The Polish national anthem, in a glass-half-full kind of way, solemnly declares, “Poland is not yet lost.” These optimistic words, which do not actually sound very cheerful, especially when performed to the anthem’s depressing tune, were written by Jozef Wybicki in 1797, two years after the third and last partition of Poland between the great powers of the day: czarist Russia, Prussia, and Austria.
Poland, once an empire in its own right, never recovered. It did not become an independent state again until 1918, and then enjoyed independence only briefly, until Nazi Germany invaded it on Sept. 1, 1939, and proceeded to occupy and destroy it, aided by the Soviet Union. After the war, Poland, which had been reduced to rubble by the Germans, was once again devoured, when the Soviet Union occupied it and made it a satellite state, cut off from the non-communist world by the Iron Curtain. Only after the end of the Cold War did Poland re-emerge as a self-determining state.
As reported by Israel Hayom, the governing Law and Justice party in Poland has embarked on a strategy to promote certain glamorous episodes in Poland’s history, such as the anti-communist resistance after World War II, while aiming to suppress the discussion and research into less convenient topics, particularly how Poles helped massacre their Jewish compatriots during the Nazi occupation. The current nationalist government’s revisionist historical policies should be viewed in the light of the above history, which has informed how Poles have seen themselves and others throughout the centuries.
One obvious aspect of Polish history, which cannot be emphasized enough, is the prevalence of a virulent antisemitism that continues to haunt the country today. After World War II, the few Jews who had been left alive out of a pre-war Jewish population of over 3 million were met by Poles who had moved into their houses and overtaken their valuable possessions — many of which have not been repatriated to their rightful owners to this day, since communist Poland subsequently expropriated many of them. On top of all that, the Poles rained fresh pogroms on the heads of the Jewish concentration camp survivors, such as the terrible pogrom in Kielce in 1946.
Jan Tomasz Gross, the historian who more than anyone has revealed the extent of Polish war crimes against Jewish neighbors during the Nazi occupation, is being demonized by the current Polish government, with the president even threatening to strip him of a national honor bestowed upon him 20 years ago. The truth hurts, no doubt, but Gross has not relented, claiming that Poles killed more Jews than they killed Germans during the war, which is not an unreasonable claim at all, given the speed and ease with which Germany occupied Poland and the zest with which Poles threw themselves into killing Polish Jews, as documented by Gross in his book, Neighbors.
Antisemitism flared up again after the 1967 Six-Day War, when Poland decided to take the Soviet dissatisfaction with Israel out on the country’s remaining Jews — around 13,000 of them — by firing them from jobs, denying them the right to study at university, and various other forms of harassment. Consequently, nearly all the remaining Polish Jews left Poland between 1968 and 1972.
Yet, even in a country largely bereft of Jews — albeit with a burgeoning Jewish cultural industry, which profits from the country’s wealth of Jewish history — antisemitism persists like a plague for which there is no cure. In November 2015, a protest against taking in Muslim refugees at the western city of Wroclaw ended with the burning of an effigy of an ultra-Orthodox Jew holding the flag of the European Union. Antisemitic graffiti is not uncommon and even the Polish language has traces of it with some Poles using the expression “to Jew” as a way to communicate all things unsavory.
Polish society is very formal, and communication is always polite, with men being addressed as “sir” and women as “madam.” Not that long ago, it was still common for men in polite society to greet women with a symbolic kiss on the hand in the old-fashioned French way, from where Polish culture has traditionally taken many of its cues. So much more disturbing is the primitive undercurrent of antisemitism, which exists just under the polished veneer, as it has indeed done throughout history in all European societies.
Before embarking further upon the jingoistic course of historical enhancement, the Polish government might want to reflect on the tremendous debt it owes to the Polish Jews, for everything they brought into Polish culture and for the murderous way in which the Poles ultimately repaid them. They ought also to ask themselves if Poland itself is served well by glossing over the crimes that were committed in order to communicate a picture post card to the younger Polish generations. Viewed from Israel, the question that inevitably comes to mind is this: How dare they?
This article was originally published by Israel Hayom.
Throughout the entire Scroll of ESTHER, G-D’s Name does not appear even once. Upon a casual reading, it would seem that Haman, Aḥashverosh, Mordekhai and Esther are fully responsible for the incidents taking place. Intrigue, human jealousies and political machinations all account for the twists and turns within the Megillah as events of great significance to the Jewish people unfold.
After completing the Megillah, however, it becomes clear that the juxtaposition of all the coincidences is nothing short of miraculous as HaShem’s Hand becomes visible through the thin veil of history. It is important to note that the story took place over a period spanning roughly ten years. Aḥashverosh’s party took place in 3395, Haman drew the lots in 3404 and Israel won our victory in 3405 (dates according to Seder HaDorot). Living through that period, one would probably not have noticed anything extraordinary taking place as everything was unfolding according to a natural progression of political events. There was nothing especially supernatural about the series of occurrences we retroactively understand to have been miraculous.
Our Sages teach in the Jerusalem Talmud (Brakhot 1:1) that the Purim story serves as a model for understanding the process of Israel’s ultimate redemption. Through the epic story of mankind, HaShem weaves the goal of Creation. When making the effort to closely examine our own times from a more holistic perspective, we can see G-D orchestrating the historic events – large and small – that have brought the Jewish people back to our borders and are bringing the world ever closer to perfection.
We celebrate Purim today with great joy because we are familiar with the story’s happy conclusion. But the Hebrews of ancient Persia – who actually lived through the events – must have been terrified at the threat of state-sanctioned annihilation. And Mordekhai, who the Jewish people now praise as a national hero, was actually much less appreciated in his own generation. A superficial reading of ESTHER can even lead one to attribute Mordekhai blame for placing his people in such a dire situation.
“All the king’s servants at the king’s gate would bow down and prostrate themselves before Haman, for so had the king commanded concerning him. But Mordekhai would not bow and would not prostrate himself.” (ESTHER 3:2)
The rabbinic leadership of Shushan at the time strongly condemned Mordekhai’s refusal to bow down before Haman. Comfortable with life on foreign soil, they feared Mordekhai might provoke Persian Jew-hatred and spoil their enjoyable Diaspora existence. But Haman had either engraved the image of an idol on his robes (Ibn Ezra) or attributed to himself the powers of a deity (Rashi). Because it is well known that the Torah directs one to die rather than bow down to a false god, the condemnation of Mordekhai seems somewhat unjustified.
In Ohr Ḥadash, the Maharal of Prague clarifies the rabbinic position by explaining that Mordekhai went out of his way to appear before Haman in order to purposefully demonstrate that he would not bow, thus creating an otherwise avoidable confrontation. The Sages record how the Jews of Persia reacted.
“They said to Mordekhai, ‘Know that you are putting us at the mercy of that evil man’s sword!’” (Agadat Esther 3:2; Megillah 12:2, commentary of the Radvaz)
“So the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate said to Mordekhai, ‘Why do you disobey the king’s command?’ Finally, when they said this to him day after day and he did not heed them, they told Haman, to see whether Mordekhai’s words would avail; for he had told them that he was a Jew.” (ESTHER 3:3-4)
A close reading of the Megillah reveals that Mordekhai’s refusal to bow before Haman was not an isolated occurrence. Rather, he had gone out of his way several times in order to walk near the minister and publicly antagonize him. Because Mordekhai could have easily avoided the situation but instead engaged in actions that were deliberately confrontational, Shushan’s Jewish leaders seem justified in their condemnation.
Even when Mordekhai saw that “Haman was filled with wrath” (ESTHER 3:5), he continued to intentionally provoke the king’s viceroy. Based on his actions and the Talmud’s teaching (Pesaḥim 64b) that a person is forbidden from relying on miracles, one could easily argue that Mordekhai behaved irresponsibly with the lives of his people. The Maharal, however, defends Mordekhai’s behavior by asserting that challenging Israel’s enemies ultimately leads to the full manifestation of HaShem’s Ideal for this world.
The Midrash recounts that Mordekhai explained to Haman that the reason he would not bow was that he was born of kings from the tribe of Binyamin. Haman countered, “But Yaakov, Binyamin’s father, bowed before Esav, my ancestor.” Mordekhai answered him in turn, “Yes, but that was before Binyamin was born. He was born in Eretz Yisrael, and his soul, therefore, was an elevated soul. He would not bow down before others.” (Esther Rabbah 7:9)
Rabbi Yaakov Moshe Ḥarlop – a leading student of Rabbi Avraham Yitzḥak HaKohen Kook – explains in the sixth volume of Mei Marom (based on teachings from the holy Zohar) that subordination to gentile rulers is a form of idolatry. Israel must trust completely in the Kadosh Barukh Hu (G-d), who controls and directs all historic events. To fear foreign nations is to reject G-d’s supremacy and a terrible desecration of His Divine Ideal.
The Talmud (Brakhot 7b) discusses whether appeasement or confrontation is the proper course of action when dealing with gentile antagonism towards Israel. While Rabbi Shimon bar Yoḥai – who himself resisted the Roman oppressors of his generation – teaches that it is acceptable to antagonize and provoke the wicked, the Talmud concludes that not everyone is capable of following this position. Only a person whose motivation is purely for the sake of heaven can allow himself to take such dangerous risks.
Mordekhai refused to humble himself before Haman, arguing that Hebrews must stand strong in the face of aggression. The rabbinic leadership of Shushan agreed with Mordekhai in principle but felt that in order to display such courage, the Jews had to first feel internal strength. Mordekhai rejected the notion that his people were weak and instead recognized Israel’s true inner potential. He argued that even if Jews first need to feel internal strength before being able to stand up against Haman, that strength will never come while they remain on their knees. In fact, bowing to tyrants is precisely what leads people to mistakenly believe they lack the power to assert their rights. Haman was already seeking an excuse to destroy Israel and demands for submission could easily lead to further oppression. Appeasing evil, according to Mordekhai’s logic, would only succeed in encouraging further evil.
As G-d’s chosen people and national expression in this world, Israel must realize our own inner strength. When the Persians came to destroy the Jews, Mordekhai led our people into battle and prevailed. The actual decree to annihilate Israel had not been rescinded and the Jews were required to take up arms against those who had sought our destruction. At that point, Israel realized our true inner might by taking the initiative and killing 75,800 Persians without losing even a single Hebrew life. The message is clear for every generation. Israel must demonstrate confidence in itself and an iron determination to defy its oppressors. Mordekhai teaches that it is not through appeasement that one achieves peace but rather through the courage, self-assurance and unbreakable certainty in G-d’s Ideal that empowers us to resist the malevolent plans of our antagonists.
The real and tangible occurrence of the Jewish Revival in Papua New Guinea represents a unique opportunity for both the Jewish people and the State of Israel to both clarify and explore its own roots, priorities, history and religious direction. For on this small island just a few miles above northern Australia there are the rumblings of both a Jewish renaissance and a Zionist mission; there are Jews that had lost their Judaism and now desire to return to their Mosaic roots and tribal peoples that claim their Judaism to stem from the Ten Lost Tribes. There are ancient peoples that anxiously await their return to the Land of Israel and modern Rabbis that have taken upon themselves the task of teaching these tribes modern Judaism in its chiefly Ashkenazi and Sephardic forms. The Israeli government has established relations with the government of Papua New Guinea and Israeli high tech companies have aided the indigenous peoples of this still largely untouched and virgin land.
The story of “Jewish” Papua New Guinea, and how we as Jews and Israelis relate to it, will affect the ancient Jews of Africa and of India, of South America and of the Native Americans in the United States that also claim Jewish ancestry. For this is a story of lost lands and lost peoples, of both ancient and modern Jewish history, of conquests and intermarriage, of polytheism (re)turned to monotheism, of cannibalism turned to humane practices under the influences of modern religion. It is a story of hope and dialogue and fundamentalist Christianity and ancient Judaism, a story of prayer for a better future and a future based on the teachings of the past.
This saga in many ways reflects the struggles of the tribes of Africa that claim ancient Jewish roots or at the very least desire to become one with the Jewish people through identification with the bible and its people. It mirrors the aspirations of groups of peoples from Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas that, while not always yearning to come home to Israel, most definitely identify with the Jewish people and want to unite with its renewed spirit.
For me, as a Jew, it represents fundamental questions of identity, of an entire history unknown to the average Jew, of a need for renewed definitions of who we are as a people, of empathy for an entire globe of nations that have found empathy towards us with barely a mutual nod back in their direction. It is a type of tshuva – repentance – for ignorance and perhaps even prejudice and it is an opportunity that must not be missed and that has only become possible with the creation of the modern State of Israel.
The Jewish journey back to Papua New Guinea begins only tens of thousands of years after the original establishment of humans on the island, when the first Europeans landed in 1526. Ironically, it was the Portuguese explorer, Jorge de Menezes, himself a Jew forced into secrecy after the Spanish and Portuguese Inquisitions, who discovered the islands and began its exploration. Other Jews forced from Spain and Portugal during the late 1400s and the 1500s would soon arrive at the island, Jews that had been followed by the Inquisitors from Europe to Peru and on to Japan. From Japan, some made their way to Papua New Guinea. The Jewish Diaspora includes cousins of distant geography but of shared historical experience. It is entirely possible that some of the Jews of Peru share common Jewish heritage with the modern Jews of New Guinea. There may be ancient Jews in New Guinea as well, but this will be discussed in Part Two.
A member of the Gogodala tribe of Papua New Guinea. The tribe claims to be of Jewish origin. Credit: Tim Long, Florida International University.
These Jews of Papua New Guinea eventually intermarried and found their way to missionary Christianity, with its messianic Message. It is, perhaps, this message that burned within them to find salvation’ albeit not Christian salvation, through a return to their Jewish roots hundreds of years later. But not all became outwardly Christian – some intermarried with native tribes and indeed carried the harsh lessons learned from the Inquisition. To this day, many feel that it is forbidden to enter a church for “it is an evil place”. Some even give their children the name of Sukkot, Torah and Menorah, as recalled in a fascinating article by Rabbi Yossi Serebryanski.
In 2007, then Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare, stated that his people would always worship the God of Israel and the entire country is full of Israeli flags during the Israel Day of Independence. This is indeed and incredible phenomenon that requires far more study.
The story of the Jewish Return in Papua New Guinea, however, is far more complicated and far more subtle. In Part Two we shall take up the exploits of Professor Tudor Parfiit, known as the “British Indiana Jones”. Professor Parfitt has been exploring ancient Jewish tribal communities for many years and indeed was one of the first to show a Jewish historical link to the Lemba tribe in Africa.
The Jewish Diaspora has left bits and pieces to be slowly and carefully fit together, with waves of Jewish immigration from the times of King Solomon’s trading ships and the later forced migration from Israel of the Ten Lost Tribes, through the Inquisitions, the Dutch East India Trading Companies, the Jewish immigration to America and the modern return to Israel. The Papua New Guineans, both ancient and new, represent a small but significant piece of this puzzle and the modern Jewish confrontation with those that are truly descended from Israel and those that clearly want to become associated. This is a story of ancient and modern, and thus a fitting narrative for the new Jewish Return.
In this article I’ll outline some of the prophecies about the people of Israel that already came true and what’s going to happen next.
First I have to say that I’ll mention 2 types of prophecies. First are prophecies that are written in the bible. Second are events that were predicted by the prophets but were not written and were only passed orally, until our Rabbis wrote them later on in the Midrash or in the Talmud. What I won’t mention are vague prophecies that can be interpreted in a lot of ways, but will only mention explicit prophecies.
All the prophecies are written in Hebrew or Aramaic, and unless I specified otherwise, all the translations are mine.
What Has Already Happened
The Prophet Moses said about the exile of the people of Israel, more than a thousand years in advance (Deuteronomy 28:62-64):
“And only a few of you will remain after you’ve been a huge people like the stars of the sky, and God will spread you to all lands all over earth”.
Moses further said about the time of this exile that it’ll be tough for the people of Israel, and predicted anti-Semitism (Deuteronomy 28:37):
“And you’ll be laughed at amongst all people…”
He also wrote about that exile (Deuteronomy 28:65, 28:67):
“And amongst those people you won’t have peace…. And God will make you anxious and afraid and bring sorrow to you souls, and you’ll be scared in nights and days and you won’t believe in your life. In the morning you’ll pray to live until the night, and at nights you’ll pray to live until the mourning, because you’ll be scared that much from what your eyes will witness”.
He further said (Leviticus 26:38-39)
“And you’ll be lost in the countries of other nations, and the countries of your enemies will exterminate you. And the ones who are left would suffer greatly for their sins in the countries of their enemies, and because they sinned themselves, they’ll suffer greatly even for the sins of their ancestors”.
Depiction of Jews going to exile after destruction of the Holy Temple
Moses also wrote (Leviticus 26:32):
“And I’ll make the land (the holy land) a desert, and your enemies won’t be able to build it, so the land will be a desert and your cities will remain in ruins”.
Moses predicted that the enemies of the people of Israel won’t be successful in this land, although they’ll try. And so said the Ramban in his commentary on this verse, about 800 years ago. And Mark Twain (The Innocent Abroad 1867) said that the land of Israel is a desert and it is like it is cursed. Now that the people of Israel returned to it there’s no curse any more.
Prophet Moses also said that the people of Israel would survive the exile (Leviticus 26:44):
“And even when they’ll be in the countries of their enemies, I (God) won’t be so disgusted of them as to kill them all, and by that to break my covenant with them, because I am their God. And I’ll remember the covenant I made with their ancestors when I saved them from Egypt in front of other nations, and called my name upon them, I am God!”
Not only did Prophet Moses know the people of Israel would survive the exile, but he explicitly said the people of Israel would return to their land (Deuteronomy 30:4-5):
“If you’ll be lost in the end of the sky, even from there God will unite you and take you. And God will bring you to the land he gave your ancestors and it’ll be given to you, and he’ll bring blessing to you and make you prosper even more than your ancestors”.
Well this prophecy is still in the process of coming true, waiting for the rest of the people of Israel to return to the holy land (Jews abroad as well as the Igbo, Pashtuns, and other lost Israelites) and for the great blessing to come. This process has obviously begun.
Pashtun
It is written in the book of Zohar (a Midrash of Kaballa) on page 116 about the following prophecy that was passed orally to the Rabbis who wrote the book:
“In the year 5600 (5600 years since Adam and Eve according to the Hebrew calendar) the gates of wisdom will be opened above, and the springs of lower wisdom too, and the world we get prepared to be fixed for the 7th millennium” (‘springs’ is a literal translation from the Aramaic word ‘Mabuee’, which doesn’t fit perfectly in English).
According to the Hebrew calendar, this year, 2016, is 5776, so 5600 is 1840, which is the last year of the Industrial Revolution when the “lower wisdom” (science) advanced tremendously. Some think the “higher wisdom” is the Hassiddic branch of Judasim, but this is less obvious than what the “lower wisdom” that advanced was.
It is written in the Talmud on Megila, page 6:
“Rabbie Yisshak said, what does this verse mean (Psalm 140:9): ‘God, do not grant the desires of the wicked; do not let his thoughts succeed, for they are constantly haughty (Chabad translation)’? Yaakov said to God, ‘the king of the world, don’t grant Esaw (Yaakov’s brother) his desires, don’t let his thoughts succeed’. This is Germanya of Edom (recognised by the commentaries of the Talmud, hundreds of years ago, as today’s Germany, which is called in Hebrew Germanya). If they do not go, they destroy the world. And Rabbi Hama son of Hanina said, there are 300 kingdoms in Germamya of Edom (Germany), and 365 dukes in Rome, and every day they go out one against the other and one of them is killed, so they are too bothered for uniting under one king.”
According to this oral prophecy, Germany’s 300 kingdoms would not unite because they fight the Romans, and once they’d stop fighting them, they’d destroy the world. The “Holy” Roman Empire ruled over more than 300 kingdoms of Germans prior to 1806. Then came Napoleon and conquered the Germans. As a result, The Germans united. In 1882, Italy joined forces with Germany and Austria-Hungary, so they officially stopped fighting. In 1914 Germany started WW1, which caused the death of over 16M people (about 9M of them were civilians). In that war Italy actually didn’t help Germany even though they made a pact, but a few years later, Germany started WW2 with the help of Italy, which caused the death of 50M-85M people, which basically means they destroyed the world.
Prophet Yehezkel wrote (36:20-24) (Chabad translation):
“And they entered the nations where they came, and they profaned My Holy Name, inasmuch as it was said of them, ‘These are the people of the Lord, and they have come out of His land.’ But I had pity on My Holy Name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations to which they had come. Therefore, say to the house of Israel; So says the Lord God: Not for your sake do I do this, O house of Israel, but for My Holy Name, which you have profaned among the nations to which they have come. And I will sanctify My great Name, which was profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am the Lord-is the declaration of the Lord God-when I will be sanctified through you before their eyes. For I will take you from among the nations and gather you from all the countries, and I will bring you to your land.”
In the book of Zohar, second part, page 124, it is written:
“Rabbi Hiya said: Because the people of Israel are getting circumcised, they beat their enemies and get their land”.
Based on those prophecies, the Ramban wrote in his commentary of Song of songs chapter 8:
“After he mentioned the redemption of Efrayim, who are the 10 tribes (who are the Pashtuns who will return to Israel soon), he mentioned the redemption of Yehuda (the Jews), and said ‘even with the blood of your Brith I sent you away’ (meaning that in general, circumcision should prevent the people of Israel from being sent away from the holy land, and this case was special because even though they were circumcised, they were still sent away). He hinted here that at the end of days, there will be a generation that is all bad, the Torah will be forgotten from them, there’ll be a lot of insolence in that generation, but one right they’ll all have – circumcision”.
Biafrans in support of Israel
Now, those 3 writings fit reality very accurately. Basic theology says that the righteous get a reward, so it might come as a huge surprise that after 2000 years of keeping the Torah, and even giving up life for keeping it, refusing to convert religion, it was a generation of secular Jews who didn’t keep the Tora who returned to the holy land and created the state of Israel. Surprising as it might look, Prophet Yehezkel said that returning to Israel won’t be a reward, but an action of God protecting His name. By letting the secular Jews return to Israel he also saved a lot of secular Jews from mixing with other people, and, by that, stopping their Jewish lineage (The high mixing percent of the secular Jews in the US and Europe prove just that.) And here comes the Ramban and analyzes that prophecy and the prophecy-hint in the Song of songs, saying that generation will have one thing going for it – circumcision. In fact, those secular Jews who returned to the holy land, although being secular, were all circumcised and they all circumcised their children, even though this commandment is one of the strangest of all the commandments of the Torah. (By the way, please notice that the realization of these prophecies is very bad news for those who thought God left the people of Israel.)
It is also written in the book of Zohar, in Va’Erah, page 32 (written before Islam and a lot before the Arabs conquered the holy land):
“Damn that moment that Yishmael (Ismail) was born and got circumcised. What did God do? He kept the chlidren of Yishmael away from being mentally close to him and gave them a grip on the holy land, as a reward for their circumcision. And in the future (our present) the children of Yishmael would control the holy land when it is empty of anything, like their circumcision is incomplete, and they’ll prevent the people of Israel from returning to their land, until their reward for their circumcision will be over”.
What’s Next?
In the book of Zohar, it is written (Va’Erah, page 32):
“The children of Yishmael will start big fights in the world, and they’ll make the people of Edom (Europe, Russia, US) unite and attack them. They’ll fight them in the sea and in the land, and there will be a fight close to Jerusalem. And Edom will control Yishmael, but the holy land would not be given to Edom. Then another nation from the end of the world will start a war against the evil Romans (Edom), which will last 3 months, and a lot of nations will unite against that nation but they’ll fall, until all the people of Edom (Europe, Russia, US) will unite, and then God will say enough is enough”.
ISIS are playing out that prophecy accurately. We would expect something in the sea, although maybe all those ships that are firing on Syria is a fight in the sea. Then the Europeans/Russia/US/All of them would conquer some countries of the Arabs. A fight near Jerusalem might occur in Jordan. Then some other nation, who knows who (China? Iran who aren’t Arabs? Korea?) will attack Edom in the last war.
We also know that the tribes of Israel (the Pashtuns, Igbo, Lemba, and others) will come back (Deuteronomy 30:4-5, already written above):
If you’ll be lost in the end of the sky, even from there God will unite you and take you. And God will bring you to the land he gave your ancestors and it’ll be given to you, and he’ll bring blessing to you and make you prosper even more than your ancestors.
We know that from other prophecies too (Jeremaya 31:16):
(God tells Rachel, the mother of Binyamin and Josef (father of Yusufzai, Afridi – Pashtun tribes, and Menashe), but actually talking to the people of Israel who are called by her name, like we are called by our father’s name Israel/Yaakov) “There is hope for those who remain of your children, said God, and sons will return to their land”.
Yishaaya 51:11:
“And those who were saved by God will return, and they’ll come singing to Zion (Jerusalem), with a huge happiness with them. they’ll have joy and happiness, and all graveness and sorrow will be gone”.
Yehezkel 37:16-22:
“(God is telling prophet Yehezkel) And you, son of Adam, take a piece of wood and write on it “for Yehuda (the Jews) and for Benei Israel his friends”, and take another piece of wood and write on it “for Yosef, the tree of Efrayim (Afridi. The tribes that lived in the kingdom of Yehuda were called simply Yehuda and the other tribes were called simply Efrayim/Yosef), and for all the house of Israel, his friends (the friends of Efrayim – the rest of the Pashtun tribes)”. Bring them closer to each other, make them one in your hand. When your people will ask you – what is your business with those? answer them: The lord God has spoken – I am taking the wood of Yosef which is in the hand of Efrayim and the tribes of Israel, his friends, and I’m putting on it the wood of Yehuda, and I am making them one wood, so they will all be one in my hand. (God keeps on speaking to prophet Yehezkel) And put those pieces of wood in your hands in front of their eyes and tell them – So has spoken the lord God: I am taking Bene Israel from the other nations where they went, and I’ll unite them from all corners and bring them to their land. And I’ll make them one people in their land – the mountains of Israel, and one king will rule them all (son of King David), and they will never be separated to 2 kingdoms again”.
Jews of KaiFung China
We also know this from a lot of other prophecies. And how will that happen? In the book of Magid Mesharim, an angel told Rabbi Yossef Karo (Ssaw, right before the part on slaughtering):
“(Kings 2, 7:9) ‘This day is a day of tiding’, like you thought. Prophet Yishaaya said about that day (41:27): ‘The first one to Zion, behold, behold them, and for Jerusalem I will give a herald’ (Chabad translation). The way of the world is that when a king comes back to its house, a few heralds are coming to give the tiding of the king’s return. The first one says that the king is coming in 10 days, the second says he’s coming in 5 days, the fourth says the king’s coming in 4 days, etc. Finally the last one says the king is very close to the city. The prophet said that at the redemption of the people of Israel, it won’t be like that, but it would happen all of a sudden, and the first herald will say that they are here! the tribes of Israel are here, and their return will be so sudden that even though they’ll be very close, the people of the city won’t notice them until the herald will tell them that in Zion – the palace of the king…”
From here we learn that some time in the middle of the predicted war between Yishmael and Edom, or during the last war, the tribes of Israel, who are mainly the Pashtuns as well as other groups like the Igbo, Bnei Menashe, Lemba, and others will return to their land very quickly. This will happen so quickly that the Jews in Israel will notice it only after a lot of them will already be in Israel.
We also know that in that time, the people of Israel won’t be too righteous (maybe most will be secular like they are now), because Prophet Malaahi said (3:22-24):
“Remember the Torah of my servant Moses, whom I commanded in mount Sinai, laws and justice over all the people of Israel. I’m sending you Prophet Eliya before the big day of God. That he may turn the heart of the fathers back through the children, and the heart of the children back through their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with utter destruction” (partly Chabad translation).
Let’s all remember a rule the prophets taught us – good prophecies will surely come true, but bad ones depend on our ways. If we fix our ways, a punishment (bad prophecy) can be cancelled. And lets all wait for this great and awesome day, when all the people of the world will know God is one and only one, blessed Him, and He’ll show us great miracles, even greater than those our ancestors witnessed in Egypt and the Sinai desert, more than 3000 years ago.
The most significant undeclared contemporary war of our time is with Islam. The first salvo took place November 4, 1979, the day Iran took US citizens hostage in Tehran and held 52 of them against their will for 444 days. While 9/11 was the worst single tragedy by far, it wasn’t the beginning. That was a wake-up call, which which has largely been ignored, especially by President Obama.
Some may suggest there is no such war. Others claim it is the West that has declared war on Islam. Neither statement is correct. The fact is Islam has declared war. War on democracy, the West, the US, Israel, Jews, Christians and all “infidels,” which includes other Muslims. We are in perilous times. The very fabric of the free world is under attack. Unless democratic nations, especially the US, acknowledge this and take steps to combat the threat, Islam may eventually engulf everyone and everything.
The most important and powerful leader in the free world is the President of the United States. He should be at the forefront of this battle. Yet President Obama has steadfastly refused to correctly identify what everyone else knows — the United States (and the free world) is in the crosshairs of Islam. Their goal is to see the Islamic flag over the White House.
New normal
If you are one of those who doesn’t think we are in a crisis, consider this- Prior to the ’79 takeover of the US embassy in Iran, how often did you hear these terms: “jihad,” “Islamic fundamentalist,” “martyr,” “Allah,” “alluah Akbar,” or “Sharia law?”
Today they are commonplace and exemplify the new normal the US and the world lives with. In fact it would be an unusual day if we didn’t hear any of these terms.
I recall when it was possible to walk out to the gate at the airport to meet an incoming passenger. How about when there was no such thing as an airport security check? I guess I’m only showing my age….
Not all Muslims
Before going further, an important distinction should be made. Am I suggesting this war is with all Muslims? No. Not all Muslims are fundamentalists. In fact the majority are not. Yet the terror from the minority is affecting almost everyone, whether Muslim or not in one way or another.
Thus an obvious question becomes how many fundamentalists are there?
Estimates vary widely. Some say it’s as low as 3%, others up to as much as 50% or more, depending on your source. Statistics on this are rare and generally without credible references. This is where some simple math is quite telling. Current population statistics indicate there are 1.65 billion Muslims worldwide. (This is not in dispute) For the sake of this article I’ll use a conservative estimate of 10% being fundamentalists. That means 90% are peaceful.
If 10% are fundamentalists, that translates to 165 million. If all of them lived in one country it would rank #8 in the world. These are numbers no one should dismiss or take lightly.
True Muslims
The next question is who are the “true” Muslims, the 90% or the 10%? Sheer numbers tend to suggest the 90%. Yet is this really the case? Let’s drill down a bit deeper.
The non-violent Muslims will tell you Islam is a religion of peace and the fundamentalists have hijacked it. While peaceful Muslims may indeed be sincere in their commitment to non-violence, are they correct by accusing fundamentalists of hijacking Islam? This needs to be addressed soberly.
The fundamentalists who commit violence in Allah’s name consider themselves to be the true Muslims. In fact they will tell you the ones who accuse them of hijacking Islam are not true Muslims.
Yet both peaceful and fundamentalist Muslims look to the Quran as their holy book.
How can two different groups both claiming to be Muslim read the same holy book and see things so differently? Is one group making claims about the Quran that are false?
Before examining this closer keep one thing in mind. There are approximately 40,000 Christian denominations. Wide differences exist among them on numerous topics. Yet would it be fair for a Pentecostal to accuse a Presbyterian of not being a Christian?
There is one holy book for those who believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob: the Bible, albeit different books are used by Christians (New Testament) and Jews (Torah/Prophets/Writings), and some differences exist between Catholic and Protestant versions. While there is a wide range of interpretations of scripture, a Presbyterian considers himself just as much a Christian as a Pentecostal.
This same principle applies to Muslims.
Due diligence requires examination of the Quran to see if there are verses which substantiate the fundamentalist view of condoning violence.
Violence condoned
There are numerous verses in the Quran which make it clear that violence is not only condoned, it is required against disbelievers. This includes against peaceful Muslims who do not engage in violence as instructed in the Quran. Altogether there are over 160 verses in the Quran which support violence or jihad.
Plus, there is clear disdain for Jews and Christians.
What’s also noteworthy is Mohammed himself supported violence. He was responsible for numerous killings, which included massacring several hundred Jews of the Qurayza tribe in Medina in 627.
Based on the aforementioned information, the following conclusions can be drawn-
There is a wide range of Muslims
The Quran sanctions violence
Mohammed himself condoned and engaged in violence
The Quran indicates disdain for non-Muslims
Muslims are both peaceful and violent
Fundamentalists are Muslims
They have not hijacked Islam
With respect to whether Islam is a peaceful religion, after confirming what the Quran says, it would seem such a characterization is not only naïve, it’s incorrect, possibly dangerous. Further, if a Presbyterian doesn’t have the right to say a Pentecostal is not a Christian, it follows that a peaceful Muslim doesn’t have the right to say a fundamentalist is not a Muslim.
If a “true believer” is one who follows everything in their holy book, and the fundamentalists are adhering to this, how should we view peaceful Muslims? While I believe they are indeed Muslims, can it be the fundamentalists are actually the true Muslims?
What’s the takeaway?
The free world should open its eyes, understand there is a war going on. Ignoring it won’t eliminate it. In fact doing so will allow it to continue unabated. We should stop letting naïveté and political correctness govern our views or our laws. Difficult decisions will need to be made, and soon. If the status quo continues, the lifestyle free people are accustomed to will soon become a thing of the past.
Years ago there was a commercial by a manufacturer of engine oil filters that suggested not to ignore the importance of changing filters when necessary. The closing words of the commercial were “pay me now… or pay me later.”
