David Mark is the founder and editor of Israel Rising. Besides Israel Rising, he heads up outreach for Ateret Cohanim in Jerusalem's Old City and acts as the Managing Director for Pulse of Israel. On the side he teaches classes that blend minimalism, mindfulness, and ecology with the teachings of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov.
The world is about to be thrown into a level of chaos of unknown proportions. None of this depends on the outcome of the elections in America. Either way the path ahead post elections is fraught with danger. The prophecies in the bible are clear. When the nations of the world gather and come against Israel’s control of Jerusalem, the Almighty himself will intervene and save his children. This prophecy can, like all prophecies be revealed in a variety of ways.
It is almost guaranteed that Obama will, especially if Trump wins come against Israel in the UN. Eventhough the UN Security Council vote will not come with a force of arms attached to it, the coming vote (which Obama will not veto) will lay down the “final boundaries” of a “Palestinian” State. This will include Israel’s biblical heartland of Judea and Samaria and “East Jerusalem.” Expect the Old City to fall under international control.
With three months left in Obama’s term there will not be enough time for the world to send forces against Israel. However the vote itself will fulfill the prophecy in both Zecharia and Yechezkiel. What will happen afterwards are events that have already been set into motion. The nations of the world instead of destroying Israel will fight one another as it says, “Jerusalem will be a Cup of Poison.” Russia is already preparing for war against the USA, as is China. Europe is preparing to repel an invasion from Russia. Iran and Syria are ready to attack Israel and Saudi Arabia is ready to defend against attacks from Iran.
Chaos is coming, but we know that chaos leads to order as it always has. Afterall in creation, night comes first followed by the day. Night represents chaos and day represents order. Noah and his children experienced intense chaos and yet when the door to the Ark opened, the world was ready to be put back together again by their descendents.
Rebbe Nachman of Breslov tells us the Messiah, descendent of King David will conquer the world without firing a shot. He will fight with prayer as “prayer is his main weapon” (Lekutei Mohran, Lesson 2). In a moment when the world has exhausted itself and G-dlessness reigns he is revealed to teach us that it is in fact the Creator who directly has done, does, and will do everything in the world for our good. The Messiah will open our hearts so we can worship the true King, G-d Almighty directly.
In Rebbe Nachman’s lesson concerning Tzohar (Lekutei Mohran, Lesson 112) the light in the Ark, he teaches that all holiness comes to the world surrounded by evil. We ourselves find it hard to allow the Creator’s light into our lives. The flood of anti-holiness and G-dlessness has gripped the world. However desperate things appear, Rebbe Nachman teaches that any of us can break through the layers of darkness and despair by making an opening to the Creator’s light within our own lives. Afterall, there is no despair in the world at all since everything is done for our own good.
What is coming may be scary, but it is the final moment of chaos and darkness before the greatest light is revealed. The Midrash in Yalkut Shemoni relating to the End of Days says: “Do not be afraid my children. Everything I have done I have done for you.”
In the second lesson of Lekutei Moharan Rebbe Nachman teaches that the main weopon of the Mashiach (Messiah) is prayer. In fact, in other teachings Rebbe Nachman was clear that the Mashiach will conquer the world without firing a shot. He will have such a connection between him and the Creator that he will be able to defeat the enemies of the Jewish people and their supporters through his speech.
All of us have an aspect of the Mashiach within and each of us can harness the divine weapon of prayer that allows us to not only change our reality, but plug into the Creator of the universe. The world may appear to be chaotic, yet we have the opportunity and capability to steady the ship.
Watch Rabbi Lazer Brody below teach us how to plug into the divine by using prayer to change our lives and the world.
Near the community of Pnei Hever/Maale Hever Arab terrorists burned down a prayer site and memorial known as Mitzpe Ziv dedicated to two young men killed 13 years ago mistakenly by the IDF.
Once a week families of the fallen boys and local residents would spend the sunrise in prayer and rememberence at the very site where they were killed. Activists and family members added olive trees, stone benches, and walls the site over the years. Recently, the local government even built a stone pergula over the site for Sukkot.
This morning was set to start like all the others until family members and residents arrived and saw that local Arabs had burned down the site, including the large olive tree planted in the boys’ memory. The attack set back years of work and created intense anguish for the families that were present.
Destroyed interior of Mitzpe Ziv Photo Credit: Akiva Ariel
“The families spent the morning contacting the army and police instead of spending time in prayer and remembering their sons. This should not have happened,” said Gidon Ariel, a resident of the nearby community of Maale Hever and founder of Root-Source.
Listen to Full Interview with Gidon Ariel below:
Head of Maale Hever’s community council Yigal Klein said the following: “Maale Hever is shocked at the burning down of Mitzpe Ziv. We need to continue to strengthen the area and make sure that permanent buildings are put there.”
1 The burden of the word of the LORD concerning Israel. The saying of the LORD, who stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundation of the earth, and formed the spirit of man within him: 2 Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of staggering unto all the peoples round about, and upon Judah also shall it fall to be in the siege against Jerusalem. 3 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will make Jerusalem a stone of burden for all the peoples; all that burden themselves with it shall be sore wounded; and all the nations of the earth shall be gathered together against it.
and again in chapter 14:
1 Behold, a day of the LORD cometh, when thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. 2 For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, but the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. 3 Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when He fighteth in the day of battle. 4 And His feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleft in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, so that there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. 5 And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azel; yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah; and the LORD my God shall come, and all the holy ones with Thee.
UNESCO has finally gone ahead and used its majority Arab membership to rewrite history and erase the deep and unwavering connection between the Jewish nation and Jerusalem. While it states in the text, which can be read in full here, “Affirming the importance of the Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls for the three monotheistic religions…” it clearly and unequicably only acknowledges Jerusalem’s Old City as having Palestinian heritage. Instead of viewing the Jewish return to Jerusalem and the national rectification of recieving back that which was stolen from it during theyears of forced Arab occupation as legitimate these regrown Jewish roots are seen through the veil of increased “occupation”.
Being a world body UNESCO has opened the first shot in the world’s war against Jerusalem as prophesized thousands of years ago. Israeli politicians, religous leaders, and acitvists have responded with anger and declarations. Afterall, nearly all Jews that have some sort of connection to the broader national belief set hold a bond that is unbreakable with Jerusalem. Despite the outcry, there is not much on a political level we can do. That in of itself may be the most painful aspect of all.
Rectifying Our Past, Reconnecting Our Future
As someone who considers himself a follower of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov, I journeyed to Uman, Ukraine to be by Rebbe Nachman’s grave for Rosh Hoshanah. Rebbe Nachman made it clear that his followers should continue to visit him for Rosh Hoshonah even after his departure from this world. “There is nothing greater that my Rosh Hoshanah,” Rebbe Nachman stated to his followers.
Of all of Rebbe Nachman’s teachings, none is more powerful than his exhortation to spend at least an hour a day in personal solitude in direct conversation with the Almighty. While in Uman I spent most of my time like many others next to Rebbe Nachman’s grave, yet when I wanted to be alone I walked quite a ways from the central area of rebuilt Jewish Uman. Just prior to Rosh Hoshanah I reached a quiet spot overlooking a river flowing out of Uman. It was at this spot I chose to speak to G-d. My hour long session was so meaningful I decided to return near to the same spot the next day, yet chose a different route to get there.
As I approached the area I noticed the color of the earth changed to black beneath my feet and there were broken tombstones all around for as far as I could see. I felt a sense of deep anguish in the area and after my hour long seclusion I located the rebuilt graves of Rebbe Nachman’s grandson and one of his chief students Reb Naftali. Nearby I found a sign noting the area was a the burial place for 3000 Jews slaughtered by the Ukrainians in the pogroms of 1920.
Destroyed Graves of the 3000 Jews Massacred in the Ukranian Pogroms of 1920
Jewish blood flows throughout Uman. From the Chmielnicki massacre of 1648 that saw nearly 30,000 Jews killed in Uman with over 500,000 in the rest of the Ukraine to the pogroms of 1920 to the Nazi exterminations in WW2. Rebbe Nachman stated clearly his ability to rectify the souls of the dead and the torments of the souls lying in Uman were clearly far greater than other places. Yet, I believe Rebbe Nachman has another agenda (one of many) by asking us to return to Uman year in and year out.
In many ways we are the rectification. After he leaves, the Tzaddik (rightous one) has no physical presence in our world, yet he continues to have an impact due to the fullfillment of his lessons and advice by his followers who are called his legs. It is our praying, singing, and dancing in a place of such pain that rectifies the broken souls left in the area.
The Long-Short Path
In the Talmud, tractacte Eruvin it states that Rebbe Yehoshua ben Hanniyah was travelling and saw a child at a fork in the road. He asked the child which way was the best to the city. The child said that one path was a short-long path and the other was a long short-path.
Rebbe Yehoshua ben Hanniyah took the short long path and very quickly came to the outskirts of the city and found that it was surrounded by gardens and orchards. He returned to the child and and said: “My child you said this was the short path.” The child responded to him: “No I said it was the long path.” Rebbe Yehoshua ben Hanniyah then said the following: “I kissed him on his head and I said to him, happy is Israel that all of them are with from the big to the small.”
This passage has tremendous lessons for our time. We the Jewish nation returned in great haste to our ancient homeland. Miracle after miracle has guided us and yet we insist on playing by the rules of the nations of the world. We rushed back so fast we have gotten lost in gardens and orchards of world politics and forgotten the surest way of crossing the proverbial finish line of redemption. The Jewish people wanted to so much to be back in Jerusalem we set out on the short-long path and cannot truly enter our city in a way that feels lasting. We have been forced to return to the fork in the road and take the other path no matter how long it seems it may take.
For me this path is the path of Uman, which by way of complete and pure faith reminds us that we as a nation are above the normtive rules of time and space. We are forever. Our war is not against UNESCO. They are a pawn played by the Almighty in the march towards fullfiling the prophecies laid out thousands of years ago. Our war is with ourselves; with that part of us that forgot what it means to trust in the Almighty and develop an instrinsic faith in G-d as a real active part of our lives, both personal and national.
Rebbe Nachman said many times that a great flood of anti-faith would rage around the world and at the end our war would be about recovering our own faith. By bringing us back to the geographical point where we had such faith that we were willing to die for it, we the Jewish Nation are able to recapture that part of us which was lost along the way.
UNESCO has no power to change the truth. In fact, it is telling that the sons of Ishmael who are supposedly faithful to G-d rely on earthly political constructs to erase our history. If they have stooped that low, we have only to reach inside ourselves to rise past them. That is our task and of course let G-d do the rest.
With all of the chaos and uncertainty spreading around the world these days I wanted to relate the following story from the life of Rebbe Nachman, the great Chassidic master.
In spring of 1808 after Rebbe Nachman had already diagnosed with tuberculosis he became gravely ill and near death while residing in Lemberg. He told his follower Reb Shimon to rush back to Breslov where he lived. There he told Reb Shimon to burn two copies of a manuscript he and his student Reb Nosson put together. This book held deep mystical teachings, so powerful they could bring redemption. Why burn them? Because Rebbe Nachman understood that it was either his death or the books and because he felt it was too early for him to go, the books must since the world was not ready for them.
Reb Shimon made the long journey and even became ill before he reached his destination. Fearing he would not be able to fulfill his master’s wishes, “Reb Shimon gave order that they sould carry him to the coach and lay him down inside. ” He eventually reached Breslov and regained his health. Upon doing so he wasted no time burning the two books, which became known as the Burnt Book. Rebbe Nachman miraculously regained his composure and lived another two years and a bit, teaching and spreading joy.
Rebbe Nachman understood that he had to let go of this amazing work to move forward and teach even more. That is the lesson. Sometimes we have to let go of the things we thought were concrete. With all of the darkness and confusion in the world, there is a bit of light underneath it all. We often times do not understand the reasons for particular events or how to cope with them. This transition we are witnessing on a global level requires us in many ways to let go of things we didn’t think possible. Yet if we do, we will all be able to achieve so much more.
Al Quds University, the Palestinian University in “East” Jerusalem actually situated in Abu Dis opened up a chapter just moments from the Temple Mount, site of the two destroyed Jewish Temples and the holiest site to Jews around the world.
In an attempt to appropriate and strengthen the Islamic and Arab narrative in the Old City of Jerusalem, Al Quds in the Old City is financed by the EU and other Palestinian Authority backers.
The area the Al Quds Jerusalem branch is located in is in between the Temple Mount, the Northern Jewish Quarter and the famous Kotel HaKatan (Small Western Wall). This area is more than just strategic, but historically and religiously significant to Jews. The Northern Jewish Quarter was the home to a thriving Jewish community up until the Arab pogroms of th 1920’s and 1930’s as well a few minutes walk from the now renovated Synagogues in the area.
By the Arabs making a play for the area they are attempting to alter the fragile balance in a Jewishly historic area of the Old City.
This last week I hopped on to the Lowell Yosef Galin Show for a short interview and discussion in connection this very magazine and its role in presenting an alternative approach to geopolitics and Israel’s connection to other indigenous peoples around the world.
Today Sam “Tzvi” Goodman our newest street reporter and myself decided to look and go near some of the gates to the Temple Mount many people don’t go near. These are mainly in the Northern area of the Mount. At each gate the police prevented from praying and in some places came out and stopped us from coming within 10 meters of the entrance. Watch the video below.
Jews Prevented From Praying Near Temple Mount Gates AgainSam Goodman Israel Rising’s newest street reporter and David Mark Israel Rising’s Founder approach several gates of the Temple Mount, not to ascend but just pray or take pictures and are turned away.
Posted by Israel Rising on Wednesday, September 21, 2016
Today’s trip into the depths of the “Muslim Quarter” brought myself and Rabbi Ben Packer to a recently reacquired pro
perty near to the Lion’s Gate. The property was found to belong to Jews when an attorney investigating another property saw this one listed in the binder.
Nestled up and to the left of the Lion’s Gate, the neighborhood has had no Jews living in it since the 1930’s when they were driven out. In fact, the Border Patrol by the Lion’s Gate stopped us before getting permission from their commanders to let us through.
The property shares a courtyard with an Arab family who were very pleasant and received us warmly. According to reports the Arab on Arab crime in the neighborhood makes it a dangerous area altogether. The family like others hopes that the presence of Jewish residents will bring much needed police and development.
Posted by Israel Rising on Tuesday, September 20, 2016
Turning Left at Lions GateContinued approach towards the new Jewish HomeRabbi Packer Enters the Newly Reacquired PropertyStill to be Renovated Room in New PropertyRenovating New Home
Very few people can express and discuss the issues the Jewish people and the State of Israel face with such clarityas Roseanne Barr. I have always found her an amazing spokeswoman for the truth because that is exactly how she guides her life by way of truth.
Watch below how Roseanne tackles multiple challenges Israel faces and most important of all her clear dismemberment of the radical left cum fascists. She nails it as she very rightfully states that BDS is Fascist.
Today’s trip into the depths of the “Muslim Quarter” brought myself and Rabbi Ben Packer to a recently reacquired pro
