Why is There Something Rather Than Nothing?
Any serious look at the history of human beings over the millennia shows that the species began in poverty. It is not poverty, but prosperity, that needs explaining…
Thomas Sowell, from here.
Month: December 2016 – כ״ג בכסלו תשע״ז
קדושת ציון גליון #17
שלום רב לכל החברים,
מוגש לפניכם בזאת גליון קדושת ציון של חנוכה וחודש טבת. בגליון זה תמצאו מאמרים מקיפים הן על ימי החנוכה והן בכלל, לרבות המדורים הקבועים. יש גם מדור חדש ובו מאמרי חז”ל בעניין חביבות הארץ והמצוה לדור בה.
החודש ערכנו כינוס תפילה וזעקה נגד חילול ה’ שבמסגרתו הודיעו רשויות השלטון כי ארץ-ישראל אינה נחלתו של עם ה’.
בקרוב ממש עומד לקום אתר של “קדושת ציון” עבור אלו שמחוברים לרשת הממוחשבת.
אנו שואפים בקרוב גם לפתוח מערך של שיעורים עבור הציבור הרחב.
כל הפעילויות דורשות מימון, מה עוד שמתנגדינו מנסים להצר את צעדנו, והדבר מצריך יתר שאת ויתר עוז בחלוקת העלונים. על-כן נודה לכל מי שיוכל לסייע הן בממון והן בחלוקת העלונים ובכל עניין אחר. כמו-כן אשמח מאד אם כל אחד יפיץ את העלון לרשימת המכותבים שלו (כמובן, רק למי שעשוי להתעניין ולקרוא). בכל עניין ניתן ליצור קשר במייל זה.
בברכה,
יהודה
Reprinted with permission.
re: Chanuka: ‘Who, Whom’?
To recap: whom did the Maccabees battle, first and foremost? Not the non-Jews, but Jewish renegades.
I meant to add: Yeshayahu Leibowitz said, regarding the schism of observant and non-observant Jews in Israel, that civil war, like “Pilegesh Begiv’ah” (Shoftim chapter 19) is not an unthinkable eventuality.
Do You Know How to Read Rishonim?
Here’s a riddle. The Rambam (Avoda Zara 2:9) writes:
מגדף שחזר בו בתוך כדי דיבור אינו כלום אלא כיון שגידף בעדים נסקל
What could he mean? What does the first half of the sentence have to do with the other half?
Explain all the words. Then read our answer here.
Chanuka: ‘Who, Whom’?
The Politically-Incorrect But True Story Of Hanukkah
Erev Shabbath Qodesh Parashath Wayeshev/Hanukkah 5770
In a nutshell, here is the prelude to the valiant war fought by the Hashmonaim (Makkabim) about 2,165 years ago:
The powers that be at the time offered “the honor” of performing an act of avodah zarah to Mattithiyahu ben Yohanan, the High Priest.
He refused.
The powers that be offered it to another, who accepted.
However, before he had a change to perform this act of avodah zarah, he was killed by Mattithiyahu.
As one could imagine, the powers that be were not at all thrilled the prospect of having their authority threatened. Sound familiar?
And so, Mattithiyahu, his sons, and increasing number of followers retreated, plotted and planned, and fought on of the most spiritually important wars, Israel has ever fought. Well, they were all important.
But who was it that they fought?
Do most Jews, inside or outside of Israel, even know the answer to this question?
Examples of attempted answers to this question include:
1. Syrians
2. Greeks
3. Syrian Greeks
4. Selucid Greeks
How about Jews? That’s right. Jews. Jews were among those the Hashmonaim fought and killed.
Assimilated, Hellenized Jews.
“Oh, but that was then; this is now.” (Huh?)
“No, the Westernized Jews of today have a different status now.” (Why?)
“No, you don’t understand. There aren’t really any rasha’im (evil people) today. It’s not their fault. We have to show them, and bring them back to Torah.” (Even though the Gemara says otherwise. Uncensored Rav A. Y. says otherwise as well.)
And these responses are coming from religious Jews! I do not even have to complicate matters by listing some of the responses from the non-religious, or so-called “liberal” ones!
Now, I am by no means, suggesting the we go around killing people that we don’t like, let alone try to sort out all who I think is evil or who you think is evil.
From Esser Agaroth, here.