: Non-Palestinian prisoners to be taken to Israel's Ben-Gurion Airport.

_9 p.m.: Planes carrying prisoners scheduled to leave Israel; at the same time, a German plane carrying the Israelis is to leave Lebanon.

[b]THURSDAY[/b]

_2 a.m.: Planes due at Cologne-Bonn military base in Germany. Tannenbaum and Arab prisoners to stay on planes while Israeli teams examine Tannenbaum and identify soldiers' remains.

_6 a.m.: Exchange expected to take place. Simultaneously, Israel to turn over remains of 59 Lebanese fighters at border with Lebanon, and release 400 Palestinians into West Bank and Gaza. Tannenbaum to return on flight with soldiers' remains.

_11 a.m.: Plane arrives in Israel. Israeli families to claim remains of soldiers. Tannenbaum to be reunited with relatives, then taken to hospital.

_1 p.m.: Israeli President Moshe Katsav, joined by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and other senior officials, to attend memorial ceremony for the fallen soldiers.

Kin of Israeli Soldiers Hope Men Alive

01.28.04 (11:38 am)   [edit]
Sad.....






[i]An armed Palestinian from Palestinian President Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement attends a march in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, January 28, 2004. The march took place today to show support for Hizbollah and the prisoners swap deal reached with Israel. REUTERS/Nayef Hashlamoun[/i]


[b]Kin of Israeli Soldiers Hope Men Alive
AP
Wed Jan 28,10:36 AM ET

[i]By RAMIT PLUSHNICK-MASTI, Associated Press Writer[/b][/i]

PETAH TIKVA, Israel - Three and a half years after Beni Avraham was captured by Hezbollah guerrillas, his family wants just one thing: certainty about his fate.

On Thursday, the family expects an answer to its questions with a German-mediated prisoner swap in a secret location near Munich.

Israel will give Hezbollah 436 prisoners — mostly Palestinian and Lebanese — in exchange for Israeli businessman Elhanan Tannenbaum and three soldiers, including Avraham.

Army rabbis have declared the soldiers dead, but all three families are clinging to hope that somehow they will return alive.

"We are under terrible stress and we are waiting. We want catharsis," said Efrat Avraham, Beni's sister, surrounded by family and friends who have been gathering at the family's home in central Israel since the swap was announced on Saturday.

"We want to get to the end. Even if it's a tragic end, at least it's over," she added.

The three soldiers were captured in October 2000 when Hezbollah militants detonated a roadside bomb on their unarmored jeep during a patrol along Israel's Lebanon border.

Despite the rabbinical declaration that Avraham and two other soldiers were killed, the family still has some hope the 24-year-old will get off the airplane in Ben Gurion Airport on his own two feet rather than in a coffin.

The rabbis based their conclusion in 2001 on intelligence information, Efrat Avraham said. They refused to share the information with the families, but admitted that no one had seen the bodies and there was no concrete physical evidence that they had been killed.

In addition, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah refuses to say what happened to the soldiers, further adding to the families' anxiety.

"We are not fooling ourselves, we know where we stand, but because of the uncertainty there remains a sliver of hope," Efrat Avraham said.

She told Israeli army radio Wednesday that unlike the rest of her family, she has no expectation of seeing her brother alive.

"I can only speak for myself, there is no hope," she said. "All (the rest of) the family still believe the boys will come back alive."

In the Avitan family home in Tiberias, Israel, a big chart on the wall ticks off the 1,208 days since Adi was captured.

"It is not easy. There is some excitement that this affair is going to end ... but on the other hand there is a fear because to this day we don't know how he will return," said Eyal Avitan, Adi's brother. "No matter the end, it will be a good end, because at least it will be over."

Omar Souad — a Bedouin Arab from northern Israel — was the third soldier captured in the Hezbollah attack.

Souad was the only one of the three who was married. His 8-year-old son, Kassem, eagerly awaits his father's return. "I heard on television that they are returning Daddy, and I am happy he will return alive," the boy told the Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahronot.

Meanwhile, businessman Tannenbaum was to meet his family — and his new granddaughter — in Germany, Efrat Avraham said. The Tannenbaums left Israel on Tuesday, she said, and told her he would not be included in the ceremony for the soldiers at Ben Gurion Airport.

Tannenbaum is suspected of having shady business dealings that led to his capture in a Persian Gulf country in Oct. 2000, and will be immediately questioned by police.

In the Avraham family's living room, a picture of another Beni Avraham hangs on the wall.

For the family matriarch, grandmother Victoria Avraham, 74, her grandson's capture is like reliving her own son's tragic death. "My heart is exploding, I have no words," she said, sitting on a coach, gripping her hands tightly in her lap.

Fun Places to Visit on the Internet!

01.28.04 (12:52 am)   [edit]
Puzzles for blondes: http://www.digital-laughter.c...

Crank call to a secretary: http://www.simonhardwick.com/... (it takes a moment, but it's SO worth it!)

Sidewalk Chalk art: http://www.dodger.com/wenner/... (Gordious!)

Baby Hedgehogs: http://hedgehogclub.com/color...

Wrong predictions: http://my.athenet.net/~jlindsay/SkepticQuotes.html

DEMOTIVATIONS TO LIVE BY
http://www.demotivate.com/giveup.cfm?asd=197" title="http://www.demotivate.com/giveup.cfm?asd=197" target="_blank"http://www.demotivate.com/giv...

There ya go, fellow internet junkies. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. :)

Thousands Protest Swedish Art Exhibit

01.28.04 (12:25 am)   [edit]
[b]Thousands Protest Swedish Art Exhibit
AP
Tue Jan 27, 5:40 PM ET

[i]By TOMMY GRANDELL, Associated Press Writer[/b][/i]

STOCKHOLM, Sweden - Sweden's prime minister has been bombarded with about 14,000 e-mails from a U.S.-based Jewish human rights group protesting an art exhibit featuring the image of a Palestinian suicide bomber, the government said Tuesday.

The flap threatened to overshadow a three-day international conference in Stockholm on preventing genocide that ends Wednesday.

Israel downgraded its representation at the conference after the Museum of National Antiquities refused to remove a display showing a picture of Islamic Jihad bomber Hanadi Jaradat, who killed herself and 21 bystanders in an Oct. 4 suicide attack in Haifa, Israel.

The Los Angeles-based Simon Wiesenthal Center said the exhibit glorified a "Palestinian homicide bomber" and Sweden should declare suicide bombings a crime against humanity.

In a letter posted on its Web site last week, the center said Sweden has championed the exhibit under the rubric of artistic freedom.

"But what is Sweden prepared to do for the real victims of terror? No nation has yet had the courage to officially come forward to declare suicide bombing 'a crime against humanity,'" the letter said.

Prime Minister Goeran Persson described the protest e-mails as similar to letter campaigns organized by lobby groups.

"We are subject to this kind of mail bombardment every now and then, but I can't say that it's very effective as a way of voicing an opinion," Persson said, describing the letters as "not very threatening."

Foreign Minister Laila Freivalds said the government does not have the right to censure art.

"The government can't influence the museum in its actions, but it's the museum itself that decides what will be shown or not," she said. "We have freedom of expression, and our departments and museums are independent."

Israeli-born artist Dror Feiler, who created "Snow White and the Madness of Truth," said the piece was meant to call attention to how weak, lonely people can be capable of horrible things.

Israeli Ambassador Zvi Mazel tried Jan. 16 to vandalize the display, which is in a rectangular pool filled with red-colored water.

Museum officials rejected Mazel's calls to remove the exhibit but said they would take down 26 posters with Jaradat's face that were placed in Stockholm subway stations to advertise the exhibition.

But Israel lowered its representation at the genocide conference as a result of the flap, sending a diplomat instead of Israeli President Moshe Katzav.

On Tuesday, Persson attended a candlelight ceremony for Holocaust victims in downtown's Raoul Wallenberg Square.

"This is a possibility to reflect on how cruel people can be to each other," Persson said.

"The Holocaust wasn't the end of genocide. I just have to mention Rwanda, I just have to mention Srebrenica. In our time, we are not exempt from attacks against the values of humanity."

Persson also attended a Holocaust memorial service amid tight security at the Stockholm synagogue.

The Virdict of a Lawsuit Against Hamas!

01.28.04 (12:21 am)   [edit]
Hell YEA! They should also have to pay for the many other deaths they are responsible for!!!! It's about time that Hamas and other terror organizations and their sympathizers take responsibility for their crime against humanity! Be it by serving time or paying of the survivors of their victims! This story has put me in a great mood!



[b]Judge Issues $116 M Verdict Against Hamas
AP
Tue Jan 27, 7:42 PM ET[/b]

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - A federal judge Tuesday ordered the Palestinian militant group Hamas to pay $116 million in damages for the deaths of an American citizen and his Israeli wife near the West Bank in 1996.

The ruling upheld a magistrate judge's decision last month on behalf of relatives of Yaron and Efrat Ungar, who lived in Israel when they were killed.

Family members of Yaron Ungar sued in March 2000 under a 1991 law allowing relatives of American victims of overseas terrorism to seek damages in U.S. courts. Efrat Ungar was an Israeli.

It was unclear whether Hamas would honor the verdict or whether the group has the money to pay. Hamas has had no legal representation in the lawsuit.

The Ungars were killed in a drive-by shooting in 1996 near the Israeli village of Beit Shemesh as they returned home from a wedding. One of their two children was in the car but escaped unharmed.

U.S. District Court Judge Ronald Lagueux awarded $30.5 million each to the Ungars' children and $15 million each to Yaron Ungar's parents, both of whom live in Israel. Three siblings were awarded $7.5 million each.

The lawsuit filed under the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1991 also names the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority as defendants. Those groups allegedly provided a safe haven and operational base for Hamas, which is responsible for many of the suicide bombings in Israel.

The PLO and PA say moving forward in the case could violate their claims of sovereign immunity. The Ungars' motion for a ruling against them is pending. Family members are seeking the same amount in damages as were levied against Hamas.

Some Choice Jewish Quotes.

01.28.04 (12:10 am)   [edit]
"There are two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle." - Albert Einstein

"Imagination is more important than knowledge." - Albert Einstein

"Words which come from The Heart enter The Heart." - Moses Ibn Ezra

"Too many pieces of music finish too long after the end." - Igor Stravinsky

"I Create That I Create." - Paul Palnik

"Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler." - Albert Einstein

"Joy is not merely incidental to your spiritual quest. It is vital." - Nachman of Breslov

"I will sing unto The Lord, because He has dealt bountifully with me." - King David 13:6

"I have come to the conclusion that the gift of fantasy has meant more to me than my talent for absorbing positive knowledge." - Albert Einstein

"Man's wisdom is at the tip of his pen his intelligence is in his writing.His pen can raise a man to the rank of a king." - Samuel Hanagid

"I've reached the age of ninety-two and still look for great tomorrows." - Florence Melton

"When someone does something good, applaud! You will make two people happy." - Samuel Goldwyn

"Honor is what enables the soldier to die alone, the political prisoner to resist, the singer to sing her song, hardly appreciated, on a side street." - Mark Helprin

"The greatest good you can do for another is not just share your riches, but to reveal to him his own." - Benjamin Disraeli

"Never try to teach a goat to sing. It wastes your time, and it annoys the goat." - Yiddish Proverb

"Everyone has talent. What is rare is the courage to follow the talent to the dark place where it leads." - Erica Jong

"He is not The God of would be spirits. He is The God of The Human Heart." - Hayim Bialik

"God desires The Heart." - Sanhedrin 106B

"Things created conceal The Creator." - Abraham J. Heschel

"My thoughts form an Eden in My Heart." - Judah Ha Levi

"There is no reality more fertile than the Eternal Creative Present. In this soil what ever is planted, grows. Be mindful of the seeds you sow." - Paul Palnik

"May it be The Will of God that His Presence rests in the work of our hands." - Moses

"The Flame of The Soul rises by itself and none can impede it on its course." - Abraham Isaac Kook

"Every single person is a new thing in the world, and is called upon to fulfill his or her particularity in this world." - Yehiel Michael of Zlotchov

"Now it came to pass that The Heavens opened and I saw visions of God." - Ezekiel 1:1

"Every blade of grass has an angel that bends over it and whispers, 'Grow! Grow!'" - The Talmud

"Develop your awe of heaven and you will diminish your fear of everyone else's opinion." - Menachem Shneerson

"Nothing is as liberating as joy. It frees the mind and fills it with tranquility." - Nachman of Breslov

"God's dream is...to have mankind as a partner in the drama of continuous creation." - Abraham J. Heschel

"There are halls in Heaven that open only to the voice of song." - The Zohar

"The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science." - Albert Einstein

"Art or the creative act begins in love and giving, for there must always be present this empathy, this basic act of giving over." - Clifford Odets

"Playing the violin must be like making love-all or nothing." - Isaac Stern

"Music can name the unnamable and communicate the unknowable." - Leonard Bernstein

"Every person born represents something new, something that never existed before, something original and unique." - Martin Buber

"The principal mark of genius is not perfection but originality, the opening of new frontiers." - Arthur Koestler

"Life is a celebration or can be a celebration. One of the most
important things is to teach man how to celebrate." - Abraham J. Heschel

"Fairness is giving our children what they each individually need, not in treating them all the same way." - Steve Brown

"I work in whatever medium likes me at the moment." - Marc Chagall

"God is of no importance unless He is of supreme importance." - Abraham J. Heschel

"Man is created to create, from the poet to the potter." - Benjamin Disraeli

"The chief thing is Creation." - A.D. Gordon

"The poet and the artist create by nature and not because of what they acquired by learning." - Moses Ibn Ezra

"We are what we create." - James Oppenheim

"To live means to create." - Milton Steinberg

"The artist must penetrate into the world, feel the fate of human beings, of peoples, with real love." - Marc Chagall

"He who has art in his life can never be entirely lost." - Ossip Gabrilowitsch

"The true artist sees the harmony, the wholeness, the tendencies toward perfection, in all things, everywhere." - Richard Guggenheimer

"In matters of art, I am a supernaturalist." - Heinrich Heine

"For an artist, there are no limitations." - Jozef Israels

"The artist is the one to whom all experience is revelation." - Ludwig Lewisohn

"None may enter the academy who is not inwardly as he is outwardly." - The Talmud

"It ain't necessarily so." - Ira Gershwin

"His wisdom and power in creating an ant or a bee is no less than in the making of the sun and it's sphere." - Judah Ha Levi

"I believe with perfect faith that The Creator Blessed Be He is The Author and Guide of everthing created." - Moses Maimonides

"A heartache shared is half a heartache, a joy shared is twice the joy." - Yiddish Proverb

"In the case of good books, the point is not to see how many of them you can get through, but how many can get through to you." - Mortimer Adler

"We should approach all education the way we teach language to children. When a toddler makes a mistake in learning speech, we chuckle and say, isn't that cute. The child's mistakes are greeted with non threatening smiles and in this gentle way the child learns to speak." - Zvi Bekerman

"To be young in Spirit is an active understanding that in the dynamic, creative, present, one shall never be this young again." - Paul Palnik

"Be here now. Be someplace else later. Is that so complicated?" - David Stiebel

"An impatient man cannot be a teacher." - Hillel

"Don't limit a child to your own learning, for he was born in another time." - Yiddish Proverb

"Education is that which remains, when one has forgotten everything he learned in school." - Albert Einstein

"A child of five could understand this. Fetch me a child of five." - Groucho Marx

"Each child brings his own blessing into the world." - The Talmud

"Even when freshly washed and relieved of all obvious confections,
children tend to be sticky." - Fran Leibowitz

"A man is led the way he wishes to follow." - The Talmud

"The more intensely real an experience is, the more it can not be adequately expressed." - Paul Palnik

"If you keep on saying things are going to be bad, you have a good chance of being a prophet." - Isaac B. Singer

"The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth His handiwork;" - King David 19:2

"Creativity exists in the present moment. You can't find it anywhere else." - Natalie Goldberg

"Exalted and hallowed be His great Name throughout the world which He has created according to His will." - Kaddish

"Real Creative Consciousness is a way of being and becoming, knowing and understanding, thinking and loving, while fully focused in the present." - Paul Palnik

"Have a vivid intuitive imagination. New ideas are not generated by deduction but by artistic, creative, imagination." - Max Planck

"Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds." - Albert Einstein

"The life of the creative man is led, directed and controlled by boredom. Avoiding boredom is one of our most important purposes." - Saul Steinberg

"To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven." - King Solomon

"When inspiration does not come to me, I go half way to meet it." - Sigmund Freud

"I don't want to achieve immortality through my creative work—I want to achieve it through not dying." - Woody Allen

"Writing comes more easily if you have something to say." - Sholem Asch

"Arise, shine, for your light has dawned; the Presence of the LORD is risen upon thee." - Isaiah 60:1

"Behold, as the clay in the potters hand, so are ye in My Hand, Oh house of Israel." - Jeremiah 18:6

"As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." - King Solomon 23:7

"Everyone has his own specific vocation or mission in life: everyone must carry out a concrete assignment that demands fulfillment." - Viktor Frankl

"A carpenter without tools is no carpenter." - Midrash, Exodus
"There is a ladder whose foot is on the ground, and whose head extends into the heavens." - Genesis 28 Vs.12

"Creativity is the miraculous coming together of the uninhibited energy of the child with its opposite; the disciplined adult intelligence." - Norman Podhoretz

"I remain just one thing, and one thing only, and that is a clown. It places me on a far higher plane than any politician or king." - Charlie Chaplin

"Everything above and below is one unity." - Baal Shem Tov

"Those who are pure of heart find new thoughts whenever they meditate." - Nachman of Breslov

"It is not necessary that you leave the house to create. Remain at your table and listen. Do not even listen, only wait. Do not even wait, be wholly still and alone. The world will present itself to you for its unmasking, it can do no other, in ecstasy it will writhe at your feet." - Franz Kafka

"Making the private world public, that's what the poet does." - Allen Ginsberg

"It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge." - Albert Einstein

"Every creator painfully experiences the chasm between his inner vision and its ultimate expression." - Isaac B. Singer

"The creative ability of a people, is the true yardstick with which we can measure the immigration potentialities of the land." - David Ben Gurion

"The earnings of a poet should be reckoned by a metaphysician rather than a bookkeeper." - Edward Dahlberg

"True creativity often starts where language ends." - Arthur Koestler

"A powerful idea communicates some of its strength to him who challenges it." - Marcel Proust

Survey time...yea...

01.27.04 (6:51 pm)   [edit]
BODY ILLS AND SKILLS --

Nervous Habits?: I scratch my head a lot. Kinda one of those thinking things. I rub my eyes also. When I'm really nervous I fidget. That or throw up.

Are you double jointed?: Yesh.

Can you do weird things with your tongue?: I can tie a cherry stem in a knot, if that's what you're asking.

Can you raise one eyebrow at a time?: Yes.

Can you cross your eyes?: Yes, but I hate it.

Tattoos?: Heck no!

Piercings?: One in each ear.

Do you make your bed daily?: No, I don't even make it weekly sometimes.

-- WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU --

Kissed?: My boyfriend.

Hugged?: My boyfriend.

Talked to?: Dad.

Went on a date with?: My boyfriend.

Laughed with?: At or with? I just laugh sometimes.

Hung out with?: My cat.

-- WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU --

Took a shower?: Yesterday. Time for another, that reminds me, thanks!

Cried?: I never cry.

Talked on the phone?: When I was driving home from the store.

Read a book?: Yesterday.

Punched Someone?: I can't recall.

-- CLOTHES --

Which shoe goes on first?: Um, socks generally go on first.

Speaking of shoes, have you ever thrown one at anyone?: Yes, but we won't talk about that...

On average, how much money do you carry with you: I am not at liberty to disclose that.

What jewelry do you wear 24/7?: My diamond/ruby heart necklace that my boyfriend gave me, my ring and my watch.

Favorite Piece of Clothing: That would have to be my green jacket. It compliments my eyes.

Pajamas: The ones that say "bad kitty!"

-- FOOD --

Do you twirl your spaghetti or cut it?: Twirl and slirp.

Have you ever eaten Spam?: No, I have an aversion to all pork products, actually.

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: Mississippi Mud: Chocolate icecream with a swirl of fudge and chunks of browny. It's from Baskin Robbins. I get that with extra hot fudge on top and sometimes nuts. YUM!

How many cereals in your cabinet?: 4: Frosted Flakes, Berry Blast Cheerios, Cranbury Corn Flake something er other, and CoCoa Puffs!

What's your favorite beverage?: Mexican Hot Chocolate.

What's your favarite resturant? Does Krispy Kreme count?

Do you cook?: Yes, all the time. It's one of my passions!

-- GROOMING --

How often do you brush your teeth?: Twice a day. What kind of a question is that?

How often do you shower/bathe?: Every day or every other day, dependant on stress levels and how busy I am.

How long does your shower last?: In a hurry: 5-10 mins. When I just feel like relaxing, I've been known to escape in there for an hour at most.

Hair drying method: I usually just let it dry as is.

Do you paint your nails?: On special occasions, but it's usually clear.

-- MANNERS --

Do you swear?: Only when I'm really, really pissed off.

Do you ever spit?: Only when there's phlegm!

-- WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE --

Animal: Tiger/Cats

Food: Oooh, tough one. Any kind of good beef, does that work for ya?

Month: April, cause it's a gonna be ma' birfday!

Day: Erm, ma' birfday?

Cartoon: The adventures of Superman/Samurai Jack

Shoe Brand: Um, shoes...I don't care about brand names. I usually wear converse sneakers.

Subject in school: History, it's my major.

Color: Red.

Sport: Not so much into the sports.

TV show: Scrubs.

Best Looking Male Celebs: Matthew Broderick, Antonio Banderes. I can't think of any more right now. Any of the tall dark and handsomes...

Thing to do in Spring: Sleep.

Thing To Do In The Summer: Beach.

Thing To Do In Autumn: The same things?

Thing To Do In The Winter: Eat.

-- IN AND AROUND --

The CD Player: Dave Matthews Band.

Person you talk to on the phone: My boyfriend.

Ever taken a cab?: Yes, when I was in NY.

Do you regularly check yourself out in store windows and mirrors?: Yes, cause you never know when you'll have a booger up your nose.

What color is your bedroom?: White because I rent.

Do you use an alarm clock?: Yes, but I never hear it.

Window seat or aisle?: Window!

-- LA LA LAND --

What's your sleeping position?: My back or my left side.

Even in hot weather do you use a blanket?: Yes, I like to be covered.

Do you snore?: Nope.

Do you sleepwalk?: Nope.

Do you talk in your sleep?: I make noises sometimes but that's it.

Do you sleep with a stuffed animals?: I sleep with my cat. He's not stuffed but he's pretty fat (hey, that rymed!).

Do you fall asleep with the TV or radio on?: No, I like total dark and silence.

-- WHICH IS BETTER --

Coke or Pepsi?: Erm, Snapple?

One pillow or two?: Uno.

Deaf or blind?: God forbid!

Pools or hot tubs?: I can't swim. How about a bath tub?

Blondes or brunettes?: I prefer Brown or black haired guys. But, for all you men out there you should know, it's ALL about the REDHEADS!

TV or radio?: Computer.

Tic tacs or Certs?: Mentos, the freshmaker.

Tall or Short?: I'm happy with how I am. I like taller guys.

Sunrise or Sunset?: Sunrise marks new beginnings.

Hamburger or Cheeseburger?: Hamburger. No thanks for the milk and meat mixtured.

Morning or night?: I'm a night person.

Sports or news?: News.

Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?: Chanukah.

Cake or ice cream? Both!!!

Spearmint or Peppermint?: It's all the same to me.

Bath or shower?: Shower when I need to be somewhere. Baths are relaxing!

Book or Movie?: Books are better than movies. I'm a movie buff too though.

Green or Red apples?: Green.

-- THE FUTURE --

Where do you see yourself in ten years?: God willing, married.

Who are you going to be married to?: Hopefully my boyfriend.

How many kids?: 4 is my limit.

Your profession: I'll either be a teacher or a lawyer. Not sure yet.

Never Forget

01.27.04 (6:20 pm)   [edit]
This is what happens when we forget atrocities... This is also what happens when we remember them and agree with the agressors!


Jan. 28, 2004
Holocaust memorial vandalized in Budapest
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
BUDAPEST, Hungary

Vandals smeared red paint Tuesday on a mosaic placed on the banks of the Danube River to commemorate Jews killed during World War II, the state-run news agency MTI reported.

The memorial honors Jews shot and thrown into the Danube by pro-Nazi forces. Around 600,000 Hungarian Jews were killed in the Holocaust.

The vandalism coincided with observances of Holocaust Remembrance Day. It marks the day when the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp complex - where more than 1.5 million people perished, 90 percent of them Jews - was liberated by advancing Soviet troops on Jan. 27, 1945.

Israelis Threaten Challenge to Prisoner Exchange

01.27.04 (6:11 pm)   [edit]
Comments?




[b]Israelis Threaten Challenge to Prisoner Exchange
Reuters
Tue Jan 27, 6:53 AM ET

[i]By Jon Immanuel[/b][/i]

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Families of Israeli victims of Palestinian militant attacks threatened a legal challenge on Tuesday to the release of hundreds of Arab prisoners in an exchange with Lebanese guerrilla group Hizbollah.

The Prisons Service has named 436 prisoners, most of them Palestinians, to be freed in return for an Israeli businessman held by Hizbollah and three Israeli troops presumed dead after they were abducted while on border patrol in 2000.

Some Israelis fear the deal could encourage more Hizbollah kidnappings. Representatives of families bereaved by militants say they oppose releasing any of about 7,500 Palestinians jailed by Israel -- many in the past three years of violence.

They acknowledge that a challenge in the High Court of Justice is unlikely to prevent anyone being released, but scoured the roster of those to be freed so as to appeal against freeing specific prisoners.

"We are still going over the names before launching an appeal, it is very painful," said Yaffa Elharar of the Victims of Terror Organization. Her 18-year-old daughter was killed in a 1994 car bombing which she said had been arranged by a recently released prisoner.

Families celebrated in the West Bank and Gaza Strip at news their loved ones would soon be coming home. About 400 of those being released are Palestinians.

"This will give us a chance to live in peace," said Azmi Dweik in Hebron, preparing for the return of his 28-year-old son Ossam who was jailed for two years as a member of Islamic Jihad. "It is a good step for Israelis and Palestinians."

Palestinians say prisoner amnesties are key to salvaging a U.S.-led peace "road map" battered by bloodshed. U.S. diplomat John Wolf is in the region to try to salvage the plan. He was to be joined by fellow U.S. envoy David Satterfield Tuesday.

Senior Egyptian officials held talks with Palestinian President Yasser Arafat as part of the new flurry of diplomacy.

Israeli officials had sought to assuage public outcry by pledging no Palestinians "with blood on their hands" -- involved in injurious attacks -- would go free.

But number three on the list, Ali Yussuf