A Beautiful Holiday in the Holy Land ✡ "Israel Dwells in Safety" - ISRAEL365

And Israel dwelleth in safety, the fountain of Yaakov alone, in a land of corn and wine; yea, his heavens drop down dew. Deuteronomy 33:28 (The Israel Bible™) וַיִּשְׁכֹּן יִשְׂרָאֵל בֶּטַח בָּדָד עֵין יַעֲקֹב אֶל אֶרֶץ דָּגָן וְתִירוֹשׁ אַף שָׁמָיו יַעַרְפוּ טָל דברים לג:כח va-YISH-kon yis-ra-EL be-takh ba-dad ayn ya-a-KOV el e-retz da-gan v'-ti-ROSH afsha-MAV ya-ar-foo tal

Today's Israel Inspiration ‘Sukkot,’ the Feast of Tabernacles, was the most joyous of the festivals worshiped in the Temple. However, according to the Talmud, on ‘Sukkot’ God judges the people for water and determines how much rain will fall from the heavens in the coming year. Given the fact that the Land of Israel is very dependent on rainfall, it seems that ‘Sukkot’ should be a solemn time and not one of joyous celebration. What then is the reason for such festivity? By making His people dependent on rainfall which comes from heaven, God ensures that they must maintain a close connection with Him at all times. It is the constant connection with the Almighty, by virtue of His children’s continued dependence on Him, which is cause for great celebration. In the same way the world is dependent upon God, there are countless people throughout the Holy Land dependent upon friends and neighbors to support them in their time of need. Meir Panim seeks to ease their struggle and make this Sukkot a truly enjoyable one. Give a beautiful holiday to Israel's poor » Tonight We're Livin' in a Booth We guarantee this song about living in the Sukkah will have you tapping your toes and humming along! Listen » Last Minute Miracle Brings High Holiday Blessings A miracle occurred this Rosh Hashanah in Israel’s southern development town of Dimona. Read more » Today's Israel Photo An ultra-Orthodox Jewish youth walks next to a Sukkah during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Mea Shearim. Sukkot commemorates the Israelites' 40 years of wandering in the desert and a decorated hut or tabernacle (in Hebrew, Sukkah) is erected outside religious households as a sign of temporary shelter. If you enjoy your Israel365 daily email newsletter, please consider planting a tree or buying products from our store to bless the Land and the People of Israel. “Todah Rabbah” to our Latest Tree Donors Carolyn L. from Texas for planting 2 trees! Susan R. from Missouri for planting 2 trees! Irma T. from Western Cape, S. Africa for planting a tree!                                                                                                                                  Plant a Tree in Israel »  Thank You Today's Scenes and Inspiration is sponsored by Roberta Dixon from New Hampshire. Sponsor a day in honor of a loved one » “Keep Them Coming!” It’s great to hear from you and make new friends from all over the world. Please send me an email and let me know how you are enjoying Israel365 (don’t forget to say where you are from!). Stay in Touch » I enjoy your emails and learn from them. Keep them coming. Janet Lee Kahtava. Warner Robins, GA Shalom, Rabbi Tuly Weisz RabbiTuly@Israel365.com

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Excavation Reveals Spot Where Romans Breached Jerusalem’s Wall 2,000 Years Ago - JNI Media BREAKING ISRAEL NEWS

The excavation site in the Russian Compound. One can see the sling stones on the floor, which are tangible evidence of the battle that was waged here 2,000 years ago. (Yoli Shwartz, courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority.)

Excavation Reveals Spot Where Romans Breached Jerusalem’s Wall 2,000 Years Ago

By JNI Media October 20, 2016   BREAKING ISRAEL NEWS

“And they burnt the house of God, and broke down the wall of Yerushalayim, and burnt all the palaces thereof with fire, and destroyed all the goodly vessels thereof.” II Chronicles 36:19 (The Israel Bible™)

Exciting evidence of the breaching of the third wall that surrounded Jerusalem at the end of the Second Temple period was uncovered last winter in the Russian Compound at the city center. The discovery was made in an archaeological excavation the Israel Antiquities Authority conducted in the location where the new campus of the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design is slated to be built. In the course of the excavation, archaeologists discovered the remains of a tower jutting from the city wall. Opposite the tower’s western facade were scores of ballista and sling stones that the Romans had fired from catapults at the Jewish guards who were stationed at the top of the tower.

According to Dr. Rina Avner and Kfir Arbib, excavation directors on behalf of the IAA, “This is a fascinating testimony of the intensive bombardment by the Roman army, led by Titus, on their way to conquering the city and destroying the Second Temple. The bombardment was intended to attack the sentries guarding the wall and provide cover for the Roman forces so they could approach the wall with battering rams and thereby breach the city’s defenses.”

A 2,000 year old jar as it was discovered in the field. (Yoli Shwartz, courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority.)

The historian Josephus, an eyewitness to the war, provided many details about this wall. According to him, the wall was designed to protect the new quarter of the city that had developed outside its boundaries, north of the two existing city walls. This quarter was named Beit Zeita. The building of the Third Wall was begun by King Agrippa I; however, he suspended its construction so as not to incur the wrath of Emperor Claudius and to dispel any doubts regarding his loyalty. The construction of the Third Wall was resumed some two decades later by the defenders of Jerusalem, as part of fortifying the city and the Jewish rebels’ preparations for the Great Revolt against Rome.

Josephus described in detail the route of the wall that began at Hippicus Tower, which is now identified with David’s Citadel. From there the wall continued north to the enormous Psephinus Tower, which defended the northwestern corner of the city wall. At that point the wall turned east and descended toward the Tomb of Queen Helena, which is identified with the place known as the Tombs of the Kings.

A spearhead from the battle against Titus’ army. (Clara Amit, courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority)

It seems that the new discovery has resolved a debate among researchers reaching back to the early twentieth century, as to the location of the third wall and the question of Jerusalem’s boundaries on the eve of the Roman onslaught led by Titus. According to the dig in the Russian Compound, we now have proof of the wall’s existence in that area.

The excavation findings will be presented at a conference entitled “New Studies in the archaeology of Jerusalem and its Region,” Thursday, October 27, at the Mount Scopus campus of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

RUSSIA AND TURKEY "MOVING FAST" AT END OF OBAMA PRESIDENCY by Brian Schrauger Jerusalem Journal

RUSSIA AND TURKEY "MOVING FAST" AT END OF OBAMA PRESIDENCY

 by  Brian Schrauger

 Jerusalem Journal  Monday, October 17, 2016

According to one assessment by Israeli intelligence, Russian President Vladamir Putin and Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan are scrambling to take advantage of the power vacuum left in the Middle East by US President Barack Obama. As Moscow soldifies it superpower presence there, it is already carving up a portion of Syria for shared control with Ankara.

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Last Friday US President Barack Obama told his country's military leaders that, instead of arming rebel groups in Syria in their stand against the country's ruthless despot, Bassar Assad, Washington was going to negotiate with Russia, the superpower fighting to keep Assad in power.

According to Israeli intelligence news service, DEBKAfile, Obama's "high words" and "recriminations" about the "unspeakable horrors" Assad has inflicted on his own citizens, were always empty. He was never serious about providing rebels "the anti-air weapons they need to shoot down Russian and Syrian warplanes blitzing them."

In fact, US options in Syria are rapidly diminishing. There is no longer a way to get missiles to rebel groups. Erdogan will not allow delivery via Turkey.

Why?

Because Putin is making him an offer he cannot refuse: shared control of a Turkish "security zone" in northern Syria. In effect, it is an offer from Moscow that will carve away a huge chunk of the beleaguered state. As a de facto victor sharing spoils, Russia's chutzpah is an irresistible lure for Erdogan. But one of the barbs holding the lure when he bites requires Turkey's further separation of ties, if not severance of ties, with the US and Europe.

Ostensibly, Moscow is supporting Assad and has allied with Iran to this end. But Erdogan opposes Assad. Why then is Russia making the offer? By elevating Erdogan above the US and Europe as the world's voice against Assad while offering northern Syria as a "security zone," Moscow further removes Western influence in the region, putting in its place a puppet it has bribed.

Vis-a-vis Ankara, Russia's alliance with Tehran is playing both sides against the middle, a geopolitical focal point that, for now, is Syria. Russia's advantage is that it becomes the superpower "godfather" of the Middle East prospering from all its warring players who come to it seeking favors.

How serious is the pending deal between Moscow and Ankara?

DEBKAfile’s intelligence sources reveal that under discussion is the installation in Turkey of a system of advanced Russian missiles linked to the Russian anti-air missile shield under construction in Syria.

Turkey would thus become the first member of NATO to arm itself with a Russian anti-air missile shield.

Why is this happening now and what are the real objectives? DEBKAfile offers an explanation.

Putin and Erdogan are moving fast to cash in on President Obama’s repugnance for military intervention in Syria and his waning powers at the tail end of his presidency. Furthermore –

a) Neither is configuring Syrian President Bashar Assad into their calculations. They are going forward with their plans while ignoring him and his drastically diminished army as factors worth consideration.

b) Their objectives are similar and interlocking: Both are intent on developing their respective enclaves in northern Syria, Moscow for a long-term military presence in the country: likewise, Ankara.

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Brian Schrauger is the Editor-in-Chief of the Jerusalem Journal. He can be reached at Editor@JerusalemJournal.com

PHOTOS: 50,000 Receive Priestly Blessing at Kotel, Reaffirm Jewish Dedication to Jerusalem - Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz BREAKING ISRAEL NEWS

Jews Gather at Kotel in Jerusalem for Priestly Blessing during holiday of Sukkot, October 19, 2016. (Photo by Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

PHOTOS: 50,000 Receive Priestly Blessing at Kotel, Reaffirm Jewish Dedication to Jerusalem

By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz October 20, 2016  BREAKING ISRAEL NEWS

“Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before Hashem thy God in the place which He shall choose; on the feast of unleavened bread, and on the Shavuot, and on the Sukkot.” Deuteronomy 16:16 (The Israel Bible™)

In a powerful display of the glory that once was the Jewish Temple, tens of thousands of Jews gathered at the Western Wall, also known as the Kotel, in Jerusalem on Wednesday to be blessed by hundreds of Kohanim (Jewish men from the priestly caste). This biannual event recreates a mitzvah (Torah commandment) as it was once performed in the Temple.

About 50,000 people gathered at the Kotel for the priestly blessing. during the Cohen Benediction priestly blessing at the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, October 19, 2016. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

This year, the event took on special significance as it graphically reaffirmed the unbreakable bond between the Jews and the Temple Mount, a connection last week’s UNESCO vote sought to erase.

Jewish worshipers praying with great devotion during the holiday of Sukkot, October 19, 2016. (Photo by Sebi Berens/Flash90)

Jews took the traditional four species – lulav, or palm frond; hadas, or myrtle; aravah, or willow; and the etrog, a citron – and performed the ritual shaking in six directions.

Jewish worshippers wave the Lulav and Etrog in front of the Western Wall, Judaism’s holiest prayer site, in Jerusalem’s Old City, during the Cohen Benediction priestly blessing at the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, October 19, 2016. (Photo by Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

The blessing of Israel, once an integral part of the Temple Service, is now performed on a regular basis in synagogues around the world. The Kohanim, Jews who have a family tradition of patrilineal descent from Aaron, the first High Priest, remove their shoes, have their hands washed by men who have a family tradition of being from the tribe of Levi, and stand in front of the congregation, completely covered in their prayer shawls.

The words of blessing are recited with hands outstretched in a particular manner, with the first and second fingers joned, and the third and fourth fingers joined, while they recite the blessing.

Kohanim cover themselves with prayer shawls and raise their hands to bless Israel in front of the Western Wall, during priestly blessing at the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, October 19, 2016. (Photo by Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Hashem bless thee, and keep thee; Hashem make His face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee; Hashem lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. Numbers 6:24-26

This event comes less than one week after a UNESCO resolution passed which denied any religious or historical connection between Judaism and Jerusalem, renaming the Kotel as Al Buraq Plaza. Israel’s Minister of the Interior, Aryeh Deri (Shas), called for Israelis to protest this resolution by worshiping en masse at the site.

“This year, we’ll come, in our masses, to Jerusalem, to the Western Wall, to the Priestly Blessing. This Wednesday… we’ll all be there. We’ll send a clear message — nobody will separate us from our holy places,” wrote Deri in a Facebook post.

Kohanim cover themselves with prayer shawls as they pray in front of the Western Wall, Judaism’s holiest prayer site, in Jerusalem’s Old City, during the Cohen Benediction priestly blessing at the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, October 19, 2016. (Photo by Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

It was estimated that more than 50,000 were in attendance, and millions more viewed the event live via kotel cams.

What If Hillary Clinton Steals the Elections? Oct 20, 2016 by Michael L. Brown

What If Hillary Clinton Steals the Elections?

Oct 20, 2016 by Michael L. Brown

In the immediate aftermath of last night’s presidential debate, TV commentators expressed their shock at Donald Trump’s refusal to say that, whatever the results of the elections, he would accept them. But should these commentators have been so shocked? What if the elections really are rigged? What should Trump have said?

To be sure, there were far better ways for Trump to reply to moderator Chris Wallace’s question, satisfying Wallace’s concerns while raising his own concerns (which reflect the concerns of many other Americans).

For example, Trump could have said: “Absolutely, without question, if the electoral process is fair and legal, I will accept the results, whatever the outcome. And should I lose, which I don’t expect to, I will urge my supporters to accept our loss with dignity.

“But I have a question for you, Chris, and for Hillary and for the American people as well. What if it could be demonstrated in a court of law that the election was rigged? What if there was massive voter fraud? Would it be fair to the American people for me to accept the election results without a fight? Would it be just? If the American people voted to put me into office and the election was stolen from me and from them, what would be the right course of action?

“Chris, what do you think? Hillary, what do you think? And people of America, what do you think?”

Now, I am not saying that the election is, in fact, rigged, and I wholeheartedly oppose any kind of rhetoric that could lead to violence or anarchy by angered Trump supporters (or, Clinton supporters).

That’s why I was alarmed to see this comment on my Facebook page in response to my article warning Christian conservatives about the dangers of a Hillary presidency, specifically, with regard to our religious liberties. RW wrote: “I have a serious question for the Christians. Are you ready and willing to embark on an armed revolution? That's pretty much what this is going to take. Call a convention of the states to have the government dissolved, but they won't go willingly. You have to be prepared to kill or be killed. Or die as martyrs like your predecessors.”

We immediately removed that comment when it was brought to our attention, and we posted this in response: “Dr. Brown absolutely repudiates the call to take up arms against a Clinton presidency or to ‘kill or be killed.’ We will block anyone calling for that on this Facebook page.”

The truth is that, as one who has been a persistent and loud voice advocating for a gospel-based moral and cultural revolution, I have systematically and categorically renounced calls for violent uprisings, pointing to the Jesus call to put down our swords and take up our crosses, laying down our lives for others rather than taking their lives.

That being said, there are legitimate means to protest voter fraud, and there are legitimate reasons to be concerned that voter fraud has been taking place and continues to take place.

The sober-minded George Will noted that, “It is hard to think of an innocent reason why Democrats spend so much time, energy, and money, scarce resources, resisting attempts to purge the voter rolls, that is to remove people who are dead or have otherwise left the jurisdiction. It’s hard to think of an innocent reason why they fight so tremendously against voter I.D. laws. They say, well, that burdens the, exercise of a fundamental right. The Supreme Court said that travel is a fundamental right. No one thinks that showing an I.D. at the airport burdens that fundamental right.”

And, he continued, “We know — we don’t surmise. We know that the 2010, ’12, and ’14 elections were rigged by the most intrusive and potentially punitive institution of the federal government, the IRS. You can read all about it in Kim Strassel’s book ‘The Intimidation Game.’ She’s familiar to all Wall Street Journal readers and Fox viewers. So this is not a surmise. And I have talked to lawyers in a position to know, they say it’s still going on — that the IRS is still intolerably delaying the granting of tax exempt status to conservative advocacy groups to skew the persuasion of this campaign.”

So, what if it turns out that this election is totally rigged? What if James O’Keefe has provided video evidence of Democrat-run voter fraud? What if it is illegal activity that puts Hillary Clinton in office?

I certainly hope that this will not be the case and that, instead, the voice of the American people will be heard on November 8. And to repeat, there were better ways for Trump to express his reservations, since his remarks could incite his more extreme followers.

But once again, in his typical “wrecking ball” style, Donald Trump has drawn attention to a major concern shared by many Americans, and in the days ahead, we will find out just how many of us actually believe that the current electoral system is hopelessly rigged.

My prayer is that something constructive can come of the current brouhaha and that, if there are indeed illegal and corrupt activities and practices, they will be brought to the surface and exposed for the world to see.

Let the light shine, and let it shine now.