New Video! Earthquakes, Elenin and the Land of Israel

My first YouTube video:



Please like this video and comment on Youtube if you feel so inclined (so far there are far too many anti-Israel comments)!

Land slides across the world

Slide nearly devours 2 homes in Newport, Oregon

For the mountains may move, and the hills may shake; but My kindness shall not depart from you, neither shall My covenant of peace be removed, says Hashem, who has compassion on you.

כִּי הֶהָרִים יָמוּשׁוּ, וְהַגְּבָעוֹת תְּמוּטֶינָה--וְחַסְדִּי מֵאִתֵּךְ לֹא-יָמוּשׁ, וּבְרִית שְׁלוֹמִי לֹא תָמוּט, אָמַר מְרַחֲמֵךְ, יְהוָה

In Washington state, landslides closed sections of three state highways. In Portland, what started as a sinkhole washed away over 50 feet of Highway 22 near the Oregon Coast. Meanwhile, on Thursday the National Weather Service warned of further landslides as heavy rains are expected for western Washington, where soils are already saturated.

In the Phillippines, at least 60 people have been killed by floods and landslides, and 27 are missing.
On Thrsday, Phillipine weather authorities warned that a northeast monsoon and a wind convergence may trigger flash floods and landslides in thea areas of Eastern Luzon and Eastern Visayas.

In Brazil, in recent flooding and landslides that are now being called the country's worst natural disaster, over 700 have died and over 200 are missing. Here is a video of a man miraculously rescued after being buried alive in mudslides.

Brazil floods deathtoll likely to hit 1k

Flood stream in Terespolis, Jan. 12th
Vladimir Platonow / Agencia Brazil

The final deathtoll from Brazil floods and landslides is likely to hit 1,000 as hundreds are still missing, with entire towns buried and entire families wiped out. 'There are families that were so decimated that there is no one left to confirm who is missing,' said a spokesperson for the Nova Friburgo Civil Defense agency. Hundreds are still at risk of fresh mudslides, cut off by damaged raods and bridges.

Destroyed homes in Nova Friburgo
Valter Campanato / Agencia Brasil

Icaro Moreno, president of EMOP, a government public works company described the damage: 

Streams turned into wide, deep rivers. There is a huge geographical change; it's as if towns were completely reshaped.

Meanwhile, yesterday Brazil blamed Israel for the demise of talks with the Palestinians and condemned Israeli construction in Judea and Samaria, which includes Jerusalem. Brazil is also leading the current trend of South American countries recognizing a Palestinian state outside of the context of negotiations with Israel.

We will not fear when the earth changes and when mountains collapse into the heart of seas. His waters shall stir and be muddled, mountains shall quake from His pride forever. 

The river's streams shall cause the city of God [Jerusalem] to rejoice, the dwelling-place of the Most High.
God is in its midst that it should not tremble; God shall help it as morning approaches.

- Psalm 46

 

תהילים מו

לַמְנַצֵּחַ לִבְנֵי-קֹרַח--    עַל-עֲלָמוֹת שִׁיר

אֱלֹהִים לָנוּ, מַחֲסֶה וָעֹז;    עֶזְרָה בְצָרוֹת, נִמְצָא מְאֹד

עַל-כֵּן לֹא-נִירָא, בְּהָמִיר אָרֶץ;    וּבְמוֹט הָרִים, בְּלֵב יַמִּים

 יֶהֱמוּ יֶחְמְרוּ מֵימָיו;    יִרְעֲשׁוּ הָרִים בְּגַאֲוָתוֹ סֶלָה

נָהָר--פְּלָגָיו, יְשַׂמְּחוּ עִיר-אֱלֹהִים;    קְדֹשׁ, מִשְׁכְּנֵי עֶלְיוֹן

אֱלֹהִים בְּקִרְבָּהּ, בַּל-תִּמּוֹט;    יַעְזְרֶהָ אֱלֹהִים, לִפְנוֹת בֹּקֶר

הָמוּ גוֹיִם, מָטוּ מַמְלָכוֹת;    נָתַן בְּקוֹלוֹ, תָּמוּג אָרֶץ

יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת עִמָּנוּ;    מִשְׂגָּב-לָנוּ אֱלֹהֵי יַעֲקֹב סֶלָה

לְכוּ-חֲזוּ, מִפְעֲלוֹת יְהוָה--    אֲשֶׁר-שָׂם שַׁמּוֹת בָּאָרֶץ

מַשְׁבִּית מִלְחָמוֹת,    עַד-קְצֵה הָאָרֶץ: קֶשֶׁת יְשַׁבֵּר, וְקִצֵּץ חֲנִית;    עֲגָלוֹת, יִשְׂרֹף בָּאֵשׁ

הַרְפּוּ וּדְעוּ, כִּי-אָנֹכִי אֱלֹהִים;    אָרוּם בַּגּוֹיִם, אָרוּם בָּאָרֶץ

 יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת עִמָּנוּ;    מִשְׂגָּב-לָנוּ אֱלֹהֵי יַעֲקֹב סֶלָה

Brazil's world

On Wednesday, Brazil and Malaysia's ambassadors blamed the collapse of negotiations on Israel's refusal to extend the building freeze, and called to halt all building in Judea and Samaria. "We once again reiterate our call on Israel to heed the unanimous call of the international community in this regard," Brazil's permanent representative to the UN, Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti, said in an address to the Council. 

According to the World Politics Review, Brazil is the country responsible for the trend of Latin American countries' recognition of a Palestinian state. Lula, Brazil's past president, assembled a constituency of developing nations in Latin America, Africa and the Middle East, all supportive of Brazil's worldview. According to the Review, Palestinian state recognition gains Brazil positive political momentum on a global scale. For the new administration, it gives President Dilma Rousseff political leeway among Arab countries of the Middle East. As more developing-world countries recognize Palestinian independence, Brazil could again find itself as vanguard of the trend.

What lies behind the various countries' support of the Palestinian cause? According to the Review, Argentina and Uruguay tend to follow Brazil's lead in global politics. Bolivia, Ecuador and Venezuela are ruled by leaders with ties to the radical left dominated by anti-imperialist rhetoric. Chile's support was less predictable - as an ally of the U.S., it does not normally follow Brazil's lead. However, in this case, Pinera caved to the largest Palestinian community outside the Arab world.

According to the Review, continuation of the trend of South American countries can be traced to Brazil's leadership and commercial interests in the Arab Middle East.

According to Foreign Policy's Josh Keating, if the traditionally pro-U.S. Colombia hops on the train, the Lula foreign-policy legacy will be further solidified.

Water, Flooding and Mashiach

A big wave crashing in Santa Cruz, CA / Mila Zinkova

 Exodus 1:8-10



A new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.

Rashi (11th-century commentator) on the phrase 'A new king': Rav and Shmuel [differed in their interpretation]. One said [the king himself was] really new, and one said his decrees were new.

rsm: Brazil and Australia, two nations recently hit by major flooding, are led by two newly-elected leaders, both of whom come in the footsteps of a past leader who was infamously anti-Israel. Brazil's Lula recently established the first Palestinian embassy in Brazil. Australia's Rudd left a deep diplomatic divide between Australia and Israel.

He said to his people: 'Behold, the people of the children of Israel are greater and stronger than we are. Let us outwit him, lest he multiply; if a war occurs, he too will join our enemies and fight against us, and depart from the land.

Rashi on the phrase 'Outwit him': [Him refers to] the nation. [As in] be witty regarding what to do to him. Our sages taught, let us outwit the savior of Israel, by judging them with water, for He has already sworn that He will not flood the world [again] (but they did not understand that He swore He would not bring a flood upon the whole world, but He will bring one on one nation).

 rsm: Major flooding is occurring now in Brazil, Australia, Sri Lanka and the Philippines. In Brazil, over 620 people have been killed by floods and mudslides. In Australia, the worst floods in the country's history have devastated large parts of Queensland and are now 'spreading' to parts of Victoria, with more rain in the forecast. Floods in the Philippines and Sri Lanka have left one million people displaced.

Exodus 1:22

And Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, 'Every son who is born you shall cast into the Nile, and every daughter you shall allow to live.'

All his people: He commanded his people as well. On the day Moses was born, his astrologers told him, today their savior is born, and we do not know if he is Egyptian or Israelite, and we see that his end is to brought down by water, therefore he made a decree that day on the Egyptians as well, as it says 'every son who is born', and not 'every son who is born to the Hebrews', yet they did not know that his end was to be brought down by the waters of Merivah [when Moses struck the rock instead of speaking to it, failing to sanctify God's name, and losing his privelege to enter the land of Israel].

 rsm: Moses was destined to save the Jewish people, take them out of exile and bring them into the land of Israel. Egyptian magic foresaw that water was his 'weak spot' and attempted to foil his plan by drowning him. In return, God drowned the entire Egyptian people in the Red Sea. Every generation since includes an individual with the soul of Moses, who has the potential to bring redemption. In this sense, the war between the Mashaich and His enemies is negotiated with acts involving water. Current flooding may be merely warnings.

פרשת שמות, פרק א, פסוקים ח-י

וַיָּקָם מֶלֶךְ-חָדָשׁ, עַל-מִצְרָיִם, אֲשֶׁר לֹא-יָדַע, אֶת-יוֹסֵף

וַיֹּאמֶר, אֶל-עַמּו:  הִנֵּה, עַם בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל--רַב וְעָצוּם, מִמֶּנּוּ

הָבָה נִתְחַכְּמָה, לו:  פֶּן-יִרְבֶּה, וְהָיָה כִּי-תִקְרֶאנָה מִלְחָמָה וְנוֹסַף גַּם-הוּא עַל-שֹׂנְאֵינוּ, וְנִלְחַם-בָּנוּ, וְעָלָה מִן-הָאָרֶץ

רש"י: ויקם מלך חדש: רב ושמואל חד אמר חדש ממש. וחד אמר, שנתחדשו גזרותיו

נתחכמה לו: לעם. נתחכמה מה לעשות לו. ורבותינו דרשו נתחכם למושיען של ישראל לדונם במים, שכבר נשבע שלא יביא מבול לעולם (והם לא הבינו שעל כל העולם אינו מביא, אבל הוא מביא על אומה אחת)

 שמות א, כ"ב: וַיְצַו פַּרְעֹה לְכָל עַמּוֹ לֵאמֹר כָּל הַבֵּן הַיִּלּוֹד הַיְאֹרָה תַּשְׁלִיכֻהוּ וְכָל הַבַּת תְּחַיּוּן

רש"י: לכל עמו: אף עליהם גזר. יום שנולד משה אמרו לו אצטגניניו היום נולד מושיען, ואין אנו יודעין אם ממצרים אם מישראל, ורואין אנו שסופו ללקות במים, לפיכך גזר אותו היום אף על המצרים, שנאמר כל הבן הילוד, ולא נאמר הילוד לעברים, והם לא היו יודעים שסופו ללקות על מי מריבה

Heavy flooding worldwide

Flooding in Toowoomba, Australia 2011 / Kingbob86

UK:

Flood warnings are in place on nearly all of Scotland's rivers following heavy rain. Areas along the River Eden in Cumbria, a county in Northwest England, were also on high alert. North Wales had four flood warnings overnight.

Phillipines:

Two weeks of heavy rains in the Philippines have killed 51, left 400,000 displaced people, and have overall affected 1.5 million people.

Brazil:

More than 656 people have died from floods and mudslides in the mountains around Rio De Janeiro, in the country's worst disaster on record. "It's impossible to know the extent of the catastrophe," James Barros, a colonel from a state police battalion in the region, told the Globo news network. "There are areas where mudslides carried away entire families, with no one left to recognize bodies."(WSJ)

Sri Lanka:

Floods have killed 32 and displaced 300,000 in Sri Lanka, spurning fears of water-borne diseases and massive economic hardship following destruction of rice fields.

Australia:

Australia's flood crisis spread to Victoria on Sunday, forcing the evacuation of 3,000 residents, just after floods killed at least 20 and ravaged Queensland in the worst disaster in Australia's history. Sharks have been spotted swimming through flood-hit streets of a town in Queensland. Some towns still do not have clean tap water.

The Talmud teaches that while God promised he would not bring a flood upon the whole world again, he will bring a flood upon one nation (Sotah 11a).

Click here for a current map of Australia river levels
 

A flood on one nation

the cover of the sefer Kishutei Kallah,
from hebrewbooks.org

The following is taken from the sefer Kishutei Kallah ('Decorations of the Bride') of Rabbi Nathan Neta of Shinyiva zt"l on Parashat Beshalach:

וישובו המים על מצרים, כי לפי שנשבע ה' שלא יביא מבול לעולם, אבל על אומה אחת מביא. או שיביאם אל תוך המים (על זה לא נשבע) - סוטה יא ע"א

'That the waters may come back upon the Egyptians', for יהוה swore He would not bring a flood on the world [again], but on one nation He would bring it; or, He would bring them into the water (on this He did not swear). (Sotah 11a)


Sources:

שמות י"ד, כ"ו: וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֶל-מֹשֶׁה, נְטֵה אֶת-יָדְךָ עַל-הַיָּם; וְיָשֻׁבוּ הַמַּיִם עַל-מִצְרַיִם, עַל-רִכְבּוֹ וְעַל-פָּרָשָׁיו

Exodus 14:26: And יהוה said unto Moses: 'Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the waters may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.'

Babylonian Talmud Tractate Sotah Page 11a:

This section of the Babylonian Talmud collects commentaries of the sages (200-500 CE) on the Biblical story of the Jewish people under Egyptian slavery, as told in the first chapters of the book of Exodus. The text is composed of quotations from the Torah (the Five Books of Moses), followed by interpretations of the sages, whose views are grounded in the quotations themselves, or in quotations from other parts of the Torah:

"A new king arose..." (Exodus 1:8) Rav and Shmuel [differed in their interpretation]: One said [the Pharoah was] actually new and one said his decrees were new. He who said actually new [based his view on the verse] as it is written 'new'; and he who said his decrees were new, as it is not written 'And he died and he reigned.'

[Note: Brazil and Australia have new leaders, who come in the footsteps of a past leader who was infamously anti-Israel. Brazil's Lula recently established the first Palestinian embassy in Brazil. Australia's Rudd left a deep diplomatic divide between Australia and Israel.]

"Who knew not Joseph" — he was like one who did not know [Joseph] at all.

"And he said unto his people, Behold the people of the children of Israel." A Tanna [sage who lived prior to 200 CE] taught: He originated the plan first, and therefore was punished first [referring to Pharoah]. He originated the plan first, as it is written: 'And he said unto his people' (Ex 1:9); therefore he was punished first, as it is written: 'Upon you, and upon your people, and upon all your servants.' (Ex. 7:29)

"Come, let us deal wisely with him" — it should have been "with them" [plural, not singular] — Rabbi Chama in the name of Rabbi Chanina said: [Pharaoh meant,] 'Come and let us outwit the Saviour of Israel. With what shall we afflict them? If we afflict them with fire, it is written: "Behold יהוה will come in fire" (Isaiah 66:15) and it is written "יהוה will judge by fire". [If we afflict them] with the sword, it is written: 'And by His sword all flesh." No, let us afflict them with water, because the Holy One, blessed be He, has already sworn that he will not bring a flood upon the world; as it is said: "For this to Me is like the waters of Noah, as I swore that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth, so have I sworn that I would not be angry with you, nor will I rebuke you." (Isaiah 54:9) They were unaware, however, that He would not bring a flood upon the whole world, but upon one people He would bring it; or alternatively, He would not bring [the flood] but they would come and fall into it. Thus it says: "And the Egyptians fled towards it" (Exodus 14:27)...

Rabbi Chiya son of Abba said in the name of Rabbi Simai: There were three in that plan: Balaam, Job, and Yitro. Balaam who devised it was slain; Job who silently acquiesced was afflicted with sufferings; Yitro, who fled, merited that his descendants should sit in the Chamber of Hewn Stone.

 בבלי מסכת סוטה דף י"א ע"א

ויקם מלך חדש וגו

רב ושמואל חד אמר חדש ממש וחד אמר שנתחדשו גזירותיו מאן דאמר חדש ממש דכתיב חדש ומאן דאמר שנתחדשו גזירותיו דלא כתיב וימת וימלוך

אשר לא ידע את יוסף דהוה דמי כמאן דלא ידע ליה כלל

ויאמר אל עמו הנה עם בני ישראל

תנא הוא התחיל בעצה תחילה לפיכך לקה תחילה הוא התחיל בעצה תחילה דכתיב ויאמר אל עמו לפיכך לקה תחילה כדכתיב ובכה ובעמך ובכל עבדיך

הבה נתחכמה לו להם

מיבעי ליה א"ר חמא ברבי חנינא באו ונחכם למושיען של ישראל במה נדונם נדונם באש כתיב כי הנה ה' באש יבא וכתיב כי באש ה' נשפט וגו' בחרב כתיב [(ישעיהו סו, טז) ובחרבו את כל בשר] אלא בואו ונדונם במים שכבר נשבע הקב"ה שאינו מביא מבול לעולם שנאמר (ישעיהו נד, ט) כי מי נח זאת לי וגו' והן אינן יודעין שעל כל העולם כולו אינו מביא אבל על אומה אחת הוא מביא אי נמי הוא אינו מביא אבל הן באין ונופלין בתוכו וכן הוא אומר (שמות יד, כז) ומצרים נסים לקראתו והיינו דא"ר אלעזר מאי דכתיב (שמות יח, יא) כי בדבר אשר זדו עליהם בקדירה שבישלו בה נתבשלו מאי משמע דהאי זדו לישנא דקדירה הוא דכתיב (בראשית כה, כט) ויזד יעקב נזיד
א"ר חייא בר אבא א"ר סימאי שלשה היו באותה עצה בלעם ואיוב ויתרו בלעם שיעץ נהרג איוב ששתק נידון ביסורין יתרו שברח זכו מבני בניו שישבו בלשכת הגזית שנאמר (דברי הימים א ב, נה) ומשפחות סופרים יושבי יעבץ תרעתים שמעתים סוכתים המה הקנים הבאים מחמת אבי בית רכב וכתיב (שופטים א, טז) ובני קיני חתן משה וגו'

Chile, Guyana recognize Palestinian state, Ecuador announces embassy

South America, orthographic projection / NASA

On Thursday Guyana joined Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Ecuador, Bolivia, and Uruguay in the unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state, a move that nixes past agreements between Israel and the PA.

Guyana's Foreign ministry announced its recognition "in keeping with Guyana's long-standing and unwavering solidarity with, and commitment to, the just and legitimate aspirations of the people of Palestine for the exercise of their right to self-determination and to achieve a homeland of their own, independent, free, prosperous and at peace," Haaretz reports.

Last week, after meetings with Mahmoud Abbas at the new Brazilian president's inauguration the week before, Chilean President Sebastian Pinera announced his official recognition as well, after a resolution passed in the Chilean senate calling for Pinera to act. Pinera is scheduled to visit the West Bank in April.

This week Palestinian official al-Maliki also announced the opening of a Palestinian embassy in Ecuador.

Brazil, Australia hit by deadly floods

Floods and mudslides in Brazil have killed nearly 500 people, WSJ reported Thursday.

Two weeks ago, Brazil became the first country in the Western hemisphere to host a Palestinian embassy. The same weekend, PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas attended the inauguration of Brazil's new President, Dilma Rousseff. At the inauguration, Abbas met with other South American leaders to discuss their support of a Palestinian state.

Abbas, Lula and Brazilian FM meeting in Brasilia on Friday

Meanwhile, across the globe, the city of Brisbane, Australia, has nearly gone underwater. The floods have killed 19, and 61 are missing. Large parts of the city have become muddy lakes, and torerents have flooded 12,000 homes in the city of 2 million. Queensland Premier Anna Bligh told reporters that the city "looks more like a war zone in some places." Aerial views of the city reveal a sea of brown water.

Israel's best friends in the world have arguably been the US, Canada and Australia. While the Obama administration is sliding from that historical commitment, current Australian PM, Julia Gillard, is known as "one of Israel's closest friends."

Yet former Australian PM and current Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd, who hails from the flooded state of Queensland, left behind a rocky relationship with Israel, and as foreign minister has shown no signs of reversing the damage he began. In February, Australia expelled the Mossad chief in Canberra, Australia's capital, reversing the last government's decision to station senior intelligence people in each others' countries, and pausing Canberra-Jerusalem intelligence cooperation. to station over the Dubai passports affair. In response to the Marmara aid ship debacle, Rudd criticized Israeli policy: "When it comes to a blockade against Gaza, preventing the supply of humanitarian aid, such a blockade should be removed."

In the current Gillard government, Rudd was appointed as Minister of Foreign Affairs, in what was criticized by many as a move to appease internal political divisions. A month ago, during a visit in Israel, Rudd called for Israel to allow international inspectors into its nuclear facility, and to halt construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

"...We do not support new settlement construction and the reason is that it undermines the prospects of the successful prosecution of peace negotiations."
..."There is a second reality also, which is what security challenges Israel would face if the peace process entirely collapses..."
"All of us, if we are any students of the history of the last decade or so, have a grasp of what can go wrong, and what can go wrong big time if the Palestinian people don't have a stake in a negotiated outcome..."

Australian Christian Pastor Danny Nalliah blogged last Friday night about the connection between the floods and Rudd's recent comments, citing journalist and Christian author Bill Koenig. Koenig, author of Eye to Eye: Facing the Consequences of Dividing Israel, has previously made connections between events such as Hurricane Rita and US pressure on Israel not to interfere with Hamas' election in Gaza, a position that brought about the current reality in Gaza, where rockets fall weekly if not daily on Jewish communities in the southern part of the country.

Keep watch of how countries align on the question of Jerusalem.