Guide to Ascending the Temple Mount

The Temple Institute has, for the first time,

"published an online a brief summary of pertinent halacha (requirements of Torah law) and guidelines for ascending to the Temple Mount (aliya) in purity. While not intended to be a substitute for in-depth study or at the very least, consultation with a Torah scholar who is acknowledged to be an expert in this highly specialized, often neglected subject, this guide will introduce the potential pilgrim to the basic do's and don'ts of proper conduct upon the Temple Mount. Click here to view."

With Mashiach's arrival imminent, and the amount of visitors ascending the Temple Mount rising, this is an important guide to review for reference and preparation.

Montreal Rabbi Helps Child Abuse Cult Leader

Jameel of The Muqata and Dov Bear both brought this to our attention this past Sunday.

Yochanan Wosner a Montreal "Rabbi", and (now former) member of the Montreal Beth Din...

"is raising money on behalf of Elior Chen, a ringleader of what the Jerusalem Post called 'one of the worst child abuse cases in Israeli history.'"

On the bright side, Dov Bear noticed that the next day, MR. Wosner's name was omitted from the list of members of the Montreal Beth Din, so it's possible that he was excused from the establishment.

What do you think Obama's motives are?

Dov Bear challenges anyone to convince him that Obama wants to destroy West Bank settlements.

"I agree that Obama, like every president since Carter - including George W. Bush - has called for an end to settlement growth* but I see absolutely no evidence that he wants or expects Israel to destroy settlements."

What do you think?

Read here.

Friday: Awaiting Holy Ark Announcement ??

IsraelNN reports:

"Ethiopian church leader says Friday, June 26, marks the right time to unveil the Biblical Ark of the Covenant, which he says has been hidden in his church for centuries."

Probably nonsense....

Read here.

Appeasing the Arabs 1929 - 2009

The Elder of Zion compares the British appeasement of the Arabs in 1929 to the current effort to appease the Arabs led by Barack Hussein Obama.

"The next logical question to ask the State Department would be - would the Obama administration consider erecting a removable screen at the Western Wall an illegal expansion of the Old City Jewish 'settlement'?"

Read it here.

The Many Problems with Today's Yeshivot

Interesting guest post on Dov Bear's blog regarding the many downsides of today's Yeshivot.

The million dollar question is:

"If a family provides a frum, Jewish home which demonstrates a love for Yiddishkeit and if the parents learn with their children or hire a rabbi to learn with them this is still not nearly as good as a yeshiva?"

Read the rest here.

If you ask me, I'd much prefer to home-school my children personally, one-on-one. Public school is out of the question, especially the ones in my district; but, if I were able to home-school my kids, have them take all the required state examinations, hire a G-d-fearing, sincere Rabbi to teach them Torah THE RIGHT WAY!! -- Now THAT would be a perfect world! Of course, I'd have to to make an effort to make sure my children aren't overly isolated and that they develop a good sense of personality, character and social skills.

Iran's June Revolution

Sultan Knish has a great post on Iran's June Revolution.

His conclusion:

"Whether or not we are seeing Iran's Berlin Wall or only its Tienanmen Square, the Iranian regime will never be the same as it was. The resulting changes will almost certainly weaken the regime, if not entirely bring it down. Which is why it is entirely sensible to support Iran's June Revolution, though without forgetting that Mousavi is no saint and that Iran's reformers, like Khrushchev and Gorbachev, are not entirely distinguishable from its monsters."

Read the rest here.

Netanyahu on Iranian Demonstrators

Saw this on Israel Matzav.

I gotta say, it's quite enjoyable to watch the PM speak.. he's really on target lately.

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Building Upon Our Four Elements

by Leor

A lesson derived from Rav Chaim Vital's Shaarei Kedusha:

A man contains a spiritual foundation of good within him; his good inclination, which is surrounded by a spiritual husk; a shell of evil. Furthermore, man's physical body is comprised of the four elements: Earth, Wind, Fire and Water. Correspondingly, both his good and evil spiritual foundations are comprised of these elements, four good and four evil.
The 613 Mitzvot of the Torah can only be properly performed and accepted by the heavens when a man's character traits are properly developed. If a person is lacking in Middot, his Mitzvot will be inefficient and lacking as well.
There are four essential evil character traits that one must learn to control and avoid, as well as their four counterparts - essential good character traits which one must develop upon. These sets of four good and evil Middot correspond to the sets of four good and evil "elements" mentioned above.

The four are as follows:

1. Fire: Essentially, pride. Subcategories of this trait include anger and stubbornness. The opposite of which is humility and distance from anger.
   
2. Wind: Essentially, idle chatter. Subcategories include flattery, lies, Lashon Hara(evil tongue; gossip) and flaunting. The opposite of which is being hush as a mute.
   
3. Water: Essentially, desires for [worldly] pleasures. Subcategories include delight, whether in theft of an other's monies, wife and other possessions, and jealousy - coveting an other's possessions. The opposite of which is feeling disgust with regards to sorts of physical pleasures.
   
4. Earth: Essentially, melancholy. Subcategories include laziness in fulfillment of Mitzvot (due to the sorrow involved with pursuing worldly possessions, or afflictions that cause dissatisfaction over ones worldly portion). The opposite of which is happiness and satisfaction with ones portion.

A person must strive to perfect these character traits, always refraining from the evil ones and developing the good ones. Before a person can be confident in the performance and acceptance of his Mitzvot, he must first build upon his four elements.