Tuesday, January 03, 2006

LESSONS IN TANYA: Wednesday, January 4, 2006

B"H

Tevet 4, 5766 * January 4, 2006

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L E S S O N S I N T A N Y A
===============================

Today's Lesson:

Likutei Amarim
Chapter Seven
--------------

However, [unlike the life-forms mentioned at the conclusion of ch. 6, which are derived from the three wholly unclean kelipot, the following life-forms are derived from kelipat nogah]:

The vitalizing animal soul in the Jew, which is derived from the side of kelipah and which clothes itself in the human being's blood [providing him with physical life], as stated above, (1) and the souls (2) of the animals, beasts, birds and fish which are pure [according to the laws of the Torah] and [are thus] permitted for [Jewish] consumption, as also the existence and vitality of everything in the inanimate and the vegetable world that is permissible for consumption.

So, too, the existence and vitality of every act, utterance and thought in mundane matters that contain no forbidden aspect - being neither root nor branch of the 365 prohibitive precepts and their offshoots, prohibited either on the explicit authority of the Torah, or by Rabbinic enactment - yet [when these permitted thoughts, utterances, or acts] are not performed for the sake of heaven [as they ought to be;

A Jew's actions, words and thoughts should be directed toward the service of G-d. For example: in eating, one's intention should be that the food supply strength for study, prayer, or performing other commandments; he should conduct his business with the intention of providing for his family, educating his children in the path of Torah and mitzvot, and giving charity, etc. But when his deeds, words and thoughts do not serve this purpose] - instead [they serve] only the will, desire and lust of the body;

And even where it is a need of the body and [necessary] for its very preservation and life [such as eating, which the body requires for its very existence and without which it cannot possibly live. Thus, the act itself cannot be faulted], but [the fault lies in that] his intention is not for the sake of heaven, i.e., to utilize his body [as an instrument] in the service of G-d.

[If this spiritual intent is absent, then]: All these acts, utterances and thoughts are no better than the vitalizing animal soul itself; and everything in this totality of things [i.e., the soul with its actions, utterances and thoughts] flows and is drawn from the second gradation of kelipot and sitra achra, which is [in the progressively ascending order of kelipot] the fourth kelipah, called kelipat nogah ["kelipah that shines"; for within this kelipah there is yet found a ray of holiness].

For in this world, called the "World of Asiyah" (`Action'),' most, indeed almost all, of [the kelipat nogah] is evil, with only a little good intermingled within it.

[Kelipat nogah is found in the higher Worlds as well. However, the proportions of good and evil which comprise it vary from one World to the next. In Beriah, kelipat nogah is mostly good, possessing only a small measure of evil which is separate from the good. In Yetzirah it is composed equally of good and evil, while in the spiritual Asiyah evil predominates. In our physical world, kelipat nogah is almost totally evil, with only a minute representation of good and light].

(From this [minute amount of good within kelipat nogah] come the good qualities which are found in the animal soul of the Jew, as is explained above.

[As explained in the first chapter, the Jew's inherent qualities of compassion and benevolence stem from his animal soul. This is a soul of kelipah, yet, because its origins are in kelipat nogah which incorporates good as well, it gives rise to the good traits of compassion and benevolence.)

Since kelipat nogah is a mixture of good and evil, any action, utterance and thought emanating from this kelipah can be utilized for good or evil. Indeed, as the Alter Rebbe will explain presently, the very same action, utterance or thought may be holy, if done for the sake of heaven, or evil, if otherwise intended].

Now, kelipat nogah is an intermediate category between the three completely unclean kelipot and the category and order of Sanctity.

Hence it is sometimes absorbed within the three unclean kelipot (as is explained in Etz Chayim, Portal 49, beginning of ch. 4, citing the Zohar), and at other times it is absorbed in and elevated to the category and level of Sanctity.

That is, [it is absorbed within Sanctity] when the good that is intermingled in it is extracted [and separated] from the evil, prevails [over it], and ascends to be absorbed in Sanctity.

[The Alter Rebbe now provides an example of a "neutral" action or utterance that is derived from kelipat nogah and can thus be utilized for either good or evil, demonstrating how the action or word itself becomes holy when its motivation is for the sake of heaven, and how it is degraded to the level of the "three completely unclean kelipot" if prompted purely by physical desire].

For instance, if one eats fat beef and drinks spiced wine not out of physical desire, but in order to broaden his mind for the service of G-d and for His Torah, as Rava said, (3) "Wine and fragrance [make my mind more receptive]," or in order to fulfill the commandment to enjoy the Sabbath and the festivals. (4)

[In the latter case his eating and drinking are not merely the means to a spiritual end, as in the previous example, but are a mitzvah in themselves, for we are enjoined to enjoy the Sabbath and festivals through eating meat and drinking wine.

When one eats and drinks in the above-mentioned manner] then the vitality of the meat and the wine which originated in kelipat nogah is then extracted from the evil and ascends to G-d like a burnt offering and sacrifice [i.e., the life-force of kelipat nogah that the food and drink contain is absorbed in Sanctity].

So, too, [concerning speech: The vitality of words spoken for a sacred purpose ascends and is absorbed in Sanctity. For example]: he who makes a humorous remark to sharpen his mind and make his heart rejoice in G-d and His Torah and service, which should be practiced joyfully, as Rava was wont to do with his pupils, prefacing his discourse with a humorous remark, whereupon the students became cheerful (5) [and thereby more receptive and better able to understand the discourse.

When a humorous remark is made with this intent, the vitality of the words, which originates in kelipat nogah, is extracted from the evil of kelipat nogah and is absorbed in Sanctity].

Footnotes:

1. In ch. 1.
2. According to the AriZal, all things, including inanimate objects,
possess a soul, which is the creative and preserving force of the
Creator, the thing's reality. This doctrine was adopted and
expounded by the Baal Shem Tov and the Alter Rebbe. See Shaar
HaYichud VehaEmunah ch. 1.
3. Yoma 76b.
4. Maimonides, Code, Hilchot Shabbat 30:7, Hilchot Yom-Tov 6:16;
Shulchan Aruch by the Alter Rebbe 242:1; 529:1,3.
5. Pesachim 117a (Rabbeinu Channanel's reading).

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DAILY MITZVAH (Maimonides): Wednesday, January 4, 2006

B"H

Tevet 4, 5766 * January 4, 2006

==================================================
D A I L Y M I T Z V A H (M A I M O N I D E S )
==================================================

Today's Mitzvot (Day 124 of 339):

Positive Mitzvah 124; Negative Mitzvah 213; Positive Mitzvah 122;
Negative Mitzvah 214
--------------------------------------------------------------------

Positive Mitzvah 124: Leaving Individual Fallen Grapes in the Vineyard

-Leviticus 19:10 "Neither shall you gather the single grapes of your
vineyard, you shall leave them for the poor and for
the stranger"

While picking the produce in his vineyard, it is likely that some
grapes may fall.

The Torah commands us to leave those individual fallen grapes so
the poor people may collect them for themselves (see Negative Mitzvah
213).

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Negative Mitzvah 213: It is forbidden to gather individual fallen
grapes

-Leviticus 19:10 "Neither shall you gather the single grapes of
your vineyard"

While picking the clusters of grapes from the vines some
individual grapes may fall off.

We are not allowed to pick these grapes up, but rather, we must
leave them for the needy.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Positive Mitzvah 122: Leaving a Forgotten Sheaf while Reaping

-Deuteronomy 24:19 "If you have forgotten a sheaf in the field, you
shall not go back to fetch it, it shall be for
the stranger, for the fatherless and for the widow"

Even after the reaping in the field has been concluded, there is
still another opportunity for the farmer to supply the poor man
with his needs.

The produce, which by now has been piled in bundles, must be
collected.

If a bundle is forgotten, the farmer may not go back to collect it.
It must be left in the field for the needy people (see Negative
Mitzvah 214).

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Negative Mitzvah 214: It is forbidden to collect a forgotten
"Omer" of grain in the field

-Deuteronomy 24:19 "(When you reap your harvest in your field) and
you have forgotten a sheaf in the field, you
shall not go back to get it"

When we reap our harvest and forget an "omer", which is a sheaf
of grain, we may not go back to fetch it. We must leave it for
the needy.

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"TODAY'S DAY": Wednesday, January 4, 2006

B"H

Tevet 4, 5766 * January 4, 2006

=======================
"T O D A Y ' S D A Y"
=======================

Shabbat, Tevet 4 5703

Torah lessons: Chumash: Mikeitz, Shevi'i with Rashi.
Tehillim: 23-28.
Tanya: Ch. 5. Let us explain (p. 17)...in Peri Etz
Chayim.) (p. 21).

The Rebbes of Chabad would review a parsha (1) or two of the weekly Sedra on Thursday night.

On Friday afternoon they began again from the start and completed the Sedra and Haftora. Shabbat morning before davening they reviewed from Shevi'i to the end again. When there were two Haftorot they said the one of the Sedra (2) on Friday and the other (for Rosh Chodesh, Machar Chodesh, etc.), on Shabbat.

Footnotes: (1) In accordance with the practice of reciting each
Sedra twice and the Onkelos translation into Aramaic
once, and studying the Sedra with Rashi's commentary.
(2) Haftora: The portion from the Prophets read after the
Torah-reading, and relevant to the Sedra of the week
or to the special occasion of that Shabbat.

----------

* There are good dreams in which Torah subjects are made known to the
person dreaming. (11)
These generally occur through concentrated devotion to Torah study
during the day. When someone studies Torah with great diligence or
engages in "service of the heart" - prayer (12) - with intense
effort, then at night - when his soul ascends (13) to draw forth life
for itself from the supernal Life, as explained in Zohar (14) -it is
informed of novellae in Revealed Torah or Inner Torah, (15) each
person according to his diligence in his Avoda during the day.

Footnotes:

(11) The notation for the day is relevant to the Sedra describing
Pharaoh's dreams. "Good" dreams are not fortuitous but result from
one's activities and efforts during waking hours.
(12) The Talmud (Taanit 2a) defines "service of the heart" Tefilla -
Davening.
(13) See Supplementary Footnotes, (p. 124 in the published version).
(14) Viz. Zohar III, p. 25a, et seq.
(15) See "On the Teachings of Chassidus," Kehot.

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Compiled and arranged by the Lubavitcher Rebbe in 5703 (1943) from the talks and letters of the Previous Lubavitcher Rebbe. Note: day of week and Torah lessons indicated are from 5703 (1943).

For a glossary of terms used in "Today's Day" please click here:
http://chabad.org/article.asp?AID=95867

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A7news: Hevron Jews Refuse to be Expelled

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Hevron Jews Refuse Expulsion Orders
Dozens of Yassam policemen and soldiers arrived in the Jewish Quarter in Hevron, but failed in their mission of distributing expulsion orders to 11 Jewish families.
Full Story Below

Headlines:
 1. Hevron Jews Refuse Expulsion Orders
 2. "Blue Skies" Not For Sderot; More Kassams Hit
 3. Election Updates
 4. New Kadima MK-to-be Discusses Democracy
 5. Moslem Inciters Accuse Israel of Undermining Al-Aksa
 6. MK Eitam: Netanyahu Will Allow Jerusalem to be Divided
 7. Israeli Defense Industry Reporting Successes
 8. On A7radio: College Activists Tour Judea & Samaria
 9. On A7radio: Music Miracle Man!

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Editor: Hillel Fendel
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
3 Tevet 5766

 

1. Hevron Jews Refuse Expulsion Orders
By Hillel Fendel

Dozens of Yassam policemen and soldiers arrived in the Jewish Quarter in Hevron, but failed in their mission of distributing expulsion orders to 11 Jewish families.

Kol Rina News Agency reports that the police employed strong violence against civilians, including women and children, who came to protest the expulsion of the Jews from the Jewish-owned land. The police say they were pelted with eggs and paint.

The area in question was emptied of its Jews during the Hevron massacre of 1929, when Arab mobs slaughtered 67 Jews in their homes and synagogues.

Hevron Jewish Community Spokesman David Wilder said, "They sent in the storm-troopers today. Dozens of police and soldiers came, and their goal was to hand out expulsion orders - and they failed. People refused to open the doors, and the forces were not even able to tape them to the doors. They got close to the doors, but they were pushed back, and they did not succeed in giving official notice of an impending evacuation. I heard that 6-7 people were arrested. People are very upset at the government's intention, and it appears that this was just a little taste of what the reaction will be if the government continues to try to throw them out. They showed that Hevron is not Gush Katif, and we have no intention of hugging and kissing the forces who come to throw us out of our homes."

One policeman was injured in the fracas, as was resident Baruch Marzel.

Spokesman Noam Arnon said, "This government, unsurprisingly, is clearly capable of carrying out the desires of those who murdered the dozens of Jews in Hevron in 1929, and throwing out Jews from Jewish land. It was exactly in this area, among others, that the Jews were killed... We merited to see Jews return to their land, but now the government wants to throw them out once again."

Hevron is considered Judaism's second-holiest city. It is home to the Machpelah Cave, in which are buried the Patriarchs and Matriarchs Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebecca, Jacob and Leah.

For almost 400 years, until 1929, Jews lived on a large plot of land in Hevron, commonly known as the Jewish Quarter. In August of that year, however, Arab residents massacred their Jewish neighbors, cruelly murdering 67 Jews in their homes. The survivors were hurriedly evacuated from the area, thus putting an end to the Jewish presence in the holy city for nearly four decades. The Jewish property, including houses and synagogues, was abandoned and left uninhabited.

In 1953, Jordanian troops assisted Hevron's Arab population in devastating the remains of the Jewish Quarter. The beautiful Avraham Avinu Synagogue was razed and turned into a goat sty, and apartment buildings were destroyed. Virtually nothing remained of the Quarter's earlier splendor, and the Jordanians built an outdoor food market on part of the land. The market continued to operate even after the Jews returned with the IDF's liberation of the city during the Six Day War in 1967.

Just over a decade ago, when Arab-initiated violence in Hevron was at one of its highs, the army decided to clear out the Arab store-owners in the marketplace. "The sole purpose for the closing," Wilder wrote at the time, "was to provide security for the Jews in Hevron, [which had been] jeopardized by the hundreds of Arabs who frequented the market every day." Then-IDF Chief of Staff Maj-Gen. Ehud Barak supported the decision.

Several years later, after 10-month-old Shalhevet Pass was shot to death by terrorists with a bullet to her head, Jews decided to renew their title to the land. They began renovating the stores, turning them into inhabitable apartments, and moving families in. Eleven families currently live there.

However, Arabs sued in Israel's Supreme Court against what they called the "infiltration" of the Jews to the stores in the Hevron market, and in fact, in 2003, the State committed itself to evict the Jews.

Hevron spokesman Noam Arnon said at the time, "The Supreme Court recently decided that the land should be given to the Arabs, even though it is clearly Jewish land that was robbed from us... The Court simply ignored the fact that this is Jewish land."

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2. "Blue Skies" Not For Sderot; More Kassams Hit
By Hillel Fendel

Six Kassam rockets hit Sderot and environs since last night, causing havoc - though no casualties or property damage - in many homes. IDF Chief Halutz admits: New IDF policy doesn't protect Sderot.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz admitted today, "The 'Blue Skies' Operation does not protect Sderot from Kassam rockets, but is designed mainly to protect Ashkelon." Halutz made the remarks at the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.

The Red Dawn early-warning alarm in Sderot sounded several times during the night, giving the residents a half-minute or less to take shelter.

Local residents were incensed at the press reports that the missiles landed in "open areas." One woman, Rina, a mother of four, said, "If they landed in open areas, then why are the soldiers outside my house, looking for the rockets? They haven't yet found the rockets, but the press rushes to announce that they landed in open areas, as if everything is OK."

Operation Blue Skies is a new policy according to which Arabs who enter an IDF-specified zone in northern Gaza from which Kassams are fired may be fired upon by IDF aircraft.

Arutz-7's Haggai Huberman reported last week, the day after Blue Skies went into effect, that the newly-created security zone protects only Ashkelon, but not Sderot and the western Negev. The zone consists of the destroyed communities of Elei Sinai, Dugit and Nissanit - those that oversee Ashkelon. The Arab-populated area of Beit Hanoun, however, is not touched by Blue Skies, even though it is the source of the majority of Kassam fire. "While Ashkelon is being protected, the lives of those living in Beit Hanoun are still being valued above those of the Jews living in Sderot," Huberman said.

Committee members indicated their displeasure with the IDF's response to the Kassam rockets. Committee Chairman Yuval Shteinitz (Likud) said, "Israel's deterrence against the Palestinian shooting is at a low point."

Likud MK Ehud Yatom, a former General Security Service (Shabak) deputy chief, said, "The IDF's response in Gaza is low-key and worrisome. We must take the initiative, and display deterrent power and military strength."

MK Aryeh Eldad (National Union) said that the number of rockets fired at pre-1967 Israel has doubled since the unilateral withdrawal from Gaza.

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3. Election Updates
By Hillel Fendel

New Knesset Members... Omri Sharon resigns... NRP and NU still far from union... Likud to quit government... Meretz chooses candidates, including hareidi woman...

Kadima MK Omri Sharon has finally announced his resignation from the Knesset, a month and a half after pleading guilty to having violated campaign finance laws and of lying under oath. Deliberations on his sentence, which is likely to include jail time, are to begin three weeks from now.

The Kadima Party has been beset with accusations of corruption since its inception, almost two months ago. Among its leading members are Tzachi HaNegbi, whom the police have recommended for indictment for allegedly illegal political appointments he made while serving as Environment Minister, and MKs Eli Aflalo and Ruchama Avraham. The two were reprimanded by the Knesset Ethics Committee, and are being investigated by State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss, for having traveled abroad last year at the expense of Agrexco. Agrexco is a vegetable and fruit exporting company whose activities are within the scope of the Knesset Finance Committee on which the two serve.

First and foremost, however, is Kadima leader Ariel Sharon, who is under investigation regarding a $1.5-million loan he received from a South African businessman. Police suspect it was really meant to serve as a bribe.

Though outgoing MK Omri Sharon is a member of Kadima, he was elected on the Likud party ticket, and therefore his Knesset seat will be filled by a Likud member - former MK David Mena. Three others who preceded Mena on the list - Eitan Sulami, who helped run Ariel Sharon's campaign against Binyamin Netanyahu in the Likud primaries of late 2002, former Third Way MK Avigdor Kahalani, and Tzion Pinyan - turned down the chance to become a Knesset Member.

In the Labor Party, former MK Sofa Landver will enter the Knesset in place of retiring Avraham (Beige) Shochat. Landver and Mena will not perform any Knesset duties, as the Knesset has dispersed until the elections in late March. Army Radio reported that Landver is likely to announce that she is joining Avigdor Lieberman's Yisrael Beiteinu party.

The Meretz Party has chosen its candidates for the Knesset. The list will be topped by Yossi Beilin, followed - in an order to be determined two weeks from now - by MKs Ran Cohen, Zahava Gal'on and Chaim Oron, former Peace Now chairman Mosi Raz, hareidi woman Tzviyah Greenfield of Har Nof, Jerusalem, and others. Greenfield says there is no contradiction between her hareidi lifestyle and her belief in "Live and let thrive," which is why she favors legalizing same-sex marriages.

The Likud has decided, at the behest of Party Chairman Binyamin Netanyahu, to quit the government as of next Sunday. Health Minister Danny Naveh explained today that though he was of the opinion that the four Likud ministers - himself, Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, Education Minister Limor Livnat, and Agriculture Minister Yisrael Katz - should remain in the government, he and they had bent to the will of the party chairman.

In other Likud news, Moshe Feiglin's withdrawal of his candidacy for a Knesset seat became final this morning. It happened when Likud Elections Committee Chairman Judge Tzvi Cohen ruled that Feiglin's conviction several years ago of "sedition" for having organized anti-Oslo protests was not a crime involving moral turpitude. The ruling paved the way for Feiglin to run for a party Knesset seat in the future, if he wishes.

The 1,000 Central Committee members of the National Religious Party will convene this afternoon in Nachalim for a preliminary meeting on the proposed party platform. The platform will be voted on next week. A rough draft of the platform allowed for the uprooting of Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, in the framework of a final-status peace agreement approved in a referendum. The proposal was greeted with shock in Judea and Samaria, where there still remains some support for the NRP, and the National Union party hurried to accuse the NRP of preparing the way to join a future Sharon government. However, the NRP quickly nullified the clause, saying that party leader Zevulun Orlev was against it as well.

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4. New Kadima MK-to-be Discusses Democracy
By Hillel Fendel

Lior Carmel, Israel Scouts Youth Movement secretary-general, has announced his resignation from the Scouts in order to join the Kadima Party, where he has been all but assured of a Knesset seat.


Married with three children under the age of 4, Lior and his wife live in Kibbutz Netzer Sireni, near Ramle.

Arutz-7 spoke with him today about his choice of party, and whether Sharon's ascendancy indicates the end of Israeli democracy. Excerpts:

A-7: "Can you tell me, how does it work? You get up one morning and decide that you want to be a Knesset Member, offer to join Kadima, and they give you a number on their Knesset list? After all, the polls predict 40 Knesset seats, but there aren't yet 40 Knesset candidates."

Carmel: "Obviously not, since there are five million adults in Israel - not everyone can join... The strategy of Kadima is to choose the best in every field. We all agree on the political platform, which is that concessions will have to be made, and we all agree that social infrastructures must be improved, etc., and in the other areas, the party seeks to find the best in each field. I dare say that I am an expert in youth affairs, and I will advance youth-related issues."

A-7: "Do you know what number you will be on the party's list of Knesset candidates?"

Carmel: "Believe me, that doesn't concern me at all."

A-7: "But it was clear that you will be in the Knesset."

Carmel: "Yes, that was agreed."

Carmel said that he had spoken not only to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, but also to two or three Kadima MKs and some advisors.

A-7: "The polls currently show that Kadima will receive 40 Knesset seats, give or take. How do you feel about the fact that if nothing changes drastically, one man will single-handedly determine the make-up of a third of the Knesset? Isn't this a major breach of the democratic values that you so dearly cherish?"

Carmel: "It's not Sharon that will determine, but rather the public on Election Day. The people are not voting for one man, but for the party. The public is smart and intelligent, and hopefully will decide to give Kadima at least 40 MKs. After the election, we will begin building democratic party organs."

A-7: "But as of now, Kadima doesn't even have 40 candidates with whom to fill its list; Sharon is merely searching around. So in comes someone like you, with a positive record and reputation in youth work, and he says, 'Great, you'll be number 30; next!' It's not as if you and the others will be able to differ with him; he has shown that he does not listen to his party - such as when the Likud voted against the disengagement, and in other issues. Certainly now, with new MKs who owe him their seat, how will you be able to have any influence?"

Carmel: "In my talks with Sharon and with the others, there were some things that I did not agree on, and I took home some food for thought, and I hope that he did the same... We saw that regarding Gaza, Sharon himself changed his mind [in promoting the withdrawal]; this means that he is willing to listen to others. At the same time, the Likud was a party in ideological crisis, and therefore the decision went to the Knesset -

A-7: - even though he had said that he would follow the party's decision -

Carmel: - and personally, I can say that if I feel that things are not being run [democratically], I'll leave..."

A-7: "You said that the people will decide. Isn't it true that there have been cases in fairly recent history where the people voted democratically and ended up bringing a dictator to power, in Germany, for instance?"

Carmel: "Woah, Germany?!"

A-7: "Are we not allowed to mention Germany?"

Carmel: "... In the U.S., the President appoints his own Cabinet ministers, and is involved in the appointment of judges..."

A-7: "Do you think the American people would accept a situation in which the President appoints a third, or a tenth, of the U.S. Senate? ... Do you not feel that you are giving up that which you feel is the most important value, that of democracy? You and the others in Kadima are becoming the foot-soldiers and water-carriers who will enable one man, with a history of acting very strong-armedly, to determine things such as what painful concessions have to be made. [Former Minister] Tzachi HaNegbi said, when he joined Kadima, that he personally opposes further unilateral measures, but that if Sharon decides differently, he will accept that. The theme of many in Kadima seems to be that you trust Sharon."

Carmel: "...I see that we don't agree... But we do agree on one thing - the importance of youth and their contribution."

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5. Moslem Inciters Accuse Israel of Undermining Al-Aksa
By Scott Shiloh

Moslem incitement on the Temple Mount has reached new depths, so to speak, as the chief cleric of the Al-Aksa mosque accuses Israel of building a synagogue under the mosque.

The cleric, Sheikh Mohammed Hussein, said at a news conference on Tuesday that Israel was building the synagogue in order to cause the mosque to collapse.

Israel has formally denied the charges, stating categorically that nothing at all was being developed under the mosque, let alone a synagogue.

A key speaker at the conference was Sheikh Ekrema Sabri, who holds the position of “General Mufti for Jerusalem and Palestine” for the Palestinian Authority.

Sabri told Wafa, the news agency for the Palestine Liberation Organization (the PA’s umbrella organization), that “the Israeli authorities have been exploiting the big gates of the western side of Al-Aqsa since 1996 through conducting a series of excavation works which ended with clandestinely erecting a synagogue.”

Another speaker at the news conference was Sheikh Raed Salah, head of Israel’s Islamic movement in the Galilee. Salah recently finished serving jail time after being convicted of providing assistance to a terrorist organization.

Salah threatened that Israel will be faced with war with the entire Moslem world for opening and excavating an underground tunnel parallel to the Western Wall. That tunnel has been opened to tourists since 1996.

Regarding the purported synagogue, Salah said it contained a model of the Temple and was located 27 meters from the Mosque of Omar, located roughly on the site where the Temple once stood.

Sabri said that the construction of the synagogue, which he described as having five rooms, “proves that the Israelis did not find any sign of the Temple. That is why they made up some rooms to vaguely narrate their religious history.”

The Palestinian Authority has repeatedly used attempts to deny the existence the Jewish Temples as a means to bolster their claim that the Jewish people have no legitimate rights to the land of Israel or Jerusalem.

The PA’s denial of the Temple’s existence was raised in the negotiations that took place at Camp David in the summer of 2000, just before the outbreak of the Oslo War. The issue was one of the factors leading to the breakdown of the talks.

Leading Israeli archeologists and Biblical scholars have accused the Moslem Wakf, or religious trust, of deliberately attempting to wipe out the archeological remains of the Temple. Over the past few years, the Wakf has been carrying out large-scale excavations on the Mount, especially beneath the Al-Aksa mosque, in an effort to expand the size of the mosque to accommodate thousands of worshippers.

Much of the earth excavated from that project, which is suspected of containing rich archeological remains dating from the First and Second Temples, has been dumped as garbage at Jerusalem refuse sites.

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6. MK Eitam: Netanyahu Will Allow Jerusalem to be Divided
By Ezra HaLevi

Former NRP chairman and current National Union MK Effie Eitam sharply attacked Likud chairman Binyamin Netanyahu, saying the former prime minister will not stand up against Jerusalem’s division.


National Union MKs toured the Maaleh Adumim region Monday. The MKs inspected areas surrounding Jerusalem where Arab construction is being carried out illegally using funds from the Palestinian Authority and Saudi Arabia.

“Jerusalem is being divided," MK Effie Eitam said, "with the consent of Sharon and Peres, and the illegal construction will leave Jerusalem surrounded by a fence, with a wall down the middle and surrounded by fire. Netanyahu won’t stop it if it is up to him.”

MK Eitam told Arutz-7 that Jerusalem is already being divided in the field: “I am very concerned that if alongside Netanyahu, there is not a bloc of right-wing Jewish parties, the connection between the nation and its land will become only a slogan for him. And we have already seen how far the Likud can deteriorate.”

Notably, Netanyahu’s campaign slogan in 1996 was "Peres will divide Jerusalem." Following a report in Newsweek quoting one of Sharon’s campaign advisors saying Jerusalem would have to be partitioned, Netanyahu has repeatedly implied that Sharon would implement such a move following elections.

Sharon has denied such intentions.

Eitam said the Likud does not understand that its political strength is tied with its adherence to clear right-wing principles. He said that such ambiguity has caused the party’s support to decline to a mere 15 mandates projected for the Likud in the coming elections.

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7. Israeli Defense Industry Reporting Successes
By Ezra HaLevi

Israel’s defense industry is booming, featuring the Merkava tank project and the US Navy’s purchase of Israeli decoy systems.


The US Congress recently approved a $17 million budget for the US Navy for further procurement of the Improved Tactical Air-Launched Decoy (ITALD) systems from Israel Military Industries (IMI).

Tactical Air-Launched Decoys are intended to confuse and saturate enemies’ air defenses, allowing attacking aircraft a higher probability of penetrating the target. The air-launched decoy appears as a real target on enemy radar screens. By replicating fighter aircraft, ITALDs suppress enemy missile effectiveness and support air-to-surface missions while assuring mission success, crew safety and aircraft survivability. The systems were exclusively developed and produced by IMI's Maltam Advanced Systems Division.

IMI has been supplying the US Navy with ITALDs for a decade, and the approval ensures regular production until at least the end of 2008. Order from the Navy now total more than $100 million and IMI is in the process of developing an even more advanced model.

IMI is reporting success on one of its other major projects - the Merkava tank program. Globes reports that exports of Merkava tank systems rose by 10% in 2005, to $200 million.

The number of Israelis working on the project was expanded by 5% (250 workers) to 4,760 over the past year – mostly in the areas of R&D and engineering. Another 5,000workers are employed indirectly as a result of the Merkava project – 90% of them in developing areas of the country, according to Globes.

A 50% increase in exports of Merkava tank systems to $300 million and the hiring of 2,000 more workers are projected by the Manufacturers Association for 2006.

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8. On A7radio: College Activists Tour Judea & Samaria
A7 Radio's "The Activist Hour" with Avi Hyman
The annual Betar volunteer trip to Judea & Samaria drops by Israel National Radio for an interview. Students discuss their feelings about touring and working the land first-hand. Plus Dennis Seaman, an attorney from Cleveland, Ohio talks about his building a music school in Kedumim dedicated to his father. For more info visit www.betar.org.

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For more A7 Radio visit www.IsraelNationalRadio.com.




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9. On A7radio: Music Miracle Man!
A7 Radio's "The Tamar Yonah Show"
Tamar Yonah: "I love it, and what is better, even my kids love it!" Lenny and his band, www.ShlockRock.com have brought many Jews back to Judaism. How does he do it? Listen to his amazingly funny and inspiring music on this show. You will be laughing, dancing and rockin' to Jewish music that will gladden your soul!

Listen Now -or- Download*

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For more A7 Radio visit www.IsraelNationalRadio.com.




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