Historian: Conditions Are Ripe for a King of Israel

[Ronen Levi Yitzchak Segal]

Baruch Hashem,

Friends,

Again, Reb Kahane was quoting Amos the prophet.  I think it's time we all asked ourselves a question in regard to prophets and prophecy.

How would we know?

In the days of Yechezkel, for example, do you assume people walked around thinking that man was a prophet?  He was hated!  It was only after they saw his words come to pass that they eralized he was in fact a Navi emes.  For me, even a few examples of nevuah are enough.

In this day and age, when the Ishameli'im have sufisim and all their knowledge and adherents (now more than the Chrisitians according to the Pope himself) Hashem has no choice but to arm his "beni, bechuri" wth special gifts.

And the title navi should not intimidate you.  These stories you shared about Rav Kudari and the like would lead me to also to believe they, too, are prophets.

As far as I'm concerned, if you can tap into Ruach HaKodesh, you are, in fact, a prophet.  Does not a prophet answer with Ruach HaKodesh?

I agree with you 100 percent about looking into the holy words of the our eternal Torah and finding answers about life, the unvierse and everything.

(quick aside - in the prayer of Ana B'Koach - if you look at the rosh tieves on the left part of the page and note the letters that are missing - you'll find they spell HAMAS (Hey Mem Samech).  I think Hashem is revealing to us the Amaleck of our generation...)

However, this is only possible now on the scale that it is to each and every yirat sham'i'im because Hashem has reintroduced, in my opinion, nevua to his Holy people.

G-d bless.

[Tzvi Ben Roshel1]

Ruach Hakodesh is a great level, but its not prophecy.
  With the perfection of the Ruach one can reach Ruach Hakodesh. With Nevuah its greater then that. Its on the level of Neshama which is higher then that (and within each level their are different levels).
  With Ruach Hakkodesh (and actually with some levels lower then that even). Those who have it can read minds, can see into peoples thoughts, even know what one is missing (the Mitzvot) and what they need to perfect.
  Nevuah is greater then that. Their is Nevuah where G-d gives specific instruction and messages for the populace. And the few prophets in writing we have today (in books) is also speaking to us and for us. (alltogether their were 1,200,000 prophets in the Jewish nation).

[q_q_]

And the title navi <snip>  These stories you [Tzvi] shared about Rav Kudari and the like would lead me to also to believe they, too, are prophets.

no they are not.

RAMBAM in The Guide says very specifically, Ruach HaKodesh does not make one a Navi-Prophet.

He says that Ketuvim-Writings is written with ruach hakodesh.   
Things are in Ketuvim instead of Neviim(the book of prophets), because they were not written by prophets - or not written with prophecy.

Prophecy, the RAMBAM quotes from tenach, is in visions and dreams. Such a prophet is a Navi.

There is prophecy above that , and Moshe had that.

(Some may use the english word Prophesy as in To Prophesy, but not the word Prophet..  Not jews anyway.  Infact.  Muslims refer to King Solomon as a prophet. And lots of others. But they are not.   Furthermore, G-d spoke to Hagar, the RAMBAM says it was through the bat kol.  We don't call Hagar a prophetess.. !   A prophet-Navi is a certain level. From what I recall, The RAMBAM in The Guide, lists 11 levels, and puts the Navi at level 3. )

And as I mentioned. The RAMBAM says prophecy ceased with the destruction of the temple, to be renewed in the messianic era.  Ruach hakodesh didn't cease.

[Ronen Levi Yitzchak Segal]

Baruch Hashem - okay, I see your point.  In essence, you are correct.  However, what I am saying is simply that it is amazing to think that people in our generation have access to Ruach HaKodesh and this could perhaps be the start of the reintroduction of true prophecy to our people.

G-d, bless us all.

[q_q_]

Baruch Hashem - okay, I see your point.  In essence, you are correct.  However, what I am saying is simply that it is amazing to think that people in our generation have access to Ruach HaKodesh and this could perhaps be the start of the reintroduction of true prophecy to our people.

G-d, bless us all.

assuming these rabbis did/do/have had it, previous generations had it too, so don't take it as a sign.

[q_q_]

Tzvi mentioned about children "prophesying". Well, there was a website erevmoshiach , that had lots of that, and scholars jumping on every word they said and sourcing it in obscure kabbalistic texts.  The things they were predicting that were specific, did not happen.  Like Ariel Sharon turning good and fighting with moshiach. It doesn't look very likely at the moment.
Then there's the famous thing all over the internet about Rav Kudari saying he met moshiach and he had a star of david and could conceal himself and fix things.. and so on.  Well, with predictions like that, one gets more skeptical as time goes by. Rav Kudari is now dead..

Apparently we have had predictions in the past.  Like, a catastrophe is going to take place. But they never seem to be much use.  There were apparently rabbis that knew a terrible tragedy had taken place, the day Hitler had been born..  Apparently the Chafetz Chaim predicted catastrophe ..

Apparently the zohar mentions Bin Laden.. A rabbi actually told me that one.  Unfortunate though that didn't help us.   Apparently it says something like G-d will send a dog, bin laden.   Apparently the Zohar predicted 3 towers coming down(the vilna gaon's -1800s, corrected the date which was off by 2, and made the date spot on), unfortunately, I do'nt think the date had the year . The prediction didn't help us much.
And those are the ones that did come true!


there are also people giving predictions that don't come true..

children "prophesying", which tzvi mentions, is one of them!

As the generations go on, the predictions go more and more off.  Things go bad and people turn more and more to mysticism. And alot of it certainly doesn't work.
 

[Ronen Levi Yitzchak Segal]

Baruch Hashem - personally, the sicha of the Rebbe (shoftim 5751) is more than enough for me to believe.  He is a much greater tzadik than I ever asipre to be.

He wouldn't have said what he said unless he saw it.  And I trust his word.

Again, for me, the time-space continuim in this thing is very important.  Meaning if what he said was true in 5751, I would be led to believe that it is still true and perhaps increasing.

Although, I admit I always give Hashem the benefit of the doubt and rely on my faith way too much in life.

Perhaps, here again, I am being blinded by my faith.

[q_q_]

Baruch Hashem - personally, the sicha of the Rebbe (shoftim 5751) is more than enough for me to believe.  He is a much greater tzadik than I ever asipre to be.

He wouldn't have said what he said unless he saw it.  And I trust his word.

Again, for me, the time-space continuim in this thing is very important.  Meaning if what he said was true in 5751, I would be led to believe that it is still true and perhaps increasing.

Although, I admit I always give Hashem the benefit of the doubt and rely on my faith way too much in life.

Perhaps, here again, I am being blinded by my faith.

well, if you continue to think that everything any great rabbi says is absolutely correct, then they start disagreeing and you'll pretend that they agree and you'll start believing all sorts of odd things.   In your case, like your statement that mentally ill people hearing voices are in some way prophets e.t.c.

[Ronen Levi Yitzchak Segal]

Baruch Hashem - interesting point q_q_, intersting point. I am comforted by the Rebbe Rayatz's words in Hayom Yom which state that in the time directly preceeding moshaich's arrival, we need to cling to our faith, not our intellect. There will be all types of intellectual tests against our simply emuna as Jews.

[muman613]

Baruch Hashem - interesting point q_q_, intersting point. I am comforted by the Rebbe Rayatz's words in Hayom Yom which state that in the time directly preceeding moshaich's arrival, we need to cling to our faith, not our intellect. There will be all types of intellectual tests against our simply emuna as Jews.

Shalom Ronen Levi Yitzchak Segal,

I have heard this too.. That in the era of Moshiach all science and facts will appear to prove that Hashem doesn't exist and there will be much mocking of faith. We will be throughly tested because it will seem like it could not get worse... Then it will get worse. Only those whose emmunah is strong will survive this test. We must undertand intellect for what it is and still hold onto our faith. One must remember the deeds of Nachson at the Sea of Reeds... He jumped into the teaming waters before they even split. This was not rational, it was purely spiritual.

http://www.ou.org/torah/article/9566
The theme of Beshalach is that of faith in God. Nachshon entered the sea while it was yet wet, trusting that God would split the waters. The Medrash explains that Jews attained purity of faith once they passed through the sea, as it says upon their passage, "...and they believed in Hashem and in Moshe, His servant." (See Haggadas Siach Ha'Grid.) Bnei Yisroel were punished at the end of the parshah with the arrival of Amalek, which symbolizes lack of belief in God, when the Jews failed in their faith at Rephidim. (17:1, 8 with Rashi from Medrash.) (In fact, one of the parsha's simanim is "emunah".) The theme of the story of Devorah is precisely one of faith against all odds. Devorah charged Barak with attacking Sisera, per God's command, even though the logistics were on the enemy's side. Her song of thanks was a burst of emunah in Hashem's salvation; this is the exact correlation with Parshas Beshalach which warrants the reading of Shiras Devorah as the haftarah.

http://www.neveh.org/friedman/parsha/noach.html
We choose to be on G-d’s side when times are good and when times are bad. Remain firm in your belief- Emunah, because even when it seems like we’re not winners, we really are and will always be. Before Moshiach comes, there will be a huge string held on each end of the world and swing violently back and forth. Only those of us who hold on tightly will make it and merit to see Moshiach. At times, it appears that Klal Yisroel aren’t the “winners.” We must reaffirm our belief when we read on Friday night: “When the wicked bloom like grass and all the doers of sin blossom, it is to destroy them for eternity.”

May prophecy be restored to the Jewish people and let us merit the promised redemption!

muman613

[q_q_]

Baruch Hashem - interesting point q_q_, intersting point. I am comforted by the Rebbe Rayatz's words in Hayom Yom which state that in the time directly preceeding moshaich's arrival, we need to cling to our faith, not our intellect. There will be all types of intellectual tests against our simply emuna as Jews.

that doesn't mean clinging to every word of every rabbi and pretending they all agree and forming bizarre ideas to get them to agree.

often the rabbis themselves are clear in their disagreement.

trying to believe opinions that disagree, or every word of every rabbi, over 3000 years, when they clearly differ.. That is not what Emunah(Trust) is.

The important thing is to believe the core jewish books.
TORAH, - all the word of G-d
TALMUD.   - many oral traditions, and binding decisions, and more.
 MIDRASH - some literal, some not literal, sometimes two midrashim disagree and cannot both be true.

You have to categorise things properly.. The RAMBAM's 13 principles of faith don't say that a principle of faith is to believe anything any tzaddik says.

We have faith in the coming of moshiach... e.t.c.  These are absolute core jewish beliefs.

Other things, like something a particular rabbi says, are not things we -have- to believe. They are not things we should have 'faith' in and abandon our intellect.  Rabbis can have an advantage in knowing the law very well, and they can advise us.. As a doctor can. But don't take -everything- they say on faith. The proof being that they often disagree. you may trust them when it comes to standard things that are in the law books, the shulchan aruch.  But not when it comes to predicting what will happen. It's not something they learnt their 6 or 10 or whatever years in yeshiva.

[muman613]

Shalom,

There is even debate, in his days, whether RAMBAM was acceptable Jewish belief. Many of his detractors considered RAMBAM to be a disciple of Aristotles philosophy. It is pretty much accepted today that RAMBAMs writings are part of our Torah.

muman613

http://www.ou.org/about/judaism/rabbis/rambam.htm
While he was considered an undisputed leader of world Jewry at the time, there was bitter opposition to much of his works because they incorporated much of Aristotelian philosophy that went against the traditional purist ideology of much of Ashkenazic Jewry, and others believed his codifications would make much of the role of the rabbi and the oral tradition obsolete.  He did not quote his sources in the Talmud with his Halachic decisions, which engendered the fear that this would discourage people from studying the Talmud, and he seemed to be too much involved with Greek Philosophy.  He was also criticized by some who misinterpreted his works for not believing in the Resurrection of the Dead. 

[Ronen Levi Yitzchak Segal]

Baruch Hasem - you are correct - the Rambam's teachings were burned during his time.  It was only after a while that people saw him for the genius he was.  Either way, it is very important to wait and hope for moshiach.  It is one of the questions a soul is asked when it arrives for its judgement above:

"Did you anticipate the redemption?"

Now that this election is over, hopefully Americans (Jew and non-Jew alike) will be able to focus on the real issues facing this planet.  Namely, G-d wants to proclaim his kingship, through Noam, and we are all silent, as it were.

Let's hope the "change" the Dems are talking about is a change for moshiach tzidkanu.

One time, I had someone at my Shabbos table.  He was a tinuk sh'nishbe.  I was telling him about moshiach and he said it sounds scary, like a regime change. (it was a little after 911 and he was living in Europe being polluted by all the anti-America propoganda)

I told him it was going to be a regime change.  And that moshiach would take over the entire world and perfect it in the service of G-d Almighty.  I mentioned there would be an end of economic disparity, war, sickness, and that knowledge of G-d would cover the earth like water covers the ocean floor.

After hearing what the Torah says about yim'ot HaMashiach, he was ready to see it b'po'al mamash!

[q_q_]

If the RAMBAM had lived a bit longer, and seen the mysticism that appeared, he may not have accepted it.
The people that hold strongly to him, reject mysticism.

The standard judaism we follow today is closer to the RAMBAN than the RAMBAM.

There was disagreement between them..  But the RAMBAN wrote his commentary and disagreements after the RAMBAM had died, and so the RAMBAM couldn't respond.

Nowadays not many people study Aristotle, people skip those bits of RAMBAM. So it isn't seen as a danger.

I once read that they didn't really have scientists in those days. It was largely down to philosophers..  Science is the new thing that is taking aim at religion. And nowadays rabbis that try to harmonize torah with science are angering the more right wing groups. Slifkin's books was banned by gedolim some of whome, hadn't even read it, they relied on second hand information.
If philosophy was still so big, as big as science, and aristotle still the king, the greatest. Then his work would still be being banned.
Infact, you may not find Moreh Nevuchim - The Guide - in all charedi yeshivot.
Mishneh Torah is something else, there isn't much philosophy there. And no mention of Aristotle. 

He was always respected as a genius.. 

But remember also, now we have other threats..

There was a time when Chassidut was considered a terrible danger to judaism (though apparently they weren't always halachic in the early stages of it, so that may explain it).. But still.. these were Chassidim being seen as bad.

What changed was the Reform movement / Enlightenment. So a far worse danger appeared and peopel forgot about Chassidim. It turned out that chassidim would become the most religious jews!

People don't accept everything.. Same with the RAMBAM..
There are disagreements.  It doesn't make much sense to say "this is torah" when this is wrong e.t.c.  Torah doesn't mean much when used like that.

[Debbie Shafer]

This is such good analogy, and yes there were more bad kings than good. God uses man to advance his purpose.  In 2 Kings 24 during Jehoiakims' reign, Nebuchanezzar, king of Babylon (Iraq) invaded the land of Judah, and Jehoiakim became his vassar for three years. It is so with America also. We need to get back on track, conservative values, conservative principles.

In every instance of a foreign invader coming on Israel, it was because they were straying away from God.  It has been this way consistently throughout the bible. 

You folks already have a king.  The Lord of Lords and the King of Kings.  We are all fortunate to be able to share the savior.  My faith is set in stone, that the bible is totally true.

Focus on the things that really mean the most, and pray for the wisdom, thats what I did, exactly like Solomon.