Iran and Michael

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What keeps me awake worrying:
17 of Tammuz is tomorrow. It is the day we mourn the Romans breach of the outer wall of Jerusalem in 70 CE on the way to destroying Jerusalem and the Holy Temple. This week we read the portion of Pinhas, where God gives Pinhas a medal "Brit shalom" for being zealous in defense of God, by killing Zimri, a prince of Israel who was leading Israel to idolatrous worship. The central debate on that story is when is zealotry laudable or not.

President Obama is in Moscow negotiating a huge reduction in our nuclear stockpile, and wants to be friends with them. That may or may not be wise. But is that the central concern today?

From todays daily briefing-his own head military guy-
U.S. Military Chief Warns of Rising Nuclear Threat - Yochi J. Dreazen
Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the Center for Strategic and International Studies Tuesday that the "window is closing" for preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. Iran was likely just one to three years away from successfully building a nuclear weapon, which means that the U.S. and its allies are running out of time to persuade Iran to abandon its nuclear program. "Iran is very focused on developing this capability," he said. "The clock is ticking and that's why I'm as concerned as I am."
and Obama: No Green Light for Israeli Strike on Iran Nukes
The U.S. is "absolutely not" giving Israel a green light to attack Iran, President Obama told CNN Tuesday. "We have said directly to the Israelis that it is important to try and resolve this in an international setting in a way that does not create major conflict in the Middle East," Obama said. "I think Vice President Biden stated a categorical fact, which is we can't dictate to other countries what their security interests are. What is also true is that it is the policy of the United States to resolve the issue of Iran's nuclear capabilities in a peaceful way through diplomatic channels," Obama said. (CNN)

Who supplied Iran with all the technology, materials and advisors to build the nuks? Russia and others.
Who believes our "diplomatic channels" will stop Iran? Save this email and after Iran tests a nuclear bomb a year from now, remember this. What is unclear to anyone about a regime that continually says, from the top, it wants to destroy Israel and the USA? You think they are kidding?

Here is my question prompted by Pinhas-Only 60 years after the Holocaust and wars against Israel 1948, 56, 67, 73, Lebanon, Intafadas, Hamas and Hezboilah missiles-what zeal are we showing in defense of our right to live? We talk and talk and talk, to ourselves, and Iran builds, builds, builds.


and what about the weeks' news totally dominated by the death of Michael Jackson-may he rest in peace. That is worth 80% of the coverage of the news? I must be so out of touch. Ok he can walk backwards in a cool way-they call that the moonwalk. hey-people actually walked on the moon-way cooler.

The main focus for me about this whole story was the amazing pictures of his face's physical transformation through all the medical interventions, probably being prompted to act to "remedy" the reports his dad telling him he had such an ugly face as a child. Contrast that with the story in Pinhas about the amazing devotion and strength of Zelophad's daughters to honor their father's memory and fight for what was rightfully theirs, even challenging God's law.

more on the 17th of Tammuz-hurry up and get your kosher burgers on dempster. iot's get's tougher for a few weeks now. Many Jews eat no meat from Av 1 till Av 9.

It marks the beginning of 3 weeks of mourning that the Jews commemorate because of all the calamities that befell the nation between the 17th of Tammuz and the 9th of Av (Tisha B'Av).
This three week period is called Bein Hametzarim "between the troubles" and some Jews refrain from the following:
do not wear new clothes
do not listen to music
do not bathe for pleasure
do not shave
do not cut hair
no weddings
no drinking of wine
no eating meat
no long journeys undertaken

The three weeks begin with the Fast of Tammuz 17. This day is a fast day to remember five tragedies that befell the Jews:
1. Moses broke the first set of tablets of the law.
2. The daily offering in the first Temple was discontinued for lack of sheep. [Daniel 11:31
"...and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate."
Daniel 12:11,12
"And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days."]

3. Right before the destruction of the second Temple, the walls of Jerusalem were breached.
4. A wicked Roman ruler named Apostumus burned the Torah.
5. An idol was erected in the Holy Temple.