Obama mentor: Free Pollard!

A day after Netanyahu submits a historic letter asking Obama to free Pollard, Obama gets another Free Pollard letter, this time from his friend and mentor, the Jerusalem Post reports:

US President Barack Obama received yet another letter asking him to release Israeli agent Jonathan Pollard on Wednesday, but unlike other pleas for clemency, this one came from a man he knows and respects, Harvard Law School Professor Charles Ogletree.

Ogletree, who directs the Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice at Harvard, was Obama's professor and his wife Michelle's and the president still considers him his mentor and friend. "I have written President Obama seeking a pardon for Jonathan Pollard," Ogletree wrote. "I hope the president grants the wishes of many who have supported a pardon for Mr. Pollard."

Former chief rabbi of Israel Harav Mordechai Eliyahu zt"l was very close with Pollard. After his passing, Pollard's wife Esther shared: " Over time, the Rav shared with us and with a few others who were very close to him that Jonathan’s release is the key to the redemption of all of Am Yisrael."

Let's pray for Pollard's release in a way that is untied to any settlement freeze, as Pollard himself would want.

See also:  A Conversation between Madoff and Pollard in jail on teshuva

Mass suicide?

In June 2008, 26 dolphins were found dead on a beach in Cornwall. One expert compared their deaths to "mass suicide".

Vic Simpson, a pathologist who examined some of the 26 dead mammals, said today: "On the face of it, it looks like some sort of mass suicide - but the question is why? The dolphins had swallowed and inhaled big chunks of mud from the estuary. Their lungs and stomachs were full of it. That is very bizarre indeed."

According to the UK Daily Mail, "Experts say dolphins have been known to take their own lives whilst living in captivity after becoming distressed and confused at their conditions."

A friend, who I consider a mekubal, heard the news of about the massive bird deaths earlier this week. His first reaction was "they committed suicide".

In Chasidic thought, knowing the language of the animals and birds is considered a high level of spiritual attunement. While human beings are unique in their intellectual and analytic abilities, according to Jewish tradition, animals are in some senses 'closer' to nature, and thereby to their creator. In this way behavior of the animals worldwide is a kind of crying out of the spiritual sensitive of the world.

A global phenomenon

Comprehensive list of animal deaths en masse, Dec. 31st - Jan. 6th:

1. New Years' Eve: 5,000 grackles, blackbirds and starlings fall dead from the sky in Beebe, Arkansas. According to HuffPost, Dan Cristol, co-founder of the Institute for Integrative Bird Behavior Studies at the College of William and Mary, says that the fireworks explanation is unlikely, unless "somebody blew something into the roost, literally blowing the birds into the sky."
2. 100,000 freshwater drum fish washed up on the shore of the Arkansas river near Ozark.  
3. 500 red-winged blackbirds, brown-headed cowbirds, grackles and starlings found on the side of a road in Pointe Coupee, Louisiana.
4. Hundreds of dead red-winged blackbirds, grackles, starlings and several robins fall from the sky in Murray, Kentucky.
5. 2 million small menhaden, croaker and spot fish found dead in Chesapeake Bay, Maryland
6. 100 tons of sardines, croaker and catfish wash up dead in the Parana fisherman's colony on Brazilian coast. In the meantime, the sale of seafood has been suspended. See Shirat Devorah on the difficulty of finding fish during the era before Mashiach. 
7. 8,000 of dead turtledoves found on trees and ground in Faenza, Italy. As a Youtube video narrator says, "Peace is dead." (See previous post for how doves were co-opted into a move of Palestinian unilateralism). Also, the week before in Italy, mass amounts of clams, crabs and shellfish were found washed up on the beach.
8. 50 jackdaws found dead on city street in Falkoping, Sweden
9. Hundreds of dead snapper fish dead on Coromandel Peninsula beaches in New Zealand, many with their eyes missing.
10. 40,000 velvet swimming crabs (also known as devil crabs) carcasses found strewn across a beach in Kent, England.
11. Japan on high alert for H5N1 avian influenza. Hooded crane dies of avian flu in the Kagoshima Prefecture in southern Japan, the nation's top poultry-raising area. In the northern Toyama Precture, a wild tundra swan was found on a house balcony dying of what was tentatively identified as the flu virus, which led to a search in which 23 more birds were found dead in neighboring farms. In the Hyogo Prefecture on Japan's inland sea, officials decided to stop displaying the white stork, Japan's national treasure, to prevent exposure to wild birds.
12. A mystery disease killed 10,000 saiga antelope in Kazakhstan, which are already an endangered species. 
13. Thousands of dead fish were found floating in Spruce Creek in Florida on Tuesday. Locals say the fish kill, which is the worse they've ever seen, is unusual because the creek is warm. Buzzards and pelicans swarmed above the water eager to get at the kill, and brown and white pelicans made a rare showing from their usual habitat at the beach. Most of the fish that died were mullet, ladyfish and catfish.
14. Authorities are investigating the deaths of three whooping cranes found in Calhoun County, Georgia last Friday. An investigation was called due to the the fact that the birds were found together, whereas a normal predator attack would involve one bird at a time, according to the  US Fish and Wildlife Service.
15. 200 birds were found dead on a bridge over the Lake O' the Pines in East Texas on Wednesday morning.

Other recent incidents of animal deaths (prior to Dec. 31st):

1. Tens of thousands of dead menhaden fish washed ashore in New Jersey in August 2010, just days after thousands washed ashore 200 miles away in Fairhaven, Massachusetts. This was also around the time of the last solar eclipse, and the much-awaited Rosh Chodesh Av of the Jewish Year 5770.
2. More than 150 tons of red tilapia died en masse in the last week of December in the southern province of Dong Thap, Vietnam, resulting in losses of $2.2 million for aquaculture farmers.
3. Over 100 dead pelicans were found mutilated on the beaches of Topasil Island in December. According to North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission Law Enforcement Officer Doug Jones, natural death is an unlikely explanation.
4. In late December, dead penguins washed up on the shores of New Zealand in unusual numbers. Autopsies showed that the birds starved to death (i.e. lack of fish)

Update via Shirat Devorah: Map of Worldwide Mass Animal Deaths

A map of the US incidents:

Most of the media is caught up in a wild-goose hunt (no pun intended) after causal explanations. Aristotelian philosophy was characterized by an openness to causal and purpose-based explanations, i.e did I get up because my legs moved, or because I had a goal of making a sandwich? Modern science, on the other hand, has done away with purpose-based explanations, since it has a bias of only including explanations which can be proven by observation. The problem is that this approach creates its own tautology, since anything asserting that the world has a purpose is proven by introspection, learning, prayer and devotion, and not on an approach that cuts the human being off from everything other than observations deriving from the five senses (which all animals share, hence the proclivity to believe that we came from apes...=0)


Today, for anyone who grew up brainstormed by the exclusive education of modern science, believing that the world has a purpose is a huge leap of faith. However, in my experience, once one, for whatever reason, even from a genuine wonder from reading the news, is open to the notion that what happens in this world is not random, and is not only in the hands of physical/material explanations, and that as humans we have access to realms beyond the physical world (beginning with art, creativity, imagination, wonder, awe, love, introspection, meditation, insight...and ending with prayer, Torah, mitzvot, from a Jewish perspective), a mere openness to other perspectives on reality is the only way to access new insight, in a world in which God has become a bad word =0(


Don't forget to eat gefilte fish with kavvanah this Shabbos!!

Birds circling the sky in Jerusalem today (kayn hora):

More Wildlife Deaths, and the New Palestinian Embassy in Brazil

During the weekly Torah reading enumerating the last of the ten plagues, the phenomenon of mass wildlife death continues to spread around the globe.

Chinese residents examine dead birds (China Express)

In Brazil, 100 tons of dead fish have washed up on the coast of the fishermen's colony of Parana in Brazil since last Thursday, raising concerns of local fishermen.

Brazil is the first country in the Western hemisphere to host a Palestinian embassy. On Friday night, Abbas laid the symbolic foundation stone of the Palestinian embassy in Brasilia, Brazil's capital.

Abbas in front of the new Palestinian embassy in Brasilia (Press TV)

The event occured on the first day of the former president Lula's last day in office. Birds, who have been sending messages worldwide this week, were not absent from the ceremony either: During the embassy ceremony, marking a move of unabashed Palestinian unilateralism, doves were released to represent "peace", although laughter ensued after one of the birds perched on Abbas' head.

Adriano Machado / AFP - Getty Image

The ceremony comes after former President Lula of Brazil officially acknowledged Palestinian sovereignty over Judea and Samaria, controlled by Jordan before 1967 and by Israel since then. Since the announcement in early December, several other South American countries have followed suit, including Argentina, Uruguay, Bolivia, Ecuador, and, most recently, Chile. In the words of Brazil's foreign ministry: "The demand presented by his excellency (Abbas) is just and consistent with the principles upheld by Brazil with regard to the Palestinian issue," Brazil's foreign ministry said.

Abbas, Lula and Brazilian FM meeting in Brasilia on Friday
(AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

During his visit, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas also participated in the inauguration of new Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, along with South American leaders and US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton. According to the Chilean daily La Tecera (via La Plaza), Abbas attended the inauguration in Brasilia to "thank the presidents" that have recognized the Palestinian state. While in Brazil, Abbas met with Chilean President to discuss Abbas' request from Chile to join other South American countries.

Rousseff and Clinton (AP/Richard Moraes)

Solar Eclipse, Adar Bet and the Lunar Calendar

sunrise in jerusalem on the morning of the 2010 lunar eclipse

Ha'aretz reports that a partial solar eclipse will be seen today in Israel and in much of Europe, North Afrca and central Asia. In Israel the eclipse will be at it's fullest at 10:41 a.m. GMT (that's 3:41 AM EST or 12:41 AM PST). 

Last Rosh Chodesh Av, before which there was a great deal of messianic speculation, Israel experienced a total solar eclipse.  Prior to that, Israel experienced a solar eclipse during August 1999, also when Bibi was Prime Minister, reports Israel Truth Times. And, going back further, the Christian Astrology and Prophecies site informs us that on November 1, 1948, a comet was seen near the sun during a solar eclipse seen in Africa, months after the State of Israel was born in May 1948. What the site leaves out is that November 1948 is an important date in itself, especially considering the current discussion of borders: the November 1948 armistice line divided West and East Jerusalem. On the one hand, this was a great victory for Israel, securing control of much of the holy city and enabling it to begin to re-establish it as its capital. On the other hand, this left the Kotel and the Old City in the hands of Jordan, until 1967. Essentially, anyone supporting a return to 'pre-'67' borders is a supporter of the November 1948 armistice line. (Keep in mind: If all the Arab world wants is 1967 borders, why did they instigate war against Israel when the situation was exactly so?)

According to the the Talmud, Masechet Brachot (Tractate on Prayer), a solar (as opposed to a lunar) eclipse is a bad omen for non-Jews but a good sign for the Jewish people. During a solar eclipse, the strength of non-Jewish civilization is eclipsed, so to speak, by the moon, representative of the Jewish people. While the Gregogrian calendar is based on the sun's cycle, the Jewish holidays are celebrated according to the moon's movements, with modifications to align the calendar as a whole with the sun's cycle as well. This year, for example, an additional lunar month (Adar Bet) is inserted into the Jewish calendar, which will offset the trend of this year's 'early' Channukah. Lucky for us, Adar is the month of joy: the rabbis said that if one has an upcoming trial against a non-Jew, he should try to have the trial fall in the month of Adar. Since this year there are 2 Adars, there is twice as much eit ratzon, or time when we are judged with compassion.

In this way the moments of a solar eclipse, like the month of Adar, are auspicious: a relatively small effort on our behalf in the right direction can bring about massive shifts in the world and in the worlds above. 

If you read this in time, try to tune in with your thoughts, words and actions while Israel is experiencing moments of unhampered strength, by doing one or more of the following:

1. Say a chapter of Tehillim (Psalms), such as the one for your year (your age +1), or for a relative who passed away (the age they would be now +1), or one you connect to, with love for the entire Jewish people as one in mind.

2. Give tzedaka to the poor of Eretz Yisrael (if it's late where you are, then preferably online). By giving tzedaka to Eretz Yisrael, it is like we are fulfilling the mitzva of being here. Walking home through the center of town in Jerusalem yesterday evening, I encountered more people than ever collecting tzedaka. Old limping men, old religious women, young married women, all cold from the winds blowing as evening approaches. Tzedaka brings the geulah.

3. Learn Zohar or another book about the inner dimension of Torah, such as Rebbe Nachman's teachings, or Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh's books. Learning the inner dimension of Torah also has the power to bring about our collective and ultimate redemption.

4. Make someone you love happy. Cheering up a fellow Jew no matter what reasons there are for being down is a huge mitzvah.

5. Light a candle for a tzaddik and pray for what you or your loved ones need.

Kol HaYeshu'ot!!

Birds and the Souls of the Righteous

In the video above, birds encircle the Kotel courtyard, in Spring 2010. I have always felt there is something special about the birds at the kotel.

In the Zohar, birds represent the soul, and the souls of the righteous in the upper world are called birds, as they spend their days singing God's praises. In Zohar Balak, this theme is developed, and the souls of the righteous will also reincarnate as birds in this world for their final tikkunim (to achieve their perfection). When they chirp, they are taking note of good deeds that humans are doing, and putting in a good word above.

The soul of Mashiach in the Zohar is associated with a chamber of the upper world called "Bird's nest". According to Ohr HaChayyim, Mashiach is called "Bird". Read more about this at Dreaming of Moshiach.

As birds are dying and falling around the world, people are searching for meaning more than ever before.

The New York Times is now reporting that Japan went on high alert last month for avian influenza, putting its nationally-treasured white storks in danger.

From Shirat Devorah: In Kentucky, a woman reports dozen of dead birds in her lawn. 300 more dead birds were found in Louisiana.

At CNN, David Yarnold probes into the human experience of witnessing dead birds falling from the sky.

And Yahoo notes that many people are exploring the paranormal dimension of this news story.

According to the initial report by the Arkansas Livestock and Poultry Commission Veterinary Diagnostic Lab, the red-winged blackbirds died from sudden and massive body trauma, located mainly in the front breast tissue of the birds.

The soul of the world is crying, and the birds can feel it.

Falling Blackbirds and Dead Fish in Arkansas, Falling Birds and Earthquake in Chile

Some patterns emerging from the latest natural phenomenon in the Western hemisphere:

1. According to NPR, there is no causal connection between the 100,000 fish washed up over the weekend in Ozark, Arkansas, and the 5,000 birds that fell from just before New Years' Eve, solely within a 1-square-mile area. "There's no evidence connecting the two incidents. Beebe is about 40 miles northeast of Little Rock. Ozark is about 125 miles away from Beebe, to the west near the Oklahoma border."

2. In the same 24-hour period of the Beebe Arkansas incident, thousands of birds fell from the sky in Bio Bio, Chile. Immediately after the Bio Bio incident, Chile was hit by a 7.1 magnitude earthquake, whose epicenter was very close to the radius of the fallen birds.

3. Over the weekend, Chilean president Sebastian Piñera was in Brazil, where he with Mahmud Abbas, President of the Palestinian National Authority. In early December, Abbas sent a letter requesting Chile to recognize the Palestinian state and Piñera has suggested that recognition by Chile may come soon.

Clinton shaking hands with Chavez. To her right, Panera (AP)

 4. Arkansas is the state in which secretary of state Hilary Clinton began her political career. In her mid-December speech at the Saban Forum, Clinton is quoted saying: ""The lack of peace and the occupation that began in 1967 continue to deprive the Palestinian people of dignity and self-determination. This is unacceptable, and ultimately, it too is unsustainable."


5. The falling birds incidents happened in two towns which, despite being on two different continents, have highly similar names: Beebe and Bio Bio. Both of these names sound like Bibi, the current Prime Minister of Israel, who is currently ruminating over whether to halt expansion of Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria.

May all of creation merit to rejoice in the coming of Mashiach Tzidkeinu!