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and sparking of the roots ..the words desert and sahara is very sensitive to the jews as it their only true land where they sparked from .. and if you get going you may need to get your filty jews living in MOROCCO BACK TO YOUR NOWHERE COUNTRY. WHAT HISTORY DO YOU HAVE ??? YOU SEEM NOT GET IT GOD HAVE BANNED YOU JEWS FROM YOUR HERITAGE YOU ARE NOW THE EVIL CHOSEN PEOPLE MAY HELL SWLOOW YOU FROM EARTH |
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were you dumped before
![]() sparks work fee sabeeeli izreal and aazraeel is happy and ezra is still standing tough and no body can defeat it and no body is truthfull but you sparlites ![]() i careless about your tsunami state . ![]() .Sparks From Israel Weekly reflections from Israel by an oleh chadash. Monday, December 20, 2004 Sparks From Israel Chanuka in the Hills of Samaria Imagine walking through a Munk painting where you can see emotion in the clouds and the skies are spread out in all of their majesty. The colors of the brownish green hills are the same as they were two thousand years ago and each tiny rock is Holy. The view around the yishuv is breathtaking and perfectly peaceful. I once heard someone say that all of the Jews could not possibly fit into the tiny Land of Israel. This is not true. There are great expanses of land unpopulated, and more than that. The hills of Yehuda and Shomron are like a blanket waiting to be spread out and filled once again with her people. Just as Yerushalayim expands like a beautiful quilt upon the landscape, so too will the provinces grow. ‘The voice of Hashem convulses the wilderness’ (Tehillim 29). You can actually see it, how the mountains move and make way for their princes and queens arriving each day. Even a stone in this Land is alive and filled with an expansive energy. I suppose it is this very Holiness; the source of all existence, that challenges the world. The war of Israel is a war of houses and homes. Each Jewish family that returns to these hills and beautifies them beautifies the source of Creation. In adolescence the body and the soul often war with each other. But through this struggle a man emerges. Today we live in the times of Chanuka, where the soul emerges victorious over the body and becomes its driving force. As Israel comes of age in our times every Jew has an important role to play. There may be a storm ahead, but it may also dissolve as the light increases. May we see the world come of age soon, and may we all be there at the Bar Mitzvah, and may there be pickled herring! Amen // posted by sparks @ 4:16 PM Saturday, December 04, 2004 Sparks From Israel Economic Hardship and Divine Abundance They say it’s hard to find a job in Israel. I suppose this is true, however on the other hand, we experience miracles in abundance. Everyday miracles as common place occurrences are simply not factored into the equation outside of Israel. Divine intervention is such an ever present part of life here that in comparison it is as if there is no G-d outside of Israel. In other Nations there are simply natural forces that have been set in place so that one doesn’t often feel the need to rely on a G-d when he can rely on the welfare state or his family, or the abundance of opportunities. Because one feels much more at the mercy of G-d here, I’m certain that He too is quite happy to be a significant part of our lives and livelihoods. All those who dwell in the Land cannot help but feel an interaction with the Divine that simply does not exist with the same intensity outside of Israel, regardless of the level of one’s ritual observance. I personally have felt the warm hand of someone guiding me throughout my sojourn here. Something I never felt so assuredly before. As a small example I went from being fired from a lowly job and feeling destitute to being hired to a management position with all of the management perks. All of this took place within 48 hours. The only problem with my new job was that because there was more responsibility, there were also more demands on my time. When the time arrived for the afternoon prayers which I prefer to do in a synagogue with a minyan (a quorum of 10 men), there was not synagogue to be found, nor enough time to travel to where I might find one. One day, I slipped away from work and turned down a side street in the industrial area of my workplace hoping to find a secluded spot to pray. Lo and behold in the middle of this abandoned area was a synagogue full of congregants that seemed to have been placed there for me like a mirage. The next day, when my supervisor was relying upon me to prepare a brief that was needed immediately I noticed that it was getting dark outside and like the salmon that instinctively returns to the stream, I slipped away to the corner mirage and joined the minyan. I realized that it was a little risky to disappear at such a time, but I said to myself if a job is so consuming that I cannot afford my fifteen minutes of meditation to the supervisor of all supervisors, then it’s not the right job for me. I felt relieved to do my quick prayer and hurried back to the office. As I entered I passed my supervisor who noticed me entering from outside. I continued to the photocopy room and a few minutes later he approached me. I could see it coming. He was going to ask me why I took a break at such a time when our overseas client was about to call and I was to brief him on the details. He would be disappointed and reprimand me. As he approached he looked me in the eye and said. ‘I just want to tell you that I’m really very happy that you are with us and to thank you for doing such an excellent job’. As he left I looked up at my supervisor in Heaven and smiled, ‘You have such a clever way of demonstrating your love for me.’ I said. He smiled back. It may be difficult to find work sometimes in Israel, but that’s because the purpose of our lives is not merely to make a livelihood, but to recognize the source of our livelihood. Hidden beneath the surface of a poor economic situation is a proximity to the Divine that flows abundantly and visibly. I wouldn’t exchange this privilege for all of the fatness and delusion the world has to offer. Greetings In the exile when you purchase an item the clerk says ‘Have a Nice Day’. In Israel, the clerk might say, ‘What accent is that? Where are you from?’ And after talking for a few minutes will say ‘Shalom Achi’ (Goodbye my brother). Or he might charge you 50 shekles instead of 54 and say ‘Lchvod Shabbat’ (In honor of Shabbat). Here, we have rules but were not clerks. Just like the King who lives in close proximity, the sons of that King also behave like small kings, who can bend the rules and alter things according to their disposition. ‘Have a nice day’ is good, but ‘See you my brother’, it’s a different level of existence. // posted by sparks @ 8:29 AM Saturday, November 27, 2004 Sparks From Israel Riding the Bus Imagine giving a motorcycle gang member a bus license and saying, go ahead, have fun. Sometimes riding a bus, especially in the night when there is less traffic is a thrilling experience. Overseas when you get stuck behind a bus you complain because they go slow and stop everywhere. In Israel they swing to the left and right barely missing people, and other buses, stopping only for pit stops as people hurry on and the race continues. One night as the bus zigzagged through traffic at lightning speed the bus drivers friend started to beep the horn ‘yahoooo’. They laughed and I also was amused. Another night, I was coming home and the bus driver detecting my English accent asked me to help him translate a line from a Beatles song. We enjoyed talking with each other so much that he missed his turn and took the bus on a different route. I told him that this was actually closer to my place, and so he happily dropped me at my corner. We shook hands and parted. As my brother once said, in Chutz Le Aretz we have ‘I’ ‘It’ relationships. We relate to people more as things and objects. Here it is an ‘I’ ‘Thou” relationship, and we relate to each other regardless of our station in life, as family, brothers and cousins. It’s really such a huge difference. That’s it for this week. Oh yes, I heard another famous terrorist passed away. I couldn’t really care less, but I went to the Shiva and I brought a deli plate. There will be more of them I’m sure, just like mosquitoes or hornets in the summer, but it won’t stop me from building my corner of the Promised Land. I hear they are also opening a new hotel in Gush Katif. Kol hakavod! Shabbat Shalom // posted by sparks @ 8:27 AM Saturday, November 20, 2004 Sparks From Israel Shuk HaKarmel Luckily I wasn’t at my local market the day of the Shuk Hakarmel attack, but the next day as I sat in the shuk I was impressed to see something unusual. As I ordered my boreka’s a famous singer flanked by a camera man pushed a microphone past me to the owner of the shop. He was making a video clip and going through the market singing ‘Am Yisrael Chai’ and reminding the people that Israel is ours ‘Yisrael Shelanu’ to bolster the spirits of the shop owners who had just been the victims of a terrorist attack. They clapped along and sang. It was quite a sight to see, how a day of darkness was transformed into an indestructible day of light. More than that, this famous Israeli singer was a Black man from America who had moved to Israel 30 years ago and become the master of Chassidic music with a blues twist. Amazing to see how the sparks of Holiness from all the different Nations of the world have returned to rebuild our ancient homeland. I still thank G-d every day for bringing me here and giving me a place. I feel very fortunate to be here with my brothers, despite the war. As for those who think Israel is being sold for a bowl of lentils, don’t worry the story isn’t over. This is only another chapter in the unraveling story of the divine plan. Leaders can make all sorts of proclamations, but in the end it is the Big Director who decides. And from what I can understand of the story it has a happy ending. // posted by sparks @ 8:26 AM Saturday, November 13, 2004 Sparks From Israel The Revolution It’s embarrassing sometimes to be part of such a Holy Nation and to be led by heroes who are small in their eyes. Leaders reminiscent of Saul who rage at those who have everything that he lacks, and in his rage labels the builders of the Nation of having a ‘Messianic complex’ to cover up his own ‘complex’. It’s obvious that their strength makes his own lack of self-esteem more acute and so ‘the accuser accuses with his own blemish’. How can we be part of such a great nation of courageous soldiers and everyday heroes, yet we allow ourselves to be bullied by modern day Nazis, their International supporters, and our imprisoned leadership. All of the courage and machismo of our indestructible Nation turns into jelly without one essential ingredient – faith. When one has faith, one marches through life confident that all adversity is meant to strengthen us and to teach us that there is a force that has created this design and is always with us, as long as we are with Him. Despite the apparent dangers, if we steer our ship with integrity, the rough waters will subside and we will be protected. This is freedom. On the other hand, one who lacks this faith sees himself as a tiny dot standing alone against giants who wish to destroy him, and lacking integrity, he is willing to sell and barter his heritage and even his family, for the shallow promise of security from the Gestapo’s of the world. This is slavery. With this perception, even the finest soldier can be reduced to the level of a ruthless drug addict. But what is a revolution if not a popular uprising from among the people? It is we who choose to be led or misled. It is we who pay the price for complacency, just as Job did. It is we who burned in Europe when our spiritual leadership said ‘stay’, or today say ‘soldiers obey your orders’. Don’t blame the shepherds for getting fat from the sheep. Stop being sheep and demand real leaders. Be David’s who saw the brave soldiers being conditioned each day by the taunting of Goliath on the CNN of their day. Slay him and be done with it. Stop whining about an imaginary Moshiach and bring him by protesting and demanding a leadership that at the very least has the best interest of his people in mind and is not afraid of a world that is always against us anyway. Despite the imaginary pressure and the bear hugs, and the outright threats against us, if we continue to build the Promised Land, and punish the guilty instead of the innocent, we will build peace not only in Israel but in the entire world. Let’s stop being embarrassed by our leaders who are on their way out with the rest of this desert generation. It’s time for the generation of Yehoshua to take over. It’s time to grow up and stop whining about where was G-d and ask ourselves, where were ‘we’ then and where are ‘we’ now? // posted by sparks @ 8:24 AM Thursday, October 21, 2004 Sparks From Israel The Times of Moshiach And it will happen on that day that there will be neither clear light nor heavy darkness. This will go on for a whole day-understood only by Hashem-neither day nor night; but toward evening it will be perceived as light. (Zecharia 14:6) We are all waiting for Moshiach to come, but in Sfat he has already arrived. When we say we are waiting for the times of the Moshiach, what exactly are we waiting for? The times of Moshicach are supposedly a time when the light of Torah will be revealed and the world will return to its original condition. The delight of such a world one can feel in Sfat where sometimes you walk into an empty shop and must wait for the owner to return in order to buy something. Or a Jew might come dancing out of a Beit Knesset and grab your hands and dance with you as he continues on his way. Certainly we are still in the middle of a war, and the battles that Joshua left unconquered are still being waged by his children. But when one needs a rest from the state of darkness that emanates from the valley of Schem and hovers around the globe, one can slip into the future for a few days and visit the dreamy city of Sfat. Then one can return to the war with purpose and knowledge of a time that awaits us. Every battle and revolution brings us closer to that day that is neither light nor dark, but something we have never known before. My Kind of Tzaddik The ‘Tish’ (banquet) of Shmini Arzeret is a time of lots of Lechaim’s (words of Torah accompanied by shots of Vodka). Of course, if Chabad didn’t invent the Lechaim tradition, they certainly perfected it. I was in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City at this festive occasion that marks the culmination of the days of awe. There was a very distinguished speaker at the head table who had written many scholarly books that I remember from my youth. It was exciting to see this great Rabbi and even more exciting when he greeted me in the most unorthodox fashion. As I sat at the corner of the table trying to discuss some idea with the students across from me among the noise of 60 Jews eating, drinking, and schmoozing I felt the splash of vodka on my head. We stopped talking and turned to the main speaker Rabbi Steinsalz who had just thrown a plastic cup of vodka at the three of us and smiled sweetly like a lovable grandfather. ‘Shudd up over there..Shush..Im trying to speak’. This was my introduction to Rabbi Steinsalz. As people tried to ‘shush’ the crowd, he continued to discuss the meaning of Shmini Atzeret and explained that it was not a time to learn Torah, but to celebrate with our bride – The Torah. Afterwards I went over to him and asked him, ‘Isn’t that more appropriate for Shavuot, the anniversary of when we received the Torah for the first time, and were not so aware of what was contained in it? Don’t they say now it’s like a second marriage, this time one with more knowledge of who it is we married? He gave my face a gentle slap and answered with his Albert Einstein voice ‘Ve are in love, silly, the commandment now is to be happy and to dance with your bride..He continued to slap me..your in love!’…Ok, I guess I understood. Now that’s my kind of Tzaddik, a man who can throw vodka at you and then slap you on the face. Sometimes those things are more meaningful than another speech. A Picture on the Wall There is nothing like being at the kotel for the climax of the chagim, When you see all of the diverse streams of Judaism mixed together in a soup of souls dancing beneath the angels as the birds fly in circles above it makes you feel like a tiny drop which seen from afar becomes the face of the Almighty. // posted by sparks @ 5:35 PM Sparks From Israel Yom Kippur in Israel The delivery man arranges to bring your bookcase to you after the Chag and wishes you an easy fast ‘Tzom Kal’. The security guard at the passport office answers a few questions you had and he too wishes you a Tzom Kal. So does your neighbor, the shop owner and the street cleaner. Your workplace has a Sukkah and Etrogs are available for the employees to purchase. Your co-workers put customers on hold, in order to finish their Torah discussion. After work, half of the staff stays behind to do Selichos. In the exile, we are like a secret society, but here it feels so good to be in a normal environment. A friend of mine recalled how when he was young a gentile would ask him what his Nationality was and he would say ‘Jewish.’ His friend would answer, ‘not your religion, your Nationality!’ The truth is, we were never meant to be a ‘religion’, nor were we meant to be a Hebrew speaking Scandinavia. Whether one is religious or not, our National holidays were written long before 1948 in the constitution of the Holy Torah. As our Religious Nation takes shape and comes of age, may we be privileged to see its light revealed and reflected to the world thirsty for its light. // posted by sparks @ 5:34 PM Tuesday, September 14, 2004 Sparks From Israel The Leaders of the Redemption Amid the loud trance music, tattoos shops, Russian punks with spiked hair, and provocative women staggering out of discos, there are many run-down Beit Knesset’s where the Torah observant few come to pray and argue past the disco hour the relevance of their particular stream of Judaism. In one of these holy places, made even holier by the three shots of Arak I ingested, a man gave over a Dvar Torah about the Parasha Ki Sisa. He quoted a local man Rav Alfasi from a Beit Knesset in the affluent North Tel Aviv. Regarding the Tehillim we read before the Birkat Hamazon (the blessing after the meal) which reads: ‘When Hashem will return the captivity of Zion, we will be like dreamers. Then our mouth will be filled with laughter and our tongue with glad song.’ Rav Alfasi asks the question, why will our mouths be filled with laughter? Why not with joy, with happiness, with praise? He answers, ‘Because we will see that the redemption is being brought by the lowest element of society. What the holy rabbi’s failed to bring, what the purest souls were incapable of achieving, will be achieved by thugs and gangsters!’ These are the times we are living in now, and soon, with laughter we will see, how the lowest elements of society, will in fact be the redeemers of our generation. How funny is that? A Familiar Song I met with a fellow countryman who has been in Israel for a month now. We spoke about the synagogue we both used to go to, and I told him that for over a year now, I have searched for a synagogue that sings Chadesh Yamenu with the same melody that we both were familiar with. I added mystically, that when I find the place that sings that melody, I will know that I have found my inheritance in the Land of Israel. We laughed and parted. The next day I met a friend who offered to guide me to a synagogue across from the Temple Mount where most of our Arab cousins live. I was surprised, in the middle of the service to hear a familiar tune. As I walked back through the Arab shuk, I heard my words echoing from the night before. Is this my inheritance? It’s not exactly the easy going life style I have in Tel Aviv. The message seemed clear to me, coming one week before Rosh Hoshanna. If one wants to continue to receive Hashem’s blessings, he must continue to grow and fulfill the potential given to him. Each of us has their own definition of what that growth entails, but each of us must conquer new territory within. Just as our Nation settles the Land of Israel despite the worlds protest, as individuals we also must conquer new territory within, and subdue the forces that seek to undermine the fulfillment of our potential. I thought for a moment of my younger brother, who would often add at the end of his letters. Grow or Die. The Watermelon man As I walked through the market on a hot sunny day, I saw a merchant sitting next to his kiosk eating freshly cut pieces of watermelon. As I approached he saw me looking at the appetizing cold slices and motioned to me to take a piece. I said ‘no’, but he insisted. As I continued on my way munching my slice of watermelon I thought to myself. ‘Is there any other place like Israel, a family that became a Nation? ‘Tis the Season All the shops are busy once again with last minute shopping. Soon the whole country will be closed down for two days. Extra people are hired just to wrap merchandise and in most corner kiosks you can pick up some last minute gift packages for the holidays. It all seems reminiscent to me of a holiday that falls in December in North America, but it’s now early September. What was once a religious day of observance to a tiny Jewish minority is a National Holiday here in Israel. It’s Rosh Hoshanna, and even the bus drivers wish you Shana Tova ve Metuka. Have a good and sweet year! // posted by sparks @ 8:23 PM Sparks From Israel The Evolution of Man Living in Israel is unlike any other nation. One might study the highest levels of Judo in Japan, or find the greatest Blues masters in Chicago, but when it comes to studying ‘faith’, this is the place. What makes this the place where ‘faith’ can be acquired more than other lands? On a simple level, we have no great rivers and lakes to rely upon. Our water falls directly from Heaven, and we subsist constantly upon the blessings of Heaven. If the rain were withheld, we would feel it right away. Prayer was the first service that Adam, the original man, was created for. And here he lies buried in Hevron. Prayer was his vocation, for without it, there would be no rain and the grass would not grow. Living in Israel is living like Adam Ha Rishon, the first man, and the ultimate man. It seems to me that all good flows from upward downward (like parents to their children), and from downward upward (as we mature) and then down again with greater love than before (as we succeed). And this is the evolution of man. Israel, which is the training ground for the ultimate mankind, must see these results daily so that it becomes second nature. As we master our service, the pipelines flow freely and the whole world is affected in a positive way. And this is the evolution of Israel, which brings about the evolution of mankind. Living Inside the Torah – Rosh Hoshana Upon hearing the news that our commuter van was being cancelled I arranged a meeting with one of the bosses of the company I work for. I explained to her that without the company van that brings us Tel Aviv people back and forth to Yerushalayim each night, it would be too expensive and time consuming to continue working there. Furthermore, we were the top salespeople that earned certainly enough money to justify the van. She said she would look into it, but the prognosis did not look good. I thought to myself, I better work hard and make some extra money, because it appears that soon I will be without a job. That Shabbat I forgot about work and asked a multitude of questions about Rosh Hashanna. How can one day affect a whole year and is this fair? What in fact are we determining if everything is already determined? What is the point of doing teshuva especially at this time and not before or after? Isn’t this a little false; like hiring a good attorney to plead for us and then he departs after the judgment has been rendered? After many long discussions, the answer seemed to have already been given. I have always felt that the events of the week in the physical world often reflect the spiritual times we are in. One has only to look for the signs and the poetry of life. As the month of Elul was ushered in, so was I being ushered out of a job. What is the connection? This time is a time when everything is in question. No matter what you bring to the company, no matter what you bring to this world. There is a higher authority that is determining once again if He will renew our contracts based upon His understanding. It is a time simply to recognize that there is a King, and that we wish to be subject to His rule regardless of what He determines. It is a time to accept His decrees as ‘just’ despite our inability to understand why bad things happen to good people. The concept of ‘Teshuva’ is similar in a way to the idea of wanting to make extra money in case one finds himself out of a job. Teshuva has an intrinsic value, like money. It can be used in this world and there are money changers on every corner in the next world too! They say that the Torah was the blueprint of all creation. And before the Torah was Teshuva. The whole system of creation is based upon change and renewal. Even a snake changes his skin; certainly angels must plume their feathers. And so as the king is being crowned once again by his subjects I suppose we can receive a base salary from this acceptance of His rule. Regardless if we attend the coronation, He still will provide for us. And I suppose the extra commissions we receive through our good deeds will have special bonuses attached just because of His visit, so it might be a good time to stock up while at the same time taking stock. It seems that it is really the concept of change that is the spark that ignites the world. The Creator of all artists had this in mind when He made His Creation whose existence never stagnates but is always changing from growth to death to re-birth. In the end, we made an arrangement regarding the van, but it is no longer free, and we see that even though we are assets to the company, we are also expendable. Nothing is as certain as it was before. But that very uncertainty makes me feel secure. I was never truly in control of events in the first place. What a comforting thought, nothing stays the same. The Garden of Eden It is a fascinating time to be in Israel. The highest souls are arriving each day and stepping onto the tarmac at Ben Gurion airport. Of course there are also many who dream of boarding those planes and discovering America. There is a changing of the guard taking place; a new stage in the building of this palace. The foundation has been dug and the frame has been erected, but now the various artists and designers are flocking to the Land to refine the interior and beautify the exterior. To the degree that the clouds darken over lands of the exile, they brighten over the hills and valleys of this Land. To those who can envision it, there is only opportunity. To those who can see it, this is the Garden of Eden. The Bicycle Tzadik While most of us suffer from lack of faith, I have a friend who has too much. He has very little money, and his only possession, his ‘bike’ he would leave everywhere without a lock. I would scold him and say, you should not rely upon miracles. ‘Baaa. He would say. If Hashem wants to take my bike, let Him take it’. After a year of miracles in which everyone else’s bike was stolen except his, it happened all of a sudden one day that his too was taken. He couldn’t understand what happened and why Hashem was angry with him to take his bike? I argued with him that Hashem gave us a book of rules and He clearly wants us to do our part below and not rely upon His miracles. After a month I saw my friend again with a brand new bike that he was very happy about. He was quick to show me that he took my advice. This time after saving up for a month to get his beautiful new bike, he bought a lock. However, it was the cheapest lock he could find. Even a five year old thief could rip it apart and steal his bike. ‘Your right’, he said to me ‘I must do my part below’, and so I did. ‘I bought the cheapest lock I could find’, so He can’t say that I am not doing my part’. But this is only symbolic, because it is not the lock that keeps my bike, but Hashem. I had to agree with him. Ours is only a symbolic effort from below, and to the degree one believes this, this is the degree to which he is blessed. One Doesn’t Study Kabala he Receives It I was a little sad yesterday because I have very few books to read in English. I am sometimes in places where rabbis are speaking and I am only able to get an idea of what they are saying, and not bold enough to attempt a question in my broken Hebrew. As I left the lecture my cell phone rang. A young man was returning my inquiry about some Torah books in English he wanted to give away. I had been the only person who answered his advertisement that he had posted the day before. Within 2 hours, he delivered to me a brand new complete set of the Zohar in English, all 23 books. Now where else does G-d hear your prayers and answer them like this? Only in the Land of the Living. // posted by sparks @ 8:13 PM IS THAT YOU SPARKS FROM ISRAEL http://sparksfromisrael.blogspot.com/ |
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sorry spark!! you are not able to be jewish bezzaf 3lik
you are just a bad pest having for mission insulting morocco & moroccan people, or as you like to call it showing people the dark side of morocco (algerian version).. so, good luck my dear freind, but remember that we are here to clean your rabit.... |
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