Though darkened by Russian strikes lights of hope

In the north of Europe shelling brings a lot of darkness, but these days our brethren and sisters from Ukraine, with us are all united in the commemoration of another war won by the grace of the El' Elyon.

Our feelings and thoughts when looking at 17 Tammuz, 5782

We look at the observance of Three Weeks,(Hebrew Bein Hametzarim,- Between the Straits) which commemorates the days between the first breaching of the walls of Jerusalem in 586 bce by Babylonian troops under Nebuchadrezzar to the subsequent destruction of the First Temple of Jerusalem.

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You don’t need a religion to do soul management

You don’t need a religion to do soul management, but having a sacred calendar certainly helps. Far from being an endless list of tasks, the Torah itself is a blueprint for management.Judaism, and especially Leviticus, wants us to build a civilization that prioritizes the parts of us that make us most human – our fragility, [...]

More than seven anti-Semitic incidents in the U.S.A. per day

The Anti-Semitism Worldwide Report 2021 and the Anti-Defamation League report about anti-Semitism show the rise of hate against Jews.

Ashkenazi Jews are extremely inbred

One of the main reasons why Jeshuaists, of which there are also several of Ashkenazi or Germanic origin (from West and Central Europe plus some from Scandinavia), are allowed to marry someone of non-Ashkenazi Jewish descent or even non-Jewish descent is simply to ensure that there is no ‘inbreeding‘ and the family can be kept healthy.

Jeshuaists namely believe the Elohim has made us His people, but we have to protect ourselves that people also, by taking care that no genetic disease can come into existence by ourselves mixing with our own blood.

We do believe that from a genetic point of view, it’s good if a person reproduces with someone from a different group, and as such can create a stronger being than by weakening the group staying in the same family. Our kehillot or Jewish communities do not have enough people to make a healthy connection with others. Our ties (and genes) are too much connected, and therefore we should allow our kids to have relationships with non-Jews or non-Jeshuaists.

Chemiotics II

Neurologists are inherently interested in  psychosis, not least because too much dopamine in the form of L-DOPA can trigger it.  I’ve always found it remarkable that dopamine blocking agents (phenothiazines, and most antipsychotics) can attack psychotic thought itself.  This is much more impressive to me than the ability of other drugs (alcohol, coffee, marijuana, cocaine) to affect mood.

So it’s always worthwhile to read another paper about the genetics of schizophrenia, a very hereditary disease.  All the risk factors we’ve found by GWAS (Genome Wide Association Studies) account for at most of 1/3 of genetic risk in schizophrenia.  For details please see https://luysii.wordpress.com/2014/08/24/tolstoy-rides-again-schizophrenia/.

So I was interested in another crack at finding more genetic causes of schizophrenia  [ Neuron 109, 1465–1478, May 5, 2021 ].  As often happens, the most interesting thing in the paper was something totally tangential  to my original interest in it. 

Here it is —   ”…

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Times of seclusion, restriction, liberation, connection, religious affiliation and conversion

In Corona time many people got time to think about which way to go with their faith. Now more people feel the need to go back to the shul after all the lockdowns.

Jodi Rudoren moderating a civil discourse

Under the auspices of the Temple Emanu-El Streicker Center, Forward Editor-in-Chief, Jodi Rudoren moderated a spirited debate on the aspects of my previous posting. The hot topic was part of a panel discussion with Bret Stephens of The Times, and Peter Beinart of Jewish Currents, at The Temple Emanu-El Streicker Center. In this video underneath [...]

Anti-Defamation League’s survey showing the problem of American anti-Jewishness

The Anti-Defamation League released a survey earlier this year in which 36% of American Jews and 41% of Americans said they had experienced online hate and harassment. According to the FBI’s 2020 statistics, crimes targeting Jews comprised 57.5% of all hate crimes, more than any other religious group. Despite the seeming blitz of self-regulation from [...]

Three Weeks of sadness but also of hope

From June 27 until July 18 2021, thinking of exiles, misfortunes and calamities for the Jewish people. Mourning for sad events but also looking forward with the hope of God's promises.

Weekend of Milk and Honey – Symbolic breastfeeding

In our kitchens, milk and meat may be separated, but both have their own value. This coming weekend dairy products are in the running or receive a popular place in our heart or tummy. I dare say, that perhaps for many a meat dish before eating a dairy product, so that the two types of [...]

By a man of faith hope coming unto us

The man who loved the Law of the Elohim (Ps 119:97) and was known by God to be a righteous man, blessed and praised his Bo're and was willing to do everything that Hashem wished him to do. Those wanting to fall under the promises made to Abraham should be people following in the footsteps of Abraham, having the Faith in the same God as Him.

Days of Chanukah- Days of Faith

This eight-day holiday, commemorating a miraculous win in a battle fought against a powerful enemy of the Jewish people, brings us several reasons to have a feast within the family. Eating is also part of sharing, enjoying the gifts the Hashem provides for us.

The Sages did not establish that we hold festive meals during Chanukah, for the holiday of Chanukah represents the oral Torah whose length and breadth are vast and can only be acquired through limiting one’s eating and drinking. But eating and drinking whilst talking about God’s miracles is also a way of expressing gratitude for everything the Hashem provides for us.

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To remember:

• On Chanukah > Jewish nation’s faith in oral Torah strengthened <=  they saw that Heaven agreed with the rulings of the Sages of the Talmud. > according to Torah law, non-Jews cannot defile oil; however would share the status of a Jew who has become impure who defiles oil immediately upon touching it.
• According to the writer of the article: oral Torah whose length + breadth are vast => can only be acquired through limiting one’s eating and drinking.
• Our Sages taught us in the Gemara in Tractate Shabbat (23a) that the mitzvah of the Chanukah candles is performed through the lighting of the candles and if the candles are extinguished, one is not obligated to rekindle them. This means that the main Mitzvah is through lighting Chanukah candles which will innately have the ability to burn for half an hour. Therefore, if the candles were extinguished due to a cause non-existent at the time the candles were lit, for instance, if the door or window were opened suddenly and a gust of wind blew out the flames, one is exempt from rekindling the flames. Even so, it is an extra special Mitzvah to relight any candle (without a blessing) that has been extinguished if it is still within a half hour of being lit. {Lighting the Chanukah Candles}
• When lighting Chanukah candles, one should be certain to put in enough oil so that they will remain lit for at least half an hour from the initial lighting time. Similarly, if one is using wax candles, care should be taken that they should be long enough to burn for at least half an hour after the appropriate candle-lighting time which is when stars appear in the sky. There are some multi-colored candles on the market made especially for small Menorahs which do not last for half an hour; one should abstain from using such candles. On Friday afternoon when Chanukah candles are lit earlier than usual, more oil should be added, as will be explained, G-d-willing, in a following Halacha. {Lighting the Chanukah Candles}

Yeshua Centered Judaism

The Days of Chanukah- Days of Faith

As opposed to the other holidays and festivals which were already existent since Hashem gave the Torah to the Jewish nation, the holidays of Purim and Chanukah were brought about through two wicked men, Haman and Antiochus.

Maran Rabbeinu Ovadia Yosef zt”l writes that Purim and Chanukah have resulted in tremendous things for the Jewish nation, for on Purim, the Jewish nation reaffirmed their commitment to the oral Torah lovingly. On Chanukah, the Jewish nation’s faith in the oral Torah was strengthened, for they saw that Heaven agreed with the rulings of the Sages of the Talmud. Indeed, according to Torah law, non-Jews cannot defile oil; however, our Sages decreed that a non-Jew would share the status of a Jew who has become impure who defiles oil immediately upon touching it. Thus, all of the impurity related to the oils in the Bet…

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15th of Av one of the two most auspicious days on the Jewish calendar

Our sages regarded the 15th of Av to be one of the two most auspicious days on the Jewish calendar (the other being Yom Kippur -- Talmud, Taanit 26b).

Today in Jewish History: Nachmanides’ Disputation (1263)

Thanks to the Spanish Rabbi Moshe ben Nachman a synagogue was build in the Old City of Jerusalem which is still in use today

9 Av: Tisha B’Av 2020

The day a number of disasters in Jewish history occurred, primarily the destruction of both Solomon's Temple by the Neo-Babylonian Empire and the Second Temple by the Roman Empire in Jerusalem, received an other black spot in this year of the CoViD-19 pandemic.