Category: Me'am Loez

Fascinating Links to Enrich the Understanding of Parshat Noach

23/10/2022

The stories told within Parshat Noach remain popular worldwide throughout generations.

Echoes of this fundamental transformation of the world reverberate through the ancient mythologies of every culture.

Delving into Parshat Noach via the authentic Torah commentaries reveals layer after layer of fascinating lessons & anthropological revelations.

Here are past links to enrich one's understanding of Parshat Noach:

From the 1730 Ladino masterpiece on the Torah Me'am Lo'ez:

From the 1602 Torah commentary Kli Yakar:

From the 19-Century Torah commentary of the Malbim:

the-malbim-on-parshat-noach.html

General:

About the phoenix on Noah's Ark & Its Real Story:

What Yeshayahu Foretells for Our Generation

14/8/2022

The Me'am Loez (The Book of Yeshayahu, pages 17-22) on Yeshayahu/Isaiah Chapter 2 contains illuminating messages regarding Yehudah (Jews) and Yerushalayim:

Note:
Most of the following Hebrew text & English translations come from here:
https://mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt1002.htm

Yeshayahu 2:2

And it shall come to pass in the end of days, that the mountain of the LORD'S house shall be established as the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.

וְהָיָה בְּאַחֲרִית הַיָּמִים, נָכוֹן יִהְיֶה הַר בֵּית-ה' בְּרֹאשׁ הֶהָרִים, וְנִשָּׂא, מִגְּבָעוֹת; וְנָהֲרוּ אֵלָיו, כָּל-הַגּוֹיִם

ME'AM LOEZ:

"And it will come to pass" — a phrase denoting a new world order — after the refinement process of the previous chapter, that there will be a most profound change in the nature of man.

Mankind will abandon all modern and subtle forms of idolatry and make the leap of faith up to God.

Not only the Jewish people will return to God wholeheartedly, but also with all the gentile nations.

They will forsake the mountains, symbolic and real upon which they worshipped their gods, and together with their children and wives — "all of the nations" — they will come "flocking" to Him, running up the "Mountain of the House of God," the Temple Mount.

How great will be the common rejoicing of man on that day!

This will all come to pass in the days of the Mashiach.

Right now, we're seeing a warped version of this.

Nations go up to the Temple Mount today, not to return to Hashem wholeheartedly, but to express the dominance of their false beliefs, whether its an anti-Torah religion or atheist visitors treating the holy place like just another tourist attraction.

Furthermore, the non-Jewish presence infiltrating Eretz Yisrael today represents the opposite of that predicted by the Navi.

These non-Jews have not abandoned their idolatry of any kind and make no leap of faith to Hashem Elokai Yisrael.

On the contrary, they do everything they can to poison Am Yisrael with false & harmful beliefs, whether in the form of religious missionaries or secular gentile immigrants who wish to make the Holy Land a secular non-Jewish country in which THEY can feel perfectly comfortable according to their own anti-Torah standards.

The authentic Mashiach-led "new world order" still lies in our future.

The "new world order" plotted among world leaders today is led by the worst of humanity.

Please note the Me'am Loez specifies how the innate positive change in human nature, the proactive acknowledgement of Hashem's Mastery, and the new world order will occur AFTER Mashiach comes: "in the days of Mashiach."

We may be at the End of Days, but have not yet arrived at the "days of Mashiach."

Mashiach has not yet been revealed.

Yeshayhu 2:3

And many peoples shall go and say: 'Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths.' For out of Zion shall go forth [Torah], and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

וְהָלְכוּ עַמִּים רַבִּים, וְאָמְרוּ לְכוּ וְנַעֲלֶה אֶל-הַר-יְהוָה אֶל-בֵּית אֱלֹהֵי יַעֲקֹב, וְיֹרֵנוּ מִדְּרָכָיו, וְנֵלְכָה בְּאֹרְחֹתָיו: כִּי מִצִּיּוֹן תֵּצֵא תוֹרָה, וּדְבַר-יְהוָה מִירוּשָׁלִָם

ME'AM LOEZ:

This change will take place first among those nations nearest to the Land of Israel, who will then go and draw their fellow gentile neighbors "to go up to the Mountain of God."

They will come in droves to learn "His ways" of faith and follow "His paths" of proper behavior.

They will come to see that true faith — "[Torah]" — comes only "from Jerusalem" and the true rules of behavior — the word of God — come only "from Zion."

As shown on any world map, the "nations nearest to the Land of Israel" are Muslim-Arab nations.

According to the Me'am Loez, they will be the first to experience this new change, and draw their neighbors after them.

Interestingly, a glance at the world map shows the neighbors of our neighbors (depending on which direction) as the African continent and the Asian continent, with the Soviet states taking up a huge chunk of that Asian "neighborhood."

Europe lies beyond the Soviet states & two seas (the Mediterranean & the Black Sea).

And the Americas, plus the countries of Oceania, lie even farther away.

Maybe I'm wrong, but I always thought people assume the new change will either occur simultaneously OR Edom will play a big part.

But the Me'am Loez presents a very different order of events.

Also, Sefer Ovadia discusses the burning destruction of Edom, and the complete annihilation of Esav, in verse 18.

In verse 8 of Sefer Ovadia, Malbim states that understanding will perish from Mount Esav, people will be stunned, confused, and "eat straw," and die in the War of Gog.

Here, Malbim defines Har/Mount Esav as the head of Edom, which he says is "little Rome."

(I guess meaning not the Roman empire, but Rome itself, which today hosts Vatican City.)

Yes, Har Esav is considered a geographical location near Eretz Yisrael, and the Malbim uses that too, but this is Malbim's interpretation of Mount Esav in this verse — an interpretation which makes a lot of sense, if you think about it.

Anyway, I think what's foretold throughout Neviim is very different than many people's assumptions.

And going back to the original point:

It's important to note that these nations will come NOT to influence us but to LEARN THE TRUTH from us.

Again, this is the opposite of what occurs today.

Unfortunately, many Jews place the idea of Zionism on such a high pedestal that any non-Jew (no matter how much of an idolater or menuval) who claims to support Zionism receives fawning approbation, even from Jews who should know better.

However, the main goal is keeping the TORAH'S values.

With few exceptions, that's not happening...yet.

By extracting from its purely religious context the mitzvah of JEWS settling the Land & warping it into a political ideal (which originally included Communism), Zionism has made room for all sorts of anti-Torah attitudes & behaviors paradoxically considered worthy & respected.

But the whole point of ANYONE coming to Eretz Yisrael to learn more about what Hashem wants from all of us.

Anyone who comes to Eretz Yisrael to do otherwise is NOT fulfilling what is written here.

Yeshayahu 2:4

And He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.

וְשָׁפַט בֵּין הַגּוֹיִם, וְהוֹכִיחַ לְעַמִּים רַבִּים; וְכִתְּתוּ חַרְבוֹתָם לְאִתִּים, וַחֲנִיתוֹתֵיהֶם לְמַזְמֵרוֹת--לֹא-יִשָּׂא גוֹי אֶל-גּוֹי חֶרֶב, וְלֹא-יִלְמְדוּ עוֹד מִלְחָמָה

ME'AM LOEZ:

But even as those gentile nations come up to God, God will rebuke them for their being "many" — for their being divided into warring factions and for their not bringing true peace on earth.

He will then "judge between them" and resolve for all time their border disputes which gave rise to their wars.

All the world's nations will then renounce war and destroy all their weaponry.

And as reparations for their persecuting the Jews, they will put their war technology —their "swords and spears" — to the peaceful use of reclaiming the Land of Israel.

All this God will do through His servant, the Mashiach, who will "judge between the nations" in God's Name at the Temple Mount.

Interestingly, as the nations rush up to the Temple Mount to learn the authentic rules of decent behavior, they will encounter rebuke, along with a re-organizing of their authentic boundaries.

This brings yet more proof why we should not take sides in the Russian-Ukrainian war: Mashiach will inform them of the real boundaries of their countries.

(For more reasons, please start here: does-an-unwinnable-unrecoverable-war-justify-massive-destruction-displacement-trauma-and-loss-why-does-so-much-of-the-media-insist-all-this-chaos-is-such-a-positive-unavoidable-turn-of-events.html )

Mashiach will work it out according to Hashem's intentions.

Furthermore, all their war technology will be utilized in the "peaceful use" of a Jewish return to Eretz Yisrael.

Again, a warped version of this parallels the Iron Dome, a gentile-invented war technology used to protect Jews in Eretz Yisrael, but as a military device, not peaceful use.

And the reason why the great despiser of Israel, Obama, allowed Jews in Israel to buy the Iron Dome is to perfect the Iron Dome for American defense, if necessary.

In other words, the purpose of the Iron Dome in Israel is human experimentation with the Jews as guinea pigs which, in Hashem's Great Chessed, has worked out very well for the Jews in Eretz Yisrael.

Yeshayahu 2:5

O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the LORD

'בֵּית, יַעֲקֹב--לְכוּ וְנֵלְכָה, בְּאוֹר ה

ME'AM LOEZ:

Peace will reign on earth and all peoples of the world will now seek only God.

The nations will then beg the Jewish people to lead the way, seeing themselves as unworthy: "House of Jacob, let us — teach us how to — walk in the Light of God.

But this itself will be a great rebuke for the Jewish people.

Here, the nations who never experienced the Light of God are ready to give up everything just in order to get closer to Him; all the more so should we, the Jewish people, forsake our own internal fighting and come together to serve God:

"House of Jacob, let us walk together in the Light of God."

In contrast to the above verses, this one hints to our behavior prior to Mashiach.

While the nations lack the Light of God received via the Torah now, we DO have access to it!

So we should put aside our internal strife NOW to come together in avodat Hashem.

Please note the emphasis on coming together to SERVE HASHEM.

It's not about feel-good associations with people who refuse to even consider doing teshuvah.

The message of the Navi from Hashem clearly states our joining together in achdut must be toward the common goal of serving Hashem.

Yeshayahu 2:6-8

כִּי נָטַשְׁתָּה, עַמְּךָ בֵּית יַעֲקֹב--כִּי מָלְאוּ מִקֶּדֶם, וְעֹנְנִים כַּפְּלִשְׁתִּים; וּבְיַלְדֵי נָכְרִים, יַשְׂפִּיקוּ
וַתִּמָּלֵא אַרְצוֹ כֶּסֶף וְזָהָב, וְאֵין קֵצֶה לְאֹצְרֹתָיו; וַתִּמָּלֵא אַרְצוֹ סוּסִים, וְאֵין קֵצֶה לְמַרְכְּבֹתָיו
וַתִּמָּלֵא אַרְצוֹ, אֱלִילִים: לְמַעֲשֵׂה יָדָיו יִשְׁתַּחֲווּ, לַאֲשֶׁר עָשׂוּ אֶצְבְּעֹתָיו

(6) For Thou hast forsaken Thy people the house of Jacob; for they are replenished from the east, and with soothsayers like the Philistines, and they please themselves in the brood of aliens.
(7) Their land also is full of silver and gold, neither is there any end of their treasures; their land also is full of horses, neither is there any end of their chariots.
(8) Their land also is full of idols; every one worships the work of his own hands, that which his own fingers have made.

ME'AM LOEZ:

But You, God, did not forsake Your People to gentile persecution without reason — the Jewish people themselves are to blame: "they filled their land with sorcery, gold and silver, steed and idolatry."

And you, Jewish people, yourselves "forsook Your people-ness" by becoming like the gentiles rather than being God's people.

Your forsook the ways handed down to you by the ancestors and took up "brainchild" philosophies of the gentiles.

***

You have degraded your humanness by "stooping to your own handiwork": to your sorcery, gold and steed — to your wisdom, wealth and power.

How low have you fallen to subordinate man to these inanimate and external things!

OUCH.

That's some rebuke.

And I couldn't help thinking "Facebook" as I read it.

Or "Google," another problematic stooge originally invented (at least in part) by assimilated Jews.

Even though these Internet poisons were not invented in Israel, a lot of the technology they use has its root in the Israeli hi-tech industry.

And could the magic of instant communication and all the other wizardry of hi-tech be considered a type of "sorcery" by the Navi speaking millennia ago?

Furthermore, "inanimate and external" are perfect descriptions of smartphones and tablets.

And also of TVs and radios!

Unfortunately, the lure of social media and all sorts of other platforms sucked in and continues to suck in many religious Jews, who imitate what they see promoted on their tablets and smartphones, whether they imitate it outright or try to work out a frum version of it ("You have degraded your humanness by 'stooping to your own handiwork' ").

As for the "brainchild" philosophies (wonder what the original Hebrew for that intriguing term?), so many Jews today (including well-intentioned frum Jews) promote psychological and political theories, regardless of how superficial or at odds with Torah values.

And how many twist themselves into pretzels to cram Torah thought into the image of whatever current scientific theories come into in vogue?

It's a tragic truth that today, many Jews do indeed forsake their own special "people-ness" in a misguided effort to imitate the non-Jewish world.

(Reading transcripts of & listening to Rav Avigdor Miller's lectures, plus reading his books, can remedy this.)

This next part gets even more interesting, in light of all the talk of prepping and the elites' underground luxury shelters...

Yeshayahu 2:9-10

וַיִּשַּׁח אָדָם, וַיִּשְׁפַּל-אִישׁ; וְאַל-תִּשָּׂא, לָהֶם
בּוֹא בַצּוּר, וְהִטָּמֵן בֶּעָפָר, מִפְּנֵי פַּחַד יְהוָה, וּמֵהֲדַר גְּאֹנוֹ

(9) Man will be bent and man will be humbled; but do not forgive them.
(10) Enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, from before the terror of the LORD, and from the glory of His majesty.

ME'AM LOEZ:

The time will come when "mankind will be bent" and forced to face the futility of their external gods.

At that time, they will run to "hide in the rocks and underground" as a self-humiliation before God for bowing down to those things.

But because this will be done from lack of choice and not out of true remorse, God does "not forgive them."

I still can't help thinking of smartphones and tablets and any Internet connection (especially the fake competitions & boasts popular in social media) as "the futility of their external gods" and "those things."

And here stands a reference to hiding underground.

This idea continues in the next verses, especially with regard to elitists who consider themselves "superior creatures"...

Yeshayahu 2:11-17

עֵינֵי גַּבְהוּת אָדָם, שָׁפֵל, וְשַׁח, רוּם אֲנָשִׁים; וְנִשְׂגַּב יְהוָה לְבַדּוֹ, בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא
כִּי יוֹם לַיהוָה צְבָאוֹת, עַל כָּל-גֵּאֶה--וָרָם; וְעַל, כָּל-נִשָּׂא וְשָׁפֵל
וְעַל כָּל-אַרְזֵי הַלְּבָנוֹן, הָרָמִים וְהַנִּשָּׂאִים; וְעַל, כָּל-אַלּוֹנֵי הַבָּשָׁן
וְעַל, כָּל-הֶהָרִים הָרָמִים; וְעַל, כָּל-הַגְּבָעוֹת הַנִּשָּׂאוֹת
וְעַל, כָּל-מִגְדָּל גָּבֹהַּ; וְעַל, כָּל-חוֹמָה בְצוּרָה
וְעַל, כָּל-אֳנִיּוֹת תַּרְשִׁישׁ; וְעַל, כָּל-שְׂכִיּוֹת הַחֶמְדָּה
וְשַׁח גַּבְהוּת הָאָדָם, וְשָׁפֵל רוּם אֲנָשִׁים; וְנִשְׂגַּב יְהוָה לְבַדּוֹ, בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא

(11) The lofty looks of man shall be brought low, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day.
(12) For the LORD of hosts hath a day upon all that is proud and lofty, and upon all that is lifted up, and it shall be brought low;
(13) And upon all the cedars of Lebanon that are high and lifted up, and upon all the oaks of Bashan;
(14) And upon all the high mountains, and upon all the hills that are lifted up;
(15) And upon every lofty tower, and upon every fortified wall;
(16) And upon all the ships of Tarshish, and upon all delightful imagery.
[Me'am Loez translation verse 16: And above all the fleets of Tarshish and above all the marbled halls.]
(17) And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be brought low; and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day.

ME'AM LOEZ:

...God will be exalted above the "haughty" who see themselves as superior creatures, feeling demeaned even relating to others, and above the self-"elevated" who contemptuously put others down.

He will be exalted above those who are "haughty and exalted" both in their hearts and in their actions and above those who are "elevated" in their hearts, but put on a "humble" façade.

This reminds me of the current virtue signaling and social justice warriors promoted today.

Especially regarding "those who are 'elevated' in their hearts, but put on a 'humble' façade" —it's like all those white guys who self-flagellate for being, well, white guys (the deception of "white male privilege").

A lot of the environmental "green" movement or the animal rights movement fit this description of snooty (and fake) virtuousness, putting themselves down as polluters of the environment or as equals to or even beneath animals, or describing themselves and other humans as "glorified apes/mammals" and so on.

And a lot of the world's wealthiest & most powerful people indulge in a "humble façade" of all this virtue-signaling too while feeling oh-so " 'elevated' in their hearts," pretending to be like everyone else, while setting completely different standards for themselves against all the billions of people they feel beneath them.

Here's more from the Me'am Loez on these verses:

ME'AM LOEZ:

And on that day, God will be exalted above all those who exalt themselves with their wisdom like the majestic "cedars and oaks;" above all those who live on "high mountains and hills" to segregate themselves from what they see as inferior humanity; above all those who live in "tall towers or behind fortressed walls" to flaunt their power and prowess, and above all those who haughty themselves with their wealth of "fleets and marbled halls."

"...to segregate themselves from what they see as inferior humanity..."

That, along with all the references to living in places in order to segregate and protect themselves (while flaunting & aggrandizing themselves, their self-congratulatory "prowess") makes me think of underground luxury shelters, luxury panic rooms in mansions, luxury bug-out destinations, and so on.

What the Navi says here is: All that ain't gonna help in the end.

Yeshayahu 2:18-21

וְהָאֱלִילִים, כָּלִיל יַחֲלֹף
וּבָאוּ בִּמְעָרוֹת צֻרִים, וּבִמְחִלּוֹת עָפָר--מִפְּנֵי פַּחַד יְהוָה, וּמֵהֲדַר גְּאוֹנוֹ, בְּקוּמוֹ, לַעֲרֹץ הָאָרֶץ
בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא, יַשְׁלִיךְ הָאָדָם, אֵת אֱלִילֵי כַסְפּוֹ, וְאֵת אֱלִילֵי זְהָבוֹ--אֲשֶׁר עָשׂוּ-לוֹ לְהִשְׁתַּחֲוֺת, לַחְפֹּר פֵּרוֹת וְלָעֲטַלֵּפִים
לָבוֹא בְּנִקְרוֹת הַצֻּרִים, וּבִסְעִפֵי הַסְּלָעִים--מִפְּנֵי פַּחַד יְהוָה, וּמֵהֲדַר גְּאוֹנוֹ, בְּקוּמוֹ, לַעֲרֹץ הָאָרֶץ

(18) And the idols shall utterly pass away.
(19) And men shall go into the caves of the rocks, and into the holes of the earth, from before the terror of the LORD, and from the glory of His majesty, when He ariseth to shake mightily the earth.
(20) In that day a man shall cast away his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made for themselves to worship, to the rats and to the bats;
(21) To go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the crevices of the crags, from before the terror of the LORD, and from the glory of His majesty, when he ariseth to shake mightily the earth.

ME'AM LOEZ:

On that day, "all idols will completely disappear," even those in the far-flung places on earth where they will still exist...those who worshipped those idols will be so ashamed, they will run to "hide in caves and underground tunnels."

And as they run to hide, they will cast aside their idols in the most disgraceful way by "throwing them into the holes of rats and bats."

Of course, I'm imagining everyone tossing their smartphones and tablets into ratholes & bat nests out of shame. ("Heavens, I can't believe I was actually watching CNN! I'm so embarrassed!")

That's an amusing thought.

And again, the Navi speaks of people running to hide in caves and underground tunnels, places we know are being carved out and built up today.

Rashi interprets la'arotz ha'aretz/to break the earth as "to break the WICKED of the earth."

Again, this possibly indicates a type of earthquake or meteor-strike that breaks the underground shelters of the wicked, most of whom are the wealthy & powerful elite.

Despite claims of the shelters being deep & fortified enough to withstand an earthquake or meteor-strike, it's clear no manmade structure can survive a direct hit or a fault-line running straight through the shelter.

Or a volcano opening up in the structure's immediate vicinity.

Our best technology cannot fortify any structure enough to withstand a direct attack from a particularly forceful act of nature.

And Hashem knows each person's address.

Either way, the verse indicates a literal breaking of both the earth and the wicked.

Meaning, it doesn't seem to indicate hurricanes, tornados, EMPS, or nuclear missiles.

Interestingly, while the above verses describe people running to these underground shelters out of fear (the reason the elites & anyone who can manage it construct these shelters), the Me'am Loez emphasizes they run to hide out of shame, not fear.

I guess we'll see.

Yeshayahu 2:22

Cease ye from man, in whose nostrils is a breath; for how little is he to be accounted!

חִדְלוּ לָכֶם מִן-הָאָדָם, אֲשֶׁר נְשָׁמָה בְּאַפּוֹ: כִּי-בַמֶּה נֶחְשָׁב, הוּא

ME'AM LOEZ:

So, "abandon" your idols which are only manmade because "man," their maker, has no significance.

And when you abandon your manmade idols, abandon also your man-made-into-idol because his whole existence is so precarious: "his soul lies in his breath," he must breathe every minute to live.

"What, then, is his significance?"

Again, this interpretation just screams to me "Internet" and all the Internet devices.

Yes, these manmade devices...and ALSO the man-made-into-idol, which is so much a part of social media.

Via social media & websites, politicians, pundits, and all kinds of celebrities receive the status of man-made-into-idol.

Even before the Internet, TV & radio created the phenomenon of the "pop idol" and the culture of fan clubs for the mostly immoral music stars and movie stars.

Yet at the end of the day, who are these people?

Nobodies.

They need to breathe the same way as anyone else in order to remain alive.

They're not innately superior to all their adorers.

It's all fake. It's all invented.

Finally, I cannot resist adding the interpretation of Chapter 3, verse 12 because it is so applicable today...

Yeshayahu 3:12

As for My people — their oppressors are pranksters and women rule over them. O My people! Your leaders are leading you astray and the way of your path they have destroyed.

עַמִּי נֹגְשָׂיו מְעוֹלֵל, וְנָשִׁים מָשְׁלוּ בוֹ; עַמִּי מְאַשְּׁרֶיךָ
מַתְעִים, וְדֶרֶךְ אֹרְחֹתֶיךָ בִּלֵּעוּ
https://mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt1003.htm

ME'AM LOEZ (The Book of Yeshayahu, page 29):

...namely, the people's false leaders: the government will become an "oppressive" police state and will be run by a band of "pranksters;" [znus] will become so widespread that "women will rule over them;" on top of this all, "your leaders" — your false prophets and wise men — who are supposed to guide you, instead just "destroy the way of your path" — not only did they destroy your following God's way consistently, but also your following it as an occasional path.

False leaders?

Like...unqualified or unjustly elected?

Check!

The government as an oppressive police state?

Check!

The government run by a band of pranksters/mockers?

(This so reminds me of the world leaders who prefer golfing, amusement parks, and hanging out at pubs to actually running the country.)

Check!

Widespread znus that rules over men (live & in the flesh and/or Internet addiction)?

Check!

Female leaders (who, despite all the predictions to the contrary, proved themselves no better than male leaders)?

Check!

False prophets and "wise" men meant to guide society, but instead shove everyone onto a self-destructive path (look at all the professors & other academic intellectuals in favor of euthanasia, abortion, pritzus, atheism, freedom for criminals, unchecked immigration (allowing entry to terrorists & violent psychopaths, rather than innocent hard-working people only), same-gender unions, gender-switching, and other social evils)?

Check!

It's also worth looking at what Rashi says:
"Adulterous women govern them" and "weaklings governed them."
(www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/15934/jewish/Chapter-3.htm/showrashi/true#v12)

The former reminds me of persistent rumors regarding America's first female Vice-President and the latter reminds me of the President. Even his vocalized threat toward America's enemies came out in such a soft, feminine voice with no grit.

If I was ISIS, I would just laugh with glee & contempt in response.

A lot of leaders today come off as weak. In fact, so many Republicans label their own politicians as RINOs — Republicans In Name Only.

And the leaders of Medinat Yisrael, including many army higher-ups, reveal themselves as weak mockers and pranksters.

Rumors of Muslim terrorists running Israeli prisons also reveal despicable weakness (and the use of znus) in the prison leadership.

However, Rashi also quotes Targum Yonatan, who interprets nashim moshlu as noshim moshlu — "creditors rule over them," which also makes sense, given the role of the Federal Reserve Bank and taxation, plus the Ponzi scheme of social security payments.

In other words, it's all there.

Today's world can be found in the prophecies of Yeshayahu.

And the comforting words for our beautiful future also lie in those same prophecies.

A photo of Harei Yehudah in Eretz Yisrael

A Timely Message by the Me'am Lo'ez from Sefer Yeshayahu

14/3/2022

Here is a timely passage from Yeshayahu/Isaiah 44:5, as explained by the Me'am Lo'ez.

(Rav Yitzchak ben Yehudah Abba initially published his Ladino commentary on Sefer Yeshayahu in Salonica, 1892. It was later translated & adapted into Hebrew by Rav Shmuel Yerushalmi, and then into English by Yehoshua Starrett, pages 277-278).

זֶה יֹאמַר לַיהוָה אָנִי, וְזֶה יִקְרָא בְשֵׁם-יַעֲקֹב; וְזֶה, יִכְתֹּב יָדוֹ לַיהוָה, וּבְשֵׁם יִשְׂרָאֵל, יְכַנֶּה

This one shall say, "I am Hashem's," and that one shall call himself in the name of Yaakov, and this one will write with his hand "For Hashem," and will adopt the name Yisrael.

Rashi, following Avot d'Rebbi Natan, sees each part of the verse as representing different categories of Jews:

The ones who say, "I am Hashem's" — the tzaddikim
The ones who call themselves by the name of Yaakov — the small ones, the children of the intentional sinners (reshaim).
The ones who write by their own hand "For Hashem" — the baalei teshuvah.
The ones who adopt the name Yisrael — the sincere converts.

And that is what it means.

But according to the Me'am Lo'ez, the verse contains yet another interpretation:

And God's blessings will be specifically for His chosen people, even though other nations may claim the same.

Even if they say, "I am for God," and call themselves in Jacob's name, even if they commit themselves to God in writing and call themselves the new "Israel," God's chosen will remain Jacob's physical seed.

And don't we see this everywhere today?

How many individuals and groups go around claiming they represent God's Will, they are for God and belong to God, and steal names for themselves from Yaakov and his sons (like Ephraimites, etc.)?

How many insincere and/or unaware "converts" (from the Reform, Conservative, and irresponsible Orthodox clergy) go around proclaiming themselves as Jews—many truly believing they are?

How many from the Russian provinces acquired fake certificates & ketubahs to lie about being Jewish to come to Israel and enjoy the benefits?

And what about the 2 big religions who claim to be from God, pretenders to the Chosen Nation?

It doesn't matter what people claim, whether in words or in writing.

The real Bnei Yisrael remain as Hashem's forever.

Furthermore, the Me'am Lo'ez explains that sincere converts, though not from the physical seed of Yaakov, will still be considered as if they are:

But there will be those among them who will earnestly convert and proclaim their bodies and souls to God.

These ones can also be called "Jacob-Israel" and will be added to the ranks of the Israel-born.

Hashem knows who "earnestly" converted.

He knows who TRULY proclaimed their bodies and souls to Hashem...

...and He knows who did not.

A lot of people are being fooled. But Hashem can never be duped.

Not only are the sincere ones called "Yaakov-Yisrael" (even though they did not actually descend from Yaakov), but the sincere conversion of their soul enables them to be considered equal to the born Yisrael.

And finally, to all the true Jews out there:

They will all be gathered together at the End of Days, one by one, each one for his own merit.

Hashem knows the heart of each person, the struggles and motivations.

With everything going on, it's reassuring to read of Hashem's individual one-on-one supervision for each person.

No Jew left behind.

More Inspiration against Despair from the Me'am Lo'ez on Mishlei/Proverbs 2:4

15/12/2021

This post comes as a continuation of a previous post:
www.myrtlerising.com/blog/inspiration-against-despair-from-the-meam-loez-on-mishleiproverbs-24-6

Hashem WANTS us to succeed.

The effort is PART of the success.

The effort & success exist as integral parts of each other...which is why it is so important to NOT GIVE UP.

As long as you try, as long as you "dig," then you are succeeding.

You are doing exactly what Hashem wants you to do.

You ARE fulfilling your purpose—just via your effort.

A treasure of beautiful hidden sparks lies within even the ugliest aspect of life.

Here's the English Me'am Lo'ez (page 55) on Mishlei/Proverbs 2:4:

If you will seek her like silver and search for her as hidden treasures;

אִם-תְּבַקְשֶׁנָּה כַכָּסֶף; וְכַמַּטְמוֹנִים תַּחְפְּשֶׂנָּה

A man should know and believe that there is a treasure of hidden sparks of holiness within all material things, even when they appear ugly on the outside.

He must believe that by sufficient effort, he will certainly find the hidden great good.

God has concealed precious stones and pearls in this world, and a man who sufficiently refines all his deeds will find the pearls.

Compare it to a king who dropped a gem into the sand, and commanded his son to search for it.

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Inspiration against Despair from the Me'am Lo'ez on Mishlei/Proverbs 2:4-6

14/12/2021

The commentary of the Me'am Lo'ez for Mishlei/Proverbs never appeared in Ladino, but resulted from Rav Shmuel Yerushalmi's work.

Rav Shmuel Yerushalmi translated the original Me'am Lo'ez commentaries from Ladino to Hebrew, incorporating more Torah commentary as he did so.

(In other words, they aren't literal translations; they are adaptations, which include translation & other well-sourced additions.)

The Me'am Lo'ez evolved into a collaborative work spanning the centuries since Rav Yaakov Culi's initial publication of the Me'am Lo'ez in Ladino in Turkey in 1730.

Other great sages continued Rav Culi's work after Rav Culi passed on in 1732, two-thirds of the way through completing Sefer Shemot/Exodus.

But not all books of Tanach merited a Ladino translation & commentary.

As Rav Yerushalmi went through each book of Tanach, he added his own wealth of knowledge to the collaborative series. This including preparing his own extensively footnoted anthology of Torah sources for any book not already appearing in the original Ladino of the Me'am Lo'ez series.

Such is the case with the Book of Mishlei, which never appeared in Ladino, but only Hebrew around 1985, courtesy of the efforts & knowledge of Rav Shmuel Yerushalmi.

Fortunately, Zvi Faier translated the Hebrew masterpiece into English in 1993.

And that's what I'd like to quote from now (Yalkut Me'am Lo'ez, The Torah Anthology, The Book of Mishlei I by Zvi Faier, page 53-54), regarding Mishlei 2:4:

If thou seek her as silver, and search for her as for hid treasures

אִם-תְּבַקְשֶׁנָּה כַכָּסֶף; וְכַמַּטְמוֹנִים תַּחְפְּשֶׂנָּה

At times, a man performs mitzvoth and does good deeds, studies and prays, yet despite all that, he does not feel that he has achieved any kind of higher plane of living.

As a result, he may begin to despair.

Since it appears to him that he has not been successful until now, he may conclude that there is no hope, that he will never succeed.

This state of mind may lead to sin and breakdown.

Therefore, the scripture says, "If you seek her like silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures."

Follow the example of those who mine for silver.

Even if after a long search they find nothing, they are not discouraged, but continue to dig.

The same obtains when serving God.

Continue to dig, do not give up, persevere until you attain a high plane.

So many people reach this point—oftentimes repeatedly.

They conclude there is no hope to succeed in that area.

If they keep on that process of despair, they eventually break down. They sin.

Rav Yerushalmi did not make stuff up. He culled ancient sources commenting on Mishlei.

This all-too-human tendency has existed for millennia, and the above describes exactly how it manifests in avodat Hashem.

In fact, this way of thinking is so prevalent & so lethal, Shlomo HaMelech himself sought to address the issue toward the beginning of his immemorial masterpiece.

After addressing the issue in the 4th verse of the 2nd chapter, he reassures us in the following verse (2:5) that in the end, we'll definitely get there:

Then you will understand the fear of the Lord, and you will find the knowledge of God.

אָ֗ז תָּ֖בִין יִרְאַ֣ת יְהוָ֑ה וְדַ֖עַת אֱלֹהִ֣ים תִּמְצָֽא

Why?

Because wisdom comes from Hashem.

It's a gift He grants those who work for it.

As noted with Rashi in Mishlei 2:6:

For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth [come] knowledge and discernment.

כִּֽי־יְ֖הוָה יִתֵּ֣ן חָכְמָ֑ה מִ֜פִּ֗יו דַּ֣עַת וּתְבוּנָֽה

For the Lord gives wisdom:

Here you have learned that it [wisdom] is great, for it was given from the mouth of the Holy One, blessed be He.

Therefore, you must acquire it.

(Rashi)

The timely Torah advice contained in the Me'am Lo'ez also applies to those who've already broken down and sinned.

You can still pick yourself up & renew your efforts!

Again:

Continue to dig, do not give up, persevere until you attain a high plane.

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Communications from "Stars" or "Angels" in Today's UFO Cults? Nothing New – The Generation of the Flood Did That Too

12/10/2021

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This posts connects to this previous post:
the-1-idea-you-need-to-know-when-hearing-anything-about-space-aliens-ufos.html

In the English version of the Me'am Loez on Parshat Noach (Beresheis 5:11), page 309, the following appears regarding the generation punished by dying in the Flood:

As time passed, other charlatans began to appear; they claimed that an angel or star had spoken to them and had told them to worship it.

Each one invented a different kind of worship.

This struck me because over the past decades, different UFO cults developed — all based on communications with either angels or far-off stars.

Based on this Me'am Lo'ez (published in 1730 in Constantinople), we see these movements are nothing new.

The leaders of these movements either knowingly fool people or they truly believe they communicate with stars (or entities inhabiting those stars) or angels. But either way, they are charlatans...just like their counterparts in the Generation of the Flood.

(And if they truly receive communications, the communications are definitely not from stars or angels. It's either their own malfunctioning mind or they've attracted the attention of impure entities much closer to home.)

Either way, this stands as yet another indication the Generation of the Flood has reincarnated into our generation:
the-generation-of-the-flood-has-reincarnated-into-our-generation-heres-the-evidence-also-what-you-can-do-to-protect-yourself-others.html

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The Generation of the Flood has Reincarnated into Our Generation: Here's the Evidence & Also What You can Do to Protect Yourself & Others

27/10/2020

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Since I was a little girl, I enjoyed the stories dealing with Noach's time.

And they're even more fascinating now when seen through the lens of our Sages.

So even when it's not Parshat Noach (which really begins at the end of Parshat Beresheit), I'm still eager to learn about & discuss it.

(All of the following has been extracted from the Me'am Lo'ez.)

Abortion is the Destructive Solution, Not the Compassionate Solution

The Me'am Lo'ez on Beresheit 23:6:5-6 discusses the people of that time—people we generally define as giants.

Several types existed, however this post focuses on one type: the Nefilim.

Chazal offers several reasons for their name. The root of Nefilim is nafal—falling. They were so tall, they looked like they were falling.

In the preceding verse (verse 4), the Torah writes Nefilim as if it reads nafalim—aborted infants.

The Me'am Lo'ez notes that with all the wanton behavior occurring in that generation, illegitimate pregnancies became common.

To save themselves from the shame of an out-of-wedlock pregnancy, these pregnant single women were given drugs to induce abortion.

(Modern society credits itself with the invention of a pill to induce abortion, but Torah commentaries show people already invented it thousands of years ago.)

So in addition to reading the verse as "the Nefilim were in the land," the Me'am Lo'ez reads it as "the aborted infants were in the earth": "The earth was literally filled with them."

This reminds me of the dumpsters behind abortion clinics, filled with the remains of aborted babies.

Pro-life activists sometimes sneak into these dumpsters to photograph the gruesome remains of abortions carried out on an unborn baby developed enough to adopt human form.

The activists are accused of using gruesome shock tactics, but they're merely photographing the reality of abortion.

(BTW, I'm against using the photos out in public, like on the sidewalk, for the same reason I'm against any gruesome or indecent image randomly assaulting the eyes of the public. But using these photos during an official presentation is correct.)

Another reason for abortion was because the regular women fell in love with the giants of that time, but could not physically bear such large children.

So they aborted them.

Pre-Flood Flaunting—Just Like Now

In the time of preceding the Flood, all sorts of immorality took place (sort of like now).

One bizarre aspect of that generation was that when they first heard about the punishment in store for their world, they responded by intensifying their corrupt behavior.

Again, this reminds me of the "Eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die!" attitude prevalent today.

Also, in the "End of the World" genre, characters sometimes respond by committing depraved acts because "now's our chance!"

So upon hearing about the upcoming punishment, people engaged in every kind of depravity, including men with men or with animals. They even performed wedding ceremonies to legitimize these depraved relationships.

Women made themselves up and displayed themselves in the streets, seeking out wanton liaisons.

Men fathered many children without marriage, producing offspring all over the world.

Again and again, the Me'am Lo'ez emphasizes the lack of shame in that society. People did all the above without shame.

On the contrary, they reveled in their debauchery.

We see all this in our time.

For example...

With all the formality of the British royal family, I was surprised to read about the future king of England publicly shacking up with his significant other—the future queen of England—prior to their engagement.

Also, because she has since proven herself to be a paradigm of propriety, fitting so well into her royal role as Duchess-Princess, it's still weird to me that they were so lackadaisical prior to marriage—and especially prior to their engagement.

Yes, I know the royal families have always been immoral & hypocritical, but flaunting impropriety rather than keeping it private shows a huge crack in social norms.

After all, "all the best people are doing it." So why shouldn't everyone?

What's more, you have all these European princesses willfully producing children outside the framework of marriage—their only concern whether these children inherit a title or not.

And with all the out-of-wedlock children & loose behavior pre-Flood, why did shame motivate women to abort?

After all, it's clear that generation commonly produced children outside of marriage.

Perhaps it's like today: An unwanted pregnancy is considered an easily preventable mistake in the mid-to-upper classes.

That stratum of society considers accidentally impregnated females stupid, not only because they got pregnant in the first place, but because they carry the baby to term when a practical "solution" (abortion) is so easily available to them.

So you rarely see a mid-to-upper class woman carrying an unwanted baby to term in the USA.

They either use contraception or abortion.

Attention Climate Change Activists!: Natural Disasters aren't So Natural

Hashem gave people many warnings a several hundred years to repent.

He flooded two-thirds of the world twice in Enosh's time.

He brought great earthquakes in the mountains, which placed the world in darkness—could this mean ash from eruptions?

He produced constant thunder and lightening.

When Metushelach died, the Sun rose in the West and set in the East (rather than its usual East-West path). But people insisted it was just a natural phenomenon.

He sent Noach to warn people.

But nothing helped.

Again, we see all this now.

Hurricanes, tornadoes, droughts, fires, disease, and flooding always bring calls to carry out useless gestures to reverse "global warming" and/or calls to impeach President Trump.

But these natural disasters never bring calls for repentance (unless you happen to be in a religious community).

The Danger of Too Much Luxury & Freedom

Despite the incidents of natural disasters, Hashem made life very easy and pleasant for people.

They felt rich, untouchable, and strong.

They scoffed at the need for Hashem, even to bring rain. Because they lived surrounded by an abundance of water wells, they felt like, "What do we need God for?" (That attitude is SO characteristic of today!)

They were strong—and also very healthy. They suffered no disease.

Wheat kernels grew as big as melons, then Hashem sent a wind to blow them off onto the ground so people needn't thresh the wheat nor go digging around for tiny kernels.

But instead of feeling grateful to Hashem for all that free time & ease, and instead of utilizing that ease & freedom to build a relationship with Hashem, people used these gifts to sink into decadence & depravity.

Seven days before the Flood, Hashem changed the Sun's path to rise in the West and set in the East.

During that 7-day period, Hashem allowed that generation to experience such great pleasure, it approached the delights of the World to Come!

(He did that so the destruction of the Flood would cause them even more distress, coming after such pleasure.)

This is also similar to today.

Even though before covid-19, many people felt stressed out, but a lot of that stress related to acquisition.

The truth is that even poor people in America live better than rich people did 2 centuries ago.

Cars, electricity, indoor plumbing, supermarket aisles full of everything to meet your needs in all different flavors—even $1 stores provide so much.

And the Internet brought great pleasure straight to one's fingertips.

Free movies, free games, free music—whether legal or not, it's all there & oh-so easy to access.

"Hi, This is Cindy from Dor HaMabul Reporting to You Live..."

Rav Itamar Schwartz mentions several times Chazal's prediction that the Generation of the Flood will reincarnate in our times (i.e. the End of Days).

(Please see page 10 of this PDF.)

I think we're seeing this now.

The similarities between their generation & ours are too great to dismiss.

Interestingly, Chazal also says that the Generation of the Flood has no part in the World to Come.

I guess that means they cease to exist, including on the soul-level.

But they exist right now. They're all around us.

The reason why we need to maintain this awareness is because the same people who set societal norms & values for us today are the same people who horribly corrupted the world several thousand years ago.

And they're doing it again.

These people have NO future. When they die, that's it for them.

Do we really want to get caught up with such people?

Where are they taking us?

Around 4000 years ago, these same souls danced down a path of revelry & abandon that led to unimaginable destruction.

And they're doing it again.

Let's step off their path & travel our own, even if our path doesn't seem as smooth.

Our path leads in the right direction—to Geula.

Their path leads toward destruction.

Here's another link with a little more information on the topic:
communications-from-stars-or-angels-in-todays-ufo-cults-nothing-new-the-generation-of-the-flood-did-that-too.html

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The Me'am Lo'ez on the Descendants of the Sons of Noach

26/10/2020

3 Comments

This post is basically a continuation of The Nations Established by the Sons of Noach: Where are They Now?

It's all based on the Me'am Lo'ez on Parshat Noach.

Cham

The Kaftorim (offspring of Mitzrayim from Cham) are the pygmies.

The Patrusim & Kasluchim (also offspring of Mitzrayim from Cham) indulged in the immorality of exchanging wives. From these adulterous unions came the Plishtim (Philistines).

The Lehavim (also offspring of Mitzrayim from Cham) acquired this name because their faces were like flames (not sure if in shape or some other quality). Lahav is "flame" in Hebrew.

Kush, Mitzrayim, Put, and Canaan were the leaders of the plan to build the infamous Tower of Babel.

Yefet

Tiras (Yefet's youngest son) initiated the custom of wearing gold or silver rings on the fingers.

Shem

Ever (son of Shelach from Shem) was the biggest tzaddik of these offspring & he also possessed tremendous genius. Both these attributes inspired him to establish the incredible yeshivah in which our Patriarchs studied, commonly known as "the yeshivah of Shem and Ever."

Chatzermavet (literally: "courtyard of death) was the grandson of Ever (via Yaktan), who descended from Shem.

A nation of ascetics descended from Chatzermavet. The Me'am Lo'ez states they went around unclothed "like the Dervishes" and "were interested only in death."

Only recently did I have a clue as to what this could possibly mean.

Could this be the ghoulish Aghori cult on the banks of the Ganges River in India?

(For more on them, please see: How Going to the Extremes of "Transcendent" Spirituality Leads to Disturbing Death Rituals & Cannibalism.)

This aligns with Rav Gedalia's theory in Shalshelet HaKabbalah that all the sons of Yaktan ended up in the East. While certainly there are countries even farther East than India, his specific term is that they ended up on the eastern "side," which easily includes India, as well as the Far East.

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The 7 Universal (Noachide) Commandments according to the Me'am Lo'ez

20/10/2020

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Even though the list of what the Me'am Lo'ez calls "The 7 Universal Commandments" appears in Parshat Beresheit of the Me'am Lo'ez (Beresheit 2:16-17), it is still appropriate to discuss them in Parshat Noach because these "7 Universal Commandments" are also known as "The 7 Noachide Laws."

In other words, they're one and the same, just different labels.

(Note: The Me'am Lo'ez is a master translation & commentary on the Torah written in Ladino and first published in 1730.)

The Me'am Lo'ez notes that Hashem commanded Adam Harishon to keep 7 rules:

These would apply to him and, equally, to all his descendants.

In other words, they apply to every single human being anywhere in the world for all generations, starting with Adam.

That means us.

The translator notes these 7 commandments apply primarily to Adam's non-Jewish descendants (because Jews not only observe laws that include these commandments, but Jews committed themselves to much more).

Some of this blog's readers aren't Jewish, so maybe they'll find the following helpful.

But Jews also need to know.

Sometimes, a seeking non-Jew asks a Jew a question about what they should be doing, and the Jew either doesn't know or unknowingly offers the wrong guidance.

It also helps us understand what's going on in our society.

When the majority of society regularly transgresses commandments meant for & self-evident to all descendants of Adam for all generations, then Hashem must respond to them in ways meant to wake them up, and show them that yes, there are consequences for their behavior and their self-delusion.

So here they are: The 7 Universal Commandments:

1. Don't Worship Idols

This is self-explanatory, but idol-worshipping occurs in many Eastern religions and I've heard that the practices of some church-going people also crosses the line into idol-worshipping. (The details vary from group to group, and I'm not familiar with all the details, but that's what I've heard.)

Hashem expects people to know that an image fashioned out of wood, stone, or metal by human hands cannot possibly possess any power.

Furthermore, He expects people to know that planets & stars cannot possess any power.

In the face of such obvious complexity, clearly a Master Orchestrator is at work.

As shown from Avraham Avinu's destruction of his father's shop of idols until today's earthquakes & lightning strikes, idols lack the power to protect even themselves, let alone assist anyone else.

Even if a person believes that the idol is merely a conduit for the spirit to enter the idol & do stuff, it's still very wrong because the spirit possesses the power, not the idol (so it's foolish to worship the idol).

And the spirit is one of impurity meant to deceive & harm human beings, so why get involved with that?

Anyway, everything is under Hashem's Mastery, so it's best (and true) to always turn straight to Him, without any thought of any intermediary.

2. No Forbidden Physical Relationships.

According to the Me'am Lo'ez, this includes these 6 relationships:

(1) Between a son & his mother.
No need for further commentary.

(2) Between a son & his father's wife.
This includes any woman the father was ever with physically, whether he was married to her or not, and whether it was consensual or not.

(3) Between any man & a married woman.
Because the only Jewish definition of marriage is the halachic Jewish ceremony, Judaism allows non-Jews to define marriage according to their society's norm.

Meaning, if a non-Jewish culture performs marriage by the couple jumping over a broomstick, then that's a marriage according to Judaism.

If it's performed by taking vows in front of a judge or clergyman, then that's a marriage.

Basically, Judaism defines a non-Jewish "marriage" as any situation in which a couple lives together as man and wife. (I'm guessing this means they've set up a home together with a monogamous commitment to each other, whether they underwent an actual marriage ceremony or not.)

Likewise, Judaism does not recognize a non-Jewish divorce.

As soon as the non-Jewish couple separates (I guess this means that one of them decides to physically leave permanently), then Judaism no longer considers them married.

The modern situation, in which a couple decides to live together as a married couple for years before either separating or getting legally married, presents a problem within universal law.

The couple do not consider themselves married, yet it's not clear that Judaism concurs.

I don't know how it's viewed by Chazal.

In Western society today, an enormous amount of infidelity occurs, both among officially married couples and couples living together as if they're married.

We see from this prohibition that Hashem views this very severely.

Also, with so many stories & songs glorifying the very infidelity that Hashem so strictly forbids, how do you think Hashem views that?

(4) Between a brother & a sister.

(5) Between 2 males, even if one is a minor.
Unfortunately, it has become fashionable to violate this prohibition.

Also, it's interesting that Judaism emphasizes the inclusion of minors in this prohibition.

It's true that several cultures throughout history consider this okay when done to a young boy, which is sick & people should know that it's sick (which is why it's one of the universal commandments—these are ethics people can figure out without Torah m'Sinai).

For around 300 years, Greek upper-class men were very into this with pre-teen boys.

Even cultures that strictly forbid toeva between adult males look askance when an adult male does it to a boy because it's considered playing around—but it's not. Not at all.

This is why you see Islamic cultures slaughtering in cruel ways men & teenage boys who engage in toeva, yet when it's done to, say, an 8-year-old boy, there usually aren't repercussions.

Anyway, this prohibition (at least between males from their teens and onward) is now celebrated as permissible in modern society.

You are now castigated if you support Hashem's prohibition & oppose society's permissiveness.

That doesn't exactly bring bracha to society.

(6) Between a human & any animal.
This really doesn't need any commentary, however, a frum friend of mine read me the opening chapter of a popular novel that opened with this kind of scene. It lacked the revolting details and was presented in a light-hearted manner, and mentioned that the person involved fought to make this a legal marriage recognized in law & society.

My friend thought it was very funny & innovative, which is why she wanted to read it to me. "I just came across the most unique opening I've ever read in a novel. Wanna hear it?" was how I got roped into hearing it.

But I was like, Can't you see what they're pushing? They're trying to break down more boundaries in society by making this seem "cute" rather than really abhorrent.

In modern American society, you can get away with almost anything as long as you are cute & funny enough.

3. Don't Murder Anyone.

The Me'am Lo'ez notes that this includes abortion.

He says this also applies to a person so ill, he's considered dead & sure to die no matter what. (Euthanasia, anyone?)

This also includes killing by passive means, like by "tying the victim before a lion or leaving him to starve to death."

Needless to say, infanticide of female or weak or deformed children regularly occurred in some cultures by "exposing them to the elements"—100% forbidden by God.

Today, euthanasia is often performed this way.

They remove the feeding tube and allow the unconscious person to starve to death.

This happened to one of my non-Jewish family members in the pricey, reputable old-age home in which he resided.

(Yes, I tried to stop it, but it happened in the States and I live in Eretz Yisrael. And the man's children were so yippy-skippy about it, there was no stopping them.)

To my horror, the staff decided to push the dying man's bed right against that of his wife's so that they could spend his dying week close together. (Yes, it took around a week.)

I received cheerful emails describing how his skin started mottling and stuff during the starvation.

When I wrote back questioning the appropriateness of forcing his wife to experience this, my relative insisted it was fine and that his wife wasn't "with it" enough to notice.

(And yes, I also pointed out that just because someone is unconscious, that doesn't mean they aren't aware and can't feel either emotional or physical pain or suffering. Maybe they can! Some do! However, in our very rationalist Darwinian society, no one cares...especially if it's an old person.)

I found the whole thing ghoulish.

Later, I discovered that the wife was definitely "with it"! Maybe not 100%, but definitely enough so that when people visited her, they told me how she sat up and talked and made comments on their appearance. They engaged in real conversations with her.

In a photo of her, I noticed a shelf of novels next to her bed.

I felt even worse knowing this.

But the entire ghoulish process occurred among lots of good cheer & "compassion" among both the family members & the staff of the old-age home.

I felt very grateful that Hashem had brought me to Torah so that I could know that this was all horribly wrong & immoral, despite how cheerfully & "sensitively" they carried out the whole ghoulish murder.

Also, many places use morphine to murder their patients, yet they don't present it that way to the family members.

(Please read this excellent article on the topic by a very devoted & courageous Jewish woman: Hospice: A Jewish View.)

Also:

In the "Noachide Laws" link at the end, you'll notice that murder includes hiring someone to do it. Using a hitman doesn't absolve a person of this crime.

Here's a bit on killing as defense:

If a non-Jew sees a person pursuing someone to murder or violate them, then it is permissible to kill that person before he commits murder or violates a woman.

But if the pursuer can be stopped by wounding him or cutting of his hand, then one is guilty of murder if he actually kills him.

That's basically the answer to how police are allowed to respond.

Most American police officers do not want to actually kill anyone.

But if they do, whether they needed to or not, the people who respond by looting innocent businesses & shooting random police officers are also committing grave & unforgivable offenses against Hashem's Universal Laws.

The people (like politicians & professors) who support looting & murder are also in big trouble according to these laws. (Please see below the commandment to appoint judges & police officers.)

I don't know if defunding the police literally violates God's Law, halachically speaking, but it certainly isn't going in the right direction.

4. Do Not Steal.

No stealing from anybody, regardless of their religion or yours.

No stealing any amount of money, including something worth less than a penny.

If a non-Jew is employed in an orchard, he may not eat the fruit, even while working, because it belongs to the owner. To do otherwise is stealing.

If one withholds a worker's wages, that is stealing.

According to the above, this means that all those jolly looters & shoplifters are in big trouble.

In general, all sorts of stealing is seen as permissible in society today.

Not good.

5. You Must Appoint Judges & Police Officers

The Me'am Lo'ez states that non-Jews have an obligation to appoint judges & police officers for every place.

The role of the judges & police officers is twofold:

To enforce these 7 Universal Commandments
To punish those who violate them

In a non-Jewish court, the judge may accept the testimony of a witness, even if the witness did not first warn the accused that he was transgressing.

Presumably, at least one reason for that is because the 7 Universal Laws are self-evident.

For example, you may need to warn a Jew first that he is transgressing Shabbat. The Shabbat laws are numerous and it could be that a Jew honestly did not guess that his action was prohibited.

However, regarding the Laws for all people, Hashem expects people to figure out on their own the wrongness of murder or stealing, or eating from a live animal braying or squeaking in pain, and so on.

In a non-Jewish court, the testimony of relatives is accepted, even when judging a capital case.

6. Don't Curse God.

According to the Me'am Lo'ez, a non-Jew who curses Hashem incurs the death penalty.

It's really bad & forbidden for Jews too, but because you can't make a death penalty for so many prohibitions (like the hundreds for Jews), Jews have some leeway, even though some prohibitions (like murder) still call for the death penalty.

He doesn't explain more about how that's defined.

I could think of many examples in society that I consider cursing God, but not sure if they literally are.

Nonetheless, to be on the safe side, a person should make a point of thanking & praising God.

7. Don't Eat Flesh from a Living Animal.

This means even the tiniest piece of meat—as long as the animal shows any signs of life.

Even if the animal underwent proper shechitah, with the windpipe & the gullet severed, as long as the animal shows any sign of motion, one may not cut off a piece of meat and eat it.

This doesn't seem so applicable in our times; Western culture considers this repulsive. (Although some chomp live bugs on camera for shock value & ratings, but I don't know if live insects are forbidden under this Law—though it certainly is disgusting.)

Yet we know that in some restaurants in China, they eat live mice & octopus, and enjoy the sensation of the dying animal moving around in their mouth.

I even read there is a Chinese dish called Huo Jian Lu, which literally means "Live Braying Donkey."

And yes, it's as it sounds.

In Japan, there's a dish in which the diner eats the still-beating heart of a frog.

Not all Chinese or Japanese engage in such disturbing cuisine, of course, but the ones who do are in big trouble.

And no, I've no idea of the parameters of this, like if this includes seafood and insects.

A Final 4 Prohibitions (connected to the above 7, but not unanimously agreed upon)

The Me'am Lo'ez includes 4 more prohibitions that some Sages (though not all) say apply to non-Jews:

(1) Not to sterilize any living creature by castration.
This has become common in modern society; it's even considered a responsible thing to do.

(2) Not to engage in witchcraft.
Like with toeva, this has become fashionable today. I remember signs posted in the hallway of my college advertising a weekly "Wicca meeting."

Witchcraft is also glorified in so many books & movies.

And however "cute" and appealing witches & witchcraft are made to be, it's the occult and includes some very nasty things, in addition to being a denial of Hashem's Mastery.

(3) Not to interbreed any creature with another not of the same species.
You can't even make a mule (horse & donkey combo).

It also makes me wonder about those people who like to interbreed big cats together ("ligers"—lion-tiger) for curiosity or to make money showing these "freaks" at their zoos.

Like other universal mitzvot, you can figure out on your own that this isn't a good idea.

For example, many modern animal conservationists consider this kind of cross-breeding as unethical. They arrived at that conclusion without knowing that some Torah Sages forbid this.

(4) Not to eat blood from a living animal.
The primary prohibition concerns eating a limb from a living animal.

But some authorities include the animal's blood in this too.

Please note the Me'am Lo'ez's final encouraging words on the 7 Universal (Noachide) Laws (page 252 in the English translation):

If a gentile keeps them because they are God's commandments, he is counted among the "Righteous Gentiles" (Chassidei Umoth HaOlam), and he has a portion in the World to Come.

Hope you found this helpful.

If you have questions, I'm unfortunately not knowledgeable enough to help you (whatever the Me'am Lo'ez wrote here is all I know now).

There is also this article at "Ask the Rabbi—Din Online," which is very learned, well-sourced, and may not be for beginners, but is an intelligent and valuable resource to clarify these 7 Universal Laws:
The Noachide Laws: A World of Order & Peace

It seems to me this resource is written more for knowledgeable Jews than non-Jews, and that's helpful because I know of at least 2 seemingly Orthodox rabbis who unintentionally ended up misguiding both Jews & non-Jew due to their...well, I'm not sure what. Cognitive dissonance?

Anyway, it's good for Jews to know the parameters.

The above-linked article also contains a very interesting discussion on how Islam & Christianity are viewed within the framework of the Universal Laws, which Jews also need to understand.

Also, if you ever wondered about the responsibility of non-Jews trapped in a society of unethical courts & police (like a Communist system), then the article addresses that too.

If you have further questions, you can ask your rabbi or you can leave a comment at the end of the linked article or you can contact them in their question form. (You can use an anonymous name too.)

*Please note that while your name will not show up there in the question, the comment form is totally different and if you leave a comment with your real name, it will show up in the comment.

Final Food for Thought

Learning the above gives us better insight into why the world seems crushed under increasingly harsh judgement.

We see that the most fundamental laws of ethics given to Adam millennia ago are now being violated with abandon.

Even worse, much of society even glorifies & romanticizes many of these violations.

Some are encouraged by society in the name of "compassion" & "freedom."

Or "rights." (The "right" to die, the "right" to abortion, the "right" to be happy, etc.)

Western courts uphold transgressions of some of these violations.

Needless to say, these are serious dysfunctions.

It can't continue like this.

May we all do teshuvah and may Hashem please bring the complete Redemption with mercy & compassion.

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What Noach Teaches Us about the Power of True Teshuvah

16/10/2020

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The end of Parshat Beresheit introduces us to the appallingly corrupt Generation of the Flood and humanity's hero, Noach.

On Beresheit/Genesis 6:8, the Me'am Lo'ez notes an interesting opinion about Noach.

This opinion (Zera Berakh) states that, initially, Hashem included Noach in the decree to destroy humanity.

But Noach did teshuvah. He changed his ways.

And so Hashem annulled the decree over Noach individually and even catapulted Noach into the role of savior of humanity (and savior of the animals & birds).

This is hinted to in the word "found"—as in "Noach found favor in the Eyes of Hashem." It implies that the Divine favor wasn't always there, but was a more recent acquisition.

This, explains the Me'am Lo'ez, shows us the true power of teshuvah.

A person can be despised & far from Hashem.

But as soon as he truly repents, he "finds favor in Hashem's Eyes."

And with that new-found favor, he can merit not only a revolutionary change in his own destiny, but in the destiny of the entire world.

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Yeshayahu 2:2

Yeshayhu 2:3

Yeshayahu 2:4

Yeshayahu 2:5

Yeshayahu 2:6-8

Yeshayahu 2:9-10

Yeshayahu 2:11-17

Yeshayahu 2:18-21

Yeshayahu 2:22

Yeshayahu 3:12

Abortion is the Destructive Solution, Not the Compassionate Solution

Pre-Flood Flaunting—Just Like Now

Attention Climate Change Activists!: Natural Disasters aren't So Natural

The Danger of Too Much Luxury & Freedom

"Hi, This is Cindy from Dor HaMabul Reporting to You Live..."

Cham

Yefet

Shem

1. Don't Worship Idols

2. No Forbidden Physical Relationships.

3. Don't Murder Anyone.

4. Do Not Steal.

5. You Must Appoint Judges & Police Officers

6. Don't Curse God.

7. Don't Eat Flesh from a Living Animal.

A Final 4 Prohibitions (connected to the above 7, but not unanimously agreed upon)

Final Food for Thought

Myrtle Rising

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